Bayer Aktiengesellschaft operates as a life science company worldwide. It operates through Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, and Crop Science segments. The Pharmaceuticals segment offers prescription products primarily for cardiology and women's health care; specialty therapeutics in the areas of oncology, hematology, and ophthalmology; and diagnostic imaging equipment and contrast agents, as well as cell and gene therapy. The Consumer Health segment markets nonprescription over-the-counter medicines, medical products, medicated skincare products, nutritional supplements, and self-care solutions in dermatology, nutritional supplements, pain and cardiovascular risk prevention, digestive health, allergy, and cold and cough. The Crop Science segment offers chemical and biological crop protection products, improved plant traits, seeds, digital solution, and pest and weed control products, as well as customer service for agriculture. This segment also provides breeding, propagation, and production/processing of seeds, including seed dressing. Bayer Aktiengesellschaft has a collaboration agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop oncology drugs; research and license agreement with Dewpoint Therapeutics, Inc. for the development of new treatments for cardiovascular and gynecological diseases; collaboration agreement with Exscientia Ltd, Foundation Medicine Inc., and Evotec AG; research collaboration with Arvinas Inc. and Forschungszentrum JAlich GmbH; strategic research partnership with University of Oxford to develop novel gynecological therapies; and research collaboration agreements with Haplogen GmbH and Kyoto University to identify new drugs candidates for the treatment of pulmonary diseases. The company distributes its products through wholesalers, pharmacies and pharmacy chains, supermarkets, online and other retailers, and hospitals, as well as directly to farmers. Bayer Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany.

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Ventura County One-Year Moratorium is An Important Step Towards Protecting Families from Risky Oil DevelopmentIt feels like being kind and unselfish is disappearing from the American culture. Keeping and gaining political power seems to be the first consideration in every decision made in government. Why is loyalty to a political party so sacred that good people treat others who disagree with them in ways that are disgusting and unfair?

Debating the building of a wall is legitimate and needs to happen, but involving government workers in the disagreement by withholding their pay is just plain wrong. It shouldnt matter whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent. Wrong is wrong. Why the American public isnt protesting in support of government workers says a lot about where our society is morally. The Americas future is being poisoned by a psychopath and we are letting it happen. Shame on us.I think it was a great year for small business in Sauk Prairie, she said. Sauk City really had lots of small businesses that opened and came to us right away. Sauk City alone in 2018 had nine new businesses and one large expansion. Thats a lot for community of our size.

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Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce 2019 board president Jeremy Gesicki said not only is the chamber constantly finding new ways to engage its members, it is also doing more to make sure businesses know what services are available to them.

Members are realizing the benefits and the goals and objectives of the chamber are tailored to their needs, Gesicki said. Every year we are looking to identify new opportunities. Our chamber is not just based on event promotion, but really trying to drive real value with its members.

The chamber has a retention rate of 92 percent and a 70 percent member engagement rate.

German said the chamber measures engagement by how many individuals attend and participate in chamber-sponsored events and how many of its members utilize the chamber social media platform.As the partial government shutdown approaches the end of its fourth week, Wisconsin agencies are reporting fairly limited impacts to the services they provide.

But depending on how long the political battle over border security remains unresolved, the situation could jeopardize crucial programs for low-income residents or force municipalities to tap their own reserve funds.

City of Madison

Mayor Paul Soglin said Wednesday the longer the shutdown drags on, the more programs supported by federal funding  such as the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Head Start  could be affected.

Soglin said the city can tap reserve funds to keep programs running into the summer, but thats not ideal.

The shutdown also delays the grant process for divisions such as the Police Department and Metro Transit system. Grants already awarded wont be reimbursed to the city until after the federal government reopens, he said.

Unemployment claimsThe Village of Necedah has begun searching for a new Public Works coordinator following Warren Nordgrens announcement he will be leaving the position. Nordgren was not present at the Village Boards Jan. 14 meeting. He will be relocating to the Kenosha area.

The Village will be hiring for Nordgrens replacement. Ideally, the Village is looking for a candidate with knowledge of water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, streets, parks and wastewater treatment systems, and that holds Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and wastewater certifications. The position pays a salary of $48,000-55,000.

Elected Treasurer Resigns

Cheryl Steen resigned as elected treasurer before immediately being appointed to the same position. The resignation was made to accommodate changes to the treasurer position discussed and approved at the Sep. 10, 2018 meeting.

The change does not affect the positions wages. Steen is also serving as deputy clerk. She served in the latter role before going on to get elected to the former.

She was already elected to the position, shes in office now, said Necedah Village Clerk Roger Herried.The University of Wisconsin-River Falls fall semester deans list honoring 1,603 students has been released. To be named to the deans list, a full-time undergraduate must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0. Amber Kolste of Fall River, majoring in neuroscience is on the list.

The following area students have been named to the deans list at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the fall semester of the 2018-19 academic year:

To be eligible, students must have earned not less than a 3.5 semester grade point average and carried a minimum of 12 credits.

ColumbusNicholas Anton, Marketing; Leah Clark, Physics; Alexis Kolb, Exercise and Sport Science; Dalton Lange, Management; Benjamin OConnell, Political Science; Skyler Olson, Early Childhood through Middle Childhood Education; Kohei Osterloth, Statistics; Katherine Taylor, Microbiology; Connor Westlake, Biology;

Fall RiverLindsey Yuds, Marketing.While acknowledging corporation counsels objection to the proposed appeal, the insurance company legal team decided to move forward with the appeal at the end of the discussion, Vedro said.

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The boards chairman said he ultimately agreed to the appeal with the understanding that it would buy additional time to negotiate a settlement with the newspaper, and could be withdrawn at any time.

Although the insurance company agreed that the county should begin settlement discussions, its attorneys, Lori Lubinsky and Danielle Baudhuin of the Madison firm Axley Brynelson, filed for appeal on Dec. 28.

Despite the filing, Vedro said, negotiations with the newspaper began Jan. 8 have been productive. He expects to bring a settlement before the boards Executive and Legislative Committee next month. If the committee approves the agreement, it would then go before the full board.

Olson told the board Tuesday his objections to filing an appeal were based on the strength of the countys case as well as strategic issues.The morning snack Kyla Pfaff distributes to her fifth-grade class at Al Behrman Elementary School three days a week usually gets polished off within 15 minutes.

They love it, Pfaff said. It definitely gets their day going.

For such a popular snack, some may find it surprising that its always either a fruit or a vegetable. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program awarded Al Behrman $18,160 this school year.

I think its great, Pfaff said. It gives them an option to try a different array of fruit or veggie, so its really an awesome thing to be able to start with in the mornings  and theyre excited about it.

The school is the only recipient of the grant in Sauk County this year. Though it didnt gets funds last year, Food Service Director Mary Loveless said Al Behrman has participated in the program for about 10 years before that.

Were always appreciative that we get this grant, and we try to use it to the best of our ability to introduce the kids to things that they have never had before, and so it seems to work out great for us, she said.There were a few quietly voiced concerns last spring that the spending restraint in the provincial governments 2018 budget might include a cut to Manitobas long-entrenched Film and Video Production Tax Credit.

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This article was published 16/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There were a few quietly voiced concerns last spring that the spending restraint in the provincial governments 2018 budget might include a cut to Manitobas long-entrenched Film and Video Production Tax Credit.

Such a move would not have been out of line with the provincial governments ongoing effort to rein in spending and reduce the provinces accumulated deficit and associated debt-servicing charges.

But with hundreds of millions of dollars of film- and TV-related economic activity dependent on the tax-credit program, members of Manitobas production community hoped the ruling Progressive Conservatives would not make a penny-wise decision with profound pound-foolish implications.

There was relief  albeit of the temporary variety  when then-finance minister Cameron Friesen announced the $18-million tax-credit program was being renewed through the end of 2019. There was also trepidation at the accompanying announcement that a "working group" was being established to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and make recommendations regarding possible improvements.

Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox has recognized the importance of film and TV production to Manitobas economy in supporting the province's film tax credit. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Could the consultation process, some wondered, be an exercise in political theatrics designed to justify axing the tax credit?

Those fears were laid to rest on Tuesday, and then some, when the province not only reaffirmed its support for the film and video tax credit but also removed the "sunset clause" that delineates the programs expiry date.

In making the provinces announcement, Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox recognized the importance of film and TV production to Manitobas economy  in the 2017-18 fiscal year, a record $173 million in production activity took place in the province, and 2018-19 appears headed toward dizzying $250-million heights  and noted that making the tax-credit program permanent will ensure "stability and predictability for Manitobas media production industry."

In a way, its fitting that the current PC government would proclaim its commitment to the film and TV sector; the industrys value to the provinces economy was first formally recognized by the Filmon Tories in 1997 when it established the tax-credit program in an effort to attract production and work toward cementing Manitobas reputation as a desirable location for film and TV projects.

To call the enterprise a success would be an understatement of epic proportions. In slightly more than two decades, thanks to careful curation and aggressive promotion by industry stakeholders and continuing government support of the tax-credit scheme, what was essentially still a fledgling industry in 1997 has matured into a robust and forward-moving economic engine that attracts "from away" production companies and creative people to Manitoba in consistently increasing numbers.

As a result, local talent is developed and employed, and with each passing production cycle, the synergies created on the strength of the tax-credit program compound the financial and human-resources benefits to the province.

It is expected film and television productions will add $250 million to Manitoba's economy in the 2018-19 fiscal year. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

It seems like a political no-brainer. But there have been other jurisdictions  most notably next-door Saskatchewan, in 2012  in which austerity-minded governments have decided to curtail tax-credit contributions to film and TV production, with predictably calamitous results. Manitoba has, to its (pun fully intended) credit, stayed the course on supporting cultural industries in creative and fiscally rewarding ways.

The Pallister government has received more than its share of negative reviews, particularly for its imposition of cost-cutting measures onto an already difficult health-care restructuring, and its overall approach to labour relations. But for its decision to guarantee ongoing, stable support for Manitobas robust and revenue-generating film and TV production sector, it earns a well-deserved two thumbs up.Were writing as a parent and a dentist to spread a message to parents and dental health-care providers across Canada: there are alternatives to prescribing opioids after wisdom teeth are removed.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Were writing as a parent and a dentist to spread a message to parents and dental health-care providers across Canada: there are alternatives to prescribing opioids after wisdom teeth are removed.

Removing wisdom teeth is considered by many to be a rite of passage for teenagers. Its one of the most common surgical procedures for young people aged 16 to 24.

Amys 16-year-old son, Felix, recently had his wisdom teeth removed. After surgery, the surgeons assistant advised that to "stay on top of the pain," Felix should take a Percocet right away. Percocet is a combination of the pain reliever acetaminophen and an opioid, oxycodone. The assistant provided him with enough Percocet to take every three hours for the next day.

Thankfully, Amy knew about the possible harms associated with powerful opioid medications, such as Percocet, especially for young people. Abuse of opioids is a national public health emergency, with growing numbers of opioid overdoses and deaths.

So she asked the surgeons assistant whether there was another pain management option for Felix. Tylenol 3 was suggested (acetaminophen with the opioid codeine), which still seemed too powerful.

How did Amy know to question the advice she was given?

Amy serves as the patient adviser for the national campaign Choosing Wisely Canada, which partners with national clinician societies to develop lists of tests, treatments and procedures that may cause harm. So she knew that the Canadian Association of Hospital Dentists recommends non-opioid-based pain medications to be prioritized following dental surgery and to resort to opioids only if the pain cant be managed.

Amy asked for Naproxen for Felix  an over-the-counter pain reliever in the same drug class as Aspirin and ibuprofen. Felix took the Naproxen as directed when the anesthesia wore off and he didnt require anything stronger. In fact, he was quite comfortable.

We need to think twice about whether an opioid prescription is needed after wisdom teeth removal.

After having her wisdom teeth removed, Lady Gaga posted pictures of her puffy face and tweeted out to her millions of followers: "Wisdom teeth out. P-p-Percocet p-p-Percocet." Percocet after minor oral surgery should not be an expectation of teenaged patients.

Whats at stake?

Persistent opioid use after elective surgery, such as wisdom teeth removal, is a risk, especially in young people whose brains are developing and are highly susceptible to the effects of opioids. Leftover opioids are equally dangerous for teens, who might be tempted to experiment or share with friends and family members.

Dentists and oral surgeons have a critical role to play here  theyre among the leading prescribers of opioids to young people.

An American study published recently found that dentists are the leading source of opioid prescriptions for children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in the United States. Dental prescriptions account for over 30 per cent of all opioid prescriptions in this age group.

The study also found that young people who received opioid prescriptions after wisdom teeth extraction were more likely to be using opioids three months and one year later, as compared to their peers who didnt get an opioid.

The evidence is clear: a short prescription for opioids poses a risk of ongoing opioid use to our teenagers.

Many patients experience pain and swelling lasting three to four days and sometimes up to a week after wisdom teeth surgery. The intensity and duration of these symptoms varies considerably depending on the position of the teeth, how deeply theyre buried in bone and the surgical difficulty in removing them. While many oral surgeons and dentists prescribe opioids routinely after dental surgery, pain management for all patients should be handled individually.

In most cases, post-surgical dental pain can be controlled without opioids and through anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, in combination with non-opioid pain relievers such as acetaminophen. For some oral surgery procedures, such as deeply impacted wisdom teeth or jaw reconstruction, an opioid may be needed for pain control for a short time.

Its time oral surgeons and dentists move away from a one-size-fits-all pain management strategy. Avoiding unnecessary opioid prescriptions for teenagers is a critical part of staving off the harm of the opioid epidemic.

Amy Ma is a parent of three living in Montreal. She is the co-chair of the family adviser forum at the Montreal Childrens Hospital and patient adviser to Choosing Wisely Canada. Dr. Susan Sutherland is the chief of dentistry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences in Toronto, and president of the Canadian Association of Hospital Dentists.

 Troy MediaManitobas advocate for children and youth will gain new responsibilities and  she hopes  new resources this year, as the provincial government introduces legislation allowing the office to investigate more deaths and serious injuries.

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This article was published 16/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobas advocate for children and youth will gain new responsibilities and  she hopes  new resources this year, as the provincial government introduces legislation allowing the office to investigate more deaths and serious injuries.

In a meeting with the legislative affairs committee Wednesday, Daphne Penrose answered a number of questions from MLAs about her two most-recent annual reports. She also discussed how her office is handling its widened mandate, and how she believes government is handling serious issues facing youth (such as sexual exploitation, addictions and mental health problems).

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba's Advocate for Children and Youth, Daphne Penrose, answers questions about her annual report from members of the legislative assembly at the Legislative Building, Wednesday.

On the latter topic, Penrose didnt mince words. Echoing comments she made in open letters and public reports throughout 2018, the advocate told committee members it is time to act.

"I will continue to talk about the increased need for mental health and addictions services and the fact that, again, the time for discussion and strategies and future tasks and actions is passed. These kids need action today," she said.

The advocates office, which is an independent body of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, is now able to make policy recommendations to departments beyond Child and Family Services, including areas such as health, justice and education.

StreetReach program being reviewed The Manitoba government is gearing up to review the efficiency of its StreetReach program, which helps find missing youth and tries to prevent sexual exploitation. The province issued a request for proposal in December looking for Indigenous consultants to evaluate StreetReach's goals and see whether there's room for improvement. The RFP listed a maximum $30,000 price-point. The deadline for applications was Jan. 2. click to read more The Manitoba government is gearing up to review the efficiency of its StreetReach program, which helps find missing youth and tries to prevent sexual exploitation. The province issued a request for proposal in December looking for Indigenous consultants to evaluate StreetReach's goals and see whether there's room for improvement. The RFP listed a maximum $30,000 price-point. The deadline for applications was Jan. 2. A government spokesperson said Wednesday no decisions have been made yet on a potential winning bid. Families Minister Heather Stefanson said the program, like many other government initiatives, is being reviewed. As tactics around sexual exploitation change, so too must the programs designed to fight the problem, she said. "No longer do you see (exploitation) right in front of us in the communities. A lot of this activity is taking place online, and so to the extent that things are moving with technology and everything else, we need to make sure that our programs are meeting those standards as well," Stefanson said. Daphne Penrose, Manitoba's advocate for children and youth, praised the StreetReach program after a legislative affairs committee Wednesday, calling the value of the group "profound." "If a review will help them to understand what it is theyre doing well and help them to understand areas where they can improve, then absolutely a review is a positive thing for anybody," she said of the RFP. -- Jessica Botelho-Urbanski Close

In an October Free Press article, provincial Health Minister Cameron Friesen took issue with some of Penrose's critiques, accusing her of "finger-pointing" rather than working collaboratively to solve problems.

In her opening remarks Wednesday, Penrose alluded to some of the pushback shes gotten since her offices scope of duties expanded in March 2018.

"Im committed to using my time in this office to advance and amplify the voices and opinions of young people, and to do so even when what Im saying is very difficult and sometimes politically unpopular," she said.

NDP MLA Andrew Swan asked Penrose whether criticisms like Friesens are part of a learning process for government officials who now fall under her scrutiny.

"Yeah, it is Whether those statements are made or not doesnt change the fact that I feel very, very strongly about the fact that children in our province need mental health and addictions services," Penrose said.

"What they need is action and they need treatment and they need services  now. We have children who are at imminent risk of death and dying, who cannot access (services)."

Penrose spoke of growing numbers of children and youth who are being sexually exploited and who are addicted to drugs such as methamphetamine. Often the two issues go hand in hand, she said, as children are exploited while trying to feed their addictions.

'Im committed to using my time in this office to advance and amplify the voices and opinions of young people, and to do so even when what Im saying is very difficult and sometimes politically unpopular'  Daphne Penrose

The advocate said the province needs more safe spaces to bring sexually-exploited youth, and better training for foster parents to spot signs of abuse.

Her office's mandate will widen again this year, as government rolls out Phases 2 and 3 of the Child and Family Services Amendment Act.

Families Minister Heather Stefanson said Phase 2  which will allow the advocate to investigate deaths of children who interacted with justice, mental health or addictions services in the year prior to their death  should come into effect this spring. (Currently, the advocate's office can only look into deaths of children who were involved with CFS in the year before their deaths.)

Phase 3  which will let the advocate investigate serious injuries, including sexual assaults  should be rolled out by fall, the minister said.

"I think we have, through the legislation and changes in legislation, have empowered (Penrose) to do a little bit more digging on behalf of children and youth in our province, and I think that thats a very important thing, and were supportive of her in those efforts," Stefanson said.

The minister also confirmed a youth mental health and addictions strategy is in the works.

After the committee, Penrose said her office is ready for the rollout of Phase 2 of the legislation, but will need more resources for Phase 3. She pointed to other provinces with similar frameworks already in place and advocates investigating between 150 and 200 serious injuries per month.

"We will certainly need additional resources to complete that work," she said, though she wasnt able to comment on how many "additional resources" yet.

"When the time comes, and we begin to work with the government, we will talk to them about that."

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbuA Swan River doctor has been censured by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba for failing to respond adequately to the needs of a personal-care home patient while on duty in a rural hospital emergency department nearly 21/2 years ago.

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This article was published 17/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Swan River doctor has been censured by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba for failing to respond adequately to the needs of a personal-care home patient while on duty in a rural hospital emergency department nearly 21/2 years ago.

Last month, the regulatory bodys investigation committee found that Dr. Fayez Fouad Fahim Gouda had failed to meet his professions standard of care, conducted himself in an unprofessional manner and displayed a lack of judgment respecting the medical needs of the 62-year-old woman identified in a report only as "X."

During the afternoon and evening of Aug. 8, 2016, Xs condition at the care home deteriorated. For several days, the woman, who had several chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes, had been suffering from diarrhea. Her care had generally been managed by her family physician, who had ordered tests and prescribed antibiotics late that afternoon.

As the womans condition worsened, a care-home nurse called Gouda on his cellphone at 11:15 p.m., seeking to transfer the patient to hospital. Gouda, as the emergency department doctor on shift, also served as the on-call physician for the care home. He refused to authorize the patient transfer, even though the womans advanced-care planning status was Category 4, which includes full treatment and resuscitation.

According to the college report, Gouda got angry at the nurse and ordered that the woman be given "comfort care" and that her family doctor, who is not named in the report, be informed of the situation the following morning. The nurse tried to explain that the resident was becoming dehydrated and had not been eating and that her family sought advanced care, but Gouda still refused to OK her transfer to hospital.

The report also states that Gouda believed the family doctor should have been called first, although the unnamed regional health authoritys policy states that if nursing staff have concerns about a care-home patient outside normal office hours, they can call either the family doctor or the on-call hospital emergency physician.

After consulting with a care-home supervisor, the nurse tried contacting Xs family doctor, who did not answer his cellphone. A message was left on the second call. The health regions protocol is that if a care-home nurse believes a resident requires urgent care and the on-call physician refuses to transfer the patient to hospital, there should be an attempt to contact another physician, usually the family doctor, and to keep the care homes clinical manager informed.

At 4:45 the next morning, the residents daughter arrived at the care home. Seeing her mothers condition, she asked the male nurse to telephone Gouda again, which he did. The MD still wouldnt authorize the transfer, nor would he speak to the daughter, the report says.

Gouda told investigators that he believed it was protocol for the care-home nurse to call the patients doctor  referred to in the report as the "attending physician"  and for that doctor to arrange any transfer to hospital.

The six-page report does not name the hospital, the personal-care home or regional health authority involved. Swan River is located within the boundaries of western Manitobas Prairie Mountain Health region.

At 6:50 a.m., the nurse was finally able to reach the family doctor, who arranged a transfer to hospital. When she arrived at 8:21 a.m., another emergency room doctor assumed care for her. By then, she was unconscious and severely dehydrated, which adversely affected her blood-sugar levels and blood salts. She suffered acute renal failure.

The college committee said Goudas failure to address the care homes concern over the residents condition contributed to her deterioration. It said it found the lack of action by the doctor in light of the nurses request for help "particularly egregious."

In addition to being censured, Gouda had to pay the $9,727.50 cost of the investigation.

The MD did not return a request for comment on Wednesday. He continues to practise.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.caThe jury that will decide whether two men are guilty of manslaughter in the death of 29-year-old Jeanenne Fontaine heard from Crown and defence lawyers for the last time Wednesday as they prepare to deliberate.

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This article was published 16/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The jury that will decide whether two men are guilty of manslaughter in the death of 29-year-old Jeanenne Fontaine heard from Crown and defence lawyers for the last time Wednesday as they prepare to deliberate.

Jury members will have to decide if they agree with Crown prosecutors that Christopher Matthew Brass and Jason Michael Meilleur were part of a plan to commit robbery at Fontaine's Winnipeg home the day she was killed, and they should have known someone would likely get hurt in the process. Or, as defence lawyers argued, there are too many gaps in the evidence to prove the Crown's theory beyond a reasonable doubt.

FACEBOOK Jeanenne Fontaine

On Wednesday afternoon, the Crown urged jurors to convict both men, with the defence pressing for acquittals.

After six days of hearing evidence that included testimony from Fontaine's brother and her boyfriend, as well as a viewing of Meilleur's May 2017 video statement to police, prosecutor Michael Desautels told jurors the Crown believes it has proven she was killed during a "botched robbery" Brass and Meilleur participated in as a way to get even for a drug debt Fontaine's boyfriend owed them.

Jurors heard Fontaine was shot in the back of the head inside her home at 457 Aberdeen Ave. on March 14, 2017, and a third man, Malcolm Mitchell, pulled the trigger. The Crown argues Brass and Meilleur should be convicted of manslaughter because they were parties to the robbery that led to the death.

"Brass and Meilleur didn't know what was going on?" Desautels asked the jury rhetorically during his closing arguments. "It was happening right under their noses."

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A candle burns on the front step of the house Thursday for Jeanenne Chantel Fontaine,29 who was discovered in the burning home in the 400 block of Aberdeen Ave. in March 2017.

Meilleur's defence lawyer, Theodore Mariash, argued the Crown's robbery theory isn't logical based on the evidence presented.

"The prosecution's reliance on this being a robbery gone wrong does not make sense," he said.

Brass's defence lawyer, Tara Walker, argued there is not enough evidence to prove her client was even present at the house that day. Meilleur named him in his statement to police -- but jurors have been told nothing in Meilleur's statement can be used against Brass.

A woman who knew Brass testified during the trial about comments he made in the aftermath of the shooting, but wasn't asked to describe Brass's appearance nor shown the photo of Brass, taken after his arrest, Desautels displayed to the jury Wednesday.

Walker emphasized in her closing arguments that Chuck Fontaine, Jeanenne Fontaine's brother, testified he didn't feel threatened by the three men when they showed up at his door that day, and he didn't believe a robbery was taking place. He testified they asked for Monte, his sister's boyfriend, and one of them talked to his sister in her room.

They didn't demand drugs, money or property, he testified. He said he ran from the house after he saw Mitchell "masked up" and holding a revolver. He said he heard a gunshot and saw Mitchell turning on the stove burner and piling it with clothes.

The home was severely damaged by fire. A forensic pathologist testified Jeanenne Fontaine, who was found inside by first responders, wasn't breathing during the fire, but doctors revived her heart in hospital. She died the next day.

Desautels argued Chuck Fontaine wouldn't have known the legal definition of a robbery nor what it means to be a party to that crime.

The Crown believes Brass matches Chuck Fontaine's description of the man who stood by the front door "watching out," before the shooting and fire. Walker said even if Brass was at the Aberdeen Avenue house that day, it wouldn't have been unusual to stand near the door to wait for Jeanenne's boyfriend to get back, given the limited space in the small bungalow.

Walker told jurors they must believe a robbery was being committed in order to find Brass guilty, and argued the Crown failed to prove "many of the essential elements, if any."

Jeanenne Fontaine is a cousin of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine. Tina's body was found weighed down in the Red River in August 2014; her accused killer was acquitted after a trial in 2018.

Mariash told jurors their opinions about Tina's case or the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women are irrelevant in their jury duties.

"It is your job to ensure that someone, namely Jason here, is not unduly convicted," he said.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Gerald Chartier is set to give jurors instructions Friday on how they have to apply the law in this case. After hearing those instructions, the jury will be sequestered to deliberate until it reaches a verdict.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemayThe 20 recipients of the Winnipeg Foundations new reconciliation grants program were unveiled Wednesday at Neeginan Centre.

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This article was published 16/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 20 recipients of the Winnipeg Foundations new reconciliation grants program were unveiled Wednesday at Neeginan Centre.

The idea for the special, $1-million-plus fund came about in 2017, when the Winnipeg Foundation identified reconciliation as one of the most pressing issues facing the community.

Groups would receive funding for projects in keeping with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canadas 94 calls to action. They could apply for $100,000 for up to three years.

An advisory committee selected applications based on how they interpreted the calls to action, how many people will be impacted and how diverse they are, and the long-term impact of the proposed project.

One of the successful applicants, Red Road Lodge, is creating "story posts" with its share of the grant money.

"We put a call out to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people impacted by residential schools and the 60s Scoop to tell their story," said Alix McLachlan, facility manager of the Main Street transitional housing project that was formerly home to be one of the toughest bars on the strip.

The 60s Scoop survivor with roots in Pukatawagan said the Red Road Lodge visitors stories, artwork and poems have been displayed on large PVC posts in local shopping malls and the downtown Manitoba Hydro building. The $65,000 it will receive over the next two years from the grants program will help the Red Road Lodge carry on with the Story Posts program, taking it to Stony Mountain Institution where more stories can be collected and shared.

"It helps out a lot. Its a huge deal  itll take a lot of the pressure off," she said at Neeginan Centre, the historic CP Rail station now home to Indigenous education, programs and enterprise.

The Winnipeg Foundation announced its grant recipients and paid tribute to community funders.

"Its an opportunity to say, thank you," said chief executive officer Rick Frost. "We had a record year."

In 2018, the Winnipeg Foundation issued more than 5,000 grants, totalling more than $41.1 million  the most in its 97-year history. It also received more than 7,700 gifts, totalling $108.2 million.

"People are thinking about their legacies," said Doneta Brotchie, chairwoman of the foundation, adding donors are giving back to the place they love.

While it was a good year for the foundation, many charities in the community are still struggling, she said. The foundation prepared a report titled "Stressed, Stretched and Still Standing," about the charities that deliver vital services in the city.

"Every gift is important," Brotchie said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.caVANCOUVER - Canadian tour operators specializing in travel to China say the growing diplomatic rift between the two countries is scaring their clients away, while those that bring Chinese tourists to Canada foresee a similar drop in interest that could put a billion-dollar industry at risk.

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Chinese tourists walk along the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China on a foggy day on the outskirts of Beijing, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Tit-for-tat travel warnings from Canadian and Chinese governments amid a growing diplomatic rift may be prompting potential tourists into rethinking their vacation plans and hurting the Canadian tourism industry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Mark Schiefelbein

VANCOUVER - Canadian tour operators specializing in travel to China say the growing diplomatic rift between the two countries is scaring their clients away, while those that bring Chinese tourists to Canada foresee a similar drop in interest that could put a billion-dollar industry at risk.

"We're suffering. We are suffering," said Julius Yan, who owns Laurus Travel, a Vancouver-based agency that has focused on tours to Asia for about two decades.

Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver airport on Dec. 1 at the request of the U.S. Justice Department touched off an escalating political spat with China. It resulted in the detention of two Canadians in China, the imposition of a death sentence on a Canadian convicted of drug smuggling and duelling travel advisories warning their respective citizens to reconsider any plans to travel between the two countries.

Yan has fielded a lot of calls and emails from concerned Canadian travellers since the Canadian travel advisory was issued  though interest from Americans has been picking up despite the unfolding situation.

Many of the Canadians who contacted him wanted to cancel their trips, he said, which last between nine and 33 days, and cost anywhere from $1,625 to $17,550 before airfare.

He's spent a lot of time reassuring those clients that law-abiding tourists shouldn't worry.

"It would be very, very foolish for the Chinese to do anything to innocent tourists," he said. "There's no reason for the Chinese government to frame a Canadian who goes there to spend money, right?"

Yan managed to convince his nervous clients not to cancel their trips, but to postpone them by a few months to a September or October departure date.

He's swallowing the costs associated with that switch, including airline cancellation fees and hotel deposits.

"We can't punish our customers," Yan said, adding that if there was no political crisis, the company would go strictly by the book, but in a situation like this, it has to be sympathetic.

This week a school in Calgary decided to cancel a spring trip to China for 25 students and teachers "due to this increased risk level," said a Calgary Board of Education spokeswoman in a statement.

"As long as the current government of Canada risk level is in place, we will not have students travelling to China," said Joanne Anderson.

In addition to cancellations and deferrals, Yan said he's also concerned that Canadians who wanted to visit China are now not booking tours.

In the 48 hours since Canada's travel advisory changed, the number of Canadians clicking on the agency's internet ads has been dropping, he said.

"That's a very strong indicator."

Yan was the only travel agency operator specializing in tours to China willing to speak to The Canadian Press on the record about the political feud's impact on business.

There are signs the tension is having similar repercussions on the number of Chinese travellers interested in coming to Canada.

318 Arctic Colour Tours, which caters to Chinese tourists, offers several trips throughout the Arctic, including Aurora-chasing expeditions. While no one has cancelled a visit yet, the start of this year has been slower than previous years, said Ying Lai, a part owner, from Whitehorse.

She said it's unclear if political tensions are to blame. Other Whitehorse tour operators have also reported fewer bookings, she said, but it could be a result of recent economic headwinds in China.

Still, she thinks the political situation may influence whether or not potential clients decide to book tours in Canada.

"They may decide to not come," said Lai.

Chinese tourists are a vital part of Canada's tourism industry. In October 2018, 64,113 trips were made from China to Canada, according to Statistic Canada's most recent data. That's up 19.5 per cent from the same month the previous year.

Tourists spend an average of $2,464 on each trip and contributed an estimated $1.7 billion to the economy in 2017, according to Destination Canada, a Crown corporation that helps stimulate demand and tourism export revenue for Canada in several countries, including China.

Last year was dubbed the Canada-China year of tourism in an effort to create closer ties between the countries' citizens and grow Chinese tourism in the country.

Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter.WASHINGTON - Moving to protect the U.S. from advanced missile threats from China and Russia, President Donald Trump on Thursday laid out plans for a new array of space-based sensors and other high-tech systems designed to more quickly detect and defeat attacks.

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FILE - This Dec. 10, 2018, file photo, provided by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA),shows the launch of the U.S. military's land-based Aegis missile defense testing system, that later intercepted an intermediate range ballistic missile, from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The Trump administration will roll out a new strategy Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, for a more aggressive space-based missile defense system to protect against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and counter advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China. (Mark Wright/Missile Defense Agency via AP)

WASHINGTON - Moving to protect the U.S. from advanced missile threats from China and Russia, President Donald Trump on Thursday laid out plans for a new array of space-based sensors and other high-tech systems designed to more quickly detect and defeat attacks.

Trump, in a speech at the Pentagon, declared that space is the new warfighting domain. And he vowed that the U.S. will develop an unrivaled missile defence system to protect against advanced hypersonic and cruise missile threats from competitors and adversaries.

"Our goal is simple: to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States  anywhere, anytime, anyplace," Trump said. "In a time of rapidly evolving threats, we must be certain that our defensive capabilities are unrivaled and unmatched anywhere in the world."

Trump did not mention Russia, China or North Korea in his roughly 20-minute speech. But the Pentagon's new strategy makes clear that its plan for a more aggressive space-based missile defence system is aimed at protecting against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and countering advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

The new review is the first since 2010, and it concludes that to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defence technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

President Donald Trump speaks about American missile defense doctrine, Thursday, Jan 17, 2019, at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Acting Defence Secretary Pat Shanahan, who also spoke, said the new hypersonic missiles being developed by nations such as Russia and China are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat.

To address that, the U.S. is looking at putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles when they are launched. The U.S. sees space as a critical area for advanced, next-generation capabilities to stay ahead of the threats.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the U.S. can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

Russia and China have made clear their efforts to develop the high-tech programs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims can't be intercepted. One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp manoeuvrs to avoid being detected by missile defence systems.

Missile defence officials on Thursday declined to provide any budget estimates or timelines for the programs.

Michael Griffin, the defence undersecretary for research and engineering, told Pentagon reporters that developing a new layered network of sensors in space is key to being able to detect a fast-moving hypersonic missile in its early, more vulnerable stages. The Pentagon, he said, will study the issue to determine how many would be needed, and at what orbit they would fly. He said the program is affordable and some funding for that would be in the budget that will be proposed for 2020. The system could be operational in the late 2020s.

Officials said the study on space-based interceptors could begin in the coming months. But, recognizing the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponization of space, officials emphasized that no testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, immediately raised concerns, calling the plan a bad Star Wars sequel.

"While it is true that the missile threat environment America now faces is different, the answer is not to build a wall in space," Markey said. Adding that Trump's "misguided rush to weaponize space would be as ineffective, costly, and dangerous as it was more than three decades ago when it was soundly rejected."

During his Pentagon appearance, Trump also pressed his case to build a wall on the southern border and expressed his condolences on the deaths of four Americans in Syria on Wednesday.

Any expansion of the scope and cost of missile defences would compete with other defence priorities, including the billions of extra dollars the Trump administration has committed to spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons. An expansion also would have important implications for American diplomacy, given long-standing Russian hostility to even the most rudimentary U.S. missile defences and China's worry that longer-range U.S. missile defences in Asia could undermine Chinese national security.

While the U.S. continues to pursue peace with North Korea, Pyongyang has made threats of nuclear missile attacks against the U.S. and its allies in the past and has worked to improve its ballistic missile technology. It is still considered a serious threat to America. Iran, meanwhile, has continued to develop more sophisticated ballistic missiles, increasing their numbers and their capabilities.

Associated Press writer Robert Burns and broadcast writer Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.LONDON - A weakened but defiant Prime Minister Theresa May met lawmakers from Britain's rival Brexit factions Thursday to try to forge a replacement for her rejected European Union exit plan.

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A European flag waves in front of German flags at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019 prior to a debate of the German parliament, Bundestag, about a law regulating the rights of British nationals during the Brexit transition period. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

LONDON - A weakened but defiant Prime Minister Theresa May met lawmakers from Britain's rival Brexit factions Thursday to try to forge a replacement for her rejected European Union exit plan.

But the country's main opposition leader branded the talks a "stunt," and May gave little sign she would make major changes to the divorce deal tossed out by Parliament this week. A new Brexit showdown between Parliament and government looked to be looming in the House of Commons before the end of the month.

"The really important question is, 'there's an open door, is there an open mind to a change?'" said Labour Party lawmaker Hilary Benn, who heads Parliament's Brexit committee and met with May on Thursday.

With Britain's Brexit process gridlocked, EU countries stepped up preparations for a disorderly British exit on March 29. The nations were spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the possibility that Britain will leave the bloc without an agreement to smooth the way.

British lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal Tuesday, a defeat that triggered a no-confidence vote in the government. May's minority Conservative administration narrowly survived with backing from its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party.

Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay arrives at Downing Street. London, Thursday Jan. 17, 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa May is reaching out to opposition parties and other lawmakers Thursday in a battle to put Brexit back on track after surviving a no-confidence vote. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

A chastened May promised that she would hold talks "in a constructive spirit" with leaders of opposition parties and other lawmakers in a bid to find a way forward for Britain's EU exit.

The government confirmed that May will meet a Monday deadline to publish a Brexit "Plan B," and that lawmakers will have a full day to debate it  and, crucially, amend it  on Jan. 29.

May so far has showed little inclination to make major changes to her Brexit deal or lift her insistence that Brexit means leaving the EU's single market and customs union.

Many lawmakers think a "soft Brexit" that kept Britain in the EU's single market or customs union is the only plan capable of winning a majority in Parliament. A smaller but substantial group of Brexit-backing lawmakers is strongly opposed to that idea.

May and other senior ministers met Thursday with representatives from several of Parliament's feuding Brexit factions: Northern Ireland's compromise-rejecting Democratic Unionists, Euroskeptic "hard Brexit"-backing Conservatives, those urging Britain to hold a second EU membership referendum and supporters of a close economic relationship with the EU.

May claimed to be listening, but she can't please everyone.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, arrives at Downing street in London, Thursday Jan. 17, 2019. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is reaching out to opposition parties and other lawmakers Thursday in an effort to put Brexit back on track, after surviving a no-confidence vote Wednesday. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he wouldn't meet with May until she took a no-deal Brexit "off the table."

"To get a deal that can command a majority in Parliament, Theresa May has to ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future," Corbyn said during a speech to supporters in the English seaside town of Hastings. "Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that's needed."

In a letter to Corbyn, released by the prime minister's office, May said it was "not within the government's power to rule out no deal" because by law Britain will leave the EU on March 29 "unless Parliament either agrees a deal with the EU or the U.K. ... chooses to stay in the EU permanently."

She said it would be wrong to stay in the EU and "overturn the referendum result."

As Britain flounders, the 27 other EU countries have stood firm, saying they won't renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and insisting that the British government and its lawmakers need to decide what they want to do.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who said Wednesday that he was more concerned than ever that Britain could crash out of the EU without an agreement, said the red lines set out by Britain's negotiators on issues such as the customs union and limiting immigration had "shut doors."

Barnier said Thursday that "something has to change" to secure a divorce deal.

"If (the red lines) change, we'll change," Barnier said after meeting with Portuguese officials in Lisbon.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe held a special government meeting Thursday on planning to cope with a "no-deal" Brexit. France is spending 50 million euros ($57 million) to increase security at airports and the Eurotunnel, and it is hiring hundreds of extra customs officers. The French parliament adopted a law Wednesday allowing emergency measures after March 30 in the event that Britain leaves without a deal.

Such measures could aim to reduce problems in cross-border trade and transport, notably through the Eurotunnel beneath the English Channel, and allow British workers and retirees based in France temporary permission to stay until a longer-term deal is worked out.

Britain has already devoted thousands of civil servants and several billion pounds (dollars) to no-deal planning, amid warnings from businesses and economists that the country faces disruption to trade, goods shortages and a deep recession if it crashes out of the bloc without a deal.

The government said Thursday it had issued an order allowing military reservists to be called up for a year of full-time service in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Opposition politicians condemned the move.

"It is outrageous," said Liberal Democrat armed forces spokesman Jamie Stone. "What kind of message to the country is this? It does nothing to alleviate the worry and uncertainty people feel."

Associated Press writers Gregory Katz and Frank Griffiths in London, Angela Charlton in Paris and Barry Hatton, in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed.

This story has been corrected to show that the meeting in France was held by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, not President Emmanuel Macron.VALLEY FORGE, Pa. - John C. Bogle, who simplified investing for the masses by launching the first index mutual fund and founded Vanguard Group, died Wednesday, the company said. He was 89.

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FILE - In this Tuesday, May 20, 2008, file photo, John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, talks during an interview with The Associated Press, in New York. Vanguard announced Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, that John C. "Jack" Bogle has died at the age of 89. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. - John C. Bogle, who simplified investing for the masses by launching the first index mutual fund and founded Vanguard Group, died Wednesday, the company said. He was 89.

Bogle did not invent the index fund, but he expanded access to no-frills, low-cost investing in 1976 when Vanguard introduced the first index fund for individual investors, rather than institutional clients.

The emergence of funds that passively tracked market indexes, like the Standard & Poor's 500, enabled investors to avoid the higher fees charged by professional fund managers who frequently fail to beat the market. More often than not, the higher operating expenses that fund managers pass on to their shareholders cancel out any edge they may achieve through expert stock-picking.

Bogle and Vanguard shook up the industry further in 1977. The company ended its reliance on outside brokers and instead began directly marketing its funds to investors without charging upfront fees known as sales loads.

Bogle served as Vanguard's chairman and CEO from its 1974 founding until 1996.

He stepped down as senior chairman in 2000, but remained a critic of the fund industry and Wall Street, writing books, delivering speeches and running the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center.

The advent of index funds accelerated a long-term decline in fund fees and fostered greater competition in the industry. Investors paid 40 per cent less in fees for each dollar invested in stock mutual funds during 2017 than they did at the start of the millennium, for example. But Bogle continued to maintain that many funds were overcharging investors, and once called the industry "the poster-boy for one of the most baneful chapters in the modern history of capitalism."

Bogle also believed that the corporate structure of most fund companies poses an inherent conflict of interest, because a public fund company could put the interests of investors in its stock ahead of those owning shares of its mutual funds. Vanguard has a unique corporate structure in which its mutual funds and fund shareholders are the corporation's "owners." Profits are plowed back into the company's operations, and used to reduce fees.

"A lot of Wall Street is devoted to charging a lot for nothing," billionaire investor Warren Buffett told CNBC. "He charged nothing to accomplish a huge amount."

Vanguard, based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, manages $5 trillion globally. It helped usher in a new era of investing, and index funds have increasingly become the default choice for investors. In 2017, investors plugged $691.6 billion into index funds while pulling $7 billion out of actively managed funds, according to Morningstar.

Vanguard offers both index and managed funds, but remains best-known for its index offerings. Vanguard's original index fund, now known as the Vanguard 500 Index, is no longer the company's biggest, but remains among the company's lowest-cost funds.

Bogle spent the first part of his career at Wellington Management Co., a mutual fund company, then based in Philadelphia. He rose through the ranks and, in his mid-30s, was tapped to run Wellington.

He engineered a merger with a boutique firm that was making huge sums, but was ousted after the stock market tanked in the early 1970s, wiping out millions in Wellington's assets. He said he learned an important lesson in how little money managers really know about predicting the market.

Bogle suffered several heart attacks and underwent a heart transplant in 1996, the year he stepped down as CEO. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 for Vanguard directors in 1999 and left as senior chairman the next year.

Vanguard did not provide a cause of death. Philly.com is reporting he died of cancer, citing Bogle's family.

"Jack Bogle had unwavering passion for America, our capital markets, and most of all our Main Street investors," said Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton.

John Clifton Bogle was born in May 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey, to a well-off family; his grandfather founded a brick company and was co-founder of the American Can Co. in which his father worked.

Bogle attended Manasquan High School in Manasquan, N.J, for a time, then got a scholarship to the prestigious all-boys Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. It was at Blair that Bogle discovered his knack for math. He graduated from Blair in 1947 and was voted most likely to succeed.

Bogle graduated from Princeton with a degree in economics in 1951. His thesis was on the mutual fund industry, which was then still in its infancy.

Bogle is survived by his wife, Eve, six children, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.McDonalds said it plans to appeal after losing some European Union trademark rights to the Big Mac name after a challenge by smaller Irish rival Supermacs.

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McDonalds said it plans to appeal after losing some European Union trademark rights to the Big Mac name after a challenge by smaller Irish rival Supermacs.

The EUs Intellectual Property Office said McDonalds failed to prove "genuine use" of the trademark across the EU over a continuous five-year period. The Irish fast-food chain filed its challenge in early 2017, the same year the Big Mac celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The EUIPO, based in Alicante, Spain, agreed with Supermacs that the evidence given by McDonalds was "insufficient to prove that the EUTM was put to genuine use." McDonalds argued that its EU right was put to extensive use in Germany, France and the U.K., and that that "is sufficient" to prove its use in the bloc.

The ruling can be appealed all the way to the EUs highest court in Luxembourg, and McDonalds plans to fight.

"We are disappointed in the EUIPOs decision and believe this decision did not take into account the substantial evidence submitted by McDonalds proving use of our BIG MAC mark throughout Europe," McDonalds said in an email. "We intend to appeal the decision and are confident it will be overturned by the EUIPO Board of Appeals."

The case involves only one part of McDonalds large portfolio of intellectual property. The implications for the use of the name werent immediately clear because of the American chains large number of trademarks in Europe. Notwithstanding the decision, McDonalds said it still owns "full and enforceable trademark rights" throughout Europe.

The mark McDonalds lost was spelled in all caps, "BIG MAC." The EU authoritys website shows that McDonalds has had another EU trademark for "Big Mac" since April 2018, and in June 2017 also got the EU-wide rights to use the name "Grand Big Mac."

The EU trademark for the iconic burger  with two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun  was first registered in 1998 and renewed twice after that, without challenges.

Supermacs managing director Pat McDonagh said in a statement that the decision is a victory for small businesses.

"Small is no longer a disadvantage," he said. "We wholeheartedly welcome this judgment as a vindication of small businesses everywhere that stand up to powerful global entities."

 Bloomberg NewsRen Zhengfei, the billionaire founder of Huawei Technologies Co., broke a years-long silence to dismiss U.S. accusations the telecoms giant helps Beijing spy on western governments.

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Ren Zhengfei, the billionaire founder of Huawei Technologies Co., broke a years-long silence to dismiss U.S. accusations the telecoms giant helps Beijing spy on western governments.

Ren denied suggestions that Huawei aids the Chinese government in espionage, saying it has no regular contact with Beijing as his technology empire faces its biggest crisis in its three decades of existence. He also called U.S. President Donald Trump "a great president" and said hell take a wait-and-see approach as to whether the U.S. leader will intervene on behalf of Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou. Meng  Rens eldest daughter  is in Canada facing extradition to the U.S. on allegations of helping defraud banks to avoid sanctions on Iran.

The emergence of the reclusive Ren, who last spoke with foreign media in 2015, underscores the depth of the attacks on Huawei, the largest symbol of Chinas growing technological might. Mengs arrest helped crystallize fears about its growing clout in areas from cutting-edge wireless infrastructure and semiconductors to consumer gadgets. Washington has since convinced a growing list of allies to blacklist Huawei networking equipment.

"I love my country, I support the Communist party. But I will not do anything to harm the world," the 74-year-old said in a roundtable briefing, only his third formal chat with foreign reporters. "I dont see a close connection between my personal political beliefs and the businesses of Huawei."

Ren said he would decline any request from Beijing for sensitive information on its clients and stressed the potential for co-operation with the U.S. and Trumps administration. And he played down Huaweis role in current tensions between Washington and Beijing, which have rattled investors and corporations worldwide.

"Huawei is only a sesame seed in the trade conflict between China and the U.S.," Ren said from the companys campus in Shenzhen. "Trump is a great president. He dares to massively cut taxes, which will benefit business. But you have to treat well the companies and countries, so that they are willing to invest in the U.S. and the government will be able to collect enough tax."

Ren, a legendary figure in Chinese business circles, is a uniquely placed voice in a conflict that will help define the global landscape in coming years.

A string of Huawei executives  all the way up to rotating chairman Ken Hu  have taken to media in recent weeks to deny allegations of espionage and challenge its accusers to provide proof of shady dealings. But the arrest in Poland this past week of a sales executive accused of spying may have helped prompt the reclusive CEO to personally marshal Huaweis global response. The employee in Poland was fired over the weekend.

Despite the potential effect on his business, Ren said he was confident Huaweis revenue would grow to US$125 billion in 2019 from more than US$100 billion this past year.

"Huawei is not a public company, we dont need a beautiful earnings report," Ren said. "If they dont want Huawei to be in some markets, we can scale down a bit. As long as we can survive and feed our employees, theres a future for us."

Ren built a company that generates more sales than Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. combined. In 2018, Huawei overtook Apple Inc. in smartphone sales, a triumph that only served to burnish his tech credentials.

"Im a strong supporter of the world building a unified technology standard," Ren said.

Ren, who survived Mao Zedongs Great Famine to found Huawei with four partners in 1987 with 21,000 yuan, said Huawei will continue to engage with governments so they can better understand his business.

He stepped back from daily operations in 2011 by introducing a unique rotation system that allows younger executives to run the company for about six months at a time.

But he remained the face of the company on major occasions, such as when he accompanied Chinese President Xi Jinping to a Huawei office in the U.K. in 2015.

Over the past year, the accusations have intensified, compounded by his daughters arrest as well as the blocking or limiting of Huawei gear in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and other countries.

"Huawei firmly stands on the side of customers when it comes to cybersecurity and privacy," Ren said.

 Bloomberg NewsBEIJING - The top U.S. and Chinese trade envoys will hold talks in Washington this month in a possible sign of progress toward ending a costly tariff battle over Beijing's technology ambitions.

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FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2019, file photo, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He attends an event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China's economy czar, Liu will visit Washington on Jan. 30-31 for talks aimed at ending a costly tariff war over U.S. complaints about Beijing's technology ambitions. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool, File)

BEIJING - The top U.S. and Chinese trade envoys will hold talks in Washington this month in a possible sign of progress toward ending a costly tariff battle over Beijing's technology ambitions.

The Ministry of Commerce announcement of the Jan. 30-31 event was the first sign of a next step by the two sides following negotiations in Beijing earlier this month between lower-level officials.

China's economy czar, Vice Premier Liu He, was invited by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the ministry said.

Economists and business groups said earlier that a decision by Liu and Lighthizer to take part in person would indicate technical discussions made enough progress to require high-level political decisions.

The two sides have imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 per cent on tens of billions of dollars of each other's goods in the fight over U.S. complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Washington also is pressing China to roll back plans for state-led industry development that its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations.

The Washington talks are aimed at carrying out the Dec. 1 agreement by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to suspend further tariff increases for 90 days while they negotiate, said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng.

They are likely to take up more complex U.S. complaints about Chinese policy on which lower-level officials "couldn't give a clear response," said Yu Chunhai, a trade expert at Renmin University in Beijing.

Chinese officials have suggested Beijing might adjust its industry plans. But they reject pressure to abandon what they consider a path to prosperity and global influence.

Liu probably will tell U.S. officials "what China can and can't do," said Yu.

For their part, Chinese leaders object to U.S. export controls on "dual use" technology with possible military uses. They say Chinese companies are treated unfairly in national security reviews of proposed corporate acquisitions, though almost all deals are approved unchanged.

"Such communication must be made between officials at a higher level," said Yu.

Neither side has shown any sign of changing its basic position. Economists say the 90-day window is too short to resolve conflicts that have strained their relations for nearly two decades.

Chinese exports to the United States held up through much of 2018 despite Trump's tariff hikes but contracted by 3.5 per cent in December compared with a year earlier as the penalties began to depress demand.

Liu held talks in June in Beijing with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as trade tensions mounted. They failed to produce a settlement and Trump went ahead the next month with his first tariff hikes.

Liu made a surprise appearance at this month's talks in Beijing. Financial markets took that as a positive sign. Global stock markets rose but then fell back after the meeting produced no agreements.

U.S.-Chinese relations are increasingly strained over technology, trade and cyber-spying.

This month's talks in Beijing went ahead despite the arrest of an executive of Chinese technology giant Huawei in Canada on Dec. 1. The United States wants her extradited on charges that she lied to a bank about dealings with Iran.

On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Huawei stole trade secrets from U.S. companies.

The investigation was prompted in part by a lawsuit brought by T-Mobile U.S. Inc. that accused two Huawei employees of stealing technology for a robotic arm used to test mobile phones, the Journal said, citing unidentified sources. The two companies settled their dispute in 2017.

"We doubt the intentions behind this," said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying. She said it would be "inconsistent with the rules of free and fair competition" if U.S. authorities "arbitrarily used the state apparatus to suppress Chinese enterprises."

Beijing has tried to defuse pressure for more sweeping changes by emphasizing its growing importance as an import market and promising more access to its auto and some other industries.

Trump has complained repeatedly about the U.S. trade deficit with China. China reported Monday its 2018 trade surplus with the United States swelled to a record $323.3 billion.

Beijing also faces complaints from the European Union. The 28-nation trade bloc has filed a challenge in the World Trade Organization against Chinese licensing rules it says hinder foreign companies from protecting and profiting from their own technologies.TORONTO - The killing of a Canadian mining company executive in Burkina Faso is drawing attention to the deteriorating security situation in the country and the risks resource firms face in unstable regions.

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TORONTO - The killing of a Canadian mining company executive in Burkina Faso is drawing attention to the deteriorating security situation in the country and the risks resource firms face in unstable regions.

Kirk Woodman, who was working for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead after being kidnapped from a company exploration camp in the country Tuesday.

Kirk Woodman is seen in this undated handout photo from his Linkedin page. Canadian officials are condemning the killers of a Canadian mining company executive whose bullet-riddled body has been found in Burkina Faso. Kirk Woodman, a Halifax man who worked for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead Wednesday in Oudalan province, an official with the west African country's Ministry of Security said Thursday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Linkedin *MANDATORY CREDIT*

The incident, while rare, comes as threats from insurgents rise in the West African region which is home to numerous Canadian mining operations.

"Burkina Faso is a relatively new target for Islamic militancy," said Ryan Cummings, a director of consultancy Signal Risk based in South Africa.

"I believe that in the West African region we are seeing a potential spread of extremism and Islamic militancy into new zones, specifically into areas where mining interests are present but have been insulated from the violence could potentially be increasingly affected."

There are not yet enough indications that the mining industry is being targeted, but the resource sector is one of the few where expatriates would operate outside of the capital of Ouagadougou.

"I don't necessarily think this is so much an attack on the mining sector per-se, it's more targeting foreign nationals who find themselves in such locales because of commercial interests there," Cummings said.

Montreal-based SEMAFO Inc., which has mines in the region, reported several attacks on roads near its operations last year.

The company said a national employee and a subcontractor were killed last August when a bus transporting employees was targeted by bandits and another subcontractor and five gendarmes were killed in a separate attack days earlier. In December, the company said government security forces were attacked on a road about 40 kilometres from its Boungou mine in the country.

The company updated its security policy so that all foreign employees are now being transported by helicopter between the mine site and the capital. It said security for local employees has been boosted by a ground military force and more escorts and that it continues to discuss security issues with the government.

Iamgold Corp. and Roxgold Inc. also have gold mining operations in the country.

Werner Claessens, a geologist who has known Woodman since the 1990s, said the environment for exploration geologists in Western Africa has been deteriorating in recent years.

The properties acquired by Woodman's company was a promising series of gold prospects, but the "red zone" they were located in had come to be considered difficult to work in, he explained.

"It was a zone considered quite dangerous," he said, adding that several years ago that wasn't the case.

"It became dangerous in the summer of 2017 when the first terrorist attacks took place in that part of the country," he explained.

Claessens has worked and lived in Western Africa since 1985, and lived in Burkina Faso from 2004 until 2011, and regularly visits the nation.

"For us it's a very sad thing to see what is happening and developing there in terms of terrorist attacks  We've never seen this before in the nearly three decades I worked there," he said.

Cummings said the security situation in Burkina Faso started deteriorating in 2014 when the authoritarian regime collapsed, but has been made worse by the spread of Islamic militants that are also affecting security in neighbouring Mali and Cote dIvoire.

But he said that while there are pockets of security issues across the continent, it is not the main risk faced by companies operating there.

"The biggest risks facing the mining sector are actually political stability and also legislation, and how the state intends to deal with its extractive sector."

The insurgent threats in west Africa contrasts somewhat with a lessening threat from militants in Latin America, said Remi Piet, a senior director at Americas Market Intelligence.

"We have in Colombia, and across Latin America, a decrease of the widespread security threats linked to guerrilla warfare."

But he said community opposition to mining projects, issues with drug trades, and some remnants of guerrilla groups continue to require attention and planning.

The killing of three geologists at Continental Gold's operations in Colombia last September show the risks faced by exploration teams and the need to understand community concerns and risks.

"The big issue is when the company does not develop the right protocol and has not gathered the proper intelligences," said Piet.

He said it's crucial that mining companies create corporate social responsibility programs with real substance so that local communities become allies in resisting security threats.

 With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax.TOLEDO, Ohio - Workers who sued General Motors after nooses and racist graffiti were found at its largest U.S. transmission plant nearly two years ago are still facing racial harassment, their attorney said Thursday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/1/2019 (881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOLEDO, Ohio - Workers who sued General Motors after nooses and racist graffiti were found at its largest U.S. transmission plant nearly two years ago are still facing racial harassment, their attorney said Thursday.

Just this week, one of the workers found a monkey doll and a racist drawing near his work station, said attorney Michelle Vocht.

The harassment has been ramping up since December  including threatening and racist messages left on restroom and factory walls and near machines where the employees work  after workers began speaking out publicly, she said.

Nine workers sued GM last April, saying the company didn't do enough to stop racial harassment that stretched over four years and included the discovery of five nooses in the spring of 2017.

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission said last year its investigation found GM seemed indifferent to the racial harassment and that its minimal steps didn't end the problems. The automaker disputed the findings.

GM said Thursday it is taking the matter seriously and has taken several steps to address harassment at the plant, including mandatory training. It also said it's continuing to investigate but has not yet identified those responsible.

"Discrimination and harassment are not acceptable and in stark contrast to how we expect people to show up at work. We treat any reported incident with sensitivity and urgency, and are committed to providing an environment that is safe, open and inclusive," the company said in a statement.

The latest racist messages, Vocht said, show that GM still is falling short when it comes to protecting the workers and needs to increase security.

"They say they're working on it, but it's still occurring," she said. "One would think GM would take stringent, remedial measures to address this problem."

The racist notes apparently are being left by more than one person, based on the handwriting, and are being found in a few departments, not the entire plant, Vocht said.

In the federal lawsuit filed last year, workers described finding three nooses attached to the plant ceiling in March 2017 and then two more nooses in the following months.

Nazi symbols and "whites only" were written in the plant's restrooms and white workers would call black employees racist names, the lawsuit said.

It detailed a long list of other instances of racial harassment and discrimination, saying they had created a hostile work environment.OPASKWAYAK CREE NATION- Two Manitoba women arrested over online comments that threatened violence against Indigenous people were asked to read what was written out loud to elders this week as part of a process to resolve the case.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/1/2019 (881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OPASKWAYAK CREE NATION- Two Manitoba women arrested over online comments that threatened violence against Indigenous people were asked to read what was written out loud to elders this week as part of a process to resolve the case.

The two are taking part in a mediation circle instead of the court system.

"There was a lot of ugly words and things said, but you could also hear in their voice the shame and the remorse that they had, because now they're having to say it publicly rather than behind a computer screen," said Christian Sinclair, chief of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, where the meeting was held.

The two women, who have not been identified by police or Manitoba Justice, were arrested on suspicion of uttering threats and public incitement of hatred, but were never formally charged after the comments appeared on Facebook last summer.

Last July, a Facebook account under the name Destine Spiller posted photos of a vandalized car in the northern town of Flin Flon and proposed a "shoot a Indian day" in retaliation.

Another Facebook user applauded the idea and suggested a "24-hour purge."

"Let's grab Budweiser and some shot guns," read one reply.

The comments were quickly condemned by many people. A hair salon in Flin Flon said one of the women who posted was no longer an employee. The area's school division said another woman had long since departed as an employee and the comments do not reflect the division's values.

The provincial Justice Department said the circle was arranged in consultation with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents 26 northern Manitoba First Nations.

"Manitoba Prosecutions referred the investigation of a hate crime incident from last summer to the Restorative Justice Centre, which then organized the mediation circle," the department said in a written release.

Sinclair said some 20 elders, chiefs and other representatives shared their thoughts on how the online comments had affected them.

The women seemed remorseful as they read the comments, Sinclair said.

"It allows us ... to hold those people accountable, and ask why they did it. And it makes them think of their actions, why they did it."

The mediation circle is part of an Indigenous justice approach that focuses more on healing than on punishment, Irene Young, the elder who led the circle, said.

Everyone in the circle gets to ask questions, and the outcome could lead to the offenders making a public apology, restitution or other moves.

The circle lasted throughout the day Wednesday and will reconvene for one day next month.

Young said there was a range of views expressed on the first day, including concerns that the women were never charged by police.

"Everybody expressed to say, hey, what if it was a First Nations (person) ... they would be charged immediately," she said.

Sinclair said it's important to address hateful comments because online words can lead to real physical harm.

"When you see what's happening with hate being promoted throughout the United States, it won't take much to trigger somebody to go and react and do whatever these people were threatening to do or encouraging others to do," he said.

A third women who was arrested after the comments surfaced is not involved in the mediation circle because she lives in Saskatchewan and is being dealt with separately.

 By Steve Lambert in Winnipeg.

Viewed of

Take Five - This is your final free article during this 30 day period.Stay in touch with all of the news from Winchester, Frederick and Clarke. Sign up today for complete digital access to The Winchester Star.Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 86F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.Sue Lynch, left, and Candace Weingart Selleck register Tommy Miller with Borderlands on Saturday, so that he can collect up to 70 pounds of produce for $12. The farmers market will be in Willcox again Feb. 2, from 8-11 a.m.Filipinos working in Canada will now have easier access to home loans. Their governments mutual housing fund known as Pag-IBIG has opened a service desk in Toronto.The Home Development Mutual Fund says that Canada has the 6highest number of Filipinos with housing loans through the fund and there are 700,000 Filipinos in Canada. Worldwide the fund has 15.9 million members.Pag-IBIG says that it has already had meetings with CMHCs president Evan Siddall to help strengthen ties with the Canadian community.Saskatoon-based home listings portal Point2 Homes says it saw record visitor numbers in April.

The site recorded 5.7 million visits in the month with more than 30 million page views; 3.6 million of the visits were from home seekers in Canadas urban centres.

The highest number of visitors were from Toronto (391,000) with Ottawa in second spot (almost 178,000). Traffic was up 34.8% year-over-year with a 41% rise for Calgary and Winnipeg.

A rise in international home seekers came from Costa Rica with a 124.7% rise in visitors; and the Dominican Republic (up 73.79%). But Mexicans are also keen to view Canadian homes for sale with 208,819 visits. Traffic on the Spanish version of the platform went up 212% compared to April 2017.

Point2 Homes says the number of leads generated for real estate agents went up 37.42% compared to the same period in 2017. The platform has recently added a new online advertising service to give added exposure to real estate agents and their listings.The governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island have signed a 10-year agreement that will fund community housing projects in the province.

Adam Vaughan, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and Wade MacLauchlan, Prince Edward Island premier, announced on Wednesday that they have reached a bilateral agreement under the National Housing Strategy, according to a news release by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Starting in April, the agreement will invest a minimum of $15 million to support housing repair, construction, and affordability in the province, cost-shared by the federal and provincial governments.

Since Budget 2016, the federal government has invested over $27 million in Prince Edward Island housing.

"The government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home," Vaughan said. "Our government will continue working in partnership with Prince Edward Island and other provinces and territories towards a 15% expansion in new affordable housing units and renewing 20% of existing community housing units across the country."

Prince Edward Island, in turn, will develop and publish three-year action plans, setting targets and outlining how it will use the funding to achieve the desired outcomes.

"Signing this agreement will assist Prince Edward Island's significant efforts to increase the amount of affordable housing in our province," MacLauchlan said.



While analysts and ordinary Canadians kicked off 2017 in fear of a housing market crash, this year has started with a sigh of relief for many. The overwhelming consensus among analysts is that Canadas real estate landscape would decelerate in activity and pricing, even in the red-hot Toronto and Vancouver housing markets.

Activity was subdued in the summer months of 2017, even as the number of listings was growing, according to Romana King, a personal finance writer and real estate expert. This prompted only incremental increases in pricing and a nation-wide expectation of a soft-landing for Canadas property markets, she said.

The flattening out of the market was taking place well before Canadas banking regulator, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), announced amendments to its mortgage regulations in October. The final version of Guideline B-20 was officially implemented on January 1of this year.

King believes 2018 could see the reemergence of a more boring, stable Canadian real estate market.

This sentiment is echoed by Robert Hogue, senior economist at RBC Economics, who suggested that there is limited downside risks to prices in the near term in Canada as the majority of housing markets are in balance.

Also read: CREA slashes its home sales forecast due to mortgage stress test

Based on the sales-to-new listings ratio (where 50% is considered a balanced market), the overall Canadian market appears to be balanced, according to the RBC Economics December Monthly Housing Market report. Toronto and Calgary are in balanced territory, while Montreal and Vancouver can still be largely described as a sellers market.

Another means of determining if Canadas housing markets are levelling off is to assess months of inventory. The number of months of inventory indicates how long it would take to liquidate current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.

In November, there were 4.8 months of inventory nationwide, down marginally from 4.9 months in October and the four months of inventory recorded in the summer months. Given that the long-term average is 5.2 months, analysts are predicting that most market segments are cooling off and returning to a more balanced market where supply meets demand.

An investigation alleging health care fraud involving employees of the Hartford Board of Education is underway.Hotel ordered to pay dishwasher $21.5 million for being forced to work on SundaysNiki Lauda has left hospital following his latest health setback.

After a long period of hospitalisation and rehabilitation, the F1 legend was holidaying in Ibiza over the New Year period when he contracted influenza A.

He returned to Vienna where he was treated in intensive care, but just over two weeks later - on Wednesday - he was released once again.

Mercedes team chairman Lauda's doctor Walter Klepetko confirmed the discharge, APA news agency reported.

Bild newspaper said that despite the latest hospitalisation, the 69-year-old may still be planning to be present for the start of winter testing in Barcelona on February 18.

(GMM)WESTPORT  The multi-year negotiation of police officer pensions came to a close with the announcement of an arbitration that largely came out in favor of the towns proposals.

I wasnt surprised because the decision is almost identical to what we negotiated with the fire department, said Ralph Chetcuti, town director of personnel.

Chetcuti said he believed the town would win in arbitration with the police union because the union had twice agreed to the revised pension plan over the last year, only to have the changes later voted down by the police union members.

We were pretty confident we were going to get a favorable decision, Chetcuti said.

The binding arbitration decision, released in December, sided with the town on 14 issues and the union  formally called American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Local 2080  on six topics.

Many of the substantial sticking points in the negotiations  a new negotiated benefits plan for new hires and survivor benefits adjusted for life expectancy  went the towns way, according to the decision, released by the state Department of Labor Board of Mediation and Arbitration.

Police employees hired after July 1, 2017, will receive a new hybrid pension plan that is half defined benefits and half defined contribution, similar to a 401(k) plan, according to the arbitration decision.

Another significant change is that while the spouses of retired employees currently pay 40 percent of their health insurance costs, they will now have to pay for the full amount of these costs, per the arbitrators decision.

Union President Cpl. Howard Simpson did not return calls for comment on the arbitration decision, but told the Westport News in May that the town is in great financial shape and officers are frustrated with decreased spousal benefits and cost of living adjustments.

Employees hired after July 2017 will not receive a cost of living adjustment and the COLA for employees under the age of 20 will be capped at 2.75 percent, while officers over 20 can still receive a COLA of 4 percent, the arbitrator decided.

The new COLA is more in line with the two percent COLA of most area municipalities, town labor lawyer Floyd Dugas said.

The towns annual cost for pension and retiree health care skyrocketed from under a million (dollars) to nearly 20 million (dollars) a year between 2010 and 2018, Dugas said in May. The town is expected to save the town $40 million over the next 20 years.

On Jan. 8, the Representative Town Meeting voted 31 to 1 not to reject the arbitrators decision, which will be in effect for police pensions until 2024.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2628; @SophieCVaughan1WESTPORT  Greenwich billionaire Ray Dalio added $2 billion to his personal fortune last year, according to Institutional Investor estimates pegged to a 14.6 percent gain for the largest hedge fund run by his Bridgewater Associates in Westport.

Institutional Investor calculated gains according to estimates for Dalios personal investments as well as Bridgewater client fees.

In 2016, the Dalio Foundation disbursed $126 million, with more than 100 Connecticut nonprofits among those getting grants.

African-American history exhibit in town

Westport Remembered: The History of African Americans in Westport is an exhibit that explores the contributions and struggles of the towns black residents from earliest settlement to present.

The exhibit is on display at the Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, through June.

No charge for members and children 10 and under, $5 for nonmembers, $3 for students and seniors. Historical society hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information visit westporthistory.org or call 203-222-1424, ext. 5.

Tax assistance program begins Jan. 28

The no cost, full service AARP/IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program, with special attention to seniors and low to moderate-income households, is available to the community again this year.

Basic income tax preparation and electronic filing of state and federal taxes will be offered at two Westport locations beginning Jan. 28 through April 17 by appointment only.

Town Hall hours are Mondays from Jan. 28 to April 17 from 1:30 to 7 p.m. To schedule appointments at town hall, call 203-341-1050 Monday through Thursday, between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Center for Senior Activities hours for the tax program are Wednesdays from Jan. 30 through April 17 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Thursdays from Jan. 31 to April 11 from 1 to 6:30 p.m. To schedule appointments at the senior center, call 203-341-5099.(TNS)  Hillsboro and Multnomah County continue to explore the possibility of establishing their own, publicly run Internet service  but neither initiative is moving rapidly.The initiatives reflect widespread dissatisfaction with privately run Internet services and suspicions that federal repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules will prompt Internet providers to restrict access or slow connections to some websites and online services.However, there are few large-scale municipal Internet services anywhere in the country. Its more common in small communities, including Ashland, Independence, Monmouth and Sandy  but the results have been mixed, creating significant financial setbacks in some places.Lake Oswego voters rejected a city-backed Internet service in 2016.Hillsboro announced last May that it planned to spend $24 million over six years to begin running high-capacity fiber-optic lines to neighborhoods around the city. Officials said they hoped to offer superfast gigabit speeds (a gigabit is 1,000 megabits per second) for $50 a month, below private-sector pricing.The city initially said it hoped to have service available in some neighborhoods by spring 2019. Hillsboro now has decided to focus on wiring local schools first, aiming to have all 47 schools wired by the start of the academic year in September.Hillsboros existing fiber network is between 12 and 13 miles, according to the city, which says it plans to add 60 miles this year. Some residential service could be available by years end, but in a statement the city said it will keep a flexible timetable.Multnomah County, meanwhile, is still preparing to study the possibility of countywide municipal fiber. It would be the largest network of its kind in the United States with a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars.The first step is a feasibility study, but seven months after the county announced plans to evaluate public Internet that work still hasnt been funded. Commissioner Sharon Meieran said the county wants participation from a number of local governments.Were going to be acting as the convener for a group of local, jurisdictional parties, she said.Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village have all agreed to contribute to the $250,000 study, according to Meieran.Multnomah County will provide most of the funding, $150,000, she said, but the county wants $75,000 from the city of Portland, too. Meieran said Portland was initially receptive to the request but has been unresponsive lately.Im hopeful we will hear back from them soon as far as taking the next steps, Meieran said. It really is the only thing holding us up.LONDON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May won a confidence vote in the House of Commons Wednesday, averting any immediate risk of an early general election.

The vote of no-confidence, put forward by the main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was lost by 325 votes to 306. It meant the government survived by just 19 votes.

It means May is now on course to continue seeking parliamentary backing for a Brexit deal to enable Britain to leave the European Union (EU) later this year. May will return to the House of Commons on Monday to present MPs with an alternative Brexit plan in the hope it has more success than the deal rejected Tuesday by a massive margin of 432 votes to 202.

Corbyn told May in a six-hour debate before the vote that if a government could not get their legislation through Parliament, they must go to the country for a new mandate. The move was backed by opposition parties at Westminster, apart from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) who supported May.

"The prime minister has lost control and the government has lost the ability to govern," said Corbyn, describing May as leader of a "zombie government".

Corbyn said every previous prime minister in the same situation would have resigned and called an election.

May, in her speech, said a general election would be the worst thing Britain could do.

"It would deepen division when we need unity, it would bring chaos when we need certainty, and it would bring delay when we need to move forward," said May.

"At this crucial moment in our nation's history, a general election is simply not in the national interest," she said.

"We are living through a historic moment in our nation's history. Following a referendum that divided our nation in half, we dearly need to bring our country back together," May added.SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A grandmother in Springfield is asking for help from the community to help find two missing teenagers - one of them her granddaughter. Police said the two are runaways, who were last seen at Commerce High School on June 1.When Jair Bolsonaro won Brazil's presidency many people though the country was in for further political and economic problems.

This may yet be the case but Bolsonaro's call for unity and suggestion that the government and economy must serve all Brazilians is at least a positive start.

An even more positive sign is his bringing people in with grounding in the Austrian School.

The most important move is his new czar for economic affairs, Paulo Guedes who "may be the most striking personification of the growth of economic libertarianism in Brazil, popularized by the writings of the Austrian Ludwig von Mises."

Hopefully it's not wishful thinking.

It would be worth it for our relatively new Government to follow events there as Brazil might provide some policy ideas to change the course of events here.

Read more here...(TNS)  Cass County, Mich., is looking at updating its email technology.During Thursdays upcoming Cass County Board of Commissioners meeting, the board is scheduled to discuss changing the county governments email system. Currently, the county uses the Zimbra email platform, as provided by Xmission.com. Due to issues with the platform, county employees are asking that the board of commissioners approve the purchase of a new email system, such as Microsoft Office 365. The total cost of a switch to a new system could cost $108,864, according to information provided by Kerry Collins, information systems director for the county, at last weeks board meeting where the issue was discussed.Interruptions with the system have been ongoing since November 2018, according to Collins. The latest issues with the current system began on Dec. 26, 2018. The problems are preventing county employees and other users from accessing email and seeing shared calendars. The issues are also kicking users off of the email system.Email has grown into something we cannot skimp on anymore, Collins said. We have to do this.Chief Judge Susan Dobrich called the email issue an emergency, as court officials have missed meetings and essential correspondence, such as court hearing announcements, has not gone through.We are unable to operate in many respects, she said. We have important business we have to conduct. Right now, we cannot conduct business. Email is critical.  We want a new system.Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz agreed.This is a really serious matter, he said. We need to have something that works.  If we dont get a police report from the sheriffs office or my attorneys cant access what the sheriffs department provides on the system, bad things will happen.Though Collins acknowledged the expense of an email system switch, he said that switching to Microsoft Office 365 is the right choice for the county as it establishes a software standard that matches what the state of Michigan uses, exposes employees to the latest software technologies and allows the county to focus training on a single version of software. He added that with Microsoft Office 365, not only would the county be getting email services, but it would also be able to update to the latest versions of other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Word.Is it expensive? It has a cost to it, he said. It is a part of doing business.The Cass County Board of Commissioners will meet Thursday at 120 N. Broadway St., Cassopolis. A Committee of the Whole meeting will take place at 4 p.m., followed by the regular board meeting at 7 p.m.Government TechnologyIn our first 2019 installment of the Innovation of the Month series, we explore how the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, is using big data and analytics to predict and mitigate traffic accidents.MetroLabs Executive Director Ben Levine spoke with Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Pegasus Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering at the University of Central Florida (UCF); Dean Michael Georgiopoulos, College of Engineering and Computer Science at UCF; Charles Ramdatt, director of Special Projects in the city of Orlando; and Jeremy Dilmore, Florida Department of Transportation engineer, to learn more.Dr. Abdel-Aty, you're using data to mitigate traffic accidents. Can you tell me about your project?Certainly. My team at the University of Central Florida has been utilizing data sources for real-time crash prediction for many years. This effort initially started in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Colorado Department of Transportation. The most recent research for this work grew out of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Solving for Safety Visualization Challenge , for which our work has been selected as a Stage-I semifinalist . As part of that challenge, we stated that by integrating real-time and static data, we could develop predictive analytics to diagnose real-time traffic safety conditions.The improvement of analytics software and emergence of a data-rich environment contribute to the data-driven analysis for traffic safety by investigating crash, traffic, weather, geometric data, etc. Traditionally, traffic safety data analyses were conducted based on static and highly aggregated data, like annual average daily traffic or annual crash frequency. These aggregated data analyses can only reveal the general trend and relationship between crash frequency and few contributing factors, which could result in unreliable findings simply because they are averages and cannot represent the real conditions at the time of a crash.The input data are the foundation to conduct real-time data-driven analysis for road safety. In recent years, with the advancement of big data, abundant data could be used for better crash prediction. My team has utilized these data  including Microwave Vehicle Detection, Automatic Vehicle Identification, Bluetooth, and real-time weather  on both arterials and freeways, including at typical conflict areas (e.g., intersections, weaving areas, ramps, etc.), to develop accurate algorithms that can predict the increase in crash risk in real time.Bringing all these tools and algorithms under one integrated system will enable operators to monitor safety risk in real-time and develop interventions that alleviate the potential problems and prevent crashes or at least mitigate their severity.If readers would like to learn more, they are welcome to visit my Google Scholar homepage for more than 200 publications addressing these concepts and proctive traffic management.I suppose its obvious to readers that wed like to reduce crashes. But perhaps you could offer some more detail about the root causes of the challenges you are addressing and how government can respond.The advent of big data technologies enables real-time analysis for traffic safety. By integrating multiple data sources, the data could help us understand the relationship between the presence of traffic conflicts and real-time contributing factors (e.g., volume, speed, traffic control status and weather characteristics), and quantify the impact of these factors on real-time crash risk. It is well-known that most crashes happen because of the presence of conflicts between different road users. For example, the conflicts between a leading and a following vehicle could lead to rear-end crashes. To date, different real-time countermeasures have been deployed to avoid conflicts.The availability of microscopic detailed data is a major enabler and the possibility for the first time to prevent or reduce severity of crashes in real time.Visualization tools that make safety information accessible and understandable allow us to operationalize the insights. This gives us the ability to go from being reactive to proactive to determine the need for countermeasures prior to any unsafe trends developing along roadways. This represents a major step in our ability to deliver a fatality-free roadway system. The department is doing this in partnership with the city of Orlando and the University of Central Florida. The team believes this is the way of the future.What kind of data are you exploring and why? What have been some of your initial findings in your research, and is this changing how you view the issue?Figure 1 shows the data that should be considered as input, including crash data, traffic data, traffic control data, road quality and design data, and other data like weather condition and land use. Traffic data from various detectors could provide all the traffic variables such as volume, average speed, average lane occupancy, and standard deviation of these parameters during specific time intervals to represent the traffic conditions and turbulence prior to crash occurrence. Traffic control data could provide real-time traffic control statuses and help to predict traffic conditions in the future time intervals. Other environmental information could be obtained from the roadway characteristics inventory database, a local climatological data set, etc.Our extensive research has proven the validity of the methodologies that we have developed for five-minute increments (predicting the safety risk for the next five to 10 and 10 to 15 minutes). We can select appropriate intelligent transportation systems techniques, including adjustment to adaptive signals on arterials, route diversion to/from freeways or arterials, variable speed limit, and ramp metering on freeways before crash/conflict risk increase, and even the advanced connected vehicle technologies. Last but not least, extensive simulations have proven the concept of real-time evaluation and visualization for various real-time risk mitigation techniques.How has your work impacted city planning?Our more recent work focuses on arterials, city streets and intersections, which will have a major impact on the improved traffic flow and safety on city streets.For a specified road (city street, arterial or freeway), a spatial-temporal screening technology (city streets in Figure 2) could be used to present the crash risk along the road by time and segment. For the selected diagnosed locations, we could use both of the screening methods to present the crash risk prediction results in real time for the selected roadway sites.UCF has an excellent, experienced, team of academics, that is rightly focused on this important topic. I look forward to the benefits that will accrue to metropolitan Orlando, which is often ranked among the least safe metropolitan areas for pedestrians. Also, the metro area, with a population of almost 2.75 million, has over 72 million annual visitors. This means that during critical weeks of the year, the visitor population causes the population of the area to virtually double. UCF's work in this atypical "traffic laboratory" is, therefore, of critical importance.How has this project shaped your view of emerging tools and data analytics methods?First, I now better appreciate the power of the data and more advanced analytics methods. We can accurately predict the increase in crash risk with well-trained machine learning approaches. I believe we need to develop tools to show decision-makers the potential, so they are more favorable to adopt these prediction and pro-active traffic management methods.Dr. Abdel-Aty and his group have been pioneers in adaptive traffic management approaches using real-time data and big data analytics. Their work has shown the potential to improve traffic safety in real time, which is a big deal. It is no surprise that their work has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Transportation as one of the semi-finalists in Solving for Safety: Visualization Challenge; UCF being the only institution in the semi-finalists of this challenge is a testament of the innovative work of Dr. Abdel-Aty and his team.Where will this project go from here?Active traffic management is the most prevalent method for real-time road safety management, which primarily includes ramp metering, variable speed limit, dynamic lane management, integrated corridor management, etc. However, the traditional active traffic management strategies are usually triggered by a specific incident or event, which may still result in traffic delay. In this context, my team proposed proactive traffic management based on real-time crash risk prediction results, which are able to proactively prevent the potential incident or crash occurrence. Among our previous studies, ramp metering and variable speed limit have been widely investigated for real-time crash risk reduction on freeways, including at weaving areas (Figure 3). For example, Abdel-Aty et al. (2007) evaluated the expected benefits of using a modified ramp-metering algorithm as a method for real-time safety improvement on an urban freeway. We found that there are significant benefits in metering multiple ramps when the feedback ramp metering algorithm is implemented at multiple locations and increasing the number of metered onramps produces increasing safety benefits. Moreover, Yu and Abdel-Aty (2014) proposed an innovative approach to identify an optimal variable speed limit control strategy with the purpose of proactively improving traffic safety on freeways. Results indicated that a variable speed limit would effectively improve traffic safety under high and moderate compliance levels.We are now bringing all the real-time safety prediction algorithms and proactive traffic management strategies together in an integrated comprehensive system that will enable operators to manage and improve traffic safety and operation in real time. We are also moving from active to proactive traffic management.UPDATE: Police identify Knox County murder suspect who is still on the looseDescription

GIS - 17 January, 2019: A delegation of the National Assembly of Seychelles led by its Speaker, Mr Nicholas Gerard Prea, paid a courtesy call yesterday on the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

In a statement to the media, Mr Jean-Francois Ferrari, member of the delegation, underlined that discussions focused on reinforcing partnership in the fisheries sector among the islands in the Indian Ocean. He added that the synergy between Seychelles and Mauritius is vital for the successful Joint Management of the Extended Continental Shelf in the Mascarene Plateau Region.

He also highlighted the importance of regrouping members of the Parliament from both countries with a view of sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas as regards matters of common interest.

Mr Ferrari expressed satisfaction regarding the fruitful discussions with Prime Minister Jugnauth whereby both parties reiterated their determination in strengthening their collaboration in the negotiations of the Post-Cotonou agreement.WDEL Breaking News Reporters Mike Phillips & Sean Greene remember back to the protest, and the looting, that took place on May 30, 2020 in Downtown Wilmington.Description

GIS - 17 January, 2019: An agreement for financing of the Regional Technical Assistance Center for Southern Africa (AFRITAC South  AFS) Phase 11 to the tune of Rs 800 million was signed, today, between the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the Africa Training Institute in Ebene. An agreement for financing of the Regional Technical Assistance Center for Southern AfricaPhase 11 to the tune of Rs 800 million was signed, today, between the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the Africa Training Institute in Ebene.

Signatories were the Deputy Director of the African Department, IMF Headquarters, Mr David Owen, and the Ambassador of the European Union, Mrs Marjaana Sall . The Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Dharmendar Sesungkur, and other personalities were present at the event.

The AFS is a collaborative effort between the International Monetary Fund IMF, beneficiary countries , and external development partners aimed at providing technical assistance and cooperation in core macroeconomic and financial management areas to countries in the Southern Africa and West Indian Ocean region. The center provides technical assistance and training to 13 countries namely: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In his address, Minister Sesungkur underlined that AFRITAC is providing invaluable support to African states by empowering Mauritians, through training and guidance, as well as by strengthening the countrys institutional capacity. He further indicated that AFRITAC is developing the countrys specialist skills and technical proficiency and acting as a platform promoting inter-country knowledge sharing. Mauritius should keep rallying and learn from other member countries by sharing experience and knowledge, he added.

Furthermore, the Minister highlighted that through mutual assistance and cooperation, African countries will contribute significantly to the global economic order and large-scale economic globalisation. AFRITAC, he recalled is already a key enabler in this strategy by providing its fullest cooperation to harness the great potential of the people of Africa.

For her part, Ambassador Sall highlighted that cooperation between the EU and the IMF will contribute to regional integration and sustain economic growth in the thirteen member countries of AFS. As regards to the agreement, she underpinned that it will contribute to the implementation of Africa and Europe alliance towards the Sustainable Development Goals through more trade, and economic relations and also create jobs.

Moreover, she underlined that member countries will benefit from technical assistance in key areas namely finance management, financial sector management, statistics and monetary policy for better economic management in the African region. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Southern African Development Community and the Indian Ocean Commission will also benefit from this collaboration, she added.Description

GIS  17 January, 2019: The Cyber Tower 1 was officially renamed Atal Bihari Vajpayee Tower during a ceremony organised yesterday by Landscope (Mauritius) Ltd, in Ebene, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.

The Minister Mentor, Minister of Defence, Minister for Rodrigues, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands, Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, the High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, Mr Tanmaya Lal, the Chairperson of Landscope (Mauritius) Ltd, Mr Gerard Sanspeur, and other personalities were also present.

In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted that it is fitting to dedicate the iconic Cyber Tower 1 to former Indian Prime Minister, Shri Vajpayee, who played a crucial role in strengthening Mauritius-India relations. It was during the state visit of Shri Vajpayee to Mauritius in March 2000 that an agreement for cooperation was signed and a line of credit of USD 100 million offered by the Government of India, which rapidly led to the construction of the Cyber Tower 1, he stated.

Speaking about investment, Prime Minister Jugnauth pointed out that while future investments in the ICT infrastructure are critical, they would be inconsequential if the necessary skills to build and apply Information Technology solutions are not available. It is essential to provide our children with the required skills they need for the jobs that will be created in the future, he stated. Government, he added, has also initiated a series of skills training programmes for unemployed youth to be ready to meet future labour markets needs.

Digital Economy is a game changer for ensuring inclusive growth and late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, underlined the Prime Minister, has helped Mauritius take the first steps into the digital age. He also expressed his gratitude for the ongoing help from the Government of India in terms of financial assistance and grants for several other projects such as the Metro Express, a new Ears Nose and Throat Hospital, new social housing units, and a new Supreme Court building.

For his part, the Indian High Commissioner, Mr Lal, recalled that the renaming of the Cyber Tower 1 was announced by Prime Minister Jugnauth at the World Hindi Conference held in Mauritius last year. During the former Indian Prime Ministers tenure, areas of cooperation between Mauritius and India significantly expanded, he indicated. Today, the two countries are building a series of economic partnerships and collaboration in a range of areas, including infrastructure, trade, investment, and technology, he added.

The Chairperson of Landscope (Mauritius) Ltd, Mr Sanspeur, underpinned that, during the last 17 years, Cyber Tower 1 has borne a generic name, but will henceforth exude the spirit of an uncommon builder, in the person of late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was gifted with the vision and ability of blending tradition with modernity. With the forthcoming Urban Regeneration Plan, he emphasised, Landscope (Mauritius) Ltd will demonstrate that Ebene Cyber city can be intelligently transformed into a vibrant and mixed-use centre.Prince Philip was involved in a car crash on Thursday, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

Norfolk Police said officers were called to the Sandringham Estate shortly before 3pm "following reports of a collision involving two cars".

The BBC reported the Duke of Edinburgh, 97, was driving a Range Rover and was pulling out of a driveway onto the A149, a main road, when the accident happened.

Local media reports showed a 4WD - the vehicle reportedly being driven by the Duke - overturned on the road.Nearly two-dozen high profile Texas officeholders sent President Trump a letter Tuesday imploring him not to use Hurricane Harvey relief funds to build a border wall.Over the last week or so, Trump has considered using disaster recovery funds to build a border wall, given that he has not been able to get Congress to appropriate money for one. The standoff has resulted in the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, albeit a partial one.Gov. Greg Abbott, the state's two Republican U.S. senators and a bipartisan group of 20 U.S. House members released a letter stating their staunch opposition to raiding Texas' hard-fought Harvey money."Recent reports have indicated that your administration is considering the use of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funds, appropriated by Congress and intended for Hurricane Harvey recovery and mitigation efforts, in an effort to secure our southern border," they wrote. "We strongly support securing the border with additional federal resources including tactical infrastructure, technology, ports of entry improvements and personnel. However, we are strongly opposed to using funds appropriated by Congress for disaster relief and mitigation for Texas for any unintended purpose."Congressional signatories included nine lawmakers from the Houston metropolitan region: Republican U.S. Reps. Brian Babin, Kevin Brady, Dan Crenshaw, Michael McCaul, Pete Olson and Randy Weber; and Democratic U.S. Reps. Sylvia Garcia, Lizzie Fletcher and Sheila Jackson Lee.Texans from other regions also signed on: Republican U.S. Reps. John Carter of Round Rock, Mike Conaway of Midland, Bill Flores of Bryan, Lance Gooden of Terrell, Kay Granger of Fort Worth, Will Hurd of Helotes, Kenny Marchant of Coppell and Roger Williams of Austin; and Democratic U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen and Filemon Vela of BrownsvilleCarter, Cuellar and Granger are members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, with Granger serving as the top-ranking Republican member.For months after Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast in the late summer of 2017, members of the Texas delegation engaged in a difficult fight for relief funds. At one point, the state's members of Congress teamed up with the Florida delegation to advocate for hurricane damage funding in both states. In the end, the delegations secured about $90 billion for several states' disaster relief.Texas has the longest shared border with Mexico of any state.It looks like I will get the UK pension and am able to top up at the cheaper Class 2 rate. None of this would have happened without your help and advice! Thank you so very much - you are really doing an awesome job. [Name withheld]

Wow, that makes me so happy! Now, I dont usually publish success letters such as yours  and I get a few. After all, this is supposed to be a column about problems.

Living in Britain can get you a pension. Credit:Shutterstock

But this letter is about a rapidly closing opportunity that I highlighted last year for thousands of other Aussies who have also worked in the UK for as few as three years, to secure a cut-price British pension for perhaps three decades. And there are probably only days to act.

Heres how it worked in this very satisfying caseAustralian home prices are at risk of falling more than 10 per cent in 2019, the largest decline globally of all markets monitored by Citi Research.

Australian house prices are in for a downcast 2019, says Citi. Credit:Bloomberg

Among the roughly 60 economies under coverage, only 11 are at significant risk of notable home price falls over the next 12 months, and only one  Australia  might experience year-on-year declines exceeding 10%, Citi says.

Citi says the downturn underway has been caused by several factors, nominating the impact of tighter macroprudential lending standards, reduced foreign buyer activity and a steep increase in new housing supply.

Where prices have been rising rapidly for several years, including in Australia, authorities have deployed a range of macroprudential policies to slow credit growth which have helped to cool the housing market, it says.In first state of state, Sisolak proposes long list of spending increases, pledges 'no new taxes'Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected an effort by three major U.S. cities to require the Pentagon to be more vigilant about reporting service members who were disqualified from owning weapons to a national background check system.By a 3-0 vote, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it lacked jurisdiction to compel the Department of Defense to fix what New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco called a broken system, or to supervise improvements to the Pentagons partial and inconsistent reporting.The cities sued seven weeks after former Air Force member Devin Kelley killed 26 people on Nov. 5, 2017 at a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church before killing himself.Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on.Brian Gregory Robling of Washington, 23, passed away Monday, June 7, 2021. Brian was born July 11, 1997, in Washington, to Amber (Robling) Whiteman and Michael Bernard. He graduated from Washington High School in 2016. Brian is survived by his parents; his son, Zyler Mehrer of Washington; daFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Tuesday that Airbnb faces sanctions over its decision not to list properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, arguing that the policy is discriminatory and may violate a state law that prohibits Florida from doing business with companies that boycott Israel.Florida's State Board of Administration is preparing to present findings at the end of the month on whether the popular tourism service should be placed on a state list of scrutinized companies that boycott Israel, DeSantis said Tuesday. Administrators have not yet made a recommendation to the SBA's board of trustees, which is composed of Florida's governor, attorney general and chief financial officer.DeSantis said he hopes Airbnb will make the controversy moot by reversing its position. But Florida's new governor also made clear during a visit to the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County's Boca Raton headquarters Tuesday that he believes Airbnb's policy regarding the West Bank -- which he referred to as "the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria" -- is anti-Semitic, and said the company is dangerously close to making it onto Florida's "hit list.""We have a moral obligation to oppose the Airbnb policy. It does target Jews specifically. I think that's wrong," said DeSantis, who declared Tuesday that state employees will no longer be reimbursed for stays at Airbnb properties while on government business. "Airbnb claims it's a company of inclusion and yet this policy only affects Jews who have homes on the West Bank. It doesn't appear to apply to anyone else on the face of the earth."In announcing in November that it would not list roughly 200 homes in Israeli settlements, the popular home-sharing platform explained that it was uncomfortable doing business in an occupied territory subject to a historical dispute between Palestinians and Israelis. Much of the world considers Israel's West Bank settlements, built on land Israel claimed in the 1967 war, to be a violation of international law. The United Nations considers the West Bank an occupied territory.Airbnb denied Tuesday that it is anti-Semitic, or that it has discriminated against Jews.Spokesman Ben Breit said Airbnb has "unequivocally rejected" the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement that aims to undercut Israel's government by starving it financially, and remains "deeply committed" to thousands of hosts in the country."We have worked with the Florida State Board of Administration on this matter," Breit said. "We remain committed to the more than 45,000 Airbnb hosts in Florida who share their homes with over 4.5 million visitors, and we'll continue to do all we can to support our community."Breit did not address the West Bank policy, or say whether it will change course.The ignominy of becoming the first company of note to make it to Florida's scrutinized list could be damaging to Airbnb's business in the state, if not the country. Florida law was amended last year so that any company on the list becomes ineligible to enter into contracts of any amount with local governments, potentially jeopardizing deals like the memorandum of understanding that allows Airbnb to operate legally in Miami-Dade County. It also prohibits the state's massive pension fund from investing in listed companies, a possible complication as Airbnb leadership ponders whether to take the company public."That would not be good, if you're already on Florida's hit list before you even got off the ground," said DeSantis, who also announced Tuesday that he is planning a trip to Israel and that he's pushing to make $2 million in annual security funding for Jewish day schools a recurring expense in the state budget.The announcements follow a campaign during which DeSantis frequently touted his support for Florida's Jewish community. While a member of Congress, DeSantis attended the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. He said during his inauguration speech last week that he was baptizing his son, Mason, with water his wife had bottled from the Sea of Galilee during their most recent trip to the Middle East.DeSantis was also harshly critical of Airbnb's November decision to de-list roughly 200 properties in the West Bank over concerns about the historical dispute between Palestinians and Israel over the Israeli-occupied territory. DeSantis, at the time the governor-elect, said he would look into what action his administration could take if Airbnb didn't reverse its decision.State Rep. Randy Fine, who co-sponsored a bill last year to stiffen penalties for sanctioned companies, said sanctions "could have devastating consequences for Airbnb." Fine, the only Jewish Republican in the state Legislature and the head of the DeSantis campaign's Jewish outreach efforts, called the West Bank policy "a massive mistake of epic proportions -- a potentially company-ending mistake."Airbnb says it has more than 20,000 Israeli hosts and listings in Jerusalem, and has invested millions in Israel in support of its business. Reservations in the West Bank represented only a fraction of its revenue in the region, the company stated when it announced two months ago that it was pulling out of the West Bank. The company also notes that it previously pulled out of the Crimea region after Russia invaded Ukraine."Airbnb is not boycotting Israel," the company stated, explaining that it decided to de-list West Bank properties due to the disputed nature of the territory.DeSantis, however, argued that there is no dispute over Israel's right to settle the West Bank. And Florida law warns that companies can be sanctioned for limiting their activities in Israeli-occupied territories if it's done in a discriminatory matter. The company, meanwhile, has been sued in federal court over allegations that its West Bank prohibition is religious discrimination.A previous version of this story stated that the State Business Administration is planning to recommend that Airbnb be sanctioned. The administration has not yet made a recommendation.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that morale is good at the State Department during the shutdown despite the large number of furloughs. But many employees say their spirits have been sapped by having to work without pay until the shutdown officially ends. The hallways of the Truman Building in Foggy Bottom are extremely quiet, with many workers are doing their business remotely  in part so they do not have to pay for parking at a time when they have no paycheck coming in.The F-35 fighter jet in the future could be fastened with an interceptor capable of shooting down North Korean missiles. The U.S. military could also put high-powered lasers on drones flying off the Korean coasts that could shoot that nations rockets. It may also test whether Aegis missile defense systems on American ships can down the sort of intercontinental ballistic missile Pyongyang could launch against the United States. The U.S. military could also take some of the Aegis missile defense test systems in Hawaii and make them operational to better protect the state.Instead, it was left to Vice President Pence to issue a statement, which he said was on behalf of the president and himself, condemning the terrorist attack and commiserating with the loved ones of the dead. We have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities, he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State. As we begin to bring our troops home . . . we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever.After a more than 15-year long fight, transgender New Yorkers will soon be covered by the state's anti-discrimination laws.The state Senate and Assembly passed legislation known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that prohibits under the state Human Rights Law discrimination on the basis of gender identification or expression when it comes to employment, education, credit, and housing.It would also update the state's hate crimes law to include offenses motivated by a person's gender identify or expression.Both houses of the Legislature on Tuesday also passed a bill sponsored by Glick and Hoylman that will ban the controversial and discredited practice of conversion therapy designed to switch someone from being gay to straight..Gov. Cuomo has said he will sign the bills."It's just another day of breaking down barriers," said new Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers).GENDA is the first major LGBTQ bill to clear both houses of the Legislature since legislation to legalize gay marriage passed in 2011. It comes as the Trump administration rolled transgender protections afforded by former President Barack Obama.The bill, first introduced in 2003, was passed by the Assembly for the 12th time by a 100-40 margin. But the legislation until this year was always blocked in the Senate by the Republicans who controlled the chamber for the much of the past 50 years and even by the Democrats when they were briefly in charge in 2009-10.But with the Democrats having won control of the Senate in November, the GENDA bill sailed through the chamber 42-19 on the third day of the legislative session."Let us move forward, let us all rise up in support of civil liberties for everyone," said Senate bill sponsor, Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat and the only openly gay state senator.In the Assembly, the bill was long sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a Manhattan Democrat who called Tuesday's vote in both houses a "historic day.""We're saying New York is a place for everyone," Gottfried said.Gottfried noted that a number of communities in the state, including New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties, already provide anti-discrimination protections to transgender people.The state in 2002 left out transgender protections when it passed the sexual orientation non-discrimination act.Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan), one of three openly gay Assembly members, suggested the GENDA bill that took 16 years to pass both houses "is not radical. It is not revolutionary. It is decades over due."Some Republicans who voted against the measure expressed unease at the idea that someone who identifies as a female could use school showers or bathrooms with girls or that pedophiles and sex predators could dress up as women to gain entry."What protection does this bill have for the parents and children who may not want to shower with someone whose physical anatomy is different than their daughters'?" asked Assemblyman Andrew Goodell (R-Chauttauqua County)Gottfried shot back: "The same thing that happens with white parents who are petrified of their child showering with a black person....I'm sure there are parents petrified of the thought that their little boy will use a locker room that a gay boy is using. But you know what? People have gotten used to that. All over New York, this legislation has been the law for years and I've never heard anyone expressing a problem about it, other than some of my colleagues."Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, a Manhattan Democrat and one of three openly gay member in the Assembly, argued that trans people face far more danger than others, including members of the gay community.He and other Democratic lawmakers chastised Republicans for bringing up the bathroom and shower argument."This discussion is reduced to a base level," O'Donnell said. "I feel like I'm in third grade. They are here. They are part of our community."A number of religious organizations, including the state Catholic Conference headed by Timothy Cardinal Dolan and evangelist groups opposed the bill."We urge all New Yorkers to treat persons identifying as 'transgender'--as well as everyone else--with dignity and respect, but to recognize that each person's true gender identity as a male or a female is not chosen or changeable," said the Rev. Jason McGuire, of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom.The bill to ban gay conversion therapy would make it professional misconduct for a mental health professional to engage in an effort to change the sexual orientation of any patient who is 18 years old or younger."You can not change who a person is," Glick said.Members of the LGBTQ community, who watched the proceedings, celebrated the passage of both bills. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who is gay, viewed the Senate vote from teh chamber gallery."It's a new day in Albany," said David Kilmnick, president and CEO of New York LGBT Network, who described the GENDA and the conversion therapy bills as "long overdue and groundbreaking moments for the LGBT community."With GENDA long stalled in the Senate, Gov. Cuomo in 2015 issued an executive order extending state anti-discrimination protections to transgender New Yorkers. A year later, the governor issued a separate executive order banning private and public health care insurers from covering gay conversation therapy for youth.He has said he will sign both bills into law as part of his 100-day agenda.."At a time when the federal government is doing everything it can to roll back the hard won rights of transgender Americans, New York State is once again stepping up for full equality and equal protections under the law," Cuomo said.With both houses of the Legislature now controlled by the Democrats, the party is intent on addressing many outstanding issues that were blocked by Republican in years past. On Monday ,the Legislature passed electoral reforms.And next week, both houses will take up a bill to strengthen and expand abortion rights."Obviously there's great anticipation and great energy in this chamber and it's for all the right reasons," Stewart-Cousins said.Last month, an unexpected yet much welcomed cease-fire in Hodeida was signed by both sides at U.N.-brokered peace talks in Sweden. But since then, even as the cease-fire has largely held, sporadic attacks have erupted and both sides have accused each other of violating the pact. Meanwhile, the U.N. has been unable to convince the warring sides to withdraw from the port and the city, per the terms of the cease-fire deal.Targeted Follow-Up

The Shadow Census

Resource Sharing

Kiosks

Staffing Up

All Hands on Deck

One afternoon last summer, Xiongpao Lee was walking around a festival in St. Paul, Minn., armed with a stack of forms. Lee was there to find other residents who, like him, belong to the areas large Hmong immigrant community. As he stopped and chatted with folks throughout the day, he had a very specific topic on his mind: the 2020 Census.The Twin Cities is home to the nations largest Hmong community, South Asian immigrants with ancient ethnic roots in China. But a segment of that population remains hard to reach, in part because of a significant language barrier. Thats something Lee and members of the Hmong American Census Network want to overcome.At the festival, he spoke with several people, explaining what the Census is and how it works. He cited dollar figures on how much funding is dependent on the count, and he discussed how Minnesota is on the verge of potentially losing a House seat. Even the people who are aware of the Census, Lee says, dont understand how the Census affects decisionmaking and policymaking.Then he handed over a form to sign, a pledge promising to participate in the Census count next year. Lee and his fellow network organizers are gathering similar pledges from various festivals, picnics and other events. Closer to the Census, theyll start going door to door, and once the questionnaires are mailed out in the spring of 2020, the group plans to call everyone on its list to remind them to participate. Culturally, having that one-to-one conversation is really building more of a relationship and trust with community members, Lee says. It carries more weight than just a text or email.The whole effort seems more like a political campaign, or a concerted get-out-the-vote drive. But its just one of the many ways that community groups, nonprofits and governments are working to ensure that people are counted in the 2020 Census. As with any decennial count, local leaders are keenly aware of its critical role in congressional apportionment and directing hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding.But with several looming uncertainties, the stakes are even higher this time around. Americans will be able to complete the Census online for the first time, making it more convenient for many households but leaving others without Internet access behind. Relying more on technology, the Census Bureau will devote fewer resources to field operations. The agency says it plans to hire between 350,000 and 375,000 enumerators, down from 516,000 in 2010. Then theres the political environment, which has prompted fears in immigrant communities that many worry could result in an undercount.By far the largest unknown remains the fate of a proposed question requesting an individuals citizenship status. The Trump administration last year moved to add the question, but state and local officials, along with many government associations and advocacy groups, have strongly opposed it, saying it would taint the Census. The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the matter; observers expect the issue to be resolved by the time the Census Bureau begins printing operations in June.In the meantime, many communities are already getting ready. Theyre organizing their Census efforts and holding initial meetings of what are known as Complete Count Committees. Several states have allocated targeted funding, although most havent yet committed substantial sums of money. Some of the most novel ideas for Census outreach initiatives often originate with nonprofits.To get a sense of the ideas being considered around the country,interviewed two dozen officials with state and local governments, nonprofits and the Census Bureau. Heres a look at some of the more innovative ways theyre planning to ensure that all residents are counted.Minnesota is hardly the only place worried about an undercount of immigrant residents. In Miami, for example, with hundreds of thousands of immigrants from all over the world, counting area residents represents an especially daunting challenge. Many residents who moved from places such as Brazil and Haiti dont speak English or Spanish, and they need assistance responding to the Census. Others, after fleeing their home countries, may be wary of the federal government collecting their information.Lubby Navarro, a Miami-Dade County school board member who led the countys 2010 organizing efforts, predicts that this Census will require a greater level of engagement. Compounding concerns about immigrants not participating, the Miami region has experienced substantial growth over the decade, and with it a housing shortage. Householders may be hesitant to identify all the people living there if they think it could get them in trouble with landlords. I am very fearful of a large undercount, Navarro says, especially for minorities and hard-to-count populations. A Census Bureau planning survey found about a third of foreign-born respondents expressed fears that their responses to the 2020 Census would be used against them.In 2010, the Census Bureau published initial data showing rates of completed questionnaires several weeks after they were mailed. Miami-Dade County used it to identify a couple dozen low-responding neighborhoods, denoted as Census tracts, to target their follow-up efforts. County employees and volunteers from local organizations went door to door and held events in the neighborhoods urging residents to participate. An automated phone system called families in low-responding areas reminding them to fill out their forms. It was important, Navarro says, that they had the right people on the ground assigned to cover neighborhoods they either lived in or were familiar with. You want people who know the buildings and are not fearful of going to the areas, she says. If not, youre going to have a disconnect.In households with language barriers, kids often serve as translators for parents. So officials in different states say theyre seeking to incorporate the Census into the K-12 curriculum. Mailed questionnaires will be printed in English and Spanish, while the online form will be available in several other languages.Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. intends to carry out a focused follow-up effort in 2020. He emphasized the need to reassure residents their information is safe and show how programs they depend on rely on an accurate count. Its not just a challenge of logistics. Itll be a political challenge, too.Detroit might not wait until 2020 for its Census. City officials are in the planning stages of what Victoria Kovari, who heads the Department of Neighborhoods, calls a shadow census. The idea is to conduct a scaled-down dry run in the citys seven council districts later this year to gather crucial information for the actual count.Kovari said the effort could consist of a massive number of volunteers going door to door, the city sending out its own forms or a combination of both. We want to be able to identify key leaders in each of these Census tracts, strengthen and build the network that will pay dividends down the road, she says. Like other cities, Detroit maintains databases of addresses that it shares with the Census Bureau for mailing out questionnaires. Part of its testing will include sending out print newsletters and fine-tuning the mailing address data based on bounce rates.A Census dry run could be particularly useful in a city like Detroit, which has experienced major population shifts over the past decade. As parts of many neighborhoods have been demolished and residents have moved to different parts of the city, officials hope to gain a better understanding of where housing units are vacant or occupied. That way, theyll know where to best target their efforts come 2020.Back in 2010, the city of Los Angeles and surrounding L.A. County each pursued separate Census outreach efforts. This time around, theyre working together, forming a joint Complete Count Committee and collaborating on a slew of different projects. We eliminated the duplication of efforts and the need for our partners to go to two different meetings where were talking about the same thing, says Maria de la Luz Garcia, director of the citys Census initiative. The two governments are, for instance, planning joint efforts for Census recruitment and establishing universal definitions of hard-to-count populations so that everyone is on the same page.Meanwhile at the state level, Ditas Katague, Californias Complete Count director, is developing a mapping tool to help guide planning statewide. Its expected to include hard-to-count populations, Internet subscription rates and areas where partner organizations are working, among other data. Officials anticipate also using the tool to redeploy resources in real time: The Census Bureau has agreed to share a daily feed of response rates with California in 2020.The California Legislature has allocated $90 million for Census outreach, dwarfing funding other states have earmarked so far and far exceeding the few million dollars California budgeted for 2010. The idea is to bolster grassroots organizing, with nearly all the funding distributed to counties and their partners. What we see sitting here in Sacramento, Katague says, may not be as effective as the messaging that comes from the local level.To augment its state funding, the city of Los Angeles has entered into a public-private partnership with the California Community Foundation for a local pooled fund. The city has already committed $2 million, significantly more than in 2010. But the additional investment, while significant, still pales in comparison to just how much it could lose from an inaccurate count. The city estimates it receives between $700 million and a few billion dollars in annual federal funding on the basis of its immigrant population alone. The city is heavily invested, and part of that is the environment were in, de la Luz Garcia says.Other places across the country are exploring similar public-private partnerships. King County, Wash., for example, is looking into a pooled regional funding model with its localities and philanthropic organizations. County official Dylan Ordonez says the aim is to remove barriers and make dollars easier to access through consolidation.For the first time, Americans will have the option of completing the Census online in 2020 instead of filling out a paper questionnaire. But many poorer households, already among the most difficult to count, lack Internet access.To bridge the digital divide, a number of local governments plan to set up kiosks at different locations where residents can complete and submit their responses online. Its really trying to make the Census as accessible and as forward-facing as possible so people know its there, and hopefully avoid an undercount, says Nick Kuwada, who is heading Census coordination for Santa Clara County, Calif.What these kiosks actually look like has yet to be determined. For its test in Providence County, R.I., last year, the Census Bureau installed special terminals in post offices. Local governments might opt instead to set up laptops at tables or use iPads or other computer tablets. Its going to be flexible and fluid because it will be in a lot of different places, Kuwada says. If its in a place of worship, it might look a lot different than if its in a county hospital.Libraries have always played a major part in promoting enumeration efforts, hosting more than 6,000 Census outreach sites for the 2010 Census, according to the American Library Association . But their role could be even larger this time, given that the federal government is shifting to online enumeration, opening about half as many area Census offices as in 2010. Library staff could offer assistance at kiosks, or patrons will follow prompts after they log in to computer systems directing them to complete the online form.Recreation centers or schools could also house kiosks; Wi-Fi kiosks could even be located in public spaces outdoors. Los Angeles has proposed mobile kiosks for airport passengers waiting at Los Angeles International Airport. To reach hard-to-count populations, officials are especially interested in placing kiosks in establishments with a high degree of public trust, such as health clinics or houses of worship.In every community, staffing is crucial for obtaining an accurate count. Temporary staff, including enumerators who follow up with nonresponding households, are a major part of any Census effort. But the federal government has struggled to hire enough qualified enumerators in prior Censuses, and recruitment in 2020 could be especially challenging if the economy remains strong and few people are looking for work. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found small applicant pools and high turnover have hindered early hiring thus far.Thats part of the reason why the National League of Cities (NLC) is recommending officials become more engaged in recruitment than they have in the past. Its an opportunity for city leaders to go into the communities they know will be hard to count, tap into social service organizations and connect them to these jobs, says Alex Jones, the manager of NLCs Local Democracy Initiative.One city thats focusing extensively on recruitment is San Jose, Calif. We feel like the enumerators are going to play a huge role in bringing up response rates, says San Jose Director of Strategic Partnerships Jeff Ruster. Its critical, Census coordinators say, that these employees are trusted in their assigned communities and can overcome any language barriers. Another challenge is that it can be hard to keep temporary Census hires on board for the duration of the job: Many of them quit early if they find other employment. San Jose plans to limit attrition by connecting hires with full-time positions once the Census wraps up. The city has worked with local employers to identify jobs with similar skill sets, positions such as customer service representatives, insurance claims clerks and eligibility interviewers for government programs. With the prospect of full employment on the horizon, the city hopes enumerators will be more likely to serve their full terms.New York City plans to augment the Census Bureau by incorporating Census work into its summer youth employment program. While participants will not be canvasing alongside enumeratorsfederal law prohibits volunteers from presenting themselves as federal employeesthey will be able to assist in organizing and conducting outreach in targeted neighborhoods. New York is also exploring hiring noncitizens to help with outreach; they are often in the best position to connect with hard-to-count groups.Given the anticipated staffing constraints for the 2020 Census, many states and localities are planning to rely extensively on their own workforces to engage the public. While theyve played roles in prior counts, the breadth and scope of mobilization efforts is widening for next year.With its vast immigrant population, New York City says it plans to involve its social services agencies, police, parks and recreation workers, and several other public-facing departments. New York is always in danger of an undercount, says Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson. A unit in the mayors office will recruit city staff from all departments for outreach, language assistance and other activities. Some localities are considering offering Census assistance via their 211 phone systems, as many of the callers to those lines often correspond with historically undercounted groups.California previously contracted with counselors in the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program to discuss the Census with their clients, who are among the most frequently undercounted. Other types of state-level departments with caseworkers might employ similar approaches.New York views the Census as an opportunity to establish a dialogue with residents and maintain those lines of communication even after the count is over. Thompson recalls a meeting with residents of a Harlem public housing development last year. They agreed to assist with the 2020 Census, but also said they wanted help combating rats and raccoons. The city responded by establishing a public housing resident pest removal training program. Its not just about filling out a piece of paper, Thompson says. We want to create an infrastructure so that when people want to know where to go, we can use these very same networks.Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at the central conference on political and legal work in Beijing, capital of China. The conference was held in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has ordered efforts to promote modern social governance, push forward reforms and develop a better force in political and legal work.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the statement in a speech to the central conference on political and legal work held in Beijing Tuesday and Wednesday.

He instructed law enforcement and judicial agencies to enhance their revolutionary spirit, standardize their practices and improve competence.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.

Xi demanded more efforts to enhance law enforcement in key areas that matter to the immediate interests of the public so that they can be provided with cleaner air and water, safer food and faster traffic in a more harmonious society.

Xi underlined the need to improve the law-based social governance model under which Party committees exercise leadership, the government assumes responsibility, non-governmental actors provide assistance and the public gets involved. Thus, a social governance system based on collaboration, participation and common interests can be established, he said.

Xi stressed the principle of rule of law so that "law-abiding members of society can feel proud and elated, while lawbreakers shall find it difficult to move one step."

Xi also spoke of the need to make more efforts on the development of crime prevention and control system, which is multifaceted and features IT application.

Describing mafia-like gangs as "the cancer of society", Xi vowed to maintain high-handed pressure and continue to crack down on such crimes to achieve a three-year term target.

Xi urged law enforcement and judicial agencies to push for breakthrough development at a higher level and build a functional system that is optimized, coordinated and efficient.

On plans to improve the system of power checks and supervision, Xi said efforts should be focused on prominent problems that prompt the strongest public reaction and resolutely guard against slack law enforcement, miscarriage of justice, breaking the law while in charge of law enforcement and judicial corruption.

Xi called on law enforcement and judicial agencies to provide convenient, efficient, smart and targeted public services that are equitable and beneficial for all.

Efforts should be made to accelerate the establishment of legal service networks that can offer full services accessible at all times and for people from different regions, Xi noted.

Xi also stressed stepping up the building of a safety protection system to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the country's overseas institutions and working staff.

Greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening competence of law enforcement and judicial officials, Xi said, urging Party organizations and leading officials at all levels to support judicial organs in exercising power in a law-based, independent and impartial way.

In his concluding remarks, Guo Shengkun, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for the Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, said it is a primary political task to study and implement the spirit of Xi's speech.Soon after her apparent connection to Deripaska came to light, Vashukevich and several Russians were arrested while conducting what she described as a sex training seminar for Russian tourists in the Thai resort town of Pattaya. In jail, she pleaded for U.S. help, saying she had recordings revealing ties between Russia and Donald Trump.Briefing reporters, her official spokesman  who goes unnamed according to protocol  promised that the talks would be undertaken in a constructive spirit, but he was also clear that May was not prepared to budge on any of the main issues that led lawmakers to reject her 585-page Brexit withdrawal agreement.Ruling from Judge Michael Graffeo, who concluded that the city of Birmingham did not violate state law when it covered up a Confederate monument with plywood. The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act, which Graffeo ruled has no legal authority, bans local governments from moving historical monuments that have been on public property for at least four decades.Al-Shabab is in a long war, said Harun Maruf, co-author of Inside al-Shabaab, a history of the group. The group is patient in planning attacks  some of the planning takes at least a year to complete it, from planning and execution. Some play down the threat of al-Shabab, deliberately or otherwise, but al-Shabab likes and wants to be underestimated. As long as you dont take the threat seriously, youre delaying the solution and deflecting attention away from the group.Gardner and Collins are among the Republican senators who have called for reopening at least some of the shuttered parts of the government without wall funding. Tillis has written an op-ed calling for a deal to protect some young undocumented immigrants in exchange for shoring up border security.I can say that all too often the last two years the president has acted like hes in the fifth grade, and to have someone who has that kind of character running the country is an enormous problem at every level, Schiff, who was to have joined Pelosi and other lawmakers on the delegation, told reporters assembled outside Pelosis office in the Capitol.We will honor the memory of the fallen, Pence said. And their families and our Armed Forces should know, their sacrifice will only steel our resolve that as we begin to bring our troops home, we will do so in a way that ensures that the remnants of ISIS will never be able to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate.I think the North Koreans have come to the conclusion that the only one they can deal with is Trump, said Ken Gause, a North Korea expert at the Center for Naval Analysis. They believe this is a leader-to-leader relationship and the only reason that they would be meeting with Pompeo or even Biegun is to set up logistics.With regard to the president, he was not involved in any collusion in any way, and he has no knowledge of any collusion, Giuliani said. The rest I cant be responsible for, except I can tell you the state of my knowledge, which is that I have no knowledge that anyone on the campaign illegally colluded with the Russians.Manaforts attorneys first revealed prosecutors interest in Manaforts work in a Ukraine peace plan in a filing last week. They had intended to file the information under seal but it became public because of a formatting error. That filing showed that investigators had asked Manafort about one or more conversations he had with Kilimnik about a Ukraine peace plan, as well as polling data Manafort passed to Kilimnik while working for Trump.In 2008 my roommate and I left a roach-infested Brooklyn apartment for another Brooklyn apartment with a less dramatic roach problem. We took everything a person could sit or lie down on; not far removed from college, we didnt have enough money to let go of any basics. I did, however, think better of a few outfits that were fine for the classroom, not for the office. In 2010 I moved in with my boyfriend, to a third location in Brooklyn. He said the nightstand I bought at a secondhand store wasnt charming, just cheap; it ended up on the street. In 2014, after my boyfriend became my husband, we bought a condo a few miles away. It was too nice, we thought, for the kitchen island from Ikea, the blue floral rug that had once seemed adult  now just unfashionable  and a half-dozen other vestiges of our youthful taste.He declined to pledge he would recuse himself from the probe if the Justice Department ethics office said he should because of his tendentious memo. On what grounds might he go against the offices advice? If I disagreed with it, he said. A lot of help that was.The political costs of Trumps trade wars will also come home to roost in 2019. It is true that culturally conservative farmers are standing with Trump even as his trade policy devastates their export markets. But residents of industrial towns in the Rust Belt may be a different proposition. A recent forecast from Deloitte said that the impact of Trumps tariffs on the manufacturing sector still had not yet been felt, and that this impact is likely to be significant by late 2019 as pre-tariff inventor[ies] . . . will eventually be run down and manufacturers [forced] to decide whether to try to pass on price increases or cut back production. That could be a gut punch to Trumps narrow margins of victory in Pennsylvania and Michigan.The transformation began during the Reagan administration. That was when supply-side economics (what Bush called voodoo economics) and unremitting hostility toward government (the problem, Ronald Reagan called it, not the solution to our problem) became the regnant party orthodoxy. Eschewing the staid, green-eye-shade accounting of Republicans past, the supply-siders argued that cuts in marginal income tax rates could pay for themselves. It did not, of course, happen. The Reagan tax cuts, which slashed the top rate from 70 percent to 28 percent, caused the deficit to nearly double, from $79 billion in 1981 to $153 billion in 1989. The fiscal situation would have been even worse if Reagan, who was far more responsible than his most fervent followers, had not signed tax increases in 1982, 1983 and 1984 that clawed back about half of the 1981 tax cut.Certainly no one could argue that the Coast Guard is nonessential, which is why these 42,000 brave men and women have become the first military branch ever asked to serve without pay, due to the quirk that they are part of the unfunded Department of Homeland Security. The same goes for the hard-pressed airport screeners of the Transportation Security Administration. The demoralizing experience of being told to work without pay, for almost a month so far, can only cause many of these key security personnel to reconsider their commitments to government service. Others will be deterred from joining in the first place. Yes, employees will get back pay. But how does the federal government get back its reputation as a stable and, indeed, rational employer?Apparently the Democrats define democracy as giving Washington a clearer view of whom to intimidate and leaving citizens more vulnerable to public harassment over private views. Under this bill, youd keep your right to free association as long as your private associations were broadcast to everyone. Youd keep your right to speak freely so long as you notified a distant bureaucracy likely run by the same people you criticized. The bill goes so far as to suggest that the Constitution needs an amendment to override First Amendment protections.Bull rider dies after being stomped on chest: A professional bull rider died after a bull stomped on his chest during a competition at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. The Professional Bull Riders said Mason Lowe, 25, from Exeter, Mo., died Tuesday at a hospital. Group spokesman Andrew Giangola said Lowe, who was ranked 18th in the world, was wearing a mandated protective vest. He was injured while coming out of a chute on a bull weighing about 1,700 pounds and attempting to stay on for eight seconds. A witness told KCNC-TV that Lowe fell off and was stomped as he tried to get up.Whitbeck resigned as chair of the state party in the summer amid heated divisions over Republican Corey A. Stewarts doomed bid for U.S. Senate. Whitbeck said his campaign will avoid angry partisan politics and instead focus on traffic congestion, affordable housing and other quality-of-life issues in increasingly Democratic Loudoun.Had Elaine Luria and Nancy Pelosi gone overseas, it would have assured that Virginias federal employees would have gone another pay period with nothing to show for their hard work, RNC spokesman Garren Shipley said in a statement. Hopefully, Congresswoman Luria can use this time to come to the table and help pass a bill that the President will sign.I really do believe with all my heart that a statutory agency is one that can be  I mean, we defer to what you want. Thats the job of a judge. The General Assembly tells us what the priorities are, what the policies are, and then we apply the facts that are presented to us, West said.He said the legal system already has a number of safeguards to protect someone with serious mental illness from the death penalty, starting from the defendants very first moment before a judge, who asks if the accused understands the charges. Norment said more opportunities come during the trial, when a prosecutor must prove the defendant had criminal intent, and during the sentencing phase, when the jury considers mitigating factors.On Wednesday, Tegegne fled from a BB&T branch with no money after not only saying he had a bomb but also displaying a handgun, according to police. Officers were quickly summoned by a panic-button alert from the bank and at least one 911 call.Todays Headlines

The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy PolicyShe regarded advertising as the most powerful means of communication with the American public and vowed never to participate in the negative portrayal of women or blacks. One agency fired her when she declined to work on a television commercial that appeared to make light of the civil rights movement; it showed a phalanx of housewives marching in the street, brandishing cans of hair product and demanding that their beauticians foam their hair.Now: I still run the Facebook page, Action a Day, and were about 400 or so people strong. I try to push one or two actions that people can take every day to help  especially right now with the shutdown. Well be attending the Pittsburgh Womens March on Saturday, and Ill be taking my kids with me. Weve been affected by the shutdown, and so Ive really been aiming my activism toward that and the people affected. I heard about the Womens March controversies at a high level, but dont know too much. We all just need to come together and support everyone in this. Mostly, I want to keep the momentum going, and as a white woman who has a lot of privilege over other people, we just need to come together and support everyone in this. Im trying to be an ally in any way possible to people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ folks or whomever they may be.More than a dozen Lee County school employees are seeking to become special conservators of the peace, some of whom have already gone through training. The county has purchased 9mm handguns that are stored in the Lee County Sheriffs Office; they were partially paid for with school system money, Austin said.Clymer said the employee followed her into the restroom, then a manager also asked for identification when she emerged from the restroom. After a confrontation with the manager  at which point she pulled up the D.C. Human Rights Act on her phone  she said she was told to leave, and then called police.Andres said the location of the kitchen was important to him. He first came to the United States in the Spanish navy and on Wednesday was serving meals near the Navy Memorial. The location is about halfway between Congress and the White House, which Andres saw as symbolic, since compromise might be needed to bring the shutdown to a close.The shutdown is costing the tourism industry more than $100 million a day, according to an analysis by the U.S. Travel Association. It includes nearly $50 million a day in direct domestic travel spending and more than $50 million in indirect and induced travel-related output, according to the trade group. Delta Air Lines says the shutdown will cost it $25 million this month. Often, these costs are passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.In the end, Tonias husband defied her orders and organized dinner at a local restaurant with close friends, who took care of the bill. That was lovely, and I really appreciated the gesture. But then it was back to reality, says Tonia. And reality, she says, is eating at both of them as they draw down the bit of savings theyd worked so hard to build. She worries about missing mortgage payments, even losing the house. When one of us is down the other can usually pull them up. But what do you do when you both feel like your facing this really horrible end scenario?So whats missing from this picture? Only a movie that, on paper, was supposed to be at the top of the list from the get-go. First Man, Damien Chazelles spellbinding, boldly subjective portrait of astronaut Neil Armstrong  played in a taciturn but emotionally affecting performance by Ryan Gosling  is the kind of exercise in craftsmanship and feeling that used to be guaranteed lots of nominations, not to mention the added endorsement of audience popularity. Instead, this story of the physical hardship and psychic sacrifice of heroism never attracted a large viewership. Some attribute that to a fake controversy surrounding the planting of the American flag and bad-faith accusations that the film wasnt patriotic enough; others to a botched distribution strategy. Either way, First Man deserved better. And it deserves to be a contender.Not so fast, says GOP strategist Doug Heye. Ocasio-Cortez may have Republicans all atwitter, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. Lets face it, there are a lot of people on the right who like being trolled, he says. And what about that video of her dancing that was meant to shame her or something? I saw a ton of stories about how Republicans were up in arms about the dancing video, Heye says. I didnt see anyone actually upset about it. We all got trolled.They talked about their rural roots: Ilanas dad grew up in a Texas town with nine residents, and Nick grew up in small-town Minnesota. When the conversation veered into politics, it was refreshingly brief  just enough to comfort Ilana that they were more or less on the same page. (Nick mentioned going to the 2017 Womens March, but not in a competitive way.) They talked about how much they both like to travel and to immerse themselves in new worlds. They also like building new worlds from scratch: Both studied technical theater in college and learned some of the same tools and tricks that Hollywood uses to make movie magic.The Fyre saga is far from the first financial implosion to become the subject of more than one documentary  and two at the same time may seem excessive, until youve seen both of them. Its no surprise that the 21st century is rife with epic degrees of fraud and gullibility  it can be as simple as someone creating a self-image on social media that is so enviably perfect that they can become a paid influencer, simply on the fantasy that they are cooler than you. It can also be as complicated as an oft-failed businessman rebranding himself and getting elected president. In the millennial era, scamming is the air we breathe, New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino observes in the Hulu film.Theres so much going on that its difficult to separate Black Mondays sharpest moments from its constant throwaway lines. Cleverness appears in each of the first three episodes (one bit in which Oliver Stones hired researcher shadows Mo to get ideas for the movie Wall Street is a nice, full basket of 80s Easter eggs), only to be drowned out by all the frantic energy and half-attempts at humor that smother it. Rannells and Cheadle are good together  enough so that the series may yet settle down and find its way.Throughout A German Soldier in Occupied Paris, Junger laments that ancient chivalry is dead and our wars are now waged by technicians. He despises the forces, industrial and ideological, that reduce people to machines or automatons. Against these we must fight to remain fully human, to resist the tendency within our breast to harden, calcify, ossify. Such high-minded ideals dont preclude shrewd understanding about life in a police state: Exaggerated prudence increases danger. People listen most carefully to those who disguise their voices. Still, there is no armor against fate. While serving in Italy, Jungers beloved son Ernstel pronounces some defeatist criticism of the Reich, which ultimately leads to the young mans death, quite possibly from an S.S. bullet in the back. Junger and his wife are crushed with grief.But the companies didn't know that Clinton and his top aides had launched a secretive process in July 1996 to scuttle all of those plans. After the president issued an unsuccessful veto threat aimed at halting energy exploration in the area, his staffer Katie McGinty turned to the 1906 Antiquities Act  a law that gave the president broad, unilateral authority to protect federal lands facing imminent danger. She tasked Interior's solicitor, John Leshy, with drawing up the maps and convening experts from different agencies to work out details of the proclamation: At one point, someone brought in a copy of Car and Driver magazine that featured a cover story on the most remote area in the Lower 48, which was the farthest from a paved road in every direction. It lay in the heart of what became Grand Staircase-Escalante.Cioccolentino festival unites chocolate with eternal love.

13-16 Feb. The 2020 edition of the Cioccolentino festival takes place in the Umbrian city of Terni, in honour of Valentines Day, from 13-16 February.

The event is designed to unite chocolate with eternal love, and there is nothing casual about the choice of location: a third-century bishop from Terni was none other than St Valentine himself.

The four-day festivals programme of events include lessons in handmade chocolate and tastings as well as a series of demonstrations and workshops by some of the regions most skilled pastry chefs and master chocolatiers on the streets of the historic centre.

Visitors to Terni can even pay their respects to St Valentine, whose relics are preserved in the citys basilica under the sign St Valentine, patron of love.

Terni is about 75km from Rome and can be reached by train from the capital's Termini station. For full details see website.23 Jan. The BBCs international television and radio debate programme, Global Questions, is recording a discussion in partnership with the Istituto Affari Internazionali at the Aquario Romano on Wednesday 23 January.

Under the title Politics and the People: A Divided Europe, the event will be moderated by Zeinab Badawi, with recording taking place from 19.00-20.00.

The event is free but guests must reserve in advance via the BBC website. Doors open at 18.00 and guests are asked to arrive by 18.30 to be seated.

The panel will be announced ahead of the recording. Global Questions is an interactive platform for local audiences around the world to question their leaders. For full details see website.

"Some believe Europe is more divided than ever. After years of austerity and migration, populists are on the rise in countries like Italy, framing politics as a battle between ordinary voters and a European establishment some see as corrupt. But the continent is also split over how to move forward. Will the remaining nations of the European Union bind themselves together ever more closely, with tighter integration - economically, politically and even militarily? Or are there insurmountable fault lines that will continue to divide Europe?"Nine homeless people have died in Rome this winter due to the cold.

Rome charities have criticised the city for not doing enough to help the homeless, following the death of nine homeless people from the cold in just over two months.

Describing their deaths as "carnage" and "unacceptable", the Rome-based Catholic charity Caritas said there is a "chronic delay by institutions in taking care of the most fragile people."

The Italian Red Cross has called for "urgent, permanent solutions" while the Associazione Centro Astalli, a Jesuit-run refugee centre near Piazza Venezia, said the nine casualties are "not victims of the cold but of the lack of shelter and assistance."

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, at St Paul's Within the Walls church on Via Nazionale, has appealed to people to continue to donate blankets, sleeping bags, heavy jackets, woollens and winter shoes, which it distributes directly to homeless asylum seekers.

Pope Francis responded to the freezing conditions in December by opening a medical clinic for the homeless under the colonnade of St Peter's, the latest addition to the Vatican's facilities available to homeless people, including showers and a barber service.

The Communita di S. Egidio, a charitable organisation based in Trastevere, estimates there are still 8,000 people sleeping outdoors in Rome, with another 6,000 receiving temporary shelter in train stations and other emergency accommodation as a result of the city's "cold plan."

Charities say the municipal piano freddo, launched in January, does not come anywhere near dealing adequately with the situation which is exacerbated by the city's ongoing evictions of abandoned buildings occupied by homeless people, many of them migrants and refugees.

At the onset of winter Rome police, equipped with bulldozers, undertook the eviction - yet again - of the volunteer-run Baobab migrant centre near Tiburtina station.

In response to the growing crisis, Rome's mayor is reportedly studying a proposal that would oblige homeless people to accept emergency shelter, in municipal structures, during extremely cold weather.

However the city's charities say it is a case of "too little too late" for the nine dead homeless men who perished in the cold - six Italians and one each from Romania, Tunisia and Poland.

Photo Corriere Roma - Corriere della Sera (Leone/LaPresse)Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

Mostly sunny. High 92F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.WAVERLY  The construction hammers were swinging in Waverly last year, and more growth is anticipated this year.

Waverly Building and Zoning Official Chad Lyon reported that new home permits issued in 2018 again showed growth.

In 2017, 50 new home permits were issued. Last year ended with 55 new home permits on the books.

So, we exceeded the last year by a couple, Lyon said.

Of the new home permits issued in 2018, the vast majority were for single family structures. Two permits were issued for town homes, each having two units.

While the two year comparison only showed an increase of five new homes, the jump from previous years is more exaggerated.

Two years ago, in 2016, we had 25, Lyon added.

The increase these past few years is not surprising, given that new housing developments are going in on both the south and north sides of Waverly. Lyon expected to be busy again this year with new home building permits in both sides of town.

The Riley development sits to the south along the interstate. Lyon said that development has been going for several years and is now entering its fifth additionWAVERLY  The Waverly Fire Department is now a little better equipped, thanks to a recent donation from a community partner.

Horizon Bank donated $10,000 to the department and that money was used to purchase an imaging camera.

Waverly Fire Chief Rodger Alley said the department has had an imaging camera, but this is an upgrade.

Any time you get one, there always seems like there is something new, he said.

Still, the new camera that recently found a home at the Waverly Fire Station will be an improved version on the one that used to go to fires.

Alley said the imagery from the camera is used during fires to check on occupants that may still be in a building or to locate firefighters.

He added the donation from Horizon Bank was greatly appreciated.

Its a big help, he said.

And, that is exactly what the bank was hoping for.

Bank President Greg Dunlap said the recent donation was an ongoing effort to help the community. The bank recently made the final payment on an improvement donation to Lawson Field and began looking for a new project.***

When airport traffic controllers and others dont show up for work and planes start crashing and falling out of the sky, maybe Donald Trump will come to his senses and call off this standoff about his demand for a wall.

Bill Foster, Waco

How about Waco?

As a reader of the editorial pages of the Tribune-Herald, I cant help noticing the dissatisfaction with local government in Hewitt. As a senior resident of Waco, let me offer my two cents:

There is no protection for seniors in Waco to stop the tax increases facing those folks living on fixed incomes. My city tax bill increased 10 percent this year. First, the city needs to increase the senior exemption from 10 percent plus $5,000 to 10 percent plus $50,000.

I anticipate the next question: How would the city of Waco make up the lost income? Well, they could start by not giving away our tax dollars to immigrants from India for their motel ventures. Another example of misdirection by the city is exemplified on the front page of the Jan. 16 Tribune-Herald. One story reads sinkholes and obstructions and explains that the sinkhole was caused by the collapse of a sewer line. The article goes on to describe deficiencies in city infrastructure.Over the next few days the good people of Waco may notice upwards of 4,000 Masons plus a significant number of spouses and family members coming to town for their annual meeting. As many local citizens probably know, this is an annual event that has been occurring in Waco every year since 1903. The large Grand Lodge building on Columbus Avenue has been the home of this annual meeting since 1949. As representatives of 791 local lodges throughout Texas come together to elect leadership, vote on changes to the Texas Masonic Constitution and hear reports, life-long friendships are renewed and fellowship is enjoyed by all.

For most of the 116 years that the Grand Lodge meeting has been held in Waco, the annual meeting has yielded a large amount of economic activity, whether it was in past years when the meeting was held before Christmas or in the past couple of years when it is now scheduled in the middle of January. Were happy to be guests of Waco and spend our time and money enjoying Wacos many sites and rich history. Obviously, Waco is a good choice for the Grand Lodge meeting, partly because of the centralized location in Texas but also because Waco serves as the site for dozens of other meetings of related Masonic organizations each year. The people of Waco have shown the Masons of Texas great courtesy and a warm welcome during the times of our annual visits.Robert Graf

Dec. 6, 1935 - Jan. 13, 2019

Today, in Austin, TX, we said farewell to Robert James Osborn Graf. He died from complications associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Bob was born in Evanston, IL on December 6, 1935. At an early age, he moved to Corpus Christi with his parents and three siblings. He graduated from Roy Miller High School in 1954, attended Louisiana State University, Del Mar, and graduated from Texas A&M at Kingsville with a BS in Petroleum Engineering in 1959. He married Mary Thompson in 1959 and went to work for Southern Union Company in Dallas and then Mobil in Wichita Falls.

Bob attended night classes at Midwestern University to gain biology credits and then returned to school in 1963 and received a DDS from Baylor University in 1967, graduating with honors. He continued his studies, receiving an MSD in 1969 with a specialty in orthodontics.

Bob was honorably discharged from the Naval Reserve. The family moved to Houston where he practiced orthodontics and he and Mary raised their two children. Bob found great joy working with kids. He laughed a lot and found ridiculous most of the everyday situations that annoy others.Chambers said he and his wife, Patti, whom he met at Baylor University, have plans to retire to the family farm in Anderson County, where they spend most weekends. The auditors job in Anderson County came open, and he decided to seize the opportunity to move back to the area because he said county auditors jobs do not come open that often.

I hate to leave, really, Chambers said. It has been a great place to work. We have the best district judges you could ask for, and the commissioners court is working well together and we have a wonderful staff. They are all very qualified and we all get along well.

Judge Matt Johnson of 54th State District Court said Chambers departure is a real loss for the county.

As county auditor, he has truly served as a watchdog over taxpayers funds and on occasion has uncovered inappropriate use of such funds, Johnson said. Stan has provided wise counsel to the commissioners and the county judge during difficult financial times and helped to right the countys finances. The district judges will have a hard time finding an individual with Stans intellect, education and temperament to serve as our county auditor. Stan leaves the county with my gratitude for serving ethically, honorably and humbly and I wish him well in his future endeavors.Council member Travis Gibson made a motion to appoint Zakhary, which failed 3-3 with Moore and council members Doss Youngblood and James Cleveland opposing. Then, a motion to appoint Miles failed 3-3 with the same council members opposing it.

Gibson, Ridings and Mayor Pro Tem Alfreda Love voted in favor of each hire.

After the council passed on both candidates, City Attorney Charles Buenger told council members that city employees had concerns about being able to continue normal operations with no city manager in place.

We have things that are going to have to be signed or the city is going to stop, Buenger said.

After some discussion, the council agreed to appoint Ridings as acting city manager.

Council member Travis Gibson said he was frustrated but agreed to vote in favor of Ridings as acting city manager only because operations must continue.

We have some idiots on this city council that dont give a s--- about the city of Bellmead, Gibson said.

Ridings asked that Miles and Zakhary return to the Jan. 23 council meeting.

Before Wednesdays meeting, Miles said he appreciates the city of Bellmead taking the time to visit with him.BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing municipal government has worked hard to create an innovation ecology for both companies and individuals to be entrepreneurial, which is conducive to the high-quality development of the city, its mayor said Tuesday afternoon.

Entrepreneurship is not exclusive to entrepreneurs, but a spirit that everyone needs, said Chen Jining during a panel discussion at the ongoing annual session of Beijing's political advisory body.

Beijing is now among the most popular destinations for venture capital in the world.

While the population, land for construction and building areas in Beijing declined in 2018, its GDP grew about 6.6 percent. "Judging from various indices, Beijing has become one of the most innovative cities in the world," said Chen.

He said innovation is "an ecology of all kinds of elements that embolden people to make a difference."

In building an innovation ecology, talent is the core, said Chen, adding the government should expand the understanding of talent. "Scientists, entrepreneurs, product managers and intermediary agents are all talents needed for innovation."

The mayor said that at present, the city's innovation mainly involves the information industry. Apart from that, medical treatment and healthcare and materials are two other advantageous fields with huge potential.

He said the city will give priorities to development of medical treatment and healthcare this year.A McLennan County grand jury indicted four men Wednesday in child pornography cases investigated by the Texas Attorney Generals Child Exploitation Unit in 2017 and 2018.

Charles David Baker, 24; Joseph Albert Nickel, 47; Thomas Lee Scott, 59; and Mathew Edward Webb, 37, each were arrested last year in unrelated cases after investigators found digital storage devices used to share child pornography.

Baker, of Woodway, was indicted on 10 counts of possession on child pornography. He was arrested July 27, 2017, after officials got a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and executed a search warrant for his home.

Nickel, of Waco, was indicted on 10 counts of possession of child pornography. He was arrested April 17 after police reported they found child pornography on a digital device.Roman statues of white marble, their original colors rubbed off by time and earth, were seen as representing purity and their form, proportions and appearance as ideals. Engravings of statues in museum collections were published and sold to subscribers for study and analysis.

What was missing, noted Elkins, was the context of those sculptures history and culture. Roman statues often were copies of older Greek bronzes and painted, their underlying white stone acting more as a blank canvas than a statement of purity. Sculptors of that time were viewed more as craftsmen than individual artists imbued with creative inspiration. And statues elevated on pedestals centuries later originally stood on the ground, eye-to-eye with their audience.

Nudity also was misinterpreted over time. Statues of naked athletes merely showed them as they performed, not necessarily as an artists statement on sexuality, Elkins said. The goddess Venus often was portrayed naked as that was a sign of her identity as the goddess of love.BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Testimony shows that a man who was fatally shot by police who mistook him for a suspect in an Alabama shopping mall last year was standing over a shooting victim with a gun moments before he was killed.

Details of the video surrounding the police shooting of Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr. came out Thursday during a hearing for a man charged in the gunfire that preceded the killing.



Erron Brown Erron Brown

A state police investigator testified that surveillance video shows Bradford standing with a gun after a man was shot and wounded at a mall near Birmingham on Thanksgiving night.

Police subsequently shot and killed Bradford, whose death sparked days of protests.

A judge ruled there's enough evidence for grand jurors to consider indicting Erron Brown, the man jailed on an attempted murder charge in the initial shooting.Julie Finley, the ex-wife of Madison Mayor Paul Finley, was sentenced to jail for a probation violation.

Court documents show Finley was arrested in Giles County, Tennessee in July of 2018 for a DUI. Paul and Julie Finley divorced in August of 2017.

A Madison County judged sentenced Finley on Tuesday, January 15th to 20 days in jail. Court records show Finley started that sentence on Wednesday, January 16th.

Finley was sentenced to probation for two years after she pleaded guilty in 2017 to a DUI charge. As part of her plea agreement to avoid 180 day jail sentence, Finley was required to submit to random drug testing for two years.

State Troopers arrested Finley in January of 2017 after they stopped her for driving 103 miles per hour on I-565 in Huntsville. A blood test showed her alcohol level at the time was a .273, more than three times the legal limit.Governor Kay Ivey has awarded a $250,000 grant to help provide new jobs in Red Bay.

A statement released by Ivey's office on Thursday says the Community Development Block Grant will help a California awning company, Girard Systems, to open a location in Red Bay, which will result in 25 new jobs. Right now, the company is the sole awning supplier for Tiffin Motor Homes in Red Bay.

This is the perfect partnership and means new jobs in northwest Alabama, Ivey said in the statement. I commend local elected officials and business leaders for working together to make this venture happen.

According to Ivey's office, Girard Systems will build a 34,000 square foot manufacturing plant on 14.5 acres in the West Franklin Regional Industrial Park. The company also plans to build an RV campground for customers to stay overnight at while their RVs are being serviced.

Ivey's office says the grant will be used to supply sewer services, upgrade roads and improve drainage at the West Franklin Regional Industrial Park.DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) - A jury in south Alabama has acquitted a former boys home worker of sexual misconduct after state employees testified that he wasn't in town at the time of the alleged crime.

The Dothan Eagle reports that 46-year-old Shon Christopher Holton was found not guilty of multiple charges on Tuesday after about 30 minutes of deliberation by a Houston County jury.

Defense attorney Joey Sheffield says he's glad the case is over.

Holton previously served as the local director for special programming for the Achievement Network of the Alabama Department of Youth Services. Holton was arrested in January of 2016 on 10 counts of custodial sexual misconduct. One grand jury refused to return charges, but another indicted him.

The defense lawyer says he's glad the case is over.It's day 26 of the government shutdown, and there's no end in sight.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the President to delay his State of the Union address, which is two weeks away.

That could be a signal that no one expects this thing to end, any time soon.

If you want to see how much the shutdown is impacting furloughed workers here in North Alabama, just head to any pawn shop.

Workers at Buster's Pawn Shop on Governors Drive near 565 say they've seen an increase in furloughed workers coming in and trying to sell or pawn their stuff.

"One lady came back by herself; I guess because privacy is a big thing and some people are worried about people knowing their business," assistant broker Angela Huffman said. "She came back, and she took her ring off and gave it to us to secure a loan. She was saying she was furloughed and couldn't say for how long, and the uncertainty made her think something like this because she wasn't sure how she was going to make ends meet or how long she was going to be furloughed at Redstone."

Huffman says she's seen a handful of furloughed workers come into the store this week, each carrying personal items.

"Heirlooms and things that are passed down by grandparents that you keep in your jewelry box for times like this, which you hope that nobody has to resort to that, but they've been bringing it in and inquiring," Huffman said.

The pawn shop says it's offering interest free loans to anyone affected by the shutdown to try to take the pressure off anyone who comes in.

"Being here for the community and reassuring them that we are here for you," Huffman said. "This is a judgement free zone. If you walk in the door, I don't care what you look like or what you have. We'll be glad to help you and make it as comfortable and easy as possible to help make ends meet while you're going through this furlough."

The United Way is helping, too. The Madison County branch says calls to their 2-1-1 help line are up significantly. In the last 14 months, they say they've seen a 73 percent increase of calls. The average amount of calls this past month is 200, but that number spiked close to 300 in the last week.

"That is the beginning of an indicator that folks are starting to go and face situations beyond their means and they can't help themselves," Community Impact Director at United Way Cathy Miller said.

United Way says it will connect you to local agencies that can help with food, shelter, and mental health services.

"It's actually a way to empower people to find a solution for themselves and to lean on their community when those resources are available to help them," Miller said.

United Way has local offices to help connect people in need in Huntsville, Decatur, Athens and Florence. All you have to do is call or text 211. You can also live chat for resources on their website.Riverdale No Exit Season 3 Episode 9 Editors Rating 2 stars * *  Previous Next  Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW

I cant believe Im saying this, but Archies fugitivedom seems to be going well. We find our outlaw enjoying nothing short of an Instagram influencer (or Hatchet enthusiast)-worthy lifestyle in a lakeside cabin with amazing light somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. He wears flannel and Patagonia. Vegas pants happily by his side. Your L.L. Bean Boyfriend has found a Firewatch-esque gig talking to some lady via the radio and clearing trails. Its while completing the latter duty that he spots some alarmingly large footprints  and though, by God, I would trade a year off my life for a Riverdale Bigfoot story line  they turn out to belong to a grizzly bear, who wastes no time in attacking our hero. Archie, that is, not Vegas.

Back in the cabin, Archie sends an emergency message out on the radio, pours alcohol on the wounds the bears claws slashed into his chest and arm, and ties a raggedy old bandage around his torso in a way that I cannot imagine is successfully applying pressure on anything before collapsing on his bed. Vegas whines solicitously.

Back in Eldercare, excuse me, Eldirvare, the quarantine has been lifted and school is back in session. La Bonne Nuit is thriving, thanks in large part to star attraction Josie, performing selections from Cabaret in Josephine Baker flapper glam. And yet Reggies beer runs across the border are interrupted by beatings at the hands of Gargoyle gang members. These ambushes are courtesy of Hiram Lodge, whos demanded 10 percent of his daughters profits in exchange for so-called protection. Veronica agrees, but supplies him with a well-cooked version of the clubs books. Has anyone ever told you youre a badass? Reggie asks Veronica, not unlike someone who would like very much to smooch her, sooner rather than later.

Betty and ex-mayor McCoys campaign to convince the nuns to turn states witnesses against Hiram Lodge hits a roadblock when Sister Woodhouse and company take a convenient vow of silence. In the meantime, the Serpent slash Griffin Queen is hosting the displaced Lost Boys (well, mostly Lost Girls) from the Sisters of Mercy in a permanent sleepover in the Coopers living room. Alice wants to ship them all off to the Farm, but Betty feels responsible for them: Theyve imprinted on her, like this is an occult Fly Away Home.

A packet of Fizzle Rocks is discovered among the kids things, but all theyll tell Betty is that it came from a Serpent. So Jughead announces to his cash-poor underlings that theyre going clean, with any crime committed by a Serpent to result in his or her permanent exile.

Cheryl is particularly irritated to hear this, given that she and Toni have recently branched out into cat burglary, wearing on-the-nose (in two senses of the phrase) cat masks and having sex on a haul that contains both $100 bills (hot) and loose change (less so). When Choni break into the Pembroke and steal Hermiones Glamerge egg, Cheryl cant resist leaving her signature behind: a lipstick kiss on the oil painting of Hiram Lodge that now hangs in his study.

Betty finds Evelyn and Polly talking up the Farm to her brainwashed little goslings and even handing out T-shirts. A cult-themed college recruitment event! Oh, by the way, Polly tells her sister, the kids finally admitted that it is none other than Fangs whos supplying them with drugs. When FP and Jughead confront our wayward Serpent pal, he confesses, tearfully revealing that his mother is sick and hes desperate for money. Rather than exile Fangs, Jughead quietly grants him onetime leniency.

Unfooled by Veronicas creative accounting, Hiram dispatches a Gargoyle to terrorize Josie at home. Hed like Veronicas accurate finances now, as well as the missing Glamerge egg, please. Theres no doubt who has it: Cheryl has been caught red-mouthed.

Hearing Veronicas predicament, Jughead makes her an offer she couldnt  well, yes, that she could refuse if she wanted to: What if instead of Hiram, the Serpents became her paid protectors?

Jughead demands Cheryl and Tonis Serpent jackets on the basis of their latest B&E. Uh, excuse me  they happen to know for a fact that he already gave Fangs a pass for dealing Fizzle Rocks to children, a much less adorable crime than stealing from the rich. Fine! Fine. All three of them, including Fangs, are exiled.

Acting on a tip from a social worker, Sierra and Betty visit Sister Woodhouse in prison and reveal that they learned the Vatican disbanded their freaky-ass sect 60 years ago, and therefore the vow of silence wouldnt hold up in court. (Is this how laws work? I am pretty sure the answer is no, but then again, I am also pretty sure that I am not a lawyer. Like, 80 percent sure.) All right, whatever, shell testify in exchange for immunity.

One of the Lost Boys, Tyler, accuses Betty of lying to them  he says he saw the Gargoyle King in Fox Forest, where he was beaten up by his gang. These characters are so annoying, but on the bright side, there are also way too many of them.

An alarmingly pale Archie wakes up disoriented. Or has he really woken up at all? Hoo boy. We are in for an extended dream sequence, and a rather dreadful one at that, so I promise I will make this part as quick as humanly possible. Cassidy and his dead friends are waiting for him to join their G&G game. Archie draws a quest card that instructs him to defeat the hooded specter of death. Suddenly, hes back in Pops, watching the Black Hood take aim at his father. But this time, Archie tackles Freds would-be shooter, and returns to the cabin clutching Hal Coopers notorious balaclava.

Now, a blue-lipped Warden Norton greets him. Archie must find his do or die moment, he explains, the moment where everything went wrong.

Archies next quest card dispatches him to kill the Man in Black. He dream-teleports to the Lodges apartment clutching a dagger that the dream-teleportation TSA must have missed during his pat-down. He stabs Hiram, but once again finds himself back in the cabin, where visions of Betty, Veronica, and Jughead await him. He has no choice but to play another round, they tell him, if he ever wants to return home.

Archie faces down one last target. He stands in his childhood bedroom, looming over his own sleeping form with a bat. Though Fred tries to talk him out if it, the Red Paladin cant be dissuaded. He believes its his own fault for getting into all this trouble. Tears staining his face, Real Archie (okay, Real Dream Archie) beats down on Bed Archie until he disappears.

Elsewhere, we witness the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Hiram finds the priceless egg smashed to bits on his desk, with a note on La Bonne Nuit stationery: New Deal  NO DEAL! Reggie is stopped by Gargoyles once again, but this time, the back of his truck is filled with bat-wielding Serpents, who give chase and do some smacking. Veronica is officially under Jugheads protection now. As for the supposedly defrocked Fangs, Jughead secretly assigns him to embed undercover with the Gargoyles.

Veronica, too, is taking on new job responsibilities, Sally Bowlesing Maybe This Time to entertain the La Bonne Nuit crowd in Josies absence. She makes eyes at Reggie from the stage, and he gives her what I am pretty sure is supposed to be a sensual thumbs-up in response. Soon enough, once the club has emptied, he tucks her hair behind an ear and, at long last, they make out. Varchie is in the past, my children. Veggie is our future.

You leave the house for five minutes, and what does your mom do? She calls up her personal Charles Manson  perhaps thats not fair; I see Edgar as more of a Jim Jones  and has him pick up all your orphans. Perhaps worse still, an anonymous donor (whoooooom could that be?) has paid bail for the nuns and theyve disappeared, leaving behind only the words We Go to Join Thee scrawled on the wall of their former cell. Betty rushes to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, where, within the Gargoyle Kings chamber, she finds the nuns blue-lipped and bent over in fatal worship around the statue.

Park rangers burst into Archies cabin to find him very bloody and very unresponsive, staring glossy-eyed at the ceiling. Could you imagine if Riverdale just went ahead and killed Archie Andrews, smack in the middle of a season, no less? I, too, would die.Dave Chappelle as R. Kelly on Chappelles Show. Photo: Comedy Central

The 2003 Chappelles Show sketch about R. Kelly, Piss on You, recently received a mention in Lifetimes new docu-series Surviving R. Kelly. Chappelles Show co-creators Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan have both since spoken about the sketch, and the response it received from R. Kelly himself at the time.

At the West Hollywood Improv last night, Chappelle came onstage alongside Chappelles Show cast member Donnell Rawlings to recall the time R. Kelly and his goons confronted Chappelle about the sketch at a Common concert in Chicago. He said, How you gonna do a video of me peeing on bitches like that? Chappelle said, noting that the best response to R. Kellys question was to ask why hed pee on someone in the first place.

Brennan also mentioned the Chicago confrontation during an interview on The Breakfast Club this week. R. Kelly wanted to fight Dave, he said. His goons stepped to Dave in Chicago, and Daves goons intervened, and the goons negotiated. Brennan addressed criticism of the sketch in depth, saying, I got a lot of thoughts about this. First of all, I dont think people understand what comedy is supposed to do. We will observe things, well make fun of things. Advocacy is a new thing  Did people want us to round up a posse and go arrest R. Kelly? Like, what were we supposed to do? Brennan later said the idea that the sketch normalized R. Kelly is a bad-faith argument, pointing out that in comedy, our job is to poke fun at things, and even if its bleak, we still poke fun at it. Referencing Charlie Chaplins The Great Dictator as another example, Brennan said, Our duty is to mock and entertain, and were not cops, you know what I mean?

Watch the Chappelles Show sketch below:In an interview promoting the second season of Showtimes SMILF on The Today Show, the shows creator, Frankie Shaw, responded to the allegations that she had behaved inappropriately on set. Im really glad you asked me, Shaw said, when Hoda Kotb brought up the reports, and specifically mentioned that actress Samara Weaving is leaving the show after claiming her contract was breached in filming sex scenes. This was my first time doing this job, and we moved fast and I was learning on the go, Shaw said. Im just really grateful that I can take these lessons and be more of an aware and attuned showrunner moving forward.

Rosie ODonnell, who plays Shaws characters mother on the series, also appeared on the Today interview. Once Shaw spoke, she interjected: Its a beautiful set, I have to say. Theres a family feel on the set. The great thing about Frankie is she addressed the stuff and the network did and everybodys okay, and here we go, ODonnell added. According to THRs report, ODonnell had originally contacted Showtime executives to bring up issues on set, specifically Shaws treatment of Weaving. Weaving has claimed that Shaw insisted on turning on monitors while she was filming a sex scene after agreeing to a closed set and that Shaw pressured her into filming a nude scene despite a no-nudity clause in her contract.

In the interview, Shaw also said she was really proud of the work the show has done, mentioning that the show hired an approximately 50 percent female crew in Boston, and almost exclusively female directors, including Kerry Washington. Kotb said Today had reached out to ABC Studios, which produces SMILF, and Showtime, who said they were reviewing claims involving SMILF but did not provide a statement on the matter.

Update: Later on Wednesday, Shaw also appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers, and was asked about the misconduct allegations at the end of her interview (the question begins around 3:30). Ive learned so much, there are so many lessons, she said. I went from making short films in my basement to running a crew of over 215 people, and theres a lot of lessons along the way. Im right now thinking about a better structure for communication and how to delegate more and have a team around me, and thinking about how everyone can feel seen and heard. After Shaw spoke, Meyers supported her, and pointed out that at no point in show business is there a management meeting. No one ever teaches you how to be a manager. I hope all networks just take this as an opportunity to be like, Oh, we have to make sure people who are in charge understand that responsibility.Sherry Olson, age 67, of Alexandria, died on Friday, June 11, 2021. Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, June 17, 2021, 11:00 a.m. at Bethesda Lutheran Church with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at West Moe Cemetery. Arrangements are with the Zimbabwe Information Minister blames the shutdown and outbreak of violence on the opposition MDC Alliance, which she said activated its notorious terror groups, to keep everyone out of the streets. Mutsvangwa said efforts to unseat the government through such actions would not work.The URL has been copied to your clipboard

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Pastor Evan Mawarire of #ThisFlag Campaign on Thursday appeared in court facing charges of subverting a constitutionally-elected government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He allegedly teamed up with some organizations to incite public protests over the deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe.Rudy Giuliani, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers, is acknowledging that some officials with Trump's 2016 campaign may have colluded with Russia to help him win, but says that Trump himself did not.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign," Giuliani, a former New York mayor, told CNN late Wednesday.

"I said the president of the United States," he added. "There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack" the opposition Democratic National Committee.

On Thursday, Giuliani sought to clarify his remarks, saying, "I represent only President Trump not the Trump campaign. There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form. Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign."

Giuliani's comments in the CNN interview about Trump campaign involvement with Moscow were sharply at odds with what Trump himself has tweeted at least 13 times, that his successful campaign for the White House did not collude with Russia.

Russia has rejected the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community that Moscow's agents meddled in the election to help Trump win, although President Vladimir Putin acknowledged at last July's Helsinki summit with Trump that he wanted the then-real estate mogul to defeat his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors have been investigating Trump campaign links to Russia for 20 months and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe.

Mueller is believed to be writing a report on his findings, after already securing guilty pleas or convictions of key officials in Trump's orbit, including his personal attorney Michael Cohen, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, one-time campaign aide Rick Gates and foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, among others.

Giuliani's CNN acknowledgement about Trump campaign ties to Russia came days after news surfaced, inadvertently, that Manafort shared campaign polling data with a former business associate of his in Ukraine alleged by U.S. prosecutors to have ties to Russian intelligence.

But Giuliani said Trump never shared polling data with anyone.

"Donald Trump wasn't giving polling data to anyone," he said. "He did not know about it until it was revealed a few weeks ago in an article."

Challenging Mueller

Giuliani challenged Mueller to produce evidence of wrongdoing by Trump.

"Let's see if he's got anything," he said. "I challenge him to show us some evidence that the president was involved in anything approaching criminal conduct."

Earlier this week, Trump, after news reports suggested he might be beholden to Russia and Putin, declared, "I never worked for Russia" and told a reporter, "I think it's a disgrace you even asked that question."

The New York Times reported last weekend that two years ago Federal Bureau of Investigation officials started investigating whether Trump "was knowingly working for Russia or had unwittingly fallen under Moscow's influence" because of his behavior after he fired former FBI chief James Comey in May 2017 when he was leading the investigation into Russian meddling during the election.

A Washington Post report said Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to hide details of his conversations the five times he has met with Putin over the last two years, including one time Trump took possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructed the linguist to not discuss what had transpired with other Trump administration officials.

At the Helsinki summit, Trump and Putin met with only their interpreters in the room and there have been no transcripts released of their conversation. Trump said they talked about a number of issues, including security for Israel and a planned natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.HARARE, ZIMBABWE - Zimbabwe was calm Thursday after three days of protests that turned violent and saw authorities shut down internet service. Doctors said they treated dozens of people with gunshot wounds.

Late in the day, police brought Pastor Evan Mawarire to court after he spent a night in jail on charges of inciting violence through social media. But Mawarire was facing new charges of trying to subvert President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government, according to state papers. He talked briefly as he arrived at the court.

"It is just unfortunate that our government will continue to treat us this way," he said upon arriving at the court. "This is what Robert Mugabe did to us. Very, very disappointing. I cannot tell you how heartbreaking it is.

Pastor Evan Mawarire arrives at court in Harare, J Pastor Evan Mawarire arrives at court in Harare, Jan. 17, 2019, after spending a night in jail on charges of inciting violence through social media. He is facing new charges of trying to subvert President Emmerson Mnangagwas government, according to state papers. (C. Mavhunga/VOA) Pastor Evan Mawarire arrives at court in Harare, Jan. 17, 2019, after spending a night in jail on charges of inciting violence through social media. He is facing new charges of trying to subvert President Emmerson Mnangagwas government, according to state papers. (C. Mavhunga/VOA)

"We thought we had a new country and a new way of doing things. None of what I am being accused of is what I have done at all. I did nothing of that nature. If we have true justice, let us see it at play."

When asked whether he was angry, he replied, "I am very upset, very upset."

Mawarire was among more than 600 Zimbabweans arrested and charged with violence allegedly committed during this week's protests over a 150 percent fuel price hike and a general rise in the cost of living.

A citizen arrives at a private medical center in H A citizen arrives at a private medical center in Harare, Jan. 17, 2019, after he was injured during this weeks protests. Human rights organizations accuse the army of brutally crushing the protests, an accusation the government vehemently denies. The group Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights says least 68 people were treated for gunshot wounds. (C. Mavhunga/VOA) A citizen arrives at a private medical center in Harare, Jan. 17, 2019, after he was injured during this weeks protests. Human rights organizations accuse the army of brutally crushing the protests, an accusation the government vehemently denies. The group Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights says least 68 people were treated for gunshot wounds. (C. Mavhunga/VOA)

Human rights organizations accused the army of brutally crushing the protests, an accusation the government vehemently denied. The organization Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights said least 68 people were treated for gunshot wounds.

A 36-year-old protester identified as Taurai said he was hit with an iron bar and was being treated for a suspected broken backbone.

"Comparing today's error and yesteryear's error, I would say yesteryear's error was better. Te guy [Mugabe] had control over his security agencies, especially in urban centers."

When asked why he thought Mnangagwa had reacted as he did, Taurai said, "Maybe he is trying to instill fear among us."

U.S. concern

Meanwhile the U.S. Embassy information officer in Harare, Stacy Lomba, said the embassy was concerned about the violence that characterized this week's protests.

"We condemn any disproportionate use of force and call on Zimbabwe's security forces to respond to civil unrest professionally and with respect for human life and constitutional rights," Lomba said. "We are also alarmed by credible reports that security forces are targeting and beating political activists and labor leaders.

"The United States strongly supports freedom of expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly. People have the constitutional right to protest and express their views peacefully. ... We call on protesters to refrain from violence and threats of violence, which will only cause further economic hardship."

Zimbabwean authorities have restored most internet service, but with no access to social media they said was used to spread malicious information about the strike.HARARE, ZIMBABWE - Protests in Zimbabwe over a fuel price hike entered the third and final planned day Wednesday, with police arresting a pastor accused of inciting violence via social media.

Early Wednesday, armed police surrounded the home of Pastor Evan Mawarire before arresting him for helping organize a three-day stay at home strike to protest Zimbabwe's 150 percent fuel hike.

Pastor Evan Mawarire is escorted by detectives as Pastor Evan Mawarire is escorted by detectives as he arrives at court to face charges of attempting to subvert the government, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sept. 26, 2017. Pastor Evan Mawarire is escorted by detectives as he arrives at court to face charges of attempting to subvert the government, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sept. 26, 2017.

NGOs and opposition parties, meanwhile, are accusing the police and army of assaulting protesters.

According to a doctors group, 68 Zimbabweans have been treated for gunshot wounds, with 17 undergoing emergency surgery, after protests this week over a steep rise in the price of fuel, the group said Thursday.

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights said its members had treated 172 people in private and public hospitals since Monday, when the protests erupted in the capital, Harare, and the second city, Bulawayo.?

WATCH: Prominent Political Activist Arrested

?Attorney Beatrice Mtetwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is representing Mawarire.

"They are alleging that he incited violence through Twitter and other forms of social media. We have asked for full particulars  when, how. They said they do not know, Mtetwa said. They will give him [details] at the police station. We have asked how asking people to stay away constitutes inciting into violence. Of course, this is the new dispensation, guys."

Beatrice Mtetwa from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Ri Beatrice Mtetwa from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is representing pastor and political activist Evan Mawarire who is facing allegations of inciting citizens to protest violently. (C Mavhunga/VOA) Beatrice Mtetwa from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is representing pastor and political activist Evan Mawarire who is facing allegations of inciting citizens to protest violently. (C Mavhunga/VOA)

On Tuesday, the government said a policeman was killed when demonstrations began Monday. It accused the protesters of "terrorism acts" which included looting and setting fire to property and vehicles, mainly government owned.

Zimbabwe's main opposition said it was actually the army and police assaulting protesters.

Jacob Mafume, spokesman for opposition Movement fo Jacob Mafume, spokesman for opposition Movement for Democratic Change says army and police assaulting protestors (C Mavhunga/VOA) Jacob Mafume, spokesman for opposition Movement for Democratic Change says army and police assaulting protestors (C Mavhunga/VOA)

MDC spokesman Jacob Mafume: "It is everyone's right under the Zimbabwe's constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be able to express themselves in any manner they see fit. We ask the security forces not to be excessive in their response to the people exercising their freedom. Loss of life at all costs. The solution is there, the solution is dialogue. We notice that there has been a shutdown in terms of internet communication, that needs to be opened."

Zimbabwean authorities shutdown internet access Tuesday, saying citizens were using social media to spread malicious information about the strike that turned violent on its first day.

President Mnangagwa is in Russia as part of a five President Mnangagwa is in Russia as part of a five-nation visit, which ends after he attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this month. (C Mavhunga/VOA) President Mnangagwa is in Russia as part of a five-nation visit, which ends after he attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this month. (C Mavhunga/VOA)

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is in Russia as part of his five-nation visit that ends by attending the World Economic Forum next week in Davos, Switzerland.

Before leaving, he dismissed opposition allegations that the trip was just a jaunt.

"My visit to the first four nations will enhance bilateral relations with our policy of engagement, Mnangagwa said. My visit this time around, will focus, predominantly, on bilateral economic engagements especially in areas of mining, technology, agriculture, energy and human capital among others."

On Wednesday, more than 200 protesters were brought to court and more are expected Thursday to face charges of violence.

Mnangagwa shocked many when he announced the fuel price increase, a task legally done by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Agency in consultation with the energy minister.

The government says the 150 percent fuel hike is meant to ensure the country is able to import adequate supplies of the commodity that has been in acute shortage for months.CAIRO - Yemens Houthi rebels hold dozens of women without bringing them to trial or charging them with a crime, often torturing the detainees and blackmailing their families, activists said on Thursday.

The allegations were first raised over the weekend by the Yemen Organization for Combating Human Trafficking, based in the capital, Sanaa. The groups founder, Nabil Fadel, told The Associated Press that he received information from families, former female detainees, and other sources showing that over the past months, the Houthis have been rounding up women over allegations of prostitution and collaboration with the Saudi-led coalition, which is at war with the rebels.

The rebel-run Interior Ministry responded Monday by saying the allegations were rumors from the mouthpieces of the mercenaries that are tarnishing the image of security apparatus. It also denied the existence of secret prisons and illegal and arbitrary detentions and vowed to prosecute those behind the reports.

Experts: UAE, Saudis May Have Committed War Crimes in Yemen Three experts working for the U.N.'s top human rights body say the governments of Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia may have been responsible for war crimes including rape, torture, disappearances and "deprivation of the right to life" during 3 years of escalated fighting against rebels in Yemen.In their first report for the Human Rights Council, the experts also point to possible crimes by rebel Shi'ite militia in Yemen, who have been fighting the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Three experts working for the U.N.'s top human rights body say the governments of Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia may have been responsible for war crimes including rape, torture, disappearances and "deprivation of the right to life" during 3 years of escalated fighting against rebels in Yemen.In their first report for the Human Rights Council, the experts also point to possible crimes by rebel Shi'ite militia in Yemen, who have been fighting the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's

A Yemeni rights lawyer on Thursday told the AP the women were rounded up from cafes and parks the past months. Speaking on condition of anonymity for fears for personal safety, he said their families are searching for their missing daughters.

The Yemeni anti-trafficking group said it obtained new information showing that the rebels were carrying out atrocities such as abuse,

Amnesty Urges Probe of Alleged Torture in UAE-Run Prisons Amnesty International is calling for a war crimes investigation into alleged disappearances, torture and likely deaths in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen. In a report released Thursday titled God Only Knows If He's Alive, the international human rights watchdog said it documented "egregious violations going unchecked, including systemic enforced disappearance and torture and other ill-treatment amounting to war crimes.'' "Ultimately these violations, which are taking place Amnesty International is calling for a war crimes investigation into alleged disappearances, torture and likely deaths in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen. In a report released Thursday titled God Only Knows If He's Alive, the international human rights watchdog said it documented "egregious violations going unchecked, including systemic enforced disappearance and torture and other ill-treatment amounting to war crimes.'' "Ultimately these violations, which are taking place

torture, and forced disappearances of women and girls in secret and illegal prisons.

The rebel leader, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, had recently warned in televised speeches about a so-called soft war against the Houthis by their enemies, pointing to their corrupt morals and sins.

Fadel, of the anti-trafficking group, said the arrests started after the Houthi appointment a year ago of Sultan Zabin as head of the Sanaa criminal investigation division.

Zabin promptly launched a crackdown on prostitution and smuggling. Women who had been rounded up in the crackdown and subsequently granted release were sent to secret detentions in villas across the Yemeni capital, instead of being set free.

An AP investigation last month showed that thousands of Yemenis have been imprisoned by the Houthi militia during the four years of Yemens grinding civil war.

Many of them suffered extreme torture  being smashed in their faces with batons, hung from chains by their wrists or genitals for weeks at a time, and scorched with acid.

Amnesty Urges Probe of Alleged Torture in UAE-Run Prisons Amnesty International is calling for a war crimes investigation into alleged disappearances, torture and likely deaths in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen. In a report released Thursday titled God Only Knows If He's Alive, the international human rights watchdog said it documented "egregious violations going unchecked, including systemic enforced disappearance and torture and other ill-treatment amounting to war crimes.'' "Ultimately these violations, which are taking place Amnesty International is calling for a war crimes investigation into alleged disappearances, torture and likely deaths in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen. In a report released Thursday titled God Only Knows If He's Alive, the international human rights watchdog said it documented "egregious violations going unchecked, including systemic enforced disappearance and torture and other ill-treatment amounting to war crimes.'' "Ultimately these violations, which are taking place

The revelations about women detainees come as representatives of Yemens warring sides are in Jordan for talks on implementing a prisoners exchange deal agreed to in Sweden last month.

Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014, when the rebels captured the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened a year later, fighting alongside government troops.

In Sweden, the two sides agreed to confidence-building measures, including an exchange of thousands of prisoners. But the implementation of that has been slow marred by violence.WHITE HOUSE - The Trump administration is putting "all options on the table" to pressure Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro government as the White House considers whether to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate head of state.

Guaido is president of the National Assembly, Venezuela's opposition-controlled legislative body.

"We have a range of options in our diplomatic, political and economic toolbox," a senior administration official told VOA. "Frankly, we haven't even scratched the surface of where we can go."

The options include implementing an oil embargo and putting the country on the U.S. State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism.

However, the official said that military action, something President Donald Trump hinted at in 2017, was not one of those options.

FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro holds FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro holds a copy of the National Constitution while he speaks during a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2019. FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro holds a copy of the National Constitution while he speaks during a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2019.

The Trump administration has placed a series of sanctions on the Maduro government and is evaluating whether to impose tougher sanctions on the country's military and vital oil industry.

An oil embargo would be devastating to Venezuela, as oil accounts for 95 percent of its export earnings and 25 percent of its gross domestic product.

Maduro or Guaido?

Since Maduro's Jan. 10 inauguration, 19 countries on the Organization of American States' permanent council, including the United States, have voted to not recognize Maduro's new term.

In a statement, White House national security adviser John Bolton said the U.S. does not recognize "Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro's illegitimate claim to power."

After Guaido announced he was willing to step in as interim president, Luis Almagro, president of the OAS, tweeted his support.

We welcome the assumption of @jguaido as interim President of #Venezuela in accordance with Article 233 of the Political Constitution. You have our support, that of the international community and of the people of Venezuela #OEAconVzla https://t.co/6MgJtbvMFd  Luis Almagro (@Almagro_OEA2015) January 11, 2019

On Tuesday, the National Assembly officially declared Maduro a "usurper" to trigger a constitutional mechanism that would allow Guaido as the head of the assembly to take over the country's leadership.

Some Venezuelan experts are urging the international community to recognize Guaido as the legitimate interim president.

Once they do, "governments, companies and international organizations will be able to begin channeling aid and contracts through the National Assembly," said Moises Rendon, associate director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington research group.

Rendon added that this would "strike a monumental blow to the Maduro regime," as international aid is a major source of its income.

But other analysts are warning that recognizing Guaido may not be the best option at this stage.

"Guaido and the National Assembly are carefully threading the needle and not trying to play all their cards at once," said David Smilde, senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy organization. "Ham-fisted efforts by international allies to force the situation will short-circuit the process."

Smilde urged the administration to coordinate its strategy with Guaido and the National Assembly, and "not seek to pre-empt it."

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he had spoken by phone Tuesday with Guaido to express the administration's support for the National Assembly as the "only legitimate democratic body in the country."

According to a readout of the call from the vice president's office, Pence "encouraged Mr. Guaido to build unity among political groups, and pledged continued support from the United States until democracy is restored."

Maduro 'illegitimate'

Since Maduro won another term in office last May in an election that was widely considered fraudulent, his government has been confronted with international condemnation and a growing list of sanctions.

"A concerted attempt by the international community to force Maduro from office by challenging his legitimacy may help Venezuelans get their country back," Rendon said.

On top of pressing sanctions, Rendon said, the international community can challenge Maduro's right to continue in office by reducing or cutting diplomatic ties, prohibiting "further international agreements with the Maduro regime" and, "in the event of illicit activities, preparing for detention and prosecution."

Venezuela Economic Crisis FILE - People wait in line to buy bread in Caracas, Venezuela, March 23, 2018. FILE - People wait in line to buy bread in Caracas, Venezuela, March 23, 2018.

The U.S. has accused Maduro's government of crimes, including narco-trafficking, and has labeled Maduro a dictator who has implemented failed policies that triggered the country's worst economic crisis.

Maduro contends he is the target of a U.S.-led "economic war" aimed at forcing him out of office.

Support from U.S. Congress

The Venezuelan opposition is receiving support from U.S. lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has urged that the U.S. officially recognize Guaido.

On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Darren Soto and Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, both of Florida, introduced the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019, which would allow Venezuelan nationals to become eligible for Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. That status would grant them work authorization and shield them from deportation.

Other Democrats in Congress, including Donna Shalala and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both of Florida, are also pushing for tougher actions against Maduro. In the coming weeks, they plan to introduce a series of bills targeting weapons exports to Venezuela and providing humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people.The Trump administration will roll out a new strategy for a more aggressive space-based missile defense system to protect against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and counter advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

Details about the administrations Missile Defense Review  the first compiled since 2010  are expected to be released during President Donald Trumps visit to the Pentagon with top members of his administration.

The new review concludes that in order to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defense technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

Recognizing the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponization of space, the strategy pushes for studies. No testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

FILE - Photo made from footage taken from Russian FILE - Photo made from footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on March 11, 2018 shows the Kinzhal hypersonic missile flying during a test in southern Russia. FILE - Photo made from footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on March 11, 2018 shows the Kinzhal hypersonic missile flying during a test in southern Russia.

?Missile sensors in space

Specifically, the U.S. is looking at putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles when they are launched, according to a senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday. The U.S. sees space as a critical area for advanced, next-generation capabilities to stay ahead of the threats, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the review before it was released.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the U.S. can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

Congress, which ordered this review, has directed the Pentagon to push harder on this boost-phase approach, but officials want to study the feasibility of the idea and explore ways it could be done.

The new strategy is aimed at better defending the U.S. against potential adversaries, such as Russia and China, who have been developing and fielding a much more expansive range of advanced offensive missiles that could threaten America and its allies. The threat is not only coming from traditional cruise and ballistic missiles, but also from hypersonic weapons.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims cant be intercepted. One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp maneuvers to avoid being detected by missile defense systems.

Developments in hypersonic propulsion will revolutionize warfare by providing the ability to strike targets more quickly, at greater distances, and with greater firepower, Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Congress last year. China is also developing increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles in an attempt to counter ballistic missile defense systems.

Trump Signs Order to Create US Space Command President Donald Trump launched the Pentagon's new Space Command Tuesday, an effort to better organize and advance the military's vast operations in space that could cost as much as $800 million over the next five years. Trump signed a one-page memorandum Tuesday authorizing the Department of Defense to create the new command. The goal is to set up a command to oversee and organize space operations, accelerate technical advances and find more effective ways to defend U.S. President Donald Trump launched the Pentagon's new Space Command Tuesday, an effort to better organize and advance the military's vast operations in space that could cost as much as $800 million over the next five years. Trump signed a one-page memorandum Tuesday authorizing the Department of Defense to create the new command. The goal is to set up a command to oversee and organize space operations, accelerate technical advances and find more effective ways to defend U.S.

Current U.S. missile defense weapons are based on land and aboard ships. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have both emphasized space-based capabilities as the next step of missile defense.

Senior administration officials earlier signaled their interest in developing and deploying more effective means of detecting and tracking missiles with a constellation of satellites in space that can, for example, use advanced sensors to follow the full path of a hostile missile so that an anti-missile weapon can be directed into its flight path.

Implications for diplomacy

Any expansion of the scope and cost of missile defenses would compete with other defense priorities, including the billions of extra dollars the Trump administration has committed to spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons. An expansion also would have important implications for American diplomacy, given long-standing Russian hostility to even the most rudimentary U.S. missile defenses and Chinas worry that longer-range U.S. missile defenses in Asia could undermine Chinese national security.

Asked about the implications for Trumps efforts to improve relations with Russia and strike better trade relations with China, the administration official said that the U.S. defense capabilities are purely defensive and that the U.S. has been very upfront with Moscow and Beijing about its missile defense posture.

This image made from video of a news bulletin aire This image made from video of a news bulletin aired by North Korea's KRT on May 15, 2017, shows what was said to be the launch of the Hwasong-12 missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. This image made from video of a news bulletin aired by North Korea's KRT on May 15, 2017, shows what was said to be the launch of the Hwasong-12 missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea.

The release of the strategy was postponed last year for unexplained reasons, though it came as Trump was trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

While the U.S. continues to pursue peace with North Korea, Pyongyang has made threats of nuclear missile attacks against the U.S. and its allies in the past and has worked to improve its ballistic missile technology. It is still considered a serious threat to America. Iran, meanwhile, has continued to develop more sophisticated ballistic missiles, increasing their numbers and their capabilities.UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Human Rights chief expressed concern Thursday that Sudanese security forces have used excessive force and live ammunition against anti-government demonstrators, and she called on Khartoum to allow citizens to peacefully protest.

"A repressive response can only worsen grievances," High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement from her office in Geneva.

The country has seen large-scale demonstrations since Dec. 19, when the government raised bread prices. The protests have grown in scope, and many are calling for an end to the three-decade-long rule of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

The government has confirmed that 24 people have died during the protests, but the U.N. says credible reports suggest the death toll may be nearly double that. There have also been numerous injuries and reports that security forces fired tear gas and bullets inside a hospital as they pursued injured protesters.

A tear gas canister fired to disperse Sudanese dem A tear gas canister fired to disperse Sudanese demonstrators, during anti-government protests in the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 15, 2019. A tear gas canister fired to disperse Sudanese demonstrators, during anti-government protests in the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 15, 2019.

More than 800 people have been arrested, including journalists, opposition leaders, protesters and civil society members.

"I also call on the authorities to ensure that all those arbitrarily detained for the exercise of their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression are promptly released, and that these rights are fully protected," Bachelet said. "I urge the authorities to work to resolve this tense situation through dialogue, and call on all sides to refrain from the use of violence."

She said she is ready to send a team to Sudan to advise authorities to help them meet their international human rights obligations.

Supporters of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir a Supporters of Sudans President Omar al-Bashir attend a pro-government rally in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Supporters of Sudans President Omar al-Bashir attend a pro-government rally in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.

Meanwhile, at a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York about international sanctions imposed on Khartoum, Sudan's U.N. envoy Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed raised the issue of the protests, saying his government is "fully committed" to giving citizens a space to peacefully express their views.

"At the same time, the government of Sudan is committed toward its constitutional duties as is guaranteed it by international law  its right to protect lives and public property against sabotage and arson, and all other forms of violence perpetrated by some demonstrators," Mohamed said.

The U.S. envoy, Rodney Hunter, noted Washington's concerns, urging Khartoum to "fully respect" the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and to release all journalists, opposition leaders, activists and other arbitrarily detained protesters.

Hunter also urged the government to ensure that an independent and transparent investigation be carried out into the deaths of protesters and for the use of excessive force.U.S. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traded taunts Thursday, but there was no end in sight for a partial federal government shutdown soon to enter its fifth week amid a continuing standoff over wall construction along the U.S.-Mexican border.

"While many Democrats in the House and Senate would like to make a deal, Speaker Pelosi won't let them negotiate," Trump said in a speech at the Defense Department. "Hopefully Democrat lawmakers will step forward to do what is right for our country, and what's right for our country is border security at the strongest level."

resident Donald Trump speaks about American missil resident Donald Trump speaks about American missile defense doctrine, Jan. 17, 2019, at the Pentagon. resident Donald Trump speaks about American missile defense doctrine, Jan. 17, 2019, at the Pentagon.

Democrats insist they will negotiate stronger, more effective border security measures once the government reopens, but that a border wall would wasteful, ineffective, and a blight on America's image.

Pelosi, the top-ranking congressional Democrat, said Trump's "insistence on the wall is a luxury we can no longer afford."

She called for Trump to delay his scheduled Jan. 29 State of the Union address until government funding is restored and the shutdown ends.

"Let's get a date when the government is open," the speaker said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks durin House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 17, 2019. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 17, 2019.

Trump, in turn, said he was denying her use of military aircraft for her planned trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan because of the shutdown.

Hundreds of thousand of federal workers missed a paycheck last week and are set to miss another next week.

"Not only are these workers not paid, they are not appreciated by this administration," said Pelosi, who leads the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. "We should respect what they do for their country."

US State Department Recalls Furloughed Employees Amid Shutdown The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was calling its furloughed employees back to work next week as it takes steps to pay salaries despite a partial shutdown of the government. "As a national security agency, it is imperative that the Department of State carries out its mission," Deputy Under Secretary of State Bill Todd said in a statement posted on the department's website. "We are best positioned to do so with fully staffed embassies, consulates and domestic offices." Todd said the The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was calling its furloughed employees back to work next week as it takes steps to pay salaries despite a partial shutdown of the government. "As a national security agency, it is imperative that the Department of State carries out its mission," Deputy Under Secretary of State Bill Todd said in a statement posted on the department's website. "We are best positioned to do so with fully staffed embassies, consulates and domestic offices." Todd said the

Pelosi's move on the State of the Union drew sharp criticism from Senate Republicans.

"By disinviting POTUS for SOTU, Pelosi erased any pretext for her unwillingness to negotiate an end to the shutdown. It is personal, petty, and vindictive," Senator John Cornyn from Texas Tweeted Thursday.

While many Democratic lawmakers applauded Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia told MSNBC, "I think this [delaying the State of the Union] is the wrong approach to be taking  We should try to have every type of respectful dialogue that we possibly can. Where I come from in West Virginia, we just don't act this way."

Internal Revenue Service employee Mary Maldonado, Internal Revenue Service employee Mary Maldonado, of Dracut, Mass., center, displays a placard during a rally by federal employees and supporters, Jan. 17, 2019, in front of the Statehouse, in Boston, held to call for an end of the partial shutdown. Internal Revenue Service employee Mary Maldonado, of Dracut, Mass., center, displays a placard during a rally by federal employees and supporters, Jan. 17, 2019, in front of the Statehouse, in Boston, held to call for an end of the partial shutdown.

Lawmakers of both parties are wary of the shutdown's impact on their home states and constituencies. Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper he fears a lack of airport screeners will make it impossible for travelers to come for next month's Super Bowl of American football.

"We've got a Super Bowl coming to Atlanta in about three weeks, the biggest tourism event in the world this year," Isakson said. "What if the largest airport in the world, that's going to bring people to the largest football game in the world, goes out of business because the TSA strikes? Then you've just cost millions of dollars to the United States of America, my home city of Atlanta and others."

Trump has called for more than $5 billion in taxpayer funding for the wall, while Democrats have offered $1.3 billion in new money for border security, but none specifically for a wall.President Donald Trump's choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency says he does not believe global warming is the "greatest crisis."

Andrew Wheeler said at his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that while climate change is a "huge issue," it is something that needs to be addressed globally.

A report by the EPA and several other government agencies concluded last year that climate change is a man-made phenomenon that will cost the U.S. billions of dollars a year and lead to more wildfires, stronger hurricanes, and other weather-related calamities.

Trump Nominates Acting EPA Head, an Ex-coal Lobbyist, to Run Agency U.S. U.S.

Wheeler, who has been acting EPA chief since July, said he has not read the report but that a staffer briefed him on it.

He said the news media jumped on what he calls the report's "worst-case scenarios."

Criticism

Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey responded by saying Wheeler's policies easing federal regulations on fossil fuel emissions are the problem.

"You are a former coal industry lobbyist that is sitting here. That's the worst-case scenario, what you are proposing here. ... You are putting up a smokescreen to ensure there is an advancement of Donald Trump's dirty policies," Markey said.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., questions Andrew Wheeler Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., questions Andrew Wheeler as he testifies at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 16, 2019. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., questions Andrew Wheeler as he testifies at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 16, 2019.

Other Democrats wondered if Wheeler's job pushing pro-coal polices in Congress should disqualify him.

They also said his actions as acting EPA chief, including moves to roll back mileage standards for cars and trucks and lifting federal protection for wetlands and waterways, undermine the health and safety of the American people.

Praise

Wheeler's Republican defenders praised him. They said federal regulations are a burden on industry, farmers and ranchers, and could cost jobs. They said they agree with Wheeler that states should take on much of that responsibility.

Wheeler said easing federal rules can still mean Americans can have clean air and water while the economy thrives.

Protesters yelling "Shut down Wheeler, not the EPA," briefly interrupted Wednesday's hearing.

Wheeler was deputy EPA head when he took over the agency from Scott Pruitt, who was forced to resign last year over alleged ethics violations.MOSCOW - Russia on Thursday detained a Belarusian model who once claimed she had evidence of Russian efforts to help Donald Trump win office, witnesses told AFP.



Anastasia Vashukevich, known by her pen name, Nastya Rybka, was held for questioning at a Moscow airport after she was deported from Thailand as part of a group convicted of participating in a "sex training course," other passengers on the flight told AFP.



Russian authorities detained her and several others, including Alex Kirillov, a self-styled Russian seduction guru, witnesses said.



Plainclothes officials led away four members of the group, including Vashukevich and Kirillov, a woman who gave her name as Kristina told AFP after emerging at Sheremetyevo airport.



Describing herself as Kirillov's wife, Kristina said she heard the group shouting and asking for an explanation of "why they were being detained."

A law enforcement source told the TASS state news agency that Vashukevich, Kirillov and two others had been detained at the airport for questioning regarding recruitment for prostitution, a crime punishable by up to six years in jail.

Deripaska link

In a case that veered between salacious and bizarre, Vashukevich said she had traveled to Thailand after becoming embroiled in a political scandal with Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, a onetime associate of Trump's disgraced former campaign director, Paul Manafort.

FILE - Oleg Deripaska attends an agreement signing FILE - Oleg Deripaska attends an agreement signing ceremony with the Krasnoyarsk region's government in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 12, 2017. FILE - Oleg Deripaska attends an agreement signing ceremony with the Krasnoyarsk region's government in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 12, 2017.

She then set tongues wagging by promising to reveal "missing puzzle pieces" regarding claims the Kremlin aided Trump's 2016 presidential election victory. But the material never surfaced and critics dismissed the claims as a publicity stunt.

Vashukevich was held with several others in a police raid last February in the seaside resort of Pattaya, Thailand. In a risque seminar there, led by Kirillov, some participants wore shirts that said "sex animator"  though one person at the time described it as more of a romance-and-relationship course.

Vashukevich pleaded guilty alongside seven others to multiple charges, including solicitation and illegal assembly, at a Pattaya court on Tuesday, which ordered that the group be deported.

Kirillov, who has served as a quasi-spokesman for the mostly Russian group, told reporters as they arrived at that court Tuesday that he believed they had been set up.

"I think somebody ordered [our arrest] ... for money," he said.

Vashukevich looked somber as she entered the courthouse and did not respond to questions from reporters.

Blacklisted in Thailand

On Thursday afternoon, Vashukevich and the majority of the convicted were put on an Aeroflot flight for Moscow. Thailand's immigration chief, Surachate Hakparn, said the last of the group would leave the country later in the evening.

They were also blacklisted from returning to Thailand.

FILE - Anastasia Vashukevich, leaves the Pattaya P FILE - Anastasia Vashukevich leaves the Pattaya Provincial Court in Chonburi province, Thailand, Aug. 20, 2018. FILE - Anastasia Vashukevich leaves the Pattaya Provincial Court in Chonburi province, Thailand, Aug. 20, 2018.

It was unclear what would happen to them upon arrival in Moscow, but as a Belarusian citizen, Vashukevich was expected to transit to Belarus.

Vashukevich, who has more than 120,000 followers on Instagram and penned a book about seducing oligarchs, already faces legal problems in Russia.

Deripaska won an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against her and Kirillov in July after a video apparently filmed by the model showed the tycoon vacationing with an influential Russian deputy prime minister at the time.

"I don't think she wants to get out [of the plane] in Moscow," a Russian friend in Thailand who helped with the case told AFP on Thursday.

Both Washington and Moscow publicly shrugged off Vashukevich's story, which the U.S. State Department described as "bizarre."



Kremlin-connected Deripaska and Manafort, Trump's ex-campaign manager, did business together in the mid-2000s. Manafort has since been convicted in the U.S. of financial crimes related to political work he did in Ukraine before the 2016 election, as well as witness tampering.WASHINGTON - A day after reassuring members of Congress that he'd allow the special counsel to complete his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, attorney general nominee William Barr drew fresh criticism Wednesday over his support for the controversial policies of his ousted predecessor, Jeff Sessions.

A parade of character witnesses and subject matter experts appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to offer sharply divergent views of the nominee, a tough-on-crime former attorney general who has praised Sessions. While friends and associates lauded Barr's integrity and commitment to the rule of law, civil rights leaders worried that he would carry on Sessions' policies.

"For the past two years, the Justice Department has been led by an attorney general intent on restricting civil and human rights at every turn," said Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, a leading civil rights advocacy organization. "The nation needs an attorney general who will dramatically change course and enforce federal civil rights laws with vigor and independence. Based on his alarming record, we are convinced that William Barr will not do so."

NAACP opposition

Other major civil rights organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest, have opposed Barr's nomination, which is widely expected to be approved by the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.

Although Sessions was praised by many for cracking down on violent crime and illegal immigration, he was criticized by the NAACP and others for undoing key Obama-era Justice Department policies, including reform agreements with police departments involved in shootings and rights violations, as well as protections for LGBTQ students.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a new FILE - Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a news conference to announce a criminal law enforcement action involving China, at the Department of Justice in Washington, Nov. 1, 2018. FILE - Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a news conference to announce a criminal law enforcement action involving China, at the Department of Justice in Washington, Nov. 1, 2018.

Barr has supported many of the initiatives enacted by Sessions. In an opinion piece he co-authored with two other former Republican attorneys general after Sessions' ouster in November, he praised Sessions for "[restoring] law and order" by reinstituting tough sentencing guidelines for drug dealers, cracking down on illegal immigration, overseeing a record number of prosecutions of violent crime defendants and "refocusing" the Justice Department's efforts to protect freedoms of expression and religion.

Asked whether he'd continue Sessions' policies, Barr told lawmakers on Monday that he supported ending the police department reform agreements known as consent decrees and opposed a controversial decision by Sessions to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in states where marijuana use is legal. But he was noncommittal on other initiatives, saying he'd have to examine their legal bases before deciding which to keep.

Barr also offered strong support for enforcing civil rights statutes and laws against hate crimes, which have been on the rise in recent years.

"We must have zero tolerance for such crimes," he said.

'Prisons work'

Barr has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks for his past opposition to criminal justice reform. In 1992, he said "our system is fair and does not treat people differently." Also in 1992, the then-attorney general wrote the preface to a Justice Department report, The Case for More Incarceration, that argued "prisons work" and "we need more of them." As recently as 2015, he opposed bipartisan legislation on sentencing reform.

Under questioning, Barr defended his position, saying he advocated for incarcerating violent and chronic offenders at a time of rising crime in the country. He also acknowledged that heavy penalties for crack offenses had "harmed the black community."

Barr also pledged to "diligently" enforce the First Step Act, a sweeping new criminal justice reform law that lowers some mandatory sentences and gives prisoners added opportunities to earn reductions in jail time.HONG KONG - When university student Zack Lee was younger, he received no sexual education at his Christian high school. The reproductive system was explained in science class, but further questions from students were not answered by the teacher.

I didnt have any sex education class during second school, and they didnt teach me anything, Lee said. Most of my schoolmates are just like me, didnt know how to use condoms and didnt know how to have sex with girls.

Instead he and his friends resorted to the internet to answer most of his questions, a common phenomenon in Hong Kong where standards of sex-ed can vary dramatically between schools.

Not a mandatory subject

Sex-ed is not taught as a mandatory subject in Hong Kong schools but is instead integrated into a curriculum on moral and civic education, the Education Bureau said by email, intended to help students learn whole-person development to cope with challenges of the 21st century.

The Education Bureau said that rather than focus on simply the physiological aspect of sex-ed, it also aims to teach students about personal growth and development, making friends, dating, marriage and gender equality. In practice however, results can vary with schools left to determine for themselves how to teach sex-ed.

The mixed results have raised concerns among rights groups as well as the Department of Health and the Hong Kong Family Planning Association, according to a study by Hong Kongs Legislative Council.

Students on average receive around three hours of sex education a year, according to legislative council survey. During that time 60 percent of students learn about HIV prevention while 80 percent learn how to use a condom, according to the latest 2012 survey of 134 schools by LegCo.

Results uneven

What we see is that the situation is very uneven. Some schools may have comprehensive sex education with enough hours but some schools just have none, they dont have any sex education, said Julia Sun, the director of Sticky Rice Love, an online forum for sex-ed issues.

Similar to much of Asia, the citys cultural attitudes toward sex also veer toward conservative, with Sticky Rices website observing that Hong Kong people seldom talk about sex and conversations are often surrounded by shame and guilt.

Organizations like Sticky Rice are often invited into schools to give sex-ed talks, but what they are allowed to discuss often varies from government guidelines.

Many schools are eager to talk about how to prevent pregnancy, with a particular emphasis on abstinence, Sun said, but skip important lessons like emotional development, communication and consent. LGBT issues and gender identity are also still controversial topics, she said.

The Hong Kong Aids Foundation, which also works with schools, said many were reluctant to allow the organization to distribute condoms, even at the university level.

Graduate students have their picture taken at an O FILE - Graduate students have their picture taken at an Occupy Central protest site outside the government headquarters at Admiralty in Hong Kong, Dec. 9, 2014. FILE - Graduate students have their picture taken at an Occupy Central protest site outside the government headquarters at Admiralty in Hong Kong, Dec. 9, 2014.

?High educational standards

The mixed track record is at odds with Hong Kongs otherwise high educational standards within the region.

Hong Kong secondary school students ranked second in the world for math and reading in a 2015 global study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, while its universities are regarded as some of the best in Asia.

Its regional rivals Singapore and Taiwan, which have similar levels of economic development, also have mandatory sex-ed programs. Mongolia, while still a developing country, also stands out regionally for its advanced sex-ed program, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

Instead, Hong Kong has more in common with neighboring China, where sex-ed is also not mandatory and often limited to discussion of physiology and HIV prevention, without discussing greater issues of gender and sexuality, according to Jo Sauvarin, adviser on Adolescents and Youth at the UNPFA.

Prominent role of religion

Such an approach is often found across Asia, which as a region lags behind much of Africa and Latin America, where many countries ramped up sex-ed years ago in response to local HIV epidemics, Sauvarin said.

The cautious approach of many Hong Kong schools may in part be because of the prominent role religious organizations have played in educating Hong Kong youth.

Over half of all students attend schools with some kind of religious affiliation, varying from Christian to Buddhist to Sikh, according to government data. Many local organizations also point to the additionally conservative influence of Confucian thinking in Hong Kongs education system.

In such a climate, pushback can also come from parents, who fear sex-ed might encourage their children to experiment, according to local groups. Sauvarin said, however, that simply telling them not to have sex or limiting their education can have the opposite desired effect.

A number of programs in our region would focus more on those elements [like abstinence] and so they dont have any effect on adolescent pregnancy or reduction of HIV if you just tell young people dont have sex without giving them the information that they need, she said. In fact, in contrast programs that have comprehensive sexuality education actually delay the initiation of sex.No amount of lecturing seems to persuade students to get more sleep.

But one professor uses bait they can't resist.

Michael Scullin teaches the science of sleep to psychology students at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He lectures about physical and mental health problems caused by a lack of sleep. Those problems include difficulty focusing and controlling one's emotions, and increased risk of disease.

"When you are at your most sleep deprived is when you are least likely to be able to judge how sleepy you are, and how much that sleepiness is impacting you," Scullin says.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises adults to get at least seven hours of sleep a night to stay healthy, but more and more Americans report getting fewer than six hours of sleep per night.

His students seemed to enjoy the class, Scullin says. But when he asked if they were getting more sleep after what they learned in class, most of them said no.

So Scullin came up with a plan to get his students to sleep more: He offered them extra points on their final exam, the most important test in the class.

The plan worked better than Scullin expected. Students who slept more performed better in two different classes, and Scullin published his findings in two academic publications last November.

Rachel Blake, right, sleeps in the hallway of Hall FILE - A student sleeps in the hallway of Hall Memorial Building on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, Oct. 6, 2006. FILE - A student sleeps in the hallway of Hall Memorial Building on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, Oct. 6, 2006.

?How did the study work?

Scullin started the experiment with his psychology students. He told them that if they agreed to sleep at least eight hours a night for the five nights before the final exam, they would get several extra credit points. But if they agreed to take part in the study and failed to get the required amount of sleep, they would lose points on the exam. The students would wear special devices that recorded their sleep data.

Only eight out of the 18 total students in that first group agreed to take part in the experiment. Yet all the students who took part performed better on the exam than those who did not, even before the extra credit points were added. On average, they earned about five points more on the exam.

Scullin decided to repeat the study with another group of 16 design students. He chose not to punish students who failed to sleep the full eight hours per night, and got the same results.

Daniel Bessesen, as associate director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, researches sleep. He says Scullin's study supports the idea that sleep helps academic performance while students who cram  or stay up the night before the test trying to memorize the material  are likely worse off.

While Scullin's study fits in with other sleep research, Bessesen says for it to be more scientific, the two groups should have been studying the same subject and taking the same test. In addition, students should have been randomly chosen for sleeping or staying awake.

How to get people to sleep more

Scullin and Bessesen offer some advice on how to get more sleep each night:ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has intensified efforts to keep the U.S.-led dialogue with the Afghan Taliban on track by attempting to arrange a meeting between the visiting chief American negotiator and insurgent representatives, highly placed sources told VOA Thursday.

These official sources appeared confident about bringing the two sides to the table, but maintained that the responsibility for the "success or failure of the fledgling Afghan peace process rests exclusively with the two negotiating sides.

The caution comes as U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, landed in the Pakistani capital Thursday amid expectations a direct meeting could take place between his delegation and Taliban negotiators during his stay in the country.

US special representative for Afghanistan reconcil U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua led their respective delegations in talks in Islamabad, Jan. 17, 2019. U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua led their respective delegations in talks in Islamabad, Jan. 17, 2019.

Prior to his departure Wednesday from Kabul, Khalilzad told reporters that talks with the Taliban will happen very soon. Thats what were working toward. He did not elaborate.

Officials representing the insurgency were not available immediately to respond to queries about the latest developments.

Official sources in Islamabad expected important developments in the coming days but would not share further details. There is no room for missed opportunities under the circumstances, they said.

Meanwhile, in a significant move, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani telephoned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday and discussed the efforts being made for bringing peace to Afghanistan.

Khans office said in a statement that Ghani expressed his gratitude for Pakistans sincere facilitation for Afghan peace and reconciliation.

It said the prime minister assured President Ghani that Pakistan was making sincere efforts for a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan through an inclusive peace process, as part of shared responsibility.

Pakistani officials maintain in background interviews with VOA that the U.S.-Taliban talks are being facilitated in the hope that they would ultimately lead to an intra-Afghan dialogue for political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan. All sides in the peace process will share the credit and benefits of a success, they insisted.

Similarly, given sincere desire and efforts of everyone, no one should be exclusively blamed if the main interlocutors fail to agree due to own lack of flexibility that is very much required from both the U.S. and the Taliban at this stage, a senior official privy to the Pakistani peace diplomacy told VOA.

Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan from Afghanistan where he briefed Ghani and other top officials of Afghan government on the U.S.-led peace initiative.

US special representative for Afghanistan reconc U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Jan. 17, 2019. U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Jan. 17, 2019.

Khalilzads team held a delegation-level meeting Thursday with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and her team.

Khalilzad together with U.S. commander of international forces in Afghanistan, General Austin Scott Miller, also met with Pakistans military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the reconciliation process. An army statement said Bajwa reiterated that peace in Afghanistan is important for Pakistan and assured continued efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region.

It was noted that taking the Afghan peace process forward remained a shared responsibility, according to a foreign ministry statement issued after the meeting. Both sides agreed that ultimately the intra-Afghan dialogue would be vital to agree upon the contours of a future Afghan polity where Afghanistan becomes a stable and prosperous country and at peace with its neighbors.

The Taliban has held several meetings with Khalilzads team in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but the insurgents have persistently refused to engage directly with the sitting administration in Kabul. Their refusal is blamed for a lack of progress in negotiations that started last summer, after American diplomats gave in to a major Taliban demand and met them directly.

Khalilzad, however, made it clear on Wednesday the insurgent group would have to engage with the Afghan government for the process to move forward.

The road to peace will require the Taliban to sit with the Afghan government. There is a consensus among all the regional partners on this point, the Afghan-born U.S. special envoy told reporters in Kabul.

He went on to warn that if the Taliban chose to fight over peace talks, the United States would support the Afghan government.

The Taliban threatened earlier in the week to pull out of all negotiations if the United States backed away from discussing the key insurgent demand for a troop withdrawal plan and pressured the insurgents into speaking to the Afghan government.

Diplomats privy to the peace process support the U.S. effort for the Taliban to speak directly to the current administration in Kabul to resolve internal Afghan matters. They see the Ghani-led National Unity government as a legitimate entity possessing official representation at the United Nations and maintaining diplomatic missions in world capitals.

The last substantial talks between Khalilzad and Taliban officials took place in Abu Dhabi about a month ago and Pakistan took credit for arranging it and bringing an authoritative team of insurgent negotiators to the table.

Officials in Islamabad say that Pakistans biggest contribution has been that it has "broken the political stalemate that was there in Afghanistan for several years.

Prime Minister Khan has repeatedly stated that finding a political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan is a top foreign policy priority for his government. While speaking to Khan on Thursday, Ghani invited him to visit Kabul at his earliest convenience and the Pakistani leader reciprocated by inviting the Afghan president to visit Islamabad.

Pakistan has long been accused of sheltering Taliban leaders and covertly helping them orchestrate insurgent attacks, charges Islamabad rejects.

U.S. officials, however, acknowledge the positive role Pakistan has played in the current Afghan peace effort. The thaw in traditionally mistrusted bilateral ties was visible earlier this month when U.S. President Donald Trump announced he intended to maintain a great relationship with Pakistan.

So, I look forward to meeting with the new leadership in Pakistan. We will be doing that in the not too distant future, said Trump.

Islamabad swiftly welcomed the remarks, which raised official expectations in Pakistan for an official invitation to Prime Minister Khan to visit Washington, though the Trump administration has so far given no such indication.LOS ANGELES - Negotiators for 30,000 striking Los Angeles teachers and Americas second-largest school district have agreed to return to the bargaining table Thursday, with Mayor Eric Garcetti acting as mediator, his office said.

Wednesdays announcement of the breakthrough capped the third day of a strike that has disrupted classes for nearly 500,000 students as teachers pressed their demands for higher pay, smaller classes and more support staff.

Representatives of the two sides, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the United Teachers Los Angeles, have not met since union leaders rejected the LAUSDs latest contract offer last Friday night, setting the stage for district teachers first strike in 30 years.

There was no immediate word from district officials to the overture for mediated talks, first unveiled by union leaders at a Wednesday night news conference. But Garcettis office confirmed that both sides had agreed to resume face-to-face sessions Thursday.

Actor, musician and activist, Steven Van Zandt, ce Actor, musician and activist, Steven Van Zandt, center, supports striking teachers on the picket in front of Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, Jan. 16, 2019. Actor, musician and activist, Steven Van Zandt, center, supports striking teachers on the picket in front of Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, Jan. 16, 2019.

Mayor steps in

Union officials said the mayor, who has voiced support for the teachers cause, had met with the two parties Wednesday.

Californias top education official, its superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurmond, has also been in touch with both parties and offered support, Arlene Inouye, chair of the unions bargaining team, told reporters.

Thurmond could help to secure extra funding the district may need to close a deal. LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner has said the teachers demands would strain the budget too much.

United Teachers Los Angeles President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the union was counting on Thurmond and Garcetti to make the case that funding could be found.

California is the richest state in the union, he told reporters. The money is there for the kids.

The teachers, who have been without a contract for nearly a year, walked off the job Monday. School district officials have kept all 1,200 schools open on a limited basis with a skeleton staff, but attendance has been about a third of normal.

Rainy rallies

Thousands of striking teachers joined in boisterous rallies and pickets across the sprawling school district Wednesday, although a third day of showers seemed unable to dampen their spirits, or those of parents who turned out in support.

Huddled under an umbrella in a downpour, Diana Castillo, a teacher at Harbor City Elementary School, said she discounted assertions by Beutner, a former publisher and investment banker, that the district could not afford the unions demands.

He makes $350,000 a year, has a district car and a driver, she said. The moneys there.

At another rally across town, teacher Elizabeth DiMartino said classrooms at her school in the San Fernando Valley had been decrepit for so long that people think this bare minimum is normal in Los Angeles.

She added, We spend so much of our own money just to make the classrooms look presentable, and cited a lack of on-site nurses and instructors in art, music and physical education.

Wave of walkouts

The Los Angeles walkout follows a wave of teachers strikes last year across the United States over pay and school funding, including work stoppages in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arizona.

Those represented battles between teachers unions and Republican-dominated state governments focused on cutting costs, while the Los Angeles strike is unfolding in a Democratic-controlled state.

Denver teachers could vote to strike by Saturday if no deal on a new contract is reached.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, left, and board president Monica Garcia wait in the hallway for a news conference at the LAUSD headquarters, Jan. 15, 2019, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, left, and board president Monica Garcia wait in the hallway for a news conference at the LAUSD headquarters, Jan. 15, 2019, in Los Angeles.

Beutner said the district had proposed staff increases that would cost $130 million a year  more than county officials have said is available  while the unions demands would cost $800 million.

The union wants a pay rise of 6.5 percent, but the district has offered a 6 percent hike with back pay. LAUSD teacher pay now averages $75,000, state figures show.WARSAW, POLAND - Poles on Wednesday heatedly condemned the power of hate speech to trigger real-life violence after the slaying of a popular liberal mayor, with many calling for stronger actions against those who threaten others.

Not only did the killer, an ex-convict, take the life of the 53-year-old Gdansk mayor, Pawel Adamowicz, but he stabbed him during a popular fundraising concert by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, which raises money for life-saving medical equipment.

Both the mayor and the organization are prominent symbols of openness and tolerance, leaving many Poles to interpret the attack as a double blow to those values.

Assailant recently released from prison

Investigators are checking to see if the assailant, who was recently released from prison, has psychiatric problems. He stabbed Adamowicz three times in the heart and abdomen and told the crowd Sunday evening that it was revenge against Civic Platform, the now-opposition party that was in power when he was imprisoned for bank robberies.

The brutal killing took place as Poland is more bitterly divided than at any time since it threw off communism 30 years ago, with massive amounts of hate speech and even death threats against prominent figures.

Stop hate speech,'' the major daily Rzeczpospolita wrote Wednesday in a front-page appeal, citing a brutalization of public debate'' and a wave of hatred that spills both from traditional media and the internet.''

I have no doubt that this wave emboldened the murderer of Pawel Adamowicz to act,'' wrote editor Boguslaw Chrabota. Even today, with the entire country in mourning ... internet trolls are congratulating the murderer, making him into a national hero, demanding a repeat of such acts.''

People stand by a heart shaped with candles as a t People stand by a heart shaped with candles as a tribute to slain mayor of Gdansk Pawel Adamowicz at the Square in the Old Town, Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 16, 2019. People stand by a heart shaped with candles as a tribute to slain mayor of Gdansk Pawel Adamowicz at the Square in the Old Town, Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 16, 2019.

Other mayors threatened

?Other city mayors who, like Adamowicz, have also received death threats appealed Wednesday to justice officials to more effectively prosecute such activity.

Adamowicz was a longtime member of the Civic Platform party but left it in 2015. He died on Monday, leaving behind a wife and two daughters, aged 8 and 15.

Hatred killed Pawel. A hatred that was insane, a hatred that was well-organized,'' Grzegorz Schetyna, the head of the Civic Platform, said Wednesday during a session of parliament that began with a moment of silence and prayers for Adamowicz.

Poland's ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was not present at the session, a gesture that critics denounced as a sign of disrespect. Kaczynski's spokeswoman said his absence was just a coincidence.''

The charity that Adamowicz supported is Poland's largest nonprofit organization and has become a model of civic engagement and humanitarianism in its 27 years. Founder Jerzy Owsiak is also a prominent liberal voice who has sparred verbally with members of the country's right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice.

Broadcaster suspended

Just last week, state television, TVP, which is government controlled, ran an animation that depicted Owsiak in a defamatory manner. The broadcaster apologized after an outcry, while the head of the news program has been indefinitely suspended.

In the wake of Adamowicz's death, Owsiak resigned from his position, citing police inaction despite threats against him.

Wednesday evening, a crowd gathered outside TVP's main editorial office in Warsaw in protest following a Monday evening report on Adamowicz's death that seemed to put all blame for all the aggression in the country solely on Civic Platform officials. Meanwhile, pressure mounted on the ruling party to fire the head of TVP. In its main evening news report, TVP said its staff was also being targeted by hate speech and threats.

Adamowicz was also an object of hate for far-right extremists for his support for migrants and gay rights. In 2017, after he voiced support for bringing wounded Syrian children for medical treatment in Gdansk, the far-right group All-Polish Youth issued a symbolic political death notice'' for him and several other liberal leaders.

Prosecutors had dropped that investigation. On Wednesday, Adam Bodnar, an independent state official for human rights, said he was sending a request to the prosecutor general to reopen a list of frozen hate crime cases.

Since Adamowicz's killing, police in Poland have arrested several suspects threatening to kill public figures, including Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister who is now president of the European Council.

Family joins mourners

On Wednesday evening in Gdansk, Adamowicz's wife, Magdalena Adamowicz, and elder daughter, Antonina, joined thousands of mourners who formed a large heart with candles. They thanked the people of the city for their support. The widow also urged people to be good to each other, saying her husband loved everyone.

I love you, daddy, very much and forever,'' his tearful daughter said in the family's first public appearance since the killing. I love you, Pawel,'' his wife said while embracing her daughter.

Gdansk officials said Adamowicz's funeral Mass would take place at noon Saturday and that he would be buried in St. Mary's Basilica, a Gothic brick church where other prominent city figures were laid to rest.

Lech Walesa, the former Polish democracy activist Lech Walesa, the former Polish democracy activist and ex-president, signs a condolence book for Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz, who died earlier this week after being stabbed by an ex-convict with a grudge against his former party, in Gdansk, Poland, Jan. 1 Lech Walesa, the former Polish democracy activist and ex-president, signs a condolence book for Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz, who died earlier this week after being stabbed by an ex-convict with a grudge against his former party, in Gdansk, Poland, Jan. 1

Among those signing a condolence book was ex-president Lech Walesa, a democracy leader who founded the anti-communist Solidarity movement in Gdansk shipyard in 1980 and later won the Nobel Peace prize.

Farewell, my friend, in this vale,'' the 75-year-old Walesa wrote. We will meet soon in a better place.''THE HAGUE - Defense lawyers are again appealing for the immediate release of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo and an ex-government minister from detention at the International Criminal Court following their acquittal this week on charges of involvement in deadly post-election violence.

Thursday's filings are the latest salvo in legal wrangling between defense and prosecution lawyers over whether strict conditions should be imposed on Gbagbo and former youth minister Charles Ble Goude if they are freed to ensure they return to court. Prosecutors plan to appeal both men's acquittals.



Charles Ble Goude of Ivory Coast enters the courtr FILE - Charles Ble Goude of Ivory Coast enters the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his initial appearance in The Hague, Netherlands, March 27, 2014. FILE - Charles Ble Goude of Ivory Coast enters the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his initial appearance in The Hague, Netherlands, March 27, 2014.

Judges ordered the men released on Tuesday and again a day later after rejecting a prosecution request to impose strict conditions on their freedom. On Wednesday night prosecutors asked for the release to be suspended while an appeal on the issue is heard.The International Criminal Court has ordered former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo and his top aide to remain in custody, even after judges acquitted them of crimes against humanity.

Prosecutors immediately appealed Tuesdays verdict and argued the pair may refuse to return to The Hague for trial if the not-guilty verdict is overturned.

The three-judge panel called the prosecutions case exceptionally weak.

Gbagbo and Charles Ble Goude had been on trial for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from the violence in Ivory Coast after the 2010 election.

Gbagbo lost to his bitter rival, current President Alassane Outtara, but refused to concede. The standoff led to violence that killed 3,000 people and sent thousands more fleeing the country for their lives.

Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo appear Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo appears before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Jan. 15, 2019. Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo appears before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Jan. 15, 2019.

Opponents and prosecutors blame Gbagbo and Ble Goude for the deadly unrest. But the three-judge panel ruled Tuesday there was not enough evidence of responsibility to convict the pair.

Gbagbos daughter told reporters her father plans to return to Ivory Coast when he is released.

But if he goes back, he faces 20 years in prison on charges of misusing funds from a West African central bank.

An Ivorian court convicted him in absentia last year, but the government has not said whether it will enforce the sentence.Rudy Giuliani, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers, is acknowledging that some officials with Trump's 2016 campaign may have colluded with Russia to help him win, but says that Trump himself did not.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign," Giuliani, a former New York mayor, told CNN late Wednesday.

"I said the president of the United States," he added. "There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack" the opposition Democratic National Committee.

On Thursday, Giuliani sought to clarify his remarks, saying, "I represent only President Trump not the Trump campaign. There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form. Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign."

Giuliani's comments in the CNN interview about Trump campaign involvement with Moscow were sharply at odds with what Trump himself has tweeted at least 13 times, that his successful campaign for the White House did not collude with Russia.

Democrats cant find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comeys testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion. @FoxNews Thats because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2018

Russia has rejected the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community that Moscow's agents meddled in the election to help Trump win, although President Vladimir Putin acknowledged at last July's Helsinki summit with Trump that he wanted the then-real estate mogul to defeat his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

An image of the sentencing memo filed by special c FILE - An image of the sentencing memo filed by special counsel Robert Mueller in the case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Dec. 4, 2018. FILE - An image of the sentencing memo filed by special counsel Robert Mueller in the case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Dec. 4, 2018.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors have been investigating Trump campaign links to Russia for 20 months and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe.

Mueller is believed to be writing a report on his findings, after already securing guilty pleas or convictions of key officials in Trump's orbit, including his personal attorney Michael Cohen, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, one-time campaign aide Rick Gates and foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, among others.

Giuliani's CNN acknowledgement about Trump campaign ties to Russia came days after news surfaced, inadvertently, that Manafort shared campaign polling data with a former business associate of his in Ukraine alleged by U.S. prosecutors to have ties to Russian intelligence.

FILE - This courtroom sketch depicts former Donald FILE - This courtroom sketch depicts former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort (C) and his defense lawyer Richard Westling (L) before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson,at federal court in Washington, Sept. 14, 2018. FILE - This courtroom sketch depicts former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort (C) and his defense lawyer Richard Westling (L) before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson,at federal court in Washington, Sept. 14, 2018.

But Giuliani said Trump never shared polling data with anyone.

"Donald Trump wasn't giving polling data to anyone," he said. "He did not know about it until it was revealed a few weeks ago in an article."

Challenging Mueller

Giuliani challenged Mueller to produce evidence of wrongdoing by Trump.

"Let's see if he's got anything," he said. "I challenge him to show us some evidence that the president was involved in anything approaching criminal conduct."

Earlier this week, Trump, after news reports suggested he might be beholden to Russia and Putin, declared, "I never worked for Russia" and told a reporter, "I think it's a disgrace you even asked that question."

Former FBI Director James Comey, with his attorney FILE - Former FBI Director James Comey, with his attorney, David Kelley, right, speaks to reporters after a day of testimony before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 7, 2018. FILE - Former FBI Director James Comey, with his attorney, David Kelley, right, speaks to reporters after a day of testimony before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 7, 2018.

The New York Times reported last weekend that two years ago Federal Bureau of Investigation officials started investigating whether Trump "was knowingly working for Russia or had unwittingly fallen under Moscow's influence" because of his behavior after he fired former FBI chief James Comey in May 2017 when he was leading the investigation into Russian meddling during the election.

A Washington Post report said Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to hide details of his conversations the five times he has met with Putin over the last two years, including one time Trump took possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructed the linguist to not discuss what had transpired with other Trump administration officials.

At the Helsinki summit, Trump and Putin met with only their interpreters in the room and there have been no transcripts released of their conversation. Trump said they talked about a number of issues, including security for Israel and a planned natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.WASHINGTON - The deadly al-Shabab attack that rocked a luxury hotel in Kenyas capital of Nairobi Tuesday, killing 14 civilians, including one American, is seen by many experts as a signal of resilience by the Islamist militant group that has been battling U.S.-backed forces in East Africa for years.

The attack on the Dusit D2 hotel in Nairobi contained the hallmarks of al-Shababs previous tactics: detonating explosives, followed by suicide infantry. But it does not necessarily demonstrate the group is resurging. Rather, the attack shows its ability to survive and execute significant attacks, according to U.S. officials and other observers interviewed by VOA.

Karl Wiest, a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command, told VOA that al-Shabab is repeatedly targeting civilians to undermine the U.S. relationship with its African allies.

This violent extremist group continues to seek the establishment of self-governed Islamic territory in East Africa, the removal of Western influence and presence from the region, and to further its jihadist agenda, Wiest said.

People wait for blood donation at the August 7th M People wait to donate blood at the August 7th Memorial Park, where a 1998 terrorist bomb attack took place at the then U.S. Embassy, in Nairobi, Jan. 16, 2019, a day after a blast followed by a gun battle that rocked an upmarket hotel complex. People wait to donate blood at the August 7th Memorial Park, where a 1998 terrorist bomb attack took place at the then U.S. Embassy, in Nairobi, Jan. 16, 2019, a day after a blast followed by a gun battle that rocked an upmarket hotel complex.

In its statement claiming responsibility for the attack Tuesday, al-Shabab said it was in response to U.S. President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Even if the Zionists and crusaders were to move all the embassies in the world to Jerusalem, the sacred land shall forever remain a noble Muslim sanctuary, without concession or compromise. Jerusalem will never be Judaized, the statement said.

An affiliate of al-Qaida, al-Shabab formed in 2006 as a militant Islamic movement resisting the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. Over the years, the group has taken advantage of conflict and weak governance in the region and expanded to neighboring Kenya, Yemen, Tanzania and Mozambique.

FILE - Members of Somalia's al- Shabab militant gr FILE - Members of Somalia's al- Shabab militant group patrol on foot on the outskirts of Mogadishu, March, 5, 2012. FILE - Members of Somalia's al- Shabab militant group patrol on foot on the outskirts of Mogadishu, March, 5, 2012.

?7,000 fighters

Wiest said al-Shababs core influence is in Somalia where it has an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 fighters. The group has engaged in fierce rivalry with IS militants who, according to Wiest, number about 250 fighters.

Al-Shabab controls roughly 20 percent of Somalia, primarily in southern Somalia, where they have maintained a historical presence. ISIS-Somalia doesnt control any territory but maintains influence and a very small presence in comparison to al-Shabab in Somalia in northern Puntland, Wiest said.

The group once controlled large swaths of Somalia but was beaten back by a coordinated international effort such as those from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Its main operations now rely on making surprise and systematic attacks on soft public targets and tourism attractions, such as hotels hosting foreigners.

Last November, the group killed at least 20 people in a bomb attack targeting government officials staying in the Sahafi Hotel in Somalias capital, Mogadishu.

People gather at the scene of twin car bombs that FILE - People gather at the scene of twin car bombs that exploded within moments of each other in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Nov. 9, 2018, near a popular Sahafi hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu. FILE - People gather at the scene of twin car bombs that exploded within moments of each other in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Nov. 9, 2018, near a popular Sahafi hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

?Impact on investment

A Somali hotel owner in Mogadishu told VOA that many investors and hotel owners are deterred by the regular attacks, fearing their lives could be at risk, particularly if they host foreign visitors.

The owner, who requested anonymity to avoid being targeted by al-Shabab, said the November bombing damaged walls and broke the windows of his hotel in downtown Mogadishu.

I was in my hotel when the attack happened. We heard a blast, and at the same moment, we heard broken window glasses, he said.

The only thing I could say is thank God nobody was hurt inside my hotel, and we were all OK, he added.

U.S. drone strikes

The hotel owner said the attacks could be in response to U.S. military presence in the country.

The Trumps administration has carried out more drone attacks on al-Shabab and destroyed their leadership recently. I guess it is al-Shababs way of getting back at them by attacking soft targets and killing people, he said.

The U.S. re-established its permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia last month after 28 years. The absence since January 1991 was in response to a civil war that overthrew the countrys president. Washington took steps to re-establish diplomatic ties with Mogadishu in 2015 by reopening its diplomatic mission but basing it in Kenya.

David Shinn, a professor at George Washington University, told VOA that defeating al-Shabab in Somalia and neighboring countries will be difficult for the U.S. and its Western allies.

The International community doesnt always agree on how to approach a problem and how to deal with it. There is always a problem of resources, how much money do you want to put into this, and more importantly, how long do you want to do it for? Shinn said.

Al-Shabab is clearly for a long game as long as they can obtain new recruits, he said.

FILE - Somali soldiers march during the 54th anniv FILE - Somali soldiers march during the 54th anniversary of Somali National Army Day in Mogadishu, Somalia, April,12, 2014. FILE - Somali soldiers march during the 54th anniversary of Somali National Army Day in Mogadishu, Somalia, April,12, 2014.

?National army key

Experts say building a unified and effective national army that could prevent al-Shabab violence from spreading should be at the heart of international efforts to ensure the groups lasting defeat.

The countrys security forces, despite international support, are often accused of corruption and incompetence in the face of al-Shabab attacks on civilians.

Former Somali envoy to the U.S., Abukar Arman, charged that the international community has yet to take significant action to rebuild the Somali national force.

Unfortunately, the international community squanders a billion or so dollars a year, and AFRICOM squanders hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars on biweekly drone attacks on Somalia that only create more enemies, Arman told VOA.

Increased drone attacks and the lack of an effective national security apparatus increases instability, strengthens al-Shababs recruiting, and bolsters the propaganda effort to spread anti-Western sentiment, Arman added.

Unfortunately, al-Shababs future is bright so long as the status quo is maintained and there is no cohesive, good-faith strategy to eliminate it and stabilize Somalia. The current condition is the perfect environment for al-Shabab, or worse, Arman said.

VOAs Rikar Hussein contributed to this report.Chinas economic czar, Vice Premier Liu He, will travel to the United States later this month for the second round of negotiations aimed at resolving the ongoing trade war between the global economic giants.

Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in Beijing Thursday that Liu will visit Washington on January 30-31. He was invited by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

China Says Trade Talks are Making Progress Chinas Commerce Ministry says that the United States and Beijing made progress in discussions about structural issues such as forced technology transfers and intellectual property rights during trade talks this week. But the lack of details from both sides following the meetings highlights the uncertainty that remains, analysts say.The talks, which were originally scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday stretched to the evening and into Wednesday. U.S. Chinas Commerce Ministry says that the United States and Beijing made progress in discussions about structural issues such as forced technology transfers and intellectual property rights during trade talks this week. But the lack of details from both sides following the meetings highlights the uncertainty that remains, analysts say.The talks, which were originally scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday stretched to the evening and into Wednesday. U.S.

U.S. negotiators were optimistic after the first round of talks in Beijing last week that the two sides would be able to resolve tariff disputes that have upset global markets.

Cooperation Best for Both, China's Xi Tells Trump History shows that cooperation is the best choice for both China and the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump in a congratulatory message Tuesday to mark 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two countries are currently engaged in a truce in their bitter trade war, holding talks to try and end a dispute that has seen them level increasingly severe tariffs on each others' imports. In his message to Trump, Xi said China-U.S. History shows that cooperation is the best choice for both China and the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump in a congratulatory message Tuesday to mark 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two countries are currently engaged in a truce in their bitter trade war, holding talks to try and end a dispute that has seen them level increasingly severe tariffs on each others' imports. In his message to Trump, Xi said China-U.S.

The trade talks are the result of an agreement last month between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop the tit-for-tat tariff conflict between the two countries for 90 days starting on New Year's Day.

The United States has long complained about access to the vast Chinese market and Beijing's demands U.S. companies reveal their technology advances.

If no deal is reached by March 2, U.S. tariffs on $200 billion Chinese goods will rise from 10 percent to 25 percent.A Canadian geologist kidnapped earlier this week in Burkina Faso has been found dead, the country's security ministry said Thursday.



Kirk Woodman was abducted by gunmen late Tuesday from a remote gold mine in the country's northeast region.



His body was found near the country's borders with Mali and Niger in Gorom Gorom, the ministry said.



Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed Woodman's death, saying, "Canada condemns those responsible for this terrible crime. We are working with the government of Burkina Faso and other international partners to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice."



Not much is known about who kidnapped Woodman from the mine, which is owned by Vancouver-based Progress Minerals.



The company's chief executive, Adam Spencer, said: "Kirk was an incredibly accomplished and highly respected geologist with a career spanning over 30 years, with 20 years spent in West Africa."



Woodman's death raises concerns about Islamist factions making forays into the country, which so far has been spared the violence that has plagued its neighbors.



Earlier this month, a Canadian woman and an Italian man went missing in Burkina Faso. Family members have said Edith Blais, 34, and Luca Tacchetto, 30, were supposed to travel to neighboring Togo together for a humanitarian aid mission but never arrived.



Woodman was kidnapped on the third anniversary of an attack on a hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, that killed dozens. That attack was claimed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.Yet again an embattled Theresa May has survived to fight another day as Britains Prime Minister, seeing off on Wednesday a motion of no confidence in her government tabled by the countrys main opposition Labor party.

It was a foregone conclusion that she would  Conservative lawmakers and their allies in the small Northern Irish party that sustains Mays minority government were never going to vote with the opposition parties, political commentators argued beforehand. Bringing down Mays government would have inevitably triggered a general election  one Conservatives couldnt be sure of winning.

In more normal times, though, May would have resigned before Wednesdays no-confidence debate on her government.

The day before she endured the biggest parliamentary reversal ever handed a prime minister in British history with 432 lawmakers  including a third of her own ruling Conservative party  refusing to endorse her highly contentious Brexit deal, her bid to square the circle between those wanting a total break with the EU and those wanting Britain to remain a member of the bloc or at least closely aligned to it.

Tuesdays parliamentary vote has pushed Britain deeper into a political labyrinth that no one seems to know how to navigate, least of all May, who doesnt have a track record of bi-partisanship. Only 202 lawmakers backed her draft plan, itself the result of two-years of ill-tempered haggling with European Union leaders.

She had been warned for months the deal would not get a House of Commons seal of approval, but she insisted on bringing it up for a vote in her bid to bend an unenthusiastic parliament to her will. Convinced, her critics said, that her brinkmanship would be rewarded.

The previous ignominious record-holder for parliamentary rebuffs was Ramsay MacDonald, a Labor prime minister who lost a vote by 166 in 1924. He bowed to convention and resigned, triggering a general election, which he then lost.

But these are anything but normal times in Britain and May offered no regrets nor hint she had considered resigning.

Brexit has rancorously divided the country down the middle and fractured political parties into quarrelsome unyielding factions. It also has upended a political rulebook better suited for more stable times. Long-established procedures and conventions are increasingly being cast aside as Theresa May, cabinet ministers and lawmakers, both Brexiters and those who want to remain in the EU, battle desperately how to part company with the bloc.

Brexit banners lie on the ground near parliament i Brexit banners lie on the ground near parliament in London, Britain, Jan. 17, 2019. Brexit banners lie on the ground near parliament in London, Britain, Jan. 17, 2019.

Last week, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the flamboyant John Bercow, accepted, to the fury of government supporters, a parliamentary maneuver by pro-EU Conservative rebels and Labor backers that centuries of precedence dictated he should not. If we were guided only by precedent, nothing would ever change, he sniffed.

Bercow, an ardent anti-Brexiter, was accused of trying to scupper Britains exit from the EU, set for March 29, but his position was that he was trying to giving parliament a greater say over what should be done, allowing it to try to plot a way out of the political deadlock that Brexit has become.

In the high political drama thats playing out with just 71 days left before Britain is scheduled to leave the EU  with or without an approved deal with Brussels  one key question is what is driving Theresa May?

Aside from Tuesdays crushing defeat, her tenure at Downing Street has witnessed a series of startling setbacks that would have prompted other prime ministers to quit.

She gambled in 2017 by calling a snap election, hoping to secure a larger majority for the Conservatives only to see Labor dash her hopes, leaving her heading a precariously positioned minority government. She has drawn emphatic red lines with EU negotiators only to be forced to cave when confronted with firm resistance from Brussels or outrage from hardline Brexiters or Europhiles in her own party.

Three Brexit ministers and eleven other members of her government have resigned over policy differences. Thats another record for a prime minister. And she has lost half-dozen crucial Brexit-related votes in as many weeks. Her cabinet is hopelessly split. Brexit has consumed so much of the governments energy that it has mismanaged a series of other challenges, including the aftermath of the 2017 fire that consumed the Grenfell Tower residential block in London.

Brexit supporters protest opposite the Houses of P Brexit supporters protest opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, Jan. 15, 2019. Brexit supporters protest opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, Jan. 15, 2019.

Why does she persist as prime minister, deciding even to forgo the chance to get out after the historic defeat on Tuesday? She certainly has stamina, despite battling Diabetes 1. Grant Shapps, a former Conservative Party chairman, who once tried to organize a coup against her, recently noted how she thrives on danger and can operate when its fairly high on the scale. He added: she operates at the upper end of that scale almost every day of her life and, remarkably, walks out at the other end.

But the last few weeks of Brexit turmoil, with May enduring a merry-go-round of rebuffs and plots, has begun to tell on the British leader. One commentator likened her recent appearances in the Commons to that of a martyr. She looked stony, eyelids lowered like the statue of some early Christian martyr, wrote novelist Allison Pearson in the Daily Telegraph. Her enemies may have unleashed their arrows into her, but St Theresa forges on, bloodied but unbowed, she added.

Although not meant kindly, Pearsons observation does provide one clue to what makes May tick, agree aides. Like Germanys equally dogged leader Angela Merkel, May is the daughter of a clergyman, and she remains a devout church-goer. May has said that her Christian faith is part of me. It is part of who I am and therefore how I approach things.

She has spoken glowingly of her fathers devotion and dutifulness to parishioners. One of her favorite hymns is on the subject of Crucifixion, Isaac Watts When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, a canticle that embraces sacrifice and duty and rejects pride.

Even her political foes, some half-heartedly, praise her conscientiousness. The bit I most admire about Theresa May is her determination to do her duty as she perceives it and that does not include running away, said rebel Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, an arch-Brexiter.

After the 2017 election setback, May did contemplate resignation, say aides. But her sense of duty again kicked in. She told Conservative lawmakers she accepted responsibility for the setback, adding, Im the one who got us into this mess and Im the one who will get us out of it.

Others worry, however, that her conscientiousness can too often slide into single-minded obduracy  a pride-based character flaw that blinds her to circumstances and leads her  they say, to insist her way is the only right way.

The EU and British flags are seen at the demonstra The EU and British flags are seen at the demonstrations area near the parliament building in London, Britain, Jan. 16, 2019. The EU and British flags are seen at the demonstrations area near the parliament building in London, Britain, Jan. 16, 2019.

In 2016, Ken Clarke, a veteran politician, who served in five cabinet roles including home secretary and chancellor, was caught in an unguarded moment in a television studio complaining to a fellow Conservative about how May is a bloody difficult woman. He added: She is too narrow.

Obduracy in some circumstances can be an essential quality for a leader  think Winston Churchill in 1940, who rejected naysayers in his war cabinet pleading with him to sue for negotiations with Nazi Germany. But in the current divided circumstances of the country, pertinacity, critics of May say, isnt enough on its own. In Britain, Mays robotic statements have earned her the nickname Maybot.

Her authority has gone, yet she still thinks she is the only person who can find a way out of a mess that she has created herself, complained journalist Philip Johnston in a recently commentary. True, she inherited a set of difficult circumstances, but at almost every turn she had made a wrong call, he added.

Among those wrong calls, say critics, is failing to reach out across party lines to try to shape a Brexit deal that can attract a parliamentary majority. Former ministers from the Cabinets of Margaret Thatcher, Ken Clarke and Chris Patten, have urged her to rethink and put Britains exit from the bloc on hold in order for a consensus to be hammered out.

Others say she is as much trapped on the Brexit merry-go-round as the country.

Some of the mess we are in is of Mays own making. But she is also trapped in it. She isnt someone who turns tail. But she cant walk away even if she wanted to. She saw off a party mutiny in December only because none of her possible replacements wanted to end up holding the poisoned chalice of Brexit, said an aide.SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - Relations between South Korea and Japan continue to sour as a pair of diplomatic disputes creates a renewed strain on bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo.

However, analysts tell VOA that the crisis facing the East Asian nations stems from long-standing, unresolved issues that could ultimately affect how the countries interact on regional security issues.

Keeho Yang, a professor at the Department of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, traces the current downward trend in bilateral ties to 2012, when then-President Lee Myung-bak visited Dok-do, a small set of islets also claimed by Japan and referred to as Takeshima.

There have been no significant changes in the two countries relationship, since then, he said. Its bad.

Victims of Japan's forced labor and their family m FILE- Victims of Japan's forced labor and their family members arrive at the Supreme Court in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2018. The sign reads " Mitsubishi Heavy Industries apologize and compensate victims." FILE- Victims of Japan's forced labor and their family members arrive at the Supreme Court in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2018. The sign reads " Mitsubishi Heavy Industries apologize and compensate victims."

Currently, both governments are embroiled in a tit-for-tat exchange over whether a South Korean naval vessel targeted a Japanese Self Defense Force fighter with fire-control radar last month and Seoul looking to seize the assets of Japanese companies following a recent court decision that requiring the firms to compensate forced laborers during World War II.

Disputes impact on regional issues

Despite the discussions taking place between Seoul and Tokyo to resolve the issue of asset seizure and military interactions, Yang doesnt see the disputes affecting how the two governments communicate or work together to maintain regional security.

The Japanese government endorsed the Panmunjom declaration. So two governments share the same view on denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Yang said.

FILE - A man watches a TV screen showing file foot FILE - A man watches a TV screen showing file footages of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, March 27, 2018. FILE - A man watches a TV screen showing file footages of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, March 27, 2018.

The Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam Universitys Cho Jin-goo also agreed that Tokyos support for North Koreas denuclearization is important, but if the current disagreements cant be resolved in a relatively short period of time, it could affect larger issues.

So the longer the dispute lasts, the worse the relationship [between Seoul and Tokyo] will get, Cho said.

When you look at what actually goes on between the two countries, economically, tourist-wise, militarily ... it doesnt really change all that much. But its not as good as it should be, said Grant Newsham, a senior research fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. Particularly on the military front.

He sees the current cycle of good and bad relations between Seoul and Tokyo continuing for the foreseeable future.

Yang recommends both governments continue to work together to resolve the ongoing differences and for the leaders to meet to establish forward-looking relations.

Ongoing radar row

South Korea and Japan met in Singapore Monday to discuss a Dec. 20 incident involving a radar lock between a South Korean warship and a Japanese P-1 maritime patrol aircraft.

Seoul requested that Tokyo apologize for the aircraft flying low and possibly posing a threat against its vessel, which was on a humanitarian operation.

Japan disputes South Koreas version of events, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Seoul to put in place procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In this image made from video released, Dec. 28, 2 In this image made from video released, Dec. 28, 2018, by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, a South Korean naval warship is seen as it allegedly locks its fire-control radar on a Japanese warplane, Dec. 21, 2018, in the disputed waters north of Japan. In this image made from video released, Dec. 28, 2018, by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, a South Korean naval warship is seen as it allegedly locks its fire-control radar on a Japanese warplane, Dec. 21, 2018, in the disputed waters north of Japan.

In addition, Japanese media reports that Tokyos defense ministry summoned the South Korean military attache to lodge a formal complaint and demanded a retraction of Seouls claim.

South Koreas defense ministry said Japan failed in those talks to provide definitive evidence backing its claim.

Japan did not disclose the radar frequency data that it has about our warship, which is a smoking gun, and instead only asked for information from South Korea. Such a demand is extremely rude and unacceptable, said ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun Soo.

She further told reporters Tokyos request indicated a lack of desire on Japans part to resolve the matter.

Both sides are expected to continue to hold discussions on the matter.Click here to log in and see all of our other subscription options for the Mesabi Tribune, including online only & auto-renewal subscriptions.The FLEGT-VPA will ensure that Vietnamese exports comply with the EUs strict quality requirements, Photo: Le Toan

Heidi Hautala, Vice President of the European Parliament, told VIR during her working visit to Vietnam last week that the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA) will turn Vietnam into a more attractive investment spot for European investment.

The VPA process and implementation will increase the confidence of European investors in Vietnams business environment. This will help Vietnam attract more investment from the EU, which is already increasing now, she said.

Currently, European consumers and enterprises have a growing demand for imported wood products whose production and origins are transparent, she said. This will further prompt European investors to come to Vietnam to implement projects directly and co-operate with local partners in exports. I see many European businesses plan to expand business and investment into Vietnam.

Figures from Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment show that as of December 20, 2018, European investors had 2,194 valid projects worth $24.3 billion in Vietnam.

Hautalas visit to Vietnam was aimed to discuss the countrys preparation for the implementation of the VPA (see box for details) which is focused on fighting illegal logging and associated trade. The proper implementation of the VPA, the second that the EU concluded with an Asian partner after Indonesia, will also facilitate discussions on the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The VPA will help improve forest governance, address illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products from Vietnam to the EU and other markets, Hautala said.

Preventing illegal logging

" The VPA will help Vietnam export its wood products directly to European markets without any intermediary markets. "  Ha Cong Tuan Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

After six years of negotiation, the FLEGT-VPA was signed by the EU and Vietnam on October 19, 2018 in Brussels. Before it can come into force, each side is required to ratify it in line with their internal procedures. In the EU, the VPA needs to get the consent of the European Parliament before it is submitted to the Council of the European Union for approval. In Vietnam, the VPA is an international treaty that will be signed on behalf of the government.

Vietnam has approved an action plan for the implementation of the VPA, including the development of legal documents and the strengthening of independent monitoring by non-governmental organisations, industry associations, and relevant stakeholders in the VPA implementation process.

Once the VPA is fully operational, all timber and timber products arriving to the EU from Vietnam will carry a FLEGT licence issued by Vietnam.

To help the FLEGT-VPA become effective immediately after it takes effect, Vietnam has created mechanisms and policies in conformity with the pact. Notably, the Forestry Law, which will come into effect on January 1, 2019, includes commitments under the FLEGT-VPA, according to deputy director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry Pham Van Dien.

Products covered by the VPA include all products named by the EU regulation establishing the FLEGT licensing scheme which outlines the minimum requirements for VPAs, such as logs, sawn timber, railway sleepers, plywood, and veneer.

In addition to the minimum requirements of the product scope of a VPA, the VPA will also cover other timber products such as wood chips or particles, parquet flooring, particle board, and wooden furniture.

Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, told VIR that Vietnam exports indoor and outdoor products to 28 European nations, not timber materials.

All these products are closely controlled in terms of quality and origin. They are not produced from lumber exploited from natural or tropical forests, he said. The VPA will help Vietnam export its wood products directly to European markets without any intermediary markets.

Nguyen Ton Quyen, vice chairman of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association, told VIR that the VPA will enable Vietnam to raise its export turnover from the EU to more than $1 billion a year, from about $800 million in 2018.

From January 2019, to implement the VPA, Vietnam and the EU will also begin to implement a roadmap to reduce import tariffs on their respective wood products.

Vietnam is one of the worlds leading wood processing and exporting countries with an export turnover of $8 billion in 2017 and more than $9 billion in 2018.

Enforcing the VPA

According to Hautala, Vietnam is a promising partner for the EU to boost co-operation in wood exports. The two sides have reached great consensus about the VPA. What is important now is how to implement the deal.

According to her, this VPA is a very important building block in the EUs wider strategy to promote biodiversity and sustainable development in Asia and to fight illegal logging and associated trade.

Vietnam has committed to adopting legislation to ensure only legally produced timber is imported to its market. This system based on a due diligence for importers can be considered a major achievement of the VPA, she said. Vietnam should make all efforts to ensure that the due diligence obligations are not reduced to a tick the box exercise. The European Parliament follows preparatory work regarding the implementation of the VPA in Vietnam. The country also made commitments in this area in the framework of the EVFTA. Proper implementation of the VPA will therefore facilitate fruitful discussions on the EVFTA.

According to Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam affirms the highest efforts and determination of the government and timber processing and exporting enterprises to fulfil commitments outlined in the VPA in order to develop a timber processing industry using legal and sustainable timber materials.

About 45 per cent of Vietnams land area is forested, and the country has a key role in processing in the Southeast Asian timber sector. Vietnam imports timber from 80 countries, with the main suppliers including Cambodia, Laos, China, the US, and Malaysia. Timber from local plantations is increasingly used in producing timber products and for exporting woodchip. Vietnams wooden furniture exports mainly target environmentally-conscious markets in the EU, the US, and Japan.Developing the infrastructure system was identified one of three breakthroughs in Vietnams socio-economic development strategy, besides institution reforms and human resource development. - Photo baogiaothong.vn

Speaking at a workshop on infrastructure development, financing and governance in Asia, Thang said the Vietnamese Government had paid special attention to promoting private investment, especially via the public-private partnership (PPP) model, in recent years.

He cited statistics that Vietnam has attracted 147 PPP projects worth a total VND1.14 quadrillion (US$52 billion), contributing significantly to improving infrastructure in the country.

Private investment has been and will continue to be an important resource in the future, given the limited Government budget for public investment, Thang stressed.

Developing the infrastructure system was identified one of three breakthroughs in Vietnams socio-economic development strategy, besides institutional reforms and human resource development.

However, Vietnam still faces several challenges in the process.

Thang pointed out that because the size of the economy was not large and resource accumulation ability was limited, maintaining a high level of investment from the State budget would put pressure on the macro-balance and overall development.

In addition, Vietnam is a middle-income country, meaning low-cost loans from foreign countries for infrastructure would be scarce and the country must borrow at higher rates.

Efforts were also needed in institutional reforms to improve the investment climate and raise private resources for infrastructure, Thang stressed. Other challenges included the lack of a proper mechanism for implementing PPP projects, such as providing guarantees for investors and risk sharing mechanisms.

As several large infrastructure projects are underway in Vietnam, such as the North-South Expressway, Long Thanh International Airport and high-speed North-South railway as well as climate-change adaptation irrigation projects, Vietnam needs to complete a legal framework for attracting private investment.

Thang said at the workshops sideline interview that a law on PPP was being compiled and was set to be passed in 2020, a move expected to create a firm legal framework to attract private capital, from both domestic and foreign investors, to develop infrastructure.

In addition, the Government hopes to enhance the transparency of PPP projects to attract capital, Thang said.

According to Kunio Umedia, ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, Vietnam needs to find different resources to finance infrastructure development projects.

He said Japan pledged to support Vietnam in infrastructure development, urging the Vietnamese Government to improve public debt management and use capital more efficiently.

All infrastructure development projects must be managed properly to improve economic efficiency, he added.

At the workshop, participants also discussed PPP trends in Asia, frameworks for better PPP governance and recommendations for Vietnam to enhance infrastructure investment efficiency.

Also on the agenda of two-day VEF, which was organised by the Central Economic Commission and the International Monetary Fund, is a high-level policy dialogue about Vietnams economy 2018 in review and plans for 2019  strengthening the fundamental drivers for rapid and sustainable growth, which will take place today.

In addition, experts also discussed climate change adaptation and energy security for sustainable development and digital economy development in the context of Industry 4.0.

VEF has been held annually from 2017 to provide a valuable and timely exchange platform for various stakeholders including the Government, policymakers, academics, businesses and international organisations to debate initiatives, practices and trends for sustainable development.Vietnams tourism and people in general suffered shocking news at the end of 2018 as a roadside bomb detonated near a bus as it crossed Al-Haram district, close to the well-known pyramids in Giza. The explosion killed three Vietnamese people and their Egyptian guide, while another 12 inflicted severe injuries.

Shortly after the incident, Saigontourist Travel Service Company, the agency operating the Egypt tour, immediately worked with Bao Viet Insurance Corporation on the insurance benefits of the tourists. As announced by Bao Viet, those killed in the bomb attack will receive the maximum life insurance coverage amount of VND2.4 billion ($104,350), while the company will also support expenditure to complete procedures to take the bodies of the three victims home and organise funeral services.

For the injured people receiving treatment in the North African country, the company will continue working with Egyptian hospitals to return them home as soon as possible. Each will be granted the maximum medical fee of VND2.4 billion ($104,350), and return tickets to Egypt will also be provided to the families of injured tourists staying at an Egyptian hospital.

The tragedy has contributed to raising the awareness of travellers and tour operators in terms of safety and security. Despite being a compulsory policy when going to a number of countries, travel insurance seems to be unfamiliar to the majority of travellers, especially those who are on a self-planned tour. A week after the bomb attack, more and more tourists have been showing interest in travel insurance, and the benefits.

Travellers are paying more attention to insurance cover

The second passport

Considering its importance, if a passport is compulsory to start any journey, travel insurance can act as a so-called second passport to ensure ones security. It is often called the amulet of globetrotters when any unfortunate incident occurs.

Travel insurance is intended to cover medical expenses, trip cancellations, lost luggage, flight accidents and other losses incurred while travelling. In accordance with the Travel Law, all travel abroad through agencies is required to ensure global travel insurance throughout the trip.

For individuals or organisations travelling on their own, insurance is not compulsory but follows the regulations of each country. However the perception of tourists, especially Vietnamese tourists is still limited. Most Vietnamese tourists only buy travel insurance to meet visa requirements or for elderly people on tour. According to research by insurance companies, currently, only about 30 per cent of Vietnamese people buy travel insurance, with the remainder not doing so because they are not aware of the benefits or simply want to cut down on expenses, even though insurance purchase accounts for around only one per cent of the total cost of the trip.

Some travel companies only organise insurance for their tourists at a minimum, and therefore travellers are not fully supported with many things excluded that ensures compensation is not a large amount. In line with the GoBear comparison website, the average daily cost of travel abroad is about VND40,000-80,000 ($1.7-3.4) per person, depending on the value of insurance package and the benefits. For domestic tours, the lowest insurance for an individual costs only VND1,500 ($0.06) a day but they can receive the maximum compensation when an accident occurs of VND10 million ($435). Higher levels of insurance such as VND3,000 ($0.12) or VND 4,500 ($0.19) per person per day will offer higher compensation. Overseas tours require higher and different travel insurance fees depending on the destination and travel time.

Nguyen Hong Van, director of Viet Image Inter Travel Co., Ltd. in Lao Cai province said that in the process of organising Vietnam tours for the main customers, usually Chinese people, companies always include the travel insurance package into the tour as a mandatory requirement with a value of VND6,000 ($0.26) per person per day. When there is any unexpected problems arising, visitors will receive the compensation of VND30 million ($1,304).

Van also recommends that visitors should carefully read the insurance regulations and limits, asking questions if they do not fully understand. Being well aware of the importance of travel insurance, many travellers are now preparing themselves for the self-security by buying voluntary travel insurance for their self-planned tours.

Que Chi from Hanoi, said that every time she prepares to go abroad, even if it is a short trip, she will buy travel insurance to prevent unexpected events. Insurance costs are not expensive, only for a few hundred more, but in return, I am buying safety for myself, Que Chi said.

According to a survey by Saigontourist about the demands of visitors, until now, one of the top five issues that tourists are concerned about when travelling is insurance. Understanding this, a series of travel firms such as Saigontourist, Ben Thanh Tourist, TST Tourist, and Vietnam Tourism Media have continuously harnessed insurance services to attract tourists and improve the practical value of the tour itinerary. These insurance packages will be well advised by the staff when booking tours with insurance benefit limits ranging from several dollars to thousands of dollars per person, depending on the travel agency.

Tourists should book a tour at a big-name travel agency to ensure that their trip is reliable. In case of a self-planned tour, you can look for reference information directly from domestic and international insurance brands to be instructed to buy individual packages for only about VND300,000-500,000 ($13-21.7) per person, while the benefits they grant is up to some thousands of dollars, tourism expert Dang Thanh Nhi said.The private sector is considered one of the top priorities for boosting the countrys economy even further into 2019, Photo: Huu Tuan

On January 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued resolutions No.01 and No.02 on the main duties and solutions to carry out the socioeconomic development plan, improve the investment and trading environment, and strengthen competitiveness among enterprises.

One of the key points of the resolutions is the governments commitment to creating a more level playing field for all businesses in the economy to perform, following international practices, via a series of sturdy solutions.

The government is targeting one million businesses by 2020, the majority of which would be private, with startups also developing strongly.

Continuously developing the private sector in accordance with the resolution of the fifth meeting of the 12th Party Central Committee on developing the private sector into one of the important propellants of the socialist-oriented market-based economy, we will continue providing the private sector with the most favourable conditions, loans, credit, land, human resources, and market information, PM Phuc stated.

Alongside this, solutions must be taken to further connect the private sector with foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in developing supporting industries and hi-tech applications, he added.

He assigned ministries and localities to devise measures to support the private sector, which is seen as one of the four key drivers of the economy, according to Vinanomics, an economic policy framework book launched in December by the World Bank and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

We should promote the dynamic role of the private sector. This is one of the important tools to create competition and flexibility for the economy in the changeable context of the international economy and technology, PM Phuc told the Vietnam Reform and Development Forum, where Vinanomics was launched.

A national pride

" We are proud to have been strongly developing private groups with huge works and projects which can create breakthroughs in the future. "  Nguyen Xuan Phuc Prime Minister

Over the past few years, the private sector has been strongly developing and contributing remarkably to national socioeconomic development. For example on December 30, Van Don International Airport in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh was officially launched by privately-owned Sun Group. The first commercial flight also landed there, marking an important milestone for the Vietnamese aviation industry. It is the first private airport in Vietnam to be built in only two years with the total investment of VND7.7 trillion ($334.8 million).

Previously in September 2018, car manufacturer VinFast, an arm of Vingroup, introduced its two car concepts at the Paris Motor Show, one of the biggest vehicle events in the world. This not only flabbergasted the Vietnamese people but also attracted the international media. The company plans to begin manufacturing in March 2019, only six months after the debut of the concept version.

Sun Group and Vingroup are typical of Vietnams private groups moving forward.

Talking about the big contributions of the private sector, PM Phuc added, We are proud to have strongly developing private groups with huge works and projects which can create breakthroughs in the future. Many businesses have overcome difficulties, make the impossible possible, and joining the global value chain.

Many startups have been performing well, with their novel ideas closely pertaining to Industry 4.0, and they have been financed by domestic and international investment funds. This could lay a firm groundwork for the economy to attract and apply high and digital technologies, he said.

According to fresh statistics by the MPI, last year the private sector created 43.22 per cent of the GDP, and held 43.3 per cent of the economys development capital, up 18.5 per cent on-year. The private sector also employs 85 per cent of Vietnams labour force.

Meanwhile, a booklet titled Vietnam private sector  Productivity and prosperity, recently released by the Australian government and the Mekong Business Initiative, stated, The private sector has been a key contributor to Vietnams economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. It has also helped improve peoples living conditions, while ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth in Vietnam. Excluding household businesses, domestic and foreign private enterprises create about 557,000 new jobs on average per year.

Bottlenecks

Besides big private companies like Vingroup or Sun Group, nearly all of Vietnams more than 600,000 operational businesses are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and household businesses.

They are now bogged down in difficulties, especially in terms of capital, one of the most necessary conditions for businesses to improve competitiveness. This comes especially when new-generation free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the EU-Vietnam FTA take effect this year.

Working in the field of electrical equipment and automatic systems, domestically-invested ELAS Company in Hanoi has always had high demand for bank loans. However, the current lending rate is prohibitively high for the company. We are borrowing bank loans at an annual rate of 7.5-9.5 per cent, which is very high compared to the average of 0.5-3 per cent in other countries, ELAS director Vu Van Tu told VIR.

In comparison, the highest lending rate in China is nearly 5 per cent, while in European countries, the US, and Japan, the rate is between zero and 2 per cent.

Although the government and the central bank have established pro-business credit funds, the majority of SMEs still find it hard to access loans from the funds, Tu said.

In another case, privately-owned Minh Tam Trading Co., Ltd., specialising in agricultural product exports in Hanoi, is struggling to stay afloat.

We almost have no property to use as bank collateral, and we have no title deed for the land of our factory, so it cannot be used to mortgage, said company director Nguyen Van Huong.

According to a recent report of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), about 30 per cent of SMEs borrow 3 per cent of the total loans in the economy. The Doing Business 2018 report by the World Bank showed that Vietnams credit access rate in 2018 ranked 29th out of 190 surveyed economies.

In addition to capital shortages, many SMEs are currently hit by woes in tax issues, which is among many other obstacles facing them.

Currently, corporate income tax (CIT) in Vietnam is 20 per cent but respective rates in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia are 17, 15, and 12.5 per cent. Thus, the Vietnamese CIT is undermining the competitiveness of Vietnamese businesses, said To Hoai Nam, vice chairman of the Vietnam Association of Small- and Medium- Sized Enterprises.

PM Phuc cited a VCCI survey stating that the rate of businesses giving unofficial payment to customs agencies was 56.4 per cent in 2016 and 53 per cent in 2017, which is quite high. If businesses have to pay VND1 million ($34.47) as bribery for the customs clearance of a container of goods, they would lose hundreds of millions of US dollars a year. This unofficial payment will kill businesses, he said.

One of the other biggest obstacles of the private sector, especially under the impact of Industry 4.0, is the lack of skilled employees. With only 40 per cent of Vietnamese labourers being trained, this is a disadvantage for Vietnams enterprises in general and the private sector in particular.

The current labour force of Vietnam can satisfy the demand of Industry 2.5 or 3.0, not 4.0, Mac Van Tien, senior specialist from the National Institute for Vocational Training, told VIR.

Thus it is hoped that with new policies in favour of the private sector in 2019, it can more easily develop and play a bigger role in the wider economy.Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith Photo: VNA

At the 41th session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee in Hanoi on January 6, co-chaired by Vietnamese and Laos prime ministers Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Thongloun Sisoulith, both leaders stated that their governments will boost the implementation of Vietnamese projects in Laos and vice versa, especially those in hydropower, air and seaports, electricity, and infrastructure.

Another focus will also be placed on speeding up the implementation of delayed Vietnamese projects in the neighbouring country.

According to a bilateral co-operation plan for 2019 signed between the two governments, The two nations will further facilitate Vietnamese investors into Laos and Laotian investors into Vietnam to seek investment opportunities and deploy their projects. Priorities will be given to enterprises of both nations in implementing projects in areas along the borderline.

" In the co-operation plan, the Vietnamese side committed to continue facilitating Laos to export and import goods via all seaports across the country. "

The Lao government will continue creating incentives and favourable conditions to Vietnams key projects in remote and difficult areas of Laos, and will also consider and review all regulations and mechanisms about time frames for Vietnamese investments into the hydropower and mining sectors.

Both nations also agreed to further co-operate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to mobilise the Japanese government to support the feasibility study and finance the project of the Hanoi-Vientiane expressway, with a focus to be laid on constructing the Vientiane-Paksan-Thanh Thuy section which meets the central Vietnamese province of Nghe An.

The two governments also agreed to complete negotiations and sign a deal on constructing a railway connecting Vientiane and Nghe Ans Vung Ang Seaport. They will also boost the implementation of an agreement on developing three wharfs at the seaport.

A few years ago, the two countries inked an agreement on using this port, with the establishment in 2011 of the Lao-Viet International Port JSC in charge of using the ports three wharfs to transport goods to Laos. Wharfs one and two became operational in 2001 and 2010 respectively. Meanwhile the third is under construction and expected to be put in operation this year. A further three will be constructed in the near future by both local and foreign businesses.

The Vietnamese side committed that it will continue facilitating Laos to export and import goods via all seaports of Vietnam. Total two-way trade hit over $1 billion in 2018, up 14 per cent on-year.

According to statistics from the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, at present, Laos has licensed 409 Vietnamese projects, with the total registered capital of $4.1 billion, making Vietnam the third-largest foreign investor in the neighbouring nation, after China and Thailand.

However, Vietnams investment into Laos seems to be slowing down, with the total disbursed sum being about only $1.9 billion so far. A number of investment projects, especially key ones in the sectors of hydropower, mining, and rubber plantation, are bogged down in difficulties.

Both governments have also agreed to combine closely to remove these obstacles and boost the implementation of Nongkhang Airport in Houaphan province. Construction of the $80 million project, invested by Vietnams Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group, began in 2013 and was expected to last two years. However, complexities have slowed down the project.

Nevertheless, many major Vietnamese projects have come into good operation in Laos, such as the Xekaman 1 hydropower plant, Muong Thanh Vientiane Hotel, Viettels telecommunications plan, Ha Dos Nong Tha urban area, ventures by Lao-Vietnam Bank, Vietcombank, VietinBank, Sacombank, and a number of projects by Vietnam Rubber Industry Group and Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

In 2018, Vietnam licensed eight projects to be invested in Laos, with the total registered capital of $95 million, up 2.6 times against 2017.

In October 2018 the planning and investment ministries of both nations reviewed all Vietnamese investment projects in Laos, and they have also reported to the two prime ministers, asking them to direct relevant ministries and agencies to solve difficulties facing investors. The Vietnamese side has also sent documents to investors, requiring them to obey all regulations and laws of Laos, and implement all their commitments with the Lao government.

Vietnams investments in Laos are focused largely in the hydropower sector, with the total capital of $1.47 billion or 29.4 per cent of Vietnams total investments in Laos, followed by the service and infrastructure sector at over $1 billion (20 per cent), mining at $970 million (19.4 per cent), agri-forestry at $903.5 million (18 per cent), as well as other sectors such as property, and finance and banking.Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Participants at the event agreed Vietnam has high demand for energy for economic activities, industrial development and urbanisation, so sustainable energy development is a must.

Celilia Strandberg from the Berlin-based Renewables Academy AG (RENAC) and Ron Hendrik Peesel from the Kassel University said Germanys technologies can help meet Vietnams demand for energy development.

German enterprises also affirmed their willingness to cooperate with Vietnam in sustainable energy development and energy management.

On the same day, GIC/AHK Vietnam, in collaboration with the German Machine Tool Builders' Association and Deutsche Mess AG, held a press conference on the EMO Hannover 2019 industrial tech trade fair, scheduled for September 16-21 in Hannover, Germany.

At the event, Vietnamese businesses will be provided with opportunities to gain better access to the Fourth Industrial Revolutions trends and seek ties with foreign partners, as nearly 1,800 enterprises from 41 countries and territories across five continents have registered to join the event so far.People demonstrate in favor of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman outside the Mexican foreign ministry. (Photo: AFP/Pedro Pardo)

Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian who is now collaborating with US prosecutors in the Chapo trial, made the statement under examination from defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman.

"Mr Guzman paid a bribe of $100 million to President Pena Nieto?" the lawyer asked.

"That is right," Cifuentes responded, although later he said he was not sure of the exact amount.

"The message was that Mr Guzman didn't have to stay in hiding?" the lawyer asked.

Cifuentes said yes, that is what Guzman told him.

Cifuentes said he worked with the kingpin from 2007 until being arrested in 2013 and at first even lived with him for two years in the mountains of Mexico's Sinaloa region for two years.

Guzman is accused of smuggling more than 155 tonnes of cocaine into the United States over a period of 25 years. If convicted, the 61-year-old could spend the rest of his life behind bars in a maximum security US prison.

When the Chapo trial began in November, Lichtman argued that Guzman was the scapegoat of corrupt Mexican governments, turncoat colleagues and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

When the defense made those arguments, Pena Nieto was still president and his office denied the charges. He was replaced in November by the newly elected Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

In Mexico, Francisco Guzman, who was chief of staff to Pena Nieto, on Tuesday rejected the allegations from the Colombian, Cifuentes.

"The statements by the Colombian drug trafficker in New York are false, defamatory and absurd," said Guzman.With a number of trade pacts set to come into force, Vietnam is expected to recieve a major lift in the transport and logistics industries thanks to lower tariffs and increased investment, Photo: Le Toan

Fabian Wandt, country manager of Lazada eLogistics, said that there have been tremendous changes in the field over the past few years with more new players and an increasing volume of parcels. Foreign influx continues to pour into the Vietnamese market from major corporations such as Alibaba and JD.com.

Online sales are not only driven by marketplaces like Lazada, Tiki, and others, but also fuelled by e-retailers on social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Zalo.

According to Wandt, the market will continue to remain fragmented in the next few years, given that nobody is ready to take over completely at the moment. E-commerce platforms are mainly subsidising to grow a customer base.

However, Wandt predicted that giants like Amazon will finally make inroads regionally and spark further competition in the next half-decade or later. Indeed, there has been more tension for e-commerce logistics, especially same-day delivery services, due to the ongoing expansion of groups such as Grab Express, Go-Jeks Go-Send, and Lalamove.

Indo Trans Logistics (ITL) has developed a dedicated last-mile logistics unit named Speedlink. According to ITL CEO Amanda Rasmussen, more companies who are operating in the traditional base might expand to e-commerce channels, thereby creating additional demand for e-logistics. Furthermore, cross-border e-commerce will continue to grow tremendously.

Thus, ITL has switched the development strategy of Speedlink to capitalise on the opportunities in the flourishing market. Along with serving online merchants on local marketplaces, the firm also launched inbound business to customer (B2C) solutions and began to implement outbound services for foreign companies like AliExpress.

According to a report by Indian market research firm Ken Research, Vietnams e-commerce logistics market is expected to reach over $990 million by 2022. The market is primarily dominated by third party logistics providers such as Giaohangnhanh, Viettel Post, VN Post, and DHL eCommerce, followed by merchants such as Lazada, Shopee, Tiki, and others. The surge in cross-border online trading activities is one of the major driving forces affecting the Vietnamese e-commerce industry.

" Giants like Amazon will finally make inroads regionally and spark further competition in the next half-decade or later. There has been tension due to the ongoing expansion of groups in the sector. " Fabian Wadt Country manager, Lazada eLogistics

Cross-border trade

Major trade pacts such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with further tariff cuts involved, will provide a boon to Vietnams transport and logistics industry.

As part of the plan, the EVFTA will lower tariff barriers and recognise the investor-state dispute mechanism. Such changes are expected to bring an influx of investment into Vietnam as well as promoting bilateral trade between the country and the continent.

In 2016, global shipping and logistics company Herfurth Group signed a memorandum of understanding with state-run Vinalines to establish a logistics centre in Belgium, so as to facilitate trade and logistics operations in advance of the EVFTA.

In addition, the SWITCH-Asia Programme of the EU has provided funds worth 2.4 million ($2.76 million) to the sustainable freight transport and logistics project in the Mekong Delta region which runs from February 2016 until this month. After three years, more than 100 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Vietnamese transport sector have participated in project activities. As a result, the companies have been able to improve fuel consumption savings by 11.7 per cent per 100 kilometres for heavy-duty empty trucks, and 11.4 per cent per 100km for heavy-duty loaded trucks.

Tom Corrie, deputy head of co-operation at the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, said that Vietnam is deemed as one of the EUs key partners in the region. Therefore, the EU is committed to upgrading transportation business to boost green freight and logistics in Vietnam.

He noted that the movement of freight increased by 75 per cent in the past three years, and exports of goods in the region almost tripled in the same period. The figures are expected to surge once the EVFTA comes into force.

Furthermore, the implementation of the ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA (AHKFTA) this month may increase demand for certain consumer goods and logistic services.

Speaking at a symposium held in Ho Chi Minh City in September 2018, Anthony Lau chairman of Pacific Air (Hong Kong) Limited said that the AHKFTA will strengthen the role of Hong Kong as a gateway for Vietnamese companies to enter the Chinese market. Meanwhile, Vietnam will become a transshipment hub for Hong Kong products to other Southeast Asian countries. He also lauded the fast-paced development of Vietnams aviation industry over the past decade with bright prospects for growth in the next two decades. Domestic carriers like Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet hold the largest market share. Vietjet in particular has recorded impressive growth after a few years of operation. Thus, he expressed hopes to make a deeper penetration into the Vietnamese market by opening a subsidiary in the country.2018 was a rocky year for build-transfer initiatives after an eight-month halt in order to review procedures, Photo: Le Toan

On December 31, 2018, the government issued Resolution No.160/NQ-CP, setting targets for improving business environment and national competitiveness through to 2021. It is aimed to regulate the use of public assets to make payment for investors involving build-transfer (BT) infrastructure development.

A representative of Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment JSC (CII), which has many projects implemented under the BT format, told VIR that even though the delays had not impacted CIIs current projects, it did make staff worried about the companys fate. The management board posted the breakthrough decision to permit developers to continue their projects on our website, so that staff can know about this very good news, the representative said.

Representatives from other developers that have BT projects such as LICOGI16, Hai Phat Invest and Van Phu Invest, are waiting for further guidance from local authorities to continue their projects.

Doan Hoa Thuan, general director of Hai Phat Invest, said that the company is working with its partners to review all current BT projects as well as focussing more on other methods of investment, such as mergers and acquisitions.

Industry experts meanwhile appreciated that the resolution had proven the motivation of the government to attract private capital investment into infrastructure system development.

" This is a very good decision...on-track projects must be allowed to continue. " Le Hoang Chau Chairman, Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association

Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, said the reason for halting BT projects was to review and select ventures which were given to developers without bidding and auction.

This is a very good decision, Chau said. Looking at current BT projects, they are combined projects across all stages  those that have been handed over to buyers; those under construction; those transferred to secondary buyers; and projects in which buyers had been given the red book already. On-track projects must be allowed to continue.

Meanwhile Dang Dinh Dao, former rector of the Institute for Development and Economic Researching at the Hanoi Economic Institute, affirmed that the move presents a motivation from the government in solving wrong-doing in BT projects. Projects which were revealed to have problems will be revoked and taken into public auction, Dao said.

As per the resolution, specifically BT construction contracts which were signed before January 1, 2018 but with payments yet to be completed will continue following the law effective at signing time, ensuring compliance with the law on management and use of public assets.

For contracts signed after January 1, 2018 which have the terms of use of public assets for payment, ministries and local departments, are requested to review contracts to ensure compliance of the law on use of public assets in 2017 and other relevant laws on land. In the case that content complies with the law, the payment will continue to follow the provisions stipulated in the BT contract. If not, it must be negotiated and adjusted.

For BT projects that have completed investor selection in accordance with the law before the resolution takes effect, but contracts have yet to be signed, the competent authorities will conduct negotiations and sign BT contracts to ensure compliance with the law on management and use of public assets in 2017 and laws on land and the state budget.

BT infrastructure investment in exchange for public land is one of the two main types of public-private partnership, a channel to mobilise investment capital from the private sector. The other type is the build-operate-transfer model.

With the increasing demand to develop infrastructure in the country in the context that the government budget is limited, BT is a favoured method to improve the infrastructure system as well as other public facilities. However in March 2018, the Ministry of Finance ordered localities to stop using public assets to pay BT investors until a governmental decree took effect.

Before the resolution was issued, BT infrastructure projects attracted heavy criticism, most notably for a lack of transparency, which is said to lead to a higher risk of corruption. Local authorities ultimately had to give up many land lots, including several hectares in prime locations, for private project developers, causing a lack of land for the city and many concerns over wastefulness.

Auditors and land management experts are sceptical about the efficiency and transparency of projects carried out under BT contracts, after many suffered long delays and major problems along the way.

BT refers to the practice of giving land to investors who pledge to build infrastructure. The format was introduced to Vietnam in the early 1990s, when localities across the country lacked funds for developing infrastructure.Vice Chairman of the Da Nang Peoples Committee Le Trung Chinh addresses the workshop on January 16 (Photo: VNA)

It was attended by representatives of the Department of Child Affairs at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs; the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); World Bank; and Vietnamese and foreign non-profit organisations.

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), launched in 1996 by UNICEF, has been carried out in 31 countries to address challenges to the implementation of childrens rights. It promotes relevant sides efforts to build child-friendly communities.

Da Nang authorities reported that with the assistance of international organisations, the city has invested resources in child affairs. With all communes, wards, and districts in Da Nang now assigned workers in charge of child affairs, there is a total of 1,000 child care coordinators across the city. All local schools have student support teams. The city has also provided monthly financial aid for nearly 2,000 children with disadvantages.

However, it also admitted that child support services remain modest, and the number of underprivileged children and those at risk of suffering from disadvantages is on the rise. Meanwhile, violence in schools, child neglect, and problems in ensuring safety for children in cyber space still persist.

Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Le Trung Chinh said Da Nang will push ahead with programmes and action plans to turn it into a child-friendly city recognised by UNICEF.

It hopes to receive assistance from international organisations to attract resources and the participation of relevant sides to this work, he noted, adding that the city will work closer with UNICEF to build a cooperation framework, with the CFCI serving as the basis for the following steps.

Lesley Miller, UNICEF Acting Representative in Vietnam, spoke highly of what Da Nang has attained in child care, voicing her hope that the city will continue realising the child-friendly city criteria, while implementing its sustainable development strategy in the time ahead.The Davos gathering is expected to debate climate change. (Photo: AFP/Martin Bernetti)

An annual WEF report - based on a survey of about 1,000 respondents drawn from the Davos community of business leaders, politicians, civil society and academics - shows climate change has become the dominant concern for three years running.

Data theft and cyberattacks have joined climate change in the top tier of worries, but respondents also highlighted anxiety about worsening international relations and the risk that poses for the world economy.

Just under 90 per cent of people in the survey, conducted over September and October, expected international trading rules and agreements to weaken further, as President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda undermines the architecture on which global trade has been built.

"With global trade and economic growth at risk in 2019, there is a more urgent need than ever to renew the architecture of international cooperation," Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum, said in a press release accompanying the 114-page report.

"We simply do not have the gunpowder to deal with the kind of slowdown that current dynamics might lead us towards. What we need now is coordinated, concerted action to sustain growth and to tackle the grave threats facing our world today," he said.

The growing risk of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a Brexit deal in late March is also worrying global institutions and will figure at the meetings next week in the Swiss Alps, with a number of British and EU officials attending.

FAILURE TO ACT

Fully 90 per cent of the respondents expected "further economic confrontation between major powers in 2019", although the survey was conducted before Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed last month to try to negotiate a peace pact on their tariffs war.

Trump has also withdrawn from the Paris accord on climate change. While other countries agreed at UN talks last month on a common action plan, the most vulnerable states along with environmentalists warned the pact lacked the ambition needed to restrict carbon emissions.

The WEF report showed mounting alarm about the risks of extreme weather and a failure to take mitigating action as temperatures rise, detailing the possibility of many low-lying cities in Asia, Europe and North America being wiped off the map by flooding.

China alone has more than 78 million people in cities at risk of inundation, a number increasing by three percent every year, the report said, citing World Bank research.

Alison Martin, group chief risk officer at Zurich Insurance Group, said 2018 was already marked by historic wildfires, heavy flooding and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

"It is no surprise that in 2019, environmental risks once again dominate the list of major concerns. So, too, does the growing likelihood of environmental policy failure or a lack of timely policy implementation," she warned in the WEF press release.

For environmentalists, such a policy failure has been made more likely by the election of Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, who is due to address the annual WEF gathering.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro is a climate sceptic. But the two populist leaders won't get to rub shoulders in Switzerland after the US president cancelled his trip owing to the budget crisis in Washington.Vietnam is promoting a new wave of investment in the country for the year ahead, Photo: Le Toan

Ousmane Dione, the World Banks country director for Vietnam, was impressed by Vietnams achievements in 2018, especially the country reaching the growth rate of 7.08 per cent, which is the highest growth rate since 2008.

I am also impressed by the countrys continued macroeconomic stability. Such a big achievement is not easy to gain, especially in the context of the current complicated international situation, and Vietnams internal challenges, Dione said. If the challenges are addressed, Vietnam can reach a growth rate of 6.8 per cent or even more in 2019.

Last November the National Assembly set the target of 6.6-6.8 per cent for 2019.

According to Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, both the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are applauding Vietnams impressive growth, coupled with improved growth quality. According to the World Bank, Vietnam is among the top growing nations in the world, Minister Dung said.

Under a World Bank report on Vietnams economic performance released last month, the country is projected to climb 6.6 per cent in 2019, with growth continuing to be underpinned by robust domestic demand, reflecting strong private consumption and investment growth.

Meanwhile, the ADB also forecast 6.8 per cent growth for Vietnam in 2019.

Minister Dung said that Vietnam is on the right track, but the government still needs to give the business community better incentives and policies so that they can enjoy a level playing field in the country. Efforts must be made to achieve a growth rate even higher than in 2018, and many international organisations value highly the Vietnamese economys growth potential, he stressed.

Last week, Trading Economics, which offers a database of 20 million economic indicators about 196 countries, released its annual GDP growth forecast for Vietnam, expecting 6.9 per cent by the end of this quarter, rating it among Asias top performers.

Looking forward, we estimate the rate to stand at 7.1 per cent in 12 months time, said the firm.

Spain-based FocusEconomics, which provides in-depth economic analysis globally, told VIR that under its fresh survey on the performance of Southeast Asian economies, Vietnam is expected to continue being among the top performers.

The country is expected to grow 6.6 per cent in 2019, far higher than almost all nations in the region, including Indonesia (5.2 per cent), Thailand (3.8 per cent), Malaysia (4.6 per cent), the Philippines (6.4 per cent), and Singapore (2.6 per cent). Vietnams expected growth rate for 2019 will also be higher than that of the whole Southeast Asian region (4.9 per cent), and Asia (excluding Japan) (5.8 per cent).

The economy should continue to advance at a quick clip in 2019, FocusEconomics said. Strong fixed investment and solid consumer spending, supported by low unemployment and a growing tourism sector, should support growth. Meanwhile, greater economic integration within the ASEAN and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership should buttress the external sector and boost foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows.

In 2018, Vietnams total disbursed FDI hit $19.1 billion, up 9.1 per cent on-year. Besides, total foreign-related stake acquisitions reached $9.89 billion, up 59.8 per cent on-year.

Fitch Solutions, in its latest report on Vietnam released over a week ago, projected that the countrys GDP will grow by 6.5 per cent in 2019.

We believe that the Vietnamese manufacturing sector and economy will continue to outperform the region over the coming quarters, the firm said, expecting the manufacturing sector to remain a key economic driver and to outperform the region.

Vietnam has grown to become a manufacturing powerhouse  particularly in electronics  due to its relatively cheap and large labour force, geographical advantages, attractive tax breaks, stable political environment, and open-door trade policies.

The opening of the Vietnamese economy also came at an opportune time, as China had begun to shift away from lower-end and export-oriented manufacturing to focus more on the domestic economy, allowing the former to gain market share, Fitch Solutions said.

Useful hints

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stated that 2019 will be a year of Speeding up and making big breakthroughs in all sectors of the economy, and All efforts must be made to reach the highest results. In 2019, to reach all goals, our motto will be Rule, integrity, action, creativity, effectiveness, and breakthrough, he said.

Echoing this, Dione from the World Bank suggested that to get higher growth with improved quality, Vietnam needs to accelerate economic reforms, which remain slow now.

Under the World Bank report, though Vietnam is rated among the top five performers in the ASEAN, it continues to score below several regional nations. Benchmark scores where Vietnam continues to be below ASEAN-4 (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand) include resolving insolvency, paying taxes, and cross-border trade. The bank suggested that continuing reforms to improve regulatory quality and eliminate red tape remain important priorities. In addition to improving regulations on paper, it is crucial to ensure consistent, efficient, and fair enforcement.

The government on November 9, 2018 issued Resolution No.139/NQ-CP to set the target of cutting or simplifying at least half of business conditions and requirements in the areas of investment, land, construction, tax payment, and social insurance for Vietnam to reach the average Ease of Doing Business score of the ASEAN-4 countries by 2020.

Pursuing greater macroeconomic resilience and enhanced competitiveness would support long-term growth prospects, the report said. Policymakers should take advantage of the still favourable growth dynamics to advance structural reforms, including the state-owned enterprise sector and the banking sector, along with improving efficiency in public sector investment, which would boost productivity and potential output and support strengthened service delivery.

Policies that strengthen trade facilitation would enhance Vietnams export competitiveness, which, along with stepping-up the pace of reforms to support the business enabling environment, would further bolster investment activity, including foreign investment.

Meanwhile, according to the ADB, Vietnams economic growth will likely hold up fairly well in the near term thanks to continued strength in domestic demand. However, growth moderation in the European Union, Japan, and China could dent export opportunities for Vietnam, as could escalating trade frictions around the world that threaten to disrupt global value chains and production networks in which Vietnam is tightly integrated, the ADB said.BASF makes an official entry into the Cambodian market

BASF has been active in the Cambodian market since 2014 through distribution partners. Now, the companys direct presence in the market will offer potential Cambodian customers and stakeholders innovative solutions in a range of diverse industries.

BASF aims to bring a wide range of innovative and sustainable solutions to support the growth of Cambodias strategic industries, including furniture, rubber, footwear, nutrition and health and agriculture, said Petrus Ng, managing director of BASF in Thailand and Indochina. Our customers in Cambodia will enjoy the support of BASFs global network, expertise and innovation.

The companys main businesses in Cambodia will be chemicals (monomers and intermediates), performance materials (polyurethane solutions), nutrition and health and agricultural solutions.

Though Cambodia has quickly become a leading exporter of high-quality premium rice, a number of challenges remain for the countrys agricultural sector, including relatively lower levels of technology use and understanding by growers on how best to utilize innovations, said Martin Wolf, ASEAN business director of BASF Agricultural Solutions. We believe BASF is well suited to help address these challenges and are excited to help Cambodian farmers become more profitable and sustainable.

Three new crop protection products will be initially launched, empowering farmers and growers with more tools in their toolbox to manage their crops like Basagran Herbicide for broadleaf weeds and sedges in rice, Tetris Herbicide for weed grasses in rice as well as Regent 50 SC Insecticide for stemborer, thrips and leaf folder in rice.

To support local farmers, BASF will maintain a team of local technical specialists in Cambodia, who will be supported by BASFs network of experts in Southeast Asia and around the globe. Additionally, BASF aims to engage with both distribution partners and farmers directly to conduct training sessions on sustainable agricultural practices; including proper selection and safe storage, application and disposal of crop protection products.

BASF will also offer solutions from its Performance Materials division. These include solutions primarily in footwear and furniture manufacturing. For more than forty years, BASF has been developing, producing, and selling the tailor-made footwear materials Elastopan and Elastollan for all types of shoes and soles.

With its portfolio of polyurethane systems, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers and engineering thermoplastics, BASF offers leading companies in the footwear industry a unique and integrated toolbox of solutions. The Performance Materials division also provides a portfolio of applications for the automotive industry, consumer goods, construction, and industrial products across Asia Pacific.

Additionally, BASFs Nutrition & Health division is providing high-quality solutions and products to the food and beverages industry and to the animal feed industry in Cambodia, supporting the growth of the market.Irish Free State Army soldier in firing position inside a badly damaged house. His rifle is pointed through a hole in the wall of a room and debris is lying on the ground and a door has been kicked off its hinges. The treaty also stipulated that members of the new Irish parliament would have to take the following Oath of Allegiance: "I... do solemnly swear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the Irish Free State as by law established, and that I will be faithful to His Majesty King George V, his heirs and successors by law in virtue of the common citizenship of Ireland with Great Britain and her adherence to and membership of the group of nations forming the British Commonwealth of nations"

Free State Soldiers take a break from fighting on the street in Dublin possibly during the fighting of the four courts where wounded men are being tended to while others catch their breath. The Irish Civil War was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and came alongside the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Empire. The civil war was waged between two opposing groups, Irish republicans and Irish nationalists, over the Anglo-Irish Treaty

Irish Free State Army officers and men outside the Royal Hotel in Limerick. Some are smoking and one is sporting an injured arm. The group includes two clergymen and some civilians. The hotel was fortified with a barricade, wire and sandbags. The forces of the Provisional Government - which became the Free State in December 1922 - supported the Treaty, while the Republican opposition saw it as a betrayal of the Irish Republic, which had been proclaimed during the Easter Rising. Many of those who fought on both sides in the conflict had been members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence

A man in civilian clothes reaching up with cigarettes to Irish Free State Army soldiers in a spirit merchant's truck as locals stand by watching

An unmounted officer stands with a drawn sword held at shoulder height in a sword drill under the supervision of Captain Flanagan and Captain Nolan at McKee Barracks Dublin

A personnel carrier containing a group of Irish Free State Army soldiers drawing up outside the Belfast Banking Company in College Green, Dublin, watched by curious onlookers, including a woman with a baby in a pram. Exact casualties numbers have been hard to determine in the aftermath of the war, but it is estimated. Around 800 pro-Treaty fighters backed by the UK fighters are thought to have been killed while up to 3,000 anti-Treaty fighters are said to have died. Although the conflict lasted less than a year - from June 28, 1922 to May, 24 1923 - it is thought up to 12,000 were taken as prisoners of war by the British-backed forces

A young girl wearing an ill-fitting coat stands in a street of terraced houses thought to be in Belfast. Some boys are looking on and two men are having a conversation in the background

An infantry sergeant holding a grenade launcher in a glass plate negative showing an the infantry sergeant. The picture was printed to display how to fire a grenade from a Lee Enfield rifle from the kneeling position. This plate could have been used for instructional purposes and used in training manuals. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was agreed to end the 1919 to 1921 Irish War of Independence between the Irish Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The treaty provided for a self-governing Irish state, having its own army and police and also allowed Northern Ireland's counties of Fermanagh, Antrim, Tyrone, Derry, Armagh and Down where the majority population was of the Protestant religion to opt out of the new state and return to the United Kingdom  which it did immediately

Group of Irish Free State Army soldiers grouped behind heavy field artillery. Two of the soldiers appear to be manoeuvring the gun into position watched by the others, including one wearing civilian tweeds. Rather than creating the independent republic favoured by most nationalists, the treaty meant the Irish Free State would be an autonomous dominion of the British Empire with the British monarch as head of state, similar to Canada and Australia. The British suggested this dominion in secret correspondence even before treaty negotiations began, but then Sinn Fein leader Eamon de Valera rejected it

General Michael Collins

An Irish Free State Army soldier wearing his uniform coat but sitting in a wicker chair . He is identified in the caption as John Foley, third battalion, wounded in the thigh

A photograph from the funeral of Michael Collins. The Irish flag is actually facing the wrong way - a mistake only noticed after it was placed on the coffin. The green should be at the head of the coffin. Michael Collins is an influential figure in the history of twentieth century Ireland. After the controversial treaty negotiations with Britain, he was appointed Chairman and Minister of Finance of the provisional government which was responsible for the establishment of the Irish Free State. He played a decisive role in devising a constitution, creating security forces and appointing a civil service. He was murdered while on an inspection tour of Munster and searching for a basis for peace with IRA leaders opposed to the Treaty

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Empire.The civil war was waged between two opposing groups, Irish republicans and Irish nationalists, over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The forces of the Provisional Government (which became the Free State in December 1922) supported the Treaty, while the Republican opposition saw it as a betrayal of the Irish Republic (which had been proclaimed during the Easter Rising). Many of those who fought on both sides in the conflict had been members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence.The Civil War was won by the Free State forces, who benefitted from substantial quantities of weapons provided by the British Government. The conflict may have claimed more lives than the War of Independence that preceded it, and left Irish society divided and embittered for generations.These war-time photographs were colourized by photographer and colourist John O'Byrne from Rathangan, Kildare, Ireland that show the Irish conflict which led to thousands of deaths and prisoners of war.Thank you for reading!

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Chateau Nightclub & Rooftop at Paris Las Vegas will offer complimentary entry to MAGIC Marketplace attendees with valid badge on Wednesday, Feb. 6 and Thursday, Feb. 7 (Photo credit: Anthony Mair).

On Wednesday night, DJ Shadow ReD, will kickstart the evening for MAGIC attendees by spinning hot tracks on the Strip-side rooftop club. The party will continue with Chateaus Moontower Thursdays, as local DJs, Bayati and Casanova, will spin an array of new tracks, popular top hits and dance-inducing remixes.

On Tuesday afternoon, Three Square Food Bank responded to a request for assistance from the local TSA Council and delivered more than 400 bags of dry, shelf-stable food, along with water and hygiene products to TSA employees. The TSA recipients are among thousands of federal employees in Nevada who are required to work during the partial government shutdown without a guaranteed paycheck.

Three Square is seeing an increase in demand for food assistance from families and individuals who are experiencing hardships due to the government shutdown. The organization anticipates further need as furloughed federal employees and contractors miss paychecks, and the impact on household budgets continue for potentially many months after the loss of funds.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees, including local TSA workers, missed their first paychecks during the government shutdown last Friday and many of them are finding themselves in unfamiliar circumstances, said Brian Burton, president and CEO of Three Square. Hunger does not discriminate and oftentimes affects individuals when they least expect it. As Southern Nevadas largest hunger relief organization, Three Square exists to help as many individuals facing food insecurity in our community as possible. We want these employees to know that we are here to help.

Local businesses in Nevada are reaching out to assist, including Nevada State Bank, which has donated a sum of $10,000 that will go toward providing food assistance for federal employees. Businesses looking to provide financial support can contact: Michelle Beck, Three Squares Chief Development Officer at 702-644-3663 x303.

We feel that it is our responsibility to support Three Square as they work to aid those in need during this shutdown, said Terry Shirey, president and CEO of Nevada State Bank. As a community leader, we want to do what we can to help our fellow Nevadans weather these trying times.

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they are providing states with continued funding of federal nutrition programs through February. Important benefits such as SNAP, WIC, and school meals will continue until the end of February for families and individuals who need assistance.

Nationwide, more than 473,000 federal workers are furloughed or working without pay during the shutdown. Statewide, 3,450 Nevadans are not receiving paychecks, including 1,100 local TSA workers.

Federal workers seeking assistance during this time are urged to contact Three Square Food Bank at (702) 644-3663.Pope Francis on January 17 met the Inspectorate of Public Security at the Vatican to exchange New Years greetings.

By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Thursday met members of Italys state police in charge of security in and around St. Peters Square and the Vatican and thanked them for their precious work of security and public order to pilgrims and tourists from all over the world during their visit to St Peter's Basilica.

In his traditional new year meeting with the officials and personnel of the Ispettorato di Pubblica Sicurezza presso il Vaticano, or the Inspectorate of Public Security at the Vatican, the Pope regarded them as specialists in closeness, saying their competence and wisdom in dealing with different situations, even the most critical ones, is recognized by all including him.

Christmas, Epiphany - charity, fraternity, mercy

Recalling Christmas and Epiphany, the Holy Father expressed his sincere good wishes for a new year rich in human and Christian values that make life beautiful and fruitful.

He said that the unthinkable closeness of God to man and the immense love He has for us gives meaning to our lives and stimulates us to hope, helping us to look beyond the difficulties and problems of every day. At the same time, he said, it impels us to charity, to live our relationships with a fraternal and merciful attitude, especially with people who suffer from sickness, abandonment and marginalization.

Professionalism, generosity, sacrifice

While expressing his gratitude for their professionalism and generosity, the Pope encouraged the Italian police to persevere and seek the best in their work, striving to welcome everyone with patience and understanding, even in those moments when they feel tired or weighed down by unpleasant situations. Expressing his admiration for them he said he was edified by their availability and spirit of sacrifice. He said their service is an effective collaboration in his pastoral visits to the parishes and other communities of Rome, as well as his trips to other places in Italy.

The Pope also exhorted the Italian police to safeguard the cultural roots of Rome and the country, saying these roots are what gives us an identity that needs to be passed on to our children and grandchildren.

Inspectorate origins

The Inspectorate of Public Security at the Vatican was established in 1929 when the Vatican and the Italian government signed the Lateran Pacts formally recognizing the Vatican's independence. Since the Vatican is surrounded by Italian territory, the agreement allowed Italian police to provide for the Pope's security when he leaves Vatican City.

The Italian police guarantee and coordinate all armed escort for the Pope, some top Vatican officials and important heads of state every time they leave or head to the Vatican. The Italian police also provide security and law enforcement in St. Peter's Square and the entrance area of the Vatican Museums.

Two other separate entities also cooperate to keep watch over the Pope and the Vatican  the colourful Swiss Guards and the Corps of Gendarmes of Vatican City State, which is the Vaticans own police force.GUANGZHOU, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China is considering building two canals to connect the Yangtze River and the Pearl River, two busy and economically important waterways in southern China, according to transport officials.

Construction of the Xianggui (Hunan-Guangxi) Canal and the Ganyue (Jiangxi-Guangdong) Canal have been included in the draft plan on channels and ports on inner waterways being compiled by the Ministry of Transport, said Li Yongheng, deputy director of the Pearl River navigational bureau under the ministry.

Li said at a press conference in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, that construction of the two canals could be completed before 2035, if the plan is approved by national authorities.

"After completion, the canal projects will boost port construction, shipbuilding, industrial park development and water tourism along the routes," Li said.

The Xianggui Canal, initially built during the Qin Dynasty (221-201 B.C.), connects Xiangjiang River, a major Yangtze tributary, and the Guijiang River, which flows into a Pearl River tributary. Its shipping lanes have not been used since 1975.

Digging of the Ganyue Canal, which connects the Yangtze and Pearl River, was first proposed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Chinese government conducted a survey on its routes in 1960, but dropped the plan for financial, technical and other reasons.

The Yangtze and the Pearl River are China's longest and third longest rivers, respectively. Their deltas are home to China's two major industrial zones and city agglomerations.(@rukhshanmir)

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2019) New UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen characterized his recent meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Damascus as constructive, adding that he was on his way to meet the opposition Syrian Negotiation Committee.

"Constructive meeting with Syrian FM Mouallem in #Damascus.

Stressed need for political solution based on UNSC resolution 2254, which affirms #Syria's sovereignty & territorial integrity and foresees a Syrian-led and -owned political solution facilitated by @UN. Many more discussions to be continued on all aspects of the Geneva political process. Agreed to come back to #Damascus on a regular basis to discuss commonalities and progress on points of disagreement. Now on way to meet the Syrian Negotiation Committee #SNC," Pedersen wrote on Twitter.The Hague, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jan, 2019 ) :International Criminal Court judges said Wednesday that former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo should be released, a day after acquitting him of crimes against humanity.

Head judge Cuno Tarfusser said the court "rejects the prosecution request to maintain them in detention" pending an appeal against Tuesday's decision to clear Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Beijing will not allow drug dealers from any country to endanger the lives and health of its citizens by smuggling narcotic substances within its borders, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday, commenting on the death sentence that was delivered by a national court against a Canadian citizen over drug-related offenses

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2019) Beijing will not allow drug dealers from any country to endanger the lives and health of its citizens by smuggling narcotic substances within its borders, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday, commenting on the death sentence that was delivered by a national court against a Canadian citizen over drug-related offenses.

On Monday, an intermediate people's court in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian sentenced Canadian national Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death for drug smuggling. The gravity of the delivered verdict has sparked public outrage worldwide and triggered fierce criticism of China's judicial system.

"If the fact that Schellenberg was sentenced to death for [attempting to smuggle] 222 kilograms [489 pounds] of drugs is inhuman and inappropriate. Is it humane and appropriate to allow even more people to die from these drugs? ... Chinese people still remember the danger of drugs in the wake of 1840 [the beginning of the First Opium War between China and the British Empire], and China will not allow drug dealers from any country to harm the health and life of Chinese people again," Hua said at a briefing.

Hua stressed that China would resolve such cases in accordance with the country's laws, adding that the criticism of its decisions was irrelevant.

"If Schellenberg smuggled drugs to Canada, then China would not care how Canada deals with such cases, but the incident occurred in China, and therefore the case should be resolved in accordance with Chinese laws," she said.

In November, Schellenberg, 36, was sentenced by a Chinese court to 15 years in prison for reportedly attempting to smuggle methamphetamine from China to Australia. However, in late December, an appeals court ordered a retrial due to new findings in the case, claiming that the initial punishment was too lenient.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The mega multipurpose hydropower project Mohmand Dam, an initiative of the Federal Government, carries huge potential to meet Pakistan's energy and water requirements in terms of electricity generation and irrigation besides provision of clean drinking water facilities to the inhabitants of Peshawar

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2019 ) :The mega multipurpose hydropower project Mohmand Dam , an initiative of the Federal Government , carries huge potential to meet Pakistan 's energy and water requirements in terms of electricity generation and irrigation besides provision of clean drinking water facilities to the inhabitants of Peshawar

Mohmand dam will be constructed on River Swat about 48 kilometers from Peshawar in Mohmand tribal district and its reservoir area extends upstream to Mohmand and Bajaur districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"The dam will generate about 800 megawatt electricity besides storage reservoir of about 1594 million cubic meters water," officials' sources in Wapda here told APP on Thursday.

Its construction will help national power policy achieve goal of meeting Pakistan's energy needs in a sustainable manner and ensuring generation of affordable electricity, while helping to reduce existing energy's supply gap.

"Construction of 213 meter high Mohmand dam will alleviate risk of such flood damages to great extend in future.

The reservoir would also store river flows and minimize intensity of floods downstream, therefore, the reservoir would be a great source of flood's protection and will save soil from fertile land from erosion," he said.

Thousands of acres of land especially in northern districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa including Charssadda and Mohmand tribal districts will be irrigated after construction of the dam besides give enormous boost to agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and others key sectors in the province.

The project will lead to enhance the agricultural capacity and production at downstream through raising two canals at Charsadda district.

Moreover, the project will supply 13.32 million cubic meter water from Mohmand dam Reservoir to Peshawar city.

PC-I of Mohmand dam hydropower project amounting to Rs. 309.556 billion including land acquisition and resettlement, was approval by ECNEC and ground breaking of the dam will soon be inaugurated.

The project is scheduled to be completed in five years and eight months and on completion will store about 1.2 million acre feet (MAF) of water and generate 800 megawatts (MW) of low-cost hydel electricity.

It will alleviate poverty by providing job opportunities to thousands of people and labourers besides locals in the project area and its annual benefits are estimated about Rs 51.6 billion.

Asked about land acquisition and resettlement, the official said a total of 8675 acres land would be acquired for construction of requisite infrastructure at the dam site besides 56 kilometers long reservoir, irrigation network and re-regulation pond area.

Wapda has signed a formal agreement with tribal elders for acquiring land for the dam projects under the supervision of district administration.

The agreement pertaining to rates for acquiring land has also been endorsed by the Sub Committee on Land Acquisition and Resettlement of Mohmand Dam Project formed under the Implementation Committee on Dams.Trade between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.55 billion in 2018, showing a 19.1 percent increase on a year-on-year basis, the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan said Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2019) Trade between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.55 billion in 2018 , showing a 19.1 percent increase on a year-on-year basis, the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan said Thursday.

"The turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia in 2018 amounted to $2,550,906,070, which is 19.1 percent more than in 2017. In 2018, exports of Azerbaijani products to Russia amounted to $665.7 million, or 13.4 percent more than the previous year, and imports from Russia stood at $1.

885 billion, which is 21.3 percent more than in 2017," the agency said.

According to Azerbaijan's customs committee, Russia ranks third among Azerbaijan's trade partners, after Italy and Turkey. The share of trade operations with Russia in 2018 accounted for 8.25 percent of the total foreign turnover of Azerbaijan.

At the same time, Russia is the leader among the countries from which Azerbaijan imports products, and in 2018, Russia accounted for 16.44 percent of all goods imported by Azerbaijan.A celebration of the life for John Robert "Bobby" Brown, 72, will be held at his residence on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at 10 a.m. Bobby was born in Dublin, but his home was Baldwin County. He was predeceased by his parents, John Preston "Pete" Brown and Virginia Watson Brown. He was retiredIT GOT INTO the 90s back home the other day and friends complained to me over the phone though guiltily because they knew Id spent a day in the ER in New York which, honestly, had been a beautiful illuminatory experience and not miserable at all, but they felt sheepish about complaining of For full access, please log in, register your subscription or subscribe.

Try for 99 a month for two months, cancel or pause anytime.Amherst-Pelham (Mass.) Regional Middle School student Nate Squires died on Monday after attempting the TikTok blackout challenge, which invites people to intentionally choke themselves until they are unconscious. Squires was found unresponsive at home on Monday and passed away later, succumbFour New Hampshire business owners detailed the time and money they have had to spend to comply with a 2018 Supreme Court decision that allows states to collect sales tax from out-of-state businesses.Report

Periodic Report

On the implementation of the African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child

See the full reportOn Twitter, Trump has used the phrase no collusion dozens of times, and a number of those instances were direct denials that his campaign was involved with the Russian government.

Rudolph W. Giuliani claimed Wednesday night that he never said there was no collusion between President Trumps campaign and Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

In an interview with CNN, the presidents lawyer was accused of contradicting his own past statements about collusion as well as what Trump and his supporters have repeatedly asserted, according to The Washington Post.

On Twitter, Trump has used the phrase no collusion dozens of times, and a number of those instances were direct denials that his campaign was involved with the Russian government.

Read alsoTrump discussed pulling U.S. from NATO, aides say amid new concerns over Russia  NYT

Giulianis shocking declarations  several of which CNN host called out as being false  quickly sent the Internet into a tailspin as many wondered what could have prompted the former New York mayor to suddenly change course.

The heated exchange, one of many that occurred during the roughly 20-minute long interview, began shortly after Giuliani raged about the amount of false reporting on the Russia investigation.

I said the president of the United States, Giuliani protested, arguing that he had only ever said Trump himself was not connected to any Russian meddling in the 2016 election. There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC.The decisions are said to be made "solely in the interests of Russian citizens."

Russia's State Duma adopted a statement "On the Situation around Russian Participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)" at a plenary meeting on Thursday, January 17, saying the lawmakers will not send its delegation in 2019.

"In the current situation, the State Duma sees no reasons for return of the Russian delegation to PACE and the resumption of payment of contributions to the budget of the Council of Europe by the Russian Federation. In this regard, members of the State Duma declare that it is inexpedient to send an application for confirmation of the powers of the members of the Russian delegation to PACE in 2019," the document says, according to the State Duma's website.

Read alsoPACE refuses to amend sanctions rules in Russia favor - MP Yemets

According to Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin, the decisions are made "solely in the interests of the Russian citizens." The Russian delegation has been deprived of the right to vote in PACE for several years.

"PACE has departed from the principles of democracy, it completely ignores the principles of the work of parliamentary structures, based precisely on the ability to speak, voice and defend a position," Volodin said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the PACE on April 10, 2014, deprived the Russian delegation of its voting rights in the body over Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Russian delegation also lost the rights to be represented in the Bureau of the Assembly, the PACE Presidential Committee, the PACE Standing Committee, and the rights to participate in election-observation missions.

Russia in June 2017 cancelled its annual payment to the Council of Europe for 2017 after claiming its 18 delegates were being "persecuted" in response to the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. The Russian side warned that no future payments would be made until the rights of the Russian delegation to the PACE "are fully restored."Police and university sources said the fire was started by a gas bottle explosion.

A university in the French city of Lyon was evacuated on Thursday morning when a large fire broke out on the roof after a reported gas bottle explosion, leaving three people with minor injuries.

Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University confirmed the incident on Twitter shortly after 9.30 a.m., advising people to stay 100 metres away from the building, Euronews reported.

It said explosions were the result of building work, and that three people suffered minor injuries.

Shortly after 10 a.m., the university said the fire was "under control" and that some buildings had been re-opened.

[Alerte] Incendie en cours sur le batiment Mendel (campus LyonTech-La Doua). Consigne de securite : restez eloigne a au moins 100m du batiment. Nos equipes interviennent.  Universite Lyon 1 (@UnivLyon1) January 17, 2019

Police and university sources said the fire was started by a gas bottle explosion.

Footage of the incident shared on social media showed the extent of the blaze.Each of the documents was heavily redacted.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's team filed nearly 200 pages of heavily redacted documents in federal court to document charges that Paul Manafort lied repeatedly to investigators despite his plea agreement to cooperate with them.

Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy and obstruction of justice. But Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, voided the plea agreement in November because of what he called repeated lying by Manafort, USA Today wrote.

In a filing Jan. 7, Manafort's lawyers insisted he tried to cooperate as agreed.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled a hearing Jan. 25 to discuss the dispute.

Read alsoManafort discussed "Russia-Ukraine peace plan" with Kilimnik believed to be linked to Russia intel

Mueller's team submitted a 31-page statement from FBI Agent Jeffrey Weiland, who helped interview Manafort, and an exhibit with 157 pages, which were released Tuesday.

Each of the documents was heavily redacted. But the gist was that federal authorities maintained that Manafort lied.

"Based on the above factual circumstances, among others (including my assessment of Manafort's demeanor), it is my belief that Manafort made false and misleading statements in breach of the plea agreement with the government," Weiland said in the filing.

Manafort met with prosecutors and FBI agents on 12 occasions, including three before entering the plea agreement. He also testified at a grand jury on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2. Prosecutors informed Manafort's lawyers Nov. 8 that they "believed that Manafort had lied in multiple ways and on multiple occasions."

Manafort was Trump's campaign manager from March until August 2016, during a crucial part of the campaign when Trump secured the Republican nomination and the GOP held its convention in Cleveland. He was a key figure in the Mueller probe because he had a history of dealing with Russians and attended the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower during which the attendees were to discuss information promised to damage Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

The disputes with Manafort covered interactions with Russian business partner Konstantin Kilimnik, who is also under indictment for work with Manafort in Ukraine and has denied links to the Russian intelligence service; a $125,000 wire transfer; and Manafort's contacts with senior Trump administration officials, according to their 10-page filing.

Manafort acknowledged that he hadn't initially remembered meetings or communications with Kilimnik. For example, Manafort recalled meeting Kilimnik in Madrid only after being told Kilimnik was there at the same time.

Manafort's lawyers said Mueller alleged he "lied about sharing polling data with Mr. Kilimnik related to the 2016 presidential campaign," according to the filing. His lawyers said it wasn't surprising Manafort didn't remember sharing polling data because he was busy with the campaign.

Trump has denied knowing that Manafort shared polling data. Trump has repeatedly called the Mueller probe a "witch hunt" and said his campaign didn't collude with Russia.

Manafort is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 8 after a Virginia jury convicted Manafort of eight bank and tax fraud charges in August related to what prosecutors described as a multiyear scheme carried out while working as a consultant to a pro-Russia faction in Ukraine.

The plea dispute in D.C. stemmed from an agreement in September, when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Sentencing in that case is scheduled March 5.Nearly 200 blasts were recorded in Donetsk region and 100  in Luhansk region.

OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Donbas says its monitors have reported nearly 300 explosions within 24 hours in the zone of hostilities, according to the mission's spot report as of Jan 16.

"In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 200 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 25 explosions)," the report reads.

The majority of ceasefire violations, including the majority of explosions, were recorded in the Avdiyivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport area and in areas south-east and south-west of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), including about 20 explosions assessed as outgoing mortar rounds.

Read alsoOSCE spots 22 Grad rocket launchers south-west of Russian-occupied Luhansk

"In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 100), compared with the previous reporting period (about 40 explosions)," the mission wrote.

The majority of ceasefire violations, including the majority of explosions, were recorded close to the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk).Ten invaders were eliminated and another three were wounded, Ukrainian intelligence reports said.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 11 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday, January 16.

Read alsoFive troops wounded, another five injured as Russian proxies in Donbas hit Ukrainian supply truck

"In particular, the enemy used anti-tank missile systems near the village of Troyitske, as well as automatic grenade launchers near the village of Pivdenne," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update published on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 17, 2019.

According to earlier reports, five Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and another five sustained concussion-related injuries in a truck blast as the enemy hit an Ural truck with an anti-tank missile near Troyitske while the military were unloading cargo, namely food and water. Two of the wounded were in serious condition. All of them were evacuated.

The Russian occupation forces also opened fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms to attack the defenders of the towns of Krasnohorivka, Maryinka and Avdiyivka, and the villages of Chermalyk, Nevelske, Pisky, and Krymske.

What is more, the enemy employed 82mm mortars near the village of Novoselivka Druha.

According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, 10 invaders were killed and another three were wounded.

"Since Thursday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked the Ukrainian positions yet," the report said.Addressing the troops, Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude for their "courage and stability, speed and resolute force."

Ukraine's Army is building up its combat potential on a daily basis, while special operations forces receive new and upgraded weapons, military equipment, and military communication means, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said, addressing the spec-op troops during his working visit to Zhytomyr region.

The Head of State noted the spec-op forces' high professionalism, heroism, and invincibility in combat, in the most dangerous and complex conditions, including in the enemy rear.

He noted that the units completed over 3,000 thousand combat missions, including 700 "special actions" that are "classified, for obvious reasons."

Poroshenko said 70 spec-op troops were killed in action.

Addressing the troops, Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude for their "courage and stability, speed and resolute force."

Read alsoAnti-sabotage drills: Ukrainian spec-op troops penetrated country's biggest ammo depots - journalist

"On behalf of the Ukrainian people and myself, I express sincere gratitude to the entire staff of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the loyalty to the military duty and oath," the head of state added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Ground Forces will soon be getting a massive shipment of sniper rifles from Canada.

PGW Defence Technologies, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has been contracted to supply Ukrainian snipers with anti-materiel rifles in a deal valued at over USD $770,000, according to Military Times.

The rifle in question is none other than PGW's flagship heavy-caliber rifle, the LRT-3 Sniper Weapon System.The Security Service said that Ukrainian journalist has distributed "anti-Ukrainian material" on the Internet since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.

Authorities in Ukraine say they have detained a journalist accused of undermining the country's territorial integrity.

The Security Service (SBU) said on January 17 that Ukrainian journalist Olena Boyko (aka Olena Vishchur), who was deported from Russia earlier this month, has distributed "anti-Ukrainian material" on the Internet since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, RFE/RL reported.

Read alsoOver 150 Russian citizens denied entry to Ukraine in 2018  SBU

Russia is also backing separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in a conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014.

In its statement, the SBU said Boyko moved to territory held by the separatists in August before heading to Russia, where it said she publicly called for a change of "Ukraine's borders or its state structure."

In December, Boyko was fined by a court in Moscow on charges of violating Russia's migration regulations and ordered deported.

Before the ruling, Boyko took part in televised talk shows in which she harshly criticized Ukrainian authorities and expressed support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Her lawyer in Russia, Galina Perfilyeva, has said her client was sent back to Ukraine on January 16.

She said Boyko had asked for political asylum in Russia several times but her requests were all rejected.Poroshenko thanked his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda for initiating the case and welcomed the decision.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland has declared that provisions on "Ukrainian nationalists" in the amended Act on the Institute of National Remembrance  Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation are unconstitutional.

Read also"Leaving room for manipulation": Klimkin on preserved changes to Polish law on National Memory Institute

"The Constitutional Tribunal of Poland has declared unconstitutional such terms as the 'Ukrainian nationalists' and 'Eastern Malopolska' [an official name of Eastern Galicia during the Second Polish Republic, 19181939] in the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance," the president wrote on Facebook.

Poroshenko thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda for initiating the case and welcomed the decision.

"We are working further to strengthen the Ukrainian-Polish partnership," the president added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Polish Sejm and Senate in late January 2018 passed a draft law on the Institute of National Remembrance, which, inter alia, bans the promotion of Ukrainian nationalists' ideas. The law also introduces criminal liability for the assertion that the Poles were aiding the Nazis during World War II.

Duda signed the law and forwarded it to the country's Constitutional Tribunal for a review.

The Polish Foreign Ministry explains that the law concerns only those who publicly and contrary to facts deny the crimes committed by "collaborators of the Nazi regime" and noted that the main purpose of the law is "to combat all forms of denial and distortion of the truth about the Holocaust," as well as to fight with "talking down the responsibility of the true perpetrators."Models strut up and down a catwalk on a boat on the Seine river in the French capital, Paris, to upbeat music as buyers and journalists look on amidst the flashing cameras.

Watching a video of the show thousands of miles away on a computer in a sewing workshop in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, a group of Afghan refugees sit mesmerised. Some have worked on outfits and created clutch bags for the show. It is a moment they realise that they can dream big  and have a global platform for their work.

Im really happy to see this, said 24-year-old mother of two, Khatira Mahmudi, an Afghan refugee who has lived in Indonesia for the past three years. I will do my best for the future, to be successful, she said, her face lit up with excitement. Id like to make a fashion show for myself. Its my dream!

The project to give refugees experience in couture is the brainchild of Indonesia-born fashion entrepreneur Franka Soeria, a co-founder of Modest Fashion Week, which showcases longer, looser styles for women in several cities around the world. She also has her own brand, Markamarie.com, a creative fashion agency as well as working as a global consultant for other international brands.

We hope we can stitch those two components together  the society and refugees."

Spotting an opportunity, Soeria started what she calls the Benang Project in September, providing fashion training for six refugees. It includes design, pattern making, tailoring, creating a brand, holding photo shoots and fashion shows to help them integrate into Indonesian society.

Benang means thread, she explained. We hope we can stitch those two components together  the society and refugees  so it will become unity. Together, we can create something big.

The designer has already extended a helping hand to young Indonesian designers and people with disabilities. But after a meeting with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Jakarta  and hearing about the problems facing urban refugees  she wanted to do more to help.

Ahmad Musawer Faizi, 21, works on fashion designs at Franka Soeria's Markamarie workshop in South Jakarta.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

Franka Soeria (in navy blue headscarf) helps some of her refugee fashion students with last-minute adjustments before a photoshoot at her Markamarie workshop in South Jakarta.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

Afghan trainees Ahmad (left) and Khatari (centre) watch a photoshoot they organised at Franka Soeria's Markamarie workshop in South Jakarta.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

Fashion trainees hold a photoshoot at Franka Soeria's Markamarie workshop in South Jakarta.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

Franka Soeria (in navy blue headscarf) tutors some of the six refugees she has taken on at her Markamarie workshop in South Jakarta.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

Cities like Jakarta are playing a growing role in refugee inclusion. Of the worlds 25.4 million refugees, around 60 per cent live out of camps and in cities and urban areas across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Mayors, local authorities, social enterprises and citizen groups in these Cities of Light - from Sao Paulo to Vienna, Erbil and Kigali - are on the frontlines of the global refugee response, fostering social cohesion, and protecting and assisting the forcibly displaced in their midst.

See also: Kigali sees economic sense in helping refugee entrepreneurs

In addition to Soeria, Jakarta-based entrepreneurs such as the Gourmand Group restaurant chain and nonprofits such as Art for Refuge, Indonesia for Refugees and The Learning Farm also provide training to help refugees develop livelihood skills in cuisine, art, soap making, sewing and organic farming.

Supported by the Jakarta City Government, around 50 refugee children are also learning to speak Bahasa, the official Indonesian language. They can access national elementary schools in the capital, with additional backing from UNHCR partners, Dompet Dhuafa, Catholic Relief Service and PKPU Human Initiative.

We need to find ways to help refugees take care of themselves and give back to host communities."

The training opportunities on offer are a lifeline for refugees. Less than 14,000 refugees, about half of them from Afghanistan, are living in Indonesia  one of the worlds most populous countries. While the country is generously hosting these refugees until longer-term solutions can be identified, they do not have the legal right to work, and it is difficult for them to attend university.

With resettlement opportunities dwindling and overall funding becoming increasingly unpredictable, UNHCR is looking at new ways to support refugees in Indonesia be more self-sufficient and ready to seize the moment.

We are trying to prepare refugees for the future, said Thomas Vargas, UNHCR Representative in Indonesia. We need to find ways to help them take care of themselves and give back to host communities, sharing the skills and knowledge they have. That can also encourage economic development that will help everyone.

He added: When refugees can improve their skills they improve their chances to rebuild lives wherever they are  including if they are resettled.

"They gave me the key, so I can open the door and my dreams can come true.

Already, the positive impact the project has had on the lives of the selected trainees is clear. Ahmad Musawer Faizi, 21, fled Afghanistan back in 2015, arriving in Indonesia alone. He learnt to sew as a young boy, watching his mother make clothes at home, and also attended a short fashion course supported by UNHCR at Jakartas fashion school, Esmod.

I love fashion design, Ahmad said. We can come here, make something for ourselves, improve our skills. Im happy because Im busy with this project. I dont have time to think about negative things; Im busy thinking about positive things.

Now I feel I can improve my skills  They gave me the key, so I can open the door and my dreams can come true! he added.

See also: Sao Paulo helps refugees find their feet in Brazil

The passion the trainees have for their work is evident both from the intense attention they give to their designs at the workshop to their excitement at attending their first-ever photo shoot, also using a refugee model and refugee make-up artist.

While the project began small-scale, Soeria hopes to expand it  and maybe even encourage other business leaders to look at similar skills training opportunities. Maybethis idea can have a snowball effect. Maybe more people will join and we can help more people, she said.

She also believes that the energy and enthusiasm refugees in the Benang project have demonstrated, as well as their can-do mentality, is something she and other Indonesians can also learn from.

What we learn is their fire to do something, Soeria said. Thiscan inspire other Indonesian people. We shouldnt take it for granted. Its very inspiring to see the fire inside them to be successful  and I know they will be.

With additional reporting by Mitra Suryono

See more stories from the Cities of Light seriesThe healthcare reform changes financing principles and the quality of service provision, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said.

"If everything that is envisaged by the plan of healthcare reform will be put into practice during a period of 3-5 years, thus Ukrainians will see positive changes in the healthcare system and feel improvements of the quality of medical care provision. It is important to act systematically and consistently. As a result, Ukrainians will have qualified doctors, comfortable medical facilities, and doctors will receive decent wages," Groysman said, the Government portal reported.

According to him, medical reform is often being criticized. "Criticism will sink into oblivion soon, but the things we do will remain. If we move forward, people will receive a new quality of health care delivery," the head of government noted.

The Health Ministry of Ukraine informs that 25 million Ukrainians which is more than half the population of the country have chosen their doctor or pediatrician for a child. The National Health Service of Ukraine, which is a key element in the policy of providing state financial guarantees for medical care of the population, is actively working in this direction. Nowadays, 97% of medical institutions, including private clinics, have signed agreements with the National Health Service of Ukraine. A sum worth UAH 3.5 billion has been allocated for the services rendered.

According to the prime minister, this years medical innovations will touch upon several areas at once. "Firstly, starting from April, electronic recipe service will operate under the Available Medicines program. Medicines can be bought at any pharmacy that works under the said program without being tied to the place of residence and pharmacy location. The money for the medicine will be transferred to a concrete pharmacy. Secondly, starting from the summer 2019 medical tests will be free on prescription. Thirdly - emergency medicine reform. We want to get new knowledge of emergency services, new transport and equipment, as well as new salary. Together with local authorities, we will invest about UAH 2 billion in these measures," Groysman said.

He explained that at the first stage the emergency medicine reform will be implemented as pilot project, and then this practice will be spread throughout the country.

"Moreover, we will complete the construction of Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital, speed up the construction of cardiology centers - we have equipment for them. The presidential program for the reform of rural medicine will work. This all will be a system of medical care," the prime minister summed up.In 2019, China will provide about 230 units of modern medical equipment for hospitals of Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

"The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade will receive technical assistance from the Government of China, which envisages the delivery of modern medical equipment for hospitals in Ukraine. On January 16, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine authorized First Vice Prime Minister - Economic Development and Trade Minister of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv to sign a relevant agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of China," the Government portal reported.

In May 2016, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry sent a request from the Health Ministry of Ukraine to the Government of China to consider the possibility of providing medical equipment for hospitals in Ukraine on the basis of free assistance. At the end of 2016, the Chinese Government informed about the feasibility of implementing this project. During 2017-2018, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry together with the Chinese side was actively engaged in the development and approval of the terms of the project implementation and technical specification that formed the basis of the draft agreement.

After the conclusion of the agreement during 2019, the Health Ministry will receive more than 230 units of advanced medical equipment for the hospitals of Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. In particular, the list of equipment provided by China includes tomographs, linear accelerators, multifunction display, X-ray equipment, heart/interventional angiography systems, microscopes, etc.The Central Election Commission of Ukraine will send two of its representatives to the parliamentary elections in Estonia.

This is reported by the ERR Estonian news portal with reference to the response of Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine Tetiana Slipachuk to the Estonian colleagues.

Member of the CEC of Ukraine Oleh Didenko and head of the informatization department of the Secretariat of the CEC Valeriy Stryhanov will go to Estonia, Slipachuk said.

The Election Commission of Estonia has already called on the colleagues from Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to send their representatives to Estonia for observing the parliamentary elections.

"We are talking about the closest colleagues of the state election commissions, but we will also send invitations to other colleagues. The election commission has already prepared a special program for the foreign guests," said Kristi Kirsberg, the adviser to the Estonian election commission.

The foreigners will be able to visit the polling stations and observe the vote counting procedure.

The parliamentary elections in Estonia will be held on March 3.The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovakias Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak hopes that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine will be held without foreign interference.

He stated this during an official visit to Ukraine, the OSCEs press center reported.

"I am sure that all parties in Ukraine will work hard to ensure that the upcoming elections will be open, free and fair, and I hope that there will be no interference from external actors," Lajcak said.

According to him, the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine "can set the stage for a more peaceful and prosperous future for all Ukrainians."

During the two-day visit, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office held a meeting with the country's leadership and stressed that the crisis in and around Ukraine would be a top priority of Slovakias OSCE Chairmanship. He called for a political settlement of this crisis and for an immediate improvement of the living conditions of those affected by it.The Embassy of Ukraine in Switzerland expressed its support for captive Ukrainian sailors who are prisoners of war in the Russian Federation.

"The Embassy of Ukraine in the Swiss Confederation expressed support for Ukrainian sailors - prisoners of war in the Russian Federation, who were attacked, fired and captured on November 25, 2018 in neutral waters near the Kerch Strait," the press service of the embassy reported.

The embassy recalled that "on January 15, 2019, the Russian court in Moscow neglecting the principles of international law extended the illegal arrest of all 24 Ukrainian sailors."

"We call on all partners to support the Ukrainian sailors in order to free our defenders," the report reads.

On November 25, 2018, Russian border ships fired on and seized in the Kerch Strait three Ukrainian vessels that were moving from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol. A total of 24 Ukrainian sailors were captured.

Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea arrested all sailors for two months, and they were taken to Moscow.

All Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia told investigators that they are prisoners of war.

On January 15-16, the Lefortovsky District Court in Moscow extended the arrest of all 24 Ukrainian prisoners of war until April 24.Russia tried to provoke Ukraine into returning fire during the attack in the Kerch Strait to start overt aggression.

"One of the tasks that Russia set itself when organizing a provocation in the Kerch Strait was to provoke us into returning the fire and use this opportunity to start overt aggression against Ukraine. The second goal was to make us give up passing the Kerch Strait to the Sea of Azov so that they [Russians] could actually annex the Sea of Azov. Of course, we will never agree to such a step. We will not give away our territory, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said on the air of 112 Ukraine TV channel, the press service of the Defense Ministry reports.

The minister once again stressed that Ukraine would not give up its legal right to pass through the Kerch Strait in accordance with all international obligations under the Law of the Sea and the international treaties.

On November 25, 2018, Russian border ships fired on and seized in the Kerch Strait three Ukrainian vessels that were moving from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol. A total of 24 Ukrainian sailors were captured.Four-year-old Kaiulani Forbes was given just a 20 per cent chance of survival when she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer two years ago. But it now appears she has beaten the odds, making her powhiri all the more jubilant this week as she returned to New Zealand soil with her tumours now inactive.

The young survivor, who has received well-wishes and donations from thousands of New Zealanders, had been getting treatment overseas in Spain since July for the neuroblastoma.

It was very emotional when the doctor said there was no evidence of active disease," her mother, Moana Forbes, told 1 NEWS. "We never thought we would hear those words, because earlier they told us they couldnt tell from the scans.

As the family arrived at Auckland Airport on Monday, Kaiulani's extended family welcomed her and her parents with a haka powhiri.

It was very emotional, very teary for everyone," said Kaiulani's father, Manihera Forbes. "It was just nice to see friends and family.

Ka'iulani's family at Auckland airport. Source: Facebook

He said he has never seen Ka'iulani look so happy.

We ask her, 'Are you happy to be home?' and she just cracks up laughing and smiling," he recalled. "It is just the nicest thing."

Ms Forbes said the first thing Ka'iulani did when she got home was run around every room of the house.

Ka'iulani playing. Source: Facebook

But her parents say they still have a lot of work to do to help her become a normal toddler again.

The treatments have really taken a big toll on her," Ms Forbes said. "Even the little things really affect her. We have to reassure her quite a bit now."

The Forbes say the support from fellow New Zealanders - many of them strangers - is what got them to Spain for the specialised treatment.

All of the costs were paid for through Kaiulanis Givealittle page, which raised $241,136. It was the most amount of money raised for a campaign through Givealittle in 2018.

All the funds raised went toward her overseas treatment and to give her the best fighting chance to beat Neuroblastoma. Source: Givealittle

The family simply wouldnt have been able to afford the overseas treatment if it wasnt for Kiwis getting behind them, Ms Forbes said.

People are saying, 'How awesome that you did this for your daughter,' but it wasnt actually us - it was everyone else," she said. "All the donations - the whole of New Zealand paid for it, which is so cool.

Even though Ka'iulani's tumours are benign, neuroblastoma has a high relapse rate. All it takes is one cell for it to start back up again, which would mean the family would have to start from square one.

At the moment we are on a three-monthly plan to do MRI scans and we really hope they will show that her tumours arent growing anymore, her mum said.

The doctors couldnt remove the tumour because it is too close to her spine.

"To remove the tumour is too high risk because they would have to remove two disks to get into her spine and they cant put those disks back," Ms Forbes said.

The tumours are having an impact on her spine now, so hopefully when she grows theyll have less of an impact.

Kaiulani has ganglioneuroblastoma, which means the cancer growth is slower and less aggressive but harder to treat. She had a genetic mutation in her tumours as well.

There are a few kids like her but not many," her mum said. "We are talking you can count them on your hand.

Shes a bit of a miracle, so the doctors said take each day as it comes and make the most of it and hope it doesnt come back."

It has been a tough journey on Ms Forbes, who gave birth while in Spain.

Ka'iulani and new baby brother Manaoterangi. Source: Facebook

Having a baby away from home was so hard and took its toll ... but if I were to drop the ball, Id feel like Id be letting Kaiulani down," she said.

Coming home was so relaxing. You know how people touch the ground after a big trip. I felt like coming home and touching the ground.With Angus Eve now in the hot seat, and that too a time when T&T football is in shambles, the former player has come in for praise for accepting the job.Virtual charter schools continue taking up a larger share of the overall public education budget at the expense of traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

Adjustments for midterm funding announced last week show virtual schools to be growing in enrollment, which means they get a greater share of state appropriations.

But were not convinced the state is equitably distributing the available resources in a fashion that takes into account all the costs and values of the two forms of schooling.

Its time for the Legislature to take a closer look.

The largest virtual program, Epic, will get the biggest bump in midterm state aid, with $38.7 million. This brings its state appropriation to $112.9 million, compared to $60.9 million at this point last year.

Epic added a blended program last year with students having an option of attending in-person classes in Oklahoma City or Tulsa.A donation shortfall over the winter holidays is prompting the American Red Cross to issue an emergency call for blood and platelet donors.

The Red Cross collected more than 27,000 fewer blood and platelet donations the weeks of Christmas and New Years than needed to sustain a sufficient blood supply, the organization said.

During this period, about 1,350 fewer blood drives were hosted by volunteer sponsor groups than required to meet patient needs as busy holiday schedules kept many donors away.

Many people may not realize that blood products are perishable, and the only source of lifesaving blood for patients is volunteer blood donors, said Cliff Numark, senior vice president of Red Cross Biomedical Services.

When donations decline  as they did around the holidays and may further decline if severe winter weather and flu season pick up  lifesaving medical treatments could be delayed.

Currently, the Red Cross said it has less than a three-day supply of most blood types on hand, well below the ideal five-day supply needed to respond to emergencies and daily hospital needs. Blood products are currently being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in.State health officials this week recorded an additional flu death in Tulsa County for the 2018-19 season, totaling three deaths for the county and 15 statewide.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported an additional 26 hospitalizations from the virus in the state. There have been a total of 366 hospitalizations, according to state flu data.

There have been no influenza-related deaths in Oklahoma County or central Oklahoma. Six of the deaths were reported in the eastern regions, and two deaths have been reported in the southwest region.

Deaths from the flu have generally affected older populations this year. Eight people 65 years old or older have died from the flu; two patients who died were 50 to 64 years old. One patient was in the 18-to-49 age range, according to state data.

Last year, 291 people died due to the flu during Oklahomas flu season, the most since the department began tracking flu deaths in 2009.

Last flu season, between September 2017 and May, also saw 4,819 hospitalizations across Oklahoma. Last years flu shot was only 10 percent to 30 percent effective, health officials reported. However, medical professionals recommend vaccination regardless.Project Row Houses now extends more than seven blocks and is a thriving community populated by artists and others dedicated to preserving and promoting the neighborhoods history and identity.

That is the same objective driving The Greenwood Art Project. The work starts with getting buy-in from the entire community, Lowe said

From people in the neighborhood and people outside of the neighborhood, and shift, you know, that attitude about it, he said.

Even businesses could get into the act. Lowe wondered aloud what impact the new BMX facility to be built on the former Evans-Fintube property could have if the people behind the project embraced the changes coming to the Greenwood District.

What if they said, No, we are not going to face away from the neighborhood, were going to face forward, but also were going to invest in something that is going to push us out into Greenwood Avenue, Lowe said.

Lowe and his consultants on the project, Tom Burrup and Jack Becker, say they will hold meetings to hear what the public would like to see, and that local artists will be essential to realizing those visions.

Just dont expect a bunch of statues.A manslaughter charge has been filed in connection to Tulsas first homicide of 2019.

Prosecutors allege Chance Edens, 15, accidentally shot and killed Eric Degori, 15, inside a south Tulsa apartment, according to a probable cause affidavit. Degoris death is the first homicide of 2019 in Tulsa.

Police responded about 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 5 to an apartment in the 7900 block of South Sheridan Road and found Degori with a gunshot wound to the chest. EMSA took Degori to Saint Francis Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Edens was also taken to the hospital suffering from a panic attack, police said. He initially told police he dropped a knife on his rifle, causing it to go off and strike Degori in the chest, according to the affidavit.

In a later interview, Edens allegedly told detectives he had two friends over to the apartment and had done a shot of whiskey while the others smoked marijuana.

One of Edens friends wanted to see his rifle and Edens reportedly unloaded the weapon and allowed his friends to see it before reloading the rifle and putting it away, the affidavit said.

Then Edens, thinking the chamber was empty, took the safety off and pointed the rifle at Degori.

Degori, who told Edens not to point the gun at him, then grabbed the barrel to push it to the side, causing Edens to react, pulling back on the gun and the trigger, according to the affidavit.

Stetson Payne 918-732-8135 stetson.payne@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @stetson__payneOKLAHOMA CITY  One of the Oklahoma Houses highest-ranking Republicans and a Democratic colleague have introduced legislation that could roll back sentences for hundreds or even thousands of low-level offenders.

House Bill 1269, by representatives Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, and Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, would apply the sentencing reform provisions in State Question 780 to those sentenced before SQ 780 became effective on July 1, 2017.

Ryan Gentzler, director of Open Justice Oklahoma, said he estimates 2,500 to 3,000 could be immediately eligible for reduced sentences if HB 1269 were to become law.

The bill does not have a Senate author, which could become problematic, but state senators Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, and George Young, D-Oklahoma City, have filed measures addressing the same issue.

The people of Oklahoma have spoken loud and clear on the issue of criminal justice reform, said Echols, the House majority floor leader, in a written statement. I look forward to working with members of both parties to find not Democratic or Republican solutions, but Oklahoma solutions to the issues facing this state. This bill will be a great step in that direction.

Echols support of the measure makes it more likely to advance in the House.The Tulsa Promenade is in the midst of a tenant transition.

The midtown mall, located near 41st Street and Yale Avenue, has several new tenants coming in to fill current and upcoming vacancies.

We are getting new tenants in, and we are being able to stabilize the tenants who are here, General Manager Veronica Butts said Wednesday.

We had great Christmas traffic, and we have Christmas vendors that were here that are going to come back full time. They are from out of state, which is good to see, she said.

Abbys Jewelry will be moving into a space left vacant with the recent closing of Zales Jewelry, and a candy store is going to be opening in the former location of Kay Jewelers.

Other recent additions to the mall include Brendas Bridal and Rental, which opened in January, and Selah Model and Co., which opened in October.

Hollywood Theaters Palace 12, which was owned by Regal Cinemas, closed Sunday.

The movie theater is set to reopen under new management within two weeks, Butts said.- Godec denied the US had asked any of its citizen to avoid the hotel prior to the incident

- There were reports US citizens changed their meeting venue from the affected hotel

- The embassy later clarified its citizens were booked at the Gem Suites within the same area

The outgoing US Ambassador Bob Godec has refuted claims his office was aware of the terror attack which hit DusitD2 Hotel and areas around 14 Riverside on Tuesday, January 15.

In press statement to newsrooms on Thursday, January 17, Godec also denied the US had asked any of its citizen to avoid the Thai-owned establishment prior to the deadly incident.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

READ ALSO: Top lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi takes on Kenyan who associated him with terrorists

ODM leader Raila and wife hosted a farewell breakfast for the outgoing US Ambassador to Kenya Bob Godec. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Tanzanias President Magufuli mourns DusitD2 victims in emotional post

"Contrary to some false reports on social media, the United States had no advance notice of the attack nor did we ever advise American citizens or our staff to avoid DusitD2 prior to the incident," he explained.

This comes amid reports that about 100 US citizens were forced to change their meeting venue from the affected hotel upon receiving security alerts.

However, the embassy later clarified they were booked at the Gem Suites within the same area right from the start and that is where they were during the shootings.

Godec further reiterated the Donald Trump-administration would continue to work closely with Kenya to jointly combat terrorism and provide much needed support.

So far, 94 missing victims can be accounted for.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Witness Narrates His Experience After 14 Riverside Terror Attack | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- He was in Kenya to visit his girlfriend, a third year Kenyatta University student

- Earlier, he cancelled plans to book a hotel in Karen after she insisted he picks one near CBD

- On the fateful afternoon the boyfriend also canceled plan to go swimming and wait for her

- The girl now blames herself for making her boyfriend change his mind leading to his death

The Australian man identified as Marcus Rodriguez who was killed in the DusitD2 attack had landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday, January 13, looking forward to meet his Kenyan girlfriend Esylovians Meli.

The 36-year-old man had planned to book a hotel in Nairobi's Karen estate, but, Meli who is a third year student at Kenyatta University insisted he books one near the Central Business District for convenience.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: DusitD2 attacker put up households for sale days to the terror attack

Esylovians Meli is a third year student of Fashion and Design at Kenyatta University. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: New York Times responds to Kenyans' criticism following use of gory images from DusitD2 attack

While speaking to journalists at Chiromo Funeral Parlor where she had gone to identify the body of her lover, Meli said it was her persistence that made Rodriguez to settle for DusitD2 along 14 Riverside Drive.

I regret making him change his mind. He could be alive now if I had not put my foot down on having him stay at DusitD2, said Meli.

I insisted on the hotel because it was easily accessible for me from town. I checked him in on Sunday night, she added.

READ ALSO: DusitD2 attack: Death toll rises to 21 as more bodies are recovered

Rodriguez had planned to go out for swimming on the afternoon of the fateful day but Meli insisted he waits for her as he could not go out swimming alone.

Maybe if he went out swimming as he wanted, he could be alive, said Meli.

On the afternoon of the attack, Meli was in class and her phone was on silent mode. When she got out of the class she found eight missed calls from her boyfriend.

Her efforts to call him were futile as the calls went unanswered, she went on social media and that is where she learnt the hotel was under siege.

Marcus Rodriguez was among those killed in the attack that has since claimed 21 lives. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: DusitD2 attacker put up households for sale days to the terror attack

She immediately boarded a boda boda to 14 Riverside Drive but she could not be allowed into the DusitD2 hotel.

She camped at the site and at around 1am she received a call from Rodriguez who informed her they had been marooned by terrorists.

The call lasted for four minutes and before she could ask more questions she heard sounds of gunshots in the background. That was the last time she talked to her boyfriend.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news

Kenyans Angered by New York Times Coverage of 14 Riverside Attack | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- Gichunge advertised his household goods on Facebook and invited interested buyers to place orders

- The post also included two mobile phone numbers, one belonging to him and the other to a woman he was staying with

- He claimed he was moving out of Nairobi and needed to dispose the items at attractive and negotiable prices

One of the terrorists involved in Tuesday, January 15, attack at 14 Riverside Drive premises had put up all his household goods for sale one week before he unleashed terror.

The gunman, identified as Ali Salim Gichunge, as earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, stayed in a rented house in Ruaka Estate, Kiambu County.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: 14 Riverside Drive attack: Survivor narrates how daring brother rescued her

In the post, Gichunge indicated that he was moving out of Nairobi and needed to have the items quickly sold off at attractive and negotiable prices. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: 14 Riverside attack: Kenyans turn anger on New York Times for posting gory images

On Wednesday, January 9, Gichunge used a Facebook account with pseudo name Junior Red.

In the post, he indicated that he was moving out of Nairobi and needed to have the items quickly sold off at attractive and negotiable prices.

READ ALSO: New York Times responds to Kenyans' criticism following use of gory images from DusitD2 attack

Among items on sale included 49" LG Smart TV (KSh 55,000), microwave (KSh 15000), carpet (KSh 10,000), seven seater sofa set (KSh 75,000), double door fridge (KSh 30,000) and loafer shoes (KSh 2,000).

Other items that were put on sale include, mattresses, gas cooker, rice cooker, beds, high heel shoes, ironing table and a water dispenser.

Witnesses have further intimated that Gichunge was using the KCN 340E Toyota Ractis whenever he came in or left the estate. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

On Wednesday, January 16, investigators acting on intelligence, closed in to the house where they discovered a hole Gichunge had dug to conceal weapons.

The attacker, according to witnesses, lived with a woman identified as Violet Kemunto Omwoyo in the Ruaka house. Kemunto was arrested on the same night of terror by police.

The Facebook post included two mobile phone numbers that TUKO.co.ke has since established belong to Gichunge and Kemunto.

The Facebook post included two mobile phone numbers that TUKO.co.ke has since established belong to Gichunge and Kemunto. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: DusitD2 attack: Atheists in Kenya president mocks God over 14 Riverside assault

Witnesses have further intimated that Gichunge was using the KCN 340E Toyota Ractis whenever he came in or left the estate.

During the attack, Gichunge alongside his accomplices stormed the premises hosting DusitD2 hotel where they went on a gun and grenade rampage.

One of the attackers, a suicide bomber, blew himself up immediately he went past the main entrance.

The post also included two mobile phone numbers, one belonging to him and the other to a woman he was putting up with. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

Other terrorists begun shooting aimlessly and as a result killed at least 21 people.

Police responded to the incident and on morning of Wednesday, January 16, eliminated the gunmen, bringing to end the 19-hour siege.

Police have since arrested at least six suspects linked to the attack even as investigations are heightened and security beefed up across the country.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Witness Narrates His Experience After 14 Riverside Terror Attack | Tuko TV.

Source: Tuko.co.ke- Mumia argued there was no point praying because God could not stop the 14 Riverside attack

- His sentiments were met with angry reactions from a section of Kenyans who believe in God

- The latest terror strike left at least 21 people dead and more than 25 others nursing various degrees of injuries

Atheists in Kenya Society (AIK) president Harrison Mumia has taken a swipe at Kenyans praying for the victims of the dusitD2 terror attack which left 21 people dead and several others nursing injuries.

The Tuesday, January 15, terror attack left families mourning their loved ones and many others on their bended knees praying to God to save the lives of their injured relatives and friends who were rescued during the 14 Riverside Drive assault.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: DusitD2 attack: Al-Shabaab now claims Nairobi assault meant to send message to America

Atheists in Kenya boss Harrison Mumia told off families of dusitD2 terror attack victims who wer praying to God to heal their injured relatives. Photo: UGC.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Terror group al-Shabaab claims responsibility for 14 Riverside Drive, Nairobi attack

The persistent prayers to God for spiritual intervention seem to have miffed the Atheists in Kenya Society president who strongly believes God will not provide the much needed comfort and relief for the distressed families of the dusitD2 attack victims.

"By the way those praying to God to protect Kenyans nini nini (what?). Why didn't God stop the attack at Riverside Mall ? God is not great," he said in a Facebook post seen by TUKO.co.ke on Thursday morning.

READ ALSO: Explosion, gunfire at 14 Riverside Drive, Nairobi

And as one would expect, Mumia's remarks angered a section of Kenyans, especially the believers, who found the sentiments to be insensitive and in bad taste.

"I think it is in bad taste to use such incidents to justify your non-beliefs. People lost lives. Can't you let go of the god/God debate just for a second? Sometimes, you just stoop too low Harry," Facebook user by the name Gisalrico Luciferiak reacted.

Another user, Judith Mukoyah, said: "You claim not to believe in God, but you mention him more than 20 times per day yaaaak. Why don't you shut your peak and delete God in your skull?"

Kenneth Benihana added: "You are acting like a fool. The Kenyan Constitution acknowledges the existence of God...so you are already in offence and liable for prosecution, especially at such a time with such a sensitive matter. You should be more reasonable...and tame your tongue."

READ ALSO: Detectives term 14 Riverside Drive attack act of terror

Others, however, appeared to side with Mumia, as they also argued God failed to prevent the dusitD2 attack and other related incidents from happening.

"I am starting to think that prayers cant resolve anything. It is just like wishing for something to happen. Many Kenyans pray for protection for themselves and country and yet from time to time incidents like this happen," Mutahi Mwangi argued.

"People still believe there is a God? What a pity," Francisca Beatrice added.

READ ALSO: Westgate Mall Re-Opens After Attack Where 67 Died

Going by the latest report, which was released by the Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet on Wednesday evening, the 14 Riverside Drive attack claimed 21 lives and left 28 others admitted in various hospitals in Nairobi.

"Following further forensic work by the DCI, six more bodies were found at the scene; one police officer succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment; 28 persons were admitted in various hospitals in Nairobi, and five terrorists were eliminated," the IG said.

More than 700 civilians were evacuated from the Dusit Hotel complex during the rescue operation according to the government.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans Angered by New York Times Coverage of 14 Riverside Attack - On Tuko TV

Source: Breaking NewsCommentary

Trumps losing Syria. Will he lose the whole region too?Commentary

Alternative for Germany is a Rorschach test for anyone watching the countryCohoes

Morse seeks new term

Mayor Morse announced Wednesday that he is running for mayor again this yearMany commentators are highly critical of the Government given the high debt held at present, particularly so, as the Minister of Finance has told us that the Government is short of money and had to revert to both the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) and borrowing to continue to run the economy and support those disadvantaged by the pandemic and the continuing recession.The Senate unanimously passed a bill yesterday which gives the public the right to access a sex offender website providing names, photographs and date of birth of convicted sex offenders.

All present in the chamber supported the Sexual Offences Amendment which was passed 28 for, none against.THE legislative road has been paved for the decriminalisation of pepper spray in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2021 was passed yesterday in the House of Representatives with no objection.PEOPLE are finding it difficult to cope with the pandemic, far more so for parents of children with special needs, says Kelvin Thomas. The husband, father and graphic artist ought to know. Thomas and his wife Patricia are the parents of 12-year-old Kinaya-Joy who was diagnosed with Down syndrome and autism. Kinaya-Joy is non-verbal and also in remission from leukaemia. Due to the cancer treatment she received, Kinaya-Joys oesophagus has been reduced to three millimetres which means that she can choke on something as small as a rice grain, therefore her parents must puree all her meals.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Washington, January 17

Kim Yong-chol, North Koreas lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the US, is expected to arrive in Washington on Thursday, according to informed sources.

After his arrival, Yong-chol is likely to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US special representative to North Korea Steve Biegun on Friday, CNN quoted informed sources as saying on Wednesday.

It remains unclear if he will visit the White House.

The dates for meetings between North Koreas top negotiator and US officials in Washington have only been confirmed to CNN by the US side.

A source familiar with US-North Korea denuclearisation talks told CNN that the meetings would happen by this weekend. No firm details have been publicly announced yet.

A lot of positive things are happening. He (Trump) and Chairman Kim (Jong-un) have established a good relationship, and conversations between the United States and North Korea continue, a White House spokesperson told CNN.

We are working to make progress on our goal of achieving the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea, and the President looks forward to meeting Chairman Kim again at their second summit at a place and time yet to be determined.

The location and the date of the second summit are expected to be discussed during the meeting in Washington.

Yong-chol last came to the US in June 2018.

He visited New York and met Pompeo before travelling to Washington, where he delivered a letter from Kim Jong-un to Trump in the Oval Office. IANS(Photo: CGTN)

If you could leave work early every Friday afternoon, what would you do with those extra hours?

Authorities in north China's Hebei Province are hoping workers will spend that time spending more money.

A proposed half-day extension to the weekend has been highlighted in an action plan for the province as the potential key to boosting consumption, with plans also in place to promote more paid-leave and off-peak vacations.

Beijing Youth Daily is reporting that a further 10 provinces are considering similar moves to boost consumption and productivity.

The action plan came after the State Council in 2015 proposed implementing a 2.5-day weekend in certain areas in a bid to boost tourism spending and consumption.

Hebei's move comes amid slowing domestic consumption, with authorities concerned about the latest data on retail sales. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the first 11 months of 2018 saw retail sales growth fall to 9.1 percent year-on-year.

Data published by the NBS on tax revenue from domestic consumption showed a significant fall in the last few months of 2018, with consumption tax revenue down 62 percent and 71 percent year-on-year in October and November.

China implemented reforms to individual income tax and corporate tax in October last year, with the former reducing the tax burden by 31.6 billion yuan (4.59 billion U.S. dollars) one month after being implemented, according to the State Administration of Taxation.

Earlier this month, Minister of Finance Liu Kun said larger tax cuts were in the pipeline, with a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang also announcing measures to ease the burden on SMEs and the manufacturing sector.

Celebrated economist John Maynard Keynes got many of his predictions for the future right, but one area where he was wrong was on how much work we would be doing in the 21st century.

Writing in 1930, Keynes boldly suggested developed countries would be working only 15 hours each week by the year 2000. Instead, modern workers are putting in more hours than ever before.

Many companies in Europe give employees unofficial long weekends by letting staff leave early on Fridays.

According to a study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, if the US gave its workers similar flexibility on weekends, not only would the economy be boosted, but the country would also consume 20 percent less energy.

However, one of the most famous and controversial examples of implementing a shortened working week is France, where the 35-hour week was introduced in February 2000, and had mixed results where consumption is concerned.

Data from INSEE showed consumer confidence in France hit a historic high in the months following the policy's introduction, but that confidence slowly petered out. Meanwhile, data for consumer spending didn't receive any particular boost in the wake of the policy being rolled out.traineesubeditor@tribuneindia.com

Accra, January 17

A Ghanaian undercover journalist who helped expose corruption in African football has been shot dead in the capital Accra, police said on Thursday.

Ahmed Husein was part of a team led by award-winning journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas whose undercover investigation led to the banning of some football referees and officials.  AFPeditorial@tribune.com

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has expressed his objection to the government move for constituting a Water Authority for Punjab, in case the post of its head is offered to any retired officer.

Attending the meeting of a specially appointed committee on Monday, Sidhu said, Commissions and advisory bodies should not become resettlement avenues for retired officers when we have a team of serving officers dealing with the particular subject. He had earlier raised objections to the move of instituting the Water Authority body in the Vidhan Sabha also, following which a committee, comprising Cabinet inisters Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria, Sidhu and Razia Sultan, was constituted.

In the meeting, Sidhu did not take any specific name. However, reliable sources said, The name of a Secretary in the Irrigation Department, who will retire in September this year, was being moved for the post. The officer is a part of the undergoing official deliberations on the subject too.

Talking to The Tribune, Sidhu said, I did not take any names at all. My only contention is that why should we oblige any retired officer? We have competent officers who specialise in their respective fields and they can handle the job. In case, need arises, the department can appoint a consultative firm specialising in the required area, instead of retired officers.

Sidhu said, The reports that we were given in the meetings were about the dark water zones in the state and related information. We already know about them. We told the officers that the committee should be informed about the options available to tackle the issues instead. Then we can decide on how we should be going ahead with the programme.

Accompanied by experts, we are going to Israel next month to study the working technologies on conservation of water there. The matter is important as is evident from the falling water levels.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Tript Rajinder Bajwa said There was no clarity on the role of the proposed advisory body in the meeting, so any discussions on the subject were irrelevant. We have sought updated information on the subject with the possible future course of a workable action in our next meeting.shalender@tribune.com

Vishav Bharti & Gurbax Puri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Tarn Taran, Jan 16

A 200 square yard area and one doctor. This is Sankalp Drug Dependence Treatment Centre in Tarn Taran, which shockingly dispensed more than 50 lakh tablets of buprenorphine in six months last year.

A confidential report prepared by Punjabs Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the purchase and sale of de-addiction drug buprenorphine (combined with naloxone) found that 74 private de-addiction centres had distributed 4.5 crore tablets in a year. The Tarn Taran centre topped the chart.

Being run from two floors of twin shops across a road running parellel to the Civil Hospital, it is full of patients, most of them youngsters. Centre owner Rohit Takiar lives in Amritsar. He claims they have one psychiatrist, Dr Anil Kumar from Surat, Gujarat, who examines 450 patients every day.

However, when The Tribune team visited the centre last week, a manager, who identified himself as Deepak Kumar, claimed they received at least 100 patients per day. The centres indoor facility was as good as non-functional with only four of the 10 beds occupied. Going by the number of patients cited by the manager, none of these should have been vacant. Opened in 2016, the Tarn Taran centre sold 9.6 lakh tablets of the habit-forming drug in 2017. Surprisingly, in the first six months of 2018, the business swelled manifold with the centre selling over 50 lakh tablets.

The question is how was the centre able to dispense such a large number of tablets? The FDA report has expressed the apprehension that a large number of private centres may have turned into bulk sale points for buprenorphine.

The centres mother company  Suman Info Health Care Pvt Ltd  entered the business a few years ago and is now the biggest player running 16 centres. Not only that, it also manufactures different de-addiction drugs under the name of Arbour Biotec.

The Sankalp centre charges a mere Rs 50 as doctors fee. Its main income is from selling buprenorphine at Rs 265 per strip (comprising 10 tablets). A young addict from Varpal village, located on the Amritsar-Tarn Taran road, said he was not enrolled with the centre. "But I know many villagers who buy medicine from the centre. They oblige me too," he claimed, smiling.uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 17

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday accused Union Minister Vijay Sampla of putting unnecessary roadblocks in the Kartarpur Sahib pilgrimage.

Instead of finding ways of facilitating the Sikh pilgrims, the central government, especially responsible elected representatives such as Sampla, were constantly putting hurdles in the way of the realisation of their dream to visit the historic gurdwara, which they had seen being fulfilled with the decision to open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, Captain Amarinder Singh said.

Sampla is a former BJP state unit chief.

Singh said Samplas statement rejecting passport waiver and making visa mandatory for the poor and illiterate pilgrims crossing the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor showed neither the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) nor its ally Shiromani Akalu Dal were interested in making the travel hassle-free.

Samplas claim that all Punjabis had passports was highly irresponsible and wrong, and showed how misinformed and disconnected from the masses the Minister was, he said, adding that the BJP was on the one hand trying to take credit for the corridor and one the other, trying to impede its smooth operationalisation.

He said Samplas statement reflected the BJPs anti-minority attitude and the Modi governments continued attempts to sideline the countrys minorities to further its political agenda.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

The state Congress on Wednesday suspended Zira MLA Kulbir Singh Zira from the primary membership of the party for indiscipline. The MLA had reportedly taken on the Congress government over the alleged connivance of cops with the drug mafia at a public function in Ferozepur on January 12.

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said the decision to suspend the MLA had been taken after his unsatisfactory reply to the show-cause notice. His conduct has embarrassed the party and the government. He should have raised the issue at the party level, said Jakhar.

A senior party leader said ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had sent across the message to the troublemakers to fall in line or face the music. Zira could face a stricter action, said the leader.

Some leaders are, meanwhile, alleging double standards of the party, as similar utterances by MLA Surjit Dhiman and a Cabinet Minister had not invited any such action.

Jakhar said complaints were made by Zira against the Ferozpore range IG, Mukhwinder Singh Chhina, for allegedly protecting liquor contractors and drug peddlers. The complaint is being probed by the DGP, he said. The IG is learnt to have met the Chief Minister to explain his position on the issue.

Zira said he would always remain loyal worker of the party and would abide its decision. I have spoken the truth. Some police officers are protecting drug peddlers and liquor smugglers. Their act is bringing a bad name to the government. The action against me has been taken under pressure from such police officers, Zira alleged.

On January 12, the Zira MLAhad walked out of the function after alleging from the stage that the police were protecting liquor contractors and drug peddlers. This annoyed the party leadership that was administering oath to panches and sapranches for fighting the drug menace.

More trouble for his confidant

Moga: The police on Wednesday registered another criminal case under Section 174-A of the IPC against Neeraj Kumar Ginny, an aide of Congress MLA Kulbir Singh Zira. Ginny, a resident of Zira (Ferozepur), was arrested on Tuesday on the charges of murdering a photographer. A senior police official said another FIR had been registered against Ginny for non-appearance in response to a proclamation issued by the Sessions Court under Section 82 of Act 2 of 1974, which was a punishable offence. The registration of another criminal case against Ginny is seen in the political circles as a move of the Congress party to tighten noose around its MLA. TNSuttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Sevice

Jalandhar, January 17

Jaitu Member of Legislative Assembly Baldev Singh joined Punjabi Ekta Party on Thursday, a day after he quit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over national convener Arvind Kejriwal dictatorial tendencies.

Punjabi Ekta Party is a political outfit another AAP rebel, Sukhpal Khaira, launched earlier this month.

Khaira, who was also at Singhs Thursday press conference in Jalandhar, also excoriated state government under Amarinder Singhparticularly the dispensations decision to extend DGP Suresh Aroras term.

He said the decision was proof that the Captainas the chief minister is popularly calledwas bowing to pressure for Delhi. Capt is a hand tool of the Modi government at the centre, he said, adding that bureaucrats trying sheltering tainted police officers were calling the shots in the state.

He also condemned suspension of Congress MLA Kulbir Singh Zira saying that the party was trying to shut down voices of truth.editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

On a day when the third MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Baldev Singh, representing Jaito Assembly segment, resigned from the partys primary membership, the top brass swung into action to save AAP from further political erosion.

The party, after its core committee meeting, today sent a letter to Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP, saying that Sukhpal Singh Khaira had resigned from the party. Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema handed over the letter to the Speaker. With this, the disqualification of Khaira as MLA from Bholath in the Vidhan Sabha becomes inevitable.

Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP, who is also part of the core committee, told The Tribune that the decision to send the letter to the Speaker was taken in the meeting late this evening and endorsed by the Political Affairs Committee of AAP in Delhi and national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

Crushing the surging rebellion in the party became necessary as the third resignation of AAP MLA from the party will bring down their number in the House to 17.

HS Phoolka, though not part of the rebel group led by Khaira, had resigned on January 3, citing differences in ideology with the party. Khaira, who has the support of six other MLAs, had resigned on January 6. He floated his own party last week and the rebel MLAs, Kanwar Sandhu (under suspension), Jagtar Singh Jagga, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Jagdev Singh Kamalu and Pirmal Singh, besides Baldev Singh, were present at the party launch function. Sources in AAP say that these MLAs are still in two minds about resigning from the party.

The Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, too, jointly have 17 MLAs (14 of the Akali Dal and three of the BJP). With both Opposition parties having similar number of MLAs (provided the three above mentioned MLAs are disqualified), the SAD-BJP, too, can stake claim to the post of Leader of Opposition.

Probably sensing this, the AAP leadership has taken action only against Sukhpal Khaira. The move is meant to stem the rebellion, as other rebels would not like to give up their Vidhan Sabha membership and force byelections in their segments.

May trigger election to LoP postshalender@tribune.com

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 16

The Supreme Court today refused to modify its directions prescribing norms for selection of directors general of police (DGPs) and a minimum two-year fixed tenure for them, saying its 2006 verdict on police reforms and subsequent orders aimed to insulate police from political and executive interference.

A Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, rejected the modification applications filed by Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Kerala and Bihar, which wanted the top court to relax the norms prescribed under the 2006 verdict on police reforms and its July 3, 2018, order on selection of DGPs.

The states wanted to select their DGPs on the basis of their own laws, many of which, including those of Punjab, are under challenge before the top court.

The courts refusal order came after Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Secretary Rakesh Kumar Gupta, who appeared in person, said following the top courts order, a panel of eligible officers in the rank of DGP or the additional DGP had been drawn up by UPSC committees in 12 states. The UPSC panels consisted of representatives of the UPSC, the Centre and the state governments concerned.

On the selection and tenure of DGPs, the top court had in 2006 said the police chief shall be selected by the state government from three senior-most police officers who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC on the basis of their length of service, very good record and range of experience for heading the police force. Once an officer has been selected for the job, he or she should have a minimum tenure of at least two years, irrespective of his date of superannuation, it had said.

The SC on December 12 allowed Punjab DGP Suresh Arora and his Haryana counterpart BS Sandhu to continue in office till January 31 next. Both DGPs were due to retire on September 30, but the governments of Punjab and Haryana had given three-month extension to their respective police chief till December 31. The SC had passed the interim order on applications filed by the two states seeking modification of the Supreme Courts order making it mandatory for states and Union Territories to take UPSCs assistance in shortlisting names of senior IPS officers for selection of DGPs. Punjab and Haryana have enacted their own laws for appointment of DGPs.

The SC had in 2006 issued a series of directions, including a fixed tenure of two years for police chiefs, setting up of a state security commission to insulate police force from political influence and separating law and order duty from investigation. On July 3 last year, it further directed all states and UTs not to appoint any police officer as acting DGP and issued certain other directions on police reforms to check favouritism and nepotism in appointments after it was pointed out that many states were appointing acting DGPs and then making them permanent just before their superannuation to extend them the benefit of an additional two-year tenure.

Punjab DGP gets third extension, for eight months

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

The appointments committee of the Punjab Cabinet has given an eight-month extension in service to state DGP Suresh Arora, whose previous four-month extension is scheduled to end on January 31.

As per the Ministry of Personnel order, Arora, a 1982-batch IPS officer, has been allowed 12 months extension in service beyond the date of superannuation i.e. September 30, 2018. The extension was approved on a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) proposal following a request by the state government.

Arora, who was appointed by the then SAD-BJP government in 2015, has already received two extensions in service  first for three months and the second for a month. The order came the day the SC rejected pleas by five states, including Punjab, seeking modification of its earlier order on the appointment of state police chief.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Jaipur, January 17

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLTP) chief Hanuman Beniwal on Thursday tried to disrupt Governor Kalyan Singhs address to the Rajasthan Assembly, vociferously raising the demand for procurement of moong beans from farmers.

Beniwal raised the issue as soon as the House assembled. Even as he continued raising the demand, the governor began his address.

Singh congratulated the newly-elected MLAs and carried on with the address, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal requested him to table the speech.

The governor continued addressing the House for some more time, but he tabled the speech after reading a few lines.

Beniwal criticised the governor for ignoring the parliamentary affairs ministers request which invited sharp reaction from Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and others.

The governor left the House after tabling the speech. PTIrchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi/Gurugram, January 17

Karnataka BJP MLAs who are cooped up in a resort in Haryana will take a call on returning to the state after the Congress Legislature Party meeting on Friday, according to sources.

State BJP president BS Yeddyurappa and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar are among a dozen legislators who have gone back to Bengaluru to see a prominent Lingayat seer, Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur, who had taken ill, they said.

Sources said that at present, about 75 BJP MLAs, including Shobha Karandlaje, are in the Gurugram resort and would stay put till top party leaders gave their nod to return to Karnataka.

The BJP would wait and watch for the outcome of the Congress Legislature Party meeting scheduled for Friday to demonstrate unity among the party MLAs, they added.

Congress Legislature Party meeting presided by CLP leader Siddaramaiah is scheduled for 3.30 pm on January 18 at the Conference Hall of Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat), Siddaramaiahs office had said in a statement on Wednesday.

The meeting assumes significance following attempts by the Congress to reach out to its disgruntled MLAs, who are allegedly ready to jump ship to the BJP side.

According to Congress sources, a few ministers from the party have even offered to step down in the larger interest and to keep the coalition intact. The party leadership is also looking into the option, they added.

There are reports that a few of the MLAs have gone incommunicado, with at least three to five of them camped in Mumbai along with a couple of BJP leaders.

A political crisis is brewing in Karnataka, where two Independent MLAs on Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old ministry amid trading of poaching charges by the ruling coalition and BJP.

Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda had said on Tuesday that the BJP would stake claim to power in Karnataka if the Congress-JDS coalition government fell.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, however, reiterated that he enjoyed the support of 120 MLAs and alleged that Yeddyurappa was making futile attempts to destabilise his government.

In the 224-member Assembly, the BJP has 104 members, Congress 79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides the Speaker. PTIamansharma@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, January 17

Dairy major Amul has slapped a legal notice on Google India over the search engine allegedly earning revenues from fake websites carrying its trademark.

It asked Google to "cease and desist" from displaying fake and fraudulent websites.

A spokesperson for Google said it is investigating the issue.

According to the legal notice served at the search engine's Bengaluru office, the company said it has found that unknown persons have created fake websites and e-mails in the name of Amul.

"Since March 2018, our client has received numerous complaints from members of public regarding the said fake and fraudulent websites/domain names, as the said fake and fraudulent websites induce people to deposit money into their bank account," the legal notice said.

Many of them are issuing fake job letters and forms for getting Amul franchise and thereby "making unlawful gains by duping people".

According to Amul, this unauthorised use of trademark and creation of fake website/documents was in violation of several laws, including the Trade Mark Act, Copyright Act and IT Act.

Amul alleged that the Google Ads platform is allowing such miscreants to use its paid promotion services repeatedly without any background checks and in the process earning revenues from the click-based advertising on their page.

In the legal notice, Amul asked Google "to immediately cease and desist from displaying the search result of such fake/fraudulent websites".

Google should not allow its platform to be used from committing illegalities and offences, Amul said.

"Failure to comply with the aforementioned condition within seven days from the receipt of this notice shall constraint our client to escalate this issue using all available means," it added.

The dairy company also enclosed a list of fake websites in its legal notice. - PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Actress Nimrat Kaur is all set to reprise her role in popular series Homeland for its upcoming eighth and the final season. The show is an American spy thriller TV series starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis in the lead roles. Nimrat, who is known for her roles in films like The Lunchbox and Airlift, plays the role of Tasneem Qureshi, a member of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence in the terrorism drama, Homeland.

The final season will be shot in Morocco. Nimrat has also co-starred opposite Jason Patric on the Fox series Wayward Pines. The actress was last seen in Alt Balajis web series The Test Case and was highly appreciated for her performance.shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, January 17

Twitter trolls Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor after he tweeted about how inspired he was meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Anil shared a picture with Prime Minister Modi and tweeted: I had the opportunity to meet our h'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji today & I stand humbled and inspired in the wake of our conversation. His vision and his charisma are infectious & I'm grateful for the chance to have witnessed it in person.

I had the opportunity to meet our h'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji today & I stand humbled and inspired in the wake of our conversation. His vision and his charisma are infectious & I'm grateful for the chance to have witnessed it in person  pic.twitter.com/Tnl7JNRvT4  Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) 16 January 2019

On reading this, fans managed to find innovative ways to troll the 62-year-old actor.

One fan tweeted: Mr india with mr #Nayak #NaMoAgain #ModiOnceMore.

Another one tweeted, Wow.reel nayak meet our real nayak.

Wow.reel nayak meet our real nayak.  Rahul shivraj. (@rahulmahto836) 16 January 2019

Taking lines from Anils famous song the fan tweeted, Both are Expert in 1 2 ka 4, 4 2 ka 1.

Both are Expert in 1 2 ka 4, 4 2 ka 1    (@priyanshu1002) 16 January 2019

Another fan added, You are good Anil with strong values but pls teach some to ur daughter @sonamakapoor ,some of the things she has said abt the PM are just not acceptable, Swara Bhaskar is a very bad influence for her sadly.

You are good Anil with strong values but pls teach some to ur daughter @sonamakapoor ,some of the things she has said abt the PM are just not acceptable, Swara Bhaskar is a very bad influence for her sadly.  ModiFor2019  (@HittsVora) 17 January 2019

On the work front, the actor will next be seen in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga with his daughter, actor Sonam Kapoor.

Like if totally agree.. pic.twitter.com/7TBeHhWojO  Laughing Uncle (@LaughingUncle) 17 January 2019editorial@tribune.com

Vikram Sharma & Deepankar Gupta

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 16

As the BJP has started to advertise its achievements in J&K ahead of elections, Saddal Panjar village in the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda belt, which was devastated in the 2014 floods, is waiting for realisation of the promise to make it smart.

On September 6, 2014, at least 40 persons were buried alive after the village, located in the Panchari hills of Udhampur, was hit by landslides following incessant rains. The bodies of four persons are yet to be traced.

Nearly four and a half years ago, on September 18, 2014, Union Minister and MP from Udhampur-Kathua-Doda constituency, Jitendra Singh, visited the devastated village. He later adopted it with a plan to develop it as the first modern smart village in the state.

In all, 135 hutments and 135 toilets will be constructed with the participation of the district administration for the resettlement of villagers, he had announced.

Saddal Panjar is one of the four villages adopted by him during the first year of his term as an MP, the other three being Sangwali in Hiranagar, Kathua, Humbal in Doda and Bhattan in Kishtwar.

But the ground situation is almost the same, no action has been taken to improve it after the landslides and residents continue to live in inhuman conditions.

In all, 124 families are putting up under a big shed, earlier used as a stable, while others are being shuttled from one place to another, said Dhani Devi, 84, the oldest survivor of the catastrophe, who lost her complete family of eight in the floods. She is now living with one of her relatives. I am at the end of my life. My plea to the government is to give humane conditions to survivors. They are living in poverty, she said while talking to The Tribune.

The BJP should have thought about us before releasing its advertisement of achievements, said Kumar, another victim of the tragedy.

Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Ravinder Kumar said though some work had been executed in the construction of tenements at Saddal, no plan from the Centre had been initiated. We havent received any plan from the Central government, he said.

Former MoS (Finance) and former Udhampur MLA Pawan Gupta said the survivors were being subjected to many hardships as their place of settlement was changed frequently.

Some have been put up at the disaster management building while others are at various government schools. Life is miserable for them and no government help is there, said Pawan Gupta.

Gajay Singh, a panch from Ward No. 3 of Saddal, said except a little quota of ration every three months, no other support was available from the government.editorial@tribune.com

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 16

The back-to-back counter-insurgency operations in recent months eliminated more than a dozen senior commanders, some of whom had years of expertise in survival, hitting the insurgency hard as it lost its anchors, planners and recruiters.

The killing of a significant number of district-level commanders last year has now reduced the insurgency to fewer frontmen and known faces in south Kashmir  a vast region comprising four districts which became home to new-age insurgency.

The new-age insurgency completely overtook the previous phase of militancy in 2015-16 as a completely new generation of youth picked up arms and became distinct by shunning anonymity and revealing their identities on social media.

Among the nearly 250 militants killed last year, some had survived for over three years, more than the average age of a militant, and were instrumental in building and anchoring the new-age insurgency.

The eliminations of senior commanders have now put most of the surviving militants in south Kashmir, where the number of militants has been the highest in a decade, on the back foot and without enough experience in its ranks.

The only two exceptions Zakir Musa of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and Riyaz Naikoo of the Hizbul Mujahideen  who have survived unrelenting counter-insurgency operations are also the oldest surviving militants in south Kashmir and both of them are now nearly six years old in militancy.

Senior police officials in south Kashmir said the killing of militant commanders in recent operations had shattered the outfits and firmly impacted the lower-rung cadres.

It definitely impacts (militant groups) because it is these people who organise, recruit and plan attacks. Now, ground soldiers are left, and they will take time to understand and learn how to do things, a senior official said.

Of the 70 militants listed in the police records of south Kashmir in January 2016, only eight have survived. Sparked by the killing of Burhan Wani, insurgency peaked under these militants.

Over 600 militants were killed in counter-insurgency operations in the last three years. The prominent militants who are still active include Hizb field commander Naikoo, his deputy Saifullah Mir, Lashkar-e-Toibas Abbas Sheikh and Ansar chief Musa.

At least five militant commanders killed in recent months  Zeenat-ul-Islam of Shopian, Mohammad Sualeh of Tral, Shakir Dar of Tral, Umar Majeed of Kulgam, Adnan Lone of Awantipora had joined the insurgency in 2015. The past three years has also seen the expansion of organisational spectrum in south Kashmir as the number of groups increased from the three active in 2016 to seven.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad, which according to police records had a limited presence three years ago in south Kashmir with only three of its cadres  Gazali, Haroon and Musa  present in Awantipora police district, has now expanded to almost all four districts.

The groups recruitment efforts over the last two years in south Kashmir were backed by a series of fidayeen attacks, the last one taking place nearly a year ago.

On the back footamansharma@tribunemail.com

Jammu, January 17

A civilian was injured on Thursday when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and resorted to firing and mortar shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said.

Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said the Army is replying befittingly to the Pakistani aggression.

Pakistan troops resorted to firing and mortar shelling on forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Nowshera sector, the officials said.

The ceasefire violation resulted in injuries to a civilian who has been hospitalised, they said.

The year 2018 had witnessed the highest number -- 2,936 -- of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

The continuous Pakistani shelling and firing targeting villages has set in fear psychosis among the border dwellers.

Pakistan troops resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in Poonch district of the state for 12 days of this month.

On Monday, Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad was killed in a sniper firing by Pakistani rangers along the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar-Samba sector of Kathua district.

On the same day in another incident, Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.

On Sunday, an Army jawan was injured in ceasefire violation along the LoC in Keri sector of Rajouri.

On Friday, an Army porter was killed when Pakistani troops resorted to firing in Nowshera sector ofRajouri district.

On the same day, an Army Major and a soldier were killed in an IED blast on the LoC in Laam sub-sector of Rajouri. - PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Jammu, January 16

Batting for early Assembly elections, Governor Satya Pal Malik has said all political parties, except Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party, wanted early polls.

The Governor, however, hastened to add that it was the Election Commission of India which had the mandate to hold the polls and decide the schedule.

The government has sought opinion from everybody  all political parties and security agencies. We have talked to all. The government cannot decide it, it is for the Election Commission to decide (the poll schedule), Malik said in an interview.

The Governor made the remarks in reply to a query if the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections would be held together in view of the security scenario in the state.

There is a difference of opinion among political parties (on the timing of the Assembly elections). Some want it to be delayed by two months, others by four, while yet others want it to be held as soon as possible, he said.

Malik said while the BJP wanted the Assembly poll be held along with the Lok Sabha elections, the National Conference wanted it to be held as soon as possible.

The PDP, however, wants it (Assembly poll) to be delayed, he added.

The Governor, however, maintained that the ECI would ultimately be deciding the poll schedule, factoring in the requirement and availability of the forces and other conditions.

The Governor, however, batted for an early election. I want the polls to be held as soon possible so that I come out of this, he added.

Like the BJP, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir also favoured holding of the Assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections together in the state.

We want both polls together and soon. The Congress is ready for the polls. We do not want any delay in the Assembly poll at all, Mir said.

Governor Malik wished the elections were violence-free just like the recent municipal and panchayat polls. I pray that the Assembly and parliamentary polls are held without any casualty and with the largest possible participation of voters, he said.  PTIrchopra@tribunemail.com

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 17

Three policemen were injured in a grenade attack in Srinagars Rajbagh locality on Thursday afternoon, officials said.

The grenade was hurled at a police party near Zero Bridge injuring the three cops on duty.

A policeman and two traffic personnel were injured in the blast, an officer said.

The injured were shifted to hospital and their condition is said to be stable.

Soon after the incident, senior security officials reached the spot. The security forces also launched a search operation to trace the attackers.

This is the second grenade attack in Srinagar in the past six days. On January 11, militants targeted a CRPF bunker by hurling a hand grenade at Palladium Post in Lal Chowk area of the city. No one was injured in that attack.amansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 17

The infighting within the Congress took an ugly turn with supporters of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former party president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu coming to blows at the formal takeover by new chief Kuldeep Rathore at Congress Bhawan here today.

The warning by party in charge of the state Rajni Patil and state Congress president Kuldeep Rathore at a rally in Chaura Maidan about an hour before the showdown seemed to have had little impact. The two had warned everyone against issuing statements, making it clear that indiscipline would not be tolerated. Trouble broke out when the takeover by Rathore from Sukhu was taking place at Rajiv Bhawan in the presence of all senior leaders, including Patil, Virbhadra, Rathore, Sukhu, MLAs and party office-bearers.

As tension started mounting amid supporters of the two leaders with counter-sloganeering, Patil took the mike and tried to pacify the workers by stating that slogans should not be raised in favour of anyone. She also tried to defuse the situation by raising slogans in favour of the party. However, by then the workers had already come to blows and started flinging chairs at each other in the presence of senior leaders. During the free-for-all, one Sewa Dal worker Rajeev Rana sustained head injuries and was rushed to hospital.

It was after the intervention of senior leaders that the situation was brought under control and the formal handover completed. Both Virbhadra and Sukhu had been engaged in a verbal duel since the removal of Sukhu as party chief with party leaders, including MLAs and former state presidents, issuing statements in favour of either of the two leaders.editorial@tribune.com

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Jind, January 16

As per Hindu mythology when the Pandavas were to fight the Mahabharata with the Kauravas, they chose this place to worship Indra, the lord of victory.

They named the place Jayantapura after Jayant which is another name for Indra. Later, Jayantapura came to be named Jind.

Today, another battle of Mahabharata is being fought in Jind  an electoral battle that has assumed importance because of the high stakes involved and the timing ahead of the parliamentary and Assembly polls in the state.

Although the campaign of various candidates is yet to gain momentum, over 15,000 political activists have descended on this small town on nearly 5,000 big-sized cars, mostly SUVs.

Jind has 25 to 30 hotels and all of those are packed to capacity as the political parties have booked all rooms.

Many campaigners are staying with their friends and relatives in Jind or surrounding villages and several others go to nearby towns Hansi, Hisar, Narwana and Rohtak after the days campaign.

Voters in Jind town, which has nearly 1 lakh out of the total 1.7 lakh voters of this Assembly constituency, are maintaining a silence so far. They are listening to everyone and committing to none.

In contrast, nearly 70,000 voters in 35-odd villages coming under the constituency dont mince words to make their choice clearly known.

Supporting different candidates, a group of villagers sits together under the sun in Ikkas village on JindHansi road and discusses the possible outcome of the bypoll.

During a small-duration conversation with the villagers, one can have the taste of wit, humour and banter that Haryanvis are famous for.

Congress candidate Randeep Surjewala seems ahead of others as far as campaign in this bypoll is concerned.

Congress Legislature Party Leader Kiran Choudhry, Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi and former minister Sampat Singh campaigned for Surjewala besides the state Congress president Ashok Tanwar who has been active in Jind from the day Surjewala filed his nomination.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his MP son Deepender Hooda are to start their campaign tomorrow.

Surjewala today lured voters by telling them that Jind would soon rule over the state in an obvious hint to the possibility of his bigger role in the future Congress government.

Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala today took a day off from the campaign for his nominee Umed Redhu and went to New Delhi to wish BSP supremo Mayawati on her 63rd birthday which was on January 15.

A video showing a faux pas by Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala who mistakenly asked the voters to press the EVM button on the symbol of spectacle, the poll symbol of his former party INLD, has gone viral here.

Meanwhile, four-time MLA Mange Ram Gupta and two-time Hisar MP and Barwala MLA Surender Barwala have been keeping everyone guessing on their future move.

Almost all political parties, including the Congress, INLDs Abhay Singh Chautala, JJPs Dushyant Chautala and BJPs national general secretary Anil Jain, have met Gupta but he has not given any hint of his future plans.

Jat leader plays Haryanvi card

Jind: Akhil Bharatiya Jat Mahasabha chief Hawa Singh Sangwan on Wednesday said he would appeal to Jind voters to vote only for Haryanvi candidates. He accused CM Manohar Lal Khattar of promoting caste politics by posing as a Punjabi leader and seeking support for Punjabi candidates during the recent MC elections. Sangwan said only those speaking the Haryanvi dialect deserved to be called residents of Haryana. TNS

Counting at Arjun stadium on jan 31

Jind: The counting of votes for the byelection to the Jind Assembly constituency will be held in the multipurpose hall of Arjun stadium. The polling is on January 28 and the counting of votes will take place on January 31. The general observer for the bypoll, Saurabh Bhagat, visited the counting centre to ensure all kinds of arrangements. Bhagat directed officers to ensure proper electricity arrangements at the counting centre. Besides this, there should be proper sitting arrangement for the agents. TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sandhu, whose extended tenure ends on January 31, is likely to get another extension; this time till September 30.

Sources said the Centres decision to give extension to Punjab DGP Suresh Arora till September 30 has set a precedent for the Haryana Government to seek extension for its DGP as both cases were similar in nature.

Both Arora and Sandhu were due to retire on September 30, 2018, but were given a three-month extension till December 31. Later, the Supreme Court allowed them to continue in office till January 31.

The Haryana Governments intention to retain Sandhu was demonstrated recently when it sought a seven-month extension for him apparently in line with the Supreme Court directions regarding a two-year tenure irrespective of the date of superannuation for DGPs. Sandhu was appointed to the post on April 27, 2017.

However, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) granted three-month extension to Sandhu after relaxing Section 16 (1) of the All India Service (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules.

In fact, the Assembly had recently amended the Police Act, circumventing the July 3 judgment providing absolute powers to the state government to select the DGP.

On July 3 last year, the SC had directed all states and Union Territories not to appoint any police officer as acting DGP and issued certain other directions on police reforms to check favouritism and nepotism in appointments after it was pointed out that many states were appointing acting DGPs and then making them permanent just before their superannuation to extend them the benefit of an additional two-year tenure.

According to the July order, the states were required to send a list of senior police officers to the UPSC at least three months prior to the retirement of the incumbent officer. The UPSC would prepare a panel and inform the state concerned. The state government would immediately appoint one of the persons from that panel.

Meanwhile, Supreme Courts Wednesdays order asking the states to follow the UPSC route for selecting the new DGP would give ample time to the Haryana Government to seek extension for the incumbent police chief.Seema Guha

Seema Guha

Senior journalist

The BJP governments decision to go ahead with the Amendment to the Citizenship Bill (2016), in the face of stiff opposition from the state, has backfired. The move has triggered massive protests. Anger is spilling over to the streets and spreading to the rest of the Northeast. It has punctured the BJPs image and turned the once adoring Assamese middle class against PM Modi.

Last week, the Lok Sabha passed the amendment to the Citizenship Act to allow Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship. The Bill makes the process easier by cutting down the residence provisions of applicants and virtually endorses 2014 as the cut-off date for Hindus from Bangladesh.

This goes against the Assam Accord where the date to determine nationality is March 24, 1971. Though the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is not a part of the accord, it also uses March 1971 as the base to determine who is a foreign national and who is a genuine citizen of Assam. It is believed that the majority of those whose names are not on the updated NRC list are Bengali Hindus. The Assamese fear that all of them will now be accommodated, making the entire exercise futile.

The accord that brought the movement against alleged foreign nationals to a close would now be breached, as Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh will automatically get citizenship. This will apply to Hindu migrants in other Northeastern states as well. This is why the region is up in arms. Assam is willing to accept those who came before 1971 as Indian nationals, but not the additional burden. This move to accommodate the Hindu Bengalis is seen as a betrayal by the BJP government.

That is quite something, considering that the BJP and PM Modi were a hot favourite of the Assamese. Since the beginning of the movement against foreign nationals in Assam (1979-1985), the BJP was regarded as the one national party that had always been with the local Assamese speakers and understood their fear of being reduced to a minority by the immigrant Bengali Muslims of Bangladesh.

The Congress, held responsible for encouraging illegal migration from Bangladesh for votes to remain in power, was the enemy. So, when Modi arrived at the scene in 2014, with the promise of throwing out all illegal foreign nationals, he was warmly embraced. This was a man who would not betray their cause as previous Congress leaders had done. Not only did they give the BJP seven parliamentary seats, but also elected a BJP government for the first time in the state. There was euphoria all round at a clean government in the state, with a dynamic PM overseeing developments at the Centre.

The BJP move has, therefore, come as a shock. What is more, the amendment is a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees right to equality and does not discriminate on the basis of religion. The BJPs argument is that as these people are victims of the Partition, they have the right to claim Hindu India as their home. The protection for Hindu minorities fits into the BJPs Hindutva narrative.

As soon as the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, the Asom Gana Parishad, walked out of the coalition. The BJP euphoria about a Congress mukt Northeast may soon fade, as its friends and allies in other Northeastern states are equally disturbed. They fear that Hindus and Buddhists from Bangladesh would flock to the region.

The BJP was well aware of the opposition to the move. Why did the normally astute BJP leadership score a self goal? Many believe it is a strategic decision, keeping in mind the 2019 elections, with an eye on neighbouring West Bengal, where the party is gaining momentum. The Northeast sends a total of 25 members to Parliament, 14 of them from Assam. West Bengal elects 42 members. The BJP has its eyes on the bigger state and is willing to take a gamble. The citizenship Bill will also help the BJP to consolidate its base in both the Barak valley dominated by Bengali Hindus as well as other areas in Assam where there are Bengali Hindus.

At the same time, the BJP is hoping to control damage in Assam. The Centre has announced SC status to six OBC communities of the state. They are the Chutiya, Morans, tea tribes, Tai Ahoms, Motoks and Koch-Rajbangshis. These will now become ST seats. The BJP hopes to break the stranglehold of the Bengali Muslims. Delimitation will ensure that 18 of the 126 seats in the Assam Assembly will be freed from Muslim control. Besides this, Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced a high-powered team to look into ways of preserving the culture and identity of the Assamese, as promised in Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. But that was a nonstarter, with AASU walking out and many others named doing the same.

For now, the BJP government in Assam is becoming extremely unpopular. Bringing in sedition charges against 80-year-old Hiren Gohain, a well-known Assamese intellectual, and two others, exposes the nervousness of the state government. The BJP is dividing Hindus against Muslims, Bengali speakers against the Assamese and the caste Assamese against the Scheduled Castes. Will polarisation work or come back to haunt the Modi-Shah duo?editorial@tribune.com

Satinder Pal Singh

Dera Bassi, January 16

ASI Lakhwinder Singh Lakha, local traffic in-charge and a resident of Tripuri, Patiala, was allegedly shot dead by a munshi with a service rifle at the Dera Bassi police station on Wednesday night.

The accused munshi, Kala Khan, was arrested immediately after the incident.

There was a fight between head constable Lekh Raj and Kala Khan, both posted at the Dera Bassi police station, following a dispute over night duty hours. Sources said Kala Khan, who was reportedly under the influence of liquor, got into a heated argument with Lekh Raj and tried to hit him with a wooden plank. Lekh Raj, in order to save himself, locked himself in a room. Others intervened and pacified them.

In the meantime, traffic in-charge Lakhwinder Singh reached the police station around 9.45 pm to submit a challan. Kala Khan, in a fit of rage, picked up a service rifle and shot Lakhwinder Singh dead.

The ASI had a deep bullet wound between his chin and neck and was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi. He succumbed to his injuries after reaching the hospital, sources said.

Other police personnel at the police station caught hold of Khan and snatched the rifle from him. Later, they took him away for a medical examination and shifted the body to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem.

Harmandeep Hans, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Dera Bassi, said they were yet to ascertain the cause of the crime, adding that the rifle had been seized.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Manish Tewari today expressed his desire to contest from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat in the coming General Election. He was speaking on the sidelines of an NSUI seminar on Youth and Politics at Panjab University (PU).

Every worker hopes that the party will give him a chance to fight, but the party has to decide on it. I am closely connected with Chandigarh. I hope to represent Chandigarh, but the party leadership has to take a decision, he said.

He said he was born and brought up in Chandigarh. I went to school and college here. My parents worked here. I have an emotional attachment with the city, he said. On the other hand, former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is also a contender from the seat. Bansal had consecutively won in 1999, 2004 and 2009, but lost in 2014. He had also represented Chandigarh from 1991 to 1996.

On the General Election, Tewari said there would be a fight between dictatorship and democracy and jumla banam kaam (false promise vs work). He described the present government as that of one and a half people (PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah).

During his lecture to students, he traced the history of students movements in the country. He said, It is a mistake to enter politics at 25 or 30. Though it is good if you are politically active when you are in a college or university, you must make a career. Politics cant become a career, but a cause. It can become a mission, but you must be economically sound. He added, You have to be super excellent, only then you can survive. Once you have achieved something and you are 45, you can spend the next 20 years in politics.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 16

The government today awarded a contract to Infosys for setting up an integral portal for e-filing of Income Tax (IT) returns and their processing, which is aimed at reducing the time for refund from the current 63 days to one. The project is named as Integrated E-filing & Centralised Center 2.0.

A decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.

He said the project has been awarded to Infosys through a transparent lowest-bidding process.

The project will cost Rs 4,241.97 crore and will be completed in next 18 months and will be launched after three months of testing, the minister said, adding once the integrated portal becomes operational, the projection is that rectification requests will come down to 0.2% from the current 2%, as the entire process will be completed in online domain.

After integration of e-filing of IT returns and their processing online, the time taken would reduce to one day from the present 63 days on an average, the minister said.

The current system, he said, has been a success and new project will be more tax-friendly. The e-filing and Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) projects have enabled end-to-end automation of all processes within the Income Tax Department using various innovative methods to provide taxpayer services and to promote voluntary compliance. The Cabinet also sanctioned a consolidated cost of Rs 1,482.44 crore for the existing CPC-ITR 1.0 project up to 2018-19.

The decision will ensure transparency and accountability besides faster processing of returns and issue of refunds to the taxpayers bank account directly.MCKINNEY, Texas - Velma Lynn Yettman passed away on June 4th, 2021 in Mckinney, Texas. She was born on October 25th, 1951 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was predeceased by her sister Valeta May in 2018, and her parents Lloyd and Frances Zenor. Velma is survived by her brother Steve (Becky) Zenfeatured

Politics

Hamilton councilwoman calls for Yaede administration official to resignTo innovate and rapidly scale new solutions to the planets biggest challenges, environmentalists are looking towards Silicon Valley

By Brian McPeek, President, The Nature Conservancy

At the start of each new year, many of us wake up ready and determined to take on a list of resolutions ranging from learning new languages to finally cleaning out the garage. For conservationists the list of planet-sized resolutions seems to be growing exponentially, as 2018 delivered multiple, science-based reports outlining serious risks to nature and people, urging us to make significant and rapid changes to avoid a grim future. So where do we even begin as we look towards 2019? Is it even possible to turn things around?

A major body of research led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) shows it is still possible to achieve a sustainable future for people and nature, but only if we make significant progress on the path to sustainability over the next 10 years. For this to be attainable there are a lot of variables and resolutions that need to be made, and at the top of my list for 2019 is empowering strong and innovative leadership in sustainability, and not just from the usual suspects. Accelerating progress will require some unexpected characters to work side-by-side with traditional conservationists. Now more than ever, we need an all-hands-on-deck effort.

 Randy Olson

Who are these unexpected characters? A few weeks ago, TNC posted this list of 10 groups who can change the world in 2019. If you read it, you might be surprised to see that Silicon Valley made the list, among other unexpected cohorts (youll have to read it to find out). These are exactly the kinds of new champions that the planet needs. To rapidly increase progress in the field of sustainability we need an entire ecosystem of support. We need technologists, entrepreneurs, scientists, and investors working together to design and scale smart, new solutions on a short timeline.

It was with this idea, the notion that there is a need for an intersection between tech and nature, that I first sat down with Techstars co-founder Brad Feld and TNCs CEO Mark Tercek back in 2017 to envision how the tech sector could accelerate our efforts. From there, we created the first Techstars Sustainability Accelerator, which graduated the inaugural class of start-up entrepreneurs in 2018.

 Ben Duke

In just one year of the Sustainability Accelerator weve already seen smart solutions to tackle pressing challenges, like making fisheries more sustainable, quantifying the economic benefits of nature, creating better software to support battery storage for renewable energy, and harnessing the power of data to improve water quality and quantity. TNC has also initiated projects with several of the start-ups from the first class of the Sustainability Accelerator.

Were collaborating with StormSensor, for example, to create smart urban watersheds, using their sensors to establish baseline flow conditions and measure the impact of green infrastructure. This solution provides information needed to track, predict and prevent stormwater pollution and flooding in real time, allowing cities to better manage water resources.

Were also working with FlyWire, a company that is addressing seafood traceability by working with fishers to provide at-sea verification of sustainable fishing efforts. FlyWire has developed a low-cost electronic monitoring system that can record HD video, is linked to GPS, and can obtain quality data where there is currently no data collection. The innovation and speed of development are impressive coming from these technologists, making it very evident that we must continue to create more partnerships and bridge the gap between the tech and social sectors.

 Randy Olson

In 2019, Im eager to meet even more tech entrepreneurs who can play a pivotal role in helping solve the great challenges facing our planet, and I encourage all entrepreneurs with commercially viable sustainable technologies to apply to our next Techstars Sustainability Accelerator class for the sake of our land, water, climate and cities. For the sake of our planets future.Specialist tour operator, Ranch Rider, is offering a 50pp discount on all riding holidays of six nights and more, if you book before 31 January.

TRAVPR.COM - UK January 16th 2019.



Have you set your sights on a 2019 riding holiday? It could be worthwhile visiting Ranch Rider before the month is out, as the specialist tour operator is offering a 50pp discount on all riding holidays of six nights and more, if you book before 31 January.

Head for Argentinas Estancia los Potreros, where you can enjoy scenic horseback rides across the pampas, compete in the Gaucho Games or try your hand at polo. While, the property is open year round, this year a near total eclipse of the sun (98.6%) will pass right over the property on 02 July, to be followed by a glorious sunset. Guests will have the option of viewing this extraordinary event from the top of the Cordoba hills and from the back of a horse! Seven nights from only 2,145pp (two sharing) including accommodation, meals, drinks, ranch activities, use of ranch facilities and taxes. Excludes internal flight cost to Cordoba Airport and return flight from 1,135pp. Price before discount 2,195pp.

At the ripe old age of 113, Saskatchewans Historic Reesor Working Ranch is a piece of living history, and it is the first heritage ranch in the province to receive the Provincial Heritage Property designation. Enjoy cattle work, cowboy poetry and campfires or take up more modern day pursuits including guided ATV rides through the Cypress Hills (a first in the area). Two new cabins are set to open in summer 2019. Seven nights from only 1,076pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities and taxes. Excludes car hire from 330pp and return flight from 989pp. Price before discount 1,126pp. Departing June through September.

A ranch that claims it can turn greenhorns into cowhands in just one week, the adult only Colorado Cattle Company has its own Cowboy School and guests are able to enjoy daily cattle work. A full service bar and swimming pool give the ranch a resort like feel. Six nights from only 1,440pp (no single supplement) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities (including riding), use of ranch facilities and taxes. Excludes transfers from 100 per group (Denver return) and return flight from 859pp. Price before discount 1,490pp. Departures 12 May - 12 October.

With zero jet-lag and overnight flights, South Africa is a truly family friendly destination. Ideally suited to tweens and teens, the list of pursuits at Horizons Triple B Ranch include riding with game, swimming with horses and western games. Cattle mustering is also available on request, the property situated in the malaria free Waterberg region. Six nights from only 1,210pp (two sharing) and from 1,000pp (five to 16 years) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities (including riding), use of ranch facilities and tax. Excludes return transfers from Johannesburg (from 395 for a family of three or 595 for a family of four to eight people), gratuities left to discretion and return flight from 879pp and from 765pp (under 12 years). Prices before discount 1,260pp and 1,050pp respectively. Departures 16 February - 23 February, 20 April - 26 April and 01 July - 06 January 2020.

-ends-

Offer only applicable to riding holidays and not add adventures or self-drive itineraries. Minimum six night stay. Offer cannot be combined with other promotions. Ranch Rider (01509 618 811) ATOL PROTECTED No 4660 ABTA 96395/V9150.

###African Economic Outlook 2019: Africa growth prospects remain steady, industry should lead growth (AfDB)

Africas general economic performance continues to recover and GDP growth is projected to accelerate to 4.0 percent in 2019 and 4.1 percent in 2020. But improved macroeconomic and employment outcomes require industry to lead growth, according to the 2019 African Economic Outlook report, launched today by the African Development Bank.

The focus of the 2019 report on regional integration for Africas economic prosperity, highlights integration for trade and economic cooperation and the delivery of regional public goods. Five trade policy actions could raise Africas total gains to 4.5 percent or GDP, or $134 billion a year, the report finds.

The Trump Administrations paper now circulating within the WTO: An undifferentiated WTO  self-declared development status risks institutional irrelevance

Section 5: conclusion. Defenders of the status quo approach by some WTO Members for determining development status - self-declaration - may argue that Members effectively agreed to it by consensus in 1995. They may even claim their authorities would never have sought WTO membership if they could not self-declare as developing. Unfortunately, clinging to this approach leads to a system that prevents true liberalization while anchoring all Members to a world that no longer exists. This contradicts the goals stated by Members in the preamble to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO. Self-declaration and its first-order consequence - an inability to differentiate among Members - puts the WTO on a path to failed negotiations. It is also a path to institutional irrelevance, whereby the WTO remains anchored to the past and unable to negotiate disciplines to address the challenges of today or tomorrow, while other international institutions move forward.

Creative Economy Outlook: trends in international trade in creative industries (UNCTAD)

With export growth rates of over 7% over 13 years, global trade in creative goods is an expanding and resilient sector buoyed by China, according to a new UNCTAD report. The second edition of the periodic pdf Creative Economy Outlook: Trends in International Trade in Creative Industries (6.15 MB) examines the global picture and also features 130 country profiles with reported creative goods and services trade data. The data, which covers the period 2002 to 2015, shows the creative economys contribution to world trade. Over this period, the value of the global market for creative goods doubled from $208bn in 2002 to $509bn in 2015. The report also charts the remarkable rise of China, whose exports of creative goods grew at double the global average between 2002 and 2015. Design and visual arts are among the highest performing sectors with fashion, interior design and jewelry accounting for 54% of creative goods exports in developed economies and 70% (including toys) in developing economies.

pdf South Africa country analysis (6.15 MB) : South Africa creative goods exports increased from $270m in 2005 to $599m in 2014. Design goods (interior design and jewelry and fashion) was the strongest export category generating $315 million, followed by: publishing (books and journals) which tallied $118m; visual arts (painting, antiques and sculpture) $55m; art crafts at $39m and audiovisuals (CDs, DVs and tapes) at $32m. However, South Africa was a net importer of creative goods. Imports stood at $1.8bn, three times higher than the value of exports. Despite having a growing creative economy, in 2014, the creative goods trade deficit was $1.2bn. The role of trade with other African countries has expanded significantly for South African creative goods, 67% of which went to the African market in 2014, compared with just 31% in 2005. By 2014, trade with Europe and the Americas had shrunk, and the top five export partners for creative goods were Namibia, the United States, Botswana, Lesotho, and Zambia. Creative services exports stood at $128.7m in 2014. Audiovisual and related services accounted for the largest share of creative services exports, driven by a strong local film and television industry. This industry had developed a strong reputation in establishing South Africa as a service-industry oriented country.

Towards a borderless Africa? Regional organisations and free movement of persons in West and North-East Africa (DIE)

The present analysis of ECOWAS (West Africa) and IGAD (North-East Africa) shows that both regional organisations face difficulties with their free movement policies, though the respective challenges emerge in different phases of the political process. In the IGAD region, member states have so far been unable to agree on any free movement treaty, while the ECOWAS region is experiencing delays in the national and sub-national implementation of established legislation. These differences can primarily be explained by historic path dependencies, divergent degrees of legalisation, and differing interests on the part of sub-regional powers. Finally, regional free movement is being hampered in both regions by internal capacity issues and growing external influences on intra-African migration management and border control. From the perspective of development policy, it is expedient to support free movement at sub-regional level in Africa. The following recommendations arose from the analysis: [The authors: Eva Dick, Benjamin Schraven]

Credit reporting without borders: UEMOA case study (World Bank).

The Regional Credit Reporting System in the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA), encouraged and facilitated by IFC, is a unique example of realigning strategies to leverage international best practices and set up a unique credit reporting model that serves the specific needs of the UEMOA countries. The journey started in 2010 and resulted in the successful establishment of a regional credit information system that is the first of its kind in the world. This Regional Credit Reporting system in UEMOA (covering eight countries  Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo) established a Regional Credit Bureau servicing all eight-member countries. The booklet aims to illustrate how the UEMOA region moved from an environment largely devoid of credit information sharing to one where it embraced a regional credit reporting solution based on best practice with the guidance provided by the IFC and become the only existing example of a free cross-sharing mechanism of credit information.

IMF reviews of Central African Economic and Monetary Community policy issues:

pdf Common policies of member countries (1.03 MB) . The regional strategy has helped to avert an immediate crisis but continues to face headwinds: two countries have yet to enter financing arrangements with the Fund: regional reserves have underperformed despite higher-than-projected oil prices; the projected recovery of non-oil growth has still to materialize; and the security, social, and political context remains challenging. pdf Selected issues report (913 KB) : A regional approach to enhancing governance and reducing the potential for corruption. This note assesses the link between governance and economic performance in the CEMAC. It highlights areas where the CEMACs governance is weak, based on available indicators over-time, and highlights areas for improvement. The focus of this note is on the regional dimensions of reform that can support better governance. It is recognized that the thrust of actions in this area are largely in the remit of national authorities. However, the very design of an economic and monetary union results in a set of policy and reform dimensions that have a distinct regional feature. For these, improvements require a coordinating or even steering role by regional institutions, to set a coherent framework for and maximize synergies of reforms at the country level. The note focuses on three key areas where governance has a specific regional dimension. First, it examines gaps in the implementation of regional standards for public financial management. Second, it looks at standards to strengthen the framework underpinning efforts in the area of any-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. Finally, it assesses the framework for management and accountably of oil resources.

A governance dividend for Sub-Saharan Africa? (IMF)

This paper investigates the correlation between overall governance and one crucial dimension thereof, namely corruption, and economic performance in SSA. Our main goal is to test whether weak governance and corruption have any impact on SSA growth. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that low corruption and good governance are not the sole drivers of growth. Indeed, there are various examples of countries perceived as being poorly governed that have had episodes of strong growth driven by other factors, for example natural resource wealth. In other cases, countries with good governance have not necessarily benefited from strong growth. While the estimated correlations between governance/corruption and growth do not prove causation, they do suggest [inter alia] the following: The impact of weak governance on GDP per capita growth is stronger in SSA relative to the rest of the world and bringing governance to the world average could increase GDP per capita by an estimated 1 to 2 percentage points. Corruption also has a deleterious impact on SSA countries relative to the rest of the world and bringing corruption to the world average could increase GDP per capita by 1 percentage point.

A new world: the geopolitics of the energy transformation (IRENA)

To assess the impact of the energy transition on different regions, Figure 5 shows each regions net fossil fuel exports and imports as a share of GDP. While the graph above masks differences within regional groupings, it has the advantage of uncovering major differences between regions and country groupings. The majority of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (pdf) will benefit from reducing fossil fuel imports and generating renewable energy domestically, because this will boost job creation and economic growth. The exceptions to this are the two biggest oil producers in the region, Nigeria and Angola, which are at risk because they depend heavily on fossil fuel rents. Because of their size and large fossil fuel exports, they skew the data for SSA as a region. In the long-term, however, African countries have a unique opportunity to leapfrog the fossil fuel-centred development model despite recent discoveries of oil and gas.

The rail freight challenge for emerging economies: how to regain modal share (World Bank)

Successful railways now focus on understanding the logistics of targeted freight and positioning rail transport services as part of an overall logistics system aimed at meeting customers needs. By responding to new trends in logistics and partnering with road haulers, port operators, forwarders, intermodal terminal operators, and third-party logistics companies to provide the seamless service delivery required by changing supply chains, rail freight organizations in Europe and North America have regained modal share or reversed a trend of falling shares. Emerging economies can learn from their experience. The analysis presents examples and lessons of good (and not-so-good) practice. It summarizes what successful rail freight organizations have done to increase market share and provides options for policy makers. [The author: Bernard Aritua]

Effective trade costs and the current account: an empirical analysis (IMF)

A view receiving increased support is that the height of trade costs in prime export sectors has a strong effect on current account balances: countries specializing in sectors that face relatively high trade costs, such as services, tend to run current account deficits, and similarly, countries specializing in low trade cost sectors, such as manufacturing, tend to run current account surpluses. To test this view, we first infer comparative advantages and trade costs, by sector, within a large sample of countries for the period 19702014. Then we construct effective trade coststrade costs weighted by sectoral comparative advantageto gauge the height of a countrys overall trade costs. Results reveal that, although higher effective exporting costs are associated with lower current account balances, their impact is quantitatively limited; furthermore, the effective costs of importing often have no statistically significant effect. [Companion IMF analysis: Macroeconomic consequences of tariffs]

A quartet of recent OECD trade reports:Is it possible that, even with the Toyota Supra and the Ford Shelby GT500 hogging the spotlight, a Chinese automaker and its Indian counterpart stole the show at the 2019 North American International Auto Show? Its probably not the case, but you have to give it to GAC and Mahindra for representing their brands well at Detroit when so many other established automakers  we didnt see you there, Audi , BMW , and Mercedes-Benz  decided to skip the proceedings. Mahindra brought two notable models to Detroit, including the Marazzo, a front-wheel-drive minivan that actually has a lot of things going for it. Meanwhile, GAC pretty much brought its entire lineup to Detroit, but the real star of its booth was the Entranze EV, a futuristic electric concept van that got a lot of peoples attention. Its hard to imagine a Chinese and Indian automaker stealing the show at the 2019 NAIAs, but both did it in their own way. And, if were being technical about it, both GAC and Mahindra have roots in America, specifically the latter, which has a facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Are we sure that they dont consider the NAIAs their home auto show?

GAC and Mahindra came to impress, and for the most part, both did LISTEN 07:25

Mahindra Shows off the Marazzo, Gets Looks with the Roxor

The days off us looking past and dismissing Mahindra as a second-rate automaker are long gone. The automaker, which is owned by the Mahindra Group, which also happens to own Pininfarina, went to the 2019 North American International Auto Show to showcase a handful of models. One of those models was the Marazzo MPV, and, in my eyes, at least, its in the running as one of the most pleasant surprises of the show. Ok, so its not a showstopper from an aesthetic point of view, but its impressive in a number of different ways.

First, it doesnt look cheap.

The Marazzo looks like a proper minivan with unique design cues thats all its own.

Theres a bit of the Chevrolet Sonic in the front section, but youre not going to notice it if you dont know what the Sonic looks like. The interior is where youll be surprised, though. It can seat up to eight passengers, offers ample interior space, and comes with a handful of first-rate elements and features. A 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display sits comfortably in the dashboard, and its available with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

Theres also a smaller 4.2-inch vehicle information display in the gauge cluster. It has roof-mounted vents and controls for the rear seating area. These arent ground-breaking features, but theyre welcome additions on a Mahindra.

The Marazzo comes with a 1.5-liter inline-four diesel engine that produces 121 horsepower.

Once again, its not going to blow your mind, but it surprisingly punchy for a vehicle of its size and stature.

Combine all of that, and you have a decent MPV thats worth looking into. Do that, and youll discover what makes the Marazzo a legitimate piece of work. Its not available in the U.S. market, but over in India, this vehicle comes with a base price of just 999,999 rupees. That converts to just $14,000, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than, say, the Ford C-Max, which starts at $24,000. Thats value for money right there.

In addition to the Marazzo MPV, Mahindras other Detroit attendee was the Roxor, a no-frills off-roader that bears more than a striking resemblance to the original Jeep CJ. Unlike the Marazzo, the Roxor is available in the U.S. and Canada markets through approximately 350 powersports dealerships. Roxor, though, was the subject of headlines last year after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles filed a complaint regarding the Roxors design. Mahindra countered with its own claims, saying that FCA already consented to the companys use of the Jeep-lookalike five front slot grille design. Believe it or not, the Roxor is actually made in the country.

50 percent of the components used on the off-roader come from India with the other 50 percent locally sourced in the U.S. Pieces coming from India are shipped to the U.S. as kits where they're assembled in the automakers production facility in Auburn Hill, Michigan.

The Roxor caught the eye of a lot of people in Detroit, in part because it looked like a rainbow puked on its body and because, well, it looked like a Jeep CJ.

GAC Wows the Show with the Entranze Concept

Chinese auto brand Guangzhou Automobile Group, or GAC, as we more often call it, falls in the same category as Mahindra. It doesnt have a presence in the U.S. market, but to GACs credit, it plans to change that by the end of the decade. Whether it succeeds or not is still a question, but there certainly wasnt anything unclear about its involvement at the 2019 North American International Auto Show. GAC didnt bring just one car to the show. It didnt even bring two. It brought pretty much its entire auto lineup, ranging from the GE3 MPV, GA4 compact sedan, GM6 and GM8 vans, and the GS4, GS5, and GS7 SUVs. But the star of GACs booth was, without question, the Entranze Concept.

Designed in the U.S., the Entranze Concept is a high-riding, futuristic-looking, seven-seater van/crossover concept that takes its name from the way its four doors open.

Unlike traditional vans where the front door is independent of the rear sliding doors, the Entranze takes that configuration to a whole new level by turning all four doors into sliding glass doors that create huge openings on each side of the van. Thats on top of an incredible exterior design that, quite frankly, looks better than a lot of concept vehicles weve seen in recent years. It looks that good, folks.

Not to be outdone, the concepts interior is incredible in its own right. GAC says that 90 percent of the Entranzes interior components are made from environmentally sustainable materials like cork. The components that arent made from environmentally sustainable materials left an impression, too. The dashboard layout, in particular, features a pair of OLED screens on each side instead of having just one screen in the middle. Even the lower section of the dash has a tray-like design that you almost never see in production models these days.

The Entranze isnt headed to production anytime soon, but GAC ultimately envisions creating a model that shares the concepts ultimate road trip car identity.

I gotta say, if it looks anything like the concept, its going to demand attention from a lot of people.

Its an impressive concept in every which way. But whats even more impressive is the incredible run the Chinese automaker is having as far as concept designs are concerned. This is the same company that showcased the Enverge Concept at last years show. That one received great acclaim, too.

Those days when wed snicker at Chinese concepts that looked like cheap copycat versions of popular models are long gone. At least thats the case with GAC. The Entranze Concept was probably the most stunning concept at the show, and that includes concepts like the Nissan IMs Concept and the Infiniti QX Inspiration EV. When was the last time you said that about a Chinese automaker without giggling after saying it?

Further reading

GAC Brought a Weird-Looking Thing to Detroit that it Calls The Entranze ConceptKANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A new Gillette ad is calling into question what it means to be a man. The ad is more about an idea than it is about razors. It's a voice narrating scene of bullying and cat calling, and stereotypical masculinity asking if it is truly the best a man can get.Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivered his first State of the State address Wednesday, giving the GOP chief executive a chance to detail an ambitious agenda for state government. Parson took the chance to flesh out his main priorities of bolstering workforce development programs and improving roads and bridges.After an eight-month investigation into alleged misconduct as a tenured professor, Ashim Mitra has resigned from the School of Pharmacy at the Universty of Missouri-Kansas City. UMKC launched the investigation after reports that Mitra, who is from India, was taking advantage of his Indian students.KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -- Kansas City, Kansas police are investigating a double shooting. Police say two individuals were shot during an argument with two other people. One of the victims returned fire as the suspects fled the scene. It happened near a home located at the 7000 block of Rowland Avenue near 79th Street.Volker Homes Built Around 1910 To Meet The Needs of Immigrants Most of the homes we now occupy in Midtown were built in a relatively short period - from 1900 to about 1920. While some of Kansas City's wealthiest families had moved south in in the 1880s, the majority of homes were constructed to meet a rapidly-growing population after the turn of the century.

post from this local blogger offers a glimpse at how this cowtown was molded by one wave of immigration after the next. Here's old school documentation and evidenceworth checking . . .Editors' Note: Updated at 12:41 a.m. ET to include Cnet's report on LG's smartphone plans.

To fold or not to fold  that appears to be the question facing LG and its next smartphone, according to dueling reports about the phone maker's plans for next month's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

(Image credit: The successor to the LG G7, shown here, is expected at MWC next month. (Credit: Tom's Guide))

On the folding phone front, a Korean paper reports that the LG G8 ThinQ will debut at the mobile industry trade show in February, and that the new flagship phone will feature a folding display. The report, published in Dong-A Ilbo, says that LG's G8 will feature a smaller display that can fold out into a 7-inch screen. Samsung has shown off a similar capability with its Infinity Flex display that will be featured on the upcoming Galaxy F. But that display is a single folding panel; Dong-A Ilbo reports that LG's version will feature two screens joined together by a hinge.

But wait  a second report in Cnet cites a person familiar with situation at LG who says that's not what the company is planning at all. Instead, according to that report, Cnet will build a phone that will allow you to attach an optional second screen. And it will be just one of several phones LG could unveil at MWC in February, none of which will fold. The phone described by Cnet may not even be called the G8.

Who to believe? We'll have plenty of time to debate that point, as Mobile World Congress doesn't begin until e.b 25.

The phone described in the Dong-A Ilbo report sounds a lot like the same approach ZTE used for its foldable Axon M smartphone back in 2017, and it wasn't entirely successful then. While the hinge on the Axon M was certainly sturdy, it also proved a nuisance when trying to use the phone in full-screen mode. The report on LG's plans suggests a more seamless screen for the G8.

MORE: All the Incoming Foldable Phones for 2019



This isn't the first time we've heard about LG's plans for a foldable phone. Patents describing a hinged phone were spotted late last year, and LG executives told us at CES that a foldable phone was in the works. In fact, some industry watchers had even suggested a foldable phone would make a surprise appearance at last week's CES show, though that didn't pan out.

In addition to the folding screen, the report out of Korea on the LG G8 says the phone will use something called "touchless input," which will let you preform gesture controls from up to 11 inches away without touching the screen. A sensor on the front of the phone will be able to recognize the gestures you make, according to the report.

It wouldn't be out of character for LG to try something new with the phone it introduces at Mobile World Congress, whether that's a foldable phone or one that has the attachable screen Cnet describes. At the 2016 edition of the mobile trade show, the phone maker unveiled the modular LG G5, which was designed to let you swap in different accessories. The next year, the LG G6 introduced the wider display that's becoming increasingly popular among flagship phones.

Of course, it also wouldn't be out of character for someone to steal LG's thunder around Mobile World Congress. Not long after LG introduced the extra-wide screen on the LG G6, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S8 and its similarly immersive Infinity Display. Guess who wound up getting all the attention?

LG had better hope history doesn't repeat itself. This year's Mobile World Congress kicks off on Feb. 25, but a few days before on Feb. 20, Samsung will hold its own press event in San Francisco. It's expected that Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S10 at that event, but there's also a possibility that the foldable Galaxy F could get some stage time, too  several days before the G8's rumored unveiling.

Perhaps price could be a differentiating factor. While Samsung's foldable phone is is expected to cost a lot  we've heard reports that it will be around $1,800 without any carrier subsidiaries  Dong-A Ilbo suggests the LG G8's price could be closer to $900.Federal prosecutors are getting ready to hit Huawei with criminal charges for allegedly stealing trade secrets from American companies, The Wall Street Journal reported today (Jan. 16).

(Image credit: viewimage/Shutterstock)

Citing unnamed sources, the Journal said the criminal investigation stems from several civil lawsuits filed against Huawei, including one involving a smartphone-testing robot called "Tappy" developed by T-Mobile.

The criminal probe just makes things worse for Huawei, which has been accused of being a national-security threat to Western countries and whose CFO is awaiting extradition from Canada to the U.S. for allegedly exporting U.S. technology to Iran in violation of sanctions.

China has harassed Canadian nationals in retaliation, and this week slapped the death penalty on a Canadian convicted of drug smuggling several months ago.

MORE: Why Huawei's Killer Phones Can't Crack the U.S.

Huawei products have already been labeled national-security threats in the U.S. AT&T and Verizon last year reportedly canceled plans to offer the Huawei Mate 10 just before that device was set to hit the U.S. market; the Mate 10 still was unvailable unlocked, but the majority of U.S. smartphone buyers get their devices through carriers, so that was a big blow to Huawei. Overseas, Australia and New Zealand have recently barred local companies from using Huawei equipment, and British telecom BT said it would phase out using Huawei hardware and software.

On Dec. 1, Canadian authorities arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the company's founder, as she changed planes in Vancouver in response to a request by the U.S. Department of Justice. She faces extradition to the U.S. for allegedly skirting laws forbidding the sale of U.S. technology to Iran and posted $10 million Canadian ($7.5 million U.S.) in bail.

Last week, Poland arrested a Huawei employee on spying charges. Yesterday (Jan. 15), a top research lab in Taiwan banned Huawei equipment from connecting to its network.

Asked by the Journal, neither the Department of Justice nor Huawei would comment on the purported criminal probe.

In 2003, Cisco sued Huawei for using Cisco code in Huawei routers. Huawei admitted the "misappropriation" and removed the code from its products in exchange for Cisco dropping the lawsuit.Microsoft hasn't had a big presence at Mobile World Congress in recent years  not surprising given the company's 2017 decision to drop its Windows Phone efforts. But that's going to change with this year's edition of the mobile-focused trade show.

Microsoft today (Jan. 16) sent out invitation for a Feb. 24 reception at next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Microsoft's event kicks off at 5 p.m. CET/11 a.m. ET. The big news? That could be the HoloLens 2.

It's the guest list that offers a clue as to what Microsoft will be discussing at Mobile World Congress. In addition to CEO Satya Nadella and Julia White, a corporate vice president who leads product management for Microsoft's cloud business, the invitation mentions the presence of Alex Kipman, a technical fellow at Microsoft.

Kipman is best known for leading Microsoft's push into mixed reality, which includes everything from from third-party headsets to Microsoft's own HoloLens. And that's leading to speculation that a new version of HoloLens may be in the works for MWC.

First announced four years ago, HoloLens is an augmented reality headset that's aimed at businesses, classrooms and the enterprise. The headset has been a mainstay at Microsoft developer conferences in recent years, where it's been featured in demos that let you do everything from designing 3D layouts to exploring the surface of Mars. A commercial version of HoloLens costs a cool $5,000, while the $3,000 version for developers is currently listed as out of stock.

(Image credit: A HoloLens demo from Microsoft's 2016 Build conference (Credit: Tom's Guide))

That's fueled rumors that Microsoft may have a HoloLens 2 in the works. The new version  reportedly code-named Sydney  is supposed to feature a more powerful chipset from Qualcomm. Patent filings suggest that Microsoft hopes to make the next version of HoloLens lighter and less expensive as well.

It's possible that Microsoft might have something else planned for next month's MWC appearance. You don't have to search very hard to find rumors about foldable Surface devices, for example. But with HoloLens long overdue for an update, Barcelona could be the setting for the next chapter in Microsoft's mixed reality efforts.[January 17, 2019] Video Codec Licensing Workshop Organized by Media Coding Industry Forum Fosters Frank Discussion on Today's Patent Licensing and Shows Promise for a Better Landscape in the Future

The recently formed Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) held its first public event in Sunnyvale, CA (News - Alert) , on January 7. The event consisted of an open MC-IF members meeting and a workshop under the title "Future of Video Codec Licensing; avoiding the tragedy of the commons" with a reference to the concept that individual actions in a group, while individually rational or even optimal, might result in an outcome that is far from optimal, or generally undesirable, for the group as a whole (the "commons"). The workshop touched on several difficult but important questions. How can the tragedy of the commons be avoided in the context of video codec licensing? What does a well-functioning licensing landscape look like and how can it be achieved? To what extent is it possible to change guidelines and regulations to help foster a licensing market with substantially improved characteristics for the industry as a whole, and consequentially, for consumers? These were only some of the questions that were discussed at the workshop, which also included presentations of alternative approaches for addressing licensing issues. One of the key takeaways from the discussion was that increases in clarity and transparency around license availability, economics, and terms may result in significant increases in market acceptance and adoption. Unknown risks related to patent licensing are real concrns and can lead to adoption being delayed or cancelled altogether. These takeaways are informing the future of the MC-IF's activities, and its efforts to drive adoption of technologies currently being developed and beyond.



The workshop was held at the CableLabs (News - Alert) premises in Sunnyvale and was sold out, with more than 70 participants involving the entire media ecosystem representing over 50 different companies. The workshop consisted of three sessions with speakers from AT&T, Intel, Divideon, Tencent, Beamr, Harmonic, MPEG-LA, HEVC Advance, Velos Media and Nokia (News - Alert) , with moderators from Streaming Learning Center, Unified Patents and CableLabs. With the takeaways and lessons learned from today's licensing landscape, the MC-IF is working on creating paths towards solutions to reduce the obstacles towards adoption in future technologies. Future MC-IF events are being planned around the Licensing Executive Society International Annual Conference in Yokohama, Japan, in May 2019 and at IBC in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in September 2019. For more information, or to join the discussion and become a member of MC-IF, go to www.mc-if.org. We hope that participation in these activities and MC-IF Working Groups will result in faster adoption of standardized technologies, and thus quicker technology benefits to consumers.

About MC-IF MC-IF is an open international forum that works on the non-technical aspects of deployment of media coding standards, including issues related to licensing. Member companies / organizations include Apple, Ateme, b<>com, Bitmovin, CableLabs, Canon, Divideon, Dolby, Ericsson, ETRI, Fraunhofer, Harmonic, HEVC Advance, Intel (News - Alert) , InterDigital, MediaKind, NGCodec, Nokia, OP Solutions, Orange, Sony, Technicolor, Tencent, Unified Patents, Velos Media, and Zetacast. For more information, visit www.mc-if.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005836/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019]

Shaw Announces AGM Vote Results

CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shaw Communications Inc. (Shaw or, the Corporation) announced that, at its annual meeting of shareholders held earlier today, the resolutions proposed in Shaws management proxy circular were adopted.



The detailed results from the annual shareholder meeting are as follows.

1. Election of each of the following fifteen nominees as directors of the Corporation (by ballot):

Votes For Votes Withheld # % # % Peter J. Bissonnette 19,913,899 99.98 4,067 0.02 Adrian I. Burns 19,913,899 99.98 4,067 0.02 Christy Clark 19,917,866 >99.99 100 <0.01 Richard R. Green 19,913,927 99.98 4,039 0.02 Gregg Keating 19,917,938 >99.99 28 <0.01 Michael W. OBrien 19,913,899 99.98 4,067 0.02 Paul K. Pew 19,917,938 >99.99 28 <0.01 Jeffrey C. Royer 19,917,938 >99.99 28 <0.01 Bradley S. Shaw 19,917,937 >99.99 29 <0.01 JR Shaw 19,913,898 99.98 4,068 0.02 Mike Sievert >99.99 28 <0.01 JC Sparkman 19,913,927 99.98 4,039 0.02 Carl E. Vogel 19,917,938 >99.99 28 <0.01 Sheila C. Weatherill 19,913,927 99.98 4,039 0.02 Willard H. Yuill 19,913,927 99.98 4,039 0.02







Votes For Votes Withheld # % # % 19,874,745 >99.99 101 <0.01

3. Approval of the Corporations amended and restated RSU/PSU Plan (by show of hands  proxy result shown):

Votes For Votes Against # % # % 19,869,626 99.97 5,220 0.03

4. Approval of the amendment to the Corporations Stock Option Plan, to increase the total number of Class B Non-Voting Participating Shares issuable and reserved for issuance under the plan (by show of hands  proxy result shown):

Votes For Votes Against # % # % 19,869,053 99.97 5,793 0.03

5. Confirm the amended and restated By-Law 1A of the Corporation (by show of hands  proxy result shown):

Votes For Votes Against # % # % 19,873,093 99.99 1,753 0.01

About Shaw Communications Inc.



Shaw Communications Inc. is a leading Canadian connectivity company. The Wireline division consists of Consumer and Business services. Consumer serves residential customers with broadband Internet, Shaw Go WiFi, video and digital phone. Business provides business customers with Internet, data, WiFi, digital phone and video services. The Wireless division provides wireless voice and LTE data services through an expanding and improving mobile wireless network infrastructure.

Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, SJR.PR.A, SJR.PR.B, NYSE  SJR, and TSXV  SJR.A). For more information, please visit www.shaw.ca

For further information, please contact:

Shaw Investor Relations investor.relations@sjrb.ca[January 17, 2019] Labaton Sucharow LLP Files Securities Class Action Lawsuit Against Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. And Certain Executives - QIHU

Labaton Sucharow LLP ("Labaton Sucharow") announces that on January 17, 2019, it filed a securities class action lawsuit on behalf of its client ODS Capital LLC ("ODS Capital") against Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NYSE:QIHU) ("Qihoo 360" or the "Company") and certain of its executives (collectively, "Defendants"). The action, captioned ODS Capital LLC v. Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd., No. 19-cv-00501 (S.D.N.Y.), asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, on behalf of all former owners of Qihoo 360 stock and American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") who sold shares, and were damaged thereby, during the period between January 11, 2016 and July 15, 2016, inclusive (the "Class Period"). On December 18, 2015, Qihoo 360, purported to be the leading internet company in the People's Republic of China, announced that it had entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which it would be acquired by a consortium of investors in an "all-cash transaction valued at approximately $9.3 billion, including the redemption of approximately $1.6 billion of debt" (the "Merger"). Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, the Company's shares and ADS would cease to exist in exchange for the right to receive a cash amount without interest. Contrary to the Company's repeated reassurances about no substantial changes to its structures or relisting following the Merger, shortly after the going-private deal closed, media news outlets reported on the Company's relisting plans, which was formally announced on November 6, 2017. Tis deal, operating as a "backdoor listing," would allow Qihoo 360 to return to the stock market by relisting on the Shanghai Stock Exchange at a multiple, to the detriment of shareholders who unknowingly sold Qihoo 360 stock and ADS at substantially deflated values during the Class Period.



The Complaint alleges that Qihoo 360 shareholders were misled into accepting consideration from the Merger that was well below fair value for their Qihoo 360 shares. Specifically, defendants failed to disclose: (1) that the Company's Proxy materials and Annual Report misrepresented and/or omitted material information that was necessary for Company shareholders to make an informed decision concerning whether to vote in favor of the Merger; (2) that contrary to the representations in the Proxy and the Annual Report, the Company already had plans to relist its shares in China prior to closing the Merger and its delisting from the NYSE; and (3) as a result, the Company's statements about its business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis. If you sold Qihoo 360 stock or ADS during the Class Period, and was damaged thereby, you are a member of the "Class" and may be able to seek appointment as Lead Plaintiff. Lead Plaintiff motion papers must be filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York no later than March 18, 2019. The Lead Plaintiff is a court-appointed representative for absent members of the Class. You do not need to seek appointment as Lead Plaintiff to share in any Class recovery in this action. If you are a Class member and there is a recovery for the Class, you can share in that recovery as an absent Class member. You may retain counsel of your choice to represent you in this action.

If you would like to consider serving as Lead Plaintiff or have any questions about this lawsuit, you may contact Francis P. McConville, Esq. of Labaton Sucharow, at (800) 321-0476, or via email at fmcconville@labaton.com. ODS Capital is represented by Labaton Sucharow, which represents many of the largest pension funds in the United States and internationally with combined assets under management of more than $2 trillion. Labaton Sucharow has been recognized for its excellence by the courts and peers, and it is consistently ranked in leading industry publications. Offices are located in New York, NY, Wilmington, DE, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Sucharow is available at www.labaton.com. You can view a copy of the complaint here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005820/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Low-Income Rental Opportunities Made Available, Thanks to $750K Grant

Synergy (News - Alert) Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) awarded a $750,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to help fund the construction of long-term rental units for low-income families in Terrebonne Parish in Louisiana. The organization receiving the grant is Options for Independence, a social service nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable housing and behavioral health services to various underserved groups such as people with developmental disabilities, mental illness, substance abuse needs or those who suffer from chronic unemployment or homelessness. This is the second AHP grant Options for Independence has received. "Without the AHP grant, we would be unable to continue our efforts at addressing the critical shortage of affordable housing in Terrebonne Parish," said Barry Chauvin, executive director of Options for Independence. "The housing costs for many of the families we served are 50 percent or more of their income. This AHP grant will help in bringing down housing costs to below 30 percent of a family's income." Options for Independence will use the AHP grant to construct four three-bedroom houses and three two-bedroom houses that will eventually function as long-term rental properties for low-income families. Construction of the homes will begin this summer. In addition to the AHP grant, the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government (TPCG) will also contribute to overall housing efforts by donating seven lots to the project. The lots are adjudicated properties that had been sitting idle in the market for more than five years, according to Mr. Chauvin. Synergy Bank shares the same unwavering commitment withOptions for Independence to increase more affordable housing to the community.



"Deeply rooted in our mission for the last 20 years has been the commitment, not just to our customers, but also to service and our community," said Jerry Ledet, junior president and CEO of Synergy Bank. "Through our partnership with FHLB Dallas, we are furthering that mission by creating a greater impact to neighborhood redevelopment and addressing the housing needs of citizens of the Bayou Region." FHLB Dallas awards AHP grants annually, through members like Synergy Bank, to support the creation or rehabilitation of affordable housing units, among other uses. In 2018, FHLB Dallas awarded $14 million in AHP grants to 29 projects that will result in 1,853 new or renovated housing units. Of that, $4.7 million was awarded to Louisiana projects, and will result in 319 new or rehabilitated housing units. Visit fhlb.com/ahp for more information on the AHP.

"We are grateful for our partnership with Synergy Bank on this project to make more affordable housing available to disadvantaged neighborhoods," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "It is an honor to be part of their commitment to help strengthen Terrebonne Parish neighborhoods and see new rental homes built on these vacant lots." About Synergy Bancshares Inc. Synergy Bancshares Inc. is a $514 million bank holding company headquartered in Houma, Louisiana, servicing Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. Opened in 1999, Synergy Bank is a full-service community bank with six locations offering innovative banking products and services with local market knowledge and experience. To learn more, visit banksynergy.com. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $73.7 billion as of September 30, 2018, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 825 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005817/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Sweden Unlimited Expands Into UK/Europe

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New York-based Sweden Unlimited, the digital creative agency specializing in strategy, eCommerce and content for fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands has announced the opening of their first creative studio outside of the U.S., in the heart of London. Situated in Notting Hill, an area renowned for its style, charm, and vibrancy, the agency will now be serving the UK and European brands and retailers with their full-range of creative content and commerce services from the Sweden Unlimited London studio. This opening is the first step in an international expansion strategy backed by the Together Group. The global powerhouse for Digital Transformation, Incubation, eCommerce, and Growth acquired the Soho-based firm in July 2018 with the objective to grow Sweden Unlimited into a global leading creative digital agency for fashion, beauty, luxury & lifestyle brands and retailers. "Sweden Unlimited's expertise is founded on a cultural perspective that integrates art and design into every aspect of their work," describes Richard Agerbeek, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Sweden Unlimited. "As a digital-first agency, we design brand experiences that span all channels and platforms  ranging from full-service eCommerce development to rich editorial platforms and remarkable marketing campaigns, all crafted to elevate brands and create emotional connections with customers. As such, Sweden Unlimited is the perfect digital creative partner for the fashion, beauty and lifestyle sector." In order to accelerate the expansion, Together Group has acquired two of UK's leading creative agencies in the fashion and luxury space, Skywire and Folk, and has integrated these agencies under the Sweden Unlimited London bran. They bring along their creative and customer-service teams, with years of experience in delivering world-class eCommerce and content solutions to brands within the fashion and luxury industry, including Bottega Veneta, Asprey, De Beers, Hermes, Hirsh London, Hackett, and Loewe. These highly accomplished creative and technical teams perfectly complement the Sweden Unlimited US team.



"The idea of moving into Europe has always been one of the goals for us, but until now we had not truly found the right partner," says Leja Kress, CEO Sweden Unlimited. "Upon meeting the teams at Skywire and Folk we knew we had discovered the way to make that move. We are so excited about bringing our style and approach to the UK. It has been such an interesting journey and we are learning so much from one another." "As UK's leading Luxury, Fashion and Lifestyle eCommerce Agency, meeting Sweden Unlimited was an instant bonding of like minds and passion," confirms Eva Hoff, Co-Founder, and CEO, Sweden Unlimited London (formerly Skywire). "We are excited to collaborate with the team in the US and to leverage our expertise to further strengthen Sweden Unlimited's capabilities, particularly in the jewelry, watch and lifestyle sectors."

"One of the most important things for me is working alongside creative teams that share a similar willingness to stretch boundaries and explore new ideas," further expands Tom Wittlin, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Sweden Unlimited London (formerly Folk). "I truly believe that combining the different perspectives from the US and Europe will be a driver of creativity and of exciting innovative ideas for the fashion, beauty and lifestyle space." More news on Sweden Unlimited's international expansion will be revealed in the first half of 2019. About Sweden Unlimited:

Sweden Unlimited is a digital creative agency based in New York City, specializing in strategy, design & technology for fashion and lifestyle brands. Founded in 1999 by Richard Agerbeek and twin sisters Alex and Leja Kress, Sweden Unlimited has distinguished itself through collaborations with clients such as Kate Spade, W Hotels, Akris, Estee Lauder, and Hauser & Wirth. For US Inquiries Leja Kress: info@swedenunlimited.com For UK Inquiries Eva Hoff: salesUK@swedenunlimited.com Related Links Website View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sweden-unlimited-expands-into-ukeurope-300780403.html SOURCE Sweden Unlimited

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Investors (GS)

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors that purchased The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) ("Goldman Sachs " or the "Company") securities between February 28, 2014 and December 17, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Goldman Sachs investors have until February 19, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion. According to data gathered by Bloomberg (News - Alert) in 2016, Goldman Sachs has been involved in "$18.8 billion of Malaysian mergers and acquisitions over the past five years, making it the top foreign adviser with a 20.5[%] market share." The business Goldman Sachs' was involved in Malaysia included raising funds for 1Malaysia Development Berhad ("1MDB"), a Malaysian state-owned investment fund set up in 2009 initially to establish financing for economic and infrastructure deals throughout Malaysia. As of early 2015, 1MDB has been subject to international criminal and regulatory investigations for potential fraud and money laundering linked tomissing payments of $11 billion owed to banks and bondholders. Investigational articles published by the Wall Street Journal throughout 2015 detailed how money was funded from 1MDB to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's 2013 election campaign, with further investigation tracing close to $700 million in deposits in personal bank accounts believe to be held by Najib Razak. Following this investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice implicated two former Goldman Sachs managing directors along with high-level 1MDB officials and associates for misappropriation of an estimated $4.5 billion from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014.



The Complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Goldman Sachs participated in a fraud and money-laundering scheme in collusion with 1Malaysia Development Bhd., a Malaysian state-owned investment fund; (2) the foregoing conduct, when revealed, would foreseeably subject Goldman Sachs to heightened regulatory investigations and enforcement; and (3) as a result, Goldman Sachs's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. If you purchased shares of Goldman Sachs, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com, or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005777/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Reminds Investors of the Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Danske Bank A/S (DNKEY)

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") reminds investors of the March 8, 2019 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors that purchased Danske Bank A/S ("Danske" or the "Company") (OTC: DNKEY) American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") during the period between January 9, 2014 and October 23, 2018 (the "Class Period"). Danske investors have until March 8, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On October 24, 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Justice, Treasury Department, and the SEC (News - Alert) were investigating Danske's small Estonian branch for allegedly processing nearly $234 billion from 2007 through 2015 from foreign countries, and that the Company's CEO had resigned. The Wall Street Journal alo claimed that Danske's management was informed that the Estonian branch could not isolate the issue and "therefore acts against [anti-money-laundering] legislator principles." On this news, Danske ADRs' and U.S. bonds' value fell, thereby injuring investors.



The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Danske Bank's Estonian branch was facilitating money laundering through at least March 2016; (2) that a whistleblower had reported the Estonian money laundering to the Company in 2013; (3) that Denmark's Financial Supervisory Authority (the "DFSA") had been investigating the Estonian money laundering since 2014; (4) that Danske Bank had concealed the results of its own internal investigation from the DFSA, further exposing it to regulatory action and fines; (5) that Danske Bank had been overstating its historical profits by including the profits derived from its illicit Estonian operations; and (6) that Danske Bank lacked effective internal and reporting controls. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert) : twitter.com/GPM_LLP.

If you purchased ADRs of Danske, you may move the Court no later than March 8, 2019 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005749/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Influenster Now Accepting 2019 Women in STEM Academic Scholarship Applications

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Influenster, the leading product discovery and ratings and reviews platform, with 30 million+ authentic product reviews written by 5MM+ members, today announced that its third Women in STEM Scholarship Program is accepting applications, from now until March 1, 2019. With scholarship sponsorship from United Charitable Programs, Influenster will award five outstanding female students, pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in a STEM field of study, a $1,000 academic scholarship to help support their education and future career aspirations. "When I co-founded Influenster eight years ago, the conversation about increasing representation for women in tech was really heating up," says Elizabeth Scherle, President and Co-founder of Influenster. "My background was in sales and marketing, but I was inspired by the potential of technological solutions to help collect insights that would more seamlessly connect consumers and brands. The company has since grown tremendously, and I've learned so much along the way, that I want to encourage and inspire the next generation of female leaders in STEM-related fields. We've made progress since 2010, but there's still a long way to go!" Data published by the National Center for Women in Technology indicates that, in 2017, only 26 percent of the computing workforce was comprised of women





As reported by the New York Times in November 2018 , as discussed at the 2018 Global Women's Forum in Paris , fewer than 10 percent of app founders are female, and the percentage of women founders of innovative start-ups hovers at 10 percent





in , as discussed at the 2018 Global Women's Forum in , fewer than 10 percent of app founders are female, and the percentage of women founders of innovative start-ups hovers at 10 percent According to a March 2018 report published by the National Girls Collaborative Project, 81 percent of students pursuing a bachelor's degree in engineering are men, and only 19 percent women; in computer sciences, it's 82 percent men and 18 percent women.









report published by the National Girls Collaborative Project, 81 percent of students pursuing a bachelor's degree in engineering are men, and only 19 percent women; in computer sciences, it's 82 percent men and 18 percent women. The same report also shows that, while disparities in the total workforce have lessened between women and men, they still exist in the science and engineering workforce, comprised of 28 percent women and 72 percent men. Today, across Influenster's tech team  which includes roles like software engineers, product developers, UX/UI designers, and data analysts  boasts 37 percent female employees, beating the national average. And, since its beginnings, the company has grown significantly, housing expansive content for more than 2.5MM products; enabling members to scan products via an app, post photo and video reviews, ask and answer questions, and social network with one another; and launching a tool called ReviewSource that gives brands the ability to seamlessly sync reviews left on Influenster to their brand and retail sites. As Influenster continues to innovate under Elizabeth's leadership, the scholarship provides a means to help improve increase the representation of women in STEM for future generations. To qualify, the applicant must:

Identify as a female





Be a freshman, sophomore, or junior undergraduate or graduate student enrolled full-time in an accredited U.S. college/university as of Spring 2019 semester. (Must be a full-time student to be eligible)





Major in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) field





Have a minimum 3.40 cumulative GPA (will not be rounded) on 4.0 grade scale





Attach a valid resume and college transcript as proof of enrollment





Complete the Influenster application including the written essay topic:





What inspired you to pursue a STEM career? What do you plan to do in your career and why? What are your ideas to bring more women to the STEM field?





Be lawfully authorized to work on a full-time basis in the United States without any form of sponsorship





without any form of sponsorship Not have been a past Influenster scholarship recipient. Each scholarship is worth $1,000 and can be used to pay for tuition and/or school expenses. United Charitable Programs is a proud fiscal sponsor of the scholarship program. For more information about the scholarship visit: www.influenster.com/scholarship About Influenster Influenster is a digital destination where millions of consumers research and review products; and where brands can target and connect with highly-engaged, empowered shoppers. Members use Influenster to explore the latest products, gain fresh insight, pick up new tips, and share their opinions with others: both fellow members and brands. The community of more than 5MM members is still rapidly growing. The platform boasts 30MM+ reviews on more than 2.5MM products, with an additional 1MM reviews generated each month. Headquartered in New York City, Influenster was founded by Elizabeth Scherle and Aydin Acar in 2010. About United Charitable Programs (UCP) UCP's mission is to empower people to help others by fiscally sponsoring targeted charitable programs that effect positive change through charitable, educational, scientific, or religious actions worldwide. UCP programs vary in size, budget and scope, but all share the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. For more information about UCP and fiscal sponsorship, please visit www.UnitedCharitablePrograms.org. Related Links Influenster Influenster scholarship View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/influenster-now-accepting-2019-women-in-stem-academic-scholarship-applications-300780327.html SOURCE Influenster

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] BitTorrent Announces Innovative Approach to Speed

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BitTorrent, Inc. , a leader in peer-to-peer protocols and products, announced expected release for BitTorrent Speed and its new crypto token, which will create the world's largest blockchain application for speedy uploading and downloading of files. BitTorrent Speed, software that connects and rewards users with BitTorrent (BTT) tokens, is expected to be widely available by summer on the popular Torrent Classic Windows client, the company announced today at its niTROn blockchain conference in San Francisco. "With BitTorrent Speed, we aim to strengthen the BitTorrent protocol and then deliver more features that inspire innovation across industries," said Justin Sun, founder of TRON and CEO of BitTorrent. "More than 100 million users soon will have the opportunity to be part of a boundary-free internet that supports personal privacy and connection around the world." With BitTorrent Speed, the BitTorrent protocol client will be able to receive tokens for "seeding" files for longer periods. With tokenized incentivization for seeding files, download speeds on peer-to-peer networks can get faster and become more readily available. BitTorrent Speed is undergoing extensive testing on the network to make it as seamless and reliable to users as the current client, according to Justin Knoll, head of BitTorrent Speed development. "When users gain access to BitTorrent Speed, they will be blown away by the improvements we've made to the client they know and love today," Knoll said. BitTorrent also announced BTT will be exclusively available to non-U.S. acounts on Binance Launchpad , the exclusive token sale platform of leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance on January 28, 2019, 7 a.m. PST.



The new tokenized features are backward-compatible with previous versions and will not affect users' ability to download or seed. BitTorrent Speed will become available on other BitTorrent clients by late 2019. For more information visit www.bittorrent.com/btt . Stay up to date on the latest news about BitTorrent token on Facebook , Twitter , and Telegram.

About BitTorrent, Inc. Founded with a leading peer-to-peer sharing technology standard in 2004, BitTorrent, Inc. is a consumer software company based in San Francisco. Its protocol is the largest decentralized P2P network in the world, driving 22% of upstream and 3% of downstream traffic globally. Its flagship desktop and mobile products, BitTorrent and Torrent, enable users to send large files over the internet, connecting legitimate third-party content providers with users. With over 100 million active users, BitTorrent products have been installed on over 1 billion devices in over 138 countries worldwide. Since November 2018, TRON (TRX), Binance (BNB), and Bitcoin (BTC) holders have the opportunity to purchase one-year subscriptions of BitTorrent or Torrent products, including Ads Free and Pro for Windows. Pro includes anti-virus and anti-malware screening, file converting and playability in HD. Users can visit bittorrent.com or utorrent.com to learn more. About TRON Founded in September 2017 by Justin Sun, TRON is dedicated to creating a boundary-free internet that inspires innovation across industries. TRON and its subsidiary BitTorrent give users direct access to applications, content, and media by combining best-in-class blockchain approaches with innovations in peer-to-peer sharing and other technologies. The TRON Protocol, one of the largest blockchain-based operating systems in the world, offers public blockchain support of high throughput, high scalability, and high availability for all Decentralized Applications (DApps) in the TRON ecosystem, with average daily transactions of more than 3 million. The July 2018 acquisition of BitTorrent further cemented TRON's leadership in pursuing a decentralized ecosystem. Cliff Edwards

Director, Global Communications

cliff.edwards@tron.network

415.699.2755 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bittorrent-announces-innovative-approach-to-speed-300780443.html SOURCE BitTorrent, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Los Angeles Homeownership to Get $9.8 Million Boost

Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE:WFC), NeighborWorks America, and Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County today announced the NeighborhoodLIFT program will expand in Los Angeles County with a $9.8 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local homeownership. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005125/en/ NeighborhoodLIFT program, a collaboration between Wells Fargo, national nonprofit NeighborWorks America, and its local network members that offers homebuyer education plus down payment assistance grants, first launched in 2012 in Los Angeles and will expand for Angelenos on Feb. 1-2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center as a result of a $9.8 million philanthropic commitment by Wells Fargo. (Graphic: Business Wire) The 2019 Los Angeles County NeighborhoodLIFT program follows the program's first-ever launch in Los Angeles in 2012, which created 386 homeowners. Overall, Wells Fargo has conducted 66 LIFT program events in the U.S. since 2012 that have created more than 19,800 homeowners. Hundreds of homebuyers registered to attend free event on Feb. 1-2 More than 360 interested homebuyers are registered to attend the free event on Friday, Feb. 1, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, located at 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. Walk-ins also are welcome while grants are available. Those intending to walk in should be prepared with documents required to reserve funds posted at nhslacounty.org/lift. Participating homebuyers can obtain mortgage financing from any participating lender, and Neighborhood Housing Services will determine eligibility, administerthe grants, and provide homebuyer and financial education. Approved homebuyers will have up to 60 days to finalize a contract to purchase a home in Los Angeles County.



"The NeighborhoodLIFT program is another example of our commitment to Los Angeles and our efforts to build better communities through sustainable homeownership," said David Galasso, Wells Fargo regional president in Los Angeles. "The program will help hardworking families and individuals get on the path to successfully becoming homeowners." To be eligible to reserve a down payment assistance grant, annual incomes must not exceed 100 percent of the local area median income in Los Angeles County, which is about $96,900 for up to a family of four. In addition, there are special parameters for veterans and service members, teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who meet eligibility requirements; they may obtain $27,500 down payment assistance grants.

In addition, Wells Fargo has committed $275,000 for up to 550 consumers to receive complimentary face-to-face homeownership counseling. Interested homebuyers can receive a voucher at the Los Angeles NeighborhoodLIFT launch event that will provide in-person homeownership counseling at no charge with a participating HUD-approved housing counselor in Los Angeles County. The complimentary Home Ownership Counseling grant program is an additional resource to the homebuyer education required for a NeighborhoodLIFT down payment assistance grant. "This innovative public-private collaboration will create more 300 Los Angeles County homeowners," said Lauren Hornett, senior director, Western region, NeighborWorks America. "The required homebuyer education classes provided by certified professionals better prepare NeighborhoodLIFT homebuyers to achieve their goal of sustainable homeownership." Approved homebuyers must be approved for home financing with an eligible lender and be in contract to purchase a home in Los Angeles County. To reserve the full grant amount, participants buying a primary residence with the NeighborhoodLIFT program must commit to live in the home for five years. "We're ready to help more families become homeowners with the support of NeighborhoodLIFT homebuyer education and down payment assistance," said Lori Gay, president and chief executive officer with Neighborhood Housing Services. "We are pleased to join Wells Fargo and NeighborWorks America to create this opportunity to make homeownership more affordable, achievable and sustainable." A video about the NeighborhoodLIFT program is posted on Wells Fargo Stories. About NHS and NeighborWorks America Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County is a chartered member of NeighborWorks America, a national organization that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. NeighborWorks America supports a network of more than 245 nonprofits, located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Visit nhslacounty.org, or http://www.neighborworks.org/ to learn more. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 37 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 259,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune's 2018 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005125/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] KBRA Releases 2019 Update: Regional Aircraft Market

Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) releases a 2019 Regional Aircraft Market Update. KBRA expects continued growth in the regional aircraft market globally, supported by strong demand in the emerging economies of Asia-Pacific (particularly China), Latin America, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), and the Middle East, which will require new regional routes as global connectivity continues to expand. Demand is further underpinned by U.S. and European airlines seeking to maximize capacity utilization. Importantly, in 2018, the two largest original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Boeing (News - Alert) and Airbus, have taken steps to establish dominant positions in regional jet production through acquisitions in Embraer and Bombardier's C-Series. This has been a significant event for the industry with positive long-term benefits coming from economies of scale. At the same time, new market entrants from Asia and Russia have made strides, with the promise of more competition in the long term. Global new delivery demand for jets up to 150 seats is estimated at 8,230 and turboprops at 2,320 over the next 20 years, according to Embraer's latest market forecast. This compares with Bombardier's total new delivery projection of 12,550 aircraft in the 60-150 seat segment (valued at $820 billion) over the same period. The estimates reflect expected strong regional traffic growth due to increasing connectivity between midsize cities and fragmentation of historically dominant business hubs. In addition, turboprop demand is expected from emerging markets where this option provides the most viable solution for connecting people and goods transportation. As seen in the broad commercial aircraft market, the global regional fleet continues to shift from its historically western focus toward Asia-Pacific (APAC), mainly driven by China. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts that routes to, from and within APAC will se an extra two billion annual passengers by 2037, for an overall market size of around 3.5 billion, with an annual average growth rate of 4.6%. The impact of this growth can already be seen in new regional aircraft orders. As of December 2018, North America held 38% market share of the global in-service regional fleet and 36% of aircraft orders, while APAC held 21% market share of the global in-service fleet and 39% of aircraft orders.



Regional operators and lessors face some challenges, including managing aging fleets and corresponding maintenance costs, and the impact of volatile fuel prices. In the largest market, the United States, airlines must contend with scope clause restrictions and pilot shortages. While smaller regional airlines and aircraft lessors exposed to emerging markets could be more prone to market-specific economic or geopolitical risks, KBRA generally believes that positive market trends will prevail. That said, KBRA notes that newer regional jets with limited in-service time have untested liquidity in the secondary markets unlike most narrow-body jets. Therefore, KBRA remains cautious as to their value in distressed markets, as well as for secondary and tertiary leases. To read the full report, please click here.

CONNECT

WITH KBRA Twitter

LinkedIn

Download the iOS App

YouTube About KBRA and KBRA Europe KBRA is a full service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus, is recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider, and is a certified Credit Rating Agency (CRA) by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered with ESMA as a CRA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005681/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Wright State Faculty Union (AAUP) Strike Against Federal Investigations of Administration and Ethics Issues

In response to a list of controversies surrounding Wright State University (WSU) administration and the Board of Trustees which have generated significant financial strain, Faculty have begun packing up their offices in preparation for their strike which begins this Tuesday, January 22nd. The Trustees, chaired by Doug Fecher, CEO of the local Wright Patt Credit Union, and administration of Wright State have had a tenure marked by controversy. A partial list of these questionable activities by the administration and Board of Trustees includes: A years-long, multi-million dollar federal investigation of WSU Administration for securing student visas for employees of area companies not enrolled at WSU, including employers represented by University Trustees. (The administration ultimately paid a settlement to end the investigation and shield Trustees and administration from civil and criminal liability.) (https://thewebsiteofwrightstateuniversitysaaupchapter.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/wright-state-newsroom-%E2%80%93-wright-state-university-to-pay-1m-to-resolve-visa-issues-1.pdf)

A $2 Million settlement with the US Department of Education for dispersing student loan funds to people whom the university never confirmed were enrolled as students (https://thewebsiteofwrightstateuniversitysaaupchapter.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/audit-reveals-wright-state-settled-for-nearly-2m-with-feds.pdf)

$4.3 Million in funds in an unsuccessful attempt to host a presidential debate (document link https://thewebsiteofwrightstateuniversitysaaupchapter.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/wright-state-withdraws-from-presidential-debate.pdf) A reprimand from the Ohio Ethics Commission for Trustee Michael Bridges, for improperly pressuring university employees to hire of his son. (https://thewebsiteofwrightstateuniversitysaaupchapter.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/wright-state-university-trustee-reprimanded-over-sons-hiring.pdf)



Kich continued, "How poorly has the administration performed its mission to support learning? As President Cheryl Schrader has made clear through email, she will immediately stop the pay and cancel the health insurance of every teacher who strikes. Every teacher striking will have to pay enormous COBRA premiums and lose hundreds perhaps thousands in wages. Despite this enormous expense, hundreds of faculty are going on strike to fight for public education."

A complete list of administration controversies (with documentation) surrounding consulting agreements, conflicts of interest and financial management is available at AAUP-WSU's website at https://aaup-wsu.org/background-on-wright-states-budget-issues/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005670/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Creative Focus from Civis Analytics Allows Marketers to Identify Persuasion Effects of Messaging and Creative During the Planning Phase

CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Civis Analytics , a data science firm that helps people-focused organizations become data-centric, today announced the availability of Creative Focus , a tool that allows marketing and communications professionals to understand how specific messaging will impact key audiences before putting anything in-market. In as little as 48 hours, Creative Focus provides brands with a detailed report on the quantified persuasion effects of their chosen video, image, or text, broken down by key subgroups. "Civis delivers a new approach to uncovering potential customers by identifying, modeling and activating audiences who are the most receptive to a brand's message," said Dan Wagner, CEO and Founder of Civis Analytics. "The truth is that there's very little scientific rigor in the planning process, so it's no surprise that roughly 75% of messages brands put out there are ineffective. In fact, our research shows nearly no relationship between what people 'like' and what actually changes their mind, and even more concerning, 10% of messages actively worked against the campaign's KPIs. We created a solution that lets brands know what will work and what won't -- full stop. No vanity metrics, just truth." Users pick target audiences and PIs, and Creative Focus' leading web-based survey technology works behind the scenes using randomized control trials (the gold standard of scientific research) and advanced machine learning algorithms to isolate the effects (positive and negative) of individual messages by subgroup. Those testing ads can then build a custom persuasion audience (online or offline) for each piece of creative, to ensure each message goes to the most receptive audiences. Civis testing has shown this final step results in a roughly 40% cheaper cost per targeted impression over traditional online first-party targeting.



"The insights from Creative Focus informed the creation of two new ads which are our best performing to-date, with a 30% lower acquisition cost," said Leslie Voorhees, CEO of direct-to-consumer custom wedding dress company Anomalie . "Beyond optimizing our ads, Creative Focus provided actionable brand messaging insights that are more scientific, faster, and cheaper than any focus group. This research will shape how we talk about Anomalie to each bride, knowing that what resonates with a 25-year-old bride in Texas might be completely different than a 37-year-old bride in Maine." "Using the right messaging with the right audience in the right place is critical to a successful communications strategy," said Erika Briceno Howard, Director of Communications, Policy and Advocacy for the United Nations Foundation . "Creative Focus gave us timely data to make informed messaging decisions."

Key features of Creative Focus include: Fast results: Unlike traditional focus groups or ad testing, Creative Focus delivers results as soon as 48 hours.

Customized goals: Select the KPIs that matter, whether it's increased brand awareness, website conversion plans, in-store visit intent, or something else entirely.

Precision though experimentation: Built using random control trials, the gold standard of scientific experiments, Creative Focus uses a treatment vs. control approach to isolate the exact impact of each message.

Nothing but the truth: Most traditional ad testing platforms are built by publishers or ad servers, leading to unclear incentives and potentially biased results. Creative Focus is only incentivized by one thing - the truth.

Understand, then inform: Creative Focus gives you a detailed analysis of how certain messaging affects different subgroups and audiences, including the potential backlash of each. The results allow you to confidently inform current and future communications, branding, and media strategies.

Go from research to action: Using the results from Creative Focus, our predictive modeling software can build highly accurate seed audiences that can then be uploaded into media platforms for direct targeting or lookalike audiences. To learn more or schedule a demo , visit https://www.civisanalytics.com/creative-focus/ . About Civis Analytics

Civis Analytics helps leading public and private sector organizations use data to gain a competitive advantage in how they identify, attract, and engage people. With a blend of proprietary data, technology and advisory services, and an interdisciplinary team of data scientists, developers, and survey science experts, Civis helps organizations stop guessing and start using statistical proof to guide decisions. Learn more about Civis at www.civisanalytics.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/creative-focus-from-civis-analytics-allows-marketers-to-identify-persuasion-effects-of-messaging-and-creative-during-the-planning-phase-300780388.html SOURCE Civis Analytics

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Tachyum CEO Honored by President of Slovakia at State Awards Ceremony

Dr. Radoslav Danilak, co-founder and CEO of Tachyum Inc., was awarded the Pribina Cross, First Class by Slovakian President Andrej Kiska for innovations in data storage and processing at a state awards ceremony in Bratislava January 8, 2019. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005667/en/ Tachyum CEO Awarded Pribina Cross (Photo: Business Wire) Danilak was among people honored at the ceremony for best representing the values on which Slovak society stands. He received the award from Slovakia's President for outstanding merit in the economic development of the Slovak Republic in the areas of business and information technology, for his work developing the Prodigy Universal Processor (News - Alert) Chip, the smallest and fastest general purpose, 64-bit processor, requiring 10x less power and reducing processor cost by 3x. Dr. Danilak was born and raised in Slovakia. He taught compiler theory at the Technical University of Kosice, where he earned his PhD in Computer Science. Danilak serves on the Slovak government's Innovation Advisory Board, and as Slovakian expert in EuroHPC. His latest company, Tachyum, recently opened its first European office in Slovakia to capitalizeon the country's growing economy with access to a large number of AI and software developers, as well as hardware engineers. Tachyum is currently building strategic relationships with EU partners that will enable the EU to exploit the unprecedented capabilities of the Prodigy Universal Processor Chip.



"It is a profound honor to have been recognized with the Pribina Cross by President Kiska for my contributions to Slovakian society," said Danilak. "I am deeply grateful to have been considered among the many highly accomplished men and women who have, in the president's words, made 'Slovakia a better, nicer, wiser, more decent and more just place.' Slovakia is a resource-rich region for technology, with knowledgeable and capable people that will help Tachyum reach its goals of achieving the performance, power efficiency and cost advantages needed to deeply impact cloud data center markets and industries around the world." Tachyum's Prodigy reduces server cost and power needs through new proprietary processor architecture that has made many parts of the hardware found in a typical processor redundant. Fewer transistors and shorter wires, due to a smaller core, translates into much greater speed and much lower power required for the processor. The ultra-low power Prodigy processor, will allow system integrators to build a 32 Exaflops AI supercomputer. This will enable users to simulate, in real-time, human brain-sized Neural Networks beginning in 2020, instead of 2028.

Follow Tachyum https://twitter.com/tachyum

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tachyum

https://www.facebook.com/Tachyum/ About Tachyum Named for the Greek prefix "tachy," meaning speed, combined with the suffix "-um," indicating an element (e.g. lithium), Tachyum is meant to evoke the notion of "an element of speed". Tachyum emerged from stealth mode in 2017 to engineer disruptive intelligent information processing products. Tachyum's founders have a track record of solving problems caused by device physics in semiconductors, to deliver transformational products to global markets, and are backed by IPM Growth, the Central & Eastern European venture capital platform, as Tachyum's lead investor. For more information visit: http://tachyum.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005667/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] BlueNalu, A Cellular Aquaculture Company, Announces World-Class Advisory Board

BlueNalu, a cellular aquaculture company with a mission to create and provide clean seafood to the world, announced today the formation of its world-class, interdisciplinary advisory board, including leaders at the forefront of ocean health, the culinary industry, and food commercialization. Global demand for seafood is at an all-time high, and supply cannot keep pace with demand, as populations of marine species have halved since 1970. BlueNalu will supplement current fishing efforts and produce seafood directly from fish cells, in a way that is healthy for people, humane for animals, and sustainable for our planet. The newly appointed board represents a diversity of industries, non-profits, and academic backgrounds, and hail from major multinational organizations including Campbell Soup Co., Nestle, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and the Culinary Institute of America. They will serve as strategic advisors in guiding the direction and scale of BlueNalu's growing company. "The team at BlueNalu is the most experienced in the industry and is clearly able to manage the scale of this endeavor, and I am excited to contribute alongside these visionaries," says Pierre-Yves Cousteau, global environmental consultant and President of Cousteau Divers. "I have a very personal relationship with the sea, and BlueNalu's impacts can lead to a significant improvement to our global health, and to the sustainability of our oceans." "I am thrilled to be part of this company that can provide my favorite ingredient, seafood, in a modern way that we could only dream of," said Roy Yamaguchi, founder of Roy's Restaurants and international culinary visionary. "The possibilities for seafood produced via the BlueNalu technology are endless--from providing year-round seafood options that are normally seasonal, to broadening taste palettes by providing species normally inaccessible from across the globe." The nine new advisory board members include: Carlos Barroso

Presiden, CJB and Associates; Former SVP Global R&D Campbell Soup Co.; Former SVP R&D, PepsiCo



Pierre-Yves Cousteau

President, Cousteau Divers; Environmental Consultant Susie Fogelson

President, Fogelson & Co.; Former SVP Marketing and Brand Strategy, Food Network and Cooking Channel

John B. Kelly, III

President, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation USA Kevin Lyons, PhD

Associate Professor Supply Chain Environmental Management, Rutgers Business School Timothy Morck, PhD

President, Spectrum (News - Alert) Nutrition, LLC; Former VP Science & Regulatory Affairs, Nestle USA Corporate Affairs; Former VP Personalized Nutrition, DSM L. Timothy Ryan (News - Alert) , EdD

President, Culinary Institute of America; Certified Master Chef and Culinary Olympics Champion Roy Yamaguchi

Founder, Roy's Restaurants, James Beard Award Winner Yonathan Zohar, PhD

Chair, Department of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland BlueNalu was founded in 2018 with a unique team of business, science, operations, marketing, and culinary experts as integral parts of the company since its inception. This addition of nine advisory board members supplements the talented BlueNalu team with experts in a variety of functional areas that will be required for the global launch and commercial success for BlueNalu's cell-based seafood products. "With our extremely ambitious mission, it is essential that we have a global, diverse set of advisors providing us with their insights and expertise," said Lou Cooperhouse, co-founder, president and CEO of BlueNalu. "As eminent industry leaders with tremendous experience, these advisory board members are all very excited to join us, not only because of the potential of producing various species that we can bring cleanly into our food supply, but also because of the sheer scale and positive impact that BlueNalu can have on our planet's health over time." Board members will serve as advisors to BlueNalu in matters such as business and market development, science and technology, operations and commercialization, consumer marketing and communication, nutrition and regulatory affairs, product development and optimization, and the environmental and sustainability impacts associated with the Company. To date, BlueNalu has attracted $4.5 million in funding, that originated from more than 25 investors from five nations, and it has initiated design plans for its first factory. For more information about BlueNalu, visit bluenalu.com. For more information and biographies on the BlueNalu Advisory board, visit bluenalu.com/advisory-board. About BlueNalu BlueNalu's mission is to be the global leader in cellular aquaculture, providing consumers with great tasting, healthy, safe, and trusted seafood products that support the sustainability and diversity of our oceans. BlueNalu was founded in 2018 and is based in San Diego, California. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005206/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Best Practice Fraud Protection Strategies in the Spotlight as Service Providers Face Increasing Losses

The increasingly damaging impact of telecom fraud and how service providers can protect themselves and their customers from its risks, will be one of the key takeaways from the upcoming Risk and Assurance (RAG) Conference in Bahrain. With annual global losses from telecoms fraud heading towards $30 billion, the most effective strategies to combat the criminal activity, and proven results, will be presented at the event. At the conference, John Haraburda, principal solutions engineer at iconectiv (News - Alert) , will deliver findings and insights from analyzing the traffic of dozens of service providers worldwide. Showcasing iconectiv's market-leading TruNumber Protect fraud protection solution, Haraburda will spotlight the best practices, techniques and lessons learned that will help service providers strengthen their existing fraud portfolio, help prevent millions of dollars in lost revenue and address new threats to their business. With 30 years of experience and presence in the numbering space, iconectiv is the trusted source of the most reliable and authoritative numbering data around the world. Influential and active across leading industry organizations including ETSI, the GSMA, IETF, MEF and the SIP Forum, iconectiv's fraud expertise is built on the company's history of numbering expertise and its deep-rooted knowledge of the telecommunications industry, legislation and business applicability.



Haraburda's session will cover the elements behind the global success of TruNumber Protect in proactively fighting telecoms fraud. These include the authenticity of its information, the precision of its intelligence management, the comprehensive coverage provided and the ability to integrate seamlessly with existing systems and platforms. Supporting every type of service around the world, TruNumber Protect enables service providers to leverage automation to fight fraud and optimize the performance of both legacy and emerging platforms to preserve customer relationships and protect revenues and margins.

Batelco, the principal telecommunications company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is hosting the RAG conference. The agenda will cover fraud management, revenue and business assurance, enterprise risk management and security. For more information about the event, please visit Risk and Assurance Group (RAG) Bahrain Conference. About iconectiv At iconectiv, we envision a world without boundaries, where the ability to access and exchange information is simple, secure and seamless. As the authoritative partner of the communications industry for more than 30 years, our market-leading solutions enable the interconnection of networks, devices and applications for more than two billion people every day. We have intimate knowledge of the intricacies and complexities involved in creating, operating and securing the communications infrastructure for service providers, regulators, enterprises, aggregators and content providers. Our 5,000+ global clients rely on us for network and operations management, numbering, registry and fraud prevention solutions. We are proud to be enabling the world of tomorrow by making new connections today. A US-based company, Telcordia (News - Alert) Technologies, does business as iconectiv. For more information, visit www.iconectiv.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005457/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Wex Strengthens Leadership Team With Two Senior Appointments

LONDON, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WEX welcomes new talent to growing European directorship WEX announces two new senior appointments within the Netherlands. Since heading up the WEX office in Europe, Vice President Anant Patel has continued to bolster his leadership team, which now includes a Compliance Director and Director of Relationship Management role. These new positions aim to strengthen WEX's international operations in line with its centralised financial institution in the US, whilst supporting new and existing client relations. Timo Dijkstra: Compliance Director, EMEA and APAC, WEX.

Timo's role at WEX will see him ensuring that the business grows internationally in a compliant manner and aligns the different jurisdictions to create a uniform and scalable compliance framework. Prior to joining WEX, Timo acted as the Chief Compliance Officer of BitPay, a payment processor that allows merchants to accept cryptocurrency as a payment method. He was also part of the Europol Advisory Group on Financial Service where he advised the European Cybercrime Centre on policy matters. Timo Dijkstra said: "I'm very much looking forward to joining the expanding WEX team across EMEA and APAC. Compliace is a vital position within any financial organisation and I'm keen to make my mark at WEX."



Astrid Masle -Boer, Director of Relationship Management., EMEA WEX Corporate Payments.

Astrid's 20+ years of B2B value-added services has seen her lead GlobalCollect as Vice President of Global Account Management, with a multitude of experience working with FedEx, WebEx, American Express and Forrester Research. Astrid has a strong track record leading client management teams, with a deep knowledge of providing value-added financial efficiencies and cloud-based services in an international environment. Astrid and Timo will be based in Amsterdam, with the support of the European team based in London, led by Anant Patel.

Astrid Masle-Boer added: "WEX's customer portfolio is an impressive list and I'm eager to use my expertise to ensure each and every customer is getting the most from our service. In a constantly evolving technology landscape, we need to respond to our customers' needs and relieve ongoing pain points." Vice President for WEX Corporate Payments, EMEA and APAC, Anant Patel, commented: "It's an incredibly exciting time at WEX. We are bringing the best payments talent into the business as we continue the focus on growing across these markets. "Being able to service our customers better has been at the heart of this decision and with EMEA and APAC being a progressive and developing payments market for us, it's important to continue to manage our existing partnerships and grow these relationships." About WEX Inc.

WEX Inc. (NYSE: WEX) is a leading provider of corporate payment solutions. From its roots in fleet card payments beginning in 1983, WEX has expanded the scope of its business into a multi-channel provider of corporate payment solutions representing 11 million vehicles and offering exceptional payment security and control across a wide spectrum of business sectors. WEX serves a global set of customers and partners through its operations around the world, with offices in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Norway and Singapore. WEX and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,300 associates. The company has been publicly traded since 2005 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "WEX." For more information, visit http://www.wexinc.com and follow WEX on Twitter at @WEXIncNews.



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Project YouDoYou partners with Rebecca Minkoff, PopSugar

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Project YouDoYou, Mindshare North America's and GroupM's first-of-its-kind, teen empowerment initiative, fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and global media company POPSUGAR are hosting an inspirational event to fuel positive, cross-generational conversation focusing on teen female activism. Fashion designer & founder Rebecca Minkoff, POPSUGAR Executive Style Director Dana Avidan Cohn, 20-year-old social entrepreneur Nadya Okamoto, and youth Planned Parenthood activist Deja Foxx will lead a candid Q&A in Minkoff's flagship SoHo store, launching the sale of a PYDY x Rebecca Minkoff limited-edition shirt benefitting Nadya's non-profit organization PERIOD. "As a brand made for many women by many women, we have the responsibility to speak out, support, and advocate for equality and continue to tell the story of how camaraderie between women is changing the dominant cultural and business narrative around female entrepreneurship," said Rebecca Minkoff. "Our goal is to lift teen girls up through inspirational content and experiences, while giving them the opportunity to take meaningful action," said PYDY co-founder and Mindshare's North America Chief Content Officer, David Lang. "This event with Rebecca Minkoff and POPSUGAR gives teen girls the opportunity to be part of the conversation." "At POPSUGAR, positivity and inclusivity are intrinsic to our brand DNA and something we celebrate every day," said Dana Avidan Cohn, Executive Style Director at POPSUGAR. "We want girls to feel empowered to take charge of their lives and voice at every stage. We support young women who are change makers and influencers by collaborating on content and larger campaigns." The Project YouDoYou x Rebecca Minkoff collaboration began during New York Fashion Week 2018. PYDY partnered with Minkoff around the launch of her female empowerment platform "I am Many" and brought together a powerful pack of inspirational GenZ young women to take part in the campaign. Both brands share a common desire to shine a light and support the amazing young women who are making the world a better, kinder, and more interesting place every day. Bringing the efforts to life, Minkoff designed a custom limited-edition PYDY T-shirt that will launch in store at the January 17th event, and will be avaiable online at RebeccaMinkoff.com and Popsugar.com, with proceeds going toward Okamoto's non-profit organization PERIOD, a movement the inspirational young woman has championed and grown across the nation.



The event will be open to the public and aims to bring the PYDY tagline  "behind every powerful girl is another powerful girl"  to life, sparking cross-generational conversation around the keys to success when we stand behind and support each other. Attendees to the event are encouraged to bring with them the powerful woman (or women!) that stand behind them, or who they stand behind, every day. Open panel discussions and audience Q&A will give women the chance to meet our talent face-to-face to ask them candid questions around the best advice they've been given, and actionable ways we can all come together in positive support to make the world a better, stronger place. About Project YouDoYou

Project YouDoYou believes that behind every powerful girl is another powerful girl. Launched by Mindshare North America, PYDY is an industry-wide initiative with a focus on positively changing the trajectory of GenZ lives, whether their aspirations are to be the next great filmmaker, entrepreneur, or world leader. This initiative collaborates with leading publishers, platforms and media owners  such as Snapchat, iHeart, ESPNW, Wasserman Media, PopSugar and more. Our goal is to lift teen girls up through inspirational content and enable them to take meaningful action in areas they are passionate about, making the world a better place. Project YouDoYou inspires GenZ girls and young women with the voices of peers who are doing positive things in their communities, as well as through the stories of influencers and celebrities pursuing their passions. About Rebecca Minkoff Embodying 21st century femininity in all its multidimensionality, Rebecca Minkoff encourages her audience to confidently own the many roles they occupy and their many moods and feelings. Since launching in 2001, the brand has established itself as a destination where functionality, modern femininity, and the current cultural moment converge. The collection spans handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, luggage, tech accessories, and swimwear. Through products, content, conversations and experiences, Rebecca Minkoff is dedicated to creating the modern cultural and business narrative of togetherness and a shared success. About Mindshare

We were born in Asia in 1997, a start up with a desire to change the media world. Now we are a global agency with 116 offices in 86 countries and billings of $35bn (source: RECMA). We aim to be our clients' lead business partner, to grow their business and drive profitability through adaptive and inventive marketing. We do this through speed, teamwork, and provocation because in today's world everything begins and ends in media. We create new things and have fun doing it. Mindshare is part of GroupM, the media investment management arm of WPP, the world's leading communications services group. Visit us at Mindshareusa.com or MindshareInTheLoop.com and follow us on Twitter @Mindshare_NA, and Facebook.com/MindshareNA. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/project-youdoyou-partners-with-rebecca-minkoff-popsugar-300780322.html SOURCE Mindshare North America

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] The Journal of Investment Management and New Frontier Advisors Name 2018 Harry M. Markowitz Award Winners

The Journal Of Investment Management and New Frontier Advisors today announced the winners of the 2018 Harry M. Markowitz Award as determined by a Special Selection Panel composed of Nobel (News - Alert) Prize winners Harry M. Markowitz, Robert C. Merton, Myron S. Scholes and William F. Sharpe. Markowitz Award This year's top recognition was awarded to "A New Approach to Goals-Based Wealth Management," by Sanjiv R. Das, William and Janice Terry Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business; Daniel Ostrov, Professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Santa Clara University; Anand Radhakrishnan, Chief Investment Officer, at Franklin Templeton Investments (India) and Deep Srivastav, Head of Client Strategies and Analytics at Franklin Templeton Investments. The paper outlines a new framework for goals-based wealth management (GBWM) consistent with modern portfolio theory and based on a foundation of developments in behavioral economics and finance. It aims not only to improve advisor communication with their clients, but also improve the quality of advice they provide, in order to help clients achieve their goals. Special Distinction Awards The two 2018 Special Distinction Awards were given to the following papers: "Defined Contribution Pension Plans and Mutual Fund Flows," by Clemens Sialm, Professor of Finance and Economics at the University of Texas at Austin; Laura Starks, Chairman of the Department of Finance and Director of the AIM Investment Center in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and Hanjiang Zhang, Assistant Professor of Finance and Management Science at Washington State University's Carson College of Business. "Automation, Intermediation and the Flash Crash," by Andrei Kirilenko, Director of the Centre for Global Finance and Technology at London's Imperial College Business School; Albert S. Kyle, Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business; Mehrdad Samadi, Assistant Professor of Finance at SMU Cox (News - Alert) School of Business and Tugkan Tuzun, Economist in the Capital Markets Section of the Federal Reserve Board. The first paper compares changes in asset allocation between mutual funds held in defined contribution (DC) pension plans and funds held by other investors, and examines how flows into equity and fixed income mutual funds rely on macroeconomic conditions. The authors find that DC investors react more sensitively to individual fund performance than non-DC investors. In the second paper, the authors examine intraday intermediation in the E-mini S&P 500 stock index futures market before and during the Flash Crash of May 6, 2010 and discuss the evolution of trading from human to electronic environments. The authors discuss the roles played by intermediaries in electronic markets as compared to "pit trading" and conclude that there is a need for well-designed automated pre-trade safeguardsand alternative market designs in the presence of "High Frequency Traders" who use their speed advantage to extract rents from other market participants.



"The 2018 Markowitz award winners speak to what the award is all about - putting novel investment theories into practice, either through new asset management strategies or thorough analysis of investor behavior and its implications for optimal market structure," said Dr. Richard Michaud, President and Chief Executive Officer at New Frontier Advisors. "Nearly a decade since its inception, we continue to be a proud supporter of the awards and applaud this year's winners for their distinguished contributions related to the theory and application of asset management that embody the principles of Dr. Markowitz himself." "As a company committed to the development of state-of-the-art investment technology and research, we are honored to recognize these important academic and industry contributions," stated Robert Michaud, Chief Investment Officer at New Frontier Advisors.

The 2018 awards will be presented at the Spring JOIM Conference, Retirement Investing / FinTech and Analytics: The State of the Art Part I, on May 14-15, 2019 in New York City at the NYU Stern School of Business campus (Kaufman Management Center, 44 W. 4th St., New York, NY 10012). The conference will explore the latest and emerging strategies and techniques of retirement investing. For more information about the JOIM Conference Series, visit https://www.joim.com/conference-series/. About the Harry M. Markowitz Award The Harry M. Markowitz Award, sponsored jointly each year by the Journal Of Investment Management and New Frontier Advisors, LLC, recognizes the seminal and transcendent impact of Dr. Markowitz's work as a financial economist and mathematician in both theoretical finance and the practice of asset management. The award was established to honor his legacy and to support future research and innovation in practical asset management. Candidates for the award are chosen from among papers published in JOIM in a calendar year. Nobel laureates Harry M. Markowitz, Robert C. Merton, Myron S. Scholes, and William F. Sharpe make the final selections. An honorarium of $10,000 is bestowed for the winning paper. Two additional papers of special distinction each earn a $5,000 honorarium. About New Frontier Advisors New Frontier is a Boston-based institutional research and investment advisory firm specializing in the development and application of state of-the-art investment technology. Founded in 1998 by the inventors of the world's first broad spectrum, patented, provably effective portfolio optimization process, the firm continues to pioneer new developments in asset allocation and portfolio selection. Based on practical investment theory, New Frontier's services help institutional investors across the globe to select and maintain more effective portfolios. About The Journal Of Investment Management (JOIM) The Journal Of Investment Management (JOIM), established in 2003, is a high quality, fully refereed publication, which bridges the theory and practice of investment management. The JOIM offers rigorous research with practical significance, drawing from the disciplines of finance, economics and accounting. Special issues on timely topics including distinguished authors who have both impressive academic and professional experience are a highlight. The JOIM's overall goal is to be mindful of the need to present the very best quality material in a form appealing to the practitioner, student and academic. About the JOIM Conference Series The mission of the JOIM Conference Series, founded in 2006, is to extend the mandate of the Journal Of Investment Management (JOIM) in bridging the theory and practice of investment management. Whereas the JOIM journal is a rigorous peer reviewed publication, the JOIM Conference Series showcases very high quality presentations and a platform for interactive discussions of current topics in the investment management arena. Prevalent throughout both activities is the highest quality material suitable for the academic, practitioner and student. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005535/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Idaho's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Announces Eastern Idaho Business Consultant

Idaho's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) https://idahoptac.org, announced today that Bamidele Omotowa will hold the position of Business Consultant for PTAC. Bamidele has over 20 years of postdoctoral research in the chemical technology field. His research has led to 12 US patents and has been published in 17 professional journals. Bamidele has extensive knowledge about business, working with the government, and how to win government contracts for small businesses. In his new role, Bamidele will be responsible for providing counseling to all businesses in eastern and southeastern Idaho who are interested in contracting with the federal, state, and local governments. He will conduct training seminars to further educate businesseson government contracting and new requirements that are released by the government. Bamidele will also connect with key stakeholders and government agencies to foster a cooperative environment.



"Bamidele has an extensive background in business and knows how to guide small businesses through the process of bidding on government contracts," stated Gary Moore, PTAC Program Manager. "We have never had a consultant in eastern Idaho. Bamidele will now be able to reach additional businesses that need assistance. We are excited to have Bamidele on the team and feel he will be a tremendous asset and resource to the small businesses in eastern Idaho," concluded Moore. About the Idaho PTAC The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) was authorized by Congress in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the government marketplace. Administered by the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the program provides matching funds through cooperative agreements with state and local governments and non-profit organizations to operate Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) for the purpose of providing procurement assistance to all businesses - particularly small businesses - interested in participating in the government marketplace. Learn more at https://idahoptac.org or call 208-489-1607.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005092/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Iristel Launches New Unit Offering Corporate Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CaaS)

Companies of All Sizes Can Receive Customized, Tight Digital Security With

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Predictors That Can Foresee Attacks Before They Happen TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 /CNW/ - Iristel Inc., Canada's fastest-growing telecom services provider, is moving into the cybersecurity space to offer all-sized firms the tools and peace of mind previously reserved for those companies with huge resources to spend on digital security. Recent high-profile breaches, global ransomware attacks and the scourge of cryptomining  a trending and more sophisticated form of theft  clearly demonstrate that no one is immune to modern cybersecurity threats. The Iristel cybersecurity team has decades of experience and expertise managing information systems of huge corporations in fields such as pharmaceutical and financial services. "We are very excited to be getting into the security space and with such a strong team of experts," says Iristel CEO Samer Bishay. "Every business  from five employees to 5,000 or more  requires security in the midst of increasing sohistication of cyber criminals. With our Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CaaS), organizations of all sizes can obtain the protection and monitoring they require. I can't say all attacks will stop, but it's all about mitigating and reducing risk as new threats arise consistently everyday."



The newly setup unit is dedicated to providing comprehensive cybersecurity services including consulting, advisory, 24/7/365 monitoring, incident response, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing and much more. "Our Next Generation Security Operation Centre is built with an artificial intelligence layer that provides customers with predictive analytics aimed at preventing attacks even before they occur," Mr. Bishay says. "Our quest is to give customers the tightest security possible at the best price possible. Iristel was built on disruptive technology and over the past 20 years we've grown by implementing ideas from several disruptive technologies. Cybersecurity fits perfectly into our portfolio of products and services."

By leveraging the expertise within Iristel Cybersecurity, clients can obtain customized solutions, not off-the-shelf and inadequate products, that can by tailored to their technology resources budget and corporate needs. About Iristel Iristel is Canada's fastest-growing carrier providing innovative communication services, including cybersecurity, that are changing how consumers and businesses communicate. Founded in 1999, Markham-based Iristel operates Canada's largest facilities-based local voice network extending Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast. It also owns Ice Wireless, an LTE-A carrier with operations in Canada's northern territories and Quebec. Iristel also owns brands such as Sugar Mobile, an Over-the-Top (OTT) app where phone calls and text messages can be transmitted through data, and TDE, a company that offers sale, rental and repair services of telecommunication equipment in Eastern Quebec and Northern New Brunswick. SOURCE Iristel Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Healogics, Inc. Names Keith Koford as General Counsel

Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced chronic wound care services, today announced that Keith Koford has been appointed to serve as General Counsel. In this role, Koford will be responsible for the entire legal function of the organization, including implementing all strategic and tactical legal initiatives. He will also act as corporate secretary. Koford will report directly to Healogics Chief Executive Officer, David Bassin. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005412/en/ Healogics General Counsel Keith Koford (Photo: Business Wire) "We are so pleased to welcome Keith to the Healogics team," said Bassin. "With his comprehensive business, compliance and legal knowledge, am confident he will bring a valuable perspective to his new role. We are looking forward to seeing the contributions he will deliver throughout our company."



Koford joins Healogics with over 20 years of cumulative business and legal experience. In his most recent role, he served as Vice President, General Counsel for RTI Surgical, Inc. While there, Koford was the principal legal advisor and helped to develop and implement the company's comprehensive compliance program. Prior to his time at RTI, Koford was an attorney at Holland & Knight LLP, where he focused on the representation of U.S. and international-based healthcare, pharma/biotechnology and medical device companies. Before his legal career, Koford worked in the field of molecular biology at a genomics-based pharmaceutical development company. He has been named co-inventor on two biotechnology patent applications related to surgical procedures and is a co-author of the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions (News - Alert) with Healthcare Professionals. Koford received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida and holds a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT (News - Alert) Sloan School of Management).

About Healogics Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Healogics is the nation's wound healing expert. Last year over 330,000 patients received advanced wound care through a nationwide network of nearly 700 Wound Care Centers. The Healogics team is made up of almost 3,000 employees, 4,000 affiliated physicians and a Healogics Specialty Physician practice group of nearly 300. In addition to the company's network of outpatient Centers, Healogics partners with over 300 skilled nursing facilities to care for patients with chronic wounds, and provides inpatient consults at more than 80 partner hospitals. As the industry leader, Healogics has the largest repository of chronic wound-specific patient data in the country. The Healogics Wound Science Initiative, an effort launched in 2017 to provide peer-reviewed research, recognizes the value and relevance of big data and advanced analytics to drive continuous, collaborative learning towards a better understanding of how to efficiently utilize healthcare resources for patients with wounds. For additional information, please visit Healogics.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005412/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Breather Appoints New CEO to Accelerate Company's Growth in Flexible Workspace Market

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 /CNW/ -- Real estate tech company Breather has appointed SaaS and e-commerce veteran, Bryan Murphy, as its new chief executive officer. With deep experience scaling new models in traditional industries, Murphy will drive the company's expansion following a recent $45 million funding round that brought total funds raised to $122 million. Breather provides on-demand access to private workspaces, filling a gap in the real estate market for companies that don't want to take on the burden of a long term lease, but for whom coworking isn't ideal. Breather enables tenants to search, discover, book, pay and access over 500 private spaces in 10 markets globally with the click of a button. Breather offers a global network of meeting spaces as well as private office space with a month-to-month commitment so businesses can scale in a space that can grow with them. Murphy'sappointment is supported by Breather's founding CEO, Julien Smith, who remains with the company as chairman of the board.



"When I founded Breather in 2012, my strengths were vital in building a company that could innovate to address the changing workspace needs for growing companies and smarter cities," said Smith. "As we've reached a new phase of growth ourselves, it's become clear to me that bringing on an executive with experience growing businesses to global magnitude would be the best thing for Breather. Bryan's record of scaling brands in competitive markets makes him an ideal leader to support this momentum, and I'm excited to see where he takes us next." Most recently, Murphy was founder and president of mattress startup, Tomorrow Sleep, a Serta Simmons company. Prior to that, he was a vice president at eBay, responsible for its vertical businesses. Murphy joined eBay's leadership team after selling WHI Solutions, a SaaS and e-commerce company of which he was co-founder and CEO, to eBay in 2012.

"Breather has built a remarkable commercial real estate e-commerce and services platform that offers one-click access to over 500 workspaces around the world," said Murphy. "To our customers, having access to workspace that is turnkey, affordable, beautiful, productive and that can flex up and down based on needs is a total game changer." Since 2012, Breather has served more than 500,000 clients from startups to established brands like American Express, Spotify, Away, and Tesla. Customers continue to return to Breather for its true flexibility, world class service and thoughtful design: the company employs real estate experts and academics with credentials in spatial productivity to ensure office location, design and amenities fuel effective work. In 2019, Breather will continue to open new spaces around the world, partnering with forward-thinking landlords that want to add flexible space to their portfolios while maintaining traditional rental models and lease cycles. Breather's platform allows landlords and building tenants to seamlessly plug into its real-time digital booking and access system, providing a value-adding amenity requiring minimal maintenance or management. ABOUT BREATHER

Breather is the leading provider of space-as-a-service, with its growing network of private workspaces built for productivity. Breather gives businesses like Google, Spotify, and Airbnb access to a variety of workspace solutions on the most flexible terms  by the hour, day or month with hundreds of spaces available across 10 cities including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London. Powered by its proprietary technology, Breather makes it easy to find space for quick meetings and full-day offsites, or longer-term solutions for an entire office. Explore spaces at Breather.com and office spaces at BreatherOffices.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/breather-appoints-new-ceo-to-accelerate-companys-growth-in-flexible-workspace-market-300780221.html SOURCE Breather

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Tyler Technologies Named to Forbes Best Employers for Diversity List

Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL) was recently named to Forbes' Best Employers for Diversity list for 2019. The list recognized 500 companies for their representation of diversity in their U.S. operations. This is the second year for the list to come out and the first time Tyler received this recognition. "We work hard to create a positive environment where our more than 4,600 employees feel welcomed and included," said Lynn Moore, president and chief executive officer for Tyler Technologies (News - Alert) . "Our team promotes acceptance, respect and collaboration across diverse perspectives, and this recognition is a tremendous honor." The list was compiled from an independent online survey conducted by Sttista that is based on a sample of 50,000 American employees working for firms or institutions with 1,000 or more employees. The survey included questions on age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and general diversity. The survey also considered diversity among top executives and key performance indicators (KPI).



The companies awarded Best Employers for Diversity in 2019 represent a variety of industries such as technology, transportation, media, health care, education, and retail. About Tyler Technologies, Inc.

Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. Tyler partners with clients to empower the public sector - cities, counties, schools, and other government entities - to become more efficient, more accessible and more responsive to the needs of their constituents. Tyler's client base includes more than 15,000 local government offices in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. Forbes has included Tyler on its "Best Small Companies" list eight times, and ranked Tyler on its "Best Midsize Employers" list in 2018. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at www.tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005153/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] "OK Google. Talk to iA Financial Group."

QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 17, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - iA Financial Group (Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc.) takes a major step in its shift to digital by introducing the iA Virtual Assistant. The iA Virtual Assistant allows clients to contact iA Financial Group in writing or verbally, a natural way of communicating, which helps people feel closer to and supported by the company. "Hello! I am the iA Virtual Assistant. What do you want to do today?" Although the iA Virtual Assistant is new, it can already calculate how much investors should contribute to their RRSP or estimate the amount saved when they retire. It can also locate nearby healthcare providers that comply with the company's eligibility criteria. The iA Virtual Assistant can be accessed using Google Assistant on a cell phone, tablet or via Google Home. To begin chatting, simply say "OK Google. Talk to iA Financial Group.". "Thanks to our artificial intelligence-powered platform, the iA Virtual Assistant learns quickly. Our vision is to make the iA Virtual Assistant able to provide personalized information to group plan members that isadapted to their profile. The Virtual Assistant will be able to guide plan members in evaluating the options available at the various stages of their lives. It could even help them change certain unhealthy lifestyles by encouraging them to act now. Our desire is to change the paradigm by moving from a curative approach to a preventive approach", confirms Martin Belanger, Senior Vice-President, Group Benefits, Group Savings and Retirement, and Special Markets Solutions.



"As a complement to the work done by advisors on the ground, the iA Virtual Assistant is a source of useful information to help clients make the best choices for their financial wellbeing and that of their family, adds Renee Laflamme, Executive Vice-President, Individual Insurance, Savings and Retirement. For example, when there's an important event, like a new child, the iA Virtual Assistant reminds new parents of the importance of reviewing their insurance coverage. It can also show the advantages of contributing to a registered education savings plan to pay for their child's education, and even suggest the professional services of a financial advisor, when needed." With a sales force across the country, its customer service centres, the secure My Client Space, the iA Mobile app and now, the iA Virtual Assistant, iA Financial Group offers its clients a myriad of ways to contact the company, thus respecting the preferences and profile of each client. This shows the company's commitment to giving its clients an unparalleled and personalized experience.

The ia.ca/assistant microsite shows the evolution of the iA Virtual Assistant's functionalities and how to use them. About iA Financial Group

Founded in 1892, iA Financial Group is one of the largest insurance and wealth management companies in Canada. It also operates in the United States. Its stock is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IAG. SOURCE Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] 82% of US Employees Will Buy More Often from Workplace Cafeteria with Order Ahead Technology, Finds Omnico

82% of US employees will buy meals more often from their workplace cafeteria if they can order ahead and pick up their meal from a dedicated service point, research by Omnico and The Caterer magazine has found. 52% will use an order ahead capability every time, if available, and 29% will use it some of the time. 37% will make two or more extra visits per week if they can order ahead. The research, among 750 employees across the US, found that 58% of respondents would visit at least once more in the week if they could access experience-enhancing technologies such as ordering ahead, or are able to make payments via apps, touch-screen kiosks, wearable devices and phone-scanning. 70% said they will visit more frequently if the staff cafeteria operated a personalized, multi-channel loyalty program. A scheme offering rewards redeemable against future purchases will deliver an extra two visits per person each week, the research reveals. Overall, technologies that cut out lines, make ordering and payment easy across all channels will increase visit frequency by an average 1.18 extra days per person each week. "Our research makes clear that US employees will visit and spend more if workplace cafeteria offer an experience that is quick, easy and genuinely personalized, whether online, via smartphone, kiosk or at the checkout," said Mel Taylor, CEO, Omnico. "Time is precious to employees - we found that 61% do not visit their in-house catering facility more often because they can't face waiting in lines."



48% of those surveyed said they want to place an order using a phone app, while 25% want to pay using a smartphone payment system such as Apple (News - Alert) Pay. From a list of types of promotion that employees want from loyalty schemes, 48% selected value meals and 45% want meal deal packages, allowing them to buy a discounted package of meals over a set period, benefiting operators' cashflow, stock-planning and footfall. "Smooth integration of technologies is essential to make the workplace cafeteria the number one choice for co-workers," said Taylor. "As our research shows, if done right it can substantially increase revenues."

Download the full report here: Corporate Catering Barometer About Omnico: Omnico's Cloud based technology powers POS and customer engagement solutions across the retail, destination and hospitality sectors. www.omnicogroup.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005342/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] GTS Welcomes U.S. Marine Corps Combat Veteran and Experienced NYSE Trader as Designated Market Maker and Global Market Commentator

GTS, a leading electronic market maker across global financial instruments, today announced the addition of U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and experienced equities trader Mark Otto as the firm's first Global Market Commentator. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005398/en/ U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and experienced NYSE trader Mark Otto joins GTS as Global Market Commentator GTS is the largest Designated Market Maker ("DMM") at the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and has an extensive track record of responsibly using best-of-class technology to bring better price discovery, trade execution and transparency to the markets. Ari Rubenstein, Co-Founder and CEO of GTS, said, "It is an honor to welcome Mark Otto to GTS as our Global Market Commentator. We look forward to his unique content and analysis on how increasing uncertainty in the global markets and geopolitical environment might play out in the securities markets. It is important that we as a firm are always looking across markets and across international borders to assess the impact for public companies and investors." At the NYSE, GTS is responsible for the trading in more than 900 public companies that have a total market capitalization of approximately $13 trillion dollars. Listed securities include blue chip companies ranging from ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Ford (News - Alert) (NYSE: F) to international companies such as Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) to leading global technology companies like Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) and AT& (NYSE: T).



As Global Market Commentator for GTS, Otto will combine his specialty of trading American depositary receipts ("ADR"), algorithmic trading, market making and volatility trading with his experience trading in times of historic geopolitical events and market turmoil such as the 2008 Financial Crisis, the Flash Crash, the Greek Debt Crisis, Eurozone Debt Crisis and Brexit to provide market commentary on current trends and their impact on the securities markets. "I am thrilled to continue my career on the NYSE with GTS," Mark Otto said, "So much of the pricing of stocks results from international developments and interconnected global economies. It's an honor for me to share my commentary and views as part of the GTS platform. The firm is a pioneer in bringing innovation to the marketplace and it is an incredible opportunity for me to be teaming up with such an important player in the global capital markets ecosystem."

Between 1988 and 1992, Otto served under the 2nd Surveillance Renaissance and Intelligence Group based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During his military service, Otto saw combat during the Panama Invasion and Operation Desert Storm, as well as leading surveillance teams observing and securing U.S. boarders in support of Federal Law Enforcement agencies. Otto received over a dozen military decorations and achievements, including the Combat Action Ribbon with Gold Star, Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation and Airborne Jump Wings. In addition to his military service, Otto brings 25 years of trading experience on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Having received his first opportunity on the NYSE from a Vietnam Veteran, Otto started as a Junior Specialist Clerk and climbed the ranks over his 25-year career to Foreign Risk Manager and Arbitrage Trader at Susquehanna International Group, ADR Trader and Director at Knight Capital, and Partner at J. Streicher & Co. In addition to his new role at GTS, Otto also serves as Executive Director of the United War Veterans Council ("UWVC"), best known for producing the New York City Veterans Day Parade, as well as Founder of the UWVC Health and Wellness Program which focuses on healing veterans suffering from a multitude of issues including post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries, drug addiction and homelessness. About GTS GTS is a global electronic market maker, powered by combining market expertise with innovative, proprietary technology. As a quantitative trading firm continually building for the future, GTS leverages the latest in artificial intelligence systems and sophisticated pricing models to bring consistency, efficiency, and transparency to today's financial markets. GTS accounts for 3-6% of daily cash equities volume in the U.S. and trades over 10,000 different instruments globally. GTS is the largest Designated Market Maker (DMM) at the New York Stock Exchange, responsible for nearly $13 trillion of market capitalization. For more information on GTS, please visit www.gtsx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005398/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] TNS Targets South American Expansion with Strategic Acquisition of Link Solutions

Transaction Network Services ( TNS (News - Alert) ) is expanding into Brazil through the acquisition of mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) communications specialist Link Solutions Eireli (Link). The acquisition of the family-owned business gives TNS two new offices in Brazil, 65 new employees and an extensive customer base of mPOS, transportation, security and tracking customers that collectively use over 500,000 Link managed SIMs in the country. Combined with TNS' own SIM network, this means TNS now manages almost a million SIMs around the world. "We are delighted to be taking this significant step into the South American market," said TNS' Chief Executive Officer, Mike Keegan. "Brazil is one of the world's fastest growing IoT markets and, combined with it being the largest developing economy in South America, it is an excellent springboard for growth across the continent. The team behind Link have done a very good job of building their business within Brazil and there are now avenues for expansion in other countries, such as Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. Our joint product set is ideally suited to serving these markets." George Zirkel, TNS' Senior Vice President of Global Strategy, said: "This is a hugely exciting time for both of our teams, as well as our customers, due to the great promise South America holds for many payments players. The team at Link are acutely aware of these opportunities and we can now collectively address them and help others enter this market. We can provide a cost-effective, feature-rich set of services to organizations currently struggling with the complexity of the payment infrastructure. "We expect to see a lot of interest in our wider rang of FinTech solutions, such as dial, encryption, tokenization, payment gateway, unattended payments and financial markets connectivity, among others."



Link's Chief Executive Officer, Alexandro de Araujo Silva, will remain in his position and will work closely with Mr. Zirkel as well as former owner Francisco das Chagas Batista Leite who will serve as a consultant following the acquisition. Mr. de Araujo Silva said: "We look forward to becoming part of TNS and capitalizing on the opportunities that this brings. Our solutions are exceptionally complementary and combined we can help customers meet the demanding needs of our industry today as we strive to make payments frictionless, support innovative payment methods and harness new technologies."

The acquisition is also seen by TNS as strategically important as it supports the company's diversification into a broader range of IoT verticals, including transportation, security and industrial sectors. Mr. Keegan said: "As the industry evolves and consumers rapidly adopt IoT devices we are seeing a surge in demand for payments capabilities. TNS is already supporting IoT device payments in the US, Europe and Asia and we're extremely pleased that firms are recognizing the security needs of sensitive payments data. When any new technology is in its infancy the drive to keep costs low often results in significant early security flaws, so it's reassuring that players in the IoT sphere are taking measures, such as tokenization, to protect consumers from the outset and reduce the risk of a data breach." Founded in 1990, TNS, a trusted partner to the payments industry, providing services across Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific regions. TNS offers a broad portfolio of solutions, including secure and resilient transaction delivery services that are used by many of the top banks, transaction processors and ATM deployers around the world. TNS' Network Operating Centers in the US, UK and Australia provide 24x7x365 support to all of its customers. TNS is a Level 1 PCI (News - Alert) DSS certified service provider and a global board member of the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA). For more information about TNS, visit www.tnsi.com. ENDS About Transaction Network Services (News - Alert) : Transaction Network Services (TNS) is a leading global provider of data communications and interoperability solutions. TNS offers a broad range of networks and innovative value-added services which enable transactions and the exchange of information in diverse industries such as retail, banking, payment processing, telecommunications and the financial markets. Founded in 1990 in the United States, TNS has grown steadily and now provides services in over 60 countries across the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, with our reach extending to many more. TNS has designed and implemented multiple data networks which support a variety of widely accepted communications protocols and are designed to be scalable and accessible by multiple methods. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005297/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Paycor Wins 2018 Pillar Award for Community Service

CINCINNATI, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Human Capital Management (HCM) company Paycor announces it has received the prestigious 2018 Pillar Award for Community Service. The news is the latest proof point demonstrating Paycors community impact.

Todays news marks Paycors fourth Pillar Award, which recognize organizations that are setting the standard for outstanding community work and embody culture of service. Paycor is recognized for its achievements with Community Partners, the companys Associate-run community service organization, founded in 2010. Offering employee choice, Community Partners uniquely empowers every Paycor Associate with the opportunity to share and exercise their own personal service interests. A Record Year of Giving Back

Community Partners accomplished its best year yet, with 221 events, 5,233 volunteer participants, 7,561 hours and $331,083 donated in 2018. To date, Paycor Associates have completed 1,000+ events, and donated 30,000+ volunteer hours and more than one million dollars to organizations across the country including: the Cincinnati Zoo, Special Olympics, McDonald House Charities, St. Jude, the National MS Society, March of imes, Wounded Warriors and the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, to name a few.



Supporting Quotes:

Giving back has always been part of Paycors DNA, particularly in light of our guiding principles which include: take care of each other, and do the right thing, said Bob Coughlin, Chief Executive Officer, Paycor. We are humbled to win the 2018 Pillar Awards, especially as Paycor Community Partners closes our most successful year in terms of impact and community service. We firmly believe in supporting the communities we work and live in, and in giving Paycor Associates the agency to pursue causes they are most passionate about. Our new Paycor Community Fund is designed to broaden the reach of our work with more options for employees. Supporting Resources

Paycor Partner Loyalty Program

Paycor Website

Paycor Products

Paycor Latest News

Join the Conversation

Join us on LinkedIn About Paycor

More than 30,000 medium and small businesses nationwide trust Paycor to help them engage, manage and develop their people. Paycor is known for delivering the best unified HCM platform for the SMB market, but what makes us legendary is the total client experience we provide, from responsive service and user-friendly design to expert partnership and thought leadership. Our unique combination of technology and expertise helps clients streamline every aspect of people management so they can focus on what they know besttheir business and their mission. To learn how Paycor can help you make a difference, visit www.paycor.com . FOR MORE INFORMATION

Katy Bunn

Kbunn@paycor.com

(513) 307-6392 MEDIA CONTACT

Marta Debski

paycor@offleashpr.com

(810) 956-4501

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Leading the way in compute and networking solutions: TE Connectivity to present high-speed innovations at DesignCon 2019

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, will again educate and inspire system designers at DesignCon this year by demonstrating a new array of innovative solutions for next-generation compute and networking systems. TE will demonstrate more than half a dozen industry-leading high-speed data communications connectivity solutions in booth 817 at the DesignCon 2019 expo on Jan. 30-31 in Santa Clara, California. In addition, on Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. at the conference, TE technologists Nathan Tracy and Bruce Champion will present "Delivering 100 Gbps Solutions for Chip to Module (C2M) & Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cable Implementations." Efforts are underway to define 100 Gbps channels to support simpler, lower cost versions of 100G, 200G and 400G Ethernet as well as enable 800G Ethernet links. This presentation describes C2M and various DAC configurations to give concrete evidence on what system designers can expect going forward for 100 Gbps channels. The presentation will include details of the analyzed channel impairments that need to be addressed and some of the methodologies employed to develop a sound solution that can support these next-generation physical solutions for the channel, connectors and cables. Each year, the TE team demonstrates the company's leadership in compute and high-speed connectivity solutions at DesignCon. TE's featured live demos in its booth will include: 800G OSFP Passive Copper Cable Link

The 112 Gbps DAC Cable link will demonstrate a live 112 Gbps PAM4 electrical signal running over 2 meters of passive copper cabling to include crosstalk aggressors. This channel will utilize a 112 Gbps PAM-4 serializer/deserializer (SerDes) chip driving and receiving traffic through the Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable (OSPF) surface mount (OSFP SMT) connector which is a pluggable form factor with eight high speed electrical lanes. This demonstration will highlight the connector's ability to run each of these 8 lanes at 112 Gbps for a total aggregate data rate 896 Gbps per connector over 2 meters of copper cable. With the OSFP form factor capable of allowing a density of up to 32 ports per 1 rack-unit (RU) front panel, this technology can enable 28.6 Tbps per 1RU. 112G Cable Enabled Architectures

As data rates prepare to migrate to 100 Gbps signaling, the insertion loss of a printed circuit board-based channel threatens standard equipment architectures. This demo showcases the technologies from TE that can enable 100G based architectures to be successful from signal integrity, thermal and packaging perspectives. Included in this demo are STRADA Whisper cabled backplane connectors, Sliver internal cable assemblies and OSFP direct attach copper (DAC) cable assemblies - all helping to realize typical 100G chip-to-chip, card-to-card and equipment-to-equipment based high speed connections. These TE products enable interconnecting links to provide necessary bit error rates (BERs) for 100G data that could be required for these demanding next-gen architectures. 56G Large Scale LGA Socket

TE'sextra large array XLA socket series provides high speed "LGA contact" signal performance. The growing size of large silicon packages has pushed the manufacturing of traditional plastic sockets beyond established molding limits. The XLA series is a hybrid LGA socket that solders directly to the motherboard. This hybrid socket technology utilizes a superior PCB substrate carrier allowing for reliable attachment to the mother board. A key feature of the XLA technology is its ability to address extremely large packages, in excess of 100mm x 100mm. This demonstration presents live 56G PAM4 signal performance over 1 channel with 3 aggressors.



QSFP-DD Thermal Bridge

The Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) compressible thermal bridge demo presents a new technology for efficiently transferring heat across a gap of variable size, while controlling the force applied to surrounding components. The demo displays bridge and interface thermal resistances in real time, while allowing adjustment of the bridge height as heat is transferred between a pluggable module and heat sink. 32G Sliver Connector for Drive Link

This demonstration includes TE's Sliver SFF SMT orthogonal connector with pre-standard PCIe Gen5 32G host-to-solid state drive (SSD) link demonstrates 32 Gbps NRZ live traffic with zero errors over a 35dB loss channel with multiple crosstalk aggressors. The demo shows how TE's Sliver connectors compliant with the SFF-TA-1002 specification can be utilized for EDSFF and SSD devices in server and storage appliances.

3m+ QSFP-DD 400G Passive Copper Cable Link - The QSFP-DD DAC demo shows a passive copper cable assembly. The channel is running at 56 Gb/s over more than 3 meters of passive copper cable with an acceptable bit error rate (BER). The Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density, or QSFP-DD, form factor has 8 lanes providing an aggregate throughput of 448 Gbps through a single cable assembly. The QSFP-DD interface is backwards compatible with QSFP, allowing several generations of QSFP modules to be plugged into the same interface. SFP-DD 100G PAM4 Passive Copper Cable Link

The Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (SFP-DD) passive direct attach copper (DAC) cable link demonstrates a live 56Gbps PAM4 electrical interface. This interface consists of two channels utilizing a 56G PAM-4 SerDes chip driving and receiving traffic over a 28AWG SFP-DD direct attach copper (DAC) cable link. The data is transported through a Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density Surface Mount (SFP-DD SMT) connector which is a pluggable form factor with two high speed electrical lanes. Offering backward compatibility to current SFP style interfaces, this demonstration highlights the SFP-DD connector and DAC's ability to run each of these 2 lanes at 56Gbps for a total aggregate data rate of 112 Gbps per connector, thus doubling the current limit of SFP style interfaces while also providing backwards compatibility with SFP DACs. QSFP-DD 12.8T Switch > 15W Thermal Performance

The QSFP-DD thermal demo consists of a 1RU enclosure with 32 ports of the QSFP-DD 400Gbps input/output (I/O) populated with thermal emulator modules. The demo allows programmable control of airflow and per module power dissipation levels up to 15 Watts, demonstrating realistic operation of a 12.8Tbps 1RU enclosure. TE power connectors, cable assemblies and value-added bus bar solutions

These products provide simple yet customizable designs that enable a standardized platform capable of efficiently distributing up to 500A of power per UL and CSA criteria, while offering improved electrical performance. Engineered solutions support multiple voltage requirements, low resistance and low milli-volt drop. Designers can realize operational and overall system cost savings with TE power products that support low energy consumption. These products are compatible with specifications for use in rack-level bus bar applications including power shelves, battery backup unit (BBU) shelves, IT trays and server sleds. "As we move toward higher speeds in the data center, equipment requires new approaches to connectivity and thermal management," said Nathan Tracy, Technologist at TE Connectivity's data and devices business unit and president of the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF). "Each year at DesignCon, TE demonstrates its industry leadership in developing new technologies and products for next-generation data center and networking equipment, and we are proud to be showcasing our latest technical advances via functioning electrical, thermal and power demonstrations and displays at DesignCon 2019." Learn more on TE's DesignCon 2019 events page. ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY

TE Connectivity Ltd. is a $14 billion global technology and manufacturing leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. For more than 75 years, our connectivity and sensor solutions, proven in the harshest environments, have enabled advancements in transportation, industrial applications, medical technology, energy, data communications, and the home. With 80,000 employees, including more than 8,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat and Twitter. TE Connectivity, TE, TE connectivity (logo), and EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS are trademarks owned or licensed by the TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies. Other logos, product(s) and/or company names might be trademarks of their respective owners. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-the-way-in-compute-and-networking-solutions-te-connectivity-to-present-high-speed-innovations-at-designcon-2019-300779818.html SOURCE TE Connectivity

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] PrinterLogic Announces Serverless Print Security Features for the Federal Market

ST. GEORGE, Utah, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PrinterLogic, the leader of serverless print infrastructure for the enterprise, today announced the release of PrinterLogic 18.3. The new release includes several major security enhancements, including support for U.S. government-issued CAC/PIV smart cards used to authenticate and release secure print jobs. In addition, PrinterLogic is in the final verification stage of FIPS 140-2 Certification, which is required by most Federal agencies. "The market was hungry for a CAC/PIV solution that works in a serverless printing infrastructure and we're proud to be first to market," says Ryan Wedig, CEO of PrinterLogic. "We've worked closely with agencies at the highest levels of federal governments to become the leader in helping them securely eliminate print servers. This release solidifies our commitment to remain the leader and we're just getting started." PrinterLogic's support of CAC (Common Access Cards) and PIV (Personal Identity Verification) smart cards is important for multifactor authentication of secure print jobs. The company's solution is also HSPD-12 compliant. PrinterLogic developed a vendor-agnostic card reader that can be added to any existing network printer, allowing agencies to implement a CAC/PIV solution for their entire printer fleet without other modifications, or the need to replace perfectly good printers. "PrinterLogic's serverless CAC/PIV printing architecture works with any network printer, and overcomes key cost barriers for widespread adoption among our Federal customers," says Jason Klein, PrinterLogic Director-Public Sector. "Unlike competing solutions, PrinterLogic requires no print servers, which are vulnerable because they store thousands of confidential print jobs and are subject to data breaches. We eliminate these single points of failure and their associated data risks." PrinterLogic's cryptographic modules have also been hardened, bringing version 18.3 into full compliance with the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2. As part of the company's FIPS certification, th 18.3 release is currently undergoing an evaluation by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), using the U.S. Government Approved Protection Profile. Final verification testing is underway now, and certification is expected by April 2019.



Other security enhancements include the following: Public Key (PKI) encryption support for email printing Many large organizations routinely encrypt emails sent from Microsoft Outlook. PrinterLogic now supports Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) encryption as part of its printing solution. When a valid certificate and key are added by the IT administrator in the PrinterLogic Admin Console, emails are decrypted automatically when printed.

Faster, more resilient mobile & Chromebook printing PrinterLogic has added "fast lane" technology to its mobile-printing system to ensure the highest possible throughput for smartphone, tablet, and Chromebook printing. "Fast lane" creates the ability to parallel-process multiple print jobs by assigning a unique thread to each one. Canon Control Panel Application (beta release) PrinterLogic is including a beta version of its new Canon control panel application (CPA) for Canon Gen-3 printers in the 18.3 release. The CPA enables compatible Canon devices to function as secure/pull printers, which helps ensure the confidentiality of an organization's data. A PrinterLogic pull-printing license is needed for secure/pull printing. Smartphone apps for releasing secure print jobs (beta release) Concurrent with PrinterLogic 18.3, the company is announcing all-new apps for iPhones (iOS) and Android smartphones, which make it easy for a user to authenticate a secure/pull print job at the printer. This works even for simple network printers that do not have a control panel. Availability

Printer Installer 18.3, PrinterLogic's on-prem version, is available for download now. The company's SaaS product, PrinterCloud, as well as final releases of the Canon CPA and the iOS and Android apps, will be available by late Q1 2019. For more information about PrinterLogic, visit the company website or connect on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn . About PrinterLogic

PrinterLogic helps IT professionals eliminate all print servers and deliver a highly available serverless print infrastructure. With PrinterLogic's centrally managed direct IP printing platform, customers empower their end users with mobile printing, secure release printing, and many advanced features that legacy print management applications can't provide. The company has been included multiple times on the Inc. 500 and Deloitte Fast 500 lists of fastest growing companies in North America. Media Contact:

Zachary Allen

(801) 461-9751

zachary@methodcommunications.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/printerlogic-announces-serverless-print-security-features-for-the-federal-market-300780061.html SOURCE PrinterLogic

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Privia Health Appoints Paul Shenenberger as Senior Vice President of IT Operations and Chief Information Security Officer

Privia Health ("Privia"), announced today that Paul Shenenberger has joined the company as Senior Vice President of IT Operations and the Chief Information Security Officer. Mr. Shenenberger was most recently the Chief Information Officer and Security Officer of Summit Health Management of New Jersey. In his role at Privia, Mr. Shenenberger will oversee the IT infrastructure serving a network of more than 2,000 Privia providers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005026/en/ Paul Shenenberger joins Prvia Health as Senior Vice President of IT Operations and Chief Information Security Officer (Photo: Business Wire)



Mr. Shenenberger will be leading Privia's ongoing technology operations and service, as well as continually developing and updating the company's information security strategy. His work supports Privia as it continues to expand in new markets across the United States. Mr. Shenenberger will be managing a talented team of information technology and security professionals to continue Privia's leadership in technology innovation and security compliance.

"I am thrilled to join Privia to support the crucial work of driving innovation while living up to the trust patients have in us in protecting their sensitive data," Mr. Shenenberger said. "I have always taken a customer-first approach, and have long admired Privia's mission to impact the patient-provider relationship, enabling improved patient care and a seamless experience." Mr. Shenenberger has more than ten years of experience working as a healthcare technology executive with large medical groups and hospital systems. He has spent his career serving in multiple technology executive roles including Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer. About Privia Health Privia Health is a national physician organization meeting providers where they are to transform the healthcare delivery experience. Through high-performance physician groups, accountable care organizations, and population health management programs, Privia works in partnership with health plans, health systems and employers to better align reimbursements to quality and outcomes. Our physician-led model, scalable systems and proprietary technology reduce unnecessary healthcare costs, achieve better outcomes, and improve the health of patients we serve. For more information: www.priviahealth.com. @PriviaHealth View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005026/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Sparkrock 365 Empowers Nonprofits and Educators with Better Business Processes

Today, software company Sparkrock launches Sparkrock 365, a new cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for social impact organizations that offers nonprofits and educators access to best-in-class enterprise technology. Powered by Microsoft (News - Alert) , Sparkrock 365 provides the unique features and benefits that nonprofit and education leaders need, providing the peace of mind that comes with using software built on the globally recognized platform of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Purpose built to help these organizations reduce complexity and digitally transform their finance, procurement, payroll, and workforce management processes; Sparkrock 365 is the only all-in-one ERP solution for nonprofits and social impact organizations that is native to the cloud. "This is the culmination of our vision to bridge the technology gap between nonprofits and the commercial sector," says James Faw, co-founder and VP of Product Innovation. "Over the past 4 years we have invested almost $6 million in Sparkrock 365 and worked with many nonprofit CFOs, HR leaders, superintendents and other sector experts to get the best possible solution for our customers." Commercial business leaders in digital transformation generate an average of $100 million more in additional operating income each year, according to a recent report from Microsoft. Canada's nonprofit sector alone generates over 8% of the country's GDP - more than the entire retail industry - but this year's NetChange survey showed just 11% of nonprofit staffers say their organizational approach to digital is "highly effective".



Nicola Dickinson, Sparkrock co-founder and VP of Sales and Customer Success, says this gap shows that nonprofits and social impact organizations are missing out on the advantages that come from the right technology, including better efficiency, lower risk, and increased impact. "We know that funders are hesitant to invest in back office infrastructure, so a lot of nonprofits and social impact organizations are stuck with outdated solutions and manual processes," Nicola says. "Our vision is to offer accessible, meaningful technology to help nonprofits achieve the same digital transformation that has driven such powerful growth in the commercial sector."

Built in the intelligent cloud, Sparkrock 365 offers a choice of deployment while still ensuring data is stored according to local data residency requirements. The solution also provides improved scalability and simpler implementation and use, compared to on-premise systems, James adds. The new solution will help Halton District School Board update their back office systems, says Debra McFadden, HDSB Executive Officer of Human Resources. "I'm excited about the potential for Sparkrock 365 to make our organization more efficient and agile. The functionality aligns tightly with our needs as a large, growing school board in Ontario," Debra says. "It's great to work with a partner that is proactively embracing the potential of the Microsoft cloud and all the opportunities and advantages that come with it." About Sparkrock Sparkrock is a Microsoft Gold Partner that has been dedicated to serving non-profits in Canada and the US since 2003. It was started to help bridge the technology gap between nonprofits and commercial enterprises and now helps over 30,000 nonprofit, K12, and human services users run their organizations and improve the quality of life for the people, families and communities they serve. By understanding what makes these organizations unique, our purpose-built ERP and CRM solutions and certified implementation consultants help reduce complexity and enable our customers to operate more predictably, effectively, and affordably. For additional information, visit www.sparkrock.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005055/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Avivagen Announces CEO Letter to Shareholders

OTTAWA, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avivagen Inc. (TSXV:VIV) (Avivagen) is pleased to announce its 2019 letter to shareholders by Chairman and interim CEO Kym Anthony.

To our shareholders: As the consumer, scientific and regulatory climates continue to support the opportunity for Avivagens unique and propriety technology, we are committed to driving adoption of our lead product, OxC-beta, an antibiotic free alternative. Years of validated science has gone into developing this breakthrough technology and we believe that there is no other product like this. In 2019, we will build on our 2018 successes. We are focusing on three key categories for OxC-beta (Livestock, Companion Animals, and Human Health). We expect to capitalize on recent sales initiatives in Livestock, work closely with regulatory organizations to support the expansion of approved markets and add distribution deals in those markets to grow sales. Livestock OxC-beta Livestock is an antibiotic-free alternative that promotes health and sustains strong animal growth, providing better yields to producers and improving quality. Its advantages are clear: demonstrated consistent efficacy, which is supported by 26+ trials; it is economically competitive; and, it does not contribute to the development of Antibiotic Resistance. Of note, in 2018, we completed trials with COFCO Biotech of Beijing, China, and South China Agricultural University, located in Guangzhou, China. In the first trial, we tested OxC-beta Livestock 10% (OxC-beta or the Product) in dairy cattle. These efforts have the potential to expand market opportunities of OxC-beta beyond replacement of antibiotics used as growth promoters. Results demonstrated that supplementation with OxC-beta significantly increased protein content of milk by 15.8% and improved several other indicators of milk quality when compared to the control group. The second trial, tested OxC-beta in gestatinglactating sows. Results from the independent study demonstrated that OxC-beta not only benefited sow health, but also led to improvements in the health of nursing piglets. Of particular note, OxC-beta supplemented sows showed less weight loss during lactation and had litters that were 6-7% heavier at weaning compared to sows in the non-supplemented control group. These significant results have sparked tremendous interest in our OxC-beta product from numerous current and prospective customers. The feed market presents a global opportunity, with over one billion tonnes sold per year. Asia, the Corporations target market for initial commercialization, is the largest single region representing some 35% of total world animal feed consumption. Our current partner in the Philippines, UNAHCO, a large healthcare company, has expressed tremendous satisfaction with OxC-beta and increased its year-over-year purchases. For the fiscal year ending October 31, 2018, 5.6 metric tonnes of OxC-beta has been shipped to UNAHCO. Importantly, UNAHCOs endorsement of OxC-beta is attracting new and growing interest in Asia. In addition to the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand regulators have approved the use of OxC-beta. In 2018, partners in Thailand moved quickly following regulatory reapproval with an initial 100kg order for OxC-beta which represented the first time it will be used in commercial application in sow feeds. We also signed a distribution deal with FAITH (Feed and Ingredients Technology Hub), a member of the BIS Group of Companies, to expand our distribution in Thailand. To further efforts to gain regulatory approval in Mexico, we retained Meyenberg International Group (MIG) and expect to see movement in the process over the course of 2019. In Malaysia, which has a total annual feed production of 4.4 million metric tonnes, we are working with TLC Veterinary Services as our distribution partner, the principal supplier to farms that supply KFC, the leading fast food chain in Malaysia with over 600 restaurants. As part of our agreement, TLC Veterinary Services has agreed to help Avivagen with the registration process in that country. Our regulatory efforts in Asia continue to make very good progress; as does our pursuit of GRAS regulatory approval in the United States of America. In 2018, we successfully obtained similar (GRAS) approval in New Zealand. Regulatory approval from New Zealand was a signiicant accomplishment in 2018 as it has a highly-regarded reputation for producing premium agricultural products and is a significant exporter of dairy and dairy products, as well as beef.



As markets come on line via regulatory approvals, we expect to see new distribution agreements and associated sales growth, with a path to positive Cash-Flow from Operations. Companion Animal

The second of three market categories that offers increased sales potential is companion animal health. OxC-beta products have demonstrated broad utility in providing health benefits, particularly to canine companion animals. Similar to our approach to the livestock market, to drive additional sales for companion animal supplements, we are working to expand the number of countries that have approved the product and drive sales through a strong partner network. To kick-start 2018, we announced a two-year distribution deal with PACC Pets. This was followed by our first sale of Vivamune Health Chews into the Chinese market through an arrangement with Pawllion Inc. As of July 2018, the Veterinary drugs Directorate of Health Canada added fully oxidized beta-carotene to its Veterinary Health Product (VHP) list of substances and designated it for oral use in cats and dogs. Human Health We continue to monitor and evaluate the human health market, which we believe to be the largest global opportunity for Avivagen. We expect that OxC-beta would be presented in the natural product category, similar to Omega 3 or COLD-FX, and not as an approved drug. Rigorous science would be applied before we effectively launch to similar channels and customers. Additional highlights of accomplishments Avivagen realised in fiscal 2018 include the appointment of Mr. Aubrey Dan, Principal of the Dancap Family Investment Office, to the Board of Directors on November 22, 2017; the closing of a $4 million Private Placement on November 30, 2017. Our efforts in 2019  secure additional country regulatory approvals, distribution deals and growing sales in livestock; expand approved markets for companion animal and our partner network; and watch the human health opportunity closely  will strengthen revenue and cashflow. With a growing client base and increased revenues that we believe will not only be increasing but recurrent, Avivagen is ideally positioned to capitalize on critical mass with customers in 2019 and 2020, leading to expanding revenues and cash flow over the coming years. Sincerely,

Kym Anthony

Chief Executive Officer About Avivagen

Avivagen is a life sciences corporation focused on developing and commercializing products for livestock, companion animal and human applications that, by safely supporting immune function, promote general health and performance. It is a public corporation traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol VIV and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, based in partnership facilities of the National Research Council of Canada and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. For more information, visit www.avivagen.com . The contents of the website are expressly not incorporated by reference in this press release. About OxC-beta Technology and OxC-beta Livestock

Avivagens OxC-beta technology is derived from Avivagen discoveries about carotenoids, compounds that give certain fruits and vegetables their bright colours, and is a non-antibiotic means of maintaining optimal health and growth. OxC-beta Livestock is a proprietary product shown to be effective and economic in replacing the antibiotics commonly added to livestock feeds. OxC-beta Livestock is currently registered and available for sale in the Philippines, Taiwan, New Zealand and Thailand. Avivagens OxC-beta Livestock product is safe, effective and could fulfill the global mandate to remove all in-feed antibiotics as growth promoters. Numerous international livestock trials with poultry and swine using OxC-beta Livestock have proven that the product performs as well as, and, sometimes, in some aspects, better than in-feed antibiotics. About Vivamune Health Chews (Vivamune) Vivamune is an all-in-one chew that can dramatically simplify a pets supplement routine. Featuring a newly-discovered, novel immune-supporting active ingredient, OxC-beta, Vivamune targets joints, skin and digestive health all in a single, tasty chew a pet will love. For more information, visit www.vivamunehealth.com. Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon the current expectations of management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties associated with the business of Avivagen Inc. and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions aim, anticipate, appear, believe, consider, could, estimate, expect, if, intend, goal, hope, likely, may, plan, possibly, potentially, pursue, seem, should, whether, will, would and similar expressions. Statements about the categories Avivagen will focus on; Avivagens ability to capitalize on sales; the potential to expand applications, markets, geographic regions and distribution channels; potential sales growth; the potential market for Avivagens products; future regulatory approvals sought or anticipated; the type or category of regulatory approval that may be granted; revenue growth and cash flow and OxC-betas ability to fulfill the global mandate to remove in-feed antibiotics as growth promoters are forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. For instance, Avivagen may not be able to capitalize on prior sales in the manner anticipated; prior sales may not lead to additional sales; Avivagens plans to expand into different applications, including human applications, markets, geographic regions may not be as successful as Avivagen hopes, if at all; Avivagen may not be successful in entering into new distribution agreements or distribution agreements may not result in anticipated sales; regulatory approvals may not be granted in the territories or timelines anticipated, if at all; anticipated sales, revenue and cash flow growth may not materialize within the time frames anticipated or at all and Avivagens products may not the gain market acceptance or regulatory approvals necessary to fulfill the global mandate to remove in-feed antibiotics as growth promoters. Except as required by law, Avivagen assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the risk factors relating to Avivagens business as outlined in Avivagens latest Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and other securities filings available at www.SEDAR.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For more information:

Avivagen Inc.

Drew Basek

Director of Investor Relations

100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6

Phone: 416-540-0733

E-mail: d.basek@avivagen.com Kym Anthony

Chairman & Interim CEO

100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6

Head Office Phone: 613-949-8164

Website: www.avivagen.com Copyright  2019 Avivagen Inc. OxC-beta is a trademark of Avivagen Inc.



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] UiPath Rolls out Academic Alliance Program in India, Commits to Training 500,000 Students by 2022

BANGALORE, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Robotic Process Automation is among the key technologies shaping Indian IT Industry

Announces partnership with ICT Academy of Kerala, Bennett University, NTTF, and Trident Academy to deliver new skills and learning to 200+ institutes

Aims to create professional skilled workforce with employable skills and knowledge UiPath, the leading provider of Enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA), rolled out its Academic Alliance program in India announcing partnerships with ICT Academy of Kerala, Bennett University, NTTF, and Trident Academy of Technology. The partnerships were announced today at the first global UiPath Academic Summit held at Bangalore. Globally, the UiPath Academic Alliance program envisions an inclusive workforce fluent in automation technologies and empowered to find engaging, creative, and strategic careers. UiPath Academic Alliance Program will function globally to serve more than one million students across 1,000+ universities in the next three years. Announcing the program, Daniel Dines, CEO & Co-founder of UiPath, said, "In India, the UiPath Academic Alliance program is targeting 500,000 students to be trained by 2022. At UiPath, we believe that humans and machines are partners that can herald a new and vibrant workforce. Our investment in our Academic Alliance signifies our commitment to making this workforce a reality - ensuring that all people have the education and skills needed to prosper in the workplace of tomorrow." The stated mission of the UiPath Academic Alliances program is to prepare the society for maximal employment. The program is designed to craft the premier global RPA knowledge ecosystem together by tapping into the potential o universities, mobilizing current professionals across the globe, embracing diversity, and educating youth.



Said Raghu Subramanian, President and CEO- India, UiPath, "The UiPath Academic Alliance Program is preparing our communities for in-demand automation jobs. To this end, we are training, certifying, and engaging a large target group, including: university students, educators, experienced professionals, traditionally underrepresented groups, and youth." Following are the MOU's signed under the UiPath Academic Alliance's program:

ICT Academy of Kerala and UiPath to jointly work on taking program benefits to 6- 10k students and train 500+ educators in next 3 years' time. ICT Academy will also run a dedicated training program to help students get internships or fulltime jobs with companies looking at hiring students with RPA skills.

students and train 500+ educators in next 3 years' time. ICT Academy will also run a dedicated training program to help students get internships or fulltime jobs with companies looking at hiring students with RPA skills. Bennett University (NCR, India ) is a research-driven university and promoted by Times Group ( India's largest media conglomerate). As part of the engagement, students of Bennett would be able to take up - RPA Design & Development course from the coming semester and will also help us take the program to 50+ neighbouring colleges.

) is a research-driven university and promoted by Times Group ( largest media conglomerate). As part of the engagement, students of Bennett would be able to take up - RPA Design & Development course from the coming semester and will also help us take the program to 50+ neighbouring colleges. Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF India) and UiPath to work together to help youth skill up for RPA Ecosystem. NTTF will offer UiPath RPA course to students undergoing diploma programs and extend the benefit to alumni base.

Trident Academy of Technology, Bhubaneshwar to set up the first Automation Educator Academy to help scale RPA adoption by Skilling Educators. 200+ educators to be ramped up in 2019. Quotes Santhosh Kurup, CEO, ICT Academy of Kerala, said, "We have a sizeable demand in companies operating in the state for RPA, and we are very pleased to have this agreement with UiPath. The agreement will enhance our competencies in producing talent that will meet the industry demand." Prof. R. Shevgaonkar, Vice Chancellor of Bennett University, said, "The association with UiPath will add to our existing momentous leadership initiative in AI and other niche technologies. Bennett envisions working with key Industry partners like UiPath to fulfill its vision of producing world-class manpower in important spheres of societal requirements." About UiPath UiPath is leading the 'Automation First' era - championing one robot for every person, delivering free and open training and collaboration and enabling robots to learn new skills through AI and machine learning. Led by a commitment to bring digital era skills to more than a million people, the company's enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform has already automated millions of repetitive, mind-numbing tasks for business and government organizations all over the world, improving productivity, customer experience and employee job satisfaction. Recently named the 6th happiest place to work by Comparably in the U.S., UiPath is one of the fastest growing enterprise software companies in history. The company is backed by over $400 million in funding from Accel, CapitalG, Credo Ventures, Earlybird's Digital East Fund, Kleiner Perkins, Seedcamp, and Sequoia. Media Contact

Ankitha PC

ankitha@the-practice.net

+91-9686210041

The PRactice

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Mr. Paul Bridwell Joins OpenGate Capital in Senior Operations Role for North America

OpenGate Capital, a global private equity firm, announced that Mr. Paul Bridwell joined the firm on November 5th, 2018, as Managing Director to lead operations and portfolio management for the firm's North American-based investments. Based in Los Angeles, Bridwell joins the OpenGate senior leadership team as a member of the firm's Investment and Portfolio Committees. Bridwell is a tenured professional with 15 years of private equity experience and has a proven track record of delivering operating results leading to superior investor returns. He possesses solid leadership and organizational skills both as portfolio company CEO and as an operations leader developed through his tenure at two global, private equity firms. Prior to joining OpenGate, Bridwell was Partner and Managing Director - Head of Operations at a major private equity investment firm in New York City, where he established the firm's first operations-focused group and developed a comprehensive operations approach compatible with that firm's investment strategy. Bridwell was also previously with Platinum Equity for 12 years, where he held several key roles first as an interim CEO for platform investments, then as Chief Restructuring Officer for the San Diego Tribune and American Comercial Lines. In his final three years at Platinum, Bridwell served as Chief of Staff, where he was integral in raising $3.75 billion for that firm's third institutional fund.



Andrew Nikou, OpenGate Capital's Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are excited to welcome Paul into the OpenGate family. Paul has tremendous pedigree and a solid track record of delivering value in our market. We are looking forward to learning from Paul's operations experiences and deep knowledge base, which will strengthen OpenGate's strategy to empower the full potential of its investments." "I am extremely pleased to join OpenGate Capital," commented Bridwell. "The firm has a well-established brand across North America and Europe along with a proven, flexible investment approach across a variety of sectors. I have enjoyed working with Andrew in the past few weeks on the recently launched OGx capability, and believe it is an important part of our overall full potential operational strategy. I look forward to working with the professionals on the North American operations team and the entire organization."

Bridwell immediately assumes the senior leadership role overseeing operations for the portfolio companies in North America acquired through OpenGate's first institutional fund including Power Partners, Energi Fenestration Solutions, Hufcor and Mersive Technologies. OpenGate Capital has a team of 34 people in the firm's Los Angeles and Paris offices executing on the firm's integrated value creation strategy of sourcing, execution and operations which is applied throughout an investment's life cycle. About OpenGate Capital OpenGate Capital is a global private equity firm specializing in the acquisition and operation of businesses to create new value through operational improvements, innovation and growth. Established in 2005, OpenGate Capital is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with a European office in Paris, France. OpenGate's professionals possess the critical skills needed to acquire, transition, operate, build and scale successful businesses. To date, OpenGate Capital, through its legacy and fund investments, has executed more than 30 acquisitions including corporate carve-outs, management buy-outs, special situations and transactions with private sellers across North America and Europe. To learn more about OpenGate, please visit www.opengatecapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005091/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Telia Carrier Continues Asia Pacific Expansion with Second Point-of-Presence in Hong Kong

Telia Carrier announced today the opening of an additional Point-of-Presence (PoP) at the Equinix (News - Alert) HK1 data center in Hong Kong. This deployment further extends Telia Carrier's number one ranked global backbone at an important interconnection point. The roll-out of the new PoP enhances the local availability of high-speed IP Transit, Cloud Connect, Ethernet and IPX services for operators, content providers and enterprises alike. There has been a significant increase in the amount of IP traffic moving through Asia Pacific (APAC), a region synonymous with online gaming, rich internet and video content. With this new PoP, Telia Carrier will be able to provide enhanced coverage and increased diversity options for customers both locally in Hong Kong and in adjacent markets, through a portfolio of integrated global communications solutions. "Our customers constantly ask us to expand our presence in this region, driving the need to light up a second PoP in Hong Kong. This new PoP also extends our reach into all other Equinix sites in the city, increasing our reach to a total of five Hong Kong sites overall," said Wee Kwan Ee, Head of Sales APAC, Telia Carrier. The second PoP in Hong ong is the latest chapter in Telia Carrier's expansion in APAC. In September, Telia Carrier announced a PoP in Tokyo, Japan. With more than 1900 customers worldwide, the expansion is also a continuation of the carrier's organic growth story and recent geographical expansion into new markets such as Mexico and Serbia.



"We are committed to investing in network and geographic diversity in the Asia Pacific region, as demonstrated by the building of another new PoP in Hong Kong," said Henrik Almroth, Managing Director APAC, Telia Carrier. "The resilient design of our network, coupled with the strength of our relationship with data center operators in the region, will guarantee the highest quality performance and service for clients in this rapidly growing market." Top-ranked global backbone

Telia Carrier owns and operates the world's #1 backbone (according to Dyn (News - Alert) Research) and provides critical network infrastructure, services and cloud connectivity to operators, content providers and enterprises alike. With customers in 115 cities and 35 countries worldwide, their global network footprint connects more than 280 Points of Presence with 65,000 km of fiber across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. About Telia Carrier Telia Carrier owns and operates one of the world's most extensive fiber backbones. Our mission is to provide exceptional network infrastructure and services - empowering individuals, businesses and societies to execute their most critical activities. By working close to our customers, we make big ideas happen at the speed of fiber. Discover more at teliacarrier.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005844/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Datamatics TruBot Wins the CIO CHOICE 2019 Recognition for Robotic Process Automation

MUMBAI, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Datamatics Global Services Ltd. (DGSL), a global IT & BPM company, today announced that it has been recognized by CIO CHOICE 2019 in the Robotic Process Automation category for its product TruBot. CIO CHOICE is a unique platform that recognizes and honours products, services and solutions on the back of stated preferences of CIOs and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) decision makers. The recognition is bestowed on the basis of pan-India independent voting by CIOs. CIO CHOICE is the largest and only online voting platform, where CIOs determine and choose the products that have earned their vote of confidence. There is a distinguished Advisory Panel, comprising of CIOs from across verticals, that guides the entire process, with KPMG as the Knowledge Partner. Datamatics is a leading provider of Robotic Process Automation Software. The company's enterprise grade RPA product, TruBot is a versatile, multi-skilled bot that allows business users without any programming knowledge to design a bot at the click of a button. TruBot has over 95 customers globally and has automated more than 800 processes across multiple industries including Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Logistics. Anoop Mathur, Founder and President, CORE Media, said, "Congratulations Datamatics for being honoured with the CIO CHOICE 2019 trust seal. CIO CHOICE is the ultimate testimony as it is a poll done with CIOs pan-India and that's what finally matters as far as any brand or product goes, as it is the Voice of the Customer. The CIO CHOICE trust seal gives the assurance to enterprise CIO to confidently engage with the recognised brand for the first time, helping both-ICT brands and CIOs."



Mitul Mehta, SVP & Head, Marketing & Communications, Datamatics Global Services Ltd. said, "Datamatics TruBot is strongly positioned in the RPA space with its matured Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities and vertical specific frameworks. TruBot is highly scalable and allows enterprises to automate their complex processes. We are very happy to be recognized by CIO CHOICE." About Datamatics Global Services

Datamatics (BSE: 532528) (NSE: DATAMATICS) provides Intelligent Solutions for data driven businesses to increase productivity and enhance customer experience. The company's portfolio of service offerings spans across Information Technology Services, Business Process Management, Engineering Services and Big Data & Analytics, all powered by Artificial Intelligence. It has established products in Robotics Process Automation, Advanced Analytics, Business Intelligence and Automated Fare Collection. Datamatics services over 500 customers globally across Banking & Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, International Organizations and Media & Publishing. Headquartered in Mumbai, the Company has presence across 4 continents with major delivery centers in the USA, India and Philippines with an employee base of 10,000. To know more about Datamatics, visit http://www.datamatics.com

To know more about Datamatics TruBot, visit https://trubot.datamatics.com/ Safe Harbour Some of the statements in this update that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include our financial and growth projections as well as statements concerning our plans, strategies, intentions and beliefs concerning our business and the markets in which we operate. These statements are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these statements as circumstances change. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the level of market demand for our services, the highly-competitive market for the types of services that we offer, market conditions that could cause our customers to reduce their spending for our services, our ability to create, acquire and build new businesses and to grow our existing businesses, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, currency fluctuations and market conditions in India and elsewhere around the world, and other risks not specifically mentioned herein but those that are common to industry. For media queries, please contact:

Sudeshna Mukherjee

Manager- Marketing & Corporate Communications

sudeshna.mukherjee@datamatics.com

+91-7738574137



Mehul Mehta

President - Dickenson Financial PR

Mehul.mehta@dickensonIR.com

+91-9820280325



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] Reference Customers are Very Satisfied With Torry Harris, Says Independent Research Firm

BANGALORE, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Torry Harris Business Solutions (THBS), a global leader in integration, full life-cycle API management and digital transformation, announced that they have been named a 'Strong Performer' in The Forrester Wave: API Management Solutions, Q4 2018. Forrester says, "Overall, the reference customers provided by Torry Harris Business Solutions are very satisfied with both vendor and product." Forrester, in its Wave report notes that: "Torry Harris Business Solutions is a full-fledged systems integrator that treats its API management solution as a versioned, supported product. This provides a strong combination of broad out-of-the-box product features and innovative API strategy and delivery skills."

"Its product strategy is driven by a vision for platform business models and disruptive ecosystems. This, in turn, is exemplified by a corollary product, Digit Market (not part of this evaluation), which wraps the API management core with additional marketplace capabilities."

" Torry Harris productizes multiple other elements useful to an API latform, such as API testing tools, a repository, build tools, documentation authoring, and API business strategy planning."



Shuba Sridhar , Vice President - Strategic Initiatives, Torry Harris Business Solutions, "Digital Transformation is about automated integration. Done right, APIs & API Management are a means to succeed with automated integration. Glad that THBS has been recognized in the API Management space. Automating integration has been the core focus area of the company for more than two decades!" A complimentary copy of The Forrester Wave: API Management Solutions can be downloaded HERE.

About THBS Torry Harris Business Solutions is a multinational provider of business, technology and IT consulting services. It specializes in the areas of Integration, Platform Services, Full life-cycle API Management and Digital Transformation Services. THBS has been appraised at level 5 of the CMMI Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI Level 5). The company has been assessed and certified for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 & ISO 26001. THBS is also compliant with Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). The company has its offshore development centres in Bangalore & Gurgaon (India). It has offices in Bristol (UK), New Jersey (USA), Dubai (UAE), Dublin (Ireland), Munich (Germany), Paris (France) and Vienna (Austria). Visit https://www.thbs.com/ to know more about the company, its services & products. Media Contact:

Diganta Kumar Barooah

marketing@thbs.com

+91-80-41827200

Torry Harris Business Solutions



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] BizzSecure Launches EAID Solution

Enterprise Assessment and InfoSec Design (EAID) for Compliance and Information Security SILICON VALLEY, California, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, BizzSecure announced the availability of their EAID solution for information security (InfoSec) peace of mind. EAID is the first solution to include a platform of tools and a team of experts to design security infrastructure based on various compliance requirements. EAID also allows a company to quickly and easily assess an existing InfoSec infrastructure based on compliance and business requirements. For CTOs (Chief Technology Officers) and CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers), visibility into their security infrastructure is paramount to company compliance and the safety of their sensitive information. EAID provides instant reports with up-to-the-minute information of the company's compliance completeness, risks, project status, resource utilization, and remediation efforts. These reports would otherwise take hours or days each time they are requested. "The evening news continues to include massive security breaches at Fortune 500 companies who, unfortunately, are still leaving gaps in their security infrastructure," said Vivek Sharma, founder and CEO at BizzSecure. "Whether a company is a well-establised enterprise or a new emerging business, we provide a unique solution to identify those gaps and prioritize the fixes to ensure complete compliance and correct maintenance of their security infrastructure."



For emerging businesses lacking inhouse InfoSec expertise, EAID can provide the guidance, support and experience to build a compliant and secure infrastructure. EAID can address compliance and security frameworks for ISO 27002, PCI-DSS, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, NIST CSF, HIPAA-HITECH, FFIEC, FISMA, and more. This can be the difference between continuing successful growth and crippling damage to a company's reputation. "We have seen the exceptional value that EAID can provide to companies for the assessment and design of InfoSec infrastructure. It is a unique and powerful solution that will help any size business with their compliance assessment, deployment and maintenance, to ensure reliable protection from security gaps and weaknesses," said Jim Kabage, VP of Technology at BoldFocus.

The EAID solution is available today. Further information is available at www.bizzsecure.com, by calling 833.BIZZSEC (833.249.9732) or by emailing info@bizzsecure.com. BizzSecure (bizzsecure.com) brings information security (InfoSec) peace of mind to companies by empowering their InfoSec team to deploy and maintain a state-of-the-art compliant security infrastructure through the EAID solution. EAID also provides instant reports of risks, remediation, and compliance completeness, along with project status and resource utilization. BizzSecure is a privately held company based in Fremont California. BoldFocus (boldfocus.com) is an award-winning, digital communication and technology services company that utilizes an empathy-based approach to create exceptional online experiences that incite action, influence decisions, and inspire our client's consumers and constituents to click, engage, shop, share and return for more. Contact: Robert Beanland

Phone: 833.249.9732

Email: robert.beanland@bizzsecure.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Abe is making a push to end a dispute over islands captured by Soviet troops in the last days of World War Two that has prevented the countries signing a peace treaty since the war.

Abe is due to meet Putin on January 22 in Moscow.

There are still differences between Moscow and Japan's positions, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Wednesday.[January 16, 2019] Indian 3D Printing Network Organised 'Inside 3D Printing Expo' in Mumbai

MUMBAI, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Manufacturing of components for cars, aeroplanes and medical devices is witnessing an industrial revolution of sorts with 3D printing. Three dimensional printing is slated to become the new normal by 2021 when the 3D printing industry in India is expected to cross USD 200 million according to estimates by Indian 3D Printing Network. The Indian 3D Printing Market currently pegged at about Rs 850 crore is growing at about 22% pa and set to become Rs 1500 crore by 2021. In correct technological parlance, the process is referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM). AM is bringing constructive disruption in the Indian industry, at a scorching pace. Take for example, the Indian Jewellery Industry where 75% of the Jewellery moulds are 3D printed. Smart Tech's Scot Dunham predicts that the global market for direct precious metal 3D printed components and products will grow to $2.6 billion by 2020 and $4.1 billion within ten years in 2024. Aditya Chandavarkar - Co-Founder of Indian 3D Printing Network (organiser of Expo : Inside 3D Printing) while addressing the media said, "Entrepreneurs, investors and stakeholders in the Indian AM industry are constantly innovating and adapting this technology to new applications. This industry is witnessing a collaborative approach, even amidst the healthy competition, and simultaneously building a cohesive network. They have moved from creating prototypes, to functional and useable end-products manufactured using AM. The excitement and optimism amongst industry players is as high as it ever was, and with good reason." All of these industry players had come together as part of a premier Exhibition in Mumbai. 'Inside 3D Printing' Mumbai is India's premium exhibition for Additive Manufacturing (AM. The 4th edition of this expo took place at Nehru Centre, Mumbai, India on 19th & 20th December, 2018.



The expo had 30 exhibitors showcasing their 48 brands. Some of the prominent ones included Imaginarium India, HP, 3D System, Shree Rapid Tech, Intech, DMLS, Novabeans, WOL#D, Flashforge, Stratasys, DesignTech, Redington, 3D, Wipro 3 D, Renishaw and Bharat Forge Ltd. The Expo provided India's largest business networking platform for 3D Printing technology, where one experienced the entire ecosystem of the Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing industry in India. The major application verticals targeted for Inside 3D Printing Mumbai included:

Manufacturing - Automotive, Aerospace, Tools, Dies and Moulds, Jewellery, Precision Engineering.

- Automotive, Aerospace, Tools, Dies and Moulds, Jewellery, Precision Engineering. Medi cal - Healthcare, Medical Devices & Dental.

- Healthcare, Medical Devices & Dental. 3D Scanning - Reverse Engineering, Inspection and Tool Room. The Additive Manufacturing (AM) Business Forum concurrently made its debut on 19th December and was an event for knowledge sharing, learning and exploring new career opportunities. It presented applications and business cases by top industry experts from all over the world. The main focus of the AM Business Forum was to offer new market trends, innovations and developments. The topics covered in the seminars will discover the ways to implement additive manufacturing to meet commercial and industrial requirements in different industries. The forum is featuring a diversity of speakers from companies like Danfoss, Renishaw, EWI, Sridevi Tools, Imaginarium, Wipro 3D, Intech DMLS, LHM Germany, Designtech, Additive Industries and Gharda Chemicals, among others. The exhibition was open for Design Heads, Automotive Professionals, Healthcare Professionals, Academicians, Tooling Experts, Architects, Healthcare Professionals, Consumer Goods Designers, Software Developers, Implant Manufacturers and Foundry Owners. The Inside 3D Printing Mumbai Expo & Business Forum was organized by Indian 3D Printing Network vertical of CNT Exposition and Services LLP (CNT). Speaking about the future plan, Dilip Raghavan - Co-founder of Indian 3D Printing Network said, "Having created a credible platform for the Indian 3D Printing industry, the show will be re-branded next year as AMTech Expo to include a wider range of technology and to represent the Additive Manufacturing technology in the correct sense. Also to accommodate the growing number exhibitors, year on year, the expo will be organised on a large scale at Hall No. 5, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon on 11th & 12th December 2019." About Indian 3D Printing Network: Indian 3D Printing Network (I3DPN), founded by Mr Aditya Chandavarkar and Mr Dilip Raghavan, is India's first web platform with a neutral approach for the printing industry to stay updated with latest news, insights, case studies and market research Its aim is to promote 3D printing and catalyse networking for the 3D Printing Industry. To summarise, I3DPN would be catalogue of everything about 3D printing but curated for the Indian audience. Indian 3D Printing Network is a media brand of CNT Expositions and Services LLP. To know more about 3D Printing Network & Expo visit: http://www.inside3dprinting.co.in Media Contact:

Pravin Vichare

pravin@thesoundrelations.com

+91-9820545985



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] SNAP SHAREHOLDER ALERT: ClaimsFiler Reminds Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Snap Inc. - SNAP

ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until January 31, 2019 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP), if they purchased the Company's shares between March 2, 2017, and August 10, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period") or traceable to its March 2, 2017 Initial Public Offering. This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Get Help Snap investors should visit us at https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view.php?s2=nyse-snap or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options



About the Lawsuit Snap and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On August 10, 2017, Snap disclosed disappointing Q2 results including ongoing lower-than-expected growth in daily active users ("DAU"), a key user engagement metric. During the earnings conference call, the Company admitted to using "growth hacking" or sending push notifications to users to stoke their access levels, and hence boost user metrics. On this news, the price of Snap's shares plummeted $1.94 per share, or approximately 14%. The case is In Re Snap Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 2:17-cv-03679. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005899/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Reminds Investors of the Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Perrigo Company plc

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") reminds investors of the March 4, 2019 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors that purchased Perrigo Company plc ("Perrigo" or the "Company") (NYSE: PRGO) securities between November 8, 2018 and December 21, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period"). If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On December 21, 2018, Perrigo disclosed that it had received an audit finding letter from the Irish tax authorities stating "that IP sales transactions including the sale of Tysabri, were not part of the trade of Elan Pharma and thereforeshould have been treated as chargeable gains subject to an effective 33% tax rate, rather than the 12.5% tax rate applicable to trading income." While the Company had disclosed on November 8, 2018 to investors that it had received the audit finding letter, it did not disclose further material details from the aforementioned letter.



On this news, Perrigo's share price fell $15.33 per share, or more than 29%, to close at $37.03 per share on December 21, 2018, thereby injuring investors. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that during the Class Period the Company misled investors by failing to disclose material information contained in the Irish tax authorities' letter.

Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert) : twitter.com/GPM_LLP. If you purchased shares of Perrigo, you may move the Court no later than March 4, 2019 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005887/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] CenturyLink Adds Singapore to Global Security Operations Center Footprint

Extension of Network-Based Security Solutions to Help Address More than 80 Percent of Organizations in Asia Pacific that Lack Optimal Security Programs SINGAPORE, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As the global threat landscape continues to increase in size and complexity, so does the number of add-on security solutions designed to address these challenges. In response, enterprises around the world are turning to network solutions with built-in security. Today, CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) unveils its eighth global security operations center (SOC), offering customers in Asia Pacific greater ability to predict, protect and respond to internal and external threats with CenturyLink's network-based security solutions. To learn more about CenturyLink's security solutions in Asia Pacific, visit: https://www.centurylink.com.sg/security.html. "CenturyLink has had an operations center in Asia Pacific since the early 2000s to serve our customers' growing demands in scaling their digital businesses. With the launch of our SOC in Singapore today, enterprises are better protected through our comprehensive methodology of people, process and technology to tackle an ever-evolving threat landscape and help secure their digital futures," said Francis Thangasamy, vice president of product management in Asia Pacific for CenturyLink. "As part of CenturyLink's commitment to be a trusted IT advisor to our customers, we recognize the importance of continuous development, training and growing our cybersecurity talent pool to defend their digital businesses against tomorrow's cyber threats. Our security professionals will continue to focus on detecting and responding to cyber and insider threats for our customers in the region and globally," added Thangasamy. According to Securing Connectivity Across the Asia/Pacific for a Trusted Digital Future, an IDC vendor spotlight sponsored by CenturyLink, November 2018, more than 80 percent of organizations in Asia Pacific do not have security proficiency or an optimal security program. IDC also predicts that by 2020, 30 percent of security spending will be with vendors offering integrated security solutions that are powered by the latest advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation and analytics.



"Asia Pacific organizations are facing an ever-evolving threat landscape, where the complexity of networks is changing, with businesses leveraging hybrid cloud environments to digitally transform. Organizations need to consider a 'build vs buy' model to sustain the necessary level of threat intelligence and advanced analytics capabilities along with the skills to interpret and act on findings. They will also need to undertake a holistic, enterprise-wide security posture that is proactive and predictive to combat threats and secure their business data," said Simon Piff, vice president for IT security practice business at IDC Asia Pacific. CenturyLink's global SOCs provide customers with follow-the-sun support and always-on management of the company's robust suite of advanced threat prevention and detection solutions, including custom threat intelligence derived from its extensive global IP network, cloud-based firewalls, DDoS mitigation and security log monitoring.

Key Facts CenturyLink's global SOCs monitor over 114 billion NetFlow sessions per day, responding to and mitigating about 120 DDoS attacks per day.

CenturyLink tracks over 5,000 command and control servers (C2s) per day and proactively removes more than 35 C2s per month to help protect the global internet.

According to the CenturyLink 2018 Threat Report, China , South Korea and Vietnam are at the top of the list of channels and targets of malicious cyber activity in Asia Pacific .

, and are at the top of the list of channels and targets of malicious cyber activity in . China , South Korea and Japan were the top three countries ranked by prevalence of C2s in the same report. Additional Resources Discover the depth and breadth of CenturyLink's security services: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXY1rkM7RTA.

Get detailed information about CenturyLink's global security portfolio: https://www.centurylink.com/business/managed-services/managed-security.html.

Explore the interactive CenturyLink 2018 Threat Report:

https://www.centurylink.com/asset/business/enterprise/report/2018-threat-research-report.pdf. About CenturyLink

CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers. With customers in more than 60 countries and an intense focus on the customer experience, CenturyLink strives to be the world's best networking company by solving customers' increased demand for reliable and secure connections. The company also serves as its customers' trusted partner, helping them manage increased network and IT complexity and providing managed network and cyber security solutions that help protect their business. Media Contacts: Global:

Stephanie Walkenshaw

+1 720-888-3084

stephanie.walkenshaw@centurylink.com Asia Pacific:

Darryn Lim

+65 6768 8085

Darryn.Lim@centurylink.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/325657/centurylink_logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/805177/CenturyLink_Global_Security_Operations.jpg SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] Happy Tax Files False Advertising Lanham Act Lawsuit Against H&R Block

Happy Tax, the fastest growing tax franchise according to Entrepreneur Magazine, has announced that it has filed suit against the nation's largest tax preparation franchise, H&R Block. The suit intends to stop H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) from making what Happy Tax claims are false and misleading representations in their advertisements, which have been misleading consumers, including Happy Tax's current and potential customers. The suit is proceeding in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Case Number 1:19-cv-00451. Since 2015, Happy Tax has utilized and advertised upfront and transparent pricing for its assisted CPA prepared tax preparation services. Happy Tax was the first notable national company to introduce this innovative pricing strategy to an industry that historically provided prices to clients after their tax returns were completed. The alleged false and misleading commercial and web advertising promotes upfront and transparent pricing as being available "ONLY From H&R Block" (emphasis added). Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, codified at 15 U.S.C.  1125, provides in relevant part: Any person who . . . in commercial advertising or promotion, misrepresents the nature, characteristics, quality, or geographic origin of his or another person's goods, services, or commercial activities, shall be liable in a civil action by any person who believes that he or she is likely to be damaged by such act. Federal courts have held that advertising violates this statute when it is likely to mislead and confuse a consumer. Happy Tax has been offering and advertising upfront and transparent pricing since 2015; therefore, H&R Block's new advertising claims are false and misleading. Given the importance of pricing in the tax return preparation market, such deception is material and likely to influence consumers' purchasing decisions. As Happy Tax has been injured by H&R Block's false and misleading advertising, Happy Tax is entitled to monetary damages and injunctive relief under the Lanham Act. A hearing will be scheduled to request a preliminary injunction from the Court to compel H&R Block to cease and desist making false or misleading statements, stop any use of the false misleading promotions in all forms of media. Happy Tax had previously attempted to resolve this matter amicably prior to filing this lawsuit by bringing the alleged false and misleading claims to light with both H&R Block's CEO and their General Counsel. Happy Tax CEO Mario Costanz explained "We filed this false advertising lawsuit to stop H&R Block from intentionally and improperly misleading consumers." According to Mr. Costanz, "At Happy Tax, we pride ourselves on being innovators in the tax industry and have always used our upfront, transparent pricing as a key differentiator. While I am pleased that so many in the industry continue to copy our ideas, I don't appreciate that they are taking credit for them in misleading ways. In interviews and in their investor calls, H&R Block's CEO has even paraphrased, almost verbatim, my statements about pricing strategies. Happy Tax has invested significant time and money into marketing our convenient, professional and transparent solution, and we will pursue all appropriate legal avenues to protect our brand from false and misleading statements and unfair competition from industry giants."



Mr. Costanz added that pursuing legal action against H&R Block "is consistent with our brand commitment to our customers and franchisees. Just because H&R Block is a large company does not give them the right to run afoul of the law claiming to be the only one offering the very pricing strategy that we introduced years ago. Our Company will not tolerate false and misleading marketing claims by any company that serves only to undermine our ability to continue providing consumers with innovative approaches to preparing and filing their taxes." To view a copy of the complaint, click here.

The Happy Tax model has changed the status quo of inconvenient tax preparation and replaced it with top-tier CPA prepared returns, offered conveniently to consumers in-person or at-home. The result is a service better suited for today's consumers who want anytime, anywhere service from a licensed professional. MORE INFORMATION CEO Email: Mario@HappyTax.com

Franchise Information: https://GetHappyTax.com

Area Representative Information: https://GetHappyTax.com/Area-Representative

Consumer Information: http://HappyTax.com

Cryptocurrency Tax & Accounting: https://CryptoTaxPrep.com

Small Business Bookkeeping & Accounting: http://HappyAccounting.com

Tax Industry Strategy Sessions: https://youtube.com/HappyTax ABOUT HAPPY TAX Shaking up the $19 billion tax preparation industry, Happy Tax's disruptive model was born out of frustration with unreliable, under-qualified tax preparers with no licensing or certification and as little as five days of tax training. Happy Tax is designed to bridge the gap between the high quality, pampering, and convenient customer service that consumers want with accurate, reliable, and professional tax returns prepared by US-based, licensed CPAs and tax attorneys. Happy Tax offers franchises, independent contractor relationships, and Area Representative deals for those wanting to earn additional income and build their own business. Utilizing its patent-pending technology and processes, Happy Tax partners can operate with low overhead and increased flexibility. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005880/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] Leading Global CRO/CDMO AMRI Commits to 5-year Agreement for SciFinder from CAS to Enable Efficient Research and Client Success

As pharmaceutical companies lean more heavily on outsourcing to advance their pipeline, leading contract research, development and manufacturing organizations need the best-in-class scientific information solution to stay ahead of the curve. COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), announced today that AMRI, a leading global life sciences contract research, development and manufacturing organization with locations in North America, Europe and Asia, signed a 5-year agreement for SciFinder. This investment ensures that all AMRI researchers globally will continue to have access to SciFinder. SciFinder gives AMRI's research team unlimited access to the most comprehensive collection of scientific content, expertly curated by CAS scientists, and powerful search functionality that helps them translate that information into innovative approaches. "SciFinder is an important tool for our researchers, providing ready access to scientific literature necessary for us to conduct our R&D activities," said Michael Trova, Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery. "Investing in the same high-quality information tools on which our customers rely gives them confidence in our expertise and ability to deliver innovative solutions to their projects." As the winner of Life Science Leader's 2018 CMO Leadership Awards for capabilities, compatibility, expertise, quality, reliability and service, AMRI is dedicated to their clients' success and provides complete capabilities cross the entire drug continuum. They have demonstrated innovation success, advancing their clients' programs and products with more than 240 issued patents, 500 peer reviewed publications, and 250 commercial APIs and products in their portfolio.



SciFinder is used by innovators across commercial, academic, and government organizations around the globe to gain insight from the published scientific literature including journals, patents, chemical substances, reactions, properties and more. Top-ranking contract research organizations, and their customers, including 48 out of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies, leverage the SciFinder family of products to keep them up to date on critical research, build efficient synthetic plans, and find the answers they need to get back in the lab fast. "CAS values our partnership with AMRI and applauds the innovation successes they have achieved," said Craig Stephens, Chief Customer Officer at CAS. "We appreciate the continued confidence they have placed in SciFinder with this long-term commitment and look forward to helping them continue providing exceptional results to their clients for years to come."

About CAS CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, partners with R&D organizations globally to provide actionable scientific insights that help them plan, innovate, protect their innovations, and predict how new markets and opportunities will evolve. Scientific researchers, patent professionals and business leaders around the world across commercial, academic and government sectors rely on our solutions and services to advise discovery and strategy. Leverage our unparalleled content, specialized technology, and unmatched human expertise to customize solutions that will give your organization an information advantage. With more than 110 years' experience, no one knows more about scientific information than CAS. CAS: WHERE SCIENCE AND STRATEGY CONVERGE About AMRI

AMRI, a global contract research and manufacturing organization, partners with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. With locations in North America, Europe and Asia, AMRI's team combines scientific expertise and market-leading technology to provide a complete suite of solutions in Discovery, Development, Analytical Services, API Manufacturing and Drug Product. For more information about AMRI, visit www.amriglobal.com. CAS Media Contact:

Tina Tomeo

614-447-3600

cas-pr@cas.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691740/CAS_Logo.jpg SOURCE CAS

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] Delaware Funds by Macquarie Municipal Income Funds Announces Bylaw Amendments

The Delaware Funds by Macquarie municipal income funds, all closed-end management investment companies, including Delaware Investments Colorado Municipal Income Fund, Inc., Delaware Investments National Municipal Income Fund, and Delaware Investments Minnesota Municipal Income Fund II, Inc. (individually, a "Fund," and together, the "Funds"), announced today that their Board has approved changes to each Fund's Bylaws designed to allow for the more orderly conduct of shareholder meetings. Each Fund's Bylaws have been amended to provide as follows: - For nominations or a proposal to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a proponent: (i) the proponent must have given a timely shareholder notice in writing to the Secretary of a Fund at the principal executive offices of the Fund; and (ii) the proponent or its representative must attend the annual meeting in person and present the nominations or the proposal to be considered. To be timely, a shareholder notice must be made in writing and received by the Secretary of a Fund by close of business not more than 150 days and not less than 120 days before the first anniversary of the date that the Fund's proxy statement was released to Shareholders in connection with the previous year's annual meeting. - Special meetings of shareholders may be called by the Board, and also upon the written request of the shareholders representing a minimum number of shares entitled to vote at such meeting as specified in each Fund's Bylaws. A written request from shareholders entitled to call a special meeting must state the purpose of the meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at the meeting. The business transacted at a special meeting is limited to the purposes stated in the notice of the meeting. - A proponent representative must be either (i) a duly authorized office, manager or partner of the proponent, as evidenced by an incumbency certificate delivered to the acting Secretary at the meeting, or (ii) authorized by a writing executed by the proponent to act as proxy for the proponent at the meeting, and delivered to the acting Secretary at the meeting.



Each Fund's Bylaws contain other requirements for the conduct of shareholder meetings and are available in their entirety upon request to the Funds' Secretary, c/o Delaware Management Company, 2005 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. As a result of the amendments to the Funds' Bylaws, the deadlines for shareholder proposals for each Fund's 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders have changed from the deadlines included in the proxy statement related to each Fund's 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders under the section entitled "Shareholder Proposals." In accordance with each Fund's Bylaws, as amended, the relevant deadlines for each Fund's 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are as follows:

For the Fund's annual meeting of shareholders in 2019, shareholder proposals and Board nominations must be received no earlier than February 3, 2019 and no later than March 5, 2019. Such proposals and nominations should be sent to the Fund, directed to the attention of its Secretary, at the address of its principal executive office c/o Delaware Management Company, 2005 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. The inclusion and/or presentation of any such proposal or nominee is subject to the applicable requirements of the proxy rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, other applicable law and the Fund's governing instruments. The persons designated as proxies will vote in their discretion on any matter if the Fund does not receive notice of such matter prior to May 17, 2019. About Macquarie Investment Management Macquarie Investment Management, a member of Macquarie Group, includes the former Delaware Investments and is a global asset manager with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As active managers, we prioritize autonomy and accountability at the team level in pursuit of opportunities that matter for clients. Macquarie Investment Management is supported by the resources of Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG; ADR: MQBKY), a global provider of asset management, investment, banking, financial and advisory services. Advisory services are provided by Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, a registered investment advisor. Macquarie Group refers to Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information about Delaware Funds by Macquarie, visit delawarefunds.com or call 800 523-1918. Other than Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL), none of the entities referred to in this document are authorized deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group Limited and an affiliate of Macquarie Investment Management. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise.  2019 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005869/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 16, 2019] Schlichter Bogard & Denton Reaches $10.65 Million Settlement on Behalf of Duke University Employees in 403(b) Excessive Fee Case

Schlichter Bogard & Denton, a leading national law firm based in St. Louis, today filed a preliminary settlement approval motion on behalf of Duke University employees and retirees, in their suits against the university involving their 403(b) retirement plan. The plaintiffs in the cases, filed in August 2016 and August 2018, sued for alleged breach of fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The settlement terms include the creation of a $10.65 million settlement fund for the plaintiffs, as well as non-monetary relief. The complaints, David Clark, et al., v. Duke University, et al., and Kathi Lucas, et al., v. Duke University, were originally filed in the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina. "This settlement includes both financial compensation and non-monetary improvements to the plan going forward. It will enable Duke employees and retirees to improve their ability to build their retirement assets for years to come," said Jerry Schlichter, managing partner of Schlichter Bogard & Denton, attorneys for the plaintiffs. The case was among the first cases ever filed against a university alleging excessive fees. Schlichtr Bogard & Denton also filed the first cases over excessive fees in 401(k) plans.



The complaints alleged that Duke University breached its duties of loyalty and prudence under ERISA by causing plan participants to pay excessive fees for both administrative and investment services in the plan. Duke denied it committed any fiduciary breach in its operation of the plan. Besides the financial compensation, Duke agreed for a three-year period to: hire an independent consultant regarding bids for recordkeeping services; ease the ability of participants to transfer their investments out of frozen annuity accounts; analyze the cost of different share classes of mutual funds considered for inclusion in the plan; and avoid the use of plan assets to pay salaries of Duke employees who work on the plan.

Schlichter Bogard & Denton, based in St. Louis, MO, pioneered excessive fee 401(k) and 403(b) litigation on behalf of employees and retirees. Since 2006, the firm has filed over 30 such complaints and secured 15 settlements on behalf of employees. In 2009, the firm won the first full trial of a 401(k) excessive fee case against ABB. The firm's Tibble v. Edison is the first and only 401(k) excessive fee case to be argued in the Supreme Court. On May 18, 2015, the firm won a landmark unanimous 9-0 decision in which both the AARP and the Solicitor General wrote supporting briefs for the employees. Jerry Schlichter and his firm have been referred to by federal judges as "preeminent" in the field of 401(k) fee litigation; as demonstrating "extraordinary skill and determination"; as making "a significant, national contribution," having "educated plan administrators, the Department of Labor, [and] the courts" about fees and fiduciary obligations; and has been referred to by federal judges as a "private attorney general," causing fees to come down by over $2 billion annually in the entire 401(k) industry.  Copyright 2010-2019, Schlichter Bogard & Denton, LLP. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005868/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] Dorsey Adds Experienced Litigator Anthony Badaracco in New York

International law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced today that Anthony P. Badaracco has joined the Firm's Commercial Litigation Group as Of Counsel in Dorsey's New York office. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005838/en/ Anthony P. Badaracco has joined Dorsey's Commercial Litigation Group as Of Counsel in the New York office. (Photo: Dorsey & Whitney LLP) Mr. Badaracco's practice focuses on antitrust, commercial litigation and government enforcement matters. He has represented clients in the telecommunications, financial services, advertising, healthcare, automotive and pharmaceutical industries in matters pending in federal and state court and in investigations by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission and by state enforcement agencies. Mr. Badaracco as substantial and successful first-chair experience in all phases of civil litigation from pleadings through discovery, trials, and appeals, and he has helped numerous clients achieve outright victories and favorable settlements. In the antitrust area, he assists clients in obtaining antitrust clearance from the federal enforcement agencies for mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures and provides comprehensive pre-integration counsel. He also serves as outside general counsel to industry trade associations and regularly provides antitrust compliance counseling to other associations and to corporations.



Mr. Badaracco joins Dorsey from the New York office of K&L Gates LLP. He has an A.B. degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a J.D. degree from New York University School of Law. He is a prolific speaker and author of articles and updates on various legal topics, focusing on developments in antitrust, civil jury trial practice, and association law. He has also maintained an active pro bono practice in both criminal and civil matters. "Dorsey has prided itself on having tremendous depth and breadth in its commercial litigation capacity for over a century," noted Bill Stoeri, Managing Partner of Dorsey & Whitney. "Tony Badaracco will be a terrific addition to our Firm-wide Trial Group and to the superb litigation team based in our New York office."

"I am very pleased to be joining Dorsey," noted Mr. Badaracco. "I have admired the firm for a long time, and I look forward to serving Dorsey's exceptional clients across the country and around the world." About Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Clients have relied on Dorsey since 1912 as a valued business partner. With locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, Dorsey provides an integrated, proactive approach to its clients' legal and business needs. Dorsey represents a number of the world's most successful companies from a wide range of industries, including leaders in banking & financial institutions, development & infrastructure, energy & natural resources, food, beverage & agribusiness, healthcare and technology, as well as major non-profit and government entities. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005838/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] 3D Printing Market: key players are also mentioned such as Concept Laser GmbH, Arcam AB, Voxeljet Technology GmbH

3D Printing Market report provides analysis for the period 2015  2025, wherein the period from 2017 to 2025 is the forecast and 2016 is the base year. The report covers all the major trends and technologies playing influential role in the 3D Printing markets growth over the forecast period. It also highlights the drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to impact markets growth during the said period. The study provides a complete perspective on global 3D Printing markets evolution throughout the above mentioned forecast period in terms of revenue.







The market overview section of the report demonstrates the market dynamics such as the drivers, restraints, and opportunities that influence the current nature and future status of this market, key indicators and trends. An attractiveness analysis has also been provided for every segment in the report, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the overall scenario in the 3D Printing market. Moreover, the report provides an overview of various strategies adopted by the key players present in the market. Key market indicators included in the report provide significance of the factors which are capable of changing the market scenario. These indicators are expected to define the market position during the forecast period.



This report provides all the essential information required to understand the key developments in the 3D Printing market, growth trend of each segment and companies strategies to efficiently compete in the market. Also, the report provides insights related to trends and its impact on the market. Furthermore, Porters Five Forces analysis explains the factors which are currently affecting the 3D Printing market. This report also provides the ecosystem analysis for the 3D Printing market which explains the participants of the value chain.





Global 3D Printing Market: Segmentation The report segments the market on the basis of use, technology, application, and regionally. By use the market is further segmented as commercial and personal. On the basis of technology, the market is segmented into PolyJet, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA) and others. On basis of application, the segments of this market include consumer products and electronics, automotive, medical, industrial, aerospace, military, architecture, education and others. The report provides in-depth segment analysis of the global 3D printing market, thereby providing valuable insights at the macro as well as micro levels.



Request PDF Sample @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1803 Geographically, the report classifies the global 3D printing market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America; the regions are analyzed in terms of revenue generation and also included analysis of countries such as U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K, France, Italy, Germany, China, India, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, UAE, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Argentina. The market size and forecast for each region and country has been provided for the period from 2015 to 2025 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025 Global 3D Printing Market: Competitive Landscape The report also highlights the competitive landscape of the global 3D printing market, thereby positioning all the major players according to their presence in different regions of the world and recent key developments initiated by them in the 3D printing market. The comprehensive 3D printing market estimates are the result of our in-depth secondary research, primary interviews, and in-house expert panel reviews. These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting 3D Printing market growth.



Get TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/1803 Stratasys, Ltd., 3D Systems, Inc., Solidscape, Inc., EOS GmbH, ExOne GmbH, Optomec, Voxeljet Technology GmbH, Concept Laser GmbH, Arcam AB, SLM Solutions GmbH, among others, are some of the major players operating within the 3D Printing market profiled in this study. Details such as financials, SWOT analysis, business strategies, and other such strategic information pertaining to these players have been duly provided as part of company profiling. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][January 17, 2019] 2018 is Third Consecutive Year of Above-Average Catastrophe Activity, CoreLogic Report Shows

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its annual Natural Hazard Report, which addresses the recent wildfires in California and severe rainfall- and hurricane-induced flooding throughout the nation as the leading catastrophes in 2018. Much like 2017, last year was an above-average year for hurricanes, flooding, wildfires and severe winds. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005204/en/ CoreLogic National Flood Event Distribution by County in 2018 (Graphic: Business Wire) The annual report analyzes hazard activity in the U.S. including events for Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes, flooding, wind, wildfire, earthquake and volcano, hail and tornado, as well as several international events including typhoons and cyclones in Japan, Oman, Hong Kong and the Philippines. "In 2018, the U.S. continued to experience damaging weather and natural catastrophes in high exposure areas, and in some instances, in regions that had been impacted in less than a year prior," said Howard Botts, chief scientist, CoreLogic. "Hazards will always pose a real threat to homes and businesses and knowing exactly what that risk entails is critical to helping ensure sufficient protection from the financial catastrophes that so often follow natural disasters." Highlights from the analysis include: Flooding In 2018, there were over 1,600 significant flood events that occurred in the U.S., 59 percent of which were flash flood-related.

Residential and commercial flood damage in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia from Hurricae Florence is estimated at $19 billion to $28.5 billion, of which roughly 85 percent of residential flood losses was in fact, uninsured.

Multiple states, including Texas, North and South Carolina, Maryland and Wisconsin, experienced 1,000-year floods; several of 2018's floods occurred less than two years after the same areas' previous 1,000-year flood events.

Six percent of properties nationwide are within Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), and approximately one-third of those have flood insurance policies.



The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season saw 15 named storms, eight of which were named hurricanes. Two of these, Hurricanes Florence (Category 1) and Michael (Category 4), made landfall along the U.S. This made 2018 the third back-to-back season of above-average hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

Approximately 700,000 residential and commercial properties experienced catastrophic flooding and wind damage from Hurricane Florence, where it is estimated to have caused between $20 to $30 billion in insured and uninsured loss.

Michael is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle since 1900 and the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It is estimated to have caused $2.5 to $4 billion in residential and commercial insured loss from wind and storm surge. Wildfire

The number of acres that burned in 2018 is the eighth highest in U.S. history as reported through November 30, 2018.

A total of 11 western states had at least one wildfire that exceeded 50,000 burned acres; the leading states were California and Oregon, each with seven fires that burned more than 50,000 acres.

The November 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California destroyed nearly the entire city of Paradise and brought damage or destruction to 18,804 structures (NIFC, 2018).

The Woolsey wildfire in the coastal community of Malibu destroyed more than 1,600 structures (Los Angeles County Fire Dept, 2017).

CoreLogic estimates that the combined total insured and uninsured loss for these two wildfires is between $15 billion and $19 billion. For an interactive version of the 2018 Natural Hazard Report, which includes maps, charts and images, visit this link. To take a deeper look at CoreLogic coverage of 2018 natural disasters, visit the company's natural hazard risk information center, Hazard HQ, at www.hazardhq.com. About CoreLogic CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The company's combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit corelogic.com. CORELOGIC, the CoreLogic logo and HAZARD HQ are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005204/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]A Carrick-on-Suir student whose mother died from cancer in the middle of her Leaving Cert exams last June is campaigning for bereaved students like her to be allowed do the State exams a few weeks later.

Former Scoil Mhuire Secondary School student Rhona Butler from Carrickbeg finished her exams despite the grief and distress she was suffering at the loss of her mother, Margaret.

Due to her experience, she wants the Minister for Education to give students who lose a family member just before or during the Leaving Cert exams a period of grace and allow them sit them in July.

Rhona said she sent letters by email outlining her appeal to the Taoiseach Leo Varadker, Education Minister Joe McHugh and the Department of Education & Skills. But she only received automated responses and decided to highlight her case instead on RTE Radio 1's Ryan Tubridy show this morning (Thursday, January 17).

Speaking to The Nationalist after the radio interview, Rhona said two sets of Leaving Cert exam papers are prepared each year and one set is chosen.

"I think instead of throwing the other set of papers away, they should keep them for circumstances such as this, she proposed.

"The final Leaving Cert exam was on June 21 last year. Students who have suffered a bereavement could do the exams in the second week of July to give them a bit of head space. It wouldn't take that long to do and there would probably be only between five and ten students sitting the exam later. I don't think it would take a whole lot of effort," she told The Nationalist.

She said the period of grace should also apply to students who suffer an accident or serious illness during the exams.

Rhona was awarded Scoil Mhuire's Student of the Year Award on May 25 last year just before she started her Leaving Cert exams.

Despite being seriously ill, her mother attended the proud occasion with Rhona's dad John. Sadly just a few weeks later, Margaret lost her six year battle with breast cancer at the age of 50. She passed away on the night of Wednesday, June 13 while Rhona was in the middle of her exams. She had completed her maths, English and Irish exams and was due to sit her business exam the following morning.

In the midst of her deep sorrow, Rhona went ahead and sat the business paper and her remaining exams in German, accountancy and music. "If I hadn't I would have had to wait until June the following year. I had been working towards this for six years."

She said sitting the business paper at Scoil Mhuire the morning after her mam's death was a "surreal" experience. "When you are in shock you don't really know what you are doing."

Rhona's German exam was on the morning of her mother's wake, Friday, June 15 and the Requiem Mass was the following day. She recalls she was exhausted by the end of the weekend and had two more exams still to sit.

While Rhona felt she didn't have much of a choice but to press ahead and finish her exams, she also knew it was what her mother would have wanted. "I know if I said I was going to postpone sitting the exams, she would just say 'don't do that'," she told The Nationalist.

Rhona's fortitude and hard work paid off and last August she got the Leaving Cert results she required to get a place in the University of Limerick's undergraduate Business and German degree course. She needed to get 420 points and achieved 498.

She was delighted with the results but believes she probably would have been capable of achieving over 500 points if she hadn't sat the exams during such a harrowing time. "If I was aiming for a course with higher points, I wouldn't have got it," she pointed out.

Rhona, who won student of the year awards during each of her six years in Scoil Mhuire, paid tribute to the school's principal Brendan O'Dwyer and staff for the huge support they gave her while she was sitting the Leaving Cert.

When she went into school on the morning after her mother's death, she was offered loads of cups of tea. "If they could have gone and sat the exam for me they would have. They were so supportive," she recalled.

Students from Scoil Mhuire formed a guard of honour at her mam's funeral. Rhona's sister Lorna is a fifth year student at Scoil Mhuire and her brother Richard is in 1st year at Comeragh College.

The Nationalist has contacted the Department of Education & Skills and State Examinations Commission in relation to Rhona's proposal and is awaiting a response.News Reporter

Eddie Trizzino has been a reporter with the Times West Virginian since August of 2017, covering the entertainment, business and health beats. He spends most of his time listening to records, going to the movies and strolling through the town.Doris Jean Ice, 85, of Fairview, passed away Sunday, June 13, 2021. She was born February 10, 1936 in Pine Grove, WV, a daughter of the late Clarence LeMasters and Jesse Anderson LeMasters. Doris enjoyed quilting and crocheting. Doris is survived by her sons, William Ricky Ice and his wife KWashington

When Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, testified before senators Wednesday at his confirmation hearing, he found himself walking a tightrope on the issue of climate change.

One of the most pointed moments came after he told senators that climate change was not "the greatest crisis" facing our planet. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., then asked Wheeler, a former coal-industry lobbyist, to rate his level of concern on a scale of one to 10.

After a pause, Wheeler said, "about eight or nine."

"Really?" Merkley responded.

Merkley and other Democrats on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works took pains to focus in on Wheeler's efforts to roll back environmental protections and undo Obama-era regulations designed to fight climate change as indicators that he is unsuitable to lead the EPA.

Trump formally nominated Wheeler last week to lead the agency, but he has been on the job in an acting capacity since his predecessor, Scott Pruitt, resigned in July amid ethics scandals. If Wheeler is confirmed, a strong likelihood with Republicans holding a 53-47 majority in the Senate, he will formally become one of the top soldiers in Trump's battle to undo regulations.

"There is no more important responsibility than protecting human health and the environment," Wheeler told lawmakers. "It is a responsibility I take very seriously." At the same time, he said, the EPA under his leadership has pushed forward with Trump's agenda of deregulation.

"Through our deregulatory actions, the Trump administration has proven that burdensome federal regulations are not necessary to drive environmental progress," he said.

Since July, Wheeler has replaced a broad plan to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, known as the Clean Power Plan, with weaker rules. He has proposed to relax federal protections for streams and wetlands, ease controls of mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, and eliminate restrictions on new coal plants, a move that would make it easier to bring more coal power online.

Under Wheeler's leadership the EPA also has proposed reversing President Barack Obama's clean car standards, one of the most important federal government tools for reducing planet-warming emissions.

The plan also challenges the right of California and other states to set their own, more restrictive standards.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Environment and Public Works panel, said he expected the committee to vote on Wheeler's confirmation in February and, soon after, bring the vote to the Senate floor.Baghdad

An apparent suicide bombing in the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Wednesday killed two U.S. service members, a Defense Department contractor and a civilian Defense worker, according to the Pentagon.

The attack, which Islamic State said had been carried out by one of its followers, also killed more than a dozen civilians and Kurdish militia members, according to local reports. Three U.S. service members were among the wounded, according to the Pentagon.

"Initial reports indicate an explosion caused the casualties, and the incident is under investigation," U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Syria, said in a statement.

The attack comes after President Donald Trump announced he would withdraw troops from the nation based on his claim that Islamic State had been all but vanquished.

Manbij is controlled by a Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, which is backed by the U.S. and has been conducting joint patrols with American troops in the city.

It was during one of these patrols that the Islamic State attacker, nicknamed Abu Yassin al-Shami according to a statement by the extremist group, approached a group of U.S.-led coalition personnel and Kurdish militants near a restaurant about 1 p.m. and detonated a suicide belt.

Islamic State claimed nine coalition personnel were killed or wounded, along with Kurdish fighters.

Local media outlet Hawar News quoted officials in Manbij saying a number of YPG fighters as well as 13 civilians were killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitor, put the death toll at 16.SCHOHARIE  Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery hung up the phone on National Transportation Safety Board officials during a heated conference call last Friday while discussing the NTSB's fruitless attempts to inspect the limousine involved in the Oct. 6 crash that killed 20 poeple, court papers revealed.

It was the latest example of tension in the clash between the prosecutor and the federal agency, whose mission is to determine what caused the crash and to issue safety recommendations. The deadlock already prompted County Court Judge George R. Bartlett III to intervene, proposing on Jan. 9 that NTSB be added to the original search warrant that allowed State Police access to the limo.

Court papers, including email exchanges, reviewed by the Times Union showed the district attorney and NTSB General Counsel Kathleen Silbaugh at a stalemate before and after the conference call.

"As you alluded to in your letter, this is a highly unusual situation," Silbaugh told Bartlett in a letter on Monday. "The NTSB is routinely granted access to necessary evidence from an accident and has a long history of working cooperatively with state and local authorities to accomplish our parallel missions without judicial intervention."

Court papers show early Friday, Silbaugh suggested the phone conference between Mallery, NTSB officials and Lee Kindlon, the defense attorney for Nauman Hussain of Cohoes, the operator of Prestige Limousine, who is charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the crash. Mallery's secretary, Carola Tripsas, informed them the district attorney was busy from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The conference call took place about 7 p.m. It included Mallery, an assistant district attorney and three NTSB officials including Silbaugh.

"This was the first available time for all parties to speak on Friday. From the NTSB's perspective, the call was disappointingly unproductive," Silbaugh told Bartlett in a letter on Monday.

She said Mallery "unexpectedly terminated the call."

Silbaugh wrote Bartlett: "In light of the continued impasse with District Attorney Mallery, the NTSB urges the court to intercede. We understand the court's reluctance to interject itself in this matter, however it is apparent that our interactions directly with District Attorney Mallery are not productive and are unlikely to resolve the impasse."

Silbaugh told the judge that Mallery began the conference call by asking Kindlon for his response to a proposed search warrant to remove and inspect the limo's transmission and torque converter.

According to Silbaugh, Mallery "stated her belief that the NTSB does not have standing in this matter" and had engaged in out-of-court communications with the judge. Silbaugh told the judge that Mallery appears to believe NTSB's access to the limo is dependent on the agency being included on a search warrant.

"She stated several times during the call that she has no opposition to including NTSB on the application for the supplemental search warrant, but that such inclusion would only permit us to be present when the vehicle is moved, and to inspect and take photographs 'under the supervision of the State Police,'" Silbaugh stated.

Silnbaugh said NTSB's work is not dependent on any State Police search warrant. She said Mallery requested dates when NTSB investigators and an expert for the defense could look at the vehicle. When NTSB told Mallery its investigators could start as soon as Friday, "District Attorney Mallery said that would not be possible," Silbaugh wrote.

She said she followed up with an email saying NTSB investigators were ready to proceed with their inspection protocol, which must happen before the limo's transmission and torque converter are removed. Once the limo was moved, Silbaugh added, the investigators would need to be actively involved in the inspection and removal of those areas.

"Mallery steadfastly refused to even discuss the NTSB's independent federal authority to inspect the vehicle or conduct our investigation," Silbaugh told the judge. "When we attempted to broach the topic during the call, she stated that she had 'not formulated (her) opinion' on NTSB access and was not prepared to respond on the call, but would do so 'at the appropriate time.' She refused to provide an estimate as to when she would respond, stating only that it had to be coordinated with her experts and the defense."

Silbaugh added: "Mallery unexpectedly terminated the call at that point."

Silbaugh asked that State Police and Mallery allow the NTSB to have "immediate and unfettered access" for the work it needs to do prior to any inspection or removal of the transmission and torque converter. She asked for access to parts already removed from the limo.

Mallery's office could not be reached for comment.

In a letter to the judge on Wednesday, Kindlon said: "After consultation with our experts, the defense is done with the exterior inspection of the vehicle and would consent to the vehicle being moved into a more permanent structure, as discussed by all parties. We would request that our experts be present for any future examinations by either the NTSB or the (prosecution's) investigators, and specifically for the removal of the vehicle's transmission and torque converter."

Steve Hughes contributed to this story.SCHENECTADY  City Council President Ed Kosiur is among the Democrats on the governing body who have openly clashed with Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo on everything from allegations of bullying to the budget.

But earlier this week, the pair talked party unity against a backdrop of the recently passed state election reforms that among other things moves up New York's primary schedule with the federal one.

As a result, nominating petitions will now go out at the end of February instead of June and have to be turned in by early April.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo must still sign the bill for it to take effect.

Several politics complained about the impending change, citing the decreased daylight hours during winter and potentially cold weather that could hamper canvassing for petition signatures.

"We've disagreed on many different agenda items and different concerns that we both have but we still do what's right for the city and I think she still has that heart in her to work and continue to move the city forward," said Kosiur. "It's good politics that we don't agree on everything."

The Woodlawn Democrat lauded Perazzo for her "strong business background," her association with many local groups that advocate for women, and the fact that she lives in Bellevue, where their tends to be strong voter turnout.

Asked about the infighting, Perazzo said she anticipates future disagreements. .

Kosiur said he is hopeful the two of them and John Polimeni, all incumbents, will be endorsed by the party.

He and other party bosses have told the Times Union they expect Mayor Gary McCarthy to seek a third term. The mayor has repeatedly been mum on the matter.

Councilman Vince Riggi is the other incumbent on the City Council. He said Wednesday that he is keeping all his political options open, including a possible run for mayor.

Peter Guidarelli, political director for the county GOP party, said that Riggi has broad appeal.

"Vince has been a true representative of the average Schenectady resident and he has been a reasonable voice for the people and he is somebody who has been keeping this full Democratic administration in check," said Guidarelli.

While he wouldn't identify them, Guidarelli said several people in the community and business types have contacted the Schenectady Republicans about running for City Council.

He said there's been preliminary conversation with "a couple of potential candidates for mayor."

Guidarelli said he realizes time is the of the essence and plan on fast-tracking the selection process.

"We're going to be open to people regardless of what their party affiliation is," said Guidarelli who ran for mayor in 2003 and has served on the county legislature.

Schenectady GOP Chairman Michael Cuevas did not return a call seeking comment.

His counterpart for the Democrats, Richard 'Dick' Naylor, said they have not yet decided on who the fourth City Council candidate will be but that Dammoni Farley is among three people under consideration.

In 2017, Farley failed in his effort to force a Democratic primary for a City Council seat. He did not return a call seeking comment.

Naylor said Democrats will next week begin interviewing prospective candidates and then making final endorsements in early February.

He said attorneys Carl Falotico and Andrew Healy have expressed interest in running for the seat currently held by City Court Judge Guido Loyola, who will retire at year's end because of an age requirement.ALBANY  The state bar has about 700 new members.

Appellate Division Associate Justice Sharon A.M. Aarons administered the constitutional oath of office on Thursday at a ceremony at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.

The Appellate Division, Third Department, is responsible for admitting out-of-state applicants, as well as those from other countries.

This year's group represents 34 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 35 foreign countries.

Court of Appeals Associate Judge Rowan Wilson addressed the newly admitted members and Sgt. Peter Robinson of the Niagara Falls City Court sang "Amazing Grace."

The new attorneys passed the State Bar examination or satisfied the requirements for admission. All have been approved for admission by the Third Department's Committees on Character and Fitness.COLONIE  The K-9 team of handler Gerald Shaw and Vader, a German shepherd, retired on Thursday from the Colonie Police Department.

Shaw spent 22 years with the department and 6 years at the Albany County Sheriff's Office. Vader, who is 7 years old and was bred in Slovakia, was with the department for 5  years.Washington

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, citing security constraints from the partial government shutdown, asked President Donald Trump on Wednesday to scrap his Jan. 29 State of the Union address, and a bipartisan group of senators called on him to reopen the government while they negotiated a compromise on border security.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government reopens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has reopened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to Congress on January 29," Pelosi said in a letter to Trump on Wednesday. She suggested he forgo the annual presidential ritual of addressing a joint session of Congress in a televised speech during prime time and submit a written message instead.

While she couched her request in logistical concerns, Pelosi's proposal served as a reminder to Trump that, with Democrats in control of the House, she has the power to frustrate his agenda and upend his plans amid a prolonged stalemate over his demands for a wall on the southwestern border. It intensified the pressure on the president as a group of centrist House Democrats and Republicans were heading to the White House for talks with Trump in the Situation Room aimed at resolving the impasse.

A separate group of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate were circulating a letter calling on Trump to drop his demand that wall funding accompany any bill to end the shutdown, urging him to agree to sign a three-week stopgap government funding measure to allow time to forge a "broad bipartisan agreement" on border security spending.

"We commit to working to advance legislation that can pass the Senate with substantial bipartisan support," said the letter, which is being spearheaded by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Coons, D-Del. "During those three weeks, we will make our best efforts following regular order in the appropriate committees and mark up bipartisan legislation relating to your request."

The letter has support from several other Republican senators including Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio, as well as centrist Democrats including Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, according to several officials familiar with it who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the idea is identical to one the president has ruled out both publicly and privately, saying he would not reopen the government without first securing funding for the wall.

Behind closed doors last week, Vice President Mike Pence and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, made it clear to senators that the idea could not work because they feared that once the government was reopened, the White House would lose control of the legislative process of hammering out a border security compromise and end up with a product that the president could not support.

Still, a growing number of senators in both parties argue that if they demonstrate that there is enough support in the Senate to force consideration of such a plan, Trump might reconsider.

Neither the White House nor the Secret Service had an immediate comment on Pelosi's letter. But Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican, said on Twitter that her decision "makes clear what we already know: Democrats are only interested in obstructing realDonaldTrump, not governing."

With the leadership of all three branches of government gathered in one place, the State of the Union is one of the highest-stakes events for federal law enforcement each year. The Secret Service, the lead agency coordinating security for it, is among the agencies affected by the shutdown.CANAAN  A Massachusetts man and a Vermont woman face several drug charges after their car was stopped on Route 22 in the Columbia County town of Canaan last weekend, State Police said.

While being interviewed Saturday night, the driver, Nicholas Dayal, 30, of Stockbridge, Mass., threw a bag of cocaine out of the car.ALBANY  The state Legislature will conduct a hearing on sexual harassment in the workplace, as called for by a group of ex-legislative staffers who complained of misconduct on the job.

The hearing is scheduled to take place on Feb. 13 and is expected to include public testimony from victims, advocates and experts, Senate and Assembly majority communications offices have confirmed.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first woman to head the chamber, vowed last week to hold the hearing in order to build on protections enacted in the 2018-2019 budget.

"We cannot let this moment and this movement pass and we will hold hearings and hold all accountable," she said on Jan. 9 in her opening remarks of the legislative session.

Workplace standards were added to the spending plan last year after several high profile harassment cases sparked a national movement, shedding light on workplace misconduct across a variety of industries.

The former legislative aides, who formed a "sexual harassment working group" a year ago, and New York's chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, were critical of the opaque process through which the 2018 protections were passed and have called attention to gaps in the state's Human Rights Law.

The critics note that the state budget has historically been finalized by three men: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and past leaders of both houses. Last year, the governor signaled that Stewart-Cousins, then Senate minority leader, would be included in budget talks on harassment, but ultimately her input was not sought.

"Moves were made ... I was not included," Stewart-Cousins said of the negotiations.

Meanwhile, a former senator accused of forcibly kissing an aide, then-Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Klein, who was unseated in November's election, was allowed to participate in the budget negotiations. Klein has denied the former aide's allegations.

The seven-member working group, which includes accusers of Klein and Vito Lopez  a serial groper and former Queens assemblyman who died in 2015  commended the Legislature for taking further action in a statement.

"As targets of harassment and sexual violence, we know that New York can not have meaningful, effective laws without hearing directly from the people impacted by them," they said. "Survivors are done serving as props."

Cuomo, in his 2019-2020 executive budget proposal unveiled Tuesday, introduced several fixes to the state's Human Rights Law, including doing away with the "severe and pervasive" standard which has been interpreted by courts to preclude many victims from legal recourse.

Kevin Mintzer, a member of the state's national employment lawyers association who represented two of Lopez's accusers in a lawsuit against the state, called the standard "one of the biggest obstacles to justice" in upstate New York.

"Workers in New York City have much better protections than the rest of the state," he said. "There's no reason why the 12 million people in New York should be at a disadvantage... what's being proposed would really put people on an even playing field."

The women's demand for public hearings on sexual harassment were largely ignored by leaders last year, but November's "blue wave" election, which granted Democrats one-party control in the Legislature, appears to have changed the tenor in Albany, enabling more collaboration between the houses.

"No industry is free from the scourge of sexual harassment, assault and inappropriate workplace behavior," Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said in a joint statement. "As the brave men and women continue to speak out and discuss the issues, we are committed to listening to them, engaging in meaningful discussions and using their testimony to help guide future actions by the State Legislature to address sexual harassment."

Both Cuomo's administration and the Legislature have faced wide criticism for their handling of sexual harassment complaints over the years. Many alleged victims have said their complaints were ignored and that the state's convoluted reporting system has made it difficult to seek recourse.

The Assembly came under fire several years ago when then-Speaker Sheldon Silver had been exposed for failing to take action in sexual harassment cases and also arranged for some victims to be secretly paid settlements without public disclosure of their allegations.

The Times Union reported last year that at some state agencies high-ranking state employees accused of sexual harassment or workplace misconduct have transferred to other agencies and, in some cases, received promotions.Business may not have been good for everyone last year, but for some millennials in the Capital Region, business was booming.

The Times Union spoke with three millennial business owners about their endeavors in 2018 and they all reiterated the same thing  that the Albany area is a great place to set up shop.

Abigail Rockmacher, 24, opened up her store The DillyBean in Schenectady last January, and held a grand opening in May. It's a health food store with locally made goods as well as Rockmacher's own pickled products.

"It's unique to this area," Rockmacher said. "And there is actually a big need for a shop like this. It's fresh food and if you think about it people are always using pickles. They come with every sandwich."

Patrick Harris, 29, also started his business last year running a PR/marketing/creative firm called CollectivEffort in Troy.

"CollectivEffort is an evolutionary creative space that caters to the production of talent and ideas," as described on the website.

Through his business has met many other young entrepreneurs and has found an entire community of motivated millennials.

In the same city as him is Jinah Kim, 28, who opened up Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen, a Korean restaurant in Troy, in 2016. Sunhee's is staffed by immigrants, and Kim also uses the space for teachers and students learning English. Last year she expanded it and opened up Kim's Convenience, what she described as a "Asian Bodega."

"I'm always prepping for an opportunity to expand and looking at chances to grow vertically," Kim said.

Why did they choose this area? Simple, it's great for business, they said.

Rockmacher said with Schenectady's improvements it is driving traffic to her business.

Harris said it is close enough to New York City and small enough that you really get to know the community and make connections.

And for Kim, who grew up in Latham,  simply put this is home to her. It's a community she cares about and wants to add to, whether that be through her food or sharing another culture.

The three attributed their success to various things but all agreed that their age played a part in it.

"I think young business owners bring a fresh perspective," Kim said. "Also I have a lot of energy."

Rockmacher said because she is young she can focus just on her business.

"Now seemed like a good time to open a business," she said. "I don't have to worry about kids or paying a mortgage. And if it doesn't work out it doesn't work."Albany's long history of Scottish heritage becomes obvious each Jan. 25th, when men in kilts and women adorned in a family tartan take to the clubs and dining rooms of the Capital Region to celebrate one of the most beloved Scotsmen, Robert Burns.

Burns was born Jan. 25, 1759, and died July 21, 1796, but made an incredible impact on Scottish culture and the world of poetry in his short existence. Since 1801 in Ayrshire, Scotland, when Burns' friends and admirers gathered to immortalize his memory, people gather on the poet's birthday to hold Burns Suppers.

Several locations around the Capital Region have partaken of the practice, from Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs to the Allen Street Pub in Albany. "It recognizes Burns' place in literature. He was one of the first lyrical poets. People from the very rich to the very poor read his poetry," said Duncan Hunter, a Scotsman who has lived in America since 1964 and organizer of the Burns Supper at University Club in Albany.

"It also gives you Scots a chance to wax lyrical and get blasted," he joked.

The blasting comes from the copious toasts (typically Scotch whiskey) throughout the evening. A bagpiper traditionally heralds the night's commencement, followed by the "entrance of the haggis," which is a short ceremony where Burns' "Address to a Haggis" is often read and the haggis  a type of sausage made of sheep or calf organ meat with suet, oatmeal and seasonings stuffed into a sheep stomach and boiled  is cut and served. "It's very delicious, it tastes like the stuffing that goes in your mother's Thanksgiving turkey," said Hunter. The University Club's Burns Supper also includes salmon (the national fish of Scotland), beef, chicken, and "tatties and neeps," the Scottish term for potatoes and turnips. Hunter makes his mother's shortbread recipe for dessert, and a trifle, a layered cake and pudding dessert, is also served.

This year, Phil Bayly, formerly of WNYT Channel 13, will address the gathering with a message titled "How the Scots invented the modern world." Before the night is over, the group will "pass the cup of kindness with Scotland's national drink to remember friends who are absent and in the heavenly kingdom," said Hunter.

Burns Suppers were trending in America within a decade of the first supper in Burns' home country, thanks to the legacy of Scottish immigration to America. Scottish settlers came to in America beginning in the early 1600s and increasing with political strife (a civil war, Jacobite rebellions, and the Highland Clearances) through the 18th century. Between 1715 and 1776, as many as 250,000 Scots arrived in America. The rising prominence of Scotsmen in America, like Andrew Carnegie and Alexander Graham Bell, helped to secure the Burns Suppers' spot in January celebrations.

In Albany, the Scottish legacy is apparent in names like Livingston, Glen, and Sanders. The United Irish and Scotch Benevolent Society, founded in 1802, was the city's first benevolent society and remains active as the St. Andrew's Society of the City of Albany, headquartered on Washington Avenue. A monument to Burns was dedicated in Washington Park in 1888, and the Capital Region Scottish Games have been an annual highlight for 70 years.

Hunter said that Burns Suppers are held anywhere Scots have immigrated, from Canada to Africa to New Zealand. The appeal of Burns is still thriving, and each year on Jan. 25, Hunter said "from sunrise to sunset, someone is eating haggis somewhere."

Deanna Fox is a food and agriculture journalist. @DeannaNFox, foxonfood.comEl Paso, Texas

For many Mexican-Americans living near the U.S.-Mexico border, the U.S. Border Patrol was viewed as a federal government agency to be feared. Its agents might raid the factory where you worked, question your citizenship status at checkpoints, and detain you if an agent thought you were in the country illegally or were hiding drugs.

To some Latinos, the work of the U.S. Border Patrol seemed racialized.

A museum dedicated to the history of the U.S. Border Patrol seeks to give a more complex view of a once-unknown agency that rose from obscurity to become one of the nation's most-powerful arms of law enforcement. The privately funded museum in El Paso, Texas  near one of the busiest U.S. ports of entry  attempts to piece together its history as the nation's views on immigration, travel and border security have changed.

Using photos, artifacts, newspaper clippings and even movie posters, the U.S. Border Patrol Museum explores the story from the agency's formation  to fight Chinese immigration and enforce Prohibition  to its current role at a time of massive migration, cartel drug smuggling and political skirmishes.

Museum visitors learn about some of the challenges agents faced over the years, from rudimentary equipment to lack of jurisdiction. Mounted horsemen and poorly assembled vehicles gave way to high-tech helicopters and surveillance accessories as expectations of the agency increased.

Visitors can even jump into a retired helicopter and an all-terrain vehicle.

The evolution of the border-patrol uniform alone  from something resembling the mythic Old West lawman to today's heavily armed agent in a post-Sept. 11 world  shows how the agency became professionalized over a century.

Also on display are a rope ladder used by an alleged smuggler to climb over a border wall and tools from an underground tunnel discovered in San Luis, Arizona.

There's a raft made out of scrap metal, tire tubes and blue canvas used by Cuban migrants attempting to land in Florida. (Interestingly, the raft's exhibit is called "Voyage to Freedom," while exhibits about immigration from Mexico focus on border enforcement).

Congress created the U.S. Border Patrol in 1924, and the agency slowly grew as its mission transformed. Emmanuel Avant "Dogie" Wright and a handful of others were some of the first agents hired to guard nearly 2,000 miles of the southern border.

Kelly Lytle Hernandez, a University of California, Los Angeles history professor and author of "Migra!: A History of the U.S. Border Patrol" (University of California Press, 2010), says that initially there were no restrictions on Mexican immigration because U.S. agricultural growers wanted a steady stream of workers. That, of course, would change.

For the most part, the museum does a fair job of explaining the agency's metamorphosis. However, it downplays the corruption and mismanagement of its early days, and its role in discriminating against Mexican-Americans along the border that federal courts were forced to halt thanks to various challenges.

For example, in 1992 a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Border Patrol had violated the rights of Mexican-American students at Bowie High School in El Paso by repeatedly stopping them to ask about citizenship status. The border patrol was forced to change some of its tactics.City Line offering discount to furloughed federal workers

City Line Bar and Grill in Albany is offering a 50 percent discount for employees of the federal government who have been furloughed as a result of the partial shutdown of the government, now in its 24th day.

"We all hope the shutdown will end soon," said City Line Bar owner Robert Malkus. "However, while it's going on, we just want to help in a small way."

The discount will be in effect until the shutdown ends.

Fine print: Must show a valid federal employee ID to receive the discount. Offer is valid for dine-in only. Offer valid on two (2) alcoholic drinks only. Some exclusions apply. Cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers. Offer not valid with gift cards.

City Line is at 1200 Western Ave. It is open 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday to Wednesday, until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday (kitchen closes an hour earlier).

9 Miles East Farm picked for JetBlue mentoring program

The Schuylerville farm 9 Miles East, which makes prepared meals for home-delivery customers and also has a sideline in pizza delivery, is one of three food and beverage businesses selected to take part in the JetBlue BlueBud business-mentoring program. Started four years ago, BlueBud provides young businesses with a variety of mentoring and experiential opportunities throughout the airline company, including trips to JetBlue University in Orlando, Fla., access to corporate leaders and partners, and training in strategic sourcing, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, corporate communications, marketing and branding.

More than 100 business in New York state and the Boston area applied for the three slots this year, according to a JetBlue spokeswoman. She said the company has often selected food and beverage businesses for the program because they're a natural fit with amenities JetBlue supplies its passengers. The other 2019 participants are Eat Your Coffee in Boston and Sustainable Snacks of the Bronx.

Mary Sacks of 9 Miles East said, "We're always looking for new ways to deliver on our mission of making it easy for busy people to enjoy healthy local food. JetBlue's BlueBud program is a natural extension of 9 Miles East Farm's workplace wellness and subscription meal delivery services, and we're proud to be representing the Capital District to a wider audience."

Participation in the program does not guarantee a business' products will be picked up by JetBlue, but several have in the past.

Pizza churn in North Greenbush; Pistana Brothers shop opening

A pizza place in a shopping plaza at 52 North Greenbush Road in North Greenbush was home for part of last year to G's Pizzeria, a reincarnation of Little Italy Pizzeria, formerly located at 679 Burden Ave. in Troy. At some point in 2018, the building was taken over as the second location of SaraBella Pizzeria, the original of which is on Sand Creek Road in Colonie.

Now, according to a sign on the door, SaraBella-Troy closed earlier this month, and the space, starting this week, became Pistana Brothers Pizza. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, until 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Call 518-272-7200.

The new Pistana Brothers is near Hudson Valley Community College and Stewart's Shops.

Farewell weekend at Amorici Vineyard and Farm Winery

Amorici Vineyard and Farm Winery in Valley Falls, run since its founding a decade ago by former specialty-foods purveyor Joe Messina, officially closed for business at the beginning of this month, but it will host a farewell party from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

There will be free light food, cash bar and a 30 percent discount on bottles of wine to go.

The winery was listed for sale last summer. It's unclear if the property has been sold, though the listing has been removed. The 17-acre biodynamic farm, vineyard and winery was also home to a tasting room and tavern, with Messina in the kitchen. Products included wine, grappa, vinegar and more.

Messina, a former chef, in 1980 founded Specialty World Foods in Albany, which provided Capital Region chefs and gourmands with exotic meats and unusual fare for decades. He sold it in 2007 to protege Eric Guenther, who moved it to Menands and under the name Adventure in Food Trading.

Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items to be considered for publication must be submitted to sbarnes@timesunion.com. Visit his blog, blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping.THEATER

"The Wild Party" is aptly named. The play, by Andrew Lippa and based on a 1928 poem by Joseph Moncure March, focuses on Queenie and Burrs, a decadent pair who decide to have a party to spice up their relationship.

As the party rages on, jealousy, passion, and ultimately violence splits the couplefor eternity. Brian Clemente directs the Schenectady Light Opera Company's staging of the play, which opens this week. The play stars Adrienne Parker and Keenon McCollum, with musical direction by Dan Galliher and choreography by Carolyn Frantz. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $18-$28. Schenectady Light Opera Company, 427 Franklin St., Schenectady. 877-350-7378; sloctheater.org

MUSIC

Alabama was absolutely huge in the 1980s. The country band scored 26 No. 1 hits during the decade, including "Love in the First Degree," "Feels So Right," "The Closer You Get," "Take Me Down," "Mountain Music" and "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)."

Three of the band's four original memberslead vocalist/guitarist Randy Owen, bassist/vocalist Teddy Gentry and lead guitarist Jeff Cookare still along as the group celebrates its golden anniversary. They'll roll their 50th Anniversary Tour into townwith Exile ("Kiss You All Over") in towthis week. 7 p.m. Sunday. $25-$125. Times Union Center, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany. 518-487-2000; timesunioncenter-albany.comColonie

Pioneer Bank is planning to raise a significant amount of money in a minority stock sale as it reorganizes itself into a mutual holding company.

The exact amount to be offered to depositors, employee benefit plans and other potential stockholders will be determined by an appraisal of the bank, which has $1 billion in assets and 22 branches.

Depositors could receive a prospectus to buy stock by the second quarter of this year.

"We are very proud to continue building upon all that we have achieved as an

organization, and to keep translating our successes into further investment in the Capital

Region," Thomas Amell, Pioneer Bank's CEO, said in a statement.

"Pioneer Bank remains committed to our community, our customers and our employees,

and this milestone reorganization enables us to raise capital while still maintaining our

mutuality."

The newly formed stock holding company will offer up to 49 percent of its shares to eligible depositors and tax-qualified employee benefit plans. Later, shares will be traded on Nasdaq, where they'll be available to the public.

The bank said it anticipates some of the proceeds of the share sale will be contributed to the Pioneer Bank Foundation, a non-profit organization "committed to 'helping kids be kids' in the Capital Region."

Banks often issue shares to raise funds for expansion, acquisitions or other business purposes. Limiting the shares sold to a minority stake, meanwhile, helps protect a bank from becoming an acquisition target.

Pioneer ranked sixth in terms of market share of deposits in the June 30, 2018 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Summary of Deposits report, with $1.11 billion in deposits, 3.77 percent of all deposits, behind M&T Bank and ahead of Adirondack Trust Co. Pioneer Commercial Bank had another nearly $216 million in deposits.

KeyBank N.A. ranked first with $11.6 billion in deposits, for a 39.49 percent market share, although that was down from $13.4 billion, or 45.32 percent of the total market deposits, a year earlier.TROY  Right now may be the perfect time for companies like Massive Mesh in Troy to take advantage of the cord cutting movement.

That's because the Capital Region's dominant cable TV and internet service provider, Charter Communications, was beat up over the summer by state regulators and the Cuomo administration over its obligations from its 2016 purchase of Time Warner Cable.

In July the state Public Service Commission issued an order revoking its approval of the Time Warner Cable deal, plunging the cable TV market in New York state into months of uncertainty. Charter was ordered to come up with a plan to exit New York and find a buyer for Spectrum.

Although Charter appears to have patched things up with the PSC in a deal that likely will allow it to keep operating in New York state, the company claims that a lot of damage was done to its reputation. Competitors like Verizon and alternatives to the traditional cable TV and internet companies have been trying to take advantage of the situation.

Verizon offers cable TV and high-speed internet under a service called FiOS that is available in most of Albany County and some parts of Schenectady County.

It's become so bad for Charter that the company's chief marketing officer, Jonathan Hargis, had to complain to the PSC that it had put his company in a hole that was difficult to get out of.

"Charter has been successful in marketing its services against Verizon's competing 'FiOS' offering since Verizon introduced the service," Hargis wrote in a document filed in November with the PSC.

However, he added that the PSC's July 27 vote to essentially take away its license to operate in the state was having a negative effect on its business by "sowing customer confusion that Charter's competitors, including Verizon, can exploit."

Hargis included redacted emails with his PSC filing that he said showed that Verizon was calling Charter customers and telling them they needed to disconnect their Spectrum service since the state was revoking their permission to operate. The PSC actually never ordered that, and Charter and the PSC almost immediately started negotiations on a settlement.

"Verizon has already begun reaching out to several of Charter's significant customers, including residential management companies in New York City," Hargis wrote the PSC.

Verizon did not respond to a request for comment on its attempts to win over Charter customers in the state.

Any hit to its customer base would be bad for Charter in 2019, even if the PSC decides to allow it to keep operating Spectrum in New York, including the Capital Region. That's because customers typically won't come back if they leave you, Hargis said.

"Because of the competitive environment, lost customers are difficult to recover," Hargis said. "Institutional customers generally sign on to long-term contracts, and residential customers, even absent extended contractual commitments, do not frequently switch back and forth between providers."

Hargis said any customers that it loses due to the PSC vote "are unlikely to be recovered by Charter for several years, if ever."

That certainly provides an opening for alternatives to the traditional cable TV and internet companies like Massive Mesh, which operates a wireless internet network that is available now in not only Troy but also Albany and Schenectady.

Dan Goldman, the general manager and one of the owners of Massive Mesh, says people just don't want to deal with the cable companies and all of the teaser offers they dangle in front of people to get them to remain while rates rise.

"We're competing head-to-head with Spectrum and Verizon, the big players," Goldman said. "We take advantage of the latest technology, and we get creative. That allows us to really reduce our delivery costs."

Massive Mesh attaches a radio receiver to your home that connects to the Massive Mesh network. There is a $49.99 equipment fee, and then the monthly fee ranges from $19.99 a month for standard service to $54.95 a month for "turbo" service that is ideal for households with online videogamers and multiple devices streaming content. A middle tier costs $34.99 a month.

Customers can then add their own streaming service for video content, such as Netflix, Hulu or Sling, and Massive Mesh will even install an over-the-air antennae at a customers home that can get 10-15 local channels for $29.99 with no installation fee.

The combination provides customers with the full cord-cutting experience, Goldman said, especially since the costs are straightforward.

"Most people are so over the complexity (of the cable TV contract and bill)," Goldman said.

Of course Charter has also offered its own "cord cutting" option for its internet service customers, who pay about $45 a month for Spectrum internet.

The TV package is called Spectrum TV stream. For $21.99 a month, it provides more than two dozen channels, including local ones. The move comes as Charter is launching its own wireless network called Spectrum Mobile.

"Spectrum Mobile gives customers the freedom to use their favorite devices the way they want, saving them hundreds of dollars annually off their mobile bill, all while reaping the benefits of Charter's superior, value rich network and services," said Danny Bowman, Charter's chief mobile officer.Albany

The Capital Region posted a net gain of 2,400 jobs over the past year, the state Labor Department reported Thursday. That's a relatively weak 0.5 percent increase from year-earlier levels.

For comparison, statewide job growth came in at 1.5 percent, and the national increase was an even more robust 2.0 percent. Given the relatively low local unemployment rate, the sluggish local growth may reflect a tight labor market; employers have complained of the difficulty of recruiting qualified workers for some time now.

After all, several upstate cities where unemployment is higher saw jobs grow at a far larger rate, from Buffalo (+1.5 percent) and Dutchess-Putnam (+2.2 percent) to Ithaca (+4.0 percent) and Kingston (+2.1 percent).

Even Glens Falls posted a 2.0 percent increase, while Syracuse saw a 1.3 percent gain and Utica-Rome an increase of 1.0 percent.

Still, the number of jobs  479,300  was a record high for December, although the figure reflects a decline of 500 jobs from the previous month.

But state labor markets analyst Kevin Alexander said that 500-job decline was much smaller than the 1,000-job month-to-month decline typically seen in the Capital Region from November to December.

Alexander also said that the slower year-over-year job growth wasn't unexpected, given the strong growth the Capital Region previously saw.

"We're coming off a really strong 2017," he said.

It's not clear what impact the federal shutdown might have on future jobs reports. As of Tuesday, 2,999 furloughed federal workers across the state had applied for unemployment benefits. Overall, there were 116,244 federal employees statewide in 2017, with a federal payroll of $9.0 billion, or $77,254 per employee, on average.

That's about 6 percent of the total federal labor force of just over 2 million.

The statewide unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, remained unchanged from November at 3.9 percent, but was down from 4.7 percent in December 2017, according to Thursday's report. Unemployment in New York City stood at 4.0 percent of the workforce, unchanged from November but down from 4.4 percent a year earlier, while the rate excluding New York City was 3.8 percent, unchanged from November but down from 4.9 percent in December 2017.

Local unemployment rates will be released next Wednesday.Albany

As the Hudson River ices over at the start of what could be a powerful cold snap, unpaid crews of the U.S. Coast Guard will continue to run ice-breaking missions on the river.

Ice-breaking of waterways by the service is being treated as "essential to commerce" during the federal government shutdown, which has left the 43,000 active-duty Coast Guard members without paychecks starting Tuesday, Coast Guard spokesman Steve Strohmaier said Wednesday.

This week, Coast Guard Commandant Karl Schultz issued a statement that it marked "the first time in our nation's history that service members in the U.S. armed forces have not been paid during a lapse in appropriations."

The river's navigation channel must be kept clear of ice during the winter to allow for shipments of heating oil and other cargoes. The Coast Guard uses two ice-breaking cutters, each with a crew of 17, to clear ice.

An ice-breaking run on the Hudson to Albany is not yet scheduled, but Strohmaier said officials will be watching the river, which has begun to ice over recently. Temperatures in the region are forecast to plummet to sub-freezing and stay there into next week, which could freeze over the channel.

"At the present time there is only a thin layer of ice, ships and barges can navigate through. As of (Tuesday) night the ice did not extend south of Kingston," said Port of Albany General Manager Rich Hendrick.

Because of the government shutdown, now in its 27th day, Coast Guard members are among 800,000 federal workers who have not been paid since Jan. 1.

Unlike the other branches of the armed services being paid under the Defense Department budget, which is funded, the Coast Guard is under the budget of the Department of Homeland Security, which is not funded.

Coast Guard members cannot get unemployment benefits during the shutdown, according to a Guard Guard policy. "Military members are not considered unemployed; they are currently unpaid," according to the policy.

More ice is on the way for the Hudson for the unpaid Coast Guard crews to consider. Temperatures in the Capital Region should drop into the teens as it starts snowing Thursday night, according to the Albany office of the National Weather Service. This storm could drop between one and three inches of snow.

The temperature will barely get above freezing during the day on Friday before going back into the low teens overnight. More snow is expected Saturday starting in the afternoon, with snows growing heavier in the evening.

Temperatures will remain below freezing Sunday, as snows continue, and plummet that evening as low as minus 3 as an Arctic blast hits the region. Snows will be done by Martin Luther King Day on Monday, when highs will get only to 6, and again drop below zero overnight. Tuesday's high is expected to be 17.

Extended forecasts call for high temperatures to remain at freezing or below through Friday.Albany

The Capital Region has a lot of old, insufficient drinking water and sewer systems, and upgrading them will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Actually, to be more precise, the bill is $480,637,756. That is for 100 such projects spread across some 40 localities in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties, according to the most recent figures from the state Environmental Facilities Corp.

That is part of more than 1,400 municipal projects across the state  totaling about $8 billion  that are seeking state financing through either low-interest loans or grants.

"Local needs for this are always going to outpace funding," said Martin Daley, water quality director for the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. "Some communities have been putting off projects for years."

The EFC programs are supported by annual grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which over the last three decades has awarded $6.2 billion to the state to help pay for local infrastructure projects. This federal help has supported the financing of $20 billion in local projects in New York during that period, according to EPA figures.

And while the federal aid is significant, the three-decade total is still nearly $2 billion less than the bill for projects currently awaiting funding before the EFC.

The EFC has budgeted about $875 million statewide to fund local projects, with most of the money earmarked for loans that must be repaid. The state then can reloan the money for other projects.

Since the state financing programs started in the 1990s, the Environmental Facilities Corp. also has awarded Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties about $92 million in grants, according to an EFC statement.

In the Capital Region, some counties face greater potential infrastructure bills than others. Albany County municipalities lead the list, with 31 projects totaling more than $192 million  or a bill of about $622 for every man, woman and child in the county.

Rensselaer County comes in second, with 22 projects for a total of about $132 million. That's the equivalent of about $826 for every resident.

Fast-growing Saratoga County follows with 26 projects at a cost of about $97 million, or about $424 per capita.

Finally, Schenectady County comes in with 22 local project at a total of about $53.7 million, or $337 for every resident.

Three years ago, the New York Council of the American Society of Civil Engineers graded the state's infrastructure. Drinking water systems got a C, while sewer systems got a D.

The next survey is due in 202o, said Beth Ann Smith, the regional chairwoman of the report card effort.

"It is too soon to tell if New York's grades will be better or worse," she said. "But the good news is that infrastructure is being talked about more than it was in 2015." Federal officials are also renewing debate over a national infrastructure bill, something the administration of President Donald J. Trump said was a priority upon coming into office in 2017, but that has so far failed to materialize.

Smith said the winter season, where cold snaps can stress and break aging pipes, also will draw more attention to the problems, driving home to politicians and citizens that work must be done and paid for somehow.

"Some of these systems are nearing the end of their lives," she said. "And that is why this is such a difficult issue. We are not talking about a little bit here, and a little bit there. These are very big things now, and it is going to take a lot of money to fix."Narbonne goes on a late charge to pull out a victory over the Poly boys, while the Poly girls advance to the regional semifinals.Dorothy Eleanor Mercer passed away on June 9, 2021 at Archbold Memorial Hospital. She was born on December 18, 1932, in Pavo to the late Early Byrd Wood and to the late Nellie Deen Wood. She was married to Eugene Mercer who precedes her in death. Survivors include her children, Leon David McY-shaped antibodies specific for individual CMV strains (depicted by same color) can prevent the virus from reactivating after transplantation. Other CMV strains (depicted in black) can escape. Image courtesy of Dr. Mariapia Degli-Esposti, Lions Eye Institute, Perth, Western Australia

You may not have heard of cytomegalovirus, but the two of you have likely met. In fact, odds are its dozing inside you right now. Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, infects at least half of all adults worldwide. Most are unaware theyre infected because their healthy immune system keeps it in check. The virus slips into dormancy, becoming a passive and lifelong passenger. But CMV can roar back to life in anyone with a compromised immune system. The results can be life-threatening, and the virus has plagued bone marrow transplant patients for decades. A new study in Science may rewrite the story of why the virus wreaks such havoc  and hint at how to stop it.

The research challenges long-held theories about how the body controls CMV. The twist: The immune systems defense against CMV isnt a solo performance. After years of studying a mouse model, a team of researchers led by Dr. Geoffrey Hill shows that an unsung actor  antibodies  plays a vital role. Antibodies are one of the bodys chief ways of defending itself against infection. These Y-shaped proteins can bind, like a lock and key, to bad actors and neutralize them. Hills insight could pave the way for cheaper, safer therapies using antibodies to protect transplant patients against CMV. In a tantalizing hint, the researchers found that a dose of the right antibodies after transplantation can keep the virus dormant in mice, without the need for any other immune cells. This is a big deal for the transplant field, said Hill, the studys senior author and director of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Were turning dogma on its head, and that could meet the urgent need for inexpensive and nontoxic therapies to improve patient outcomes. The data are the data First, the dogma.

Conventional wisdom has long held that T cells  specialized immune cells that fight invaders  control CMV. And years of clinical studies supported that view, Hill said. In the 1990s, for example, Fred Hutchs Dr. Stanley Riddell showed how T cells that were able to home in on a specific strain of CMV could prevent its deadly return. Previously, randomized trials at Fred Hutch and elsewhere administered high doses of antibodies to patients after transplant to keep CMV from reactivating. The results were all disappointing. There were occasional hints that antibodies played some role against CMV, but it was a supporting one at best. Researchers in the field deemed them bit players and moved on. Hill wondered if those observations told the whole story. To find out, Hill, who at the time worked at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia, together with a team led by Dr. Mariapia Degli-Esposti at the Lions Institute in Perth, created a new mouse model of CMV reactivation. They spent five years conducting a series of carefully designed experiments. Heres the condensed version:

Dr. Geoff Hill, the Jose Carreras/E. Donnall Thomas Endowed Chair for Cancer Research, speaks with colleague Dr. Albert Yeh in the Hill Lab at Fred Hutch. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service They began by infecting mice with murine CMV, the version of the virus that infects mice and other rodents. Just like in most humans, their immune systems wrestled it into dormancy. Three months later they gave these mice a bone marrow transplant, effectively wiping away their immune systems and replacing them with new immune systems from donor marrow. Some received marrow chock-full of donor T cells. Others received T celldepleted marrow. The group that received a transplant with T cells got graft-vs.-host disease, or GVHD  a known transplant danger where the donors T cells (the graft) start attacking the recipient (the host). CMV reactivated in the GVHD group within three weeks after transplant. Which was a bit odd: Why didnt the T cells keep CMV tamped down? Meanwhile, the group that received the T celldepleted graft didnt get GVHD. Their CMV also didnt reactivate. Which was even odder: If the mice didnt have T cells, what kept CMV at bay? The team wondered if some residual T cells had somehow managed to persist in the mice despite transplant. In their next experiment, they took an extra step after the T celldepleted transplant that removed every type of T cell as well as NK (natural killer) cells, a group of immune cells also thought to control CMV. But the virus remained silent. So straight away this didnt seem like the paradigm all of us thought was correct, Hill said. Something else is controlling it. So Hill and company redid the transplants. This time, the mice getting the transplants didnt have any B cells, which are the antibody factories of the immune system. They all received a T celldepleted graft. So now the mice had neither T cells nor B cells and their antibodies. CMV sprang back to life within 10 days of transplant. The conclusion was clear: An antibody was controlling the virus. Hill is quick to point out the study doesnt boot T cells from the story. They do play a role in protecting a host against CMV reactivation. But they need to share credit with their colleagues. The research team was initially surprised by the extent to which antibodies affected CMV reactivation, Hill said. But eventually there was nowhere else to go. The data are the data.

Precision medicine Dr. Michael Boeckh, who heads the Infectious Disease Sciences Program at Fred Hutch, asked Hill the obvious questions after he shared preliminary data: What did you do differently to challenge dogma? Why did you see the importance of antibodies when everyone else missed them? The key was specificity. Many different strains of CMV exist. Hill and Degli-Esposti started to suspect that an antibody had to match a particular strain to have an effect. They looked back at the earlier clinical studies that explored whether high doses of antibodies could protect against CMV reactivation. They had all pooled antibodies from many different patients. The virus-specific fighting power was lost as a result, he reasoned. Several additional experiments in the new mouse model confirmed that strain-specific antibodies were in fact the key. Even better, they demonstrated that transferring strain-specific antibodies to the transplant recipient can prevent virus reactivation. That suggests a future therapy. If your body has kept CMV in check for years, doctors could capture those helpful antibodies before your bone marrow transplant, purify and multiply them in the lab, then return them to you afterward. That approach would improve upon todays current antiviral therapies, which are pricey, often toxic, and can promote drug-resistant CMV strains, Hill said. Hill and Boeckh cautioned that scenario is far from reality. But theyre laying the groundwork for clinical trials to determine if its a possibility. The results of these elegant experiments are extremely interesting, Boeckh said. The next step will be to see if this all holds true in people.

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SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! 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.Folks including Maryland fishermen and park advocates say access to vital information has been jeopardized and could reduce participation in state outdoor activities.

Through a Maryland Department of Natural Resources directive, dozens of park, and other, social media accounts are being eliminated.

Duane Bailey is vice president and social media director for the Western Garrett County State Park Volunteers group that provides support and funding for programs and activities at Deep Creek Lake and Sang Run state parks.

He said he was surprised to learn the 11-year-old Facebook page, largely maintained by volunteers, for the Discovery Center at Deep Creek was recently removed by state officials and merged into a general Maryland parks network.

They could have asked us, Bailey said and added the Maryland park service headquarters doesnt communicate directly with us.

When the page was merged, countless posts including photos were lost, he said.

Bailey said volunteers had planned to use much of the lost content to promote the Discovery Centers upcoming 20th anniversary celebration.

But  it all disappeared, he said. And we cant get it back.

The elimination of social media sites isnt limited to state parks.

Shawn Kimbro, an avid recreational fisherman and author of books about fishing, said the Twitter account for Eyes On The Bay is set to be removed later this month.

They closed the Facebook account completely, said Kimbro  a Kent Island resident.

While state officials tweeted that information will be posted on eyesonthebay.dnr.maryland.gov, Kimbro said the quick Facebook updates, which provided scientific data such as satellite images and water oxygen levels, are now difficult to find.

The social media accounts are just critical to us, he said of recreational and commercial fishermen. It seems odd  that they would take that tool away.

DNR spokesman Gregg Bortz said the department reviewed and decided to streamline its social media accounts.

Customers will be following our most viewed accounts, said Bortz via email. Content is expected to stay the same and remains mostly generated by front-line staff, but to a larger audience with greater engagement.

Deep Creek Lake Discovery Centers Facebook account was being managed as a state account and merged into the park services main account, he said.

Our staff apologizes for a breakdown in communications that occurred prior to that happening, but the department greatly values our volunteers and looks forward to our continued partnership, Bortz said.

The departments digital outreach includes website engagement of seven million unique users, email subscription lists and mobile app downloads to 91,000 users, he said.

Our goal is always (to) get more useful content to more people, Bortz said.

Some folks say the meaning of useful content is debatable, however.

During a 40-year career as outdoor editor for the Cumberland Times-News, one of my more important tasks was to tell readers in Maryland about legislation in the General Assembly that would have an impact on hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation, said Mike Sawyers, who retired from the paper a few months ago.

Sawyers said that after the states current administration took office, he was told agency personnel would no longer comment about pending bills.

Under this new regime  people, with whom I had spent decades establishing a trusting working relationship, could no longer tell me and thus the readers their professional opinions about the effects of a proposed bill, Sawyers said via email.

One year, a bill proposed cutting the cost of a fishing license in half, he said.

Of course that meant the Fisheries Service would get half the money they were used to getting, Sawyers said. I wanted to know what impacts that would have on fish management, but nobody was allowed to talk to me.

Sawyers described quality natural resources professionals who knew what they could say and not say without somebody editing their responses.

So, I'm not surprised that individual social media accounts are being eliminated, he said. It actually started a few years ago when the Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service and the Black Bear Twitter accounts were killed.

Candy Thomson talked of her four decades as a journalist that included 25 years as a reporter, editor and columnist. She took a buyout from The Baltimore Sun in 2013 and went to work as the public information officer for Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Most folks are interested in a few parks and follow those, but they will be required to shuffle through the posts from 72 parks once this occurs, she said of the elimination of individual social media sites. And instead of the posts coming from each park, the information will be curated by four regional managers, who have other duties.

Government needs to provide more information to the tax-paying public, she said.

Outside of personnel matters, certain real estate negotiations and law enforcement investigations, there should be little that is closed off or hidden by slight of hand by those who find the release of that information inconvenient or embarrassing, Thomson said.This subscription will allow current subscribers of The Tillamook Headlight Herald to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area.

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If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please call us at 1-(503) 842-7535 or email admin@countrymedia.net.Penumbra, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and internationally. The company offers aspiration based thrombectomy systems and accessory devices, including revascularization device for mechanical thrombectomy, such as Penumbra System under the Penumbra JET, ACE, 3D Revascularization Device, and Penumbra ENGINE brands, as well as components and accessories; neurovascular embolization coiling systems to treat patients with various sizes of aneurysms and other neurovascular lesions under the Penumbra Coil 400, POD400, PAC400, and Penumbra SMART Coil brand names; and neurovascular access systems designed to provide intracranial access for use in a range of neurovascular therapies under the Neuron, Neuron MAX, Select, BENCHMARK, DDC, and PX SLIM brands. It also provides neurosurgical aspiration tools for the removal of tissue and fluids under the Artemis Neuro Evacuation Device brand; immersive virtual reality and display system that displays and tracks upper-extremity rehabilitation exercises under the REAL Immersive System brand name; aspiration-based thrombectomy systems for vascular applications under the Indigo System brand; and detachable embolic coil systems for peripheral embolization under the Ruby Coil and Ruby LP brand names. In addition, the company offers microcatheter for the delivery of detachable coils and occlusion devices under the LANTERN brand; and detachable, microcatheter-deliverable occlusion devices designed primarily to occlude peripheral vessels under the POD (Penumbra Occlusion Device) brand name, as well as a complementary device for use with Ruby Coil and POD for vessel occlusion under the Packing Coil and POD Packing Coil brands. The company sells its products through direct sales organizations and distributors. Penumbra, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Alameda, California.

Read MoreToyota Motor Corporation designs, manufactures, assembles, and sells passenger vehicles, minivans and commercial vehicles, and related parts and accessories. It operates in Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other segments. The company offers hybrid cars under the Prius, Prius PHV, C-HR, LC HV, LS HV, Camry, JPN TAXI, Avalon, Crown, Century HV, UX HV, Corolla SD, Corolla Sport, and WG HV names; fuel cell vehicles under the MIRAI and SORA names; and conventional engine vehicles, including subcompact and compact cars under the Yaris, Aqua, Passo, Roomy, Tank, Etios, Vios, AGYA, Rush, GLANZA, and Raize names. It also provides mini-vehicles, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and auto parts under the Toyota name; mid-size cars under the Camry and REIZ names; luxury cars under the Lexus, Avalon, and Crown names; Century limousines; sports cars under the LC and Supra names; and recreational and sport-utility vehicles under the Sequoia, 4Runner, RAV4, Highlander, and Land Cruiser names. In addition, the company offers pickup trucks under the Tacoma and Tundra names; Minivans, Cabwagons, and Semi-Bonnet Wagon under the Alphard, Vellfire, Noah/Voxy, Esquire, Calya, Estima, Sienta, and Sienna names; and trucks and buses. Further, it provides financial services, such as retail financing and leasing, wholesale financing, insurance, and credit cards; and designs, manufactures, and sells prefabricated housing. Additionally, the company operates GAZOO.com, a web portal for automobile information. It operates in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.A growing number of first-time buyers are shrugging off uncertainty surrounding Brexit and getting on the property ladder, new figures show.

Help to Buy schemes, stamp duty exemptions and cheap mortgage deals are giving new buyers the boost they need to get on that all-important first rung of the ladder.

In November, there were 36,200 new first-time buyer mortgages completed, marking a 5.8 per cent increase from the same point a year earlier, UK Finance said.

First-time buyer loans: There were 36,200 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in November

The average loan taken out by first-time buyers in November was 142,500, up from 138,000 in November 2017.

The average first-time buyer is 30 and has a gross household income of 42,000.

While the number of first-time buyers is showing encouraging signs of growing, the buy-to-let market remains 'subdued.'

Saddled with higher stamp duty charges and regulatory burdens, the number of mortgage loans completed and dished out to landlords to buy properties came in at 6,100 in November, marking a 9 per cent decline from a year earlier.

By value this was 800million of lending in the month, 11.1 per cent down year-on-year.

In the buy-to-let remortgaging sector, however, there were 15,000 new buy-to-let re-mortgages completed, which is 9.5 per cent more than the same month a year earlier.

In June official figures confirmed that landlords are offloading 3,800 properties a month leading to the first drop in the number of homes available to rent in 18 years.

Jackie Bennett, Director of Mortgages at UK Finance said: 'A mixture of competitive deals and schemes including Help to Buy saw even more first-time buyers get a foot on the housing ladder during November.

'Meanwhile, homeowner remortgaging activity has steadied, after reaching its highest level in a decade the previous month as a large number of fixed-rate deals came to an end.

'In the buy-to-let market new home purchases remain subdued, while remortgaging continues to grow as landlords lock into attractive rates.'

While current market conditions may prove fruitful for first-time buyers, a survey by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors today has warned that surveyors expectations for house sales in the next few months are the worst seen for 20 years.

The Rics said that as well as Brexit uncertainty, domestic issues related to lack of supply and affordability continue to hamper the market.

Sales expectations for the next three months were the lowest since the survey began in 1999, with a balance of -28 per cent  the difference between the number of respondents anticipating increases and the number expecting decreases.

How much? The average loan taken out by first-time buyers in November was 142,500

Boost: Help to Buy schemes and stamp duty exemptions are helping to prop up the first-time buyer market

Commenting on today's figures from UK Finance, Jeremy Leaf, a north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, said: First-time buyers are dipping their toes in the water, encouraged by improving affordability, reduced competition for smaller properties from tax and regulation-hit buy-to-let investors, some attractive mortgage deals and more stable employment prospects.

There is much talk about Brexit but we find that it remains a largely London/southeast preoccupation among homebuyers.

'Elsewhere, affordability is just as important when it comes to buyers and sellers making home-moving decisions. Activity is likely to remain subdued before we leave the EU one way or the other - and immediately afterwards, bearing in mind the post-implementation period too.'

Charts: UK Finance charts showing lending patterns over time within the UK

Dilpreet Bhagrath, a mortgage expert at Trussle said: 'These figures show Brexit uncertainty hasnt prevented first-time buyers from grasping the opportunity to step foot on the housing ladder. The reality is that there are good deals to be had and many first-time buyers are taking advantages of schemes such as Help to Buy.

'Meanwhile remortgaging has slowed, month-on-month, suggesting home owners have been adopting a wait and see approach as we approached Brexit.

'However, its worth remembering these figures relate to November, well before uncertainty reached its recent peak - linked to recent votes in Parliament. Because of this, we expect to see another surge in remortgaging in the coming months, as many home owners look to lock in fixed deals to avoid any instability in their mortgage payments.'

Shaun Church, director at Private Finance, said: 'The first time buyer market is finally booming. With 6bn lending provided to first time buyers in November alone, the message is loud and clear that lenders are eager to offer mortgages to prospective homeowners.'

Meanwhile, Jonathan Harris, director of mortgage broker Anderson Harris, said: 'Some buyers are of the view that the Brexit uncertainty means that sellers will take an offer that they might not have accepted a while ago, so for those who are cash buyers, chain-free or simply have their funding lined up, there are some buying opportunities out there.

'Buy-to-let remains subdued although landlords are cannily re-mortgaging and cutting costs where they can.

'Mortgage rates are still competitive, with some tempting rates for borrowers in both the residential and buy-to-let space.'Online estate agency Emoov is set to relaunch under new management just one month after going into administration.

Emoov will go back online later this month after its branding and platform was acquired by property letting start-up Mashroom for 300,000, according to property trade magazine Property Week.

The group placed itself into voluntary liquidation in December after trying and failing to find a buyer for the business.

Founder Russell Quirk at the time blamed shareholders for not investing in the business following the group's 100million merger with TV personality Sarah Beeny's Tepilo earlier in the year, stating the group 'literally ran out of cash'.

Online estate agent called in the administrators after not posting a profit for nine years

Now the company's new owners believe the platform's quick reopening will 'boost confidence in the online estate agency world'.

Mashroom founder Stepan Dobrovolskiy said: 'This is the start of a new chapter for the company and the industry.

'I believe an unencumbered, wiser and innovative Emoov is in the perfect position to develop a sustainable business model for the industry.'

The group added that Emoov will continue as a hybrid agency based on a branch-free, fixed fee model with self-employed agents.

Who are the buyers? Mashroom founder Stepan Dobrovolskiy Mashroom, which hasn't officially launched yet, claims to be a 'peer-to-peer' lending service connecting incoming and outgoing tenants. It was founded by Russian nationals Spartak Zuy and Stepan Dobrovolskiy. The acquisition announcement followed a story yesterday in Property Week which claimed that the group had been purchased by its former chief technology officer Ivan Ramirez, backed by Russian venture capital firm Kite Ventures. Dobrovolskiy was a managing partner at Kite Ventures until last year. However, Mashroom has since released a statement stating that neither Ivan Ramirez nor Kite Ventures were involved in the deal.

Emoov went into administration just months after completing a crowdfunding round on platform Crowdcube in which the business was valued at 104million.

The group's latest crowdfunding bid raised 1.84million from 1,064 investors.

The platform has since received over 30 formal complaints over the Emoov pitch, with some investors reportedly considering legal action.

Investors are reported to be angry over a perceived lack of due diligence on the part of the crowdfunding platform.

Luke Lang, Crowdcube co-founder, told This Is Money: 'It's always disappointing when a business doesn't succeed, but as we underline on our platform, there is a very real risk when investing in startups and growth companies.'

Last month Quirk's son and former employee Callum Quirk wrote in a blog post titled 'Emooving on' that '[Emoov] was no "punt" but an investment with one's own capital at risk.'

He added: 'Everyone should be fully aware that there is never a guaranteed pot of gold when making investments despite any noted previous success.'

What went wrong for Emoov?

In April Emoov reported net liabilities of 583,824 for the year to 30 April 2017, up from 275,896 the previous year.

The group had been loss-making since it was founded in 2009, and had expected to post a profit by 2020.

Quirk said in an interview following the Tepilo merger that the business could be capitalised as 500million to 700million in the next two years.

In June the digital estate agent made an audacious bid for Countrywide, which wasn't accepted.

'There are things I could have done differently, hindsight is a wonderful thing,' Quirk told the This is Money podcast.

'I've hired the wrong people and things haven't worked out. It's been a big test and learning experience.

'Ultimately we could have done things differently, yes and no, but I don't think in hindsight we would have done because we wanted a big exit.'

Before going bust the group was reportedly spending 800,000 a month, according to trade magazine Estate Agent Today.

What's become of Russell Quirk?

Controversial Emoov founder Russell Quirk set up a new company in September, 'Russell Quirk Ltd', which is described as being a real estate agency and public relations firm.

Russell Quirk, former Emoov chief executive

A week later he set up public relations firm 'Properganda', which now sends property related press releases to journalists which feature quotes from Quirk.

Quirk's press releases describe him as a 'property expert'.

He has also since featured in a series of Youtube videos titled 'what went wrong with Emoov?'.

Quirk was a Conservative councilor for Brentwood Borough Council for nine years. He caused controversy in 2013 for comparing his fellow Conservative colleagues to child murderers Fred West and Ian Brady.

In 2017 he got into trouble again for sending out a press release highlighting 'the best places to buy property outside of a nuclear impact zone'.

Branded the 'worst press release ever' by a Times journalist, the release contained a map of the UK showing the likely blast radiuses in the event of a nuclear attack.

Quirk's controversial 'best places to buy property outside a nuclear impact zone' press release

Quirk later apologised for causing offense, describing the release as 'tongue in cheek'.

His LinkedIn account describes his job description as 'currently contemplating what else is next'.In the event of a no-deal Brexit, UK motorists will need to take extra provisions in order to drive in mainland Europe.

Millions of British drivers wanting to use their own cars on the continent - or to cross the Irish border by road - will need a Green Card, the Association of British Insurers has warned.

Here's everything you need to know about Green Cards and what they might mean to you if Britain crashes out of the European Union on 29 March 2019 with no deal.

Green Card: In the event of a no Brexit, UK motorists will need to obtain a Green Card a month in advance to drive their own vehicles in the EU, the Association of British Insurers has warned

What is a Green Card?

It's not actually a card at all.

The Green Card is an international certificate of insurance printed on green paper.

It provides visiting motorists the minimum compulsory insurance cover required by the law of the country being visited.

It not only allows the movement of vehicles across international borders with proof of existing insurance but also ensure that victims of accidents involving foreign registered vehicles are not disadvantaged.

Where does the Green Card system currently operate?

Green Cards are required in 47 countries, including all 28 in the European Union, the additional countries that make up the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, Russia and several countries in the Middle East and others bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

A Green Card is no longer required for travel to the EEA, Andorra, Serbia and Switzerland, though this would cease to apply for UK motorists in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Here's the break down of countries where UK motorists could have to carry a Green Card to prove they have valid insurance to drive in Europe

Where do I get a Green Card?

Responsibility for issuing Green Cards is given to national organisations - which lies with the Motor Insurance Bureau in the UK.

However, the MIB delegate this responsibility to insurers for efficiency, meaning motorists need to contact their policy provider to get one.

How much will a Green Card cost?

The Department of Transport issued guidance to drivers and insurers back in September, assuring the nation's motorists that the cards would be issued free of charge.

But costs could still increase for car owners, as insurers may choose to impose administration fees to reflect the cost of providing them.

The MIB says insurers are entitled to charge motorists if cover is increased at the same time the Green Card is issued.

The provision of this additional cover is at the discretion of the individual insurer, it says.

Is a Green Card definitely needed if there's a no-deal Brexit?

A deal has been struck between UK and European insurance authorities in May to waive the need for Green Cards in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

However, the agreement has not yet been ratified by the European Commission.

When do I need to contact my insurer to get a Green Card?

Holidaymakers and businesses are being told they will need to notify their insurance provider around one month before they travel to arrange the extra documentation - or risk breaking the law.

The same rules will also apply to European Economic Area motorists travelling to the UK.

A deal had been struck between UK and European insurance authorities in May to waive the need for Green Cards in the event of a no-deal Brexit. However, the agreement has not yet been ratified by the European Commission

Do I need a separate Green Card if I'm towing a caravan or a trailer?

For countries that require separate trailer insurance, a separate Green Card may be required for the trailer as well.

What happens if I don't have a Green Card?

Failure to obtain a Green Card for your UK-registered vehicle may result in you having your vehicle seized, prosecution or a hefty fine.

Is there any way I could drive in the EU without a Green Card?

There is the possibility that motorists would be allowed to drive if they were to arrange third-party insurance bought in the country they are driving in, which is called 'frontier insurance'.

However, this type of insurance may not be widely available, is likely to offer a reduced level of cover compared to what you already have, could be more expensive than UK-issued policies and means vehicle owners will have multiple policies for when they drive at home and abroad.

The extra documentation needed in the event of a no-deal Brexit would be free, though insurers could increase admin fees to issue them to drivers

Is there a no-deal Brexit impact on travel insurance?

Britons are being reassured that - unlike motor cover - travel insurance will continue to work in the normal way, even in the event the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) system that allows people some free healthcare in the EU isn't replaced, the ABI said.

Anyone travelling in the EU after March 29 should 'have their travel insurance documents or their insurer's emergency medical assistance contact number with them as they have the medical expertise, contacts and facilities to help you if you fall ill or are injured abroad', the association added.

'In the event of severe travel disruption at ports or airports customers are being advised that airlines, travel agents or credit card providers would be the first port of call for financial compensation.

'If these routes have been exhausted and you have travel disruption cover in place as part of your travel insurance policy, it is possible that you will be covered against some financial losses. However this will depend on your policy so you should check with your insurer.'

What the Association of British Insurers have said about Green Cards...

Huw Evans, director general at the ABI, said: 'As it looks increasingly possible that a "no-deal" Brexit may happen, we want all insurance customers to know the facts about what this means for them.

'If you live in Northern Ireland and drive to the Republic of Ireland, or if you plan to drive your vehicle to mainland Europe after a no-deal Brexit, you will need a Green Card to prove you are insured.

'You should contact your insurer before you travel in order to get one. This advice applies to businesses as well as individuals.'Letting agents will no longer be able to charge rip-off tenant fees from June, the Government has announced.

The new rules, first proposed by Chancellor Philip Hammond in 2017, will see a ban on landlords and letting agents in England charging tenants any additional fees when they sign up for a new rental property.

Fees will be limited to charges for replacement keys and late rent payments only.

Security deposits will be capped at the equivalent of five weeks' rent, and holding deposits to one week's rent.

Government analysis suggests tenants will on average save around 300 every time they move house as a result of the ban.

Renters have been waiting almost two years for the promised ban on agent fees to materialise

The Tenant Fees Bill was brought in after evidence emerged showing that agents were routinely overcharging tenants for simple tasks - many of which they also bill landlords for - either as part of standard agency fees or as extras.

Citizens Advice found that 64 per cent of tenants experience problems paying letting agents' fees, and 42 per cent have to borrow money to cover the cost.

Meanwhile a report from the charity Shelter found that nearly one in four people in England and Wales feels they have been charged unfair fees by a letting agent.

What are the key points of the Bill? Fees will be limited to charges for replacement keys and late rent payments only Holding deposits to be capped at no more than one week's rent, applying to a maximum of one property only Breaching the Bill will be a civil offence with a fine of 5,000 for a first offence and civil penalties of up to 30,000 Local authorities will be able to retain the money raised through financial penalties with this money reserved for future local housing enforcement Source: National Landlords Association Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: 'This Bill is great news for renters, as it will stop them being asked for hundreds of pounds every time they move or want to renew a tenancy. 'It will also stop them being charged arbitrary amounts that often don't reflect the reality of the work. When renters are as pressed financially as we know many are, this will provide some important protections, and peace of mind.'

Letting agencies typically charge tenants around 337 in fees to rent a home  and many tenants in London are forced to pay over 400.

This led to concerns that costs are being ramped up rather than passed on.

Credit checks, for example, can cost as little as 3 but many letting agents charge tenants in excess of 50 for them.

In other instances, tenants can be charged for admin work, such as tenancy renewals and inventories, when these should be covered by the letting and management fees already being charged to landlords.

According to comparison site Letting Fees UK, as of April 2016 a two-person household paid an average 386 in letting fees, with fees charged ranging from 40 to up to 780.

Some letting agencies are worse than others

As an example of how bad things can get, letting agent Haslams in Reading recently sent the following estimate to a couple looking to rent a flat in the area.

On top of their deposit and one month's rent up front, they were expected to pay a further 650 in tenant agency fees, plus a check in charge of 130.

After this they would have received a 450 reservation fee rebate, which they would have already have been expected to have paid.

On Haslam's website tenants can expect to find a range of extra charges, including 157.50 for adding a tenant and 50 for adding an additional clause to a tenancy agreement.

It also costs an additional 157.50 to process a guarantor application, something apparently not covered in the 650 tenancy agency fee.

On top of this, it costs 50 per cent more to write an additional clause when a tenant is already in the house.

A spokeswoman for the company said: 'Reputation to us is really important which is why we look at the long-term as well as the short-term aspects of the service that we offer and the fees that we charge.

'We always benchmark our fees against other leading agents in the area to ensure that we are competitive and in many cases are often cheaper.

'We look at each aspect of the service that we offer and so our margins vary: on some we make very little and on others we make more resulting in a blended return.

'Obviously all tenant fees are being banned and so the business model will evolve as the costs associated with letting properties are still there and so they will need to be absorbed.'

The Government predicts that the Bill will cost landlords 83million, or 31 per landlord in the first year of implementation.

It could also cost letting agents 157million and even lead to branch closures and job losses.

Renters collectively can expect to save 240million a year. A Government consultation found that 93 per cent of tenants agreed with the proposals.

Hannah Slater, of campaign group Generation Rent, said: 'It's great news that tenant fees for new contracts will be banned from June, saving hard-pressed private renters hundreds of pounds a year.

'But renters should be aware that tenant fees will continue to be allowed for a further 12 months if written into contracts up until 1 June 2019.

'Tenants seeking or renewing new contracts in the first five months of this year should shop around and challenge contracts which continue to charge these unfair fees.'EMILY ST. LAWRENCE, Chariho girls lacrosse, senior: St. Lawrence scored the 100th goal of her career in a 16-1 win against Lincoln. St. Lawrence finished her career with 104 goals, eight short of the school record. The team did not play last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

JOSH MOONEY, Stonington track & field, sophomore: Mooney scored in three events at the State Open meet. Mooney was second in the 110 hurdles, fourth in the javelin and fifth in the 300 hurdles. He scored all 17 of Stoningtons points.

ALEX STOEHR, Westerly softball, freshman: Stoehr hit three triples and a double in a doubleheader sweep of Barrington. For the week, she was 7 for 13 with four doubles, two triples and three RBIs. Stoehr is hitting .333 for the season.

Vote

View Results\R Jaipur, Jan 17 (PTI) The Rajasthan cabinet on Thursday approved two amendments bills to do away with the condition of minimum educational qualification for contesting local body elections.

The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and the Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, will be introduced in the Assembly during the present session, a statement said.

The education criteria was introduced by the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in 2015. It requires a candidate to pass Class X for contesting municipal, zila parishad or panchayat samiti elections. A candidate contesting for the post of a sarpanch is required to have passed Class VIII or Class V in tribal-reserved areas.

The cabinet also decided to ask the state public service commission to extend the date of the RAS main examination.

In a meeting held at the chief minister's residence, it was also decided that the examinations should be conducted in time and in an organised manner in future. All hurdles should be removed in a systematic manner to ensure aspirants are not affected, a government statement said.

The decision came in wake of the agitation by the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) aspirants, demanding the government to extend the exam.

State cabinet minister Parsadi Lal Meena told reporters that many issues, including key legislations like farm-loan waiver and removing educational norms in local body and panchayat elections, were discussed in the meeting.

Party leaders said the cabinet also discussed issues related to water, electricity and schemes for the unemployed youths. However, the issue of 10-per cent reservation for "economically weaker" section in the general category was not discussed in this meeting, they said. PTI AG

HMBMuzaffarnagar, Jan 17 (PTI) A 20-year-old man was killed after being hit by a celebratory gunshot fired at the wedding of a district panchayat member's son in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said Thursday.

The man, identified as Suraj Kumar, was critically injured in the firing at the wedding ceremony in Kachchighari village Wednesday evening, they said.

According to Shamli ASP Ajay Pratap Singh, the injured was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries Thursday.

A case has been registered and the matter is being probed, the ASP said. PTI CORR CKCommemorative coins released to mark MGR birth anniversary

Chennai, Jan 17 (PTI) Two commemorative coins in the

denomination of Rs 100 and Rs 5 were released Thursday to mark

the 102nd birth anniversary of late Tamil Nadu chief minister

and ruling AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran which was

celebrated across the state.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O

Panneerselvam released the coins at a function here while

floral tributes were paid to the late matinee idol-turned

politician Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR.

As part of birth anniversary celebrations, a 66 feet wide

and 52 feet tall "Dr MGR Centenary Arch", constructed across

the arterial Kamarajar road, off the famous Marina beach

here, was also unveiled.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, who are the co-cordinator

and cordinator of the AIADMK, along with ministerial

colleagues and other senior party leaders garlanded statues of

MGR and his protege J Jayalalithaa at the party headquarters

in the city where hundreds of party cadres also gathered.

Sweets were distributed on the occasion.

The commemorative coins were released at a function in

the

Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University complex.

The coins bear the portrait of Ramachandran at the centre

along with the inscription 'DR M G Ramachandran Birth

Centenary' on the lower periphery.

Accepting a request by the state government, the Centre

had last year published the gazette notification for the issue

of the coins.

In neighbouring Puducherry, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy

led the Union Territory in paying floral tributes to MGR.

Legislators of the ruling Congress also offered tributes.

AIADMK workers led by Puducherry secretary P

Purushothaman and party MLAs A Anbalagan, A Baskar and

Vayyapuri Manikandan paid floral tributes at a statue of MGR

at the party headquarters.

The day was as usual marked by portraits of MGR decorated

with flowers being kept at street corners and songs from his

movies played at several places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

MGR broke away from DMK in 1972 following differences

with the then party chief late M Karunanidhi and floated the

AIADMK. He captured power in 1977 and ruled the state for ten

years without a break till his death.

Three-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MGR was awarded

the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1988. PTI CPB CORR

VS VSNew Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Standards of morality in a society changes with time, the Supreme Court said Thursday while setting aside certain provisions of a 2016 Maharashtra law which restricted licensing and functioning of dance bars in the state.

The top court, which paved the way for grant of licences and re-opening of dance bars in Maharashtra, said the state can neither exercise "social control" with its own "notion of morality" nor take exception to staging dance performances per se.

"It needs to be borne in mind that there may be certain activities which the society perceives as immoral per se. It may include gambling (though that is also becoming a debatable issue now), prostitution etc. It is also to be noted that standards of morality in a society change with the passage of time," said a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan.

The top court quashed several provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurant and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016, including installation of CCTV cameras in dance bars, saying it was "totally inappropriate and amounts to invasion of privacy".

The court said a particular activity, which was treated as immoral few decades ago, may not be so now as societal norms keep changing with time.

"Social change is of two types, continuous or evolutionary and discontinuous or revolutionary. The most common form of change is continuous. This day-to-day incremental change is a subtle, but dynamic, factor in social analysis," the bench said.

The court said it cannot be denied that dance performances, in dignified forms, are socially acceptable and nobody takes exceptions to it.

It said since obscenity is treated as immoral, therefore obscene dance performance may not be acceptable and the state can pass a law prohibiting such dances.

However, it observed that "a practice which may not be immoral by societal standards cannot be thrusted upon the society as immoral by the state with its own notion of morality and thereby exercise social control".

"It appears from the history of legislative amendments made from time to time that the respondents (Maharashtra and others) have somehow developed the notion that such performances in the dance bars do not have moralistic basis," the court said in its judgement.

It said that many conditions stipulated for obtaining the licence were virtually impossible to perform.

"It is this reason that not a single establishment has been issued licence under the impugned Act even when it was passed in the year 2014. In fact, after the amendment in Maharashtra Police Act in 2005, no licences have been granted for dance bars," the bench said.

The court said though the 2016 Act appeared to be regulatory in nature, the real consequences and effect was to prohibit such dance bars.

"The state, thereby, is aiming to achieve something indirectly which it could not do directly. Such a situation is beyond comprehension and cannot be countenanced," the court said.

"We have quashed those provisions of the Act and the Rules which we have found as unreasonable and unconstitutional. We hope that applications for grant of licence shall now be considered more objectively and with open mind so that there is no complete ban on staging dance performances at designated places prescribed in the Act," it said.

The court delivered the verdict on petitions filed by association of various hotel owners and bar owners, R R Patil Foundation and Bhartiya Bargirls Union, challenging certain provisions of the 2016 Act and the Rules. PTI LLP ABA MNL RKS ABA SOM

SOMJammu, Jan 17 (PTI) In the backdrop of heavy firing and shelling by Pakistan troops this month, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh Thursday visited forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district and reviewed the prevailing security situation, a senior Army officer said.

Lt Gen Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command, accompanied by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh visited forward posts of Poonch Sector to review the operational preparedness and the prevailing security situation, he said.

During the visit to the sector, the Army Commander was briefed by the commanders on ground about the current operational situation, prevailing security dynamics and the preparedness of the formations in dealing with the same, the officer said.

There was heavy firing and shelling by the Pakistan troops going on for 12 days this month, besides IED blasts triggered by militants from across the border in which a Major, assistant commandant, among four were killed and three others injured.

The Army Commander was also briefed on the actions being taken to ensure a robust counter infiltration and counter terrorist grid to enable continued peace and stability in the region, officer said.

The Army Commander interacted with the soldiers and complimented them for their unwavering dedication to duty, selfless devotion and high standard of professionalism.

He appreciated the measures and standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations in their area of responsibility to minimise the casualties due to ceasefire violations and infiltration bids.

The Army Commander also praised the synergy between all security forces. The need to be prepared for effectively meeting emerging security challenges was also reinforced.

He exhorted all ranks on the need to remain vigilant to counter the nefarious designs of the enemy and anti-national elements.

The Army Commander was also updated by the White Knight Corps Commander on the current security situation. PTI AB KJNoida (UP), Jan 17 (PTI) As many as 69 people were arrested within three hours in Gautam Buddh Nagar district on Thursday in a concerted crackdown on criminals by police, officials said.

The arrests were made during "Operation All Out" launched by Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna in the district, including Noida and Greater Noida areas, the officials said.

As many as 1,291 vehicle owners were challaned after their riders/drivers were found without proper documents, or in violation of the law, and Rs 90,050 was recovered as penalty, a police spokesperson said.

Also, 329 vehicles, including four-wheelers, were impounded during the operation, the spokesperson said, adding that a total of 69 people were arrested  40 in urban areas and 29 in rural.

"The operation began at 12pm and continued till 3pm during which policemen were deployed at spots from where cash loots, mobile and jewellery snatchings and other street crimes are often reported," the official said.

"Policemen were also deployed at spots that witness large cash transfers  such as jewellery markets, banks, liquor shops. The focus was on checking vehicles which had tampered number plates. Because in most cases, such vehicles are used to commit crimes," the spokesperson said.

A .32 bore pistol, a revolver, two country-made pistols of .315 bore with ammunition, two stolen motorcycles and 10 cartons of illicit liquor were also seized during the operation, police said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar is divided under 22 police station areas, besides one dedicated women police station. Eight police stations fall in Noida city, while the rest in Greater Noida and rural areas.

Senior officials including Superintendent of Police, City, Sudha Singh and Superintendent of Police, Rural, Vineet Jaiswal led the teams in Noida and Greater Noida, respectively. PTI KIS ABH

ABHNew Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) A former Central Information Commissioner has written to the President Thursday seeking disclosure of all the documents and reports that became the basis of removal of Alok Verma as CBI Director.

In his letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, former CIC Sridhar Acharyulu strongly advocated instilling transparency in the CBI and CIC appointments.

"The transparency should begin with CIC appointments and it should be ensured in all activities of governance in all institutions like CBI and CIC, and top-level Committees headed by the Prime Minister in dealing with issues like appointing and removing director of CBI and selecting the Commissioners for CIC, etc," he said.

Recalling the speech of Kovind on the annual convention of the Central Information Commission last year where he had said there was no such thing as too much information in a democracy, Acharyulu said there is serious information deficit on the CBI and CIC appointments.

Information deficit about Information Commissioners will not enable citizen to take up the issues with CIC with confidence, he said.

On the removal of Verma as CBI chief, Acharyulu said complete information like the CVC report or any other document that formed basis for the decision should be disclosed as demanded by Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge who was also part of the High level committee which took the decision in a split verdict.

Undoubtedly the Committee has power to remove the director as confirmed by the bench of Supreme Court, but is it not necessary to disclose all material reports considered for removal to be made available to the public in general and members of the committee including Mr Kharge in particular, he said

Citing the speech of Kovind where he had said the issue of transparency is about nurturing the social contract of trust between the citizen and the state where both must have faith in each other, Acharyulu asked why the Government is leaving the people with serious dearth of information about happenings in CBI and appointments in CIC?

Section 4 of RTI Act mandates voluntary disclosure about all appointments. The Supreme Court said that there should be transparency in this process of CIC appointments. The Government takes steps to fill the vacancies only when the judiciary goads them and reviews the process like a super boss, in the public interest litigations filed by public spirited persons. Yet they are not giving required details, he said.

Alok Verma was removed on January 10 unceremoniously as the CBI director after a high-powered panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi found that he had not been functioning with integrity expected of him.

The panel also comprised Kharge and Justice A K Sikri, appointed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as his nominee. Kharge has expressed his dissent to the decision which was taken by a majority of 2:1. PTI ABS RCJNew Delhi/Shillong, Jan 17 (PTI) Navy divers have found a body in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district and spotted some skeletons in the area, weeks after a multi-agency search operation was launched to rescue 15 trapped miners, officials and sources said Thursday.

Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said in New Delhi that the Navy divers detected the body using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at a depth of approximately 160 feet and 210 feet inside the rat hole mine on Wednesday night.

The body, which is yet to be identified, has been pulled upto the 'mouth' of the mine and is being retrieved under the supervision of a team of doctors, he said.

The 15 miners were trapped in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills district since December 13 after water from a nearby river gushed in.

Sources said the Navy divers on Thursday also spotted through the ROV a number of skeletons inside one of the rat-hole mines and are waiting for the state administration's directive on the future course of action.

They said it was not clear if the skeletons seen through high-resolution cameras on board the ROV were of the missing miners.

The Navy Spokesperson said the body will be taken out of the mine under the supervision of doctors.

"Our divers are trying by hit and trial in uncharted mines. We've established that the miners were in the area. It has been a very complicated operation. We will continue our operation," said Capt Sharma said.

On skeletons being seen by the Navy team, the sources said the water inside the mines has high Sulphur content which can decompose the bodies very fast.

"Skeletons were seen by the ROV. We do not know whether the skeletons are the of trapped miners. Forensics experts are expected to tell the rescuers about the next step," said a source.

The 15 miners had gone for mining on December 13. They were trapped after water from a nearby river flooded the rat-hole mine.

Days later, several agencies including the Navy, NDRF, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, Odisha fire service were deployed to rescue the miners. The Navy divers had joined the search operation on December 30.

The rescuers were struggling to pump out water from the the mines.

The Supreme Court on January 3 expressed strong dissatisfaction over the rescue efforts to trace the trapped miners and told the state government to bring them out dead or alive.

In the Khloo-Ryngksan area, where the ill-fated mine is located on the western side of a small hillock, the Lytein river criss crosses the valley for over 2 km.

Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills F M Dopth said the area has at least 80-100 flooded and abandoned mines. PTI MPB JOP MPB

MPB

MPBPanchkula (Haryana), Jan 17 (PTI) A special CBI court in Panchkula Thursday sentenced self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the three others convicted last Friday in the case appeared before the court through video conferencing.

"All four have been sentenced to life imprisonment," CBI counsel H P S Verma said.

On January 11, special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted the four men for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in 2002.

All the four were convicted under section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Ram Rahim appeared through video conferencing from Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where he is already serving a 20-year-sentence in a rape case.

The three others - Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Krishan Lal - appeared from Ambala jail.

The journalist was killed in Haryana's Sirsa in October 2002 after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by the godman at the Dera headquarters in the same town.

Ram Rahim was named as the main conspirator in the case.

Chhatrapati's family approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003, seeking the transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The investigation was later handed over to the CBI which filed the chargesheet in July 2007.

In August 2017, the sect leader was brought to the Panchkula court where the CBI court judge pronounced the verdict in rape case.

PTI CHS VSD ASH

ASHNew Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) India Thursday strongly condemned the deadly terror attack at a luxury hotel complex in Kenya's Nairobi, where 21 people were killed.

According to reports, at least two blasts and gunfire were heard at the compound which houses the Dusit hotel and some offices.

"India strongly condemns the horrific terrorist attack in Dusit D2 Hotel and offices complex in Nairobi on January 15 which caused loss of innocent lives. We stand in solidarity with Kenya at this juncture," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

India wished early recovery of the people injured in the attack, the ministry said.

"We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Kenya and wish early recovery to the injured," it added. PTI MPB MPB SOM

SOMNew Delhi/Gurgaon, Jan 17 (PTI) Karnataka BJP MLAs who are cooped up in a resort in Haryana will take a call on returning to the state after the Congress legislature party meeting on Friday, according to sources.

State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar are among a dozen legislators who have gone back to Bengaluru to see a prominent Lingayat seer, Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur, who has taken ill, they said.

The sources said that at present, about 75 BJP MLAs including Shobha Karandlaje are in the Gurgaon resort and will stay put till top party leaders give their nod to return to Karnataka.

The BJP will "wait and watch" for the outcome of the Congress legislature party meeting scheduled Friday to demonstrate unity among the party MLAs, they added.

"Congress Legislature Party meeting presided by CLP leader Siddaramaiah is scheduled for 3:30 pm on January 18 at the Conference Hall of Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat)," Siddaramaiah's office had said in a statement on Wednesday.

The meeting assumes significance following attempts by the Congress to reach out to its disgruntled MLAs, who are allegedly ready to jump ship to the BJP side.

According to Congress sources, few ministers from the party have even offered to step down in the larger interest and to keep the coalition intact. The party leadership is also looking into the option, they added.

There are reports that a few of the MLAs have gone incommunicado, with at least three to five of them camped in Mumbai along with a couple of BJP leaders

A political crisis is brewing in Karnataka, where two Independent MLAs Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old ministry amid trading of poaching charges by the ruling coalition and BJP.

Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda had said on Tuesday that the BJP would stake claim to power in Karnataka if the Congress-JDS coalition government falls.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy however reiterated he enjoyed the support of 120 MLAs and alleged that Yeddyurappa was making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government.

In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides Speaker. PTI LUX GVSRobbers loot money from bank in broad daylight

Patna, Jan 17 (PTI) Armed robbers struck at private

bank in the Bihar capital in broad daylight on Thursday and

decamped with more than Rs seven lakh in cash after holding

employees and customers hostage at gunpoint, police said.

The incident took place in Rajiv Nagar police station

area where the miscreants looted the money from Bandhan Bank,

Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Garima Malik told

reporters.

"The robbers who entered the bank and took employees

and customers at gunpoint were said to be four in number. An

equal number was said to be outside the building while those

inside collected the cash," she said.

"We have set up a special committee to crack this case

headed by an Additional Superintendent of Police. The guilty

would be behind the bars soon," she claimed.

The incident came less than 48 hours after as many as

four ATMs in the city were cut through by unidentified persons

who also stole a total sum of about Rs 35 lakh stored inside

the automatic transaction machines. PTI NAC

RG RGGuwahati, Jan 17 (PTI) BJP general secretary Ram Madhav appealed to the Asom Gana Parishad on Thursday to reconsider its decision to snap ties with the party over the contentious citizenship bill last week.

Madhav, who is also the incharge of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Northeast, sought to allay apprehensions regarding the bill, saying it was not only for Assam or the Northeast, but for the entire country.

Among those opposing the bill, there are some who are genuinely concerned "whom we respect", but there are also some who are opposing only for their "political interests", Madhav said at a press conference here.

There are others like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), who are opposing the bill to "disturb" peace and create unrest, he added.

The AGP had on January 7 pulled out of the BJP-led coalition government in Assam, after its "last-ditch attempt" to convince the Centre to withdraw the proposed legislation failed.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three AGP ministers had resigned from the Assam cabinet the next day.

"We appeal them (AGP) to reconsider their decision to leave the alliance as we went together to the people before the elections and also fought the assembly polls together.

"That is why Chief Minister Sabananda Sonowal has not forwarded the three AGP ministers' resignation letters to the governor for acceptance as the mandate of the people was for an alliance. We respect the people's mandate and appeal the AGP to reconsider its decision," Madhav said.

On some of the state BJP legislators coming out publicly against the bill, Madhav said, "They have a genuine concern. They will go to Delhi and we will explain to them to allay their apprehensions".

The civil society, student unions and regional political parties are protesting against the bill in northeastern states, fearing that their identities would be affected.

"A situation has been created in Assam by creating a fear psychosis to stall the work of the high-level committee set up by the Centre to go into Clause 6 of Assam Accord.

"We understand that under such circumstances it is normal to be concerned. I assure that all measures will be taken so that the identity of Assam is not affected," he said.

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, 1985, envisages constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

"There is no need for the uncalled for concerns among the people as legislative and administrative measures are being taken to protect the identity, language and culture of Assam and the other northeastern states," the BJP leader asserted.

"I want to remove the lie that is being spread... I am confident that after telling the truth to the people, they will understand our standpoint," he said.

"The government will keep in view its obligation to the refugees, the minorities of erstwhile Pakistan, as well as the interests of the people of Assam and the northeast region... That is why I appeal to those spreading misinformation to stop it," Madhav said.

The chief minister of Assam and its neighbouring northeastern states are under oath to protect the interests of the people, he said. "No problems will come their way."

"The government will also see to it that no obstruction comes in the way of the law that is being framed (on the Citizenship Bill)," he added. PTI ESB KK

HMBKolkata, Jan 17 (PTI) The West Bengal BJP unit Thursday submitted a letter to the state government, giving details about their 'Save Democracy Rally' in the state.

BJP's state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar went to the West Bengal secretariat and submitted the letter which mentioned about holding four yatras in the

state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party requested the state government to consider the

programme with "utmost expedition" under the guidelines of the Supreme Court.

The BJP said the yatras would be "a political endeavour of connecting with the people in a peaceful manner. It will not sponsor or subscribe any communal message or

insinuations".

The state BJP unit also described that the four yatras would be aiming "to connect people towards strengthening the democratic as well as secular system and practices of our nation, of which the state is a significant part".

"All kinds of law of the land and regulations will be maintained and a close coordination with the local administration will be maintained for mutual cooperation," the party's letter mentioned.

"Sensitivity of people from different caste, creed and religion will be adhered in an exemplary manner," the letter added.

The BJP also urged a meeting between the state government authorities with them in case of any required discussions.

The proposed 'Rath Yatras' of the BJP in West Bengal were put on hold by the Supreme Court Tuesday, which asked the party to seek a fresh approval from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state by submitting a revised proposal.

The apex court, however, allowed the West Bengal unit of the BJP to continue with its proposed public rallies and meetings under its 'Ganatantra Bachao Yatra'.

The court asked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state to consider the fresh, revised proposal of the saffron party, keeping in mind the fundamental

right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution.

The top court said the state government should respond to the revised proposal of the BJP with "utmost expedition", keeping in mind that with the commencement of the CBSE and other board examinations, the use of loudspeakers might be banned. PTI SCH

RG KJIt's black day for Maharashtra: R R Patil's daughter

Mumbai, Jan 17 (PTI) Smita Patil, daughter of the late

NCP leader R R Patil, on Thursday termed as "unfortunate" the

Supreme Court's decision to lift several restrictions on dance

bars in Maharashtra.

It was R R Patil who, as home minister in the

Congress-NCP regime, had first banned dance bars in the state.

Reacting to the court's decision, Smita said this was

a "black day".

"I felt really sad, it is unfortunate from

Maharashtra's point of view. It is a black day for the state,"

she told a news channel.

Her father was moved by the plight of some families

which were ruined due to dance bars and decided to ban these

establishments, she said.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar said R R Patil brought in the

original law banning dance bars to save the young

generation.

"But the state government did not present its side

properly before the court. The BJP has forced us to see this

black day," Pawar said.

The apex court Thursday paved the way for reopening

ofdance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions

ofa 2016 law which imposed restrictions on their licensing

andfunctioning. PTI ENM

KRK KRKNexus between Mah govt & dance bar owners led to SC order: NCP

(Eds: Adding details)

Mumbai, Jan 17 (PTI) The NCP on Thursday alleged that

the nexus between the Maharashtra government and dance bar

owners has led to the Supreme Court verdict that paves the way

for reopening of dance bars in the state.

The party also said it would ensure that the ban on

dance bars returns when it comes to power in the state.

The apex court Thursday paved the way for reopening of

dance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions of

a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and

functioning.

The NCP alleged that meetings were held between Chief

Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the association of bar owners

at the former's official residence 'Varsha', which led to the

"weakening" of the government's position on the issue before

the apex court.

The party, however, did not specify when the meeting

took place.

NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik claimed that

another meeting was held at Mayor's Bungalow (in Dadar)

two-and-a-half years ago on the same issue between some BJP

leaders and representatives of bar owners.

"Though the court has given this decision, it is the

nexus of the BJP leaders, the chief minister and bar owners'

association, which has led to the order," Malik told reporters

here.

"We will go to the people with this issue and we will

again ban dance bars after our party comes to power," he said.

His party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the

Stat Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, asked the state

government to take immediate legal steps to ensure that dance

bars do not start operating in the state once again.

"The government has once again fallen short in

presenting its side on dance bar ban before the court.

Concerned about effects of the decision in future. The

government should immediately take legal steps to see dance

bars do not start operating again," Munde said on Twitter,

tagging the Chief Minister's office in the post.

Chitra Wagh, women's wing head of the NCP, termed the

decision as "unfortunate" and one which "cannot be welcomed".

"Had the government presented its side properly, the

court would not have given this decision, which is not in the

interest of the society. There is a need to think of the

families ruined by dance bars," she added.

The apex court quashed the provisions of the

Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels,

Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women

(Working therein) Act, 2016, like the mandatory installations

of CCTV cameras in the dance bars saying they violated

privacy.

The bench, however, upheld the provision restricting

the timing of operation of dance bars from 6 pm to 11.30 pm.

PTI ENM

NP NPWashington, Jan 17 (AP) High-level talks aimed at finalizing a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are planned for this week in Washington, two US officials said Thursday.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet former North Korean spy chief Kim Yong Chol at a Washington hotel on Friday, the officials said. The meeting will likely be followed by a Kim visit to the White House, where he could meet with Trump, according to the officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Neither the US nor North Korea has announced any meetings, although earlier Thursday, Kim Yong Chol arrived in Beijing, where he was booked on a flight to the US, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

A motorcade that included the North Korean ambassador's car and a Chinese car with a sign reading "state guest" could be seen departing from a VIP area at the airport.

Trump has spoken several times of having a second summit with Kim early this year despite little tangible progress on a vague denuclearization agreement reached at their first meeting in Singapore last June. A planned meeting between Pompeo and Kim Yong Chol in New York last November was called off abruptly. U.S. officials said at the time that North Korea had canceled the session.

The talks had stalled over North Korea's refusal to provide a detailed accounting of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be used by inspectors to verify any deal to dismantle them. The North has been demanding that the US lift harsh sanctions and provide it with security guarantees before it takes any steps beyond its initial suspension of nuclear and missile tests.

Kim Jong Un expressed frustration in an annual New Year's address over the lack of progress in negotiations. But on a visit to Beijing last week, he said North Korea would pursue a second summit "to achieve results that will be welcomed by the international community," according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. AP

NSA

NSA(Eds: Updating with more quotes, details)

Islamabad, Jan 17 (PTI) US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad Thursday held talks with Pakistan's Foreign Secretary here after extensive discussions in Kabul as part of his efforts to arrange the first-ever direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Khalilzad has held three round of talks with the Afghan Taliban in order to reach a settlement that would allow the US to withdraw its army and end a 17-year-old war  America's longest.

This is Khalilzad's fifth trip to the region. He would call on the Foreign Minister on Friday 18 January.

The Foreign Office (FO) here said that Khalilzad held delegation level talks with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua in Islamabad on developments in the Afghan reconciliation process.

Ambassador Khalilzad was accompanied by an interagency delegation representing Departments of Defence, State and National Security Council. Foreign Secretary Janjua was assisted by senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, the FO said in a statement.

He briefed the Pakistan side on his recent engagements in the region and lauded Islamabad's efforts in facilitating direct talks between the Taliban and the US in Abu Dhabi last month, it said.

The Foreign Secretary reiterated Pakistan's commitment to facilitate Afghan reconciliation process to realise the shared goal of peace and stability in the region. They agreed that taking the Afghan peace process forward remained a shared responsibility.

The both sides agreed that ultimately an intra-Afghan dialogue would be vital to agree upon the contours of a future Afghan polity where Afghanistan becomes a stable and prosperous country and at peace with its neighbours, the statement said.

Khalilad arrived in Pakistan after extensive talks in Kabul as part of his efforts to arrange first ever direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, it said.

According to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's office, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani thanked Prime Minister Khan for facilitating the ongoing efforts for reconciliation in his country.

Ghani made a telephone call to Khan and discussed efforts for peace in Afghanistan, said a statement issued by Khan's office.

President Ghani expressed his "gratitude for Pakistan's sincere facilitation of these efforts" initiated by Khalilzad, it said.

President Ghani invited Khan to visit Afghanistan at his earliest convenience and the Prime Minister reciprocated by inviting Ghani to visit Pakistan.

Both leaders also agreed to remain engaged and create an environment for resolving all outstanding issues, it said.

According to US diplomatic officials in Pakistan, Khalilzad will be in Islamabad for one to four days. Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan two days later than expected.

Khalilzad is expected to meet Pakistan's civilian and military leaders during his stay and that he will ask Pakistan to help convince the Afghan Taliban to come back to the negotiation table, said Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal.

"Pakistan has also maintained we want an Afghan-led Afghan-owned solution to imbroglio," Faisal said.

The envoy's four-nation trip is expected to end on January 21.

Khalilzad will be accompanied by Deputy Assistant to the US president Lisa Curtis, who is considered as an expert on Afghan affairs, diplomatic sources said.

The US State Department said last week that Khalilzad was visiting India, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan from January 8 to seek the settlement of the Afghan problem.

He has already visited India and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on January 10.

The US official was in Beijing this weekend and held talks with senior Chinese officials.

The Afghan peace initiative has been moving at a snail's pace due to refusal of the Taliban to sit for talks with the Afghan government officials.

According to officials, the US delegation will seek Pakistan's assistance for arranging talks between Kabul and Taliban to end more than 17-year-old conflict.

Pakistan has been playing a crucial role in the process and last year released senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar from imprisonment, who is reportedly in Qatar.

Baradar was deputy to the late Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. He was arrested from Karachi in a joint Pakistan-US operation after reports that he was independently trying to conclude a deal with Afghan government.

India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. It sent two former diplomats in "non official" capacity to a conference on Afghan peace process in Moscow in November which was attended by a high-level Taliban delegation.

The conference organised by Russia was attended by representatives of Afghanistan as well as from several other countries including the US, Pakistan and China.

India has been maintaining a policy of not engaging with the Taliban and pressing for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace initiative to bring peace and stability in the war-ravaged country.

Khalilzad visited Pakistan in October before flying to Doha, Qatar where he reportedly held talks with the Taliban representatives. PTI MRJ AKJ MRJBpgota, Jan 17 (AP) Bogota's mayor says at least five people have been killed and another 10 injured in a car bombing at a police academy in Colombia's capital.

The scene outside the General Santander police academy is chaotic, with ambulances and helicopters rushing to the normally tightly controlled facility.

Witnesses say they heard a loud explosion that destroyed windows in adjacent buildings Thursday.

Pictures on social media showed a charred vehicle surrounded by debris on the academy's campus.

Mayor Enrique Penalosa says at least 5 people were killed and 10 injured.

Leftist rebels from the National Liberation Army have been stepping up attacks on police targets in Colombia amid a standoff with conservative President Ivan Duque over how to re-start stalled peace talks. AP

NSA

NSAJean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said in a statement that he has taken note of the outcome, and that the rejected Withdrawal Agreement is a fair compromise and the best possible deal.

"It reduces the damage caused by Brexit for citizens and businesses across Europe. It is the only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union," Juncker said.

"The risk of a disorderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom has increased with this evening's vote. While we do not want this to happen, the European Commission will continue its contingency work to help ensure the EU is fully prepared," he said, urging the UK "to clarify its intentions as soon as possible. Time is almost up."

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, tweeted: "If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?"

The British parliament on Tuesday (January 15) rejected the Brexit deal in a 432-202 vote, further complicating the country's historic exit from the European Union.

Politicians and scholars from the EU and member states voiced concerns for a no-deal Brexit and urged for preparations for such a scenario.

"If no one really wants a no deal Brexit, then Brexit simply has to be delayed. Pressure for a new referendum will in all probability increase. And that takes time. But then EU should give the time," Carl Bildt, co-chair of the think-tank European Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted.

"I deeply regret the outcome of the vote as I regret Brexit as such. Now we need a fast and clear plan on how to proceed. Because that's what we need to do: finding solutions, not problems. Our internal preparations to limit the damage in case of a No-Deal shall go ahead in full steam," said Xavier Bettel, prime minister of Luxembourg, in a tweet.

"No deal. No delay. Belgian federal government is preparing for all options. Belgian Customs will accelerate its efforts to assist our Belgian companies," Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo tweeted.

"Brexit vote is bad news. Our first thoughts are with 3.6m EU citizens living in UK and Britons living elsewhere in EU. They need assurances with regards to their future. We will always stand by their side," Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, tweeted.

"The UK Parliament has said what it doesn't want. Now is the time to find out what UK parliamentarians want. In the meantime, the rights of citizens must be safeguarded," Guy Verhofstadt, a Belgian politician and key member of the European Parliament, tweeted.New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2015 hours



FGN27 PAK-INDIA

India lacks clarity on its ties with Pakistan: FO

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday described its relationship with India as "difficult" and said New Delhi lacked clarity in its policy on ties with Islamabad which is slowing down progress on resolving bilateral issues. By Sajjad Hussain



FGN26 PAK-INDIA-AFGHAN

India has "no role" in Afghanistan: Pak FO

Islamabad: India has no role in Afghanistan, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said Thursday, asserting that Islamabad played a key role in arranging direct talks between the Taliban and the US to find a peaceful solution to the longstanding Afghan problem. By Sajjad Hussain



FGN24 UK-LDALL MAY

UK PM May narrowly survives no-confidence vote after Brexit defeat; reaches out to rivals

London: Beleaguered British Prime Minister Theresa May has appealed to Opposition leaders to "put self-interest aside" and work with her to secure a new Brexit deal after she narrowly survived a no-confidence vote, a day after her divisive divorce agreement with the EU was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs. By H S Rao



FGN15 US-H1B-LD VISA

H-1B visa holders 'vulnerable to abuse', placed in poor working conditions: US think tank

Washington: A US think tank has claimed that H-1B workers are "vulnerable to abuse" and frequently placed in "poor working conditions", seeking reforms like substantial increase in wages to those holding the visa, popular among Indian IT professionals. By Lalit K Jha



FGN11 US-TRUMP-LD INDIANS

Trump taps 3 Indian-American experts for key admin posts

Washington, Jan 17 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has nominated three influential Indian-Americans including a woman nuclear expert to powerful administration positions. By Lalit K Jha



FGN18 CHINA-US-LD TRADE

Chinese Vice Premier to visit US on Jan 30-31 for talks to end trade war

Beijing: China's Vice Premier and top trade negotiator Liu He will travel to the US on January 30-31 to hold crucial high-level talks as the world's two largest economies are holding negotiations to resolve their bitter trade dispute ahead of a March 2 deadline. By K J M Varma





FGN14 PAK-BILAWAL-ECL

Pak SC asks govt to lift travel ban on opposition leaders

Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday ordered the government to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the country's anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case'. By Sajjad Hussain



FGN20 KENYA-2NDLD BLAST

Sniffer dogs, bomb experts comb through Kenya attack site

Nairobi: Kenyan security forces on Thursday resumed their search of the hotel complex attacked by Islamists with sniffer dogs and bomb experts, as information emerged about one of the attackers who killed 21 people. (AFP) PTI



PMS

PMSIslamabad, Jan 17 (PTI) US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad Thursday arrived in Pakistan for a fresh round of talks with top civil and military officials during which he is expected to seek Islamabad's help to convince the Taliban to return to the negotiating table to end the 17-year-long Afghan war.

According to US diplomatic officials in Pakistan, the schedule of Khalilzad's meetings will be decided soon and the special envoy will be in Islamabad for one to four days.

They said discussions will largely focus on the Afghan peace process, Pak-Afghan border management efforts and US-Pakistan relations.

Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan two days later than expected.

According to Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal, Khalilzad is expected to meet Pakistan's civilian and military leaders during his stay and that he will ask Pakistan to help convince the Afghan Taliban to come back to the negotiation table.

"Pakistan has also maintained we want an Afghan-led Afghan-owned solution to imbroglio," Faisal was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Khalilzad is leading an intra-agency delegation and will meet officials in each country in order to "facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan",the US State Department said in a statement.

The envoy's four-nation trip is expected to end on January 21.

Khalilzad will be accompanied by Deputy Assistant to the US president Lisa Curtis, who is considered as an expert on Afghan affairs, diplomatic sources said.

The US delegation will meet senior civil and military officials to discuss the ongoing Afghan peace initiative, they said.

The US State Department said last week that Khalilzad was visiting India, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan from January 8 to seek the settlement of the Afghan problem.

He has already visited India and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on January 10.

The US official was in Beijing this weekend and held talks with senior Chinese officials.

The Afghan peace initiative has been moving at a snail's pace due to refusal of the Taliban to sit for talks with the Afghan government officials.

According to officials, the US delegation will seek Pakistan's assistance for arranging talks between Kabul and Taliban to end more than 17-year-old conflict.

Pakistan has been playing a crucial role in the process and last year released senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar from imprisonment, who is reportedly in Qatar.

Baradar was deputy to the late Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. He was arrested from Karachi in a joint Pakistan-US operation after reports that he was independently trying to conclude a deal with Afghan government.

India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. It sent two former diplomats in "non official" capacity to a conference on Afghan peace process in Moscow in November which was attended by a high-level Taliban delegation.

The conference organised by Russia was attended by representatives of Afghanistan as well as from several other countries including the US, Pakistan and China.

India has been maintaining a policy of not engaging with the Taliban and pressing for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace initiative to bring peace and stability in the war-ravaged country.

Khalilzad visited Pakistan in October before flying to Doha, Qatar where he reportedly held talks with the Taliban representatives.

He has also held three round of talks with the Afghan Taliban in order to reach a settlement that would allow the US to withdraw its army and end a 17-year-old war  America's longest. PTI MRJ AKJ MRJ

MRJ#MeToo mystery: Woman accuses Bhushan Kumar, retracts claim

Mumbai, Jan 17 (PTI) A woman filed a sexual harassment

complaint against T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar at a local

police station, only to retract it hours later, police said

Thursday.

Bhushan Kumar rubbished the allegations.

In a letter to the senior police inspector at the

Oshiwara police station, where she had filed the complaint

Wednesday, the woman said she had approached the police

against Bhushan Kumar 'out of frustration and depression' and

that her allegations against him were 'malicious'.

"I had no such intention to malign his reputation and

shall not make any false statement and allegation against him

in future," her letter read.

The original complaint against Bhushan Kumar which she

submitted at the police station Wednesday was hand-written,

while Thursday's letter informing that she was withdrawing the

complaint was neatly typed, a police official said.

The woman had Wednesday claimed Bhushan Kumar sexually

exploited her under the pretext of helping her to get work in

his company, a senior police official said.

Bhushan Kumar told PTI that the charges against him

were 'bogus'.

The woman also asked 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' producer

and Bhushan Kumar's uncle Krishan Kumar to withdraw an

extortion complaint he filed against her at the Amboli police

station in suburban Mumbai on January 14.

A statement by T-Series said Krishan Kumar had filed a

complaint against the woman at Amboli police station as she

was "for quite a while" threatening him to extort money from

him.

The woman had threatened Krishan Kumar that if she did

not get the money, she will file a false complaint of sexual

assault against him and also drag his nephew Bhushan Kumar in

it, the statement said.

Last year, an anonymous Twitter user had accused Kumar

of propositioning her on the pretext of signing a three-movie

contract with his production house.

She had detailed how Bhushan Kumar wanted to sign her

for a three-film deal and make her a superstar as he saw a lot

of 'potential' in her.

Bhushan Kumar had denied the allegations, saying the

tweet was used as a tool to malign his reputation. PTI AVI KKP

JUR GK VT

VT VT(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India &Accra, Ghana  Business Wire India



 Merck Foundation awarded the First Lady of Ghana to acknowledge her efforts as Merck More Than a Mother Ambassador



 Merck Foundation CEO and First Lady of Ghana to co-chair the 6th Edition of Merck Africa Asia Luminary in Accra, Ghana on 29th and 30th October 2019



Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck Germany launched their programs in partnership with The First Lady of Ghana, H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO to underscore their commitment to build healthcare capacity in the country and to finalize discussions about Merck Foundations annual conference 6th Edition of Merck Africa Asia Luminary to be co-chaired by Dr. RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and The First Lady of Ghana, H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO in Accra, Ghana on 29th -30th October 2019.



During the launch event, Merck Foundation also awarded Her Excellency to acknowledge her efforts as Merck More Than a Mother Ambassador in the country.



During the conference steering committee meeting, many new programs were finalized and launched in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Ghana.



H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana & Merck more than a Mother Ambassador emphasized, We are excited to partner with Merck Foundation and are happy with their strong commitment and the efficient execution of their programs in the country. These programs will prove very significant in creating an impact on our peoples advancement, as health is very critical to our social and economic development. Also, I am happy to host and co -chair the 6th Edition of Merck Africa Asia Luminary. I will continue to support and cooperate with Merck Foundation for all their programs.



We are very happy to award Her Excellency First Lady of Ghana, REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO for her great efforts to empower infertile women as the ambassador of Merck More than a Mother. We have also underscored our long term partnership with her Foundation and Ministry of Health of Ghana to continue building healthcare capacity and train doctors in the fields of Diabetes, Hypertension, Fertility and cancer care. Our aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of people of the continent, emphasized Dr. RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation.



We are thankful to H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO for hosting Merck Africa Asia Luminary, the annual conference of Merck Foundation. It will be attended by more than 1000 healthcare providers, policy makers, academia and researchers from over 60 African and Asian countries. The objective is to improve disease management, early detection and prevention, build healthcare and scientific research capacity and improve access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions across Africa and Asia, added Dr. Kelej.



The 5th Edition of Merck Africa Asia Luminary was presided by The President of Senegal, H.E. MACKY SALL in Dakar, Senegal. It was also attended by 09 African First Ladies and 12 Ministers of Health. More than 1000 African healthcare providers from more than 60 countries benefited from several medical education sessions.



Dr. RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation & President Merck More than A Mother, together with H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana & Merck more than a Mother Ambassador also conducted a special meeting with more than 100 Ghanaian infertile women to soft launch Merck more than a Mother campaign through identifying their needs and challenges and work on a concrete strategy to break the stigma of infertility through art, media as an effective tool to raise awareness about this sensitive topic. Moreover, to identify interventions to build fertility care capacity in the country so that every infertile couple would eventually have access to information, healthcare and change of mindset. They both pledged to support this cause through innovative idea that engages all sectors to create a culture shift and make a great impact in a short time.



Few initiatives to get the desired culture shift include announcing the Merck more than a Mother Media Recognition Award and Media Health Training in partnership with Ghana Journalism Society. Creating songs and movies in partnership with Ghanaian artists to address this topic and educate people across the country which will require supporting film making industry and students of the National Film and Television Institutein Ghana. Also, involving fashion industry to deliver the message of breaking the stigma of Infertile women to the community in day to day life which will be achieved through supporting the young fashion designers and student of Ghana Fashion Academy to come up with innovative ideas to reach youth, Dr. RashaKelej added.



Merck Foundation has provided clinical training on fertility specialty in the past two years and will continue this program in partnership with ministry of health to improve access to quality and equitable fertility care in the country.



Merck Foundation will also continue enrolling doctors from Ghana in their two-year oncology fellowship program and master degree as a contribution to improve cancer care in the country.



Merck Foundation has also provided five Ghanaian doctors with one-year diabetes and hypertension diploma and will continue to enroll more doctors in the next five years.



Meet Merck Foundations Alumni:



Clinical Fertility Management Training



1. Dr. Jonah Amoah, IIRH, India

2. Dr. Georgina Moore, IIRH, India

3. Dr. James Afetsi Yao, IIRH, India

4. Dr. Joshua Adoboe, Manipal University, India



Oncology: Tata Memorial Centre, India



1. Dr. NihadSalifu, Paediatric Medical Oncology

2. Dr. Kokou H. Amegan-Aho, undergoing Paediatric Medical Oncology

3. Dr. Iddrisu Abdul-Rashid Timtoni, undergoing Masters Degree in Medical Oncology



Diabetes: Post Graduate Diploma in Diabetes Management Medicine with University of South Wales



1. Dr. Gloria Ani-asamoah

2. Dr. Dominic Oduro-Donkor

3. Dr. Victor Ekem



Hypertension: Post Graduate Diploma in Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine with University of South Wales



1. Dr. Florence Akumiah

2. Dr. Joel Allotey

3. Dr. Israel Hagbevor



Meet the journalists who have undergone Merck Health Media Training:



1. ChristableAddo, Ghana News Agency

2. Doreen Andoh, Daily Graphic

3. Lennox Amagyei-Antwi, Daily Statesman

4. Jamila AkweleyOkertchiri, Daily Guide

5. AkuaAdufaAboagye, Peace FM

6. Vincent AddoNhiyira, Joy FM

7. Linda NaaDedeiAryeetey, Ghanaian Times



About Merck More Than a Mother campaign



Merck More Than a Mother initiative aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education and health and by changing mind-sets. This powerful initiative supports governments in defining policies to enhance access to regulated, safe and effective fertility care. It defines interventions to break the stigma around infertile women and raises awareness about infertility prevention and management. In partnership with academia, ministries of health and international fertility societies, the initiative also provides medical education and training for healthcare providers and embryologists to build and advance fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.



With Merck More than a mother, we have initiated a cultural shift to de-stigmatize infertility on all levels: By improving awareness, training the skills of local experts, building advocacy in cooperation with decision makers and by supporting childless women in starting their own small business. Its all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to live a fulfilling life, with or without a child.



Along with the First Lady of Ghana, H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, following First Ladies are also the Ambassadors of Merck More Than a Mother; H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana; H.E. DENISE NKURUNZIZA, The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi; H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central Africa Republic; H.E. HINDA DEBY ITNO, The First Lady of Chad; H.E. DJENE CONDE, The First Lady of Guinea-Conakry; H.E. FATOUMATTA BAH BARROW, The First Lady of Gambia; H.E. AISSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU, The First Lady of Niger; H.E. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone and H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia.



Also, part of the campaign is our Merck Embryology & Fertility Training Program, a three-month hands-on practical course in partnership with IRSI, Indonesia, IIRRH, India and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal University), India to establish the platform of fertility specialists across Africa and developing countries. Merck Foundation provided for more than 84 candidates, in clinical and practical training for fertility specialists and embryologists in more than 29 countries across Africa and Asia such as: Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, Cote DIvoire , Ghana, Ethiopia , Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania , Zambia , Nigeria, Benin, Mali, Burkina Fuso, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameron, Rwanda, Botswana, DR Congo , Congo Brazzaville, Gambia , Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia.



Merck Foundation is making history in many African countries where they never had fertility specialists or specialized fertility clinics before Merck More Than a Mother intervention, to train the first fertility specialists such as; in Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Niger, Chad, Guinea, Ethiopia and Uganda.



About Merck Oncology Fellowship Program



The Merck Oncology Fellowship Program, a key initiative of Merck Cancer Access Program, focuses on building additional capacity through medical education and training. The lack of financial means is not the only challenge in Africa and developing countries, but a scarcity of trained health care personnel capable to tackle the prevention, early diagnosis and management of cancer at all levels of the health care systems is even a bigger challenge.



Merck Oncology Fellowship Program focuses on building professional cancer care capacity with the aim to increase the limited number of oncologists in Africa and Developing countries. The program provides One-year fellowship program at Tata Memorial Centre - India, One and half-years Oncology Fellowship programs at University of Malaya - Malaysia, Two years Oncology Fellowship Program at University of Nairobi - Kenya and Two years Master degree in Medical, Surgical, Pediatric and Radiation Oncology at Cairo University - Egypt, in partnership with African Ministries of Health, Local Governments and Academia.



Launched in 2016, over 43 candidates from more than 21 African countries have rolled in the Merck Oncology Fellowship Program. The program will continue to build cancer care capability in African countries such as Botswana, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.



Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard

Facebook: Merck Foundation

Twitter: @Merckfoundation

YouTube: MerckFoundation

Website: www.merck-foundation.com



Join Merck Foundation online community to exchange experience and information with other healthcare providers, researchers, students, policy makers and community members in Africa and beyond www.merck-foundation.com free registration.



About Merck Foundation



The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to innovative healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please go to www.merck-foundation.com to read more and/or register online to interact and exchange experience with our registered members.



About Merck



Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Almost 53,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life  from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2017, Merck generated sales of  15.3 billion in 66 countries.



Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma.



To View the Image Click on the Link Below:



1. (L-R) Hon.KwakuAgyemang Manu-Minister of Health Republic of Ghana, Dr. RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother, H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and Ambassador, Merck More Than a Mother, Hon. Cynthia Morrison, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Republic of Ghana and Dr. EdemHiadzi, President of the Fertility Society of Ghana



2. Dr. RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother with H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and Ambassador, Merck More Than a Mother



3. NiiAbonsieku I, PokuaseAsereMantse; NaaLamiley II, Pokuase Queen Mother; Hon. KwakuAgyemang Manu, Minister of Health Republic of Ghana; NaaAduorkorAryeh I, Developmental Queen Pokuase; Dr. RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother; H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and Ambassador, Merck More Than a Mother; Hon. Cynthia Morrison, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Republic of Ghana; ManyeKorbeyAnahoma, Kaneshie Queen Mother; Dr. EdemHiadzi, President of the Fertility Society of Ghana; AsafoatseQuainooFeni, PokuaseAsere PWR

PWR(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PR Newswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

CHANDIGARH, India, January 17, 2019/PRNewswire/ --

RoboChamps, chhapai.com, RoboGenie and Chitkara University, in joint collaboration hosted International School Awards, the world's largest education conference and award show from December 21-24, 2018, in Dubai. The event witnessed participation from 500 representatives from educational institutions of 20 countries. A total of 180 schools and educators took home the awards in various categories, which received over 12,000 nominations.



A first-of-its-kind education event on a global scale, International School Awards served as a platform to brainstorm and recognize excellence, and transformational approaches in the education landscape. The attendees comprised of educators, industry dignitaries, eminent speakers, educational leaders and senior officials from the Ministries of different countries. The agenda of the event also revolved around addressing the 'Current & Future Trends in the Education Sector - the need for reforms and the adoption of new standards, and the impact of digital education', with exclusive Speaker Sessions of education leaders and the brightest minds in the education landscape.



The event commenced with the traditional lamp lighting ceremony by Dr Attullah Wahidyar, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Education, Afghanistan; Rajesh Batra, Founder, chhapai.com; and Akshay Ahuja, Co-founder, RoboChamps.



The ceremony was followed by thought-provoking sessions on various topics including, 'Future of Classrooms', 'Equity Not Equality', 'Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Education', 'Thinking', 'Business of Education', 'Create Intellectual Einstein', 'Holistic Idea for Education', among others. There was also an interesting panel discussion on 'Transformation in Education: Vision 2030', where Government Ministries from multiple countries discusses rhetoric issues and paradigms required for policy reform and the adoption of new standards.



A number of distinguished speakers including Maurice de Hond, Founder of SteveJobs Schools, Netherlands; Rohan Roberts, Innovation Leader, GEMS Education, Dubai; Vinny Garg, CEO, Nazakat, Inc. Virginia, USA; Dr. Attaullah Wahidyar, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Education; were some of the distinguished speakers at the global event.



The education event also provided a fantastic social networking opportunity with like-minded institutions and individuals to discuss the merits of technology and the future of classrooms; plus the challenges and emerging trends to institute innovative ideas & approaches to embrace the digital transformation impacting education.



Speaking during the event, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor Dr. Madhu Chitkara, said, "We feel very proud that Chitkara University alumni Akshay Ahuja, Co-founder of RoboChamps India and RoboGenie, co-hosted the world's largest education conference and award show, with us. Nothing gives us more pleasure than seeing our own student succeed."



Calling the show a celebration of the commendable contribution of the torchbearers of education, Dr. Chitkara added, "The Education Conference & Award Show was holistic and promising as it witnessed ground breaking conversations between like-minded institutions and individuals on 'Current & Future Trends in the Education Sector'. The event was enlightening and will go a long way in bringing an international dimension to teaching and learning."



The organisers launched a 'Coffee Table Book' to document and showcase the memorable moments from the event. An entertaining performance powered by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai, enthralled the audience in the evening. The event concluded with the presentation of awards.



Visit http://www.isadubai.com for more information.



About Chitkara University:



In the year 2002, Chitkara Educational Trust established its Punjab campus 30km from Chandigarh, on the Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway. In the year 2010, Chitkara University was established by the Punjab State Legislature under 'The Chitkara University Act'. Chitkara University, the best university in Punjab is a government-recognized university with the right to confer degrees as per the Sections 2(f) and 22(1) of the UGC Act, 1956.



Chitkara University has been founded by Dr. Ashok Chitkara and Dr. Madhu Chitkara who have been passionate teachers for more than 40 years now. Chitkara Education brings with it a reputation that has been earned through years of serving the career - needs of the student community. It is a reputation for excellence and innovation among coveted employers for preparing graduates who have the knowledge and skills they need for success in their workplace.



Chitkara University graduates go on to great careers, as they have their hands-on the responsive teaching methodology. Students from around the county are attracted to Chitkara University because of their commitment to teaching excellence, because they conduct research that makes a difference, because of their industry partnerships and because of their tailored courses. This difference has been acknowledged by students, parent, alumni, government, and industry since the inception of the university.



Within a decade, most of Chitkara University academic programs are ranked among the top 50 programs in the country which speaks volumes about their string academic heritage, highly committed faculty, extensive industry collaborations, great international connections, and state of the art campus facilities.



Source: Chitkara University PWR

PWR(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

The global womens health and sexual and reproductive health rights organization steps up collaboration with India on issues relating to family planning and sexual, reproductive, and maternal health



Bangalore, Karnataka, India  Business Wire India







Photo Caption: Traci L Baird, President & CEO pf EngenderHealth with H D Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister of Karnataka



Traci L. Baird, President and CEO of EngenderHealtha global womens health and sexual and reproductive rights organizationmet with Shri H.D Kumaraswamy, Hon. Chief Minister of Karnataka and Shri Sivananda S. Patil, Honorable Health Minister of Karnataka, to discuss areas of collaboration and support intended to strengthen the State Governments priorities on family planning.



The meetings were held as part of Ms. Bairds 4-day visit to India, one of the first countries in EngenderHealths global portfolio that she has visited since joining the organization just over three months ago. Prior to visiting Karnataka, Ms. Baird met with senior officials in the Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the national capital.



The Hon. Chief Minister spoke about his governments committement to social and economic development, and thanked Ms. Baird for the support EngenderHealth was providing to the state in the area of family planning. Ms. Baird expressed her deep appreciation of the partnership between EngenderHealth and Government of Kanataka, and thanked the Chief Minister for the direction, guidance and support his government was providing for project.



The Hon. Health Minister acknowledged the technical expertise EngenderHealth brought into the partnership, and greatly appreciated the support provided to enhance the capacity of the government health personnel to scale quality post-partum family planning services. Thanking the Honorable Minister for guidance and support to the program, Ms. Baird complimented the Minister on his leadership in the health and family planning sector, particularly the commendable initiative to scale up universal health coverage for all residents in the state.



Ms. Baird also met the Principal Secretary of Health, Shri. Javed Akhtar, and had wide ranging discussions with him on health and social development issues in the State.



EngenderHealth supports the Government of Karnataka in the effort to strengthen family planning services in 14 hard-to-reach districts, where performance of family planning services is lower than the state average. The project, supported by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to promote a range of contraceptive methods, in particular postpartum and post-abortion family planning methods. One of the mandates of the project is to roll out the delivery of newly introduced injectable contraceptive methodAntarain public health facilities in Karnataka. In addition, the project is building capacities of the Accredited Social Health Activiststhe frontline health workers at the village levelto counsel and provide information to young couples on family planning.



Ms. Baird also visited the general hospital, Yelahanka, Bangalore north taluk, and met health care providers trained by EngenderHealth in delivery of qualitypost-partum and post-abortion family planning services. She learnt directly from frontline health workers how they are taking health and family planning information and services into communities and households. She also met a few family planning clients, who shared their personal experiences of accessing services from the facility.



Ms. Baird said, At EngenderHealth, we know that sexual and reproductive health and rights are necessary for all people, particularly women and girls, to achieve gender equality and reach their full potentials. As an organization, we envision a world where all people can exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights and choices as full participants in society.



We are pleased to work with the Governments of India and Karnataka in our shared mission to improve access to reproductive health and family information and services. I am impressed and inspired by the political commitment and leadership shown by the Karnataka Governments in this endeavor and to the empowerment of women and girls.



EngenderHealth Asia Regional Representative, ShumonSengupta, added, It is heartening to see the dedication and devotion of service providers who provide quality services, and to see EngenderHealth trainers working in tandem with them in this joint effort.



Ms. Baird underscored EngenderHealths commitment to working closely with State Governments in India, under the guidance and stewardship of the Central Government. We hope in the coming years, we will be able to strengthen our partnerships in India including in areas of access to safe abortion and in strengthening the national program on adolescent health, namely Rashtriya Kishore SwasthyaKaryakram (RKSK). I will leave India deeply inspired by the visionary leadership provided by the Central government in formulating Health policies and programs, and by the State government of Karnataka in implementing these programs effectively in the State, she said.



About EngenderHealth



EngenderHealth is committed to creating transformative, sustainable change by delivering high-quality sexual, reproductive, and maternal health services; expanding access to information and training; and advancing acceptance of sexual and reproductive rights as human rights. To achieve this vision, EngenderHealth collaborates with governments, private sector partners, international experts, and local organizations and communities around the world to deliver programs that give girls and women freedom to reach their full potentials.



In India since 1988, EngenderHealth India program has made important contributions in health care including Family Planning, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, Youth engagement and gender at the national, state and district levels.



www.engenderhealth.org PWR

PWRLondon, Jan 17 (AFP) Hitachi on Thursday froze construction of a nuclear power station in Wales due to financing difficulties, dealing a major blow to Britain's energy strategy and leaving the Japanese firm with a huge bill.

Shelving the project at the Wylfa Newydd plant on Anglesey island off the Welsh coast will cost Hitachi 300 billion yen (USD 2.8 billion), it said in a statement.

Britain has put nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy, in stark contrast to Europe's biggest economy Germany which is phasing it out in the wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

In addition to Hitachi's announcement, its Japanese peer Toshiba last year pulled the plug on a nuclear power plant in northwest England.

Franco-Chinese project Hinkley Point C -- Britain's first new nuclear power station in a generation -- is currently being built.

Hitachi launched the three-trillion-yen Wylfa Newydd project after acquiring British-based Horizon Nuclear Power in 2012.

The UK government had agreed to take a one-third equity stake in the project, alongside investment from Hitachi, Japanese government agencies and other strategic partners.

But fund-raising efforts fell short.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned," Hitachi said.

"As a result, Hitachi has decided to suspend the project at this time... as it is now clear that further time is needed to develop a financial structure" for it.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said nuclear still had "an important role to play as part of a diverse energy mix" in Britain.

The unwelcome news for the UK comes as Prime Minister Theresa May reels from a parliamentary defeat over her Brexit deal but Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara told reporters that Britain's looming EU departure had had "no bearing" on the decision.

Nevertheless, one analyst said Brexit would make it harder to attract long-term investment such as in nuclear plants.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the announcement, John Drzik, president of global risk and digital at US professional services giant Marsh, said "cross-border investors in infrastructure are looking for stability in the legal, regulatory and political climate".

He added: "If you have more confidence in that, you're more willing to invest. You have less confidence in that, you're going to pull back. It's going to be harder to attract foreign investors into an environment which is considered unstable."

Hitachi's decision also dents Japan Inc's attempts to expand its nuclear businesses overseas after Fukushima effectively halted demand for new reactors in Japan.

A massive tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 overwhelmed reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

It caused reactor meltdowns, releasing radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

The crisis spurred Japan to strengthen its safety regulations under a new Nuclear Regulation Authority watchdog.

The accident also prompted nuclear power companies overseas to review their projects, a move that increased safety costs.

Toshiba has also been on the ropes after being forced to sell off its troubled US nuclear energy firm Westinghouse, which racked up billions of dollars in losses before being placed under bankruptcy protection.

The setbacks have dealt a blow to Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe's efforts to help Japan export infrastructure.

British anti-nuclear campaigners have long denounced London's steadfast commitment to nuclear, urging it to focus instead on renewable sources like wind and solar.

"A clever move now would be for the government to accept that the nuclear bet didn't pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy," said Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK. (AFP) PMS

PMSNew Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) The Central Pollution Control Board has asked Reliance industries why a fine of Rs 1 crore should not be slapped on it and prosecution not initiated over non compliance of National Green Tribunal order on installation of anti-pollution "vapour recovery" systems (VRS) at fuel stations.

The CPCB had earlier slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore each on three public sector oil companies for their failure to install VRS systems at fuel stations.

The CPCB said that the National Green Tribunal had on September 28 directed oil companies to ensure installation of VRS in petrol pumps selling more than 300 kilolitres per month (KL/M) but the Reliance industries informed that there is no such retail outlet. It also said that there are two retail outlets selling less than 300 KL/M and VRS will be installed by December 31, 2018.

In a letter dated January 8, the CPCB said Reliance industries informed it that installation of VRS stage II at retail outlets selling less than 300 KL/month has been completed but no compliance status was submitted with respect to installation of VRS IB at these stations.

Vapour recovery system 1B is used to control the vapour released during the offloading of fuel at distribution centres. Vapour recovery system Stage 2 is used to control the vapour while the fuel is transferred from holding tanks to vehicles.

"The above status indicates non-compliance of NGT order and therefore, in view of above, a notice is hereby served to show cause as to why environment compensation of Rs one crore shall not be levied and prosecution not initiated against Reliance industries for non-compliance of NGT order," CPCB chairperson S P S Parihar said in the notice.

Vapour recovery device is an instrument to capture displaced vapours that emerge from inside a vehicle's fuel tank while filling petrol or diesel in it.

In December, the CPCB had imposed fine on public sector oil firms Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited. PTI UZM RTNew Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Aviation regulator DGCA Thursday banned IndiGo and GoAir from operating their A320 neo planes to Port Blair in the wake of problems with their Pratt & Whitney engines.

Against the backdrop of instances of P&W engine problems, including mid-air shutdowns, the watchdog has issued directions with respect to flying these aircraft by the two budget carriers.

IndiGo and GoAir operate A320 neo planes powered by P&W engines.

The regulator has barred the airlines from operating the planes to Port Blair since the nearest landing place in case of any emergency is more than one hour away, according to an official.

In a communication, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said restriction has been "imposed on flight operations to Port Blair with A320 Neo aircraft".

On January 8, the Civil Aviation Ministry reviewed the performance of A320 neo planes with P&W 1100 series engines. During the meeting, it was decided to issue directive in addition to the existing measures related to combustion chambers and No.3 bearing issues for identifying and correcting impending failures of dry face seal.

Among others, the two carriers have been directed to carry out certain inspections of the P&W engines, including weekly inspection of the 3rd stage LPT blade.

For new engines, certain inspection has to be done at the first oil filter change. "For engines that have already has the first oil filter change and are less than the 1,000 FH (Flight Hour) of operation time, perform BSI at next opportunity or A check whichever is earlier," the communication said.

With respect to the engines, the watchdog has also asked the airlines to create awareness among cabin and cockpit crew about "odour/ burning smell/ smoke (even if slightest) during approach phase and positive reporting to cockpit crew for necessary action".

If any odour or smoke is observed in air-conditioning pack air, the cockpit crew need to identify the source of odour by isolating packs one at a time. Also, all such cases in cabin during operation should be recorded for necessary investigation, the DGCA said.

Certain set of components used in aircraft engines are referred to as packs. PTI RAM IAS ABMNew Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh Thursday indicated announcement of major measures in the coming weeks to address farm distress across the country, a move that will come ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The agriculture ministry has prepared a cabinet note on "addressing income deficit syndrome of small and marginal farmers" proposing various steps, including a financial package and interest waiver for timely crop loan repayers, according to sources.

A draft note has been finalised after several meetings with officials of Prime Minister's Office, the Niti Aayog, agriculture and finance ministries, the sources added.

Asked if the government is ready with a big farm package, Singh said: "When it will be announced, everyone will get to know. ...Every year before or during the budget, we have announced something new for farmers. Definitely, there will be something for farmers this time too."

The speciality of the NDA government has been that it has announced something new every year for the farming community in the last four-and-half years, he told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, who was also present, refused to provide details saying that the ministry was not directly involved in the matter.

Earlier speaking at the silver jubilee celebration of the Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), Singh said the prime minister has been personally monitoring all agriculture schemes.

"As a result, many schemes are benefiting the farming community. However, some (Opposition parties) still question. ...Sloganeering alone will not benefit farmers," he said, highlighting the enhanced budget allocated for the farm sector in the last four-and-half years.

Asserting that the agriculture sector has always been a priority for the government, Singh said the government is fully committed towards working for farmers' welfare.

"We are moving forward with full confidence. By December end, every farm field will get water and power," he added.

It may be noted that the central government has taken farmers' issues seriously after the ruling BJP was defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the recent state polls, where rural distress was a key factor. PTI LUX LUX ANU

ANUFort Hood, TX (76544)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. Hot. High near 95F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 72F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Terming the critics of the Modi dispensation as 'compulsive contrarians', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday accused them of manufacturing falsehood and subverting democracy by weakening a sovereign elected government.

Jaitley, who is in the US for a medicial check-up, in a Facebook post said while free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of a democracy but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not.

Attacking those who believed that "this government could do no good", the minister said nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the compulsive contrarians.

"The compulsive contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them," said the blog titled 'The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic'.

Citing the tirade mounted by political parties on a host of issues including 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections, the Rafale jet deal, Jaitley said the compulsive contrarians believe that every act of the Narendra Modi-led government must be opposed.

He also listed out other key issues concerning Justice Loya case, the CBI issue, RBI debate, judicial activism while highlighting how the critics have launched a crusade against the government.

Without naming the Congress or other opposition parties, Jaitley said "there are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule. Some who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left obviously found the NDA government wholly unacceptable. Hence emerged a new class of compulsive contrarians, who run perpetual propaganda".

They picked holes in every proposal that empowered people or strengthened country, be it 10 per cent reservation for the poor, Aadhaar, Demonetisation, GST, CBI issues, RBI and government relation, Rafale fighter aircraft, or no issues in Supreme Court or Judge Loya case, the minister said.

"These actions reveal the mindset of the compulsive contrarians. Weakening a sovereign elected government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy," he wrote.

The senior BJP leader questioned, "Didn't left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement?"

Referring to the controversy over untimely death of Justice Loya, Jaitley said that every fact alleged in the public space by the compulsive contrarians was "manufactured". "The Judge died a natural death due to a cardiac stroke," he said.

Accusing critics of concocting falsehood in the Rafale jet deal, the minister said, "This is a deal where Prime Minister Modi should be credited with saving thousands of crores of the country."

On the issue of infighting in the CBI and the subsequent transfer of its chief, Jaitley said it is the duty of the sovereign government to ensure the cleaning-up of each of the investigative agencies and the government was only concerned with their accountability and integrity. "The contrarians chose to side with the questionable."

He said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge as a petitioner in the CBI chiefs case before the Supreme Court should have recused himself from sitting on the committee, which took a decision regarding the transfer of CBI chief.

Referring to the press conference by the four judges of the Supreme Court last year, Jaitley said it has done "more damage to India's judicial institutions than many would have envisaged. It brought judges into public gaze as factionalised and battling for their own turf space".

On the recent rift with the Reserve Bank, he said there have been many instances when the government has differed with the Reserve Bank.

"The government in recent months have strongly felt that certain sectors of the economy needed credit and liquidity support. Squeezing out both would eventually hurt this sector as also hurt growth," the finance minister noted.

Every stakeholder in the market was in agreement with the government position but the contrarians deflected the credit and liquidity issue to the issue of autonomy, he said, adding that the government after all was only addressing the autonomous RBI and asking it to resolve the issues which lay in its domain. PTI JD CS

MKJIndo-US trade below potential, restrictions should be eased:

USIBC chief

Ahmedabad, Jan 17 (PTI) Amid bilateral trade tensions,

USIBC President Nisha Biswal said Thursday that the trade

between India and the US is much below its potential, and both

the sides should ease restrictions and put in an "overarching"

framework.

Biswal, a former Assistant Secretary of State for

South and Central Asia, is leading a delegation of the

US-India Business Council (USIBC) at the Vibrant Gujarat

Summit (VGS) which will begin Friday.

The US, which was a partner country for two earlier

editions of the biennial investor summit, refused to be a

partner this year, citing pending bilateral trade disputes.

"The biggest challenge to US-India trade relations is

we have not done the hard work of creating an overarching

framework for trade," Biswal, who was born and brought up in

Dahod in Gujarat, told PTI in an interview.

"We do not have a trade agreement, we do not have an

investment treaty, we do not even have a mini agreement," she

said, adding that every time the two countries negotiate, it

is highly transactional and there is no real incentive to

compromise.

India announced retaliatory tariffs on 29 US products

six months ago after US President Donald Trump imposed heavy

tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items.

However, despite the announcement, India is the only

major country which has been postponing the implementation of

retaliatory tariffs.

"What, I think, the two governments have sought to do

in the last few months is to take a small basket of issues

that have been irritants...and tried to resolve those so that

it could become a kind of mini-agreement," Biswal said.

"The issues included tariffs on steel and aluminium

from Indian side and from the US side it was tariffs on ICT

and the policy of price control on medical devices. Both sides

wanted more market access for some of their products," she

said.

"Unfortunately they have not been able to get a

conclusion on that thing. Our hope was that two governments

will sit together and decide this issue," she said.

The two countries should rather create a much more

"ambitious framework of trade", she said, adding that "we

should be best trading partners".

"While US-India trade continues to grow...it is no

where near the potential of what it should be. And that really

requires both sides to take significant steps to ease

restrictions or access to flow of investments and flow of

trade in both directions," she said.

Around 500 US companies have significant business

relations with India, against 6,000 to 7,000 US companies

doing serious business with China, Biswal pointed out.

Asked if the US decided not to be a partner for the

VGS due to trade disputes, she said, "I can't speak for the US

government, but I can say that there have been some

disappointments that these issues have not been resolved."

US Consul General in Mumbai Edgard Kagan, when asked

about his country's refusal to be one of the partner

countries, had said the Indian government needed to resolve

the outstanding trade issues first.

Biswal, however, asserted that the US government and

industry "continue to prioritise India as very important trade

and economic partner".

The bilateral trade was USD 20 billion in 1980s, which

grew toUSD 100 billion in 2014-15, and now the target is to

take it to USD 500 billion, she said.

The USIBC has prepared a report, `India at 75', with

KPMG which will be released Friday. The report outlines the

areas where the two countries can cooperate to take trade ties

to the next level. PTI PD

KRK KRKSenior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad mocked the health condition of BJP president Amit Shah, saying he contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

The remark by Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha MP and Congress general secretary, sparked an angry reaction from the BJP with the party's Karnataka unit calling him a "rogue" and described his remarks as "shameless" that showed his party's "culture" and his "mental stability".

The BJP also requested Congress president Rahul Gandhi to admit Hariprasad to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences(NIMHANS) in Bengaluru for treatment.

"As a few legislators have already come back, Amit Shah is shaken and has got fever. It is not a normal fever. It is swine flu," Hariprasad said in remarks made in Kannada in Bengaluru.

"You should know that if you try to destabilise the Karnataka government, not just swine flu, you will get vomiting and dysentery also," he added.

Shah was Wednesday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for swine flu treatment.

"I have been diagnosed with swine flu for which the treatment is underway. With God's grace and good wishes from all of you, I will recover soon," Shah had tweeted in Hindi.

According to BJP's media head Anil Baluni, Shah is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two.

Hariprasad made the remarks at a party protest against the alleged attempt by the BJP to dislodge the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka by allegedly luring the ruling coalition MLAs.A month after 15 miners got trapped inside a rat-hole mine in Meghalaya, one body has been detected by divers on Thursday morning, the Indian Navy informed on Twitter. "One body detected by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV at a depth of approx 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine," SpokespersonNavy, the official Twitter handle of the Indian Navy, stated.

#MeghalayaMineTragedy #Flash One body detected by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV at a depth of approx 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/sP1sv6ikRn  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 17, 2019

In a second tweet, the handle corrected that the body has been detected at a depth of about 160 feet and extraction was underway. "The depth is 160 feet (and not 60 feet) and the body has been pulled upto the mouth of rat-hole mine and shall be extracted out of the mine under the supervision of doctors," the Navy said.

ALSO READ: Mine gamesrat-hole minig continues unabated

#MeghalayaMineTragedy The depth is 160 feet (and not 60 feet) and the body has been pulled upto the mouth of Rat-hole mine and shall be extracted out of the mine under the supervision of Doctors  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 17, 2019

Fifteen miners have been trapped inside the illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills since December 13. The mine got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it. It is feared that none of the miners would make it alive.

The rescue operations were making little headway after the water refused to recede despite attempts to pump out the same using high-powered pumps.

The miners' rescue operations raked in controversy for alleged lack of interest and prompt actions from the Meghalaya government as well as the Centre.A day before the 9th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit kicks off, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday gifted a Rs 750 crore, 1,600 bed ultra modern hospital to Ahmedabad.

The 18-floor hospitalnow considered the tallest building of Ahmedabadalso has a helipad to facilitate air ambulance service. An initiative of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Science and Research is the first of its kind institute in Gujarat with high-tech facilities where even the poor would get corporate hospital-like facilities at nominal rates.

Modi is on a three-day visit to his home state. This is his first visit to Gujarat in 2019. He will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on Friday.

With 2019 Lok Sabha elections at the back of his mind, Modi did not lose the opportunity to make a political statement and underline the initiatives undertaken by the BJP government in Gujarat and the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

Inaugurating the Sardar Patel hospital in Ahmedabad. Watch my speech. https://t.co/CbH4WIwLd9  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 17, 2019

The opposition Congress in the AMC protested against opening of the hospital and also against the alleged move to privatise the Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital. The AMC had on Wednesday specified that even as the new hospital was to be inaugurated, there were no plans of privatising the V.S. Hospital.

Modi said that some people spoke negative when they discussed the project in 2011-12. The prime minister said whosoever sees the hospital now will be satisfied, and added that the hospital will take the health services in the state to highest level.

The prime minister said that the poor would get free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme in the new hospital. He went on to say that seven lakh poor were treated in 100 days of the launch of the scheme and every day 10,000 people are being treated across the country. Five thousand generic medicine stories were opened across the country and rates of stents and knee implants have been reduced, he said, adding that because of the reduced rate of knee implements, there was an annual saving of Rs 1500 crore.

Modi also mentioned the 10 per cent reservation to economically poor in the general category, and said that till now it was not implemented due to lack of political will. He said that the new reservation scheme would lead to social equality.

Modi also inaugurated the Global Trade Show, as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, and Ahmedabad Shopping Festival. He also shopped at the Shopping Festival.Former BJP MP Savitribai Phule, who had quit the saffron party alleging it was dividing the society, held talks with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday. However, in the 15 minute conversation, nothing concrete was charted out, PTI reported.

The MP from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has long been critical of the party's leadership. The dalit leader said her objective was to get the Constitution implemented in letter and spirit. "I have resigned from the party. But I will continue as a Lok Sabha member till the end of my tenure," she said in Lucknow.

She said she will launch an agitation to champion the cause of dalits from December 23, adding that the country needs a Constitution not a temple. Phule has been attacking the BJP and its governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged indifference to the concerns of Scheduled Castes. She has also accused the BJP of dividing society and often the party over its Hindutva plank.

Emraan Hashmi fails to see any "logic" in the now revised title of his film, Why Cheat India and the actor believes the move reflects a mindset in the country where people are more invested in changing names and not the system.

The makers of the film had said the Central Board of Film Certification had objected to the original titleCheat Indiasaying it was misleading. After thorough discussions with the board, producers changed the title to Why Cheat India, almost a week before its release this Friday.

"In our country, we don't want to change the system. We just want to change names as it's the easiest thing to do. Sit in the comfort of your room, change names but don't go out and change the system because that takes a lot of work," said Emraan. Calling the move "ridiculous", the actor said the board seems to have raised a question on the sensibilities of the audience.

"Do you see any logic in that? I fail to see it. Cheat India for them is a negative title. They have passed the title for the promos and I thought after watching the film they'd realise it's even more relevant. I don't think they attribute too much of sense to the audience. That the audience won't get it. You won't end up cheating the country if you watch Cheat India. It's ridiculous," he said.

Hashmi said the current development speaks volumes about the freedom of expression enjoyed by artistes. "Artistes don't have creative freedom. A lot of the stuff we do, we self-censor or cut it off. You're not really spreading the wings and wanting to make the kind of film you want to make.

"You are always scared and on tenterhooks, 'Oh, will they have a problem with this? You never know what they won't like'. It's very surprising."

Hashmi said the censor board needs a "major rethink" in the way it functions.What works against him are the below average dialogues and a sloppy scriptFollowing thesigning of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in July 1999 between the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo (DRC) and five regional States (Angola, Namibia, Rwanda,Uganda and Zimbabwe) in July 1999, the Security Council established the UnitedNations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) byits resolution 1279 of 30 November 1999, initially to plan for the observationof the ceasefire and disengagement of forces and maintain liaison with allparties to the Ceasefire Agreement. Later in a series of resolutions, theCouncil expanded the mandate of MONUC to the supervision of the implementationof the Ceasefire Agreement and assigned multiple related additional tasks.The Danish RefugeeCouncil (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working onall aspects of the refugee cause in more than 36 countries throughout theworld. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons(IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems offorced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRCworks in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conductfor the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief.Timothy Seth Bryant Pennington was born on January 30, 1988 in Corbin, Ky. He departed this life on June 3, 2021 to be with his Lord and Savior, whom he accepted as a young boy at his church, West Corbin Baptist. Seth was assured of his salvation and knew where he would spend his eternity. SEDWARDSVILLE  Two clients of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Tech Fusion and JBs Smartphone Repair, decided to share space for their respective businesses with a ribbon cutting on Friday, Jan. 4.

Tech Fusion owners Julian Smith and Diego Espinoza met JB Smartphone Repairs Josef Bosnyak through a mutual friend in SIUEs Information Technology Services (ITS). Smith and Espinoza contacted Bosnyak about referring customers to each other, and their business relationship grew from there. Later, when the opportunity presented itself, the trio agreed to open a storefront together at 710 S. Main St. in Troy.

Smith and Espinoza were assigned as random roommates for their first year as SIUE students. They realized they shared many things in common, such as a love of technology and pursuing the same field of study, computer management information systems (CMIS).

Both Smith and Espinoza are currently sophomores. The SBDC is happy to support young entrepreneurs as they pursue their dreams and aid their college careers. Smith and Espinoza had no idea of the vast opportunities they would discover.

The SBDC and business specialist Marti Guntren provided Tech Fusion with no cost, one-on-one counseling, legal referrals, marketing guidance, and other resources to help them before and during the process of opening their storefront.

Marti is always there to answer any questions, Espinoza said. That means a lot to us. Her knowledge in website design helped us bond even quicker. Marti also opened our eyes in how we should be communicating and connecting to our customers, because she was familiar in website design.

Tech Fusion reached out to its business colleague to share the additional space. A recent December 2018 SIUE graduate, Bosnyak earned a bachelors in business administration with a focus in entrepreneurship and CMIS.

An entrepreneur at heart, Bosnyak started running his business out of his home a few years ago. His goal was to keep his business afloat and be able to enjoy life without financial constraints. He always imagined being self-employed instead of working for someone elses dream.

With the help of the SBDC and Director Jo Ann DiMaggio May, Bosnyak created a business plan. He then worked closely with Guntren. He was able to hire his first employee, Alex Busby, and do it correctly with assistance from the SBDC and Guntren. The process of hiring independent contractors created many questions, and Bosnyak wanted to do it right the first time. Busby will help with repairs and run the storefront.

Marti and the SBDC are always available to help answer questions whenever needed, and confidently direct me to the resources and information I need, Bosnyak said.

When asked about working with Smith, Espinoza and Bosnyak, Guntren said, It is exciting for me to see my clients becoming successful, and both Tech Fusion and JBs Smartphone Repair have worked hard to do just that. However, it is even more exciting to see them come together to form a relationship that complements each business and gives them even more opportunity to succeed.

We look forward to seeing where these three innovative and ambitious young men advance with their businesses, and we will be happy to help them in the future, if they need our help. Also, now I know where to go if my computer dies or my phone needs help!

Contact Tech Fusion at 314-690-3564 or info@techfusionconsulting.com. For more information, visit techfusionconsulting.com. You can also find Tech Fusion on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Contact JBs Smartphone Repair at 314-375-3282 or info@CellDrJB.com. For more information, visit celldrjb.com. You can also find JBs Smartphone Repair on Facebook and Instagram.

To learn about the SBDC, contact the IL SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE at (618) 650-2929.ALTON  On Jan. 10, students on the RiverBend Growth Associations Young Adult Committee spent the morning collaborating with the American Cancer Society.

The Young Adults Committee consists of two student representative from five area high schools  Alton, Civic Memorial, East Alton-Wood River, Marquette Catholic and Roxana. The student representatives from each school choose a non-profit organization where the entire committee takes a day to volunteer and learn between the months of December and April.

Taryn Geiger and Kaylee Klaustermeier, the student representatives for Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto, chose to partner with the American Cancer Society because of their interest in helping the survivors and fighters of cancer. During the volunteer experience, all of the students on the Young Adult Committee painted rocks that will later be used in cancer swag bags that are given to cancer fighters or survivors.

Sheena from the American Cancer Society was very nice and explained how these rocks have a large impact on the recipients of the swag bags, Geiger, Junior Representative from Civic Memorial High School, said.

The students also learned about the American Cancer Societys services and how it helps survivors and fighters of cancer. The American Cancer Society not only does research to help fight and cure cancer but also provides many services to make the treatment process less stressful. They provide help such as lodging, free rides to cancer treatments, salons with free hair loss services, support groups and much more.

It is hard to believe how much of an impact the simple act of rock painting can have on someone, Klaustermeier, Senior Representative from Civic Memorial High School, said. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to volunteer with The American Cancer Society. They do amazing things for cancer patients and survivors.

The Young Adults Committee (YAC) consists of two representatives from RBGA member schools and mentors from the RBGA membership. This committee focuses on the importance of guiding our young adults to give back to their community through outreach within the nonprofit organizations in the RBGA membership.

The high school representatives complete a project and organize and implement a fundraiser each year. The project consists of completing a volunteer experience with each of the participating RBGA nonprofit organizations. All proceeds are split between nonprofit agency and one of the Young Adults students in the form of scholarship.

For more information about the Young Adults Committee, visit http://www.growthassociation.com/page/young-adults-committee/.Truss, a marketplace for commercial real estate, raised $15m in Series A-2 funding.

The round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Navitas Capital, Hyde Park Angels, Hyde Park Venture Partners and Jeff Boyd, former CEO of Priceline and managing director of Brothers Brook. Robert Bob Mylod, former Priceline executive and Redfins chairman, will join the board of directors.

The company intends to use the funds to expand into more markets and grow the team.

Led by Tom Smith, co-founder, Truss provides small and medium businesses with a marketplace to find, lease and tour office, industrial and retail space. The business owner can search for the space from their own computers or mobile devices.

Truss, which also offers dedicated brokers who act as the point person throughout the process, mancages more than 300 million square feet in Chicago, Boston, South Florida, D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

FinSMEs

17/01/2019SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Gov. J.B. Pritzker authorized state regulation of firearms dealers Thursday in a reversal of his predecessors policy and prompting a gun owners group to threaten legal action against Illinois.

Pritzker, sworn in on Monday, chose an elementary school in Chicago to sign legislation meant to cut down on illegal purchases of firearms through video monitoring, tighter inventory control and gun-shop employee training.

We can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone else who is not legally allowed to own a gun, said Pritzker, standing next to Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, whose force confiscated 10,000 illegal guns last year. Many of the incidents of gun violence that occur in our city and all across our state occur with illegal guns.

The law affects about 2,400 firearms dealers and its provisions take effect in six months. Each must show it is licensed with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and purchase a five-year state permit  $1,500 for retail shops and $300 for independent dealers. Each must install videotaping in retail sections of the store, maintain an electronic inventory and require annual employee training in spotting so-called straw purchases.

The Illinois State Rifle Association promised a lawsuit challenging the plan.

The federal government already licenses gun dealers. There is no need to add yet another layer of bureaucracy on gun dealers, executive director Richard Pearson said in a statement. The only thing this measure is going to do is make it cost more money for gun dealers to do business in Illinois, which is going to hurt the smaller dealers.

The action taken today is another assault on our 2nd Amendment rights.

Pritzker, who already this week reversed course on GOP Gov. Bruce Rauners policies toward labor with pro-union action, said gun-rights organizations are just wrong in their criticism of the licensing bill. He added, Im going to continue to make sure that were standing up to the voices like the Illinois State Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association to protect our families and our children.

Lawmakers endorsed the idea twice last year. Rauner vetoed the first version in March. Democrats who control the General Assembly, led by Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park, OKd it again in May but never sent it to Rauner for consideration.

Thank you for figuring out in four days what some other people couldnt figure out in four years, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said to Pritzker. You dont need a Ph.D. from Harvard to figure out that if youre going to regulate a barber shop and a bar, maybe you should regulate a gun dealer.

Harmon, who first introduced the idea in 2003, said the law is more about allowing the state to gather information on straw purchases through video monitoring and electronic inventory and sales records than it is about punishing dealers. While the ATF audits gun shops, Harmon said the federal agency has fewer than two dozen agents to oversee all of Illinois dealers. He contended audits occur only once every three to five years and only verify whether a gun is in the dealers inventory or has been sold, not examining patterns or regularity of purchases.

We cant think that this bill, however important it is, is the solution, Harmon said. It will help but theres more work to be done.GODFREY  As a leader in the field of academic data analytics, Lewis and Clark Community College was recently named in two grant projects being funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Altogether, there were 73 proposals submitted to IMLS and 14 were selected for a funding total of $3,207,711.

The first grant, for $243,885, will allow the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), in partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library and Lewis and Clark Community College, to develop a continuing education immersion program that prepares librarians to make effective use of research findings on the impact of academic libraries on student success.

The second, awarded to lead institution Syracuse University, names L&C as the only community college partner. The $50,000 grant will aim to perform preliminary planning activities to pioneer the integration of library data in institutional learning analytics and develop detailed proofs of concept and models to guide academic libraries preparing to engage in this emerging and important use of data to support student success.

Other partner institutions include Syracuse University, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, University of California  Berkeley, Susquehanna University, DePaul University, EDUCAUSE, IMS Global Learning Consortium, Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) and Online Computer Library Center (OCLC).

In 2014-2015, Lewis and Clark implemented a campus-wide initiative focused on increasing student retention and completion. Since then, faculty and staff have taken several steps to help students successfully complete their academic goals.

Learning analytics, which has become a major focus of the college, has played a fundamental part in those initiatives.

When students utilize library reference and instruction services at Reid Memorial Library, they check in through a technology platform that links such usage with grades and retention rates. That data is then analyzed for the purposes of understanding and optimizing student learning and learning environments.

The only other academic library that has adopted this same model for tracking student usage of library services is the University of Minnesota, said Dennis Krieb, L&C director of Library and Institutional Services. Traditionally, academic libraries have relied upon qualitative surveys to assess their impact upon student success  however, there is increasing demand that correlational, quantitative evidence be provided.

L&C Vice President of Academic Affairs Linda Chapman said technology has been central to the dramatic shift in recent years toward using quantitative data to better understand the factors that contribute to student retention and success in college.

At L&C, data  in the hands of curious and motivated educators  has resulted in notable increases in student success and retention, Chapman said.

L&Cs technology infrastructure utilizes a data warehouse that allows the college to more quickly and accurately detect correlational trends in student behaviors than ever before.

We are also fortunate to have an institutional culture that encourages this type of research and dedicated librarians that deeply care about the success of our students, Krieb said.

L&C data shows that a student who attends a library instruction class improves their fall-to-fall retention rate by 24.7 percent compared to a student who does not.

We also have discovered that students who seek assistance from a reference librarian on an English class assignment will improve their chances of getting an A, B or C in the class by 19.4 percent, Krieb said. For a psychology class assignment, their chances improve by 21.3 percent.

First generation college students who attend a library instruction class have a retention rate of 54.4 percent compared to 45.4 percent for all first-generation students. For male students, retention increases from 47.7 percent to 65.7 percent for those who ask a reference question.

Because the field of library analytics is so new, outreach and education to other academic libraries is the next step, Krieb said. Both IMLS grants are designed to guide other academic libraries in this new field. Its really an exciting opportunity for the college to share with other national universities and colleges about how we are able to have such great correlational data that connects our library services to student success without compromising the students right of privacy when using the library.

Over the past few years, Lewis and Clark has been approached by several colleges and universities about the colleges use of library analytics. Recent examples include DePaul University, Governors State University, Robert Morris University and Illinois Central College.

L&Cs experts have also been asked to talk to new academic library directors in Illinois about using library analytics as a part of a speaker series offered through the CARLI consortium at the University of Illinois.

For more information, contact Krieb at (618) 468-4300 or dkrieb@lc.edu.ROXANA  An early-morning fire Thursday left a South Roxana home completely destroyed.

The South Roxana Fire Department responded to a call about a fire at a modular home on the corner of Poag and High streets at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning, according to South Roxana Fire Chief Todd Werner.

Roxana, Wood River, Hartford, Edwardsville and Mitchell fire departments provided mutual aid, and an Alton Memorial Ambulance was present as well.

The six departments did everything they could in an attempt to save the home from the blaze, but the house was still a total loss.

No one was injured in the fire, Werner said, including the family dog that took off running once the heat began. He was later found by neighbors.

Thankfully no one was home when the fire started, Werner said.

The fire was contained around 6 a.m., but crews stayed on scene until about 9:30 a.m., putting out hot spots and waiting for the arrival of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.

While the fires cause is still under investigation by the Fire Marshal, Werner said that as of Thursday morning there are no concerns that the fire is suspicious in any way.

Reach reporter Riley Newton at (618) 208-6460.WOOD RIVER  Individuals who face legal obstacles to employment can now access help to eliminate those barriers.

Madison County Employment and Training and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid announced they are collaborating on an initiative to assist individuals who are ready to work.

The Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois funded a two-year program at Land of Lincolns Western Regional Office in Alton. The program, called the Ready to Work Initiative, assists individuals seeking to overcome barriers to employment by providing them with access to an attorney who may be able to help them in a variety of ways such as sealing and expunging criminal records, addressing drivers license issues and occupational licenses along with improving credit.

The Ready to Work Initiative has already been highly successful in Land of Lincolns Eastern and Southern Regional offices.

Daniel R. Kuehnert, a staff attorney with Land of Lincoln who will lead the project, said that many legal barriers prevent people from landing a job or getting a higher paying job.

The mistake you make at 18 years old shouldnt prevent you from getting a job when youre 40, Kuehnert said.

Tony Fuhrmann, director of employment and training, agreed and said he was pleased the non-profit contacted his office about the program.

This is an opportunity for people to get a leg up in the workforce, Fuhrmann said.

Kuehnert said that he and a paralegal would be working with individuals referred by MCE&T to identify their barriers to employment and help them resolve them, including taking action to seal and expunge their criminal records, if they are eligible for sealing and expungement.

The expungement of a criminal record is the process in which the record is destroyed. The sealing of a record is when the documents are removed from public view.

The first step in the process is to check to see if someone is eligible to have a record expunged or sealed. After the initial step, the individual would receive assistance in moving forward.

Maybe someone was charged with shoplifting when they were 19, he said. The charges were dropped, now they are 35 years old and the arrest record is still out there. This can help to remove that record.

Kuehnert said although Illinois law prevents a potential employer from asking someone if theyve been arrested on a job application, as someone moves further into the process of being hired, a background check may still show the arrest.

Other areas where Land of Lincoln may be able to assist individuals is when they have lost a drivers license due to child support or need to have their credit repaired through bankruptcy so they can obtain a security clearance or a student loan for college.

Land of Lincoln will provide a full range of legal services to assist with employment barriers through partnerships with Southwestern Illinois WorkNet Center and other agencies within Madison County.

Through this initiative, Land of Lincoln will work with Employment and Training customers to address legal barriers for unemployed and underemployed persons, Fuhrmann said. Our -number one goal is that we are trying to help people get back to work.

Chairman Kurt Prenzler said the partnership between the agencies is a positive one. He said he sees it as a success in that it will allow individuals to become more successful in the workforce.

Its helping someone overcome a barrier to a better life, Prenzler said.

Kuehnert agreed and said being able to get a job and financial aid for school are contingent on convictions.

If someone is able to get that removed, then it gives them a fresh start in life, he said.EDWARDSVILLE  Public relations and marketing firm Cork Tree Creative, Inc. announced Thursday the firms new spring intern, Allison Wyrsch.

Wyrsch, from Bethalto, Illinois, recently began her senior year at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville majoring in mass communications with a focus in strategic media. As she has recently returned from a study abroad semester in London, helping international students is where she likes to spend her time. She aids during their orientation as well as participating in GAP, a student mentoring program for international students helping them learn English and adapt to American culture.

She also enjoys participating in theatre on the SIUE campus. An avid member of the Student Experimental Theater Organization, Wyrsch has been in multiple short theatre festivals, and this past semester served as the assistant stage manager in an on-campus production. She has participated in the Fee Advisory Board on the SIUE campus, approving fee increases with a student committee for the upcoming school year for the university.

As an intern at Cork Tree Creative, Wyrsch will receive hands-on industry experience in public relations, social media management, marketing, advertising, graphic design, and web design.

We are so excited to have Allison join our team as our new spring intern. Internships are an excellent way to teach young individuals how to collaborate on projects and work in an office setting. At Cork Tree Creative, we pride ourselves on teamwork and collaboration to make the best experience for all of our clients and staff. We welcome Allison and know she will make an excellent addition to our experienced team, Laura Reed, co-owner and public relations director.EDWARDSVILLE  One Chair Hair founder crossed cultures and countries to find her center and now she provides nurturing styling services through her newly launched lifestyle business, By Cassandra.

Stylist Cassie Celuchs artistic path began as a child, encouraged by her parents, of Holiday Shores, both retired educators. The mother of three daughters played the violin and flute and sang while attending Edwardsville High School, from where she graduated in 1998, and at first pursued a career as an actor. In 2000, Celuch moved to Los Angeles to audition for permanent gigs. But, life had other plans and she became a single mother in 2007, prompting her move back to Edwardsville, where she chose to give birth to her first child, Londyn, 11.

Celuch, 38, knows firsthand the struggle that todays women endure, balancing children, careers, family, relationships and the pursuit of happiness, from which her singular boutique salon, One Chair Hair, offers a sweet reprieve. Celuch works by appointment only, one on one with each client, on average for two hours, offering aromatherapy for tranquility, warm lavender-scented towels for tired muscles, a bit of Champagne to celebrate me time and a relaxing scalp massage before color and styling services. Celuch has a personal relationship with each and every client, only double booking in cases of emergency, she said.

One Chair Hair has probably been ten years in the making, but I wanted to be very deliberate, said Celuch, who started the salon with a few more than 20 clients. Its a wonderful opportunity to provide a customer experience thats largely missing in bigger salons.

Its amazing for me, too, to be able to be a working mom and still be able to do activities with my kids and spend time with them. Everything I envision here is about empowering women, not to have women competing against each other. I make it a point to guide my clients to find that confident person again, maybe who got lost along the years of giving so much to everyone else. And I have great empathy, some say to my detriment, but thats absolutely how I live my life.

With the trust shes built with each client, Celuch can authentically talk to them about their vision for themselves and how they want to present themselves publicly. If a client seemingly wants to make a drastic change, such as suddenly go from long locks to an uber-short style, she makes sure thats a thought-out choice, not a reaction to a stressful day.

My point of being here is to help make people feel better about themselves, said Celuch, who for the past four years donated her time and services of hair and make-up for the Friends of the Wildey Theatres annual gala, Art of Fashion, and is very active in a slew of other nonprofit events.

More Information By Cassandra By Cassandra.com features more than a list of services and a booking portal! Check out By Cassandra's blog by the founder herself, Cassie Celuch, who's also a make-up artist, @ bycassandra.com. Discover make-up and lifestyle tips galore! Menu services include: color; haircuts for women, men and children; waxing; special event updos & makeup application; wedding party packages with an unlimited prosecco bar and applications; 5-minute masks; blow dry bar; and, deep conditioning treatments. One Chair Hair's hours are by appointment 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Appointments can be booked online at bycassandra.com or by calling 618-541-4789. See More Collapse

Last August, following a soft opening January 2018 of Edwardsvilles One Chair Hair, 226 N. Main St. (in the same historic building as her husbands 40-year-old family-owned marketing business, Inlandesign), Celuch set goals for the salons growth.

Over the last four months, its grown by leaps and bounds, Celuch noted. Ninety percent has been through referrals. Im close to capacity.

Celuchs client base is made up predominantly of moms, many of whom are working moms, like Celuch, and college students, who all reflect Celuchs own experience.

When Celuch returned and lived in Edwardsville for about one year, and Londyn was 5 weeks old, she got a full-time job bartending at Gentelins On Broadway, in Alton, Illinois, and eventually enrolled in cosmetology school in Missouri, which, with classes and the commute, made for 16-hour days, five days a week.

Working nights made it possible for me to be with my daughter during the day, explained Celuch, who most recently managed 1818 Chophouses bar in Edwardsville before opening One Chair Hair. Through all of the years as a young mother, thanks to my parents, I was lucky to only have to use daycare for one year.

Celuch, pursued by the color line IdHAIR, uses the companys hair color line exclusively and takes advantage of monthly continuing education classes through the company. IdHAIR stays ahead of color trends, such as hair painting, balayage and color melting.

That felt good to me, Celuch said of IdHAIRs interest in working with her. They are ahead of the curve. It used to be all foils, all the time, but the trend is more toward hair painting, natural highlights, easy grow out, more free and open, not cookie cutter. And, I like to follow East and West coasts vibes.

During the latter part of eight years working at Gentelins, Celuch began to pursue her career as a stylist, also working at Fringe Salon, in Alton, for two years. During that time, she reunited with a high school friend, Adam Celuch, who became her husband in 2010, and the couples family grew to include Londyns sisters, Aspyn, 5, and Phoenyx, 3.

All the while, Celuch kept her resolution to start her own lifestyle business, now with its trademarked name, By Cassandra and its website bycassandra.com. The startup business first goal: the launch of One Chair Hair, a comforting, tranquil, stylish salon.

Celuchs varied interest over the years all led her to where she is now, including acting, for which she was an extra for two years in L.A. for The Young and The Restless; modeling, for which she signed with St. Louis Talent Plus for one year upon returning to live in Edwardsville; and, fashion design, for which she interned for one year at Altons By Design, which teaches sewing classes, as well as custom couture design.

All these pursuits  and philosophical worldview of nonjudgment and acceptance of all  are underscored by lessons instilled from her dad, Terry Miller, who worked for a St. Louis school district, and her mom, Jan Miller, a music teacher for the Edwardsville school district. Celuchs parents helped start an English language school and church on the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan, where Celuch lived with her family from age 7 through age 9. The Miller family, who includes Celuchs two brothers and sister, moved back to Holiday Shores after a few years.

Thats really given me my perspective and the concept for how I live my life, she said.

Celuchs experiences abroad during that time included eating sushi for the first time on a beach with a Japanese family and traveling across Southeast Asia.

One Chair Hairs hours are by appointment 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Appointments can be booked online at bycassandra.com or by calling 618-541-4789.

Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon.New York

Sears will live on  at least for now.

The company's chairman and largest shareholder, Eddie Lampert, won a bankruptcy auction for Sears, averting liquidation of the iconic chain, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The person agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiation publicly.

Lampert, who steered the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October, is aiming to keep open roughly 400 stores and preserve tens of thousands of jobs.

But how long Sears can survive under the 56-year-old billionaire, who has tried and failed to turn around the company many times before, remains an open question. Cutthroat competitors like Amazon, Target and Walmart also pose challenges that the struggling retailer has so far been unable to overcome.

"While there's no doubt that a shrunken Sears will be more viable than the larger entity, which struggled to turn a profit, we remain extremely pessimistic about the chain's future," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. "In our view, Sears exits this process with almost as many problems as it had when it entered bankruptcy protection. In essence, its hand has not changed, and the cards it holds are not winning ones."

Sears Holdings, which operates both Sears and Kmart stores, has just one Sears left in the Capital Region, at Wilton Mall. That store is slated to close next month. A Sears store in Queensbury closed last month, and Sears stores in Rotterdam and Colonie were previously closed.

Kmart stores in Colonie, Latham, East Greenbush, Rotterdam and Clifton Park have previously closed. Only the Greenwich Kmart store remains, and that too will close, in March.

The Sears name won't disappear completely, however. Several smaller stores, including Sears appliance outlet stores and Sears Hometown Dealers, remain in operation locally.

Nationwide, the operator of Sears and Kmart had 687 stores and 68,000 workers at the time of its bankruptcy filing. At its peak in 2012, its stores numbered 4,000.

Lampert, the only one to put out a bid for the whole company, had sweetened his offer to more than $5 billion over the last few days through an affiliate of his hedge fund ESL after his original bid had been rejected by the Sears board. That included assuming certain liabilities like covering bills to vendors of up to $166 million. Details of the final terms couldn't be learned.

The plan is not a done deal and must be approved at a hearing on Feb. 1 by a bankruptcy judge in White Plains.

Lampert, who gave up the CEO title when the Sears filed for Chapter 11, has maintained there's still potential for the company. But he has yet to spell out details on how he plans to turn it around.

Lampert combined Sears with Kmart in 2005, about two years after he helped bring Kmart out of bankruptcy. He pledged to return Sears to greatness, but that never happened.

The company, hammered during the recession and outmatched in its aftermath by shifting consumer trends and strong rivals, hasn't had a profitable year since 2010 and has suffered 11 straight years of annual sales declines. Lampert has been criticized for not investing in the stores, which remain shabby.

Under Lampert, Sears has survived by spinning off stores and selling brands that had grown synonymous with the company, like Craftsman. Lampert has loaned out his own money and cobbled together deals to keep the company afloat, though critics said he has done so with the aim of benefiting his hedge fund. ESL has maintained that the moves put much needed cash into the business.

Four years ago the company created a real estate investment trust to extract revenue from the enormous number of properties owned by Sears. It sold and leased back more than 200 properties to the REIT, in which Lampert is a significant stake holder.

Lampert personally owns 31 percent of the Sears' outstanding shares and his hedge fund has an 18.5 percent stake, according to FactSet.

Lampert stands to realize a big tax gain keeping Sears alive, using the company's years of net operating losses to offset future taxable income if one of his other companies takes over the chain, says David Tawil, president and co-founder of Maglan Capital, which follows distressed companies.

Tawil and others believe Lampert wants to be in full control of liquidating Sears' assets, including real estate.

If Lampert's bid to save Sears gets final approval, he will need to dramatically reinvent the business. That means revitalizing aging stores and focusing on major appliance and tools that once were the jewels of the company, say industry analysts. Walmart, Target and others have been heavily investing in their own stores and expanding online, in large part because they have the capital to keep spending.

Sears will also need to give reasons to shoppers like Sanjay Singh why they should keep coming back.

Singh was recently shopping with his wife at the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, N.J., and stopped by a Sears to look for a swimsuit for his 11-year-old daughter. He says he usually shops at other department stores.

"Sears is usually my last option," he said.Members of the Sackler family, which owns the company that makes OxyContin, directed years of efforts to mislead doctors and patients about the dangers of the powerful opioid painkiller, a court filing citing previously undisclosed documents contends.

When evidence of growing abuse of the drug became clear in the early 2000s, one of them, Richard Sackler, advised pushing blame onto people who had become addicted.

We have to hammer on abusers in every way possible, Sackler wrote in an email in 2001, when he was president of the company, Purdue Pharma. They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.

That email and other internal Purdue communications are cited by the attorney general of Massachusetts in a new court filing against the company, released Tuesday. They represent the first evidence that appears to tie the Sacklers to specific decisions made by the company about the marketing of OxyContin. The aggressive promotion of the drug helped ignite the opioid epidemic.

The filing contends that Sackler, a son of a Purdue Pharma founder, urged that sales representatives advise doctors to prescribe the highest dosage of the powerful opioid painkiller because it was the most profitable.

Since OxyContin came on the market in 1996, more than 200,000 people have died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids, and Purdue Pharma has been the target of numerous lawsuits.

For years, Purdue Pharma has sought to depict the Sackler family as removed from the day-to-day operations of the company. The Sacklers, whose name adorns museums and medical schools around the world, are one of the richest families in the United States, with much of their wealth derived from sales of OxyContin. Disclosure of the documents is likely to renew calls for institutions to decline their philanthropic gifts.

In a statement, Purdue Pharma, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut, rejected suggestions of wrongdoing by the company or members of the Sackler family, describing the court filing as littered with biases and inaccurate characterizations. The statement said the company was working to curtail the use and misuse of prescription painkillers.

Asked for a response from Richard Sackler and other members of the Sackler family, a Purdue Pharma spokesman, Robert Josephson, said that the company had no additional comment.

In 2007, the company and three of its top executives pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges that Purdue had misrepresented the dangers of OxyContin, and they paid $634.5 million in fines. The Sacklers were not accused of any wrongdoing and have not faced personal legal consequences over the drug.

But last June, Maura Healey, the Massachusetts attorney general, sued eight members of the Sackler family, along with the company and numerous executives and directors, alleging that they had misled doctors and patients about OxyContins risks. The suit also claimed that the company aggressively promoted the drug to doctors who were big prescribers of opioids, including physicians who later lost their licenses.

The court filing released Tuesday also asserts that Sackler family members were aware that Purdue Pharma repeatedly failed to alert authorities to scores of reports the company had received that OxyContin was being abused and sold on the street. The company also used pharmacy discount cards to increase OxyContins sales and Richard Sackler, who served as Purdue Pharmas president from 1999 to 2003, led a company strategy of blaming abuse of the drug on addicts, the suit claimed.

In 1995, when the Food and Drug Administration approved OxyContin, it allowed Purdue Pharma to claim that the opioids long-acting formulation was believed to reduce its appeal to drug abusers compared with traditional painkillers such as Percocet and Vicodin.

At a gathering shortly afterward to celebrate the drugs launch, Sackler boasted that the launch of OxyContin tablets will be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition. The prescription blizzard will be so deep, dense, and white, according to a document cited in the legal complaint.

Company sales representatives told doctors that OxyContin couldnt be abused and were trained to say that the drug had an addiction risk for patients of less than 1 percent, a claim that had no scientific backing. Within a few years, Purdue Pharma was selling more than $1 billion worth of OxyContin annually

But abuse of the drug quickly grew as teenagers and others discovered that all they needed to do was to crush OxyContin to get access to large amounts of a pure narcotic, oxycodone, contained in the pills.

The court filing depicts Richard Sackler both as a principal force behind OxyContins promotion and the companys efforts to dismiss growing reports about the drugs abuse in the early 2000s

For instance, when a federal prosecutor reported in 2001 that there had been 59 overdose deaths involving OxyContin in his state alone, Sackler appeared to make light of the problem, a document cited in the court filing suggests.

This is not too bad, he wrote to the company officials. It could have been far worse.

As part of the 2007 settlement agreement, the board of Purdue Pharma, which included members of the Sackler family, signed a corporate integrity agreement with the federal government promising that the company would not violate the law in the future.

However, Healey asserted in her lawsuit filed last year that Purdue Pharma, with the knowledge of the Sacklers, continued to illegally market the drug, including promoting its use at levels that increased the drugs dangers.

Also, while Richard Sackler and other members of the family had resigned their operating posts either before or after the 2007 settlement of the Justice Department lawsuit, they still continued to control the company and its decisions, the lawsuit claims.

In a 2012 email, one Purdue Pharma sales official complained about Richard Sacklers micromanagement of the companys sales and marketing activities.

Anything you could do to reduce the direct contact of Richard into the organization is appreciated, that official wrote.

In its statement, Purdue Pharma said that federal officials in 2013 had reviewed the companys performance under the five-year corporate integrity agreement and found it in complete compliance.

Purdue Pharma, first known as Purdue Frederick, was founded in 1952 by three brothers, Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, all physicians who left medicine to pursue careers in the drug business.

When Arthur Sackler died in 1987, his two younger brothers, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler purchased his stake in the company. They both died more recently.

In 2016, Forbes magazine estimated the familys wealth at about $13 billion. However, the precise figure is unknown because Purdue Pharma is privately held.

A confidential 2006 Department of Justice memorandum prepared in connection with the federal governments case against Purdue Pharma concluded that the drugmaker was aware of OxyContins growing abuse soon after it came onto the market in 1996.

That document also cited internal Purdue Pharma documents and emails that indicated members of the Sackler family had received reports about the abuse of OxyContin and another long-acting narcotic painkiller, MS Contin, sold by Purdue Pharma. The memorandum, however, did not suggest any wrongdoing by members of the Sackler family.Tenta, a Seattle, WA-based secure browser company, raised an undisclosed seed funding round.

ConsenSys Ventures made the investment.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate development to all major platforms, expand the VPN network and protocol, and increase marketing efforts.

Led by Jesse Adams, CEO, Tenta develops a web browser from the first principles of not collecting and monetizing users data, but respecting and protecting it. The browser decentralizes the browsing data and the VPN network that enables private browsing. That means that the browsing history and password keys are not stored on any centralized servers and users can choose to connect to the built-in browser VPN locations or run their own VPN node instead.

FinSMEs

17/01/2019Limelight Health, a San Francisco, CA-based quoting, underwriting, and proposal platform for the employee benefits industry, raised $33.5m in series C funding.

The round led by Principal Life, with participation from AXA Venture Partners, MassMutual Ventures, Aflac Ventures, Transamerica Ventures, Wells Fargo Strategic Capital (a division of Wells Fargo Commercial Capital), LaunchPad Digital Health, and Wanxiang America Healthcare Investments.

The company will use the funds for product development, customer acquisition, global expansion and hiring efforts. It will be enhancing product features to include more automation, enhanced workflow, an underwriter certification program, as well as risk scores based on data sets for better underwriting.

Led by CEO and co-founder Jason T. Andrew, Limelight Health is a provider of cloud-based enterprise software solutions delivering quoting & underwriting platform for the employee benefits industry, including carriers, underwriters, sales executives, agents, advisors, and their customers. Its platform offers a range of microservices that are configurable for business needs including quoting, rating, proposal generation, renewals, automated processing for pre-sales, new business, underwriting, enrollment support, data analysis, reporting, consumer delivery and agent self-service, document management and integration with industry systems and services.

The company also has satellite locations in Redding, California and Des Moines, Iowa and a remote workforce.

FinSMEs

17/01/2019VANCOUVER A Vancouver mom is on a mission to make pads and tampons available for free in public bathrooms across the country, and shes starting with Metro Vancouver school districts.

Selina Tribe, who is also a geology instructor at Douglas College and chair of Women in Engineering and Geoscience Division, has been going from school board to school board in recent months, making the case for free tampon and pad dispensers to be installed in school bathrooms.

Her end game is a federal policy change, requiring that all public bathrooms stock tampons and pads free of charge, in the same way that toilet paper and soap are provided.

Purchasing pads and tampons can be difficult for low-income people, said Tribe, and many women, especially those who have just started menstruating, feel a lot of shame around their periods. Asking someone for a tampon or pad can be extremely embarrassing, especially if a persons family discourages open discussion of menstruation.

The school boards I have spoken to so far have told me that it is their policy to have girls come down to the office and request of somebody a free pad or tampon when they need it, Tribe said.

Things can get messy if you dont get a pad or tampon right away, she said.

Read more:

New council asked to support free menstrual product pilot expansion

Alternative menstrual products reinventing periods

Uproar over #tampongate after students asked to declare menstrual products before licensing exams

That girl is bleeding into her pants while she has to do that. Its ridiculous to ask a young girl or anybody to that. Its not dignified, its not healthy, its unhygienic, she said.

All the single use paper products that boys need like paper towels, toilet paperare generally provided free of charge, but for some reason people are expecting women and girls to pay for these items, Tribe added.

Have your say

The Vancouver School Board confirmed it does not have coin-operated or coin-free pad and tampon dispensers in school bathrooms, while the Burnaby Board of Education says its schools either have coin-operated dispensers, baskets set out in the washrooms filled with free pads and tampons, or students can request them from staff.

The mother of a 12-year-old girl, Tribe was inspired to take action after chatting with her daughter about what will happen when she has her first period. She suggested that shed be able to get a pad in the bathroom at school, but was surprised when her daughter said they werent any in her schools bathroom.

Soon after, Tribe found and purchased a coin-free tampon and pad dispenser for $200 and donated it to her daughters East Vancouver elementary school. With support from the parent advisory committee, eventually the administration agreed to pay the $100 to stock it for the year.

Tribe has reached out to multiple school boards in the Lower Mainland, has already presented her case to a New Westminster school board committee, and will talk to a committee from Burnabys board this week. Shes also talking informally to the Vancouver School Board.

In Toronto, Centennial College implemented a free pad and tampon initiative in 2017. The school, which has about 25,000 full-time students, was able to adjust its existing coin-operated machines to make them dispense pads and tampons for free.

Shannon Brooks, Centennial Colleges associate vice-president of corporate services, said it costs the school $1,500 a month to stock all dispensers on campus and pay for cleaning staff to refill them. Before that, the college paid a contractor $3,500 a year to stock the machines.

Our initial concern was that as soon as you make it free people will stockpile (the tampons and pads), she said, but that never happened. People are really just taking what they need, she explained.

Many of the colleges students receive financial assistance, Brooks said, and providing the free products helps ease financial burdens.

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The fight for fair access to menstrual products has a long history in Canada, and there are several advocacy groups like The Period Purse, a volunteer-run non-profit that provides purses filled with menstrual products to marginalized people. Founder Jana Girdauskas says they also fills backpacks with the same products in order to include trans men who might not want to carry a purse.

Based on an informal poll, Girdauskas estimates that women who use disposable period products spend $10 to $40 per month on them.

In 2015, the Canadian government stopped charging federal tax on menstrual products, after years of lobbying by advocates.

Irene Mathyssen, the Ontario NDP MP for London-Fanshawe who tabled the motion to abolish the tax, thinks providing tampons and pads for free in public bathrooms is a great idea, and said she would consider including it in a private members bill in the House of Commons.

I also have a motion to make birth control free, and again, its the same rationale. Were talking about womens health, their well-being and for disadvantaged women the issue of [being able to afford] sanitary products and birth control can be extremely difficult, she said.

Read more about:VANCOUVERSome of B.C.s largest unions have issued statements criticizing RCMP action at the Wetsuweten blockade in northern B.C. last week.

Police arrested 14 people attempting to stop workers from getting onto traditional nation territory, where a pipeline is planned to be built.

The B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the two largest public-sector unions in the province, both released statements within the last week expressing concern over police actions and support for Wetsuweten nation members.

Union statements on the Wetsuweten standoff have been rare; thousands of unionized jobs depend on the pipeline being built.

The police actions drew national attention, as critics considered the standoff a test of Canadas commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous people. The RCMP has said it is conducting a review of the challenging and emotional police action, which included heavily armed officers and heated exchanges with demonstrators.

The 14 people arrested were accused of breaking a court injunction, granted in December, against blocking the work site. None were criminally charged, but all agreed to appear in court as part of a civil case.

Read more:

What you havent heard from inside the battle of Gidimten checkpoint

B.C. chief says they didnt give up rights for pipeline to be built

B.C. chiefs gather in Smithers to support Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs

Coastal GasLink, the company planning to build the pipeline, argued the blockade had effectively halted work on an approved project

Police have reached an agreement with the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs to allow workers access to the planned pipeline site.

BCGEU and CUPE B.C. chose to focus their statements on the RCMP interactions with Wetsuweten demonstrators and their allies, rather than on the pipeline project itself.

It is difficult to understand how the RCMPs military-style enforcement of the court injunction last week could be defensible if there is a true, meaningful commitment to reconciliation, reads a portion of the CUPE B.C. statement, released Monday.

Paul Faoro, CUPE B.C. president, said in an interview the union intentionally delayed publishing a statement on the issue until union leaders from across the province had a chance to discuss the events with each other and with Indigenous partners of the B.C. Federation of Labour.

Faoro said he came away from those discussions feeling the union should speak up about what it saw as heavy-handed action by the RCMP, without taking a position on Coastal GasLink.

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This had nothing to do with pipelines, he said. I pride our relationship with the other unions in B.C., including the B.C. Building Trades.

But Faoro said his membership did not feel comfortable saying nothing about the police action.

There was a consensus among the membership that what was seen on the news was not right, he said.

Pipelines have traditionally caused divisions within the B.C. labour movement. Some unions, including CUPE B.C. locals, openly oppose projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion for environmental reasons, while construction unions provide thousands of workers for the same projects.

As the conflicts between police and demonstrators unfolded, would-be pipeline workers were watching closely, prepared to begin work on the site.

Union leaders representing some of the Coastal GasLink pipeline workers told The Star Vancouver last week that work on the pipeline was necessary. The pipeline is planned to supply the $40-billion LNG Canada plant in Kitimat, B.C.

For the B.C. Federation of Labour, an umbrella organization representing 500,000 affiliated union members, pipelines are often a matter of spirited debate.

Laird Cronk, president of the federation, said Wednesday thats not the debate he feels the unions should currently be having about Coastal GasLink.

He said in his 30 years of experience in the labour movement, including participation in instances of civil disobedience, hes never seen police encounters that appeared so militaristic as the one that took place on traditional Wetsuweten territory.

If there was a trade union affiliate that had a picket line up and refused to take it down, and that was the response from the RCMP, I believe the entire labour movement would stand up to support them, Cronk said.

This is about how Indigenous people were treated by the RCMP up there ... I think the trade union movement should be concerned about that.

Read more about:VANCOUVERVoters in the riding of Burnaby South, formerly contested by federal Liberal candidate Karen Wang, expressed their disappointment Wednesday after controversy over a WeChat post forced her to step down from the byelection. But some were not surprised about her comments on race.

Wang, the federal Liberal candidate running against NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, resigned following a Star Vancouver report on her post on the Chinese social media app WeChat that urged people to vote for her, the only Chinese candidate, and not Singh of Indian descent.

Daniel Louie, a Burnaby-South resident and pastor at nearby Urban Village Church, was dismayed at Wangs actions.

We want to celebrate the diversity and representation, he said in an interview.

But for (Wang) to go in the other direction and say you should not vote for a candidate because of their ethnic descent, strikes against the whole idea of what Canadian society is trying to achieve.

Many in Louies congregation live in the Burnaby South riding, where NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is vying for a seat in parliament.

Read more:

Liberal candidates WeChat post draws criticism for singling out race of byelection opponent Jagmeet Singh

After the resignation of Liberal Karen Wang, Jagmeet Singh says politics that divides people along racial lines is not what Canada needs

Jagmeet Singh addresses Canada-China tensions as race for Burnaby South kicks off

Louie said most in his congregation would agree that what Wang did was clearly wrong.

Controversies like this misrepresent the whole community, he said.

Im Chinese-Canadian; it makes us look bad. It strikes at these racial biases and ideologies that are very divisive.

But at least one person said in an interview there are divisions in the community when it comes to views about race.

Its better not to talk about race in politics because (Canadians of Chinese descent) have experienced discrimination in the past and theres racism among ourselves as well, between new and old immigrants, said Steven Chow in Mandarin.

The Star Vancouver spoke with him at Crystal Mall, a popular shopping centre in Burnaby known for its wide variety of Chinese food and stores selling imported products.

The mall was one of Wangs stops in her short-lived byelection campaign, according to photos on her Facebook page.

Chow, who has lived in Canada for 30 years, said he was not surprised about Wangs actions on WeChat.

Ive seen others in the Chinese-Canadian community post similar WeChat messages rallying the Chinese-Canadians to help each other out, he said.

In Crystal Malls bustling food court, Amy Huang said Wangs WeChat post was a little bit aggressive, but that she would nonetheless vote Liberal in the upcoming byelection.

I vote for which party I like. I like Liberal. I always vote Liberal.

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But she added many in her community believe voting for a candidate of Chinese descent would get more power for the Chinese community  more funds, more care, more focus.

In a statement released Wednesday morning, Wang had apologized to Singh, saying my choice of words wasnt well-considered and didnt reflect my intent.

The WeChat post in question shows Wang urging supporters to vote for her. Translated from Chinese, part of the post said: If we can increase the voting rate, as the only (ethnic) Chinese candidate in this riding, if I can garner 16,000 votes I will easily win the byelection, control the election race and make history! My opponent in this byelection is the NDP candidate Singh of Indian descent!

Singh, who is vying for his first seat in the House of Commons, is Canadas first non-white federal party leader. The other candidates in the Feb. 25 byelection are Conservative Jay Shin and Peoples Party of Canadas Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson.

It is unclear who will replace Wang as the Liberals candidate in Burnaby South.

With files from Melanie Green

Jenny Peng is a Vancouver-based reporter covering business. Follow her on Twitter: @JennyPengNow Wanyee Li is a Vancouver-based reporter covering courts, wildlife conservation and new technology. Follow her on Twitter: @wanyeelii

Read more about:Doug Ford didnt wait long before creating another stir within municipal government.

This time its not Toronto, but dozens of towns and cities left wondering what changes the province has in mind with the appointment of special advisers to review regional governments in order to make better use of taxpayers dollars.

Unlike Torontos appalling experience, where council was slashed nearly in half in the middle of an election campaign, the province is starting with consultation this time. But once again, the Ford government has identified no specific problems with how all these municipalities are working, just the usual vague references to cutting red tape and finding efficiencies.

Thats certain to create turmoil from Oxford County to Muskoka and the big city regions of Halton, Peel, York and Durham in between, with politicians and staff scrambling to figure out what any of this will actually mean for them  good, bad, or perhaps in the end, not much at all.

But all that noise has already served to divert attention from another announcement the government made on Tuesday to overhaul Ontarios growth plan.

And with this one, we do know what it means  and its not good.

The government is dramatically rolling back the density targets brought in under the Liberals and encouraging urban sprawl with single-family homes that cant support public transit.

These changes, along with others in Bill 66, the governments wide-ranging omnibus legislation introduced last month, are bad news for protecting the Greenbelt, and more broadly the very principle of compact, sustainable growth.

The governments plan would take Ontario backwards by green-lighting urban sprawl once again and saddling future communities with neighbourhoods that have such low density they cant even support a bus service. That means long commutes and more gridlocked highways for everyone.

Thats not to say this wont be a popular move. In some quarters, its bound to be. Thats because the Ford government is selling it as whats required to get more housing built.

With the price of housing rising far faster than incomes, lots of people are being priced out of the housing market across the GTA and the whole Golden Horseshoe region. There certainly is a shortage of affordable housing, both ownership and rental.

And theres no shortage of developers who are quick to claim that those problems would be solved, if only the government would open up more land for development.

But its just not true. Theres plenty of land approved for development already.

Numerous reports have shown theres enough land already set aside for development to accommodate the housing needs of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region and its expected population growth for the next 20 years or more.

Still, there are always developers who want more land, or land thats easier to build on, or simply in a more lucrative area. And they constantly push local and provincial governments to make unnecessary and shortsighted changes.

As Steve Parish, who encountered much of this as the long-time mayor of Ajax, once put it: The demand for more pavement is relentless.

Doug Ford fell for this once before. Ahead of last years provincial election campaign he promised a group of developers that hed open a big chunk of the Greenbelt around Greater Toronto and Hamilton for development. Swapping something he referred to as just farmers fields for single-family homes was, he told them, my plan for affordable housing.

After a video of that came to light during the campaign, Ford was forced to back off on that particular promise. But his government does seem to be coming up with more subtle ways to achieve similar ends.

Bill 66 exempts commercial developments from a myriad of environmental laws and makes it possible for the municipal affairs minister to approve an office or factory on land within the Greenbelt. And the plans announced on Tuesday would weaken things further.

If these changes go through, municipalities will be able to approve new development on greenfield sites with as little as half the density theyre currently required to meet. In some areas that could mean as few as 40 residents and jobs per hectare, while provincial planners say it takes twice that many to support regular bus service.

Thats short-term thinking in the extreme.

The Greater Golden Horseshoe is one of North Americas fastest-growing urban regions and is expected to be home to four million more residents by 2041. Accommodating that growth in an economically and environmentally sustainable way requires smarter, more disciplined development.

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Intensification isnt easy and its not always popular, but it is necessary. Just as dealing with climate change isnt easy but also must be done.

The governments plan doesnt address the need for affordable housing but it does fuel urban sprawl. And that, ultimately, will be very expensive.

This is far from the growth plan that Ontario needs in 2019 and beyond. The Ford government should go back to the drawing board before its too late.

Read more about:On Jan. 16, 2009, an Israeli tank shelled my house during Israels military campaign in Gaza, killing my three daughters, Bessan, 21, Manar, 15, Aya, 14, and my niece Nour, 17.

Over the past 10 years, I have struggled to bring my daughters justice. On Nov. 27, 2018, the Israeli court rejected my lawsuit for an apology so all may see the innocent human faces of my daughters.

As a Canadian citizen, I asked for the Canadian government to advocate for me. I sent appeals to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. No response.

I did not ask them to move the tanks, Canadian military troops, army and jets to fight Israel. I asked them to advocate and bring my daughters justice.

Canada and Trudeau advocated and granted asylum to Rahaf Mohammed, a Saudi teen who fled alleged family abuse. The story of this Saudi teen attracted worldwide attention. Canada was responsive to the United Nations request and granted her asylum.

Trudeau said Canada has been unequivocal about always standing up for human rights and womens rights around the world. And Canada has been unequivocal. But will Canada and Trudeau stand up and advocate for human rights and womens rights for Canadian citizens?

My daughters and my niece advocated for peace with Israel. They rejected violence and treachery. They neither hurt nor hated anybody. Yet, their hopes, dreams, and future plans were extinguished.

I have vowed to continue their message as a way of keeping their spirit alive and to help inspire people around the world.

Hear the voices of Bessan, Mayar, Ayah and Nour:

Do not weep us

Achieve our dreams

Continue our journey we started

I cannot say and will never say that they are dead, they are just away.

They left quickly with cheery smiles.

They left quickly, like lightning.

Did not say a word of farewell.

They have left, and we are in desperate need of them.

Death is not the end and can never be the end.

Death is the road and we are travellers.

Oh, Father, Uncle, do not weep for us

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We passed on and our names are eternal

What did you do for us?

Today and every day, I tell them, We do not weep for you, Bessan, Mayar, Ayah, and Nour.

Rest in Peace, you are alive and will be kept alive. Your names that were once written in sand are now written in stone on the tomb.

Now is the time to say their names are written in the hearts and minds of people in this world.

Instead of saying behind every successful man, there is a successful woman, we need to say that alongside each successful man there is an equally educated and successful woman.

We can have no peace without justice for women, and no peace without respecting the human rights of us all. Establishing a safe, secure, just, and peaceful world is the function of womens education and their role in the world.

Just for a second, think of all the innocent children who have suffered, including my daughters and niece, as if they were yours. My family memberss deaths were not in vain.

In my book, I Shall Not Hate, I told my life story as a refugee in Gaza and my response to the tragedy that befell my family there. In that book, I affirmed that even after the killing of my daughters before my eyes, I refuse to hate.

I appeal to you to mediate and advocate to help reach reconciliation and a settlement of my case with the Israeli government. I appeal to you to help me ensure that my daughters are seen as unique, vibrant individuals who have dignity and worth; give them a human face and affirm that this tragedy was not in vain.

I hope that you can come to support this human cause to show the world that peace and justice are possible, even in these difficult times.

Let us move forward with courage and good will.

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is an associate professor of Global Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

Read more about:BEIJINGThe top U.S. and Chinese trade envoys will hold talks in Washington this month in a possible sign of progress toward ending a costly tariff battle over Beijings technology ambitions.

The Ministry of Commerce announcement of the Jan. 30-31 event was the first sign of a next step by the two sides following negotiations in Beijing earlier this month between lower-level officials.

Chinas economy czar, Vice Premier Liu He, was invited by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the ministry said.

Economists and business groups said earlier that a decision by Liu and Lighthizer to take part in person would indicate technical discussions made enough progress to require high-level political decisions.

The two sides have imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 per cent on tens of billions of dollars of each others goods in the fight over U.S. complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Washington also is pressing China to roll back plans for state-led industry development that its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations.

The Washington talks are aimed at carrying out the Dec. 1 agreement by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to suspend further tariff increases for 90 days while they negotiate, said Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng.

Read more:

China needs to pay a heavy price for its treatment of Canadians

Canadas economic growth expected to slow

U.S. assessment raises concerns over China attacking Taiwan

They are likely to take up more complex U.S. complaints about Chinese policy on which lower-level officials couldnt give a clear response, said Yu Chunhai, a trade expert at Renmin University in Beijing.

Chinese officials have suggested Beijing might adjust its industry plans. But they reject pressure to abandon what they consider a path to prosperity and global influence.

Liu probably will tell U.S. officials what China can and cant do, said Yu.

For their part, Chinese leaders object to U.S. export controls on dual use technology with possible military uses. They say Chinese companies are treated unfairly in national security reviews of proposed corporate acquisitions, though almost all deals are approved unchanged.

Such communication must be made between officials at a higher level, said Yu.

Neither side has shown any sign of changing its basic position. Economists say the 90-day window is too short to resolve conflicts that have strained their relations for nearly two decades.

Chinese exports to the United States held up through much of 2018 despite Trumps tariff hikes but contracted by 3.5 per cent in December compared with a year earlier as the penalties began to depress demand.

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Liu held talks in June in Beijing with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as trade tensions mounted. They failed to produce a settlement and Trump went ahead the next month with his first tariff hikes.

Liu made a surprise appearance at this months talks in Beijing. Financial markets took that as a positive sign. Global stock markets rose but then fell back after the meeting produced no agreements.

U.S.-Chinese relations are increasingly strained over technology, trade and cyber-spying.

This months talks in Beijing went ahead despite the arrest of an executive of Chinese technology giant Huawei in Canada on Dec. 1. The United States wants her extradited on charges that she lied to a bank about dealings with Iran.

On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Huawei stole trade secrets from U.S. companies.

The investigation was prompted in part by a lawsuit brought by T-Mobile U.S. Inc. that accused two Huawei employees of stealing technology for a robotic arm used to test mobile phones, the Journal said, citing unidentified sources. The two companies settled their dispute in 2017.

We doubt the intentions behind this, said a foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying. She said it would be inconsistent with the rules of free and fair competition if U.S. authorities arbitrarily used the state apparatus to suppress Chinese enterprises.

Beijing has tried to defuse pressure for more sweeping changes by emphasizing its growing importance as an import market and promising more access to its auto and some other industries.

Trump has complained repeatedly about the U.S. trade deficit with China. China reported Monday its 2018 trade surplus with the United States swelled to a record $323.3 billion.

Beijing also faces complaints from the European Union. The 28-nation trade bloc has filed a challenge in the World Trade Organization against Chinese licensing rules it says hinder foreign companies from protecting and profiting from their own technologies.

Read more about:BOGOTA, COLOMBIAThe Colombian rebel group known as the National Liberation Army delivered an unwelcome new year message, exploding two bombs on the Cano Limon-to-Covenas oil pipeline in the eastern province of Arauca.

The Jan. 9 attacks disrupted delivery of crude to the Andean countrys major export harbor and caused nasty spills. Though no deaths were reported, the bombings illustrated how the nation remains plagued by insurgent violence that stunts economic development and wreaks havoc in rural areas despite the governments peace agreement in late 2016 with the 14,000-member Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

The National Liberation Army, better known as ELN, the initials for its name in Spanish, Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, has grown in strength since the FARC demobilized, adding about 1,000 members to the 1,500 fighters it had before the peace deal, said Orlando Hernandez, a former officer with the Colombian National Police and now a security expert with the Agora Consulting risk analysis firm in Medellin. Many of the newer ELN members are former FARC fighters who declined to disarm, he said.

The violent means the ELN uses to pursue its social justice goals for poor or oppressed people have left it with slight public support. The government blames it for 5,700 kidnappings since 1996, and the group is believed to be holding about 250 people hostage. Officials also say the ELN has perpetrated 328 pipeline bombings since 2012, causing numerous oil spills and the loss of more than a million barrels of crude since the start of 2017.

On and off peace negotiations between the government and ELN since 2015 have been inconclusive. Near-term chances of a deal seem remote with new Colombian President Ivan Duque having criticized the FARC accord forged by his predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, as too generous.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Duque is taking a hard line with the ELN, imposing a number of preconditions such as the release of kidnapped hostages, the end of criminal activities such as extortion and bombings, and the concentration of guerrillas in one remote site while peace talks are carried out. The rebels have been unwilling to meet those conditions, she said.

Here is some more information about the ELN:

Q: What is the ELNs ideology and when was it founded?

A: The group was established in 1964 by brothers Manuel and Antonio Vasquez Castano and other Colombians studying in Cuba. Their objective was to import the Fidel Castro-led revolution to their home country and effect an armed takeover of the government.

The ELN espouses a violent brand of liberation theology that mixes Marxist politics with the Roman Catholic Churchs concern for the poor. One of the groups icons was early recruit Camillo Torres, a priest who was killed in a 1966 battle with the Colombian army.

The U.S. government classifies the ELN as a terrorist organization.

Q: Where did the ELN find members and financial support?

A: At the height of its power in the early 1990s, the ELN had about 9,000 members, with many recruits coming from labor unions some were students and leftist intellectuals. Revenue came from extorting from mining and energy companies and kidnapping and seeking ransoms for oil company officials, wealthy farmers and cattlemen and others.

ELN membership declined in the 1990s after right-wing paramilitary militias were formed to fight the rebels, but it has grown since 2016 as the group turned to drug trafficking to generate revenue, Hernandez said.

Q: How does the ELN differ from the FARC?

A: The FARC decided in the early 1990s to finance operations by aligning with drug traffickers, fueling nationwide expansion and dominance over rival insurgencies. By the time the FARC signed the peace deal, the group had gained control of much of Colombias cocaine supply chain. It financed farmers purchases of land and seeds for crops of coca, cocaines raw material; it secured transit routes and made deals with Mexican mafias, their main clients.

The ELN, meanwhile, remained focused mainly on the northeastern provinces of Arauca and North Santander, where it harassed and extorted from oil companies, especially state-controlled Ecopetrol, owner of the countrys oil and gas pipeline grids. The group initially gained influence by supporting worker strikes at the giant Barrancabermeja oil refinery.

Q: How has the FARC peace accord affected the ELN?

A: Since the FARC demobilized, the ELN has attempted to fill the vacuum in the drug trafficking business, becoming an active player in the southern province of Narino, a prime coca farming, processing and cocaine transit zone. But competition is intense, with criminal gangs, Mexican mafias and other rebel groups all vying for the lucrative cocaine market.

Like the FARC, the ELN uses Venezuela as a sanctuary, and its members are thought to receive medical treatment from the accommodating socialist government there.

Q: Who is the ELN leader?

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A: After the Vasquez Castano brothers were killed by the army in 1973, the group was led by Spanish priest Manuel Perez Martinez, alias Poliarco, who died in 1998 from hepatitis.

Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista, alias Gabino, 68, assumed power after the death of Perez Martinez, assisted by four other block leaders in the Central Command, and he remains jefe maximo today. The Duque government recently asked the Cuban government to arrest and extradite Gabino on terrorism charges.

Why are the bomb attacks and kidnappings happening, and how many have there been?

The ELN uses bombings, kidnappings and the threat of such attacks to pressure oil companies to make extortion payments. The ELN considers all oil drilling sites and infrastructure to be military targets. Last year, the group was responsible for 108 bomb attacks, up from 63 in 2017, Hernandez said, citing police statistics. As for kidnappings, the rebels were blamed for 25 last year, up from 20 the year before, he said.

The ELN was thought to be responsible for the killings of several community leaders in places where residents resisted their attempts to extort from or impose on local governments, Hernandez said. The rebels were also suspects in revenge killings last year of several demobilized FARC fighters.

Q: Why have peace negotiations failed so far?

A: In September 2015, after reaching a tentative peace agreement with the FARC, Santos announced he was in exploratory talks with the ELN and that formal negotiations would begin in 2016 in Quito, Ecuador. But a dispute over the kidnapping of a former congressman forced a postponement until February 2017.

The two sides in late 2017 announced a 90-day cease-fire ending in January 2018. The truce was not renewed, however, as the government accused the rebels of bad faith in attacking police and army installations. The talks were further stalled when Ecuador backed out as host after three Ecuadorean journalists were kidnapped and killed during a reporting trip to the common border. The base of negotiations then was transferred to Havana, where little progress was reported before Santos left office in August.

Q: What are the chances negotiations will restart?

A: At the moment, not good.

Duque has not softened his stance on the preconditions for negotiations. The ELN recently declared a unilateral 10-day cease-fire during the holiday season but has refused to meet the presidents conditions.

Felbab-Brown said the ELN appears to face some organizational issues that might interfere with negotiations.

In recent weeks, he said, there have been interesting developments, with the ELN sending a message through the Vatican that they wanted to negotiate. But the leadership structure is much more dispersed than the FARC, and its unclear who the negotiating partners would be and whether they can persuade the mid-level commanders to sign on.Canadian officials are condemning the killers of a Canadian mining company executive whose bullet-riddled body has been found in Burkina Faso.

Kirk Woodman, a Halifax man who worked for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead Wednesday in Oudalan province, an official with the west African countrys Ministry of Security said Thursday.

Jean Paul Badoum said from Ouagadougou, the countrys capital, that the body was found with bullet wounds.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Sherbrooke, Que., Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called Woodmans killing a terrible crime.

Canada is absolutely committed to working with the authorities in Burkina Faso to bring those responsible to justice. And I think our first thought today is with his family, with his friends who have received some really dreadful news.

Woodmans family also sent out a statement.

Kirk was a loving and hardworking husband, father, son and brother. Not a day will go by that he wont be missed. Our family would like to thank everyone for the love and support weve received, but we ask for privacy while we grieve during this difficult time.

Badoum said Woodman was kidnapped by armed gunmen from a mining camp, but officials have not yet identified the kidnappers.

He said no group has taken responsibility for the kidnapping.

Badoum said the body was found alone.

Read more:

Global Affairs acknowledges Quebecer may have been kidnapped

Deadly attacks by extremists strike French embassy, army headquarters in Burkina Faso

Canadian killed in Burkina Faso attack remembered as passionate teacher

Burkina Fasos Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, Alpha Barry, said it is with great emotion and sorrow that the government learned of Woodmans death.

The government of Burkina condemns with the utmost energy this cowardly assassination and reassures that an investigation is opened and all the measures will be taken to find and punish the guilty, he said in a statement in French posted to Facebook Thursday.

The government shares the grief of family, loved ones and the Canadian government and offers them the deepest condolences, Barry said.

Woodman was vice-president of exploration for Progress Minerals, according to his LinkedIn page.

Acadia University professor Sandra Barr said in an email late Wednesday that Woodman was quite well-known among geologists in Nova Scotia, where he was based, and had worked in Africa for decades.

He was very passionate about the work that he was doing there, she said.

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David Duncan, a veteran exploration geologist based in Windsor, N.S., said he worked with Woodman on projects in Nova Scotia and overseas for more than four decades.

In an interview Wednesday, he described Woodman as a talented geologist  part of a wider community of Nova Scotia-trained geologists who helped find mines around the globe. He had the ability to tell whether a good prospect could become a producing mine, he said.

Duncan and Woodman worked for Etruscan Resources of Halifax on some of the first gold mines in Niger and then Burkina Faso  as part of a close-knit group of Canadian geologists who were pioneering the development of mines in western Africa.

After Duncan left in 2005, Woodman stayed on at Etruscan and firms that purchased its properties as their original discoveries were developed into operating gold properties.

We were the up front guys, the go-in-first guys to see if there was anything there worthwhile, said Duncan, recalling how they worked together on the Youga gold mine in Burkina Faso in the early 2000s.

He said working as an exploration geologist in western Africa always had its dangers, ranging from the risk of traffic accidents to contracting diseases such as malaria, but Duncan said in recent years the risk increased with the rise of Islamic militancy.

Its a terrible thing, a terrible thing. We understood since the Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler was kidnapped in Niger that part of the world had changed . . . with the introduction of Islamic fundamentalists into that part of the world, he said.

Its gotten to be a much harder place . . . We were never worried about being kidnapped. Today, its a different world.

The news comes soon after a 34-year-old Quebec tourist and her travelling companion were reported missing in the west African nation.

Sherbrooke native Edith Blais and her Italian friend Luca Tacchetto were travelling by car in southwestern Burkina Faso when all communication with their families abruptly ended Dec. 15.

A statement by Security Minister Clement Sawadogo referred to the disappearance of Blais and Tacchetto as a kidnapping.

West Africas Sahel region has seen a number of abductions of foreigners in recent years by extremists linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State organization.

Burkina Faso recently declared a state of emergency in the region as attacks by Islamic extremists increased, especially along the border with Niger and Mali.

Sawadogo said foreigners should use extreme caution when travelling in dangerous areas of the country.

With files from The Associated Press

Read more about:A personal injury law firm has agreed to pay an estimated $4 million to settle claims that the firm double-dipped from the settlements of nearly 1,800 accident victims it represented.

The settlement between Neinstein & Associates LLP, a prominent personal injury law firm, and its clients was approved Wednesday by Justice Paul Perell.

Perells sign-off on the settlement effectively ends a class-action lawsuit that was certified in June 2017 but never made it to trial.

At the time the class-action commenced, lawyers working on contingency  you dont pay unless we win  were not allowed to take a sum of money called costs in addition to a percentage of the settlement, according to the Solicitors Act governing lawyers.

In 2012, the roughly 1,800 class members alleged that Gary Neinstein and the law firm breached provincial law and their fiduciary duties because they charged an amount for costs in addition to the fee spelled out in their contingency fee agreement, according to Perells settlement approval decision. The firm denied the allegations.

Jeff Neinstein, managing partner of Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers, told the Star in an email his firm is pleased that this issue has been resolved.

We appreciate the trust and confidence that our clients have continued to place in us and we remain dedicated to providing compassionate legal representation for all victims across Ontario.

During a brief hearing in a second-floor courtroom at downtown Torontos Osgoode Hall, Perell additionally approved $1 million in legal fees and assorted charges incurred during the litigation for plaintiff lawyers Peter Waldmann and Andrew Stein, plus a $10,000 honorarium to accident victim Cassie Hodge, the 46-year-old mother of two at the heart of the case.

Waldmann, who represented Hodge and the other class members, said the settlement is a compromise, but he is pleased the accident victims are getting some remedy.

A Star investigation that began in 2016 found personal injury lawyers in Ontario had routinely taken their fees then also taken the costs, which a Divisional Court judge had called double dipping. As a result, the Star story said, many Ontario residents had been overcharged thousands of dollars and likely did not know it.

On the heels of the Stars findings, the Law Society of Ontario decided to make changes to the way personal injury lawyers can advertise their services, bill their clients and charge and collect referral fees.

When this issue was first raised, it became clear that there was confusion regarding the interpretation of the Solicitors Act, Jeff Neinstein said Wednesday. We took these concerns very seriously. We worked collaboratively to ensure that these issues were responsibly addressed. We are proud of the work that we do and continue to promote access to justice.

In his settlement approval order, Justice Perell said negotiations between both sides were intensive. He said the settlement is a good result for the class particularly having regard to the litigation risks and the long litigation road that would await them.

As part of the settlement, a class member could get 30 per cent of what Neinstein referred to on his accounts as costs, the court said, provided she or he signed or amended a contingency fee agreement with the firm after October 1, 2004 and paid their fees before December 9, 2015.

Their cases must also have settled for at least $40,000 and their bills included at least $15,000 for an amount the firm called party and party costs, partial indemnity costs or another term using equivalent language.

Perell said that he awarded Hodge the honorarium to pay her personal expenses during the case and to acknowledge her extraordinary contribution.

Hodges battle against Neinstein began in 2010 after the law firm settled her car accident case for $150,000, sending her a final account that included charges for legal fees of $30,326 and costs of $30,000. She was also charged for $48,924 of disbursements, charges incurred by the lawyer in the course of litigation, which included $4,008 for photocopies, $2,791 for laser copies, and $1,372 for interest recovery, according to an earlier appeal court ruling that upheld the certification of the class.

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Hodge alleges she was left with a fraction of her settlement.

Hodge had retained the Neinstein firm after a 2002 accident that left her with a concussion, whiplash, a retinal tear, soft tissue injuries and chronic pain.

Justice is served, Hodge said outside the courtroom after the hearing. Now people are aware of what was happening at law firms, and they know that they do have recourse.Acorn Biolabs, a Toronto, Canada-based biotechnology company, closed a $3.3m seed funding round.

Backers included Real Ventures, Globalive Technology, Pool Global Partners and Epic Capital Management and other unnamed partners.

Founded in 2017 by Steven ten Holder, Patrick Pumputis and Dr. Drew Taylor, CEO, Acorn is a biotechnology company based at JLABS in the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Canada, which is bringing to market a home-based, affordable and non-invasive consumer live cell collection kit and cryopreservation service. Acorn helps people collect and preserve cells to leverage them in the future when they need them.

The company intends to use the funds to add key resources to its team to ramp towards market availability.

Among them, Jacquie Chapman, an experienced industry veteran, joined Acorn as Chief Operating Officer while Sonya Verheyden joined Acorn as Chief Marketing Officer.

The company is currently planning for commercial availability of the consumer home collection and cryopreservation service in Q2 2019.

FinSMEs

17/01/2019Theres a couple sitting on a dark blue couch, tight-lipped and looking straight ahead as their three giant dogs chill alongside them.

A man sitting on a black leather couch, his feet resting on a shaggy green mat, a cat standing beside him and two guitars flanking him on either side.

A woman wearing a black dress, sitting on a wooden sofa next to her dog in a dimly lit room with red walls, carpet, statues and pillows.

The couch can tell you a lot about the person, says photographer Adam Coish, who has embarked on a project to photograph Torontonians on their couches.

Dubbed The Couch Series, he has photographed more than 60 sofas so far.

This is one piece of furniture that we all have in our house and it kind of brings everybody together but then everybody has different artwork and different knick-knacks surrounding it.

Coish, who works as a freelance photographer and lighting technician, believes he was sitting on his couch when the idea of showcasing people on their sofas came to him.

It was about six years ago and Coish, then in his final year of photography at Ryersons Chang School of Continuing Studies, needed a subject for his final school project. Already having a keen interest in environmental portraiture and photographing real-life people  not models or superstars  he figured a simple series on ordinary people on their couches could be fun.

Initially, finding people to feature was a hassle, he said, mainly because people tend to be protective of their private spaces. But eventually, through word of mouth and postings in online platforms such as Craigslist and Bunz Facebook groups, Coish said the response has been overwhelming.

He ended up taking 10 couch portraits for his school project. He said the process made him realize he was only scratching the surface of what could be discovered through the series, given Torontos different cultures and walks of life.

It was also something I enjoyed doing, he said.

I love the experience of going into these peoples houses where they feel most comfortable and some of them show so much pride in it. But generally people are so kind and welcoming and super interesting.

He has since visited dozens of houses, apartments and basements across the city, taking pictures of people relaxing in their sofas and chronicling them on his website.

One thing Ive learned is that my space is very boring, he said, noting many of his subjects had much more interesting things in their living places  from pets, to little book libraries, to cultural ornaments and artistic decorations.

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One other thing I never realized is how much you can fill up your space and make it feel very homey by finding things on the curb or just through trading things online, he said, explaining some of his subjects found unique tables, lamps and carpets for free.

Despite its name, Coish said the couches are not the most important part of the series  rather, its the space and things surrounding the couch that tell more about the persons personality.

One particular family stood out for him: a couple in the Dufferin Grove area who have curated a taxidermy in their living room  dozens of stuffed animals including a moose, a bald eagle and an elk. He said the couple werent hunters; they had been collecting the stuffed animals over many years from places across the country.

Coish said his long-term goal is to create a more diverse collection of portraits, with an emphasis on people from different cultural backgrounds, as well as older people, nuns, firefighters and others. He said he hopes to organize a gallery show by 2020, and eventually turn the project into a coffee-table book.

I have no intention of stopping this project, he said.Premier Doug Fords review of regional governments that is expected to usher in change across the provincial political landscape has revived a long-standing desire for one large municipality to break free.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie told reporters Tuesday the review process was an opportunity to finally get her city out of the Peel Region umbrella so it can be a single-tier government  just like many other cities in the province with comparable size, budget and population. An independent Mississauga has been one of Crombies openly declared goals ever since coming to power.

I have been clear for a while that its time to re-evaluate Mississaugas relationship with the Region of Peel and whether or not it makes financial sense for our city, Crombie said in a written statement this week, adding that its time for Mississauga to be able to control its own destiny.

Experts say she may not get what she wants.

My analysis is, au contraire, said Nelson Wiseman, professor of political science at the University of Toronto. If we have any developments (from this review), it will be more consolidation and amalgamation.

The province announced its review Tuesday, naming Michael Fenn, a former deputy minister and CEO of Metrolinx, and Ken Seiling, the former chair of Waterloo Region, to act as special advisers. It will encompass 82 municipalities including the Halton, Peel, Durham and York Regions.

Read more:

Mississauga mayor hopes review takes her city out of Peel Region

By the numbers: the regions under the Ford governments review

Ford governments regional review could be a good thing  or a very bad thing

Currently the sixth largest city in Canada and third largest in Ontario with a population pushing 800,000, Mississaugas political leadership has long advocated for a breakup from regional control. Former mayor Hazel McCallion has even called for a total dismantling of the Peel Region government, calling its existence an unnecessary two-tier system.

Reached Wednesday for a comment about whether this was finally the time for Mississauga to be autonomous, the 97-year-old veteran politician said she didnt want to say much about something she didnt have details of.

I know that the premier is very anxious to make governments more efficient, both locally and provincially, McCallion said. So I assume that is his intent to look at efficiencies, how can the cost of government be reduced. That was his platform and I assume thats what they are after.

Wiseman said the pursuit of more efficiencies in service delivery is exactly what could propel more cases of amalgamation. As smaller cities grow, the need to combine services such as police, transit, firefighters and garbage collection becomes greater and obvious, he said.

These services dont end when you get to a street. Once upon a time there were trees and forests between those cities, he said, noting cities under regional umbrellas used to be much more geographically distinct. Now, the police from Mississauga can pursue somebody if he drives through to Brampton.

The only thing that surprised Wiseman is the time frame. In the announcement, provincial Tories said the two special advisers will work with Queens Park on the review, and conduct public consultations in the spring. For a serious study such as this one, you have to spend a lot more time, maybe a year, he said.

Myer Siemiatycki, a political science professor at Ryerson University, said the Peel Region is most likely to receive special attention during this review process  calling it an odd partnership between two large urban environments, Brampton and Mississauga, and a vast rural territory, Caledon.

I think it increases (the chance for separation), he said, calling their grouping an anomaly. He said Brampton and Mississauga are both among top 10 largest municipalities in this country but they find themselves kind of in a shotgun marriage configuration with their adjacent territories.

Siemiatycki said its possible to imagine a scenario where both Brampton and Mississauga become free-standing municipalities, but its more likely that both cities are amalgamated and form the third largest municipality in Canada.

That scenario would shift and refocus peoples understanding of big cities  not just hundreds-year-old established places with old downtowns, but new and bursting suburbs, he said.

That could be an interesting shakeup of our mental map understanding of what a large city is, he said.

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Such a consolidation would also be led by a mayor whose voice would carry a powerful political power that the province may or may not want, Siemiatycki added.

He suspects ultimately Fords motivation with this review is to reduce the number of politicians throughout local municipalities, the same way he did with Toronto city council this past summer.

I think they want to be able to say we have streamlined government and saved public and taxpayers money in salaries going to politicians, he said. Thats an outcome I think the provincial government would have high on its agenda.

With a file from the Brampton Guardian

Read more about:The former director of the York Region District School Board  fired after a scathing provincial report cited his poor leadership and allegations he ordered staff to spy on each other  says his dismissal was unfair and that he is entitled to more than $2 million.

According to his statement of claim filed in Ontarios Superior Court of Justice, J. Philip Parappally is seeking $1.93 million in lost salary and car allowance over the remainder of his controversial 10-year contract, as well as unspecified damages for the loss of benefits and moral damages for bad faith conduct by the school board.

Parappally also wants compensation in an amount to be determined for loss of opportunity because his unusual decade-long contract also included a job-for-life clause, providing him with a position as a senior superintendent in 2024 after serving as director, his claim states.

He is also seeking another $500,000, saying in his statement of claim that the board did not accommodate a disability  which he says arose out of the stress of the negative media attention and the report on the York board under his tenure  and instead let him go, in addition to a further payout for intentional infliction of nervous shock.

As director of the board, Parappally earned $276,000 a year, and his statement of claim notes he had no disciplinary history whatsoever leading up to the termination of his employment since he began working there in 2000.

Parappally was heavily criticized in the April 2017 report from two provincial troubleshooters who were sent in after numerous complaints that the York board was not properly dealing with incidents of racism and Islamophobia, and amid trustee and staff misbehaviour.

Read more:

New director aims to bring stability to troubled York school board

York school board ousts controversial director

Report blasts York school board director for cultivating culture of distrust

He was let go shortly after the report was released, and after then-education minister Mitzie Hunter ordered the school board to take steps to improve.

The provincial report detailed Parappallys behaviour, saying his actions fostered a climate of mistrust, and that a skilled leader would have risen above these difficulties.

In its statement of defence, the York board said it had every right to terminate Parappally with or without cause  the latter providing a payout of one-years salary.

The board says the report outlined very serious misconduct by Parappally, including sharing a confidential email with a community member, trading favours for the benefit of personal constituent agendas of individual trustees as well as cultivating an environment of distrust and intimidation, according to the statement of defence.

The board also notes concerns that Parappally was requesting that senior staff spy on other senior staff, including that a meeting be videotaped without the presenters knowledge and sending laptops of other staff surreptitiously for testing, the statement of defence says.

An April 13, 2017 note from Parappallys doctor was brief, saying he should be off work until at least April 24 for medical reasons, and the boards statement of defence says the medical evidence that he provided to the YRDSB did not indicate a disability.

It goes on to say that it is evident that Mr. Parappally reacted in a negative manner to the review report, for good reason. While his reaction may have involved a degree of stress, that does not constitute an illness, let alone a disability.

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In his statement of claim, Parappally says the provincial reviewers  sent into the board in February 2017  were overwhelmed with submissions, and that the comments they received online may not have been entirely reliable, as the reviewers did not take steps to confirm the identities of individuals providing information.

He said the reviewers suggested training, an outside performance review, and that the board renegotiate his contract, while also improving the transparency and accountability in the board.

At no point did the report or Minister Hunter state that Mr. Parappallys employment should be terminated, his statement of claim says.

Parappally also says personal animosities fuelled his firing, according to his statement of claim.

His lawsuit has become a focus for parents who have asked the board if there is any connection to it and the recent resignation of trustee Anna DeBartolo, who cited personal reasons.

Director of Education Louise Sirisko, when reached by the Star, said she cannot comment on a lawsuit.

I want to assure members of our community and the public that the YRDSB is upholding its mission, its vision, its integrity and the law, she said.

Since taking over as director a year ago, Sirisko said she and the board have worked hard to rebuild relationships with the community and with parents.

We cannot comment on the specifics of a legal proceeding, added board spokesperson Licinio Miguelo. Our board has made significant progress since the ministrys report in April 2017, and we continue to focus on the work of improving student achievement and well-being.

Sirisko noted the board, and the director, have no authority to force a trustee step down.Eleven surplus city properties can be developed to provide more than 10,000 residential units  one-third of them affordable housing  so that more low-income earners can live and work in the city, according to a staff report going to city council at the end of January.

The proposed $4.2-billion construction project would also create thousands of jobs, according to Sean Gadon, director of Torontos affordable housing office.

It represents 13,400 person-years of employment. The 11 sites spread throughout the city cover 40 acres of land, which is the equivalent of half of Kensington Market, or three Distillery Districts, said Gadon.

In all, 3,629 of the 10,187 new units would be rented at rates ranging on average from $549 to $1,372 per month, making it possible for cashiers and retail workers, nannies and factory workers to live in the city instead of commuting from afar.

The average rents in the affordable housing units should not exceed 80 per cent of annual Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation average market rents, according to the report.

Another third of the units would be leased at market rents and a third would likely be sold as condominiums, creating mixed-income buildings. The market-rent units and units sold as condominiums would assist in paying for the construction of the affordable homes.

It is also being recommended that the city waive its development charges, planning application fees, building permit fees and property taxes for the affordable units, totalling $280 million in exemptions over 99 years.

The creativity of this is that there is no draw on the citys tax revenues to achieve this program, said Gadon. All of the inputs are coming from existing land, which is publicly owned, and from the forgiveness of fees and charges that otherwise wouldnt be collected because these developments wouldnt have occurred.

City council approved repurposing the 11 unused city properties as housing developments in December. The initiative, called Housing Now, is one part of Mayor John Torys promise to provide 40,000 more affordable housing units over the next 12 years.

Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York) said his initial reaction to the report is generally favourable.

The most valuable asset that the city has is its land, and we must do a much better job of using our land to build a more affordable city. I think its fair to say that in the past, far too often we sold off land for a short-term buck, whereas what we need to focus on, and what I think were finally starting to focus on, is leveraging our land to build a more affordable city, Cressy said.

These parcels of land are located right across the city, which means were seeking to embed affordable housing in every neighbourhood in this city, which is the objective. You want to build mixed-income communities.

The staff report, which goes to executive committee for consideration next Wednesday and to city council on Jan. 30, details an action plan for how Housing Now could take shape.

It calls for the establishment of a Housing Secretariat led by an executive director to troubleshoot any problems that arise and liase with city agencies and city councillors.

Gadon said special procurement policies have been requested that would encourage local hiring and create employment, training and apprenticeship opportunities for people who are economically disadvantaged.

He estimates construction of the proposed development would start in 2020, with residents moving in by 2022.

The 11 sites, which are located near mass transit, would otherwise likely have been sold to condo developers, said Gadon.

Its a ground-breaking initiative in that it essentially will be predetermining how these sites will be developed and ensuring that there is an opportunity for Torontonians of all backgrounds and all incomes to live here...basically leveraging these city-owned property at transit locations where residents will actually not be required to own cars.

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The development of each of the 11 sites will be put out for bids.

Both private and non-profit agencies will be allowed to bid on the projects.

Im expecting that well get a diversity of development partners, said Gadon. This is $4.2 billion worth of construction activity, its frankly more than one developer could handle.City councillors and community advocates are demanding a plan to address the roots of youth violence be fully and sustainably funded starting with this years budget.

At city hall on Wednesday, city staff were asked to provide a clear and honest accounting of what has yet to be done under the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy that council approved in 2014 and what is needed to implement all of the actions identified in that plan.

Council will consider later this month a request from councillors Kristyn-Wong-Tam and Josh Matlow for a budget briefing on the strategy. The process to balance the 2019 budget, which launches on Jan. 28, could mean a difficult start to the new term for Mayor John Tory, with revenue from the housing market the city has long relied on falling and a promise he made to not increase property taxes.

The push to properly fund the strategy comes after the city saw an uptick in gun violence last year that took the lives of young people including Mackai Bishop Jackson, 15, and after the Star reported the youth equity strategy currently remains underfunded and not yet fully implemented.

Jacksons neighbours in Regent Park say the citys strategy to support their youth is sound. Whats missing, they say, is the will to make good on those plans.

Share your thoughts

Community worker Sureya Ibrahim directed her comments to Tory on Wednesday, calling the continued loss of young lives unacceptable and the harm that has come to communities like theirs preventable.

Under your watch, what kind of legacy are you going to be leaving and how many lives have we lost under your leadership? she asked.

We are sick and tired of going to the funerals.

Torys spokesperson Don Peat said Wednesday in a statement that the mayor has been briefed by city staff and remains committed to closing any gaps remaining, as identified by city staff, in funding the youth equity strategy.

The youth equity strategy was created by city staff following a 2013 motion by Matlow to act on a key provincial report that identified and made recommendations to address the roots of youth violence. The citys strategy contains 110 actions that focus on those aged 13 to 29, including initiatives to improve their chance at employment, provide access to safe spaces and meaningful mentorship.

In the nearly five years since the strategy was approved, 150 people aged 13 to 29 have been killed in Toronto, according to the Stars own database (several domestic incidents, which mostly involve parents and children, were not included in this tally). That is about one youth killed every 12 days.

At last count, in October 2018, staff whose job it is to implement 110 actions in the strategy calculated that 15 actions had not been started, 17 were still in a research phase and 27 were still being piloted. Eight actions were deemed no longer relevant and three were considered complete. The remaining 40 were said to be sustained, though it appears not all of them have long-term funding attached to them.

What that analysis, provided to the Star, means is that of the actions still considered relevant, more than half had not been implemented or sustained since 2014.

The amount of money required to fully implement and sustain the strategys goals today is not clear.

Over the last several months, staff have presented a funding target of roughly $15 million for three different time periods.

Originally, the Star was told early estimates called for $15 million in annual funding when less than $500,000 was being provided in sustainable ongoing funding.

A backgrounder posted online by city staff in early December states that implementation of the strategy was in 2014 estimated to cost $15 million overall.

In an email Wednesday, city spokesperson Brad Ross referenced a briefing note from 2015 that cited the need for $14.8 million in investments. But that briefing note said the $14.8 million was needed to fund the strategy in just 2015 and 2016.

Staff now say that $13.5 million has been invested from various divisional budgets over four years.

The backgrounder does not make clear what the ongoing costs of fully implementing the strategy are.

Though staff were meant to provide annual progress reports to council, that hasnt happened.

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On the ground, those responsible for implementing the programs under the strategy say they remain uncertain from year to year whether funding will be coming to maintain or expand services, mentorship and outreach for the vulnerable youth they serve.

That included, until recently, a program that saw youth mentoring other youth on mental health. That successful community healing program, which is part of the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy, received five-year funding from the federal government alone to continue operating and expand to other neighbourhoods in need.

What we need to do is get a clear picture from city staff by way of a report through the budget process on what resources they need to action it out properly, Wong-Tam said Wednesday, as well as reporting on outcomes.

Matlow said government is far better at announcing plans than properly implementing them. He said what theyre asking for is a briefing that explains what has been done, what hasnt been done and what will it take to get it done without mincing words.

Read more about:OTTAWABeijings envoy to Canada says Canadas arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was a politically motivated act in violation of international law norms, and is viewed as a backstabbing by a country China had considered its best Western friend.

In a rare news conference with Canadian and Chinese-language reporters, Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye blasted the Trudeau government for the unprecedented arrest of the executive of a multinational company who China says broke no law in Canada.

He denied Chinas detentions of two Canadian men or the death penalty levied against another man are in retaliation, and warned Canada against deepening the current rift.

Speaking in Mandarin, Lu said through an embassy interpreter that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland should stop trying to rally other countries to its cause, and accused them of engaging in microphone diplomacy that will fail to isolate China and make matters worse.

He said Freeland should avoid lobbying allies at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week, saying if Canada is sincere, it should think twice about raising the consular issues there.

The open war of words will only escalate tensions instead of easing tensions, Lu said.

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At the same time, China issued an even sharper warning to Trudeaus government.

The ambassador said if Canada follows the U.S. and its Five Eyes security partners in banning Huawei from the development of 5G networks, the next generation of wireless technology, when there is no evidence to justify any security concerns, there will be repercussions for the bilateral relationship. He said he was unsure what those would be.

Thats a threat, said Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said in an interview.

So, too, is Lus warning that Canada should cease its campaign to rally international allies to protest Chinas treatment of Canadian nationals abroad.

Saint-Jacques said it shows the strategy Trudeau government has pursued in response is working.

Its getting their attention. China is very concerned about their international image and reputation, and, right now, Canadas rallying this support .

Some allies have stopped short of demanding the release of the two Canadian detainees, but Canada should continue its efforts, Saint-Jacques said.

Freeland, speaking in Sherbrooke at a cabinet retreat, vowed to do just that.

She said on Thursday Spain joined the growing chorus of those objecting to Chinas actions, and publicly expressed concerns about the detention of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor and about the use of the death penalty against Mr. Schellenberg.

So there is a large and growing group of allies who share Canadas concerns about the rule of law and we are grateful to our allies who are speaking out. We think it is very much in their interests to do (so).

The United States, which is seeking Mengs extradition, has joined that group. However Beijing has not directed the same anger at Washington. Asked why, one Chinese official at the embassy said Meng is in Canada; she is not in the U.S.

Lu said Beijing had made its objections to the Americans known as well, saying the U.S. has extended the long arm of its domestic law into another country in breach of international legal norms.

Freeland responded tersely to Lus threats; she said only that Huaweis role in Canadas telecommunications evolution is still under serious consideration by the government and its security agencies.

The minister agreed with one point the Chinese ambassador made: that the Meng case should be treated as separate from the ordeal facing the Canadians detained in China, and stressed that it is not in any way a political judgment by the government of Canada. It is not in any way a statement about our relationship with China.

She said Mengs detention was purely the result of Canada acting as a rule-of-law country, as a country that believes in rules-based international order, as a country which is committed to honouring its international treaty obligations, acting in line with all of those things. That is the right way for Canada to behave.

Lu made it clear China rejects Canadas justification for Mengs arrest and bail restrictions that require her to remain in Vancouver until the American extradition case is heard.

Lu said China understands Canadas judicial system, and noted that commentators and legal scholars in Canada and the U.S. have said it would be naive to believe this case of Meng is a purely judicial matter.

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So Chinas original characterization of this case is not wrong; it (the case) is politically motivated.

He said China understands Canadas judicial system perfectly well and that is why it feels so betrayed.

Because we regard Canada as such a good friend, we are especially hurt by this case of Meng, said Lu. Actually, in China, we have a saying that a good friend would die for his friend or would shield the knife attacks of another friend, but in this case we feel it is completely the opposite.

It can be said as backstabbing. 

Lu said Canada will fail to isolate China, and that China had a lot of friends in the international community, across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The ambassador repeated Beijings line about why former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor are detained on unspecified allegations of endangering national security.

He said said, as the investigation deepens and advances, the charges will be made clear and specific.

He did not deny China has questioned Kovrig about his actions during the time he served as a diplomat in Canadas mission in China where he worked from 2012 to 2016.

But he flatly denied Canadas claim that China is violating principles of diplomatic immunity in questioning Kovrig for activities Ottawa believes remain covered by the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations.

Lu said Kovrig travelled on a regular passport on a business visa, and enjoys no residual diplomatic immunity

According to the Vienna convention, activities that endanger national security are not duties carried out by a diplomat.

Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas former envoy to Beijing, said the ambassadors interpretation is wrong. If a diplomat engages in anything that runs against national security, you expel them. This principle is inviolable.

Asked whether China would release the two men if Meng was released as a gesture of goodwill, Lu said: These two cases are not connected.

Over the course of an hour-and-a-half, Lu insisted China, too, follows the rule of law ,and all legal procedures were followed in the case of Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year sentence on drug trafficking charges was changed to the death penalty on Monday.

Asked if Schellenberg faces imminent danger, Lu said only that he has the right to appeal the sentence.

Lu slammed what he said were negative portrayals of China in Canadian media which he said were poisoning Canadians attitudes about China and giving his country a black eye.

But he was unapologetic about his own widely-criticized Hill Times essay that accused Chinas critics since Mengs arrest of double standards due to Western egotism and white supremacy. He said that Canadas public safety minister is even worried about the rise of white supremacists.

with files from Bruce Campion-Smith, in Sherbrooke

Read more about:An Ontario college that requested hundreds of international students applying from India be re-evaluated in English language proficiency says more than one-third of those retested require additional support.

Niagara College is now working quite aggressively with those students and reviewing whether admission criteria should be changed for each of its programs, says Steve Hudson, vice-president of academic and learner services.

We will use these results to continue to review our English language admission criteria and to enhance the language supports for students, said Hudson. Our focus has been on trying to ensure our students can be successful and working with them, particularly, once theyve arrived here with a very high commitment, knowing both the financial and emotional costs it takes to get the students here.

Last fall, a school investigation revealed a high number of first-year international students who started in September were failing because their English skills werent at the required level. Most of them were from India, where they had successfully completed the IELTS test (the International English Language Testing System), which is accepted by most Canadian academic institutions and is one of two major English language tests used by Canadas immigration department.

The college, which has campuses in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Welland, was concerned about the inconsistencies in language proficiency. So, in late November it requested that 428 students from India, who had applied to start school in January, be retested. Those students had undergone IELTS testing around the same time as many who had started in the fall and at the same testing site. Essentially, the school wanted to avoid another scenario, with students coming to Canada and being ill-prepared for school.

The IELTS test  owned by IDP Education, the British Council and Cambridge Assessment English  is a three-hour exam that assesses listening, reading, writing and speaking skills on a scale of 1 to 9. A score of 9 indicates the person is an expert user of the language. Each individual organization determines a pass score.

Niagara College requires an overall score of 6, with no test results below 5.5. A score of 6 signals a competent user, who has an effective command of English, but is subject to misunderstanding, making errors and using inappropriate words.

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Of the 428 students asked to undergo retesting, more than half chose not to, either because they had not gotten their student visas, or had accepted offers at other schools.

A total of 176 applicants were retested, and of these, 130 provided results to Niagara College. Its unclear why 46 students retook the test and didnt submit their scores, but its possible their visas were denied in the interim, said Hudson.

Based on results from those 130 students, about 10 per cent did not score high enough for admission into a post-secondary program at the college. Their acceptance was deferred for a later start date and they were redirected into the colleges English for Academic Purposes program to boost their language skills.

The remaining 90 per cent had scores that were consistent with prior results and are now in their post-secondary program. However, one-third of of them will receive additional English language support because there was more variance in their test results, yet they still demonstrated sufficient language proficiency.

When they were retested, in December, students either took the IELTS, the Pearson Test of English or the Oxford Placement Test, depending on what was available to them. Thats because some students were already in Canada, so they were tested here.

The college paid for the retesting, which cost between $10,000 and $15,000 in total. No student had an offer of admission rescinded based on the second round of tests and all 130 students started in January.

Our objective was to make sure students had better information when they came in and  we would be in a position to better support the students on Day One, said Hudson.

He says the school has been working quite aggressively on the English language proficiency with roughly 50 of those 130 students. In the coming months, the college will analyze whether the extra support was helpful.

Hudson says this experience has not shaken the colleges confidence in the IELTS as an ability to assess English language proficiency. But it has prompted the school to re-evaluate the criteria for language proficiency requirements in all of its programs to determine if changes are needed.

For instance, programs that require higher levels of English language skills, such as journalism and public relations, may come to demand an admission score of 7, 8 or 9; whereas carpentry and cooking programs, for example, may require a score of 6.

Were going through all of them (programs) right now, he said. The language proficiency testing  measures a number of different elements, so we have to look at all of those elements against the program requirements and see if we need to adjust those admission criteria to give the students better chances of being successful.

In an earlier statement to the Star, Warwick Freeland, managing director of IELTS/IDP Education said IDP Education partners with a range of organizations who administer IELTS in 140 countries. He maintained that IELTS is a secure and valid indicator of a candidates ability.

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All test centres are rigorously monitored to ensure they operate to the highest of standards, he said.

According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, there were 494,525 international students in Canada at all levels of study in 2017, a 17 per cent increase over the previous year. Some 123,940, or 25 per cent, of these students came from India, which made up the second largest contingent behind China.

At Niagara College, 2,914 of a total 4,683 international students come from India. Tuition fees for international students average $13,500, more than triple the amount their Canadian peers pay.

Read more about:MONTREALJocelyne Lizottes Alzheimers disease left her unable to care for herself, but she was not considered to be at the end of life before she was allegedly murdered, a physician testified Wednesday at the trial of Lizottes husband.

Dr. Micheline Pelletier told Michel Cadottes jury trial that by the time Lizotte arrived at the Emilie-Gamelin long-term care facility in January 2014, her Alzheimers disease was at an advanced stage. She had been diagnosed with early dementia at age 49.

She could not speak, recognize her loved ones or perform day-to-day tasks and was essentially cut off from reality, Pelletier explained: She wasnt able to take care of herself.

Cadotte, 57, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife of 19 years, accused of suffocating her with a pillow in her room in February 2017. The Crown alleges he was unable to handle his wifes deteriorating health.

Pelletier said Lizotte, 60, could eat and walk with assistance, enjoyed baths and slept well. Other than Crohns disease, she had no other major health ailment.

If we foresaw an imminent death, then we would have added the therapeutic treatment for palliative care patients like opioids to manage pain and drugs to help breathing, Pelletier said. But for her, we hadnt got to that point.

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Pelletier said she met with Cadotte days after Lizottes arrival at the facility. They decided that given Lizottes condition, she would receive comfort care only, and a do-not-resuscitate order was put in her file. She testified that Lizottes health situation was largely unchanged during her three years at the centre.

Cadotte was often at his wifes side. He walked with her. He came to see her quite often. He helped to feed her. He was very present, Pelletier said. She said he was primarily preoccupied with three issues involving Lizottes care  her medication dosage, her diet and daily walks.

Cadotte feared the medication dosage was to blame for the rapid progression of her disease. Pelletier testified staff reduced the dose of anti-psychotic medication used to control agitation, but removing it altogether made the patient unstable and increased the risk of falls.

Pelletier was at her office on Feb. 20, 2017 when she was informed of Lizottes death. She told police officers who tried unsuccessfully to revive Lizotte there was an order not to resuscitate her. A few hours later, Pelletier officially pronounced Lizotte dead at the request of the Quebec coroners office.

Crown prosecutor Antonio Parapuf told the jury in his opening statement Tuesday that Cadotte had suffocated his wife. In the moments after the crime, he allegedly texted his brother-in-law, writing, Sorry brother-in-law, I know Ive caused you hurt, but I cracked.

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Under cross-examination, Pelletier was asked by Cadottes attorney, Nicolas Welt, about the lack of medical consensus on what constitutes end of life.

I think that you dont have to watch television often to know its a big problem, and the law on end-of-life care is questioned because we dont have a definition of end of life, she said.

Read more about:OTTAWAChinese police boarded a plane in Beijing and refused to allow a Canadian woman, daughter of a jailed Chinese pro-democracy activist, to transit through Beijing airport en route from South Korea to Toronto.

Last week, Chinese authorities had denied Ti-Anna Wang entry into China to visit her father despite having issued her a visa, and forced her, her husband and baby daughter to board a flight to South Korea.

On Wednesday, as she and her family attempted to return to Canada on a flight from Seoul to Toronto via Beijing, Chinese police were waiting for the plane at the gate, she said in an email forwarded to the Star by lawyer Irwin Cotler.

Cotler, head of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre, has long argued for her father Wang Bingzhangs release, and he condemned Chinas treatment of the mans daughter as another example of Chinas new hardline approach and hostage diplomacy since Canadas extradition arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive wanted in the U.S. on fraud charges.

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Wang, a Canadian citizen, said as her flight from Seoul reached the terminal gate at Beijing International Airport there was an announcement saying that all passengers had to stay seated under an order from the ministry of justice.

Then five to six police officers got on the plane and came to find me in my seat. They asked for ID, and then I was escorted off, detained with daughter and separated from my husband for almost two hours.

I was told that I had to go back to Korea and that I was not allowed on the flight to Toronto, her email reads.

No reasons were given, other than the fact that I wasnt allowed to go to China. I asked repeatedly why I couldnt just return to Canada, as I had no intention of staying in China and simply transiting.

The connecting Air Canada flight was leaving at around the same time as the flight back to Seoul, in the same terminal, and just a few gates apart. They said they were investigating my case but they wouldnt give me any information.

Wang said she wasnt allowed to use her phone or computer, to contact Air Canada to rebook a flight, or to contact the Canadian embassy or her husband whom she didnt see again until they were later escorted to another gate to board a flight back to Seoul.

It was a shocking, terrifying and senseless ordeal with no purpose but to bully, punish and intimidate me and my family.

Cotler said Chinas actions are hypocritical and abusive, and he linked it to other harassing treatment of Canadians and the cruel sentence meted out to Robert Schellenberg.

China characterized Canadas arrest of Meng pursuant to its legal obligations under the U.S.-Canada extradition treaty  and where Meng was released on bail pending an independent judicial hearing  as vile, unconscionable and evil. These words define and describe Chinas hostage diplomacy ever since  including its detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and the arbitrarily cruel death sentence of Robert Schellenberg, said Cotler.

But nothing exposes and unmasks Chinas contempt for the rule of law, in China as well as in Canada, and its own vile, unconscionable and evil conduct than its cruel and inhumane treatment of Ti-Anna Wang and her infant daughter.

Wang is a Montreal resident and a Canadian citizen, but her father is not. One of the first Chinese citizens to study in Canada, he lived here for a time, had three children but turned to promoting democracy in China from abroad, primarily in the U.S. and Asia.

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He was kidnapped in 2002 by Chinese agents while in Vietnam near the border, said Cotler.

Cotler says Wang was sentenced and convicted in a sham trial on the trumped up charges of espionage and terrorism to life imprisonment in solitary confinement.

A request for comment sent to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa was not answered by the time this story was published.

Read more about:SHELBURNE, N.S.  A 59-year-old man found not criminally responsible in the 2001 shooting deaths of two men in Toronto who is now facing a slew of fresh assault-related charges appeared briefly in a Nova Scotia court Wednesday.

Grigorios Laberakis is accused in two incidents on the provinces southwest coast last week that left two police officers injured.

Laberakis was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the October 2001 deaths of two neighbours in Torontos east end, but was later found not criminally responsible.

Crown lawyer Saara Wilson says Laberakis briefly appeared in court in Shelburne, N.S., Wednesday, and the case was adjourned until Jan. 24 in Yarmouth court to allow Laberakis time to find a lawyer.

Hes being held in custody.

In 2012, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered that Laberakis be granted an absolute discharge.

Laberakis is facing charges in Nova Scotia including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault, resisting arrest and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

RCMP said Laberakis allegedly ran out of a home Blanche Road in Shelburne County last Wednesday and confronted a passing motorist, head-butting and spitting at him.

The next day, police went to the home to arrest Laberakis in connection with the alleged assault.

They said he met officers outside the residence and was carrying a walking staff, but dropped it when police ordered him to do so.

When he was advised that he was under arrest, he allegedly began to resist and retrieved the walking staff, swinging it at officers and striking one on the wrist and another on the head, police said.

They said Laberakis was pepper sprayed and Tasered during the altercation, but was not injured, and two police officers were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

The Crown has said it will oppose his release from custody due to the potential risk to the community and because he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In an interview earlier this week, prosecutor Marc Njoh said although Laberakis was given an absolute discharge and released back into the community, he is now alleged to have behaved violently, and thats always a concern in the community and always a concern for us.

When Laberakis was charged in the 2001 Toronto killings, investigators said they believed the attack was planned and that there was a history of problems between the men.

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The two victims were identified as Jerry Soriano, 35, and Dante Lozano, 54. There were four children and between four and six adults inside the home at about 7 a.m., the time of the shooting.

Toronto police said they had recovered a large-calibre weapon.

Read more about:EDMONTONFacebook has announced its rolling out new tools to ensure transparency for political ads, and social-media experts are keeping a close eye on how that could affect Albertas upcoming provincial election.

On Wednesday, Facebook Canada said it has introduced several means to prevent foreign interference in election campaigns over the past year and will be introducing new protections by the end of June so that both advertisers and users can clearly understand who is running ads and who is paying for them.

The new ad transparency tools, as Facebook refers to them, have already been introduced in the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, ostensibly in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in the U.K. and allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.

In the coming months, it will introduce these tools in countries that have imminent elections, including Nigeria, Ukraine and India, followed by a global revamp of its rules by the end of June. Although that change wont officially be in place by Albertas provincial election, Facebook has made it part of its mandate overall to have more rigorous checks and balances in place when it comes to political advertising.

As we prepare for major elections here in Canada and around the world, were continuing our focus on preventing foreign interference and giving people more information about the ads they see across our platforms, Facebook Canadas head of public policy, Kevin Chan, said in an emailed statement.

These tools help ensure that authenticity and transparency are at the core of paid political advertising on Facebook.

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One rule that has already been implemented in some countries requires political advertisers to confirm their identity and location with government-issued ID in order to place an ad. Furthermore, Facebook has introduced a searchable online archive of ads related to politics or issues of national importance, which stores the ads for seven years.

Walter Schwabe, an Edmonton-based digital strategist who has helped clients including the Alberta government with their social-media strategies, said the online archive is a good step in ensuring transparency.

Thats a good thing. Right then and there, thats going to increase transparency and accountability for whos taking out ads, Schwabe said.

But while Facebook can make it clear that an advertisement is political when its an explicit ad for a candidate, things get much more complicated when it comes to Political Action Committees and other groups who advocate for issues that are not directly linked but are related to a candidates platform.

One of the things theyre going to have a real tough time with, and which they will not get right because its almost impossible to right now, is the nuance for what a political ad is and what is not, Schwabe said.

I dont have to use, necessarily, the name of the candidate, he added. I can pinpoint the issue itself  and I can take a stance, and by extension, be taking a shot at one candidate or another.

That could take the form of ads advocating Alberta separation, opening up the constitution or reviewing Canadas equalization formula.

Facebook Canada did not respond to a request for further clarification on the new tools by press time, but Schwabe said some rules he expects to be rolled out globally include only being able to purchase an ad in the country you want the ad to run in and that links have to direct people to a page clearly tied to the original advertisement.

The fact that Facebook has announced the new tools will be in place by end of June in Canada and across the globe is not coincidental. In December, the federal government introduced the new Elections Modernization Act, also known as C-76, which gives Facebook six months to introduce more stringent rules related to political ad transparency.

Peter Ryan, an assistant professor of communication studies at Mount Royal University with a background in political communication, said the new law prohibits third parties, such as Political Action Committees, from using any kind of foreign money for advertising and caps their spending on advertising during an election at $150,000.

Thats a good step. But what a lot of experts are saying is missing is limits on how much money people can get before an election writ is dropped, Ryan said. It seems to be unlimited.

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That concern is applicable to Alberta, where the writ hasnt officially been dropped but electioneering is already underway. Elections Alberta did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Furthermore, the rules are murky when it comes to interest groups using other means to promote certain election campaigns.

There are no limits on what third parties can spend on polling, events, canvassing, social media and so on. So thats a Wild West still of unregulated messages that political parties within Canada can use, Ryan said.

As for foreign interference, Schwabe contends that because of the global implications of Albertas oilsands, entities like OPEC and countries like China are absolutely keeping a close eye on the election outcome.

Nexen, a Calgary-based oil-and-gas company with investments in the oilsands, is owned by CNOOC Limited, Chinas largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas.

When it comes to oil in Alberta, you have a global audience, especially for this upcoming provincial election. For people to think the globe isnt paying attention to whos going to become the next premier is foolish, he said.

I know for a fact that there are other countries that are incredibly invested in understanding what is going to happen. Because there are billions of potential investment, sitting there waiting, that has been rushing out of the province.

Ryan said interprovincial politics could also come into play, with bilingualism, Indigenous issues and pipeline regulations of particular interest to Quebec and B.C.

Those could be potentially vulnerable issues, he said.

As a private company, Facebook is not required to play by the same rules as government entities, but they have a vested interest in appearing trustworthy in order to retain the confidence of both advertisers and users, Ryan said.

And although the new Facebook tools wont be introduced in time for Albertas provincial elections, there are global implications for how social media influences who occupies the corridors of power.

I think its going to clean up some of the malfeasance, its going to make it more transparent, Schwabe said. Although how transparent, well see in the coming months.

Correction  January 17, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said candidates are capped at spending $150,000 on advertising during an election. In fact, that limit is for how much third-party groups can spend on advertising during an election.

Read more about:Meng Wanzhou steps out of her $4.2 million (U.S.) mansion, a GPS monitor strapped to her ankle, and slips into a chauffeured black SUV. Then shes off, largely free to roam the shops and restaurants within 100 square miles of Vancouver until her 11 p.m. curfew.

So goes another day of house arrest for Meng, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co. and daughter of the billionaire founder of Chinas biggest telecom provider. It is, by all appearances, a comfortable life for someone at the centre of a complex power game.

Mengs arrest at the behest of the U.S.  which wants to extradite her on grounds she tricked banks into potentially violating Iran sanctions  has sparked an unprecedented diplomatic row. Nine days after her Dec. 1 arrest during a stopover in Vancouver, China detained two Canadians on national security grounds. And this week, a China court imposed a death sentence, following a one-day trial, on a Canadian found guilty of drug smuggling.

How Mengs case will be resolved remains unclear, though shes become an object of fascination in a city where her family owns two homes and where she spent down time when she wasnt running Huaweis finances. Tourists stop by to take selfies outside her home near a 2,000-acre park overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where she is ensconced with her husband and daughter.

Home reno

Mengs bail terms include the GPS monitor, an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, and 24-hour surveillance by a private security firm, Lions Gate Risk Management Group. Their job is to ensure she doesnt violate the conditions of her release. She pays the hefty bill for that monitoring, which includes two guards at a time and a driver.

Read more:

U.S. prosecutors pursuing criminal case against Huawei, WSJ says

SaskTel not cutting ties with Huawei despite call for review from opposition

Editorial: China shows its deadly serious in Huawei dispute

If I were on The Price is Right, Id say thats about $7,000 a day, or more than $2.5 million a year, said Nicholas Casale, a former police detective, referencing the game show. Casale structured Bernie Madoffs bail agreement and acted as monitor for the disgraced money manager for about three months.

Mengs long leash following her $10 million (C) bail is unusual, he said  normally, the defendants movements and communications would be restricted.

You cant just go to dinner or go shopping, Casale said.

Nissan arrest

The conditions of Mengs house arrest are in stark contrast to another corporate titan  former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn  who is confined at a Tokyo detention centre. He arrived in handcuffs, plastic slippers and a rope around his waist in court last week. Meng is also faring better than the two Canadians detained in China, who have had scant consular access.

That hasnt stopped Chinas envoy to Canada from protesting Mengs treatment. In a fiery op-ed published in an Ottawa newspaper last week, Ambassador Lu Shaye railed against Western egotism and white supremacy of those who have criticized China for detaining the Canadians, in what was widely seen as retaliation.

Have they shown any concern or sympathy for Meng after she was illegally detained and deprived of freedom?, Lu wrote in the Hill Times.

Meng, 46, sported a purple Hermes scarf and Bottega Veneta handbag when she first reported to her bail supervisor in Vancouver on Dec. 12. Renovations, meanwhile, are underway at her other $16.3 million mansion in one of Vancouvers toniest neighbourhoods, where a truck from a high-end closet designer was parked outside recently. Her defence indicated shed like to move there when its ready. If she does, shell be two doors down from the U.S. consul generals residence, where The Star-Spangled Banner flaps on the front lawn.

Slow process

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Getting glimpses of her daily life is difficult  her guards appear to have taken on the responsibility of shielding her from the public eye. When Bloomberg journalists parked on the street next to her home last week and identified themselves as press, one guard took photos of the license plate as another sped over in his white SUV to block their vehicle. As Meng slipped out of her house in her Lululemon jacket, the guard began accusing the journalists of damaging his car before later acknowledging hed obstructed them.

Still, the outings and postcard views mask a darker reality for Meng: This extradition process could drag on for months and possibly years, if history is any guide. And the odds are high that she will be extradited in the end.

The tilt of the Crown in these cases is extradite, extradite, extradite, said Robert Currie, a professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia who specializes in international law. Canadas extradition law is unbalanced to the point where a number of critics, including me, have said its unfair.

Canada crime

The U.S. must turn over its formal extradition request by the end of January. Canadas Justice Minister David Lametti can reject the request or order extradition hearings to begin. Its not clear if that will happen before Mengs next court date.

Lametti cant arbitrarily refuse. His ministry would have to determine that fraud doesnt constitute a crime in Canada  an implausible finding. Furthermore, in Canada, the extradition judge has to accept whatever evidence the U.S. presents at face value  the proceedings dont consider the strength of the evidence or the likelihood of conviction.

Canadian judges end up approving about 90 per cent of extradition requests because the system makes it nearly impossible to mount a defence, says Gary Botting, a Vancouver-based lawyer whos been involved in hundreds of extradition cases.

Jump high

They say Jump, and Canada says How high?, he said.

For her part, Meng has hinted at how shed like to spend her time during what could be a years-long ordeal.

Shed like to apply for a PhD in business administration at the University of British Columbia, whose campus sits near her home. In an awkward twist, the school is receiving $3 million from Huawei to fund research on 5G  the next-generation mobile network technology that the U.S. wants to block the company from developing.

Ive been working hard for 25 years, she said through her lawyer during her bail hearings last month. If released, my only simple goal would be to spend time with my husband and daughter. I havent read a novel in years.

Read more about:OTTAWA - Canadas interim competition commissioner is urging B.C. to change its liquor policy to allow more competition, spark innovation and lower prices.

Matthew Boswell writes in an open letter to B.C.s Attorney General David Eby that the provinces current policy restricts competition, raises consumer prices and limits access to specialty products.

B.C. requires restaurants, bars and hotels to purchase alcohol products at retail prices from government-owned stores.

Boswell says he supports recommendations that hospitality providers should be able to buy alcohol products from any licensed source in the province, including private retailers, and they should pay a proper wholesale price.

Those two recommendations were made in an April 2018 report commissioned by the provincial government as part of its ongoing review of the provincial liquor policy.

Boswell, who applauded B.C.s efforts to review its policy, says those changes would encourage more competition and lead to more choice for consumers and lower prices.Canadas ambassador to China warned that the spiraling diplomatic feud between the nations was damaging Beijings reputation, as the U.S. joined countries criticizing a Canadian citizens death sentence as politically motivated.

Ambassador John McCallum told reporters Wednesday that Chinas prosecutions of Canadian nationals risked undermining their own interests among the worlds business community. McCallum, a former lawmaker, said he believed that argument would prove more compelling to Chinese officials than seeking support from business and foreign governments to pressure Beijing.

We have to engage the senior Chinese leaders and persuade them that what they are doing is not good for Chinas place in the world, McCallum said, attending a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus cabinet in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Its not good for the image of corporate China in the world.

Canada is navigating what Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland described Wednesday as a difficult moment with China, six weeks after the Vancouver arrest of Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou. China has since detained two Canadians over alleged national security threats, moved to execute another for drug-smuggling and mocked Trudeau in daily news briefings.

Trudeaus government has warned Canadians to exercise caution in the country due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws and sought support from leaders of nations including Argentina, Germany and New Zealand. Following a phone call between Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, the State Department issued a statement criticizing the politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals.

Freeland said Canada was arguing that China represents a way of behaving which is a threat to all countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping has come under increasing criticism in the West over a human rights record that includes crackdowns on human rights lawyers and the mass detention of Uighur Muslims.

Read more:

Pressure campaign needed to win freedom of detained Canadians in China, ambassador says

Chinese Foreign Ministry warns of grave consequences if Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou is not released

Canada demands China release detainees amid Huawei tensions

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Thursday said Freeland doesnt know what shes talking about. If the Canadian side made such remarks, the Canadian sides reputation and image will be damaged, Hua said.

The feud between Beijing and Ottawa stems from the Dec. 1 arrest of Meng as part of a U.S.-led effort to extradite her over alleged sanctions violations. The U.S. and its allies have taken a series of steps in recent weeks to bar the Chinese telecommunications giant from sensitive networks over spying fears, including a probe into suspected trade-secrets theft by federal prosecutors in Seattle.

China has denounced the effort as unjustified and demanded Mengs immediate release. Days after her arrest, Chinas spy agency detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on suspicion of activities endangering national security, although authorities have provided no evidence and deflected questions about whether the actions were taken in retaliation for Meng.

Hua, the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, shrugged off a question about Canadas efforts to muster international pressure during a briefing Wednesday.

Actually, you can count by the fingers of your hand the few allies of Canada that chose to side with it on this issue, Hua said. These several countries can by no means represent the entire international community.

Still Held

Meng is free on bail pending her next court hearing. But Kovrig, who was on leave from his foreign service posting in Hong Kong, and Spavor, an entrepreneur who ran tours into North Korea, remain in custody. A third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, had his earlier 15-year sentence for drug smuggling increased to execution during a retrial Monday in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian.

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My first priority by far is to do everything in my capacity to secure the release of the two Michaels as quickly as possible, and to help to save the life of Mr. Schellenberg, McCallum said earlier Wednesday.

McCallum said Kovrig and Spavor are each being questioned up to four hours per day and that he has visited both, along with Schellenberg. He cautioned that efforts to build international pressure for their release were unlikely to be effective unless Beijing believed it would benefit from doing so.

There are many fronts we are working on, but one of the main ones is to persuade China, not necessarily through Canadians, but through corporate and government leaders around their world, that this behavior is not in their interest, McCallum said. We have a lot of work yet to do.

Read more about:TORONTO - The killing of a Canadian mining company executive in Burkina Faso is drawing attention to the deteriorating security situation in the country and the risks resource firms face in unstable regions.

Kirk Woodman, who was working for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead after being kidnapped from a company exploration camp in the country Tuesday.

The incident, while rare, comes as threats from insurgents rise in the West African region which is home to numerous Canadian mining operations.

Burkina Faso is a relatively new target for Islamic militancy, said Ryan Cummings, a director of consultancy Signal Risk based in South Africa.

I believe that in the West African region we are seeing a potential spread of extremism and Islamic militancy into new zones, specifically into areas where mining interests are present but have been insulated from the violence could potentially be increasingly affected.

There are not yet enough indications that the mining industry is being targeted, but the resource sector is one of the few where expatriates would operate outside of the capital of Ouagadougou.

I dont necessarily think this is so much an attack on the mining sector per-se, its more targeting foreign nationals who find themselves in such locales because of commercial interests there, Cummings said.

Montreal-based SEMAFO Inc., which has mines in the region, reported several attacks on roads near its operations last year.

The company said a national employee and a subcontractor were killed last August when a bus transporting employees was targeted by bandits and another subcontractor and five gendarmes were killed in a separate attack days earlier. In December, the company said government security forces were attacked on a road about 40 kilometres from its Boungou mine in the country.

The company updated its security policy so that all foreign employees are now being transported by helicopter between the mine site and the capital. It said security for local employees has been boosted by a ground military force and more escorts and that it continues to discuss security issues with the government.

Iamgold Corp. and Roxgold Inc. also have gold mining operations in the country.

Werner Claessens, a geologist who has known Woodman since the 1990s, said the environment for exploration geologists in Western Africa has been deteriorating in recent years.

The properties acquired by Woodmans company was a promising series of gold prospects, but the red zone they were located in had come to be considered difficult to work in, he explained.

It was a zone considered quite dangerous, he said, adding that several years ago that wasnt the case.

It became dangerous in the summer of 2017 when the first terrorist attacks took place in that part of the country, he explained.

Claessens has worked and lived in Western Africa since 1985, and lived in Burkina Faso from 2004 until 2011, and regularly visits the nation.

For us its a very sad thing to see what is happening and developing there in terms of terrorist attacks  Weve never seen this before in the nearly three decades I worked there, he said.

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Cummings said the security situation in Burkina Faso started deteriorating in 2014 when the authoritarian regime collapsed, but has been made worse by the spread of Islamic militants that are also affecting security in neighbouring Mali and Cote dIvoire.

But he said that while there are pockets of security issues across the continent, it is not the main risk faced by companies operating there.

The biggest risks facing the mining sector are actually political stability and also legislation, and how the state intends to deal with its extractive sector.

The insurgent threats in west Africa contrasts somewhat with a lessening threat from militants in Latin America, said Remi Piet, a senior director at Americas Market Intelligence.

We have in Colombia, and across Latin America, a decrease of the widespread security threats linked to guerrilla warfare.

But he said community opposition to mining projects, issues with drug trades, and some remnants of guerrilla groups continue to require attention and planning.

The killing of three geologists at Continental Golds operations in Colombia last September show the risks faced by exploration teams and the need to understand community concerns and risks.

The big issue is when the company does not develop the right protocol and has not gathered the proper intelligences, said Piet.

He said its crucial that mining companies create corporate social responsibility programs with real substance so that local communities become allies in resisting security threats.

 With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax.The U.S. State Department said a death sentence issued to a Canadian this week in China was a political decision, with Justin Trudeaus top diplomat calling the detention of two other men a threat to all nations.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, speaking to reporters near Montreal, said Canada is in a difficult moment after the arrest of a top Huawei Technologies Co. executive last month in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition request. Nine days after that, a Canadian diplomat and a businessman were seized separately by state security officers in China.

Our government has been energetically reaching out to our allies and explaining that the arbitrary detentions of Canadians arent just about Canada, Freeland said Wednesday. They represent a way of behaving which is a threat to all countries.

On Tuesday, she spoke about the escalating tensions with her U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. His office backed Canadas effort to increase international pressure on China in a summary of the call issued Wednesday morning.

Freeland and Pompeo shared their concerns over the detentions and the politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals, a State Department spokesman said in the statement. They also reiterated their commitment to Canadas conduct of a fair, unbiased, and transparent legal proceeding in response to the American request to extradite Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer and daughter of the Chinese telecom giants founder.

Death Penalty

Meng is free on bail pending her next court hearing. But Michael Kovrig, who was on leave from his foreign service posting in Hong Kong, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur who ran tours into North Korea, remain in Chinese custody. The third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, had an earlier 15-year sentence on drug smuggling charges increased to execution after a Chinese court ruled on his appeal Monday.

My first priority by far is to do everything in my capacity to secure the release of the two Michaels as quickly as possible, and to help to save the life of Mr. Schellenberg, John McCallum, Canadas ambassador to China, told reporters Wednesday evening before a meeting with Trudeaus cabinet in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

I have visited all three of them, I have spoken to all of their families, I will be speaking tomorrow to Mr. Schellenbergs father, so I am determined to do what I can  and there are various things we are doing  to secure their release and his life. Our work is consumed every day by these priorities.

Freeland and Trudeau have also sought support from President Donald Trump and leaders of other nations including Germany, Argentina and New Zealand. Those efforts have drawn fresh rebukes from Chinese officials.

The foreign minister is also talking with Canadian executives with operations in China about how to handle new tensions around international travel. China earlier this week matched a Canadian travel warning about the risk of arbitrary law enforcement.

Another sign of frayed relations came Wednesday with the Globe and Mail newspaper reporting that Canada has protested Chinas questioning of Kovrig over his past diplomatic work in that country. Canada brought in Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye to discuss the case, the newspaper said, citing unnamed officials.

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Trudeau accused China last week of violating the principles of diplomatic immunity, and Freeland mentioned international support for that idea too. Some of the statements from our partners have said that its very important that the Vienna Convention be upheld, she said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying has said repeatedly the immunity claim makes Canada a laughing stock because Kovrig entered the country on a business visa.

Read more about:The Trans Mountain crude pipeline that Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government bought from Kinder Morgan Inc. last year is getting interest from some indigenous groups hurt by Canadas oil price crunch.

Five or six First Nation communities have approached the federal government with a view to potentially acquiring the line, Stephen Buffalo, chief executive officer of Canadas Indian Resource Council, said in an interview at the Indigenous Energy Summit in Calgary.

Trans Mountains expansion, which has stalled because of fierce opposition in British Columbia, is one of the projects that would help alleviate a glut that saw Canadian crude prices selling at a discount of as much as $50 (U.S.) a barrel to the U.S. benchmark last year.

Wed like to see a consensus by the chiefs to at least put something on the table, he said. We have oil and gas producing nations that have expressed interest because the differential on the oil they have is hurting their communities.

Trudeaus government agreed to pay $3.5 billion for the controversial project in a deal in May after Kinder Morgan gave up on fighting against lawsuits and government opposition in British Columbia, which the line crosses to take crude from Albertas oil sands to the Pacific Coast.

Court focus

While a purchase by indigenous groups could be positive, there are currently no direct talks on the matter as the government is focusing on responding to the court decision that stalled the project, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in Ottawa.

We welcome those discussions, he said. Those discussions would be appropriately held with indigenous peoples, as well as other potential owners, because weve said that this is not going to be a project, a pipeline, that will be owned over the long-term by the government.

While Trudeaus move kept the project alive, it suffered a setback three months later when a Canadian court nullified the projects federal approval, forcing a restart of the regulatory process and pushing back construction by a year or more.

Environmental concerns include potential spills and fears that the line will heighten oil-tanker traffic in waters where killer whales live.

Delbert Wapass, former chief of the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan, now chairs Reconciliation Inc., a company set up to arrange an indigenous purchase of a stake in Trans Mountain. The group is seeking a 51 percent stake in the project and foresees a total investment of $6.5 billion to $7 billion, including the cost of construction, Steve Mason, Reconciliations managing director, said by phone.

Albertas oil sands are the worlds third-largest source of crude reserves but the provinces oil industry has struggled getting pipelines built to access markets in the U.S. and overseas. The bottlenecks prompted the provincial government to mandate a 325,000-barrel-a-day curtailment of output to support prices.

Bond Sale

If indigenous groups do eventually buy the project, a probable option to fund the purchase would be along the model used by Fort McKay and Mikisew Cree First Nations, which raised $545 million through the bond market to buy a stake in an oil storage facility from Suncor Energy Inc. in late 2017, Buffalo said.

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Indigenous investment in Trans Mountain might help make the project more palatable for the general public, Brian Schmidt, chief executive officer of Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd., told reporters.

If First Nations invested in Trans Mountain and took a stake, I think it sends a strong signal across Canada, he said.Fans have always been hoping for a reunion between Neal Schon and Steve Perry.

Since former Journey frontman Perry had returned to music with his comeback album, "Traces", many had been questioning the possibility of a reunion.

However, in October last year, Perry had shut down any form of Journey reunion, saying, "I left the band 31 f---king years ago".

This would be a rock and roll moment in time.



YouTuber, The Real Music Observer uploaded a video to talk about Neal Schon, Steve Perry and the latest Journey tour, "Journey Through Time" that will take place at the end of February.

In Schon's "Journey Through Time", he had offered open invitations to past Journey members who would like to participate in the tour.

In the video, he spoke about how Schon had yet to extend an invitation to Perry.

He says, "Wouldn't it be amazing? Just maybe one song out in California where these first few dates were being scheduled. "Journey Through Time" with special guest vocalist Steve Perry, for maybe one or two songs."

"I think that would be amazing. It puts no pressure on Steve to continue. This would be a rock and roll moment in time. Perry connects with all of these fans who are going to be there hungry for classic old-time Journey music. The kind that was created right when he joined the band and even before that."

"But to have Steve Perry and Gregg Rolie onstage again, I can hear 'Feeling That Way' anytime, I can picture it!" he says. "Send a tweet over to Neal. Maybe Neal would do his thing and say 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool for Steve to show up for one gig?'"

Watch his full video below.Dan Crisler

Public Opinion Staff Writer

The future of who will hold the Essential Air Service contract for Watertown and Pierre appears to be up in the air again.

In a press release issued by Watertown Mayor Sarah Caron and Pierre Mayor Steve Harding late Tuesday night, the two mayors jointly said the United States Department of Transportation has issued a request for new EAS proposals from the cities to recommend other airlines to potentially replace the commercial air service currently provided by California Pacific Airlines (CPAir). CPAir jointly links the two cities to Denver.

Meanwhile, the USDOT will continue to work with CPAir to resolve the small airlines issues that have led to a spate of canceled flights dating back to late November.

The USDOTs request to the cities marks another step in a saga that began at the federal level late last month when, on Dec. 21, the two mayors jointly sent a letter to the USDOT expressing concern about the high level of canceled flights  26 for Watertown and 28 for Pierre  since Nov. 17.

While weather played a role in canceling some of the flights, the two mayors said the bigger issues occurred when at least one of the main planes were taken out of commission with mechanical issues and CPAir had no reserve planes in place.

The mayors also highlighted concerns about CPAir being more than six months behind on lease agreement payments with the two cities.

In the Dec. 21 letter, which was revised Dec. 27, the mayors urged the USDOT to work with CPAir to resolve the issues or otherwise allow the two cities to consider alternative EAS providers.

As recently as the Jan. 7 Watertown City Council meeting, Caron and other city officials expressed cautious optimism that CPAir was addressing its recent issues. CPAir shut down its California operations and focused its attention and resources on the Watertown-Pierre-Denver EAS flight.

However, Caron said Wednesday CPAirs service still has not improved to a satisfactory degree, resulting in the mayors sending another letter to the USDOT last Thursday.

We still have some glitches here and there where flights have been canceled. Were hearing from folks that there are still some financial issues going on, Caron said. Its to the point that its unacceptable to us. We need to turn up the heat with California Pacific Airlines. If they arent able to perform, we cant be playing around with this endlessly.

Caron indicated the second letter drew a more forceful response from the USDOT to CPAir. The USDOT requested that Watertown and Pierre seek alternative proposals in the event that CPAir cannot fulfill its end of the contract, which expires in mid-2020, to provide basic essential air service.

The contract is administered by the USDOT.

The USDOT took us seriously, Caron said. We think this is a good deal for Watertown that the USDOT has put out a request for proposals. We actually think thats the best possible result from the letter that we wrote asking them for help. If we end up getting better service as a result, then thats good.

Watertown and Pierre officials have until Feb. 13 to submit proposals to the USDOT to recommend alternative commercial air service providers. Caron said CPAir could also remain in play.

The airline isnt giving up. They think they can meet their obligations, she said. We think they can be good and we want them to be good.

We want to trust them. But we better have a back-up plan.

Members of the public are encouraged to provide their input to the USDOT at any time via email at eas@dot.gov.

Until the air service issues get resolved one way or another, the mayors urged CPAir passengers to have back-up plans for transportation.Staff reports

Watertown Public Opinion

PRINSBURG, Minn.  Duininck has announced the addition of a key leader to its growing team. Eric Leverson, a native of Sherburn, Minnesota, will serve as the Southwest Area Manager for three locations, including Watertown, S.D., beginning later this month. Leverson has over 35 years of experience in heavy civil construction and supplies.

Chris Duininck, Vice President of Operations and Contracting, said, I am thrilled to welcome Eric to our team. I have known him for many years and am excited about the vast amount of skill and knowledge Eric has to offer our group.

In his extensive career, Leverson has served in a wide range of roles across the heavy civil construction industry.Phuket man arrested over Phatthalung New Year karaoke murder

PHUKET: A Phuket man wanted for his possible involvement in a fatal shooting at a New Year party in Phatthalung was found at his home in Wichit early this morning (Jan 17) and taken back to Phatthalung to face charges.

murderhomicidecrimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Thursday 17 January 2019, 03:49PM

Channarong Sungharn (2nd from left), 33, was presented the warrant for his arrest over the murder this morning (Jan 17). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Wisan Panmanee led police officers to a house in Semsub Village at 12:30am upon receiving a warrant from Phatthalung Provincial Court for the arrest of Channarong Sungharn, 33.

Gen Wisan said I led officers to the house in Sermsub Village, Wichit, where we found a man fitting the suspects description in front of the house.

Upon inspecting the mans ID card it was confirmed that he was the suspect in question.

Channarong was taken to Bang Kaeo Police Station in Phatthalung, where the case is being investigated.

Channarong is suspected of killing Siripong Konglaem, 41, at a New Year party held at Channarongs fathers house, which is also a car repair shop, on the night of Dec. 31, 2018.

The party was attended by around 100 friends and relatives who were socialising and taking part in karaoke when an altercation broke out at one of the tables.

During the altercation Mr Siripong was fatally shot twice with a 9mm handgun, once in the right ear and once on the right side of his chin.

The party came to an abrupt end as guests fled in a panic.

Police were called and arrived to find two 9mm shells at the scene which were collected as evidence.

After the incident, Channarong returned to his home in Phuket, where he lives with his family.

Police are still hunting the suspects brother, Ruttichai Sungharn, 31, who is alleged to also have been involved in the shooting.New B25mn tsunami-warning buoy to be operational tomorrow

PHUKET: A new tsunami-warning buoy costing B25 million that was deployed from Phuket yesterday (Jan 16) should be operational by tomorrow morning, feeding raw data to the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) in Bangkok so that tsunami alerts or warnings can be issued if needed.

disastersSafetymarinetourism

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Thursday 17 January 2019, 02:05PM

A slide showing how many tsunami-warning towers are in each province along the Andaman coast was presented at the conference. Photo: Dr Prasong Thammapala, NDWC (Bangkok)

A conference on the state of Thailands tsunami-warning preparedness was held at the Novotel Phokeethra Hotel in Phuket Town yesterday (Jan 16). Photo: PR Dept

A conference on the state of Thailands tsunami-warning preparedness was held at the Novotel Phokeethra Hotel in Phuket Town yesterday (Jan 16). Photo: PR Dept

Tsunami-warning buoy Station 23401, maintained by Thailand, is fully operational. The two warning buoys on either side of it, not maintained by Thailand, are not. Image: NOAA

Tsunami warning buoy Station 23461 has not been transmitting data since 2017. Image: NOAA

The route the M/v SEAFDEC will take to deploly the tsunami-warning buoy. Photo: Andaman Disaster Warning Group

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Director-General Chayapol Thitisak was present for the launch. Photo: PR Dept

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Director-General Chayapol Thitisak was present for the launch. Photo: PR Dept

The tsunami-warning buoy was dispatched by boat from Phuket yesterday afternoon (Jan 16). Photo: DDPM

The tsunami-warning buoy was dispatched by boat from Phuket yesterday afternoon (Jan 16). Photo: PR Dept

The tsunami-warning buoy was dispatched by boat from Phuket yesterday afternoon (Jan 16). Photo: Andaman Disaster Warning Group

The buoy was dispatched on board the boat MV SEAFDEC, which belongs to the Samut Prakan-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre. The boat was brought to Phuket for the mission to install the buoy some 290 kilometres offshore, where the previous DART II warning buoy was positioned.

The previous buoy ceased sending data two years ago.

We will recover the old buoy and have it brought back to Bangkok, Dr Prasong Thammapala, Scientist Senior Professional Level at the NDWC in Bangkok, explained to The Phuket News this morning (Jan 17).

The buoy stopped sending data, so we sent a inspection team to see what was wrong. The team confirmed on Oct 25, 2017 that underwater parts of the buoy were damaged beyond repair, he said.

The new buoy will be activated to send a signal tomorrow morning. The buoy cost B25mn, which does not include the B12mn it will cost to dispatch the ship and have the buoy put in position, he added.

The new buoy will replace the tsunami-warning buoy identified as Station 23461, which is the closest tsunami-warning buoy to the Thai Andaman coast. The buoy is located 290km offshore, Dr Prasong noted.

The second buoy (Station 23401) is 960km away and is still working well, he added.

The new buoy being installed is an ETD (Easy to Deploy) model, just like the previous ones. It is just easy to install and saves time for the installation and technical process. So both buoys will work as the same, Dr Prasong said.

If a tsunami warning is issued from data sent by the first buoy, people will have 90 minutes to evacuate. If a tsunami warning is issued from data sent by the second buoy, people will have 45 minutes to evacuate.

In addition, there is a Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System unit on Koh Miang (in the Similan Islands), which feeds information to the Royal Thai Navy, he added.

Dr Prasong confirmed that all 19 tsunami-warning towers in Phuket are fully operational.

There are a total of 129 warning towers throughout Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, Satun and Trang provinces, Dr Prasong confirmed.

Asked why the new buoy was installed in November last year, as promised (see story here), Dr Prasong explained, The plan changed due to three main issues: the weather, and the availability of the ship and the tsunami-warning buoy experts. All three of these issues needed to ready together.

Dr Prasong explained the state of Thailands tsunami-warning preparedness at a conference held at the Novotel Phokeethra Hotel in Phuket Town, before the cast-off ceremony to dispatch the M/V SEAFDEC was held at Cape Panwa yesterday afternoon.

The conference was attended by Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Director-General Chayapol Thitisak, who voiced his confidence in the tsunami-warning system

With both buoys operational with the national tsunami-warning networks in the Indian and the Pacific oceans, we will get tsunami warnings in time, Mr Chayapol said.

It is a mechanism to prevent and reduce the impact of a tsunami by us being able to warn people early and accurately, causing people not to panic in response to rumours, he said.

This will help to build confidence in people and tourists in Andaman region, Mr Chayapol added.

Dr Prasong concurred.

There is no need for people to panic. Should an incident arise people are urged to follow news issued via the DDPM website or call the DDPM hotline 1784, he said.@MarkCavitt on Twitter

Mark Cavitt is a multimedia journalist at The Oakland Press and MediaNews Group in Michigan. His beat includes all Oakland County government offices, departments, boards, commissions and committees.Rosenberg, TX (77471)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. Hot. High around 95F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low 71F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.In Macau (China), the New Years meeting of the Vietnamese community was attended by representatives of the Vietnamese Consulate General and the Association of Foreign Workers.

In a warm and happy atmosphere, the guests enjoyed lively performances and a meal with traditional Vietnamese Tet foods.

* In Cambodia, Vietnamese students at the Royal University of Phnom Penh held a gala night to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It was attended by representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy, Vietnamese enterprises and Cambodias Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, as well as more than 100 Vietnamese students in Cambodia.

* The Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea held a ceremony to meet and extend mutual greetings to Vietnamese people studying and working in the country. The meeting was attended by diplomats, representatives of both countries enterprises and more than 200 Vietnamese people.

* The Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina hosted a New Years meeting with the attendance of Vietnamese people, representatives of agencies, students and sailors living in the South American country.A Michigan man being held in Russia has been confirmed to be "OK" by foreign government officials who met with him in prison.Royal Oak is considering changes to its sidewalk rules for property owners that may be less stringent than in the past. Part of the reason is a recent change in state law that limits the legal liability of the state and communities in trip-and-fall lawsuits.Rochester

Rochester Community Schools to host two events to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Rochester Community Schools to host two events to honor Martin Luther King Jr.In an effort to provide more access to medical marijuana for registered patients and caregivers, some unlicensed medical marijuana facilities Tarana Burke started #MeToo in 2006 with the goal of fostering empathy and empowerment among and for women of color who are victims of sexual abuse. Since the movement went national in the fall of 2017, I've heard from men who have asked me, "How can I help? What can I do?" This week, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, R, gave them an example when he commuted Cyntoia Brown's life sentence for murder.This subscription will allow curernt subscribers of The News Guard to access all of our online Subscriber-Only content, including the E Editions area.

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Hidden gems along the Wild Atlantic Way have been viewed a massive 13.8 million times in the top tourism markets in the Call of the Wild campaign, a joint initiative between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland.



The campaign  which kicked off in October and came to an end in December  showcased the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way to potential visitors in the US, Britain, Germany, France, Australia, the Nordic countries, India and New Zealand. It delivered superb results  with some 13.8 million views recorded for the three-month campaign.



Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, commented on the success of the Call of the Wild initiative: This campaign is special because its the local people along the Wild Atlantic Way who were asked to help create the campaigns content. The overall success of the campaign proves that sharing hidden gems, which have a personal meaning to the local community, resonates with a global audience and allows them to connect with the content and receive their own personal invitation to visit the Wild Atlantic Way.



Call of the Wild asked people in counties along the Wild Atlantic Way to share images and videos of their favourite hidden gems on social media. A sporting personality from each county helped launch the campaign, serving as Call of the Wild ambassadors. These included: Alan Cawley from Sligo, Aidan OMahony from Kerry, Michael Murphy from Donegal, Lee Keegan from Mayo, Podge Collins from Clare, Orla Finn from Cork, David Collins from Galway and Roisin Upton from Limerick.



The response from people along the Wild Atlantic Way was significant, with more than 4,000 uploads of stunning scenery, regional delicacies and local delights captured on camera and then shared via social media using the hashtag #MyWildAtlanticWay. From these, the top submissions from each county featured in a suite of videos that were launched internationally.



Niall Tracey, Director of Marketing with Failte Ireland, said: We are overwhelmed with the response of this initiative and congratulate everyone who answered the Call of the Wild  theyve helped to spotlight the beautiful and unique aspects of the Wild Atlantic Way. As a result of the response to the campaign, a staggering 14 million online viewers got their own glimpse into the unique and stunning landscapes that exist throughout the Wild Atlantic Way. It is our hope that these people will be encouraged to come and visit sometime in the future and check for themselves what the Wild Atlantic Way has to offer.



Siobhan McManamy, Tourism Irelands Director of Markets, said: We are really pleased with the results of the Call of the Wild campaign  with close to 14 million views of the videos by potential visitors around the world. Tourism Ireland was delighted to highlight some of the fantastic hidden gems of the Wild Atlantic Way in our top overseas markets, to encourage people everywhere to come and experience the Wild Atlantic Way for themselves in 2019.



Click here to view the videos of the hidden gems on the Wild Atlantic Way:



 Northern Headlands: Donegal

 The Surf Coast: South Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, North East Mayo coast

 The Bay Coast: Mayo and Galway

 The Cliff Coast: South Galway, Clare, Limerick and North Kerry coast

 Southern Peninsulas: Kerry and West Cork

 The Haven Coast: South East Kerry and West Cork



Jump to topThis undated photo provided by the Whelan family shows Novi resident Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in Russia on espionage charges, was visiting Moscow over the holidays to attend a wedding when he suddenly disappeared, his brother said Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019.Bandit Industries started the year finalizing the transfer of its ownership to its employees and announcing an expansion, but appears that it The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. 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Does Nike (NYSE: NKE) Have What It Takes To Get Back Running Again

For a company whose shares powered to new highs on what felt like a daily basis for much of last year, Nike (NYSE: NKE) has surprised many with its sluggish performance in the first half of 2021. Their shares are trading down more than 10% from the most recent all time high that they tagged at the end of December. In the grand scheme of things, thisShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Rita Widiadana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 08:43 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e73e6ce 4 News teenagers,Youth,Adolescents,UNFPA,United-Nations Free

Officially defined as an individual between 10 and 19 years old by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), adolescents from one generation to the next experience the most intense stage of personal development in dealing with so many pressures, from doing well in school to personal relationships, from fitting in socially and to strained communications with parents, teachers and even their peers.

In the current digital era of social media and social networking, the experience is even more pronounced with the tough competition for the most followers and the pressures of always looking cool and Instagrammable.

However, Center for Reproductive Health professor Siswanto Agus Wilopo at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) is of the opinion that one of the most important issues the majority of Indonesian adolescents face is urgent and timely access to education and services in sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR).

Adolescent sexual reproductive health (ASRH) has been overlooked, despite the high risks for the country in neglecting it.

There are many teenagers who are not aware of their ASRH problems. They need to be screened for ASRH, explains Siswanto.

With 68 million youths aged 10 to 24 years, Indonesia currently has one of the largest youth populations in the world at 28 percent of its 260 million population. The figure also comprises approximately 45.8 million adolescents aged 10-19 years, or 13.3 percent of the national population. By 2030, these adolescents will reach their 30s  their peak productive years.

To ignore the demographic impacts of ASRH is unfounded, since Indonesias future is in the hands of these youth. The lack of special attention on this issue implies that Indonesia will have low-quality human resources, since leaving the ASRH issue unresolved will reduce [adolescents] opportunities for better education and incomes. It will also affect the health of these youth, Siswanto added.

Some of the challenges Indonesian youth face today include child marriage and early/unwanted pregnancies,

unsafe abortions, high rates of HIV transmission and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

A qualitative 2018 study conducted jointly by the UGM Center for Reproductive Health and the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHCCP), covering 18 municipalities and regencies in nine Indonesian provinces, reveals that the nations teens are becoming increasingly permissive in their sexual behavior.

Around 6 percent of adolescents have had sexual intercourse, while about 0.1 percent of both boys and girls have sexual intercourse for the first time at 15-17 years old.

Statistics Indonesias (BPS) 2013 data recorded about 22 million married boys and girls aged 15-19. Meanwhile, the Health Ministrys National Basic Survey revealed that more than 42 percent of girls aged 15-19 were married.

UNICEF provides other convincing data that one out of nine Indonesian girls are married before they turn 16, and an estimated 500,000 adolescent girls in the country give birth every year.

Siswanto said that furthermore, common adolescent problems in Indonesia and other countries concern the enormous taboo on sexuality and sexual matters.

Adolescents, he said, were naturally curious and inquisitive about the changes they were experiencing, both in their physical development as well as romantic interests.

But where can they go to with their questions? Many turn to friends or the Internet without any guidance to interpret what they see or hear, and this leads to many misconceptions and insecurities, he noted.

To address these and other issues, Rutgers WPF Indonesia teamed up with the UGM Center for Reproductive Health and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to recently launch the first comprehensive adolescent research and advocacy project, Explore4Action.

Nur Nana Jannah, Rutgers WPF Indonesias Explore4Action coordinator, explained that the project aimed to understand how adolescents experienced growing up and what factors undermined or promoted their healthy development and transition into adulthood.

Discussion: Junior high school students discuss the curriculum in class. (Courtesy of Rutgers WPF Indonesia/-)

The program included qualitative ethnographic research as well as large-scale qualitative research through the Indonesian arm of the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS), she said.

GEAS follows adolescents aged 12-15 over four years to study how gender norms and attitudes affect their health and wellbeing.

GEAS will evaluate how a reproductive health education intervention [SETARA], piloted by Rutgers and the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association [PKBI] and involving local governments in several cities in Indonesia, impact this, by comparing school students who receive SETARA with those who do not, Nana said.

The assumption is that SETARA builds essential life skills and understanding of respect and consent that will help protect adolescents from adverse experiences like sexual harassment, increase their self-confidence and help them make informed choices.

Explore4Action is grounded in the recommendations that emerged from the first National Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) summit, held in Yogyakarta in 2017.

Young people in Indonesia currently face a lot of contradictions in society, Nana said.

Their knowledge about sex is limited since sex education is not taught formally, whether at school or at home. Information from television, the Internet and other sources is readily accessed, but accuracy remains a problem, she added.

Nana said that the program also aimed to get as close as possible to the real lives of adolescents, their experiences, feelings, issues, concerns, and how they deal with challenges.

The issues of adolescent reproductive health are sensitive and complex, while there is a strong need to provide more guidance to adolescents in this rapidly changing world through correct information and life skills.

What we bring to the table trough Explore4Action are the most recent insights and methods through science and [scientific] wisdom, says Nana.

Only when we earn young peoples trust in sharing their personal feelings, experiences and ideas, will we able to understand if we  as parents, teachers, health workers, government and society at large  are providing the right support for them to prevent issues that could harm their health and wellbeing, and to cope with these when they occur, she said, adding that the research project would provide people with many new and relevant insights that conventional research could not.

Explore4Action, which was launched in April 2018 in Nusa Dua, Bali, commenced in July 2018 and is to run until 2021. The project involves around 4,000 junior high school students in the Central Java city of Semarang, Sumatras Lampung province and Balis provincial capital of Denpasar.

Explore4Action presented its preliminary findings at the fifth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) on Nov. 11, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda.

SETARA brings reproductive health to classrooms

When it comes to education on sexual reproductive health (SRH), misunderstanding and suspicion persist.

Sexual reproductive health education has always been a critical issue confronting young people, educators, parents and society at large.

Robert Blum, a professor at the department of Population and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that in Indonesia and many neighboring countries, SRH remained a taboo topic never discussed at home or taught in schools.

These youth are often missing out in important information that, in many cases, can save their lives, said Blum, who conducts research and studies on youths around the world and is now involved in a four-year Explore4Action project together with the Gadjah Mada University and Rutgers WPF Indonesia.

Very few sources of information and service providers exist for Indonesian youths. Moreover, SRH messages often focus on physical aspects, such as the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases or family planning  topics that may not resonate with the youth, he added.

Instead, educators or advocates should link SRH with topics related to boosting youths self-worth, self-esteem and feeling good about their bodies, their future and developing healthy relationships with female and male friends, the professor said.

To equip local students with accurate information on SRH issues, NGO Rutgers WPF Indonesia piloted a school curriculum called Semangat Dunia Remaja (SETARA or Teens Aspirations), which was based on the World Starts With Me (WSWM) global program developed by Rutgers.

In 2010, UNESCOs international technical guidance on sexuality education recommended WSWM as one of 18 comprehensive programs in the field worldwide. With technical support from Rutgers, WSWM was adapted to the Indonesian context and specific age group.

In Indonesia, SETARA has been implemented in the classroom since 2013 in Jakarta, Bandar Lampung in Lampung; Semarang, Central Java; Denpasar, Bali; Sukabumi, West Java; Rembang, Central Java; and Bogor, West Java.

To implement the program, Rutgers WFP Indonesia works with partners such as the Pelita Ilmu Foundation in Jakarta, International Planned Parenthood (PKBI) Yogyakarta, Lampung, Bali and Sikok Foundation in Jambi.

All the interviewed students and teachers at SMP Saraswati junior high school in Denpasar asked to remain anonymous in discussing the sensitive topic.

SETARA is fun with games. It is creative, modern. It is not boring like biology, said 14-year-old Ratih (not her real name).

This makes me curious to know more about reproductive health, and I get information about menstruation and menstrual health. I didnt know about personal hygiene before, she said.

The first time for me to hear about reproductive health is from SETARA. I used to get angry at friends easily, but through SETARA, I learned about stress management. Now I know how to handle emotions, a boy stated.

I like the part when we discuss about the world starts with me. It is a game when we write down things about ourselves and share those to someone close to us. I learn to listen to other friends. Now I know more about what they like and dislike. People are different, but it is okay. Also, I start to understand myself better, said Hanny, 14.

I support SETARA, because I have found there are many cases happening with students right now; it is a reality. I am really worried about the development  they bring [pornographic] pictures to the public sphere [classroom]. I want to help them with dating the healthy way. These are millennials, they access the Internet, said a teacher who declined to be named over the sensitiveness of the issue.

We realized these cases are here too, we cannot deny it; but sometimes we as teachers do not have the capacity to discuss them. But SETARA is a tool to discuss it. Other teachers can benefit.

She said her role was to understand the students better and communicate with them on how to protect themselves from vulnerability and risk. SETARA improved my interaction with them. It is not about the topic, it is about life skills, about yourself as a person, the teacher said.

It is a shame that we implement SETARA only at a few schools. I urge the Denpasar municipal government to expand it to more classes and schools.Washington hotels have cleared out entire floors. Restaurants have considered taking out loans to stay open. Phones have stopped ringing at tour companies.

In the nation's capital, where more than 20 million tourists typically visit each year, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has threatened businesses that depend on the patronage of government workers and the attraction of federal monuments and museums to bring in tourists.

"It definitely feels like the phone should be ringing more," said Adam Plescia, owner of Custom Tours of DC. "I think people are apprehensive about booking in the near future."

January is typically a slow month for DC tourism, a lull between the holiday season and the March cherry blossom festival.

But the quiet is deafening this year, as the government shutdown pushes into its 26th day over U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

All 17 Smithsonian museums in the city are closed. The White House is closed to tourists. The outdoor monuments on the National Mall, while still accessible, might have less appeal among the overflowing trashcans and litter that the National Parks Service has not collected since being furloughed.

Yohannes Zekele, who operates van and walking tours of the city as the owner of Washington DC Legend Tours, said he has not received calls for tour bookings in days. He often gives tours to lobbyists or professionals who visit the capital for conferences, but those people have few reasons to visit while many federal agencies remain shuttered.

"That's a major impact," Zekele said.

To be sure, the shutdown failed to keep all tourists away but at least some of those who came to the capital were disappointed.

Read also: As shutdown bites, Trump pays for pizza at White House

Sharmayne Whitter, 38, a teacher from Birmingham, England, braved the winter weather to take a photo with a friend outside the White House. Washington was the last stop on a four-week road trip along the East Coast that was planned before she found out about the shutdown. Whitter said she blames Trump for the missed sightseeing opportunities.

Its a once in a lifetime opportunity, so hes kind of limited our chances to experience America as it should be and the beautiful land that it is. So because of his choices, hes kind of spoiling it for the rest of the world, she said.

Local restaurants have seen a "drastic decline" in business due to fewer tourists and furloughed workers choosing not to dine out, according to Kathy Hollinger, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.

"In attempts to not shutter completely, restaurants have had to reduce hours, shifts, and some are considering being open one less day a week, because there isn't enough business," Hollinger said in a statement.

The local restaurant community had suffered an average 20 percent drop in sales over the course of the shutdown, with some restaurants reporting a drop of as much as 60 percent drop, Hollinger said.

Some restaurant institutions have considered taking out loans and some hotels have had to clear out entire floors, according to a survey conducted by the Restaurant Association.

Hotel occupancy was down more than 8 percent the week of Dec. 30 to Jan. 5 compared with the same week last year, according to the most recent findings by Destination DC, an independent tourism marketing organization.

Destination DC compiles visitation statistics annually, so it is too soon to measure how much the shutdown has affected the local tourism industry, Destination DC spokeswoman Danielle Davis said.

In 2017, 22.8 million tourists visited the city and spent $7.5 billion.A record-breaking 65.2 million tourists visited New York in 2018, its tourist board said Wednesday, with British people particularly keen to visit the Big Apple from overseas.

According to new figures from NYC & Company, around 51.6 million Americans and 13.5 million foreign tourists visited the city last year -- compared to 13.1 overseas visitors in 2017.

Britons topped the list of overseas visitors, with 1.24 million, followed by China (1.1 million), Canada (1 million), Brazil (920,000) and France (807,000).

New York ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world for foreign tourists, according to Mastercard's annual Global Destination Cities list published in September, based on a projected 13.1 million visitors.

Read also: Exploring New York City off the beaten path

Bangkok topped that list, ahead of London, Paris, Dubai and Singapore.

The US's financial capital, where tourism employs over 390,000 people, hopes to break records again in 2019 with a predicted 67 million visitors.

One event expected to draw people in is June's Gay Pride, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, emblematic in the fight for LGBT rights.Seeking an "authentic" experience as he backpacked through war-torn Afghanistan, Dutch tourist Ciaran Barr searched the Couchsurfing website for locals to stay with. He found an astonishing number of potential hosts.

Despite the country's decaying security, nearly 2,000 Afghans - the vast majority of them men - have signed up to host guests on the social networking platform, which connects travelers around the world with locals who are willing to put them up for free.

"You feel like you get a more authentic feel for the city so you don't get trapped in tourist hotspots," Barr, 24, tells AFP in heavily-militarized Kabul, where he spent several nights sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor of his Afghan host's bedroom.

"Not that there are any in Afghanistan," he adds wryly.

Once a popular stop on the well-worn hippy trail between Europe and South Asia in the 1970s, Afghanistan has seen the number of foreign travelers crossing its borders dwindle in the past four decades of almost non-stop conflict.

But dozens still make the dangerous journey every year, ignoring clear warnings from their own governments to stay away from a country infested with suicide attackers, kidnappers and armed robbers, and which by some estimates is now the world's deadliest conflict zone.

Many take their chances by staying with Afghan strangers they find through the Couchsurfing network, rather than paying for a room in a hotel protected by armed guards and bullet-proof doors.

"Staying with people and dressing to blend in a bit makes it possible to travel in Afghanistan with not too big of a risk," says Barr, who - with his dark hair and beard, and dressed in the baggy pyjama-style shalwar kameez favored by most Afghan men - stands out less than most foreigners.

Read also: Afghanistan's extreme geography attracts extreme sports

'You have to be smart'

Couchsurfing's concept is like a modern-day version of Afghanistan's tradition of hospitality, which obliges Afghans to provide food and shelter to strangers.

But it is risky. Couchsurfers only have their host's online profile and references to judge their character.

In a country where kidnappings remain common and foreigners are highly-prized targets, they have no way of knowing if their host is connected to criminals, who may see a chance to get rich by abducting them or giving them up to militants.

"You can end up with the Taliban," says a diplomat in Kabul, who has been involved in negotiations to rescue kidnap victims.

"It's naive and reckless."

That is what happened to North American couple Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle, who were kidnapped while backpacking in Afghanistan in 2012.

They were freed from the Taliban in 2017, along with their three children who were born in captivity.

But Norwegian tourist Jorn Bjorn Augestad, who has couchsurfed in Iraq and the Central African Republic, tells AFP in Kabul that government warnings exaggerate the dangers.

"They are too careful. You have to be smart about a lot of things, having contact with a local is the best way to stay safe," says Augestad, who is on a mission to visit every country in the world, including Syria, before his 30th birthday this year.

He adds: "This is part of the cultural experience, seeing how people live and hearing people's life story and getting an understanding of the country that you are in."

Read also: Roads less traveled in Pakistan

Vicarious travel

Barr and Augestad began their week-long Afghan odyssey in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, famous for its ancient Blue Mosque and buzkashi, a savage version of polo played with a goat carcass.

The pair met through a local travel agent, who found them a taxi driver to take them more than 400 kilometers to the Afghan capital.

After reaching Kabul, the deadliest place in Afghanistan for civilians, Barr and Augestad stayed with Couchsurfing host Naser Majidi, 27, who works as a technical adviser for a water utility company.

For Afghans consumed by wanderlust, hosting a foreigner is a chance to travel vicariously through their experiences, as more and more countries make it all but impossible for Afghan passport holders to obtain a visa.

"I can make it easier for them to see the beauty of this country," says Majidi, who has hosted six guests since signing up to Couchsurfing in 2016.

"It's a good experience for me - I get more friends and I know the world better."

But his family worry that he is putting himself in danger.

"They have advised me many times that this is very risky for you and for them (guests)," Majidi says.

Elyas Yari, who became a host in 2017 despite the objections of loved ones, says he enjoys listening to his guests' travel "experiences and their ideas".

"It's fun for me," says Yari, 19, who has received visitors from Canada, Russia, Mexico and Taiwan.

Afghanistan is "not as dangerous as it looks", he says.

But Barr and Augestad are not oblivious to the potential pitfalls of travelling independently in Afghanistan where the Taliban and the Islamic State group terrorize much of the country.

"Things can go well nine out of 10 times," says Barr, adding: "It just takes that one time when things go wrong and so far nothing has gone wrong.

He concedes: "We also have been lucky."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, January 18 2019

The Tanjungbalai Police in Teluk Nibung district have shot to death two suspected drug couriers, one of whom was a Malaysian who had allegedly smuggled 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from his country.



Tanjungbalai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Irfan Rifai said the two  a 35-year-old man identified as Z from Trengganu, Malaysia, and a 40-year-old Indonesian identified as R from North Tanjungbalai district  were killed because they tried to escape following their arrest.



We have informed the Malaysian consulate general in Medan of the death of Z, Irfan told reporters.



Irfan said the smuggling attempt was uncovered when the police received information about a number of men carrying crystal meth from Malaysia through an illegal seaport in Beting Kuala Kapias subdistrict, Teluk Nibung.



An investigation revealed that Z had received a package o...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 18 2019

Considered to be a gradually sinking city, the capital is facing a tremendous challenge in tackling land subsidence, with the city reportedly sinking by 3 to 18 centimeters every year, while groundwater extraction is seen as a major factor behind this alarming rate.



Hence, the city administration is set to step up measures to mitigate land subsidence by reinforcing its monitoring of groundwater extraction.



We have to fix our way of supervising groundwater extraction. Now, were like Tom and Jerry playing hide and seek, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told reporters at City Hall on Wednesday, referring to suspected fraudulent practices regarding groundwater extraction.



Gubernatorial Decree No. 38/2017 on groundwater tax collection stipulates that each building should apply for a permit before constructing a g...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Indonesia  Fri, January 18 2019

Taiwan is expecting more Indonesian tourists to visit the self-governing island with the opening of a Taiwan Visitors Associations (TVA) branch in Jakarta on Thursday.



Head of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) in Kuala Lumpur, Chou Si Pi, said more than 190,000 Indonesians visited Taiwan in 2018.



TVA and TTB can work together in promoting Taiwan as a major tourist destination in Indonesia with its huge population, Chou said at the opening, adding that the tourism bureau had adopted the tagline of Time for Taiwan in promoting the island.



Meanwhile, head of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta, Chen Chung, expected more Indonesian tourists to visit Taiwan.



I hope it can be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled, Chen said.



Chen said Taiwan was considering a visa-free arrangement for Indonesians.



Those who have held...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Oslo, Norway  Thu, January 17, 2019 19:38 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e75e4b3 2 Business #norway,#China,Norway,sovereign-wealth-fund,rejects,Chinese,company Free

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's biggest, has excluded a Chinese company from its almost $1 trillion portfolio because of human rights violations, the Norwegian central bank said on Thursday.

Yarn, fabric and apparel manufacturer Texwinca is the main shareholder in Megawell Industrial, which has been criticised for working conditions at its factories in Vietnam.

The Council on Ethics, which makes recommendations to Norway's central bank which runs the fund, cited as concerns the discrimination of female workers, health and safety risks at the factories, and restrictions on the right to form unions.

The central bank concluded there existed an "unacceptable risk that the company is responsible for serious or systematic human rights violations."

According to the latest available data, the Norwegian fund held 1.01 percent of Texwinca at the end of 2017, worth $7.7 million.

The fund, which has holdings in some 9,000 companies around the world as well as bonds and real estate, is governed by ethical guidelines laid down by parliament.

These bar it from investing in, among other things, companies that commit serious human rights violations, manufacture nuclear or "particularly inhumane" weapons, or those in the coal and tobacco industries.

The central bank also announced Thursday that it was excluding the coal-based energy companies Evergy of the US and Washington H. Soul Pattinson of Australia.

Fuelled by Norway's state oil and gas revenue, the Government Pension Fund Global is currently worth 8.4 trillion kroner ($983 billion, 860 billion euros).Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 15:18 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e7551e2 1 Business cooperatives,fintech,digital,lending-app,smartphone,disruption,Internet,financial-inclusion Free

Saving and lending cooperatives, locally known as simpan-pinjam, have dominated grassroot-level financing for decades in Indonesia, but they are now tussling with technology as they compete with internet-based lenders.

Some of the cooperatives are opening up to new technology by partnering with fintech lenders. For example, Koperasi Syariah Benteng Mikro Indonesia (Kopsyah BMI) in Tangerang, Banten, collaborates with nonprofit crowdfunding platform Kiva since 2014 to increase its capital and thereby issue more loans.

The partnership helped more than double the cooperatives cash account from Rp 17.6 billion (US$1.23 million) in 2014 to Rp 42 billion the following year.

It now has more than 144,000 members comprised its own customers and micro entrepreneurs.

The problem is that most of our members only save and borrow small amounts, very few put in large sums, KopsyahBMI vice president Radius Usman told the Jakarta Post in Jakarta.

Indonesia is a sprawling archipelago, which makes access to finance challenging in vast parts of the country. Some 95 million people do not have access to financial services, but 59 percent of them own smartphones, which is where fintech could fill the gap.

Domestic internet penetration reached a rate of 54.7 percent in 2017 and is expected to grow by 4.6 percentage points a year, according to a 2016 McKinsey & Company report.

The effect of the digital disruption is that everyone can do financing, even nonfinancial services, such as Go-Jek, said economist Revrisond Baswir in reference to ride-hailing company Go-Jek, which has a smartphone-based loan program called Modal Mapan for its drivers.

Go-Jeks program, however, is tiny compared to peer-to-peer (P2P) fintech lenders, which disbursed a combined total of Rp15.9 trillion in loans as of October last year. Some big names among the lenders are Modalku, Danamas, Investree and Amartha.

The total P2P lending figure is impressively close to the overall funds of Rp 17 trillion disbursed by cooperatives in 2016, according to the most recent Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, even though the former are decades younger than the latter.

With the growing competition at the micro level, experts recommend that cooperatives embrace fintech to ensure their survival in the long run.

If financing cooperatives do not embrace fintech, they might be the first to feel the effects of digital disruption, wrote computer science lecturer Dimitri Mahayana, as quoted by media reports.

By partnering with fintech, cooperatives would also be able to compete with banks, which had begun adopting financial technology to expand their reach, he said.

A growing number of saving and lending cooperatives is indeed embracing fintech. They include Bali-based TEB Artha Mulia cooperative, which partners with payment gateway Sakti.pay, and the West Kalimantan-based Pancur Kasih Credit Union, which has its own mobile app for payment services.

Indonesia also has PT Sakti Kinerja Kolaborasindo, a small company specializing in digital technology for cooperatives, based in Bandung, West Java.

Radius of Kopsyah BMI, however, insists that cooperatives like the one he led would remain competitive against fintech as long as Indonesias internet network had yet to reach full coverage.

Fintech lenders still need us to channel their funds, he said, adding that his cooperative sent its staff to remote villages around Banten to sell its products.

The government, meanwhile, wants to help protect and guide cooperatives in the digital era by revising the Cooperatives Law, so that they could increase their contribution to the gross domestic product from currently 4 percent.

However, Rully Indrawan, deputy of institutional affairs at the Cooperatives and SME Ministry, acknowledged that it was difficult to regulate the new breed of digitized cooperatives, saying other ministries and agencies were still looking for the best formula.

Technology just moves too fast, said Rully, But what we can do is issue government regulations to supplement the Cooperatives Law as we go on.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 10:29 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e744ff7 1 World UNSC,Indonesia,sanctions,chairmanship,committee,UN-ambassador,Afghanistan,terrorism,Al-Qaeda,Islamic-State,diplomacy Free

Indonesia has taken up the chairmanship of the United Nations Security Councils sanctions committee on counterterrorism this week, according to its envoy to the UN.

The Southeast Asian nation begins its two-year term on the UNSC this year alongside Germany, Belgium, the Dominican Republic and South Africa.

The committee oversees the implementation of sanctions pursuant to UNSC resolutions 1267, 1989 and 2253 and is one of the most important and active UN subsidiary bodies working on efforts to combat terrorism, particularly in relation to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

It discusses UN efforts to limit the movement of terrorists, especially those related to travel bans, the freezing of assets and arms embargoes for terrorism, according to a statement received on Wednesday.

Indonesia will improve awareness-raising programs, assist in the implementation of sanctions and bridge interactions and communication among committee members as well as [with] non-committee members, said Dian Triansyah Djani, Indonesias representative to the UN.

In addition to the counterterrorism sanctions committee, Indonesia was also appointed to chair the UNSCR 1540 sanctions committee on weapons of mass destruction and the UNSCR 1988 committee on terrorism and the threat to Afghanistan.

Jakarta has vast experience in combating homegrown terrorism and was most recently involved in conflict resolution in Afghanistan.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17 2019

Indonesia has commended Palestines assumption of the chairmanship of the Group of 77 (G77) and China, calling the moment historic and a step in the right direction for Palestinian statehood, an issue it is prioritizing in its two-year membership on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).



Indonesian Ambassador to the UN Dian Triansyah Djani, who attended the handover ceremony in New York, said Indonesia fully supported Palestinian leadership in G77, the UNs biggest bloc of developing nations.



The inauguration of Palestine as chair of the Group of 77 and China is a historic moment that signifies developing countries trust in Palestine as a member of the international community, he said in a statement dated Tuesday in New York.



Established in 1964, G77 and China has a strategic role as the only negotiating group for developing countries, especiall...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 14:23 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e752e9c 1 City embankment,sea-wall,flooding,North-Jakarta Free

Muara Baru residents in North Jakarta were not at fault for allegedly perforating a sea wall that caused tidal flooding last month, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said, while blaming the embankment project in the area.

Anies said fisherman used to moor their boats at the site of the embankment wall near the river mouth, but since the construction of the wall, residents could no longer find places to park their fishing boats, because water accumulated in the area instead of flowing out to sea.

Residents then decided to put holes through the wall for the water to run off, so they could park their boats.

So it did not leak because it is broken, but because there's a need for the residents [to make holes on the wall], Anies said on Wednesday.

On Dec.11 last year, leaks in the embankment wall in Muara Baru caused flooding in nearby residential areas, just weeks after Anies had inspected the wall in November to ensure it was strong enough.

The embankment wall in Muara Baru is part of the 20-kilometer sea wall being constructed by the Jakarta administration, the central government and private companies.

The sea wall is expected to prevent tidal flooding and is part of the national capital integrated coastal development (NCICD) plan for Jakarta.

Anies lamented that the embankment project had been carried out without consultation with residents.

One of the problems I see is that there was no consultation with the residents [over the sea wall project]. [The authorities] just proceeded with it, Anies said, tempo.co reported. (ami)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 15:15 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e7542dd 1 Politics 2019-elections,2019-presidential-election,Presidential-Debate,#IndonesiaVotes,#DebatPilpresPertama,#PresidentialDebate,#2019PresidentialElection Free

Six panelists have prepared questions for the candidates to answer in the first 2019 presidential election debate, which will be held at Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta on Thursday.

They are National Commission on Human Rights chairman Ahmad Taufik Damanik, former Supreme Court chief justice Bagir Manan, international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana, law expert Bivitri Susanti, legal analyst Margarito Kamis and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Agus Rahardjo. The latter will not attend the debate so as to maintain the KPKs status as an independent body.

The questions will cover law, human rights, corruption and terrorism. Here is some background on the panelists:

Ahmad Taufik Damanik was elected as the National Commission on Human Rights chairman in 2017. He will lead the commission, which has been a beacon in the countrys human rights fight, until 2020. He was a lecturer at the University of North Sumatras school of social and political sciences in Medan.

He is also listed as a commissioner at the ASEAN Human Rights and Women Rights Promotion and Protection Commission.

Bagir Manan was a Supreme Court chief justice from 2001 to 2008. Graduated with a PhD in law from the University of Padjadjaran Bandung, he became a chairman of the Press Council from 2010 to 2016.

Bagir served as rector of Bandung Islamic University for two periods: 19851986 and 20002001. He also held several public positions, namely director of legislation (1990-1995) and director general of law and legislation (1990-1998) at law ministry. He was also once a member of the Bandung Legislative Council, and the Indonesian Ombudsman.

Hikmahanto Juwana is a doctoral graduate from the University of Nottingham and a professor of international law at the University of Indonesias school of law.

He became the youngest law professor in the countrys history at the age of 38 years. He also worked as a lawyer for some time and served as a staff member to then-coordinating economics minister Kwik Kian Gie.

Hikmahanto was one of the moderators of the 2014 presidential election debates that also featured Joko Jokowi Widodo and Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidates.

Bivitri Susanti is a constitutional law expert who graduated as a master of law and development from the University of Warwick. She is one of the cofounders of think tank Indonesian Center for Law and Policy Studies, in which she actively conducts research on legislation.

She also founded law school Jentera College and has been a lecturer there until now. She is often invited as an expert witness in cases handled by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court and served as an expert staff member at the Peoples Consultative Assembly and the House of Representatives. Her area of expertise is drafting legislation and anticorruption measures.

Margarito Kamis is a constitutional law expert from North Maluku. He once served as an expert witness defending the ticket of Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa in a dispute over the 2014 presidential election results, expressing the opinion that the additional voters list was invalid at the time.

He has a PhD from the University of Indonesia and was a staff member with the State Secretariat from 2006 to 2007. He is currently a chief lecturer at Ternate-based University of Khairuns school of law.

Agus Rahardjo is the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman for the 2014-2019 period. He is the first KPK leader with no formal education in law or experience at law enforcement agencies.

He began his career as a civil servant in with the National Development Planning Board and became a cofounder and the chairman of the National Procurement Agency (LKPP) from 2010 to 2015. At the agency, he reformed and modernized public services at the central government and local administrations. (ggq)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti, Riska Rahman and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 18:58 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e75de77 1 Business obituary,Tony-Prasetiantono,economist,UGM,banking-industry Free

Indonesias banking industry lost one of its best minds with the death of senior economist Tony Prasetiantono on Wednesday evening.

The 56-year-old professor of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) reportedly died of a heart attack after having a dinner with his colleagues in Jakarta. Reports said he called the receptionist of the hotel where he stayed about an hour after check-in, asking for emergency aid.

Several hotel staff members sensed something was wrong when Tony did not answer the knock on his room door and they found him unconscious after they let themselves in with a master key.

Tony passed away at 11:30 p.m. after he was taken to the MMC Hospital in South Jakarta.

His body was to be flown home to Sleman, Yogyakarta on Thursday.

Tony, born in Muntilan, Central Java, is survived by his wife Eva Supita Dewi and a daughter.

Tony obtained his Bachelors degree in 1986 at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, his Masters in 1991 and a doctorate from the Australian National University.

In addition to his position as a professor at UGM, Tony was a commissioner for a number of companies, including state-owned lender Bank Mandiri from 2003 to 2005 and private lenders Bank Permata and Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia. He was also the chief economist at state lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).

Tony was a columnist for a number of newspapers and a speaker at various seminars. He was also frequently quoted by the press as a prominent expert in his field.

Having a fondness for jazz music, Tony was known as the promoter of concerts in UGM called the Economics Jazz, which featured performances of international figures such as Patti Austin and David Benoit.

Tony was a highly respected intellectual in the banking and financial services industry, with Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo recognizing the late economists major contributions to the academic world and the monetary field.

He is listed as a member of the Bank Indonesia Supervisory Board (BSBI) for 2017 to 2020.

We fully respect and take note of his insights in his capacity as an academic and a member of BIs supervisory board, Perry said as he offered condolences before starting a press conference after a two-day BI Board of Governors meeting on Thursday.

Tony was also known as a revered senior among younger economists. Economist Josua Pardede, Tonys former colleague at Bank Permata, said that his senior had always inspired him about being humble and insightful.

He taught me how to be a sharp-minded and objective economist. It was rare for an economist to be able to explain complex economic issues with simple language, he told The Jakarta Post via text message. Indonesia has truly lost one of its best economists. So long, Pak Tony.

Tony was one of Indonesias best market economists while being a scholar with an ability to make comprehensive analyses that fused economic theory and empirical facts, said Eric Sugandi, an economic observer at the Asian Development Bank Institute, who added that he was deeply saddened by the news.

Tonys death was called a loss for bankers as he always offered the best analysis of the economy.

Tony had been a very capable lecturer and columnist who could explain economic and financial issues clearly and make them easy to understand, said Iman Nugroho Soeko, finance and treasury director of Bank Tabungan Negara.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram  Thu, January 17, 2019 13:15 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e7515af 1 National #NTB,NTB,West-Nusa-Tenggara,#corruption,corruption-case,disaster,#earthquake,earthquake Free

Mataram Police have caught two officials of the Religious Affairs Ministrys West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) office red-handed for allegedly demanding and accepting illegal levies from two earthquake-affected mosques in Batulayar and Lingsar districts, West Lombok.

A 43-year-old official, identified only as LBR, was arrested on Tuesday in Gunungsari, West Lombok, for allegedly pocketing Rp 10 million (US$706).

Investigators seized two cash-stuffed envelopes from LBR and accused him of demanding and accepting money from the mosques.

Hours later, the police arrested LBRs senior, identified as IK, for allegedly being the mastermind behind the extortion bid.

We arrested IK on Tuesday night during a raid at his house. Investigators found Rp 55 million in cash stashed there, Mataram Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Saiful Alam said on Wednesday. Our preliminary investigation found that IK had allegedly ordered LBR to demand 20 percent from every disbursement of the mosque rehabilitation fund.

According to the police, LBR was responsible for collecting data on damaged mosques.

For the post-disaster recovery plan, the ministry allocated Rp 65 billion to help West Lombok rebuild around 200 mosques across the regency.

We are still digging into the case to see whether there are other suspects, Saiful said.

Tuesdays incident was the latest case of disaster-related corruption in NTB, which has been struggling to rebuild its infrastructure after multiple earthquakes shook the region in July and August that damaged at least 57,000 houses and displaced over 110,000 people.

In September, a team from the Mataram Prosecutors Office arrested a Mataram councillor for allegedly demanding money from a local official who oversaw post-disaster reconstruction projects.

The councillor, Muhir, allegedly demanded money from an official at the Mataram Culture and Education Agency who oversaw a plan to rebuild several elementary and junior high school buildings in the city.

The investigation was conducted after the prosecutors office received a tip-off last week from residents who reported that Muhir had allegedly repeatedly asked for his share of the reconstruction projects in Mataram.

Muhir allegedly refused to accept the money at first because it only amounted to Rp 1 million. However, he was later caught red-handed after allegedly accepting Rp 30 million in cash.

The ministrys NTB office head, Nasruddin, said it would not tolerate corruption, adding that he had reported the case to Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saiffudin.

Disaster funds were prone to corruption due to poor supervision, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) deputy coordinator Agus Sunaryanto said.

During disasters, people are mostly focusing on the victims or how to rebuild infrastructure as fast as possible while forgetting about monitoring [the disbursement of disaster funds], he added. Such conditions are ripe for self-enrichment. (ggq/ipa)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin The Yomiuri Shimbun (The Japan News/Asia News Network) Tokyo  Thu, January 17, 2019 12:13 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e74fcfc 2 Business Carlos-Ghosn,Nissan,scandal,automaker Free

Nissan Motor Co. plans to file suit against former Chairman Carlos Ghosn to claim damages stemming from his alleged misconduct, according to sources.

Through in-house investigations, Nissan has found several cases of Ghosn and his aides allegedly spending corporate funds for private purposes. The automaker is looking to pursue a civil suit to resolve the damages based on Ghosns civil liability in the case.

According to the sources, Nissan subsidiary Zi-A Capital BV was established in 2010 in the Netherlands for the purpose of investing in promising start-ups. Allegedly, it was instead used to unofficially pay Ghosn and his aides for actions such as purchasing houses for Ghosn and his family.

The subsidiary purchased Ghosns Rio de Janeiro home from his acquaintance for about US$5.8 million including the costs for silver art objects. It also paid about $17 million for renovations to Ghosns Beirut home and the restoration of a chandelier there.

In 2003, Nissan formed an advisory contract with Ghosns sister in the name of donation activities in the world. However, the automaker has been unable to find any evidence of activities she has performed. Even so, the automaker paid her about $755,000 between 2003 and 2016 as her remuneration.

Nissan deems that the above factors are the personal use of company funds.

It was also found that an intra-office email was allegedly sent to staff at Nissans secretarial room on the occasion of Zi-As establishment stating that remuneration be paid from Zi-A to CG (Carlos Ghosn) and others without informing the Nissan human resources department.

This alleged email was sent the day before Nissans Oct. 21, 2010, management meeting where the establishment of Zi-A was decided. The email also allegedly mentioned that the new company will be Nissans unconsolidated subsidiary so that it would not need to disclose Zi-As financial details, so as to avoid audits from the auditor.

The email also allegedly said that remuneration be paid to other Nissan executives, including former Representative Director Greg Kelly, who has also been indicted on charges of violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 15:29 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e755a21 1 Business oil-and-gas,bill,deliberation Free

A bill on oil and gas has been nearly a decade in the hands of the House of Representatives, but there has been no significant progress on its deliberation. While the terms of the current President and lawmakers are nearly coming to an end, they are still trying to resolve their differences about the bill.

In fact, many lawmakers and the government believe that Law No. 22/2001 on oil and gas is already out of date, and therefore needs a revision.

The bill has been on the deliberation list of the National Legislation Program since 2010. The latest progress shows that the ball is back in the government's court as it is still in the process of finalizing the problem inventory list (DIM).

A natural resources law expert at Tarumanagara University, Ahmad Redi, does not consider it likely that the deliberation will be completed before the legislative and presidential elections in April.

Im doubtful they can finish the deliberation this year because of the elections in April. Lawmakers will be very busy campaigning in their constituencies, he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He blamed lawmakers for a lack of willingness to complete the bill, although they knew that because of the absence of an updated law, certain issues could not be resolved, including the establishment of a permanent institution that would be authorized to manage the sector.

A key example was the dissolution of upstream oil and gas regulator BP Migas by the Constitutional Court in 2012, which was replaced by the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKK Migas).

The wish to complete the bill deliberation is nonexistent [among lawmakers] although the Constitutional Court decided to dissolve BP Migas, he said, adding that the new law was needed to become a legal basis for reestablishing such an institution.

Workers at the Badak liquefied natural gas plant in Bontang, East Kalimantan. (Courtesy of/badaklng.co.id)

The ruling on the establishment of such an institution has long been a burning issue in the deliberation of the bill between the government representatives and lawmakers and it may be the major barrier to completing the bill's deliberation.

In 2017, the debate focused on whether the SKK Migas would become a state-owned enterprise (SOE) or be merged with state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina. There was also an idea to establish an oil and gas special body (BUK Migas), a kind of a holding company to handle the oil and gas business.

A lawmaker of House Commission VII, which oversees the energy sector, who is a member of the opposition Gerindra party, Ramson Siagian, blamed the government for the sluggish deliberation progress. Since 2010, we have discussed this with the government, but they [government representatives] have given us a slow response, he said.

House legislation body (Baleg) chairman Supratman Andi Agtas had a more optimistic outlook, saying he had hope the bill could be finished this year as currently the government was in the process of finalizing the DIM.

After the DIM is finished by the government and approved by President Joko Jokowi Widodo, it will be discussed by members of Commission VII and government representatives, he added.

Oil and Gas director general Djoko Siswanto. (Courtesy of/The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry)

Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry oil and gas director general Djoko Siswanto confirmed Supratmans statement, saying that the government had discussed the DIM internally, involving the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) and SKK Migas.

We will submit the DIM to the state secretariat and aim to send it to the House of Representatives next month, he said.

When asked about the crucial issues in the DIM, Djoko only mentioned the new special business entity on oil and gas (BUK Migas), which might replace both BPH Migas and SKK Migas. He said the government focused on the recommendation made by the Constitutional Court to create a state-owned enterprise to manage the oil and gas business.

In September, the Post obtained an oil and gas bill from the Houses working committee for the bill (Panja RUU Migas), which includes a ruling that BUK Migas will work directly under the Presidents supervision.

Under the bill, BUK Migas will also have a role to audit the development plan of oil and gas working areas, sign all partnership contracts; assess private contractors that plan to invest in the sector and be responsible for national oil and gas reserves. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 14:39 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e752ee5 1 National plastic-waste,LIPI,environment Free

A recent study conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has revealed that microplastics have polluted every part of the countrys ocean, and are being ingested by marine animals that are eaten by humans. In other words, microplastics are entering our bodies through the food chain.

LIPI marine scientist Reza Cordova explained recently that up to 89 percent of anchovies, fished in Indonesian waters, have been contaminated by microplastics, with up to 1.5 particles being found in every gram of anchovies.

This indicates that all marine biota in Indonesian waters had ingested the particles as well. Microplastics refer to particles ranging from 5 millimeters to 100 nanometers in diameter.

Reza added that every Indonesian was expected to ingest up to 1,500 microplastic particles within a year when consuming marine animals. However, scientists have yet to find the health implications of consuming plastic.

We cant say yet that consuming microplastics is harmful to a persons health, but it is harmful to certain marine biota, he said recently, adding that more studies needed to be done to find the answer to that question.

A study by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom found that microplastics have an impact on lugworms and other tiny marine animals that were important sources of food for other animals.

Ingesting the tiny particles can prevent animals, including lugworms, from consuming their natural prey -- leading to starvation and even death, said the study.

Microplastics usually come from the fragments of larger plastic items that have broken down in the natural environment.

Indonesia was known as the second biggest marine polluter in the world, after China, for channeling around 1.29 million tons of plastic waste into the ocean per year, a 2016 study led by Jenna Jambeck from the University of Georgia revealed.

LIPIs study, conducted early last year, showed the number to be between 100,000 and 400,000 tons per year. However, this proves that plastic waste -- as the source of microplastics -- is still floating freely in the ocean.

Reza, therefore, called on all relevant parties to manage plastic waste properly so it would not leak into the environment, saying he was aware that a large number of residents in the country still threw their domestic waste, which also contains plastic, into rivers.

Separately, Environment and Forestry Ministry data revealed that up to 30 percent of plastic waste produced in the country was illegally dumped and would eventually end up in the ocean. Only about 10 percent is being recycled, while the remaining 60 percent is buried in landfills.

The ministrys director general for waste management, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, said the government was stepping up efforts to increase plastic waste management by developing more waste banks -- collecting points for non-organic waste like plastic and paper -- in the regions.

Up until know, around 5,244 waste banks have been established in 218 cities and regencies across the country. The facilities have succeeded in reducing plastic waste by 1.7 percent, claimed the ministry.

We are now expecting a ministerial decree to regulate plastic production. So in the future, industries producing plastic will be in charge of managing waste either by cooperating with existing waste banks or by reclaiming the plastic from the public, Vivien told The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 14:17 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e752bc2 1 National #maruf-amin,Maruf-Amin,2019-elections,#2019-elections,election-debate,Jokowi,#2019PresidentialElection,fashion Free

Ma'ruf Amin, the incumbent's running mate, has said he would wear a sarong for his debut appearance in the first round of the 2019 presidential debates =on Thursday evening.

We will decide later on what tops we will wear [for the debate], but for me, I will definitely wear a sarong beneath [it], he said as quoted by kompas.com.

The non-active chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has been frequently wearing a sarong to various events.

Maruf promised last September in front of hundreds of Islamic boarding school students (santri) in Kediri, East Java, that if he should be elected in 2019, he would maintain his penchant for the santri fashion style by regularly wearing sarong.

Santri traditionally wear sarongs to school.

Maruf is running in the 2019 election alongside incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who is also known for embracing traditional attire. Jokowi has worn the sarong on several occasions, including the New Years Eve celebration at Bogor Palace in 2017, stealing the social media spotlight.

Jokowi-Ma'ruf and the opposition Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno camp have both been trying to appeal to Muslim voters, including Muslim youth and santri. The two rival camps have also tried to sell the idea of developing the Muslim economy and for santri to develop their entrepreneurial skills.

However, Putra Nababan of the Jokowi-Maruf campaign team said the team would not put much effort in the duo's appearance, even though some underestimated Marufs appeal among younger voters.

Putra argued that younger voters cared primarily about the candidates' ideas and arguments in the debates, not their outfits.

So, whether the pair wears sneakers or formal clothes or whatever, it will become less relevant as soon as [they] present their debate arguments, because public will immediately shift their focus on what the pair are saying, he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Maruf, who received special training from the campaign team in polishing his political communication skills, said he was upbeat that he and Jokowi would present their ideas clearly and smoothly during the debates. (ggq/ipa)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 15:17 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e754a87 1 World Indonesia,diplomacy,multilateralism,United-Nations,UNSC,UN-Human-Rights-Council,campaign,human-rights,Foreign-Ministry,Papua Free

Indonesia will kick off its campaign in February to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2020-2022 period.

The move follows Foreign Minister Retno Marsudis announcement earlier this month that Jakarta would nominate itself for a spot on the top human rights body, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

"We will start the campaign in late February in Geneva. We will put as much effort into it as we did in a similar campaign for the UN Security Council last year," said Febrian A. Ruddyard, the Foreign Ministrys director general for multilateral cooperation, on Wednesday.

Indonesia has just begun its two-year tenure serving on the UN Security Council, having won a nonpermanent seat against the Maldives in a secret ballot last year.

Jakarta is now seeking a fifth term on the UN Human Right Council, having served a year on the council when it was formed in 2006. It was re-elected for the 2007-2010 period, then again for 2011-2014 and finally for the period of 2015 to 2017.

Indonesias current ambassador to the UN in New York, Dian Triansyah Djani, served as vice president of the council between 2009 and 2010.

Febrian said Indonesias nomination to the council aimed to showcase its commitment to human rights and its transparency on the matter, despite some shortcomings.

The official did not deny Indonesia might face pressure from home and abroad, especially in relation to accusations of human rights violations within its own borders.

However, he chose instead to take the challenge as encouragement for Indonesia to make a stronger commitment to human rights.

"We understand that there are some weaknesses [in regard to human rights enforcement at home], but what is more important is our commitment going forward, Febrian told reporters in Jakarta.

With us becoming a UNHRC member, we will be more confident in showing to the world that we are committed to upholding human rights.

The Joko Jokowi Widodo administration has drawn criticism for snubbing cases of past human rights violations, and more lately for its military-heavy approach to handling security issues in Papua.

A successful nomination to the UN council would provide the government with an opportunity to brandish a positive image of the nation abroad, experts say. It might also add to President Jokowi's credentials ahead of his re-election bid in April, despite a fabled disinterest in foreign policy matters.

"Now [we must address the issue] by empowering the existing mechanisms and [learning] how to address the issue more quickly, Febrian said.

If we become a member of the UNHRC, we can contribute more at the global level, boost our commitment to resolve such issues and provide human rights protection [at home and abroad].

The Human Rights Working Group said Indonesias efforts to achieve its foreign policy priorities  outlined in Retnos annual policy speech earlier this month  will bear fruit only when [it] continues to uphold the principles of human rights and democracy in collaboration with relevant government bodies and civil society.

Indonesia should avail itself of the opportunity to play its role as a UN Security Council member, and a UN Human Rights Council member candidate, by championing conflict and war resolutions while adhering to human rights principles, the HRWG said in a recent statement.

The election of UNHRC members will take place in October this year.

Indonesia is running as a representative of the Asia-Pacific region, where there will be four seats available for five candidates.

Other countries running for seats at the body are South Korea, the Marshall Islands, Iraq and Japan. (tjs)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17 2019

Hardly visible: Smog blankets Jakartas skyscrapers on Tuesday. Air pollution in the city is among the worst in the world.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

Many Jakartans are so familiar with seeing smog covering the metropolis that when they see clear blue sky, they instantly post it on their Instagram accounts.



According to data from the air pollution monitoring stations in Central Jakarta and South Jakarta owned by the United States Embassy in Jakarta, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the citys air throughout 2016 and 2018 was above the ambient air quality standard set by the Jakarta administration at 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The standard set by the World Health Organization is 10 m/m3.



In 2018, the yearly concentration of PM 2.5 was recorded at 42.2 m/m3 in South Jakarta and 37.5 m/m3 at the Central Jakarta monitoring station.



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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17 2019

Tangerang Transportation Agency head Syaiful Rohman says the agency plans to consolidate the Trans Kota Tangerang city bus services under the management of city-owned company PT Tangerang Nusantara Global.



Currently, 18 of the 20 Trans Kota buses are owned by various operators, while only two are managed by the Tangerang administration. The two buses under the city administration ply the routes between Poris Plawad and Jatiuwung (Corridor 1) as well as between Poris Plawad and Cibodas (Corridor 2).



Syaiful said he expected the handover of Trans Kota management to make the service more professional, such as the Jakarta-owned PT Transjakarta service.



The handover is intended to ease bureaucracy and to make the buses operation more professional, like Transjakarta, Rohman said on Tuesday, kompas.com reported.



He said city-owned companies would...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17 2019

The West Jakarta Police have prepared additional security measures at the West Jakarta District Court for the first trial of a case against Hercules Rosario Marshal and his 11 subordinates.



We have prepared around 150 police personnel for security, West Jakarta Police head of operations Sr. Adj. Comr. Prio Utomo said on Wednesday, kompas.com reported.



He said police had also received assistance from the Indonesian Military, Jakarta Police control unit and the polices Mobile Brigade, To anticipate any unwanted incidents, Priyo said.



He said that if Hercules followers tried to enter the courtroom, the police would take measures to remove them.



We will take persuasive measures so the trial runs safely and orderly, Priyo said.



Hercules and his 11 subordinates were suspected of illegally occupying 2 hectares of land belong...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Pasuruan, East Java  Thu, January 17, 2019 10:26 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e7445e2 2 Business household-gas-distribution,program,ignasius-jonan Free

As the current account deficit is now estimated at around 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the government has started to introduce policies and programs to skimp foreign exchange (forex) spending, particularly on energy, which has drained forex reserves.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, for example, has announced an ambitious program to expand the gas network for households, with a target of 4.7 million new connections between 2019 and 2024. The average expansion of new connections annually, however, stands between 70,000 and 80,000.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said the policy would help reduce the consumption of liquid petroleum gas (LPG), recorded between 6.5 million and 6.7 million tons annually. Only 2.5 million tons was produced domestically, while the rest is imported.

Jonan said this year the government would develop gas networks for 78,000 households, but he wanted to multiply the number in to achieve 4.5 million new connections in 2024.

I demand that the number is multiplied to 1 million connections so that the target of 4.5 million connections in 2024 can be achieved, Jonan said when launching gas network infrastructure for households near As Shalafiyah Islamic boarding school in Pasuruan, East Java, recently.

Last year, he added, the government had developed gas networks for 89,000 households, 54,322 of which were implemented by state-owned gas subholding company PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN).

If households switch to natural gas that is in abundance in the country, this for sure will help reduce state spending on LPG imports.

Pasuruan is the fifth city in East Java to have the household gas network after Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Mojokerto and Probolinggo. Pasuruan has 6,314 new gas network connections funded by money allocated in the 2018 state budget, said Jonan.

The gas is sold from Rp 4,250 to Rp 6,000 per cubic meter depending on its classification to households and other small scale consumers. Households could save up to Rp 20,000 per month if they shifted from LPG in 3-kilogram canisters to the gas distributed through the networks, the minister added.

PGN president director Gigih Prakoso Soewarto said the company was mapping the regions where household gas networks could be developed. The networks would be financed either by the state or through government-to-business (KPBU) schemes.

Previously, National Development Planning Minister and head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro said Bappenas categorized the KPBU, which are partnerships between the government and private companies or state-owned enterprises, into four schemes.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has assigned Husky-CNOOC Madura Limited (HCML) to supply gas to households that are connected to the network in Pasuruan. HCML supplied natural gas for projects in Mojokerto and Probolinggo in 2018.

We are proud to be involved in the program, HCML general manager Tilak Ranjith Kumar Nithiyeswaran said, adding that the total amount of gas that the company distributed to the three projects was 0.65 million cubic feet per day.

The gas is transmitted from BD gas field that has been in operation since July 2017. The field is located off the coast of the Madura Strait, 52 kilometers to the east of Pasuruan or 16 km to the south of Sampang regency on Madura Island. The field is estimated to have 442 billion cubic feet of gas reserves and 18.7 billion barrels of condensate. (bbn)This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon!

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 16:30 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e758bd2 1 City #PresidentialDebate,security,Jakarta-police,#2019PresidentialElection,2019-elections,Presidential-Debate,presidential-candidate Free

The Jakarta Police will be deploying four layers of security for the first 2019 presidential debate, which is to be held at the Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta on Thursday evening.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said the first layer would be deployed inside the debate room, the second would be inside the hotel, while the third in the hotel compound.

The last layer of security will keep watch on the streets leading to the Bidakara Hotel, he said.

The fourth ring [of security] will be located outside the debate location, such as on the streets. Officers of the traffic unit and public order Sabhara squad will be deployed there, Argo said at the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

A total of 2,000 personnel of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police will be deployed to ensure the security of the debate.

Argo said the police traffic directorate was not currently planning on rerouting traffic around the Bidakara Hotel.

Traffic would be rerouted depending on the situation, he added.

Thursday's debate will be the first of five between incumbent Joko Jokowi Widodo-Maruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno.

The first debate, which will focus on law, human rights, corruption and terrorism, will be broadcast by national TV stations TVRI, Kompas TV and RTV, as well as radio station RRI at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday.

The Jakarta Post will also be live-tweeting the presidential debate on its official Twitter account, @jakpost. (ars)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17 2019

Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Panjaitan has said senior executives of South Korean car maker Hyundai Motor will meet several ministers later this month to discuss the companys plan to develop a US$1 billion car factory in Indonesia.

He said the Hyundai representatives wanted to seek information about the procedures to arrange licenses and about a regulation on the development of electric vehicles, which is being finalized.

They will come here soon to learn more about the permit procedure. I will also invite other related ministries to the meeting, Luhut said at a recent media briefing, adding that Hyundai planned to construct their factories in West Javas Bekasi, Karawang and Purwakarta integrated economic and industry zone.

The area is strategic as it will be connected to the [under construct...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 14:16 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e752a34 1 Business election,campaign,economy,presidential-candidate,Jokowi,Prabowo-Subianto,Jokowi-Maruf,Prabowo-Sandiaga Free

Beyond flashy promises and all-out commitments, business players highlighted the importance of policy and regulatory certainty when it comes to presidential candidates as they gear up for the April election.

Businesspeople from the upstream to downstream sector called on incumbent President Jokowi Jokowi Widodo and contender Prabowo Subianto to maintain clear priorities and ensure business competitiveness regardless of any reforms they were offering.

Setting their priorities straight to strengthen the domestic economy were more important amid ongoing disruptions from the United States-China trade war and monetary normalization in developed markets, they said.

Representing the upstream side, food and beverage industry businessman Rachmat Hidayat said he was happy to see that both candidates have a shared mission to take Indonesias manufacturing sector forward.

The food and beverage industry had been Indonesias highest growing manufacturing sector over the past few years, with growth estimated to reach its peak at 8.71 percent this year, according to the Industry Ministry.

There are business risks we can always manage, except for the ones coming from policy and regulatory [uncertainty], said Rachmat who is the vice chairman for public policy at the Indonesian Food and Beverage Producers Association (GAPMMI).

We want both candidates to understand that since they might become policymakers who make the rules, they are also the only ones who can manage the risks emanating from those said rules.

Efforts to boost ease of doing business, investment flows and competitiveness were vital aspects that should be adhered to by the candidates, Rachmat said.

On top of it, any elected president should align their political commitments within the existing regulatory framework of ministries and government agencies regardless of their mission, he added.

After announcing their presidential bids last year, Jokowi and Prabowo introduced their respective programs, including those related to the economy.

Jokowi and running mate Maruf Amin, who is the non-active chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, offered nine mission statements based on a productive, independent and competitive economic structure and fair and equal development.

Meanwhile, retired Army general Prabowo and seasoned businessman Sandiaga Uno are looking to build a fair, prosperous, quality and environmentally sound national economy by putting the interests of the people first in accordance to Articles 33 and 34 of the 1945 Constitution.

Prabowo raised some eyebrows when he vowed, like the campaign promises of US President Donald Trump, to make massive tax cuts. However, at the same time, he said the current administration had relied too much on debt to finance the economy, while failing with its tax reforms.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo) deputy chairman Tutum Rahanta hailed Jokowis infrastructure breakthroughs that had helped boost industries and logistics, unlike most of his predecessors who had opted to play it safe.

However, he pointed out that the people implementing the policies are not doing much of a good job.

In contrast to the food and beverage sector, Indonesian retailers were battered by a series of retail store closures due to various factors. Late last year, supermarket chains Hero and the Central Department Store were the latest to close several outlets.

Echoing Rachmat, Tutum said elected candidates should not arbitrarily use progress made by the current administration to legitimize their own programs.

A case in point is the new Online Single Submission (OSS) system, which is designed to untangle complications in the business permit procedure by digitizing and integrating its database. The system, he said, was a good sign of a modernized administration that should be kept going.

It [the OSS] is not perfect and we have been wounded in the process [to adapt to the system] but this is for the greater good, Tutum added.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Thu, January 17, 2019 16:22 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e758040 1 National #Batam,Batam,flight,aviation,Riau-Islands,#aviation Free

Indonesia has allowed an Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane to leave Batam in Riau Islands for Singapore after the plane was forced to land on Monday on suspicion of violating Indonesian airspace.



Hang Nadim Airport director Suwarso said that the decision was issued on Wednesday night following a meeting between representatives from the airport, the Air Force, state-owned air navigation firm AirNav's Batam office, the customs and immigration office, as well as those from the Ethiopian government.

Flight clearance has been issued and the plane has just left [the country], Suwarso said on Thursday. [But] officials in Jakarta will discuss further penalty for the airlines.

The aircraft left Batam on Thursday noon, according to authorities.

Three Indonesian Air Force F-16 fighter planes from Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru, Riau, intercepted and forced the plane to land at Hang Nadim international airport in Batam on Monday, after the plane entered Indonesian airspace without permission.

The airplane, which reportedly was carrying Rolls Royce aircraft engines and accessories to be flown to Hong Kong as its final destination, had not been in contact with the flight information region (FIR) Indonesia, but had communicated with FIR Singapore.

The case also highlights Indonesia's ongoing efforts to take over the management of airspace above Riau and Riau Islands provinces from Singapore  which have continued to be fruitless to date.

But, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who is tasked with completing the FIR takeover from Singapore, has earlier said that the forcing down of the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft to land in Batam in fact showed that Indonesia had started to gain control in the region. (ipa)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Syed Hamid Albar (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur  Thu, January 17 2019

This weeks ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand offers the top diplomats of our region an opportunity to discuss and strategize together about our joint progress toward realizing and strengthening the ASEAN Community.



In line with ASEAN tradition, Thailand, as this years ASEAN chair, is to outline at the retreat its priorities and vision for the year ahead.



The theme chosen by Thailand, Advancing partnerships for sustainability, is a timely and critical one and one that provides opportunities for ASEAN to demonstrate its leadership on both global and regional challenges, including climate change and forced displacement.



Indeed, sustainability is an issue that our region must address comprehensively, through all the pillars of ASEAN  political-security, economic and social-cultural.



Among the most serious issues that ...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 17:34 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e75b41e 1 City theft,computer,school,South-Tangerang Free

Thirty computers at SMP 19 state junior high school in South Tangerang, Banten were stolen on Wednesday, raising concerns over whether the school will be able to hold the computer based national exams.

South Tangerang Education and Culture Agency head Taryono said his office would provide new computers for the school so students could complete their exams.

We are preparing to solve the issue so it will not disrupt the exams. SMP 19 will still be able to hold the exams, if God wills, he said on Thursday, as quoted by tempo.co.

Taryono expressed his regret for the robbery, citing that the computers had been kept under maximum security.

The computers were kept in a specific room under maximum security. There were iron bars installed in the building, and also security staff and CCTV cameras, he said.

South Tangerang administration officer M. Nurdin said the computers were among the 51 computers to be used for students preparations ahead of the 2019 exams.

The 2019 national exams for junior high school students are set to be held from April 22 to 25. (ars)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 08:32 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e73d4d0 1 City religion,church-rejection,South-Jakarta Free

The police have claimed that a misunderstanding was behind the rejection of a new church in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta.

According to South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Indra Jafar, the dispute was settled on Friday and the seven banners that were placed in front of the church by protestors have been removed.

The incident started when several mass organizations rejected the Wisesa Wicaksana Foundations request to transform a house in the Jagakarsa area into a church for the Ampera Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) congregation.

We have gathered local figures, police and military personnel to discuss the issue. The banners have also been removed, Indra said on Wednesday as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

He said there had been a misunderstanding over the establishment of a church.

He called on the public to refrain from taking any discriminatory actions and to pass on any objects to a related organization.

They can go to the FKUB [Interfaith Communication Forum] or a religious leader. If the issue is sensitive, it would be better to discuss it together, Indra added.

Last Thursday, several local figures, members of the interfaith community, Indonesian Ulema Council representatives and local residents discussed the requirements for developing a church based on a 2006 joint regulation passed by the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Home Ministry.

The regulation stipulates that such a request must collect at least 60 signatures of support before it can be signed by a village head or subdistrict head for approval.

It must also provide a copy of the identity cards (KTP) of 90 congregants in a document that must be signed by a local leader, as well as a written recommendation from the FKUB at the municipality or regency level.

The Wisesa Wicaksana Foundation reportedly was unable to meet the requirements. (sau)Art lovers will soon be able to view Yayoi Kusama's psychedelic, immersive work "LOVE IS CALLING" in its new permanent home at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston (ICA/Boston).

The 2013 work, whose acquisition by ICA/Boston was announced this week, is one of Kusama's 20 existing "Infinity Mirror Rooms".

The immersive installation offers a psychedelic environment featuring vividly colored, tentacle-like, inflatable sculptures covered with the artist's signature polka dots, all of it within a mirrored room that creates an illusion of infinite space.

Read also: Jakarta bids farewell to Yayoi Kusamas dots

"LOVE IS CALLING", which premiered at Mori Art Museum in Japan, joins one other Kusama work in the ICA/Boston collection, a 1953 work on paper depicting organic forms, dots and colors.

"'LOVE IS CALLING' showcases the breadth of the artist's visual vocabulary -- from her signature polka dots and soft sculptures, brilliant colors and the spoken word, to endless reflections and illusions of space and self," said Jill Medvedow, the museum's director.

The work is set to go on view at ICA/Boston in fall 2019.On Thursday evening, all eyes were glued to the television for the first round of the 2019 presidential debates, a rematch between President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto  who also contested the 2014 presidential election  along with their respective running mates Maruf Amin and Sandiaga Uno.

In addition to their arguments, the candidates fashion choices were among the topics under discussion.

Both the incumbent and challenger played it safe when it came to their fashion choices for the first debate.

Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Ma'ruf Amin, as well as their wives, donned white apparel for the first presidential debate. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)

Ahead of the debate, Jokowi shared that he would wear a tenun (traditional woven fabric) shirt. However, he and Maruf, along with their wives, arrived at the venue donning white apparel.

A plain white shirt has clearly been Jokowis go-to apparel since he was the mayor of Surakarta and later the governor of Jakarta. He even wore a plain white shirt during the announcement of his Cabinet lineup. In fact, a plain white shirt is the Cabinets dress code and is said to symbolize the wearers duty to touch people's lives with their work.

Read also: Ma'ruf to 'definitely wear sarong' in first debate round

Similar to Jokowi, Maruf also dressed in his signature style for the first debate, a sarong with a belt beneath a plain white shirt. However, his usual checkered sarong was replaced with a batik sarong.

It was no surprise, as Maruf had said earlier that he would wear a sarong to the debate. In September, the non-active chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) told hundreds of santri (Islamic boarding school students) in Kediri, East Java, that should he be elected in 2019, he would maintain his penchant for santri fashion style by regularly wearing a sarong.

The challengers Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno wear suits to the first presidential debate. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)

As for the challengers, both Prabowo and Sandiaga came dressed in suits, looking sharp and ready for the debate.

Prabowos blue suit matched his supporter's blue apparel.

Prior to the debate, Sandiaga told kompas.com that he would wear blue throughout the campaign as the color represented calmness, unity and his fight for blue-collar workers.

Although Sandiaga did not sport a similar blue suit, his classic two-button suit showed his formal and professional persona. (wng)Japanese decluttering guru, Marie Kondo, brings her skills to the stuffed-to-the-gills homes of American families in her hit Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

If you are the kind of person who enjoys aesthetically pleasing rooms and owns a Pinterest board of decluttering life hacks, then you might be familiar with Marie Kondo and her world-famous KonMari method of tidying up.

For those of you who dont know, Kondo founded her organizing consulting business at the age of 19 in Tokyo. Her business has become so successful that people are willing to wait for six months for one of her consultations.

Kondo accomplished global fame after one of her books, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, was published in more than 30 countries and landed at number one on The New York Times best-selling books list. In 2015, Kondo made into TIMEs 100 most influential people list.

Based on book sales and the popularity of her US$2,000 KonMari certification seminars, its safe to say that Kondo has taken the world by storm and her latest project on Netflix shows her preaching the gospel of her trademarked KonMari method to American families.

Essentially, the KonMari method classifies ones possessions into four categories: clothes, books, komono (miscellaneous items) and sentimental items.

In the show, the families are encouraged to lay out their belongings and keep those that speak to the heart and spark joy, discarding the others, but not before thanking them for their service.

On the surface, this setup seems familiar to other home makeover shows, such as Style Networks now-cancelled Clean House, in which a team of professionals redecorated the homes of American families.

What makes Tidying Up different is that the show steers clear of bombastic production in favor of a gentle, mindful approach that seems, in a sense, to be uniquely Japanese.

Also, unlike the extreme hoarders who pop up in the news, Kondos subjects are regular, relatable people who accumulate things and dont know how to let them go. The clutter in their homes often tells a story of their hidden problems: stress, grief or a busy modern life.

The first episode is about a couple with toddlers struggling to keep their playroom, kitchen and closets organized. Another episode shows Kondo guide a grieving widow to say goodbye to the belongings of her late husband.

Tidying Up also follows empty nesters Ron and Wendy, who fill the void left behind by their children moving out with assorted knick-knacks, including an obscenely large Christmas nutcracker collection.

Kondo does not suggest a new splash of paint for the walls or statement furniture. Instead, she invites the couple to reminisce through their heirlooms found under a pile of household garbage.

Another episode shows Kondo talking to newlywed Alishia, who hangs onto a dress from her late grandmother even though the dress does not fit her anymore.

The point of this process isnt to force yourself to eliminate things, Kondo, speaking through an interpreter, assures Alishia.

Its really to confirm how you feel about each and every item that you possess.

Perhaps this is the magic of Kondos KonMari method. You evaluate your own connection to each item you own and Kondo never feels like she is judging her subjects.

The show also indirectly tackles an American issue thats slowly becoming depressingly common all over the world: rampant consumerism.

Oftentimes after Kondo asks the families to spread out the contents of their closets on top of the bed, they are surprised by the sheer number of clothes left unused, or even the ones they didnt realize they have.

By keeping things you like the most and thanking each item for its service, you might think twice before going on a shopping spree.

In a sense, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo offers an introspective approach to decluttering just like her books, but it feels much more enjoyable when you can see how Kondo does spark joy in families through her simple methods.

Those who enjoy dramatic before-and-after comparisons would be disappointed, but this is not what this show is about. It is the simple, soothing joy of keeping meaningful things in your life.

Nevertheless, a word of advice to those wanting to try out the KonMari method: The shirt-folding technique is quite efficient and pleasing to the eye, but it works best if your wardrobe consists of drawers. My own wardrobe consists of shelves and it is not as pleasing when you have to use a chair just to look at the clothes on the top shelf.

Maybe its just me, but none of my current clothes spark joy and throwing them all out would probably bring me the opposite of joy.

Come to think of it, minimalism seems to be what Kondo is essentially espousing and perhaps some further tidying up is needed.Rembrandt van Rijn revolutionized painting with a 3D effect using his impasto technique, where thick paint makes a masterpiece protrude from the surface. Thanks to the ESRF, three centuries later an international team of scientists led by the Materials Science and Engineering Department of TU Delft and the Rijksmuseum have found how he did it.

Impasto is thick paint laid on the canvas in an amount that makes it stand from the surface. The relief of impasto increases the perceptibility of the paint by increasing its light-reflecting textural properties. Scientists know that Rembrandt, epitome of the Dutch Golden Age, achieved the impasto effect by using materials traditionally available on the 17thcentury Dutch colour market, namely lead white pigment (a mixture of hydrocerussite Pb 3 (CO 3 ) 2 .(OH) 2 and cerussite PbCO 3 ), and organic mediums (mainly linseed oil). The precise recipe was, however, unknown until today.

Plumbonacrite, Pb 5 (CO 3 ) 3 O(OH) 2 is the mysterious, missing ingredient of the impasto effect, researchers from The Netherlands and France have discovered. It is extremely rare in historic paint layers. It has been detected in some samples from 20th century paintings and in a degraded red lead pigment in a Van Gogh painting. We didnt expect to find this phase at all, as it is so unusual in Old Masters paintings, explains Victor Gonzalez, main author of the study and scientist at the Rijksmuseum and Delft University of Technology. Whats more, our research shows that its presence is not accidental or due to contamination, but that it is the result of an intended synthesis, he adds.

The European Synchrotron, ESRF, played an essential role in these findings. The team sampled tiny fragments from the Portrait of Marten Soolmans (Rijksmuseum), Bathsheba (The Louvre) and Susanna (Mauritshuis), three of Rembrandts masterpieces. Using the ESRFs beamlines, they quantified the crystalline phases in Rembrandts impasto and in the adjacent paint layers, modelled the pigment crystallites morphology and size and obtained crystalline phase distribution maps at the microscale.

The samples were less than 0.1mm in size, requiring the small and intense beam delivered by the synchrotron. The scientists analysed them on two ESRF beamlines, ID22 and ID13, where they combined High-angular Resolution X-Ray Diffraction (HR-XRD) and micro-X-Ray Diffraction (-XRD) . In the past, we have already successfully used the combination of these two techniques to study lead-white based paints. We knew that the techniques can provide us with high quality diffraction patterns and therefore with subtle information about paint composition, explains Marine Cotte, scientist at the ESRF, 2018 Descartes-Huygens Prize laureate for her research on art conservation.

Part of the team during the experiments on ID13. From left to right: Marine Cotte, Martin Rossenthal and Victor Gonzalez.

The analysis of the data showed that Rembrandt modified his painting materials intentionally. The presence of plumbonacrite is indicative of an alkaline medium. Based on historical texts, we believe that Rembrandt added lead oxide (litharge) to the oil in this purpose, turning the mixture into a paste-like paint, explains Cotte.

The breakthrough yields the path for the long-term preservation and conservation of Rembrandts masterpieces. However, the number of samples studied is not extensive enough to assess if lead white impastos systematically contain plumbonacrite. We are working with the hypothesis that Rembrandt might have used other recipes, and that is the reason why we will be studying samples from other paintings by Rembrandt and other 17th Dutch Masters, including Vermeer, Hals, and painters belonging to Rembrandts circle, explains Annelies van Loon, scientist at the Rijksmuseum.

Scientist Marine Cotte on beamline ID21. Credits: Steph Cande.

In addition to this, the team will reconstruct specific impasto-like samples, preparing and ageing them under CO 2 rich and CO 2 free atmospheres (to assess the origin of carbonates in plumbonacrite) and in humid and dry conditions (to assess the effect of water).

This work, led by the Materials Science and Engineering Department of the Delft University of Technology and the Rijksmuseum is a collaboration between academia (Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, Sorbonne University and University of Amsterdam), Cultural Heritage research institutes (C2RMF: Centre de Recherche et des Restauration des Musees de France), museums (Rijksmuseum and Mauritshuis) and the ESRF.

Reference:

Gonzalez V., et al, Angewandte Chemie, 7th January 2018. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201813105

Text by Montserrat Capellas EspunyChina has come down hard on its world-renowned counterfeit industry. Bazaars lined with fake watches, shoes and bags have been demolished in recent years. A new law effective since January 1 promises to slap online retailers with up to 2 million yuan (S$401,100) in fines for bogus goods sold on their platforms.

But Chinese counterfeiters - still the most prolific in the world - have already reshaped their businesses by retreating to even more private spaces online.

Many of the country's best fakers are now hawking their wares via social messaging networks like Tencent Holdings's WeChat.

First they market their offerings at home and globally on platforms like Instagram or ByteDance's Tik Tok. Buyers then order and pay through private messaging apps. Such transactions are arguably "friend-to-friend" and not e-commerce as defined by the new law.

These days a knock-off black Dior saddle bag can go for about US$255 (S$345) on a Chinese social media network.

That's one tenth the US$3,250 price-tag on the real thing, but still pricier than the average high-street bag. It looks and feels real - a smooth, buttery leather with the heft of a true luxury bag. And it arrives in just a day or two, with what are purportedly Dior's engraved box, red ribbon and certificate of authenticity.

The skill of the counterfeiters and their growing ability to leverage global social networks has left Beijing playing whack-a-mole as it attempts to stamp out fake luxury goods.

Even as China's rich become ever more important to marquee fashion houses, the bulk of its consumers remain on the outside: Bombarded by marketing for items they can never afford, and hungry for more affordable knockoffs.

"The income disparity across China's diverse population - coastal versus inland, urban elites versus migrant workers - means that lower-priced goods, including those accused of being fake, will unlikely lose their market in China any time soon," said Fan Yang, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, who's written a book on Chinese counterfeits.

China's Ministry of Commerce, Dior, ByteDance and Tencent didn't respond to requests for comment.

Read also: Brand owners face nonstop fight against sale of counterfeit products online

Trade war

The difficulties in stamping out counterfeiting in luxury goods shows the challenges Beijing faces in ongoing trade war negotiations as it attempts to assure the US that it can address intellectual property theft - a key grievance of foreign companies.

The global trade in counterfeits will balloon to US$991 billion by 2022 from US$461 billion in 2013, according to research firm Frontier Economics, which includes luxury goods, consumer products and several other categories like pharmaceuticals. China and Hong Kong are by far the biggest source of exported counterfeits, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

On Instagram, counterfeiters often put up a picture of the bag they are hawking without specifying if it is fake or real. They include contact details for Chinese or international messaging services where buyers can follow up to actually make the purchase.

The hashtag used is often that of a real brand - say a #Hermes or a #Birkin.

An Instagram spokesperson said the company uses sophisticated spam detection and blocking systems to fight counterfeiting, and has devoted more resources to the issue over the past year. The company also has tools where buyers can report purchases they are unhappy with.

Luxury demand

Chinese consumers account for a third of the US$1 trillion in global luxury demand. In recent years, global brands have gone from being enraged at Chinese Internet platforms to being willing to working with them, especially as they rely on the portals to reach China's shoppers.

In 2015, Kering, which owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, sued Alibaba for counterfeits it said were being sold on Alibaba's platform. Kering dropped the suit two years later for a "joint taskforce" to fight fakes with the Internet giant.

Alibaba, meanwhile, says its made a serious effort to rid Taobao, its flagship e-commerce platform of fakes.

Read also: Wakai destroys fake goods with Bali Police

Complaints portal

In 2017, Alibaba launched an Intellectual Property Protection platform where brands can file complaints and receive a response within 24 hours. It's also put resources into identifying and proactively taking down listings, a company spokesperson said.

It's now rare to find sellers openly hawking counterfeits on its platforms. But some may occasionally appear by listing unbranded bags and encouraging buyers to contact them privately to complete the transaction.

Its Xianyu platform - a digital "flea market" where consumers can sell used goods - turns up scores of such listings.

Eugene Low, a Hong Kong-based partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, expects China's new legislation will further motivate e-commerce firms to step up their efforts. "They won't want to be the first target of enforcement," he said.

Even so, the grey areas in the new legislation could leave counterfeiters continuing to exploit the loopholes. "How the law would be enforced would be unclear at this time," said Pedro Yip, a partner at consultancy Oliver Wyman.The official trailer for Dilan 1991 was on Wednesday.

It is a sequel to Dilan 1990, the most-viewed Indonesian film of 2018

The trailer shows the ups and downs of the romantic relationship between senior high school students Dilan (Iqbaal Ramadhan) and Milea (Vanesha Prescilla).

Posing as leader of a local motorcycle gang, Dilan often gets involved in fights until he is almost expelled from school. As his girlfriend, Milea asks Dilan to get out the gang and threatens to break up with him.

Read also: 'Dilan 1990': Romantic, with just the right amount of cheese

Amid their problems, Mileas distant relative Yugo returns from Belgium and stands in the way between her and Dilan. Yugo admits that he likes Milea as they often spend time together, but her heart is for Dilan only.

The trailer has been viewed more than 22,000 times as of Thursday and is packed with Dilans sweet talks.

I never get jealous as Im only able to love you, Dilan told Milea in one scene.

Set to hit theaters on Feb. 28, Dilan 1991 is an adaptation of Pidi Baiqs Dilan Bagian Kedua: Dia Adalah Dilanku Tahun 1991 (Dilan Part Two: Hes My Dilan in 1991) as the second book of the series.

Unlike its predecessor, Dilan 1991 was shot in Jakarta and Bandung, West Java. (wng)Traveling to cities and villages in five countries with a backpack, Sarah Zouak filmed 25 Muslim women - from single parents to fisherwomen - to dispel dated religious stereotypes.

With documentary screenings and debates across the world, the Women SenseTour tells the story of female changemakers in Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Iran and Indonesia through five one-hour films, said French-Moroccan filmmaker and activist Zouak.

"I researched the women on the internet, by reading books or through word of mouth," said 29-year-old Zouak, who organized three screenings in Indonesia late last year and hopes to stage similar events throughout Asia in the future.

"They had to be feminists, Muslim and have founded a project for women's empowerment," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Paris.

Muslim women are seen in many countries, particularly the West, as oppressed and having limited freedoms and the films aim to reshape these cliches with stories of strong Muslim women.

Crowdfunded and shot during a five-month trip by Zouak three years ago, the films include women of all ages and backgrounds, working in health, education and with refugees, as well as those helping drug users and domestic abuse victims.

Having never made a documentary before, Zouak often lived with her subjects, filming the women going about their daily routines.

Read also: Sakdiyah Ma'ruf: A stereotype, breaking stereotypes

"In Indonesia I met a woman who founded a feminist organization for fisherwomen - even in the fishing industry there are feminist women working," said Zouak,

"It was interesting to see that sexism is everywhere - even industries you wouldn't think."

The project has won the backing of UN Women and the Institut de France, which promotes the arts. It has toured schools, universities, city halls and cinemas across France and the world, with plans to make one film free to view online.

Zouak - who also formed an association called Lallab to counter Islamophobia, which has more than 300 volunteers - hopes the documentaries will challenge narratives and provide inspiration to both men and women.

"A lot of Muslim women who come, say it is the first time they have seen a positive image of themselves," she said.

"They then want to be like the women in the documentary and start their own projects."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin I Made Andi Arsana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 12:08 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e74f7cc 3 Opinion Indonesia-Malaysia,maritime-boundaries,international-law Free

In 1969, Indonesia and Malaysia signed a historic deal to establish their maritime boundaries. It was in fact the first agreement on maritime boundaries Indonesia had ever signed. The agreement makes clear which seabed belongs to which country in the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea.



Now, 50 years later, Indonesia has managed to file 18 agreements with eight neighbors. However, Indonesia has yet to fully complete its maritime boundaries with all 10 neighbors: India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Australia and Timor Leste. There are even no maritime boundaries yet with Palau and Timor Leste.



Settling maritime boundaries can take decades. With Malaysia, for example, no agreement has been reached since the first one in 1969. The latest agreement was struck in September 2014 for maritime boundaries between Indonesia and Singapore. Four months before that was with the Philippines. The two followed the previous one settled in June 2003 with Vietnam.



Maritime boundary delimitation, as technical and legal people would call it, is governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which more than 165 countries in the world have ratified.



Indonesia was an early party to the agreement and contributed significantly to its negotiation. The current face of the international law of the sea was, to an extent, also crafted by Indonesian intellectuals  something that the young generation should know and be proud of.



Establishing maritime boundaries requires a multidisciplinary approach. Legal expertise is fundamental since it is governed by codified international legal instruments. Those legal provisions need to be translated into technical practices requiring technical people. Expertise in survey and mapping or geodesy, for example, is essential in translating legal provisions into practical implementation in the field. These two should collaborate to form a political solution. Indeed maritime boundary delimitation is a political process.



Now after half a century of struggle and effort to fence our waters, how do we finalize it? First, the government needs to declare maritime boundary delimitation a top priority. Limits and boundaries are fundamental for ocean management. As Indonesia is aspiring to become a global maritime fulcrum this requires clarity of territory and jurisdiction of ocean space. How can we manage our waters and resources therein if we have not even settled its fence/borders with our neighbors? Political will is thus imperative.



Second, we should consider assigning special envoys or institutions dealing specifically with maritime boundary delimitation. The persons or institutions need to have a solid authority beyond technical and legal matters. Many governments have assigned special envoys to negotiate maritime boundary delimitation with neighboring countries.



Indonesia once named a special envoy for maritime boundary delimitation with Malaysia. However, because the special envoy is a political appointee, any change in politics can easily alter its existence.



Third, we need to have more people well-trained in this particular field. We are a proud country to have a senior expert and guru, such as Hasjim Djalal, a professor with first-hand experience in the making of UNCLOS. Some are following his steps but most learned ocean affairs and the law of the sea as a result of their official position or professional roles, not necessarily because of their genuine interest.



For lawyers, studying the international law of the sea is apparently less attractive financially than studying other fields. The field of surveys and mapping or geodesy also faces similar challenges. Not many surveyors would be genuinely interested in being an expert in the geospatial aspects of the law of the sea. More promising opportunities lie in other fields such as surveys for land administration, mapping for the mining industry, geographic information systems, unmanned aerial vehicle mapping for industrial plantations, and application of global navigation satellite system.



Thus, positive intervention from the government through education sector has never been more urgent.



Lastly, ocean affairs and the law of the sea issue must enter the popular sphere. Introducing this issue as early as possible to the young generation is always better to build and strengthen maritime culture.



When children no longer draw two mountains with a sun shining in between, followed by an empty road and rice field, but instead unconsciously draw coast and ocean, we can be convinced that Indonesias future generation is starting to embrace maritime culture.



With one step at a time, we will make progress. We will fence our waters for a better relationship with our neighbors; as American poet Robert Frost once said good fences make good neighbors.

***

The writer is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Geodetic Engineering, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, and the author of the book Batas Maritim Antarnegara (International Maritime Boundaries).

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Syed Hamid Albar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 14:06 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e7b5837 3 Opinion ASEAN,Rohingya,Myanmar,Rakhine,Bangladesh,human-rights Free

This weeks ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand offers the top diplomats of our region an opportunity to discuss and strategize together about our joint progress toward realizing and strengthening the ASEAN Community.



In line with ASEAN tradition, Thailand, as this years ASEAN chair, is to outline at the retreat its priorities and vision for the year ahead.



The theme chosen by Thailand, Advancing partnerships for sustainability, is a timely and critical one and one that provides opportunities for ASEAN to demonstrate its leadership on both global and regional challenges, including climate change and forced displacement.



Indeed, sustainability is an issue that our region must address comprehensively, through all the pillars of ASEAN  political-security, economic and social-cultural.



Among the most serious issues that continue to pose challenges to the sustainability of ASEANs regional stability and collective human security is the unresolved issue of the crisis in Myanmars Rakhine state and the massive displacement and denial of the basic rights of the Rohingya minority. This has now been recognized by ASEAN as a regional issue that requires regional cooperation.



At the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore last November, ASEAN member states for the first time included in the chairmans statement a dedicated paragraph articulating their collective concern over the protracted humanitarian crisis in Rakhine, as well as the resulting displacement crisis in Rakhine and the region.



This crisis is, indeed, a matter of continued urgency toward which ASEAN cannot afford to be complacent. It is a test case for ASEAN.



The worlds largest refugee camp now sits on the doorstep of ASEAN, in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar, which hosts close to 1 million Rohingya refugees, including more than 700,000 who arrived within the past two years.



Myanmars invitation to the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) to conduct a needs assessment to identify possible areas of cooperation in Rakhine to facilitate the repatriation of Rohingya refugees is a positive step demonstrating Myanmars willingness to engage ASEAN.



However, it does not guarantee safe, dignified and voluntary return and must not be used as a means of expediting returns by any means, especially when the conditions that perpetuated the statelessness, discrimination and denial of basic human rights that forced the Rohingya to flee in the first place have not been addressed.



ASEAN member states must work together constructively to ensure that the assessment is conducted with the utmost objectivity and credibility and in line with internationally recognized principles to which ASEAN is also bound.



For this to happen, a first step would be to grant unhindered access to the ASEAN Emergency Response Assessment Team (ERAT) to ensure that it can work in a manner that would uphold international humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.



ASEAN has also expressed support for Myanmars efforts to bring peace, stability and rule of law to Rakhine and to promote reconciliation among the diverse communities of the state, as well as to foster sustainable and equitable development for all the people of Rakhine and, indeed, of Myanmar.



Building peace requires a long-term commitment to repair the trust that has been broken and to provide access to services and legal rights, including citizenship.



These issues cannot be resolved overnight and, therefore, ASEAN member states should not rush repatriation prematurely and must recognize that the Rohingya would continue to seek refuge in neighboring countries for a long time to come.



In this regard, in the interest of sustained regional human security and greater inclusivity, ASEAN member states should commence discussions on the formulation of a regional refugee protection framework, one that upholds the rights of refugees, provides guidelines to host countries and helps to foster multi-stakeholder partnerships.



Such a framework would be in line with the new Global Compact on Refugees, which has been endorsed by 181 member states at the United Nations General Assembly last December, including by all the member states of ASEAN.



The Rakhine crisis and large-scale displacement of Rohingya refugees across the region must be addressed with seriousness, not as a corridor discussion but as an integral part of ASEANs agenda on sustainable development. It is part of our obligation as members of the global community to ensure human security and inclusive development for all the peoples of our region. This, indeed, is ASEANs vision of a people-centered ASEAN Community.



As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reminded us: Sustainable development also depends on upholding human rights and ensuring peace and security.



Sustainable development is an end in itself, but it is also the best way to prevent crisis and build a safer world.

***

The writer has served as Malaysias minister of home affairs (2008 to 2009), minister of foreign affairs (1999 to 2008), minister of defense (1995 to 1999) and minister of justice (1990 to 1995). He is also the former special envoy for Myanmar for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and a senior advisor to the Asia-Pacific Refugee Rights Network.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Endy Bayuni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, January 17, 2019 09:08 882 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e73ecab 1 Opinion #commentary,2019-presidential-election,Indonesia,politics,Jokowi,Prabowo-Subianto Free

The presidential election in April looks like a rematch of the 2014 encounter with the same two candidates bidding for the right to lead Indonesia for the next five years. Although the race may produce the same results, the dynamics have changed, making this a very different contest.



Most surveys show incumbent President Joko Jokowi Widodo leading by a large margin over challenger Prabowo Subianto. But Jokowis victory is not a foregone conclusion.



The chief lesson of the 2016 American presidential race and the Brexit vote in Britain is that surveys can and do get it wrong. We can throw in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race when then-incumbent Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama lost the election despite enjoying a comfortable lead. In 2014, Jokowi saw his huge lead at the start of the campaign almost wiped out after a vigorous campaign by Prabowo. Jokowi won by 5 percentage points.



Prabowo has already lost two election bids  in 2009 and 2014  and he is not likely to concede a third defeat that easily. A former soldier, he will put up a fierce fight.



This is a different race altogether that requires both candidates to approach it differently.



This is a battle between an incumbent and challenger. In 2014, both Jokowi and Prabowo entered the race as equals, both offering promises for what they would do if elected.



This time Jokowi will be touting and defending his record. Incumbency confers advantages as long as he performs well. Indonesian voters are willing to forgive shortcomings and give a second chance as long as the incumbent shows he has tried. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was reelected with a 60 percent vote in 2009 despite a mediocre performance.



Without a national track record other than the role his Gerindra Party played in the last five years, Prabowo will be attacking and exposing flaws and weaknesses in Jokowis presidency. He will find enough materials.



Jokowi comes into the race backed by nine political parties, including the two largest winners in 2014, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar, and two Islamist parties, the United Development Party (PPP) and National Awakening Party (PKB). Prabowo has a smaller coalition of six parties, including his own Gerindra, Yudhoyonos Democratic Party and two Islamist parties, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and National Mandate Party (PAN). In 2014, Jokowi only had four parties behind him, and Prabowo had six, including Golkar and the PPP.



Their choice of running mates makes 2019 a vastly different race.



Jokowi picked Maruf Amin, the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, while Prabowo opted for self-made multimillionaire Sandiaga Uno. Running mates may have a limited impact on candidates electability, but in a closely contested race, as in 2014, they can still be decisive.



The choice of Maruf defused earlier concerns that Prabowo would use Islam as a campaign issue, as he did in 2014. But Sandiaga is proving popular among housewives and, being the youngest of the pack, he appeals more to millennials.



With Islam no longer a major factor in the presidential race, the economy has become the main campaign issue, with Jokowi defending his economic record and Prabowo picking and exposing the shortcomings.



Growth has held steady in the last five years, but the economic performance was not exactly stellar. Averaging 5 percent, it falls short of the 7 percent Jokowi promised in 2014. He remains vulnerable to attack, particularly on the trade and budge deficits, wealth gap, weak rupiah, joblessness among the educated elite and prices of basic foodstuffs.



Another big difference in 2019 is the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on April 17. In the past, the legislative elections preceded the presidential race by three months, giving voters the luxury of voting for one political party, but a presidential candidate from another party. With the simultaneous elections, voters go to the polling booth with a different mindset.



This affects more the legislative election than the presidential race.



Most surveys show the PDI-P benefits from Jokowis party membership and Gerindra from Prabowos leadership. These two parties are likely contending for the top two slots in the race for the House of Representatives.



Other parties will suffer and Golkar may see itself drop out of the top two slots for the first time. The Democrats are not too happy with its association with Prabowo and Yudhoyono has let his candidates running for legislative seats endorse Jokowi if it helps them with their campaigns.



Surveys predict many small parties will not reach the 4 percent of the popular vote they need to have representation in the House. If only five or six make the threshold, Indonesia will see a major shift in its political landscape.



The idea of holding the elections simultaneously was intended to cut costs, but it appears now to have another unintended consequence: simplifying the multiparty system.



President Jokowi heads a coalition government of seven political parties that has helped him ensure support for his legislative agenda in the House against three in opposition.



The next president, whoever that may be, will likely need to manage a smaller coalition in governing the country. Simpler, but not necessarily easier.

***

This article is based on a presentation at the Regional Outlook Forum 2019 organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies  Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore on Jan. 9.WOOD RIVER  Madison County Employment and Training is finding success in its programs and individuals who take part in them are finding better job opportunities because of it.

The people we with work with are finding success in obtaining employment and they are increasing their skills, which brings better opportunities with higher wages, Director of Employment and Training Tony Fuhrmann said.

Fuhrmann said his office annually assists approximately 4,000 individuals. He said the number is growing as more people become aware of the services available through his department and their partner agencies in this region.

Our charge is to help provide a skilled, trained and ready workforce for the businesses of Madison and Bond counties, Fuhrmann said. There are many services offered by our office that people dont know about.

Fuhrmann said the funds available through the department are for individuals who have lost their job, are transitioning from the military, or who meet certain low-income guidelines. However, many services offered are available to all residents of Madison and Bond counties.

If someone needs help with updating their resume, we can assist with it, Fuhrmann said.

All the services offered by the department are designed to assist either business or job seekers. These services include job listings, employment training, skills assessment, career counseling, job search assistance, vocational training, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, recruitment assistance, youth employment and training, job and career fairs, referral services and many other types of employer/employee assistance.

The primary responsibilities of the department are to administer employment and training programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and other state and federal funding sources. Employment and Training receives its funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, which distributes grant monies to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development and then to 22 local workforce areas throughout the state.

On July 1, Fuhrmann said that Jersey and Calhoun counties would be combining with Madison and Bond counties in their local Workforce Area. This will increase the area served and the funds available for both job seekers and businesses in the four-county area.

Fuhrmann said the department would like to showcase several of the programs for successful participants.

Often times its after reading about someone who in a similar situation that people will seek our assistance, he said. We want to share the stories of the people who succeed.

To read about the success stories visit Employment and Training at https://www.co.madison.il.us/departments/employment_and_training/index.php.Rising inmate populations have some jails in the region close to capacity and scrambling to find space to segregate inmates when mental health issues arise.

In Greene County, for instance, there were 17 inmates in the 21-inmate-capacity jail on Friday. It would have been 22, according to Sheriff Rob McMillen, but five were transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

This is the lowest weve been in probably a good three months, McMillen said. We have extra mattresses in the facility so if for some reason there are not enough beds, we have steel bunk beds. If theres a person on every bunk, we can give them a mattress and there are a couple spots in the cells that are wide enough for a mattress.

If the jail is overcapacity, inmates could be released with a notice to appear in court , depending on what the sheriff and the states attorney decide.

Greene County also houses inmates from Scott and Calhoun counties when needed at $50 a day, which can add to the capacity issue.

The inmates who stay at the jail are serious offenders, McMillen explained.

The ones in our jail now are serious offenders. Theyre not [charged with] retail theft or driving on a suspended license, he said. Weve got three people held on murder type charges. The rest are serious drug distribution charges.

McMillen addressed the issue with the county board and continues to do what he can to work with the facilitys limitations. Ideally, he said he would have a jail with a capacity of 45 to 50 beds.

This isnt something that can happen overnight, McMillen said. My goal this year is to approach the county and get their stamp of approval to at least start in the planning stages of getting a facility placed in Greene County and have it running in the next four to five years.  If we have to put a referendum out, well have to wait for that to happen and see what the voters would authorize.

Morgan Countys detention facility, has capacity for 60 inmates, so it doesnt have the same crowding issue, according to Sheriff Mike Carmody.

Very rarely do we get 60 inmates, he said. We house for Cass and Scott counties and they pay a fee. Currently, we have four out-of-county inmates, but we can get from eight to 10 at times.

That doesnt mean the jail couldnt use updates, such as replacing its electronic locking door system, which hasnt been updated since its installation in the 1980s.

One issue the jail has seen, is with inmates who have mental health issues, Carmody said.

If the jail houses an inmate with mental health issues, the inmate must be supervised 24 hours a day, with suicidal subjects being checked every 15 minutes. Carmody said the biggest concern with housing an inmate with a mental health issue is the need for separation.

The building wasnt designed to be a mental health facility, so we only have one holding cell, a room that we used to house juveniles in when we used to house them 30 years ago. Weve converted an office into a temporary holding cell, he said.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted for a resolution of disapproval aimed at Representative Steve King of Iowa. All of his fellow Republicans supported the action  he even voted for it himself, to show his remorse  and earlier this week, the partys leaders stripped King of his committee assignments. Several GOP members are telling him to resign.

The immediate cause of the rebukes is comments he made to the New York Times in which he seemed to suggest that white supremacy should not be considered offensive. In a statement a week following the original Times report, King denied that he meant this. But just a few months ago, he disputed remarks that were quoted accurately when they, too, were criticized for racism.

That earlier controversy didnt come out of a clear blue sky, either.

In the New York Times, Trip Gabriel reports that while Republicans are now denouncing King, who has been in the House since 2003, he has disparaged nonwhite groups for years. Gabriel supplies a list of what the Times headline calls Kings Racist Remarks and Divisive Actions. But many items on that list, especially in the earlier years, dont involve any disparaging of nonwhite groups.True, Congress has not exactly distinguished itself with its probing and insightful investigations into this affair. And with Democrats now in the majority in the House, there is little reason to believe its investigation will get less partisan. Nonetheless, if a government official truly believes Trump is a foreign agent and should be removed from office, then he has no choice.

Now suppose that the FBI does not have any receipts. Instead, the bureaus leadership believes Trumps firing of Comey obstructed its efforts to investigate Russian interference in the campaign. In that case, the proper course would be for senior officials to resign and go public.

In the American system of government, oversight of the executive is the prerogative of the legislature. It is ultimately up to Congress to decide whether Trumps decision to fire Comey was a threat to national security, as Baker said in his testimony before the House. It is not up to the FBI.The veterans moving to Kearney Wednesday were looking forward to life without elevators, having no roommates and bigger bathrooms.

Several people interviewed before they left Grand Island said they were looking forward to their new accommodations.

Glen Decker, 81, is no fan of the elevators at the Grand Island Veterans Home. If there had been a fire, some of the residents would have died because they cant use the stairs, he said.

Decker, whos a woodworker, was always looking forward to the wood shop in Kearney. Decker, an Aurora native, was in the Navy from 1953 to 1959. He lives with his wife, Loretta, whos from Dannebrog.

Steve Woods, 71, had been at the Grand Island home for eight years. Ive had to share a room ever since Ive been in here, said Woods, who was in the Navy from 1965 to 1969.

But Woods hasnt been unhappy with his home. The Grand Island Veterans Home is a real good facility, he said, and he expects the same of the Kearney campus.

In Kearney, Arnold Sperling will enjoy having a room of his own, which hes always wanted, said his daughter, Judy Weinrich.

There will also be more room for families to come sit and visit, she said.The recent actions of our bone spur, draft-dodger President with no integrity have forced me to write this letter. I feel because of our current President we have gone from Ronald Reagans shining city upon the hill to Trumps black hole in the swamp.

It appears that the only individuals willing to work in the current administration are those with the same lack of integrity as Donald Trump. Many have either been convicted of crimes, been indicted or are being investigated.NORWALK  A 48-year-old man was charged with threatening and resisting arrest on Tuesday afternoon.

Police received a complaint from a caller who said a man carrying a trash bag and wearing a camel jacket and a backpack had just threatened them.

Police said when they arrived on scene, in the area of West Cedar Street, the man was already gone.

Shortly after, officers found Paris Strickland nearby. He matched the description the caller gave, police said. Police said Strickland gave a fake name and date of birth. He was charged with second-degree threatening, interfering with an officer/resisting arrest and second-degree breach of peace. He was held on $10,000 bond and given a court date of Jan. 25.NORWALK  Peter R. Cordeau has been named the new president of Norwalk Hospital.

Cordeau comes to Norwalk Hospital from Sharon Hospital, where he went from chief nursing officer, to chief operating officer to CEO. He has had a 30-year career in hospital administration, operations, nursing leadership, and service line management.

Mr. Cordeau brings a wealth of clinical and administrative experience to Norwalk Hospital, Western Connecticut Health Network said in a statement. Mr. Cordeaus initial areas of focus at Norwalk Hospital will be building a strong and unified leadership team, overseeing hospital operations, and strengthening employee and physician engagement and the patient experience.

Norwalk Hospital is part of the Western Connecticut Health Network, which includes Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital. The Western Connecticut Health Network said that Cordeau successfully led the merger of Sharon Hospital with Health Quest in 2017. WCHN is awaiting approval from the state to affiliate with the Health Quest hospitals.

Mr. Cordeaus broad experience and expertise in healthcare, especially in administration, operations, and nursing, make him uniquely qualified to be president of Norwalk Hospital, said Western Connecticut Health Network President and CEO John M. Murphy. Mr. Cordeau will help to facilitate the smoothest possible transition as Health Quest and WCHN come together to form a new organization, so that we can continue to provide the best care to our patients.

Cordeau received a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Connecticut and a master of business administration from the University of Hartford.

I am very excited to join Norwalk Hospital, Cordeau said in the statement. I am looking forward to collaborating with clinical, administrative, and community leaders to further the good health of greater Norwalk.

Michael J. Daglio was president of Norwalk Hospital since 2014, but left in October to became senior vice president, Hartford HealthCare, president of its new Fairfield Region and chief transition officer for St. Vincents Medical Center.Receiving Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian NA Jakab Istvan in Hanoi on January 17, the top Vietnamese legislator highlighted that Vietnam and Hungary have shared a traditional multifaceted partnership for nearly 70 years.

Vietnam always remembers the valuable and effective support of Hungary during its national defence and construction process, she said, noting that thousands of Vietnamese officials and engineers were trained in Hungary and came back to exemplify strong performances at home.

She pledged that Vietnam is willing to serve as a gateway for Hungary to access the 600 million-strong ASEAN market.

For his part, Istvan said that the visit aims to share legislative experiences with Vietnam and promote further partnership between the two parliaments.

The Hungarian Deputy Speaker affirmed that Hungary has always supported the EVFTA from the start to the signing and approval.

Congratulating Vietnam on its socio-economic development achievements and high GDP growth, Istvan said that Hungary is keen on boosting ties with Vietnam, especially in economy, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

Currently, about 200 Vietnamese students come to study in Hungary each year and they act as important factors for the development of bilateral friendship, he noted.

The Deputy Speaker said that Hungary has tackled all obstacles so that the cooperation framework on a credit package, worth nearly EUR60 million, will be ready to take effect in early 2019 and the construction of the Can Tho tumour hospital can be started.

Ngan said that this is a joint project of humanitarian significance, meeting the demand of 20 million people in the Mekong Delta region.

She expressed her delight that during the Hungarian delegations visit, the two sides will hold a seminar on sustainable agricultural development and food safety, which is a good chance for parliamentarians and experts of both sides to share experience not only in legislation, but also on such practical issues.Zimbabwe Police officers are seen driving along the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, on Jan. 17, 2019. (Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo)

Zimbabwe Charges Activist Pastor With Subversion

HARARE, ZimbabweZimbabwean activist pastor Evan Mawarire was charged in court on Jan. 17 with subverting the government, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail, after violent protests this week that were met by a brutal crackdown from security forces.

Mawarire was arrested Jan. 16 and initially charged by police with the lesser crime of inciting public violence after social-media posts encouraging Zimbabweans to heed a strike call by the biggest labor union.

The charge sheet accused him of coercing workers to stay away from work and encouraging civil disobedience.

Mawarires lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, denied that he had incited violence. The court ordered Mawarire to be kept in detention and adjourned the pre-trial hearing until Jan. 18.

Authorities have said three people died during the protests, which mostly took place in Zimbabwes two biggest cities, Harare and Bulawayo. Rights groups say the toll was much higher.

Strike and Roadblocks

President Emmerson Mnangagwas government decreed a 150 percent hike in fuel prices last weekend, which triggered the three-day strike, during which protesters barricaded roads with rocks and burned tires and looted shops.

Two opposition legislators were charged with inciting public violence in Gweru, 280 km (175 miles) west of Harare. They were denied bail and their trial will start on Jan. 18, lawyers said.

Britain, the former colonial ruler, summoned Zimbabwes ambassador in London. Africa minister Harriett Baldwin said Britain condemned the violent behavior of some protesters, but was deeply concerned that Zimbabwes security forces have acted disproportionately in response.

Police rounded up 600 people this week in a crackdown on protesters. A doctors group said 68 people had been treated for gunshot wounds.

Lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights are representing more than 130 people, including Mawarire, who rose to prominence as a critic of former strongman Robert Mugabe and led a national protest shutdown in 2016. He was tried on similar charges in 2017 but was acquitted for lack of evidence.

By MacDonald DzirutweSarah Lockner, 26, of Redwood City, faces up to four years in prison for the charge. (Redwood City Police Department)

Woman Who Tried to Kill Newborn in California McDonalds Bathroom Enters Plea

A California woman who allegedly tried to kill her baby inside a McDonalds restaurant has pleaded no contest to child endangerment.

Sarah Lockner, 26, of Redwood City, faces up to four years in prison for the charge, KPIX reported on Jan. 15.

Lockner was charged with attempting to drown her infant after giving birth inside a McDonalds bathroom on Sept. 4, 2017, said officials. She was a cashier during her shift when the incident happened.

NO CONTEST PLEA: A Redwood City woman, who faced charges of premeditated attempted murder, now faces a lesser charge.  KTVU Fox 2  2019117

A co-worker who went inside the bathroom to check on Lockner found the disturbing scene, but Lockner asked the person not to call the police.

However, the employee called the police, who found that the boy had no pulse and wasnt breathing.

The co-worker told police that they heard the toilet flush.

I'm confused. This woman has been arrested for trying to drown her newborn son in a McDonald's toilet, but Planned  Illinois Family Institute  2019117

The boy was taken to the hospital and was placed in a medically induced coma and survived, KPIX reported.

Lockner claimed that she had no idea she was pregnant. Later this year, she is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing.

Lockner is said to have been working an evening shift at the fast-food restaurant when she made repeated trips to the restroom that evening, citing stomach pain. At around 10 p.m., her manager suggested she go home but, even after clocking out of her shift, Lockner stayed at the restaurant in the restroom, according to prosecutors, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal in a writeup of the incident.

She was initially charged with attempted murder, but she pleaded no contest to the felony child endangerment plea, said prosecutors.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told the San Jose Mercury News on Jan. 16 that the child is living with his fathers aunt and is apparently developing fine.

The hope is that the child will recover fully, he said.

Lockner, according to prosecutors, gave birth about five years ago to another child. At the time, Lockner gave birth at home and claimed she didnt know she was pregnant.

The outcome here is a reasonable one, Wagstaffe told the Daily Journal of Lockners no contest plea and four-year sentencing. It does hold her accountable for the harm she tried to inflict on this baby.

Its a real sad story. Its a real sad story, Wagstaffe said in 2017 after the arrest, SFGate reported. She said she didnt know she was pregnant.

One of The Nations Most Serious Concerns

According to a report published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (pdf), around 3.5 million children in 2016 were the subjects of at least one maltreatment report to authorities.

Child abuse is one of the nations most serious concerns, the authors of the report wrote.

About 17 percent of those reports were substantiated, and the department said that there were an estimated 676,000 victims of child abuse and neglect. That amounts to 9.1 victims per 1,000 children.

Children in their first year of life had the highest rate of victimization at 24.8 per 1,000 children, the report said.

About three-fourths of the cases were neglect, and about 18 percent were physical abuse. Some children suffered from multiple forms of maltreatment, the HHS said.

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is available at 1-800-422-4453 or at Childhelp.org.Woman Charged in Connection With Texas Infants Death Is Jumped by 3 Inmates: Reports

Two women who were charged in the connection with the disappearance and death of Texas baby have been targeted by other inmates at the Bexar County Jail in San Antonio.

Angie Torres, 45, was attacked by three inmates while using the bathroom on Jan. 9, KSAT reported.

Beatrice Sampayo, the grandmother of King Jay Davilathe boy who diedwas also charged in connection with the case. Sampayo was spat on by another inmate in jail, and she didnt opt to press charges against the other prisoner, according to officials.

Sampayo and Torres have both been placed under protective custody, and the three inmates who attacked Torres are under criminal investigation for the beating but havent been charged yet, said police.

JUST IN: Authorities confirm two of three people charged in baby King Jay's disappearance have been targets of aggression in recent days. The Sheriff's Office confirms Angie Torres was attacked by 3 inmates.  KSAT 12 & KSAT.com  2019116

The extent of Torres injuries is not clear, KSAT reported.

King Jays father, Christopher Davila, was charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Torres was taken into police custody on an unrelated robbery charge, but she was later identified by San Antonio police last week as having helped Christopher Davila stage a fake kidnapping to cover up King Jays death, KSAT reported. Sampayo, the mother of Christopher Davila, was also charged in connection with the case.

According to the San Antonio Current, Torres is the cousin of Davila.

Davila is being held on $1.25 million bail, Torres is being held on $300,000 bail, and Sampayo is being held on $250,000 bail.

BREAKING: San Antonio police have found the body of a baby believed to be missing 8-month-old King Jay Davila after his father took investigators to an open field near his neighborhood.  KSAT 12 & KSAT.com  2019111

Details of the Case

Officials have said Davila led authorities to a site where he allegedly buried King Jay, who was sealed inside a backpack.

A relative told investigators that Davila severely injured the child, but more details were not released in news outlets.

Davila, 34, allegedly told police he was playing video games on Jan. 3 while King Jay sat inside a car seat on a bed in his room.

At one point, the car seat fell over and sent the child to the floor, according to MySanAntonio. He claimed that the boy may have hit his head on a dresser, according to an affidavit for his arrest, which was cited by ABC News.

However, instead of getting medical attention for the infant, he waited several hours before checking on King Jay before discovering the child died, officials said.

We have statements from multiple witnesses that lead us to believe that King Jay is deceased, McManus said Jan. 10. We charged [Davila, Sampayo and Torres] with tampering with evidence because we believe that they participated in staging the kidnapping to hide King Jays body so we couldnt find it to determine what happened to him.

Davila then allegedly said he panicked and tried to keep his son awake and was afraid to call 911, the arrest affidavit stated.

Jasmine Gonzalez, the childs mother, is also under investigation.

Every parent out there, everyone understands, How can someone do that to a child? McManus said on Jan. 10, ABC reported.

This kidnapping was used as a ruse to cover up what we believe early on was foul play. What other purpose would you fake a kidnapping other than to hide something?Why Steny Hoyer and Rand Paul Could Become Shutdown Heroes

News Analysis

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) gave an easily missed signal Jan. 17 that an end to the longest-ever government shutdown may be closer than it appears, thanks to two perhaps-unlikely heroes.

Hoyer showed why he may be one of them when Democrats, on a voice vote, rammed through a continuing measure to reopen nine federal cabinet departments until Feb. 28.

Republicans, led by House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), were incensed when their demand for a recorded vote was denied, and began shouting and throwing catcalls at the majority.

Hoyer could have told Scalise tough luck and joined other Democrats in leaving the chamber. But instead, the majority leader worked out a deal with Scalise, whereby a recorded vote was scheduled for Jan. 23.

Democrats almost certainly will win next week but Scalise and the Republicans got the recorded vote they sought and bought some time to find a way out of an otherwise unbreakable impasse. And Hoyer gained some goodwill at a time when doing so is extremely difficult.

It was a minor episode on a day punctuated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) doubling down on her insistence that President Donald Trump delay his Jan. 29 State of the Union address. He retaliated by canceling the military aircraft for her planned official trip to Afghanistan, Egypt, and Brussels.

Meanwhile, Pelosi continues to insist that Trump drop his demand for $5.7 billion for the wall on the southern border he promised voters in 2016; and reopen the government, now in its 27th day of a partial shutdown.

Trump also refuses to back down because, he argues, the national security requires the wall. But Pelosi described Trumps wall as an immorality on Jan. 3. Two such immovable opponents equal stalemate.

But on Jan. 16, Hoyer did something he rarely doeshe took a significantly different position from Pelosi on a key issue, telling Fox News anchor Brett Baier that, Look, I dont think this is an issue of morality; its an issue of does it work  A wall that protects people is not immoral. I think the issue is whether it works.

Thus, the pragmatic Hoyer, who congressional observers long ago came to expect, reappeared despite being rarely seen in the national spotlight in recent years.

President Ronald Reagan was in the White House in 1981 when Hoyer won a special election to the House of Representatives, following three years as the youngest-ever leader of the Maryland state Senate. Hes been in the House ever since.

While Hoyer is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, hes also an old-school Democrat who knows how to broker a legislative compromise, which requires everybody to give up something but also lets them credibly claim a victory.

A grizzled legislative veteran doesnt coincidentally say or do things, so Hoyers timing in differing with Pelosi and bargaining with Scalise is important.

Hoyers moves come at a time of growing discontent among younger House Democrats, many of whom have expressed dismay over the Trump-Pelosi loggerheads and called for both sides to compromise.

One of them, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), told reporters Jan. 16 that a meeting he and other members of the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus had with Trump in the White House was constructive.

Pelosi had predicted the meeting would show the Democrats present how impossible Trump is to deal with, but the New Jersey congressman said afterward that he left thinking that both sides realize that weve got to find a way out of this and that because there is a real openness.

Pauls Bill

This is where the second potential shutdown hero enters the picture. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced a bill on Jan. 16: the Government Shutdown Prevention Act to incentivize Congress to properly consider and debate spending legislation. Co-sponsors include Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).

Instead of government shutting down operations over stalled funding in the future, Dr. Pauls plan would keep government open but institute a one-percent cut to then-current funding levels for any agency, program, and activity that Congress failed to fund on time, according to a statement from the Kentucky senators office. Funding would be reduced by another one percent every 90 days thereafter that an agreement is still not enacted.

Pauls proposal could be the key element of a compromise that enables both sides of the deadlock to claim theyre preventing future shutdowns by forcing Congress to approve budgets on time.

And its not inconceivable to envision a Hoyer-brokered bargain in time for that record vote next week, under which Democrats agree to fund a border security structure and, in return, Trump reopens the government and signs the Paul plan into law.

Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.Air Force veteran and triple amputee Brian Kolfage, the man behind the viral GoFundMe page to raise money for President Trumps border wall, said hes received $7 million.(GoFundMe)

Veteran Behind Trump Wall GoFundMe Says Donors Have Given $7 Million to Private Wall Fund: Report

Air Force veteran and triple amputee Brian Kolfage, the man behind the viral GoFundMe page to raise money for President Trumps border wall, said hes received $7 million from donors for his new idea to privately fund building the wall.

Our donors gave to us to get the job done, and they trust us to do so, Kolfage said, confirming the amount, reported CBS News on Jan. 17. He later said the figure was his guess.

CBS reported that $7 million was redirected to his nonprofit, We Build the Wall, from the GoFundMe page. The report said more than 120,000 donors have opted-in.

Donors who contributed to viral GoFundMe "Trump Wall" campaign agree to transfer at least $7 million to organizer's new idea  privately building the wall; Brian Kolfage claims he can build the southern border wall for half of Pres. Trump's proposed cost https://t.co/F43VR36XDt pic.twitter.com/YE2sWtBDWV  CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 16, 2019

Kolfage previously said he hoped to raise $1 billion for the border wall.

President Trump asked Congress for $5 billion in wall funding, but Kolfage has claimed a private firm could do it for half the cost.

He first launched the campaign in December and $20 million was pledged from more than 300,000 people.

Another source close to Kolfage told CBS that $7 million had been redirected to We Build the Wall, Inc.

A GoFundMe spokesperson told CBS that the remaining $13 million donated via the crowd-funding website will automatically get their refunds back by April 11.

Those who ask for their money back can get it within three business days. According to Kolfage, more than 8,300 have asked for that option, reported CBS.

.@jack Brian Kolfage is a disabled Veteran and a popular user on your platform. I met with him in my office just a few days ago. People are impersonating him on Twitter to try and scam users for money. He needs to be verified. Why was his application denied? https://t.co/H2MWXoa8yG  Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) January 8, 2019

Update

In a recent update on the GoFundMe page, Kolfage said that 100 percent of the funds raised on GoFundMe go towards wall construction only.

No admin/personnel of the charity will take a penny in compensation from the Gofundme donations AS PROMISED. We have an audit committee who will provide full oversight to provide 100% accountability as a charity is required, he wrote on the page.

Once Brian Kolfage changed the purpose of what the funds would be used for, GoFundMe announced that all donors would get  Task & Purpose  2019114

Kolfage also wrote that his team is estimating to break ground in a few months somewhere in Texas, without elaborating.

Brian and the team is heading to Texas in the coming weeks to start talking with contractors, architects, and local law enforcement to begin finalizing the construction plans, said the page.

In a previous update, Kolfage said a private team is heading the effort because the federal government wont be able to accept our donations anytime soon.

We are better equipped than our own government to use the donated funds to build an actual wall on the southern border, the page said.

On his GoFundMe page, Kolfage gave an address for donors to send checks if they werent comfortable with electronic transactions.

The veteran said he has received 3,500 mail-in donations, but he doesnt know how much they are worth.

On Jan. 12, Kolfage encouraged people to donate to the private fund.

The fake news is saying that the money cant go to the wall, he said, reported Task and Purpose. The money is all being refundedits done; its over. Theyre trying to discourage everybody. But thats not the case at all. Were still raising money on that GoFundMe. That GoFundMe has not stopped. Its still picking up. We raised almost $200,000 since the announcement.

Dustin Stockton, vice president of strategy and marketing for We Build the Wall, said the campaign is working with GoFundMe to communicate with donors who gave money before Jan. 11, on how they can transfer it to the new organization.

We have worked closely with GoFundMe for weeks, Stockton told Task and Purpose. We remain in good standing with GoFundMe. Were still actively taking contributions with GoFundMe on the page that are not subject to the opt-in process.

BuzzFeed Report Disputed

Last week, BuzzFeed reported that Kolfage misused funds from a prior GoFundMe campaign to help wounded veterans.

However, Kolfage denied the claims in the BuzzFeed report, calling it a fake article.

The money was raised for my mentor program, Kolfage said. The money wasnt raised for a hospital or another charity it was raised for me to travel for my award winning mentor trips to visit wounded veterans.Jesuit Group Releases List of 50 Clergy Members Accused of Child Abuse

In the midst of a resurgence in investigations of Roman Catholic Church abuse, the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus released a list naming 50 Jesuits the order said had been the subjects of credible allegations of child sex abuse since the 1950s.

Leaders of the society released on Jan. 15 the list naming clergy from the New York and New England provinces. From that list, only 15 men are still alive. Many of the accused Jesuits had worked in prominent high schools or colleges as external ministers or served at parishes. The latest reported incident of abuse against a minor took place in 2008, according to the list.

The Jesuit order brands itself as the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church worldwide and claims over 16,000 priests and clergy membersPope Francis is also a member. The Jesuits are known for their education ministries, in which they seek to nurture men and women for others and have close ties with a number of colleges and universities affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

Following in the footsteps of Catholic dioceses, the society pledged last year to disclose all members who had faced credible abuse claims. The Northeast Province was the last among the nation to divulge the names that included clergymen in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and northern New Jersey.

Meanwhile, more than half of the 187 Roman Catholic dioceses across the United States have started investigating clergy child sex-abuse claims or have announced plans to do so in the coming months. In the past four months, the dioceses have named an additional 1,000 priests.

Criminal and Sinful Failures

The list did not disclose anything aside from the names of the institutions the accused clergy had worked at, and the date or status of their accusations. Some names in the list had never been made public, while others had.

William B. Cahill, one of the longest-serving priests on the list, ministered at multiple schools throughout his life while also working as a chaplain at multiple hospitals from 1942 to 1985. He was accused of abuse from 1955 to 1956 and passed away in 1986.

Another priest, identified as Eugene OBrien, admitted to abusing minors as far back as the 1960s. He ministered at five different educational institutions including St. Peters Prep in Jersey City, Fordham Prep in the Bronx, Fairfield Prep in Fairfield, Fordham University in the Bronx, and a university foundation in New York called the Gregorian Foundation. He was removed from ministry in 2002.

One priest named Thomas Denny was accused of abuse that allegedly took place during the 1960s and 1970s. He served in three high schools in New York City and at schools in Buffalo and Rochester, New York; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Puerto Rico before being removed from ministry in 2002.

The list I publish today notes criminal and sinful failures in the pastoral care of children, John J. Cecero, the provincial for the Jesuits in the Northeast, said in a letter. We did not know any best practices to handle these violations many decades ago and regrettably made mistakes along the way.

Even for the cases of clergymen still alive, some are too old to revisit due to the statute of limitations, one of the main legal impediments prosecutors face. Statute rules are different in each state.

The incomplete nature of the records also faced criticism including from Zach Hiner, the executive director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, which provides support for victims of sexual abuse.

One thing missing from this list is what the immediate response by Jesuit officials was to the allegations, Hiner said in a statement. Were the complaints investigated? Were they reported to police? Were priests immediately removed in response?Trumps New Missile Defense Strategy Eyes Leap to Space Age

President Donald Trump will announce at the Pentagon on Jan. 17 an ambitious new missile defense strategy that will aim to develop space-based sensors to detect enemy missiles and Star-Wars style orbital weaponry to shoot them down.

Space, I think, is the key to the next step of missile defense, a senior Trump administration official told reporters in a background call previewing the presidents announcement. A space-based layer of sensors is something we are looking at to help get early warning and tracking and discrimination of missiles when they are launched.

President Ronald Reagan previously floated a Star Wars initiative in the 1980s that never came to fruition.

According to Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin, space-based sensors can help detect hypersonic missiles, which are hard to detect with conventional systems. Russia and China both claim to have developed a hypersonic missile that can evade conventional sensors.

The space-based aspects of the missile defense systems are currently only being studied, the official said.

The investments come on top of previously announced U.S. plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, hiking the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska, to 64 from 44.

The space aspects of the missile defense strategy align with Trumps push to catch up with Americas adversaries in space. Russia and China have both developed advanced systems that can disable satellites.

The Pentagon warned in a report earlier this week that Chinas military was on the verge of fielding some of the most modern weapon systems in the world.

China is building a robust, lethal force with capabilities spanning the air, maritime, space, and information domains, which will enable China to impose its will in the region, the report said.

The U.S. missile defense system is primarily meant to counter threats from foreign powers with small nuclear arsenals, including North Korea, according to military officials. The United States relies on its nuclear arsenal to deter an attack by nuclear superpowers like China and Russia.

Trump is set to deliver his speech as North Korean officials are en route to the United States to potentially discuss a second summit with Kim Jong Un, according to South Korean media. The two leaders met in Singapore last year. North Korea has not conducted any missile or nuclear bomb tests since then.

It is unclear to what extent the report would single out North Korea. The senior Trump administration official suggested it would at least be mentioned.

The Trump administration imposed crippling sanctions on North Korea aiming to force Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons and missile programs. The United States seeks complete, irreversible, and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea before lifting the sanctions.

Reuters contributed to this report.President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order calling for the review of the Waters of the United States Rule, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Feb. 28, 2017. (Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump Signs Bill Giving Federal Workers Back Pay

The White House said on Jan. 16, that President Donald Trump has signed a bill that will require some 800,000 federal employees to be compensated for wages lost or work performed during the partial government shutdown.

Wednesdays bill signing was closed to the media. The House and Senate had voted to give the workers back pay whenever the federal government reopens.

The shutdown is in its fourth week.

Federal employees received pay stubs with nothing but zeros on them last week.

The shutdown has resulted from a dispute over border wall funding. Democrats remain opposed to Trumps demand for $5.7 billion. They say theyll discuss border security once the government reopens.

Seven Democratic lawmakers, including newly elected freshmen, attended a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Its the first group of rank-and-file Democrats to meet with Trump during the shutdown, which stretched into its 26th day on Wednesday. The White House has been trying to peel lawmakers away from Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but invitations to Democrats earlier this week were declined.

The White House said the meeting was fruitful.

The President and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus. They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants. We look forward to more conversations like this, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

The President and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus. They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants. We look forward to more conversations like this.  Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 16, 2019

Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.-D) said Wednesday that the fact that lawmakers of both parties were sitting down and talking with Trump was progress in itself. And Rep. Max Rose (N.Y.-D) said trust was built within members of the group. He said both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spent a lot of time with the Democrats, calling the talks very sensible discussions that involved listening and speaking.

Phillips said the group was not there to negotiate but to better understand each other, which I think we did  and perhaps provide a little bit of daylight through which we can walk.

Hi, Mr. President. Im in town, too! Ready to talk about:

a) re-opening our government so federal employees, many of whom ensure our safety and security, get paid

b) fixing our broken immigration system

c) securing our borders

d) enhancing port security#letsgetitdone  Rep. Dean Phillips (@RepDeanPhillips) January 12, 2019

The House has passed a Democratic measure to reopen the government through Feb. 8 and provide $14 billion in emergency spending for recent hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters.

The bill was approved 237-187 on Wednesday, mostly along party lines, but appears dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate. The White House says President Donald Trump will veto the bill, calling it unacceptable without a broader agreement to address what Trump calls a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Some Republicans accused Democrats of politicizing disaster aid, noting that the bill put many GOP lawmakers who support Trumps proposed border wall in the position of voting against disaster aid for their own districts.

House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey said the bill would help families and communities recover from disasters while reopening the government.Trump: Exceeding Expectations

Commentary

President Donald Trump has been a huge surprise, even to somebody who voted for him as enthusiastically as I did.

In his first two years, hes had more success than the two prior presidents combinedmeaning success that has clearly bettered the America he heads as president. That is what defines his first years in office. He is a consequential presidentconsequential in the most positive of wayswhich is why his supporters love him.

We havent seen two such successful years since the Reagan administration, and frankly, even he didnt do as well during his first two years. While he succeeded in passing his famous tax cuts in August of his first year, the country entered a recession in 1982. Even so, the positive effects of his tax policy would be felt in 1983 and afterward.

Trumps economic success came virtually as he was assuming office. Companies began to return offshore earnings immediately, manufacturing began to return, and wages and jobs began to increase relatively quickly. Trumps success actually helped average Americans, unlike the fake promises of Obama. There are plenty of articles that point to his successes. There are also plenty of articles that point out the reality of his new slogan: Promises made, promises kept.

The most important fact about his presidency is that Trumps first two years have exceeded expectations. His quip that people will finally say to him that theyre tired of winning has almost come true. Of his list of 200-plus promises kept, let me outline the most positive of his successes. These are the things that will define him:

 The economy has turned from anemic, to extraordinary, by all measures.

 The optimism of the average American is higher than in decades, maybe ever.

 ISIS has virtually been vanquished, a feat not considered possible. Yet, it was done relatively quickly.

 For the first time in a long time, we are feared by our enemies abroad, and respected by our allies.

 He is remaking the judiciary: appointing conservative judges, along with two conservative Supreme Court justices. This is ongoing, and revolutionary.

 For the first time since Reagan, we have a president who is an advocate for Americas success.

 For the first time since Reagan, we have an advocate for the American Dream.

 For the first time since Reagan, we have a leader who is fighting and beating back the destructive Left.

There is a promise recorded in the Book of Jeremiah: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I am going to suggest something. We are in a time where we have been given extraordinary hopes and see wonderful plans for the future. In two yearstwo short yearsoptimism is Trumps defining accomplishment. We are once again a nation that is defined by it. And that is a gift from God to us all.

Doubly amazing is that all these great things have been accomplished in spite of 24/7 efforts by the Left to demonize and delegitimize Trump. There are many in this country who cant see reality. Instead, they want to believe Trump is the reincarnation of Hitler. Too many on the Left mindlessly repeat that phrase.

Yet in spite of the scorched-earth campaign to destroy him, things have gotten better for America. Incredibly, even MSNBC is doing better.

A digression: I have no illusions about Trumps flaws. I understand why some might be upset with him for fighting back the way he does, or dislike his demeanor. While I sympathize, I have no patience for those who elevate a few personal, overblown shortcomings instead of his accomplishments. To those who are upset, remember two things: First, there has been a massive campaign to destroy Trump 24/7 by the hard-left for more than two years. What they have convinced many about his faults is more due to that propaganda campaign than any reality.

Second, he has made this country step forward positively. We have benefited as individuals. He has helped all of us with the freedom to better our situation, and the capacity to succeed in our life goals. This second fact is what counts. And that should totally outweigh any small gnats, real or imagined, in Trumps character.

As I was saying, we are once again a nation of optimists, because there are things to be optimistic about again. That is true hope, an extraordinary change, and we are experiencing it in real time.

And yet, the Left wants to destroy him and his family. They want to destroy anyone in their way back to power. They see him as the obstacle to them holding power. They see him as the bulwark that needs removal. If they succeed in destroying him, their goals can be realized. Power. Riches. Adulation. Authority. Make no mistake, Trump didnt start this fight, nor the problems inherited. Thankfully, he appears strong enough to win against the unhinged Left.

He isnt the divisive one, he simply lives in a time where the Left needs mayhem, so they attack him. They need to ruin him. Using Saul Alinskys Rule 13, they want to freeze him, personalize (destroy) him and his family, and polarize everything he does.

Thank God for his character. Thank God for his strength. Thank God for his courage. Thank God for his commitment.

While at a rally for Senate candidate Josh Hawley in Missouri last November, radio host Rush Limbaugh gave a 10-minute introduction to Trump. Limbaugh said something profound: Donald Trump wants America to be great againand, its not a slogan, it is an objective.

For all of Trumps bombast, and for all his supposed ego trips, when you boil everything down, thats what he wants: to make America a great place, to allow as many Americans as possible to utilize their gifts to the best of their abilities. He believes that each of us individually, and corporately can become the best we can be. We get to pursue happiness. Right out of the Declaration of Independence. Imagine that.

Obama, for his supposed niceness, his being the lightworker, his hope and change promise, his elegance (creased pants), failed in eight years to give the slightest bit of what Trump has done in two.

All those so-called great qualities of Obamas, he really had none of them. He was a media creation. He wasnt any of the illusory wonders that Leftists projected. He brought the country to a miserable place. He (and the Left) brought division. He demonized business (they didnt build that). He accentuated racial strife. He politicized our government bureaucracies. He cultivated the environment of hatred that has become full-blown on the Left.

Our blemishes today are from Obama and the Leftist cabal. They will never stop roiling the waters, never stop this hatred, never stop the campaign to destroy Trump and his voters. Thats something you can count on.

Trump gets lambasted by the media every minute of every day. They simply want to annihilate him without reservation. And for what? Beating Hillary? The economic statistics mysteriously getting so strong so fast? Bringing more jobs, wealth, and a better paycheck for most of us? Making America safer by destroying ISIS? Having no missiles fired in the Pacific Rim from North Korea? Having structured better trade deals with our trading partners?

Its a mystery. But only if youre on the center-Right. Because, unlike Leftists, you dont know hes Hitler.

Judging what weve seen concerning the battle to build the wall, this is another winning issue for us all. The Left will lose. The American people overwhelmingly want something done, and the Democratic Party cant win by ignoring this fact much longer. This issue has dominated the last weeks of Trumps first two years.

This fight will likely be the beginning of a winning streak for his next two years. And, like so many things he has accomplished, it will be a great thing for this country. The very real border crisis will be corrected.

Which is the central point. We, fortunately, have a man from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as president, one who has already accomplished great things for Americagreat because we can again be optimistic, we can again strive for excellence, and we can revel in these days.

#Winning.

David Prentice is a writer and novelist from the Midwest.

Watch next:

4 Major Blows to the Credibility of the Steele Dossier

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Your Holiday Shopping Magazine to Emporia and area businesses. Also visit ShopEmporiaKansas.com to shop Emporia businesses who are online. Start your online shopping here.

VIEW NOWThe border fence between the United States and Mexico just east of Sasabe, Arizona, on Dec. 7, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Top Democrat Says Border Walls Work, Disputes Pelosis Claim of Immorality

One of the top Democrats in Congress has said that border walls do work, in contrast with many of his colleagues, who have claimed that walls do not.

The comments came as the standoff between President Donald Trump and Democrats over funding for the border wall reached its 27th day on Jan. 17.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the No. 2 Democrat in the House, also said that a border wall is not immoral, rejecting an assertation by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the current leader of the party.

Obviously, they work [in] some places, Hoyer said during an appearance on Fox News when asked if he favored removing the existing border wall portions. A wall isthat protects people is not immoral. I think the issue is whether it works.

Hoyers comments historically align with most Democrat leaders, including current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who voted for fencing at the border both in 2006 and 2013. Former Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton also supported the 2006 bill.

Border security experts also support a border wall.

Hoyer also said that Democrats are willing to make a deal with Trump, who has tried to reach a compromise, but they have been rejected by Pelosi. While the president is asking for $5.7 billion in an appropriations package that includes wall funding, the House Speaker said she would only give Trump $1 for the wall.

The stalemate has led to the partial government shutdown, which affects about 25 percent of the federal government.

Well, were prepared to do that, Hoyer said, referring to reaching a deal with the Trump administration. I think there can be a compromise position. There are all sorts of alternatives that we could pursue, I think, to come up with a consensus solution to achieve the objective I think we all want to achieve, and that is a secure and safe border for our country and for our citizens.

Democrats in general have struggled to align their messaging, at times claiming border walls dont work and at other times saying they do.

Confronted by his previous support for a barrier at the border, Schumer tried to differentiate between a wall and a fence.

A fence works. You ask the experts. A big, concrete wall is expensive and it doesnt work, he told CBS NY earlier in January. You dont just need fencing. You need drones, you need helicopters and you need roads. The agents cant get people crossing the border because they cant get there.

In addition to funding for the border wall, Trump has requested funds for supplementary border wall security.

Pelosi, though, has vowed not to give any support for the wall calling it an immorality. Democrats currently have the majority in the House while Republicans hold the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he wont bring any funding thats approved by the House to a vote in the Senate unless it would be approved by Trump, calling it a waste of time to pass bills that the president would reject.

Trump has hit back on the claim that a border wall would be immoral, wondering why many rich Americans, including Pelosi, have barriers around their homes if its immoral.

Some have suggested a barrier is immoral, Trump said during his live address to the nation. Then why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences, and gates around their homes?

They dont build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside, he said. The only thing that is immoral is the politicians to do nothing and continue to allow more innocent people to be so horribly victimized.

From NTD NewsBritain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement following winning a confidence vote, after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal, outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, on Jan. 16, 2019. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

Riven by Crisis, Britain Searches for Brexit Emergency Plan B

LONDONPrime Minister Theresa May will try on Jan. 17, to break the impasse in Britains political elite over how to leave the European Union by searching for an emergency exit deal, though there is so far little sign of compromise.

After Mays two-year attempt to forge an amicable divorce was crushed by parliament in the biggest defeat for a British leader in modern history, May called for party leaders to put self-interest aside to find a way forward.

If May fails to forge consensus, the worlds fifth largest economy will drop out of the European Union on March 29 without a deal or will be forced to halt Brexit, possibly holding a national election or even another referendum.

May has repeatedly refused to countenance another election and has warned that another referendum would be corrosive as it would undermine faith in democracy among the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British peoples instruction to leave the European Union. And I intend to do so, May said outside Downing Street in an attempt to address voters directly.

I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together to find a way forward, May said. This is now the time to put self-interest aside.

As the United Kingdom tumbles towards its biggest political and economic move since World War Two, other members of the European Union have offered to talk though they can do little until London decides what it wants out of Brexit.

Yet ever since the UK voted by 52-48 percent to leave the EU in June 2016, British politicians have failed to find agreement on how or even whether to leave the European Union.

Brexit Crisis

In a sign of just how hard Mays task may be, the main opposition leader, Labours Jeremy Corbyn, refused to hold talks unless a no-deal Brexit was ruled out.

Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the government must remove clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that, he said.

But the further May moves towards softening Brexit, the more she alienates dedicated Brexiteers in her own party who think the threat of a no-deal Brexit is a crucial bargaining chip.

Without a deal, trade with the EU would then default to basic World Trade Organization rules.

Company chiefs are aghast at the political crisis over Brexit and say it has already damaged Britains reputation as Europes preeminent destination for foreign investment.

From Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel to Scottish whisky distillers, firms have called for urgent and decisive government action and warned of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit.

If anybody believes that you can just go ahead without some sort of an agreement here, I think that that is reckless, said John Bason, finance chief of Associated British Foods , the food and retail group which has sales of over $20 billion.

The UKs food supply generally is dependent on the free flowing border, Bason said.

Labour wants a permanent customs union with the EU, a close relationship with its single market and greater protections for workers and consumers.

But the chairman of Mays Conservative party, Brandon Lewis, said on Thursday that Britain should not stay in the current customs union because striking international trade deals after Brexit is a priority.

He said senior ministers would meet colleagues from across the House of Commons, Britains lower house of parliament, on Thursday.

The Times newspaper said both remaining in a full customs union with the EU and delaying Brexit through an extension of Article 50 would be discussed at meetings between the government and lawmakers.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair said on Thursday a delay to Brexit was now inevitable, adding that leaving the EU without a deal would inflict profound economic damage on the UK.

By Guy Faulconbridge and Kate HoltonPresident Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Jan. 14, 2019. (Holly Kellum/NTD)

Religious Freedom Under Attack Both in US and Around Globe, Trump Says

WASHINGTONOn National Religious Freedom Day, President Donald Trump said that the fundamental human right to religious freedom was under attack in the United States, and condemned legislative and political attacks on religious freedom that have provoked violence in the United States.

Trump declared Jan. 16 to be Religious Freedom Day and called upon the nation to protect the heritage of religious liberty both at home and around the world.

The right to religious freedom is innate to the dignity of every human person and is foundational to the pursuit of truth, he said in a statement on Jan. 16.

Efforts to circumscribe religious freedomor to separate it from adjoining civil liberties, like property rights or free speechare on the rise.

According to Trump, legislative and political efforts to restrict individual liberty and conscience are the main culprit of attacks that occurred in recent years, such as the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in October last year. The attack killed 11 people, making it the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the nations history.

Religious faith in America has been under attack for decades, according to Republicans. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, in his book Trumps America, accuses the Obama administration of using political power to diminish religious freedom.

Obama aggressively struck down regulations that would have protected religious groups from paying health care coverage for procedures which they opposed on moral grounds, he wrote, adding that the Obama administration called pro-life advocates and other traditional conservatives extremists.

Soon after taking office, Trump started to reverse the anti-religious pattern and signed an executive order in 2017 to promote free speech and religious liberty.

It shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce Federal laws robust protections for religious freedom, the order stated.

He asked the Department of Justice to issue legal guidance to the executive branch on legal protections for religious freedom. The guidance, which was issued in October 2017, explains the fundamental religious liberty principles in the Constitution and statutes like The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker delivers remarks at the commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Jan. 16, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Threats to Religious Freedom

Congress passed the RFRA with near unanimous support 25 years ago. Since then, it has prevented the government from infringing on the freedom of individuals and groups to exercise their religious beliefs.

However, in recent years there have been many efforts to limit the application of RFRA, according to Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.

RFRA was authored by then-Congressman Chuck Schumer. It passed the House unanimously and was approved 97 to 3 in the Senate, Whitaker said at a Heritage Foundation event Jan. 16.

Today, however, many of RFRAs original supporters have changed their minds, he added.

For example, weve seen nuns ordered to pay for contraceptives.

And in recent years, the states that wanted to pass their own versions of RFRAs met with criticism and anger.

Religious freedom makes our country stronger, Whitaker said. And that is why threats to religious freedom are also threats to our national strength.

Religious Freedom Day is observed nationwide on January 16, which is the anniversary of the 1786 passage of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. Authored by Thomas Jefferson, the statute served as an inspiration and model for the First Amendment, which was drafted by James Madison a few years later.

I am concerned about the protection of the First Amendment and religious freedoms, said Lasca Low, a retired federal employee who attended the Heritage event. If we lose the moral base, we lose our country.

She stressed the importance of protecting religious freedoms.

Its one of our basic freedoms to believe and worship as we wish. And Ive seen a lot of that eroded just very subtly through the years and its alarming to me, she said.

Religious Freedom Around the World

The Trump administration has also pushed for greater tolerance of different faiths by governments around the world.

People are being persecuted for their faith by authoritarian dictatorships, terrorist groups, and other intolerant individuals, Trump said in his statement on Jan. 16.

To address this problem, the U.S. State Department hosted its first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington in July last year. More than 40 foreign ministers and representatives from 80 countries attended the meeting.

Religious-freedom conditions continued to worsen in countries around the world in 2017, according to the latest report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The report listed 10 countries, including China, as countries of particular concern.

Chinas human-rights record has been criticized for decades. Religious groups and minorities in Chinaincluding Uyghurs, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, and Falun Gong practitionersface severe repression and discrimination from the Chinese government.

These communities have suffered from systematic arrest, unlawful imprisonment, torture, and brainwashing. More alarming is the forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, which has become a multibillion-dollar industry, according to researchers.Rain Spotted on Saturns Moon Titan, Which May Be Home to Life

A number of scientists have speculated that Titan, the moon of Saturn, could be the home of extraterrestrial life.

Now, researchers have possibly discovered an unusual sight on the satellite: fresh rainfall.

But it wasnt water, it was methane rain, according to a researcher at the University of Idaho.

NASAs Cassini spacecraft captured a reflective feature near Titans north pole. It was taken in June 2016 and was published in Geophysical Research Letters on Jan. 16.

Its like looking at a sunlit wet sidewalk, Rajani Dhingra, a student in physics at the University of Idaho, wrote in a news release.

Additional analyses suggest the methane rain fell across a relatively pebble-like surface, according to a news release from the university, adding that such surfaces generate an amorphous pattern when the liquid settles.

Dhingra said that researchers have been searching for clouds on the north pole of Saturns biggest moon, but they didnt see any. People called it the curious case of missing clouds, she said.

The whole Titan community has been looking forward to seeing clouds and rains on Titans north pole, indicating the start of the northern summer, but despite what the climate models had predicted, we werent even seeing any clouds, Dhingra stated.

But then Cassini discovered a reflective feature that covered some 46,332 square miles, which is about half the size of the Great Lakes in North America.

Analyses of the short-term reflective feature suggested it likely resulted from sunlight reflecting off a wet surface. The study attributes the reflection to a methane rainfall event, followed by a probable period of evaporation, the release said.

Researchers concluded that the reflective surface is the first evidence of summer rainfall on the moons northern hemisphere.

If compared to Earths yearly cycle of four seasons, a season on Titan lasts seven Earth years, said the university.

Dhingra is now using the sidewalk effect observed by Cassini to look for similar events on Titan.

We want our model predictions to match our observations. This rainfall detection proves Cassinis climate follows the theoretical climate models we know of, Dhingra stated. Summer is happening. It was delayed, but its happening. We will have to figure out what caused the delay, though.

Dust Storms

In September 2018, giant dust storms were observed on Titan for the first time, according to NASA, which said the storms occurred near Titans equatorial regions.

Titan is a very active moon, said Sebastien Rodriguez with the Universite Paris Diderot, France, in the NASA news release. We already know that about its geology and exotic hydrocarbon cycle. Now we can add another analogy with Earth and Mars: the active dust cycle, in which organic dust can be raised from large dune fields around Titans equator.

The storms raise the prospect of extraterrestrial life on the moon.

NASA said there is a possibility the storms are composed of organic molecules due to the atmospheres chemistry, which is 98.4 percent nitrogen, 1.6 methane, and 0.1 to 0.2 percent hydrogen.

Organic dust is formed when organic molecules, formed from the interaction of sunlight with methane, grow large enough to fall to the surface, NASA wrote, adding that while this is the first-ever observation of a dust storm on Titan, the finding is not surprising.

In 2017, meanwhile, vinyl cyanide, which is a compound predicted to form membrane-like structures, is created in the upper atmosphere of Titan, said scientists.

Its very positive news for putative-Titan-life studies, stated Jonathan Lunine, a planetary scientist at Cornell University.Mayor of the City of Prague, Zdenek Hrib (Pirati), seen at the Czech Republic capital, Prague on Dec. 2018. (Screenshot by Milan Kajinek, The Epoch Times, Czech edition)

Prague Proposes to Amend Partnership Agreement With Beijing; Rejects One China Policy

PRAGUEA strategic partnership agreement between Prague and Beijing is called into question by the Czech capitals local leaders. They are proposing to remove one of the conditions from the agreement which requires Prague to uphold the Chinese regimes One China policy. And if Beijing does not agree with the amendment, then Prague may terminate the agreement altogether. The citys goal is to reject a policy that has no respect for human rights.

The Partnership Agreement was signed in 2016 by Beijings the-then mayor Wang Anshun and Pragues the-then mayor Adriana Krnacova. Its goal is to promote a strategic partnership that mutually benefits both cities, mainly through cultural and economic exchanges. The Agreement is in effect for five years from the date it was signed.

However, Pragues leaders criticize one of the Agreements terms, under Article 3, which states: In accordance with the Czech government, the City of Prague recognizes the One China policy, and acknowledges that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.

The City Council of Prague rejects the One China policy stipulated in the Partnership Agreement. Human rights is more important, the council said, according to an article published on Jan.15 by Czech media E15. Prague does not want to support the Chinese Communist Partys political agenda on Taiwan.

The aim is to reject a policy that is not in line with the long-term foreign policy direction of the Czech Republic, which was based primarily on respect for human rights.  Michaela Krausova (Pirati), Prague Official

While Taiwan is a self-ruled island with its own constitution and military, China considers it a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Relations between China and Taiwan deteriorated since the islands President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, swept to power in 2016. Since then, China has ramped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on the island nation.

The City Council, which now forms a coalition of five political parties, proposed to remove Article 3 from the Agreement. On Jan. 14, the citys leadership said they want to officially approve the amendment by the end of the month. And if approved, the mayor of Prague, Zdenek Hrib, will begin negotiations with Beijings representatives.

Mayor Zdenek Hrib (Pirati) wrote on his Twitter account: [English translation] We want to negotiate a partnership between Prague and Beijing. The Partnership Agreement now contains Article 3, which acknowledges the One China policyit does not belong to such contracts. Prague must have self-confidence and respect human rights.

Other local officials have also expressed their support.

The aim is to reject a policy that is not in line with the long-term foreign policy direction of the Czech Republic, which was based primarily on respect for human rights, said Prague official Michaela Krausova (Pirati).

There should not be a political declaration in the agreement between cities. I am opposed to Pragues support for the authoritarian regime that exists in China, said Prague official Hana Kordova Marvanova (STAN).

TOP 09 [a political party] policy is long-term in the spirit of the former Czech President Vaclav Havel, that is, in the spirit of human rights, said Prague official Jiri Pospisil (TOP 09).

When the Partnership Agreement was signed in 2016, Beijing promised to lease a panda to Prague Zoo. However, after two years the lease has not occurred.

I think the agreement should not be subject to Chinas comments on Chinas internal policy. Human rights are more than a panda in the zoo, said Jan Cizinsky (Praha sobe), Member of the Prague City Council.

If Beijing refuses Pragues proposal to amend Article 3 from the Agreement, then Prague may terminate its partnership with Chinas capital, Czech media E15 reported on Jan. 15.

In response to the proposed amendment of the Partnership Agreement, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic said that the ministry supported the One China policy.

The One China policy has been supported by the Czech Republic continuously since 1990, fully in line with official EU and U.S. policy, Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek (CSSD) told the journal Denik N on Jan.14.

However, the ministry has no power over the decisions made by the City Council of Prague. The city of Prague has the right to amend the Partnership Agreement and to make its own decisions on this delicate matter.A North Korean envoy was headed for Washington on Jan. 17, for expected talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a possible encounter with President Donald Trump to lay the groundwork for a second U.S.North Korea summit, according to a person familiar with the matter.

News of the impending visit came even as Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy that singled out North Korea as an ongoing and extraordinary threat, seven months after his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, after which Trump declared that the threat the country posed had been eliminated.

Kim Yong Chol, Pyongyangs lead negotiator in denuclearization talks with the United States, was due to meet Pompeo on Jan. 18, a person familiar with the plan said, the first major sign of potential movement in a diplomatic effort that has appeared stalled for months.

The North Korean visit could yield an announcement of plans for another summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who held a first meeting in Singapore in June, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Kim Yong Chol, a hardline former spy chief, boarded a flight to Washington from Beijing on Jan. 17 and was expected to arrive in the U.S. capital in the early evening, South Koreas Yonhap news agency said earlier.

Pompeo had planned to meet his North Korean counterpart to discuss a second summit last November, but the meeting was postponed at the last minute.

Diplomatic contact was resumed after Kim Jong Un delivered a New Year speech in which he said he was willing to meet Trump at any time, South Koreas ambassador to the United States, Cho Yoon-je, told reporters last week.

Kim Yong Chol was last in Washington in June, when he delivered a letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump that opened the way for the June 12 Singapore summit.

That meeting yielded a pledge from the latter to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and Trump declared the next day that there was no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan noted that North Korean missiles remained a significant concern in introducing the report, while at the same event, Trump himself only mentioned North Korea in passing, saying negotiations he had conducted should have been done years ago.

Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, David Brunnstrom and Phil Stewart.New Migrant Caravan Departs Honduras Amid US Border Security Impasse

WASHINGTONInformation is scarce about the new migrant caravan that set off from Honduras on Jan. 15, but one activist journalist that is traveling with the group said about 2,000 Hondurans are on the move so farwith most traveling north by bus from San Pedro Sula, a major city in Honduras. More are expected to join. Still others departed El Salvador.

The caravan departed under the shadow of a record-breaking U.S. government shutdown over border-security funding, with the main sticking point for Democrats being $5.7 billion for fencing along the southwest border.

A big new Caravan is heading up to our Southern Border from Honduras, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Jan. 15. Tell Nancy and Chuck that a drone flying around will not stop them. Only a Wall will work. Only a Wall, or Steel Barrier, will keep our Country safe! Stop playing political games and end the Shutdown!

Negotiations between Trump and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) petered out after Pelosi said she wouldnt agree to any wall funding.

Pelosi and Schumer have labeled the border fence as expensive and ineffective, with Pelosi going further by calling it an immorality.

It has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with a wall is an immorality between countries; its an old way of thinking, Pelosi said at a news conference Jan. 3.

The caravan phenomenon isnt new, and its size isnt shockingBorder Patrol deals with around 2,000 illegal border-crossers on a daily basisbut the caravans tend to attract outsized media attention. Most illegal border-crossers come from Central America and the vast majority claim asylum.

Jim Simpson, author of The Red-Green Axis: Refugees, Immigration and the Agenda to Erase America, said the latest caravan is likely a result of the success of the last one.

Theyve discovered that they have success with the caravan method of swamping the United States with problems. And its really been more successful than I think they imagined, because its been enabled so much by court decisions in the United States, Simpson said.

Its Americas version of what happened in Europe, with mass migration of people from the Middle East. They found that its a successful formula, and they have plenty of allies in the United States that are going to facilitate it and do everything they can to stop Trump from blocking it.

Administration Efforts

The Trump administration has tried several methods to stem the flow of illegal immigration, explaining that while most asylum claims are bogus, the system is being used as an effective way to gain access to the United States and disappear once inside the country.

Trump tried to prevent asylum-seekers from the caravan of late 2018 from entering the United States illegally, and overwhelming Border Patrol, by issuing a Nov. 9 proclamation that illegal border-crossers would be ineligible for asylum.

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar blocked Trumps proclamation on Nov. 20, and on Dec. 19, the Supreme Court declined to intervene until the case completes its journey through the lower courts.

In May, the administration reintroduced the Bush-era, zero-tolerance policy that meant all adult illegal border crossers were to be prosecuted. The policy caused an uproar when some children were temporarily removed from the parent or adult accompanying them, and Trump quickly walked it back.

Trump has also urged Congress to close loopholes in the asylum system that allow for thousands of meritless claims to swamp the system. In June, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions re-tightened the criteria for asylum to what it was pre-Obama, but U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan blocked that ruling on Dec. 19.

Many of the judges opposing every aspect of Trumps efforts to curtail immigration, especially illegal immigration, have been judges appointed by either Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, Simpson said. And those people are almost, without exception, extreme leftists.

New Caravan, Old Caravan

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said her agency is closely monitoring the new caravan.

To be clear, participation in a caravan does not grant you a special status or provide you special treatment, she wrote on Twitter on Jan. 16.

In late-December 2018, reports surfaced of an anticipated 15,000-strong caravan that would leave Honduras mid-January.

A member of the pro-migrant group Reactiva Tijuana Foundation, Irma Garrido, said Dec. 27. They are even bigger and stronger than the last caravan.

At the time, pro-migrant activists said the caravans plan was to stay in the southern Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. But the latest reports suggest this caravan is bound for the United States, along the same route as the previous one.

The Mexican government offered previous caravan members temporary asylum, along with education, jobs, and healthcare, but most rejected the offer and many have since entered the United States illegally.

The last caravan swelled to around 6,400 members in Tijuana and members made two major attempts at breaking into the United States en masse.

The first was on Nov. 25, when more than 1,000 migrants pushed past Mexican riot police and attempted to climb or break through the border fencing into the United States. Border Patrol used teargas to disperse the crowds and only several dozen managed to break through.

Another attempt by about 150 members on New Years Eve ended with Border Patrol again using tear gas to repel migrants who were pelting them with rocks, while others tried to climb the border fence.

Most of the migrants that The Epoch Times spoke to in Tijuana said they wanted to live in the United States to join family already there, or for economic reasons. Most said they planned to cross into the United States illegally.

Karen Aviles said on Dec. 2 that she knew of many caravan members who had already crossed illegally, including her niece and nephew and their spouses.

Her nephews wife was due to give birth Dec. 5.

Thats why they hurried, so the baby could be born in the United States, Aviles said. The day they crossed, I wasnt there; otherwise, I would have gone with them.

She said she also planned to cross illegally.

After being in Tijuana for about two weeks, Guatemalan Luis Conde, 48, said he doesnt intend to apply for asylum in the United States, because theyre not going to give it to me.

If they dont give papers, well to hell, Im going to jumptheres no doubt about that, he said Nov. 26. If one is an opportunist, you have know to grab the chances that come, and when they come and when you see that its not dangerous, bam, youre there.

Frank Martinez, who traveled with his father from Honduras, said they intend to cross illegally.

I personally, and I know many people will attempt to do the same thingits to cross illegally. I will enter illegally, he said Nov. 24. Because we want a better life, and Im in a hurry.

Sovereignty

Simpson said the ultimate goal of the Left is to overwhelm the United States with illegal immigrants who will eventually be given amnesty and the right to vote.

They are very close to their goal of bringing enough people in that they are very confident  that they can, for example, turn Texas from red to blue, and they can win permanent Left-wing majorities in Congress and the presidency, Simpson said. And then our country will unalterably change for the worse. Itll become a socialist countryI mean that in the worst sense.

He said many Americans dont understand the real threat. This is really a direct challenge to U.S. sovereignty and its being foisted on us. The caravans are tools, he said.

These are all dimensions of the same strategy, which is to overwhelm our society with problems and put themselves [the Left] in the position to provide the solutionwhich is always a big government solution, Simpson said.

Trump has made similar comments about sovereignty. Americas Southern Border is eventually going to be militarized and defended or the United States, as we have known it, is going to cease to exist, he wrote on Twitter on Jan. 13.

Trouble in Tijuana

In Tijuana, public safety secretary Marco Antonio Sotomayor, said he hopes the Mexican government will secure its southern border with Guatemala and not allow unregistered caravan migrants access into Mexico.

We know that within the group of migrants, there are some hidden Central American criminals coming, who have current orders in their countries or criminal records, and, obviously, do not want to register because they know that this information is shared with the governments of Central America. They know that we are going to detect that they have criminal records, Sotomayor told The Epoch Times on Jan. 14. So, that part, from my point of view, is very risky. We are demanding that the federal government not allow access to our national territory without a legal, orderly process.

Sotomayor said it has been challenging and very costly for the city to handle the thousands of caravan members since November.

If another group comes  it should be divided equally in the border cities near all the border crossings that exist along the entire border of Mexico and the United States, he suggested. Twenty-six such ports of entry exist along the almost 2,000-mile U.S.Mexico border.

To date, local Tijuana police have arrested 351 migrants from the November caravan for various crimes, mostly involving drugs.

Tijuana citizens staged a protest against the caravan in November, with many Mexicans telling The Epoch Times that they consider the caravan an invasion.

Rodrigo Melgoza held a handwritten sign saying, Immigrants yes, illegals no.

Because I think everyone has the right to create a life in a new country, but they have to do it the legal way, he said. They should not violate the sovereignty of all Mexicans and of Mexico, like these people did there on the border.

Elvia Villegas said she admires Trump, because he is defending his borders. Not like here in Mexico, where politicians are corrupt and do not defend their borders.

Remain in Mexico Deal

Nielsen announced on Dec. 20 a new policy where asylum-seekers may be returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings.

If they are granted asylum by a U.S. judge, they will be welcomed into America. If they are not, they will be removed to their home countries, Nielsen said. Catch and release will be replaced with catch and return. This will also allow us to focus more attention on those who are actually fleeing persecution.

No further details of the Remain in Mexico plan have been revealed; however, Sotomayor said the Mexican government isnt on board with the plan.

I have the understanding that the governments position is not to accept them. If they [the United States] want to return them to Mexico, they will not receive them, he said.

Obviously, we condemn that a foreigner who asks for asylum to the United States has to remain in national territory in Tijuana. What we want is if someone asks for political asylum and if a process is opened in the United States, well then, he should be received by the United States. We do not want Tijuana to be in charge of that.

But, he said, its a federal issue between the governments of the two countries.

The U.S. State Department announced a $10.6 billion foreign aid package for southern Mexico and Central America on Dec. 18.

With reporting by Kimberly Hayek in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.Michele Rothgeb was arrested on Jan. 13, 2019, after a 9-year-old girl under her care died at their home in Warwick, R.I., on Jan. 3, 2019. (Warwick Police Department/Facebook)

Mother of 8 Adopted Children Arrested After Death of 9-Year-Old Daughter

A woman from Rhode Island was arrested after her 9-year-old adopted daughter, a special needs wheelchair-bound child, died after being left alone in a bathtub for hours. Seven other children in the womans home were also found to be living in filthy conditions.

The 55-year-old woman, Michelle Rothgeb, was arrested on the morning of Jan. 13 at her Warwick home on one count of cruelty to or neglect of a child. According to NBC affiliate WJAR, when Rothgeb appeared in court the following day, a judge remarked that he was surprised she did not receive a homicide or a manslaughter charge.

Michele Rothgeb charged with neglect in death of 9 year old adopted girl her Warwick home. Court documents: @warwickripd say the girl with Cerebral Palsy was found by 15 year old crawling to tub. 15 yo helped her into tub. Girl was found unresponsive in empty tub 8 hours later. pic.twitter.com/vQr3GZtaLX  Brian Crandall (@nbc10_brian) January 14, 2019

Police arrived at her home around 4.30 p.m on Jan. 3 and found the 9-year-old girl unresponsive in the bathtub. A boy had called 911. Police said the girl was pronounced dead a short time after she was brought to Kent Hospital.

Court documents said police had found the house in a deplorable condition, with soiled bedding, garbage all over the floors, and a pungent urine stench, WJAR reported. Police said the home was so cluttered that the girls wheelchair could not have been able to be used inside the house.

Warwick Police Maj. Mark Ullucci told NBC 10 News, No one should be living in that type of environment, especially children.

The other seven children were removed from the house the night the 9-year-old girl died. They were placed in the custody of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

According to WJAR, Rothgeb told police that her adopted son, a 15-year-old with Aspergers Syndrome, was tasked with looking after the seven other children because she was unwell. The boy told police that he had put his adopted sister in the bathtub with some inches of water to wash her, then went to care for the other children and prepare dinner.

Police said that Rothgeb said she had checked in on the girl at 1 p.m.

Court documents sighted by WJAR said police believe the girl may have been in the bathtub for between three and a half to eight hours.

Rothgebs bail has been set for $2,500.

Unacceptable Conditions

DYCF wrote a statement to NBC saying that the departments No. 1 priority is child safety.

Our Departments number one priority is child safety, and the loss of any child is a tragedy. DCYF does have a policy that promotes foster care and adoption of sibling groups, and we have standards in place to evaluate a persons ability to care for children, the statement read.

The director of Rhode Islands Office of the Child Advocate and the DCYF, Trista Piccola, told WJAR that the last time the department contacted Rothgeb was in summer of 2018 when Rothgeb finalized her eighth adoption.

Why we landed in the place that we did is unclear to me right now, Piccola told NBC. The conditions that these children were found living in are completely unacceptable.

In January 2018, the department investigated Rothgebs residence for lack of appropriate supervision. But during the visit the department inspectors werent allowed up to the second floor, even though before adoptions were finalized they should have access to the entirety of the home, Piccola told NBC.

A group of very well-intended, intelligent, caring people  seem to have made a series of unreasonable decisions, in my estimation, Piccola said.

The Warwick Police Detective Division, along with DCYF and the Attorney Generals Office, have conducted a very in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of this 9-year-old child. The result of this investigation has substantiated the charge listed above, a statement by the Warwick Police Department read.

This investigation is still ongoing. We will release additional information when appropriate.

From NTD NewsA 2-year-old girl with autism was abducted in the Bronx, New York, according to officials. (NYPD)

Missing 2-Year-Old Bronx Girl Seniya Benitez Found Safe: Officials

The 2-year-old girl who was taken by her father, triggering an AMBER Alert in New York, was found on Jan. 16.

Police said 2-year-old Seniya Benitez, who has severe autism, was taken by her father, 21-year-old Christian Benitez, on custodial interference since he isnt allowed to have contact with her.

NYC Amber Alert- Seniya Benitez is 3 feet tall, 35 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light colored coat and multi-colored pants. She is non-verbal & has autism. pic.twitter.com/xSPsBBk5fj  Lisa  (@Lisahhhh) January 16, 2019

News12 reported that the girl was found safe in the Bronx, which is also where the girl was taken. Benitez is in police custody.

Other details about the girls case are not clear.

The childs grandmother Maria DAmore, the guardian of the toddler, said she and Benitez got in a dispute over a mess he left in their apartment.

Benitez, she said, cursed and threw her to the ground. He came to visit the child and to help my daughter, because I was in the hospital, and when I came home, I got into a verbal argument with him, and he threw me on the floor and kidnapped her and, took her out, DAmore said.

He then took off with Seniya with nothing but clothes on her back, the report said. She was without a warm jacket or shoes, and needs special care due to her autism.

No clothes, no diapers, no food, nothing, said DAmore. He told his friend to tell the cops that hes never bringing her back. Nobody knows where he is.

He started cursing and he said, Im taking her and I said, No youre not and thats when he hit me, and he ran out the door.

AMBER Alert: Seniya Benitez, 2-year-old Hispanic female from Gleason Avenue in the Bronx. If seen, call 911. Multilingual & ASL Link: https://t.co/bVzN4CafyY. pic.twitter.com/eaeAxCWXFM  NYCEM  Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) January 16, 2019

The child is in good health, officials said.

#BREAKING: AMBER Alert issued for 2-year-old autistic Bronx girl Seniya Benitez. Police say she was taken by her father, who does not have custody. #AMBERAlert  CBS New York  2019116

Other details about the case are not clear.

200,000 Kidnapped Each Year

According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, approximately 200,000 children are kidnapped each year by a family member.

Child custody experts say that people kidnap their own children to force a reconciliation or continued interaction with the other left-behind parent, to spite or punish the other parent, or from fear of losing custody or visitation rights. In rare cases, the kidnapping may occur to protect a child from a parent who is believed to be abusing the child.

UPDATE: Cops have located the Bronx dad who ran off with his 2-year-old daughter, sparking an Amber Alert. Christian Benitez, 21, was apprehended nearly 24 hours after he took Seniya from her grandmothers home.https://t.co/GOoBB8a0i1  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) January 16, 2019

Common warning signs include the other parent threatening abduction, suspected abuse, or paranoid delusion.

There were 464,324 missing children reported in the FBIs National Crime Information Center in 2017, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Under federal law, when a child is reported missing to law enforcement, they must be entered into the database.

Missing children typically fall into five categories: kidnapped by a family member, abducted by a nonfamily perpetrator, runaways, those who got lost, stranded, or injured, or those who went missing due to benign reasons, such as misunderstandings.

The center said it has assisted officers and families with the cases of more than 27,000 missing children in 2017.

In those cases, 91 percent were endangered runaways and 5 percent were family abductions. About one in seven children reported missing to the center in 2017 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.

Watch Next:

Sex Trafficking and Organ Trade: Abuse of the Adoption System

Kidnappers and human traffickers are taking advantage of loopholes in international adoption laws. In this episode we reveal how this corrupt system works.Martin Luther King Jr. (C) leading a march from Selma to Montgomery to protest lack of voting rights for African Americans. In 1963, King wrote 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' setting out his justification for breaking the law. (Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images)

Martin Luther King Jr. and Natural Law

Commentary

As the nation takes off work and school for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 21, some will justly remember his famous I Have a Dream speech delivered in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. Delivered to hundreds of thousands of civil-rights supporters, that speech became the kind of cultural touchstone that comes to summarize a movement and sinks into society in a way that unites people.

It is for good reason that school children across the country will memorize parts of Kings great speech and deliver them to their classmates this month.

As great as that speech was, however, we seldom remember that King had suffered in a jail cell just a few months before it was delivered. He was in that cell for his role in organizing and participating in protests and sit-ins in Birmingham, Alabama. While in his cell, he was given a newspaper that included criticism of his methods written by eight fellow clergymen. He began his response in the margins of that very newspaper and continued it on other scraps of paper.

Though not currently as well known as his I Have a Dream speech, Kings Letter From a Birmingham Jail is worth reconsidering today.

Law and Law-Breaking

In this open letter, King sought to justify his actions against those who counseled the civil-rights leader to go more slowly and obey edicts against protests, assemblies, and marches. What is most important today is his justification for breaking the law. King did what he was so good at doingnot reaching for abstractions or asserting subjective emotions, but attaching hopes for a better future to the best aspects of our inherited past.

Here, King particularly reached into the natural law tradition that unified so much of the Western experience before the rise of nihilism, subjectivism, relativism, and emotivism. In particular, he cited the work of the great thinkers and Catholic Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

According to Aquinas, there are four types of lawEternal Law (Gods mind), Divine Law (revelation in sacred texts), Natural Law (the rational persons knowledge of right and wrong), and Human Law (as passed by our lawmakers). Human law, in order to be considered a valid law binding on all subjects, must also cohere with natural law and divine law.

Racist laws, King argued, arent laws at all because they violate the moral edicts of natural law.

Several very important things come from this line of argument that we should remember today. First, King argued that, for him and other civil-rights leaders, it was just to break these laws because they were unjust and therefore not really laws at allimmoral laws are not truly laws.

Second, he argued that to be a just law, the powers making the law must hold themselves accountable to it as well as anyone else. We call this the rule of law and it is essential to any free society. No majority, Congress, president, governor, or bureaucrat can be above the law.

Third, he argued that, though immoral laws can be broken, they cant be defied or evaded. That is, one who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. If you break an immoral law, you must subject yourself as a good citizen to be punished with the hope that your punishment might arouse the conscience of the community. Following these rules, King said, the observer is actually showing the highest form of respect for law itself.

Since it was written in 1963, however, much has changed in American culture. Some of those who would take up Kings banner have long ago rejected the Western tradition and, in particular, have abandoned the belief in absolutes, including natural law.

Our educators and much of society have fallen into a subjectivism, where each culture, each group, each individual is to decide for themselves what they feel to be right and what is wrong, and is free to act accordingly. This subjectivism, Kings lessons would teach us, leaves us relatively powerless to fight truly immoral laws. If all is subjective, then no laws are truly unjust. Or, perhaps its better said that, if all is subjective, all laws are unjust to someone. Neither formula would support true freedom under the rule of law.

As we commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. this year, we should also remember his lesson that true liberty comes under the rule of law, and that law must cohere to the moral laws that govern the universe. Shallow subjectivism will not long serve true liberty, and mere emotionalism will not long prevail against actual injustice.

Gary L. Gregg holds the Mitch McConnell chair in leadership at the University of Louisville, where he is also director of The McConnell Center. He is author or editor of a dozen books, including his young adult novels published as The Remnant Chronicles.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.The White House is seen as snow continues to fall in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 13, 2019. (Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images)

Man Charged for Planning Jihad Attack on White House with Explosives, Rocket

A 21-year-old man has been charged on Jan. 16 for allegedly planning to attack the White House and other federal buildings in Washington D.C. after federal agencies found he had a hand-drawn map of the first floor of the West Wing in December 2018.

Forsyth County News reported that U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak told a press conference on Jan. 16 that the man from Cumming, Georgia, identified as Hasher Jallal Taheb, has been charged for allegedly plotting to attack the White House and other targets of opportunity in the Washington D.C. area with explosive devices and anti-tank rockets. Pak said in his affidavit that Taheb had planned to die in the attack.

Pak said that there are no threats to any places in the Northern District of Georgia, or to the upcoming Super Bowl in Atlanta.

According to the news outlet, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, Chris Hacker, said authorities believe that Taheb was acting alone but that the investigation is still ongoing.

A criminal complaint sighted by CBS46 showed that an anonymous tip reported to local law enforcement in March 2018 said Taheb had become radicalized, changed his name, and made plans to travel abroad.

Taheb had listed a car for sale in August 2018. An FBI informant showed interest in the car and met with him days later. Taheb said he sold the vehicle to fund a trip overseas to hijra, a term said to refer to ISIS territory, according to the Springfield News-Sun, but didnt have a passport. He also allegedly told the informant he wanted to attack the White House and Statue of Liberty in jihadist attacks.

On Dec. 7, 2018, an FBI agent who went undercover saw a hand-drawn map of the ground floor of the White Houses West Wing in Tahebs possession after meeting with him.

Taheb was arrested on Jan. 16, 2019 in Buford where FBI agents said he had arranged to trade vehicles for three semi-automatic assault rifles, three explosive devices with remote control, and one AT-4, according to CBS6.

Made it to Cumming -where federal authorities are executing a search warrant at the home of Forsyth man charged with plot to attack White House @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/Azw4b5fspE  Alyssa Hyman (@AlyssaHymanWSB) January 16, 2019

A statement released by the FBI, sighted by the news station, reads as follows:

It is important to point out that this investigation and arrest were the direct result of a tip from the community, another example of how important it is to contact law enforcement if you see or hear something suspicious, said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.

Taheb is charged as the result of a year-long investigation by FBI Atlantas Joint Terrorism Task Force. We want to thank the Forsyth County Sheriff Office and Gwinnett County Police Department for assisting us with his arrest. The investigation is continuing, but at this stage it is believed Taheb was acting on his own.

This article may be subject to further updates.

From NTD.com

Watch next:

EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Page Testimony Reveals New Details in Spygate ScandalPolice officers detain protester against the rising Chinese presence in the country in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Jan. 17, 2019. (Reuters)

Kyrgyz Police Disperse Anti-Chinese Rally

BISHKEK, KyrgyzstanKyrgyz police detained more than a dozen people on Jan. 17 as they dispersed a hundreds-strong anti-Chinese rally in the capital, Bishkek, the biggest public protest to date in Central Asia against Beijings growing influence in the region.

Protesters who gathered on the central square demanded curbs on work permits for Chinese citizens as well as a reduction of Kyrgyz debt to China and called for other measures to reduce the Chinese presence, including a ban on Kyrgyz-Chinese marriages.

After the rally ran beyond its allotted time, dozens of protesters started moving toward a building which houses the president and parliament, at which point police started detaining some people and squeezing others out of the square.

Police declined to say how many people they had detained. A Reuters reporter at the scene saw them lead away more than a dozen.

Anti-Chinese sentiment has grown in the former Soviet republic of six million people since an incident at Bishkeks main power plant a year ago caused a five-day blackout following its upgrade carried out by a Chinese firm. The firm has not been officially charged with any wrongdoing.

Hostility toward Beijing has also been fueled by reports of mass detentions of ethnic Kyrgyzalongside fellow Turkic Muslims such as Uyghurs and Kazakhsin Chinas western province of Xinjiang.

A United Nations panel of human rights experts said in August 2018 it had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in China were being held in what resembled a massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy.

Beijing has defended its so-called vocational education training centers, which it says are part of a de-radicalization program in Xinjiang.

The Chinese regime has used the excuse that Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists who plot attacks and stir up tensions with the ethnic Han Chinese majority to crack down on the local population in Xinjiang.

Western countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States have urged China to shut down camps in Xinjiang.

China is one of the biggest investors in Central Asia and a key trading partner for Kyrgyzstan, which Beijing has made a key part of its One Belt, One Road (OBOR or Belt and Road) development project.

Commenting on the protest, Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov said in a statement that protesters had been misled by fearmongering and that the annual net influx of Chinese to Kyrgyzstan had been below 1,000 people in the last two years.

By Olga Dzyubenko. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.Key Technological Accomplishments by the Current Administration Over the Past 2 Years

Commentary

With the hyper-partisan zeal and rigor many networks and news cycles have displayed during the past two years, and within the highly partisan coverage of the current administration, it has been easy to overlook specific positive accomplishments made and, in particular, the technological advancements achieved during that time.

Quantum Computing

In December 2018, the National Quantum Initiative Act passed unanimously in the Senate, and similarly passed easily in the House of Representatives with bipartisan support (34811). On Dec. 21, it was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The bill directs and coordinates funding for the next generation of computing enabled by quantum theory.

Quantum computers store more information than traditional computers and can perform computations more securely and in a faster manner than traditional digital circuits. The National Quantum Initiative Act will organize U.S. investments and allocate $1.2 billion of funding over the next five years for investments in quantum technology.

Part of this organization will create a National Quantum Coordination Office as part of the Office of White House Science and Technology Policy, and will establish a subcommittee as part of the National Science and Technology Council focused on studying how quantum computing can benefit the nation.

Further, the bill requests the U.S. National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to increasingly invest in quantum computing technology.

Finally, the bill directs the U.S. Department of Energy to establish two to five centers of excellence dedicated to quantum computing. Industry heralded the bill as a success, with stated support from IBM, Amazon, and Intel.

Stopping Human Trafficking

To assist in the global humanitarian cause of stopping human trafficking, the administration is making technology and policy a key priority in helping those caught in modern slavery. As announced in the presidents first month in office via executive order, the administration directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize dismantling criminal and other organizations involved in human trafficking. This has been implemented in a multi-faceted manner and is still ongoing.

In April 2018, the Fight Online Sex Trafficking ActStop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act was signed into law after the Senate passed the bill 972. The bill criminalizes tech properties and online properties that serve as homes for sex trafficking, including sites like Craigslist and Backpage.

This accomplishment is partially enabled by technology investments made by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It is an important technology policy that will combat trafficking in the future by making it more difficult for black-market-type trafficking ads and interactions on the public internet.

The administration has also contributed $45 million to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, along with $67 million in funding from the DOJ. Non-governmental organizations and nonprofits such as Thorn, founded by actors Ashton Kutcher and his ex-wife Demi Moore, are potential benefactors of the administrations policies in this area. In testimony to Congress in February 2017, Kutcher called for more funding for tools to combat human trafficking, and also to foster more publicprivate partnerships.

Artificial Intelligence

The administrations focus on artificial intelligence (AI) as a next wave of computing should not go unnoticed. In particular, DARPA made an announcement at the DARPA 60th anniversary meeting to commit $2 billion over the next five years toward accelerating AI and infusing its capabilities into technology for the benefit of the nation.

In particular, efforts to make more explainable AI, in which machines do more than simply give the confidence of their decision but also explain their decision and rationale like a human would do, are of particular interest to the administration, as are traditional AI uses in automating mundane processes, and also making them faster.

The Trump administration is also interested in creating a Joint Artificial Intelligence Center that would play center stage in coordinating AI research in the Department of Defense. AIs advancement for government use does not only benefit defense or military and intelligence community applicationsmuch of the DARPA technology has already been transferred into other areas of the government and also to industry, including helping to create Apples Siri, the internet, and drones that deliver your daily Amazon packages.

Deep Space Exploration

Finally, a key technology accomplishment of the current administration has to been to prioritize deep space exploration, which includes getting astronauts back to the moon and ultimately onto Mars.

The prioritization of technologies by the National Space Technology Policy Directive 1 and of commercial sector partnerships has helped lay the basis for future Mars missions, including Mars Sample Return (MSR), in which an orbiter, lander, and fetch rover will be used to blast rocks from the surface of Mars and bring them back to Earth for inspection.

The administration has also been widely supportive of Mars technology success at NASA, including the recent InSight Lander. Coordinated technology investments in quantum computing and AI across the government are also poised to assist NASA in deep space exploration data processing, communication, and also in decision making and understanding.

Chris Mattmann is a principal data scientist and associate chief technology and innovation officer in the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Kenyan policemen drive in their ruck as they arrive at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 16, 2019. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Kenya Hotel Siege Over, Terrorists and at Least 21 Victims Dead

NAIROBIKenyan security forces have killed all the Somali terrorists who stormed an upscale Nairobi hotel compound, taking at least 21 lives and forcing hundreds of people into terrifying escapes, the government said on Jan, 16.

Fifty people believed to have been in the complex remained unaccounted for on Wednesday afternoon, the Kenya Red Cross said, raising the possibility of a much higher final death toll.

The bloody bodies of five attackers were broadcast across social media as President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the end of a 20-hour overnight siege that echoed a 2013 assault that killed 67 people in the Westgate shopping center in the same district.

Kenyatta did not specify how many assailants there were, but CCTV clips showed at least five dressed in black, some sporting green grenade belts.

One terrorist is seen in one clip waiting outside a restaurant before blowing himself up in a cloud of debris just after 3 p.m. (1200 GMT). Another explosion near the entrance gate, possibly a grenade, ignites three cars before four men stroll by firing assault rifles and split into two groups.

One group entered a nearby office building, where they left a grenade in the lobby, a private security professional present during the attack told Reuters. Then they shot into elevators and offices as they searched for victims up to the sixth floor.

The other group raked the restaurant with gunfire. Eventually, the terrorists holed up on or near the top floor of the hotel, taking potshots at those fleeing, he said.

Bloodstained Tables

Sixteen Kenyansincluding a policemanan American 9/11 survivor, and a British development worker were among the casualties, police chief Joseph Boinnet said. Three more victims were of African origin but their nationality was unknown, he added.

Neighboring Kenya, a hub for multinationals and the United Nations, became a frequent target for al Shabaab after Kenya sent troops into Somalia in 2011 to try to create a buffer zone along its long, porous border.

The dusitD2 complex is home to offices of international companies including Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Pernod Ricard, Dow Chemical ad SAP, as well as the dusitD2 hotel, part of Thai group Dusit Thani.

Hiram Macharia, marketing executive at LG Electronics, said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and headed downstairs after the first blast.

Then we saw two of the attackers firing at the elevators and we turned back, he told Reuters outside the hotel.

They were firing twice at each of the elevator doors and the two staircase doors on each floor as they walked up the building. One of them fired at our office doors, entered slightly and then moved on.

Macharia and some colleagues hid under desks, but one person ran to the roof and was shot dead there, he added.

Westgate Mistakes Avoided

Security forces appeared to have avoided some of the mistakes made during the 2013 attack, when police and soldiers shot at each other, then soldiers looted the Westgate mall.

One private security worker at the scene said many of the explosions, especially those followed by a short burst of gunfire, were Kenyan special forces using small charges to blow open locked doors and clear rooms.

About a dozen armed foreigners of various nationalities were also there, he said, including embassy staff and private security advisers trying to rescue clients.

Mamadou Dia was on a business trip from Paris for STP Consultants when he ended up huddled in a room with Chinese and Canadian hotel guests and a waiter.

They told us by text that the police knew we were in that room and that they would come, and one and a half hours later, the police came to evacuate us, he said.

As armed officers escorted them out, the attackers shot at them like snipers, he said, adding that police fired back.

At nearby Chiromo morgue, the family of a 35-year-old man collapsed upon hearing a body had arrived with his identification papers.

He is gone, he is gone, the father repeated into his phone as his mother wrapped a shawl around herself and wept.

By Katharine Houreld and Duncan MiririJohn Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, talks during an interview with The Associated Press, in New York. Vanguard announced, on Jan. 16, 2019, that John C. "Jack" Bogle has died at the age of 89. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

John Bogle, Founder of Vanguard, Dies at 89

VALLEY FORGEJohn C. Bogle, who simplified investing for the masses by launching the first index mutual fund and founded Vanguard Group, died on Jan. 16, the company said. He was 89.

Bogle did not invent the index fund, but he expanded access to no-frills, low-cost investing in 1976 when Vanguard introduced the first index fund for individual investors, rather than institutional clients.

The emergence of funds that passively tracked market indexes, like the Standard & Poors 500, enabled investors to avoid the higher fees charged by professional fund managers who frequently fail to beat the market. More often than not, the higher operating expenses that fund managers pass on to their shareholders cancel out any edge they may achieve through expert stock-picking.

Bogle and Vanguard shook up the industry further in 1977. The company ended its reliance on outside brokers and instead began directly marketing its funds to investors without charging upfront fees known as sales loads.

Vanguard founder Jack Bogle is dead at age 89. Here's a look back at his incredible career, one that helped shape the investment industry. https://t.co/Q3y8y7UN6Q pic.twitter.com/l8ycQrj2hH  CNBC (@CNBC) January 16, 2019

Bogle served as Vanguards chairman and CEO from its 1974 founding until 1996.

He stepped down as senior chairman in 2000, but remained a critic of the fund industry and Wall Street, writing books, delivering speeches and running the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center.

The advent of index funds accelerated a long-term decline in fund fees and fostered greater competition in the industry. Investors paid 40 percent less in fees for each dollar invested in stock mutual funds during 2017 than they did at the start of the millennium, for example. But Bogle continued to maintain that many funds were overcharging investors, and once called the industry the poster-boy for one of the most baneful chapters in the modern history of capitalism.

Bogle also believed that the corporate structure of most fund companies poses an inherent conflict of interest, because a public fund company could put the interests of investors in its stock ahead of those owning shares of its mutual funds. Vanguard has a unique corporate structure in which its mutual funds and fund shareholders are the corporations owners. Profits are plowed back into the companys operations, and used to reduce fees.

A lot of Wall Street is devoted to charging a lot for nothing, billionaire investor Warren Buffett told CNBC. He charged nothing to accomplish a huge amount.

Warren Buffett says Jack Bogle did more for the individual investor than anyone he's ever known. https://t.co/IY1OYsZOoj pic.twitter.com/CoxcYXUztQ  CNBC (@CNBC) January 17, 2019

Vanguard, based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, manages $5 trillion globally. It helped usher in a new era of investing, and index funds have increasingly become the default choice for investors. In 2017, investors plugged $691.6 billion into index funds while pulling $7 billion out of actively managed funds, according to Morningstar.

Vanguard offers both index and managed funds, but remains best-known for its index offerings. Vanguards original index fund, now known as the Vanguard 500 Index, is no longer the companys biggest, but remains among the companys lowest-cost funds.

Bogle spent the first part of his career at Wellington Management Co., a mutual fund company, then based in Philadelphia. He rose through the ranks and, in his mid-30s, was tapped to run Wellington.

He engineered a merger with a boutique firm that was making huge sums, but was ousted after the stock market tanked in the early 1970s, wiping out millions in Wellingtons assets. He said he learned an important lesson in how little money managers really know about predicting the market.

Bogle suffered several heart attacks and underwent a heart transplant in 1996, the year he stepped down as CEO. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 for Vanguard directors in 1999 and left as senior chairman the next year.

Vanguard did not provide a cause of death. Philly.com is reporting he died of cancer, citing Bogles family.

Jack Bogle had unwavering passion for America, our capital markets, and most of all our Main Street investors, said Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton.

John Clifton Bogle was born in May 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey, to a well-off family; his grandfather founded a brick company and was co-founder of the American Can Co. in which his father worked.

Bogle attended Manasquan High School in Manasquan, N.J, for a time, then got a scholarship to the prestigious all-boys Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. It was at Blair that Bogle discovered his knack for math. He graduated from Blair in 1947 and was voted most likely to succeed.

Bogle graduated from Princeton with a degree in economics in 1951. His thesis was on the mutual fund industry, which was then still in its infancy.

Bogle is survived by his wife, Eve, six children, 12 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.Jennifer Pike on the Personal Connections in Her Latest Album

Rediscovering her Polish musical roots

LONDONWith her latest recording, violinist Jennifer Pike has been rediscovering her Polish roots. The Chandos disc The Polish Violin, with pianist Petr Limonov, is a program of music by Karol Szymanowski, Moritz Moszkowski, Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, and Henryk Wieniawski.

But the program is more than a musical exploration, as it connects Jennifer with her Polish grandparents and brings out the importance of European connections.

She recently played a concert in Katowice, Poland, where she met 10 of her family members for the first time.

I met up with Pike to talk about the disc and about her Polish connections.

The Disc: The Polish Violin

Keen to get in touch with her Polish side, Pike, in the last few years, has been exploring the wealth of violin and piano repertoire by Polish composers. Some of these pieces have lain undiscovered in Western Europe. In fact, another reason for making the disc is to encourage others to play this music more.

While the works by Wieniawski on the disc, Legende and Polonaise de concert, Op.4, were already on the soundtrack of her life, others were discoveries.

Mieczyslaw Karlowicz

Pike found Mieczyslaw Karlowiczs Impromptu to be a real discovery: one of a number of works that are just being discovered in the musical world, as many were lost during World War II.

Karlowiczs Impromptu is in his late Romantic style, whereas other works by him, such as his late orchestral piece Eternal Songs, are in a more adventurous style. Clearly Tchaikovsky is an inspiration, yet Karlowicz is also imaginative.

Karowicz had died young in the Tatra Mountains, his homeland, in an avalanche. Pike remembers when she was little, her grandparents told her about the event as they walked past a plaque to Karlowicz on a visit to the Tatras.

Much of the music from composers like Karlowicz remains buried, with the scores and parts difficult to get hold of. In fact, this is a problem with which Pike is familiar; she has recorded the Miklos Rozsa violin concerto, but the orchestra accompanying her had a difficult time finding the parts.

The music we do have from Karlowicz is wonderful. Pike hears in the music the panoramic views of the Tatra Mountains landscapean area she walked a lot when she was a youngster. Thus, listening to it makes her feel connected to this scenery.

Karol Szymanowski

The disc opens with Karol Szymanowskis Mythes, the first one of which is the most famous in violin circles. It is also the most accessible of his works. Pike feels that, in general, Szymanowskis writing sounds so modern that it is hard to grasp; the last movement has been described by composers as a new form of expression for the violin.

Pike first played Szymanowskis Violin Sonata (one she would love to record) before she encountering Mythes. She thus learned them in the correct historical order of their composition, and so she was able to appreciate the changes to his style.

Szymanowskis Romance, also on the disc, is a work in which we hear his adventurous new, even strange world of sound.

Another Szymanowski piece on the disc, Chant de Roxanne, is arranged from his opera King Roger by the violinist Pavel Kochansky.

Pike describes much of the music on the disc as dark yet optimistic, which she feels reflects the Polish character. Its poignant and melancholy, zal in Polish, she says.

Exploring Her Heritage

Creating the album has allowed Pike to explore both sides of her character, the reserved British and the more tempestuous Polish. Shes seen these differences on both sides of her family. In thinking about her own personality, she recognizes that while she did fit in at her English school, she always felt a bit different. And in Poland, she never felt 100 percent Polish.

Growing up, Pike was very aware that her mother, Teresa, who spoke the language, was Polish, and the family visited Jennifers Polish grandparents in the Tatra Mountains every few years. In the Tatra Mountains, there was so much tradition to get immersed in. In fact, Jennifer communicates with her grandparents in Polish, a language that she wants to get better at.

But when she was young, Pike didnt understand how much her parents had been through. She knew some anecdotes, but she did not grasp the realities of life under communism in Poland. For example, a lot of what her mother learned in school, such as her history lessons, were politically skewed, and her mother had also seen the tanks going through Poland. Pikes grandfather was a miner at the time and was placed under great pressure by the communist regime.

Only gradually did Pike become aware of her parents bravery. Her father, the composer Jeremy Pike, received a scholarship to study in Katowice, Poland, with Henryk Gorecki. There, he met Teresa, and they were married. When he left Poland, his wife was meant to follow, but they were separated by the declaration of martial law. So the couple could only communicate via letters sent in diplomatic pouches, and even then they were censored by the communist authorities.

Pike, who was born the day the Berlin Wall came down, finds it scary and unbelievable that such difficulties from her parents younger days could repeat themselves in the present.

Taking to the Violin

There was a piano at home when Pike was growing up, and she just had to make a noise on it. But there was something about the violin that struck her, something tactile. She admits that if she could sing, she would have, but playing the violin seemed the next best thing.

Pikes mother had wanted to play the piano, but she was discouraged by her parents; Pikes grandmother had wanted to play as well, but she had also been discouraged and became a doctor. Mum got her own back by marrying a musician, Pike said.

Pike started playing violin at the age of 5, and won the BBC Young Musician award when she was 12. She feels lucky to have made a natural transition to being a professional violinist and only gradually realized she was performing for a living, something that didnt strike her when she was learning.

There was never a time when she didnt want to play. Her first experience of being tremendously happy was playing to an audience. That is not to say that the transition from youthful player to adult was not very difficult.

But at 29, Pike has been playing the violin a long time, with around 18 years as a professional. This means that she has a strange relationship with herself and the world. As a young woman, she was changing quickly, but the worlds perception of her changed at a far slower rate. When people put labels on her, it made it difficult for her to grow and develop as a musician, yet she had to leave the labels behind.

She adds, only half joking, that she would love to have a sprinkling of gray hair to get the message across that she has been around a long time.

She has also learned that balance is important: In addition to playing the violin, its important to live life. This is one of the reasons that she went to Oxford for a few years to study. (She graduated with first-class honors in music from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford in 2012.) She was still performing, but at times she was just sitting in a library reading a book.

This is something she still feels passionate about: Musicians tend to be intense and need to take time out to become a snowman for the winter!

Jennifer Pikes disc The Polish Violin was released Jan. 4. To learn more about Jennifer Pike and details of her performances, visit JenniferPike.com

Robert Hugill is a composer, lecturer, journalist, and classical music blogger. He runs the classical music blog Planet Hugill, writes for the Opera Today website, and Opera Today and Opera magazines. He lectures and gives pre-concert talks on opera and classical music in London. As a composer, his disc of songs Quickening was issued by Navona Records in 2017. This article, edited for brevity and clarity, is reprinted with permission from Planet Hugill.Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, who is accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months, makes his initial court appearance, on Jan 14, 2019, via video feed from the Barron County jail during his bond hearing in Barron, Wis. Judge James Babler set his bail at $5 million. (KSTP-TV via AP, Pool)

Jayme Closs Kidnapping Suspect Applied for Job on Day Teenager Escaped

Jake Patterson, who authorities said confessed to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs after killing her parents, applied for a job on the day the teenager escaped from captivity.

Patterson, 21, lived in the small town of Gordon, where he kept the girl imprisoned after abducting her in October 2018.

Friends previously said that Patterson didnt have a job and spent most of his time at home.

On Jan. 10, Patterson applied for a job at Saratoga Liquor Company in Superior through the Indeed website, an official with the company told WDIO.

Im an honest and hardworking guy. Not much work experience, but I show up to work and am a quick learner, he wrote, reported Fox 6.

The company didnt consider Patterson for the position he applied for, a night warehouse worker, due to lack of experience, reported WCCO. The store official described the situation to WDIO as the company not considering Patterson because it had already picked out the top candidates for the job.

When Patterson was arrested on Jan. 10 after Jayme was located following her escape, the company contacted the authorities with the information.

Patterson told investigators that he chose to kidnap Jayme after he saw her boarding a school bus in 2018. He was driving from a job he held for just two days that was at the same cheese factory that employed her parents, James and Denise Closs.

A short time later, on Oct. 15, he burst into the Closs home in Barron, shooting James Closs before finding the mother and daughter in the bathroom. He ordered Denise Closs to put tape over the mouth of her daughter then shot her. He then restrained Jayme and put her in the trunk of his car, speeding away toward Gordon as police officers, who received a 911 call from Denise Closs, sped toward the house.

Pattersons Lawyers: Confession Problematic

Defense attorneys for Patterson said on Wednesday that theyre starting the case at a disadvantage after their client gave detectives a detailed confession and said theyre not sure he can get a fair trial in the state.

Patterson walked detectives through the crimes he committed, detailing how he chose to kidnap Jayme and how he went to the family home and killed her parents before abducting her.

Charlie Glynn and Richard Jones, Pattersons public defenders, said that they face an uphill struggle. Glynn acknowledged that the complaint contains a very thorough confession.

Yes, it looks like you start out behind the eight ball a little bit, Glynn said.

Jones said the defense team will evaluate Pattersons statements to determine whether they were given voluntarily and if theyre true. He cautioned that prosecutors have amassed 30 bankers boxes full of evidence, but that the defense likely wont receive any of it, let alone review it, until after Pattersons Feb. 6 preliminary hearing.

Jones said he doubts Patterson can get a fair trial in Barron County or maybe anywhere in Wisconsin, (Barron) is a small community, Jones said. So many different people have had not only an interest in the case but an actual involvement in the case, being part of the search, those things, being part of fundraisers. Theyve had physical, tangible involvement in the case. The question becomes, Can you lay that involvement, that emotion aside and render a verdict based on this case? In that county, I think that could be extremely difficult.

The attorneys said they had an extensive conversation with Patterson in jail, but they declined to reveal anything that was said.

They said they understand everyone wants to know Pattersons motivation, and that it will become clear later as the legal proceedings continue, Jones said. They described his demeanor as appropriate for a 21-year-old facing such serious charges but didnt elaborate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD NewsFile photo of former President John F. Kennedy during a speech at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, April 27, 1961. The current Democratic Party is very different to the one led by Kennedy. (Getty Images)

Impediments to American Renewal: The No-Principles Party

Commentary

If you could identify the major principles of todays Democratic Party, what would they be? Two decades ago, the party stood for a strong America (a la JFK and Bill Clinton) and a strong economy that was good for allan economy that helped the less fortunate and the blue-collar base that made America work.

There were other commendable issues for them. I can recall when former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) spoke about fair trade versus free trade, and how NAFTA was hollowing out middle America.

Benefiting individuals and improving the common good, as championed by the Founding Fathers, should be a part of the ideals that underpin the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, that is now gone, destroyed in the past decade. Destroyed by an irrational hatred of our country, our cultural roots, and our history. Destroyed by a lust for power.

Here are some examples of their current issues:

 Ecological apocalyptic prophecy: We are destroying our planet; America is the worst.

 We are more racist than any culture, ever.

 Walls are racist, and dont work. Except at their private homes. Plus, illegal immigrants are superior to the rest of us.

 Gender can be changed, picked, and is fluid at all times. Its not really biological.

 American exceptionalism is false. We have never been great.

 Economic growth is not important; redistributing wealth is. Socialism is good.

 Trump is bad.

There are more, but herein lies the problem: Those are the central principles of the new Democratic Party. With the media as the mouthpiece of the Democratsthe vanguard of their ideologywe have a new day. Those principles are repeated ad nauseam in order to placate the hard-left base, and to convince and retain the voters needed to keep leftists in power.

As described in my latest notes on Democratic principles, the principles of JFK, Hubert Humphrey, and Scoop Jackson are no longer espoused. Heck, not even those of Daschle.

No, the new first principles all hang from the poisoned well of hatred that has overwhelmed the left. They dont mind chaos at our throats; they want their voters angry. They dont care if they need to lie and destroy to get them angry.

Look at the litany of lies they told their voters for two straight years: Trump was elected by the Russians; hes illegitimate. Trump hates African-Americans. Trump hates Hispanics. Trump hates women. Trump is mean. Trump is stupid. Trump is over his head. Trump is chaos. Trump lies about everything. Oh, and by the way, Trump has ruined and taken over the Republican Party. Theyre even worse than before! Which may not be possible  and so on, ad nauseam.

The Democrat/media complex has been ginning up this hatred in close to half of our citizenry for more than a decade now, the last two years being insufferable. The leftist media has filled our heads with 92 percent negativity during an amazing economic boom-time, along with so many successes around the world. People should be happy. Their lives are markedly better in tangible ways. The list of Trumps accomplishments is huge. As is the list of his promises kept.

Because of these successes, the left has needed their despicable behavior for the past two years to be thought of as virtuous and emulated by their voters. They have needed to create an alternate reality about Trumps successes being failures.

They have had to claim that policies created by Democratic presidents, and voted for by Democrats, are Trumps foibles and his fault alone. Thus, the weepy stories of immigrant children being separated from parents. Thus, the story of the caravans as people who need asylum. Thus, the stories of children being gassed at the border.

The truth: People were gassed at the border under Obama, and children were separated from their parents and caged. These were existing policies to deal with the border problems, none of which Trump created.

The made-up lie of people in recent caravans needing asylum is the left at its worst. Its demonstrable that these border-crashers simply want better jobs, and free benefits, and thats it. Thats what the leftist cabals that recruited them promised would happen. Asylum is the talking point to get them here legally. The left has a legion of lawyers teaching these people how to lie, how to say their lives are threatened, in order to gain the benefits promised those who want to gain entrance into our country illegally. They are gaming the system, a system designed for people in real need of asylum. And they are breaking that same system.

The new lie that there is no border crisis may be even worse.

The left is shameless. They dont care a whit about the border crisis. They dont care a whit about these people who they have essentially invited here. They dont care a smidge about their hardships, their stories, their problems. They couldnt care less about the violence they endure, or the violence many of them inflict on Americans. The Democrats pretend to be the party of big hearts, while all the time being the party of the big lie. The party of true heartlessness. The party of power-seekers.

Every week, Fox News host Tucker Carlson tells this story clearly: The left wants to use these immigrants as pawns to gain permanent power. Leftists expect illegals to overwhelm America demographically and be beholden to their leftist masters. They believe these are people they can sway with promises of free health care, and every other freebie the left will offer. Their intention is to replace the American electorate with a more left-leaning demographic that will always vote Democratic. Carlson has compellingly espoused this for over a year.

And it appears to be the truth. Its the conclusion reached using Occams Razor. When you ask why Democrats have totally changed their minds on this issue in the past decade, this answer is best. As pointed out, leading Democrats have turned a 180 on illegal immigration in the past decade or so.

Most Democrats are no longer in mainstream Americathey have been captured and controlled by the radical left. Its why they wouldnt make a deal on DACA. Its why they dont want to allow the border wall to be built. Its why they wont call it a crisis. They need the votes.

My question: Just how long can the Democrats be that unprincipled and keep their old voters? How long will Democrats stay with a party that lurches so hard left?

My answer: As long as they can be fooled into believing Democrats are the party of JFK and social betterment. As long as they have a Republican Party that will lie down for them while running them over, a la Mitt Romney. The left owns the media, which means the center-right will have to work and fight harder to beat them, along with Mitt. The good news: Democrats have become so extreme, it shouldnt be hard to point that out to most voters.

I thought the extremism and insanity displayed by elected Democrats and their media slaves would finally turn off their voting base. I thought the Walk Away movement would be more powerful.

I really expected many Democrat voters to stay away this past election. But they didnt. It was more of the center-right who stayed home.

To those on the center-right who thought staying home was a smart protest: How in the world is allowing Nancy Pelosi more power helping? Doesnt that just show leftists that their policy of demonization and saying crazy things like President Donald Trump was elected by Russia works? How is allowing the left to have no principles, and then be elected to power, possibly good?

To my left-of-center friends: At what point will you rein in your leaders and representatives? Grasping the problem of having no principles other than to stoke anger isnt hard. Allowing your leaders to say crazy, nasty things, and win means theyll only get crazier and nastier.

Once upon a time, William Buckley faced down the John Birch Society, severing the craziest, loudest voices from becoming the face of the right. What the left needs is someone strong enough to stand up to the crazies and yell stop, as Buckley did. Brandon Straka is doing it. To a degree, Alan Dershowitz is doing it. What the left needs now is a tidal wave to break its own extremist, unprincipled fanaticism.

Needed is a bipartisan effort to walk back the non-principled extremists on the left. Soon. Before we are torn apart.

David Prentice is a writer and novelist from the Midwest.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Michael and Georgena Roberts were sentenced to 25 and 20 years in prison, respectively, for starving their child Liam, 6, to death. (Jerseyville Police Department)

Illinois Parents Called Evil People for Starving Boy to Death as Judge Sentences Them to Jail

A judge sentenced Illinois parents to decades in prison for starving a child to death as the boys biological mother called them evil people.

Prosecutors said that Michael and Georgena Roberts withheld food from Liam Roberts, 6, eventually causing him to die in November 2017. They pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges.

Chief Circuit Judge Eric Pistorius said that the case was beyond comprehension as he sentenced Michael Roberts, Liams biological father, to 25 years in prison and stepmother Georgena Roberts to 20 years in jail. They faced up to 60 years in prison each.

Pistorius said that he kept in mind that neither of the Roberts had criminal histories and Georgena Roberts has a number of mental health issues.

Kim Roberts, the biological mother of Liam, said that Michael Roberts failed in his role as a father.

She said during the Jan. 16 sentencing in Jerseyville that Liam died terrified and alone and that it was necessary to punish the evil people who murdered her beautiful son, reported the Alton Telegraph.

Maj. Scott Woelfel, the Jerseyville Police Department deputy chief, told the judge that the investigation found that the Roberts began starving Liam as a form of punishment shortly after they were married, about 18 months prior to the death.

Personnel at Liams school said the boy was so obsessed with food when he came to school he would literally eat food off the floor. In a shocking comparison, the detective said that the night before Liams death, he and his brother were given bologna while the other children in the family ate chicken strips and fries.

Michael and Georgena Roberts, meanwhile, enjoyed steak.

The last actual meal Liam had was about one year prior to his death, when Michael and Georgena got married, Woelfel said, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. We talked to neighbors, friends, coworkers, family members, and they all said they were never allowed to see the children. Some of the neighbors said they didnt even know (the youngest children) existed.

Father and stepmom who starved Jerseyville boy to death are sentenced to prison for murder https://t.co/w4gOV8gVle pic.twitter.com/mN4qrIPXW8  St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) January 17, 2019

Michael Roberts attorney, Jessica Koester, said that her client, who wept while she spoke, was working a lot and didnt want to cross his wife.

He was out of the house to work 80 hours a week and was frankly lazy, he didnt want to put up a fight with his wife, Koester said. His other three children love and miss their dad. Theyve been to hell and back.

Michael Roberts later read a statement to the judge.

I put myself above my kids and I was a coward. My son Liam is dead because I failed him, and my childrens lives are forever changed because of me, he said.

Georgena Roberts also read a statement during which she said, Im sorry for my actions and my inactions.

Kim Roberts said that she tried to see Liam repeatedly for several years before he died but that Michael Roberts hadnt let her despite her having visitation rights.

For the rest of my life, I will feel the guilt that I wasnt here when he needed me most, she said in court. He died terrified and alone.  I am heartbroken and will always remain heartbroken for the rest of my life.

From NTD NewsHow Trump Can Get the Wall and Force Democrats to Agree

Commentary

Its difficult to understand how or why anyone takes Democrats seriously anymore. Why does Fox invite Democrats on to share their opinion on any issue? They dont have one.

What they have is a narrativealready planned out, and dictated to them by the powers that beto parrot over and over again, some perhaps more cleverly than others, but with little variation. Today, the prevailing narrative is there is no crisis at the border.

There is a crisis at the border. That is indisputable. We are seeing it every day. I have written about it here, and new facts and figures have been added. As the president said in his address to the nation, 4,000 people have been killed, and 30,000 sex crimes and 100,000 assaults have been committed by illegal aliens in the past two years alone.

Over the years, tens of thousands have been killed by illegals. More have been raped. Drug overdoses have claimed more lives in a year than died in the Vietnam Waralmost all from drugs trafficked across the southern border. And the effect of this violence isnt limited to Americans.

But thats just scratching the surface. The Border Patrol engages in gun battles with cartel members at the border all the time, with 127 Border Patrol agents killed in the line of duty, according to former President Barack Obamas Border Patrol chief, Mark Morgan. Morgan agrees that theres a crisis and the wall is essential, as does practically every other Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or Customs and Border Protection officer whos been asked about it.

People who live and work near the border must contend with criminal illegals, coyotes, and other dangerous traffickers every day. The illegal immigrants themselves suffer horribly at the hands of human traffickers, and sometimes die in the wilderness, but are incentivized to seek the border because Congress refuses to do its job and close the border. But who are you going to believe: Democrats or your own lying eyes?

We have to be honest. Democrats couldnt care less about Americans dying as a result of illegal immigration, never mind all the other problems that illegal immigrants create. Democrats have shown this over and over. They supported wall funding at an earlier time, but only because they were confident a wall wouldnt actually be built.

And they were right. They claim to want border security, in the form of technology, but we already have drones, surveillance cameras, and all the other equipment they claim works. It doesnt, because it doesnt prevent people from crossing the border. Thats the key.

The reason they oppose a wall this time is that they know President Donald Trump will deliver. Only a wall will prevent illegal aliens from crossing the border. As we have seen, this is all that matters, because once across, they can apply for asylum. It takes an average of around 700 days to get a court hearing, and in the meantime, illegal aliens remain in the United States; about 30 to 40 percent never show up for the hearing and just join the growing ranks of illegals in the United States.

Illegal alien minors from Central America must, by law, be housed, and those who dont have criminal records are resettled in communities across the United States. They eventually gain legal permanent resident (LPR) status and then can apply for their relatives (chain migration). That is why we have seen a flood of minors, all instigated by the left. Only 12 percent of the more than 1 million LPRs in 2017 came for employment reasons. Most of the rest were for family reunification.

Democrats whisper among themselves that demographics is destiny. And it is true. Both California and Texas are minority-majority states now, and the numbers should give one pause. The underhanded game that Democrats have been playing with immigration is to import hordes of poor, needy populations, who vote overwhelmingly Democrat. Thats a main reason why so many races were so close this year, and it will only get worse. And if Democrats can manage to secure amnesty for the approximately 22 million illegal aliens in the United States today, they will achieve permanent political dominance.

This was bad enough when they were just liberal. Today, the vast majority are socialists and communists. Their permanent majority will spell the end for our great nation, and we will have to contend with Antifa types on a daily basis, as the street enforcers for a despotic kleptocracy. You will no longer have rights. Free speech will be gone. And kiss the Second Amendment goodbye, as the rule of the fist will take over.

The Wall

The president has the authority to declare a national emergency and build the wall with the military, which already has funding. That authority is beyond dispute, under law and Supreme Court decisions, although there will be legal experts who disagree.

Now, despite that authority, we can be confident that extremist judges appointed by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, who have already demonstrated their contempt for settled law and Supreme Court rulings in multiple unconstitutional, nationwide injunctions against Trump policies, will intervene if Trump declares a national emergency and starts to build the wall.

If, in declaring an emergency, the president simultaneously reopens the government, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or some other player will go to the Ninth District Court, which would immediately impose an injunction stopping construction. The Democrats would get their win and the president would be prevented from initiating construction until the case reached the Supreme Court.

And its not even a given that it would get a pass there, with Chief Justice John Roberts recently signaling never-Trump sentiments. It was all the more frightening given that Roberts was absurdly wrong when he said, We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges  Yes, Justice Roberts, we do. Some of them are the most partisan judges in history.

But theres a way to get around this. If Trump maintains the government shutdown, and judges still issue an injunction, then the pressure would fall on them and the Democrats. Its doubtful they would take that risk. The president, knowing that to open the government would instigate an immediate effort by the legal left to obtain an injunction, could announce he was continuing the shutdown until Congress agreed to authorize wall funding. Congress would do it sooner or later, because bureaucrats, now realizing Trump wouldnt budge, would begin pressuring Democrats, and they would start to look like the bad guys.

The only thing the president needs to do is not blink. When things get really painful, everyone will eventually turn to the real source of the problem: congressional Democrats. And when they see that obstruction is no longer a winning political strategy, theyll fold like a leaf.

One last thing. Even if congressional Democrats were to capitulate and approve wall funding, there would still be the possibility that a court would issue an injunction. If this is a risk, the president should just keep the government shut, and not agree to sign any upcoming appropriations bills until the wall is finished.

James Simpson is an economist, former White House budget analyst, businessman, and investigative journalist. His latest book is The Red-Green Axis: Refugees, Immigration and the Agenda to Erase America. Follow Jim on Twitter and Facebook.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Homeschool Advice: Starting Mid-Year

As more and more parents come to see the value of homeschooling their children, the next question they tend to consider is when to start. While its most common for parents to begin in the fall, following traditional back-to-school timing, others choose to start in the middle of the traditional school year.

For some, it may be because their children have never attended an outside school and are ready to begin homeschool. Others, though, may feel an urgency to remove their children from their current school and begin to homeschool mid-year.

I asked experienced homeschoolers for advice for those parents considering or getting underway with a mid-year start to homeschool.

Getting Started

Camille Di Maio of Williamsburg, Virginia, is a bestselling author and mother of four. She has been homeschooling for 15 years and has a sophomore in college, a high school senior, an 8th grader, and a 4th grader.

Di Maio advised parents starting homeschool mid-year, to first of all, take a breath, adding, Homeschooling is a wonderful adventure! And you are going to do way better than you think. Remember that you can get so much more done in a day than in traditional schoolingso there is plenty of time to settle in and find your place with it.

Jennifer McLean, a mother of three in Texas, has also homeschooled all of her children.

McLean pointed to the importance of checking state regulations on homeschooling.

Some states require no notice, while others require parents to send notification of test scores and involve things like compulsory home visits, she said. You can get more information and advice from your statewide homeschool association.

Sara Nesbitt, who is based in the Cape Fear region in North Carolina and the CEO of Coastal Carolina Soap Co., has been homeschooling her children since 2010starting with her older daughter after a frustrating experience in first grade.

When getting started, Nesbitt recommends a period of deschooling. This is sort of like a detoxing from public school process, she said. January is a great time to deschool because this looks a lot less rigid, schedule-wise, and most homeschool families are slow to move when its cold.

January Versus September

These moms found January to be a fine time to start homeschooling.

McLean said, The New Year is an ideal time to begin homeschooling as your child will have just had their semester break and so a fresh start wont be so disruptive.

Di Maio said that without the distractions of the fall weather, or the holidays, You can ease into it during these winter months when activities are fewer. As spring nears, youll already have a few months under your belt and a rhythm in place.

Homeschool Benefits

The benefits of homeschooling are numerous.

According to Nesbitt, The absolute top benefit of homeschooling is being able to tailor your childs education to her abilities, readiness, and interests. This creates a student-led learning atmosphere which stems from her passions. I guide them, but they have soared academically with this.

Of course, many homeschooling parents point to the freedom it allows. Our homeschooling years have allowed us to travel significantly both domestically and internationally, Di Maio said.

Another great advantage of homeschooling is the efficient use of time students can enjoy. No longer do children have to waste time waiting in line, for the bell to ring, for the rest of the class to be finished, and so on. Students can work at their own pace.

Typically, you do not need to spend full-time hours on schoolwork, Di Maio explained. So after the children complete the tasks for the day, they have plenty of time to pursue their particular interests.

One benefit not to be overlooked is the vast increase in quality time spent together. You can spend more time with your children, which is an excellent way to build a solid relationship. The unfortunate reality is that no one cares for their child more than a parent, so you will do whatever it takes to adapt to their learning style, said McLean.

and lets not forget being able to take them on vacations when public school is still in session, added Nesbitt.

Common Pitfalls in the Beginning

No doubt about it, deciding to homeschool any time of year is a big commitment. Its helpful to know where parents tend to struggle, especially when just getting started.

Some parents tend to push too hard right out of the gate. In my experience, the no. 1 pitfall is expecting too much of yourself and of your children, said Di Maio. Embrace downtime and dont feel like you have to cram the day with overt education. Some of the best moments are the times we bake together, read together, play together.

Other parents fall into the traps of perfectionism. McLean said, Many parents get held up by trying to find the perfect curriculum, schedule, and booklist. The reality is that perfect homeschooling just doesnt exist. At first, its natural for parents to feel anxious about their decision to homeschool and this is natural. During these times you just need to realize that this is new and it will take you some time to adjust. With time your confidence will grow.

Still other parents may feel judged for their decision to homeschool. According to Nesbitt, people may say, How will your child socialize? Are you qualified to teach? Youre just doing this to shelter your children from the world.

Nesbitt also pointed to self-doubt as something homeschool parents commonly deal with. It is really hard to escape the public school mindset regarding schedules, performance, achievement milestones, and so forth. There were the moments of wondering how much my child may be missing out not getting that special certificate for being a good citizen or showing good character. My kids roll their eyes at the mere idea of those now, said Nesbitt.

Find Other Homeschoolers

Homeschooling calls for courage and support. As you embark on your journey be sure to connect with other homeschoolers in your community.

This is a great time to connect with local homeschooling groups, advised Di Maio. They will already have a good schedule of activities in place and it will be easy for you to jump in and participate.

Our area has a large homeschool group on Facebook and a few smaller groups for more specific towns in our region, Nesbitt said.

McLean echoed the value of seeking out other social opportunities for your kids. All big changes are going to take time to adjust to, for both parents and children. Perhaps the biggest change is how your child will socialize. As a result, you will need to seek alternative sources of socialization, so you may want to start researching local clubs and activities, she said.A General Motors Co. logo hangs above a Chevrolet dealership this past April in Chicago, Illinois. GM said on Tuesday that its July auto sales were up 5 percent from June. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

GMs Washington Charm Offensive Sidelined by Wall Streets Push for Profit

WASHINGTONGeneral Motors code named its November announcement to cut nearly 15,000 jobs in North America and restructure itself Turbo, suggesting a leaner approach for the largest U.S. automaker would accelerate its transformation.

Wall Street investors cheered the ambition to get smaller and boost profits. But in Washington, the move remains a public relations crisis that threatens to derail a methodical effort by Chief Executive Mary Barra to keep GM in good graces with the White House and other politicians.

President Donald Trump called Barras decision nasty and said GM had better find a product to build at a plant in Ohio, a pivotal state for Trumps 2020 re-election effort. Representative Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from southeast Michigan and former GM employee, said at the time that GM had become the most thoroughly disliked company in Washington.

At the Detroit auto show this week where GM is facing off with politicians from the states most impacted by its job cuts, Dingell told Reuters that GM is going to work hard to improve relationships.

Despite the angst in Washington, Barra and her deputies are showing no signs of shifting gears.

Were not here to make everybody angry, GM President Mark Reuss told Reuters this week at the auto show. He said GMs restructuring is driven by many factorsincluding the need to offset tariff costs and finance new electric vehicles and battery technology. That requires GM to stop investing money in things that dont make money.

It is a message Barra herself hit hard on Jan. 11 during a presentation to investors in New York, where she promised stronger profits and outlined plans for its Cadillac brand to challenge Tesla Inc.

We have demonstrated time and again that we are willing to make tough and strategic decisions to not only meet our commitments but to secure the companys future, Barra said.

Barras charm offensive had proven successful for most of President Donald Trumps first two years in office. Atop Barras list of accomplishments: shielding GMs profitable Mexican truck production and its $5 billion investment in its Mexican operations announced in 2014 to double capacity in Mexico from punitive trade measures from the Trump administration.

But the new conflict with Washington comes at a critical time for GM, which wants to sell many more electric vehicles and has been lobbying Congress to expand the $7,500 tax credits. It still needs help from regulators to get self-driving cars without steering wheels on U.S. roads.

And GM stands to benefit from the Trump administrations plan to weaken fuel efficiency standards

Weve done this to help you, and I think his disappointment is it seems like they kind of turned their back on him, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters in November, referring to Trumps reaction.

Kyle Martin, research analyst with Westwood Management in Dallas, which owns GM shares, said GM needs the cash to develop to electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technology.

That money has to come from somewhere, he said.

Working Washington

Trumps election win brought a dire warning from GM executives in a presentation in late 2017 and early 2018 to the companys board: an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement could cost the automaker billions of dollars in tariffs on GMs Mexican vehicles. They concluded that the costs would still be less than the billions of dollars and years it would take to shift production to the United States, people briefed on the matter said.

GM argued that while it was building autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles in the United States, it needed to keep generating profits on Mexican-built trucks to fund those operations, people briefed on the talks said.

So Barra made engaging with the White House after Trumps election a key focus, three people briefed on the matter said.

She went to dinner at the house of Trumps daughter Ivanka, and spoke on several occasions with Trump himself. Barra hired a former senior Trump aide who handled trade policy issues, Everett Eissenstat, to run GMs DC office in August.

And she has had numerous talks with U.S. officials, including conversations with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, about the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canadaincluding a key call in August to address concerns from GM that the new trade deal could have disadvantaged its Mexican operations.

Barra is now counting on those relationships to help her steer through 2019, and mend fences in Washington.

She invited Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to Michigan to attend a board meeting in June 2017 and take a ride in a self-driving car in Michigan, according to previously unreported government records reviewed by Reuters. Barra also had a previously unreported lunch in April 2017 with Chao at the White House with other officials.

She spent two days last month on Capitol Hill meeting with angry lawmakers and explaining the cuts. In a brief interview with Reuters in December, Barra said she understands that theres a lot of emotion and concerns but emphasized that the actions were about safeguarding the companys future.

She has her work cut out for her.

Representative Andy Levin, a Michigan Democrat who took office this month, noted the Detroit-Hamtramck plantone of the facilities losing productionis on a site that GM won approval in the early 1980s to dislocate more than 4,200 people as the state tore down about 1,500 homes and 140 businesses.

We as a society made a huge sacrifice for GM so they could have a new plant. And 30 years later they are just going to throw it away? Levin said. Were not going to stop and just say, Oh this is a cost of doing business.'

By David ShepardsonGermany Considering Ways to Exclude Huawei from 5G Auction

BERLINThe German government is actively considering stricter security requirements and other ways to exclude Chinas Huawei Technologies from a buildout of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported.

Handelsblatt, citing government sources, said government officials were discussing setting security standards that Huawei could not achieve, effectively blocking its participation. Changes to the German telecommunications law were also under consideration as a last resort, the paper said.

The deliberations would mark a shift from the German governments position in October, when it told lawmakers it saw no legal basis to exclude any vendors from an upcoming 5G auction following warnings from Washington.

The government told lawmakers in a more recent response that the security of 5G networks was extremely relevant, and would guide its upcoming decisions, Handelsblatt reported.

U.S. officials have briefed allies that Huawei is ultimately at the beck and call of the Chinese regime, while warning that its network equipment may contain back doors that could open them up to cyber espionage.

Germanys Deutsche Telekom announced in December that it would review its vendor strategy and Frances Orange said it would not hire the Chinese firm to build its next-generation network in France.

The shift by the national market leaders, both partly state owned, followed Huaweis exclusion on national security grounds by some U.S. allies, led by Australia, from building their fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks.

Handelsblatt quoted Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei as saying his company had never received a request from a government to transmit information in violation of any regulations.

Ren, a former army engineer and current Communist Party member, said his company would not answer to requests from the Chinese regime to hand over information, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ren didnt provide details about how the company would resist requests from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But under Chinas national security laws, all companies operating in the country are required to grant authorities control of its data if asked. The concept of national security is expansively defined to cover threats to the CCPs authoritarian control, including opinions critical of the Party.

I love my country, I support the Communist Party . it quoted him as saying.

Tensions have been heightened by the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, who is Rens daughter and the chief financial officer of Huawei. Meng is facing extradition to the United States, where prosecutors allege that she violated U.S. sanctions against Iran by misleading banks about the companys dealings in the Middle Eastern country.

By Andrea Shalal. Epoch Times staff Cathy He contributed to this report.German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller arrives for a weekly German federal Cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, on May 15, 2018. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)

German Government Minister Raises Concerns About Chinese Loans to Zambia

A German official is the latest government authority to voice concerns about developing countries taking up Chinese loans.

Gerd Muller, minister of Germanys Economic Cooperation and Development, a cabinet-level ministry, stated that the terms for Chinese loans are often very untransparent, according to a Jan. 16 article by German-language daily newspaper Handelsblatt. Muller made the remark during a recent visit to Zambia.

He spoke of the situation in Sri Lanka where the local government transferred ownership rights of the Hambantota Port for 99 years to China for a partial debt settlement. The German minister said the port should be a warning signal for other developing countries about Chinese financing.

Muller pointed out that Zambia had benefited from Chinas debt relief, but the country is now again highly indebted. We are concerned about that, he added.

While Muller did not elaborate on the types of debt relief, Zambia was one of nine countries that received a debt cancellation totalling 1.42 billion yuan ($209 million) from China in 2014, according to the official website of China International Development Cooperation Agency.

In September 2018, Zambia secured $30 million in interest-free loans and a $30 million grant from China, according to Voice of America.

Handelsblatt, citing unconfirmed reports, raised the issue of how the Zambian government had used the countrys state-owned electricity company Zesco as collateral in credit agreements with China.

In December 2018, U.S. national security advisor John Bolton stated that China was poised to take over Zesco in order to collect debt the Zambian government owes, between $6 to 10 billion, according to Reuters. Zambias presidential spokesman Amos Chanda denied Boltons claim at the time. Chanda added that the country has an external debt of $9.7 billion, of which $3.1 billion is owed to China.

Citing data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Handelsblatt pointed out that Zambias debt stood at 36 percent of its economic output in 2014. The percentage will rise to 77 percent by 2019, according to IMF estimates.

IMF named Zambia among a list of sub-Saharan African countries at high risk of debt distress, in a statement issued in May 2018. But IMF did not name China as the culprit.

Both Sri Lanka and Zambia have received significant investments from China under its One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative.

Beijing launched OBOR in 2013 with the objective of building up trade routes connecting China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

According to Chinas official OBOR website, there are over 500 Chinese-invested companies currently operating in Zambia, with involvement in projects ranging from mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

For example, a new international airport is being built at Ndola, a city in Zambias Copperbelt Province, with the estimated cost of $397 million being financed by Chinas state-owned Export and Import Bank of China, according to Chinas official OBOR website. The airport is being built by AVIC International, a subsidiary of Chinas state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), an aerospace and defense conglomerate.

U.S. Concerns

The concerns raised by Muller have also been voiced by U.S. government officials.

In February 2018, David Malpass, U.S. Department of Treasurys Under Secretary for International Affairs, gave a speech at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), naming China as the party responsible for Venezuelas economic problems due to its opaque lending.

If you ask China for its terms, you will not find them, Malpass said about Chinese loans made to the South American country in exchange for oil, estimated at roughly $50 billion over the past decade, according to Reuters.

Malpass added that such lending undercuts the incentives of recipient governments to improve their business environments, governance structures, and macroeconomic policies.

At the same time, these kinds of Chinese deals often consist of long-term contracts for commodity exports at prices favorable for China, not the exporting country, Malpass stated.

In addition, a bipartisan group of 16 U.S. senators, including Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), sent a letter in August 2018 to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressed concerns over bailout requests to the International Monetary Fund by countries who have accepted predatory Chinese infrastructure financing.

As examples, the senators pointed to the $1.5 billion bailout offered by IMF to Sri Lanka in 2016 because of unsustainable debts to China. There was also the example of Pakistan seeking an IMF bailout for its debt obligations caused by building the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

CPEC is Chinas most important OBOR project in Pakistan with investments topping $57 billion. The project is centered around a transportation network linking Chinas Kashgar City in Xinjiang with the Pakistani seaport of Gwadar.

Indias English-language daily newspaper The Times of India reported on Jan. 13, 2019, that Pakistan has now decided not to seek any IMF bailout package, and will explore other options, after months of negotiations aimed at securing an $8 billion bailout.

These financial crises illustrate the dangers of Chinas debt-trap diplomacy and its Belt and Road Initiative to developing countries, the senators wrote.L: James Baker. (Federal Bureau of Investigation); R: The Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters in Washington on Dec. 7, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Former Top FBI Lawyer James Baker Investigated for Leaking to Media

Former top FBI lawyer James Baker was under criminal investigation for leaking to media, Republican lawmakers revealed. The investigation was still active as recently as Oct. 3, when he was interviewed by Congress.

During the unclassified, closed-door interview, Bakers lawyer, Daniel Levin, instructed him to not talk about his contacts with journalists.

Im sorry, Im going to cutnot let him answer these questions right now. You may or may not know, hes been the subject of a leak investigation which is stilla criminal leak investigation thats still active at the Justice Department. So I am cutting off  any discussion about conversations with reporters, Levin said, according to excerpts from a transcript of the interview released in a letter (pdf) by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).

They addressed the Jan. 15 letter to John Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, who, according to Levin, handles the investigation of Baker.

As we continue our oversight and investigative work, we felt it prudent to write to you seeking an update, the lawmakers wrote. Without being apprised of the contours of your leak investigation and Bakers role, we run the risk of inadvertently interfering with your prosecutorial plans.

The letter refers to the investigation as ongoing. Durhams office declined to comment.

FISA Abuse Probe

The Congressional probe, led by Republicans on the House judiciary and oversight committees, released its findings on Dec. 28, shortly before Democrats took control of the House. It concluded that the Justice Department (DOJ) under President Barack Obama treated candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump differently in 2016 during investigations in the leadup to the presidential election and in 2017 after Trump won.

The FBI investigated Clinton for her use of an unauthorized private email server and her mishandling of classified information while serving as state secretary. But that investigation was over before it began, the lawmakers concluded, as then-FBI Director James Comey wrote a statement exonerating Secretary Clinton [in 2016] months before his public announcement doing so.

On the other hand, the DOJ potentially abused foreign intelligence surveillance (FISA) powers to target Trump presidential campaign associate Carter Page. In its FISA warrant application, the FBI heavily relied on the increasingly discredited Steele dossier, a collection of unsubstantiated claims about Trump-Russia ties put together by former British spy Christopher Steele, who was paid to do so by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

As the FBI general counsel, Baker would have been involved in the FISA application and its renewals. Baker was an authority on FISA because he used to lead the Justice Departments Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which was responsible for preparing and filing FISA applications.

Leaks on Investigation of Leaks

The news that Baker was under investigation first emerged in July 2017, when multiple government officials close to the probe told Circa that Baker faced criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified national security information to the media.

Cracking down on leakers has been one of the priorities of President Trump.

In December 2017, Baker was being reassigned by incoming FBI Director Christopher Wray, The Washington Post reported, using unnamed sources. Baker had been caught up in a strange interagency dispute that led to a leak probe and attracted the attention of senior lawmakers, but people familiar with the matter said the probe had recently ended with a decision not to charge anyone, the paper wrote.

Yet, as the letter of Jordan and Meadows reveals, the investigation was still active more than nine months later.

The lawmakers were apparently interested in Bakers contacts with the media and found out that Baker was in touch with Mother Jones reporter David Corn, who was the first to report the existence of the so-called Steele dossier on Oct. 31, 2016.

Last time we talked about Mr. Corn pretty in-depth, Jordan is quoted in the transcript as saying, apparently referring to a previous interview with Baker.

The transcript suggests Corn provided certain information to Baker.

We talked about him bringing some information in, Levin said, also referring to some previous conversation.

After the interview, Meadows hinted at its significance, saying that some of the things that were shared were explosive in nature, Fox News reported. This witness confirmed that things were done in an abnormal fashion. Thats extremely troubling.

Republican lawmakers have asked for this and other interviews to be released by the FBI and the DOJ, which hasnt happened yet. The Epoch Times recently reported in detail on several of the transcripts obtained or viewed.

Baker resigned from the FBI sometime before May 4, The New York Times reported.Fireball Explodes Across Roof of University in France

A large fire broke has broken out on the rooftop of a university in the French city of Lyon.

Videos and photos posted on social media on Jan. 17 show thick black smoke billowing from the flaming building top, before a large fireball explodes with a bang across the top of the roof.

Important incendie sur la campus de la Doua au Nord de Lyon pic.twitter.com/XkMiGOPc9D  Florent Derue (@florentderue) January 17, 2019

Below the exploding fireball that spews out a black mushroom cloud, stands a crowd of students, already evacuated from the building on the university campus in central eastern France.

According to Reuters, police and university sources said that the explosion was caused by a gas bottle on the roof of the science library in La Doua campus in Villeurbanne.

Firemen are on the scene, and the explosion has now been brought under control.

The university evacuated nearby buildings, and set up a 33o-foot perimeter after the fire broke out sometime around 9 a.m.

A tweet posted by the University at 10:20 a.m. local time said that the fire was under control, and that there were only 3 minor injuries. Other buildings, initially evacuated, were no longer affected, it said.

The university said that the fire on the Mendel building was due to the renovation work.Falling Tree Kills Man as Storm Lashes California

SAN FRANCISCOA falling tree killed a man in Oakland on Jan. 16, as a powerful storm lashed Northern California with high winds and rain, authorities said.

The man was struck on an embankment near Interstate 580 and died at the scene.

The man, who was homeless, may have been just trying to stay dry, California Highway Patrol Officer Herman Baza said. Unfortunately, that protection was deadly.

The latest storm in a series that has pounded California all week closed a major freeway, triggered deadly wrecks on slick roads, had people in wildfire-ravished communities bracing for dangerous mudslides and mountain residents facing potentially life-threatening blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada.

In Lake County, winds gusts of 71 mph were reported.

Pacific Gas & Electric reported that some 46,000 customers were without power Wednesday evening.

Massive winds and an increased fire threat caused Pacific Gas & Electric to preemptively cut power to thousands of Northern California customers. #SpecialReport https://t.co/uDH52hJIPd pic.twitter.com/BSgoBTIuNa  Fox News (@FoxNews) October 15, 2018

The heaviest rain was expected to fall Wednesday night but problems piled up earlier in the day.

Heavy snowfall and crashes shut down westbound Interstate 80 at the Nevada border, blocking one of the two routes to the Sierra Nevada and most of Northern Californias ski resorts, authorities said.

In Southern California, fog on a mountain highway triggered a 19-vehicle crash. Thirty-five people were evaluated for injuries after the pileup on Interstate 15 in Cajon Pass, but most declined to be taken to hospitals, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

A mudslide on a major Northern California freeway just north of the Golden Gate Bridge disrupted the morning commute. The slide closed southbound Highway 101 across the bridge for about an hour, shutting off the only direct access to San Francisco for drivers north of the city.

Weather concerns also kept a stretch of scenic Highway 1 in Big Sur closed.

In areas recently scarred by wildfires, authorities fear small rivers and creeks will flood their banks and cause massive mudslides, further damaging communities struggling to recover from a historically bad fire season.

The blazes stripped hillsides of trees and other vegetation that stabilize soil and prevent mudslides, putting at risk thousands of people living in foothill and canyon areas devastated by wildfires. That includes the Northern California region where a November fire killed 86 people and destroyed nearly 15,000 homes.

If flooding occurs, this can quickly become a dangerous and life-threatening situation, the Butte County Sheriffs Office said.

Authorities told residents of Pulga to prepare to flee their canyon community that neighbors the town of Paradise, which was leveled two months ago by the Camp Fire.

Conditions started deteriorating on California roadways Tuesday night.

Three people, including an infant, were killed when their car spun out on a freeway in Placerville, about 130 miles east of San Francisco. Authorities blamed it on high speed and rain-slickened roads.

In the mountainous community of Truckee where it snowed Tuesday, residents were preparing for the next storm by clearing driveways and buying wood and food in case they have to stay inside.

It took my husband an hour to get to Safeway last week because there were so many people and no one could get home, Whitby Bierwolf told the Sacramento television station KCRA. You just need to have an alternate plan and have enough stuff in your car because accidents happen.

The Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe regions could see up to 5 feet of snow.

In the south, some evacuation orders were in place in the Malibu area west of Los Angeles and parts of neighboring Ventura County. Both were affected by a November fire that destroyed more than 1,500 homes and killed four people.

A rockslide Paul Manion was busy filling sandbags in the community of Bell Canyon.

Its something we have to do. I mean, if the water comes, it comes, Manion told KABC-TV. Everything around our house burned. All the houses around our house burned. But its the hillsides that were worried about.

Others refused to leave after authorities went door to door at the high-risk Paradise Cove mobile home park in Malibu. Beaver Valenzuela said hes survived fiercer storms and wouldnt leave until he was convinced the danger was more immediate.

Im not going anywhere, he told the Los Angeles news station.

By Paul EliasThe logo of Facebook appearing on screens at the Nasdaq securities exchange in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Facebook Shuts Hundreds of Russia-Linked Pages, Accounts

LONDONFacebook said on Jan. 17, it removed hundreds of Russia-linked pages, groups and accounts that it says were part of two big disinformation operations targeting users outside the United States.

The social media company said its latest effort to fight misinformation came after it found two networks that engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior on Facebook and its Instagram service.

Facebooks head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said in a blog post that one network operated in countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. The other focused on Ukraine.

We didnt find any links between these operations, but they used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing, Gleicher said.

Last night, we removed two networks of Pages and accounts that were driving campaigns of coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB) that originated in Russia. We are constantly working to find and stop this kind of activity in Europe and around the world. https://t.co/30DH1z0Ybn  Nathaniel Gleicher (@ngleicher) January 17, 2019

U.S. tech companies have stepped up their work against disinformation campaigns, aiming to stymie online troublemakers efforts to divide voters and discredit democracy. Facebooks purge is part of countermeasures to prevent abuses like those used by Russian groups two years ago to sway public opinion ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Though much of the attention has been on Russian-linked campaigns in the United States, Facebook has identified and blocked such tactics around the world. The Menlo Park, California, company has been disclosing such purges regularly in recent months, as its systems get better at detecting and removing malicious accounts. But those behind the campaigns are sharpening their attacks, too.

According to Facebook, the people running the accounts represented themselves as independent news sources and posted on topics like anti-NATO sentiment and protest movements.

Gleicher said one network of 364 pages and accounts was linked to employees of Sputnik, a Russian state-run English-language news site. About 790,000 accounts followed one or more of the networks pages. The operation spent about $135,000 over six years for Facebook advertisements, which it paid for in euros, rubles, and dollars. The most recent ad ran in January.

Facebook takes down anti-NATO pages linked to Russia https://t.co/6VpllSuHf2 pic.twitter.com/7ktJqUmsrm  The Hill (@thehill) January 17, 2019

Sputnik criticized Facebooks takedown.

The decision is clearly political. This is tantamount to censorship, Sputnik said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding that Facebook blocked the accounts of seven of its bureaus in former Soviet republics. Sputnik editorial offices deal with news and they do it well. If this blocking is Facebooks only reaction to the quality of the medias work, then we have no questions, everything is clear here. But there is still hope that common sense will prevail.

Acting on a tip from U.S. law enforcement, Facebook shut another 148 pages, groups, and accounts, including 41 on Instagram, that were part of a second network that spent $25,000 on ads in 2018, paid for in rubles. Gleicher said Facebook identified some technical overlap with Russia-based activity we saw prior to the U.S. midterm elections, including behavior that shared characteristics with previous Internet Research Agency activity.

The disclosure is the latest in a series of fake account purges in recent months. Facebook has been stepping up its scrutiny after being criticized for its slow response to foreign attempts to influence the 2016 vote.

In another measure aimed at increasing transparency, Facebook last year started requiring all political ads taken out in the United States, Britain, and Brazil to disclose who paid for them.

By Kelvin ChanFormer Assistant Attorney General John Carlin (L) and Assistant Attorney General John Demers appear in the panel "Dawn of the Code War" at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Jan. 15, 2019. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times)

Experts: US Must Be Ready for Cyberwar

WASHINGTONThe United States is at the beginning of an era of cyberwarfare with China and several other adversaries, and needs to take vigorous actions to fight and win this war, two Justice Department (DOJ) experts said.

Referring to the national security threats in cyberspace the United States is facing, John Carlin, former assistant attorney general in the DOJs National Security Division, said: We are at the beginning of this space. And we are still feeling out what red lines look like. But its begun.

John Demers, assistant attorney general, National Security Division, said: There is a lot going on in this space. Just keep your eyes open. We are not talking about history. We are talking about the present and the future.

Carlin published the book Dawn of the Code War last October to discuss the rise of cyber threats from U.S. adversaries, and the strategies that have been developed to combat them. He and Demers appeared at a panel named after his book at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Jan. 15.

Demers shared some behind-the-scenes stories about some of the attacks.

What they are stealing is not national secrets. It is things like email telling the pricing for a solar company, so they could price dump, right below what that solar company could bear, he said.

And then, to add insult to injury, after that solar company went bankrupt, and sued for unfair trade practices, they stole the whole litigation strategy out from under them.

And we put together an attachment showing when this activity happened. From 9 a.m. in the morning, until around noon, it spikes. It decreases from noon to 1 p.m.: lunch break. It increases again from 1 to 6 p.m. It decreases overnight, on weekends, and on Chinese holidays.

So the former prosecutor and I would say, Circumstantial evidence: This is coming from China. 

Demers said that in the last eight years, 90 percent of the DOJs cases alleging economic espionage involve China.

There is an international norm, that is, the intelligence agencies [of] countries do not steal commercial and intellectual property. Period. We dont do it.

The reason I know that there is an international norm is that in the last eight years, 90 percent of the economic espionage cases we have charged involved one country, and thats China. Which means the rest of the world isnt doing it, either, Demers said.

In a Senate hearing on Chinas Non-Traditional Espionage Against the United States: The Threat and Potential Policy Responses in December, the Peoples Republic of China was named as the greatest threat to U.S. economy and national security.

General Keith Alexander called Chinas estimated gains from economic espionage of up to $600 billion, the greatest transfer of wealth in history.

Indictments and Sanctions

Both Carlin and Demers said that, given the credibility of the U.S. justice system, indictment is a very good tool to tackle the problem, as it will let the American public know how serious the code war is.

Another good tool is sanctions.

Carlin said, Another tool that I think is not being used enough, which was signed into effect under an executive order by President [Barack] Obama, and is being signed again with the same declaration of economic emergency by President [Donald] Trump, is the executive order that allows the sanctioning not just on the cyber actors who steal information, but on the companies who benefit from the stolen secrets.

On April 1, 2015, Obama signed an executive order Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities, authorizing targeted sanctions against individuals or entities whose actions in cyberspace result in significant threats to the national security, foreign policy, economic health, or financial stability of the United States.

In 2015, Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached an agreement, in which the United States and China agree that neither countrys government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors.

However, Demers said that it was very frustrating that instead of abiding by the agreement, some countries are providing a safe harbor, at best, to criminals, and worse, are working with those criminals.

On Dec. 20, 2018, the United States charged two Chinese hackers associated with the Ministry of State Security in China with an extensive global computer-intrusion campaign carried out over more than a decade.

Demers said the significance of the case was that it was the first indictment against Chinese hackers after the ObamaXi cyber agreement.

Demers said he hopes the indictment could lay a foundation for later groundwork for other agencies, so they could use their authority to shine a spotlight on this. It could also help members of Congress become aware of these activities.Divers Swim With Record 20-Foot-Long Great White Shark Called Deep Blue

The stench of rotting sperm whale tempted a massive 50-year-old celebrity shark known as Deep Blue out of retirement. The beast was caught on camera off the coast of Hawaii by divers who were able to swim with her.

Big Blueestimated to be 20 feet longwas made famous by the Discovery Channels Shark Week, and is often given the title of the worlds largest shark on record.

She was last spotted in Mexico in 2013.

Great White sharks are a rare sight for the divers, who were shocked when the giant frame of Great Blue emerged, dwarfing the tiger sharks and that they had expected to see swimming around a sperm whale carcass off Oahu, Hawaiis third-largest island.

The shark was first spotted by local freediver Kimberly Jeffries on Jan. 13.

If you asked me a few days ago what the most amazing thing Ive ever seen in Hawaiian waters the answer probably would  Kimberly Jeffries Photography  2019116

But after the encounter, Jeffries reviewed the footage and realised that Deep Blue wasnt the only massive shark she had been swimming with.

Tonight when I got home and after I got off the phone with the news something someone said bothered me, she wrote on Facebook on Jan 16. I went over photos from three days of diving with sharks and realized that the sharks are different. Weve now confirmed with scientists that they are indeed unique individuals and were working to get IDs out for everyone.

Great White Breakfast  Kimberly Jeffries Photography  2019116

Local diver Mark said that Great Blues ID checked out. [Jeffries] was first to spot her on 13 January 2019, and we confirmed the ID with the white shark authority, SharkPix.com this morning, he posted to Facebook.

Deep Blue disappeared after a day according to Mohler, but her companions put on a show for photographers and divers the following day.

Jeffries wrote on Facebook, If you asked me a few days ago what the most amazing thing Ive ever seen in Hawaiian waters the answer probably would be pretty different

 Mark Mohler  2019116

If you asked me yesterday the answer would be freediving with Deep Blue, a great white, the largest ever documented, who was last seen in 2013 in Mexico, Jeffries added.

Deep Blue, possibly the biggest White Shark identified, coming in at nearly 7 meters, was last spotted in Mexico. She  Mark Mohler  2019115

If you asked me right now, it would be freediving with, interacting with and photographing not one but multiple, different great whites AND Deep Blue.

Dr. Melanie Hutchinson, a shark researcher for the University of Hawaii, told KOHN2 that the prehistoric species has been a frequent visitor to Hawaii since ancient times.

Theyve been coming here forever. About 20% of the population from California and Mexico migrate here every year or every other year. So they are typically here in the winter, Hutchinson explained.

What theyre doing when theyre in Hawaii is really deep dives during the day. And so thats why people dont typically interact with them. I think the sperm whale kind of presented an opportunistic foraging opportunity so thats probably why people saw this animal, said Hutchinson.

But Big Blues credentials may have suffered from a little celebrity spin, according to Michael Domeier, president of the Marine Conservation Science Institute.

The claim that she is the largest white shark in the world is just a Discovery Channel gimmick, he told Motherboard. Deep Blue has never been measured, so how could anyone make that statement?

Her age, too, is hard to judge, he said. Because she was already an adult when she was first encountered 20 years ago, she is likely to be at least 40 now. Unfortunately the only way to accurately age a white shark is to kill it and look at the rings on the vertebrae, but no mystery is worth solving at that price!John and Terri Seppala enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York on Jan. 16, 2019. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch TImes)

NEW YORKTerri Seppala found Shen Yun Performing Artss mission to revive Chinas semi-divine culture to be inspiring. The president of the medical technology company, Telehealth Associates, attended the performance with her husband at The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Jan. 16.

I think the dancing is outstanding. The culture that we experienced is phenomenal, Seppala said. I am really loving it.

And we didnt realize that Shen Yun is all over the world, she added.

New York-based Shen Yun showcases Chinas 5,000 years of traditional culture, after it was nearly destroyed by six decades of communist rule. The performance displays the inner spiritual core of the nations culture, which encompasses the virtues of benevolence, kindness, and honor. The company has six equal-sized groups that tour the world simultaneously. They are set to perform in about 130 cities across five continents.

Shen Yun uses classical Chinese dance as a foundation, while also maintaining a number of ethnic and folk dances. Classical Chinese dance is a dance art form built upon a deep foundation of traditional aesthetics, and is rich with expressive power, according to the companys website.

Dancers bring out the inner meaning of intrinsic thoughts and feelings through their movements. Seppala said she was impressed the dancers for their proficiency and she praised them for their coordination and togetherness.

The dancers are all the same [and] the same height, she added.

A Show That Cannot Be Seen in China

Seppala and her husband John were concerned when the emcees said Shen Yun cannot be performed in China today. She pointed out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) front group that had staged a protest outside Lincoln Center to slander the performance.

Like Seppala, many Shen Yuns audience members were surprised to see the protest when walking toward the theater. They have questioned why the CCP is so afraid of a dance and music company.

According to Shen Yun, this is because the CCP sees traditional Chinese culture, which is deeply rooted in Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, as its greatest rival. Through the Cultural Revolution, which occurred between 1966 and 1976, the communist regime attempted to eradicate traditional culture and replace it with Mao Zedongs way of thinking and style of discourse.

Ancient relics and antiques, calligraphy and paintings, classic books, and scriptures were burned, while temples and statues were smashed to pieces. From that point on, Chinese culture was never the same again.

This is why Shen Yun is trying to revive authentic traditional Chinese culture and values, and bring it to the world through performing arts. The performance is not afraid to showcase themes and values that are in stark contrast with the ideology of the CCP. Many of the traditional values are universal, resonate with people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, as well as guide people to live virtuous lives.

The story of the history and the culture of China and this dance company is inspiring, Seppala said.

With reporting by Sherry Dong and Janita Kan.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.A coalition of angel families, Women for Trump, congress members, families who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses, war, and 9/11, rallied outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 15, 2019, to show their support for President Donald Trump and his request to build a wall on the southwest border. (York Du/NTD)

Coalition of Groups Puts Pressure on Schumer, Pelosi to Fund Border Wall

WASHINGTONOn a cold January morning outside the Capitol, a coalition of groups that support U.S. President Donald Trump had an even colder message for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over their refusal to fund a border wall.

Which one of your children would you be willing to sacrifice? Amy Kremer, the cofounder of Women for Trump rhetorically asked Pelosi. This is not just a manufactured crisis  This is very real.

With her were over 20 other Trump supportersmany of them angel families who have lost a loved one at the hands of an illegal alien.

Nancy Pelosi, youve got a nice wall around your home. Build that wall for the safety and security of the American people, said Maureen Laquerre, an angel sister whose brother was killed in 2009 by an illegal alien driving without a license.

The groups visited Congress on Jan. 15 in the hopes of meeting with the recently elected speaker and minority leader, who have been in a stalemate with President Donald Trump over the $5.7 billion he wants for a wall on the border with Mexico.

Trump has cited human trafficking, illegal immigration, terrorism, and the flow of illicit drugs through the southwest border as the reasons he wants a wallall concerns shared by those attending the rally.

Also at the rally was former ICE Director Tom Homan who addressed speculation about the number of special-interest aliens (SIAs)people who have been flagged because of their travel patterns and behaviorcoming through open parts of the southwest border. DHS said that last year, 3,000 were stopped at the southern border but not how many of those were apprehended between ports of entry.

As for terrorists coming across the Southwest border, yes, I detained one as ICE director. The question isnt how many have been arrested by border patrol. The question is how many did not get arrested by border patrol, Homan said.

If anyone doesnt think the southwestern border is a vulnerability to terrorism, then again, youre not paying attention.

Members of Congress and the families of those who have died of drug overdoses, fighting in the Middle East, and in 9/11 were also part of the coalition.

A common refrain throughout their speeches was the feeling that they have been put in the shadows while illegal aliens have been welcomed with open arms, as evidenced by the number of sanctuary jurisdictions that protect them. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, there are about 300.

Illustrating their point, some joggers started heckling the group as they ran past.

DC trip off to a great start! Standing here with an angel mom and @WomenforTrump and our Uber just drives off and leaves us standing here.  Definitely missing the southern charm were used to   The Deplorable Choir (@DeplorableChoir) January 14, 2019

After rallying outside, the group headed in to see if they could get meetings with Pelosi and Schumer. They were not successful, according to social media posts by the various groups.

One angel mom, Mary Ann Mendoza, told NTD that she called Pelosis office to arrange a meeting with the speaker beforehand. She said there was silence for a moment on the other line before the staffer told her no.

Pelosi and Schumers offices did not respond to a request for comment on whether the group had called ahead to request a meeting and whether they were denied.

Women for Trump, the organizer of the event, did not respond to follow up calls and emails on how the group went about arranging the meetings.

Trump has declined to sign any more appropriations bills until the funding for the wall is included in the budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

Democrats have so far refused the funding request. Any funding bill needs 60 votes in the Senate to get passed, and with only 53 Republicans and a Democrat-controlled House, Trump will need Democrats support to get funding for a wall.

This has resulted in a partial government shutdown, that, as of Jan. 15, was in its 25th day.

Several of the rally-goers NTD spoke to said they were sympathetic to the fact that federal and other workers have missed a paycheck as a result of the shutdown. But they also expressed appreciation for Trumps firm stance on border security and his America-first policies.

On Jan. 16, Trump sat down with the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to discuss a way forward after talks stalled between the president and Democratic leaders.

The president and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus. They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. We look forward to more conversations like this.

From NTD(L) Actor Chris Pratt attends the premiere of 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' in Los Angeles, California, June 12, 2018. (David Livingston/Getty Images) (R). Author Katherine Schwarzenegger at the 2017 Women In Film Max Mara Face of the Future at Cheateau Marmont in Los Angeles, California, June 12, 2017. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger Planning a Traditional Wedding for This Summer Reports Say

Religion will play a major role in the highly anticipated wedding of Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger, according to reports.

Theyre going to want a religious wedding, an insider source told People. I know that Chris does, and I assume that she does, too. God is going to be a part of this marriage.

Pratt also loves that Schwarzenegger doesnt shy away from discussing her beliefs openly, the source added.

Hes constantly around other people who have no faith or are apologetic about it, but not her, the source said. She is willing to talk about it to anyone who will listen.

Another insider source close to Schwarzenegger added the pair wont be waiting too long before getting married.

They are one of those rare couples that you root for from the beginning, the source told the publication. It wont be a long engagementKatherine has already talked about having a summer 2019 wedding.

Anticipated Summer Wedding

That only gives the couple about six to seven months to get everything ready. However, they seem to already have a venue in mind. Surprisingly, it seems like it wont be in California or Washington, Schwarzeneggers and Pratts respective home states. Instead, it will be on the opposite coast.

An insider told E! News, They are thinking about Marthas Vineyard [in Massachusetts], which is a special place for Katherine and where she spent a lot of time growing up.

Chris wants her to have the perfect day and whatever she wants, the source said. It will be a big wedding and very traditional.

Schwarzeneggers mother, Maria Shriver, who reportedly set the two up, is helping plan.

They will have an engagement party and bridal shower for Katherine coming up, the source said. Its a very special time for the family and everyone is completely thrilled. They cant stop smiling and celebrating.

Schwarzenegger confirmed her engagement to Pratt hours after he initially posted about it on Instagram. She shared the same picture with a message: My sweet love. Wouldnt want to live this life with anyone but you.

My sweet love. Wouldnt want to live this life with anyone but you  https://t.co/Ylm81Xl5Kn  K Schwarzenegger (@KSchwarzenegger) January 14, 2019

It also marks the first time shes publicly acknowledged their relationship on her own Instagram.

Both families have reacted positively to the news. Her father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, commented on his daughters post: Congratulations to both of you! I love you!

Part Man. Part Machine. #Terminator http://apple.co/2l81cE4  The Terminator  201881

Shriver commented on her daughters engagement photo, Love you. Enjoy this next chapter. Make it fun. You are so loved.

She also left a touching note for her future son-in-law: Congratulations to two loving, kind, caring, thoughtful, spiritual people. Shriver said, We are so happy for you. You are blessed as is everyone who knows you. Yes, lets go.

Another source told E! News that Shriver already treats Chris like a member of the family, but shes excited to make it official.

Family and Tradition

Pratt has indeed been spending a lot of time with the Schwarzenegger family.

Last Thanksgiving, the duo spent their first holiday together, hanging out with Shriver and Schwarzeneggers brothers on Thanksgiving morning, according to People.

You can tell Chris knows Katherines family really well, an insider told the publication. Chris always seems very comfortable around her family. Its like he is part of the family.

And soon he will be an official part of the family.

Before proposing to Schwarzenegger, [Pratt] asked for Maria and Arnolds blessing and was very traditional about things, an insider source told People. The source added that the question came as no surprise to her parents as Pratt has long been vocal about his desire to start a future with Schwarzenegger.

Chris has been very straightforward about his intentions from the beginning, the source said. Over the last few months, hes been bonding with all of Katherines siblings and it was clear to her entire family they would get married.

Even when they first started going out, [Chris] was taking things slow with Katherine at first, but overall, he is not seeing anybody else and considers what he has with Katherine as exclusive, an insider told E! News. Chris is doing things differently by not putting too much pressure on anything, but they are very happy so far.

They do indeed seem very happy.

Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes! Im thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go!   Chris Pratt  2019113

From NTD NewsChinese Teen Who Sold Kidney for an iPhone Is Now Bedridden for Life: Reports

A Chinese teen who sold his kidney for an iPhone a few years ago is reportedly bedridden for life.

Wang Shangkun, who was 17 years old when he sold the organ, began suffering from a decreased level of kidney function.

At the time, he sold his kidney for about $3,200 to black market organ harvesters in China. He bought an iPhone 4 and an iPad model with his cash.

Eight years later, Wang is now bedridden for life after his other kidney failed, Fox News reported.

Why do I need a second kidney? One is enough, he said in reports at the time.A Chinese man is now bedridden for life  Fox News  2019116

Why do I need a second kidney? One is enough, he said at the time.

Now, Wang is hooked up to machines to perform dialysis to survive his kidney failure, Fox reported.

The operation took in the province of Hunan without his parents approval and was undertaken by doctors who were employed at local hospitals.

Reports said Wang made contact with the organ harvesters through Internet chat rooms.

All for an iPhone 4.  Daily Mirror  2019110

At the time, I wanted to buy an iPad2, but I didnt have any money, Wang said, according to state-run media outlets at the time of his fateful decision.

He added: When I was on the Internet, I had a kidney agent send a message, saying that selling a kidney can give me 20,000.

It is not clear whether Wang could be given a kidney transplant to treat his condition.

Organ Harvesting in China

Wangs case shines light on the rampant organ harvesting taking place hospitals around China.

However, unlike Wangs case, victims of the grisly practice are killed for their organs in a Chinese Communist Party-sponsored campaign to eradicate practitioners of Falun Gong, a type of meditation and spiritual discipline based on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

In a bombshell December 2018 report released by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), of the 16 doctors who spoke on the record, 11 doctors from nine hospitals immediately admitted that their organs came from Falun Gong practitioners.

The calls are the latest research documenting forced organ harvesting in China, which developed as part of the persecution of the spiritual practice of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. In China, Falun Gong has been subjected to brutal persecution since July 1999, with widespread reports of torture, brainwashing, forced labor, extrajudicial killings, and organ harvesting in labor camps and hospitals.

A transcript from one call said, I have another [question]. You are using Falun Gong practitioners as the donors, that is, those healthy donors, right?

Definitely healthy. How can it be acceptable if theyre not healthy?! the doctor responded.

And last year, a 64-year-old Chinese woman died suddenly while in custody, and her internal organs were extracted by Chinese communist authorities, according to a report.

Ma Guilan was arrested on July 4 near Qinhuangdao City in Hebei Province and was sent to a detention center for speaking to people about Falun Gong, according to Minghui.

Several government agents with unknown identities came to the hospital, cut open her abdomen and removed her internal organs for some alleged examinations, Minghui reported, citing state insiders. It wasnt clear where they were taking her organs."Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains," 1295, by Zhao Mengfu. Handscroll with ink on paper, 11.2 inches by 35.5 inches. National Palace Museum, Taipei. (Public Domain)

Chinese Shan Shui Painting Through the Yuan Dynasty

Nature reflecting the Yin-Yang of the Cosmos

Chinese landscape painting, known as shan shui (mountain water), can be considered one of the highest forms of expression in ancient Chinese art. But what makes this genre so unequivocally identifiable?

It begins with the fact that the ancient Chinese believed that heaven and earth exist together in harmony. Thus, ancient Chinese landscape artists sought to portray natures relationship with the entire cosmos.

Taoist philosophy strongly influenced the development of the ancient Chinese landscapes as an art form. The ancient Chinese had always believed that mountains were close to the heavens, as they were sacred dwellings for immortals.

Thus, Taoism emphasizes that humans are insignificant in the great cosmic flow of nature. Ancient Chinese landscapes depict humans as mere specks and exhibit a great veneration for the forces of nature.

Furthermore, the balance of yin and yang was essential in the design of the landscape painting. Mountains are tall and robust, representing yang, whereas water is soft and flowing, representing yin.

Ancient Chinese philosophy emphasizes that true painting must embody not only the form but also the spirit of the subject. The depiction of outward beauty in itself was not enough, as the artist sought to capture the inner vitality of nature. The outward appearance of a natural phenomenon was portrayed in tune with its spirit and energy, so realism was not the artists ultimate purpose.

Unlike Western landscape paintings, Chinese landscapes do not have a fixed perspective but instead depicted different perspectives and multiple points of view.

These characteristics define the genre, but with each successive dynasty, important painters, here described through the Yuan Dynasty, have contributed to certain subtler traits of Chinese landscape painting.

The Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty

The periods of the Five Dynasties (907960) and the Song Dynasty (9601279) are known as the great age of Chinese landscapes. While artists of the earlier Tang Dynasty (618907) focused mainly on figure painting and Buddhist icons, landscape painting had become an independent genre by the late Tang Dynasty.

The Five Dynasties period was an era of political turmoil that began after the fall of the Tang and ended with the rise of the Song. The landscape styles during the Five Dynasties period had a significant impact on the Song landscape style.

Jing Hao (855915), a landscape painter during the Five Dynasties period, founded the Northern landscape style. His Travelers in a Snowy Landscape depicts a deep winter of snowcapped mountains and barren trees. He uses bold and crisp lines to delineate the precipitous, high mountaintops characteristic of northern China.

Another Five Dynasties period landscape painter, Dong Yuan (circa 934circa 962) founded the Southern landscape style. In his Xiao and Xiang Rivers, he portrays a river inlet traversing between rolling mountains. Pale mists soften the mountain line to characterize the billowing landscape of the southern Jiangnan region.

It was during the Song Dynasty that landscape painting flourished and underwent profound development. Li Cheng (919967) defined and created the Song national landscape style that emerged. Influenced by both the Northern and Southern landscape styles, his work combines the dramatic high mountains from the Northern masters with the rolling hills and soft pale mists from the Southern masters. With this, he was able to create a harmonious style that became the official canon of Song landscape painting and influenced generations of artists.

Li Chengs A Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Peaks is perhaps his best-known work that represents the Song national landscape style. We immediately notice the majestic central peak that is the focus of the painting. Surrounding the central peak are several smaller peaks engulfed by light fog and disappearing into the mist. A solitary temple sits in the middle ground near the base of the central peak. The trees have dark outlines and seem to have a prickly texture. Li Cheng juxtaposes precise brushwork for the structural architecture with pale ink for the backdrop of the misty mountains.

From the temple, an obscured pathway leads to a small village in the foreground. The waterfalls at the periphery form a river that flows around the shore. To the lower left, three villagers proceed to cross a wooden bridge to join the folks in the taverns on the other end.

Meanwhile, several scholars converse in the pavilions near the riverbanks. However, all of the human activity lies at very bottom of the painting and is rather overshadowed by the vast expanse of the mountains. This is consistent with the Taoist philosophy of human insignificance in the great cosmic flow of nature.

The compositional structure is analogous to the Song Empire itself and seeks to capture the relationship between nature and divinity. Symbolically, the great central peak represents the emperor, who is the Son of Heaven, while the surrounding peaks and hills represent his ministers.

A sense of both tranquility and mysticism is instilled within the piece, and we are left to ponder the grandeur of nature.

The Yuan Dynasty and Literati Movement

During the Yuan Dynasty (12791368), China for the first time was under foreign rule. The Mongols had no tradition of employing scholars as administrators, so many Chinese scholars and artists were excluded from the Yuan court. Many of these elites turned to private retreats for sanctuary and turned their estates into places for literary and cultural gatherings. They identified themselves as literati through their poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

While the concept of a private retreat was not a novelty, the Yuan Dynasty witnessed the development of the literati movement as the dominant artistic movement. Literati painters employed calligraphic techniques as a means of self-expression. The painters tried to depict not only what they had seen but also what they felt. Thus, their works are like windows to their minds and souls.

One of the most influential Yuan Dynasty literati painters was Zhao Mengfu (12541322). At the Mongol court, he held a number of high positions under Kublai Khan and other emperors. Despite his service, he adopted the attitude of a recluse at court and believed that he could remain spiritually remote from the public even with his engagement in politics.

Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains is Zhao Mengfus most famous work in the literati style, and it influenced many later Yuan landscape painters. Zhao Mengfu painted this piece for his close friend, Zhou Mi, whose hometown was in Shandong. Because Zhou Mi could never return to his hometown, Zhao Mengfu painted the piece for him from memory, having visited the place before as a magistrate.

The Shandong scenery is set in marshy fields, flanked by two mountains painted in a blue-green hue. The mountain on the right with the sharp peak is Mt. Hua-bu-zhu, and the loaf-shaped mountain on the left is Mt. Que.

While most trees in the painting still have green foliage, the few that have turned orange signify the autumn season. Intermingled in the thicket of grasslands and reeds are cottages, goats, and small figures that add a touch of life. As we look closely, there are people who are fishing with nets, paddling in canoes, and doing chores in their huts.

Zhao Mengfus painting technique is innovative in style. Entities do not diminish with distance, and his brushwork is calligraphic in nature. To depict the marshy fields, he uses curvilinear rope-like brushstrokes that interweave to form different layers. Through innovative brushwork, Zhao Mengfu brings out the imagery from his heart and mind. These techniques give a pastoral, rustic elegance to the piece that evokes the nostalgia of home.

The late Yuan Dynasty saw the emergence of the Four Great Yuan Masters, who were all influenced by Zhao Mengfu. Among the most innovative and influential was Huang Gongwang (12691354).

Huang Gongwangs most admired work is his handscroll, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains. The scroll depicts the Fuchun Mountains located west of Hangzhou, where he spent his last years in retirement. Starting with a stretch of river, the painting spans mountains and marshlands, and ebbs away with ink-wash hills. Its innovative aspect lies in the abstract quality where the mountains and hills are almost geometricized into interlocking shapes.

While Zhaos technique of interweaving brushstrokes is evident, Huang depicts richer textures with monochromatic ink by overlaying dark on light ink, as in the trees and accented dots. His brushwork is loose and spontaneous, revealing a sense of oneness with nature.

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains proved to be a much studied work and had a far-reaching influence on later literati painters.

Wang Meng was the youngest of the Four Great Yuan Masters and was a grandson of Zhao Mengfu. His Ge Zhichuan Moving to the Mountains shows the Taoist doctor and theorist Ge Zhichuan moving his abode to Mt. Luofu. He is depicted crossing a bridge with a buck followed by his family, household servants, and his child riding on an ox. Ge Zhichuan was a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine during the Eastern Jin dynasty (265-420). It was said that he made elixirs of immortality at Mt. Luofu, which was known as a sacred mountain in Guangdong for Taoist cultivation.

Wang Meng portrays the numerous peaks and forestry of Mt. Luofu with dense brushstrokes and intricate, convoluted patterns. Several thatched huts are situated within the elevated peaks, resembling sacred dwellings in a reclusive world. The idea of self-cultivation through seclusion was also a major theme for Yuan dynasty literati painters.

The artistic styles that emerged during the Song and Yuan Dynasties established the foundation for landscape painters in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Mike Cai is a graduate of the New York Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and the University of CaliforniaBerkeley.Chinese Regime Pressure Suspected Behind Shen Yun Show Cancellation in Spain

Just weeks before New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is scheduled to perform at one of Spains major opera houses, the organizers were told that their show was forced to [be] canceled due to technical difficulties. But the organizers do not think this is the case.

Royal Theaters director sent a letter on Jan. 7 to Puro Arte Humanothe organizers of Shen Yun in Spaininforming them the performance has been canceled citing unavoidable artistic needs of the stage space. Shen Yun was set to perform at the Madrid theater on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2.

The director said another show, Das Rheingold opera, that was performing the day before and after Shen Yun, would have difficulties dismantling their sets to accommodate the dance and music company. This was something the theater technical managers did not have a problem with at the time the contract was signed.

Puro Arte Humano said in a press release the stated reason for the cancelation was not convincing and they suspect the real reason was due to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pressure based on previous experiences. The organizers believe the Chinese Embassy has put pressure to cancel the show at the Royal Theatre of Madrid, as they did to the National Theatre of Catalonia in 2014 but without success.

Sandra Flores Gomez, vice president of Puro Arte Humano, said the cancelation is unacceptable and the circumstances surrounding the incident were bizarre, strange, [and] unorthodox.

If there is a technical problem you can talk to the technicians of the company and look for a solution, she said.

The nonprofit organization said that similar scheduling of the Paris Opera Ballet shows, which is performing in between Das Rheingold opera show dates a week before Shen Yun, was not a problem with the theater and the shows have not been canceled.

Additionally, Gomez said the Royal Theater was actively improving its relationship with the CCP and had recently agreed to exchange shows with China. According to a press release, the theater signed a contract with Beijings National Centre for the Performing Arts in May last year to engage in the exchange of productions and co-productions of both theaters. Sources also told The Epoch Times that the theaters general manager was in China on Jan. 14 and 15 this year.

It is no secret to anyone that the theater has very good relations with the Chinese Communist Party, she said. We know that Xi Jinpings wife, in her recent visit to Spain, was visiting the Royal Theater with the queen with all the protocol with which a first lady is received.

The Chinese leader visited Spain last November and met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Meanwhile, Gomez added that there has always been pressure from the Chinese Embassy to cancel the shows around the world.

[This interference] happens practically in every city that Shen Yun visits, she said.

For more than a decade, while Shen Yun tours the globe, it is not uncommon for the CCP to pressure Western theaters not to lease their space to the performing arts company or pressure them to cancel their shows. The communist regime has even sought to coerce Western government officials not to attend the performances or voice support for the company.

Moreover, the CCP uses front groups, who gather outside the theaters around the world to hold up placards with propaganda slogans and hate speech, to disrupt theatergoers while Shen Yun is performing. The most recent example of this was at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Past Pressure

The CCP has tried similar tactics in the past to interfere with Shen Yun performances. In 2014, Chinese diplomats in Barcelona attempted to force the National Theatre of Catalonia to cancel the performances.

According to El Mundo, the second most widely distributed newspaper in Spain, Chinese Consulate officials assailed the theater, and then the Spanish Foreign Ministry.

The regimes representatives went in person to the theater and demanded that the show be canceled because it went against the interests of the Chinese Communist Party. When visiting senior officials at the Foreign Ministry, the representatives warned that the failure to shut down the cultural performance may compromise relations between Spain and China, subliminally pointed to Chinas investments in our country and exports of Spanish products, El Mundo reported.

More recently in 2017, CCP front groups staged a protest in front of the Liceu Theater in Barcelona while Shen Yun was performing inside. Around 25 to 30 Chinese nationals carried banners and shouted slogans that defamed Shen Yun and Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual discipline practiced by Shen Yun performers. The adherents of this spiritual practice in Spain have launched a defamation lawsuit against the CCP front group.

Lawyer Carlos Iglesias, who is representing the plaintiffs, said the front groups conduct constituted hate speech.

Like Spain, many theaters and lawmakers around the world have experienced similar pressure from CCP representatives, including those in Holland, Denmark, Australia, and the United States.

Why Is the CCP so Afraid of Shen Yun?

Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded by adherents of Falun Gong, who have been severely persecuted in mainland China. Then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin believed Falun Gongs immense popularityup to 100 million adherents, according to estimates cited in Western media outletswould threaten the Partys authority. He then initiated a nationwide campaign to harass, arrest, detain, and defame Falun Gong practitioners.

Since 1999, over 4,000 Falun Gong adherents are confirmed to have died as a result of the persecution, though the actual number is likely much higher, given the difficulty of getting sensitive information out of China. The Chinese regime has also strategically spread anti-Falun Gong propaganda domestically and beyond its bordersthrough pro-Beijing or Party-affiliated Chinese media, and front groups embedded in overseas Chinese communities.

Shen Yun performances include pieces that portray todays real-life human rights abuses in China like the persecution of Falun Gong and depicts Chinese civilization as divinely inspired, which has irked the officially atheist communist regime. As a result, the CCP has repeatedly tried to hinder Shen Yun performances using various tactics since its inception, according to the companys website.

Epoch Times Reporter Annie Wu contributed to this reportUsing the internet and social media for mass organization, especially at the local level, is worrying for the authorities. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese Moves to Organize Via WeChat Worry Local Communist Authorities

Officials in Muchuan County, in southwestern China, are telling local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations to prevent people from organizing through WeChat, a popular Chinese social-media site.

On Jan. 10, the CCP committee in Muchuan, which is located in Leshan City of Sichuan Province, alerted its organizations in all of the countys townships and villages, requesting that committees exert control the peoples ideological thought, maintain control over social media, and lead public opinion.

The alert, aimed at preventing local residents from mobilizing in protest, comes as part of the communist regimes attempts to win on the battlefield of public opinion. The recent economic downturn in China has exacerbated social conflicts under the CCPs authoritarian and corruption-ridden rule.

Residents of Muchuans 195 villages had set up chat groups on WeChat for each community, which sparked the alert. The local government became wary of the chat groups existence and ordered all villagers to leave them, citing the danger of fraud.

Using the internet and social media for mass mobilization, especially at the local level, is troubling to the authorities. The CCP is extremely wary of the threat posed by local organizing in reaction to cases of corruption, environmental damage, and other causes of unrest. In China, tens of thousands of civil disturbances are registered every year, with some involving tens of thousands of people.

The battlefield of public opinion is a concept created by Mao Zedong, the founding leader of communist China. In nearly 70 years of governance, the CCP has taken victory on that battlefield to be of utmost importance for its propaganda agencies and censorship of discussion.

The CCP controls which films, TV programs, radio, newspaper, books, magazines, and the websites people are allowed to access; the internet has become a new battlefield of public discourse. Millions of internet police monitor the regimes Great Firewall to ensure that netizens dont post politically sensitive content or visit banned websites.

On Jan. 10, Chinas Cyberspace Administration announced regulations to manage blockchain technology, requiring registration of real names and identification. After the rules come into effect on Feb. 15, violations will be punishable by fines or prison.

In November 2016, Chinese authorities published the Internet Security Law, which was implemented starting June 1, 2017. That May, authorities announced their Provisions for the Administration of Internet News Information Services, which was implemented the same day as the Internet Security Law.

In January 2011, CCP updated its Administration of Internet Information Services Procedures, which was first published in September 2000.

On Jan. 8, the Cyberspace Administration published an article asking all its officials and clerks to defend the battlefield of public opinion by use of all available technology, including capturing video by drone, making short videos, virtual reality, HTML5, and other methods.

The article said the battlefield should combine radio, television, newspaper, internnet, Weibo, WeChat, and computing clients.Chinese Lawyer Points to Abnormalities in Schellenberg Death Sentence

On Dec. 14, a court in Dalian, northeast China, sentenced Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death on charges of drug smuggling. The verdict had been altered from an earlier ruling in which Schellenberg was sentenced to 15 years in prison, despite the prosecution failing to produce supplementary charges to justify changing the verdict to capital punishment.

It is widely understood that Schellenbergs sentencing is politically motivated, as the communist Chinese regime increases diplomatic pressure on the Canadian government for the Dec. 1 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of tech company Huawei.

Meng was arrested at the behest of U.S. judicial authorities, as her Chinese military-linked company is suspected of violating sanctions against Iran. Since then, the Chinese regime has detained a number of Canadians in China in apparent retaliation for Mengs arrest.

An Unusual Death Sentence

Schellenberg is now 36 years old. In November 2014, when he was in Dalian, the municipal Procuratorate said Schellenberg tried to package a total of 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine into tires in a warehouse.

The Procuratorate said that with a Chinese translators help, Schellenberg conspired to ship the methamphetamine to Australia. On Dec. 1 that year, Schellenberg was arrested in Guangzhou when he was in transit for his flight to Thailand, and held in Dalian since then.

Dalian Intermediate Court registered the case on March 15, 2016, but didnt make a sentence until Nov. 20, 2018. On that day, Schellenberg was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a 150,000 yuan ($22,200) fine.

Schellenberg appealed. The Liaoning High Court held a hearing on December 29, and ordered the Intermediate Court retrial the case. On Jan. 14, the Intermediate Court sentenced Schellenberg to death.

Mo Shaoping, a prominent Chinese lawyer, told Voice of America (VOA) that the case was without precedent and out of line with normal practices in several respects.

We have never seen any precedent for this case, in which the death penalty was announced at the hearing. Usually, death sentences are announced on a later date after court has been adjourned and the adjudication committee has deliberated, Mo said Jan. 16, in comments translated by human rights site China Change.

Mo is founder and president of Beijing Mo Shaoping Law Firm. Zhang Dongshuo, one of Schellenbergs defense attorneys, works for the firm. Mo believes that there was insufficient evidence to convict Schellenberg, and also that the lack of new evidence at the retrial of his case meant that it should be impossible for the court to increase the severity of his punishment.

The defense attorneys believe that the so-called new criminal facts provided in the supplementary indictment are wholly nonexistent. However, if the prosecution did not supplement the indictment, the court would definitely not have issued a death sentence, Mo said.

Mo listed four abnormalities in the Schellenberg case.

Schellenberg was detained in 2014, but was only sentenced for the first time in November 2018, which is very slow for the Chinese judicial system. Because the court thought that the evidence was insufficient and sought instructions all the way up to the Supreme Peoples Court (SPC). The SPC said Schellenberg could be convicted and the sentence should be 15 years.

Second, the court took the trouble to have a hearing for Schellenbergs appeal, when the standard practice is to issue a written result.

Mo also noted that the Procuratorate took only one day to search for new facts about the crime, and that from appeal hearing to re-sentencing, just 16 days had passed.

Finally, the judge arrived at his verdict after hearing the case for just 20 minutes.

Schellenberg has never pleaded guilty. He didnt plead before, doesnt plead now. He went to Dalian as a tourist, and has no idea about drugs, Mo said.

Zhang, Schellenbergs lawyer, said he is preparing for appeal. According to judicial regulations, Zhang has 10 days to do so.

Leo Timm contributed to this report.China's first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier, known only as 'Type 001A', leaves port in the northeast city of Dalian early on May 13, 2018. (-/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Military Modernizing to Invade Taiwan, Says Pentagon Report

China is rapidly modernizing its military, and may be preparing for its first military operation in 40 years in Taiwan, according to a new report, published on Jan. 15, by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The report detailed Chinas immediate intentions to modernize to the level of other leading militaries, including the U.S. military, for the objective of invading Taiwan.

The Chinese military, known as the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), is likely to grow even more technologically advanced, with equipment comparable to that of other modern militaries, the report stated.

Furthermore, Beijings longstanding interest to eventually compel Taiwans reunification with the mainland and deter any attempt by Taiwan to declare independence has served as the primary driver for Chinas military modernization, the report said.

The Chinese regime considers Taiwan part of its territory that is to be united with the mainland one day, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own constitution, democratically elected government, currency, and military.

Target: Taiwan

The DIA report referenced a Chinese white paper from 2015, titled China Military Strategy (pdf), where the Chinese regime explained that while world war is unlikely, it intends to prepare for the possibility of local war.

The Chinese military has specifically designed military equipment for battle with Taiwan, according to the report, anticipating that Taiwan will be supported by other nations in the event of a conflict. This includes a wide range of missiles and deployment systems, including a vehicle that launches ballistic missiles specifically against aircraft carriers.

Beijings anticipation that foreign forces would intervene in a Taiwan scenario led the PLA to develop a range of systems to deter and deny foreign regional force projection, the report stated.

Chinese advancements in some technology will soon be among the worlds most leading-edge. Chinas technological advancement in naval design has begun to approach a level commensurate with, and in some cases exceeding, that of other modern navies, according to the report.

A new type of naval destroyer developed domestically by China, called the Type 055 Renhai class, will be one of the most advanced and powerful ships in the world, the report stated.

However, Chinas defense spending remains low when compared to other nations. The report says that China is benefitting from a latecomer advantage, where it buys, modifies, or steals technology developed by other nations.

Threat Escalation

In a Jan. 2 speech, on the anniversary of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) policy statement on cross-strait relations, Xi said China must and will be united with Taiwan.

The islands president Tsai Ing-wen strongly rebutted Beijings claims of sovereignty, and later called for support from the international community.

When a country like us faces difficulties and threats, we hope that the international community takes it seriously and can voice support and help us, she said.

Days later, Xi spoke at a political meeting for the Partys top brass, calling on Chinas armed forces to prepare for a comprehensive military struggle from a new starting point, according to Chinese state-run media Xinhua on Jan. 4.

Preparation for war and combat must be deepened to ensure an efficient response in times of emergency, he was quoted as saying.

Rick Fisher, PLA expert and senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said Xis comments were an escalation in threats towards Taiwan.

As Xi Jinping and the CCP leadership become more confident in the PLAs gathering ability to invade Taiwan, we can expect their threats to become more strident, Fisher said.

In 2019 we can expect Xi Jinping to repeat his threats to Taiwan, which will be echoed by Chinas propaganda organs and reinforced by PLA air and naval intimidation exercises around Taiwan.An electronic screen displays the Apple Inc. logo on the exterior of the Nasdaq Market Site following the close of the day's trading session in New York City on Aug. 2, 2018. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

China Calls Out Apple, Amazon for Incorrect Taiwan, Hong Kong References

TAIPEI/SHANGHAIOne of Chinas top government-linked think tanks has called out Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and other foreign companies for not referring to Hong Kong and Taiwan as part of China in a report that provoked a stern reaction from Taipei.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) said in a report this month that 66 of the worlds 500 largest companies had used incorrect labels for Taiwan and 53 had errors in the way they referred to Hong Kong, according to Chinas Legal Daily newspaper. It said 45 had referred to both territories incorrectly.

Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan a wayward province of China. The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and operates as a semi-autonomous territory.

Last year, China ramped up pressure on foreign companies including Marriott International and Qantas for referring to Taiwan and Hong Kong as separate from China in drop-down menus or other material.

The report was co-written by CASS and the Internet Development Research Institution of Peking University. An official at the Internet Development Research Institution told Reuters that it had not yet been published to the public and declined to provide a copy.

A spokesman for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan would not bow to Chinese pressure.

As for Chinas related out-of-control actions, we need to remind the international community to face this squarely and to unite efforts to reduce and contain these actions, Alex Huang told reporters in Taipei.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai, from the pro-independence ruling party, took office in 2016.

That has included rising Chinese scrutiny over how companies from airlines, such as Air Canada, to retailers, such as the Gap, refer to the democratic island in recent months.

Nike Inc., Siemens AG, ABB, Subaru, and others were also on the list. Apple, Amazon, ABB, Siemens, Subaru, and Nike did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Chinas defense minister said on Oct. 25 that Beijing will take action to foil any attempt to separate the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

If someone tries to separate out Taiwan, Chinas military will take the necessary actions at any cost, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said at the opening of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.

A U.S. government report published on Jan. 15 claimed that China is rapidly modernizing its military, and may be preparing for its first military operation in 40 years in Taiwan.

The Chinese military has specifically designed military equipment for battle with Taiwan, according to the report, anticipating that Taiwan will be supported by other nations in the event of a conflict. This includes a wide range of missiles and deployment systems, including a vehicle that launches ballistic missiles specifically against aircraft carriers.

Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, has also viewed U.S. overtures toward the island with alarm, such as a new de facto embassy there and passage of a law to encourage visits by U.S. officials. Taiwan is benefiting from greater U.S. diplomatic and military assistance.

By Yimou Lee & Josh Horwitz. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.David Breemer (L) of the Pacific Legal Foundation and Rose Mary Knick on the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018. (Pacific Legal Foundation)

Supreme Court Case About Gravesites Raises Issues of Equal Protection of Property

A township in rural Pennsylvania claimed a forgotten cemetery existed on a womans property and, on that basis, demanded she open her property to the public. She contends this order violates her property rights and sued, seeking the opportunity to have relatively speedy redress through access to federal courts.

The Trump administration and Rose Knick, the Pennsylvania property owner, urged the Supreme Court on Jan. 16 to overturn a 34-year-old legal precedent that forces property owners to seek legal redress in state courts after their property is taken, before filing suit in federal courts.

The case, known as Knick v. Township of Scott, Pennsylvania, is on appeal from the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. This is the second time that Knick has appeared before the high court seeking vindication of her rights.

The Trump administration supports Knick and sent U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco in person to represent it during oral arguments. Teresa Ficken Sachs represented Scott Township, Pennsylvania, where Knick resides.

The case was previously argued Oct. 3, before Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the court and when there were only eight justices, making a 4-4 split a distinct possibility. Kavanaugh was sworn in as a justice Oct. 6. The court restored the case to its calendar on Nov. 2 and, on Nov. 28, ordered it be re-argued. Re-argument allows all nine justices to weigh in on this important property-rights case.

Suspected Gravesites

Knick ended up in court because authorities in Scott Township, in the eastern part of the Keystone State, enacted an unusual law defining cemeteries as including suspected gravesites on private property. The legislation forces private property owners whose land is claimed to contain a private cemetery to open the area to the public.

In 2013, the local government claimed some stones it found on Knicks 90-acre farm were gravestones and declared her property a cemetery. She was ordered to open her property to the public or face fines of $600 per day.

Searches of hundreds of years of property records located no evidence of gravesites on the property, according to Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing her.

Knick sued, claiming a violation of her Fifth Amendment rights and asserting that her property had been unconstitutionally taken by the township. A federal court refused her claim, citing Williamson County Regional Planning Commission v. Hamilton Bank of Johnson City, a Supreme Court ruling from 1985.

That decision forces property owners to sue in state courts before filing in federal courts, and, according to her lawyers, fails to place property rights on an equal footing with other rights such as free speech and due process.

Solicitor Generals Case

Solicitor General Francisco told the court that the administration doesnt accept all of the arguments advanced by Knick, but does reject the conclusion of the Williamson County ruling that a Section 1983 action [under the Civil Rights Act of 1871] is not available to redress the deprivation of the right to just compensation.

That statute was enacted during post-Civil War Reconstruction, a period when trust of state governments and their courts was at a low ebb, leading some of the justices to ask if federal courts today were somehow better than state courts.

Francisco dodged the question. We think its [i.e. the statute] available to redress all constitutional rights, including that one, he said.

And the right to just compensation is one that vests the moment the property is taken. Thats why a property owner is entitled to interest, dating back to the moment of a taking.

Under questioning by Justice Elena Kagan, Francisco said, theres simply nothing in the Fifth Amendment that says you have to go to state court before you go to federal court.

Kagan asked Francisco: Is there any other area in our law generally where somebody can go to court under 1983, under anything else, and say Ive been deprived of a constitutional right before a constitutional violation has occurred?

Francisco replied that such a thing can be done under the Tucker Act, a federal statute in which the United States waives its sovereign immunity in certain kinds of lawsuits.

Plaintiffs Attorneys Explanation

On the courthouse steps following the oral argument, Knicks lawyer, J. David Breemer, senior attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, explained his understanding of the case, in an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times.

The primary issue is when the government takes your private property, invades it for instance, as in this case, for public access, a trail, do you have a right to go into court and ask for just compensation at the time it invades you or do you have to go through a series of procedural hurdles that are unique to only property owners and which treat them as different, second-class constitutional citizens?

Normally, when the government injures you, if you have a constitutional right thats harmed, you can immediately go to a federal court to protect your right, but you cant in the property context. You have to go through the state-law process and that harms you because it delays your relief, its expensive, and you oftentimes lose by attrition.

Our constitutional rights are only as good as the courts willingness to protect them. So if you, as a property owner, cant get a court to hear your claim that your propertys been taken, your right is diminished. Its a paper right. Its whats happened in this case, that property owners cant go to a federal court and they often cant get a speedy hearing in a state court so they often cant protect and vindicate their Fifth Amendment rights. Thats what the case is about.

What the court said in Williamson County in 1985, which is at issue here, is that when the government invades your property, we cannot consider it to be an uncompensated invasion until you go through a state court process  but they said its part of the Constitution.

But that conflicts with what the court has said since 1884, which is if they invade your property and dont pay you right then, is when you have a constitutional right of violation to claim. So this case is about whether we should go back to the traditional and simpler rule that works, that the time of the taking, the time of the invasion is the time when you can go to the court and ask for compensation, rather than having to go through a secondary, two-year, three-year-long process.

Only eight of the courts nine justices attended the oral arguments.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 85, is recovering at home after surgeons excised two cancerous growths from a lung on Dec. 21. It was her second consecutive week of not attending court arguments. Nonetheless, Ginsburg, who has access to the briefs and transcripts of arguments, is expected to take part in the case.Police work close to the scene where a car bomb exploded, according to authorities, in Bogota, Colombia Jan. 17, 2019. (Reuters/Luisa Gonzalez)

Car Bomb at Colombian Police Academy Kills Nine, Injures 24

BOGOTA, ColombiaA car bomb exploded at a police academy in Colombias capital Bogota on Jan. 17, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 20, in an attack that prompted fears of a return to the countrys violent past.

According to authorities, the car broke through checkpoints onto the grounds of the General Santander Police Academy in the south of the capital before it exploded, shattering windows of apartments in the vicinity.

President Ivan Duque called the bomb a crazy terrorist act against unarmed cadets and said he ordered police and the military to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Colombians have never yielded to terrorism, we have always defeated it. This will not be an exception, he told a news conference at the school.

Investigators had identified the cars driver as Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez, who was among the dead, said Colombia Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez. He said the car was carrying 80 kilograms (176 pounds) of the high explosive pentolite, which has been used in the past by Colombias rebel guerrilla groups.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, and Humberto Martinez said investigators were searching for its intellectual authors.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that nine people were killed and 24 wounded; eight of the deceased were cadets at the academy, police said.

A police helicopter hovered over the area and family members gathered, many crying as they sought information. Images on social media showed the remains of a vehicle in flames in the parking area, and emergency responders at the scene.

Car bombs were frequent in Colombia during decades of civil war between the state and various leftist rebel groups, as well as in violence involving the Medellin drug cartel, led by the late drug lord Pablo Escobar.

The worst of the war, which killed some 260,000 and left millions displaced, ended when the government reached a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016.

The last major attack was in January 2018, when the biggest leftist rebel group that remains active, the National Liberation Army (ELN), detonated a bomb in the northern port city of Barranquilla, killing five police officers and injuring dozens.

By Nelson Bocanegra and Luis Jaime AcostaBetty White was voted Entertainer of the Year 2010 by Associated Press members. (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Betty White Celebrates 97th Birthday, Still Out and About

Golden Girls actress Betty White turned 97 years old on Thursday, Jan. 17, and is still out and about in public.

Recent photos show White, who was born in the same year as Hollywood legends Judy Garland and Ava Gardner, walking around in Los Angeles, reported the Daily Mail. She also made a speech during the Emmys in September.

Betty White is turning 97 TOMORROW!   Daily Mail  2019116

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, White best known for her work in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland.

A friend told Closer Weekly that she wanted to have a quiet birthday celebration at home.

Her celebrations are easy: buffet food, a professional piano player, and just a lovely vibe, a friend of White told the publication.

She has her chef cookBetty loves Italian foodand just likes to sit with friends, sing show tunes, and have fun. Shes always been low-key about birthdays.

Last year, she told Parade magazine that keeping a positive attitude helps out in life.

I know it sounds corny, but I try to see the funny side and the upside, not the downside, she said. I get bored with people who complain about this or that. Its such a waste of time.

Enjoy life, she said of being more than 90 years old. Accentuate the positive, not the negative. It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, Hey, that was great! Its not hard to find great stuff if you look.

She also spoke about retirement in a recent interview, according to the New York Post.

Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They arent going to get rid of me that way, White said.

The bottom line is, Im blessed with good health. On top of that, I dont go around thinking Oh, Im 90, I better do this or I better do that. Im just Betty. Im the same Betty that Ive always been. Take it or leave it.

Dont try to be young. Just open your mind, White also stated in a previous interview. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I wont live long enough to find out about, but Im still curious about them.

Betty White is 97 today. There is joy in the madness of Brexits and government shutdowns. pic.twitter.com/k8fcxejt3I  Tufayel Ahmed (@tufayel) January 17, 2019

When she was 90, White told the Vancouver Sun about her secret to staying young.

Im not only blessed with good health, but good energy, she said. I can credit my folks for the genes that put that together. Im not trying to be any younger. Im not lying about my age. If I were lying about my age, I would say I was 89.

A number of people on Twitter wished her well on her birthday.Australia Says No Such Thing as Private Chinese Company, Will Guard National Interest

Australias foreign investment regulator, the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), intends to increase scrutiny of Chinese private companies looking to buy Australian assets according to media reports.

The move comes after the FIRB no longer regarded private Chinese companies as free from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control. Recently passed legislation in China has made it compulsory for China-based companies to surrender information to the communist state on request, even for those operating abroad.

Chinas National Security Law, also called the National Intelligence Law, took effect in June 2017 and amended in April the following year.

A senior figure who has direct knowledge of the reasoning behind the FIRB boards decision said Chinas National Security Law had done away with the distinction between private and state-owned companies.

The Chinese have done their private companies a great disservice, the source told the Australian Financial Review (AFR). Chinese companies will do as they are told.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which took effect in Dec. 2015, confirms transactions of up to $1.15 billion for non-sensitive sectors and $255 million in sensitive sectors via private companies can advance without FIRB approval.

However, recent media reports suggest FIRB will make changes to treat all Chinese private companies as though they are state-owned.

The Australian governments website states that FIRB continues to screen all direct investments, new business proposals, and acquisitions of interests in land (including agricultural land) by Chinese state-owned enterprises, regardless of [the] transaction size.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who is responsible for FIRB, said Australia welcomes foreign investment but will continue to guard the national interest.

This framework is not discriminatory against any investor or country, with every foreign investment proposal considered on its merits, he told the AFR.

In Nov., Frydenberg announced he would block Hong Kong-based firm CK Groups $13 billion acquisition of APA Group because it would be contrary to the national interest. APA Group owns 15,000 km (9320 miles) or 56 percent of natural gas pipelines in Australia. Frydenberg said it would result in an undue concentration of foreign ownership by a single company group in our most significant gas transmission business.

Cyber Hacking Concerns

FIRBs new approach to China-based companies comes amid recent news Chinas Jangho Group attempted to acquire Healius, formerly known as Primary Health Careone of Australias largest owners of medical and pathology centres. Healius holds sensitive medical records for millions of Australians in more than 2,500 locations across the country.

Clive Hamilton, professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra and author of Silent Invasion: Chinas influence in Australia, expressed his concern over the acquisition bid in an opinion editorial, saying: Chinese companies are required by law to obey directives from Beijings intelligence agencies. So why would our regulators permit a giant Australian healthcare provider that is privy to highly sensitive records on hundreds of thousands of Australians to be acquired by a Chinese company?

The specific risk of giving Chinese companies direct access to Australian medical records is that Chinas intelligence services could access those records for information on current or future political, military, and public service leaders in order to blackmail them.

In Dec. 2018 Australia joined the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom in slamming a hacking group backed by the Chinese regime for stealing commercial intellectual property from companies and government agencies in more than 12 countries around the world.

The Australian government joins other international partners in expressing serious concern about a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft by a group known as APT10, acting on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said in a joint statement.

Huawei Under Criminal Investigation

The Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 16 U.S. federal prosecutors are pursuing a criminal investigation into Huawei, a Chinese private company, for allegedly stealing trade secrets from U.S. businesses, including T-Mobile US Inc.

Canadas Dec. 1 arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on request of the United States drew attention to Chinas amended National Security Law, which states in article 14 that any organization or citizen must supply the necessary support, assistance, and cooperation.

Even without any direct relationship with the Ministry of State Security (MSS), which is the CCPs main intelligence and security agency, the National Security Law now requires all Chinese citizens and entities to supply intelligence information on request.

Although theres no official report or public evidence to show a relationship between Meng Wanzhou and the MSS, many scholars and commentators suspect Meng is an MSS member. Huawei itself is linked to both the Chinese military via its founder, Ren Zhengfei, and the MSS via its chairwoman, Sun Yafang, since 1999.

Since late August 2018, Chinas main telecoms Huawei and ZTE have been blocked from supplying equipment for Australias planned 5G cellular networks due to security concerns.

While the Australian government did not directly name the companies, it said the involvement of vendors, who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law, may risk failure by the carrier to adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorised access or interference.

Epoch Times Nicole Hao contributed to this report.

From NTD News

Watch Next:

Miss World Canada 2015 Says Chinese Schools Should Not Be Teaching Children Political SlogansAmerican Trophy Hunter Pays $100,000 to Shoot Endangered MarkhorPakistans National Animal

The endangered spiral-horned markhor goat might be the national animal of Pakistan, but every year the government grants licenses for a handful to be shot, usually by rich foreign hunters who can pay the $100,000 per trophy.

This year was no exception, with reports of two American hunters shooting the rare goat in the northern mountains of Pakistan.

Markhors are prized for their famous horns, which can reach 45 inches in heightwith the record topping out at 60 inches over a century ago. Poachers kill them to sell the horns into the Asian medicine market.

With estimates of a population only around 6,000 in the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan, markhors are protected by law in Pakistan.

An American trophy hunter named as John Amistoco paid $100,000 for one of the four permits granted by the regional government, reported local newspaper Dawn on Jan. 14. The paper carried an image of Amistoco along with the carcass of a markhor.

Amistoco is a member of trophy hunting organization Grand Slam Club Ovis, which displays past photographs of Amistoco posing with dead markhors and other trophies. The club said it is  an organization of hunter/conservationists dedicated to improving and perpetuating wild sheep and goat populations worldwide.

American hunts a markhor in Chitral for $92,000.An American tourist has hunted a markhor in Chitral for $92,000.The  National Parks Of Pakistan  2019115

In the nearby Chitral region, Pamir Times reported that another American hunter had paid $92,000 to hunt a markhor with 44-inch horns. Another hunter, from New Zealand, reportedly fired thrice but missed.

The hunting expeditions are monitored by village representatives, as well as government officials.

The local Gilgit-Bunji government issued licenses for other animals, including 14 blue sheep ($8,000) and 95 ibex ($3,600), with trophy hunters coming from Denmark, Turkey, the United States, and Spain.

Shooting markhors without a license also carries a high price tag too. Last year, a poacher was ordered to pay $175, 650 compensation for killing two markhors and was sentenced to jail for two years, according to Dawn.

The National Parks of Pakistan said in a statement, Annually, four hunting trophy licenses are issued for markhor hunting and 80 percent of the money collected is distributed among the local community, whereas 20 percent is kept by the wildlife department.

The four licenses are granted for only one male and for overage markhors.

Some hunting groups claim that the introduction of sanctioned hunting of the markhor in 1998 saved the ailing population, lifting it from a low-point of 200 in 1984, when political unrest and military action laid waste to the already weak population.

But some campaign groups, such as Born Free, are opposed to all trophy hunting. Born Free labels it as a cruel throwback to a colonial past, arguing that it disrupts animal societies and has hidden knock-on effects for populations and ecosystems.

A post on Huntshack defends the practice of markhor hunting.

Despite the Disney images of the animal kingdom, these older males do not live out their golden years in peace, dying peacefully under a tree surrounded by a loving herd. Instead, they often die of starvation because their teeth are so badly worn down they can no longer feed properly, they become easy game for predators, or they are challenged, defeated and killed by the younger males, it states on its website.

According to discover wildlife, the United States legally imports 126,000 animal trophies every year, and the EU some 11,00012,000.

Countries take different approaches to legal trophy hunting. In Kenya, all trophy hunting has been banned since 1977, whereas South Africa allows trophy hunting of the Big Five species: the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.261-Year-Old Stolen Ancient Powder Horn Returned

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) returned an ancient powder horn on Jan. 15 that was stolen over 60 years ago, Fox 2 reported.

This is a pretty magical day for us, said Elena Rugh of the Detroit Historical Society. Things like this dont happen very often.

The ancient powder horn was used to hold gunpowder in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812.

13 September 1759  Battle of Quebec  French & Indian War  Rodger MacGowan  2018913

In 1947, the owners sold the artifact to the Detroit Historical Society for $75.

Five years after it was loaned to the Dearborn Historical Museum, the powder horn was stolen.

The mystery wasnt solved until a couple of years ago when the Dearborn Police had found that it was sold to someone in 1991 for $13,000.

It was then that the Dearborn authorities wanted to reopen the case.

I said, Its not a cold case, its not a cool case, its a frigid case,' said Dearborn officer Ron Haddad.

Local law enforcement officials decided to get the FBI in 2017 to assist in the recovery of the old horn.

The FBI art crime team found the horn at an estate salethe buyer told them that they had no idea it was stolen.

Unique features that add to the historical value of the artifact include the date, a poem, and initials.

Although the identity of the thief is still a mystery, it wont outshine the significance of the piece.

These are living embodiments of the life of that time, said Special Agent Jake Archer of the FBI Art Crime Team.

The Nowlin powder horn has returned to Detroit and found a permanent home in the Frontiers of Factories Exhibit, they will have it on display in the spring of 2019.* Editors note: This story has been updated from an earlier version to include comments from Sylvia McMullen.

The Arts Council of Brazos Valleys board of directors ended its relationship with its former CEO Sylvia McMullen today after allegedly discovering misuse of a credit card, according to an attorney hired by the nonprofit.

Local attorney Gaines West said in a statement on behalf of The Arts Council today that an internal review identified misuse of one of the organizations credit cards by McMullen, who was hired a little less than three months ago. She was put on administrative leave beginning last Friday when the wrongdoing was uncovered, which the statement says McMullen admitted to.

McMullen also submitted her resignation that day, which Wests statement says she has since sought to rescind. The Eagle reported today that McMullen had resigned from the position, which was confirmed by The Arts Council on Monday.The Texas Legislature is back in session and lawmakers admit that one of the first things they need to tackle is school funding.

Has anyone considered maybe asking Mexico if it would be willing to pay for it? I mean, if it has any extra cash, since it backed out on paying for the wall?The Gift: Joel Edgertons disquieting goatee.

Green Room: Punks. Nazis. Extreme knife violence.

Hush: A deaf woman is tormented by a masked killer, and uses her disability as a weapon.

I Know What You Did Last Summer: I still know what you did last summer.

It Follows: One of the best horror movies since Blair Witch Project, an 80s nostalgia piece with an ingeniously scary premise: monster as venereal disease.

Jason Goes to Hell: The title is kind of a spoiler.

The Monster: Zoe Kazan stars as an ambivalent mother trying to save her daughter from a monster after her car breaks down on a deserted road.

The Nightmare: A horror-hued documentary about the terror of sleep paralysis.

Piranha 3D: The director of High Tension makes a dumb, cheesy, gory and irresistible remake of the Joe Dante classic."Yeah, but it's the same way rich people have problems," her mother-in-law told her. "Oh no, I can't fit all my money in my pocket."

"Good heavens, the butler is sick, who will apply my SPF 162 to my translucent fair skin," Dre chimed in.

The argument turned increasingly heated as Junior bluntly confronted his father for equating light skin with "being soft" (a larger issue that speaks to Dre's complicated view of masculinity). But tensions boiled over when Diane opened up to her family about why she didn't want to talk about the issue.

"No one in this family is as dark as me," she said, before citing the many ways society has reinforced the idea that lighter skin is somehow better, from being discouraged to wear red lipstick or being told - by a black woman - that she's "so pretty for a dark-skinned girl."

Bow and Ruby argued over who should comfort Diane, leading to a confrontation over Ruby's constant taunts about Bow's light skin. "You say to me that you're better than me, that you're blacker than me, oh, and I have no struggle," an exasperated Bow said before declaring her mother-in-law "a monster."

"I am not a monster," Ruby hit back. "I've been called that all my life. I'm not about to sit here and let you do it."The U.S. Department of Agriculture has not yet said what will happen in March regarding SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues.

Mangapora said that 18 percent of the food that the food bank distributes is from the USDA through the Texas Department of Agriculture. She said that The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), otherwise known as commodities, would be funded at least through the end of February.

"If the government shutdown continues into March, our continued allotment of TEFAP food will not be flowing like it currently does. We will be in a crunch as well," Mangapora said.

The shutdown that began Dec. 22 became the longest in American history on Saturday. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats continue to clash over the president's proposal for $5.7 billion to fund border security, including a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Mangapora said that despite a robust holiday season for the food bank, a longer-term shutdown would mean a strain on its supplies.

"We distribute over 500,000 pounds of food every month, so we are going to have to come to the community and ask for help if this is the way this goes," she said.The Arts Council of Brazos Valley's board of directors voted Wednesday to end its employment of former CEO Sylvia McMullen, though there are discrepancies in how the sides describe what led to her departure.

Gaines West, a local attorney hired by The Arts Council, said in a statement Wednesday that the board's vote came after McMullen admitted last week to "wrongdoing" involving one of the organization's credit cards that had been identified "through an existing set of internal checks and balances." She was immediately put on unpaid administrative leave beginning Friday "when the wrongdoing was uncovered," according to the statement. McMullen, who was hired to lead the nonprofit a little less than three months ago, submitted her resignation that day.

McMullen, though, says she notified staff last Thursday of charges she had mistakenly made on a credit card and had taken steps to correct the issue. Both parties have hired lawyers, and the developments leave the arts organization in search of a new leader. Having completed its own investigation, The Arts Council plans to hire a forensic accountant to perform a further audit. The College Station Police Department has also been informed of the findings, per the statement.Steve Wildsmith was an editor and writer for The Daily Times for nearly 17 years; a recovering addict, he now works in media and marketing for Cornerstone of Recovery, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Blount County. Contact him at wildsmithsteve@gmail.com.EARLVILLE - Mary E. Watkins, 90, passed away Monday, June 14, 2021, at her home surrounded by her family. She was born in Davenport, a daughter of Horace and Katherine Olmstead Burns and was a graduate of Davenport High School. On June 29, 1950, Mary married Gerald E. Watkins in Oneonta, andThis is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass.Local

featured

Yaw talks 2019

Review File Photo Sen. Gene Yaw

Opioids, amphibians, broadband and school budgets made the cut for the top of Senator Gene Yaws (R-23) priority list for the 2019 legislative session  his last full year before his term expires in 2020. Yaw shared plans to push the 23rd District forward in multiple arenas, including all of the above as well as agriculture, during a phone meeting with The Daily Review earlier this week.

Opioids

Yaw listed a continued battle with the opioid crisis as one of his top priorities going into the 2019 legislative session.

The senator stated that he plans to continue to push legislation to limit doctor prescribed opioids to seven days only, which was submitted during a previous session but never passed through Congress.

Yaw also relayed that his team has begun to look into opioid abuse stemming from individuals using medications prescribed to their pets and will move forward in finding ways to eliminate such misuse.

Broadband

Yaw briefly described ongoing work in bringing high speed internet sources to local residents, which largely are currently unavailable in Bradford County.

Yaw pointed to a Tri-County Broadband Project that has been awarded $1.5 million to construct 103 miles of above ground broadband fiber that will expand high speed internet access to 1,400 customers in nearby Potter County (according to Tri-Countys website) as a pilot project that could kick off further development of rural internet options.

Agriculture

Yaw expounded on two arenas of agriculture that largely impact Bradford County, speaking on hopeful advances in the 23rd Districts relationship to Chesapeake Bay through stream management and the dairy crisis.

Regarding the areas relation to the bay, Yaw stated that he has met with representatives from a number of organizations who together conducted a stream walkthrough of a waterway in a neighboring county that experienced a bridge collapse due to an abundance of debris, including trees that were washed into it after a large amount of rainfall.

Highlighting the fact that 50 percent of the bay is gathered through streams, Yaw stressed the importance of prevention rather than post-crisis clean up when it comes to stream maintenance.

Everybody says we dont have money, well, okay I understand we dont have money but then when theres a major catastrophe somehow, somewhere we find money to do the repairs, Yaw said. So, why cant we spend it first?

The senator did however explain that he does not predict a likelihood of changes in Department of Environment Protection regulations for stream management in the near future.

Yaw also stated that he will continue to attempt to designate the hellbender salamander as the Keystone States official amphibian as it is a natural symbol of clean, fresh water.

When it came to comments on the dairy crisis, Yaw was less than optimistic in finding a legislative answer to helping farmers saying that trouble in the industry has been an ongoing issue that has not been able to be remedied by federal measures in the past.

I think unfortunately the problems with the dairy industry appear to be cyclical, Yaw commented.

Yaw stated that there was another crisis in the dairy industry not long ago that federal officials attempted to aid in by eliminating approximately 100,000 cows from the market. Once the supply was cut however, he added, the price of milk went up and more individuals added to their herds or broke into the business, creating a crisis all over again.

Yaw explained that he is now working to encourage dairy farmers to explore alternative farming options such as agri-tourism that has boomed in Pennsylvania recently.

The senator relayed that harm to farmers and their families due to the dairy crisis is sad and very, very tough on people and pointed farmers to potential options within the thriving agri-tourism industry such as corn mazes and spend a day with animals programs as supplemental income though he stated he was unsure of if there would be government grants for such projects at this time.

School budgets

Speaking briefly on other new could-be legislation in the 2019 session, Yaw told of a bill that he may attempt to implement that would require school budgets be voted on by taxpayers prior to their adoption.NOT the family who wreaked havoc on New Zealand. Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

An English family decided to unwind by doing a lot of bad deeds, committing petty crime, and attracting the attention of an entire country over their holidays. While on vacation in New Zealand, a family with approximately 12 but maybe as many as 15 members spent nearly a month terrorizing the nation before the government gave them an official deportation notice.

Before the notorious, large family was forced to leave, the entire country became a bit obsessed with them, as was documented at length in a recent Slate piece. Many assumed they were Irish; however, upon the arrest of one family member, it was determined that they were British. Other than that, very little else is known about the rowdy tourists, who shielded their faces from cameras and told the press few details about themselves.

But while we dont know their names, we do know the crimes they are accused of, which are extensive and incredible  the New Zealand Herald even made a map of where the unwelcome guests misbehaved. Heres a rundown of all the destruction they (allegedly) wrought.

The family was accused of stealing a Christmas tree, cans of Red Bull, sunglasses, and rope from a gas station.

On December 7, the family reportedly stole multiple items from a store in North Auckland, including a small Christmas tree, which was carried out by two children. Two women in the group were also captured on CCTV hiding smaller items in their clothing before they all left.

The owner of the store was stunned by how brazen the family had been. I could not believe they would just walk out with a Christmas tree, Dipesh Patel told Stuff. Especially children.

But grinch-ing the Christmas tree wasnt even the most bizarre part of the story: The family apparently kept coming back. On New Years Eve, they returned. Then, four days later, they were back again. Both times, a member of the family allegedly stole items from the store. On the third visit, Patel confronted one of the women he believed had stolen from his store; she denied that it was her and walked away. Then a man identifying himself as the womans husband came forward, apologized, and paid for a few of the items, but not for everything that was stolen.

Later, a woman in the family named Tina Maria Cash, 26, would plead guilty to stealing a pair of sunglasses, rope, and cans of Red Bull from the store. She was ordered to pay $55.20, and she did.

They allegedly put ants in their food or tried to turn waitstaff against each other to avoid paying dinner bills.

According to the Herald, the large family would order big meals at restaurants, and then, after they finished, would report that theyd found hair or bugs in their food and decline to pay their bill. Theyre accused of doing this twice at a place called Backyard Bar & Restaurant, on January 3 and January 5. Between both trips, the family managed to get out of paying for five of the meals theyd ordered, and loudly argued with the staff about the bill.

A few days later, the family reportedly tried to turn waitstaff at another restaurant against each other in order to get out of paying the check.

After annoying staff members with their rude behaviour and bizarre requests, they tried to get me onside and turn me against my boss by buying me a beer while I was on shift and getting me to sit down and have conversations, the restaurant manager told NewsTalk. They started making comments saying he was bullying them, which was odd because he hadnt said or done anything towards the group.

Sometimes, reports say, they simply dined-and-dashed.

On January 9, at a restaurant in Takapuna, several members of the family reportedly ordered and ate their food and then threatened the waitstaff before walking out. On January 13, the group dined at a Nandos, and then immediately demanded a refund on their food.

They pulled a similar stunt on January 13 at a restaurant called Mr. India, where they only paid for $16 of a $250 check after claiming theyd found a hair in their food.

They were repeatedly accused of being rude in the strangest of ways.

One man accused a few members of the family of rudely demanding his scooter. There arent very many more details on this encounter, but based on the pattern of behavior associated with them, the story seems to check out. In addition, when a hotel clerk at a hotel in which they were staying asked for one of the mens room number, so that she could charge his breakfast accordingly, he refused to answer her.

He was eating toast and he threw it on the ground, an unnamed eyewitness told Stuff. He behaved rudely.

They allegedly littered, and then threatened the locals who asked them to pick up their trash.

At Takapuna Beach, the family was confronted about the extensive amount of trash they had left around them. Staff reports that there were bottles, beer boxes, and baby wipes strewn everywhere. When other beachgoers asked the family to clean up their garbage, they did not respond calmly.

Rather, in footage that was captured on a Facebook video, one of the children, who witnesses describe as being about 9, can be heard yelling at the woman recording the video, Krista Curnow, that he would knock your brains out. Curnow claimed that earlier in the day, the same boy (whom she at one point called a naughty little shit) deliberately poured chips onto our blanket.

Later, Curnow said she was surrounded by five women who egged each other on to hit me and also threatened to run her over with their car.

They had odd interactions with the press.

When Tina Maria Cash arrived at court for the charges related to her gas station thefts, she was accompanied by some of her other family members, including a boy (possibly the same one who threatened to knock out Curnows brains?) who flipped off the press every chance he got. Footage captured by the Herald shows the boy lowering the piece of paper he used to cover his face in order to flip off the cameras as he and an unidentified woman walked away from the courthouse.

In an exclusive interview with the New Zealand Herald, one of the young men in the rowdy tourist group gave the name John Johnson and told reporters that his grandfather was the tenth-richest man in England. None of Johnsons story has been confirmed, though it seems unlikely, as the tenth-richest man in England is actually the 27-year-old Duke of Westminster, as Slate notes.

The man who identified himself as John Johnson didnt seem to be very remorseful about the long list of dirty deeds his family was accused of  indeed, from his account of events, he and his raucous family were actually the ones being bullied by New Zealanders. Were here to see the hobbits, he told the Herald. Ive been looking at the hobbits my whole life, since Im born. That was originally what our plans was, but its all been fucked up now.

Im no one famous, he continued. Im just a fat kid from England on holiday. I feel very unwelcome here. I feel like an alien invader.

New Zealand got so exasperated they began deportation proceedings for the family.

Eventually, the groups reign of chaos came to an end. By January 15, New Zealand authorities began deportation proceedings for the family, revoking their temporary visas and giving them 28 days to leave the country or appeal the decision. Perhaps for the first time during their trip to New Zealand, they didnt put up a fight: A member of the family told the Herald that they were expecting to leave the country by Wednesday.

The Irish Times announced the news with the following headline: Family to be deported from New Zealand is British, not Irish.The Womens March in Miami in 2018. Photo: Matias J. Ocner/TNS via Getty Images

Its January during the Trump years, which means its time to talk about the fractured Womens March. This year, controversy surrounds charges of anti-Semitism, most pointedly against Tamika Mallory, one of the four national co-chairs (along with Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez and Bob Bland) of the national Womens March, which this year is organizing a large demonstration on January 19 in Washington, D.C., while other organizations host gatherings around the country.

Over the past year, the press has avidly covered Mallorys relationship to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan; in February, she attended NOIs annual Saviours Day event, listening to Farrakhan call Jews the mother and father of Apartheid, and she once posted a picture of him labeled GOAT (the greatest of all time). Called to task for her public affirmations of a virulent anti-Semite (and homophobe, and sexist) of long standing, Mallory has disavowed the anti-Semitism, but refused to renounce Farrakhan himself, or the Nation of Islam, an organization she explained had helped support her and the African-American communities shes long worked for in the wake of the killing of her childs father. Then, in December, Tablet published an extensive report in which other early organizers of the 2017 Womens March alleged that Mallory and Perez made anti-Semitic comments in initial planning meetings, suggesting  in the spirit of the Nation of Islams book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews  that Jewish people were significantly responsible for the oppression of people of color and had been leaders of the slave trade; Mallory and other co-chairs have denied this reporting.

On Tuesday, both the NAACP and the DNC pulled out as partners with the D.C. event. In cities around the country, satellite organizations  most of them separate entities from the national Womens March organization  are planning their own marches, debating whether or not to participate or to boycott the day of protest and gathering. Some state and local leaders have pled with the national co-chairs to step down; organizers in Chicago and Baton Rouge have announced that they will be canceling the events this year, though another group in Northern California that initially announced its cancellation due to the participants being overwhelmingly white appears to have rescheduled its march. In New York, there will be competing marches, a scenario that is as boneheaded as it is self-defeating.

If it sounds like a hot mess, it is not at odds with the history of the Womens Marches, the first of which took place on the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017, and the second  not organized by the national co-chairs  in cities around the nation last year. In the weeks before the 2017 event, the New York Times published a story about internal debates and fury marking the organizing process, the feelings of exclusion felt by some white women alienated by the demands for an intersectional approach to protest, which prioritized awareness of racial and economic inequality, and the fear that this call for difficult self-reckoning would drive potential participants away. But the march wound up being the biggest single day of political protest in this countrys history. The following year  despite more stories about splits and divisiveness within the movement (One Year After Womens March, More Activism but Less Unity was the Times headline)  the marches again drew hundreds of thousands of people.

Its not that coverage of the marches as chaotic and fractious  riven not simply by ego and competing tactical factions, but by the exposure of deep and dangerous prejudices  has been incorrect: The Womens March, since its inception, has been built around the expression of disagreements and provocative arguments about the biases, inequalities, and resentments that wind up getting replicated in any progressive coalition. (Especially in a movement of women, who as a subjugated majority are thus a bigger and more unwieldy population than almost any other oppressed group.)

But the fighting, while often presented as perilously schismatic, has, from the start, been part of the point. As Sarsour told me, back in 2017, contentious dialogue is by design. The painful reflections and calls to responsibility were meant to bring anger to the surface as part of the process of marching together, rather than allowing that anger to fester and separate a group that could, united, wield power. That idea is well within the tradition of feminist argument, especially Audre Lordes 1981 essay The Uses of Anger, in which she suggests that for Black women and white women to face each others angers without denial or immobility or silence or guilt is itself a heretical and generative idea.

And so, the fact that millions of women and men have turned out for mass protests for two years in a row, not despite tensions over racial, religious, ideological, and economic differences  but in the midst of them, some engaging them head-on  has been one of the most defining and electrifying features of this iteration of a womens movement. The hot messiness has been one of contemporary feminisms surest signs of life and of a willingness to work toward being better than it has been in the past.

This year, as in past years, the bonds are delicate, the reasons for resentment very real and very serious. Valuing contentious reckoning between women is not the same as excusing or moving past Mallorys reported words or the pain her affiliation with Farrakhan has caused. Anti-Semitism within a progressive, women-driven coalition doesnt deserve a whit less scrutiny than white supremacy, of course.

Yet the intense focus on Mallory as a deciding factor about whether or not to participate is perhaps misguided. It shows a misunderstanding of two seemingly contradictory but in fact complementary points: that Mallory and her co-chairs initially played a crucial symbolic and structural role in organizing a womens march that could bring together a diverse, fractious, and massive coalition of potential activists, but that in the years since, making space for such a broad and energetic group to coalesce, she and her colleagues have become far less important as leaders  symbolically and organizationally  than they were as conveners, setting the very tone that now compels activists to pursue questions of anti-Semitism within march leadership, but perhaps not walk away from protest itself.

Ask the women who have devoted their days and nights these past years to marching, striking, running for office, door-knocking, phone-banking, organizing, sending postcards and calling senators who the symbols, and leaders, of their movement are, and theyre as likely  I think far more likely  to name Stacey Abrams or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Emma Gonzalez or Tarana Burke or Elizabeth Warren or Kirsten Gillibrand or Lucy McBath as they are Tamika Mallory.

The Trump-era resistance movement is often communicated in shorthand via images of the Womens Marches; it may indeed have been catalyzed by those events. But it has not been defined in any meaningful way by the Womens March organization alone. The power of the marches came from the millions of people who attended them, and then went on to put their energies into the campaigns, elections, Indivisible, teachers and hotel and fast-food workers strikes, the #MeToo movement, and other forms of civic activism and education. Women who may have first encountered each other at the Womens March  or simply understood because they saw it on TV that they were not alone in their fury  began working together, learning from each other, with unfathomable results: the remaking of the House of Representatives, a renewed culture of walkouts, the dethronement of powerful men from powerful perches.

But that activism could be cast as expansive, future-looking progressivism in part because Mallory, Perez, and Sarsour  who had not worked as feminists in the past, but as activists and leaders of multiracial movements that historically had received too little attention from mainstream womens organizing  had stepped in early on. Their initial role as leaders defused well-founded concerns that the 2017 demonstration would be an appropriative and misbegotten March of the Suburban White Women.

The co-chairs insistence on drafting a set of march principles, aligned with serious left progressivism, expanded the reach of the event politically. It ensured more diverse (though still heavily white) participation, and put many newly angry suburban women shoulder to shoulder with others whod been advocating for years against environmental racism and sexism, and on behalf of domestic workers and indigenous communities. The march was chock-full of internal dissent, including one iconic sign asking if the bearer would see you nice white ladies at the next #blacklivesmatter march, right?

And while its certainly not as though every pussy-hatted protester did show up at that next march for black lives, some participants did begin to think harder. At the Womens March convention in 2017, the session on confronting white womanhood was the most oversubscribed of the weekend; it had to be held a second time, moved to a bigger space, and still there were lines out the door. Part of this is attributable not to the Womens March co-chairs, but to the medias long-overdue acknowledgement, in the wake of Hillary Clintons loss, that white women  the demographic too often credited and associated with the leadership of feminist movements that were often pioneered by women of color  have also consistently voted for Republicans, and against policies that would benefit women, people of color, and the poor. But there is no question that the women who were the symbolic heads of the first and biggest public demonstration after the 2016 election made sure that the women marching into January  and into years of civic agitation, protest, and electoral politics  would not forget the racial dimensions and need for self-reckoning within womens organizing.

In the two years since, there has been vivid, if insufficient, acknowledgment of white patriarchy, not just within the nation but within the womens movement. None of this gets anyone a Certificate of Woke Achievement or a shiny Not Racist badge. Rather, what has begun is an erratic, sometimes painful, and often furious holding to account: of conservative white women, yes, but also of liberal ones  often progressive liberal ones  who have failed to credit or consider or look to leadership from the women of color and black women whose activism has often paved the way for their own achievements. And here, the Womens March national co-chairs offered an important and corrective symbolic view: of multiracial stewardship of a movement populated by lots of newly angered middle-class white women.

After all, the first plan, hatched by white organizers, had been to call the first event the Million Woman March, without any seeming knowledge of or interest in the fact that there had already been a Million Woman March  a gathering of half a million people in Philadelphia in 1997 organized by black women. There was too little sense that a march of resistance to Donald Trump  organized and primarily attended by white women, co-opting a renewed culture of public protest pioneered within movements for racial justice (BLM) and leftist policy (Occupy), held in the wake of an election in which exit polls showed the majority of white women voting for Donald Trump and 94 percent of black women voting for Hillary Clinton  would have been disastrous. Such an event would have ensured that a contemporary revivification of a womans movement was bound to replicate the mistakes of the past, rather than to address and correct them. In other words, Mallory, Perez, and Sarsour wound up covering a lot of white-woman ass in 2017.

But their success in refashioning a model for a womens movement via a single event  even an epic and historically unprecedented one  did not leave Mallory and her fellow co-chairs as the long-term leaders of the new womens resistance movement.

Yes, they were honored and feted and covered by the press. They held a conference in Detroit, and a less successful call for a Day Without a Woman in March of 2017. Their specialty, as organizers, has been civil disobedience, and they were pretty spectacular at organizing the protest movement against Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court, even before the assault claims of Christine Blasey Ford came to light. On that first day of hearings for a man whose confirmation to the court means a sure rollback of civil rights, reproductive rights, collective bargaining rights, and voting rights, it was Sarsour who was the first to rise out of her seat and yell, the first to be led away in handcuffs. Those protests culminated with the elevator confrontation between Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher and Senator Jeff Flake, a viral exchange that would give invaluable voice to the shaking fury of so many women.

But part of whats been remarkable about womens activism in these years is that in that moment, Archila and Gallagher became as symbolically important as Mallory or Perez or perhaps even as Sarsour have been. Here is the irony, but also the success of the Womens March: In inviting so many people to participate, agitate, raise their voices in their own ways, and listen to the raised voices of women differently, the event(s) they planned gave birth to a movement and to a host of figures who have become as symbolically powerful, and in many cases more powerful, than the four co-chairs.

Which makes all the media energy that has been put into not simply exposing and examining Tamika Mallorys complex ties to virulently anti-Semitic thinking  a thing that the Womens March focus on contentious dialogue compels us do  but rather into discrediting her, leveraging her out of a position of leadership, and ejecting her from the movement she helped to create space for, feel disproportionate. The focus on her, the willingness to boycott a march, and thus to sap an activist gathering of its very activism, doesnt totally track.

When Mallory appeared this week on The View, she very purposefully refused to accede to the demands of Meghan McCain that she use the language of condemnation with regard to Louis Farrakhan, insisting instead that she did not agree with his anti-Semitism, and determinedly insisting that her admiration for him stemmed from his work in black communities, and was distinct from his rhetoric of hate and prejudice. Generally speaking, Mallory has not responded well to the criticism aimed at her, has failed to say what many Jews need to hear, especially as they are living through an era of violent anti-Semitism, seeing their schools and playgrounds desecrated, being singled out by white-nationalist demonstrators who chant Jews will not replace us, and murdered in their places of worship.

But watching McCain fulminate righteously at how I would never be comfortable supporting someone who [said] Im not anti-Semite, Im anti-termite, (a Farrakhan classic) it was hard for me not to consider that McCains own father, who was a prisoner of war for more than five years, referred (as recently as his 2000 presidential campaign) to his Vietnamese captors as g**ks, in 2013 compared former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a monkey, and in 1998 told a joke about why Chelsea Clinton [then 18] is so ugly because Janet Reno is her father.

The question of who has to answer for the bigotry of those they support is complex, but often in the United States, not so complex. The fact is, we simply dont ask every white woman  conservative or feminist  to answer for (much less condemn or renounce) every racist or patriarch to whom she has a personal or political connection. In part, thats because in many of those racists and patriarchs, we can see heroism, decency, the complex and nuanced roots of their biases and hatreds  McCains experiences in Vietnam being a prime example. We can value the good theyve done and the obstacles theyve faced over, or perhaps alongside, the injuries theyve caused; too often, we can simply erase any need for an explanation of the bad. This is one of the things that contemporary progressive activism, and the Womens March itself, has asked us to begin to grapple with: the invisible complicity of so many. In Mallorys case, it is good and correct that she is being pushed hard to take responsibility for her own reported biases as well as her complicity with the systemic denigration of Jews given voice by Farrakhan, but why is there so little effort to also reckon with the difficult roots of her connection to him and her fealty to the Nation of Islam, and the complicated role that organization plays in so many isolated, underserved black communities?

None of this is to say theres an easy answer; rather, the opposite. Its to say that the path toward becoming better as individuals and as movements and eventually as a nation is to do the extremely hard work of talking about the contradictions and challenges of solidarity between oppressed groups, often by fighting and expressing pain and hurt and anger toward the people with whom we also recognize we want to  need to  work toward something closer to justice. Its not canceling or condemning or boycotting those people.

The reporting on Mallory, on Farrakhan, on the Womens March, has taught me so much: about the history and role of the Nation of Islam, about the history of anti-Semitism in some black communities, and of racism within some Jewish communities. Is this not the ideal future for a movement of women, in which we must expose and examine the twisted histories of our own resentments? This has been, up till now, one of the legacies of the Womens March, and the difficult work it directly asked newly activated women to do in 2017.

And it is the work of the masses of women  not the individuals who played a valuable role in making space for them to gather in 2017  that is reshaping this country. Its masses of voters and campaigners and candidates, the majority of them women, who brought us the incoming class of the House of Representatives; its masses of activists, the majority of them women, who staved off Obamacare repeal; its masses of storytellers, the majority of them women, who told of harassment and assault and forced so many powerful and abusive men to give up their powerful positions; its masses of workers  the majority of them women, including those striking (and dancing) this week in Los Angeles streets in search of fairer wages and smaller classroom sizes  who have gone on strikes, who have participated in Google walkouts.

And of course, a political media, the political parties, our prominent narrative-builders, dont want to reckon with what those masses of people and their dissatisfaction mean, because it is so destabilizing and scary and overwhelming and unpredictable. Its far easier to home in on individuals, who  when taken individually  are far more likely to be shown as fallible, biased, flawed, or weak, than it is to acknowledge the unrelenting hungers and demands of huge numbers of people, people who  as a coalition, if they can be persuaded to gather as one  cannot be undermined or stripped of legitimacy as easily as their individual leaders can be.

I have never been sure that there needed to be another mass Womens March in 2019, in part because I feel that the idea of one annual demonstration to be a poor measure of the health and persistence of womens civic engagement and determination to change the world. Look instead to the swearing-in ceremonies around the country, to those Los Angeles strikers, to the R. Kelly documentary that got record ratings on Lifetime last week. I also understand that the expectation of annual turnout will be used as a cudgel, that the pundits and leaders who refused to take the first Womens March seriously to begin with will wait for the year that the crowds dissipate to gravely proclaim the era of womens activism ended. (Here I exist in the neurotic tradition of Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally: Thats why I have never taken anyone to the airport  I never wanted anyone to say to me, How come you never take me to the airport anymore?)

But when I was on my book tour in the fall, I heard from many women and men who were eagerly looking toward January as a release valve for the fury they felt after the confirmation of Kavanaugh, as a reconvening of the determined, as a reminder that they are not alone in their fear or passion, and then, in the weeks after the midterms, as a bit of a celebration.

And as I watch individual shortcomings used to sap the potential energy of the gathering of thousands, to scare off elected officials from taking part, I feel tremendous frustration. I want to scream: If you were going to march, march! If you were going to march because you were terrified by and livid about our courts; if you were going to march because you were horrified by the deaths of children at the border, by the murder of Jazmine Barnes; if you were going to march because participating in past marches made you remember you were not isolated in your rage or commitment; if you were going to march for strength because you are Jewish and you are scared of the rise of global and local anti-Semitism; if you were going to march with happiness because we just swore in all these gleefully rebellious women to the House; if you were going to march because you know that those womens swearing-in is just the beginning of a long hard road  and now youre not going to march because one of the national Womens March co-chairs is as beset by the kinds of bias endemic to this country as many of the rest of us are, then youre not doing yourself or our future any great progressive favor.

Instead, if you were going to march, draw up a big profane sign saying how angry you are  at misogyny, at racism, at capitalism, at anti-Semitism, at Tamika Mallory  and call on the women marching alongside you to talk to you, even argue with you, about it. Its the way to move forward.

Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.Find these stories and more in the Jan. 17 issue of The Carillon.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/1/2019 (882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Find these stories and more in the Jan. 17 issue of The Carillon.

Crisis communications

I talk with Hanover School Division superintendent Randy Dueck about the division's response to Tuesday's bomb threat at Clearspring Middle School.

Remarkable recovery

Reporter Jordan Ross talks with Rebecca Fentum-Jones as the horserider continues her recovery from a riding accident near St Malo last June.

Champions crowned

Sports editor Terry Frey talks with Ste Anne's Raygan Kirk about her win at the U18 Women's Hockey Championships.Launch of All-New Honda Talon Side-by-Side Highlights Growth, Enhanced Capabilities at Honda of South Carolina Mfg.

SEE ALSO: ATV's Are Kid Killers

$45 million expansion completed in 2018 leads to new Honda sport side-by-side

Jan 16, 2019 - TIMMONSVILLE, S.C.; Associates at Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc. (HSC) today celebrated the start of mass production of the all-new Talon sport side-by-side. HSC, which marked its 20th anniversary in 2018, makes all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and is the exclusive global production source for Honda side-by-side (SxS) vehicles.

The Honda Talon 1000X and 1000R, two new entries into the fast-growing sport side-by-side segment, highlight the skill and dedication of the engineers at Honda R&D Americas, Inc. in Raymond, Ohio, who developed the Honda Talon and the experienced workforce who build it at Honda of South Carolina Mfg..

In an effort to meet growing demand for side-by-side vehicles, HSC completed a $45 million expansion project in 2018 that added 250 new jobs and 115,000 square feet of space. The project included a new weld area, a new paint line to enhance quality and color variations, along with new buildings and expansions to improve production efficiency. The plant also added automated guided carriers and lift assist devices to support quality, logistics, safety and ergonomic improvements for associates.

"Over the last 20 years, Honda in South Carolina has evolved from a small ATV manufacturing plant, to a world-class team that can produce a complex model like the Honda Talon sport side-by-side," said Gary Mabrey, president of HSC. "This expansion and innovation was made possible through the efforts of the incredible team of associates who are dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers."

Drawing upon countless hours of collaborative development with Honda R&D Americas, Talon brings a new level of off-road excitement, precision, performance and quality - pushing the envelope of what is possible in a sport side-by-side.

"The Talon is truly a standout side-by-side vehicle and Im proud that associates at Honda of South Carolina are part of its development as well as its future," said Chuck Boderman, vice president of powersports division of American Honda. "The sport side-by-side market is showing significant growth and its exciting to have the new Honda Talon for our dealers and our customers."

Aware that a single offering would be a compromise for some conditions and driving styles, Honda developed two versions of the Talon. Each works across a broad array of conditions but specializes in a different area of the off-road spectrum. The two vehicles share a common frame and engine but have wheelbase and suspension configurations that are designed to shine in different applications. Both models function at a high level in a wide variety of terrain types, bringing a new level of control, style and refinement to a sport side-by-side market that is hungry for innovation, reliability and an improved driving experience.

About Honda of South Carolina Mfg.

HSC began production of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in July 1998, with a workforce of approximately 200 associates. The initial $30 million, 200,000-square-foot ATV manufacturing plant was the beginning of Honda of South Carolina's significant growth in Florence County.

Today, HSC employs almost 1,000 associates in its 947,000-square-foot facility that now represents $400 million in investment. With the flexibility to produce many different types of powersports products, using domestic and globally sourced parts, associates at the Timmonsville plant currently have the annual capacity to manufacture 100,000 Honda ATVs and 100,000 side-by-sides for North American and global markets.

About America Honda

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will mark its 60th anniversary in America in 2019. Honda established its first operation in America in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1959, for the sale of motorcycles and today employs more than 40,000 associates in the development, manufacturing, and sales operations. American Honda is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and side-by-sides in the U.S. The Honda Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through independent authorized Honda retail dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to powersports.honda.com.

Honda R&D Americas, Inc.

Operating 12 facilities in the United States, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. (HRA) was incorporated in 1984 after beginning operations in California in 1975. HRA is responsible for creating advanced products and technologies that provide new value to Honda and Acura customers. HRA conducts all phases of product development in the U.S., from market and technology research and styling through engineering design to prototype fabrication and testing, local parts procurement and support for mass production preparation.

With major facilities in Ohio, California, and North Carolina, HRA is engaged in the development and testing of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda powersports and power equipment products, and is also playing a lead role in the development of leading-edge safety, driver assistive and environmental technologies. Learn more at http://www.hondaresearch.com2019 NAIAS - THE BIGINNING OF THE END?!? - FROM MICHAEL BERNSTEIN







By: Michael Bernstein

Senior Editor

Michigan Bureau

The Auto Channel

Pre Show Activities-NAIAS 2019

Its hard to believe but this will be my 24th Detroit Auto show, aka The North American International Auto show. When it was re-branded and re-positioned it grew in size and stature and was the Mt. Rushmore of automotive events. This unfortunately is no longer the case. The show, like the industry it supports, is evolving and the old ways and locations that used to work no longer fill the bill. It is struggling for relevancy and future inclusion in the industrys rapidly changing cycles.

I began to notice the changes that were taking place in the number of events and programs that were taking place BEFORE the shows official opening. This trend continued again this year as Ford, Cadillac and Cox Automotive chose to conduct their events before the show opened.

Fords off site event was held Wednesday and was heavy on trucks, SUV and the two halo cars that will remain in their product ladder-The Shelby GT Mustang and its GT super car.

One of the events that I truly look forward to is Cox Automotive Industry Insights breakfast. This event is in its 6th year and is always jammed packed with opinions, facts and thoughtful analysis. This year was no exception. The overall theme of the presentation this year was disruption. They also commented on its effects on the various tentacles of the automobile industry now and in the near term.

Charting their corporate evolution as an example of changes caused by disruption in their field, the Cox Company got its start as a newspaper. Then expanding first to radio, then it moved into over the air broadcast TV, to which it added cable TV and now digital transmission and the internet. Cox Automotive took the cue from The Auto Channel business plan back in 1994, they were finally convinced that they need to be more than a car racing entity. They followed The Auto Chanel roadmap and bought automotive information companies to add service capabilities across its impressive roster of divisions and capabilities that met the vision that The Auto Channel blueprinted for them.

Disruption in the auto industry is at a level that is unprecedented and is coming from many fronts-changing technologies, consumer habits and economic uncertainty-just to name a few, but in spite of these pressures the industry as a whole had a surprisingly successful year.

In fact 2018 was the fourth best year EVER. This near record growth was fueled by President Trumps tax reform and high consumer confidence helped propel the industrys sales(in units) over the 17,000,000 mark for new vehicles while the total market volume including all transaction was north of 28,000,000 units.

The big winners were Jeep, Land Rover and Subaru. All electric start up, Tesla, also had a strong showing by increasing production and solidifying its position as the leader in electrification. On the flip side Chrysler, Fiat, Genesis and Jaguar have some work to do. Fleet sales are once again figuring back in as this segment picked up an 8% gain year to date.

These economic facts when combined with leading indicators including low unemployment and strong consumer confidence, despite the predictions of a recession, led Cox chief economist Jonathan Smoke to predict a 16.8 million forecast for 2019. He also pointed out some interesting trends.

One of which is the share of retail sales transactions under $30,000 is declining while those over $50,000 have increased to 30% of all sales. Thats an incredible leap and points to the growing disparity in the market that is taking shape.

Another interesting trend to keep an eye on is the way in which you and I get around. What I mean is that currently 93% of all miles traveled are in sole owner vehicles. In other words the car/truck/SUV you own and drive every day. This figure is going to be reduced as Millennial's and GenZ have a larger impact on these numbers and the data that is extrapolated from them. Their shift to other means of transportation like ride hailing services most notably Uber or Lyft, Ride sharing services and vehicle subscriptions will continue to grow.

As this trend and changes take hold the cost per mile will be reduced. Currently the cost to operate a vehicle you own works out to $.50/mile compared to $1.30/mile using hailing services. As this number is reduced these options will be more affordable to consumers with $.60/mile as the threshold that will significantly drive this transformation.

Mobility and autonomous driving systems will continue to be relative but the break neck speed of their introduction has been significantly reduced as the focus shifts back to increasing the drivers safety as opposed to being the driver.

Some of these facts and figures were on display when Cadillac introduced the latest SUV to the Two Letters luxury brand at an extravagant, invitation only event Sunday night. The event felt more like a clubs grand opening that a vehicle reveal.

The XT6 was the star of the show, but for a brand that has done less with more, this three row SUV promises big things-most notably filling a gaping hole in its lineup. In addition to the reveal Cadillacs president addressed the crowd of dignitaries and lauded Cadillacs future as the brand that will be carrying the corporations electrification mantle. It was a not to subtle shot across Teslas bow, but given the short attention span and lack of commitment to past endeavors(remember the EV-1), I doubt anything of consequence will emerge.

Well that sums up the show before the show. The official press preview were the 14-17, but given all the pre-show activities, the reduced number of manufactures who chose to attend this year and there really is only one day. I will have a recap of the highlights, share my thoughts and insights from the show floor later in the week. Stay tuned to The Auto Channel for all the information on NAIAS 2019 and everything else happening in the automotive world.HYUNDAI ISSUES RECALL AND ENGINE SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR CERTAIN SONATA AND SANTA FE SPORT VEHICLES







Recalls Approximately 100,000 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Vehicles to Inspect the Reinstallation of the Fuel Tubes of Replaced Engines

Releases Knock Sensor Detection System Software Update to Identify Early Indicators of Excessive Engine Bearing Wear in Over 2 Million Sonata and Santa Fe Sport Vehicles

Engine Warranty Increased to 10 Years and 120,000 Miles for All Owners of 2011-2018 Sonata and 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport Vehicles



FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 16, 2019  To ensure the safety of its customers, and in addition to two previous engine recalls, Hyundai has issued a subsequent recall to inspect the fuel tube installation of approximately 100,000 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vehicles whose engines were replaced under the previous two recalls. The recall is being conducted to inspect and confirm proper reinstallation of the fuel tube to the high-pressure fuel pump.

In addition, Hyundai has developed a new engine monitoring technology called a knock sensor detection system. The technology uses software innovations and leverages existing engine sensors to continuously monitor for symptoms that may precede an engine failure. More details on Hyundais engine recalls and the knock sensor product improvement campaign can be found at www.hyundaiengineinfo.com.



Knock Sensor Detection System Software Update

The knock sensor technology will be installed through a free software update performed by Hyundai dealers and is rolling out through a product improvement campaign to approximately 2 million Hyundai vehicles, including all model year 2011-2018 Sonata and 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport vehicles with engines produced in the U.S.

The knock sensor detection system software continuously monitors engine vibrations for unusual dynamic patterns that develop as an engine connecting rod bearing wears abnormally in a way that could later cause engine seizure. If vibrations caused by bearing wear start to occur, the malfunction indicator lamp will blink continuously, an audible chime will sound (in certain models) and the vehicle will be placed in a temporary engine protection mode with reduced power and acceleration. In this temporary mode, drivers maintain full control of the vehicle as brakes, steering and safety devices such as airbags remain operational.

The vehicle can continue to be operated for a limited time in engine protection mode to enable the customer to safely drive it to a Hyundai dealer for inspection and repair, but acceleration will be slower, with a reduced maximum speed of approximately 60 to 65 mph and a limited engine speed of approximately 1,800 to 2,000 rpm. Hyundais knock sensor technology has been evaluated by an independent, leading engineering and scientific consulting firm. When tested using a fleet of vehicles specifically prepared to test the knock sensor technology, the knock sensor system successfully detected failing connecting rod bearings and responded with activation of the engine protection mode. Further explanation of the knock sensor detection system is available at www.hyundaiengineinfo.com.

As part of this product improvement campaign, Hyundai will extend the warranty to 10 years and 120,000 miles (up from 100,000 miles) for original and subsequent owners of 2011-2018 Sonata and 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport vehicles for engine repairs needed because of excessive connecting rod bearing damage.



Hyundais Engine Recalls

Acting in the interest of customer safety and security, and in close coordination with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Hyundai voluntarily recalled more than 1 million vehicles (certain model year 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles) in 2015 and 2017 (NHTSA 15V-568 and 17V-226) to address a manufacturing issue that could lead to excessive bearing wear and engine failure. While the majority of incidents among affected vehicles are limited to engine knocking, there have been instances of stalling and in certain circumstances an engine fire. Typically, as an engine becomes inoperable, drivers are alerted by warning lights and sounds, and while the engine may experience some hesitation, drivers should have time to safely move the vehicle off the road. When a vehicle is brought in for the recall repair, Hyundai dealers inspect, and if necessary, replace the engine. To date, these recalls have completion rates of 87 and 73 percent respectively, versus an industry average of 69 percent for recalled engines.[1]

In January 2019, Hyundai issued a subsequent recall (NHTSA to post shortly) to inspect the fuel tubes of 100,000 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vehicles whose engines were replaced under the previous two recalls to ensure proper reinstallation of the fuel tube to the high-pressure fuel pump. In some cases, during engine replacements the high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged, misaligned or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure and this could allow fuel to leak. Hyundai is not aware of any fires caused by this issue, but is conducting the follow-on recall out of an abundance of caution.

In addition to the recalls, and as discussed with NHTSA, Hyundai developed the knock sensor software update to deliver early warning to customers of excessive bearing wear before a more serious problem, such as engine failure occurs. The software update is being added to vehicles beyond the recalled population because it can benefit all vehicles and serve as a preventive measure.



Knock Sensor Detection System Customer Communications

Hyundai is notifying customers about the product improvement campaigns through multiple points of contact (U.S. mail, email, vehicle telematics, dealer incentives, customer-facing website, media notification) with instructions to bring their vehicle to the nearest Hyundai dealership to have the free software installed. Customers with questions may contact the Hyundai Customer Care Center at (800) 633-5151 or consumeraffairs@hmausa.com. To find out whether a vehicle is eligible for the software update, input the vehicles VIN at Hyundais campaign website: www.hyundaiusa.com/ campaignhome . Customer communications for affected vehicles have begun.

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America is focused on delivering an outstanding customer experience grounded in design leadership, engineering excellence and exceptional value in every vehicle we sell. Hyundais technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to deliver peace of mind to our customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 830 dealerships nationwide and the majority sold in the U.S. are built at U.S. manufacturing facilities, including Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.Sao Paulo: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree Tuesday loosening restrictions on gun ownership, a move that appeased his base but that critics say will worsen a crime wave that has already claimed thousands of lives.

Bolsonaro's decree, made while he was surrounded by members of Brazil's "bullet caucus", makes it easier for average citizens to access guns and extended the validity of existing gun registrations from five to ten years.

Brazil has the most killings in the world, and Bolsonaro made arming regular citizens a cornerstone of his campaign for president in 2018. The decree is a nod to supporters demanding greater autonomy in self-defense amid the spike in crime.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro made arming regular citizens a cornerstone of his 2018 presidential campaign. Credit:AP

"To guarantee your legitimate right to defense, I, as President, will use this weapon," Bolsonaro said, referring to his pen as he signed the decree.Two psychiatrists have told an Israeli court that former Victorian school principal Malka Leifer is fit to be extradited to Melbourne to face child sex abuse charges.

The psychiatrists appeared for the state prosecution at a closed-door extradition hearing on Thursday local time.

Malka Leifer in court in May last year. Credit:Gabrielle Weiniger

Leifer's lawyer Yehuda Fried says the defence will argue Leifer is mentally unfit for extradition.

The defence is expected to present three psychiatrists, beginning next Thursday, and the hearing is expected to go until mid-year.Paris: One by one, European Union nations are spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the possibility that Britain could leave the bloc on March 29 without a plan.

A no-deal Brexit would shake up the rest of the continent in ways that many Europeans haven't even fathomed.

France is spending 50 million ($80 million) beefing up security at airports and at the Eurotunnel, as well as on hiring hundreds of extra customs officers.

Portugal is opening special airport lanes for British travellers, the nation's main source of tourists. Germany is fast-tracking a debate on solving bureaucratic problems if there is no Brexit deal."We understand that there is weak rule of law, the lack of capacity for investigation," said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor of policy and government at George Mason University, who studies organized crime in Mexico. "The names of politicians turn up in trial  but nothing happens." She said that a long history of impunity had left Mexicans feeling hopeless and asking: "Why should I care?" Pena Nieto, whose six-year term ended late last year, has made no public statement in response to the allegations. But close associates from his administration issued denials on his behalf, including his former chief of staff, Francisco Guzman, who is not related to the accused drug trafficker and who called the allegations "false, defamatory and absurd". "The government of @EPN was the one that located, arrested and extradited Joaquin Guzman Loera," Francisco Guzman said on Twitter. "Since the beginning of the administration, it was a priority objective of the security cabinet." Some Mexicans allowed for the possibility that there might be some truth in the allegations made by Alex Cifuentes Villa, a Colombian drug trafficker who worked closely with the Mexican drug lord.

Cifuentes first grew close to Guzman in late 2007 when he went to live with the drug lord (and his entourage of secretaries, maids and bodyguards) in a series of secret hideouts in the Sierra Madre mountains. Before he arrived, Cifuentes said, Guzman was living in a rustic hut with plastic folding chairs and makeshift wooden furniture. It was only after he showed up, he claimed, that Guzman acquired modern amenities like a plasma-screen television. Cifuentes dated the alleged bribe to October 2012 and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was captured for the first time in February 2014. Credit:AP In the next six years, Cifuentes was involved in nearly every aspect of Guzman's business. His ties to Guzman ended shortly after Cifuentes was arrested by Mexican authorities in late 2013; he was apprehended at a modest ranch in the outskirts of Culiacan that was protected by the kingpin's personal bodyguards, a team known as the Anthrax Group. Within a year, he testified, his brother Jorge, who was already in custody in the United States, persuaded him to cooperate with the prosecutors on Guzman's case. However, doubt as to the truth of Cifuentes claims seemed to prevail among those who followed the issue. "We have a very bad experience with protected witnesses," said Max Kaiser, a Mexican lawyer who helped write Mexico's anti-corruption laws. "We know that protected witnesses can say anything."

He said that the lack of reaction in Mexico less reflected resignation than a lack of confidence in the source of the allegation. "What people are waiting for is that these allegations are backed up with evidence," he said, adding that if the allegations were proved, it would be "a major scandal." "If nothing more is presented," he continued, "it would just be hearsay from a narcotrafficker hoping for some kind of benefit." Maria Celia Toro, a political analyst at the Colegio de Mexico, a university in Mexico City, said that Mexicans have been conditioned by "a long history of false accusations". She added: "The most sensible thing to do is to wait."

Many observers pointed out that if El Chapo had, indeed, paid Pena Nieto $100 million, then he did not get much bang for his buck, since he was eventually extradited to the United States by the former president. Cifuentes dated the alleged bribe to October 2012 and Guzman was captured for the first time in February 2014. He later escaped from prison only to be recaptured in January 2016 and extradited in January 2017. "It isn't logical that you would pay a bribe so that in a few years you will be captured," said Juan Alberto Cedillo, a Mexican journalist who has investigated Mexican organized crime groups for more than a decade. The New York Police Department has extra security in place in front of the court for the El Chapo trial. Credit:AP In addition, Pena Nieto might have surmised that any deals the two men had brokered would likely have arisen during judicial proceedings in the United States. "For all his faults and flaws, Pena Nieto captured Chapo and extradited him, knowing full well that any information would filter out," said Alejandro Hope, a security expert with a Mexican consulting firm, the Group of Economists and Associates. "The guy was being hunted down from day one of Pena Nieto's administration."

Some who have questioned the veracity of Cifuentes' testimony also pointed out that Pena Nieto is still in Mexico. He attended the funeral of a former governor of his home state several days ago, his first public appearance since leaving office. Were he guilty, some contended, he might have taken a page from the playbook of other politicians and fled, or gone into hiding. Loading During Pena Nieto's term in office, his administration and his party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, were tarred by corruption scandals, including several that implicated powerful former governors. The president saw his initial popularity begin to wane when his wife purchased a home from a government contractor on favorable terms. The allegations leveled against Pena Nieto this week were on a completely different scale. But even the former president's political opponents are treading lightly. Senator Marco Gama of the conservative National Action Party said that the party was waiting to see if the trial in Brooklyn would produce any evidence to back up the accusations.

"To start an investigation, you need proof," he said. And none has been presented. Hours after Cifuentes gave his account, federal prosecutors filed a sealed motion seeking to limit similar testimony. When the motion was unsealed on Wednesday evening, it showed that prosecutors had accused Guzman's lawyers of trying to "create a public sideshow in an attempt to damage United States foreign relations". On Wednesday morning, the judge in the case pointed out that Cifuentes had not testified about something he had done or seen himself, but had merely told the jury something that Guzman had told him. Maybe, he suggested to Guzman's lawyers, the prosecutors did not believe Guzman had been "entirely candid". Still, some Mexicans felt the need to do something  to protest, to investigate, and if it were the case, to prosecute Pena Nieto. "They should try him, here or there  wherever," said Armando Venado, 58, a salesman from the town of Texcoco, outside Mexico City. "We're so accustomed to corruption that nobody does anything. Nobody protests."Winning Queensland seats is crucial for the Labor Party, leader Bill Shorten has argued.

Delivering a speech to the party faithful at Beenleigh Bowls Club on Thursday as he began a nine-day bus tour of Queensland, Mr Shorten said the party needed to win Queensland if it wanted to form government.

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is seen during the launch of his "Queensland Jobs Not Cuts" bus tour in Beenleigh. Credit:AAP

Were going to need to outline our plan for every part of Queensland, from the suburbs to the regions, from the south-east corner right up to the far north of Queensland, he said.

We understand in Labor that where goes Queensland, goes the nation.European trade officials are digging in over a fight about whether Australian producers can keep using household food names such as prosecco and feta, as senior government ministers accelerate a $100 billion agreement with the European Union despite the stand-off.

Sources confirmed the government had managed to walk back an EU proposal that would have forced Australian producers to use names such as "feta-like", "parmesan-like" or "prosecco-like" to meet demands from Greece and Italy that any new trade deal must guarantee exclusive naming rights to certain local products.

A compromise that could see locally produced items labelled "Australian prosecco" is now a live option, as Trade Minister Simon Birmingham flies into Brussels pledging to negotiate forcefully over how more than 1500 Australian products are treated in the massive trade deal.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham. Credit:AAP

"We will work for the best possible outcomes in net terms for Australia," Senator Birmingham said.In the dead of night on December 21, 2017, a boat with three Australian men on board pulled up alongside an Asian boat 300 nautical miles off the coast of Geraldton, Western Australia.

Money, money, a man aboard the Asian boat shouted.

An Australian man responded by pulling out half a Hong Kong bank note.

The Asian man then revealed the other half of the torn note, their edges matching perfectly. Its reunion signalled the go-ahead for one of Australias largest drug deals.

The men began to transfer 60 bags, containing 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine worth a reported $1.04 billion, into the Australian boat.Dianella's Carmel School has been ranked the top WA private school for 2018 and the second of the top 50 schools in the state behind Perth Modern in recent rankings compiled by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority.

The school's student and staff leaders chalk up the success  the multiple times the school has rated in the top ten  to what lies beneath at the Jewish school, strongly founded on the values of heritage and community.

Those values are ultimately what incoming Year 12 student representative Daniel Raiter feels sets the school apart.

Carmel School teaches kids from kindy up to Year 12. There is a heavy emphasis on Jewish identity. Credit:Carmel School

Theres a healthy competition here that motivates you to do better and that comes with community, he said.Tributes are flowing for a "gorgeous" mother who died after going for a bushwalk in the Pilbara on Sunday.

Felicity Shadbolt's body was discovered near Mount Nameless in Tom Price by a member of the public on Wednesday evening following an extensive search by police to locate her.

Felicity Shadbolt failed to return from a walk at Mt Nameless, an area she knew very well.

The 36-year-old leaves behind her husband and two young daughters.

The family had recently enjoyed a Christmas holiday at Exmouth.The Greens' sluggish preselection process for the inner-northern federal seat of Cooper (formerly Batman) has left the party without a candidate just months out from a federal election.

David Risstrom, a Melbourne barrister and former Greens councillor at Melbourne City Council, was preselected late last year to replace six-time candidate Alex Bhathal as the Greens' pick for Cooper.

But despite a federal election looming, the party has yet to formally announce Mr Risstrom's candidacy for a seat that, less than a year ago, it was on the cusp of wresting from Labor.

It's understood the party is undergoing painstaking probity work on Mr Risstrom, including vetting and clearances.Aiia Maasarwe was studying English at La Trobe University. Credit:Instagram

Aiia Maasarwe had just moved to Australia and was ensuring she made the most of each moment.

In just a few short months, the 21-year-old traveller had hiked in the Grampians, tried Vegemite, done road trips across the state, visited Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, and even braved tandem sky-diving over the Great Ocean Road.

"Best decision Ive ever made," she wrote on Instagram, with a video showing her huge smile and laughter as she experienced the exhilarating drop.

In a tragedy which has rocked her family, her community back in Israel, and those who had crossed paths with the vibrant La Trobe university student in Australia, Ms Maasarwe's body was found on Wednesday morning in a patch of grass outside a shopping centre.Polaris is a curious mix of old and new, city and country, suburbia and wide open space. It was opened by then Liberal planning minister Matthew Guy in 2014 as an exemplar of mixed-use urban planning. Its busy in the early evening as people rush to pick up kids, buy dinner and head home. There are numerous takeaway joints, from sandwich shops to those selling pho, Malaysian food and dumplings, as well as several cafes and casual restaurants. It quietens after 9pm, when restaurants start to shut. The takeaway places close by 10.30pm. The Woolworths shuts at midnight and reopens at 7am, with the BP petrol station the only thing open all hours. A middle-aged man who lives nearby stops and shakes his head. "It'll upset us all, I can tell you that," he says. "Everyone has the right to get home safely," one note reads.

Loading Another addressed from "Bundoora family" expresses the sorrow many feel that a visitor has been hurt so horribly in their neighbourhood. "My heart aches that you were not safe in our community." Her death has shocked the people of Melbourne, and reopened wounds that for many are still raw after the killing of Eurydice Dixon seven months ago, and of Jill Meagher in 2012. The murder of those other two young women, each by a complete stranger, cut to the quick and prompted thousands to gather in sorrow and protest.

And they are far from the only women cut down in the prime of their lives on Melbourne streets. Pastry chef Renea Lau and schoolgirl Masa Vukotic were also brutally murdered in random attacks. Yet here we are again. Just like Eurydice, 22, and Jill, 29, Aiias life was cut short as she was making her way home alone after a night out. The parallels between the killing of Aiia and Eurydice in particular are jarring. Both in their early 20s, they had each been out to a comedy show on a Tuesday night, but never made it home.

An emphatic message sat alongside flowers left in tribute to Ms Masarwe on Thursday morning. Credit:Paul Jeffers Aiia got on the tram in the city after a friend gave her a lift, driving her there from The Comics Lounge in North Melbourne. She was discovered minutes before 7am  barely alive, it is thought  100 metres from the tram stop, in bushes lining the back of a shopping centre. She was about a kilometre from her small apartment in Bundoora, close to La Trobe University, where she had spent the past six months in a program for overseas students. Forensic police examine the site near Main Drive and Plenty Road, Bundoora, where Aiia Maasarwe was found. Credit:Chris Hopkins

She rang her sister using FaceTime as she walked home that warm Summer night  phoning someone, like many women do while travelling alone late at night, as a form of protection  when their conversation was interrupted by a voice, or voices. Neighbours reported hearing a woman screaming on Wednesday morning, but it seems the sound came from the shocked reaction of a passer-by  a woman who dropped the bags she was carrying and cried out at what she had witnessed  rather than from Aiia. Aiia was partially clad, her belongings  sandals, a mobile phone, and what appeared to be a book and a water bottle  strewn around her. How long she was laying there  screened from view by the low bushes, a row of townhouses with people sleeping inside, and a service station that never closes opposite  is unclear. Soon scores of police were at the scene, where she was declared dead, and lay for many more hours while investigators scoured the site for clues. Her body was wrapped in grey cloth and then gently, gravely removed from the dry grass late on Wednesday afternoon.

By early evening around 30 detectives swarmed the scene as they conducted a line search, a slow and sombre procession. Police and SES crews conducting a painstaking line search at the scene late on Wednesday afternoon. Credit:Simone Fox Koob Aiia had been studying Chinese and English at Shanghai University before coming to Melbourne. She grew up in Baqa al-Gharbiyye, a predominantly Arab city in the Haifa district, and had been living with one of her sisters while studying in China. In her short time in Melbourne she had become friends with a group of students from her course at La Trobe.Dramatic scenes have played out just metres from a murder investigation in Bundoora after a stolen Audi four-wheel-drive slammed into a silver car in front of dozens of police detectives and journalists.

In terms of committing a major crime the location could not have been worse for the occupants of the car, one of whom fled across rooftops chased by a small army of police officers.

A woman is arrested after a stolen car crashed into a silver Ford Focus. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The 4WD was seen speeding along the tram lines on Plenty Road outside the service station opposite where the body of Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe was found at 7am on Wednesday.A Brisbane doctor has been accused of stealing his patients' identities to write prescriptions for himself.

The doctor, working out of a Chermside medical facility, has been charged with fraud, forgery and falsifying records.

Police allege between March and November last year a 50-year-old doctor, living in Carindale, accessed the records of four patients to obtain their name, address and health care information to write prescriptions for himself.

The man is then alleged to have filled the prescriptions on 17 separate occasions.

He has been charged with 17 counts of fraud, 17 counts of uttering, 16 counts of obtaining or detailing with identification, 16 counts of forgery and six counts of falsification of records.As temperature records continue to be broken across NSW, residents from Sydney to Menindee are warned the heatwave melting the state is yet to hit its peak, and in some parts is forecast to continue into next week without respite.

On Wednesday and Thursday, new maximum temperature records were set at 27 sites across NSW and the ACT, while some of the hottest overnight temperatures on record worsened the impact of the ongoing hot spell.

The conditions were so extreme that the bitumen on the Oxley Highway near Wauchope, just west of Port Macquarie, began melting about midday.

Walcha Council is using water from a nearby river to cool the pavement.Bali Nine drug trafficker Renae Lawrence has pleaded guilty to a string of charges stemming from a 2005 high-speed stolen car chase and is "anxious" to be sentenced and get on with her life, Newcastle Local Court has heard.

However, the process of sentencing Lawrence, 41, wont necessarily be simple.

'Anxious' to be sentenced: Renae Lawrence. Credit:AAP

Nearly 14 years has passed since she stole a white Ford Laser hatchback from a home at Enfield and then led police on a pursuit along the then F3 freeway from the upper north shore of Sydney to the Central Coast, evading two sets of road spikes before a third put a stop to the chase. And in those intervening years a lot has happened and a lot of things, including the law, have changed.

A month after the pursuit, Lawrence was caught at Bali airport with 2.7 kilograms of heroin strapped to her body and was jailed for 20 years.Director of the HCM City Department of External Relations Le Quang Long said over the past years, with both sides efforts and determination, the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has sustained the upward trend and gained encouraging outcomes.

The biggest achievement is that the two countries have unceasingly enhanced political, diplomatic and economic connections, thus greatly contributing to each nations development and stature improvement, he noted.

The official added that relations between HCM City and Chinese localities have also recorded numerous positive outcomes in delegation exchange, investment and trade.

HCM City always attaches importance to strengthening cooperation with Chinese localities. It believes that the sound Vietnam-China relationship will be a prerequisite for fruitful and mutually beneficial collaboration between the city and ministries, sectors and localities of China, Long emphasised.

For his part, Chinese Consul General to HCM City Wu Jun said the two countries intensified their relations in 2018. They made use of the 10th founding anniversary of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to reinforce mutual political trust, promote economic-trade links and step up people-to-people exchange.

China hopes that bilateral ties will continue to enjoy more developments, and the mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields will be solidified, thus bringing practical benefits to both countries people, he said.

Southern localities of Vietnam, with HCM City at the centre, have maintained close partnerships with Chinese provinces and cities in agriculture, science-technology, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

The diplomat added his Consulate General will keep coordinating with HCM City and other southern localities of Vietnam to facilitate cooperation between them and Chinese counterparts.Pennsylvania State Police(PITTSBURGH) -- Police have found a 16-year-old girl safe and taken her ex-boyfriend into custody after she was allegedly kidnapped from her home Wednesday.



The teen, who is the niece of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, was brought to safety from a home where the boyfriend, 19-year-old Jermaine Rodgers, had holed up, according to Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE-TV. A SWAT team went in and was able to apprehend Rodgers.



Angle confirmed she was found safe in a Facebook post at about 6 a.m. on Thursday.



"My niece has been found," he wrote. "Just wanted to say thank you to all those who have prayed and have shared posts to help locate her. Thank you to the Pittsburgh Police for your persistence in finding my niece. My family is truly appreciative. Love you all."



According to WTAE, another missing woman was also found in the house where Rodgers was hiding.



Angle made a heartfelt plea on social media Wednesday afternoon, asking fans to help search for his teenage niece.



"My beautiful 16-year-old niece Marjani Aquil got abducted today by a 19 year old guy. Please call the police if you have seen this girl," Angle said in a Facebook post late Wednesday.



In a subsequent post, the wrestling star and 1996 Olympics gold medalist thanked his followers for their encouraging words and urged them to "continue sharing" Aquil's story.



"Please continue sharing. Thank you all for your support," he said. "Uncle Kurt Loves you Mini. Come back home to us safely. Please lets find my niece."



Aquil went missing from her Pennsylvania home on Wednesday afternoon, according to her parents, with police in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, saying she appeared to have been abducted by an ex-boyfriend.



Rodgers was convicted on charges of kidnapping a minor in January 2018, court records show.



Rodgers was sentenced in December to one year of probation and required to complete a batterer's intervention program, WTAE reported. He was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and have no contact with the victim, according to the report.



Court records do not indicate the victim of the previous kidnapping.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Coca-Cola Amatil will get a fresh slice of the pizza market after signing a five-year deal with Pizza Hut to provide its 285 Australian outlets with soft drinks, juice and water.

It is the first time in Pizza Hut's almost 50 years in this country that Coke has been served at its outlets, as the chain was previously owned by Coca-Cola rival Pepsico.

The contract helps fill the hole left when Domino's decided to go with Pepsi for its much larger network.

Coca-Cola Amatil Australian beverages managing director Peter West declined to say how much the deal would be worth or what volumes it would produce for the company.As it wraps up repairs on its aging landfill, Jefferson Parish is turning to the private sector and its congressional delegation for help in sniffing out other potential sources of odors and airborne particulates that plague parish residents on both sides of the Mississippi River.

The Parish Council asked the parish administration on Wednesday to look into hiring a private contractor to collect air samples when residents complain of smells and particulate. The council cited what Chairman Chris Roberts characterized as a lack of initiative by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Roberts also suggested the parish should get in touch with U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise to find out whether any federal agencies can help the parish identify other pollution sources on or along the river.

If were being sold a line of crap as it relates to whats going on on the river, then when does it become time to request federal agencies that may have oversight  to come in with a fresh set of eyes and look at that? he said.

DEQ has said it has been investigating the complaints it gets from local residents, but many members of the Facebook group devoted to the odor problems in Waggaman, Harahan and River Ridge have complained they dont feel the agency has done enough.

Residents held another contentious meeting Tuesday night attended by DEQ officials, council members and Parish President Mike Yenni.

Roberts said such meetings have led him to believe DEQ feels it has Jefferson over a barrel because of the problems with the parish's aging, dilapidated landfill and is using that as an excuse to ignore other problems.

The parish admitted last summer that the liquid and gas collection systems at the Waggaman landfill were broken and that gas was leaking into the air, though officials have always maintained that the parish-owned landfill is not the only source of the odors that have been plaguing nearby residents.

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Mike Lockwood, the parishs director of environmental affairs, said that a new system of bigger pipes has been installed and is moving water out of the enclosed portions of the landfill, and that 80 percent of the pumps have been installed with another 11 pumps to be put in place at the end of the week.

At that point all leachate pumps will be installed and operational, he said, noting the system now collects twice the amount of leachate  water that has seeped down through mounds of garbage  that it collected in August. He said there should be significant improvements in leachate collection by the end of January.

Roberts said the council believes the parish is working as fast as it can to repair the water and gas collection systems that are believed to be leaking odorous gases into the air.

What I fear is  the expectation is going to be that once that gets finished, (its) going to address the problem. And personally, I dont think thats going to be the case, he said. So all the time thats going on right now, I think we need to be doing as much of the legwork as we can to try and find out exactly what is occurring.

Roberts also suggested the parish meet with the U.S. Coast Guard and port officials to look at whats changed this year in terms of the types and amounts of cargo being loaded and unloaded along the river.

Lockwood noted that state Rep. Kirk Talbot, who lives in River Ridge, has said the port has said 2018 was a record year and there was no indication 2019 would be any different.

Roberts said he is frustrated that with all the videos and photos posted on social media showing flurries of particulate in affected neighborhoods, DEQ has investigated only one instance and taken one sample.

Thats comical, he said. We cant force DEQ to go out there, but we certainly could have our own company go out and verify what were being told by DEQ.Janine Pierce was frantic when a member of the Waldheim United Methodist Church youth group went missing in May  a day after Pierce, the Covington church's youth director, had dropped him off at his home in Bush.

Pierce said she had seen no indication the 17-year-old boy she'd known since he was small was thinking of leaving his home, and her gut told her something was very wrong.

"At that point, I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know where he was," she said. "A bunch of mamas got on Facebook and said, 'Talk to your kids.' "

The information the mothers and teenagers culled from social media and chat rooms led to the discovery of the missing St. Tammany Parish teenager a few days later in a squalid mobile home in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Florida authorities also found another boy there who had been missing for a year and who, according to St. Petersburg police, was being kept as a sex slave.

Florida authorities arrested seven people this week in what they said was a human trafficking ring.

St. Petersburg public information officer Sandra Bentil said that the tip they received about a possible location for a missing Louisiana child led them to the address where both boys were found.

"It's a very complicated case," Bentil said, adding that the investigation is continuing.

Six of the suspects were arrested Monday for conspiracy to commit human trafficking, and the seventh, Curtis Gruwell, turned himself in on Wednesday, according to St. Petersburg police. Four of the suspects are also accused of sexual battery on a child under 16.

It was Gruwell whose name Pierce had zeroed in on. He had been mentioned by his handle in an app called Discord, which allows gamers to talk to each other, as the "driver" who was coming to get the Bush teenager.

Pierce said she got the information when she went to another mother's home and teenagers there were culling information from the Discord app. She wrote everything down, including the handles of the people who had been involved in a conversation with the missing boy.

She also turned to a friend, Nick Tranchina, who was a reserve deputy with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office at the time and is now a candidate for sheriff.

Pierce was sure that the people who had taken the teenager wouldn't have used back roads and asked Tranchina if intersection cameras could be checked.

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Tranchina said he had a suggested pickup time and a possible vehicle description. He asked a patrol deputy to run a search of automated license plate recognition cameras for the time span, which yielded more than 50 hits for similar vehicles.

But when the name Curtis Gruwell showed up on a vehicle registration, Pierce nearly fell out of her chair, she said. The missing boy had been talking on Discord to someone with the handle "Gruwcur," a reversal of the first syllables of Gruwell's first and last names.

"We still didn't know that he was going to be found," Pierce said. "This is a needle in a haystack. We are looking in the whole world for this kid, and all we have is a name and a car and a direction."

She had information that a Doberman was in the car, and she was gearing up to call every veterinarian in Florida, she said. But she found Gruwell far more easily than she had anticipated. He was on Facebook and listed an address on his profile.

Tranchina provided the addresses from the registration and the Facebook profile to the patrol deputy, who passed them on to Florida police, who then found the teenagers at Silver Lake Mobile Home Park.

One of the men tried to claim the younger boy was his son but couldn't provide any documentation, Bentil said. Both boys were removed immediately, and police, along with the Florida Attorney General's Office, began an eight-month investigation.

"The 15-year-old teen was lured with the promise of a better life," a news release from the St. Petersburg Police Department said. "Instead he was moved into a filthy trailer and lived with four men. For the next year, he was introduced to sadomasochism and used as a sex slave."

Pierce said that Florida police called within half an hour and said, "We've got him."

"I will never forget that statement," she said. "I sat in my car and cried. And I thanked God. And I called his parents."

Since then, Pierce said, she's been on a mission to bring greater awareness of Internet dangers to parents and teenagers.

A month after the boy was recovered, an FBI agent came to the Covington church to talk about the issue. "We learned so much in that hour," Pierce said. "Us parents walked out astonished. We felt so inept."

The St. Tammany victim had been groomed, she said, convinced by the people he was talking to online that he was going to a better place. "His place is not bad," she said. "He has the best family and a beautiful home and is loved beyond love. They were still able to convince him that over there is better. How many children go willingly for the promise of a better future?"Longtime Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto did not overpay guest artists in his role as leader of Mexicos national symphony, the Mexican government said this week.

The statement from the office of the Mexican secretary of culture came Wednesday, two days after one of that countrys most influential newspapers reported accusations that Prieto had mismanaged the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, in part by spending unreasonable amounts of money on foreign, visiting soloists and conductors in 2015 and 2016.

The cultural secretary's office admitted that the newspaper Excelsiors report relied on information in a public government database that, in effect, converted the guest performers fees from American dollars to Mexican pesos twice, vastly inflating the totals in some cases.

That database is now obsolete, and a new one adopted last month reflects corrected totals that are in line with typical fees, according to the governments statement.

No international conductor or soloist who has been a guest has received excessive fees for their services, the secretary of cultures statement said.

Prieto, 53, insisted that was the case when The Advocate on Tuesday asked him about Excelsiors report. As proof, a representative of his supplied a contract that showed the national orchestra had paid 282,000 pesos to American cellist Lynn Harrell.

The government database that Excelsior was using instead reported that same figure in dollars and said it was equivalent to more than 5 million pesos.

Prieto on Wednesday said he believed the miscalculation was an unintentional clerical mistake.

But the classical music news website Slipped Disc had another take on the story Wednesday, quoting an unnamed source within Mexicos cultural ministry who asserted that the miscalculation was part of a campaign to destabilize Prieto.

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That appeared to be a reference to grievances cited in the Excelsior report that were attributed to unnamed members of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional, who complained about a lack of concerts throughout Mexico, among other things, and called for Prietos ouster.

The author of the Excelsior article, Juan Carlos Talavera, said in an email that he would still like to see additional documentation backing up the Mexican governments claims of a miscalculation.

Nonetheless, whats certain is that the authorities assume responsibility of the error in the data entry, Talavera said.

Prieto became the New Orleans-based LPOs music director in 2005, winning praise for helping the orchestra survive the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Hes since added to his workload by taking on leadership of the U.S.-based Orchestra of the Americas and two orchestras in his native Mexico, including its national symphony in 2007.

The LPO has shown it values Prieto highly, extending his contract multiple times and in 2017 paying him a salary of roughly $131,000.

He recently received Musical America magazines prestigious Conductor of the Year award at a ceremony in New Yorks Carnegie Hall.

The LPO's chief executive officer, James Boyd, said in a statement: Carlos leadership has fostered tremendous artistic development in terms of the orchestras programming and performance standards. Evidence of his impact was on display during the LPOs debut performance at Carnegie Hall last season, and has been further amplified by his recent honor as Musical Americas Conductor of the Year.

Boyd concluded, In our experiences with Carlos he consistently exhibits the highest ethical standard related to the LPOs finances."Roe v. Wade," the controversial movie that was shot at Tulane University and other sites around New Orleans last summer, now has a trailer and a release goal of spring 2019  though no distributor or firm release date has been announced.

The film, which traces the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States, is described by its producers as "the most important pro-life movie in history" and "the untold story of how people lied, how the media lied, and how the courts were manipulated to pass a law that has since killed over 60 Million Americans."

A June 2018 article in The Tulane Hullabaloo detailed the controversy over shooting on campus there, and The Hollywood Reporter interviewed co-director Nick Loeb, a Tulane alumnus, who said the nature of the film required secrecy on and off the set.

The film includes two well-known Hollywood conservatives, Jon Voight and Robert Davi, portraying U.S. Supreme Court Justices Warren E. Burger and William J. Brennan Jr., respectively. Corbin Bernsen, John Schneider, Steve Guttenberg, William Forsythe, Wade Williams and Richard Portnow fill out the rest of the high court. Actor and former Fox News contributor Stacey Dash portrays Dr. Mildred Jefferson, former head of National Right to Life.

One report says the trailer will be screened tomorrow in Washington D.C. during the annual anti-abortion rally March for Life.

Report: Behind the scenes of that Roe v. Wade movie shooting in New Orleans The Hollywood Reporter today revealed more information about the controversial movie Roe v. Wade, which now is shooting in New Orleans.Mention the U.S. Coast Guard in Louisiana, and many of us instantly remember Hurricane Katrina, when Coast Guard choppers dropped rescue lines to one rooftop after another, saving thousands of New Orleans area residents from oblivion.

Nearly a decade and a half later, that heroic legacy isnt enough, apparently, for members of the Coast Guard to get a basic level of respect from the bickering politicians in Washington. Thanks to a partial government shutdown thats now nearly a month old, Coast Guard personnel arent getting paid, though theyre still obligated to report for service.

Our Views: 4 Louisiana congressmen delay pay amid shutdown -- the rest should follow Last year, when state lawmakers wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on pointless special sessions to discuss budget issues they c

Its a disgraceful reality that the president and members of Congress are apparently willing to live with, even as they routinely profess their love of country. If this is what American patriotism looks like in 2019, then this republic is in the kind of trouble not even the valorous Coast Guard can spare us from.

"To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our nations history that service members in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations," Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz noted.

Because the Coast Guard is under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Pentagon, its not being funded during the shutdown, which was prompted by a dispute between President Donald Trump and Congress over billions of dollars in funding for a border wall with Mexico that candidate Trump repeatedly said Mexico would pay for. Security is important, of course, but key parts of the border already have a wall, and illegal border crossings have been trending downward for years.

The larger threat to national security is an unfunded government, with key personnel such as air traffic controllers, airport security staff and members of the Coast Guard going without a paycheck. In the days following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russias inability to pay its military officers told the world that a once-mighty superpower was really a paper tiger. Is this the same kind of message the United States wants to send to our friends and enemies about its own resolve to defend its interests?

Of the estimated 60,000 people who had to be rescued from rooftops and flooded homes after Katrina, Coast Guard personnel saved more than 33,500, risking their lives in the process.

One would think that the memory of that heroism would create a special sense of urgency among members of Louisianas congressional delegation to end the shutdown. Instead, Louisianas two U.S. senators, Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, along with U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise, Garret Graves and Ralph Abraham, were all smiles this week as they visited with the president in New Orleans, then flew back with him on Air Force One.

As their bank balances dwindle, members of the Coast Guard in Louisiana and across the country are continuing to do their duty. Its time for Louisianas members of Congress to do theirs.Since raising my hand and taking an oath at age 17 to join the Louisiana Air National Guard, over half of my life has been in public service. I served six years in the LAANG and have been protecting and promoting public health as an investigator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1998. My sacrifices and dedication led to an honorable discharge as an E-5 staff sergeant as well as being selected as the lone Biologics national expert for all of the FDA.

In my 20-plus years of service for the FDA, my family and I have endured multiple government shutdowns. This one certainly has a different feel and tone compared to the previous lapse in appropriations. I can only assume that members of Congress have heard the same words that are being said by the general populace to describe this current situation that I have: absurd, disgusting, ridiculous, heart-breaking, abomination, etc.

I was initially furloughed without pay without the expectation to work. Effective this week, Ive been recalled to excepted status, which is government-ese for having to work for an IOU. Just the idea itself of working for an IOU is something that meets the adjectives, plus some, that I list above, regardless of the employer being private industry or government. To help make ends meet, I began driving for shared ride services. I'm a 20-plus-year federal employee who essentially must work a part-time job just to pay the mortgage. Chew on that for a bit. Now that Im excepted, I wont be able to drive as many hours for the shared ride services, yet Im still not receiving a paycheck from the FDA. Ive had to swallow my pride and inform creditors that I might not be able to pay them for the foreseeable future. This is the doing of members of Congress.

USDA says Farm Service offices will open for 3 days amid shutdown for loan services The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will reopen 17 Farm Service Agency offices in the coming days so workers can provide limited servic

This can easily be summarized as such: Im having to work and do my job without knowing when Ill get paid for it. One of the duties of a member of Congress is to develop and pass a national budget, funding the many critical federal agencies such as the FDA. They're not doing their job, yet they can still get paid. Spin it however you like. In the end, they can still get their paycheck. I can't. I realize that they more than likely have never lived paycheck to paycheck, therefore they cant relate. Im lucky enough to no longer be in that category either, but soon it will be two paychecks that I dont receive.

Im not going to get into the politics of the reasons for the shutdown. Im a proud moderate registered Independent. I can tell Louisiana members of Congress that they wont be receiving my vote next time around, and frankly, hope that citizens wake up and have the same notion. In what other situations can people continue to get the same job, yet they dont even perform the job? This is past a border wall or immigration enhancements or whatever their side chooses to call it. They're now directly affecting the livelihood of 800,000-plus United States citizens. What a great civics lesson for our future generations.

They should do their damn jobs.

Kip J. Hanks

federal investigator

New OrleansEntergy Louisianas 1 million customers will receive a break on their bills for three months because of a recent ruling by federal regulators.

The typical residential customer, who uses 1,300 kilowatt hours per month, will see their bill reduced by about $5.50 for each of the three months, according to the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Typical Entergy residential customers pay roughly $110 for their electricity each month.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission, which regulates privately owned utilities in this state, voted Wednesday to require Entergy return about $58 million to their customers over a three-month period.

Refunds will appear as credits in the fuel adjustment part of the monthly bills.

The PSC claimed Entergy had violated a power-sharing agreement among its subsidiaries. Basically, Entergy agreed to make power made cheaply by its Arkansas subsidiary available to its companies in Louisiana. But from 2000 to 2009, Entergy sold the cheaper electricity to other merchants, which benefited shareholders but required Louisiana customers to pay more.

The Louisiana regulators sued Entergy before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC ordered Entergy Arkansas to pay $135.6 million plus interest to Entergy customers in Louisiana and other states.

Entergy Louisiana customers received $58.6 million. Entergy New Orleans, which is regulated by the City Council and not by the state, received $8 million. How that money will be returned to ENO will be decided by the New Orleans City Council.The panel that decides how much money the state can spend remains at an impasse over efforts to improve state revenue projections, after House Speaker Taylor Barras blocked the third attempt to boost the forecast on Thursday.

I just feel that theres a good bit of uncertainty, Barras, R-New Iberia, said during the Revenue Estimating Conference meeting. I think we need to be realistic about how the taxpayer will react, and thats something thats hard to put on paper.

Barras was the only member of the four-person Revenue Estimating Conference to reject economists updates to reflect a rosier outlook than they gave nearly a year ago. It was the third time in as many months that House Republican leaders successfully blocked Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration's attempt to fund about $43 million in items budgeted under condition of an upgrade to the state forecast this year and give the governor an improved outlook before finalizing his executive budget proposal for the coming year.

Louisiana Legislature's budget panel meets without discussing state revenue forecast dispute Without discussion, a bipartisan and bicameral panel of Louisiana lawmakers on Thursday acknowledged that the state budget projection won't be

All other members of the revenue panel, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, LSU economist Jim Richardson and Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, voted in favor of the latest projections, but REC votes must be unanimous, so Barras' vote against blocked the maneuver, as he did last month and his proxy did a month earlier.

Dardenne, Edwards chief budget architect, took Thursdays meeting to outline 12 points that he said back up the updated forecast, as recommended by the administrations economist and the Legislatures economist.

Its an injustice to the members of the Legislature and the public, because its a facade, Dardenne said. Were just playing a game right now by not recognizing the reality that we face.

+2 Funding for some pay raises delayed after Louisiana House speaker objects to budget forecast upgrade More than $43 million in budget priorities  mostly law enforcement expenditures  has been delayed again, after state House leadership again 

The Edwards administration and others who support the upgrade have speculated that House Republicans, who are frequent foes of the Democratic governor, are rejecting the improved outlook for political reasons  a characterization Barras has rejected.

"This is not to be antagonistic," Barras said. "There is a lot of noise in these numbers. I would be more comfortable making this decision closer to the end of the fiscal year."

More than $43 million in budget priorities for the budget that ends June 30 has been held up in the stalemate, including pay raises for corrections officers and money paid to local sheriffs who house state inmates. Also in limbo is $10 million to open a new youth offender facility in Bunkie that has been repeatedly delayed because of funding concerns.

Barras, again, also blocked an attempt to boost the projection for the next budget cycle.

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The move could complicate the drafting of Edwards' executive budget proposal that will be released next month.

After tense meeting over possible rosier Louisiana financials, no update to revenue forecast Just when it seemed fights over Louisiana's state budget had become a thing of the past, tempers flared again at the State Capitol on Tuesday 

Edwards, a Democrat who is seeking re-election this year, has been an outspoken proponent for pay raises for K-12 teachers in the coming year. Without the additional revenue recognized, his executive document that kick-starts the budgeting process may have to reflect cuts to cover it.

We shouldnt have to present to the Legislature an executive budget that represents fiction instead of reality, Dardenne said.

He also argued that an update this month would be more accurate than the current projection.

As we sit right now, six months into the fiscal year, we have yet to approve a forecast for the year, Dardenne said. Were still relying on data that is nine months old.

This is the most current information available to us, he added.

The economists had recommended adjusting the budget outlook to reflect about $130 million more in revenue the state is on track to collect before the budget ends June 30.

Im concerned about the timing of us doing it, Barras said.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee, which includes senators and House members from the chambers' spending panels, would ultimately get to say which items on the contingency budget would be funded if more revenue is recognized.

This is a Revenue Estimating Conference. Our job is to determine the revenue for the state of Louisiana so the Legislature can determine how it will be spent, Dardenne said.Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority must ensure that its former chairman is "walled off" from agency work now that he's taken a job running a contracting firm working for the state.

Johnny Bradberry announced last month he was stepping down as the governor's executive assistant for coastal activities and chairman of the CPRA. He has been hired to serve as the president of the engineering firm GEC, which is performing environmental reviews for the $1.4 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project.

Attorney Megan Terrell said the CPRA hasn't identified any conflict of interests. However, authorities are want to ensure the public does not perceive GEC may be receiving preferential treatment, she told the CPRA board during its quarterly meeting Wednesday.

Bradberry will be barred from participating on CPRA projects, reviewing GEC work on such projects or receiving compensation derived from those contracts for two years or until the current contract concludes, whichever is longer, Terrell said. GEC has appointed a separate project manager to oversee the mid-Barataria work so the former chairman is "walled off," she said.

Current chairman Chip Kline said the agency has faced questions about its relationship to its former leader and his new employer and said the board will work to ensure operations are guided only by science.

In fact, Kline requested a moment of personal privilege at the outset of the meeting to address the turnover in CPRA leadership. In addition to Bradberry, the agency replaced its executive director in the second half of 2018.

Governor appoints new director of coastal protection agency Gov. John Bel Edwards has appointed a new executive director of the state's coastal protection agency.

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Kline tried to spin the departures in a positive light. Over time, an institution's ideas can become stale, its vision narrow, he said. Nevertheless, he told CPRA staff members that he trusts them completely and that they have his "utmost respect."

Kline asked attendees at the meeting in the state Capitol to step back and recommit to the state's coastal restoration efforts, which are "bigger than all of us, yet it affects each and every one of us." The state must share one vision and speak with one voice to protect future generations, Kline said.

"What kind of state do we want to be, and what kind of coast do we want to have?" he asked.

While Bradberry did not attend the meeting, he appeared in a video shared by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries staffers. They were visiting to give an update on the restoration of Queen Bess Island, a shrinking rookery near Grand Isle especially important as a nesting ground for brown pelicans. In the video, Bradberry says it is essential to protect the state bird's population.

Wildlife officials are wrapping up engineering studies and are looking to spend about $17 million to ship in sand fill and vegetation to restore approximately 37 acres of nesting ground that's been swallowed by the Gulf of Mexico, leaving only five or six crowded acres for sea birds to lay their eggs. They expect to finalize a plan by March to submit to the Department of the Interior for funding.Roughly two dozen residents from around the Winbourne Avenue area of Baton Rouge met Wednesday night to express their interest in joining a class-action lawsuit against the City-Parish relating to 2016 flood damage.

The lawsuit has been filed under lead plaintiff Bob Applegates name since August 2017 and currently has 158 families signed on, but the file has remained largely dormant in court before now.

NFIP funding extended despite shutdown; FEMA sends letter on benefit duplication Congress has approved a short-term extension for the nation's government-backed flood insurance program for the 10th time in 15 months, author

FEMA backtracks, says agency will allow renewals, new flood insurance policies amid shutdown The Trump administration reversed course Friday and said it will restart the sale and renewal of federal flood insurance policies amid an ongo

The group alleges that while the 2016 flood was historic and an act of God, the damage to homes in their neighborhood was the result of negligence.

The flood left more than four feet of standing water in Applegate's home on Eaton Street. He said he learned in the aftermath that the city-parish had been completing construction work in the area months prior to the flood, which meant they turned off water valves at each end of Winbourne Avenue.

If those valves had been reopened as they were supposed to be after the public works crew was finished, he claims, the impact of the flooding in his neighborhood would not have been so great.

Our problem was we had homeowners insurance, but because this was an act of God homeowners didnt cover it, Applegate said. Well, this wasnt an act of God, this was an act of George or Bill or Brian, whoever left the valves closed and didnt open them.

Can't see video below? Click here.

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A spokesperson for Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broomes office said last week when contacted about the class action suit that they don't comment on pending litigation.

Applegate and attorney Kwame Asante led Wednesday nights meeting at the Eden Park branch library, which saw roughly two dozen residents come in and out to ask questions and sign up for a mailing list to stay informed about the lawsuit.

Asante said the group is now raising funds to hire a hydrologist to determine the boundaries of the area impacted specifically by the shut-off valves, and to provide expert opinion on water flow in the area.

Our contention is once we have our hydrologist report then we can go back to the city and say, Hey, step up, Applegate said. Really all were asking for the city to do is accept responsibility because then our homeowners (insurance) will cover us.

But, it may not be that simple for the renters or those who didnt have insurance. Many residents at the meeting spoke of damaged vehicles left in their front yards, uninsured husks of homes theyve had to leave behind and businesses that have since closed due to the flood damage.

Applegate and Asante responded to those residents by saying its their belief, and the intent of the lawsuit, to put the onus on the city-parish for the negligence they believe can be proven with maintenance records.

The group plans to meet again in March at a date and time yet to be determined.

Interactive: See stunning before-and-after 2016 Baton Rouge flood scenes Even a year after the historic Baton Rouge flood in August 2016, images from the disaster remain eye-popping.A city civil service board Thursday overturned Baton Rouge police officer Yuseff Hamadeh's dismissal after finding the police department violated his rights during their internal investigation of an August incident in which he shot at a fleeing motorist.

The Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board voted 3-2 on a motion that the Baton Rouge Police Department had violated the Police Officer's Bill of Rights in it handling of the investigation by not allowing Hamadeh to have counsel present for a polygraph examination.

State law mandates that any violation of that bill of rights that occurs during an investigation nullifies any disciplinary action that results from it.

"Whatever else the facts are of this case, to me, there are affidavits that denied this officer his right to counsel during an interrogation," said Julie Cherry, the civil service board's chairwoman.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said after the hearing that the department will appeal the decision, which will indefinitely halt Hamadeh's return the police force while legal proceedings continue.

+2 Investigation into shooting violated fired officer's rights, cop argues; he deserves job back Fired Baton Rouge Police officer Yuseff Hamadeh, who was found to have been untruthful about an August encounter where he shot at a fleeing mo

"We respect the board," Paul said, still visibly disappointed. "We're going to sit down with our legal staff and make a determination (for what comes next). ... Everything is a lesson learned."

Hamadeh was fired after telling investigators that 21-year-old Raheem Howard first shot at him after an Aug. 7 traffic stop, prompting the officer to return fire.

Howard was then arrested on attempted murder of a police officer, but the case against him was later dropped when District Attorney Hillar Moore III said there was no evidence to support Hamadeh's account of the shooting. Howard always contended he never had a gun or fired at the officer.

The Baton Rouge Police internal affairs investigation found evidence that only one shot was fired in the encounter, and it came from Hamadeh's gun. No other gun was recovered from the scene. No one was injured in the shooting.

Paul fired Hamadeh in October for violating policies on carrying out orders, proper use of digital mobile video and audio equipment, conduct unbecoming to an officer and truthfulness.

The truthfulness related not to how Hamadeh reported the shooting but rather to his failure to report his car hitting Howard's during the initial traffic stop, a minor fender bender. He was not found in violation of the department's use of force policy.

Hamadeh's attorney Tommy Dewey argued to the civil service board that when a Louisiana State Police trooper  at Paul's direction  gave the former city police officer a polygraph examination, Hamadeh was denied his right to legal counsel and that the interrogation was not recorded  two violations of the rights afforded to all law enforcement officers under investigation.

Lie detector test noted in Baton Rouge officer's appeal of firing was first of kind in years The polygraph test set to become the focus of fired Baton Rouge Police officer Yuseff Hamadeh's appeal was the first lie detector examination 

The board on Thursday, however, based its decision solely on denial of Hamadeh's right to counsel. Despite Dewey showing up for the polygraph examination in late August and asking to accompany his client during the questioning, the state trooper administering the polygraph examination denied them that opportunity.

Paul's attorney, Ross Dooley said it was against polygraph policy for an attorney to be in the room because of the examination's "strict parameters." Polygraph experts say that having additional people in the room can skew the results.

"(This) is probably the reason that Mr. Dewey brought up at the beginning of his argument that polygraphs are rarely used in questioning police officers today, because, by definition by the type of exam it is, youre going to violate his rights," Cherry said.

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Besides this case, the Baton Rouge Police Department had not used a polygraph examination in an internal affairs investigation since 2012, police officials have said.

+2 District Attorney dismissing cases that hang on word of fired BRPD officer; at least 7 felonies dropped The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office has started dismissing criminal cases that hang on the word of fired Baton Rouge police

The police officer bill of rights states that law enforcement officers' counsel "shall be allowed to offer advice to the employee or officer and make statements on the record regarding any question asked of the employee or officer at any interrogation, interview, or hearing in the course of the investigation."

Circuit courts have ruled that polygraphs are considered an interrogation during officers' internal investigations.

Cherry was clear that her vote to overturn the termination rested solely with the law, but said she did not expect this to end the case that had drawn continued community scrutiny.

This community deserves a lot of answers in every case that we have police officers that are alleged to do something that we dont want to see them doing on the street," Cherry said.

She added that the board's decision "does not prevent the department from instituting another investigation and doing everything in accordance with the police officers bill of rights. There is no limitation on that.

The board did not rule on whether Hamadeh's rights were violated by the interview not being recorded in full, because those facts remained disputed by the two sides.

Dewey said he requested, and received, all recordings from the internal investigation, which only included a two-question transcript from the polygraph  not a recording of the full exam.

Paul claimed that audio and video of the entire polygraph exam exists, although those were not provided at the hearing.

Paul, a former state trooper who previously lead their internal affairs division for years, said the agency often uses polygraphs for police officers and always records them. He said he did not regret ordering the polygraph examination of Hamadeh  the first one done in years for BRPD  but said Thursday's ruling will makes him reconsider their use in the future.

"Were going to move forward, look at the mistakes made in investigative processes and make the adjustments and move on," Paul said.

But Raheem Howard's attorney, Ronald Haley Jr., said moving on is only more difficult now.

Were absolutely disappointed," Haley said Thursday. "I had a chance to talk to Raheem and his mother today and theyre absolutely devastated by the news that this opens the door for a person who is  responsible for what happened to Raheem to essentially do it to someone else.

Haley questioned the reasons that had been given for Hamadeh's termination.

"The reason he should have been fired was he shot at an unarmed man who was not a threat to him, and then lied about it," Haley said. "At the heart of what grabbed the attention of our city was not at the crux of his firing  thats a problem.It took a few years, and a collective effort by several neighborhood groups, but Gardere Lane will finally have sidewalks as early as this summer.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on Wednesday hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Gardere Lane Pedestrian Improvements project which will give residents in the community a safer path to traverse up and down the busy thoroughfare.

The $663,891 project involves the installation of approximately 6,000 feet of 5-foot wide sidewalks along the east side of Gardere Lane from Nicholson Highway to Burbank Drive.

Currently, people in the community are forced to walk along the narrow shoulder of the two-lane street to reach neighborhood stores and bus stops, or else plod through ditches littered with trash and debris.

Karen Lee, president of the South Burbank Crime Prevention District, said there have been far too many pedestrian-related accidents and deaths because of the current configuration.

"I've been living here for 29 years; I've seen some stuff," Lee said.

At Wednesday's groundbreaking Lee said she was "tickled pink" to learn that she and others from various neighborhood groups in the Gardere Lane area will finally get to see sidewalks and lighting along the main corridor of their neighborhoods.

Emiko Atherton, director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, said Gardere's lack of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is reflective of a national trend her organization sees in pedestrian-related fatalities in predominantly black, low-income communities.

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A 2016 report ranked Baton Rouge as one of the top 20 metro areas in the country most dangerous to pedestrians due to its lack of sidewalks.

Jury acquits man in Gardere Lane bicyclist fatality Four months after an East Baton Rouge Parish jury failed to reach a verdict, a different jury acquitted a Baton Rouge man in an alleged hit-an

"The city definitely has a transportation system designed to move cars, not people," Atherton said. "When you look at past reports, people of color a more disproportionately impacted by pedestrian fatalities. They have not received the transportation investment that other wealthy communities have."

The city-parish has hired KCR Contractors to execute the project, which has a June completion date.

A Transportation Alternatives Program grant is paying for about 80 percent of the project's costs, with revenue from the local sales tax money generated by the 2005 voter-approved Green Light Plan paying for the remainder needed to build it.

Broome praised the yearslong efforts of Lee and others in Gardere to see the project come to fruition.

"There are a lot of people that are cheering this community on," Broome said in her address to the groundbreaking ceremony attendees.

Lee said the sidewalk project is small way to make a big impact for the neighborhood.

"This is going to be the greatest visual you can see of Gardere changing for the better," she said. "Its been a long time, but you know what, we appreciate it."Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commissionPOTTSBORO [ndash] Thelma Irene Toney passed away on June 11, 2021, in Denison, Texas. She was born on Feb. 28, 1924, in Francis, Oklahoma to John Franklin and Essie Akins Scroggins. She attended grade school at Cedar Grove School and then attended and graduated from Francis High School. She Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email please call (208) 542-6777 for help.Dudley Case lines up Uncompahgre River water samples on a table in his garage, getting ready to analyze some for pH/alkalinity and hardness. (Photo by Tanya Ishikawa/The Watch)Doctors at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Dublin, Ireland reported the case of a 33-year-old man who came up with an odd cure for his chronic back pain.

Semen For Back Pain

The unidentified man injected his own semen into his arm every month for a year and a half to treat back pain. Unfortunately, his self-developed treatment did not work and even made things worse.

Eighteen months after starting the treatment, the man sought medical attention after a severe and sudden onset of lower back pain. He said he lifted heavy steel objects three days before.

It was during the checkup that his doctor noticed a patch of red swollen skin on his right forearm. The man then admitted he had been injecting himself his own semen using a hypodermic needle he bought online.

The semen had entered his blood vessels and leaked into the soft tissue of his arm. The swollen area eventually grew and hardened.

An x-ray revealed there was an area of trapped air beneath the skin. Doctors immediately hospitalized the patient, treating him with intravenous antimicrobial therapy.

Lisa Dunne, from Adelaide and Meath Hospital, and colleagues wrote in the case report that the patient's back pain improved during his treatment.

The man decided to discharge himself when his condition improved albeit he opted out of incision and drainage of the fluid.

Doctors' Warning

The doctors said it was the first ever case of a man injecting himself with semen to treat back pain. They nonetheless warned about the dangers that untrained individuals could face should they perform intravenous injections on themselves.

They also advised against experimenting on treatments whose safety and efficacy have not been tested through extensive clinical research.

"The dangers of venepuncture when carried out by the untrained layperson are highlighted as well as the vascular and soft tissue hazards surrounding the attempted injection of substances not intended for intravenous use," Dunne and colleagues wrote in the Irish Medical Journal.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The Large Hadron Collider or LHC is currently the world's biggest scientific machine but it will one day be dethroned by its successor, the Future Circular Collider or FCC.

Scientists at CERN based in Switzerland proposed a new accelerator that will smash particles inside a 100-kilometer tunnel. If approved, the new collider will go online after the LHC is retired by 2040.

A conceptual design report was issued on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

The Future Circular Collider

The LHC is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world. It first went online on Sept. 10, 2008, and its biggest achievement yet is the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012.

Under the plan, the FCC will be four times bigger than the LHC, which has a ring that measures 27-kilometers in diameter, and it will be able to slam protons with an energy of 100 teraelectronvolts  a significant upgrade from its predecessor. Gian Francesco Giudice of CERN's theory department commented that the machine will be a huge leap "like planning a trip not to Mars but to Uranus."

However, the machine will also come with a hefty price tag. Currently, the proposal states that the FCC will need around 9 billion or about $10.2 billion to 21 billion or about $23.9 billion.

Will The FCC Be Made?

Plans for the FCC will be submitted next to an international panel of scientists that will discuss and decide whether it will be included in the new European strategy for particles physics, which is due to be published in 2020. Right now, there is no guarantee that the machine will be built; several other proposals for a new particle accelerator have been drawn only to later be rejected.

In December, the plan to construct the International Linear Collider, which costs $7 billion, in Japan was halted when a science committee deemed the project too costly. Already, some are questioning whether the FCC will be a good investment.

"There is no reason to think that there should be new physics in the energy regime that such a collider would reach," explained theoretical physicist Savine Hossenfelder of Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies in Germany. "That's the nightmare that everyone has on their mind but doesn't want to speak about."

Hossenfelder added that the fund would be better spent on other projects like placing a radio telescope in the far side of the moon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Two persons are charged for the death of an 18-month-old girl on Christmas Day after autopsy showed it was because of fentanyl overdose.

Authorities said the body of Ava Floyd, child of couple Antonio Floyd and Shantanice Barksdale, had "extraordinary" amount of the substance. What's more harrowing is that the baby had enough of the synthetic opioid to kill "several adults."

High Amount Of Fentanyl In The System

According to Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith, autopsy showed that the baby had taken about five to 15 times of the amount of fentanyl the authorities had ever seen in the recent 30 overdose deaths. The case was also the highest level of the substance in the system the medical examiner's office had ever seen.

The parents were charged with second-degree murder on Monday, putting them behind bars without bond. Smith believed the toddler had ingested the fentanyl by drinking the synthetic opioid.

Antonio Floyd and Barksdale, along with their three children, were at home on Christmas morning and went to Warren, Michigan to visit their grandmother by the afternoon. Shortly after, the toddler suddenly stopped breathing and was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

There were no physical signs that Ava was abused, hospital staff said in press release. However, a sibling of the toddler allegedly told the parents that the baby ingested fentanyl.

Manufacturing Fentanyl

After securing a search warrant in the home of the couple and the grandmother, authorities saw guns, drug residues, and scales, among many others that made them believe that the couple are producing and packing fentanyl in their house for distribution.

"[T]o see an infant experience such a tragic death on Christmas morning as a result of ingesting a large quantity of her parents' fentanyl is truly gut-wrenching," the prosecutor said.

The couple's children are overseen by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The accused are also charged with felony firearm offenses, manufacturing of controlled substance, and manslaughter on top of second-degree murder.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The secret to a long life is to stand up and get moving. Scientists found a link between sitting all day to early mortality, according to a new study.

However, do not fret; having a 9-to-5 desk job is not a death sentence. The new study also revealed that replacing 30 minutes of sitting with any sort of physical activity per day can significantly reduce the risk of death.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

How Exercise Can Save Lives

For the study, the researchers analyzed national data that involved a total of 7,999 adults aged 45 and older. All participants wore activity monitors that logged all the time they were sedentary between 2009 and 2013.

The researchers simulated the mortality benefits that each participant would get if they swapped all the time they were sedentary with physical activity. They found that by performing 30 minutes of light exercise, a person can cut their risk of dying early by as much as 17 percent.

Adding intensity to the workout can obviously increase the chances of living a long and healthy life. The study claimed that 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise decreases the odds of mortality by 35 percent.

"If you replace 30 minutes of sitting time with 30 minutes of light-intensity physical activity  so something just like a casual stroll down the hall  that still can lower your risk," explained Keith Diaz, an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and the first author of the study. "Any movement for any length of time is going to give you health benefit, and this is really shifting what we know about physical activity."

Any Amount Of Physical Activity Can Help

Health experts have long been warning about the negative effects of prolonged periods of sitting. Some diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle include type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and heart disease.

However, for many Americans, spending more than eight hours a day seated is unavoidable. A report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that last year that 25 percent of the nearly 6,000 adults surveyed spend hours of their day sitting at work, home, and during their commute. About 45 percent of that number admitted that they do not exercise.

The researchers hope that the new study can encourage the public to get moving. Diaz said that every kind of activity, even simply choosing to walk toward a bathroom farther away from the desk could help.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

By Mobile , Jan . 16, 2019





An organizer of the latest migrant caravan was arrested on rape charges in Honduras.





Juan Carlos Molina, the subject of an arrest warrant since August 2015, was on his way to the United States to seek asylum after raping his minor cousin, Diario La Tribuna reported, according to the Gateway Pundit.

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China is planning its next moon mission this year to get some more samples and another mission to Mars next year.

Shortly after the successful landing of the Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, China's next spacecraft is going back to the moon at the end of this year to make its second of the four moon missions.

Marked as first in the history of space exploration, Chang'e-4 landed on the far side of the moon, then sent back to Earth photos of the probe's lander and the rover taking snapshots of each other. Chang'e is a name of the Chinese moon goddess.

China's New Planned Missions

Wu Yanhua, the China National Space Administration deputy chief, announced on Monday that the agency is sending Chang'e-5 at the end of the year to collect samples from the near side of the moon. If the mission will be successful, these samples would be the first since 1976.

The China National Space Administration is the Chinese equivalent of NASA. Also, Wu said that China is working to send a probe to the Red Planet.

"China will carry out its first-ever exploration mission to Mars around 2020," Wu told the reporters on Monday.

China is also building its own space station called Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace. It is expected to begin its operations in 2022, however, the space agency is still deciding whether to send astronauts to the moon.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in full support of China's space explorations as he repeatedly said that he has lofty ambitions to make China a space power.

Chang'e-4 Successful Launch

After its successful landing on the moon earlier this month, the Chang'e-4, a lander weighing 1.3 tons, planted potato seeds and placed silkworm eggs in a chamber and are sustained by natural light and nutrition on the moon.

It also deployed a mini-rover called Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, to explore the surrounding terrain on the moon.

"All these are first-time breakthroughs for humankind," said Wu. "They are bound to make significant impacts on both China and the world."

A German instrument that will measure the radiation levels is also attached to the lander. The data that will be collected could be useful for future human missions on the far side of the moon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.What just happened? Huaweis battle with the US government is reportedly about to take a new turn, with federal prosecutors preparing a criminal indictment against the Chinese tech giant for stealing trade secrets from American partners.

The Wall Street Journal writes that the investigation arose from a 2014 civil case in which T-Mobile sued Huawei for gaining access to one of the carriers labs and taking unauthorized pictures of a smartphone testing robot called Tappy, which is designed to simulate the touch of a human finger. Its also alleged that Huawei stole designs and parts of the machine.

T-Mobile had been seeking $500 million in damages but was awarded just $4.8 million when it won the case in May 2017. Huawei said at the time that it continues to believe in the merits of its defense to the allegations made by T-Mobile.

Chinese firms have long been accused of engaging in intellectual property theftsomething the Justice Department said it was clamping down on last November by working alongside the FBI.

The new case could see more problems for Huawei, which overtook Apple last year to become the worlds second-largest smartphone vendor behind Samsung. The company saw its CFO, Meng Wanzhou, arrested in Canada at the behest of the US last month for allegedly violating sanctions against Iran. Another executive was arrested in Poland recently on espionage charges and has since been fired for bringing the company into disrepute.

This week, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfeifather of Meng Wanzhoudenied allegations that his company spied on behalf of Chinas government. He also called Donald Trump a great president.The big picture: Almost half of all international airlines use the Amadeus ticket booking system. Security researchers found a vulnerability that allowed hackers to easily view and change private passenger information including claiming other passenger's frequent flyer miles to a hacker's personal account, changing their contact info to allow a hacker to cancel their ticket, and more.

The vulnerability was discovered by Noam Rotem with the Safety Detective Research Lab and affects 44% or 141 different international airlines. It is related to the Passenger Name Record (PNR) system which is an identifier given to each passenger on a flight.

By updating a specific element of the ticket booking webpage, RULE_SOURCE_1_ID, Rotem was able to view the customer name and flight details for any PNR he entered into Amadeus. Once he had a PNR and name pair, he could log into any of the affected airline's portals and potentially wreak havoc.

While this isn't a threat to safety or financial data, it could easily have been used to ruin many peoples' days. Hackers could steal frequent flyer miles, impersonate users to cancel their flights, move seats, and change meal plans.

The page Rotem gained access to where he could change flight details of any passenger

This breach does require knowledge of the PNR codes beforehand, but customers and airlines don't exactly do a great job of protecting them. They are sent by the airline to the user unencrypted making them vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Many customers also post pictures of their boarding passes online to social media which also exposes this information.

To make matters worse, Rotem also discovered that the system had no brute-force protections in place. He wrote a simple script that generated randomized PNRs and was able to access many customer accounts successfully.

Rotem has since contacted EL AL, the Israeli airline he was flying with when he initially discovered the issue. It was then passed along to the Amadeus security team which has since patched the hole.

Amadeus has since issued the following statement:

At Amadeus, we give security the highest priority and are constantly monitoring and updating our systems. Our technical teams took immediate action and we can now confirm that the issue is solved. To further strengthen security, we have added a Recovery PTR to prevent a malicious user from accessing travelers personal information. We regret any inconvenience this situation might have caused.

Rotem further suggested they introduce captchas to prevent brute-force attacks, passwords to replace the 6-digit PNRs, and bot protection mechanisms.

A Brand's Guide to Digital Shelf Analytics | eBook

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The Motorola Razr -- once the hottest flip phone available -- is being revived as a smartphone with a foldable screen, according to The Wall Street Journal.

It will be offered exclusively through Verizon in the United States, possibly in February, although the device is still being tested and the launch date is not firm.

Its starting price reportedly will be US$1,500.

"We can't comment on rumors and speculation about our manufacturing partners," Verizon spokesperson George Koroneos told TechNewsWorld.

That statement could indicate Lenovo is producing the foldable Motorola Razr for Verizon on an OEM basis instead of using carriers as distributors.

That might be wise, as "Lenovo has mostly been playing in the mid range and occasionally going higher with its own flagship devices," remarked Ramon Llamas, a research director at IDC.

Unlike Apple and Samsung, Lenovo may not have the chops to push a $1,500 smartphone, Llamas told TechNewsWorld. He's "a little skeptical."

Lenovo likely has been working on the Motorola Razr with a foldable screen for more than a year. At the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona last February, CEO Yang Yuanqing hinted that such a device was in the works.

New Razr's Likely Makeup

Motorola submitted a patent application for a folding phone with two screens to the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2016.

The patent, granted in March of 2018, was for "an electronic device having at least a three-part housing foldable between multiple use positions."

It also has a flexible display that extends at least along portions of the first and second housing parts, and across the movable coupled sides. The third housing part can be moved relative to the second housing part to cover at least a portion of the flexible display selectively.

Eye-Popping Prices

Consumers can pick up a laptop for between $230 and $2,200 at Best Buy, which raises the question of whether the rumored Razr might be overpriced.

"$1,500 is quite a bit, and rivals some people's mortgages," Llamas observed.

However, "I would have argued 15 years ago that people wouldn't pay much over $500 for a phone, and we have more than doubled that," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld.

At $1,500 the revived Motorola Razr "is in the same neighborhood as Apple's iPhone XS Max -- $1,449 with 512 GB," noted Ken Hyers, a research director at Strategy Analytics.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy 'F' foldable smartphone "will be in the $2K range," he said.

Foldable display smartphones "will be very expensive into the early 2020s," Hyers told TechNewsWorld. "The foldable display technology is new. Manufacturing is extremely complex, and yield rates on the displays are not high."

Due to their cost and limited supplies, foldable display smartphones "will not be mass market products in 2019," he predicted.

"Barely over 1 million foldable display smartphones will ship this year, and less than 10 million in 2020," Hyers said. "Foldable display smartphones will be the ultimate unobtanium in smartphones for the next two years, and consumers who can get their hands on one will pay the high prices they command."

Yen for Foldables

"The foldable display smartphone is the first significant major change to take place in smartphone design in a decade," Hyers said.

Manufacturers gearing up to release smartphones with foldable screens this year include Royole, Apple, Huawei and LG.

Foldable displays can be used on smartphones, tablets, and "in certain configurations, small notebook PCs," Hyers suggested.

They "will cut across multiple categories, helping to justify [their] high price," he said."They are a genuine Swiss Army knife of mobile devices" that will appeal to both consumers and business users.

Release Date Speculation

The Motorola Razr might be introduced in February, but "I'd peg the release date as 1H 2019 -- and maybe 2H 2019," Strategy Analytics' Hyers said. "Motorola won't be able to source enough displays in Q1 2019 to support sales of the device in February or March 2019, and possibly beyond."

Also, Samsung "has a near monopoly on foldable displays and will take the lion's share of these for its Galaxy F," Hyers pointed out.

The timing of the announcement itself is fraught with hazards.

"A February announcement would align with a Mobile World Congress announcement, especially if Lenovo wants to take this global," IDC's Llamas noted. "But look at how Samsung's already doing its own Unpacked event in February. That may take the wind out of Lenovo's sails a bit."

On the other hand, waiting until September would pit Lenovo against Apple.

Market Reception

"Consumers that want a foldable display smartphone will not be brand loyal, particularly given the limited number of devices available," Hyers suggested.

That will make the Motorola Razr a threat, but Samsung "is somewhat safe as they'll have their own foldable display smartphone, the Galaxy F, and it'll be first to market and available in greater quantities than foldable from all other vendors combed in 2019," Hyers said.

Apple "is in more danger, as they won't have a foldable for several years yet," he pointed out. "Put another way, I use an iPhone, but if someone handed me a Razr, I'd switch."

The original Razr "was iconic," said Llamas, "and for many, it was the aspirational mobile phone to move towards. Unless the new smartphone can replicate that aspirational feeling, it may end up getting overlooked."

Richard Adhikari has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile technologies, CRM, databases, software development, mainframe and mid-range computing, and application development. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including Information Week and Computerworld. He is the author of two books on client/server technology. Email Richard.

European Parliament reports on EIB annual activities EIB

The European Parliament has voted on 17 January 2019 in favour of two reports on the European Investment Banks annual activities:

Great value for money for the EU

The financial activities report is overall positive and in favour of an expanded role of the EIB both in terms of lending volume and advisory capacity. It explicitly supports a continuation of EIBs central role in the post-2020 MFF, namely with regard to InvestEU and the Banks external activities.

The report contains a number of specific calls for further improvements in the area of transparency and accountability, with demands for publication of more EIB internal documents and signing of an EIB-EP inter-institutional agreement. The result of the vote for the ECON report was: 316 in favour, 118 against, 82 abstentions.

EIB President Werner Hoyer attended the day before two debates at the European Parliament plenary. During his intervention regarding the financial report President Hoyer said: The EIB is a very good deal for the EU. We put money to work. Not taxpayer money  but money we raise from investors on the capital markets. President Hoyer, in the picture with Commissioner Katainen and various MEPs, highlighted EFSI as an example of what the EIB can do to help scarce public resources achieve more.

Recommendations to improve our control of financial activities

The report on the control of EIBs financial activities picks up on issues related to governance, accountability and transparency. It makes a number of specific recommendations, such as:

a reorganisation of responsibilities of MC members

stronger internal control frameworks

further transparency of governing bodies and Bank-financed projects

The report also underlines the EIBs role in overcoming regional divergences in the EU and asks that due attention should be given to ensuring a more even regional distribution of Bank lending. The result of the vote for the CONT report was: 498 in favour, 87 against and 38 abstentions.

The debate was overall constructive with numerous Members of the European Parliament underlining the indispensable role of the EIB Group to support EU policy objectives. Members also welcomed steps by the Bank to further improve transparency and governance, and acknowledged that the EIB has made progress towards a more balanced geographic distribution of lending.

President Hoyer mentioned the revision of the banks Code of Conduct and its new Complaints Mechanism Policy as examples of what the EIB is doing to enhance its controls, and concluded: We are the bank of the European Union. We are more than the sum of our national interests and an excellent example of Europe in action.

Want to know more?

Watch the videos of the debates:A derelict house at 528 First Ave. NE was vacant for about five years before the city bought and demolished it in March. Now, in an effort to target hundreds of properties racking up fines, city leaders are moving forward with a new strategy: foreclosures.Florida Department of Health reported 12,157 new COVID-19 cases statewide during the week of June 4-10, bringing the cumulative total since March 2020 to 2,300,786. Forty more people died, upping the death toll to 37,265.STAMFORD, Conn.  Shippan resident and To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen has been accused of bouncing checks and failing to pay for $13,000 worth of marketing materials he received from a local vendor.

Hansen, 59, was charged Monday with issuing a bad check and released after signing a written promise to appear in court. Hansen did not immediately return a call Tuesday for comment.

According to a four-page arrest affidavit, Hansen asked Peter Psichopaidas, owner of Promotional Sales Limited of Summer Street, for 355 ceramic mugs, 288 T-shirts and 650 vinyl decals. Hansen planned to use them at marketing events, the affidavit said.

The total amount due was $12,998.05, and Psichopaidas said Hansen agreed to pay the entire bill before delivery, police said.

Three months after receiving invoices for the goods in September 2017, a person working for Hansen sent a Hansen News LLC check for the entire amount, police said.

But police said the check bounced and Psichopaidas spoke to Hansen, who apologized and attempted to make a partial payment. Psichopaidas filed a complaint with police last April when he was still not paid.

Investigator Sean Coughlin called Hansen, who agreed to make a statement at the Stamford police station, but never showed up, the affidavit said.

Psichopaidas said a few days later, he refused Hansens offer to make four partial payments.

Hansen then promised his wife would drop off a check, but she never showed up, the affidavit said.

Coughlin warned Hansen that he had been given ample time to pay the invoice, and if he failed to do so, he would be arrested for larceny.

I told Chris that I understood that he may have trouble, but that nearly $13,000 is a lot of money to a mom-and-pop business and it is not fair that he accepted the material but hasnt paid for it, the affidavit said.

On April 27, 2018, Psichopaidas said he received a personal check from Hansen for $13,200, which bounced three days later, the affidavit said.

Hansen emailed Psichopaidas the day the check bounced.

Peter ... I truly thought I had this covered, Hansen wrote, according to the affidavit. I am scrambling to get it done. Please give me till the end of the day. I sold a boat to cover the rest of this and need to pick up the payment this afternoon.

But another check never came and an arrest warrant was issued for Hansen, who turned himself over to police on Monday and was released without bond.

To Catch a Predator was a news show through the lens of a hidden camera that documented encounters with men who had been lured by decoys after they made online contact with people they believed to be underage children. The men were confronted, questioned by Hansen and arrested by local police.

The show was canceled in 2008, but episodes continued to air on MSNBC.

-- John Nickerson, The Advocate, Stamford, ConnecticutPetersburg, Ky.  Of course, someone from Upstate New York is part of a viral story about a giant snowman.

The saga began when Cody Lutz of Petersburg, Kentucky, his fiance and her sister constructed the massive snowman on Sunday, according to USA Today. They built the bottom snowball around a huge tree stump to support the rest of the body.

Lutz posted a picture on Facebook. The frost giant towers over its creators.

*Insert line from a wintery Disney musical here* Im from the Frosty generation, personally.  Posted by Cody Lutz on Sunday, January 13, 2019

On Monday, Lutz shared another post that showed tire tracks leading to snowman. The lower third of the body was partially destroyed, exposing the stump inside.

This is Petersburg for you. What they didnt count on, is the massive stump in the center. Life is hard, but its much... Posted by Cody Lutz on Monday, January 14, 2019

"What they didn't count on, is the massive tree stump in the center," Lutz wrote on Facebook. "Life is hard, but it's much harder when you're stupid."

Lutz said hes originally from Buffalo and so the snow was no big deal, according to Fox 19 in Cincinnati, Ohio, about 25 miles from Petersburg. But it was special for his fiance, who lives in Mississippi.

"This is the most snow she's ever seen in her entire life," Lutz said, according to Fox.

Lutz and his fiance also spent time sledding and having snowball fights to celebrate the weather, he told CBS News. The snowman was their crowning achievement.

Everyone driving by loved him and waved and honked to express their delight, Lutz said, according to CBS. However, evidently not everyone was a fan.

Lutz found the tire tracks leading toward the snowman after returning from work on Monday, he said, according to Fox.

Its hilarious, he said. You know, what goes around comes around in good ways and bad ways. So I guess everyone learns a valuable lesson here from Frosty.

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598Phoenix authorities are investigating the death of a newborn found in a trash can at an Amazon distribution center.

Police and fire officials responded to a call Wednesday night about "a deceased infant in the women's restroom located inside the secured facility," the Phoenix Police Department said. Firefighters determined the infant could not be resuscitated, authorities said.

Authorities have released no other details about the circumstances of the infant's death.

Phoenix Police spokesman Sgt. Vince Lewis said investigators have spoken with the infant's mother but are not yet identifying her nor saying if she is an Amazon employee. The department will continue investigating the death alongside the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office.

"This is a terribly sad and tragic incident," an Amazon spokeswoman said in a statement. "We are working with local authorities to support their investigation. The safety and wellness of our team is our top priority."

The spokeswoman characterized the case as a personal medical event and said Amazon is conducting an internal investigation. (Amazon.com founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

The distribution center where the infant was found is one of four Amazon warehouses in the greater Phoenix area. It employs more than 1,000 full-time associates, the Amazon spokeswoman said.

The global company operates more than 100 fulfillment and "sortation" centers in North America and employs 125,000 full-time hourly workers in the United States; it is also known for hiring tens of thousands of temporary workers during the holiday season.

Amazon has also faced intense scrutiny over the treatment and pay of its workers, thousands of whom rely on federal assistance for food, housing and health care, according to news reports.

Work conditions in the company's warehouses are frequently featured in stories with headlines that outline alleged problems. A May 5 story for Business Insider was headlined, "Peeing in trash cans, constant surveillance, and asthma attacks on the job: Amazon workers tell us their warehouse horror stories." A July 30 story in Britain's Guardian newspaper was headlined, "Accidents at Amazon: workers left to suffer after warehouse injuries."

A 2015 New York Times investigation described difficult workplace conditions in which corporate employees at Amazon said they were overworked and given unfair evaluations where personal crises took them away from their high volume of tasks.

Those responses to employee hardships were "not our policy or practice," Amazon spokesman Craig Berman told the newspaper at the time. "If we were to become aware of anything like that, we would take swift action to correct it."

In Britain, between 2015 and 2017, ambulances were called to Amazon warehouses 600 times, according to a Freedom of Information request conducted by the GMB trade union. Some calls were related to miscarriages or pregnancy-related medical issues at work, the Guardian newspaper reported

We dont recognize these allegations as an accurate portrayal of activities in our buildings, Amazon said in a statement responding to the British claims.Elk Grove, CA (95624)

Today

Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. Record high temperatures expected. High near 110F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.With Love, the teaching restaurant run by Onondaga Community College located on Syracuses North Side, will reopen next week with Vietnamese food unlike anything else youll find in the city.

The restaurant reopens Tuesday, Jan. 22 with a menu consisting of recipes passed down through generations in the family of entrepreneur-in-residence Ngoc Huynh.

Huynh was born in Vietnam. As an infant, her family moved to Japan before ultimately settling in Omaha, Nebraska. She has lived in Syracuse since 2000, but her recipes are straight from Tra Vinh, one of 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. Huynhs interest in food dates back to her childhood, when she would be around her mother and aunts as they cooked for the food business they ran, in addition to their regular jobs.

Huynh said she joined With Love in order to preserve her familys recipes and to share them with the public.

The reopening also marks the first for Program Director Joseph Bilecki, who took over the top spot following the departure of Adam Sudmann at the beginning of the year.

Bilecki, who has worked in restaurants in Central New York and across the country for more than 30 years, including a stint as head chef at Dark Horse Tavern in DeWitt, said one of the challenges he and Huynh have faced so far is converting these family recipes--many without any quantifiable measurements--into teachable recipes for the kitchen staff that can be scaled up to the restaurant level.

The menu will vary during Huynhs six months at With Love, but initial entree offerings include Bun mam, a seafood soup flavored with fermented fish; crispy Banh xeo crepes, available in vegetarian and pork and shrimp-filled versions and Vietnamese curry, which Huynh and Bilecki said is lighter than more-assertive Indian and Thai curries.

We believe one of the strongest ways to bring people together is through food, Bilecki said.

Appetizers include vegetarian fresh spring rolls, a green papaya salad and chicken wings that are marinated in a mixture of vinegar, salt, fish sauce and sugar, lightly dredged and fried, drizzled with the marinade that has been cooked down and reduced to a glaze, and topped with chopped chilies.

For dessert, the restaurant will serve a Vietnamese version of flan that Bilecki said will be lighter and more custardy than its European cousin.

We want to give the customers an experience of eating in Vietnam without having to go there, Bilecki said.

Past With Love menus have featured Pakistani, Burmese, Lowcountry and Palestinian cuisines. The restaurant opened in December 2016.

For the first time, the restaurant is planning to offer a separate lunch menu that will feature smaller portions, cheaper prices and food thats quicker to prepare, such as banh mi sandwiches made with homemade chicken liver pate and meats roasted in-house.

The separate lunch menu will not be available at first, but Bilecki said he expects it to be available in the next month or two.

The restaurant will be staffed both with OCC students and clients from CNY Works. Bilecki said the restaurant recently received a grant to provide workplace learning on behalf of the non-profit employment center. He noted that all tips left by diners go to a scholarship fund for the students.

By leaving a tip, youre making Syracuse a better place."

With Love, located at 435 N. Salina St. in Syracuse, is open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 2 p.m. for lunch and from 5 to 8 p.m. for dinner.

Note: Huynh is a web producer at Advance Media New York, the parent company of syracuse.com | The Post-Standard and NYup.com.Syracuse, N.Y.  Golden Corral, an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant chain, is getting close to opening its location off Midler Avenue.

But as of this morning, the company had no specific date for its first day.

We are still under construction and waiting on a few things that are out of our control, the company said in response to questions. We are still hoping for an early 2019 opening.

The 10,000-square-foot restaurant will be at 115 Simon Drive.

Golden Corral first opened in North Carolina in 1973. The buffet offers foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The company first proposed the Syracuse location in 2016.WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders this week blocked Rep. Anthony Brindisi from gaining a seat on the Armed Services Committee, but the House freshman insists its not payback for his refusal to support Pelosi for speaker.

Brindisi, D-Utica, said he met with Pelosi privately Wednesday to discuss his potential committee assignment, and he walked away assured he would receive a committee seat within the next week. About half of the freshmen Democratic class is awaiting assignments.

Brindisi said he approached Pelosi on the House floor Tuesday and asked for the private meeting after losing out on the Armed Services Committee assignment.

Brindisi said that the committee was among five that he listed as his preference for an assignment.

Brindisi requested the committee post, in part, because it would make it easier for him to advocate for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Rome, one of the largest employers in the 22nd Congressional District with about 1,000 civilian workers.

The perceived slight by Pelosi was fueled by a report Tuesday night in Politico about the speaker blocking Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-Long Island, from a seat on the House Judiciary Committee. Rice had helped lead a campaign to keep Pelosi from regaining the speakers gavel.

The Politico report cited unidentified Democratic sources as saying that some members of New Yorks Democratic House delegation were angered when Brindisi was denied a seat on the Armed Services Committee.

I think its getting blown out of proportion, Brindisi told Syracuse.com on Wednesday. I asked for five different committees and I understand Armed Services is very competitive because we have so many freshmen who have a military background.

Brindisi said he also listed the Agriculture Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Veterans Affairs Committee as his top preferences, knowing he would likely be assigned to two committees.

Brindisi campaigned against Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, last year on a promise that he would not support Pelosi, 78, as his partys leader. He said it was time for a fresh crop of Democrats to bring new vision to the party.

On the first day of the new Congress on Jan. 3, Brindisi voted for former Vice President Joe Biden to serve as speaker.

Brindisi said he had been pressured to support Pelosi by Democratic leaders, but he was never threatened or told he would pay a price for his decision.

I think she has always treated me fairly, he said of Pelosi.

Pelosis office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Brindisi is among some 30 Democrats who represent congressional districts won by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and Democrats have made it a priority to hold onto those seats in 2020.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump told a group of House moderates Wednesday that he wants to negotiate a deal that could end the 26-day partial government shutdown, according to two Central New York congressmen who met with the president Wednesday.

Trump said he would negotiate only if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agrees to discuss providing at least some money for a wall or barrier on the southern border, said Rep. John Katko, who attended the meeting with 15 other House members in the White House Situation Room.

Trump indicated as the conversation was concluding that he would be willing to negotiate if Pelosi would move from her position of no barrier under any circumstances, said Katko, R-Camillus.

It really boiled down to the president saying, Look, I will deal and negotiate, Katko said. Hes showing some flexibility here, and if Pelosi would come off the dime they could get a deal done.

Katko and Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, were among a bipartisan group from the House Problem Solvers Caucus who met for more than an hour with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and top administration officials.

It was the first time any Democrats in Congress agreed to meet with Trump since he walked out of a negotiating session last week with Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., only minutes after it had started.

At least five moderate Democrats declined invitations to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday because they viewed the move as a tactic to bypass Pelosi in negotiations over Trumps request for $5.7 billion to build a wall on the southern border. Instead, Trump met with nine House Republicans on Tuesday, including Katko.

Brindisi was among seven Democrats in the Problem Solvers Caucus who accepted Trumps invitation on Wednesday to join nine Republican members of the caucus in the White House meeting.

The Democrats stood firm with Pelosi, telling the president that he must first reopen the government before any talks can proceed on border security and immigration reforms, Brindisi said in an interview after the meeting.

We have to get the government up and running, and then we can talk about border security and issues related to that, Brindisi said. I think the president will find theres a lot of agreement. Ive said I could support a physical barrier where it makes sense.

Brindisi was joined in the White House meeting by Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Max Rose of Staten Island, Tom Suozzi of Long Island, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.

After the meeting the seven Democrats met privately with Pelosi at the Capitol, Brindisi said.

We told her we had a productive conversation, Brindisi said. He said the group told the speaker that they held firm in telling Trump that he cant use the shutdown to hold the government hostage over his request for border wall funding.

We conveyed a message (to Trump) that we should reopen the government for a few weeks so that we can have some breathing room, Brindisi said, and the two sides can sit down and negotiate.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders described Wednesdays meeting as productive, even though Republicans and Democrats made no breakthrough toward ending the shutdown.

The president and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Sanders said in a statement. They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants. We look forward to more conversations like this.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751WASHINGTON (AP)  A grand Washington ritual became a potential casualty of the partial government shutdown as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Donald Trump to postpone his Jan. 29 State of the Union speech. She cited concerns about whether the hobbled government can provide adequate security, but Republicans cast her move as a ploy to deny Trump the stage.

In a letter to Trump, Pelosi said that with both the Secret Service and the Homeland Security Department entangled in the shutdown, the president should speak to Congress another time or he should deliver the address in writing.d

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen denied anyone's safety is compromised, saying Wednesday that both agencies "are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union."

Trump did not immediately respond to the request, and the White House, thrown off guard by the move, didn't immediately offer any official response. But GOP allies accused Pelosi of playing politics, with Republican Rep. Steve Scalise tweeting that Democrats are "only interested in obstructing @realDonaldTrump, not governing."

Pelosi, who issued the customary invitation to Trump weeks ago, hit the president in a vulnerable place, as he delights in taking his message to the public and has been preparing for the address for weeks.

The uncertainty surrounding the speech also underscored the unraveling of ceremonial norms and niceties in Trump's Washington, with the shutdown in its fourth week, the White House and Democrats in a stalemate and the impasse draining the finances of hundreds of thousands of federal employees.

Pelosi left unclear what would happen if Trump insisted on coming despite the welcome mat being pulled away. It takes a joint resolution of the House and Congress to extend the official invitation and set the stage.

"We'll have to have a security evaluation, but that would mean diverting resources," she told reporters when asked how she would respond if Trump still intended to come. "I don't know how that could happen."

Pressure on Trump intensified on Wednesday, the 26th day of the shutdown, as lawmakers from both parties scrambled for solutions. At the White House, Trump met a bipartisan group of lawmakers, as well as a group of Republican senators, but progress appeared elusive.

The shutdown, already the longest ever, entered its 27th day Thursday. The previous longest was 21 days in 1995-96, when Bill Clinton was president.

While Trump's own advisers said the shutdown was proving a greater drag on the economy than expected, Trump showed no signs of backing off a fight that he views as vital for his core supporters.

On Wednesday, Trump signed legislation into law affirming that the roughly 800,000 federal workers who have been going without pay will ultimately be compensated for their lost wages. That was the practice in the past.

As he weighs a response to Pelosi, Trump could not go forward with a State of the Union address in Congress without her blessing. Donald Ritchie, former historian of the Senate, said that anytime a president comes to speak, it must be at the request of Congress. Trump could opt to deliver a speech somewhere else, like the Oval Office, but it would not have the same ritualistic heft.

Democratic leaders did not ask the Secret Service if the agency would be able to secure the State of the Union event before sending the letter, according to a senior Homeland Security official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. Pelosi's office said Congress is already familiar with the percentage of Secret Service and Homeland Security employees who have been furloughed and working without pay.

The Secret Service starts preparing for events like these months in advance.

Lawmakers struggled to find a way out of the shutdown Wednesday. Trump is demanding $5.7 billion to build a wall along the Mexican border that he says is needed on humanitarian and security grounds. But Pelosi is refusing money for the wall she views as ineffective and immoral, and Democrats say they will discuss border security once the government has reopened.

Some expressed little optimism.

Sen. Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has been working on bipartisan strategies, declared glumly: "I am running out of ideas."

Trump met a bipartisan group of lawmakers Wednesday that included seven Democrats. Two people who attended the White House meeting agreed it was "productive," but could not say to what extent Trump was listening or moved by the conversation.

The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the event candidly, said it seemed at some points as if people were talking past each other. Lawmakers talked about the shutdown's effect on their constituents and advocated for "border security." Trump and others on-and-off used the term "wall." It was not clear if progress had been made, by those accounts.

Meanwhile a group of Republican senators headed to the White House later Wednesday.

Many Republicans were unwilling to sign on to a letter led by Graham and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., to reopen the government for three weeks while talks continue.

"Does that help the president or does that hurt the president?" asked Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., among those going to the White House.

He has not signed the letter.

"If the president saw it as a way to be conciliatory, if he thought it would help, then perhaps it's a good idea," he said. "If it's just seen as a weakening of his position, then he probably wouldn't do it."

While Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she has signed, others said GOP support was lacking.

Theyre a little short on the R side, said Sen. Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, another leader of the effort.

The House and Senate announced they are canceling next week's planned recess if the shutdown continues, which seemed likely. Some Republicans expressed concerns over the impact of the shutdown and who was getting blamed.

Said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc.:"Right now, are you seeing any pressure on Democrats? I think Republicans are getting the lion's share of the pressure."

He added: The president accepted the blame so people are happy to give it to him.WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proved Thursday she wont punish U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi, at least when it comes to assignments on House committees.

Pelosi announced that Brindisi will be assigned to serve on two of the House committees he requested  the House Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Brindisi, D-Utica, met privately with Pelosi on Wednesday to discuss his potential committee assignments after he was denied a seat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Brindisi told syracuse.com after the meeting that the decision to keep him off the committee was not payback for his refusal to support Pelosi for speaker.

He listed five committees as priorities in his request for an assignment, including Agriculture, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure.

Brindisi requested the Armed Services post because his 22nd Congressional District includes the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Rome, one of the largest employers in the region with about 1,000 civilian workers.

He also requested a seat on the Agriculture Committee because it is one of the largest industries in the district.

Brindisi promised during his campaign against Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, last year that he would not support the 78-year-old Pelosi in a vote for his partys leader. He said it was time to bring new vision to the party.

On the first day of the new Congress on Jan. 3, Brindisi voted for former Vice President Joe Biden to serve as speaker, and later skipped a ceremonial swearing-in photo with Pelosi.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751CAMILLUS, NY - More than 100 residents jammed the West Genesee Board of Education meeting Wednesday night, many saying they want the board to be more transparent with the community about an investigation into Superintendent Chris Brown.

The school boards lawyers are investigating allegations made on social media that Brown was in a relationship with an employee he supervises. Browns wife, Rachel Gough Brown, posted on social media in early January that Chris Brown told her he wanted a divorce and that he was in love with the female employee. She later took the social media posts down

The situation "is an embarrassment to our community,'' said resident Steven Roman. We have a superintendent who doesnt live in our district and is making more than $260,000 a year, and his personal life is out of control.

Other residents stood up and asked why it took the board so long to communicate with the community when the allegations first surfaced. Board members said they responded with a statement the next day, but had to consult with legal counsel first.

School Board President Roberta Herron told residents the investigation has not concluded yet..

Brown has told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard he did not have a romantic or sexual relationship with any employee in the district. He has said the woman was a good friend who he confided in. He has said he and his wife are divorcing.

The superintendent has been taking personal time since the allegations surfaced.

The school board, after saying it had hired independent counsel to investigate the allegations that the superintendent was in a relationship with someone he supervised, then revealed the law firm Ferrara Fiorenza - the districts law firm of record - is looking into the matter.

Herron, the school board president, told residents as the meeting started that its very important beyond a shadow of a doubt to have due process, and that due process has to be complete.

Herron also said the board learned of the allegations from social media. But parents at the meeting said they are concerned the alleged relationship was common knowledge among teachers and students, so how is it that information never reached the board?

"Where is the communication?'' parent Michele Gagne said.

John Mannion, president of the West Genesee Teachers Association, also said communication between the stakeholders and the board is lacking.

"The lines of communication are not open in this district,'' he said. School board members have a duty to be open to feedback.

When it comes to the investigation, Herron said the board has been as open with the community as is legally possible.

Resident Kathleen Guthrie questioned how the law firm that serves the district can be viewed as being independent counsel. Herron said the firm is independent because they represent the board, and do not represent any individual or any employee.

Some wanted to know how much the lawyers were being paid. District officials said the lawyers charge about $235 an hour.

Another speaker, Lora Champlain, said teachers are fearful to speak out. She also said when board members get defensive when questioned it seems like they are taking a side. "The side you should be taking is with the community and the taxpayers,'' she said.

And resident Dan Burlingame said the damage has been done.

"The trust is broken,'' he said, and that doesnt get fixed.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Several Upstate New York communities will hold sister marches Saturday as part of the Womens March in Washington D.C. on the same day.

Hundreds of Central New Yorkers are expected to participate in a march in Syracuse, which will begin at 10 a.m. at the Everson Plaza, 401 Harrison St. The march will start in downtown Syracuse and head to the eastside of the city to a rally University United Methodist Church.

Syracuse organizers had originally planned to rally at the Federal Building, but were prevented from doing so due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to a news release from event organizers.

The 2017 Womens March inspired thousands of women to run for office, tens of millions to vote, and hundreds to win elected office, according to the marchs website. The 2019 Womens March marks two years of resistance to the Trump presidency, two years of training new activists, and two years of building power.

The Syracuse event is open to the public and participants are encouraged to dress for the weather.

Here are the details about other Upstate marches:"Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah

Last summer, first year students at Syracuse University were assigned a shared reading experience: every incoming freshman was to read Trevor Noah's memoir Born a Crime.

CNY Reads One Book has also selected the book for its 19th season, which kicks off tonight at Barnes & Noble in DeWitt.

Somewhat like a countywide book club, the initiative has been promoting reading since 2001 when it chose "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines. Organizers believe it could be the longest running reading initiative of its kind in New York State, but the idea came from the "If All Seattle Read the Same Book" project of 1998.

Past books have included "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin in 2018 and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" in 2016.

Alan LaPier, a retired librarian in Liverpool, said this year Syracuse University asked to partner with CNY Reads One Book.

"We didn't choose it because SU chose it, we chose it because it's a very good book," said LaPier. "It's a good story about race relations and approaches is it in a way that allows us to have discussions."

Programming for CNY Reads One Book will take place at various public libraries between January and March. Trevor Noah will also be speaking at the MLK Dinner in the Carrier Dome on Jan. 27.

Noah's book recounts his life growing up in apartheid in a biracial family. His parents marriage, at the time, was illegal.

In addition to Noah's appearance, other events include a play at the Beauchamp Branch library called "Salt City Abolitionists" as well as seminars about the aftermath of apartheid.

"We thought we could take the seams of race and the criminal justice system between the two countries and create programming around it," said LaPier.

Here are some of the events the group has planned:

Thursday, Jan. 17

CNY Reads Season Kickoff, featuring Syracuse University Dean of Hendricks Chapel Dr. Brian Konkol on "Truth, Reconciliation and our Struggle to be Well." 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 3454 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse.

Jan. 24

Showing of film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," a chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. 6 p.m. at Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St., Liverpool.

Jan. 27

Syracuse University's Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, with special guest Trevor Noah. Tickets for the general public and SU staff are $15; students and youth are $5. Call 1-888-DOME-TIX or buy tickets online at http://mlk.syr.edu/buy-tickets/. 7 p.m., Carrier Dome.

Jan. 31

Book discussion. 6:30 p.m., Manlius Library, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave, Manlius.

Feb. 4

Book discussion. 6:30 p.m., Petit Branch Library, 105 Victoria Pl, Syracuse.

Feb. 21

Panel discussion featuring Inkululeko Executive Director Jason Torreano, an organization working to further the education of South African youth; Shireen Badat, a woman who was raised under apartheid South Africa; and Emily and Derek Singletary from Unchained, an organization that advocates for the incarcerated in New York. 2 p.m., Upstate Oasis, 6333 Route 298, East Syracuse.

Feb. 25

Book discussion. 1 p.m., Upstate Oasis, 6333 Route 298, East Syracuse.

Feb. 26

Book discussion. 6:30 p.m., Marcellus Free Library, 32 Maple St, Marcellus.

Feb. 27

"A Brief History of Apartheid" discussion with Tom Henry, retired social studies/history teacher and historian. 1 p.m. at Upstate Oasis, 6333 Route 298, East Syracuse.



Feb. 28

Book discussion. 6:30 p.m., Northern Onondaga Public Library, 100 Trolley Barn Lane, North Syracuse.

March 6

"Loving" film presentation, the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision. 2:30 p.m. at Upstate Oasis, 6333 Route 298, East Syracuse.

March 7

Book discussion, 7 p.m. at Baldwinsville Public Library, 33 E Genesee St, Baldwinsville.

March 11

Book discussion, 2 p.m. at Maxwell Memorial Library, 14 W Genesee St, Camillus.

March 14

Book discussion, 7 p.m. at Onondaga Free Library, 4840 W Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse

March 23

Free staging of play "Salt City Abolitionists," written by the Onondaga Historical Association about Syracuse abolitionists Rev. Samuel May and Caroline Loguen. 2 p.m. at Beauchamp Branch Library, 2111 S Salina St, Syracuse.

March 26

Book discussion, 6:30 p.m. at Salina Free Library, 100 Belmont St, Mattydale.Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man has been indicted this month for shooting a man in the back before leaving town in 2016.

Eduardo Vazquez, 40, was indicted on murder and weapons charges in the August 2016 death of Gerald Solomon Jr., 26, on Coolidge Avenue. He is awaiting arraignment on the charges that could send him to prison for 25 years to life if hes convicted.

Vazquez was 19 years old when he went through his first murder trial. He was accused of killing his friend, 15-year-old Elvin Gonzalez.

Vazquez professed his complete innocence and a jury found him not guilty. His lawyer at the time said the jury didnt find an eyewitness to be credible.

Little has been shared so far regarding the investigation into Solomons death. He was shot in the back and died eight days later after being rushed to a local hospital.

Vazquez left town at some point after the shooting and was found in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in October 2018.(Kimberly Carrillo/GET OUT Staff) McKenna Henry, 11, of Mesa, who is home schooled, plays Grandma Josephine, one of the boy Charlie Buckets grandmothers.Two Phoenix men were arrested and charged for stealing four AR-15-style assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from a home in Lysander, according to a Wednesday release from New York State Police.

Patrick J. Rein and Nathan R. Sims, both 21, faces three counts of second-degree burglary, police said.

Investigators found the assault rifles and ammunition.

Both were taken to the Onondaga County Justice Center for centralized arraignment.MORRISVILLE, N.Y. -- The Morrisville-Eaton Middle/High school is on lockout this morning due to a specific threat made today, school officials said.

Early this morning, Middle/High Principal Durkee opened an anonymous e-mail that contained a specific threat to the school, according to an email sent to parents. The principal called 911 so police could determine its credibility, the email said.

The middle/high school is on lockout -- unauthorized visitors to the building will not be allowed to enter.

Officials said there is currently a large presence of police at the school.

The person who made the alleged threat is not a current student in the district, the email said.

Morrisville-Eaton school district in Madison County has two schools with 617 students, with 351 at the middle/high school.

This is the message sent to parents by the school today:

Good morning. You are receiving this message as a result of your affiliation with the Morrisville-Eaton Central Schools.

Early this morning, Middle/High Principal Durkee opened an anonymous e-mail which contained a specific threat to the school. 911 was called immediately after the threat was discovered so police could determine its credibility. As a result, we have a large presence of law enforcement on our campus. The Middle/High School has also been placed on lockout. In a lockout, unauthorized visitors to the building will not be allowed to enter.

The person who made the alleged threat is not a currently registered student of our District.

Our students' safety is of the highest priority.

More information will be shared in a letter that will go home this afternoon.Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man, who admitted moving a naked corpse after a May 2018 murder, had been called totally insensitive and a man who played by his own rules.

But nothing could prepare anyone -- even his own lawyers -- for Nicholas Costellos rant at his sentencing in connection with the murder of Charles Nichols. Costello moved Nichols' dead body twice, from the murder scene to a shed, and later to an abandoned house.

At sentencing Jan. 10, Costello showed no remorse and even blamed the victim for his own death.

Costellos words were so bad that numerous requests were made for a transcript of his remarks. That led the full transcript to be posted in his court file.

His assigned lawyer, Elise Voutsinas, had spent at least five minutes before Costellos rant protesting a pre-sentence reports findings that Costello was totally insensitive and had no remorse. She blamed his coldness on a brain injury. She insisted he had shown remorse in private.

What transpired next is a clinic in what not to say at sentencing:

Judge Thomas J. Miller: Mr. Costello, this is your opportunity... is there anything, sir, that you would like to say?

Costello: Yes, there is.

Judge: Go ahead, sir.

Costello: I am being sentenced to the max for both my cases so, you know, I just feel very little remorse, you know.

(Attorneys confer in private with Costello.)

Costello: Yeah -- why would I -- I wanted to change, and I did. Im being sentenced to the max. Im about to serve my time. Why have I got to show anybody remorse for? Im about to do my time. Thats my punishment, right? Seven years? Once I do my seven years, Im good. Im just saying, like, Im not going to sit here and, you know, try to impersonate something Im not. Im not.

Im about to do my time for what I did. So me, personally, I dont want to show nobody any time of sorrow or anything. This is my punishment for what I did, so Im not going to sit here and beg for your all forgiveness for what I did.

From court gallery: You are so ignorant.

Costello: You know, things happen. That man should have never have did, the victim indicates Charles Nichols should never have done what he did, and he wouldnt be in the situation hes in right now, you know? I shouldnt never have did what I did. I wouldnt be in the situation Im in right now.

But I pled guilty to my charges. I took my seven, eight years. So now I got to enter my time and hope everything turns out in the future. Hope this makes me a better person. You dont know. But thats all I want. Thats all I want to address. Thank you. Give me the max.

Judge: Since theres another case pending, Mr. Costello, I will not say today what I truly feel. Your statement speaks for itself.

With that, Miller sent Costello to prison for seven years on the corpse-moving conviction and a separate assault in which he brutally injured a woman.

The accused killer in this case, Vladimir Brown, has spent months complaining about his court-appointed lawyers. He recently was appointed a new lawyer and his case is still headed toward trial.SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Syracusans waiting up to two years to collect Social Security disability insurance benefits may have to wait even longer now that the federal government has added another step to the appeals process.

The new step which took effect in New York Jan. 1 requires people appealing disability application denials to request a second review, called reconsideration. If applicants are turned down again during the reconsideration review they can then request a hearing before an administrative law judge.

Prior to Jan. 1 New Yorkers could request a hearing immediately after the initial denial.

The wait for a hearing in Syracuse is 19 months, one of the longest in the nation.

A recent Syracuse.com story revealed more than 7,000 people in Syracuse are waiting for hearings to decide if they qualify for Social Security disability benefits. After a hearing it can take up to another six months before a decision is issued. That means injured people often struggle to make ends meet or end up homeless as they spend two years awaiting benefits for which they may be entitled.

Ultimately, fewer than four in 10 applicants are awarded benefits from a system theyve paid into during their working lives.

The federal agency says the extra step will help some claimants get benefits sooner and reduce the hearing backlog. But critics say the change will just make the lengthy appeals process even longer.

While some people might get a decision sooner under reconsideration, for others this step is effectively a rubber stamp of the initial decision, and it simply further delays their hearing with an administrative law judge, former Rep. Sam Johnson, D-Texas, said at a July House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing.

Social Security eliminated the reconsideration review in New York and nine other states in 1999 as part of an experiment intended to improve the process. The federal government says reinstating reconsideration in New York and the nine other states will bring national uniformity to the appeals process, help people get benefits sooner and cut hearing wait times.

We are guided by the principal of determining whether someone is entitled to disability benefits as early in our administrative process as possible, Patricia Jonas, deputy commissioner of Social Security, said at the House hearing.

But Social Security data show nearly nine of 10 applicants nationwide were denied benefits at the reconsideration stage in 2016 and 2017 in the 40 states.

That means most of the initial denials are simply affirmed during the reconsideration review, according to Mike Stein, an assistant vice president of Allsup, a national company that represents people appealing disability benefit denials.

For the majority of people the extra step means you will ultimately wait another three to six months to get to the hearing level, he said.

Social Security estimates reinstating reconsideration would help 21,000 former workers in the 10 states get benefits sooner, but make 106,000 people wait longer for hearings.

In addition to New York, reconsideration was reinstated on Jan. 1 in California, Colorado, Louisiana and New Hampshire. It will be restored later this year in Pennsylvania, Alabama and Michigan, and next year in Missouri and Alaska.Gymboree is closing all of its stores after filing for bankruptcy a second time.

The Washington Post reports Gymboree Group Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Wednesday, less than two years after going bankrupt in June 2017. The San Francisco-based company, which has 945 stores under three brands -- Gymboree, Crazy 8, and Janie and Jack -- owed about $212 million to creditors, but said it would not be able to due to declining mall traffic and competition from online retailers.

As a result, Gymboree is shutting down and some 10,000 people could lose their jobs. An auction of company assets is expected by Feb. 25.

We are saddened and highly disappointed that we must move ahead with a wind-down of the Gymboree and Crazy 8 businesses, CEO Shaz Kahng said in a statement. An auction of company assets is expected by Feb. 25.

The list of Gymboree stores closing in Upstate New York includes:

Crossgates Mall - 120 Washington Ave, Albany, NY

Boulevard Mall - 1257 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst NY

French Mountain Commons - 1429 State Rte. 9, #6, Lake George NY

Fashion Outlets Niagara Falls - 1954 Military Road, Niagara Falls NY

Eastview Mall - 431 Eastview Mall, Victor NY

Waterloo Premium Outlets - 655 State Route 318, Suite #7, Waterloo NY

Only one Crazy 8 store remains in Upstate New York, located at the Colonie Center in Albany. The store is expected to close in the coming weeks.

Gymboree previously closed 350 stores in 2017, including a location at Destiny USA in Syracuse, when it promised to cut debt, overhaul operations and launch a rebranded clothing line in its first bankruptcy filing. Janie and Jack Outlet also closed at the Syracuse mall in 2018.

According to AL.com, some 800 Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores are expected to close in the next few weeks. Going-out-of-business sales at Gymboree and Crazy 8 are expected to begin in the near term, the company said.

The company has canceled its loyalty programs, GymBucks and Gymboree Rewards, effective immediately. Gift cards may only be honored for the next 30 days, according to AL.com.

The Post reports Gymboree plans to sell its higher-end Janie and Jack business, which includes a little more than 100 stores in North America. A unit of Goldman Sachs Inc. is reportedly leading bids.Syracuse, N.Y. -- The new owners of the Armory Square building that houses the soon-to-be-closed Eureka Crafts store are considering redeveloping the building.

Jeffrey Appel, managing member of Armory Boys V LLC, said the ownership group is looking at ways to improve the site but have not come to any conclusions yet.

Were keeping to ourselves because were not sure what direction were going with it, but it will be an improvement to the site, he said. "Were evaluating what we can do with the building.

Armory Boys V bought the building -- which has a legal address of 212-214 Walton St. but is generally listed as 210 Walton St. -- from Armory Art Associates for $499,500 on Nov. 29. The one-story building, which was built in 1950, has been up for sale for a couple of years.

The buildings best known tenant, Eureka Crafts, is closing near the end of the month after 37 years selling artist-made jewelry, ceramics and woodcraft products. A representative of the shops owner, Tom Cunningham, said Tuesday that he is looking to reopen the business somewhere closer to his home in Fayetteville.

Appel said Eurekas departure has nothing to do with plans for the buildings redevelopment.

Theyre one of the original Armory Square businesses, he said. We didnt ask them to leave. They were winding up the business. Thats why it was up for sale.

Appel and his business partners, John Caraccioli and Richard Grabowsky, bought the Piper Phillips building a block away at 229-237 W. Fayette St. in 2017 and are building apartments on its top two floors. The three men are real estate investors from New Jersey.

Downtown and surrounding areas have seen a surge in the residential market in the past few years, with developers converting vacant or underutilized commercial space into upscale apartments that command premium rents. The Eureka Crafts building is only a one-story structure, so the owners would have to add some floors if they decide to go with a residential development.Smyth County Sheriff Chip Shuler said he believes the awards will serve as a morale booster for law enforcement in a time when being in law enforcement isnt always seen as a good thing.

I believe its nice to be recognized for a job well done, especially for law enforcement today with the negativity thats associated with us from time to time. Law enforcement is a difficult job; we deal with situations that remain with us forever both good and bad; unfortunately a lot of bad, so when theres an opportunity to recognize an officer for his hard work, we should do it.

While other types of awards already exist on state and national levels, no local recognition for law enforcement has existed in recent years.

Weve done some things before, but its been by other groups and wed just like to get something back on the local level and I think itd be good for the whole department and other departments and the town, said Marion Mayor David Helms.Angela Renee Bishop, 41 of Bluefield, WV is charged with two counts of credit card fraud and one of receiving goods from credit card fraud. Brittany Marie Bratsis. 31of Bluefield, WV was indicted for concealment of items valued at more than $200 and failure to appear. Kelsey Renae Brooks, 24 of North Tazewell possession of schedule I or II drugs and possession of schedule II drugs. Steven Eugene Cutlip, 39 of North Tazewell is indicted for one count of possession of schedule I or II drugs. Evan Tyler Gordon, 28 of Bluefield, WV is charged with possession of schedule I or II drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. Ryan Taylor Gross, 26 of Bluefield WV is charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of schedule VI drugs. Jared Lesley Hall, 28, Kenna WV. Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of other firearm or ammunition, assault and battery. Matthew Scott Harrington, 31 of North Tazewell two counts of conspiracy and two counts of felony concealment. Patricia Ann Has, 42, North Tazewell two counts of possession schedule I or II drugs and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Ralph Douglas Heffinger, 72, of Falls Mills possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition or other firearms, unlawful taking of game or fish during closed season and unlawful hunting. Raymond Lee Hess, 30 of Haysi is charged with possession of schedule I or II drugs and intoxicated in public\profane language. Jason Patrick Holmes, 43 of Doran is charged with possession of schedule I or II drugs. Jordan Blake Howerton, 22 of Bluefield WV. Is indicted for two felony counts of destruction of property, three counts of petit larceny, and two counts of trespassing and statutory burglary. Ricky Dean Nicholas Keen, 30 of Richlands grand larceny of an automobile. Eric Wayne Kidd, 43 of Bluefield malicious wounding. Robert Curtis Moore, 39 of Coeburn is charged with grand larceny. Possession of schedule III drugs and possession of marijuana. Nicholas Andrew Pennington 23 of Pocahontas was indicted for carnal knowledge of a minor. Brandon Wayne Ratliff 23 of Pocahontas charged with strangulation of another and assault and battery against a family member third offense. Robert Douglas Sawyers 37 of Richlands was indicted for possession of schedule I/II drugs, possessing a firearm while in possession of drugs, possession of schedule IV drugs, distribution or manufacture of a schedule I or II drug. Jeremy Roy Shelton, 37 of Pounding Mill is charged with threaten by letter communication, assault and battery of a family member and resisting lawful arrest. Randall Eugene Shelton, 50 of Cedar Bluff was indicted for petit larceny third or subsequent offense and reckless driving. Joshua Allen Short 19 of Bluefield WV faces three counts of petit larceny, three counts of trespass, two counts of destruction of property and one count of statutory burglary. Brittany Renae Simpkins, 22 of Welch is charged with possession of schedule I or II drugs and prostitution. Kristen Gayle Staten, 44 of Bluefield WV is charged with third offense concealment. Cecil Allen Viers 55 of Honaker is charged with driving while an habitual offender, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and two counts of hit and run with property damage over $250. Kathryn Elizabeth Wright, 51 of Raven is charged with grand larceny, assault and battery of a law enforcement officer and possession of controlled paraphernalia. Herbert Allen Yost 68 of North Tazewell is charged with multiple worthless checks within 90 days.BRISTOL, Tenn.  A post is all that remained Friday night at the Bristol Sessions marker along State Street in downtown Bristol.

Bristol Historical Association historian Tim Buchanan said someone had vandalized the marker on Thursday evening. It was broken into pieces, he added.

Buchanan said the Bristol Tennessee Police Department had contacted him about the vandalism.

The marker, dedicated to the music session hosted by Ralph Peer in 1927, was installed in 2009.

Other nearby historic markers at the corner of State Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. did not appear to be damaged, Buchanan said.ABINGDON, Va.  Washington Countys Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday in support of three state legislators seeking state funding for a road connecting The Pinnacle, off U.S. Highway 11W in Bristol, Tennessee, to U.S. Highway 58 in Washington County, Virginia.

County Administrator Jason Berry reported that The Pinnacle developer Steve Johnson was ready to develop 350 acres in Washington County and was seeking state support to extend Pinnacle Parkway to reach U.S. 58 (Gate City Highway).

State Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Galax, Del. Israel OQuinn, R-Bristol, and Del. Todd Pillion, R-Abingdon, had requested the board pass a resolution before seeking a state budget amendment of $10 million for the road project at this years session of the state Legislature, Berry said.

No money from Washington County is being sought to build the road, Berry added.

Johnson is slated to bring a $250 million investment with an amphitheater, hotel and waterpark resort and other recreational venues to Washington County, the resolution states.Second degree murder charges in the Oct. 17, 2018 shooting have been amended to first degree murder. Maxwell Schwartz, 30, was arrested after he allegedly stabbed and shot his 32-year-old brother Joseph Schwartz in downtown Douglas.

Schwartz was originally charged with aggravated assault and second degree murder. Court documents show that the second degree murder charge was amended to first degree murder after Schwartz preliminary hearing Dec. 17, 2018.

Officers responded to a residence after a 911 call was made where a male, believed to be Joseph, requested help for his little brother, presumably Maxwell, according to court documents.

The caller was talking to dispatch when he suddenly began asking Max what he was doing. Joseph became louder and yelled, Max, you just stabbed me. The dispatcher attempted to question what was happening when Joseph again spoke with Max: Give me that and Oh my gosh, Max. Are you (expletive) kidding me? court documents quoted the 911 call transcript.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers reported hearing screaming coming from inside the house. Officers forced their way into the residence and saw a male laying in the hallway with a pool of blood around his head, according to court documents.

Officers also found Maxwell laying on the kitchen floor screaming. While being removed from the residence, Maxwell kicked an officers leg and was placed under arrest on a charge unrelated to the shooting, according to court documents.

Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agents reported that they could hear a lot of commotion in the background of the recorded call. The dispatcher attempted to speak with Joseph several times with no response, according to court documents.

DCI was called in to assist Douglas Police Department with the investigation.

Upon arriving, officers had also encountered Kelsie Stotsky and two children who live in the residence. Stotsky stated to officers that she put her two children to bed and was in her room watching TV. She heard a commotion and looked out her room where she saw Joseph running through the kitchen toward the front door.

Stotsky stated she saw Max in the kitchen with a pistol in his left hand and he was pointing it toward Joseph. Stotsky told officers she heard a loud pop and saw Joseph fall to the ground, according to court documents.

After securing the residence, officers found a spent 9mm casing near Josephs body and a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol on the kitchen counter, court documents stated.

A knife was also found with blood on it. The knife matched the description that Stotsky had given earlier, according to the police affidavit.

Aggravated assault, a felony, is punishable with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and $10,000 fine.

First degree murder, also a felony, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and $10,000 fine.

Schwartz has been bound over to the Eighth Judicial District Court to stand trial.Virginia legislators will consider a legislative proposal this session to provide $2.2 billion for improvements along Interstate 81.

The proposal was announced on Tuesday by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. The legislation is a result of a year-long study ordered by the General Assembly and completed by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, according to a press release.

Interstate 81 is the economic engine of western Virginia, and its time we take decisive action to enhance the safety and improve the reliability of this key corridor, Northam said in the release. I am committed to working with legislators on both sides of the aisle to establish a dedicated funding source that will support the critical improvements that Interstate 81 needs to move goods and people around the Commonwealth.

Senator Bill Carrico, R-Galax, will sponsor the bill in the Senate along with Senator Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham. The House version will be sponsored by Delegates Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, and Terry Austin, R-Botetourt.BRISTOL, Va.  Police in Bristol, Virginia, on Thursday were processing more than a dozen weapons, illegal narcotics and cash they found while serving warrants at a city residence.

Sgt. Dave Slagle said officers from the vice and narcotics unit, as well as the SWAT Team, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Virginia State Police executed a search warrant last Wednesday at a home on Second Street.

Earl Harold McCoy Jr., 43, faces multiple drug and weapons charges after police said they found illegal narcotics, firearms and cash in the home.

Slagle said officers from multiple agencies had been investigating the residence for some time after receiving information that illegal narcotics might be present. While executing the warrant, the SWAT Team and Virginia State Polices tactical team used various tactics, including flash bang stun grenades, to enter the residence.

Inside, officers said they found an ounce of methamphetamine, with a street value of $2,800, and a half-ounce of heroin, with a street value of $1,500. The officers also found three loaded pistols and an AK-47 type of pistol, Slagle said.

Several pieces of drug paraphernalia, including plastic bags and smoking devices, were also found in the home.ABINGDON, Va.  Rex Carter, a Southwest Virginia native, announced on Friday his bid to run for sheriff of Washington County.

Carter, who wants to replace retiring Sheriff Fred Newman, has a community-based vision for the department, according to a written statement. In cooperation with the Southwest Virginia Law Enforcement Academy, Carter said he would implement training in support of the deputies and their families, especially during times of trauma.

We have a good department, and law enforcement is a family, and we must take care of family, Carter said. Spouses and other family members are often forgotten when their deputy is facing a crisis.

Developing a mentoring and support program with deputies and their families would facilitate a stronger department, he said.

Carter also said he wants deputies to train in trauma-informed care so they would be better equipped to provide more compassionate services to victims.

Another goal is for the Sheriffs Office to become a center of information and assistance for citizens, he said.After traveling a short distance, Georgia authorities said the vehicle stopped in the middle lane of the interstate in Catoosa County. Occupants inside the vehicle were being held at gunpoint while police ordered the driver to exit, authorities said.

Georgia State Patrol said the driver was observed to have a gun in his lap and refused to follow commands.

As the situation progressed, a trooper observed that both passengers were females, one being a child, Georgia State Patrol said. Neither of the passengers appeared to be a threat. The trooper also observed a possible crossfire situation which would endanger the passengers and officers on scene.

The trooper was eventually able to remove the driver from the vehicle, and he was placed in custody.

The suspects daughter and wife were the passengers in the vehicle and the subjects of the kidnapping, Georgia State Patrol said.

Deel had been armed with two firearms, trooper said.

Myzall said the mans wife and daughter were taken to a safe place by Georgia law enforcement officials. She added that Chattanooga Police have warrants for Deel charging him with felony evading arrest, two counts of felony reckless endangerment and theft over $1,000.Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist.1. M/Y Shu

Unsurprisingly, the top spot for 2018 went to renowned builder of large yachts, Lurssen. Their biggest launch was the custom built motor yacht, Project Shu. The 136m boasts the expert exterior styling of Espen Oeino, and impressive interior styling by Mark Berryman. Shu was one of the most secretive projects of the year, with almost no information divulved about the project until its release in autumn of last year.

2. M/Y Tis

The second largest yacht to be built in 2018 was another Lurssen, 111m Tis. Project managed by Moran Yacht and Ship, this remarkable vessel possesses the allure of interiors and exteriors architected by high end designer Andrew Winch. Tis features a stable construction and luxury aspect, and was one of the most exciting yachts to join the global fleet in 2018.

3. M/Y Anna

Just pipped at the post by Tis, Anna took the third spot in 2018. The 110m build was at the time the largest Feadship yacht to date, and joined Jubilee in the ranks of the largest yachts to come out of the Netherlands. She emerged from the Makkum shipyard last year, when her beautiful Michael Leach exterior and interior was met with great industry acclaim.

4. M/Y Bravo

Oceanco clinched the fourth spot in 2018, constructing Project Bravo alongside with the expert facilitation of Reymond Langton Design interior and Nuvolari and Lenard exterior styling. The custom-built 109m is a hallmark of the shipyards Dutch pedigree, and a milestone in terms of their foraying into large-scale yachts.

Continued in Part 2...Lodgepole Creek Apartments, which sit in a north and east corner of Sidney within sight of Highway 30 and the hospital, was acquired about a month ago by a real estate investor with ties to Nebraska.

Gerard Keating, CEO of Keating Resources, closed on the property Dec. 19. Keating said in a press release that he purchased the 72-unit apartment complex for $1.9 million. Cabela's built the apartment complex in 2014 at a cost of more than $10 million, according to a press release. Keating said he decided to purchase the complex after a quiet visit to Sidney in the fall of 2018. He said that he...Click the image above to watch the video

In todays weather forecast we are expecting a fine day with westerly breezes.

Its a one-clothing layer day today with a high of 28 and an overnight low of 18 degrees. Humidity is 76 per cent.

Low tide is at 11am and high tide at 5pm (Tay St). Theres a sea swell of 0.6m and sea temperature is 21 degrees. Sunset tonight is at 8.34pm.

If youre going fishing the next best fish bite time is between 9 and 11am.

On this day in NZ history in 1980 'Montego Bay' hit number one. Upper Hutts Jon Stevens achieved back-to-back no. 1 singles when Montego Bay bumped Jezebel from the top of the New Zealand charts.

On this day in world history in 1486 Henry VII married Elizabeth of York.

In 1778 Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands, naming them the Sandwich Islands after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich.

In 1902 the Isthmus Canal Commission in Washington shifted its support from Nicaragua to Panama as a favoured canal site.

In 1911 aviator Eugene Ely performed the first successful take off and landing from a ship in San Francisco Bay.

In 1948 Gandhi broke a 121-hour fast after halting Muslim-Hindu riots. In 1962 the United States began spraying foliage with herbicides in South Vietnam, in order to reveal the whereabouts of Vietcong guerrillas.

In 1964 plans were disclosed for the World Trade Center in New York.

In 1978 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) isolated the cause of Legionnaires disease.

Today is the birthday of Alan Alexander Milne, novelist, humourist and journalist. Born in 1882, he wrote Winnie the Pooh, and once said Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

To get involved in activities around the Bay of Plenty, please check out our Whats on page.

Have a great day!Most dog owners believe their pooch is the best, and none of them are wrong.

But while you may love your four-legged friend, the unfortunate reality is that regardless of how lovely-natured and well-behaved your dog is, they might not be everyones cup of tea.

This is why a number of dog control measures are in place in Tauranga and the surrounding Western Bay of Plenty areas.

With the warmer weather approaching, council is reminding dog owners and visitors to the region about rules and regulations for responsible dog owners.

Tauranga City Council Animal Services team leader Brent Lincoln says Tauranga currently has more 13,000 registered dogs.

As the city and dog numbers continue to grow, we all need to be mindful of how we share our common spaces like parks, reserves and beaches, says Brent.

Dog owners are able to exercise their dogs off leash in many of these areas, however, responsible dog ownership is the key to creating a safer environment for everyone.

All dog owners must carry a leash when exercising their dog. If a dog is likely to cause danger, distress or nuisance to anyone or any other animal, it must be kept on a leash.

We encourage all owners to put their dog on a leash as they approach other people or animals.

Dog owners must also avoid our dog prohibited areas. These restrictions are in place because of ecological sensitivities or because the area is used intensively by the public.

Please remember to always take a plastic bag and pick up after your dog.

Currently, dogs are not allowed on Mount Maunganui Main Beach, from Moturiki Island to Mauao, Pilot Bay from Mauao to Salisbury Avenue, Omanu Beach within 200m from the Omanu Surf Club premises, and Papamoa beach within 200m from the Papamoa Surf Club premises.

This means dogs are not allowed on dunes, grass or boardwalks at Mount Maunganui Main Beach or the grassed area between the road and beach at Pilot Bay.

Dogs are also not permitted in the Elms Reserve, Mauao (including the base track), Moturiki Island, McLaren Falls Park, Papamoa Hills Park or the Otumoetai Pa Historic Reserve.

In the Western Bay of Plenty District Council area, dogs are not allowed at Waihi Beach, except at the year-round dog zone between Albacore Ave and Plom Road. Dogs can be taken on a leash at Island View Reserve until March.

Also, dogs arent allowed at the sandbars off Cooney Reserve or Omokoroa Domain Foreshore until Easter Monday.

And dogs are prohibited from around the Maketu Surf Lifesaving Club and the historic reserve until February 7.

For a list of dog walking parks in the Western Bay of Plenty, visit: www.westernbay.govt.nz

For Tauranga, see: www.tauranga.govt.nzBay of Plenty

Our client has plenty of work in the pipeline and as such they are in need of hammerhands for an immediate start.The successful...



View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nzMore than 50 Western Bay of Plenty youth are getting back to nature to help improve their health and wellbeing with a kaupapa Maori programme in Mount Maunganui this week.

The two-week Koiora programme is offered by Te Runanga o Ngai te Rangi Iwi Trust and funded by the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation.

The rangatahi, aged 11-15 years old, are involved in activities such as mau rakau (Maori weaponry), traditional gathering of kai moana (fish and shellfish), water safety, tree planting, food preparation and free health checks with the iwi/PHO mobile youth health service, HbU.

They will also have an overnight stay on a marae at Matakana Island learning traditional Maori knowledge; climb local mountains, including Otanewainuku, and learn about protecting our waterways in a workshop with local research group Manaaki Te Awanui.

This is the fourth Koiora programme offered since January 2018. The trusts rangatahi unit manager, Taurua Faulkner, says the aim is to develop leadership skills by introducing rangatahi to their natural environment.

Its all about self-sustainability and alternative ways of looking after their health, says Taurua.

We want to take them away from the internet and back to their natural environment and exploring different ways of spending their time; re-engaging with Tangaroa (the sea) and the whenua (land).

Koiora lead facilitator Josh Te Kani says the programme equips rangatahi with essential life skills such as water safety.

Ngai Te Rangi traditionally have a close affinity to the sea, but young Maori feature highly in New Zealand drowning statistics. It shows that we have fallen out of our relationship with the environment. We should know how to be in and around the sea, and how to treat it with respect.

Shortly after attending the first programme in 2018, one of the participants, a 13-year-old girl, went on to rescue a five-year-old boy from drowning.

Western Bay of Plenty rangatahi learn mau rakau (traditional Maori weaponry) as part of the two-week Koiora programme.

She attributed her actions to the confidence she gained from learning about water safety.

Increasing obesity rates for young Maori has also prompted the programmes focus on nutrition and wellbeing, with the rangatahi learning how to gather kai and prepare healthy meals.

We have a traditional pipi bed here in the harbour so the kids will get into a waka and paddle out there, getting the physical component and the social by working together as a team to gather the kai. Then they come back and eat that food straight off the barbecue with a bit of garlic butter, says Josh.

The programme concludes with a poroporoaki, or farewell celebration, and is followed up with a Korero Club during the school term to see how the rangatahi are progressing with their new learning and goals.

WBOP PHO chief executive Phil Back and board co-chairperson Dr Luke Bradford say the Koiora programme is a perfect fit for the PHO, which aims to provide continuous improvement in the health status and the elimination of health inequalities for people of the Western Bay of Plenty.Stay up to date on COVID-19

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Sponsored By: Arvest BankPresident Abdelaziz Bouteflika (or his handlers) keep putting off the official announcement that he is, or is not running for reelection in 2019. The elections are in mid-April and Bouteflika is incapacitated and unlikely to recover. Bouteflika apparently cannot even make an announcement on TV because his stroke (or strokes) have left him unable to speak. Because of the health problems, Bouteflika could still withdraw but his allies have no one with the name recognition and track record of the elderly president. Few of the senior leaders want a real election with other political parties putting forward candidates. That is unwelcome because most of the presidential candidates would be running on a strong anti-corruption platform that would probably include promises to recover money stolen by the previous government (which has been in power since the 1990s.)

The corruption implicit in this election indecision has caused growing anger among younger Algerians who see it as an example of a government so corrupt and incompetent it cannot even decide how to cheat in the next presidential election. If the government cannot stage a convincing rigged election there could be another uprising. This one would not be led by Islamic radicals as in the 1990s but more secular leaders seeking votes from the largest (55 percent of Algerians are under 30) block of voters; the young and under-employed generation that is secular and losing patience with an unresponsive government. The close associates of Bouteflika cannot agree who should step up and be the official Bouteflika-backed candidate. The ruling party must win because if an opposition candidate wins there will be investigations and prosecutions of Bouteflika loyalists for corruption.

With president Bouteflika incapacitated his much less popular 60 year brother Said and Army chief-of-staff Ahmed Gaid Salah now appear to be in charge and that does not make the government any more acceptable. The younger brother has been a key aide, especially in supervising (and fixing as needed) his older brothers election campaigns since the 1990s. Because of that, it is not considered unusual that Said Bouteflika is the one who communicates with his older brother and passes on his instructions, or at least what Said believes are his brothers intentions.

One of Saids intentions is apparently to succeed his brother as president. Another of those intentions has been that all the senior military and police commanders who might oppose the stealthy government takeover by Said Bouteflika to be arrested and accused of corruption. This was apparently supervised by Army chief-of-staff Ahmed Gaid Salah. Said Bouteflika knows who is corrupt because one of his jobs was to see to it that there were no unseemly feuds among senior officials over who got what in corrupt deals. Said Bouteflika never managed to gain enough key supporters, or popular support, to run for high office. Until now he has been content to be the kingmaker. That has changed and it appears Said now sees himself as a prime candidate to succeed his brother. Many believe Said Bouteflika has too many enemies for that, which adds to the unease about how the Bouteflika era will end. Most Algerians would prefer honest government and a lot less corruption but the Bouteflikas would prefer to keep things as they are. That attitude, shared by most, but not all, of those running the country, is the major obstacle to meaningful change in Algeria. The corruption prevents rewarding the most capable people and generating enough economic activity to make Algeria a place most young Algerians would want to live and work. For a long time, too many young Algerians either rebelled (at great cost to themselves and Algeria) or emigrate.

Economic Clarity

Foreign economists believe Algeria will experience continued economic growth, with GDP growing in 2019 and 2020 at about the same rate (2.5 percent) as it did in 2018. While Algeria is one of the most stable and safe nations in North Africa (and Africa as a whole) some foreign analysts point out that Algeria still suffers from some fundamental problems like widespread corruption. This includes, including rigged elections that make it impossible for reformers to get elected no matter how popular they are. What makes this particularly dangerous is the growing number of young Algerians who cannot find work and are having a more difficult time getting into Western nations illegally (doing it legally takes a long time and success is uncertain). Young Algerians note that the government was able to overcome its corrupt practices to deal with the economic crises created by lower oil prices since 2013. But calls for similar reforms elsewhere in the economy and politics have been ignored.

All Quiet On The Algerian Front

While there are still hundreds of active Islamic terrorists in Algeria, and thousands of supporters, the security services are still more numerous and effective than the surviving Islamic terrorists. There is some Islamic terrorist activity but most of it is defensive as Islamic terrorists who are cornered often fight back rather than surrender. There are many more Islamic terrorists who have unofficially retired but have hidden weapons and explosives out in the hills. Army patrols continue to find these hidden stockpiles and while many have been there for over a decade (their owners apparently dead) some of these stockpiles are recent or show signs of being checked regularly.

January 10, 2019: Algeria has criticized Turkey, again, because for the second time since mid-December Libyan port officials have found large quantities of Turkish weapons concealed in shipments of food or consumer goods. Libya is still suffering from the disorder and the lack of a united government and still harbors the largest concentration of active Islamic terrorists in North Africa. Weapons imports are currently forbidden by international sanctions. Turkey is a major manufacturer of weapons in the region, especially small arms. These are often bought by arms smugglers who sneak them into areas where new weapons are hard to come by and buyers are willing to pay more. The Turkish government is accused of tolerating this smuggling if it is going to help the Islamic terror groups the current Turkish governments tolerate. There is some truth to that but the Turkish arms smugglers have been around a lot longer than the current Turkish government.

January 9, 2019: The navy put two new Russian Kilo class submarines into service. These had been ordered in 2014. The army also showed off six of its new Chinese SM4 self-propelled 120mm mortars. Algeria has the highest defense spending in Africa (about $10 billion a year), which is a bit more than twice what second place Sudan spends. Algeria accounts for about half the foreign weapons purchases throughout Africa and gets most of its new gear from Russia. Algeria keeps the Russians honest and attentive by also purchasing more weapons from China, which has a reputation for building Russian weapons better than the Russians. A 2007 plan to spend $7.5 billion on programs to upgrade a lot of Cold War era weapons and equipment included getting 300 new Russian T-90 tanks and 1,200 German wheeled armored personnel carriers. Russia and Germany are also providing new warships for the navy and dozens of Russian Su-30 warplanes. Russia offers low prices and a tolerant attitude towards corruption and bribes. Plus, the Russian stuff looks impressive and is not likely to be used in any serious fighting because Algeria is surrounded by nations that have been generally non-threatening for a long time. The government has been quietly canceling or delaying military procurement deals because of the sustained low oil prices. This includes nearly a billion dollars worth of Russian arms and a $1.1 billion deal with an American firm to provide three Gulfstream business jets equipped to perform radar, optical and electronic surveillance. This militarized Gulfstream purchase was made in 2015, just as the low oil prices became a long-term, not a short-term problem.

January 8, 2019: The United States issued a travel warning for Americans visiting Algeria. The warning explained that there were still Islamic terror groups in various parts of Algeria (especially the Libyan and Tunisian borders) who often carry out attacks without warning. Foreign tourists are considered prime targets, especially as captives held for ransom. Tunisia, which is enjoying a record year for foreign tourism, sent more troops to guard the Algerian border.

January 5, 2019: Security on the southern border was increased to block the growing number of illegal migrants, especially Syrians. Algeria has found some Islamic terrorists among the Syrian illegals and is turning all Syrians back, no matter what passport they are carrying. The Syrian accent, as with most Arab dialects, is distinctive. Most other illegals can get through if the smugglers bringing them to pay the right bribes to the right people. Algeria rarely interferes with the smugglers as long as the illegals are headed elsewhere (usually to Europe).

January 2, 2019: Despite the continued chaos in neighboring Libya, peace is slowing returning to many parts of the country, especially oil and natural gas producing areas. Some of these are on the Algerian border where the still functioning Libyan National Oil Company is reviving dormant joint oil projects with the Algerian state-owned oil company.

December 15, 2018: In the south, Mali decided to reinforce security on the Algerian border by creating a new border guard force. This will consist of about 350 paramilitary police who will be operating up there sometime in early 2019. That portion of the border is where most of the smuggling takes place and is a major transit point for drug shipments headed to the Mediterranean coast and Europe. AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) finances its operations by providing security for these shipments from central Africa (where cocaine is flown in from South America) to the Algerian border. The presence of the AQIM gunmen keeps the peacekeepers and Mali security forces occupied while other outlaws (often from local tribes) make life miserable for travelers and civilians in general.The new Israeli Davids Sling (formerly Magic Wand) anti-aircraft system has successfully completed its first year in service. The system, which is similar to the American Patriot, is designed mainly for anti-missile defense. Patriot was designed initially as an anti-aircraft system and later had anti-missile capabilities added. So while Patriot and Davids Sling may seem similar the Israeli system used the current Patriot system as a starting point and basically created a much improved (in terms of radars, fire control and anti-missile missiles) version. In 2018 Davids Sling had plenty of opportunities to track missiles headed towards Israel from Syria. Some were anti-aircraft missiles that had missed their targets and were coming to earth on a ballistic trajectory (which is normal) that appeared to end up in Israel. In July 2018 two Syrian SS-21 ballistic missiles were detected headed for Israel and Davids Sling was used to intercept them. It turned out that the SS-21s were aimed at targets on the Syrian side of the border but very close to the border and the SS-21 uses an older Russian designed inertial guidance system known to be inaccurate. Normally the SS-21 is supposed to land within 150 meters of the aiming point but the SS-21 system is often hundreds of meters off or fails altogether. The Syrian made (under license) SS-21s are elderly and not really suitable for targets (rebel fortifications) so close to the border. One of the SS-21s was intercepted on the Israeli side of the border and the other one on the Syrian side. Davids Sling is also used in southern Israel where it provides protection from the long range (over a hundred kilometers) Iranian rockets smuggled in for Hamas.

The Stunner missile Davids Sling uses has two stages and a max range of 300 kilometers. While optimized for missile interception Stunner also works against cruise missiles, large rockets and aircraft. Davids Sling completed a final round of final acceptance tests in January 2017 and it entered service three months later. At the same time, Israeli and American firms that manufacture (and often design) many of the key components for Stunner have developed a variant of Stunner (SkyCeptor) that can be used in Patriot systems in place of the PAC-3 anti-missile missile. Stunner is designed for short range (500 kilometers) ballistic missiles. The longer the range of a ballistic missile the faster the warhead is when coming down towards the target. Those longer-range missiles require a more powerful radar and faster interceptor (with a more capable guidance system) to stop. American firms that developed Patriot components worked with Israeli firms to develop Davids Sling.

This Davids Sling deployment was delayed several times by testing that showed potential problems that required fixing. Israel is very exacting about such technical problems because these weapons are the first line of defense against threats that are very real and openly calling for the destruction of Israel. That attitude towards quality control also makes Israeli weapons easier to find export customers for.

Davids Sling is the Israeli replacement for existing American Patriot and Hawk systems and is expected to sell mainly to export customers. Only a few Davids Sling batteries can protect all of Israel and even with additional launchers and such Israel alone is not a sufficiently large market to sustain development and manufacturing for Davids Sling.

During 2015 Israel conducted several successful tests of Davids Sling, including some that involved included intercepting and destroying a short-range ballistic missile and other targets representing manned aircraft. By late 2015 it was believed Davids Sling would be ready for deployment in 2016. But as happened several times before there were new technical problems that had to be fixed. Davids Sling was originally expected to enter service in 2014.

In development since 2006, Davids Sling was designed to be an improvement over American made Patriot systems Israel already used, and had extensive combat experience with. Davids Sling is meant to complement the Iron Dome anti-rocket system, which can take down rockets with a range of up to 70 kilometers, and the longer range Arrow 3 (for longer range ballistic missiles, like those fired from Iran). Iron Dome has a unique feature in which the radar system computes where the incoming rocket will land. If the rocket will not hit an inhabited area, it will be ignored. Otherwise, an interceptor missile will be fired. Davids Sling adopted some of that technology for its anti-missile mode. Stunner will be used against larger rockets that will be aimed (by Syria, Hamas or Hezbollah) at large urban areas, and these will almost always get a Stunner fired at them. This is part of Davids Sling system for defending Israelis from rocket attacks. Davids Sling is expected to eventually replace the 17 Hawk anti-aircraft batteries as well and, eventually, the six Patriot batteries. Davids Sling is very similar to Patriot and one option is to pitch Davids Sling components as upgrades for existing Patriot equipment. Because of the long range of the Stunner two Davids Sling batteries can cover all of Israel. A Davids Sling battalion would have three batteries each with six truck-mounted launchers (each with four missiles), a radar vehicle and control vehicle.

Since American firms build a lot of Davids Sling components it is easier for Israel to increase Stunner production quickly because so much of can be done in the United States. The United States has provided Israel with $3 billion for air-defense research since 2001 and a lot of that money went for manufacturing system components. Israeli firms develop and produce key components for many American systems. This makes it easier for the U.S. to develop and manufacture their own versions of Israeli equipment or weapons that were part of this join production and tech ownership system.The speech made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the American University in Cairo on January 10th deserves more attention than it has received from the US media. In it, Pompeo reveals his own peculiar vision of what is taking place in the Middle East, to include the impact of his own personal religiosity, and his belief that Washingtons proper role in the region is to act as a force for good. The extent to which the Secretary of State was speaking for himself was not completely clear, but the text of the presentation was posted on the State Department website without any qualification, so one has to assume that Pompeo was representing White House policy.

Pompeo immediately set the stage for what was to follow, asserting in his first several paragraphs that This trip is especially meaningful for me as an evangelical Christian In my office, I keep a Bible open on my desk to remind me of God and His Word, and The Truth. And its the truth, lower-case t, that Im here to talk about today. It is a truth that isnt often spoken in this part of the world, but because Im a military man by training, Ill be very blunt and direct today: America is a force for good in the Middle East.

Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence are quite likely the two most prominent Evangelical Christians in the Donald Trump Administration. Further, the two are Christian Zionists, which means that the return of the Jews to the Middle East is an essential precursor component of their belief that certain steps must be taken to bring about the second coming of Christ. Some Christian Zionists believe that the second coming is imminent, but whether or not that is true of Pence and Pompeo, they nevertheless share the conviction that the state of Israel must be protected at all costs, a view that certainly shapes their policy recommendations regarding the Middle East. And that view also has an impact on policy towards Israels neighbors, with Iran in particular being vilified as the purely evil foe, a cancerous influence, that will be destroyed in the great battle of Armageddon which will lead to the second coming and the rapture of all good Christians into Heaven.

Beyond that, Pompeo sought in his speech to disparage the Middle Eastern policy of Donald Trumps predecessor Barack Obama and to make clear that something fresh and exciting has arrived in its place. He said that the United States had been absent too much to help friends in the Middle East. Why? Because our leaders gravely misread our history, and your historical moment. These fundamental misunderstandings, set forth in this city in 2009, adversely affected the lives of hundreds of millions of people in Egypt and all across the region. Remember: It was here, here in this city, that another American stood before you. He told you that radical Islamist terrorism does not stem from an ideology. He told you that 9/11 led my country to abandon its ideals, particularly in the Middle East. He told you that the United States and the Muslim world needed, quote, a new beginning, end of quote. The results of these misjudgments have been dire.

Along the way Pompeo trots out a lot of half-truths and even completely fabricated lies, saying that Americas timidity had let to the rise of ISIS, had enabled Irans government to crush the Green Revolution, had freed Tehran to interfere all over the region, had allowed Hezbollah to accumulate a massive arsenal to threaten Israel, and had permitted Bashar al-Assad to kill his own people with chemical weapons. And worst of all, there was a false desire for peace that led to a [nuclear] deal with Iran, our common enemy.

Pompeo concludes from the record of calamities that So today, what did we learn from all of this? We learned that when America retreats, chaos often follows. When we neglect our friends, resentment builds. And when we partner with enemies, they advance The good news is this: The age of self-inflicted American shame is over, and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering. Now comes the real new beginning. In just 24 months, actually less than two years, the United States under President Trump has reasserted its traditional role as a force for good in this region.

Apart from the histrionics, the speech was clearly intended to deliver a simple political message to the audience and particularly to the Egyptian and Gulf governments. By asserting a force for good mandate, Pompeo was actually telling all the autocratic regimes in the Middle East that they can do whatever they want as long as they hate Iran.

To be sure, Pompeos speech contained a number of lines that might be considered attempts at humor given the absurdity of some of the claims being made. He said For those who fret about the use of American power, remember this: America has always been, and always will be, a liberating force, not an occupying power. Weve never dreamed of domination in the Middle East. Can you say the same about Iran? Actually, you could say exactly that about Iran, which hasnt occupied anyone since the seventeenth century. It is the US that has land, sea and air power based all over the region while also fighting wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. It is Americas best friend and ally Israel that is occupying Palestine.

But the best line was towards the end, And in Yemen, we will continue to work for a lasting peace. And I think this is clear, but it is worth reiterating: The United States fully supports Israels right to defend itself against the Iranian regimes aggressive adventurism. We will continue to ensure that Israel has the military capacity to do so decisively.

As Yemen is achieving peace through American bombs supplied to the Saudis while ally Israel is the most persistent aggressor in the Middle East second only to Washington, it is ludicrous to think that America in some way has become a force for good. Tell that to the Libyans whose prosperous state was reduced to anarchy by American bombing and support of terrorist groups. Visit Fallujah or Raqqa, or whats left of them. US forces and sanctions have killed 1.7 million Iraqi civilians, including 500,000 children. By one estimate, as many as 4 million Muslims have died as a direct or indirect consequence of Americas wars in Asia since 1990. US ally Saudi Arabia meanwhile bombs Yemeni schools, buses, and hospitals, starving children as part of a major humanitarian catastrophe, while Israel attacks Syria nearly on a daily basis.

It should be terrifying to learn that Mike Pompeo has an open Bible on his desk, particularly as he seems disinclined to read the New Testament part with its message of love and forgiveness. Now the White House appears to be entering into a new America as a force for good phase that relies on naked aggression and collective punishment for those who do not choose to submit. And, per Pompeo, God is on our side.

Photo: FlickrDeputy PM Minh expressed his delight that his meeting with Kerry, who is in Vietnam to attend the Vietnam Economic Forum 2019, coincided with the 25th anniversary of the normalisation of Vietnam-US trade relations.

He highly valued his guests decades-long efforts and contributions to the promotion of the bilateral ties while serving as US Secretary of State and as a senator. He also welcomed Kerrys continued attention to Vietnam.

Briefing his guest on the recent developments in the Vietnam-US relationship and plans to advance the two countries connections in the coming time, Minh applauded the recent progress in bilateral cooperation in education, environmental protection, and water resources development, in particular the projects of the Fulbright University Vietnam and the Lower Mekong Initiative.

The Deputy PM asked Kerry to continue supporting development cooperation, including in economy-trade-investment, education, science-technology, the settlement of the impact from the war, and climate change response.

For his part, Kerry voiced his satisfaction at the substantive development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, pledging that in whatever positions he holds, he will make non-stop efforts to help enhance the two countries relations.

He thanked the Vietnamese Government and Foreign Ministry for supporting educational cooperation projects, including the Fulbright University Vietnam, expressing his belief that these projects will contribute to Vietnams development and bilateral relations in the future.

The former US Secretary of State also emphasised the importance of clean and renewable energy to the sustainable socio-economic development of both countries. He said he is ready to continue assisting Vietnam in renewable energy development and the attraction of external resources to this sector.

He added that he will share Vietnams interests with the US side and support cooperation activities to the benefit of both nations.

The same day, head of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Committee, had a meeting with Kerry.

For the Vietnam Economic Forum 2019, the US guest proposed stronger cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries and suggested setting up a joint venture to help Vietnam with building up its energy infrastructure. He promised continued efforts to make this idea come true, thus contributing to local sustainable development.

Meanwhile, Binh affirmed that Vietnam will press on with developing renewable energy and will continue to welcome US investment in this field.The situation in Syria evolves daily and sees two situations very closely linked to each other, with the US withdrawal from Syria and the consequent expansionist ambitions of Erdogan in Syria and the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) takeover in Idlib that frees the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian aviation to liberate the de-escalation zone.

Trump has promised to destroy Turkey economically if he attacks the Kurds, reinforcing his claim that Erdogan will not target the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) once the US withdraws from the area. One of the strongest accusations made against Trumps withdrawal by his opponents is that no Middle Eastern force will ever trust the US again if they abandon the SDF to its fate, that is, to its annihilation at the hands of the Turkish army and its FSA proxies. This, however, is not possible; not so much because of Trump's economic threats, but because of Damascus and Moscow being strongly opposed to any Turkish military action in the northeast of Syria.

This is a red line drawn by Putin and Assad, and the Turkish president likely understands the consequences of any wrong moves. It is no coincidence that he stated several times that he had no problems with the "Syrians or Syrian-Kurdish brothers", and repeated that if the area under the SDF were to come under the control of Damascus, Turkey would have no need to intervene in Syria. Trump's request that Ankara have a buffer zone of 20 kilometers separating the Kurdish and Turkish forces seems to complement the desire of Damascus and Moscow to avoid a clash between the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the SDF.

The only party that seems to be secretly encouraging a clash between the SDF and Turkish forces is Israel, criticizing Ankara and singing the praises of the SDF, in order to try and accentuate the tensions between the two sides, though naturally without success. Israel's continued raids in Syria, though almost constantly failing due to Syrian air defense, and the divide-and-rule policy used against Turkey and the SDF, show that Tel Aviv is now weakened and mostly irrelevant in the Syrian conflict.

In Idlib, the situation seems to be becoming less complicated and difficult to decipher. Russia, Iran and Syria had asked Erdogan to take control of the province through its "moderate jihadists", sit down at the negotiating table, and resolve the matter through a diplomatic solution. Exactly the opposite happened. The HTS (formerly al-Nusra/al-Qaeda in Syria) has in recent weeks conquered practically the whole province of Idlib, with numerous forces linked to Turkey (Ahrar al-Sham and Nour al-Din al-Zenki) dissolving and merging into HTS. This development puts even more pressure on Erdogan, who is likely to see his influence in Idlib fade away permanently. Moreover, this evolution represents a unique opportunity for Damascus and Moscow to start operations in Idlib with the genuine justification of combating terrorism. It is a repeat of what happened in other de-escalation areas. Moscow and Damascus have repeatedly requested the moderates be separated from the terrorists, so as to approach the situation with a diplomatic negotiation.

In the absence of an effective division of combatants, all are considered terrorists, with the military option replacing the diplomatic. This remains the only feasible option to free the area from terrorists who are not willing to give back territory to the legitimate government in Damascus and are keeping civilians hostages. The Idlib province seems to have experienced the same playbook applied in other de-escalation zones, this time with a clear contrast between Turkey and Saudi Arabia that shows how the struggle between the two countries is much deeper than it appears. The reasons behind the Khashoggi case and the diplomatic confrontation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia were laid bare in the actions of the HTS in Idlib, which has taken control of all the areas previously held by Ankaras proxies.

It remains to be seen whether Moscow and Damascus would like to encourage Erdogan to recover Idlib through its proxies, trying to encourage jihadists to fight each other as much as possible in order to lighten the task of the SAA, or whether they would prefer to press the advantage themselves and attack while the terrorist front is experiencing internal confusion.

In terms of occupied territory and accounts to be settled, two areas of great importance for the future of Syria remain unresolved, namely al-Tanf, occupied by US forces on the Syrian-Jordanian border, and the area in the north of Syria occupied by Turkish forces and their FSA proxies. It is too early to approach a solution militarily, it being easier for Damascus and Moscow to complete the work to free Syria from the remaining terrorists. Once this has been done, the presence of US or Turkish forces in Syria, whether directly or indirectly, would become all the more difficult to justify. Driving away the US and, above all, Turkey from Syrian territory will be the natural next step in the Syrian conflict.

This is an unequivocal sign that the war of aggression against Syria is winding up, and this can be observed by the opening of a series of new embassies in Damascus. Several countries  including Italy in the near future  will reopen their embassies in Syria to demonstrate that the war, even if not completely over, is effectively won by Damascus and her allies.

For this reason, several countries that were previously opposed to Damascus, like the United Arab Emirates, are understood to have some kind of contact with the government of Damascus. If they intend to become involved in the reconstruction process and any future investment, they will quite naturally need to re-establish diplomatic relations with Damascus. The Arab League is also looking to welcome Syria back into the fold.

Such are signs that Syria is returning to normality, without forgetting which and how many countries have conspired and acted directly against the Syrians for over seven years. An invitation to the Arab League or some embassy being reopened will not be enough to compensate for the damage done over years, but Assad does not preclude any option, and is in the meantime demonstrating to the Israelis, Saudis and the US Deep State that their war has failed and that even their most loyal allies are resuming diplomatic relations with Damascus, a double whammy against the neocons, Wahhabis and Zionists.The anti-Trump so-called liberal American politicians and media suffer from a cozy big delusion. The Democrats and their supportive media, such as CNN and New York Times, as well as the foreign policy establishment, including the CIA, promote the belief that all of Americas ills and problems will be solved if only President Trump could be impeached.

The so-called liberal-left in the US  which has nothing to do with leftwing or socialist politics as most of the world would define it  is increasingly warning that Trump is taking America into a dark place of authoritarianism.

Take a recent op-ed in the New York Times by columnist Roger Cohen with the headline: Donald Trump Just Cannot Help It. Its a scathing piece which lambasts Trump in very personal terms as a malignant conman.

The key line perhaps is when Cohen writes: The Reichstag Fire was at least a fire. Here, there is smoke and mirrors. He is referring to what many historians contend was a false-flag arson attack on the German parliament in 1933, which allowed newly elected Chancellor Adolf Hitler to install his Nazi dictatorship by claiming the sabotage was a communist plot.

Many critics of Trump, including Cohen, are concerned that the president is manufacturing a crisis over his border wall proposal. They accuse him of using the US government shutdown and the political impasse with Democrats on the proposed border wall funding as a pretext to introduce a state of emergency. Cohens mention of the infamous Reichstag Fire has therefore a seemingly radical inference. He, and many others in the American liberal-left, are warning that Trump is a crypto-fascist.

There is some merit to that argument. Certainly, Trump seems to be whipping up a crisis about immigration which is not justified in terms of numbers and conditions on the border with Mexico. The influx of migrants and refugees is widely reported to be at an all-time low going back over the past 40 years. Most of the present migrants are families, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries. Trumps scary depiction of drug dealers and terrorists seems to be unabashed fabulation to incite fear.

His threats of invoking a state of emergency in which he will use executive powers to instruct the compulsory building of a security barriers on the southern border are therefore disproportionate and uncalled for. Trumps would-be arrogation of emergency powers has disturbing implications of overriding US constitutional law, and sidelining other branches of government. There are genuine concerns that the direction is one of authoritarianism, even fascism.

But here is where too many Americans are deluded about Trump. They think he is the singular problem, an aberrant president. Get rid of him, they say, and we can all return to normal democracy.

The reality is that the US has been sliding into authoritarianism, plutocracy and oligarchy, or dare we say fascism, for decades. The political figure of Trump  obnoxious as he is  is merely the culmination of this degenerative process in American politics.

The obscenity of American capitalism and its grotesque exploitation of millions of American citizens  creating islands of super wealth among a sea of poverty  is a repudiation of any notion of a functioning democracy. The two-party pimping for big business, Wall Street and the military-industrial racket that has been going on for decades makes a travesty of any claims about we the people and elections. This backdrop of actual functioning oligarchy is why many voters  among the half, that is, who bothered to even vote  reached out to an outsider like Trump and his conman promises of change.

However, the inherent problem isnt Trump. It is the system that produces the conditions and precursors for someone like Trump to end up getting elected.

It should be noted that people like Roger Cohen and other American liberals who are wringing their hands about Trump never seemed to express concern about the dominance of big business and banks in running Americas corporatocracy. Cohen and his ilk were also big supporters of US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  wars that were illegal, resulted in millions of innocent casualties, destroyed societies and spread the scourge of terrorism.

How is getting rid of Trump supposed to be a return to normal democracy? When that purported normal democracy is a myth, a fantasy belied by massive poverty, inequality and oppression of ordinary American workers and their families, alongside criminal imperialist wars of genocide.

Cohens reference to the Reichstag Fire false flag and Trumps propensity for authoritarianism may sound like radical criticism. But it is only radical schtick. It is worse than Trumps con artistry because it propagates the delusion that America has an underlying democracy. The reality is American democracy stopped functioning a long time ago. When exactly it stopped is debatable.

The 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 were certainly a candidate for comparison to the Reichstag Fire false flag event. They ushered in executive powers in Washington to wage criminal wars against terrorism anywhere on the planet, and for far-reaching police state surveillance of US citizens.

Or we could go back to the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 when the US created a pretext for the Vietnam War.

Or the assassination of President John F Kennedy in Dallas in November 1963 by his Deep State enemies, which was a coup detat against American democracy, violating the nation forever.

Or the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913 which gave private banks and plutocrats the ultimate power over the creation of money in the US and thus a veto on economic policy.

Many other instances (extermination of native Americans, African slavery) could be cited which testify to the fraud of American democracy. The seeds of authoritarianism, militarism and fascism were sown decades ago. To blame this putrefaction of democracy on Donald Trump is the delusion of American apologists for the systems long-time corruption.Early deadlines are in effect for advertising and editorial submissions; submit materials by Thursday, July 1 (for the July 8th issue). Please call for details. Our offices will be closed Friday, July 2, to observe the holiday.Jan. 22, 2019, is the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States. Since 1973, nearly 60 million innocent human beings in the safety and comfort of their own mothers wombs have been poisoned and dismembered.

Some people will celebrate this infamous date as the freedom of choice or womens reproductive rights or any number of euphemisms to avoid calling it what it is: abortion. It's the deliberate and violent taking of the life of the most vulnerable and innocent people on earth  children in the womb.

I quote former brain surgeon, presidential candidate and current secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson: Weve distorted things to the point where people believe that anyone who opposes mothers killing their babies is waging a war on women. How can we be so foolish to believe such a thing? One must be able to recognize the depravity to which we have sunken as a society when valuing a babys life is frowned upon. He cuts right to the chase.Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Seth Fairfax poses for a photo in the repair bay of Port Operations onboard Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London, Jan. 7.It was William P. Barrs confirmation hearing. But it was Robert S. Mueller IIIs affirmation hearing.

President Donald Trump had nominated Barr to be his new attorney general to shield him from Muellers hoax of a rigged witch hunt. But Barr spent much of his seven-hour confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday lavishing praise on his future bosss tormentor. And Republicans, for the most part, didnt defend Trump  and occasionally joined in the Mueller veneration.

None of this guarantees that Mueller will be able to complete his work unhindered, or that Americans will ever know what work he did. Ominously, Barr, while promising as much transparency as I can consistent with the law, suggested he might try to bury the special counsels report by treating it as confidential and releasing only certain information himself.

Still, Muellers de facto affirmation hearing should be of concern to Trump as the president tries to discredit whatever the special prosecutor comes up with in the coming weeks or months. Just about everybody but Trump regards Mueller as an upstanding man doing honest work. Even Trumps potential new attorney general.What should elected prosecutors do when they become aware of police officers who have a history of dishonesty or serious credibility problems? The answer should be simple: Identify who they are, gather that information on a list accessible to other prosecutors in the office and ensure they are not used as witnesses in criminal prosecutions.

But when St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner did exactly that, she became the target of vehement opposition from some in the city police department and its union.

Circuit Attorney Gardners decision to maintain a confidential list of 28 officers who may not be fit to serve as witnesses should be applauded, not attacked. Prosecutors have a duty to seek justice and advance the truth  and that includes not putting witnesses who lack credibility on the stand. Maintaining a list of these witnesses is a best practice and the latest example of a broader trend  led by reform-minded district attorneys and police chiefs alike  to shore up the integrity of the justice system.

Circuit Attorney Gardner recognizes that cases of police misconduct erode trust in the justice system and undermine the rule of law. This includes a defendants right to a fair and impartial trial as well as the prosecutions ability to present the best possible case on behalf of crime victims.PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea  From her red-roofed home near Papua New Guinea's capital of Port Moresby, Isabelle Dikana Iveiri overlooks a giant plant used by Exxon Mobil Corp. to liquefy billions of dollars' worth of natural gas before it is shipped to Asian buyers.

Dikana Iveiri can also see swaths of muddy shoreline, where mangroves have been felled for firewood by locals who don't have electricity, gas, or money to buy either.

The $19 billion Exxon-led Papua New Guinea LNG project was supposed to be a game-changer for Papua New Guinea, a vast South Pacific archipelago beset by poverty despite its wealth of natural resources.

But much of the promised riches, through taxes to the government, royalties to landowners and development levies to communities, have arrived well below Exxon's own commissioned forecasts, if at all, according to landowners, the World Bank and the Papua New Guinea government.

"My family has been here a long time," said Dikana Iveiri, one of several landowners interviewed by Reuters near the Papua New Guinea LNG plant. "Our royalties are not going well; they are using our land but not paying us properly," she said referring to both Exxon, which pays the royalties and the government, which distributes them.

Since gas exports began more than four years ago, Dikana Iveiri said she had received just one royalty payment in 2017. She was expecting about 10,000 kina ($2,885) based on information given to her by the government and community leaders. She said she received 600 kina.

Exxon, community leaders and the government did not comment on Dikana Iveiri's specific situation but in a statement to Reuters, Exxon said distribution of royalties and benefits to the LNG plant site landowners started in 2017. Cash payments to individual landowners would depend on how many landowners were in a precinct and were just one of the benefits communities received, Exxon said.

The project employs nearly 2,600 workers, 82 percent of whom are Papua New Guinean and Exxon said it has invested $360 million to build infrastructure and pay for training and social programs.

"We could not be more pleased to see how the benefits are flowing to the communities at the LNG plant site, to see how investments are being made in important infrastructure such as schools and health that demonstrates the process is a good one and it works," ExxonMobil Papua New Guinea Managing Director Andrew Barry told a mining and energy conference in Sydney in December.

Barry said Exxon was hoping royalties would begin flowing in the pipeline and upstream areas "in the not too distant future."

The government admits it has made mistakes.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, who was part of the government but not the leader in 2009, said many of the disputes around Papua New Guinea LNG stemmed from the way the government and Exxon proceeded with the project without first resolving landowner claims.

"It should have been done before, it wasn't only for Exxon and the partners but even the government at the time did not do the proper clan vetting, proper identification of the land owners -- they allowed this project to go on without that," O'Neill told Reuters.

Treasury, the treasurer, and the Prime Minister's spokesman declined to provide responses to Reuters' questions about the project.

Gas-powered money spinner

Papua New Guinea LNG was completed ahead of schedule and exported 8.3 million metric tons in 2017, compared to its anticipated design capacity of 6.9 million metric tons, according to the project's website.

Exxon does not disclose the project's revenue or profits but research house Morningstar estimates it has generated $18.8 billion in revenue for Exxon and its partners since production started in 2014.

The project's break-even price of around $7.40 per million British Thermal Units (mBTU) compares favorably to an average over $10/mBTU for eight recent gas projects in the region, according to analysis by consultancy Wood Mackenzie and Credit Suisse.

"The plant capacity has performed phenomenally," Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic told Reuters. "On cost, it's much lower than peers ... it's got an ample resource base and it's got a well-disciplined operator in the form of Exxon."

The project's contribution to Papua New Guinea's economy and government finances is less clear.

Papua New Guinea's Treasury does not report project income figures, but government budget papers show tax revenue flowing from Papua New Guinea LNG has been well below expectations.

In its 2012 budget, the Papua New Guinea government estimated it would receive $22 billion in revenue over the project's life to 2040.

In November, the government slashed its revenue forecast in half to $11 billion over the life of the project.

It identified 11 tax concessions, which along with a drop in gas prices, amounted to hundreds of millions in kina in annual revenue forgone.

A 2017 World Bank analysis found the project partners had negotiated favorable methods of calculating royalties to the government that allowed them to take various deductions.

Combined with tax concessions, the project created "a complex web of exemptions and allowances that effectively mean that little revenue is received by government and landowners," the World Bank said.

Exxon did not respond to questions regarding the World Bank findings and the World Bank declined to provide further comment.

Exxon's partners, which include Australian-listed Oil Search Ltd and Santos Ltd, and a subsidiary of Japan's JXTG Holdings Inc, referred Reuters' questions to Exxon.

Exxon said in a statement to Reuters the project has generated 5 billion kina in revenue for the government and landowners via taxes, royalty and benefit payments. The figure includes revenue to the Papua New Guinea state-owned stakeholders.

'Some mistakes'

A second LNG project, Papua LNG, led by France's Total with Exxon and Oil Search as minority partners, is scheduled to finalize an agreement with the Papua New Guinea government in early 2019.

Papua LNG, a new gasfield using the same but expanded processing plant, could commence production as soon as 2024, according to Total. Analysts estimate it will cost around $13 billion.

"The experience of the first project developed by Exxon and Oil Search, there was some criticism, some mistakes," Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne told Reuters in an interview in Port Moresby, referring to relations with landowners.

"Some lessons (are) being taken out  around the management of landowners and trying to engage at an early stage with them."

Total has agreed to an undisclosed annual minimum payment to the government and to reserve some gas for local industry, he said.

Exxon did not respond to requests for comment on Pouyanne's statements.

In its statement, Exxon acknowledged that "distribution of royalties and benefits in some project areas were delayed since the start of production due to court action by a small number of landowners which prevented the relevant government departments from completing their administrative processes."

Exxon said it was committed to assisting the government ensure landowners receive royalty and equity dividends as soon as practicable.

Disputes have broken out within communities near Papua New Guinea LNG facilities as landowners fight to have their claims recognized.

Some clashes have been fatal, said Highlands clan leader Johnson Tape, one of 16 clan leaders with a claim over the Komo Air Field, used by the Exxon project.

"Our clans fought each other, but now there is peace; we are one team fighting Exxon," said Tape.

Christopher Havieta, the governor of Gulf Province, where gas fields for the new project are located, said locals wanted to avoid the experiences of Exxon's Papua New Guinea LNG.

"It was a foundation project and so a lot of exemptions were made and the end result is we have a lot of social problems that have risen up."That's when she noticed a frog hop in the water. It wasn't the species she was looking for, but it led her to a tiny waterfall ... and there it was  an orange-bellied water frog under the shower. The team jumped for joy, but it wasn't their Juliet.

It was a male frog.

Still, "I noticed the habitat was in good condition, so we had hope," says Camacho.

They went back the next day and found four more frogs  two female and two male.

Juliet is at the perfect age for reproduction. The others are younger and not ready yet.

She's also ... pretty cute.

"She has beautiful eyes," Alcide d'Orbigny Museum Director Ricardo Cespedes says about Juliet, who is quarantined until lab tests come back. Scientists need to make sure she's free of the dangerous chytrid fungus, known to have killed entire frog populations, before she meets Romeo.

But Romeo and Juliet may not even be compatible.

"We're hoping opposites attract," says Cespedes, noting Romeo is shy, doesn't swim much and is "a little overweight."

Juliet, on the other hand, is extroverted and full of energy -- she's already tried to escape her tank.During the Senate hearing for Trump's attorney general nominee William Barr, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) commented on the blast in Syria that claimed the lives of US service members and said, "I hope the president would look long and hard about what we're doing in Syria."

After the death of US troops in a gruesome explosion in northern Syria, Washington faces an uncomfortable question: Accelerate America's withdrawal from the country, do nothing, or stay longer and fight?

The blast in the busy marketplace of Manbij has claimed several American and many Syrian civilian lives. It's a marked change from February last year, when I walked through the city with US special forces. At the time, they were relaxed in the market and wore no body armor, despite geopolitical tensions brewing just a few kilometers away.

Manbij was the complicated center of Syria's new post-war reality then, and it still is today. The Syrian Kurds who control the city are US allies in the fight against ISIS. To their west are Syrian Arab rebels, backed by Turkey, who considers the Syrian Kurds to be terrorists.

When we visited the front line separating the beleaguered Kurds and Arabs of Syria last year, US troops monitoring the area spoke of the occasional pot shot fired over their trenches by the Syrian rebels. In the months since then, tensions have grown as regime forces approach the town, backed by the Russian military.

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Sign up today for complete digital access to The Daily News-Record.Ms. Walsh and Ms. Nance were shocked to be turned away because of who they are and felt humiliated, stigmatized, and demeaned, their lawsuit reads, arguing the couple were treated less favorably because of their sex (and) less favorably because of their association with a person of a particular sex ... (and) on the basis of their nonconformity with sex stereotypes.

In her dismissal of the couples lawsuit, Hamilton wrote that while the Fair Housing Act does prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin, it does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Under (the) circumstances, the Court finds the claims boil down to those of discrimination based on sexual orientation rather than sex alone, the decision reads, citing a previous court decision reached in 1990. The Eighth Circuit has squarely held that Title VII does not prohibit discrimination against homosexuals.

Hamiltons decision notes that while several U.S. district courts have maintained that the FHA doesnt protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, other U.S. district courts have more recently ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination and is therefore protected by the FHA.The change is part of a push by Parson to refocus the duties of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which currently handles the programs that would be handed over to Kehoes office.

Along with stripping DED of those duties, Parson announced Thursday his plan to move hundreds of other agency employees to other departments.

The changes are receiving positive reviews from Republicans.

Im really excited about what the governor is doing on the budget. Certainly, (there are) many initiatives I think many of us would be very supportive of, said Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, has already introduced legislation  Senate Bill 264 - to help pave the way for the move.

Democrats say the proposal needs to be reviewed.WASHINGTON  Sen. Josh Hawley has announced that he will move his family to a Washington suburb while maintaining a Missouri residence in Springfield, the home of his parents.

Josh talked a lot on the campaign trail about his family, and he and Erin believe strongly that its important to do the things they do as a family, his communications director, Kelli Ford, said in a written statement. They have decided to bring their two small boys with them to Washington to be together during the week while the Senate is in session.

They will also move their Missouri residence to Springfield, where Joshs parents and sister live. They will split their time between Virginia and Springfield.

Hawley, R-Mo., is mirroring his Missouri seatmate, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who lives in a Maryland suburb.

Hawleys predecessor, Democrat Claire McCaskill, lived with her husband in St. Louis when the Senate was not in session, and she also owned a $2.7 million condominium in downtown Washington.JEFFERSON CITY  In his first State of the State address, Gov. Mike Parson proposed on Wednesday raises for state workers, a new bonding scheme to fix scores of bridges, $61 million in new money for K-12 education and no change in funding for higher education.

The nearly $30 billion budget for fiscal year 2020, which starts July 1, assumes a 2 percent increase in revenue next budget year.

Parson, a Republican who became governor on June 1 after the resignation of scandal-plagued Eric Greitens, focused primarily on workforce development and infrastructure spending.

I stand before you today to share a vision  a vision that will chart Missouris future into the next decade, Parson told lawmakers. Missouri is dear to my heart, and by working together, we can protect and build a Missouri that is successful for the next generation.

When we try to make everything a priority, the fact is nothing is truly a priority, Parson said. So let me be crystal clear: Cultivating and training our workforce for high-demand jobs and investing in critical infrastructure are the priorities we must address this session.Koontz, of Swansea, said the shutdown has made it more difficult to provide for his wife and five children. To pick up some extra money, he sold some of his blood plasma, he said.

While controllers continue to work, Schwaegel said, six support staffers have been furloughed as have eight trainees. Among the support staff's duties, she said, is to assist controllers in consulting computers and the detailed rule books they rely on.

She added that while controllers are required to submit reports on anything they regard as possibly dangerous to the system, "there's nobody on the other end looking at them" because of employees on furlough.

She said she also worries that if the shutdown drags on for a couple of months or more, a couple of younger controllers might seek employment in other fields.

"If we lose good people in such a critically understaffed field because of this shutdown, that would be the most tragic thing that could happen for our facility," she said. "I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility."

Another issue, she said, is the shutdown-imposed closure of a controller training academy in Oklahoma City. "They sent over 400 controllers home" from the academy, she said. "They're going to have to start over again."'Future-ready space'

While safety is the main driver for the bond issue, the district wants to use the opportunity to create what officials call future-ready space that will serve teachers and students today and for decades to come.

Its a different way of looking at how we educate, Johnston said. How do we create a high school space where we still have traditional instruction with students sitting at desks and also space that is collaborative between students and different disciplines and can accommodate instruction that changes and grows?

To get answers, the district put together a team of students, teachers, principals and board members to look at the current space and ask what it needs to look like to meet needs of students and teachers now and in the future. The group visited schools in Chicago, Des Moines and Kansas City to see how others are doing it. The district also hired two architectural firms to develop preliminary plans.

The district plans to hold an informational meeting for the community prior to the election. We want to give people an opportunity to come in so they can really understand the need and what were planning, Johnston said.

Voters in the Lindbergh district last approved a bond issue in 2014. That $34 million bond included a 21-cent property tax levy increase to build Dressel Elementary, expand the cafeteria at the high school and make other improvements.

A message from David Nicklaus Want to stay smart about what's happening in St. Louis? Make a modest investment in a Post-Dispatch subscription and I'll tell you how developments around the world affect local businesses big and small. Intro subscription rate: Just $1 for 6 monthsMany in the courtroom seemed to disagree with the sentences, shaking their heads after Pistorius announced his decision. Kim Roberts, the biological mother of Michael Roberts children, including Liam, had entered court praying for 60-year sentences.

They deserve to lose their freedom and have a life sentence of sadness and sorrow, she told Pistorius before the sentencing.

She told a reporter that she hadnt seen Liam since he was 4. She said she had visitation rights, but Michael Roberts had not let her see him.

For the rest of my life, I will feel the guilt that I wasnt here when he needed me most, she said in court. He died terrified and alone. ... I am heartbroken and will always remain heartbroken for the rest of my life.

The hour-long hearing was the first time she, the Robertses and other family members spoke publicly about Liams death, and the first time investigators have talked extensively about the case.

Woelfel said the Robertses told him they began withholding food to punish their two youngest children if they urinated or defecated on the floor.In that case, Creager pleaded guilty to two federal wire fraud charges and admitted soliciting investors while hiding a $3.2 million high-interest loan that was secured by almost all his assets.

After Thursdays hearing, someone pulled a Jeep vehicle to the front of the courthouse and Creager hurried to get in, avoiding both a TV reporter and some of his victims.

Carla Lewis, whose husband is the named victim in Thursdays case, was both in court and outside the courthouse Thursday. She said that the couple are still spending $5,000 a month to pay off a credit card that Creager was supposed to be using to buy building supplies. Lewis husbands name was also listed on the account, and Creager was using the card for lavish dinners, cruises and other luxuries, she said.

Carla Lewis said she was happy that Creager pleaded guilty, but upset that he didnt get carted off to jail immediately.CLAYTON  A Calverton Park man who police say hid the body of a man he killed inside his garage has now been charged with the murder of another man, whose body was found in a parked car near McCluer High School in December.

On Thursday, St. Louis County prosecutors charged Jeffrey Tod with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the December killing of DeAndre Moore Jr., 41, of Calverton Park.

Police found Moores body on Dec. 10 in his car, which was illegally parked across New Florissant Road from McCluer High, about a half mile from the victims home. The location also was a a few blocks from Tods home.

The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis said Tod was the last person Moore called, and a witness saw Tod driving Moores car near the time of Moores death. A gun police found in Tods home was determined to be the murder weapon, according to court documents.ST. LOUIS  The former operator of a South Roxana biodiesel plant pleaded guilty in federal court here Thursday and admitted doctoring test results to fraudulently receive $531,000 in tax credits.

Terry L. Zintel pleaded guilty to three counts of making false claims. He admitted that while co-owner and operator of Midwest Biodiesel, he either altered test results or had a plant manager alter results so that the company's biodiesel would qualify for a $1 per gallon tax credit, his plea says.

From 2012 to 2014, the company struggled to produce biodiesel that met the required standards for the credit, the plea says. Zintel or the manager changed test results from "fail" to "pass" in a Microsoft Word document and then "input a (test result) number that fell within the industry standard," the plea says.

From 2012-2014, Midwest Biodiesel sought $1.8 million in tax credits and Zintel's plea says $531,947.75 of that was fraudulent.

In the plea, lawyers on both sides of the case say Zintel should be sentenced to no more than three years in prison.

Midwest Biodiesel was purchased at auction last year, according to Biodiesel Magazine.

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Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.ST. LOUIS  A man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to conspiring to steal credit cards at Plaza Frontenac Cinema and using them to purchase electronics and other items at Walmart.

Alfred L. Ford, 30, of Norristown, Pa., pleaded guilty to three counts  conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft  in the U.S. Eastern District of Missouri Court. Ford will be sentenced April 17.

Between May 27, 2017, until at least Jan. 27, Ford and others stole credit and debit cards of customers at Plaza Frontenac and then used the cards to buy iPads, gaming systems, laptop computers, cell phones and other items at area Walmart stores. In total, Ford and his co-conspirators spent $36,514.57 from their victim's credit and debit cards. It is not clear how Ford gained access to the cards.

In addition to mandatory restitution to his victims and a possible maximum $250,000 fine, Ford could face five years behind bars on the conspiracy charge and and additional two years each for the aggravated identity theft charge and the access device fraud charge.

The case was investigated by the Secret Service.

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Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.UPDATED at 8:30 a.m. Thursday with name of victim

Homicide detectives are investigating after a man was gunned down just before midnight Wednesday in St. Louis.

Othel Moore, 57, was found shot at about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday in the 4300 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue, about two blocks from his home.

Moore was dead in the street and had been shot multiple times, police say. He lived in the 4100 block of St. Ferdinand.

The crime scene is in The Ville neighborhood.

Police have not said if they had any suspects or a motive in the case.

Authorities asked anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

A message from David Nicklaus Want to stay smart about what's happening in St. Louis? Make a modest investment in a Post-Dispatch subscription and I'll tell you how developments around the world affect local businesses big and small. Intro subscription rate: Just $1 for 6 monthsIn an ideal world, the Missouri Supreme Court will help him accomplish his goal of reducing the states prison population.

Next month, the court will hear two related debtors prison cases, answering the question as to whether it is legal for judges to use the courts to collect board bills, charged for room and board. Often, mostly in rural areas of the state, judges hold defendants in contempt when they fall behind on those payments, or miss a court date, sending them back to county jail, or in some cases, state prison. Already, the Court of Appeals, and Attorney General Eric Schmitt have weighed in: Threatening poor defendants with more jail time because they cannot afford to pay is not legal, they say.

Missouris county jails and its state prisons are full of people who are there mostly because they got caught up in a criminal justice system that all too often punishes people for being poor. In some cases, Bartle learned almost a decade ago, the problem is exacerbated by rural judges who hand out disparate sentences for nonviolent crimes.ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis County doctor has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of overprescribing opioids to patients, including after some overdosed and others tested positive for street drugs.

Dr. Adeluola G. Lipede, 75, of Wildwood, was indicted Wednesday on three felony counts of distribution of drugs without legitimate medical purposes and three felony counts of making false statements to Medicare and Medicaid.

The indictment says that Lipede was notified twice in recent years that he was among the top prescribers of opioids, not excluding oncologists. He would see as many as 72 patients a day, the indictment says, many complaining of pain. Some drove long distances to see him and paid $250 cash for visits, it says.

He continued to prescribe opioids to patients who had overdosed and to patients who tested positive for street drugs and negative for the drugs that Lipede had been prescribing to them, the indictment says.

The indictment specifically accuses him of prescribing oxycodone and Percocet to one patient on Aug. 19, 2015, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. It also accuses him of prescribing methadone to another patient on May 3, 2017, and oxycodone to a third on March 27, 2017.Q  Christine Lahti was always a favorite of mine, and I enjoyed seeing her in movies like Open House and The Pilots Wife. You could find her movies quite often in the TV listings, but now I see nothing, not a single movie listed over the past few years. How come?

A  While she still appears occasionally in movies, Lahti  an Emmy-winning actress and Oscar-winning short-film director  has in recent years spent more TV time as a guest star in series; those include The Blacklist, Hawaii Five-0, and both The Good Wife and its successor, The Good Fight. She has also been working onstage, playing Gloria Steinem in an off-Broadway production in 2018, and writing, with her book True Stories From an Unreliable Eyewitness: A Feminist Coming of Age published last year as well. You can follow her on Twitter @christinealahti.

Q  On Blue Bloods, Erin Reagan has an assistant, a young black man, who was quite good. I dont recall his name. He has been replaced by a large white guy who is OK but not as good in my opinion. Can you tell me what happened to the other actor?Not just emotionally, but also physically. In Destroyer, Kidman looks unlike Nicole Kidman.

The filmmakers credit makeup designer Bill Corso for making Kidman look her absolute worst (Hes a genius, Hay said). Corso used subtle prosthetics to give her bags under her eyes, sagging skin and an overall appearance of fatigue, plus makeup to make her skin seem washed out and blotchy.

Along with Kidmans appearance, Destroyer is being talked about for a notable twist in the plot. The idea for it came early in the process of creating the movie, Hay said. Once he and his longtime friend and co-writer Manfredi thought of it, they could shape the rest of the movies structure to work toward it.

They prefer to know the ending of a movie before they start writing it, he said.

For Kusama, being freed from studio interference means she can make the final cut of the film  the version she produces will be the one that is shown in theaters. Almost all filmmakers should be afforded the same freedom, she said, to make the movie that they envision.They are little battleships, she says.

That weight is at the very edge of what this facility can take, says Lisa Melandri, executive director of Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, before the pieces arrived.

The 15-year-old museum, built with a concrete floor and a loading dock to receive such works, has movable walls. For Relative Points, only load-bearing walls will be left, giving visitors a chance to see the building in its rawest form. As with some other artworks, forklifts were used to put the art into place.

If you are dealing with art of any kind, particularly contemporary art, you need a facility thats equipped to handle the unexpected, Melandri says.

But figuring out the logistics and engineering challenges of such an exhibition thrilled both her and Corday. Melandri says that with many art displays, there is so much problem-solving.

Because 11 works were to be inside and one in the museums courtyard, they also could react differently to the elements and human touch. We dont really know if they will get shinier or more matte, Melandri says.

The human hands oils can have more power to change artworks patina than even winter weather, she says.Dozens of skaters rode around the Steinberg Skating Rink past sunset on Monday, June 7, 2021. They were taking part in the Steinberg Monday SkSave-A-Lot to move to Northwest Plaza after St. Ann takes over incentives package In a 6-0 vote, the St. Ann Board of Alderman took over the package from the St. Louis County Council, which had abruptly withdrawn support for a deal, citing questions about how the site was selected.

It wasnt immediately clear if the layoffs will impact Save-A-Lots eligibility for state assistance. The company said it was committed to delivering on the agreements made moving into the new headquarters.

We can confirm that a limited number of corporate job reductions were announced today impacting less than 1 percent of our company-wide workforce, a Save-A-Lot spokesman said in a statement late Wednesday.

The company said it employs about 10,000 people and that todays reductions are mostly managerial and administrative positions. They do not include store level team members or impact our operations at our 1,300 stores.

St. Ann City Administrator Matt Conley said in an email that the city will fully enforce the terms of the agreement we have with Save-A-Lot. The agreement calls for the company to maintain 470 corporate jobs on site and add 64 jobs averaging $85,000 per year to that through 2020, according to Conley. The targets were negotiated by the state as part of the Missouri Works package.

Conley said St. Ann is asking how many jobs remain on site following the layoffs but that it is our understanding Save-A-Lot had surpassed the 64 additional hires at the end of last year.

Save-A-Lot has honored every commitment made to the city so far, so we have every expectation that they will continue to do so in the future, Conley wrote.

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Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits jumped in the first two weeks of the shutdown, topping 10,000 during the week of Jan. 5.

The Labor Department said Thursday that is double the number of federal workers who sought aid in the previous week. Typically fewer than a thousand former federal employees apply for jobless benefits each week.

Federal employees who aren't working during the partial government shutdown are eligible to claim unemployment aid, while those working without pay are not, the Labor Department has said. Yet even those sent home will have to repay the unemployment aid if they receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

The number of Americans overall who sought unemployment benefits last week declined 3,000 to 213,000, the government said. That figure doesn't include federal beneficiaries, who are tracked in a separate category. Applications by federal workers are reported with a one-week delay.

More furloughed federal workers could apply for unemployment benefits in the weeks ahead. The Labor Department will release data for the week ending Jan. 12, the third week of the shutdown, next week.McBride Homes said this week it will develop the single-family component of a $48.5 million redevelopment a former industrial area in a corner of the citys Hill neighborhood.

We are thrilled to be a part of such an exciting development with the pent-up demand in the area, John F. Eilermann Jr., CEO and Chairman of McBride Homes, said in a statement. Our phones are already ringing off the hook and we are adding more people to the waiting list everyday.

The Chesterfield-based homebuilder said it is under contract for the land and plans to initially develop 58 single-family lots near the intersection of Bischoff Avenue and Hereford Street.

The 11-acre site formerly occupied by American Stove Co. and other manufacturers on the east side of the neighborhood is being developed by Chicago-based Draper & Kramer, which won approval from the city in early 2017. Buildings have since been demolished to make way for a 225-unit apartment complex they are developing.

Draper & Kramer and partner The Sansone Group had always indicated there would be a single-family home component as part of the project. McBrides plan calls for brick fronts to blend with the neighborhood and detached two-car garages with rear alley access, branded as The Manors at La Collina.

St. Louis has granted a 10-year property tax abatement for the project.

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Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) alongside several members of the party met on Wednesday with President Klaus Iohannis.

"The main topic was the manner of running the Presidency of the Council of the EU, Romania's priorities at European level, the manner in which I, the chairman of the PNL, can support the various priorities included on the agenda through the good relations that we have at the level of the EPP [the European People's Party] group (...) and we also discussed about what we believe to be important in terms of the European events that are to be carried out in Romania. A meeting with the EPP group of the Committee of the regions will be held, as well as a meeting of the EPP, most probably on the sidelines of the European Council. There was no word related to the list to the European Parliament elections or on any other related topic of those that were falsely presented by sources," Orban told AGERPRES on Thursday.

He mentioned that several Liberals attended the meeting on Wednesday with President Klaus Iohannis.

"We were several [members of the PNL] (...). I won't get into details regarding the venue. It wasn't a secret meeting and it's part of the normality, of the normal collaboration that exists between us, especially in respect to the European issue and the coordination on the European issue for improving Romania's image, and in order to intervene in favour of Romania at European level," Liviu Orban mentioned.Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg confirmed his attendance to the informal meeting of defence ministers of the EU member states, which is schedule to take place in Bucharest on 30 and 31 January, National Defence Gabriel Les told AGERPRES on Thursday.

According to him, the meeting that will be carried out in the attendance of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR) Federica Mogherini will start on 30 January with a session of debates within a working dinner provided by the Romanian side, with talks on the area of shared interest of the UN, NATO and the EU, namely "Women, Peace and Security."

"Also invited to participated in the debates were NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who also confirmed the presence, as well as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix," Les mentioned.

The Defence Minister points out that on 31 January "in-depth discussions with be carried out regarding the implementation stage of the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, with an emphasis on the progress recorded in conducting the initiatives of the defence area."

"Moreover, we will carry out debates on the sidelines of the manners to ensure the coherence of various initiative in the European defence area, in view of transposing into practice the decisions of the EU Council, as well as the use of optimal instruments at the EU disposal for capitalising on the potential of innovation and technological research to support the armed force of the member stares," the Minister stated.

Minister Gabriel Les also mentioned that the informal meeting of defence ministers of the EU member states, which is the first event at ministerial level to be organised in Romania since taking over the Presidency of the EU Council, "aims a common reflection and an exchange of views on strengthening the European project, with an emphasis on the security and defence dimension."The Government on Thursday approved, through an Ordinance, the creation of the European Union Orchestra, according to a press release of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity sent to AGERPRES.

"The Romanian gov't on Thursday, January 17, adopted an Ordinance regarding the regulation of some fiscal-budgetary measures, including the organisation and development of the cultural project European Union Orchestra," reads a release of the MCIN.

"At the proposal of Mrs Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila, the Romanian Government, through the Ministry of Culture and National Identity, decided to set up the European Union Orchestra, to be representative for both the entire European space and for Romania, as it can make our shared values known everywhere in the world. The biggest talents in each state will promote the richness of our shared cultural inheritance, as the European Union countries are linked to one another by both their common history and their feeling of belonging to a shared cultural space," stated the Minister of Culture, Daniel Breaz, quoted in the release.

MCIN, in its capacity as coordinator and financier, shall ensure the necessary spaces for the preparation and performance of the concerts and shows of the orchestra.

Romania exercises the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, starting with January 1, 2019. In this context, in the presence of the European leaders, musicians from all the countries member of the EU performed for the first time in this formula, under the coordination of master Ion Marin, on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, on the occasion of the event organised on January 10 under the high patronage of the Government.Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said on Wednesday evening that he was not surprised by the decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), which admitted the notification filed by the Speaker of the Deputies Chamber on the existence of a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between the Public Ministry, on the one hand, and the Parliament, the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the other courts, on the other hand, concerning the cooperation protocols with the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) in 2009 and 2016.

"I confess that I, for one, was not surprised at today's decision of the Constitutional Court. Of course, I was expecting it too, as did many of us, those involved in one way or another in the act of justice, we were looking forward to it, but, I repeat, I was not surprised. Why is that? Because justice, we all know, is or is to be done under the law," Tudorel Toader said.

The Justice Minister added that the judiciary, whether prosecutors or judges, does not issue legal standards as law.

"We also know that the judicial bodies do not change the law, do not complete the law, do not confer judicial powers to other authorities," Tudorel Toader said.

In the opinion of the Justice Minister, the signatories of the protocols would have practically created procedural rules to try evidence in a criminal case, and would have also conferred criminal prosecution powers to a competent authority, but only on matters of national security, not in the field of common criminal law.

Tudorel Toader argued that the signatories "substituted" themselves to the legislator. "They amended the law, completed the law, added to the law, and thus triggered the conflict on which the Court ruled today," he said.

The minister posited a state of normality must be reached. "Normative normality, namely the work of lawmaking, of regulating, normality in the law interpretation and enforcement activity. Because only then do we give the vocation to what is exposed in the fundamental law, in the Constitution, the protection, the defense, the guarantee of the attributes, rights, fundamental freedoms of the person," said the dignitary.

He added that law interpretation and enforcement must be normatively but also practically ensured.

"We do not want the guilty perpetrators be allowed to escape, get rid of the rigors of criminal law, but neither you nor I nor any of us think we want in a European Romania in 2019 to accept the open, defiant violation of the law by precisely those in charge with interpreting it, enforcing it correctly," the minister said.

According to Toader, abuses must be "set right", because it is not enough just for CCR to affirm that it was a conflict of a constitutional nature.

"What do we do as a result of this conflict being found? Of course, in the future, the Prosecutor's Office will know that it is not allowed to do so any more, the High Court will know that panels must be formed, randomly constituted, but what do we do with the results, with the final sentences ruled based on protocols, let's say of prosecution, or panels illegally constituted? We certainly need to find the remedy, because I repeat, in a rule of law, you cannot tell the Romanian: 'Sir, this is it, the judges did not observe, but we ensure the stability of the legal relations or the criminal prosecution was done outside the criminal procedure, but we cannot do anything.' Yes we can adopt a legal regulation to correct the abuses committed in one case or another," said Tudorel Toader.

The Minister stressed that legal acts will be adopted in this respect. "As a minister, but obviously I am not the only one to decide, because Parliament can do it very well or the Government as a whole, we will adopt legal acts that will allow the correction of these abuses," said Tudorel Toader.

On Wednesday, CCR accepted the notification of the Speaker of the Deputies Chamber regarding the existence of a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between the Public Ministry on the one hand and Parliament, the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the other courts, on the other hand, concerning the protocols of collaboration with SRI in 2009 and 2016.

"The High Court of Cassation and Justice and the other courts, as well as the Public Ministry - the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the subordinate units - will verify in pending cases the extent to which a violation of the provisions occurred in terms of substantive competence and by the quality of the person of the criminal prosecution body and will order the appropriate measures," CCR specified.

Read also: Former PM Grindeanu affirms his gov't adopted bill of compensatory remedy in form initiated by Raluca Pruna

The referral to CCR, submitted on 8 October, was signed by the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Florin Iordache, after Liviu Dragnea (Deputies Chamber Speaker, ed.n.) delegated his duties on that day.

AGERPRES .The Secretary General of the Government, Toni Grebla, on Thursday said that, most probably, in the next days, the Government will send Olguta Vasilescu's and Marian Draghici's criminal records to the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, adding that he belives that President Klaus Iohannis will continue to have the same "attitude" when it comes to the nomination of the two to the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Transport, which is why a notification might be filed with the Constitutional Court after all.

"We will probably do this too (sending the criminal records editor's note) in the coming days, and then we will wait for the President's reaction and we will act accordingly. (...) Formally, in order to see how far this stubbornness of the President can go, we will act accordingly. However, "it is most probably that his attitude will remain the same. It is understandable and it can only be interpreted in politicianist terms, in the context of the electoral campaign the President got deeper and deeper involved in the past few months," Grebla told Antena 3 private television broadcaster.

He also confirmed that, given the circumstances, the Government may again go to the Constitutional Court to solve the matter.

On Thursday, President Klaus Iohannis sent a letter to Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, saying that the proposals for the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Transport, Lia Olguta Vasilescu and Mircea Draghici, still don't meet the legal requirements, so that he still cannot approve these nominations.

The President invoked the provisions of art. 85 paragraph (2) and art. 105 of the Constitution, as well as those of art. 2 of the Law no. 90/2001 on the organisation and functioning of the Romanian Government and the ministries, according to which members of the Government may be persons who have Romanian citizenship and domicile in the country, have the right to exercise their electoral rights, have no criminal convictions and are not found in one of the cases of incompatibility provided in Book I, Title IV of Law no. 161/2003 on certain measures for ensuring the transparency in the exercise of public dignities, public functions and business environment, prevention and sanctioning of corruption, with the subsequent modifications and supplements, and the Constitutional Court jurisprudence.The development of NATO-EU cooperation in fields such as cyber defence, hybrid war, strategic communication and military mobility will be a priority direction of action for the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) in the next six months, a period during which Romania is holding the rotating presidency at the Council of the European Union, Minister of Defence Gabriel Les told AGERPRES.

According to him, during its mandate, Romania intends to highlight the benefits of the transatlantic relation and the importance of cooperation between the two organisations, starting from the consideration that "European defence cannot evolve outside a solid and functional transatlantic relation."

Moreover, Gabriel Les stated that the priorities of the MApN during the first semester of 2019 also include the continuation of the associated initiatives, especially with an accent on permanent structured cooperation, the annual coordinated revision process and the European defence fund.

"Romania taking over the presidency of the Council of the European Union implies a huge responsibility for the MApN too. Both for me, as a Minister, and for the institution I represent within the Romanian Government, and I would like to assure you that I will make all the efforts to ensure that this presidency will be a success. All our actions will support the mandate of the high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy, in the sense of the general political orientations and priorities defined by the European Council, and so as to implement the decisions of the Council of EU with respect to the security policy and common defence field," specified Les.

Moreover, he maintained that the Committee's approaches in supporting the European defence component will represent another key topic on the agenda of the Romanian presidency in the defence field.

The Romanian official says that, while holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, Romania will focus its efforts to increase the efficiency of the operational commitments of the EU.

While referring to the reunion of the political managers in the ministries of defence of the EU members state, which will take place on January 17 and 18 in Bucharest, the Minister of Defence shows that it represents "an informal discussions framework on topical issues on the security and defence agenda of the European Union."California authorities are asking that a man arrested in Iredell County on drug charges last month be extradited back to his home state to face robbery charges.

Andre Lamont Ingram Jr., who is from San Jose, California, was served a fugitive from justice warrant last week in relation to four counts of second-degree robbery, Iredell County court records showed.

Ventura County officials in California requested his extradition back to that state on Jan. 10, according to court documents.

Iredell County Clerk of Court staff said Ingram waived his right to an extradition hearing on Jan. 14, meaning he agrees to be taken back to California.

Ingram, 32, was arrested in Iredell County on Dec. 26 after being found unconscious in a car on an exit ramp along Interstate 77, the Iredell County Sheriffs Office said. Authorities say he was spotted incapacitated in his car by a witness.

The witness awoke Ingram and his vehicle struck the witnesss car and he lost consciousness again, according to a news release.

Authorities said a deputy from the Iredell County Sheriffs Office arrived on the scene and woke Ingram again, noticing Ingram had an open alcohol container in his car, which smelled of marijuana.In the close in place option, Duke spokeswoman Erin Culbert said water would be drained from the ash pond. The area will then be graded and covered with a waterproof cap. Major construction costs will total $207 million.

In the partial close in place option, the portion of the ash pond closest to Lake Norman will be drained and excavated and moved to an onsite landfill where it will also be graded and capped, Renner said. That would cost $387 million.

Weve not tackled a basin of this size yet, so were looking into what work plans have been successful for us to be able to most efficiently (use the hybrid method for closure)," Renner said.

Renner said closing the ash pond by excavation will take 32 years to complete. All of the excavated ash would be relocated to an onsite landfill.

Norton said that option has a $1.06 billion price tag.

Duke Energy has told the NCDEQ that it considers the close in place or the hybrid options to be feasible.

We present (the closure by excavation option) and the issues associated with it because its an option everybody asks about or some people say its the only solution, Renner said. We certainly dont believe that is the right solution for Marshall.When she heard the previous district attorney Doug Henderson was retiring, Crump had a decision to make. Her term as a judge did not end in 2018, but to run for district attorney, she would have to leave her position.

I felt a calling to come back to the district attorneys office to make some changes, to fulfill a vision I had, Crump said.

Crump won the Democratic primary with 53.6 percent of the vote. There was no Republican opponent for the November election.

Since being sworn in, Crump said shes been working hard. She starts work at 8 a.m. and doesnt leave until at least 6 p.m. The countys first homicide of the year has already occurred.

There are two district attorneys offices in Guilford. One is in Greensboro and the other is in High Point.

On that first day, I was already in two different cities working, Crump said.

Since the beginning of the year, Crump said shes gone from meeting to meeting every day, becoming acquainted with her 60 employees split between High Point and Greensboro.The Iredell County Sheriffs Office will use $356,332 of federal funds to buy an armored vehicle.

The Iredell County Board of Commissioners voted to approve spending the funds on Tuesday.

Weve seen the increase of violence on our first responders, not just fire, not just EMS but also law enforcement, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said. Dallas, Texas; Florence, South Carolina; York, South Carolina; Las Vegas  numerous attacks on our civilians.

Campbell said his office would use the vehicle in situations involving an active shooter or natural disasters.

Currently, the closest armored vehicle is in Charlotte. Campbell said if there was a need north of Statesville, it could take an hour to an hour and a half to get the vehicle where it is needed to be.

Time is of the essence, Campbell said. We need to be able to provide for ourselves. We need to be ready.

Campbell said the sheriffs office has storage ready for the vehicle in Statesville. Because of Statesvilles central location in the county, its the best place for it, he said.

The vehicle will be bought with Federal Equity Sharing funds. It will not be funded by taxpayers.Countries & Areas

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What Nebraska needs instead is strong, determined leadership by Gov. Pete Ricketts and legislative leaders to build consensus on wide-ranging reform that revamps the tax structure strategically, including a re-examination of tax rates and a long overdue overhaul of sales tax exemptions.

Such a change would broaden the tax base, increase the chances for long-term revenue stability and adjust tax policy to the 21st-century economy.

Calls for such an approach regularly surface at the State Capitol. Legislative staff dutifully assemble interim studies. Committees hold hearings. Testifiers discuss the states need for a major, thoughtful policy revamp. This pattern has been going on for years.

Yet little of substance is actually done.SCOTTSBLUFF  Each month, The West Nebraska Family Research & History Center conducts a monthly Genealogy Roundtable Forum.

This month, Al Kukas, a first generation American of Germans from Russia descent, will discuss his familys name and the town from which its derived from Kukas, Russia. The meeting will be held Jan. 19, 1:30 p.m., at the center, 1602 Ave. A.

Originally recruited and welcomed into Russia in the 18th century, the Germans were promised the freedom to use their own language while maintaining their religious beliefs and holding on to the understanding that they were exempt from military service. Over time, the German people found increasing hardships and with changes in Russian politics, the government took back some of the privileges granted, economic conditions grew poor and there were a series of famines. These conditions led to German mass migrations from Russia.

Like many Germans from Russia, Kukas parents left the Volga region of Russia and came to America. Kukas will discuss his familys immigration to America and the stories that have been handed down from generation to generation.

The roundtable forum is held on the third Saturday of each month and is free and open to the public.

Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to formSCOTTSBLUFF  During his recent State of the State Address, Gov. Pete Ricketts proposed several programs to help improve Nebraskas economic outlook. But its up to local communities to use those tools to build a better future.

Keith Ellis, community and economic development director for Twin Cities Development (TCD), said he welcomes any program that could potentially benefit western Nebraska. However, the area has just as many ties to eastern Wyoming and the Front Range of Colorado as it does to Omaha and Lincoln.

Our relationship is more than just relying on the State of Nebraska, he said. We also have to rely on other areas. That presents greater opportunities for us in terms of growing the community."

TCD still works closely with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development on lead generation for potential new businesses. While the state can help point out various communities, its still up to each individual business where it will locate.

We do a tremendous amount of marketing of the area on our own, Ellis said. We maintain direct contact with CEOs and site decision makers around the country. We have more to do with our own economic outcomes than relying on what happens in Omaha and Lincoln.SCOTTSBLUFF  Authorities have arrested a Scotts Bluff County man who had been wanted after he failed to appear in court for sentencing in a child sexual assault case.

Joseph Joe Anaya, 34, of Mitchell, appeared Wednesday in Scottsbluff County Court on charges on a felony count of failing to appear while on bail. He waived a preliminary hearing, meaning his case will be bound over to Scotts Bluff County District Court for trial.

A warrant for Anayas arrest had been issued in October 2018 after the man failed to appear for sentencing in Scotts Bluff County District Court. A Scotts Bluff County District Court jury convicted Anaya in August 2018 of charges of third-degree sexual assault of a child, a Class IIIA felony, and obstructing a police officer, a Class I misdemeanor. Charges stemmed from an investigation that began when Gering Police had been contacted on Jan. 16 regarding a report of a possible sexual assault. During an interview with police, the 9-year-old girl disclosed that Anaya had touched her sexually during a visit and had also previously walked in on her in the shower and other acts.

Anaya was arrested on Dec. 27 in Moffat County, Colorado, after authorities received a tip regarding his whereabouts. Anaya is next scheduled to appear on the failing to appear charge for arraignment in district court on Jan. 25.SCOTTSBLUFF  The one thing watched more at Western Nebraska Regional Airport in 2018 than planes taking off and landing was the number of boardings.

For several years, the airlines who flew out of Scottsbluff, first Great Lakes Airlines and then Pen-Air, were plagued by pilot shortages, delays and cancellations. Many people had given up hope of ever having reliable service again. SkyWest took off on Jan. 30, 2018, and the public embraced the change wholeheartedly.

By the end of 2018, total boardings at the airport were 14,947, which included SkyWest, medical flights and charter flights. SkyWest alone had 13,150 passengers. For January, through Jan. 16, the airport has boarded 841 passengers. Assistant Airport Director Cheryl Clause said estimates for the entire month is at 1,643.

Questions are still arising about whether another flight, or turn-around, will be offered, but the numbers are not quite there yet. It isnt as simple as just adding more flights. The airport works under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program from the federal government, which guarantees small communities can maintain a minimal level of air service.In what was, so far, the best baseball game of the week, the Jaguars pulled their 33rd win out of the fire and salvaged a gem of a start from their star pitcher.Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. The house received extensive remodeling, but as investor Richard Casperson has said, "Joe's energy is M arie Kondo has us all finding peace of mind through decluttering and Prince Harry told a Buddhist monk that he practices meditation every day. But in 2019 the solution to chilling out is smart.

Muses high-tech headband gamifies your meditation. It works by giving you real-time audio feedback on whats happening in your brain and awards you points for controlling your breathing. Choose from beach, rainforest, desert or city noises as a background  the wind gets louder when your mind gets more active and youll hear birds when your mind is quiet.

Muses founders say itll help you de-stress in three minutes.

Meanwhile, the Pips mindfulness device tracks your everyday stress levels over five minutes, with the aim of retraining your mind to respond better to triggers. The pocket-sized gadget is held between thumb and finger to detect your electrodermal activity, then connects to your phone so you can visualise changing stress levels in real time.

Spires mindfulness tracker, Stone, focuses on breathing. Clip it to your jeans and itll monitor your activity throughout the day, notifying you to sudden changes via your phone so you can calm yourself down.

Other gadgets are targeting depression. British surgeon Charles Nduka is working on a pair of face-reading glasses that flag early warning signs, and Swedish start-up Flow has a new headset that aims to treat depression. It stimulates the frontal regions of the brain through gentle electric pulses applied to your scalp, in a technique known as transcranial direct current stimulation. It links up with an app that encourages complementary measures such as meditation and exercise.

The mindfulness device Pip tracks your everyday stress levels over five minutes / Pip

New app Clear Fear is for managing anxiety. Developed by clinicians from mental health charity stem4, it uses cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to help you reduce your physical responses to a threat, whether thats through breathing, relaxing or learning to change your behaviour.

Cults new app Mindscape, developed with charity Mind, works with Alexa. It combines voice technology, artificial intelligence and neuroscience-based music therapy to support mental health, talking you through breathing exercises and asks questions about your emotional state.

And California start-up Humu is using AI to boost happiness at work. Run by three former Google staff, the software monitors employee data such as happiness, productivity and retention, then sends you empowering emails and texts according to your mood.C ardi B has spoken out about Donald Trumps ongoing US government shutdown, describing the situation as crazy and branding the country a hellhole in her most politicised video yet.

The rapper posted a clip to Instagram in which she urged people to take some action after around 50,000 federal employees have been told to return to work without pay during the shutdown, which is the longest in US history.

Hey yall! I just want to remind you because it has been a little over three weeks, she began her message.

Trump is now ordering, as in summoning, federal government workers to go back to work without getting paid.

Praised: the rapper received a positive response to her political post / Getty Images

Now I dont want to hear yall m************ talking about, Oh, but Obama shut down the government for 17 days  yeah b****, for healthcare! So your grandma can check her blood pressure.

Conceding that some of her followers might not be up to date with the situation because yall dont work for the government or yall probably have a job, she went on to reveal that she was scared by the latest developments.

This s*** is really f****** serious, bro, she said. This s*** is crazy. Like our country is in a hellhole right now, all for a f****** wall.

We really need to take this serious, I feel like we need to take some action, I dont know what type of action b**** because this is not what I do, but b**** Im scared.

This is crazy and I really feel bad for these people that got to go to f****** work to not get m************ paid.

Soon after the rapper shared the video on Instagram, the hashtag #CardiB2020 emerged on Twitter, as fans thanked Cardi for her outburst and encouraged her to run for President at the next election.

Cardi B understands the government shutdown better than Donald Trump, one fan suggested.

Thank you @imcardib for sharing your thoughts and concerns about the government shutdown and its employees, another wrote. It means a lot coming from someone with such a huge platform.

Cardi B is exactly what this country needs at this very moment, one Twitter post read.

The government shutdown began on December 22, 2018 after Congress and the White House reached a stalemate over spending on Trumps proposed wall on the US-Mexico border.A ndy Serkis has brought back his parody of Theresa May as Gollum from Lord of the Rings to mock the Prime Minister after the rejection of her Brexit deal in the House of Commons.

The 54-year-old actor reprised his most iconic character with a Brexit-themed spoof of Queens Bohemian Rhapsody, in which he skewered Mays failure to win the meaningful vote on her EU withdrawal agreement.

He also took shots at Tory politicians Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg, as well as former Prime Minister David Cameron.

The star posted his latest skit on his official Facebook page last night, describing it as the latest leak from 10 Downing Street.

Parody: Serkis brought back his famous character to mock Theresa May / Getty Images

Was that the right deal or was that just fantasy? he sings in Gollums distinctive raspy whisper. Are we stuck in the Union, no article 50?

Open your eyes, did you notice the lies or see? Im just Theresa, I need your sympathy because Im in the dark, still dont know whos friends or foe, he continues, before resignedly singing: Any way the vote goes, doesnt really matter to me.

Serkis as Gollum-May goes on to address the Prime Ministers predecessor, crooning David, I was sure wed won, but now thats changed Im Brexit all the way.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage also receive shout outs in the five minute clip.

CGI: Serkis used motion capture to embody the creepy Lord of the Rings character on screen / REUTERS

The actors clip was eagerly received on Twitter, with social media users describing Serkis as a genius and a national treasure.

Andy Serkis has cemented his status as a national treasure with this. Absolutely brilliant and Im trying not to cry with laughter, one wrote.

Andy Serkis for PM, another suggested.

Others saw the parody as much needed light relief during the ongoing Brexit negotiations.

Wonderful, I needed something to make me laugh with the state of this government, I hope PM sees it, one fan wrote.

Serkis debuted the Gollum parody in December, when he posted a spoof sketch titled LEAKED: Footage From Inside No 10 Downing Street!

In a reference to the Lord of the Rings creatures divided personality, he debated the pros and cons of the proposed Brexit deal.

Serkis received widespread critical acclaimed for his motion capture performance in the film adaptations of Tolkeins fantasy novels.P M's fight to break Brexit deadlock

Theresa May is to continue her fight to break the Brexit deadlock as she holds cross-party talks in a bid to reach a deal that would pass in the Commons.

The Prime Minister faces an uphill struggle after all opposition party leaders demanded that she scraps the no-deal option as a condition of progress.

Mrs Mays charm offensive comes after she last night survived a vote of no confidence in her government that followed MPs dismissing her deal.

Death toll rises after Kenya hotel attack

At least 21 people were killed when Somali militants opened fire in a luxury hotel in Nairobi, Kenya's government has said.

Hundreds were forced to flee as the violence unfolded in the business complex of a hotel in the east-African countrys capital on Tuesday.

Somalia-based Islamist group al-Shabab said it was behind the attack.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said the siege has now ended as he confirmed the latest death toll and that the five jihadist attackers were "eliminated".

Asda locked in equal pay battle

Supermarket Asda is set to find out the latest ruling in a legal battle by its staff over equal pay.

The retail giant is challenging a courts decision that jobs in its stores are comparable to those in the firm's distribution centres.

The legal action was launched by thousands of retail workers, mostly women, who argue they should be paid the same as those in the firms depots.

A Court of Appeal hearing is set for today.

Trump to unveil space-based missile defence strategy

Donald Trump is to unveil a major defence strategy that could involve space-based weaponry designed to shoot down enemy missiles.

The experimental technology, which would be designed to track and destroy projectiles aimed at the US, has been recommended after a review.

President Trump will present the administrations long-delayed Missile Defence Review to the Pentagon later today.

Harry and Meghan at Cirque du Soleil premiere

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined stars to attend the premiere of Cirque du Soleil, in aid of a charity in honour of Harrys mother.

Harry and Meghan were the guests of honour at the Royal Albert Hall as they watched performers display their acrobatic skills.

The event set out to awareness and funds for the duke's charity, Sentebale, which helps young people in southern Africa affected by HIV.

On this day...

1536: Henry VIII, 44, fell from his horse while jousting and was unconscious for several hours. Experts believed this triggered his mental instability.

1773: Captain Cook's ship Resolution became the first to cross the Antarctic circle.

1874: The original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, died within three hours of each other, aged 62.A woman has been caught trying to smuggle 24 gerbils into Taiwan under her skirt.

Border patrol stopped the woman in Kinmen on Friday after they discovered her walking awkwardly and wearing a puffy skirt that was an abnormal size.

The 60-year-old revealed that she had placed the rodents in plastic bags and strapped them to her legs.

Images from the countrys border force show the animals in plastic bags after they were removed from the womans legs.

The woman concealed the animals under her skirt / Coast Guard Administration

The woman had been returning from China and told officers that she had brought back the animals for friends but failed to explain who her friends were.

She said she had bought the animals from a pet store and paid 50 yuan for each male and 150 yuan for each female. She was then going to charge 60 yuan for a transportation fee.

Taiwanese woman caught smuggling 24 gerbils under skirt / Coast Guard Administration

Officers believe that the woman may have been sent by a smuggling ring to test the inspection procedures in the port.

She was transferred to the prosecutors office on charges of violating the Infectious Animal Disease Prevention and Control Act.D onald Trump has vowed to defend the US from threats from space with an unrivalled missile defence system

The US president said he wanted to protect America from advanced hypersonic and cruise missile threats from adversaries in a Pentagon speech.

He said the US will do what it takes "to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place".

Mr Trump did not mention Russia, China or North Korea.

The Pentagon's new strategy makes clear that its plan for a more aggressive space-based missile defence system is aimed at protecting against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and countering advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

Military personnel listen to President Trump's pentagon speech / Getty Images

The new review is the first since 2010, and it concludes that to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defence technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

Acting defence secretary Pat Shanahan, who also spoke, said competitors such as Russia and China are aggressively pursuing new missiles that are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat.

Specifically, the US is looking at putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles when they are launched, according to a senior administration official.

The US sees space as a critical area for advanced, next-generation capabilities to stay ahead of the threats, said the official.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the US can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

Recognising the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponisation of space, the strategy pushes for studies.

No testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

Congress, which ordered this review, has already directed the Pentagon to push harder on this "boost-phase" approach, but officials want to study the feasibility of the idea and explore ways it could be done.

The new strategy is aimed at better defending the US against potential adversaries, such as Russia and China, who have been developing and fielding a much more expansive range of advanced offensive missiles that could threaten America and its allies.

The threat is not only coming from traditional cruise and ballistic missiles, but also from hypersonic weapons.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims cannot be intercepted.

One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp manoeuvres to avoid being detected by missile defence systems.

"Developments in hypersonic propulsion will revolutionise warfare by providing the ability to strike targets more quickly, at greater distances, and with greater firepower," Lt Gen Robert Ashley, director of the Defence Intelligence Agency, told Congress last year.

"China is also developing increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles in an attempt to counter ballistic missile defence systems."

Current US missile defence weapons are based on land and aboard ships.

Mr Trump and vice president Mike Pence have both emphasised space-based capabilities as the next step of missile defence.

Senior administration officials earlier signalled their interest in developing and deploying more effective means of detecting and tracking missiles with a constellation of satellites in space that can, for example, use advanced sensors to follow the full path of a hostile missile so that an anti-missile weapon can be directed into its flight path.

Any expansion of the scope and cost of missile defences would compete with other defence priorities, including the billions of extra dollars the Trump administration has committed to spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons.

An expansion would also have important implications for American diplomacy, given long-standing Russian hostility to even the most rudimentary US missile defences and China's worry that longer-range US missile defences in Asia could undermine Chinese national security.

Asked about the implications for Mr Trump's efforts to improve relations with Russia and strike better trade relations with China, the administration official said the US defence capabilities are purely defensive and the US has been very upfront with Moscow and Beijing about its missile defence posture.

The release of the strategy was postponed last year for unexplained reasons, though it came as Mr Trump was trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

While the US continues to pursue peace with North Korea, Pyongyang has made threats of nuclear missile attacks against the US and its allies in the past and has worked to improve its ballistic missile technology.

It is still considered a serious threat to America.A drunk and abusive passenger was neutralised by fellow holidaymakers in a dramatic mid-air intervention.

Tourists leapt into action when the man swore and attacked travellers seated near him on the A320 flight from Bangkok in Thailand to Russia.

The man, 26, was punched and finally subdued by fellow passengers who used belts and tape to restrain him.

They acted after the crew could not stop him  and the pilot warned he was ready to make an emergency landing in China or Mongolia.

Passengers on the flight subdue and restrain the man

Video shows the man lying in the aircraft where he was held for four hours until the plane landed in Russia.

Neutralised: passengers on the flight subdue and restrain the man

The S7 plane was flying 158 people from Bangkok to Russias third largest city, Novosibirsk. Witnesses said the abusive passenger had been drinking whisky from a bottle and started offensive and threatening behaviour three hours into the seven hour 45 minute flight.

Passenger Pavel Makarov said: The abuser got more and more wild and finally passengers neutralised him.

An S7 plane

A spokesman for the S7 airline said: During the rest of the flight he was closely watched by one of the stewards and a doctor  one of the passengers.

As a result of this incident, there were no delays.A n American man killed during an attack by gunmen on a luxury hotel complex in Nairobi had a brush with the 9/11 tragedy, his father said as the death toll rose to 21.

Jason Spindler, co-founder and managing director of San Francisco-based I-DEV International from Houston, was killed at the DusitD2 complex on Tuesday.

It has now emerged that Mr Spindler was employed by a financial firm at the World Trade Center at the time of the 2001 terrorist attack but was running late that morning.

He was coming out of the subway when the first tower fell and became covered in dust and debris as he tried to help others, his father Joseph Spindler said.

Nairobi Hotel and Office Complex 'Terror Attack' - In Pictures 1 /39 Nairobi Hotel and Office Complex 'Terror Attack' - In Pictures Cars are seen on fire at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Kenyan security forces enter the building attached to the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya AFP/Getty Images Muslim women console each other as they mourn the death of felllow Muslim men Abdalla Mohammed Dahir, 28, and his age mate Feisal Ahmed Rashid, who were killed in an attack, during a prayer service at a mosque in Nairobi, Kenya EPA A glass damaged by bullets is seen at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Armed plain clothes officials secures the areas during an ongoing gunfire and explosions in Nairobi, Kenya EPA A member of security forces keeps guard as people are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters A woman is evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters This frame taken from video shows a scene of an explosion in Kenya's capital, Nairobi AP People running in a street in Nairobi as a gunfight was underway following a blast at a hotel and office complex in a leafy Nairobi neighbourhood AFP/Getty Images Cars are seen on fire at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Security forces are seen at the scene of a blast in Nairobi AP People are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters People are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Security forces are seen at the scene of a blast in Nairobi AP People run for cover during an ongoing gunfire and explosions in Nairobi, Kenya EPA An injured man is evacuated from the scene of an explosion at a hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb AFP/Getty Images People run after being rescued from the Dusit Hotel Getty Images People walk with their hands up after being rescued from the Dusit Hotel Getty Images Members of security forces secure the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters People leave a hotel at the scene of an explosion in Nairobi's Westlands suburb AFP/Getty Images People are evacuated by a member of security forces at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit Hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Students leave their campus following an explosion at a nearby hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AP AP AP AP AFP/Getty Images EPA EPA EPA EPA EPA EPA EPA EPA EPA EPA AFP/Getty Images

Police have announced that the death toll after al-Shabab gunmen opened fired on Tuesday in Nairobi has climbed to 21, plus the five militants killed.

The number of those killed rose with the discovery of six more bodies at the scene and the death of a critically wounded police officer the following day.

Joseph Boinnet, inspector-general of Kenyan police, said 28 people were hurt and taken to hospital.

In an earlier address to the nation on Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the all-night operation by security forces to retake the complex was over.

"We will seek out every person that was involved in the funding, planning and execution of this heinous act," he vowed, adding that all extremists who targeted the complex had been killed.

Kenyan security forces evacuate people after a bomb blast at DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi / AFP/Getty Images

In an attack that demonstrated al-Shabab's continued ability to strike Kenya's capital despite setbacks on the battlefield, extremists stormed the place with guns and explosives.

CCTV footage released showed a suicide bomber blowing himself up in a grassy area in the complex, the flash visible along with smoke billowing from the spot where he had been standing.

One of the civilian victims killed in the mass shooting included British charity worker Luke Potter, who had worked for international charity Gatsby for ten years.

Victim: Luke Potter

Of the other civilian casualties, 16 were Kenyan, one was American and three were of African descent but their nationalities were not yet identified, police said.

Al-Shabab, which is based in neighbouring Somalia and allied with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility.

The Islamic extremist group also carried out the 2013 attack at Nairobi's nearby Westgate Mall that killed 67 people, and an assault on Kenya's Garissa University in 2015 that claimed 147 lives.

The bloodshed in Kenya's capital appeared designed to inflict maximum damage to the country's image of stability and its tourism industry, an important source of revenue.

A community greives after the attack in Nairobi / EPA

The government said late Tuesday that buildings were secure. However, gunfire continued into Wednesday morning, and dozens of trapped people were rescued overnight.

Several loud booms were heard Wednesday as teams sought to clear the complex of booby traps and other explosives.

Kenyatta's announcement that the security operation was complete came about 20 hours after the first reports of the attack.

The Kenyan Red Cross said about 50 people were unaccounted for. But many of those were believed not to have been in the complex during the attack.

Friends and relatives of slain Muslim men Abdalla Mohammed Dahir carry his casket / EPA

Ken Njoroge, CEO of a company in the DustiD2 complex that offers mobile banking services, said he was unable to locate several employees.

"It's very difficult for the families because the passage of time only makes the problem bigger," he said.

In the Nairobi attack, a man who gave only his first name, Davis, described how he had escaped with colleagues by fleeing down a fire escape.

"It's a traumatic experience. It shakes you," he said. Still, Davis said he was impressed by the "inner strength" and compassion of people who helped each other in the midst of danger.V ice president Mike Pence insisted that Islamic State had been defeated and its caliphate had crumbled only hours after four Americans died in a suicide bombing apparently carried out by the terror group.

Mr Pence spoke to an audience at the State Department last night, reiterating President Trumps previous claims that victory had been achieved over IS in Syria and Iraq.

The timing of his remarks was questionable as only four hours earlier two US special forces soldiers, an agent and a civilian contractor were blown up outside a cafe in Manbij, which has been the base of American operations in northern Syria.

Another three US soldiers were wounded and in total at least 18 people died in the attack.

Blast: US troops at the scene in Manbij / AFP/Getty Images

Later Mr Pence released a statement condemning the attack but affirming Mr Trumps plan to withdraw troops.

As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to re-establish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever, he said.

Manbij is now a potential flashpoint as Turkey wants to take over the base to prevent it being run by the YPG Kurdish militia, who have been allied to America in the fight against IS.

Ankara says they are allies, or proxies, of the PKK Kurdish Workers Party they have been fighting inside Turkey and beyond for 30 years.

Mr Trump has said he would countenance Turkey and allies setting up a buffer zone across north-west Syria to prevent guerrilla attacks. This has alarmed Kurds and other minorities  who have even turned to Syrias Assad regime for protection.

The chaotic way in which Mr Trump announced the withdrawal of 2,000 US ground personnel from Syria bewildered allies and adversaries alike. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and John Bolton, the national security adviser, have given different versions of the plan on tours of the region this month.

This week the commander of Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Iran will keep its military advisers, forces and weapons in Syria.T he Great White shark Deep Blue, thought to be the biggest on the planet, has been spotted by divers off the coast of Hawaii.

The monster shark, believed to be around 50 years old, was captured on camera as she devoured a dead sperm whale nine miles off the coast of Hawaiian island Oahu.

Images show daring divers dwarfed by the beast, estimated to weigh 2.5 tonnes and measuring almost 20 feet, as they swam alongside her.

Among the divers to come across Deep Blue were Mark Mohler and Kimberly Jeffries, who managed to identify her through a tag implanted in her two decades ago.

Mr Mohler wrote on Facebook: Deep Blue, possibly the biggest White Shark identified, coming in at nearly 7 meters, was last spotted in Mexico.

She decided to come on a Hawaii all-you-can-eat vacation."

Deep Blue was last caught on camera off the coast of Mexico in July 2018.

Melanie Hutchinson, a shark researcher at the University of Hawaii, said a team of divers was looking for tiger sharks when they came across her.

Deep Blue is believed to weigh around 2.5 tonnes and measure up to 20 feet / Reuters

"I have a few friends that were out there. They were looking for tiger sharks so it was a fun surprise to see this big lady," she told KHON2 news agency.

George Burgess, director emeritus of the International Shark Attack File at Florida Museum of Natural History, told ABC News: "It's a very big white shark, obviously.

"One of the largest that has ever been seen in the water. She's a big girl."D onald Trump is set to unveil a major defence strategy that could involve space-based weaponry designed to shoot down enemy missiles.

The experimental technology, which would be designed to track and destroy projectiles aimed at the US, has been recommended after a review.

President Trump will present the administrations long-delayed Missile Defence Review to the Pentagon on Thursday.

The strategy considers a number of ways to bolster Americas security, including the proposed new layer of sensors in space.

"Space, I think, is the key to the next step of missile defence," a senior Trump administration official said ahead of the document's release.

"A space-based layer of sensors is something we are looking at to help get early warning and tracking and discrimination of missiles when they are launched."

The official stressed that the viability of space-based missile defence weaponry was only being studied and no decisions had been made.

These plans come on top of previously announced plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years.D onald Trump has postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosis trip to Brussels and Afghanistan in response to her attempt to delay his State of the Union address.

The US leader flexed his executive power by cancelling her seven-day excursion, saying it would be better if she stayed in Washington to debate the government shutdown.

Mr Trumps move is the latest in a political tit-for-tat between the two leaders as the negotiations to end the month-long shutdown have so far failed to produce results.

In a letter sent to Mrs Pelosi on Thursday, the president wrote: I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed.

In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.

I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.

Mr Trump said the flights would no longer be provided, but told the House Speaker that if she wants to make the journey by flying commercial that would certainly be your prerogative.

US President Donald Trump has requested funding for his US-Mexico border wall / AFP/Getty Images

Before signing off, the president added: I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!

President Trump's move to ground the speaker came after Ms Pelosi threatened his planned State of the Union address on January 29, saying the shutdown raised concerns about whether the forum could have adequate security.

Donald Trump 'We need strong borders'

Republicans said she was merely trying to deny the president the stage.

The exchange underscored the tension between the two leaders, both playing to their core supporters as they battle over the president's demand for money to build a US-Mexico border wall.T he receptionist at a doctors' surgery has been praised for her response to a patient who said they didnt want an "Asian doctor."

Dr Punam Krishan told of her pride after the receptionist fired back saying the doctor "is Scottish" following the patient's remark.

According to the Glasgow-based GP, the receptionist asked what do Scottish people look like?" silencing the patient, who then took the appointment card.

Dr Krishan said: "I am aware that it happens across the board but we rarely talk about it.

"There is no reason or place for it.

"I have had a very positive response which is so uplifting.

"Scotland is my home. It is a beautiful, multicultural, diverse nation and ultimately we all need to work together for something like the NHS.

"Disease does not pick a gender and disease does not pick a colour. When you strip it back we are all human."

When asked why she didn't refuse the patient treatment, she said: "It is important to treat the person before me and see that they are safe and well.

"It is not right to turn someone away who needs help.

"My receptionist put this person in their place and they left with some food for thought."

Her tweet went viral, with many congratulating the receptionist on their response.

Sheka Forna said: As an Aberdonian who was once told by a fellow Scot that it must have been very sunny on the day I was born, I salute your receptionist.

Doc Rehman added: A few years ago a patient asked if I was Scottish.

I replied yes, to which she casually enquired why I was tanned!

I politely advised her that I was from the South of Scotland and we get a lot more sunshine there.

"It is important to treat the person before me and see that they are safe and well.

"It is not right to turn someone away who needs help.H itachi is halting work on a 20bn nuclear plant in north Wales amid rising construction costs.

The Japanese firm said that it was not continuing with work already under way at Wylfa on Anglesey despite making strong progress on the project.

It said it had not been able to reach an agreement on financing and associated commercial arrangements.

Should the work be scrapped completely, thousands of jobs will be at risk, the BBC reports.

A man passes by the logo of Hitachi prior to a press conference at the companys headquarters in Tokyo on January 17, 2019 / AFP/Getty Images

Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Hitachi's nuclear business, Horizon Nuclear Power, said: "We have made very strong progress on all aspects of the project's development, including the UK design of our tried and tested reactor, supply chain development and especially the building of a very capable organisation of talented and committed people.

"We have been in close discussions with the UK Government, in co-operation with the government of Japan, on the financing and associated commercial arrangements for our project for some years now.

"I am very sorry to say that, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, we've not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned."

President of Japanese company Hitachi, Toshiaki Higashihara, listens to a question during a press conference at the company's headquarters in Tokyo / AFP/Getty Images

Hitachi said it will also suspend work on another site, in Oldbury in Gloucestershire, "until a solution can be found".

"In the meantime, we will take steps to reduce our presence but keep the option to resume development in future," said Mr Hawthorne.

"We will begin consultation on the implications immediately with our staff who have shown extraordinary talent, resilience and determination to take this complex and exciting project to this stage.

"We will also engage closely with the many international and UK-based stakeholders who have strongly supported the project's development, especially our lead host community of Anglesey in Wales, represented by the Isle of Anglesey County Council and Welsh Government, and the key representatives around Oldbury."

A Business Department spokesman said: "As the Business Secretary set out in June, any deal needs to represent value for money and be the right one for UK consumers and taxpayers.

"Despite extensive negotiations and hard work by all sides, the Government and Hitachi are unable to reach agreement to proceed at this stage.

"This Government is committed to the nuclear sector, giving the go-ahead to the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C, investing 200 million through our recent sector, which includes millions for advanced nuclear technologies.

"We are also reviewing alternative funding models for future nuclear projects and will update on these findings in summer 2019."

Hitachi's move follows a decision by Toshiba not to go ahead with a nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria.

Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: "Hitachi's announcement, coming so soon after the Moorside fiasco, raises the very real prospect of a UK energy crisis.

"As coal is taken out of the equation in the next few years and the existing nuclear fleet reaches the end of its natural life after 50 years, decisions are already long overdue for construction to be completed in time and not leave the country at risk of power cuts or reliant on imported electricity, much of it from unreliable regimes.

"While the Government has had its head up its proverbial backside over Brexit, vital matters like guaranteeing the country's future energy supply appear to have gone by the wayside."T he Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a serious road traffic accident with another vehicle but escaped uninjured.

The Duke, 97, was "conscious but very shocked and shaken" but unhurt following the crash and was seen by a doctor as a precautionary measure.

Buckingham Palace said the accident took place close to the Sandringham Estate. Police were called to the scene at around 3pm on Thursday afternoon.

The crash involved the Duke's Land Rover and another vehicle, a Kia. Two women in the Kia suffered minor injuries.

Prince Philip was said to have been uninjured but 'shaken' after a crash at the Sandringham Estate

Pictures from the scene showed Philip's Land Rover flipped onto its side. He was driving at the time of the crash, it is understood.

An eyewitness told the BBC that he helped the Duke of Edinburgh out of his overturned car.

He was said to have been "very, very, shocked" and shaken.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Range Rover is removed from the scene of the crash

Local police attended the scene.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "The male driver of the Land Rover was uninjured. The female driver of the Kia suffered cuts while the female passenger sustained an arm injury, both requiring hospital treatment.

"We can confirm both casualties from the Kia have been treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn and have since been discharged.

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"The road remained open and both vehicles were recovered a short time later.

"It is force policy to breath test drivers involved in collisions. We can confirm both drivers were breath tested and provided negative readings."

Police were called to the scene at Sandringham at around 3pm today

The Duke is understood to have been accompanied by his Scotland Yard Personal Protection officer at the time of the crash. His protection officer was uninjured.

Eyewitness Berneen Caney said: I was driving and the car in front of me started to brake and turn off.

"But there was a lot of glass and debris all over the road.

"I see a police car and a paramedic on the side of the road, with about six or seven people sort of standing there."

Archbishop of York John Sentamu said on Twitter: "God of Love and Compassion reach out with your Peace to the people who were in the car involved in the traffic accident with Prince Philips vehicle.Amen."

The Duke of Edinburgh was recently seen driving wearing spectacles in a four wheel drive vehicle at Balmoral.

He remains an independent and active man since his retirement.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 97, was seen by a doctor after the crash / PA

He has been spending time with the Queen who is currently at Sandringham.

The Duke is now based at Wood Farm where he has a small number of servants attending to him.

The Prince has always been a keen driver and just two weeks after his surgery in June this year, the Duke was spotted back in the driving seat at Windsor.

While officially retired from royal duties since August 2017, Prince Philip keeps himself busy with some of his favourite hobbies.

However the Duke has suffered a string of minor health issues in recent years.

He was hospitalised the same year he retired after becoming ill with an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.

In 2011, he had heart surgery for a blocked coronary artery.A ndrea Leadsom today wished Commons Speaker John Bercow a happy birthday by quoting from Britain's beloved children's classic Winnie-the-Pooh.

Although the pair have clashed several times of late, the Leader of the House of Commons said: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift, which is why we call it the present.

"On the eve of AA Milne's birthday that's a favourite quote from Winnie-the-Pooh and, as Eeyore said, 'it never hurts to keep looking for sunshine' and so can I wish you, Mr Speaker, a very happy birthday for Saturday."

The bizarre moment sparked a flurry of Winnie-the-Pooh quotes throughout Business questions on Thursday as other MPs cited their favourite lines.

Speaker John Bercow thanked Andrea Leadsom for the birthday wishes / Parliament TV

Ms Leadsom first quoted the book during her opening Business statement, in which she announced that MPs will debate and vote on the Government's Brexit "next steps" on January 29.

She added: "Finally, can I leave the House with an uplifting and rather wise thought from Winnie-the-Pooh - 'If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient, it may simply be he has a small piece of fluff in his ear'."

The Speaker replied: "I thank the Leader of the House for her birthday wishes. I'm looking forward to the occasion, although not quite as much as when I was 15 rather than 56."

Ms Leadsom's liberal quotations from the text soon prompted other MPs to reference Pooh in their questions.

Ms Leadsom revealed the new date for the next Brexit vote in the Commons on Thursday / REUTERS

An hour into questions, Labour MP Kevin Brannan said: "When she sends her card signed 'Love, Andrea' to Mr Speaker tomorrow, can I remind her that when Piglet asked 'How do you spell love?' Pooh said 'You don't spell it, you feel it'."

He added: "But even a bear of very little brain knows that this House wants to rule out a no deal Brexit. When is she going to give us just that?"

Ms Leadsom replied after saying "I'm just too tempted Mr Speaker, you're going to love this."

TODO: define component type apester

She quoted the book again, adding: "What I say to the honourable gentleman is 'Rivers know this: there is no hurry, we shall get there some day'.

"A compentent Government has to continue to prepare for all eventualities. That is just the reality."

Ms Leadsom earlier told MPs when they will debate the Government's proposed Brexit "next steps".

She said: "A statement and a motion on the Government's next steps under Section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act will be tabled on Monday.S peeches from Theresa May have come thick and fast in recent weeks as she fights to push through a Brexit deal.

Last night, the Prime Minister delivered a statement outside Downing Street but was accused of giving an address that put forward little new information and included many of her Brexit soundbites.

Throughout the Brexit negotiations and her struggle to push through her deal for leaving the EU, Mrs May has consistently used phrases such as "in the national interest" and "delivering on the result of the referendum" in almost every speech.

The PM was famously nicknamed the "Maybot" during the 2017 General Election for repeatedly using the "strong and stable" slogan and was once challenged on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show to get through an interview without using any soundbites.

Below the Standard details some of her most-used phrases of late.

The national interest

As Theresa May urged MPs to back her deal and when she also fought a confidence vote, she asked Parliamentarians to focus on one thing - the national interest.

Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in the House of Commons after surviving the no confidence motion / PA

She has called on politicians to put aside party politics and focus upon the 'national interest' time and time again.

In her statement after overcoming the confidence vote, she mentioned the national interest twice while also using a variation of the next phrase in this list four times.

Deliver on the result of the referendum

This is almost undoubtedly Mrs May's most used phrase in her Brexit speeches.

In her statement outside Downing Street after defeating the no confidence motion in the Government, she repeated a variation of the phrase four times.

In every speech she has given or interview she has taken part in in the last month there has been some paraphrase of this term, as she drummed up the importance of following through on the 2016 vote.

Nigel Farage with protestors pushing for Brexit / REUTERS/Toby Melville

Combining two tenets of her Brexit philosophy in one sentence, she said outside Downing Street on Wednesday: Its time for us to come together, put the national interest first and deliver on the referendum.

Before the damning vote on her deal on Tuesday, she also mentioned this four times in the Commons.

This sentiment was also frequently prefaced or followed by her stating people in Britain wanted politicians to "get on with it".

Commenting on her Brexit deal rescue mission, which saw her tour across Britain, she said: "Overwhelmingly, the message I've heard is that people want us to get on with it."

Jobs, security and our union

Explaining why her deal is the best available, Mrs May has spoken of protecting jobs, security and the integrity of our union.

In a Brexit statement on December 10, commenting on her deal, she said: It honours the result of the referendum, protects jobs security and our union.

MPs voting in the House of Commons on the Brexit deal / AFP/Getty Images

Then, just five minutes later, she said again: It protects jobs, security and our union.

Mrs May has used this phrase to defend the need for the Irish backstop in her deal which many MPs are opposed to.

Division and uncertainty

As she attempts to convince people to come behind a deal for Brexit, Mrs May has consistently warned of two issues if they do not - division and uncertainty.

She has said both a General Election or a second referendum would breed the two.

Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech during a visit to the Portmeirion factory in Stoke-on-Trent / REUTERS

In Stoke-on-Trent, on the day before the meaningful vote, she spoke of grave uncertainty if her deal did not pass.

She then also expanded by saying: I think the British people are ready for us to move on. To move beyond division and come together. To move beyond uncertainty."

In a speech in Brussels on November 26 after her Cabinet endorsed her deal, Mrs May warned MPs that voting down her Brexit deal would open the door to "more division and uncertainty" in Parliament.

Deal that's on the table

Mrs May used this expression to urge MPs to back her Brexit plans and to indicate her stance there is no other divorce deal available with the European Union.

In a speech the day before she lost the meaningful vote, she said: "The only deal on the table is the one MPs will be voting on tomorrow night."

This claim was backed up frequently by figureheads from the EU27 stating there would be no further negotiations.

She also frequently told Parliamentarians concerned by no-deal scenarios they could take that "off the table" by supporting her vote.

In one interview in the lead up to the vote, she said: "The only way to take no deal off the table is to have a deal and to agree the deal."

The sentiment was also often shared alongside another frequent line of hers, that there was her deal, no-deal or no Brexit as options for MPs.P hilip Hammond told business leaders that a no-deal Brexit could be "taken off the table" and Article 50 "rescinded", according to a leaked conference call.

A transcript of the call details the Chancellors conversation with 11 business leaders just hours after the historic defeat for Theresa May over her Brexit deal on Tuesday.

Mr Hammond began the call by explaining that the defeat raised two questions: can Article 50 be revoked and "whether we can somehow take the option of no deal off the table".

In the transcript, obtained by The Telegraph, the Chancellor said the EU would not consider extending Article 50 "unless or until we have a clear plan to go forward".

Prime Minister Theresa May speaks outside Downing Street / Yui Mok/PA

He added that the "large majority" in the Commons are opposed to a no-deal "in any circumstances".

Mr Hammond referred to a cross-party Bill, from Tory MP Nick Boles, which aims to force the Government to extend Article 50 if a Brexit deal cannot be reached, according to The Telegraph.

On Monday, MPs will vote on an amendment that will "pave the way for the Bill", the paper said.

Mr Hammond said: "What this group of backbenchers has been doing is seeking to find a mechanism by which the House of Commons can express that view in a way which is binding and effective."

Theresa May says MPs must 'work together' to deliver Brexit

The business leaders sought assurances from Mr Hammond, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Business Secretary Greg Clark, who were also on the call, that a no-deal could be ruled out.

Doug Gurr, head of Amazon UK, reportedly said ruling out a no deal would give "comfort" to global boards.

But Mr Hammond said it would not be until next week that things became clearer.

John Allan, chairman of Tesco and president of the CBI, asked if taking a no-deal Brexit off the table reduced the UK's negotiating power with the EU.

Mr Hammond said removing options had consequences.

He added: "The Government is not in control of this. I am only telling you what information I have been able to glean.

"My understanding is that because the bill being brought forward will simply and solely rescind the Article 50 notice, the legal opinion that they have is that that will meet the test that the European Court of Justice has laid down for unilateral recision of an Article 50 notice.

"It is not within their power to mandate any future course of action, that would be for a Government to do."

TODO: define component type apesterH e was once Englands youngest councillor and for a time the youngest sitting MP. But Andrew Gwynnes political ambition was plagued by periods of damaging mental ill health.

Now aged 44, Labours campaigns co-ordinator and one of the partys most senior figures gives his first interview discussing his experience of depression in an attempt to reach out to others who may be suffering too.

Men and particularly young men have got to understand they are not alone, says Gwynne when we meet in his Westminster office. It can affect all of us, irrespective of age, gender, social class and background.

Gwynne says that at many points in his 23-year career in politics he just tried to put a brave face on.

Indeed it would be impossible to tell that this key member of Jeremy Corbyns team has on occasion given himself a pep talk before facing the cameras or speaking in the Commons. A heated row with Boris Johnson live on Sky News during the 2017 general election became one of the memorable media moments of the campaign.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (left) and Labour MP Andrew Gwynne clash on Sky News before the 2017 General Election / Getty Images

Should there be a snap general election, Gwynne will be the man who will manage the partys campaign.

On coping with the frontline of politics, he says: You just need a quiet moment to yourself to get into the headspace of what you need to do and sometimes it is mentally exhausting.

Boris Johnson argues with Andrew Gwynne in Sky interview (2)

I am fine at it now, but I did go through a stage where it was difficult to speak in Parliament.

In 1996, at 21, Gwynne became Englands youngest councillor, on Tameside council in Greater Manchester. In 2005 he was elected MP for Denton and Reddish in the city, becoming the youngest in the Commons at the time.

He lives in the constituency with his wife Allison, 44, and has three children, James, 21, William, 19, and Maisie, 17. Later this year he will become a grandfather for the first time.

He takes medication to manage his condition and has had two rounds of counselling on the NHS.

The death of his mother from ovarian cancer in 1994, when he was 19, has haunted him throughout his adult life. He and his father had to make the agonising decision to end her treatment and he witnessed her final moments as she suffered incredible pain on a hospital bed.

Two years later his uncle, whom he describes as an older brother, committed suicide. His fathers late sister Sue was a heroin addict and alcoholic who was jailed for a time, but eventually became clean and worked as a volunteer in the drugs and alcohol service.

So there is mental ill health in the family, he says, before explaining that no one ever talked about it, which is a reason he wants to speak out. I want to do this so my children understand, he adds.

Gwynne finally sought help in 2010, following a long period of physical ill health. He had become extremely unwell, feeling exhausted and blacking out, owing to an undiagnosed salt deficiency. Then he had a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot on the lung, collapsing at Euston station as he tried to get back to London for a three-line whip vote.

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn with Andrew Gwynne / Getty Images

I got to the top of the stairs that go down to the taxi rank and all I remember is from the waist down my legs just disappeared. I had no feeling whatsoever and I felt every single one of those steps as my head skidded all the way along the long walkway and crashed against one of the illuminated advertising hoardings.

I still got into the taxi, still got into the Commons on time.

In your thirties you nearly die, leaving your family behind. That was really difficult to come to terms with. I suppose some of my mental ill health started many moons before I collapsed, but thats what broke the shell.

Finally deciding to take medication for depression was hard to accept, because its an admission you need pills. He now takes the maximum dosage of citalopram and believes it has made a significant difference.

He remembers being mocked on College Green by Conservative MPs and journalists over Labours chances on the day the 2017 general election was called. He bursts into laughter remembering an LBC journalist asking: Mr Gwynne, why are you so cheery when you are 25 per cent behind the Tories? He recalls: I just said, Its the pills not the polls, and everybody started laughing, and I said, That wasnt a joke. I was being serious. It is the pills and not the polls! However, its not until today that he has fully explained the context behind that comment.

He is undaunted by colleagues who have cautioned against him speaking out about his mental health, concerned that it would be exploited as a weakness by his opponents.

Its normal and thats what weve got to get around to people, he says. If youre feeling low, talk about it because youll be quite surprised that other people very close to you have probably been in that place. They might even be in that place at the same time.MEDIA  Delaware County's most senior medical official issued recommendations pertaining to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has killed more than 100 people and sickened thousands in China.Prof. Dr. Thang, also Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Theory Council, said the delegation was in Laos to attend a high-level seminar between the HCMA and Laos National Academy of Politics and Public Administration to review their cooperation.

During the event, the two sides discussed collaboration in personnel training and the translation of the Complete Works of Ho Chi Minh into Lao. They announced the translated version of volumes 5, 7 and 8 as well as a memorandum of understanding on future cooperation, he said.

He expressed his hope that the Lao leader will pay greater attention to directing links between the two Central Theory Councils and political academies.

For his part, LPRP leader and President of Laos Bounnhang Volachith lauded the cooperation between the two academies over the years along with the outcomes of the working visit.

He said Lao suffers from a lack of qualified personnel in theory and scientific research, proposing that the Vietnamese side continue supporting Laos in this field. He said he hopes the two academies will promptly implement their agreements.

On the occasion, the Lao leader conveyed gratitude to the Party, State and people of Vietnam for their support to Laos.

Earlier on January 14, the HCMA delegation held talks with officials from the Laos National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, during which the two sides evaluated the results of their cooperation agreement in 2014-2018.

During the period, the two academies coordinated closely in personnel training, delegation exchange, scientific research and translation of the Complete Works of Ho Chi Minh into Lao, as well as in a project to upgrade infrastructure for the Laos National Academy of Politics and Public Administration.

The two sides also worked together in professional knowledge sharing and information exchange, facilitating research in both Vietnam and Laos.

In the 2019-2023 period, the two academies will continue fostering ties in personnel training, scientific research and information and document sharing.

Following the seminar, the two sides signed a cooperation agreement for 2019-2023.

During their stay, the Vietnamese delegation also worked with the Lao National Social Science Council.A BBC subtitle blunder made it appear as if Michael Gove was vehemently against comic book hero Batman becoming Prime Minister.

As the Environment Secretary denounced Jeremy Corbyn in the Commons he said: This country should never allow that man to be Prime Minister.

However, the automated subtitles instead swapped that man for Batman.

On Wednesday night, Mr Gove made the closing speech in the debate on the no confidence motion in the Government which is narrowly defeated.

Some of the more observant BBC viewers took a photo of the gaffe and shared it to social media.

One wrote: I for one am happy to allow Batman to be our Prime Minister.

Another called it the best subtitle blunder ever while one stated: I think Batman would make a brilliant Prime Minister.

It even prompted calls of Batman for Prime Minister, as one said: Batman for Prime Minister! Hes the Prime Minister we need, but not the one we deserve.

It is not the first time the BBC has had a subtitles blunder, since switching to an automated system which electronically converts speaker's sentences into text.

Last year, the subtitles read that Mr Corbyn "admired Prince Harry and Hezbollah" as he congratulated Meghan and Harry on their engagement.

In his attack on Mr Corbyn on Wednesday night, Mr Gove said the Labour leader was the worst possible person to lead the Labour party.T he Speakers signature style of maintaining order in the Commons has both impressed and bemused those watching the Brexit furore from outside of Britain.

John Bercows bellows to the House, a staple element of Brexit debates of late, have been described as Monty Python-esque and even beautiful.

A clip of the controversial figure captioned Order! Order! Order! was shared by German outlet Tagesschau, showing him yelling at unruly MPs.

It has been viewed thousands of times on Twitter, met with amusement by some and confusion by others.

One commented: That's so funny. In German parliament, the president of the house would call a member to order with all respect. In traditional Britain it's just a barked orrrdaaaa.

Another described the 55-year-old former Conservatives demeanour as "hard, accurate, authentic and dangerous".

Canadian outlet, CBC News, posted Bercow calling people to order and asking for zen, restraint, patience.

They captioned it: British Parliament's House Speaker is not to be trifled with."

The two news anchors laughed at a clip of him and one said: I find him very entertaining.

They then spoke of the theatre of it all.

John Bercow has been busy conducting business in the House of Commons / AFP/Getty Images

One watcher wrote: A bit of Monty Python, Mr Bean, On the Buses and Benny Hill all rolled into one.

Some even called for Mr Bercow or someone of his ilk to be employed in the Canadian political system.

As well as social media being full of discussion of Mr Bercow, there have also been editorials about him in newspapers on the continent.

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant wrote a profile on him and said: No one on the British island can call order, order more beautifully.

They also dubbed him louder, boisterous and, yes, more animal than ever, the Guardian reports.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir called him often unbearable but irreplaceable.

On Reddit, one person described his role as "functionally the same as that of a secondary school teacher".T ony Blair today said that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was wrong to snub the Prime Ministers offer of Brexit talks in a moment of national crisis.

Mr Corbyn has refused to meet with Theresa May at Downing Street to discuss a way forward unless she agrees to rule out a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Blair told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: If, in a moment of national crisis, the Prime Minister asks the Leader of the Opposition to come and talk, of course he should.

In a speech in Hastings today, Mr Corbyn was set to describe Mrs Mays offer of talks as a stunt and not a serious attempt to engage with the new reality of Parliament after her Brexit proposals suffered a historic defeat.

Tony Blair said Jeremy Corbyn was wrong to snub Theresa May / PA

He was expected to say: I am always prepared to talk. My phone is on. But the starting point for any talks about Brexit must be that the threat of a disastrous no-deal outcome is ruled out.

At Labours party conference in September, Mr Corbyn said he would back the Prime Minister on Brexit if she backed a customs union.

Angela Smith MP, who is backing the campaign for a second referendum alongside 70 of her Labour colleagues, said she was disappointed Mr Corbyn had not taken up Mrs Mays offer.

Theresa May says MPs must 'work together' to deliver Brexit

She said: It is a mistake for [him] to put barriers in the way of cross-party talks on the most important issue facing us at the moment. We are not going to get anywhere with this approach.

Mr Corbyns decision will play into the hands of his critics who believe he is trying to put off making a decision on supporting a second referendum. If he backs a Peoples Vote he may risk alienating Leave voters in Labour heartlands. Labour MP Mike Gapes tweeted: Apparently Corbyn is prepared to hold talks with Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad and Iran without preconditions. But not with the UK Prime Minister. Why?

Last night Mrs May survived a vote of no confidence called by Labour and said she was disappointed its leader had not wanted to meet her to discuss Brexit.

However, a senior Labour source said: I see no point in him communicating with Theresa May. Whats the point in having talks with someone who has waited two years, and is still failing to understand this issue?T heresa May today rebuffed growing calls to rule out a no-deal Brexit by issuing a formal call-out notice for troops to help manage any chaos triggered by Britain crashing out of the EU.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told Parliament that 3,500 regular and reserve forces would be ready to be deployed across the country.

They could swiftly bolster responses to any no-deal threats to the welfare, health and security of UK citizens and to the economic stability of the UK, the Ministry of Defence stressed. Military fuel tanker drivers, engineers, planners and logistics experts could be sent in to deal with any food, medicine and petrol shortage crises, as well as offering support in Whitehall and to town halls.

Mr Willamson said: We will have 3,500 service personnel held at readiness, including regulars and reserves, in order to support any government department on any contingencies they may need.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson / AP

In another development, it was claimed a group of ministers are threatening to resign if they are ordered to vote against moves to empower Parliament to take key decisions on Brexit.

Tory MP Nick Boles said he had been assured by a large single-digit number of Cabinet ministers that they will not vote against the cross-party plan.

As the military plans gathered pace:

A new poll revealed support to Remain in the EU had risen sharply amid the Brexit turmoil to 56 per cent, compared with 44 per cent Leave.

Tony Blair criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for refusing to take part in crisis Brexit talks with the Prime Minister unless she rejects no deal.

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner insisted Mrs May had to take away the gun that she has been trying to hold to Parliaments head by saying its either my deal or no deal.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers were holding more talks with senior MPs to break the deadlock in Parliament.

TODO: define component type apester

Cabinet minister Liz Truss publicly rejected Britain staying in a customs union, despite Mrs May appearing to have softened her red line on this issue after her Brexit blueprint was crushed this week in the worst defeat suffered by a government.

France triggered a contingency plan for a no-deal Brexit, including a 44 million fund for ports and airport.

This morning Mr Williamson issued a call-out order for about 350 Army reservists to reinforce regular Army units, act as liaison officers and provide specialist skills.

They are set to get call-up notices from February 10 to join the no-deal contingency operation. At the same time, thousands of regular forces are being identified ready for deployment.From the bottom of our hearts, we want them to stay.

Without your great nation, this Continent would not be what it is today: a community defined by freedom and prosperity.

After the horrors of the Second World War, Britain did not give up on us. It has welcomed Germany back as a sovereign nation and a European power.

This we, as Germans, have not forgotten and we are grateful.T heresa May has told Jeremy Corbyn it is "impossible" for the government to rule out a no-deal Brexit as he has demanded.

The Prime Minister was responding to the Labour leader after he snubbed talks offered by Mrs May over the terms of her Brexit deal - and tried to ban his MPs from doing the same.

Mr Corbyn said he would only enter negotiations when Mrs May takes no-deal "off the table".

But Mrs May, in a letter to her rival, said this is an "impossible condition" because it is not within the government's power to do it.

Theresa May in discussions with MPs over 'Plan B' Brexit

She said: "I note that you have said that 'ruling out' no deal is a precondition before we can meet, but that is an impossible condition because it is not within the government's power to rule out no deal.

"Let me explain why. Under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the Withdrawal Act 2018, we will leave the EU without a deal on 29 March unless Parliament either agrees a deal with the EU or the UK revokes article 50 and chooses to stay in the EU permanently.

Jeremy Corbyn winks to a colleague at a rally in Hastings on Thursday / Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

"So there are two way to avoid no deal: either vote for a deal, in particular a Withdrawal Agreement, that has been agreed with the EU, or to revoke Article 50 and overturn the referendum result.

"I believe it would be wrong to overturn the referendum result."

Theresa May offered cross-party talks in her Downing Street speech on Wednesday / Getty Images

Mr Corbyn has urged Labour MPs not to "engage" with the government over its Brexit deal after at least three prominent backbenchers took up an offer of talks with ministers.

The Labour leader sent a letter to members of the parliamentary party after Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper and John Mann all visited the Cabinet Office for talks in Whitehall on Thursday.

Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper speak to journalists after a meeting at the Cabinet Office on Thursday to discuss Brexit / Getty Images

Their visits came just hours after Mr Corbyn had used a speech in Hastings to reiterate his demand that a no-deal Brexit must be ruled out before he would take up Theresa May's offer of talks.

In his subsequent letter to MPs, Mr Corbyn said no deal would be "disastrous" and must be off the table, adding: "I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain from engagement with the government until 'no deal' is taken off the table."

Both Mr Benn - who said he wanted to see if there was an "open mind" behind the offer of talks as he went in - and Ms Cooper had echoed Mr Corbyn's demands on no deal as they left the Cabinet office later on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Corbyn wrote to Prime Minister Theresa May - who offered cross-party talks on Wednesday after surviving the Labour leader's motion of no confidence - demanding she removes the threat of no deal before they meet.T heresa May will today continue her fight to break the Brexit deadlock as she holds cross-party talks in a bid to reach a deal that would pass in the Commons.

After seeing off a no-confidence vote, the Prime Minister announced she would invite party leaders for discussions to get a Parliamentary consensus on Britain's exit from the bloc.

But she faces an uphill struggle after opposition party leaders demanded she scraps the no-deal option as a condition of progress.

Mrs May last night held talks with Lib-Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, SMP Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Plaid Cymrus Liz Saville-Roberts.

Under pressure: Theresa May / AP

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to even sit down with her until the concession was guaranteed.

The Prime Minister she had held "constructive" meetings with party leaders and would meet MPs and with the DUP on Thursday.

Mrs May said she was disappointed Mr Corbyn has not so far taken part, adding: but our door remains open.

Downing Street refused to make a concession on the possibility of ditching the no-deal option.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Want to leave with a deal but she is determined to deliver on the verdict of the British public and that is to leave the EU on March 29 this year."

Asked by a reporter if he was "taking no-deal off the table" in response to the opposition leader's demand, the spokesman replied: "I am not."

Mrs May made a short live television address to the nation late on Wednesday in which she said the talks had been constructive.

She added: "I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open."

TODO: define component type apester

Mrs May also aimed remarks at Parliamentarians who voted against her Brexit plan on Tuesday.

She said that "MPs have made clear what they don't want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want".

The PM added: "It will not be an easy task, but MPs know they have a duty to act in the national interest, reach a consensus and get this done."

Todays talks take place the day after she survived an attempt to oust her as Prime Minister, as MPs rejected Mr Corbyn's motion of no confidence in the Government by a margin of 325 to 306.

Theresa May steps out of Number 10 to make a statement after brushing off the confidence vote / REUTERS

The Prime Minister's 19-vote victory came less than 24 hours after the crushing defeat of her EU Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons, and clears the way for her to start cross-party talks on a Brexit Plan B.

Conservative rebels and members of the DUP who consigned the PM to the worst defeat in parliamentary history on Wednesday rallied behind her to see off the threat of a general election.

She pledged to approach the talks "in a constructive spirit" and urged other parties to do the same, adding: "I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver on Brexit and ensure that this House retains the confidence of the British people."

But Mr Corbyn responded: "Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the Government must remove clearly once and for all the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that."S upport for staying in the European Union has jumped to its highest level since the 2016 referendum in the wake of the crushing Commons defeat for Theresa Mays deal.

A new YouGov poll reveals 56 per cent of voters would choose Remain if given the chance in a fresh referendum. Only 44 per cent said they would vote Leave. The 12-point lead for Remain is a big increase from eight points at the end of last year, and will be seen as evidence that voters are losing confidence in Brexit.

It is three times as big as the four-point margin that Leave secured in the 2016 referendum to commit Britain to quitting the EU. Support has also grown for a second referendum, found YouGovs survey of 1,000 adults, which was commissioned by the Peoples Vote campaign but conducted independently.

Some 47 per cent of the public back a new vote, or 56 per cent for and 44 against after excluding dont knows.

Loading....

The snap poll was conducted after Tuesday nights record-breaking Commons vote against Mrs Mays withdrawal blueprint, which was crushed by 432 votes to 202.

Last night the Prime Minister managed to unite the Tories and her on-off Democratic Unionist Party allies to resist a Labour motion of no confidence by 325 votes to 306. Labour MP Chuka Umunna, a leading supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign, urged party leader Jeremy Corbyn to read the results and back a referendum.

This snap poll shows more than ever why the Government needs to change course and hand this decision on Brexit back to the people, he said.

TODO: define component type apester

The poll also underlines why the leadership of my party needs to listen to Labours own supporters, more than three-quarters of whom are demanding a Peoples Vote. To ignore those calls now would be an historic mistake for which Labour would not be forgiven.

Countdown to Brexit: 71 days until Britain leaves the EU

Scottish Secretary David Mundell effectively ruled out holding a second referendum today, despite the Prime Minister offering talks with other parties aimed at finding a consensus.

Shes not going down a route to stop Brexit, he said, saying the talks were only designed to produce an orderly Brexit route. Everything is up for discussion but what isnt going to be an outcome is arrangements that seek to stop Brexit, which I believe the Peoples Vote is designed to do.

But the Scottish National Partys Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable both used talks to push for a referendum.

Brexit: Meaningful Vote - In Pictures 1 /29 Brexit: Meaningful Vote - In Pictures A Leaver and a pro-European demonstrator argue during protests opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AP A police officer extinguishes a flag that was set alight by pro-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament PA An anti-Brexit protester dressed in a Theresa May costume recreates a scene from the 1997 film 'Titanic, EPA Pro Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA PA John Bercow speaks in the House of Commons Sky News Pro-Brexit protestors outside the Houses of Parliament, London PA Prime Minister Theresa May listens to the Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox, speak in the House of Commons ahead of the Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Pro Brexit supporters outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London Reuters Effigies of Prime Minister Theresa May, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, current Environment Secretary Michael Gove and former Brexit secretary David Davis, are driven past the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab, Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Arlene Foster, Conservative Peer Lord Lilley and former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis speak to the media during a press conference to offer an alternative Brexit plan Getty Images Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg speaks to the media outside the Palace of Westminster Getty Images Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Former leader of UKIP Nigel Farage speaks to the media as Pro-Brexit and Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray outside the Houses of Parliament, London PA Pro EU protesters and Pro Leave protesters demonstrate outside Parliament EPA A man dressed to imitate former foreign secretary Boris Johnson holds a fake bank note for 350 million pounds outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images A pro-Brexit 'battle bus' (L) drives past a mix of pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters outside the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Images Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray (left) talks with a Brexiteer outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA A pro-European demonstrator sings during a protest opposite the Houses of Parliament AP Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes leaves 10 Downing Street, London, following a cabinet meeting, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Anti-Brexit and Pro-Brexit protesters fly flags outside the Houses of Parliament, London, ahead of the House of Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal PA Theresa May leaves a cabinet meeting at Downing Street AP A pro remain supporter wears anti brexit badges on his hat, during protests outside of the Parliament EPA Anti and pro Brexit placards are displayed outside of the Parliament EPA Anti-Brexit supporters hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Anti-Brexit demonstrators hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images Pro-Brexit supporters hold up placards outside Parliament AFP/Getty Images

Conservative supporters of a second EU referendum this morning launched a Right to Vote campaign in an attempt to push Mrs May into holding a re-run of the 2016 plebiscite.A second referendum would take more than a year to organise, according to civil service guidance shown to MPs holding talks with Theresa May and senior ministers.

The one-page document published by the Daily Telegraph sets out the stages required to mount another poll in bullet-point form.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that the "illustrative" paper had been drawn up "to inform discussions" and stressed that it remained government policy that no referendum would be held.

It came as the Prime Minister was accused of running down the clock on Brexit as the date of the vote on her Plan B was confirmed for January 29, just 59 days before the UK leaves the EU.

Theresa May says MPs must 'work together' to deliver Brexit

It also emerged on Thursday that Mrs May faces a mass walkout of ministers if she orders Parliament to stop taking control of Brexit.

The Evening Standard learned a number of Cabinet ministers have given private assurances to senior backbenchers that they will refuse to vote against a crucial amendment empowering the House of Commons to drive the agenda on Brexit.

The amendment is being put down by former ministers Nick Boles and Sir Oliver Letwin with a cross-party group of senior MPs, including Labours Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper.

MP Hilary Benn and MP Yvette Cooper of the Labour Part leave the Cabinet Office after meeting with Theresa May / Getty Images

Number 10 has declined to provide details of cross-party discussions held ahead of Monday, when Mrs May will present her new plan, but said she intends to continue speaking with parliamentarians and EU leaders over the coming days.

However no plans have been announced for any trip to Brussels, with the PM expected to spend the weekend at her country residence Chequers.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is not taking part in talks after he insisted Mrs May first remove the possibility of no-deal, has described the talks as a "stunt".

He also urged his MPs not to "engage" with the Government over a Brexit deal after prominent backbenchers Mr Benn, Ms Cooper and John Mann all took up the offer and visited the Cabinet Office in Whitehall.

In a letter Mr Corbyn thanked them for their support in the debates against Mrs May's withdrawal agreement and then in the defeated no confidence vote on Wednesday.

In signing off he said no-deal would be "disastrous" and must be off the table, adding: "I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain from engagement with the Government until 'no deal' is taken off the table."

Earlier, in a speech in Hastings, he was applauded by Labour supporters for saying that a second referendum was still an option.

To clapping from the floor, he said: "If the Government remains intransigent, if support for Labour's alternative is blocked for party advantage and the country is facing the potential disaster of no-deal, our duty will then be to look at other options which we set out in our confidence motion, including that of a public vote."

It came as a snap poll conducted in the wake of the PM's crushing defeat on her Brexit plan found a 12-point lead for remaining in the EU, the largest margin since the referendum.

The YouGov survey of more than 1,000 voters found 56 per cent would now vote to stay in the EU, against 44 per cent who want to leave.T heresa May faces a mass walkout of ministers if she orders them to stop Parliament taking control over Brexit, the Evening Standard has learned.

A number of Cabinet ministers have given private assurances to senior backbenchers that they will refuse to vote against a crucial amendment empowering the House of Commons to drive the agenda on Brexit.

A bigger group of about 20 middle-ranking and junior ministers is threatening to resign if Chief Whip Julian Smith attempts to instruct them to oppose a crucial amendment.

The extraordinary rebellion was revealed as the Government desperately tried to avoid defeat by announcing that voting on a Plan B promised by the Prime Minister is being unexpectedly postponed until January 29.

Andrea Leadsom revealed the new date for the next Brexit vote in the Commons on Thursday / REUTERS

Furious MPs said the delay, announced by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, appeared to be another attempt to run down the clock towards Brexit Day on March 29.

Mrs May will make a statement on her plans on Monday, as expected, but voting on her motion will not be allowed for another eight days.

Brexiteers arrive at the cabinet office on January 17 / Getty Images

The delay will also apply to the amendment designed to put Parliament in the driving seat that is being put down by former ministers Nick Boles and Sir Oliver Letwin with a cross-party group of senior MPs, including Labours Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper.

In other developments:

Mr Boles, one of the leaders of the rebellion, told the Standard: A large single-digit-number of Cabinet ministers have told me they will not vote against the amendment.

A larger number of up to 20 ministers outside Cabinet say they will resign if they are whipped to vote against the amendment.

He added: If anything this is gathering greater momentum across the House.

TODO: define component type apester

The effect of the amendment would be to temporarily suspend the Commons standing orders that give the Government control over the timetable of the House. That would allow cross-party groups to pass laws of their own if they can command a majority.

Under the plan, a European Union Withdrawal Number 2 Bill would be voted on, which, if passed, would force the Government to delay the UK departure from the EU and seek a fresh soft-Brexit deal.

The amendment and the Bill were boosted today after confirmation that Chancellor Philip Hammond told business leaders that he believed the backbench amendment would take the threat of a no-deal departure off the table.

He also predicted support for the Bill, saying it would postpone Brexit.

Writing in todays Standard, Sir Oliver said the Bill would ensure that Parliament could kill off the glistening unicorns, including Boris Johnsons call for a managed no deal, which the EU would reject.

He also called on Mrs May to show more flexibility in her red lines in talks with opposition MPs.A n e-fit released by police after a burglary in Staffordshire "resembles E.T."

Police investigating a burglary in Shenstone on Wednesday published an e-fit of a burglary suspect, who was drawn with a long neck, wide eyes and was very skinny.

The appeal on Facebook was soon flooded with comments pointing out the resemblance to E.T., the alien character from Steven Spielbergs science fiction 1982 film by the same name.

One person wrote: The getaway vehicle was apparently a BMX that had a shopping basket on the front.

If I see her, I wont be calling Staffordshire Police, Ill be calling Mulder and Scully, another added, while one person said he doesnt think E.T. is going to phone the police.

Another said: Someone find this woman urgently. She needs to phooooone hoooome.

Police are searching for this woman in connection with a burglary / Staffordshire Police

Others suggested Coronation Streets Gail Platt, Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort or Madge from Benidorm were behind the burglary in Richard Cooper Road on January 3.

Seen her on the front of a pack of pickled onion space raiders, one wrote.

Responding to the wave of comments on Facebook, Staffordshire Police was forced to confirm that no fictional soap characters are potential suspects.

Thank you for all the interest and shares, we can confirm E.T. was at home and no fictional soap characters are potential suspects, a spokesman said.

We hope the engagement created means we can identify the offender quickly.

The force are hunting two women and two men who forced entry to a home in Richard Cooper Road in Shenstone at around 9pm and stole cash and electronics, police said.A police chief has warned of a surge in normally law-abiding people fiddling insurance claims.

Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish said a significant number were made by opportunists who exaggerate claims or omit relevant history.

City of London Polices Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department have now hit their 433rd conviction since 2012. Courts gave out a further 108 years in suspended sentences, 13,355 hours in community orders and over 100,000 in fines.

Det Chief Insp Mullish said: While some may think insurance fraud is a victimless crime, this simply isnt the case. It costs the insurance industry billions each year, which in turn raises the cost of premiums for everyone.

Small-time opportunists may receive non-custodial sentences, but serious criminals may face prison.

Ruksana Ashraf, 44, of Edinburgh, posed as a survivor of the Grenfell Tower blaze, the Manchester Arena bombing and the London Bridge attack, trying to claim 179,000.A man who was planning to blow up the White House with an anti-tank rocket in a suicide attack has been arrested, the FBI has said.

Suspected attacker Hasher Jallal Taheb, 21, was detained in a sting after trying to buy explosives from undercover FBI agents.

He was charged with attempting to damage or destroy a building owned by the US using fire or an explosive following his arrest on Wednesday.

Taheb planned to use an improved explosive device and an anti-tank rocket, and he wanted to die in the attack, an FBI agent said in statement.

Local law enforcement contacted the intelligence service in March following a tip off that Taheb had been radicalized.A gang who went on a 1 million spending spree in the West End during a credit card scam have been jailed.

Marcus Carter, 38, and his co-accused splashed out on Rolex and Cartier watches and kitted themselves out in Burberry, Gucci and Prada.

They browsed for luxury goods on mobile phones and tablet devices worth 126,000 and dined at restaurants such as Gaucho and the Dorchester Hotel.

Carter along with Jeffrey Spencer, 35, and Frank Allan, 33, used details of old companies to secure huge lines of credit, then maxed out their American Express and Barclays cards.

Carter convinced ex-lovers Yaa Abrefa, 37, and Abena Frempong, 34, to allow their bank accounts to be used to process the fraudulent transactions. Frempong used the cards to buy high-end items which were exported to Ghana.

Between 2014 and 2016 Carter, Spencer and Allan posed as directors of lucrative companies to convince credit card chiefs they were doing business with big-time players.

They then supplied phoney accounts to Companies House to make it look like they were successful traders, Southwark crown court heard last Friday.

Staff at American Express eventually became suspicious and contacted the City of London Polices Fraud Squad. Addison Lee taxi journeys led to their identification.

Carter, also known as Marcus Boahene-Coabbina, was sentenced to seven years and two months after admitting conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

Spencer, aka Victor Templar-Quarshie, of South Norwood, and Allan, aka Frank Templar-Quarshie, also of South Norwood, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to acquire criminal property and failing to disclose the PIN to their phones.

They were jailed for nine years and seven years and nine months respectively. All were disqualified from being a company director. Abrefa, of Thornton Heath, and Frempong, of Petts Wood, were convicted of conspiracy to acquire criminal property.

They were given suspended 18-month and 12-month prison sentences and ordered to carry out unpaid work.A fraudster is facing jail after tricking university students into applying for more loans than they were entitled to and pocketing a cut from the profits.

Waleed Mohamed, 26, logged into students loan accounts and completed a change of circumstances form stating they had moved out of their parental home.

This entitled each undergraduate to up to 3,444 more. Mohamed would then take a cut of the money.

Prosecutors said he used the money to fund his lifestyle and pay for holidays to Morocco and Canada. He is thought to have tricked more than 20 students and pocketed 33,653.

The Student Loans Company paid out an extra 73,267 as a result of the scam.

Mohamed was caught after the loans company became suspicious after seeing a spike in students claiming they were living away from parents homes despite going to London universities.

Nigel Drewry, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: Mohamed was part of a fraud that resulted in dozens of overpaid student loans.

Mohamed, who pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud in December, was due to be sentenced today at Harrow crown court.A Cambridge university graduate was hit and killed outside his home by a speeding driver who was high on cannabis, the Old Bailey heard.

Kevin Chang, 24, was run over in Walworth last April by Malachi Wheatle, who was driving at 70mph along the 30mph road.

Wheatle, also 24, stopped at the scene of the crash in Kennington Park Road and later tested positive for cannabis.

He admitted taking drugs before getting behind the wheel and said he cannot remember how fast he was travelling.

Malachi Wheatle was driving at 70mph / central news

Mr Chang, who had graduated with a masters in engineering from Churchill College, Cambridge, in 2016, suffered devastating injuries in the 4.30am collision and was declared dead at the scene.

Friends and colleagues raised 15,000 after his death to support Mr Changs family, including a sister studying in London and his parents who live in Taiwan.

Wheatle appeared in the dock yesterday to plead guilty to causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs.

The court heard he had a previous conviction for possessing drugs from 2014.

Wheatle denied the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving, and prosecutor Benjamin Temple said the guilty pleas entered would be accepted after taking in the views of Mr Changs family.

Judge Lynn Tayton QC freed Wheatle on bail until sentencing on February 22, but warned that he faces a jail term at the next hearing.

In the aftermath of Mr Changs death, Churchill College said it was deeply saddened and described the former student as a lively, funny and loyal character who made many close friends.

Rob Trimble, chief executive of the Bromley by Bow Centre, a charity where Mr Chang had worked after leaving university, said in a tribute that colleagues remember a passionate, patient and profoundly present young man, someone ready to help on the front line, working with clients who face the toughest of challenges in life.A n Israeli student who was murdered in Australia had been on the phone to her sister when she was randomly attacked close to the university where she was studying, police said.

The body of Aiia Maasarwe was found by passers-by early on Wednesday near La Trobe University's Bundoora campus in the northeast of Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.

Police, who believe the 21-year-old was followed off public transport before she was killed, described Ms Maasarwe as an Israeli national. There have been no arrests.

"This is a horrendous crime that has been inflicted on an innocent member of our community," Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper told a news briefing on Thursday.

"Our presumption is that this was a random attack and opportunistic," he said.

Aiia Maasarwe's body was found in Melbourne, Australia / AP

It was the second time in seven months that a young woman has been killed on her way home at night in Melbourne, which has an active night life and is popular with overseas university students.

Police said Ms Maasarwe had taken a tram home after seeing a comedy show. She had been speaking with her sister on the phone at the time of the attack and her sister alerted authorities, Mr Stamper said.

"She heard the sound of the fall, the phone falling to the ground and heard some voices and that was it," he added.

Ms Maasarwe's family members arrived from Israel on Thursday.

The 21-year-old had been in Melbourne on a six-month study abroad programme as part of a degree at Shanghai University.

A pile of flowers lay in tribute where the body of Aiia Maasarwe was found / EPA

Police said forensic testing was being conducted on two pieces of clothing found nearby that they believe was likely to have been left by the person responsible for her death.

In June, 22-year-old Eurydice Dixon was followed as she walked home from performing at a Melbourne comedy club before she was sexually assaulted and killed in a central park.

People lay flowers in tribute for Aiia Maasarwe / EPA

Ms Dixon's death provoked an outpouring of grief, with more than 5,000 people attending a vigil, and a wider push by police to acknowledge that women should be free to come home alone late at night and be safe.B y accident or design, its been a bumpy 48 hours for Gillette. Engaging with #MeToo, the shaving firms new commercial is meant to be seen as a timely corrective to negative male behaviour: addressing abuse in boardrooms, sexism on the streets and the man up mantra. The film, We Believe: The Best Men Can Be, went viral, with more than four million views on YouTube in 48 hours.

To some its too woke. Some angry Gillette customers filmed themselves throwing away razors in protest. Good Morning Britains Piers Morgan threatened to boycott Gillette over the advert, labelling it virtue-signalling PC guff. For others its about time. This commercial isnt anti-male. Its pro-humanity, wrote Bernice King, daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King. So do men need saving or shaving?

Gillettes We Believe: The Best Men Can Be film, which had more than four million views in 48 hours

The convert

Jimi Famurewa

The first thing to say about the new Gillette advert is that it is far from perfect. Its slightly muddled. Overly drenched in generic, stirring music. Cheesy to the point that it genuinely resembles an SNL sketch. In shaving terms, it is a smooth face blotted with at least a couple of squares of bloodied tissue paper.

Still, none of this really matters. We may roll our eyes at the obviousness of Gillettes mild plea for male decency. Or point out the unit-shifting cynicism behind this newly developed social conscience. But if you are a man in the world  a man who has witnessed mens rights cry-babies wailing about a boycott, or winced at something heinously sexist in an all-male WhatsApp group  you know it is a message that, depressingly enough, has never been more necessary. If I wasnt so lazy Id hack off my beard in solidarity.

The realist

Alex Lawson

As the owner of a decade-old beard not so carefully sculpted using Gillette products, this issue cuts deeper than a rusty razor from the back of the cupboard. Im a big fan of the toxic masculinity debate, as a weedy-framed father with an above-average tendency to weep at indie ballads and zero interest in car makes. But the idea that the movement will be helped by the image of a bunch of smug, pastel polo shirt-wearers telling men what to do is a joke.

Id like to see real heroes celebrated: the actors, authors, musicians and businesspeople who say macho culture turns me off and women must be respected rather than a cartoonised take on the issue.

The real moments when your masculinity is questioned tend to happen in pubs and changing rooms, not bikini-filled BBQs (attendance at the latter is low, I must admit). Whats more, why does big business feel such a duty to change the world? (See Mark Zuckerbergs attempts to cure all disease.)

It wont stop me buying Gillette, because of the quality of the products it sells  thats what it should stick to.

The ad received more than four million views on YouTube in 48 hours / Getty Images

More bloke than woke

Mark Wilkinson

After getting round to seeing the ad, did I throw my toys out of the pram a la Piers and think it was a disgusting piece of virtue-signalling, PC-grade nonsense?

Was I outraged? Did I feel marginalised, criticised and accused rather than feeling inspired, empowered and encouraged? Well, no. I mostly thought it was fine. Certainly better than the old best a man can get campaign, now in its 30th year and showing its age.

But as a father whos a little more bloke than woke, I also found it a bit preachy and predictable. And I couldnt help thinking that trying to link the sale of male grooming products to the #MeToo movement would have been better in the ad pitch than in reality.

So while it hasnt compelled me to join the boycott of Gillette products, its equally not got me rushing out to Boots to get my hands on a Mach 3. Maybe if Gillette really want to update its image it should just cut the price of female razors?

The brandwagon watcher

David Sexton

The best a man can get was a pretty neat slogan back in the day, a sly promise, the ambiguity of the verb bringing together being and acquisition, just as salesman always hope to do. The best men can be is, in comparison, both overweening and reductive, a flat ruling that it is a brand now in prime position to tell us nothing less what we can be.

The ad is certainly slickly manipulative. Theres a fast-cut melee of overlapping images and sounds, showing boys and men behaving badly, creating embarrassment and uncertainty as if individuals are being exposed here, almost as though in social media. We cant hide from it, were told, as if wed reprehensibly tried.

Then a characterful strong voice guides us out of this. Something finally changed ... and there will be no going back, because we  we believe in the best in men. Encouraging music surges. Men are seen saying the right thing, acting in the right way. And its a safety razor brand, owned by Procter & Gamble, currently losing market share to Dollar Shave Club and other market innovators, that has the sauce to confer righteousness, to tell us what as men we should be.

Sure, this ad is leaping onto the #MeToo bandwagon of presuming that masculinity is naturally toxic, needing to be constantly monitored, shamed and corrected. Thanks for that, ad-man. Or ad-woman. But more truly toxic, for both women and men, is taking a brand seriously for any reason other than its own manufacturing standards.

Does the advert make you want to boycott Gillette products? / Getty Images

The unconvinced feminist

Samuel Fishwick

Im from the generation that puts up online ad blockers like shop shutters, so ads annoy me only when theyre interrupting something. Having been interrupted, though, Im irked. The message is didactic: you are in a mess, lads, clean yourselves up. An easier pill to swallow if Gillettes sell wasnt sloppy, soppy and a bit too smugly insincere, overegging an earnest research assistants Googled examples of toxic masculinity like a watery omelette.

Its an advert 10 million viewers have already hunted down just to voice disapproval in the comments section. Clever clickbait, job done. And yes, it does feel like someone has rolled up every article written about masculinity in 12 months just to bang the boys on the nose with it. Masculinity is a confused mess, and theres a dearth of laudable role models speaking with the kind of creative confidence the internet has imbued feminism with. You dont need to rub it in.

Gillette actually had its message honed to perfection in its last ad campaign at the end of last year, in which a Gerard Butler voiceover hailed chaps going the extra mile, encouraging men to be more. Can we go back to that drawing board?

Style over substance

Guy Pewsey

My dislike of the ad is not a matter of taking issue with the message. It is admirable that a brand selling to millions of men is taking a stand by trying to reduce toxic masculinity.

The world would be a better place if people listened, really listened, to what is being said and changed their behaviour. I just wish it wasnt so damn melodramatic.

Its partly the voiceover  both the text itself and the tone of the narrator  which doesnt scream shaving products. Its like the time Brad Pitt shot a baffling advert in which he mused philosophically for what turned out to be a perfume brand. So in the case of the unseen Gillette spokesman, with his slow, purposeful American lilt, it feels like we are listening to an astronaut taking to the airwaves to tell the boys at home that they too can reach the moon if they dream big and work hard.

Then its the content itself. The row of men at their barbecues, like Olympic athletes waiting for the pistol. Children cause havoc in the streets, as if theyve escaped the island of Lord of the Flies. One man stops another from running after a woman in the street, presumably to catcall her. Then there are archive clips of real-life men and boys doing the right thing. What mood is the ad trying to strike? Are we to laugh, feel guilty or chastened? They dont seem to decide. It sits strangely. It feels hollow.

I look forward to Gillette continuing to show men what our actions mean to other people  the intention is promising. But I also look forward to a visual acknowledgement of how issues surrounding masculinity affect the LGBTQ community in their campaigns: its missing here in this montage of men.

Female friends of mine will also, surely, keenly await a restructuring in price points by Venus  Gillettes sister company  which sells identical razors (albeit in more feminine colours) for a higher price. Brands, its not enough to say youre changing: put your money where your mouth is.

The cynic

Julian Glover

Razor-makers are just sharks, flogging pointless complexity for cash. Their products are boring and we shouldnt waste time thinking about them. I dont know or care if I buy from Gillette, only that new blades never fit old handles and the price tag is huge.

Ive just found out decades too late that you dont need their overpriced shaving gel, either: a badger hair brush on soap does the job better than a can of spray-on gunk.

So of all the people to lecture us on morality, Gillette ought to be somewhere near the bottom. Its ad is obviously a gimmick to make its brand different to all the other identical products on sale. But its worked.K onstantin Stanislavski, the Russian actor, director and producer, is being honoured by a Google Doodle on what would have been his 156th birthday.

The trailblazing seminal theatre practitioner was best known for developing the system of acting called the Stanislavski system, a technique by which an actor strives to empathise with the character being portrayed so to offer a realistic interpretation.

Here's everything you need to know about the man who inspired today's Google Doodle:

Who was Konstantin Stanislavski?

Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski is being honoured with a Google Doodle on what would have been his 156th birthday. / Google

Born Konstanin Sergeevich Alekseevin in Moscow in 1863, Stanislavski was raised in a wealthy family who encouraged his love of theatre. His father was said to have erected a stage for him and his siblings to put on plays.

Despite studying business and language at Lasarevsky Institute, which was then the most prestigious private school in Moscow, he did not graduate and instead dedicated himself to theatre and the arts, becoming a part of dramatic group the Alekseyev Circle in 1977.

Years later, he founded the Moscow Art Theatre with his partner, Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko, in 1898. It was here that they staged Anton Chekhov plays including The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. Stanislavskis reinterpretation of 'The Seagull' would go on to gain the theatre national recognition.

As well as directing, Stanislavski was a theatre practitioner, writing several major texts on the art of performance. He was also an actor himself, making appearances in a variety of plays including Shakespeares Othello.

After the turbulent years before and after the Russian Revolution, many of his fellow actors left Russia, and the Moscow Art Theatre was eventually divided into several companies.

After his death in 1938, he had already left an outstanding legacy and his system is used as the foundation for the Method acting style to this day.

Stanislavskis mansion in central Moscow is now a public museum and research centre displaying a collection of original stage sets and theatrical costumes.

Konstantin Stanislavski quotes

Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art.

Remember: there are no small parts, only small actors.

Unless the theatre can ennoble you, make you a better person, you should flee from it.

The main factor in any form of creativeness is the life of a human spirit, that of the actor and his part, their joint feelings and subconscious creation.Y east and sugar bring sparkle to champagne and help bread to rise, too. These two end products came enjoyably together at a champagne and bread tasting at Gails bakery, Pimlico, one of 43 shops run by former fish farmer and commodities trader, Tom Molnar.

Amid what the Le Cordon Bleu-trained head of development, Roz Bado, called wafts of joy emanating from ovens, I compared three cuvees from Charles Heidsieck, the house founded by the original Champagne Charlie in 1851. His goal: to be the first Champenois to export to the USA. Buoyed by Gallic charm, showy clothes and sweet champagnes, the master of marketing was a beloved figure of sipping socialites until imprisoned for Confederate spying and subsequently rescued by Napoleon III.

First up, San Francisco sourdough (delicious with everything, says Bado) had a bright, creamy tang from yoghurt in the mix. Charles Heidsiecks new Chardonnay-only Blanc des Blancs (65) was a buttery enough accompaniment for the white slice, adding an agreeable hazelnut note.

"Plum and pistachio flavours and fine bubbles intertwined wth the sticky loaf"

Bado mentioned her next pilgrimage to Denmark while slicing moist, wholemeal Danish spelt with sunflower seeds, currants, buttermilk and London stout. Here, champagne ambassador Willem Pincon compared the 30-year-old mother dough at Gails to Charles Heidsiecks library of older wines, bringing consistency to the Brut Reserve (39.95). Its plum and pistachio flavours and fine bubbles intertwined with the sticky loaf.T his immense edition of the correspondence of the greatest poet of his time is now entering its second decade. Covering just two years, this volume amounts to 1,100 pages, bringing the total so far published to a little over 7,600 pages, with 27 years of Eliots life still to go. Yet it is not even complete. The indefatigable, exemplary editor, John Haffenden, has posted the letters he chose not to include in each volume on a website, tseliot.com, and for these two years alone there are hundreds of them, perhaps even more than he has actually printed  eight, for example, from January 1, 1936 alone.

Many of the printed letters still seem at first of modest interest only: processing business for Faber & Faber, where he was an ordinary director; for the magazine he edited, The Criterion; and for his own career as a writer and, increasingly, a public man.

He commissions books and articles, he assesses submissions. He responds to invitations and suggestions, always with courtesy, even when refusing. He supplies references and letters of introduction, he offers advice. He constantly apologises for delays in replying and he thanks people for their contributions, their comments, their hospitality, friendship and support.

All this can make repetitious reading now, essential though it may have been then to the literary culture he was seeking to nurture. Yet taken together these letters are little less than a lesson in conduct, a kind of tireless poise, a demonstration of grace under pressure.

They are invariably, as Haffenden notes in his preface, humane and engaging, constructive and inventive, and frequently jokey  and sometimes they are more than that: revealing, touching and wise. They are also, like all good letters, wonderfully different in tone when writing to different friends and acquaintances.

In these years, Eliots first stage play, Murder in the Cathedral, was being produced, and he was working on The Family Reunion.

And it was during this time that his wife, Vivien Haigh-Wood Eliot, was finally committed to a psychiatric asylum, Northumberland House in Finsbury Park, close to Manor House Tube, after being found wandering in the streets in the early hours and taken to a police station.

Haffenden includes enough of Viviens own letters, to her brother, to her bank, to Faber, and so forth, to make it clear quite how deranged she had become by this time, believing she was OSTENTATIOUSLY FOLLOWED, for example, and pretending to be other people acting on her behalf.

"Taken together these letters are little less than a lesson in conduct, a demonstration of grace under pressure."

Eliots own letters dealing with her committal and support are faultlessly correct and responsible. Only once or twice in these years does he reveal his agony. In July 1936 he briefly mentions to Dorothy Pound: I am rather shaky at the moment because I ran into my late wife in Wigmore Street an hour ago, and had to take to my heels: only people who have been wanted know the sort of life I lead.

Only to his brother Henry does he speak directly of the horrors of his private life. Theres a revealing letter, though, in response to Geoffrey Fabers misgivings about the sex in Djuna Barness Nightwood, which the company was publishing. Faber had naively confessed: My own private struggle all my life has been to prevent sex meaning too much. Eliot not only sees no sense in this, his view is quite the opposite, that trying to keep sex in its place is itself a symptom of instability.

Between any two people (and the more intimate their relations the more important this becomes) there is always an unresolvable element of hostility, he says. It is I think, a coming to terms between the elements of attraction and repulsion that constitutes permanent affection

To Bonamy Dobree he writes eloquently about his understanding of St John of the Crosss doctrine that in order to arrive at the love of God one must divest oneself of the love of created beings. I dont think that ordinary human affections are capable of leading us to the love of God, but rather that the love of God is capable of informing, intensifying and elevating our human affections, which otherwise may have little to distinguish them from the natural affections of animals, he explains.

These are themes deep in his work  but there are also letters here about pyjamas, sherry and opening a cheese restaurant. Theres a salad recipe and a mock Abdication diary; a take-off of Henry James and spoof readers reports on his own verses; a denunciation of the English Verse Speaking Association and an inspiring letter of advice to the young poet George Barker, insisting it is only necessary poems that matter and nothing is worth doing twice.

Just too many letters, though? Eliot, who did not want a biography or any letters printed of any intimacy to anybody, might have thought so. To one contributor he writes: I quite agree that there are too many books, and that most books are too long. The tendency for books to say what they have to say at much greater length than necessary no doubt has something to do with the deterioration of the reading public into mere ruminants, who can only nourish themselves by a great deal of grass and reject more concentrated food. Ha! Now, Faber, just where is that readers edition of Eliots uncollected prose?

M ost memoirs by former journalists, in particular those by erstwhile foreign correspondents, fail lamentably for one of two reasons. Often the I in the book is so boring or unlikeable that the hacks sheer narcissism gets in the way of the great events he or she witnessed. Other times the story isnt strong enough to be worth much more than a long read magazine piece. The padding  brave journo defies the odds and tight deadlines to break vital news  cant sustain an entire book.

A vastly enjoyable exception to the rule is Richard Bassetts charming, imaginative and elegantly written memoir of his adventures in central Europe, for many years as a correspondent for The Times.

Bassett had a life before working for a newspaper. He travelled widely in Mitteleuropa after Cambridge and used his charm and contacts to meet a range of colourful characters during a year in Trieste, in search of the few remaining embers of the Habsburg empire. He writes evocatively of the city, once one of the most important ports in Europe, and its people  from an encounter with the lady-in-waiting to Princess Sophie, wife of the Franz Ferdinand murdered in Sarajevo, to a capo in the local mafia.

Bassett was also a professional musician and in the late 1970s landed a job as principal horn player in the orchestra of the Slovenian National Opera Company in Ljubljana, where the repertoire included everything from Wagner to Mozart. His observations about music, architecture and German poetry are erudite and he is astute about the rise of nationalism in Yugoslavia, which would soon lead to bitter warfare.

"He meets Zita, the last empress of Austria, and writes hilariously about vicious rows at the Vienna Opera."

He has a soft spot for the Habsburgs, the embodiment of a culture which took seemingly irreconcilable differences in its stride and whose sum was always greater than the constituent parts.

He joined The Times in his 20s as Central European correspondent in the last years of the Cold War. Though he mentions some stories he broke, for example scoops about the campaign by one-time SS officer Kurt Waldheim to be president of Austria, and various spy scandals, Bassett is more interested in what he calls old Europe. He frequents white-tie balls at aristocrats palaces  he is very keen on superannuated baronesses  meets Zita, the last empress of Austria, and writes hilariously about vicious rows at the Vienna Opera. What he calls the charm of Old Austria was not always so charming.

Bassett is rather less assured in the last third of the book when he turns to the revolutions of 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet order in Central Europe. He understood communism, having seen so much of it during its dying days behind the Iron Curtain, but his style of short, funny vignettes, filled with irony and eccentric characters, which works so well for most of the book, is less effective when he is trying to describe the big events of that extraordinary year.

His strange section on the Velvet Revolution in Prague, claiming it was all a plot orchestrated by the KGB, is way off beam and ignores recent evidence from Moscow and Prague. He writes interestingly about taking a train from Berlin to Leipzig on November 9 1989 and onward to a remote village to see a small anti-Communist demonstration. We have to fill in the gap ourselves: that this was the historic night the Berlin Wall was breached, when the rest of the world was watching, and he wasnt there.Glenn Martens was giving nothing away when, at a party during Paris Fashion Week, a year ago, I asked him if he was showing next at Pitti Uomo. Fast forward to 2019, my question was answered. The brilliant Belgian-born designer not only unveiled his latest collection in the Tuscan capital at the preeminent menswear trade show, but produced what was his biggest and most impressive fashion offering to date.

One of Paris' heavyweight young designers, Glenn Martens is the creative director of hit brand Y/Project. Over the past few years he has risen in prominence with every collection and collaboration he tucks under his belt, his most recent collaborators being Diesel Red Tag, Honest By and Ugg. While the fashion cognoscenti knows this wunderkind well, those outside of fashion would have been introduced to him via Bella Hadid, Chloe Sevigny, Lil Wayne and Rihanna who all wear his designs regularly.

Last Wednesday the 35-year-old designer staged a watershed show at Pitti, at one of the most important Gothic sanctuaries in Tuscany, the Church of Santa Maria Novella, convening a mode de masse crowd of over 3000. Show-goers entered through the dark church and were armed with flashlights (distributed by Y/Project) and ushered to the church's courtyard corridor where the 53 looks were shown.

After the show, I sat down with Martens to talk Y/Project, the collection, diversity and Chanel.

Glenn Martens / Arnaud Lajeunie

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Geoff K Cooper: Congratulations on the show! You look so energized, like you could do it again tomorrow...

Glenn Martens: Uh, haha... no. The good thing is that I have a beautiful team now. Two years ago I was still doing production myself. Pitti is a big thing... it takes a lot of effort because you do your looks in Paris, you do your styling and casting in Milan, and then you come to Florence for the show. Over everything you have to do it is actually a preparation across three cities. So no, not tomorrow! [laughs]

GKC: So why the church of Santa Maria Novella?

GM: Pitti Uomo is a fair so its something very democratic. Everybody can join it, everybody can be there, everybody can attend, and I wanted to translate that as well in the show. Shows often are an exclusive thing. You have to be part of the fashion crew to be invited and I really wanted to have something that everybody could come to. We had over 3000 people attend the show. Santa Maria Novella was chosen because of the democracy of the place. It was the only place really where I could host 3000 people.

Models backstage during the Y/Project show as part of Pitti Uomo 2019 (Eeeva Suutari/Pitti Immagine) / Eeeva Suutari / Pitti Immagine

GKC: How did you approach this collection given that it was going to be shown at Pitti Uomo?

GM: Actually, this collection was already designed before I was even confirmed to be at Pitti. We are 25 in our company. I have to be very organised, so the collections are drawn way beforehand because you have to give yourself time and everybody has to be super organized. Obviously knowing it was Pitti, in the styling we went a bit further. We had those Monica Bellucci moments with the fur looks. We went for some Italian beauty - I mean we were in Florence.

Giovanni Giannoni

GKC: What was behind the flashlight concept?

GM: When I got this venue I thought it was a nice idea. Its so nice to discover aspects of a church at night, I thought it would be a really great experience. When I go into a church or a historical building there are so many interesting details to be seen. For me, its very important to see what people see and with the flashlight, some people go for the shoes and some for the necklace and others go for the jacket, or the total look if they can see. And thats also how I think we will discover art. We all have different aspects or different things we want to see, so we focus on different things.

GKC: What is your aesthetic about?

GM: For me, its really about eclecticism, diversity and opulence. A lot of opulence.

Models backstage at the Y/Project show for Pitti Uomo 2019 (Eeeva Suutari/Pitti Immagine) / Eeeva Suutari / Pitti Immagine

GKC: Was this aesthetic clear when you joined Y/Project?

GM: Hmm. My own brand was quite diverse prior to joining our project. Ive always been quite different. In the beginning, when I was in school to my first year as a professional I was extremely obsessive about classic beauty, elegance... I was very immersed in the Belgium way, overcontrolling. I am still very controlling but [I think I] got bored with classic beauty, thats when I wanted to have something which was much more multi-directional.

Giovanni Giannoni

GKC: And where did that come from for you?

GM: My father was a judge; my grandfather is an artist and my great grandfather was a commoner, so Ive come up from all different directions. What I love also about being in my position is that I have to create art but then also make a turnover, and then also make my teams happy. There are so many different aspects which make a collection. You have to be on so many levels playing with so many different things. Its very multifaceted.

Of course, in the beginning, when I took over Y/Project, I had to stay very close to Yohan [Serfaty, the brand's founder], out of respect for him. When a brand is in mourning and the person has passed away, you have to show respect for that person as well as the people involved, who are still transitioning.

Giovanni Giannoni

GKC: Where are you in terms of what you had envisioned Y/Project to be when you started?

GM: Every season we have a different type of concept. If you look at it we are so eclectic and we do have so many different types of product groups. Its so easy to create clothing for the same type of person every season but we go for so many different things. For us, if you focus on one look versus another look, you would see streetwear and the next you would see Monica Bellucci. Together they make sense and separately maybe not. For me, its one massive collection and it really makes sense.

Giovanni Giannoni

GKC: How does art inspire Y/Project?

GM: A lot of things influence me but honestly, I dont think its art but really people that influence me. My friends, diversity...

GKC: Lets touch on diversity... how do you approach and treat with diversity?

Giovanni Giannoni

GM: In the studio, we are 25 people in total, and I think we have almost 25 different nationalities working together to make our collections. Its like Paris, Paris is a city that wasnt built by French people only but a number of different types of people. This is our history, and this is the reality of the world... thats what we try to create also at Y/Project. We have a very diverse collection plan, a very diverse casting. It only makes sense if everything is together and I think that is true throughout today. If another designer says different thats up to him. For certain people, certain houses, they do things differently. For example, Yohan, when he was alive Y/Project was a different brand and had different desires and ideas.

Two years ago, my casting director told me that I was the only one in Paris casting North African models and I was like what... I had no idea. It had never occurred to me that this was a thing as it was very natural to me. Now, being informed I feel very responsible to ensure diversity. I also believe in freedom of expression. If one day I make a collection inspired by Irish mermaids, I probably would only have like white redheads in there. But I do think you have to be responsible and you have to educate people once you have a voice.

Giovanni Giannoni

GKC: How does Y/Project speak to the concept of style?

GM: Most of our pieces at Y/Project are conceived to be adaptable  to your mood, to your style, to however you want to wear it. We dont want people hiding behind the brand we want people to emphasize their personality. So, I am talking to those types of people who really want to discover who they are, what they want to be, who know why they want something.

Bella Hadid wearing Y/Project / PLEFLOCH/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock

GKC: Whats next?

GM: Womenswear [laughs] We cant sleep yet. Its already drawn... I drew all of it before Christmas. I do have to look at my team and say nope, you cant sleep yet!

GKC:Guest designers at Pitti Uomo tend to move into major roles and big houses... or are expected to. Do you see yourself following a similar trajectory?

GM: I am in an extremely lucky position. I am in the best position ever because I am the head of a brand that is growing 30% per season with a team Ive picked myself. So, I am in a very happy place... Im not looking for another job. Thats a luxury and I know that. Most of the proposals that come to me are not challenging so there is no reason for me to take on something else. I am not going to say no to everything. Of course, if Chanel comes to me [laughs] Im joking, I am not there yet.

GKC: But you might say.. hello Chanel?

GM: I am not looking for anything, but Im open to everything, so you never know.Love Marilyn Monroe? Yes. Love her enough to spend thousands on a lock of her hair? You might be on your own there. A company called Moments in Time is currently selling 35 strands of Marilyn Monroes hair for the price of 12,800.

The lock of hair is estimated to be 60 years old and was put together by one of Monroe's hairdressers - a man named Kenneth Battelle, who passed away in 2013.

Battelle was Monroe's hairdresser between 1958 and 1962 - the period in which she filmed Some Like it Hot and The Misfits. Known for her iconic blonde hair, which was dyed in a shade she called "dirty pillow slip", Battelle hung onto some of Monroe's hair as a keepsake.

Moments in Time

Moments in Time founder Gary Zimet told Insider that the lock is made up of approximately 35 strands of Monroes hair and that according to Battelle's card, its dated 14th June 1959.

Getty Images

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Zimet revealed that Battelle - who also did Julie Garland and Jackie Kennedy's hair - apparently stockpiled Monroe's hair and had several pieces made as gifts for his closest friends.I nua Ellamss acclaimed play Barber Shop Chronicles will return to London for a summer run at the Roundhouse.

Following a tour around the US and an upcoming UK tour, the show will run from July 18 to August 24, two years after opening at the National Theatre.

Jumping between Peckham, Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lago and Accra over the course of a single day, the play looks at six barbershops, where men for generations have gathered to discuss the world.

Performed in-the-round at the Camden venue, Bijan Sheibani returns to direct, with design from Rae Smith, lighting from Jack Knowles, movement from Aline David and sound by Gareth Fry.

The Standards Fiona Mountford gave the original production four stars, urging readers to make an appointment.

The cast for this run has not yet been announced.

Tickets for the production will go on sale on February 14, roundhouse.org.uk People are outraged because what theyre hearing, so much of whats been reported, just isnt true," says the softly-spoken Vincent Lambe, 38, the director of the highly controversial short film Detainment.

The 30-minute drama is based on almost-verbatim transcripts of the police interrogation of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, the 10-year-old boys who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993. Detainment has awards at several international film festivals and in mid-December was shortlisted in the Best Live Action Short category for the 2019 Oscars.

And then the backlash hit. While the whole film has yet to be screened in the UK, a trailer and three scenes are available online, and they have sparked outrage.

First, from Denise Fergus and Ralph Bulger, Jamess parents, neither of who were consulted about the film and who only found out it had been made in late December  Fergus is calling for a boycott.

Second, from the tabloids and the Twitter mob, who accuse Lambe of portraying Venables and Thompson sympathetically and of exploiting Jamess death to advance his own career.

Lambe believes that much of the outrage is based on misinformation. I was expecting a certain amount of backlash but I never expected people to start saying things about the film which are just untrue, he says. I think a lot of people are misunderstanding the purpose of making the film. They hear the word humanise and they think the film must be sympathetic to the boys. If you watch the film, its in no way sympathetic to the killers.

Traumatic scene: Ely Solan, who plays Jon Venables in Detainment

He argues that humanising the boys isnt the point of Detainment anyway. Its to ask questions and to challenge the audience because I think weve got a responsibility to try and make sense of what happened.

By lifting the dialogue almost verbatim from the transcripts (other scenes, such as Venabless confession to his parents, are based on interviews given by detectives) the director hoped to create an entirely factual and balanced film.

Lambe graduated from the National Film School of Ireland in 2003. His previous films  quiet, finely nuanced shorts about troubled Irish kids  have also been nominated for awards.

The horror of the Bulger case has been on his mind for years. I was 12 [when it happened] and I remember it very well. I was always just told that those boys were evil. Even now, its a case which is so black and white. I think there needs to be more of an understanding than that. I wanted to bring some shades of grey to it.

Its this blurring of the clear-cut distinction we make between good (us) and evil (them)  that he thinks makes people uncomfortable. While the film doesnt condone or justify their actions, it shows Venables and Thompson as two humans  and not just two humans but two children. If you are the kind of person whose natural instinct is to sympathise with a sobbing, scared 10-year-old clinging to his mother, it does evoke uncomfortable feelings of sympathy.

Jon is hugely emotional at times, hes scared, hes a boy just engulfed by trauma and trying to understand what happened, says Lambe. To show it another way would just be inaccurate. People say: Youve humanised the boys, that its wrong to do that. I ask, How would you like them to be portrayed? They usually cant answer because the answer would be ludicrous, theyd have to say they want them to be demonised and thats just not an accurate reflection of what happened.

He points to the title of the film, which seems to withhold judgment compared with, say, Monsters, the 2009 play also based on the transcripts. I think people are so used to thinking of these boys as being evil that when they start to see something authentic it doesnt sit very well with them.

Lambe decided he wanted to make a film about the case in 2012 but funding for such a sensitive project was understandably thin on the ground. Eventually he financed Detainment himself. I got kind of frustrated because it was a story I felt needed to be told. Id wake up thinking about it, it was torture. It got so loud in my head I felt I had to tell the story.

So are all stories, no matter how horrifying, fair game when it comes to making art? Lambe thinks potentially, yes. Film-makers have a huge responsibility. You can show audiences a new perspective. But I think when somethings been made with an honest purpose I think it can only be for the good of society.

A friend recently asked Lambe whether hed still have made the film had he known about the outrage to come. I had to think about it and eventually I answered, Yeah, I would. I did think long and hard about it for years and I still think its an important film to be made.

Does he regret not contacting the Bulger family. Im genuinely sorry for that and want to stress to them that I never meant to cause any disrespect by not consulting with them. And when I think of what theyve been through it really does break my heart, it really is such a horrific event.

I get the impression that Lambe, perhaps naively, was banking on Fergus and Bulger not finding out about Detainment. He stutters: I... I... thought if we did contact them it would have been telling a very different story  there would be pressure to tell it the way they wanted it to be told and then youre suppressing information and we would have only been telling a version of the truth. And I think if you do that then theres not as much to be learned.

If Lambes plan had been to boost his own prospects with the pre-release controversy, it has backfired. Hes also found himself in a slightly Kafkaesque situation whereby he cant defend his films balanced perspective by showing it to the British public. The trickiest place to get it shown is the UK, and thats the most important place for it to be shown.

I dont know if a TV station is going to take it. Its kind of hard to get them to do it when people are saying it shouldnt have been made and you shouldnt watch it.3 D-printable organs and body parts that could one day be swapped between patients will go on display as part of a voyage into future medicine.

The free exhibition at the Science Gallery, called Spare Parts, combines art with science and technology to show how the human body could be repaired and altered in the future.

Artists will show their works alongside research from the Kings Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine into the engineering of cells and limbs, while visitors can handle lifelike squishy eyeballs, slices of artificial facial tissue and internal organs made from silicon.

The show also aims to investigate whether spare body parts can exist outside the human body for sharing or exchange in the future, along with our ability to create a new digital self through 3D scanning.

One controversial concept called the Microbiome Rebirth Incubator, inspired by the experience of artist Marianne Cloutier, claims to help babies regain bacteria they miss out on in a Caesarean section birth by dipping them in a mixture of vaginal fluid and breast milk.

Another artist envisages Klingon-esque parts of prosthetic brain being worn on the outside of the head.

Fifty 3D-printed hearts based on healthy patients between 40 and 60 will also be on show by London design studio Cellule, which is part of a European project helping to create artificial hearts. These models will be used as virtual reconstructions to help doctors do diagnosis and let patients visualise their surgery before going under the knife.

Salome Bazin, of Cambridge Heath-based Cellule, said: Were looking at how in the future people could access their medical data to see models of their own heart. It would give them a lot more understanding of whats going on before surgery and understand how their life habits affect heart health. Visitors to the museum, opened last year by Kings College London at the foot of the Shard, will also be shown a film installation by artist John A Douglas called Circles Of Fire, which dramatises his near-death experience during a kidney transplant operation. The science fiction-inspired work explores the transformative experience of chronic illness, treatment and recovery.

Another disorientating installation by Tabatha Andrews involves two giant spheres worn over the ears, to allow visitors to alter perceptions of sound, light and space.

Spare Parts runs from 28 February to 12 May at the Science GalleryReview at a glance









I nterviewed this week on Radio 4s Womans Hour, American conductor Marin Alsop spoke highly of British orchestras. They learn fast, work hard and have a great sense of humour: qualities that must have been essential in rehearsals for this London Philharmonic Orchestra concert.

Part of Southbank Centres SoundState festival of new music, it consisted of five premieres (world, European, UK), a lot of new music for any orchestra to get its head around.

Arne Gieshoffs Burr exploded into motion, piercing wind instruments and battering percussion settling quickly into a beguiling exploration of orchestral textures. More persuasive were the interludes of fragile serenity. The eerie whine of the glass harmonica permeated Anders Hillborgs Sound Atlas, its chill tones suggesting scenes as much visual as musical: a snowy landscape, a leaden sky over an equally leaden sea, an abandoned church still resounding with ancient music.

Erkki-Sven Tuur built his Solastalgia around a musical version of the butterfly effect, with the solo piccolo sending waves through the orchestra. The brass section often sounded like the biggest of big bands, but after a roaring climax, the piece reached a natural stasis. With its raucous brass, ominous percussion, electric guitar and boogieish piano, Louis Andriessens Agamemnon felt episodic, while its string melodies resembled something from a Fifties widescreen melodrama.

In Helen Grimes Percussion Concerto, soloist Colin Currie at first created a shimmering aura while the orchestra acted as a kind of rhythm machine. Later he was called on to hit percussive things as hard as possible, but the more contemplative passages were the most striking.On Wednesday evening Meghan Markle added a significant splash of sparkle to her maternity wardrobe.

Arriving at the Royal Albert Hall with Prince Harry for a special performance of Cirque du Soleil in support of Sentebale, a charity founded by Prince Harry in 2006, the heavily pregnant duchess glowed from head-to-toe in a midnight blue sequinned gown by Roland Mouret.

The glamorous number, worth 3,495, perfectly hugged the 37-year-old's baby bump and definitely amped up the royal's eveningwear repertoire. A front split showed off a pair of strappy Stuart Weitzman sandals and burgundy painted toenails which matched her deep berry lip.

Although the gown immediately caught people's attention, many were quick to notice another key aspect of the outfit: Princess Diana's heirloom bracelet.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Royal Albert Hall / Getty Images

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It isn't the first time Meghan has been seen wearing the gold bracelet with blue stones. Following the news that the royal couple were expecting their first child back in October 2018, Meghan wore the bracelet along with Diana's butterfly earring during a royal tour of Sydney.

Meghan accessorised the glitzy evening outfit with Princess Diana's bracelet / Getty Images

We're sure it won't be the last time Meghan pays sartorial homage to her late mother-in-law.R obert Dexs piece [Threat of no-deal Brexit hits wrong note for orchestras, January 14] applies equally to all musicians. Bob Henrit (Kinks, Argent, Unit 4 + 2 etc.), to my mind the worlds greatest rock n roll drummer, tells me he can remember the days when touring in Europe was hard. It often took several hours to cross national borders.

Henrit recalls customs officials unloading his precious drum kit, including his enormous gong, into the snow. On occasions, bass drums and amplifiers were dismantled as the customs zealots searched for non-existent drugs. When the equipment was finally released it was up to the band members to put it back together and reload it before continuing.

When we joined the Common Market all this hassle disappeared.Leaving the EU now will bring back unhappy memories for our rock n roll legends  and may deter the coming generation of musicians from embarking on similar careers.

Lord Jones of Cheltenham

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Nigel

You are quite right to say the fears raised by the report from the Association of British Orchestras apply to all our musicians, whether they sit with a violin tucked under their chin or stand behind a bank of synthesisers and record decks.

More bureaucracy, whether in the shape of travel visas or carnets for equipment, will make it much more difficult for young talent to learn their trade before foreign audiences.

It will also make the whole business of touring more expensive for bigger acts, with the gig-goer presumably left paying the difference. And touring matters  just ask Henrits bandmates in The Kinks, whose career was hugely affected by a ban on US touring after they fell foul of travel restrictions in that country in the Sixties.

Henrit is in a privileged position, being fortunate enough to have played during a time when freedom of movement was the rule but old enough to remember when it was not and to appreciate the difference.

I know we are told we dont like experts any more but hopefully someone in government will listen to him.

Robert Dex, Arts Correspondent

Peoples Vote is a flawed concept

Lets be candid. No one has clearly explained how the so-called Peoples Vote would work, and I believe I know why.

If there were the three options to vote on, as has been suggested  whether for a no-deal Brexit, Brexit with a deal, or to remain in the European Union  then of course with all the fear stories going around the Brexit vote would end up getting split between the two Leave options.

This would leave the way for Remain to win. How can this then be considered a fair vote?

Kevin Lock

People may well deride Theresa May after her crushing defeat in the vote on her deal but we should recognise what shes managed to achieve: she finally managed to bring her party together and she even found a common cause in Parliament.

Beyond that, sure, it may well have been the biggest parliamentary defeat in history  but at least she has firmly secured her legacy.

Julian Self

Street greenery isnt your ashtrayNeel Bhatt, a UW assistant professor of otolaryngology, specializes in treating patients with voice problems. Through his work, he began to realize people did not like the sound of their own voices. With the transition to school over Zoom, many students can relate to the discomfort of hearinL eo Quinns message to the government was clear.

On the conference call between ministers and business leaders after the Governments defeat on Tuesday night, the Balfour Beatty chief highlighted possibly more than any CEO has done before quite how damaging the Brexit quagmire is.

Not just to his company, but to the entire infrastructure base of the country.

His point was not the old one about investors waiting for clarity on what deal Britain ends up with, but the more immediate point that no other key decisions on Government spending are being made.

So much parliamentary time has been spent on Brexit that other crucial calls are being ignored. Quinn highlighted the HS2 rail project and Heathrow expansion (remember them?) but many other projects still await the Westminster green light.

Quinns concerns, detailed in leaks to the Daily Telegraph, were clear; if project starts get delayed yet longer, the construction industry will have to scale back its size and ability to do major new jobs.

Multi-billion pound works require the availability of equipment, materials, finance and thousands of skilled employees. You cant turn this on and off like a tap.

As Quinn puts it, taking a capability holiday is impossible. Once resources have been lost and people retire, its hard to persuade them to come back.

Despite Brexit, he said, we need to make some decisions to keep things moving forward.

Philip Hammond insisted getting a deal done quickly was the way to bring certainty to business. But that seems impossible. What well get is months more of bickering and destabilising spin.

Perhaps we should call a truce on the whole thing for a while. Postpone Article 50 for a pre-determined period, fast track decisions on the biggest infrastructure projects, then return to the fray once weve caught up again.

Forget capability holidays, its a Brexit holiday we need.

Bring in new ideas as Hitachi bails out

Decisions desperately demanding attention include a rethink on our nuclear industry.

Hitachis halt to the Wylfa and Oldbury plants today is blamed on the Japanese for refusing to stump up for the investment needed. But coming so soon after Toshibas withdrawal from Moorside and the troubles over Hinkley Point, its clear this is a problem made in London, not Tokyo.

We now face energy shortages in less than a decade as coal-fired generators close and old nuclear plants reach their sell-by date.

Huge nuclear power stations are an engineering and financing nightmare. Meanwhile, alternatives in wind, solar and small nuclear reactors are becoming ever cheaper.W hile MPs were readying themselves to usher Theresa Mays doomed Brexit deal towards its inevitable defeat this week, a mile or so further north-west the bears were on the prowl.

If youre feeling nervous about life, best to avoid Mayfair in early January. Societe Generales annual Bear-Fest, led by grizzly-in-chief Albert Edwards, played to a relatively full room, reflecting the downbeat mood of its fund managers and hedgie clients.

Worryingly for us  and the Leavers preening themselves about the opportunities of Global Britain in the debate on the withdrawal agreement  the B-word was hardly mentioned. The world we could cast ourselves into within 10 weeks if we dont get a deal has enough issues of its own without little old Brexit, and the mood is one of darkening economic gloom.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove gets it, with his Game Of Thrones-style winter is coming rhetoric, unlike too few of his colleagues. Maybe they should have popped along.

The French banks famously bearish stance has been proved wrong many times in the past, but it always has an array of panic-inducing charts to back up its arguments.

Take the US, where the Federal Reserve is pushing up rates. Their view is that recession is a real risk, as 10 of the last 13 Fed tightening cycles have ended up in an economic contraction. Trumps tax cut stimulus, which kept the US motoring while other economies slowed, is fading fast and chief executive confidence is down.

Meanwhile, corporate debt has grown to astonishing levels, putting their borrowings close to a peak towards the wrong end of the economic cycle. The Fed helped to fuel the debt boom and rising share prices with quantitative easing. But QE is turning into quantitative tightening  sucking money out of the financial system, while the European Central Bank has also called a halt to its own money-printing programme. The Fed has barely begun unwinding the $4 trillion-plus on its balance sheet and weve already seen big reverberations in markets. Without the go-go juice from the central banks, share valuations have been tailing off.

Edwards colleague, the equities analyst Andrew Lapthorne, also points out that 60% of global stocks in the 3100-strong FTSE World Index are now in a bear market, down 20% or more from two-year highs.

If the worlds biggest economy is facing tougher times, things dont look much better for its trade war rival China. Again theres plentiful evidence on falling industrial profits, sliding manufacturing activity and a struggling labour market. The biggest private- sector collector of data on its firms, the China Beige Book, says the economy is deteriorating and risks heading for a much weaker 2019.

Though the Chinese government has unveiled stimulus measures, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney also pointed out to MPs yesterday that China  15% of world GDP  is likely to slow further this year, and reforms to its shadow banking system could potentially damp the transmission of stimulus to the real economy. The economic risks are a sobering counterpoint to the words of Brexiteers such as Dominic Raab, our putative future PM who aspires to something better and something brighter and voted for the temerity to regain mastery of our own destiny.

Cast adrift alone on choppy global seas, No Deal Britain looks anything but.

Better barriers than Trumps wall

In less than two weeks, the $1 billion-a-week cost of the US government shutdown will deliver a bigger hit to economic growth than the cost of the infamous border wall that caused the row in the first place.

Were gonna build a wall was Donald Trumps tub-thumping campaign refrain and  despite what he now claims  Mexico was going to pay for it. But the people wholl really pay for his latest act of economic vandalism are the higher-skilled workers in his own country.

How can we tell? The US has previous in this regard under a marginally less unpopular president, George W Bush. His Secure Fences Act in 2006 built some 550 miles of fence along the US-Mexico border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. That brought the fencing on the border to 658 miles, or around a third of the 1954-mile boundary with the USs southern neighbour.T he future of the UKs nuclear supply was in doubt on Thursday when Hitachi pulled a 20 billion project after government talks collapsed.

The Japanese conglomerate confirmed it was suspending plans to build the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant in Anglesey, North Wales and would take a multi-billion pound writedown.

Hitachi has been in talks with the UK government since June about funding the equity portion of the project, known as Horizon Nuclear Power, to make the deal more economically viable but both sides failed to reach agreement.

The decision was made from the viewpoint of Hitachis economic rationality as a private enterprise, the company said. Business Secretary Greg Clark said: Despite extensive negotiations, the Government and Hitachi are unable to reach agreement to proceed at this stage.

Hitachi bought the project in 2012 for 697 million after acquiring a joint venture between E.ON and RWE to further its UK nuclear ambitions.

Funding plans included securing backers and the Government to invest with Hitachi in the equity portion of the project. That would have contributed around one-third of the financing, with the rest coming from loans.

Hitachi said it would continue discussing a nuclear power programme with the UK and remains committed to Britain, where it makes trains and digital equipment.

The reactors, which included plans for a second site in Oldbury, would have created up to 850 jobs and a construction workforce of up to 4000.

Horizon Nuclear Power chief executive Duncan Hawthorne said the company was starting consultation with staff, who number around 330, about the next steps. I am very sorry to say that despite the best efforts of everyone involved weve not been able to reach an agreement, he said.

The Horizon sites would have seen the Japanese group install one of its Advanced Boiling Water Reactors, which have been used four times in Japan.

Hitachi will take a 300 billion yen (2.14 billion) hit on expenses and a further 300 billion yen impairment.B ritons have been heading to the cinema to escape Brexit, bosses said on Thursday.

Crispin Lilly, the chief executive of upmarket chain Everyman, said: Cinema is about escape and turning off for a couple of hours. I think theres a halo effect there [from Brexit].

The boss of bigger rival Vue, Timothy Richards, added: When things are really dire, we see an uptick in admissions. He added that recessions actually drove consumers to the cinema.

Last year appears to have been the strongest in history for cinemas, attracting a record number of customers, Lilly and Richards agreed.

Lilly said that it had been a good year for Everyman and its 26 cinemas and he expects forthcoming releases, such as the new Lion King and Avengers, to boost revenues and profits further.Going to the beach

Visiting family/friends out of town

Camping/hiking

Other (let us know!)

Vote

View ResultsMaking the right decision when choosing your next SEO firm has major consequences for your business and your bank account. The difference between a boom in organic traffic and a decrease in Google rankings comes down to choosing between a good and bad SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, specialist. But with the right SEO partnership, businesses in any sector can increase sales and decrease their advertising budget -- all while improving user experience. Before locking into a contract with a new SEO firm, here are 5 tips every entrepreneur should consider.

SEO, the process of optimizing your website to drive organic traffic, is difficult, which also means that it's often misunderstood. People who maintain that they have special insight into Googles algorithms, or who play up the mystique surrounding SEO, are, usually, lying. Rather, good SEO requires a deep understanding of how search engines work, attention to detail, and constant modifications since Googles algorithms change almost weekly.

Additionally, shortcuts like buying links, keyword stuffing, and cloaking can lead search engines to demote your website. These techniques are called Black Hat SEO because they violate search engines rules. Once Googles bots discover that youre using these tools, theyll demote your site in their rankings, which will decrease organic traffic. SEO specialists who claim to have special knowledge could be using Black Hat SEO practices, for which you will ultimately pay a high price.

Related: Your SEO Checklist: 4 Steps to Optimizing Your Website

2. Be specific about your goals and find a firm that can meet them.

Whatever you do, do not hire an SEO firm with the vague goal of "increasing organic traffic.' For starters, there are many different kinds of organic traffic, meaning that increasing traffic does not automatically translate to increased revenue. Ranking first on Google for Italian mens shoes does not do your CBD business any good, for instance.

To avoid ambiguity, you and your team should outline exactly what youre hoping to accomplish with SEO. Are you looking to boost product sales by ranking for certain keywords? Are you struggling to reduce your websites bounce rate or increase your conversion rate? If youre looking to increase ad revenue, would you prefer to have a wide audience or a smaller audience that spends more time, on average, on your site? Are you looking for help building a social media following, creating sponsored content, or other services that go beyond SEO?

No matter which SEO firm you choose, make sure youre clear on the type of results youre looking for and what services youll require.

Related: 3 Tips for Creating Sponsored Content That Engages Consumers

3. Dont just go by a Google search for 'best SEO' lists. Instead, go by word of mouth.

Why shouldnt you choose a Search Engine Optimization company based on how well they rank on search engines? The best SEO specialists are too busy optimizing websites for their customers to waste time on their own websites.

The best firms typically have a lot of long-term customers who have referred members of their professional circle to the same service. Only companies that need new clients will bother to rank for best SEO company in Austin, for example. This applies to other keywords, too, like Best SEO services and best SEO tools.

Furthermore, do not assume that any listicle is impartial. Generally, the companies on that list have paid a premium for their spot on it. Good SEO companies already have too much business to bother paying for a spot on a bestseocompanies.com or topseos.com list. This does not mean that there are no reputable lists out there, just that you should trust a best SEO company list as much as you would another for best restaurants in New York.

This means that the best way to find a qualified SEO firm is the old-fashioned way: word-of-mouth advertising. Instead of using Google, ask people in your professional circle -- but not direct competitors -- whom they would recommend. It can also be helpful to ask other businesses within your industry because they services theyll recommend will already have experience in your field.

Related: Why Word-of-Mouth Marketing Matters (Infographic)

4. Find an SEO firm with metrics that work for you.

Once youve outlined your goals and narrowed down your options to a few companies, its time to make sure that you and the company that you choose to work with have a clear method of charting your progress once you get started. In other words, what is the end goal of ranking for specifical keywords?

Before you choose your next SEO firm, its crucial that you and your consultant are on the same page when it comes to Key Performance Indicators or KPIs. KPIs are metrics that can apply to virtually any aspect of a business and can mean a host of different things within SEO itself. For example, a company with a new product will have different objectives than an older company with an established clientele.

But KPIs go way beyond that. In other words, we have access to so much data that its easy to get lost in it or track the wrong KPIs. This also means that you need an SEO firm that understands which metrics are the most important to your business and can condense that information into something that you can digest. Here are a few of the most important KPIs to consider:

Organic sessions: How many people visit your website through organic search? This is often considered the most basic, and most important, KPI in SEO. Beyond that, you can look at other factors like the average number of page views, duration per visit, number of unique visitors, and bounce rate.

Conversion rate: What percentage of visitors buy your product, sign up for your newsletter or engage with your content?

Keyword rankings: Which keywords do you rank for and, overall, have your keyword rankings increased since you hired your SEO firm?

Google crawling mistakes: Google crawling is the process by which a Google bot systematically indexes your websites content. If Google struggles to read your website, it cannot index it in a way that shows up in search, which negatively impacts organic traffic.

Page load time: The time it takes for a page to load directly correlates to how quickly people leave your site. According to Think with Google, the bounce rate, meaning how quickly people exit your website, increases by 90 percent when page loading time increases from one to five seconds.

Related: Deciphering Your Website Traffic Reports: Five Tips

5. Choose an SEO firm that communicates effectively.

Though you should have access to the tools theyre using to measure your KPIs -- SEMRush, Google Search Console, Google Analytics-- most likely, you dont have time to spend the time to analyze all that data. For this reason, you need an SEO specialist team that works for you in terms of communication and fostering trust.

Keep in mind that SEO is a process so you could be working with this firm for years to come. Even if you only plan on working with an outside company temporarily, meeting your organic website traffic goals takes time, patience, and a constructive working relationship.

SEO is crucial to your business. Choosing the right SEO firm is, too.

Today, approximately 90 percent of users only look at results on Googles first page. This means that finding an SEO firm that works for you has the potential to transform your business.

Related: 10 Tweaks That Can Boost Lagging Articles Onto Google's First Page

But finding the right company can be harder than it would seem. Many make promises that they cannot keep, or violate Googles rules through bad SEO, ultimately hurting your business. So instead of turning to Google or best of lists, consult friends and business associates to find a qualified SEO firm. Once youve narrowed down your search, make sure that you and your firm are clear on your goals. Then, establish KPIs to measure those objectives. Its also important to choose a firm that communicates effectively so that you can foster a long and successful working relationship.

But most importantly, do not mistake SEO for a buzzword. Search Engine Optimization is a process that can help you build a successful brand -- if you find the right SEO firm.

Related:

5 Tips for Choosing Your Next SEO Firm

Boost Your Site's Google Ranking With This $30 SEO Education

3 Simple Ways to Get Your Website Found on Google



Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedSTAMFORD  A Glenbrook man will spend 25 years in jail for killing his estranged wife and abandoning their 6-year-old daughter at a New York City bus depot while he was on the run in 2016.

Dressed in his prison-issued bright orange jumpsuit, Elmer Gomez Ruano, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday to the November 2016 murder. Gomez Ruanos public defender Howard Ehring requested his clients previous not guilty plea be vacated.

Gomez Ruano confessed to using a wet towel to suffocate Dionicia Bautista-Cano less than 48 hours after she moved back in with him. Bautista-Cano had been living with their daughter in New Jersey.

Police said just before her death, Bautista-Cano exchanged a series of panicked text messages with her former boyfriend in New Jersey.

He says he is going to kill us both, she texted to the man in Spanish, according to police.

Police said the disagreement escalated into a physical fight inside their apartment while their 6-year-old daughter was apparently asleep.

Gomez Ruano told police he smothered the 24-year-old woman with a wet towel until she died, according to the confession revealed in his arrest warrant.

He disappeared after abandoning his daughter at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City that same day, police said. The daughter led police back to the Glenbrook apartment where her mothers body was discovered. After being captured in New York City, Gomez Ruano was extradited to Stamford before Christmas that year.

This was a very sad situation. My client had been married to the decedent and the state was very reluctant to come off the murder charge, Ehring said. He made a full confession and recognized the fact that he let his emotions run rampant. He has accepted responsibility for the top charge and the sentence is in line with what other individuals have been sentenced to in similar situations.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.comSTAMFORD  Six of the seven bar owners and bartenders charged with serving two underage men before they were killed in a drunken driving accident will avoid jail if they complete a court probation program.

The owners and employees of Vinnys Backyard, Tracks Restaurant and the Mystique Gentlemans Club will have the charges erased if they stay out of legal trouble for three months.

Judge Richard Comerford also ordered them to cooperate with the negligent lawsuit filed by the families of the two 20-year-old Stamford men, Thomas Molgano and Lucas Salem, who were killed on Hope Street on Feb. 4, 2017.

The consequences of the defendants actions were devastating, said Thomas Cassone, an attorney representing the Salem family. We left it up to the discretion of the court to determine the resolution of the criminal aspect of the case.

Dominick Angotta, an attorney representing Molganos mother, Angela, said they did not want to challenge the disposition of the case.

We saw no need to compound this tragedy, Angotta said.

Stamford police said Molgano, 20, was served alcohol at Tracks and Mystique before getting behind the wheel of his 2002 Dodge Ram pickup.

Molgano was speeding and lost control on Hope Street as he approached Hartford Avenue, crossing into the southbound lane and striking a tree near Barnstable Lane. Molgano was well above the legal alcohol limit to drive, police said.

Police said they interviewed 30 witnesses during their investigation and discovered six minors had been served alcohol at the three establishments that night.

Ernst Buggisch, 61, of Stamford, permittee of Vinnys Backyard Restaurant, was charged with three counts of sale of alcohol to a minor and four counts of allowing minors to loiter on permit premises.

James Duggan, 67 of Stamford, permittee of Tracks Restaurant, was charged with four counts of allowing minors to loiter on permit premises and four counts of sale of alcohol to a minor.

Alex Rosado 34, of Bridgeport, permittee of Mystique Gentlemans Club on Poplar Street, was charged with six counts of sale of alcohol to a minor and six counts of allowing minors to loiter on permit premises.

This was a tragic, tragic situation, said Eugene Riccio, who represented Duggan and McQuillan.

Bartenders Cynthia Torres, of Darien, and Stamford residents Melissa Santoro, 24, Kaley Walsh, 24, and Linda McQuillan, 50, were charged with sale of alcohol to a minor.

It was a terrible tragedy, said Lindy Urso, who represented one of the bartenders. This was the right resolution for these individuals, given all of the circumstances.

All of the defendants were allowed to participate in the diversionary program except Rosado, whose charges are still pending.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.comSTAMFORD  A city man who claimed to be making news after he was arrested robbing a downtown bank last summer has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Charles Redshirt, 35, of Franklin Street, pleaded guilty to felony counts of second-degree robbery and fourth-degree larceny for walking out of the Summer Street branch of First Bank of Greenwich on July 16, 2018 with more than $1,000 in cash.

Police were called to the nearby Inspirica building where officer Brian McKay and Sgt. Chris Petrizzi apprehended Redshirt at gunpoint in the lobby about 10 minutes after the robbery. Police said Redshirt was in possession of some of the money taken in the robbery.

While he was waiting to be taken to police headquarters, Redshirt said he was just creating the news when asked why he robbed the bank.

Redshirt was given a seven-year suspended sentence and four years probation. If Redshirt violates his parole, he could be forced to serve all or some of the seven years in jail.

Stamford States Attorney Richard Colangelo told Judge Gary White that Redshirt robbed the bank of $1,155, but never showed a gun.

Redshirt has a criminal record dating back to 1999 that includes convictions for assault, burglary, violation of probation, failure to appear in court, having a weapon in a motor vehicle and drunken driving, the bail commissioner said.

Redshirts attorney said his client has drug problems and has gained some clarity in the six months he has been at the Garner Correctional Center where prisoners with severe mental issues are housed.

Mr. Redshirt has a situation where he has had some past difficulties with substance abuse and is trying to straighten out his life, Public Defender Howard Ehring said. This was a good resolution for Mr. Redshirt and he is addressing some of his difficulties while he is incarcerated.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.comSTAMFORD  Demolition of one of the St. John towers has been rescheduled, as workers were concerned that concrete falling from the building was getting too close to traffic below.

Work will resume Wednesday night, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Two lanes of Washington Boulevard will be closed during the work instead of the originally planned one.

They were concerned that the concrete was flying off of the building, said Arthur Augustyn, a spokesman for Mayor David Martin.

The work will focus on loosening concrete connected to exposed metal and rebar, in an effort to avoid those pieces being dislodged by wind and falling multiple stories to the ground, Augustyn said.

No work will be done this weekend. The full demolition will resume on the weekends of Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.

Augustyn said a revised demolition permit was sent to the state Department of Transportation in order to close more than one lane going forward.

Demolition crews are taking down the main St. John Tower structure by knocking it down floor-by-floor with an orange high-reach excavator.

The other two towers, still occupied, are not coming down and will see millions of dollars allocated toward renovations from the developer now tearing down Tower A.

Lennar Multifamily Communities will send $4.3 million to St. John Urban Development Corp. in lieu of including affordable units in the new 16-story building that the company expects to begin building in spring.Currently Reading

50 things to do this weekend in Connecticut, Jan.18-21Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Amazon announced data backup as a new focus for its ever-widening array of web services, inserting a major competitor to industry giants like EMC Dell and smaller upstarts like Datto in Norwalk.

Amazon will target its AWS Backup service to companies large and small as a way to simplify their use of multiple systems to back up their data on the Amazon Web Services cloud computing platform, offering a unified AWS screen to configure systems. Early customers include State Street Corp. and Rackspace.Artist's concept of NASA's Deep Space 1 probe approaching Comet 19P/Borrelly in September 2001. Deep Space 1, which launched in 1998, was the first NASA craft to use electric propulsion beyond Earth orbit.

Deep Space 1 (DS1) was a pioneering spacecraft launched in the late 1990s as part of NASA's New Millennium Program. The primary goal of the spacecraft's mission was to test dozens of new and groundbreaking technologies that were implemented in future missions, such as Dawn and New Horizons.

The DS1 spacecraft's technological testing was successful and significantly contributed to decreasing risks and costs for later spacecraft. The mission surpassed expectations by also capturing up-close images of the asteroid 9969 Braille and Comet Borrelly as the spacecraft flew by.

Testing the tech

Instead of science, DS1 focused on new technology. NASA's goal for the mission was to test the performance of five advanced technologies in flight, as well as another three out of six potential instruments, by Sept. 30, 1999, the end of DS1's primary mission.

The agency also planned for the onboard ion-propulsion system to propel the spacecraft into an asteroid-encountering trajectory, during which NASA could assess how the propulsion system interacted with the spacecraft and surrounding environment. Researchers feared that the operation of ion thrusters could contaminate both the science and the engineering portions of a mission, and DS1's job was to reveal how the contamination would work.

Deep Space 1, the first spacecraft to use ion propulsion as its main engine, being assembled. (Image credit: NASA)

DS1 carried the following 12 advanced technologies:

Required assessment: Each of these had to be evaluated for mission success.

Optional assessment: Only three of six required for mission success.

Ka-band solid state power amplifier: This small, lightweight amplifier boosted SDST's signal to about four times higher than the standard frequency used for deep-space missions at the time. According to JPL, the amplifier offered "the possibility of sending more information with less power."

Beacon monitor operations: This system relayed the overall operation status of the spacecraft to Earth using one of four tone signals. Each tone indicated something different about the spacecraft's health, such as "no assistance needed" or "contact with operators needed within a few days."

Autonomous remote agent: This artificial intelligence system planned and executed spacecraft activities and was tested on the spacecraft in preparation for more-ambitious experiments on subsequent missions.

Low-power electronics: To help reduce the mass and power consumption of electronics, DS1 carried out an experiment using devices with very low voltage and low capacity.

To help reduce the mass and power consumption of electronics, DS1 carried out an experiment using devices with very low voltage and low capacity. Power actuation and switching module: DS1 carried two power actuation and switching modules, each with four power switches, quadrupling the packing density over what was the state of the art at the time, according to JPL. The switches were used to direct power to the various devices aboard the spacecraft.

Multifunctional structure: This device integrated the electronic housings and thermal control of a spacecraft into a structural panel. According to the manufacturer, the technology offered significant mass and volume savings over traditional electronics packaging.

And, a last minute addition:

Plasma experiment for planetary exploration (PEPE): A miniature integrated ion/electron spectrometer, PEPE combined several instruments into a compact, low-mass package.

All 12 pieces of new technology were successfully evaluated, ahead of schedule, by the end of June 1999. Marc Rayman, DS1's chief mission engineer and deputy mission manager, later wrote in his DS1 blog that the mission exceeded his expectations.

"I did not even anticipate that we would be able to test all 12 technologies in the primary mission," he wrote. "That is a large payload, and it required a tremendous amount of work to put them through their paces."

Visiting an asteroid

Following those successful tests, DS1 turned its attention toward the asteroid 1992 KD. Just in time for the spacecraft's flyby of the asteroid, The Planetary Society announced the results of its naming contest, which designated the rocky body as 9969 Braille (the 9969 indicates that this space rock was the 9,969th asteroid to be numbered since the 1801 discovery of the first asteroid, Ceres, which is also classified as a dwarf planet). The name honors the blind French educator Louis Braille, who developed a system of printing and writing used extensively by the blind.

DS1's new technology was tested during the spacecraft's visit to Braille. Before the encounter, the target-tracking program in the navigational system had a problem that caused the scientific instruments to point away from the asteroid during the approach. The cameras were shut off during the flyby to allow PEPE to use enough power to collect high-quality data.

After passing by Braille, DS1 turned to capture images of the asteroid while moving away. But due to the target-tracking issues, the spacecraft obtained only two black-and-white images of the asteroid's surface and a dozen infrared spectrograph images that helped reveal the asteroid's composition. The spectra showed that Braille is similar to Vesta, the second-largest object in the asteroid belt.

A break in plans

DS1's primary mission concluded on Sept. 18, 1999, but after the Braille flyby, the mission was approved for an extension so that the spacecraft could visit a comet.

On Oct. 20, 1999, DS1 entered a coasting stage that was to last through mid-December of that year. Along the way, MICAS captured 48 infrared spectra of Mars, covering nearly two full rotations of the planet, from a range of 34 million miles (55 million km). At the time, these pictures were the highest-quality spectra of Mars collected within that range. The images revealed the presence of previously unrecognized surface minerals.

On Nov. 11, 1999, after the Mars data had been acquired but before it was sent to Earth, DS1's stellar reference unit (SRU) stopped functioning. The SRU was a component of the navigation system and provided the spacecraft with its only way of tracking where it was in space. Knowing its location was important so that the spacecraft could point its antennas back toward Earth. Although the SRU was considered a critical spacecraft device, there hadn't been enough funding for a backup instrument.

But instead of canceling the mission, the team at NASA used the visible channel in MICAS to track a star, then built a program to navigate and operate the spacecraft using the star's relative location. The seven months spent fixing the problem meant that a visit to Comet Wilson-Harrington was dropped, giving the team a few extra months to work out the kinks.

Despite the long odds that their solution would work, the DS1 team was able to overcome the setback. "The recovery from the loss of the star tracker was one of our finest accomplishments," Rayman said in a statement.

Along the way, DS1 set a new record for the longest operating time of any propulsion system in space. By Sept. 25, 2000, DS1 had logged more than 5,800 hours of operation on its ion propulsion system, breaking the 1970 record of 3,879 hours set by NASA's Space Electric Rocket Test II.

This 1998 image shows the Deep Space 1 Technology Demonstrator featuring many new technologies, but none so high-tech as the ion propulsion system. (Image credit: NASA.)

Catching a comet

After its repair, DS1 set off to fly by Comet 19p/Borrelly in September 2001. [Best Close Encounters of the Comet Kind]

DS1's visit to Borrelly was eye-opening for scientists. As with the flyby of Braille, MICAS and PEPE were key. MICAS captured images of the comet, while PEPE examined the object's composition. Magnetic-field and plasma-wave measurements were made with sensors that had been built to measure the effects of the ion propulsion system on the space environment and that were reprogrammed in flight to collect scientific data.

DS1 captured 52 images of the nucleus of Borrelly, using the highest resolution. At the time, only 13 bodies in the solar system had been imaged with better resolution.

"It's very exciting to be among the first humans to glimpse the secrets that this comet has held since before the planets were formed," Rayman said in a statement.

The end of the road

Sending the data gathered at Borrelly to Earth triggered the conclusion of DS1's two-year extended mission, but that wasn't the end for the spacecraft. Researchers began a second extended mission dedicated to renewed testing of the spacecraft's advanced technology. At this point, the total mission had lasted three times as long as the primary mission, which allowed researchers to gather unprecedented data on the effects of long-term operations in space.

Despite its long lifetime, the spacecraft remained undamaged, and scientists considered sending it to another target. A third mission extension would have had DS1 encounter an asteroid named 1999 KK1 in August 2002. However, the DS1 team decided to scrap that plan.

"As intriguing as that might have been, it would not have been an efficient use of your tax dollars or mine," Rayman wrote in his DS1 blog. "We squeezed far, far more out of Deep Space 1 than we expected, and now the most responsible way to use NASA's precious resources is to turn our attention to other missions."

The spacecraft was reconfigured to allow DS1 to operate indefinitely without hearing from or reporting to Earth. On Dec. 18, 2001, following DS1's last ion propulsion test and the dumping of some final data, team members transmitted a command to place the spacecraft in a safe mode. This final instruction was the 9,905th command of the mission. While it's possible the spacecraft continues to function, attempts to contact it from Earth in 2002 failed.

Today, DS1 continues to orbit the sun much like a planet, asteroid or comet. And, it carries with it a time capsule of sorts. In the late 1990s, before DS1's launch, NASA presented information to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America about what humans had accomplished in the preceding millennium. The youth were then invited to write or draw their views of the future. Over 800 of those sketches were recorded on a CD-ROM placed onboard the spacecraft, along with some personal thoughts and hopes of some of the people who worked on the mission.

"DS1 will become an inert piece of cosmic flotsam," Rayman wrote. "But perhaps it will be something more than that, as it will remain a monument to humanity's most noble spirit of adventure, sense of wonder, desire to explore, and tenacious creativity."

(Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Building future missions

A variety of missions have benefited from the technological tests performed by the DS1 spacecraft.

For example, NASA's Dawn mission, which visited the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, used an ion engine validated by DS1. NASA's Deep Impact mission, which sent a "smart impactor" to the surface of the nucleus of Comet Tempel 1, relied on AutoNav, pioneered by DS1, to help compensate for the comet's unpredictable path.

NASA's Stardust mission also relied on AutoNav. The first NASA mission dedicated solely to exploring a comet, and the first robotic sample return mission, Stardust captured dust and samples during its close encounter with Comet Wild 2. A version of the AutoNav software, as modified for the Comet Borrelly flyby, had been uplinked to Stardust to allow it to precisely locate the nucleus of Comet Wild 2.

Even rovers have benefited from DS1's technological groundwork. NASA's Mars Curiosity rover occasionally uses autonomous navigation as it treks across the Martian surface.

NASA's New Horizons, the first mission to Pluto and its moon Charon, was the first to use DS1's beacon monitor technology.

The small deep-space transponder, which combined multiple telecommunication instruments into a single package and was first tested with DS1, has been used on a variety of missions, such as NASA's Cassini and Kepler missions.

"Because of Deep Space 1's technology testing, many future missions that would have been unaffordable or even impossible now are feasible," Rayman wrote. "I think that the results of the mission can contribute to a future with more frequent, affordable, capable and exciting space and Earth science missions. Indeed, I've always maintained that the real science return from Deep Space 1 is in the future missions that are enabled by the technologies we tested."

Additional resources:Students stand in line at the Early Advising Pop-In to check in and speak with their adviser. Students were offered a bag of popcorn while they waited.As the federal government shutdown nears its fourth week with no end in sight, some NASA employees gathered in Houston to protest the consequences of the budget impasse between Congress and the White House, according to reporting by the Houston Chronicle.

The Texas city is home to the agency's Johnson Space Center (JSC), which employs more than 3,000 people. A small fraction of those employees are still working, since the center includes the agency's astronaut office, which provides vital support for the three crewmembers currently living on the International Space Station.

But most were sent home on Dec. 22, when the shutdown began, and many are looking at growing stacks of bills after their first missed paycheck. And on Jan. 15, about 50 people gathered at JSC to protest being put out of work by the shutdown. (Before the protest, local TV station KHOU reported that TSA workers were also involved in planning the event.)

"My reserves are running out," one protestor told the Houston Chronicle. "All we want is our pay day."

Staffers working with the International Space Station residents and tending to active spacecraft are mostly still working, since those tasks are considered necessary to protect the agency's property.

Scientists haven't fared quite as well  they were forbidden from attending a major astronomy conference last week and are mostly furloughed, with the temporary exception of people working for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. (The lab is currently operating on a prepaid contract.)

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.Asteroid impacts have a bad reputation here on Earth  it's the dinosaurs' signature public relations victory  but it's the moon that really bears the scars of living in our messy neighborhood.

That's because Earth has an arsenal of forces that slowly wear away the craters left behind by impacts. And that's frustrating for scientists who want to better understand the debris hurtling around our solar system. So a new study uses the pockmarked lunar surface to trace the history of things smashing into both our moon and Earth, finding signs that our neighborhood got a lot messier about 290 million years ago.

"It's a cool study that talks about our dynamic solar system and it's good that it's out there," Nicolle Zellner, a physicist at Albion College in Michigan who was not involved in the new research, told Space.com. "It'll get people thinking and testing it, so that's exciting." [How the Moon Formed: 5 Wild Lunar Theories]

Earth and the moon are close enough on the solar system scale that stray asteroids should crash into each at about the same frequency. (Earth may attract a few extra with its stronger gravity, and Earth likely suffers more hits because of its larger surface area  but in terms of impact per square mile, they should be clocking in about the same.)

Scientists have identified only about 180 impact craters here on Earth, as opposed to hundreds of thousands of lunar impact craters. Earth wipes them away with winds and rainfall, oceans and plate tectonics. "The moon is perfect for studying craters," Sara Mazrouei, a planetary scientist who led the new research during her doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, told Space.com. "Everything stays there."

An image of the moon and its larger, younger craters. (Image credit: Dr. A. Parker, Southwest Research Institute)

But in order to trace the history of impacts, scientists needed to not just identify craters, but also estimate their ages. And that's much harder on the moon than on Earth, since geologists can't currently sample lunar craters directly.

So the team behind the new research settled on what may be a surprising measurement: how well nearby rocks retain heat during the long, cold lunar night. That might seem like an awfully random measurement. But when a large impactor strikes the moon, it scoops out a crater and litters the surrounding landscape with boulders sourced from that material. Over time, those rocks are struck by smaller impactors that break them into smaller and smaller rocks, which eventually become dusty regolith, so the team argued that older craters would be surrounded by finer rocks and younger craters by larger ones.

Then, when that landscape transitions from a 14-day lunar day to a 14-day lunar night, it changes temperature at different rates. "The idea is that big rocks can hold heat throughout the night, whereas that regolith or sand loses heat," Mazrouei said. "As craters get older, they become less rocky." In turn, they cool off faster.

So Mazrouei and her colleagues looked at thermal imaging data from an instrument called the Diviner on board NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been circling the moon since 2009. The team identified 111 individual craters that they knew were less than 1 billion years old, analyzed their heat signatures and, using a model of how quickly lunar boulders disintegrate, estimated their age.

The result showed an intriguing pattern: a spike in impact rates about 290 million years ago, when cratering rates appear to have more than doubled. That would suggest something significant changed in our solar system around then  perhaps, the team proposes, a large space rock in the asteroid belt breaking up and wandering closer to Earth and the moon. And comparing the craters we do know about here on Earth to their results, the team sees similar patterns, suggesting scientists have found a pretty representative, if small, collection of craters.

Not everyone is convinced. "The results are intriguing, but I think that the actual support for these conclusions is pretty weak," Jay Melosh, a planetary scientist at Purdue University who wasn't involved in the new research, told Space.com. In particular, he's not sold on the boulder- disintegration model they used  he thinks it doesn't properly account for how that process speeds up as rocks get smaller. And he doesn't see enough Earth craters to support solid statistical analyses; he worries that they're working from too small a sample size. [The Moon: 10 Surprising Lunar Facts]

"That doesn't mean it's wrong, but it also doesn't mean that it's right  we just really don't know," Melosh said. "This is a noble attempt to go just a little bit farther than the data support."

Zellner understands how difficult studying lunar craters can be: she's worked with the droplets of glass created by impacts and carried back to Earth in samples gathered by the Apollo astronauts. But dating that glass is still a challenge even with lab technology, and the samples all come from a small patch of the moon's surface. Orbiter data puts scientists at more of a distance, but covers the entire lunar surface  neither method is perfect.

"We're doing the best we can with what we have now," Zellner said. "This is science, right? We put ideas out there, and then we find ways to test those ideas, and the idea either stands the test of time or it doesn't."

And all three scientists offered compelling reasons why doing the work to figure out the moon's impact history is worthwhile. First, of course, there's the self-interested approach: Earth craters can come with some unpleasant side effects.

"Everybody is interested in the cratering rate on Earth because we don't want to end up like the dinosaurs," Melosh said. The catastrophic aftermath of the impact wiped out a staggering three out of four species alive at the time, although the extinctions left plenty of room for our own mammalian ancestors to thrive. "We should thank our lucky meteorite, but it was pretty bad for everybody else on the planet." Learn enough about impacts, the theory goes, and we may be able to save our own skins the next time around.

For Zellner, there's a more exotic appeal as well: Learning more about our own solar system could help scientists understand not just our own neighborhood, but also the processes that have shaped the alien solar systems that scientists keep discovering.

Mazrouei sees the work as an example of how different solar system bodies can shed light on each other. One of her co-authors is already looking forward to how the BepiColombo mission to Mercury, armed with an instrument much like that at the moon now, will be able to add another dimension to cratering studies.

Earth is great to live on, but scientists can't piece together its past from home. It takes studying the moon and its pristinely cratered surface to understand what our planet has been through, Mazrouei said. "We get to detangle a lot of Earth's history as well."

The new research is described in a paper published today (Jan. 17) in the journal Science.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.Chinese scientists released this image of a cotton plant germinating in its tank on the moons far side aboard the Chang'e 4 lander. The photograph was taken Jan. 7, 2019.

They were the little cotton sprouts that could: a handful of seedlings that poked themselves up from the dirt inside a small biosphere on China's lunar lander, Chang'e-4.

Yes, the plants were stunted compared with the earthbound control plants. But they had just survived a space launch and difficult journey to the moon, and were growing in the low gravity and high radiation of extraterrestrial space. They were the first plants ever to grow on the lunar surface. None of the other species that made the trip with them showed any similar signs of life.

Now they're dead. And it's all the moon's fault.

During a news conference today (Jan. 16), project leader Liu Hanlong explained the plants' deaths in their little, faraway can, the Hong Kong publication GB Times reported.

As night fell on the region of the far side of the moon where Chang'e-4 sits, temperatures plunged in the 5.7-lbs. (2.6 kilograms) mini biosphere. Hanlong reportedly said that the temperature inside the chamber had fallen to minus 62 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 52 degrees Celsius), and could continue to plunge to minus 292 degrees F (minus 180 degrees C). The experiment is effectively over, as the lander has no onboard mechanism for keeping the experiment warm without sunlight.

So what, precisely, would have happened to the extraterrestrial growth as temperatures plunged?

Some plants are better at dealing with cold than others, as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explained in a post. As days shorten and temperatures drop, the plants flood their cells with sugar and other chemicals to lower the freezing point of the water inside. This process is important because it keeps intracellular water from turning to ice crystals that expand and shred cells from the inside. Other plants also toughen cell membranes, or -- in extreme environments, plants survive freezes by dehydrating themselves, literally pumping water out of the cells.

However, according to the FAO, all of these "hardening" techniques require that, for several days, the environment send t signals that winter is coming. This is why sudden frosts can kill even cold-weather plants on Earth. And cotton, native to warm regions on Earth, is not particularly well adapted to the cold in the first place.

The lunar nighttime chill would have been nothing like the gradual seasonal shift to which plants are adapted. During the two-week daylight period, temperatures on the lunar surface can be as high as 212 degrees F (100 degrees C). But when night falls, they can rapidly plunge to minus 279 degrees F (minus 173 degrees C).

So the cold shock to the cotton was likely brutal and sudden. Water in newly formed cells would have turned quickly to ice, flaying them open from the inside. Any buds and leaves would have gone first, according to research published in 2001 in the journal Annals of Botany. A close look at them under microscopes would reveal cell membranes wrinkled and folded on themselves like burst water balloons. The hardier stems would have frozen shortly afterward.

At the same time as the cells froze, that study found, water between the cells would have frozen as well. That process would have sucked more water out of the cells before it could freeze, killing the cotton by dehydration as much as physical destruction.

Though no earthly plant is known to survive at temperatures colder than even the middle of Antarctica, the cotton likely wouldn't have put up a fight to prevent its death without any autumnal light shifts to signal the temperature change.

The end of those cotton sprouts was probably nasty, then. But at least it was quick. We salute the botanical explorers, now frozen in their lunar graves.

Originally published on Live Science.Spoiler ganglia are tingling!

The second season of "Star Trek: Discovery" will be back on your screens via CBS All Access this Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. EST.

After almost a year, "Star Trek: Discovery" will boldly re-enter our lives for a sensational new season of cosmological capers and intergalactic adventure. But before we look ahead to Season 2, let's look back at some of the significant events of Season 1. Are you sitting comfortably? ... Then we shall begin. [A Closer Look at the New 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 2 Trailer]

Cmdr. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) goes on a scientifically implausible spacewalk in Star Trek: Discovery. (Image credit: CBS)

It all starts in 2256, when the USS Shenzhou, under the command of Capt. Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is called to a binary star system to investigate a damaged interstellar relay  damaged, we later learn, by the Klingons. Unfortunately, First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is forced to kill a Klingon while on a spacewalk at the site. When a Klingon ship decloaks, Georgiou disregards her first officer's advice to engage them immediately. Burnham's logic is that Vulcans have used preemptive strikes in the past to meet threats from the Klingons. Apparently, this has had more success than just trying to do the whole talk-talk-talk thing. In desperation, Burnham tries to mutiny aboard the USS Shenzhou.

Nonetheless, Georgiou attempts peace talks and they are invariably ignored. More Klingon ships arrive, and from his flagship, the Klingon T'Kuvma persuades the leaders of all the Houses of the Klingon Empire that he can lead them to victory over the Federation. Thus, the Battle of the Binary Star begins, and so does the Klingon-Federation War. The USS Shenzhou is destroyed and Capt. Georgiou is killed. However, Burnham survives, and she's court-martialed by Starfleet for her attempted mutiny, which is justified  and also for starting the war, which is a bit unfair.

The prison shuttle transporting Burnham is intercepted by the USS Discovery, which is under the command of Capt. Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs). And so begins a gradual, gripping series of events that unfold over 13 more episodes. Lorca is not what he seems to be, and the Discovery is using a brand-new technology called the "displacement activated spore hub drive," or DASHD, which enables it to travel basically anywhere in the universe nearly instantaneously  and, as we discover later on, interdimensionally.

Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) sits in the captain's chair, with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to the right on "Star Trek: Discovery." (Image credit: Jan Thijs/CBS)

We gradually get to know a whole host of great characters who inhabit Discovery, from Lt. Saru (Doug Jones) and Cadet Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) to Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) and Lt. Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp).

We see Stamets learn to control the spore drive by physically interacting with it. We meet a Starfleet officer held aboard a Klingon prison ship by the name of Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), who may or may not harbor a dark secret. And we also meet the enigmatic, the charismatic, the mesmerizing and memorable, the one and only Harcourt Fenton Mudd (Rainn Wilson).

Despite a blossoming relationship with Burnham, it turns out that Tyler does indeed harbor a dark secret. Though hes not consciously aware, he's actually a Klingon called Voq who underwent an agonizing surgical procedure called choH'a', making him look human. Working with another Klingon, L'Rell (Mary Chieffo) Tyler assumes the identity of a captured Starfleet officer and a sleeper agent intent on infiltrating the Federation.

Ash Tyler (played by Shazad Latif) in "Star Trek: Discovery" Episode 9, "Into the Forest I Go." (Image credit: Jan Thijs/CBS)

And that isn't the only twist. Those niggling little doubts we had regarding Lorca's real intentions are fully justified when he uses the spore drive to take the unwitting crew of the USS Discovery into the Mirror Universe.

The "Mirror Universe" is another name for a parallel universe first visited by Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and several officers from the USS Enterprise in 2267, during "Star Trek: The Original Series." This alternate reality coexists with the prime universe but lies on another dimensional plane. It was so named because people and places seemed to be opposites, with numerous good aspects now evil and vice versa  and thus, it's "mirror"-like.

It is here that we are introduced to her most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo'noS, Regina Andor, Emperor Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius. To give her her full title.

Yup, it's Georgiou. She's back. And in this reality, Burnham is her adopted daughter. She tells Burnham what we've come to suspect  Lorca is indeed from the MU. He fled to the prime reality to avoid the death penalty for an attempted coup d'etat. And then, like that scene in "The Usual Suspects," the clues fall into place. Burnham becomes more and more horrified as she puts the pieces together.

Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) is escorted through the Terran Emperor's ship in Episode 12 of "Star Trek: Discovery." (Image credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/CBS)

Lorca escapes imperial custody aboard Emperor Georgiou's powerful ship and releases his imprisoned crew, who are loyal to his cause. He tries again to overthrow the Imperial Emperor, and everything goes haywire. Georgiou and Burnham team up to fight Lorca, and after a little megalomaniacal monologue, Lorca is first impaled by the full length of the Emperor's sword and is then cast unceremoniously into space, falling into the spore drive reactor and disintegrating into subatomic particles. [6 'Star Trek' Captains, Ranked from Worst to Best]

With MU Georgiou in tow, Burnham makes it back to the USS Discovery; they engage the spore drive and re-emerge in the Prime Universe  only things aren't exactly how they left them. While everyone was away, the Klingon-Federation War has taken a turn for the worse  well, if you're not Klingon, anyway. Without Starfleet's "secret weapon" (the now depleted spore drive and the USS Discovery), the Federation has been unable to stem the Klingons' advance.

In desperation, senior Federation officials, including Admiral Cornwell (Jayne Brook) and Sarek (James Frain), take Georgiou's advice.

"The Klingons are like cancer cells, constantly dividing. To root them out, you must destroy the tumor at its source. How much do you know about Qo'noS?" Georgiou says.

So a plan is hatched to attack the Klingon homeworld by planting a powerful bomb in an active volcano system, which will render the planet uninhabitable. However, within the away team only Georgiou knows of the real plan when they set out. Once on the planet's surface, when Burnham learns of the real plan, she manages to convince Georgiou to not deliver the device.

The detonation codes are given to L'Rell instead, who in turn addresses the Klingon council and says the Empire must unite to avoid total destruction. All the while, she's waving the detonator about  which she could actually set off.

Georgiou is given her freedom and slips away into the shadows. Tyler says goodbye to Burnham and goes off to help L'Rell. Finally, Sarek hops on board the Discovery as they go to drop him off on Vulcan and simultaneously pick up the new captain of the USS Discovery. Poor Saru never gets a break.

But along the way, they pick up a distress signal  from  from 

 the USS Enterprise. Oh, yes. The Enterprise is under the command of Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). We see the two ships rendezvous and then  Season 1 ends. [USS Enterprise Evolution in Photos: The Many Faces of Star Trek's Starship]

Philippa Georgiou joins Section 31. (Image credit: Russ Martin/CBS)

What's next

So, what can we look forward to? For starters, we get to see the legendary Constitution Class starship in action, and we get to see the character of Capt. Pike fleshed out.

Christopher Pike (originally played by Jeffrey Hunter) was captain of the USS Enterprise before Kirk, and his science officer was Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). "Star Trek: Discovery" is set in 2256. Two years prior, in 2254, the USS Enterprise (under Pike's command) was tricked into traveling to Talos IV, supposedly because it was on a rescue mission. This story formed the very first pilot of "Star Trek: The Original Series" in 1966 and was called "The Cage."

The footage from this pilot was later  and very cleverly  reused for a new, two-part story called "The Menagerie," where we learn that Pike has been crippled by a very serious accident aboard a starship some 10 years after the events of "The Cage." Spock hijacks the Enterprise in order to fulfil Pike's last request that he be taken back to Talos IV, so he may live out the rest of his years as happily as he possibly can, in a Matrix-like state of mind without the burden of his damaged body.

Speaking to Space.com at New York Comic Con last year, Mount said, "Well, it's a new thing to have a beginning and an end and no middle to a character. And if we ever get to explore that, I think that the fun part would be, How do you get the character to that point in a way that's not a tragedy, but a triumph?"

All of this also means that we meet Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck), and he's got a boss beard.

From what we know of the trailers, a strange phenomenon called "red angel" first wants to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy  and somehow, Spock is involved.

In addition to all these already amazing things to look forward to, we also get to see Georgiou, because she's been recruited by Section 31, a highly classified, clandestine branch of Starfleet. Plus, we get to see Pike's first officer, known as Number One and played by Rebecca Romijn. The role was originally played by Majel Barrett in the pilot, and sadly, the character never reappeared after that.

Phew. That's a lot to get excited about.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2. (Image credit: Jan Thijs/CBS)

The first season of "Star Trek: Discovery" is available to stream in its entirety on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Netflix in the U.K. "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 1 is now available on Blu-ray.

The second season of "Star Trek: Discovery" will consist of 14 episodes with no midseason break. It will premiere on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, in the U.S. and Canada, and it will be released in the rest of the world on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.

Follow Scott Snowden on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.Amid a partial government shutdown that has left most of NASA's staff furloughed, the space agency published a total lunar eclipse guide complete with educational tools for classrooms. The tools will help the American public better understand what will happen in their skies this Sunday (Jan. 20) when the moon passes through Earth's shadow, an event potentially visible to millions across North and South America.

Staff at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, released a "Teachable Moments" webpage to prepare viewers for the upcoming celestial occurrence. During the eclipse, crimson and orange colors will engulf the moon as it travels through Earth's shadow.

If there are poor weather conditions on the night of the lunar eclipse, NASA officials recommend visiting the website TimeandDate.com for a feed of the event. We will also host eclipse webcasts here at Space.com. [Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse of 2019: Complete Guide]

The major stages of the total lunar eclipse of Jan. 20-21, 2019 are shown in this Sky & Telescope graphic. Times are listed in EST. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope)

NASA also published educational tools, including lunar eclipse and moon-observation worksheets, that kids can work through.

NASA JPL educational technology specialist Lyle Tavernier outlined what to expect from Sunday evening (Jan. 20) to early Monday morning (Jan. 21). Tavernier described Earth's shadow as cone-shaped with two regions of darkness: the penumbra and the umbra. The shell of the cone is the penumbra, and it is the region that the moon first enters.

To viewers in North and South America, the lunar face "will dim very slightly for the next 57 minutes as it moves deeper into the penumbra," Tavernier wrote. The moon will begin entering the deeper shadow region, the umbra, at about 10:33 p.m. EST on Sunday (7:33 p.m. PST).

"Some say that during this part of the eclipse, the moon looks as if it has had a bite taken out of it," Tavernier said. "That 'bite' gets bigger and bigger as the moon moves deeper into the shadow."

An illustration of the configuration that produces a total lunar eclipse. The moon is the faint sphere within the dark cone behind Earth. (Image credit: NASA)

Some call this total lunar eclipse a blood supermoon for its reddish color and for its apparent size, which is caused by the moon's relative proximity to Earth during this part of the lunar orbit.

By 11:41 p.m. EST (8:41 p.m. PST), crimson color will fill the moon as it sits completely inside Earth's umbra. Sunset and sunrise colors will shade our natural satellite, because as sunlight streams through Earth's atmosphere and onto the lunar surface, it bends. Blue light, like the color people see in the daytime sky, gets scattered, so only red light trails into space.

"A variety of factors affect the appearance of the moon during a total lunar eclipse," Tavernier said. "Clouds, dust, ash, photochemical droplets and organic material in the atmosphere can change how much light is refracted into the umbra."

The moon may also appear darker during the January 2019 total lunar eclipse than other lunar eclipses. As a "supermoon," the full moon will be at one of its closest points to Earth this year, and its proximity means the moon will be deeper inside Earth's umbra shadow, Tavernier added.

This Sky & Telescope map shows the visibility region for the total lunar eclipse of Jan. 20-21, 2019. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope; source: Fred Espenak)

The weekend's eclipse will come to an official end when the moon moves completely out of the penumbra, at 2:48 a.m. EST Monday (11:48 p.m. PST Sunday).

This month is also momentous for NASA because of the partial government shutdown, which has furloughed 96 percent of the space agency's employees, according to CBS-affiliated television station KHOU-11.

You can find NASA's Teachable Moments for the 2019 total lunar eclipse here. A lunar eclipse moon lessons guide for teachers is available here.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of the January 2019 total lunar eclipse that you'd like to share with Space.com and our news partners for a possible story or image gallery, send comments and images in to: spacephotos@space.com.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the InSight lander that arrived at Mars in November. The team deployed its seismometer earlier this month, as shown in this image captured Jan. 11, 2019.

SAN FRANCISCO  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has not furloughed employees due to the ongoing government shutdown but "may have to consider some adjustments on a mission-by-mission basis" if Congress does not approve NASA funding by the end of January, Veronica McGregor, JPL spokeswoman, said in an emailed response to questions.

NASA pays the California Institute of Technology to manage JPL, a federally funded research and development center in Pasadena, California, with about 6,000 employees and a $2.5 billion 2018 budget. JPL also receives funding for specific projects from NASA and other U.S. government agencies.

Because of its varied funding sources, JPL is in a better position to weather the current political storm than NASA's owned and operated field centers. Most of the space agency's civil service workforce already has been furloughed.

On Tuesday, Caltech President Thomas Rosenbaum addressed the government shutdown in a message to the Caltech community. "As the partial government shutdown enters a record fourth week, Caltech operations continue apace, but future negative consequences remain a possibility," Rosenbaum said. "The most significant impact is on JPL. Prior to the shutdown, laboratory management worked with NASA to maximize the available funding for JPL's tasks. To date, JPL has been able to avoid furloughs, but may have to adjust staffing levels if the shutdown continues into February."

Caltech operates JPL under a $15 billion five-year NASA contract that began Oct. 1, 2018. Caltech and JPL spokespeople declined to specify how long the current funding would last. JPL contractors told SpaceNews Caltech has enough funding to run JPL for most of February.

During 2013 government shutdown, JPL's work was not interrupted because Caltech had government funding to continue work for four to five weeks and the shutdown ended after 16 days, said Casey Dreier, Planetary Society senior space policy advisor. The current shutdown became the longest in U.S. history on Jan. 12, breaking the 21-day record set when the government closed from Dec. 16, 1995 to Jan. 6, 1996.

If this shutdown continues long enough to deplete funding for JPL operations, Caltech leaders will have to decide whether to keep the doors open, according to a JPL contractor who asked not to be identified.

"Generally, the expectation is that as the work continues the funding will show up eventually," said Paul Little, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive. "That's what has happened in the past."

In its 2017 annual report, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory published this chart showing its annual budget and spending on major programs. (Image credit: NASA)

For now, most work at JPL continues without interruption.

"We can continue to do our jobs as long as they don't require interaction with NASA civil servants," said a NASA contractor.

However, "any new task plan or new decision is stalled," said a JPL employee.

Eventually all the decisions awaiting approval from NASA headquarters will pile up, Dreier said. "They can only go so far without headquarters signing off on certain things," he added.

As the shutdown drags on with no sign of near-term resolution, JPL employees are beginning to worry about its possible impact on planetary missions.

"The window for Mars 2020 is not going to wait," said the JPL employee.

If Caltech lays off a significant number of JPL employees, it would have to inform California's Employment Development Department. Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, Caltech would have to file a notice 60 days prior to closing a facility or laying off 50 employees or more.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.Whenever we have a total eclipse of the moon approaching, as we do now, my mind always drifts back to my very first total lunar eclipse more than half a century ago. And strangely enough, when I think about that magical night, I also reference a famous cartoon character from the past:

Mr. Magoo.

There is a reason for this that I will make clear in just a moment. But first, I should note that as a very young boy my interest in astronomy was only just beginning. In July 1963, I had witnessed a large partial eclipse of the sun from my home in the Bronx. While it was not total, I still remember the excitement of seeing the sun whittled down to a narrow crescent while a strange "counterfeit twilight" fell over the landscape for a minute or two. [Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse of 2019: Complete Guide]

Nearly a year and a half later, the newspapers, radio and television were promoting a total eclipse of the moon, which would occur on Friday evening, Dec. 18, 1964. That was an event that I surely wanted to see. The eclipse would start at a very convenient time, 8 p.m. ET, with totality coming just over an hour later. My grandfather would allow me to use his binoculars so that I might get a better look at the subtle shades and colors that would set in during the total phase of the eclipse. As the big night approached, I got more and more enthusiastic.

And then suddenly I became conflicted, thanks to Mr. Magoo.

A viewing quandary

The major stages of the total lunar eclipse of Jan. 20-21, 2019 are shown in this Sky & Telescope graphic. Times are listed in EST. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope)

For those who are unfamiliar with Mr. Magoo, he was a cartoon character that was created in 1949 and became very popular during the 1950s and '60s. So popular in fact, that two episodes of Mr. Magoo won Oscars (in 1954 and 1956) in the category of "Best Animated Short Film." The voice of Magoo was supplied by the late Jim Backus, who would go on to play millionaire Thurston Howell III on the TV sitcom "Gilligan's Island."

In 1962, the NBC Network aired "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," the very first animated holiday program ever produced specifically for television. I should note here that unlike today, where you have a choice of watching scores of different channels on cable or satellite networks, back then you only had a handful of channels to choose from over the broadcast airwaves. In those halcyon days of the early 1960s, a typical American family might actually build their entire week of television viewing around one particular program (for example, the annual showing of "The Wizard of Oz"), and now this animated rendition of the Charles Dickens' classic also fell into that category. When it debuted in 1962, this portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by the popular Mr. Magoo drew a tremendous audience. Magoo was a smash hit in 1962 and 1963, and our family loved it.

But in 1964, just a few nights before the eclipse, NBC announced that it would be airing its annual holiday showing of Mr. Magoo on Dec. 18.

Eclipse night!

At first, I didn't know what to do. I badly wanted to watch both, but I really couldn't be in two places at once! And remember, this was 1964. There were no VCRs to record the program and watch it later. Ultimately, however, I was placated by my mother who pointed out that Magoo would start at 7:30 p.m. but the eclipse would not get underway until 8. So I could watch the first half of the show without any concerns. After 8 o'clock, the moon would begin its track into the Earth's shadow, "but," mom said, "certainly you could run outside during the commercial break to watch the early stages of the moon being covered."

At 8:30, Magoo would be done for another year, and I could fully concentrate on the show in the sky, including totality  two big shows for the price of one! [Amazing Photos of the Rare Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse]

Hardly bloody

I had read in advance that during a total lunar eclipse the moon is usually transformed into a coppery red ball; indeed, today's society calls it a "blood moon." I looked forward to seeing that firsthand, but ended up a bit disappointed. In 1963, the Mount Agung volcano in Indonesia blew its top and sent a tremendous cloud of ash and dust into the stratosphere, effectively blocking any reddened sunlight normally bent by our atmosphere into Earth's shadow. As a consequence, total lunar eclipses in December 1963 and June 1964 ended up being usually dark  almost black  lacking the ochre/coppery color normally seen during totality.

For "my" eclipse in December 1964, enough of the ash and dust had dissipated to allow for a much brighter eclipse. Still, I saw a lot more of grays and browns as opposed to red. Certainly nothing to suggest the color of blood.

A celestial rerun

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon can take on a red tinge depending on atmospheric conditions. (Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

I'm really hoping to get a view of our upcoming lunar eclipse Jan. 21 of this year, because in a sense it will mark the return of my "Mr. Magoo Eclipse" of 1964.

It is an interesting phenomenon that an eclipse, whether of the sun or the moon, will repeat itself. Ancient astronomers in Assyria and Babylonia kept track of time by carefully observing the motions of the moon and the sun. By recording the details of solar and lunar eclipses, the accuracy of these measurements increased markedly. As they studied the record of centuries of eclipses, a pattern began to emerge: Eclipses tend to repeat themselves at intervals of just over 18 years, though they recur at different locations on Earth. This eclipse cycle is called the "saros"  Greek for "repetition."

This Sky & Telescope map shows the visibility region for the total lunar eclipse of Jan. 20-21, 2019. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope; source: Fred Espenak)

A saros cycle encompasses 18 years and 10 1/3 days or 11 1/3 days, since almost always five or four leap years, respectively, intervene with almost equal frequency. Because of the extra third of a day, each successive eclipse occurs about 120 degrees in longitude to the west of its predecessor.

Thus, after three saros repetitions (54 years and 33+/- 1 days) an eclipse recurs in the same general part of the world. The late science writer Isaac Asimov coined the phrase "triple saros" to describe this interval of time. However, astronomer Owen Gingerich notes that the Greeks called a period equal to three saros cycles an "Exeligmos."

In this case, my 1964 lunar eclipse and our upcoming lunar eclipse are members of saros #134 and can be tied together using the Exeligmos:

Dec. 18, 1964 Mid-totality: 9:37 p.m. EST

Jan. 21, 2019 Mid-totality: 12:12 a.m. EST

And comparing the path that the moon took through Earth's shadow in December 1964 as well as the general region of the visibility of that eclipse, with the shadow path and visibility zone for our upcoming eclipse, we would readily notice the similarities:

Dec. 18, 1964 diagram from NASA

Jan. 21, 2019 diagram from NASA

Lastly, I should note that at the end of each Mr. Magoo adventure he would use the catchphrase: "Oh, Magoo, you've done it again!"

And we probably can say the same about the Exeligmos.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for Verizon FiOS1 News in New York's Lower Hudson Valley. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.Mini Rover on Display

Sun Zifa/China News Service/VCG/Gett

China became the first nation to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon when its Change-4 mission touched down at the Von Karman Crater on Jan. 2, 2019. The China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) has given the Maisto Tech toy company exclusive rights to create toy versions of the Change-4 mission components, including the Yutu-2 lunar rover, that can move around and light up. Click through this gallery to see what theyve created!

Testing the Parts

VCG/VCG via Getty

A motorized, 1:8 scale model of China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover, named Yutu-2, undergoes testing by an employee in a Maisto Tech plant production line in Dongguan, China, on Nov. 16, 2018. This model includes an infrared sensor that will prevent the motorized rover from bumping into things like walls, furniture and other obstacles.

Putting the Pieces Together

VCG/VCG via Getty

At a Maisto Tech plant in Dongguan, China, employees assemble electronic components for 1:8 scale models of the Chang'e-4 lunar rover.

Adding the Shine

VCG/VCG via Getty

At a Dongguan, China plant, a Maisto Tech employee works on the assembly of a 1:8 scale model of the Chang'e-4 rover.

Checking Connections

VCG/VCG via Getty

A Maisto Tech plant employee runs tests on a miniature version of the Chang'e-4 lunar rover on Nov. 16, 2018.

Construction in Progress

VCG/VCG via Getty

An employee at a Maisto Tech plant in Dongguan, China, has three Chang'e-4 lunar rover models in various stages of assembly.

Components in Place

VCG/VCG via Getty

An employee positions components of the Chang'e-4 lunar rover model at a Maisto Tech plant.

A Hands-On Experience

Shutterstock

For little hands who hope to understand more about moon missions, this toy version, at 1:8 scale, of the Chang'e-4 lunar rover was created by Maisto Tech. The company also plans to launch a smaller, 1:16 version of the rover, as well as a 1:20 model of the Chang'e-4 lunar lander. Pricing and availability of the toys has not yet been specified.

Picturing a Future Mission

VCG/VCG via Getty

At a Maisto Tech plant in Dongguan, China, a 1:8 scale model of the Chang'e-4 lunar rover is on display with astronaut models in a cosmic setting. [Read more about China's lunar exploration plans here: China Just Landed on the Moon's Far Side  and Will Probably Send Astronauts on Lunar Trips]Emily Beaman, grad student counseling major from Kingwood, and Brennon Freeman, sophomore animal science major from Panhandle, both were happy to attend their first meeting with the Gender and Sexuality Association on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The organization strives to promote an open-minded environment.Officials with the Town of Pawleys Island have moved into the new Town Hall at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and North Causeway.Eric and Kathleen Marshall were ordered to pay close to $2 million in a lawsuit, but Kathleen Marshall says she didn't know she was even being sued.The driver of a truck was pulling off his sweatshirt and a jacket when he crashed into the rear of a school bus near Argos on Dec. 5, killing one teenager and injuring another, according to an Indiana State Police crash report released Wednesday.

The truck was being driven by Tylor Perry, 26, of Camby, Ind.

The crash killed Owen Abbott, a student riding in the Eastern Pulaski School District school bus.

The crash happened in the northbound lanes of US 31 in Marshall County about 9 a.m. Dec. 5.

Perry was traveling northbound on US 31 behind a school bus when he began taking off his sweatshirt and fleece jacket, the report says.

The students were riding the school bus on a field trip on their way to see a Christmas musical in Warsaw when the bus was struck. The bus was stopped at the railroad tracks, as required by law, and was beginning to accelerate when the truck hit the bus on the left rear side, according to police.

As (the truck driver) approached the railroad tracks, he was attempting to remove a sweatshirt and fleece jacket he was wearing. He pulled the clothing over his head and briefly took his eyes off the roadway, according to the State Police report.

After Perry looked up, he was unable to stop before hitting the bus, according to the report.

Mother of boy killed in bus crash near Argos files wrongful death suit PLYMOUTH  The mother of the 13-year-old boy killed when a truck struck the back of a school

Another motorist who was driving behind Perrys truck at the time said the truck never slowed down as it approached the bus, the report states.

Perry was not cited at the scene, but the report was forwarded to the Marshall County Prosecutor's office for review.Indiana State Police investigate a crash between a truck and an Eastern Pulaski County school bus Dec. 5 on U.S. 31 near Argos in Marshall County that killed a teen.Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.Lincoln Wright

South Bend Tribune

SOUTH BEND  Kathleen Marshall, wife of the former South Bend attorney facing federal mail fraud charges, is attempting to get off the hook for close to $2 million ordered to be paid in a civil suit, saying she had no idea she was being sued.

Kathleen Marshall, along with her husband Eric Marshall, were sued and accused of running a Ponzi scheme and defrauding clients out of their investments. Eric Marshall specialized in elder law, worked as a CPA and ran Trust & Investment Advisory Services of Indiana. Kathleen Marshall worked as her husbands licensed paralegal, according to the lawsuit filed in April of last year.

In the suit, five clients accused the Marshalls of taking roughly $483,000 of their investments and a judge ordered the couple to pay $1,847,021. But the Marshalls seem to have disappeared. Around the beginning of 2018, clients stopped receiving their monthly investment letters and Eric Marshalls South Bend office closed without information for clients. And all mail sent by the courts to the Marshalls known addresses was returned to sender and neither Eric nor Kathleen was ever present for any legal proceedings, leading a judge to enter a default judgment.

Kathleen Marshall is now arguing she had no idea she was being sued and that she wasnt properly served. Shes alleging those who filed the suit against her didnt try hard enough to inform her and because of this she should be given relief from the default judgment.

If the judge rules in her favor, she would then be able to put up a defense in the suit.

The motion does not name her husband, meaning if the court granted Kathleens motion, Eric Marshall would still have the judgment against him.

Because the location of the Marshalls was not known, the plaintiffs published the summons and complaint in the Mishawaka Enterprise, a legal newspaper of record for St. Joseph County. But Kathleen Marshall is arguing she was not living in the area so she did not have the ability to ever see the published complaint against her and respond.

On Sept. 6, The Tribune published a report stating because of property records and sightings by neighbors, there was reason to believe the Marshalls were living in a condo in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The plaintiffs then made no attempt to serve the Marshalls at the reported Myrtle Beach address or publicly publish any summons in that area, Kathleen Marshall argues.

She goes on to say she was never aware of the lawsuit until her mother saw a story in The Tribune about the judge entering a default judgment against her.

Because the plaintiff should have known the defendant resided in South Carolina, and because defendant Kathleen Marshall never received a complaint or notice of hearing for default judgement, the defendant requests relief from judgement, Kathleen Marshalls motion reads.

While Kathleen Marshalls motion appears to be the first form of public communication since the fraud allegations, she still is not divulging any address, opting for all mail in the case to be sent to her lawyer. There will be a hearing on the motion Friday.

Meanwhile, Eric Marshall remains wanted by the FBI, facing five counts of mail fraud in what the U.S. Attorney called an elder abuse scam.

Beginning about March 1998, Eric Marshall recruited investors and promised returns of 4 to 8 percent per year, according to court documents. He provided monthly statements to investors that showed the purported balances of their investments.

But by January 2016, the Trust & Investment account was nearly empty. When investors requested information about their money, Marshall misrepresented the balances on the investments, according to court documents.

Marshall managed to pay some investors who asked to withdraw a portion of their investments by transferring money from unrelated accounts, but eventually stopped communicating with clients and closed his office.

A second default judgment has been brought against Eric Marshall in a separate civil lawsuit. Kathleen Marshall was not named in that suit, but Eric Marshall was ordered to pay roughly $800,000 for defrauding a couple out of their investments. That puts Eric Marshall on the hook for more than $2.5 million.The abortion clinic proposed by Whole Womans Health Alliance is at 3530 Lincoln Way W. in South Bend.MISHAWAKA  Single dad Ray Walter, with two kids at home, let his cars registration tag expire at the end of December, deciding where to spend his thin dollars at Christmas while he was laid off from his RV factory job for three weeks.

He needed a new tag pronto. He didnt want to wait several days for it to drift in the mail. So, he renewed his license Thursday inside of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch at the Town & Country Shopping Center, then came out to the foyer where he started tapping buttons on a kiosk. His sticker spat out of the machine within a few minutes.

The new BMV Connect kiosk  one of four in this foyer that went live on Dec. 27  can do more than a dozen routine transactions. Customers have access to them 24 hours per day, seven days a week, allowing them to do everything they can do online at MyBMV.com, except that the kiosk prints license plate stickers instantaneously.

We want to engage customers when and where they want to be, BMV Commissioner Peter Lacy said, as he and staff showed off the kiosks Thursday. We want to get them in and out of the BMV as quickly as possible.

The Mishawaka branch has whats called a BMV Connect center, with four kiosks and a staff member there to guide customers during business hours. Also, an extra touch screen lets customers access information from the BMV website. The only other center in Indiana opened a year ago at a branch in Fort Wayne.

This came as the BMV announced Thursday that it will open its new South Bend branch in the Broadmoor Plaza on Jan. 29 and close its downtown branch after Jan. 26. The BMV had said last year that these moves would be made sometime in 2019, but until now, it hadnt specified exactly when.

The new location at 1139 East Ireland Road, South Bend, next to the Staples store, will feature one 24-hour BMV Connect kiosk. Lacy said the new branch also will be larger than the old one, adding two terminals with customer service representatives, for a total of 14, and six more terminals to take the license test, for total of 17.

Hes said the agency moved the branch for several reasons, key among them being the safety of customers. When state Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, wrote to Lacy last year arguing that the downtown site at 623 S. St. Joseph St. was more convenient, Lacy wrote back citing 23 security issues including physical altercations, drug activity, and panhandling problems  so much that the BMV hired armed security guards during regular branch hours.

The BMV had explored several other sites in South Bend, including in downtown, a former site along Western Avenue and two on the south side, said Holly Sample, deputy commissioner of branch operations.

Parking is one of the biggest factors, she said. The BMV, Sample said, also looks for landlords who are willing to allow the new BMV Connect kiosks, which are built into a wall.

The kiosks started to appear in 2017, replacing yellow machines that looked like arcade games and that only did registrations.

Now 31 BMV branches statewide have the new kiosks in foyers with security cameras. That doesnt include the Walkerton branch. Kiosks statewide handled 225,000 transactions in 2017, which rose to 453,000 in 2018, said Courtney Meeks, deputy director of branch operations.

Customers always have the option of doing those transactions with a staff member, Lacy said. The transactions include renewing a vehicle registration or drivers license, creating a duplicate of your title, getting your driver record, paying a reinstatement fee and updating your email or address, among others.

Lacy said the BMV has asked the company that developed the kiosks to get them to scan documents and take mugshots, which would allow customers to do even more transactions.

He said his goal is to place kiosks in locations other than BMV branches, too. This year, he said, the agency wants to try a pilot program with kiosks in Kroger stores. While the sites for that arent final yet, his staff said, they are targeting Elkhart and Indianapolis.Michelle Singletary is a columnist for The Washington Post. Reach her at michelle.singletary@washpost.com or follow her on Twitter @SingletaryMTexas Tech students study, eat, and socialize in the coffee shop at Barnes and Noble in the Student Union Building on Monday, October 01 2018.Thelma Duncan, age 93 of Columbus, OH, formerly of Somerset, passed away on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at Kobacker House Hospice Care in Columbus. Services are pending at this time and will be announced on Thursday. Lake Cumberland Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements for Thelma Duncan.TrueSpeed, WightFibre and Hyperoptic receive first three accreditations in INCA?s Gold Standard Quality Mark Scheme

London, UK, January 17, 2019: The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) today announced that TrueSpeed, WightFibre and Hyperoptic have become the first companies to gain Gold Standard Quality Mark accreditation in recognition of superior network quality.

Launched last November, INCA?s Gold Standard Quality Mark scheme highlights best practices in performance, design and operations across full fibre, hybrid fibre, wireless and wholesale networks, providing an agreed set of definitions, covering technology, performance and customer service.

TrueSpeed, WightFibre and Hyperoptic have now become the first companies to fulfil the stringent requirements set out by the INCA initiative with all three network operators receiving accreditation in the full fibre category.

INCA CEO Malcolm Corbett said: ?Our members are at the forefront of building high-quality future-proofed networks to deliver high-quality, future-proofed broadband services. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion caused by inaccurate information in the marketplace. Our industry has come together to combat this by creating the INCA Gold Standard scheme. For example, these first three accreditations recognise true full fibre connections conforming to international standards. Ultimately, when consumers see that a service provider is INCA Gold Standard Quality Mark accredited, they can be confident that they will receive the high standard of broadband promised to them.?

TrueSpeed is a full fibre infrastructure provider and ISP, with a focus on harder-to-reach, often rural, communities in south-west England in desperate need of future-proof connectivity. Uniquely, TrueSpeed offers a free full fibre broadband service for life to schools, village halls and other community hubs passed by its network.

?INCA is right on the money with its new Gold Standard Quality Mark scheme,? said Evan Wienburg, CEO of TrueSpeed. ?We?re thrilled to be recognised as only one of only three providers to have reached this tough full fibre certification standard as we roll out our network across harder to reach parts of the south west of England ignored by the national providers. For too long, national providers have been peddling fake fibre to customers, buoyed by the Advertising Standards Authority?s decision ? hopefully soon to be overturned ? to turn a blind eye to our national providers mis-selling part-copper services as ?fibre.? The INCA quality mark will help businesses and consumers cut through the marketing hype and find a provider, like TrueSpeed, that offers a full fibre service that will endure for generations.?

Full fibre network operator, WightFibre, which provides telephone and broadband internet services to the Isle of Wight, has also been awarded the INCA Gold Standard Quality Mark.

?At WightFibre, we live or die by our very high standards of customer care, Because We Care,? said John Irvine CEO of WightFibre. ?The INCA Gold Standard Quality Mark is evidence we are meeting these high standards. The mark lets our customers know they can trust WightFibre, sets us apart from our competitors and gives our customers confidence to buy from us. We are proud to be Gold Standard Founder Members proving our commitment to the sector and to providing the Isle of Wight with a full fibre, ultrafast, future-proof broadband network.?

Long-standing INCA member Hyperoptic is the country?s largest and fastest-growing gigabit network provider, delivering broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps. The ISP is committed to extending the availability of its full fibre broadband services to reach five million homes by 2024.

\As the industry pioneer for full fibre connectivity, we remain committed to setting best practice for our sector,? said Charles Davies, MD ISP at Hyperoptic. ?This Gold Standard accreditation from INCA enables us to showcase the benefits of full fibre, which represents a step-change in the way consumers can use Internet services. Industry standards like these are essential to help move the telecoms sector forward and catalyse a step-change to enhanced infrastructure, so that ultimately consumers can buy in confidence.?

Each of the accredited companies will now have authorisation to use the Gold Standard Quality Mark Scheme Accreditation logo as part of its branding in order to highlight that their networks represent the best in performance, design and operation.

For more information about the INCA Gold Standard Quality Mark Scheme, please visit: https://www.inca.coop/quality-mark.Treasury Metals Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Eagle Lake First Nation

Posted by Publisher Internet

Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML) (?Treasury Metals? or the ?Company?  http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298263) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (?MOU?) with Eagle Lake First Nation in relation to the Company?s Goliath Gold Project in Northwestern Ontario (the ?Project?).

The MOU is a framework agreement between Eagle Lake First Nation and Treasury Metals to facilitate effective communication, engagement, and negotiation between the Parties with respect to the Project. The MOU will serve as an avenue to facilitate Eagle Lake First Nation?s meaningful continued participation in the federal environmental assessment and regulatory approval process for the Project. Further, the MOU provides a structure for additional opportunities and pathways to participate in the Project through employment, training and business development, financial participation and environmental and cultural protection.

Greg Ferron, CEO of Treasury, states, \A key goal of the Goliath Gold Project is to reflect the knowledge and input of all stakeholders and Indigenous communities in the development of the Goliath Gold Project and Eagle Lake First Nation?s regional experiences, and local traditional knowledge will help with the development of a socially and environmentally responsible Project.?

On behalf of Eagle Lake First Nation, Chief Arnold Gardner commented, ?Signing an MOU with Treasury Metals is a positive step moving forward toward building trust with the community of Eagle Lake First Nation which is an important step in the process.?

To view further details about the Goliath Gold Project, please visit the Company?s website at www.treasurymetals.com.

About Treasury Metals Inc.:

Treasury Metals Inc. is a gold focused exploration and development company with assets in Canada and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (?TSX?) under the symbol ?TML? and on the OTCQX? Best Market under the symbol TSRMF. Treasury Metals Inc.?s 100% owned Goliath Gold Project in northwestern Ontario is slated to become one of Canada?s next producing gold mines. With first-rate infrastructure currently in place and gold mineralization extending to surface, Treasury Metals plans on the initial development of an open pit gold mine to feed a 2,500 per day processing plant with subsequent underground operations in the latter years of the mine life.

About Eagle Lake First Nation:

The Eagle Lake First Nation is situated on the northeast shores of Eagle Lake and is located in the heart of the Canadian Shield in the boreal forests and lakes of Northwestern Ontario. The community is approximately 25 km southwest of Dryden and is accessible via Highways 502 and 594, and is a two hour drive from the U.S. border. Eagle Lake?s total on-reserve population?as of?December?2018 is 238.

The people of Eagle Lake are governed by a Chief and three Council members, elected every two years under the Indian Act. Eagle Lake is part of the Grand Council Treaty #3 which was signed on October 3, 1873.?Grand Council Treaty #3 covers 55,000 square miles.

Eagle Lake First Nation is located within the Grand Council Treaty #3 territory with a land base of 55,000 square miles in Northwestern Ontario. Eagle Lake First Nation of Eagle Lake is also referred to as Migisi Sahgaigan (Ojibway translation of Eagle Lake).

For further information about the community of Eagle Lake First Nation please visit: http://www.eaglelakefirstnation.ca/.

Forward-looking Statements

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be ?forward-looking statements?. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expect, are forward-looking statements. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Treasury Metals disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, save and except as may be required by applicable securities laws.First Cobalt Corporate Update

Posted by Publisher Internet

First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC; ASX: FCC; OTCQX: FTSSF) (the ?Company?  http://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298244) announces the departure of independent director Jeff Swinoga. Jeff will be joining EY Canada as Partner and National Mining & Metals Leader. Mr. Swinoga has been invaluable to First Cobalt and will continue to act in an advisory capacity to the Company, however this new role requires his resignation from the Company?s board of directors. The Company thanks him for his invaluable contributions.

About First Cobalt

First Cobalt is a North American pure-play cobalt company whose flagship asset is the Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, USA, which has Inferred mineral resources of 26.9 million tonnes grading 0.11% cobalt equivalent. The Company also owns the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America and 50 past-producing mines in the Canadian Cobalt Camp.

Neither 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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Estimates of Resources

Readers are cautioned that mineral resources are not economic mineral reserves and that the economic viability of resources that are not mineral reserves has not been demonstrated. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues. The mineral resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum\-\-s \2014 CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves\ incorporated by reference into NI 43-101. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies or economic studies except for Preliminary Economic Assessment as defined under NI 43-101. Readers are cautioned not to assume that further work on the stated resources will lead to mineral reserves that can be mined economically. An Inferred Mineral Resource as defined by the CIM Standing Committee is \that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration.\By Dr. Rhoda Arrindell

Chapter 1 of the States Regulation (aka Constitution) of Sint Maarten, in its English translation of the Dutch original states in Article 1.3 that: By national ordinance, the national flag, the coat of arms and the national anthem of Sint Maarten shall be enacted. The coat of arms and national anthem had been enacted by Island Council resolutions before 10-10-10, and Parliament thereafter adopted them in the transition to the present status. So, why hasnt Parliament to date passed legislation to enact a national anthem? A quick look backwards may shed light.

The debate of a national anthem for St. Martin (South) dates back at least to the 1950s. In an apparent attempt to fill a vacuum, a school competition was held to select a song that could be played at public functions. Though the most popular song was reportedly judged to be Island in the West, submitted by the Oranje School, the song that was eventually chosen as the St. Joseph Schools submission, Oh Sweet St. Martins Land, a 1958 composition by Father Gerard Kemps, a Catholic priest residing on the French-controlled part of the island at the time. The song was originally composed in French, then translated into English.

In 2000, a committee, consisting of civil servants, including the current President of Parliament, was established to work on a national anthem, among other things. According to official documents, because of the political reality, the committee surmised that either a new song should be chosen, or the lyrics of Oh Sweet St. Martins Land should be changed. The committee members also agreed to put this issue to the public before making decisions by elected officials and suggested that someone be approached to research and assist with documenting the existence and the cultural facts thereof.

In 2011, in an attempt to comply with the constitutional requirement, as then Minister of MECSY, I proposed a national committee to bring this process to a logical conclusion through a competition. Some people, including some current members of Parliament, chose to politicize the issue, thereby creating unnecessary controversy. The proposed national committee could not get off the ground by the time the coalition government fell, even though while the controversy raged on, a number of St. Martiners had either submitted entries or indicated their interest to participate in the competition, which was being modeled along the lines of the one held to choose an anthem for the now-defunct Netherlands Antilles. That competition was won by Zahira Hilliman of St. Martin.

Today, 9 years after 10-10-10, Parliament has not complied with the very first article of the Constitution by passing the necessary legislation. The question, therefore, is why, despite the fact that several past and present members could have made this happen? In the meantime, we have been forced to continue living a lie, perpetuated by the same politicians, that we have a national anthem, when they very well know that we dont.

If Fr. Kemps Oh Sweet St. Martins Land is their choice, for whatever reason, why hasnt Parliament adopted it as our official national anthem?

When teach our children to sing and stand for a song we call the national anthem, while we know that Parliament has not yet done its job to enact one, we too are perpetuating a lie and are de facto teaching our children to repeat this lie. And each time Oh Sweet St. Martins Land is used in official settings at which our elected and appointed representatives are present, we must understand that they are all committing fraud because it is not yet our national anthem. In other words, every day that passes that members of Parliament continue to ignore this basic legal requirement, they would be, in my humble view, in violation of the same Constitution they swore to uphold.

I agree with my good friend Fabian Badejo, who says that the perpetuation of this lie is a betrayal of the people. According to Fabian, the people elect their representatives; they trust them to abide by the Constitution and to also tell them the truth; not enacting a law that would give us a national anthem as required by that same Constitution is not just a dereliction of duty, it is a flagrant, bold-faced betrayal of the trust the people placed in them.PHILIPSBURG:---The 49th edition of the Dutch Tourism Trade Fair Vakantiebeurs Utrecht is being hailed as a success based on the positive feedback from many in attendance. Vakantiebeurs Utrecht opens the holiday season each year in January for Dutch travellers planning their vacation over the following 11- months of the year.

This year's trade show attracted over four hundred thousand (400,000) visitors over four days, and according to event organisers, it was better attended than the previous year. Attendees took advantage of the opportunity to make on the spot bookings for their holiday travel to St. Maarten. Several St. Maarten hotel properties were represented at the event including, Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa, and Sonesta Ocean Point Resort.

This year St. Maarten/St. Martin had a strong presence at the event consisting of Tourism specialists and other stakeholders in the Tourism industry from both sides of the island.

Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication (TEATT), the honourable Stuart Johnson, headed the Dutch Sides delegation while Vice President of Tourism Valerie Damaseau led the French St. Martin delegation. During the trip, Meetings took place with representatives from Tour Operator TUI that currently sells seats on KLM. TUI has indicated that they are interested in returning to the destination with a charter flight. St. Maarten has a cooperative campaign with TUI as well as with KLM. Discussions also took place with KLM and Tour Operator Thomas Cook during the trade-meeting segment of the holiday fair.

Johnson said he was delighted to see the attendees interests in Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Vakantiebeurs Utrecht was an opportunity for us as a dual destination to provide an update about the island, said Johnson. At the holiday trade fair, visitors received a wealth of information about vacation opportunities on St. Maarten.

Recent reports show that over two-thirds of the visitors to the Trade Fair expressed interest in spending their holiday vacations outside Europe, which makes the market even more attractive for St. Maarten in its bid to diversify its visitor base. The economy in The Netherlands has been doing very well, and this has led to a drastic increase in holiday spending for the Dutch traveller. Based on a survey of visitors carried out by the holiday fair organisers, sixty-four (64) per cent of the visitors to the fair wanted to receive information about the destination that they were interested in while 63 per cent were seeking new vacation hotspots to make memorable experiences.

Johnson said St. Maarten would continue to work with tourism partners and stakeholders to attract more European visitors to the destination by increasing airlift. Recent reports on tourists travel trends show that Dutch travellers spent 19.8 billion Euros on holidays, which is a two per cent increase over 2017, and of that amount, 16.6 billion Euros was spent outside the Netherlands.

Dutch travellers are now spending more time on holiday with an average of 8 nights and took 22. 2 million vacations in 2018. Johnson said, This translates to 83 per cent of the Dutch population taking a holiday last year with an increased number of travellers flying to their holiday destination, which is good news for St. Maarten. We have had several meetings with airlines/tour operators during the holiday fair, and we plan to continue with those discussions in the coming weeks, Johnson said.

Director of the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) May-Ling Chun said: "being back at the holiday fair this year after missing 2018, allowed us to educate travel consumers about new tours, excursions, and our properties."

Vakantiebeurs Utrecht took place from January 10-13 and at the Utrecht Jaarbeurs and included over 50 press/travel trade media representatives. Preparations are already underway for the 50th edition of the holiday fair, which will take place from January 15-19, 2020.

The travel writers and some bloggers were guests at a destination awareness activity organised by Sint Maarten/St. Martin that included a quiz about the island. According to Chun representatives from the Dutch TV drama Goede tijden, slechte tijden, inquired about filming opportunities.PHILIPSBURG:-- TBO Officers arrested the Chief Security of Princess Juliana International Airport Jerry Sprott this morning.

The officers also raided Sprott's home in Belvedere while his office was also searched.

Sources say the TBO is busy with a bribery investigation.

Roderick Gouverneur confirmed the arrest made on Wednesday morning. The Prosecutors Spokesman said he has no further information on the ongoing investigation.

Chief of security St. Maarten airport arrested



On Wednesday, January 16, 2018, the Anti-corruption Taskforce (TBO) detained suspect S. on St. Maarten. S, 48 years old, is the chief of security of Princess Juliana International Airport and is suspected of accepting bribes, money laundering and complicity in the violation of the duty to register foreign exchange. In connection with this, the home and workplace of S. have also been searched. The suspect has been taken into custody today.

Prosecutor's Office Press Release.Philadelphia: US President Donald Trump is surrounded by "amateurs, grifters, weaklings, convicted and unconvicted felons," and also believes long neckties are slimming, according to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's blistering new book.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner Credit:Evan Vucci

In Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics, the ousted member of Trump's transition team lays into the president's associates.

He writes that Trump had a "revolving door of deeply flawed individuals ... who were hustled into jobs they were never suited for, sometimes seemingly without so much as a background check via Google or Wikipedia," according to excerpts published in Axios.

Remaining relatively unscathed in the latest White House kiss-and-tell is the president himself, according to the Guardian, which also obtained text in advance of the book's January 29 release.Washington: Declaring that space is the new war-fighting frontier, US President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed America would develop an unrivalled missile defence system to protect itself against what he said were advanced hypersonic and cruise missile threats.

Trump said in a Pentagon speech that the US would do what it takes "to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place."

The President did not mention Russia, China or North Korea in his roughly 20-minute speech, but the Pentagon's new strategy makes clear that its plan for a more aggressive space-based missile defence system is aimed at threats from North Korea and Iran, and countering advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

The review is the first since 2010, and it concludes that to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defence technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.Athens: Greece's left-wing prime minister narrowly won a confidence vote in parliament late Wednesday, days after the governing coalition he leads collapsed over an agreement to end a long-running dispute over neighboring Macedonia's name.

Politicians voted 151-148 on a motion called by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, giving his government the minimum it needed in the 300-seat legislature to survive. During a heated debate earlier in the day, Tsipras argued the Macedonia deal would bolster stability in Europe's Balkan region.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, centre, celebrates the announcement of the confidence vote results during a parliamentary session in Athens on Wednesday. Credit:AP

"At the critical times, we all must have a clear position," he said before the vote, which coincided with the one British leader Theresa May won over her Brexit deal with the European Union.

The leader of a small Greek nationalist party, Panos Kammenos, quit as defense minister in Tsipras' government last weekend over the proposed agreement with Macedonia. The deal calls for the country to be renamed North Macedonia in exchange for Greece lifting its objections to its young northern neighbor joining NATO and the European Union.Colombo: Sri Lanka is considering a $US300 million ($419 million) loan offer from the Bank of China as it prepares to repay foreign debts this year.

The government has appointed a three-member committee to negotiate the deal, according to Finance Ministry spokesman MR Hasan, with the loan being repayable in three years.

Sri Lanka must repay $US5.9 billion in foreign loans this year, of which 40 per cent needs to be serviced during the first three months. It paid back $US1 billion this week.

The government of President Maithripala Sirisena, pictured, had criticised the previous administration for leading the country into a Chinese debt trap. Credit:AP

A large chunk of Sri Lanka's foreign debt is from China, which considers the island nation to be part of its Belt and Road Initiative. China has heavily invested in Sri Lanka infrastructure such as a seaport, airport and highways.Loading Not that you would know it on the evidence of the first debate, with both men and their would-be deputies looking robotic and giving risk-averse answers seemingly designed to bore their opponents into submission. The problem with the debate started with the fact that both sides had all the moderators' questions a week beforehand, though the full slate of quesitons was not asked. Indonesia's election commission argued that this would allow the candidates to give substantive answers and better inform voters. Instead, it sucked much of the life out of the debate  especially compared to the free-flowing 2014 presidential contest  as Widodo, his deputy Ma'ruf Amin, Prabowo and his deputy Sandiaga Uno delivered rehearsed answers, and did so poorly.

Both sides danced around each other for close to two-and-a-half hours (indeed, Amin took nearly an hour before he spoke to answer a question) and the voters, for the most part, would be not much wiser. Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno during the debate. Credit:AP Widodo began optimistically, promising more progress in delivering education, health and further land reform if given another five years. But the Obama-like candidate of 2014, who promised hope and change, is now a known quantity. Prabowo, who projects the image of a strongman that befits his years in the Indonesian military, promised stronger legal institutions, better salaries for public servants to reduce corruption and to ensure all Indonesians benefited from the country's vast natural resources wealth. That last proposal was rejected by the President, who said public servants' salaries were sufficient, but that incentive payments were available for those who earned them.

Loading But both men gave few details about how they would ensure that human rights were not sacrificed by law enforcement agencies fighting terrorism; both said the the right thing about showing respect for Indonesia's religious and ethnic minority groups, and for the disabled; and both vowed to tackle the maze of overlapping national and local legal regulations that can make it so difficult to do business in Indonesia, though again with few details. One of the few answers from Amin, a senior Muslim cleric, on how to fight terrorism was one of the most (relatively) incisive of the night. Terrorism is not jihad, he said, and it is haram [forbidden]. If the root cause of terrorism was a person's misunderstanding of his or her religion, Amin said, then they needed to be re-educated. But if the root cause was the economy, then the government's approach should be focused on providing jobs. Uno, who made several solid contributions  and who at times seemed to be auditioning to be a presidential candidate in 2024, when Widodo (if he wins this time) cannot run again for a third time  stressed the need to provide economic opportunity to tackle terrorism and corruption.Harare: Zimbabwe police armed with AK-47 rifles detained a prominent activist and pastor on Wednesday, part of more than 600 arrests, in a harsh crackdown over protests against dramatic fuel price rises in the economically shattered country. A doctors' group said it had treated more than 60 gunshot wounds in a "human rights crisis".

State Security Minister Owen Ncube announced the arrests on television and thanked security forces for "standing firm" in the face of the country's most serious unrest since deadly post-election violence in August.

A policeman stands guard as protesters are arrested in Harare on Wednesday. Credit:AP

While some hungry Harare residents reported being tear gassed by police when they ventured out for bread, President Emmerson Mnangagwa denounced what he called "wanton violence and cynical destruction". He noted a right to protest and said he understood the "pain and frustration", but he appeared to side with authorities who blame the opposition for unrest.

Pastor Evan Mawarire was clutching a Bible when police bundled him into their car in the capital. He famously organised what became nationwide anti-government protests in 2016 against mismanagement and then-president Robert Mugabe's long stay in power.Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, wants to make sure the staff in state-run emergency shelters knows when sex offenders are in the building. The bill failed last year, and before referring it to the full Senate, a committee on Monday took out the part of the bill that wouldve made it a class 1 misdemeanor (carrying up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2,500 fine) to fail to let shelter staff know of a registered sex offender status.Despite earlier reports, a man killed in Kenya in an attack by al Shabaab militants on a hotel in the capital Nairobi was not an Australian citizen, government officials say.

Kenyan media had reported that an Australian man visiting his girlfriend in the African nation was one of the 21 people killed in the attack.

But a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday confirmed this was not the case.

"The Australian high commission in Nairobi has confirmed that an individual reported by some media as an Australian victim of the attack on the dusitD2 hotel complex was not an Australian citizen," the spokesperson said.The 2007 election was not marred by environmental disaster but climate  and the Howard government's response to climate change  became a hammer blow used by Kevin Rudd. Less than three years later it was Rudd being hammered. The man who declared climate change the great moral, social and economic challenge was gone after he failed rise to the challenge he had identified. Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull continued the climate change wars, both succumbing to wounds inflicted by themselves and others. And when Scott Morrison replaced Turnbull, the new PM's first visit was to drought-afflicted Queensland before assembling a "drought summit". Now, 14 weeks out from the expected May federal election, the environment has interceded in the political debate again. The pictures, video and social media posts of the fish kill around Menindee on the Darling River have been visceral.

Images of old and angry fishermen and farmers, holding up the rotting carcasses of Murray cod, have been beamed into the nation's lounge rooms or on to our smart phones. In the face of criticism from those fishermen, farmers and locals, the Morrison government has effectively said "let's hope for rain" and "it's the drought". The problem with that argument is that it may very well be exposed by a South Australian royal commission into the Murray-Darling and its management. In less than a fortnight, the royal commission started by then SA Premier Jay Weatherill is due to report. The evidence to it, particularly about the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, has been compelling.

And the findings may be as politically toxic as those rotting fish in the Darling. In his final address, senior counsel assisting the commission Richard Beasley did not hold back in his criticisms of the MDBA and its political masters who are scattered across the federal, NSW, Queensland, SA and Victorian spheres. Describing issues of "maladministration" and "unlawfulness", Beasley sheeted home blame to those in charge. "The implementation of the [Murray-Darling] basin plan has been marred by maladministration. By that I mean mismanagement by those in charge of the task in the basin authority, its executives and its board, and the consequent mismanagement of huge amounts of public funds," he said. "The responsibility for that maladministration and mismanagement falls on both past and current executives of the MDBA and its board."

The commission heard evidence of how problems setting the amount of water put aside for the environment started under the Rudd government and have continued ever since. That includes the past six years of oversight by the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government. The Coalition, particularly the National Party, was always more interested in modernising the irrigation systems across the Murray-Darling rather than buying allocations direct from willing sellers. A draft report from the Productivity Commission found the government's preferred process has been extremely expensive  upgrading irrigation pipes and drains is twice the cost of buying water on the open market. While the PC found the upgrade irrigation system process has "lessened" the socio-economic costs of directing water to the environment, it too was just as damning as Beasley to the royal commission. It noted that the evidence so far was that while the process had provided "a number of private benefits for irrigators" this had failed to sustain regional farming communities.

Like those rotting fish, the PC's final report is just waiting to go off. Delivered to the government last month, the report has to be made public soon  almost about the same time as the royal commission reports to the SA government. Scott Morrison needs almost everything to go right for him to win this year's election. There are those things he can control directly, such as government policy; there are those things he has to target, such as Bill Shorten and Labor's overall policy agenda; and then there are those issues that come from left field. Scientists have been warning for decades about the problems facing our most important inland water system, so it's difficult to claim the events playing out on the Darling are truly a surprise. But the footage of men holding aloft dead Murray cod while surrounded by rotting carp, yellowbelly and bony bream was not expected. Nor the record temperatures of recent days which has turned parts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia into fan-forced ovens.A suspected unregistered migration agent and six members of his family have been detained by the Australian Border Force following a raid on a home south of Perth.

A search warrant was executed at the house on a market garden property in Anketell on Wednesday morning.

Officers found seven members of the same extended family, including four men, two women and a teenage boy.

The 28-year-old man who was the primary target of the warrant has lived in Australia as an unlawful non-citizen since July 2017.My name is Kate and I like stuff. Like, I like a lot of stuff.

I like books and knick knacks, soft furnishings, photos, vintage plates and curios from days of yore.

I like a lot of things - is that a crime? Credit:Kate Hedley

I like snow domes, pink things, commemorative tea towels, kitchen utensils with colour-coded wooden handles from the 70s, old-fashioned appliances that dont work, antique candy tins and colourful glass vases.

Im a raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens kind of girl. Everything in my house is my favourite thing, and this has never been a problem for me, until now.The man who abducted two children from a North Perth childcare centre, sexually abused them and dumped them in a park has lost an appeal to reduce his prison term.

Vincenzo Mule was sentenced to 10 years in jail after the 2016 incident, which shocked the Western Australian community when vision of the 54-year-old luring the children, aged four and five, away from the centre was released by police.

CCTV vision of Vincenzo Mule leading the two children away from the childcare centre.

Mule took the children, a boy and girl, back to his parent's home in North Perth and gave them each an icy pole before sexually abusing them.

During the assault, the children cried and were in distress.A truck driver who was on a student visa when he killed a grandfather in a Perth crash has avoided going to prison and instead been told by a judge to "make the best of life" as the victim would have wanted.

Amritpal Singh Sidhu, 23, smashed into the back of a car in Banjup in September 2017, crushing it between two trucks and killing 66-year-old Gurbir Singh, who had been visiting family in Perth.

Sidhu refused to comment outside court. Credit:Anton La Macchia

Mr Singh was a rear seat passenger in the car driven by his 22-year-old nephew, who received minor injuries, while Mr Singh's brother suffered a broken leg, the West Australian District Court heard on Thursday.

Judge Gillian Braddock said Sidhu, who is from India, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but was "not paying sufficient attention" when he failed to slow down with the flow of traffic until the last moment.In what seems like a 'small step for man, giant leap for Perth' type of announcement, patrons of every hospitality venue in the city will soon be allowed to consume alcohol in alfresco areas while standing.

If you have ever been scolded by security for daring to get up from your outdoor table while holding your drink due to the City of Perth's 'no standing' rule, you'll appreciate this change to the status quo.

The commissioners in charge of the City went rogue on Wednesday and went against recommendations in a report presented to them relating to outdoor dining and drinking.

The changes would excite food and beverage operators in Perth. Credit:ShotbyThom

The updated outdoor dining policy and guidelines will now allow patrons to consume alcohol in alfresco areas while standing, where the business has the appropriate liquor license.The Route 86 tram on which slain Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe was travelling on the night she was murdered was fitted with CCTV, Public Transport Victoria has confirmed.

"Certainly, the tram that Aiia was on that night does have CCTV. There was footage that has been provided to Victoria Police," PTV chief executive Jeroen Weimar told radio station 3AW on Friday morning.

Aiia Maasarwe

"We have shared CCTV footage, files and images from a number of trams on that night [with] police to help with the investigation."

Mr Weimar refused to discuss the content of the images and footage taken from the tram Ms Maasarwe travelled on, due to the ongoing police investigation.A 63-year-old man has been found dead on the Southern Circuit at Wilsons Promontory. Credit:Eyewatch Bass Coast

A group of hikers have found the body of a man while walking along one of the coastal trails at Wilson's Promontory.

The hikers made the grim discovery on Wednesday morning on a 59-kilometre trail called Southern Circuit.

The 63-year-old dead man, who was from Morwell, was hiking alone. He had just started the five-day walk.

Police believe he died from natural causes. A report will be prepared for the coroner.Gold Logie-winning actor Craig McLachlan has successfully stayed defamation proceedings he brought against the ABC and The Sydney Morning Herald, meaning the case may not return to court for several years, after criminal charges were laid against him last week.

Mr McLachlan, 53, was charged by Victoria Police on January 11 with one count of common assault, eight counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault relating to alleged incidents in 2014.

Actor Craig McLachlan.

He is due to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 8.

Mr McLachlan launched defamation action against the media organisations and his former colleague Christie Whelan Browne after an investigation published in January 2018 aired allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct made against him by female performers in the 2014 stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.My dad was like, Well, you love astronomy, you might as well go and make a career of it, Blackwell said. I didnt think at that time that it was really possible to have a career in astronomy, which is a ridiculous thought. But its kind of scary, looking at it from the outside, and then having to make your way in.Kindergarten children give a traditional folk dance show to local villagers in celebrations to greet the upcoming Spring Festival in Xintang Village of Changxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 16, 2019. The Spring Festival starts from the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, or Feb. 5 this year. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

6

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[ Editor: zyq ]That heir was Anthony George Merrick, 3rd Baron Tryon, an Old Etonian friend of the Prince of Wales, and son and heir of the 2nd Baron Tryon who, from 1952 to 1971, was Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the Queen.

There, like Sheila, she met the heir to a peer and won the friendship and confidence of a future king. The Tryons' was a love match but it was to end tragically in divorce and death 25 years later.

Not since Sheila Chisholm emerged from the Southern Highlands in 1915 had an Australian made such a splash in Britain as Melbourne-born Dale Harper after she followed the familiar path of many Australians to savour life in London.

The death of Anthony, Lord Tryon just before Christmas signalled the end of a once golden couple whose lives fascinated both Britons and Australians during the 1970s and '80s.

As a boy, Anthony was a Page of Honour to the Queen. He was born to be a courtier. But his discretion, quiet charm and loyalty made him a steady royal friend. The press hounds used to refer to him as a sporting friend of the Prince's; but the Prince also relied on him for investment advice.

The Tryons, believed to have been of Dutch origin, were seated at Bulwick, Northamptonshire, from the reign of James I. Among Anthonys ancestors was Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon, born at Bulwick Park in 1832, who had been commander of the fleet's Australia station in 1884. On June 22, 1893, the Mediterranean fleet, which he then commanded, was on exercises when Tryon's flagship, HMS Victoria, sank following an odd order from him that brought it in collision with the flagship of his second in command. Sir George went down with his ship, his last reported words being "It is all my fault".

By 1910, the Vice Admirals son, also George, Anthonys grandfather, had become MP for Brighton and was later minister of pensions and Postmaster General. In 1940, he was ennobled as Baron Tryon, of Durnford, Wiltshire. The family seat became Great Durnford, a 40-hectare estate in the Woodford valley near Salisbury with a nine-bedroom, 18th-century manor house, with superb shooting and almost four kilometres of fishing on the Avon.

Anthonys mother, Etheldreda, daughter of Sir Merrik Burrell 7th Baronet, was a great character. She described her childhood as "reading Moliere in the mornings, racing in the afternoons, and hunting three days a week". In 1942 she set up a prep school at home as a means of "keeping the roof on" the manor. It was a girls' school but Anthony began his education there - with some other young boys to keep him company. His beloved younger sister, Patricia was educated there until she was 12.

He trod the traditional, dutiful path of most young scions. After Eton, he jackerooed in Australia for 18 months. He became a captain in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry. He later worked for Lazard's in Melbourne but it was not until 1972 when he was back in London with the bank that he met Dale Harper, the daughter of a prosperous Australian businessman. She had come to London in 1969, working for the Australian Women's Weekly.The consortium behind Canberra's light rail project will start testing the light rail vehicles at both day and night along the route from Gungahlin to the city from next Tuesday.

A notice sent out to residents along Northbourne Avenue shows testing of the trams will start from Tuesday next week, every day, as well as some nights between 9pm and 5am -the first time many will get to see the vehicles actually operating along the thoroughfare.

Light rail vehicle testing will start on Tuesday along the entire stage one route. Credit:Karleen Minney

The pre-operational testing will ensure the vehicles will be safe for passenger travel along the entire route, after testing in Gungahlin and along Flemington Road last year, ahead of the planned operations start date in April.

The consortium and emergency services in December also tested the response to a potential crash on the light rail route in a drill, and testing is set to continue for weeks after tests scheduled for early 2018 were delayed until June.Michael Clifford, one-fourth of Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer, has proposed to his girlfriend of three years, Crystal Leigh.

The Australian guitarist, 23, took the American model, 34, to the Ungasan Clifftop Resort in Bali where they reportedly shared their first kiss, and popped the question on one knee at sunset.

"I was lucky enough to ask the love of my life to marry me in the place it all began for us," he wrote as he shared the news with his five million Instagram followers.

He added: "In the last three years she has helped evolve and shape who I am in ways I could never have imagined. I couldnt ask for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with. I love loving you, Crystal."Thats why the Real Estate Institute of WA have come on board as partners alongside big names like Gemmill homes, LJ Hooker, Satterley and Frasers Property because they all have the same frame of mind in that they are not letting the market govern their success but are finding new tools to ride the downturn. Trust and transparency Perth startup Openn Negotiation was founded in April 2017 with the purpose of making real estate sales more transparent. Since launching in 2017 the app has experienced significant growth with 9067 registered users, 1311 agents trained in the process and over $290 million in property sold through the platform. The process is like an online auction where sellers place their properties on the site and buyers, who have their terms accepted by the seller, openly negotiate on price.

Openn Negotiation can be used via an app or on its website. All qualified buyers can see how many other buyers they are competing with and what the current bid is. Openn Negotiation director/trainer Peter Clements said there is a real risk of leaving money on the table when selling via private treaty methods. Countless times, agents are told by a buyer who missed out I would have paid more if only Id known what to pay, he said. That scenario cant happen with Openn. By showing everyones bids, buyers know exactly what price they need to beat.

Under transparent competition, buyers will always pay more because they have social proof of competing with real buyers. Mr Clements said there was a significant lack of trust in the real estate industry caused by outdated selling methods that offer no transparency or exclude willing buyers. The result? Increasing regulatory pressure and the fostering of unhealthy relationships between buyers and sellers, and the agents themselves, he said. We saw an opportunity to introduce greater transparency into the real estate sale process, while also helping sellers achieve the optimum market price for their property. The company did face early regulatory hurdles given the complexity and variances of real estate law within each Australian state but it had overcome those and will be operational throughout the entire country soon.

Mr Clements said the next plan is to roll out the technology internationally into New Zealand. Air attack With an increasingly crowded housing marketplace sellers and real estate agents are looking to new technologies to capture the attention of flippant buyers who scroll past anything that doesnt instantly stand out. Enter Andy Romano. Mr Romano founded Perths Property Digital Imaging Group in the mid-2000s and was one of the first businesses in WA to use a drone for real estate photography.

Since then he has expanded the companys offering to high definition 3D virtual house tours, virtual furniture staging and decluttering and cinema quality drone footage that is used largely by agents trying to sell western suburbs mansions. Mr Romano said his products were all about wowing a potential buyer. We try to capture the buyer from the multimedia, he said. Its all about generating customer attention and getting them to the home open, which is where the negotiation takes place.Why do legislators clutch so desperately to their clearly flawed redistricting practice? Because they cannot see the forest through the trees. In literal terms, their eyes are fixed on the November election when all 100 seats in the House and all 40 seats in the state Senate are on the ballot.To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!CITY HALL -- As the opioid crisis continues to touch virtually all parts of the city, New York City, lawmakers want public schools to carry the opioid reversal drug naloxone to prevent fatal overdoses.

Legislation from Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. (D) would require the Department of Education to keep opioid antagonists in all school buildings.

But during a hearing with the City Councils Committee on Education recently, DOE officials appeared hesitant to bringing naloxone into schools.

DOE representatives emphasized that, to date, no students have overdosed in city schools and that Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists already provide schools with a wide range of drug prevention and intervention services.

TEACHER FOUND DEAD

Shortly after introducing his legislation, Salamanca said a teacher in his district was found dead in a school bathroom from an apparent opioid overdose.

Could we have saved his life? Should we had Narcan in that school? Maybe, I dont know, but its just an example of what we could have done if we did have Narcan there, Salamanca said. (Narcan is the brand name of the drug.)

Of the 1,800 public schools around the city, the DOE said it has just 275 Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists in at least 250 schools -- figures that some council members said were insufficient.

SCHOOLS CAN REQUEST IT

Currently, the DOE said schools do not keep naloxone on hand unless a school requests the kits. So far, only one school has requested naloxone, the DOE said. Teachers are also not barred from carrying the kits on their own, said Dr. Roger Platt, the CEO of the Office of School Health.

The well-being of students and staff is our top priority, and we provide drug prevention programs in all middle and high schools as well as a range of additional services to support students and families. We review the latest data to ensure schools are equipped with the necessary resources and look forward to continuing to discuss this matter with the City Council," a DOE spokesperson said.

Salamanca pointed to a recent study which found that hundreds of thousands of adolescents around the country between the ages of 12-17-years-old are non-medical users of painkillers or are reported to have been addicted to painkiller drugs.

I dont think its enough to ask, just like how every school has a defibrillator on site, that every school right next to the defibrillator, they have Narcan where you can train every individual in the schools no more than a half hour training and its something that can save a life, Salamanca said.

ISLAND OFFICIALS BACK THE BILL

With the opioid crisis still a major problem on Staten Island, borough elected officials said they plan to support Salamancas bill.

Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore), said he has personally heard of Island students overdosing from opioids and teachers having to carry naloxone -- just in case.

When pressed by Borelli on what the DOEs protocol is for responding to potential overdoses at schools, Platt said their policy would be to call 911.

Platt also said that because there have been no overdoses among students, thus far, a citywide program to bring more naloxone to public schools was not justified

Borelli questioned the DOEs argument, saying it is hard for school officials to know the medical status of a student once they are off school premises because of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws.

Do you think it would be better then if an administrator  had a possible life saving [drug] that has no known negative side effects, or impacts, or causes any danger to the person, you can inject someone you suspect of having an overdose with no bad ramifications, Borelli said.

Since 2014, the city has spent more than $22.4 million on supplying 173,356 naloxone kits to community-based organizations and city agencies across the five boroughs, according to data provided to the Advance from the citys Department of Mental Health and Hygiene through of Freedom of Information Law request.

In that time, more than 17,000 kits have come to Staten Island, as the borough has seen some of the highest rates of fatal overdoses in the city.

Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) said she supports the intent of the bill and plans to review it further.

Naloxone has proven to be a life-saving tool in the fight against opioid overdoses, and I have supported equipping our police, pharmacies, nonprofits and everyday residents with this tool, Rose said. I support the intent of this bill, to make sure that schools have ready access to naloxone, and I will be reviewing this legislation to ensure that it supports our shared goals. 

Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid Island) said he also believed additional measures were needed.

Unfortunately, measures like this are necessary. We need all the tools that are available to save lives. That is why we are also pursuing the addition of Narcan and naloxone training to our Beating Hearts program, which provides free AEDs to hundreds of NYC organizations, Matteo said.

Last year, Island District Attorney Michael McMahon told the Advance that out of 467 naloxone saves his office has tracked since 2016, about 65 people used naloxone to revive an overdose victim more than once.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The streets outside two Staten Island schools will soon be much safer for pedestrians.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) announced Wednesday that NYPD crossing guards from the next graduating class will be assigned to the New Dorp Christian Academy and PS 46 in South Beach.

This is an additional victory in our ongoing effort to improve pedestrian safety in the district that has already included installing sidewalks, clearing vegetation that blocks signage or access to sidewalks and installing speed bumps. Adding crossing guards at these two locations just makes sense and I thank the NYPD, and the 122 Precinct in particular, for hearing our pleas, said Malliotakis.

Representatives from the New Dorp Central Civic Association had voiced concerns to the assemblywoman regarding dangerous crossing conditions outside the New Dorp Christian Academy, located on the corner of 10th Street and Rose Avenue.

The New Dorp Central Civic Association is thankful for finally getting a crossing guard at New Dorp Christian Academy. It is critical in ensuring the safety of both the students and staff. We are grateful to Assemblywoman Malliotakis and the NYPD for helping us get this important safety measure that will ease the minds of parents and potentially save lives, said Roseann Loschiavo, education chair of the New Dorp Central Civic Association.

Similar concerns had been raised by the South Beach Houses Residents Association regarding crossing conditions outside PS 46, on the corner of McClean Avenue and Norway Avenue.

As the Residents Leader of the South Beach Houses, I appreciate the efforts of Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and the 122 Precincts Director of Community Affairs Kevin Medefindt for assisting in getting a crossing guard to ensure the safety, of the residence of the South Beach Houses and students of PS 46, said South Beach Houses Residents Association leader Scherisce Lewis Clinton.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- City officials issued a travel advisory Wednesday for Thursday evening into Friday afternoon, ahead of an expected winter storm.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said in a media release that light snow could begin Thursday evening, continuing overnight before changing over to rain early Friday morning, causing slippery road conditions.

"We advise you to take caution, allow for extra travel time, and, wherever possible, consider taking mass transit, OEM Commissioner Joseph Esposito said in a statement.

The National Weather Service expects snow to begin after 8 p.m. and leave about an inch before turning to rain Friday morning.

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is readying 695 salt spreaders across the five boroughs, according to officials.

DSNY will activate PlowNYC and will dispatch 1,000 plows if more than two inches of snow accumulates on roadways, according to officials. PlowNYC allows locals to track plowing progress.

City public schools are scheduled to remain open Thursday and Friday, according to city officials. All after-school activities will continue as scheduled.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A ray of HOPE in a borough plagued by the opioid epidemic shined a little brighter Wednesday after it was announced that the drug treatment program would be expanded in cooperation with the Criminal Court of the City of New York.

The HOPE 2.0/OAR program will allow more defendants at risk of an overdose a chance at recovery rather than jail time.

The existing HOPE program, Heroin Overdose Prevention & Education, was created two years ago under District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and allows defendants charged with misdemeanor drug possession to enroll in rehabilitative services.

Since its inception two years ago, more than 600 offers have been made to participate. Last year, nearly 100 Staten Islanders died as a result of an overdose and more than 250 overdoses were reversed by the use of naloxone.

Under the expanded program, in partnership with Overdose Avoidance and Recovery (OAR) and the Legal Aid Society, defendants charged with non-violent misdemeanors including possession of paraphernalia also are eligible for treatment.

Everyone joined together because we realize that the crisis is real, and its severe, said McMahon.

If an overdose appears imminent, a Richmond County Court judge can now shift a case to OAR Court. First launched in Bronx Criminal Court in 2017, OAR was implemented on Staten Island under the guidance of George Grasso, supervising judge of Bronx Criminal Court who oversaw and helped implement the pilot program.

Said Grasso: When an individual on Staten Island comes in the front door of our criminal court and is exhibiting issues of substance use disorder  we are going to have a real-time capacity to identify these individuals, surround them with life-saving services and put them on track for our special court.

To date, nearly 300 cases have been deemed eligible for O.A.R. Courts in the Bronx and Manhattan with more than 50 participants completing the program, according to a press release Wednesday from the office of New York Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks.

It should be easier to access treatment than it is to access drugs, said McMahon. What this program is doing is allowing that to happen."

Among those standing on the front lines of the HOPE program is Samantha Levy, a senior care mentor with Community Health Action, who spoke Wednesday about how defendants rarely deny treatment with a chance to escape charges, but the real fight begins in the weeks that follow.

Ive had a lot of people who dont feel like theyre drug addicts, said Levy, a recovering drug addict herself whose been sober two years. Youre in that space of denial and its hard to come out of that, but I think that theres enough people that want this  and were there for those people.The "American Adventure" exhibit features a large maze that challenges participants to make the right decisions in order to survive as a settler in 1607.

(Jonathon Gruenke/Staff)You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short.More than 1,7000 Hondurans were walking and hitchhiking through Guatemala on Wednesday in hopes of reaching the United States.



The fresh wave of migrants comes as the US government remains shut over Trump's demands for a wall between the US and Mexico, citing a 'humanitarian crisis' and the need for stronger security.



About 6,000 Central Americans reached Tijuana in November amid conflict on both sides of the border over their presence in the Mexican city across from San Diego. Mexico has issued humanitarian visas to about 2,900 migrants from last falls caravan, many of whom are now working legally there with visas.A new migrant caravan, the first of this year but the fourth since the phenomenon began, crossed from Honduras into Guatemala on Wednesday.



The group was formed of around 600-800 people, according to the filmer.



"Unlike previous caravans, the presence of children is more evident in this one, with whole and complete families forming the majority of the caravan," he said.



The caravan is crossing following incendiary comments from US President Donald Trump, who has portrayed its members as "bad people". He tweeted that only a wall will work. Only a wall, or steel barrier, will keep our country safe! on Tuesday.



The current US government shutdown is in its 26th day, making it the longest in US history. It was instigated by a conflict between Trump and congressional Democrats over funding for a wall along the US border with Mexico.CARACAS, Venezuela  Venezuelas opposition-controlled congress has declared President Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, moving a step closer to implementing a plan to challenge the socialist leader by declaring a caretaker government and calling early elections.

A resolution adopted Tuesday accuses Maduro of usurping power and says his administrations acts will no longer carry legal authority. Another resolution seeks to pry the militarys loyalty away from Maduro by offering protection to members of the armed forces who support any transitional government.

This is a historic accord, said National Assembly President Juan Guaido, who in less than two weeks on the job has managed to revitalize the often out-maneuvered opposition.

However, though weakened by Venezuelas economic collapse, Maduro so far has retained the support of the generals and other government institutions, including the courts, which previously ruled actions by the National Assembly invalid.

In invoking an article of the constitution about the transfer of power, lawmakers promised to hold early elections if and when Maduro steps aside, immediately drawing support from foreign capitals.

In Washington, Sen. Marco Rubio, an influential voice on U.S. policy toward Latin America, said it was time for the Trump administration to recognize Guaido as interim president  a title that Guaido has not claimed so far.

Vice President Mike Pence called Guaido and said the U.S. strongly supports his decision to declare the countrys presidency vacant.

Tensions in the oil-rich nation have been rising since Maduro took the oath of office Jan. 10 to begin a second, six-year term that many foreign governments considered illegitimate because most popular opposition parties were banned from running in the May presidential election and leading opposition politicians were jailed or driven into exile.

Maduro has largely ignored congress, arguing that it is outranked by a pro-government constitutional assembly.WASHINGTON  Amid increasing tensions with Beijing, the Pentagon has released a new report that lays out U.S. concerns about Chinas growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters, a senior defense intelligence official said Tuesday that the key concern is that as China upgrades its military equipment and technology and reforms how it trains and develops troops, it becomes more confident in its ability to wage a regional conflict. And Beijings leaders have made it clear that reasserting sovereignty over Taiwan is a top priority.

The official added, however, that although China could easily fire missiles at Taiwan, it doesnt yet have the military capability to successfully invade the self-governing island, which split from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide more detail on intelligence findings in the report, which was written by the Defense Intelligence Agency.

A Chinese government spokeswoman said the report is full of Cold War ideology and zero-sum game thinking and suggested the U.S. was making excuses to strengthen or develop its own weapons of mass destruction.

We use rules rather than weapons to safeguard and promote our own interests, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

The reports release Tuesday comes just a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his Peoples Liberation Army to better prepare for combat. China has warned the U.S. against further upgrading military ties with Taiwan and has threatened to use force against the island to assert its claim of sovereignty. Under President Trump, the U.S. has taken incremental moves to bolster ties with the island, including renewed arms sales and upgraded contacts between officials.

The ongoing rise of China has triggered greater U.S. military attention on the Indo-Pacific region over the last several years. And last years release of the U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasized the importance of great power competition with Russia and China. And it asserted that Chinas rapidly expanding military and Russias increasing aggression are threatening Americas military advantage around the world.

Lolita C. Baldor is an Associated Press writer.LONDON  The head of the World Health Organization has ordered an internal investigation into allegations the U.N. health agency is rife with racism, sexism and corruption, after a series of anonymous emails with the explosive charges were sent to top managers last year.

Three emails addressed to WHO directors complained about systematic racial discrimination against African staffers and alleged other instances of wrongdoing, including claims that some of the money intended to fight Ebola in Congo was misspent.

Last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staffers he had instructed the head of WHOs office of internal oversight to look into the charges raised by the emails.

Critics, however, doubt that WHO can effectively investigate itself and have called for the probe to be made public.

The first email, which was sent last April, claimed there was systematic racial discrimination against Africans at WHO and that African staffers were being abused, sworn at (and) shown contempt to by their Geneva-based colleagues.

Two further emails addressed to WHO directors complained that senior officials were attempting to stifle investigations into such problems and also alleged other instances of wrongdoing, including allegedly misspent Ebola funds.

The last email, sent in December, labeled the behavior of a senior doctor helping to lead the response against Ebola as unacceptable, unprofessional and racist, citing a November incident at a meeting where the doctor reportedly humiliated, disgraced and belittled a subordinate from the Middle East.

Tedros  a former health minister of Ethiopia and WHOs first African director-general  said investigators looking into the charges have all my support and that he would provide more resources if necessary.

To those that are giving us feedback, thank you, he told a meeting of WHOs country representatives in Nairobi last month. We will do everything to correct (it) if there are problems.

But Tedros refuted claims that WHOs hiring policies are skewed, arguing that his top management team was more geographically diverse and gender-balanced than any other U.N. organization after adopting measures to be more inclusive.

There is change already happening, he said during the December staff meeting, according to an audio recording.

WHOs in-house investigation into misconduct comes after other U.N. agencies have been rocked by harassment complaints.

At UNAIDS, chief Michel Sidibe agreed to step down after an independent report concluded in December that his defective leadership had created a toxic working environment, with staffers asserting there was rampant sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power.

Maria Cheng is an Associated Press writer.TEHRAN  A prominent U.S.-born journalist working for an Iranian state-run satellite television channel has been arrested in the United States, the broadcaster said Wednesday.

U.S. officials have not confirmed the arrest of the journalist, Marzieh Hashemi, who has lived in Iran since 2009 and is an anchor at Press TV.

Press TV said Hashemi, 59, was arrested at the St. Louis airport Sunday and was then transferred by the FBI to Washington, where she remains in custody. No charges have been filed against her, the channel said.

The report of Hashemis detention comes a week after Iran confirmed it had detained a U.S. Navy veteran, Michael White. Whites family said he was arrested in July while visiting his Iranian girlfriend, and he has been in custody on unknown charges since then.

Relations between Iran and the United States have become increasingly tense since President Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord last May and reimposed sanctions. Iran and the United States exchanged prisoners in 2016. At least three other U.S. citizens, two of them of Iranian descent, are thought to be incarcerated in Iran.

Hashemis family said in a statement that no reason had been given for her arrest. They said that her Islamic head scarf had been forcibly removed, that she was chained hand and foot, and that she was being denied access to halal food and had eaten only crackers.

Hashemi was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and converted to Islam. She has long publicly supported the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is married to an Iranian. Hashemi is one of the main anchors at Press TV, which was established by Irans state television to spread the countrys message around the globe. It is a part of a powerful state media organization that is widely seen as a tool of the countrys hard-line factions.

Thomas Erdbrink is a New York Times writer.NAIROBI, Kenya  The death toll from an extremist attack on a luxury hotel and shopping complex in Nairobi climbed to 21, plus the five militants killed, police said Wednesday in the aftermath of the brazen overnight siege by gunmen. Two people accused of facilitating the attack were arrested.

The number of those killed at the DusitD2 complex rose with the discovery of six more bodies at the scene and the death of a wounded police officer, said Joseph Boinnet, inspector-general of Kenyan police. Twenty-eight people were hurt and taken to the hospital, he said.BEIRUT  Two U.S. service members and two American civilians were among those killed in an explosion while conducting a patrol in Syria on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, an attack that came less than a month after President Trump announced his intention to withdraw troops from the war-torn country.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the morning attack, which local groups said killed 16 people in the U.S.-patrolled town of Manbij.

The claim calls into question Trumps claim that Islamic State has been defeated in Syria  his stated reason for pulling 2,000 American troops out of the country.

We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency, Trump tweeted in December in announcing his intention to bring back U.S. troops NOW.

Vice President Mike Pence repeated the claim Wednesday, saying the Islamic State caliphate has crumbled and the militant network has been defeated. His comments in a speech at the State Department came shortly after the U.S. military announced that American soldiers were among those killed in Manbij.

U.S. Central Command said one of the civilians was employed by the Defense Department and the other was a contractor. The names of the American victims were being withheld until their families could be notified.

Video released by local activists and news agencies showed a restaurant that suffered extensive damage and a street covered with debris and blood. Several cars were also damaged.

A security camera showed a busy street, and then a ball of fire engulfing people and others running for cover as the blast went off.

Trumps shifting timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Syria, a country he described as sand and death, has left allies and other players in the region confused and jockeying for influence over a withdrawal strategy that appeared to be a work in progress.

Critics have said a pullout was premature, that Islamic State was still not defeated and a withdrawal could lead to a power vacuum that would fuel even more violence.

Since then, U.S. officials and Trump himself have suggested the withdrawal would be slower than initially believed. White House national security adviser John Bolton said two conditions would have to be met, including the protection of Americas local Kurdish allies in northern Syria, and the total defeat of Islamic State.

Bassem Mroue is an Associated Press writer.A flash flood watch remained in effect Thursday for Yosemite and portions of central California.

The National Weather Service said heavy rain totaling up to 4 inches in some areas could lead to excessive runoff, rising water levels on rivers and streams and flash floods.

Mud, rock and debris slides were possible, especially in the burn scar areas left by the Ferguson, Railroad and Pier fires.

MORE: Ann Coulter: A wall is worth more than 'the Yosemite gift shop being open'

Besides Yosemite, the flash food watch covered Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno County foothills; the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon; and Tulare County foothills and mountains.

The flood watch was in effect until 10 p.m.

RELATED: Here's how much rain fell in the Bay Area

Yosemite roads that were closed Wednesday night ahead of the winter storm because of the potential for mudslides and debris slides reopened Thursday. They include:

Wawona Road, El Portal Road from El Portal to Yosemite Valley, and the Big Oak Flat Road..

Highway 140 from Midpines to El Portal west of the park.

Most of the park received rain during the Wednesday's storm, but higher elevations  above 7,000 feet  saw significant snow accumulations.

---

Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at mmoffitt@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.As bands of rain from the back end of the so-called atmospheric river pass over the Bay Area and the storm tapers off Thursday, many will be wondering, "Was this storm as big as expected?"

The system was the most talked-about weather event since the start of the rainy season with meteorologists calling it the biggest of 2019.

The wet, juicy storm was forecast to deliver heavy rain and flooding and high winds and power outages around the Bay Area, while mountaintops in the Sierra Nevada were forecast to record up to 80 inches snow.

"I would say it did live up to expectations," says Suzann Sims, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in Monterey. "We have a lot of places without power, and some of our main stem rivers really responded to the rain."

"It was a good storm, as a matter of fact on the Bay Area Storm Index, it ranked a 6.78, primarily based on the strong winds," Jan Null, who runs a private forecasting service called Golden Gate Weather Services, concurs.

MORE: Rainfall totals: Here's how much rain fell around the Bay Area

The storm was expected to deliver up to two inches of precipitation in the valleys and up to four inches in the North Bay and Santa Cruz mountains. In most cases, this happened, though some of areas recorded rainfall below or on the low end of the projection.

Between Wednesday and Thursday mornings, Oakland saw .92 inches, San Jose 1 inch, Downtown San Francisco 1.1 inches, Santa Rosa 2.18 inches, Mt. Diablo and Ben Lomond 2.2 inches, St. Helena 3 inches and Venado in Sonoma County 5.68 inches.

Sims notes these totals will jump up after rainfall from the isolated storm cells moving across the Bay Area Thursday are added to the storm totals.

"It's not done yet," says Sims. "There's more rain coming. The showers this morning are coming in behind the front and there will be more behind that. Those will taper throughout the day."

The National Weather Service issued a wind warning for the storm, and as the cold front barreled into the Bay Area Wednesday night, slashing winds howled, especially in Marin County where slashing gusts knocked over trees and power lines causing power outages for thousands. In Lucas Valley, a 98 mph was recorded.

Local flooding was reported around the region; San Francisco's Civic Center BART Station temporarily closed due to flooding and many roads around Sonoma County remained closed Thursday due to pooling water.

Sierra pummeled with snow: Did the mountains receive as much as forecast?

The storm was expected to deliver heavy snow and at higher elevations, blizzard conditions" in the Sierra Nevada and Marin Boyd with the NWS Reno says, "It was a hard precipitating event and it met expectations."

"We were getting thunderstorms in the Central Valley of California and that's not exactly common in the winter time so you know that's a strong storm," Boyd added.

The National Weather Service forecast 48 inches to 60 inches of snow for Donner Pass, 60 inches to 80 inches for Carson and Sonora Pass and 36 to 80 inches for Tioga Pass. Official snowfall totals for passes are still being compiled, but Donner Ski Ranch near Donner Pass reported a 24-hour total of about 45 inches.

MORE: Atmospheric river dumps wet, heavy 'Sierra cement' in Tahoe Basin

Storm totals from ski resorts in the Tahoe Basin include 36 inches at June Mountain, 26 inches at Northstar and 12 inches at Heavenly. These totals are less than what was projected, and longtime Bay Area meteorologist Jan Null suspected this might be the case since the storm was faster-moving. If the cold front, the most severe part of the storm had lingered longer, it would have produced more snow.

Null said early Wednesday the snow in the Sierra would be a wet, heavy snow with a higher content, also known as Sierra cement. Boyd confirmed Thursday morning, the snow that had fallen over night was dense and sticky.

"It does cause complications," says Boyd. "It's slicker. It clogs culverts more."

He added, ""It's not like the fluffy snow that skiers call 'powder,' says Boyd. "If you're a skier, Sierra cement doesn't ski as well. You slide more instead of cutting on your ski edge or snowboard edge. It's easier to turn in powder."

Was this storm an atmospheric river?

Most meteorologists, including the National Weather Service, called the system an atmospheric river due to its long plume of moisture. When these types of systems - which are essentially like rivers of moisture in the sky, make landfall, the water vapor rises and cools, unleashing precipitation and kicking up winds.

Daniel Swain, a climatologist at UCLA, agrees this system was an atmospheric river. "While definitions of atmospheric rivers have certainly evolved over the years, this storm qualifies by any formal metric of which I am aware. The key metric is the amount of 'water vapor transport' occurring--in other words, a combination of how much moisture there is in the air column above our heads and how fast it is moving (i.e., how strong the winds are)," Swain wrote in an email.

Null, who runs private forecasting service Golden Gate Weather Services, says the system was an atmospheric river based on the more modern-day definition that qualifies most any high-moisture storm, but he says in the past this storm wouldn't have met the criteria based on its fast moving nature. The most severe weather Wednesday night lasted only a couple hours and he says the storm was over us for about six hours.

"It did not have the duration of [more than 24 hours] to be a classic atmospheric river with significant widespread impacts," Null says.

Swain agrees this storm wasn't as severe and problematic as the most severe atmospheric rivers.

"In this instance, rainfall may be very intense for a few hours but won't persist that long, so the flood risk is not that extreme," Swain explained.After a really nice one-night stay at the exquisite, new Kimpton La Peer hotel in West Hollywood last week, I was feeling great as I walked out of my well-appointed room, leaving a $3 tip for the housekeeper. As one of LA's hippest new hotels (only a year old), I had been eager to see it and unloaded 60,000 IHG Rewards points for my stay.

The hotel GM kindly took the time to give me a brief tour of the property (see the slideshow at the top of this post for a look). I invited friends over for dinner at the hotel's popular Viale dei Romani restaurant. I hung out with locals in the bright and breezy lobby and wrote a post for SFGate there. I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of eggs scrambled with fontina cheese and strong coffee served in a pretty cup.

Overall, it felt like a great stay...until I checked out and the friendly desk clerk breezily asked if I'd like to see my bill or have it emailed to me. I asked to see it. And that's when I felt the sting of the hotel's irritating $30 "guest amenity fee" also known as a resort fee.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"It's a mandatory fee we charge all our guest for services," she said, and clearly having dealt with irritated guests before, produced a specially printed card that explained: "Your daily La Peer hotel inclusive fee of $30 plus tax [$4.71] includes the following: $20 daily breakfast credit; premium wi-fi, a $14.99 daily; cold pressed morning juice and kombucha, an $8 value; daily fitness class provided onsite, a $35 value; and printing and copying services, a $5 value." (See it in the slideshow at the top of this post)

"But this was never explained to me while I was booking this room. I'm glad I had breakfast here and got a $20 credit, but I did not use any of that stuff. I grimace at kombucha. I did not know about the stretching class nor did I pack workout clothes, and who uses printing and copying services anymore? Why was I not informed about this when I checked in?" I protested. I would have remembered to look for a fee like that in Las Vegas, but not on LA, I thought.

The friendly desk clerk insisted that I must have known about this when booking my room, and was not going to back down. My Uber was waiting outside. I did not have time to make a stink about this, so I just paid it and left. As I imagine most other business travelers do.

But in the car on the way to the airport, I felt ripped off. I checked my confirmation email from IHG and saw no mention of the fee. My overall good feeling about the hotel was marred by this "gotcha" at check out. Grrrr! Why do hotels do this and leave a bitter taste in the mouths of otherwise happy guests?

At about the same time, I read a tweet from fellow blogger Richard Kerr at Award Travel 101 reminding me of a nagging trend that travelers are facing these days: More and more hotels keep adding so-called "resort fees" to guests' bills as separate  and mandatory -- add-ons that are not included in their nightly rate quotes.

What's happening now is that they are not just happening at resorts any more-- they are becoming increasingly common at urban downtown hotels, as I had just discovered.

Kerr's tweet noted that over the past 12 months, the number of hotels in New York City that charge a separate, mandatory fee almost doubled, to a total of 124 properties; and the average fee amount went up by almost 10 percent, to $28.10 per night.

His source for that data was a very useful website called resortfeechecker.com, which tracks those extra fees at more than 2,000 hotels in major cities and resort destinations.

Although they started out being called "resort fees" because hotels in places like Hawaii, Miami and Las Vegas were among the first to charge them, the practice has spread to major city centers, and the name of the surcharge might be listed as an "destination fee," a "facilities fee," or something similarly vague. The fees ostensibly cover the cost of providing various guest services like Wi-Fi, use of the pool and fitness room, daily newspaper, bottled water, maybe breakfast and/or use of the business center and so on  whether the guest uses them or not.

If you book a hotel online, you should be able to find information on these fees for your chosen hotel before you click the "reserve" button, but they might not always be readily transparent, making it more difficult to comparison shop. They are typically in the range of $20 to $40 a night.

While there was no mention of the resort fee on my confirmation, I did check the Kimpton site again and found the La Peer resort fee a few clicks deep - but I feel it should have also been included in my reservation confirmation and delivered verbally to me at check in.

See the slideshow at the top of this post for a look inside the new Kimpton La Peer hotel in West Hollywood with nice bright rooms that go for about $400 + $30 per night

Bjorn Hanson, an educator at New York University who specializes in hospitality industry trends, recently told The New York Times that U.S. hotels raked in a record $2.93 billion in fees and surcharges during 2018, and that number is expected to increase in 2019. He said the 2018 figure represents a 6 percent increase over 2017, both from a greater number of hotels assessing the fees and an increase in the fee amounts.

Don't miss a shred of travel news! Sign up for our free bi-weekly email alerts :)

The trend is most prevalent at actual resort hotels he said, with 42 percent of them assessing the fees, but it is growing steadily at urban hotels. He estimated that 8 percent of urban hotels charged the fees in 2018, up from 2 percent in 2017, and predicted it would keep spreading in 2019  not only to more downtown hotels in major cities but to hotels in secondary cities and suburban markets as well.

The hotel industry lobbying arm, the American Hotel and Lodging Association claims that 80% of consumers are happy to pay hotel resort fees "if the amenities are worth it."

Here's a look at my nice breakfast at the La Peer hotel, which cost $36-- and $20 of it was offset by the resort fee.

When we looked into resortfeechecker.com to see how widespread the practice is in San Francisco, it said that 55 hotels in the city impose a mandatory extra fee  although it said there could be others it doesn't know about. Here's a sampling of some nightly fees it cited at specific local hotels: The Fairmont, $27.13; the Grand Hyatt Union Square, $29.06; Hotel Spero, $34.19; Hotels Zelos, Zeppelin and Zetta, each $33.77; Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, $29.06; Kimpton Sir Francis Drake, $29.11; the Stanford Court, $28.50; and the Clift Royal Sonesta, $28.

In West Hollywood, some of the La Peer hotel's nearby competitors also charge mandatory resort fees, including The Mondrian and The London, but many others do not.

Las Vegas remains the best example of hefty resort fees. According to the website, mandatory nightly charges are $44 at the Four Seasons, the ARIA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Nobu, and the Palms, and $42 at several other large, well-known hotels.

Ugh! The practice is so frustrating for travelers and bad PR for hotels... why would they choose to leave guests with the sting of a "gotcha" fee at checkout? Has this happened to you? How did you handle it? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

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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.More than 89,000 Californians have opened their homes to Airbnb guests over the last year, earning about $12,000 annually on average.

The figures come from a new report by the company that lists total host incomes and guest arrivals for 2018.

Los Angeles County led the state in most Airbnb guests, with 2.7 million in total, generating $613 million for hosts combined. San Diego County followed behind, with 1 million guests and $213 million in host income.

Hosts in San Francisco County, where Airbnb is headquartered, earned the third-highest income in California ($143 million), even as the number of guests (392,000) clocked in far behind Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties.

About 26 million people visited San Francisco in 2018, according to projections by the San Francisco Travel Association. By comparison, San Diego gets about 35 million tourist a year, while the number of visitors to San Diego staying in Airbnbs is more than double that of San Francisco.

The discrepancy could be a result of new regulations that require Airbnb and home-stay sites to register their rentals with the city, a process that began in January 2018. Short-term rental companies who fail to comply with the city's new rules face enormous penalties.

The Chronicle found Airbnb listings fell from 8,740 in August to 4,191 in January, figures that could include a couple hundred listings at hotels, hostels and time shares, which don't have to register.

"The regulations had a massive impact on the number of rentals in the city, with an overall 55 percent reduction," said Ulrik Binzer, Host Compliance CEO and founder. Host Compliance extracted data from multiple rental sites before and after the city registration deadline to track the change in rental numbers.

Airbnb said it could not provide guest arrival and host income figures for San Francisco between 2012-17, the last five years before the city's regulations kicked in.

Combined, Airbnb hosts in California earned $2 billion, while welcoming 9.5 million guests in 2018, the company said. Of the $2 billion, Airbnb remitted more than $115 million in taxes to California cities and counties.

You can see the number of guests and host incomes for other California counties in the above gallery.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.A mudslide has forced the temporary closure of all southbound lanes of Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains as a fierce storm bore down on the region Wednesday.

About 15 minutes after the closure, one of the two blocked lanes near Glenwood Cutoff was reopened. It closed again around 5 p.m. to accommodate equipment required to clear the other lane, California Highway Patrol said. It is not known when the lanes will reopen.

The winter storm has already begun wreaking havoc across the Bay Area, with meteorologists calling it the largest storm the region has seen so far in the past year.

'GO HOME NOW': When the most severe weather will hit

At 3:49 p.m. on Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Sonoma County and predicted localized flooding in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Forestville and Graton. Meanwhile, Public works crews were working to clear rocks, mud, debris and fallen trees from roads in the North and East Bay. In San Francisco, the city's Civic Center station briefly closed in the afternoon due to flooding.

HIGH WINDS: Gale-force winds, 70MPH gusts to slam Bay Area

In total, the storm is expected to bring, on average, up to two inches of precipitation in the valleys and up to 4 inches in the North Bay and Santa Cruz mountains.

The most severe weather was forecast to hit the Bay Area Wednesday evening, with winds and rainfall expected to kick up as the storm moved across the region. Read more about the storm timing here.

Alix Martichoux and Amy Graff, SFGATE producers, contributed to this report.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.



Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., dealt a blow to President Donald Trump Wednesday by telling him he can't deliver the State of the Union while the government is shut down, for security reasons. Trump was at first silent  "very silent," Pelosi said Wednesday.

MORE: Trump denies Pelosi aircraft for planned trip abroad

But on Thursday, Trump parried with a letter saying he is preventing Pelosi from using military aircraft to travel on a planned trip to Brussels, Afghanistan and Egypt (Pelosi's chief of staff Drew Hammill has since tweeted that the visit to Afghanistan did not include a stop in Egypt, and was intended to thank the troops, meet with NATO commanders, and get briefings from the front lines).

Click through the gallery above for reactions to the exchange

"Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over," wrote Trump in a letter to Pelosi. "I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is appropriate."

"Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative," he continued.

ALSO: Pelosi moves to belittle and undercut Trump in shutdown fight

The exchange quickly launched a flood of memes and reactions on social media, with many rank and file Republicans cheering the move, while others condemning it as petty and dangerous, particularly since, as speaker, Pelosi is second in line for the presidency after Vice President Mike Pence.

"Trump responds with a pea-shooter of petty," wrote Twitter user @mmpadellan.

"BOOM!!! Trump schooled Pelosi like a BOSS," disagreed Patricia Dickson.

Some members of Congress were also at the ready with a chorus of opinions.

"One sophomoric response does not deserve another," wrote Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Twitter, calling Pelosi's letter on the State of the Union "very irresponsible and blatantly political." Graham added Trump denying Pelosi military travel to Afghanistan was "also inappropriate."

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Trump was acting like a "fifth grader."

"This guy is so unbelievably petty," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Many raised the point that disclosing the itinerary of the trip, and urging the Speaker to fly commercial, raised security concerns.

"We keep trips by government officials to war zones secret for a reason. Trump's action to publicize Speaker Pelosi's trip literally puts the safety of members of Congress and their staff at risk," wrote Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla.

Some thought the move would ultimately prove to be self-sabotaging.

"Cancelling Pelosi's overseas trip so she can stay in the Capitol and keep making Trump's life hell is quite the strategy," tweeted Ally Maynard.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on TwitterMcConnell, in his statement, said he has "no tolerance" for the positions offered by King, and said "those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms. Rep. King's statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position. If he doesn't understand why 'white supremacy' is offensive, he should find another line of work."A migrant runs from tear gas launched by U.S. agents, amid members of the press covering the Mexico-U.S. border, after a group of migrants got past Mexican police at the Chaparral crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city and says that he has asked the United Nations for aid to deal with the approximately 5,000 Central American migrants who have arrived in the city. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) (Rodrigo Abd / AP)The timing of the shutdown causes some challenges for the food bank, said CEO Karen Joyner. The time right after the holidays is usually a dry spell for donations, and the food bank still is making up for the loss of Peninsula-area Farm Fresh stores, which were its third-largest donor.At the start of each trip through the maze, a guest is given the name and identity of one of those first 104 settlers, as well as a device similar to an abacus that is used to measure the settlers life expectancy. Make good choices, and the settler stays healthy; too many bad choices and the settler dies and the guest has to leave the maze. The exhibit includes interactive elements such as a child-sized rock-climbing wall and a zip line.The weekend will be full of events marking the Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration. In Newport News, there is a gospel concert at 6 p.m. Saturday at Zion Baptist Church, 633 20th St., followed by a parade at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at New Beech Grove Baptist Church, 361 Beechmont Drive. The City of Hampton will unveil and dedicate a King memorial at 1 p.m. Monday in front of the Hampton Roads Convention Center. In Norfolk, the Virginia Symphony will perform a program titled Songs of a Dreamer 7 p.m. Sunday at Second Calvary Baptist Church, 2940 Corprew Ave. All of these events are open to the public free of charge.The members of AVSE Global at the congress (Photo: VNA)

The above confirmations were emphasized by Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Khuong, Chairman of AVSE Global, on January 12th in Paris, on the occasion of the congress of the association for the 2019-2021 term.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Thiep, the prestige of AVSE Global is growing among many agencies of the government and domestic and foreign partners. With knowledge, technology and innovation as its foundation, AVSE Global has actively contributed to changing strategic awareness in many fields, contributing to promoting socio-economic development in Vietnam.

The members of the association agreed that through years of hardship and challenges, AVSE Global has affirmed itself as an intellectual community with strong experts, spreading influence to create positive changes for Vietnam.

During the last term, AVSE Global collaborated with relevant Vietnamese agencies to successfully organize seven conferences and policy forums on digital economy, leadership and public policy, and finance-banking.

In particular, the 2nd Vietnam Sustainability Forum will be held in Hanoi at the end of January 2019. This will be an opportunity for policy leaders, businesses, scientists and experts to present, discuss and share initiatives, practical experiences and solutions for sustainable growth.

AVSE Global has also carried out many training programs, including training technical staff and future leaders. Nearly 20 policy reports have been made and transferred directly to the government and concerned ministries and agencies. In addition, 10 strategic projects have been implemented, relating to the Knowledge Center, Van Don Special Economic Zone, education network, economic policies, and strategies to attract Vietnamese talents around the world.

According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Khuong, the above results first come from the spirit of "Overcoming yourself, creating the future" of each member of the association.

AVSE Global was established on May 21st, 2011, in France to combine two factors: national pride and knowledge. This network gathers nearly 250 senior scientists and experts in various fields, living all over the world. They have the same purpose of bringing knowledge, international experience and high technology to serve the development of the country.

The association has a strong belief that the power of collective knowledge, creativity, and enthusiasm to build the country will help Vietnam develop sustainably and prosperously in the current knowledge economy era./.A powerful storm made landfall in the Bay Area on Wednesday, causing flooding and other problems around the region.



After off-and-on rain earlier this week, heavier rain and strong winds hit the Bay Area midday Wednesday, with mountainous parts of Sonoma County receiving the most rain so far with 4.76 inches since midnight, National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson said.



Winds have been as strong as 50-60 mph in some higher elevations in the region, Anderson said.



The strong winds and rain should begin to decrease by the early morning hours Thursday, he said.



The stormy weather caused problems including the closure of BART's underground Civic Center station in San Francisco after a leak from the San Francisco Municipal Railway station above it.







The U.S. Geological Survey downgraded the magnitude of an early Wednesday morning earthquake that rattled the Bay Area to 3.4 from 3.7.



The quake on the Hayward Fault shook the Bay Area near the state Highway 24 and 13 junction in Oakland at 4:42 a.m., and was followed by two minor aftershocks of 1.9 at 4:45 a.m. and 2.0 at 4:48 a.m.



BART reported that its trains recovered from 20-minute delays systemwide as maintenance workers inspected tracks after the temblor, according to transit officials.







A 37-year-old actor from Southern California has been charged with multiple felonies for defrauding a Redwood City homeowner who had defaulted on her property taxes last year, San Mateo County prosecutors said.



Justin Rodgers Hall, of Van Nuys, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of filing a false document, grand theft, money laundering, burglary, elder abuse and an aggravated white collar enhancement, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.



Rodgers Hall is credited on his IMDb page as having a bit part in the 2009 film "Star Trek" and other movies.



He is accused of defrauding a 66-year-old victim who defaulted on her property taxes at her home in Redwood City that is valued between $1.5 and $1.7 million, prosecutors said.







A coalition of advocacy groups was planning to deliver 70,000 signatures to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, at her office in the city Wednesday evening to urge a repeal of President Donald Trump's travel ban.



Sophia Armen, a spokeswoman for the SWANA Alliance, said the signatures were gathered around the nation. The group's name refers to Southwest Asian and North African peoples.



Other groups organizing the bid for repeal include the Council on Islamic-American Relations, the Yemeni Alliance Committee and MPower Change, a Muslim grassroots group.



The current ban bars entry to the United States by most immigrants and visitors from five predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.



It is the third version of Trump's ban and was upheld by a 5-4 vote of the U.S. Supreme Court in June. Two previous versions were blocked by federal courts.







A garbage truck driver with Republic Services died in a crash in Daly City Wednesday morning, a police sergeant said.



The crash was reported at about 6:15 a.m. in the 600 block of Skyline Boulevard near Carmel Avenue, Daly City police Sgt. Ron Harrison said.



The driver, identified by the San Mateo County coroner's office as 58-year-old South San Francisco resident Mauricio Garcia Oropeza, was picking up garbage and heading north on Skyline when the truck hit an unoccupied parked car, Harrison said.



Somehow Garcia Oropeza ended up outside of his vehicle and was crushed between the two vehicles, according to Harrison.



He said investigators are trying to determine how the driver ended up between the two vehicles.







A fatal crash was reported on state Highway 121 in unincorporated Sonoma County near the border with Napa County on Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The three-vehicle collision was reported at 2:52 p.m. on Highway 121 in the area of Napa Road.



The eastbound lanes of the highway remained closed as of 3:30 p.m. and there is no estimate for when they will reopen.







A Forestville woman who was critically injured in a head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver on U.S. Highway 101 early Sunday morning has died and was identified by Sonoma County sheriff's officials as 50-year-old Katherine Pisesky.



Pisesky was driving a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle south on Highway 101 at Westside Road near Healdsburg around 12:55 a.m. when she was struck by a 2016 Ford Focus that was traveling north in the southbound lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The Ford driver, Hector Omar Cisneros-Ramirez, 37, of Healdsburg, was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing injury before Pisesky died at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.







A 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Tuesday after San Mateo County sheriff's deputies found her soaking wet with an infant at Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay after allegedly walking into the ocean with the baby, sheriff's officials said.



Deputies responded around 3:10 p.m. to the beach off of Poplar Street on a report about a possible suicidal person there. They arrived and found Cupertino resident Chisato Chiyoda and the infant both soaking wet in 56-degree weather, according to the sheriff's office.



Chiyoda was seen acting strangely minutes earlier and had entered the water with the infant in what investigators later learned was an attempted murder-suicide. Both she and the baby were treated for hypothermia and were taken to a hospital for further evaluation, sheriff's officials said.



After detectives spoke with her and she was released from the hospital, Chiyoda was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The baby was also released from the hospital into the custody of Child Protective Services, according to the sheriff's office.







Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is asking for public input for its new service plan, which will reduce some routes and expand others in an effort to address a large deficit.



The plan will save about $15 million annually compared to the 2017 Next Network Plan, and aims to maintain bus and light-rail service and current levels, according to the VTA.



Among the major changes are four discontinued express routes, including Camden & 85 to Palo Alto, South San Jose to Moffett Park, Palo Alto to IBM/Bailey Avenue and South County to Mountain View.



Several other express routes will see more frequent service, and VTA officials said the plans intend to protect South County riders who depend on a single route to access the greater San Jose area.



VTA is seeking to address a $20 million structural deficit in the 2018 fiscal year and $26 million for 2019.







The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors authorized the county sheriff Tuesday to purchase a new machine that offers quick turnaround on DNA analysis tests to identify suspects in violent crimes or victims in mass casualty incidents like the recent Camp Fire in Butte County.



The RapidHIT ID System has been quoted at Thermo Fisher for roughly $97,500, which is 50 percent off the usual price, according to county staff. It will allow the forensic services division of the sheriff's office to generate a DNA profile, compatible with state and national databases, in under two hours.



County officials described the technology as revolutionary. Theoretically, it could be used to exonerate wrongly accused suspects and prevent backlogs of untested DNA samples.







Former federal prosecutor and corporate lawyer David Anderson has taken office as the new U.S. attorney for Northern California.



Anderson was sworn in Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in a private ceremony.



He was nominated to the post by President Donald Trump in August and confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 2.



The U.S. Attorney's Office handles federal criminal cases and civil cases concerning the federal government in a district that includes the Bay Area and northern coastal California to the Oregon border.



Anderson will supervise about 135 lawyers in the San Francisco main office and branches in Oakland and San Jose.







A 24 Hour Fitness employee was arrested after allegedly setting a fire in the fitness center early Tuesday morning, throwing a fire extinguisher through a window and running away from responding officers, according to police.



Christian Cruz, 24, was arrested in a case that started at about 3:20 a.m. Tuesday when officers responded to a report of a man setting a fire in a room at the building at 1261 Soquel Ave., police said.



Cruz allegedly set fire to an exercise mat in the group exercise room on the first floor, then threw the fire extinguisher through a window when another employee came in to try to put the fire out. He then barricaded himself in the room as it quickly filled with smoke, police said.



As firefighters arrived and worked to extinguish the blaze, police officers searched for the suspect, who ran out of a side door. Officers eventually caught Cruz, who struggled with them before being taken into custody.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.A group of Oakland teachers said Wednesday that they plan to engage in a major disruption on Friday to protest the slow pace of contract talks between the Oakland Unified School District and the teachers' union.



The action on Friday is largely being organized by a group of Oakland High School teachers called the Wildcat Underground that coordinated a sickout by dozens of teachers on Dec. 10.



Protest organizers said teachers and students from Oakland High School, Oakland Technical High School, Life Academy, Skyline, United for Success Academy, and Fremont High School plan to gather at Oakland Tech at 4531 Broadway at 8 a.m. on Friday for a rally outside the school.



They said that at 9 a.m. teachers and students will start marching to school district offices at 1000 Broadway, which is two-and-a-half miles away, and at 10 a.m., teachers, student, and allies will gather outside the school offices.







A flood warning has been issued for southeastern Sonoma County through 5:15 a.m. Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.



Despite rain subsiding Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, the Russian, Petaluma and Napa rivers are not receding, and automated rain gauges are indicating flooding on area streams and creeks, meteorologist Spencer Tangen said.



Weather officials said water levels are forecast to remain elevated for the next several hours before they begin to recede later Thursday morning.



Tangen said the Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Cotati, Forestville and Graton areas might see flooding.



Meteorologists advise motorists to slow down, as it is harder to see floodwaters at night and to turn around if anyone encounters them.







One person died in a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian Wednesday night near Mill Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The collision was first reported at 8:29 p.m. at the corner of Laverne and North Ferndale avenues.



A fire was also reported at the scene of the fatal collision, CHP officials said.



Further information was not immediately available.







Hundreds of people streamed past a group of protesters Wednesday night to watch comedian Louis C.K. perform at the San Jose Improv Comedy Club -- one of his first few appearances after admitting to sexually harassing women in November 2015.



The two groups interacted in varying degrees, as the group of about 30 mostly women protesters chanted "Shame!" and "Louis C.K. has got to go!" in front of the downtown theater. A handful openly mocked the protesters, while others acknowledged them and walked quickly past.



Louis C.K. briefly departed from the comedy scene after admitting to masturbating in front of women without their consent, but has since made a slow return to the stage. His appearance at the Comedy Cellar in New York in October was also met with protests.



Prior to the event, the theater had an event description on its website listing Louis C.K.'s accolades and a disclaimer: "Louis C.K. is trying new material. XXX Adults only."



The theater said Wednesday it respects the group's right to protest, but audience members can set their own limits.







The San Jose City Council called a special meeting Wednesday to discuss emergency loans for federal workers employed at San Jose Mineta International Airport during the government shutdown.



Loans for roughly 500 air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration employees, Customs officers and others would be paid back without interest after employees receive back pay.



The shutdown has gone on for nearly a month -- the longest in history -- and was brought about by President Donald Trump's demands to fund a border wall.



According to Mayor Sam Liccardo's proposal, TSA absences at San Jose airport have jumped from 3 percent to 14 percent during the shutdown.



The proposal is an effort to keep the airport in operation while addressing workers' needs, 48 percent of whom are San Jose residents.







A downed tree struck a BART car Wednesday evening between the Concord and Pleasant Hill stations, causing delays on the system, BART officials said.



The incident happened on the Antioch line, BART officials said on Twitter around 5:50 p.m.



No one was injured and no damage has been found, according to BART.



Ground staff is currently working to remove the tree, which BART officials described as large.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.OAKLAND (BCN)



A group of Oakland teachers said Wednesday that they plan to engage in a major disruption on Friday to protest the slow pace of contract talks between the Oakland Unified School District and the teachers' union.



The action on Friday is largely being organized by a group of Oakland High School teachers called the Wildcat Underground that coordinated a sickout by dozens of teachers on Dec. 10.



Protest organizers said teachers and students from Oakland High School, Oakland Technical High School, Life Academy, Skyline, United for Success Academy, and Fremont High School plan to gather at Oakland Tech at 4531 Broadway at 8 a.m. on Friday for a rally outside the school.



They said that at 9 a.m. teachers and students will start marching to school district offices at 1000 Broadway, which is two-and-a-half miles away, and at 10 a.m., teachers, student, and allies will gather outside the school offices.



"We hope to disrupt district business as usual, Oakland High School history teacher Cole Margen said in a statement.



Margen said, "We need our district to understand that we are on the brink of a catastrophic strike. This will impact Oakland's educational system, both teachers and students."



He said, "The issues we face are similar to those in Los Angeles," where teachers went on strike on Monday.



Margen said Friday's action isn't sanctioned by the Oakland Education Association, the union that represents teachers.



The OEA said last week that it is strongly considering conducting a strike authorization vote by the end of the month.



The teachers organizing the action on Friday noted that a strike by Oakland teachers lasted for more than two months.



Contract talks between the school district and the union have been going on for about a year and a half.



The two sides currently are in the midst of fact-finding.



The school district's most recent offer to the teachers is a 5 percent raise over the next three years.



Suzi LeBaron, a science teacher and pathway director at Oakland High School, said, "Held up against the cost of living, this offer would send us economically backward."



Commenting on the teachers' planned action on Friday, Oakland schools Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a statement, "We urge them not to engage in this illegal labor action which is not sanctioned by their union."



Johnson-Trammell said, "It is also a move that runs counter to our collective efforts to reach an agreement between the OEA and the school district as both parties are engaged, in good faith, in the fact-finding process with the California Public Employment Relations Board."



She said, "We want our teachers to know that everyone on the Board of Education and in district leadership firmly believe that they deserve to be paid more than they currently are. We are hopeful that our teachers will remain in class supporting students on Friday."



Johnson-Trammell added, "We are committed to working with the OEA to come to an equitable contract that works for both sides."





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.VACAVILLE (BCN)



A Fairfield police officer who fatally shot a Vacaville man suspected of stabbing a woman and teenage girl and setting their Vacaville house on fire Monday night was identified Thursday as Michael Pena.



Fairfield police said Pena is a 10-year police veteran. His police canine Cort, who was stabbed multiple times by the suspect, was released from the University of California at Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, police said. Pena was placed on administrative leave.



Pena shot Nathaniel Holland, 38, in a dense wooded creek area in the rear of 1021 Mason St. around 10:45 p.m. Monday. Holland was suspected of stabbing a 43-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl after an argument at a residence in the 1200 block of Alderwood Way around 6:40 p.m., Vacaville police said.



Holland doused the inside of the home with gasoline, set it on fire and fled. Two boys ages 12 and 15 and a 4-year-old girl were inside the residence. The boys escaped through a rear window, and the girl was rescued from the home by one of the boys and a neighbor, Vacaville police said.



Several canine teams searched the area for Holland, and a citizen spotted him in the 1000 block of Mason Street, police said. A Fairfield K-9 team located Holland in the creek area, and Holland stabbed Cort before Pena shot him, Vacaville police said. Holland later died from his injuries.



Fairfield and Vacaville police and the Solano County District Attorney's Office are investigating the officer-involved shooting.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.A 34-year-old man found guilty of killing another inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison in October 2013 told the victim's family in court on Wednesday that he would never apologize, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.



Dimitris Kalatzakis, 31, was killed in his cell on Oct. 4, 2013. Brandon Keen, his cellmate, reported the death to prison guards and they found Kalatzakis lying in face-up in a large pool of his own blood, according to prosecutors.



An autopsy determined Kalatzakis had suffered six stab wounds by a weapon created in the prison, that he had been beaten to the point of broken bones throughout his face and ultimately was strangled to death with a ligature.



Three years later, Keen attacked an inmate in the day yard of the prison using a weapon created by affixing two razor blades to a toothbrush, but the other man survived, prosecutors said.



According to the district attorney's office, Keen turned around in the courtroom after the guilty verdict was announced Wednesday and yelled to Kalatzakis' family that he would never apologize for his actions.



Monterey County Superior Court Judge Timothy Roberts will hand down his sentence on Feb. 22, and prosecutors said Keen is facing 85 years to life for the murder.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A coalition of advocacy groups was planning to deliver 70,000 signatures to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, at her office in the city Wednesday evening to urge a repeal of President Donald Trump's travel ban.



Sophia Armen, a spokeswoman for the SWANA Alliance, said the signatures were gathered around the nation. The group's name refers to Southwest Asian and North African peoples.



Other groups organizing the bid for repeal include the Council on Islamic-American Relations, the Yemeni Alliance Committee and MPower Change, a Muslim grassroots group.



The current ban bars entry to the United States by most immigrants and visitors from five predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.



It is the third version of Trump's ban and was upheld by a 5-4 vote of the U.S. Supreme Court in June. Two previous versions were blocked by federal courts.



Armen said the advocacy groups hope that bills to repeal it will be introduced in both the House and Senate.



The organizations said in a statement, "The legislative branch has an opportunity to reverse the damage caused by the Trump administration and the Supreme Court."



The petition was scheduled to be dropped off at Pelosi's office at 90 Seventh St. at 5 p.m., with a news conference and rally to follow.



The current ban also applies to all visitors from North Korea and certain officials and their family members from Venezuela.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN JOSE (BCN)



Hundreds of people streamed past a group of protesters Wednesday night to watch comedian Louis C.K. perform at the San Jose Improv Comedy Club -- one of his first few appearances after admitting to sexually harassing women in November 2015.



The two groups interacted in varying degrees, as the group of about 30 mostly women protesters chanted "Shame!" and "Louis C.K. has got to go!" in front of the downtown theater. A handful openly mocked the protesters, while others acknowledged them and walked quickly past.



Louis C.K. briefly departed from the comedy scene after admitting to masturbating in front of women without their consent, but has since made a slow return to the stage. His appearance at the Comedy Cellar in New York in October was also met with protests.



Prior to the event, the theater had an event description on its website listing Louis C.K.'s accolades and a disclaimer: "Louis C.K. is trying new material. XXX Adults only."



The theater said Wednesday it respects the group's right to protest, but audience members can set their own limits.



"We see comedy as the final frontier and we don't censor artists," the theater said in a statement. "We want them to perform without scrutiny."



Michele Dauber, a Stanford law professor, organized the protest as the leader of political action committee Enough is Enough. The protest was geared toward the theater, rather than the attendees, and the group pointed out the venue has not booked a single female headliner through July.



"Does the art mean that we no longer care about the personal behavior, even when the personal behavior is extremely damaging?" she said, explaining that C.K. should certainly face scrutiny.



Dauber led a successful campaign to recall Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky in November after he granted a controversial six-month sentence to Stanford swimmer Brock Turner, who was convicted of sexual assault. She said the 30 people protesting in pouring rain in front of the theater was a testament to the local community's commitment to fight back against abusers.



An attendee watching the protest from the ticket line, Eli Melo of San Jose, scoffed as he watched the protesters. "We all make mistakes," he said, "I think it's ridiculous...can't nobody say nothing any more."



Tom Nowitzky of Morgan Hill, who was also waiting in line, said he understood the protesters and that C.K. was a "particularly controversial figure," but felt many of the protesters didn't see a "path to redemption" for C.K.



"I think that comedy is in trouble due to an atmosphere of intolerance about anything," he said.



Dauber pushed back at the idea, saying C.K. has made jokes to minimize the impact of his harassment and offered an ingenuine apology.



"C.K. himself does not take what he did seriously," she said. "He is sorry that he got caught, he is sorry that he lost money. He is not sorry for what he did."



According to the theater, C.K. sold out three shows with about 450 attendees each, a relatively small venue in comparison to C.K.'s previous shows. The shows require a "no phone" policy to ensure comedians can avoid internet leaks while testing out new material.



The theater hired additional security for the night, according to spokeswoman Wendy Zocks. Police were also aware of the event and had patrols in the downtown area.



One man protesting across the street with a megaphone was punched toward the end of the protest by a man who had been standing next to the theater. The man with the megaphone, who identified himself only as George, said they had a brief exchange about the nature of his protest before he was punched.



Police said the altercation may have been mutual, and George said he wasn't sure if he was pressing charges.



C.K. has two additional shows at the Improv Thursday night, but there are no planned protests for those appearances at this time.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.OAKLAND (BCN)



Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley and Clear Channel Outdoor unveiled a public awareness campaign on Wednesday designed to heighten community awareness about human trafficking, mobilize the public and offer assistance to victims.



O'Malley said her office and Clear Channel have collaborated for many years to deliver important messaging about human trafficking to communities throughout Alameda County and the greater Bay Area.



She said January is "National Human Trafficking Awareness" month so it's a time for a renewed sense of determination and action aimed at stopping the commercial sexual exploitation of children and teens and the commercial labor exploitation of workers.



O'Malley said the 2019 public awareness campaign consists of billboards and bus shelters visible in neighborhoods and from roadways throughout the county.



She said the billboards present a stark reminder that the Bay Area remains a hotspot for the commercial sexual exploitation of children and teens, while the bus shelters message directly to individuals who are at risk or are currently trafficked for sex or labor.



"My office continues to work tirelessly to put an end to these dangerous and exploitative criminal enterprises," O'Malley said in a statement.



O'Malley said, "We are dedicated to prosecuting offenders and protecting and assisting victims. At the same time, it is vital to maintain a community focus on the fact that these crimes happen here, in our cities, and to our children, neighborhoods and loved ones."



Bruce Qualls, the vice president for public affairs for Clear Channel Outdoor's San Francisco office said, "We are honored to continue using our media to assist in the District Attorney's efforts to rescue these nearly defenseless victims of exploitation."



Qualls said, "Using this highly visible form of media, we'll continue sending a clear message to victims that help is available and to traffickers that they will be prosecuted."



O'Malley said her office is a leader in the state and the nation in addressing and prosecuting human trafficking cases and in enabling victims to escape exploitation.



She said that over the past dozen years, her office has prosecuted more than 650 defendants for human trafficking-related offenses, with an 82 percent success rate.



O'Malley said her office currently has active cases against 48 defendants charged with human trafficking and related offenses.



Those wishing to report human trafficking can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center's 24-hour hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888 or text "BeFree" (233733).





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.CPR is in progress on a man who fell into the water off of Pier 3 in San Francisco on Thursday afternoon, fire officials said.



The fire department wrote on Twitter at 1:21 p.m. about the rescue of the man and said minutes later that he was being taken to a hospital with CPR in progress.



Authorities do not know why or how he ended up in the water, according to the fire department.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.A historic California law that would replace cash bail with a risk assessment system has been put on hold because a referendum challenging it qualified for the November 2020 ballot.



Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced Wednesday that the referendum sponsored by the American Bail Coalition, a bail bond agents' trade association, had enough signatures for the ballot.



The qualification automatically suspends the new law until the election is held. The California Money Bail Reform Act had previously been scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 1 of this year.



Bail coalition executive director Jeff Clayton said in a statement, "Now we can move on toward defeating this reckless law."



In opposition, the directors of the California branches of the American Civil Liberties Union said, "We must reject the wealth-based, two-tiered system of justice that the bail industry seeks to preserve."



Separately, two challenges to the money bail system are pending in the California Supreme Court and in federal court in Oakland.



A ruling by one or both of those courts could potentially result in a modification of the money bail system before 2020.



In the cash bail system, people who are arrested and awaiting a criminal trial are released if they post a cash bond in an amount specified in a bail schedule set by the local superior court. People can pay the bond either with their own money or through commercial bail agents, who typically charge a 10 percent fee for putting up the cash.



The new law would use a risk assessment tool to determine whether arrestees are a low, medium or high risk of failing to appear in court or endangering the public. People accused of violent crimes or threats of violence would usually be denied release, subject to review by a judge.



Opponents of the system contend it is unfair to low-income people and favors well-to-do defendants who can afford to pay.



The ACLU directors said the system "is antithetical to our values of justice, fairness, and racial equity."



"By charging people nonrefundable fees for pretrial release, the bail industry has made billions of dollars off the backs of individuals and families in dire circumstances, especially people most affected by racial and economic inequities in our society and the criminal justice system," they said.



The bail industry coalition claims that assessment tools are inaccurate and could result in dangerous people being released.



The referendum needed 365,880 signatures, or 5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2014 election, to qualify for the ballot.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.Lincoln, NE (68508)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 106F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 73F. SW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph.Californias new law abolishing the requirement to post bail for release after arrest, scheduled to take effect in October, was put on hold Wednesday when bail bond companies qualified a referendum to put the issue before voters in November 2020.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that random sampling of petitions submitted by sponsors of the ballot measure showed they had collected more than the 402,468 valid signatures they needed to make the ballot. Qualification of a referendum on a newly enacted law bars its enforcement until voters decide whether to approve it.

The legislation, SB10, cosponsored by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in August. It would make California the first state to eliminate the requirement that a defendant post monetary bail, in an amount based on the seriousness of the charges, to be freed while awaiting trial.

Instead, a judge would decide whether a defendant could be released safely, with monitoring, depending on the charges, the defendants record and the judges assessment of the risk he or she posed. People facing capital charges would not qualify for pretrial release, nor would defendants with recent serious or violent felony convictions, those charged with domestic violence or those who had been granted bail in the past and repeatedly failed to appear in court.

Supporters of the change, including Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, said cash bail does not promote safety and unfairly penalizes low-income defendants while those who can afford bail go free.

But some longtime opponents of the current system, including the American Civil Liberties Union, said SB10 would merely put in place a new system of pretrial detention that would vary from one court to another and pose the risk of racial bias. And bail bond companies, which collect 10 percent fees on each bond they issue, contended defendants would stop showing up in court if they no longer faced forfeiture of their bail.

Separately, the state Supreme Court is reviewing a January 2018 ruling by an appeals court in San Francisco that would require judges to consider a defendants ability to pay before setting bail. Opponents of the bail system are also challenging it on constitutional grounds before a federal judge in Oakland.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelkoDesigner Phuong My (Photo: Internet)

Cong Tri and Phuong My will introduce their latest fashion collections at the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) 2019 in the US on February 12th.



Tri said he will introduce his new designs for the winter this year.



In preparation for the event, from January 2018, Tri collaborated with Kate Young  a world-leading stylist - to make the collection.



Designer Phuong My studied in the US from the age of 13 and graduated from the Academy of Art in San Francisco.



Before attending the NYFW 2019, Mys designs have been displayed at fashion events worldwide, and her clothes are sold in more than 20 nations such as Italy, France, the UK, Japan and Belgium.



She was one of the most influential figures under-30 voted by Forbes Vietnam magazine in 2015.



The NYFW will take place in New York on February 8th-16th./.FORT MYERS, Fla. Tens of thousands of embryos are stuck in limbo in fertility clinics, leftovers from pregnancy attempts and broken dreams of parenthood.

Some are outright abandoned by people who quit paying storage fees and cant be found. In other cases, couples are struggling with tough decisions.

Jenny Sammis cant bring herself to donate nearly a dozen of her extras to research. She and her husband agreed to do that when they made their embryos 15 years ago, but her feelings changed after using some of them to have children.

I have these two gorgeous, smart people who came from this process, Sammis said. These embryos are all like seeds that could become potential people. That reality to me was all abstract when they were in the freezer.

Tank failures at two clinics in Ohio and California last year revealed hidden issues with long-frozen embryos, including some from the 1980s when IVF began. A few years ago, medical groups developed sample consent forms clinics could use for new patients, spelling out what could happen to unused embryos. But that hasnt resolved what to do with ones made long ago.

Its a real dilemma for these clinics, said Rich Vaughn, a Los Angeles lawyer who headed the American Bar Associations assisted reproduction committee for many years. We dont quite know what to do with them and everyones afraid to act for fear theyll be sued if people surface decades later and want their embryos.

The number is growing as more couples try IVF and because of changes in how its done. The old way was to mix eggs and sperm in the lab and transfer multiple fresh embryos to a womb, hoping at least one would lead to pregnancy. Now, couples usually freeze many embryos, test for health problems and transfer the most viable one at a time to avoid multiple births. That often means leftovers once the desired family is complete.

How many embryos are in storage isnt known  centers dont have to report that. One study estimated there were 1.4 million in the U.S. Researchers think 5 to 7 percent are abandoned, though its as high as 18 percent at some clinics. Some define that as a year of no contact or storage payments after reasonable efforts to find the owners; others draw the line at five years. Some clinics search social media and hire investigators to find owners when abandonment is suspected.

It has vexed our field from the start, said Dr. Mark Sauer, a fertility specialist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School who is on the ethics committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

It also has vexed couples, many of whom never expected so many leftovers. Sara Raber of New Yorks Long Island had five extras after conceiving two children.

Your goal in the beginning is just to get pregnant, so making a lot of embryos seems necessary because you dont know how many tries it will take, she said. But disposing of extras brings a finality to family building thats different for IVF couples than it is for those who conceived naturally.

Marilynn Marchione is an Associated Press writer.A Fairfield police dog that officials say was stabbed by a man suspected of attempted murder and arson in Vacaville is expected to recover, authorities said Thursday.

After allegedly stabbing two people and setting a house on fire in the 1200 block of Alderwood Way on Monday evening, police said Nathaniel Holland fled to a wooded creek area with a knife. As officers with the California Highway Patrol and Vacaville and Fairfield police departments tried to arrest him, Holland allegedly stabbed the police dog, named Cort, multiple times.The percentage of minorities and women on the boards of the largest public companies in the United States has edged up in the past two years, but advancement is still slow and the bulk of corporate directors at such firms continue to be white men, a study released Tuesday found.

The study, by the Alliance for Board Diversity, which advocates for broader demographic inclusion in boardrooms, and the professional services firm Deloitte, shows that women and minorities occupied 38.6 percent of board seats at Fortune 100 companies last year, compared with 35.9 percent in 2016.

At Fortune 500 companies, the figure rose to 34 percent in 2018 from 30.8 percent two years earlier, the last time the study was done, but still fell short of the alliances target.

Our goal is to get to 40 percent diversity so we can have fair representation on Fortune 500 corporate boards, said Linda Akutagawa, the groups chairwoman. She added that some of the largest companies in the world can find talented, diverse board members with the skills and experience to put on large corporate boards.

Akutagawa said the alliance expected that, at the current pace of change, large companies would hit the 40 percent target by 2024, especially if they widened the pool of potential directors.

A California law passed last year mandates that all publicly traded companies from the state have at least one woman on their boards by the end of 2019, with even more representation required in 2021.

The alliances study found that African American women and women from Asian and Pacific Island backgrounds made particularly substantial inroads on Fortune 500 boards during the period in question. African American women held 26.2 percent more directors seats in 2018 than they had in 2016, while women of Asian and Pacific Island heritage held 30.8 percent more.

At Fortune 100 companies, there were 44.8 percent more African American women serving as directors last year compared with two years earlier. Among those entering the boardroom ranks was Lisa Wardell, chief executive of Adtalem Global Education. Wardell last year joined the board at the home-improvement retailer Lowes, one of the countrys 50 top-grossing companies.

The progress was modest, but notable, for African American men at Fortune 100 companies. Their presence on these boards grew about one percentage point since 2016, nearly matching the gains made over the previous 12 years. Overall, African American men held 13.7 percent of Fortune 100 board seats last year, and 22.5 percent of Fortune 500 board seats.

The alliances new study analyzed 1,033 new board appointments at Fortune 500 companies last year. More than 80 percent of the appointees were white, and about 60 percent of that group were men. At Fortune 100 companies, 77 percent of new board appointees were white, and about 51 percent were men.

The study found that 19.5 percent of Fortune 100 board members last year were minorities. Just over 11 percent were African American, 4.4 percent were Hispanic and 3.8 percent were Asian.

Broad measures of board diversity, the study noted, could be affected by the double-counting of those who serve as directors at more than one company. For example, Grace D. Lieblein, a former General Motors vice president for global quality, is a director at wireless communication company American Tower, Honeywell International and Southwest Airlines, according to publicly disclosed information.

The presence of some directors on multiple boards suggests that while diversity of boards may be increasing, there is not necessarily an equivalent rate of increase in the number of new women and minorities on the boards, the study said.

Companies have traditionally picked former chief executives as directors, meaning boards more frequently will pull from a pool of existing minority board members instead of bringing new directors in, according to the study.

Boards need to be flexible in their criteria, Lieblein said in an interview with the studys authors. Some diverse candidates may not be sitting or ex-CEOs, but may still have outstanding backgrounds for the board.

Chronicle staff contributed

to this report.

Elizabeth Olson is a New York Times writer.WASHINGTON  Federal prosecutors in Seattle are investigating Huawei, the Chinese technology giant, on allegations of intellectual property theft, according to two people familiar with the case.

The criminal investigation is related to a civil suit between Huawei, one of the worlds largest telecommunications equipment and smartphone makers, and telecom provider T-Mobile, according to the two people who requested anonymity because they were discussing an active investigation.

In that civil case, filed in 2014, Huawei was accused of stealing intellectual property related to a robot that T-Mobile used to diagnose quality control issues in mobile phones. A jury found Huawei guilty in May 2017.

The criminal inquiry is looking at some of the same issues as the civil case, according to one of the people with knowledge of the investigation.

A Huawei spokesman declined to comment Wednesday evening, as did a spokesman for T-Mobile. The investigation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The inquiry in Seattle is unrelated to the federal governments efforts to extradite Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer, who was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States in early December.

Federal prosecutors believe Meng, a daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, misled banks about Huaweis business in Iran, causing them to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran inadvertently. She has been living under surveillance in Canada while authorities decide whether she will be extradited to the United States.

Separately, Huawei last week fired an employee who was arrested in Poland and charged with spying for the Chinese government. The employee, Wang Weijing, had worked at the Chinese Consulate in Gdansk, Poland, before joining Huawei in its public relations and sales departments. The company fired him a day after his arrest was announced and said his actions were unrelated to the company.

Taken together, the cases underscore the U.S. intelligence communitys primary fears about China and its largest companies. Law enforcement officials have long said that Chinese companies and state-sponsored entities steal trade secrets to bolster Chinas economy and corporations and that companies close to Beijing will break laws to advance the governments political goals.

The charges in Seattle had hung over Huawei for much of last year, as various other crises were unfolding for the company. The charges were due to pass the statute of limitations last year, but the case was extended.

In plea negotiations last year, Huawei faced the prospect of pleading guilty to a criminal charge of theft of a trade secret and agreeing to some sort of compliance plan, according to one of the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

If the case is resolved with a plea agreement, Huawei will most likely plead guilty to a criminal charge of theft of a trade secret and have to agree to some sort of compliance plan, the person said.

Huawei is a banner for immense national pride in China. But the United States has long eyed the company with suspicion. Large American cellular carriers have shunned Huaweis gear for many years.

Pressure on the company has risen sharply over the past year. Authorities in Britain, the Czech Republic, Canada and elsewhere have taken a more critical look at Huawei as mobile carriers prepare to upgrade the technology in their networks. Australia has already barred the company from providing equipment to support its fifth-generation wireless networks.

Huawei executives have longed denied that the company acts on behalf of any government. But U.S. counterintelligence agents and federal prosecutors have for some time explored possible cases against the companys leadership.

The T-Mobile lawsuit was not the first time Huawei had been accused of stealing intellectual property. In 2003, the company admitted it had stolen portions of the software that runs computer networking equipment from Cisco Systems, one of the largest tech companies in Silicon Valley.

San Joses Cisco dropped a patent infringement lawsuit in exchange for a promise from Huawei to modify some of its products.

Katie Benner, Paul Mozur and Raymond Zhong are New York Times writers.Some San Franciscans could soon have one more box to check in the paperwork that piles up when theyre trying to sell their properties.

In the coming months, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission hopes to get the Board of Supervisors to introduce and pass an ordinance that would require property owners to notify prospective buyers when the building for sale lies in a flood-prone part of the city. The citys Building Inspection Commission unanimously greenlighted the ordinance on Wednesday, clearing the way for supervisors to take it up.

And, for the first time in city history, the areas most at-risk for flooding from excessive rainfall have been identified. Last year, the SFPUC completed a mapping project detailing roughly 2,000 parcels that are likely to experience serious flooding during a 100-year storm  one that brings enough rainfall to drench more than half a city block with at least six inches of water.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has mapped regions of the city likely to flood from coastal and creek flooding, but the city hasnt previously had a map showing places at-risk from rainfall.

If the proposed ordinance moves ahead, property owners would use the map to determine if their parcel is in a flood-prone area, triggering a disclosure to would-be buyers.

Exactly how the map might impact property values or flood insurance rates is unclear. But SFPUC officials see it as an important layer of transparency when property is changing hands. It also reflects the agencys broader efforts, including major infrastructure improvements, to make the city more resilient to the effects of climate change, which is expected to bring heavier rainstorms to San Francisco.

Statistically, there is supposed to be a 1 percent chance of a 100-year storm happening in any given year. But San Francisco has experienced two such storms since 2000. Predictably, the most flood-prone areas are those in low-lying areas and those that were built on top of bodies of water, like the Islais Creek.

In danger of flood? To see if your San Francisco home or business lies in a flood-prone area, insert your address in the SFPUC's interactive map at www.sfwater.org/floodmap See More Collapse

Sarah Minick, a utility planning division manager with the SFPUCs wastewater division, said that the agency takes seriously the prospect that the map could impact property values.

We understand it can be concerning to people. However, we feel that the public policy initiative of making people more flood-resilient is important and that, because we do have this information, to be able to provide it to the public, it seems absolutely a good-government move to do so.

Real estate professionals, who are expecting the ordinance to pass, say theyve already been brokering sales with disclosures based on the flood map.

Every buyer has to judge this for themselves  is (the flood risk) something I want to deal with or not? said Kevin Birmingham, president of Park North Real Estate. We havent seen an effect on value, but could this report change things? It could, but theres no guarantee one way or the other.

Through the SFPUCs RainReadySF initiative, the city works to inform the public about the hazards of flooding while providing incentives for preventative measures, like handing out free sandbags and grants to reimburse flood victims who want to upgrade their properties to prevent future damage.

Were hoping awareness will also lead to actions that can help folks, Minick told the Building Inspection Commission on Wednesday. It can be as simple as folks saying, Now that I know (about the flood risk), Im not going to store all of this valuable electronic equipment in my garage.

Last year, the SFPUC also sent letters to about 4,000 property owners informing them that their parcels were in flood-prone areas.

But Riz Gache didnt need a letter to inform him that he was in a flood zone. His home, like dozens of others near the border of Mission Terrace and Glen Park, has flooded multiple times in recent years  twice in one week in December 2014. The flooding ruined his basement and home office, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Gache successfully petitioned the city to pay for some of the damage. Dozens of others have sued. In a single case, one with more than 40 plaintiffs claiming the city should pay for the damage their property sustained from flooding, officials have authorized just over $1 million in settlements. Three plaintiffs are still waiting to settle their cases.

To Gache and others, the flood map and the rest of the SFPUCs efforts to make the city more resilient to big storms is a fig leaf for the much larger  and vastly more expensive  infrastructure improvements they believe will prevent future flooding.

Such improvements would likely cost several billion dollars. He and some of his neighbors started a website called Sandbags Not Solutions, to get the word out about their flooding problems and to call for the city to fix what they see as infrastructure deficiencies.

This is not a solution, Gache said of the flood map. Its a new thing where theyre saying, Hey, weve got climate problems, were going to have more rain. Its B.S. For us, its utility repair. Thats what you needed to do.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassaAs with many momentous occasions, a bunch of suits stood proudly in front of a giant red ribbon. On Nov. 17, 2017, the late mayor Ed Lee, smiling widely, introduced a gathered crowd to the first brand-new Muni train in more than 20 years, which would take off on the N-Judah line shortly thereafter.

The train  dubbed the LRV4 by the MTA and designed by the German company Siemens  promised a "roomier seating configuration, better signage, quieter cars and improved design that will reduce delays." Within a year, they wrote in a press release, 68 more would be service-ready.

It's now been a bit over a year, which means it's as good a time as ever for a status report. The MTA hasn't quite hit its target  as of Jan. 2019, there are 40 service-ready cars, a spokesperson says  but there are enough in circulation that it isn't a shock to find oneself on a Siemens-designed train.

The LRV4 trains are a daily part of our lives, which means  of course  people have opinions. And though the trains appear to be largely well-received, there's one complaint that pops up over and over: The people miss their butt dents.

You know the butt dents. These are the butt dents:

The dents, dubbed "seat indents" by the MTA, are a feature on the Breda-designed trains that debuted in 1996. The Breda cars, which compose the large majority of service-ready Muni Metro cars, allow differentiated seating and, according to some, prioritize comfort. On the Siemens-designed new trains, the dents are gone, giving way to a "flexible bench design."

On a December Reddit thread, a number of users shared their takes on the dents and other new train features.

"MUNI rant: It shouldn't be a disappointment when you see that your muni train is going to be one of the new ones, but it is," wrote the thread's original poster. "The new ones shouldn't be worse than the old ones in any way, yet they are worse in several."

The user went on to enumerate a list of concerns: an obnoxious chime on the new cars, less comfortable places to lean, and  perhaps most unforgivingly  an absence of the trademark seat dividers.

Others popped in with various complaints.

"The window sizes are smaller such that tall people can't see out as easily," wrote one user.

"The AC also feels much weaker," wrote another. "Always feels stuffy in there."

Some users, like proryder41, weighed in with a positive spin, arguing that while the complaints about the lack of butt indents and the obnoxious noise had merit, the overall benefits  efficiency, space, a lack of noise  represented a welcome improvement.

"Some valid complaints, but the main point is the trains are more efficient, break down less often and move faster," he wrote.

Conversations with real-life riders proceeded along similar lines. Most riders on new trains surveyed on a recent afternoon preferred the updated Siemens trains to the outdated Breda models.

"I love the new trains," Doug, a 25-year-long Muni commuter, told SFGATE. "I like the seating, the cleanliness. They're kind of cool."

Jessica, who was riding her first-ever new Muni train, concurred. "It's fine," she said. "I've never been on one when it's crowded, but it's fine so far."

One individual, however, strongly echoed the online discourse in his conversation with a reporter. His primary complaint? That's right  the butt dents.

"I really, really dislike the new trains," Matthew said. "They're completely uncomfortable, and really not designed for someone to sit down comfortably. They basically try to cattle you in."

Matthew thinks Siemens isn't designing the trains with commuters in mind. A Muni rider for 30 years, he's now considering a drastic response to the new arrangement.

"It's come to a point now where I'd probably have to bring a cushion if I had to ride on the train," Matthew said.

Some in the aforementioned Reddit thread wished Muni was receptive to this sort of feedback. These users are in luck, it turns out. According to Julie Kirschbaum, the MTA's director of transit, the agency is in active discussion with Siemens about making changes to future trains, including  potentially  bringing back the dents.

Kirschbaum reported a mix of feedback from riders on the new structure of the seats. Some riders, she said, report that the new design allows the option to bring a package with them on the train, or for a family with small kids to squeeze into a smaller space together. Others, however, have expressed a desire for the dents to return.

"I do anticipate that when we get into Phase 2  which is replacing 151 of the existing vehicles  we will make some seat modifications based on the feedback we're getting," Kirschbaum said. "It's one of the things we've posed to Siemens, and we should be hearing back on."

Kirschbaum explained that some changes affect the vehicle's structure, whereas others are cosmetic in nature and therefore easier to implement.

The butt dents are, of course, a concern of relatively minor importance. The MTA aims to provide affordable and efficient transport to San Francisco, and by all accounts, the Siemens trains are a step-up from the Breda trains.

"The trains are exceeding our expectations in terms of performance, capacity, modernization," Kirschbaum said. "Our goal is to look for opportunities to speed up the next phase because they're so much more reliable and customer-oriented than the Bredas. We want to get them here as quickly as we can."

All of that being said  please bring back the butt dents, MTA. SFGATE implores you.Each year, certain weeks on San Franciscos busy cultural calendar make it especially tough to get a hotel room: Pride festivities in June, Dreamforce in October. But last year, for the first time, the third week of January also had visitors scrambling for accommodations, city officials say. The reason: a pair of increasingly prominent art fairs.

Its become quite a full week, said Tom DeCaigny, San Franciscos director of cultural affairs. On overlapping dates, the two relatively new events  the Fog Design + Art fair and Untitled, Art  present local and international fine art and design in large-scale settings for as little as $25 for general admission.

Last year, hearing people freak out (about hotels), it made me see a critical mass happening, DeCaigny said. January has grown to be a very important arts month for us.

Likewise, Manuela Mozo, the executive director of Untitled, says the attendance and exhibitor interest was so great during last years fair  an estimated 11,000 visitors in the fairs four days  that the event hired a full-time strategic development director to oversee relations between the fair and the Bay Area arts community. It also had to move to a larger venue, Pier 35, this year from its prior location, the Palace of Fine Arts.

We were looking to move in 2020, but demand was such we had to make the move sooner, Mozo said.

The San Francisco social season used to resume after the holidays with the San Francisco Ballet gala near the end of January. But now, the addition of the unofficial San Francisco art week has shifted things back to the third week of January. The Fog and Untitled fairs, known as much for the parties and programming surrounding them as the art and design, appeal to serious art fans and collectors, as well as the flock of social butterflies who never miss a VIP occasion in San Francisco.

Fogs opening-night gala on Wednesday, Jan. 16, benefiting the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  a mandatory event for many in the citys social philanthropy scene  was sold out (tickets were $175 to $10,000). Untitled, Art, now in its third year in San Francisco, will have its opening-night gala Thursday at Pier 35 and a party Saturday night at gallery space in Minnesota Street Project in Dogpatch.

But beyond the splashy opening nights, a confluence of lectures, gallery events, luncheons and other happenings has helped the fairs build momentum for several years. Looking at the packed schedule and inboxes full of invitations, it already feels like the week is reaching a pinnacle in 2019 as both the Fog Design+Art fair and Untitled, Art make the city a destination for the international art world and its adjacent glitterati.

Even Stanlee Gatti, one of the founders of Fog and a longtime player in the citys art and philanthropy scenes, was a bit surprised. It always seemed like a possibility there would be international attention. We knew the evolution (of the fair) would take time, but its happened pretty quickly.

The Fog Design + Art fair has attracted some of the biggest names in the art and design worlds to Fort Mason since its founding in 2013 by event designer Gatti and steering committee members Douglas Durkin, Susan Swig, Roth Martin, Katie Schwab Paige and Allison Speer.

The fair has also become known for the highly inventive, social-media-friendly installations. Gatti will not be presenting one of his signature 21 Pop installations at Fogs entrance this year in order to accommodate more exhibitors.

Demand was just too great, Gatti said. Galleries now from around the world feel like they need to be at the fair to be a player in the (art market) game here.

As with other art weeks, fashion weeks, music festivals and lifestyle conferences, a supporting system of cocktail parties, show openings, public programming and private VIP experiences orbits the fairs like a scattering of satellites.

Designer Ken Fulk said that in many ways, the week is becoming our Art Basel, referring to the popular Miami Beach week of art fairs and events in December. Its not at that scale, which is a good thing, he adds. Art Basel is such a happening, but I think on a smaller, more serious level, Fog is making a name for the city.

In previous years, just a few events anchored the week, like publisher Nion McEvoy and gallerist Claudia Altman Siegels kickoff party and the Fraenkel Gallerys invitation-only bowling night (co-hosted with New Yorks David Zwirner Gallery this year), but now its an entire week that people come to San Francisco to experience, Fulk said.

Untitled sought out San Francisco as a fair location (its also presented in Miami Beach during Art Basel) because it seemed like it offered the best potential for development, Mozo said. Its a city deeply rooted in arts and culture, and theres great collector potential in the bay and West Coast in general, with its proximity to Asia,

Also key, said Mozo, is that the region wasnt already oversaturated with art fairs. Scheduling at almost the same time as Fog made sense, said Mozo: Theres only so many times (for collectors and vendors) to visit cities. To get the most momentum, youd want to align with other institutions, museums and other activities in the city.

The strategy appears to be working. Bellatrix Hubert, a senior partner at David Zwirner Gallery, which has presented at Fog since 2012, said that in its early days, the fair was a hidden gem. Now the secret is out, said Hubert. Every year the quality of the art has been getting better and better.

For gallerist Andrew McClintock, the week offered synergy too good to pass up when it came time to plan the opening of his 10th anniversary exhibition at his gallery, Ever Gold Projects in the Minnesota Street Project. The exhibition itself opened Saturday, before the start of art week. The gallery is also hosting a Shabbat dinner with Innovation Alley founder Adam Swig followed by a party with DJ Eug (Eugene Whang) at Chinatown bar EZ5 to close out the week.

The fairs are beneficial to the whole ecosystem, McClintock said.

Fog Design + Art: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 17-19; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20. $25. Fort Mason Festival Pavilion, 2 Marina Blvd., S.F. 415-745-3315. www.fogfair.com

Untitled Art, San Francisco: Noon-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18; noon-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 19-20. $25-$35; free for children age 12 and younger. Pier 35, 1454 The Embarcadero, S.F. 646-405-6942. www.untitledartfairs.com/san-francisco

Follow the art week on social media: Style and culture reporter Tony Bravo, art critic Charles Desmarais and society columnist Catherine Bigelow will be live reporting the latest from the fairs and social scene. Follow on Instagram at @tonybravosf @artguypix and @missbigelowThis is A Million Plates, The Chronicles regular column about immigrant food in the Bay Area, centered around the idea that there are a million different plates of food eaten every day in this region.

On a dreary day dotted with drizzle in her window-filled apartment in San Franciscos Sea Cliff neighborhood, Tracy Goh is preaching the gospel of Malaysian laksa. Goh not only makes a killer bowl of the spicy noodle soup, but she has served 1,030 bowls of laksa between November 2017 and October 2018 as part of her Laksa Project, a movement aimed to educate locals by feeding them.

Laksa is common in Southeast Asia, and typically includes noodles made from non-wheat starches like potato, tapioca or rice. But todays sermon/cooking session is on a dry asam laksa, and it feels a bit surreal, as Goh  an insatiably curious chef whos outspoken and cheeky who Ive gotten to know on Instagram  has suddenly come to life in front of me.

Online, her photos are evocative and artistic, highlighting Southeast Asian ingredients. On her Instagram, @eatwithtracy, you can watch a story on frequently asked laksa questions, a presentation that ends with visuals of how rempah (laksa paste) should look when its finished cooking (that moment when the oil separates and floats to the top of the sauce).

Essential Malaysian ingredients Many of these ingredients can be found at any Asian market, and several farmers' markets sell the fresh produce. Goh recommends Duc Loi in the Mission, and the Richmond and Civic Center farmers' markets, which sell a lot of Southeast Asian produce. Daun kesum: Also known as rau ram, Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese coriander, laksa leaf. Belacan: Pronounced "bela-chan," a fermented shrimp paste with a pungent aroma. It comes in two forms: a hard block and a roasted, granulated version. This recipe calls for the latter. (If you can't find roasted belacan, slice the block of belacan thinly, and wrap in a single layer of foil like an envelope, then toast in a dry pan until toasty and crumbly.) Petis udang: A fermented shrimp paste used commonly in Malaysia and Indonesia that has a molasses-like consistency. When Goh can't find this ingredient, she buys whatever culture's shrimp paste she can find - Chinese and Vietnamese are the most common locally - then adds a little molasses and soy sauce to achieve the right flavor and color. Galangal: A rhizome often called Thai ginger because it resembles ginger root, but its flavors are sharp citrus and slightly piney. Unlike ginger, galangal is too tough to be grated so it must be peeled and sliced. Tamarind concentrate: A concentrated paste of tamarind that can be found in Asian and Indian grocery stores. See More Collapse

The 36-year-old Goh is an adventurous chef, and Instagram has provided her a way to share her experiments, whether shes testing spiral curry puff dough or making otak-otak, a seasoned fish cake grilled in banana leaves. Shes outspoken, too  not afraid to call white people out on Columbusing, like when bunga telang, a blue flower used as a natural food dye in Malaysia, became trendy in unicorn drinks because it can change color to pink or purple. Shes willing to fight for people to use the correct terminology for her food (call her hand-laminated spiral curry puffs empanadas at your own peril). It bothers me why everything from a foreign culture has to be named something else to be understood, she says. Stop being lazy, and learn the name.

In the first five minutes of our cooking session, shes already flipped everything I know about laksa on its head. The most well-known version, she says, is laksa lemak, also known as curry laksa. Its made from coconut cream or milk, cooked with aromatics and served with chicken, shrimp, egg, tofu, vegetables and herbs. Its the version you can find everywhere from Australia to Oakland, and the same one that Goh grew up eating at a hawker center in the SS2 neighborhood of Petaling Jaya, just outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysias capital. But Gohs laksa today has tamarind instead of coconut milk, and is brothless.

And then she drops some history in her sermon: Historians believe laksa is the product of intermarriage between Chinese traders and women in port cities of Southeast Asia, mostly Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The new wives decided to mash up the food their husbands loved (like noodle soups) with the Southeast Asian flavors they loved, like coconut milk and lemongrass. Laksa was born.

The dish was a bridge between two cultures, and a super adaptable recipe at that. This is something Goh stresses as she makes her own laksa: Theres no one way to make it. Its a common hawker food, sold by street vendors, and everyone makes it differently. Malaysian cuisine, Goh says, was never codified the way French cuisine was. She thinks this happened because Malaysia was mostly an oral culture before Islam was introduced in the 14th century, which was when it adopted a modified form of Arabic script for the Malay written language. In other words, written records, let alone recipes, didnt exist for a large part of Malaysian history.

Today, the descendants of Chinese immigrants are known as Peranakans, and Malaysia features three primary regional categories of laksa: laksa lemak (coconut milk-based; popular in Malacca), asam laksa (from the state of Penang, with a sour tamarind broth) and laksa kelantan (from the East Peninsular, gray-white broth from coconut milk and ground fish).

But hybrids pop up all the time, and its hard for even Malaysians to keep up. Goh didnt know many of them until she moved to Australia for college and became interested in cooking. There, she researched; and then whenever she was home, she started tasting different laksas. In the city of Malacca, there was the laksa kahwin, which translates to marriage laksa; its a product of two Peranakan communities marrying (Penang and Malacca). It has a mix of creamy coconut from laksa lemak and sour notes of asam laksa, although the ratio of the two differs from cook to cook, she says.

Goh throws her asam laksa kering together in a pan. Kering means dry, so it has more of a chunky, clingy sauce coating the chewy tapioca noodles. Instead of coconut, it has the sour, pungent amalgam of tamarind, mackerel and spicy chile peppers. The garnishes serve as a contrast to the fishy flavor of the noodles: pineapple for sweetness, mint and cucumber for cooling, onion and lime for acidity.

A few bites is all it takes to convert me to the laksa gospel.

Goh, who immigrated to San Francisco in 2012, actually did get her start on Instagram. She studied marketing and worked in social media, but after posting photos of her food, followers started asking her to host pop-ups. She did her first in 2012 out of her one-bedroom apartment. She now cooks full time for private clients and at her pop-ups (where she often collaborates with other talented immigrant women chefs, like Siska Marcus and Vijitha Shyam; see events on www.eatwithtracy.com).

Her goal is to become the voice of Malaysian cuisine in the Bay Area.

By voice, I mean taking the time to educate the public rather than just running Malaysian food establishments for profit. I want to start a laksa fever here, she says. Shes looking to open a restaurant in San Francisco featuring regional Malaysian laksa, to be called Damansara. Its named after the suburb of Petaling Jaya where her family lived in for the first 12 years of her life.

She ends our meal with a dessert called pulut tekan, glutinous rice steamed in coconut milk and colored naturally with bunga telang (blue pea flower), then pressed into cakes and served with kaya, a coconut milk jam. Its decadent, starchy, creamy goodness, and fortifies me perfectly against the drizzle awaiting me outdoors, which, while needed, is still quite dreary.

Leena Trivedi-Grenier is a Bay Area freelance writer. Twitter: @Leena_Eats. Email: food@sfchronicle.com

Tracy Gohs Asam Laksa Kering

This laksa is a dry (brothless) version of sour asam laksa. See Essential Malaysian ingredients for details on roasting your own belacan if you cant find it, and how to make your own petis udang.

Serves 4

Rempah (laksa spice paste)

2 tablespoons petis udang (fermented shrimp molasses)

10 sprigs daun kesum (rau ram/Vietnamese coriander), destemmed

4 tablespoons chopped red hot peppers (such as a mix of cayenne and Thai chiles)

1 large shallot, chopped, about 1 cup

1 head of garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon fresh galangal, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons turmeric, fresh or powdered

1 teaspoon roasted granulated belacan (fermented shrimp paste)

4 tablespoons tamarind concentrate

3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass, white part only

1 teaspoons sugar

6 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, like vegetable oil

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Stir-fry

2 pounds thick fresh tapioca noodle (Vietnamese banh canh)

2 pounds mackerel, steamed, deboned and flaked with a fork

1 lime, juiced

Salt

Sugar

Garnish

Bunga kantan (edible torch ginger flower), optional

Cucumber, julienned

Pineapple, julienned

Red onion, julienned

Chopped chile pepper

Fresh mint

Shredded daun kesum

2 limes, quartered

To make the rempah: Process all of the rempah ingredients into a smooth paste. Saute in a wok or large pan for 5 minutes until fragrant.

To make the stir-fry: Stir the noodles into the rempah. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time to loosen the rempah to achieve a saucelike consistency. You dont want it to be too dry. Gently stir-fry the mixture without breaking the noodles too much, about 2 minutes, or until noodles achieve a springy texture and have absorbed most of the liquid. Stir in mackerel and lime juice. Toss briefly until evenly mixed. Taste and season again with salt and sugar until its to your liking. Turn off heat.

To serve: Serve with a small amount of each garnish and optional lime wedges on the side.Leaders of the 100 or more Womens Marches being held from the Bay Area to the nations capital Saturday share a common hope.

They hope their events are about more than opposing President Trump. They hope they can build momentum for positive change, even as their movement faces signs of division over competing goals.

This isnt about one person, its about a system. And he is just a symptom of that system, said Sophia Andary, co-chair of Womens March San Francisco. Sister marches are being held in Oakland, San Jose and more than two dozen California cities.

Trumps election inspired the first Womens Marches in 2017 that drew a total of more than 5 million people nationwide. Those events in turn inspired women to run for elective office and win in November in record numbers. The activists organizing Saturdays marches have seen nothing in Trumps policies on immigration, abortion rights and the environment to lessen their opposition to him.

But now that the marches are in their third year, organizers hope to look beyond Trump. They want the marches to give women a place to celebrate their political gains in November and to see how their disparate issues are connected.

Leah Millis / The Chronicle

Thats an especially important job for them as rifts emerge among Womens March organizers in several cities. Disagreements have led to competing marches in New York. In Washington, some march leaders accused others of making anti-Semitic remarks. The Democratic National Committee bowed out as a partner of the D.C. event, as did other previous sponsors.

Last month, the organizers of a march in Eureka said they were postponing the event because the group organizing it was overwhelmingly white. The event is back on, but a boycott is being planned against it.

To read more about how activists are trying to keep the movement together, click here.

Sign up for Political Punch Like what you're reading? Sign up for the Political Punch newsletter on our sign-up page. It's sent twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and provides an expert political perspective with a Golden State spin. See More Collapse

Deep dives and late takes

Picking apart PG&E: Pacific Gas and Electric Co.s impending bankruptcy is an opportunity for people in San Francisco who have long wanted a publicly run utility. Chronicle City Hall reporters note that city officials are taking the first steps toward possibly taking over some of PG&Es assets  an enormously ambitious effort that wont come cheap. One possible source of cash: the citys surprise $185 million property tax windfall.

Married with roommates: Theres no magic solution to Californias housing crunch, which is of no consolation to its victims, The Chronicles John Wildermuth reports. Gov. Gavin Newsom heard from some of them: the engaged couple living with four roommates, the woman who has to commute 2 hours from the Central Valley to San Jose. My kids are growing up with my parents, she told the new governor.

Police discipline: After years of trying to loosen one of the nations strictest laws shielding police misconduct records from public view, reform advocates finally persuaded the California Legislature last year to open some of them for officers involved in fatal shootings. The Chronicles Bob Egelko reports that the American Civil Liberties Union is using the law to seek disciplinary histories for police in several high-profile cases, including the killing of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer in 2009.

Back to work, without pay

JOSEPH PREZIOSO;Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty Images

Mired in a shutdown brought on by President Trumps insistence on $5.7 billion to fund his southern border wall, and congressional Democrats refusal to provide it, the administration is taking steps to keep the signs of government dysfunction from being glaringly obvious to the public.

The latest example: Some 46,000 Internal Revenue Service employees were called back to work Thursday  without pay  so they could process the crush of income-tax returns landing right now.

They arent happy about it  their union has sued the federal government, so far without success. Bright and early Thursday, employees filed into the IRS building in downtown Oakland and got to work.

This sucks, one IRS worker told The Chronicles Steve Rubenstein. Write that down. It sucks. He did, and then he filed this story.

2020 watch

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Presidential candidates arent the only ones laying plans for 2020. Backers of ballot initiatives are also hard at work.

Three initiatives are already eligible for next years November ballot. The latest is a measure that would repeal a new state law abolishing the requirement that criminal suspects post cash bail to be released from lockup  with several exceptions, including those facing capital charges or domestic violence crimes.

Bail for many arrestees would be replaced by a risk-assessment system in which judges would have a big say. As The Chronicles Bob Egelko reports, some opponents think it gives judges too much say. Others, including the bail-bond industry, warn that too many suspects will walk away and never come back.

Theres a good chance voters will also decide next year whether to roll back recent changes that have reclassified some felony crimes as misdemeanors. They could also get to decide whether to make changes to Proposition 13 that would increase property taxes for some businesses. Backers have gathered enough signatures to make both measures eligible for the ballot.

Seven other ballot measures are in circulation, including one that would tax sugary drinks statewide. But qualifying them wont be easy  as The Chronicles John Wildermuth reports, the big turnout in the November elections meant a huge jump in the number of signatures that backers must gather.

The Political Punch newsletter publishes Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays between noon and 3 p.m. It is produced by the staff of The San Francisco Chronicle and edited by politics editor Trapper Byrne. Email: tbyrne@sfchronicle.comWhen San Francisco received a multimillion-dollar windfall recently, several supervisors proposed using some of the money in an unexpected way: a $50 million down payment on PG&E electrical transmission equipment, so the city could reduce its reliance on the beleaguered utility.

Even after Pacific Gas and Electric Co.s bankruptcy announcement this week, Mayor London Breed and other city officials remain skeptical that is the best use of the cash. But some of those supervisors are sticking with their idea, even expanding it by looking at a part of the windfall that was supposed to be off-limits to discretionary spending.

The total windfall, which comes from excess property tax revenue in a county education fund, is $415 million. But the City Charter requires that more than half the money go toward baseline contributions, pools of money for budget reserves and city agencies such as the Municipal Transportation Agency. After those allocations, the mayor and the Board of Supervisors have $185 million to spend as they wish.

The supervisors originally were looking at the $185 million in general fund money as the source of the $50 million down payment.

But on Wednesday, Supervisor Aaron Peskin said he had asked Controller Ben Rosenfield to determine whether any portion of the baseline contributions could also be used toward moving the city away from PG&E and toward a public power system.

Its important, whether it comes from one part of the windfall or another, that everyone realizes that the city is very serious about this, said Peskin, a frequent critic of PG&E who spearheaded the supervisors original proposal.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen said the city needs to identify numerous sources of funding for a potential acquisition of PG&E assets, which experts say could run into billions of dollars.

Another potential funding source is Junes Proposition A, which authorizes the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, with approval from the Board of Supervisors, to sell bonds to pay for clean-energy infrastructure.

But both Peskin and Ronen said they would still like to use the windfall money to help offset the costs.

Its not that were not willing to be flexible around the amount and where it comes from, but I do believe that we need to start building up a funding source to be ready to act sooner rather than later, Ronen said Wednesday.

A PG&E spokeswoman had no comment on the idea.

So far, the mayor and the group of supervisors have proposed different visions of how to spend the windfall.

While Breed wants to use the money exclusively for homelessness and housing initiatives, five supervisors  Peskin, Ronen, Rafael Mandelman, Norman Yee, Sandra Lee Fewer  and former Supervisor Jane Kim proposed splitting the money among homeless initiatives, municipal energy independence and child care. There is also growing support for spending some of the money on public schools.

Although Breed asked the SFPUC to study the possibility of taking over some or all of PG&Es local operations and infrastructure, she is not willing to surrender any of the windfalls $185 million for that effort.

Right now the funding should be going toward homelessness, behavioral health and affordable housing, because that is a need we can address today, Jeff Cretan, the mayors spokesman, said.

Other supervisors say they are open to altering their $50 million proposal, or scrapping it all together if the city can come up with an alternative.

I am not certain $50 million is the right figure, and Im not even completely certain that this money must come out of (the windfall), Mandelman said. But I do think we need to move this power conversation forward, and the (windfall) is a place Im willing to do that.

Official discussions on how to spend the money will likely begin at the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee this month and continue for several weeks  if not months.

San Franciscos desire to create a fully independent municipal electricity program is nothing new. But the idea gained significant momentum this week after PG&E announced both its parent company and utility subsidiary would file for bankruptcy protection at the end of the month, following two seasons of devastating California wildfires for which it may be held accountable.

The city would have to buy PG&E equipment that includes underground transformers, distribution lines and other infrastructure in addition to utility poles, some of which may not be located within the city.

But $50 million wouldnt get the city very far in actually purchasing any of those assets, experts say.

Fifty million dollars is not even a down payment on the cost, said Michael Wara, director of Stanford Universitys climate and energy policy program. He has estimated the price tag would run well into billions of dollars.

Still, the city could use some money to study the potential move toward more energy independence  a complex analysis that would likely require bringing in outside help, Wara said.

Get a thorough assessment, one by somebody who actually knows what theyre doing, he said. I dont know how much money that costs, but its a lot less than $50 million, and its a lot more than the (SFPUC) probably has sloshing around in their rainy-day fund.

Financing the full purchase  should San Francisco decide to take that drastic step  could require another bond campaign, Wara said.

Taking over PG&Es electric system is an attractive option to energy independence advocates who want the city to reduce its reliance on an investor-owned utility, viewing a not-for-profit municipal power provider as more transparent and accountable to the people.

Doing so is a perfectly reasonable thing for San Francisco to be looking at, said Severin Borenstein, a UC Berkeley energy economist. He predicted the city wont be alone in exploring that option, which could be a problem.

Were going to have to do it in an organized fashion  not just San Francisco opting out of the system or some group of cities opting out, Borenstein said. I think were going to have to talk about whats the optimal way to organize the entire PG&E system.

Trisha Thadani and J.D. Morris are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com, jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani, @thejdmorrisIts nice to be called essential, said Internal Revenue Service employees recalled to work in Oakland on Thursday, but it would be even nicer to get paid.

Dozens of IRS workers arrived at the agencys headquarters on Clay Street, none too happy about being told theyd be paid with an IOU  a form of payment that the IRS does not accept from taxpayers.

Its not fair, said IRS customer service representative Susan Adelantar. I wish I knew when I was getting paid. Ive got some savings, so Im OK. For now.

The IRS workers, largely tax collection and enforcement agents and taxpayer information providers, have been furloughed since the partial federal shutdown began Dec. 22 over the impasse between President Trump and congressional Democrats on whether to fund a border wall. This week, 46,000 of them nationwide were declared essential workers and ordered to return to their jobs without a paycheck, so they can deal with the crush of income tax returns that will continue through April 15.

The callbacks are part of a Trump administration pattern of bringing in employees without pay in areas where their absence would be especially obvious to the public.

The IRS workers will be processing peoples tax refunds. National Park Service employees were recalled to keep Joshua Tree National Park open. The Agriculture Department brought back employees to process loans for farmers, and the Federal Aviation Administration recalled engineers and inspectors to help keep planes flying.

When the shutdown began, 420,000 federal employees were deemed essential and ordered to work without pay, and another 380,000 were sent home. Congress has passed legislation to give all of them their back pay when the shutdown ends. An unknown number of federal contractors also are furloughed, however, and they have received no such guarantee.

Many IRS workers are members of the National Treasury Employees Union, whose leaders said in a statement that their members were upset about reporting to work without pay.

Many (at the Oakland office) are traveling from afar (Sacramento, Manteca, Vallejo, South San Francisco) and are expected to be at work although they have little to no funds for gas and bridge toll, the union statement said.

The union has sued the federal government, claiming the administration is violating the law by ordering tax refunds to be processed during a shutdown. A federal judge rejected its request for a temporary injunction Tuesday.

Nancy Hernandez, who answers taxpayer phone calls in Oakland, said she was happy to be here and will be happier when I get paid for being here.

Who knows what kind of work has been piling up while weve been gone? she said.

She also said shes trying to find a part-time job so she can pay the bills until the shutdown ends.

Whether an IRS worker can seek outside funds to get by is not clear. Conflict-of-interest rules say workers cannot solicit funds, according to a federal union vice president who asked not to be identified.

He said he had told five union members to drop personal GoFundMe campaigns that they had established to raise money to see them through the shutdown.

Customer service representative Tamara Williams said it was exciting to come back to work after being furloughed.

I love my job and Im confident Ill get paid for it, eventually, she said. My mom is helping me out right now. Im worried about the car payments. If I miss one payment, theyre not going to take my car. Three payments, I dont know, they might.

Customer service agent Patrick Donovan said he was financially OK, for a bit.

What we do needs to be done, he said. I know well get paid, eventually.

But, Donovan said, he cannot spend an IOU at the store.

Other IRS employees, who said they preferred not to be identified, were less diplomatic.

This sucks, said one arriving IRS employee, as she prepared to pass through a metal detector at the employee entrance. Write that down. It sucks.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @SteveRubeSFIm Jennifer Bielstein, she/her/hers.

Thats how Bielstein, executive director at American Conservatory Theater, introduces herself to cast and crew at the first rehearsal of a new play.

Gender inclusivity is an important part of our overall commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, said Bielstein, who joined the company in the fall. ACT recently instituted a new policy that invites staff members to share their gender identity at meetings. When someone has identified that they want to be called they versus her or him, then everyone needs to honor that and respect that and work hard to remember how people identify.

Bay Area companies and organizations have begun to put more emphasis on supporting transgender and gender-nonconforming employees by creating policies or offering training that creates a culture of respect around gender identity. At work, its becoming more common for people of all identities to use their pronouns in email signatures, name tags and professional introductions as a way of showing support for co-workers who are transgender or have a nonbinary gender identity  meaning their identity falls outside traditional gender categories.

Supporters say some of these workplace initiatives have been galvanized by the Trump administrations rollback of national protections for transgender people.

Using appropriate terminology More on language usage: www.glaad.org/reference/transgender See More Collapse

With all of the federal attacks on the community, we know there has been a strong response from allies, said Clair Farley, executive director of San Franciscos year-old Office of Transgender Initiatives, which advises businesses on how to make workplaces more inclusive of people of all gender identities. I think people are mobilized and want to learn how they can do more.

President Trump has worked to phase out Obama-era protections for transgender schoolchildren and members of the military. In October, a leaked document showed that the administration was considering instituting a strict definition of gender identity based solely on ones designated sex at birth.

For those who are transgender or gender nonconforming, gender identity and expression often dont fall into the strict male or female category printed on their birth certificate. In the workplace, a transitioning transgender man may want to switch from using the pronouns she/her/hers to he/him/his and legally change his name. A person with a nonbinary gender identity, meaning they do not identify as either male or female, might want their co-workers to use the pronouns they/them/theirs when referencing them.

There are some people who want to be outward and direct, while some dont. They can start with the manager to express what their needs are, and we can set out a path, said Brianne Gagnon, director of people and culture at Bi-Rite Market, which has 350 employees at several grocery store and cafe locations in San Francisco. We wanted to make sure were really clear that were really supportive to staff who are transitioning or are nonconforming.

Gagnon is drafting a staff guide with a new section called Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Staff, using resources from the city as well as Oaklands Transgender Law Center. In the past year, one employee has changed the gender identity and name on work documents. The company recently added an optional field on its job applications for gender pronoun preference, and managers are encouraged to list their gender pronouns on email signatures, even if they seem obvious. It shows ally-ship, Gagnon said.

Staff members have similar philosophies around gender identity at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, which has an insurance program that covers transition surgery, for example, said spokesman Michael Altfest. The organizations equity and inclusion initiative is vital because the organization works in what it considers an area of human rights  in its case, access to food for all, he said.

Its not just what we are doing out in the world but also how we care for our staff, Altfest said.

Honey Mahogany, a former social worker and competitor on RuPauls Drag Race who is executive director of the Comptons Transgender Cultural District in the Tenderloin, agrees with that notion. Identified as a boy at birth, she has used the pronouns she/her/hers for about six years, though she considers herself gender variant and doesnt fully identify as a transgender woman.

We live in a gendered society thats very binary  we have specific boxes for men and women. When you fall outside of that binary and you dont fit in those boxes, it creates a degree of cognitive dissonance, Mahogany said.

Mahogany, who is about to switch to a new job as an aide to District Six Supervisor Matt Haney, said she doesnt necessarily correct people who use the wrong pronoun with her because she assumes they have the best intentions.

Its a complicated conversation for me around what pronouns Im using, and honestly it can be exhausting to have to correct someone every time they make a mistake, Mahogany said.

Mahogany said the developments around gender inclusion in the workplace could have a positive impact also on the womens movement and the push for equality and pay equity in the workplace, because it gives everyone a chance to re-examine any biases and expectations they may have about gender.

When were talking about gender-variant people and gender-nonconforming people who do not fit into this idea of what it means to be a man or a woman, then were acknowledging that theres this continuum that puts stereotypes and assumptions into question, she said. I think its part of a larger conversation around gender.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taradugganAn alarming, precipitous drop in the western monarch butterfly population in California this winter could spell doom for the species, a scenario that biologists say could also plunge bug-eating birds and other species into similar death spirals.

Only 28,429 of the striking orange-and-black butterflies were counted at 213 sites in California, an 86 percent drop from a year ago, according to the final tally of the annual Thanksgiving and New Years counts released Thursday by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Thats a 99.4 percent decline since the 1980s, an all-time low for the Pacific Coast, where an estimated 10 million monarchs once blanketed trees from Marin County to the Baja California peninsula, providing, by all accounts, a spectacular winter display of color.

Scientists knew things were bad for the western monarch, but then there was this other order of magnitude drop, said Emma Pelton, a conservation biologist for the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit whose mission is to protect invertebrates and their habitats. Its mind-boggling. Were now down below 1 percent of the historic population.

Russell Yip / The Chronicle

The death of monarchs does not bode well for other insects, like bees, or bird species that make their living eating insects.

Monarchs in trouble Western monarch butterflies spend the winter in more than 300 forested groves along the California coast, including large populations in Riverside and Los Angeles counties, Pacific Grove, Monterey and at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. They can normally be seen from November to March. With the number of butterflies declining rapidly, here are four things governments and the public can do to help: Protect and manage California overwintering sites. Restore breeding and migratory habitat in California, particularly habitat along the coast range, foothills and Sacramento Valley. Stop spraying pesticides and herbicides near milkweed, their primary habitat. Protect, manage, and restore summer breeding and fall migration habitat outside of California. See More Collapse

It is very apt to say this is a canary in a coal mine for a lot of our native pollinators, Pelton said. Theres a tight link in a loss of insects and our songbirds, which rely on insects. We have declines in songbirds, and I think that links directly to declines in insects.

The die-off has been blamed on a variety of things, including urban sprawl, the spraying of pesticides and herbicides on corn and soybean crops, and the plowing under of the monarchs milkweed habitat along their migratory route.

A University of Michigan experiment published in July found that higher carbon dioxide levels have reduced a natural toxin in milkweed that feeding monarch caterpillars utilize to fight off parasites. The study showed a 77 percent reduction in parasite tolerance in the butterflies hatched on milkweed grown under high concentrations of carbon dioxide, which comes from car and factory emissions and is what scientists say is the primary cause of climate change.

If nothing is done, Pelton said, the California butterflies, first observed by a Russian expedition looking for a passage across the Arctic Ocean in 1816, could be on an extinction vortex, a time when there are not enough butterflies left to recover.

Nobody knows how low the monarch population can go before its too late, but a 2017 study funded by The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and published in the journal Biological Conservation calculated that the point of no return would likely come when there are fewer than 30,000 butterflies.

If this prediction is true, we are now below the quasi-extinction threshold, Pelton said. This is a crisis.

There are two major migrations of monarch butterflies  the eastern and western populations  which scientists believe divide themselves at the Rocky Mountains when they head south for the winter from their summer homes in Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

The more abundant eastern monarchs, which spend their winters in Mexico instead of California, are famous because they cover whole sections of forest in a kaleidoscope of color. It is the largest insect migration in the world, but it too is in trouble. The eastern monarchs have declined more than 90 percent since 1996, when scientists estimated there were 1 billion nesting in the trees.

The journeys of both populations are remarkable in that it takes several generations of butterflies to make the six- to nine-month-long trek north after wintering in California and Mexico. When they head back, starting in February or March, the mothers will die after laying eggs on milkweed, where the caterpillars grow up. Once they are ready to fly, the young butterflies somehow know where to go, without ever having even seen their mothers.

The California population is declining at an average of 7 percent a year, according to the 2017 Fish and Wildlife study. At the time, there were about 300,000 monarchs in California. Thats slightly worse than the 6 percent drop seen in the eastern monarch population.

In all, monarch populations in North America have plunged more than 95 percent since the 1980s, researchers have said.

The Xerces Society is urging governments to begin identifying butterfly habitat and adopt monarch management plans that would protect nesting sites from logging or inappropriate trimming.

The group recommends that Californians begin growing milkweed and other native plants that produce nectar, especially flowers that bloom in early spring. People should stop using pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, and herbicides, Xerces officials said.

This is a really important butterfly to our shared understanding of the natural world, Pelton said. Everybody has a personal story about finding a caterpillar or having a butterfly land on their finger, even if you are in a city. So from a human side of it, they are huge connectors of people and places. Doing nothing is not an option.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimriteA popular shellfish farm that supplies upscale restaurants around the Bay Area will soon resume harvesting oysters in Tomales Bay weeks after dozens of people who ate them raw  many of them at New Years Eve parties  reported falling ill.

Hog Island Oyster Co., whose oysters and other shellfish are served at Zuni Cafe, State Bird Provisions and several other celebrated San Francisco establishments, issued a voluntary recall of its oysters this month, when reports started coming in that people had experienced symptoms of food poisoning.

As of Thursday, 43 people had reported becoming sick after eating the oysters, according to the California Department of Public Health. In four cases, the people tested positive for norovirus, a relatively common gastrointestinal illness that is occasionally found in raw oysters.

Testing of the oysters and the water in Tomales Bay came up negative for norovirus, but it may have washed away by the time investigators began sampling, said public health officials and Hog Island owners.

The company said Thursday evening that the state has finished testing and lifted its closure on Tomales Bay harvesting, though the bay remains closed because of rain. Terry Sawyer, co-founder of Hog Island, said he hopes to start harvesting again early next week.

Everythings come up negative on our side, but were trying to find the source and what we can do about it, Sawyer said. In the long run, we have to look at how we can improve after this.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Sawyer said the companys oyster bars in Napa, San Francisco and the Marin County community of Marshall remain open, serving shellfish from outside the region. None of the possibly contaminated oysters is still on the market, at Hog Islands establishments or any other restaurants.

The first reports of illness came to the company around the end of December, Sawyer said. Other customers reported their illness to local public health authorities. After multiple reports made it increasingly likely that the Hog Island oysters were contaminated, the company decided to recall the oysters on Jan. 2.

Reports of illness also came to an online food surveillance site called Iwaspoisoned.com. Several people said they had gotten sick after eating oysters at the Hog Island farm store in Marshall. Two reports came from the Hog Island oyster bar at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Five people said they got sick after eating oysters at a New Years Eve party at the Battery.

In its recall notice, Hog Island asked restaurants and other establishments to destroy or return oysters the company had supplied. Forty-one businesses were affected by the recall, most of them in San Francisco and the North Bay, according to the state Public Health Department.

Because the reports came only from California, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not involved in the investigation. The FDA steps in only when food safety concerns affect more than one state.

State public health officials said no one has been hospitalized because of illness from the Hog Island oysters. Norovirus can be serious for people who are immune-compromised, or are very young or very old, but it is usually not life-threatening for healthy adults. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and general malaise.

Experts in food safety said raw oysters are always a bit of a risky delicacy because they can be tainted by water-borne bacteria and viruses that can be killed only by cooking. One particularly noteworthy threat is the bacterium vibrio, which can be fatal.

Its a risk you take when you eat raw oysters, or any raw shellfish, said Phyllis Entis, who runs the Food Safety News blog. The usual source of contamination is the water where the oysters grow. If those waters become contaminated  through septic tank outflow, sewage outflow, people in boats who are dumping what shouldnt be dumped  thats where the virus may come from.

Storm runoff is a common cause of contaminated water, which is why harvesting stops when it rains. In some cases, shellfish farmers have blamed dairy farms, saying cow manure was spilling into the water and was spoiling their oyster beds.

More for you health Everything you need to know about the oyster capital of...

Sawyer said Hog Island has had to issue only one other recall in the 35 years its been in business. That was in 1998, and though investigators were never able to determine the source of contamination, the company pushed for improvements to the local sewage treatment systems as a result.

Local and state public health investigators have been testing samples at Hog Island since Jan. 4 or so, but so far havent found a source of the contamination. Its possible that, once again, they never will, Sawyer said, especially if the contamination came from a one-time spill, like a boater carelessly dumping human waste overboard.

You do everything you can to minimize your risk. But you cant eliminate 100 percent of risk, Sawyer said. I look at this as really unfortunate, but also an opportunity for us to not be complacent. You work as hard as you do to produce food, and to have it compromised, its never fun to have something like this happen.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinalldayIn a widely expected move, Gymboree Group Inc. filed for its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than two years, this time with plans to close all Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores nationwide and sell the rest of its assets.

The San Francisco childrens apparel seller said it had secured $30 million in new financing to keep operations afloat during the bankruptcy process, which is expected to last several months. It expects financing from Special Situations Investing Group, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs, which has also agreed to bid for Janie and Jack, the companys higher-end brand, Gymborees online business, and its intellectual property, Stephen Coulombe, the chief restructuring officer, said in court documents filed early Thursday.

The move would kill its namesake brand and Crazy 8 line, and set into motion the closure of approximately 800 of the companys 945 stores. About 10,100 employees are expected to be affected, court filings show.

Gymboree didnt specify how many Bay Area jobs would be cut, if the plan is approved. The company has an 80,000-square-foot headquarters at 71 Stevenson St. in San Francisco. Thats room for about 500 employees, based on standard occupancy rates.

More for you Biz & Tech Gymboree expected to file for 2nd bankruptcy in 2 years

Outside the headquarters Thursday, a few people left carrying boxes and luggage. One Gymboree employee, who declined to give her name, said the mood inside the company was very sad.

At the Gymboree store in Stonestown Galleria, Trinidad Madrigal, a retired lawyer living in San Francisco, was shopping for baby gifts for her dental hygienist.

Im just shocked, but I was wondering what was going on with the big sale, Madrigal said, referring to the 50 percent storewide sale at that location. She used to shop at Gymboree for her son, whos now 28, and for gifts for others over the years.

Its just sad when something thats almost an institution closes, she said.

Gymboree was founded in 1976 by Joan Barnes as Kindergym, which offered play classes for children, and began its retail operation in 1986. Bain Capital bought it in 2010 for $1.8 billion.

Gymboree filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2017 and emerged that fall by cutting $900 million in debt, most of which stemmed from the Bain Capital leveraged buyout. It was one of the few retailers, including footwear company Payless Inc., that emerged from bankruptcy that year. At the time, Gymboree closed 375 of its 1,280 stores, 11 of which were in the Bay Area.

The considerable debt reduction and store closures werent enough.

They didnt take enough of a drastic step to shut down unprofitable stores, and when they emerged from that filing, they still had a pretty big brick-and-mortar operation, said Lei Lei Wang Ekvall, a bankruptcy attorney in Costa Mesa (Orange County) who is not involved in Gymborees case.

Gymboree cited a competitive retail environment made more challenging by shifts to e-commerce, competition from discount stores and childrens clothing sellers that sold cheaper products as reasons for its troubles.

But experts say the companys reluctance to fully embrace and invest in an online presence and its primarily mall-based brick-and-mortar strategy led the company to this point.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Gymboree simply couldnt make money based on the retail concept they were after, said Kirthi Kalyanam, director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University. Other retailers like Gap (and) Childrens Place are much more mass-market oriented than Gymboree ever was, and are doing well.

Gymborees sales were down 27 percent to $573 million during the nine-month period that ended Nov. 3, compared with the same time frame in 2016, court documents show.

The company said its online presence was underdeveloped  relative to its peers. This, Kalyanam said, was a reflection of the companys strategy rather than the childrens apparel category.

Sticking to a mall-based brick-and-mortar concept, which has been wrecked with declining foot traffic, and not offering the experiential component at many of its stores, plus not investing in online operations, are reasons were seeing many of these long-established retailers head for bankruptcy, he said.

Gymboree Inc., the companys Canadian affiliate, is also seeking bankruptcy protection, it said. Gymboree Play & Music, which split from the company in 2016 and provides provides classes for parents and children, is unaffected by its former owners bankruptcy filing.

Chronicle staff writers Sophia Kunthara and Roland Li contributed to this report.

Shwanika Narayan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: shwanika.narayan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @shwanikaOn Jan. 3, Oakland officials celebrated a reduction in crime  the sixth straight year of declines in homicides and injury shootings combined. A day later, there was a triple homicide in West Oakland.

And, as police officers combed the grisly scene for evidence and witnesses, two more people were shot in West Oakland. Their wounds werent fatal.

Sure, homicides have steadily dropped, but its clear there are still too many guns and too many shootings in Oakland.

On Jan. 10, Oakland and federal law enforcement officials announced the confiscation of more than four dozen firearms. Some of the seized guns have been linked to shootings and homicides in Oakland, according to Anne Kirkpatrick, chief of the Oakland Police Department.

But where do the guns used in Oakland crimes come from?

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has been pushing the city to focus on gun tracing. Instead of untangling why Joe shot John, Brady argues that law enforcement should put a greater emphasis on investigating how Joe got the gun to shoot John.

There arent any licensed firearm stores in the Oakland, but guns moving from the legal market to the streets is at the heart of the violence plaguing communities where children grow up hearing the sounds of gunshots more than they do the chimes of an ice cream truck.

According to Brady, 90 percent of crime guns are sold by 5 percent of licensed firearm dealers.

Lets pour our energy into this small percentage of dealers who are making profits off of the harm thats being created in communities, said Erica Rice, a program manager for the Brady Campaign.

Thats why Brady has partnered with the UCLA Policy Lab to offer Oakland a free trace analysis of the guns police collect, similar to the work the lab has done for the Chicago Police Department.

But Oakland hasnt accepted the offer. According to Brady, a draft agreement was submitted to the city attorneys office in December 2017.

This project is a priority for the city, Alex Katz, a spokesman for the city attorneys office, told me in an email. Our office and OPD are working to complete it expeditiously.

The Oakland City Council recognizes the seriousness of the citys illegal gun problem. In May, as part of the 2018 mid-cycle budget requests, Oakland Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan requested money for a police crime analyst to exclusively focus on gun tracing. Her request was approved.

If you shut down the illegal gun dealers and you shut down the sources of illegal guns, there wont be gun crime, Kaplan said. I dont get how youre taking violent crime seriously if youre not going after the guns. We really need a systematic way to be going after the guns, and shutting down the illegal gun dealers.

Johnna Watson, a public information officer with the Oakland Police Department, didnt respond when I inquired about the status of the crime analyst position.

By allowing a good trace analysis, you can target your resources, said Rice, a former program analyst with Oakland Unite, the violence intervention unit within the citys human services department. We are not trying to promote gun abstinence. Were really just trying to promote owner responsibility.

Heres one reason why the focus on gun tracing needs to be intensified. The guns seized last week were linked to fatal shootings in Oakland using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, a specialized computer network that stores digital images of recovered pieces of ballistic evidence which allows law enforcement to determine if a firearm was used in a previous crime.

But Steve Lindley, a former police officer and Sacramento bureau chief of the California Department of Justice, told me that using the ballistic information network is time-consuming and expensive.

He said gun tracing for local agencies is cheaper, because state law requires that all agencies input recovered guns into the states automated firearm system. If a gun is marked as a crime gun, that automatically kicks off a trace report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The report identifies trends and patterns in the flow of illegal firearms, among other things.

The data then need to be analyzed.

You want to know where that gun came from, said Lindley, now a Brady program manager based in Los Angeles.

Is there a manufacturer, wholesaler or dealer acting criminally? Was the gun stolen?

Or do we have a bad individual thats purchasing these guns legally, but then putting them out on the streets by selling them illegally to people? Lindley said. You want to know, because if theyre doing it once, theyre probably doing it multiple times.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjrThe Chariot shuttle drivers who stand to lose their jobs next month may soon be qualified to steer Muni buses along the bustling streets of San Francisco, providing scores of new workers for an agency that desperately needs them.

Mayor London Breed announced a new training program on Wednesday to accelerate the transition. Called CityDrive, it offers free classes for out-of-work Chariot operators and San Francisco residents. The three-week program aims to prepare students for the Class B commercial drivers test, the license required to drive a bus.

Hopefully, well get great results sooner rather than later, and you feel the difference in your commute times to school and work throughout San Francisco, Breed told a throng of reporters at Munis Islais Creek facility, where about 100 Chariot employees had gathered for an information session with city officials.

Representatives from the Teamsters union and several private shuttle companies were also on hand. Many of these businesses are struggling to recruit drivers, and some are angling for graduates of the CityDrive program that recently launched on Treasure Island, with a class of 15 people.

Among the workshop attendees was Debra Ambrose, a Potrero Hill resident who spent 2 years driving for Chariot to supplement her income as an insurance agent. Ambrose spoke rapturously about sitting behind the wheel of a boxy commuter van  tooling down city roads while talking politics with customers. She seemed ambivalent about switching to a city bus.

I cant really say yet, because I dont know what Muni is offering, she said. I want to consider all my options.

At $22.70 an hour, Munis starting wages barely beat the earnings of Chariot drivers, who average $21 an hour. Thats still low for a city where families of four can earn up to $117,000 a year and still qualify for low-income housing.

And driving for Muni presents other challenges, said Roger Marenco, president of the Transit Workers Union.

Transit operators are not just transit operators, he said. They become teachers on the bus. They become police officers on the bus. They become nurses on the bus. They become guidance counselors on the bus.

Marenco hastened to add that, while his union welcomes any future brothers and sisters, experience in a passenger van  plus three weeks of bus boot camp  wont necessarily equip a person to drive for Muni.

The example I use is that if McDonalds closes down 100 of its stores in San Francisco, youre not going to make its security guards police officers. They have to go through the proper process.

But others were confident that the new pool of laid-off Chariot workers could fill a significant gap in San Franciscos bus system, which has 1,894 full-time drivers available on a given day, according to a report released last month by the citys budget and legislative analyst. Thats 411 fewer than the 2,305 drivers needed to deliver adequate service.

Ed Reiskin, director of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, was optimistic.

These folks, more than your average person on the street, are well positioned for a job as a Muni operator, he said.

Reiskin views his agencys workforce shortage in macroeconomic terms. In a city with escalating rents and a high cost of living, many industries suffer, he said. People who would normally be candidates for working-class jobs have moved far away, where housing is cheaper, and bus driver wages arent high enough to justify a long commute.

Were having trouble recruiting all over the place  its hard to hire nurses, its hard to hire maintenance mechanics, Reiskin said. But thats why this is great. We have a ready-made batch of folks whove chosen to be in the city already.

Justin Sexton, an Oakland resident who has worked for Chariot for three years, said hes eager to enter the CityDrive pipeline. If he doesnt wind up at Muni, hell have ample opportunity to work in the private sector.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswanAs City College of San Francisco struggles to recoup lost enrollment  even letting students take courses for free  more than 400 students trying to register for classes this month have phoned the school in frustration: The online system was offline.

Now, as technicians try to fix the system, City College has extended the registration deadline to Feb. 4 from Jan. 12. College officials also invited students to register in person and, above all, urged them to show up for class this week even if they arent registered.

In an internal message to employees on Jan. 8, Chancellor Mark Rocha apologized for the inconvenience and stress caused by the colleges transition from an old student information system to a new one. The system controls the online registration for the spring semester that began Monday.

We take full responsibility for fixing this problem, and we are on it, he wrote, explaining that City College changed to the new system in the middle of the academic year only because the old (system) would not be supported after Dec. 31.

Shortly after midnight, on Jan. 8, the colleges chief technology officer, Daman Grewal, sent out this message to students: Students, Banner 9 Student Portal is unavailable. CCSF IT is working to resolve this issue at the earliest.

In its Jan. 10 email to students, the college apologized for the problems and said the system is operational again. It also listed six city locations where students could sign up in person.

On Sunday, the day before classes began, the college announced the registration extension and assured students that the system is now functioning properly. But just in case, a phone number was provided for students needing technical help: 415-239-3285.

On Monday, the problems were back, not only for students, but also for faculty websites.

College technicians continue to monitor and take corrective action, spokeswoman Connie Chan said.

Registration for the spring semester began on Nov. 26, before the problems started, and Chan said officials werent sure how many students had been affected by the technical woes. Last spring, about 45,000 students registered for classes.

Community colleges largely depend on enrollment for state funding. City College lost 30,000 full- and part-time students between 2012 and 2017, as an accrediting commission threatened to revoke its accreditation due to poor management practices. It took five years, four chancellors, two lawsuits, a state takeover and enormous effort by the college before the commission reaffirmed its accreditation two years ago.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimovNews for the Future

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We hope you find The Sentinels coverage of the Monadnock Region valuable. We rely on our subscribers to bring you strong local journalism and hope you will consider supporting our work by taking advantage of this special subscription offer here.The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on January 15, 2019 charges against nine defendants for participating in a previously disclosed scheme to hack into the SEC's EDGAR system and extract nonpublic information to use for illegal trading. The SEC charged a Ukrainian hacker, six individual traders in California, Ukraine, and Russia, and two entities. The hacker and some of the traders were also involved in a similar scheme to hack into newswire services and trade on information that had not yet been released to the public. The SEC charged the hacker and other traders for that conduct in 2015 (see Press Release No. 2015-163 (August 11, 2015); Litigation Release Nos. 23471 (February 18, 2016) and 24193 (July 10, 2018).

The SEC's complaint alleges that after hacking the newswire services, Ukrainian hacker Oleksandr Ieremenko turned his attention to EDGAR and, using deceptive hacking techniques, gained access in 2016. Ieremenko extracted EDGAR files containing nonpublic earnings results. The information was passed to individuals who used it to trade in the narrow window between when the files were extracted from SEC systems and when the companies released the information to the public. In total, the traders traded before at least 157 earnings releases from May to October 2016 and generated at least $4.1 million in illegal profits.

The SEC's complaint alleges that Ieremenko circumvented EDGAR controls that require user authentication and then navigated within the EDGAR system. Ieremenko obtained nonpublic "test files," which issuers can elect to submit in advance of making their official filings to help make sure EDGAR will process the filings as intended. Issuers sometimes elected to include nonpublic information in test filings, such as actual quarterly earnings results not yet released to the public. Ieremenko extracted nonpublic test files from SEC servers, and then passed the information to different groups of traders.

The SEC's complaint alleges that the following traders received and traded on the basis of the hacked EDGAR information:

Sungjin Cho, Los Angeles, California

David Kwon, Los Angeles, California

Igor Sabodakha, Ukraine

Victoria Vorochek, Ukraine

Ivan Olefir, Ukraine

Capyield Systems, Ltd. (owned by Olefir)

Spirit Trade Ltd.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced related criminal charges.

The SEC's complaint charges each of the defendants with violating the federal securities antifraud laws and related SEC antifraud rules and seeks a final judgment ordering the defendants to pay penalties, return their ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and enjoining them from committing future violations of the antifraud laws. The SEC also named and is seeking relief from four relief defendants who profited from the scheme when defendants used the relief defendants' brokerage accounts to place illicit trades.

The SEC's investigation, which is ongoing, was conducted by Market Abuse Unit and Cyber Unit staff David Bennett, Arsen Ablaev, Michael Baker, Jason Burt, Laura D'Allaird, Adam Gottlieb, James Scoggins, David Snyder, Jonathan Warner, Darren Boerner, and John Rymas, and IT Forensics staff Ken Zavos, Douglas Bond, Stephen Haupt, Gi Nguyen, and Jennifer Ross. The Division of Economic and Risk Analysis and the Office of Information Technology provided substantial assistance. The investigation was supervised by Robert Cohen, Joseph Sansone, and Carolyn Welshhans. Cheryl Crumpton and Stephan Schlegelmilch are leading the SEC's litigation. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Secret Service.Bill Gates, the billionaire burger lover who has been known to grab a bite at Burgermaster in Bellevue, changed course over the weekend and was captured standing in line at a Dick's Drive-In in Seattle.

With his hands in his pockets and a thousand-yard "I need a Deluxe and fries" stare on his face, Gates was photographed standing in the bright neon glow of the famed fast-food franchise.

The image was shared on Facebook by Mike Galos, a onetime Microsoftie who wrote in the comments on the image that he saw it on a Microsoft alumni board. Galos said Gates was at the Dick's location on Northeast 45th Street in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood on Sunday night.

Gates mingling with the Northwest everyman is not a new phenomenon, despite his immense wealth and celebrity status. But seeing him at Dick's is a bit of a surprise, because Burgermaster has long been a favorite of his. Microsoft's first Seattle-area office, in Bellevue, was near a Burgermaster, and Gates and team would frequent that establishment.

RELATED: 15 things we learned from the Dick's employee AMA

Gates and his wife Melinda have also been spotted in the past at the now-shuttered Harvard Exit movie theater in Capitol Hill, among other locations.

In 2011, during an appearance at the University of Washington, Gates told students that being a billionaire can be overrated. And he brought up burgers.

"I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there's a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that," Gates said. "But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. Dick's has not raised their prices enough."Even as a polar vortex threatened to hit the midwest and East Coast, Seattle experienced its warmest first-half of January on record.

The National Weather Service tweeted the average temperature for the first 16 days of the month was 51.8 degrees. That's warmer than any first-half of January on record, including Federal Building records that go back to the 1890s.

Typically, January sees an average temperature of about 42 degrees -- that's the average mean temperature for the entire month of January using data from 1981-2010. In 2018, January's average temperature was 45 degrees, which was slightly warmer than the aforementioned average, but not nearly as warm on average as what Seattle has experienced so far this year.

"The month's not over yet, though, so it could change by the time the month ends," Kirby Cook, meteorologist for NWS in Seattle, said by phone.

RELATED: Here's how climate change is transforming Washington's weather

Though NWS does predict highs to range from upper 40s to low 50s through the weekend.

"I think the trend for January staying above normal (temperatures) will hold for the next week or so," Cook said.

So far, the warmest day this month was Jan. 11, when highs reached 61 degrees at Sea-Tac International Airport. The coldest night was Jan. 15, with lows dipping to 31 degrees. The first two days of the month were also near freezing, with lows at 33 and 32 degrees, respectively.

Though temperatures are outliers, another aspect of January weather will feel familiar to Washingtonians this weekened. Rain moved in over Washington Wednesday night and is expected to stick around through the weekend, according to the NWS forecast.

RELATED: Here's what Seattle does when the weather turns cold

Wet weather will also bring snow to the Cascades. Up to a foot is possible above 3,500 feet. Traction tires were advised on Stevens Pass Thursday morning and there were no restrictions over Snoqualmie Pass, though requirements could change as weather changes. Visit the Washington State Department of Transportation's website for current conditions.

A wind advisory was also set to take effect at 4 p.m. Thursday through 4 a.m. Friday for areas of the coast and northern interior. Gusts could reach up to 45 mph in those areas.

Producer Natalie Guevara can be contacted at natalie.guevara@seattlepi.com.Seattle police believe a 29-year-old mother took her own children from their foster parents and whisked them out of the state, according to a criminal charge filed last week.

Sarah Ann Thill was charged Friday with first-degree custodial interference after allegedly picking up her children, ages 2 and 5, from daycare during an approved visitation period Jan. 4 and never returning them to their Seattle foster parents.

Seattle police say Thill changed her phone number to a South Carolina area code and her phone's signal was detected in Bennett, Colorado, as recently as Jan. 10. Authorities believe she may be headed to states where she's lived before: Texas, Georgia or Oklahoma.

RELATED: Charge: Man carjacks woman's vehicle with her son inside in Seattle

Thill lost custody of her young children after her 7-month-old daughter suffered a "suspicious death" about March 2018, according to Seattle police reports.

Child Protective Services allowed Thill to have weekly unsupervised 4-hour visits with her children starting in November 2018.

Thill picked the children up from We Are the World Daycare at 2800 S. Massachusetts St. in the Mount Baker neighborhood of South Seattle for an 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. visit, according to the incident report.

One of the children's foster parents arrived at the daycare about 3 p.m., but the children weren't there. Daycare staff attempted to call Thill, but an automated voice message indicated the phone number was disconnected, court records said.

Kent police checked whether the children were at the Kent Extended Stay America hotel where Thill had been staying. She was last seen there the day the children went missing and staff indicated she had requested extra linens for her hotel room the night before to prepare for her children visiting, according to police reports.

RELATED: Charge: Babysitter abused infant on camera in Kent

Thill had also allegedly picked up the children two days earlier without permission and told their foster parents that she had mixed up her visitation days.

A Seattle City Attorney advocate reported that Thill called her Jan. 7 with a Washington state area code, claiming she would not return her children because she suspected they were abused by their foster parents.

Investigators then learned that Thill had reportedly changed her phone number again Jan. 8 to the South Carolina area code number, court records indicated.

A King County Superior Court Judge issued a warrant for her arrest on $250,000 bail Friday.

The state Department of Children, Youth and Families were unable to release any details of the infant's death as of Wednesday. The King County Medical Examiner did not indicate the baby's cause of death.

SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.A 48-year-old man is accused of showing nude images to a 10-year-old boy at a public restroom after police arrested him at the Lake City Fred Meyer.

King County prosecutors say the defendant, Craig E. Talmadge, "camped out in a stall for over 20 minutes" and showed pornographic pictures on his Samsung Galaxy S6 to the boy in a neighboring stall on Jan. 8.

Prosecutors wrote in court documents that Talmadge was already required to register as a sex offender.

RELATED: Sea-Tac airport employee caught snapping bathroom photos of boy, reports say

The alleged victim reportedly ran from the bathroom to tell his mom. Two Seattle police officers, on a call to identify a shoplifter, were flagged down near the bathrooms to investigate the incident, according to a Seattle Police report.

Talmadge was found in the bathroom by himself, in the middle stall, police said. One officer stood by Talmadge while the other gathered details from the boy and his mom.

The boy told one officer that he was using the handicap access stall when someone in the middle stall displayed nude images on a cell phone underneath the partition. The boy said he saw multiple nude images of adult men and women, even one he said that looked like Talmadge.

Talmadge told police he hadn't talked to anyone in the bathroom, and that he hadn't put his phone on the ground. He also told police that he was only in the bathroom for 10 minutes.

RELATED: Reports: TSA agent caught taking upskirt shots at Sea-Tac airport

Police said after reviewing the surveillance footage that Talmadge entered the store at 2:48 p.m. and went directly to the restroom, which he corroborated. However, officers arrived at the Fred Meyer at 3:27 p.m. - about 40 minutes after he entered the store - and escorted Talmadge out of the bathroom four minutes later.

Talmadge was booked into King County Correctional Facility at 6:27 p.m., Jan. 8, 2019. He was charged by prosecutors Jan. 11 with communication with a minor for immoral purposes and his bail is set at $200,000.The three people found dead in a Sammamish home Tuesday evening in an apparent murder-suicide are a longtime realtor on the verge of retirement, a prolific local historian and their adult son.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office only released the identity of 34-year-old Matthew Ficken and claim he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

But the Issaquah Coldwell Banker Bain office identified the 68-year-old woman killed as Lorraine Ficken, who practiced real estate since 1992.

The King County Sheriff's Office said the third victim was the 72-year-old father and husband. Lorraine Ficken's husband is Robert Ficken, a historian of Washington Territory and early Washington state with several books to his name.

RELATED: SPD seeks tips on 2018 West Seattle slaying

The sheriff's office says concerned family members from Oregon and Washington called authorities requesting a welfare check on the Fickens, claiming they had not been heard from for several days.

Deputies arrived at the home in the 23900 block of 42nd Place South and found all three family members dead of gunshot wounds. Detectives are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide.

The motive for the slayings remain under investigation.

RELATED: Mother kidnapped her own children and took them out of Wash., charge says

Coldwell Banker Bain issued a statement Wednesday mourning Lorraine Ficken's death.

"We're still in shock and our hearts and thoughts go out to Lorraine's family and real estate team during this horrible time," said principal managing broker Marilyn Green. "Lorraine was one of the nicest people we've ever known  so kind and warm-hearted. ... We have been hearing from so many clients who are in tears over this tragedy. It is a huge loss for so many and Lorraine will be greatly missed."

She had planned to retire soon and move to a recently purchased house in Oregon to be close to family, the statement said.

SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.COLUMBIA, S.C.  It was days before a frustrated Allison Carraway learned who was investigating the fatal shooting of her husband, Florence police Sgt. Terrance Carraway, the widow told a state Senate panel Tuesday.

And it took nearly two months for three Richland County Sheriffs Department investigators to brief her on their investigation into the Oct. 3 shooting of seven law enforcement officers in Florence, including her husband, Carraway said.

She told senators she felt abandoned, left searching for answers about who shot her husband, how the investigation was progressing and what she should do next. I felt as if we were pushed to the side because of confusion or complications with the investigation.

Carraway traveled to Columbia to support a state Senate bill that she hopes will provide more clarity for others who find themselves in her shoes. The bill, filed by state Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, would give exclusive authority to the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate shootings of police or instances in which police shoot another.

If that system had been in place last October, Carraway said, she would have known where to go with her questions.An English language learner teacher has been assigned to J.C. Lynch Elementary because of the subgroup. Another English language learner teacher is serving the other schools in the district.

And were just targeting them and giving them some specific intervention, Hickson said. And another thing that the new principal there  she has an after-school program going to work with the subgroups that are not meeting standard. So she has that going as well.

Hickson said District Three is constantly analyzing data and making instructional decisions based on data but it is all about continuous improvement.

The principal at J.C. Lynch Elementary, Angela Tanner, is also doing the preplanning of a Montessori program that will start at the school in August, Hickson said.

And were going to start with grades 3K, 4K and 5K because we all know if we can give students a strong foundation, then theyre going to be better prepared as they move into the upper grades, she said.

Each TSI school will receive federal school improvement funds and technical assistance and support through professional development from relevant department of education offices, according to information provided by the South Carolina Department of Education.TIMMONSVILLE, S.C.  It was an exciting day for Honda of South Carolina on Wednesday as the plant celebrated the start of mass production of the new Talon sport side-by-side.Separate skeletons suggested to be from different early hominin species are, in fact, from the same species, a team of anthropologists has concluded in a comprehensive analysis of remains first discovered a decade ago.

The research appears in a special issue of the journal PaleoAnthropology and is part of a series of articles that offers the most comprehensive accounting to date of Australopithecus sediba (A. sediba), a hominin species discovered in South Africa in 2008.

The fossil site of Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa yielded two partial skeletons: a juvenile male individual -- Malapa Hominin 1 (MH1) -- and an adult female (MH2); each is more complete than the famous "Lucy" specimen from Ethiopia. The discovery of Malapa was made by Lee Berger, a professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, who, with colleagues, dated the site to just under two million years old. They named a new hominin species, Australopithecus sediba, based on MH1 and MH2.

Over the past decade, researchers have been piecing together these skeletons; the culmination of their work appears in PaleoAnthropology, co-edited by New York University anthropologist Scott Williams and Dartmouth College anthropologist Jeremy DeSilva. The issue's nine papers, which analyze 135 fossils, outline A. sediba's skull, vertebral column, thorax, pelvis, upper limb, hand, and lower limb as well as its body proportions and walking mechanics.

The papers' consensus is that A. sediba is a unique species distinct from both A. africanus, with which it shares a close geographic proximity, and from early members of the genus Homo (e.g., H. habilis) in both East and South Africa, but that it shares features with both groups, suggesting a close evolutionary relationship.

"Our interpretations in the papers suggest that A. sediba was adapted to terrestrial bipedalism, but also spent significant time climbing in trees, perhaps for foraging and protection from predators," says Williams, whose research in the issue centered on the axial skeleton (vertebrae, ribs, and sternum). "This larger picture sheds light on the lifeways of A. sediba and also on a major transition in hominin evolution, that of the largely ape-like species included broadly in the genus Australopithecus to the earliest members of our own genus, Homo."

A few years ago, a separate research group posited that the hominin fossils at Malapa belonged to two different species -- in part due to differences in their lumbar vertebrae. However, an analysis by Williams and his colleagues, including two Ph.D. candidates in anthropology at NYU, Jennifer Eyre and Thomas Prang, indicates that both are from A. sediba and that distinctions are due to age.

"The differences in these vertebrae can simply be attributed to their developmental age differences: the juvenile individual's vertebrae have not yet completed growth, whereas the adult's vertebra growth is complete," he explains. "As it happens, the two Homo erectus skeletons we have are juveniles, so MH1 looks more similar to them because it too is a juvenile."

Journal: http://www.paleoanthro.org/journal/volumes/2018/The onset of the most recent ice age about 2.6 million years ago changed where the western Gulf of Mexico gets its supply of sediments. The finding adds new insight into how extreme climate change can directly impact fundamental geological processes and how those impacts play out across different environments.

The research found that the same climatic changes that grew glaciers across the northern hemisphere reduced sediment production in southern Mexico while ramping up sediment production along the catchment of the Mississippi River.

The study was previously made available online on October 8, 2018 ahead of final publication in print on Nov.1, 2018, in the journal Geology. Angela Hessler, the director of the Deep Time Institute, led the research. It was co-authored by Jacob Covault, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology; Daniel Stockli, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences; and Andrea Fildani, a scientist at the Equinor Research Center Austin.

The Bureau of Economic Geology is a research unit of the Jackson School.

The Gulf of Mexico has been catching sediments transported by rivers for about 200 million years. The layers of sediments that accumulate on the seafloor record information about the origin of the sediments and the erosive processes that lifted them from the rock. In this study, the scientists examined sediments deposited during the 20-million-year transition from the Miocene to the Pleistocene, when the Earth's climate transitioned from a relatively warm period to an ice age.

"It's an important transition climate-wise," said Hessler. "Climate cycles changed, and it's possible that changed the erodibility and the transport mechanism across North America to be able to shed all this material out toward Mexico."

Based on the composition of the sediments, the researchers were able to determine that the primary supply of sediments during the middle-to-late Miocene came from rivers in southern Mexico. This came as a surprise because of the rivers' relatively small catchment -- an area in the tropical highlands of Mexico about 300-by-500-square kilometers, or about the size of Illinois. However, the sediments revealed that what the area lacked in size it made up for with highly erodible conditions, including a wet climate and tectonic activity such as uplifting mountains and volcanoes.

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But that environment changed with the global cooling of the Pleistocene. The highlands became dry and arid. And while tectonic activity still continued, the lack of precipitation meant that the fresh bedrock and volcanic debris largely stayed in place. In what is now the United States, large ice sheets started to form and erode rock as they flowed across the continent.

The study found that this extreme climate shift is reflected by a change in sediments. By the mid-Pleistocene, almost all the sediments in the Gulf of Mexico came from the north via the Mississippi River, which collected sediments from waterways across the continent.

The study was able to unpack so much about the age, origin and environment of the sediments because of thorough research methods that examined the mud created by the sediments along with the grains, said Stockli.

"One of the really cool things about this paper is that there haven't been that many studies that actually combine the two records," he said. "People traditionally don't do that much with the muck, but that clay tells us so much about the weathering, and what those conditions are."

The methods used by the scientists included, microscope observations of sand grains, geochemical analyses of trace elements in sediment muds using mass spectrometry, and zircon U-Pb isotope analyses. The sediments themselves came from five core samples that were retrieved from across the Gulf of Mexico by the Deep Sea Drilling Project, the precursor to the International Ocean Discovery Program, about 50 years ago.

Studying how the Earth's climate impacts sediment transport helps researchers understand the connection between climate change and other geological processes. This connection could be an important point to consider when predicting the future impacts of climate change on the rest of the natural world.

"All this information about provenance, and how things interacted at one time or another, or climate -- it's all contained in this stratigraphic archive," said Covault. "It just takes a couple people to interrogate the heck out of it and put together a really interesting story that has implications beyond the Gulf of Mexico, for other places that might be subjected to climate change."

The research was funded by the Jackson School of Geosciences and the Equinor Research Center Austin.AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, FileIn this 2017 photo, an airstrip, structures and buildings can be seen on Chinas man-made Subi Reef in the South China Sea. A Chinese naval officer says China may further fortify man-made islands in the South China Sea depending on threats faced by the outposts.Local

Vt. legislators to hear bill on right to abortion

rlayman / Robert Layman / Staff Photo The Planned Parenthood Clinic in Rutland is seen Wednesday.

Following the appointments of two conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, Vermont legislators have proposed a bill to protect womens rights should Roe v. Wade be overturned.

Sen. Philip Baruth, D-Chittenden, brought draft bill S.25 to the table Wednesday, proposing the right for Vermonts residents to have an abortion.

We have nothing prohibiting abortion in Vermont, said Lucy Leriche, vice president for Vermont Public Policy for Planned Parenthood in Northern New England. All of our rights come down to the constitutional right to abortion in the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.

The bill says that the decision, which recognizes the right to have an abortion under the 14th Amendment to the constitution, will likely be invalidated according to some constitutional scholars.

I think most legal experts, most people believe that there is a very high probability that Roe will be challenged and affected, Leriche said from the State House on Wednesday.

Before there was a sense that abortion would remain the law of the land, said Chloe White, policy director at the ACLU of Vermont. Now with the new makeup of the Supreme Court, that may not be the case anymore. Theres a renewed fervor to enshrine the law within our constitution.

The bill proposes that the right of an individual to terminate a pregnancy should not be restricted; a health care provider who performs or assists with a legal abortion wont be subject to liability or penalty; and any law that tries to prevent or restrict someone from asserting her right to have an abortion will be void.

Im sure Senator Baruths bill is only one of a few that will pop up this year, White said. Here in Vermont, were very protective of abortion, but theres not a lot on the books. I think the House and the Senate are going to come together and take initiative on abortion. ... Most certainly there will be huge support for any bill protecting abortion this year.

Leriche said there are currently 13 cases on abortion and 25 cases on reproductive health that are one step away from the Supreme Court, which means the court will hear and talk about the rights on a fairly regular basis.

Not all attention is positive attention, Leriche said.

Each of the 13 abortion-related cases could result, if they made it to the Supreme Court, in eroding, overturning or dismantling of reproductive rights, Leriche said. It would be all up in the air again. States will have the right to restrict abortion rights.

None of the cases are from Vermont, Leriche said, and for abortion to be illegal in Vermont, there would have to be a law specifically saying so.

A lot of the cases currently circulating in the lower courts, Leriche said, concern what are called trap laws, or arbitrary regulations that health clinics offering abortion services are required to abide by, such as hallway width or other building regulations.

Theyre absurd things that dont have to do with quality of care, Leriche said. But (it provides) an opportunity to take it to the Supreme Court.

Which means Roe v. Wade could go one of three ways: It could remain as it is, be overturned completely or remain in name and be gutted by a thousand cuts, Leriche said.

Planned Parenthood wouldnt be affected financially by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, since the organization doesnt receive federal funding, but it would affect who is able to access abortion health care in their home states, especially if they have limited resources or transportation, Leriche said.

We do get Medicaid and funding for low-income people and the disabled, Leriche said. There could be an impact on our organization (there).

But that doesnt mean there isnt a constant need for more access, White said.

There are certainly private funds from the state funds that help fund legal abortion, White said. I dont think their phones ever stop ringing.

White said if the right to a safe and legal abortion is overturned, Vermont and other states that ensure the right can expect to see people traveling from other states to seek help.

Its really important that, in Vermont, we codify abortion rights in an affirmative way, Leriche said. That we put into our state constitution as a matter of civil right, that women have the right to make decisions about their health care. Youre taking decision making power away from someone about their own life, their health.

katelyn.barcellos

@rutlandherald.comChandigarh, January 17: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has lambasted Union Minister and former Punjab State BJP President Vijay Sampla for trying to scuttle the dreams of the Sikh community by unnecessarily complicating the process of travel and darshan at the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara.

Instead of finding ways of facilitating the Sikh pilgrims, the central government, especially responsible elected representatives such as Sampla were constantly putting hurdles in the way of the realisation of their dream to visit the historic Gurdwara, which they had seen being fulfilled with the decision to open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, said Captain Amarinder.

The statement of Vijay Sampla rejecting the possibility of Passport waiver and making visa mandatory for the poor and illiterate pilgrims crossing the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor had once again shown that neither the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) nor its ally SAD were interested in facilitating the devotees by making travel hassle-free, said the Chief Minister.

Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara

Samplas claim that all Punjabis had Passports was highly irresponsible and wrong, and showed how misinformed and disconnected from the masses the Minister was, he added. Lambasting Sampla for rejecting his proposal out of hand, without even studying the possibility for Passport and Visa waiver for the pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, the Chief Minister said while the BJP was, on the one hand, trying to take credit for the opening of the Corridor, it was, at the same time, doing its best to put hurdles in the way of its smooth operationalisation.

The BJP-SADs efforts to stymy the efforts of the Punjab government were evident in the Centres various acts relating to the Corridor Project, including the recent statement of Vijay Sampla on behalf of the BJP-led Union Government, which was now coming out with various excuses and impediments to hassle-free travel by Sikh pilgrims, said the Chief Minister.

While even Passport waiver was not an impossibility, the visa requirement could definitely be done away with for devotees crossing the Corridor by allowing travel to Kartarpur Sahib on a Travel Permit, which was meant only for limited movement to the Gurdwara Sahib for paying obeisance, Captain Amarinder pointed out.

BJP President Vijay Sampla

A Travel Permit could suffice to regulate entry and exit through the Corridor, with any official document, like the Aadhar card (which has biometric details of the citizens), as identification proof for those seeking to travel through the Corridor, he added. The Chief Minister said Samplas statement was reflective of the BJPs anti-minority attitude and the Modi governments continued attempts to sideline the countrys minorities to further its politically motivated agenda.

While hostilities with Pakistan could not be ignored, as he himself had been consistently maintaining even after the decision to open the Corridor, the Centre needed to ensure that the historic Corridor does not end up as a defunct idea, which would cause untold disappointment to the Sikh community based in India as also all over the world, said Captain Amarinder. This required some special efforts on the part of the union government to find ways of realising the Kartarpur Sahib dream of the Sikhs by making it travel friendly, he added.New Delhi, Jan 17: The high-powered Selection Committee is likely to meet on January 24 to appoint the new CBI Director, sources said here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads the committee, in which the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are the other members. The sources said the government had proposed the meeting on January 21 earlier while Kharge wanted the meeting on January 24 or 25.

Alok Kumar Verma

After mutual consultations, the government has finalised January 24 as the date for the meeting to select the new CBI Director, a post which is lying vacant ever since the government removed Alok Verma and appointed him as Director General Fire Service. IPS officer M Nageswara Rao was named the interim director of the CBI. The Congress has been attacking the prime minister for not appointing a regular CBI Director. Kharge had also written to the prime minister demanding early holding of the meeting of the high powered committee to appoint a regular CBI Director.He wanted to blow a hole in the presidential building with an AT4 before killing those inside with semi-automatic rifles, according to the FBI. Mr Taheb told a confidential FBI source in October that he planned to travel abroad to territory controlled by the Islamic State group. He also confessed he wanted to carry out an attack in the US against the White House and the Statue of Liberty. Mr Taheb explained that jihad was an obligation, that he wanted to do as much damage as possible.

He had a plan for attack. He asked the undercover agent to obtain the weapons and explosives needed to carry out the attack. Mr Taheb met with the FBI source and undercover agent on Wednesday in a parking lot in Buford, Georgia, to exchange their cars for semi-automatic assault rifles, three explosive devices with remote detonators and an anti-tank rocket. At that point, the agents arrested Mr Taheb. He was charged by a court in Atlanta. All threats have been neutralised, the United States attorney for the district of Georgia confirmed.A REPORTER who broadcast a child sexual exploitation victim's name on a live radio news bulletin has told a court he is deeply sorry for the error.

Rickin Majithia, who worked for BBC Asian Network, said he had been horrified to learn ten minutes after the bulletin that the name he had given was the womans real name when he had thought a pseudonym was being used for her in court.

Sheffield Magistrates Court heard today that the CSE victim had gone into full meltdown and felt sick and worried after she heard the live report naming her.

Victims of sexual offences are entitled to lifelong anonymity under law.

Arif Ansari (43), head of news at BBC Asian Network, is on trial accused of publishing the name of a sex crime victim under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.

The bulletin was broadcast on the BBC Asian Network last February.

Prosecutor Mr Neil Usher told the court it was the first time Mr Majithia had filed a report from a court.

Giving evidence, Mr Majithia said he had found out about the error when he received a call from youth worker Jayne Senior, who told him he had used the victims real name.

Mr Majithia said: I was horrified, I am horrified and I am deeply sorry to the victim and her family.

Its something I will regret until the day I die.

Mr Majithia emailed the victim after her name was broadcast, apologising for the mistake.

In it, he said: I am deeply sorry for using your name on air.

I wrongly thought that in court you were using a pseudonym.

I know I should have checked this before broadcast.

The CSE victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in a statement read to the court earlier: I heard the presenter use my full name.

I went into full meltdown, panicking and worrying, and I didn't hear anything else that was said.

It instantly made me feel sick and worried about what would happen in the future.

Ansari, of BBC Portland Place, London, denies the offence.

The trial continues.

A CHILD sexual exploitation victim went into "full meltdown" and felt "sick and worried" when she heard her name being broadcast on a live news bulletin, a court has heard.

Arif Ansari (43), head of news at BBC Asian Network, is on trial at Sheffield Magistrates' Court today (Thursday) accused of publishing the name of a sex crime victim under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.

The reporter who had written and delivered the live news bulletin was Rickin Majithia, prosecutor Mr Neil Usher told the court.

It was the first time Mr Majithia had filed a report from a crown court.

Victims of sexual offences have lifelong anonymity under the act.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in a statement read to the court this morning (Thursday): "I heard the presenter use my full name.

"I went into full meltdown, panicking and worrying, and I didn't hear anything else that was said.

"It instantly made me feel sick and worried about what would happen in the future."

The bulletin was broadcast on the BBC Asian Network last February

Ansari, of BBC Portland Place, London, denies the offence.

The trial continues.Weather Alert

...CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR ATLANTA FOR Thursday June 17... The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division has issued a Code Orange (Unhealthy for sensitive groups) Air Quality Alert for Atlanta for Thursday June 17. Under Code Orange conditions, the outdoor air quality is likely to be unhealthy for some people. Children, people who are sensitive to ozone, and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening when ozone concentrations are highest. For additional information on the Air Quality Index, please visit http://airnow.gov.Populism: belief in the power of regular people to control their government rather than a small group of political insiders or wealthy elite.

Our president has betrayed populism by favoring the One Percent and by disenfranchising regular people. He has betrayed our democracy by allowing the One Percent to use their wealth to control our politics.

Populism in the late 1800s had its roots in the Peoples Party in 1890 and the Populist Party in 1891. Farmers and laborers argued that large money interests (our modern day One Percent) dominated our politics.

Trump and his mentor Steve Bannon argue that Americans owe our 1950s progress and ascendancy to huge investments made by white male entrepreneurs. All social programs should be ended; lower income families are losers who drag us down. Trump and Bannon supported white supremacists and the alt-right during the Charlottesville riots.

Trump would replace our democracy with his dictatorship. His hero is Vladimir Putin.Donna Gray can now remove interim from her title as she cruised to victory in Tuesdays special election to become Pulaski Countys new commissioner of the revenue.

Gray won nearly 66 percent of the votes  659-338  en route to her win over independent Kim Matthews. Voter turnout was much lower than in the 2015 General Election during which nearly 6,000 ballots were cast, likely due to the unconventional timing of the election.

The election was held following the Aug. 28 death of former Commissioner Trina Rupe. Special elections are usually held in instances where an elected position becomes open and there is a year or more left in the term. The current term ends in December, so Gray will be up for election again in November.

Last week she said that if she lost she was unsure if shed run again. Now there is no question as to what Grays plans are.

Im definitely running in November, she said.

Gray, 53, took over as the interim commissioner following Rupes death. Shes worked in the office as a deputy commissioner since 2008. Like her predecessor, she is a lifelong resident of Pulaski and ran as a Democrat.Rathner said that Blue Ridge Knives told him it would generate $3 million in new revenue over the next few years if the law were enacted. It could also create an undetermined number of new jobs.

Virginia needs to come around and pass this bill and enact it so the commonwealth can get these jobs and revenue, Rathner said. Why send jobs and revenue to another state?

Twenty-one states have repealed or weakened their knife laws since 2010, many of them with bipartisan support.

The bill passed out of the Senate on Thursday 25-15, with four Democrats voting along with the Republicans in favor of the legislation.

No senators spoke in opposition to the bill.

Reeves SB 1251 has a narrower focus than previous switchblade legislation. Reeves carried a Senate bill in 2017 that would have legalized the carrying of a concealed switchblade knife, carried for use in a lawful profession or recreational activity.

Then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed the legislation, saying then that legalizing the concealed carry of switchblade knives would needlessly endanger the lives of Virginians.It is at this moment in time we truly have an opportunity to make a paradigm shift and live up to the true creed of our nation and ensure equal justice for all, said Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, who is supporting a House version of the resolution.

In order to accomplish this goal, she said, we must have a real dialogue  that I call Truth and Reconciliation  about the history and existence of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and other -isms that create injustices in this country.

Northam, who presented his version of the resolution at Wednesdays news conference, said it should also be a moment to remember Virginians who championed civil rights, such as school desegregation activist Barbara Johns and the nations first elected African-American governor, Douglas Wilder.

There are good things to tell about Virginia and some things we need to learn from, Northam said.

McDonnell, governor in 2010-14, said his former secretary of the commonwealth, Janet Vestal Kelly, proposed the idea for the group to him last year.The annual Star Tank entrepreneurship event is back for its fifth year, but what began as a small meeting for startups to pitch business ideas has ballooned into a two-day summit.

The goal of this years event, which runs Wednesday to Thursday in Roanoke, is to bring together all the different groups working to grow the regions technology industry into one, organized coalition.

Entrepreneurs will still have a chance to sell their big ideas to investors on Thursday, but this years summit also features keynote speakers, an invitation-only conversation with local technology leaders, casual fireside chats and a youth-focused technology workshop.

Tom Osha, who travels the country advising communities on developing innovation districts, kicked things off Wednesday with a realistic look at the regions technology industry.

While some statistics show promise, like the amount of federal innovation grants flowing into the region, others, like the amount of venture capital here, show Roanoke and Blacksburg lagging behind its peers.

Research institutes and skilled technology graduates are assets that can anchor the technology ecosystem. The key, Osha said, is to find ways to capitalize on those opportunities for this region.We are disappointed that a governing body cannot protect ourselves and the public from those individuals with guns that may want to do us harm. We were asking for enabling legislation, which was not to mandate anything but give individual localities the opportunity to decide what they would do, Lea said. Thats why it is important to vote. I just do not understand why they will not let us protect ourselves.He said its possible for commuters to never have to pay a toll, because drivers without an annual pass will be able to travel 100 miles within 24 hours on the interstate without having to incur a toll . Drivers can have a free pass through one gantry each way on every day of the year.

Its easy for this to be characterized as a toll bill, but its not, Obenshain said.

Obenshain said he believes the scheme will provide less incentive for people to avoid tolls by driving instead on U.S. 11, which parallels I-81. However, he said there will be video monitoring systems to identify and penalize vehicles that exit and re-enter I-81 in order to avoid tolls.

A Virginia Department of Transportation study on I-81 identified $2 billion in upgrades. It recommended tolls as well as increasing sales and use taxes and motor fuels taxes as options to pay for improvements. Obenshain authored the legislation that set that VDOT study in motion.

The tolling system would bring in an estimated $150 million a year, which would fund projects like widening highway sections and lengthening access ramps.The county and authority plan to utilize up to 400,00 gallons of daily capacity from the town's 2 million-gallon-per day system to serve the rest of the park's customers.

Its a huge expansion of what we could do and the number of businesses that we can serve, Burnette said.

The extension is anticipated to cost the county $555,311. Franklin County would pay 75 percent of the cost, and the water authority the other 25 percent.

The final project will extend water service from the business park down Brick Church Road and along Grassy Hill Road to the Uttermost facility. The county, the company and the authority will each cover a third of the cost, which comes out to $600,000 apiece.

The project will provide fire protection to Uttermost, but also make public water available to residents in an area not currently served.

Burnette said the extension would run by 60 homes and two subdivisions, affecting a total of approximately 150 homes.

He noted that the area could be the site of future residential development, perhaps providing housing for business park employees, and water service might make the area more attractive to a developer.The interaction sparked an idea in the talented students mind.

I thought, well it would be cool if more people knew how to do this, and solve it quickly, Halsdorf said.

Her request to launch a Rubiks Cube club this school year was satisfied by the school. Rubiks teams arent as common in middle and high schools as they were 25 years ago, but theyre not extinct.

Still, James Madison teachers thought, at most, eight students would join. As of the spring semester  it has more than 80 members.

The students are committed to flexing their skills and increasing speeds. Once a week, about an hour before the school day begins, the students spin different types of cubes  as large as 7-by-7-by-7  and a pyramid inspired by the Rubiks.

They meet in the library, where Seal and other teachers lead lessons on how best to crack the code by detecting algorithms.

Its an enigma when they first see it, Seal said. But theyre curious, and when they see another kid solve it, they think, well maybe I can do that. They realize a cube of any combination can be solved.Cletus Bohon has said that the protesters did not ask his permission before they took to the trees, and that he had no advance notice that a demonstration was in the works. But as someone who opposed Mountain Valleys taking of his land, Bohon has not ordered them to leave, either.

Mountain Valley did not name the Bohons as defendants in its motion for a preliminary injunction.

The motion asks Dillon to order the tree-sitters down, and to subject them to fines and forced removal by U.S. Marshals if they refuse her command.

It also asks that the injunction apply to anyone who acts as the agents, servants, employees, and attorneys of the tree-sitters and to all other persons who are in active concert or participation with them.

That would be a clear violation of the constitutional rights of people like Belinsky, who has consulted with representatives of the tree-sitters, and Breslau, who is part of a team of supporters on the ground, Fishwick argued.

The right to hire and consult with an attorney, as well as the right to associate with others, is protected by the First Amendment, the friend-of-the-court brief stated.Rescue team continue searching for tourist who fell 120 meters into ravine

Tepoztlan, State of Morelos  State civil protection officials along with specialized mountaineers continue their search for a German tourist who has reportedly fell into a ravine.

The report was made Tuesday morning after a German man was said to have fallen into a ravine located in the Paso del Viento in Tepozteco. State civil protection of the state of Morelos say that the man has been identified as 37-year-old Jonas N who allegedly fell approximately 120 meters off a mountain face and into a ravine.

In a statement, the agency explained that staff of civil protection have been searching for the man since Tuesday, adding that their search has been supported by a state Commission of Public Safety helicopter and drone.

Rescue and medical emergency squadron officials along with the Red Cross and Civil Protection of the municipality continue to scour the area on foot. Mountaineering experts are also participating in the search due to the geographic conditions.

State officials say they do not know why the man was near the ravine since it is a restricted area.In a press release on Tuesday, state Sens. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Augusta, and Mamie E. Locke, D-Hampton, announced SJ274, which would end political gerrymandering by taking redistricting out of the hands of politicians and creating Virginias first Citizens Redistricting Commission.

The commissions membership will be chosen during a series of meetings made up of leaders from both houses of the General Assembly. The 10-member commission will be responsible for redrawing the boundaries of Virginias 140 General Assembly districts and 11 congressional districts after the 2020 Census.

Provisions in SJ274 require that the redrawn district lines not favor any party or candidate, not abridge minority voters choices, and respect municipal boundaries. The proposal also requires all meetings, minutes, and data from committee meetings be open to the public.

The Times-Dispatch joins the nearly 80 percent of Virginia voters who support the establishment of an independent redistricting commission. In the press release, Locke notes that This amendment truly reflects what Virginia voters overwhelmingly support, and puts citizens first, not partisan political interests. . .The Citizens Redistricting Commission would respect existing communities, including minority communities, and it would end gerrymandering in Virginia once and for all.GOOCH, Major Robert Saunders IV, 34, born in Richmond, Virginia, passed away during surgery after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. Major Gooch is survived by his fiancee, Kathryn Dizon; mother, Sherry and lonel Nae; father, Robert Gooch III (Diane); and grandfather, retired U.S. Army Private, Arther Groux. Robert is also survived by his beloved children, Mia Gooch (13), Abby Gooch (10) and Robert Gooch V (4); and Leslie Ortega, mother of the children. In addition, he leaves behind his sisters, Stacy Pawluk and Stephanie Felts; brothers, Brandon Gooch and Jacob Gooch; his faithful four-legged friend, Leg; and eight adoring nieces and nephews. Robert was a devoted father who was passionate about making memories with his family, spending time together swimming, skating and biking. Robert, Kathryn and the children loved family movie nights at home! He was an avid fitness and nutrition enthusiast who enjoyed snowboarding, mountain biking and riding motorcycles. As a civilian, he was a skilled electronics technician and held numerous certifications while working in his family's business. In addition, he was frequently found using his skill set helping at his mother's business. Robert was a resilient person who overcame every personal and professional obstacle. He believed in choosing to be happy, which was reflected in the way he carried himself. Robert was the shining light in every room. He was a great listener and had the gift of making people feel comfortable and cared for. Robert was widely known as a friend to all. His infectious smile and goofy laugh brought happiness to everyone he encountered. He was a man who would do it all and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Major Gooch was an active duty soldier currently serving in the United States Army Medical Service Corps at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 17th birthday. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, in 2006, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. Among the numerous accolades he earned during his distinguished career were the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars and the Parachutist Badge. Major Gooch's overseas deployments included three rotations and one tour, all to Afghanistan. Major Gooch would have medically retired on January 11. Family and friends are invited to visit on Thursday, January 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday, January 25, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Bennett Funeral Home, 11020 W. Broad St., Glen Allen, Va. 23060. Funeral on Saturday, January 26, at 11 a.m. at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 11220 Nuckols Rd., Glen Allen, Va. 23059. A military memorial will be held later at Ft. Belvoir. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Gooch Children Education Fund at any Wells Fargo bank. Robert will be deeply missed and never forgotten by all who knew him!A bill to create new job protections for the local officials who run elections is advancing in the General Assembly with the support of Virginia registrars who say their livelihoods can be threatened for political or personal reasons.

House Bill 2034, patroned by Del. John McGuire, R-Henrico, would require local electoral boards to remove registrars through the court system. Currently, two of three electoral board members can decide to oust a registrar with a majority vote, a system some registrars say jeopardizes the independence of elections officials who are supposed to remain above the political fray.

Because registrars can be removed at will, they dont have access to government legal resources if their jobs are on the line. If fired registrars want to challenge their terminations in court, they have to use their own money to hire a lawyer.

Its not fair that just.... I dont like the way you wear your jacket and youre gone, McGuire said. This is America.State senators passed a bill Thursday to bar the death penalty for the seriously mentally ill.

The same bill was tabled last year to be studied by the Virginia State Crime Commission. But the commission didnt address it, and the legislation sponsored by Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, now heads to the House of Delegates after passing the Senate 23-17.

Favola and supporters said Senate Bill 1137 would close a gap in state law to protect someone with severe mental illness from capital punishment.

This is providing a vehicle for us to administer justice in a way thats humane and, I would say, in a way that reflects the values of Virginians, Favola said in the Senate.

Republicans who opposed the bill said jurors already hear evidence of substantial mental illness and make decisions on whether someone convicted of a capital offense meets the criteria for the death penalty. Favolas bill is a step toward ending the death penalty in Virginia, they said.Beneficiaries of a program that shields the children of undocumented immigrants from deportation are one step closer to receiving in-state tuition in Virginia.

The Senate Committee on Education and Health on Thursday narrowly approved Senate Bill 1640 from Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, under which recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and other people who have applied for permanent residency in the U.S. would pay in-state tuition rates at state schools. The bill is now headed to the Senate Finance Committee.

The Republican-led Education and Health Committee had defeated the bill in the past.

To actually be getting traction and get it out of committee is enormous, Boysko told a group of supporters outside the committee room after the 8-7 vote.

Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, was the deciding vote and the only Republican to vote in favor of the bill.

Before voting, the education committee heard from about a dozen supporters of the bill, including some Dreamers, a common nickname for DACA recipients. No one spoke in opposition to the bill.

This lets a lot of people not miss out on an opportunity, said Ernestine Locsin, a DACA recipient.It is at this moment in time we truly have an opportunity to make a paradigm shift and live up to the true creed of our nation and ensure equal justice for all, said Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, who is supporting a House version of the resolution.

In order to accomplish this goal, she said, we must have a real dialogue  that I call Truth and Reconciliation  about the history and existence of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and other -isms that create injustices in this country.

Northam, who presented his version of the resolution at Wednesdays news conference, said it should also be a moment to remember Virginians who championed civil rights, such as school desegregation activist Barbara Johns and the nations first elected African-American governor, L. Douglas Wilder.

There are good things to tell about Virginia and some things we need to learn from, Northam said.

McDonnell, governor in 2010-14, said his former secretary of the commonwealth, Janet Vestal Kelly, proposed the idea for the group to him last year.We have totally cut out the public. We havent informed them, said Watts, who suggested that the process gave special privilege to a candidate preferred by the Republican majority.

House Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, the first woman to lead a party caucus in the assembly, called the process shocking and disturbing in comments to reporters after the vote, but she added, Were not doubting that this woman has credentials and experience as a judge.

Filler-Corn said Democrats, who hope to take control of the House after elections in November, are likely to reconsider West in a year, if the judge seeks re-election to a full term after her current term expires on Jan. 31, 2020.

Will it come up again? I think thats likely, she said.

West was one of five candidates to be certified as qualified by the Commerce and Labor committees, and seven to publicly seek the job.

The front-runner had been Clarke, general managing partner of Eckert Seamans Richmond law office, which lost three members of its lobbying team while the House and Senate deadlocked during a special session that began in April and continued until the assembly convened this month with no resolution of the SCC vacancy.A Richmonder has pleaded guilty to a dozen charges in connection with a dogfighting operation.

Carlton Hardy, 52, pleaded guilty to five counts of animal fighting and seven counts of animal cruelty, according to the Virginia Attorney Generals Office. Sentencing was set for May 10.

According to evidence presented in court, Hardy participated in a dogfighting operation in South Richmond. Investigators found dogfighting paraphernalia, scarred dogs, wound dressings and other items associated with dogfighting on his property, the authorities said.

Forensic examination of Hardys phone found text messages, photos and videos related to dogfighting, officials said.

Authorities seized 12 dogs from Hardys property, Attorney General Mark Herrings office said in a statement. The dogs were living in deplorable conditions and had injuries due to neglect.

The case was handled by Herrings Animal Law Unit and the Richmond Commonwealths Attorneys Office.A man charged with killing his close friend, a disabled Army veteran, took to Facebook on Monday to express the great loss of his friend before the body had even been found, the victims niece said Wednesday.

Chelsea Higgs Wise said that she and other relatives of Clarence H. Click Fowlkes suspected on Monday night that a close friend of the family, Rodney M. Powell, was involved in Fowlkes death because they saw the Facebook post, which she said was later deleted. Police said they are investigating the timing of Powells posts on social media.

Members of the victims family were further shocked this week to learn that Powell, whom they have known for 25 to 30 years, was charged more than a decade ago in a murder-for-hire killing of one of three men suspected of killing two Food Lion employees in Chesterfield County in 1990. Those charges were later dropped, though.

On Tuesday, Chesterfield police arrested Powell, 46, of Henrico County, on a charge of first-degree murder in the slaying of Fowlkes, 58, who worked as a security guard. Family members found Fowlkes dead late Monday evening in his home in the Chesterfield Village Apartments in the 700 block of Chinaberry Drive.

Wise on Wednesday said Powell was regarded as a longtime friend of the family.Several GRTC officials said the new VCU partnership, as well as a similar agreement with Richmond Public Schools that cost the city an additional $270,000, have contributed to an increase in ridership.

While the city and VCU combined are paying nearly $1.5 million for the deal, GRTC officials said this week that they arent sure whether that amount is enough to cover their operating costs.

VCU and RPS students and faculty eligible to ride for free have accounted for about 64,000 rides each month on GRTCs buses from October through December. (That number does not include people from VCU who ride the Pulse because GRTC is currently unable to track who is boarding those buses.)

Barry Herring, GRTCs chief financial officer, said people who are gaming the fare system on the Pulse are also affecting the companys bottom line.

He said that cost savings on the expense side of the budget and other revenues are balancing out the worse-than-expected revenues, but that it is nonetheless an area of concern, especially if nothing changes.

What we have to be concerned about is our operating revenues, including our customer fares, Herring said. The advent of what fare enforcement may be doing should shore that up, because I think were losing quite a bit there.Stuzzi shut abruptly in mid-June after eight years in business. A sign hung on the door just after Fathers Day said the restaurant would reopen that Sunday after a vacation. It never did.

Conigliaro and his partners have redone the interior of the restaurant, creating a warm blend of rustic and industrial for Fire & Hops.

They replaced the pizza oven with a new wood-burning one that also uses gas heat to create a more consistent cooking temperature for the pizzas. They redid the entire kitchen, brought in new equipment and opened up the bar to add more seating.

We want to be a neighborhood place. A neighborhood bar, just like in Brandermill, Conigliaro said.

The pizzas at Fire & Hops wont be traditionally Neapolitan as Stuzzi offered, but they will be artisan and rely on fresh ingredients to create a menu of specialty 11-inch pies. Conigliaro has also been working to perfect the pizza dough recipe. He flew to California recently to take a pizza class with Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion, and will join Gemignani in Vegas later this year to present with him at the Pizza Expo.

Fire & Hops will also offer three types of tacos, plus sliders, hand-breaded mozzarella sticks, salads and a few sandwiches.A maker of power distribution and protection equipment for data centers is planning to expand its manufacturing operations in Henrico County, adding 51 jobs.

Anord Mardix USA Inc. will invest $907,500 to open its second manufacturing site in Henrico County, state officials announced Thursday.

The company manufactures and distributes low- and middle-voltage electrical switch gear to customers such as data centers.

Based in Ireland, the company opened its first U.S. manufacturing operation off South Laburnum Avenue in 2014.

As the company gained customers and grew, it relocated and opened a 50,000-square-foot plant in the White Oak Technology Park in eastern Henrico, said Toney Hall, deputy director of the Henrico County Economic Development Authority.

The new plant, which the company has already occupied, is 40,000 square feet. It is at 2400 Distribution Drive just off South Laburnum Avenue near Darbytown Road in eastern Henrico.

Anord Mardix is occupying space in a speculative industrial building, Hall said. He said the company also will continue to occupy space in the White Oak Technology Park.MANSFIELD -- Mansfield is one of the 11 best small cities for dentists with high student loan debt, according to a recent article by Student Loan Planner.

Mansfield ranked ninth on the list that considered factors like the dentist population ratio, average dental salary, the value of every $100 per state, population and proximity to a dental school.

To make the list, most cities needed to be within an hour drive of a dental school or major airport and have a population relatively stable or increasing population of about 50,000 to 200,000.

A lot of people will move anywhere if they hear theres an opportunity to pay back their student loan debt easier, said Travis Hornsby, founder of Student Loan Planner and author of the article, 11 Best Small Cities for Dentists With Big Student Loan Debt.

He recognized that Mansfield has declined in population since 2010, but the rate of decline, he said, was slow enough that it still made the cut.

To create the list, he started by identifying 50 percent of the least saturated cities with dentists and ranked them by real dental income.

The top 11 moved to the next stage. Its real dental income was reported as $155,391, and its number of dentists per 100,000 people was reported as 52. The national average is 61 dentists per 100,000 people.

After coming up with our list of 11 states, we decided to choose one city from each one of the most attractive states to practice dentistry, Hornsby said.

He explained that competition drives profits down, so it's often more beneficial for dentists to work outside of large cities, away from dental schools and airports.

I learned the airport rule from listening to a half dozen different dental podcasts. For whatever reason, being a fair distance away from major inner-city hubs seems to be good for business as a dentist, Hornsby said.

Through Student Loan Planner, hes interviewed more than 1,600 individuals with high student-loan debt, including about 400 dentists, he estimated.

Based on the data collected, he predicted Mansfield might be a good place for others with high student loan debt, too.

Mansfield could be a good place for anyone with a lot of student loan debt, especially in health care  based on the cost of living, he said, mentioning pharmacists specifically.

Further, he looked to cities that people who are millennials might find attractive.

Mansfield has an impressive performing arts scene for its size, with a symphony, opera and community theater, he said.

Later, he added, its proximity to Cleveland and Columbus could also be a draw.

It is in an attractive geographical location, he said.

Number one on the list was Parkersburg, West Virginia. Its described as a two-hour drive from Columbus, in the western part of the state. It has reportedly one of West Virginias highest per capita incomes of $18,076, and population loss since 2010 is around 1.9 percent, marking a stabilization in the population for the area.

Note: The population totals mentioned in the article by Student Loan Planner include the city (such as Mansfield) and some surrounding areas.MANSFIELD -- Larry Black had never received so much as a parking ticket before arriving at Mansfield Municipal's Veterans Court program.

One day, when the job he had pouring concrete was rained out, he stopped at a bar on his way home. He joined a few friends celebrating a birthday, and had a few shots - hard liquor he wasn't used to drinking. Then, on the way home from downtown Mansfield, he admitted to driving a little fast down State Route 13.

"There was a lady walking in the middle of the street, and I had to swerve to keep from running her over and jumped a curb," Black recalled. "And a Mansfield cop was right behind me."

The officer commended Black for avoiding the pedestrian in the street - but unfortunately, he could not pass a breathalyzer test.

Black is a native of Bellville and a veteran of the Marine Corps, serving from 1958 to 1964. This qualified him to participate in Mansfield's Veterans Court program, which first began operating in 2009 as the first of its kind in Ohio and third in the nation.

"I know I made a mistake," Black said. "When you mess up it's too late to apologize for it, so you take the punishment. But when you get into this program they tell you, that was one mistake. And if you straighten your act, you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Black was one of 15 graduates honored for completing the Veterans Court program on Jan. 16. He now joins the ranks of more than 230 participants in Veterans Court over the last decade, with 155 successful graduates.

The Veterans Court program requires at least one year of supervision and treatment, and involves regularly scheduled review hearings with the judge, home visits, curfew checks, drug and alcohol testing and increased communication with treatment providers.

According to J.B. Bond, the Veterans Court probation officer, the goal of Veterans Court is to reduce crime, incarceration and recidivism by linking veterans to veteran-specific services.

"We provide them with treatment and provide an understanding of what they need to do to get back in line with the law," Bond said. "Sometimes they lose track or lose focus, but we work with them. It's not a punishment, we're here to help."

To increase success, veterans are also linked with veteran service representatives and veteran peer mentors who educate and assist in obtaining benefits and support services available only to veterans. The mentor program has been coordinated by Lorie Fourhman for the past eight years.

"Veterans are a very unique group; they have served their country, many of them have been overseas and many of them have not come back intact," Fourhman said. "Unfortunately that transition is not always smooth, and often painful for the veterans and their families, and things happen. The opportunity for us to serve them and get them back whole again is really important."

Connecting veterans with services has been a major success of Veterans Court. Fourhman shared that one mentor was able to help a young Marine veteran with a Bronze Star graduate from The Ohio State University and go on to do amazing things.

"I talked to a guy that's graduating today, he said the best thing for him was he didn't know he needed treatment until he started going to treatment," added Bond. "And once he started going, he's going to continue with his treatment even after he graduates. That's nice to hear because then you don't have to worry about him getting caught back up in the criminal aspect."

That connection was appreciated by Robert Fuller, a veteran of the Army and Army Reserves who served in Desert Storm. Fuller also became a Mansfield firefighter when he returned from deployment.

"They just let you know there's a lot of good in it; if you do what you're supposed to do, they'll reward you," Fuller said. "It's good to know there are people looking out for veterans."ONTARIO -- The RACER Trust will hold a private forum to help market the former General Motors property in late February, according to Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson.

Hutchinson shared the news with Ontario City Council on Wednesday.

Its an opportunity for us to get great feedback from professionals that know whats going on with the development of property, Hutchinson said.

The meeting will be Feb. 27 at the Ohio State University of Mansfield, and will be private, as it is organized by RACER Trust. Only the mayor and perhaps one representative from council will be allowed to attend.

Those invited include site selectors and investors and others. RACER Trust is paying for the event.

Theyve done so much already, but this is one of the things they do with big properties like this, Hutchinson said, calling the upcoming forum a great tool.

He said the RACER Trust has also provided the city of Ontario with a 32-page marketing brochure and has listed the 267-acre property on its national website.

RACER Trust was created in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and position former GM properties for redevelopment. In 2012, the trust sold the Ontario-based property to the Brownfield Communities Development Company, associated with the Adler Group of Miami, Florida.

The City of Ontario took possession of the property in 2018 and has since met on several occasions to discuss their plans for the property, now being called the Ontario Commerce Park.

Hutchinson has previously said it appears the RACER Trust had been trying to help The Adler Group redevelop the property.Alan Hill, AKA Kid Kulture and his brother Aaron Hill, who is the drummer for Mansfield's Jazz group The Trio, joined The Open Mic Podcast to discuss Kid Kulture's album, Black Suburbia and The Trio's new song, Get The Bag, projects both took part in.

Songs played in the podcast are So Confused from Black Suburbia, Black Suburbia from Black Suburbia, and the single, Get The Bag.

Noah Jones Staff Reporter Follow Noah Jones 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up TodayPOWELL  The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will offer three free admission deals for guests. The first will be extended to all guests on January 21, 2019 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day; the second offer will be valid for all guests on February 18, 2019 in observance of Presidents Day; and the third admission offer is for furloughed federal employees affected by the partial government shutdown.

The Zoo will continue its tradition of offering free admission to all guests in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 21, 2019, as well as on Presidents Day, the federal holiday originally created in honor of the nations first president, George Washington, on Monday, February 18, 2019. Each of these promotions will be valid on those days during Zoo operating hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Additionally, the Zoo will offer free admission to furloughed federal employees and their immediate family members for as long as the government is shut down. Federal employees must present their federal ID or badge at the ticket booth for free admission.

The standard parking fees ($10 per vehicle; free for Zoo members) will still apply during these promotions.

In addition to honoring the incredible life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., observing Presidents Daywhich, coincidentally, was signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes, who was born in Delaware, Ohio not far from the Columbus Zooas well as paying our respect to current federal employees for their service to the public, we feel it is important to offer these promotions to our wonderful community members, the support from whom we are extremely grateful, said Columbus Zoo President and CEO Tom Stalf.

Open 363 days a year, the Columbus Zoo has plenty to experience even in the colder winter months. Many animals are still visible from the comfort of heated, indoor shelters, including Discovery Reef, Manatee Coast, Congo Expedition, the reptile building, the habitats at Vanishing Giants and the Naomi Coyle Dempsey Quest for Enlightenment Interpretive Center in the Asia Quest region and the nocturnal building in the Australia and the Islands region. Additionally, many animals are also fans of the colder temperatures, such as those living in the North America region like the polar bears and the cougars, and are particularly playful during the winter months. For more information, visit ColumbusZoo.org.

About the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 600 species from around the globe, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads and inspires by connecting people and wildlife. The Zoo complex is a recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Course. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also manages The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a regional attraction with global impact; annually contributing more than $4 million of privately raised funds to support conservation projects worldwide. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Columbus Zoo has earned Charity Navigators prestigious 4-star rating.Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have passed a resolution to stop sanctions on companies linked to Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska from being lifted.



The January 17 vote was mainly symbolic given a similar measure failed to be approved by the Senate a day earlier. President Donald Trump, whose administration had lobbied lawmakers hard to not pass the measure, may act on lifting the sanctions as early as January 18.



The Democrat-dominated House voted 362-53 in favor of the resolution, which came in response to last month's announcement by the Treasury Department that it would lift sanctions on the core businesses of Deripaska. That includes aluminum giant Rusal, its parent company En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo.



"We are dealing with the enemy. We are in an investigation," Maxine Waters, chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, said before the vote.



The sanctions were initially imposed in April, but they roiled global metals markets, unnerving businesses in the United States and Europe; Rusal is one of the world's largest aluminum producers.



While the resolution was pushed by House Democrats, some representatives from Trump's Republican party joined in the effort, a sign of how many congressional lawmakers feel about Trump's Russia policy.



"Today I voted to reinstate sanctions on certain Russian companies. I am not convinced that they have met the necessary requirements," House Intelligence Committee Republican Chris Stewart posted on Twitter.

"I disagree with the President. The sanctions must remain in place."



Deripaska, who is widely believed to have close ties to the Kremlin, has agreed to pare back his controlling stakes in the companies. He himself remains subject to U.S. sanctions.



Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last week testified before a House committee about the effort to lift the sanctions, telling lawmakers that the Trump administration would keep watch over the companies.



In addition to his ties to the Kremlin, Deripaska also was a former business partner of Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman.

With reporting by Reuters and AFPThe United States has rejected a Russian proposal on saving a key Cold War arms control treaty because the pact cannot be properly verified.



The comments, made on January 16 by U.S. Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson, sets the stage for Washington to withdraw next month from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF.



Speaking after a meeting in Geneva between Russian and U.S. officials, Thompson said Moscow was refusing to allow proper inspection of a new Russian missile system that Washington says violates the bilateral treaty.



"We weren't able to break any new ground yesterday with Russia," Thompson said of the January 15 meeting with Russian Foreign Ministry officials.



"Based on yesterday's discussions and corresponding rhetoric today, we see no indication that Russia would choose compliance," Thompson told reporters.



In Moscow, meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of seeking to dismantle the system of weapons pacts and said that Moscow is willing to try and preserve the INF.



Holding his annual press conference on January 16, Lavrov lashed out repeatedly at the United States amid severely strained relations between Moscow and Washington.



"Unilateral actions by Washington that are aimed at the demolition of very important international legal instruments that provide for strategic stability have not added to optimism," Lavrov said.



He claimed that this aim was "confirmed very clearly" at talks in Geneva on the INF treaty, asserting that the United States ignored Russian explanations of a missile that is allegedly in violation of the INF.



The treaty bans ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. Nearly 2,700 missiles were eliminated by the Soviet Union and the United States -- most of the latter in Europe -- under the treaty.



Russia has warned that if the United States abandons the pact and deploys such missiles in Europe, Moscow will respond in kind.



Without agreement between Moscow and Washington, a U.S. withdrawal over six months will start on February 2.



European allies are worried about the deployment of U.S. missiles in Europe, as happened in the 1980s, while being caught up in nuclear competition between Moscow and Washington.



Lavrov also repeated suggestions that Moscow would like to preserve the 2010 New START treaty governing U.S. and Russian long-range nuclear arms, which is set to expire in 2021 but can be extended for five years by mutual agreement.

With reporting by AP and ReutersWASHINGTON  President Donald Trump was set to release the United States new, long-delayed policy on missile-defense capabilities, providing indications whether the administrations approach toward Russia and China has changed significantly.



Trump was scheduled to formally unveil the document -- known as the Missile Defense Review -- at a ceremony at the Pentagon on January 17.



Some preliminary details of the new policy have leaked out to U.S. media, which have reported that the Trump administration was considering possibly adding a layer of satellites in space to detect and track missile launches.



The administrations approach is expected to include more efforts to stop missiles either before they are launched or just after launch, when their booster engines are still burning.



For years, U.S. administrations have focused missile defense policy on defending against regional actors like Iran or North Korea, and tried to convince Moscow and Beijing that missile-defense systems were not aimed at their arsenals.



That was reflected in Trump's National Security Strategy, a broader policy document released in late 2017.



The United States is deploying a layered missile-defense system focused on North Korea and Iran to defend our homeland against missile attacks," the document said. "This system will include the ability to defeat missile threats prior to launch. Enhanced missile defense is not intended to undermine strategic stability or disrupt longstanding strategic relationships with Russia or China.



However, any expansion of U.S. missile defenses is likely to upset Moscow, which has long opposed even the most rudimentary U.S. defenses, arguing that they are destabilizing.



In recent months, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly boasted about new Russian weaponry, including hypersonic missiles, that would evade any missile defense.



China, meanwhile, has worried that longer-range U.S. missile defenses in Asia could undermine Chinese security.



The Missile Defense Review is a policy document mandated by Congress. It was supposed to have been released last year, but was postponed.

With reporting by APPresident Donald Trump has announced that the United States will develop new technologies -- including in space -- to acquire unrivaled missile-defense capabilities and maintain an advantage over adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.

His comments were part of the results of a U.S. missile-defense review -- the first since 2010 -- that Trump unveiled at the Pentagon on January 17.

Speaking after acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Trump said the U.S. goal was simple: "that we can detect and destroy" any incoming missile launched against the United States "anywhere, any time, any place."

Trump mentioned increased threats from hypersonic and cruise missiles with upgraded abilities that Washington needs to counter.

He said his call for an expanded missile-defense system would better protect the United States.

'Space-Based Defence'

Trump said a new strategy would include a "space-based defense layer of new technologies, such as sensors that could detect, track, and destroy incoming enemy missiles."

The space-based shoot-down technology is similar to what U.S. President Ronald Reagan suggested in his "Star Wars" initiative in the 1980s.

Trump said the United States's space-defense capability would "ultimately be a very, very big part of our defense -- and our offense."

Shanahan said before Trump that competitors such as Russia and China were pursuing new missiles that are "harder to see, harder to track, and harder to defeat."

He also said that Washington was not interested "in keeping pace with potential threats, but in outpacing them."

Shanahan added that North Korea's missiles were a "significant concern." The comments come as North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol is expected in Washington for talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program on January 18.

Though he didn't mention Russia or China during his speech, Trump specifically named Iran and its effort to develop ballistic missiles with ever-increasing ranges.

Missile Interceptors

The Missile Defense Review report mentioned that Iran's "desire to have a strategic counter to the United States could drive it to field an [Intercontinental Ballistic Missile]."

Trump also announced that the United States would deploy 20 new missile interceptors in Alaska as part of a new missile-defense strategy. There are already 44 such interceptors deployed at the Fort Greely U.S. base in Alaska.

A new missile-defense program that could defend "every city in the United States" would be developed, he said.

Trump pledged to share all new technology and missile-defense systems with U.S. allies but added that they must pay more for U.S.-sponsored security of their countries.

"We are going to be with NATO 100 percent, but [other countries] are going to have to step up [and pay for defense]," he said.

Viktor Bondaryov, the chairman of the Defense and Security Committee in Russia's upper house of parliament, said "an additional layer of space-based sensors to detect missiles can be viewed as a component of a policy of increasing tensions."

He added that the Russian position was clear.

"Under no circumstances should attack weapons be based in space. This is fraught with catastrophe.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and InterfaxChildren in Russia may be spooked by the witches and other dark characters in some of the country's fairy tales, but a senior Central Bank official sees something even more sinister.



Russian fairy tales are teaching kids to expect "handouts" and that laziness pays, argues Sergei Shvetsov, first deputy governor of the bank.



Alluding to the Russian classic Emelya And The Pike, Shvetsov explains that the tale of a magical fish handing out wishes willy-nilly to the lazy protagonist sets a bad example.

"We tell children about a goldfish, about a pike. Look, the other brother works -- he's a fool; the middle brother works -- he's a fool; the youngest one sits on a stove, then catches a pike -- he is doing well," Shvetsov laments in comments quoted by Moskva, a Moscow city-controlled news agency.

Such an allegedly poisonous message will haunt kids into adulthood, Shvetsov said, handicapping them as they grapple with their finances.



His answer? Rewrite some of the classics.



"We need to change the fairy tales. We need to reject this background, teaching children about handouts. It's very serious," Shvetsov was quoted as saying on January 15.

'By Command Of The Fish!'

In Emelya And The Pike, the main character spends most of his time snoozing atop a warm kitchen stove. He avoids work and only gives in when bribed. One day, Emelya catches a magical pike that fulfills his wishes, most of which revolve around household chores.



It is one of Russia's most popular and enduring fairy tales, having been included in a compilation of folk tales published in the mid-1800s and adapted to film and animated several times during the Soviet era, mostly under the title Wish Upon A Pike. It ia so ingrained in Russian culture that part of one line from the story -- "By command of the fish, may it be as I wish! -- has become a catchphrase.



The Soviets had to grapple with the fact that Emelya didn't really fit the image of the model Soviet citizen. So they tinkered a bit with the tale, noted the Russian Language Blog.

A 1957 animated Soviet version has Emelya releasing the magical fish not because of calculating greed, but out of pure kindness.



Indolent characters are not uncommon in Russian fairy tales and other works.

Ancient Traditions



In Vasilisa The Beautiful, the eponymous heroine is aided by a magical doll in carrying out work that the witch, Baba Yaga, orders Vasilisa to do to gain freedom.

But that story ends on a high moral note. Vasilisa learns to weave and embroider. Her work grabs the attention of a handsome prince, who marries her. Ultimately, the message is that hard work does pay off.



In an article on the website Russia Beyond that looks into "Russia's ancient traditions of laziness and couch addiction," Aleksandra Guzeva writes that the "ultimate symbol of laziness is Ilya Oblomov, a character in the famous novel by Ivan Goncharov.

Oblomov is an absolutely helpless man, totally dependent on his servant. He doesn't suffer from depression; laziness is his modus operandi."



Russian proverbs also suggest that "idleness is a national trait," Guzeva argues, singling out: "Work is not a wolf -- it won't run away to the forest."



However, Guzeva also points out that there are plenty of Russian proverbs that celebrate hard work, including: "If you like to eat, don't lie on the stove."

While the worlds autocrats and rights abusers often captured headlines last year, the defenders of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law also gained strength, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Kenneth Roth.



The same populists who are spreading hatred and intolerance are spawning a resistance that keeps winning its share of battles, Roth wrote in an essay included in HRWs 29th-annual review of human rights practices around the globe that was published on January 17.



Victory...has occurred often enough in the past year to suggest that the excesses of autocratic rule are fueling a powerful counterattack, Roth added.



In his essay, Worlds Autocrats Face Rising Resistance, the HRW executive director said that the defense of rights worldwide has been resilient and multifaceted, citing a series of human rights successes in international forums and of powerful activism by civic groups at national and regional levels.

The terrain for the fight has shifted, with many longtime participants missing in action or even switching sides, he wrote. But effective coalitions have emerged to oppose governments that are not accountable to their people and respectful of their rights.



He said the UN Human Rights Council took important -- sometimes unprecedented -- steps in the past year to increase pressure on Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.



The opponents of human rights enforcement such as China, Russia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia traditionally carry considerable weight in these settings, so it was impressive to see how often they lost this past year, he added.



Roth said governments mounted important defenses of human rights in other venues such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), whose mandate was expanded to begin identifying the users of chemical weapons, despite Russias opposition.

And the Council of Europe pushed back against attempts by the authoritarian government of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to influence members of the councils Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) to soften criticism of the countrys human rights record, according to Roth.



He said that elections or public pressure were sometimes the vehicle of a pushback against autocratic rule last year, citing Armenia where weeks of mass protests forced long-entrenched leader Serzh Sarkisian to resign from the prime ministers post and brought to power Nikol Pashinian, a former anticorruption journalist and opposition lawmaker.



However, Roth cautioned that resistance to autocracy is not always successful in the short term, and this remains in some ways a dark time for human rights.



He cited the cases of Turkey and Egypt, where Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi persisted in silencing independent voices and civic groups and locking up thousands for their presumed political views.



U.S. President Donald Trump disparaged immigrants and minorities and tried to bully judges and journalists whom he deemed to stand in his way, Roth also said, while Russia under President Vladimir Putin continued its multiyear crackdown on independent voices and political opposition.



But Roth emphasized that recent events also show that the promise of rights-respecting democratic rule...remains a vital, mobilizing vision.



He insisted that important battles are being won, reenergizing the global defense of human rights, which he said remains a worthy imperative.



When governments see political or economic advantage in violating rights, rights defenders still can raise the price of abuse and shift the cost-benefit calculus to convince governments that repression does not pay, he wrote.KYIV -- Facebook has removed hundreds of pages, groups, and accounts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms that the U.S. company says were part of two online disinformation operations targeting users across the former Soviet space.

"The two operations we found originated in Russia, and one was active in a variety of countries while the other was specific to Ukraine," Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said in in a blog post on January 17.

No links between these operations were found, Gleicher said, but they used "similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing."

Gleicher said one network of 364 pages and accounts was "linked" to employees of Sputnik, a Russian state-run news site.

Sputnik's Armenia branch said on Facebook that its Russian-language page had been blocked and that as a result "our news in the Russian language will temporarily be published on the Armenian page."

"Given the possibility that the Armenian page might be blocked too, we ask you to follow our news" on Telegram, VKontakte, Twitter, and other platforms, Sputnik told its readers in a statement on Facebook.

In a separate statement quoted by Russia's state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik said Facebook's decision was "clearly political" and amounted to "censorship."

The people running the accounts presented themselves as independent news sources, posted on issues such as anti-NATO sentiment, protest movements, and targeted users in the Baltics, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern European countries, according to Gleicher.

The operation appears to have been an attempt to sow discord in the targeted countries while boosting Sputnik's audience.

One of the posts accuses NATO of "ruining" the Baltics. Another warns about "politicized myths" about Russia "turning off electricity" in Lithuania.

The U.S. social-networking company also removed 107 Facebook pages, groups, and accounts, as well as 41 Instagram accounts for engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior" as part of the network operated in Ukraine.

'Troll Farm'

The individuals behind these accounts primarily represented themselves as Ukrainian, Gleicher said, and they operated a variety of fake accounts while sharing typically negative local Ukrainian news stories on a variety of topics such as protests, NATO, and health conditions in schools.

"We identified some technical overlap with Russia-based activity we saw prior to the US midterm elections, including behavior that shared characteristics with previous Internet Research Agency (IRA) activity," Gleicher wrote.

The St. Petersburg-based IRA company, commonly known as the Russian "troll farm," is reportedly financed by a Kremlin-connected businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. He and 12 other people were indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in February on charges including bank fraud, conspiracy, and identity theft.

IRA set up fake personas and used media like Facebook, Google, and Twitter to spread misinformation, sow doubts, pump up support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, according to a report produced for the U.S. Senate and released last month.

Facebook has been criticized over the last two years for not acting fast enough to combat fake news, propaganda operations, and extremist content spread on its platforms.

Facebook and Twitter removed millions of posts and closed accounts linked to influence operations by Russia, Iran and other actors ahead of U.S. mid-term elections in November.

"Our security efforts are ongoing to help us stay a step ahead and uncover this kind of abuse, particularly in light of important political moments and elections in Europe this year," Gleicher wrote." We are committed to making improvements and building stronger partnerships around the world to more effectively detect and stop this activity."BRUSSELS  European lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the unconditional release of jailed Azerbaijani anticorruption blogger Mehman Huseynov.



The resolution, which was backed on January 17 by all major political parties in the European Parliament, urges Baku to drop all new charges against Huseynov.



It also expresses concern over his health for which the authorities must provide all the necessary professional medical assistance and allow regular access for his family and privileged legal counsel.



The nonbinding resolution calls on other EU institutions to ensure that the release of Huseynov and other political prisoners in Azerbaijan remains a priority in EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations.



The text also includes a call on Azerbaijan to fully guarantee freedoms of the media and expression.



Calls for Huseynov's release have intensified inside and outside Azerbaijan since he was targeted with a new charge late last month, just weeks before his expected release from prison.



He is accused of "resisting a representative of the authorities with the use of violence dangerous to [the representative's] health and life."



Huseynov, as well as a number of activists and political prisoners, have started hunger strikes in protest.



Huseynov is already serving a two-year prison term on libel charges that he and his supporters consider to be politically motivated.



The bloggers lawyer said Huseynov could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of the new charge.Russia has detained a Belarusian model who claimed she had evidence of the Kremlin's efforts to help Donald Trump win the presidency, reports from Moscow say.



Anastasia Vashukevich, who also goes by Nastya Rybka, was held for questioning at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on January 17 after being deported from Thailand with others who were convicted of soliciting sex, AFP reported.



Aleksandr Kirillov, a self-styled Russian sex guru aka Alex Lesley, was also among four people who were detained by Russian authorities at the airport.



They were taken away by officials in plainclothes, said a fellow passenger on the plane named Kristina, who said she was Kirillov's wife.



Kristina said she heard the four arguing with the officials about being detained.



An unnamed law enforcement source told the Russian state agency TASS that the four were detained at the airport on suspicion of "recruiting for prostitution."



The development is is the latest twist in a saga that started in February 2018, when Russian anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny published an expose appearing to show a former deputy Russian prime minister off the coast of Norway on a yacht belonging to the Kremlin-linked oligarch Oleg Deripaska.



Navalny's report, which drew on photographs and video that Vashukevich published on Instagram in 2016, appeared to show then-Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko being offered lavish treatment on Deripaska's yacht. The two also appear to discuss U.S. politics.

Vashukevich, who was pictured on the yacht, says she had an affair with Deripaska.



Vashukevich and her partner, Aleksandr Kirillov, known as Alex Lesley, made international headlines again when, shortly after their arrest in Pattaya, they asked for U.S. asylum.



Vashukevich claimed that she could reveal details about Russia's alleged meddling in the U.S. election.



Deripaska, one of several Russian tycoons hit by U.S. sanctions, was once an associate of U.S. President Donald Trump's ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

With reporting by AP and ReutersThe brother of the American man being held in Russia on an espionage charge says Irish diplomats have visited him in the Moscow prison where he is being held.



David Whelan said in a statement released on January 16 that the diplomats reported that conditions are good in the prison where his brother Paul is.



The statement said U.S. officials are expected to visit him on January 17.



A former U.S. Marine who holds citizenship in Ireland, Canada, Britain, and the United States, Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow on December 28 and charged with spying.



The charge carries a potential sentence of 20 years if convicted.



Russian officials have not released details of the allegations against him.



Whelan was working as a global security director for a U.S. auto-parts manufacturer at the time of his arrest.



Whelan's Russian lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenko, has said his client is innocent.



But he also suggested Russian officials might consider exchanging him for Maria Butina, a Russian woman who pleaded guilty last month to U.S. charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent.



U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman visited Whelan in prison on January 2.Russian President Vladimir Putin, on a visit to Serbia, has accused Kosovo of taking provocative measures, including establishing an army.

Speaking at a joint news conference after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on January 17, Putin said Kosovo's steps had ratcheted up tensions with Serbia and could destabilize the region.



Serbia lost control over its Kosovo province in 1999 after NATO launched air strikes to stop the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians by Serbian forces during a two-year counterinsurgency war.

Relations between Pristina and Belgrade have been tense since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. More than 110 countries, including the United States, recognize Kosovo's independence, but Serbia and Russia do not.

Putin said he thought Kosovo's decision to set up an army was illegal.

"Regrettably, Kosovo's authorities took a series of provocative steps lately, thus greatly aggravating the situation. First of all, I have in mind their December 14 decision to form a so-called Kosovo army," Putin said.

Kosovo's parliament on December 14 voted to convert its 2,500-member Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into a national army with some 5,000 personnel and more substantial weaponry.

Belgrade and most of the 120,000 ethnic Serbs in Kosovo have vehemently opposed the creation of a Kosovar military, arguing that it would violate UN resolutions and be used against the Serbian minority -- a claim denied by officials in Pristina.

"It goes without saying that this is a direct violation of the UN resolution which does not allow for the creation of any paramilitary forces except for the international UN contingent," Putin said.



The United States has expressed support for Kosovo's move to create a national army, while NATO said the move was "ill-timed."

Putin also said that the European Union's mediation between Serbia and Kosovo has not produced the desired results.

"We know that the European Union has acted as a mediator in resolving a number of issues, but unfortunately hardly anything has been implemented," he said.



Vucic said he hoped for better relations between Belgrade and Pristina but added, "I am not sure that it's going to happen anytime soon."

Free-Trade Zone

The Russian leader also said he hoped that an agreement on a free trade zone between Serbia and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) would be signed as early as this year.

He said Moscow was ready to invest some $1.4 billion in infrastructure development in Serbia to allow the multiline TurkStream pipeline project to transit through Serbia.

TurkStream is a natural gas pipeline running from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea and has replaced the canceled South Stream project.

Russia's state energy giant Gazprom has said that it sees Serbia and EU member-states Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and Hungary as potential markets for Russia's natural gas supplied via TurkStream.

The United States has warned that Moscow is using the pipeline to establish control over the region's energy security.

"Russia is using a pipeline project, Nord Stream 2, and the multiline Turkish stream, to try to solidify its control over the security and the stability of Central and Eastern Europe," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said last November in Prague.

Putin arrived in Serbia on January 17 to a lavish welcome by Vucic and other Serbian officials at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport on January 17, as many billboards around the Serbian capital featured a mix of Russian and Serbian flags.

"Welcome honored President Putin, dear friend," read one of them.



Putin's one-day trip included a visit to the Church of St. Sava, the biggest Orthodox church in Serbia, where he was greeted by thousands of people.



People who were bused in from various parts of Serbia marched through the streets of Belgrade on their way to the church waving Serbian and Russian flags and holding placards with Putins portrait.



Traffic in downtown Belgrade was completely blocked for hours because of the crowds and the parked buses.



Putin, who was accompanied during the visit to the church by Vucic and Serbia's Orthodox Patriarch, Irinej, addressed the crowds, thanking the Serbian people "for its friendship."



The two countries have long shared close economic and Slavic cultural and religious ties, forcing Belgrade to balance its historic ties to Moscow with its desire to join Western organizations such as the EU.



Serbia has rejected calls to join Western economic sanctions against Moscow while Russia supports Belgrade by refusing to recognize the former Serbian province of Kosovo as an independent state.



Russia has also worked to maintain strong military ties with Belgrade by supplying it with hardware and holding joint maneuvers with Serbian forces.



However, most Serbs believe that the EU offers a better model for their future than Russia, according to London School of Economics professor James Ker-Lindsay.

On the eve of his trip, Putin criticized the United States and other Western countries, asserting that their policies were "aimed at fostering their dominance in the region," which he said is "a major destabilizing factor."

In an interview with Serbian pro-government newspapers published on January 16, Putin argued that Montenegro joining NATO in 2017, without holding "a relevant referendum, has led to "political instability" in the Balkan country.



But Montenegro's accession to NATO has put added pressure on Moscow to maintain tight relations with Belgrade, its last foothold in the Balkans. So has Macedonias success toward ending a dispute with Greece that will open the doors to Macedonia's membership in the EU and NATO.



Like Montenegro, Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia until the country disintegrated amid the wars of the early 1990s.



Russia "has always viewed [the Balkans] as a space for constructive cooperationand the strategic partner Serbia holds a special place, Putin said.



In a show of the Kremlin's aim to curry favor with Serbia, Putin last week awarded Vucic with the Order of Aleksandr Nevsky, a prize that is usually bestowed upon civil servants for at least 20 years of "highly meritorious service" and is rarely given to foreigners.



The award, which Vucic is likely to receive during the visit, underlines Putin's popularity among the majority of Serbs. A recent survey by Faktor Plus showed 57 percent naming the Russian leader as the most-trusted foreign politician.

"Vucic is the first Serb to receive this high award in our time, which in itself speaks volumes," said Aleksandr Chepurin, Russia's ambassador to Serbia.



"Protecting the interests of our countries, Russia and Serbia, instead of satisfying the interests of the West -- that's basically the philosophy of both the Russian and Serbian leadership," he told Serbias state news agency Tanjug on January 2.



Chepurin said the tense situation in Kosovo between the ethnic Serb minority and Kosovar Albanians would be high on the Putin-Vucic meeting agenda.



Also under discussion will be strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation in economic spheres such as energy, trade, innovation, technological development, and the digital economy, he said.



The delegation of ministers and other officials joining Putin in Belgrade includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Gazprom head Aleksei Miller.



The Kremlin press service said Russian and Serbian officials will also discuss a possible extension of the Turk Stream natural gas pipeline into Serbia. The pipeline currently runs under the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and then into Greece.



Some analysts say the close relations with Russia are not all as promising as they often appear.



Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said last month that Serbia's foreign policy priority remains joining the EU, and that "we can be even more efficient in the reforms that we conduct, primarily because of our citizens."

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and TASSAfghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked Pakistan on January 17 for its help in advancing peace talks with the Taliban amid continuing diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the 17-year war in the country, Pakistani officials said.

U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been leading the push to broker an agreement with the Afghan Taliban, was due in Pakistan following meetings with Ghani and other Afghan officials in Kabul.

On January 17, Ghani called Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and "expressed his gratitude for Pakistan's sincere facilitation of these efforts," according to a statement from a Pakistan government spokesman's office.

Afghanistan has often had hostile relations with neighboring Pakistan, regularly accusing Islamabad of supporting the Taliban.

Pakistani officials deny supporting the extremist group and say Islamabad is strongly in favor of a settlement that would maintain stability in Afghanistan.

Taliban representatives said this week that Islamabad was pressuring its leaders to accept talks with the Afghan government, detaining a senior leader in the city of Peshawar before releasing him a few days later.

Taliban envoys have met with Khalilzad on at least three occasions but have repeatedly refused to talk directly to the internationally recognized Afghan government, which they view as a puppet of Washington.

Members of the local charity Sympathy Network-Maungdaw Township transport two youths injured by a exploding mortar shell to a hospital in Maungdaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Jan. 16, 2019.

Fresh skirmishes between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army in violence-scarred northern Rakhine state have left two youths injured and forced about 200 villagers to flee their homes in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, local residents said Wednesday.

The two boys, ages 10 and 18, were injured and one house was destroyed when a stray mortar shell exploded in Maungdaws Yan Aung Myin village on Wednesday, though it is unclear whether the Myanmar Army or the AA fired the shell, said village head Thein Naing Win.

The two were taken to Maungdaw Hospital for treatment, he added.

About 200 residents of Ooyinthar village fled to Sango Taung village amid fighting on Tuesday, villagers said, bringing the total number of displaced civilians in the region to roughly 6,000 estimated by local relief groups since armed conflict between AA and Myanmar troops ratcheted up in late November 2018.

The fighting started at around 6 p.m. yesterday and lasted for about 30 minutes, said an Ooyinthar resident who declined to be named. All villagers fled from the village. If the fighting stops today, we will return home tomorrow.

The Myanmar Army and local residents said the new battles left casualties on both sides, but no details were given. The AA said it participated in four new skirmishes but would not confirm whether it suffered any casualties.

Colonel Win Zaw Oo from the government militarys Western Military Command, which oversees operations in Rakhine state, blamed the latest rounds of fire on the AA.

The AA started the fighting near the villages, he told RFA's Myanmar Service. They could have done so far from the villages, but they intentionally started them nearer so that villagers would flee from the fighting. Then the AA, along with the media, could portray the situation in the region as unstable.

AA soldiers then attacked government troops near the border, and retreated into neighboring Bangladesh, he said.

We didnt attack them when they reached the other side because we dont want to harm the relationship between the two countries, Win Zaw Oo said.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha denied accusations by the government army that the Arakan force has based some of its soldiers in Bangladesh.

Actually, we are not there, he said. We deploy our troops along the border as we are fighting for Rakhine.

The government army said it will continue clearance operations against the AA in the region, while the Arakan fighters said they expect more hostilities with national forces.

Clashes intensified after Jan. 4 when the AA, which is fighting for greater autonomy in the state, attacked four police outposts in the region, killing 13 policemen and wounding nine others.

Village chiefs threaten walkout

Meanwhile, about 30 village chiefs met and talked with the administrator of adjacent Rathedaung township about the arrests of some of their peers for allegedly having links to the AA, and threatened to quit if they do not receive a response from authorities by the end of January.

On Tuesday, they submitted resignations to the local General Services Department out of fear that they too might be accused of links to the AA, Frontier Myanmar magazine reported, in a move that could impair the local government.

One village head who declined to be named out of fear for his safety told RFA that Rathedaungs administrator said he would inform higher-up administrators about their complaints.

Those arrested so far include a village head from Buthidaungs Pyin Chaung village and one from Yekaung Chaung village. Both have been charged under Myanmars Unlawful Associations Act for allegedly having links to the AA, considered to be an outlawed armed ethnic organization.

Rights groups accuse Myanmar authorities of using the act to intimidate and arrest ethnic minorities, especially those in turbulent regions where government troops are engaged in hostilities with ethnic armies.

Amid the uptick in fighting between the AA and Myanmar military in Rakhine state, government military authorities have restricted displaced civilians' access to food supplies in an effort to keep food from reaching AA troops.

Government forces began restricting food supplies in the states Kyauktaw township on Dec. 28 following clashes with the AA, one displaced resident told RFA in an earlier report.

On Wednesday, the Sub-Committee for Judiciary Fairness of Rakhine states Rule of Law Department called the blocking of aid to displaced persons in Kyauktaw a violation of international law.

Sub-committee leader Thar San told reporters during a public talk at the Rakhine state Attorney Generals Office that everyone has a right to receive aid and that it is disappointing to see the Myanmar military preventing it from reaching displaced villagers.

The group will submit a demand to the Union Attorney Generals office in Naypyidaw if Rakhine state Chief Minister Nyi Pu cant end the blockade, he said.

The coordination body for the Rule of Law Department and Sub-Committee for Judiciary Fairness is led by Union attorney General Tun Tun Oo.

RFA was unable to reach Nyi Pu or Rakhine state Border Affairs Minister Colonel Phone Tint for comment.

More than 2,000 IDPs from Kyauktaw's Wadaung, Kan Saut, and Taung Min Kalar villages face food shortages because of the aid block by the military.

An abandoned school stands in in Kyee Kan Pyin village in Maungdaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Oct. 14, 2016. Credit: AFP Township schools close

The ongoing clashes also have closed 31 schools in Rakhine state just before students are scheduled to take final exams.

Sixteen schools in Buthidaung have been closed since Jan. 7 because of the fighting, Sein Hla Tun, deputy director of Rakhine states Education Department, told RFA.

Its very difficult to travel to school, he said. These schools will be reopened once the situation returns to normal. The students cannot go to other villages for schooling, either, as the region is now a flashpoint.

Besides the schools in Buthidaung, other closures include a dozen schools in Kyauktaw, two in Ponnagyun township, and one in Rathedaung  all of which have more than 1,000 students, he said.

Officials have requested that children staying in relief camps for displaced people in Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun townships go to nearby schools to take their exams, Sein Hla Tun said.

They are being provided with school uniforms and materials and are being taught during extra hours, he said. The children will not be disadvantaged as we are fulfilling their needs as much as we can.

Myanmar schools will hold exams for all schoolchildren except those in 10th grade beginning the first week of February, he said.

Officials are now discussing exam options and special arrangements for those who have no access to schools in Buthidaung township, Sein Hla Tun said.

Since the exams will begin after the end of this month, we hope to find a solution after Jan. 20, he said. They will have to take exams at the same time because the exam period cannot be held twice, but they will be treated as leniently as possible.



Reported by Min Thein Aung and Nandar Chann for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translation by Khet Mar and Nandar Chann. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.This Chinese-owned casino, in Ton Pheung district, Bokeo province, is the centerpiece of a 10,000-square meter "Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone" set up by communist-ruled Laos with investment from their giant neighbor.

Villagers in the remote Lao hamlet of Huaiyae in the scenic Vang Vieng region north of the capital Vientiane are concerned about possibly losing their land to a Chinese development project, after local authorities were spotted in the town taking measurements and noting the locations of trees.

Vientiane provincial authorities have confirmed there is a Chinese firm looking to develop the Vang Vieng district area in which Huaiyae sits, but they say that land belonging to locals wont be touched. Villagers are, however, skeptical.

We saw [them] come into our village and take notes about trees, said a Huaiyae resident in an interview with RFAs Lao Service.

We will not give up our land. Where [else] are we going to live? the resident said, adding, We will let them take as many notes as they want, but we will not give up our land!

Vang Vieng has long been a draw for Western backpackers and other tourists drawn by its spectacular limestone scenery, rivers and rural charm. Lying on the route of a planned Lao-China railroad it is also potential magnet for Chinese visitors.

Last year, the Lao-Vang Vieng New Area Development Company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Laos, for what's described as a sustainable tourism project. It will reportedly run in three phases over 15 years at a cost of U.S. $5.5 billion. That could create thousands of jobs but it is unclear how many of those jobs will go to Lao villagers.

Meanwhile, Vientiane province has granted another Chinese company permission to survey the area of a former airport in Vang Vieng for construction of an entertainment complex, including a shopping mall, hotels, and other structures on 15 hectares of land at a cost of U.S. $200 million, sources say.

In Huaiyae, the Chinese investment plans have generated more anxiety than hope.

The villager said that in addition to the notes about trees, the authorities measured the size of their houses.

Nobody has agreed to sign any documents, the villager said.

Another villager seemingly contradicted this claim, saying that some of the people in the village did sign documents.

The family next to my house signed, but I did not, the second villager said.

I let [them] measure my house, but wouldnt sign the document they presented to me, said the villager.

Most people dont like [the idea of] the area being developed by this Chinese investor.

A third villager explained that if they are ever forced to sell their land for the project, they wont be properly compensated.

Many people will be angry if the project actually starts, because compensation for their land will be based on estimates made by the state, said the third villager.

My plot of land has a current market value worth about $220,000, but the state will say it is worth much less than that.

AVientiane provincial official who requested not to be named confirmed to RFA that a Chinese-owned firm is interested in developing the area of the western bank of the Xong River in Vang Vieng as a new tourism project.

They are still in an 18-month survey period, but it is still unclear what they really want to do, the official said.

They will make a tourism development that includes the participation of the local people, said the official.

The area said to be under survey comprises 32 villages. Local residents say that district authorities have suspended the issuance of land titles to people who own land along the Kuang River since the end of 2017, as well as prohibiting development within the area without permission.

The citizens of at least 11 villages including Huaiyae have made a pact not to sign any documents from land authorities.

They have also asked the provincial and central governments to carefully review any impact the project might have on the local people and the environment in the long term.

The villagers say that tourism has already been harmful to the environment in their region and they fear that the natural resources upon which local livelihoods depend will be exploited to generate income for others in unsustainable ways.

As one of the least developed Southeast Asian nations, Laos has become a target for massive foreign investment, especially from companies from neighbors China, Thailand, and Vietnam, which receive attractive investment incentives from the Lao government.

Reported and translated by Phouyong for RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong.UPDATED at 2:12 P.M. EST on 2018-01-18

Young people from the northern provinces of Laos are increasingly moving across the border to China in search of jobs and higher wages.

Facing limited prospects at home, youth from Laos remote mountainous regions choose to become undocumented economic migrants in Chinas neighboring Yunnan province, where they can often make much more for similar work they could get at home.

A Lao businessman who often travels to Yunnan told RFAs Lao Service last week, A lot of people from the northern ethnic groups prefer working in China over Laos or Thailand because they speak Chinese and can get much more money there.

The source added that restaurant workers in Yunnan can make between 80 and 100 yuan ($12-$15) each day, or about twice as much as in Laos and slightly more than in Thailand.

After graduation, many youth sneak into China to work because there are no jobs at home, said an unidentified official in Phongsaly province to RFA on Tuesday.

Most of them work as laborers at restaurants, hotels, shops and stores in Jiangcheng, Yunnan Province, the official said.

The official of Phongsalys Gnot-Ou district said that last year 200 youth from seven of his districts villages went to Sang Seung to work illegally.

Most of them are members of a Chinese ethnic group and they speak Chinese better than they speak Lao, the official said.

China is a popular destination for them because they may already have connections, such as relatives or friends who live there, said the official.

The official also said that security guards from the villages have attempted to stop the flow of young people across the border, but that it was difficult to track them because they sneak into China using small, hidden paths.

Local authorities in China, however have been quite effective in cracking down on these undocumented migrants.

Recently they arrested an unspecified number of illegal Lao workers and handed them over to us, he said.

Actually, several days ago they sent a busload of Laotians to us at the border, he said.

They are very serious about this, they arrest every undocumented person they find, said the official.

In an effort to prevent more youth from leaving, Gnot-Ou district is applying for financial and human resources from the provincial and central governments.

Wed like to conduct a campaign against this exodus by providing youth and their parents with more information, he said.

We also would like to create jobs here at home for them, he said.

Many youth from Phongsalys neighboring Luangnamtha province, are also finding their way across the border to Yunnan.

Many high school graduates use border passes to go to Cheli City, a resident of Luangnamtha said, in an apparent reference to Jinghong, the prefectural seat of the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.

With the pass they can only stay for a month. If they overstay, they cant come back through the normal border checkpoint. They have to sneak back, he said.

He said that the language barrier is not an obstacle, as the youth can pick up Chinese after working there for about three years.

He added that many of the Lao girls and women from Luangnamtha who cross the border are lured to work at restaurants or brothels, and some even marry Chinese men.

The Gnot-Ou district official said that he did not know how many Laotians were working in China right now, only the numbers from his own district.

Thailands Ministry of Labour in 2017 said there were around 170,000 Laotians working legally in the country.



While the ministry does not provide figures for undocumented workers from specific countries, it estimates that 2 million migrants are working in Thailand without papers. Reports suggest that more than 200,000 of those illegal migrant workers are from Laos.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong.Almost three decades after the Tiananmen massacre ended the 1989 democracy movement and froze political reform in China, Beijing police on stepped up security on the anniversary of the death of premier Zhao Ziyang, ousted for sympathising with the student-led mass protests.



Fourteen years after his death under house arrest imposed following his fall from power, Zhao's family have repeatedly called for his posthumous rehabilitation, and for his remains to be laid to rest.



Yet there was a strong police presence outside Zhao's family home on Beijing's Fuqiang Alley, and many who had wanted to pay their respects at the home and write in the family condolence book, were unable to do so.



"There were ... some people who couldn't make it, for example, the Tiananmen Mothers, so they sent wreaths and so on using florists," Zhao's son-in-law Wang Zhihua told RFA, in a reference to a campaign group for the families of those who died when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) used tanks and machine guns to clear the capital of protesters and hunger strikers on the night of , 1989.



"I don't know why security is so tight this year ... nobody's going to explain the reason to us, so there's not much point in thinking about it," he said. "The best history is that which is written by the people."



Veteran political journalist Gao Yu said via her Twitter account that she had been warned not to go to Zhao's house to pay her respects, and that she had been detained as she set out to mark the anniversary of his death privately on with a few friends.



Beijing-based housing rights activist Ni Yulan said she was unable to attend, as she was under police surveillance at her home.



"I saw that a few petitioners went ," Ni said. "They reported back that they were detained and taken down to the local police station."



"Security was very tight , and there were many times more officers than previously, with police vehicles everywhere," she said. "There were also plainclothes [state security] police."



Zhao's daughter Wang Yanan said the ruling Chinese Communist Party has yet to approve the family's application for a burial plot for Zhao, a liberal-minded and well-loved leader who rose to the top of the ruling party at the 13th Party Congress in 1987.



"There are reasons for that; chief among them is the overall political climate," Wang Yanan said. "The government has its own concerns, and we have ours."



2019 brings sensitive anniversaries

But she said she still hopes for her father's good name to be restored. Zhao's name rarely appears in the official record, although he has a loyal following of former officials seeking to rehabilitate him as a figurehead of the reform era that began in 1979.



"I always have some kind of hope or confidence that this will happen," she said. "But reality is another matter."



In a conclusive break with the reformist thinking of the 1980s, China's current supreme leader Xi Jinping is now serving an indefinite term as president following constitutional changes nodded through in by China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC).



Beijing-based constitutional affairs scholar Yu Meisun, who served as a top aide in China's cabinet, the State Council, during the 1980s, said Zhao had been very keen on the rule of law.



"He led us during the 1980s, and I think he did some very meaningful work," Yu said. "Zhao Ziyang set great store by economic legislation, by legal measures, as a way of ensuring the smooth progress of reform and opening up."



"He was very enlightened, and had researched reforms and opening up in great depth."



Beijing rights activist Hu Jia said the additional security likely came ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.



"This is an important point in history, coinciding as it does with the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule," Hu said. "Xi Jinping can't afford there to be unrest of any kind, especially not linked to June 4, as it proves the illegitimacy of Communist Party rule."



"That's why he has to eliminate this sort of thing to the greatest extent possible," he said.



Author Ma Bo agreed.



"They are probably afraid ... so they step up controls on ordinary people," he said, adding that calls on the Chinese leadership to overturn the historical verdict of "counterrevolutionary rebellion" on the 1989 democracy movement were unlikely to be heeded.



"They're never going to reappraise it," Ma said. "You're not even allowed to talk about it. They only have one position, and that is that the Communist Party's grip on power must be maintained as a one-party dictatorship."



Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.Taiwanese soldiers take part in a military drill simulating a Chinese attack at the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in central Taiwan's Taichung, June 7, 2018.

Taiwan on Thursday held live-fire military exercises off its coast amid concerns that Beijing could move to annex the democratic island, which has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party.

Off the west-coast city of Taichung, targets were set up to give firing practice to artillery units and assault helicopters, while the island's air force flew French-made Mirage fighter jets from its base at Hsinchu in the north.

The drills came as a new Pentagon report set out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, including a possible attack on Taiwan.

"China ... believes that U.S. military presence ... in Asia seeks to constrain Chinas rise and interfere with Chinas sovereignty, particularly in a Taiwan conflict scenario," the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report said.

A U.S. defense official told journalists that the Chinese Communist Party's determination to rule Taiwan in future is now at the top of President Xi Jinping's to-do list.

"Xi Jinping has made it clear that resolving or making progress, at least, on resolving ... the Taiwan situation is a very top priority for him," an article on the U.S. Department of Defense website cited the official as saying.

The article also cited senior defense intelligence analyst Dan Taylor as saying that the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Communist Party's military arm, may soon have the military capability to carry out its aim of "unification," and annex the island.

China is rapidly building a robust, lethal force, with capabilities spanning ground, air, maritime, space and information domains, designed to enable China to impose its will in the region, and beyond, Taylor said.

In the coming years, the PLA is likely to grow even more technologically advanced and proficient, with equipment comparable to that of other modern militaries, he said.

The PLA will acquire advanced fighter aircraft, modern naval vessels, missile systems, and space and cyberspace assets as it reorganizes and trains to address 21st century threats farther from Chinas shores.



Rejection of unification call

Taiwan ordered fresh military drills after Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen rejected calls from President Xi for the democratic island to move towards "unification" with the People's Republic, saying its people have no wish to give up their sovereignty.

Taiwan defense ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi said the military is updating its exercises to reflect real-world situations.

"We exercise the way wars are fought ... so that we will be capable and confident in the defense of our country," Chen told journalists in Taipei on Wednesday. "We are ready to face an enemy threat at any time."

He said the military would fight to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan since the 1911 Kuomintang-led regime fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists on mainland China.

In a Jan. 2 "Letter to our Taiwan compatriots," Xi was insistent that China must be "unified."

"It has been a historical and unavoidable duty of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese government, and the Chinese people to resolve the matter of Taiwan and unify the motherland ever since 1949," Xi said in the statement.

Xi made scant reference to public opinion among the 23 million inhabitants of Taiwan, and said that China would make no promises not to use military force to take the island.

A recent opinion poll found that more than 80 percent of Taiwanese would reject Xi's offer to rule the island via the "one country, two systems" model used for the former colonies of Hong Kong and Macau.

Tung Li-wen, an advisor to Taiwan ThinkTank, which conducted the poll, said most people have seen the erosion of Hong Kong's political freedoms and civil liberties since that city's 1997 handover to China, and concluded that they don't want the same thing to happen to them.

"Everything that has taken place in Hong Kong is a road-map of what Taiwan would look like under the Chinese Communist Party," Tung said. "They would do exactly the same things here."

"That's why there is no market for Xi Jinping's so-called peaceful unification under one country, two systems," he said. "I think every single person in Taiwan should stand firm and say no to the Chinese Communist Party ... I don't know why there are still some people in Taiwan who don't dare to say no to China; that's how difficult things are getting here."

In defense of democratic values

Tsai Yi-yu, a ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker, said that many in Taiwan hope that the island's defense of its democracy will be enough to ensure military backing from the U.S. and other democratic nations in the event of a Chinese invasion.

"There is an imbalance in Taiwan's military power, but ... a conflict with Taiwan would be an event of massive international importance," he said. "Unless China wants to take on all the democracies of the world, Taiwans defense of its democratic values is the biggest protective factor against a war in the Taiwan Strait."

Tseng Chi-wen, editor-in-chief of the Taiwan-based magazine Asia Pacific Defense, agreed.

"It would be pretty easy [for China] to take Taiwan, but then it would be subject to international isolation and sanctions afterwards," Tseng said. "That could stop or reverse its entire future development strategy and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation."

Taiwan was ruled as a Japanese colony in the 50 years prior to the end of World War II, but was handed back to the 1911 Republic of China under the Kuomintang (KMT) government as part of Tokyo's post-war reparation deal.

The island began a transition to democracy following the death of Chiang Kai-shek's son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, in January 1988, starting with direct elections to the legislature in the early 1990s and culminating in the first direct election of a president, Lee Teng-hui, in 1996.



Reported by Hsia Hsiao-hwa and Gu Jirou for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Chung Kuang-cheng for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.Chinese immigration police escort Xie Haojie (center), who was arrested on Sunday in Manila in an operation coordinated with Chinese authorities, after he was presented to media in the Philippine capital, Jan. 16, 2019.

An ex-government official from China wanted for corruption and economic crimes involving U.S. $210 million faces deportation after being arrested in the Philippines and turned over to Chinese authorities in Manila, the Filipino immigration bureau said Wednesday.

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and immigration agents took Xie Haojie, 49, into custody during a raid on Sunday at a condominium in Pasay city, a suburb of Manila, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

Xie had been hiding in the Philippines since last year after fleeing China to evade prosecution over a criminal offense, Morente said, adding that his counterpart in Beijing had asked PACC to help them track down the fugitive. Both agencies had coordinated closely with each other in making the arrest, he said.

He will immediately be deported back to China so he could face the cases lodged against him. His name will also be included in our blacklist to prevent him from re-entering the Philippines, Morente said of Xie.

We will not tolerate the presence of undesirable aliens using the Philippines as a hideout. Fugitives will be sent back to face their crimes, he added.

After Xie was presented to reporters in Manila, senior officials from the Philippine anti-corruption agency and Philippine Bureau of Immigration turned over Xie today to Chinese authorities in a ceremony held at the office of the PACC at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila, immigration officials said in a press release.

The arrest was tied to the Chinese governments all-out campaign against corruption that cracked down on abusive government employees, including high-ranking officials.

Xie was under investigation for allegedly embezzling public funds and taking bribes in his capacity as a general manager of a state-owned enterprise, said La Yifan, director of international cooperation for Chinas Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, according to a report published by the Philippine Star on Wednesday.

The Philippines and China will continue to strengthen our cooperation in going after Chinese fugitives hiding in our country, including former government officials wanted for corruption, Morente said.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.Table of Contents



1 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Overview

1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Crude Oil Rail Car Services

1.2 Classification of Crude Oil Rail Car Services by Types

1.2.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Comparison by Types (2017-2023)

1.2.2 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Types in 2017

1.2.3 Crude Oil Railcar Load

1.2.4 Unit Trains

1.2.5 Chain of Custody Procedures

1.2.6 Sealing of Rail Stock

1.3 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market by Application

1.3.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Size and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2013-2023)

1.3.2 Producers

1.3.3 Shipper

1.3.4 Refiners

1.4 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market by Regions

1.4.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Size (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2013-2023)

1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Crude Oil Rail Car Services Status and Prospect (2013-2023)

1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Crude Oil Rail Car Services Status and Prospect (2013-2023)

1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) Crude Oil Rail Car Services Status and Prospect (2013-2023)

1.4.4 South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Crude Oil Rail Car Services Status and Prospect (2013-2023)

1.4.5 Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Crude Oil Rail Car Services Status and Prospect (2013-2023)

1.5 Global Market Size of Crude Oil Rail Car Services (2013-2023)

2 Manufacturers Profiles

2.1 Intertek

2.1.1 Business Overview

2.1.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

2.1.2.1 Product A

2.1.2.2 Product B

2.1.3 Intertek Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

2.2 Bureau Veritas

2.2.1 Business Overview

2.2.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

2.2.2.1 Product A

2.2.2.2 Product B

2.2.3 Bureau Veritas Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

2.3 Tauber Oil

2.3.1 Business Overview

2.3.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

2.3.2.1 Product A

2.3.2.2 Product B

2.3.3 Tauber Oil Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

2.4 Everest Railcar Services

2.4.1 Business Overview

2.4.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

2.4.2.1 Product A

2.4.2.2 Product B

2.4.3 Everest Railcar Services Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

2.5 EMS Management

2.5.1 Business Overview

2.5.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

2.5.2.1 Product A

2.5.2.2 Product B

2.5.3 EMS Management Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

2.6 Freedom Railcar Solutions

2.6.1 Business Overview

2.6.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

2.6.2.1 Product A

2.6.2.2 Product B

2.6.3 Freedom Railcar Solutions Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

3 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Competition, by Players

3.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Share by Players (2013-2018)

3.2 Market Concentration Rate

3.2.1 Top 5 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Players Market Share

3.2.2 Top 10 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Players Market Share

3.3 Market Competition Trend

4 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Size by Regions

4.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Market Share by Regions

4.2 North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

4.3 Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

4.4 Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

4.5 South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

4.6 Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

5 North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries

5.1 North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

5.2 USA Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

5.3 Canada Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

5.4 Mexico Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

6 Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries

6.1 Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

6.2 Germany Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

6.3 UK Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

6.4 France Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

6.5 Russia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

6.6 Italy Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

7 Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries

7.1 Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

7.2 China Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

7.3 Japan Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

7.4 Korea Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

7.5 India Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

7.6 Southeast Asia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

8 South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries

8.1 South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

8.2 Brazil Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

8.3 Argentina Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

8.4 Colombia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

9 Middle East and Africa Revenue Crude Oil Rail Car Services by Countries

9.1 Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

9.2 Saudi Arabia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

9.3 UAE Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

9.4 Egypt Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

9.5 Nigeria Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

9.6 South Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

10 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Segment by Type

10.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)

10.2 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Forecast by Type (2018-2023)

10.3 Crude Oil Railcar Load Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2023)

10.4 Unit Trains Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2023)

10.5 Chain of Custody Procedures Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2023)

10.6 Sealing of Rail Stock Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2023)

11 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Segment by Application

11.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Application (2013-2018)

11.2 Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Forecast by Application (2018-2023)

11.3 Producers Revenue Growth (2013-2018)

11.4 Shipper Revenue Growth (2013-2018)

11.5 Refiners Revenue Growth (2013-2018)

12 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)

12.1 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)

12.2 Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Forecast by Regions (2018-2023)

12.3 North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

12.4 Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

12.5 Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

12.6 South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

12.7 Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

13 Research Findings and Conclusion

14 Appendix

14.1 Methodology

14.2 Data Source



List of Tables and Figures



Figure Crude Oil Rail Car Services Picture

Table Product Specifications of Crude Oil Rail Car Services

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Types in 2017

Figure Crude Oil Railcar Load Picture

Figure Unit Trains Picture

Figure Chain of Custody Procedures Picture

Figure Sealing of Rail Stock Picture

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Application (2013-2023)

Figure Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Applications in 2017

Figure Producers Picture

Figure Shipper Picture

Figure Refiners Picture

Table Global Market Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) Comparison by Regions 2013-2023

Figure North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Figure Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Figure Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Figure South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Figure Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2023)

Table Intertek Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

Table Intertek Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

Table Intertek Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

Table Bureau Veritas Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

Table Bureau Veritas Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

Table Bureau Veritas Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

Table Tauber Oil Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

Table Tauber Oil Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

Table Tauber Oil Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

Table Everest Railcar Services Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

Table Everest Railcar Services Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

Table Everest Railcar Services Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

Table EMS Management Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

Table EMS Management Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

Table EMS Management Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

Table Freedom Railcar Solutions Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

Table Freedom Railcar Solutions Crude Oil Rail Car Services Type and Applications

Table Freedom Railcar Solutions Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Players (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Players in 2016

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Players in 2017

Figure Global Top 5 Players Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share in 2017

Figure Global Top 10 Players Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share in 2017

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (%) (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Regions (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Regions (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Regions (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2017

Figure North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

Table North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2017

Figure USA Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Canada Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Mexico Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2017

Figure Germany Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure UK Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure France Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Russia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Italy Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2017

Figure China Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Japan Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Korea Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure India Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Southeast Asia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Countries (2013-2018)

Table South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2017

Figure Brazil Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Argentina Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Colombia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Countries (2013-2018)

Table Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries (2013-2018)

Figure Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2017

Figure Saudi Arabia Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure UAE Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Egypt Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Nigeria Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure South Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) by Type (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Type (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Type (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Type in 2017

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Forecast by Type (2018-2023)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Share Forecast by Type (2018-2023)

Figure Global Crude Oil Railcar Load Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Global Unit Trains Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Global Chain of Custody Procedures Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Global Sealing of Rail Stock Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue by Application (2013-2018)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Application (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Application (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Share by Application in 2017

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Forecast by Application (2018-2023)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Market Share Forecast by Application (2018-2023)

Figure Global Producers Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Global Shipper Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Global Refiners Revenue Growth Rate (2013-2018)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate Forecast (2018 -2023)

Table Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue (Million USD) Forecast by Regions (2018-2023)

Figure Global Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Share Forecast by Regions (2018-2023)

Figure North America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

Figure Europe Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

Figure Asia-Pacific Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

Figure South America Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

Figure Middle East and Africa Crude Oil Rail Car Services Revenue Market Forecast (2018-2023)

I had a college roommate named Fred who reminds me of Ned.

Lamont, that is. Fred and Ned both grew up in WASPy privileged enclaves, and, although this did not spare them the slings and arrows of basic existence, its also fair to say that they were catered to a good deal more than you or I have been.

People were nice to them, and their surroundings were also quite nice. And it made them  nice. Some people emerge as crusty snobs from the same pipeline, but another possible reaction to a life of comfort and affluence is to become good natured and to expect the world to behave in kind.

SIGN UP: Get Colin McEnroes newsletter delivered to your inbox

Story about Fred: A few years after college we attended a wedding at the country estate of a classmate in Brickerville, Pa., which is located quite near such disturbing towns as Intercourse, Blue Ball, Reamstown and Bird-in-Hand, but not really near anything else.

It was an afternoon wedding. In the early evening, we napped and then about 10 of us decided to go out on the town. This was difficult to do in Greater Brickerville, but we eventually found a roadhouse, full of men in wool jackets and caps sporting the names of grain companies, 100 percent of whom were drinking shots and beers.

We, recent Yale graduates, sat down in two booths, where Fred noticed that our placemats had pictures and descriptions of Brandy Alexanders, Grasshoppers and Pink Squirrels.

"I love Brandy Alexanders," Fred exclaimed. "Lets order some."

"Fred," I cautioned, "they probably bought 10,000 of these placemats cheap. Look around you. They dont serve stuff like that."

"They wouldnt have these placemats if they couldnt make the drinks," insisted Fred, who hopped to his feet and went over to the bar where I saw him get into an animated conversation with the barkeep and a waitress.

"Were going to get beaten up and crushed by farm equipment," I told the others.

The next thing I saw was Fred and the waitress walking toward us with trays of Brandy Alexanders. It turns out they did know how to make all those drinks, but nobody ever asked them to make anything except boilermakers. They were quite tickled to have Fred around.

So it is with Ned. I predict he will try to govern by good nature, which can be quite irresistible.

Case in point, there are roughly 1,200 federal workers in Connecticut who are without pay and ineligible for unemployment comp. In a ponderous, foot-dragging process that apparently consumed all of four hours, Lamont got Webster Bank to agree to give them no-interest pay-cycle loans backed by the full faith and credit of the State of Connecticut.

"Were happy to do it - its simply the right thing to do," gushed Webster CEO John Ciulla at the proverbial "hastily scheduled press conference." Happy! Right thing to do! Did it right away! Brandy Alexanders for everybody!

But soft you now, for yonder sits the state legislature, and the Republicans therein will surely gaze with ill humor at a Democratic governor offering no-interest loans. Let us spy and see what foul epithet they will direct at Ned.

"The proposed temporary support is a clever and unique way to leverage a partnership to help those in need,'' said Senate Republican leader Len Fasano.

Hey, can I get a tech person in here? Theres something wrong with my laptop! Niceness is coming out of the Republicans! Of course, Fasano is one thing. His House counterpart is quite another. Dont let the white dress and the animal print Jimmy Choos fool you, Ned. Themis Klarides is a ruthless Dothraki horse lord born in the wrong place and time.

NED: "Hey diddly ho, nice lady! Lets play a game called whats special about you and why! "

THEMIS: "You are weak. Tonight my dogs and I will eat your liver cooked over a fire of dead snakes."

Theres something infectious about Lamonts can-do sunniness, but its best suited for relatively simple situations. In his inaugural address, he beamed around the packed joint session and exclaimed, "Lets fix the damn budget, once and for all!"

"Alex, Ill take Legislative Responses for $400."

"And the answer is Slap their foreheads and yell: Why didnt we think of that? "

"What is: Something none of the 187 legislators did?"

"And youre back in the plus column."

Which is to say, at a certain point, Lamont is going to need more than back-slapping and Pink Squirrels. But, really, for now, who even wants to think about that?

Colin McEnroe writes a weekly column, his newsletter comes out every Thursday and you can hear his radio show every weekday on WNPR 90.5. Send him an email at colin@ctpublic.org.TORRINGTON  Judge Patricia McGowan Wald, a native of Torrington who was the first woman appointed to and to serve as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, died Jan. 12. She was 90.

Charlene LaVoie, an attorney who operates the Office of the Community Lawyer in Winsted, said she learned about Walds death by her obituary in the New York Times.

Were talking about one of the most disinguished jurists, a human rights advocate, and a role model for women, throughout her career, LaVoie said. She hits every bell.

LaVoie never met Wald, but remains impressed by the judges career of advocacy and hard work. She recalled a story in Walds obituary about her education.

One interesting thing I do know about her is that she went to Connecticut College for Women, (now Connecticut College) when it was a womens college, in New London, LaVoie said. She was able to go there because she got a scholarship from a woman in Torrington. I dont know who it was, but it was someone who had money, who was somehow aware of this young woman, who maybe said to herself she needs this. She gave her this vote of confidence and the money to start this amazing career.

LaVoie called Wald amazing and distinguished.

What a life she had, she said. What else can you say? Shell be missed.

Wald was inducted into the Connecticut Womens Hall of Fame in 2011. At that time, the Hall of Fame described her as a woman who shaped policy and championed justice in the U.S. and around the globe.

As the first woman appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Judge Wald paved the way for future generations of women in the legal profession, the Hall of Fame said on its website. After her retirement from the federal bench, she went on to serve on the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, hearing cases involving the former Yugoslavia. Known for her practical handling of cases involving the rights of women, children and the poor and her trailblazing approach to international law, her career in public service has had a lasting impact by showing the humanitarian role the law can play both at home and abroad.

In the Hall of Fames story, Wald was quoted as saying, I see the law as a way to translate our most fundamental aspirations and goals for an open and orderly society that treats all people in the community with respect and in keeping with their behavior toward others and as a vehicle in which to move our society and everyone in it to a better place. It doesnt always work out that way in the short run, but I never stop trying.

Wald was born Patricia McGowan on Sept. 16, 1928, the daughter of Joseph McGowan and Margaret OKeefe.

Shortly after her birth, Joseph McGowan left his family leaving Margaret to raise their daughter, according to her bio from the Hall of Fame. Alone and lacking resources, Margaret moved in with her mother and began working in a factory. Though she had not finished high school and no one in the family had ever attended college, she was determined that her daughter would go to college and have the opportunity to lead a different kind of life.

After graduating from high school, Patricia McGowan won a scholarship to Connecticut College for Women where she was encouraged by one of her teachers to consider law school, according to the Hall of Fame.

In 1948, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and first in her class and won a scholarship to Yale University Law School. One of only 11 women in her class, she excelled and became Case Editor of the Yale Law Journal, graduating with honors in 1951, her bio reads with the Hall of Fame. Two law school professors recommended her for a federal clerkship with Judge Jerome Frank, on the Second Circuit. Though it was unusual for women to have federal clerkships at the time, Judge Frank believed in giving women opportunities and the experience proved invaluable.

McGowan married Bob Wald in 1952 and moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where he was stationed with the Navy. Wald raised five children and continued to pursue professional interests, researching and consulting on poverty issues and the criminal justice system, according to the Hall of Fame story.

The New York Times reported that as a mother and wife, Wald left her job as a law clerk for 10 years to raise her children. She said she had no regrets for doing so, and assumed she would return to work eventually, which she did.

I did not want to go back to work until my kids were in regular school, she said, though she added, I respect other womens choices to go back earlier.

In May 1972, Wald was honored by Connecticut College for her work on the National Conference on Bail and Criminal Justice. She co-authored the book Bail in the U.S. in 1964, which helped reform the nations bail system, according to a New Haven Register article from 1972.

This work led to her appointment by President Johnson to the Presidents Commission on Crime in D.C., the Hall of Fame bio said. Three years later, in 1967, she re-entered the legal profession as an attorney in the Department of Justices Office of Criminal Justice.

Wald left the Justice Department and joined the innovative Neighborhood Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C., in 1968.

Her interest in the root causes of crime and violence led to further research on drug abuse and, in 1971, she turned her attention toward public interest law, joining the Center for Law and Social Policy, one of only two public interest firms in existence at the time, her bio said. She worked on cases primarily involving children, mental health, and disability rights.

President Jimmy Carter appointed Wald Assistant Attorney General for Legislative affairs in 1977, and she was then appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1979.

Though her confirmation was not a smooth process, the U.S. Senate finally approved her nomination and Judge Wald became the first woman appointed to the D.C. Circuit Court, often referred to as the nations second most important court after the Supreme Court, the Hall of Fame wrote.

Wald remained on the court for 20 years, and became a chief judge in 1986. In addition to her responsibilities as a federal judge, in 1994, Wald became active in the American Bar Associations Central and Eastern European Law Initiative, designed to provide technical advice for establishing new judicial structures in the new democracies emerging from the former Soviet Union.

When she retired from the bench in 1999, she was appointed as a U.S. representative to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague and served a two-year term on the court, hearing cases related to the former Yugoslavia.

This new assignment posed many challenges for Judge Wald and her colleagues as much of International Law had not yet been written, according to the Hall of Fame. She quickly rose to a leadership role within the court and through her leadership helped to establish standards and procedures to ensure the rule of law and the respect of human rights.

In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed her to the Presidents Commission on Intelligence Capabilities of the U.S. Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, an independent commission charged with evaluating the intelligence and policy decisions that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Hall of Fame said. In 2010, Wald began serving on the Constitution Projects Guantanamo Task Force.

Wald received many honors and awards and was recognized by the Constitution Project as the 2011 Constitutional Champion.

In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor.TORRINGTON  Special needs students allegedly are being restrained and put in seclusion regularly by employees of EdAdvance, the regional education consortium in Litchfield County.

Those charges are contained in a 35-page affidavit filed with the State Board of Education by former EdAdvance social worker Heather LaSelle.

An accompanying document, filed by her attorney Andrew Feinstein, petitions the state board for Removal of State Funding of Special Education Services provided by Torrington (school district) and EdAdvance.

LaSelles filing triggered an investigation by the state board, which began earlier this month.

Seeing these practices, (Heather) filed with the state and insisted they do something, Feinstein said.

EdAdvance cooperated fully with the State Department of Education staff during the investigation and will continue to do so once the results are shared, Jeffrey C. Kitching, executive director of EdAdvance said in an email.

He said the investigation has already been completed. But state board spokesman Peter Yazbak said the investigation is ongoing and is expected to be finished by early February.

ACCESS North Director Jody Minotti and Torrington Superintendent of Schools Susan M. Lubomski did not respond to requests for comment.

Schools have become extremely closed off to the public for school safety reasons, LaSelle said Wednesday. In many ways it creates an institution of secrecy.

She supervised two programs with EdAdvance that are cited in her affidavit: ACCESS North, and the Torrington Alternative Program, or TAP. They operated under contract with the Torrington School District to provide services for special education students.

The allegations contained in Heather LaSelles sworn affidavit are revolting, Feinstein said in his filing to the state board.

LaSelle worked for the state Department of Children and Families for more than a decade.

I had access to situations where abuse occurred. Im very statutorily aware (of actions that are not lawful), she said.

She noted that once she filed the affidavit, teachers and administrators from around the state have echoed her concerns.

The physical restraints rise to the level of putting a face against a wall or a face on the floor, LaSelle said. Its systemic throughout schools.

The state board has the power to take over the school district and run it themselves, based on their findings, Feinstein said. Federal law requires schools to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, he said.

But, Feinstein said, its more likely they will order corrective actions. They would tell (the Torrington Board of Education) to do this, this and this, he said.

The ACCESS North program is less than two years old, according to EdAdvances website. Its 2018 annual report states that the company expanded its programs to meet the growing need for cost-effective solutions and quality programs for students with specialized needs.

The 2018-19 student/parent handbook, for both ACCESS North and TAP, states that its mission is to provide specialized educational, therapeutic, and diagnostic services for 6-12 (grade) students to support each student in developing the skills and attributes needed for personal and academic success.

Both of the 22-page handbooks contain 29 references to bullying and 10 for physical restraint.

Its about confining, LeSalle said. Its the school-to-prison pipeline. She said about 50 students are enrolled in the two programs.

Interviews by the state board began this week with parents whose children are enrolled in the program, Feinstein said.

The Torrington School District is deeply, deeply troubled and it has been for a long time, Feinstein added.

Editors note: This story has been updated since it was first posted to add a comment from Jeffrey C. Kitching.WINSTED  In October 2018, Northwestern Connecticut Community Colleges Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) entered its fifth year.

The program at NCCC was expanded in 2017, allowing participants from the predominantly rural northwest CT communities to access credit-bearing programs.

Last October, President Mark Ojakian of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities announced that CSCU had expanded its partnership with the CT Department of Social Services and became the first state in New England to offer free classes to anyone eligible for SNAP at all of its 12 community colleges.

Individuals who qualify for SNAP can now complete relevant coursework for free in over 60 programs with high industry demand including Advanced Manufacturing, Allied Health and Emergency Medical Response.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the CT Department of Social Services, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, provides food assistance for low income individuals and families living in the United States. SNAP Employment & Training programs were created to help recipients gain skills, training, or experience to increase their ability to obtain regular employment.

We serve between 50 and 60 people annually through the SNAP Employment & Training grant, and the training we provide is designed to fit the unique job market of Northwest CT. This relationship benefits both the job seeker and area businesses, said Erin Kennedy, NCCCs SNAP Coordinator. We recently expanded to include Aassociate degree programs and manufacturing courses.

Free career training opportunities that individuals from households receiving SNAP or Food Stamps assistance may receive at NCCC at no cost include: Workforce Development Courses; Certified Nurse Aide, CNA; Office Support Professional; Central Sterile Processing Technician *NEW*; Manufacturing Solderer; Emergency Medical Technician EMT; Pharmacy Technician;Manufacturing & CNC Machining. Credit programs include Computer Network Support Specialist Computer Systems Technology (A.S.); Medical Records and Health Information Technician Health Information and Reimbursement; and certificates in Web Developer Computer Science Studies (A.S.); Veterinary Technologist and Technician Veterinary Technology (A.S.); Preschool Teacher Early Childhood Education (A.S.); Psychiatric Technician Human Services (A.S. & Certificate); Medical Assistant Medical Assisting (A.S.); and Nurse Nursing (A.S.).

According to Kennedy, a participants tuition, textbooks, school supplies and other expenses are covered by the program, and extra academic help is available at the Academic Skills and Student Success Center at NCCC, In addition, referrals are provided for resume writing, job search and interviewing skills in the participants home communities.

Just before Christmas, President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law. Critical for community college students, the $867 billion bill renews through 2023 the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and a range of other U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. Importantly, the bill provides a modest increase in funding for state SNAP employment and training (E&T) programs. It also includes amendments intended to strengthen SNAP E&T, which helps states and other partners provide access to education and training for SNAP recipients.

For more information about the SNAP program at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, contact Erin Kennedy, SNAP Coordinator, at 860-738-6419 or email ekennedy@nwcc.edu.HARTFORD  Labor leaders from across the state made their way to the governors residence in Hartford for their first discussion with Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday.

Lamont, who won the race by more than 43,000 votes and the backing of Connecticuts labor unions, was vague in his speech on Jan. 9 about whether he will ask the unions to re-open the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition contract, which doesnt expire until 2027.

I am a strong believer in labor, and now is the time to show that collective bargaining works in tough times, as well as good times, Lamont said during his first speech as governor. As our liabilities continue to grow faster than our assets, together we have to make the changes necessary to ensure that retirement security is a reality for our younger, as well as our older, state employees, and do that without breaking the bank.

Lamonts budget proposal isnt due until mid-February and his office is not offering to help parse his words.

At an evening press conference Tuesday, Lamont said hes meeting with business leaders, legislators, and labor leaders.

Im meeting with all the different players I need to help solve this fiscal crisis, Lamont said.

Lamont said all he did Tuesday was lay out from an actuarial point of view where we are as a state when it comes to pension and health care liabilities.

Labor leaders did not make themselves available for comment following the Tuesday meeting and have also been cautious about how they characterize what Lamont says.

Jody Barr, executive director of AFSCME Council 4, which represents more than 15,000 state employees, insisted on Jan. 9 that Lamont has not asked them to open the contract. Barr said the governor has invited labor to be part of the process.

Barr said his members have participated in the transition and are offering up ideas on how to improve state government. He said they will be at the table, but that it wont a table where they negotiate more concessions.

Were all hopeful hes going to bridge this fiscal thing, Barr said. It gives us hope we can get through it.

Former Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who also won his 2010 election with the support of labor, asked the unions for $2 billion in concessions immediately after taking office in order to help close a $3.2 billion budget deficit. A bitter battle ensued, but they eventually were able to ratify a concession package in 2011, and another in 2017, which included a four-year no-layoff clause, a three-year wage freeze, three furlough days, and a 3.5 percent pay increase in the final two years. In addition the 2017 deal increases employee contributions to their health and pension benefits and it extends that portion of the deal another five years until 2027.

The unions feel like theyve given enough over the past decade.

However, the states failure to fund the pensions over the years is eating up a bigger portion of Connecticuts fixed budget costs.

But should the current generation of union workers and taxpayers be responsible for past failures to fund the pensions?

A commission is studying ways to prop up the states unfunded pension liabilities with funds from the Connecticut Lottery or by pooling state-owned property into a trust fund, but those solutions have not been widely tested and will likely require more study.

The more immediate problem is the Teachers Retirement System.

The annual contribution to the Teachers Retirement System is about $1.3 billion, but it could top $6.2 billion by 2032 because of years of underfunding. Connecticut didnt start setting aside money to pay for teacher retirements until around 1982  decades after the program was first created.

The pension fund, according to the last valuation, has enough assets to cover 56 percent of its long-term obligations.

Another complication is that in 2008, Connecticut borrowed $2 billion to shore up the fund. That bond is expected to be paid off by 2033. When that borrowing was approved Connecticut pledged in a bond covenant to contribute the full annual payment to the fund for 25 years, and only in extreme circumstances would Connecticut be allowed to skip the payment.

Theres no consensus yet on how to handle the issue.Student hold a banner during the Not Us Campaign, a drug prevention/awareness movement held on the State Capitol steps in Charleston to make a symbolic stand against the drug epidemic. They displayed 936 pairs of baby shoes to represent the 936 babies that were born in 2017 withdrawing from drugs.(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herlad)Ralph Haze Pettrey, 83, of Pipestem, died Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at Rockin Chair Residential Care. Born October 18, 1937 at Forest Hill, he was the son of the late Allen E. and Pearl Farley Pettrey. Mr. Pettrey was retired from the Wildlife Division of the West Virginia DNR. He was a US NavyJanuary 17, 2019 11:04 IST

'A robust electoral democracy provides an institutional basis for the generation and regeneration of political hope.'

IMAGE: Indians queue up to vote in a 1969 election. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

"It doesn't matter what your political leanings are, but the fact is that people can make a choice and governments have to be accountable to them."

"This strong institutional basis for generating and regenerating political hope is not meant to be taken for granted."

Ornit Shani drew applause from the audience while she described the amazing story of the making of India's first voters list.

The Israeli academic spoke about the forgotten bureaucrats who drew up the first electoral rolls, the crucial exercise of making every vote equal and how those first electoral rolls laid the plinth of Indian democracy.

Ornit Shani discussed her fascinating book How India Became Democratic (Penguin) at the Times Lit Fest last month with journalist Vikram Doctor, whose grandfather Ambassador A V Padmanabhan was among the civil servants who worked on that historic enterprise -- India's first electoral rolls.

Rediff.com's Archana Masih listened in.

The first voters list was the plinth of democracy

If you do not prepare an accurate electoral roll, as humanly possible, the very first time, it is very difficult to put in place the electoral process.

This list of first voters is the plinth over which rests the institution of electoral democracy.

This is the basis for voters to build trust in the system. The failure of democracy in some countries had something to do with this.

See what happened to the franchise in Pakistan. It can tell you something about the failure of democracy there.

The constituent assembly of Pakistan could not decide for years what would be the form of franchise.

They had a system initially of separate electorates for west Pakistan and joint electorate for the east. Ultimately, if you don't decide the structure of the franchise, you cannot make electoral rolls.

India's Election Commission is a very dynamic institution and that is what came out in the processing of the first roll.

The first Election Commissioner of India, Sukumar Sen, after completing the first election in India, went to do the election in Sudan in 1953-1954.

Why democracy should not be taken for granted

Having an electoral democracy does not secure democracy.

You cannot have equality and ideals of the implementation of the will of the people, without a robust democracy.

A robust electoral democracy provides an institutional basis for the generation and regeneration of political hope.

It provides for you the means to choose a better government.

It doesn't matter what your political leanings could be, but the fact is that people can make a choice and that governments have to be accountable to the people.

A strong institutional basis for generating and regenerating political hope is not meant to be taken for granted.

IMAGE: A candidate campaigns for votes in the 1955 election. His electoral symbol was a camel. Photograph: Evans/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The story behind the first voters list

The Indian Election Commission is strong, independent and autonomous and is directly linked to the story (of the first voters list) I am telling.

The original provisions in the Draft Constitution of 1948 suggested that every state of the Union would have its own Election Commission.

During the 9, 10 months of the preparation of the draft rolls, the bureaucrats of the secretariat of the Constituent Assembly realised that it would be a bad idea.

The reason they thought this was because when they were preparing the lists there were many attempts at disenfranchisement of people on the ground and infringement of the instructions.

On the ground, of course, there were officials that were trying disenfranchise many because they thought that some people did not have the right to vote. Why would they register Dalits in a village?

They realised that unless there is a central and autonomous Election Commission people could be disenfranchised at the whim of a district officer.

So bureaucrats of the secretariat wrote a note to the central committee explaining why there should be a central, autonomous commission.

The Election Commission heroes who made the first electoral roll

The whole process of the preparation of rolls was not just the management of the preparation. It was four months of dialogues, deliberations on devising instructions on how to prepare the rolls on the basis of universal adult franchise as an all India project.

It was done by a branch of the secretariat of the Constituent Assembly of India.

It was a small interim body guided by the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly B N Rau (Sir Benegal Narsing Rao).

This branch comprised of very few people -- Joint Secretary S N Mukherjee, Under Secretary A V Padmanabhan, two researchers (A A Abidi and Brij Bhushan), and Under Secretary (P S Subramanian).

This group was highly competent, had admirable integrity and was very responsive to the people.

On receiving complaints that attempts were made to disenfranchise people, the bureaucrats started making the public aware. They published the instructions in different languages in the form of a story to help people engage with them.

They were very responsive to the complaints, responsive to the level that they would bring to account local administrators.

Their task was to operationalise the principal of procedural equality. To make every man and woman equal voters.

They took their work seriously and did everything in their capacity.

When you read their files they are not about what it means to the nation, freedom and democracy -- for them it was a bureaucratic test that had to be performed properly.

Sometimes, local governments interpreted the instructions in a wrong way. It is a result of these ongoing instructions that that they were able to mentor administrators across the country.

Sir Benegal Narsing Rau, adviser to the secretariat drawing up the first voters list and one of the architects of the Constitution. Photograph: Kind courtesy India Post, Government of India/Wikimedia.org

Indians became voters first and citizens later

While the Constituent Assembly was still debating the Constitution in Parliament, there were Indians with a strong sense of being Indian and of their rights which were technically not yet rights (because the Constitution had still not come into force).

These people wrote to the bureaucrats of their complaints and these bureaucrats wrote back.

Imagine being an ordinary person in an Assam village getting a letter from the Constituent Assembly secretariat. Effectively, people had no degree of separation from the secretariat of the Constituent Assembly.

They not only did acknowledge the letter, but even wrote another letter explaining what they did about their problem.

The most overwhelming experiences for me while researching was to read the letters of people.

How ordinary Indians made a place for themselves in the new universe of universal franchise

Many letters were from Assam and many from refugees writing about disenfranchisement.

People understood that a place on the electoral rolls really could secure their place in the state for them.

At that time who is an Indian was one of the most contested questions because there was no citizenship law, no Constitution, only citizenship provisions.

In order to be a voter you needed to be a citizen and have a place of stay for 180 days where you register. But who was a citizen was not too clear especially with regard to refugees who did not have 180 days.

There were special provisions to include them by the mere declaration that they are committed to stay and reside where they were being registered.

Disenfranchisement was often not deliberate, but because of misunderstanding instructions.

People interpreted the Draft Constitution and started using the language of the Draft Constitution. Dr (B R) Ambedkar, while presenting the revised draft to the Constituent Assembly, said we were trying to implement a democratic Constitution on undemocractic soil.

But on the other side, these letters show how people began to think about this new polity of universal franchise. What it meant to them and how they made a place for themselves in this new universe of universal franchise.

'No difference in choosing a mate or choosing a legislator!'

Many wrote letters about the age and caste of voters. A fantastic letter from Poona says that the age 21 set for voters had no psychological logic.

'I think it should be 21 for women and 25 for men because this is considered to be the right age of marriage and ultimately there is no difference in choosing a mate or choosing a legislator!'

There are dozens of letters with inventive creative ideas!

The most overwhelming thing was how people drove the process of the first roll and how the decision on refugees was taken about those who had lost all.

How refugees who did not have a residence were enrolled

The basic criteria was being 21, a citizen and resident -- refugees did not need the criteria of citizenship and residence.

The secretariat started getting letters from bureaucrats around the country about how to register refugees without residence qualification.

The secretariat tried to find a solution over three months. They look into international precedents -- like what happened after the partition of the Ottoman empire, what happened to refugees in the wake of Wolrd War I -- but they could not get any leads and had to find their own procedures.

These were preliminary rolls and they decided to enroll the refugees on the mere declaration that they would reside in India without the distinction whether that is a good or a bad refugee.

One has to look at what they have done to think about today. It was the most courageous thing they did at the time.

When the rolls were ready, some politicians started to doubt whether the right to vote should be given to illiterate people -- whether the literate and illiterate should be on the same footing -- but it was too late.January 18, 2019 00:00 IST

Amid growing concerns over the Chinese military buildup along the eastern flank of the country, the government has ordered moving a strategic Indo-Tibetan Border Police command from its current base in Chandigarh by over 960 km to the border of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said on Thursday.

The North West frontier of the ITBP, tasked to guard the 3,488-km long Sino-India border in peace times, is headed by an Inspector General (IG) of police-rank officer, which is equivalent to a Major General rank in the Army.

The frontier, according to documents accessed by PTI, has been ordered to move 'lock, stock, and barrel' by March-end and will have to be operationalised at the new location from April 1.

The Leh district in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir is the base for the 14 Corps of the Army that is headed by a Lt General-rank officer and the new shift will allow a better interaction between the two forces 'for strategic and defence planning', official sources said.

The Army, which carved out a separate Corps in Leh after Jammu and Srinagar following the Kargil intrusion in 1999, has been demanding operational control over the ITBP, a proposal rejected by the government time and again.

Having the ITBP and the Army at the same operational location will resolve these issues as well, the sources said.

ITBP Director General S S Deswal confirmed the move to the news agency, saying the new frontier will be moved from Chandigarh to Leh and will be made operational from April this year.

"We have to be on the border and that is why the frontier is being sent to the forward area," the DG said.

The Union home ministry had first mooted the proposal for this strategic move in 2015 but it did not materialise owing to some 'administrative reasons'.

As per the blueprint of deployment approved by the government for the ITBP, the Leh frontier of the border guarding force will have three sectors that will be based in Leh, Srinagar and Chandigarh and each of these will be headed by a Deputy IG-rank officer.

The ITBP, at present, has about half a dozen battalions deployed along the Chinese border that runs along Jammu and Kashmir and official sources said once the frontier starts operating from its new base in Leh, it will oversee the induction of more battalions that the force is inducting to enhance its presence on this icy, blizzard-prone mountainous border.

The ITBP has recently inducted a mechanised column of vehicles and communication equipment and all the weapons, artillery and combat paraphernalia will now be moved to Leh, that has both road and air connectivity.

The force also has sanctions to create and refurbish 40 Border Out Posts (BoPs) in these icy heights of Ladakh, where personnel have to face hostile weather as the mercury slips to as low as -40C and the altitude ranges from 8,000-14,000 feet.

Modern 'composite' BoPs, which have weather control mechanism and facilities for better drinking water and rest and recuperation, are also being created for the ITBP troops in this region.

Leh, till now, had an ITBP sector establishment headed by a DIG-rank officer.

The about-90,000-strong force not only guards the scenic Pangong lake in this area but also the upper reaches of the Himalayan mountain ranges that run across China.

As a part of its efforts to strengthen the military muscle along the China border, the government had similarly moved the North East (NE) frontier of the ITBP from Shillong in Meghalaya to Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh in 2016.

Both the Arunachal Pradesh and the Leh regions have seen frequent incidents of incursions, standoffs and few instances of physical pushing and shoving between the troops of the Chinese PLA and the ITBP and the Army personnel over the last few years.

The 73-day-long military standoff between India and China in Doklam (Sikkim) in 2017 is a grim reminder of these instances.

Sources, however, added that 2018 saw an about 60 per cent decline in these incidents all along the eastern border front that the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh share with China.Source:

January 17, 2019 21:39 IST

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the gathering at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital during its inaugural ceremony, in Ahmedabad, on Thursday. Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India via PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Constitutional amendment to provide 10 per cent reservation to economically poor in the general category was achieved due to the political will of his government and would be implemented from this academic year.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 1,500 bed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Science and Research, Modi said the economic reservation has been given without impacting the existing social reservations.

"The new reservation will be implemented in 40,000 colleges across 900 universities in the country from this academic year. The number of seats will be increased by 10 per cent," he said.

Modi said his government was committed to provide equal opportunities to all sections of the society.

The Institute will be linked to the Ayushman Bharat scheme so that poor people can avail medical facilities free of cost, he said.

In 100 days, seven lakh poor people have received treatment under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushmaan Bharat scheme, he said.

This will be the first government hospital to have a helipad, he said, adding the new medical facility will help boost health sector in the state.

"Cleanliness and health-care has always been the prime agenda of Ahmedabad municipal corporation since the time Sardar Patel was the mayor. The hospital project started in 2012 and I am mesmerised by the way it has turned out to be," he said.

Modi also said that his government has helped create crores of employment opportunities across sectors in the last four and a half years.

The remarks assume significance as they come after the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, an independent think tank, recently estimated that 11 million jobs in the country were lost in 2018, with the rural sector being the worst hit.

"Be it tourism, manufacturing or the services sector, crores of employment opportunities have been created in the last four and a half years," Modi said, after inaugurating a shopping festival in Ahmedabad.

In 2017, the then Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya had said the growth of the Indian economy was not translating into more employment.

Modi said the government is helping the micro, small and medium enterprises in every possible way and cited a list of initiatives taken by it in this segment.

The move to increase interest subvention to 5 per cent and including merchant exporters in the scheme's ambit is likely to benefit exporters by Rs 600 crore, he said.

Modi said the government has created the GEM (Government E Marketplace) portal for smaller enterprises. The platform has witnessed trade of Rs 16,500 crore till now, he said.

The country is now moving towards a system where banks will extend credit based only on GST returns, Modi said.

Efforts are on to streamline the indirect taxation reform, he said.

Modi also inaugurated a statue of Indian Space Research Organisation founder Vikram Sarabhai, and said instilling scientific temper in more people will be the real tribute to the scientist.Source:

January 17, 2019 17:07 IST

At least two traffic personnel were injured on Thursday in a grenade attack by terrorists on a security picket at Zero Bridge in Srinagar, police said.

"Militants hurled a grenade at a security forces' picket near Zero Bridge on Rajbagh side. At least two cops were hurt in the attack," a police official said.

The official said security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the attackers.

Security forces also questioned the people who gathered near the attack site.

The attack took place less than 100 metres from the National Conference headquarters and the local office of the All India Radio.

The injured was admitted to a nearby hospital and are currently reported to be stable.

Photographs: Umar Ganie/Rediff.comSource:

January 17, 2019 21:57 IST

Ahead of the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting in Bengaluru on Friday, more party MLAs allegedly under the Bharatiya Janata Partys radar for desertion returned home, giving the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government hopes of averting a crisis.

As the Congress stepped up its efforts to quell dissidence, BJP state chief B S Yeddyurappa arrived in Bengaluru, asserting his party was not involved in any operation to topple the government.

He said his party MLAs were also flying back from Gurugram, where they are staying for the past few days.

Slamming the BJP for making futile attempts to destabilise his government, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy accused it of keeping the saffron party's MLAs in confinement at Gurugram.

Grappling with the political turmoil triggered by reports of the BJP luring Congress MLAs to take a fresh shot at government formation, Kumaraswamy rejected its charge that he was trying to poach their lawmakers.

Fridays Congress Legislature Party meet is expected to be a show of strength for the Congress, in a counter to BJPs alleged toppling bid which the ruling coalition has said has turned out to be a flop.

In a notice issued to Congress MLAs, CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah warned that absence of MLAs at Friday's meeting would be viewed seriously.

'I would like to bring to your notice that your absence will be viewed seriously and it will be considered that you have voluntarily decided to leave the primary membership of the Indian National Congress,' he said and added that action would be initiated under the Anti-Defection Law.

Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, Siddaramaiah claimed that all the party MLAs would attend the CLP meeting.

Asked if disgruntled MLAs coming back into the party fold would be made ministers, Siddaramaiah said, We have not told anyone that we will make them minister or any other thing. There is no disgruntlement in the Congress.

In a breather to the Congress, a few more MLAs who had allegedly gone incommunicado and were on the poaching list of the BJP surfaced, declaring allegiance to the party.

Yellapur MLA Shivram Hebbar who met Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief Dinesh Gunduu Rao on Thursday said he had gone to Andaman and Nicobar Islands with family, as per the plan made about a month ago.

Terming the timing as coincidence, he said, Im a worker of the Congress. I have got elected from the party, and there is no question of getting sold for any reasons.

Another Congress MLA J N Ganesh from Kampli termed reports that he had planned to switch to BJP as a creation and false.

I only want development of my constituency, allurement for money, horse-trading are all very petty things to do. I even feel ashamed to talk about it," he added.

Congress MLA from Ballari B Nagendra said he was in Mumbai for personal reasons, business and other things.

I keep going to Mumbai..so that doesn't show that I'm in touch with some one.I'm not disgruntled... not going (to BJP)," he said in response to a question.

Nagendra, however, expressed doubt about attending the CLP meeting on Friday, citing a court hearing.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said Yeddyurappa making repeated claims that Congress-JD(S) leaders, especially the Chief Minister, were luring his party MLAs, was surprising for him.

"They are making all kinds of futile attempts (to destabilise the government). Who is taking the lead and working (to lure MLAs)?" he said.

"...today I want to ask Yeddyurappa and his friends, how long have you been staying at a hotel in Gurugram, for what sake have you kept MLAs in confinement?" Kumaraswamy asked.

Accusing the BJP of doing everything to poach MLAs with allurements, he said, but now you are blaming us, if you feel that people will accept whatever you say, you are wrong. People will give answer to BJP leaders at the right time.

On his part, Yeddyurappa said, No one from BJP has indulged in any kind of operation or luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs. We had gathered all our MLAs at one place and were discussing preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the last two-three days. Today all are coming back.

Why do they have to fear if we gather our MLAs, I don't understand.Internal fight within Congress and JD-S is going out of control, to cover up their internal squabbles, they should not blame BJP," he added.

If your MLAs have gone to Mumbai or Delhi, what do we have to do with it? It is --Congress-JD(S) -- your duty to keep your legislators intact. No one is in touch with us..I'm telling you, Yeddyurapa said.

"Who are they to ask where we are going? You try to keep your MLAs intact, why are you blaming us?" Yeddyurappa said, adding that how many will come (for the CLP) will be known, their true colours will come out tomorrow.

Political turmoil has hit Karnataka since Monday amid reports that the BJP was allegedly making a renewed bid to dislodge the seven month-old coalition government. Both the ruling coalition and BJP have been levelling charges of horse trading against each other.Source:

January 17, 2019 23:32 IST

The Congress on Thursday alleged National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's son Vivek started a hedge fund in Cayman Islands days after demonetisation and demanded a probe by the Reserve Bank into Foreign Direct Investment inflows from the tax haven.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi days after a media report highlighted the same issue, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also asked the RBI to make public details of FDI inflows from Cayman islands since demonetisation, which he claimed were to the tune of Rs 8,300 crore during 2017-18 and equalled total funds flowing into India between 2000 to 2017.

Ramesh, however, did not substantiate his allegations with any documentary evidence. There was no immediate comment available from either Doval or his son and his company.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury also demanded answers from Doval and cited a media report on the issue to allege that the role of the Prime Minister's Office and its top security official was under a 'dark shadow'.

He said it was the prime minister's responsibility to ensure the NSA's accountability as he was not accountable to Parliament being an un-elected official, and asserted 'silence amounts to culpability'.

Ramesh alleged that a hedge fund GNY Asia was opened in Cayman Islands on November 21, 2016, 13 days after demonetisation, with Vivek Doval as one of its directors.

The former Union minister also alleged that while there are three more directors of GNY, one of them is Don W Ebanks whose name appears in Panama's 'Paradise papers' also referred as 'Panama papers'.

Alleging that 'there is certainly a link between demonetisation and FDI inflows from Cayman islands', he said this is a 'round tripping of money' and demanded a probe.

"This is not FDI, it is round tripping of demonetised money and has a direct link to black money....

"There should be a probe into the FDI that came into the country from Cayman Islands after demonetisation," he demanded, saying, "GNA owes an explanation to the country."

"What is the role of GNY Asia in FDI inflows. We demand that the Reserve Bank makes public all funds from where money has come into the country from Cayman Islands," Ramesh told reporters.

He said the RBI should publish details of all those who brought in money from Cayman islands.

"There should be complete information on this made available to the public," he said, adding, "The RBI should probe the identity of funds who brought in 8300 crore in one year."

"It is not natural that we raised this question. A prime minister of a neighbouring country had to resign after his name appeared in the Panama papers," he said, alleging that the name of a former chief minister's son also appears in these papers.

Ramesh also sought to know what are the relations between Vivek Doval's fund GNY Asia and Zeus Capital, another company in which his brother Shaurya Doval has business interests.

He recalled that Doval should implement what he had advocated eight years ago as part of a panel of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Black money stashed abroad, in which he demanded that there should be strict crackdown on tax havens and such offshore entities.

Cayman Islands are an autonomous British Overseas territory in the western Caribbean Sea, which is considered a tax haven.

In a tweet, Yechury said, 'The role of Modi's PMO and its top security official is under a dark shadow. Serious questions of probity and propriety get more weight due to NSA Doval's role in the Rs 59,000 crore Rafale scam, where he was illegally negotiating in Paris with the French.'

'Doval, who has grabbed more and more power for himself under Modi, can't be above the rule of law,' he said.Source:

January 17, 2019 17:30 IST

IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for making 'futile attempts' to destabilise his government, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the saffron party of keeping its MLAs in 'confinement' at a hotel in Gurugram.

Grappling with the political turmoil triggered by reports that the BJP was luring Congress MLAs, Kumaraswamy rejected a charge by the saffron party that he was trying to poach their lawmakers.

"Some people tried to misuse you (the media) in spreading a feeling that on January 15 there would be some-kranti (revolution). I feel instead of doing some-kranti they have done some-bhranti (illusion) to themselves," Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy was referring to reports about alleged claims in BJP that there would be 'some kranti (revolution)' by 'Sankranthi' on January 15, the festival of harvests in Karnataka, to suggest that the government would fall.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said BJP state president Yeddyurappa making repeated claims that Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) leaders, especially the Chief Minister, was luringhis party MLAs, was 'surprising' for him.

"They are making all kinds of futile attempts (to destabilise the government)...," he said.

The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition and BJP have accused each other of trying to lure the MLAs.

Hitting out at Yeddyurappa for criticising his foreignvisit along with family on New Year's eve when the state was reeling under drought, Kumaraswamy asked the BJP president about his party MLAs now spending time at a five star hotel.

Yeddyurappa had spoken with anger as though only he was concerned about the farmers and difficulties of the people, he said.

"Is Yeddyurappa and party taking stock of the drought situation in Gurugram, sitting at the hotel? Has the situation in Karnataka improved now?" he asked.

The Chief Minister flayed Yeddyurappa for allegedly confining BJP MLAs at a hotel, while pointing out that the ruling coalition legislators were free.

"I am surprised when you (Yeddyurappa) criticise theCongress and JD-S for their inability to keep MLAs together..but, you have kept your MLAs in confinement at a hotel, are there differences between you and your MLAs?

"We have not kept any of our MLAs in confinement, we have left them free," Kumaraswamy said.

"You (BJP) are doing everything (trying to poach MLAs), but now blaming us, if you feel that people will accept whatever you say, you are wrong. Peoplewill give answer to BJP leaders at the right time," he added.Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. Slight chance of an afternoon shower. High 83F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.January 17, 2019 09:31 IST

'China pumps in a lot more money than what we do. China's space budget is close to $5 billion while it is hardly $1 billion for us.'

'We manage the programmes within the constraints of our budget. The main difference is we prioritise.'

IMAGE: China's lunar rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit 2, rolling onto the far side of the moon in this photograph taken by the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on January 4, 2019. Photograph: Reuters

The probe named Chang'e 4, launched from southwest China in early December, landed on the Von Karman crater within the moon's South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest impact crater in the solar system, at 10:26 am Beijing time on January 2, 2019.

Shortly after the landing, a rover on the landing craft dispatched the first photograph of the moon's surface from its far side back to earth via a satellite communication relay.

Although China, the United States and Russia have operated robotic spacecraft on the moon before, Chang'e 4 is the first spacercraft to land on the side of the moon that always faces away from earth.

The landing 'marked a new chapter in the human race's lunar and space exploration,' the China National Space Administration said in a statement.

"It is a global breakthrough, no doubt about it," former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

For the first time in the world, China landed its spacecraft on the far side of the moon. How do you think China managed this feat ahead of other countries? This is a unique experiment and they have been working on it for quite some time. It is a global breakthrough, no doubt about it. They have been consistent in their efforts and that's why they have succeeded in this mission. As they have landed on the far side of the moon which is not visible to us, they had to have a relay satellite. And they have achieved this. In fact, landing on the surface of the moon itself is a big event, but this time, they have landed soft g and then rolled out the rover which moved around and took pictures. It is a turning point as far as space programmes are concerned.

How different and difficult is it to land on the far side of the moon as it is not visible? Landing on the moon technology is the same whether you are landing this side or the far side. But in this case, we have to do the operation in blind. Only when the relay satellite sends the data, we will know whether we are in the safe. It means we have to wait for a longer period to get a response. That is the tricky part, but it is manageable.

IMAGE: G Madhavan Nair, then chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, holds a miniature of India's first unmanned moon mission Chandrayaan-1 after its launch from the Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota, October 22, 2008. Photograph: Babu/Reuters

Why do you think no other country -- for example, the US, which is very advanced in space technology -- was able to do this while China did so? Of course, the US has the capability. If they had set their mind, they would have done it. After the manned mission to moon, they lost interest in the moon and moved on to Mars. Now, their priority is a mission to Mars. It is not that they (the US) cannot do it.

The funding to NASA have been reduced. Could that be one of the reasons? No. Nasa programmes are expensive, but with the available funds, they have changed the focus to Mars.

IMAGE: A Long March-3B rocket carrying Chang'e 4 lunar probe takes off from the Xichang satellite launch centre, China, December 8, 2018. Photograph: Reuters

China's mission has been described as a new chapter in the human race's lunar and space exploration. In what way will it change space exploration? It is definitely a new chapter that can throw more light on planetary science. The moon had broken off from earth around 4.2 billion years ago and from then on, it is almost in a virgin stage. We will now know how the part that is exposed to the sun is different from the part that is not exposed to the sun. In a way, you will know how planets have evolved from the data that is collected. I also understand that they have landed on a deep crater which might have happened due to an asteroid hitting the surface. Probably, they could get some history of it too.

With this achievement and China pumping more money to space science, will China become a superpower in space science overtaking the US? No, no. I don't think they will overtake the US in the near future. China's focus is on specific areas like the man mission, mini space station and now, this. You just can't compare the space activities of both countries.

IMAGE: The far side of the moon we never see from Earth. Photograph: NASA/NOAA/Reuters

How do you compare India's space programmes with that of China? Why do you think they are leaping ahead? The major thing is they are pumping in a lot more money than what we are doing. China's space budget is close to $5 billion while it is hardly $1 billion for us. We manage the programmes within the constraints of our budget. The main difference is we prioritise. Our priority is taking the benefits to the common man and 80% of our budget is being used for that. The current man mission will take away 20% of our budget. That will again lead to technology advancement in the field so that we can be on par with other leading nations. Most of China's space programmes and ours are similar. We also spend a lot on planetary explorations. They also want to perfect human space missions. Yes, we are doing our planetary programmes on a shoe string budget. We have chalked out the Chandrayan 2, the Mars Mission and the Mission to Venus. We will also be progressing in our own way. It all depends on the interests of the scientific community.

You mean our capabilities are no way inferior to China; only the priorities are different? In the manned mission area, we are lagging behind, but we will catch up with them.January 17, 2019 08:29 IST

'The party will keep to the script that its core supporter understands: Temples, statues, Muslims and cows,' says Aakar Patel.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

What will be the effect of the alliances being formed against the Bharatiya Janata Party across the country? The obvious conclusion will be that the BJP will take fewer seats than in 2019.

The history of electoral alliances in India is that when the dominant party faces a joint Opposition, it gives up seats.

This was the case for the Congress party when it was the dominant force for five decades after Independence. Whenever the Opposition came together, as it did in 1977 and 1989, it was able to overwhelm the big party.

The theory is that because most parties in India are caste-based, alliances tend to work and are able to increase vote share. When large alliances form against the ruling party, it gets into trouble.

That may or may not be the case in May this year and it could be that the BJP will still come back to power, though in an alliance. But there is little doubt that it will have to face a much stronger resistance than it did in 2014.

Between Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the expectation is that the BJP could lose as many as 100 seats.

Most of these losses will not be recoverable in the parts of India where the party will gain, for example in Kerala and West Bengal.

We will soon know what is happening when the opinion polls begin to roll out from next month onwards.

There is another effect that the alliances and the weakening of the Modi-Shah combine will have inside the BJP and let us take a look at that. What I mean is what will happen within the party.

In many ways, the BJP is unique because it looks on itself as an ideological party. In comparison, the Congress has no real ideology. It can say it has values, for example secularism, or that it has some policies, for example liberalisation. But it does not have a fixed set of beliefs, and that is what an ideology is.

Parties such as the BSP, the SP, the TMC, the BJD etc also do not have any particular ideology. The Samajwadi Party will say it is Lohiaite, but not many party workers or even SP leaders will be able to explain what that means in real terms.

The Communists say they have a Marxist or Leninist ideology but they cannot really express the ideology when they are in power in a state.

Kerala does not look particularly different under a UDF government led by Congress than when it is under an LDF government led by the Marxists.

But the BJP claims it has a proper ideology, and it calls this ideology Hindutva. What will happen when the party is weakening, as it has been in recent months?

We should expect that some consequences will follow.

The first is that in times of uncertainty, ideological parties tend to fall back on their first principles.

In the case of the BJP this means that the party will keep to the script that its core supporter understands: Temples, statues, Muslims and cows.

These are reliable things where the party is surefooted and its stand on these things separate the BJP from its competitors.

The result of this is that it will pull the leadership towards the extreme.

Within the party, the second rung will try to position themselves with the expectation that the uncertainty will produce opportunities later on.

Modi and Shah will be more vulnerable in these circumstances. They will have less space to talk about development and inclusion and will have to move towards the right. This is why we are seeing no emphasis on these things this time versus in 2014.

The pressure is already on them and will continue to build through the next few months.

As Modi and Shah move to the right, centrist BJP leaders like Nitin Gadkari will also have a larger opportunity to expand their non-Hindutva appeal.

The vulnerabilities will therefore be on both sides. This can be seen as something that is good for the party because right now it is quite closed and undemocratic at the national level.

But inclusion and development are not core to the BJP's appeal, and so we must conclude that the change this period will produce will be more visible in religious and nationalistic issues than in everyday and material ones.

The findings of the opinion polls, as the alliances are formed and announced, will keep this framework locked in.

The space for Modi will continue to shrink and the drift towards the right and the extreme will accelerate.

Aakar Patel -- winner of the 2018 Prem Bhatia Award for Political Reporting -- is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.January 17, 2019 13:35 IST

'Undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the September 2019 intake are now open for applications.'

IMAGE: Parents and students attend the Education in Ireland fair on November 21, 2018 at the St Regis hotel, Mumbai. Photograph: Kind courtesy Education in Ireland

College Application Time is here!

Students from across streams in India are examining options to enhance their education profile.

With the rupee falling, Indians are looking beyond the US to pursue higher education.

Ireland is one of the more sought after destinations after Britain, Germany, France and Australia.

According to Barry O'Driscoll, a senior spokesperson for Education in Ireland, the percentage of Indians visiting the country increased by 17% in 2017.

O'Driscoll, left, below, tells Divya Nair/Rediff.com how international students can secure admission at a top Irish college.

Why do you think Ireland is a good country for Indian students?

Ireland is an English-speaking country with a long tradition in education.

All of Ireland's universities are ranked in the top five per cent globally. Ireland's Institutes of Technology (there are 14 of them that go by that name) are renowned for their close links with industry and their highly employable graduates.

The country, much like India, offers a buzzing, multicultural, society, where students will certainly find the highest of education standards and warmest of welcomes.

In fact, Ireland is one of the ten safest countries on earth, according to the Global Peace Index 2017.

How have things changed for students post Brexit in Ireland?

Since the Brexit vote, Ireland's higher education institutions have seen a notable increase in applications and enquiries for higher level programmes from Indian students.

It is expected that Brexit will lead to an increase in international students and researchers choosing Ireland.

The country's membership of the European Union has played an integral role in building Ireland's reputation as a location for orld-class research and as a centre of excellence in higher education.

For the UK, Brexit brings uncertainty over the future of its involvement in international research and serious concerns about losing European research funding and top international academics.

Whereas for Ireland, its strong place in the EU will ensure that Irish higher education institutions continue to access valuable EU funding, and remain at the forefront of research and innovation.

UK universities are now seeing a drop in applications from international students in recent months, whereas Ireland's institutions have seen a notable increase in applications -- particularly from India.

In terms of post-study work opportunities for graduates, Brexit could also present an opportunity for Ireland.

After Brexit, Ireland will be the only English-speaking country in the European Union.

The Irish authorities are currently dealing with hundreds of enquiries from companies, particularly in the financial services sector, considering to relocate from the UK to Ireland in order to maintain access to the European market.

What is the eligibility to apply for a course in a university in Ireland?

The eligibility criteria for each university and course varies, though there are certain general requirements that a candidate needs to keep in mind before applying for colleges in Ireland:

All Irish institutions of higher education use English as the language of instruction so the student needs to be able to understand, converse and write in English.

If your native language is not English or your undergraduate education was not in English, then you will have to pass an approved test, before registering for any course, like the IELTS, PTE, ETAPP, GCSE, etc.

Ireland requires candidates from non-EU countries to have a visa to come and study in Ireland. The student immigration process is divided into two categories, based on whether you are applying for a degree programme offered by a higher education institutions or you intend to pursue an English -- language or non-degree course.

An important (issue) to keep in mind while applying for a visa is evidence that you have access to sufficient funds to cover your tuition fees and cost of living expenses. You must show you have sufficient funds to support your stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.

While you may be able to undertake part-time work during your time here, you should not have to rely on this income to meet all your expenses.

What are some of the things students should bear in mind before applying?

Students from non-EU countries are not covered for any free medical attention off-campus and must therefore have their own private insurance.

Please note that heavy levies are charged for all hospitalisation and it is advised to make provision for adequate medical insurance.

Non-EU students are required to show proof of comprehensive medical insurance with an Irish Health Insurance provider when registering with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Proof of health insurance is also required when applying for a student visa.

What advice would would you share with Indian students who would are considering studying in Ireland?

Before applying, you should try to get as much information as you can about your preferred programme, institution and accommodation as well as funding and student visa criteria. Once you are completely satisfied with all your choices, you will need time to gather the necessary paperwork.

Tuition costs vary depending on the course, the institution and whether you are classified as an EU student or non-EU student. They also fluctuate so make sure to double check the fees with your chosen institution before you begin the application process.

All international students can assess their own qualifications through the National Framework Qualifications before they take any decisions on study options. The NFQ is a system of ten levels and each of these levels grade all learning from beginner to advanced. It is based on standards of knowledge, skill and competence of the student and it incorporates awards made for all kinds of learning, wherever it is gained. This allows the international students to easily compare qualifications in order to plan their education, training and career progression.

What is the average student mix like? Which country has maximum representation?

There is a large cohort of students from other EU member states studying in Ireland -- France, Spain, Germany and Italy here.

From outside of the EU there are students from the US, Canada, Brazil, Middle East, India and China.

How conducive are living conditions for vegetarians?

There are plenty of food options for vegetarians both on campus or off campus, in local cities and towns. For Indian students, there are plenty of Indian food stores.

What is the best time to apply?

Undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the September 2019 intake are now open for applications.January 17, 2019 08:59 IST

After the 2019 election, one thing is sure: GST will see a number of changes, explains Indivjal Dhasmana.

Whether it is a BJP-led government or a Congress one at the Centre after the 2019 general election, one thing is sure: The goods and services tax will see quite a number of changes.

While the Congress has promised an overhaul of the tax, the BJP itself is talking about a single standard rate now.

Let us examine the 5 possible changes that GST may undergo after the Lok Sabha polls:

Changes in rates

It is certain now that the peak rate of GST, at 28%, would have only sin products such as cigarettes and tobacco, and luxury goods such as air conditioners and dish washers.

After cutting rates on 23 items, Finance Minister and GST Council Chairman Arun Jaitley said eventually the 12% and 18% rates would be merged to form a single standard rate.

However, he wanted a significant increase in tax collections before such a step could be taken.

A future road map could be to work towards a single standard rate instead of two standard rates of 12% and 18% cent, the minister said.

'It could be a rate at some mid-point between the two. Obviously, this will take some reasonable time when the tax will rise significantly,' he said.

'The country should eventually have a GST which will have only slabs of 0%, 5% and standard rate with luxury and sin goods as an exception,' Jaitley added.

It is anybody's guess what this 'reasonable time' is, as GST collections have not keeping pace with the target.

While the target was roughly Rs 1 trillion a month, only April and October have yielded this figure for the first eight months of 2018-2019.

What the single standard rate would be is also anybody's guess though the mid-point between 12% and 18% is 15%.

In fact, this was the revenue neutral rate that was arrived at a committee headed by then chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian.

It had suggested that the RNR be fixed in the 15% to 15.5% range though a 15% rate would be preferable.

However, the committee had suggested a standard rate of 17% to 18% and a lower rate of 12%.

It had also recommended a 40% sin or demerit rate.

"While fixing the standard rate, the GST Council may have to balance the GST revenue collection targets and, at the same time, ensure that it does not entail too much of a burden on the industry and consumers specially for the goods which are currently in the 12% basket," said Abhishek Jain, tax partner at EY.

Return simplification

This process is underway and is expected to be rolled out on July 1 this year.

Originally, it was to be rolled out in December 2018 or in January 2019.

Anyway, after much hue and cry, the GST Council had allowed small and medium taxpayers to file sale quarterly returns instead of monthly.

The annual turnover cap for this category was fixed at Rs 1 crore earlier, but now it has been increased to Rs 10 crore.

Also, form GSTR2 (purchase returns) and input-output returns (GSTR 3) had been suspended.

However, taxpayers have to file GSTR1 (supply returns) and GSTR 3B (summary input-output returns).

So, big businesses are filing two returns in a month and one annual return, or 25 returns a year.

Small businesses file one return -- summary input-output return -- a month and one supply return in a quarter, apart from the annual return.

So they file 17 returns in a year.

In its place, the draft of simple returns the government has put in the public domain proposes that big businesses file one return monthly and one annual return.

That makes it 13 returns a year, down from 25 currently for big businesses.

There will also be three kinds of quarterly returns.

One for manufacturers or service providers and two others for traders.

Those traders with only business to consumer (B2C) supplies will file Sahaj and those with both B2C and business to business (B2B) supplies will submit the Sugam form.

However, assessees will have to continuously upload invoices and keep track of matching purchase receipts with those of sales, to claim input tax credit.

This, many say, will be burdensome for taxpayers because currently they self-certify the credit claims.

This is so because only taxes paid on invoices uploaded till the 10th of the next month by suppliers will be available for input tax credit for buyers.

Though the facility of quarterly returns will be available, taxes have to be paid monthly.

Every business will have to pay taxes monthly by the 20th of the following month.

These are just draft forms, and the final version will be put in the public domain by April this year.

Composition scheme for services

Under the Composition scheme, which has been introduced in GST to woo small businesses, taxpayers pay a flat rate at lower level, but aren't entitled to get input tax credit.

The ceiling for availing this scheme currently is Rs 1.5 crore.

Manufacturers, dealers and restaurant owners can avail this scheme.

While manufacturers and dealers are required to pay 1% tax, restaurant service providers pay 5%.

Now, there are demands that small service providers also be brought under the scheme.

The issue is that when these service providers raise bills, their buyers are reluctant to pay GST.

As such, these providers are unwilling to join the new tax system.

The next Council meeting will discuss this issue this month and will come out with the rules and the rate for this purpose.

But experts say the limit could be fixed at Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

Threshold limit of exemption

Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

The next Council meeting is likely to increase the exemption limit for medium and small enterprises to Rs 75 lakh annual turnover from the current Rs 20 lakh.

Those with annual turnovers less than or equal to this threshold are not required to register under GST.

However, this is unlikely to impact the number of GST registrants or the exchequer significantly.

About 10.2 million assessees are registered under GST as of now.

Almost 25% of those registered with GSTN have a turnover in the range of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

GST paid by them makes up only 5% of the overall collection.

Compensation cess for another three years

Though the devolution formula is still being worked out by the finance commission, it is likely that GST compensation cess may be extended by three more years.

The devolution formula may be affected by the Centre's decision to extend the compensation cess beyond 2022.

While the finance commission's recommendations will be implemented for the period between 2020-2021 and 2024-2025, the compensation cess would cease to exist by 2022.

The commission is in talks with the states as to how their deficits would be met after 2022.

However, the need of the cess is coming down a bit. Cess to the tune of Rs 48,000 crore was distributed to the states in the first eight months of 2017-2018, but now only Rs 30,000 crore has been distributed.

This was due to improved collections from GST, Jaitley had said earlier.

GST collections have improved in most states, including consuming states of the north east and manufacturing states of Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Also, the average GST collections stood at Rs 89,000 crore last year and Rs 96,000 crore this year so far.

This was despite the fact that the collections have missed the target of Rs 1 trillion a month till December.January 17, 2019 16:08 IST

The dairy company has alleged that Google India and also goDaddy.com were misusing their platforms for earning revenues through advertisements on fake B2B campaigns that duped innocent individuals seeking Amul franchise across India.

India's largest dairy player, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), popularly known as Amul, has issued a legal notice to Google India Pvt Ltd and goDaddy.com over fake B2B campaigns from which the latter benefitted.

According to Amul, both Google India and goDaddy.com were being held accountable for misuse of their platform for earning revenues through advertisements (subscription in the case of goDaddy.com) on fake campaigns that duped innocent individuals seeking Amul franchise across India.

"A series of fake B2B campaigns regarding Amul Parlors, Distributors have started through fake websites using Google Search ads since September 2018.

"These individuals/organizations are having malicious intent of exploiting individuals across India with fake promises of business opportunity with Amul.

"Many Indians across the geography of India and age group have been robbed of their hard earned money.

"These miscreants have been running paid advertisement on Google Search engine against keywords such as Amul Franchisee, Amul Parlor, and Amul Distributor among many others," the dairy player said in an official communique.

Upon opening these fake websites, individuals were required to fill forms, post which they received calls from unknown numbers to pay registration fees ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 500,000 via NEFT in various bank accounts.

Post receipt of the payment, the interested individuals stop receiving all forms of communication from these miscreants.

While seeking Google's help to prevent innocent individuals from getting duped, Amul had even submitted all legal documents pertaining to their copyright over the brand Amul and various brand names of it products to the tech major.

"This was done under the guidance of Google India team, to prevent any miscreant from using Amul keyword-based ads on the Google Search engine.Amul ran promoted ads on Google Search to educate customers against such fake campaign and had a dedicated page talking about it http://amul.com/m/amul-parlours-fake-websites," Amul stated.

An emailed query has been sent to Google.

Further, Amul had even raised a complaint with the Cyber Cell of Gujarat Police in Ahmedabad and complained to the website domain portals from where these fake website domains were being purchased.

However, while Amul continued to flag the issue with Google India, seeking its help to stop such miscreants from using the search engine's platform through paid advertisements, the cases kept rising.

It was only on January 10, 2019 that Amul sent legal notice to Google India.

"For the last 4 months, the sales team of Amul have been meeting innocent individuals who have been duped of various hefty amounts and guiding them to file FIRs and take other legal steps.

"However, the most imperative step that Amul feels is to prevent the usage of platforms such as Google Search results for such nefarious activities.

"It has been observed, Google Ads platform is allowing such miscreants to use its paid promotion services repeatedly without any background checks and in the process earning revenues from the click-based advertising on their page," Amul further stated.

Photograph: Amul via TwitterJanuary 17, 2019 16:47 IST

The airline has struggled to pay salaries and vendors on time and its Rs 10,963 crore fund and non fund based facilities have now been assigned 'D' rating by ICRA - the seventh rating downgrade since March 2017.

Even as the talks between Jet Airways and its lenders are learnt to have reached a stage of finality, the Naresh Goyal-led company issued an official statement to scotch any speculation around its foreign partner Etihad offering to raise its stake at a steep discount.

The statement, which came after the airline stock fell 7.95 per cent, closing at Rs 271 on the BSE, confirmed that the resolution plan was considering various options on the debt-equity mix, proportion of equity infusion by stakeholders and the consequent change in the composition of the companys board of directors.

Off the record, sources gave out details that indicated that the consortium of Jet lenders led by the State Bank of India (SBI) would be largest shareholder in the airline post restructuring.

At this stage of negotiation, it looks like the SBI-led consortium will hold around 40 per cent, while Etihads stake could go up by 2 to 3 per cent, an executive of a bank with exposure to Jet Airways said.

Founder chairman Goyals stake could possibly fall to around 24 per cent. Currently, Goyal owns 51 per cent and Etihad 24 per cent stake in the airline.

A meeting was held between banks and airline executives on Wednesday to discuss the fundraising options.

Another sticky issue that is being addressed is that of an open offer.

An official tracking the Jet developments said if theres a change in the ownership structure and the Goyal family ceases to be classified as promoter of Jet Airways, an exemption from open offer can be granted.

This is because such a change in the ownership structure can be viewed as reconstruction of the company, prompting an exemption from open offer.

However, a final call on this will have to be taken by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the official said.

There have been previous cases where the Sebi has granted exemption for an open offer if a case is made out by a company, said R S Loona, managing partner of Alliance Law.

In the case of Spicejet takeover, an open offer exemption was granted after the DGCA approved the deal and allowed Ajay Singh not to make an open offer.

The idea is to protect the minority shareholders. if the company shuts down, it will not help anyone, said Loona.

But the regulatory approvals for any exemption from the civil aviation ministry may be delayed as secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey is due to retire in the next 15 days.

There is a confusion over the authority of Ministry of Civil Aviation to recommend such an exemption which was given to SpiceJet. The secretary may not want to take such a controversial decision, the official said.

From the bankers side too, conditions are being set. For instance, lenders may want board seats in Jet Airways after the restructuring of their debt.

They are also learnt to be insisting on a personal guarantee from Goyal and restructuring of overseas bonds.

The fact that the forensic audit by EY is yet to be circulated among all the stakeholders including the lenders is also slowing things down, sources said.

The audit, while pointing out minor diversions, did not indicate any criminal offence in relation to funding, they added.

Recent reports suggested Etihad had laid down stiff conditions for additional equity infusion.

These include share subscription at Rs 150 apiece, stripping Goyal of his powers and waivers in open offer and preferential allotment norms.

The reports. which quoted Etihad chief executive Tony Douglas letter to the SBI, also warned that financial condition of Jet was grim and it would run out of funds in a week's time.

Etihad would also have the right to appoint a CEO at the airline, which is valued at Rs 3,078 crore as per stock's closing price on Wednesday.

While the Jet statement said the resolution plan was under active discussion among stakeholders and proposals were yet to be crystalised, Etihad refused to comment on speculation.

Besides Etihad, lenders too are pressurising Goyal to give up control of the airline which he founded 25 years ago.

Goyal and his wife Anita hold positions on the board and both would be asked to step down, it is learnt. Goyal's son Nivaan may be given a board position with nominees of Etihad and banks taking additional positions.

Jet has a loan repayment of Rs 1,700 crore due by March end. This includes $ 150 million (around Rs 1050 crore) loan raised from various banks in West Asia in 2014.

The airline has struggled to pay salaries and vendors on time and its Rs 10,963 crore fund and non fund based facilities have now been assigned 'D' rating by ICRA. This is the seventh rating downgrade since March 2017.

Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/ReutersJanuary 17, 2019 19:39 IST

A government report revealed that fake companies floated with fake addresses, issued fake GST invoices and generated fake e-way bills, with fake vehicle registration details without supplying any goods, causing huge loss to the exchequer.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Parliament was informed last Tuesday that 3,626 cases of tax evasion had been detected in the three quarters of FY19 under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

The total evasion in these cases works out to Rs15,278 crore, of which Rs9,959 crore has been recovered.

This revelation comes after recent data indicated compliance under GST was declining.

The percentage of taxpayers not filing returns rose from 15.44 per cent in April 2018 to 28.75 per cent in November 2018.

Even among composition tax payers, the percentage of non-filers rose from 19.28 per cent in Q1FY19 to 25.37 per cent in Q2FY19.

Why is it that compliance levels have not stabilised even a year and a half after GST was put in place?

One reason, indirect tax authorities are finding, is mushrooming input credit frauds run by briefcase' companies.

A formal admission of this problem was made in the GST Council meeting in August by the finance minister.

He observed that if such companies were not traceable, the recipient who had used the input tax credit would be liable to pay even though he might have paid the tax to the seller, according to the minutes of the meeting.

Business Standard spoke to senior GST officials and experts, and reviewed official records that reveal the modus operandi of scams to get a sense of the magnitude.

We are seeing the tip of the iceberg. The one-nation one-tax concept has created, for the first time, countrywide cartels specialising in defrauding the GST system, said one of the senior GST officials involved in detecting frauds.

Input credit

Under GST, taxes paid at intermediate levels in a production chain can be claimed as input credit, which is set off against the total liability.

Sellers are required to upload sale invoices to GST Network (GSTN).

These automatically get reflected as purchases of the taxpayer in the supply chain, allowing the latter to claim input credit.

This allowed officials to cross-check vouchers of inward and outward purchases, known as voucher matching.

This could be done online, reducing the requirement of physical inspections.

But faced with outcry over consequent high compliance burden, granular voucher matching was deferred.

The only way the system could oversee voucher matching was through GSTR-2 return.

"But that has not been activated. We are now going by whatever the taxpayers say.

"The only way to catch is by physically inspecting suspicious individual entities or transactions, another senior GST official said.

A former member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said, This is the reason why matching (of invoices) was contemplated. This has dogged us in both CST and VAT regimes.

Take the case of a scrap iron and steel business busted in Bengaluru in November.

A single person had registered 20 fake companies on the GSTN.

They floated fake companies at fake addresses, issued fake GST invoices and generated fake e-way bills, with fake vehicle registration details without supply of any goods causing loss to the exchequer, a government report disclosed.

In this case, fake invoices worth Rs 1,200 crore had been generated to avoid GST liability of Rs 200 crore.

Business Standard has reviewed records of several such cases.

We are discovering links between such cartels and networks that run deep and wide. A large number of cases are being observed in trading, said another official.

In effect, by fraudulently generating input credit in the system for GST taxpayers, these cartels are creating illegal money out of the GST system.

"Yet, they are to be prosecuted under relatively lax provisions of tax evasion.

The KYC problem

KYC norms for registering on GSTN were loosened to reduce compliance burden on taxpayers and prevent petty corruption that existed under the older tax regime.

Proprietorships and others can register by providing basic documents of identity and residence.

These are difficult to verify digitally. And Aadhaar is not mandatory.

PAN numbers of random people are being uploaded against ghost entities.

"These are available in the black market for as low as Rs 2,000. On physical verification, even electricity bills and rent deeds are being found to be bogus, said another GST official.

Detecting such frauds will require much more than just data analytics. In all the cases that Business Standard reviewed, authorities required tip-offs and physical verification to catch culprits.

And, while e-way bills were meant to improve compliance, as the system is hosted on National Informatics Centre servers, it is not deeply integrated with the GSTN that hosts the rest of the GST data.

Tackling the menace

The only way to catch culprits is to dig through all the layers of transactions to the point of origin.

These layers, for a single case of evasion, can involve detecting dozens of fraudulent firms, thousands of vouchers generated from entities registered in different parts of the country.

A lot of cases are being detected. In the initial period, we did not want to frighten everyone, so we moved softly. But people took advantage.

"We lost a lot of revenue in the initial months. We lost several trillions to transitional credit, which too was a scam and there was no verification of stocks, the former member of CBIC said.

In the absence of granular voucher matching and in the face of a leaky KYC system, the best option is to study patterns of input credit that can legitimately exist at a point in time, in different production chains, the member said.

He added that while this would provide a sense of which sectors are to be tracked more closely, it would be a tedious exercise.

The GST Council has now decided to bring out a tweaked version of voucher matching in the next financial year. Pilots for this would be launched in April.

The government plans to allow taxpayers to upload their vouchers on a daily basis if they find that easier.For the first time in Athens, the Wildlife Resources and Education Network will host a symposium for wildlife professionals on Feb. 2-Feb. 3 and a workshop for the public on Feb. 2. The lecturers at the symposium and workshop will discuss topics ranging from reuniting young wild mammals to white-tailed deer rehabilitation."Visions of MLK" is an art exhibition that allows members of the community to showcase their talents in the hopes of moving toward Martin Luther King Jr.'s goal of unity. This year, "Visions of MLK" will be held on Jan. 19, 2019.For the first time in the University of Georgias history, Anita Qualls has been awarded the prestigious Churchill Scholarship. The scholarship, established by Winston Churchill, provides American students with the opportunity to travel across the pond to pursue a one-year masters degree at the University of Cambridge.Im at a bit of a disadvantage writing this column before the Academy Award nominations for 2018 were announced Tuesday, so I think I would like to talk about what Id like to see happen this year and hope for the best. Examining the major categories for my wish list here:

Best Picture: I would presume that Roma, A Star is Born and Vice all get slots in the major category, but I would also root for the small indie film, Eighth Grade or the horror hit, A Quiet Place to make the cut. Both are films that would usually be shut out of the top category, but now that up to ten nominees are allowed, why not welcome them to the table?

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born), Christian Bale (Vice) and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) are all front-runners, but please dont ignore Ethan Hawkes best performance to date in the little-seen, First Reformed. I would also make a case to support Paul Giamattis touching work as a middle-aged New Yorker attempting to have a child in Private Life or Ben Foster, as the off-the-grid veteran with a teenage daughter in Leave No Trace.

Best Actress: Naturally Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) and Glenn Close (The Wife) will be duking it out for top honors in this category, but I would love to see the luminous Yalitza Aparacio, who dominates every single frame of Roma and Toni Collette, as the chilling mother in Hereditary, also given a shot. And for a younger generation, how about recognizing Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) or Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace), who had no trouble carrying their respective films last year?

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book) already seems to have the lock here and its well deserved. But how about a nomination for Josh Hamilton, wonderful as the confused dad in Eighth Grade or Michael B. Jordan, stealing scenes as the fierce villain, Erik Killmonger, in Black Panther? The acting in blockbuster films is often overlooked, but Jordans work was essential to the success of Black Panther.

Best Supporting Actress: It looks like a good year for Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) and no one would argue with her being honored. I would also make a case, however, to cite Kayli Carter, perfection as the young woman offering to be a surrogate in Private Life as well as Molly Shannon, very funny in that same film, playing her contrary mother. Finally, was there anyone who did not adore Linda Cardellinis small but memorable performance as Viggo Mortensens ever-patient wife in Green Book?

Given the many surprises at the Golden Globes this year, it would be fun to see Oscar follow suit at least when it comes to the nomination process.

Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radios State of the Arts program and Artistic Director of Stratfords Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.Asylum processes at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, unpaid labor for those incarcerated and a documentary regarding the human remains found at the University of Georgias Baldwin Hall in 2015 were among the topics the Athens for Everyone board of directors discussed on Monday night.,



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Nearby Homesite, LotThe world is still celebrating the historic landing of Chinas Change-4 on the dark side of the moon on January 3. This week, China announced its plans to follow up with three more lunar missions, laying the groundwork for a lunar base.

Colonising the Moon, and beyond, has always being a human aspiration. Technological advancements, and the discovery of a considerable source of water close to the lunar poles, has made this idea even more appealing.

But how close is China to actually achieving this goal?

If we focus on the technology currently available, China could start building a base on the Moon today.

Read more: Will China's moon landing launch a new space race?

The first lunar base

The first lunar base would likely be an unmanned facility run by automated robotics  similar to Amazon warehouses  to ensure that the necessary infrastructures and support systems are fully operational before people arrive.

The lunar environment is susceptible to deep vacuum conditions, strong temperature fluctuations and solar radiation, among other conditions hostile to humans. More importantly, we have yet to fully understand the long term impact on the human body of being in space, and on the Moon.

Seeds taken to the Moon by the Chang'e-4 mission have now reportedly sprouted. This is the first time plants have been grown on the Moon, paving the way for a future food farm on the lunar base.

Building a lunar base is no different than building the first oil rig out in the ocean. The logistics of moving construction parts must be considered, feasibility studies must be conducted and, in this case, soil samples must be tested.

China has taken the first step by examining the soil of the lunar surface. This is necessary for building an underground habitat and supporting infrastructure that will shield the base from the harsh surface conditions.

3D printed everything

Of all the possible technologies for building a lunar base, 3D printing offers the most effective strategy. 3D printing on Earth has revolutionised manufacturing productivity and efficiency, reducing both waste and cost.

Chinas vision is to develop the capability to 3D print both inside and outside of the lunar base. 3D printers have the potential to make everything from daily items, like drinking cups, to repair parts for the base.

But 3D printing in space is a real challenge. It will require new technologies that can operate in the micro gravity environment of the Moon. 3D printing machines that are able to shape parts in the vacuum of space must be developed.

Read more: Want to build a moon base? Easy. Just print it

New materials are required

We know that Earth materials, such as fibre optics, change properties once they are in space. So materials that are effective on Earth, might not be effective on the Moon.

Whatever the intended use of the 3D printed component, it will have to be resistant to the conditions of lunar environment. So the development of printing material is crucial. Step-by-step, researchers are finding and developing new materials and technologies to address this challenge.

For example, researchers in Germany expect to have the first ready to use stainless steel tools to be 3D printed under microgravity in the near future. NASA also demonstrated 3D printing technology in zero gravity showing it is feasible to 3D print in space.

On a larger scale we have seen houses being 3D printed on Earth. In a similar way, the lunar base will likely be built using prefabricated parts in combination with large-scale 3D printing.

Examples of what this might look like can be seen to entries in the 3D printed habitat challenge, which was started by NASA in 2005. The competition seeks to advance 3D printing construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond.

NASA 3D Printed Habitat Challenge

Living on the Moon

So far, weve focused on the technological feasibility of building a lunar base, but we also need to consider the long term effect of lunar living on humans. To date, limited studies have been conducted to examine the the biological impact on human physiology at the cellular level.

We know that the human organs, tissues and cells are highly responsive to gravity, but an understanding of how human cells function and regenerate is currently lacking.

What happens if the astronauts get sick? Will medicine from Earth still work? If astronauts are to live on the Moon, these fundamental questions need to be answered.

In the long term, 3D bioprinting of human organs and tissues will play a crucial role in sustaining lunar missions by allowing for robotic surgeries. Russia recently demonstrated the first 3D bioprinter to function under microgravity.

Read more: Five reasons to forget Mars for now and return to the moon

To infinity and beyond

Can China build a lunar base? Absolutely. Can human beings survive on the Moon and other planets for the long term? The answer to that is less clear.

What is certain is that China will use the next 10 to 15 years to develop the requisite technical capabilities for conducting manned lunar missions and set the stage for space exploration.

Joshua Chou, Senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Good morning, its Thursday, January 17, 2019. Thirty-three years ago today, Ronald Reagan made an entry in his diary that, considering the disaster it set in motion, was remarkably brief, and surprisingly candid. After mentioning meetings with an Italian political leader and a group of conservative state legislators, the 40th U.S. president wrote this:

Only thing waiting was N.S.C. wanting decisions on our effort to get our 5 hostages out of Lebanon. Involves selling TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran. I gave the go-ahead.

Reagan, who was less than a month away from his 75th birthday, then spent four times as much space in his journal describing the preparations for his annual physical at Bethesda Naval Hospital. It went well, apparently. The doctor, whom Reagan noted was a woman, told him after looking at his CAT scan that he had the innards (Reagans word, not the doctors) of a man 20 years younger.

My day was made, Reagan wrote, so off to Camp David.

What Reagan had unwittingly done that day was set in motion a series of events that would be known by the end of the year as the Iran-Contra scandal, which led to the alienation of U.S. allies and more hostages being taken, not to mention a lengthy special prosecutors investigation that tarnished Reagans legacy and compromised the re-election chances of his successor.

Ill have a further thought or two about Iran-Contra in a moment. First, Id direct you to our front page, which aggregates an array of columns and stories spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters and contributors, including the following:

* * *

Raising Minimum Wage Will Cut Entry-Level Jobs. Alfredo Ortiz warns that legislation introduced this week will do more harm than good.

Chinese Student Visas Should Be Part of Trade Negotiations. Hal Lambert argues that Chinese nationals are being used by the Xi regime to promote its policies while they study in the U.S.

Dear Shutdown Alarmists -- Growth Already Happened. In RealClearMarkets, John Tamny and Adam Brandon stress that government spending can't create more economic growth; rather, the spending is possible only because of economic growth.

Paid Leave Policy Must Recognize Trade-Offs. In RealClearPolicy, Adam B. Schaeffer and Carrie Lukas write that those demanding expanded family and medical leave often fail to take costs into consideration.

A Comedians Take on Our Divided Nation. In RealClearLife, Joe Dziemianowicz interviews Colin Quinn about his new stage show, Red State Blue State.

* * *

The covert initiative that President Reagan approved on January 17, 1986 had been brought to him by National Security Adviser Robert C. Bud McFarlane, a Naval Academy grad and decorated U.S. Marine whod seen combat in Vietnam and retired from the military as a lieutenant colonel. McFarlane had resigned as NSC director six weeks earlier, but the plans hed brought to the president to free the kidnapped Americans -- one of whom was the CIA Beirut station chief William Buckley -- were now in motion.

Reagan convinced himself that he was dealing with middlemen and not the kidnappers themselves and therefore was not trading arms for hostages, wrote Lou Cannon. Nothing good came of this.

In a 2014 magazine piece on the topic of presidential leadership, Reagans most preeminent biographer offered a succinct, and chilling summation of the ensuing scandal:

McFarlanes successor John Poindexter turned over the operational details to Oliver North, a swashbuckling Marine who served on the National Security Council staff. On May 25, 1986, McFarlane, North and a CIA official who spoke Farsi flew to Tehran from Tel Aviv in an unmarked Israeli 707 loaded with anti-aircraft spare parts. They bore gifts of pistols and a chocolate layer cake decorated with a brass key plus maps for intelligence briefings on Iraq. The Americans were met by an arms buyer and Iran Revolutionary Guards who unloaded the spare parts, took the gifts and ate the cake.

The U.S. delegation spent four days in Tehran without seeing a high-ranking official. The moderate Iranians were fictional; the entire operation was orchestrated by the Iranian government.

Reagan was heartened when an American hostage was released in July, as Secretary of State George Shultz had predicted, but the arms sale provided more incentives for kidnapping hostages than releasing them. Three Americans were taken in Lebanon in September and October. After 500 anti-tank weapons were delivered to Iran at the end of October, three hostages were freed -- and three other Americans were kidnapped in January 1987. A year after Reagan approved the arms deal, the same number of hostages were in Lebanon. Two of the original seven had died, including Buckley, but theyd been replaced by other captives.

Meanwhile, the Contra part of the scandal was the attempt by North to divert $12 million of the proceeds to the Contras (short for counterrevolutionaries), the forces opposing Nicaraguas Marxist government.

Although Reagan had once compared the Contras to the Founding Fathers, he knew nothing about the diversion of arms sales profits, as Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh finally acknowledged on August 3, 1993. By then, Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office and Reagan was struggling with Alzheimers disease.

Is any of this relevant to us today? Perhaps. First, lets start with the obvious point: For those who think Robert Muellers probe into President Trumps 2016 campaign is wrapping up, how do we know? Walsh didnt issue his final report until four-and-a-half years after Reagan was out of office.

A more universal point is that all presidents, even those not given to making absurd boasts, seem to overestimate their skills at salesmanship. When my father interviewed Reagan soon after his first meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, he asked the president what he thought was the most neglected aspect of his biography. Reagan unhesitatingly harked back to his time in Hollywood -- specifically citing his negotiations with movie producers while he was president of the Screen Actors Guild.

What had he learned from these interactions? That the purpose of a negotiation is to get an agreement, Reagan replied.

Ronald Reagan didnt enter politics until he was 55, and this was the attitude he brought with him, and it was at the root of his acquiescence to dealing with moderate Iranians. It was a hope of finding the elusive middle ground of mutual interests between opposing parties.

Donald Trump had just turned 70 when he accepted the Republican presidential nomination, also with established theories about human nature -- and his own efficacy. Deals are my art form, he says in the opening of his famous bestseller. Other people paint beautifully on canvass or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. Its how I get my kicks.

Certainly, it would thrill any president to broker detente between Seoul and Pyongyang, while simultaneously ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons. And we dont have to wait for the publication of Donald Trumps diary to know how he rationalized his doubts away when it came to this undertaking. He publishes his whims, in real-time, on Twitter, as he did last April. Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week, Trump tweeted. Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!

But Kim Jong Un had plenty of incentives to give up his nukes before Trump ever entered politics, as did Kims father. But this is a dictator notorious for his atrocities, most of them against his own people -- sometimes the victims are his own family members.

While Ronald Reagan was trying to free William Buckley, Hezbollah was torturing the former CIA man to death, a savagery that lasted 15 months and that his executioners videotaped. In other words, international relations are rarely like business deals with fellow Americans. Not everyone in the world can be reasoned with. Optimism, self-confidence, even good intentions -- admirable qualities, to be sure -- are not always enough in a president.

Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.comThirty-three years ago today, Ronald Reagan made an entry in his diary that, considering the disaster it eventually led to, was remarkably brief, and surprisingly candid. After mentioning meetings with an Italian political leader and a group of conservative state legislators, the 40th U.S. president wrote this:

Only thing waiting was N.S.C. wanting decisions on our effort to get our 5 hostages out of Lebanon. Involves selling TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran. I gave the go-ahead.

Reagan, who was less than a month away from his 75th birthday, then spent four times as much space in his journal describing the preparations for his annual physical at Bethesda Naval Hospital. It went well, apparently. The doctor, whom Reagan noted was a woman, told him after looking at his CAT scan that he had the innards (Reagans word, not the doctors) of a man 20 years younger.

My day was made, Reagan wrote, so off to Camp David.

What Reagan had unwittingly done that day was set in motion a series of events that would be known by the end of the year as the Iran-Contra scandal, which led to the alienation of U.S. allies and more hostages being taken, not to mention a lengthy special prosecutors investigation that tarnished Reagans legacy and compromised the re-election chances of his successor.

The covert initiative that he approved on January 17, 1986 had been brought to him by National Security Adviser Robert C. Bud McFarlane, a Naval Academy grad and decorated U.S. Marine whod seen combat in Vietnam and retired from the military as a lieutenant colonel. McFarlane had resigned as NSC director six weeks earlier, but the plans hed brought to the president to free the kidnapped Americans -- one of whom was the CIA Beirut station chief William Buckley -- were now in effect.

Reagan convinced himself that he was dealing with middlemen and not the kidnappers themselves and therefore was not trading arms for hostages, wrote Lou Cannon. Nothing good came of this.

In a 2014 magazine piece on the topic of presidential leadership, Reagans preeminent biographer offered a succinct, and chilling summation of the ensuing scandal:

McFarlanes successor John Poindexter turned over the operational details to Oliver North, a swashbuckling Marine who served on the National Security Council staff. On May 25, 1986, McFarlane, North and a CIA official who spoke Farsi flew to Tehran from Tel Aviv in an unmarked Israeli 707 loaded with anti-aircraft spare parts. They bore gifts of pistols and a chocolate layer cake decorated with a brass key plus maps for intelligence briefings on Iraq. The Americans were met by an arms buyer and Iran Revolutionary Guards who unloaded the spare parts, took the gifts and ate the cake.

The U.S. delegation spent four days in Tehran without seeing a high-ranking official. The moderate Iranians were fictional; the entire operation was orchestrated by the Iranian government.

Reagan was heartened when an American hostage was released in July, as Secretary of State George Shultz had predicted, but the arms sale provided more incentives for kidnapping hostages than releasing them. Three Americans were taken in Lebanon in September and October. After 500 anti-tank weapons were delivered to Iran at the end of October, three hostages were freed -- and three other Americans were kidnapped in January 1987. A year after Reagan approved the arms deal, the same number of hostages were in Lebanon. Two of the original seven had died, including Buckley, but theyd been replaced by other captives.

Meanwhile, the Contra part of the scandal was the attempt by North to divert $12 million of the proceeds to the Contras (short for counterrevolutionaries), the forces opposing Nicaraguas Marxist government.

Although Reagan had once compared the Contras to the Founding Fathers, he knew nothing about the diversion of arms sales profits, as Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh finally acknowledged on August 3, 1993. By then, Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office and Reagan was struggling with Alzheimers disease.

Is any of this relevant to us today? Perhaps. First, lets start with the obvious point: For those who think Robert Muellers probe into President Trumps 2016 campaign is wrapping up, how do we know? Walsh didnt issue his final report until four-and-a-half years after Reagan was out of office.

A more universal point is that all presidents, even those not given to making absurd boasts, seem to overestimate their skills at salesmanship. When my father interviewed Reagan soon after his first meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, he asked the president what he thought was the most neglected aspect of his biography. Reagan unhesitatingly harked back to his time in Hollywood -- specifically citing his negotiations with movie producers while he was president of the Screen Actors Guild.

What had he learned from these interactions? That the purpose of a negotiation is to get an agreement, Reagan replied.

Ronald Reagan didnt enter politics until he was 55, and this was the attitude he brought with him, and it was at the root of his acquiescence to dealing with moderate Iranians. It was a hope of finding the elusive middle ground of mutual interests between opposing parties.

Donald Trump had just turned 70 when he accepted the Republican presidential nomination, also with established theories about human nature -- and his own efficacy. Deals are my art form, he says in the opening of his famous bestseller. Other people paint beautifully on canvass or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. Its how I get my kicks.

Certainly, it would thrill any president to broker detente between Seoul and Pyongyang, while simultaneously ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons. And we dont have to wait for the publication of Donald Trumps diary to know how he rationalized his doubts away when it came to this undertaking. He publishes his whims, in real-time, on Twitter, as he did last April. Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week, Trump tweeted. Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!

But Kim Jong Un had plenty of incentives to give up his nukes before Trump ever entered politics, as did Kims father. But this is a dictator notorious for his atrocities, most of them against his own people -- sometimes the victims are his own family members.

While Ronald Reagan was trying to free William Buckley, Hezbollah was torturing the former CIA man to death, a savagery that lasted 15 months and that his executioners videotaped. In other words, international relations are rarely like business deals with fellow Americans. Not everyone in the world can be reasoned with. Optimism, self-confidence, even good intentions -- admirable qualities, to be sure -- are not always enough in a president.Chinese nationals have been attending American universities in burgeoning numbers over the last decade. There are more than 360,000 of these students now enrolled in U.S. colleges, up fivefold since 2006. As a reference point, the total is equal to the population of Anaheim, Calif., the 55th largest city in the country. Many of these Chinese nationals are taking away highly prized, limited seats from American students at our top universities.

National security advisers in the Trump administration have become increasingly concerned with the threat of Chinese students studying here. Fearing that they are committing acts of espionage and cybertheft, the administration restricted the visas of Chinese graduate students involved in scientific and technological research to one year (from five). The administration is also considering additional procedures to vet students before they arrive in the United States.

In 2000, one in 10 Chinese students returned home after their studies here; today, eight in 10 do so. The Chinese Communist government has become much more involved with international students activities since President Xis rise to power in 2012. In December 2017, Xi urged these students to adopt the attitude of studying abroad to serve the country.

Chinese Student Groups Are Often Puppets of Their Government

Students are now heavily encouraged to create overseas party branches when studying abroad. These branches are reported to be responsible for promoting party and government policies. They want students to avoid the influence of ideologies perceived to be harmful and they even ask students to report on each others behaviors and beliefs.

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association and the Confucius Institute are two organizations on American college campuses where the Chinese government is pushing its ideas under the guise of multiculturalism. Both groups have grown to dozens of chapters across the country.

CSSA groups regularly accept funds from local Chinese consulates, raising concerns about the extent of Beijings reach. The CSSA has worked with consulates to create large student welcomes for Xi Jinping during his U.S. state visits. The consulate collects the students contact information to text them about events and pays them for attending.

More than 100 universities allow Confucius Institute chapters on their campuses. The schools receive funding for Chinese language and culture classes. In return, the Chinese government controls the curricula and message. These programs are run by a branch of the Chinese Ministry of Education known as Hanban.

The Confucius Institute actively undermines freedom of speech and religion on campus. The group worked to prevent the Dalai Lama from speaking at North Carolina State University, and it has censored ideas that the Chinese government considers taboo, such as the history of Tibet, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and Falun Gong.

Li Changchun, a former member of Chinas Politburo, openly admitted that the institute chapters are an attempt to censor and control the message on college campuses. It has made an important contribution toward improving our soft power. The Confucius brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical, Changchun said.

While university officials largely have accepted these groups as part of campus, U.S. officials are finally taking notice. Congressmen such as Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey are bringing long-awaited attention to this issue. They [the campus groups] are nests of influence, reconnaissance, he wrote. They keep tabs on Chinese students, and those who attend their classes are getting a Pollyannaish take on what China is about today.

Sen. Ted Cruz sponsored language in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act requiring U.S. universities to get a Pentagon waiver if they want to keep both Pentagon-funded programs and Chinese government-funded language programs. President Trump signed the bill into law in August. The University of South Florida, University of Michigan, and the University of Rhode Island all shuttered their Confucius Institute chapters in the past month.

Applicant Fraud, Shady Agents, and Revenue-Obsessed Universities

Chinese middle-class and upper-class families in growing numbers are pushing their children to attend prestigious American universities, going to extreme measures to get them accepted. Even as U.S. colleges accept these students in large numbers, universities have not proven themselves capable of vetting students properly, calling into question the integrity of the application process.

Cheating on standardized tests like the SAT in Asia is ubiquitous, and test results frequently are thrown out. Cheating has taken all forms: having substitute test takers for the student, buying the test in advance, posting the answers online, and taking advantage of large testing halls to share answers with neighbors.

In 2016, the Justice Department indicted 15 Chinese involved in a cheating ring. The students paid up to $6,000 to have substitutes take the SAT in Pennsylvania with a fake passport. Chinese students could face expulsion or jail time for cheating on their own nations entrance exam but face no punishment for doing the same on a foreign standardized test.

Many Chinese families pay thousands of dollars to agents who serve as the bridge between students and the university they hope to attend. Some agents provide legitimate services to applicants, including video interviews and tutoring, while others offer to write essays, provide fake recommendations, or even fill out the entire application. These students arrive on campuses unprepared and incapable of understanding the material, and yet they take thousands of spots at top universities, squeezing out qualified American students.

In 2016, Dipont Education Management Group, a Shanghai-based education company, paid out thousands of dollars in cash and benefits to admissions officers at top American universities. Dipont admitted to allegations that it had a special relationship with 20 schools, including Vanderbilt University, Tulane University, and the University of Virginia. Admissions officers were flown to Shanghai to provide exclusive sessions for Dipont clients about the admissions process for their respective schools. Schools rationalized the scandal by saying that they needed to recruit Chinese students willing to pay expensive international tuition. From 2008 to 2012, the amount of money spent by Chinese students on American university tuition was nearly $7 billion.

The importance of Chinese money is so great that the University of Illinois took out a $60 million insurance policy to protect itself from a drop of 20 percent or more in revenue from Chinese students in a 12-month period. And who pays the insurance premium? The tuition of other students. While universities care deeply about losing revenue, many have ignored the potential risks of accepting so many Chinese students.

The Trump administration and Congress see the risks and have begun to act. However, it is also an issue of fairness to U.S. students.

Available slots at top colleges are few. Many of these schools are accepting less than 10 percent of American applicants. Should Chinese nationals with academic credentials that cannot be vetted, and a Chinese government that wants its students to maintain their Communist Party allegiance, take thousands of seats away from highly vetted and well qualified American students at schools like MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia?

With trade negotiations heating up, the Trump administration should take an additional look at how many visas are permitted and the vetting process of students.WASHINGTON -- Warning lights should have been flashing early on during William Barr's confirmation hearings on Tuesday. But our nation's political class is so eager to think that an establishment figure would never capitulate to President Trump that the moment went by with barely a nod.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, asked the would-be attorney general about his June 8, 2018 memo that offered an expansive view of presidential authority. Barr eviscerated what he took to be special counsel Robert Mueller's interpretation of the conflict-of-interest statute.

His focus on Section 1512 of the criminal code surely overjoyed Trump since Barr asserted that "there is no (BEG ITAL)legal(END ITAL) prohibition ... against the president acting on a matter in which he has a personal stake." The attorney general and Department of Justice lawyers, Barr said, citing a 1922 case, are merely the president's "hand." Barr added that "the discretion they exercise is the president's discretion."

Barr went on to argue that "the Constitution's grant of law enforcement power to the president is plenary." Barr used the word "plenary" six times. Merriam-Webster defines it as "absolute, unqualified."

And there was this shot at former FBI Director James Comey for suspecting corruption when Trump asked him to "see his way clear" to stopping the investigation of the president's national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has since pled guilty to lying to the FBI.

"The formulation that Comey 'see his way clear' explicitly leaves the decision with Comey," Barr wrote. "Most normal subordinates would not have found these comments obstructive."

(BEG ITAL)Most normal subordinates(END ITAL)? Does Barr consider Comey "abnormal"?

Barr's entire performance on Tuesday -- one heck of a smokescreen -- seemed designed to get senators to forget about his memo. Barr spoke effusively about his admiration for Mueller and insisted that he would never interfere with him.

Everyone outside Trump's orbit wants this to be true since, in our partisan world, Republican senators are expected to fall in line behind Barr. But Feinstein's question unmasked how disingenuous the nominee's protestations may have been.

Her simple query: "How do you know what Mueller's interpretation of [Section] 1512 is?"

Barr's answer: "I was speculating. I said at the beginning I was writing in the dark, and we are all in the dark. Every lawyer, every talking head, everyone who thinks about or talks about it doesn't have the facts."

He was (BEG ITAL)speculating(END ITAL)? In the first instance, why should we be comfortable at this fragile moment for our institutions with an attorney general nominee who would compose a detailed and acerbic 19-page assertion of boundless presidential power on the basis of mere speculation? And an attorney general is rather more than a "talking head."

The memo itself belies his benign reading of his own words. Yes, the second paragraph used the word "appears" about what Mueller was up to, but there was little circumspection in the rest of Barr's legal torrent.

"Mueller's obstruction theory is novel and extravagant," Barr wrote without hesitation. He also referred to "Mueller's core premise," "Mueller's proposed regime" and "Mueller's sweeping obstruction theory." For someone operating "in the dark," he didn't show a smidgen of humility or restraint.

On Tuesday, Barr could have given substance to his commitment to "allowing the special counsel to complete his work." But he was persistently evasive and flatly and declined to promise steps showing that the Barr of presidential supremacy would not be the same as Barr the attorney general.

He declined to pledge he would recuse himself from the probe if the Justice Department ethics office said he should because of his tendentious memo. On what grounds might he go against the office's advice? "If I disagreed with it," he said. A lot of help that was.

He offered no guarantee that the public would see whatever report Mueller issued. If anything, he seemed to tilt toward secrecy when he said the special counsel's conclusions "will be handled as a confidential document."

He even defended Trump's use of the phrase "witch hunt" to refer to the Russia collusion investigation. "If someone felt they were falsely accused, they would view an investigation as something like a witch hunt," he said. Barr, you see, supports Mueller and the FBI, but has no problem with their being called witches.

I understand the will to believe. But any senator who votes to confirm him in the hope that he'll fight back against Trump's abuses is choosing to ignore the many red flags Barr waved before us amidst all the smoke.

(c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group"It's just so heartening. To see this kind of support and the outpouring of just so much tangible care, " said Heather Yanovitch after receiving donated groceries today with her son Benjamin, 7, at the United States Coast Guard Academy, "So there's not a paycheck, but there's this. It's great to see." A food bank was set up Sunday by the Chief Petty Officers Association to provide food for Coast Guard personnel, furloughed or working without pay, since the partial government shutdown. (Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant)Democrats and others on the left offer three reasons for their opposition to building a wall on America's southern border.

1. A wall is ineffective.

2. A wall is too expensive.

3. A wall is immoral.

Each one is false, so false as to constitute lies. So, the only question is: Do Democrats and others on the left believe these lies?

This question has plagued me all my life. Leftism is built on lies -- and has been since Lenin. That's why he named the Communist Party's lying newspaper "Pravda" ("truth").

Did my left-wing professors at Columbia University really believe the United States and the Soviet Union were equally responsible for the Cold War? Did they really believe one of the most genocidal regimes in history -- which butchered tens of millions its own people, starved as many as 4 million Ukrainians, enslaved seven Eastern European countries under totalitarian rule and created the monstrous North Korean communist regime -- was no more responsible for the Cold War than the United States, the freest country in human history?

Did my left-wing professors really believe men and women are the same except for body parts? And do today's leftists really believe human beings with double X chromosomes, a vagina, a uterus, ovaries, menstrual periods and lactating breasts are not necessarily female?

Do leftists really believe American universities constitute "rape cultures"? If so, why does any left-wing parent send his or her child to college? Would you send your daughter to a place you believe is permeated by rape?

Do leftists really believe that the statement "There is only one race: the human race" is a racist statement? That is the official position of the University of California.

Do leftists really believe that virtually every criticism of former President Barack Obama emanated from racism, that all opposition to lowering college admission standards for blacks is racist, that all attacks on George Soros are anti-Semitic?

If leftists believe any of the above, let alone all of it, they are deluded people. And the existence of tens of millions of deluded people in a society can only portend catastrophe. If leftists do not believe those claims, they are not deluded; they lie for effect and, therefore, engage in evil. The existence of tens of millions of people consciously committed to lying means society has little hope.

Now to the wall.

Do leftists believe the country cannot afford $5.7 billion? As the Democrats have approved $1.3 billion for border security, the difference is about one-tenth of 1 percent of U.S. federal spending ($4.5 trillion). Democrats and the rest of the left make this argument. Yet they are the very people who, for more than half a century, have successfully pushed for unprecedented expansion of government spending; the very people who are overwhelmingly responsible for local, state and federal government debts of such magnitude that they cannot be paid without massive decreases in spending and the likely social disruption they entail. It is not possible these people believe America cannot afford to pay for a wall. They are, therefore, lying when they claim the price tag is too high.

California Democrats have allocated some $77 billion to pay for a high-speed train between San Francisco and Los Angeles that will be ready in 2033 at the earliest. It will undoubtedly rise to more than a hundred billion dollars. And, thanks to the left and the Democrats, California is spending this money despite being an estimated $2 trillion in debt (between debt and pensions).

The left says a wall (or steel barrier) would be "ineffective" at preventing illegal immigration. We know it doesn't believe this, because just five years ago, Speaker Nancy Pelosi supported a bill that required the construction of 700 miles of border fencing. And Sen. Chuck Schumer was one among the "Gang of Eight" Republicans and Democrats who also supported 700 miles of fencing at the border. Every Senate Democrat voted for the Gang of Eight Bill, including 36 Democrats who serve in the Senate today.

Do Schumer and Pelosi and all these other Democrats regard fencing as effective but a wall as ineffective? Do Democrats deny that Israel's barrier has virtually ended Palestinian terrorism? Do they believe Turkey's just-built 500-mile wall across nearly its entire border with Syria will be ineffective? Do they know about the effective walls/barriers between the Turkish- and Greek-controlled areas in Cyprus; between Hungary and Serbia and Croatia; Morocco and Algeria; India and Pakistan; and elsewhere?

As for the Democrats and others on the left declaring a wall "immoral," it is difficult to know which is preferable: that they are living in delusion or lying. On what grounds is it "immoral"? They never say.

Is there a Democrat or leftist who regards walls or other physical barriers surrounding homes or communities as immoral? One doubts it. For one thing, many of them live behind a physical barrier. So, then, why isn't a physical barrier that protects America equally moral? The only possible answers are that these people don't really regard America as their home or they are lying about a wall being immoral.

So why all the lies?

Because lies are effective in achieving left-wing goals. There are people in every political, social and religious group who lie. And there are people within every one of those groups who are truth tellers. But -- and this is a "but" whose significance cannot be overstated -- while truth is a liberal value and truth is a conservative value, truth has never been a leftist value. For the left, there is always something more important. In this case, it is the humiliation of the president of the United States.

COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COMRussia has opposed the United States policy in Afghanistan for years. Indeed, Moscows own support for the Taliban, in the form of intelligence sharing and arms transfers, goes back to about 2014 (see EDM, January 6, 2016). Therefore, President Donald Trumps stated intention to withdraw half of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, coupled with his suggestion that Russia, Iran and Pakistan do more there to fight terrorism, play directly into Moscows handsand Tehrans and Islamabads as well. Although some Russian newspapers have complained that Moscow is losing out to the U.S. in Central Asia (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, August 30, 2018), this is not likely to be the way Moscow now sees the situation. In fact, just before Trumps announcement, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russias Security Council, blasted the U.S. for its alleged responsibility for the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan (TASS, September 27, 2018).

During the fall of 2018, Russia actively sought to arrange a peace conference with the Taliban, insisting that this militant group must play a role in any future government, much to the anger of Kabul and Washington. Predictably, at this conference, the Taliban refused to meet with Kabul and provocatively described itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (see EDM, November 13, 2018). In other words Russias support enabled the Taliban to stage a major propaganda coup (Long War Journal, November 9, 2018). If anything, these Russian diplomatic maneuvers made the Taliban-U.S. negotiations even more difficult.

Equally predictably, Pakistani newspapers supported these moves (Pakobserver.net, November 13, 2018) inasmuch as Moscow has now taken major steps toward rapprochement with Islamabadnot least when it comes to the latters perceived right to influence in Afghanistan. Likewise, Russias Special Representative Zamir Kabulov lambasted Washington for failing to solve a problem that supposedly is right near Russia and charged that the U.S. has lost the war (Interfax, November 20, 2018). Since Kabulov overlooked that all of Central Asia (combined area of over four million square kilometers) stands between the Russian Federation and Afghanistan, his remarks show just how imperial Russian thinking remains.

So by the time, in late December, that Trump announced this partial withdrawal, Moscows policy orientation had already been set. Whereas, in 2017, Russia reacted to rumors of a pull back by blaming the U.S. for failing in Afghanistan, this time it formally and piously decried anything that might lessen stability in Afghanistan. However, foreign affairs commentator Vladimir Frolov caught the Kremlins true frame of mind when he observed that, Trump implements Russias negative agenda by default, undermining the U.S.-led world order, U.S. alliances, [and] U.S. credibility as a partner and an ally. [He did] All of this on his own. Russia can just relax and watch and root for Trump, which Putin does at every TV appearance (The New York Times, December 21, 2018).

At the same time, the Russian foreign ministry, perhaps mindful of Trumps unpredictability and inconstancy, told the audience at its weekly briefing that it had asked the U.S. many times about the latters strategy regarding not only Afghanistan but also Syria. Therefore, it is impossible to count on there actually being a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan (Mid.ru, January 11, 2019). This was a step backwards from the foreign ministrys last briefing for 2018, when it claimed that Washington had not been interested in serious negotiations about Afghanistan until now and that Moscow had frequently lectured it that only a political solution involving the Taliban would work. And here also, the ministry claimed that a withdrawal of half of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan would be a step in the right direction, namely a step toward starting a peace process (Mid.ru, December 26, 2018).

Thus, it seems clear that Moscow not only welcomes the withdrawal but isat least cautiously, if not more sohopeful that this will lead to the total withdrawal of the U.S. from Central Asia. Additionally, Russia apparently believes that this will bring about the formation of a new Afghan government that crucially includes the Taliban, which, it expects, will be responsive to Russian and Pakistani influence. Lastly, and perhaps even more importantly, Moscow believes that the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan will give Russia an even freer hand with regard to Central Asia. The Russian government has long believed that the U.S. had designs on Central Asia that were inimical to its interests which, as Kabulovs remarks indicate (see above), still manifest a colonialist ambition to subordinate the region to its policy preferences.

In this light, President Trumps expressed ignorance about why Moscow invaded Afghanistan forty years ago, as well as his call for grater Pakistani, Iranian and Russian activity there, is could turn into an invitation for more violence and terrorism. This is particularly likely since Islamabad, Tehran and Moscow are now all sponsoring the Taliban or other militant groups in Afghanistan.

So even if it may be possible and necessary for Washington to withdraw from Afghanistan after 17 yearsespecially if it can secure a negotiated settlementTrumps capricious rhetoric is already having some negative results for the region: for example, the Taliban canceling the latest round of projected talks with the U.S.. Russia may think that, as the U.S. pulls back, it will be able to extend its own influence to fill the vacuum. And Moscow apparently believes that it has the capability to restrain the Islamic State in Afghanistan while coming to some sort of understanding with the Taliban if it prevails. But arguably, that is as big an illusion as the belief that the U.S. can easily withdraw from Afghanistan without any negative consequences to regional or global security.

Dr. Stephen Blank is a Senior Fellow and resident Russia expert at the American Foreign Policy Council. Previously, he worked as a professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA. The views expressed here do not represent those of the U.S. Army, Defense Department or the U.S. Government.

This article appeared originally at The Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor.Time to find a new job? Then book a flight to Auckland or the capital.

Trade Me has revealed the places to be if you're looking to cash in on the skills shortage, with the highest rates of pay on offer in the capital and the big smoke.

"Auckland City continues to be the biggest-paid area," Trade Me head of jobs Jeremy Wade told RadioLIVE on Thursday.

"But what we always see is this battle between Auckland and Wellington, and the Wellington region is actually the highest-paid."

In Auckland City, the average pay offer on Trade Me Jobs in the final quarter of 2018 was $72,299. Looking wider, the Wellington region topped the list with $65,131, followed by Auckland on $64,634 and Taranaki on $58,687.

Across New Zealand, the average was $61,082 - up 1.1 percent on the year before.

"A 1.1 percent increase may not sound a lot, but in the context of the last four years - when wages have been stubbornly low - I think it's encouraging news for employees and job hunters," said Mr Wade.

Low unemployment and the skills shortage are to thank for the rise.

"Employers are finding it tough to find the right people and they're having to put more money on the table to secure the candidates they want as the talent shortage continues," says Trade Me Jobs' Anna Miles.

"We expect to see wages rise more this year as employers try to woo the people they need away from their current jobs."

The selection on offer is getting better for job-hunters too, with the number of listings up 1.7 percent.

"Job listings in Taranaki led the pack after a 30 percent increase on 2017, along with Hawke's Bay which was up 22.8 percent while vacancies in Gisborne rose 20.3 percent," said Ms Miles.

Consider avoiding Canterbury (down 7.5 percent) and Marlborough (10.9) percent.

The best-paid jobs

"If you've been, in your spare time, studying IT, I think you'd be in a good position," Mr Wade told RadioLIVE.

"Our top roles have consistently been in the IT sector - particularly IT architects and engineers. But in terms of where the wage growth has come from in the past year, we've been seeing good growth in IT - up about 3 percent, year-on-year - but there's also been some good growth across other sectors."

They include retail (up 21.3 percent), education (18.5 percent) and government and council (12.6 percent).

IT architects topped the average pay on offer at $153,222, followed by IT management roles ($142,029).

"Skilled IT candidates are in high demand across the country and employers are offering more to secure talent with a 3.1 percent increase in average pay to $110,657," said Ms Miles. "If you're in the IT industry and thinking about your next step, now is a good time to dust off your CV."

But don't put all your eggs in the IT basked, Mr Wade warns.

While computing might be lucrative for some, technology isn't yet at the point where a computer can build a house or fix a broken toilet.

"You still want to do something you naturally have an interest in - it's no good going for just the highest-paid role."

But if sales is your thing, think about hitting the books - job listings fell 15 percent last year.

Highest average pay rate by region

Auckland City $72,299

Wellington City $69,804

Kawerau $63,868

Waikato $62,850

South Waikato $62,147

Lowest average pay rate by region

Mackenzie $47,473

Waitomo $47,794

Kaikoura $49,529

Waipa $51,682

Porirua $52,171

Newshub.Police Minister Stuart Nash has some strong words for a group of rowdy tourists that have caused trouble during their holiday in New Zealand.

The group of at least 12 have been accused of not paying for meals, trashing hotel rooms and littering during their stay in Auckland and Hamilton.

Yesterday one member of the group, Tina Marie Cash, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in the Hamilton District Court.

Mr Nash told RadioLIVE the group isn't the kind of people that should be visiting NZ, and had a very clear message about what to do with them.

"Send them home. These are not the sort of people that we want enjoying the sights and the scenery of this country.

"The vast majority of tourists that come over here come because they love what they've seen, they love what we stand for which is clean, green, 100 percent pure. They contribute, they spend money and we welcome them."If you missed this afternoon on Summer Talk with Leah Panapa, you can listen back to the best bits here from Thursday 17th January, 2019.Second semester recruitment provides an alternative for students interested in Greek lifeEver since David Steinberger took over Arcadia Publishing, the company has made partnering with the American Booksellers Association one of its major promotional efforts. Arcadia is furthering that tie at next week's Winter Institute by presenting all 380 attending bookstores with a personalized catalog featuring 16 titles selected specifically for that store as part of its YourTown Store Match program.

According to Steinberger, representatives from each bookstore will receive a catalog with titles tailored to their store, as well as a physical copy of one listed book. The catalog for River Bend Bookshop in Glastonbury, Ct., for example, includes such backlsit titles as Connecticut River Ferries, Connecticut Witch Trials, and Lobster Rolls of New England.

Steinberger, backed by former Disney and Penguin chief Michael Lynton and his sister Lili, bought Arcadia in May 2018. The company specializes in publishing books on local topics, and has a backlist of about 14,000 titles.

Under the upgrade program, booksellers can order curated local titles from Arcadia, as well as through Ingram's iPage platform. According to Ingram chief commercial officer Shawn Everson, starting with Winter Institute attendees, and eventually expanding to booksellers everywhere, "iPage will provide an updated and curated assortment of local titles, unique to each store, ready for ordering and delivery.

Meghan Hayden, owner of River Bend, said using YourTowm Match "was a great way to identify regional titles likely to be popular with my new customer base."Yotpo Names the Top eCommerce Agencies and Tech of the Year Through equal parts vision, innovation, and cutting-edge technology, Yotpo Partner Awards winners are powering many of todays most successful direct-to-consumer commerce brands.

Yotpo, the leading commerce marketing cloud for reviews, visual marketing, loyalty programs, and referrals for direct-to-consumer brands, has announced the winners of the second annual Yotpo Partner Awards. Produced by Yotpos Partner program, a thriving ecosystem of more than 300 agencies and technology providers, the awards recognize the prevailing leaders in designing and developing next-generation digital experiences for commerce brands.

Through equal parts vision, innovation, and cutting-edge technology, Yotpo Partner Awards winners are powering many of todays most successful direct-to-consumer commerce brands, said Tomer Tagrin, CEO and Cofounder, Yotpo. We are privileged to partner with the companies at the forefront of how consumers engage and experience their favorite brands.

WINNERS OF THE 2018 YOTPO PARTNER AWARDS

Honorees are named in a total of seven categories based on nominations from the global eCommerce industry, for excellence overall and by eCommerce platform, for boundary-pushing design and deployment of Yotpo technology, and for growing impact on the ecosystem.

OVERALL EXCELLENCE

In recognition of outstanding partnership and best-in-class implementation of Yotpo solutions.

Agency: BVAccel (US) | Client: MVMT/Movado

BVAccel is one of the largest and fastest-growing Shopify Plus agencies worldwide, with a proven track record of scaling industry-leading brands.

BEST AGENCY BY ECOMMERCE PLATFORM

Honoring the top-performing agencies by digital commerce platform.

Best Agency for Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Agency: Astound Commerce UK (Global/UK) | Client: Orlebar Brown/Chanel

Astound Commerce is a premier global digital commerce agency that creates singular eCommerce experiences.

Best Agency for Magento/Adobe

Agency: Vaimo (EMEA) | Client: Helly Hansen

Vaimo is a Magento Global Elite Partner helping hundreds of B2B and B2C merchants around the world reach higher revenues and build stronger brands.

Best Agency for Shopify Plus

Agency:Diff (US) | Client: Village Candle

Diff is an end-to-end eCommerce agency comprising thinkers, creators, and experts who shape the future of retail with innovative solutions for brands that makes commerce better for everyone, everywhere.

BEST AGENCY FOR DESIGN

In recognition of cutting-edge eCommerce site design and boundary-pushing experiences featuring user-generated content.

Agency: Zehner Group (US) | Client: BH Cosmetics

Zehner is a full-service digital agency that works with everyone from startups to Fortune 50 companies to deliver effective solutions and empower brands to reach their digital goals.

BEST TECH INTEGRATION

In recognition of a game-changing integration with Yotpo that propelled a brands business forward.

Agency: Nosto | (Global, US+EMEA) | Client:Campus Protein

Nosto is the leading AI-powered eCommerce personalization solution, enables retailers to deliver 1:1 shopping experiences at every touch point, across every device.

RISING STAR

Honoring an agency on the cutting edge, paving the way for growing eCommerce businesses.

Agency: Noticed (US) | Client: Finks Jewelers

Noticed is a global digital commerce, marketing, and optimization agency. Their work, driven by innovative technology and customer-first design experiences, accelerates growth for leading Shopify Plus brands.

Added Tagrin, Congratulations to all of our Partner Award winners, but also to the Yotpo's entire partner community for their incredible, inspiring work. Partners play a critical role in moving the entire industry forward by building world-class direct-to-consumer experiences.

Yotpo works with best-in-class commerce agencies around the world, and offers dozens of technology integrations for seamless commerce marketing. We serve as an extension of our partners teams, fully supporting and powering client growth. Yotpo Partner Award winners are showcased on http://www.yotpo.com/2018-partners-awards, with additional information on the Yotpo Voice.

ABOUT YOTPO

Yotpos commerce marketing cloud solutions for user-generated content marketing, loyalty, and referrals help brands accelerate growth by enabling advocacy and maximizing customer lifetime value. Yotpo proudly serves thousands of brands including Away Travel, UNTUCKit and ThirdLove. An official partner to Google, Facebook, and Shopify, and Premier Technology Partner to Magento, an Adobe company, Yotpo has raised $101 million in funding and employs over 300 employees globally. http://www.yotpo.com/Yandex recently joined the License on Transfer (LOT) Network and the Open Invention Network (OIN), two organizations committed to innovation and combating aggressive actions by patent assertion entities (PAEs), more commonly known as patent trolls. As a company that develops innovative technologies and believes in a fair and competitive environment, Yandex is happy to join other tech firms in preventing patent issues that undermine the basic principles of innovation.

Patent trolls typically buy the rights for patents that the holders cannot renew, then enforce them against businesses that use products or technologies covered by the patents. The LOT Network began in 2014 as an initiative by Google to combat patent trolls, and now counts over 360 members, including Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Alibaba, among other leading tech firms. The companies in LOT have agreed that if a member of the network sells or transfers the rights to one of its patents to a patent troll, no firm in the network can be sued for infringing such patent.

As the largest global community of patent holders who have banded together to protect innovation, we are thrilled to include Yandex among the thought leaders in LOT Network, said Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network. Our members come from all industries, and like Yandex, recognize that with the convergence of technology, PAEs are a growing global concern.

OIN is a group of companies dedicated to defending patents that are used by Linux and Linux-related systems. Google, Microsoft, IBM, Red Hat, Alibaba and now Yandex are just a few of the tech firms that make up OIN. OIN has a shared pool of patents that its members can use royalty-free in exchange for a guarantee that members will not assert their patents used by Linux systems.

"Open source has an almost endless number of touch points with the average person throughout their day. It powers search engines, banking networks, telecom networks, consumer products and a spectrum of IoT devices, among other instances, said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. We are pleased that Yandex, the largest technology company in Russia and one of the world's largest search providers, is demonstrating its commitment to innovation and patent non-aggression in open source by joining our community."

Andrey Inshakov, Head of the Patent Department at Yandex, said, At Yandex, we believe that patent law exists to stimulate innovation and promote the development of technology. Patents should not be used to stifle innovation, which is why we have joined these two networks of leading tech firms. We are happy to contribute to the efforts of the LOT Network and OIN in preventing patent trolls and aggressive patent litigation from undermining the basic principles of innovation and an open market.In the story are historical truths and evidence most Christians are not aware of today

Within the pages of Wesley James book, The Christian and the Lion ($19.99, paperback, 9781545651193; $8.99, ebook, 9781545651209), readers will find a book that tells the story of Antiachus, the last Spartan, who is captured by the Romans and placed by an evangelist on the voyage to Rome. After converting to Christianity, he soon discovers Caesar Nero uses lions, hyenas, and gladiators to fight Christians in the Circus Maximus.

As the world becomes darker and persecution of Christianity becomes more rampant, todays Christians will be able to identify with the characters of the same faith two thousand years ago.

I hope to show readers how early the letters of the apostles were in circulation in the black heart of Rome, says James.

In the story are historical truths and evidence most Christians are not aware of today that will answer the toughest skeptic's objections.

Wesley James is a registered nurse and respiratory therapist whose two greatest passions are working for the church in Third World countries and researching ancient history and archeology.

Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 12,000 titles published to date. The Christian and the Lion is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.Looney said he would like to see Connecticut follow the Colorado model, which assess a 15 percent excise tax on the average market rate of retail marijuana. "Colorado has the most aggressive tax structure and thats the one Id like to see us follow,'' he said. New York will be in the market very soon so we have to look at what level of taxation there is on our borders.With support from the National Science Foundation, Craig Shue, associate professor of computer science at WPI, is using an approach called containerization to protect computer users from malware. "With more than three billion people using the Internet, many of whom interact with user-facing servers multiple times a day, this project's outcome can broadly impact society's computer security.- Craig Shue, Associate Professor of Computer Science

A computer scientist at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is developing a new technology designed to protect companiesand computer usersfrom damaging and expensive malware attacks.

Known as single-use services, the technology is being developed by Craig Shue, associate professor of computer science at WPI, with a three-year, $265,631 grant from the National Science Foundation. It is designed to prevent an attack on a commercial website from compromising other servers, data, and users.

Shues approach uses a technology called containerization that will be invisible to end users, but will change how they interact with search engines, news sites, online stores, and other types of websites. Instead of being given direct access to an actual webserver, as happens now, each user will interact with a temporary copy, or instance, of the server. When the session ends, that copy will be destroyed.

In essence, each web session will be isolated within its own container. If a user exploits a vulnerability and attacks the webserver by deploying a malware program, that program will disappear along with the container. Since the actual web server will not be infected, no other users will be harmed.

Shue said his technology will eliminate the vulnerabilities inherent in the current way websites operate, with every user having direct access and interaction with the web servers and software. Under a traditional setup, if hackers were to take advantage of a bug in that software, they could embed malware that could attack every subsequent visitor to that website. And for major sites, that could mean hundreds of thousands of users would be vulnerable.

It will change how interactions happen on the back end, whether people are getting news or ordering sneakers online, he said. We assume software will probably never be bug-free, so lets just accept that and create better security with these little containers. Nothing will look different to end users but theyll be safer and the websites will be safer. With more than three billion people using the Internet, many of whom interact with user-facing servers multiple times a day, the project's outcome can broadly impact society's computer security.

In addition to isolating individual users, Shue is designing the containers so they can offer tailored permissions to each user, allowing websites to have fine-grained control over which services and backend resources each user can access. For example, an e-commerce site could assign buyers and sellers containers with different permissions. Only sellers would be able to access data about inventories, for instance. To do this, Shue is exploring a range of technologies, including Kerberos-style authentication, a computer network authentication protocol that helps communicating nodes prove their identity.

The containers also are being designed to automatically detect hacking attempts and malware infections. Once tampering is detected, the containers will save and log all inputs and outputs to help administrators figure out how the attack was launched and what vulnerability was exploited.

Shue is collaborating with Timothy Wood, an associate professor at George Washington University. Using memory optimization techniques, Wood has created a system called Flurries that can rapidly spawn thousands of new containers per second. Flurries will enable the deployment of containers to be scaled up to the degree needed by major news and commerce websites, Shue said.

Shues focus is managing the network communications that will enable the system to create and communicate with each individual container; he will also set up the fine-grained permissions and develop the compromise-detection methodology. Hell be using technologies like OpenFlow, a communication protocol, and Open vSwitch, an open-source implementation of a distributed virtual multilayer switch, while also working to advance current forensic collection measures.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI, a global leader in project-based learning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems. Recognized by the National Academy of Engineering with the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, WPIs pioneering project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 45 project centers around the world. WPI offers more than 50 bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs across 14 academic departments in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. Its faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research to meet ongoing challenges in health and biotechnology; robotics and the internet of things; advanced materials and manufacturing; cyber, data, and security systems; learning science; and more. http://www.wpi.edu

Media Contact:

Colleen Wamback, Public Relations Manager

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts

cbwamback(at)wpi.edu; 508-831-6775Out with the Old and In with the New sale at Toyota of Irving.

With the new year comes a new sale. Toyota of Irving is hosting an Out with the Old and In with the New sales event for select 2019 Toyota vehicles. This limited time savings deal is available now until February 4 at the Irving dealership.

The select 2019 Toyota vehicles that are offered with this savings event include the 2019 Toyota Corolla, 2019 Toyota Highlander, 2019 Toyota RAV4, 2019 Toyota Camry, 2019 Toyota Tundra SE and the 2019 Toyota Tacoma SE. Each of these models offers their own custom savings. The savings for each vehicle are as follows; 2019 Camry $1,000 cash back or 1.9% APR for 60 months, 2019 Tundra SE $3,500 cash back or 0% APR for 60 months, 2019 Tacoma SE $2,000 cash back or 1.9% APR for 60 months, 2019 Corolla $2,000 cash back or 0.9% APR for 60 months, 2019 Highlander $1,500 cash back or 1.9% APR for 60 months and the 2019 RAV4 $750 cash back.

Only qualified buyers will receive these savings. These offers cannot be combined with TFS (Toyota Financial Services) Lease, TFS APR offers or Toyota Motor Sales Vehicle Special Purchase Program (VSPP).

More details about the Out with the Old and In with the New sales event and the dealerships other savings offers can be found on the Toyota of Irving website (http://www.toyotofirving.com) under the Specials tab.

The Toyota of Irving dealership is located at 1999 W Airport Freeway in Irving, Texas. Customers can reach the dealership by calling the sales team at 877-418-0535.Toyota All-Wheel Drive Season is going on now at Roberts Toyota.

Shoppers who are in the Columbia area will be pleased to learn that Roberts Toyota is offering savings on select Toyota vehicles with all-wheel drive. The All-Wheel Drive Season sales event is going on now until February 4, 2019, at the dealership.

Toyota vehicles that are included in this sales event are the 2019 Highlander, 2019 4Runner and the 2019 Tacoma. Each vehicle deal offers a cashback deal for customers to take advantage of. Drivers who are interested in the 2019 Toyota Highlander (excludes hybrid model) are eligible for $1,250 cash back, drivers interested in the 2019 Toyota 4Runner (excludes TRD Pro model) are eligible for $1,500 cash back and drivers interested in the 2019 Toyota Tacoma (excludes TRD Pro model) are eligible for $1,000 cash back.

This offer is based on availability at the Roberts Toyota. Customers who are interested in learning more about this savings event are encouraged to stop by the Roberts Toyota dealership or to view the Specials page on the dealerships website. Shoppers will also be able to view the other Toyota sales that are currently taking place at the Toyota dealership.

Roberts Toyota offers new and pre-owned Toyota vehicles to local customers. The dealership is regularly offering a variety of incentives and savings deals to qualified buyers. The Roberts Toyota dealership is located at 1027 Nashville Highway in Columbia, Tenn. Interested shoppers can contact the dealership by calling 931-388-3006 or visiting the website at http://www.robertstoyota.com.Jeff Yocom, Philabundance Ambassadors, poses with Santa Claus at Gifts for Gamers event with Glenn Bergman, Executive Director at Philabundance in Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 2018. The funds that are being donated will help to feed people who are hungry in our area and for that we thank the people like Paul and Ryan and all who attended and gave to the Gifts for Gamers, said Glenn Bergman, Executive Director at Philabundance.

TooManyGames hosted the charity event, Gift for Gamers in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center on Dec. 9, 2018. $6,300.00 was raised at the event and 100 percent of the proceeds were donated to Philabundance, Greater Philadelphias largest hunger relief organization.

I am always amazed at how people form a community in different ways, such as the gaming community, and not only meet to share their experiences and talents, but to also remember that many people are hungry, said Glenn Bergman, Executive Director at Philabundance. The funds that are being donated will help to feed people who are hungry in our area and for that we thank the people like Paul and Ryan and all who attended and gave to the Gifts for Gamers.

Gifts for Gamers featured a vendor area to buy gifts for gamer family and friends, free play video gaming area, arcades, and photos with Santa. Attendees also had a chance to meet and greet with famous YouTubers such as Angry Video Game Nerd, Vinesauce, and SomeCallMeJohnny.

We were so proud of the turnout of this event which helps support the surrounding community during the holiday season, said Paul Truitt, owner of TooManyGames. The event was a fun way for people to learn more about TooManyGames while supporting a great cause.

TooManyGames will return to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center for the longest running and largest gaming convention in Pennsylvania on June 21-23, 2019. Visit toomanygames.com for ticket information.

About TooManyGames: Owned and operated by Level 4 Event Management, TooManyGames celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2017 with the longest running and largest gaming convention in Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley region. TooManyGames is the premier event for anyone interested in video games, board games, CCG's, and tabletop gaming. The expo features vendors selling retro games, new games, board games, crafts, art and more, along with music concerts, free play arcade, tournaments, chiptunes, industry panels, and panels by famous YouTubers. For more information, visit toomanygames.com.

About Philabundance: Philabundance is the Delaware Valleys largest hunger relief organization, seeking to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger forever. In 2018, it distributed more than 26 million pounds through a network of 350 member agencies, and partnerships with hospitals, schools, libraries and other service providers. Philabundance serves more than 90,000 people each week, 30 percent of whom are children, 16 percent of whom are seniors, and others served include college students, single parents and the working class. Give now or learn more at Philabundance.org.Tom Baker, a US Army combat veteran from the Vietnam War, has completed his new book The Hawk and the Dove: an impassioned opus of a hawk and a doves meandering circumstances throughout historys wars and skirmishes.

Author Baker conveys resounding untold perspectives that ultimately defines humanitys character and value: The Hawk and the Dove is historical fiction with threads of magical realism and romance. It develops over six wartime periods: the Viking era, the Peninsula War, the US Civil War, World War II, and the killing fields of Rwanda and Vietnam. A hawk and dove flow through these times, influencing characters in their struggles.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Tom Bakers beautifully written account gives life-changing insights that will leave readers yearning for continued stories.

Readers who wish to experience this galvanizing work can purchase The Hawk and the Dove at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.For people in pain the opportunity to avoid surgery and treat their orthopedic condition is transforming

The Zero Card now includes Regenexx in its network of services. Employers who partner with Regenexx report a significant drop in the need for high risk orthopedic surgeries and see up to 80 percent reduction in associated costs. Zero Card CEO Jim Millaway, describes the partnership with Regenexx: "Regenexx provides breakthrough, non-surgical treatments to help treat orthopedic injuries and restore joint function without surgery. Non-surgical means less pain, less downtime and less risk. The Zero Card is excited to make this a part of our product offering, it fits perfectly with our vision to create a healthcare marketplace that is easy to understand, that provides a great value to the employer, and can be offered for $0 to the employee."

The Zero Card works with self-funded employers across the country to deliver a supplemental healthcare option for plan members designed to significantly lower costs on high-volume services. They achieve significant cost savings through direct contracting for common procedures such as labs, diagnostic imaging, and surgeries. The Zero Card is a voluntary program, so covered members can access care through traditional employer programs. When a member uses a Zero Card benefit, the employee will pay $0 and the plan will pay significantly less for the service than through traditional channels.

The addition of Regenexx procedures to a self funded plan dramatically reduces the amount of unnecessary orthopedic surgeries which is a win-win for employee and employer, says Regenexx CEO Jason Hellickson. For people in pain, the opportunity to avoid surgery and treat their orthopedic condition is transforming. The Zero Card offers true transparency in cost and provides the highest quality options in healthcare. Regenexx fits perfectly into this model, with savings realized the moment a surgery is avoided.

About The Zero Card

The Zero Card is a privately held company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 2014, the company has set out to develop the easiest way to lower employer health plan costs while simultaneously improving member benefits. The company is built on three fundamental principles.cost, quality and convenience.

About Regenexx

Regenexx is a global network of musculoskeletal doctors specializing in Interventional Orthopedics, an approach to treating orthopedic injuries without invasive surgery by using the bodys own healing agents to repair and regenerate damaged or degenerated bone, cartilage, muscle, tendons, and ligaments. As the leaders in orthobiologics, we have performed more than 70,000 regenerative procedures worldwide and tracking the results of these procedures in our patient outcomes database since 2005. Specialty trained physicians intervene on over 70% of surgical referrals, saving our corporate partners up to 80% in healthcare expense. In addition to cost savings, employees miss little or no work and avoid the risks and recovery associated with surgery. When presented with Regenexx as an alternative to orthopedic surgery, more than 99% of employees choose Regenexx.

For more information on Regenexx Corporate visit https://regenexxcorporate.com or call 888-547-6667.

For more information on the Regenexx procedures visit http://www.regenexx.com.The students weve seen at this past competition are the best of the best when it comes to their entrepreneurial mindset for success. We look forward to supporting our champion, Kyrah, as she goes forward in her entrepreneurial journey."

DC-based Awardee, Kyrah Altman, Advances to Secure Third Place Award in US-based National Competition

The Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) today announced the winner of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) regional competition in Washington DC. In November 2018, Kyrah Altman, Co-Founder & CEO of LEAD, Inc. and a Senior at George Washington University won the Washington, DC-based competition for her entrepreneurial endeavor, a mental health platform and curriculum for school-aged children. This allowed Altman to advance to the National competition, where her company placed third amongst an impressive field of other recipients from all over the United States.

The EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is the premier global competition honoring top college and graduate students who have founded and are running revenue-generating businesses. This is the second year in a row EO DC has had one of its student entrepreneurs place in a top spot for the competition.

"GSEA is truly a different business plan competition in that it looks also at the entrepreneur individually, his or her mindset, attitude and the characteristics that will drive success now and into the future, stated current EO DC President Pramod Raheja, CEO of Airgility. The students weve seen at this past competition are the best of the best when it comes to their entrepreneurial mindset for success. We look forward to supporting our champion, Kyrah, as she goes forward in her entrepreneurial journey."

EO was founded in 1987 with the mission to build a better entrepreneur, and they have been running the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition since 2006.

"Competing in the GSEA Nationals was a life-changing experience. The speakers challenged us to be vulnerable and to overcome obstacles, stated Kyrah Altman, EO DC GSEA winner and third place awardee at the GSEA National Competition. The words and support throughout the weekend made the EO experience unique and brought us closer to one another. Pramod Raheja served as a valuable mentor and went above and beyond to prepare me for the competition and future endeavors. Overall, the competition propelled me forward, and I will be forever grateful to EO DC.

About the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO)

The Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 12,000+ influential business owners with 169 chapters in 52 countries. Founded in 1987, EO is the catalyst that enables leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, leading to greater success in business and beyond. To learn more about EO, please visit: http://www.eonetwork.org.

About EO DC

The DC chapter of EO was founded in 1991 and is one of the largest chapters in the US. Through its core values: Boldly Go, Thirst for Learning, Make a Mark, Trust and Respect and 'Cool!' EO strives to build the world's most influential community of entrepreneurs.

About the Entrepreneurs Organizations Global Student Entrepreneur Awards: As the premier global competition for University students, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) represents more than 1,700 of the prominent student entrepreneurs from more than 55 countries. Built on a mission to inspire students to start and grow entrepreneurial ventures, GSEA brings global visibility to pioneering student business owners. Since 1998, the GSEA, a program founded at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University, has honored outstanding students who simultaneously attend university full-time while running their own businesses.The Monmouth County Planning Board recently presented the T. Thomas Fortune House with the 2018 Planning Merit Award. Roger Mumford Homes and French and Parrello Associates accepted the award. It was a logical solution to a multi-faceted problem and aligned deeply with my own personal beliefs, said Mumford. This project is not just about restoring a building, it is essentially one small effort to confront the divisiveness we have been experiencing as a nation.

The Monmouth County Planning Board recently presented the T. Thomas Fortune House with the 2018 Planning Merit Award in recognition of an outstanding public-private partnership for the adaptive reuse of a historic structure and preservation of community character.

Established in 1984, the Monmouth County Planning Boards Planning Merit Award Program recognizes those plans, projects, programs, municipalities, businesses, community leaders and stakeholder organizations that have made a significant contribution to the advancement of planning and planning outcomes in Monmouth County. The board commends all responsible for the restoration of the T. Thomas Fortune House, a vital cultural asset and National Historic Landmark, said James Giannell, Chairman of the Monmouth County Planning Board.

Roger Mumford Homes, alongside project engineer Brian Decina of French and Parrello Associates accepted the award. This project is meaningful to me because it represented an opportunity to contribute to a more inclusive society, said Mumford. The cultural center will serve to introduce students and others to T Thomas Fortune, a brilliant man who many consider to be the bridge to the modern civil rights movement.

Prior to the idea of restoring the home, I enjoyed the Pulitzer Prize winning book The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. I believe the country would be well served if this book was required reading in every high school because at the end of the day, each of us does better when we rise as a society.

The restoration of the T. Thomas Fortune House (also known as Maple Hall) commenced just over three years ago when Roger Mumford reached out to Gilda Rogers of the Fortune group and communicated that he had an idea to solve their problem and restore and preserve the original T. Thomas Fortune house. Located in West Red Bank, the home is one of only two National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey that are devoted to African American history. Mumford offered to restore the home and donate it as a cultural center in conjunction with the construction of Fortune Square, 31 rental residences on its one-acre piece of property.

It was a logical solution to a multi-faceted problem and aligned deeply with my own personal beliefs, said Mumford. This project is not just about restoring a building, it is essentially one small effort to confront the divisiveness we have been experiencing as a nation. The home was in an advanced level of decay, and the structural engineers at French and Parrello were key to the effort. In addition, French and Parrello prepared the overall site plan for the project.

Roger Mumford Homes developed plans to preserve the structure and honor T. Thomas Fortune by rehabilitating the home as the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center. The project consists of the restoration of the entire property, along with an entry area with benches and a monument commemorating Fortune, parking areas for visitors, internal walkways circulating the site, and an apartment building to the rear that incorporates the French Mansard style of Maple Hall.

The T. Thomas Fortune House is a very significant property, said Mumford. This man was a true visionary and it is my great privilege to help honor his legacy by restoring the property to its former glory.

The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center will celebrate its formal unveiling in February 2019 during Black History Month. To learn more, visit http://www.RogerMumfordHomes.com.

About Roger Mumford Homes

Roger Mumford Homes was founded in 2005 by Roger Mumford, former President and Co-founder of the Matzel & Mumford Organization, which built over 75 new home communities in New Jersey. The builder has since earned multiple awards in recognition of its excellence in design and detail, reinforcing its brand and reputation. To learn more, please visit RogerMumfordHomes.com or call 732.842.1580.

T. Thomas Fortune House receives 2018 Planning Merit AwardSylveco Birch Cream with Betulin

Sylveco, natural beauty brand based in Poland is expanding its US presence for 2019 with its wide range of natural skincare products. The wider outreach throughout the United States is headlined by Sylvecos signature product Birch Cream, renowned for the rich moisturizing and soothing properties of its key ingredient Betulin (birch tree extract). Along with its less concentrated Birch Light version, the products plant-based formulation provides essential hydration for all skin types and helps correct various skin sensitivities and concerns.

Other must have products from the line include the non-greasy and fast absorbing Soothing Eye Cream for daily treatment of sensitive areas around the eyes; the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory Chamomile Face Wash for regular cleansing to clear pores and support cellular regeneration; the alcohol-free Hibiscus Facial Toner to gently re-balance skin prior to applying moisturizing creams; and the Enzyme Face Peel infused with Bromelain (enzyme from pineapple juice) and Papain (enzyme from papayas) to remove dead skin cells and rejuvenate skin for even tone and soft texture.

Sylveco is recognized worldwide for its award-winning natural formulations that effectively care, maintain or improve sensitive skin concerns including eczema, acne, rosacea, broken capillaries, sunburns, redness, dullness or discoloration, dry, irritated, sagging or aging skin. All its natural products contain no fillers and are dermatologically tested and cruelty free, making them ideal for all skin types.

ABOUT SYLVECO

Established in 1992, Sylveco is the leading family-owned and operated Polish natural beauty brand with a collection of fine quality skin and body care products created from all-natural ingredients. The company is founded on Polands long tradition of respecting and valuing nature for food and medicinal remedies. From childhood on, the average Polish person is aware of the benefits of herbs and plants and how to use them in daily routines. Through the years Sylveco has innovated on these natural ingredients to create its line of products, which have earned countless of awards including the Prix de Beaute, the Cosmetics Markets Golden Pearl and Silver Pearl, Cosmetics Forum Beauty Vision Gold Medal, and others conducted by the international divisions of media giants such as Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and Womens Health. Today, the brand carries three lines Sylveco, Vianek and Biolaven - available worldwide in Spain, France, UK, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Italy among others. In the United States, certified genuine Sylveco products are available on alinacosmetics.com through Grace Wdowiak, the official brand representative covering the US and Canada.

Annual Leadership Meeting The energy, enthusiasm and ideas shared at this Annual Leadership Meeting represent all we can achieve together in the coming year.

Smile Brands Inc., a leading dental support organization (DSO) with 400 locations across 17 states, hosted over one thousand people at its Annual Leadership Meeting January 11  13 in Dallas, Texas. The event brought together some of the nations best general and specialty dental providers, practice managers and industry suppliers to celebrate the success of Smile Brands affiliated practices in 2018 and share goals for 2019.

Last year was terrific for the organization, so we had a lot to celebrate, explains CEO Steve Bilt. Not only did we experience double digit top-line and bottom-line growth, but we welcomed several new joint venture partners including DecisionOne Dental Partners of Chicago and P3 Dental Group from Las Vegas.

For the second year in a row, Smile Brands was the only DSO to be named a Best Place to Work in the Glassdoor Employee Choice Awards. The Annual Leadership Meeting is just one of many activities the organization sponsors throughout the year to create a win-win culture for its affiliated providers and employees. For the first time, a group of graduating dental students was invited to experience Smile Brands culture first hand.

It was such a fun weekend and a valuable experience for me to see and learn all about Smile Brands, explains dental student Jeff Stowell. Being able to talk with and meet practicing dentists who could share their insights and advice was priceless. Everyone I met seems to really love the company. It was great to have the dentists confirm all wed heard about Smile Brands.

The meeting featured a variety of continuing education courses delivered by top dental industry experts for Smile Brands affiliated providers, plus information and best practice sharing to help all affiliated offices reach new heights in 2019. Some of the most important learning actually happens outside of the scheduled sessions where attendees are afforded the opportunity to network and share ideas and best practices. Dr. AJ Acierno, CEO of DecisionOne Dental Partners, and Dr. Matthew Welebir, CEO of P3 Dental Group attended the meeting for the first time.

This was a great opportunity for my people to get to know the Smile Brands team and establish a foundation for building value together, said Acierno. We continue to be amazed by the Smile Brands culture, added Welebir. The energy, enthusiasm and ideas shared at this Annual Leadership Meeting represent all we can achieve together in the coming year.

About Smile Brands

Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. Recently ranked #25 on Glassdoors 2019 Best Places to Work list, Smile Brands Inc. provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long-term agreements with affiliated dental groups, so dentists can spend more time caring for their patients and less time on the administrative, marketing and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. Smile Brands supports nearly 400 Bright Now! Dental, Monarch Dental, Castle Dental, A+ Dental Care, OneSmile Dental, Johnson Family Dental, P3 Dental Group, and DecisionOne Dental Partners offices in 17 states. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, Calif. For more information, visit http://www.smilebrands.com.In the same bill, the legislature would likely change the state law in order to make the essential federal workers eligible for unemployment compensation. Currently, those who are furloughed are eligible for unemployment compensation, but those who are still working and not being paid because they are deemed as "essential'' cannot receive unemployment compensation.Representatives from Salt Lake Community College and Cummins cut a ribbon to kick off their new partnership. This is just one more way we can help to address the nationwide shortage of diesel mechanics while partnering with one of the most well-known and respected brands in the diesel industry.

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) and Cummins Inc. announce they have teamed up to train workers to become service technicians and earn an associate of applied science degrees through Cummins Technician Apprentice Program (TAP) at SLCCs Westpointe Workforce Training & Education Center.

TAP is a collaboration between industry and higher education to help Cummins apprenticeship students gain valuable training and advance in their careers. The two-year program provides training across a variety of diesel platforms and technologies, full-time employment during the program, free tuition and course credits that transfer to four-year degrees. SLCC is one of three institutions in the United States that host the TAP program and provide critical job training to Cummins employees.

Salt Lake Community College is thrilled to enter into this very important partnership with Cummins International, said Dr. Eric Heiser, SLCC Dean of the School of Applied Technology & Professional Development. This is just one more way we can help to address the nationwide shortage of diesel mechanics while partnering with one of the most well-known and respected brands in the diesel industry. We are grateful for the confidence that Cummins has shown in us to be able to deliver quality diesel technician training to their apprentices.

To date, Cummins Inc. has sponsored 30 apprentice students by paying for their education and program expenses at SLCC. While in the program, students participate in an intense United States Department of Labor Technician Apprenticeship, where they will earn their associate degree from SLCC and be Cummins-certified in engines.

Throughout our 100 years, we have spent time and energy investing in our people, and those people are the lifeblood of our company and the lifeblood of our business, said Jenny Bush, executive director of North America Distribution for Cummins. Without employees like our technicians here, we would not be where we are standing a hundred years later. As I think about our legacy and our heritage, everything we stand for sits in this room. Im thrilled were able to continue that legacy as we get into our next hundred years.

Salt Lake Community College is Utahs only accredited community college. Home to more than 60,000 students each year, the college is Utahs leading provider of workforce development programs and the largest supplier of transfer students to the states four-year institutions. SLCC is also a top 10 college nationally for total associate degrees awarded and the leading provider of applied technology courses in the Salt Lake area.

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins currently employs approximately 58,600 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 7,400 dealer locations. Cummins had sales of $20.4 billion in 2017.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named January National Radon Action Month to raise awareness of the dangers caused by the naturally occurring radioactive gas. Radon is undetectable by smell, sight, or taste and long-term exposure can cause devastating health issues. The U.S. Surgeon General and American Lung Association have named radon exposure as the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States (the number one cause among non-smokers), resulting in up to 21,000 deaths each year. The Kansas City region falls within the EPAs Zone 1, signifying dangerously high levels of radon are present across the area. On average, one of every three homes in the Kansas City area test above recommended safe levels.

Certified Radon is a regional company that has been providing radon testing and mitigation services since 2008. With nearly ten years of testing data from thousands of properties across the area, Certified Radons data supports the EPA findings. As part of Certified Radons efforts to educate the public about radon facts and testing solutions that can protect the health of their homes and families, they are offering free short-term test kits that homeowners can use to test their homes themselves. Free test kits are available by registering with Certified Radon at http://www.CertifiedRadonKC.com/free-test-kit while supplies last (limit one per household). Testing at least every two years by an industry-certified professional is recommended for the most reliable results. This is important, given research showing that children and those with lung ailments, including asthma, can be more susceptible to the harmful effects of radon. Certified Radon has professionally trained technicians who conduct thorough testing of properties to determine risk. If radon is present above levels deemed safe by the EPA, they can install mitigation systems to remove radon from the property.

For more information about radon, the dangers of exposure, and solutions, contact Certified Radon at 816.587.3500 or http://www.CertifiedRadonKC.com.

Since 2008, Certified Radon has been serving homeowners and real estate professionals in Missouri and Kansas, performing thousands of radon tests and radon mitigation system installations. As part of Radon Action Month in January, Certified Radon is offering a free in-home test kits (one per household while supplies last) and a $50 discount on residential radon testing conducted by an Industry-Certified Radon Technician. Visit http://www.CertifiedRadonKC.com/promotions for details.

For additional information or questions please call or email:

Travis Siegfried, Certified Radon Founder & CEO

816.587.3500 info@certifiedradonkc.comGimme Shelter Animal Rescue has saved more than 1,600 dogs from high-kill shelters and neglectful situations ...

Ruth Toporoff, a local resident of Bedford, NY, is supporting Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue with a donation of $25,000 to support the humane treatment of animals and to find homes for abandoned and stray dogs.

Founded in 2011 in Long Island, New York, as a 501(c3) non-profit organization, Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue has saved more than 1,600 dogs from high-kill shelters and neglectful situations, often in the Southern United States where the problem is particularly pronounced. As an early supporter of this organization, Ruth Toporoff has focused on finding foster families for these animals and transforming them into healthy pets.

Ms. Toporoff said, Gimme Shelter is devoted to saving the lives of homeless puppies and dogs by relieving overcrowded and understaffed animal shelters. Its success in placing abandoned animals where they can thrive and enjoy the love of their new owners fills a desperately needed humanitarian gap. Thanks to its amazing donors, as well as its dedicated and hard-working volunteers, Gimme Shelter makes tireless efforts to save as many dogs as possible.

Ms. Toporoff went on to describe the central role of Gimme Shelters President, Michelle Neufeld Montak, in spending many hours to save and care for each animal. Services range from finding these animals in the first place, to cleaning them up, bringing them to and from the vet for health certificates and shots, and checking their temperament. All animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped prior to being transported to foster homes.

Gimme Shelter uses these foster homes to evaluate its animals prior to matching them with a permanent owner. This unique system has resulted in many successful placements, and Ruth Toporoff has participated in this program herself with the fostering and adoption of two puppies, in addition to her financial support.

Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue was voted Best Rescue in the Hamptons for three consecutive

years. Ms. Toporoff has also supported other animal-centered organizations such as 13 Hands Equine Rescue and Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship as well as participating in regional dressage competitions.

Ms. Toporoff concluded, My heart breaks when I see these poor innocent animals mistreated and left for dead. My goal in supporting Gimme Shelter is simple: find a nice, loving furever home for an otherwise condemned animal.

About Ruth Toporoff

Ruth Toporoff actively supports animal rights. An owner and rider of dressage horses, she is a member of the United States Dressage Federation and maintains horses at her home in Bedford, New York. One of the first women to run a heavy construction company as a WBE business, she has won million-dollar contracts from the MTA for subway expansions and infrastructure.Paris Bijoux Collection We are here to inspire women to live better, travel farther, and connect more globally. We do so with the help of incredible makers who show us the power of travel and female entrepreneurship through their craft. This pop-up celebrates them.

Rue Saint Paul, a womens online lifestyle brand founded in Brooklyn, opens its first ever pop-up in Downtown New York at Canal Street Market February 1  28, 2019. The pop-up allows visitors to explore small batch products from majority women owned and made labels from around the world. The collection includes luxury womens clothing, accessories, beauty, and home & gifts.

We are here to inspire women to live better, travel farther, and connect more globally, says Kelly Wang, founder of Rue Saint Paul. We do so with the help of incredible makers who show us the power of travel and female entrepreneurship through their craft. This pop-up celebrates them.

The products are showcased based on their city of origin with key collections including New York Treasures, Bali Beauties, and Paris Bijoux. All products featured on Rue Saint Pauls online store are available at the pop-up along with several surprise showcases from local designers. Featured designers include Paris based jewelry label Alexandrine Paris, Bali based clothing label Beachgold Bali, and Brooklyn based home & gifts label, Sir / Madam.

In celebration of this special occasion, a 15% off discount is given to the first 10 customers each Saturday and Sunday. All purchases are taken home in Rue Saint Pauls limited edition Lost then Found shoppers, which are a nod to J.R.R. Tolkiens quote Not all those who wander are lost. All purchases made by Instagram followers of @ruesaintpaul are given a complimentary custom luggage tag. Shoppers can register on Eventbrite to receive 10% off their pop-up purchase.

The pop-up is located inside Canal Street Market at 265 Canal Street (at Canal St. and Lafayette St.) near the main retail entrance and just past Office Coffee. Canal Street Market is a curated retail and food hub between the popular Soho and Chinatown neighborhoods. It is open Monday  Saturday 11am  7pm and Sunday 12pm  6pm.

About Rue Saint Paul

Rue Saint Paul is a womens luxury lifestyle brand launched in 2018 from Brooklyn, New York by industry outsider and life long traveler, Kelly Wang. The brand is named after the street Ms. Wang lived on in the Le Marais neighborhood of Paris. Its collection includes emerging and independent global labels in womens clothing, accessories, beauty, and home & gifts. Rue Saint Pauls mission is to help women live beautifully, support independent makers, and inspire global discoveries. Featured labels are chosen for their design, quality, and place of origin. Rue Saint Paul focuses on collections that are made in small batches, by hand, and of sustainable materials. The collections are available through its online store and limited pop-ups."Roswell Park proves that with deliberate policies, thoughtful values, and compassionate outreach, an inclusive workforce accomplishes more.

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has been recognized as one of Americas Best Employers for Diversity 2019. The Buffalo cancer center was ranked 67th among 500 employers and 8th among the 30 employers within the health care sector to be named to the list, which is based on employee surveys.

Forbes selected Americas Best Employers for Diversity based on an independent survey conducted in collaboration with the analytics firm Statista among a sample of more than 50,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations, across 24 different industries. The online surveys asked participants about a number of topics relating to age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+ and general diversity concerning their own employer.

The City of Buffalo is the proud home of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and I congratulate them on this most prestigious recognition, says Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. This accomplishment demonstrates the effectiveness of an organizations commitment to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Roswell Park  an organization fueled by diversity, inclusion, and innovation  is one of the best hospitals for cancer care in the nation. Roswell Park proves that with deliberate policies, thoughtful values, and compassionate outreach, an inclusive workforce accomplishes more.

Roswell Park employs more than 3,400 people at its main campus in Buffalo and affiliate sites across Western New York. The cancer center is the only Buffalo-based employer to be named to this years list.

Of all the distinctions and honors Roswell Park has received, this recognition of our diverse and inclusive team is among those that make me proudest, says Roswell Park President and CEO Candace S. Johnson, PhD. Its based on our employees and what they had to say about their day-to-day experiences as Roswell Park employees. And theres something incredibly powerful about seeing all these individuals, with all the things that make them unique, coming together to unite around one focus, one mission. We wouldnt be Roswell Park without that richness.

Roswell Park is committed to building and retaining a diverse workforce and to helping increase employment and contracting opportunities for all Western New Yorkers, not only through its hiring and retention efforts but through resume-building workshops and job fairs throughout the community. For more information on these efforts and other services available through the Roswell Park Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which is led by David Scott, Director, and a video about career development at Roswell Park, go to roswellpark.org/diversity/diverse-workforce.

Our diversity as a team is a big part of quality and being able to provide culturally competent care, says Roswell Park employee Kristy Tyson, MBA, who works as a community patient navigator. Were encouraged to bring what makes us unique into our work and celebrate our differences.

Roswell Park will hold a team celebration this spring to celebrate this distinction.

The full Forbes Best Employers for Diversity 2019 list is available at forbes.com/best-employers-diversity/list.

This press release is also available on the Roswell Park website: https://www.roswellpark.org/media/news/roswell-park-comprehensive-cancer-center-named-one-americas-best-employers-diversity

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancers grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at http://www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell(at)RoswellPark.org.Powernet was honored with an eighth Pillar award at the Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service. Edita Dolan-Mayo, Powernets Director of Marketing & Community Affairs also received a Pillar award for Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year. The award was presented to Powernet as one of 11 Greater Cincinnati businesses honored at the Pillar Awards presented by Smart Business on Jan. 16.

Powernet would like to congratulate Formica Corporation, Jack Cincinnati Casino, Hydrotech Inc., Lykins Energy Solutions, Paycor, ProLink Staffing Services LLC, Rudler PSC, Standard Textile, The Corporex Family of Companies and Total Quality Logistics for also receiving the Pillar Award.

The Medical Mutual Pillar Award honors businesses of all types and sizes that make outstanding contributions to their community in an effort to encourage a charitable environment while recognizing creative efforts that make a difference and demonstrate the ties between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. This year marks the eighth time in nine years that Powernet has received the award.

Our focus has been to utilize our access to technology to erase the digital divide, says Alli Stevens, CEO of Powernet. By striving towards this goal weve been able to provide many families and individuals access to technology, such as tablets and Wi-Fi, that many of us take for granted every day. In doing so we are making an impact that will last for generations. It is a great honor to see our work recognized once again by the Pillar Awards.

Over the last 12 months, Powernet has taken part in making a wide variety of contributions to the community including sponsoring nonprofits such as RESET, American Heart Association, GRAD Cincinnati and Learning Through Art. A number of donations were also made throughout the year, the most impactful being those made to bridge the digital divide. Powernet donated networking equipment to Life Church Amelia to be used for their youth, feeding and clothing programs. Learning Through Art, a local performing arts education program, also received tablets for their events throughout the year. In addition to once again providing free community Wi-Fi to Lower Price Hill and Avondale, Powernet expanded the Avondale network to 11 new multi-dwelling units in the area. These networks were donated in an effort to help residents access the internet to perform valuable tasks such as job searches and school work.

Many of these projects and contributions were spearheaded by Powernets Dolan-Mayo, who was honored with the Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year award for her work with GRAD Cincinnati, in addition to her contributions to Powernet and various organizations throughout the community. This honor recognizes contributions by for-profit business executives who serve on nonprofit boards. She serves as GRAD Cincinnatis Marketing Chair, assisting the marketing and public relations committee while managing GRADs Annual Founders Banquet. Over the last two years the banquet has raised over $74,000 in scholarships for seniors entering into college.

About Powernet

Powernet enables businesses to connect with audiences in the office and across the world through wireless networking, Wi-Fi, voice, data, IT managed services, in addition to domestic and international carrier services. As a Woman-Owned business with more than 24 years of telecom experience and expert sales and support teams, we provide our partners and clients the unparalleled service and innovative technology they need to achieve their business goals. http://www.powernetco.comPenalties for DUI/DWI DUI convicts can expect harsh penalties, including fines, community service or even jail time, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains the typical penalties applied to people caught with DUI/DWI. Besides immediate penalties, the future car insurance premiums will also become more expensive.

Each state has its own laws regarding DUI/DWI and associated penalties. The most common penalties include:



Jail and community service. First-time offenders with a low BAC will usually have to do community service. The situation changes, even for first offenders, when human victims are involved. In this case, the felony is likely to result in jail time for the DUI driver. The length of the jail time sentence depends on the condition of the victims. The guilty driver can expect to serve several months of jail time for minor injuries like bruises, or even many years behind the bars if the victim dies because of the accident.

Fines. Depending on which state the incident happened, expect fines from as low as $500 for first-time offenders in North-Dakota, and as high as $10,000 for drivers that have children on board in Texas.

Drug and alcohol education programs. Many states offer lesser penalties to those drivers that attend these programs. In some states, participating in a drug and alcohol education course is mandatory.

AA meetings. Judges may sentence DUI drivers to participate in this type of meetings, depending on their cases.

License suspension. The majority of states will suspend a driver's license if they fail a breathalyzer test. The suspension time vary from state to state, and it can be as low as one week to as much as one year in Georgia. Factors like, first-time offense, multiple DUI convictions, or the severity of the offense are considered when a license is suspended.

Ignition interlock device. In some states, the judges can order for an ignition interlock device to be installed in the cars of multiple offenders. This device works like a breathalyzer that doesn't allow the car engine to start if the driver's BAC is above a certain level.

Expensive premiums. Car insurance rates will double, or even triple. And that's in the best case. The insurance provider can drop coverage, or it will simply not renew your policy. DUI convicts are considered a high-risk driver for the insurance companies and at least three years.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.

Frontline VM is the industrys most comprehensive, accurate, and easy to use VM system  bar none

Digital Defense, Inc., a security technology and services provider, today announced that Frontline Vulnerability Manager (Frontline VM) , a Frontline.Cloud system, has again been recognized as a Trust Award finalist in the Best Vulnerability Management Solution category for the 2019 SC Awards.

The mission of SC Awards is to honor the achievements of the cybersecurity brands and professionals striving to safeguard businesses, their customers, and critical data in North America. This exciting program of nominations, judging, and the announcement of finalists culminates in the SC Awards gala on March 5, 2019 in San Francisco, convening hundreds of the industrys brightest luminaries to network, toast the winners, and celebrate the best the cybersecurity community has to offer.

Digital Defense, Inc. has demonstrated that they are among the best in the industry at vulnerability management, said Illena Armstrong, VP, editorial, SC Media. Being a Trust award nominee is a special honor as it demonstrates that you are at the top of your game, and your peers know it.

Now in its 22nd year, SC Awards is recognized as the industry gold standard of accomplishment for cybersecurity professionals, products and services. All finalists were chosen by an expert panel of judges with extensive knowledge and experience in the cybersecurity industry.

Frontline VM is the industrys most comprehensive, accurate, and easy to use VM system  bar none, said Gordon MacKay, EVP/CTO at Digital Defense, Inc. Comprehensively identifying and evaluating the security and business risk postures of network devices and applications deployed as premise, cloud, or hybrid network-based implementations, Frontline VM overcomes frustrations experienced by security professionals such as the lack of accurate results and deployment and maintenance complexity found with other popular risk assessment tools.

About SC Media

SC Media is cybersecurity. For over 25 years, they have armed information security professionals with in-depth and unbiased information through timely news, comprehensive analysis, cutting-edge features, contributions from thought leaders, and independent product reviews in partnership with and for top-level information security executives and their technical teams.

In addition to their comprehensive website, SC Media offers magazines, eBooks, and newsletters. They also host digital and live events such as SC Awards and RiskSec NY to provide cybersecurity professionals all the information needed to safeguard their organizations and contribute to their longevity and success.

Friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SCMag

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scmagazine

Event Information:

Anna Naumoski, Events Manager

anna.naumoski(at)haymarketmedia.com

646.638.6015

About Digital Defense

Serving clients across numerous industries, Digital Defenses innovative and leading-edge technology helps organizations safeguard sensitive data and eases the burdens associated with information security. Frontline.Cloud, the original Security SaaS platform, delivers unparalleled accuracy and efficiencies through multiple systems including Frontline Active Threat Sweep (Frontline ATS), Frontline Vulnerability Manager (Frontline VM), Frontline Web Application Scanning (Frontline WAS) and Frontline Pen Test, while SecurED, the companys security awareness training, promotes employees security-minded behavior. The Digital Defense Frontline suite of products, underpinned by patented technology and complemented with superior service and support, are highly-regarded by industry experts, as illustrated by the companys designation as #10 ranking in The Saas Reports Top 25 CyberSecurity Companies of 2018, recipient of Frost & Sullivans 2018 Global Vulnerability Management Customer Value Leadership Award, #10 ranking in Black Book Market Research's list of Compliance & Risk Management Solutions, five-star review in SC Magazine and inclusion in CRNs 2018 MSP 500.

Contact Digital Defense at 888-273-1412; visit http://www.digitaldefense.com, our blog, LinkedIn, or follow @Digital_Defense on Twitter.Each year, we search for ways to enhance the Symposium experience for all of our attendees," said Bonnie Harken, Managing Director at the iaedp Foundation.

The iaedp Symposium proudly announces the availability of its 2019 mobile app, which is free after registration, and allows attendees to plan and participate in the 2019 Symposium with the use of Android or iOS device. The application, also available in a desktop version, lets 2019 Symposium attendees download the app from their devices app store by searching iaedpTM Symposium 2019. The application allows attendees to easily point and click on the different areas that encompass iaedps annual conference event.

The annual iaedp Symposium takes place Feb. 7 - 10 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert, California and features nearly 60 sessions, including keynote speakers, workshops, pre-certification courses and many other special events.

Each year, we search for ways to enhance the Symposium experience for all of our attendees," said Bonnie Harken, Managing Director at the iaedp Foundation. The application for the 2019 iaedp Symposium is a convenient and easy way to engage early and be as productive as possible throughout the conference.

The iaedp app not only maximizes planning time, it also can keep attendees on time and updated while attending the conference. The app platform offers the ability to configure an individuals schedule, connect with peers, identify the presentations times and dates, find hotel and exhibitor locations via maps and stay up to date on what is happening in a special bulletin section. For 2019, the app will also be where individuals register for sessions and reserve a spot at meals.

The 2019 iaedp Symposium App builds upon the iaedp mission and commitment to offer Symposium attendees time-saving amenities and an opportunity to begin planning before the annual conference begins. Prior to the introduction of the first iaedp app in 2015, iaedp introduced other innovative learning tools to enhance the learning experience for members. These included online webinars, iaedp memberSHARE website and the development of an extensive compact disc library.

Compatibility for the iaedp Symposium app requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Android devices require an operating system of 4.0 or higher. For more information on the 2019 iaedp Symposium app, visit iaedp.com.

About the iaedp Foundation: Since 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals has provided education and training standards to an international and multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions. MemberSHARE.iaedp.com is an iaedp business journal and online member resource to learn about noteworthy member achievements, continuing education webinars and U.S. and international chapter activity and events; for more information, visit MemberSHARE.

The iaedp Foundations Presidents Council, which provides organization support, includes: Center for Change; Center for Hope of the Sierras; Center For Discovery; Eating Recovery Center; Laureate Eating Disorders Program; McCallum Place Eating Disorder Centers; The Meadows Ranch; Rogers Behavioral Health; Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders; Selah House; The Renfrew Center; Timberline Knolls; Turning Tides Eating Disorder Treatment Center; and Veritas Collaborative.

The iaedp Foundation proudly announces the supporting sponsors for the 2019 iaedp Symposium:

Bronze Sponsors: Montecatini Eating Disorder Treatment Centers and Pine Grove Behavioral Health

More information about all aspects of iaedp and the 2019 Symposium can be found at iaedp.com.Many people, both Democrats and Republicans, reached out to me after the election to continue helping our state, and they also wanted a platform to enact real change said Kraut

Greg Kraut, member of the Westport Representative Town Meeting and former candidate for the 136th State Representative District, today unveiled The Economic Policy Project http://www.economicpolicyproject.org a groundbreaking solutions-first institute designed to work with - and educate - government leaders. The project is dedicated to filling a void for Connecticuts fiscal challenges by combining the best ideas from all political parties and from across the country.

The institutes mission is to promote smart, bipartisan public policy solutions to stimulate job growth, strengthen education, revitalize the states transportation network, promote sustainable budgeting, optimize revenue streams and limit debt and wasteful spending.

I started The Economic Policy Project to provide policy makers access to specialized solutions and thoughtful analysis in order to make smarter economic policy decisions that advance Connecticuts prosperity, said Greg Kraut, Founding Solutionist for The Economic Policy Project. Our state needs all the help it can get to meet the economic and social challenges it is facing today. There are so many bright people in the private sector who want to help and dont have the time to run for office. The Economic Policy Project is a way for ordinary citizens to become engaged in the process and become a trusted resource for government officials to make smarter, more informed decisions.

During his campaign for the 136th State Representative District, Kraut launched a 21-point economic recovery plan that serves as a catalyst for The Economic Policy Project. Kraut remains determined to offer solutions that makes use of best practices from other states and from other cities to move Connecticut forward. His economic recovery plan identifies $1 billion in immediate new, non-taxpayer revenue sources needed to balance the states budget and grow the economy.

Many people, both Democrats and Republicans, reached out to me after the election to continue helping our state, and they also wanted a platform to enact real change, said Kraut. We are harnessing all of the social capital of our most intelligent citizens to be put to work. We want to give the states government officials the tools to make smart financial decisions and encourage them to use as a non-partisan resource

At its core, The Economic Policy Project is aimed at providing a holistic approach to solving some of Connecticut's biggest fiscal challenges. Its partners and board members are empowered by creating opportunities for individuals and communities and will encourage citizen activists to educate decision makers about sensible government solutions that are used both in the public and private sector.

Over time The Economic Policy Project will develop a broad spectrum of ideas and analysis to use for the public good. The Institute will analyze and on a regular basis communicate its findings to the public on a whole range of economic issues facing Connecticut. It will also bring together prominent thinkers to develop and discuss cutting edge policies to advance economic prosperity.

Kraut is in midst of creating an Advisory Board with a membership spanning industries and geographies. The advisory board members will offer a distinct perspective to guide the project, and they will be identified at a later date.

Our mission is to promote bi-partisan public policy solutions, said Kraut. Smart fiscal and budgetary policy is by no means an easy feat, but through cooperation and community empowerment we believe we can facilitate progress in this area. The Economic Policy Project will inject its research and findings directly into the policy arena. We will provide all those who care about improving the economic health of our state with independent, practical knowledge and information.Meanwhile, Connecticut offenders, many of whom are people of color, sit in prison for the sale and distribution of marijuana.Positronic, a global manufacturer of high reliability electronic connector products based in Springfield, Missouri, USA, is pleased to announce that Med Hasib has joined Positronic as Vice President of Engineering. Hasib brings customer-centric design experience and will guide our engineering team to produce innovative connector products for our customers toughest challenges.

Hasib will lead the companys strategic direction for engineering, defining and articulating new opportunities, and working with various business teams to articulate specific goals. He will also drive thought leadership and continue to develop the companys engineering resources.

Prior to this role, Hasib led global Engineering, Operation and Program Management organizations to support multiple business units that served the OEM, airline and aftermarket segments of Defense & Space and Commercial Aviation. He strengthened customer relationships and new product development program execution on major systems for new aircraft platforms.

Hasib has served in multiple leadership roles at Honeywell, Siemens and General Electric, leading significant improvements in operational efficiency and engineering alignment with each companys integrated processes for delivering new products and services to the market.

Med brings unique experiences and perspectives that will help us provide world-class engineering and new innovative products. We look forward to his leadership in this role, states Greg Rocque, President of Positronic.

To learn more about Positronic, visit http://www.connectpositronic.com.

About Positronic:

Founded in 1966, Positronic is a global manufacturer of high reliability electronic connectors known for distinctive core capabilities, including solid machined contacts with low resistance/high conductivity for use in standard and quick--turn custom connectors. Key products include high power, D-sub, rectangular, modular and circular connectors. Customized solutions are available as well. Positronic is known globally for the unique ability to quickly modify existing designs or create new products to meet application-specific needs. Visit http://www.connectpositronic.com for more details.We give entrepreneurs their time back by implementing cloud technology that will guide better decision making.

Xero, a global small business platform, has over 100,000 business advisors worldwide as part of its network and it was an outstanding achievement for MATAX to be recognized as one of the industrys best in the United States and Canada.

Winners were judged across a number of criteria including innovation, ability to boost productivity and provide client solutions, strong marketing strategies, certification, and usage of cloud technology tools to provide value to small business customers. This years Xero Americas Awards 2018 judging panel included key executives from Xero and guest judge Ranica Arrowsmith, technology editor at Accounting Today.

Technology provides the power and tools for todays accountants and bookkeepers to become true business advisors. With the assistance of cloud technology, advisors can help small business owners ease pain points and empower them to achieve success, said Keri Gohman, President of Xero Americas. Our winners stand out for their commitment to providing small businesses with the right support and strategic guidance, and we are delighted to award MATAX with this honor.

We are proud to again be recognized for the work we do in our community and across the U.S. We give entrepreneurs their time back by implementing cloud technology that will guide better decision making. Starting with helping a small business with their accounting and cloud integrations, we strive to help them achieve their long-term goals, said Dawn Hatch, Founding Partner. Cloud technology provides us with an opportunity to transform how small businesses operate. Tools that were once available to only large enterprises can now be seamlessly integrated into any business, making an immediate impact on productivity, scalability and profitability. This award validates the innovation, hard work and high standards of our team and further encourages us to continue striving toward providing impactful guidance and deep value to our customers.

About MATAX

MATAX is a full service Xero advisory and cloud bookkeeping firm specializing in customized accounting services for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses across a wide range of industries. For more information on MATAX, visit http://www.mataxhq.com.Please join me in congratulating Lucia on her achievement and professional success! said Michael DeChristopher, Owner and President, The DeChristopher Group

The DeChristopher Group is happy and proud to announce that Lucia Fan, Senior Consultant has been recognized for attaining her Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) certification.

The CEBS program is a mark of achievement of the highest level and recognizes and honors those who expand their industry knowledge and expertise to best administer or advise the benefit plans and clients they serve. Co-sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the CEBS program is the most widely recognized and respected professional credential in the industry.

"Please join me in congratulating Lucia on her achievement and professional success!" says Michael DeChristopher, Owner and President, The DeChristopher Group

About The DeChristopher Group:

TDG is a strategic employee benefits broker and consulting firm. In a rapidly changing world, weve been helping employers prepare for change and the unexpected for over 20 years. This gives you the peace of mind that your companys greatest assets  its employees  are being cared for and protected.

Employee expectations continue to evolve and you want a benefits program thats competitive  but also viable. Show how much you value your employees and recognize their needs with help from the benefits specialists. Visit us at http://www.the-dgroup.comWe consistently move up in the rankings, which is a testament to the commitment we have to our franchisees and our loyal customers, coast to coast.

Kolache Factory, a unique national pastry chain based in Katy, Texas, recently ranked in Entrepreneur magazines Franchise 500, the worlds first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Placement in the Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, as evidenced by the fact that Entrepreneur received more than 1,000 applications this year, making it one of the companys most competitive rankings ever.

Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the Franchise 500 ranks Kolache Factory as #236  up 180 spots from 2018  for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power.

We are thrilled with our Franchise 500 ranking this year! said COO Dawn Nielsen. We consistently move up in the rankings, which is a testament to the commitment we have to our franchisees and our loyal customers, coast to coast. We focus on building an authentic brand, offering a unique high-quality product, and providing a level of support to entrepreneurs that makes owning a Kolache Factory a great way to secure your financial future.

The key factors that go into the evaluation of the Franchise 500 include costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranking order. Over its 40 years in existence, the Franchise 500 has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. Kolache Factorys position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.

As we celebrate 40 years of producing the Franchise 500, its a good opportunity to step back and look at how much has changed since that first ranking in 1980, says Jason Feifer, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur. While the franchise business model has changed little, the strongest franchise brands are constantly evolving and innovating to keep up with changing trends and technology.

To view Kolache Factory in the full ranking, visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2019 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 15.

About the Kolache Factory

Kolache Factory was founded in 1982 in Houston, Texas, by John and Jerri Banks, who identified a need for a fresh, high-quality breakfast that could be eaten on the run. The Bankses encouraged consumers to try the high-quality, fresh pastries filled with fruits, meat and cheeses and soon they were in high demand for business meetings, family breakfasts, on-the-go lunches and afternoon snacks. Kolache Factory has been recognized as one of the Top 5 Drive-Thrus in America by Food Network, one of the fastest growing companies in Houston and one of the top 50 food service bakeries in the United States by Modern Baking magazine. In addition, Franchise Times magazine recently named Kolache Factory one of the 300 biggest brands in franchising by worldwide sales in 2017. In addition, Entrepreneur magazine named it among the top 200 food-based franchises in 2017. Kolache Factory is privately owned and operated and headquartered in Katy, Texas. For more information please visit http://www.kolachefactory.com.There will soon be 340 million Chinese aged 60 or above. Many of them want to live overseas.

Juwai.com, the No. 1 Chinese international property platform that reaches 3.1 million Chinese consumers per month, has launched a new Retirement and Lifestyle Channel on its website, dedicated to giving its Chinese users information and real estate listings related to retirement living and property buying abroad.

The new channel is the last element of Juwai.coms fourth-quarter 2018 new product push. In total, Juwai.com has launched five new channels focused around buyer intentions in just two months: commercial property, emigration, education, investment, and retirement plus lifestyle. The retirement channel can be found at: https://lifestyle.juwai.com

Juwai.com CEO and Director Carrie Law said:

The four top reasons Chinese retire overseas are affordability, medical care, family, and lifestyle. They can find real estate and daily expenses to be more affordable. They can access more advanced health care. They can be near children and grandchildren who are already living internationally. And they can enjoy themselves by choosing a place that has the weather, environmental quality, and lifestyle they desire.

With this new channel, they have at their fingertip homes in all the worlds best places to retire. Developers shouldnt miss this opportunity to introduce their projects to Chinese consumers based on targeted demographics and lifestyle

Some recent content on the retirement channel includes an analysis of the world-rankings-leading Dutch pension system, a listing for a 5-bedroom oceanfront mansion in the California city of Newport Beach, an analysis of the pros and cons of retiring in Thailand, news about the 17th Shanghai Overseas Investment and Immigration Fair, news about a Canadian proposal to curtail birthright citizenship, and tips on outfitting a new home in Australia.

Within 11 years, there will be 340 million Chinese aged 60 or above. Thats more than the present population of the entire United States. The potential audience for this channel is even larger than just those who are already at retirement age. We know that most people begin planning and investing for retirement in their 40s and 50s.

Most Popular Countries for Chinese Retiring Overseas

The countries that are most popular for Chinese retirees are the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Most older Chinese want to live near their children and grandchildren, and these are the countries with the largest Chinese immigrant populations.

Malaysia has the My Second Home program that gives foreign retirees renewable, 10-year visas if they can meet relatively modest financial requirements. They need to have liquid assets of about US$85,000 and have a monthly income of about $2,500. Malaysia offers a high quality of life at a low expense, quality health care and easy access back to China.

Thailand has a one-year renewable visa for retirees over 50 years of age. It requires that you have only about US$25,000 in liquid assets. Thailand is close to China and within several years should be connected by a fast rail link that will make traveling back and forth much more convenient. Thai cities like Chiang Mai are already popular with Chinese retirees.

The Philippines offers a retirement visa for people as young as 35 and in exchange for nothing more than depositing US$20,000 in an approved Philippine bank. The cost of living is very low at less than US$1,500 per month. In Manila the standard of health care is high.

"With the fast launch of these new channels, our Digital Team proved themselves the best in the industry. These five new channels went from conception to implementation in only two months. That helps our users. It helps our advertisers reach the right users in the most cost-effective way.

"With these new channels we hope to limit the number of clicks that separate users from the information and listings they are looking for. That should improve their experience. It should also lead to even better results for our customers in the form of awareness, enquiries, and transactions. We're keeping the search box and also giving consumers other ways of finding what they need.

Joth Ricci (left) has joined Dutch Bros as president. He will work closely with Travis Boersma, CEO (right). Ive gotten to know Joth over the years, and he is a natural complement to our team, said Boersma. His proven abilities in strategic planning will be invaluable as we fine-tune our systems, standards and processes for our expansion goals. Were thrilled to welcome him into the Dutch Bros family.

Dutch Bros Coffee, the countrys largest privately held drive-thru coffee company, has appointed Joth Ricci president. Working alongside CEO Travis Boersma, Ricci will leverage his beverage expertise to ensure Dutch Bros is well-positioned to achieve its expansion plans, including growing to 800 locations over the next five years.

Ive gotten to know Joth over the years, and he is a natural complement to our team, said Boersma. His proven abilities in strategic planning will be invaluable as we fine-tune our systems, standards and processes for our expansion goals. Were thrilled to welcome him into the Dutch Bros family.

Dutch Bros is a unique brand with a loyal following, added Ricci. Its an honor to be part of the team as we look to power Dutch Bros growth into new markets.

With a passion for innovation and the beverage business, Ricci joins Dutch Bros from Adelsheim Vineyard, where he was president and CEO and remains a strategic advisor and director. Previously, he was president of Stumptown Coffee Roasters, where he collaborated with TSG Consumer Partners, which has partnered with Dutch Bros since acquiring a minority stake last year. Additionally, Ricci is a director at Brew Dr. Kombucha and Ninkasi Brewing.

Ricci, who began serving as president on Jan. 7, is focused on guiding day-to-day activities and working directly with the board, TSG and management, while Boersma oversees Dutch Bros big picture strategy.

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is the countrys largest privately held drive-thru coffee company, with more than 320 locations and approximately 10,000 employees in seven states. The company is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, a private-label Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish.

In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Love Abounds Foundation and local franchisees, Dutch Bros donates several million dollars to causes across the country each year.

To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit http://www.dutchbros.com, like Dutch Bros Coffee on Facebook or follow @DutchBros on Twitter.In conclusion, it is our experience that bariatric surgery (in Mexico) is safe and effective, based on the low number of complications and on weight loss associated with important metabolic control.

ScienceDirect, one of the worlds largest and most respected peer-reviewed research paper online directories, has recently published the results of a detailed research study on the success and safety of weight loss surgery in Mexico.

The retrospective research study involved all the patients who had undergone bariatric surgery at a Mexico hospital (specifically, gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy in Mexico) over a period of 4.5 years.

Key Data Analyzed in the Study

The research study included a scientific analysis of the patient data at the Mexican weight loss surgery center, including:



Patient demographics (average profile of the patients)

The rate of early and late post-surgical complications

Variable peri-operative factors

The rate of remission and improvement of type 2 diabetes

The rate of weight loss failure

The study involved analysis of the case records of bariatric surgery patients who had undergone either gastric sleeve surgery or gastric bypass surgery in Mexico at a single center from 1st Jan, 2013 to 31st May, 2017.

Highlights from the research study have been published at the Jet Medical Tourism website: Is it safe to have weight loss surgery in Mexico?

Patient Selection

Patient selection for the purpose of this study was performed according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) standards for surgical treatment of obesity and overweight conditions.

The researchers selected 500 patients who received weight loss surgery in Mexico at one bariatric center. The mean age of the patients was 38.8 years, and their mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 44.1 kg/m2. Many of these obese and overweight patients also suffered from co-morbidities, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia.

The types of bariatric surgery in Mexico performed on these patients included:

Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery  85.8%

Gastric sleeve surgery  13.2%

Revision weight loss surgery  1%

Results of the Research Study

The analysis of the case records of these 500 patients in Mexico showed the following results:

Overall weight loss (as the excess weight loss percentage)

At 12 months  76.9%

At 24 months  77.6%

Researchers noted that patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery achieved the highest weight loss on average.

Diabetes remission and improvement rates

Patients who achieved total disease remission  68.7%

Patients who achieved partial disease remission  9.3%

Patients who achieved improvement  21.8%

Post-surgical complication rate

Early signs of complication  9.8%

Late signs of complication  12.2%

Death rate  0%

Conclusions of the Researchers

The researchers concluded that the results of the 500 patients of weight loss surgery in Mexico were:

Similar to the results reported globally

Similar to the results reported in industrialized countries (such as the US and Canada)

To quote the researchers observations verbatim from the study:

In our experience at a high-volume hospital center (in Mexico), bariatric surgery is safe and effective, based on the low number of adverse effects and consequent weight loss and type 2 diabetes mellitus control.

In conclusion, it is our experience that bariatric surgery (in Mexico) is safe and effective, based on the low number of complications and on weight loss associated with important metabolic control.

No Conflict of Interest Involved

ScienceDirect, the publisher of the study, has declared in its Financial Disclosure that no financial support was received in relation to this study/article. The authors of the study have also declared that there is no conflict of interest.

Full detailed research study is available for free online access at the ScienceDirect platform.

About Jet Medical Tourism

Jet Medical Tourism is a premier medical tourism facilitator for American, Canadian, and European patients seeking safe and advanced weight loss surgery in Mexico at a fraction of the cost.

Jet Medical Tourism works with the leading and accredited bariatric surgery hospitals and weight loss centers in Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Cancun, and other regions in Mexico.

The company has some of the most fantastic, accomplished, and experienced weight loss surgeons on board to help patients from the United States, Canada, and Europe achieve safe, predictable, and sustainable weight loss outcomes.

Contact Jet Medical Tourism OnlineI am gratified for the opportunity to apply my expertise managing extensive, multi-faceted IT deployments for the benefit of InterDev and its municipal clients."

InterDev, an Atlanta-area provider of information technology, security and geographic information systems (GIS) services, today announced it has hired Recardo Tucker as its new Information Technology (IT) Manager for the Southeastern region. In this capacity, Tucker will plan, coordinate, direct and design IT-related activities at each of InterDevs municipal client sites in the region, providing administrative direction and support for daily operational activities of the IT department.

Tucker will also work closely with decision makers in the departments at each client site to identify, recommend, develop, implement and support cost-effective, optimal technology solutions for all aspects of the organization. Finally, he will define and implement IT policies, procedures and best practices at each client site, ensuring municipal client operations align with the business objectives of both the client and the organization.

I am gratified for the opportunity to apply my expertise managing extensive, multi-faceted IT deployments for the benefit of InterDev and its municipal clients, said Tucker. I am excited about this opportunity and the challenges it presents.

Before joining InterDev, Tucker worked as the Assistant IT Manager for Georgia State University (2015 to 2018), where he led a device management team overseeing 800+ computers for more than 30,000 university students. He also oversaw the work of 40 IT specialists and assisted in managing a $300,000 IT budget. Prior to that engagement, Tucker held a series of progressively responsible IT management roles in varied industries, working as Senior Desktop Analyst for ViaSat, Desktop Support Administrator for Pardot by Salesforce.com, System Integration & Testing Engineering Associate for Lockheed Martin, and other high-value IT positions.

Tucker possesses broad technical proficiency in networking and virtually all major computer and networking operating and hardware systems. He has served in the U.S. Army and is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a masters degree in Information Systems.

Our Southeastern Region is where InterDev got its start in municipal IT management, and it remains one of our most significant areas of operation, said InterDev CEO Gary Nichols. As such, it is imperative that we have a consummate professional overseeing our IT work in the area. We are very pleased to have found that individual in Recardo Tucker.

About InterDev

Beyond their principal role as strategic provider of Managed IT and Security Services, InterDev is well known as a champion of IT visioning and innovation for growing businesses and government agencies  a role they perfected over nearly four decades. In addition to managing and hosting IT operations for its valued clients, InterDev also offers MosaicGIS, a cloud-based, software-as-a-service GIS platform based on Esri, as well as VoIP telecommunications services and circuit solutions. InterDev delivers services to business and municipalities throughout the Southeast and Midwest from their offices in Atlanta, Beaufort (SC) and Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.interdev.com.

AuditGenius will lower loan review costs by 30 to 40 per cent and make it possible for lenders to fix data and document quality issues at the front-end of the mortgage lifecycle.

Indecomm Global Services, a leading provider of business process as a service (BPaaS), software as a service (SaaS) technology, and learning solutions for the mortgage industry, announced today the availability of AuditGenius, Indecomms next generation technology solution for automated loan audits and mortgage risk management.

AuditGenius is the next generation technology of Kaizen - Indecomms proprietary, internally used, web-based SaaS solution developed to simplify the loan audit process for effective and efficient mortgage risk management. The genesis of AuditGenius was the overwhelming need in the mortgage industry to simplify the loan audit process and improve loan quality reporting. This tried and true solution provides a more transparent and efficient delivery of our Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) solutions and is now available to our clients in a Software as a Service (SaaS) model.

We continuously seek ways to bring about discontinuous improvements through new technology innovations, said Rajan Nair, CEO, Financial Services, Indecomm Global Services. Indecomms AuditGenius technology for risk management and loan audit automation is built on the latest advancements in Automated Data Extraction and Machine Learning. AuditGenius changes the way loan audits and reviews are done by automating large parts of the process, eliminating redundant touches and providing meaningful insight into loan quality metrics. AuditGenius will lower loan review costs by 30 to 40 per cent and make it possible for lenders to fix data and document quality issues at the front-end of the mortgage lifecycle.

Existing clients will benefit from the updated user experience, additional audit process features, and improved performance. In addition to those benefits, existing Indecomm clients will have the opportunity to subscribe to the AuditGenius automation and business intelligence modules.

Indecomm has over 25 years of experience in the mortgage loan life cycle, providing outsourcing services to clients ranging from loan set-up, processing, underwriting, compliance, mortgage disclosures, and quality assurance. Indecomms extensive experience in mortgage lending was the catalyst for the development of next generation technology solutions that support efficiencies, cost-savings, and business intelligence needs.

The first release of the next generation AuditGenius includes the following automated workflows:



Loan Estimate & Closing Disclosure (LE & CD) Comparison Review

HMDA Data Review

Upcoming releases will feature these new automation modules:



Loan Setup and Validation

Post-Closing Quality Control (PCQC) Audits

Compliance Reviews

Pre-Funding QA Reviews

Servicing Reviews

Pre-Purchase Due Diligence Reviews

To learn more about AuditGenius, visit http://www.indecomm.net or email marketing@indecomm.net to schedule a demo.

About Indecomm Global Services

Indecomm was founded in 2003 as a technology-enabled services company focused on high-speed document imaging technologies and automated data capture from structured and unstructured forms, with an innate ability to apply these technologies meaningfully to improve operational efficiency and client experience. We have been consistently ranked among the Global Top 100 IT and ITeS providers. With over 3,800 associates in 21 locations, Indecomm services its clients from global delivery centers and offices in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mauritius, and the Cayman Islands. We have active business engagements with over 300 global clients, including 20+ Fortune 500 companies.

Visit http://www.indecomm.net or call (732) 404-0081 to learn more.

About Indecomm Mortgage Services

Indecomm Mortgage Services is a leading provider of business services and technology for the US mortgage industry. With solutions for every stage of the mortgage lifecycle, Indecomm Mortgage Services provides outsourcing services, software as a service (SaaS) technology, and learning solutions to support the various needs of mortgage industry clients. With a proven track record of over 25 years in the mortgage industry, Indecomm partners with large and mid-sized lenders, servicers, and title companies as a trusted partner with a singular focus - helping them grow.

Visit http://www.indecomm.net or call (732) 404-0081 to learn more.Two Upper Valley employers, Fujifilm Dimatix and Hypertherm, are celebrating the graduation of high school students from its semester long high-tech manufacturing and engineering program. The investment in time, leadership, and resources by Hypertherm and Fujifilm have created a program of unmatched quality for students.

Two Upper Valley employers, Fujifilm Dimatix and Hypertherm, are celebrating the graduation of high school students from its semester long high-tech manufacturing and engineering program.

Fifteen students from Lebanon High School and Thetford Academy took part in a ceremony last night at Hypertherms Heater Road facility. Attendees included Lebanon Schools Superintendent Dr. Joanne Roberts, Thetford Academys Head of School William Bugg, representatives from Fujifilm and Hypertherm, as well as staff from both schools, and parents of the graduating students.

The groundbreaking program known as the STEM Internship: High Tech Manufacturing & Engineering, is an Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) developed in partnership with area high schools. In development for nearly two years, the program brought students from each school and placed them into the businesses as part of their regular school day. The program ran for the duration of the first semester of their school year and students earned credits toward their graduation requirements as well as earning college credit through the Running Start program.

Throughout the program, students were introduced to concepts such as human resources, resume writing and interviewing skills, product development, prototyping and engineering, production and manufacturing processes, and finance, sales, and marketing. The daily sessions provided students real-world, hands-on examples of business and manufacturing concepts in action at each of the businesses manufacturing facilities. Students learned directly from professionals in each field and were given the opportunity to immediately apply concepts as they completed projects and tasks directly related to each subject.

Mark Pichette, Director of Counseling at Thetford Academy says the program has been impactful, commenting that Students are carrying themselves with more confidenceits been an extraordinary experience. Its a comment echoed by Marc Chabot, Dean of Academics at Thetford Academy, who says, The investment in time, leadership, and resources by Hypertherm and Fujifilm have created a program of unmatched quality for students.

Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes cutting systems, in addition to CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software and consumables. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. The New Hampshire based companys reputation for cutting innovation dates back 50 years to 1968, with Hypertherms invention of water injection plasma cutting. The 100 percent associate owned company, consistently named a best place to work, has more than 1,400 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide. Learn more at http://www.hypertherm.com.

FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation and the worlds leading supplier of piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet products used for industrial applications, is driving a revolution in inkjet technology to support a new generation of products used for print production, industrial product decoration and materials deposition. The company applies its innovative inkjet technologies and world-class fabrication techniques in the design and manufacture of inkjet printheads, assemblies, components and systems designed to jet a wide range of fluids in precise amounts onto all types of flexible and non-flexible surfaces. Founded as Spectra, Inc. in 1984, the company was renamed Dimatix in 2005 to reflect its expansion into digital materials deposition and was acquired by FUJIFILM Corporation in 2006. Learn more at https://www.fujifilmusa.com.A bigger table is an easy promise to keep. The others will prove tougher but more essential. As the polling numbers grew tighter in last years race for governor, Lamont promised not to increase the income and sales taxes, which produce the largest chunks of money to pay for state services. As he looks at the budget numbers, Lamont may regret that promise, but he must keep it. Forsaking that pledge at the start of his administration will alienate the public at a time when Lamont will need its support. One reason former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy could not seek a third term is that he had misled the public to win a second four years in 2014. All was not well, Our money troubles had not been solved.With the addition of Spacio we now serve the four largest brokerage firms in the U.S., and have a combined footprint of more than 450k registered agents across North America.

HomeSpotter, the leading real estate software platform for agents to manage and grow their customer relationships, today announced it has acquired Spacio, the #1 open house lead generation system. The move extends HomeSpotters reach within the real estate industry and bolsters its position as a relationship technology leader.

Spacios intuitive mobile-first platform provides agents with a digital toolset to automate lead capture and follow up, replacing outdated paper sign-in forms at open houses and helping convert more open house visitors into customers. Spacio offers comprehensive data analytics on open houses that, for the first time, give visibility to a process that has always been manual and impossible for agents, brokerages, and franchises to track. Spacio integrates with dozens of CRM and marketing platforms and is used by over 100k agents across the U.S. and Canada.

Marketing activities for open house lead generation have three parts -- before, during, and after. We spent the past four years building, iterating, and perfecting the during and after pieces and we do those very well, better than anyone else. said Spacio co-founder and CEO Melissa Kwan. However, we always knew that in order to complete our product offering, we needed to give agents a way to market their listings before their open houses; this wasnt something we had the expertise to build on our own. With HomeSpotters digital advertising product, Boost, we can finally deliver the complete solution to agents that allows them to do all three: advertise their open houses before, capture leads during, and automatically follow up after, all within a single platform.

Weve been thinking about the open house opportunity since 2013, as open house visitors represent some of the most motivated buyers in market that arent always captured through other lead gen sources. said HomeSpotter founder and CEO Aaron Kardell. We considered building a registration product internally and also looked at solutions in market that address this need. The combination of the founding team at Spacio, their proven track record of delivering a best-in-class solution, and resoundingly supportive customer feedback  theres such strong alignment that it makes sense to bring our businesses together. We believe we will go further and faster together, and are excited about how the company will continue to evolve to help agents, brokers, and the consumers they service facilitate better relationships around real estate.

The addition of Spacio allows HomeSpotter to expand its existing agent, brokerage, and MLS service offerings to deliver an end-to-end solution across all touchpoints in the agent-to-consumer relationship cycle. With a combined footprint of over 450k agents, 250 brokerage firms, 300 MLS connections, and now servicing the four largest brokerage firms in the U.S., HomeSpotter is cementing its industry-leading position as the real estate relationship engine. All of Spacios employees and technology are joining the HomeSpotter family, with the combined teams now operating out of offices in both Minneapolis and Vancouver.

About HomeSpotter

HomeSpotter is the industry-leading software product suite for real estate agents, brokers, and MLS providers to build and strengthen customer relationships. Boost automates digital marketing at scale, enabling agents to expand their spheres and impress sellers. Connect gives buyers amazing branded search and agent collaboration tools to carry in their pocket. Spacio's intelligent open house solution streamlines outdated real estate processes and captures every opportunity.

HomeSpotter is headquartered in lovely Minneapolis, Minn., with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Vancouver.The HeroZona Foundation and the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 will be hosting a special program on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 (1624 E Broadway Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85040). The program will celebrate the dream of Dr. King on Monday, January 21, 2019. The event will run from 4 to 6 p.m. and include recognition from the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Public Service (APS), and a variety of civil rights leaders, district council members and many other notable figures.

Im honored to partner with the American Legion Post 65 to celebrate and honor the great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., says U.S. Army Desert Storm Veteran and HeroZona Foundation Co-Founder, Alan AP Powell.

The Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 Commander, Jarvis Reddick, will begin the program with welcoming remarks and introductions will be given by the Former Democratic Leader of the Arizona State House of Representatives, Art Hamilton. The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by the Sons of American Legion Commander for Post 65, Dennis E. Prince Sr. and the invocation will be given by the Senior Pastor at First Institutional Baptist Church, Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr.

Dr. Kings inspirational leadership helped our country work through one of the most divisive times in our history. His commitment to peaceful change is a lesson that we must always remember, because it is just as powerful and relevant today, says Arizona Attorney General, Mark Brnovich.

During the program, U.S. Navy Veteran and APS President, Jeffrey B. Guldner, will present the 2019 APS Inspirational Leadership Award to the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65. The award recognizes the post for its service to Arizona military veterans and the South Phoenix Community.

The Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 has a long history of community service activities that have positively impacted the lives of Phoenicians. The enduring spirit of Dr. King shines through in the work the Post does with veterans, young people and others in the South Phoenix community, says APS President, Jeffrey Guldner.

The Phoenix Suns will also announce their Community Connection Award to the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65. In the 2016-2017 season, the Suns donated a total of 2,157 tickets to the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, in conjunction with the HeroZona Foundation. These tickets were given to the community of South Phoenix and used for events such as their Military Appreciation Night and Ring of Honor Suite Donations. Additionally, the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury teams will announce its plans to renovate the men and womens restrooms at the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65.

The Phoenix Suns are proud to recognize the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, particularly as we come together to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. As Dr. King taught us, it is our obligation and duty to actively

participate in the communities in which we live, work and play. Post 65 continues to lead by example through the civic and philanthropic actions of its membership, and we are committed to supporting their ongoing efforts, says President and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, Jason Rowley.

The event will include speakers such as Stewart; Arizona State Representative District 27, Reginald Bolding and President of the NAACP Maricopa County Branch, Dr. Karen Hardin. Special guests include Guldner; Arizona Corporate Council on Veteran Careers Co-Chairman and U.S. Navy Rear Adm. (R), Hal Pittman; U.S. Senator and U.S. Air Force Combat Veteran, Martha McSally; Arizona Attorney General, Mark Brnovich; President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Glenn Hamer; and President and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, Jason Rowley.

The Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 deserves tremendous credit for its work on behalf of our neighborhoods and our veterans. We applaud the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 for this tribute to Dr. King and for its continuous investment in our community. Because of the contributions of the American Legion, Arizona is a richer place to call home, says Hamer.

To conclude the program, a tribute to Dr. King will be given by American Legion members, Elmer Green and Dr. Fish. Stewart will give the goodbye benediction.

To learn more about the HeroZona Foundations programs, visit herozona.org.

About HeroZona Foundation

The HeroZona Foundation has a strong focus on veteran initiatives and honoring those who have served our country and their family members. The nonprofits name reflects that messaging to focus on empowering and celebrating Americas veterans. Their most recent event, the HeroPreneur National Veteran Business Summit, was a three-day Veterans Day engagement with three pillars to empower Arizonas veterans through entrepreneurship, employment and education. The HeroZona Foundations annual Heropreneur National Veteran Business Summit created a multi-day networking experience to improve Americas support of veteran companies through workshops, networking, entrepreneurial connections, and seminars. For more information, visit herozona.org.Harvard Business Publishing, in partnership with Wait What Inc., creators of the award-winning podcast Masters of Scale, hosted by LinkedIn Co-Founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman, today announced the release of a new form of course materials in audio: PodcasesTM. This new product line blends robust learning objectives with the power of stories told by industry pioneers about the experiences that shaped their businesses.

Through Masters of Scale, I have the privilege of testing theories with iconic founders and CEOs who are the great multipliers of change in the world, said Reid Hoffman. This opportunity to extend the case study format and provide a new type of teaching resource for professors around the globe is one of the most fulfilling ways I can think of to bring everything we learn in the podcast to the classroom.

Delivered as a listening experience, Podcases provide students with learning that is lively, effective, and easily accessible. Educators have access to comprehensive teaching materials and transcripts to support their use of Podcases in the classroom through the Harvard Business Publishing Education website.

We are committed to advancing business education through engaging course materials, said Joshua Macht, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Harvard Business Publishing. Podcases provide an innovative learning approach that matches how students consume content today. Partnering with Masters of Scale enabled us to develop compelling content for faculty and students alike.

Currently released Podcase titles spotlight legendary entrepreneurs from well-known companies, including PayPals Peter Thiel, TaskRabbits Stacy Brown-Philpot, and Slacks Stewart Butterfield, and cover important topics in strategy, leadership, entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, and career management. These Podcase titles add to Harvard Business Publishings leading catalog of business education materials.

From the very first episode of Masters of Scale, it became clear that our listeners felt as entertained as they did mentored by Reid and his guests, said Deron Triff, Executive Producer and Co-Founder of WaitWhat. How Harvard Business Publishing has reimagined these podcasts offers exciting opportunities for classroom discussion.

For more information, visit hbsp.harvard.edu/podcases.

About Harvard Business Publishing

Academic institutions around the world use Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) teaching materials to add a real-life perspective to their graduate, undergraduate, and executive courses. These course materials vividly capture the realities of business and encourage students to play an active role in learning. HBPs offerings include:



More than 20,000 case studies from Harvard Business School and partner case collections

Online simulations and courses

Articles from Harvard Business Review and other top management journals

Books and chapters from Harvard Business Review Press

Powerful eLearning programs

For more information, visit hbsp.harvard.edu.

About WaitWhat

WaitWhat is a media invention company co-founded by former TED executives June Cohen and Deron Triff. It invests in, develops, produces, and distributes media properties with the specific purpose of creating new genres, categories, and formats of content that scale. WaitWhat creates and owns the Webby Award-winning Masters of Scale podcasthosted by LinkedIn Co-Founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffmanin which Reid demonstrates provocative theories about business with famous founders and CEOs. Masters of Scale has been downloaded more than 15 million times since its launch in May of 2017, enjoys an average listen-through rate of more than 80%, and is the first American media property to commit to a 50/50 gender balance amongst its guests.David Schultz, Hamline University The longer Trump vacillates over whether there is an emergency at the border proves there is no emergency. His threat to invoke the National Emergencies Act to get Congress to act is like taking his bat and ball and going home because he is losing in negotiations.

Hamline University professor David Schultz, noted expert on American politics and constitutional law, argues in a recent Counterpunch op-ed that President Trumps backing away from invoking the National Emergencies Act to build his Mexican wall is recognition that he lacks the legal authority to act.

As Schultz declares in the opening paragraph of his oped: The more President Trump changes his mind about declaring a national emergency to build his wall the less likely it is that he has the authority to do it. But even if he had declared a national emergency immediately, it is unlikely the Constitution or a congressional statute allows him to do it. That is perhaps why Trump has not invoke emergency powers to build the wallbasic principles of American law suggest he lacks the authority to do it.

Professor Schultz points out that there are several laws that prevent the president from acting alone to build the wall. Most specifically according to Schultz: First, the 1974 Federal Budget Act constrains the ability of the president to spend congressionally-authorized money in ways contrary to what the law allows. Second, there is no evidence in the National Emergencies Act to suggest that it frees the president to disregard spending priorities mandated by Congress. Third, presidents can only spend money they have legal authority to spend and there is no law allowing for funds to be used for the wall.

In addition, Schultz also argues there are other reasons to think that the National Emergencies Act may either be unconstitutional or fail to support Donald Trump. He argues that given that the law fails define what a national emergency is, a court may strike down the law as unconstitutionally vague. But equally important, the more Donald Trump changes his mind over whether there is an emergency, the less likely it is an emergency in any ordinary dictionary meaning of the term. The longer Trump vacillates over whether there is an emergency at the border proves there is no emergency. His threat to invoke the National Emergencies Act to get Congress to act is like taking his bat and ball and going home because he is losing in negotiations, according to Schultz.

David Schultz is a professor of political science at Hamline University. He has taught classes on American government and constitutional law for nearly 30 years. A three-time Fulbright scholar and winner of the Leslie A. Whittington national award for excellence in public affairs teaching, David Schultz is the author and editor of 35 books and 200 articles on American politics and law, including The Conservative Revolution of Antonin Scalia and his two-volume Constitutional Law in Contemporary America.

--EndEpimed International is excited to announce its latest product, the Cobra R-F Dual Use Cannula. The unique approach for this integrated design allows physicians to deliver desired injectates with the R-F probe in place. Studies have shown that lesioning after injecting has been shown to create a larger lesion size, thus improving procedure results and reducing pain for patients.

After decades of experience with radiofrequency treatments, we developed this device specifically for physicians to complete RF procedures more efficiently while reducing risk, says Epimed President and CEO Gabor J. Racz. Were excited about the enhanced level of care this product provides for our customers and their patients.

Using the Cobra, the RF electrode stays in the cannula while injectate is administered, reducing the risk of needle tip migration. This convenient device saves procedure time by allowing physicians to simultaneously inject while lesioning.

Healthcare professionals can learn more about the Cobra R-F Cannula at: https://www.epimed.com/products/cobra-r-f/

About Epimed: Our focus is on developing solutions for experts in Pain Management, Regional Anesthesia and OEM manufacturing. We provide high-quality, effective products to assist with the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Epimed International is a world-wide resource for OEM manufacturing with sites located in upstate New York and Dallas, Texas. We develop specialty devices and services for small scale innovators to Fortune 500 companies with an increasing customer base in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Additionally, our staff supports continuing education of physicians with a focus on patient safety and participates in local, national, and international meetings and workshops. Epimed has been a lifetime contributor in live surgeries and workshops to help physicians treat chronic and acute pain while developing and sponsoring clinical studies.

If you would like more information about the Cobra R-F Dual Use Cannula or any Epimed products, please contact Paul Hyso at (972) 373-9090 or email paulh@epimed.comLynda Gardner It is our job as NTI eMentors to make these job seekers feel comfortable in their transition to a new career. These candidates sometimes feel alone because their normal network is no longer available, and they appreciate having someone in their corner during this uneasy time, Roger Stagnaro

January 17th marks the fourth annual International Mentoring Day, a date chosen because it also happens to be the birthday of Muhammed Ali, world-renowned boxer, human rights activist, and philanthropist. Ali said, Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth, and mentoring is an impactful way to serve and create a better world now and for future generations.

Mentoring can create a powerful bond that creates lasting relationships especially important in the lives of individuals who feel isolated, including those with disabilities. NTI (http://www.nticentral.org) instituted its mentoring program in 2016 in response to the need it saw for individuals with disabilities searching for a job to have someone to help them guide them through the process and be a kind of cheerleader along the way. Many of the individuals who come to NTI for job services have been out of the workforce for several years due to an injury or disability. Reentering the workforce can be a daunting task, as the pace of technology and workforce management changes so rapidly in todays job environment.

Experts agree mentoring can lead to positive outcomes when an experienced individual takes an interest in and encourages someone with less experience, and NTI has seen great results. To date, NTI eMentors have helped more than 2,000 people complete free training and more than 400 people find employment. Senior eMentor Roger Stagnaro knows the power of mentoring is transformative for the individuals he mentors. It is our job as NTI eMentors to make these job seekers feel comfortable in their transition to a new career. These candidates sometimes feel alone because their normal network is no longer available, and they appreciate having someone in their corner during this uneasy time, Stagnaro said. NTI eMentors not only guide job seekers through the maze of training and paperwork, they also challenge their mentees to do their best and move out of their comfort zone. My team is great, and every day brings another success, said Lynda Gardner, Associate Director of eMentoring.

Job seekers working with NTI eMentors have a virtual hand to hold along the journey, and it makes a difference. April, who came to NTI looking to find at-home employment but not sure where to start, found a job with the help of her eMentor and said, My eMentor helped me gain independence and really boosted my self-confidence. Amy, another job seeker said, My eMentor called me regularly to see how I was doing and gave me encouragement when I wasnt quite sure of myself. EMentors at NTI help job seekers set achievable goals, stay focused on daily tasks required in a successful job search, and provide feedback on what skills are needed and how to best learn them. They stay in touch with their mentees from the day they apply for NTIs services all the way through the first three months of successful employment. NTI EMentors help new employees advocate for themselves on the job and provide a sounding board for common concerns and questions during the stressful first days on a new job.

On January 29, NTI will be one of only five organizations honored by induction to the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame sponsored by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC). Since few programs exist that provide mentoring to adults with disabilities seeking to reenter the workforce, NTI stands out in the crowd. NTI Director of eMentoring, Lynda Gardner, and Director of Marketing, Mike Sanders, will be in attendance to receive the award in Washington D.C. Judith Heumann, world renowned human rights activist, and Diego Mariscal, founder and CEO of 2gether International, will be emceeing the evening where mentors from across the nation will be honored. Sanders said, "We are proud to be honored for our work guiding Individuals with Disabilities back into the workplace. Each day, within NTI, we hear stories of people who were helped back into a job after 5 plus years of being unemployed. When they show up for their first day of work, they are ready to shine and the people who hired them see that light. It's a great feeling to contribute to their journey."

Mentoring provides a great way to foster diversity and inclusion, and NTI is proud of all the mentors and mentees that have gone through its programs. On International Mentoring Day, the words of Muhammad Alis wife Lonnie are particularly relevant. I am hopeful that on this day, and for years to come, ordinary people will take the first step to mentor someone who needs support, direction, and more importantly someone to simply believe in them. After all, mentors have the power to transform lives.

About NTI: National Telecommuting Institute. Inc (NTI) is a 501 (c)(3) (http://www.nticentral.org) non- profit organization with headquarters in Boston, MA. It has been supporting Americans with disabilities since 1995. NTI provides training and job services in work at home positions across the United States through their NTI@Home and LandAjob.org programs. NTI pioneered staffing virtual call centers with Americans with Disabilities, including Disabled Veterans, who work from home.

About the National Disability Mentoring Coalition: The Coalition aims to raise awareness about the importance and impact of mentoring in the lives of people with disabilities and to increase the number and quality of disability mentoring programs around the country. Learn more and apply to join the Coalition at: http://www.disabilitymentors.org.CreditPlus was developed to enhance dealers existing credit application processes so it works better for everyone  consumers, salespeople and the F&I department.

eLEND Solutions, specialists in online and in-store credit and finance solutions for auto dealers, today unveiled Showroom Credit Express, a significant enhancement to its popular online credit platform, CreditPlus. Showroom Credit Express offers a suite of digital in-store credit decisioning solutions that give dealers and consumers revolutionary efficiencies, flexibility and control of the credit experience at the dealership.

Showroom Credit Express offers four digital credit options:

(1) Consumer Portal, for new customers and returning customers who have previously started a credit application online

(2) Digital Showroom, a long form application for new customers

(3) Showroom Quick App, a short form application for new customers

(4) Cash Buyer Quick App, a short form for cash buyers for OFAC check

All options are web-based and require no platform login - meaning all options are easily accessible via a standalone URL from any screen (desktop, kiosk, mobile device) and all operating systems (Android, iOS and Windows) - allowing consumers to drive themselves through the credit experience at the dealership.

Time kills deals is a dealer adage that remains true. Filling out paper credit applications just to have to key them in moments later to send to the bank is grossly inefficient, not to mention that todays buyers want to do as much as they can before coming into the dealership, said Marcus Barnes of Jupiter Chevrolet, Garland, TX. Standard web forms dont really cut it because they dont connect the dots to the store and they don't keep compliance. For these reasons, and more, weve made eLEND Solutions new digital showroom applications an integrated part of our buying solution.

Unlike other digital credit apps available to dealers, with the Showroom Credit Express Consumer Portal, consumers are able to re-access and finalize a CreditPlus application they may have started online  for example, adding references and banking information required for loan funding. For walk-ins, first-time applicants can access and initiate the process anytime, anywhere  including on their own smartphone  while in the dealership. All four self-service options give consumers the control and participation in the process they crave  while eliminating the unengaged wait time they dislike. In addition, process bottlenecks and inefficiencies that are commonly associated with long-form paper applications and salesperson data entry are eliminated.

As part of eLEND Solutions ongoing mission to provide a simplified vehicle purchase process for the retail automotive industry  current and future CreditPlus subscribing dealers can choose one, multiple or all Showroom Credit Express options  for no additional charge or fee. Additionally, all options seamlessly integrate with all major CRM platforms, include secure digital storage with easy access to all disclosures and consent (permissible purpose), and include an option for digital signature capture.

CreditPlus was developed to enhance dealers existing credit application processes so it works better for everyone  consumers, salespeople and the F&I department. Upgrading it with in-showroom digital access anytime, anywhere was a logical extension, said Pete MacInnis, eLEND Solutions CEO. eLENDs focus is to deliver tools that keep dealers doing what they do best  selling cars  while helping them improve profitability per car sold, and the consumer experience.

CreditPlus, which delivers among the industrys best performing and most secure dealership credit reporting solutions, works with 2,000+ dealership rooftops, has integrations with all major CRM & Inventory platforms, including DealerTrack and RouteOne - and is partnered with all 3 credit bureaus and all credit resellers

eLEND Solutions will be demonstrating Showroom Credit Express at NADA Booth #6553W.

About eLEND Solutions

eLEND Solutions (DealerCentric rebranded) is re-platforming from a company specialized in credit solutions to a FinTech SaaS and DaaS company focused on providing a simplified vehicle purchase process for the retail automotive industry. The advantage of their industry neutral credit and finance decisioning solutions is a more efficient, faster-moving Sales and F&I deal-flow that sells more cars at higher profits in less time  benefitting dealers, lenders and consumers.

Contact:

Media Relations

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, melanie(at)mwebbcom.com or (949) 307-1723

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, crystal(at)mwebbcom.com or (714) 987-1016The best thing we can give Betty White on her 97th birthday is a big thank you on behalf of all the children she has fought tirelessly on behalf of for so many years.

Happy birthday to Betty White! She may look small, but shes a giant Childhelp champion and isnt letting up in her 97th year - helping us mark our 60th Anniversary year.

As we all celebrate Bettys 97th birthday, it is also a great day to celebrate the decades Betty has been busy giving back, notes Childhelp co-founder and CEO Sara OMeara. Childhelp has been so blessed to have her as a friend and advocate.

Childhelp began in 1959 when co-founders Sara OMeara and Yvonne Fedderson were young Hollywood actresses sent to Japan to entertain US troops during the Korean War. But the young women found themselves on the flooded streets of Tokyo during a typhoon, rescuing orphans stranded by the storm. When California First Lady Nancy Reagan asked them to focus on child abuse in the United States, the two founders began a journey that has spanned six decades, with more than 10 million children served.

These are children who need all of us to advocate for them, notes Yvonne Fedderson, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Childhelp. For a celebrity beloved by young and old across the country to give so much of her time and compassion over the years to victims of child abuse means lives are being saved and hearts are being healed.

One memorable Betty White role was on the court with Shaquille ONeal in 2016 when she teamed up with Shaq and the band Buckcherry to shoot a public service announcement for Childhelp. (https://www.childhelp.org/blog/shaquille-oneal-betty-white-team-end-child-abuse/)

Yvonnes late husband Don Fedderson was a local television station manager when he recognized Whites star appeal as a young actress on the show HOLLYWOOD ON TELEVISION. Fedderson told White she should expand the act in to a half hour sitcom - and a star was born. White, Fedderson and writer George Tibbles formed the company Bandy Productions, creating LIFE WITH ELIZABETH with Betty as the shows title character. After Dons passing, Yvonne continues to manage the rights of THE BETTY WHITE SHOW and other hits created by what became Don Fedderson Productions.

Childhelp founders Sara OMeara and Yvonne Fedderson say Betty has never given up hope as she fights for children in need - and proves her staying power. Anyone underestimating Betty White has learned over the decades that there is nothing she cant do.

So what do you give a woman who already has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is one of the most celebrated actresses in the world? The best thing we can give Betty White on her 97th birthday is a big thank you on behalf of all the children she has fought tirelessly on behalf of for so many years.

Media interested in speaking with Childhelp co-founders Sara OMeara and Yvonne Fedderson about Childhelps dear friend Betty White and her legacy of giving may contact Daphne Young at 480-922-8212.

Childhelp is the nation's leading nonprofit helping victims of child abuse through intervention, treatment and prevention. http://www.childhelp.orgA Girl and Her Dogs: a gripping candid account of Kelsey and her loving relationship with her rescue dogs. A Girl and Her Dogs is the creation of published authors, Carol Norris and Kelsey Anastasia Norris, the former being a devoted advocate for nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and community collaboratives that serve children and families; president and senior consultant at Norris Consulting Group and specializes in grant writing, resource development, strategic planning, and evaluation; and the latter a fourteen-year-old daughter in the autism spectrum and a nationally recognized advocate, community volunteer, beauty queen, author, and athlete.

Carol Norris and Kelsey Anastasia Norris share, This is a story about a girl and her extraordinary rescue dogs. The girl is my daughter Kelsey and the dogs are named Izzie and Sadie. The four of us are a family united by love and separated through the cruelty of other humans. The only way Kelsey and I can deal with our tragic loss is to write about it.

Kelsey was found in a Russian orphanage, when she was eleven months old and weighing less than fourteen pounds. The doctors did not know if she would ever walk or talk. She has been diagnosed as having autism, intellectual disabilities, and Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome. Kelsey is currently a seventh grade special education student. She is thriving and is on the honor roll. She is not your typical seventh grade student. Currently, Kelsey is a nationally recognized advocate, community volunteer, beauty queen, author, and athlete.

None of this success would have been possible if not for the love of her two rescue dogs, Izzie and Sadie. The most significant turning point in Kelseys life was the day she met her dog Izzie. Since second grade, Izzie has been her protector, best friend, and confidant. They were joined a few years later by an abandoned puppy named Sadie. It has been the power of this bond, cemented by mutual love, that has forever changed Kelseys life.

Their story is dramatic. These dogs saved our lives on more than one occasion, including a situation that involved a missing child and law enforcement officers from two counties. They deserved to spend the rest of their lives with us. Unfortunately, that is not how their story ends. We were forced to make a heartbreaking decision to let them go in order to keep them safe. We are forever grateful to the kind volunteers at the animal shelter who helped us. Some of the proceeds from this book will be donated to that shelter.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Carol Norris and Kelsey Anastasia Norriss new book instill values that readers can surely ponder upon throughout their lives.

View a synopsis of A Girl and Her Dogs on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase A Girl and Her Dogs at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about A Girl and Her Dogs, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.

Cape Union Mart Launches PLM Journey with Centric This is a journey, rather than a project, and we will be working with Centric for a number of years to optimize our business.

Cape Union Mart, the South African outdoor company, has selected Centric Softwares Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Cape Union Mart was founded in 1933 and has been equipping South African adventurers and sportspeople ever since. Cape Union Mart was originally an Army and Navy store, stocking everything from an anchor to a toothpick. Today, Cape Union Mart is a multi-chain retailer. The companys five chains, Cape Union Mart, Old Khaki, Poetry, Tread+Miller and Keedo, cover a variety of different markets from childrens wear to home goods. The company currently has 300 stores across South Africa as well as stores in Namibia and Botswana. Aiming at the higher end of the market, Cape Union Mart is differentiated by its commitment to outstanding customer service and quality.

In the last six years, Cape Union Mart has tripled in size. The company has grown from one chain to five and has ambitions to increase its number of stores to 400 in the next two years. Facing the challenges of growth and increasing complexity, Cape Union Mart decided to invest in a PLM solution.

What used to be acceptable to do in Excel really wasnt possible going forward, explains Grant de Waal, Group IT Systems Manager at Cape Union Mart. Because we lacked systems that were fully integrated with suppliers, there were communication issues. We were experiencing the growing pains that come with transforming from a small to a large retailer. We are on a mission to replace a lot of our legacy systems and the right PLM solution provides the foundation for improving business processes across the whole organization.

As Grant de Waal says, We werent the first retailer to embark on this journey within the local footprint and we knew that Centric is used by several larger retailers in South Africa, as well as many of our suppliers. When we put out an RFP, we were impressed by Centrics ability to cater to all of our chains, seamlessly integrate suppliers and factories and effectively handle sizing and colors. We have a very complex business with two separate sides: the outdoor division, which runs on a replenishment model with our own brands and supplier brands, and the fashion division, which has a design center and works with two local CMT (cut, make, trim) manufacturers. Most solutions could only handle one or the other but what we liked about Centric was that it could do both.

Cape Union Mart decided to adopt the full range of Centric 8 modules and several of Centrics mobile apps for PLM. Centric and Cape Union Mart are also working with Centric Softwares long-term partner local consultancy, Cogworks Consulting, to meet specific requirements of the South African retail market.

The apps that Centric has launched to improve buying, design, sampling and quality control are of huge interest to us and we also look forward to trying out Centrics innovations in AI and 3D, particularly 3D sampling. We expect to have much better supply chain visibility, sourcing management and supplier relationships. This is a journey, rather than a project, and we will be working with Centric for a number of years to optimize our business. Centric has been extremely accommodating, and amazing to work with so far. Because Centric is collaborating with a local partner, Cogworks, we are getting cutting-edge technology and international best practices combined with local knowledge and insights.

Christina Clucas, Business Development Director at Cogworks Consulting says, We are delighted to help bring Cape Union Mart and Centric Software together. Centric is making strides in the South African market, and from a consultancy point of view, its great to be able to confidently recommend an innovative PLM partner with a wealth of fashion expertise to a successful apparel retailer thats growing at a significant pace.

Cape Union Mart is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Ms Renee Jain as Supply Chain Application Manager. "Ms Jain was instrumental in the early adoption of Centric 8 in South Africa and has 3 years of experience with the product. We look forward to benefiting from her expertise during our journey with Centric, he concludes.

We would like to welcome Cape Union Mart on board as our latest partner in South Africa, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. Cape Union Mart has grown significantly in recent years across a diverse range of apparel and footwear markets and we are proud to be able to support their plans for the future. The Centric team is looking forward to a long and productive relationship with Cape Union Mart and our local partner, Cogworks Consulting, and the accomplished Renee Jain.

Request a Demo

Cape Union Mart (http://www.capeunionmart.co.za)

Cape Union Mart International (Pty) Ltd has been equipping South African adventurers since 1933, and is South Africa's favourite outdoor adventure store. Stocking everything one needs for outdoor pursuits - including hiking, camping, trail running, mountain biking, snow sports, travel and more - Cape Union Mart is an essential first step in every adventure. Cape Union Mart has stores across South Africa, and in Namibia and Botswana.

The history of Cape Union Mart dates back to 1933 when the late Philip Krawitz, grandfather of the current Chairman, founded the business on the corner of Corporation and Mostert Street in Cape Town. Cape Union Mart originated as an "Army and Navy Store" and became famous for its "everything from an anchor to a toothpick" product range.

Sandwiched between two of South Africa 's largest retailers, Woolworths and OK Bazaars, Cape Union Mart realised that it had to offer something different. Apart from an extensive range of merchandise, the store became known as "the friendly store" and focused on building unique relationships with its customers.

During the war years, Cape Union Mart supplied visiting troops with some of the luxuries and necessities associated with the military. Passing whaling ships and foreign fishermen were also catered for with a unique array of merchandise from around the world.

In the post-war years, the company grew and prospered under Arthur Krawitz who took over the business from his father in the late 1940's. The company became famous for non-seasonal merchandise and specialised in selling summer clothing to people touring overseas in winter. and vice versa. Cape Union Mart was the first importer of many famous products such as Levi Jeans, Hong Kong anoraks, Norwegian socks and Gore-Tex foul weather clothing.

Cogworks Consulting (http://www.cogworks.co.za)

We are a bespoke team of retail experts focused on implementing Product Lifecycle Management solutions for retail, apparel, textiles manufacturing, footwear and consumer goods companies. With our deep understanding of the retail environment, product development and the pressure to reduce lead times, we work closely with our customers to analyse and identify challenges and opportunities, implement optimal digital solutions and embrace innovative processes.

We are a South African company passionate about the success of our local industry, and are proud to partner with global PLM leader, Centric Software, bringing industry best practice to Southern Africas textile, clothing, consumer goods, manufacturers, and local supplier communities.

Centric Software (http://www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) is a visual, fully digital collection of boards for touch-based devices like iPad, iPhone and large-scale, touch-screen televisions. Centric VIP transforms decision making and automates execution to truly collapse time to market and distance to trend. Centrics flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality, and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extended PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivans Global Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

(end)

Media Contacts:

Centric Software

Americas: Jennifer Forsythe, jforsythe(at)centricsoftware(dot)com

Europe: Kristen Salaun Batby, ksalaun-batby(at)centricsoftware(dot)com

Asia: Lily Dong, lily(dot)dong(at)centricsoftware(dot)comThis fall, the Hartford Business Journal reported that Connecticut has significant demand for middle-skill workers who have more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year college degree. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that such jobs account for 48 percent of the states labor market. But only 38 percent of Connecticuts workers are qualified for these positions, which means that because employers cannot find workers with the necessary skills, thousands of middle-skill jobs are going unfilled each year in key sectors such as health care, construction, and manufacturing.Over the last 30 years, BCR has revolutionized the business credit industry time and again, and now delivers a full beginning-to-end credit management solution that is easily accessible and affordable to small businesses.

Business Credit Reports, Inc.(BCR), the innovator of blended multi-bureau business credit reports, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019. Over the last 30 years, BCR has revolutionized the business credit industry time and again, and now delivers a full beginning-to-end credit management solution that is easily accessible and affordable to small businesses.

At BCR, we are very proud of the innovations weve developed to help small businesses grow, said Pam Ogden, president and founder of Business Credit Reports, Inc. Thirty years ago, I set out to empower small businesses to make more informed decisions about their customers. We have achieved that goal, and we will continue to build innovative solutions to help our customers.

When Ogden founded the company in 1989, she planned to make commercial credit information accessible by providing business credit reports from the major business credit bureaus with easy terms and an affordable price. BCR is now an innovative leader in small business credit information with over 20,000 users and is experiencing rapid growth thanks to a focus on innovation, customer service and its easy no contracts, no minimums pricing.

In 2008, BCR launched the first version of its unique business credit report platform, which enabled any business to easily pull credit reports on companies in the USA, Canada and internationally. In October of that year, the first ever multi-bureau business credit report, the Advantage Report, was introduced. The Advantage Report combined credit information from two of the big business credit bureaus into one report, giving two perspectives on a company at once.

In recent years, BCR has expanded its offering beyond just credit reports to provide companies with a full beginning-to-end solution for credit management.



BCRs customizable online credit application makes processing credit applications faster and more efficient by eliminating paper shuffling and automating the report pulling process.

BCRs Decision Assistant automatically reviews and prints a customized decision on pulled reports, reducing the number of manual reviews needed.

BCR has added the ability to customize any report pulled with add-ons of some of the most popular viability ratings, financial risk scores, and days beyond terms from the major business credit bureaus, with more to come.

BCR has expanded its international credit reports offering to provide instant online reports for as little as $15 and developed reports with global coverage returned within 1 to 3 business days for only $99.

Payment Performance Insights helps businesses understand their customers payment performance to prioritize collections, reduce delinquency and manage their accounts portfolio.

BCRs Lifetime Monitoring service sends alerts when key changes are made to the companys credit profile. A small business can monitor as few or as many companies as needed at an affordable price.

As the company continues to grow, it has not lost its core focus of being an innovative partner to small businesses that is easy to work with and can be counted on for sharp business credit insights and expertise.Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 15 - A unique, intriguing flavor that asks for another sip This asking-to-be-called-a-gimmick bourbon series has somehow defied expectations and slowly morphed into an exciting and unique tasting proof of concept.  Eric from Breaking Bourbon.

Cask Cartel offers a highly-sought after premium bourbon: Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 15 Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Recently there has been a huge request from consumers and Cask Carted is supplying their demand.

Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 15 takes the refined bourbon drinker in a sensorial journey across seas and oceans. Not only has it been aged at sea, but the journey takes place across the equator 4 times as well as stopping in 5 continents. It is hard to find another bourbon of its kind. Why spend money on tickets when anyone can get a little taste of the salty sea air, literally, with this fabulous whiskey?

Started as a fun, then scientific experiment, the Ocean series studies the effects that perpetual motion of the ship rolling in the seas, temperature fluctuations, salt water air exposure. The unique environmental elements create dark gold bourbon with a distinctive flavor profile.

By replacing rye (previously used in the bourbons of previous Oceans voyages) with wheat, Jeffersons Ocean 15 provides a softer and subtler flavor profile, allowing the vanillas from the wood and the sweetness from the corn to raise prominently to the surface, bringing with it a lifeline of salty accents that only the oceans air can provide.

Breaking Bourbon has offered more insights on this experimental drink. Jeffersons Ocean Voyage 15 aroma, taste and finish have been carefully analyzed:



Nose. Noticeably light, this bourbons nose arrives on a whisper. Butterscotch and vanilla dominate with a slight burst of caramel and youthful oak on the tail-end. Its sweetness is dominant despite its overall thinness. There are only generic bourbon flavors on display, which struggle to be memorable.

Palate. A thin yet oily mouthfeel delivers big oak on the first sip. Clove, pepper, grain, and burnt caramel join the fray, producing an interesting interplay of flavors. I cant say Ive had many bourbons that taste in the same wheelhouse as this one. Sure some may include similar flavors, but its the exchange of the flavors that make this particular palate unique and noteworthy.

Finish. Seasoned oak, allspice, wet cedar, dill, pecans, and fresh sourdough make up this peculiar finish. Slight heat and an almost phantom-like hint of cinnamon develop in the tail end. Like the palate, there is a lot going on in the finish, and while it doesnt all blend together perfectly, its rather intriguing and asks for another sip.

Breaking Bourbon members were completely satisfied by the refinement and unique taste brought by Jeffersons Voyage 15. What can easily be seen as a gimmick to some, in my experience, has resulted in some of the most unique tasting bourbons I've had in the last few years. When I go to my shelf for a pour, in an endless sea of like-tasting bourbons, its often the one-of-a-kind tasting bourbons that win out. If the last few Voyages are any indication of the type of products that Zoeller has turned the series into, I say All aboard.  Eric from Breaking Bourbon.

Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 15 Straight Bourbon Whiskey is currently available for purchase at CaskCartel.com

About Breaking Bourbon

Breaking Bourbon was created by 3 lifelong friends who share the same common passion for bourbon and whiskey. The website keeps fine drinkers constantly updated with the latest reviews, deals, news and brand comparisons. It is a place where people can get honest reviews and opinions.

About Jefferson's Bourbon

Jefferson's Bourbon was launched in 1997 by Trey Zoeller, a native Kentuckian, and his father Chet, a bourbon historian. Jefferson's produces several varieties of bourbon and rye, including some limited edition offerings. Kentucky Artisan Distillery is the official home for Jefferson's Bourbon and here most of the distilling, blending, aging and bottling takes place.

About Cask Cartel

Cask Cartel was founded in 2014 and brought online in 2018. It is a company that comprises a team with over 4 decades of experience in the alcohol beverage industry. Cask Cartel has extensive relationships with distilleries and master distilleries across the US and the rest of the world. The company has developed an E-Premise Marketplace thats transforming the way alcohol is shopped, sold and shared online by combining the widest range of selection of allocated items and limited releases.We hope this award brings recognition not only to our outstanding Geisha XO, but to all the coffee we directly source and the farmers we support

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters announced today that they were honored this past weekend with a 2019 Good Food Award in the coffee division with their Geisha XO. The winners of the Good Food Awards represent the forefront of American food, making products that are delicious, respectful of the environment, and connected to communities and cultural traditions. This is a national award with winners from finalists representing 40 states and that were among 2,035 entries. Winners were processed in a blind tasting with judges held in September 2018. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is the only recipient of any Good Food Award in any category in San Diego, and one of only three coffee awardees in the State of California.

The Good Food Award for coffee is awarded to those who were distinguished by exemplary flavor as well as fairness and transparency from seed to cup. The highest scoring entries were required to undergo a rigorous vetting process to verify that they met the sustainability and social responsibility criteria to win the award.

To be a winner of the Good Food Awards in our category is such an incredible honor, said Jeff Taylor, co-owner of Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. This award reminds all of us about what we stand for, including quality, taste, and social responsibility. We hope this award brings recognition not only to our outstanding Geisha XO, but to all the coffee we directly source and the farmers we support.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters won Good Food Awards previously in both 2016 and 2017.

The coffee that won the award for Bird Rock Coffee Roasters was their Geisha XO from Cafe Granja La Esperanza estate in Colombia. The coffee is characterized by tasting notes of cherry, watermelon, lemon drop, and mango with a creamy texture, and a juicy body with big explosive flavor. This award-winning coffee will be on sale at the end of this month at all Bird Rock Coffee Roasters five retail locations or online. Additionally, their Kenya Kiunyu Peaberry was a finalist in the Good Food Awards this year, and is available now online or at all five locations for $26.00 for 12 oz.

For more information about the Good Food Awards, and for a full list of winners, please visit https://goodfoodfdn.org/awards/winners/ For more information about Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, please visit: http://www.birdrockcoffee.com.

About Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters (BRCR) is proud to have put premiere, direct-trade coffee on the map in San Diego. BRCR has won multiple national and international awards for quality, taste, roasting and socially responsible practices, including: sixteen medals at the 2018 national Golden Bean coffee roaster competition, the national Good Food Awards in 2019, 2017 and 2016, the #1 spot on Coffee Reviews 30 Best Coffees of 2016, the national Micro Roaster of the Year Award in 2012, and a consistent winner of scores over 90 points for several of their coffees. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters staff sources the best coffees in the world and directly from origin. Going beyond the perfect latte, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters has professional roasters on site and pour-over bars featuring seasonal offerings. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters engages in direct trade with farmers, and is proud to serve the best green coffee, prepared with the utmost respect for those who produced it. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters has five locations in San Diego. For more information, please visit http://www.birdrockcoffee.com.Rhinoplasty is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures currently performed in the United States. - Senior Editor of Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town, a Los Angeles-based online plastic surgery and information community, is helping patients that wish to alter and enhance the appearance of their nose by giving them the information they seek to achieve their desired results. Cosmetic Town has just published a list of the Best Cosmetic Doctors for Rhinoplasty in Miami.

According to the senior editor of Cosmetic Town, Rhinoplasty is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures currently performed in the United States. The surgery can alter the look of the nose by changing its shape or size as well as make it more in balance with the other facial features of the patient. Many people think rhinoplasty is nothing more than an alteration in the appearance of the nose. However, the surgery can also serve a functional purpose and improve the ability of a patient to breathe.

The senior editor stated that a number of research methods were used by the Cosmetic Town staff to pick the doctors for the list. While researching the large number of doctors in Miami, our research staff used an intelligent algorithm that was focused on cosmetic surgery when compiling the list. They also examined the skill level of the surgeons as well as the overall satisfaction of patients with their experience with the doctors. Education also factored into choosing the doctors. Our research team looked at the number of articles the doctors have written on a regular basis to share with their peers. We also took a close look at patient education about plastic surgery and if this is an ongoing priority with the doctors.

The senior editor shared the fact that none of the doctors on the rhinoplasty list had any influence on the final decision. The senior editor said Cosmetic Town does not accept compensation of any kind from the doctors that make our lists. The list of Miami cosmetic doctors for rhinoplasty was researched and compiled to make it easier for patients to find board-certified doctors in Miami that provide the results they desire when it comes to the function and the appearance of the nose.

About Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town is an online cosmetic medicine publication whose mission is to share knowledge, inspire people and improve lives though cosmetic medicine. The website features doctors who were endorsed and highly recommended by their peers. Its reliable and streamlined database allows users to easily access the cosmetic surgery information they need with just a click of a button.Starlight Community Theater (SCT) will be presenting Avenue Q School Edition for ten (10) performances beginning Friday, January 18 and running through Sunday, February 2. This production will mark the sixth show of SCTs 2018-2019 season and is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

Originally a 2003 Broadway production, Avenue Q School Edition is an teen appropriate, yet hilarious edit that delivers important life lessons to the tune of catchy songs sung by a cast of Sesame Street-style puppets. Avenue Q School Edition is a truly unique show that has quickly become a favorite for community theaters and high schools nationwide.

The laugh-out-loud musical tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton, who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that, although the residents seem nice, it's clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood. Together, Princeton and his new-found friends struggle to find jobs, dates and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

"The young adults in this show are truly spectacular with the talents they bring to the stage. says Susan Gibson, Director of Avenue Q School Edition, To be able to act, sing and dance with puppets on their hands is truly exceptional, especially with their hilarious delivery.

Because the original Avenue Q has some content elements that have previously made it a difficult choice for some high school productions, MTI worked with the Avenue Q authors to create an adaptation that maintains the dramatic (and comedic) intention and integrity of the piece, while editing it to make it more appropriate for high school audiences and performers

For more information about Avenue Q School Edition or Starlight Community Theater, please visit starlightcommunitytheater.com.

OPENING NIGHT:

-Friday, January 18 at 7 p.m.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

-Friday (1/18, 1/25, 2/1) Saturday (1/19, 1/26 & 2/2) at 7 p.m.

-Saturday (1/26, 2/1) and Sunday (1/20, 1/27) at 2 p.m.

WHERE:

-1611 W Whispering Wind Dr. Suite 9, Phoenix, AZ 85085

TICKETS:

-$20 at admission.Today, LAUNCHER.SOLUTIONS (Launcher), a technology provider specializing in subprime automotive loan originations, announced the deployment of a virtual underwriter named autoBOUGHT. autoBOUGHT not only produces instant decisions, but it allows lenders to step outside the confines of an eight hour work day as they will now be able to supply their offerings on a 24/7/365 basis. Launcher prides itself on building high value lending tools accessible with turnkey or fully customized implementations.

Launchers appTRAKER Loan Origination System is bundled with a Dealer Portal, a unique solution which facilitates a more efficient interaction between the lender and their dealers. Along with application submission and decision information, the Dealer Portal offers communication with live buyers via a note messaging system, and allows dealers to track the progress of verifications, stipulations, and funding distributions. Dealer Portal enables dealer independence with access to pre-filled loan packets to streamline closings. Signed documents can be uploaded through Dealer Portal's document upload center to help dealers reduce trips to the fax machine.

autoBOUGHT extends the capabilities of the Dealer Portal by providing dealers with an on-demand virtual underwriter. Dealers can receive instant approvals and rehash their deals without the lenders assistance. Its user friendly environment is fully reactive, enabling dealers to switch vehicles and structures instantaneously. autoBOUGHT guides dealers towards acceptable loan structures that optimize their profit while staying within lender defined tolerances. The Lender maintains full control over credit quality, structure tolerances, and the extent of automation involved. autoBOUGHT can be paired with Launchers auto-structure tool to give dealers even more self-sufficiency. Allowing for auto-approvals and auto-declines, autoBOUGHT also has the ability to refer applications to the lender for review.

With a built-in powerful Graphical Business Rules Management System (BRMS), complex calculations and rules are run on a loan application before and/or after a credit bureau is pulled, allowing for automated decisions to be made on any lender-defined attribute. Inside both appTRAKER LOS and autoBOUGHT, the lender may also seamlessly leverage statistical, machine learning (ML), or artificial intelligence (AI) powered risk assessment solutions from our partners to increase speed and efficiencies while minimizing errors and risk. Launcher provides additional full integration between autoBOUGHT and numerous alternative data vendors, as well as credit scorecards.

About LAUNCHER.SOLUTIONS: LAUNCHER.SOLUTIONS is a technology products and services company built on the foundation of care, understanding. innovation, and speed. It specializes in the subprime/nearprime automotive lending industry. Its innovative products include appTRAKER LOS, myDEALER.CARE dealer relationship management system, and myACCOUNT.CARE customer self-service and communication solution. LAUNCHER.SOLUTIONS has service offerings aimed at helping its clients with projects related to data analytics, data integration, telephony and custom web development. Learn more about LAUNCHER.SOLUTIONS at http://www.launcher.solutions or call at 877.5LNCHER. Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/launcher.solutions.Rankings on G2 Crowd reports are based on data provided to us by real users, said Michael Fauscette, chief research officer, G2 Crowd.

Attribution, an advanced multi-touch attribution company today announced it has been named a High Performer in the Attribution Software category by G2 Crowd, the worlds leading business solutions review website. The ranking is based on Attributions high level of customer satisfaction from real users. In the Winter 2019 Grid report, 92% of users gave Attribution 4 or 5-star ratings.

Recognition from real users is the best testimony that our product innovation and customer focus are solving real problems for marketers, said Ryan Koonce, CEO of Attribution. Were thrilled to have been named a High Performer in G2 Crowds Grid for Attribution Software.

Attribution uses a patent-pending multi-touch attribution approach to quickly cull through advertising and other marketing programs to figure out what is working and what is being wasted, giving marketers authoritative insight to quickly reallocate their spending to maximize revenue. Attribution integrates with all major platforms including Google, LinkedIn, Quora, Facebook, HubSpot, Magento and Salesforce.

Rankings on G2 Crowd reports are based on data provided to us by real users, said Michael Fauscette, chief research officer, G2 Crowd. We are excited to share the achievements of the products ranked on our site because they represent the voice of the user and offer terrific insights to potential buyers around the world.

In addition to being named a High Performer in Attribution Software, Attribution received the highest score among vendors for:

Easiest Setup

Easiest to do Business With

For more information, download a complimentary copy of the full Grid Report for Attribution Software | Winter 2019.

About Attribution

Attribution is an advanced multi-touch attribution company that empowers every marketer with the data to convert more buyers and maximize ROI. With a patent pending approach, Attribution delivers the most complete performance visibility with unmatched usability and 100% data fidelity to help you continuously optimize your marketing mix in your buyers journey. To request a free demo, visit attributionapp.com/request-demo.

About G2 Crowd

G2 Crowd, the worlds leading B2B technology review platform, with offices in Chicago and San Francisco, leverages more than 425,000 user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. Business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts use G2 Crowd to select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. Every month, more than 1.5 million people visit G2 Crowds site to gain unique insights. Co-founded by the founder and former executives of SaaS leaders like BigMachines (acquired by Oracle) and SteelBrick (acquired by Salesforce), and backed by more than $45 million in capital, G2 Crowd aims to bring authenticity and transparency to the business marketplace. For more information, go to G2Crowd.com.

Media Contact

media(at)attributionapp(dot)comRichard A. Culbertson The Supreme Court Decision will enable Social Security claimants to use a total of 25 percent of their past-due benefits to hire attorneys to help them vindicate their claims at administrative hearings and in federal court.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled 9-0 that the Social Security Act allows disability benefit recipients attorneys to receive entirely separate fee awards for their work before the Social Security Administration and their work in court.

The case (Culbertson v. Berryhill, No. 17-773, 586 U.S.) stemmed from a dispute between attorney Culbertson and a Florida federal judge over the amount of fees owed to him after he prevailed in four cases involving Social Security claimants. Culbertson represented his four clients before both the Social Security Administration and a Florida federal judge, and in each case the Social Security commissioner denied his client benefits, but the judge in the cases reversed the decision.

The Supreme Court Decision will enable Social Security claimants to use a total of 25 percent of their past-due benefits to hire attorneys to help them vindicate their claims at administrative hearings and in federal court, said Culbertson, founder of Culbertson Law Group, P.L.L.C.

During the trial, Culbertson pointed out that he was entitled to two sets of fees, including representing his client before the SSA, as allowed for in 42 USC 406(a), and for representing his client before the court, as allowed for in 42 USC 406(b). However, the judge denied his request in each of the four cases. Furthermore, when the case went to the Eleventh Circuit, the appellate court referred to its own precedent when deciding which fees to give Culbertson.

Culbertson argued that Section 406 limits only the amount of fees that can be taken from a clients benefit award, but does not limit the amount of fees that can be authorized. He further noted that the Equal Access to Justice Act allows Social Security attorneys to receive fees from the government, so they dont need to be limited only to what a client can provide.

When attorneys represent clients before both the SSA and a court, federal statutes authorize fees for each type of work done and it is improper to lump both fees together and apply a single cap, concluded Culbertson.

About Culbertson Law Group, P.L.L.C.

The Culbertson Law Group is one of only two firms in Florida that employs two board certified Social Security disability attorneys. The firm focuses on Social Security Law and Supplemental Security Income. For more information, call (407) 894-0888, or visit http://www.richardculbertsonlaw.com.

For media inquiries, please call the NALA at 805.650.6121, ext. 361.

Catalent Pharma Solutions, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health products, today announced that one of its scientific experts will present at CASSSs WCBP conference, the 23rd Symposium on the Interface of Regulatory & Analytical Sciences for Biotechnology Health Products, co-sponsored by the US Food and Drug Administration, at The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C. on Jan. 29  31, 2019.

On Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 12:45 p.m., Mike Sadick, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Catalent Biologics, will present Automated Solutions for Relative Potency Assays, (GMP and Non-GMP), Now and Future State. In his presentation, Dr. Sadick will use case studies to discuss the benefits of assay automation and discuss Catalents current automation platforms, as well as exploring the potential future direction of assay automation.

Dr. Sadick coordinates and oversees bioassay, ELISA and molecular biology projects for Catalent Biologics. Previously, he managed the companys bioassay/relative potency team for 10 years at Catalent Biologics facility in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to that, Dr. Sadick ran bioassay groups at Eli Lilly and Co. and Genentech. Dr. Sadick has an extensive background in cellular biology, cellular immunology and receptor signaling, molecular biology and biochemistry. He received his masters degree and doctorate in immunology from University of Washington in Seattle, and his bachelors degree in biology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

For more information visit http://www.catalent.com/index.php/news-events/events/WCBP

To arrange a meeting with Dr. Sadick or any of the attending Catalent executives at the event, contact Richard Kerns at NEPR - richard@nepr.eu

About Catalent

Catalent is the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics and consumer health products. With 85 years serving the industry, Catalent has proven expertise in bringing more customer products to market faster, enhancing product performance and ensuring reliable clinical and commercial product supply. Catalent employs over 11,000 people, including over 1,800 scientists, at more than 30 facilities across five continents, and in fiscal 2018 generated approximately $2.5 billion in annual revenue. Catalent is headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey. For more information, visit http://www.catalent.com.

More products. Better treatments. Reliably supplied.Alpha Cubed Investments, a Registered Investment Advisory Firm specializing in managing investment portfolios for high net worth individuals is pleased to announce that Cory Baer has joined Alpha Cubed Investments as a Vice President, Investment Advisor Representative.

Cory Baer has spent his career consulting with clients on the unique needs of their personal wealth management. Cory helps apply fundamental financial planning principles to the total asset allocation process. Prior to joining Alpha Cubed, Cory was a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley in the Pacific Northwest. His passion for the challenges high net worth clients face in managing their assets was peaked while he served, earlier in career, as a representative for global pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer. In that role he was exposed to the concerns physicians and high earning executives confront in building family and protecting family wealth. Mr. Baer holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration and Economics from New Mexico State University where he was honored as a Crimson Scholar.

We are excited to add to our capability in the management of our clients in the Pacific Northwest. Cory Baer will immediately be an important part of our team helping to deliver dynamic investment solutions and solid portfolio construction along with a focus on planning for a sound long term financial future." --Todd Walsh CEO, Alpha Cubed Investments

About Alpha Cubed Investments: Alpha Cubed Investments is a Registered Investment Adviser formed through the acquisition and consolidation of firms established back to 1979. We manage assets for high net worth individuals and families. Our objective at Alpha Cubed Investments is to protect investor capital through proprietary risk management and generate long-term, outsized investment returns. We offer personalized services to meet each client's financial goals. Alpha Cubed Investments manages a variety of different programs across the risk and return spectrum, including both tactical and more static, "buy and hold" programs. For more information, please visit http://www.alphacubedinvestments.com.

Services offered through Alpha Cubed Investments, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser. This brochure is solely for informational purposes. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where ACI and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital. No advice may be rendered by ACI unless a client service agreement is in place.Lamont said a key to achieving the goal of a zero-carbon-emissions state in the future is making the right decisions now about developing renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. He also said his administration needs to find the right mix between those types of renewable energy and nuclear power.My fans mean the world to me, and I want to find out all about them too. So my new blog will be a place where you can ask me anything, and we can share all kinds of things: important causes, funny stories and anything in between.

Disney and Netflix actress Ronni Hawk has started a new blog on her official website at ronnihawk.com to help raise awareness around the issues that are deeply important to her like the preserving the environment, fighting cancer and protecting wildlife. Ronni will also use blogging as a way to share details about her life with her fans and learn more about whats going on in their lives.

I love connecting with my followers on Twitter and Instagram, but I also wanted a platform where I could share longer stories with my fans. Theres only so much you can fit into a tweet, said Ronni Hawk. My fans mean the world to me, and I want to find out all about them too. So, my new blog will be a place where you can ask me anything, and we can share all kinds of things: important causes, funny stories and anything in between.

Ronnis recent posts include, How a Medical Mission Trip to Columbia Changed My Life and The Inside Scoop on this Acting Gig. Ronni shares everything - from how she got her first commercial, to her volunteering work with incredible organizations like The Young Storytellers Foundation, Star for a Night and The Thirst Project.

Want to know Ronni Hawks favorite Instagram accounts, the five things she must have in her purse or some hidden hotspots shes discovered in LA? You will find it all at ronnihawk.com. Plus, youll get the latest, behind-the-scenes scoop on her television and movie roles.

In addition to blogging on her homepage, Ronni also shares her insights on several other platforms, including Medium, Blogspot and her YouTube channel.

About Ronni Hawk

Known for her roles in such hit shows as Stuck in the Middle and On My Block, Ronni Hawk is a popular actress and model. She is also actively engaged with a number of charitable organizations. She regularly volunteers at animal shelters, goes on mission trips abroad to help people in need and is very passionate about protecting the environment. She shares her thoughts and experiences on several blogs, including Blogspot and Medium, as well as her YouTube channel.

We are honored to, for the tenth year, share the student-created stories from communities across the region and celebrate the talents of the young writers, said Jamie Annunzio Myers, COO and Vice President, Education and Community Engagement for PBS SoCal.

PBS SoCal announced today the launch of the 10th Annual PBS SoCal KIDS Writers Contest, open to students across the state in kindergarten through third grade, and designed to promote the advancement of childrens literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. Now open for entries, the annual contest encourages children to create and submit their own original stories and illustrations  in whatever language they choose. The entry deadline is Monday, May 6, 2019. In June, PBS SoCal will host an Awards Ceremony to celebrate the winners of the contest as well as award certificates and prizes to the entrants for their writing efforts. The submission information and entry form are now available at http://www.pbssocal.org/writerscontest.

The endless creativity shown by children entering the PBS SoCal KIDS Writers Contest year after year is incredible. We are honored to, for the tenth year, share the student-created stories from communities across the region and celebrate the talents of the young writers, said Jamie Annunzio Myers, COO and Vice President, Education and Community Engagement for PBS SoCal. PBS SoCal is excited to continue our tradition of encouraging children to build literacy skills while promoting innovation and critical thinking in our future community leaders.

Entries will be judged on their originality, creative expression, storytelling, integration of story and illustrations, as well as overall presentation. Each entry must be an original work  written and illustrated by the entrant. First, second, and third place winners will be chosen from each grade. Every child who submits an original piece will be recognized for participation with a Certificate of Appreciation. Prizes are as follows:



1st place winners: PBS KIDS Playtime Pad; $50 gift card, books, and PBS KIDS goodies.

2nd place winners: PBS KIDS Plug and Play, $25 gift card, books and PBS KIDS goodies.

3rd place winner: $25 gift card, books and PBS KIDS goodies.

Special Category Winner: $50 gift card, books, and PBS KIDS goodies.

All entries must be postmarked by May 6, 2019, and must include the official PBS SoCal entry form signed by the childs parent, guardian or teacher available at http://www.pbssocal.org/writerscontest.

Contest rules are as follows:



Entry Rules English

Reglas de Entrada Espanol

Submissions can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or a prose story and must include at least five colorful illustrations. Each submission will be judged by PBS SoCal education staff and a panel of community partners, on the basis of creativity, originality, story structure, relevance, illustrations and overall quality. PBS SoCal will also select one winner per Humor, Illustration, Science Fiction and Kindness categories.

Join the conversation on social media using @PBSSoCal.

ABOUT PBS SOCAL

PBS SoCal delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and entertain  over the air, online, in the community and in the classroom. We offer the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Independent Lens, a broad library of documentary films including works from Ken Burns; and educational PBS KIDS programs including Daniel Tigers Neighborhood and Curious George. Our programs are accessible for free through four broadcast channels, and available for streaming at pbssocal.org, on the PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services Android TV, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. PBS SoCal is a donor-supported community institution that is a part of Public Media Group of Southern California, the flagship PBS station for 19 million diverse people across California.

About PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer- and mobile-device-based browsers. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.Mortgage lending in Australia slowed in November given falling house prices.

Westpac noted the detail suggests the weakness apparent in dwelling prices late last year promoted the decline in investor loans and reduction in borrowing capacity.

The headline number of owner occupier loans was a touch firmer than expected, Matthew Hassan at Westpac suggested.

Total dwelling finance declined 2.5 percent over November, according to the latest figures from the ABS.

The number of first home buyer commitments as a percentage of total owner occupied housing finance commitments rose to 18.3% in November 2018 from 18.1% in October 2018.

The weakness was concentrated in the investor loans and the value of owner occupier loans.

Hassan said the headline number of owner occupier loans was a touch firmer than expected, recording a 0.9% decline vs expectations of a 1.5% fall and down only 0.6% ex refi.

"Despite this slightly better than expected complexion on the number of owner approvals in the month, weakness is still clear with the approvals ex refi down 10% over the last 12mths," Hassan said.

"The detail suggests the weakness apparent in dwelling prices late last year relates to the decline in investor loans and reduction in borrowing capacity.

"Notably, the six months to Nov saw a 5.8% drop in the value of owner occupier loans but just a 1.5% decline in the number of loans, the difference being the implied average loan size.

The value of investor loans dropped 4.5% to be down 23.4%yr to the lowest level since June 2013.

Click here to enlarge.

APAC economist at Indeed Callam Pickering says "first-home buyers are the only thing standing between house prices, mortgage lending and complete capitulation."

The data showed that between October 2018 and November 2018, the average loan size for first home buyers fell $2,400 to $336,500.

The average loan size for all owner occupied housing commitments fell $1,600 to $384,700 for the same period.

Click here to enlarge.





Alex Joiner, economist at IFM, said it will be interesting to see if banks will ease on their lending criteria.

"Interesting to observe whether the Council of Financial Regulators, RBA & others recent plea to the banks to ease up on tighter credit will put a floor under mortgages or is it more a demand story and buyers are content to wait for further declines yet," he tweeted.

Investor approvals continued to dip over the month.

Click here to enlarge.

The November 2018 housing finance figures, in trend terms showed the number of owner-occupied finance commitments decreased by 0.2 per cent  the fourteenth consecutive month of decreases.

In trend terms decreases were recorded in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland," according to the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) President Adrian Kelly said.

The largest decrease of 0.7 per cent was in New South Wales.GUEST OBSERVATION

The saga of Opal Tower, the 36-storey Sydney apartment building evacuated on Christmas Eve after frightening cracking, has helped to expose the deep cracks in Australias approach to building apartments.

An interim engineering assessment released yesterday indicates concrete panels cracked due to their manufacture and assembly deviating from the original design. Though the building is structurally sound and in no danger of collapse, repairing the faults will be costly, slow and disruptive to residents.

The towers size, age (it is less than six months old) and the timing of its cracks might have made it particularly newsworthy, but badly built apartment blocks are far from unusual. Right now across Australias cities many buildings have significant leaks, cracks and fire safety failings.

So we cant just address faults in individual developments. We need to identify the systemic flaws in how compact city policies have been planned and implemented.

Cracks in the compact city

The consequences of these flaws increasingly affect us all.

As the population of Australias capital cities grows, more of us are living in apartments. Governments have been promoting greater housing density as an alternative to sprawl for decades. But they havent always ensured this density has been done well, including in terms of building quality.

In the aftermath of the Opal Tower saga, experts have pointed to many reasons why building defects can occur.

These include the fact that developers owe buyers few legal obligations once the apartments are sold, which limits their risk if they get things wrong. There are also significant market pressures, particularly in boom times, to build quickly and cheaply. And there are gaps in how the construction process is overseen, meaning errors go unnoticed.

These are not new observations, but getting regulations in place to address them has proven challenging. A case in point is NSWs new defects bond, requiring developers to put aside 2% of the building value to fix defects down the track. The bonds introduction was delayed for years, and it will be a few more years yet before we know if it works.

Scoping the problem

So just how severe is the situation? Right now, we dont know for sure.

In 2012 a City Futures Research Centre project surveyed apartment owners in NSW. Out of more than 1,000 respondents, 72% knew of defects in their strata-title complex. Among those whose apartments had been built since 2000, the percentage was 85%.

That project only looked at building defects as one of a number of issues facing apartment owners, however, so it didnt document the issue in detail.

Our new research project will examine just how prevalent building defects are, the reasons they occur, and how strata-titled housing can be improved.

While the research will focus on Sydney, we hope it is a step towards changing planning and development policies to ensure better quality apartment buildings nation-wide.

Increasing inequality

A system allowing defective apartment buildings not only creates huge financial and emotional stress for residents but much wider economic and social risks.

Poor building practices undermine confidence in the multibillion-dollar construction industry, the strata management industry and in the planning system.

They also contribute to inequality. This is because apartment residents are more likely to be younger, renting, on lower incomes, and from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Amid growing concerns about the widening gap between housing haves and have nots, there is renewed political interest in housing policy. Certainly this is a crucial issue for governments to tackle, but it goes beyond a focus on housing supply and prices. Addressing quality must also be a priority.

At the same time, we also need to step back and reconsider how we do compact-city planning more broadly - including the roles governments and the private market play. With two-thirds of us now calling our biggest cities home, we need to have a serious public conversation about what we want our cities to be and how we can best achieve those goals.

We cant afford to ignore the growing evidence that our cities are cracking under the strain. Because like the Opal Tower owners, were all going to bear the cost when things go wrong, and well all have to live amid the wreckage.

Authors: Laura Crommelin, Research Lecturer, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW; Bill Randolph, Director, City Futures Research Centre, Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSW; Hazel Easthope, Associate Professor, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW, and Martin Loosemore, Professor, Construction Management Program, Built Environment, UNSW

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Mortgage brokers settled 59 per cent of residential home loans in the 2018 September quarter, which was up from 53 per cent in the same quarter of 2017.

The escalating credit crunch implemented by the big banks in the wake of the banking royal commission triggered the largest year-on-year increase for any quarter over the last four years.Tasmania held eight of the top ten spots for localities with the shortest days on market for houses, according to the latest analysis by RiskWise Property Research.

Their research showed that the top spots were held by Lutana, a localitiy of Hobart 6km from the CBD, and Mornington, only 7km from the CBD, which both had an average of six days on market before sale for houses.

The only localities on the list that weren't from Tasmania were Shenton Park, WA which is only 4km from the Perth CBD which placed 6th with seven days on market.

The number 10 spot which was held by Castle Cove, NSW, located 11km from the CBD houses in Castle Cove delivered a capital growth of 0.7 per cent in the past 12 months and the average time on market was 8 days for houses.

Compared to the Australian average number of days on the market which sits at 43 even houses in the tenth place were sold more than 5 times faster.

RiskWise CEO Doron Peleg said the list was made up of high-demand postcodes.

However, he said it must be noted that while the localities in Tasmania were incredibly popular, they were not the entire market which was still decelerating.

However, while these reductions are not surprising given Tasmania is less affordable than five of the states and territories (in price-to-income ratio) terms, the market supply is very small, so this will continue to drive some price.

Mr Peleg said the list highlighted the age-old saying of location, location, location or if you dont have that then having something else special to offer whether that is lifestyle, good schools, access to transport hubs or infrastructure.

The 7009 postcode saw around 60 sales last year, ranging from a $168,000 two bedroom 1950s flat rented at $210 a week to $605,000 for a three bedroom 1960s house then rented at $570 a week.

It has around 1200 abodes.EXPERT OBSERVER

They look professional and seemingly offer crucial information on the property market  they are also free, but does that mean they are actually worth the paper they are printed on?

Before throwing all your money at an investment on the advice of one of these reports, its important to examine where the report came from and who is behind putting it together.

Some questions to ask are: What is the data source used? Is the data complete? What about the facts and information that goes hand-in-hand with the data? Who is the research team? Is the report skewed in favour of a particular development or someone who has a vested interest? Do the reports meet your specific needs?

These are all essential questions to ask before making any investment decisions based on a report.

And while it is easy to take a rear-view look and base future judgements on what has happened in the property market in the past, which is what a lot of these reports do, it is more important to combine this rear view with a forward-looking one, taking into account a wide range of factors which will come into play.

These include economic growth, employment, population growth, location and even that houses, with three bedrooms, a yard and carparking, have more appeal than units.

This was evidenced in Melbourne where a backward-looking view shows that at the end of 2017 the market delivered 8.9 per cent dwelling price growth and was enjoying outstanding population growth with projections looking favourable  at least if other factors werent considered.

The picture is clearly very different now with the market delivering -7 per cent dwelling price growth in 2018. Our analysis forecasts the prospects for the Melbourne housing market are negative with price reductions in the order of 4-7 per cent for each of the years 2019 and 2020.

We can demonstrate this by taking a forward-looking view where the risks are aggregated and must be identified well in advance. These include the effects of credit restrictions, the findings of the Banking Royal Commission, the increased likelihood that the ALP will be elected and introduce changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax and the risks of buying off-the-plan properties, especially where oversupply is an issue.

Buyer sentiment has taken a massive hit as residential property is now seen as a depreciating asset.

These are all factors that you need to take into consideration when buying an investment property and these free property reports simply do not provide all the information to make a smart decision.

Many investors over-estimated the level of knowledge and information contained in free reports and were therefore unable to minimise their risk.

Many investors were unaware of the costs associated with high-quality data sources and a skilled research team.

It is important to understand that the data from the Big 4 banks is completely different from the data that is included in the free property reports, and that the amount of data analysis and research invested by companies like RiskWise is very high.

Also, often these free reports are lacking crucial information. A few of the very basic things an investor should look for, from a data perspective, are what is the risk associated with poor / negative capital growth for a property, how many properties are in the pipeline and what is the additional percentage to the current stock, and what is the estimated future projection of capital growth.

Without this data, the investment approach is often very naive relying only on historical data and assuming that the future capital growth will be very similar to the historical growth  and this could be a major mistake, as is demonstrated in Melbourne.

It was also important to note that often free reports were undertaken by research teams which were part of a real estate agency and, if this were the case, it was essential to know what their qualifications and research backgrounds were, and if the reports were skewed to benefit that agency.

Some of these reports may be biased, presenting only the good attributes of properties and ignoring the major risk factors.

A prime example is units in inner-city Brisbane which are high on RiskWises 100 Danger Zones report. Research reports that are provided by real estate agents who sell properties in the area do not contain information regarding the high level of risk that property investors are facing.

As each investor had a specific investment strategy, risk appetite and financial position, reports which were not tailored to their specific needs and circumstances had limited added value.

To minimise risk when it comes to investing, he suggested acquiring reports from a company that specialised in research, contained information which included the risk rating associated with the planned investment, the number of properties in the pipeline and a risk of oversupply, as well as the macro-economic factors in the area.

We recommend checking the credentials of the research team including their education, qualification and experience, and ensuring the report meets your specific strategy.

Investors need independent research so they can make informed decisions about what to do, but even more importantly, what not to do.

Doron Peleg is the CEO of RiskWise Property Research.

The real estate investment trust, GPT Group has announced it will sell its 50 per cent share of the MLC Centre in Sydneys central business district.

It is speculated the stake could fetch $800 million. It has a $725 million book value.

The proceeds will be directed to new office and residential towers at Melbourne Central shopping centre and at Parramatta.

GPT chief Bob Johnston said the groups investment in the MLC centre had delivered investors an exceptional return.

The sale will see GPTs Sydney office exposure fall from 65 per cent to 60 per cent.

It will lift its Melbourne exposure from 30 per cent to 34 per cent.

Shares in GPT closed flat at $5.53 yesterday.

GPT jointly owns MLC Centre with office landlord specialist Dexus who paid $722 million in 2017 when it was sold by QIC.

In 2011 GPT had offered to sell its half stake in Sydneys iconic MLC Centre to their then co-owner QIC.

In its 2010 annual results, the groups share of the 67-storey, Harry Seidler-designed building was valued at $368 million.

The MLC Centre was built by Lend Lease in 1978. GPT bought a 20% share in 1990.

In 1996 GPT increased its share by 15% and QIC bought a 25% stake following MLC selling a 40% interest in the building.

In 1997, GPT and QIC picked up the remaining 40% held by MLC to become equal owners of the building.

Dexus chief executive Darren Steinberg says the property trust will consider buying the other half of Sydneys MLC Centre.The property fund manager Charter Hall has bought two office buildings in Sydney's Barangaroo/King Street Wharf precinct in a $804 million deal.

The transaction, which was signed off just before Christmas, was among the biggest deals of 2018.

Charter Hall Prime Office Fund (CPOF), Charter Hall Direct Office Fund (DOF) and Charter Hall Direct PFA Fund (PFA) will hold stakes in the 10 and 12 Shelley Street buildings (pictured above) in the Barangaroo/King Street Wharf precinct.

CPOF will own a half stake in each of the two buildings.

DOF holds 50% of 10 Shelley Street while PFA co-owns 12 Shelley Street with CPOF.

Collectively, the two buildings offer some 42,000sqm of net lettable area.

There are long leases to Suncorp and American Express.

In 2016, Charter Hall and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investings (MSREI) core Asia fund, jointly acquired the nearby 1 Shelley Street from Brookfield for $525 million.

Adrian Taylor, Charter Halls Office CEO, said opportunities existed to unlock synergies between the sites by including interlinking buildings above ground to facilitate campus style accommodation for big space occupiers.

With the latest acquisitions, Charter Halls total office assets under management rose to $12.9bn.

Charter Hall also recently spent $98 million sale of the ground beneath Sydneys landmark Chifley Tower.

The acquisition was of the freehold site beneath the Kohn Pedersen Fox landmark.

The Australian's Bridget Carter has suggested the acquisition of the land was to better position Charter Hall to secure the leasehold should GIC ever be a seller.

The Charter Hall Prime Office Fund also owns the leasehold of the Australian Club.We are confident that Mark Contreras has the perfect combination of experience and skills to lead and grow this organization at a pivotal time for media companies and broadcast journalism in general, Tom Barnes, chair of the Connecticut Public Board of Trustees, said in a written statement. In addition to his academic experience, Mark Contreras is a nationally-regarded and seasoned media leader with diverse experience as a private sector chief executive officer, news industry leader and public media board member.During the last decade, I have become more aware of many friends, family members and acquaintances suffering through major traumas and tragedies. My attention has slowly pivoted towards others rather than solely being consumed with my own stress and struggles. I have found this pivoting to bChandigarh, Jan 17 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday lashed out at Union Minister and former Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla "for trying to scuttle the dreams of the Sikh community by unnecessarily complicating the process of travel and darshan at the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara".

A statement issued here by the Chief Minister said that instead of finding ways of facilitating the pilgrimage, the Centre and "those especially responsible elected representatives such as Sampla are constantly putting hurdles in the way of the realisation of their dream to visit the historic gurdwara, which they had seen being fulfilled with the decision to open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor."

Amarinder Singh was reacting to a statement by Sampla that passports would be necessary for people wanting to visit the Kartarpur gurdwara, located around four kilometres from Dera Baba Nanak town in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

"The statement of Vijay Sampla rejecting the possibility of Passport waiver and making visa mandatory for the poor and illiterate pilgrims crossing the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor had once again shown that neither the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nor its ally SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) were interested in facilitating the devotees by making the travel hassle-free," the Chief Minister said.

"Sampla's claim that all Punjabis had passports was highly irresponsible and wrong and showed how misinformed and disconnected from the masses he was," he added.

"While even passport waiver was not an impossibility, the visa requirement could definitely be done away with for devotees crossing the corridor by allowing travel to Kartarpur Sahib on a travel permit, which was meant only for limited movement to the gurdwara for paying obeisance," Amarinder Singh pointed out.

He added that a travel permit could suffice to regulate entry and exit through the corridor, with any official document, like the Aadhaar card.

"While hostilities with Pakistan could not be ignored, the Centre needed to ensure that the historic corridor does not end up as a defunct idea, which would cause untold disappointment to the Sikh community based in India as also all over the world," he added.

The Kartarpur gurdwara is significant for the Sikh community as it is here that Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life and it was his final resting place.Mumbai, Jan 17 : Actor Maniesh Paul is in awe of the heroism of Indian soldiers, and calls them "real heroes".

"The training and heroism showed by the Jawans at BSF Camp, Jammu is commendable. I was surprised to witness so many talented men under one roof and I strongly believe that these are our real heroes who protect our borders day in and day out without a doubt," Maniesh said in a statement to IANS.

Maniesh was in Jammu last week at the BSF base camp to entertain the soldiers as part of Comedy Central's campaign "Spread the Cheer".

"I am glad to be associated with Comedy Central to 'Spread The Cheer' among these brave men of our country," he said.

Maniesh was given a special tour of the camp, starting with a visit to the Martyrs' Memorial paying tribute to the BSF Jawans who lost their lives in the line of duty, followed by a glimpse of the intensive training of the BSF Commandos and finally playing kabaddi with the jawans.New Delhi, Jan 17 : The chargesheet against 10 JNU students is politically motivated and the entire issue is the brain-child of the BJP, which stoked the controversy to dilute the suicide of University of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula, a former student leader from RSS-affiliated ABVP has said.

Pradeep Narwal, who left the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) after the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sedition row in 2016, told IANS that the entire matter is politically-motivated and that it has given a chance to certain media organisations to exploit it to serve their political masters.

"This was a media trial, then, and this is a media trial, now. The controversy was created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to dilute the suicide of Rohith Vemula, who was forced to end his life by Bandaru Dattatreya (then Labour Minister from Telangana), who escalated the matter to the HRD Ministry, while the matter should have been dealt with at the Vice Chancellor's level," Narwal said.

He also suggested that certain members of the ABVP and its sympathisers were also seen among the students in the video grab which captured "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan -- the slogan purported to be the heart of the sedition charge in the chargesheet -- being raised.

"Hence, either the video is doctored, as I have been saying all along, or the chargesheet should also be filed against those ABVP members," he said, adding that he was frequently threatened and abused by the ABVP members for days after his leaving the group.

Vemula committed suicide three years back on this day in his room on the University of Hyderabad campus.

In his suicide note, he had narrated how he was being victimised for coming from a low caste and how casteism was rife in the university. His death sent thousands of university students across India into agitation, who waged several protests against the "institutional discrimination" at places of higher education.

Narwal, who joined the Congress six months back, said the chargesheet has been filed to create a "narrative" before the general election on the basis of "doctored videos".

"If due process is not followed in this case, it would be the biggest fraud on democracy," he said.

The Delhi Police on Monday filed a chargesheet naming Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven Kashmiri students, saying anti-national slogans were raised by them at an event held at Sabarmati Dhaba on the JNU campus in February 2016.

The police have cited video footage made by ABVP members, among others, as evidence.Washington, Jan 17 : The partial US government shutdown has put sensitive departments at a significant hacking risk, cyber security experts have warned.

Accroding to a report in Fortune late Wednesday, the federal freeze has put the US at a significant risk for both short and long-term cyberattacks.

"We have laid out the welcome mat to any and all nefarious actors," Mike O'Malley, Vice President of strategy at cloud defence firm Radware, was quoted as saying on CBS News.

According to the experts, hacking can have serious impact on the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and other intelligence agences that hold sensitive information.

Corporate data breaches impacted more than 1 billion Americans in 2018, said the report.Madrid, Jan 17 : Atletico Madrid and Girona drew 3-3 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey knockout stage tie and 4-4 on aggregate, but the visitors are headed to the quarter-finals on the strength of their three away goals.

Atleti, who have won the Copa 10 times, most recently in 2013, led on two different occasions, reports Efe news.

On Wednesday, Niko Kalinic opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute, beating Girona keeper Gorka Iraizoz from close range after collecting a deep ball from Diego Godin.

The Catalan squad pulled level with a fine strike from Valery Fernandez in the 36th minute, three minutes after a second Kalinic goal was disallowed for an offside spotted by the video assistant referee.

Girona moved ahead 2-1 in the 59th minute when Cristhian Stuani got his head to Aleix Garcia's free kick. Six minutes later it was 2-2 on a goal by Angel Correa with an assist from Antoine Griezmann.

The Colchoneros turned up the pressure in pursuit of the winner. Godin saw his effort bounce off the crossbar in the 73rd minute and as Santiago Arras goal was called back for an offside in the 79th before Griezmann put Atleti ahead 3-2 with an unstoppable strike with seven minutes to go in regulation.

Yet again, Girona responded, as Seydou Doumbia scored in the 88th minute to send his team to the next round.Islamabad, Jan 17 : US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Thursday to discuss with the senior civil and military leadership the latest efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country.

The US envoy was initially scheduled to arrive in the federal capital on Tuesday. However, the visit was rescheduled after Khalilzad was said to be engaged in meetings in Kabul, Geo News reported.

He was expected to discuss the Afghan peace process, talks with the Taliban and the US Army's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Express Tribune cited the US diplomatic officials in Pakistan as saying that Khalilzad was likely to push Pakistani officials to ensure the Afghan Taliban's involvement in the peace process.

They said senior US State Department official Lisa Curtis will also be part of all the meetings, according to the daily.

Khalilzad, who met Taliban representatives last month in Abu Dhabi, is leading an inter-agency delegation to India, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan from January 8-21 to "facilitate a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan".

His trip comes after the US President signalled that he would bring home half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan as he grows increasingly impatient over America's longest-ever war.

Trump had also criticized India earlier, saying that it is not doing enough for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

In response, New Delhi had said that it does not send troops abroad except under a specific UN mandate.New Delhi, Jan 17 : Noted writer-historian and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival William Dalrymple will not be attending the 2019 edition of the annual literary extravaganza, scheduled to take place in the Pink City from January 24 to 28.

"Apologies, but I am going to miss Jaipur this year in order to attend to family affairs following the death of my beloved Pop (father). It's just too soon after his death, which has been a huge blow for me and my family, and I need to be with them and deal with the aftermath of his passing," he said.

His father, Sir Hew Fleetwood Hamilton-Dalrymple, passed away earlier this month.Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Jan 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived in Gujarat capital for a three-day visit to his home state to throw open his pet biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit besides other events in the capital and Ahmedabad.

He inaugurated the Vibrant Gujarat Trade Show at the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition and Convention Centre, where over 25 industrial and business sectors will be showcased.

The Prime Minister will later in the evening inaugurate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Ahmedabad.

Culled from the decades-old Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital, this is a 78-metre-high state-of-the-art super-specialty public hospital built by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and is equipped with all modern amenities, including an air ambulance.

According to officials, this will be a completely paperless hospital and is a part of the Ayushman Bharat initiative. Modi will inspect the facilities at the hospital and address a gathering.

He would also throw open Ahmedabad Shopping Festival, 2019, which official sources say has been planned on the lines of the Dubai Shopping Festival. The Prime Minister will unveil the festival mascot. Modi will also address a public gathering here.

On Friday, he will inaugurate the 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit at the Mahatma Mandir. Modi had conceptualised the summit as Gujarat Chief Minister in 2003 to position Gujarat as an ideal investment destination.

"The summit provides a platform for brainstorming on agendas of global socio-economic development, knowledge sharing and forging effective partnerships," an official release said.

Modi will be in Hazira in Surat on Saturday to mark the setting up of the Hazira Gun Factory. From here, he will leave for Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli. He will lay the foundation stone for various development projects.

The Prime Minister will fly out out Gujarat on the same day for Mumbai where he will inaugurate the new building of National Museum of Indian Cinema.Mumbai, Jan 17 : As actress Soni Razdan awaits the censor board's green signal for her film "No Fathers In Kashmir", her daughter and actress Alia Bhatt has come out in support of the film.

Alia on Thursday took to social media and urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to lift the 'ban' on the film.

"Was so looking forward to mom's 'No Fathers In Kashmir'... The team worked super hard for this honest teens love story in Kashmir. Really hope the CBFC would lift the ban. It's a film about empathy and compassion. Let's give love a chance," she wrote.

The film is directed by Ashvin Kumar, who has been struggling to get a U/A certificate for it.

In December 2018, Ashvin had said the CBFC after an inordinate delay of nearly 90 days and of giving him no clarity on what it was finding objectionable in the film, came up with a list of cuts that he and his team objected to as "the cuts proposed were based neither on reality nor on law".

He even went to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) for relief, but they returned it to the CBFC as the latter did not give us a legally-mandated hearing.

Earlier, actress Swara Bhaskar and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor too came forward in support of the film.Washington, Jan 17 : A young man from the southern US state of Georgia was arrested on charges of plotting to attack the White House and several other federal buildings in Washington DC, a US attorney said on Wednesday.

The suspect, 21, identified as Hasher Taheb from Georgia state, planned to attack with explosives that included a homemade explosive and an anti-tank rocket, BJay Pak, US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia told reporters, reports Xinhua.

Taheb was acting alone, said Chris Hacker, FBI special agent in charge of the Atlanta office. He has been under investigation since the FBI received a tip more than a year ago, according to local media.

Taheb made a brief court appearance Wednesday in Atlanta. His next appearance is scheduled for January 24.Gov. Ned Lamont said the state is partnering with banks on a program to provide no-interest loans to help federal employees who have been furloughed or are working without pay make ends meet until the shutdown is over. The specifics of the program have not been released, and it requires legislative approval because the state is backing the loans, but Lamont said he wants to develop a model that other states can follow.Phuket, Jan 17 (IANS) With over 7,000 km of coastline, India has a big potential for marine transport, but the lack of infrastructure is a major obstacle, a British businessman of Indian origin who has a major stake in the sector, has said.

"It was 15 years back that I wanted to build a marina in India, but 10 years ago the permission got cancelled (in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack). At that time I did see huge potential...India has over 7,800 km of coastline and sadly there are no marinas," Gulu Lalvani, Chairman of the Royal Phuket Marina, that combines luxury waterfront living with a state-of-the-art marina. told IANS.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the "Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous 2019" here that brought together all major parties involved in recent marine and luxury lifestyle events.

According to Lalvani, although the weather is not congenial for boating and yachting during the monsoon, the period from October to May can be utilised.

"The east coast from Chennai to Kolkata... why not utilise that? That is really a waste of coastline."

He also noted that high duties on imported boats, along with lack of "world-class" facilities for yachting, have hindered India's boating industry.

He was of the view that Indian enthusiasts who like to experience boating and own boats should buy these in Thailand and anchor them in Phuket. People can come to Phuket by the recently-started direct flights in a few hours and enjoy boating, he said.

"In India, import taxes on boats are 60 per cent. If somebody buys a boat and wishes to import it and keep it in India, they have to pay 60 per cent of the value of the boat in tax. That makes it very expensive and is a major reason why Indian boating has not developed to the same extent as other areas.

"Also, the lack of world-class yachting facilities and cruising grounds means it is not appealing to keep a boat in India," Lalvani pointed out.

He said that in Phuket while the import duty is zero, the yachting infrastructure is "world-class" and the cruising area is "one of the best in the world".

Lalvani also noted that "with direct flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru to Phuket by GoAir, Phuket is even more accessible than ever".

"So when these flights started I wanted the Indian population to know that to have a luxury lifestyle the best way to do that is boating, and boats here are duty-free."

Lalvani constructed the marina in Phuket in 2005 after the Thai government reduced the tax on imported boats to zero per cent on his advice.

( was in Phuket on the invitation of Royal Phuket Marina and GoAir. He can be contacted at rituraj.b@ians.in)New Delhi, Jan 17 : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday hit out at the opposition parties specially the Congress and the Left saying a new class of "compulsive contrarians" has emerged in the political system who "manufacture" falsehoods to attack the Narendra Modi government.

In a Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said that the right to campaign for stifling funds to the economy in the name of autonomy, justifying corruption in the name of institutional independence, attacking judges when the verdict is not favourable, manufacturing facts as in the case of Judge Loya's death and the Rafale deal are indicative of the mindset of these compulsive contrarians.

"There are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule. There are those who had managed to penetrate into positions of influence irrespective of the government in power.

"Some who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left obviously found the new government wholly unacceptable. Hence emerged a new class of Compulsive Contrarians," he said.

The Minister said that the people who oppose or reject popular opinion believe that this government could do no good and every act of it must be opposed.

"They picked holes in the proposal to give 10 per cent reservation in education and public jobs to the poor. Steps taken against black money were described as 'tax terrorism'. The virtues of cash which was a source of black money and fuelled corruption were discovered after demonetisation.

"Aadhaar which became an instrument for saving money to ensure that it is fruitfully spent for the poor was questioned on the ground of violating personal liberty.

"Slogans which championed the breaking-up of this country into pieces was defended as free speech. The successful surgical strikes conducted by the Army were questioned either as a routine or as a dubious process" he said.

"These Compulsive Contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood," he added.

"They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them," he said giving examples of the controversies created by the Opposition in the Justice Loya case, the Rafale deal, the CBI and the RBI issues.

Slamming the opposition parties, he said free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of a democracy but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not.

The Minister said that nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigour, not by the compulsive contrarians.

"Didn't left-liberals find fault with the various actions that (Mahatma) Gandhiji took during the freedom movement? Weakening a sovereign elected government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy," he said.New Delhi, Jan 17 : The Supreme Court on Thursday said that Maharashtra cannot ban dance bars by taking recourse to regulating them, noting that since 2005 no licence has been issued.

"Since 2005 till date, no licence has been issued. There may be regulation but that does not amount to total prohibition," said a bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan.

Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Sikri said that there could be no segregation of dance stage and that of drinking and eating space as it struck down the provision for "mandatory" installing of CCTV cameras in the dance bars holding that it violates privacy.

The court upheld the definition of obscenity given in the State law saying that it was not vague.

Holding that those visiting the dance bar could give tips, the court said no to the showering of money during dance performances.

The court held as "unreasonable" the provision that says that a dance bar should be one kilometre away from religious places, hospitals and educational institutions.

However, it left it to the state legislature to take a call on the issue.

Striking down the provision that said that the owner of the dance bar should have a "good character" and no "criminal antecedents", the court said: "There is no precise definition of what amounts to good character and criminal antecedents."Washington, Jan 17 : Kim Yong-chol, North Korea's lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the US, is expected to arrive in Washington on Thursday, according to informed sources.

After his arrival on Thursday, Kim Yong-chol is likely to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US special representative to North Korea Steve Biegun on Friday, CNN quoted informed sources as saying on Wednesday.

It remains unclear if he will visit the White House.

The dates for meetings between North Korea's top negotiator and US officials in Washington have only been confirmed to CNN by the US side.

A source familiar with US-North Korea denuclearization talks told CNN that the meetings will happen "by this weekend". No firm details have been publicly announced yet.

"A lot of positive things are happening. He (Trump) and Chairman Kim (Jong-un) have established a good relationship, and conversations between the United States and North Korea continue," a White House spokesperson told CNN.

"We are working to make progress on our goal of achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, and the President looks forward to meeting Chairman Kim again at their second summit at a place and time yet to be determined."

The location and the date of the second summit are expected to be discussed during the meeting in Washington.

Kim Yong-chol last came to the US in June 2018.

He visited New York and met Pompeo before travelling to Washington, where he delivered a letter from Kim Jong-un to Trump in the Oval Office.Athens, Jan 17 : The Greek Parliament late on Wednesday renewed its support for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, a leftist, after he asked for a vote of confidence when his coalition with the nationalists broke up on January 13 following a spat over the agreement reached with neighbouring Macedonia to rename that country.

The vote ended with 151 votes in favour of the government after two days of debate in which the leader of the leftist Syriza party defended the Prespa agreement with Macedonia as a stabilizer of the region and stressed the need to complete his mandate to promote his social agenda after the end of the financial aid programs by the European Union (EU).

"The government is asking for a vote of confidence to continue its efforts. We want a greater reduction of unemployment, increase the minimum wage, complete the reform of the Constitution. This is the work that lies ahead," said Tsipras, closing the debate and stressing that the purpose of this request is to have the full backing of the parliamentarians to continue this work.

After this accolade, Tsipras intends to hold on as prime minister until October, to complete those plans and try to make amends with the Greek people before the elections, after Greece suffered financial distress by the cuts imposed by the country's creditors under his leadership, Efe reported.

Although Tsipras could have won the confidence vote with half plus one of the votes in favour of the deputies present (with a minimum of 120), he set himself the objective of obtaining the absolute majority and announced that, if he did not achieve it, he would call early elections.

Having passed this test, the Hellenic Parliament will soon have to ratify the Prespa agreement, which will open the doors of NATO and accession negotiations in the EU to the now renamed Northern Macedonia.

Precisely the term "Northern Macedonia" was the trigger that led Tsipras to ask this question of confidence, after his partner, Panos Kammenos, left his post as defence minister on January 13 and broke up the coalition that had governed Greece since January 2015 disagreeing with the new name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).Washington, Jan 17 : With the partial shutdown of the federal government entering its 26th day, Americans' view on whether to expand the US-Mexico border wall has been more sharply divided along partisan lines, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday.

Seventy-nine per cent Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the shutdown is a "very serious problem", while only 35 per cent Republicans and Republican leaners say the same, the poll showed.

"Republican support for the wall is at record high, while Democratic support has reached a new low," the Pew said in a report, reports Xinhua news agency.

Overall opinion on the wall is little changed from last year. The new poll found a majority of Americans (58 percent) continue to oppose substantially expanding the border wall, while 40 percent favour the proposal.

Only 29 per cent of Americans think it would be "unacceptable" to reopen the government without substantially expanding physical barriers on the southern border with Mexico. Meanwhile, 58 per cent of Americans still oppose the border wall altogether.

However, 88 per cent of opponents of expanding the border wall say it would not be acceptable to pass a bill that includes Trump's request for wall funding, if that is the only way to end the shutdown. Among the smaller group of wall supporters, 72 per cent say a bill to end the shutdown would be unacceptable if it does not include Trump's funding request.

The survey, conducted January 9-14 among 1,505 adults, found that none of Washington's political leaders receives positive approval ratings for their handling of the government shutdown. Just 43 per cent approve the way Democratic congressional leaders are handling the government shutdown, while 36 per cent each approve how Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders are handling the shutdown.DUBLIN, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Caustic Soda Market by Form, by Application, by Region - Size and Forecast, 2018-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global Caustic Soda market report provides analysis for the period 2014-2025, wherein the period from 2018 to 2025 is the forecast period and 2017 as base year.

The market study reveals that the global caustic soda market is expected to rise over a CAGR of 5.06% during 2018-2025 in terms of value & over a CAGR of 3.18% in terms of volume. The market is expected to reach around USD 57 Billion by 2025. This growth is driven by a number of reasons such as rising demand for Alumina in the Industry.

Key Findings



The demand for global caustic soda market is expected to grow at a significant rate, during forecast period. Caustic Soda is witnessing tremendous growth due to factors such as growing demand from the chemical industry.



Thus, the manufacturing companies across the world are investing more on producing caustic soda by increasing the production capacity or opening up new production plant, to cater to the rising demand from various sections of the industry as caustic soda is used in a wide variety of products and industries.



Global Caustic Soda market is expected to rise over a CAGR of 5.06% & 3.18% by value and volume respectively, during the forecast period, 2018-2025.



Solid form of Caustic Soda is the largest contributor, in terms of value and volume, as compared to liquid form. It is expected to rise with CAGR over 5.17% by value and over 3.64% by volume during the forecast period, 2018-2025.



Global Caustic Soda market from various applications is estimated to rise with a CAGR over 5.06% during the period of 2018-2025 with Textiles and Pulp & Paper being the highest revenue contributors of over 6.16% CAGR and 5.34% CAGR respectively.



Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the Caustic Soda market and is expected to propel with a CAGR over 5.13% by value and with a CAGR over 3.71% by volume during the forecast period, 2018-2025 with China being the fastest growing market having a CAGR over 5.36% and expected to reach a revenue of around USD 30 billion by the end of 2025.



Competitive Dynamics



The global Caustic Soda market is dominated by a number of players, amongst them the major players are BASF SE, SABIC, Tosoh Corporation, DowDupont, Inovyn ChlorVinyls Limited, etc.



Companies in this industry are following different strategies to strengthen their market position. For instance, in February, 2018, Inovyn ChlorVinyls Limited invested in the expansion of their production of caustic soda to cater to the rising demands by customers in Scandinavia, Europe.

Key Stakeholders

Tosoh Corporation

BASF SE

SABIC

Inovyn ChlorVinyls Limited

Topics Covered



1. Research Framework

1.1. Market Definition and Scope

1.2. Market Segmentation

1.3. Key Research Objectives



2. Assumptions & Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Caustic Soda Industry Insights

4.1. Industry ecosystem analysis

4.1.1. Vendor matrix

4.2. Regulatory framework

4.3. Raw material analysis

4.4. Technological Landscape

4.5. Industry impact and forces

4.5.1. Growth drivers

4.5.1.1. Growing demand for alumina

4.5.1.2. Rising usage of paper and paperboards

4.5.1.3. Increasing application of caustic soda in Chemical Industry

4.6. Industry challenges

4.6.1. Energy Intensive Production process

4.7. Company market share analysis, 2017

4.8. Growth potential analysis, 2017

4.9. Porter's analysis

4.10. PESTEL analysis



5. Global Caustic Soda Market Overview

5.1. Market size & Forecast

5.1.1. By Value (USD Million)

5.1.2. By Volume(Million Tons)

5.2. Market Share & Forecast

5.2.1. By Form

5.2.2. By Application

5.2.3. By Region



6. Caustic Soda Market, By Form

6.1. Key Form trends, 2017

6.2. Solid

6.3. Liquid



7. Caustic Soda Plastics Market, By Application

7.1. Key application trends, 2017

7.2. Pulp & paper

7.3. Alumina

7.4. Organic

7.5. Soaps/Detergent

7.6. Inorganics

7.7. Water Treatment

7.8. Textiles

7.9. Pharmaceuticals

7.10. Others



8. Caustic Soda Plastics Market, By Region

8.1. Key Regional trends, 2017

8.2. North America

8.3. Europe

8.4. Asia Pacific

8.5. LATAM

8.6. Middle East & Africa (MEA)



9. Company Profiles

9.1. DowDupont

9.2. Axiall Corporation

9.3. Solvay SA

9.4. Formosa Plastics Corporation

9.5. Occidental Petroleum Corporation

9.6. Olin Corporation

9.7. Covestro AG

9.8. TATA Chemicals Ltd.

9.9. Tosoh Corporation

9.10. SABIC

9.11. AkzoNobel N.V.

9.12. Inovyn ChlorVinyls Limited

9.13. Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.

9.14. BASF SE



10. Strategic Recommendations



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5wlv4d/worldwide_caustic?w=5

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Li Baochun, Deputy Secretary-General of WTCF, Yan Kun, Secretary of the Party Committee of National Academy of Economic Strategy, CASS, delivered speeches at the meeting. Francisco Escobar, Ambassador of Panama, delivered the keynote speech. Song Rui, Director of TRC-CASS and WTCF special expert, released the main research results in the Report.

Li Baochun pointed out that in order to further study and judge the trends in the international tourist industry, predict its future prospects, promote the sustainable development, reveal its annual characteristics, and better serve WTCF members, WTCF has publicly released the "Report on World Tourism Economy Trends" since 2016, sharing the research results with global counterparts and providing decision-making references and intellectual support for governments, relevant cities and the tourism industry.

Yan Kun believed that tourism embodies cultural exchange, social communication and trade, as well as acts as an important force to connect the world, deepen cooperation and drive development. With global growth slowing down and trade frictions increasing, it is of great significance to study the developments of the international tourist industry, provide insights into the changes, follow the trends, make positive efforts and innovate constantly.

Francisco Escobar, Ambassador of Panama, on behalf of international agencies, congratulated and spoke highly of the release of the Report.

According to the content of the Report, a forum discussion with the theme of "Connecting the World of Tourism" was held. Under the dual background of the current changes in tourism consumption demand and the intensification of competition in the tourist destination market. Guests such as Wang Dingguo, Vice Chairman of Chongqing Cultural and Tourism Development Commission, Thandukwazi Nyawose, Economic Counselor of South African Embassy in China, Ge Yujing, Vice President of Tuniu, Gao Yanhong, Head of WeChat Pay Tourism Industry, Cao Zhigang, CEO of Dragon Trail Interactive, etc. focused on the "Connectivity" of tourism, discussed tourism development trends, and shared their opinions on how to make tourist destinations more attractive so as to have an in-depth dialogue and interpretation of the Report.

The total number of international tourists in 2018 reached 12.1 billion people, an increase of 580 million people over the previous year, with a growth rate of 5.0%. Compared with 2017, the growth rate dropped by 0.7 percent, and the total income of international tourism reached 5.34 trillion US dollars, accounting for 6.1% of global GDP, a decrease of 0.4% over the previous year. It is estimated that the total number of international tourists will reach 12.76 billion in 2019, with a growth rate of 5.5%. Compared with 2018, the growth rate will rise by 0.5 percent. The total international tourism revenue will reach 5.54 trillion US dollars, accounting for 6.0% of global GDP.

The Report follows the previous analytical framework, focuses on the perspectives of global, regional, country, industry and city levels and makes a panoramic analysis of the development trends of the international tourist industry from seven aspects including international tourism economic developments, regional development pattern changes, international tourism investment and the role of cities in the international tourist industry. The Report summarizes the following characteristics: First, the international economic growth will slow down in 2019, but the tourist industry will rise steadily. Second, tourism development in five global regions is becoming more and more obvious, with the growth in Asia and the decline in Europe. Third, the scale and growth rate of tourism investments in Asia-Pacific are among the top in all regions. Fourth, the Report innovatively puts forward the concept of "T20" countries, which create 80% of the tourism revenue. Fifth, the reform of payment promotes the upgrading of tourist consumption. Cities are still the main destination for inbound tourists, and 95% of international cities are from Asia-Pacific, Europe and America. Sixth, six major marketing innovations represented by virtual technology and industry chain cooperation create new tourism experiences. Seventh, cities are still the main destination for inbound tourists.

The WTCF is the world's first global tourism organization focusing on cities. It upholds the core concept of "Better City Life Through Tourism," actively builds a multilateral exchange platform for international tourism, and strives to promote cooperation and exchanges among international tourist cities, comprehensively enhance the competitiveness and influence of tourist cities, so as to provide new vitality to the sustainable development of international tourism.

SOURCE WTCFPORTLAND, Oregon, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Increasing need for clean and potable water worldwide due to rapid industrialization & urbanization and spiraling growth in food processing plants, chemical producers, textile manufacturers, and refineries are expected to propel the growth of the global water softener market.

Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Water Softeners Market by Type (Salt-based and Salt-free Water Softeners) and End Use (Residential, Industrial, and Municipal): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025". The report offers extensive analyses of the key winning strategies, industry dynamics, market size & estimations, competitive landscape, and top investment pockets. As per the report, the global water softeners market garnered $2.05 billion in 2017, and is estimated to reach $3.57 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2018 to 2025.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )



Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5135

Intensified demand for potable water due to population growth, rise in the number of water-borne ailments due to consumption of hard water, and increase in acceptance in industrial applications such as food processing, chemical, textiles, and refineries drive the growth of the market. Moreover, rapid industrialization and urbanization worldwide has increased the adoption of water softeners due to their growing acceptance in product manufacturing, steam generation, and cleaning. However, high costs of operation, labor, and maintenance incurred during the water softening process coupled with environmental concerns regarding discharge of soft water such as increase in pH and stringent environmental policies mainly in U.S. and Europe that could raise compliance cost are expected to hinder the market growth. Conversely, untapped sectors in emerging economies such as India and Japan, increase in proliferation of manufacturing industries across the globe, and rise in awareness about adverse effects of consuming hard water would create new opportunities for growth of the industry.

Salt-based water softener to dominate, salt-free water softener segment to register fastest growth by 2025

Among product types, the salt-based water softener segment contributed more than two-thirds of the total market revenue in 2017 and would continue its dominance through 2025, as salt-based water softeners in homes to prevent health ailments like eye and skin irritation and hair fall, increase lifespan of fabric, avoid stains on faucets, fixtures, and taps, and extending shelf life of water-utilizing appliances. However, the salt-free water softener segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 8.0% from 2018 to 2025 because these products are cheaper than salt-based counterparts and do not require purging of chemicals to soften water and neutralize contaminants.

For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5135

Residential segment to be lucrative through 2025

Among applications, the residential segment accounted for 61.5% of the total market share in 2017 and would maintain its revenue lead through the study period. It is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period, as water softeners for residential purposes help reduce chlorine content, remove odor and bad taste from water, avoid stains on titles and faucets, and prevent formation of lime scales in appliances. The report also analyzes municipal and industrial segments.

North America to accrue highest revenue, Asia-Pacific to grow the fastest

The water softener market in North America contributed more than one-third of the global market revenue in 2017. It is projected to would retain its lion's share through 2025 due to the increase in incidences of water-borne diseases, increasing applications of advanced water softening instruments in residential, commercial and industrial sectors, and high awareness about the benefits of consuming soft water. However, the Asia-Pacific region would register the highest CAGR of 8.5% from 2018 to 2025 owing to the proactive measures by the government to improve access to fresh water, increase in foreign direct investments in commercial and residential infrastructure, and rapid proliferation of the industrial sector. The other regions analyzed in the report include Europe and Latin America, Middle East and Africa (LAMEA).

Key players of the industry

The key market players analyzed in the report include Culligan International Company, Kinetico UK Ltd, NuvoH2O, LLC, US Water System, Inc., and Ecowater System, LLC. New product launches, joint ventures, expansions, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, and others are some of the strategies implemented by these players to gain a lead position in the industry.

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Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas.

Similar Reports:

Water Treatment Technology Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 - 2022

Water Quality Monitoring Systems Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market ResearchCINCINNATI, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report ranks Union Institute & University among the nation's best. The highly regarded report released, January 15, 2019, lists Union No. 84 in online bachelor's programs and No. 85 in the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) online Graduate Business Programs (non-MBA) for 2019. The annual ranking is designed to assist adults searching for a university to advance their education and career goals. Approximately 1,545 programs are included in the rankings and information was gathered from each institution related to student engagement, faculty credentials, student services, and technology.

The ranking by U.S. News & World Report underscores President Karen Schuster Webb's commitment to distinguish Union as a world-class university.

"We are honored by this ranking as it demonstrates Union's promise to serve the world with excellent, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree offerings delivered with high tech, but also with high touch," said Dr. Webb. "It is noteworthy to be measured against our peers as we continue to transform lives and communities. Our faculty and staff strive every day to provide rigorous, relevant, and results-oriented programs, no matter where our students live and work, or at whatever stage of life they find themselves."

Mollie Miller, M.B.A., Director of Institutional Research & IRB Coordinator, in Union's Office of Institutional Effectiveness discusses the ranking. "UI&U ranked 84th out of 348 total institutions and scored 76/100 within the scored methodology of ranking. This will be the second year in a row Union has ranked in the top 100 of institutions nationwide serving online students. Other institutions scoring at the same ranking level as UI&U include: Anderson University (SC), Brandman University (CA), California State University--Dominguez Hills (CA), Cornerstone University (MI), Drexel University (PA), Eastern Kentucky University (KY), Southeast Missouri State University (MO), and Texas Tech University (TX)."

Founded in 1964, Union has perfected the adult delivery model: Specialized distance-learning programs that combine online and classroom coursework with high-touch faculty attention, designed for students regardless of where they live and work. UI&U academic services include small classes, dedicated faculty who are practitioners in their fields, one-on-one program advising, writing and math tutoring services, access to its renowned 100 percent online library, and career services.

About Union Institute & University

Union Institute & University is a non-profit, regionally accredited university specializing in providing quality higher education degrees for adults nationwide. Founded in 1964, Union's academic programs and services are the result of more than five decades of identifying and refining ways to structure and deliver education to meet the needs of adults. Distinguished as the pioneer in adult education, Union perfected the concepts now common in higher education such as the hybrid model, a blend of online and traditional classroom instruction, interdisciplinary studies, and student centered education with socially relevant and applicable learning outcomes in its undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs.

The university is guided by its core mission to educate highly motivated adults who seek academic programs to engage, enlighten, and empower them to pursue professional goals and a lifetime of learning, service, and social responsibility.

Union is a national university with academic centers located in: Ohio, Florida, and California.



For more information about Union Institute & University, visit www.myunion.edu or call 1- 800-861-6400.

SOURCE Union Institute & University

Related Links

http://www.myunion.edu

The eight-petaled, flower-shaped window  featuring a Luchot HaBrit, the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments  is the centerpiece of a semicircular palladium installation with 13 glass elements. The Rose Window is the only glass element that is in danger, Berman said, but the whole palladium must come out for repairs to be done.Two Hat, creator of Community Sift, acquires image recognition and visual search company ImageVision

KELOWNA, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading AI technology company Two Hat, creator of the chat, image and video moderation solution Community Sift, announced today that it has acquired ImageVision, an image recognition and visual search company. With the addition of ImageVision's patented computer vision technology, Two Hat now provides the most accurate and efficient all-in-one content moderation solution for social platforms in the industry.

"ImageVision gives us access to over 10 years of research and experience and $10 million worth of technology," says Two Hat CEO and founder Chris Priebe. "Anyone can train a system to filter 90% of items correctly. It's only through blending multiple systems that we will finally see the 99% accuracy that makes technology invisible. And when it comes protecting abused kids, spending money to solve the problem is our primary mission."

Two Hat's Community Sift currently provides content moderation solutions to clients like SuperAwesome and Kabam . Most recently, they have collaborated with Canadian law enforcement to develop CEASE.ai, an artificial intelligence model that detects new child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for law enforcement and social platforms. Now, with ImageVision's computer vision and deep learning expertise boosting their existing technology, Two Hat is poised to provide the most accurate pornography and CSAM detector in the industry.

Every day, users share 3.2 billion images on social networks. Over 3 billion people are active social media users, so that number is only projected to grow in 2019. With global companies like Facebook and Google facing mounting scrutiny over their content moderation practices and hiring tens of thousands of human moderators in response, many platforms are now searching for scalable, AI-based solutions to protect their brand and users from NSFW (not safe for work) images. Priebe believes that 2019 is the year that image moderation becomes not just a nice-to-have, but instead a necessity for social platforms.

"The big players are recognizing the value of creating safe online spaces for all users," Priebe said. "We're excited to help bring that possibility to more sharing platforms this year. We can't wait to collaborate with social networks with this innovative technology."

Priebe discusses the ambitious image moderation goals that led to the acquisition on the Two Hat website. He will also host a webinar in February to share his vision of the future of AI in content moderation.

About Two Hat

Founded in 2012, Two Hat is an AI-based technology company that empowers gaming and social platforms to grow and protect their online communities. With their flagship product Community Sift, an enterprise-level content filter and automated chat, image, and video moderation tool , online communities can proactively filter abuse, harassment, hate speech, adult content, and other disruptive behavior.

Contact

GreenSmith PR

Mike Smith, 703.623.3834

[email protected]

SOURCE Two Hat

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The check presentation was held this morning in the Grand Rotunda of Four Winds Casino South Bend. The Casino, which is celebrating its first anniversary this month, is the fourth owned and operated by The Pokagon Band, and is the only tribal-owned casino in Indiana.

Agencies receiving a portion of today's revenue share are The Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County; the YWCA of North Central Indiana; The Food Bank of Northern Indiana; Jobs for Americas GraduatesIndiana; The Bowman Creek Project; Beacon Children's Hospital; The South Bend Community School Corporation; South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts; and the City of South Bend.

To learn more about The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, contact Paige Risser at (269) 783-6199.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its approximately 5,600 citizens. The Pokagon Band's ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.

About Four Winds Casinos

Four Winds New Buffalo, located at 11111 Wilson Road in New Buffalo, Mich., Four Winds Hartford, located at 68600 Red Arrow Highway in Hartford, Mich., Four Winds Dowagiac, located at 58700 M-51 South in Dowagiac, Mich., and Four Winds South Bend, located at 3000 Prairie Road in South Bend, Ind., are owned by The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. For more information on Four Winds Casinos, please call 1-(866)-4WINDS1 (866-494-6371) or visit www.fourwindscasino.com.

SOURCE The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

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TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (the "Company" or "TGOD") (TSX:TGOD) (US:TGODF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rav Kumar, PhD as the Company's Chief Science Officer.

Dr. Kumar will lead The Green Organic Dutchman's Science & Innovation Division and oversee all aspects of science-related initiatives including TGOD's science portfolio encompassing advanced and innovative global product lines for patients and consumers. Dr. Kumar will help drive innovation from concept to commercialization at the Company.

With over 25+ years' experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Kumar is a seasoned senior executive with international experience in Europe, Asia and North America. His career has focussed on discovery, formulation development, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, quality & compliance and business development. Additionally, he has created several multimillion-dollar industry-academic partnerships and received the 2014 Award for Leadership in Canadian Pharmaceutical Sciences.

"We are incredibly excited to welcome Dr. Kumar to TGOD. He is a proven and seasoned senior executive with extensive international pharmaceutical experience in developing innovative and novel products with some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies," stated Brian Athaide, CEO and Director of TGOD. "We believe Dr. Kumar, combined with our recent additions of Dr. MacCallum and Jacques Dessureault, establishes a strong foundation for our science and medical team and will provide leadership in global organic cannabis to drive premium innovative solutions for both patients and consumers," continued Athaide.

Previously, Dr. Kumar held various senior leadership roles with GlaxoSmithKline with assignments in the UK, France and Canada, spanning 25 years. His positions included Vice President R&D Operations, and Business Development & Classic Brands. GSK is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and has a market capitalization of CAD $129 billion. Dr. Kumar was involved in the development of numerous global new chemical entities, vaccines and new products at GSK. Further, Dr. Kumar played a pivotal role in building GSK's Research and Development capability in Canada. Additionally, he conceived and executed a $150M spin-out of GSK's Vaccines R&D Unit to create Neomed Biologics and Vaccines Centre of Excellence in Montreal.

Prior to joining TGOD, Dr. Kumar was Managing Director of Apotex India, Apotex's largest investment outside of Canada and included pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing. He was instrumental in establishing "Apotex Global Business Services" in Mumbai, providing medical, scientific, and commercial services to Apotex globally. Dr. Kumar was instrumental in building out a new leadership team, business processes in addition to strengthening alignment and relationships with Apotex global operations. Apotex is Canada's largest private pharmaceutical company with global annual sales of several billion dollars.

Dr. Kumar's notable volunteer and board experience includes President of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, board member of CQDM  Pharmaceutical Consortium for Drug Discovery Platforms, and National Steering Committee for Patient-Oriented Research (Canadian Institute of Health Research - CIHR) among others.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Bath, UK and a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) from the University of Cardiff, UK.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.

About The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX:TGOD) is a publicly traded, premium global organic cannabis company, with operations focused on medical cannabis markets in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as the Canadian adult-use market. The Company grows high quality, organic cannabis with sustainable, all-natural principles. TGOD's products are laboratory tested to ensure patients have access to a standardized, safe and consistent product. TGOD has a funded capacity of 170,000 kgs and is building 1,382,000 sq. ft. of cultivation facilities across Ontario, Quebec and Jamaica.

TGOD's Common Shares and warrants issued under the indenture dated November 1, 2017 trade on the TSX under the symbol "TGOD" and "TGOD.WT", respectively.

For more information on The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd., please visit www.tgod.ca.

www.tgod.ca

Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement

This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward looking statements in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements about the future legalization of cannabis-infused products in Canada, statements about future research, development and innovation by the Company, statements about future facility construction, statements about the offering of any particular products by the Company in any jurisdiction and statements regarding the future performance of the Company. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, and 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, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of Toronto Stock Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd."I'm happy to be in Houston to celebrate this occasion," said Luke Grossmann, USPS vice president of finance and planning. "The Postal Service has long celebrated our nation's rich heritage through our stamp program. The brilliant design of this stamp helps celebrate the diversity of the American experience."

Around the world, millions of people welcome a new year with gifts, music and celebration. Individuals born during the Year of the Boar are said to be generous, compassionate and warm-hearted. Diligent and focused, these individuals often have a great sense of responsibility and finish what they start.

Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the year for many Asian communities. In the United States and elsewhere, the occasion is celebrated in various ways. Parades featuring enormous and vibrantly painted papier-mache dragons, parties and other special events are common festivities enjoyed on New Year's Day and in the days that follow. The Lunar New Year is observed primarily by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Mongolian heritage.

The boar, also referred to as a pig, is one of 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. The 2019 Year of the Boar begins Feb. 5 and ends Jan. 24, 2020.

Peach blossoms, like those depicted in the stamp art, are of particular significance during this time of year. In China, peach trees typically bloom in early February, just in time for the new year, with the striking pink blossoms marking the beginning of spring.

Combining original artwork by Kam Mak with two elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps  Clarence Lee's intricate cut-paper design of a boar and the Chinese character for "boar" drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun  art director Ethel Kessler created a culturally rich stamp design that celebrates the diversity of America.

Introduced in 2008, Celebrating Lunar New Year is the second series honoring the Lunar New Year. The first series ran from 1992 to 2007. The Year of the Boar is being issued as a souvenir sheet of 12 self-adhesive Forever stamps.

Postal Products

Many of this year's other stamps may be viewed on Facebook or via Twitter. A video of the ceremony will be available on Facebook.com/usps.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Information on ordering first-day-of-issue postmarks and covers is found at usps.com/shop under "Collectors."

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.

Contact: Sara Martin

202-268-8386

[email protected]

Local Contact: Nikki Johnson

713.226.3968

mobile 832.221.7514

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service

Related Links

http://www.usps.com

INDIANA, Pa., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- S&T Bank, a full-service financial institution with assets of $7.1 billion, and locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, is excited to announce the appointment of Richard Fiscus to executive vice president, director of customer relations and the promotion of Chad Carroll to executive vice president, director of consumer sales and service. Rich and Chad will work in tandem to enrich operations and customer experience within the Bank's successful consumer banking division.

"As the industry advances, we are taking the necessary steps to reshape the way we serve our customers," said Dave Antolik, president of S&T Bank. "The expertise that Rich and Chad have cultivated throughout their careers in banking has allowed us to integrate their talents within our organization."

In his new role as EVP, director of customer relations, Rich will focus on customer issue resolution and engage in business development efforts throughout the S&T markets. He will also be responsible for supporting efforts in new markets, new office openings, and collaborative market events. He will continue to expand his leadership roles within local community and civic organizations. Rich's 40 years of retail experience paired with his strong dedication to S&T Bank make him ideal for this new role.

Chad Carroll will assume the role of EVP, director of consumer sales and service, where he will develop and implement strategic sales and service initiatives of the consumer banking, retail mortgage, and consumer lending divisions. He will work closely with the market presidents, mortgage managers, regional banking managers, other lines of business, and bank-wide operational groups to ensure a consistent customer experience. Chad has more than two decades of experience working with top financial institutions where he developed leadership capabilities and critical sales knowledge that will be integral to his new role with the Bank.





"At the heart of S&T Bank is the commitment to build long-standing relationships through a customer-centric model rooted in performance and trust," said Becky Stapleton, senior executive vice president, chief banking officer. "By introducing these expanded roles within the consumer banking division, the Bank demonstrates its ability to adapt, grow, and respond to our customer's needs."

For more information about S&T Bank, please visit www.stbank.com.

About S&T Bancorp, Inc.

S&T Bancorp, Inc. is a $7.1 billion bank holding company that is headquartered in Indiana, Pa. and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol STBA. Its principal subsidiary, S&T Bank, was established in 1902, and operates locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. For more information visit www.stbancorp.com, www.stbank.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE S&T BankSAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sparkcentral, the leading enterprise messaging customer service platform company, today announced that it was named a Finalist in the contact center solution category in the 13th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program.

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world's leading business awards shows including the prestigious International Business Awards and the Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during a gala banquet on Friday, February 22 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than 600 professionals from across the globe are expected to attend.

More than 2,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 45 nations, were evaluated in this year's competition. Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 150 professionals worldwide, working in seven specialized judging committees. Entries were considered in 93 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year.

Founded in 2012, Sparkcentral was one of the first vendors to offer an enterprise-grade tool for managing customer care conversations on social media as well as live chat and messaging channels. Sparkcentral helps customer support teams manage large volumes of digital messaging inquiries in a streamlined and efficient manner. Sparkcentral's premier blend of traditional social channels with more modern messaging apps, in-web/in-app live messaging as well as SMS not only increases customer satisfaction (CSAT) but also cuts contact center costs by 30 percent.

"The 2019 judges were very impressed by the caliber of this year's nominations, which set another record for this competition. The quality of the accomplishments outlined in every Finalist nomination was remarkable," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. "We look forward to announcing the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements in Las Vegas next month."

"We are honored to be recognized as one of the top contact center solutions by the Stevie Awards," says Joe Gagnon, CEO of Sparkcentral. "Sparkcentral exists to open a digital channel of communication between customers and businesses through whatever messaging approach they prefer. Our goal is to help empower businesses with the tools they need to communicate with their audience in a technology-driven world, on the consumer's terms."

Companies like JetBlue, Nordstrom, Zappos, Netflix and Western Union are already reaping the rewards of being able to address consumers' concerns in a fast, secure, scalable manner. Sparkcentral has also won the 2016 and 2017 CODiE awards for social care as well as the "High Performer" badge by software review portal G2 Crowd four times in a row in 2018.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

About Sparkcentral

Based in San Francisco, California, Sparkcentral is a messaging customer service platform company with a mission to change the way customer service is delivered around the world. Ninety-seven percent of Americans send a message at least once a day according to Pew Research, yet very few of those messages go to businesses. Sparkcentral aims to change that. The company wants to spark a movement to connect businesses with customers through messaging, whether through social media or private messaging channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS text, live chat, or any other digital messaging means. Leading brands around the world rely on Sparkcentral's Messaging Customer Service platform, including Netflix, Slack, Jetblue, Nordstrom and Western Union. Learn more at www.sparkcentral.com.

About The Stevie Awards



Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of the 13th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships, Inc. and ValueSelling Associates, Inc.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Rodriguez

Firecracker PR

(800) 317-4687, ext. 703

[email protected]

SOURCE Sparkcentral

Related Links

http://www.sparkcentral.com

The 9,690 total visits from 32 countries and regions confirmed the Shanghai Jewellery Fair's international reach. Jewellery and gemstone companies from Canada, Thailand, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan regions comprised the 335 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions.

Not surprisingly, the majority of visitors came from the robust mainland China market. The Top 10 sources of buyers outside of mainland China were Sri Lanka, Taiwan Region, Hong Kong Region, India, Japan, Canada, Pakistan, the United States, Vietnam and UK.

Jewellery-Lifestyle convergence

Jewellery Life Pavilion 2.0

Enthusiastic response to the new concepts unveiled at this edition was an endorsement that the innovations are right on target. Premiere among these is the Jewellery Life Pavilion 2.0, which highlighted jewellery crossover marketing with fashion products, such as clothing, handbags, leather goods, foot wear, cosmetics, home furnishings and fashion accessories, among others.

Cartibaul Co Ltd, Chic Chu Fine Jewelry, Cider Creations Co Ltd, Dalian Yiyou Jewelry Co Ltd, Guangzhou David Xiao Jewelry Co Ltd, Jasen Jewelry (DG) Co Ltd, Kelly Xie Fine Jewelry, Misani, Mylove Jewelry Co Ltd, Shenzhen Kadibao Jewelry Co Ltd, Yuting Import & Export Co Ltd and others have contributed their gracious presence at the Jewellery Life Pavilion. Also, a pop-up area for Fashion Access, a global trade fair of the latest collections on fashion products and independent brands, highlighted the synergy amongst the crossover elements, whilst the Salon area in the pavilion offered additional opportunities for exhibitors to mingle with buyers and talk about their brands and products.

"Buyers were thrilled about all the inspiration presented, including insight into the latest advancements and trends as well as the benefits of crossover marketing of jewellery with various lifestyle segments," says Teddy Tan, Event Manager - China Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co Ltd.

Crossover Shining Your Life

At the related forum "Crossover Shining Your Life," high-calibre resource speakers provided rich insights into business opportunities in the jewellery market. Michael Duck, Executive Vice President, UBM Asia Ltd, Teddy Tan of UBM China (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd, and Zhang Tiejun, Chairman, Shanghai International Brand Jewellery Centre delivered welcome speeches.

Li Chengmo, Design Director of UD Designer Studio, and interior designer Echo Yu, Executive Director of HFS|BE Design (China Division), shared their ideas about enhancing retail space by optimising interior design and displays. They recommended several useful concepts and directions that jewellery retailers could adapt to enhance customer experience and boost sales. They suggested that exploring common elements in interior design and jewellery design, such as colour trends or materials, could lead to marketing themes that could open up more opportunities to jewellery traders.

Other renowned professionals from various lifestyle fields: jewellery designer Shirley Hou, makeup artist Sofiya Lin, fitness trainer Chen Gurong, and apparel designer Fiona Tam were also on hand to dish out tips. Their ideas on how cooperation could be implemented across different lifestyle segments were met with a very enthusiastic response from exhibitors and visitors alike.

Storytelling from professionals further presented a strong case for developing crossover alliances. Resource speakers cited case studies to make their point; speakers included Li Jun, founder of One Jewellery; and Teddy Tan, Event Manager, China Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co, Ltd.

Helen Mao, International Editor of TRENDVISION, served as the forum moderator.

Other fresh offerings

The abundance of new products and innovations was evident throughout the fair. Not only were there intensive dialogs at the trade fair stands, participants discussed and witnessed industry trends and market developments in specialized pavilions and at knowledge seminars.

A conference focused on the bridal market organized by the China Gold Association was also launched at this edition. The conference highlighted new directions in bridal jewellery and served as a networking opportunity for participants specializing in this segment of the market. "We hope to strengthen Shanghai Jewellery Fair's role in the bridal market by giving industry players a platform to inspire and be inspired, trade, network and grow their business," says Mr Tan.

The newly launched Chinese Culture Pavilion, where elements central to Chinese Culture -- metal, wood, water, fire and earth  played a key role, was embraced warmly. Jewellery featuring the five themes gave visitors special insight into the Chinese culture. Buyers whose target was to see both classic and contemporary jewels were not disappointed.

Another new feature, called Mirage, featured artists from Southeast Asia who demonstrated their talents in painting or drawing. The participation of visitors, in which they drew or painted under the guidance of the featured artist added to the upbeat mood.

The iconic Designer Pavilion drew in robust visits. It gave professional designers from home and abroad the platform to showcase their jewellery creations and have face-to-face interaction with the fair's global audience. Buyers in turn got insights into current designer viewpoints and market trends through their work.

Adding to the array of informative sessions and networking opportunities was another newly introduced feature -- the "Everyone Could be a Designer" activity. The interactive project is a collaborative undertaking among UBM Asia, 3D printing technology specialist iiiMark 3D, and Chinese charity organisation, Aimier. Under the guidance of a professional jewellery designer, art works by physically or mentally challenged children under the patronage of Aimier were made into jewellery items via 3D printing technology. Visitors, including more than 50 children, were also able to channel their inner artists by drawing. They had a chance to witness the many uses and benefits of 3D printing technology when their sketches were turned into real jewellery items.

"UBM will continue to devote to this kind of CSR program while advancing the development of jewellery industry. Similar practices will be implemented in our upcoming Shenzhen Jewellery Fair," says Mr Tan.

He concluded: "The robust number of participating exhibitors and the amount of booked space as well as the strong visitor turnout bear witness to the great success of this year's event."

Judging from the warm reception to this year's innovations, next year's edition of the Shanghai Jewellery Fair promises to be anything but conventional. "We will be back next year with yet another exciting fair that will help our exhibitors raise their market profile and that of their products," Mr Tan concluded.

The next edition of the China International Gold, Jewellery and Gem Fair  Shanghai will be held from 28 November to 1 December 2019 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre.

UBM Global Jewellery Events Calendar 2019

Exhibitions Dates Venue Mainland China China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shenzhen 19  22 April 2019 Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shanghai 28 November  1 December 2019 Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center Hong Kong region



Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair  March Edition 27 February  2 March 2019 AsiaWorld-Expo  Hong Kong June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 20  23 June 2019 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair  September Edition 16  19 September 2019 AsiaWorld-Expo  Hong Kong September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 16  20 September 2019 18  22 September 2019 AsiaWorld-Expo  Hong Kong Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Taiwan region Taiwan Jewellery & Gem Fair 15  18 November 2019 Taipei World Trade Center Japan Japan Jewellery Fair 28  30 August 2019 Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center India Chennai Jewellery & Gem Fair 8  10 March 2019 Chennai Trade Centre Kolkata Jewellery & Gem Fair 6  8 April 2019 Milan Mela Complex  Kolkata Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl & Gem Fair 14  16 June 2019 HICC, Novotel  Hyderabad Delhi Jewellery & Gem Fair 28  30 September 2019 Pragati Maidan  Delhi Chennai Jewellery & Gem Fair 4  6 October 2019 Chennai Trade Centre Middle East Jewellery Arabia Bahrain 19  23 November 2019 The Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre Turkey Istanbul Jewelry Show I 21  24 March 2019 CNR Expo Center  Istanbul Istanbul Jewelry Show II 10  13 October 2019 CNR Expo Center  Istanbul Russian Federation JUNWEX St. Petersburg 6  10 February 2019 EXPOFORUM  St. Petersburg JUNWEX New Russian Style 22  26 May 2019 All-Russian Exhibition Centre  Moscow JUNWEX Moscow, JUNWEX Watch 25 - 29 September 2019 All-Russian Exhibition Centre  Moscow

For exhibiting, please contact: Sales Department, Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. Tel: (86) 20 8666 0158 Fax: (86) 20 8667 7120 E-mail: [email protected] For visiting, please contact: Visitor Promotion Department, Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. Tel: (86) 20 8667 2808 Fax: (86) 20 8667 7120 E-mail: [email protected] www.shanghaijewelleryfair.com



The China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shanghai is organised by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/asia for more information about our presence in Asia.

Appendix: 14th China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shanghai Fair Statistics

Breakdown of Total Visits (including revisits)



Number of visits from Mainland China 9439 97.41% Number of visitors from overseas, Hong Kong and Taiwan regions 251 2.59% Total number of visits 9690 100%

Visitors came from 32 countries and regions

1 Mainland China 12 Korea 23 Italy 2 Sri Lanka (Rep of) 13 Jordan 24 Kazakhstan 3 Taiwan Region 14 Netherlands 25 Malaysia 4 Hong Kong Region 15 Indonesia 26 Montenegro (Rep of) 5 India 16 Israel 27 Nigeria 6 Japan 17 Mexico 28 Saudi Arabia 7 Canada 18 Syrian Arab Republic 29 Spain 8 Pakistan 19 Thailand 30 Tajikistan (Rep of) 9 USA 20 Uzbekistan (Rep of) 31 Brazil 10 Vietnam 21 Austria 32 Denmark 11 UK 22 Belarus





Mainland China visitors came from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities

1 Shanghai 12 Anhui 23 Inner Mongolia 2 Jiangsu 13 Shanxi 24 Guizhou 3 Zhejiang 14 Sichuan 25 Guangxi 4 Guangdong 15 Shaanxi 26 Xinjiang 5 Beijing 16 Fujian 27 Gansu 6 Liaoning 17 Hunan 28 Hainan 7 Tianjin 18 Yunnan 29 Ningxia 8 Henan 19 Heilongjiang 30 Qingha 9 Jiangxi 20 Jilin 31 Tibet 10 Hubei 21 Chongqing



11 Shandong 22 Hebei





Breakdown of Exhibitors (by country and region)

No. Country/ Region No. of Exhibitor(s) 1 Canada 1 2 Thailand 1 3 Hong Kong Region 8 4 Italy 1 5 Japan 1 6 Korea 1 7 Mexico 1 8 Taiwan Region 2 9 USA 1 10 Mainland China 318 Grand Total: 335

SOURCE UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd

Related Links

https://www.shanghaijewelleryfair.com/zh-cn/

COSTA MESA, Calif., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- RW Holdings NNN REIT, Inc. (the "Company") announced today that following the decision of Rich Uncles Real Estate Investment Trust I ("REIT I") to pursue strategic alternatives including the potential sale of its real estate portfolio, which was announced by REIT I on January 14, 2019, three (3) of the Company's independent directors who are also independent trust managers of REIT I resigned from the Company's Board and the Company's remaining independent director has resigned from the REIT I Board. As a result of these resignations, there is no longer an overlap of independent directors on the boards of directors of the Company and REIT I. To fill the vacancies on the Company's Board resulting from these resignations, the Company has appointed the following three (3) new independent directors to the Board:

Adam S. Markman . Mr. Markman has been Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Equity Commonwealth, a REIT primarily investing in office properties, since July 2014. Mr. Markman served as Managing Director of Green Street Advisors, Inc., a real estate research firm ("Green Street"), where he worked from 1994 to 2014. While at Green Street, Mr. Markman headed the firm's consulting and advisory practice, played a key role in the firm's investment arm for real estate investment trusts and previously led the firm's retail and lodging research efforts. Mr. Markman has also served as a real estate consultant at Kenneth Leventhal & Co. Mr. Markman was a member of Green Street's Board of Directors, currently sits on Mark IV Capital's Board of Directors and is an adviser to Twin Rock Partner's Housing Fund. He is also a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Mr. Markman earned his M.B.A. in Finance/Real Estate from Columbia University and a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley.

Curtis B. McWilliams . Mr. McWilliams has been non-executive Chairman of the Board of Ardmore Shipping Corporation since January 1, 2019 and a director since January 2016. Mr. McWilliams is also Lead Director and chair of the Audit Committee of Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. where he has been a member of the board since November 2013. Mr. McWilliams was also an independent director of Campus Crest Communities, Inc. from May 2015 to March 2016. Mr. McWilliams is a real estate industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in finance and real estate. He retired from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of CNL Real Estate Advisors, Inc. in 2010 after serving in the role since 2007. Mr. McWilliams was also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trustreet Properties Inc. from 1997 to 2007, and a director of the company from 2005 to 2007. He served on the Board of Directors and as the Audit Committee Chairman of CNL Bank from 1999 to 2004 and has over 13 years of investment banking experience at Merrill Lynch & Co. Mr. McWilliams holds a M.B.A., with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.

Thomas H. Nolan, Jr . Mr. Nolan has been a director of WashREIT since 2015. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. from September 2011 until May 2017. Mr. Nolan previously worked for General Growth Properties, Inc. ("GGP"), serving as Chief Operating Officer from March 2009 to December 2010 and as President from October 2008 to December 2010. He also served as a member of the board of directors of GGP from 2005 to 2010. GGP filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in April 2009 and emerged from bankruptcy in November 2010. Mr. Nolan was a member of the senior management team that led GGP's reorganization and emergence from bankruptcy, which included the restructuring of $15.0 billion in project-level debt, payment in full of all of GGP's pre-petition creditors and the securing of $6.8 billion in equity commitments. From July 2004 to February 2008, Mr. Nolan served as a Principal and Chief Financial Officer of Loreto Bay Company, the developer of the Loreto Bay master planned community in Baja, California Sur, Mexico. From October 1984 to July 2004, Mr. Nolan held various financial positions with AEW Capital Management, L.P., a national real estate investment advisor, and from 1998 to 2004, he served as Head of Private Equity Investing and as President and Senior Portfolio Manager of The AEW Partners Funds. Mr. Nolan holds a B.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The fourth independent director who will continue as a member of the Company's board of directors is Mr. Jeffrey Randolph. His biographical information is provided below.

Jeffrey Randolph . Mr. Randolph has served as a member of the Company's board of directors since June 2015. From 2002 through 2007 and then again from 2010 through March 2017 (now retired), Mr. Randolph was a Principal and served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for Affinity Investment Advisors, LLC, a firm specializing in U.S. stock exchange investments. In 2007, Affinity was purchased by Morgan Stanley Investment Management. From 2007 through 2010, Mr. Randolph served as Managing Director for Morgan Stanley and its wholly owned subsidiary Van Kampen Investments. His role included supporting the firm's domestic and international investment clients. Toward the end of 2010, Mr. Randolph was part of the decision to re-launch Affinity as an independent entity to capitalize on the increasing investor interest in boutique management firms. Mr. Randolph brings 25 years of investment experience to the Company. His previous work experience includes Principal at Avalon Financial Group Inc., Chief Financial Officer for Bonutto-Hofer Investments and Vice President at Security Pacific National Bank. Mr. Randolph received his bachelor's degree in Business Finance from California State University, Long Beach in 1978.

Aaron Halfacre, Chief Executive Officer stated, "I am very pleased to welcome our new board members as they exemplify the highest standards of independence, acumen and integrity. Ray Wirta and I are honored that all of our directors share in our goal of establishing best-in-class corporate governance."

In light of REIT I's decision to pursue strategic alternatives, the Company may explore an acquisition of REIT I's real estate portfolio (the "REIT I Portfolio"). Such an acquisition would provide the Company with significant diversification of its portfolio and enhance its presence in California where 18 of REIT I's properties are located. Currently, the Company does not own any real estate in California other than a 72.7% interest in one property located in Santa Clara, California. The Company also currently owns an approximate 4.8% interest in REIT I.

Under the Company's charter, the Conflicts Committee of the Company's Board of Directors would need to authorize any offer by the Company for the REIT I Portfolio. The Company expects that in making any such determination, the Conflicts Committee would engage legal and financial advisors to assist it. There can be no assurances that the Conflicts Committee will authorize an offer for the REIT I Portfolio. Even if the Conflicts Committee authorizes an offer for the REIT Portfolio, there can be no assurances that the offer would be accepted by REIT I or that the Company would be able to enter into an agreement with REIT I to purchase the REIT I Portfolio on terms acceptable to the Company or at all.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Forward-looking statements include any statements in this press release that are not historical or current facts and include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the possibility that the Company may pursue an acquisition of the REIT I Portfolio. These forward-looking statements represent management's current expectations and assumptions based on information available as of the date of this press release and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those that are expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties set forth above in this press release and the other risks and uncertainties as described under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and in other periodic reports and filings submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not intend, and undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless required by law to do so.

Contact:

Jennifer Barber

Chief of Staff

(949)537-2421

[email protected]

SOURCE Rich Uncles

Related Links

http://www.richuncles.com

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Risk Management Association Foundation will provide scholarships totaling $288,000 to 105 college students for the spring 2019 semester, the Risk Management Association (RMA) has announced.

Since the RMA Scholarship was launched in 2015, students pursuing careers in the financial services industry have received 331 scholarships totaling over $867,000 from The RMA Foundation.

The most recent awards ranged from $2,000 to $8,000. First-time recipients included 38 juniors and 46 seniors, while 21 seniors repeated as RMA scholars.

"It is an honor for RMA and The RMA Foundation to play a part in the educational journeys of these talented future financial industry professionals," said RMA President and CEO Nancy Foster. "By investing in them today, we are helping to ensure that the best and brightest will lead our industry through the challenges and opportunities of the future."

The Risk Management Association, whose sole mission is to advance the use of sound risk management principles in the financial services industry, created the Foundation in 2014 to assist with attracting talent to the banking industry at a time of increasing baby boomer retirements and competition for graduates from tech and other sectors.

The application window to apply for the next round of RMA Scholarships will open in the fall. RMA Scholars are selected based on:

Academic achievement.

Participation and leadership in community and school activities or related work experience.

Demonstrated interest in the banking industry, including involvement in the local RMA chapter, academic studies, and internships.

A statement of career goals and objectives.

In addition to applying for scholarships, banking-focused students can take advantage of free RMA student memberships. Benefits have expanded to include an online subscription to The RMA Journal, access to the RMA Xchange online member community, and invitations to attend RMA chapter meetings and workshops. Students are also able to earn the Credit Essentials Certificate, which demonstrates proficiency in business and financial knowledge and helps certificate holders stand out to employers.

About RMA

Founded in 1914, The Risk Management Association is a not-for-profit, member-driven professional association whose sole purpose is to advance the use of sound risk management principles in the financial services industry. RMA promotes an enterprise approach to risk management that focuses on credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, RMA has 2,500 institutional members that include banks of all sizes as well as nonbank financial institutions. They are represented in the Association by 18,000 individuals located throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia/Pacific.

SOURCE The Risk Management AssociationBERWYN, Pa., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- RM LAW, P.C. announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased Markel Corporation ("Markel" or the "Company") (NYSE: MKL) securities between July 26, 2017 and December 6, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period").

Markel shareholders may, no later than March 12, 2019, move the Court for appointment as a lead plaintiff of the Class. If you purchased shares of Markel and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or to sign up online, click here.

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that the Company's subsidiaries did not appropriately record loss reserves; (2) that, as a result, the loss reserves would need to be adjusted and/or restated; (3) that these misleading accounting practices would lead to regulatory scrutiny and financial loss to investors; and (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects, were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On December 6, 2018, the Company disclosed that "after having been contacted on November 30, 2018, it is fully cooperating with inquiries by US and Bermuda authorities into loss reserves recorded in late 2017 and early 2018 at Markel CATCo Investment Management Ltd and its subsidiaries." On this news, the Company's share price fell $99.70 per share, more than 8%, to close at $1048.23 per share on December 7, 2018, on unusually high trading volume, thereby injuring investors.

If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than March 12, 2019, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as "lead plaintiff." Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain RM LAW, P.C. or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.

For more information regarding this, please contact RM LAW, P.C. (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or by email at [email protected] or click here. For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about RM LAW, P.C. please visit our website by clicking here.

RM LAW, P.C. is a national shareholder litigation firm. RM LAW, P.C. is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide.

CONTACT: RM LAW, P.C.

Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire

1055 Westlakes Dr., Ste. 300

Berwyn, PA 19312

484-324-6800

844-291-9299

[email protected]

SOURCE RM LAW, P.C.

Related Links

http://www.rmclasslaw.com

Greater Hartford Arts Council this week announced grants totaling $444,720 to 21 arts and cultural organizations through its Charter Grant program. That program, which provides unrestricted funding, is one of five granting programs run by the council and is funded through the United Arts Campaign.BRISTOL, England, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Torry Harris Business Solutions (THBS), a global leader in integration, full life-cycle API management and digital transformation, announced that they have been named a 'Strong Performer' in The Forrester Wave: API Management Solutions, Q4 2018. Forrester says, "Overall, the reference customers provided by Torry Harris Business Solutions are very satisfied with both vendor and product."

Forrester, in its Wave report notes that:

"Torry Harris Business Solutions is a full-fledged systems integrator that treats its API management solution as a versioned, supported product. This provides a strong combination of broad out-of-the-box product features and innovative API strategy and delivery skills."

"Its product strategy is driven by a vision for platform business models and disruptive ecosystems. This, in turn, is exemplified by a corollary product, Digit Market (not part of this evaluation), which wraps the API management core with additional marketplace capabilities."

" Torry Harris productizes multiple other elements useful to an API platform, such as API testing tools, a repository, build tools, documentation authoring, and API business strategy planning."

According to Shuba Sridhar, Vice President - Strategic Initiatives, Torry Harris Business Solutions, "Digital Transformation is about automated integration. Done right, APIs & API Management are a means to succeed with automated integration. Glad that THBS has been recognized in the API Management space. Automating integration has been the core focus area of the company for more than two decades!"

A complimentary copy of The Forrester Wave: API Management Solutions can be downloaded HERE.

About THBS

Torry Harris Business Solutions is a multinational provider of business, technology and IT consulting services. It specializes in the areas of Integration, Platform Services, Full life-cycle API Management and Digital Transformation Services. THBS has been appraised at level 5 of the CMMI Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI Level 5). The company has been assessed and certified for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 & ISO 26001. THBS is also compliant with Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). The company has its offshore development centres in Bangalore & Gurgaon (India). It has offices in Bristol (UK), New Jersey (USA), Dubai (UAE), Dublin (Ireland), Munich (Germany), Paris (France) and Vienna (Austria).

Visit https://www.thbs.com/ to know more about the company, its services & products.

Media Contact:

Diganta Kumar Barooah

[email protected]

+91-80-41827200

Torry Harris Business Solutions



SOURCE Torry Harris Business Solutions"Since October 2014, Red Cross volunteers have teamed with local partners to reduce home fire tragedies and save the lives of more than 500 people across the country," said American Red Cross president and CEO Gail McGovern. "We want to thank every person and organization who has helped us reach this remarkable milestone. And this weekend, we'll continue the momentum by installing more free smoke alarms in communities, as we honor the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Home fires are the nation's most frequent disaster, and take an average of seven lives every day in the U.S. As part of the campaign, Red Cross volunteers go door-to-door in at-risk neighborhoods with community partners to install free smoke alarms and help families create home fire escape plans. You can become a volunteer by going to redcross.org/homefires.

MORE THAN 500 LIVES SAVEDAND COUNTING When the Bell family's home caught fire on an early December morning, Cassie Bell and her two daughters awoke to the sound of smoke alarms alerting them to danger.

Just a year earlier, Red Cross volunteers and local firefighters had visited the home to install free smoke alarms, help the family create an escape plan and review a home fire safety checklist.

"I 100 percent know those alarms waking us up saved my house and my family," Bell said. "We live on a very limited budget, and I know if we had to have made those expenses, I might have made the wrong decision in [not] getting them installed. Thankfully, the American Red Cross, the fire department and kind individuals who donated took that worry off our plate."

VOLUNTEERS RESPOND EVERY DAY Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disastermost often, these crises are devastating home fires. In communities nationwide, Red Cross volunteers work around the clock to provide comfort and urgent recovery support for affected families.

Through the Home Fire Campaign, volunteers and community partners have reached more than 1.7 million people through the campaign's Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events. Since October 2014, the campaign has also:

Installed more than 1.5 million free smoke alarms

Reached more than 1.2 million children through youth preparedness programs

Made more than 648,000 households safer from the threat of home fires

HOW YOU CAN STAY SAFE The Red Cross urges everyone to take steps to keep their household safe by installing and maintaining smoke alarms, talking with loved ones about fire safety, and creating and practicing a home fire escape plan. Visit redcross.org/homefires for free resources.

In addition, volunteers are needed to help with the Home Fire Campaign and other services in your community. Some areas are also holding smoke alarm installation events for MLK Day of Service. Contact your local Red Cross chapter to get involved.

The Red Cross depends on the generous support of the American public to fulfill its humanitarian mission. If you would like to support our lifesaving work, please consider making a donation today by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 gift.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GAINSWave, a breakthrough treatment to improve male sexual performance will be featured on the Emmy Award-winning syndicated daytime talk show, The Doctors, on January 21, 2019. GAINSWave's Director of Clinical Excellence, board-certified urologist Dr. Judson Brandeis, along with the hosts of the show discuss a seldomly talked about health issue that affects one in twenty men, and why GAINSWave is being used as a solution for the under-treated condition known as Peyronie's disease.

Dr. Brandeis will describe how his patient, Steven F., responded to his therapy, the difficulties encountered in treating Peyronie's in general and why GAINSWave was his recommended treatment option. Steven and his partner will also appear in the segment to tell their stories about how their intimacy improved after treatment with GAINSWave.

Peyronie's disease is a significant curvature of an erect penis caused by fibrous scar tissue inside the male organ. Peyronie's not only causes excruciating pain in men suffering from the condition but can also result in complete dysfunction. Urologists across the nation have been in search of a solution that works without requiring length-diminishing surgery or expensive injections. "Treatment for Peyronie's is challenging. I was looking for something besides an expensive, collagen-dissolving enzyme or a surgery that will shorten the penis. GAINSWave is an innovative technology that came in at the right time for my patients," shares Brandeis during a public medical webinar prior to the show.

This drug- and surgery-free procedure only takes about 20 minutes and can enhance a man's sex life by addressing the root cause of Erectile Dysfunction. Men interested in speaking with a local doctor about GAINSWave are encouraged to locate a provider at gainswave.com/directory.

GAINSWave is the only patent and trademark protected brand in shockwave therapy. It is a non-invasive medical treatment that uses low-intensity shockwave therapy to enhance sexual performance and to treat Erectile Dysfunction (ED) symptoms. This all-natural procedure only takes about 20 minutes and can enhance a man's sex life while addressing the root cause of Erectile Dysfunction in addition to treating Peyronie's disease.

For More Information Contact:

Adrian Gonzalez

Social Media & PR Specialist

[email protected]

786-558-0338

SOURCE GAINSWaveA graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Boykin has enjoyed a broad and wide-ranging career that has taken him to the Clinton White House and on to become a political commentator on major networks, such as MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN. Boykin also teaches at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York.

As a White House Aide to President Clinton and a spokesman for the administration, Boykin was once the highest ranking openly gay person in the Clinton White House.

Boykin is a New York Times best-selling author and author of four books. His newest book is "For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home." It responds to the crisis of youth development and suicide in the African-American community, specifically among young gay men of color.

Boykin will speak briefly at the annual MLK President's Luncheon at Eastern, an event widely attended by community leaders and EMU students, faculty and staff. Following the luncheon, he will deliver the MLK keynote address, and end his day meeting with a small group of EMU students.

EMU's MLK celebration will take place from January 17-22, 2019 with a variety of events occurring over the week. For further details on the celebration, see the website link.

"EMU is proud to be planning for our 33rd MLK Celebration program, which is annually one of the most extensive celebrations in the state," said Ellen Gold, co-chair of the planning committee and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Eastern. "We are planning on a wide and stimulating range of activities that acknowledge and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and we invite our campus and community members to join together in this important celebration."

SOURCE Eastern Michigan University

Related Links

http://www.emich.edu

HAMPTON, N.H., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To help beat those Monday blues, Planet Fitness, Inc., one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the U.S., today announced it will open its doors across 1,600+ locations in the U.S. for free workouts on "Blue Monday" (Jan. 21, 2019) to anyone 18 years and older (with valid photo ID).

"Blue Monday," which falls on the third Monday in January, is known as one of the most depressing days of the year. Originated in 2005, the day was determined to be "blue" due to a combination of factors, including weather conditions, lack of motivation, debt level, and the time since the December and New Year holidays. According to a study* published in the American Psychological Association, just a few minutes of exercise can help lift any spirits and within five minutes after moderate exercise, individuals receive a positive mood-enhancement effect. A study** out of the University of Michigan also found that as little as 10 minutes of physical activity per week or one day of exercise per week might result in increased levels of happiness. Additionally, research shows the effects of physical activity extend beyond the short-term, as exercise helps alleviate long-term depression.

"At Planet Fitness, we recognize and celebrate the many benefits of regular physical activity on our members' health both physically and mentally," said Brian Zehetner, Director of Health and Fitness for Planet Fitness. "We are committed to making a difference in people's lives and we're here to provide a unique environment in which anyone  regardless of their fitness level  can be comfortable and accepted. We look forward to inviting everyone to take the next step in their wellness journey with us and experience our 'Judgement Free Zone'  a welcoming, non-intimidating environment  to be active this year."

A national study*** commissioned by Planet Fitness revealed that gym memberships may be tied to broader life benefits. The study found that those who are current gym members are more likely to be satisfied with their health (80 percent) and body (67 percent). But it's not just their health and appearance, the study also found that they are also more likely to be content with their life overall (89 percent), personal relationships (85 percent) and even their career (80 percent) and finances (70 percent).

Planet Fitness also provides members with an opportunity to connect and support each other with "Planet of Triumphs," an online community that celebrates all accomplishments and inspirational stories of Planet Fitness members. Planet of Triumphs provides an online platform for members to recognize their triumphs (big or small), share their stories and encourage others, reinforcing the Company's belief that 'everyone belongs.' Check out real Planet Fitness member stories and accomplishments at PlanetofTriumphs.com.

Planet Fitness offers extremely low prices with memberships available for only $10 a month, and a variety of benefits including free small group fitness instruction included in every membership via the [email protected] program, a hassle-free environment, brand name cardio and strength equipment, fully equipped locker rooms, flat screen televisions and much more.

To find a club near you, visit PlanetFitness.com.

*American Psychological Association, "The exercise effect"

**University of Michigan, Journal of Happiness Studies

***Online survey conducted by Kelton Global to 2,004 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over, with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percent

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of September 30, 2018, Planet Fitness had more than 12.2 million members and 1,646 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

SOURCE Planet Fitness, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.planetfitness.com

DALLAS, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Accomplished trial lawyer Chip Brooker is announcing the formation of Brooker Law, PLLC, in Dallas where he will continue his plaintiffs' litigation practice. Mr. Brooker represents individuals and families nationwide in cases involving wrongful death and serious personal injuries caused primarily by dangerous and defective products, trucking and transportation crashes, oilfield and other on-the-job injuries, and sexual assault.

Mr. Brooker founded the firm after spending more than five years with The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson, P.C., in Dallas.

"I'm excited to start and lead my own firm after having the opportunity to work with some of the best trial lawyers in the country for more than 14 years," Mr. Brooker says. "I plan to use my unique training and experience to tell the stories of real people who have endured senseless tragedies. Brooker Law will fight to make their stories matter."

Mr. Brooker's legal mentors include some of the leading attorneys in Texas and nationally. In addition to his tenure with Mr. Branson, who is widely considered one of the country's best trial lawyers, Mr. Brooker also has worked alongside the late George Bramblett of Haynes and Boone; Pete Marketos of Reese Marketos; and David McAtee, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel at AT&T Inc.

D Magazine recently featured Mr. Brooker in a story about his role in a 2018 trial that resulted in a verdict of more than $242.1 million for Mr. Branson's clients. The jury's award against Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., represents the second-largest personal injury verdict in Dallas County history, according to VerdictSearch.

Mr. Brooker is a recognized leader in the local and statewide legal community. He currently serves as a Director of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Bar Association and is also a former President of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and former Chairman of the DAYL Foundation. Mr. Brooker also has served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and as a District Representative for the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

His professional accolades include repeated listings in The Best Lawyers in America; Texas Super Lawyers; and D Magazine's Best Lawyers in Dallas. In 2018, Mr. Brooker was the youngest and one of only 11 lawyers in Dallas to be listed in all three publications for plaintiffs' personal-injury trial work.

Brooker Law, PLLC, represents individuals and families nationwide in wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases involving dangerous and defective products, trucking and transportation crashes, explosions and burns, on-the-job injuries, sexual assault, and professional negligence among other claims. The firm has experience handling cases involving traumatic brain injuries, amputations, burns, and paralysis, including paraplegia and quadriplegia. Brooker Law also represents individuals and businesses in complex business disputes involving claims of fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, and other business torts. Learn more at www.brookerlaw.com.

For more information, contact Bruce Vincent at 214-763-6226 or [email protected].

SOURCE Brooker Law, PLLC

Related Links

https://www.brookerlaw.com

During increasingly complex interventions, clinicians need to quickly and easily visualize critical anatomy and identify changes to the patient during the procedure. Azurion with FlexArm includes a set of innovations that makes it easier for the clinician to perform imaging across the whole patient in both 2D and 3D. As the clinician moves the system, the image beam automatically maintains alignment with the patient, allowing more consistent visualization and enabling them to keep their focus on the treatment.

"With FlexArm, Philips' engineers have overcome near-impossible geometric and mechanical barriers to enable clinicians to achieve clinical excellence in image-guided therapy," said Barry T. Katzen, MD, founder and Chief Medical Executive of the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Baptist Health South Florida (U.S.). "FlexArm enables us to dramatically optimize procedures around the patient: we can get the optimal view of what's going on inside the patient without encumbering all of the clinicians that are working around the table. The result is an innovation that's not only clinically important but also very simple and intuitive to use  a critical factor in the heat of a complex procedure."

The range and complexity of diseases that can be treated with minimally invasive procedures continues to expand. Correspondingly, the procedures themselves are also becoming more complex, requiring more physicians from different disciplines to be at the patient's tableside, working together in a highly coordinated way. As a result, the clinical team is required to carry out increasingly challenging procedures in a highly constrained environment.

Azurion with FlexArm's innovative design provides exceptional flexibility and intuitive control. Powered by a unique smart kinematic engine, the system moves on eight different axes, all controlled with its single 'Axsys' controller. Simulation tests with clinicians have demonstrated the system's potential to significantly reduce the repositioning of the patient, staff and equipment to improve access for minimally invasive procedures, including those that enter the body through the patient's wrist ('radial access'), and to reduce the risk of unintentional pulling of wires and tubes, as well as significant time savings [1]. The system is ideally suited for Hybrid ORs that cater to multiple specialties in one room, such as a combination of surgical and endovascular procedures.

"Two years on from its launch, Azurion is now established as our leading platform for interventional procedures, favored by clinicians for its intuitive, seamless approach that enables them to focus on treating the patient, and by hospital administrators for its positive impact on productivity and efficiency," said Ronald Tabaksblat, Business Leader Image Guided Therapy Systems, Philips. "FlexArm is the natural next step in our Azurion innovation journey, combining clinical and operational benefits to improve patient care and reduce costs, while opening up opportunities for new image-guided procedures as the field continues grow."

Azurion with FlexArm is the latest innovation in Philips' unique portfolio of systems, smart devices, software and services in image-guided therapy, which combine to provide healthcare providers with sophisticated, procedure-oriented solutions. As the range of diseases that can be treated with minimally invasive procedures continues to expand and the procedures themselves become more efficient, the patient's treatment experience continues to improve. They experience less trauma, and as a result their stay in hospital can be dramatically reduced  often returning home after one night in hospital, and for some procedures even leaving the hospital on the same day.

Since its global launch in February 2017, over 450.000 patients have been treated in more than 80 countries using a Philips Azurion system. The Philips Azurion 7 C20 with FlexArm is CE marked and has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

[1] Uselab simulation test with 15 clinicians.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Groves

Philips Group Press Office

Tel: +31 631 639 916

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: mark_groves

Fabienne van der Feer

Philips Image Guided Therapy

Tel: +31 622 698 001

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: FC_Feer

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2017 sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

SOURCE Royal Philips

Related Links

http://www.philips.com

HACKENSACK, N.J., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), a nonprofit organization leading the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne), is excited to announce the release of the Ten Year Registry Report. This report is the culmination of data provided by registrants in The Duchenne Registry, as well as collaborative work with expert clinicians and researchers over the past ten years. The Duchenne Registry is the largest, most comprehensive patient-reported registry for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.

Ann Martin, a certified genetic counselor and Director of The Duchenne Registry, explains the process the organization went through to compile this report: "At the end of 2017, when the Registry reached its ten year anniversary, we exported all data from the Registry. The multiple data exports were de-identified and provided to a team of analysts at RTI International Center for Newborn Screening, Ethics, and Disability Studies. This team cleaned the data, ran statistical analyses, and provided PPMD with all charts and graphs used in the report. The PPMD Registry team reviewed all analyses, determining which were most relevant to our community. With the volume of data collected over ten years, there remains additional analyses that PPMD is currently exploring."

Ann adds, "Because families continue to join and update their account in The Duchenne Registry, they are strengthening the power of this 10-year network of patient-powered data that will be used to improve care for people living with Duchenne and increase understanding of the disorder. Families have become citizen scientists by contributing to real scientific research, without ever leaving their homes."

Use of Data

The de-identified data in The Duchenne Registry has been used by researchers and sponsors to advance care and treatments for individuals with Duchenne. Over the past ten years, data has been exported and shared with researchers nearly 50 times, including multiple exports to the TREAT-NMD International Neuromuscular Registry. To date, eight publications have used data from The Duchenne Registry, and two additional publications are currently in press. Numerous posters and presentations at scientific meetings have referenced the Registry data. Visit our website to learn more about our publications.

In the past ten years, the Registry team has used the data to identify and connect individuals with Duchenne and Becker to over 60 actively recruiting clinical trials and even more non-interventional research studies. In addition, data from the Registry has been utilized by PPMD to identify community needs and priorities.

The data collected and compiled by this Registry belongs to The Duchenne Registry community. PPMD is the guardian of the information contained within the Registry. Only PPMD staff who are part of the core Registry team have access to the secure database that contains the personal medical information.

A Look at the Results

The Ten Year Registry Report is a summary of approximately 4000 registrants representing over 100 countries. To participate, a registrant must have a diagnosis of Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy. Participants in the Registry at the time the report was compiled include: 76% with Duchenne, 7% with Becker, 7% with Duchenne or Becker (diagnosis unclear), and 10% female carriers.

Analyses revealed that the average age at diagnosis in the U.S. is four-years-old for Duchenne and ten-years-old for Becker. The average age when symptoms were first noticed was two and half years for Duchenne and seven years for Becker.

The 32-page report reveals a number of interesting data points PPMD believes will be important to researchers and industry partners focused on the development of Duchenne therapies. Some of those findings include:

The three most common categories of genetic mutations in registrants are whole exon deletions (65%), nonsense mutations (13%), and whole exon duplications (10%).

The majority of registrants are currently using or have used corticosteroids, but 35% report never using corticosteroids.

For those registrants who have never used corticosteroids, their average age at loss of ambulation was 10 years old. Ambulation is prolonged, on average, by one year with prednisone use and two years with deflazacort use.

When comparing the years 2007-2012 versus 2013-2017, corticosteroid use became more prevalent in older, non-ambulatory males with Duchenne.

The use of breathing devices and echocardiogram in Duchenne also increased across most age groups, when comparing the time periods 2007-2012 and 2013-2017, with some age groups having statistical significance. More consistent use of corticosteroids in the older age groups, as well as more consistent use of breathing devices and echocardiogram, may be a reflection of better adherence to the standard of care guidelines, first published in 2010.

What's Next for The Duchenne Registry?

PPMD recently announced a partnership with THREAD, a company specializing in remote/virtual patient research, to enhance the patient engagement and care management tools for the Registry.

Updates to the Registry platform are aimed at making it easier to navigate, more engaging for patients and families, and more convenient to access. The new interface will launch in Q1 2019 and will be primarily mobile app based (useable on both iOS and Android), with a web portal to help patients determine registry eligibility. Through the Registry app, patients and families will still have robust access to PPMD's valuable patient education resources and news.

The History of the Registry

The Duchenne Registry (formerly DuchenneConnect) began in 2007, when a group of thought leaders in the Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy community began discussing the need for a new kind of resource that would connect and serve the needs of the entire community. What they envisioned was a central hub that would bring together those living with Duchenne or Becker, along with their families and caregivers, to connect them with medical research, clinical care, clinical trials, and each other. At the same time, it would also be a resource for researchers and industries with an interest in Duchenne, allowing access to aggregate, de-identified data provided by patients and their families  information that could prove vital to advances in care and treatment. Today, the result of this endeavor is The Duchenne Registry, the largest, most comprehensive registry for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy and female carriers.

Since 2011, The Duchenne Registry has been funded entirely by PPMD, and PPMD is the sole guardian of the Registry and its material. PPMD is deeply committed to the Registry to ensure that it is serving the needs of the entire Duchenne and Becker community.

To learn more about The Duchenne Registry, visit our website.

About Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne is a fatal genetic disorder that slowly robs people of their muscle strength. Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is the largest most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophyour mission is to end Duchenne.

We invest deeply in treatments for this generation of people affected by Duchenne and in research that will benefit future generations. We advocate in Washington, DC, and have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. We demand optimal care, and we strengthen, unite and educate the global Duchenne community.

Everything we doand everything we have done since our founding in 1994helps people with Duchenne live longer, stronger lives. We will not rest until every person has a treatment to end Duchenne. Go to www.ParentProjectMD.org for more information or to learn how you can support our efforts and help families affected by Duchenne. Follow PPMD on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

SOURCE Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy

Related Links

http://www.parentprojectmd.org

OXFORD, England, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

To mark the 20th anniversary of the death of HM King Hussein of Jordan, Oxford University's Middle East Centre will host a memorial next month. The event is being organised by the late King's nephew Saad Kurdi, and takes place on 7 February 2019 - 20 years to the day King Hussein died. It will be hosted at the Middle East Centre of St Antony's College, Oxford by the Centre's Director, Professor Eugene Rogan.

Professor Eugene Rogan said, "King Hussein was an extraordinary man with a remarkable legacy. This memorial, which next month will mark his passing, is intended to be more than simply a reflection of an important life, but a true appreciation of it."

Her Majesty Queen Noor Al-Hussein, the widow of His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan, and HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, the late King's sister, will be participating. The event will be addressed by King Hussein's biographer, the award-winning historian, Avi Shlaim. Reflections on the late Monarch's life will be provided by Her Majesty Queen Noor and HRH Princess Basma.

A unique film will be screened at the event, produced especially for the memorial, combining newsreel footage with pre-recorded contributions from major international figures who knew the King, or whose lives were influenced by him. These include US President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister John Major, HRH The Prince of Wales and former Formula One World Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart.

Avi Shlaim wrote about King Hussein's 1999 funeral.[1] "It brought to the Jordanian capital an extraordinary galaxy of international luminaries to pay their respects: kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, soldiers and statesmen, friends and foes. A delegation of four American presidents was led by Bill Clinton, who called the King 'a partner and friend.' There were delegations from all the Arab countries from North Africa to the Gulf, including two former foes - Asad and Arafat. By far the largest foreign delegation came from Israel, with President Ezer Weisman at its head. By their very presence at the funeral, these leaders expressed the appreciation of the whole international community for the critical role that the king had played in the struggle for peace in the Middle East. Hussein bin Talal was a titanic figure, an outstanding Hashemite ruler and, above all else, a peacemaker."

1. Avi Shlaim, Lion of Jordan (Allen Lane, Penguin Books 2007)

For further information:

Saad Kurdi

Telephone: +44-(0)-7711-131307

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE The Middle East CentreNEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc. (CSE: HARV;OTCQX: HTHHF), a vertically integrated public cannabis company with one of the largest footprints in the U.S., has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Harvest Health upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

Harvest begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "HTHHF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

"We are pleased to welcome Harvest Health & Recreation as the first Arizona-based cannabis company to join the OTCQX Best Market," said Jason Paltrowitz, Director of OTC Markets Group International Ltd. and EVP of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group. "Following completion of their $218 Million raise, Harvest has chosen to provide its U.S. investors with greater access on OTCQX to research and trade its stock. We look forward to supporting Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. as the company builds visibility in the U.S."

"Trading on the OTCQX Best Market is an important milestone for Harvest," said Harvest CEO Steve White. "Trading on OTCQX provides us with better investor visibility and more opportunities for our global investors. We look forward to using the OTCQX to continue penetrating into competitive markets and connect with a more diverse network of potential investors."

Harvest Health & Recreation was sponsored for OTCQX by Anthony L.G., PLLC, a qualified third-party firm responsible for providing guidance on OTCQX requirements and recommending membership.

About Harvest Health & Recreation Inc.

Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. is one of the first consistently profitable, vertically integrated cannabis companies with one of the largest footprints in the U.S. Harvest's complete vertical solution includes industry-leading cultivation, manufacturing, and retail facilities, construction, real estate, technology and operational expertise  leveraging in-house legal, HR and marketing teams, along with proven experts in writing and winning state-based applications. The company has more than 525 employees with proven experience, expertise and knowledge of in-house best practices that are drawn upon whenever Harvest enters new markets. Harvest's executive team is comprised of leaders in finance, compliance, real estate and operations. Since its founding in 2011, Harvest has grown its footprint every year and now has more than 60 licenses in 12 states, with planned expansion into additional states by 2020. Harvest shares timely updates and releases as part of its regular course of business with the media and the interested public. For more information, visit: https://www.harvestinc.com/.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of Martin Luther King Service Day, approximately 400 volunteers joined Operation Gratitude today, to assemble 25,000 Care Packages at the DC Armory. The packages will be delivered to law enforcement officers, firefighters, and National Guardsmen locally and in more than a dozen cities across America today through Monday. The massive service project also launches Operation Gratitude's 2019 campaign to "Make Every Minute Count," and the goal to deliver more than 525,600 care packages to service members, veterans, first responders and their families  at least one care package every minute of the year.

"Our Care Package recipients are profoundly affected when they learn that, last year alone,780,000 Americans donated time, resources, and energy to express appreciation for their selfless service and sacrifice," said CEO Kevin Schmiegel. "I'm in awe over everyone's hard work and dedication today  it demonstrates the tremendous potential for Operation Gratitude and its army of volunteers to truly make every minute count this year."

Operation Gratitude's mission is to forge strong bonds between all Americans and their military and first responder heroes through volunteer service projects, acts of gratitude, and meaningful engagements in communities nationwide. Today's Assembly Day and the direct delivery of 25,000 Care Packages by grateful citizens to the men and women in uniform who serve and protect them show that hands-on volunteerism and face-to-face interactions can help bridge a growing divide that exists between civilians and those who serve.

Through these activities, Operation Gratitude and its volunteers have provided Care Packages to 1.7 million U.S. Service Members deployed globally and 500,000 veterans, first responders and military families on the home front since 2003. The packages include snacks and hygiene items, as well as scarves, hats, and paracord "survival" bracelets that were "handmade with love" and the most cherished item, handwritten letters of appreciation from Americans everywhere.

The packages assembled today will be hand delivered to 3,000 DC National Guardsmen and 6,000 DC Police, Firefighters, and EMTs in Washington, DC on Thursday afternoon, and more than 1,000 first responders in Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia on Friday and Saturday. Operation Gratitude and its partners will build on the success realized in our nation's capital to host additional large-scale Assembly Days in Austin, San Diego, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York City, and San Antonio in 2019.

Operation Gratitude's ability to make every minute count and expand its grassroots movement to bridge the civilian-service divide is bolstered by corporate and civic leaders who make up the BRIDGE Council (Bridging the Divide through Gratitude and Engagement). Key partners for today's event include CSX Corporation, CVS Health, Mars Incorporated, Target, and DC Police Foundation.

Operation Gratitude gives everyone an opportunity to say, "thank you." Get involved by signing up to be a volunteer at OperationGratitude.com and follow Operation Gratitude on social media (f:@OperationGratitude I/T:@OpGratitude). Corporations can contribute by sponsoring an employee service project or making in-kind donations.

Editors: Photos from today's Operation Gratitude's Assembly Day in Washington, DC are available here.

About Operation Gratitude

Demonstrating that actions speak louder than words, Operation Gratitude, a 501(c)(3) organization, provides tangible ways to strengthen communities and bring together grateful civilians with the men and women in uniform who serve and protect them. More than 1 million volunteers across the country have supported Operation Gratitude's efforts to deliver more than 2.2 Million Care Packages to our nation's heroes since 2003. Awarded a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and a Platinum rating from Guidestar, 94 percent of Operation Gratitude's expenditures go directly to programs that annually support more than 250,000 Service Members, their families at home, Veterans, and First Responders. Learn more at www.operationgratitude.com.

Contact: [email protected]

410-562-5285 or 540-419-7263

SOURCE Operation Gratitude

Related Links

https://www.operationgratitude.com

WATCH HILL, R.I., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To help make this Valentine's Day a memorable one, the award-winning Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn on the scenic Atlantic coast of Rhode Island, are offering extraordinary packages. Whether it's a once-in-a-lifetime engagement, a getaway with friends or a romantic gesture, each opulent Valentine's Day offer is a gift of love that promises to delight.

THE OCEAN VIEW PACKAGE  Starting at $89,650

At Ocean House

- Two-night stay in the 4,000 square foot Ocean House Penthouse Suite with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean

- Daily in-room breakfast for two with endless mimosas

- A 2019 Mercedes-Benz SLC 300 Roadster (US purchase and delivery to the Ocean House)

- Dinner for two at COAST restaurant with wine pairings

- Departure gift (vintage sailboat pin with diamonds, and a set of binoculars)

THE ULTIMATE ENGAGEMENT  Starting at $36,500

At Ocean House

- Two-night stay in the four-level Ocean House Tower Suite

- A 2.5 carat diamond engagement ring

- An intimate three-course dinner or lunch for two in the new Fondue Express Gondola

- Professional photographer to record the proposal and engagement

- Three-hour "Couples Experience" at the Five-Star OH! Spa

- Two dozen red roses

- Daily in-suite breakfast with endless mimosas made with Veuve Clicquot

LOVE IS "INN" THE STARS  Starting at $8,300

At Weekapaug Inn

- A two-night stay in a Weekapaug Inn Fenway Suite

- 60-minute massages for two with beach rose infused oils in the OH! Spa

- A curated trip to the famous Watch Hill, Rhode Island lighthouse with a bottle of champagne

- Private star-gazing experience and opportunity to officially name a star with the Inn's naturalist, Mark Bullinger

- Winter outerwear including two sets of Hunter Boots, two Hunter insulated parkas and two new Hunter backpacks

- A five-course, candlelit dinner

- Breakfast in bed for two

- A customized cocktail, served by a fireplace

- Turndown tray with wine and cheese

Reservations for the Ocean House packages must be made 14 days in advance, and the Inn package requires a seven-day advance reservation. Items including the Fondue Express dining experience are based on availability and restrictions apply.

About Ocean House Management, LLC

Since the redevelopment of the Forbes Triple Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Ocean House in 2010, Ocean House Management, has grown from a single luxury hotel to a collection of some of the most prestigious hotel properties in New England. Each hotel is a destination and member of Relais & Chateaux, with its own name and personality. Ocean House Management Collection includes properties in scenic South County, Rhode Island including Ocean House (OceanHouseRI.com); Weekapaug Inn (WeekapaugInn.com); and Watch Hill Inn (WatchHillInn.com). Visit OHMCollection.com for details.

Contacts:

[email protected]

401.584.7014 or 612.220.1176

[email protected]

212.696.0660

SOURCE Ocean House Management CollectionLAS CRUCES, N.M., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The title clerk position in a vehicle dealership is a series of actions that require both common sense and critical thinking. So says Kimberly Skaggs in her new book Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course: Everything You Need to Excel as a Title Clerk. "I created this course and wrote the book because I have worked in every position in a car dealership, including title clerk, and I wanted to help others become masters in their title clerk duties since it is such an important responsibility; the title clerk is a critical link between a dealership and the customer."

Kimberly Skaggs, 50 State DMV Founder and CEO, Releases 'Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course: Everything You Need To Excel As A Title Clerk.'

The book points out that each step in the title clerk process is required and designed to protect the dealership, its reputation, franchise agreement, cash flow and CSI scores (customer satisfaction index) and serve the customer promptly. "This process alone is a huge step in creating satisfied customers who return to the dealership and give referrals," Skaggs said.

Skaggs' company 50 State DMV provides vehicle title and registration processing services for automotive dealers, corporate fleets, financial institutions and other businesses that require vehicle title and registration services throughout the United States. She formed the company to offer solutions to dealers facing title and tag problems and to provide educational tools, including online vehicle title clerk training as well as on-site training.

Last November, Skaggs was recognized by the International Association of Women (IAW) as a leader in entrepreneurship and a 2018-2019 Influencer. The IAW is a global organization with an online networking platform with nearly one million members.

"My company and my book are natural extensions of my goal to play an integral part in advancing the automotive industry by continuing to create clear and concise instructional materials and making them available to those that need it the most, saving dealerships frustration, time and money while enhancing the customer experience," Skaggs said.

Skaggs will be autographing her book and including it in gift bags distributed to current clients and active dealers that sign up before or during the 2019 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Expo in San Francisco Jan. 24-27, 2019, at Moscone Center in 50 State DMV's booth #7436W, West Hall, Level 2.

Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course: Everything You Need to Excel as a Title Clerk by Kimberly Skaggs is available at 50StateDMV.com and wherever books are sold.

Media Contact:

Lynda Ludy

575-208-1368

[email protected]

Related Images

vehicle-title-clerk-master-course.png

Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course

Kimberly Skaggs, 50 State DMV Founder and CEO, Releases 'Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course: Everything You Need To Excel As A Title Clerk.'

vehicle-title-clerk-master-course.jpg

'Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course' - Do You Want to Protect Yourself and Your Dealership?

From training new staff and resolving title and registration difficulties to cross-training existing employees, the 'Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course' contains everything you need to successfully title and register vehicles at your dealership. This course covers the entire title and registration process.

Related Links

'Vehicle Title Clerk Master Course' - Link to purchase

Title Clerk Education Link

SOURCE 50 State DMV

Related Links

http://50StateDMV.com

CARY, N.C., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NCI Building Systems, Inc. (NYSE: NCS) ("NCI" or the "Company") announced today that it has entered into a Unit Purchase Agreement with Environmental Materials, LLC ("Environmental Stoneworks") and certain of its affiliates to purchase 100% of the outstanding limited liability company interests of Environmental Stoneworks.

Under the terms of the Unit Purchase Agreement, NCI will pay $186 million for the interests and plans to finance the transaction through a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under its existing revolving credit facilities. The purchase price is subject to certain customary post-closing adjustments including debt and working capital. During fiscal 2017, Environmental Stoneworks generated $160 million in revenues. Based upon 2018E Adjusted EBITDA and giving effect to anticipated cost synergies, the transaction is expected to result in a purchase price multiple of 5.5x, with a minimal impact on NCI's leverage ratio. The transaction closing is subject to a number of customary conditions, including, among others, the termination or expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2019.

"The acquisition of Environmental Stoneworks significantly increases NCI's geographical footprint in manufactured stone products, one of the fastest growing categories of exterior cladding materials. It positions us to better serve our residential customers, while creating considerable cross selling opportunities with our commercial customers," said James S. Metcalf, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. "The transaction directly supports NCI's industrial logic and value proposition adding to our already strong residential, repair & remodel and commercial platform."

"Along with adding a profitable, growing business, we look forward to welcoming Chuck Stein to NCI as President of our combined stone businesses at the close of the transaction," added Mr. Metcalf. "Chuck has served as President and CEO of Environmental Stoneworks for over ten years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in product innovation, business expansion and transformative solutions that will be invaluable to our customers."

Environmental Stoneworks is the only national manufacturer and installer of stone veneer for the residential and commercial markets. The company offers a broad range of products suitable for local preferences along with installation services to ensure a complete turnkey solution. Environmental Stoneworks has five manufacturing facilities, twenty-one installation centers and approximately 660 employees in the United States.

Advisors

Debevoise & Plimpton is serving as legal counsel to NCI Building Systems. BB&T Capital Markets is serving as the exclusive financial advisor and Davis Graham & Stubbs is serving as legal counsel to Environmental Stoneworks.

About NCI Building Systems

The combination of NCI and Ply Gem, headquartered in Cary, NC, established a leading exterior building products manufacturer with a broad range of products to residential and commercial customers for both new construction and repair & remodel. With a portfolio of key products which includes windows, doors, siding, metal wall and roof systems, engineered commercial buildings, insulated metal panels, stone and other adjacent products, the Company has more than 20,000 employees across 80 manufacturing, distribution and office locations throughout North America. For more information, visit www.ncibuildingsystems.com or www.plygem.com.

Contact:

K. Darcey Matthews

Vice President, Investor Relations

281-897-7785

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and information in this filing may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "intend," "foresee," "guidance," "potential," "expect," "should," "will" "continue," "could," "estimate," "forecast," "goal," "may," "objective," "predict," "projection," or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements in this filing.

Such forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are made and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations, including but not limited to the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions precedent and consummate the proposed acquisition, the timing of consummation of the proposed acquisition, the ability of the parties to secure regulatory approvals in a timely manner or on the terms desired or anticipated, the ability of NCI to integrate the acquired operations, the ability to implement the anticipated business plans of the combined company following closing and achieve anticipated benefits and cost savings, risks related to disruption of management's attention from ongoing business operations due to the pending acquisition and the effect of the announcement of the proposed acquisition on either party's relationships with its respective customers, vendors, lenders and businesses generally. Additionally, factors listed under "Risk Factors" set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 28, 2018, and the other risks and uncertainties described in documents we file from time to time with the SEC, identify other important factors, though not necessarily all such factors, that could cause future outcomes to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this filing. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE NCI Building Systems, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ncibuildingsystems.com

As Chinese internet service giants, Jingdong and Meituan expressed their ideas about how technology can re-shape the service industry. According to Zhang Chen from Jingdong, it is the power of technology and innovation that has resulted in the rapid development of Jingdong. Intelligent consumption, intelligent supply and intelligent logistics constitute the boundless retail of Jingdong, and technological innovations link the three of them. While in the opinion of Wang Puzhong from Meituan, the mobile internet, cloud computing and AI algorithm improvement has changed takeout service. Meituan's autonomous vehicles and other new technologies are not only a deep reflection on the "food + platform" strategy, but also a potential variable that may bring more value to other industries.

As to the field of autonomous driving and transportation, according to Yu Kai from Horizon Robotics, in an era when software is crucial, Horizon Robotics concentrates on hardware while still considering software as the core, so computing must be emphasized. However, Zhang Jianzhong from NVIDIA believes that today's computing capacity may not be able to achieve complete autonomous driving, while it is the most important thing to use AI to make the current life better. In the opinion of Yan Feng from WM Motor, positioning itself as the architect of new mobile smart spaces, WM Motor was created as a technology-based enterprise at the time of its establishment. Intelligence of automobile is the most important consideration of WM Motor.

In terms of the development and innovation of intelligent hardware, Li Zhifei from Mobvoi shared his opinion about key factors for development. He believes that the frontier demands need to be clearly distinguished from pseudo-demands and that only those innovations that comply with the laws of science and technology have value for the future. The shortest "board" of a team will determine the entire product experience. Zhou Hang and Huang Wang shared their methodologies of hardware entrepreneurship. Zhou Hang said that there were many rules and restrictions for the hardware manufacturing industry when he just started his own business, which made this industry rather depressed at that time. While according to Huang Wang, the role of Chinese enterprises has changed nowadays.

About GeekPark

Founded in 2010, GeekPark is one of China's largest internet and technology innovation communities. The organization was founded to introduce the concept of "Geek Culture" to China. GeekPark is devoted to discovering, inspiring, and enlightening innovators through insightful media production, frequent community events, professional business strategy consulting and systematic start-up services.

About Geek Night

Geek Night, which is also known as GeekPark [email protected] has interpreted the development of China's science and technology innovation from various perspectives of different technology enterprises, and also unleashed the power of Chinese science and technology on the world stage. Meanwhile, as an exchange platform for science and technology enterprises, GeekPark has attracted many CES exhibitors and media outlets focusing on technology to participate in the event. In addition, GeekPark announced the "Focus 30" list of great concern, listing the most important Promising Technology Enterprises of CES". For those engaged in tech industries, this list features accurate insights into the frontier trends.

SOURCE GeekParkTo encourage Americans to start their day off right and stick to the goals they made at the beginning of the New Year, McCafe at Home partnered with actor, producer and coffee-lover Mark Consuelos to take over January 17, known as "Ditch New Year's Resolution Day" with the unveiling of the Brew Happier Mobile. This interactive, Chicago-based experience allows consumers to kick-off their day with a moment of positivity so they can focus on achieving  not ditching  their resolutions with a little help from McCafe at Home coffee.

"As someone who is constantly on the go, I make it a priority to start my day off right and really focus on being positive as I head into the day," said actor, Mark Consuelos. "Mornings can be busy for me and my family so that's why I try to make it a priority to sit down with a big cup of my favorite McCafe at Home coffee and take a few minutes to myself to start my day on a positive note. I love that McCafe at Home is encouraging others to Brew Happier and enjoy a little "me time," starting with the Brew Happier Mobile in Chicago."

The Brew Happier Mobile will be at Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 17 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, January 18. Chicago residents will have the opportunity to enjoy free, freshly brewed cups of McCafe at Home coffee and meet Mark Consuelos.

On Friday, January 18, McCafe at Home is also surprising one lucky Chicagoan with the pick-me-up of their life  a ride to work on the Brew Happier Mobile so they have the ultimate opportunity to take time out of their day and focus on happy moments with a cup of McCafe at Home coffee. Consumers can follow along on the journey using the hashtag #McCafeAtHome.

"McCafe at Home wants to inspire positive moments and experiences for coffee-lovers everywhere, and January is one of the times when people need inspiration and motivation the most," said Elina Veksler, Sr. Director of McCafe Brand Strategy. "The Brew Happier Mobile was designed to remind us to stay positive and make time for small moments  because it's those moments that give us the power to take on the day's challenges, including our new resolutions."

To learn more about McCafe at Home and the Brew Happier Mobile, visit McDonald's website and follow @McDonalds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About McCafe at Home

The world's first McCafe opened in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1993. By partnering with The Kraft Heinz Company, McCafe extended its core Premium Roast coffee to U.S. grocery stores in 2014 and quickly expanded to include nine other delicious blends. Give your mood a boost every a.m. with the rich aroma and delicious taste of our 100% Arabica coffee, available in restaurant and grocery.

About McDonald's USA

McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.

About The Kraft Heinz Company

The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world. A globally trusted producer of delicious foods, The Kraft Heinz Company provides high quality, great taste and nutrition for all eating occasions, whether at home, in restaurants or on the go. The Company's iconic brands include Kraft, Heinz, ABC, Capri Sun, Classico, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Ore-Ida, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters, Plasmon, Quero, Smart Ones and Velveeta. The Kraft Heinz Company is dedicated to the sustainable health of our people, our planet and our Company. For more information, visit www.kraftheinzcompany.com.

1 Ketchum Analytics, on behalf of McCafe at Home, conducted an online survey fielded by YouGov. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1221 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th - 28th December 2018. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

SOURCE McCafe at Home

Related Links

https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/mccafe-at-home.html

SPECIAL EDITIONS GPCX1AE 20th ANNIVERSARY In 1999, Martin broke into the world of alternative materials and created a whole new class of high-quality guitars: the X Series. In the 20 years since, the X Series has evolved to include multiple design changes and alternative materials. This Grand Performance model, featuring a solid hardwood neck, mother-of-pearl pattern fingerboard and rosette inlay, and morado fingerboard and bridge, harkens back to the earliest days of the X Series. Timeless tone for the modern age. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $779

DXMAE 30th ANNIVERSARY

The year 2019 represents a milestone in the history of our Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico, manufacturing plant  30 years of operation. In that time, Martin colleagues in Mexico have produced world-class guitars and strings, and helped put affordable, high-quality instruments in the hands of countless musicians. Custom artwork from Robert F. Goetzl honors these employees and features elements of Mexican national symbols on this custom HPL Dreadnought. The model also includes Macassar-patterned HPL back and sides, laminated birch neck, and an FSC certified Richlite fingerboard and bridge. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $799

D HOMEWARD

Martin celebrates famed American-style tattoo pioneer, and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum's namesake, Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins in this special edition Dreadnought guitar. It features elements of Collins's work, titled "Homeward Bound," inlaid with shell and hand-selected wood species on the headplate, fingerboard, and body. The artwork takes shape in a multitude of rich, earthy colors using a combination of pearl and natural wood tones. The wood tones are enhanced using a technique called sand shading. The level of artistic talent that went into creating this fine guitar is immediately evident and timeless. In addition to the custom artwork, this guitar features flamed koa back and sides with quilted bubinga binding and a custom inlaid koa headplate. The top is heavy bearclaw Sitka spruce and features non-scalloped, forward-shifted X-bracing found in Martin's recently reimagined Standard Series. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $19,999

D TRUE LOVE

Martin celebrates famed American-style tattoo pioneer, and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum's namesake, Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins in this special edition Dreadnought guitar. It features elements of Collins's work, titled "True Love," inlaid with shell and hand-selected wood species on the headplate, fingerboard, and body. The artwork takes shape in a multitude of rich, earthy colors using a combination of pearl and natural wood tones. The wood tones are enhanced using a technique called sand shading. The level of artistic talent that went into creating this fine guitar is immediately evident and timeless. In addition to the custom artwork, this guitar features figured East Indian rosewood back and sides with flamed koa binding and a custom inlaid East Indian rosewood headplate. The top is heavy bearclaw Sitka spruce and features non-scalloped, forward-shifted X-bracing found in Martin's recently reimagined standard series. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $19,999

OMSS 2019

This special edition Orchestra-style guitar features an Adirondack spruce top with a multi-striped, abalone pearl rosette and quilted sapele back and sides with European flamed maple binding around the body and fingerboard. It is adorned with ultra-modern appointments, including a carbon fiber pickguard, carbon fiber and titanium open-gear tuners, and red dot Liquidmetal bridge pins. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $7,999

CUSTOM SIGNATURE EDITION

CEO-9

This exquisite 00 14-fret slope-shoulder acoustic guitar exhibits a curly mango top with a gorgeous gloss mango sunset burst finish, paired with figured curly mango back and sides. Other features include antique white binding and heelcap with multi-stripe border, a compensated bone saddle, Liquidmetal bridge pins on an ebony bridge, and an ebony fingerboard with Style 42 snowflake inlay. The look is completed with vintage copper open-gear tuners and a stylized script logo on a faux tortoise headplate. The model also comes with a modified V neck for fast finger work. Each model includes a label signed by Chris Martin IV and numbered in sequence. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $4,399

AUTHENTIC SERIES

SIZE 1 DE GONI AUTHENTIC 1843

Martin celebrates the very first Size 1 model and the earliest X-braced guitar ever documented. The story of X-bracing began in 1843 when C. F. Martin made a special X-braced guitar for Madame Delores N. de Goni after entertaining her in his home. Madame de Goni was probably the finest professional guitar soloist of her time. Her performances were widely popular throughout the Americas between 1841 and 1892. She pronounced Martin guitars to be "superior to any instruments of the kind [she had] ever seen in this country or Europe for tone, workmanship, and facility of execution!" This replica of that revolutionary guitar is true to the original right down to the worn paper label and authentic gut strings. List Price $12,999

LIMITED EDITIONS

D-42 CUSTOM

This limited edition custom 42-style Dreadnought features a Carpathian spruce top with aging toner, East Indian rosewood back and sides, and European flamed maple binding with multi-stripe border around the body, fingerboard, and headplate. It includes forward-shifted X-bracing, a high-performance neck taper for easy playability, nickel open-gear tuners, and an abalone rosette with multi-stripe border and abalone fingerboard inlay. This model is limited to 50 instruments. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $9,999

OMCE SHADOW BURST

The OMCE Shadow was inspired by Martin coworkers who were enamored of some dramatic finishes found in the solid body electric guitar world. This Orchestra-style beauty is the successful result of experimentation with various finishing techniques. It features a Sitka spruce top and quilted maple back and sides with silver binding and a unique translucent black sunburst finish. The top is accented with an abalone rosette with a multi-stripe border, and it features Martin's high-performance taper neck for easy playability. This model is limited to 50 instruments. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $3,999

OMCE BLAZE BURST

The OMCE Blaze was inspired by Martin coworkers who were enamored of some dramatic finishes found in the solid body electric guitar world. This Orchestra-style beauty is the successful result of experimentation with various finishing techniques. It features a Sitka spruce top with a mahogany burst finish and quilted maple back and sides with a translucent blaze sunburst finish. The top is accented with an abalone rosette with a multi-stripe border, and it features Martin's high-performance taper neck for easy playability. The headplate is adorned with an abalone stylized script logo to complement the rosette. This model is limited to 50 instruments. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $4,399

CF MARTIN D-45 EXCALIBUR

The CF Martin D-45 Excalibur is the latest design collaboration with renowned inlay artist Harvey Leach. This special edition guitar is adorned with original artwork in honor of the mythical dragon told to have hidden the mystical Excalibur sword in its tail. The custom inlay features a dragon intertwined around both a custom rosette and a custom back purfling. The model features an Engelmann spruce top with heavy bearclaw, Madagascar rosewood back and sides, European flamed maple body binding and birdseye maple headplate binding. The tuners are Gold GrandTune open gear, and the label is signed by Chris Martin and Harvey Leach. This model is limited to 20 instruments, so visit your authorized Martin dealer to get your hands on one of these rare beauties. This model is strung with Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 strings. List price $39,999

EXCALIBUR is a registered trademark of Vigier.

Liquidmetal is a registered trademark of Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc.

To learn more about these instruments, please visit www.martinguitar.com/new.

About Martin Guitars and Strings

C. F. Martin & Co. has been Inspiring Musicians Worldwide for nearly two centuries with their superior guitar and string products. Martin guitars and strings remain the choice for musicians around the world for their unrivaled quality, craftsmanship, and tone. Throughout the company's long history, Martin products can be seen and heard across all genres of music and in all segments of pop culture, from concert and theater stages to television and movies.

With an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices, Martin continually drives the acoustic guitar market forward, introducing innovative features that have become standards across the industry. These groundbreaking innovations include the introduction of X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar, and the "Dreadnought" size guitar.

Martin has also led innovations in strings, such as introducing the first high-tensile strength steel-string core wire; the first nickel acoustic strings (Martin Retro); the proprietary Titanium Core strings; and now the groundbreaking, new Authentic Acoustic line, which offers unmatched stability, tone, comfort, and longevity. Learn more here: www.martinguitar.com/aa.

Connect with Martin Guitars and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and via www.martinguitar.com.

SOURCE C.F. Martin & Co.

Related Links

http://martinguitar.com

KELOWNA, BC, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Liht Cannabis Corp. (CSE: LIHT) (OTCQX: LIHTF) or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Full Spectrum Medicinals ("FSM"), has completed the securing of the exclusive rights to the S5 Agro Technology Suite (the "S5-ATS") proprietary technology. The Company will use this technology in its cultivation facilities in Canada.

In order to address and solve the challenges currently facing commercial cultivation, which has lead to the destruction of failed crops in Canada, estimated to be approximately 8 kilos of destroyed product for every 1 kilo consumed. https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/vbnby3/canadas-weed-growers-destroy-a-lot-of-cannabis The Company is completing the aquisition for the exclusive rights to a suite of the following: Quick Response Holographic Labeling System, Agro-View, Agrowavetech, Agro-Array.

The incorporation of this technology will save millions of dollars in potential losses and has been specifically designed to increase organic plant health, vibrancy, yield production and enable efficient propagation of target seeds and strains. A robust secure cloud-based holographic data labeling system will manage and store all valuable crop morphology data and historical information.

The S5-ATS instruments are so advanced that they have the potential to revolutionize a new standard in agricultural analysis allowing crop insurance to be secured.

Historically, full analysis of plant matter could only be completed on dead plant material. In the S5 system, living material can be analyzed in its natural or man-made environment. Comparisons and real-time interactive analysis can be performed down to a cell and molecular level. This is a fully integrated, non-invasive and non-destructive ground-breaking system.

Agrowavetech is an acoustic based technology utilizing specially designed devices which disperse unique electromagnetic signals to the plants using frequency which stimulates the stomata of the plants to open and efficiently absorb hydration and nutrients required. This accelerates plant growth, increasing vital nutrient content, oil and terpene quality production, while greatly reducing the time and cost to harvest.

Equipped with sensors and data loggers, which are connected to the Quick Response Holographic Labeling System (the "QR HOLO-Label"), each unit carries a secure encrypted label for the recording and tracking of each plants historical data.

The QR HOLO-Label identifies each plant down to a genetic level and is a secure means for labeling and tracking from seed-to-sale. The QR HOLO-Label provides for memory storage on each labeled seed and plant to archive historical data, such as, its geographic origin and supplier source data. It can also be used to provide federal and provincial compliance data for reporting.

Agro-View is a hyper spectral imaging system which provides critical information on seeds, seedlings or a mature plant's health, by determining and monitoring hydration and nutrient levels, and detecting blights, fungus, or insect infestations and soil inconsistencies.

These instruments are used within the grow facility, or mounted on a drone for surveying outdoor crops, providing critical, real time information for protecting and maintaining crop health and productivity.

Agro-Array is an advanced, self-contained incubator with microfluidic channels to deliver targeted nutrients and hydration to promote cell viability, enabling cultivators to monitor and accelerate the plants cell culture at a microscopic level, and to deduce the optimum growth conditions such as temperature, medium and light to obtain specific plant yield characteristics. This allows for the determining of the sex of a seed at a cellular level.

Terms

The purchase price for the technology is approximately $1.56M USD in cash with installment payments due over the next 8 months. 1.5% of the gross product revenue will be paid quarterly commencing the last quarter of 2019, as an annual license fee. In addition, 1.5% earn out bonus override to be paid upon the success of accomplishing any of the following: Determining sex of the seed, determining the content of plant, certification of the plant, Insurance carrier that will provide Director and Officer insurance or crop insurance, determine sex of plant tissue and or hybridize sample, establishing parameters acceptable to open a cannabis futures group.

ABOUT LIHT CANNABIS CORP.

www.lihtcannabis.com

Liht Cannabis Corp. is a publicly traded company investing in the medical and recreational cannabis space, since 2014. Liht has rapidly expanded to include cultivation, production and dispensary locations in the key North American states of Washington, Nevada, and California, and are seeking expansion opportunities worldwide.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

twitter.com

facebook.com

STOCK EXCHANGES:

Liht trades in Canada, ticker symbol LIHT on the CSE, in the United States, ticker symbol LIHTF on the OTCQX.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider, nor the OTCQX has approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE nor the OTCQX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

MARIJUANA INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT:

Canadian listings (CSE) will remain in good standing as long as they provide the disclosure that is rightly required by regulators and complying with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by the applicable state in which they operate.

Liht owns marijuana licenses in California and Nevada. Marijuana is legal in each state however marijuana remains illegal under US federal law and the approach to enforcement of US federal law against marijuana is subject to change. Shareholders and investors need to be aware that adverse enforcement actions could affect their investments and that Liht's ability to access private and public capital could be affected and or could not be available to support continuing operations.

Liht's business is conducted in a manner consistent with state law and is in compliance with licensing requirements.

Copies of licenses are posted on Liht's website. Liht has internal compliance procedures in place and has compliance focused attorneys engaged in jurisdictions to monitor changes in laws for compliance with US federal and state law on an ongoing basis. These law firms inform any necessary changes to our policies and procedures for compliance in Canada and the US.

FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which includes, the expected outcomes of its business, technology, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur. Forward-looking statement are necessarily based upon a number of factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements express or implied by such statements. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, present and future business strategies, the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events, level of activity, performance or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: that laws and regulations may become more onerous; the ability of the Company to obtain necessary financing; the economy generally; the future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospectus and opportunities; changes in and the effect of government policies; demand for products; competition; anticipated and unanticipated costs; reliance on management; claims and legal proceedings; conflicts of interest; and market price and volatility of the Common Shares. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, the loss of key directors, employees, advisors or consultants, technology failures, failure to obtain a license from Health Canada or from other government agencies, failure to develop new and innovative products, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations and fees charged by service providers. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, litigation, global economic climate, loss of key employees and consultants, additional funding requirements, changes in laws, competition, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, nor approved the contents of this news release.

SOURCE Liht Cannabis Corporation

Related Links

https://lihtcannabis.com/

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LAWCLERK, an online marketplace of over 1,200 freelance lawyers nationwide, today announced an easier and faster way for attorneys to streamline their use of freelance lawyers or "Lawclerks" with the new edition of LAWCLERK TEAMS. Instead of building a single in-house team to contribute to diverse projects, hiring attorneys can now use LAWCLERK TEAMS to build multiple teams of Lawclerks for various types of work or areas of law, allowing them to create their own virtual law firm without the overhead expense of full-time employees.

Using freelance Lawclerks is a flexible way to staff cases that allows attorneys to get the help they need when they need it. A much more cost-effective option than hiring associates, outsourcing gives attorneys a strong competitive advantage by allowing them to pass considerable cost savings on to clients. The addition of LAWCLERK TEAMS makes it even easier and more efficient to staff projects by facilitating repeat work based on a single case or a single type of law.

With LAWCLERK TEAMS, attorneys can build as many teams as they require, and Lawclerks can be on multiple teams for different types of cases. For example, a practitioner or firm could have a family law team, a bankruptcy team, and a litigation team. Particularly talented Lawclerks can be easily added to other teams like an appellate team, family law team or discovery team. Once attorneys have built their teams, they can post a project directly to a member of the team. If that Lawclerk isn't available, they have the option to post to a different member of the team or to the broader LAWCLERK marketplace.

"LAWCLERK TEAMS is a smart way to create my own dream team of Lawclerks," said Kate Mesic, President of Law Offices of Kate Mesic, P.A. in Jacksonville, Florida. "Instead of filtering through the marketplace to find the right pool of talent for a particular project, I now have a go-to team of pre-selected attorneys standing by and ready to jump in as I need them."

To get started, hiring attorneys simply post a team application on the LAWCLERK website specifying the type of experience they need. Interested Lawclerks then apply to be on that team. Attorneys can review freelancer credentials and add Lawclerks without spending a single dollar or actually posting a project. This "try before you buy" feature allows hiring attorneys to check out LAWCLERK's nationwide network of freelance lawyers, and ensures they have a team in place on standby when a new project begins.

"Being a busy attorney myself, I have found the ability to post team applications and create customized teams by specialty is a game changer," said Talitha Gray Kozlowski, co-founder and COO of LAWCLERK. "Our 'try before you buy' model gives first-time hiring attorneys an easy way to get started and helps current users of the LAWCLERK network to extend the value they are already getting out of our service."

For more information about LAWCLERK TEAMS, click here.

About LAWCLERK

LAWCLERK provides the only ABA-compliant, nationwide marketplace where attorneys can hire a freelance lawyer to help with any written legal work they would otherwise delegate to an associate or paralegal. The technology is built to comply with each state's ethical rules, and there are no sign-up fees or monthly fees  hiring attorneys simply post a project at the flat fee price they set. LAWCLERK provides the expertise of thousands of freelance lawyers skilled at performing a range of projects, from simple discovery responses to Supreme Court writ petitions. LAWCLERK was founded by three practicing lawyers based in Las Vegas, NV and is privately held.

SOURCE LAWCLERK

Related Links

http://www.lawclerk.legal

OSLO, Norway, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaydence Pharma AS, a development stage pharmaceutical company, is pleased to report that it has successfully completed a pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the meeting, the FDA addressed questions regarding key components of the planned IND application and the clinical/regulatory pathway for MQ7, Kaydence Pharma's novel drug candidate for the treatment of arterial stiffness in stable renal transplant recipients with subclinical vitamin K deficiency.

"As a result of this informative meeting, we reached agreement with the FDA on the non-clinical requirements for the IND for MQ7 supporting the planned first-in-human (FIH) study. We also achieved alignment on key components of the design for the FIH study, including the ability to conduct the study in the target patient population. In addition, the FDA provided input and guidance on our clinical and regulatory development pathway. Importantly, the FDA has agreed to meet with us following completion of the FIH study to continue discussions regarding the Phase 2 and Phase 3 development programs," said Dan Rosenbaum, CEO of Kaydence.

Currently, there are no FDA approved treatments for arterial stiffness, a condition that is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease/renal transplant. Arterial stiffness is associated with decreased renal allograft function and increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients.

About MQ7

MQ7, a pharmaceutical formulation of the vitamin K2 subtype menaquinone 7, enables the activation of a potent, local inhibitor of vascular calcification, matrix Gla protein (MGP), thereby inhibiting arterial stiffness. A substantial proportion of patients with chronic kidney disease, including those with renal transplant, do not have sufficient levels of vitamin K (subclinical vitamin K insufficiency) to allow the activation of MGP such that vascular calcification can be inhibited. In general, inactive MGP is associated with reduced kidney function and increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Further, subclinical vitamin K insufficiency has been associated with reduced allograft function, graft failure, and all-cause mortality in renal transplant recipients.

About Kaydence Pharma AS

Kaydence Pharma AS is a pharmaceutical company focused on development of MQ-7 for conditions associated with arterial stiffness in patients with subclinical vitamin K deficiency.

For additional information, please contact:

Daniel Rosenbaum, CEO

Email: [email protected]

Or you may send inquiries to our general mailbox at: [email protected]

For more information see https://kaydencepharma.com/

PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12749481

SOURCE Kaydence Pharma

Related Links

http://www.kaydencepharma.com

The weekend forecast calls for 4-8 inches of snow for people in the Hartford area from Saturday to Sunday, Lessor said Friday. Those who live in northern Hartford and in northern Litchfield County will see more snow, 6-12 inches, while those in southeastern Connecticut would get less, 2-4 inches. After the snow there will be ice, which may be followed by more snow.The collaborative effort will unite each partner's commitment to beautiful luxury automotive design and is a major addition to Karma's growing list of strategic business partners who will play an important role in Zhou's 'Value-Forward' business plan to help accelerate future technology and product development.

"Our business and product plan is driven in part by collaborating with like-minded and nimble partners such as Pininfarina, whose design expertise will help us accelerate product development, differentiation, and personalized customization that allows every Karma to be truly special," he said. "Karma is united in spirit with Pininfarina through our shared commitment to stunning design, and we are excited about the reaction we anticipate the end result of our partnership will generate."

As part of the Value-Forward business plan, Karma seeks to acquire and develop key technologies and partnerships important to connectivity, performance, artificial intelligence, shared mobility platforms and electrification. The goal is to solidify and grow Karma's place in a unique luxury electric vehicle niche first in the U.S. before expanding to other international markets.

"The agreement with Karma  said CEO of Pininfarina Silvio Pietro Angori  represents another important step in the growth strategy of Pininfarina in the North American market, following the opening of our new design center in Los Angeles. We are happy to support Karma through our expertise into design and creation of luxury, customized vehicles, and into premium brand lifestyle. With Karma we share the same passion for beauty, exclusivity and innovation, always in the name of environmental sustainability. We can't wait to show the world the first fruit of our joint effort."

The first results of the new partnership are expected in Q2 2019.

Meet Karma Automotive

Karma Automotive designs, engineers, assembles and markets luxury electric vehicles, all from its Southern California base of operations. Founded in 2014 and employing nearly 1,000 people worldwide, Karma Automotive is committed to elevating and growing the luxury mobility experience for its customers and draws on global relationships and technology partners to achieve this. Named Green Car Journal's 2018 Luxury Green Car of the Year, Karma Revero is a luxury electric vehicle powered by dual electric motors that embodies the company's goals of offering leading automotive design, technology, customization and an outstanding customer experience.

Learn more about Karma Automotive and Revero at www.karmaautomotive.com or visit the password-free Karma Newsroom at www.karmanewsroom.com for the latest press releases, videos and images.

About Pininfarina

Pininfarina is a luxury design and engineering house established in 1930, icon of the Italian design in the world, which has contributed to write the history of the global automotive industry. Employing nearly 700 people through its offices in Italy, Germany, China and the United States, Pininfarina continues to be the benchmark of the auto and industrial design, deeply involved to designing customer journeys, unique user experiences merging physical and digital worlds through aesthetics and technology. Pininfarina portfolio of services cover design, engineering, conception and manufacturing of unique cars or very small runs. Pininfarina also represents today one of the most prestigious brands in Architecture and Interiors with dozens of awards achieved.

Learn more about on www.pininfarina.com.

SOURCE Karma Automotive

Related Links

http://www.karmaautomotive.com

"I grew up just a few steps from Buchtel (High School) and I remember how the neighborhood looked when I was a kid. To see what it looks like now is heartbreaking," recalls Wilson. "I remember the families that used to live in these houses and playing football in these same yards as a child. Now, so many of the homes are falling down and boarded up. We're losing the fabric that holds the community together."

Wilson, who left Akron on a full scholarship to attend the University of Michigan, is not the only member of his family to find success grounded in a humble Akron upbringing. His uncle, Dave Young, graduated from Akron East High School and went on to become one of the Big Ten's all-time leading receivers at Purdue University before being drafted by the New York Giants. His grandmother, Mary Sims, was one of Akron's first prominent African-American real estate agents and lived on Winton Road near Buchtel for over sixty years. Many of the homes that now sit abandoned were sold to growing families by his grandmother in the 80's and 90's. So, when the Abandoned Homes Project asked Wilson to participate in its latest ad campaign, Wilson gladly jumped at the opportunity.

Wilson will lend his voice to a newly-launched awareness campaign titled "It's Not Worth It!" The ad campaign was co-designed by nationally known advertising executive Gary Fox-Robertson, who previously designed ads for McDonald's and the U.S. Army. The program provides free attorney assistance and helps homeowners develop a comprehensive Prosecution Alternative Plan. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the abandoned homes crisis and inform owners of abandoned homes that cities have had enough and have resorted to fining and, in many cases, jailing those who are responsible for abandoned homes.

The Project is a vocal critic of this practice and argues that there is no evidence that jailing homeowners as a primary means of code enforcement is an effective method of reducing the number of abandoned homes. In fact, according to their research, it only makes the problem worse. They point to cities such as Cleveland, with an estimated 19,000 abandoned homes, as prime examples of the failures of deploying this method as a primary means of code enforcement.

Homeowners facing housing court prosecution or who have received a letter from the Abandoned Homes Project can apply for free assistance at http://www.ahponline.org by clicking the yellow "START HERE" button or can call the Project's Homeowner Assistance Hotline at 216.766.5705. Information is also available on the Abandoned Homes Project's Facebook page.

About the Abandoned Homes Project

Since 2015, the Abandoned Homes Project has invigorated the conversion about changing the way local governments, community development organizations, and residents of urban and rural communities impacted by the abandoned homes crises can work together to solve this critical social issue. We are dedicated to fighting for fair and equal justice for defendants in Ohio's housing courts while simultaneously developing the technology platforms of tomorrow that will aid local governments nationwide in the fight to reduce the number of abandoned homes in our communities, increase incoming tax revenues, and predict housing vacancies before they occur. Local governments can learn more by visiting www.ahponline.org and clicking the blue "GOVERNMENT" tab on the home page.

SOURCE Abandoned Homes Project

Related Links

http://www.ahponline.org

ATLANTA, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco today released findings from a new study focused exclusively on the language of defined contribution (DC) plans, specifically testing how participants react to various language as it relates to their understanding of, and interest in, key aspects of DC plan design and investments.

"We believe a disconnect remains between what plan sponsors say and what participants hear," said John Galateria, Managing Director and Head of North America Institutional, Invesco. "Our research found that many participants find their retirement plan to be confusing and wish for clearer language to help them better understand their plan's design, investment menu and post-retirement options."

The study included participant focus groups that measured emotional responses to language used in actual participant communications along with commonly used words and phrases, testing different versions of messages to uncover what works and why. The focus groups were followed by a national survey of more than 800 large-plan participants of various ages, genders and income levels to validate the results and to capture sentiments from millennials, Generation X and boomers.

"Language matters," continued Mr. Galateria. "Using the right words provides clarity to participants, which can lead to increased confidence. For plan sponsors looking to evolve their communications to increase participant engagement and encourage good decisions along the way, we found using personal, positive and plausible words in plain English can make all the difference."

Key findings include:

1) Describing matching contributions as "free money" may help drive higher savings rates  Overwhelmingly, when describing the benefit of the company match, personalized language that ties back to a positive, aspirational goal of a comfortable retirement resonated with all ages and can help drive higher contribution rates.

When participants were asked the best reason to take advantage of their employer's matching contribution, 39% preferred " the match is free money ," with 32% preferring " the match allows me to invest more in my 401(k) ." The term " free money " resonated highest with Gen X, 41% . In contrast, only 23% of participants preferred the concept that not contributing enough to take full advantage of the match is like " leaving money on the table ."

preferred with preferring The term resonated highest with Gen X, . In contrast, only 23% of participants preferred the concept that not contributing enough to take full advantage of the match is like When asked how they would prefer their employer communicate benefits of a match, 56% preferred the language " With our company match, we can significantly increase the total amount you can put away ," while 44% preferred the language " The company will match a portion of your contribution each year ."

2) Clear descriptions of target date funds could reduce misunderstanding and misuse  The study delved into the language employers (and the industry overall) use today to define target date funds, and what the participant actually hears and/or understands. The research uncovered a focus on plain English (versus industry jargon), a positive approach and a sense of personalization is paramount.

When describing target date funds, all ages gravitated to descriptors of an investment that is " managed for you " and designed to help you " achieve your goals ." A personalized approach especially resonated with boomers, who have most likely already experienced various life stages and understand the need to adapt accordingly.

and designed to help you A personalized approach especially resonated with boomers, who have most likely already experienced various life stages and understand the need to adapt accordingly. Using personalized language to explain how target date funds work may help combat their misuse. Nearly half (48%) of survey participants believed the best reason to put their retirement savings in a single target date fund (versus investing in additional options) was due to the target date funds' strategy description of balancing growth potential, managing risk tolerance and adapting to one's time horizon to retirement. This description overwhelmingly resonated with all age groups and seemed to best explain the fund's intent.

of survey participants believed the best reason to put their retirement savings in a single target date fund (versus investing in additional options) was due to the target date funds' strategy description of balancing growth potential, managing risk tolerance and adapting to one's time horizon to retirement. This description overwhelmingly resonated with all age groups and seemed to best explain the fund's intent. The term " glide path ," used by plan sponsors, plan providers, advisors and consultants to discuss target date funds, ranked the lowest at 4% of all descriptors understood by participants, with the more specific " risk-reduction path " resonating highest at 40%.

3) Risk means different things to different investors  When it comes to target date funds, 61% of participants preferred the more positive phrase, " stay on track to achieve my goals " versus " managing risk ."

When asked which fund they would rather invest in  a target date or target risk fund  both were equally appealing to participants, with 52% preferring " a target date fund based on the year I want to retire " versus 48% preferring " a target risk fund based on my risk tolerance ."

preferring versus preferring When asked which do you most want your investments to become? Becoming " more conservative over time " was preferred by all ages, 60%, and was much more highly rated by millennials than a portfolio that becomes " less aggressive over time ."

4) Specific language may help retirees understand the benefits of staying in-plan  For employers who want to keep participants in the plan once they retire, the offer of a monthly payout feature (combined with a less expensive option than what could be found outside of plan) would be of significant interest across all ages, according to the survey.

When presented with a personalized, plain English and positive short description, 54% of all ages would be either very or extremely likely to stay in the plan with a monthly payout feature, with only 2% not at all likely.

of all ages would be either very or extremely likely to stay in the plan with a monthly payout feature, with only not at all likely. Communicating the ability of the plan to keep expenses low (through cost efficient pricing and/or plan scale) resonates with all ages. When considering reasons to stay in the plan, "less expensive than other retirement options" was preferred by 37% of participants. In addition, the trust factor (of the employer) influences decisions to stay or go, 27%, more than convenience, 20%, or having to rethink investment options, 16%.

Invesco is a top provider of defined contribution solutions managing $96 billion in DC assets as of September 30, 2018. Delivering disciplined investment experience, thought-provoking insights and tools, and unparalleled client service, Invesco works with plan sponsors, advisors and consultants to support the shared goal of helping participants achieve a comfortable retirement.

To access the executive summary and additional findings please click here, or to access the full study and learn more about Invesco's defined contribution solutions platform, please visit www.invesco.com/dc.

Study Methodology

Together with Maslansky + Partners, the 2018 national survey targeted plan participants with the following criteria:

800+ respondents across millennial (age 2434), Generation X (age 3554) and baby boomer (age 5564) generations with an equal male/female ratio

All employed full time at an organization with 5,000+ employees

All work employers who offer defined contribution plans; 57% have both defined benefit and defined contribution

Mix of corporate and public employment

Mix of incomes and assets

Mix of levels of investment in their defined contribution plan

Plan sponsor interviews and participant focus groups in New York , Atlanta and Dallas were also part of the study and used to help shape the national survey

About Invesco Ltd.

Invesco is an independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life.NYSE: IVZ; www.invesco.com.

Disclosures

Source for all data: March 2018 survey by Invesco and Maslansky + Partners of 800 employees of large companies.

This material is based on Invesco's work with Maslansky + Partners. Invesco Distributors, Inc. is not affiliated with Maslansky + Partners.

This material is for illustrative, informational and educational purposes only. If the illustrations herein are used outside of the designated audience, it is the respective user's responsibility to ensure that such material complies with all applicable regulations and is filed with the appropriate regulatory bodies if so required. Words and phrases utilized should always be appropriate, applicable and provable. We make no guarantee that participation in this program or utilization of any of its content will result in increased business or higher plan participation rates.

This does not constitute a recommendation of any investment strategy or product for a particular investor. Investors should consult a financial professional before making any investment decisions.

A target date fund identifies a specific time at which investors are expected to begin making withdrawals, e.g., Now, 2020, 2030. The principal value of the fund is not guaranteed at any time, including at the target date.

A target risk fund maintains a relatively static asset allocation, versus a target date fund where the allocation to stocks decreases over time as the fund's target date approaches. There is no assurance that any investment product will achieve its investment objective. Investment products are subject to market risk, which is the possibility that the market values of securities owned by products will decline and that the value of the investment may therefore be less than what was paid for it. Accordingly, one can lose money investing in such products. Please be aware that any investment product may be subject to certain additional risks. See prospectus for complete details about the risks associated with any investment product.

Any products referenced are not intended to represent any specific Invesco products.

Not FDIC insured | May Lose Value | No Bank Guarantee

Invesco Distributors, Inc. 01/19

NA229

SOURCE Invesco Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.invesco.com

STERLING, Va., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mvix has been selected by Bear Hill Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, an elite long-term nursing care facility in the Greater Boston-metro region, to power an interactive digital signage kiosk.

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top nursing facilities in the country, Bear Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has branded itself as a community of caring individuals eager to welcome new residents and their families.

Mvix

The interactive digital signage display was a result of collaboration between Mvix and Karen Ancas Design. The touch-screen display has taken on traditional receptionist duties, such as directing guests via maps and directories, and has become the central source of several pieces of important information.

The Challenge

The administrative staff at Bear Hill realized the need to refine the center's branding, bring modernity to the older building and centralize pertinent information.

They needed a solution that would:

be content-rich with features such as event calendars

guide visitors with maps of the facility

provide interactive directories of residents and staff

streamline all communications into one simple and attractive channel

These functions would allow the sign to replace the traditional marketing literature found in the lobby, such as brochures and flyers.

The Solution

Bear Hill and Karen Ancas Design selected Mvix digital signage software to power the interactive digital signage kiosk.

Working directly with David Flink, the Mvix project manager, Karen curated interactive content that was functional and attractive.

The content included wayfinding maps, staff directories, activity calendars, menus, photos and animated announcements.

The Mvix platform offered:

content-rich software - Karen was able to import her own designs directly into the software and the data integrations addressed many of the clients' needs

implementation assistance - "I was unfamiliar with the technology, but we got lots of hand-holding for the touch-screen arrangement," said Karen, regarding the Mvix project manager's consultations

remote management - the administrative staff can schedule and update content from anywhere

The Results

Bear Hill has noted:

visitors and residents are able to find the information they need faster and without the assistance of a receptionist

the kiosk centralized several pieces of important content, rather than having it split across several mediums and physical locations

switching to digital communications has saved valuable resources

the administrative staff can address other duties critical to their jobs

"The touch-screen display brings modernity to an otherwise older-looking building and it makes people feel good about coming in," said Jessie Maiuri of Bear Hill. "They bring a freshness to our lobby and is a perfect illustration of how digital signage can augment reception spaces."

"We thoroughly enjoyed working with Karen and Bear Hill to help create a solution that matched Bear Hill's unique vision," said David Flink, project manager at Mvix. "You can tell that this was really a passion project for everyone involved and it shows in the success seen by the Bear Hill staff."

To read the detailed case study, download a free copy here.

About Mvix

Mvix is a leading provider of content-rich digital signage software and solutions. To date, the Mvix platform powers over 50,000 active screens for clients including Virginia Tech, NASA, Sodexo, Discovery Channel and the University of Washington. The use cases include employee communication, wayfinding, emergency messaging and customer communications.

For more information, call 703.382.1739 or visit www.mvixdigitalsignage.com.

SOURCE Mvix

Related Links

https://mvixdigitalsignage.com

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE:APD) joint venture (JV) in India today marked a major milestone as INOX Air Products Pvt Ltd. celebrates 20 successful years of business in India. The milestone marks one of the longest-lasting Indo-American JVs in India. The achievement comes at a time when the JV recently brought onstream the first of six liquefiers which will serve the growing onsite and merchant liquid industrial gases market in India.

"I am exceptionally proud to celebrate this 20-year anniversary with our partners, the Jain Family. INOX Air Products is one of our company's most successful joint ventures. We have had a thriving presence in India for two decades and the future prospects, for both the JV and Air Products, are very encouraging with the projected growth of the economy in the country, and along with it the increased use of industrial gases," said Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Air Products.

"It has been truly an exciting journey working with our partners at Air Products, having grown INOX Air Products significantly over the past 20 years by leveraging our combined strengths. As India becomes the world's fastest growing economy, the future holds great potential for the JV as we continue to invest in expanding our network capacity to support the growing manufacturing sector," said Pavan Jain, Chairman and Managing Director at INOX Air Products.

The anniversary is highlighted by the JV's current project, which entails bringing on six industrial gas liquefiers to serve the growing onsite and merchant liquid industrial gas market in India. The first liquefier is already onstream and the remaining five will be brought onstream over the next year. The six plants, with a $100 million-plus combined investment, will have a total production capacity of over 1,200 metric tonnes per day (TPD) of liquid product.

The partnership started in 1999 when Air Products acquired a 50 percent equity stake in Industrial Oxygen Company Ltd. and became an equal joint venture partner with the Jain Family. Through a series of strategic acquisitions that began in the year 2000 and culminated in the year 2015 with that of ESSAR Steel's 5,100 TPD air separation unit, the joint venture partnership quickly established leadership positions in the onsite, merchant and packaged gas businesses.

Over the past two decades, INOX Air Products has continued to invest ahead of the curve by enhancing its capacity, geographical reach and technological capabilities thereby consolidating its position as one of the largest integrated industrial gases players with a national footprint. Throughout its history, INOX Air Products has earned a reputation for developing and growing leadership positions in the merchant industrial gases market in India and has continued to apply its engineering and technological know-how to deliver a wide portfolio of customized solutions for its diversified customer base.

Today, INOX Air Products has more than 40 operating locations and 1,200 employees throughout India and is one of largest manufacturers and suppliers of industrial and medical gases including: oxygen, nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and specialty gas mixtures throughout the country. The company specializes in providing products, technologies and services to a vast cross-section of industries including the chemical, pharmaceutical, metals, steel, food, wastewater treatment, cement, glass, textiles, paint, medical and pulp and paper sectors, among other markets. It is also the largest supplier of gases to the healthcare segment nationally.

About Air Products

Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 75 years. The company provides industrial gases and related equipment to dozens of industries, including refining, chemical, metals, electronics, manufacturing, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world's leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment.

The Company had fiscal 2018 sales of $8.9 billion from operations in 50 countries and has a current market capitalization of about $35 billion. Approximately 16,000 passionate, talented and committed employees from diverse backgrounds are driven by Air Products' higher purpose to create innovative solutions that benefit the environment, enhance sustainability and address the challenges facing customers, communities, and the world. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

About INOX Air Products

Headquartered in Mumbai, INOX Air Products is Air Products' joint venture in India. The company has more than 40 operating locations and 1,200 employees throughout India.

INOX Air Products Ltd manufactures and supplies industrial gases including oxygen, nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and speciality gas mixtures throughout India. The company specialises in providing products, technologies and services to a vast cross-section of industries including the chemical, pharmaceutical, metals, steel, food, waste water treatment, cement, glass, textiles, paint, medical and pulp and paper sectors, to name but a few. INOX Air Products Ltd is a joint venture company owned jointly by the Jain family (former owners of the Industrial Oxygen Company) and Air Products.

Air Products in India

Since 2009, Air Products has expanded its industrial gas operations and supply presence in India as an engineering company. From an engineering center based in Pune, the company provides technology and equipment for air separation, hydrogen generation and associated technologies for industrial gases applications.



In 2018, Air Products signed a long-term agreement with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to build, own and operate a new syngas production facility at the BPCL Kochi Refinery in India. Air Products already operates a world-scale industrial gas complex which was commissioned in 2017 to support the BPCL Integrated Refinery Expansion Project at the same location. For more information, visit www.airproducts.in.

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

SOURCE Air Products

Related Links

http://www.airproducts.com

SUZHOU, China, Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. (Innovent) (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes high quality medicines, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in a phase III clinical trial (ORIENT-16) that is to evaluate Tyvyt (fully human anti-PD-1 therapeutic monoclonal antibody, generic name: sintilimab injection), in combination with capecitabine and oxaliplatin, as first-line treatment for patients with advanced, recurrent or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GC or GEJ).

The ORIENT-16 study is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, phase III trial conducted in China to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) or placebo in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment in subjects with unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic GC or GEJ. The phase III study will enroll 650 patients. The study follows a phase Ib study that evaluated Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer.

"Over the past decade, the treatment of various malignant tumors has progressed rapidly. From traditional chemotherapy to targeted molecular therapy and immunotherapy, the prognosis of cancer patients has been improved remarkably. However, breakthroughs in the treatment of gastric cancer have been few. With the exception of trastuzumab in first-line use for HER-2 positive patients, several phase III clinical trials have failed successively. Based on the efficacy signals and the safety profile from previous trials, we hope to validate the therapeutic potential of sintilimab in combination with chemotherapy in ORIENT-16, a phase III trial," said Dr. Jianming Xu, a professor from the Chinese PLA General Hospital.

"Gastric cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in China. The development of new agents for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer has been stagnant, and unmet clinical need is huge. Based on the encouraging efficacy signal we have observed in our phase Ib study, we have decided to conduct ORIENT-16, a phase III study in first-line gastric cancer. Our goal is to provide more effective cancer treatment options for the benefit of these patients and for their families," said Michael Yu, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Innovent.

About Tyvyt (sintilimab injection)

Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) is an innovative drug jointly developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company in China. Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) is a type of immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody, which binds to the PD-1 molecule on the surface of T-cells, blocks the PD-L1Programmed Cell Death-1 Ligand-1, PD-L1 pathwayand reactivates T-cells to kill cancer cells. Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) is the only PD-1 antibody in China branded by both a local biopharmaceutical company and a global pharmaceutical company.

About ORIENT-16 Study

The ORIENT-16 study is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, phase III trial which evaluates the efficacy and safety of Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) or placebo in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment in subjects with unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic GC or GEJ. Patients will receive Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) or placebo in combination with capecitabine and oxaliplatin, followed by Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) or placebo and capecitabine until disease progression. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio into the experimental or control groups. The study will enroll 650 patients. The primary endpoints are overall survival in both the entire population and in PD-L1 positive population of patients.

About Advanced, Recurrent or Metastatic Gastric Cancer (GC)

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, ranking fifth in incidence and third in cancer-related deaths. More than half of the cases and deaths from gastric cancer occur in China. Many patients have advanced disease at the initial diagnosis and have little opportunity for therapy with curative intent. The prognosis of patients with advanced and metastatic gastric cancer is poor with an overall survival less than 12 months.

About Innovent

Innovent was established in 2011. Since it was founded, Innovent has developed a fully-integrated platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. These capabilities have enabled the company to build a robust pipeline of innovative and commercially promising monoclonal antibodies and other biologics in the fields of oncology, ophthalmology, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases. Leveraging the platform, the company has built up a pipeline of 20 innovative medicines in the last seven years, led by four core products that are in late-stage clinical development in China. Out of the pipeline of 20 innovative medicines, thirteen have entered into clinical development, four have entered Phase III clinical trials, one (biosimilar to Humira) has its New Drug Application (NDA) under review and Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) is now approved for relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (r/r cHL).

Innovent has built a biopharmaceutical production facility that operates under global standards. The design and operation of the clinical and commercial facilities are in compliance with the cGMP standards of NMPA, FDA and EMA. The existing production lines have already passed GMP audits by an international pharmaceutical company. The company has also entered into various key strategic alliances with Eli Lilly and Company, Adimab, Incyte, Hanmi and other biopharmaceutical companies.

Inspired by the spirit of "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action", Innovent's mission is to develop and commercialize high quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Innovent wishes to work with all relevant parties helping the advancement of China's biopharmaceutical industry, improving the drug availability to ordinary people and enhancing the quality of the patients' life.

Innovent is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with the stock code of HK 01801.

For more information, please visitwww.innoventbio.com.

About Innovent Biologics' strategic collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and Innovent Biologics (Innovent) in March 2015 announced one of the largest biotech drug development collaborations in China to date between a multi-national and domestic company. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly and Innovent shall collaborate on the development and potential commercialization of at least three cancer treatments over the next decade. In October 2015, they announced an expansion of their drug development collaboration. These collaborations represent that Innovent has struck one of the most comprehensive strategic collaborations of any Chinese company with a multinational partner in terms of the scope and breadth ranging from discovery to commercialization and involving up to six therapeutic antibodies for cancers.

For inquiries, please contact:

Tel: +86 512-6956-6088

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Innovent Biologics, Inc.GERMANTOWN, Md., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation, a nationally recognized, independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, announced today that it has opened a dedicated contact center to assist underinsured patients in accessing critical, sometimes life-saving, medical treatments. HWF Direct, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the HealthWell Foundation, will house more than 75 team members who will serve as the first line of communication for patients, providers, and family members seeking financial assistance for out-of-pocket costs for medical treatments.

HWF Direct, LLC officially opened its doors in late December 2018 in Frederick, MD, just a few miles from its parent company, the HealthWell Foundation, located in Germantown, MD. HealthWell Foundation's call center had previously been operated by a third party in Chantilly, Virginia. In 2018, the HealthWell Foundation served more than 117,500 underinsured Americans by providing a financial lifeline to assist with high out-of-pocket costs for medical treatments through more than 50 disease-specific funds, including over 20 funds in oncology. Recognized for its 100% fundraising efficiency, HealthWell ranked #41 on the 2018 Forbes list of the 100 Largest U.S. Charities.

"We're thrilled to have the HealthWell Foundation join the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce," said Rick Weldon, CEO and President of the Frederick Chamber. "The creation of the contact center and the over 75 jobs it brings to Frederick County would be reason enough to celebrate. Add to that the critical financial support provided by the HealthWell Foundation to patients suffering from chronic illness facing mounting medical bills, and we have the perfect alignment of interests and needs. Relieving the burden of treatment costs from a patient and their family allows them to focus on getting well, and that's a truly noble mission!"

"Since awarding our first grant in 2004, the HealthWell Foundation has assisted more than 405,000 patients and continues to expand its programs and resources for those who have nowhere else to turn," commented Krista Zodet, HealthWell Foundation President. "As a result of this growth, our ongoing commitment to compliance, transparency and efficiency, and in continuing to pursue our mission to reduce financial barriers to care for underinsured patients with chronic or life-altering diseases, the launch of HWF Direct, LLC was a logical and appropriate next step."

Ms. Zodet continued, "We are proud to have a team of over 75 highly trained professionals to serve the more than 26,000 callers who reach out to us every month to inquire about assistance in accessing critical medical treatments. As a proud local resident, I can't think of a better way to give back to Frederick County than to bring employment opportunities while addressing a critical, unmet need for thousands of patients to our community."

About the HealthWell Foundation

A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net for more than 405,000 underinsured patients in more than 65 disease areas by providing access to life-changing medical treatments they otherwise would not be able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly. HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. For more information, visit www.HealthWellFoundation.org.

About the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce

The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce serves as the voice of business and provides strategic leadership and engagement in building the future of business and the community through information, collaboration, advocacy and services on behalf of the employers in our community. To learn more, visit https://www.frederickchamber.org.

CONTACT:

Ginny Dunn

240-632-5309

[email protected]

SOURCE HealthWell Foundation

Related Links

http://www.healthwellfoundation.org

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthfirst, a not-for-profit health insurance company with nearly 1.4 million members, proudly announces the opening of its newest community office in Brooklyn. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday, January 17, at 4pm at the new location: 2166 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11210.

With more than 360,000 members in Brooklyn, opening a new location in Flatbush is important to Healthfirst's continued growth and its promise of delivering high-quality customer service to its members. The office is staffed with Healthfirst bilingual representatives fluent in English and Spanish and English and Haitian Creole who will answer questions and help enroll those interested in obtaining health insurance coverage. The location also serves as a hub for workshops and events held in partnership with local community-based organizations.

"We're excited to open our newest office in Brooklyn, which demonstrates our commitment to providing affordable, quality care for all New Yorkers," said Paul Portsmore, Healthfirst's Senior Vice President for Growth. "This location will provide our members and other residents with personal attention and the opportunity to learn firsthand about Healthfirst's program offerings. We look forward to cultivating new relationships and continuing our long-standing rapport with community partners."

Local political and community leaders invited to attend include:

State Senator Kevin Parker , 21st District

, 21st District Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, 42nd District

The Flatbush community office is open to the public Monday to Saturday, 8:30am5:30pm. For more information, please visit www.healthfirst.org.

About Healthfirst

Healthfirst is New York's largest non-profit health insurer, providing Medicaid plans, Medicare Advantage plans, long-term care and other integrated plans, qualified health plans, and individual and small group plans to nearly 1.4 million members. Sponsored by New York City's leading hospitals, Healthfirst's unique advantage is rooted in its mission of putting members first by aligning goals with the healthcare providers who deliver care. This value-based care model has been a catalyst for sustained growth in one of the most dynamic markets in the country. As part of the community for 25 years, Healthfirst earns the trust of its members by offering consistently high-quality, market-leading products.

For more information on Healthfirst, please visit www.healthfirst.org.

Contact:

Barbara Montresor

[email protected]

SOURCE Healthfirst

Related Links

https://healthfirst.org/

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gymboree Group, Inc. (the "Company" or "Gymboree Group"), today announced that the Company and its U.S. subsidiaries have voluntarily filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. In addition, the Company's Canadian subsidiary, Gymboree, Inc., intends to seek protection in proceedings pursuant to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act of Canada ("BIA") in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List). Gymboree Group intends to use these proceedings to facilitate an orderly wind-down of all of its Gymboree and Crazy 8 store locations and operations, while continuing to pursue a going-concern sale of its Janie and Jack business and a sale of the intellectual property and online platform for Gymboree.

The Company has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Special Situations Investing Group, Inc. ("SSIG"), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, pursuant to which SSIG will serve as the stalking-horse bidder in a court-supervised sale process for Janie and Jack. Gymboree Group expects to conduct an auction pursuant to Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code no later than February 25, 2019, pursuant to bid procedures to be approved by the Court. Pursuant to the asset purchase agreement, SSIG has agreed to acquire the Janie and Jack business and the intellectual property and online platform for Gymboree. The asset purchase agreement sets the floor for the auction, which is designed to achieve the highest or otherwise best offer, subject to approval by the Bankruptcy Court.

Shaz Kahng, appointed in November 2018 as Gymboree Group CEO, said, "The Company has worked diligently in recent months to explore options for Gymboree Group and its brands, and we are saddened and highly disappointed that we must move ahead with a wind-down of the Gymboree and Crazy 8 businesses. At the same time, we are focused on using this process to preserve the Janie and Jack business  a strong brand that is poised to grow  by pursuing a sale of the business as a going concern. As we move ahead, we are working to minimize the impact on our employees, customers, vendors and other stakeholders."

Ms. Kahng continued, "We have tremendous appreciation for the hard work of our dedicated employees and their commitment to Gymboree Group and our customers. We are also incredibly grateful for the many years of support by our vendors. And, finally, we thank the customers of the Gymboree, Janie and Jack and Crazy 8 brands for their loyalty  our teams have been proud to serve you since Gymboree was first started as a provider of mom-and-baby classes in 1976."

Gymboree, Janie and Jack and Crazy 8 stores and online platforms are currently open and continuing to serve customers. The Company will provide an update on plans for its Janie and Jack stores as the court-supervised sale process progresses. Gymboree Group will provide more details about the plans for its Gymboree and Crazy 8 going out of business sales in the near term.

Gymboree Group has received a commitment for a debtor in possession financing, which consists of $30 million in new money loans to be provided by SSIG and Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Holdings, Inc. and a "roll up" of all of Gymboree's obligations under the prepetition Term Loan Credit Agreement in an amount not less than $89 million. If approved by the court, the financing package is expected to support the Company's operations during these proceedings.

Gymboree Group has filed a number of customary motions with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking authorization to support its operations during the process, including authority to continue payment of employee wages and maintain healthcare benefits and certain other relief customary in these circumstances. The Company has sought authorization from the Court to continue to honor customer gift cards for 30 days. Gymboree Group has discontinued its GymBucks and Gymboree Rewards programs effective immediately.

Additional information regarding Gymboree Group's Chapter 11 filing is available at www.GymboreeGroupRestructuring.com. Court filings and information about the claims process are available at https://cases.primeclerk.com/gym or by calling the Company's claims agent, Prime Clerk, at (929) 272-0801 (or toll-free at (844) 399-4163 for international calls), or by sending an email to [email protected].

Additional information regarding the Canadian proceedings of Gymboree, Inc. under the BIA will be available on the website of KPMG Inc., as Proposal Trustee: home.kpmg/ca/gymboree, or by calling (416) 777-3520 or (833) 467-5379, or by sending an email to [email protected]

Gymboree Play & Music, a separate entity, is not included in the court proceedings.

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is serving as the Company's legal counsel, Berkeley Research Group is serving as its restructuring advisor, and Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc. and Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC are serving as its financial advisor. Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP is counsel to Gymboree Canada. KPMG Inc. is acting as Proposal Trustee and is represented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

About Gymboree Group

Gymboree Group, Inc. is a portfolio of children's brands operating specialty retail stores with high-quality clothing and accessories for children. The Company currently operates 380 Gymboree stores in the United States and Canada. Gymboree Group's family of brands includes Gymboree, Janie and Jack and Crazy 8, with hundreds of retail stores across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico as well as online stores at www.gymboree.com, www.janieandjack.com and www.crazy8.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains or may contain forward-looking statements, including statements relating to Gymboree Group's strategic initiatives. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by use of terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "estimate," or "anticipate" or similar expressions, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may change at any time, and, therefore, Gymboree Group's actual results may differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: risks related to retail businesses generally; deterioration of general economic conditions; consumer spending patterns, debt levels, and the availability and cost of consumer credit; additional competition from existing and new competitors or changes in the competitive environment; weather conditions that could negatively impact sales; the ability to attract and retain qualified management; the dependence upon relationships with vendors; operational disruptions; unsuccessful marketing initiatives; and changes in, or the failure to successfully implement, key strategies. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Gymboree Group undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, and such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

Gymboree Group, Inc. Contacts

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Media Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Gymboree Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.gymboree.com

Lan Lin started learning the embroidery from the seniors when she was still a child. "If this craft of our ethnic group becomes lost in our hands, I will feel extremely guilty about it, I think we should keep this heritage alive and develop it," said her.

Lan later founded the Zhuang embroidery studio with the support of her family to pass down this craft. In order to increase its popularity and make it more acceptable in the market, she also tries to include some modern designs in traditional handicrafts, to keep the traditional elements of it while breaking the old traditions. Now Zhuang embroidery has been sold to over 20 countries and regions around the world, with increasing fame in the international market.

What's even more impressive is that Lan have empowered the local women by providing them with the opportunities to work near home and lifted many of them out of poverty.

"I have been working here for more than 10 years. With this job, I can not only earn more, but also take care of my family, since I don't have to work away from home. So I will stick to the job," said one of embroiders.

Lan Lin's studio helps carry forward Zhuang embroidery as an intangible cultural heritage, and also contributes to local poverty alleviation efforts.

"Lan Lin has also given lectures and training to over 500 people. More than 200 of them are now working for her at home, making money for their families. I hope she'll carry forward the Zhuang embroidery and further develop this distinguished industry so as to contribute more to the poverty alleviation endeavor," said Tan Yingmei, president of Mashan County Women's Federation.

Lan said, she is lucky to become an inheritor of Zhuang embroidery and feels a heavy sense of mission to carry forward this craft while contributing more to her fellow villagers.

"I and my family alone couldn't have built up this craft studio. It is with the support of so many embroiderers that our products are gaining fame and entering the overseas markets. I hope that our Zhuang embroidery will be passed down from generation to generation so that more people can appreciate the outstanding culture of Zhuang ethnic people," Lan stressed.

Guangxi, China: Eradicating poverty through embroidery http://p.china.org.cn/2019-01/14/content_74371434.htm

About China.org.cn

Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in 10 languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world.

We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises.



In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups.



In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms.

SOURCE China.org.cnSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico and CORAL SPRINGS, Florida, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GM Security Technologies, a leader in cybersecurity, governance and compliance solutions and services focused on managing digital risk, announces the acquisition of 1st Secure IT, a company specialized in auditing and certification of information security and fraud prevention.

This acquisition boosts the expansion of GM Security Technologies into new markets currently served by 1st Secure IT including United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Australia. With this acquisition, GM Security Technologies adds to its portfolio new technical and commercial talent that will accelerate its expansion in the area of information security, digital risk management, and compliance. It also complements the managed security services offered by GM Security Technologies, allowing organizations to offer remote management of their IT infrastructure and/or end user systems.

1st Secure IT offers highly trained auditors experienced in the areas of information security, risk management, and compliance with certifications such as: CISSP, CISA, CISM, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS. In addition, it is the only company based in Latin America that is authorized to offer specialized services for GARS (VISA INC General Acquirer Risk Standards), VISA INC Pre Paid Issuer Risk Program Audit, Third Party Audit of VISA and Mastercard Inc., as well as Fraud Prevention Consulting and Audits

"With the integration of 1st Secure IT we remain focused on guaranteeing our clients complete security of the data they handle. The merging of both companies consolidates a group of professionals and certified experts who will work as one team to continue offering a high level of commitment in our service to our clients," affirms Hector Guillermo Martinez, President of GM Security Technologies.

"We are very excited to join GM Security Technologies to enhance their long and renowned track record by securing information in the payment process. This fusion of competencies creates an unparalleled opportunity combining information security with a leading legacy in secure payment methods," says Alberto J. Espana, Managing Partner of 1st Secure IT.

GM Security Technologies has close to 50 years of history and experience as a leading company in the field of Information Technology, Payment System Risk, and Data Security, supported by three state-of-the-art centers for monitoring and response to security incidents, as well as digital risk management (CIRRC).

1st Secure IT was founded in 2010. Based in the United States with offices in Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil, it has completed more than 300 PCI-DSS audits in Latin America. It also has more than 5000 clients across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Australia.

About GM Security Technologies

GM Security Technologies offers innovative solutions and services in cybersecurity, governance, and compliance focused on managing digital risk. Its solutions are designed to detect advanced attacks and respond to them effectively, reducing business risk, fraud, and cybercrime. Founded in 1970 as General Computer Corporation and later as GM Group in the 1990s, GM Security Technologies has an extensive track record and experience in the management of policies and integrated processes of technologies and standards for data protection in payment system risk. Its commitment to the principles of simplicity, innovation and customer success has made them the leading and fastest growing provider of security and technology in Latin America and the Caribbean.

To learn more about GM Security Technologies, visit our website: www.gmsectec.com

Media Contact

Analic Mata Murray

Media Relations

Tel: +1- 239-321-3500

[email protected]

SOURCE GM Security TechnologiesOWINGS MILLS, Md., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Men describe chronic testicle pain as a "kick in the groin," "like being constantly crushed or squeezed," and "a constant, incredible ache." The problem many men find is that not many physicians understand the origins of chronic testicular pain (CTP) or know how to accurately diagnose and treat this chronic condition. Fortunately, there is relief for men with this condition.

David Fenig, M.D., urologist and male fertility and sexual health expert with Chesapeake Urology in Columbia/Maple Lawn, Maryland, is one of the few urologists in the Mid-Atlantic region trained in a specialized microsurgical procedure to relieve the constant pain men have with CTP. Known as denervation of the spermatic cord or "cord stripping," this complex procedure addresses the tiny nerves in a man's spermatic cord that carry the pain signals. The result is instant relief for men who suffer from this severe condition.

[Learn more about treatment for chronic testicle pain: http://www.drfenig.com/specialites/microsurgery/microsurgical-denervation-of-the-spermatic-cord/]

"Chronic testicular pain can greatly affect a man's quality of life. Many patients come to me at wit's end," said Dr. Fenig. "The good news is, in the appropriate patient, the denervation surgery has a very high success rate and is often life-changing for patients who have been living with chronic pain, often with no known cause."

About Chronic Testicular Pain

Chronic testicular pain (CTP) is also known as chronic epididymitis (pain in the epididymis) and chronic orchitis (pain in the testicle). The pain is different for each individual and men with CTP often describe the pain as a burning, throbbing, or constant pulsing pain or dull ache in the scrotal area or in the testicles themselves.

Common causes of chronic testicle pain may include:

A previous vasectomy or other surgery in the pelvic area

Infection

Trauma to the testicle

A history of epididymitis or orchitis

Varicoceles

Nerve entrapment

Idiopathic (unknown cause)

Delicate Surgical Procedure Stops the Pain

Denervation of the spermatic cord is a microsurgical procedure performed by a highly skilled urologist trained in microsurgery. According to Dr. Fenig, this surgery has a high success rate and preserves the physiological function of the testes. Using a high powered operating microscope, Dr. Fenig separates and removes the tissue carrying small nerves in the spermatic cord, eliminating or reducing the nerves carrying the pain signals. The arteries to the testicle and lymphatics (drainage vessels) are left untouched.

"Chronic testicular pain is different for every patient, which is why an individualized approach and a comprehensive evaluation to try to determine the cause of the pain is important," explains Dr. Fenig. "Before we turn to surgery, we will rule out infection and some men respond well to nerve blocks to reduce the pain. But in the end, denervation surgery is often the most effective treatment for men with CTP, returning them to a pain-free life."

"Dr. Fenig Was My Last Hope"

Just ask any of Dr. Fenig's patients who have undergone the denervation procedure just how much relief they have experienced.

Patient Chris M. said he was in agony for close to one year with chronic testicle pain following colon surgery. "Dr. Fenig is an expert," said Chris. "This is his specialty. CTP is not a well-known specialty, but he knows how to treat it. He's on the cutting edge." Chris added, "Until I went to Chesapeake Urology and Dr. Fenig, no one wanted to deal with my condition; they just passed me on. The doctors I consulted looked at me like it was in my head. Dr. Fenig was my last hope. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found him."

Raja H., another chronic testicular pain patient commented, "I had chronic, debilitating orchialgia (testicular pain) for 26 years. Dr. Fenig suggested the denervation procedure to alleviate my pain, so I made an appointment for the surgery in August 2017. It was outpatient surgery, very smooth and almost painless! Now, one year after the surgery, I am pain-free, the scar is invisible, and I am very satisfied with the outcome. It has improved the quality of my life!"

[Read more patient stories like Chris M. and Raja H.'s here: https://www.drfenig.com/patient-testimonials/chronic-testicular-pain-testimonials/ ]

For information on chronic testicular pain and treatment options, visit: http://www.drfenig.com/specialites/microsurgery/microsurgical-denervation-of-the-spermatic-cord/ or call (877) 699-2699 to make an appointment with

Dr. David Fenig, Chesapeake Urology.

About Chesapeake Urology

Chesapeake Urology is a fully-integrated urology practice providing a comprehensive array of urologic services to its patients. The Company operates 28 medical offices and 18 AAAHC-certified ambulatory surgery centers in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Carroll, Montgomery, Prince George's, Wicomico, Worchester, MD counties, Baltimore City, and Sussex County, DE, and has a staff of more than 800 including 87 physicians, 80 who are urologists. Chesapeake Urology has been named one of the top places to work in healthcare nationally by Modern Healthcare magazine and Becker's ASC Review, and locally by the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore magazine and the Baltimore Business Journal. For additional information, please visit ChesapeakeUrology.com.

Media Contact:

Patricia Schnably, Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Chesapeake Urology Associates, LLC

25 Crossroads Drive, Suite 306, Owings Mills, MD 21117

443-738-8107

[email protected]

SOURCE Chesapeake Urology

Related Links

http://ChesapeakeUrology.com

"This is another milestone partnership for Flower One," said Ken Villazor, Flower One's President and CEO. "Adding Flyte to Flower One's portfolio of Brand Partners further diversifies the line of products we have to offer our retail partners. Flower One is excited to expedite the market entry of Flyte's distillate and edible product lines in Nevada, which hosts more than 55 million tourists annually from all over the world, and is one of the most lucrative cannabis markets in the United States."

As a distillate brand, Flyte is best known for its two product lines: FlytePen and JetPack. FlytePen is a slim distillate vaporizer system with a cartridge containing 0.8ml of premium cannabis oil. Using a proprietary process and formulation, the FlytePen can rapidly vaporize the thickest and most purified cannabis oils. Flyte JetPacks are convenient single-dose 10ml liquid THC or CBD shots, about 2mm thick and about the size of a credit card. The contents of the package can be added to any hot or cold beverage for a discreet experience.

"We value our relationship with the team at Flower One, who have felt like family since the beginning," says Al Watt, President and COO of Flyte. "There was an immediate sense of trust and a mutual understanding that we shared the same business DNA."

About Flower One Holdings Inc.

Flower One Holdings is sharply focused on quickly becoming the leading cannabis cultivator, producer and innovator in the highly lucrative Nevada market. Flower One owns and operates a 25,000 square foot cultivation and production facility in North Las Vegas, with nine grow rooms, and owns the established NLV Organics consumer brand of cannabis products. The Company is also rapidly converting its 455,000 square foot greenhouse and production facility, which is the largest in the State of Nevada, for cultivating and processing high-quality cannabis at scale. Combined, the flagship greenhouse facility and production facility (once fully operational) and the North Las Vegas facility provide Flower One with 480,000 square feet of capacity for cultivation and processing, production and high-volume packaging of dry flower, cannabis oils, concentrates and infused products. The Company is fully licensed for medical marijuana cultivation and production, as well as recreational marijuana cultivation and production in the state of Nevada.

Flower One's common shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "FONE" and in the United States on the OTCQB under the symbol "FLOOF." For more information visit: https://flowerone.com

About Flyte Concentrates

Flyte is a premium cannabis distillate and delivery system brand with deep expertise in the extraction, development and marketing of premium cannabis distillate-based products. Powered by super-charged group of cannabis enthusiasts and engineers, the Flyte crew drives evolving extraction technology to bring you what we believe are the very best concentrate products in Nevada and the USA. For more information:

https://www.flyte.life

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in Flower One's public documents. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions, are forward- looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the execution of the Company's strategy and intent to quickly become the leading cannabis cultivator, producer and innovator in Nevada, timing of Flower One's production and scope of distribution of Flyte in Nevada, the scale and capacity of Flower One's cultivation, processing and custom packaging facilities in Nevada, the size and continued growth, profitability, maturity, retail sales and size of the cannabis market in Nevada, the ability of Flyte and Flower One to distribute products through all the legal dispensaries in Nevada, and Flyte's expected development of extraction technology.

Although Flower One has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on obtaining regulatory approvals; investing in target companies or projects that are engaged in activities currently considered illegal under United States federal law; changes in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change.

There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. Flower One Holdings disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE Flower One Holdings Inc.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees program, is giving away 2,500 free trees to its customers to honor Florida Arbor Day on Friday (Jan. 18).

Duke Energy customers statewide can request a free tree, in a one-gallon pot, online at arborday.org/dukeenergy starting Friday and continuing until all trees are distributed.

The website enables a customer to insert his or her address and select the location on the property where the tree will be planted. The website will then recommend which of the available tree species is best suited for that region.

It will also specify the planting location on the customer's property that will provide the most energy-saving benefits for the home.

The tree is then shipped directly to the customer's home in a box with planting and care instructions. The trees are expected to be delivered in time for National Arbor Day, April 26, 2019.

Available tree species include the Eastern Redbud, Crape myrtle, Dahoon Holly, Florida Maple, Red Bottlebrush and Pineapple Pear.

Duke Energy Florida is investing $100,000 to purchase the trees and has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute them.

Duke Energy has participated in the program for three consecutive years. Since 2017, the company has given away more than 5,000 trees to customers throughout the state.

"Trees help conserve energy, they are beautiful additions to any yard, and they provide much-appreciated shade in the Sunshine State," said Catherine Stempien, Duke Energy Florida president. "We help customers plant the right tree in the right place so we can continue to provide safe and reliable energy. Our ongoing Energy-Saving Trees partnership, along with our recognition as a 'Tree Line USA' utility for 13 consecutive years, exemplifies our commitment to our customers and the environment."

The Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees and Tree Line USA programs demonstrate how trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and citizens by highlighting best management practices in public and private utility arboriculture.

Tree Line USA evaluates applicants, such as Duke Energy, based on several criteria, including their adherence to industry best practices for tree care, training of employees and contractors, implementation of public education and tree-planting projects, and participation in annual Arbor Day events. Duke Energy Florida has been recognized for its tree management practices for 13 consecutive years.

For information about planning and planting vegetation around electrical facilities, please visit Duke Energy's Plan Before You Plant website.

According to the Florida Forest Service, Florida has one of the oldest Arbor Day celebrations in the nation, having held the statewide event on the third Friday in January every year since 1886.

Meanwhile, National Arbor Day has been observed since 1872 on the last Friday in April.

Both state and national Arbor Day activities promote the benefits of trees in urban environments and encourage tree planting and care.

For additional information, customers can visit arborday.org/dukeenergy.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida owns and operates a diverse generation mix, including natural gas, coal and renewables, providing about 9,300 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.8 million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.

Duke Energy Florida is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in five states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contact: Peveeta Persaud

Office: 727.820.5592 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_PeveetaP

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

http://www.duke-energy.com

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Behavioral Health announced today an exclusive agreement with KipuHealth to provide electronic medical records (EMR) software to its more than 60 centers for addiction and behavioral health treatment, located nationwide.

Considered the gold standard in the addiction treatment industry, Kipu EMR provides an integrated, comprehensive application for behavioral health records-keeping and analytics from pre-admission to outcome measures. The software links all aspects of medical and business for healthcare providers, including clinical treatment process, billing and compliance.

"Discovery Behavioral Health has built its brand on a continuum of care including outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization/day treatment, residential treatment, and inpatient detox. Kipu EMR offers the best solution to support our growing platform of services across the United States," said John Peloquin, CEO, Discovery Behavioral Health.

Discovery Behavioral Health specializes in helping teens and adults suffering from mood and anxiety disorders, substance use and addiction, self-harm, attachment and eating disorders. DBH treatment teams are comprised of national experts in the fields of substance use and addictive behavior.

"We are thrilled to partner with Discovery Behavioral Health in providing our Kipu EMR software to their facilities nationwide. DBH becomes our largest client in the field of behavioral health, and the ability to partner with and develop with a company the size of DBH allows us to accelerate our agile development process to continually update and improve both clinical and financial outcomes," says Jeffrey Fiorentino, CEO of KipuHealth.

About Discovery Behavioral Health

Discovery Behavioral Health is a leading U.S. healthcare provider in the treatment of substance abuse, mental health and eating disorders, offering successful residential and outpatient evidence-based treatment of teens and adults. The company was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Orange County, California.

About KipuHealth

KipuHealth offers the most respected Electronic Medical Records, developed specifically for the addiction and behavioral health treatment industry. Its industry gold standard software provides power and capabilities that could only be developed by a team working within the addiction treatment industry. The company was established in 2011 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.

Press Contact:

Greg Ptacek

PR| Communications

323-841-8002 mobile

[email protected]

SOURCE Discovery Behavioral Health

Related Links

http://discoverybehavioralhealth.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Air Strike, the leading social media, intelligent lead response technology and consumer engagement company, today announced it has acquired the assets of the ad tech lead generation company, Target Media Partners Interactive (TMPi) and Libra Systems, a software company that simplifies leasing and financing operations for automotive retailers. The acquisitions represent the largest expansion in Digital Air Strike's history as well as a large leap forward to round out its consumer engagement and digital retailing platform.

Digital Air Strike will integrate TMPi's capabilities into its lead generation platform to offer even more powerful advertising solutions, including display advertising as a Google Premier Partner, location-based geo-targeted advertising, and VDP Power Listings. These advanced tools seamlessly integrate inventory into social networks and top automotive sites, generating more sales for dealerships, all with an industry-leading performance guarantee.

Libra Systems' patent-pending "Risk-to-Roll Software" will be integrated into Digital Air Strike's intelligent messaging platform, Response Path, and its patented lead response solution, Response Logix, which generates multi-vehicle price quotes and builds microsites in real-time to respond to leads from in-market car buyers. The addition of Libra's software will allow consumers to calculate payments and interest online while allowing dealers to eliminate guesswork that can often result in lost deals, funding delays, and claims of discriminatory lending.

"Digital Air Strike continues to expand our best-of-breed solutions to give our dealers a strong competitive edge," said Alexi Venneri, co-founder and CEO, Digital Air Strike. "TMPi's targeted digital advertising technology and Libra Systems' patent-pending deal structure software integrate seamlessly into our consumer engagement platform that now serves over 5,000 dealerships and OEM clients, including businesses in additional key verticals such as healthcare and education."

The acquisitions add 52 employees and 3,000 subscriptions to Digital Air Strike's combined portfolio of more than 5,000 clients and 9,200 subscriptions. The acquisitions also include an office location in Los Angeles and field team representation throughout the U.S.

"Digital Air Strike is the leader in consumer engagement solutions and has a strong track record of innovation that helps dealers boost sales and profitability," said David Duckwitz, CEO, TMPi. "The combination of TMPi's targeted advertising capabilities and Digital Air Strike's award-winning lead response technology represents a winning formula for dealerships and other businesses."

Libra Systems' industry-leading software was built by dealers for dealers after they identified a need in the market to have better tools to maximize profit and comply with fair credit laws. It is used by major automotive groups including Tucson's Royal Automotive Group and Dorschel Automotive Group in New York. The technology is also endorsed by experts in the industry including well-known auto credit and subprime trainer, Gary Dirstine.

"What makes this deal so attractive is the opportunity to take a major leap closer to true digital retailing," said Michael Maledon, managing partner of Libra Systems. "The combined solution will be ground-breaking, bridging the gap between traditional dealership sales processes and the increasing desire by consumers to transact with dealers online in an efficient and transparent manner."

Digital Air Strike has made three acquisitions in the past ten months including acquiring the privately-held AI chat technology business of Eldercare Technology, Path Chat, last spring. Digital Air Strike enhanced its artificial intelligence-powered messaging solution and launched Response Path, which has already won numerous awards including a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Product. Over 1,000 clients use the ground-breaking solution on multiple platforms including websites, SMS, and Facebook Messenger.

Digital Air Strike's new solutions will be showcased at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual convention in San Francisco, January 25th  27th. The event is also where Digital Air Strike hosts its annual Client Appreciation party with this year's celebration featuring performances by Quiet Riot and Vanilla Ice aboard the largest charter yacht on the West Coast. More information about activities at Digital Air Strike's NADA Booth #128-S and Client Appreciation party can be found here.

About Digital Air Strike

Digital Air Strike is the leading social media, intelligent lead response technology and consumer engagement company helping businesses increase consumer response and conversions in digital and social media environments while generating measurable ROI.

A pioneer in digital response, social media marketing and online reputation management solutions, Digital Air Strike deploys industry-specific mobile apps, software, intelligent messaging and managed service platforms to monitor, engage, improve and manage consumer interactions for thousands of businesses in the United States, Canada and 11 additional countries, including working with seven of the largest automotive manufacturers. More information is available at www.digitalairstrike.com and www.facebook.com/digitalairstrike.

About Target Media Partners

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, TMPi is a leading developer and provider of integrated performance-based online and mobile advertising solutions for U.S. auto dealers and other SMBs. TMPi's proprietary lead generation network of partner websites, local search and display advertising solutions providing guaranteed actions for its advertisersemails, phone calls, website clicks and profile views.

About Libra Systems

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Libra Systems develops and supports integrated software solutions that simplify business operations for automotive retailers. Libra's Risk-to-Roll software enables dealers to quickly and consistently identify the most profitable deal structure based on the non-discriminatory credit characteristics of each deal. Libra allows dealers to eliminate subjective guesswork that can often result in lost deals, lost profit, funding delays, and claims of discriminatory lending.

SOURCE Digital Air Strike

Related Links

https://digitalairstrike.com/

TRONDHEIM, Norway, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexander Krane, who is currently CFO of Aker BP, will move to a position as investment director at Aker ASA. Aker BP is reorganizing its finance functions. David Torvik Tnne becomes new CFO, while Lene Landy becomes director with responsibility for strategy and business development. Both will be a part of the company's executive management team and will report to CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik.

CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik says in a statement: "Alexander has been fundamental in building Aker BP as we see it today. I've been working closely with Alexander since 2014. His efforts, abilities and enormous capacity has been invaluable to me. At the same time, I am proud that we have excellent internal candidates who can take over the responsibility. I know both Lene and David well, and I am sure they will be a strong team. "

David Torvik Tnne (born 1985) comes from the position of VP Corporate Controlling in Aker BP and has been with the company since January 2017. Tnne holds a master's degree in finance from NHH Norwegian School of Economics. Prior to Aker BP, he worked for seven years in The Boston Consulting Group's Oil and Gas team.

Lene Landy (born 1979) comes from the position of VP Strategy, Portfolio and Analysis and has been with the company since January 2017. Landy has a master's degree in finance, from NHH Norwegian School of Economics / University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She also holds a master's degree in international finance from the Skema Business School in France. Prior to joining Aker BP, she led Equinor's business development unit on the Norwegian shelf.

The organizational changes will take place with effect from February 1 2019.

CONTACT:

Investor contact:

Kjetil Bakken,

VP Investor Relations,

tel.: +47-91-889-889

Media contact:

Tore Langballe,

VP Communications,

tel.: +47-907-77-841

Ole-Johan Faret,

Press Spokesman

tel.: +47-402-24-217

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/aker-bp-asa/r/david-torvik-tonne-and-lene-landoy-joins-the-executive-management-team-of-aker-bp,c2720193

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Aker BP ASATIMONIUM, Md., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In addition to producing high quality medical cannabis, Curio Wellness continues to create a diverse set of high quality career opportunities that pay a living wage, include a generous benefits package and offer a path for future advancement. Following a series of recent new hires, Curio Wellness now has 100 employees, making them among the largest and fastest growing medical cannabis companies in Maryland.

"While offering the chance to work for a high performing company that strives to be the best is a big part of the equation to attracting outstanding new team members, Curio also provides a compensation and benefits package that is not only leading edge relative to other cannabis producers, but matches up to or exceeds the offerings of other types of manufacturing and retail businesses on a national level," said Adrienne Mitchell, Director of Human Resources.

All Curio Wellness employees are paid a minimum of $15 per hour living wage (50% higher than Maryland's minimum wage and 107% higher than the federal minimum wage)  on par with major national employers like Amazon, Aetna and Disney. In addition, employees are provided access to medical, vision and dental insurance, a 401K program as well as short-term disability, and life insurance that is paid for by the company.

In addition, Curio Wellness believes in providing a path forward for employees not only in the workplace, but in the classroom, by offering a tuition reimbursement incentive. In Curio's first year of operation, 18 team members earned promotions due to their initiative, commitment to excellence and dedication to Curio's team development program.

"When we launched Curio Wellness just over a year ago, we were intent on setting the standard for high quality, reliable medical cannabis in the state of Maryland," said Michael Bronfein, CEO of Curio Wellness. "We hold fast to the belief that premium products are born from the efforts of premium talent, so throughout our initial year in business, we have worked hard to cultivate a team at all levels of our company that share that passion."

The intense focus on being an industry leader carries over into all aspects of Curio's business model and has contributed to a track record of strong initial growth for the company. That growth has fostered the need to grow the team in all areas, ranging from cultivation and processing to sales and operations.

"Hitting the milestone of 100 employees means a lot to us - we are a young family business working to compete successfully in a new industry," said Wendy Bronfein, Director of Marketing and Product Development. "We fully recognize and appreciate that our team at Curio Wellness is far and away our greatest asset. Just as we have invested in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, we will continue to make a major investment in our team - a team that shares our passion for building the premium medical cannabis brand and a dedication to providing high quality medical treatment options to patients that need them."

For more information on employment opportunities at Curio Wellness, please visit https://curiowellness.com/careers/.

About Curio Wellness:

Curio Wellness is a medical cannabis brand and trusted healthcare partner. We are a bold new voice in the quest for wellness - providing a growing patient population with a much-needed natural treatment for a vast number of disease states. Led by a proven and experienced executive team, our approach is rooted in science, complemented by strategic partnerships and centered on superior patient care.

Curio Wellness is one of 15 licensed growers and one of 16 licensed processors of medical cannabis in the state of Maryland and also operates a best in class holistic wellness center featuring the full complement of medicinal cannabis products from producers throughout the state. Curio Wellness products are also sold at more than 60 dispensaries throughout the state.

For more information about Curio Wellness, please visit http://curiowellness.com.



SOURCE Curio Wellness

Related Links

http://curiowellness.com

At the WEF's Annual Meeting Einaras von Gravrock, CEO and founder of CUJO AI, will address what are the risks and what must be done in order to minimize the cybersecurity issues in the connected world.

During the panel discussion "Quantum Computing & Cybersecurity", Einaras von Gravrock will share his insights into the emerging security challenge. The panel session will be held on the 21st January from 16.00 to 17:30 at the Davos-Klosters, Congress Centre, Casanna.

Last year the company attended Summer Davos as a Technology Pioneer. In January 2019, CUJO AI has announced that it has been chosen by Comcast and Charter Communications, two largest network operators in the US. Currently, CUJO AI Platform is deployed in more than 240M devices and 16M homes worldwide.

"We consider security and privacy as an emerging human right. Businesses and governments are responsible for end-user safety. We work closely with the network operators to develop and deliver AI driven solutions powered by machine learning and real-time data. Our goal is to scale the security and personalize the customer experience. CUJO AI is a leader in AI-driven cybersecurity and elevates the connected experience. As one of the world's most promising Technology Pioneers 2018, we are ready to leave our mark and share our expertise with the World Economic Forum's community," said Einaras von Gravrock, CEO of CUJO AI.

Every year CUJO AI releases its cybersecurity report to predict the global cybersecurity trends. The company has conducted a semi-structured survey to analyze end-user perceptions about cybersecurity which will be presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Key findings from the CUJO AI cybersecurity trend report:

85.2% of respondents claim that cybercrime prevention should be a combined effort between internet service providers, governments, end-users, and companies. Respondents claim that end-users and internet service providers should lead the effort. 33.2% of respondents claim that end-users are responsible for cybercrime prevention and 44.2% of respondents would contact their internet service provider if they became victims of cybercrime.

More than 95% of threats to tablets and phones are a result of unsafe browsing, while respondents continue to strongly rely on traditional security means (e.g. using stronger passwords). More than half (59.1%) survey participants feel well informed about cyber threats, 51.2% think that they might not be able to protect themselves from cybercrime. 61.2% of respondents are not sure or claim that they're not even able to identify an attack on their IoT devices.

In recent years, CUJO AI nextgen security solutions have been recognized on multiple occasions. Earlier this year, the company was named as a "Cool Vendor in IoT Security" and "Vendor to Watch" by research company Gartner. This November, the company has been awarded as a "Security Solution" of the Year at the Glotel 2018 Awards by Telecoms.com.

About CUJO AI:

CUJO AI is a nextgen artificial intelligence company that provides cybersecurity and device management solutions for network operators worldwide. CUJO AI Platform secures and enhances connected experiences for 16M gateways and 240M devices. CUJO AI platform solutions are delivered as a SaaS for all home network devices. It analyzes vast amounts of local network data and then uses proprietary machine learning algorithms to power the features. CUJO AI employs a staff of 150+ professionals in 7 countries and 4 continents. More information about CUJO AI can be found at cujo.com

CUJO AI Media Relations:

Eve Masiulyte

Email: [email protected]

Tel.: +1 323-284-7216

S: www.cujo.com

SOURCE CUJO AI

Related Links

http://www.cujo.com

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American CPR Training reminds Instructors that the American Heart Association's new requirements for CPR training courses using CPR feedback devices are effective in just two weeks.

Audio & Visual Feedback required for CPR Manikins - the American Heart Association published that they "will now require the use of an instrumented directive feedback device in all courses that teach adult CPR skills, effective January 31, 2019". Also, on June 1, 2017, the American Red Cross published a statement that they "will incorporate CPR feedback devices in all classes delivered directly by the American Red Cross and recommend CPR feedback device usage for all training partners" Prestan's Professional Adult CPR/AED Training Manikin with Monitor provides real-time visual feedback with lights in the shoulder area of the manikin that builds student confidence by providing feedback rates in steps. Then, when compressions are 100 to 120 per minute, two green lights appear. If the upper limit of 120 compressions per minute is exceeded, a yellow flashing light will flash on and off

The American Heart Association published that they "will now require the use of an instrumented directive feedback device in all courses that teach adult CPR skills, effective January 31, 2019." Also, the American Red Cross published a statement that they "will incorporate CPR feedback devices in all classes delivered directly by the American Red Cross and recommend CPR feedback device usage for all training partners." To comply with the new course requirement, feedback devices must, at minimum, measure and provide real-time audio feedback and/or visual feedback on compression rate and depth. Other national training organizations (American CPR Training, etc.) have not yet implemented these requirements for instructors, however, it is likely that the 2020 ILCOR/ECC guidelines will include this requirement in which case all compliant CPR Training organizations in the US will add this to their instructor guidelines.

American Heart Association Requirements:

Chest compressions are delivered at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute and at a depth of at least two inches.

Feedback devices must, at a minimum, measure and provide real-time audio and/or visual feedback on compression rate and depth.

Although chest recoil and proper hand placement is noted in the announcement, it is NOT part of the compliance with the directive.

Prestan Professional CPR Manikins with CPR feedback meet the new requirements !

Prestan evaluated their Manikin products in light of the American Heart Association statements and have determined that Prestan Professional Adult CPR/AED Training Manikins with Monitor meet all of the requirements as stated by the American Heart Association.

Prestan's Professional Adult CPR/AED Training Manikin with Monitor provides real-time visual feedback with lights in the shoulder area of the manikin that builds student confidence by providing feedback rates in steps. Then, when compressions are 100 to 120 per minute, two green lights appear. If the upper limit of 120 compressions per minute is exceeded, a yellow flashing light will flash on and off. Prestan's Professional Adult CPR/AED Training Manikin with Monitor also provides real-time audio feedback with a clicker mechanism that emits a loud 'click' sound when the torso is compressed to a depth of at least 2 inches.

The American Heart Association has not set requirements for Child manikins nor Infant manikins yet  although Prestan's Professional Child CPR/AED Training Manikins with Monitors and Prestan's Professional Infant CPR/AED Training Manikins with Monitors provide the same comprehensive feedback mechanism desired by instructors worldwide.

Have Prestan Manikins but Need to Upgrade?

If you already own Prestan Manikins, without monitors or with the older putty colored monitors, upgrade them today! You can purchase the New Blue Prestan Monitors to easily upgrade all your Prestan Manikins. Available in singles or 4 packs.

Build Your Life Saving Confidence With Prestan Professional Manikins!

Meet your confidence goals with the SIMPLE, AFFORDABLE, INTEGRATED FEEDBACK of the Prestan Professional Manikins. No wires to connect, No device hookup, No extra equipment, and Feedback is contained within the manikin! Shop our Prestan Professional Manikins

About Prestan Manikins

Prestan Manikins offer full compliance with the new requirements at affordable pricing (Under $150 for a complete Adult Manikin with Feedback Monitor) where other manikins require expensive ($300+ per manikin) external adapter to upgrade to current standards/requirements. Prestan Manikins can be ordered on Amazon (Prime 2 day available) or with free shipping and free extra/bonus items at AmericanCPR.com

About American CPR Training

American CPR Training was founded in 1993 to provide live, onsite CPR & First Aid Training at  the Time,  the Price, and TWICE the Fun! - Decades later, American CPR has thousands of Instructor nationwide  and spanning the globe, making lifesaving training fun and affordable for businesses that require safety training and any group interested in learning how to save lives. 1 out of every 2,000 Americans has now learned how to make their workplace or community safer through American CPR bystander rescue skills.

https://AmericanCPR.com

Media Contact:

Fred Andrews

Express Companies, Inc.

619-202-0101

[email protected]

SOURCE American CPR Training

Related Links

https://AmericanCPR.com

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), today announced plans for commercial launches of Enlist E3 soybeans in Brazil, Canada and the United States, beginning in 2019. The Company also announced plans to expand the launch of Qrome products across the U.S. Corn Belt.

"I am excited to announce one of the largest soybean technology system launches ever," said Corteva Agriscience Chief Executive Officer, James C. Collins, Jr. "Enlist E3 soybeans incorporate advanced herbicide tolerance through three modes of action and enable use of our proprietary Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides to provide more complete solutions to farmers."

"We are also announcing expanded availability of Qrome products across a wider geography, and to more customers," said Collins. "Qrome hybrids have earned the trust of American producers for consistent performance and have produced high yields by combining top-tier genetics, strong defensive traits and advanced seed treatments."

Enlist E3 soybeans and Qrome corn products are among more than 20 new technologies that Corteva Agriscience plans to launch by 20211. They are a key part of the Corteva Agriscience strategy to grow and to drive customer and shareholder value through the Company's combined seed and crop protection pipeline.

Enlist E3 soybeans were jointly developed by Dow AgroSciences and MS Technologies. Both Enlist E3 soybeans and grain produced from Qrome corn products received import authorization from China in January 2019.

Enlist E3 Soybeans

Enlist E3 soybeans will be offered in Brazil, Canada and the U.S. across all Corteva Agriscience seed brands. Commercial sales will begin in 2019; timing will vary by country. First-half 2019 activities will focus on expanding grower experiences with Enlist E3 soybeans through demonstration plots, field technology days and other opportunities. Second-half 2019 activities will focus on commercial sales efforts. Robust ramp-up plans and extensive seed production will ensure that Enlist E3 soybeans are broadly available to farmers in 2020.

Corteva Agriscience is also engaged with numerous potential seed trait licensees and intends to broadly license Enlist E3 soybean technology. This will enable farmers around the world to have broader choice and flexibility in selecting herbicide tolerance traits, genetics and crop protection solutions.

"Enlist E3 soybeans are industry-leading triple-stack herbicide tolerant soybeans that allow Corteva Agriscience to better serve farmers with complementary seed and crop protection products," said Collins. "The fully-enabled launch of Enlist E3 soybeans follows the successful introduction of top performing Enlist cotton varieties and Enlist corn hybrids in 2017 and 2018, respectively."

The Enlist E3 soybean trait provides tolerance to new 2,4-D choline in Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides, as well as glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides. Enlist Duo herbicide is a combination of new 2,4-D choline and glyphosate, a convenient blend for control of tough broadleaf and grass weeds. Enlist One herbicide is a 2,4-D choline product offering the same excellent broadleaf weed control with greater tank-mix flexibility, including the ability to tank mix with qualified glufosinate products.

Growers can apply Enlist herbicides post-emergence to Enlist E3 soybeans to help control glyphosate-resistant weeds; additional tolerance to glufosinate means they can utilize three post-emergence herbicide modes of action in Enlist E3 soybean fields. With near-zero volatility and reduced potential for physical drift, Enlist herbicides with Colex-D technology are designed to land and stay on target.

Qrome Product Technology

Introductory quantities of Qrome products will be available in the Pioneer brand for 2019 planting across expanded geographies in the U.S. Corn Belt. For the 2020 growing season, Qrome products are planned across a wide range of genetic platforms and maturities in Corteva Agriscience seed brands. Farmers who planted Pioneer brand Qrome products as part of limited launch in 2017 and 2018 across the Western U.S. Corn Belt reported strong performance and high yields.

"Qrome products are the most optimized balance of insect protection and agronomic performance in the Corteva Agriscience product portfolio," said Collins.

Qrome products feature a novel molecular stack of multiple insect protection traits and include two modes of action to control corn rootworm. Pioneer brand Qrome products have consistently delivered an average 5.5 bushel yield advantage over legacy triple-stack technology in multi-year research trials. In 2018 on-farm trials, Qrome products held an average 10.2 bushel per acre advantage over all competitive products tested2.

Enlist E3 soybeans are approved for cultivation in the U.S., Canada and Brazil. Qrome products are approved for cultivation in the U.S. and Canada. Both Enlist E3 soybeans and grain produced from Qrome corn products have received import authorization in many importing countries, most recently in China. For additional information about the status of regulatory authorizations, please visit http://www.biotradestatus.com/.

To learn more about the Enlist weed control system, visit Enlist.com, follow us on Twitter at @EnlistOnline or go to our YouTube channel. Learn more about Qrome products at Pioneer.com/Qrome.

1 Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, Hosts Inaugural Investor Day

2 2018 Qrome performance data is based on the average of 244 comparisons made in the United States through Nov. 14, 2018. Comparisons are against all competitors and within a +/- 3 CRM of the competitive brand.

About Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is intended to become an independent, publicly traded company when the previously announced spinoff is complete by June 2019. The division combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Corteva Agriscience provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry  including some of the most recognized brands in agriculture: Pioneer, Encirca, the newly launched Brevant seed brand, as well as award-winning Crop Protection products  while bringing new products to market through our solid pipeline of active chemistry and technologies. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

Follow Corteva Agriscience on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Trademarks of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer and affiliated companies or their respective owners.

Enlist E3 soybeans are jointly developed by Dow AgroSciences and MS Technologies.

The Enlist weed control system is owned and developed by Dow AgroSciences LLC. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are not registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your area. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are the only 2,4-D products authorized for use in Enlist crops. Always read and follow label directions. Dow AgroSciences LLC

SOURCE DowDuPont

Related Links

http://www.dow-dupont.com

LONDON, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Cognism, the end-to-end sales acceleration solution providing organisations with a more intelligent way to prospect, today announces that it has raised 2.8 million in a funding round from investors including Oliver Wyman, South Central Ventures, LCIF, Newable and other existing investors. The funding follows strong growth since Cognism was founded in 2016.

Cognism has grown rapidly in revenue in 2018, experiencing 23% monthly growth. The company was seeking expansion capital and selected Oliver Wyman to partner with in order to bring its platform to the Enterprise level, alongside South Central Ventures who remains the lead investor in the company. The funding will primarily be used to enhance the solution for Enterprises and also expand the offering into the Financial Services sector.

James Isilay, CEO, Cognism comments: "Cognism is moving beyond sales intelligence and applying its patented machine intelligence technology to understand the revenue challenges at the Enterprise level. With our new investment and collaboration with Oliver Wyman, we will be able to introduce our pioneering Revenue AI technology internationally to the top corporates of the world, driving faster top-line revenue growth."

James continues, "There is a natural fit between the data and analytics the Cognism platform provides and the strategy that can then be derived to enhance revenue at the Enterprise level. We are keen to showcase this value to this sector and hope our collaboration with Oliver Wyman will propel us forward and continue our strong growth."

Kai Upadek, Partner at Oliver Wyman comments: "Our clients are continuously looking for new ways to accelerate growth. Cognism technology will provide our clients with dynamic insights into their existing client base, enabling them to develop more targeted solutions and improving sales success. At the same time, Cognism technology will allow our clients to make a step change in their prospecting efforts. Cognism's data asset will allow our clients to identify prospects matching detailed personas, leveraging data on over 400M companies and individuals."

"It is exciting to see Cognism developing at such a pace and moving towards servicing the Enterprise level customers. Developing its product offering beyond pure sales intelligence by applying proprietary machine intelligence technology positions Cognism as one of the leading companies in this space.

Collaboration with Oliver Wyman will enable Cognism to polish its solutions to better address the needs of Enterprise level customers, thus enabling them to enhance their revenue growth. We are proud to support Cognism on this exciting journey," says Tatjana Zabasu Mikuz, Managing Partner at SCV.

Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, said: "This investment is great news for the capital's world-leading tech sector. The Mayor and I are committed to doing all we can to support innovative small businesses like Cognism. They make a fantastic contribution to our economy and this is further proof that London is open for business."

About Cognism

Cognism is an end-to-end sales acceleration solution that provides sales organisations with a more efficient way to prospect. Delivered as a software service (SaaS), with its unique data asset and compliance engine, Cognism is helping to enrich CRM records, stream leads into the funnel and is using artificial intelligence to surface opportunities and identify customer trends. Cognism is a pure AI sales technology company that generates prospect data at scale, cleaning and enriching it, and by that helps sales teams grow and scale across all levels of the sales process. Based in London, England and Skopje, Macedonia, Cognism was founded by James Isilay and Stjepan Buljat. Cognism is backed by South Central Ventures, Netcetera, Startup Funding Club, LCIF, Newable, Tsingbay Venture Capital, Tom James, James Hodson and others.

About Oliver Wyman

Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 50+ cities across nearly 30 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. The firm has more than 5,000 professionals around the world who work with clients to optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities. Oliver Wyman is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies [NYSE: MMC]. For more information, visit www.oliverwyman.com. Follow Oliver Wyman on Twitter @OliverWyman.

About South Central Ventures

With offices in Belgrade, Zagreb and Skopje, South Central Ventures (SCV) is investing in the most attractive tech companies in the Western Balkans. The 40 million Enterprise Innovation Fund (ENIF) is dedicated primarily to early stage and growth investments. These are intended to fuel the international business expansion and growth of the most promising companies with good traction, vision and proven ability to grow and develop into globally viable businesses. ENIF is supported by the Western Balkan Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility. For more information, visit www.sc-ventures.com. Follow SCV on Twitter @VenturesSC.

The London Co-Investment Fund

The London Co-Investment Fund (LCIF) is delivered by Funding London and Capital Enterprise. It was established by the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), which contributed 25m to the fund, and is supported by the Mayor of London. For more information on LCIF, please visit https://lcif.co/.

SOURCE CognismROCKVILLE, Maryland, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a recent Fact.MR study, over 1,900 units of marine shaft power meter are likely to be sold in 2019. Growth of the marine shaft power meter market can be attributed to various factors including

Growing seaborne trade that relies heavily on cargo carriers

Development of technically advanced and cost-effective solution and increasing demand for new marine shaft power meter to optimize fuel saving

Imposition of new regulations on the shipping industry to reduce greenhouse gas emission

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713666/FactMR_Logo.jpg )



The study opines that cargo carriers hold relatively larger share of the marine shaft power meter market, than passenger vessels. More than 50% volume sales of the marine shaft power meter were held by cargo carriers in 2018. This can be attributed to efforts of ship owners in Germany, China, and Canada, toward strengthening their hold in the container space, in line with the upward trend of container-based shipping services in sea-borne trade.

Seaborne trade will continue to expand worldwide on the back of competitive freight cost, as carriers increasingly invest in large container vessels for realizing the supply and demand balance. Freight carriers are also making significant investments in green technologies, to comply with new regulations, and meet logistics demands of companies that seek sustainable transport solution.

Request For Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=1504

The Fact.MR study estimates robust sales of the marine shaft power meter in cargo ships and tankers, along with steady demand from passenger vessels, including high-speed crafts, fishing vessels, and cruise liners. Adoption of marine shaft power meters in passenger vessels is underpinned by the requirement of optimum fuel consumption, and investigating engine performance, and shaft power measurement solutions.

APEJ to Retain its Hegemony in Marine Shaft Power Meter Market

APEJ is expected to hold pole position in the marine shaft power meter market in 2019, with volume sales envisaged to surpass 1,000 units. Revenues from the marine shaft power meter market in Japan are expected to be relatively lower than APEJ. These regions with their flourishing shipping industry and increasing marine trade offer potential growth opportunities for marine shaft power meter manufacturers.

Developing countries in APEJ such as China and South Korea are highly lucrative markets for marine shaft power meter collectively accounting for over four-fifth volume share, finds Fact.MR study. Ongoing recovery of shipbuilding activities is a key factor driving demand for marine shaft power meter in these APEJ countries.

Browse Full Report on Marine Shaft Power Meter Market with TOC- https://www.factmr.com/report/1504/marine-shaft-power-meter-market

"Technological advances in the shipping industry including autonomous ships and blockchain application, hold considerable promise for the supply side of shipping. Combining on-board system and digital platforms is also on a rise in vessels and cargo. The volume of world trade by sea has started to gradually increase in recent years, with growing demand for goods and raw materials by emerging economies," reveals Fact.MR study.

The study further states, "Complementing efforts by the shipping industry to address greenhouse gas emission, International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set an emission reduction target. These targets have been introduced in form of mandatory energy-efficiency requirements. This is resulting in the growing demand for marine shaft power meter system by the shipping companies to improve efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. Meanwhile, recently released MRV regulation in Europe has made it mandatory to shipping companies to get their emission report verified and receive Document of Compliance (DOC) to prevent any penalty."

In a bid to meet the demand for significant sustainability and optimize fuel consumption, the shipping industry's reliance on technically advanced marine shaft power meter has substantially increased in recent years. Fact.MR expects that sales of marine shaft power meter through OEM will register significant growth, with sales projected to exceed 1,800 units in 2019.

The Fact.MR report offers key insights on the marine shaft power meter market for the period 2018-2028. According to the report, marine shaft power meter market is expected to register 3.0% CAGR in terms of volume between 2018 and 2028.

Ask Our Industry Expert on for details on report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=1504

About Fact.MR

Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.

Contact Us

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Fact.MR

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SOURCE Fact.MRNASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, leading provider of easy-to-use enterprise omnichannel cloud contact center software for innovative companies, announced today at Customer Contact Week (CCW) Nashville 2019 two new additions to the Bright Pattern Customer Experience Platform: 1) a conversational IVR that leverages AI for smarter, easier self-service, and 2) Bright Start Apps that allow companies to turn on particular customer service capabilities quickly and easily.

Bright Pattern Conversational IVR

Customers overwhelming want self-service but few consumers enjoy self-service through traditional, high-effort IVRs. Touch tone or inflexible direct tree structure menus have traditionally been built "inside out" based on the desires of the business to deflect calls. Although these systems are antiquated and frustrate customers who have to memorize options and often try to "zero out" to a person, they are still the initial point of contact for many companies.

Bright Pattern's conversational IVR powered by industry-leading AI lets customers lead the conversation and choose the path they prefer, resulting in better and faster problem resolution, lower costs, and significantly improved customer experience (CX) and customer satisfaction (CSAT). The conversational IVR also captures customers' exact phrases, providing insight into specific issues that customers are looking for via self-service. Using this data, the conversational IVR can learn, and be improved and updated continually through the voice of the customer.

"It's time companies just say no to the traditional IVRs that have frustrated customers for decades. With powerful cloud technology coupled with AI, consumers no longer have to deal with poor, rigid self-service options. AI-powered conversational IVRs are another step forward as we phase out traditional IVRs and revolutionize customer engagement," said Konstantin Kishinsky, Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Bright Pattern.

Key Features and Benefits:

Customer-Focused and Intuitive - Allow customers to interact naturally in their own words, eliminating the need to memorize a long list of options.

- Allow customers to interact naturally in their own words, eliminating the need to memorize a long list of options. Higher Resolution Rates for Better CX - Resolve issues quickly, let customers self-serve successfully, and reduce IVR abandonment.

- Resolve issues quickly, let customers self-serve successfully, and reduce IVR abandonment. Adapts to Customer's Needs - Powered by best-of-breed AI from Google and IBM, conversational IVR is continually learning and offering insights using historical data based on what people say.

- Powered by best-of-breed AI from Google and IBM, conversational IVR is continually learning and offering insights using historical data based on what people say. Make Smarter Business Decisions - Learn what customers expect after certain responses, and drive them toward premium products and services.

- Learn what customers expect after certain responses, and drive them toward premium products and services. Native Omnichannel - Conversational IVR pairs perfectly with SMS, web chat, social messengers, email, and video, providing a seamless connection for agents engaging with customers on Bright Pattern's omnichannel platform.

Per Michael Maoz of Gartner*: "Customers expect forms of conversation to continue uninterrupted even if they need to shift from channel to channel. For example, a shift from a website visit to an exchange with a chatbot, to either a live chat with a human or a phone call, must happen with no loss of context. There should be no repetition, and a feeling that the transition was to lead to a better resolution of their issue."

Bright Pattern customer Roger Meador, Principal and Co-founder of TruSouce Labs, commented: "Bright Pattern is unique in their ability to offer enterprise power in an easy-to-use customer experience platform. They were among the first to offer emerging channels like Facebook Messenger in a true omnichannel platform and they are again changing the world of customer service with an IVR that customers will actually like to use. Power, unparalleled ease of use, and innovation are at the core of their cloud offering, and it's why we chose them."

BrightStart Apps

Bright Pattern is also announcing the first of easily configurable BrightStart Apps. BrightStart Apps allow brands to offer easier, faster journeys for their customers. Able to be turned on in just days, BrightStart Apps are preconfigured modules built in the Bright Pattern Journey Builder using a simple point-and-click workflow. BrightStart Apps are preconfigured, instantly deployable solution packs that solve common customer experience issues.

Typically, when a new contact center functionality is needed, companies need IT or professional services' help to configure and deploy, involving considerable expense and time. BrightStart Apps allow businesses to immediately turn on customer experience capabilities without that cost or time.

Bright Pattern is providing customers with their choice of a BrightStart App as part of their initial onboarding. Additional apps can be purchased from Bright Pattern or partners for a minimal cost. Moreover, BrightStart Apps can be easily created to meet the unique needs of customers.

Initial BrightStart Apps being announced today include:

Conversational IVR App - This configuration includes conversational IVR capabilities with logic that selects the appropriate bot, greets the caller, uses speech-to-text to capture the customer's need, and then uses AI-powered Natural Language Processing to respond to the issue. The logic will also find the best skilled agent if human assistance is needed, while passing on full context from the bot interaction to the agent.

Omnichannel Digital Starter App - This configuration connects a company's voice channel with their next most important channel (e.g., chat or text). IQPC and Dimension Data note that less than 10% of companies offer true omnichannel today. This starter app lets companies quickly and easily turn on true omnichannel customer engagement.

Proactive Priority Web Chat App - With most customer interactions today beginning on websites, this app allows businesses to specifically reach out and offer concierge-like service to their priority customers. Priority customers who visit a website are identified, greeted with a personalized web chatperhaps referencing their last company interactionand then routed to their own personal agent who has their complete customer journey history.

Human and Chatbot App - This app allows companies to turn on what Forrester terms "blended AI" with bots performing a basic triage of information. When escalation to a human is required, the best agent is found and all context is passed to the agent.

Bright Pattern's Journey Builder is open to all partners and customers. Other BrightStart Apps will be released by Bright Pattern and partners later in 2019.

Ted Hunting, Bright Pattern Senior Vice President of Marketing, comments, "Our BrightStart Apps will allow companies to immediately deploy new capabilities nimbly and without the cost and time of a large IT staff. Today's businesses need to offer a great customer experience on the fly and can't afford to be limited by on premises-based systems or bolted-together cloud solutions. Our BrightStart Apps represent another step in our mission to revolutionize customer experience with an enterprise-powered cloud platform that is easy to use for companies of any size. We are bringing to companies of all sizes what the largest enterprises have tried to achieve and doing it with the speed of the cloud at a fraction of the cost of existing solutions."

About Bright Pattern

Bright Pattern provides the most simple and powerful contact center for midsize and enterprise companies. With the purpose of making customer service brighter, easier, and faster than ever before, Bright Pattern offers the only true omnichannel cloud platform that can be deployed quickly and nimbly by business userswithout costly professional services. Bright Pattern allows companies to offer an effortless, personal, and seamless customer experience across traditional channels like voice, text, chat, email, video, messengers, and bots. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans who pioneered the leading on-premises solutions and today are delivering an architecture for the future with an advanced cloud-first approach. Bright Pattern's cloud contact center solution is used globally in over 26 countries and 12 languages.

*Gartner, How to Move From B2C to C2B Experiences Using New Digital Technologies, Michael Maoz, 27 February 2018.

SOURCE Bright Pattern

Related Links

http://www.brightpattern.com

BOSTON, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mirus Capital Advisors, a Boston based middle market investment bank, joins a global network of M&A advisory firms, and invests in its European business.

In the past year, Mirus joined GCG  a global network of M&A advisory firms  part of GGI, a 570-member strong global network of accountants and corporate lawyers spanning 123 countries. Mirus partner Andy Crain is leading the firm's involvement with GCG/GGI and notes that Mirus has "a long history of managing cross-border transactions. This selective global network gives us the opportunity to enhance our services through teaming with other like-minded firms."

The expansion of the firm's European business will be coordinated by long-time Mirus partner Peter Alternative, who will be based in Milan. "As we've experienced first-hand, professional investors and business owners within key European markets have far fewer middle market advisory options when compared to the US. Moreover, owners and investors are keen to access US buyers, since on average they pay valuation premiums relative to European rivals. I look forward to leading Mirus' efforts in Europe and to forge the kinds of strong relationships in Europe that have defined our firm over its 30-plus year history."

"Our firm has completed over $500 million in M&A transaction values these past two years and we've seen a steady flow of European clients in the mix," noted Mirus partner Alan Fullerton. "Technology and technology-enabled businesses globally are looking to the US for capital and for strategic partners. Mirus has built a strong business and reputation as a trusted advisor in the US and we look forward to expanding our advisory network in Europe with Peter's leadership."

ABOUT MIRUS CAPITAL ADVISORS

Successful business owners have turned to Mirus Capital Advisors for more than 30 years to help them realize their ultimate accomplishment  the sale of their business. As a mid-market investment bank focused on mergers and acquisitions, Mirus drives successful deals for companies in the consumer, industrial, business services, healthcare and technology industries. Mirus has proven time and again that its deep industry expertise, focus on relationships, thorough preparation and unwavering commitment to every deal leads to meaningful accomplishments for business owners. Our affiliate Mirus Securities, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer and FINRA member.

CONTACT: Ami Doyle, [email protected], 781-418-5900

SOURCE Mirus Capital Advisors, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.merger.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mississippi Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (MS-ACEP) and its national organization today came out against a policy change that Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi (BCBS-MS) recently implemented that makes patients responsible for all the costs of an emergency visit if the insurer decides, after the fact, that the decision to seek care in an emergency department did not "align with the diagnosis severity."

"This bad policy violates Federal and State laws that require insurance coverage for emergency care to be based on the patient's presenting symptoms and not on their final diagnosis," said Philip Levin, MD, FACEP, president of MS-ACEP. "Emergency physicians treat patients every day with symptoms identical to those of life-threatening conditions, such as severe headache or abdominal pain. Some of these patients go home, some have serious issues and need medical procedures, and some need to be admitted to the hospital. Health insurance companies can't expect patients to know which symptoms are life-threatening and which are not, and patients shouldn't be punished financially because of it."

Dr. Levin added that the policy is dangerous, because Mississippians who really need emergency care may now not seek it out of fear of getting a large bill.

For more than 20 years, the "prudent layperson" standard has been the guideline in state and federal law for determining whether an emergency visit is justified. The standard requires that insurance coverage be based on a patient's symptoms, not their final diagnosis. Anyone who seeks emergency care suffering from symptoms that appear to be an emergency should not be denied coverage if the final diagnosis does not turn out to be immediately life-threatening. The BCBS-MS policy violates this standard.

Another insurance giant, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, has implemented a similar policy in several states including Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio. ACEP, along with the Medical Association of Georgia, has filed a federal lawsuit against Anthem in that state to force them to reverse the policy.

According to an ACEP poll, more than 4 in 10 Americans report delaying or avoiding emergency care in the past 2 years out of concerns about the cost of co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles. Nearly half said their medical condition worsened as a result.

"Some health plans have a long history of not paying for emergency care," said Vidor Friedman, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP. "For years, they have denied claims based on final diagnosis instead of symptoms. Emergency physicians successfully fought back against these outrageous policies. Now, as the future of health care is debated again, insurance companies are trying to reintroduce the practice. We cannot let them."

ACEP, the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine, is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Related Links

http://www.acep.org

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BetterCloud, the leading SaaS Operations Management platform, announced today it has expanded its executive team with the appointment of Marjorie Ajero as Chief People Officer. In her new position, Ajero will lead the company's people strategy and team to drive talent attraction, retention and development. She will also represent the "voice of the BetterCloud team" in strategic decision making to ensure it both fuels and supports the company's culture, business goals and long-term vision.

"BetterCloud's success has been driven in large part by our ability to bring on talented, innovative and driven leaders who embrace our mission and enhance our unique culture," said David Politis, CEO of BetterCloud. "Marjorie is a progressive people leader with a proven track record of succeeding through team empowerment and empathy. In her new role, she will shape our future by focusing on the well-being of our team, which is not only important to our company's growth, but also to the growth of our greatest resource: our people."

Ajero brings more than 15 years of experience working in the tech, publishing, e-commerce, and digital media space. Previously, she served as Vice President of Human Resources at Group Nine Media where she built and led the people function. In that role, she also led the merger and integration of four brands and the creation of the Group Nine Media Company, and the acquisition of JASH, a production studio based in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to Group Nine Media, Ajero worked at Thrillist Media Group where she was the company's first HR executive and successfully executed the spin-out of the JackThreads business. Before that, she worked at Everyday Health where she helped build the HR team and worked on several M&A transactions.

"BetterCloud has built an amazing team of high performers, all working together to build the industry's first SaaS Operations Management platform," said Ajero. "I look forward to helping the leadership team build on the company's phenomenal growth trajectory in the next stage of our development."

About BetterCloud

BetterCloud is the first SaaS Operations Management platform, empowering IT and security teams to define, remediate, and enforce management and security policies for SaaS applications. Over 2,500 customers in 60+ countries rely on BetterCloud for continuous event monitoring, quickly remediating threats, and fully-automated policy enforcement. To further guide customers on their SaaS strategy, the company established the first-ever "SaaS Application Management and Security Framework" in its newly published book, Controlling Your SaaS Environment. BetterCloud is headquartered in New York City with an engineering office in Atlanta, GA. For more information, please visit www.bettercloud.com.

SOURCE BetterCloud

Related Links

www.bettercloud.com

PALM BEACH, Florida, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Financialnewsmedia.com News Commentary

Corporate executives have long seen the value of outsourcing in time, money and quality of services it provides. An article published by The Wall Street Journal online back in 2013 gives us a snapshot in time of the growing momentum for large corporations to outsource certain aspects of its internal operations. The article said: "Finance and accounting (F&A) was one of the first back-office processes that companies outsourced, and the practice continues to boom: As the market matures, companies contracting for outcomes are exploring fresh ideas and seeking new answers to streamline (other company) processes. They are expanding outsourcing to new areas of finance and accounting, new industries, and new sizes of companies than in the past." Active companies in the markets this week include Surge Holdings, Inc. (OTC:SURG), First Data Corporation (NYSE:FDC), Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN), Zendesk, Inc. (NYSE: ZEN), Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY).



As companies look to leverage the power of their data, they are turning to outsourcers with greater expertise and technology resources than they have in-house. Also stated in WSJ article, "An outsourcer is going to have access to state-of-the-art technology, and experts who use those software packages every day. While CFOs of large companies are focused on outsourcing to improve far-flung global operations, smaller companies, who have typically eschewed outsourcing of F&A, are beginning to embrace it as well. Outsourcers have expanded their offerings to the small- and mid-size company segments and developed solutions targeted toward specific vertical industries." Now jumping forward to today, a Business News Daily article published January 2, 2019 shows that outsourcing has been applied to more and more operational aspects of both large and small companies in a big way! Call centers are one of the most widely accepted even necessary to the health and efficiency of successful companies.'

Surge Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:SURG) BREAKING NEWS : Surge Holdings the Las Vegas-based Technology, Telecom and Blockchain FinTech Software company announces today the completion of agreement to acquire a 40% equity ownership of Centercom Global, S.A. de C.V ("Centercom"). Centercom is a dynamic operations center currently providing Surge sales support, customer service, IT infrastructure design, graphic media, database programming, software development, revenue assurance, lead generation, and other various operational support services for SURG.

Brian Cox, CEO of SURG, said, "I am pleased to report the smooth closing of our agreement with Centercom. We now have accessible bilingual human capital to support our strategic plan to grow the right way. As an example, the Centercom CTO is already at our administrative HQ in Memphis, working directly with our Surge CTO, planning for our next generation data center in advance of new product rollouts such as the SurgePays Reloadable Visa Card for the underbanked."

The primary Centercom initiatives to support SURG 2019 growth plans are:

Assisting in onboarding SurgePays Portal into over 40,000 retail locations and subsequent ongoing white glove support

Aggressively marketing new "Free Wireless Service" program to substantially grow customer base while beefing up customer service

Launch SurgePays Reloadable Visa Card by end of 1 st Quarter

Quarter Support our IT infrastructure including database management

Upsell related FinTech products to our existing customer base to increase revenue

Cox further added, "I cannot emphasize enough to our shareholders that the foundation work for my build out checklist has been successfully completed as promised. Read this and more news for SURG at :https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-surg/



Other recent developments in the business services industry include:



First Data Corporation (NYSE:FDC) and Fiserv (FISV) this week announced that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement under which Fiserv will acquire First Data in an all-stock transaction. The transaction unites two premier companies to create one of the world's leading payments and financial technology providers, and an enhanced value proposition for its clients.

Under the terms of the agreement, First Data shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.303 Fiserv shares for each share of First Data common stock they own, for an equity value of $22 billion. This represents $22.74 based on closing prices as of January 15, and a premium of 29% to the five-day volume weighted average price as of that date. Following the close of the transaction, Fiserv shareholders will own 57.5% of the combined company, and First Data shareholders will own 42.5%, on a fully diluted basis. The all-stock transaction is intended to be tax-free to First Data shareholders.

This highly complementary combination will offer leading technology capabilities that enable a range of payments and financial services, including account processing and digital banking solutions; card issuer processing and network services; e-commerce; integrated payments; and the Clover cloud-based point-of-sale solution. The combined company will offer comprehensive distribution channels and have deep expertise in partnering with financial institutions, merchants and billers of all sizes, as well as software developers.

Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) recently announced that it has helped CAQH, a non-profit healthcare alliance, launch a new technology platform that will streamline professional credentialing and data sharing between delegated health providers and health plans.

The new platform replaces today's highly manual and redundant processes with an online module that streamlines the roster sharing process between health plans and delegated groups. Provider groups can use the platform to submit a single roster of their delegated providers through a centralized portal, giving plans access to standardized, updated files in one convenient location. In addition to simplifying the process, the platform improves data quality by requiring that all rosters satisfy more than 120 automated quality checks.

Collectively, these capabilities will help the industry improve data quality and consistency while eliminating the highly inefficient processes widely used today. CAQH estimates that the creation of a central system for delegated provider credentialing could save the industry nearly $150 million annually if three-fourths of plans and groups automated credentialing in this way.

Zendesk, Inc. (NYSE: ZEN) recently announced that it will release financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter and full fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, following the close of the U.S. markets on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. In conjunction with its earnings press release, the company will post a detailed shareholder letter to its Investor Relations website https://investor.zendesk.com.

Zendesk will host a conference call to answer questions at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. A live webcast of the conference call will be available at https://investor.zendesk.com. The conference call can also be accessed by dialing 833-287-0801 or +1 647-689-4460 (outside the U.S. and Canada). The conference ID is 2737549.

A replay of the call via webcast will be available at https://investor.zendesk.com or by dialing 800-585-8367 or +1 416-621-4642 (outside the U.S. and Canada) and entering passcode 2737549. The dial-in replay will be available until the end of the day on February 7, 2019. The webcast replay will be available for 12 months.

Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY) recently announced its results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2018. A 10.1% CC YoY Revenue Growth in Q3 Leads to Upward Revision in Guidance.

"With increased client relevance, we saw double digit (10.1%) year-on-year growth in Q3 on a constant currency basis," said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD. "We also had another strong quarter in our digital business with 33.1% growth and large deals at $1.57 billion which gives us confidence entering 2019", he added.

"Volume growth was strong and revenue productivity was stable despite Q3 being a seasonally weak quarter. We had good growth across geographies and large business segments," said Pravin Rao, COO. "Attrition declined during the quarter and we are continuing on the path of increased interventions and employee engagements to reduce it further." "We saw significant currency volatility during the quarter and managed it effectively by our hedging strategy," said Jayesh Sanghrajka, Interim CFO. "Cash generation was strong during the quarter. Executing on the capital allocation strategy announced in April 2018, we have announced a share buyback program and a special dividend."

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated twenty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Surge Holdings, Inc. by a non-affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.



This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.





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SOURCE FinancialNewsMedia.comWith 2019 avocado consumption in the European market expected to increase to 1.7 billion pounds, this partnership truly highlights the astonishing growth (65% in the past two years) of the world's favorite superfood. This superfood can be found on the menus of many renowned restaurants, from informal to Michelin-starred around the world!

"We are very proud to continue our collaboration with the Michelin Guide," said Xavier Equihua, President and CEO of WAO. "The revelation of the stars is the most important gastronomic event of the year in the world. Numerous star chefs feature the avocado in their creative dishes and we want to further enhance its versatile uses and flavors in the world of gastronomy."

On the occasion of the 110th Annual Ceremony the avocado will be present and the brand ambassador to the WAO, FoodDeco of Holland, will create the first ever edible Michelin Star sculpture made entirely of fresh avocados. WAO also plans to unveil the first ever avocado beer in France during the event. The avocados provide the beer with a creamy texture and flavor, offering a unique taste and sensory experience.

A special edition of the 2019 MICHELIN Guide for France will also be created to celebrate the unique partnership. "The guide's cover will fuse the traditional red color of the iconic guide with the green color of the avocado," stated Xavier Equihua. "In honor of the event we are also creating a special edition cookbook dedicated to cooking with avocados  a first of its kind in the world." The link to download the cookbook: https://online.fliphtml5.com/rlyl/ikpb/.



WIDELY CONSIDERED THE MOST POPULAR SUPERFOOD IN THE U.S. AND EUROPE. COLLECTIVELY BOTH MARKETS CONSUMED 4 BILLION LBS IN 2018, AN ASTONISHING GROWTH FOR ANY PRODUCE ITEM.

About the World Avocado Organization (WAO):

Established in 2016, the World Avocado Organization (WAO) is an international association representing the leading producers, exporter and importers of avocados, including Peru, South Africa, Colombia, Spain, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mexico and the United States. The primary objective of the association is to spread the word of the avocado around the world and to promote its consumption thanks to its nutritional values and its recognized health benefits. www.avocadofruitoflife.com

SOURCE World Avocado Organization

Related Links

http://www.avocadofruitoflife.com

CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A.T. Kearney, a leading global management consulting firm, has acquired Cervello, an elite business analytics and data management consultancy. Operating as "Cervello, an A.T. Kearney company," Cervello's team of renowned data engineers, data scientists, and developers will work closely with A.T. Kearney client service teams worldwide to power client performance improvement and transformation programs with expert technology consulting, agile analytics, and data-driven insights.

"Winning with data, that is what it's all about. Cervello's deep, hands-on knowledge of big data, cloud, and data platforms will help us jointly develop more robust tools and customized solutions for our clients' most difficult problems," said Alex Liu, managing partner and chairman of A.T. Kearney. "It will also be mission-critical for us to leverage Cervello's proven ability to develop "leave-behind" solutions and managed services that sustain value-delivery to our clients long after we complete the assignment."

Scot MacGillivray, CEO of Cervello, observed: "Cervello is already helping some of the world's most respected companies to win with data. Joining forces with A.T. Kearney will exponentially increase our business impact to our current and future clients. First, we will dramatically increase our global reach. Second, we see our strengths as blending remarkably well. Our technology expertise will embed seamlessly within A.T. Kearney's deep industry expertise. Third, our clients see the value and urgency in this combination of strengths. All of us at Cervello are excited to be a driving force in the future growth of A.T. Kearney, and in the success of the firm's clients around the world."

The leaders of A.T. Kearney and Cervello are confident their complementary work cultures and consulting styles will mesh to excellent effect. Both share a passion for delivering the innovative perspectives and tangible results companies now urgently need. Both pride themselves on building transparent, open, and constructively honest relationships. And both are highly collaborative, working alongside clients to help them succeed.

About A.T. Kearney



A.T. Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with offices in more than 40 countries. Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors to the world's foremost organizations. A.T. Kearney is a partner-owned firm, committed to helping clients achieve immediate impact and growing advantage on their most mission-critical issues. For more information, visit atkearney.com.

About Cervello



Cervello, founded in 2009, has built multi-year relationships with a range of blue-chip clients, validating its reputation as a leader in business analytics innovation. Its elite team of technical and functional experts works at the convergence of enterprise performance management, data management, business intelligence, and CRM to help enterprises define their strategic requirements and quickly gain data-driven insights that facilitate operational and strategic decisions. The acquisition of Cervello brings A.T. Kearney powerful new capabilities in data management consulting, custom applications development, cloud integration, and managed services. Cervello currently has offices in Boston, New York, Dallas, London, and Bengaluru. For more information, visit mycervello.com.

Media Contact: Bill Smith, Makovsky

Phone: +1 212.508.9627

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE A.T. Kearney

Related Links

http://www.atkearney.com

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In this latest report on Vinegar Market the market size is expected to scale up to USD BN by the end of financial year 2025. This report valued the market at USD BN in 2018. After evaluating the various market drivers and market restraints the report expects a % of CAGR across the study period. The report takes a deep dig in the market with detailed analysis on the Revenue, Production, and Capacity from 2013 to 2025.

The report also studies the marketing pricing, trends and extrapolates the growth rate for the next six years. The manufacturers data covered in the report assists in understanding the competitive scenario along with planning the capacity expansion plans.

The latest developments such as the organic and inorganic growth adopted by the key players mentioned in the report, throws light on the strategic planning of the competitors, thus assisting in taking informed decisions.

Download Free Sample Report of Vinegar Market Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-38889

The regional study covering all the key regions is an ideal data to understand growth opportunities at specific location or region. The analysis on the Industry Chain covering upstream and downstream customers will give access to a vast pool of knowledge to new or existing players.

The data in the section covering the opportunities & challenges have been collected by industry experts and analysts with deep understanding of the market. The details of the threats and Affecting factors is sure to assist in corporate decision making.

The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, market share for each company: Mizkan Holdings, Jiangsu Hengshun Vinegar, Shanxi Shuita Vinegar, Kerry Group, Kraft Heinz, Sichuan Baoning Vinegar, Kikkoman Corporation, Shanxi Zilin Vinegar Industry, Acetificio M. de Nigris s.r.l., Tianjin Tianliduli Matutre Vinegar, Burg Groep B.V., Shanxi Mature Vinegar Group, Qianhe Condiment and Food, Fujian Yongchun Laocu Vinegar Industry, Borges International Group, jiajia Food Group.

Market size by Product Mature Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, White Vinegar, Wine Vinegar, Cidar Vinegar, Others.

Market size by End User Commercial, Household, Table of Contents.

Market size by Region North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China.

Access Report and Full Table of Contents of Vinegar Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/38889-vinegar-industry-market-report

Table of Contents - Snapshot

Chapter 1 Study Coverage

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Breakdown Data by Product

Chapter 5 Breakdown Data by End User

Chapter 6 North America

Chapter 7 Europe

Chapter 8 Asia Pacific

Chapter 9 Central & South America

Chapter 10 Middle East and Africa

Chapter 11 Company Profiles

Chapter 12 Future Forecast

Chapter 13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

Chapter 14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

Chapter 15 Research Findings and Conclusion

Chapter 16 Appendix

View More Related Reports @

Global Wood Vinegar Market Research Report 2018

https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/23862-wood-vinegar-industry-market-report

Global Apple Cider Vinegar Market Research Report 2018

https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/12016-apple-cider-vinegar-industry-market-report

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DecisionDatabases.com is a Global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research Report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.

Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

For More Details:

DecisionDatabases.com

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Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Channeltivity, a global leader in Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software solutions, today announces that AntWorks, a global artificial intelligence and intelligent automation company, has selected Channeltivity to provide their PRM solution in support of their channel growth strategy.

Channeltivity's solution was selected based on its full-featured and highly-scalable product capabilities, and its ability to be quickly implemented by the inhouse channel team.

"Channeltivity has all the functionality our global channel program needs now, and will need as we continue to grow. I've been impressed by the system's ease of use, configurability, and their commitment to customer success," said Simon Thomas, AVP  Partner Management at AntWorks. "Having had the opportunity to see Channeltivity in use at other channel programs I knew it would be the right solution to help support partner engagement and our channel growth."

Jason Jacobs, CEO of Channeltivity said, 'We are thrilled to have AntWorks on board as a customer. They have a world-class channel program and our Channeltivity PRM solution will help enable AntWorks to achieve even greater business success through the power of their partner network. We are proud to have won the confidence of Simon and the management team at AntWorks."

About AntWorks

AntWorks integrated Intelligent automation solutions leverage a complement of AI and RPA technologies to help enterprises automate end-to-end processes effectively in order to enhance productivity, provide a shorter time to market and create customer delight while reducing costs. AntWorks has successfully implemented solutions for numerous industries globally.

About Channeltivity

Channeltivity is the Partner Relationship Management solution of choice for high growth companies in Tech Manufacturing, AI/Big Data, Business Analytics, Cloud Services, Enterprise Software, Cyber Security, and other tech segments. With Channeltivity, channel programs build stronger relationships, optimize partner productivity, and accelerate new sales. Channeltivity is easy to use, fast to set up, and connects to top CRM solutions, including Salesforce and HubSpot.

To find out why 30,000+ channel sales professionals around the globe depend on us, contact Channeltivity at 877-226-2564 or https://www.channeltivity.com

Media Contact:

Dana Citron

877-226-2564

SOURCE Channeltivity

Related Links

http://www.channeltivity.com

DALLAS, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allegiance Capital Corporation, a Dallas, Texas-based private M&A investment bank that specializes in middle-market transactions, is pleased to announce three personnel promotions effective January 15, 2019. Shane Mahmood has been promoted to President, Eric Kern has been promoted to Managing Director, and George Burrell has been promoted to Vice President.

Shane joined Allegiance Capital in 2012 after completing a tour of duty in the United States Army where he served in the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon completing his degree in finance from Cameron University, Shane joined Allegiance Capital's Business Development group. Shortly thereafter, Shane was tasked with modernizing the company's business development IT platform. In his seven plus years with Allegiance Capital, Shane has held a variety of positions with the firm, each with increasing responsibility. Specifically, he has held such positions as Director of Business Development, where he was instrumental in developing the backbone of Allegiance's modernized IT platform that synthesizes a wide array of proprietary and third party research and data products. Most recently, Shane held the position of Senior Vice President of Sales Operations where he managed the business development services group, marketing and public relations departments and oversaw the firm's cloud services utilization. His ability to work with the firm's in-house business development personnel to develop prospects as well as work with the private equity and strategic acquirers to locate deal flow was clearly instrumental in Allegiance Capital being ranked 5th among regional investment banks in 2018.

Eric Kern joined Allegiance Capital as a Vice President in 2006. He has over 20 years of experience in investment banking and commercial banking. During that time he has facilitated, advised, or closed on over $850 million in transactional value involving privately-held and closely-held businesses. Additionally, Eric has led and closed several international sale transactions as well as public company strategic acquisitions. Prior to Allegiance Capital, Eric spent 11 years with Bank of America and other national and regional banking institutions where he was consistently recognized among the top 5% of his peer group. Eric holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis where he was distinguished among his peers for the Highest Award for Achievement for demonstrating intelligence, integrity, loyalty and high standards of personal conduct; he holds a BS in Finance from Southern Illinois University where he graduated summa cum laude and was recognized by the faculty as the outstanding finance student.

George Burrell joined Allegiance Capital as a Business Development Officer in 2016, bringing with him 30 years of expertise in business organization and development, and troubleshooting existing businesses. His career has been prolific and diverse, having helped salvage, grow and sell numerous companies in industries including aviation, oil and gas, medical, IT and more. George has a strong working knowledge in almost all aspects of running a small business, from organization and fundraising to daily operations and management, enabling him to closely relate to clients. Prior to Allegiance Capital, George was the Founder and President of a regional oil and gas operator and producer with over 150 wells in Kansas and over 70 wells in Texas. George sold his company in 2014 at the peak of the market just prior to the oil market decline of 2014-15.

"Allegiance Capital and its Board of Directors are pleased to welcome Shane to the firm's executive suite and congratulate Eric's and George's promotions on the investment banking team," said Connie Mahmood, Co-founder and Chairperson at Allegiance Capital. "The wealth of experience and execution excellence from our team members provides us the human capital required to help privately-held and closely-held companies achieve their business succession and financial goals."

About Allegiance Capital Corporation

Allegiance Capital is an M&A investment bank that has been providing expert financial services to mid-sized, privately-held companies since 1998. Our clients are business owners, partners, families and entrepreneurs who want to sell their company, transition to new management, or bring on a financial partner to grow their business. Allegiance Capital employs investment bankers who understand the challenges business owners face in running their business and can prepare those owners for the complexities of the sale process. Allegiance Capital also offers global reach through its membership in Globalscope Partners, an organization of international M&A Advisors.

SOURCE Allegiance Capital Corporation

Related Links

http://www.allcapcorp.com

TRONDHEIM, Norway, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Strong performance in 2018 puts Aker BP in a good position to raise its growth ambition to organically triple its production by 2025, to cut production costs from USD 12 to USD 7 per barrel and to significantly increase the dividend payments to shareholders.

 Excellent execution and rapid change towards lower cost, lower emissions and improved efficiency are key ingredients to value creation in Aker BP. As we deliver profitable projects and grow the company, we also increase our ambitions for cash dividends to our shareholders, says Karl Johnny Hersvik, Chief Executive Officer of Aker BP.

He continues:  The future of the E&P industry belongs to the most competitive and efficient oil companies.

Aker BP also reports increased reserves and resources and maintains excellent results in exploration, drilling and wells, projects and production. The company has a strong cash flow outlook and a robust balance sheet.

Main messages at the Capital Markets Day:

Potential to triple production by 2025 based on existing portfolio

Targeting production costs of USD 7 per barrel in 2023

The Board proposes dividends for 2019 of USD 750 million , up from USD 450 million in 2018, with an ambition to increase the dividend payments by USD 100 million per year to 2023

High-potential 2019 exploration program with 15 prospects to be drilled, targeting net unrisked prospective resources of 500 million barrels of oil equivalents ("mmboe")

Increased reserves (2P) to 917 mmboe, driven by conversion of resources to reserves.

Strengthened position in core areas in Norway after the acquisition of 11 licenses from Total and the acquisition of the King Lear discovery from Equinor, adding contingent resources (2C) totaling 173 mmboe

Increased contingent resources (2C) to 946 mmboe, driven by acquisitions and discoveries.

Roll-out of industry-leading digital solutions at all operated assets. Effective from 16 January 2019 , the Ivar Aasen-platform is the first manned platform in Norway to be controlled from an onshore control room

Guidance summary:



2018 preliminary 2019 Guidance Production 155.7 mboepd 155-160 mboepd Capex USD 1.20 billion USD 1.6 billion Exploration spend USD 359 million USD 500 million Abandonment spend USD 243 million USD 150 million Production cost per boe USD ~12 USD ~12.5 Dividend proposal USD 450 million USD 750 million

Low carbon operator at the forefront of digitalization

Aker BP continues to be an operator with low carbon emissions intensity; less than half the global average, and below the average for the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

 In cooperation with other great companies, we are going to reduce emissions, improve safety and increase efficiency through the entire value chain, says Hersvik.

Leveraging strong industrial alliances and enabling new business models with its partners continues to be an important part of Aker BP's strategy going forward.

The company is developing and adopting industry-leading digital solutions. Effective from 16 January 2019, Aker BP is the first company in Norway to control a manned platform from shore after the successful onshoring of the Ivar Aasen control room. Both on the Ivar Aasen platform and on Skarv FPSO, operators are using hand-held tablets connecting them with live data in Aker BP's Industrial Data Platform. The roll-out continues on the company's remaining assets.

 Sharing of industrial data will help us drive innovation in all areas of the E&P industry. We are already seeing design improvements and onshore monitoring of our equipment. This has facilitated smarter contracts with suppliers, enabling new business models for the future. This is only the beginning, says Karl Johnny Hersvik, Chief Executive Officer of Aker BP.

Strong performance in 2018  a foundation for continued growth

Aker BP produced 155.7 mboepd, in line with the guidance for 2018. Production costs in 2018 were USD 12 per boe. Capital spending amounted to USD 1.2 billion, USD 100 million below plan, and all current field developments remain on track.

- We have delivered on the goals we set for 2018. Aker BP is well positioned to deliver on our high ambitions for the coming years, says Hersvik.

Aker BP increased its reserves to 917 mmboe in 2018, driven by conversion of resources to reserves, especially in the Valhall area. Through license acquisitions and discoveries, the company's contingent resources increased to 946 mmboe.

Strong organic growth from existing portfolio

The company has a large and robust opportunity set in its existing portfolio. These opportunities represent a potential to triple Aker BP's production by 2025.

First oil from Johan Sverdrup is planned for November 2019 . At full production (Q4 2022) Johan Sverdrup will contribute more than 75 mboepd net to Aker BP.

Aker BP is targeting an area development of 550 mmboe at NOAKA. Full cycle project break-even for Aker BP's PQ concept is USD 35 per barrel, significantly better than the alternative UPP concept.

The company continues to unlock the resource potential in the Valhall area. Sanctioned and non-sanctioned projects will contribute to double the Valhall production compared to 2018.

The rfugl development will boost production from Skarv, and the production from Ivar Aasen is expected to remain stable around current levels. Significant resource additions in the Alvheim can increase production towards 2023.

Aker BP's ambition to rejuvenate Ula as an area hub includes increased oil recovery from the Ula reservoir, tie-ins of discoveries including King Lear, and exploration potential in the area.

- We see large opportunities for value creation from all our assets. Digital innovations and industrial alliances will help us achieve our growth ambitions in an efficient manner, says Hersvik.

Increasing value creation yields increasing dividends

The profitable growth projections and the strong balance sheet facilitate a higher dividend payout from the company. The Board proposes dividends for 2019 of USD 750 million, up from USD 450 million in 2018, with an ambition to increase the dividend payments by USD 100 million per year to 2023.

- Aker BP's ambition is to return the value creation to the shareholders. The dividend ambition is a reflection of the company's growth, value creation and strong financial position, Hersvik says.

Large and promising exploration program for 2019

The company has a large and promising exploration program for 2019. In total, Aker BP plans to participate in 15 exploration wells, targeting 500 mmboe of net prospective resources.

- This is a very exciting exploration program. We are investing to find profitable barrels around our hubs, test new plays and to generate new potential stand-alone development opportunities for Aker BP, says Hersvik.

Presentation and webcast

The Capital Markets Day presentations will be given today at Fornebuporten (Grand Hall, building B), Oksenyveien 10, Lysaker, Norway. Registration from 08:30 (CET).

A live webcast of the presentations will be available on our website www.akerbp.com, and will start at 09:00 (CET) today.

CONTACT:

Investor contact:

Kjetil Bakken

VP Investor Relations

tel.: +47-91-889-889

Lars Mattis Hanssen

Senior IR Professional

tel.: +47-99-459-460

Media contact:

Tore Langballe

VP Communications

tel.: +47-907-77-841

Ole-Johan Faret

Press Spokesman

tel.: +47-402-24-217

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/aker-bp-asa/r/profitable-growth-and-increasing-dividends,c2720185

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/1629/2720185/977944.pdf PDF https://mb.cision.com/Public/1629/2720185/992cd19c414a3bb2.pdf CMD2019 Aker BP

SOURCE Aker BP ASA

Related Links

http://www.akerbp.com

HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Fraud Solutions, a leader in fraud prevention services for financial institutions, and Q6 Cyber, a leading provider of cyber threat anti-fraud intelligence, announced that they have partnered to integrate Q6 data feeds directly into the TrueCards fraud prevention software platform.

TrueCards is a powerful tool allowing financial institutions' fraud teams to proactively and holistically monitor card holder transactions for test sites, breaches, and common points of compromise (CPC). Q6 Cyber employs a unique approach to monitoring the "Digital Underground," including the DarkWeb and DeepWeb. Leveraging years of law enforcement and intelligence experience in the dark corners of cyberspace, combined with cutting edge proprietary technology, Q6 delivers timely, targeted, and actionable intelligence that allows financial institutions to direct and prioritize resources against the most relevant threats and adversaries.

The integrated solution will feed Q6's powerful data directly into the back-end of TrueCards, delivering valuable insights and substantial fraud loss savings. The joint solution will provide financial institutions with two critical benefits. First, it will proactively identify payment cards that have been hacked or compromised, well before such cards are ever used fraudulently. And second, automate the common points of compromise analysis, seamlessly detecting breached merchants so that fraud investigators can proactively stop, block, and reissue compromised or stolen cards. Eli Dominitz, CEO of Q6 Cyber, explains, "Over the last few years, we have been working with financial institutions around the world to change the fraud paradigm from reactive to proactive. And we have succeeded - our clients report double-digit reductions in fraud losses year over year. Recently, we partnered with Advanced Fraud Solutions to pilot our joint solution and discovered that the client impact is even greater. Together, we deliver more intelligence at faster rates, enabling our clients to identify common points of compromise early on in the fraud cycle and act swiftly to reduce their exposure."

Ted Kirk, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Advanced Fraud Solutions, explains, "Teaming with a market leader like Q6 provides our clients with even more up-to-date and actionable data in the continued fight against card fraud. The Q6 team has an unsurpassed depth of knowledge and experience monitoring Dark Web and Deep Web sources that are otherwise inaccessible to our joint financial institution clients. By combining this powerful intelligence with our market-proven TrueCards tool for CPC location, we are delivering a best-in-class solution for fraud investigators looking to prevail over the stubborn threat of losses due to card fraud. This is one of those exceptional cases where the whole of the integrated solution is truly greater than the sum of its parts."

About Advanced Fraud Solutions



Advanced Fraud Solutions has been a trusted leader in providing fraud mitigation tools to the financial institution market for over a decade. Our products address a wide range of needs that the financial institution has, including card fraud, check fraud, and online banking fraud. Advanced Fraud Solutions is committed to providing cutting-edge technology and unparalleled service, combining customer feedback with our trusted fraud prevention knowledge to build innovative products, and improve upon our established solutions. In 2010, Advanced Fraud Solutions began establishing partnerships with other industry leaders, allowing the financial institution to leverage their existing infrastructure to deploy our fraud prevention solutions. Today, we have over 600 financial institutions nationwide utilizing a wide variety of fraud prevention tools, yet still subscribing to the idea that sharing high-risk information is the best approach to fighting fraud. For more information on AFS, please visit www.AdvancedFraudSolutions.com .

About Q6 Cyber

Q6 Cyber is an innovative threat intelligence company based in the USA and Israel. Q6 monitors the "Digital Underground" (including the DarkWeb and DeepWeb) to proactively identify and eliminate cyber threats and fraud. Q6 comprehensively monitors cybercriminal and fraudster marketplaces, communities, networks, and forums to spot relevant threats before they materialize into fraud losses or damaging breaches. This highly targeted and actionable intelligence is presented in an easy-to-use format so that clients can take action quickly and effectively. Q6 is led by seasoned professionals with decades of experience in US and Israeli intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Q6 serves large enterprise customers around the world, including many of the leading financial institutions. Get ahead of fraud and protect your organization and customers with Q6. Learn more at https://q6cyber.com.

SOURCE Advanced Fraud Solutions

Related Links

http://www.advancedfraudsolutions.com

CARY, N.C., Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In just one year, Indonesia's adaptation of International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9), known as PSAK 71: Instrumen Keuangan, will officially go into effect, requiring a significant accounting change that will affect operations, financial planning and portfolio strategy at banks across the nation. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), the largest bank in Indonesia and a top 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bank for tier 1 capital, is using SAS Expected Credit Loss to make that deadline.

Working with SAS' technology services partner Nexia Indonesia, SAS is helping BRI reduce its IFRS/PSAK 71 implementation risk and ensure long-term flexibility to meet evolving regulations.

With the IFRS 9/PSAK 71 implementation deadline in Indonesia set for January 2020, financial institutions need to act fast in their convergence of functions, technology and models. The updated standard on credit loss measurement drastically changes how financial institutions estimate, reserve and report on losses. To meet the compliance requirements, banks must analyze large volumes of data efficiently and tailor approaches to deploy risk management solutions across their organizations.

After a highly stringent process, BRI selected SAS to help the bank meet regulatory changes across its 12 business segments. SAS' solution has the full suite of capabilities to meet changing accounting requirements, while helping BRI converge its risk and finance functions. BRI will use SAS Expected Credit Loss to ensure fast, efficient risk model implementation as well as for testing and maintenance efforts after the IFRS 9/PSAK 71 implementation deadline in Indonesia.

SAS Expected Credit Loss is the preferred platform for transparent, fast and efficient credit loss modeling for IFRS 9 compliance among top-tier banks. With 100 deployments globally since 2014, SAS has helped a growing number of banks in ASEAN achieve operational readiness to meet the new accounting standards. Most recently, British multinational Standard Chartered Bank  present in all 10 ASEAN markets  was awarded The Asian Banker Risk Management Award for the implementation of an IFRS 9 solution, for which they used SAS Expected Credit Loss.

"IFRS 9 brings with it complex computational challenges and banks need a partner that can help them scale to meet these demands efficiently," said Sheldon Goh, Regional Head of Risk Solutions for SAS in ASEAN markets. "With significant traction in the region, SAS is well-positioned to help banks in emerging markets, such as Indonesia and Philippines, ensure effective and timely IFRS 9 implementations. We will support BRI with a centralized, high-performance analytics platform to address IFRS 9/PSAK 71 and other changing requirements in the financial services sector."

As the largest bank in Indonesia, BRI is backed by a customer base of more than 50 million, supported by modern facilities and comprehensive savings and loan products, from microfinancing to corporate. BRIsat, BRI's satellite covering Indonesia and Southeast Asia, connects over 10,000 BRI operating units to meet customer banking needs across the region.

What is ASEAN?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is a regional intergovernmental organization made up of 10 Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

What is IFRS 9?

IFRS 9  Financial Instruments is an International Financial Reporting Standard that arose in the wake of the global financial crisis. Intended to address weaknesses in the current IAS 39 standard, it includes a more forward-looking view of expected losses and how they are recognized on balance sheets.

For more on IFRS 9, download Tackle the New Complexity of IFRS 9 and CECL Standards, a free SAS white paper (registration required).

About SAS

SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.  indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright  2019 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE SAS

Related Links

http://www.sas.com

HELENA, Mont., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of Montana students, parents, and educators in showing support for school choice at the Montana Capitol building at noon on Thursday, Jan. 24.

Students from a wide array of educational backgrounds will come together at the Capitol to rally for educational opportunity. This event is planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2019, which will feature more than 40,000 school choice events across all 50 states.

Speakers at the rally include elected officials such as Rep. Seth Berglee, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, Rep. Bill Mercer, and community leaders such as Jeff Laszloffy, President and CEO of the Montana Family Foundation and David Herbst, State Director for the Montana Chapter of Americans for Prosperity.

"Why do we need school choice? The answer is easy," said Jeff Laszloffy, president and CEO of the Montana Family Foundation. "Two thousand kids drop out of school every year in the Big Sky Country. One size fits all education simply doesn't work for

every student. School choice reduces the drop-out rate by allowing every child to find their perfect educational fit."

This event is supported by the Montana School Choice Coalition, which focuses on empowering parents with the best education options for their children.

As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country. From January 20 through 26, 2019, more than 40,000 independently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com.

SOURCE National School Choice Week

Related Links

http://schoolchoiceweek.com

In making the announcement, Tim Laney, Chairman, President and CEO of National Bank Holdings Corporation, parent of Hillcrest Bank, said, "We are very excited to expand our commercial and business banking footprint into Utah, one of our Country's most diversified and progressive labor markets. We are fortunate to have Chet Samuelson join us to establish a strong foothold in what we recognize is a highly attractive and competitive market. In addition to his well-rounded and seasoned banking expertise, Chet also has a deep appreciation and understanding of the importance of being involved and engaged in the local community. We are thrilled to have Chet lead the way in serving our commercial and business clients and the community in Utah."

Samuelson received his Bachelor of Science and MBA from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and began his career in Ogden with Bank One. He remained through the bank's merger with J.P. Morgan Chase, working for them through 2014 in positions ranging from Credit Analyst to Senior Banker. During that time, he also led the effort as Chase Commercial Bank expanded into Idaho through their acquisition of Washington Mutual in 2008.

In 2014, Samuelson joined the Wells Fargo Commercial Bank in Utah and led the Global Banking expansion effort for Wells Fargo and its Middle Market customers, serving as Global Banking Regional Manager for the eight mountain states. He has served on numerous boards, including the Utah World Trade Center, Mountain West Capital Network, Utah Microenterprise Fund and the Utah County Chamber of Commerce.

Commenting on his decision to join Hillcrest Bank, Samuelson said, "Their strong commitment to relationship and community building is well aligned to my values. I am also impressed with the exceptional experience of the parent company's management team. They clearly recognize the opportunity to serve one of the strongest business communities in the country, and I am honored to serve as a founding leader in the market I call home."

NBH Bank also offers residential banking and mortgage services in Utah through Community Banks Mortgage.

About NBH Bank

NBH Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Bank Holdings Corporation (publicly traded onNYSE: NBHC), operates a network of 104 banking centers, serving individual consumers, small, medium and large businesses, and government and non-profit entities. NBH Bank operates under the following brand names: Bank Midwest in Kansas and Missouri, Community Banks of Colorado in Colorado, and Hillcrest Bank in Texas, New Mexico and Utah. National Bank Holdings Corporation is a bank holding company created to build a leading community bank franchise delivering high-quality client service and committed to shareholder results. Its banking centers are located in its core footprint of Colorado, the greater Kansas City region, Texas and New Mexico. Its comprehensive residential banking group primarily serves the bank's core footprint with an additional office in Utah, operating as Community Banks Mortgage.

For more information visit: bankmw.com, cobnks.com, hillcrestbank.com or nbhbank.com. More information about National Bank Holdings Corporation can be found at www.nationalbankholdings.com.

Or, follow us on any of our social media sites:

Bank Midwest: facebook.com/bankmw, twitter.com/bank_mw, instagram.com/bankmw;

Community Banks of Colorado:

facebook.com/cobnks, twitter.com/cobnks, instagram.com/cobnks;

Hillcrest Bank: facebook.com/hillcrestbank, twitter.com/hillcrest_bank;

NBH Bank: twitter.com/nbhbank;

or connect with any of our brands on LinkedIn.

SOURCE NBH Bank

Related Links

http://www.nbhbank.com

HONOLULU, Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Cool Water, LLC (HCW), Hawaii's largest provider and servicer of water filtration and purification systems, has acquired Coffee Systems Hawaii (CSH). The deal merges the companies' assets and employees, including CSH's 6000-sq.ft. headquarters. All CSH's current employees will be joining Hawaiian Cool Water.

The acquisition triples the size of HCW and adds a coffee, tea, equipment, accessories and service division. Owner Mike Hernandez-Soria said, "We've been moving into more and more sophisticated water-related services for Hawaii businesses and facilities; adding breakroom services aligns perfectly with our expansion."

HCW will rebrand to reflect recent growth, with an anticipated roll-out in the first quarter of 2019.

Founded 50 years ago, CSH is Hawaii's only: Keurig Authorized Commercial Distributor, Nespresso commercial distributor to offices, and Starbucks Preferred Office Coffee Provider. Stacy & Chaney Carnes, who have been with CSH for 25 years, said, "As we embark on our second half-century, we are excited to have Mike and his team help carry on the CSH legacy. We look forward to working together to keep Hawaii's workforce well-hydratedand well-caffeinated."

Founded in 2012 as a home-grown business based out of Hernandez-Soria's garage, HCW has expanded steadily. Clients include The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific Health and over 1000 businesses statewide.

About Hawaiian Cool Water

Owner Mike Hernandez-Soria worked passionately to develop the proprietary filtration systems at the heart of all HCW products and services. This technology creates the ideal purification process, in which readily available municipal water is purified on-site, as it's dispensed. No more cumbersome water jugs to deliver, lift, store, or wait for. No more plastic water bottles clogging oceans.

HCW's systems are also designed to address the unique properties of Hawaii's groundwater, which is unlike any in the nation with challenges not addressed by the industry's larger companies. Proper filtration reduces the need for repair and replacement of equipment, of importance in the cooling and foodservice industries where water undergoes phase changesand where Hawaii's remoteness makes repairs of specialty equipment even more burdensome. Proper water filtration ensures clients have pure, great tasting water, coffee and ice, and keeps their equipment working better longer. For more information, click here.

For information about Coffee Systems Hawaii, click here.

SOURCE Hawaiian Cool Water, LLC

Related Links

http://www.hawaiiancoolwater.com

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance, one of the leading insurance providers in the United States, today announced an annual commitment of $2 million to help support disaster preparedness, response and recovery programs in affected communities in California, Texas and others through partnerships with Team Rubicon and SBP, each receiving $1 million.

"The last several years have been difficult for communities across the country, especially here in our home state of California," said Jeff Dailey, CEO of Farmers Insurance. "Helping communities recover after a disaster is at the core of our business and community efforts, and we wouldn't be able to help communities recover as fast without the great collaboration with organizations like SBP and Team Rubicon."

The financial and resource commitment is hardly the first for Farmers  the organization has long been an industry leader in disaster response efforts, and prides itself on the ability to prepare for, respond to, and support its customers and their communities when a disaster strikes. Whether it's the dedicated Catastrophe Response Team and state-of-the-art Mobile Claims Centers (MCC), or ongoing collaborations with groups like SBP and Team Rubicon, Farmers has a long-standing commitment to help ensure customers  and the communities they live in  have access to services and assistance they need in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, as well as throughout the recovery process.

"After disaster, American citizens are at risk of being pushed beyond their breaking point if they do not have a clear path forward and are forced to stare into the abyss of uncertainty," said Zack Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of SBP. "While SBP is proud of our rebuilding work, which is strengthened by year-round volunteers from Farmers Insurance each year, Farmers generous investment will allow SBP to help thousands of families prepare for disaster, and navigate a clear path to recovery after."

Farmers first began work with SBP in 2012 when the two organizations collaborated together to help the community of Joplin, Missouri, recover from a catastrophic tornado in 2011. The collective work, which focuses on shrinking the time between disaster and full recovery, continues to develop with Farmers and SBP working together on community resilience and recovery projects in Monmouth County, New Jersey; San Marcos, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and most recently Houston following Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

"We are humbled by Farmers generous contribution and on-going support of Team Rubicon," said Jake Wood, co-founder and CEO of Team Rubicon. "We're excited to continue working alongside Farmers and our friends at SBP as we relentlessly pursue our mission of helping communities impacted by disasters stabilize, recover, and rebuild."

The insurer group further expanded its recovery efforts by enlisting the help of Team Rubicon in 2015 to deploy up to 100 of Team Rubicon's military veterans to work hand-in-hand with Farmers employees on a range of essential home repair and debris management activities immediately following disasters. The newest financial and resource commitment from Farmers will allow the two organizations to continue to collaborate, moving disaster affected communities from response, to relief, to recovery as quickly as possible.

About Farmers Insurance

"Farmers Insurance" and "Farmers" are tradenames for a group of affiliated insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes and small businesses and a wide range of other insurance and financial services and products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 10 million households with over 19 million individual policies nationally through the efforts of more than 48,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 21,000 employees. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the largest of the three primary insurers that are part of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, is recognized as one of the largest U.S. companies on the 2018 Fortune 500 list.

For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers.com, Twitter and Instagram, @WeAreFarmers, or Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

Contact: External Communications

Farmers Insurance

(818) 965-0007

[email protected]

SOURCE Farmers Insurance

Related Links

http://www.farmersinsurance.com

DETROIT, Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), presented three awards to outstanding automotive industry leaders who advocate for the use of steel in automotive applications. The award winners were recognized at SMDI's annual Men and Women of Steel Awards luncheon today during the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The awards include a $2,500 donation in honor of each recipient to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Foundation to help students, educators and corporations excel in STEM fields by providing educational programs and scholarships.

SMDI's Industry Innovator Award acknowledges an automotive designer or engineer who identifies industry challenges and implements new grades of steel as the solution. The 2019 Industry Innovator Award was presented to Joe Riggsby, principal engineer, upperbody design group, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. for employing more than 50 percent ultra high-strength steel (UHSS) in the 2019 Acura RDX. The RDX also touts the world's first UHSS inner and outer door ring system.

The SMDI Community Hero Award recognizes individuals and organizations whose work using steel impacts the quality of life of the community. This year's Community Hero Award recipient is Carla Bailo, president and CEO, Center for Automotive Research (CAR).

Under Bailo's leadership, CAR's objective materials research has been indispensable in driving industry innovation. Bailo has spent 35 years making an impact in the automotive industry and continues to be a prominent resource. Her extensive and well-rounded experiences leave an abiding impression on the auto industry.

The inaugural SMDI Manufacturing Leader Award is presented to an individual who implements steel for intended automotive applications and collaborates to overcome manufacturing challenges. The 2019 Manufacturing Leader Award recognized Doneen McDowell for her exemplary leadership as manufacturing executive director of General Motors North America. McDowell has served in leadership positions in nine different GM plants covering stamping, assembly and powertrain. In 2015, she was recognized by Automotive News as one of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry. With more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry she encourages diversity in the workplace and serves as a mentor and role model to many in manufacturing.

"Joe, Carla and Doneen have each made significant contributions to the automotive industry by serving as champions of high-strength steel through their innovation, leadership and customer-centric focus," said Dr. Jody N. Hall, vice president, automotive market, SMDI. "The value of automotive steel is substantiated by industry drivers like our Men and Women of Steel Award winners. Thanks to them, automakers and consumers alike will continue to benefit from steel's unmatched strength, durability and sustainability. "

Previous Men and Women of Steel Award winners include:

2018 Industry Innovator: Jack Dolan , architecture line executive for large vehicles, FCA US LLC.

, architecture line executive for large vehicles, FCA US LLC. 2018 Community Hero: Dr. Donald Malen , adjunct faculty member, University of Michigan .

, adjunct faculty member, . 2017 Industry Innovator: Gregory Warden , executive director and global functional leader, body, exterior & dimensional engineering, General Motors.

, executive director and global functional leader, body, exterior & dimensional engineering, General Motors. 2017 Community Hero: Steve Marks , industry technical support manager, Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR).

, industry technical support manager, Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR). 2016 Industry Innovator: Mike Sweers , executive chief engineer, truck programs, Toyota Motor North America Research and Development.

, executive chief engineer, truck programs, Toyota Motor North America Research and Development. 2016 Community Hero: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Vehicle Technologies for its support of research, development and deployment of efficient and sustainable highway transportation technologies to improve fuel economy and minimize petroleum use.

2015 Industry Innovator: Elizabeth Krear , chief engineer (Ram 1500), FCA US LLC.

, chief engineer (Ram 1500), FCA US LLC. 2015 Community Hero: Ron Moore , fire chief, McKinney, Texas Fire Department (retired), for his efforts in educating first responders and other emergency workers on cutting tools or alternate solutions for passenger compartment access.

AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 21 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and approximately 120 associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.

Steel Market Development Institute, a business unit of AISI, increases and defends the use of steel by developing innovative materials, applications and value-added solutions for customers in the automotive, construction and packaging markets. SMDI automotive investors include: AK Steel Corporation, Algoma, ArcelorMittal and Nucor Corporation. For more information on SMDI, visit www.autosteel.org or follow @SMDISteel on Twitter.

SOURCE Steel Market Development Institute

Related Links

http://www.autosteel.org

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In this latest report on Steel Wire Rope Market the market size is expected to scale up to USD BN by the end of financial year 2025. This report valued the market at USD BN in 2018. After evaluating the various market drivers and market restraints the report expects a % of CAGR across the study period. The report takes a deep dig in the market with detailed analysis on the Revenue, Production, and Capacity from 2013 to 2025.

The report also studies the marketing pricing, trends and extrapolates the growth rate for the next six years. The manufacturers data covered in the report assists in understanding the competitive scenario along with planning the capacity expansion plans.

The latest developments such as the organic and inorganic growth adopted by the key players mentioned in the report, throws light on the strategic planning of the competitors, thus assisting in taking informed decisions.

Download Free Sample Report of Steel Wire Rope Market Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-38859

The regional study covering all the key regions is an ideal data to understand growth opportunities at specific location or region. The analysis on the Industry Chain covering upstream and downstream customers will give access to a vast pool of knowledge to new or existing players.

The data in the section covering the opportunities & challenges have been collected by industry experts and analysts with deep understanding of the market. The details of the threats and Affecting factors is sure to assist in corporate decision making.

The major players in Europe Steel Wire Rope market include Bekaert, WireCo World Group, Teufelberger, Kiswire, Usha Martin, Gustav Wolf, Pfeifer, DSR.

Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Steel Wire Rope in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), covering Germany, France, UK, Italy, Benelux, Spain, Czech, Hungry, RoE (Rest of Europe).

On the basis on the end users/applications, this report covers Industrial & Crane, Oil & Gas, Mining, Fishing & Marine, Others.

Access Report and Full Table of Contents of Steel Wire Rope Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/38859-europe-steel-wire-rope-industry-market-report

Table of Contents-Guidelines

1 Industry Overview

2 Europe Industry by Players, Type and Application

3 Germany Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

4 UK Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

5 France Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

6 Czech Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

7 Benelux Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

8 Italy Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

9 Spain Industry (Revenue, Sales and Price)

10 Analysis of Industry Industry Key Manufacturers

11 Custom Content

12 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

13 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

14 Europe Industry Market Size (Revenue and Sales) Forecast (2019-2025)

15 Research Findings and Conclusion

16 Methodology and Data Source

View More Related Reports @

Global Wire Rope Market Insights, Forecast to 2025

https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/37392-wire-rope-industry-market-report

Global Steel Wire Rope Market Research Report 2017

https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/1854-steel-wire-rope-industry-market-report

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Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

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Phone: +91-90-28-057900

Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/CLEVELAND, Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Asurint today announced that their proprietary background screening technology has the capability to evaluate and provide an on-demand instant clear on individuals for the entire state of Massachusetts. This allows hiring managers to extend offers to candidates in hours, not the days that are standard in the hiring industry. A "clear" happens when a background check performed on an individual does not return any criminal history results in the specified jurisdiction of the search.

"Massachusetts is a testament of Asurint's ability to work with the courts and provide our clients the most up-to-date and accurate information," said Co-Founder & CEO Gregg Gay. "Last year, our instant clear coverage of Massachusetts only included Worcester and Middlesex counties. Now, we have 100 percent coverage of the state. That's an amazing achievement, and I'm looking forward to seeing more announcements like this for more states across the nation in the near future."

Massachusetts is the most populous state in the New England region of the U.S. with nearly 7 million residents spanning across 14 counties. Historically, turnaround time for background checks was slow in Massachusetts due to the manually-intensive process of retrieving court files and dramatically reduced court budgets. Background screen results in Massachusetts normally take over two days to return results on a single search. With the help of Asurint's technology, clear results are now available instantly.

Asurint provides instant clears on background screens for many other states such as Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Mexico, Florida and more.

For more information, visit our page to experience the Asurint Advantage yourself.

The counties in Massachusetts with instant clears through Asurint are:

Barnstable County

Berkshire County

Bristol County

Dukes County

Essex County

Franklin County

Hampden County

Hampshire County

Middlesex County

Nantucket County

Norfolk County

Plymouth County

Suffolk County

Worcester County

Contact:

Andrew Kraynak, Senior Vice President of Marketing

[email protected]

216-420-5578

Related Links

Asurint Website

SOURCE Asurint

Related Links

https://choose.asurint.com

In 2018, America's two most influential travel magazines gave travel to Japan a major thumbs-up, with Travel+Leisure pronouncing Japan the "Destination of the Year" for 2018 and the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards citing Tokyo and Kyoto as the top two big cities in the world.

"American tourism to Japan is expected to continue to rise in 2019 as the country builds up to host major international sporting events," continued Ise, "with a host of prestigious American media including Japan in their much-valued annual lists of the most recommended places to visit in the coming year." The list of media is unusually impressive, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, AFAR, Architectural Digest, Departures, Fodor's, and Frommer's.

For more information about travel to Japan, visit JNTO on its Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. To contact the New York office of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) New York office directly, please e-mail [email protected] or call 212-757-5641.

ABOUT JAPAN NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION (JNTO):

As the official tourism board of Japan, JNTO is involved in a wide range of promotional activities to encourage international travelers to visit Japan. Through a variety of campaigns and initiatives, JNTO is inspiring more American travelers to visit Tokyo, Kyoto and beyond.

SOURCE Japan National Tourism Organization

Related Links

https://www.us.jnto.go.jp/top/index.php

Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

In this latest report on Preschool Children's Toy Market the market size is expected to scale up to USD BN by the end of financial year 2025. This report valued the market at USD BN in 2018. After evaluating the various market drivers and market restraints the report expects a % of CAGR across the study period. The report takes a deep dig in the market with detailed analysis on the Revenue, Production, and Capacity from 2013 to 2025.

The report also studies the marketing pricing, trends and extrapolates the growth rate for the next six years. The manufacturers data covered in the report assists in understanding the competitive scenario along with planning the capacity expansion plans.

The latest developments such as the organic and inorganic growth adopted by the key players mentioned in the report, throws light on the strategic planning of the competitors, thus assisting in taking informed decisions.

Download Free Sample Report of Preschool Children's Toy Market Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-38800

The regional study covering all the key regions is an ideal data to understand growth opportunities at specific location or region. The analysis on the Industry Chain covering upstream and downstream customers will give access to a vast pool of knowledge to new or existing players.

The data in the section covering the opportunities & challenges have been collected by industry experts and analysts with deep understanding of the market. The details of the threats and Affecting factors is sure to assist in corporate decision making.

The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, market share for each company: MATTEL, HASBRO, AULDEY, HWTOYS, Lego, Bandai, Smoby, Chicco, Playwell, Yinhui.

Market size by Product Outdoor and Sport Toys, Puzzles, Educational Toys, Construction Sets, Model Vehicle, Others.

Market size by End User Exercise, Study, Treatment, Others.

Market size by Region North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China.

Access Report and Full Table of Contents of Preschool Children's Toy Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/38800-preschool-childrens-toy-industry-market-report

Table of Contents - Snapshot

Chapter 1 Study Coverage

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Breakdown Data by Product

Chapter 5 Breakdown Data by End User

Chapter 6 North America

Chapter 7 Europe

Chapter 8 Asia Pacific

Chapter 9 Central & South America

Chapter 10 Middle East and Africa

Chapter 11 Company Profiles

Chapter 12 Future Forecast

Chapter 13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

Chapter 14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

Chapter 15 Research Findings and Conclusion

Chapter 16 Appendix

View More Related Reports @

Global Educational Toy Sales Market Report 2018

https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/11530-educational-toy-sales-industry-market-report

Global Children Toothpaste Market Research Report 2018

https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/11232-children-toothpaste-industry-market-report

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Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

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Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/Sergio Ramos set to leave Real Madrid after 16 years Sergio Ramos is set to leave Real Madrid after the club announced a "farewell"

Three-member management committee to revamp TOR sworn in The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has sworn in a three-memberPolice arrest two Dansoman robbery suspects Police have arrested two persons who attacked and snatched the motorbike with

ECG issues mobile money scam alert The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a scam alert on theNato warns of military challenge posed by China Nato leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels have warned of the military

Police arrest two Dansoman robbery suspects Police have arrested two persons who attacked and snatched the motorbike with

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympic Games Rafael Nadal has announced he will not be playing at Wimbledon or the Olympic

ECG issues mobile money scam alert The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a scam alert on the

Chloe Kahn and Jodie Marsh rapped by watchdog The Advertising Standards Authority has named and shamed four influencers itWorld Bank introduces strict disbursement rules for Ghana's $200m vaccine loan The World Bank has put in place strict disbursement rules to check any abuse of

Stock market report for June 15, 2021 SAS Research has provided the following updates on the stock market activitiesItaly becomes first team to reach Euro 2020 knockout stage Manuel Locatelli had never scored twice in a match during his professional

Stock market report for June 15, 2021 SAS Research has provided the following updates on the stock market activitiesChloe Kahn and Jodie Marsh rapped by watchdog The Advertising Standards Authority has named and shamed four influencers it

14 times this year armed robbers heightened fears of insecurity in Ghana A brutal attack on a vehicle transporting cash to a bank on Monday, June 14,

Premier League fixtures for 2021/22 season released Tottenham will host champions Man City on a mouthwatering opening weekend ofNLC to meet TUTAG today The National Labour Commission, NLC and the leadership of the Technical

Three-member management committee to revamp TOR sworn in The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has sworn in a three-memberQuesto comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The Global Oxo Alcohol Market is expected to grow at a steady rate over the forecast period of 2018-2025.The major drivers of the market are increasing demand from various end use industries such as building and construction, automotive, and consumer goods. Strict government regulations are expected to restrain the growth of the market.

Get Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/722226 .

Based on type, market is segmented into Isobutanol, N-butanol and 2-ethylhexanol. On the basis of application, oxo alcohol market is segmented into plasticizer, acrylates, acetate, resins, solvents, glycol ethers and lube.

Regionally, Asia Pacific holds the highest share of the market with major contribution from China. North America and Europe is also expected to show significant growth over the forecast period.

Some of the key players operating in this market include Eastman Chemical Company, BASF SE, Exxon Mobil Corporation, INEOS Group Limited, Formosa Plastics Group and others.

Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @ https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/722226 .

Key Benefits of the Report:

*Global, Regional, Country, Application, and Deployment Market Size and Forecast from 2014-2025

*Detailed market dynamics, industry outlook with market specific PESTLE, Value Chain, Supply Chain, and SWOT Analysis to better understand the market and build strategies

*Identification of key companies that can influence this market on a global and regional scale

*Expert interviews and their insights on market shift, current and future outlook and factors impacting vendors short term and long term strategies

* Detailed insights on emerging regions, deployment & application, and competitive landscape with qualitative and quantitative information and facts

Order a copy of Global Oxo Alcohol Market Report 2019 @ https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/722226 .

Target Audience:

Oxo Alcohol providers

Traders, Importer and Exporter

Raw material suppliers and distributors

Research and consulting firms

Government and research organizations

Associations and industry bodies

Table Of Content

1 Executive Summary

2 Methodology And Market Scope

3 Oxo Alcohol Market  Industry Outlook

4 Oxo Alcohol Market Product Outlook

5 Oxo Alcohol Market Application Outlook

6 Oxo Alcohol Market Regional Outlook

7 Competitive Landscape

End of the report

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Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/13281002/Italy becomes first team to reach Euro 2020 knockout stage Manuel Locatelli had never scored twice in a match during his professional

Nato warns of military challenge posed by China Nato leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels have warned of the military

Ghana hosts ECOWAS Summit this week Ghana will, from today, host the Mid-Year Statutory Meetings of the EconomicPolice on high alert over possible terrorist attacks in Bolga, Tamale Police in the Northern and Upper East regions have been put on high alert over

Black Meteors suffer another defeat to South Korea The Black Meteors have suffered another defeat to South Korea in the second

14 times this year armed robbers heightened fears of insecurity in Ghana A brutal attack on a vehicle transporting cash to a bank on Monday, June 14,

Botswana diamond could be world's third largest A diamond believed to be the third largest ever found has been put on display

Ghana set for biggest cocoa harvest in a decade Ghana, the worlds no. 2 cocoa grower, is headed for its biggest harvest in atNato warns of military challenge posed by China Nato leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels have warned of the military

Galamsey: John Boadu petitions CID The General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu has petitioned the Director of the

14 times this year armed robbers heightened fears of insecurity in Ghana A brutal attack on a vehicle transporting cash to a bank on Monday, June 14,

Update: Vanished penis at Oti Region returns to the owner The penis of a 52-year-old farmer in the Krachi East Municipality of the OtiFRANCONIA [mdash] Donald "Don" Swift was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 3, 1954, and passed peacefully from his battle with cancer on June 13, 2021, with some family by his side. He is formerly of Scarborough, Ontario, and Beaconsfield, Quebec. He is survived by his two daughters: Katie Robert DePaul

Hammonton

US historically mistreated many immigrant groups

Regarding the recent letter, Democrats, minorities making US less European:

I am saddened by what I think is the xenophobia expressed by the writer. History teaches us that his lament dates back more than 200 years. Concerning my German forebears, Benjamin Franklin said, Those who come hither are generally of the most ignorant stupid sort of their own nation, and that Germans along with Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians, and Swedes tested the whiteness of America.

Many Americans suffer from a historical amnesia that is critical of immigrants who arrived after them. As St. Paul grieved over his generation to St. James, for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. Many anti-immigrant citizens have forgotten how their ethnic group, particularly those from Roman Catholic eastern Europe, was mistreated in the mid-19th century and gathered in an enclave such as Chinatown, Germantown and Little Italy in Americas largest cities.Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The Global Artillery Systems Market is projected to register a CAGR of 6.8% during the review period.

Artillery Systems Market Key Players

Avibras (Brazil)

BAE Systems (UK)

China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) (China)

Denel SOC Ltd (South Africa)

Elbit Systems (Israel)

General Dynamics (US)

Hanwha Group (South Korea)

IMI Systems (Israel)

Kmw+Nexter Defense Systems (Netherlands)

Lockheed Martin (US).

Get sample Report Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6787

Artillery Systems Market: Global Report Information by Type (Mortar, Howitzer, & Rocket Artillery), Component (Gun Turret, Fire Control System, Ammunition Handling System, & Auxiliary System), Range (Short, Medium, & Long), & Regio Report analyzes Market Size, Growth, Segments, Trends by Key Country With Industry outlook To 2023.

Artillery Systems Industry Scenario

The Global Artillery Systems Market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period due to the increase in defense spending in emerging economies. Self-propelled artillery vehicles with highly mobile weapons of great flexibility are largely adopted throughout the world.

Defense authorities across the world are focused on purchasing advanced artillery systems, especially in countries that are currently involved in conflicts and in emerging economies involved in territorial disputes. Due to the increasing number of conflicts, there is a greater need to maintain a sufficient inventory of munitions, which is driving market growth.

Moreover, the militaries in several countries are being modernized with existing technology and weapons systems being replaced.

Additionally, the increasing number of terrorist attacks, across the globe, governments have increased their defense budgets, which offers market players lucrative opportunities for growth. However, limitations in terms of storage space for large artillery systems are expected to restrain the growth of the market.

Based on range, the market has been classified as short, medium, and long. The medium range segment held the largest share of the global artillery systems market in 2017 due to the widespread adoption of medium-range artillery by military forces.

However, the long-range segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the increasing number of border disputes around the world.

Market Segmentation:

Based on component, the market has been segmented into gun turret, fire control system, ammunition handling system, auxiliary system, and others. The fire control system segment is expected to lead the market while the ammunition handling system segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the review period. The growth of these segments can be attributed to the increasing demand for accurate target detection and firing systems.

The global artillery systems market has been segmented, by region, into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America accounted for the largest market share in 2017 due to significant investments in artillery systems in the US and Canada.

The US is also a major manufacturer of artillery systems and is home to most of the key manufacturers. Europe is projected to be the second-largest market due to the rise in terror attacks and disputes in the region. The high demand for artillery systems in the UK, France, Russia, and Germany is expected to contribute greatly to market growth.

Asia-Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period. This is due to the increase in cross-border disputes in India, China, and South Korea. Moreover, the increasing government expenses for obtaining arms and equipment are expected to drive market growth in the region.

Scope of the Report

This study provides an overview of the global artillery systems market, tracking three market segments across five geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume, and share for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years in each region. The scope of the study segments the artillery systems market by type, component, range, and region.

By Type

Mortars

Howitzers

Rocket Artillery

Others

By Component

Gun Turret

Fire Control System

Ammunition Handling System

Auxiliary System

Others

By Range

Short Range

Medium Range

Long Range

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Other PR Source:

http://www.kxxv.com/story/39789152/artillery-systems-market-2019-size-share-trends-growth-insights-technology-innovations-opportunities-leading-player-analysis-and-regional-forecast-to

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Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comNew Jersey is making a concerted effort to improve the health of black babies. While its overall infant mortality rate is below the national average, the rate for black infants is three times higher than for whites.

Atlantic City was an early target for improvement, with a black infant mortality rate double that for the state. Then the September report from Gov. Phil Murphys office on city progress under the states administration underscored that focus.

That has gotten the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to require that combating infant mortality and obesity be part of a proposal by AtlantiCare for a $38 million health park in the city, adjacent to its hospital campus.

In the last year alone, multiple significant steps were taken on infant mortality in the state and city.

In May, the state Department of Health announced its Healthy Women, Healthy Families initiative would make $4.3 million in grants to organizations in eight high-need cities, including Atlantic City. The long-term goal of the grants was to increase the percentage of healthy births and reduce black infant mortality.CARTY, NICOLETTE MICHAELA "Nikki", - 22, of Del Haven, passed away in the comfort of her home on Thursday, January 10, 2019 with her family and dear friends at her side after a long, courageous and inspiring journey with brain cancer. Born in Cape May Court House, Nikki graduated from Cape May Tech where she was a member of the National Honor Society and SBYS; she later attended West Chester University prior to her diagnosis. With her sweet and endearing personality, she was always quick to reach out and connect with EVERYONE she met and had a special fondness and sincere gratitude for service men and women in our Armed Forces. She was honored as "#1 Big Sister" for the Big Sisters and Big Brothers of Cape May and Atlantic Counties. Although her life here on earth was all too short, her impact on all those around her lives on far beyond her years. Her life was colorful! She enjoyed so many things in her life; animals, babies, being with and helping sick and challenged people, saving iguanas and any animals, trips to Aruba, the beach and the boardwalk, looking for shells in Aruba, volunteering her time for any cause, sushi, butterflies, music (Rick Springfield), Law and Order, concerts (Zach Brown Band) but most of all her TIME spent with those she lovedher family and friends. She is predeceased by her paternal grandparents, Wallace and Doris Carty and her beloved brother, Daniel Carty. Nikki is forever loved by her family which includes her mother, Karen Monroe; father, Wallace Carty; siblings, Rachel, Melynda, Ashley, Michaela and Christian (her twin brother); maternal grandparents, Robert and Audrey Monroe; also nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family and many dear friends. Special thanks to Angelic Hospice and her Medical Team at Pearlman Center for Advanced Medicine. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday (Jan. 19th) at 12 noon in St. Ann's RC Church, 2901 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood where friends will be received by the family from 9am until 11:30am. Interment is private and at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Nikki's Wings of Love online at www.lunchwithlynch.com/nikki (Spilker Funeral Home, Cape May) info and condolences: spilkerfuneralhome.comATLANTIC CITY  Two men were arrested late Wednesday after a motor vehicle stop led to a chase and the discovery of drugs and guns, police said.

Just after 10:30 p.m., Keshaun Bunch, 28, of Sicklerville, and Stefano Santiago, 23, of Newfield, were pulled over at North Carolina and Pacific avenues after what officers said was multiple infractions from the driver.

Officers said they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked Bunch, the passenger, to exit. He exited the vehicle and ran, throwing a loaded handgun to the ground and jumping over several fences. Two officers caught up to Bunch and arrested him. He was in possession of 118 bags of heroin and 49 oxycodone pills, police said.

Santiago, the driver, was found in possession of small quantities of cocaine and marijuana, and arrested, police said.+8 Stockton opens student food pantry in Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY  For Stockton University freshman Cailey Jablonski, the stress of college doe

Im very concerned, because much of what you said tonight was anti-shelter, said Sam Kelly, a township resident who has advocated for a local homeless shelter. What is your transition process from homelessness to housing?

Ninety percent of the time, we skip the transition process and go straight from the streets to housing, McDonald said. If a shelter works in the community, fine, he said, but most communities do not do shelters well, especially if people spend years in a shelter with no clear path to permanent housing.

McDonald also said communities should make fewer arrests. He said a bank robber must be sent to prison for the safety of the public, but arrests for sleeping in public, panhandling and other minor crimes do nothing to address the problem, citing one man who spent about 10 years in jail over minor offenses, 60 to 90 days at a time, costing taxpayers far more than getting him into supported housing.

Cape May County Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton said the presentation gave him a lot to consider, but he made no specific commitment on county policy immediately after the meeting.

It is possible to address the issue if the community decides to make it a priority, McDonald said.

We know how to do this. Theres no mystery to this. It isnt rocket science, he said.Matthew Wagner came to work alongside his brother and said John Wagner Sr. knew the house fires were never going to be as easy as it is in a training facility, so he would make it as hot as he could to prepare firefighters for the worst.

+8 Huge turnout for firefighter Natalie Dempsey's funeral at Absegami H.S. GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Nearly a thousand firefighters and first responders from all over the No

Everyone laughed and said youre just like your brother John melting shields off of new kids, he said.

But jokes aside, John Wagner Sr. made sure newcomers were prepared for the challenges ahead.

He was behind whoever was there all the time, Giovanna Wagner said. He was there, and they knew that, which gave them the confidence to learn what they had to learn.

John Wagner Sr. was known for that kind of dependability outside of firefighting. His family said he was notorious for giving anyone who had broken down the gas from his own tank.

Whether it was stopping on the side of the road, helping Corbo set up for a fire school graduation or leaving surprise Christmas gifts on neighbors doorsteps, John Wagner Sr. was someone friends could count on.

If you needed something done, all you had to do was call John and hed make it happen. Its a tremendous loss. He was a good friend, Corbo said.Demolishing the aging buildings will help the township eliminate blemishes along the entrance to Atlantic City that officials have hoped to beautify. A 2009 redevelopment plan that envisioned high-rise condos and nightlife in the area has been at a standstill for years.

The last movement came in 2015, when the township used a $3 million grant from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to tear down five West Atlantic City motels. Among them was the Golden Key Motel, where the bodies of four prostitutes were found nearly 10 years earlier.

The township will discuss more concrete plans for the properties if the FEMA grant is approved. Those blueprints could include recreational fields, vegetation or restored wetlands to absorb flood water.

We cant build anything there once the motels are demolished, Miller said. We think it should look like a green belt.

In order for permeable green space to alleviate flooding on Route 40, Miller said the township would have to enter into an agreement with the state Department of Transportation to discharge water from the causeway and onto the four properties.But there continues to be gaps and holes in medical research, making physicians wary of recommending the therapy. Medical marijuana is a Schedule I drug and therefore not eligible to get federal funding for research.

A big criticism some physicians have is, where is the evidence? Elnahal said. We do need more research. The evidence is not as strong as wed like it to be.

The lack of evidence on specific outcomes for psychiatric disorders is concerning, said Dr. Inua Momodu, chairman of AtlantiCares department of psychiatry. He said other medication therapies have historically strong evidence in successfully treating patients.

Elnahal said there may be many times when medical marijuana would not be the first-line treatment, but physicians should be able to offer it as an option to compliment treatment or use if nothing else works.

Another health care worker who attended the lecture remotely said some of his patients were worried about using medical marijuana and getting drug screened at work. Currently, people are not protected, Elnahal said, but he hopes pending state legislation will address that.

Stockton to host panels on alternatives to opioids GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Two panel discussions on opioid addiction and alternatives to the drugs PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.MILLVILLE  A Millville resident will be on Wheel of Fortune for the first time Friday evening after playing along through her TV for 35 years.

The Daily Journal article Wednesday described the appearance as Lora Whiteheads childhood  and adult  dream, finally coming to fruition.

"I've been watching since I was 4 years old, basically all my life," Whitehead, 39, told The Daily Journal. "I never tried to get on the show before because it's one of those things where you think you'll never get picked."

But in September, Whitehead was selected after attending a Wheelmobile event in the Poconos for aspiring contestants. Wheel of Fortunes website says more than 1 million people applied last year and 600 of them were selected to appear on the show, the Daily Journal reported.

She had to audition in Philadelphia the next month to demonstrate her stage presence, and was chosen again. In November, she flew to Los Angeles with her mother and two children to make her appearance, according to The Daily Journal.

Before she could take in the experience, it was over, Whitehead told The Daily Journal, who plans to apply again. She has to wait five years, according to Wheel of Fortune rules.Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said the immediate concern is that if residents see their spending money double, they may spend it all too soon. If they do that, they will be in need of emergency food assistance next month.

More than 38,000 adults and children in Atlantic County relied on food benefits this month, according to the state Department of Human Services.

The system is being compromised, Levinson said. This is far-reaching. Most people live paycheck to paycheck. They (residents) are a pawn in this game. Its disgraceful whats going on in Washington, and in the meantime, you have people in distress.

This can be a tough time of year already to find work and pay for expenses after the holidays, Chicas said. Just the other day, someone went to buy groceries at the store and didnt have money on their food card, leaving empty-handed.

In all the years LaTourette has worked in the food assistance and emergency services fields, never before does she remember a time when uncertainty over long-term SNAP funding has been as dramatic. If funding stops completely in March, it will become an unprecedented situation, she said.What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-352-3334 or email legals@waverlynewspapers.com.Pleasantville library events for February

The Pleasantville branch of the Atlantic County Library System, located at 33 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., will offer a variety of programs in February. To learn more, call 609-641-1778.

Blind Date with a Book: During the month of February, the Pleasantville library invites adults to take a chance to fall in love with a book. Reach into the branchs Blind Date Box, grab a random book and check it out. Then fill out a "How was your date?" evaluation form to review your match.

Atlantic County Library Foundation book sale: Visit the sale room at the local branch library from Feb. 1 to March 30 during regular branch hours and find readable treasures at a bargain. The proceeds go to the Atlantic County Library Foundation, which funds library programming.

Drop-in Chess and Checkers: The Pleasantville library will hold a drop-in chess and checkers program daily Feb. 1 through March 30 for all ages during regular branch hours. Younger children must be accompanied by an adult. Join in at the new chess/checker table in the Reading Room. Learn together, teach others or borrow a chess instruction book and teach yourself.WOODBINE Cape Assist will sponsor six classes designed to teach those 51 years and older to become healthy and stay that way as they age, Mayor William Pikolycky said.

Sessions will be held at the Woodbine Community Center, 812 Longfellow St.

The sessions are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, and March 6 and 13. Lunch will be provided. All those completing the six sessions will receive a $50 gift card at the end of the program.

Funded by a grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, the Wellness Education program classes will cover a variety of topics, including making healthy lifestyle choices; factors and behaviors to avoid in order to stay healthy; safe practices regarding alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter medications; and simple tools to take charge of your own health care and navigate the health care system.

The goal of these Wellness Education Workshops, also known as WISE, is to extend good physical and mental health and to prevent or delay out-of-home placement for older adults.

Registration is required as seating is limited. To register, email callattagoolsby1@gmail.com. For any questions, call Lisa Pilli at 609-522-5960 or email her at lisa@capeassist.org.

I encourage all those over the age of 51 to take part in this free educational program to enhance their personal healthcare goals, Pikolycky said. Remember all those completing all six sessions will be receiving a gift card.The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State office, on Thursday said that 26 political parties would be participating actively in the general elections in the state.

Emmanuel Alex-Hart, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Edo, made the fact known at a sensitisation programme organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for South-South geo-political zone on voided votes in Benin.

Represented by Wilfred Ifowga, the head of Voter Education, Alex-Hart said: Although we have 91 registered political parties in the country, only 26 out of the number are active in the state.

Not all the political parties are fielding candidates for the presidential election, so the ballot papers will not be too long to avoid voided votes.

A careful study has shown that the high number of voided votes recorded during previous elections could be attributed to poor voter enlightenment.

Since the findings, the Commission stepped up its voter education effort by engaging all stakeholders to ensure every vote counts and the number of voided votes is reduced.

According to him, a vote can help produce the necessary margin for a winner and can also make a candidate lose an election or even for a re-run.

The INEC commissioner urged stakeholders to double efforts to ensure conclusive elections and avoid mistakes which could easily be prevented before the Election Day.

Mr Alex-Hart said: The 2019 general elections is 29 days from now, lets drive the message home so that the consequences of voided votes can be avoided.

Grace Eseka, the Acting State Director, NOA, who welcomed stakeholders to the programme, said the programme was organised as part of the agencys role in ensuring that the state was peaceful for elections.

Mrs Eseka said the programme was also to ensure that the votes of the electorate counted and more importantly curb voided votes in the forthcoming general elections.

The number of voided votes in the past is of concern and has to be reduced to the barest minimum.

This voter education programme is taking place in the six geo-political zones and local government areas nationwide and I urge you to take this national discourse seriously, Mrs Eseka said.

According to her, the agency will continue to educate the electorate on the various symbols of all the registered political parties and how best to thumb print in order to minimise the problem of voided votes.

Yusuf Bako, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, promised to take the message to the Muslim community.

Roland Osakwe, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo Council, however, said the role of the press was critical to successful conduct of the elections.

Mr Osakwe, however, said those who needed the voter education were not represented at the programme.

(NAN)

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The Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has never fairly won a governorship election in the state since 1999.

PDP produced four governors in the state between 1999 and 2015 when Mr El-Rufai was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). s

But in a Channels Television talk show, Sunrise Daily, on Thursday, the governor said the PDP has been stealing the peoples mandate in the state.

Asked if he was astounded by the large crowd at the PDP governorship rally on Tuesday in Kaduna, Mr El-Rufai simply replied: I am not worried about the crowd, the PDP always rent a crowd. We are connected to the ordinary people.

Mr El-Rufai had previously made a similar allegation when he said during the inauguration of his campaign committee in Kaduna in December that majority of the persons at the PDP presidential rally in Sokoto were hired from neighbouring Niger Republic.

The PDP usually rents crowd and being in the Government House, I now know for sure checking back on the records that the PDP has never won the governorship elections in Kaduna State, they always stole it.

We know where we are, we know where we are strong and where we are weak, we know what the issues are and we know what the messages should be. We are very scientific about it.

The governor also said that his choice of a female running mate was out of competence. He disagreed that running a Muslim-Muslim ticket will make him lose votes in the majority Christian southern Kaduna axis.

Even if I chose a pope as my running mate, 67 per cent of the people of Southern Kaduna have made-up their minds that they will not vote for me, the Christians in Southern Kaduna have made-up their minds that they will not vote for me.

My current deputy governor is a Christian and I did not choose him because he is a Christian. But it never brought him any good, in fact, it brought him disrespect. No one respected him in Kaduna just because he is in what they call Islamic fight.

I want to assure you that, one I want to win this election, so Im not going to take a foolish decision. What is the point? I want to win the election, I want to win for my party and win Kaduna for President Muhammadu Buhari, he said.The Sokoto State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the states 2019 budget of N169.652 billion as presented by Governor Aminu Tambuwal.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Appropriation Bill was passed following a motion moved by the Assemblys Majority Whip Habibu Modachi (PDP- Isa).

The motion came after the consideration of a report by the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation.

Presenting the report, the Committee Chairman, Malami Ahmed (PDP- Sokoto South II) said the amounts proposed for both recurrent and capital expenditure remained the same as submitted by the governor.

The sum of N70,468,519,058.00 representing 41.53 per cent for recurrent expenditure and N99,184,252,425.00 representing 58.47 per cent for capital expenditure remain the same as proposed.

That the 2019 budget amounting to N169, 652,771,486.00 is neither added nor reduced by the committee. The figure remains as submitted to the assembly by Gov. Tambuwal.

Moreover, based on the genuine request of the Sub-Committee, the Committee moved resources inwards to accommodate some important demands and interests of the people, Mr Ahmed said.

He said the committee recommended that the state government should ensure forwarding of the obsolete tax laws to the state House of Assembly for amendment.

This is with a view to making an upward review of the rate to conform to the present economic reality. This would also go a long way in enhancing revenue base of the state.

That henceforth, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with MDAs should adequately scrutinise and ensure correct figures, project titles, descriptions, location and costs are inserted in the subsequent budget proposal, he said.

Mr Ahmed commended the Board of Internal Revenue for sustaining more efforts in improving the states Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2018.

In 2018 we learnt that the board had recorded great improvement in IGR from N9 billion in 2017 to N13.1 billion.

This is a great and encouraging improvement for the state, as such we commend the boards commitment and urge them to sustain such for better service in the state, Mr Ahmed said.

The Pro tempore Speaker, Garba Bello (PDP-Yabo), said The bill is accordingly read for the third time and passed, as the members unanimously accepted it in a voice vote.

NAN recalls that Governor Tambuwal had on December 24, 2018 presented the budget to the State House of Assembly for consideration.

Mr Tambuwal had said the budget was carefully formulated in line with the strong desire to address the fundamental needs of the people of the state.

The budget was tagged Budget of Consolidation for Sustainable Growth and Development which reflected a shortfall of over N50 billion compared to the over N220.5 billion of 2018.

According to him, the projected revenue breakdown of the 2019 budget stands as, statutory allocation N45.133 billion, Value Added Tax (VAT) N14.473 billion and Internally Generated Revenue N28.668 billion.

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Federal grants on state fiscal transparency N4 billion, miscellaneous revenue from FG including excess crude N26.550 billion, transfer from consolidated account N2.500 billion and budget support from FG N10 billion.

Domestic loans and bonds N20 billion, UBEC funds N1.474 billion, loans/grants to capital projects N 14.854 billion, civil/public servants contribution to education N1 billion and SDGs/CGS N1 billion, he said.

(NAN)ADVERTISEMENT

A rally organised by the Peoples Democratic Party in Jigawa State turned violent on Thursday.

The rally was held in Gwaram Local Government Area and attended by thousands of PDP supporters, including a former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.

The violence is believed to have started when a police officer, trying to maintain peace, shot one of the participants.

An initial report suggested the victim died but our reporter later determined that he survived the shooting and is receiving treatment at Gwaram Hospital.

A mob at the rally then turned on the police officers at the rally, burning down a police vehicle.

What led to the shooting remained unclear at the time of filing this report.

Mr Lamido, who was on the podium at the time of the incident, called for calm saying, Dont tamper with the vehicle, its my vehicle.

But the angry mob failed to listen. They set the vehicle ablaze.

The incident forced Mr Lamido to step down from the podium to address the youth who had started targeting police officers at the event.

The Jigawa State police command had last week barred the PDP from campaigning at a market in Gumel Local Government Area.

Police Commissioner Bala Senchi had said using the venue on a market day could create panic and other security challenges for the state.

That did not go down well with the PDP in the state which described the police as unfair to the opposition in Jigawa. Babandi Gumel, the PDP deputy chairman in the state, accused the police commissioner of bias.

The Thursday event in Gwaram was meant to present PDP candidates from Jigawa North-central, which consists of seven local government councils.

The violence started just as a party chieftain, Isa Ahmed, was presenting candidates for the state House of Assembly.

Another party leader was billed to present candidates for the House of Representatives but the event was disrupted after the shooting, with dignitaries hurrying down from the podium in desperate moves to calm angry party members.

Former Governor Lamido trekked for several kilometres pacifying rampaging youth.

When contacted, the Jigawa police spokesperson, Audu Jinjiri, said he was yet to be brief on the incident.The Jigawa State House of Assembly has recommended the sack of principal of its school of health technology, Sani Adamu, over alleged irregularities in the management of the school.

The house ad-hoc committee, chaired by Bala Hamza, and five other members recommended the sack and it was unanimously agreed to by the state house of assembly on Tuesdays sitting.

A director, information and publication for the states House of Assembly, Babangida Usman, stated this in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.

He said the lawmakers acted based on a petition brought to the house from the permanent and indigenous academic staff of the School of Health Technology, Jahun.

The report stated that the government shall immediately commence the search for a qualified, competent and independent-minded person to appoint as the substantive principal of the school.

The lawmakers ordered that the government shall ensure Mr Adamu is relieved of his position as the sole administrator of the school of health technology, with immediate effect.

According to the statement the government shall ensure the full implementation of its Treasury Single Account(TSA) policy to ensure prudence and follow up non-compliance with severe sanctions and all charges made on students by the institutions of higher learning in the state are regular and affordable.

Mr Adamu, was the principal of the school until the 1st day of December 2018, when he statutorily retired from service, but was later re-appointed by the state government as sole administrator of the school.

The school, located at Jahun Local Government Area of the state, is the main school that produces health workers for most of the health facilities in the state.

The government shall immediately commence the process of transmitting a draft bill to House of Assembly for consideration and possible passage, so as to provide a clear governance and succession procedure for the school.

The embattled Mr Adamu, who appeared before the house committee, denied all allegations levelled against him by the petitioners, claiming that the petition was driven by spite while he was putting his best for the institution most cherished by him.

How the trouble began

PREMIUM TIMES went through the findings of the committee which revealed that the states Head of Service violated public service rules in the appointment of Mr Adamu as Sole Administrator after he reached a mandatory time of retirement.

The House Committee found that the approval letter of appointment as the Sole Administrator of the school was issued by the Head of Service via letter No. ESM/POL/S/7/S.2/V.I/62 dated November 19, 2018, in which the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) was requested to issue the appointee an appointment letter.

The appointment letter was issued by the office of the SSG via letter No. SSG/POL/S/E/S.I/V.VIII/1327 dated November 28, 2018 for an unspecified term in office.

The House ad-hoc committee, chaired by the member representing Kazaure, Bala Hamza and five others members, invited the secretary to the State Government, the state Head of Service and commissioner Ministry of Health, in a bid to address the development.

The committee also invited the petitioners who came in large numbers, to put their case before the committee. They detailed their grudges, with emphasis on how Mr Adamu dubiously run the affairs of the school.

The House committee pointed out that the appointment of Mr Adamu is null and void because it violates rules 020401 and 020601 of the Public Service Rules, 2006 which only recognises Contract and Acting Appointments respectively but no provision was made for Sole Administrator throughout the rules.

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Also, in the Community and Health Practitioners Act, CAP, C. 19 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which established the Community and Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria which is the regulatory body of the school and in all correspondences from the Board to the school stated that :the only officers recognised to lead a school or college of Health Technology under the supervision of the Board are Principal for a school of Health Technology and Provost for a college of Health Technology.

They explained that the term, Sole Administrator, is not popular in a democracy as it is historically employed during the military era to manage a crisis situation.

The house committee observed that there was undue interference in the running of the affairs of the school from some unauthorised quarters, hence, their decision, on the matter.Atiku Abubakar has confirmed his arrival in the United States.

In a post on Twitter, he said: Just arrived Washington D.C for meeting with US government officials, Nigerians living in D.C metropolis and the business community. -AA, with a photograph, showing him clutching a bouquet of flowers, along with Senate President Bukola Saraki and a lady.

Just arrived Washington D.C for meeting with US government officials, Nigerians living in D.C metropolis and the business community. -AA pic.twitter.com/EafM47B83A  Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) January 17, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC had said it was not sure if the former Vice-President would be visiting the United States any moment soon.

A competent source at the embassy told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the embassy was yet to get official information about the former vice president.

Mr Abubakar, who is the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was then being rumoured to have arrived in the United States on Thursday night. Some other reports said he was on his way.

The embassy source, however, said the embassy was still awaiting official communication to that effect.

Actually, we have not received any information for the embassy but we are just trying to find out whether really he is coming. That is what we are doing right now.

They told us hes coming tonight, today, so we are trying to find out whether hes really coming.

Mr (Peter) Obi, (Atikus running mate), he was to come last week but the event was cancelled.

So we are still trying to see but if you get anything, please just let us know also because they said hes coming here so that if youre able to get any updated information, just inform us so that we can prepare vehicles to go to the airport and meet him and all that.

For now, we have no information. If I am able to confirm anything, I will get back to you and please, if you too get any confirmation or any update, just get back to me, just call me.

As a former Vice President, the Embassy is supposed to organise to receive him at the airport and all that, but then we have not received anything in that regards, the source said.

NAN reports that Mr Obi was billed to be in the U.S. last week and was scheduled to have a New Jersey/New York Townhall but the event was postponed.

The PDP vice-presidential candidate is now rescheduled for the New/Jersey/New York USA Town Hall Meeting at Robert Treat Best Western Hotel, New Jersey on Monday, January 21.

The clarification from the embassy came as online reports said Mr Abubakar has either landed in the US or has taken off from Nigeria to address the US Chamber of Commerce on Friday, from 2:30 pm to 4 pm local time.

The Cable claimed that Mr Abubakar secretly flew out from Lagos on Wednesday night with most of his aides and associates taken unawares.

He was scheduled to be in Ogun state on Thursday morning but the event was cancelled, it said.

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Mr Abubakar was said to have been issued last December with a US visa for the first time in 13 years. The visa was reportedly facilitated by his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, a former foe, turned campaign endorser.

But reports said Mr Abubakar sensed the visa could be a trap by the Americans and thus asked for a guarantee from the US government that he would not be arrested over a case of money laundering, for which there were reports of a sealed indictment by the US Justice Department.

In another case, former congressman William Jefferson was jailed for 13 years for accepting a bribe from an investor, Lori Mody, who was wearing a wire. Mr Jefferson told the investor that he would need to give then Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar $500,000 as a motivating factor to make sure the company obtained contracts for iGate and Modys company in Nigeria.

But Daily Trust, quoting Mr Abubakars Special Adviser on Media, Paul Ibe debunked the report of Mr Abubakar travelling to the United States.

Mr Ibe told Daily Trust via a telephone chat Thursday afternoon that online reports which stated that Mr Abubakar had travelled to the US were a figment of the imagination of the authors.

You know what the social media can do. You know the social media for what they are now. It is not true. His Excellency hasnt gone anywhere, he said.

(NAN)ADVERTISEMENT

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Benin, the Edo capital for his South-south campaign ahead of the February 16 presidential election.

The presidential aircraft (5N-FGN) that conveyed the nations number one citizen landed at the airport at 3:05 p.m.

Mr Buhari was received at the airport by Governor Godwin Obaseki, alongside the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole; Lagos State Governor Akiwunmi Ambode; the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other top government officials.

The president immediately left the airport for the palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.

He is scheduled to return to Abuja after the rally.

(NAN)ADVERTISEMENT

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday reiterated his plan to privatise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) if elected on February 16.

Mr Abubakar also promised to double the size of the Nigerian economy.

Reuters reported Wednesday that Mr Abubakar, a businessman who served as vice president to former president Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, said he would double the size of Nigerias economy to $900 billion by 2025.

The former vice president said this at a meeting with business leaders in Lagos.

I am committed to privatising NNPC, Mr Abubakar was quoted as saying. Even if they are going to kill me, Ill do it.

Mr Abubakar said his privatisation plans would extend further than the oil sector, adding that he would direct the advisory National Council on Privatisation to draw up a very comprehensive policy as far as privatisation of government enterprises.

He said, As a policy, we want to have less government as far as businesses are concerned. No sector is going to be exempted as far as liberalisation and privatisation is concerned.

Mr Abubakars campaign has sought to focus on free-market principles that saw him put in place a programme of liberalisation. The candidate also said he would oversee the removal of multiple exchange rates currently put in place by the Nigerian authorities.

I will rather allow the currency to float so that we can have a realistic single exchange rate that would be stable. That will encourage foreign investors, Mr Abubakar said, according to Reuters.

The PDP candidate will slug it out with President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the presidential election.

The NNPC reported monthly group revenues totalling N4.58 trillion ($14.9 billion) in the 12 months to September 2018 with oil sales accounting for about two-thirds of government income. Earlier in 2018, Mr Abubakar had stated in his manifesto that he intended to break up NNPC.

He also added that he would scrap petrol subsidy, which successive governments have retained to keep official fuel prices low.

I have always been an advocate of subsidy removal. It is a policy I intend to continue until we completely eliminate that subsidy, he said.The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have asked the Nigerian government to release N50 billion to demonstrate its commitment to the revitalisation of public universities, in line with previous agreements with their union.

The striking lecturers gave this as a condition for calling off its strike which began November 4 last year.

The N50 billion, the union said, will form the first tranche of the N220 billion government agreed for the project this year and add to the N20 billion earlier released for the year.

The President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday night.

He said the union is not asking the government to release the whole N220 billion at once.

ASUU called the current strike to press for improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government.

The union is also demanding implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU; 2012 and 2013) and Memorandum of Action (MoA, 2017) and the truncation of the renegotiation of the unions agreements.

The union asked the government to release funds for the revitalisation of public universities, based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013 and the MoA of 2017. The teachers are also angry over the failure of the government to release operational licence to the Nigerian University Employees Pension Company (NUPEMCO).

However, a major issue dragging the negotiations forth and back is the revitalisation of the universities. At present, the government is yet to release the N1.1 trillion it agreed to release as part of the funds for the revitalisation project.

The 2013 MoU stipulated that public universities need N1.3 trillion for a modest revitalisation. The fund was to be released in tranches of N200billion in 2013, N220billion 2014, N220billion 2015, 220billion in 2016, N220billion in 2017 and N220billion in 2018.

The previous government of Goodluck Jonathan released N200 billion in 2013 but since then nothing has been released.

At the seventh meeting of government with the leadership of ASUU January 8, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said the dispute with the teachers was on the verge of being resolved. He listed the fresh concessions made by the government to ASUU.

According to Mr Ngige, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance presented evidence that N15.4 billion had been released to public universities for payment of salary shortfall.

On earned academic allowances, he said President Muhammadu Buhari approved N20 billion to offset arrears of the 2009 to 2012 verified earnings by university teachers.

As part of the agreement reached between the union and the government before ASUU ended its industrial action in September 2017, the Federal Government had released N22.9 billion for earned allowances of both academic and non-academic staff across 22 Federal universities.

Of the amount, ASUU members got N18.3billion, while non-teaching staff in the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) got N4.6 billion.

The sharing formula, which was condemned by the three non-academic staff unions, led to pockets of protests on various campuses at the time, and eventually led to the unions embarking on a long strike.

Apparently, to avoid the controversy that greeted the sharing of the allowance in 2017, ASUU is insisting that the Federal Government should categorically state the amount earmarked for its members, which it said must not be less than N18.3 billion it received then.

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Premium Times reported how the union said it will communicate its decision on the offers made to it by the federal government on January 16.

The union also urged the government to show concrete evidence of commitment to agreements on meeting its demands.

But in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday night, ASUU President, Mr Ogunyemi, said if the government can mainstream the unions demands especially on earned allowances in the 2019 budget, the union will not need to come back for negotiation in 2020.

Government promised to mainstream academic allowance in 2017, starting from the 2018 budget but it was not done. If the government is promising it again, what steps have they taken, can we have evidence? Once beaten, twice shy.

Mr Ogunyemi said the federal government can spread the N220 billion for revitalisation of universities across four quarters.

In which case, the N50 billion they will release now, if you add to what they released, N20 billion for last year, we would have 150 billion left for the rest of the year and that has been spread over the next three quarters.

Thats what weve been saying as our minimalist position, he said.

On the shortfall in salaries, he said: Government promised to release the shortfall in salaries by January 18th, thats two days away. Lets wait and confirm that theyve released it. We told them to also address the case of two or three universities that were omitted, he said.

Mr Ogunyemi said the union has submitted its suggestions and may be meeting with the government next week. But were waiting for their confirmation, he said.After years of putting billions of dollars of their own money into the support of the sector and other humanitarian causes across the world, philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates say more investments in global health will yield incredible returns for mankind.

The couple spoke on Wednesday in a teleconference with journalists across the world on the importance of continued robust investment in global health.

Mrs Gates noted there has been considerable improvement in human conditions in the last two decades due to improved investment in the sector.

She said the result of the huge global investments in the sector is that the poorest parts of the world have not only become less poor, they have also become much healthier.

Mrs Gates said investment in vaccines has helped reduce under-five mortality rate by more than 50 percent since 1990. She said this is a dramatic improvement in the lives of the worlds poorest and youngest.

When Bill and I are out traveling, we see this when we talk with families. Deaths due to infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, measles have halved from their 1990 levels, and theyve contributed to nearly 100 percent in the overall decline in mortality in poor countries.

Bill and Melinda Gates are co-founders of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is the largest private foundation in the United States, holding $50.7 billion in asset.

The primary aims of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally, and in the US to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.

The couple is talking about the gains in the renewal and continuous investment in global health ahead of the October meeting in France where donors will be gathering to replenish the Global Funds.

The couple agreed that there has been a huge improvement in the health of people global due to the investment made on live-saving commodities.

Mrs Gates said the Global Fund just announced the $14-billion investment case for its sixth replenishment last week.

She said the actual replenishment will take place in October in France under President Macrons leadership, and they are excited to see the ambitious plan they have and hope the Gates Foundation can get either close to or get to that number.

So all of these funds over this 18-month period will be turning to the donors, which are primarily the governments and asking for continued support. The incredible returns on investments are why we are committed to funding these mechanisms in the future She said.

Mrs Gates said the story behind the declining numbers can only be attributed to the various investments in the health through the global health funds.

Were excited to talk to you today about a good news story, and that is, that the world has actually become dramatically healthier in the last 20 years. The story of the past two decades is a story of incredible improvement in the human condition. And its one of the reasons Bill and I call ourselves Optimists, she said.

The investments in vaccine production and distribution to low and middle-income countries have been funded majorly by global health funds.

Around 2000, the world started investing more in global health, and in particular in global health institutions that pooled the worlds resources to buy health commodities such as vaccines, contraceptives among others that would make the people healthier.

Fortunately, Nigeria is also a beneficiary of the investment and the progress has been evident in the recent upward review of immunisation progress recorded in the country among under-five children.

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The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $75 million to immunisation intervention in Nigeria for the next five years.

Some of the global health institutions like GAVI focus on childhood vaccines but there is also the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is working to eradicate polio. There is also the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria, and more recently, the Global Financing Facility, which is focused on maternal and child health.

Mrs Gates said looking back to 1999 when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invested almost $10 billion in these global health funds, which represents $1 in every five investments they made, they would not have made those investments and continued to make them if they did not see the incredible return that were getting in the payoff for the world.

The data has been really striking to us about these investments. A child born today is half as likely to die before the age of five, compared to if she was born in 2000. The human and economic benefits of this are just enormous.

Mr Gates in his remark on the impact of the investment in global health, said GAVI and the Global Fund were created due to the urgency in improving healthcare, particularly about HIV epidemic and the very high level of childhood deaths in poor countries.

He said though vaccines were available in the last 20 years, they were going to the countries where the impact was pretty modest because health conditions were good; and not getting out to the places where they would make a dramatic impact and literally save millions of lives.

Mr Gates said GAVI and Global Funds faced lots of problems trying to get the prices down, try to get the supply to be reliable, trying to get out, deliver to some of the toughest places in the world, including extremely rural areas with no infrastructure, including places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, where youve got areas where youve got war taking place.

Each of these organisations has been through changes in terms of how they build partnerships, how they make sure none of the money goes astray by some corruption somewhere in that delivery chain,he said.An anti-corruption group, the Council on African Security and Development (CASADE) has petitioned the Presidency demanding a halt to the procurement process towards the award of several contracts by the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA).

The shortlisting of potential contractors was found to have ignored key procurement regulations and procedures published by the agency.

The group, in a petition dated January 14, 2019, by its assistant director, Okechukwu Effoduh, to the Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), said it would not hesitate to sue the BCDA if steps are not taken to stop the award of the contracts next week.

If appropriate action is not taken on or before January 25, 2019, we will be compelled to file a lawsuit against the BPP and the BCDA for a judicial review of the flawed procurement process at the BCDA. We will also be compelled to amplify our complaints in all forms of media, the group said in the petition.

A copy of the petition was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Monday in Abuja.

The petition by the anti-corruption group criticized the BCDA following an exclusive report by PREMIUM TIMES detailing massive contract procurement irregularities uncovered in the agency.

BDCA AND BID GUIDELINES

The federal interventionist agency established in 2003 to develop the countrys border communities, has President Buharis son-in-law, Junaid Abdullahi, as executive secretary.

The agency has the mandate to provide social and infrastructural amenities to international border communities in 21 states of the federation, spanning over 105 local government areas.

Although the invitation-to-tender advertisement published on July 29, 2018, called for bids from prospective experienced and competent contractors/suppliers for almost 400 self-enrichment projects by lawmakers, findings showed most of the companies shortlisted did not meet the approved guidelines.

Some of the guidelines included submission of bids accompanied with a three-year financial audit report and tax clearance certificate validated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), with a cumulative average annual turnover of a minimum of N50million for the period 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Also, prospective bidders were asked to submit current Industrial Training Fund (ITF) compliance certificate and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) compliance certificate, all valid till December 31, 2018; evidence of registration on the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and service providers or valid certification by the BPP.

The director general, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, told PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja on Wednesday these documents are statutory requirements under the procurement law for all persons bidding for government contracts.

However, an analysis of a trove of procurement documents on the controversial contract showed that the majority of the companies shortlisted by the BCDA submitted irregular bids not accompanied by both evidence of current Pension Compliance Certificate (PCC) and the Company Incomes Tax Clearance Certificates.

A technical bid evaluation list of 988 pre-qualified companies under the 2018 constituency projects revealed that about 815 of the prequalified or shortlisted bids (representing over 83 percent) failed to meet at least one or the two key criteria that define the minimum threshold specified in the bid guidelines.

FRAUD DISHEARTENING

The anti-corruption group described the BCDAs handling of the exercise as a disheartening violation of the countrys procurement law, as qualified bidders were disqualified, while others shortlisted were clearly ineligible to be awarded jobs by the federal government.

Clearly, the action of BCDA is a threat to President Muhammadu Buharis integrity, anti-corruption posture and drive to increase revenue.

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It is a clear violation of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which established the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) as the regulatory authority for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement in Nigeria.

Besides, the group said the action by the BCDA is also a threat to the revenue drive of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the FIRS on the one hand, and other revenue generating agencies like the Industrial Training Fund, National Social Insurance Trust Fund, Pension Commission and the Corporate Affairs Commission.

While the FIRS is calling on companies to pay taxes and sanctioning tax defaulters, the BCDA is encouraging companies not to pay taxes and rewarding tax defaulters. The BCDA is about to spend about N18,188,942,647 on the Zonal Intervention Projects, out of which about N9,094,471,323 has already been released to the agency, the group said.

While accusing the BPP of failing to closely monitor the process, the group noted that under the BPP Act, one of its key responsibilities is the enforcement of fair, competitive, transparent, value-for-money standards and practices for the procurement and disposal of public assets.

The group urged the BCDA to award the contracts to only those companies that met the prequalification requirements based on the procurement process advertised in the Federal Tenders Journal of Monday, July 30 to August 5, 2018.

PRESIDENCY SHOULD ACT

Mr Effoduh said having waited for over 27 days since the petition was submitted to BPP without response, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Itse Sagay, should act on their warning that the government will not tolerate any of its agencies and regulators to sustain corruption in the system.

This is already a contravention of the BPP Act and the Freedom of Information Act which responses are mandatory within 14 days, he said.

The petition by the group is the second in a week from different groups and individuals calling on the Federal Government to halt the award of the multi-billion Naira contracts under the 2018 zonal intervention projects for lawmakers.

On Tuesday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, also asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), to launch an investigation against the BDCA.

Mr Abubakar made the call in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday by his special assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

Also, in his reaction to the report, a former director-general of the Bureau for Public Sector Reform, Joe Abah, told PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja on Wednesday the relevant government agencies should look into the matter immediately.

It is a clear breach of the public procurement rules. It should be taken up by the relevant government bodies, he said.

A senior Federal Ministry of Finance official familiar with the matter told our reporter that the BDCA is one the numerous conduits members of the National Assembly found as willing allies to funnel proceeds from over 6,000 projects illegally introduced into the 2018 budget.

The official requested not to be named to avoid victimization.The National Economic Council (NEC) says it will take the consultation on a new minimum wage to the Council of State on Tuesday.

This is even as governors have insisted that N30,000 as minimum wage is impracticable without a review of the present federation account sharing formula that allocates 26.72 percent to the states.

Speaking with State House correspondents on Thursday after the NEC meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said discussions are still ongoing.

On the insistence of governors that they cannot pay N30,000 as minimum wage, the minister said, Well its not a question that the governors are saying that they cant pay N30,000, discussions are still ongoing and will terminate on 22nd January when we meet with the National Council of State, he said

Asked if the governors are shifting ground, Mr Ngige said governors are part of Nigeria and they are part of the public sector, so dont disengage them or disarticulate them from the federal government. The public is the federal government and the state government and even the local government.

Figures, the frequency of review, those that have an exemption and everything about the bill will be dealt with so that people will know. Because by then we will be ready to transmit it to the National Assembly in consonance with our agreement with labour that we will transmit the new bill on or before the January 23, he said.

The federal government has repeatedly dithered on labours demand for a new wage figure, refusing to commit to N30,000 recommended by a tripartite committee.

While the federal government had proposed N24,000, the governors insisted on N22,500 but the organised labour is also adamant on N30,000 which was agreed upon during the Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee and submitted in the report to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The organised labour also threatened to shut down the economy once the government fails to transmit the bill, and even vote against any candidate in the forthcoming elections that refuses to implement the new minimum wage of N30,000.

Mr Buhari had assured he would review the recommendation and send a bill backing a new wage figure to the National Assembly.

The Nigerian government on January 8 picked January 23 to present the bill for a new national minimum wage to the National Assembly, a move aimed to stop the organised labour from starting a strike about a month before a presidential election.

Meanwhile, Mr Ngige said protests and threats are no longer necessary since the parties have reached an agreement.

On the part of the government, we are going to try to religiously implement all the processes that will enable us to transmit this bill within the stipulated time. We have a target time of January 23 and we hope that all things being equal, the executive will be able to do so. We will take it to the statutory meetings of Federal Executive Council, National Economy Council and the National Council of States to enable us to transmit the bill on the new national minimum wage, Mr Ngige said

The meeting of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) which is expected to discuss the issue of a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers failed to hold Wednesday due to lack of quorum.

But only five out of the 36 governors turned up for the meeting Wednesday evening at the NGF secretariat in Abuja.

Those who came were the governors of Zamfara, Bauchi, Jigawa, Niger and Adamawa states. Governors of Kaduna, Enugu, Nasarawa and Katsina sent in their deputies.

Nigerias Council of State

The Council of State consists of the President, who is the Chairman; Vice-President, who is the Deputy Chairman; all former presidents of the Federation and all former Heads of the Government of the Federation; All former Chief Justices of Nigeria; President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representative; all the Governors of the states of the Federation; and Attorney-General of the Federation.

The last time the council met 11 months ago, on February 22, it was to deliberate on Nigerias economy, security and 2019 elections.

The council advises the president in the exercise of his powers with respect to the: national population census and compilation, publication and keeping of records and other information concerning the same; Prerogative of mercy; Award of National honours; The Independent National Electoral Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission); The National Judicial Council (including the appointment of the members, other than ex-officio members of that Council); and The National Population Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission).

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The council also advises the President whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the Federation or any part thereof and on such other matters as the President may direct.ADVERTISEMENT

Four Nigerians have been shortlisted for the 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

One of them is Dele Sanni, a professor, who developed 3-D-3-P Industrial Dryer, an industrial food dryer that dries grain for livestock feed faster, and increases the nutritional value of food stocks.

Chukwunonso Arinze, who developed KAOSHI, an online platform that exchanges currencies peer-to-peer, cutting costs and waiting periods also made the cut.

Others are Obi Igbokwe who developed WellNewMe, an algorithmic approach to proactively identify people at risk of contracting non-communicable diseases, and Elizabeth Kperrun.

Ms Kperrun is the first Nigerian woman to make the shortlist since the prizes inception in 2014.

She developed Zenafri, a series of mobile apps that teach toddlers and young children basic numeracy and literacy in their own language.

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation encourages ambitious and talented sub-Saharan African engineers from all disciplines to apply their skills to develop scalable solutions to local challenges.

The shortlisted candidates were drawn from six countries, with five female engineers among them.

This information was gotten from the Royal Academy of engineering website.

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As well as the chance of winning up to 25,000, each of the 16 shortlisted engineers will develop skills that last a lifetime, and become part of a growing community of talented African engineers working to accelerate socio-economic development through business.

After seven months mentoring and training, four finalists will be selected from the shortlist.

In June 2019, the finalists will present their businesses to judges in front of a live audience in Kampala, after which one winner will receive 25,000, and three runners up will be awarded 10,000 each.

Godwin Benson, the founder of Tuteria, an online platform that links students to qualified tutors in their area and within their budget, won the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation in 2017.The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, says the farmers/herders conflict is a complex issue as well as regional in nature.

Mr Dambazau made the assertion on Thursday in Abuja, at a Special Ministerial News Briefing with the theme: The Journey So Far from November 2015  November 2018.

The event showcased the achievements of the ministry in line with the federal governments focal points of improving security, revitalisling the economy and fighting corruption.

It is a regional issue, that is why in the ministry we decided to see how we can manage the crisis because it is about crisis management, he said.

He explained that to tackle the farmers/herders clash, the federal government invited about six or seven governors of the affected states for a meeting.

When the farmer/herder issue happened in Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Plateau, we invited all the governors of these states.

About six or seven governors were invited to the ministry and all the commandants of the Nigeria Security Civil and Defence Corps of those states.

We had a meeting to discuss the issues, because the herder/farmers conflict is an issue that is spreading along certain corridors.

We discussed how best we can tackle those problems because not one single state or local government can deal with it; based on that, we came up with a communique.

One of those observations we had was the fact that it was also a regional problem, if not continental, because we have farmers, herders that move from one country to another taking advantage of the protocol of free movement of trans-humans, he said.

The official explained that the protocol of free movement of trans-humans is linked to the protocol of ECOWAS free movement of persons, goods and services.

We initiated a conference on that as fallout of that meeting we had with the governors, he said.

The minister said the conference was meant to ensure the implementation of the protocol signed in 1998.

If a herder is coming from Ghana to Nigeria, there must be certain areas where the cattle will be inspected, there must be international health certificate.

We must ascertain the number of cows the herder is moving with to ensure that they dont carry weapons of any kind and that they followed the laid down routes.

In doing that all these, clashes between herders and farmers will be completely reduced if not eliminated.

What is happening is that herders along the routes go into farmlands and sometimes destroy the crops. We cannot stop free movement because if we do that it is going to impact on us, he said.

Mr Dambazau said the ministry had organised a Strategic Stakeholders meeting on Pastoralist/Sedentary Farmers conflict aimed at solving the conflict.

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Earlier, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, noted that this is not the first time the administration would give a score card.

He said Mr Dambazau had always been regular in all the town hall meetings they have had.ADVERTISEMENT

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concerns on the insistence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow accreditation and voting to go simultaneously on election day.

Oseloka Obaze, Chairman of Atiku/Obi Campaign Council in Anambra, expressed the worry at a parley in Awka on Thursday.

Mr Obaze said such modalities would give room for manipulation as neither parties nor observers would be able to monitor the election process effectively.

He said it would be good for accreditation and voting to go independently so that the number of those who were accredited could be determined and compared against the number of votes cast at a particular location.

Part of the guidelines issued by INEC on Monday remain contentious, part of it is the issue of simultaneous accreditation and voting.

It is a challenge because if you continue to accredit and vote, at the end of the day the agents are not sure of how many people were accredited and how many people voted.

But doing accreditation differently to a certain point will enable us to know the number of people that were accredited and the agents can sign it off and agree on it, this will protect the sanctity of the process.

Leaving it open-ended gives room for manipulation, but we also wish to commend the expunging of the voting points, he said.

Mr Obaze said INEC should deploy more energy to the last lap of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution so that millions of Nigerians would not be disenfranchised.

He said INEC should give Nigerians a credible poll which outcome would be acceptable to all, adding that the eyes of the world were on Nigeria as it goes into the crucial elections.

The speed at which the distribution is going suggests that millions of Nigerians will be able to get their PVCs, already the various states have an average of 500, 000 uncollected PVCs.

What that implies is that about 18 million people stand the risk of not voting, we hope those cards would be collected between now and the end of the distribution.

So, if on the average states still have 300, 000 uncollected PVCs, we are still looking at about 10 million to 15 million who are registered but not able to get their cards, that is a substantial number.

We want to express the hope that INEC will be fair, impartial and that the election would be credible, sufficiently transparent and free.

This is how it will be easier for the winner to be magnanimous in victory and the loser to be gracious in accepting the result, he said.ADVERTISEMENT

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will arrive the United States any moment from now, crossing one of the most serious political hurdles on his path ahead of the upcoming general elections.

Mr Abubakar, sources said, left Nigeria early today, and is expected to land in Washington D.C., the American capital, ending a 12-year deprivation of visa to a country in which he once lived and owned properties.

Campaign sources told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday evening that Mr Abubakar would be speaking at a forum by the American Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. and attend other meetings aimed at boosting his presidential election standing.

Mr Abubakars arrival in the U.S. may rattle the ruling All Progressives Congress, which has taunted him for his inability to enter the U.S. for over a decade.

Mr Abubakar has not visited the U.S. since 2007 when he left as Nigerias vice-president. He served under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mr Obasanjo accused Mr Abubakar of fraud while in office, and he was also linked to corruption charges filed in the U.S. The politician denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

For the over 12 years that Mr Abubakar was unable to visit the U.S. American authorities had declined to issue him entry visa and there were speculation that a secret indictment had been entered against him by that countrys authorities.

PDP Presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar in USA. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official twitter handle of Reno Omokri] PDP Presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar alongside Senate President, Bukola Saraki in USA. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official twitter handle of Reno Omokri]

PREMIUM TIMES reported last year that Mr Abubakar sold his estate in the United States, following his inability to enter the country. He denied that his inability to enter the U.S. informed the sale, saying he only sold the mansion because he no longer needed it as he was now fully based in Nigeria.

Mr Abubakars visa appears to have come through the intervention of Mr Obasanjo, with whom he recently settled decade-old dispute ahead of the 2019 elections.

Just arrived Washington D.C for meeting with US government officials, Nigerians living in D.C metropolis and the business community. -AA pic.twitter.com/EafM47B83A  Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) January 17, 2019

Mr Obasanjo wants President Muhammadu Buhari out of office, after accusing him of displaying incompetence in the face of myriads issues confronting the country.

Party insiders told PREMIUM TIMES U.S. authorities made it clear that Mr Abubakar was issued visa without preconditions, meaning he would not be detained or harrassed in any way if he entered the country.

Mr Abubakar received a U.S. visa last December, sources said.

The ruling APC warned the U.S. government against granting Mr Abubakar a visa, saying it could tip the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections.

Mr Abubakar, however, kept his cool, refusing to join issues with the opposition party, until today when he quietly entered the United States.At least 15 high-ranking police officers may proceed on early retirement following the emergence of Mohammed Adamu as acting-inspector-general earlier this week.

President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Mr Adamu to replace Ibrahim Idris, who retired on Tuesday when he clocked 60 years in line with Nigerias public service rules.

Mr Adamu, 57, was an assistant inspector-general by rank when the president elevated him to the highest office in the police on January 15, a day after PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported that his emergence was all but assured.

He was a director at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Plateau State before he was appointed.

Seven retiring DIGs

But days after Mr Adamu settled in office, questions are being raised about the fate of at least 10 officers who were his seniors but were bypassed in his favour, as well as five others who were his coursemates.

There are seven deputy inspectors-general (DIGs) manning seven directorates and departments in the Nigerian police, with the most-senior often said to be Maigari Dikko, the DIG in charge of finance and administration.

Mr Dikko is followed by Habila Joshak, the DIG in charge of operations.

The remaining five DIGs are Emmanuel Inyang, information and communications technology; Agboola Oshodi-Glover, logistics and supply; Mohammed Katsina, research and planning; Sani Mohammed, training and development; and Peace Ibekwe-Abdallah, federal criminal investigation and intelligence.

Their potential departure is in furtherance of the convention that recommends the retirement of senior police chiefs when an officer junior to them in service or lower in rank is appointed to lead the institution.

When Mr Idris was appointed IG in 2016, more than 20 DIGs and AIGs were compelled to retire from service to enable him constitute his management team.

However, Messrs Katsina, Mohammed and Ibekwe-Abdallah may be spared because they were coursemates of Mr Adamu and were only promoted DIGs last year.

Police sources told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Adamu was considering leaving the three officers who were his mates because of the approaching general elections, but the senior ones may be retired as soon as next week.

His thinking is that because they have been working at their various departments towards the 2019 elections, it would be better for him to just allow them to remain in place, a police source said. But the first four DIGs are his senior and it is expected that they could leave as early as next week.

Eight AIGs await fate

The police have over 20 AIGs in active service, after nearly a dozen were retired or promoted to DIGs in the last weeks of 2018.

Mr Adamu was the fourth most-senior of the 20 active AIGs when he was appointed earlier this week. The three AIGs ahead of him, Usman Abubakar, Usman Yakubu and Abdulmajid Ali, in seniority order, are likely to be retired by Mr Adamu, according to police sources briefed on the arrangements.

Messrs Abubakar and Yakubu are the AIGs in charge of Zone 6, Calabar and Zone 10, Sokoto, respectively.

Five AIGs who were coursemates of Mr Adamu but may still be retained, or retired, depending on whom he wants to work with in the police management team, are: Aminchi Bamaila Baraya, Godwin Nwobodo, Abdul Daniru Danwawu, Lawal Shehu and Yakubu Jibrin.

These AIGs are currently confused because the IG is keeping the decision on those he would keep or ask to retire close to his heart, a police source said.

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Waiting in line

If the seven DIGs are retired, the most senior AIG from each of the six geopolitical zones would be promoted DIGs by the Police Service Commission, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Currently, however, only five geopolitical zones have active AIGs, the South-South does not have any officer in the AIG rank. This would mean that a police commissioner from the South-South would have to be promoted to AIG in order to fill the regions slot.

The most-senior AIGs from their respective regions are: Usman Tili Abubakar from Kebbi State, North-West; Usman Yakubu from Niger-State, North-Central; Aminchi Baraya from Taraba State, North-East; Taiwo Lakanu from Lagos State,South-West; and Godwin Nwobodo from Enugu State, South-East.

Furthering a wasteful legacy

As the highest, and perhaps most influential, position in internal security, the position of police IG has always been elicited the interest of all segments of the country. Politicians and top businessmen often ingratiate themselves with police chiefs to have their ways in political or business activities, and those with direct access to the IG are almost sure to always have their interest protected using state apparatus.

At state levels, governors usually prefer to nominate a police chief who would be amenable to their demands. Successive Nigerian presidents since 1999 have elevated junior officers over DIGs to IG, often amidst controversies.

At least four senior officers who were interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday said they could not find any positive reasons why Mr Buhari embraced the practice of promoting AIGs over their seniors.

Okechukwu Nwanguma, an advocate for police reform, criticised Mr Buhari for continuing the controversial practice.

It is sad that President Buhari also continued the discredited and wasteful practice of jumping over DIGs to appoint AIGs as IG, which he has now done twice in his first term, Mr Nwanguma said. Appointment of IG should be by seniority, if an IG is going, there are seven DIGs amongst whom the president could choose a successor.

Mr Nwanguma said the president has failed to consider competence, professionalism and public expenditure in appointing Mr Idris three years ago, and the same may turn out to be the case with Mr Adamu.

They spent a lot of money to train those DIGs and AIGs who may now be forced to retire with their vast wealth of experience paid for by the taxpayers, Mr Nwanguma said. This will also have a serious concern about the morale of those currently in service and may affect national interest.

Mr Nwanguma said he is amongst those championing the adoption of a new bill to reform the police.

The Police Reform Bill that has now gone through public hearing would take care of all these distasteful practices, Mr Nwanguma said. There would be no business as usual.Nigerias president, Muhammadu Buhari, has declined assent to five bills passed by the lawmakers.

The bills are Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Amendment Bill (RMAFC), 2018; Bankruptcy and Insolvency Bill, 2018 and Federal Polytechnic Amendment Bill, 2018.

Others are Maritime Security Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bills 2018 and Energy Commission Amendment Bill, 2018.

His decision to reject the bills was conveyed in separate letters dated January 4, addressed to the senate president.

In the letter, which was read out by the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, Mr Buhari gave reasons as to why he declined assent to the bills.

For the (RMAFC) Bill, he said the bill will interfere with and obstruct the motive and administration of revenue generating agencies of the federal government.

He also said the bill will confer the powers of oversight of the revenue currently vested in the President and Minister of Finance to the commission and negate the existing provision of section 51 of the Federal Inland Revenue Services.

The proposed insertion in a section 6 (a) of the bill with regards to the removal of earns of generating revenue agencies needs to be harmonized with the various establishment acts of these agencies which contains specific terms and procedures for the removal of chief executive officers, he added.

For the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Bill, he said there are drafting issues that affect the clarity and understanding of the bill and may impede the effective operation of the bill.

For instance, Section 65 (1) imposes a duty on a banker to report the existence of the account of an undischarged bankrupt to the trustees as it is incumbent on the banker to both ascertain that the customer is an undischarged bankrupt and also locate the relevant trustee to provide the information about the account of such customer.

This obligation creates operational difficulties. The duty of a banker to disclose information about accounts is better and it should be predicated on a request for information and trustee. Also, a number of provisions in a bill to be properly domesticated and aligned to Nigerian law for instance:

i. Section 87 capital stock should read capital. ii. Section 87 (128, 147, 253, 264, 270) sub section 30 b to c and 270 (4) (a to b) should be changed to company which is what section 271 defines.

iii. In section 124 (1) (d), the reference to dollar should be replaced with naira and 2000 dollars should be N2000. iv. In section 162 (a), the reference to cents on dollar should be amended to read kobo and naira, he said.

The president further said the relationship between the corporate insolvency provisions of the bill and existing provisions of winding up and insolvency under the Companies and Allied Matters Act needs to be clarified to avoid confusion in respect to the applicable governing corporate insolvency.

For the Federal Polytechnic Amendment Bill, he said Section 16 (1) and (2) of the amended bill which subjects the removal of governing council members to rectors of polytechnics on the approval of the Federal Executive Council, as a body instead of the presidents approval as it is obtained in principle act, makes the removal process more administrative cumbersome.

He also said Section 3 (f) of the amendment bill which leaves membership of the governing council of polytechnics as consisting of representatives of the ministry or regulatory body is not acceptable and this, he explained, may ultimately jeopardize the supervisory role of the ministry or the council.

It is desirable that the ministrys presence on the council is clear and unambiguous.

For the Maritime Security Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill, he said the proposed amendments will create distortions and duplications with the functions and operations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

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He, thereafter, urged the Senate to focus on passing the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, to achieve a more comprehensive review of operations in the maritime sector within the objective of realigning its agencies for more efficient service delivery and focus on the security of our maritime frontiers.

And for the Energy Commission Amendment Bill, he said the proposal in section 8 of the bill for the Energy Commission to receive an annual subversion of not less than 0.5 percent from the federation account is unconstitutional as it negates the clear provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended with regards to appropriations and disbursements from federation accounts.

He also said the bill infringes on the Rural Electrification Agencys power to carry out its mandate in particular reference to the promotion and development of unserved and under-served rural communities across Nigeria.

Mr Buhari also transmitted the Food Safety and Quality bill, 2018, for consideration and passage into law.What's Included

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If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com.ADVERTISEMENT

A controversially dismissed soldier on Wednesday told the National Industrial Court that he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari about his illegal dismissal, without receiving a response for over two years.

The soldier, Abdulfatah Mohammed, was responding to questions put forward by Jibrin Okutepa, a senior lawyer representing the Nigerian Army during a cross-examination at the court presided over by a judge, R B Haastrub.

Mr Mohammed and 38 other soldiers were dismissed by the army for controversial reasons in 2016.

The officers were neither warned ahead of their sack, nor made to face any panel as required by the Nigerian Armys guiding rules.

A PREMIUM TIMES investigations later revealed that most of the affected soldiers were sacked for allegedly assisting the opposition Peoples Democratic Party then in government.

Speaking during cross-examination by Mr Okutepa: a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Mohammed, retired as a lieutenant colonel, refuted claims by the Nigerian Army that he was under obligation to repeat his application after 18 years in the service.

While referring to a letter which contained Mr Mohammeds posting details after he was commissioned into the military, Mr Okutepa told Mr Mohammed that he was expected to abide by what the lawyer described as the terms of the posting letter and re-submit an application after completing 18 years in the military.

Responding however, Mr Mohammed noted the provisions of the armed forces terms and conditions of service which he described as absolving him (Mohammed) of any such obligations and added that he was not told by the army that the reason for his sack was because he failed to re-apply.

Instead my retirement letter said I was being retired on disciplinary grounds. I was not given any queries, nor taken before a panel. I learnt about my retirement on the pages of the newspapers, Mr Mohammed said.

I wrote the President and Commander-In-Chief, Mr Mohammed added. He further said that years after writing that letter, he is yet to receive an acknowledgement from the president.

The soldier said he served for over 20 years before he was sacked. He lamented that Mr Buhari failed to address his issue, nearly three years after he communicated the president on his plight.

The dismissed soldier added that he was also denied payment of a three months salary-in-lieu of his retirement, as required by law.

Following their dismissal in 2016, most of the affected soldiers approached the Industrial Court to challenge the decision of their employers.

While some of the cases have attracted positive decisions in court, others have been frustrated by the army who have said the dismissed soldiers were sacked for not renewing their contracts.A pilot programme introduced to reduce lead poisoning in Nigerian gold mining communities has yielded positive result, a new study has revealed.

The study titled Reducing Lead and Silica Dust Exposures in Small-Scale Mining in Northern Nigeria shows that the programme has brought extraordinary improvements to an area where hundreds of children had died from lead poisoning

The study was carried out by Occupational Knowledge (OK) International in partnership with Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Lead poisoning in Nigeria was first discovered in Zamfara State by Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in 2010.

The plague, which was caused by lead pollution generated from processing lead-rich rock ores for gold, claimed the lives of 400 to 500 children within the state.

To pave a way for treatment, eight villages were remediated.

About five years after the Zamfara poisoning, the situation reoccurred in Niger State in 2015. The outbreak was also caused by unsafe mining practices. More than 2500 community members were exposed to the plaque and about 30 children died.

According to a statement by Occupational Knowledge (OK) International on Wednesday, the study authors concluded that a two-year effort to introduce safer mining practices was effective at preventing deaths and reducing lead poisoning in highly exposed villages.

OK International is a U.S. based NGO that works to build capacity in developing countries to identify, monitor, and mitigate environmental and occupational exposures to hazardous materials in order to protect public health and the environment.

Our pilot project demonstrated that low-cost dust control measures were effective at reducing average airborne lead exposures by 95 percent,

the Executive Director of the NGO,

Perry Gottesfeld, said.

The safer mining project took place in the Shakira community in Niger State where high levels of lead are naturally present in the gold ore. The primary objective was to reduce lead exposures among artisanal small-scale miners and minimise take home exposures.

We worked cooperatively with miners to provide them with the information and tools to reduce their exposures to lead and silica dust. Together we showed that these efforts minimized contamination and helped save lives, Mr Gottesfeld said.

He said the organisation demonstrated the effectiveness of reducing airborne lead levels by working with miners to convert dry operations to wet methods.

Water spray misting was proven to be highly effective while minimising water consumption. In addition to significant reductions in airborne lead, the authors reported that these control measures reduced the smaller respirable silica dust by 80 percent, he said.

Mr Gottesfeld noted that the miners were motivated to take measures to reduce hazardous lead exposures and invested their own time and money to implement these protective measures.

In his remarks, the Head of Mission in Nigeria for Doctors Without Borders, Philip Aruna, said OK International has exceeded expectations in bringing an entire community together to prevent severe lead poisoning and by demonstrating significant reductions in lead exposures among miners.

According to the statement, in Nigeria and in most other African countries, there are no occupational limits for exposure for lead or silica dust.

Silica dust causes silicosis, lung cancer and is a significant risk factor for tuberculosis (TB). Lead causes severe neurological deficits and death among children in these communities, but even at low exposure levels is responsible for 674,000 deaths each year primarily due to cardiovascular disease.

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There are an estimated 40 million informal small-scale miners working in at least 70 countries around the world. Although some programs have attempted to reduce mercury exposures in these communities, this is the first such intervention to demonstrate reductions in lead and silica dust exposures. The authors of the published article note that in mining communities lead and silica hazards pose a far greater risk to human health than the use of mercury.

The Medical Coordinator for Nigeria with Doctors Without Borders and an author on the paper, Adolphe Fotso, said this effort was an extraordinary success in reducing these significant health risks and protecting children from lead poisoning.

In addition to introducing wet methods, OK International focused on training miners to implement simple measures including handwashing, showering, setting up separate eating areas, and changing out of work clothing before going home at the end of the day.

The study estimated that the overall cost for introducing these measures in this community was approximately $5,000 USD.ADVERTISEMENT

Health workers have threatened to resume their suspended strike.

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), on Wednesday, threatened to resume the industrial action it suspended last May, if the issues in dispute are not resolved in two weeks from today.

According to Vanguard Newspaper, JOHESU, through its chairman, Biobelemoye Josiah, issued the strike notice in a letter addressed to the minister of labour and employment, Chris Nigige.

In view of the apparent indifference of government to permanently resolve these lingering issues, some of which have persisted for over five years now, the Joint Health Sector Unions by this letter notifies the Federal Government of her resolve to resume the suspended industrial action by Thursday, 31st January, 2019. Having waited for this long it is surprising that the following matters have not been resolved, Mr Josiah noted.

He said issues at stake are upward adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS); unjustified withholding of the salaries of JOHESU members for the months of April and May, 2018 and headship of hospital departments. Others are non-promotion of members on CONHESS 14  15 as Directors in some Federal Health Institutions, and implementation of Consultancy Cadre to JOHESU members.

The chairman did not respond when called by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday morning for clarification but the national vice chairman of JOHESU, Ogbonna Chimela, confirmed the planned strike.

Yes, we will embark on strike two weeks from now. All our agreements with the government are yet to be met, Mr Chimela told PREMIUM TIMES on phone.

JOHESU is a body of all health workers, except doctors. Since 2014, they have been asking government to increase their pay and improve their members working conditions, among other demands. This has resulted to pockets of strike actions, over the period.

Last year, Nigerias health sector suffered one of its biggest blow when JOHESU members downed tools over similar demands, in April 17.

The strike which lasted six weeks, caused many deaths and left millions without care. Patients passed through untold pain and their relatives grumbled as both federal, state and local government health institutions were brought to their knees.

The situation was worse for pregnant women and nursing mothers in dire need of either ante or post natal-care. This is because the essential staff needed, nurses and midwives  some of the most influential members of JOHESU  all downed tools.

The strike was however suspended in May 31. The union said it took the decision to halt the strike because of the sympathy it had for the suffering Nigerian masses and also to pave way for further negotiations to continue.

Samuel Olowookere, the director of press in the ministry of labour and employment, did not respond to calls or return text messages seeking confirmation on the strike notice as at press time.ADVERTISEMENT

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Aliyu Balarabe as the Medical Director (MD), Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.

According to a press statement signed by a spokesperson of the federal ministry of health, Boade Akinola, on Wednesday, Mr Balarabes appointment is for an initial first term of four years.

Ms Akinola said the appointment was confirmed in a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

She said Mr Balarabes appointment takes effect from December 27, 2018.

Congratulating Mr Balarabe on his appointment, the Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, reminded him of the enormous responsibilities of his office and the yearning of Nigerians for an effective and responsive health care delivery system.

Mr Ehanire further urged the new official to bring his wealth of experience to bear on the discharge of his duties so as to take health care delivery to a greater height.Scientist and researchers have been tasked to intensify their researches towards developing a vaccine that could prevent the spread of Lassa fever across the continent in the nearest possible future.

This plea was made at the ongoing maiden Lassa fever international conference which held in Abuja on Wednesday.

Though some researches on Lassa fever vaccines are in the pipe line, none has been certified for use.

All are still in clinical stages.

This is one of reasons for the organisation of the Lassa fever international conference.

The conference was to create an avenue where researchers, scientists, health workers and people with interest in the disease from across the world, come together to reflect on what is known and available and prioritise research agenda towards eradicating the disease.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, the minister of state for health, Osagie Ehanire, said the federal government is working hard to prevent the resurgence of Lassa fever in the country.

Mr Ehanire said Nigeria has developed a Lassa fever research plan, aligned with global research agenda.

He said the government shall invest more in training staff, acquiring the necessary equipment, developing best protocols and embracing best practices that will help the nation achieve the desired results.

I hope all global efforts come to fruition in the near future, so that we have more tools at our disposal for swift prevention, detection and response to such disease outbreaks, he said.

Ironically, there is an ongoing outbreak of the disease as the nation marks 50 years of the discovery of the virus in a small town called Lassa, in Borno State.

The weekly epidemiological report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease control indicates that seven people have died this year from the 25 confirmed cases of the disease, from seven states, including the FCT.

Lassa fever is a deadly disease caused by a virus carried in the urine or faeces of infected rat. The disease is often transmitted through rodent to human or human to human transmission.

This causes fever, weakness, seizures and most times, is fatal.

Lassa fever has become endemic in West Africa. Nigeria, between January and May 2018, experienced the largest outbreak of the disease ever recorded in the history.

The upsurge in the cases recorded placed Nigeria on high international surveillance alert raising concerns over the emergence of the strain of the disease and transmission rate.

Also speaking at the event, the governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Almakura, called on West African countries to stand up to the challenge and end Lassa fever.

Mr Almakura, who is a Lassa fever survivor, but who lost a son to the virus, urged researchers to prioritise researches that can help mitigate the spread of the disease, as such researches are long overdue.

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He said it is a pity that Nigerians, after 50 years of the discovery of the disease, still die from it.

Mr Almakura called on governments across states to improve on their attitude towards tackling the disease as most survivors just like his son and himself suffers from disabilities even after getting better.

He said as part of his contribution towards ending lassa fever in Nigeria, he is building a modern laboratory in Lafia and this is already 80 per cent completed.

Also, the chief executive officer, NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, in his speech said the conference is aimed sharing knowledge among the international scientist community on the disease.

He said Nigeria is no longer comfortable with being just a recipient of knowledge but wants to co-create the knowledge.

We want to co-create knowledge that defines one of the biggest issues in Nigeria. We are expecting that at the end of the conference we should be on the pathway to vaccine innovation that would help curb the spread of the disease.

Mr Ihekweazu said thinking of developing a vaccine to curb the spread of the disease has become necessary, due to the high transmission and case fatality rate of the disease.

With a case fatality ratio of 25 per cent, one in every four people diagnosed with Lassa fever dies from the disease. Thinking of a vaccine has become necessary.

Mr Ihekweazu said at least 150 research papers from scientists and institutions working on all aspects of Lassa fever are to be presented at the conference.

He said the papers ranged from prevention and management, to diagnosis, detection and risk communication.

Mr Ihekweazu, however, assured Nigerians that NCDCs target is to push fatality ratio down to less than five per cent in the next 10 years.ADVERTISEMENT

The Czech Republic has decided to pay Nigerians and other migrants to encourage them to leave the central European country.

The offer is under a programme that focuses particularly on migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Mongolia, Russia, and Vietnam.

According to a report published on RemixNews, a Czech Republic-based newspaper, the Czech government would pay any migrants who would voluntarily leave the country and other EU countries 4,000 EUR.

The programme tagged Returns established by the Czech Interior Ministry would assist immigrants with transportation costs and integration in their country of origin, including accommodation, household equipment or domestic animal expenses.

Anyone who voluntarily leaves the country and promises not to return not only to the Czech Republic but to the EU will be eligible for the money, the report said.

Allocation for the program amounts to 60 million CZK, 75 percent is to be covered from the European Asylum, migration and integration fund. Each individual could get funds ranging between 40,000 and 100,000 CZK. First funded returns should be processed in the third quarter of 2019.ADVERTISEMENT

The $1billion loan facility under the Federal Government Green Imperative scheme will facilitate jobs creation, food security and self-sufficiency, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, has said.

The minister was speaking at the official launching of the project by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She said the scheme is one of the products of the governments diversification initiatives aimed at boosting growth and economic development in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.

The positive results the loan will yield under the Green Imperative initiative in the agricultural sector, will no doubt transform the countrys economic landscape, she said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday by her spokesperson, Ella Abechi.

Mrs Ahmed said nothing would deter President Muhammadu Buhari from continuing with the diversification drive that is already yielding positive results within the three years of his administration, especially through the agricultural sector.

The vice president laid the foundation towards securing the loan by holding several meetings with the team of experts from Brazil.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe, led the Nigerian delegation to Brazil to initiate and develop the project with the Brazilian think tank and relevant interest groups.

Mrs Ahmed said the pinitiative was designed to promote agricultural mechanisation, create employment opportunities for the energetic youth and help achieve food self-sufficiency.

The project will be implemented with a total loan package of $1.1billion majorly from the Brazilian government, which will be disbursed in four tranches over a period of two years, the minister explained.

l have no doubt that this project will help to ensure food self-sufficiency, create more employment opportunities for our teeming population and also help transform the economic landscape of Nigeria.

It is pertinent to state that the greater percentage of the loan will be provided in kind through the supply of agricultural machineries and implements in form of Completely Knocked-Down (CKD) parts.

This arrangement, she noted, is expected to reduce fiduciary risks and create more opportunities for the youth and those involved in assembling the machinery and implements.

Also, the implementation of the project, according to the minister, will be purely private sector-led in all its operations, including the assembling of the machinery/ implements, operation of the service and agro-processing centers.

The project to involve the Nigerian private sector, youth and women will be implemented in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the country in phases, with the selection of the participants to be based on merit, devoid of politics and any form of nepotism, she explained.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 08:01:03

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Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/Sales3479183531

Approximately 1.4 million new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed each year. Obtaining an early diagnosis is critical as it is currently one of the deadliest cancers, totaling more than 600,000 deaths each year. Colorectal cancer molecular diagnostics can speed up the identification of colorectal cancer to provide patients with more treatment options. Individualized and targeted treatments are reshaping the colorectal molecular diagnostics market. Molecular pathology is a key factor to personalized medicine. Increasing adoption of high throughput sequencing technologies and identification of therapeutic targets has led to the development of many colorectal molecular diagnostic tests, which are superior to the conventional colorectal cancer molecular diagnostics tests.Positive market trends and increasing investor confidence in several key players are helping mergers and acquisition activities in the colorectal cancer molecular diagnostics market. The disruption in the global healthcare market due to political factors such as the Obama Care Act, and regulatory framework changes, and other trade barriers, are anticipated to trigger merger and acquisition activities to drive the colorectal cancer molecular diagnostics market consolidation and further intensify the market competition.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8441 Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Market: Drivers and RestraintsIncrease in research in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry drive the growth of the Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market significantly. Growing automation in laboratory is another factor supporting the growth of the Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market. Ease of use of Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics, as well as accurate results is supporting the growth of the Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market. Availability of low cost alternative and high cost of instrument may hinderer the growth of the market during the forecast period.Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Market: SegmentationThe global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is segmented by product type, technology, end user and region:Based on product type, the global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is segmented into:Colorectal Cancer molecular diagnostic InstrumentsColorectal Cancer molecular diagnostic Reagents & KitsServicesBased on technology, the global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is segmented into:PCRSequencingMass spectrometryTranscription Mediated AmplificationChips and microarraysIsothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology (INAAT)Based on end user, the global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is segmented into:HospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersDiagnostic LaboratoriesHomecare settingsColorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Market: OverviewColorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is anticipated to grow with a significant growth rate over the forecast period 2018-2028. Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics are used for research as well as for diagnosis. Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics generally can be categories based on the type of product, colorectal cancer molecular diagnostic Instruments, and colorectal cancer molecular diagnostic reagents & kits. Based on the end user, colorectal cancer molecular diagnostics market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic laboratories, and homecare settings.Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Market: Regional OutlookThe global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is segmented based on geography into eight regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific excluding China, and Japan, China, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to hold maximum market share in the global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market owing to the increasing automation of labs in the region. The Asia Pacific Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market is anticipated to grow at a rapid pace with the maximum CAGR over the forecast period due to strong and evolving government support towards research in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in the region.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8441 Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global Colorectal Cancer Molecular Diagnostics market are Dako, Gen Probe (Hologic), Cepheid, Qiagen, Roche Diagnostics, Bayer Healthcare, Abbott Laboratories, Grifols, Danaher Corporation, Siemens, Beckton Dickinson, Biomerieux Sa, and Sysmex Corporation.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 08:05:04

Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the wood pellet market in its latest report titled, 'Global Wood Pellet Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20172027'.According to the report, the global wood pellet market is projected to expand at a healthy CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period in terms of revenue.Wood pellets are defined as are biofuel made from compressed organic matter or biomass. These technologies use a wide range of materials such as forest & wood waste, agricultural residue, and other substances.Factors such as increasing consumption of wood pellets, increasing health consciousness among consumers, high consumption of wood pellets for residential heating, growing demand for wood pellets for electricity generation, growing exports of wood pellets rapidly growing demand for domestic wood pellets and energy, and climate change are the factors that drive the market. Enterprises and individuals, nowadays, need products that are environmentally-friendly. Collaborations between suppliers and producers ensure a strong bonding and progressive activities, and enhance the development process. This demand has given rise to the increased production of wood pellets.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-484 Government certification is a valuable tool to assure customers that the wood pellets are made from sustainably managed forests. Increasing certification criteria is the key restraining factor of the North American wood pellet market while exporting to other countries, where various rules mandate renewable energy production. The procurement policy of wood pellets is also one of the key restraining factors in the market here. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council are the certification organizations in North America.19% of U.S. commercial forestland is certified by major U.S. standards.According to the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, approx. 9% of the worlds forests are certified. Out of them, more than 40% forests are in Canada, which makes these forests as an ideal source of wood pellets.On the basis of region, Western Europe is estimated to be the largest market for wood pellets, accounting for 72.6% value share of the global wood pellets market in 2017. The region continues to dominate the market, and is expected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period.Eastern Europe exports most of its produced wood pellets to other countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom, where it requires certification for exports. Various industries are focusing on getting certified with DINplus and green energy certifications, which will help in exporting the produced wood pellets. The rapid rate of the production of wood pellets in countries like Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia is a major driving factor of the wood pellet market in Eastern Europe, owing to the high amount of exports to the other developed countries of Western Europe.On the basis of end use, the industrial pellets for co-firing segment is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 11.0% and and 9.1% in terms of market value and volume, respectively, during the forecast period. This is attributed to the increasing demand for wood pellets in a wide range of end-user applications.The markets in APEJ, Western Europe, MEA, and Latin America are anticipated to contribute majorly to the global wood pellet market. The market in Western Europe is expected to account for 69.6% share in terms of value in the global wood pellet market, and be valued at US$ 14,694.6 Mn by 2027 end. The increasing demand for wood pellets for residential heating and energy and climate change in Western Europe is expected to fuel revenue growth of the market in the region. The market in Western Europe is estimated to be valued at US$ 6,686.2 Mn by 2017 end, and projected to expand at a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period.Factors such as increasing consumption of wood pellets, increasing health health consciousness among consumers, high consumption of wood pellets for residential heating, growing demand for wood pellets for electricity generation, growing exports of wood pellets, growing demand for domestic wood pellets and energy, and climate change are expected to drive revenue growth of the global wood pellet market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-484 Key market participants covered in the report include Drax Biomas Inc, Rentech, Inc, Enviva Partners, LP, German Pellets GmbH, Viridis Energy Inc, AS Graanul Invest, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc, Lignetics of Idaho, Inc, Zilkha Biomass Energy, LLC, and Energy Girvan Limited.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:59:16

A two wheeler electronic control unit (ECU) is an embedded system that controls one or more of the electrical system or its subsystems. The ECU is a vital component of the engine management system as it collects all the necessary information for the engine. It is an electronic programmable chip with pre-installed programs which implements various demands on an engine, such as maintaining proper air fuel ratio, position of the accelerator pedal, etc. Growing demand for driver safety systems, such as ABS (anti-lock brake system) and MSC (motorcycle stability control), coupled with the evolution of more convenient driving options is leading to global switch from mechanical and hydraulic systems to electronic or hybrid substitutes. Growing demand for powered two wheelers, due to their fun riding experience, comfort and greater fuel efficiency, is expected to drive the market for two wheeler electronic control units across the globe during the forecast period.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6009 Two-wheeler ECU Market: DynamicsGrowing preference for two wheelers over four wheelers among daily commuters (two wheelers deal better with high traffic congestion) is expected to be the key driver propelling the growth of the global two wheeler ECU market. Increasing replacement of mechanical and hydraulic systems with electronic or hybrid systems is another major factor driving the growth of the global two wheeler ECU market. Rapidly growing technology in two-wheeler vehicles will further fuel the demand for convenient and safe driving systems. The dynamic forces responsible for this continuous growth in terms of technology are -- ever-growing requirement of reducing emission exhaust, demand for better safety designs and improved fuel efficiency and providing more information to the drivers. Electronic components and systems implemented in two-wheelers help in giving comfortable as well as convenient riding experience to the riders. This is the main reason behind the rapid electrification of components.The ongoing trend gaining momentum in the two wheeler ECU market is smartphone connectivity in two-wheeler diagnostics. The latest innovation in the digital electronic control unit developed by Robert Bosch GmbH is an advanced technology which combines control of fuel injection and ignition into a single unit and allows the system to be connected with a smartphone. This will enable the driver to have all the information about the engine, such as speed of the vehicle, fuel consumption and route distance on their smartphone, while taking the ride.The two wheeler segment is expected to continue its significant growth path during the overcast period. With latest technologies entering in the market, the competition among the players is rising intensely, which in turn, might affect the profit margins for the manufacturers.Two-wheeler ECU Market: SegmentThe global two wheeler ECU market can be segmented on the basis of product type, vehicle type and by sales channel.By product type, the global two wheeler ECU market can be segmented as:Powertrain Control Module (PCM)Transmission Control Module (TCM)Brake Control Module (BCM)Body Control Module (BCM)OthersBy vehicle type, the global two wheeler ECU market can be segmented as:MopedsMotorcyclesScootersBy sales channel type, the global two wheeler ECU market can be segmented as:Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)AftermarketTwo-wheeler ECU Market: Regional OutlookGrowing popularity of gearless scooters, especially among women, is expected to drive the demand for two wheelers across the globe. Owing to crowded traffic conditions in various countries, such as China and India, the demand for two wheelers is expected to rise in the Asia Pacific region during the forecast period. The presence of major two wheeler companies, such as Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, etc., in Japan makes the country a significant market for two wheelers. Stringent norms and regulations regarding emission exhaust in countries of North America and Europe will propel the demand for more efficient control systems in two wheelers..Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6009 Two-wheeler ECU Market: Key ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified across the value chain of the global two wheeler ECU market include:BoschDensoDelphi AutomotiveContinentallnfineon TechnologiesPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 14:51:48

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Malaga based law firm Maxima 1 Legal S.L. (M1 Legal) can now confirm they are regulated by the Claims Management Regulator in respect of regulated claims.This means that they can now take legal action on behalf of consumers against financial institutions such as banks and credit card companies for misrepresentation and unregulated lending.This will be another side to their business which will be given a strong focus over the coming months under the branding of Bank Reclaims. The brand will not solely focus on timeshare, they will also offer no win no fee claims against other mis-sold loans.M1 legal lawyer Adriana Stoyanova commented: ''When the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took over responsibility for regulating consumer credit from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on 1st April, 2014, it promised to tougher measures aiming to protect consumers and restore public confidence in the sector.''It seems, however, that before that date and during the transition period some companies involved in the sector still did not comply with the legal requirements imposed under the applicable legislation.''An example which recently disclosed such infringements is the case of the timeshare resort Azure Island Residence Club, located in Malta, which mis-sold timeshare products to many British citizens, financed by Barclays Partner Finance,'' she added.''It appeared that during the period 1st April, 2014 - 24th, April 2016 British consumers signed 1,444 loan agreements which financed their timeshare purchases through the credit intermediary Azure Services Limited, which was not authorised by the FCA to carry on this regulated activity, i.e. credit brokering.''The FCA issued a validation order; however, we appealed the validation order, on behalf of 25 affected people, in front of the Upper Tribunal. The judge found that there was evidence of potential consumer detriment - a relevant factor to be taken into account in deciding whether it is just and equitable to make a validation order (which was a precedent).''In this particular case, the evidence of potential consumer detriment was considered being that the consumers were misrepresented about the duration and the loan conditions. For that reason, the Upper Tribunal decided to remit the matter back to the FCA to reconsider its decision, with a direction to take into account Consumer Detriment, without placing any further limitation on the scope of what the FCA should consider.'' Link to the decision of the Upper Tribunal:In their representations, BPF stated that the total amount payable under the relevant 1,444 loans is around 47million.''Considering the fact that this is a small timeshare resort in Malta, we could imagine what the amount would be for some of the European timeshare resorts, which have thousands of members. This could be the next financial scandal!'' said Adriana Stoyanova.An audit was also carried out on all M1 legal files. It revealed that around 40% of the files which have loan agreements were arranged by unregulated finance brokers with loan amounts totalling just under 6million.For any timeshare enquiries regarding this story call 0034 951 562 209 or email sharon@ m1legal.com LinksContact: clive.hemsley@livedesigns.co SOURCE: M1 LegalFuture Market Insights has announced the addition of the "The Value of Marine Life Rafts Market Estimated to Soar Higher During 2017- 2027" report to their offering

PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:24:53

Marine life rafts are small inflatable rescue boats designed to keep distressed passengers afloat. These small sized rafts are carried within larger ships and boats, deployed immediately whenever an emergency arises. Some of the marine life rafts, also known as rigid life rafts, are usually pressurized and contained within airtight canisters, conveniently placed at the outer deck of the ship, which aids in easy and faster deployment of the life rafts. Owing to tighter regulations formed over the years for the purpose of improving marine safety, life rafts are a common fixture on ships and boats. Its penetration rate is anticipated to improve in the upcoming years by increasing the minimum number of marine life rafts to be present in the ships. SOLAS or International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is the prime regulatory body and treaty governing the usage of marine life rafts on ships and boats. The prime functional requirements of a marine life rafts include being able to withstand extreme weather conditions, be able to absorb impact loads, carry minimum rescue equipment as well as food and among others.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5473 Marine Life Rafts Market DynamicsThe primary factor responsible for driving the marine life rafts market is growth witnessed in maritime transport or seaborne trade wherein large volume of goods take it to the sea for transportation purposes. The shipbuilding industry is also on the rise around the globe which thereby contributes to the growth of the marine life rafts market in the forecast period. The market of marine life rafts is also aided by the growth witnessed in the fishing industry wherein large boats and dispatched for fishing purposes. Marine tourism is also another area which has grown considerably over the past few years especially in the Mediterranean and Asia Pacific region prompting higher requirements of marine life rafts which thereby helps in the overall growth of the market.Though the manufacturers of marine life rafts do not fall under the category of large revenue generating players, they are keen in continuously developing the product to improve its lifespan, passenger holding capacity and reliability. Shortcomings noticed in product differentiation within the major players has led to the development various innovations such as large capacity, self-propelled life rafts.Marine Life Rafts Market: SegmentationMarine Life Rafts Market can be segmented as follows;By Capacity, the market can be segmented as:Less than 3 persons3 to 6 personsMore than 6 personsBy Type, the market can be segmented as:RigidFlexibleSingle Tube Life RaftMulti tube Life RaftBy Packing Type, the market can be segmented as:Hard PackingValiseCanister PackingMarine Life Rafts Market: Regional OutlookIn terms of the geographical reach of the marine life rafts market, it can be said that economies with larger coastlines are expected to have a larger market share. The market in the landlocked economies will be lesser but may rely on marine transport within the inner waterways such as rivers. The market for marine life rafts in the Asia Pacific region is anticipated for a healthy growth in the forecast period due to growing marine industry and transportation. This factor is also true for the Middle East and Africa region as well, in particular the Middle East region owing to improvements witnessed in its maritime cargo industry. The North American market is also anticipated for a positive growth due to tighter regulations placed around the mandatory instalment of such rescue equipment on board the ships and boats. Influx witnessed in the coastal tourism of the European region is anticipated to strengthen the growth of the marine life rafts market on a longer run in the future.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-5473 Marine Life Rafts Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the major players in the Global Marine Life Rafts market, identified in the value chain include:Survitec GroupSafety Marine Australia Pty. Ltd.Compass Inflatables Ltd.Shanghai Star Rubber Products Co., Ltd.Viking Life-Saving Equipment A/SRevere Survival Inc.Seago Yachting Ltd.Plastimo SASPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:20:43

An automotive must fulfill its basic functionality of transporting man and material from one place to another. But in todays era, besides adhering to basic functionality automotive have the responsibility of ensuring safety of the occupant at the time of an emergency, where human response is unable to avoid the crash. This has caused a significant revolution in the automotive safety system market through the introduction of advanced technologies, such as ADAS (advanced driver assist systems). The automatic emergency braking system utilizes electronic stability control (ESC) and ADAS to slow the vehicle and potentially reduce the severity of an impact when a crash is unavoidable. Thus, the automatic emergency braking system acts as a helpful feature in high speed situations. The automatic emergency braking system is usually coupled with a forward collision warning system. The former incorporates camera based or radar based sensors that detect the distance of the vehicle from the one ahead. Warning signals are provided in the possibility of a crash, so that the driver can take corrective action, if no action is received from the driver, brakes are applied automatically to decelerate the vehicle. The automatic emergency braking system doesnt claim to completely mitigate the collision, but reduces the intensity of collision. Presently, when mapped on the product life cycle stage, the automatic emergency braking system market is still between the introduction and growth phase; thus, noteworthy growth is expected in the market over the forecast period. Commercially, the automatic driver system is also known as the pre-crash braking system, intelligent braking system and forward collision mitigation system. Various national and international regulating organizations support the automatic emergency braking system as they find it a potential means of reducing severe rear-end collisions and thus helpful in saving lives..Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2921 Global Automatic Emergency Braking System Market: DynamicsThe automatic emergency braking system market for automotive is foreseen to remain lucrative over the span of next ten years, as regulatory bodies and automotive OEMs across the globe are striving to equip vehicles with novel technologies to increase safety of occupants as well as others on road. As per key opinion leaders in the market, the automatic emergency braking system will soon be a standard feature in many upcoming cars. Furthermore, driverless cars, which are anticipated to be commercialized in the near future will also need to deploy such a feature to avoid rear end crashes. From a macro-economic perspective, robustly growing automotive production and sales, supplemented with changing consumer preference towards advanced safety features is expected to significantly boost growth of the automatic emergency braking system market. On the other hand, there has been a debate in the market regarding the extent of safety provided by automatic emergency braking systems. Is sudden braking without human intervention capable of avoiding collisions? Or, in turn, will it create a chaotic situation? Moreover, the lack of incentive for road management bodies and automakers hampers the deployment of automatic emergency braking systems.Global Automatic Emergency Braking System Market: SegmentationBy product type, the automatic emergency braking system market for automotive can be segmented into:Low Speed AEB SystemHigh Speed AEB SystemPedestrians AEB SystemBy application type, the automatic emergency braking system market can be segmented into:Dynamic Brake Support (DBS)Crash Imminent Braking (CIB)By vehicle type, the automatic emergency braking system market can be segmented into:Passenger CarsLight Commercial VehicleHeavy Commercial VehicleGlobal Automatic Emergency Braking System Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America is expected to be a major market for automatic emergency braking systems, with the U.S. holding dominant demand. Certain OEMs in the U.S. have announced their plans to deploy automotive emergency braking systems as a standard feature in their upcoming passenger vehicles. Thus, the market in these regions holds significant growth opportunity. With a number of giant automakers and technology providers based in the region, Europe is anticipated to be a momentous market. However, slow adoption rate may be witnessed in some European countries, except the EU. With high vehicle sales, Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as a significant market for the automatic emergency braking system over the forecast period. Japan is anticipated to witness high adoption rate for automatic emergency braking systems, particularly in commercial vehicles.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2921 Global Automatic Emergency Braking System Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global automatic emergency braking system market are:ZF TRWContinental AGDENSO CorporationTesla MotorsRobert Bosch GmbHSterilization Services Market

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With the growing need to disinfect medical devices in the healthcare industry has led to an upsurge in demand for sterilization services globally. In addition, prevalence of various diseases in the hospitals and clinics is further projected to impact the global market growth of sterilization services positively. Persistence Market Research states that the global market of sterilization services is projected to reflect a CAGR of 6.0% over the forecast period, 2017-2026.Factors Fuelling Global Market GrowthGrowth of the global sterilization services market is mainly bound to various macro-economic and micro-economic factors. Surge in demand for hygienisation of medical instruments will continue to rev up demand for sterilization services in the healthcare sector. Preference for uncontaminated medical instruments in the healthcare institutions is projected to remain high attributed to growing need to conduct surgeries. In order to cease the propagation of contaminations in various equipment and instruments manufactured for various industries, the ruling authorities in various countries are imposing stringent regulations to meet the specifications regarding decontamination. In addition, strict assessment of medical instruments by FDA has further led the manufacturers to include sterilization as an important production process.Growing need to meet the specified sterility assessment is propelling manufacturers to focus on routine terminal sterilization. Reuse of various medical devices such as endoscopes, ultrasounds and surgical instruments will further rev up sales of the sterility services globally. Increasing adoption of the contaminated medical instruments, of food equipment can propagate various diseases among the patients and customers. In order to ensure adoption of the sterile and uncontaminated devices, manufacturers are ensuring the products are tagged with the sterility labels and FDA approval.In addition, manufacturing companies are also offering one-stop solutions for decontamination and validation services to various industries. Companies in the food and beverages, healthcare, pharmaceutical, vets, dentists, cosmetics and packaging are increasingly collaborating with various manufacturing companies to avail assured and reliable sterilization services quickly. These factors will continue to impact the global market growth of sterilization services positively during the forecast period.Application of chemical sterilants including ethylene oxide can have respiratory and bodily distress as it is carcinogenic in nature. Moreover, increasing application of chemical sterilants is also expected to impose negative effects on the electronic parts of the medical instruments. Attributed to these hazards, manufacturers prefer opting for alternative techniques such as hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide. These factors are expected to inhibit the global market growth of sterilization services significantly.Sales to Remain High for Medical DevicesAs the requirement for decontaminating medical instruments continue to increase, demand for the physical methods of sterilization is projected to remain high in the global market. In terms of revenue, the physical method type segment is projected to represent the highest growth, recording more than US$ 700 Mn by 2026-end. On the other hand, the mechanical method type segment is projected to reflect significant CAGR over the forecast period. By 2017-end, the medical devices manufacturers end users segment is projected to witness a robust revenue growth, representing for more than US$ 300 Mn. In contrary, the research and academic institute end users segment is projected to reflect the fastest growth in the global market of sterilization services during the forecast period.In terms of application, the raw materials segment is projected to reflect a healthy CAGR by 2026-end. On the other hand, the medical devices application segment is projected to generate significant revenues, recording more than US$ 680 Mn throughout the forecast period. By service type, the validation segment and the contract segment is projected to reflect an equivalent CAGR by 2026-end. However, the contract service type segment is projected to represent a significant revenue growth, accounting for more than US$ 590 Mn by 2017-end.Request Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/20770 Market PlayersMajor players operating in the global market of sterilization services include Solvay SA, E I Dupont DE Nemours & Company, 3M Company, Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., Honeywell International, Inc., Daikin Industries Ltd., Mexichem S.A.B. de C.V., The Chemours Company, Zeus Industrial Products Inc., W L Gore & Associates, Inc. and Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA (Saint Gobain Performance Plastics).Persistence Market Research has announced the addition of the  Smart Grid Sensor Market Poised to Expand at 30.3% CAGR During 2017-2025" report to their offering.

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CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.comteam lead800-961-0353

The global energy sector is transitioning into intelligent, efficient network of power supply, and smart grids are actively replacing conventional power grids across the world. The demand for smart grid sensors grows in parallel with surging adoption of smart grid technology. In todays day and age, detection and monitoring operations have helped save potential losses worth millions of dollars. Therefore, smart grid sensors are also expected to gain surplus demand in tomorrows energy industry. Persistence Market Researchs latest report on the global market for smart grid sensors projects that the market, which is presently valued at a little over US$ 128 Mn, will soar at a stellar CAGR of 30.3% to bring in US$ 1,447.3 Mn in revenues by the end of 2025.Key findings in the report exhibit that the global smart grid sensors market will have a steadfast growth during the assessment period, 2017-2025. In this period, the dynamic growth of the global smart grid sensor market will be impacted by several factors, among which following have an enduring influence:A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3962 Extreme Weather Conditions: Severe climate and harsh environment is disrupting the operational efficiency of smart grids, compelling the deployment of thermal sensors that can detect temperature differences and adapt to drastic weather changes, particularly in the US.Electricity Thefts: Rising incidence of electricity thefts in developing & underdeveloped regions is driving the adoption of smart grids. In Latin American countries, power authorities are monitoring such malpractices with help of sensors that identify faux power glitches.Proliferation of IoT: Internet of Things (IoT) is influencing the sales of smart grid sensors but remuneratively. Presently, utilities companies in Europe are looking to leverage IoT to improve development and operation of smart grids by connecting unique devices, which will end up creating an intelligent & self-sustained energy ecosystem.Ineffectiveness of older power grids, increasing energy demands, and implementation of smart metering systems has also propelled the global demand for smart grid sensors. According to the report, titled Smart Grid Sensors Market: Global Industry Trend Analysis 2012 to 2016 and Forecast 20172025, rising concern regarding safety & security of smart grids, and high implementation costs of smart grid sensors is likely to impede the global markets growth, but to a certain extent.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/3962 Based on the region, Latin Americas smart grid sensors market is projected to exhibit a relatively high growth, registering a robust CAGR of 36.1%. The demand for voltage/temperature sensors, in particular, is projected to remain high throughout the forecast period. The report estimates that in 2016, more than 40% of global smart grid sensor revenues were accounted by sales of voltage/temperature sensors. In terms of application, smart energy metering is expected to dominate with more than 40% share, while revenues amassed from other applications such as lead management, energy storage and renewable energy will be registering a speedy growth at 38.1% CAGR. The report also profiles key participants in the global smart grid sensors market, which include ABB Ltd., Aclara Technologies LLC, General Electric Company, Honeywell International Inc., Eaton, Toshiba Corporation, Networked Energy Services Corporation, QinetiQ Group PLC, Torino Power Solutions Inc., Sentient Energy, Inc., ARTECHE, Siemens AG, Ingenu Inc., GIPRO GmbH, GRID20/20 Inc.The global jewelery insurance market in its database provides key analysis of the market insights, its future trends and developments, major players, major restraints and profiles of drivers, jewelery insurance market segmentation and forecasts. The report highlights the market size and CAGR of key segments, and thus provides a quick snapshot of the global jewelery insurance market.

Jewelry Insurance

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Global Jewelry Insurance market report 2019 offers a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Jewelry Insurance industry along with competitive landscape, Market share and revenue forecasts 2026. The report firstly introduced the basics: definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain overview; industry policies and plans; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures and so on.Request report sample pages prior purchase@ https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=105638 Major key player profiled in this report:Travelers InsuranceAllstateBerkshire Insurance GroupAmerican Family InsuranceLiberty MutualGEICO etc.Then it analyzed the worlds main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, capacity utilization, supply, demand and industry growth rate etc. At the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Scope of the Report:The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the Jewelry Insurance Market with respect to each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as major drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of the market. Also covered segments company profile, type, and applications.This market research report also provides a brief summary of the global jewelery insurance market. The report consists of several aspects that affect the growth of the jewelery insurance market. We also help new entrants provide great growth opportunities and gain more profits.Different driving factors and opportunities have been examined carefully to understand the present and future growing factors of the businesses. In addition to this, it also gives a gist about the restraining aspects that are holding back the progress of this particular market. The report has been curated using primary and secondary research techniques to discover the statistics of industries.Request report Discount on this Premium Repor@ https://www.qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=105638 Finally, it focuses on the dynamic aspects of the businesses such as, client needs, competitors response and review of the customers. This Jewelry Insurance analysis gives a gist about some innovative information such as profit margin, methodologies, investment and revenue.Most important data include the key recommendations and predictions by our analysts, intended to steer a strategic business decision. The company profiles section of this research service is a compilation of the growth strategies, financial status, product portfolio, and recent developments of key market participants.The report provides detailed industry analysis of the global Jewelry Insurance market with the help of proven research methodologies such as Porters five forces. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of the buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and the degree of competition.Request report Complete Report@ https://www.qyreports.com/report/global-jewelry-insurance-market-size-trends-applications-status-analysis-and-forecast-reports-2019-to-2026-105638/ Report TOC:Global Jewelry Insurance Market Research ReportJewelry Insurance Market OverviewGlobal Economic Impact on IndustryGlobal Market Competition by ManufacturersGlobal Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionGlobal Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsGlobal Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeGlobal Market Analysis by ApplicationManufacturing Cost AnalysisIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersMarket Effect Factors AnalysisGlobal Market Forecast..Continue For TOCStretch Films Market

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Growing demand in the logistics industry, globally for unitizing items on a pallet through wrapping and increasing preference for packaged food are projected to be the key drivers fuelling the global stretch films market, expanding at a moderate CAGR of 4.6%. From an estimated value of more than US$ 8.06 Bn in 2018, revenue from the sales of stretch films is projected to cross US$ 12.59 Bn by 2028, during the assessment period of 2018-2028. Moreover, burgeoning consumption in the retail sector as a preferred packaging material, is further contributing to the growth of global stretch films market, predicts Future Market Insights.FMIs recently published report on the global stretch films market, offers a 10-year forecast, delivering critical insights on market dynamics influencing the growth of the market. The report also assays a comprehensive competitive landscape offering insights on key market leaders and their forward market strategies, defining the future course of the stretch films market. With positive outlook in key regions including Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe, the food sector would significantly contribute to the sale of stretch films, accounting for nearly 37% of the total market share. In terms of material, polyethylene is estimated to account for more than 85% of total share of the global stretch films market, considering its superior adhesion properties. However, pallet unitization will remain the largest application, taking into account key benefits including lower handling costs, transportation and labor saving, reduced damage and pilferage, and easier identification of inventories. Broadly, expanding manufacturing and warehousing sectors that requires efficient and damage-proof packaging and bundling of good, is further intensifying the demand for stretch films, globally.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7387 Regulations Banning Plastics Will Open Doors for Biodegradable Stretch Films; Material Innovation Would Further Drive Stretch Films ConsumptionIn a bid to reduce pollution at all levels, stringent government regulations calling for a ban on plastics, especially those below 50 micron, is resulting in a gradual shift towards biodegradable films, including bio-plastics. Increasing demand for bio-based products has emerged as a critical opportunity for key players to develop biodegradable stretch films that has the same strength and tensile properties as conventional stretch films.To ride the tide favoring biodegradable stretch films demand, higher speed lines of wider and thinner films is gaining ground among manufacturers. Moreover, manufacturers are utilizing metallocene polyethylene combined with a unique EVA copolymer to produce a stretch film with enhanced performance. Innovations like the light-weight and environmental friendly coreless pallet wrap, would ensure stretch films market growth. Additionally, other material innovations to enhance the efficiency of stretch films, manufactured through multilayered and polymer blend technology, is also a key factor contributing to the growing adoption of stretch films.Request to Report Methodology @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-7387 In a Highly Fragmented Stretch Films Market, Key Players Taking the Acquisition RouteKey players in the global stretch films market are consolidating through strategic mergers and acquisitions and explore new market opportunities to cater to the growing demand for stretch film. Moreover, players are also collaborating resources for novel innovations to pace up with the increasing adoption of stretch films across various end-use industries. Key players profiled in the report by Future Market Insights include AEP Industries Inc, Intertape Polymer Group Inc, Smurfit Kappa Group, Paragon Films, Berry Global Group Inc, and Scientex Berhad.Geographically, FMI predicts intense competition in U.S and Europe considering high density of key players in the stretch films market. Manufacturers in APEJ too, are likely to face stiff competition from entrants. However, APEj is anticipated to witness increased consumption of stretch films considering burgeoning demand for Ready-To-Eat food coupled with material innovations in ASEAN, China, and India, further felicitating the growth of global stretch films market.Get full report now @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/7387PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 13:07:16

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Renaissance Gold Inc. (TSX-V: REN) ("RenGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed definitive earn-in agreements with Hochschild Mining (US) Inc. ("Hochschild"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hochschild Mining plc (LSE:HOC) on its Mars and Ferguson Mountain Projects. Upon signing the definitive agreements, Hochschild paid the Company US$50,000.Robert Felder, President and CEO states, "We are very pleased to have an experienced gold producer and explorer like Hochschild as our partner on these two projects in Nevada. They recognize the excellent discovery potential on these projects and we very much look forward to working with them going forward. RenGold continues to maintain a very active exploration program throughout Nevada, and with the addition of these two agreements, the Company currently has six active exploration agreements in Nevada funded by five different partners." Mars Project: Hochschild has the option to earn up to a 51% interest in the Mars Project by spending US$5,000,000 over a five-year period, and making payments to the Company totaling US$300,000. In addition, Hochschild must spend US$300,000 (committed expenditure) within 18 months of signing the definitive agreement. Upon vesting, Hochschild has a one-time option to elect to earn an additional 19% interest in the Mars Project by spending an additional US$5,000,000 by the ninth anniversary of the definitive agreement.The Mars Project, Lincoln County, Nevada hosts a Carlin-type target in lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, characterized by anomalous gold in soils, and extensive jasperoid alteration with rock chip assays up to 3.7 g/t Au. The gold system is exposed over a 4.5 km strike length and occurs peripheral to a Mesozoic intrusive center. Historic work included three shallow drill programs which encountered multiple low-grade gold intercepts, but tested the system to a depth of only 250 feet. The RenGold technical team re-mapped the geology and alteration and conducted a detailed gravity survey, which facilitated the development of several new structural and stratigraphic targets on the project.The Company recently entered into a lease-option agreement with a third party to acquire eleven additional unpatented mining claims covering a historic mercury occurrence adjacent to and just south of the Mars claim block. This mercury occurrence represents a higher level exposure of hydrothermal alteration and potentially represents a cap over a gold system at depth. This target has similarities to the ground staked by RenGold in 2015 on its Silicon Project now under option to Anglo Gold Ashanti NA in the Bare Mountains District in Nye County, Nevada where Anglo (see NR dated October 17, 2018), Corvus Gold (TSX:KOR) and Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE) are actively drilling.The third party lease agreement has a term of 10 years, includes annual lease payments which apply to a buyout of the property for US$300,000. Upon buyout, the underlying Lessor's interest converts to a 1.5% NSR, of which 1% is purchasable for US$1,000,000.Ferguson Mountain: Hochschild has the option to earn up to a 51% interest in the Ferguson Mountain Project by spending US$3,000,000 over a five-year period, and making payments to the Company totaling US$300,000. In addition, Hochschild must spend US$200,000 (committed expenditure) within 18 months of signing the definitive agreement. Upon vesting, Hochschild has a one-time option to elect to earn an additional 19% interest in the Ferguson Mountain Project by spending an additional US$3,000,000 by the ninth anniversary of the definitive agreement.The Ferguson Mountain Project, Elko County, Nevada hosts a Carlin-type target in Devonian and younger carbonate host rocks. The RenGold technical team completed geologic mapping and soil and rock chip sampling over the project area, which detected geochemical leakage up structure from target horizons at depth. The targets are defined by the intersection of mapped high-angle mineralized structures and several low-angle stratigraphic and structural horizons, including the top of the Devonian unconformity and other horizons where structural and/or chemical ground preparation is likely to be well developed.Exploration UpdateSpruce East: Kinross has notified the Company of its termination of the Agreement (See NR dated May 15, 2017). The Company is assessing the remaining potential and marketability of the project.Related Company NewsMagna Terra Minerals ( TSX.V:MTT) has announced the commencement and completion of drilling on their Piedra Negra Project in the Santa Cruz Province, Argentina (See MTT news release dated December 5, 2018), and the closing of the first tranche of a private placement (See MTT news release dated December 31, 2018). They also announced that drilling has commenced at the Luna Roja Project (see MTT news release dated January 14, 2019). RenGold holds a NSR royalty interest of not less than 1% nor greater than 3% on MTT's Gertrudis, El Meridiano, Covadonga and La Rosita projects as well as the Piedra Negra and Luna Roja (formerly named El Monte) Projects.About Hochschild Mining plcHochschild Mining plc is a leading precious metals company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:HOC) with a primary focus on the exploration, mining, processing and sale of silver and gold. Hochschild has over fifty years' experience in the mining of precious metal epithermal vein deposits and currently operates four underground epithermal vein mines, three located in southern Peru and one in southern Argentina. Hochschild also has numerous long-term projects throughout the Americas.About Renaissance Gold Inc.Renaissance Gold Inc. is a western US focused prospect generator utilizing a joint venture business model. RenGold applies the extensive exploration experience and high-end technical skills of its founders and team members to search for and acquire high quality precious metal exploration projects that are then offered for joint venture to industry partners who provide exploration funding. RenGold maintains a large portfolio of gold and silver exploration properties and has entered into over 65 exploration agreements including those as its predecessor, AuEx Ventures Inc., and those from Kinetic Gold. RenGold's objective is to place its projects into exploration agreements, testing as many drill targets as possible and providing maximum exposure to success through discovery.Qualified PersonAll technical data disclosed in this press release has been verified by RenGold'sPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:24:35

As rail transport demand endure to rise worldwide, transport industries are mainly focusing towards the innovation of new technology. Moreover, continuing innovation in railway technology power the industrial and government investment in railway tracks and rails transport system. Railway brake frame considered as the prominent unit of railway system, which is defined as an assembly rack for train brake control equipment mounted under or inside a vehicle. Brake frame units are also referred as a brae unit. Brake frame units are mainly categorized on the basis of material used for frame production. These materials include steel plate and cast steel. Furthermore, the design used for frame production also considered as substantial distinction for brake frame units. Principal working of any railway brake frame unit is to control the train brakes to control the vehicle body. Manufacturers are inclining their efforts to innovate new technology to increase the bearing capacity of brake frames and safety standards. There are some stringent regulations imposed by the government for brake frame production, as the safety of the rail is one of the prominent factor to focus upon. Globally the railway brake frame manufacturing companies, distributors and suppliers are using different policy approaches and a base for long term investment.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7157 Global Rail Brake Frame Market: Market dynamics:Improving economic condition and rising investment in transport industry power through the great achievement in the industry. Growing industrialization and urbanization in emerging countries such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa is expected to hike the demand for rail brake frame globally over the forecast period. Demand for rails for long distance transportation, lifestyle changes and demographic evolutions are some of the factors, which are continually expected to drive this expansion, because of technological advancements towards more energy-efficient systems for rail infrastructure. Moreover, with rising positive economic scenario of countries and interconnectivity between the places, create significant growth opportunities for rail brake frame market.From last few years global growth of rail transport system is moderate in terms of infrastructure development. According to the World Bank data, there are no surprising development in railway component production. Such factors are expected to hinder the growth of rail brake frame market over the forecast period.Global Rail Brake Frame Market: Market segmentation:The rail brake frame market can be segmented on the basis of material type, rail typeOn the basis of material type rail brake frame market can be segmented asSteel plateCast steelOn the basis of rail type rail brake frame market can be segmented asPassenger railTransit railGlobal Rail Brake Frame Market: Regional outlook:Asia pacific rail brake frame market hold major share in terms of high production of auto parts in China and other Asia pacific countries. With growing railway transportation in developing countries rail brake frame market is also tracing high growth from last few years. Increasing development in railway technology is also expected to become one the main reason behind the growth of rail brake frame market in this region. North America followed by Europe also deliver high growth opportunities for rail brake frame market. Over the past few years there is mass transit by rail in North America region, this is further expected to increase the market demand for rail brake frame. The significant high development in the light rail segment could be a double digit growth opportunity for rail brake frame market. Moreover the rise in demand for high grade safety fasteners will drive the demand for railway fastener market. Emerging markets include countries undergoing rapid economic growth and industrialization and are poised to emerge as substantial markets such as Latin America and MEA market. Furthermore, the rail brake frame market in Latin America and MEA region is expected to show moderate growth over the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-7157 Global Rail Brake Frame Market: Market players:Some of the top manufacturers of rail brake frame market areWabtec CorporationESTANDAKnorr-Bremse GroupCaterpillarAlstomMiner Enterprises Inc.LB Foster Rail ProductsRadiology Information Systems Market

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Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.comAssociate Consultant800-961-0353

Hospitals, medical research institutes, as well as governments, across the globe are hiking their healthcare IT spending to bring reforms in both, operations and outcomes. Instating databases is turning out to be more of a necessity for healthcare institutions, particularly for the field of radiology. Criticality of data produced and used by radiologists is compelling them to utilize speedy & error-proof data transference systems. Correspondingly, the transformation of global healthcare industry through digitization trends is also necessitating the deployment of radiology information systems. In its latest publication, Persistence Market Research has compiled more of such factors that will keep driving the growth of global radiology information system market in the years to come. According to this report, the global market for radiology information systems, which is presently valued at US$ 580.2 Mn, is anticipated to soar at 8.3% CAGR and reach US$ 1,179.2 Mn value by the end of 2024.Request for Report Methodology @: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/2816 Titled as Radiology Information Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024, the report reveals that global demand for radiology information systems continues to grow on the account of rising incidence rate of lifestyle-related diseases. Increasing consumer awareness to radiological procedures, and easy accessibility to these technologies are also serving as proponents for adoption of radiology information systems. Since installing radiology information systems supports a value-based healthcare model, medical practitioners are also promoting it as the immediate future of digitalized radiology.The report reveals that in 2017 and beyond, the demand for cloud-based radiology information systems will remain considerably higher than on-premise systems. Deployment of cloud-based radiology information systems is projected to bring more than US$ 800 Mn by the end of 2024, while revenues emanating from on-premise deployment will soar at 7.3% CAGR. During the forecast period, a little over 45% of global revenues will be accounted by sales of radiology information software. The adoption of radiology information services is also slated to grow robustly, while radiology information hardware is likely to incur a moderate dip in revenues.Through 2024, medical institutions adopting radiology information systems will continue to do so on integrated platforms. Similar to the current scenario, integrated radiology information systems will procure over three-fourth of global market value by the end of 2024. Standalone radiology information systems, however, will be valued at just over US$ 280 Mn by the end of projection period. And, hospitals will undoubtedly be the largest end-users of radiology information systems. More than US$ 600 Mn worth of global radiology information system revenues will be emanating from hospitals spanned across the globe. Adoption of such systems will also be considerably high in diagnostic labs and ambulatory surgical centers.By the end of 2024, North America will remain as the largest market for radiology information systems in the world. In 2016, the regions radiology information systems market was valued at US$ 269 Mn. Meanwhile, Europes advanced healthcare infrastructure will also work in the favor of radiology information system adoption. Throughout the period, Europes radiology information system revenues will soar at a health CAGR, and contribute to nearly 23% share. Although, fastest revenue growth is expected to be recorded by Latin America and the Asia-Pacific regions  revenues from which will surge at more than 8% CAGR.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2816 Ten of the leading companies developing radiology information systems in the world are profiled in the report, and they include Cerner Corporation, Siemens AG, Merge Healthcare Incorporated (IBM), Koninklijke Philips NV, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, Novarad Corp., General Electric Company, McKesson Corporation, and Medinformatix Inc.PVDC Coated Films Market

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Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/Manager9898989898

There is a growing consumer preference for flexible and innovative packaging of food and beverage products to maintain the quality and freshness of the packed products. This is leading to increasing demand for PVDC coated films in the global food and beverages industry as PVDC coated films keep food products fresh and prevent external contamination. The demand for PVDC coated films from the F&B sector is also likely to increase especially in the packaging of meat and meat related products, as these products require adequate moisture barriers and high oxygen, and PVDC coated films offer these features. This surging demand from the F&B industry is creating lucrative opportunities for manufacturers of PVDC coated films, as revealed in a new report by leading research firm Future Market Insights.According to the research, the global PVDC coated films market is projected to be valued in excess of US$ 12 Bn by the end of 2028. From an estimated valuation of around US$ 7.7 Bn in 2018, this represents a growth rate of 4.7% during the 10 year period from 2018 to 2028. This growth can be attributed to the barrier properties of PVDC coated films and extended shelf life.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7364 Factors Driving Revenue Growth of the PVDC Coated Films MarketOne of the main factors boosting demand for PVDC coated films is their environmentally friendly feature. PVDC coated films have a low environmental impact. Manufacturers need to comply with stringent regulatory laws pertaining to sustainability and are focussed on reducing the carbon footprint. PVDC coated films have low carbon dioxide emission levels as compared to other high barrier films and contribute to the prevention of global warming. PVDC coated films are also low-impact materials and facilitate lower consumption of energy, thereby contributing to energy conservation. These factors are acting in favour of the global PVDC coated films market growth. Another significant driver of growth of the PVDC coated films market is the sustained demand for blister packaging in the pharmaceuticals industry in developed as well as emerging economies.Request to Report Methodology @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-7364 Global PVDC Market Growth Challenged by Distortions in Film Structure and Shift Towards Alternatives Owing to High CostsWhile PVDC coated films help keep food products fresh and extend the shelf life, the presence of chlorine in the chemical composition of PVDC coated films results in the films turning yellow with age, becoming brittle and prone to cracking after a certain period of time. Manufacturers are slowly moving towards better alternatives of PVDC coated films that can keep products fresh for a much longer period of time. Further, PVDC coated films are witnessing a hike in prices, resulting in a cost surge across key end-use industries. The high price point is another factor pushing manufacturers to look for better cost-effective alternatives. PVDC coated films require special flexographic converters to help bond adhesion for the purpose of lamination. This makes it difficult for manufacturers to add their branding and product related information on the packaging film. All these factors are anticipated to restrict revenue growth of the PVDC coated films market to a certain extent.Manufacturers of PVDC Coated Films Focussing on Product Innovation and Production Capacity Expansion to Augment Market ShareManufacturers of PVDC coated films are focussing on R&D to innovate their product offerings by adding additional features that enhance the barrier properties of PVDC coated films, resulting in extended shelf life of perishable food products. Another strategy being adopted by key players in the PVDC coated films market is expansion of the product portfolio and production capacity to meet the demands from key end-use industries. With the emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region offering lucrative growth potential, Future Market Insights recommends that key players in the PVDC coated films market should target the regional markets within the Asia Pacific region to expand their footprint in the PVDC coated films market.Get full report now @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/7364PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:36:57

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

Preterm birth is also referred as premature birth of a baby. Preterm birth is considered when a baby is born fewer than 37 weeks gestational age. These babies are known as preemies or premmies. A developing baby undergoes through crucial growth process throughout the pregnancy including the final month. During the last month of pregnancy the brain, lungs, and liver fully develops. If babies are born too early than the desired time period of pregnancy, it creates high chances the disability for the baby. Preterm birth is sub-categories in three stages based on gestational age viz. extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to 32 weeks), moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks). Preterm birth occurs due to various reasons but the multiple pregnancies, infections and chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are the common cause of preterm birth. Some cause of preterm birth might be the genetic influence and some are still unidentified.Preterm Birth Prevention and Management Market: Drivers and RestraintsWHO has estimated that every year 15 million babies are born preterm which is the primary factor responsible for the growth of preterm prevention and management market. Preterm birth is also the leading cause of death among the children under 5 years of age, responsible for approximately 1 million deaths in 2015. Beside than increasing awareness by various NGO about women healthcare during the pregnancy will propel the growth of preterm birth prevention and management market. Hospitals are frequently organizing awareness programme to use the Progesterone Supplementation to avoid the premature delivery will also boost the growth of preterm birth prevention and management market. Stringent regulatory scenario for the drug approval to treat the pregnant women will deter the growth of preterm birth prevention and management market to some extent.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6457 Preterm Birth Prevention and Management Market: SegmentationThe global Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market is classified on the basis of treatment type, distribution channel, and geographic region.Based on treatment type, Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market is segmented into following:AntibioticsTocolytic TherapyProgesterone SupplementationOthersBased on distribution channel, Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market is segmented into following:Hospital PharmaciesRetail PharmaciesOnline PharmaciesPreterm Birth Prevention and Management Market: OverviewPreterm Birth Prevention and Management market is expected show exponential growth over the forecast owing to rising incidences of premature birth. According to WHO, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born across the 184 countries throughout the globe. Among all the preterm birth, 60% of cases happen only in South Asia and Africa but preterm birth is actually a global issue. More than 90% of extremely preterm babies born in low-income countries die within the first few days of life; yet less than 10% of extremely preterm babies die in high-income settings. In 2015, WHO has developed new guidelines with recommendations for improving outcomes of preterm births. By treatment type, Progesterone Supplementation is expected to gain more traction for Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market over the forecast period. Among all distribution channel hospital pharmacies expected to gain maximum market share for Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market.Preterm Birth Prevention and Management Market: Regional OverviewBased on geographic region Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market is classified into seven key regions, North, America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market due to a large number of preterm birth in this region. After North America, Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market is followed by Western Europe owing to advancement in technology and development of new drugs. In APEJ region India and China is will dominate Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market due to rising incidences of preterm birth.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6457 Preterm Birth Prevention and Management Market: Key PlayersSome of player across the value chain of Preterm Birth Prevention and Management market are Aquatic Remedies Pvt. Ltd., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Anglo French Drugs & Industries Limited, Biophar Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd., Jasco Labs (P) Ltd., BSA Pharma Inc. and others.Precision Medicine Market

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Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.comAssociate Consultant800-961-0353

The latest report published by Persistence Market Research titled Global Market Study on Precision Medicine: Drug Discovery Technology Segment Estimated to Witness 0.1% Decline in Market Share Between 2016 and 2024. projects some of the crucial aspects of the global precision medicine market after an in-depth research. The report assures that the market will grow manifold and it will register a 14.7% CAGR between 2016 and 2024.Global Precision Medicine Market: The PropellersThe global expansion of the medicine industry will expand the canvas of the global precision market. Larger investments, better infrastructure, simplified approval process of drugs along with companion diagnostics will impact the structure of the entire climate of the global precision medicine market. The affordable DNA profiling, the bloating cancer population of the globe will create a favorable condition of growth for the global precision medicine market. The proper storage of genome data plays a crucial part in this segment. The emergence of data backed medicare will also drive the global precision market ahead.But the market is combating acute data storage and data privacy issues and it also lacks in systematic approach towards funding and soaring prices of personalized drugs is also creating a blockade in the expansion of the global precision medicine market.Global Precision Medicine Market: Market AutopsyThe global precision medicine market is bifurcated into multiple parent segments which are further sub-categorized. The primary division of the market is an assimilation of three, region, technology and application. The major technologies which will define the market character in the forthcoming years are bioinformatics, next-gen sequencing and drug discovery technology. The applications segment will showcase fruitful results and oncology will act as the showstopper. The market prediction shows that this segment will bloom and will touch an approximate value of US$ 69 Bn by the end of the assessment period. The approximate registered CAGR of this segment within the assessed period will be above 13.5%. The global population is struggling with some of the acute diseases such as arthritis. A large slice of the aged population is an easy prey of this crippling ailment. The immunology segment will reap maximum benefits from the population affected by arthritis. The immunology segment will gain revenue from the market and the market worth will cross US$ 34 Mn by the end of 2024.Global Precision Medicine Market: Regional ScrutinyThe regional market arena has penetrated through different key regions of the globe. The global precision medicine market has extended its boundaries in the last few years. The product has a massive global presence and it is expanding steadily. Apart from North America, Europe, MEA, Latin America and Asia Pacific regions are other major pockets which are expected to show fruitful outcome in the forthcoming years. The global precision medicine market is expected to perform well in the North American region and it will occupy more than 35% of the market share within the period of prediction. The global precision market in North America will flourish and will probably touch the approximate market value of more than US$ 60 Mn by 2024 end. With a stupendous performance the US and Canada will conquer a lion share of the global precision medicine market of this region predicts the report. The Europe is a consistent market and will crawl up the revenue chart within the forecast period. The global precision market in Europe will ride an estimated CAGR of more than 13% to sew up an average worth of more than US$ 40 Mn by the end of 2024. In Europe the markets spread across Germany and France will shape the destiny of this market. Apart from this the countries such as Spain, UK and Italy will also follow the leading pack during the period of assessment. The APAC region is the rising star of the global precision medicine market. The region will project a CAGR of more than 14% during the period of projection. The market will witness a staggering hike and will touch approximately US$ 35 Mn by the end of 2024. In the APAC region Japan will spearhead the market, China and India will lock horns to accumulate maximum market share during the projected period. The region of Latin America will score considerable revenue during this period. MEA will be a sulking market as less of research activities will dampen the spirit of the precision medicine market.Request to Sample Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12646 Global Precision Medicine Market: Comparative LandscapeThe market is evolving fast with the better and bigger market tie-ups. The bonhomie between IT and healthcare is also expediting the market and providing a bigger playground to the stakeholders. Novartis AG, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Eli Lilly And Company, AstraZeneca are contributing massively in the overall development of the global precision medicine market.Persistence Market Research has announced the addition of the  Point To Multipoint Microwave Backhaul Market to Incur Value Growth at 7.6% CAGR During 2017-2025" report to their offering.

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CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.comteam lead800-961-0353

An exhaustive market evaluation put forth by Persistence Market Research on the point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market in a new research publication titled Point-to-Multipoint Microwave Backhaul Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 20172025 focuses on the impact of drivers, challenges, restraints, trends and opportunities on the global market along with key player analysis during the 2017-2025 period. A detailed market segmentation is included in the research study with which value and volume analyses of various categories is possible. The global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market is expected to grow at a significant growth rate across the major geographies of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa (MEA).A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4691 Global Point-to-Multipoint Microwave Backhaul Market: Growth AnalysisThe global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market is impacted by several aspects that have a direct or indirect influence over its growth. The global market is poised to reflect a robust growth rate during the forecast period, which infers a much positive impact of the market factors. The increasing number of small cell deployment, rise in digitalization, increasing internet usage and rise in a networked society, increasing number of internet users even from remote areas, low pricing of microwave backhaul as compared to optical fibers, increasing use of microwave backhaul in the military sector and broad bandwidth, along with increase in ICT spending on a global scale have a positive impact on the growth of the global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market. However, with the pros, few cons ride along that pose challenges pulling the growth of the market. To name a few factors, the slow yet rising adoption of optical fibers in developed countries like North America, lack of capital investment and recurring license expenses are few restraints affecting the growth of the global market.Global Point-to-Multipoint Microwave Backhaul Market: ForecastThe global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market is anticipated to reflect a revenue growth of US$ 927.3 Mn in 2025 from US$ 517.8 Mn in 2017, and is expected to witness a significant growth rate by registering a CAGR of 7.6% throughout the period of forecast, 2017 to 2025.Global Point-to-Multipoint Microwave Backhaul Market: Segmental AnalysisThe global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market is segmented by component, end user solution type, end user, frequency and region. By component, it covers hardware, software and services. By end user solution type, wide area (macro) mobile backhaul and small cell (metro) mobile backhaul segments are included. With respect to end user, telecom operators and internet service providers are covered. By frequency, 6GHZ-9GHz, 10GHz-18GHz and 19GHz- 42GHz segments are included. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa (MEA) are covered in the regions category.Software segment by component is poised to grow at a higher growth rate reflecting a CAGR of 9.0% during the period of forecast followed by the services segment. The services segment is further categorized and the professional sub-segment is anticipated to grow at a robust growth rate throughout the forecast period. The hardware segment is expected to dominate the global market in terms of market value as it reflects a value of more than US$ 300 Mn in 2017 and is expected to reflect a value of US$ 540 Mn by the end of 2025Small cell (metro) mobile backhaul segment is poised to grow at a higher growth rate to register a CAGR of 9.0% throughout the period of forecast. However, this segment does not reflect higher market share. The wide area (macro) mobile backhaul segment dominates the global market by end user solution type by portraying higher market share and value throughout the forecast periodThere is tough competition between the market shares of the 19GHz-42GHz segment and the 10GHz-18GHz segment by frequency. The 19GHz-42GHz segment is poised to run at a higher CAGR of 8.9% throughout the forecast period while the 10GHz-18GHz segment is expected to dominate the market by showing a higher market value of about US$ 380 Mn by the end of 2025, making it the most attractive segment during the forecast periodTelecom operators segment by end user is expected to dominate the global market by reflecting a higher value of more than US$ 600 Mn by 2025 end, but is poised to register a comparatively slow growth rate than the internet service providers segment, which is anticipated to register a CAGR of 8.4% throughout the 2017-2025 periodAsia Pacific region is expected to be the most attractive region in the global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market and is expected to remain dominant by recording a higher market value of about US$ 400 Mn by 2025 end. Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America regions also show good potential and are expected to register CAGRs of 7.7% and 6.8% respectively throughout the forecast period of 2017 to 2025. North America and Europe are anticipated to grow at a comparatively slow rate during this periodRequest For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/4691 Global Point-to-Multipoint Microwave Backhaul Market: Competitive LandscapePersistence Market Research has analyzed all tier companies involved in the global point-to-multipoint microwave backhaul market. Companies such as Nokia OYJ, Ericsson AB, Dragonwave Inc., Redline Communications Group Inc., NEC Corporation, Exalt Wireless, Inc., Intracom S.A. Telecom Solutions, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Cambridge Communication Systems Limited and Cambridge Broadband Network Limited have been profiled.Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Epoxy Resins Paints Market " report to their offering

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PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 11:44:00

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comMANAGER3479183531

Epoxy resins which are also known as polyepoxides belong to the category of reactive prepolymers and polymers that contain the epoxide group. Epoxy resins are one of the most versatile compounds that are widely used in the orthophthalic and polyester family. Epoxy resins usually react either with themselves or with other co-reactants which include phenols, acids, alcohols, polyfunctional amines and thiols among others. Epoxy resins are either low molecular weight pre-polymers or high molecular weight polymers which usually contain at least two epoxide groups. The epoxide group is also known as oxirane and glycidyl group. The raw material required to industrially manufacture epoxy resins are largely derived from petroleum.However, some of the plant derived sources are becoming popular in manufacturing epoxy resins. Epoxy resins being polymeric or semi-polymeric materials and thus, are rarely exist in their pure state. Epoxy resins are known for their excellent electrical, mechanical and heat resistance properties. The epoxide content in the epoxy resins is the most crucial factor which determines the characteristics of epoxy resins. Different grades of epoxy resins are usually blended with various additives, plasticizers and fillers. Epoxy resins find wide range of applications in paints and coatings, electrical and electronic components and structural adhesives manufacturing industries. The paint and coatings industry is one of the major applications of the epoxy resins market.Get More Information @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/global-epoxy-resins-paints-market Growing population coupled with changing lifestyle is expected to boost the overall growth of the construction industry. The growing construction industry is expected to augment the growth of the paints and coatings industry. The paints and coating industry is expected to further grow owing to the rising demand from the automobile industry. The rising demand for high end luxury automobiles is further expected to enhance the overall growth of the paints and coatings industry. Thus, the growing paints and coatings industry is expected to drive the overall growth of the epoxy resins market. Epoxy resins are w9idely used by the paints and coating industry on the heavy duty metal substrates. In addition, paints and coatings containing epoxy resins use less energy than that compared to other heat-cured powder coatings. Moreover, paints and coatings containing epoxy resins are also considered environmental friendly than other chemicals.Asia Pacific is the largest manufacturer of epoxy resins owing to the presence of large manufacturers in China. The presence of many manufacturers coupled with their huge production capacities is expected to boost the overall growth of the epoxy resins market. Europe is one of the major consumers of the epoxy resins market. Epoxy resins being environmental friendly are further expected to augment the overall demand in the market. The demand for epoxy resins is gradually growing in North America. Thus, the growing consumer awareness towards environment friendly products coupled with the presence of stringent environmental regulations is expected to further boost the overall growth of the market.Momentive Performance Materials, Kukdo Chemical (South Korea), Huntsman Corporation (U.S.), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Atul Ltd (India), Sika AG (Switzerland), Cytec Industries Incorporation (U.S.), DuPont (U.S.), 3M (U.S.), BASF SE (Germany), Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd, NAMA Chemicals (Saudi Arabia), LEUNA-Harze GmbH (Germany), and Spolchemie A.S. (Czech Republic) among others are expected to some of the major participants of the global epoxy resins market. The companies are mainly focused towards developing bio based epoxy resins in order to comply with the stringent environmental regulations.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-168PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 15:01:12

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Noram Ventures Inc. ("Noram") (TSX - Venture: NRM / Frankfurt: N7R / OTCPINK: NRVTF announced on January 11, 2019, the triumphant end to the litigation against Centrestone Resources LLC ("Centrestone"), a Nevada limited liability company which maintains its registered office at 5348 Vegas Drive, Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada for the trespassing and the overstaking of Noram's Property in Clayton Valley.The parties to the litigation came to a final settlement agreement on January 10, 2019 in which Noram agreed to vacate the injunction hearing based on Centrestone's complete withdrawal from the Zeus Property, the dismissal of the countersuit against Noram, a cash consideration of $50,000 USD and numerous other commitments that prohibit any future conflict or contest with respect to the interest rights on the Zeus Property.BackgroundNoram first became aware of the trespassing and unpermitted exploration activities that infringed upon the Company's Clayton Valley Project unpatented mining claims in early May. The Company's representatives communicated verbally to the parties on the mining claims that their activities were neither permitted nor permissible, however the other parties continued to enter the mining claims. On May 24, 2018 the Company delivered to Centrestone a letter of demand to cease its entry and activities on the mining claims. The Company received no response from Centrestone.As a result, in the best interest of the Company and its Shareholders, the Company filed a Complaint (the "Complaint") in the Fifth Judicial Court of the State of Nevada in and for the County of Esmeralda on June 7, 2018 to preserve its rights in its unpatented mining claims and to prohibit Centrestone from entering on the mining claims. The Compliant included, but was not limited to the following:the trespassing onto the Company's Clayton Valley Claims (the "GER Claims" or the "Claims") and the purported location of unpatented lode claims over most, if not all, of the Company's claims. The claims were not located in good faith or in compliance with applicable laws;damages resulting from the trespass and interference with the Company's business and business opportunities; andwrongful and tortious slander of the Company's title to the Property and irreparable harm should this conduct not be enjoined.The Company sought relief that the Claims are valid subsisting unpatented mining claims and that the Company is entitled to exclusive possession, occupancy and use of the Claims and the public lands appropriated by Noram, as well as to any valuable minerals and mineral deposits contained in, on or under the Claims, subject to the paramount title of the United States. Furthermore, the Company sought relief that the Centrestone Claims are declared null and void, that Centrestone has no right, title, claim or interest in the Claims, the public lands appropriated by them or any valuable minerals or mineral deposits contained in, on or under the Claims. Lastly, Noram sought a monetary judgement against Centrestone, including but not limited to: trespass damages, damages related to the unlawful appropriation, actual damages, punitive damages, special and statutory damages.Subsequent to filing the Notice, the Company received a response which denied the allegations material to the Notice. Additionally, the Company was provided with a Counterclaim (the "Counterclaim") which purported that Centrestone had rightful title to the Claims and that Noram trespassed on their claims and improperly located the claims comprising the Clayton Valley property.In an effort to expedite the legal proceedings, the Company filed a notice of motion for preliminary injunction in the State of Nevada which would require Centrestone to refrain from (a) entering onto or upon the area delineated by the exterior boundaries of the claims for the purpose of exploring for minerals, mining, excavating, extracting, removing or carrying away any earth, rock or minerals from within the vertical planes formed by the boundaries of the claims; and (b) from constructing on the claims any equipment, improvements, infrastructure, or other installations which might delay, hinder, interfere with, or otherwise obstruct the mineral exploration, development and mining operations of Noram. A hearing time and date were set by the Fifth Judicial district court of the State of Nevada in and for the County of Esmeralda on January 11, 2019 in Goldfield, Nevada.Mr. Ireton, (President and CEO), Mr. Brown (Director) and Ms. Algie (CFO) as well as the Company's QP and landmen travelled to Nevada in preparation to attend the Preliminary Injunction hearing and present the facts of the overstaking with the intention of seeking injunctive relief, as previously detailed in the Company's news release dated October 19, 2018. The hearing was vacated upon successful settlement as detailed above."Noram's board, management and team on the ground worked both diligently and efficiently to resolve this blatant attempt to infringe upon our Company and the significant resource we have been dedicated to developing. We are incredibly proud of the efforts and investments of time and energy made by everyone in order to put a triumphant end to this situation" stated Mr. Ireton.About Noram Ventures Inc.Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX - Venture: NRM / Frankfurt: N7R / OTCPINK: NRVTF) is a Canadian based junior exploration company, with a goal of developing lithium deposits and becoming a low - cost supplier. The Company's primary business focus since formation has been the exploration of mineral projects. Noram's long term strategy is to build a multi-national lithium minerals company to produce and sell lithium into the markets of Europe, North America and Asia.Please visit our web site for further information: www.noramventures.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS/s/ "Mark R. Ireton"President & DirectorDirect: (604) 761-9994Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. FoNon Melanoma Skin Cancer Market

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In a new report titled Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012  2016 and Forecast 2017  2025, Persistence Market Research analyzes the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market over an eight year forecast period 2017  2025 and throws light on the various factors impacting revenue growth of the market over the said period. The report highlights the market forecasts for the different segments and presents deeper insights for informed decision making.Region  High Prevalence of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in North AmericaNorth America is estimated to hold a market share of roughly 55% in the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market in 2017 and is anticipated to have the highest attractiveness index of 3.0 during the forecast period. Non-melanoma skin cancer is more prevalent in senior citizens and the Population Reference Bureau estimates that Americans over the age of 65 will double to almost 100 million by 2060.Treatment Type  Radiation Therapy Larger than Chemotherapy and Photodynamic TherapyRadiation therapy is larger than chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy combined, making it imperative for key stakeholders in the non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market to focus on this treatment type. Radiation therapy is poised to be worth more than US$ 4.7 Bn by end 2025. Within radiation therapy, companies may wish to target superficial radiation therapy.Indication  Basal Cell Carcinoma Dominates the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment MarketEven though squamous cell carcinoma is predicted to record a higher CAGR of 6.4% from 2017-2025, it is unlikely to outpace basal cell carcinoma anytime soon as the latter is likely to value at approx. thrice the size of the former by end 2025. The attractiveness index of basal cell carcinoma is 1.5, considerably larger than the 0.5 of squamous cell carcinoma during the same period.End User  Hospitals Popular Channel in the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment MarketThe treatment modalities for non-melanoma skin cancer usually require expensive radiation therapy. Therefore, hospitals are preferred over ambulatory surgical centers and specialty clinics in the non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market. The hospital segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 2 Bn in 2017 itself.Competition Dashboard in the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment MarketPersistence Market Research has profiled some of the largest companies actively involved in the non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market. These include Almirall S.A., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Elekta AB, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Merck & Co., Novartis AG, Mylan NV, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Varian Medical Systems, and Sensus Healthcare.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3648 Key Findings of the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Market ReportNon-melanoma skin cancer places a high economic burden on countries with minimal medical treatment options, particularly at the metastatic stage. Many pharmaceutical companies are now trying to develop treatment options for late-stage non-melanoma skin cancer. In addition, companies seek to use their existing drugs to effectively tackle squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma. Major players such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, and Merck are working on gaining approval for their drugs to treat non-melanoma skin cancer.Nebulizer Devices Market

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Persistence Market Research (PMR) has recently published a research report titled Nebulizer Devices Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2025). The report states that the global nebulizer devices market is expected to witness a stable growth in the coming years. Advances in healthcare and the introduction of new drugs has been anticipated to trigger the adoption of nebulizer devices until 2025 end, thus supporting the overall growth of the market.Request for Report Methodology @: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/22411 With technological advances rapidly gaining pace, key players in the market are also rolling up their sleeves in order to sustain in the intensifying market scenario and also to stay ahead of the competition. Companies are investing in research and development of new products and are focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships. For instance, in 2015, two market giants Agilent Technologies Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific entered into an agreement for instrument control exchange. This agreement proved to be beneficial with improved productivity and enhanced user experience for customers who were using the instruments and software of both the companies. Many other agreements and exchange partnerships have taken place between several leading firms. Some of the top companies operating in the global nebulizer devices market are Allied Healthcare Products, Inc., CareFusion Corporation, Covidien plc, GE Healthcare, Omron Healthcare, Inc., PARI GmbH, and Koninklijke Philips N.V.On these grounds, the global nebulizer devices market is expected to expand at 6.6% CAGR from 2017 to 2025. The market is projected to rise to a valuation of over US$ 3,382 Mn by the end of 2025 from a valuation of around US$ 2,033 Mn in 2017.Growing Incidences of Chronic Diseases to Augur Well for the MarketHigh prevalence of cystic fibrosis and COPD has been witnessed significantly across the globe. However, the exact cause for asthma and cystic fibrosis is still unknown, but some of the risk factors include hereditary conditions and environmental pollution that lead to chemical irritation. On the other hand, COPD mostly occurs due to cigarette smoking. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology stated in 2012 that over 100 million people would suffer from asthma across the world by the end of 2025.Numerous awareness programs have been initiated by healthcare providers and health organizations and societies across the globe in the form of environmental programs, medication maintenance programs, and online education programs for public and healthcare professionals across the globe to control COPD, asthma, and other respiratory diseases. In this case, healthcare organizations and providers are teaming up to prevent respiratory diseases and improve the condition of the patients by providing them with better services and facilities. AstraZeneca is collaborating with 10 other market giants to prevent and control the spread of respiratory diseases in China. The use of nebulizer devices is expected to increase in the coming years, owing to the increasing instances of chronic diseases across the globe.Request to Sample Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/22411 Implementation of Strict Regulations and Drug Loss During Delivery to Hinder Market ProgressNebulizers are efficient and effective in drug delivery; nevertheless, the prime factor associated with these devices is the loss of the drug during delivery. Pneumatic nebulizers have been foreseen to lose some amount of the drug in the spray chamber during delivery. Ultrasonic nebulizers incorporate the use of ultrasonic waves, which escalates the chances of drug inactivation during delivery. Moreover, ultrasonic waves are harmful to the human body. This factor may negatively impact the growth of the ultrasonic nebulizer devices market. Also, governments across the globe have imposed strict regulations on the approval of nebulizer devices.So, despite several awareness programs and technological advancements paving the way for a better future for the market, will the sales of nebulizer devices garner sufficient revenue in the long run; aPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:36:48

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Nasopharyngoscope is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to examine the internal surface of nose and throat. Flexible fiberoptic nasopharyngoscope is used for this procedure, and are equipped with eyepiece, lens, and light source. Nasopharyngoscope is adopted by surgeons, and are conducted under local anesthesia or sedative. Nasopharyngoscope is advantageous as they provide direct insights larynx, nasal passage, and upper respiratory tract. Nasopharyngoscope is used as a diagnostic equipment to target obstruction in nasal airway, viewing of abnormal growth of cells, and biopsies procedures. Nasopharyngoscope is also used in after surgeries in order to track patients progress, or for monitoring efficiency of antibiotic therapy. Nasopharyngoscope is adopted as they offers a clean view of respiratory tract, and are more precise than X-ray imaging modalities. In contrast to this, various complication is associated with nasopharyngoscope, and some of them are bleeding, vomiting respiratory collapse, and laceration. Nasopharyngoscope is generally equipped with 2-way articulation and offers inline inspection with videos and photos capabilities. Nasopharyngoscope is used for both diagnostic and treatment purposes where visualization of nasopharyngeal anatomy is mandatory. Nasopharyngoscope is generally available in various diameters ranging from 1.9 mm to 6 mm for adults, and pediatric respectively. Furthermore, Nasopharyngoscope are equipped with additional devices such as camera, printer, and monitor.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6450 Nasopharyngoscope Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe growth of the nasopharyngoscope market is primarily driven by increasing prevalence and incidence of chronic sinusitis. For instance, according to the estimates of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 29.4 million are diagnosed with nasopharyngoscope in the U.S. alone. In addition, factors such as rapidly growing ageing population on the global level, increasing adoption of minimally invasive surgical procedures, and favorable reimbursement policies are also impelling the growth of the nasopharyngoscope market. However, factors such as high cost of equipment, limited availability of skilled professionals, complexity concerns, and adverse complication are the major obstacles in hampering the growth of nasopharyngoscope market.Nasopharyngoscope Market: SegmentationThe global nasopharyngoscope market can be segmented on the basis of usage type, end-user, and region.On the basis of usage type, global nasopharyngoscope market can be segmented as:Single Use NasopharyngoscopeMulti Use NasopharyngoscopeOn the basis of end user, global nasopharyngoscope market can be segmented as:HospitalsSpecialty ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersOn the basis of region, global nasopharyngoscope market can be segmented as:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanMiddle East and AfricaNasopharyngoscope Market: OverviewNasopharyngoscope is opted for minimally invasive surgical procedures in nasopharyngeal anatomy to identify any abnormality in this region. During the nasopharyngeal process, patient is treated with a mild sedative to reduce irritation. Since its inception in 1930, various technological advancement has been witnessed in recent years to drive an optimal device. Nasopharyngoscope allows visualization of structures such as a nasal cavity, eustachian tube orifices, nasopharynx, adenoid, lingual tonsils, epiglottis, and many others structures. A recent study claims that nasopharyngoscope is also used as an evaluating tool in patients with angioedema, and use of nasopharyngoscope with conventional speech therapy aid to enhance velopharyngeal closure during articulation. Nasopharyngoscope are widely adopted in diagnosis and treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, and cost for per procedure can range up to US$ 35,000 per patient.Nasopharyngoscope Market: Region Wise OutlookGeographically, the nasopharyngoscope market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. The market in North America is anticipated to hold the largest share of nasopharyngoscope in the global market, followed by Western Europe, owing to the increasing demand for minimally invasive surgical procedures. In addition, the presence of favorable reimbursement scenario is driving the market growth of nasopharyngoscope. The market in Asia Pacific region is anticipated to show to grow at a higher rate owing to the improving healthcare facilities, increasing funding and grants for research and development activities, and presence of large population-based coupled with the large share of the geriatric population in countries such as China and Japan. However, the market for nasopharyngoscope in regions such as Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Middle East & Africa are estimated to show a stagnant growth over the forecast period owing to the presence of inadequate healthcare infrastructure and low per capita healthcare expenditure.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6450 Nasopharyngoscope Market: Key PlayersSome of the market participants in the global nasopharyngoscope market are Optim LLC, XION GmbH, Jedmed instrument Company, Inventis Srl, Hipp Endoskop Service GmbH, Anthony Products, Inc., Xi'an Landcom Digital Medical Sci-Tech Co. Ltd., Machida, Inc., Pentax Medical (Hoya Corporation), Ambu A/S, ATMOS MedizinTechnik GmbH & Co. KG, and Olympus Corporation.Persistence Market Research

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Nano-Enabled Packaging For Food and Beverages: Intelligent Packaging to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global nano enabled packaging market for food and beverages industry was worth USD 6.5 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.7% during 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 15.0 billion in 2020.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2809 The global progress in technologies is making lives simpler and safer. Nanotechnology is one such field which is dynamically progressing and is contributing to the development of several industries, including food and beverages packaging. Nano-enabled packaging gives longer shelf life to food and beverages as compared to traditional plastic packaging. Food and beverages packaging is done through two different technologies under nano-enabled packaging-active and intelligent packaging. Active packaging has a comparativelylarger market than intelligent packaging.Intelligent packaging is growing at a faster rate as compared to the active packaging. Customers prefer traceable food and beverages packaging, since it offers information such as expiry date and best use period, present state of the consumables. The radio frequency identification (RFID) tags keep customers informed about the state of the food within the packaging. Intelligent packaging is mostly used for fruits and vegetables, meat products, and beverages. Stricter regulations associated with active packaging have been stimulating the use of intelligent packaging in Europe and North America.Intelligent packaging in the U.S. is growing mainly due to the increasing demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. Americans are shifting their breakfast preference from junk foods to fresh alternatives. The U.S. is one of the largest producers and exporters of cherries globally. With the ease in trade regulations, fruit exports of the U.S. have increased. In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that after ten years of negotiations, U.S. cherries can be exported to Western Australia, one of the most important markets for cherries. The increasing demand for intelligent packaging in international trade (especially in fruits) is laying out opportunities for this technology in food packaging.The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) proposed by FDA in 2011 is another growth indicator for intelligent packaging wherein the fresh produce, including fruits and vegetables, are required to be scientifically grown, harvested, packaged, and stored. The farm products that come in the acts domain are lettuce, spinach, cantaloupe, tomatoes, sprouts, mushrooms, onions, peppers, cabbage, citrus produce, strawberries, and walnuts.Nano-enabled packaging finds its application in several industries, including bakery, meat, beverages, fruit and vegetables, prepared foods, and others. The increasing demand for meat products, beverages, vegetables, and prepared foods is expected to drive their respective nano-enabled packaging markets, while the market share of bakery products is expected to decline on account of the rapid growth of other application segments.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/2809 Nanotechnology is at a nascent stage and, therefore, usage of nano-enabled packaging is low in the food and beverages industry. Limited numbers of buyers have more leverage to negotiate with nanotechnology companies. On the other hand, there is a plethora of companies providing nano-enabled packaging solutions to the food and beverages industry.Nano-enabled packaging market for food and beverage is very competitive with a large number of players offering an array of patented products. The major players in this industry include Amcor Limited, Bemis Company, Inc., Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, L.L.C., Klockner Pentaplast, Sealed Air, and Tetra Pak International S.A.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 14:34:36

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / MJ Harvest, Inc. (OTC PINK: MJHI) is pleased to announce that the Company will be attending the upcoming INDO EXPO trade show on January 26th in Denver, Colorado. The INDO EXPO Trade Show is focused on building business to business (B2B) relationships and providing a professional platform for producers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers. Patrick Bilton, CEO, stated that "this is a great opportunity for MJHI to connect with other operators seeking avenues for distribution of their products through our www.ProCannaGro.com e-commerce site." MJ Harvest is also pleased to announce an initial shipment of DeBudder lids to a key distributor in Chile, Horticultura Tecnica de Chile, S.A. This initial shipment expands our product reach into South America. The Company also markets its products through its ProCannaGro web site and distributors in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, and Australia. Information on how the DeBudder products work, including videos of the products in use, can be found at www.ProCannaGro.com under the products tab.The Company also announces that its corporate web site, www.MJHarvestInc.com , is now live. Patrick noted that "the new web site reflects the Company's commitment to excellence in the horticultural and agricultural implements business." "We will be adding content in the coming months to highlight our growing business and the many opportunities the management team is developing." About MJ Harvest: MJ Harvest acquires and markets products and technologies that are designed to benefit growers and processors in the horticultural and agricultural industries. We recently launched ProCannaGro.com to provide a professionally designed and maintained web-based marketing outlet for our product brands and technologies. We are currently building our product lines and distribution channels. Please contact us if you have a product or technology that would benefit from an enhanced marketing program and international distribution channels.Forward-Looking Statements:This press release contains forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. Although the forward-looking statements in this release reflect the good faith judgment of management, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release.CONTACT:MJ Harvest, Inc.9205 West Russell Rd., Bldg 3 ST 240Las Vegas, NV 89148Telephone: 954.519.3115Tcktsllc@ earthlink.net @HarvestMJSOURCE: MJ Harvest, Inc.Medical Implants Sterile Packaging Market

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According to a new report by Persistence Market Research titled Medical Implants Sterile Packaging Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024, the global medical implants sterile packaging market is anticipated to be valued at US$ 1,427.8 Mn by the end of 2016 and this is estimated to increase to US$ 2,436.4 Mn by the end of 2024, registering a CAGR of 6.5% in terms of value during the forecast period (2016  2024). Orthopedic implants (including spinal implants, reconstructive joint implants, and extremity braces & support) is expected to gain a significant market share owing to a large global baby boomer population prone to orthopedic ailments.Global medical implants sterile packaging market dynamicsA growing demand in medical packaging and increasing usage of hygiene packaging among multiple end users is anticipated to drive advances in the industry. Medical implants sterile packaging is one of the emerging packaging solutions, widely used for pharma packaging, and is driven by factors such as increasing implant surgeries, innovative medical equipment and implants, increasing chronic degenerative diseases, and changing lifestyle of people.Request to Sample Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12379 Global medical implants sterile packaging market forecastThe global medical implants sterile packaging market report is categorically split into four sections  based on product type, material type, application, and region. On the basis of product type the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into pouches & bags, blister, clamshell, tubes, vials, and others. On the basis of material, the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into plastic, foils, paper, and others. On the basis of application, the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into spinal implants, extremity braces & support, dental implants, cardiovascular implants, reconstructive joint implants, and other implants. On the basis of region, the global medical implants sterile packaging market has been segmented into the five key regions of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.The pouches & bags product type is likely to emerge the dominant segment throughout the forecast period due to its wide application in multiple pharma industries. The pouches & bags product type segment is estimated to create a large market share of 53.1% in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2016 to 2024 in terms of value. The clamshell product type segment is anticipated to witness high Y-o-Y growth rates ranging from 5.8% to 7.2% over 20162024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.6% in terms of value over the forecast period.The foils material type segment is expected to create a significant CAGR of 7.3% in terms of value over the forecast period. The paper material type segment is projected to grow at lower Y-o-Y rates ranging from 5.6% to 5.7% over 20162024.The dental implants application segment is estimated to account for 13.7% market share by 2016 end and is anticipated to remain stagnant at 13.8% during the forecast period. The cardiovascular implants segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7% in terms of value during 20162024.Among regions, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the key region driving overall demand for medical implants sterile packaging owing to the increasing usage of packaging and growing consumer spending power in the region. Mature markets such as North America and Europe are expected to witness uneven growth while Latin America and MEA are expected to register sluggish growth throughout the forecast period. Europe is anticipated to witness higher Y-o-Y growth rates ranging from 5.9% to 6.2% over 20162024, and is estimated to record 7.3% CAGR in terms of value over the forecast period.Request for Report Methodology @: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/12379 Global medical implants sterile packaging market competitive landscapeThe global medical implants sterile packaging market report studies business operations including short-term and long-term strategies, product offerings, and key developments of some of the top companies in the global medical implants sterile packaging market. Key market players featured in the report are Sealed Air Corporation, Orchid Orthopedic Solutions LLC, Selenium Medical, Bemis Healthcare, Janco Inc., Multivac Group, Oliver-Tolas Healthcare Packaging, and Steripack Contract Manufacturing.Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the "Marine Propulsion Engine Market Estimated to Discern 2X Expansion by 2017- 2027" report to their offering

PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:58:33

Marine propulsion is the system or mechanism used to generate thrust that allows a small boat or even a ship to move across waterways. Modern ships are usually equipped with mechanical systems consisting of an electric motor turning a propeller, or even pump-jets or an impeller. These ships employ reciprocating engines as their main source of power because of their robustness, operational simplicity and lower emissions. The power required by a ship largely depends on the way it is used during regular operations  for e.g.  A passenger ship requires less power than either a trade or naval ship. The marine propulsion engine market serves offshore support vessels, commercial vessels, inland waterway vessels, submarines and more.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2804 Focus on renewable energy fuelling the marine propulsion engine marketA growing need for dependent and fuel-efficient ships is anticipated to be the main driver of the marine propulsion engine market. There has been rapid innovation in the industry that has led to the development of new high-performance engines that are more fuel-efficient than their predecessors. Leading companies in the marine propulsion engine market are continuously innovating and extending their product offerings to handle the growing demand for greater capacity handling. This is mainly due to a rise in international seaborne trade caused by a globalised world with heavy interdependence and interconnectivity.The second major factor that is likely to impact the marine propulsion engine market is the focus on renewable energy sources. Global warming and an impending energy crisis are some of the biggest challenges faced by the world in the 21st century. Commercial and transport ships notorious for causing a lot of pollution and accidental oil spills not only damage the regional natural ecosystem but also negatively impact the companys goodwill and market image. That is why energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, electric energy and hydroelectric energy are becoming more important than ever before. The development of electric motors that can power ships and reduce fossil fuel consumption will definitely have a positive impact on the marine propulsion engine market. The depletion of shale gas and conventional reserves will increase the demand for LNG, particularly as a marine fuel.Regulatory hurdles  the biggest challenge to the marine propulsion engine marketUncontrollable CO2 emissions from conventional engine systems have led to the implementation of stringent environmental regulations and various taxes such as carbon tax to help reduce the impact of climate change. The marine pollution convention (MARPOL) regulations help prevent sewage, oil and chemical spill contamination along with air pollution caused by marine propulsion engine exhaust fumes. Non-adherence to these governmental rules and regulations may lead to severe penalties running into billions of dollars. This can stifle the growth of the marine propulsion engine market particularly as smaller domestic companies may not be able to comply.Asia Pacific is the key marine propulsion engine market to watchAsia Pacific accounts for a major portion of the marine propulsion engine market and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is primarily because of key nations China, Japan and South Korea that have become manufacturing powerhouses heavily dependent on external trade. China is already the worlds largest exporter and would naturally require a greater number of commercial ships, thus having a positive impact on the demand for marine propulsion engines. In addition to trade, countries across the world have begun beefing up their navies to combat ocean piracy. Asian navies, in particular, are rapidly building their defence capabilities and this should increase the size of the marine propulsion engine market across the Asia Pacific region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2804 Marine propulsion engine market: key playersSome of the key players in the marine propulsion engine market are Caterpillar, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., General Electric Company, and Masson Marine.Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market

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Global Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market report describes elements such as dominating companies, types, applications, classification, size, SWOT analysis, business atmosphere and most effectual trends in the industry are comprised in this research study. The strategic business tactics accepted by the unique members of the Aerospace and Defense Actuator market have also been integrated with this report. This report has defined the market scenario in an orderly way, emphasizing the industrial development, prominent players engaged from the current Aerospace And Defense Actuator market, chapter wise market specifications, industrial procedures, that will absolutely assist our readers to aim towards the Aerospace And Defense Actuator industry perspective and promote stability with cost-effectiveness and revenue structure.The global Aerospace and Defense Actuator market report includes a profound summary of the key sectors of the market. This report covers information on applications, types and its regional as well as historical and future opportunities and challenges of Aerospace and Defense Actuator market. Moreover, sub-segments and sub-sectors are explained of the Aerospace and Defense Actuator industry. The Aerospace and Defense Actuator report focuses on market contribution feasibility and also gives a brief introduction, business overview, revenue division and product beneficence.Request Sample Copy for More Insightful Information at: https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=222810 Focusing Top Producers in Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market, Together With Production, Cost, Earnings, And Market Share for Every Producer, Covering Leading Players: Electromech Technologies, Parker Hannifin Corp, UTC Aerospace Systems, Triumph Group, Honeywell International Inc., amongst othersOn the basis of regional segmentation, U.S., Europe, China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia have been taken into consideration and is therefore elaborated in the report. It also describes the key strategies adopted by the players to enhance their prominence in the global market. Also, it describes the opportunities for new entrants who want to establish a strong standing in this global market.Prominent Points in International Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market Trends Report:Market Methodology and Repository: Methodology/Research Approach, Research Programs/Design, Global Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market Size Estimation, Economy Breakdown, and Data Triangulation, Repository (Secondary Resources, Main Resources), Disclaimer.Aerospace And Defense Actuator Key Players, Types and Application: Key Players Profile, SWOT Analysis and Forecast, Revenue Volume Sales Price Cost, and Gross-margin, Contest by Players/Suppliers, Region, Types, and Application.Industry Chain and Supply Chain: Industry Chain Structure, R&D, Recyclables (Components), global Aerospace and Defense Actuator market Manufacturing Plants, Regional Trading (Import export and Neighborhood Sales), on the Web Sales Channel, off Line Channel, End-users, Manufacturing (Key Components, Assembly Manufacturing).Aerospace and Defense Actuator Economy by Manufacturing Cost Analysis: Price Trend, Key Providers, Market Concentration Cost of Chemical Materials, Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure (Labour Cost), Manufacturing Process Analysis.Aerospace And Defense Actuator Size (Revenue and Sales) Forecast (2019-2026): Earnings (K Components), Revenue (Mn/Bn USD) Forecast (2019-2026), Revenue Published by Regions (2019-2026), Forecast by Program (2019-2026), global Aerospace And Defense Actuator market Revenue Forecast by Product (2019-2026), Proposed by Guidance Technique (2019-2026).Get Attractive Discount on This Report at: https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=222810 Table of Contents:Global Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market Research Report 2019-2026Chapter 1: Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market OverviewChapter 2: Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3: Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4: Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5: Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6: Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type.CONTINUED FOR TOCWorldwide Aerospace and Defense Actuator Market Analysis to 2026 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Aerospace and Defense Actuator industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Aerospace and Defense Actuator market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Aerospace and Defense Actuator market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Aerospace and Defense Actuator players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Do You Have Specific Requirement? Ask To Our Experts at: https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=222810 Also, key Aerospace and Defense Actuator market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered.Reason to Buy -Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Aerospace and Defense Actuator market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 11:22:40

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According to a recent market report published by Future Market Insights titled, Lab Automation Market  Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20172027, the global lab automation market is expected to be valued at US$ 1,219.4 Mn in 2017, and is expected to register a CAGR of 9.6% from 2017 to 2027. Lab automation is increasingly being installed by various end users such as pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and diagnostic centers, educational institutions, contract research organizations (CROs), and research institutes. There has been an increase in the usage of lab automation components in hospitals and diagnostic centers, due to an increase in the demand for biochemistry devices.Dynamics of the Global Lab Automation MarketIncreasing incidences of life threatening diseases and injuries have led to increasing diagnostics procedures, worldwide. It is estimated that, the direct and indirect costs of diagnosis will increase over a period of time. The rising research and development activities in the field of molecular and genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, and immunology have also boosted the demand for accurate and cost saving facilities. To develop cost-effective and cost-efficient medical devices and lab automation services, various governments in developed countries are actively funding R&D activities. For instance, the New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia, has provided a medical devices fund of around US$ 8.0 million in 2017-2018 to help encourage and support investments in the development and commercialization of medical devices, related technologies, and services.Favourable government policies for start-ups enable companies to develop cost-effective healthcare solutions in the lab automation market. Over the last few years, government authorities in Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa are encouraging start-up companies as well as MNCs to boost industrial growth in the healthcare and medical device industries. Major players in the in-vitro diagnostics market can capitalize on the economies of scale to strengthen their position in the market.Request to View Sample of Research Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-394 For instance, India, a developing country in the Asia Pacific region, has announced new policies for attracting MNCs as well as start-up companies across domains, including medical device manufacturing. According to the policies, start-up companies in India are exempt from tax for the first three years after establishment, and patent protection costs are subsidized. Thus, favourable government policies in developing countries are expected to drive overall the lab automation devices and services market.However, the complex integration of lab tools hinders the demand for lab automation solutions. Lab professionals are focusing on the better utilization of test tools, consolidating various resources and deploying effective lab tools across all platforms. Interconnecting various platforms across the lab is a very critical task, and needs advanced PR-PR open-source high-level robot programming language as a cross-platform laboratory automation system, which may lead to complexity and a variety of test configurations, and restrain the growth of the lab automation market over the forecast period.Global Lab Automation Market: Segmentation & AnalysisOn the basis of component, the global lab automation market is segmented into devices and software. Further, the devices segment has been segmented into six categories  biochemistry devices, molecular devices, hematology devices, immunology devices, microbiology devices, and others. The software segment is bifurcated into two segments scheduling software and momentum integration software.On the basis of application, the lab automation market is segmented into life sciences research & development, drug-discovery, and diagnostics, in terms of revenue share. The life Sciences R&D segment dominated the global lab automation market in 2017, and is expected to do so throughout the forecast period. The diagnostics application segment is anticipated to expand at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period.On the basis of end user, the global lab automation market is segmented into pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and diagnostic centers, educational institutions, contract research organizations (CROs), and research institutes. The hospitals and diagnostic centers segment currently accounts for the highest revenue share in the lab automation market, due to the increasing usage of automation devices in hospitals and diagnostic centers in developed countries.This lab automation market report also covers trends that drive each segment, and offers analysis and insights regarding the potential of the lab automation market in regions such as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Middle East & Africa, and Japan. Among these regions, the North American lab automation market is projected to exhibit relatively high growth in the global lab automation market, with a CAGR 10.6% over the forecast period. Revenue from the lab automation market in North America is estimated to account for over 37.1% of the global lab automation market revenue in 2016. Lab automation solution providers can focus on expanding across several countries in North America, such as the U.S. and Canada.Need more information about Report methodology ? @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-394 Global Lab Automation Market: Key PlayersSome of the key competitors in the lab automation market are Abbott Laboratories, Agilent Technologies, Perkin Elmer, Inc, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc, Siemens Healthcare, Danaher Corporation, Becton, Dickinson and Company, and Transcriptic, Inc. These key players are constantly focusing on product innovation and geographical expansions to sustain their market presence and increase revenue generation by developing various types of solutions and delivering outstanding offerings to several end users.View Report Preview @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/lab-automation-marketIv Equipment Market

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Rising cases of needle stick injuries, the shift in demand towards ambulatory surgical centers and fusion pumps, and a greater number of surgical procedures performed are poised to benefit the IV equipment market. Furthermore, a prevalence of chronic diseases in an ageing population in developed nations are positive signs for the IV equipment market. However, lack of wireless connectivity, regulatory mandates for new product launches and increasing cases of medication errors inhibit the unencumbered growth of the IV equipment market that is anticipated to witness a steady CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2022.The IV catheter segment is the most popular in the IV equipment market and should remain so for the foreseeable future. The IV catheter segment is expected to be worth more than US$ 2.7 billion in 2017 itself and companies are recommended to target this segment with gusto. The infusion pump segment is a close second in the IV equipment market in terms of product type segment and is likely to be the biggest winner in terms of market share. Key stakeholders in the IV equipment market would do well to focus their energy on the Europe infusion pumps market as the region accounts for more than a third of the revenue contributionThe securement device segment and stopclocks & valve segment have single digit revenue share in the IV equipment market. While the former is projected to lose market share, the latter is on track to gain share and companies may seek to take advantage of this. The stopcock & valves segment is estimated to grow with a CAGR of just under 6% from 2017 to 2022. Along with Europe, the stopcocks & valves segment has strong potential in APEJThe drip chamber and needleless connector segment have a revenue share of less than a tenth in the IV equipment market at the end of 2017. The needleless connector segment is predicted to lose substantial share in the near future while the drip chamber segment should fall slowly. The Europe drip chamber segment is assessed to grow past more than US$ 285 million at the end of the forecast period. The needleless connector segment also has the greatest potential in Europe. Along with Europe, companies could additionally target the North America needleless connector segmentHospitals hold the lions share in the IV equipment market by end user segment and are forecast to hold steady for the medium to long term. Hospitals are the most-well equipped to deal with any and every patient need pertaining to IV treatment. Europe is the largest region in the hospital segment of the IV equipment market but there is a close competition for the second place between APEJ and North AmericaRequest to view Sample Report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/19297 The companies profiled in the IV equipment market are AngioDynamics, Moog Inc., Terumo Corporation, C. R. Bard, ICU Medical, Smiths Group, Baxter International Inc., Fresenius SE & Co., B. Braun Melsungen AG, and Becton, Dickinson and CompanyPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 08:33:49

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I2C Bus Market: IntroductionA protocol has an important part to play in the embedded system design and without the protocol for increasing the peripheral features of microcontroller the power consumption and complexity in the design is seen to be increased. There has been the advent of many protocols for the transferring of data between two systems one of them is the I2C bus protocol and the bus used is the I2C bus. An I2C bus is a bidirectional two-wired serial bus which is used to transport the data between integrated circuits.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8475 I2C Bus Market: Drivers and ChallengesThere are many factors driving the market for I2C Bus, from which one of the major factor is that the industries like consumer electronics, telecommunications and industrial electronics is growing at a good rate which is leading to the adoption of these I2C bus market globally. As there are many similarities between seemingly unrelated designs like some intelligent control, usually a single-chip microcontroller, to derive benefits from the similarities I2C bus are used. This acts as a driver for the I2C bus market and is leading to its growth. Other drivers for the I2C bus are more on the performance and feature side. Some of them are like the simple 2-wire serial I2C-bus helps in minimizing the interconnections so ICs can have fewer pins and also do not have many PCB tracks. The process which is followed results in smaller design and less expensive PCBs. The I2C bus also leads to be less expensive as it eliminates the need for an address decoders and other glue logic with the use of completely integrated I2C-bus protocol.Some of the restraint for I2C Bus market have been related to the features regarding its structure. IE2C bus increases the complexity of firmware or low-level hardware. This in hand need the skilled professional for the design and repairs. This acts as a restraint for the market and also leads to slow growth of I2C bus market. The other restraint for the market has been the its function where it imposes protocol overhead which reduces its throughput.I2C Bus Market: SegmentationThe I2C Bus market can be segmented into various segments but as per the market analysis the market for I2C Bus is most suitably segmented by mode, type, application, end-user, and region.On the basis of mode the I2C Bus market can be divided into;Standard-mode (bit rate up to 100 kbit/s)Fast-mode (bit rate up to 400 kbit/s)Fast-mode Plus (bit rate up to 1 Mbit/s)Fast-mode Plus (bit rate up to 1 Mbit/s)High-speed mode (bit rate up to 3.4 Mbit/s)Ultra-Fast-mode (bit rate up to 5 Mbit/s)On the basis of type the I2C Bus market can be divided into;Bidirectional busUnidirectional busOn the basis of application the I2C Bus market can be divided into;System Management Bus (SMBus)Power Management Bus (PMBus)Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)Display Data Channel (DDC)Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA)I2C Bus Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players of I2C Bus market are: NXP Semiconductors, and Texas Instruments Incorporated, and some of the potential manufacturers which are likely to enter the I2C Bus market are Soliton Technologies, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., among others.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8475 I2C Bus Market: Regional OverviewOn the basis of geography, I2C Bus market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, SEA and other APAC, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Among various regions, North America I2C Bus market is seen to be leading in terms of value with U.S. I2C Bus market being the most attractive. Also, the I2C Bus market in Japan and Western Europe is expected to be growing at the fastest rates due to the presence of tier-1 manufacturers in the region and increase in the number of consumer electronics buyers in which I2C Bus are used. I2C Bus market in North America and Western Europe is expected to be followed by China and Japan I2C Bus market. Also, as most of the I2C Bus manufacturers are set up in North America and Western Europe, the I2C Bus market is expected to gain traction in these region throughout the forecast period. The reason for the sustained traction in the regions is also due to the increasing industrial electronics market in these region for the I2C Bus market. I2C Bus market in North America, Japan, and Western Europe is expected to account for more than 50% of the total I2C Bus market.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 08:00:42

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Dental floss is an essential part of maintaining healthy teeth. Dental floss is used to remove plaque, all food particle, and film of bacteria which stuck between teeth and impossible to remove from the toothbrush. It is accessible in ribbon or string form, which can be and waxed or un-waxed. Dental floss also available in several flavors to attract children about flossing. Dental floss is available in flavors such as mint, cinnamon, bubble-gum, and plain. Nowadays, disposable floss is gaining traction among young children who may be less able to clean floss. Increasing interest among people to adopt preventive healthcare measures is expected to drive the demand for dental floss. Moreover, increasing adoption of oral care products is expected to favor the growth of the dental floss market. Moreover, various organization such as the American Dental Association are recommended the use of dental flossing minimum once in a day to get rid of plaque.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8442 Dental Floss Market: Drivers and Restraints-Growing spending on dental and oral products to avoid dental surgeries will drive the growth of the dental floss market. Increasing interest in preventive health care across the world will increase the demand for dental care products such as dental floss. Growing disposable income and healthcare expenditure favors the growth of the dental floss market. The increasing demand for dental care products to prevent dental diseases such as periodontal disease, dental plaque, and oral infection. Increasing adoption of new treatment and care options impel the growth of the dental floss market. Availability of new preventive dental care products is another major factor expected to propel the growth of the dental floss market. Increasing dentist recommendations to include flossing in daily routine propel the growth of the dental floss market over the forecast period. Moreover, dental care regulatory organizations such as the European Federation of Periodontology, American Dental Association, and the National Health Service recommended the use of dental floss in health policies. High awareness regarding dental care and the availability of flavored dental floss drives the growth of the dental floss market near the future. Increasing sales of dental floss by e-commerce channel is another major trend in the dental floss market.Dental Floss Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, dental floss market can be segmented as:Waxed FlossUnwaxed FlossOthersOn the basis of the end user, the dental floss market can be segmented as:HospitalsDental ClinicsHome CareDental Floss Market: OverviewFlossing is the key part of the oral hygiene which helps to prevent from a various dental problem. Dental floss generally available as un-waxed floss, waxed floss, dental tape, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) floss, and super floss. Waxed dental floss is available with additional coating of wax on tread or ribbon. Waxed dental flosses compare to un-waxed dental floss as the lesser chance of gum injury compare to un-waxed dental flosses. Moreover, dental floss is easily available at online and retail stores which will turn into faster market growth near the future.Dental Floss Market: Region-wise OutlookIn terms of geography, the dental floss market has been divided into seven regions including North- America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia- Pacific excluding & Japan (APEJ), Japan, Middle-East & Africa, and Latin America. North America is the most dominating market for dental floss market due to high consumption of dental floss in the U.S. market around 50% of demand come from the U.S. market. North contribute high revenue share as high awareness regarding oral hygiene and increasing dentist recommendation. Western European expected to contribute second largest revenue share in dental floss market due to the rise in disposable income and high demand for new dental care products. The Asia Pacific excluding Japan dental floss market is expected to gain a high growth rate over the forecast period due to changing lifestyle, increasing healthcare spending and dental care awareness.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8442 Dental Floss Market: Key Market ParticipantsExample of some market players participants in global dental floss market identify across the value chain are Procter & Gamble Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Sunstar Suisse SA, Prestige Consumer (DenTek Oral Care Inc.), DR. Fresh Inc. , Lion Corporation (Japan), Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Shantou Oral Health Co. Ltd. and others.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:15:53

Rapidly growing industrialization, particularly in developing nations, and significant emphasis on energy conservation has led to noteworthy advancements in compressor technology. Industrial air compressors are designed to compress large volumes of air to a high pressure and harness this as a potential energy source. Compressed air finds a large field of applications in various end use industries, such as power generation, automobile, food & beverage, chemical, oil & gas and other manufacturing. Various applications or end uses of industrial air compressors include supplying clean air to fill gas cylinders, drive pneumatic HVAC systems, and drive pneumatic tools. Industrial air compressors are generally positive displacement compressors or dynamic compressors. The positive displacement type compressor is expected to hold a relatively high market share in the overall industrial air compressor market. Reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors are common types of positive displacement compressors and find applications in various end use industries. Rotary compressor, is mainly classified into centrifugal and axial flow air compressors. Over the past few years, remote sensing technology has gained significant attraction in the industrial compressor market, as it is highly reliable and energy efficient. Flexibility, low operational cost, low maintenance cost, high safety and reduced weight remain the prime focus of key manufacturers in the market.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2885 Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Market DynamicsTechnological innovation remains one of the prominent driving market forces in the global industrial air compressor market, which results in significant replacement demand for the industrial air compressor. Moreover, over the past few years, the market has witnessed a considerable upsurge in demand for energy efficient products. Rapid industrialization of developing countries in Asia Pacific, such as China and India, and countries in Middle East & Africa, such as South Africa, is expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, upcoming investments are expected in new oil and gas projects, which in turn will create demand for industrial air compressors.On the other hand, factors such as noise pollution from industrial compressors pose a challenge to market growth. Performance of various end use industries will also significantly affect the growth of the global industrial air compressor market over the forecast period.Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Market SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Positive displacement industrial air compressorReciprocating compressorRotary compressorDynamic industrial air compressorCentrifugal compressorAxial flow compressorOn the basis of seal type, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Lubricated industrial air compressorOil free industrial air compressorOn the basis of power range, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Up to 50 kW50 kW250 kW251 kW500 kW500 kW and AboveOn the basis of end use industry, the industrial air compressor market can be segmented into:Power generationOil & GasAutomotiveChemicalsFood & BeverageOthersGlobal Industrial Air Compressor Market: Region-wise OutlookBy region, the performance of the industrial air compressor market in North America is anticipated to remain weak owing to the sluggish performance of some of the major end use industries. The market is expected to witness moderate growth in Europe, due to existing economic uncertainty in some of the countries, which are prominent markets for industrial air compressors. Asia pacific is expected to witness fast CAGR growth over the forecast period. The major driver of the market growth in Asia Pacific is the robust ongoing industrialization in developing countries, particularly India and China. The market in Middle East & Africa is also expected to witness moderate growth, GCC countries and South Africa are anticipated to remain major contributors to the growth of the market in the region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2885 Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified in the global industrial air compressor market are:Atlas Copco ABHitachi Ltd.Siemens AGSulzer AGDoosan Infracore Co. Ltd.Ingersoll-Rand PLC.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Future Market Insights

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Humeral implants designs have changed significantly as a result of improved understanding of prosthetic biomechanics and proximal humeral anatomy. The primary goal of humeral implant design includes the replication of the articular anatomy to restore physiologic soft-tissue tension and to avoid complications such as periprosthetic fracture, aseptic loosening, and proximal humeral bone loss and to provide early implant stability and long-term bony fixation. Trauma is the main reason for humerus fractures. The humerus is mostly fractured due to fall or motor vehicle crash. Physical rehabilitation is also an important part of recovery to regain the use of the upper arm and shoulder. Humerus fractures are of different types depending on the name of the area of bone that is broken. These are proximal humerus fractures, mid-shaft fractures, and distal humerus fractures. If the bone is moved out of the position, surgery is recommended. Surgery is used to readjust the bone and secure them in a position with surgical hardware, such as pins, plates, wires, and screws. For severe proximal humerus fractures, shoulder replacement surgery is done to remove the injured bone and insert an artificial implant. Both non-cemented and cemented fixation are used, as both techniques have different advantages and disadvantages. Humeral implants have grown from monoblock to modular implants, from diaphyseal to metaphyseal fixation, from press-fit to ingrowth non-cemented designs and from fixed to variable implants.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6002 Humeral Implants Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global humeral implants market is anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The rise in geriatric population and increased number of accidents is anticipated to boost the demand for the humeral implants and drives the global humeral implants market. Changes in lifestyle such as lack of exercise and increased prevalence of obesity in global population are attributing to the weakening of bones, fuelling humeral implants market growth. Increase in the adoption of advanced technologies and ongoing technological advancements also anticipated to drives the global humeral implants market.However, high complication rates such as aseptic loosening and need of humeral revision associated with the procedures may hamper the demand for the humeral implants and restrain the growth of the global humeral implants market. Additionally, stringent FDA policies for the approval of implants will restrain the growth of humeral implants market.Humeral Implants Market: SegmentationThe global humeral implants market is segmented on the basis of product type and end user:On the basis of product type, the global humeral implants market is segmented into:Proximal humerous implantsHumeral shaft implantsDistal humerous implantsOn the basis of end user, the global humeral implants market is segmented into:HospitalsAmbulatory surgical centersClinicsHumeral Implants Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of regional presence, the global humeral implants market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Currently, North America is contributing the leading shares to the global systems humeral implants market in terms of value and anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. APEJ is also contributing moderate shares to the market due to the newly developed products and growing incidence of injuries is expected to show a robust growth to the global humeral implants market. Europe is the most lucrative market for the humeral implants market. MEA is at a nascent stage to the global humeral implants market and anticipated to register a decent growth to the market over a forecast period. Overall, the global humeral implants market is expected to show significant growth over a forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6002 Humeral Implants Market: Key PlayersSome of the major market players in humeral implants market globally include B. Braun Ireland, Arthrex, Inc., Exactech, Inc., medartis, Zimmer Biomet, Smith & Nephew plc., Stryker, Wright Medical Group, DePuy Synthes and others. These companies are highly focused on the development of advanced humeral implants further contributing to the growth of humeral implants market globally.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:24:25

A gudgeon pin acts as a link between the connecting rod and piston. Gudgeon pin is a piece of metal that can be made of steel, aluminum, titanium or other materials, which moves up and down in the cylinder. The main purpose of the up-down movement is to generate the required energy needed to drive the shaft, which in turn drives the wheel of an automobile. The main function of the gudgeon pin is to transfer the mechanical force generated due to the expansion of gas from piston to the crankshaft. Gudgeon pins are generally made of materials that can bear high temperature, pressure and load generated in the combustion chamber of the engine. Gudgeon pin should be strong & hard enough to bear the load without breaking down and it should be light enough to keep the inertial forces minimum.Stiffness of gudgeon pin must be according to the design of the piston to avoid overloading, which can hinder the working of the piston. Aluminum is the best suited material for the manufacturing of gudgeon pins owing to its properties such as lightweight, corrosion resistant and cost effectiveness.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5882 Gudgeon pin also called as piston has a wide range of applications in the automotive industry, which include passenger cars, LCVs (Light Commercial Vehicles), HCVs (Heavy Commercial Vehicles), two wheelers and three wheelers. The automotive industry has shown continuous growth in the subsequent years and it is estimated to grow further in the upcoming years, which will drive the gudgeon pin market over the estimated period. Gudgeon pins are generally of three types: stationary pins, semi-floating pins and full-floating pins.Gudgeon Pin Global Market: DynamicsGrowing industrialization and urbanization is propelling the demand of automobiles globally. The automobile industry directly affects the demand of gudgeon pins in the global market. Recently, manufacturers are providing updated gudgeon pins with improved efficiency, which acts as a significant driver for the growth of the gudgeon pins market. Customisation of the pin having the following properties, i.e., light weight, improved efficiency and less emission, is furthermore fuelling the demand of gudgeon pins in the global market. The aftermarket segment of the gudgeon pins also covers significant market share in the global market.Gudgeon Pin Global Market: SegmentationThe gudgeon pin market can be segmented based on vehicle type, product type, material type, coating type and sales channel.By Vehicle type, the gudgeon pin market is segmented into:LCVHCVPassenger CarTwo wheelersThree wheelerBy Product Type, the gudgeon pin market is segmented into:Stationary PinSemi-Floating PinFull-Floating PinBy Material Type, the gudgeon pin market is segmented into:SteelTitaniumAluminumOthersBy Coating Type, the gudgeon pin market is segmented into:Powder coatingDry Film LubricantsPVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) CoatingDLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) CoatingOil sheddingThermal coating/Thermal barrier coatingOthersBy Sales Channel, the gudgeon pin market is segmented into:OEMAftermarketGudgeon Pin Global Market: Regional OutlookThe growing automotive industry in Asia Pacific countries, such as India and China, is expected to accelerate the growth of the gudgeon pin market at a prominent CAGR over forecasted period. Stringent fuel efficiency and emission regulations in North America and Europe are increasing the demand for gudgeon pins. The Middle East and Africa is expected to gain healthy market value share in the gudgeon pin market over the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-5882 Gudgeon Pin Global Market: Key ParticipantsExamples of some of the key participants in the gudgeon pin market are:Federal-Mogul Motorparts LLCMing Shun Industrial Co., LtdElgin IndustriesShriram Pistons & Rings LtdShandong Binzhou Bohai Piston Co., LtdMAHLE GmbH StuttgartAisin Seiki Co.LtdGlobal Virtual Networking Market study explores and estimates the modest landscape, popular business models and the apparent innovations in offerings by major players such as Oracle Corporation, VMware Inc., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Microsoft Corporation.

Virtual Networking Market

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Virtual networking is a technology which luxuries the control of remotely located computer devices or server or any other linked devices through the internet. Using a web-browser, data which is stored can be improved, software can be run and outlying devices can also be operated in a virtual network. Virtual networking comforts alliance of diverse services on a single hardware platform called virtual services switch. Global Virtual Networking Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of +25% during the forecast period 2019-2025.Advancement in networking technology, high acceptance of advanced message method by the populace and continuous innovation in the solution offered by virtual network solution provider are a few factors that are definitely impacting the growth in the acceptance of virtual networking worldwide. These factors are inspiring the growth in revenue of global virtual networking market.For sample request:Key players:The key players of Global Virtual Networking Market are Verizon Enterprise, IBM Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Citrix Systems, Inc., and Virtual Network Solutions, Inc.Market segmentation:Based on geographical areas, the world Virtual Networking markets are broadly divided into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. The world market is still in exploration in most areas, but it has the promising potential to grow steadily over the next few years. The major players investing in this market are in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, China and some Asia Pacific countries.Ask for discount on premium report:The Global Virtual Networking Market is also presented to the readers as an all-inclusive snapshot of the competitive landscape within the given forecast period. It presents a proportional detailed analysis of the all regional and player segments, offering the readers a better knowledge of which areas can be replaced with their existing resources and it also gauges the priority of a particular region in order to boost their standing in the market.Reports has acknowledged another research report which is titled as Global Virtual Networking Market that offers an exclusive understanding of the topic. It figures out the ways in which the organizations can reinforce their stand in the market and increase their revenues in the upcoming years. It also tries to clasp the important methodologies.About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@ researchnreports.com Research N ReportsPersistence Market Research has announced the addition of the  Global Viral Vector Development Service Market to Witness Soaring Growth During 2017-2025" report to their offering.

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Viral Vectors are the tool which is commonly used to deliver genetic material into desired cells in both in-vivo and in-vitro conditions. These viral vectors are mainly of four types namely retroviruses, lentiviruses, adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses. These viruses are largely being used in gene therapy, which is a technique that corrects defective genes responsible for the development of the certain genetic disease. The gene therapy for such disease involves a process of gene transfer to the desired cell with the help of viral vector. Currently, gene therapy has emerged as the potential treatment options for genetic and non-curable disease such as cancer and some viral infections. In gene therapy, patients samples are extracted, transduced and modified with viral vectors and re-implanted in patients for the therapeutic applications.Owing to the immense potential of gene therapy, the use of viral vectors has increased significantly over the years. In order to fulfill the current need of viral vectors, the manufacturing of such vectors has increased in recent years. There are two approached for the manufacturing of viral vectors i.e. scale-out of adherent-cell systems based on 2D planar technologies and scale-up of 3D suspension cell cultures in stirred-tank bioreactors. The viral vector development process involves generation of cell lines and cell transfection with plasmids to produce viral vectors. These viral vectors are then transduce with patients T cells and then re-introduce in the patients body. The manufacturing process of viral vectors involves three or more manufacturers for the development of cell lines, plasmids, lentiviral vector, and cell manipulations.Request Sample Report@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/14413 Global viral vector development service market is segmented on the basis of vector type, application, manufacturing approached and end-user:Viral Vector Development Service Market Segmentation by Vector Types,Retroviral Vectors,Lentiviral Vectors,Adenoviral Vectors,Adeno-associated Viral Vectors,Other Viral Vectors,Viral Vector Development Service Market Segmentation by Application,Gene Therapy,Vaccinology,Viral Vector Development Service Market Segmentation by Manufacturing Approach,Culture Purpose,Scale-out of Adherent-Cell Systems Based On 2d Planar Technologies,Scale-up of 3D Suspension Cell Cultures In Stirred-Tank Bioreactors,Large Scale Manufacturing,Conventional Laboratory Processes Of Adherent-Cell Systems ,Viral Vector Development Service Market Segmentation by end-user,Pharmaceutical Manufacturers,Biotechnology Companies,Research InstitutesWith the evolution of gene therapy, new vectors and its application are expected to be explored and new agents to be discovered in coming years. Moreover, the involvement of new advanced technologies such as MP-Seq would emerge as boosted for the development of viral vectors. There are some factors that impede the market such as the stringent government regulations leading to the delayed approval of products. The manufacturing of viral vectors needs to follow some regulatory requirements such as critical raw material control. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Japanese Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) have set few regulatory guidelines for the development if viral vectors. Similarly, the testing for the raw materials such as cell lines, plasmids, process intermediates, and other drug substances must be performed to good laboratory practice (GLP).By region, viral vector development service market is segmented into five regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global viral vector development service market owing to the advanced healthcare infrastructure, high investment on research and development and early adoption of advanced therapies and solutions for critical diseases.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/14413 Few of the player in the viral vector development service market are FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Sanofi, Spark Therapeutics, uniQure, MassBiologics, FinVector, Brammer Bio, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Cobra Biologic among others.Summary: Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form", hardened in a controlled environment and transported to the construction site. Precast Construction market rising globally with advances in precast technology and increased dimensional accuracy, architects and engineers can develop unique, breakthrough structures of superior quality.

Precast Construction

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In this Global Precast Construction Market research report, the major driving factors of this market were identified and business associates & end users were convoluted. The structure of the business subdivision, summaries and challenges affecting the market across the world are also a part of this wide-ranging analysis. Various discussions and talks were organized with the noticeable leaders of this organization to obtain unwavering and updated statistics with reference to the market.Global Precast Construction Market is anticipated to grow at an approximate CAGR of +17% forecast to 2025.Request Sample Copy of this Report@:The prominent players at present functional in the overall leather luggage and goods market include ACS Group, Balfour Beatty plc, Bouygues Construction, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Kiewit Corporation, Komatsu Ltd, Laing ORourke, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Red Sea Housing Services, Taisei Corporation.The Precast Construction market growth by increased development costs, urbanization and industrialization in developing countries, increased need for low-cost residential development, high efficiency and productivity from pre-casting, and increased construction speed by precast technology are leading the market. The fast growth and development of urban housing demand sources for shorter construction timelines and reduced cost.The report offers better regional viewpoint, analysts scrutinize different global regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and India on the basis of different economic attributes like profit margin, shares and pricing structures. Amongst other regions, North America is probable to be the maximum profitable region in the world.Get Reasonable Discount on this Premium Report @:The report study provides an in-depth analysis of the global Precast Construction Market, together with recent trends and future estimations to identify the potential investment pockets. The study offers SWOT and Porters Five Forces model study of the industry to differentiate the impact of numerous factors. Analyze global and key regional market potentials, benefits, opportunities and challenges, limitations and risks.For More Information:PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 07:57:36

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Titration is an analytical technique that is used to determine substance concentration within a solution. The Next-Generation Titrators can be classified into two types namely, potentiometric and Karl Fischer. The Karl Fisher Next-Generation Titrators are available in both forms coulometric as well as volumetric versions. These Next-Generation Titrators offer a number of automation options and have great accuracy. Increasing number of samples and the time needed for preparation of samples manually in the lab creates a need for automated titrators such as the Next-Generation Titrators. These devices are able to handle a numver of samples and can be left unattended during the process. The Next-Generation Titrators reduces the errors caused during manual titration protocols. The Next-Generation Titrators have a number of other parameters that can be controlled such as the volume of the sample, number of samples and type of titration additionally these instruments require less volume of reagents.Karl Fischer Titrators are gaining a lot of traction due to a number of applications in industries such as food, pharmaceutical, and semiconductors. A number of products in these industries influence product quality significantly. The Karl Fischer Titrators are used for measuring the amount of water in the sample, making it most suitable to use in most industries. The potentiometric type of Next-Generation Titrators is preferred when accuracy is especially important. And is commonly used for acid-base titrations.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8439 Next-Generation Titrators Market: Drivers and RestraintsIncrease in research in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry drive the growth of the Next-Generation Titrators market significantly. Growing automation in laboratory is another factor supporting the growth of the Next-Generation Titrators market. Ease of use of Next-Generation Titrators, as well as accurate results is supporting the growth of the Next-Generation Titrators market. Availability of low cost alternative methods such as manual titration and high cost of instrument may hinderer the growth of the market during the forecast period.Next-Generation Titrators Market: SegmentationThe global Next-Generation Titrators market is segmented by product type, end user and region:Based on product type, the global Next-Generation Titrators market is segmented into:Potentiometric Next-Generation TitratorsKarl Fischer Next-Generation TitratorsBased on end user, the global Next-Generation Titrators market is segmented into:Pharmaceutical CompaniesBiotechnology CompaniesAcademic & Research InstitutionsOthersNext-Generation Titrators Market: OverviewNext-Generation Titrators market is anticipated to grow with a significant growth rate over the forecast period 2018-2028. Next-Generation Titrators are used for research as well as for diagnosis. Next-Generation Titrators generally can be categories based on the type of RNA being tested, such as adenovirus testing kits, Herpes Virus I testing kits, Influenza A&B testing kits and others. Based on the end user, Next-Generation Titrators market is segmented into pharmaceutical and biotech companies, diagnostic centers and academic & research institutes.Next-Generation Titrators Market: Regional OutlookThe global Next-Generation Titrators market is segmented based on geography into eight regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific excluding China, and Japan, China, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to hold maximum market share in the global Next-Generation Titrators market owing to the increasing automation of labs in the region. The Asia Pacific Next-Generation Titrators market is anticipated to grow at a rapid pace with the maximum CAGR over the forecast period due to strong and evolving government support towards research in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in the region.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8439 Next-Generation Titrators Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global Next-Generation Titrators market are Mettler Toledo, Hanna Instruments, Xylem, Hatch, DKK-TOA, KEM, Metrohm, Thermo Scientific Orion, GR Scientific, Inesa Instrument, Jinan Hanon, Hiranuma Co., JM Science, Cannon Instrument Co., and others.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 19:30:31

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Corrugated software has the capability of designing, cutting, printing, and folding corrugated boxes. It is available both as a stand-alone and packaged software. Packaged software is mainly combined with enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to manage the entire business process of the manufacturing plant.Global Corrugated Packaging Software Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of +30% during the forecast period 2018-2023Ask for PDF Sample Copy:The report incorporates a detailed and wide-ranging overview of the competitive landscape and administrative structure of the Global Corrugated Packaging Software Market. This will give users a reasonable understanding of the state of drivers, restraints, opportunities and strategies that affect the market. Along with this, the report gives both subjective as well as objective analysis of the global marketKey players in Corrugated Packaging Software Market:Epicor Software, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Adren Software, Amtech Software, Avista Solutions International, Electronics for Imaging, Erpisto, Kiwiplan, Onesys, SisTrade, Theurer.com , Volume SoftwareAs the global Corrugated Packaging Software market is highly competitive and vibrant, the major key players in this market are endlessly endeavoring to grow more efficiently in response to various needs of the end users. Adoption of corrugated packaging software is growing with the accessibility of packaged solutions, as it becomes easy to manage and implement the packaging procedure. Therefore, it supports in increasing the profit margin of manufacturers.This is also fueling the demand for corrugated packaging software among both small-scale and large-scale corrugated box manufacturers. Therefore, it is expected to have a positive impact on the volume of sales of the corrugated packaging software across the globe. However, stringent government regulation for corrugated packaging is a major factor which is expected to hinder the growth of this market.To Get Reasonable Discount:Table of Contents:Global Corrugated Packaging Software Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: Market OverviewChapter 2: Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3: Global Corrugated Packaging Software Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4: Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5: Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6: Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7: Corrugated Packaging Software Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8: Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11: Corrugated Packaging Software Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12: Global Corrugated Packaging Software Market ForecastFor More Information:Future Market Insights

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Glaucoma is the eye disease that damage the patient eye nerve optics. The formation extra fluid up in the front part of the eye results the damage to eye nerve optics. Glaucoma is of two type, primary open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma which is also referred as closed-angle glaucoma or narrow-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type glaucoma. Primary glaucoma gradually happens when the eye does not drain the fluids. This result the building of pressure on eye nerve optics. Open glaucoma causes no change in the eye vision and it is painless too. Closed-angle glaucoma happens very close to the drainage angle which results the blocking of drainage angle of eyesight. This is a very acute type of glaucoma. This type of glaucoma may affect the vision of the patient and it may cause severe pain to the eye and the headache.Glaucoma is generally treated with eye drops, pill, traditional surgery, laser surgery and sometimes the combination of these methods. The aim of glaucoma treatment is to avoid the vision loss of patient wherever if the vision of particular patient is already lost then it is irreversible by glaucoma treatment. Regular consumption of medication as prescribed by the physician is very necessary for the proper treatment of glaucoma. The drugs of glaucoma have very fewer chances of effects which has increased it adoption the global market.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6456 Glaucoma Therapeutics Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe change in the lifestyle of people has resulted in the rise in the prevalence of glaucoma globally. Increasing prevalence of glaucoma is the primary factor driving the growth of glaucoma therapeutics market around the globe. Glaucoma is more prevalent among the people above the age of 60. Rising geriatric population thought the globe is also responsible for the robust growth of glaucoma therapeutics market over the forecast period. Increasing preference of physician towards the laser surgery for the treatment of glaucoma will propel the growth of glaucoma therapeutics market over the forecast period. Less awareness among the people about the glaucoma treatment will deter the growth of glaucoma therapeutics market to some extent. Moreover, lack of availability of skilled professional for laser surgery in under developing economies will also hamper the growth of glaucoma therapeutics market.Glaucoma Therapeutics Market: SegmentationThe global Glaucoma Therapeutics market is classified on the basis of treatment type, glaucoma type, and geographic region.Based on treatment type, Glaucoma Therapeutics market is segmented into following:Eye DropsMedicationLaser SurgeryTraditional SurgeryBased on glaucoma type, Glaucoma Therapeutics market is segmented into following:Open-angle glaucomaClosed-angle glaucomaGlaucoma Therapeutics Market: OverviewGlaucoma Therapeutics market is expected show exponential growth over the forecast period due to increasing prevalence of glaucoma throughout the globe. According to the journal published at NCBI, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among the people worldwide. By treatment type, medication eye drops segment will hold the maximum market share for the global glaucoma therapeutic market due to its high preference by the physician for medication during the early stages of treatment. Laser surgery is more preferred than tradition surgery by booth surgeon and the patients owing to the low risk of failure. By glaucoma type, closed glaucoma will dominate the maximum market share attributed to its more prevalence then open glaucoma.Glaucoma Therapeutics Market: Regional OverviewBased on geographic region Glaucoma Therapeutics market is classified into seven key regions, North, America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to dominate the glaucoma therapeutics market owing to high healthcare infrastructure. Western Europe and APEJ then follow North America glaucoma therapeutics market. The favorable reimbursement scenario is responsible for the high growth of glaucoma therapeutics market in Western Europe. APEJ region has also shown the substantial growth for glaucoma therapeutics market due rise geriatric population. In APEJ region China and India are expected to be the major market for glaucoma therapeutics over the forecast period. Latin America and Middle East and Africa is the least lucrative market for glaucoma therapeutics due to less awareness among the patient about the glaucoma.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6456 Glaucoma Therapeutics Market: Key PlayersSome of player across the value chain of Glaucoma Therapeutics market are Novartis AG, Allergan, Merck & Co., Inc., Akorn, Inc., Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer and Santen and others.Future Market Insights

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Generic injectable drugs are those which have same active ingredient as innovator drug and is equivalent to its innovator drug in dosage form, safety, strength (dose), route of administration, performance, quality, and intended use. Some of the worlds largest manufacturers of sterile generic injectable have been making these drugs for over 80 years. Unlike branded sterile injectable drugs, generic injectable is cost-effective, especially cancer therapies, thus government in the majority of the countries are influencing to adopt generic injectable, in order to control healthcare spending. For instance, the global pharmaceutical industry is experiencing serious pricing issue and cost reduction pressure. e.g. North America pharmaceutical industry is growing at a sluggish rate of below 2% CAGR. A growth rate in Japan and Europe has seen never before decrease in drug prices. This, in turn, is impeding policy changes and encouraging use of generic injectable drugs in these key regions.Globally, a large number of generic drug makers are focusing on plant upgrades for an increase in captive manufacturing of sterile generic injectable drugs. Moreover, infamous regulatory delays in approval of sterile injectable drugs have contributed to the higher inclination towards investments in manufacturing of sterile generic injectable drugs in order to ensure higher quality. The average time period for regulatory approval for sterile drugs is over three to four years, however, that for bioequivalent sterile injectable is around 10-11 months. Faster regulatory approvals, low R&D investment, and the high margin are attracting manufacturers to invest in the generic injectable manufacturing.Generic Injectable Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global pharmaceutical industry is toning itself to fundamental changes in the marketplace and looking for new ways to achieve growth. Along with increasing efforts for manufacturing of sterile generic injectable, growing number of prescriptions for generic injectable is pushing the growth of the global generic injectable market. According to GPhA Conference report, 90% of injectable prescriptions in the U.S. in 2015 were for generic injectable, which is primarily driven by unprecedented series of patent expiration. Rapid expansion by key market players is another factor driving the growth of the global generic injectable market. Shortage of branded sterile injectable has further led to the adoption of generic injectable. Due to the complexity of manufacturing and stringency in the process, production of sterile injectable drugs is challenging and. This is causing frequent drug recalls due to safety issues. This can limit the growth of the global generic injectable market.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6051 Generic Injectable Market: SegmentationThe global generic injectable market has been classified on the basis of product type, indication, distribution channel, and geography.Based on product type, the global generic injectable market is divided into following:Monoclonal AntibodiesCytokinesInsulinVaccinesOthersBased on an indication, the global generic injectable market is divided into following:DiabetesCancerCardiovascular DiseasesInfectionsOthersBased on the disease type, the global generic injectable market is divided into following:Hospital PharmacyRetail PharmacyDrug StoresOnline Prescription StoresGeneric Injectable Market: OverviewAccording to fact sheet published by Hospira Inc., approximately 1.5 Bn doses of generic injectable are sold every year across the globe. Monoclonal antibodies being the largest revenue generating segment, will continue to dominate the global generic injectable market over the forecast period. Other cluster consists of include opioid analgesics, general and local anesthetics, antidotes for opioid poisoning, skeletal muscle relaxants etc. Cancer and cardiovascular diseases indication segments are expected to represent highest growth opportunities over the forecast period due to the launch of several antibodies based generic injectable products.Generic Injectable Market: Regional OverviewGeographically, the global generic injectable market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America holds the largest share in the global generic injectable market. Even though the generic injectable industry has operations across the globe, majority of largest manufacturers produce a large volume of generic injectable in the U.S. However, overseas manufacturing facilities of these manufacturers are subject to same stringent FDA regulations and facilities are inspected on regular basis. Moreover, in the U.S. over 70% of hospital patients receive generic injectable drugs, which is further pushing the demand for generic injectable in North America. Asia Pacific is expected to experience the highest increase in production volumes of generic injectable over the forecast period of 20172027. Countries such as China and India have growing pharmaceutical industry of their own. According to the latest report published by PwC, India is the global leader in the production of generics and vaccines. However, Europe is expected to experience sluggish growth due to an economic slowdown.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6051 Generic Injectable Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the global generic injectable market are Pfizer Inc.(Hospira Inc. Pfizer Established Products), Baxter International, Sanofi SA, Novartis AG (Sandoz), GlaxoSmithKline plc., AstraZeneca plc., Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk A/S, Amgen Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company etc. among others. Majority of these companies have independent subsidiaries that operate in a sterile injectable manufacturing. Consolidation through acquisition and partnerships are emerging as prominent trends in the global generic injectable market. A rapid expansion of emerging players such as Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Endo International plc. Alvogen, ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc. etc. among others would significantly contribute to the growth of the global generic injectable market.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 17:59:41

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The global gamma knife market secured US$ 172 Mn in 2015, and is expected to grow at more than 9% CAGR through 2025, accounting for over US$ 400 Mn in terms of revenues. Strong growth is expected in regions such as India, South Korea, the U.S., Japan, EU5 and China. Varian and Elekta medical systems are likely to retain their dominance in developed economies, whereas Huiheng Medical, Inc. based at China will consolidate its position in Asia Pacific. Currently, North America, the biggest market for the gamma knife is likely to demote to second position due to robust acceptance of the gamma knife equipment in Asia Pacific.Drivers and Trends of MarketInclination towards non-invasive treatments have positively impacted adoption of radiation therapy, with Gamma Knife, LINAC and Cyber Knife gaining traction in healthcare sector. Positive perception toward gamma knife, rising preference for minimally-invasive surgeries and huge success rate are among the key factors anticipated to propel adoption of gamma knife treatment over the forecast period. Medical tourism, emphasis on R&D and increasing expenditure per capita on healthcare are some other factors anticipated to support growth of the market in long run. Improvements in technology that makes gamma knife more effective and safer are also expected to expand its adoption among end-users throughout the forecast period. Yet, high cost continues to be main challenge for widespread adoption and is likely to limit its adoption in developing economies.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114974/Gamma-Knife-Market Brain Metastasis to Remain Largest Disease Indication SegmentGamma knife treatment is applicable to treat various disease indications, including trigeminal neuralgia, cancer, brain metastasis, and AVM. Among these, application of gamma knife for remedying brain metastasis is likely to account for significant percentage of total market revenues, trailed by cancer and trigeminal neuralgia. Brain metastasis is likely to remain largest disease indication segment for gamma knife market over the forecast period.Asia Pacific Gamma Knife Market to Expand at Significant CAGRAsia Pacific is likely to pip both Europe and North America to emerge as the largest market for gamma knife by 2025-end. Increasing adoption of gamma knife equipment in India, South Korea, Japan, and China will support expansion of the gamma knife market in Asia Pacific. The gamma knife market in Asia Pacific is estimated to expand at CAGR of more than 10% throughout the forecast period. APEJ will emerge as more lucrative region than Europe and North America however, collectively secure nearly two-fourth revenue share of the global gamma knife market by the end of 2025.Request Report Discount: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114974/Gamma-Knife-Market Prominent Market Players Strategies to Maintain Market PositionHuiheng Medical, Inc., Elekta, and Varian Medical Systems are prominent gamma knife equipment manufacturers. These players are likely to maintain their position in the market through continuous innovative product development and stepping in into new marketsReport Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114974/Gamma-Knife-MarketFlat Steel Market

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Flat steel is rolled from a semi-furnished material such as ingots or billets, and slabs. It is commonly used in consumer durable, white goods, construction as well as automotive industry. Flat steel is used by various manufacturers such as light bar industries, cable trays, truck trailers, automobile industry, railways, tippers, grating manufacturers, and other engineering industries. Flat steel enhances the quality, ductility, toughness, reliability, consistency of end product along with reduces the waste as well as a rework of production process. Moreover, it helps in maximized yield, trouble-free processing, improves product shelf life, and enhance the overall performance of the end product. According to World Steel Association, the overall steel products consumption in Asia & Oceania market was estimated around 990 Mn metric tons in 2015.Flat Steel Market: Drivers and RestraintsInnovative steel production techniques, expansion in the manufacturing capacity, and steel companies are inclining towards electric arc furnace manufacturing process which will provide them an operating flexibility are a primary factor driving the growth of global flat steel market. Moreover, extensive use of flat steel in the construction of factories, roads, and engineering structure, and growing automobile and construction industry globally which account about two third of steel consumption are some of the prominent factors fueling the growth of flat steel market over the forecast period. However, the high fixed cost of blast furnace production process have a severely adverse impact on the profitability of steel manufacturers, and fluctuation in product price may limiting the growth of the flat steel market during the forecast period. For Instance, In February 2017, the average price of flat steel in Asian market was increased by around US$25 per ton compared to previous month.Request Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/16339 Flat Steel Market: SegmentationThe flat steel market has been classified by product type, production process, and end user.Based on product type, the flat steel market is segmented into the following:SheetsCold Rolled CoilHot Rolled CoilGalvanized CoilPlatesBased on the production process, the flat steel market is segmented into the following:Blast Furnace (BF)Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)Based on the end user, the flat steel market is segmented into the following:AppliancesAutomobileConstructionTransportationAgriculture EquipmentShipbuildingOthersFlat Steel Market: OverviewFlat steel market revenue is expected to grow at a rapid growth rate, over the forecast period. The market is anticipated to perform well in the near future owing to the low cost of cold rolled steel sheets compared to hot rolled sheets and expanding industrialization. Moreover, increasing public sector expenditure and the rise in infrastructure investments are some of the factors that can propel the market revenue growth of flat steel soon. Based on product type, sheets segment is projected to lead the global flat steel market over the forecast period attributed to the extensive use of hot rolled steel sheets for the development of the major sized structures such as heavy equipment, construction, and railroads, and high malleable property. On the other hand, the cold rolled sheets are a finished form of the sheet used when a surface finishing is required automotive parts. The cold steel is processed in cold reduction mills at room temperature along with tempers rolling which make steel closer dimensional tolerance, improve surface finish, and enhance the tensile strength.Flat Steel Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on the geographic region, flat steel market is divided into seven key regions: North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Western Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the flat steel market followed by Europe, and Japan is owing to expanding automotive output, high adoption of oil and gas tubular, and government initiatives. The market in Asia Pacific and Japan is expected to grow at significant CAGR owing to expanding construction and automobile industry, the presence of prominent players in these regions. Additionally, increasing exports of steel from developing countries such as India which has escalated by 78% during April 2016 to February 2017 are the factors which are anticipated to drive the growth of flat steel market throughout the forecast period.Flat Steel Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players in the flat steel market are ArcelorMittal S.A., Allegheny Technologies Inc., Zeeco Metals, Inc., SSAB AB, Clingan Steel, Inc., United States Steel Corporation, AK Steel Holding Corporation, Hascall Steel Co., Essar Group ThyssenKrupp AG, Posco Co. Ltd., Precision Brand Products, Inc., Johnson Bros. Metal Forming Co., Voestalpine AG, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, JSW Steel Ltd., Tata Steel Limited, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp, Hyundai Steel Co., and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), and many more.Visit For TOC@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/16339wellesenterprises/iStock(EAST LANSING, Mich.) -- Michigan State University's interim president resigned on Wednesday amid backlash over comments he made about survivors of sexual assault.



John Engler said he would step down, effective Jan. 23, after he appeared to criticize victims of the now-imprisoned gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.



The resignation came hours after Michigan State University's board of trustees scheduled an impromptu meeting for Thursday morning after Engler told The Detroit News that some Nassar survivors seemed to be "enjoying" the "spotlight."



"There are a lot of people who are touched by this, survivors who haven't been in the spotlight," Engler told The Detroit News earlier this week. "In some ways, they have been able to deal with this better than the ones who've been in the spotlight who are still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition. And it's ending. It's almost done."



Engler didn't mention the controversial comments in his resignation letter, but he acknowledged that five of the board's eight trustees had requested he step down.



"The bottom line is that MSU is a dramatically better, stronger institution than it was one year ago," Engler wrote in an 11-page letter on Wednesday. "The many changes we have made are substantive and offer far-reaching in their impact (sic). At the same time, our leaders across the university are energized, organized and communicating in far more effective ways than had been the case."



Engler, 70, took the helm on a temporary basis last January when the previous president, Lou Anna Simon, resigned in the wake of the Nassar scandal.



Satish Udpa, who currently serves as executive vice president of Administrative Services at MSU, is expected to be named as Engler's replacement, ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV reported, citing sources close to the matter.



Engler served as the Republican governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003, and also worked as a lobbyist.



Nassar -- a former doctor at Michigan State and national medical coordinator for USA Gymnastics -- was sentenced to up to 175 years in state prison for criminal sexual conduct involving girls who were 15 years old or younger.



In all, Nassar committed thousands of sexual assaults beginning in the early 1990s and through the summer of 2016, according to an independent report, conducted by law firm Ropes & Gray last year.



"He abused some survivors one time, while abusing others hundreds of times over a period of many years," the report said. "With the cover he crafted, he became, in the words of one survivor, a 'wolf in sheeps clothing,' who cloaked himself in the 'guise of a loving friend and medical professional.'"



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:12:57

Fire Truck or Fire Engine is a vehicle primarily designed for firefighting operations. Many fire and safety companies employ these vehicles for various other applications such as rescue purposes and emergency medical purposes. Fire Engines transport firefighters to the sites, providing water and other necessary equipment to fight the fire. Generally, a fire truck carry equipment such as hydraulic rescue tools, ladders, ventilating equipment, a self-contained breathing apparatus and first aid kits. Growing demand for multi-tasking trucks is a new trend in the global fire trucks market.Global fire trucks market is expanding widely owing to the modern day fire and safety issues arising from new design infrastructures, rapid development of huge and complex buildings, and larger residencies in lesser spaces especially in developing countries. Global fire trucks market finds opportunity for fire trucks with advanced digital technology tools for supporting performance-based design, and field surveys are improving the quality and teamwork in the built environment.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2732 The flat and mall culture in both developing and developed countries compelled the governments to declare stringent safety regulations. The growing population along with changing demographics as well as psychographics of the modern day society resulted in surge in the number of tall residential buildings. The result is the demand for more fire trucks to enforce the safety 247, and this is expected to drive the global fire trucks market over the forecast period.Global Fire Trucks: Market DynamicsDrivers:In the global fire trucks market, new and advanced technology acceptance is the key driver for the market growth. Use of modern electronics and advanced digital tools will enhance the quality, efficiency and capability of the fire truck.Development in the fire and safety departments and municipal budgets of governments are also projected to fuel the global fire trucks market growth. Moreover, economic growth in developing countries is estimated to create new opportunities for global fire trucks market.Restraints:In the global fire trucks market, low rate of replacements is a factor hampering the market growth. Though the fleets are ageing, the fire trucks are not being replaced easily. This may hinder the growth of fire trucks market.Global Fire Trucks Market: SegmentationThe global fire trucks market is segmented on the basis of types as follows: Rescue, Mini Tanker and all other Pumpers (mini pumpers, multi-tasking trucks).On the basis of application, fire trucks are segmented as follows: Conventional, rescue, wild land, airport application and othersGlobal Fire Trucks Market: Regional OutlookOver the past few years, the developing countries such as China, India and South Korea have witnessed a stable growth in the infrastructure coupled with rising awareness about safety. This is expected to boost the demand for fire trucks over the forecast period. Fire Trucks are a necessity in airports and other enterprises to ensure public safety. The strengthening of governmental regulations regarding the matter is also a positive factor for the growth of global fire trucks market. The high production capacity in China coupled with lower labour charge contribute to the expansion of fire trucks market in the country. Moreover, the technological advancements and growing application in the manufacturing sector fuel the fire trucks market growth. In North America, stringent regulations and large number of fire stations are the key growth factors driving the market. The Middle East and Africa fire trucks market is expected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period owing to the product innovation coupled with technological advancements in the region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2732 Global Fire Trucks: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global fire trucks market identified are:W.S. Darley & Co.Oshkosh CorporationZiegler FirefightingMagirus GmbH (CNH Industrial Group)Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Market

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Fatty acid methyl ester is derived from the trans-esterification of methanol with fatty acids. It can also be prepared from soya beans, rapeseed, vegetable oil and palm oil. Rapeseed is generally preferred for the production of fatty acid methyl ester due to its better oil content (nearly 30%-35%) as compared to other materials used for fatty acid methyl ester manufacturing. Moreover, biodiesel produced from rapeseed has high cetane number which helps in complete combustion, thereby lowering emissions. Due to various government regulations in favor of bio-based products, the demand for fatty acid methyl ester is expected to rise in near future.Based on product type, medium chain triglyceride is expected to dominate the global fatty acid methyl ester market owing to their rising demand from the food industry. Glyceryl monostearate is projected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The increasing use of glceryl monostearare as an emulsifier in baking preparations and confectionaries is expected to escalate the demand for fatty acid methyl ester by the end of 2025.Request Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/16294 Based on applications, the fuel segment is anticipated to dominate the global fatty acid methyl ester market. Fatty acid methyl ester is a major constituent of biodiesel. The rising demand from the biodiesel industry is expected to propel the demand for fatty acid methyl ester during the forecast period. However, personal care and cosmetics is projected to be the fastest growing segment throughout the forecast period.Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Market: DynamicsThe shifting focus of end users towards biodiesel over conventional diesel owing to its low toxicity is expected to be one of the major factors driving the growth of the global fatty acid methyl ester market. Additionally, rise in the usage of fatty acid methyl esters as a green solvent owing to its low VOC and biodegradable nature is further expected to escalate the growth of the global fatty acid methyl ester market. Fatty acid methyl ester has high boiling point, high lubricity and IS highly soluble in organic solvents. Due to the aforementioned properties, there is increasing demand for fatty acid methyl ester from metalworking fluids, detergents & surfactants, fuels and many other industries, which in turn, is expected to drive the growth of the global fatty acid methyl esters market during the forecast period.The high cost of the fatty acid methyl esters coupled with the high cost of procuring raw materials is expected to hamper the growth of this market in near future.Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Market: SegmentationThe global fatty acid methyl ester market can be segmented on the basis of product type and applications. On the basis of product type, the market can be segmented into medium chain triglycerides, isopropyl palmitate, glyceryl monostearate, glycol ester, polyol esters and sucrose esters. On the basis of applications, the market can be further segmented into food, coatings, lubricants, polymers, agriculture, metalworking fluids, cosmetics & personal care and fuels.Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Market: Regional OutlookBased on regions, North America is expected to be the most promising revenue generating region. Increasing demand for personal care products is expected to drive the growth of the global fatty acid methyl ester market. Moreover, regulations in North America that favor biodiesel with the intention of combating global warming are further anticipated to escalate the demand for fatty acid methyl ester in this region. Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Strong demand from emerging economies like China and India in the Asia Pacific region is expected to upsurge the demand for fatty acid methyl ester in near future. Europe and Latin America are projected to witness positive growth throughout the forecast period.Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players identified in the global fatty acid methyl esters market are mentioned below:Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)Wilmar International LimitedBASF SECargill IncKLK Oleo Sdn. Bhd.Berg + SchmidtP&G ChemicalsEmery Oleochemicals GroupLongyan Zhuoyue New Energy Co. Ltd.Western Lowa EnergyEvonik IndustriesVisit For TOC@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/16294Facial Rejuvenation Market

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Increasing consumer spending on aesthetic treatments coupled with growing popularity of non-surgical procedures are key factors driving the global facial rejuvenation market. Macro factors including rising employability and promising economic growth in Asia Pacific to promote nice-to-have services are projected to contribute to the adoption of facial rejuvenation treatments and present potential growth opportunities to providers and other stakeholders in the facial rejuvenation market. As per a report by Persistence Market Research (PMR), the global facial rejuvenation market, expanding at a steady 5.0% CAGR, is likely to reach a valuation of US$ 39.4 Bn by 2028. However, adverse reactions associated with facial aesthetics products, high procedure costs, and lack of trained professionals are some key factors projected to restrain the adoption of facial rejuvenation procedures.Rising Adoption of Minimally Invasive Procedures and Combination Therapies Driving the Adoption of Facial Rejuvenation TreatmentsConsidering the advancements in cosmetic treatments, a number of consumers are preferring least invasive, less painful procedures. From minimally invasive injectables to non-invasive topical skin treatments, facial rejuvenation treatments have hugely evolved from equipment-based procedures, further complementing the growing adoption of facial rejuvenation treatments among patients with specific cosmetic concerns, the most common being anti-aging.Request for Report Methodology @: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/3639 PMRs study on the global facial rejuvenation market reveals that the availability of products with much faster results are driving the growth of facial rejuvenation market, for instance, derma fillers. Moreover, long lasting effect of treatments with clinically-approved products, results in much higher adaptability and retains the trust of patients. In terms of products, Botulinum toxin injection is the most preferred owing to its dynamic used in aesthetic clinical practice. Moreover, positive response from regulatory authorities for different set of facial problems, is also complementing the adoption of botulinum.Combination therapies including botulinum and derma fillers is also gaining traction considering its higher efficiency, further driving the adoption of facial rejuvenation treatment. Botox injection decreases muscle movement and dermal fillers such as hyaluronic acid products are used for creating more youthful looking appearance. In developed economies including U.S, U.K, Japan, and South Korea, combination therapies of botulinum neurotoxin and dermal fillers of hyaluronic acid, are the most preferred therapeutic choice considering its high efficacy and enhanced results. However, irrespective of the delivery system, growing awareness among patients is resulting in increased facial rejuvenation procedures in private clinics rather than hospitals.Product Innovation, Partnerships, and Acquisitions to Remain Key Forward Market StrategiesKey, established providers of facial rejuvenation procedures are focusing on strategic collaborations, agreements, and acquisition of local and new players to expand their market footprint along with enhanced service offerings. For instance, Allergan, in 2017, acquired LifeCell and ZELTIQ Aesthetics to enhance its facial aesthetic product portfolio. Various manufacturers are also trying to obtain approvals for single product for treatment of different conditions. Moreover, key players are also focusing on expanding their offerings to regions where penetration of advanced facial rejuvenations products is relatively low including Asia Pacific and MEA.Providers and manufacturers, in an attempt to minimize the side-effects of facial rejuvenation treatments, including muscle weakening, rashes, swelling, and head and neck pain are innovating more efficient products and combinations. Side effects, often caused by botulinum toxin-A injections, are being minimized using collagen or hyaluronic filling agents with botox, thereby, positively impacting longevity of tissue dwell time of the filling agent. This factor is expected to fuel the demand for combination of reflation and relaxation rejuvenation therapies.Request to Sample Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3639 In terms of growth opportunities, Brazil, South Korea, and Dubai are projected to be destinations of interest, owing to burgeoning medical tourism in these regions and increasing collaborations between organizations and health authorities. Moreover, comparatively low cost and usage of FDA-approved or CE-marked facial rejuvenation products in these countries is expected to present potential growth opportunities for stakeholders in the global facial rejuvenation market. For more insights on other market dynamics shaping the global facial rejuvenation marketPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:23:58

The automotive industry has reached at a crossroad where decisions has to be made with regards to moving forward with electric vehicles or conventional IC engine vehicles. In the present scenario, innovations in the automotive industry are more focused towards the electric vehicles than the conventional vehicle implying a future where electric vehicles will eventually phase out the other types. This factor bodes well for the growth of the electric vehicles ancillaries market that include electric vehicle transmissions as well. Early transmission systems utilized in electric vehicles were usually equipped with single gears so as to cater the low power output, however, manufacturers are venturing into developing multi-gear transmissions on account of higher powered electric vehicles. Rise in sales and production of electric vehicles coupled with government regulations on automobile emissions are some of the key factors attributing to the growth of electric vehicle transmission market in the upcoming years.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5636 Electric Vehicle Transmission Market: DynamicsThe electric vehicle transmission market depends upon the performance of electric vehicles sales within the automotive industry. Though the sales of electric vehicles in the current market is largely outperformed by conventional vehicles, the trend is poised for a shift towards electric vehicles in the near future, which can benefit the electric vehicles transmission market in the forecast period. Manufacturers of such electric vehicle transmissions are always on a constant lookout for developing materials that can reduce the overall weight of the system without compromising performance. Efficient utilization of power stored within the electric vehicle batteries is also of utmost importance prompting the manufacturers to design the transmission system to close tolerances. Stringent regulations on vehicular emissions has greatly helped in marketing electric vehicles as the transportation mode of the future hence, aiding the growth of the electric vehicles transmission market.The restraints associated with electric vehicle market are plenty and many which can have a domino effect on the electric vehicles transmissions market as well. It is a clear fact that the sale of electric vehicles determines the strength of the electric vehicles transmission market. Hence, the problems associated with electric vehicles such as high price, subpar performance, travel range anxiety, and lack of charging infrastructure, among others, can hamper the growth of the electric vehicles transmission market.Electric Vehicle Transmission Market: SegmentationThe electric vehicle transmission market can be segmented by material type, vehicle type and application mainly.By type, the electric vehicle transmission market can be segmented as:Single Gear MechanismMulti Gear MechanismBy vehicle type, the electric vehicle transmission market can be segmented as:Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs)Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)By sales channel, the electric vehicle transmission market can be segmented as:Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM)AftermarketElectric Vehicle Transmission Market: Regional OutlookFrom the regional perspective, the electric vehicles transmission market is anticipated for a steady growth in North America owing to aggressive promotion of electric vehicles by major players. The European region is also posed for a healthy growth due to various subsidies and incentives offered by the economies in the region on purchase of an electric vehicle, hence attracting more customers. The market in Asia Pacific is also expected to flourish well in the upcoming years especially in the Japan and China owing to push by the respective governments to place more emphasis on electric vehicles. The market in both Latin America and Middle East & Europe regions may grow on a stagnant phase, this is due to availability of low-cost fuels such as flex fuel in Brazil and abundance of petroleum in the Middle East.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-5636 Electric Vehicle Transmission Market: Key ParticipantsExamples of some of the participants involved in the manufacture of the global electric vehicle transmission are:Oerlikon Graziano SpAZF Friedrichshafen AGAllison Transmission Inc.Eaton Corporation PlcMagna International (Getrag)GKN PlcBorgWarner Inc.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 11:42:28

The global dermal fillers market is traversing a path from the growth phase to maturity as companies are focussing on developing variants of products currently available in the global dermal fillers market. According to this new report titled Dermal Fillers Market: Global Industry Analysis (20122016) and Opportunity Assessment (20172027) that tracks the performance of the global dermal fillers market for a period of 10 years, the United States is a highly mature market with wide scale adoption of dermal fillers. This new report published by Future Market Insights discusses the high pricing competition and discounting practices between companies as well as physician practices that inflate margins and tend to hamper global adoption of the dermal filler procedure by patients.Global Dermal Fillers Market: TrendsIncreasing preference for non-surgical proceduresCelebrity endorsements and direct consumer marketingIncreasing popularity of anti-ageing treatments and active interest for dermal rejuvenationAdvanced process technology for newer formulation of fillers and several combination products in the pipelineRising expenditure on cosmetics and aesthetics proceduresIncreasing training programs for aesthetic practitioners and increasing foreign investmentsUse of three dimensional imaging techniques for assessment and emergence of online sales channelsBeauty service demand patterns and micro-injectable dermal fillers that results in better looking skinRequest to View a Sample Copy of This Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5699 Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by Product TypeOn the basis of product type, the global dermal fillers market is segmented into absorbable and non-absorbable. The non-absorbable product type segment  with a market attractiveness index of 0.01  is not expected to make a major impact over the forecast period. For example PMMA-based fillers are not as preferred, given their limited bio-compatibility.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by IngredientsThe ingredient segment comprises hyaluronic acid, poly-L-Lactic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, polymethyl methacrylate and collagen. Several manufacturers are developing newer, long-lasting formulations of hyaluronic acid-based fillers that are expected to lead to rapid adoption over the projected period. Collagen is expected to remain the least attractive ingredient in the global market in revenue terms with an attractiveness index of 0.02 over the projected period.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by ApplicationThe application segment includes aesthetic restoration, dentistry and reconstructive surgery. In 2017, the aesthetic restoration segment is projected to be valued at US$ 2,693.9 Mn and is estimated to grow significantly to reach a market value of US$ 3,646.1 Mn in the year 2027. This segment is likely to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% during the study period.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by Distribution ChannelOn the basis of distribution channel, the global dermal fillers market is segmented into retail pharmacies and drug stores, clinics and hospital pharmacies, and online pharmacies. Online pharmacies are expected to be the fastest growing distribution channel segment for dermal fillers over the forecast period given the rapid adoption rate.Global Dermal Fillers Market: Forecast by RegionNorth America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, APEJ, Japan and MEA are the seven regions included in this report. The dermal fillers market in North America is expected to be the most lucrative, with a market attractiveness index of 2.5. Major players in the dermal fillers market, including Allergan and Galderma, are focussing on improving the sale of hyaluronicacid-based fillers in North America. Companies are trying to exploit full market potential and get maximum returns on R&D till patents for their products are valid. The market in APEJ is expected to be the fastest growing among all regions.Request to Browse Report Customization @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-5699 Global Dermal Fillers Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players operating in the global market for dermal fillers are GaldermaPharmaS.A., Sinclair Pharma plc., Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Allergan plc., Anika Therapeutics Inc., Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA, SunevaMedical Inc., Teoxane Laboratories Inc., Prollenium Medical Technologies Inc., Adoderm GmbH, Laboratoires Vivacy SAS, Fidia Pharma USA Inc.View Report Preview @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/dermal-fillers-marketThe global dehydrated onions market holds promising growth prospects over 2018-2028, indicates Future Market Insights

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Extensive use of dehydrated onion as a condiment will continue to fuel the demand from Western countries. As the recent past has been observing substantial growth of the convenience food sector, the growth of dehydrated onions market is also evidently increasing. As implied by a recent research study, Future Market Insights expects the US$ 950 Mn dehydrated onions market to surpass the revenue worth US$ 1,500 Mn by the end of 2028. Over the next decade, the global market for dehydrated onions is expected to witness steady growth at a CAGR of 4.8%.Indias Position Strengthens as an Export-oriented Market, Europe Prevails in Dry Onion ImportChina, India, and US are among the top five onion producing countries, and India secures the top position in dried onion export, according to a recent survey. While India currently captures over 30% share of the global dehydrated onion export share, China will also continue to be a major exporter. US, Germany, and UK are foreseen to retain their positions as key importers throughout the next decade. Australia is foreseen to be among the key importers of dehydrated onions in the next few years.The European countries such as UK have been prominently generating robust demand for dehydrated onions, and some of the top importers include UK, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, and Spain. Sustained demand from developed markets such as North America and Europe will continue to push the dehydrated onions market up in near future. Increasing demand for processed onions to create thriving markets in developed regions such as Europe and North America. In some developing countries, fresh onions are available only in specific seasons, prompting at an attractive opportunity for dry onion manufacturers to provide consumers with an economical alternative in off-seasons. Kenya, where spring onions have been the top consumer preference due to cheaper price, is recently identified to raise an escalating demand for red bulb onions and dehydrated onions.Request Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6694 Manufacturers Target Lucrative Applications of Dehydrated Vegetables Emerging in Processed Food IndustryThe consumption of dehydrated vegetables is mushrooming worldwide, primarily attributed to their ability to retain culinary palatability and quality. Moreover, dry vegetables bring in economy in terms of both storage as well as transportation. The onion and dehydrated onion manufacturers thus seek optimum utilization of surplus product, besides saving a considerable amount associated with packaging materials and tinplate. Acceptance of dehydrated vegetables as a streamline product over fresh foods is remarkably low within a majority of developing Asian economies. However, with an increasing number of manufacturers stepping in the dehydration industry and growing awareness among consumers about a series of health benefits of consuming dehydrated vegetables, the sales of different forms of dehydrated onions are expected to surge up in coming years.The industry has witnessed immense advent of technology incorporated in the entire production process of dehydrated onions, which will also contribute to market growth. Dry vegetables are rapidly gaining traction as an imperative ingredient in packaged foods, which is proliferating the consumption of dehydrated onions by processed food industry, which will reportedly drive the market growth.Market Can Potentially Cater to Elevating Onion Demand against Short Supply during Indias Price Escalation ScenarioIndia, in addition to being among the top five onion producers, is the second largest producer of dehydrated onions, globally. However, the volatility in pricing of onion provides a high-potential opportunity to promote consumption of dry onions, almost each year. Though onion prices continue to fluctuate due to seasonal pressure, dehydrated onion sales are not hitting the roof. Dry onion manufacturers are struggling to overcome a lost opportunity due to relatively lower awareness about consuming dry onions, through promotional efforts targeted to households. However, robust demand from ready-to-cook food providers, processed food manufacturers, hotels and restaurants, and large scale masala makers are expected to account for a robust share in terms of revenue.Buy This Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/6694 An industry expert quotes, Of the total 60,000-70,000 tons of dehydrated onions produced annually in India, nearly 85% are exported to European countries. Domestically based wholesale consumers account for the consumption of the rest 15% of the total produce. Revenue generated through demand from household consumers has been negligible. Looking at the price fluctuation, dry onions are relatively more stable than fresh onions. Dehydrated products can be stored for extended periods, and are economically more viable compared to fresh onions, he further adds.One of the largest dehydration units in India also reaffirms that the price of dehydrated onions is not impacted by seasonal volatility in onion prices, as a majority of manufacturers prefer commencement of procurement at the beginning of season, when the prices are low. Gradually increasing encouragement from government is anticipated to support market growth, in addition to the financial support by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) for awareness and promotional campaigns. Moreover, manufacturers are striving to promote dehydrated products as healthy foods, through augmented focus on research and development. Most of manufacturing companies are prioritizing export, trade, and production facility expansion.Recommendation: For product sourcing and distribution, stakeholders in the retail sector are recommended to focus more on creating a robust and reliable supply chain network through horizontal integration and partnerships.The objectives of the Database Management Software market report includes the forecast of the market by service, deployment, end-use application, and geography.

Database Management Software Market

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The objectives of the Database Management Software market report includes the forecast of the market by service, deployment, end-use application, and geography. Further, it includes the detailed information regarding the drivers of the global market such as the increased demand from businesses with multiple locations to centralize their operations and security risks raised in the IT industry by bringing your device policy. It also includes detailed information about the restraints, opportunities, and challenges in the market.The study of the value chain and analysis of the impact of Porters five forces on the market is also one of the objectives of the report which includes the study of the impact of the Porters five forces, namely, threat of substitutes, intensity of competitive rivalry, threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, and bargaining power of suppliers on the market.For Sample Copy:This report focuses on the top players in global market, like: Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, IBM, Teradata, Software AG, Apple (FileMaker), Amazon Web Services, NetApp, ManageEngine, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Neo4j, SolarWinds MSP, Zoho, Kohezion, BMC SoftwareObjective of Database Management Software Market Study:- To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 07 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Database Management Software Market.- To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth.- To analyze the Database Management Software Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.- To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW).- To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective- To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by technologies, by applications and sub-segments.- To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market- To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Database Management Software Market.Avail Discount at:The report distinguishes the global market of tools, applications and other regions vertically. A detailed analysis of all sectors was provided in terms of market size analysis of the Database Management Software market across various geographies. The report provides detailed analysis including key trends and absolute dollar opportunities.The report includes a vast analysis of key industry drivers, restraints, market trends and market structure. Market research provides a comprehensive assessment of stakeholder strategies and mandates for business success.Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers Germany France UK Russia Italy Spain BeneluxFor More Information:Moreover, the global Database Management Software market is segmented on the basis of various parameters. The factors which are impacting the markets growth are studied in detail. The report also presents a overall weaknesses which companies operating in the market must avoid in order to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period.Besides this, profiles of some of the leading players operating and encouraging in the growth of the global Database Management Software market are included in the study. Additionally, using SWOT analysis, markets weaknesses and strengths are analyzed. It also helps the report provide insights into the opportunities and threats that these companies may face during the forecast period.Key Points Covered in Table of Content: Market Overview Market Competition by Manufacturers Production, Revenue (Value) by Region Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type Market Analysis by Application Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders Market Effect Factors Analysis Market Forecast Research Findings and ConclusionPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 14:49:38

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Data Warehousing Solutions Market: IntroductionWith the increasing need of data management, more enterprises are investing in data warehousing solutions to gain better insights about their business. These solutions integrate and analyse business data using historical and real-time data, enabling executives to make better decisions based on accurate understanding. Data warehousing solutions coupled with business intelligence tools help enterprises implement efficient business analytics. This data can be accessed by users across the organization using ad hoc SQL queries, periodic reports and dashboards. Even though data warehousing is beneficial for the business, but it can be complex to set up and involves investments even after set up to prevent loss of data. Moreover, recent trends involving huge volumes of data are obstructing the performance of data warehouse systems.Data Warehousing Solutions Market: Drivers and RestraintsBusiness data is acquired from internal as well as external sources and is diverse in nature. Due to the exponential growth of this data, and the need to analyse this data for a better understanding is driving the market for data warehousing solutions. Enterprises are opting for solutions that maximize performance and enable a fast data flow with real time analytics, which are offered by efficient data warehousing solutions. Another major driver for this market is using data to perform trend analysis and data mining for future trends prediction. Inadequate time to build in-house software is making end users invest in data warehousing solutions and helping the market grow. Major restraint for this market is poor data quality because of unavailability of required data and inefficient data warehouse architecture, which isolates the customers from using data warehousing solutions.Request for Report Sample : https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12592 Data Warehousing Solutions Market: SegmentationData warehousing solutions can be segmented on the basis of type of offering, type of data, type of deployment, end users, verticals and regions. The different types of offerings under data warehousing include extraction, transportation and loading (ETL) solution, statistical analysis, data mining, and others. The types of data used in data warehousing solutions are structured and unstructured data. Data warehousing solution can be segmented on the basis of deployment type of its system into on-premise, cloud based and hybrid. The end users for data warehousing solutions are SMEs and large enterprises. Data warehousing solutions are applicable in the following verticals, government, BFSI, retail, healthcare, IT and telecom, manufacturing, energy and utilities, transportation and logistics, and others. Regionally data warehousing solutions can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East and Africa.Data Warehousing Solutions Market: Regional OutlookData warehousing solutions market is dominated by the North America region at present due to the fact that North America readily invests in new technologies. Asia Pacific, Japan and Western Europe are expected to be emerging regions in this market and will see a good growth rate in the future. Asia Pacifics and Japans growth is due to its steady economic growth and growing commercial activity. Western Europe will see a good growth owing to the efforts European Union intends to make to promote the growth of big data in this region. Eastern Europe is expected to see a moderate growth rate with a few enterprises looking to invest in this region.Data Warehousing Solutions Market: Competition LandscapeThe key players involved in data warehousing solutions market are Oracle Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Teradata Corporation, IBM Corporation, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services Inc., MarkLogic Corporation, Infobright, Cloudera Inc., MapR Technologies, Inc., and Hortonworks Inc. Recent trends involved in data warehousing solutions include a shift to cloud based services and investments in latest technologies to cope up with competition in the market.Request for Report TOC : https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/12592PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:20:54

Despite the average performance of construction industry in 2016, predictions for the performance in 2017 remains positive.an positive growth of the associated industries is expected in the forthcoming years of the month. The global construction industry is anticipated to witness an annual growth rate, ranging between 5-10% in this year. The construction industry is a major end user of cranes, thus its performance has a notable impact on the growth of crane market. Though, the existing uncertainty in the global construction market could affect the demand for cranes in construction application, but the robust growth of automotive industry and steady revenue increment from mining are expected to fuel the growth of the global crane market. Global crane market is anticipated to witness noteworthy growth in developing parts of Asia Pacific, while a moderate growth will be foreseen in the America, Europe and the Middle East. Small sized equipment, affordable price, reliability and improved productivity will remain key concerns in the global crane market. The global crane market covers a vast number of products serving various requirements, including wheel mounted cranes, crawler cranes, side boom, straddle crane, railroad crane, and aerial cranes. These cranes are further bifurcated into telescopic, hydraulic, articulated etc.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2922 Global Crane Market: Market DynamicsThe ongoing demand for construction of smart cities across geographies and various mega construction particularly in developing countries will rise demand for the cranes. Increasing investments made by governments as well as private sector companies in infrastructure development projects is the major factor driving growth of the global crane market. Within these infrastructure projects the key demand drivers going forward are road construction, urban infrastructure, irrigation and mining operations. Investments in infrastructure can be classified into investments for roads, ports, airports, railways, pipelines, irrigation, waterways and urban infrastructure. Further, increasing demand for high capacity lifting is boosting the demand for some specialized products such as mobile cranes.Increasing focus of customers towards procuring used cranes due to avoid high cost new equipment is a crucial factor which can obstruct the market growth. Some of the key trends witnessed in the market are shifting focus towards compact and remote operated cranes and changing consumer towards crane that ensures drivers comfort and safety.Global Crane Market: Market SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the Crane market can be segmented into;Mobile CranesTruck CranesAll Terrain CranesCrawler CranesSide BoomStraddle CraneAerial CranesFloating CraneRailroad CraneFixed CranesTower CranesOverhead Track-mounted CranesLevel Luffing CranesUnderhung CranesStiff-leg DerrickMarine CranesHarbor CranesShip CranesOthersOn the basis of supply type, the Crane market can be segmented into;Construction IndustryMining IndustryOil & Gas IndustryShipping & Port BuildingAutomotiveOthersGlobal Crane Market: Region-wise OutlookAsia Pacific is expected to dominate the volume demand for Crane over the forecast period owing to increasing construction activities in the region. China and India are expected to emerge as the major contributor to the overall revenue in Asia Pacific. Europe and Japan are expected to be the next big market for cranes. Western Europe contributes for majority of the demand of cranes in the Europe and Eastern Europe hold nominal market share in the Europe. Followed by Asia Pacific, Europe and Japan is the North America, which is a matured market for cranes. The market is expected to witness steady growth as compared to robust growth in the developing region such as Asia Pacific. Middle East and Africa region is anticipated to witness moderate to steady growth in the annual sales of cranes. GCC countries will remain one of the major contributor in the growth of the market. Long term outlook for the market in South Africa remains positive.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2922 Global Crane Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified in the global Crane market are;Liebherr GroupTerex CorporationTadano Ltd.Altech IndustriesZoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co., Ltd.XCMG Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.Sany Heavy Industry Co., LtdComputerized Physician Order Entry Systems

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A computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system is a healthcare information system used to capture, store, manage, and transmit a medical practitioners instructions electronically, for patients treatment. The global revenues of the computerized physician order entry systems market are projected to escalate up to US$ 1.48 Bn in 2020, up from US$ 999.4 Mn, recorded in 2014. Over the forecast period 2014-2020, the market will expand at a CAGR of 6.8%.Key Market DynamicsIncreasing need for integrated healthcare will be a key driver the growth of the computerized physician order entry systems market. There are numerous incidences of medication errors, which further prompt at the need for an automated system for patient data collection and management. In addition, various governments across the globe are actively promoting the use of CPOE systems in tandem with sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, which is foreseen to favor the market growth throughout the forecast period. Growing need for efficient and accurate collection and exchange of extensive amounts of patient data between clinics, hospitals, and laboratories will continue to foster the market for computerized physician order entry systems. Integration of CPOE systems with clinical decision support systems (CDSS) and electronic health record (EHR) systems aids coordinated patient care service delivery. This has been a key advantage propelling the demand for CPOE systems. Moreover, the ability of integrated computerized physician order entry systems to enable the delivery of continuing patient care throughout the course of an illness, is also expected to boost the demand from the healthcare sector. Drug dosage support and clinical decision support are some more advantages of using computerized physician order entry systems. Growing awareness about this will be another key driver for the market. Rising population and prevalence of chronic diseases will remain a major factor pushing the demand for CPOE systems. Increasing investments by leading healthcare IT companies are also predicted to accelerate the adoption. The patient-centric approach is a more pronounced trend in the market these days. In addition, rising popularity of wireless and cloud technology is also influencing the market growth.Request Sample Report@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2813 However, the field of healthcare delivery constantly faces lack of experienced and expert professionals, which may remain a key restraint for the market growth. Moreover, expensive and time consuming installation is anticipated to hamper the market condition to a certain extent. Interoperability issues have also been a longstanding challenge the growth of the market for CPOE systems globally. Lack of awareness among physicians and poor commitment top using these systems may deter the market growth, especially in developing regions.Segment AnalysisBased on the delivery mode, the global computerized physician order entry systems market is segmented into web based CPOE, on premise CPOE, and cloud based CPOE. On the basis of components, the market is segmented into software, hardware, and services, whereas by end-user, the market is segmented into hospital, pharmacy, and laboratory. Component segment is anticipated to attract major revenues during 2014-2020. Web based CPOE is the largest mode of delivery, whereas hospital will continue to form the largest segment among end-users of computerized physician order entry systems. Cloud based CPOE is the fastest growing mode of delivery and laboratory CPOE is the fastest growing end users of computerized physician order entry systems.Regional AnalysisThe regional analysis segments the global market into four key markets  North America (the U.S.), Europe (the U.K., Germany, and France), Asia (Japan and China), and rest of the world. Owing to strong government initiatives regarding implementation of computerized physician order entry systems, North America has been the largest market for CPOE systems over the years. It will remain the leading market through to 2020, expanding at a CAGR of 6.7%. From US$ 589.7 Mn recorded in 2014, the North American market for CPOE systems market will reach up to US$ 870.3 Mn by 2020 end. Asia is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period, attributed to growing chronic illnesses and awareness about the advantages of automated patient data management systems. China, Japan, and India will especially present ample untapped growth opportunities to the market. The European Commissions eHealth Action Plan (2012) emphasized the use of modern devices and technologies to promote personalized medicines in Europe. As a result, the market in Europe will witness moderate growth over the next few years.Request TOC@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/2813 Key Market PlayersThe global computerized physician order entry systems market is operated by some of the key companies, including McKesson Corporation, Allscripts, GE Healthcare, Cerner Corporation, Siemens Healthcare, Epic Systems Corporation, Athenahealth, Inc., Carestream Health, Inc, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC, and Meditech. New market entrants may capitalize on the emerging market in developing regions and rising demand for efficient IT systems in diagnostics.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:28:49

Compressor control system is that system which converts the power into some other form of energy like the potential energy that was stored in compressed form of air. A compressor is an essential equipment to deliver air power, which is compelled by asynchronism motor. A compressor is functioned by the motor with an adjusting rotation speed. The air pressure in the pipeline is measured to be very at a certain range. Its one end is under the rating pressure of the pipe, and another end is above the rating pressure of the equipment using the compressive air. There are two ways to measure the air pressure in the pipeline to content this demand. The first method is start up and stop the motor frequently for adjusting the air pressure in the pipe. The other method is to use pressure valve with an objective to limit air pressure in the pipeline.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4692 Compressor Control System Market Dynamics:The major driving factors of compressors control system are expanding power generation, and growing petrochemicals, metals & mining, oil & gas and refining industries. Moreover, extend its application such as long-distance gas & oil pipelines and city gas distribution. Another driving factor of compressor control system is useful in petroleum industries such as oil & gas, and refining is expected to witness significant improvement in this market. Some major challenges in the compressor control system such as excessive noise in the operation time, excessive oil consumption, air leaking from inter stage safety relief valve when the compressor is pumping and excessive belt wear. There are some opportunities in the compressor control system such as increased natural gas extraction from shale gas basins is anticipated to impact the compressor control system market favorably. Manufacturers focus on improving reliability and efficiency of compressors to gain a competitive advantage. Adoption of compressor control systems is expected to increase in both new and old compressor systems, which will have a significant impact on energy consumption and optimize the compressor output completely. Some latest trends in compressor control system include technology being developed, and other novel air compressors like screw air compressors, oil free dental air compressors, etc. which come with increased capacity. Other trends are like technology advancement in piston processes due to this less maintenance is needed in the compressor.Compressor Control System Market Segmentation:Compressor control system market can be segmented on the basis of pressure delivered:Low-pressure compressors (LPACs)Medium-pressure compressors (MPACs)High-pressure compressors (HPACs)Compressor control system market can be segmented on the basis of components:Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)DrivesOthers (Actuators, Motors, Valves, etc.)Compressor control system market can be segmented on the basis of application:Oil & gasPetrochemicalEnergy & MiningHeating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)Aircraft turbinesElectrical power generationMarine and navalMobile and industrial equipmentCompressor Control System Market Regional Overview:The global compressor control system market is classified into seven regions namely North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Western Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Middle East & Africa holds the significant share in the global compressor control system market in terms of production and revenue sharing. Followed by Asia-Pacific and Latin America are expected to grow relatively at a higher CAGR during the forecast period since the use of compressor control system improves the various operations in many industries. The global compressor control system market in Japan is well established and expected to grow at average CAGR over the forecast period. Eastern Europe is expected to expand at sluggish growth rate due to the low production capacity of compressor control system in petrochemical as well as power generation in this region.Compressor Control System Market Regional Segmentation:The Middle East and Africa (MEA) dominated the global compressor control system market from past few years owing to the region accounts for a high volume of oil and gas exploration and production activities, and thus displays a high demand for compressor controllers.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4692 Compressor Control System Market Key Players:Woodward, Inc.Compressor Controls CorporationRENNER KompressorenFS-ELLIOTT CO.Anest IwataGardner CorporationLufkin IndustriesBusiness Management Consulting Software is provided by a Business consultant who provides professional or expertise advice in a particular area such as security, management, accountancy, law, human resources, marketing, finance, engineering, science or any of many other specialized fields. Business Consulting Market is useful for different enterprises to grow their business. It is helpful for different organizations to improve performances by analyzing the existing problems.

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The report focuses on the major advanced technology platforms and tools implemented by the various top-level companies, which helps to enhance the productivity of the industries. This statistical data also includes recent developments carried out by top key players. This report has been summarized with numerous facts such as investments, profit margin, and much more.Request report sample pages prior purchase@ https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=105637 Top key player profiled in this report: Accenture, Bain & Company, Barkawi Management Consultants, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, EY, IBM, Implement Consulting Group, KPMG, McKinsey, Poyry PLC, PwC, Ramboll Group, Solon Management Consulting, The Boston Consulting,etc.The report also implements primary and secondary research techniques for gathering the most crucial pieces of professional information, and applies a number of industry-best techniques upon the data for projecting the future state of the global Business Management Consulting Software market. Based on current market development, the report includes an analysis of how activities such as mergers and shapes the markets future.A section containing exceptional detailed data about all the influential players operating in the market has also been included in the report, giving readers and enterprises access to information such as challenges faced by the companies, the growth strategies implemented, the recent developments reported by them, and the financial and business overview of the company.Request report Discount on this Premium Repor@Key Takeaways from this Report: Evaluate market potential through analyzing growth rates, Volume and price knowledge  for products type, finish use applications and by completely different trade verticals of Business Management Consulting Software Market. Understand the various dynamics influencing the Business Management Consulting Software market  key driving factors, challenges, and hidden opportunities. Get in-depth insights on your contestant performance of Business Management Consulting Software Market  market shares, strategies, monetary benchmarking, product bench marking and additional. Business Management Consulting Software Market report analyzes the sales and distribution channels across key geographies to enhance top-line revenues. Comprehend the exchange give chain a profound jump on the value increase at each progression, to enhance cost and deliver efficiencies in your procedures. Get a fast outlook on the Business Management Consulting Software market report entropy  Deals, partnerships, product launches of all key players for the past Five years. Evaluate the supply-demand gaps, import-export statistics and restrictive landscape for quite prime twenty countries globally for the Business Management Consulting Software market.Request report Complete Report@ https://www.qyreports.com/report/global-business-management-consulting-software-market-size-trends-applications-status-analysis-and-forecast-reports-2019-to-2026-105637/ To conclude, contemplation of the noteworthy enactment of the Global Business Management Consulting Software Market is driven by various analysis tools and wide-ranging research reports. Citations are engaged to mount clear results and validate them.Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the "Commercial Vehicle Brake Chambers Market to Discern Magnified Growth During 2017- 2027" report to their offering

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Growing commercial business, industrial activities and the ensuing rise in demand for transportation and logistics service are embellishing the global commercial vehicle brake chamber market. Furthermore, rapid industrialization, steady rise in logistic, development of road infrastructure and distribution & public transportation will drive the growth of the market throughout the forecast period. The industry is presently a vital crossroad with technology advancement, government regulations and emergent markets, focusing to revolutionize the face of the industry over the last few years. Brake chambers are round metal vessels, positioned at each wheel, where the applied pressure is rehabilitated into mechanical force. These are components of a brake chamber such as dust plug, bottom cover, diaphragm, push rod, spring fixer, spring washer and top cover. In Europe, commercial vehicles are poised towards running with disk brake. VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) will invest US$ 4.5 Bn for enhancing the commercial vehicle production capacity in India. The past few years, Asia Pacific has opened its door for multinational automobile companies, allowing them to penetrate the market and modernized transportation infrastructure to make it lucrative for end users.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5937 Commercial Vehicle Brake Chambers Market: DynamicsGovernment spending on infrastructure project, and increasing eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrid & electrical vehicle are enriching the global commercial vehicle brake chamber market during the forecast period. On the other hand, the emerging food & beverage industry is the additional vital factor for enforcing the market owing to increasing food trucks and refrigerated vehicles demand. Furthermore, increasing natural gas commercial vehicle is expected to thumping the global commercial vehicle brake chamber market. Moreover, initial hitches with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) nonetheless, and the modern tax administration is explicitly fuelling the growth in the light commercial vehicle (LCV) market in India.Design complication of brake chambers, each has an inadequate pushrod stroke-length capability beyond which no brake force is produced and requirement of regular maintenance, which is expected to hamper the global commercial vehicle brake chamber market during the forecast period. Additionally, other factors containing fuel prices, antagonism with alternate modes of transport such as railways are expected to hinder market growth throughout the forecast period.Commercial Vehicle Brake Chambers Market: SegmentationThe global commercial vehicle brake chamber market can be segmented on the basis of commercial vehicle Types, Product Type and Sales channels.The global commercial vehicle brake chamber market can be segmented on the basis of commercial vehicle type:Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV)VanothersMedium Commercial Vehicle (MCV)Travel TrailersBox truckSemi-truckHeavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV)TrucksBusesTrailersOtherThe global commercial vehicle brake chamber market can be segmented on the basis of product:PistonDiaphragmOthersThe global commercial vehicle brake chamber market can be segmented on the basis of sales Channels:OEMAftermarketIt is expected that Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) goods carrier is growing with high digit CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing demand for transportation of good, passenger and others.Commercial Vehicle Brake Chambers Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific is the hub of commercial vehicle owing to rapid technological advancements together with the promising business environment in countries such as China and India, which is expected to fuel the demand for commercial vehicles during the forecast period. North America is the second leading consumer of commercial vehicles, it is expected that the demand for heavy commercial vehicle will decline owing to weakening pressure to replace older vehicles, especially on-highway tractors. On the other hand, it is anticipated that Europe will grow with a remarkable growth rate owing to growing transportation particularly in Spain, France and Germany. It is anticipated that the Middle East & Africa is growing with a stable growth rate, while Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia have the largest fleet of commercial vehicles in the MEA region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-5937 Commercial Vehicle Brake Chambers Market: Key ParticipantsExamples of some of the key participants in the global commercial vehicle brake chambers market are:WABCOKnorr-Bremse AGTBK Co., Ltd.Nabtesco Automotive CorporationTSE BrakesHaldexARFESANWanxiang GroupFUWA K Hitch Australia Pty. Ltd.Zhejiang VIE Science & Technology Co.,LtdPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 07:06:15

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Rising need from emerging and current applications, expanding utilization of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas) along with other cryogenic gases, in addition, to decrease in greenhouse emissions are a few of the key aspects instigating the development of the market for cold insulation material. In addition, modernization & advancement of infrastructure and energy efficiency are a few of alternate aspects adding to the development of the market. Exhausting infrastructure expending all over different emerged countries, for example, Japan, the U.S. along with other Western European nations combined with expanding awareness in regards to energy losses and expenses caused because of them are required to positively affect worldwide cold insulation material market. Additionally, the usage of LEED certification, a ranking for environmental manageability, by the U.S. GBC (Green Building Council) in addition fuels the market to some degree.Rising need of the cold insulation material in air-conditioning and refrigeration devices is probably going to drive the development of the market over the years to follow. In addition, growing GDP, expanding disposable income as well as alterations in climatic conditions, particularly in the region of Asia-Pacific are considered to fuel the development of the market to some degree. Moreover, progressions in equipment are additionally considered to push the development of the cold insulation materials market. The cryogenic equipment, for example, perlite and aerogel have astounding thermal insulation properties which improve the execution of the cold insulation materials. This, thus, is expanding the materials required in the worldwide market. On the other hand, capricious fluctuating expenses of raw materials, a prerequisite of substantial investment in R&D as well as an absence of quality control in emerging countries are considered to impede the development of the cold insulation material market.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124807/Cold-Insulation-Material-Market Europe is considered to be the most lucrative market for cold insulation materials, trailed by North America. Growing infrastructure expenditure in these regions are considered to fuel the expansion of the overall market. The Asia-Pacific regional market is in addition probable to expand at a faster rate because of the developing cold chain market in the region. Moreover nations, for example, South Korea, India, Australia, Japan, and China are amid the quickest developing countries in the worldwide market. These are additionally boosting the expansion of the Asia Pacific regional market for cold insulation material.In terms of the type, the market is categorized into three foremost segments, namely granular, cellular and fibrous insulations. The granular insulation materials are compiled of hollow spaces with small nodules. Their chief raw materials are expanded polystyrene, expanded vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, cellulose, perlite, and calcium silicate. These materials are primarily accessible in the structure of stiff boards. On the other hand, the cellular insulation material includes small individual cells fabricated of several plastics, for example, elastomers, polyisocyanurate, and polystyrene. These insulation materials are accessible in two kinds: flexible sheets and rigid board. In fibrous insulation, the fibers with modest diameter are the chief raw material. Mineral wool, glass fiber, slag wool, rock wool along with silica are the foremost materials utilized in the making of fibrous insulation. These are accessible in the kind of flexible blankets, flexible sheets, and rigid boards.Request For Report TOC: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/TOC/120124807/Cold-Insulation-Material-Market The foremost players active in the cold insulation material market consist of Huntsman International LLC., BASF SE, Armacell International S.A., Certain Teed Corporation, Bayer MaterialScience AG, Arabian Fiber Glass Insulation Co., Ltd., The Dow Chemical Company, Evonik Industries AG, Fletcher Insulation Group, Kingspan Group PLC, ITW Insulation Systems, Johns Manville, Owens Corning, Knauf Insulation, ROXUL ROCKWOOL Technical Insulation, Uralita S.A.and Pittsburgh Corning Corporation.Report Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124807/Cold-Insulation-Material-MarketClamshell Packaging Market

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Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global clamshell market in its published report, titled Global Clamshell Packaging Market: Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 20182028. In terms of revenue, the global clamshell packaging market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 4.3% over the forecast period, owing to numerous factors, about which FMI offers thorough insights and forecasts in this report.Clamshells are similar to blister packs. The only difference is that clamshell have hinges which allow two halves structures to come together in a clamshell form. The clamshells can be made from material such as plastics or paper/paperboard. The clamshell packaging is very common form of packaging for industries such as food, electrical & electronics, cosmetics & personal care, household goods, gifts, toys & stationary, pharmaceuticals, etc. The clamshell packaging is very secure form of packaging and help to protect the products from any type of contamination. Also it is very cost effective and easy to manufacture, hence many consumer goods manufacturers are preferring this type of packaging for their products.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/REP-GB-3573 The global market for clamshell packaging is further segmented as per packaging type, material type, product type, and end use.On the basis of packaging type, global market for clamshell packaging is segmented into trays, bowls, boxes and containers, and others. On the basis of material type, global market for clamshell packaging is segmented into plastic and paper/paperboard. On the basis of product type, global market for clamshell packaging is segmented into mock clamshell, 2-piece clamshell, and tri-fold clamshell. On the basis of end use, the global market for clamshell packaging is segmented into food, electrical & electronics, cosmetics & personal care, household goods, gifts, toys & stationery, pharmaceuticals and others.This report assesses trends driving the growth of each market segment on the global level and offers potential takeaways that prove substantially useful for other potential market entrants in the clamshell packaging market.The North America clamshell packaging market includes country level analysis for the U.S. and Canada. The U.S clamshell packaging market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.2% over the forecast period wherein food segment enjoys the dominant share, by end use type. The Latin America clamshell packaging market includes country level analysis for Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Rest of Latin America. The Brazil clamshell packaging market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 2.0% during the forecast period. The Western Europe clamshell packaging market includes country level analysis for Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Benelux, Nordic and Rest of Europe. Germany and U.K. account for a significant market share in the Western Europe clamshell packaging market.Request Report for Table of Contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/clamshell-packaging-market/toc The Eastern Europe clamshell packaging market includes country level analysis for Russia, Poland and Rest of Eastern Europe. The Russia clamshell packaging market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.5% during the next decade. The Asia Pacific excluding Japan clamshell packaging market includes country level analysis for China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand and Rest of APEJ. The APEJ clamshell packaging market represents most lucrative geographic region wherein India and China represent substantial incremental opportunity over the forecast period. The Middle East and Africa (MEA) clamshell packaging market include country level analysis for GCC, South Africa, North Africa and Rest of MEA. Clamshell packaging market in the GCC region is particularly driven by high growth in the food segment. The Japan clamshell packaging market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.2% over the forecast period.In this report, we have discussed individual strategies followed by these companies in terms of enhancing their product portfolio, creating new marketing techniques, mergers and acquisitions. The Competitive Landscape is included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view and company share collectively.Key players operating in the global market for clamshell packaging include Amcor Limited, Smurfit Kappa Group Plc., Universal Plastics Corporation, Westrock Company, Parksons Packaging Ltd, VisiPak Inc., Prime Packaging LLC, Placon Corporation Inc., Dordan Manufacturing Company, and Sonoco Products Company among others.Request to Report Methodology @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-3573Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the  Chromatography Resins Market " report to their offering

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Chromatography resins are used in purification and separation of proteins and other bio-molecules in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food manufacturing, and environmental analysis. Chromatography resins are of three types, viz., synthetic, natural and inorganic media. Natural and synthetic resins are preferred over inorganic media. Chromatography resins are used in affinity, mixed-mode, ion-exchange, hydrophobic interaction and size exclusion techniques. In terms of revenues, Protein A resins accounted for the highest share of the market.The main driver for the chromatography resins market is huge demand for monoclonal antibodies. Huge demand for monoclonal bodies is on account of the number of growing critical diseases resulting in these types of therapeutics to swiftly gain significance. Biotechnology & pharmaceutical are the leading end-users for chromatography resins and are likely to gain more importance in near future. Food manufacturing was second-largest end-user application for chromatography resins. Chromatography resins are also used in industrial applications, genetic engineering and drug recovery. However, presence of stringent regulations regarding manufacture and usage of this product is expected to hamper the growth of the market over the next few years. Research & development in chromatography resin for various applications is expected to open new opportunities for the growth of the market.Read Report Overview @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/chromatography-resins-market In technology terms, ion-exchange chromatography had the highest consumption in past few years. Though, affinity chromatography resins hold the key share of the revenue. This is mainly due to the higher selling costs associated with affinity resins. Demand for chromatography resins was highest in North America. However, there is huge demand for chromatography resins from Asia Pacific region due to the growing pharmaceutical industry, particularly in India, China and South Korea. Additionally, the emergence of CMOs and CROs is driving the chromatography resins market in Asia Pacific region. Europe is expected to show steady growth over the forecast period.Some of the key players in the chromatography resins market are Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Tosoh Corporation, Merck KGaA, Life Technologies Corporation and Pall Corporation among others.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-274Cellulose Film Packaging Market

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Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global cellulose film packaging market in its published report titled Cellulose Film Packaging Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028. In terms of revenue, the global cellulose film packaging market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period, owing to numerous factors on which FMI sheds light in this report. The Asia Pacific cellulose film packaging market is expected to remain in the leading position during the forecast period.Cellulose film packaging is a bio-compostable packaging solution manufactured from wood or cotton, both of which are easily compostable. Besides cellulose film packaging extends the shelf life of fresh produce products by controlling the moisture content. Cellulose film packaging also maintains the aroma of the food product. It also reduces waste production as cellulose films are compostable. Cellulose film packaging provides better durability as well as good printability. The availability of a wide range of innovative packaging solutions is likely to have a significant impact on the demand in cellulose film packaging market during the forecast period.Request more information of Report with table of contents and Figures @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/REP-GB-2103 In this report, Future Market Insights suggests that the cellulose film packaging will play a major role in food & beverage industry during the forecast period. A shift in preference from traditional cellulose film packaging towards bio-compostable packaging solutions has been observed among packaging manufacturers. Additionally, cellulose film packaging extend the shelf life of fresh produce packed by controlling the moisture content. Land filling problems are majorly caused by the extensive use of conventional plastic bags, pouches, bottles, etc. This problem can be solved by replacing conventional plastic bags with cellulose film packaging solutions. As cellulose film packaging is biodegradable and compostable in nature, it is capable of solving land filling issues to a considerable extent. Earlier, bio plastics packaging manufacturers had to face waste legislation issues as these bio plastics materials require different composting process as well as grounds. However, due to growing usage of cellulose film packaging, problems related to composting process of bio plastics have decreased.The growth of cellulose film packaging can mainly be attributed to the contributions from emerging economies, such as countries in the APEJ region -- India & China. China is expected to be at the forefront, spearheading the growth of the cellulose film packaging market, during the forecast period. According to the research by Future Market Insights, the China cellulose film packaging market has witnessed rapid growth in the past couple of decades. Cellulose film packaging manufacturers are looking forward to developing such biodegradable bioplastics that will reduce the carbon footprint.Ask a question to Analyst @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-2103 Companies involved in the manufacturing of cellulose film packaging are focusing on enhancing their production capacity by establishing new production units. The manufacturers of cellulose film packaging are likely to eye the lucrative regions of Asia Pacific as well as Middle East & African regions in the coming years. Some of the key drivers for the growth of the global cellulose film packaging market include growing demand from food & beverage industry due to its biodegradable nature. Cellulose film packaging also helps in maintaining the aroma of food products and reduces the production of waste products as the films used for cellulose film packaging are easily compostable. The Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) cellulose film packaging is expected to create highest incremental $ opportunity during the forecast period and is expected to grow at a significant pace in the coming years. Revenue from the cellulose films packaging market in North America is estimated to account for over 21.9% of the global cellulose film packaging market revenue in 2018.Key players considered in this report on global cellulose film packaging market include Futamura Chemical Co., Ltd., Celanese Corporation, Hubei Golden Ring Co. Ltd., Weifang Henglian Cellophane Co. Ltd, Chengdu Huaming Cellophane Co. Ltd, Eastman Chemical Company, Sappi Limited, Tembec Inc, Rhodia Acetow GmbH and Rotofil Srl. Ask a question to Analyst @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-2103PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 19:25:20

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Carbon Offset/Carbon Credit Trading Service Industry examines the performance of the Carbon Offset/Carbon Credit Trading Service Market, enclosing an in-depth judgment of the Market state and the competitive landscape globally. One carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases. There are two markets for carbon offsets. In the larger, compliance market, companies, governments, or other entities buy carbon offsets in order to comply with caps on the total amount of carbon dioxide they are allowed to emit.The Carbon Offset/Carbon Credit Trading Service Market is explained in terms analysis of the price as well as suppliers of devices and equipment to the industry and their pricing, the labor cost, other costs sustained during manufacturing and its overall cost structure. The procedural data on the global market is given in terms of the commercial production dates and dimensions of the key manufacturers.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Top Key Vendors in Market:Carbon Credit Capital(US), TerraPass(US), Environmental Credit Corp, Texas Climate & Carbon Exchange, Carbon Capital Markets, Ecosur Afrique, CarbonX, 3Degrees, ecolutions GmbHAsk for discount@The Global market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Most importantly a detailed discussion of the various factors which are driving the growth of the global Carbon Offset/Carbon Credit Trading Service Market as well as those factors which are expected to hinder the growth of this Market is included. While total voluntary offset emissions reductions remain small compared to whats needed to combat climate change globally, actions on the voluntary markets have a ripple effect into compliance markets.Globally, Carbon Offset/Carbon Credit Trading Service Market areas such as, like North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa are examined to take great decisions in businesses. Effective policies are included in the report which gives tremendous response to scale up the businesses. The statistics included in the report gives accurate data of drivers, restraints, and opportunities, which helps to balance the growth of the existing and upcoming industries of Carbon Offset/Carbon Credit Trading Service Market.For more Information @About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Where counting on a legitimate board company for your selections will become critical. Research N Reports specializes in enterprise evaluation, marketplace forecasts and as a result getting great reports overlaying all verticals, whether be it gaining angle on modern market situations or being in advance inside the cut throat Global opposition.Bone Glues Market

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The reluctance of orthopedic patients towards the use of conventional cementing materials for surgical adhesion procedures is influencing the development of organic alternatives. Globally, the consumption of bone glue in hospitals is on an upsurge, owing to their widespread acceptance by both healthcare professionals and patients. The global market for bone glue is currently valued at US$ 600.6 million, and is expected to reach US$ 1,032.9 million in revenues by the end of 2024.Persistence Market Researchs report titled Global Market Study on Bone Glue: Rising Adoption of Bone Glue for Orthopedic Surgeries Expected to Boost Demand for Bone Glue over the Forecast Period, has estimated that the global market for bone glue will register a CAGR of 7.0% during the assessment period of 2016-2024. Prevalence of bone related disorders continues to be on a rise, urging manufacturers to come up with advanced glues. Preference to bone glue remains higher for adhesion procedures in arthroplasty surgeries. By the end of 2024, the application of bone glue in arthroplasty surgeries is slated to surpass 40% share of global market value, rendering it as the most prominent application for bone glue adhesives.Key end-use segments of the market include hospitals, specialty clinics and ASCs. High costs of orthopedic surgeries and growing number of accidents have increased the influx of orthopedic patients in hospitals. Since treating such patients requires the inclusion of bone glue as surgical adhesives, manufacturers are likely to concentrate their supply more towards hospitals and similar medical organizations. Specialty clinics are expected to be the second-most prominent end-user in the global bone glue market. On the account of their individual value share, specialty clinics and ASCs are projected to attribute to 17.9% and 10.9% share of the global bone glue market by 2024 end.Regional OverviewIn terms of value share, North Americas bone glue market accounts for half of the global market value, primarily due to advanced pharmaceutical production and robust healthcare infrastructure in the US. The bone glue market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to surge at the highest CAGR of 7.6% during the projected period. Latin Americas bone glue revenues are likely to surpass US$ 50 million by 2024, while bone glue sales in Middle East & Africa (MEA) region will expand sluggishly. On the other hand, revenues generated from bone glue sales in Europe are expected to be worth over US$ 150 million by the end of the forecast period.Higher Demand for Synthetic Bone GlueThe production of bone glue through synthesis of constituent adhesive elements becomes more cost-effective and practical for manufacturers. Over 80% of global revenues estimated in 2016 and beyond are projected to be accounted by synthetic bone glue over natural bone glue. Revenues from global sales of synthetic product called methacrylate will incur a rise of estimated US$ 23.8 million between 2016 and 2017, while global cyanoacrylate revenues are likely to surpass US$ 250 million by 2024 end.To know key findings Request Sample Report @: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3720 Ethicon & Baxter International: Key Market PlayersAs a manufacturer and supplier of bone glue adhesives, Ethicon, Inc. (US) is estimated to hold 40% revenue share of the global market. Baxter International Inc. is the other leading player in the global bone glue market. Companies such as Cryolife are expected to expand their market presence through increasing distribution. C. R. Bard, Inc., Luna Innovations Incorporated, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cohera Medical, Inc., Tissuemed Ltd., Chemence Medical, Inc., Integra LifeSceinces Corporation, and DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc., are also some of the prominent companies participating in the growth of the global bone glue market.Future Market Insights

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The biotherapeutics virus removal filters provide robust and economic solutions to stop the potential viral contaminants in a sample from the desired product. By using virus removal technique, all the non-enveloped viruses can be completely removed from the sample. The biotherapeutics virus removal filters are basically used during the manufacturing of biotherapeutic drug products or samples such as therapeutic replacement enzymes, antibodies, blood, derivatives of plasma and biopharmaceuticals. The biotherapeutics virus removal filters can be used either in vivo or in- vitro environment. In biotherapeutics virus removal filtration, the virus removability is based on size-exclusion mechanism that is those viruses which are superior to the mean pore size, they became trapped.Biotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market: Drivers and RestrainsThe global biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is anticipated to register a significant CAGR over a forecast period. The pre-determined risk of contamination in biotherapeutic products is the major factor that can upsurge the growth of the biotherapeutics virus removal filters market. The global market of biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is driven by the increasing investments in research sector by government. The lack of experience and less awareness can be the factors which can hamper the growth of the market of biotherapeutics virus removal filters.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6054 Biotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market: SegmentationThe biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is classified into technology, application and end users.Biotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market is segmented, by Technology -Size Exclusion TechnologyDepth Filtration TechnologyBiotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market is segmented, by Application -Monoclonal AntibodiesBlood & PlasmaEnzymesProteinsBiotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market segmented, by End User-Biopharmaceutical CompaniesClinical Research OrganizationsAcademic InstitutesOthersBiotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market: OverviewThe increasing investment by the government is the major role for better healthcare is expected to drive the market. The companies are engrossed in introducing the products for combat dressing. The biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is classified by technology, application and end user. In terms of technology, the global market of biotherapeutics virus removal filters is divided into size exclusion technology and depth filtration technology. By application the biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is segmented as monoclonal antibodies, blood & plasma, enzymes and protein. By end user, the biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is segmented into biopharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, academic institutes and others. Among all end user, biopharmaceutical companies are expected to gain maximum value share over the forecast period.Biotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market: Regional overviewOn the basis of geography, biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is segmented as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the biotherapeutics virus removal filters market due to the advent of advanced technologies in this region. Europe is also contributing the moderate shares to the market due to the advanced medical facilities and easy availability of the biotherapeutics virus removal filters in the market. APAC is the most lucrative market for the biotherapeutics virus removal filters due to increasing research facilities and developing biopharmaceutical industry in the region is expected to show a robust growth to the global biotherapeutics virus removal filters market. MEA is at a nascent stage to the global biotherapeutics virus removal filters market and anticipated to register a decent growth to the market over a forecast period. Overall, the global biotherapeutics virus removal filters market is expected to show significant growth over a forecast period.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6054 Biotherapeutics Virus removal filters Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players in the market are Pall Corporation, Z-Medica, LLC, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Merck KGaA, Sartorius AG and others.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:21:27

Growing applications, enhanced system efficiency and performance, driver convenience and reduction in emissions are some of the factors continuing to fuel the growth of the automotive temperature sensors market. Temperature sensors enable the enhancement of automotive systems. They are used in numerous applications to sense any damage. Conventionally, thermistor-based temperature sensors are used to send signals to gauges and then to electronic control modules. With increasing complexities, the types and numbers of temperature sensors have also increased due to enhanced performance requirements. Lead frame technology as a sub-assembly was incorporated to improve the traditional single-function and multi-functional sensors. Other than this, with the help of newly developed thermistor-based temperature sensors, it has become easier to monitor temperature range up to 1000 degree Celsius for catalytic converters and exhaust gases. The expansion of automatic HVAC driver information feedback and control has led to a significant increase in the use of temperature sensors for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. The automatic HVAC control system also finds usage in cabin temperature sensors where they are used to provide automatically controlled cabin environment. The duct air temperature sensors used in automotive HVAC systems efficiently monitor the ambient temperature.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3104 Automotive Temperature Sensor Market:DynamicsDrivers:The growth of automotive electronics has fuelled the growth of the automotive temperature sensors market. Automotive temperature sensors provide appropriate feedback about the parameters to be controlled. Furthermore, with increasing inputs/outputs from existing electronics in the HVAC systems and engine management, the automotive temperature sensors market is expected to grow during the forecast period. Increasing demand from customers for advanced automatic control of systems and information regarding a vehicles status has led to an increase in the demand for the automotive temperature sensors. In addition, stringent government regulations regarding gas emission control and fuel economy are expected to drive the automotive temperature sensors market during the forecast period.Restraints:.Poor accuracy  it is impossible to gauge errors measuring less than one degree Celsius  may hamper the growth of the global automotive temperature sensors market during the forecast period. Furthermore, sensitivity of Hall Effect sensors, mobility of majority carriers and electrical resistance of surface elements are affected by temperature. This, in turn, may hamper the growth of the automotive temperature sensors market.Trends:Increased response time by smaller elements and installation in desired locations through smaller packages are some of the major trends witnessed in the automotive temperature sensors market. Furthermore, multi-functional temperature sensors with new as well as existing sensing elements are driving the market for automotive temperature sensors.Automotive Temperature Sensor Market:SegmentationGlobal automotive temperature sensor market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and vehicle type. On the basis of product type, the global automotive temperature sensors market is segmented into conventional and digital automotive temperature sensors. Based on application, the global automotive temperature sensor market is segmented into powertrain, exhaust gas, steering, safety and control, telematics and others categories. On the basis of vehicle-type, the global automotive temperature sensors market is segmented into passenger cars, light-commercial vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3104 Automotive Temperature Sensor Market:Key ParticipantsSome of the key market participants in the automotive temperature sensor market are:Delphi Automotive LLPJIANGXI HAOFENG ELECTRIC APPLIANCES CO., LTD.Okazaki Manufacturing CompanySensata Technologies, Inc.Robert Bosch GmbHDelphi Automotive LLPNXP SemiconductorsFuture Market Insights has announced the addition of the "Automotive Seating Market to Rear Excessive Growth During 2016 - 2026" report to their offering

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Seating systems are platform designed to accommodate the person seating in vehicle. Seating has modified through simple seating systems to complex masterpiece to fulfill the desires of both consumer and manufacturers. When OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and Tier 1 companies design the cars, the seating systems referred as expensive and heaviest interior parts. While conventional designs have been recommended throughout the industry, companies have started to design new layouts that will change the seating systems in more modified manner than conventional seating systems. Luxury modifications have been introduced into seating systems to assure the relaxing experience to customer while driving.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1520 Global Automotive Seating Market: Drivers & RestraintsRecovery in vehicle production, increasing demand for safety features, and growth of various vehicle segments are major driving factors for Automotive seating market. Government initiatives for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) supporting the automotive seating market. To develop lighter design while reduce a cost is challenge for Manufacturers. Inclining customers demand towards Luxurious seating systems creating more opportunities in Automotive seating market. Manufacturers taking initiatives in research and development activities to make product luxurious as well as more emphasis is for safely. Simultaneously changing currency exchange rates, regulations, changing consumer needs and preference are going to affect the market dynamics.Global Automotive Seating Market: Market SegmentationOn the basis of seat type, global automotive seating market is segmented into:Split seatBench seatSplit Bench seatOn the basis of vehicle type global automotive seating market is segmented into:PCV (Passenger Commercial Vehicles)LCV (Light Commercial Vehicles)HCV (Heavy Commercial Vehicles)On the basis of distribution channel, global automotive seating market is segmented into:OEMAftermarketGlobal Automotive Seating Market: Regional-OutlookThe global Automotive Seating market has been divided into seven key geographical regions which includes, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific will be dominating market for Automotive Seating. Emerging trends in automobile seating systems, increasing vehicle production will be major factors to drive the growth for Automotive seating market in APEC region. India, China Japan and South Korea will be prime contributors of automotive seating market. Foreign Direct Investment and Government Policies supporting manufacturers. Such strategies will play important role foster the market. Asia Pacific is followed by North America and Western Europe. Majority of top OEMs are from North America and Western Europe. Customers demand towards Luxury is creating more opportunities and challenges to manufacturers. Eastern Europe and Latin America also contribute to Automotive seating market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1520 Global Automotive Seating Market: Key playersSome of the key players identified in the global Automotive Seating market include:Johnson Controls IncToyota Boshoku CorporationTS Tech Co., LtdFaurecia SALear CorporationIFB AutomotiveMagna International IncDURA Automotive SystemsAktis Engineering SolutionsPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:23:14

Automotive Relays are widely used in electrical systems used in applications like automotive, trucks, industrial and heavy equipment. A high current circuit can be controlled by a lower current circuit with the help of Automotive Relays. Multiple things can be switched at the same time by one output because of Automotive Relays. Automotive Relays of different sizes and shapes are available which are used in land and sea vehicles. The most common applications where these Automotive Relays are used are the car flashlights, car alarm systems, anti-locking brake systems, car antennas, car stereos, horns, intermittent wipers among other applications.The Automotive Relay Market is estimated to grow at a moderate CAGR during the forecast period.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4687 Automotive Relay Market: Drivers & RestraintsWith the increase in levels of safety and comfortable driving experience, offered by automotive relays; the demand for automotive relays has increased and expected to grow even more in the forecast period. With the fast pace development of PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), lighter PCB relays are gradually replacing complicated plug-in devices. This factor is likely to increase the global PCB relay market. Also, PCB relays are expected to remain the dominant segment of the global relay market in the forecast period. Government regulations to include safety components in automobiles to lessen the number of casualties is forecasted to drive the automotive relay market during the forecast period. These devices can be used in safety systems like head restraints, heads-up displays, steering systems, seatbelts, and airbags. With the increase in the use of technologies like GPS, weather, temperature and traffic information, demand for automotive relays is expected to grow at a high CAGR. With the increase in demand for comfort levels, concepts like sunroof control, keyless entry systems, mirror control and infotainment systems have emerged. The increase in the demand for the Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) segment is also a key factor that is likely to drive the growth of global Automotive Market.In the automotive industry, lack of standardization is a factor that can restrain the growth of Automotive Relay Market. Automotive relays are weaker compared to the conventional plug-in relays when factors like the ability to withstand voltage fluctuations, vibrations, and high temperature, and robustness are considered. Hence, in many applications, especially powertrain systems, conventional plug-in relays are still preferred. This factor may also restrain the growth of Automotive Relay Market in the forecast period.Automotive Relay Market: Market SegmentationAutomotive Relay Market can be segmented based on product type, application type and regions.Based on the application type, Automotive Relay Market is segmented into:Powertrain SystemsBody & ChassisConvenienceSafety & SecurityDriver Information SystemsBased on product type, Automotive Relay Market is segmented into:PCB relayPlug-in relayBased on regions, Automotive Relay Market is segmented into:North AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRoWAutomotive Relay Market: Regional OutlookAutomotive Relay Market share of Europe was 24% from the total global revenue in 2016. Convenience applications and powertrain systems are largely responsible for the regional sales in the Asia Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to show a moderate CAGR in the growth of Automotive Relay Market during the forecast period. The Asia-Pacific region is gradually being called the automobile manufacturing hub because of the ease of availability of raw materials and comparatively lower labor costs. Owing to high demand and significant vehicle production in China, China is estimated to show significant growth trends in the Automotive Relay Market. LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) relay segment is also estimated to grow at a high CAGR in the forecast period. Specifically, the North America region is one of the regions where this growth is expected to be witnessed.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4687 Automotive Relay Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players of the Automotive Relay Market are:-Salzer Electronics Ltd.ABB Ltd.Panasonic CorporationDeltrol ControlsOmron CorporationAmerican Zettler Inc.TE ConnectivityPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 06:22:35

The automotive inflatable seat belt function is similar to a standard seat belt in everyday usage. The crash sensing system of the vehicle in which the automotive inflatable seat belt is deployed determines the deployment timing of the automotive inflatable seat belt. In the case of a car crash or collision, the automotive inflatable seat belt deploys itself slightly before the other safety or air bags. Mostly tubular, the automotive inflatable seat belt inflates itself completely around the body of the occupant. The automotive inflatable seat belt aids in distributing the impact energy during the crash around five to four times more around the passengers body instead of a traditional automotive seat belt.; which enlarges the protection range and aids better in decreasing the risk of injuries. Another feature of the automotive inflatable seat belt is that it has an airbag built inside the webbing of the seat belt which provides additional protection to the critical body parts such as the head and neck and thus also protects from the impact of the side window or the collisions.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4684 Automotive Inflatable Seat Belt Market: Market DynamicsThe increasing demand for automobiles with enhanced safety features is fueling the growth of automotive inflatable seat belt market. The growing demand for automobiles with additional occupant protection inclusions is also driving the market growth. This is attributed to the fact that the automotive inflatable seat belts aid in reducing the risk of chest, neck and head injuries for the rear seat passengers as well who are often children and older passengers and are comparatively more vulnerable to such injuries.However , the application of automotive inflatable seat belts for usage with infant or children seats is a challenging factor because of the thickness of the automotive inflatable seat belt which can jeopardize the safety of infants. There are stringent regulations on child safety feature inclusions in the automobiles in countries such as US and Canada.The texture of the automotive inflatable seat belts is widening the scope of its market, because unlike conventional seat belts; inflatable ones make customers feel padded and softer. These belts can be deployed in milliseconds when any crash occurs, thus further improvise on vehicle safety measures. Different car manufacturers are planning to buy the automotive inflatable seat belt technology from the Ford Motor Company, thus creating opportunities for market growth in other regions than North America and Western Europe.One of the prominent trends in the automotive inflatable seat belt market is the inclusion of automotive inflatable seat belt in most of the car models of from the major companies such as Ford Motor Company and Mercedes Benz.Automotive Inflatable Seat Belt Market: Market SegmentationThe global automotive inflatable seat belt market can be segmented by its type:SRS seat belt (Air-belt)Explorer rare seat beltIt can also be segmented by the type of vehicle it can be installed in:Passenger Cars (PC)Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV)Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV)Automotive Inflatable Seat Belt Market: Regional OutlookThe global automotive inflatable seat belt market geographically is segmented as North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America and Europe are expected to hold a significant market share of automotive inflatable seat belt market owing to the growing demand for occupants safety. Furthermore, the increase in R & D activities related to automobiles especially passenger cars; wherein inflatable seat belts are useful for improvising life-saving measures and occupant protection during a collision scenario; aids in boosting the growth of automotive inflatable seat belt market in the region. The market in the APEJ is anticipated to have an inclination for automotive inflatable seat belt because of the increasing concerns for enhancing safety features of the cars.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4684 Automotive Inflatable Seat Belt Market: Prominent PlayersSome of the prominent players in the global inflatable seat belt market are:Ford Motor CompanyModitech Rescue SolutionsLEXUS GLOBALPR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 12:13:40

In the automotive market, initially mechanical brakes were used which were gradually replaced by hydraulic brakes, where brake fluid was required. The first hydraulic system was developed in 1914 by Frederick Duesenberg, an American automotive pioneer. Today, most automotive brake fluid is either silicone based (DOT5) or glycol based (DOT3).Most drivers check their engine oil or tire pressure regularly, but very often drivers check the brake fluid in their vehicle. Automotive brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid used in hydraulic clutches & brake applications in motorcycles, automobiles and some bicycles. It plays a crucial role as it transfers force when a driver applies the brake. Additionally, automotive brake fluid helps prevent corrosion and serves as lubricant for all movable parts.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2856 Automotive brake fluids, across the world, are regulated products and need to meet certain specifications and recommendations set by industry agencies and associations such as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Japanese Standards Association (JSA the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations (FMVSS), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and GB12981-2003 in China.Automotive Brake Fluid Market: DynamicsThe burgeoning demand for vehicles in countries like China and India is forecasted to drive growth for the automotive brake fluid market. Companies are establishing production sites in these regions so as to satiate the local demand. For instance, BASF opened an automotive brake fluid production plant in Pudong, Shanghai to support the demand of local customers; which in turn is driving demand for automotive brake fluid in China. However, the lack of awareness/understanding among end user is restraining growth of the global automotive brake fluid market.The main route to this market is via the aftermarket, which includes workshops, automotive service centers and retailers for supply to DIY (do it yourself) end users. The retail aftermarket includes general & automotive retailers and petrol forecourts. The remaining market for brake fluid is held by OEMs for the first fill in a vehicle. Therefore, tie ups with OEMs becomes an important driver across all regions since they provide an assured route to the market through the sale of new cars.Automotive Brake Fluid Market: SegmentationAutomotive brake fluid are of two types: petroleum and non-petroleum. Petroleum-based automotive brake fluids are rarely used in the automotive industry.The DOT (department of transportation) classifies automotive brake fluids by their chemical composition and boiling point. Therefore, the global automotive brake fluid market can be segment by type as: DOT 3 (glycol ether based), DOT 4 (glycol ether based/borate ester), DOT 5 (silicone based), DOT 5.1 (borate ester/glycol ether). DOT 5.1, DOT 4, DOT 3 are based on poly glycol compounds and DOT 5 is based on silicone. Gylcol fluids are used in 99% of the motor vehicles in various grades. Additionally, most cars run on DOT 3 which has lower water content since fluid causes corrosion in the brake system. Brake pistons, cylinders and lines undergo wear and tear as a result of braking over a period of time. The cost of replacing any component is significant and replacing brake fluid can help save a major portion of that cost. Automotive brake fluid varies from vehicle to vehicle, depending on various factors such as model, vehicle production year and type of brake system.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2856 Automotive Brake Fluid: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global automotive brake fluid market identified across the value chain include:Beijing Haidian Huiyuan Synthetic AgentsBoschCoptonCnpcCastrol(Bp)PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 07:07:19

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Major factor driving the growth of automatic gate and door opening system market is the increasing need for automation in the residential and industrial sectors. Majorly, these systems are implemented where the frequency of closing and opening of a door is higher. A door that is automatically operated using various sensors, such as infrared sensors, photoelectric sensors, and others is called as automatic door. The automatic door has an application at various places such as residential and commercial spaces, hospitals, and others. The factors such as energy saving, ease of operation, maintaining security, fast and accurate, cable free, and others fuel the demand.On the basis of access control system, the global Automatic Gate Opening System market is segmented into keypad system, voice recognition, iris scan system, remote control, face identification and telephone access, among others. On the basis of source of power, the global Automatic Gate Opening System market is segmented into primary and secondary sources. On the basis of end user, global Automatic Gate Opening System market is segmented into residential, industries, military, retailers and transportation hubs, among others.Automatic gate and door opening system is basically implemented to reduce human effort. These systems comprises of proximity sensors which can sense the nearby objects and open the gate or door so that no human is required to do that job.The global automatic gate and door opening system market is expected to grow at approx. USD 18 Billion by 2025, at 7% of CAGR between 2017 and 2025Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124808/Automatic-Gate-Opening-System-Market Growing industrialization in emerging countries, such as China, Brazil and South Africa, is expected to fuel demand for automatic gates globally for safety and security related concerns during the forecast period. Government support coupled with increasing outsourcing of manufacturing endeavours from developed nations has propelled industrialization in these emerging economies.The market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and geography. On the basis of type, it is divided into the sliding door, swing door, revolving door, folding door, and others (access gates). Based on application, it is bifurcated into institutional and commercial and residential. By geography, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Request For Report TOC: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/TOC/120124808/Automatic-Gate-Opening-System-Market Major companies that are playing vital role in this market are The Chamberlain Group Inc., Nice S.p.A., CAME BPT UK, TiSO Company, Macs Automated Bollard Systems Ltd, PILOMAT s.r.l., Gandhi Automations Pvt Ltd, RIB srl, FAAC Group, CASIT s.n.c. di C.C.Ramella & C, Ditec Entrematic and Zhejiang Xianfeng Machinery Co., Ltd., among othersReport Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124808/Automatic-Gate-Opening-System-MarketArtificial Intelligence In Health-Care Market Report aims to define, describe, and forecast on the basis of Market size, share, types, overview, top key vendors. This research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geography, technology and application.

Artificial Intelligence In Health-Care Market

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The report completely examines the most essential restraints of the Global Artificial Intelligence In Health-Care Market with the assistance of a thoroughgoing and specific examination. Characterized in a ground-up way, the report exhibits an inside and out layout of the market dependent on the elements that are predictable to affect the market's formative situations over the estimate time frame.The Artificial Intelligence In Health-Care Market is expected to grow from USD 2.1 billion in 2018 to USD 36.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of +50% during the forecast period.AI (artificial intelligence) in the medical field is the use of algorithms and software to approximate human cognitive abilities in complex medical data analysis. Artificial intelligence, in particular, is the ability of computer algorithms to approximate conclusions without direct human input. The distinction between artificial intelligence and traditional techniques of medical technology is the ability to obtain and process information and to provide a well defined output to the end user. AI does this through a machine learning algorithm that recognizes patterns of motion and generates its own logic.Ask For Sample Copy: https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=77567 Top Key Vendors: NVIDIA (US), Intel (US), IBM (US), Google (US), Microsoft (US), AWS (US), General Vision (US), GE Healthcare (US), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), Medtronic (US). The market has active participation of start-ups. A few emerging start-ups in the market are CloudMedx (US), Imagia Cybernetics (Canada), Precision Health AI (US), and Cloud Pharmaceuticals (US).North America, with its largest stake, is a leading regional entity from a geographical point of view. The North American market occupies the largest share in the world market. Europe, which is run by the UK, France, Germany, Italy and other major countries, follows North America in terms of market share in global Artificial Intelligence In Health-Care Market.Early buyers will receive up to 40% Discount on this report:The Artificial Intelligence In Health-Care Market report combines direct information, qualitative and quantitative assessments of industry analysts, industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides a full analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governance factors along with market attractiveness per segment. The report also maps the qualitative impacts of various market factors on market sectors and regions.Report Highlights:- A detailed overview of the parent market- market dynamics in the industry- In-depth market segmentation- Historical, current, and planned market sizes in terms of quantity and value- Recent industry trends and developments- Competitive landscape- Strategic proposal of major players and products-Potential growth and niche markets, geographical areas- Neutral perspective on market performance-Market players must have the information to maintain and strengthen market share.Enquiry before buying this report:About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Some of the players identified in global angiographic catheters market include AngioDynamics, Inc., Terumo Europe NV, Medtronic, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., OSCOR Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cardinal Health, InSitu Technologies Inc., BVM Medical Limited, Precision Extrusion Inc.

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Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.comSEO Manager3479183531

Angiographic catheter is used in the angiographic procedures. The angiographic catheters provides therapeutic agents and radiopaque media to the selected sites in vascular system. In addition, the angiographic catheter is also used to lead a guide wire to the targeted site. Angiographic catheters is used for the treatment of cardiac diseases. The thin wall structure of the catheter allows the flow rate up to 23 ml/sec (saline). Angiographic catheters are basically made from the polyamide, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polytetrafluoroethylene. The silicone coated urinary catheters are being served as the reference standards. Angiographic catheters are available in different shapes. An angiographic catheters have only one end hole. The use of an angiographic catheter helps to combine the diagnosis and treatment in a single procedure. Angiographic catheters produces a very clear, detailed and accurate pictures of the blood vessels. The angiographic catheters also eliminates the need of any surgery. Angiographic catheters are medical devices which are is specifically used for the diagnosis of a heart defect or of the central circulatory system.Angiographic Catheters Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe increasing incidence of cardiac vascular diseases (CVDs) and rise in demand of accurate diagnosis and procedural equipments in global healthcare sector is increasing the demand for angiographic catheters and will lead to the growth of the global angiographic catheters market. In addition, increase in ageing population and lifestyle changes leading to hypertension, obesity, and other risk factors that lead to vascular disorders, is expected to propel the growth of the angiographic catheters market. However, high cost of angiographic procedures and other components may hamper the growth of the global angiographic catheters market. Furthermore, the availability of alternative therapies, and complications associated with angiographic catheters can restrain the growth of the global angiographic catheters market.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6053 Angiographic Catheters Market: SegmentationTentatively, global angiographic catheters market has been segmented on the basis of product type, end user, and geography.Based on product type, global angiographic catheters market is segmented as below:Scoring balloon cathetersCutting balloon cathetersBased on end user, global angiographic catheters market is segmented as below:HospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersSpecialty clinicsOthersAngiographic Catheters Market: OverviewThe global market for angiographic catheters is expected to witness moderate growth over the forecast period due to increasing adoption of angiographic procedures. Angiographic catheter is a surgically invasive device which is intended for the transient use. The device is specifically used for the diagnosis of a heart defect or of the central circulatory system. External factors such as increasing use of e-commerce and logistics services in developing and under developing economies are also increasing the market growth of angiographic catheters. Based on the product type, the global angiographic catheters market is segmented into scoring balloon catheters and cutting balloon catheters. Based on end user, the market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, specialty clinics and others. Hospital segment holds the maximum market share for the angiographic catheters market.Angiographic Catheters Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, global Angiographic Catheters Market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to dominate global angiographic catheters market over the forecast period due to the increasing incidences of cardio vascular diseases in this region. Western Europe is expected to be the second largest market for angiographic catheters due to the increasing government support for people undergoing coronary angioplasty through reimbursement and thus increasing the adoption of angioplasty catheters in the region. Asia Pacific market is expected to experience delayed growth due to unawareness towards use of angiographic catheters and low disposable income.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6053 Angiographic Catheters Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in global angiographic catheters market include AngioDynamics, Inc., Terumo Europe NV, Medtronic, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., OSCOR Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cardinal Health, InSitu Technologies Inc., BVM Medical Limited, Precision Extrusion Inc., Cardiva, C. R. Bard, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation and others. During the recent years, manufacturers have improved the surface properties of angiographic catheters.Allergic Rhinitis Market

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Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.comAssociate Consultant800-961-0353

Technological advancements in the medical world and rising prevalence of foodborne diseases will primarily build the market for allergic rhinitis treatment globally. Secondarily, strategic partnerships and synergies between big brands, soaring usage of second-generation multiplex immunoassay, and augmenting R&D activities in life sciences and molecular diagnostics will support the market surge within the next few years. Over 2016-2020, the global AR treatment market will reach US$ 14 Bn, which will further take a leap to US$ 16.038 Bn by the end of 2024. Over 2016-2024, the market is likely to see impressive growth at a healthy CAGR of 7.5%. Market Research Expert, Life Sciences & Transformational Health, Persistence Market Research.According to Persistence Market Researchs recent report titled Global Allergic Rhinitis Treatment Market: Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024, key market competitors have embraced different strategic moves in order to strengthen their positions in the global allergic rhinitis treatment marketplace. These activities, according to Persistence Market Research, will boost the overall status of the market in near future.Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson are concentrating on new product development, such as nasal sprays.Boehringer Ingelheim will continue to contribute a major share to the market through an increased focus on R&D and a strong distribution network.Sanofi S.A. is also focusing more on increasing R&D investments directed to expanded sales.In addition to growing R&D efforts, AstraZeneca is also emphasizing on innovation of technologically advanced products and acquisition of selective regional players.GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Alcon (Novartis AG) are prioritising cost-effective product development for long-term profits; Alcon specifically aims to tap into emerging markets.Acquisition of players from the same segment and different region will be a key strategy of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., which targets production capacity expansion.Request Sample Report@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12154 By disease type, perennial AR segment will remain dominant with around 47% market value share in 2024, gaining around 123 BPS throughout the forecast period. On the other hand, despite losing over 30 BPS over 2016-2024, occupational AR will continue to be the second largest segment with over 35% revenue share at the end of the assessment period. While the revenues of the former are expected to surpass US$ 7.0 Bn, the latter will possibly exceed a value of US$ 5.0 Bn by the end of 2024.By treatment type, immunotherapy treatment segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment over the forecast owing to introduction of new immunotherapy based products, followed by antihistamines segment. However, antihistamines will continue to be the leading treatment type segment with over 50% share in 2024, followed by corticosteroids with over 31% share.Based on route of administration, oral route of administration segment will cover nearly half of the market in terms of value, whereas nasal route of administration segment is anticipated to capture around 38% share of the total market value in 2024. Intravenous segment is foreseen to witness a higher CAGR compared to others, which can uplift the sales revenues of this segment to cross US$ 1.25 Bn in 2024.On the basis of distribution channel, retail pharmacies will account for higher revenues than hospital pharmacies throughout the assessed period. Retail pharmacy revenues are likely to surpass US$ 7.0 Bn, growing at the fastest CAGR of 3.9% over 2016-2024. Whereas, hospital pharmacies will reach over US$ 5.0 Bn, accounting for around 31% share of the market value in 2024.Request TOC@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/12154 As per the geographical assessment of the global allergic rhinitis treatment market, North America will continue to capture the maximum revenue share over the 10-year tenure. With over 63% value share by 2024-end, this region is likely to surpass US$ 10.0 Bn in terms of revenues. European market will possibly attract the revenues worth US$ 3.68 Bn by 2024 end, contributing over 22% share of the market size. The third key region i.e. APAC is estimated to reach over US$ 1.27 Bn in 2024.PR-Inside.com: 2019-01-17 07:00:27

Today, owing to strong outlook of aerospace industry, the aircraft glareshield lighting market is expected to take traction over the forecast period. The goal of aircraft glareshield lighting in an aircraft is to make the instruments and controls easy to read, while preserving the pilots night vision. Aircraft glareshield lighting are available in different types including incandescent lights, halogens and light-emitting diodes. Among these, light-emitting diodes is estimated to hold significant share in aircraft glareshield lighting market.Accumulative count of commercial aircraft, defense/military aircraft, etc. is predicted to upsurge the demand of aircraft glareshield lighting in the near future.Request For Report Sample @ www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7678 Aircraft Glareshield Lighting Market: Market DynamicsDrivers:Substantial number of aircraft deliveries is anticipated to be a prime factor driving the growth of aircraft glareshield lighting market over the forecast period. Moreover, the replacement of aging aircraft in North America is expected to boost the demand of aircraft glareshield lighting market in the coming decade. That apart, every growing aerospace industry both in developed and developing economies is anticipated to provide traction to the growth of the aircraft glareshield lighting market over the forecast period. Furthermore, there has been a substantial progress in air traffic in last few years at global level and there is a sign that the traffic will continue to expand in the forecast years, which will ultimately fuel the growth of aircraft glareshield lighting market.Restraints:New generation of more reliable aircrafts with low maintenance may affect aircraft refurbishment. This is predicted to be a major factor restraining the growth of the aircraft glareshield lighting aftermarket over the forecast period.Trends:A major trend anticipated five years down the line includes strategic collaboration of aircraft glareshield lighting manufacturers with component suppliers based in Asia Pacific to enhance production capacity to meet rapidly increasing demand. Moreover, aircraft glareshield lighting manufacturer are investing in research and development activities to develop new technologies compliant with latest safety and performance guidelines.Aircraft Glareshield Lighting Market: SegmentationThe global aircraft glareshield lighting market can be segmented on the basis of type, sales channel and aircraft typeOn the basis of type, the global aircraft glareshield lighting market can be segmented as:Incandescent LightsHalogenLight-Emitting Diodes (LED)On the basis of sales channel, the global aircraft glareshield lighting market can be segmented as:OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)AftermarketOn the basis of aircraft type, the global aircraft glareshield lighting market can be segmented as:Narrow Body AircraftWide Body AircraftVery Large AircraftRegional AircraftAircraft Glareshield Lighting Market: Regional OutlookThe regional demand dynamics can be directly correlated with the demand from aerospace industry. Over the forecast period, North America is anticipated to be closely followed by Europe. Both of these markets are predicted to witness massive growth in the aircraft glareshield lighting market as aerospace industry is one the most matured industries in developed countries, such as Germany, United States etc. Moreover, emerging economies in Asia Pacific, such as India and China are expected to grow at a considerable CAGR during the forecast period in global aircraft glareshield lighting market owing to rise in investment in aerospace sector. Latin America is projected to grow at a substantial CAGR during the forecast period owing to growing air passenger traffic in the region. MEA and Japan are expected to support the growth of the aircraft glareshield lighting market over the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-7678 Aircraft Glareshield Lighting Market: Market ParticipantsExample of some of the key participants identified across the value chain of global aircraft glareshield lighting market include:Honeywell International Inc.Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co.BAE SystemsSpectralux AvionicsStaco SystemsApplied Avionics, Inc.Astronics CorporationMichael Auslin of the Hoover Institution commends President Trump for his pivot to Asia. He says its shaping up to be more substantive and potentially transformative than the one the Obama Administration regularly touted.

Thats a low bar. However, there is, indeed, much to like about Trumps pivot. As Auslin says:

Trump. . .has begun by blowing up past practice, specifically in no longer pretending China is a fair trading partner, in finally responding to cyber espionage, and in at least attempting to put more military pressure on Beijing by increasing naval freedom of navigation operations and aerial overflights near new Chinese military bases in the South China Sea. All in all, Trumps approach is the first since the normalization of relations in 1979 to rattle the Chinese and put them on the back foot.

Auslin sees potential problems, though:

There are also risks to Trumps approach, including his belief that he can make a deal with Kim Jong-un, possibly at the cost of keeping U.S. troops in South Korea, and also in rushing into an agreement with Beijing to end the trade war that doesnt seriously address Chinas unfair trade practices. Failure to make real progress on either North Koreas nuclear program or Chinas increasingly aggressive behavior would seriously, perhaps fatally undermine the U.S. position in Asia.

These concerns are mostly hypothetical. However, Auslin identifies one concrete decision by Trump that has already caused problems  Trumps trade policy:

Withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a mistake, especially as it allowed Chinese president Xi Jinping to position Beijing as the champion of free trade and made his Belt and Road Initiative seem more attractive to countries looking for aid and trade. Moreover, a revised TPP went into effect at the end of last year, with Japan at the head of a smaller group of trading nations, but one that potentially can grow. Trumps pivot to Asia wont work if America is not seen as a willing trade partner.

Auslin acknowledges that Trump has talked about pursuing bilateral trade deals. But so far, the president has little to show for this talk.

I agree with Auslin that the trade leg of Trumps pivot will prove as important as the security and political legs. Trump needs to step up his game if he wants to make his pivot to Asia a success.The Gillette anti-men ad that I wrote about here continues to spark controversy. Most in the advertising industry seem to think it was marvelous. This raises interesting questions: Why, exactly, do companies wade into the culture wars? Especially when they join a side that is either a minority or, at best, a bare majority? How does this make sense? Glenn Reynolds notes:

Adweek pronounced Gehrigs group libel the Ad of the Week. Gehrigs efforts were also recognized by Best Ads on TV.

Glenns comment is spot on, and explains much of what we see from our debilitated institutions:

[T]his is another example of how the people running American institutions now tend to perform for an audience of their peers rather than focus on doing their jobs.

Doing their jobs, and serving their alleged constituencies. Like men who need to shave.

Meanwhile, who is the Gehrig referred to in that quote? Not surprisingly, it is radical feminist Kim Gehrig:

The guy at the ad agency is actually philosophically unpleasant feminist Kim Gehrig. Hiring her to court the male market is like expecting to accrue impressive rainbow flag sale numbers with spiels from Farrakhan.

***

Shed previously made the bizarre Viva La Vulva spot for Swedish feminine hygiene company Libresse.

What better qualification to sell razors to American men?

Gehrigs new Gillette effort states her bias boldly by intercutting allusions to abusive acts with images of romantic heterosexuality. A black-and-white cartoon scene that flashes past shows men whistling at a woman. In another scant bit, a guy sees a pretty female pedestrian. He steps after her but is restrained by a companion. Not cool, the restrainer admonishes.

And so on. Here is the good news:

At this writing, Gillettes YouTube posting of We Believe has received 40,000 thumbs down votes and only 4,300 positive ratings.

That still leaves the question, why did they do it? Glenns observation about the tendency of leaders of institutions (like CEOs) to play to their peer group rather than their customers is a big part of the answer. Beyond that, in this case, desperation may be a factor:

The uproar comes as Gillette battles upstarts like Harrys, Dollar Shave Club and others for millennial dollars. Gillette controlled about 70 percent of the U.S. market a decade ago. Last year, its market share dropped to below 50 percent, according to Euromonitor. Allen Adamson, co-founder of branding firm Metaforce, called the ad a hail Mary pass from the 117-year-old company.

Somehow I doubt that millennial shavers will be moved to buy overpriced razor blades by ignorant, stereotyped carping. That is what Schick thinks, too:

Schicks ad refers to Gillettes 14-year sponsorship of the Friday Night Fights, which I wrote about here. It is sad that Gillette has abandoned its long history of serving American men, but that is where free enterprise comes in: there is always someone ready to step into the market niche of a company that falters. In this case, Harrys, Dollar Shave Club and Schick.Four Americans were killed in Manbij, Syria today  two soldiers, a Defense Department civilian, and a military contractor. The deaths were the result of a suicide bombing for which ISIS claimed responsibility. An undetermined number of Syrians, including some Kurdish fighters, also died.

The Washington Post suggests that the deaths cast doubt on the wisdom of President Trumps decision to withdraw American forces from Syria. Why? Because the bombing shows that ISIS is likely to remain a force to be reckoned with in Syria for the foreseeable future.

I think withdrawing from Syria is a mistake. But todays bombing adds no force to the argument against withdrawal, in my view.

Terrorists can always blow stuff up. That ability doesnt make them a force to be reckoned with by U.S. troops.

ISIS supporters have successfully committed terrorism in the U.S. They committed terrorism today in Syria despite the presence of U.S. forces. Terrorists blow stuff up regularly in Afghanistan despite 17 years of U.S. military presence there.

The purposes of having U.S. forces in Syria include preventing ISIS from reestablishing domination over territory; protecting our Kurdish allies, who fought alongside our forces against ISIS, from being massacred by Turkish forces; and blocking Iranian ambitions. They do not include guaranteeing that ISIS never succeeds in a suicide bombing.

What I found noteworthy in the Posts article is this tidbit: The four deaths doubled the total number of U.S. personnel killed by hostile fire in Syria since the deployment there began just over three years ago. In other words, our military engagement in Syria has led to only eight American deaths in three years, and four of them occurred after Trump announced we are leaving.

The engagement is costing money, of course, but the case for withdrawal cannot plausibly rest on loss of American lives.Pictured from left to right: State Sen. Tom Killion, state Sen. Andy Dinniman, and state Sen. Lisa Boscola stand behind Victoria, a German Shepherd puppy mill survivor, during a press conference in the main rotunda of the state Capitol in Harrisburg. Victoria's Law, introduced by Killion and Dinniman, aims to end puppy mills by prohibitting the sale of commercially raised dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores across Pennsylvania.@montcocourtnews on Twitter

Carl Hessler Jr. is a multi-media reporter who writes about crime and justice from the Montgomery County Courthouse for 21st Century Media Newspapers Greater Philadelphia area publications. Follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNewsNote: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@postregister.com for help creating one.Insights

Imagine the young mother feeding her infant and then settling the child in for a nap, as the mom sighs in relief at what she believes is a mom Read moreJoint Region Marianas issued a statement Thursday saying there are no plans to expand the existing Finegayan firing range, nor are there any plans to use higher caliber weapons at that range.

The release from the military was issued in response to the controversy that erupted Tuesday over plans to declare a "danger zone" in the ocean off the coast from the firing range.

Four Guam senators issued statements raising questions about, and objections to, the proposed danger zone declaration. They were among a number of island residents who filed comments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the danger zone application. The corps is responsible for setting the regulations governing any declaration of a surface danger zone, or SDZ.

The proposed wedge-shaped SDZ would stretch 2.36 miles out from the shoreline below the existing firing range. It would cover an area equivalent to about 892 acres. Fishing and other recreational activity in the zone would be restricted when the firing range was in use.

Among the questions raised by those who filed comments was how frequently the firing range would be in use. Other questions raised: Why does a firing range that has been in use for decades now need a danger zone declaration? Was higher caliber weapon use planned?

The senators asked for a public hearing or an extension of the comment period, which closed on Tuesday.

Joint Region Community Relations Coordinator Tanya Mendiola told The Guam Daily Post that the "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will determine if there will be a public hearing based on the comments received."

Mendiola issued a release Thursday on behalf of Joint Region Marianas, which states, "There is no proposed expansion of the existing range, nor are there any operational changes or proposals to use higher caliber firearms at the range."

The release points out that the Finegayan range "has been safely and effectively used by the military, local and federal agencies since the mid-1970s" and "the arms permitted at the range are all small caliber ... hand pistols, rifles and shotguns."

The statement describes the process as an administrative action that "formalizes existing operation of the existing range."

"The Navy remains committed to protecting and preserving the rich environmental and cultural resources in Guam and wants to ensure the safety of the public during mission-critical training" and the SDZ will serve as "an additional layer of safety."

In addition, the military said the "SDZ was fully evaluated in the 2015 Mariana Islands Training and Testing Environmental Impact Statement and Overseas Environmental Impact Statement."

'Act of defiance' against environment, community

"The Navy has not answered my question as to the frequency of use of the range," said Sen. Clynt Ridgell or explained "whether or not mariners fishermen etc. will have less access to these waters as a result of this request."

The senator also points out that there already is an existing danger zone for the Finegayan firing range that is "significantly smaller" than the new one being proposed. Now the Navy is asking for an expansion "without an explanation as to the need for the expansion" he says.

Sen. Sabina Perez also issued a statement calling the Joint Region Marianas statement "an act of defiance towards complying with federal environmental statutes and the community's call for public participation and hearing."

"Joint Region Marianas confuses allowable use with intended use," Sen. Perez states. "JRM must go through the proper regulatory channels."

Edwin Reyes makes the same argument. He is the administrator of the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans Coastal Management Program.

Reyes questions JRM's claim that the Mariana Islands Training and Testing EIS is sufficient to justify the declaration of a SDZ.

Reyes submitted comments on the SDZ to the Army corps on behalf of the Leon Guerrero administration.

He wrote that the Mariana Islands Testing and Training EIS does not "constitute a Consistency Determination under the provisions" of the Coastal Zone Management Act.

The act requires that "all federal actions that may have reasonably foreseeable effects on the uses or resources of a state's coastal zone be consistent with the enforceable policies of the state's coastal management program," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Under the act, an applicant intending to make use of coastal resources must file a "consistency determination" showing compliance with local coastal management regulations.

Reyes points out that "to the best of our knowledge (the Navy) did not obtain a 'consistency determination.'"

"While I fully understand that this potential obstruction ... will not be caused by a physical alteration of the area," Reyes wrote, "the nature of this project may result in impacts that would obstruct navigable waters" and it "should be subject to review."The Fab Four have now been around longer than the Beatles were. They just might prove that the music of the Beatles will indeed live forever.

The Fab Four, called "the best Beatles show in the world" by the Los Angeles Times, formed 20 years ago in southern California, with the intention of playing note-perfect renditions of Beatles songs.

Over the years, the Fab Four, who will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Mayo Civic Centers Presentation Hall, have featured concert sets from all eras of the Beatles career, and have even done a "concert that never happened" with a symphony orchestra. Theyve also recorded "Hark," an album of Christmas songs done in the style of the Beatles.

And the ironic thing about all of this is that the founders of the Fab Four, Ron McNeil and Ardy Sarroff, are two mixed-up characters. When they first met and discussed their favorites Beatles, McNeil was a fan of Paul McCartney, while Sarroff preferred John Lennon.

Once they started playing the music, though, it became obvious that McNeil was better at portraying the witty and acerbic Lennon, while Sarroff had mastered the perky McCartney. Sarroff also taught himself to play bass guitar left-handed, to enhance the accuracy of his McCartney tribute.

They are currently joined by Gavin Pring as George Harrison, and Joe Bologna as Ringo Starr. Pring, incidentally, is a native of the Beatles hometown of Liverpool. Sarroff and McNeil met him a few years ago when the Fab Four played at the International Beatleweek Festival in Liverpool.

The Fab Four opens each show with an introduction from "Ed Sullivan," recreating the night in February 1964 when the Beatles made their U.S. television debut on Sullivans Sunday night variety show. That appearance kicked off Beatlemania. Songs featured in this early set include "All My Loving," "She Loves You," "A Hard Days Night," and "Please Please Me."

Next up is a "Sgt. Pepper" set, with selections from the mid-period, psychedelic era of the Beatles, including "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane," and "A Day in the Life."

Finally, the closing set picks up with the White Album and subsequent material: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Hey Jude," and solo material. Each show includes Lennons "Imagine."

Members of the Fab Four stay in character throughout, and while there may not be an exact physical resemblance to their heroes, the characteristic head-bobbing by Starr, the confrontational stance of Lennon, the shuffle of Harrison and the breathless talk by McCartney are close enough to  when mixed with some of the greatest music ever recorded  make you believe youre seeing the real thing."Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

The above words are among the many unforgettable maxims uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Words and ideas like these still ring in our ears long after this great man tragically left us. On Dr. Kings holiday this year, Rochesters Love Music Hate Racism group is presenting "Words to Live, and Die By" to help ensure that we dont become silent about those things that matter.

Brian Faloon is the founder for Rochesters Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) organization. "Words to Live, and Die By" will be the first of a continuing series of historical readings focused on "raising issues of social, racial and economic justice," he said. The first event will take place on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Canvas and Chardonnay. The overall goal of LMHR is "to build an inclusive, anti-racist community using the power of music to bring people together."

"Music is such a powerful force in everyones lives, no matter the genre, and the sense of community that it brings is second to none," Faloon says. "Look at the effect music has on us individuallyin the car, in the showerbut collectively too, when we go to gigs or concerts, so the idea is to create a sense of community in the first instance around music that resonates with people in a way that we can deliver the anti-racism message."

For the upcoming event, Faloon was inspired by Howard Zinns "Voices of a Peoples History of the USA" and his "Letters Live." Both were designed to give voice to dissenters. The concept is to create a staged reading of words written by historical people who may have been marginalized or forgotten. The first evening of staged readings will connect with Martin Luther King Jr. day by centering on "themes of civil rights, social and economic justice, [and] racism."

Faloon launched the Rochester LMHR organization in 2017, modeling it after another group that he coordinated in Belfast, Northern Ireland, his country of origin. "Coming from a very divided society in Northern Ireland, where we went through the better part of 30 years of violence related to questions of identity, religion, bigotry, injustice and sectarianism," says Faloon, "you had to make a stand not to get dragged into that mire."

Since 2017, LMHR has sponsored several events to further their mission of bringing diverse people together. LMHR has partnered with other organizations like The Jive Mill to present concerts and discussions focusing on racism in Minnesota. The group has also collaborated with the Rochester Public Library and the Greater Rochester Area Dakota Supporters to show movies themed on racial issues such as "Rabbit-Proof Fence" and "Songs My Brothers Taught Me."

"There has been an overarching history of racism, or white supremacy, that is still, very much, at the forefront of politics and social issues today," says Faloon. "The intention is to continue to raise these issues and make the connection back to the past, so that maybe we can see that these key issues remain unresolved."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." Now it seems like Love Music Hate Racism is doing its part to use the language of love to turn enemies into friends.

What Words to Live, and Die By (a staged reading of historically marginalized writers) When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day  6:30-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21 Where Canvas and Chardonnay, 317 S. Broadway, Rochester Find the event on Facebook for more information.Cameos menu is an eclectic portrait of food around the world. However, the new restaurant certainly uses its own brush strokes to try and make that food its own.

The first info gleaned from the Cameo website before I visited was that the restaurant owners want to make food inspired by a variety of cultures, as a nod to Rochesters diversity.

Thats admirable. A quick glance at the menu showed a wide range of fare. Curry  difficult to do well. Ramen  another challenging dish (its difficult to match Kyoto ramen). Tacos, schnitzel, Korean BBQ (a Korean-American friend of mine has only enjoyed one Korean place in Minnesota, so another challenge), and Thai crab.

But how well could they execute all of these different cuisines?

Unfortunately for me, I couldnt shove all of this food into my stomach to say whether or not they nailed it. So I acquiesced to human biology and only ordered three dishes: Ishiyaki-style Wagyu beef, the Smash Burger, and the smoked Gouda Potato au Gratin. A starter, main dish, and side.

Oh, and a Toppling Goliath Pompeii IPA that was fresh and clearly poured from a properly maintained draft line.

The Wagyu comes out in seven bite-sized cuts with caramelized onion paint and a yuzu vinaigrette. The legendary beef also comes with a round cooking stone. You get to use as much paint as you wish before putting your pieces on the stone to cook. I havent cooked like this on a night out since my days in Japan.

As always, the Japanese beef was a joy to eat. Its a fattier beef, so you get a really nice, creamy mouthfeel. I didnt need the dipping sauce, but did use it sparingly with my fries and even once with the burger. The Japanese citrus fruit flavor cut strongly and pleasantly through the vinaigrette.

Moving on to the Smash Burger, I found myself reminiscing about the first version of the Surly Burger the brewery made in its beer hall. Thanks to the Thousand Island-esque dressing, I felt a little bit as though I was eating a Big Mac  if it were made with high-quality ingredients. Overall, it was a tasty, no-frills burger. Sometimes simplicity reigns.

The fries stole the burgers show with what I believe to be a Parmesan topping mixed in with some sort of spice. I couldnt stop devouring them, but eventually had to for the smoked Gouda side.

The potatoes were creamy, and crunchy, giving them depth. And oh, so cheesy. The smoked Gouda had just enough pronounced flavor to let me know that is just wasnt any ol Gouda.

I enjoyed Cameo quite a bit and am already planning my second visit. It would be great to see more beer on tap, but the restaurant does have a local source in Little Thistle, which is always a bonus.

From what I know, a castle keep basement was sometimes used as a prison (or dungeon, if you prefer). And while Cameo is indeed within the basement of a castle, it is fit for a king and queen  or just about anyone.The Tim Walz governorship got off to a promising start in both word and deed following his inauguration on Jan. 7 as Minnesotas 41st governor.

The governors words reassured rural Minnesotans that their concerns would not be ignored. He stated that rural residents shouldnt receive less effective health care based on where they live; that rural schools should expect fair funding treatment; and rural infrastructure will not be ignored.

There has been a consensus in the immediate past administration and previous ones that the Twin Cities garnered the most attention from both governors and lawmakers.

Walz stressed the need strengthening public school education and health care during his successful campaign. Its hoped that the focus continues as his administration matures. The governor wants the Minnesota model to become a national leader in education and in other areas  not the least of which is environmental efforts.

Minnesota is already a national leader with regards to water quality through the buffer program and its proactive approach to encouraging top-soil and water preservation efforts.

The new governors call for a shared sense of unity also is appreciated. Minnesota stands to benefit because the House and Senate is divided between both major parties. The opportunity for checks and balances is promising. The question remains: Can both parties set aside philosophical differences to work for the common good?

The governors selection of Thom Petersen to lead the agriculture department also is encouraging. As a veteran legislative director of the state Farmers Union, Petersen brings a wealth of experience and a strong work relationship with lawmakers.

Petersen takes over from Dave Frederickson, who held the post since 2011. Frederickson and his staff did a great job representing agricultures interests.

Farmers needed good news given the current tumult. The partial federal government shutdown closed local Farm Service and USDA offices at a time when many farmers were attempting to certify soybean acres so they could qualify for federal payments to offset market losses due to the China-U.S. tariff fight. FSA offices are important sources of advice and assistance as the 2019 growing season approaches.

Mark Dayton and the Legislature have handled the states budget responsibly and produced a multi-million-dollar surplus. The legislative debate, which is expected to be lengthy, will likely revolve around what to do with the surplus. Some lawmakers favor income tax reduction while others want the surplus spent on increased program spending.

Its a vital discussion and Minnesota is lucky to be in it. Many other states struggle with budget deficits and school funding shortages.

Lawmakers ought to take the opportunity to look hard at property taxes to determine if there is a more equitable way to fund public education.

The Walz administration has gotten off on the right foot. Minnesota will benefit from additional focus on rural school funding equality, health care availability and basic infrastructure needs. We all will benefit greatly if both Republicans and DFLers work together for the needs of all citizens.ST. PAUL  He wasnt aware of it until recently, but Thom Petersen spent the last 16 years of his life preparing to be Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

A few days before he was sworn into office, Gov. Tim Walz named Petersen to the post during a news conference at a dairy farm near Hastings. Six other department heads also were named.

Petersen, 52, served as a lobbyist for the Minnesota Farmers Union for 16 years. Hes also served on various boards and committees advocating for Minnesota farmers.

Now he leads the 450 employees in the agency with the mission to enhance Minnesotans quality of life by ensuring the integrity of the states food supply, health of environment and strength of agricultural economy. That means hell be doing a lot of what hes been doing for the last decade and a half with the Farmers Union, where he represented operations ranging from 1,000-acre farms in remote regions of the state to 5-acre CSA farms outside the Twin Cities.

"Coming from a general farm organization prepares you well to work on agriculture issues across the state," said Petersen. "I know farmers in all 87 counties."

Petersen received a degree from Normandale Community College and studied at both the University of Minnesota and University of Georgia. He and his wife, Alana, have two sons, and are longtime residents of Royalton Township near Pine City in central Minnesota, where they live on a horse farm.

Petersen said his background in everyday farming helps him relate to the farmers he works with regularly, especially the ones who are struggling right now.

With farm bankruptcies on the rise and commodity prices low, he comes into the position during a challenging time for the states farmers.

In the administrations first budget thats due mid-February, Petersen said there will be steps to strengthen the farm economy. Those steps will include boosts to programs that aid farmers as well as measures to create more trade opportunities.

He said the agency recognizes that farmers are under serious stress right now, so another priority will be making sure that farmers know about the farm advocate program, the farm/rural help line and other resources for dealing with mental health issues.

Implementing the 2018 Farm Bill within the state also will be a focus for the agency and administration, said Petersen. He said traditionally, Minnesota does a good job of channeling farm bill funds into the state.

Symbolism in the barn

Petersen said the decision by Walz to announce seven of his commissioners at a dairy farm was symbolic in a few different ways. The first of which being that the administration would advocate for rural Minnesota and farmers as much as it would for the Twin Cities and corporations. Walz represented Minnesotas 1st District, a largely rural and agricultural part of southern Minnesota, for more than 10 years in Congress.

"Hes a governor from outstate Minnesota, and a 12-year member of the (House) agriculture committee," said Petersen.

The dairy-barn news conference also put attention on the states dairy industry.

"Dairy is a top issue in the state, and we know our dairy farmers have been having a tough couple of years," said Petersen. "We wanted to highlight that were going to work hard to help the people that want to farm dairy in Minnesota."

The third message that Petersen said could be taken from the announcement at the farm was the other commissioners that were presented that day, which included for the PCA and the DNR. He said its important for those agencies especially to collaborate if they want to solve the biggest agricultural issues facing the state today.

Direct communication

To prepare for his new role, Petersen spoke with the last three ag commissioners  Dave Frederickson, Jim Nichols and Gene Hugoson  who all told him that being commissioner was an honor and enjoyable because Minnesota farmers are honorable.

"They told me to be a firm advocate for what you believe in," said Petersen.

They also told him the agency employed some of the best workers in the state, he said.

But Petersens role as commissioner will undoubtedly be different than his predecessors. When Nichols started in 1983, the state had 26,000 dairy farms. Today it has 2,700.

The morning after he was swore in, Petersen said he got a call from a farmer at 6:45 a.m. who wanted to talk through some things that were going on at his farm. He welcomes that kind of communication, and said he and the agency are always available to hear from farmers directly.

"Its in my heart and in the mission of our agency," said Petersen. "My goal every day is to improve farmers lives."DES MOINES, Iowa  A federal judge has struck down an Iowa law that made it illegal to get a job at a livestock farm to conduct an animal cruelty undercover investigation, finding the law violated the constitutional right to free speech.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge James Gritzner sided with opponents of the 2012 law that was intended to stop organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals from doing animal abuse investigations at farms and puppy mills.

Iowa lawmakers approved the measure, which threatened up to a year in jail to those who conducted an undercover operation, after several high-profile cases in which animal welfare advocates recorded questionable animal treatment and then publicized the images through the media.

Rita Bettis Austen, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, called the ruling "an important victory for free speech" and argued the so-called ag-gag law was an example of government using its power to protect those with power. The ACLU joined with animal welfare, food safety and open government advocates in the lawsuit, filed in 2017.

"Ag gag clearly is a violation of Iowans First Amendment rights to free speech," Bettis Austen said in a statement. "It has effectively silenced advocates and ensured that animal cruelty, unsafe food safety practices, environmental hazards, and inhumane working conditions go unreported for years."

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, which joined in the lawsuit, noted no undercover investigations had taken place in Iowa since the law was approved in 2012.

"Ag-gag laws are a pernicious attempt by animal exploitation industries to hide some of the worst forms of animal abuse in the United States," Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells said in a statement.

Federal courts have struck down similar laws in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

A spokesman for the Iowa attorney generals office says an appeal is under consideration.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association supported the law and expressed disappointment at the judges ruling.

"Iowa pig farmers will continue to properly care for their animals and provide safe and secure working conditions for their employees. And they will fight those who try to destroy or attack their livelihoods one case at a time," the organization said in a statement.Assistant Columbia bureau chief

Adcox returned to The Post and Courier in October 2017 after 12 years covering the Statehouse for The Associated Press. She previously covered education for The P&C. She has also worked for The AP in Albany, N.Y., and for The Herald in Rock Hill.Its reassuring to see Charleston County taking action to reduce the number of credit cards issued to employees to guard against misuse and fraud. At the same time, its disappointing that only dogged reporting was able to bring problems associated with the procurement card, or p-card, program to light.

Even getting a handle on the number of cards in circulation was a challenge. The Post and Courier was initially told it was 915, then 896, then about 520, minus some 370 p-cards issued to the Sheriffs Office.

Obviously, the county program started 18 years ago had grown too large and the controls too lax. Reporter Tony Bartelme was able to show the number of cards issued to county employees far exceeded the number issued by similar-size South Carolina government agencies and even some states.

For instance, the Medical University of South Carolina, with about 5,400 state employees, has 346 p-cards. By comparison, Charleston County, with 1,830 employees, has 520 cards. Richland County, with about the same number of employees, has just 97.

Mr. Bartleme also reported on abuses that ranged from the mundane, such as getting a car washed on the taxpayers dime or purchasing a uniform, to potentially criminal  even among county employees tasked with reconciling spending at the department level. One ex-employee faces charges that she racked up nearly $25,000 in questionable expenses.

Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email

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Also troubling was Charleston County Administrator Jennifer Millers refusal to directly answer questions about why so many cards were in circulation and what could be done to reduce their misuse. Professional county administrators like Ms. Miller are hired in part to find efficiencies and cut waste, and should be held accountable to taxpayers.

Yes, the county earned $154,569 in cash rebates on about $11.6 million in p-card charges over the past fiscal year, according to county spokesman Shawn Smetana. But it remains unclear what portion on those charges might have been unnecessary or should have been flagged due to misuse or fraud.

The practice of having department heads and departmental p-card liaisons sign off on monthly p-cards charges also seems too cozy and, perhaps, too cumbersome.

Under our council-administrator form of government, the buck stops with Ms. Miller, who serves at the pleasure of County Council.

Separately, this is a good opportunity for Sheriff Al Cannon to scrutinize p-card spending within his ranks and determine if his office needs 370 cards in circulation.

In response to The Post and Couriers reporting, Ms. Miller has directed county department heads to work with the Contracts and Procurement Department to come up with ways to reduce the potential for misuse while maximizing efficiency.

Determining how many employees need p-cards and reducing that number to the minimum necessary should be the first order of business.Van McCarty speaks to reporters Thursday after Gov. Henry McMaster (left) nominated him to become the next state Adjutant General, succeeding Bob Livingston (second from right). Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (right) attended the announcement that was notable because it is the first time that a governor has appointed the head of the state's National Guard, formerly an elected position.South Carolina lawmakers said Thursday they will introduce a bill eliminating all marriages under the age of 18 without exception.

They also voted to advance a separate proposal erasing an existing loophole that allows girls of any age to get married if they are pregnant or have given birth.

Only two states  New Jersey and Delaware  forbid all marriages under the age of 18.

Meanwhile, a national movement to close marriage loopholes in other states is gaining ground.

State Sen. Katrina Shealy, a Lexington Republican, said during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting Thursday she wants to let both bills run the legislative course "side by side."

"Maybe we can take the big step," Shealy said. "But if we dont, we can take the baby step."

If the bill to eliminate the pregnancy loophole is signed into law, teenagers who are 16 and 17 would still be allowed to get married in South Carolina with their parents' permission.

"Statistically, this age group is most vulnerable to intimate partner violence," said Ann Warner, CEO of the Women's Rights and Empowerment Network, who testified during the hearing.

Eliminating the pregnancy loophole, while a step in the right direction, would not protect the 16- and 17-year-olds, Warner said. Women who get married as teenagers face higher divorce rates, higher high school drop-out rates and will more likely develop mental health problems, she said.

Setting the minimum age for marriage at 18 is "the strongest, simplest and most effective way to stop child marriage and its harmful consequences," Warner said.

She cited an investigation by The Post and Courier last year that found nearly 7,000 underage girls have married older males in South Carolina in the past 20 years. Some of those brides have been as young as 12 and 13.

As recently as 2014, a 14-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man were granted a marriage license in this state.

Evie Lane, who also testified Thursday, told lawmakers she was forced to marry her now-ex-husband when she was 14.

"My husband had complete control over me," Lane said. "My parents had no rights over me whatsoever."

Lane told The Post and Courier last year she had two children by the age of 15. She said the proposed bills will help stop this from happening to other girls.

"It needs to be stopped," she said. "I had no voice."

The newspaper's 2018 report found South Carolina's marriage laws are interpreted differently throughout the state. Some county probate judges will not grant marriage licenses to applicants under the age of 16. Others do not believe state law sets a minimum age. Probate judges in South Carolina are elected, but not required to hold law degrees.

Many of them agree that the marriage laws need to be clarified by the Legislature.

The subcommittee also advanced bills Thursday addressing human trafficking and prostitution.David Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.comAmericans may eat dessert chickpeas in 2019, but India's sweets fans are way ahead of them3.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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Trumps approval rating is down 13 points with white evangelicals and 15 points with suburban white men over the last month due to the government shutdown.

Donald Trumps overall job approval rating in the latest NPR/Marist poll is 39%, but his base is falling out from under him:

 Down significantly among suburban men, a net-positive approval rating of 51-to-39 percent to a net-negative of 42 percent approve, 48 percent disapprove. Thats a net change of down 18 percentage points.

 Down a net of 13 points among white evangelicals, from 73-to-17 percent approve to 66-to-23 percent approve.

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 Down a net of 10 points among Republicans, from 90-to-7 percent approve to 83-to-10 percent.

 Down marginally among white men without a college degree, from 56-to-34 percent approve to 50-to-35 percent approve, a net change downward of 7 points.

The only segment of Trumps base that isnt included in these numbers is rural white voters, and there are signs that the president is slipping with them as well.

The Government Shutdown Is Wrecking Trump

This is going to come as a shock to Donald Trump, but lots of Republicans work in the government, work with the federal government, or have family members who are contractors with the government. The number of people who are being impacted by this shutdown is much larger and growing bigger than the 800,000 federal workers who are often cited in media reports.

Millions of Americans are financially suffering because Trump wants his wall. The wall is not popular or considered needed by the vast majority of Americans. Trump is engaging in a political act of self-destruction by shutting down the government to get his wall. The Republican Party is shrinking before our eyes, as even parts of Trumps base have had enough.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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After just two weeks in Congress, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) has already made quite a splash in Washington. She seemingly is attacked by conservatives nearly every day, and at the same time has become on of the main spokespersons for the progressive left wing of her party.

The vibrant 29 year-old took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives last night to give her first floor speech and delivered a cutting rebuke of Donald Trump over the presidents ongoing partial government shutdown.

In her three-minute speech Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Trumps shutdown, now nearly four weeks old, is not about Trumps demands for a border wall, but the erosion of American democracy.

It is actually not about a wall, it is not about the border, and it is certainly not about the well-being of everyday Americans, the congresswoman said. The truth is, this shutdown is about the erosion of American democracy and the subversion of our most basic governmental norms.

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It is not normal to hold 800,000 workers paychecks hostage. It is not normal to shut down the government when we dont get what we want, she continued. And it is certainly not normal to starve the people we serve for a proposal that is wildly unpopular among the American people.

She also told a story about one of her constituents, a Yemeni immigrant who works as an air traffic controller supervisor at New Yorks JFK airport. He has two children and a mortgage, and missed his first paycheck last week due to the funding lapse, Ocasio-Cortez said.

Federal workers jobs are stressful enough, she said, before calling out Trump for anti-immigrant sentiment, which she says also contributes to her constituents stress.

The outspoken New Yorker concluded her rousing speech by pointing out that Trump has a responsibility to her constituents and all federal workers well-being, saying:

President Trump has a responsibility to all air traffic controllers, FDA inspectors, TSA workers. And he has a responsibility to maintain the basic functioning of the United States government.

Earlier in the day Ocasio-Cortez joined several other new Democratic representative in a march to the Senate side of the Capitol. They hand-delivered a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) demanding that he end the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history.

The truth is that either Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell could easily take steps to end the government shutdown. Trump wont do it because he would lose face with the right-wing media that he is so anxious to please. And McConnell wont do it because it would upset Trump along with many other Republicans who blindly follow the president like sheep to the slaughter.

Nancy Pelosi cannot end the shutdown on her own because 95% of Democrats dont want her to give in to Trump. She can, however, inflict maximum pain on the president and cause maximum political damage to his party.

Eventually the shutdown will end, and the longer it goes on the worse it will be, not just for federal workers but also for Donald Trump and every member of the Republican Party.1.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, issued a challenge to Donald Trump and his Attorney General appointee William Barr. Appearing on CNN on Wednesday night, Nadler said that if Barr is confirmed as Attorney General, and if he does not release special counsel Robert Muellers final report to the public, then Nadler will issue a subpoena to obtain it.

He also said that he would compel Mueller to come before his committee to testify under oath about what he knows about the president and his relationships and interactions with Russia.

Nadler told Anderson Cooper:

If necessary, our committee will subpoena the report. If necessary, well get Mueller to testify. The American people need the information here.

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Mueller has spent nearly two years investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Trump campaign for president. He has also investigated possible crimes of conspiracy against the United States and obstruction of justice. He has obtained evidence of collusion between Trump associates and Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Yesterday, also appearing on CNN, Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani admitted that there was collusion, although his boss was not involved and didnt know about it.

Barr was nominated to become U.S. Attorney General after Trump fired the former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in November. Sessions had recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation, which led to severe criticism from the president over the past two years. Matt Whitaker was appointed to be the acting attorney general after Sessions left his office.

Barr appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week for his confirmation hearing.

With respect to Muellers report, he pledged to release as much as I can. This response did not please congressional Democrats, who are looking for a firm commitment from Barr.

He also pledged to provide the special counsel with the resources and time to finish the job that he was hired to do. The nominee also said he would not terminate Mueller without good cause, and would notify Congress if he denied a major request during the investigation. He also said he would resign if someone tried to stop a bona fide, lawful investigation to try to cover up wrongdoing.

In December, it was revealed that Barr has given over $500,000 to Republican political candidates and PACs through the years, so he is not exactly bipartisan.

During his testimony Barr expressed sympathy for the President, saying it is understandable that someone would view an investigation as a witch hunt  as Trump has repeatedly called the Russia probe  if he believes he is wrongly accused.

But Barr at the same time defended the special counsel, saying Mueller would not be involved in a witch hunt.

Since Barr appeared before the Senate, Nadler has been expressing his dissatisfaction, and he told CNN on Wednesday that Barr is obviously there to protect the President.

He also said that the nominee had made it pretty clear he would not release the Mueller report to the public, and thats unacceptable.

The powerful committee chairman said he believes Barr had made it clear he would only release certain information  that he was going to be the judge of that.

The public needs all the facts, Nadler said, and we cant have it filtered through someone who may be very partisan.

Obtaining Muellers final report is especially important for congressional Democrats who have been saying that they will not make a decision about impeaching Trump until they see the report.523 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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The group of people who put Donald Trump in the White House are becoming increasingly critical of him due to the financial distress caused by his partial government shutdown, the longest in US history.

The longer the shutdown has continued, the more Trump loses support from that group  white Americans who dont have college degrees  who are his strongest supporters. If this continues much longer it will be a major political disaster for the president and his party.

These white non-college voters are Trumps true base and the source of his political strength. They are also now the bedrock of the Republican Party. Over the past two years they have remained loyal to the president through all of his ups and downs, but that loyalty is now wavering as they experience the devastating impacts of the shutdown. It is estimated that one-fourth of all Americans have been negatively impacted in some way due to Trumps shutdown.

Among white non-college voters just 45% now say they approve of the job Trump is doing as President, according to a recent CNN poll.

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That is the lowest level of support ever among this group in CNNs surveys. It is also a massive drop in support compared to another CNN poll conducted in early December, before the partial shutdown. At that time 54% of whites without college degrees approved of the job Trump was doing as President and just 39% disapproved.

The drop in support is meaningful because Trumps support and approval ratings have not changed much among other groups of voters. For example, among white voters who hold college degrees, Trumps ratings are have not changed in the last month. They were negative then and are just as negative now: 64% of these voters disapprove of Trump and only 32% approve.

This devastating development for Trump is supported by other polling. For example, a new Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday showed similar results, with Trump losing nine percentage points in net approval from whites without college degrees.

The January CNN poll also shows that a majority of American voters (55%) clearly blame Trump for the government shutdown. Less than one-third of voters (32%) put blame for closing parts of the government on the Democrats in Congress.

A large plurality of whites without college degrees (45%) now blame the government shutdown on Trump, according to the CNN poll, while less than forty percent blame Democrats in Congress. Among white college graduates, 63% said Trump was responsible and just 25% blame congressional Democrats.

In the 2016 elections two-thirds of whites without college degrees voted for Trump while just 29% voted for his opponent Hillary Clinton. Not only are they the Presidents strongest groups of supporters, but they also have given their votes overwhelmingly to other Republican candidates.

According to CNN data, in 2014, 64% of whites with no college degrees supported Republican candidates, and in 2018, 61% did the same. If Trump and Republicans see further drops in their approval ratings among this group of voters they will have no base left. This would be a fitting end to the Republican Party as we know it.8.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele tore into his own party on Wednesday for essentially endorsing Donald Trumps treasonous behavior with Russia.

In a discussion with MSNBCs Ari Melber, Steele slammed the GOP for ignoring the disturbing information that has come out about the presidents ties to Russia.

The former RNC chairman said the GOP has completely attached itself to Trump when it comes to putting party before country.

If youre taking these steps given the information, the facts as we now see them being laid out, and youre going to slow the roll legislatively, then youre now a part of this narrative just as much as anybody else is as far as Im concerned, Steele said.

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The most important thing is to give cover to this president, he added.

Video:

Steele said:

Its all collusion. If youre taking these steps given the information, the facts as we now see them being laid out, and youre going to slow the roll legislatively, then youre now a part of this narrative just as much as anybody else is as far as Im concerned. These guys have the evidence. They have more information than you do sitting here, and youve got a lot. So the fact of the matter is, if this is the step you want to take, that youre going to gum up the work and filibuster on this measure to impose the sanctions that are appropriate to impose, youre saying to a lot of Americans out there that youre down with protecting the president to the extent that  to such an extent that its violative of the law to the law, you dont care. Its violative of the process, you dont care. The most important thing is to give cover to this president.

Republicans are openly putting Trump over the country

Its not some secret that Republicans are giving cover to Trump, even as the evidence continues to mount that he is essentially acting as a Russian asset. The GOP is covering for him in plain sight.

On Wednesday, Republican senators killed an effort by Democrats that would have blocked Trump from lifting sanctions on three Russian businesses with ties to Vladimir Putin.

In other words, being soft on Russia is no longer just isolated to Donald Trump. It has become standard Republican Party policy.

Thats something that should outrage Americans of every political stripe.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and TwitterAdvertising

Despite phony Republican backlash earlier this month to her off-the-cuff remark that Donald Trump  who she called a motherf****r  should be impeached, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib is refusing to back down.

In an interview with MSNBCs Chris Hayes on Wednesday, she doubled down on her earlier controversial comments, saying that she absolutely still believes the president should be impeached.

The Democratic newcomer pointed to the presidents constant use of the government to advance his business interests as one reason he should be removed from office.

Hes making decisions based on profit, not based on whats the best interest of our people, she said.

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Rep. @RashidaTlaib hits Trump for continuing to milk the government even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without paychecks. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/fmOwDMASrS  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) January 17, 2019

Rep. Tlaib said:

Absolutely. Just today, we found out that even though our national parks are closed, that the Trump hotel in D.C. is being staffed by park rangers. Despite the fact that we have no staffing, no parks open for the American people, and even today the inspector general said that the federal agencies were in violation of the United States Constitution by creating a lease agreement with the Trump Organization. This is leading continually on to know that theres a direct violation of the United States Constitution. Think about the precedent that were setting, allowing a president of the United States not to divest in all of his corporations. Hes making decisions based on profit, not based on whats the best interest of our people.

Trump continues to milk the government while federal workers go without pay

As Rep. Tlaib said on Wednesday, the government may be shut down, but Donald Trump hasnt stopped using it as his personal piggy bank.

According to NPR, while the government has forced the closure of many hot tourism spots in Washington D.C., there is one place that is hasnt: Trumps hotel.

The report notes, One of the very few government-owned tourist attractions thats still open is just a few blocks away, in the clock tower of the historic, 1899-vintage Old Post Office building.

The attraction, the report continues, is owned by the federal government, which leases the building to the Trump International Hotel, itself operated by President Trumps Trump Organization.

This despite the fact that, as Jason Easley wrote on Wednesday, this lease is a complete violation of the constitution, which the courts are likely to rule when the ongoing emoluments lawsuit reaches its conclusion.

Until then, Trump continues to reap the personal benefits of using the government as his personal bank account as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without any pay.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter2.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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MSNBCs Nicolle Wallace showed how losing his State Of The Union address was a political humiliation that prevents Trump from digging out of the crisis that he created.

Wallace said, For the first time in more than 30 years speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on Donald Trump to delay his state of the union address. Pelosi citing the longest government shutdown in this countrys history as the reason, leaving Donald Trump unwanted on that center stage he so palpably craves. Pelosi also robbing the president of an opportunity to dig out of increasingly unfavorable poll numbers. Its a political crisis hes created for himself and his party over a border wall that is not popular enough among the public to create any pressure on the peoples house. This humiliation caps another devastating day of headlines about Donald Trumps subservience and secrecy when it comes to Russia.

Video:

Nancy Pelosi isn't just beating Trump. She's humiliating him. https://t.co/Nd4tNq6m1X pic.twitter.com/qI715ta4hD  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 16, 2019

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Trump is being rejected like a bad organ

Trump loses on multiple levels if he does not get to give a State Of The Union address. Trump loses the biggest single national platform of the entire year. Outside of presidential election day, the State Of The Union is the biggest day in American politics. Trump is going to lose a platform that would give him both national and global attention.

The State Of The Unions adds an air of legitimacy and power to any president. With reports emerging daily that cast doubt on Trumps presidential legitimacy, he desperately needed anything that will make him look legit, but it is not going to happen unless he reopens the government.

The image of the President Of The United States not being wanted on Capitol Hill is a powerful one that Trump cant overcome with a Fox News interview or a tweetstorm.

Pelosi is humiliating Trump and making it clear that if he cant behave within the normal expectations of governing, he will not be given the optional perks of a platform.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.7.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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Rachel Maddow didnt hold back on Senate Republicans on Wednesday, slamming their vote to allow Donald Trump to prematurely lift sanctions on Russian businesses with ties to Vladimir Putin.

Eleven GOP senators sided with the Democrats, but it wasnt enough to break the 60-vote threshold needed to block the presidents move.

The MSNBC host slammed a select group of Senate Republicans, including Mitch McConnell and Mitt Romney, for selling out to Russia even as they frequently take credit for standing up to Putin.

You can thank them all for voting today to give Vladimir Putins government in Russia a huge big economic present, Maddow said.

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Maddow said:

Well, today, this afternoon, despite those 11 Republican senators breaking ranks and being willing to side with the Democrats on this, it turned out to be not enough because today there was a crucial vote on this matter, which came with not a 50-vote threshold, but a 60-vote threshold to stop the Trump administration from lifting these Deripaska-related sanctions. Schumer and the Democrats and the breakaway Republicans were able to put together 57 votes, but 57 isnt 60, and so you can thank top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell. You can thank all of these other Republican senators who get all of this public credit for supposedly being so hawkish and so realistic on Russia. You can thank them all for voting today to give Vladimir Putins government in Russia a huge big economic present and voting to give Oleg Deripaska the biggest break of his life even while his potential role in the Russian attack on our election remains a critical matter that is under ongoing investigation related to multiple criminal cases. Last night I said that would be a test case in terms of whether or not the Republicans had any compunction about the Trump administration and the president and its relationship to the Russian government. It was a test case. They didnt pass the test.

Like Trump, the Republican Party has sold out to Russia

As I noted earlier, there is no longer any separation between Donald Trump and the Republican Party, particularly as it pertains to Russia.

For a while, the conventional wisdom was that the GOP would check Trump if he got too cozy with Putin. After all, Republicans have historically been the party that took pride in standing up to the Russians.

But Wednesdays vote in the GOP-controlled Senate has confirmed what many already knew: Trump is the Republican Party, and the Republican Party is Trump.

Vladimir Putin doesnt just have a president in his back pocket. He has an entire U.S. political party working on his behalf.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and TwitterAdvertising

By Steve Gorman and Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)  Some 30,000 Los Angeles teachers on strike for higher pay, smaller classes and more staff walked picket lines in the rain for a second day on Tuesday as Mayor Eric Garcetti embraced their cause while trying to nudge the two sides back to the bargaining table.

Negotiators for the Los Angeles Unified School District and the United Teachers Los Angeles have not met since union leaders rejected the LAUSDs latest contract offer on Friday night, calling the proposal an insult.

Asked on Tuesday afternoon whether the two parties had any intention of resuming labor talks, an LAUSD spokeswoman said: Nothing is scheduled at this time.

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But hours later, union president Alex Caputo-Pearl said in a video statement posted online that Garcetti has been working with us and working on the district side to reinitiate negotiations.

Things are developing in a good way there, and well have more to report to you tomorrow on that, Caputo-Pearl said.

There was no immediate word in response from either the mayors office or LAUSD, which ranks as the second largest public school district in the United States, encompassing some 1,200 campuses.

The walkout, with teachers garbed mostly in red braving two days of rainy weather to stage mass rallies downtown, has shattered 30 years of labor peace by Los Angeles teachers but has not completely idled schools.

The district has enlisted administrators and substitute teachers to keep classes open on a limited basis through the strike, although LAUSD reported only about a third of its 492,000 public school students showed up on the first day of the walkout. It said attendance was up 13 percent on Tuesday.

About 148,000 additional students are enrolled in LAUSDs independently managed charter schools and have been unaffected for the most part by this weeks labor strife.

On Tuesday, however, a group of no more than four dozen unionized teachers at three LAUSD charter schools operated by a company called The Accelerated Schools walked off the job in a separate dispute they said was focused on job security.

It marked only the second charter school strike in the nation and the first in California, said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers parent union .

The Los Angeles walkout followed a wave of teachers strikes across the United States over pay and school funding, including in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arizona. Denver teachers could vote to strike by Saturday if no deal on a new contract is reached by then.

SYMPATHY FOR TEACHERS

Public sympathy appeared strongly aligned with the Los Angeles teachers union, with more than three-quarters of those polled by Loyola Marymount Universitys Center for the Study of Los Angeles saying they supported the teachers.

The survey, released on Tuesday, showed strike support running at 60 percent or more across all demographic groups. Among parents with children at home, support topped 82 percent, a finding reflected in the presence of many parents seen walking picket lines with the teachers, despite the inconvenience the strike posed for working families.

Aside from the education disruption, the strike could have implications for the political aspirations of the mayor, who is considered a likely contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Garcetti expressed support for the teachers, telling Reuters at Tuesdays rally that the strike is an important and righteous fight about the soul of our schools. Every parent, every kid deserves a decent-sized classroom where teachers arent overwhelmed by the numbers.

The mayor previously avoided taking sides in the dispute, over which he has little practical sway because the LAUSD is governed by an independently elected school board that appoints its superintendent.

The two sides remained at loggerheads on how much the district needs to invest in hiring staff, including nurses, librarians and other support staff.

Superintendent Austin Beutner said the district had offered staff increases that would cost $130 million a year  more than county officials have said is available  while the unions demands would cost $800 million.

Beutner offered to accompany teachers in lobbying state lawmakers to increase education funding. Join me on the bus, he said.

The union wants a 6.5 percent pay raise. LAUSD teacher pay currently averages $75,000, according to state figures. The district has offered a 6 percent hike with back pay.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Jane Ross in Los Angeles, Gina Cherelus and Peter Szekely in New York and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Bill Tarrant, Cynthia Osterman and Peter Cooney)21k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

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Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin blamed Donald Trump directly for Wednesdays deadly attack in Syria that left four Americans dead.

During an appearance on Shepard Smiths program, Griffin said, U.S. allies remain up in arms about the U.S. announcing it is pulling out of Syria.

She added, A senior foreign diplomat tells Fox News This attack today is a direct result of the announcement made by President Trump that U.S. forces are pulling out. These troops had a bullseye on them when the president telegraphed that he was ordering a pullout.

Trump likes to claim ISIS has been defeated under his watch, but as The Hill reported on Wednesday, the terror organization has taken responsibility for the attack.

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Nonetheless, hours after the attack, Vice President Mike Pence said in a speech that ISIS has been defeated.

Watch: Mike Pence Says ISIS Has Been Defeated Hours After Deadly Bombing Kills American Troops https://t.co/U07pWdcyr3 pic.twitter.com/QH4x3eRrtl  Tommy MMXIXtopher (@tommyxtopher) January 16, 2019

In a separate statement addressing the bombing, Pence said, President Trump and I condemn the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen.

We honor their memory and we will never forget their service and sacrifice, the VP added.

Using U.S. troops as political pawns has deadly consequences

Instead of some half-hearted template response to the deadly terrorist attack in Syria, the White House should be issuing an apology to American troops for using them as political pawns.

In this case, it had deadly consequences.

Whether or not one agrees with American troops being stationed in Syria is beside the point. Its never okay to put the military in limbo for political purposes, as this president so recklessly did in Syria.

As Rachel Maddow pointed out shortly after Trump unexpectedly decided to pull troops from Syria, he put no thought into the move. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House staff appeared to know what was going on. It caught the men and women on the ground completely off guard.

Wednesdays attack in Syria showed that there are deadly ramifications to Donald Trumps irresponsible realty show governing style.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and TwitterAdvertising

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) left a meeting with Speaker Pelosi with a message for Trump that the president needs to stop tantruming and reopen the government.

Rep. Jeffries said on MSNBCs The Beat with Ari Melber, Our perspective remains clear, we need to reopen the government and thereafter have a mature conversation about border security, a mature conversation about our broken immigration system, a mature conversation about comprehensive reform and doing it in a bipartisan way, were not going to allow 800,000 public employees to be held hostage by Donald Trump because hes decided that there are presidential temper tantrum and try to extract $5 billion for his medieval border wall.

Video:

Democrats have one message for Trump. Grow up, and reopen the government. https://t.co/NGQ5lvu3VJ pic.twitter.com/VpslRJacWk  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 17, 2019

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It wasnt an accident that Rep. Jeffries used the word mature multiple times in his answer while also accusing Trump of having a presidential temper tantrum. Trump is acting like a child, so Democrats are treating him like a child. If Trump wants his State Of The Union address, he needs to reopen the government.

Stomping his feet, holding his breath, walking out of meetings, and shutting down the government is not going to get him his way. He is never going to get any wall money while Democrats are in charge of the House.

For the first time in his life, Trump is being told that he is not the boss and that it is time to grow up.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.Nardia Boodoo. xmbphotography by Mena Brunette.

The Washington Ballet's Nardia Boodoo Mixes Bold Patterns and Bright Color Palettes In and Out of the StudioKyle H. Wilkins, 35, of Pine Bluffs died Jan. 7, 2019, at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. He had been battling cancer.

He was born Jan. 11, 1983, in Cheyenne to Tim and Colleen Wilkins. He recently worked for Allwayz Manufacturing in Pine Bluffs.

He was a member of Harvest Church in Billings, and Crossroads Community Church in Pine Bluffs, where he was a deacon.

Kyle graduated from Pine Bluffs High School in 2001 and Mitchell Technical Institute in 2006. He was always searching for his passion. He dabbled in many career paths but always enjoyed people the most. Highlights in his work history: being a network technician for Dubois Telephone Exchange and a Laramie County Sheriff's Deputy, where he worked with jail inmates.

Kyle's interests included bass guitar, singing, classic trucks, fishing, brewing beer, flying and WWII history. He played bass for worship teams in Cheyenne and Billings and spent a summer traveling with YWAM, which culminated in Thailand.

He gathered friends everywhere he lived and cared deeply for the well-being of others. He will be dearly missed.

He is survived by his parents, Tim and Colleen Wilkins of Pine Bluffs; sister, Kiah (Danny) Staley and nieces, Rosemary and Eleanor Staley of Billings; grandfather, Donald L. Wilkins of Cheyenne, and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins.

He was preceded in death by is grandparents, Cecil Myron Wester, Barbara Ellen Wester and Patricia Kathleen Wilkins.

Services were held Tuesday at the Pine Bluffs Community Center, with interment to follow at Mountain View Memorial Park in Cheyenne.

Services are under the care of Schrader, Aragon and Jacoby Funeral Home, and condolences may be offered at http://www.schradercares.com.

Friends may contribute to the Kyle Wilkins Memorial Fund, 216 Road 161, Pine Bluffs, WY, 82082.Wyoming State Senator Anthony Bouchard, R-Carpenter, listens to the Wyoming Senate on Monday. Bouchard is the primary sponsor of Senate File 75, a bill that would repeal most gun-free zones in public places throughout Wyoming.

Monday voted to keep a bill repealing most gun-free zones in to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sponsored by Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Carpenter, Senate File 75 would give the Legislature the sole authority to regulate guns in public places.

If SF 75 passes, Wyoming residents would be allowed to carry concealed firearms in government buildings and meetings such as local city council meetings and Legislative sessions.

People would also be allowed to carry concealed weapons on public school grounds.

Several members of the Senate are cosponsoring the bill along with Bouchard.

The bill has 23 sponsors in the House of Representatives.

During debate in the Senate Monday afternoon, Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, proposed re-refering the bill to the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, however, objected to the motion.

"That particular piece of legislation is one that is important to all of us," Rothfuss said on the Senate floor. "The judiciary committee is the proper place for that. It is a committee that has members of both parties available."

Each of the Senate Agriculture Committee's five members is a Republican, including the bill's sponsor, Bouchard.

"I understand the desire (to send the bill to the agriculture committee) but I don't understand the motivation," Rothfuss said. "Historically, these types of bills did go to the judiciary committee almost every time."

Rothfuss speculated that legislators attempted ot send the bill to the agriculture committee because it is a one-party committee.

The motion to send the bill to the agriculture committee failed 16-14, so the legislation will remain in the judiciary committee.

Bouchard was elected to represent Senate District 6 which includes Pine Bluffs in 2016 after defeating former State Representative Dave Zwonitzer in the primary.

Prior to serving in the Legislature led the Wyoming Gun Owners Association, a gun rights organization that bills itself as being "hard-hitting" and uncompromising.

As of Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee has yet to take further action on the bill.Public Affairs Officer for Cheyenne VA Medical Center cuts a cake in celebration of the Cheyenne VA Medical earned the rank of Best 6th out of 17 VA places to work.

Whether you are a G.I. Joe or a G.I. Jane, finishing your military time isn't always a 20 year career, or even a 12 year tour. Sometimes, Jane or Joe serves 2-4 years in the military. This depends largely upon the branch of service they enter.

Whether they are a career military member or not, there is a process for those separating from the military. It's not like leaving a job in the civilian world..you don't just grab your personal effects from your desk and wave goodbye as you leave.

Six months prior to separation, the military will send you to "TAPS" (Transitional Assistance Programs). In this week long class/meetings the military member will learn the different steps to separation. They will be advised to get copies of their medical records, educational records, etc.

In some instances, they will help you find housing depending on where you are heading. Job search and assistance is another area they are helpful in. Making the transition to civilian life is sometimes a challenge for separating military members.

The last day, before final departure from the military, your ID, must be turned in or exchanged if the separatee is retiring.

They have served. G.I. Joe and Jane are now United States military veterans! Their next step?

Some veterans head out into the civilian world and start fresh, leaving the structure, and routines of a military life behind. They move on, somewhat like they did, when they would transfer and move to a different base.

However, the final step after separation should be a stop at their local Veterans Affairs. At the VA, G.I. Joe or Jane can learn of the wide array of services offered to them. Such services as health care, finances, housing, employment, education and memorialization.

There is a large number of veterans who have separated and missed out on many benefits, programs and assistance from their VA Centers.

Public Affairs Officer, Samuel E. House at the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Cheyenne VA Medical Center explains the four parts - benefits, healthcare, Veterans Center and Cemetery.

For veterans they may get home loans as veterans, medical, G.I benefits for education, disability. They also as a veteran have help with their passing in the way of burial and committal services, headstones and markers, burial flags as well.

The VA's primary function is to support veterans in their time after service by providing benefits and support. Veterans Centers became more known after the Vietnam War to assist returning veterans after service. Veterans Centers are separate from the VA hospitals and medical centers.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is headed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is Robert Wilkie who was selected by President Donald Trump and sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on 30 July 2018.

The Cheyenne VA services an area north of Denver, Colorado, east to Sidney, Nebraska, including Julesburg, Colorado, south of Douglas, Wyoming (not including Douglas) and out west to Rawlings, Wyoming. It covers 40k square miles.

There are approximately 65,000 veterans in the area and approximately 25,000 are seen in the VA.

Penny Merryfield Mural painted on the wall in the VA Medical Center, Cheyenne depicts the branches, our flag and POWs.

Approximately 20+ veterans commit suicide each day, There are outreach programs avail for them and others. The Veterans Crisis Line provides a hotline number for those in need - 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.

The following is a list of some of the programs available: VA Caregiver Support-1-855-260-3274; The Veterans' Home of Wyoming - Buffalo, Wyoming - 307-684-5511; Survivor Outreach Services - 307-772-5563;Women Veterans Health Care; VA Clinical Social Work; Veteran Affairs Home Telehealth Program - 307-778-7550; Returning OEF/OIF Veterans - 888-483-9127.

Now you meet your Veteran Service Officer. This is handled through the Wyoming Veterans Commission.

This will be covered in Part 2 - After Military with more information for our men and women who have served their country.

We thank you for your service.Let Bette hear from you: banjack303@verizon.net. Search YouTube for Look Whos Cooking with Bette Banjack, as well phoenixvillenews.com (search bar: Banjack) for this column. Find Bette on Facebook by searching Bette Banjacks Downtown Kitchen. Her book, 2 Cups of Yesterday, is available at Gateway Pharmacy or by contacting her.Staff reports

The Petoskey News-Review

PETOSKEY  The YMCA of Northern Michigan recently announced the hiring of Leah Callan as its new branch director.

Callan comes to YMCA of Northern Michigan from the Point Bonita YMCA in San Francisco, California, where she served as the outdoor education coordinator. In her role, Callan was responsible for developing professional training curriculum for program staff, grant research and writing, communication with school and community partners, and participation on the ChildSafe Team and STEAM Team throughout her association, among other responsibilities. Prior to her time in Point Bonita, Callan worked at YMCA Camp Campbell, a branch of the Silicon Valley YMCA in California, for seven years, serving in her final capacity as the associate program director.

The YMCA of Northern Michigan, which offers a variety of recreation programs, is a homecoming of sorts for Callan, who is a native of the Flushing area downstate. Before starting her career, she spent her summers with family in Charlevoix, attending Camp Daggett.

Some of my fondest childhood memories include summers at Camp Daggett, said Callan who credits her decision to study parks, recreation, and tourism resources at Michigan State University to her experiences at Camp Daggett. This area has always held a very special place in my heart.

Callan stepped into the YMCA of Northern Michigan role after current branch director, Christian Smith, announced his resignation in late October.

We are excited about the possibilities Leah brings to the YMCA of Northern Michigan and cant wait to welcome her back to the area. said Ashley Whitney, current board chair. Finding someone with YMCA experience who can continue to build on the successes weve had under Christians leadership and who has family ties to Northern Michigan is the perfect combination.

Callan plans to start her new position on Monday, Jan. 21, and is excited to have the opportunity to serve the same community that inspired her career path.

Ive gained so much from my childhood experiences in Northern Michigan and am looking forward to make this community my home once again, she said.Staff reports

The Petoskey News-Review

HARBOR SPRINGS  Harbor Springs Public Schools recently announced that its music education program received a $230,436 gift from the Ronald Pawlak Trust. The recent installment is roughly half of the total $460,000 amount that is to be used specifically for the program.

Pawlak practiced law as a former defense litigation specialist. He became a permanent resident of Harbor Springs in 1998 and was an avid attendee of Harbor Springs High School band concerts and performances.

Susan Jacobs, Harbor Springs High School principal, first learned in May 2018 that the districts music program was a beneficiary of the Ronald Pawlak Trust. When she returned from winter holiday break on Jan. 2, 2019 she opened a certified letter containing a check for the first of the two installments.

You can imagine the surprise and joy upon opening the letter, Jacobs said. We are so thankful for the generosity of Ronald Pawlak. He has definitely left a legacy.

Pawlak is survived by his daughter, Gwyn Besner. Besner, a resident of Acme, Michigan, recalls that her father had a passion for classical music but loved all genres. He would attend concerts not only at the high school but in the surrounding region. My father attended Young Americans performances as well as performances at Bay View, Besner said. However, he especially enjoyed the high school concerts and felt joy in hearing the young musicians. He made it very clear that a major portion of his trust was earmarked for the school music program.

Patrick Ruddy, Harbor Springs High School director of bands, was overwhelmed with the excitement of the generous gift and said, Over time, Mr. Pawlaks donation will impact thousands of students in the Harbor Springs music program. Many of the instruments that we will be replacing are nearly 50 years old, while other instruments we plan to obtain have never been a part of our inventory. In addition to instrument upgrades, I am excited to implement technology tools that should result in higher performance levels for all of our band students as well as offer scholarships for our students to attend music camps.

Stacy and Mark Troilo, who were involved band parents when their two sons were at Harbor Springs High School, provided care and companionship for Mr. Pawlak for nearly 21 years. Stacy Troilo, who took Ronald Pawlak to many band concerts and marching band events, describes Mr. Ron as a very generous and caring person.

He loved the arts and wanted young people to have exposure, Stacy Troilo said. It is not a surprise that he left such a generous gift for the music program at Harbor Springs High School.

We are thankful and appreciative beyond words, said Michael Behrmann, school superintendent. I have spoken with Mrs. Besner a few times, and we plan on honoring Mr. Pawlaks generosity at a future Board of Education meeting as well as our spring concert. We would even like to have a piece that is written specifically for the Harbor Springs High School Band commissioned in honor of Mr. Pawlak.

Although this donation will have an immediate impact on our band program, the current students, boosters, and I will continue to fulfill our financial responsibilities so that Mr. Pawlaks generosity will be felt for many years to come, Ruddy said.Staff reports

The Petoskey News-Review

BOYNE CITY

Illegal immigration discussed at Lifetree Cafe

BOYNE CITY  How to respond to illegal immigration will be explored at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20., at Lifetree Cafe.

Kids Without a Country: An Illegal Immigrants Story features the filmed story of Reyna Grande, who crossed the border with her family illegally when she was 9 years old.

The Lifetree program explores the challenges facing immigration reform, including issues surrounding children of illegal immigrants.

Grande, now a teacher and author, describes the border crossing and her subsequent life as an undocumented alien. Shes the author of The Distance Between Us.

The program is free of charge. Lifetree Cafe is in the First Presbyterian Church, 401 S. Park St. Use the Pine Street entrance.

For more information, call (231) 582-7983 or email Lifetree@fpboyne.org.

4th installment of The Mass series scheduled

BOYNE CITY  The next sacramental preparation session will be at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 20, at St. Matthew Parish.

The session features fourth installment of the series on The Mass with Bishop Robert Barron. The topic for this month is Responding to God.

Everyone is invited to join the sacramental preparation parents for the session.

The church is located at 1303 Boyne Ave.

For more information, call (231) 582-7718.

CHARLEVOIX

Guest pastor to preach at Community Reformed

CHARLEVOIX  On Sunday, Jan. 20, Community Reformed Church welcomes Pastor Drew Poppleton from Fuller Theological Seminary.

His message is titled An Invitation to Wonder and will be based on John 1:35-51. The sacrament of Communion also will be celebrated.

Sunday morning services are at 8:30 and 10:15 with nursery available at each service. Kids worship activities for preschool through fourth grade are offered during the 10:15 service.

The church is located at 100 Oak St.

For more information, call (231) 547-9482 or visit www.communityreformed.net.

Greater gifts explored at Greensky Hill

CHARLEVOIX  At the 10 a.m. service on Sunday, Jan. 20, at Greensky Hill Indian United Methodist Church, the Rev. Jonathan Mays will offer a message entitled, Greater Gifts: Gifted for Others, from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

As umcdiscipleship.org notes, we will be exploring how we can discover and activate the gifts God has given us during this second week of the Greater Gifts worship series.

Pastor George Pamp is preaching at 5 p.m.

Sunday worship services at Greensky Hill are now at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Also, every Sunday, the church serves a free full breakfast at 9 a.m. and a potluck dinner at 6 p.m.

The 180-year-old hewn-log church and Susan Hall Reception Center are located at 08484 Green Sky Hill Road in Charlevoix.

For more information, contact Mays at (231) 459-8067.Jillian Fellows

News-Review

PETOSKEY  John Scholten, superintendent of Petoskey schools, formally announced his intention to retire during Wednesdays school board meeting.

Scholten said his retirement will be effective June 30, 2019, and expressed his gratitude to the school board and the districts administration and staff.

Thank you for everything youve done to help me throughout my career here, Scholten said. Its hard to believe that its been 14 years, this is my 14th year, but Ive talked to you, Ive wrestled with this for a few years  but Ive come to the conclusion that I plan to retire at the end of the school year.

Scholtens resignation for the purpose of retirement was unanimously accepted by the school board.

Scholten is just the fifth superintendent in the districts 98-year history.

As the years have gone by, it feels good. Weve had a lot of fun, a lot of success, Scholten said. I guess I feel that 14 years is adding to that. In 98 years, with my departure, it will only be five leaders. Thats unheard of in the state of Michigan. Thats probably unheard of in the nation to have that consistency in leadership.

Board members thanked Scholten for his years of service to the district and the work he has done to make the schools better.

Youve done great things for our school system and youre certainly going to be missed, said board president Keith Szajnecki.

Check back at petoskeynews.com or in Fridays print edition of the Petoskey News-Review for additional details.Jillian Fellows (231) 439-9389 jfellows@petoskeynews.com

The Petoskey News-Review

HARBOR SPRINGS  Carol Laenen handed over the ceremonial tiller to Michelle Kruzel, and Kruzel will now steer the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce into 2019 as its new president.

Im really looking forward to seeing what 2019 will bring to our board and the Harbor Springs chamber, said Kruzel, of Buday & Kruzel Architects. Were really excited about our upcoming events and Im happy to be leading the board this coming year.

The appointment of the new president took place on Thursday during the chambers annual meeting at Harbor Springs High Schools Performing Arts Center.

Laenen, now the immediate past president, provided an overview of the chambers 2018 events and financials during the meeting.

Both the Sidewalk Sales and Ladies Night Out events were expanded last year, and attendance at the annual Harbor Stars awards dinner increased by over 50 percent.

Laenen noted that the chamber is working with the Downtown Development Authority so that the DDA can now manage several of the chambers past events.

Theyve been in a position now, thankfully, to begin taking over some of the events, Laenen said. Were really happy that some of the events that did happen that the chamber, just with the limited staff that we have and the limited resources, has not been able to do. Weve had the DDA pick them up, and in addition to that add some. Its a great thing for the Harbor Springs area and were thrilled with that partnership.

Laenen also reported that the chamber had a bottom line of $2,184 in 2018, marking the second year in a row that the chamber has finished the year in the black.

We feel were now operating within our means with the staffing we have and the funding we have, yet Harbor Springs as a whole is actually feeling no different, Laenen said. As a matter of fact, there are more events being added, so were thrilled with that.

Molly Baker Veling, associate director for the chamber, provided an update on chamber events and ambassadors. Kathie Breighner presented for the Chamber Foundation. Four new members were also initiated to the chambers 2019 board of directors.

Following the meeting, Kruzel said that the chambers goal for 2019 remains the same, that were operating a successful chamber.

Were a small town thats doing a lot of things and the chambers involved in a lot of wonderful things in this community, she said.Steve Zucker

(231) 439-9346

BOYNE CITY  Although construction season is several months away, Boyne City officials are already preparing for multiple street projects  for this year and beyond.

In December, the city commission approved a contract for the first of two expected phases of repaving to take place on North Lake Street.

The contract the city commission unanimously approved is with the the Michigan Department of Transportation, in an amount not to exceed $234,461, to repave about 2,100 feet of North Lake Street from just south of the citys main boat launch to State Street. The work will include crews grinding off the first inch and a half of existing material before replacing it with new pavement. The work will also include replacement of deteriorated sections of curb and gutter, and upgrading sidewalk ramps at intersections to comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

No underground water or sewer work is planned as part of the project.

The contractor handling the project tasks will be Payne & Dolan which came in with the low bid at $199,195.50. However, the citys contract for the project is with the Michigan Department of Transportation, because most of the costs will be paid for through state and federal transportation money which is administered by the state.

In a memo to the city commission, city manager Michael Cain said the the low bid for the project came in about 17 percent higher than the engineers estimate, however, he expects that sufficient state and federal money has been set aside for the project to cover the additional costs.

Cain said the citys only expected costs associated with the project are an estimated $28,100 in engineering and testing costs. At the same meeting, the city commission also approved a contract with engineering firm C2AE for these services.

Cain said the city will have a pre-construction meeting with the contractor in the coming weeks, during which expected construction timetables will be firmed up. However, he noted that the contract requires the work to be completed sometime between April 15 and June 15.

The second phase of the project, which will involve resurfacing North Lake Street from the north end of the 2019 project to the intersection with West Michigan Avenue, is expected to take place in 2020. Cain said federal and state money is also expected to cover most of the cost of that project.

The city has two other substantial street projects on the horizon for 2019.

City officials recently hosted an informational session with residents on West Cedar and Terrace streets for their input on a project planned for the coming construction season. Cain said the city is planning to completely reconstruct West Cedar Street from Douglas Street to South Lake Street and the entire length of Terrace Street. Along with rebuilding of the streets, the project will involve replacements of several infrastructure items: city underground utilities, including water, sanitary and storm sewer lines; curbs and gutters; and sections of sidewalk where needed.

Cain said city officials had about 65 percent of the plan completed prior to the meeting and now, after taking input from residents at that gathering, plans are being finalized and should be sent out for bid soon. More details  including whether the project will proceed, and the timeline if so  will be available after the bids for the project have been returned.

The city commission approved the contract for the engineering for the project last year at a cost of $23,000. At that time, engineering firm C2AE was estimating that the project  including engineering and a 25 percent contingency amount  could cost about $466,000.

Finally, a project to repave a section of Front Street that was delayed from the 2018 because of a labor dispute in the road-building industry is expected to take place during the coming construction season. The city approved the contract for the work, but because of the labor dispute, there was not enough time for the work to be completed before the end of the construction season. Cain said the city does not yet have a firm timeline on when the Front Street work will be finished.Sean Miller (231) 439-9394 semiller2@petoskeynews.com

The Petoskey News-Review

CHARLEVOIX  The Charlevoix Circle of Arts is undergoing a shift as of late welcoming in one new employee while gearing up to say goodbye to another.

Erika Kilkenny, a Charlevoix native, was recently hired at the Circle of Arts as its new administrative assistant and, with less than three weeks on the job, is already looking forward to what it to come in 2019.

I have been working locally on some marketing, branding and administrative work and then this came along, she said. I thought it would be great to live in Charlevoix and also work in Charlevoix.

Kilkenny also has a background in art having attended Aquinas College and receiving her Bachelor of Arts in fine arts.

When this came up, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to combine both worlds of being in the arts and having a more set schedule and location, she said. With my family, and two little girls, I find myself pretty busy and so it will be nice to be able to work in and add to my community.

Kilkenny will be working on some different marketing projects, assist with payroll duties and have responsibilities in regard to membership and organization donors.

Her entrance into the Circle of Arts comes at a time when the organization will soon be seeing a shift in leadership with the recent announcement of its executive director Gail DeMeyeres retirement.

I think Erika will be a phenomenal addition to the Circle, DeMeyere said. I cant speak too much about how the future will play out as I am retiring.

DeMeyere doesnt want to make a big deal about her retirement but said she will be gone sooner rather than later.

Ill be done by the end of the month, she said. We are in a state of transition but are in a strong position right now. We have achieved so many goals, and I thought it was a good time for me to retire and pass the reins on to someone else.

DeMeyere has spent the last 15 years supporting the arts and artists in Northern Michigan and previously worked at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey before accepting her position at the Circle of Arts.

With her retirement she is looking forward to having more time to work on some of her own personal projects.

Its been my supreme honor to do everything I have, but Im looking forward to working on some of my own stuff now, she said.

The Charlevoix Circle of Arts executive director position is currently posted online on LinkedIn and on www.indeed.com.Steve Foley

(231) 439-9397

CHARLEVOIX  He danced, he cleaned, he ate odd-flavored jelly beans and even cleaned windows.

He also did all those items atop the Charlevoix Elementary School rooftop as part of his end of a bargain to his students.

Charlevoix Elementary School principal John Haan braved the winter elements Tuesday  with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark  and spent largely the entire school day outside. In doing so, he paid his end of a bargain made with teachers Christopher Isch and Ericka Mitchell, who coordinated a successful Toys For Tots drive in which students at the school raised $11,000 for the program.

The kids had a goal of $5,000 and they raised $11,000 along with some business donations, Haan said of the Toys for Tots drive, in which some 60 Charlevoix Elementary School students partook in a shopping spree at the Petoskey Walmart before Christmas. Chris Isch (second-grade teacher) and Ericka Mitchell (kindergarten teacher) ran the whole thing and came up with the incentive of me going up on the roof if they reached $5,000.

Obviously, they surpassed that.

Around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, just about the time the schools sixth-graders returned from bank, Haan climbed up onto the rooftop of the school, where he stayed until 3:30 p.m.

It was a nice day, temperatures were in the 30s, but the wind switched and it got cold around 2:30 p.m. Haan said.

While he couldve easily found shelter in a portable ice shanty with a space heater and a chair, Haan was anything but stationary throughout the day.

I did the Beanboozled challenge with Chris (Isch) and Ericka (Mitchell) who came up and did the (jelly bean tasting) challenge with me, Haan said. I didnt have much luck with my draws. I kept getting the disgusting beans.

Haan also danced the Macarena, and was forced to perform a number of dances from the popular video game Fortnite.

Im told by some of the kids theyll never forget that, Haan said of his Fortnite dance moves. My dance moves were just unforgettable.

He also performed the Rayder fight song, washed windows overlooking the cafeteria when students were enjoying lunch and cleaned off a number of balls that had gotten stuck on the rooftop over the months, if not years.

Haan said he was impressed with his students for raising some $11,000 for the Toys for Tots program, and spending the day outside was a nice way to break up the monotony of this time of year.

Id be willing to do it again, but usually the kids want me to do something different, Haan said. Id do it again, it was well worth it.

Haan said it was suggested to him next year he should jump off the roof.

I dont see that happening, but Im sure theyll think of something bigger and better, he noted.

Michael Ritter, superintendent of Charlevoix Public Schools, said he was impressed with the giving nature and ability of the elementary staff and students to raise that sum of money for Toys for Tots, as well as Haans ability to encourage and motivate the students at the school.

He was quite the trooper, Ritter said. I brought him a coffee around noon and spent about a half hour up there with him. It was fun. The kids at recess could see him, he was dancing up there and did a live dance scene and the kids were dancing down below with him.

Im impressed with his leadership and his ability to motivate people.

Ritter said theres not a single ball left atop the roof of the school, and the window cleaning on the cafeteria windows was an added bonus.

He was working away up there, I was impressed, Ritter said. Somebody we think also threw up some granola crackers in a bag strategically near the edge of the roof. We didnt witness it, but Im certain it was a snack for Mr. Haan.

Ritter also commended the various individuals and businesses who around the Toys for Tots drive donated funds to match what the students had raised.

Im just really proud of the elementary school building and what they accomplished, Ritter said. $11,000 is very impressive.Arielle S. Hines (231) 439-9358 ashines@petoskeynews.com

The Petoskey News-Review

{child_kicker}Lansing{/child_kicker}

Bills introduced in Michigan legislature

{child_byline}Arielle S. Hines (231) 439-9358 ashines@petoskeynews.com

{/child_byline}

{child_kicker}Lansing{/child_kicker}

Bills introduced in Michigan legislature

{child_byline}Arielle S. Hines (231) 439-9358 ashines@petoskeynews.com

{/child_byline}

LANSING  Michigan lawmakers introduced a variety of bills this week.

Below is a short description of measures recently introduced in the Michigan Legislature. The list doesnt include every measure recently introduced.

House proposals

House Resolution 8: Creates the House Select Committee on Reducing Car Insurance Rates. House speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, will appoint five Republicans and four Democrats to members of the committee, which will consider legislation to reform the states car insurance system. Chatfield sponsored the resolution, which was adopted on Wednesday.

House Bill 4040: Prohibits tobacco vending machines. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, is sponsoring the measure. The bill has been referred to the committee of regulatory reform.

HB 4045: Authorizes county officials to offer up to $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a person that committed a crime in the county. Kara Hope, D-Holt, is sponsoring the bill. The measure has been referred to the judiciary committee.

HB 4046: Allows for short-term rentals in all residential zones. In addition, the measure would prohibit local governments to require short-term dwellings to obtain a special use permit. However, regulations to account for things such as noise and traffic could still be enacted. The bills sponsor is Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance, who also spearheaded a similar measure during the last legislative term that was never voted on. The measure has been referred to the committee on local government and municipal finance.

HB 4054: Sets a minimum number of school counselors to be employed by a school district. Leslie Love, D-Detroit, is sponsoring the measure. The measure was referred to the committee on education.

Senate proposals

Senate Bill 1: Aims to reduce auto insurance rates by allowing drivers 62 or older to allow Medicare or other lifetime health care benefits to cover medical costs related to vehicle crashes. Younger drivers would also have more choices when it comes to coverage. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, is sponsoring the measure. The bill was referred to the committee on insurance and banking.

SB 14: Aims to toughen PFAS in drinking water standards. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, is the bills sponsor. The measure was referred to the committee on environmental quality.

SB 16: Recaptures tax credits for businesses relocating out of Michigan. Jim Ananich, D-Flint, is sponsoring the bill. The measure has been referred to the finance committee.

SB 23 and 24: Aims to provide more options for state prosecutors to charge people accused of mail theft. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, and Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township, are sponsoring the bills. The measures are being referred to the committee on judiciary and public safety.

SB 38: Allows winner of state lotteries to remain anonymous. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington, is the bills sponsor. The measure has been referred to the committee on regulatory reform.

For additional details about the measures listed, visit www.legislature.mi.gov or contact the bills sponsor.By Jay Costa, Vincent Hughes and Gabe Morgan

The federal government needs to be re-opened immediately, and Senator Pat Toomey needs to find the courage to stand up to President Trump and do his jobprotecting the people of Pennsylvania.

The shutdown has already caused untold harm to thousands of innocent families, all over a wall that nobody wants. President Donald Trump explicitly made the wall the centerpiece of his midterm campaign, and the American people responded by handing the White House a historic defeat at the ballot box.

Even hardline anti-immigration activists and Trumps outgoing chief of staff acknowledge that a wall wont make Americans any safer.

Across the Commonwealth, innocent people are being harmed because the president is throwing a tantrum, and Senator Toomey lacks the backbone to stand up to him on their behalf. Pennsylvania is home to over 60,000 federal employees, more than 20% of whom are either furloughed or working for no pay, and the effects are being felt by their families and their communities.

The union 32BJ SEIU represents thousands of federally-contracted workers who are, or will soon be, impacted by the shutdown.

These men and women who clean and secure government buildings in our nations capital now have no way to feed their families.

Members like Tiara, a security officer at the Smithsonian, may be forced to ration the milk her infant daughter drinks and is herself going without food. The security officers who guard the Statue of Liberty would be without pay If not for the state government stepping in. The longer the shutdown continues, the more the pain will be felt by working people.

In Pittsburgh, an employee of the Department of Housing and Urban Development is finding ways to stretch the food in her freezer and going through her budget with a fine tooth comb. In Philadelphia, a Transportation Security Administration officer, who is required to work without pay during the shutdown, wonders whether he should  feed [his] children or pay for gas to come into work.

In Union County, the federal government is the second largest employer, and one older worker who has now experienced five federal shutdowns worries about his younger coworkers who live check to check, saying,  In less than a week , the financial impact on employees is going to become very severe.

The Trump administration has made it clear from the beginning that they dont care about the concerns of ordinary working people, and his decision to shut down the government, impacting thousands of innocent people, without even bothering to understand the extent of the damage that would be done is just the most recent proof that this administration is bad for workers.

Toomey hasnt exactly been a profile in courage when it comes to President Trump. He famously declined to let Pennsylvania voters know whether he would vote for Trump in 2016 until one hour before the polls closed. He did, however, show some backbone earlier this year when the Trump administrations tariff policies started harming the wealthy corporate donors he holds so near and dear to his heart.

These hardworking families may not be able to cut large campaign checks, but they are his constituents as well, and they deserve his support.

The Republican Senate already passed a spending bill, by a veto-proof majority, in the last session. All they have to do is vote for that same bill and this artificial crisis, with all the unnecessary pain it has caused, will come to an end.

Toomey has the power to urge Mitch McConnell to pass this bill and stand up for Pennsylvania working families, many of whom voted for him. In other words, he just has to do his job.

State Sen. Jay Costa, of Allegheny County, is the Democratic floor leader in the Pennsylvania state Senate. Sen. Vincent Hughes, of Philadelphia, is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. They write from Harrisburg. Gabe Morgan is vice president of 32BJ SEIU. He writes from Philadelphia.By Thomas A. Firey

Facing invigorated Democratic opposition and falling poll numbers, President Donald Trump has launched a new P.R. campaign for his proposed continent-wide barrier along the Mexican border.

Its opening round came in last Tuesdays Oval Office address, during which the president acknowledged that America welcomes immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But, he argued, a 2,000-mile-long barrier is needed to obstruct dangerous criminals, terrorists, and illegal drugs, as well as to address the humanitarian crisis of migrating women and children falling prey to marauders and human traffickers.

President Trump may be motivated by public safety and humanitarian concerns, but the proposals his aides are crafting appear to have more nefarious intentions.

Consider the administrations push to end temporary work permits for H-4 visa holders. These people are spouses of H-1B visa holders, people with rare and valuable job skills.

Like their spouses, H-4 holders are vetted by U.S. authorities before they can enter the country. Also like their spouses, H-4 workers tend to be high-skilledoften in science, technology, engineering, medicine and financewhose labor expands the economy and creates jobs for Americans. Some H-4 holders are even small-business owners, employing thousands of Americans.

A forthcoming benefitcost analysis of the H-4 work permit program finds that ending it would result in a net loss of employment for Americans. It would also deprive local, state, and federal coffers of tax revenue and reduce U.S. economic output.

There is no national security or humanitarian justification for inflicting such hardships on the United States. Rather, there is the appearance that the Trump administration is willing to hurt Americans in order to inflict harm on legal, vetted, high-skilled immigrants.

Or consider the administrations push to cut legal immigration in half, as well as to end the visa lottery program for countries that have no specific quota levels.

Or the administrations sharp reduction in refugee immigration. Or its attacks on family visasderisively called chain migrationwhich rejects one of the strongest predictors of immigration success: the previous success of close relatives. In all these cases, federal authorities investigate the applicantsespecially refugeesfor public safety and national security risks, a process that has proven highly effective at preventing the entry of dangerous persons.

Again, there are no public safety or humanitarian justifications for these policies, just the appearance that the Trump administration wants to hurt immigrants.

Or consider the administrations push to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The program grants temporary legal status to young adults with no criminal record who were brought into the country illegally as children, through no fault of their own, and have now been educated and are ready to contribute to American society.

A recent benefitcost analysis finds that repealing DACA, instead of granting qualifiers legal status, would deprive federal coffers of over $100 billion in revenue over the next decade while having little effect on government spending over that time. The report notes that, without legal status, few of these young people would leave the country, but they would be less likely to pursue advanced job skills that contribute more to the U.S. economy.

They would instead remain in the legal shadows, undermining the very law and order the administration claims it wants to promote. Once again, there is no public safety or humanitarian justification for ending this program and hurting the economy, just the appearance that the Trump administration wants to harm immigrants.

These proposals make the Trump administration seem as if its driven by raw bigotry. But the president could dispel that appearance, demonstrate his sincerity about border security and the welfare of migrating women and children, and get the funding he wants for a border wall. All he would need to do is follow through on another of his promises from the 2016 campaign: include a door in that wall.

As he explained in a Republican candidate debate: Were going to have a big, fat beautiful door right in the middle of the wall. Were going to have people come in, but theyre coming in legally. Now, he could offer that door as a compromise in exchange for the $5.7 billion he wants in initial funding for a border wall.

Specifically, he could:

Renounce the effort to end the H-4 work permit program.

Double all immigration and refugee quotas, allowing lawful entry for applicants who have been investigated and approved by immigration authorities.

Dismiss administration aides who unjustifiably attacked the H-4 work permit program and pushed for cuts in legal immigration and refugee quotas, beginning with immigration czar Stephen Miller. These aides have repeatedly and counterproductively disgraced the administration and served President Trump poorly.

Offer a path to legal status for both DACA qualifiers and current illegal immigrants who have committed no violent or property offenses. The latter could be assessed a penalty for having violated immigration laws.

Increase appropriations for the U.S. immigration system so that applicants can be processed and investigated more quickly and accurately. This would reduce the need for migrant women and children to trek to the U.S. border for asylum.

To be clear, building the wall would still be bad policy. Despite its high priceexpect it to cost $45 billion to build, $2 billion a year to maintain, and billions more to staffit would have little effect on violent and property crime rates, terrorism, or the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

At best it would be a giant, costly symbol of foolish big government.

Still, this compromise would mute some of the strongest objections to Trumps wall and undermine the bargaining position of his critics.

This maneuver would befit a master negotiator. It would give the president exactly what he says he wants, in return for nothing other than what hes already said he wants to do.

Thomas A. Firey, of Harrisburg, is an occasional PennLIve Opinion contributor.By Paul Healey

The first day of school always stirs a sense of excitement and anticipation: we all kick off the new term with straight As, perfect attendance, and on that very first day, everyone is a friend. The first day is a moment of optimism, and it often defines the tone of the coming school year.

As Gov, Tom Wolf begins his second term leading Pennsylvania, a similar sense of optimism is alive in the Capitol on this first day.

Wolf is kicking off his final, four-year term fresh from a resounding affirmation that voters overwhelmingly support his agenda, and no legislative lines in the sand have yet to be drawn.

A clarion call for bold investment in Pennsylvanias public schools, coupled with the question of how to best direct that investment, was the centerpiece of the 2018 election.

The voters chose Wolf, who ran on his record of investing in education and restoring past cuts. His commitment was clear during last falls campaign: My administration is laser-focused on improving education at all levels and investing in our schools and our children is my top priority."

During its first term, the Wolf administration worked with the legislature to enact a groundbreaking school funding formula coupled with real investments in education from pre-kindergarten to college and career and technical education.

But we have so far to go before anyone declares a true public education victory in PA. There was a time when Pennsylvania was picking up 51% of the cost of educating its children.

Now the state shifts the cost to local school districts, and only pays for only 37% of educational coststhat is lower than all but three other states.

As a result, and despite modest education spending increases over the past four years, which in large part funded the critical and immutable cost of retirement paymentsmost schools struggle to provide students with what they need for a quality education. Many must hike property taxes to fill the hole left by the state.

According to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, 75 percent of school districts intend to raise taxes this year.

The anemic level of state support for our schools is also taking its toll on our students.

The William Penn School District, in Delaware County, has eliminated 57 teaching positions in recent years. Now 46 elementary school classrooms have more than 30 students. Some students have textbooks that are 20 years old and many classrooms lack educational equipment like projectors or white boards.

Bensalem School District endured several tax increases over the last decade and was still forced to make 34 staff cuts last school year. Rural Jersey Shore Area School District in central Pennsylvania is facing a million-dollar deficit in the upcoming school year even after furloughing a dozen teachers and cutting classroom programming this year.

Closer to home., the Carlisle Area School District, staring at an anticipated deficit next school year as high as $3 million, just announced a study that could result in cuts in teachers and other staff.

Wolf has said many times that underfunding our schools is a surefire strategy for expanding government and driving up costs to taxpayers.

Following his logic, when we fail our students we swell the numbers of adults unable to support themselves. An undereducated citizenry requires expensive government health and human service programs, and is ill-prepared make sound decisions that ensure they are not ensnared by the criminal justice system.

View the education system from a purely capitalistic standpoint, and the Commonwealth simply doesnt have enough skilled workers to meet employer demand.

Even the most ambitious workforce training strategy aimed at retraining all unemployed and underemployed adults in the Commonwealth cannot fill the gap. That is why any business person will tell you that the quality of public schools is an essential part of the equation when deciding to locate or relocate a business.

It is no secret that Pennsylvania has a shortage of skilled workers and that we are doing too little to address the problem. But the results of the 2018 election give us hope.

A large majority of Pennsylvanians agree that investing in education is a top priority. Last fall, Wolf won 800,000 more votes than his challenger, Republican Scott Wagner, capturing 57.7 percent of the vote. And, in struggling school districts across the state, people voted for the state house and senate candidates whom they believed would make the biggest impact on education.

Voters saw in Wolf a leader who would do right by kids and finally fund our schools. In large measure thats because he said, a strong public education system will expand economic opportunities and help keep, create, and attract good jobs in Pennsylvania. A good public education system is not just the right thing to do; it is what drives a healthy, vibrant economy  something thats good for all of us in Pennsylvania.

Thats why Wolf must carry the will of the voters with him today and in his first budget act on the will of the voters by proposing a bold increase to state spending for our schools.

Much like those memorable first days of school, today feels like a hopeful moment free of the stress of the work ahead, but piled high with expectationan expectation that promises will be delivered, and our leaders in Harrisburg will conjure the political will to fund a serious investment in public education that moves the dial for Pennsylvania.

Paul Healey is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Principals Association. He writes from East Pennsboro Twp.A Berks County woman left her newborn baby in an assisted-living facility restroom in Lancaster County on Monday and is now facing a felony child endangerment charge, according to officials.

The baby is on a ventilator in stable but critical condition, according to a release from the Lancaster District Attorneys office.

The baby boys mother, Emmanuella Osei, 23, was charged by the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police, after the baby was found at a group home Warwick Township, according to officials.

Osei worked as a care assistant at the group home on Parkside Lane, and was working Monday night, officials said. She called her supervisor multiple times asking for relief because she felt ill, and needed someone to stay with the patients.

She eventually called her supervisor from a toilet, and asked that the supervisor call 911. Osei never mentioned being pregnant before or during the calls, police said.

Officers responded to the bathroom and found Osei in the bathroom with the door partially open, with a large amount of blood and an umbilical cord on the floor. A corporal pulled Osei from the toilet and performed CPR on the infant, which the release said were probably life-saving efforts.

The baby was cold to the touch, blue, unresponsive and not breathing, first responders said. The child started breathing after the corporal performed CPR.

Osei made no attempts to assist or help the child, police said, and did not touch the child. She also did not ask first responders how the child was doing.

Police believe the child was in the water for about 10-15 minutes.

The quick thinking and actions of Corporal Ochs almost certainly saved this childs life, District Attorney Stedman said. This is a reminder of how much our men and women in uniform do for us.

Both Osei and the baby were transported to a hospital.

According to police, Osei came from Ghana to live with her uncle in Reading until May 2018. Her uncle told police that he questioned her about being pregnant, but she repeatedly denied it.

Police said Osei learned from medical professionals in Ghana that she was pregnant when she was about one month along, and went to the emergency room in Reading on Jan. 4. Osei went against medical advice that she be admitted, police said.

She has a second child, a 2-year-old daughter, that is still in Ghana, police said.

Osei did tell police she did not touch or attempt to remove the baby from the water on Monday night.

We still have a lot to investigate. This case is far from over, Stedman said. We will follow the facts and the law and, if warranted, file additional charges at the appropriate time.Once again, the states student financial aid agency conducted a national search for its next president and CEO and landed on someone already on its payroll.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency board of directors on Thursday named its interim CEO James Steeley to lead the 3,300-employee agency on a permanent basis.

Steeley, 40, of Lewisberry, is a certified public accountant who worked in the banking industry before coming to work for PHEAA in 2015 as its chief financial officer. He has been serving as its acting CEO since July.

He succeeds James Preston who retired after 11 years in that position but had been serving as an executive vice president at PHEAA for four years prior to assuming that post.

Steeley is the seventh person in the 56-year-old agencys history to head this agency. He will be paid $330,000 a year, which is one of the highest paid positions in all of Pennsylvanias state government.

In that role, he will be charged with running the agency that is a loan servicer for the federal student loan program and administrator of the state grant and other state-funded student financial aid programs.

PHEAA is at a critical stage right now as it struggles to improve its financial position to resume its role in supplementing the state funding for the student grant program as it has done most years over the past decade. Steeley has played an instrumental role in assisting with a transformation that includes launching a new student loan program this spring.

Steeley expressed his appreciation to the board for naming him to the permanent position. He said he was humbled by the boards confidence in him and added that confidence is a reflection of the team around him.

Ive really enjoyed my time at PHEAA. Its been really enjoyable managing the business and public service side and knowing that what we do on the business side ultimately benefits people and the commonwealth, he said after the meeting. Having come from the banking and for-profit sector, its really a nice change to have the work that you do make a difference in peoples lives and really matter.

Rep. Mike Peifer, R-Wayne County, who serves as board chairman, said he appreciates the job Steeley has done at the agency since he was first hired four years ago in bringing some fresh ideas to the table and helping to build up the balance sheet. He said that contributed to him rising above the other three candidates who were interviewed. Two of them were from outside of PHEAA and two, including Steeley, from within.

Honestly we found some really qualified people. We found some great people with some really great resumes for this specific type of entity, Peifer said.

PHEAA hired the Philadelphia search firm Robert Half to lead its nearly yearlong national search for a new CEO. That firm was paid $99,000 as its fee.

Sen. Robert Tommy Tomlinson, R-Bucks County, who served on the board committee in charge of conducting the search, echoed Peifers sentiments about the quality of candidates who applied. But he said they chose Steeley because of the vision that he has for this institution. We wish him well. We think were going to be very successful with Mr. Steeley as the permanent president and CEO.The day is coming when students enrolling in one of the states 14 public universities will be able to take any one of the more than 11,000 courses offered at any of the universities in the State System of Higher Education.

And that day is not too far off.

The systems board on Wednesday adopted a framework for reinventing itself to operate on a multi-university regional or statewide basis while preserving each of the 14 universities. It also affirmed a plan for next steps to begin to put its transformation into action on an aggressive time schedule especially for higher education where change generally comes at a slow pace.

Were on our way. Were out of the starting box, said system board Chairwoman Cynthia Shapira after all board members in attendance cast an affirmative vote to accept the framework and related actions.

While the systems redesign plan is complex and requires a willingness to change, system officials see it as not only a way to make the system sustainable to serve the commonwealth and its workforce needs going forward but also a way to expand opportunities for students.

These changes come not by choice but by necessity.

The financial health of its universities are declining as they struggle with competition for a shrinking pool of high school graduates, rising tuition that is driving away low- and middle-income class families, and state funding that hasnt kept up with its rising costs.

In his State of the System Address delivered prior to the board meeting following his inauguration, Chancellor Dan Greenstein said this deterioration within in the system occurred over years, maybe decades.

We are here today because at every level of our organization, weve not been able to align around a shared vision and to pursue it together," he said.

But that resistance to being what he called a sharing system or systemness stops with this board-accepted vision he crafted.

It grew out of a system self-study exercise that began before his arrival in 2016 but took flight from the moment he stepped into his job in September. He went on a systemwide tour listening to students, faculty, staff, business and community leaders and elected officials about what the system meant to them and how its could be challenges could be addressed.

While the redesign is complex, perhaps the most visible change that students and their families will see is the value added to a system education by opening up courses across campuses without morphing into one big university, Shapira said. She sees this as better positioning the system universities to compete with Penn State, Pitt and Temple.

In my mind, its not taking away from the identity of any university but its adding by saying the students, the faculty, all of our stakeholders will know that behind that individual university that you love and you are going to, you have the backup of the system, she said.

This move to open up all campuses' course offerings to all students could happen as soon as two years from now  and that prospect has students excited, said board member Rodney Kaplan Jr., a student at West Chester University.

Im optimistic, he said.

Greenstein, a former Gates Foundation postsecondary success strategy director, said the challenges the system faces are not unlike those that other public higher education institutions in this country are facing except they are concentrated in super high doses here in Pennsylvania. He is hoping his plan to overcome those challenges could serve as a national model of what 21st century higher education looks like.

His enthusiasm, energy, knowledge of higher education, and aspirational tone struck a chord with many in the audience of 120 who listened to his address.

HACC President John"Ski" Sygielski said he was impressed by Greensteins research-based approach to put together a plan for the system and is delighted that working more with community colleges fits into it.

Were looking forward to working with him because he understands where higher education is today and how it has to be transformed to meet the needs of the changing economy that were all existing and working in in Pennsylvania, Sygielski said.

Tom Foley, president of the statewide association of independent and private colleges, said what Greenstein had to say in his 21-minute speech was a lot to digest but he sensed the new chancellor wants the best for students, higher education, and the commonwealth.

So anything Dan is able to accomplish to improve that system and make it more responsive, were all in favor of, Foley said.

Former system board chairman and Kutztown University trustee Guido Pichini sounded at least a tad nervous about the changes that the Greenstein era will introduce into the 36-year-old system.

I hear a lot of what hes saying. Hopefully were going in the right direction, he said.

In faculty union president Ken Mashs eyes, the chancellor is off to a good start. He is including the faculty in his discussions about moving the system forward and shown he has a collaborative style, grasp of the issues, willingness to listen and alter his views, and take criticism. He said Greenstein will appear for a second time before a gathering in February of union leaders from across the system to defend his redesign plan and listen to concerns about it.

Thats a sign of a good leader, Mash said.

The State System educates nearly 100,000 students and includes Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities.PHILADELPHIA (AP)  Jurors in Philadelphia have convicted a man in the murder of a 22-year-old Temple University student.

The panel convicted 30-year-old Joshua Hupperterz on Thursday of first-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime in the death of Jenna Burleigh. He earlier pleaded guilty to evidence-tampering and abuse of a corpse.

Prosecutors said Hupperterz killed Burleigh in his Philadelphia apartment in August 2017, moved her body to his mothers suburban home in a plastic storage container, and later used a Lyft vehicle to transport the remains to his grandmothers home in the Poconos, where they were found.

Defense attorney David Nenner suggested another man was responsible. But prosecutors said DNA evidence and the defendants actions following the slaying pointed to him as the killer.Officials with Harrisburg School District have decided to postpone the emergency parent, family and community meeting due to the predicted inclement weather.

The meeting was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Harrisburg High School, John Harris Campus.

The meeting is expected to be rescheduled for sometime in the near future, according to an email from district spokeswomen Kirsten Keys.

A storm is expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of snow to central Pennsylvania Thursday night ahead of an even stronger storm expected to impact the region this weekend.

The meeting was scheduled in the wake of a recent fight on the high schools campus. One student was arrested and charged Monday with aggravated assault on a police officer after a brawl broke out.

District security guards responded to the fight that erupted in the cafeteria, but three other police agencies also had to respond to help alleviate tensions. Harrisburg police reported they had to use pepper spray during the altercation in order to control the situation.A Harrisburg man faces more than a dozen felony charges after police said he used a cellphone to call in bomb threats to an area high school, as well as a number of fast food restaurants.

Todd P. Davenport Jr., 37, of Swatara Street is accused of targeting Steelton-Highspire High School with one of his calls, according to charging documents filed by Lower Paxton Township police.

According to police, Davenport began making threats Aug. 27 at a Wendys restaurant on the 5100 block of Jonestown road.

Davenport is accused calling the store and saying, there is a bomb threat at your store, police said.

Police searched the restaurant property and found no bombs, according to the charging documents.

The Wendys restaurant was the target of multiple bomb threats called in by Davenport over the next few months, police said.

Arbys and McDonalds restaurants also received threats issued by Davenport, police said, revealing that the threats were made over a period of time from August to October.

A threat also was called into Steelton-Highspire High School on Sept. 26, police said. An investigation showed that the school threat was made from the same phone that was used to call the fast food restaurants, police said.

In addition to the bomb threats, the phone number was used to report a number of incidents on the 1500 block of Swatara Street, police said.

Police said they were able to use that number to identify Davenport.

Online court documents show that Davenport faces nine felony counts of making terroristic threats that caused the evacuation of a building and nine felony counts of making bomb threats. He also faces more than two dozen misdemeanor charges.

Davenport was arraigned Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge Joseph S. Lindsey, and he is to appear for a preliminary hearing at 3:15 p.m. Jan. 30.

According to online court documents, Davenport remains incarcerated in Dauphin County Prison unable to post $100,000 cash bail.Firefighters were called Thursday morning to a reported fire at Gettysburg Hospital, according to multiple news reports.

According to Hanovers Evening Sun more than 25 units were called to the hospital in Adams County, where smoke and fire were reported.

The fire on the 100 block of Gettys Street was contained, according to a separate report from ABC27.

The news station reported that patients were evacuated from the affected part of the hospital and medical practices on the buildings ground floor were suspended.

According to the news site, firefighters were breaking through walls to seek a source of smoke.

No other details were immediately available.

However, many others posted about the incident on social media.

Over 30 units are still on the scene of a reported commercial fire at WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital, according to Adams County 911. Hospital information officials will be giving a statement soon - live video will be on our Facebook here: https://t.co/IZ2VSffH0H pic.twitter.com/9fgW0USFY9  Dan Rainville (@D_Rainville) January 17, 2019

Heres a list of the responding agencies to the small fire at WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital. pic.twitter.com/cTLwDhMbHQ  Vanessa Pellechio (@VPellechio) January 17, 2019A fatal crash is reported on Interstate 83 in Cumberland County.

Trooper Brent Miller said in an email that the fatal crash happened in the southbound lanes at mile marker 40.4 in Lower Allen Township. A car was reported to be under a tractor trailer, and Miller said state police was contacted at 8:18 a.m.

One fatality has been confirmed, Miller said.

Another multiple-vehicle crash is reported in the northbound lanes at Exit 40A (LIMEKILN ROAD), according to 511PA.com.

There is a lane restriction in the southbound lanes, and a shoulder closed in the northbound lanes.

Heavy and stop-and-go traffic is reported in both lanes of travel.

Another crash is reported at the offramp to I-83 southbound to Simpson Ferry / Carlisle roads. That ramp is closed as a result, 511PA.com reports.

PSP Harrisburg:

Fatal Crash investigation involving a sedan & tractor trailer. One confirmed fatality.



Please avoid the area! https://t.co/gUk8qQZKFl  Trooper Brent Miller (@PSPTroopHPIO) January 17, 2019

Multi vehicle crash on I-83 southbound at Exit 40B - New Cumberland. There is a lane restriction.  511PA Harrisburg (@511PAHarrisburg) January 17, 2019

UPDATE: Multi vehicle crash on I-83 northbound at Exit: LIMEKILN RD { # 40A }. There is a shoulder closed.  511PA Harrisburg (@511PAHarrisburg) January 17, 2019UPDATE: Amber Alert cancelled after missing Pa. teen found safe

Pennsylvania State Police issued an Amber Alert for an Allegheny County teen, who was reportedly abducted by an armed 19-year-old man.

The Penn Hills Police Department is looking for Marani Aquil, described at five foot four inches, 140 pounds with long black hair and blonde highlights. She was last seen wearing a grey, long-sleeved shirt, light blue denim jeans and tan boots.

Police said she was last seen around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, on Glenbrook Drive in Penn Hills.

The suspect is Jermaine Laquay Rodgers, described as five foot eight inches, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He may be driving an older red sedan, police said. Police believe he is armed.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 911 or the Allegheny County Dispatch at 412-472-3705.A Lancaster County prisoner now faces a new charge after police said he was arrested late last week, months after he fled a community service work detail.

Matthew J. Crossley, 36, of Grantville faces a misdemeanor charge of escape, following his Saturday arrest by Manheim Township Police. His arrest, police said, followed a traffic stop.

Crossley was previously incarcerated in Lancaster Prison after being convicted of theft by unlawful taking and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, police said.

On Sept. 17, police were called to the prison and told that Crossley had escaped, failing to return after he was let out on a community service detail.

Authorities were unable to locate Crossley before his Saturday arrest, police said.

Crossley was arraigned on a new escape charge Sunday, and he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 25 before Magisterial District Judge Rodney H. Hartman, according to online court documents.Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has taken the unprecedented step of un-inviting the president from delivering the State of the Union to Congress. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Pelosi said the ongoing shutdown had left many government security officials furloughed and unable to adequately prepare security measures for the event. Not allowing the president to speak directly to the American people for an hour would also be politically advantageous for the Democrats. What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

The Washington Post reports in her letter to the White House, Pelosi urged the president to pick a different date to deliver the State of the Union.

The Speaker of the House typically invites the president to deliver the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress. However, that has not always been the case. For 112 years, between the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, the president submitted the State of the Union in writing. Wilson restarted the tradition of delivering the address to Congress.

When asked whether she had un-invited the president as punishment for his intransigence during the shutdown, Pelosi maintained the decision was based only on security concerns, saying the decision was a "housekeeping matter... honor the responsibility of the invitation we extended to the president. He can make it from the Oval Office if he wants."



Politico reports Pelosi's decision had support from fellow Democrats.

While the Speaker said her decision was based only on logistics, there are clear political benefits to postponing the event until the end of the shutdown. Per The New York Times:

Politico reports some Democrats have been concerned about the unfettered access the State of the Union would provide the president.

Some may wonder whether these political concerns justify delaying or canceling one of the most important political events of the year.

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.Those looking to drown their sorrows as they face another day without pay can turn to a Pennsylvania craft beer.

St. Boniface Craft Brewing Co. in Ephrata, Lancaster County, will release Surprise! Its Another IPA  Government Shutdown Double IPA at a special release party at 4 p.m. today, Jan. 17 at the brewery.

During the event the first pint is on the house if youre a furloughed government employee with a government issued identification.

I think a lot of people think the name is tongue and cheek and its a little funny. Its a non-partisan beer release. We are not blaming any sides or anything like that. We want people to be able to drink beer, said Dain Shirey, co-owner of St. Boniface.

In the wake of the government shutdown, new breweries cant open and brewers across the nation face delays receiving approval for new beers and labels. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is not open, cramping the production schedule of breweries that rely on a constant variety of new beers.

Shirey said St. Boniface already has approval for Surprise! Its Another IPA, a series of beers it has made into a regular rotation. It was going to release the Government Shutdown beer, made with 9.3 percent alcohol and is dry-hopped with dry hopped with Ella and El Dorado hops, at a later date under a different name.

But the partial shutdown fast-tracked the release and inspired the name. The beer is packaged under the Surprise! Its Another IPA label series  in this case a clown  and reflects recipe tweaks.

Because of the idea we were going to name its something else, thats kind of why we went with the direction of government shutdown, Shirey said.

The beer will be on tap at the brewery and sold in cans as well as distributed throughout central Pennsylvania at beer distributors, restaurants and pubs.

The brewery opened eight years ago and is also owned by Michael Price and Jon Northup.Police in western Pa. say they have identified two suspects in what they are calling a sophisticated, multi-state scheme to steal thousands of dollars in Apple iPhones and iWatches from Walmart stores from New Jersey to Pittsburgh.

TribLive reports a pair of men from Philadelphia are accused of nearly $41,000 worth of cellphones last month from the Walmart store in Frazer Township, Allegheny County, police say. And the same pair are suspected in similar thefts in at least two other states.

Frazer Township Police Chief Terry Kuhns called the pairs tactics in stealing the iPhones using suitcases sophisticated and organized.

Surveillance footage from the Dec. 18 incident at the Walmart in Frazer revealed their methods:

The store video showed the men going to the electronics section after entering the store around 2:30 a.m. They waited for an employee to walk away and then dragged two suitcases over to an iPhone display case, pried the case open and filled the suitcases with merchandise. They ran when an employee confronted them and left the store in two vehicles, TribLive writes, citing court documents.

The men made off with a suitcase containing 47 iPhones, the complaint said. They left behind another suitcase containing up to 20 Apple watches.

The suspects are identified as James J. Jordan, 42, and Jahmir Andre Mitchell, 19, both from Philly. They remain at large, but face felony charges of participating in a corrupt organization, receiving stolen property and retail theft and a misdemeanor conspiracy charge.

They remain at large.

The same pair are being considered suspects in similar theft in November at a Walmart in South Strabane, Washington County. In that case, multiple suspects used suitcases to steal at least $25,000 worth of iPads, TribLive writes, adding:

The criminal complaint said Mitchell and Jordan also are suspected of stealing $15,000 worth of iPhones or Apple products from a Walmart in North Brunswick, N.J., in October.

Chief Kuhns told TribLive iPhones stolen in bulk are often shipped overseas to be sold.

Theyre getting huge profits from selling the stolen cellphones overseas, Kuhns told the website.A now-fired Philadelphia police officer is on a fast track to jail for killing a man while drag racing with another officer two years ago.

The Associated Press reports the former Philly cop, Adam Soto, has been ordered to serve 3 to 12 months in county jail for the death of pedestrian Daniel Dimitri, 50.

Soto was speeding near a high school when he hit the 50-year-old while drag racing Jan. 31, 2017.

Soto was fired from the force shortly thereafter. And in October, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of homicide by vehicle and a misdemeanor charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The judge in the case has ordered Soto to turn himself in on Feb. 8 to begin serving his sentence.

However, Soto has been granted work release to be able to provide for his wife and 2-month-old child, meaning he can leave jail to go back and forth to work.

There was no word on his current employment.I continue with my quick response to a reader of my blog who was not at all pleased with my assertion that, although we have different views about him, Muslims and Christians (including Latter-day Saints)  and, for that matter, Jews  worship the same God.

He points to what he sees as a fundamental moral difference between us as proof that we worship distinct divine beings.

The Israeli Jews, he says, are constantly battling for their very existence against the MUSLIM Palestinians and the MUSLIM Iranians, among others.

The words among others are important and should not be passed over lightly. Why? Because the Arab/Israeli conflict has never been principally about religion and, even now, despite the rise of Hamas and Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Republic of Iran, is arguably not primarily about religion. Its certainly not solely about Islam.

Some examples to illustrate my point: George Habash (1926-2008), the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, wasnt a Muslim. He was a Palestinian Christian. So is Ghazi Hanania, who is a member of Fatah and of the Palestinian Legislative Council. So is Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian legislator, activist, scholar, and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Palestinian National Council, whom some at least will recall as the official spokesperson for the Palestinian delegation to the Middle East peace process.

A sizeable percentage of the Palestinian Arab Community, both in Palestine itself and scattered in its diaspora, is Christian, not Muslim, and its not at all obvious to me that their attitudes toward Israel are significantly different than those of their Muslim compatriots.

Speaking of the Israelis, my blog commenter declares that The violence that they commit against their foes is in self defense, not a result of religious bias against Muslims because they medically treat their wounded enemies as well as their own wounded.

Now, I am by no means an enemy of Israel  although Im also not an uncritical supporter  and I recognize many good things in Israel, Israeli culture, and Israeli society. But I object very much to the notion that the Arab/Israeli conflict is a battle between (good) Judaism and (evil) Islam. Instead, it has its roots in a classic clash of rival nationalisms contending over the same geographical territory. As Ive observed, a not insignificant element in the Palestinian population is Christian. Moreover, a very substantial proportion of Israeli society is quite secular.

The big difference between Jews and Muslims as I see it, says my correspondent, is their fruit. Jews dont threaten the existence of Muslims, but many if not most Muslims clearly want Israeli Jews driven into the Mediterranean.

Again, though, its not at all obvious that the principal factor in this conflict is religious. On either side.

But now my interlocutor moves on to what he calls ISIS and Al Qaeda types. They think they are doing Allah a favor, he says, when they kill infidels just for being infidels.'

Sadly, this is true. But are ISIS and al-Qaida representative of Muslims worldwide?

No. Theyre not:

Why are there so few Muslim terrorists?

Still, speaking of Muslims, my correspondent asks, If they dont [worship Satan], why is there so much murder, violence, mayhem, poverty, and dissatisfaction in Muslim nations?

Well, as the link above suggests, there isnt all that much murder and violence in Muslim states. Is there poverty? Yes. But theres also poverty in non-Muslim states like Paraguay, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Brazil. Do we really want to say that these peoples are all poor because theyre Satan worshipers? Really?

Moreover, is it actually true that Islamist violence is primarily driven by religion or religious zeal?

Not obviously so, no:

Is Islam a primary cause of international violence?

Is suicide bombing in the Middle East really motivated by religion?

Heres an interesting point that my correspondent makes: I dont have to remind you that the only perfect person borne [sic] to this earth was a Jew.

However, Im not exactly sure what conclusion Im intended to draw from this statement. I think it may have been intended to demonstrate that, as a general class, Jews are morally superior to Arabs and Muslims. But does it show anything remotely like that? Does it prove that, say, the Dutch and the Chinese and the Bolivians fare better, when compared to Jesus? Not that I can see. Does it show that Jews, as a general class, are closer to Jesus on the perfection scale than others? Honestly, I cant see that, either. Are Judas, Caiphas, and Annas particularly exemplary or admirable, morally speaking? All of humanity, as I understand Christian doctrine, are imperfect. All of us.

Jews, observes my correspondent, have won Nobel prizes in many academic areas in numbers far out of proportion to their representation in the world population.

This is absolutely true, and quite remarkable. But how it proves Islam evil or demonstrates that Christians and Muslims worship different Gods eludes me.

He also attempts to use Latter-day Saint history to judge modern-day policy questions regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, declaring that Orson Hydes prayer on the Mount of Olives in 1841 could hardly be said to comport with what is known as a two-state solution.

For the life of me, though, I cant see that his prayer has much to say on the question one way or the other.

For the background of the prayer, see this Ensign article by David B. Galbraith (Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem) who was, for many years, the leader of BYUs study programs in Jerusalem and the leader of the Church there:

Orson Hydes 1841 Mission to the Holy Land

This passage in Professor Galbraiths article  he eventually joined the Department of Political Science at Brigham Young University  is of special note here:

Some of our Arab/Palestinian friends express concern about Elder Hydes prayer because they feel anything that favors the Jews must oppose them. On the other hand, some of our Jewish friends have a tendency to interpret the prayer as conferring political support for their cause. Even members of the Church are sometimes confused as to how the prayer is to be understood.

The scriptures and the modern prophets clearly teach that all father Abrahams children have a place in the Lords plan, and our Arab/Palestinian friends are a part of this group. Latter-day Saints need to be more sensitive to the hurt, disappointment, and even anger created among our Arab/Palestinian friends when we blindly attribute divine approbation to all that takes place in that part of the world we call the Holy Land.

Finally, my reader announces, Islam destroys agency. Mormonism reveres it.

I certainly agree that the Gospel as taught in the Restoration puts a high premium on human agency. But its a vast oversimplification to summarize all of Islamic history for the past millennium and a half, from Andalusia to Indonesia, from Nigeria and Ghana to Malaysia, and from Kenya to Turkmenistan, as characterized by the destruction of agency. And is the contrast of the Islamic world on this matter really so stark with Christendom under, say, the Hapsburgs, the Medicis, the Borgias, the Spanish Inquisition, the Albigensian Crusade, the Spanish conquest of the New World, and the like? Of course, maybe all those folks were Satan worshipers, too.While most headlines yesterday emphasized some slowdown in hiring, Apple's CEO made it clear that it wasn't across the board and it wasn't the solution to their missed quarter. Teams key to the company like Artificial Intelligence and original video content would continue hiring at a strong pace.

Yesterday we learned that Apple hired Jason Katims Creator of 'Saturday Night Lights', 'Boston Public' and the original 'Roswell' series - that didn't ridiculously add gay characters into the story line as the new series does.

Hiring Katims away from Universal TV I'm sure cost the company a pretty penny, but Apple wants top talent for their content division.

The disclosures were made the day after Cook released a preannoucement that the company would miss their guidance for the current quarter with a revenue drop between $5 to $9 billion.

According to Bloomberg sources, some of Apple SVP's "held separate meetings with vice presidents, senior directors and other managers in their groups to emphasize that the iPhone sales slowdown is an opportunity for new innovation." That's what Apple fans and shareholders want to hear.

In a memo to employees after the announcement, Cook told staff that he wouldnt use "external forces" as an excuse. "This moment gives us an opportunity to learn and to take action," he added. Read the full Bloomberg report here.Rumor has it that Apple is near a deal for a 10 part science fiction series that titleless at the moment. The series was created and co-written by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. Kinberg has been the creative backbone of the X-Men franchise at Fox, and Amazon is casting up the Weil-created series The Hunt, with Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directing, and Al Pacino and Logan Lerman starring in a fact-based drama about Nazi hunters.

In other news, there's also rumbling in Hollywood that surfaced yesterday that JJ Abrams 'Bad Robot' production company has Universal, Disney and Warner Brothers are attempting to lure the creative house to move away from Paramount.

Although it's a shot in the dark, Deadline puts Apple in the race. The report noted that "Apple is also an intriguing alternative, as the cash-rich company looks to make Abrams a fulcrum for its own creative content ambitions in Hollywood."

Source: Deadline, Deadline 2

Archive: Apple Worldwide Video NewsWe told you Wednesday about House Leader Nancy Pelosis call to delay the State of the Union until the government shutdown ends, thereby effectively depriving President Trump of the media oxygen he so desperately craves. It was a good movepointed, a little bit funny, and without just enough cheek to really enrage Trumpand there was no way he was going to let it go unanswered.

That answer came on Thursday, in a letter from Trump to Pelosi denying her the use of military transport for an upcoming trip to Afghanistan. It is truly a masterpiece of catty snark:

He begins:

Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.

A soft enough beginning, but the snippy tone is about to hit hard:

In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security Movement to end the Shutdown.

Ooooh, this public relations event. Hes basically calling her a media glory boyquite rich coming from Trumpand asserting his authority for all the world to see. A total power play.

Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.

If you want to take one of those heroin transport propeller planes into a dangerous war zone, have at it!

I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous southern border finally receive the attention, funding and security it so desperately deserves!

A few lies there: A, he doesnt look forward to seeing her, B, the southern border is neither open nor dangerous, and C, he cant be looking forward to getting what he wants since theyre never going to give him the wall. But hey, at least we got this petty letter.If for some strange reason you didn't already know how much the liberal media hates President Trump, you found out last week.

The Trump Hate Machine got revved up even before the president gave his national prime-time address about what he called "the growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border."

Some of the country's most desperate liberals in the media actually argued that the president's televised pitch to the country for congressional funding for a stronger border fence should not be carried live by the networks.

Why? Because they said the president lies too much and they wanted to be able to fact-check his speech beforehand.

Of course, no one in the liberal media would have ever dreamed of showing such disrespect  and obvious bias  for one of Barack Obama's nationally televised pontifications.

Obama's lies and false promises about the benefits of ObamaCare, like his misleading spinning about his administration's fiascoes in the Middle East, were not checked, challenged or ridiculed immediately afterward by the pundits, commentators or biased fact-checkers of the Washington Post, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, NPR, etc., etc., et liberal cetera.

In his tweets and at his press conferences does our current president embellish, exaggerate or stretch the facts to serve his political arguments or boost his record?

Of course he does.

Is he the first president in the history of America to do so?

Of course not.

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It doesn't make it OK for any president of any party to lie to the public or deliberately over-promise things to win political support, and if they do they should be called out on it by a fair, balanced and honest media.

But wouldn't it be nice if our liberal media spent a little time fact-checking the Chuck Schumers and Nancy Pelosis of the world?

The least they could do is find 30 seconds of airtime to show some pre-Trump Era video clips of "see-no-crisis-at-the-border" Democrats like Schumer, Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton warning Americans about the dangers of illegal immigrants and calling for stronger border security.

We know the liberal mainstream media doesn't play fair, it plays favorites. It'll never seek out and publicize the flip-flops or hypocrisies of the Schumers and Pelosis.

But you can always count on the liberal media to over-publicize the supposedly terrible suffering caused by a partial government shutdown, which they have been busy doing.

So here were are with the president in a political stalemate.

Democrats in Congress led by Schumer and Pelosi don't want a stronger border fence (now that Trump is for it) and refuse to give the president a dollar to fund it.

They and other Democrats in Congress and the media don't think caravans of illegal immigrants trying to crash our border with Mexico qualify as a national emergency, which Trump says he has the power to declare to get his fence built if Democrats won't compromise.

As I see it, President Trump has no choice but to hold firm. I think he should hold firm and I think he will.

What worries me are the Republicans in Congress. I'm afraid they're going to cave.

If enough of them join with Schumer and Pelosi and the Democrats, our border security will be in the hands of newly elected crazies like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who think America should put out the welfare welcome mat for anyone who can get here.

If that happens, the rest of America will know what it's like to live in California.

Send comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1Almost as an afterthought near the end of his nationally televised address on what he calls the border crisis, President Donald Trump remembered his black and Hispanic constituents and whats good for us  as he sees it.

(A)ll Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages, he said from behind his Oval Office desk. Among those hardest hit are African-Americans and Hispanic Americans.

As an African-American who cares about closing income gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged groups, I appreciated the shoutout, even if it seemed to contradict his usual sunny boasts about black and Hispanic employment climbing to record highs under his watch.

History shows the public tends to turn against immigrants at times of high unemployment, quite the opposite of the currently vigorous national employment rates.

Presidents have a right to toot their own horns during good economic times because, heaven knows, theyll get the blame when things turn sour.

In that spirit, its only fair to mention that the upward trajectory of black, Hispanic and every other groups employment rates has continued a climb that began under President Barack Obama, six years before Trump took office.

With that in mind, Trumps highlighting unemployed black and Hispanic workers as victims of illegal immigration unfortunately suggests a new version of an old sneaky divide-and-conquer political tactic: Turn one disadvantaged group against another through half-truths and stereotypes.

While there is little argument that a growing percentage of low-skilled immigrants undercuts the job supply and pay for low-skilled Americans, some researchers also have found that an increase in the labor supply through immigration often generates more jobs in the long run.

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A 2016 University of Pennsylvania study, for example, found more jobs generated in home construction and food production. As Treva Lindsey, an Ohio State associate professor in womens gender and sexuality studies, told The Washington Post, Simply put, more demand for goods and services means greater demand for those providing those goods and services.

Yet, the health of that job-creating engine is hardly helped by the fact that 800,000 government workers paychecks are held up by the partial government shutdown, which was triggered by deadlocked negotiations over the presidents proposed border wall  or, as he put it on Christmas Day, a wall, a fence or whatever theyd like to call it.

Whatever. Trumps insistence on a barrier in his pitch to racial and ethnic minorities sounds better suited to 1919 than 2019. During the Industrial Age, black leaders such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey occasionally spoke out against immigration, mainly against the preference by too many industrialists for immigrant labor instead of training and employing native-born black Americans.

In war and peace, blacks often were the last hired, first fired, as an old saying of the civil rights movement goes, unable to enjoy the benefits of long-term employment except as a last resort.

As opportunities in employment, job training and union membership opened up nationwide, particularly in the civil rights revolution of the 1960s, black leaders found it made more sense to ally with other ethnic groups to try to expand opportunities for everyone. Black Americans did not invent what is often called identity politics today. They only found ways to turn it into a tailwind for progress instead of a headwind against their aspirations.

You can see the impact of that shift in polls such as one taken by Lake Research Partners in 2013, which found that 66 percent of African-Americans favored a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, including the undocumented, quite the opposite of Trumps hard-line, build-that-wall approach.

And need I mention that black and Hispanic voters overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton over Trump  89 percent of black voters and 66 percent of Hispanic voters  and his message to African-Americans of What have you got to lose? As we have seen under Trumps divisive policies, they could lose a sense of unity as Americans around a commonly shared American dream of opportunity.

If anything, most voters  minority and otherwise  want to see some sort of comprehensive immigration reform that improves border security and also resolves the unsettled status of law-abiding immigrants who already are here with some sort of pathway to legalization  beginning with the Dreamers who were brought here without documents as children.

Thats the real issue behind the current border wall standoff. President Trump has shown himself to be tone-deaf or sadly indifferent to the need for compromise and consensus in our very diverse country on those broader issues. He apparently prefers to win by division more than addition.

Contact Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0BLOOMINGTON  A scientist speaking Wednesday at Illinois Wesleyan University used Pascal's Wager to explain one reason why action is needed on climate change.

Philosopher Blaise Pascal argued in the 17th century that it was safer to bet that God exists and live your life accordingly.

If you were wrong, you would suffer little harm. But if you made the opposite wager  that God didn't exist  and were wrong, you faced the risk of eternal damnation.

Likewise, Harvard University professor Naomi Oreskes said, if we reject the idea that climate change is occurring, the consequences are likely to be dire. But, she said, if we accept it is occurring and take steps to improve our environment, even if climate change isn't happening, the worst that happens is, we will have created a better world for nothing.

Inaction will lead to more unnatural disasters caused by or intensified by climate change, like recent wildfires in California and Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, she said.

There's a difference between genuine uncertainty about a scientific question and exaggerated, overblown or politically driven uncertainty, said Oreskes, speaking at IWU's annual Founders' Day Convocation.

Not long ago, people believed wholeheartedly in science, she said. We now live in a world where many people doubt scientists, a world of fake news, 'truthiness' and alternative facts.

Oreskes is a professor of the history of science and affiliated professor of earth and planetary science. Her books include one co-authored with Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco to Global Warming.

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During a question-and-answer session with students at a lunch that followed her talk, Oreskes pointed to changes in attitudes and policies related to tobacco as an example of how to overcome deliberate misinformation.

First came scientific evidence of the harm caused by tobacco, both directly to users and to others exposed to it. Next came leadership from individuals such as the surgeon general. That was followed by grass-roots action, such as local governments and states banning smoking in public.

The final step was litigation, with the U.S. Department of Justice successfully suing several major tobacco companies for fraudulently covering up the health risks of smoking and addictive nature of nicotine.

Science along cannot solve our problems, said Orestes.

She favors litigation as one tool and said, There's a lot that can be done through grassroots organizations.

Orestes said it's also important to consider the social dimension of climate change and how actions, such as a carbon tax, can impact individuals.

Although there are many different approaches to science, she said, it all comes down to evidence and all of the diverse experts who have considered available evidence and reached a consensus.

Photos: IWU Founders' Day Convocation

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.NORMAL  Farm Service Agency offices in Normal, Decatur and Clinton will not be among those reopening on a temporary basis to assist farmers during the government shutdown. But several others in the region will reopen, starting next week.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that 983 of the 2,124 FSA offices will be open on Thursday, Friday and Tuesday during normal business hours, to assist farmers with existing farm loans and to ensure the agency provides 1099 tax documents to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Services deadline.

Offices at the Lincoln Service Center at 16550 5th Street Road in Lincoln; the Pontiac Service Center at 1510 West Reynolds St., Pontiac; the Shelbyville Service Center at 111 North Cedar St, Shelbyville; and the Champaign Service Center at 2110 West Park Ct., Champaign, will be open.

All will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King federal holiday.

Residents of any county can visit or call any of the open offices for assistance.

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"It comes at a very good time when farmers were worried about their FSA loans and a lot of other matters they take care of during the winter," said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation with the Bloomington-based Illinois Farm Bureau. "I was happy to hear the news because we have been getting questions from farmers about their loans or the status of the grain that is being held for collateral, or worried about penalties or something."

Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on Americas agricultural producers, Perdue said in a statement released Wednesday. We are bringing back part of our FSA team to help producers with existing farm loans. Meanwhile, we continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services to our customers to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown.

Staff members will be available to help producers with specific services, including processing payments made on or before Dec. 31, continuing expiring financing statements, and opening mail to identify priority items.

Additionally, staff may release proceeds from the sale of loan security by signing checks jointly payable to FSA that are brought to the county office by farmers.

Services that will not be available include new direct or facility loans, new farm loan guarantees, new marketing assistance loans, new applications for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), certification of 2018 production for MFP payments, the Dairy Margin Protection Program, and several disaster assistance programs.

Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow

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The business news you need With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Midland County will be spared a direct hit from Saturday's snowstorm but will be part of the bitter cold expected to arrive Sunday.

"Midland County will avoid the brunt of the storm," said Dave Kook, a meteorologist with The National Weather Service in Detroit.

Midlanders should expect up to an inch of snow Saturday morning into the afternoon, he said.

Areas south of Midland will be the snowiest, with Detroit expecting about 3 to 5 inches, and heavier amounts at the Michigan/Ohio border and farther into Ohio.

Kook said the storm duration is a long one, from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday.

Motorists traveling downstate Saturday should expect poor road conditions.

"The challenging part for road crews will be temperatures with the highs in the low to mid 20s," he said. "When you start getting down to that temperature range, salt is less effective and untreated roads will be slick and possibly snow covered. Even roads treated with salt will be pretty messy due to low temperatures."

A cold front dropping south through Michigan Saturday night will push overnight lows to 5 to 7 degrees in Midland County, he said. Wind chills will be an issue this weekend, with Sunday night being the coldest at about minus 10, Kook said.

Highs on Sunday will only be about 10 degrees, with 10 to 20 mph winds, with gusts up to 25, he said.

"The coldest temperatures will hold through Monday and be back up around close to normal in the mid 20s to 30 degrees through the end of forecast, which is Thursday," he said.

Kook said the next storm system that might impact Midland is expected Tuesday or Tuesday night. He said it's too early to tell where the storm will track.(Craig McDonald was born and raised in Midland by his parents, Bev and Ron McDonald. He grew up in the security of a loving extended family consisting of his maternal grandparents, Ed and Dorothy Flore, and his paternal grandparent, Don and Edith McDonald. He has two older brothers Jeffrey and Brian. In 1983, he began working for Vada Bennett Dow and Alden Dow at the Dow home and architectural studio. Alden Dow passed away in 1983. Vada Bennett passed away in 1991. His story continues.)

Craig began working for Alden and Vada Dow when he was in the 10th grade. "I took care of the cars, the trash in the architectural firm and did odd jobs around their home and studio," Craig said. It was the beginning of a career that has ended with Craig being director of the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio and director of the Alden and Vada Dow Family Foundation.

Vada Dow didn't drive so Craig drove her to her hairdresser appointments, to events like the symphonies at the Midland Center for the Arts and to her cottage on Higgins Lake. "She opened my whole world up," he said.

Highly inquisitive and interested in the history of Alden Dow's architectural homes in Midland, Craig found himself asking Vada Dow about the people and the homes he designed for them. "She would then tell me about the people that commissioned Mr. Dow to design their home," Craig said. "Many became lifelong friends."

He heard how Alden's brother Willard and his wife Martha died in a plane crash on their way to MIT where Winston Churchill was to present an award to Willard Dow for what The Dow Chemical Co. had done for the war effort in World War II.

To the young teenager, Vada Dow was immensely kind and always focused on other people.

Craig found that working for the Alden Dow family reminded him of how his grandfather Ed Flore had always put other people first. The Alden Dow family focused on helping people and improving the quality of their life whenever possible. "They taught their children by example to be engaged, proactive citizens," Craig said. "They were incredibly kind humans who worked tirelessly for the community in which they lived."

Besides working for Vada Dow, Craig also worked as a co-op in the construction department of Alden Dow's architectural firm.

After Alden Dow's death in 1983, Craig continued working for Vada Dow. He attended Delta College for two years and then entered Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He continued working for her during summer breaks and Christmas vacations.

In 1990, Craig graduated from Western Michigan, returning to Midland to assist with the formation of the Alden B. Dow Archives. Vada Dow and her children wanted to preserve the architectural legacy that Alden B. Dow had created in Midland and throughout the state of Michigan. Carol Coppage was hired as part-time director and Craig was hired as a full-time assistant director.

"Mrs. Dow and her three children (Michael, Mary Lloyd and Barbara) had conceptualized how they wanted the preservation and sharing of Alden B. Dow's legacy," Craig said. "Mrs. Dow said that she would save the house and everything in it but she didn't know exactly what she meant by that. She said to him, 'But I think you will figure it out.'"

And he did. He worked on accessioning drawings and other items accumulated by Alden Dow. He cleaned and identified photos. Craig worked side by side with Vada Dow as they began forming the legacy of Alden B. Dow. She told stories about her husband's extensive career and their lives together. After they were married, both Vada and Alden spent time at Frank Lloyd Wright's home Taliesin (Shining Brow, a Welsh term) in 1933. "Frank Lloyd Wright's house was much like a commune with everyone living in the same house," Craig said.

Vada Dow shared a letter that Grace A. Dow had written to Alden in a birthday card:

"Dear Alden

"The sun is shining. The grass is green. The crocus are blooming and it's the same kind of day that you came into the world. When you were born you were not breathing and Papa revived you. Papa put you in the oven to keep you warm. Because you were spared I have always thought you have something great to give back to the world. Papa so wanted to design houses with you."

In 1986, the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Services. Today the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio together with the Alden and Vada Dow Family Foundation offer daily tours and a multitude of educational programs are also available. And now an app is available at your fingertips showing mid-twentieth century modern architecture in Midland.

History is saved only when there are people willing to save it. And the little boy who loved history grew up to be Craig McDonald who is working every day to preserve the legacy of Alden B. Dow's architecture for future generations to enjoy.

Sometimes our life may be summed up in simple words that someone else wrote. A man named Henri-Frederic Amiel wrote, "Life is short and we never have too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind." And Craig McDonald is one of those fortunate people in a position to do just that. As Vada Bennett Dow said to him years and years ago, "I think you will figure it out."Centrul de Instruire Continua in Domeniul Electoral, cu suportul financiar al PNUD Moldova, anunta concurs de granturi mici pentru biblioteciDelta College Planetarium in Bay City is hosting the award-winning production "Incoming!," a new feature show about asteroids, comets and the hard-hitting stories of the cosmic origins. Narrated by George Takei, the program explores the past, present and future of the Solar System and the landmark discoveries scientists have made by sending spacecraft to visit tiny worlds.

"Incoming!" plays at 3:30 p.m. Saturdays through April 27 in the Planetarium's Dome360 Theatre.

Throughout the show, visualizations allow viewers to tag along with robot explorers, zooming by rocky asteroids and icy comets - and even the dwarf planet Pluto. While astronauts have only traveled as far as our nearest neighbor in space, the Moon, spacecraft continue to venture to mysterious worlds beyond to make landmark observations and make valuable discoveries about this final frontier.

"Incoming!" also give audiences a closer look at the scientific advances that may allow scientists to find and track cosmic threats before they reach Earth.

The show concludes with glowing nighttime views of Chile's Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, which, once completed, will survey the entire sky every few days, observing and detecting asteroids and Near-Earth Objects with incredible sensitivity.

During every show at the Delta College Planetarium, a presenter will deliver a live update, featuring the latest images and discoveries from current NASA missions, including New Horizons, OSIRIS-Rex and others.

"Incoming!" plays at 3:30 p.m. Saturdays through April 27 in the Planetarium's Dome360 Theatre. Tickets are $7 for adults, and $5 for seniors, students, military and children 3-18. Tickets go on sale at the planetarium one hour before show time. For more information go to the planetarium's website at www.delta.edu/planet or call 989-667-2260.

The Delta College Planetarium is located in downtown Bay City at 100 Center Avenue.Steven Bailey was joined by more than 150 family members, friends and service members as they marked his more than 30 years of service, ending with his retirement Jan. 1.

Bailey served as Naval Branch Head, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Capabilities Development & Integration (MCB-Quantico, VA), Commander. The son of Mike and Marsha Bailey and a native of Midland, Bailey enlisted in the Navy in 1988. He joined the Navy to see the world and gain unique experiences, and that he has.

"I've deployed six times, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I volunteered to lead a medical detachment on the USS Pearl Harbor serving the Marine Expeditionary Unit-13 that deployed days after the 9/11 attacks. I supported humanitarian efforts in Kenya twice. I strived for the best during every opportunity that was presented, trying to improve each situation that surrounded me," Bailey said. "I could not have written a better end to this novel, starting out as a hospital corpsman recruit in the spring of 1988 with the intent to only serve my minimum obligation of three years to gain the GI-Bill for my college education. Thirty years, seven months and 14 days later, I am retiring as a commander, having had the opportunity to lead thousands of sailors during time of war and while here in the states serving in clinics, hospitals and training commands."

Bailey said during his deployments to Iraq, they cared for and tracked thousands of casualties from the battlefield, point of injury to hospitals in Germany and Walter Reed Bethesda.

"Not a medical provider, but as a healthcare administrator and medical planner, we saved lives on paper and through plans, we ensured the right people, medical supplies, blood and general capabilities were in the right locations during the battles in Iraq," he said. "From the initial invasion in 2003 through the later deployments in 2007, we always had unique opportunities to excel as leaders. As a former corpsman, I helped as much as I could with moving patients, triaging and general support, but my profession was to instill confidence in the team. I would like to think we did that over all my forward deployed time."

Bailey served as a hospital corpsman for 11-years at locations in Jacksonville, Florida, Naples, Italy, on the USS Nimitz in Bremerton, Washington and as a preventive medicine technician at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona. In 1998, he completed his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois in healthcare management.

In May of 1999, Bailey was selected for a commission as a Medical Service Corps officer. He served on Camp Pendleton in a variety of units and commands, e.g. 1st Marine Logistics Group, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, and finally as the training/operations officer at Field Medical Training Battalion. After he completed his graduate degree from Central Michigan University, he was selected as a director at the Naval Health Clinic Quantico. He later deployed for his final time for a year in Kabul, Afghanistan. Upon his return, he was assigned to the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. His final tour was on Marine Corps Base Quantico as the branch head, health service integrator at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. He went from E-1 to O-5.

Aside from his wife, Cynthia (Navy nurse - commander), and their three daughters, Rachael, Lauren and Danielle, Bailey's mother and sisters were his inspiration and motivation to achieve. His mother, Marsha Bailey, resides in Midland, and his sisters are Brenda Korejwo of Rochester, Bridgett Petsnick of Midland and Michelle Coberly of Grand Rapids. Bailey graduated from Bullock Creek in 1986.

"My family inspired me," Bailey said. "Growing up in Midland was a great experience, but signing up to serve in the Navy, allowed me to not just see the world, but to become more aware of challenges around the globe. I am a better person for having served our country. I strongly recommend the military service or any similar avenue that will improve our way of life as U.S. citizens and/or improve ones set of values."

More than 150 friends, family, shipmates and Marines traveled from Japan, California, South Carolina, Colorado, Florida and Michigan to attend his retirement ceremony. Bailey and his family will remain in Northern Virginia during his transition from the military while ensuring his daughters remain at their existing schools until college bound. Their oldest daughter, Rachael, is currently a freshman and Michigan State University.

During his retirement ceremony at the National Museum for the Marine Corps, his fellow sailors and Marines said, "Fair winds and following seas commander, we have the watch."Ottumwa, IA (52501)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 97F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.Oskaloosa, IA (52577)

Today

Sunshine and a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 100F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.A North Plains police officer was injured Tuesday when he pulled over a reckless driver on U.S. 26 who had blown past rush hour traffic along the highways shoulder moments earlier only to have the driver run over his foot on the side of the highway.

According to North Plains Police Chief Jesse Baker, an officer saw a blue 1990 Honda Accord speeding past traffic on eastbound U.S. 26 near the 185th Avenue exit at 5:07 p.m. The car flew past stop-and-go traffic by using the center emergency lane. The officer gave chase and pulled over the driver near the Murray Boulevard exit.

Baker said the officer and a Washington County Sheriffs deputy made the traffic stop and were preparing to arrest the man for reckless driving and providing a false name to law enforcement when the driver started his vehicle and drove away at a high rate of speed.

As he pulled away, the officer was dragged for about 10 feet on the ground. As he fell, Baker said in a statement, the officers foot was run over by the Honda driver.

The officer was able to get back in his car and pursue the car. But according to Baker, the driver once again drove on the shoulder/emergency lane of the highway --- without headlights on --- and officers called off the search due to the heavy traffic.

Daniel Conrad, a Hillsboro resident, was driving to work in downtown Portland when he captured the start of the chase on his dashboard camera.

Conrad shared the video on Reddit and provided it to The Oregonian/OregonLive. The video shows the Honda flying past traffic on the center shoulder, followed by the North Plains officer giving chase and a pickup truck driving deftly yielding to give the officer room to operate.

Baker, after seeing the video, confirmed it shows his officer giving chase.

Conrad said he didnt hear any police activity before the car blew past him, adding the vehicle came up suddenly from behind and kicked up debris to a lot of cars on the left lane.

Conrad said as he approached downtown, he saw the driver had been pulled over on the right shoulder, and he said he witnessed the officer walking up to the drivers side of the car as he drove past.

Baker said the injured officer went to the hospital but was released with minor injuries.

He said the officer was wearing a body camera during the incident, but footage wasnt available to be released as the investigation was ongoing. He asked anyone who saw the incident to call Washington County non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111.A photographer spotted what she believed was a cougar Wednesday while hiking on Mount Hood, prompting a closure of a popular sledding area, according to a report.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife couldnt say the animal was actually a cougar, according to KGW (8). But troopers temporarily closed Snow Bunny Sliding Area Sno Park and looked for the cougar or tracks, the news station reported.

Authorities later reopened the site, according to KGW.

A Department of Fish and Wildlife official told KGW that the animal had its ears back when the photographer encountered it. The photographer pulled up her tripod, backed away and left safely, according to the official.

A Gresham hiker was killed in a suspected cougar attack near the mountain last year.

It was the first confirmed fatal, wild cougar attack in Oregon history. A cougar also killed one mountain biker and injured another in Washington in a 2018 incident.

Over 6,000 cougars live in Oregon, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife says. Sightings and encounters are rare, according to the agency, but sightings have increased.

What to do if you come across a cougar - Cougars often will retreat if given the opportunity. Leave the animal a way to escape. - Stay calm and stand your ground. - Maintain direct eye contact. - Pick up children, but do so without bending down or turning your back on the cougar. - Back away slowly. - Do not run. Running triggers a chase response in cougars, which could lead to an attack. - Raise your voice and speak firmly. - If the cougar seems aggressive, raise your arms to make yourself look larger and clap your hands. - If in the very unusual event that a cougar attacks you, fight back with rocks, sticks, tools or any items available.  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

 Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.A theme of some recent letter writers to the Oregonian is that Sen. Jeff Merkley should not be going to check on the welfare of migrant children being detained in Texas because he represents Oregon. The U.S. Senate is part the legislative branch of the federal government, and thus the interests of each senator do not end at his or her state border. The treatment of migrant children on American soil is an issue of interest for all Americans, and I applaud Merkley for revealing the deplorable conditions in which they are held. For those who oppose Merkleys action, I suggest you purchase the same jacket worn by Melania Trump when she visited the children  the one that says I really dont care, do U?

Mitchell Turker, PortlandWhile the Portland offshoot of the national Womens March wont be holding its official rally until March, other organizations will hold protests on Jan. 19, the day Womens Marches will happen around the country.

One of those events will even take the name of the national event -- the #MeToo Speak Out and Women's March will feature an opportunity for attendees to take the mic and share their personal experiences with sexual assault, bigotry, and gender-based oppression, according to the Facebook event post.

The #MeToo Speak Out and Women's March is being organized by Socialist Alternative Portland, Portland State International Socialist Organization and Portland Democratic Socialists of America.

The speak out will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, at Terry D. Schrunk Plaza. So far, 131 people have said they are Going on Facebook, with 575 marked Interested.

After the speakout, the post says, we will have a short march and join up with the Counter Rally for Reproductive Justice in Pioneer Square.

The Counter Rally for Reproductive Justice in Pioneer Square is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This rally is being organized by Cascades Abortion Support Collective, KBOO Community Radio and the Northwest Abortion Access Fund.

Oregon Right to Life will be holding their state permitted Roe v. Wade Memorial and March event at Pioneer Courthouse Square starting at 2:10, according to that event posting. We are showing up in opposition to their demonstration and the shame they project onto people who have chosen or are considering abortion.

No numbers are listed for who is interested or going to that rally.

However, the Roe v. Wade Memorial and March, which is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square, has 15 people who have marked themselves at Going with 99 Interested.

That march is described as a pro-life rally and it is being organized by Oregon Right to Life.A 39-year-old Southeast Portland man who shot his girlfriend after she told others she was planning to leave him was sentenced to 18 years in prison Wednesday.

Spencer Thomas Johnson, 39, killed Cory Jonell Lumber, 48, in the Southeast 122nd Avenue apartment they shared in 2016.

Johnson declined to make a statement at his sentencing hearing. Lumbers family, including her two children, filled four rows of courtroom benches.

Lumbers oldest sister, DeAnn Ruth-Lumber, said her little sister wont be around to see her children become adults, to go on mother-daughter shopping trips or watch her sons ball games.

She was that mom ... yelling obnoxiously from the stands, her older sister said.

We truly firmly believe that there cannot be any real justice because nothings fair, Ruth-Lumber said. Nothing will bring her back."

Johnson had been charged with domestic-violence murder with a gun. If convicted, he faced life in prison with a 25-year minimum.

Brent Weisberg, a spokesman for the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office, said his office consulted with the family before settling on an 18-year prison sentence to avoid the trauma a trial would cause for the family.

Earlier this month, Johnson pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a gun and unlawful use of a weapon, both constituting domestic violence.

Johnson had a concerning history with women, investigators said. In 2015, two police officers who were called to check on another woman -- Johnsons girlfriend at the time -- saw him pull out a gun and walk toward her in their presence. The officers drew their guns and ordered him to surrender the gun, which he eventually did.

Police learned of Lumbers death on July 2, 2016.

They found that neighbors at the Misty Firs Apartments at 1538 S.E. 122nd Avenue heard what sounded like a physical fight and then what sounded like fireworks late on the evening of July 1, 2016. It turned out to be a .40-caliber handgun.

Investigators said Johnson woke up around 6:30 a.m. the next day, walked across the street to a convenience store, called his parents to tell them that Lumber was dead in the apartment, then walked back to the apartment and called 911.

Lumber had moved in with Johnson about a month earlier, but had been telling others that the relationship was over, investigators said.

Ruth-Lumber noted that Johnson -- with credit for time hes already served in jail -- will be 55 years old when hes released from prison.

She said she hopes he realizes he was given a gift and that he should use his time wisely.

He has the opportunity to change, she said. Please dont waste it.

The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office makes resources available to domestic-violence victims through its Victim Assistance Program. Those who would like to speak to someone about domestic-violence prosecution, planning for personal safety or other issues can call 503-988-3222.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.Posted Thursday, January 10, 2019 9:30 am

While advertising property for sale is easier than its ever been, the actual transaction still requires some know-how.

The state of Washington has laws and some of those laws pertain to real estate sales, said Scott Horner, RE/MAX KEY LAND Company real estate broker. There are certain forms you need to fill out and provide to the buyer, and if you dont, there are consequences to that.

Horner said real estate brokers have seen an increase in properties for sale by owner. When people wish to sell property on their own, certain brokers put sellers online in the Multiple Listing Service, then leave the seller to figure out the rest.

Historically, whenever the market gets good, some people do a for-sale-by-owner, Horner said. Nowadays, with everything changing so dramatically in the last few years electronically, there are a number of websites people can sign up on and basically be their own broker.

Horner said that while advertising with the Multiple Listing Service and a sign in the front yard is all the advertising sellers really need, problems arise when it comes time for the actual transaction. This causes issues when brokers ask for certain documents sellers arent aware they need.

There are things that leave them at risk for not having a complete or legal transaction, just because they have no idea what theyre doing, Horner said. Its not quite as simple as it all appears.

Sybil Kuhn, a real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Kline & Associates, purchased her first home at 20, and worked with a realtor at the time.

I knew that getting (my first home) meant there are certain things you have to do to be a homeowner, Kuhn said. You have to have money to put down on a loan, or put down on a contract to pursue that home, or you need a job to be able to pay for the home and monthly fees.

Kuhn said that renting is similar  in that renters need money and a job to pay monthly bills  owning a home is a different level of commitment. However, Kuhn said, more people have the ability to purchase a home than realize it.

Really anybody has the ability to be a homeowner, Kuhn said. There are just a few questions you need to ask. I think a lot of times they are just not asking the right questions or asking the right person those questions.

Kuhn said one those questions includes learning how to qualify for a loan. The two most important things, she said, is a good credit score and holding down a stable job, which work together.

A lot of times people are holding down jobs and saving up money, but theyre not building their credit, Kuhn said.

Horner said that even for people living paycheck to paycheck, its still possible to purchase a home with minimal savings.

You can go to a lender and the lender will sit down with you and say heres where you are, heres where your problems are, these are the things you have to get off your credit, Horner said. Clean up this bill, wait a year and then it goes away. So lenders will work with you on a multi-year plan to make yourself financeable.

To put it simply  there arent as many houses as there used to be. In Lewis County, specifically, there are about half the number of properties that there have historically been, according to Horner.

Our number of properties for sale in Lewis County, properties of all types, is just about half of what it was for years and years and years and years, Horner said. So that amount of houses available, the amount of properties available, is greatly reduced.

Horner said that Lewis County has historically had about 600 properties listed at any given time, but that its closer to 300 these days. Due to the tighter supply, he said, sellers are more particular with what documents they want potential buyers to present.

Really, a good idea for anybody who wants to buy a house is to start out by getting themselves set up with a lender and getting a pre-qualification done, Horner said. That not only gives the seller some assurance youre in fact a real buyer, but it also gives you some idea of what you should be looking for.

Lenders provide buyers with the price range of what kind of home they can afford. The two factors that contribute most to what a buyer can afford is level of income and credit score.

During the financial crisis, all you heard was people saying you have to have 20 percent down and none of those cheap loans and yada yada, Horner said. That was just not true because there were always zero down loans and there were always 3 percent loans. There still are zero down loans and 3 percent loans.

Horner said for people with tight finances who are interested in purchasing a home, step number one is to improve their credit score.

As far as anybody who wants to buy a house  stop buying stuff, Horner said. Clean up your credit, save up $3,000, $4,000, go to your lender and it works.The Oregon attorney who represented Saudi nationals who fled the country after their government paid their bail has temporarily shuttered her law practice and taken measures to protect herself in light of threats made since the cases were detailed Sunday by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Ginger Mooney, 42, of Hood River said she has received dozens of emails and phone calls with violent and virulent anti-Muslim messages. She said some people have cited the 9/11 terrorist attacks and have disparaged Muslims and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The messages are terrifying and frightening, said Mooney, a longtime criminal defense lawyer in Oregon. I would characterize them as vile.

Mooney has handled at least nine criminal cases involving Saudi students across Oregon who were accused of crimes including sex abuse and harassment. Most ended with the charges dropped or reduced. In at least four of those cases, the men fled the country before trial or completing their jail sentence. The Saudi government paid for the bail in three of those cases.

Mooney declined to comment on the story published Sunday, but her lawyer said Mooney acted ethically in her representation of the men.

On Wednesday, Mooney said some of the people who have left messages accused her of helping the men flee, a charge she flatly denies.

I absolutely had nothing to do with anyone leaving the country or anyone failing to appear to any court appearance in my entire professional career, she said.

In an interview at her lawyers office Wednesday, Mooney declined to discuss the Saudi cases, who paid for her legal services or how many Saudi clients shes represented, saying the ethics that guide the legal profession prohibit her from talking about individual cases. She has never faced a complaint with Oregon State Bar regarding these cases.

She would say only that the cases represent a fraction of her overall practice.

She said shes had an estimated 161 cases since 2014. About 85 percent to 90 percent of her work involves indigent defense, reviewing cases once defendants have been convicted and cases where people serving sentences challenge their imprisonment as unlawful.

Her practice also includes representing international students who get into trouble at school or with the law. She said those clients come from Saudi Arabia and other countries as well.

Her lawyer, Allison Martin Rhodes, said Mooney ended up on the Saudi cases through a referral from a well-regarded Portland lawyer.

She was referred for the work because of the quality of the work she has done in the past, Martin Rhodes said.

Mooney was blindsided by the swift and severe reaction to her representation of Saudi clients.

I want people to know that I dedicated my career to helping indigent clients, she said. I represent every client regardless of their crime, their color, their gender or their family situation to the best of my ability, and thats why when I do get hired to represent clients its because of my dedication to helping people who in a lot of situations couldnt find somebody else to help them.

That doesnt mean I cant see the tragedy in cases, she added, but I work really hard not to compound the tragedy.

She said she understands public outrage over the flight of criminal defendants facing prosecution.

That is why we have this institution, she said of the legal system. Things need to be resolved and they need to be resolved for both sides.

Criminal defendants who are found guilty of crimes need to know their punishment and victims need to feel safe, she said.

I understand that, she said, and I agree that any circumvention of that process is concerning.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184

ncrombie@oregonian.com

@noellecrombie

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Thanks for being here is very common, Jones, a Transportation Security Administration worker, said Thursday as the polarizing federal government shutdown hit its 28th day.

Jones and about 700 air traffic controllers and TSA employees at Oregon airports are still showing up despite missing a paycheck. The next payday is Jan. 28, but that check, too, is in doubt as the federal government remains partially closed as Democrats and Republicans are at loggerheads over President Trumps demand for a more than $5 billion border wall.

But the 22-year-old Jones said while the thank yous are a nice change from airport traveler behavior before the shutdown, the pleasantries also disrupt his focus. I get it, he said, theyre trying to be supportive, theyre trying to be helpful. But at the same time, bringing it up, he said of the shutdown, its a lot.

Jones and hundreds of colleagues at PDX are essential employees and must show up for work despite not getting a paycheck. Jones said hes coped with the situation by trying not to think about it, and thats actually easier to do while on the job than at home.

At home, he said, theres always something on Facebook about the shutdown or on the news, the omnipresent ticker sharing the latest developments.

Its easier to not think about it when youre working, he said.

On Friday, the Portland Police Bureaus Sunshine Division will hand out boxes of food to dozens of TSA workers and other furloughed federal employees.

Last week, TSA union staffers said some members were already in dire straits  some were selling plasma to make ends meet, others were trying to find new jobs.

Jones said hes not quite there yet. His wife works. They dont have kids yet. He estimates they can make it a couple more months before he would have to find new work.

Theyre already discussing those difficult topics.

The fallback would be moving in with friends or family, he said. Cutting out of the lease is not ideal, Jones said.

Jake Whitten, a 32-year-old TSA colleague, said hes also not quite ready to look for a new job but the shutdown is depressing.

Both men, who have been working at the airport for about a year, expect to be paid back wages eventually.

At the moment, working, despite not getting paid, is the best medicine.

I keep sort of pretending its business as usual, Whitten said.

But Whitten said the situation will inevitably grow more dire if the shutdown drags into February.

More bills will stack up, and they cant be deferred, unlike his paycheck.

The bills cant just get paid eventually, he said. Theyve got to be paid now.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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Portland State is exploring a potential acquisition or merger with Oregon College of Art and Craft . Financial records show the Southwest Portland schools expenses surpassed revenues by more than $600,000 over the last two years, prompting it to approach PSU officials in the fall.

The nonprofit school, founded in 1907, has 138 students. Its annual tuition is more than $30,000.

The potential deal reflects the big ambitions of Rahmat Shoureshi, installed as PSU president in August 2017. At a meeting of PSU trustees Wednesday, Shoureshi said the addition of new facilities and new teachers from the Oregon College of Art and Craft could make the PSU College of the Arts one of the top 10 in the country.

Were committed to investing in expanding our College of the Arts whether or not we pursue this opportunity, Shoureshi said.

But the possible deal comes as PSU faces its own uncertainty. Higher education is low in Gov. Kate Browns legislative pecking order. Like the six other public colleges in the state, PSU was flat-funded in the governors preliminary 2019-2021 budget.

Actually, its worse than that, according to Kevin Neely, PSUs associate vice president for government affairs. The states public universities will see a $20 million net reduction under the tentative state budget, he told trustees on Wednesday.

That could force PSU to raise tuition again.

PSU is very much hit hard, its likely going to make your tuition decision very difficult, Neely told the trustees.

Shoureshi pledged that PSU would do the deal with the art school only if it raises philanthropic money to do so. He added that time is short. The Oregon College of Art and Craft needs to know by April whether PSU is committed to a merger.

Theyre under financial pressure, Shoureshi said, they need answers.

Its a tough time for many private colleges in general and art schools in particular. Marylhurst University in Lake Oswego, which had a significant art curriculum, and the Art Institute of Portland called it quits in 2018.

This is the second time in three months the Oregon College of Art and Craft has considered joining forces with a competitor. In November, it announced it was considering a merger with the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Jiseon Isbara, interim president of the Oregon College of Art and Craft, said challenging financial times drove the transaction. The current higher education environment has proven to be precarious, Isbara said. We believe the merger will strengthen the merged colleges future.

The boards of both schools ultimately voted against the merger in December. Even before the deal fell through, the Oregon College of Art and Craft had approached PSU.

According to its most recent financial report, the Oregon College of Art and Craft lost $685,649 in 2017 on total revenue of $7.1 million. The school and its foundation owed just over $1.5 million to its lenders and was in violation of one of its loan covenants.

More than $1 million of the debt was due in 2018. Its unclear whether the school paid the debt.

Elizabeth Loulan, the schools director of partnerships, declined to disclose any details of the schools 2018 financial results.2019  2025 Mobile Phone Power Management IC Market Sharing with Major Leading Industries like: Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated, Dialog Semiconductor, ADI, NXP, On Semiconductor, Etc.

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The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Mobile Phone Power Management IC Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2019  2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. 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We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the Global and Southeast Asias most complete and recent database of expert insights on industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact us: - Mr. Jeet Jain, Sales Manager, sales@marketresearchnest.com ;+1-240-284-8070, +44-20-3290-4151;Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | FacebookBest Statistical Report of Riding Boots Market Trend Expected to Guide by 2025: Focusing Top Key Players like Dan Post, Dingo, Durango, Frye, Irish Setter, Justin Boots, Lucchese, Old Gringo, Rocky, Roper, Stetson, Tony Lama

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The Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Report provides an analysis of the past 5 years and a future forecast till the year 2025. It also studies the future market trends in the global market. It studies the market by the various parameters such as sales, volumes, and the revenues. It also gives us an insight in the Liquid Lipid Nutrition industry and is also making strategic decisions. It is prepared with a view to understand the current market trends, opportunities and global analysis in the market.This report studies the global Liquid Lipid Nutrition market status and forecast, categorizes the global Liquid Lipid Nutrition market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia).Request for Sample PDF Of This Report @This study also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Top Key Players Covered in this market Report: Koninklijke DSM N.V. (Netherlands) BASF SE (Germany) Nordics Naturals, Inc. (U.S.) Croda International Plc (U.K.) and More..Key Questions Answered in this Report: What will be the market size in 2025? What will be the growth rate in 2025? Which key factors driving In the market? Who are the key market players? Which strategies are used by top players in the market? What are the key market trends? Which trends and challenges will influence the Market growth?On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Omega-3 Omega-6 Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) OthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including Dietary supplements Infant formula Pharmaceutical Animal nutrition OthersGet Discount On This Report @Reasons for Buying this Report This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a Five-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsTable of Content:1 Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Liquid Lipid Nutrition1.2 Liquid Lipid Nutrition Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Omega-31.2.3 Omega-61.2.5 Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs)Others1.3 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Segment by Application1.3.1 Liquid Lipid Nutrition Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Dietary supplements1.3.3 Infant formula1.3.4 Pharmaceutical1.3.5 Animal nutrition1.3.6 Others1.4 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Liquid Lipid Nutrition (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Liquid Lipid Nutrition Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Liquid Lipid Nutrition Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)TOC Continued!Tables and Figures: Figure Picture of Liquid Lipid Nutrition Figure Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2013-2025) Figure Global Liquid Lipid Nutrition Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2017 Figure Product Picture of Omega-3 Table Major Manufacturers of Omega-3 Figure Product Picture of Omega-6 and MorePurchase Full Report @In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Liquid Lipid Nutrition:History Year: 2013 - 2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year: 2018 - 2025Market Research Methodology:This report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (K Units). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Liquid Lipid Nutrition market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets in the overall market. Key players in the market have been identified through secondary research, and their market shares have been determined through primary and secondary research. All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources.About Us:We have a strong network of high powered and experienced global consultants who have about 10+ years of experience in the specific industry to deliver quality research and analysis. Having such an experienced network, our services not only cater to the client who wants the basic reference of market numbers and related high growth areas in the demand side, but also we provide detailed and granular information using which the client can definitely plan the strategies with respect to both supply and demand side.302-20 Misssisauga Valley, Missisauga, L5A 3S1, TorontoContact Us:Email- info@supplydemandmarketresearch.comGlobal- 919607371825Multi-chip Module (MCM) Market: End User (Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Healthcare, Aerospace & Defense, and Others) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025

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Multi-chip module (MCM) experiences rapid adoption due to its numerous advantages such as low cost and efficiency. Multi-chip module is an electronic package, which contains up to five chips. These chips are connected using wirebonds to a multilayer circuit board, and a molded encapsulant or a low-cost ceramic package is used for its protection.Growth in consumer demand for smaller and lighter electronic goods which makes manufacturers to consider different production methods to optimize designs predominantly drives the growth of the multi-chip module market. As integrated circuits are installed on single platform they require less space, and hence are advantageous for smaller consumer electronics.Multi-chip modules provide better performance, high-integration density, low-power consumption, and low cost. The demand for multi-chip module is on an increase due to rise in requirement for consumer electronics such as mobile phones, tablets, and personal digital assistant.Get Sample Report@Growth of connected cars market can be an opportunity for the growth of the multi-chip modules market. Advantages such as lower ball count due to reduced area footprint and increase in performance and density drive the adoption of these modules in IoT applications such as active safety systems and automotive infotainment.Growth of IoT creates requirements for memory, which further drive the demand for the multi-chip module market. Multi-chip modules can be used in different industries such as consumer electronics, automotive, and others. Automotive segment is expected to be one of the fastest growing segments for multi-chip module market. In automotive segment, multi-chip modules are used in car radios and automotive control modules.The Asia-Pacific market for multi-chip module is expected to grow at a high rate in the near future due to the increase in usage of the product in several industries such as consumer electronics, healthcare, and automotive sectors.The global multi-chip modules market is segmented based on type and end-user. The types of multi-chip modules include NAND-based MCP, NOR-based MCP, eMCP, and uMCP. Based on end user, the market is sub-divided into consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, aerospace & defense, and others. Further, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Multi-chip Module (MCM) Market Key Segments:By Type NAND-based MCP NOR-based MCP eMCP uMCPBy End User Consumer Electronics Automotive Healthcare Aerospace & Defense OthersBy Geography North Americao U.S.o Canadao Mexico Europeo UKo Franceo Germanyo Russiao Rest of Europe Asia-Pacifico Chinao Indiao Japano South Koreao Rest of Asia-Pacific LAMEAo Latin Americao Middle Easto AfricaFor more business inquiry@Key Benefits This study comprises analytical depiction of the global multi-chip module market with current trends and future estimations to depict the imminent investment pockets. The overall market potential is determined to understand the profitable trends to gain a stronger coverage in the market. The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities with a detailed impact analysis. The current market is quantitatively analyzed from 2018 to 2025 to highlight the financial competency of the market. Porters Five Forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers.Some of the key players operating in the market include Intel, SK Hynix Inc., Texas Instruments, Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, Macronix International Co., Ltd., and Tektronix, Inc.About Allied Market ResearchAllied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Allied Market Research provides one stop solution from the beginning of data collection to investment advice. The analysts at Allied Market Research dig out factors that help clients to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The company amplies clients insight on the factors, such as strategies, future estimations, growth or fall forecasting, opportunity analysis, and consumer surveys among others. As follows, the company offers consistent business intelligent support to aid the clients to turn into prominent business firm.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1-855-550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:Posted Tuesday, January 15, 2019 11:35 am

Twin Transit General Manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers has been instructed to work from home and avoid contact with most agency employees for the duration of an outside investigation into complaints made against him by Twin Transit staff.

The directive came from the Twin Transit Advisory Board following an executive session of about 90 minutes that took place Tuesday morning during a regular meeting of the board at Centralia City Hall.

Board also members met in executive session for more than 90 minutes Friday during a special meeting, but were not permitted to take action until the next regular meeting of the board.

Because theyve proceeded with an investigation, they want to ensure that  generally in any investigation, its wise to limit communications between complainants and subjects, said Twin Transit attorney Janean Parker. So these parameters are to have a process in place for those communications and to still allow the business of Twin Transit to get done.

Parker added that she hopes to line up a third-party investigator as soon as possible and that the timeframe for such an inquiry would depend on the schedule of the investigator.

For now, Wojcik-Damers is not allowed direct contact with any Twin Transit employees except Melissa Shoemaker, human resources manager for the agency. Any work he completes remotely must be routed through board chair Bobby Jackson or Parker.

Any time you have these types of internal investigations, I would think the prudent thing to do, depending on the severity of (the complaints), you put someone on leave at least until you can determine their validity, said Peter Abbarno, a Centralia city council member and local attorney. You at least want a wall up to where someone can access the files they need to do the day-to-day work without accessing anything that would impact the investigation.

Wojcik-Damers conduct is the subject of letters of concern submitted by Twin Transit staff members to the advisory board by way of the city of Chehalis. The Chronicle submitted a records request for the letters last week.

Chehalis has given Wojcik-Damers until Jan. 25 to seek an injunction blocking their release pursuant to Revised Code of Washington 42.56.540, which allows a person to claim release of certain records would not be in the public interest and would cause substantial harm to themselves or a public agency.

Requests for comment from board members on their actions and the pending investigation were directed to Jackson, the board chair, who did not respond by press time.

In addition, the Washington State Department of Transportation confirmed to The Chronicle that Twin Transit has not filed all of the mandatory paperwork related to its operations grant for the first two quarters of WSDOT fiscal year 2019, which runs from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.

Twin Transit received a $1.39 million operating grant from WSDOT for the 2017-19 biennium.

The total amount of expenses incurred by the agency from July 1 through Dec. 31 of 2018 that are eligible for reimbursement isnt known.

Agencies that receive grant funding from WSDOT are required to submit detailed invoices to receive reimbursement out of the total dollar amount allocated to the grant award from WSDOT. Those invoices arent subject to a hard deadline, but documentation such as financial and statistical reports would have been due on Sept. 30 for the first quarter and are due on Jan. 30 for the second quarter.

We knew those were things that needed to be done, but not that Twin Transit had already missed a deadline, said Twin Transit Advisory Board member Chad Taylor. Its concerning.

Don Chartock, Grants Manager for the public transportation division of WSDOT, said his agency informed Twin Transit last month that it was behind on its filings. It has not received an update since then.

Basically what we do is we start with a phone call, Chartock said. We usually give them another quarter to catch up. In the end, if we feel like theyre being responsive, we are unlikely to give out any financial penalties.

The Guide to Managing Your Public Transportation Grant document published by WSDOT lays out penalties for agencies that dont meet performance standards such as submittal of accurate and timely progress and statistical reports and reimbursement requests. Consequences range from written warnings to ineligibility for additional grant funds during current or future funding cycles.

Chartock said agencies can turn in invoices as they see fit, based on their own operating budgets and its not unusual for them to come in near the end of a biennium. However, if invoices arent turned in soon after the end of a biennium, the account could wind up being closed without being paid out.Massive Growth Expected for Global Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market by 2025: Top Key Players- WAGO, Phoenix Contact, Weidmuller, ABB, Amphenol (FCI), Omron, Wieland Electric, Dinkle Etc.

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UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market Analysis and Forecast 2018-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 120 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018  2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.The generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market analysis & forecast 2018- 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis Global Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)For More Information On This Report, Please Visit @The Major players reported in the market include: WAGO Phoenix Contact Weidmuller ABB Amphenol (FCI) Omron Wieland Electric Dinkle Reliance UPUN Yaowa CHNT Gonqi SUPU Sailing-on Leipole CNNTGlobal Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market: Product Segment Analysis: Screw Type Spring-cage Type Push-in Type OthersGlobal Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market: Application Segment Analysis: Electricity Mechanical Equipment Rail Transmit OtherThe Report covers in- depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Overview of Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types Chapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry Chapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Chapter 6 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers Chapter 7 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data Chapter 8 Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis of Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Chapter 9 Cost and Gross Margin Analysis of Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Chapter 10 Marketing Status Analysis of Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Chapter 11 Report Conclusion Chapter 12 Research Methodology and ReferenceAvail Discount On this Report @Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market: Key Stakeholders: Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Manufacturers Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Panel Mount Terminal Blocks are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Panel Mount Terminal Blocks Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 and its commercial landscape. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Panel Mount Terminal Blocks market analysis and forecast 2018- 2025.Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.You can also ask for region wise market research report, as below: Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  Global Market Status & Trend Report 2018- 2025 Top 20 Countries Data Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  North America Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  South America Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  China Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  India Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Panel Mount Terminal Blocks  United States Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined  we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United StatesExplosive growth on Tablet Computers Market , Forecast 2025 In Services Market: and Key Profile : Samsung, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Apple, Teclast Electronics, Huawei, Microsoft Etc.

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UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Tablet Computers Market Analysis and Forecast 2018-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 110 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Tablet Computers Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Tablet Computers Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018  2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.The generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Tablet Computers Market analysis & forecast 2018- 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis Global Tablet Computers Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)For More Information On This Report, Please Visit @The Major players reported in the market include: Samsung HP Lenovo ASUS Apple Teclast Electronics Huawei Microsoft Colorful Nokia Cube XiaomiGlobal Tablet Computers Market: Product Segment Analysis: Mini Tablet Phablet 2-In-1 Tablet Gaming TabletGlobal Tablet Computers Market: Application Segment Analysis: Household Commercial Use OtherThe Report covers in- depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Overview of Tablet Computers Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types Chapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry Chapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Tablet Computers Chapter 6 Tablet Computers Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers Chapter 7 Tablet Computers Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data Chapter 8 Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis of Tablet Computers Chapter 9 Cost and Gross Margin Analysis of Tablet Computers Chapter 10 Marketing Status Analysis of Tablet Computers Chapter 11 Report Conclusion Chapter 12 Research Methodology and ReferenceAvail Discount On this Report @Tablet Computers Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Tablet Computers Market: Key Stakeholders: Tablet Computers Manufacturers Tablet Computers Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Tablet Computers Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Tablet Computers are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Tablet Computers Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 and its commercial landscape. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Tablet Computers market analysis and forecast 2018- 2025.Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.You can also ask for region wise market research report, as below: Tablet Computers  Global Market Status & Trend Report 2018- 2025 Top 20 Countries Data Tablet Computers  North America Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  South America Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  China Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  India Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025 Tablet Computers  United States Market Status and Trend Report 2018- 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined  we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United StatesGlobal Clear Aligner Market Brief Analysis by Top Key Players - Align Technology, Dentsply Sirona, Straumann Group, Danaher Corporation, Henry Schein, 3M, SmileDirectClub, Geniova Technologies

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This report compiled by Market Study Report, LLC, focuses on factors influencing the present scenario of the Clear Aligner market. The research report also offers concise analysis referring to commercialization aspects, profit estimation and market size of the industry. In addition, the report highlights the competitive standing of major players in the projection timeline which also includes their portfolios and expansion endeavors.The report titled Global Clear Aligner Market: Analysis By End Users (Teenagers, Adults), By Region, By Country (2018 Edition): Opportunities and Forecast (2013-2023) By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, ROW), By Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Japan, South Korea) has covered and analysed the potential of Global Clear Aligner Market and provides statistics and information on market size, shares and growth factors. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the global Clear Aligner market. Additionally, the report also highlights market entry strategies for various companies across the globe.Request a sample of this premium report at:Company Analysis - Align Technology, Dentsply Sirona, Straumann Group, Danaher Corporation, Henry Schein, 3M, SmileDirectClub, Geniova TechnologiesA comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis of Global Clear Aligner Market. The global clear aligner market has been analysed by end-users (teenagers, Adults), by region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the world) and by country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Japan, South Korea). The report presents the historical market sizing and growth for the period 2013-2017 and the forecast period of 2018-2023.According to research report Global Clear Aligner Market: Analysis By End Users (Teenagers, Adults), By Region, By Country (2018 Edition): Opportunities and Forecast (2013-2023) By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, ROW), By Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Japan, South Korea) , global clear aligner market is projected to display a robust growth represented by a CAGR of 16.15% during 2018 2023.The segment of teenagers witnessed growth at a noteworthy rate over the past few years and in the forecast period due to of increasing adoption of western culture, conscientious about dental hygiene at young age and aesthetic concerns among the teenagers. During 2018-23, Clear Aligners Market is anticipated to grow at an increased rate due to up surge in the orthodontic patients, rising per capita healthcare expenditure, effective advertisement and marketing by key players across the globe. Amongst the regions, North America accounts for the largest regional share in the global Clear Aligner market in 2018. Key factors driving the robust growth rate of North America region include surging per capita healthcare expenditure, technological advancement in dental machines, rising cases of orthodontic treatments and increasing penetration of dental insurance for orthodontic patients.Scope of the ReportGlobal Market, By Value (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)Clear Aligner Market Sizing, Growth, ForecastAnalysis By End Users Teenagers, AdultsRegional Markets North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of the World (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)Clear Aligner Market Sizing, Growth, ForecastAnalysis By End Users Teenagers, AdultsCountry Analysis U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, United Kingdom, China, Japan and South Korea (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)Clear Aligner Market Sizing, Growth, ForecastAnalysis By End Users Teenagers, AdultsOther Report HighlightsMarket Dynamics Drivers and RestraintsMarket TrendsPorter Five Force AnalysisPricing AnalysisCompetitive LandscapeCompany ShareRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Customization of the ReportThe report could be customized according to the client s specific research requirements. No additional cost will be required to pay for limited additional research.Table of Contents1. Research Methodology2. Executive Summary3. Strategic Recommendations4. Global Clear Aligner Product Outlook5. Global Clear Aligner Market: Growth and Forecast5.1 By Value (2013-2017)5.2 By Value (2018-2023)6. Global Clear Aligner Market: Segmental Analysis6.1 Global Clear Aligner Market Size, By End Users: Breakdown (%)6.1.1 Global Clear Aligner Market Size, By End User, 2017(%)6.1.2 Global Clear Aligner Market Size, By End User, 2023 (%)6.2 Global Teenagers Clear Aligner Market: Growth and Forecast6.2.1 By Value (2013-2017)6.2.2 By Value (2018-2023)6.3 Global Adults Clear Aligner Market: Growth and Forecast6.3.1 By Value (2013-2017)6.3.2 By Value (2018-2023)7. Global Clear Aligner Market: Regional Analysis7.1 Global Clear Aligner Market Size, By Region: Breakdown (%)7.1.1. Global Clear Aligner Market Size, By Region, 2017 (%)7.1.2 Global Clear Aligner Market Size, By Region, 2023 (%)7.2 North America Clear Aligner Market: Growth and Forecast7.2.1 By Value (2013-2017)7.2.2 By Value (2018-2023)7.2.3 By End Users, By Value (2013-2017)7.2.4 By End Users, By Value (2018-2023)7.3 North America Clear Aligner Market: Country Analysis ( U.S., Canada, Mexico )7.3.1 U.S Clear Aligner Market, By Value (2013-2023)More Details on this Report:About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. 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A recent report by Market Study Report, LLC, on Mining Dump Trucks Market provides a detailed analysis on the industry size, revenue forecasts and geographical landscape pertaining to this business space. Additionally, the report highlights primary obstacles and latest growth trends accepted by key players that form a part of the competitive spectrum of this business.The classification of Mining Dump Trucks by GVW includes Lesser than 100 MT, 100-200 MT and Higher than 200 MT. The proportion of Lesser than 100 MT in 2017 is about 77%, and the proportion is stable in the last several years.Request a sample of this premium report atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Caterpillar Komatsu Hitachi Liebherr Belaz Volvo Astra Weichai Volkswagen Sinotruk SANY XCMG DAIMLER SIHMining dump trucks are designed for transportation of loosened rocks on technological haul roads at open-pit mining sites under different climatic conditions. These trucks can be used in construction of large industrial structures and hydraulic facilities, in construction of highway systems as well as in technological departments of the enterprises of processing industry.This report focuses on the Mining Dump Trucks in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.The global average price of Mining Dump Trucks is in the decreasing trend, from 464 K USD/unit in 2013 to 430 K USD/unit in 2017. With the situation of global economy, prices will be in decreasing trend in the following five years.China is the largest consumption place, with a consumption market share nearly 25% in 2017. Following China, Europe is the second largest consumption place with the consumption market share of 22%. Besides, the developing regions like India and Southeast Asia are enjoying considerable growth rate. The market in South America is anticipated to expand at a substantial growth rate during the forecast period. GDP of countries South America is expanding at a significant growth rate.The worldwide market for Mining Dump Trucks is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2023, from xx million US$ in 2017, according to a new study.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report atMarket Segment by Type, coversLess than 100 MT100-200 MTHigher than 200 MTMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoOpen-Pit MiningUnderground MiningThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Mining Dump Trucks market.Chapter 1, to describe Mining Dump Trucks Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Mining Dump Trucks, with sales, revenue, and price of Mining Dump Trucks, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Mining Dump Trucks, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Mining Dump Trucks market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Mining Dump Trucks sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceTable of Contents1 Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles3 Global Mining Dump Trucks Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Competition by Manufacturer (2016-2017)4 Global Mining Dump Trucks Market Analysis by Regions5 North America Mining Dump Trucks by Countries6 Europe Mining Dump Trucks by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Mining Dump Trucks by Countries8 South America Mining Dump Trucks by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Mining Dump Trucks by Countries10 Global Mining Dump Trucks Market Segment by Type11 Global Mining Dump Trucks Market Segment by Application12 Mining Dump Trucks Market Forecast (2018-2023)13 Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers14 Research Findings and Conclusion15 Appendixbuying decision on this premium reportAbout Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report LLC4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:Draft Beer Market 2019, By Top Key Players: Beverage Factory, Continental, EdgeStar, Everest, Fagor, Glastender, Jarden

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The Draft Beer report 2019 offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market.The global Draft Beer market will reach xxx Million USD in 2018 and with a CAGR if xx% between 2019-2025.The key players covered in this report. Beverage Air Beverage Factory Continental EdgeStar Everest Fagor Glastender Jarden KegWorks Micro Matic Omcan Perlick True Manufacturing Turbo AirRequest Sample pdf of this report:Product Type Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.): Cask Draft Beer Keg Draft BeerDemand Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Consumer Distribution): Corporate Hospitality Family Dinner OthersMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Enquiry Before Purchase@:Table of Content1 Industry Overview1.1 Draft Beer Industry1.1.1 Overview1.1.2 Products of Major Companies1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 Industry Chain1.2.2 Consumer Distribution1.3 Price & Cost Overview2 Draft Beer Market by Type2.1 By Type2.1.1 Cask Draft Beer2.1.2 Keg Draft Beer2.2 Market Size by Type2.3 Market Forecast by Type3 Global Market Demand3.1 Segment Overview3.1.1 Corporate Hospitality3.1.2 Family Dinner3.1.3 Others3.2 Market Size by Demand3.3 Market Forecast by Demand4 Major Region Market4.1 Global Market Overview4.1.1 Market Size & Growth4.1.2 Market Forecast4.2 Major Region4.2.1 Market Size & Growth4.2.2 Market Forecast5 Major Companies List5.1 Beverage Air (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.2 Beverage Factory (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.3 Continental (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.4 EdgeStar (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.5 Everest (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.6 Fagor (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.7 Glastender (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.8 Jarden (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.9 KegWorks (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.10 Micro Matic (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.11 Omcan (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.12 Perlick (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.13 True Manufacturing (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.14 Turbo Air (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)6 ConclusionContinued!About Report Hive Research:Report Hive Research delivers strategic market research reports, statistical survey, and industry analysis & forecast data on products & services, markets and companies. Our clientele ranges mix of global Business Leaders, Government Organizations, SMEs, Individual & Start-ups, Management Consulting Firms, and Universities etc. Our library of 600,000+ market reports covers industries like Chemical, Healthcare, IT, Telecom, Semiconductor, etc. in the USA, Europe Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific. We help in business decision-making on aspects such as market entry strategies, market sizing, market share analysis, sales & revenue, technology trends, competitive analysis, product portfolio & application analysis etc.500, North Michigan Avenue,Suite 6014Chicago, IL - 60611United StatesContact UsMike RossMarketing Managersales@reporthive.comPhone Number: +1-312 604 708Aerial Refueling System Market 2018 Leading Players are Boeing, Eaton, Zodiac Aerospace, GE Aviation, Liebherr Group, Dassault Aviation, Cobham, Lockheed Martin

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Probe and drogue will dominate the aerial refueling system market, crossing 70% volume share over the forecast timespan. Provision of more passive tanker operations as compared to flying boom mechanism along with negligible requirement of precise direction to the drogue will contribute significantly towards the revenue generation. Flying boom system will witness significant gains owing to its high usage in the industry over the past years. Moreover, high fuel transferring rate as compared to the counterpart will further propel the market size from 2017 to 2024.Aerial Refueling System Market is estimated to exhibit approximately 3% CAGR with USD 3 million by 2024.Get Sample Copy of This Report @North America is likely to dominate the global aerial refueling system market with more than 50% revenue share by the end of 2024. Prevalence of multiple variants of these systems such as KC-135, KC-130 etc. coupled with presence of established manufacturers will primarily contribute to the revenue generation. Rising defense budget of U.S. will further support the regional dominance.Asia Pacific will grow substantially due to rising penetration in countries including China, Japan, and Australia. The high penetration is credited to high aircraft production across the region.Aerial refueling system market from refueling pods is anticipated to capture major revenue share owing to vitality of the component in the refueling system. They are responsible for monitoring the fuel transfer rate. Drogues are expected to exhibit 3.5% CAGR over the next eight years owing to high adoption of probe and drogue system across the globe for serial refueling. Extensive usage in helicopters will further contribute to the segments growth.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1.Boeing2. Lockheed Martin3. Cobham Plc4. Eaton Corporation5. Zodiac Aerospace6. GE Aviation System7. Northstar Engineering Corporation8. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, lnc.9. Liebherr Group10. ProtankGrup (Protank Mission Systems Sdn.Bhd)11. Smiths12. Dassault Aviation13. Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Ltd.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Military aircraft will dominate the aerial refueling system market, crossing USD 2 million over the next eight years. It is attributed to high requirement of refueling system in military sector along with increasing defense budgets across the globe. Helicopters are likely to grow significantly from 2017 to 2024 owing to their high usage of these system. This extensive usage is credited to low fuel carrying capacities of helicopters. Continuous growth in their production across the globe will further strengthen the product penetration.Aerial refueling system market from OEM will capture the maximum share in the industry over the forecast timeframe owing to prior installation in the aircrafts. Continuously rising aircraft production will further support the industry dominance. Aftermarket will witness 4.7% CAGR till 2024 owing to rising replacement needs of system components such as hoses, drogues, etc., especially for the ageing fleet.Browse Report Summery @GE Aviation System, Boeing, Eaton Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Zodiac Aerospace, Marshal Aerospace and Defense Group, and Dassault Aviation are among the noticeable participants in the aerial refueling system industry. Other prominent players include Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Northstar Engineering Corporation, Smiths, and The Liebherr Group. Agreements and contracts are among the major strategies implemented by the competitors to enhance their visibility.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Smart Grid Security Market Key players are: BAE Systems PLC., Cisco Systems Inc., IBM Corporation, Siemens AG, Intel Corporation, Elster Solutions, Symantec Corporations, AlertEnterprises, N Dimension Solutions, Leidos

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U.S. smart grid security market is expected to dominate the revenue owing to the early cyber security adoption and rapid technological advancements. The Asia Pacific region is forecast to grow at the highest CAGR, considering the rapidly emerging opportunities across power industries in this region. Growing need for data security, fragmentation and innovation in the field is predicted to provide huge impetus to the European smart grid security market. For instance, in Denmark, close data exchange between distribution system operators (DSO), transmission system operators (TSO), retailers and generators takes place via data hub. The TSO takes care of the data security and has been outsources to a third party.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Smart Grid Security Market size will be fueled by growing development and increasing occurrences of cyber-attacks. Increased cloud- and web-based applications in businesses are anticipated to further propel market growth.The frequency of usage of Advanced Metering Systems (AMI) is on the rise in recent years. The smart meters form an important constituent of the system. The installation of these and such smart grids are expected to positively impact the smart grid security market growth during the forecast period. Furthermore, the recent attacks on smart grids is expected to increase the adoption of security systems exponentially. However, the mismatch lifecycles of the IO and OT and differing practices in maintenance, design and qualification are anticipated to create gaps. These gaps can be maliciously exploited and are anticipated to pose threats to the smart grid security market.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis: BAE Systems PLC. Cisco Systems IBM Corporation Siemens AG Intel Corporation Elster Solutions Symantec Corporations AlertEnterprises N Dimension Solutions LeidosSmart grids are the integration of traditional power grid and information & communication technologies. The integration empowers the consumers & electrical utility providers and improves availability & efficiency of the power systems. Smart grid security market continues to evolve with technology and to achieve efficient, reliable, economical and clean energy distribution, smart grids make use of different technologies such as advanced components, integrated communication, advanced control methods, improved decision support & interfaces and measurement & sensing. These technological improvements depend on analysis of massive amounts of data and new interconnectivity levels, which is expected to further market growth. Hence, the smart grid security market is expected to provide solutions that help secure the network infrastructure, data and the devices connected in the grid.The smart grid security market also enable the constant controlling, monitoring and managing the consumer demands. Increase in usage of connected devices, technological advancements and increasing concerns for vulnerability & security are expected to boost the security systems demand.Increasing internet of things (IoT) penetration and in turn rising adoption of smart grids are anticipated to fuel the security systems demand during the forecast period. The long investment cycles in energy sector and heterogeneous guidelines pertaining to cyber security is anticipated to be the biggest challenge faced by smart grid security market.The IP standards use in smart grids provide a huge advantage of compatibility between different system components. However, IP use makes the devices inherently vulnerable to many network attacks such as tear drop, denial of services and IP spoofing. Thus, increasing use of IP for connected devices is projected to propel smart grid security market demand.The smart grid security market is segmented by managed and professional services, of which, professional services account for majority share. The lack of security experts in energy & utility companies and urgent need to address smart grid security threats is expected are fuel the demand for professional grid security providers. Based on the solutions provided by the smart grid security systems, these are segmented into firewall, antimalware & antivirus, encryption, identity & access management, distributed denial of service (DDoS), vulnerability & security management, intrusion detection system (IDS), intrusion protection system (IPS), fraud detection and data loss prevention (DLP).Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @The increasing governmental initiatives to prepare a country to face such attacks on smart grids is set to positively impact the industry growth. For instance, the EU NIS directive, which will come to effect in 2018, is designed to create national competent authorities to monitor the application of Directive. The Distribution System Operators (DSOs) will be responsible for the grid security and conformity with NIS requirements.Various stakeholders in the smart grid security market are cloud service providers, security service providers, national & state governments, utility companies, technology providers, enterprise users and IT service providers. BAE Systems PLC., Cisco Systems Inc., IBM Corporation, Siemens AG, Intel Corporation, Elster Solutions, Symantec Corporations, AlertEnterprises, N Dimension Solutions and Leidos are some of the players in the market. IOA Active Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., McAfee, Alien Vault, Black & Veatch, Entergy Services, Sophos, Source Fire and ViaSat are some of the other leading providers of smart grid security. The companies are increasingly adopting the strategies of partnerships and collaborations to diversify the services portfolio and increase their market share.Browse related Report:Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, China, India, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, GCC, South Africa), Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018  2024About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:Connect with us: Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | TwitterAerospace Insurance Market breaches USD3.1 billion barrier; promising growth ahead| Global Aerospace, Hallmark Financial Services, MARSH

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HTF MI recently introduced Global Aerospace Insurance Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Allianz, American International Group, Global Aerospace, Hallmark Financial Services, MARSH, etc.Request Sample of Global Aerospace Insurance Market 2018-2022 @:Aerospace insurance is insurance coverage that is meant particularly to the threats involved in aviation and operation of aircraft. Aerospace insurance policies are different from those for different areas of transportation and have clauses and limits exclusive to aviation. HTF MI analysts forecast the global aerospace insurance market will register a revenue of USD 3.1 billion by 2022.This report studies the Global Aerospace Insurance market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Aerospace Insurance market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on "Aerospace Insurance Market by Type, by End-Users/Application, Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2023". Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.Enquire for customization in Report @Competitive Analysis:The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as Allianz, American International Group, Global Aerospace, Hallmark Financial Services, MARSH, includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Market Segments:The Global Aerospace Insurance Market has been divided into type, application, and region.Market driver Construction and expansion of airports For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Risk of accidents For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Evolution of non-airline aviation services For a full, detailed list, view our reportOn The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Aerospace Insurance in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis} Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}Buy Single User License of Global Aerospace Insurance Market 2018-2022 @Have a look at some extracts from Table of ContentIntroduction about Global Aerospace InsuranceGlobal Aerospace Insurance Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017Aerospace Insurance Market by Application/End UsersGlobal Aerospace Insurance Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-usersGlobal Aerospace Insurance Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)Aerospace Insurance Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and ApplicationAerospace Insurance (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.Global Aerospace Insurance Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales DataAdditionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturersMarket Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product typeAerospace Insurance Manufacturing Cost AnalysisAerospace Insurance Key Raw Materials AnalysisAerospace Insurance Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain AnalysisMarket Forecast (2018-2023)........and more in complete table of ContentsBrowse for Full Report at:Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us atCrawler Crane Market 2018-24 Regional Revenue By Global Manufacturers Liebherr Group, Konecranes, Escorts Limited, Link-Belt Cranes, Palfinger AG, Sany Group, Terex Corporation

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The Asia Pacific crawler crane market is witnessing a high adoption in the construction and mining sectors and expected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% from 2018 to 2024. Global companies are expanding their business operations in the region by collaborating with local manufacturers.For instance, in December 2016, Jekko s.r.l. collaborated with Lee Hyun Soo and Dennis Shin for establishing a new subsidiary, Jekko Korea in Seoul. Countries including India, China, and Japan are adopting advanced automated technologies in industrial sectors for enhancing their business operations. The escalating infrastructure development projects in countries including India will favor the crawler crane market growth.Request for a sample copy of this report @The crawler crane market is witnessing demand for low-level access units, niche machines, and customized choices. Growing installation & maintenance activities for the upgrade of fire stations, street lights, glasswork, and other associated infrastructure coupled with increasing organization of several events such as concerts, corporate events, and festivals, are driving the need for these machines across several regions.Major players in the crawler crane market include Terex Corporation, The Liebherr Group, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd., XCMG Group, The Escorts Group, Komatsu Ltd., Sany Group, and Manitowoc. Companies including The Escorts Group, Furukawa UNIC Corporation, and Terex Corporation sell their equipment through specialized construction equipment distributors and construction firms across the globe.Crawler Crane Market, By Capacityo Below 50 metric tonso 50 to 250 metric tonso 250 to 450 metric tonso 450 to 650 metric tonsCrawler Crane Market, By Applicationo Rentalo Constructiono Miningo Oil & Gaso EnergyMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Crawler Crane Market size is set to exceed USD 3 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The shipments are expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4%.Increasing utilization of crawler cranes in the energy sector is anticipated to drive the crawler crane market growth. These machines offer heavy lifting operations at the nuclear and renewable energy sites and facilitate the operators in handling the materials efficiently. Several manufacturers have developed energy sector-specific machines that witness a high demand. For instance, Manitowoc has launched a wind power crane, Grove GTK1100, that is used for wind turbine operations such as erection and construction. Additionally, the crawler crane market is witnessing growth opportunities due to the increasing infrastructure projects across the globe.Economic growth across the globe, especially in China, India, and Southeast Asian markets, has led to a better infrastructure demand. Growing building & construction spending due to a rise in per-capita disposable income along with enhanced infrastructure in Asia Pacific and Latin America will drive the crawler crane market. Growth in Latin America will be led by an increase in infrastructure spending, mainly transportation and energy, closely followed by spending on non-residential structures. The key areas of construction growth in emerging economies are social, transport, energy, defense infrastructure, and government accommodation.Browse report summery @High maintenance costs and initial investments are the major factors hindering the crawler crane market development. The high cost is discouraging several business manufacturers and OEMs from deploying high-end machines. Companies consider that investments for automated equipment must meet the global quality and manufacturing standards. In addition, the cranes are available on lease from the manufacturers at a lower price than the newer machines. Instead of procuring a new equipment, several customers commonly prefer renting equipment, which is anticipated to hamper the market.The strong distributor relations aid companies in gaining a competitive advantage and understanding the demand for any new products in application segments. This helps companies in the crawler crane market in efficiently marketing new product lines and expanding the customer base. In July 2018, The Liebherr Group announced the opening of the companys new headquarters in Virginia. The new facility developed a production & workshop unit to support Liebherrs construction, concrete, and cranes division.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Oral Vaccines Market Research Report 2018 by Manufacturers (GlaxoSmithKline Plc., PaxVax Corporation, Merial, Inc., Merck Sharp and Dohme Corp), Regions, Types and Applications

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MarketResearchNest.com published an Exclusive Research Report on Global Oral Vaccines Market Research Report 2018 by Manufacturers, Regions, Types and Applications that highlights the in-depth market analysis and covers significant data with future prospects of the market.This comprehensive Oral Vaccines Market research report includes a brief on these trends that can help the businesses operating in the industry to understand the market and strategize for their business expansion accordingly. The research report analyzes the market size, industry share, growth, key segments, CAGR and key drivers.New vendors in the market are facing tough competition from established international vendors as they struggle with technological innovations, reliability and quality issues. The report will answer questions about the current market developments and the scope of competition, opportunity cost and more.Request a sample copy of Oral Vaccines Market Report 2019@Oral Vaccines Market in its database provides an expert and in-depth analysis of key business trends and future market development prospects, key drivers and restraints, profiles of major market players, segmentation and forecasting. A Oral Vaccines Market provides an extensive view of size; trends and shape have been developed in this report to identify factors that will exhibit a significant impact in boosting the sales of Oral Vaccines Market in the near future.Global Oral Vaccines market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Oral Vaccines sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (M USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including: GlaxoSmithKline Plc. PaxVax Corporation Merial, Inc. Merck Sharp and Dohme Corp VALNEVA Canada Inc. QUAMICA SUIZA S.A Immunitor, Inc Aventis (Sanofi S.A.) Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd Swiss Serum and Vaccine Institute Berne Bull Bio - NCIPD Ltd. Vaxart, Inc. Shantha Biotechnics Crucell (Janssen Global Services, LLC)On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into: Live Attenuated Vaccines Killed/Inactivated Vaccines Recombinant Vaccines OthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Oral Vaccines for each application, including: Polio Rabies Rotavirus Cholera HIV Respiratory Infections Influenza ? ? Tuberculosis ? ? OthersMoreover, the research report assessed market key features, consisting of revenue, capacity utilization rate, price, gross, growth rate, consumption, production, export, supply, cost, market size & share, industry demand, export & import analysis, and CAGR.Browse full content and In-depth TOC of Oral Vaccines Market Report 2019@The report firstly introduced the Oral Vaccines basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (M USD), market share and growth rate of Oral Vaccines for these regions, from 2012 to 2024 (forecast), covering: China USA Europe Japan Korea India Southeast Asia South AmericaThe research report provides in-depth analysis on: The estimated growth rate along with size and share of the Oral Vaccines Market during the forecast period. The prime factors expected to drive the Oral Vaccines Market for the estimated period. The major market leaders and what has been their business winning strategy for success so far. Significant trends shaping the growth prospects of the Oral Vaccines Market.Key questions answered in this report: What will the Oral Vaccines Market Size is in 2024 and what will the growth rate be? What is the key Oral Vaccines Market Trends? What is driving this Oral Vaccines Market? What are the challenges to Oral Vaccines Market Growth? Who are the key vendors in this Oral Vaccines Market Space? What are the Oral Vaccines Market Opportunities and Threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Oral Vaccines Market Key Vendor?Inquiry for buying a sample copy of Oral Vaccines Market Report 2019 Copy@Key Oral Vaccines Market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.About us: - MarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the Global and Southeast Asias most complete and recent database of expert insights on industries, organizations, products, and trends.Contact us: - Mr. Jeet Jain, Sales Manager, sales@marketresearchnest.com ;+1-240-284-8070, +44-20-3290-4151;Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | FacebookPosted Thursday, January 17, 2019 9:45 am

The second of three concerts making up the 2018-19 season of the Northwest Wind Symphony is set to take place at 7 p.m. Saturday inside the Corbet Theatre of Centralia College. General admission tickets cost $12 and are available at the door as well as at Book n Brush in Chehalis.

The program, entitled Our Forefathers  English Landscapes, lists eight arrangements that pay tribute to the classical music traditions of England and how they shaped early musical trends in America.

English culture was the dominant culture during the early days of (the United States), said Dr. Dan Schmidt, who conducts the ensemble of musicians from across the Pacific Northwest three times each year. Were looking back at how English culture affected us, particularly in the music world. The whole philosophy of band music rather than orchestra music, that was perfected in England, which then came across the pond with early settlers.

Those in attendance Saturday will hear snippets of music they may recognize from folk songs. Schmidt said a lot of traditional English music is centered around folk tunes and grew from that foundation.

The program features three pieces by Percy Grainger, an Australian-born composer who moved to England and helped bring British folk music back in style during the first half of the 20th century. Other highlights include the Jupiter movement of Gustav Holsts Symphony of the Planets and Sea Songs by Thomas Knox.

Dr. Rob Davis, chair of the Visual and Performing Arts department at Lower Columbia College in Longview, will serve as guest conductor for Hill Song 2 by Grainger and Jupiter. Davis also conducts the Southwest Washington Symphony in Longview.

The conducting piece is old hat, but it will definitely be a new experience to get together with a group just for a day of rehearsal and performance, Davis said. I feel like each concert is really a celebration of whatever music were performing. We have a really strong contingent here in Longview, and I feel confident that up in the Centralia-Chehalis area as well, they have a dedicated group of people who provide amazing support in wanting to see classical groups thrive.

Schmidt suggested people who may normally steer clear of classical music concerts give the one Saturday a try, because none of the pieces care the deep, heavy tones of a work by Ludwig van Beethoven or Johannes Brahms.

People who come to this concert will recognize some of the tunes, Schmidt said. All of the songs are familiar, jaunty and vibrant. They may have even hummed parts of them as a kid.Global Billing & Invoicing Software Market

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The global market size of Billing & Invoicing Software is $XX million in 2017 with XX CAGR from 2013 to 2017, and it is expected to reach $XX million by the end of 2023 with a CAGR of XX% from 2018 to 2023.Request Sample PDF@There are 3 key segments covered in this report: geography segment, end use/application segment and competitor segment.For geography segment, regional supply, application-wise and type-wise demand, major players, price is presented from 2013 to 2023. This report coverss following regions:*North America*South America*Asia & Pacific*Europe*MEA (Middle East and Africa)The key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, ASEAN, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, CIS, and Brazil etc.For end use/application segment, this report focuses on the status and outlook for key applications. End users also can be listed.For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Billing & Invoicing Software as well as some small players. The compnaies include:Freshbooks, Tipalti, Housecall Pro, TimeSolv, BQE Core, Affiliated Acceptance Corporation (AAC), CaptureFast, BigTime, WorkflowMAx, EBizCharge, vCita, Avaza, InfoFloPay, Simple Invoices, Elorus et al.Buy Now@The information for each competitor includes:*Company Profile*Main Business Information*SWOT Analysis*Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin*Market ShareWe also can offer customized report to fulfill special requirements of our clients.Research Reports Inc. is one of the leading destinations for market research reports across all industries, companies, and technologies. Our repository features an exhaustive list of market research reports from thousands of publishers worldwide.US / Canada Toll Free: +18554192424, UK :+4403308087757 | Email: info@researchreportsinc.comBrazil Elderly Care Market Report 2018 Companies Included Koninklijke Philips N.V., Intel Corporation, Exceptional Living Center, Profilico Group Ltd. and RIGHT AT HOME, LLC and More

Brazil Elderly Care Market

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Brazil Elderly Care Market is having several developments, product launches, joint ventures, merges and accusations by its prominent market players and top brands which are driving the market in the terms of sales, import, export and revenue. This report gives an edge to not just compete but to outmatch the competition. The report provides with CAGR value fluctuation during the forecast period of 2018-2025 for the Brazil Elderly Care Market. This report also contains all the drivers and restrains with the help of SWOT analysis for the Brazil Elderly Care Market.Get Free Sample Copy of this Report @Brazil Elderly Care Market, By Type({Home Care (Health Care, Non Medical Home Care), Adult Day Care, Institutional Care (Nursing Homes, Hospital Based, Assisted Living, Independent Senior Living)}), Product Type (Pharmaceuticals, Housing & Assistive Devices, Technology)  Forecast to 2025Brazil Elderly Care Market is expected to reach USD 93.7 Billion by 2025 from USD 61.5 Billion in 2017, at a CAGR of 5.5% in the forecast period 2018 to 2025. The new market report contains data for historic years 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.The major factors driving the growth of this market are increase in geriatric population, rising patient pool for chronic illness in ageing population, rising awareness of home care setting devices, increasing healthcare spending public and private in developed economies, government initiatives to provide cost-effective medical treatment for ageing population, and favorable reimbursement policies. On the other hand low penetration rate for elderly care products and high cost of elderly care services and products may hinder the growth of the market are the factors which will boost the Brazil elderly care market.The key market players for Brazil elderly care market are listed below: Koninklijke Philips N.V. Intel Corporation Exceptional Living Center Profilico Group Ltd. RIGHT AT HOME, LLC.Order a copy of Brazil Elderly Care Market Report @Segmentation of Brazil Elderly Care MarketThe market is further segmented into: Product Type Service Application RemunerationBased on product type: Pharmaceuticals Housing Assistive DevicesBased on service: Institutional Care Homecare Adult Day CareBased on application: Heart Diseases Cancer Kidney Diseases Diabetes Arthritis Osteoporosis Neurological Respiratory OthersBased on mode of remuneration: Government Insurances Private Insurances Out of Pocket ServicesBased on geography: North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East and AfricaDownload Detailed TOC @Table of Contents:1. INTRODUCTION1.1. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY1.2. MARKET DEFINITION1.3. OVERVIEW OF BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET1.4. CURRENCY AND PRICING1.5. LIMITATION1.6. MARKETS COVERED2. MARKET SEGMENTATION2.1. MARKETS COVERED2.2. YEARS CONSIDERED FOR THE STUDY2.3. CURRENCY AND PRICING2.4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.5. PRIMARY INTERVIEWS WITH KEY OPINION LEADERS2.6. SECONDARY SOURCES2.7. ASSUMPTIONS3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY4. PREMIUM INSIGHTS5. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE5.1. OVERVIEW5.2. HOUSING AND ASSISTIVE DEVICES5.3. PHARMACEUTICALS6. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY SERVICE6.1. OVERVIEW6.2. INSTITUTIONAL CARE6.2.1. HOSPITAL BASED6.2.2. INDEPENDENT SENIOR LIVING6.2.3. ASSISTED LIVING6.2.4. NURSING HOME6.2.5. HOMECARE6.2.5.1. HEALTHCARE6.2.5.2. MEDICAL CARE6.2.5.3. PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES6.2.5.4. TELEHEALTH6.2.5.5. PALLIATIVE CARE6.2.5.6. HOSPICE CARE6.2.6. NON-MEDICAL CARE6.2.6.1. PERSONAL CARE6.2.6.2. REHABILITATION6.2.6.3. OTHERS7. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY APPLICATION7.1. OVERVIEW7.2. HEART DISEASES7.3. RESPIRATORY7.4. DIABETES7.5. OSTEOPOROSIS7.6. CANCER7.7. NEUROLOGICAL7.8. KIDNEY DISEASES7.9. ARTHIRITIS7.10. OTHERS8. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, BY MODE OF REMUNERATION8.1. OVERVIEW8.2. GOVERNMENT INSURANCE8.3. PRIVATE INSURANCE8.4. OUT OF POCKET SERVICES9. BRAZIL ELDERLY CARE MARKET, COMPANY LANDSCAPE9.1. COMPANY SHARE ANALYSIS: BRAZIL10. COMPANY PROFILE10.1. KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.10.1.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.1.2. KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. : REVENUE ANALYSIS10.1.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.1.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.2. RIGHT AT HOME, LLC.10.2.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.2.2. RIGHT AT HOME, LLC. : COMPANY SNAPSHOT10.2.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.2.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.3. PROFILICO GROUP, LTD.10.3.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.3.2. PROFILICO GROUP, LTD.: COMPANY SNAPSHOT10.3.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.3.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.4. EXCEPTIONAL LIVING CENTER OF BRAZIL, LLC.10.4.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.4.2. EXCEPTIONAL LIVING CENTER AT BRAZIL, LTD. : COMPANY SNAPSHOT10.4.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.4.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS10.5. INTEL CORPORATION10.5.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW10.5.2. INTEL CORPORATION: REVENUE ANALYSIS10.5.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO10.5.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTSView Full Report @Related ReportGlobal Elderly Care Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Elderly Care Market By Type ({Home Care (Health Care, Non-Medical Home Care), Adult Day Care, Institutional Care (Nursing Homes, Hospital Based, Assisted Living, Independent Senior Living)}), Product Type (Pharmaceuticals, Housing & Assistive Devices, Technology); Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, Africa).Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Data Bridge adepts in creating satisfied clients who reckon upon our services and rely on our hard work with certitude. Get 10% Discount on Report by emailing sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com . We are content with our glorious 99.9 % client satisfying rate.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comGlobal Electric Vehicle Market Research Report by focusing on Top Companies like General Motors, BYD, Nissan, Daimler AG, Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla, and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

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Global Electric Vehicle Market industry valued approximately USD xx billion in 2016 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than xx% over the forecast period 2017-2025. An electric vehicle works with the help of one or more electric motors for a forward motion. It may be fueled via a collector system by electricity from off-vehicle sources. The major factors driving the growth are government encouragement in the manner of exempts, subsidies, and tax returns. Enhancing charging setups, growing vehicle variety and choices and minimizing the rates of batteries.Get Sample Copy of this Report @The extensive growth evident in the electric vehicle industry can be attributed to the increasing demands for imminent energy needs. The stringent regulations imposed by government on emissions, advancements in public charging infrastructure, and the governmental support of sale of these types of vehicles.The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:EV Components: Battery On-Board Charger Instrument ClusterCharging Station: Normal Super ChargingSome of the key manufacturers involved in the market are General Motors, BYD, Nissan, Daimler AG, Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla, and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Acquisitions and effective mergers are some of the strategies adopted by the key manufacturers. New product launches and continuous technological innovations are the key strategies adopted by the major players.Get a discount on this research report @Table of Content:Chapter 1. Global Electric Vehicle Market Definition & Scope1.1. Research Objective1.2. Market Definition1.3. Scope of The Study1.4. Years Considered for The Study1.5. Currency Conversion Rates1.6. Report LimitationChapter 2. Research Methodology2.1. Research Process2.1.1. Data Mining2.1.2. Analysis2.1.3. Market Estimation2.1.4. Validation2.1.5. Publishing2.2. Research AssumptionChapter 3. Executive Summary3.1. Global & Segmental Market Estimates & Forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)3.2. Key TrendsChapter 4. Global Electric Vehicle Industry Dynamics4.1. Growth Prospects4.1.1. Drivers4.1.2. Restraints4.1.3. Opportunities4.2. Industry Analysis4.2.1. Porters 5 Force Model4.2.2. PEST Analysis4.2.3. Value Chain Analysis4.3. Analyst Recommendation & ConclusionChapter 5. Global Electric Vehicle Market by EV Components5.1. Market Snapshot5.2. Market Performance - Potential Model5.3. Electric Vehicle Market, Sub Segment Analysis5.3.1. Battery5.3.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.1.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.2. On-Board Charger5.3.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.2.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.3. Instrument Cluster5.3.3.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)Inquiry before Buy @About Us:Big Market Research has a range of research reports from various publishers across the world. Our database of reports of various market categories and sub-categories would help to find the exact report you may be looking for.We are instrumental in providing quantitative and qualitative insights on your area of interest by bringing reports from various publishers at one place to save your time and money. A lot of organizations across the world are gaining profits and great benefits from information gained through reports sourced by us.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesCall answer Direct: +1-971-202-1575Call answer Toll Free: +1-800-910-6452Email help@bigmarketresearch.comRefrigerant Market Growth Analysis and Industry Development 2018 - Dominated By Honeywell International Inc., The Linde Group, Daikin Industries Limited, Mexichem S.A.B. De C.V and Global Forecast to 2025

Global Refrigerant Market

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Global Refrigerant Market dominates the global industry; the manufacturing services demand in the country is estimated to exceed USD XXX billion by 2025. The emergence of several manufacturing companies across all industry verticals in the Global has increased competition and enforced to partner with the providers. Additionally, increasing government rules to produce safe and tested products to be used in industrial applications, such as medical devices and automobiles, supports market growth. To save the labor costs involved in manufacturing and logistics operations, are shifting toward electronics contract services. These factors coupled with the growth in outsourcing activities account for the rapid development in the industry.Global Refrigerant Market is expected to reach 2,019.96 Thousand Metric Tons by 2025 from 1,306.44 Thousand Metric Tons in 2017, at a CAGR of 5.7% in the forecast period 2018 to 2025.Get Exclusive Sample PDF of Report:The major factors driving the growth of this market are the China focusing on natural refrigerants, technological changes such as low GWP refrigerants. Growth in the cold chain market, increase in the disposable income leading to rise in purchasing power of consumer appliances are some of the other factors which boost the market growth.Key Highlights of Report Overview of key market forces propelling and restraining market growth Offers a clear understanding of the competitive landscape and key product segments An analysis of strategies of major competitors Detailed analyses of industry trends A well-defined technological growth map with an impact-analysis Provides profiles of major competitors of the market. Details of their operations, product and services. Recent developments and key financial metrics.Major Players:Some of the major players operating in this market are:- Arkema SA, Dongyue Group Ltd, Honeywell International Inc., The Chemours Company, The Linde Group, Daikin Industries, Ltd., Mexichem S.A.B. de C.V., Sinochem Group, Air Liquide, A-Gas, Shandong Yuean Chemical Co., Ltd, Gas Servei, Zhejiang Fotech International Co. Ltd., Srf Limited, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd, Quimobasicos SA de CV, Changshu 3F Fluorochemical Industry Co., Ltd., OZ-Chill Refrigerants, Tazzetti S.P.A. among others.For More Information Contact us atThe Chemours Company is going to dominate the global Refrigerant market other players operating in this market are Arkema SA, Dongyue Group Co. Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., The Linde Group, Daikin Industries Limited, Mexichem S.A.B. De C.V., Sinochem Corporation, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (AGC), SRF Limited, Air Liquide (Airgas Refrigerants Inc.), A-Gas International, OZ-Chill Refrigerants, Shandong Yuean Chemical, Gas Servei S.A., Zhejiang Fotech International Co Ltd., Changsu 3F Fluorochemical Industry Co Ltd., Tazzetti SPA, Quimobasico among others. The domestic household segment is dominating the global refrigerant market with 43.3%. The refrigerator segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 6.3% in the forecast period 2018 to 2025.Table Of Content:Part 01: Executive SummaryPart 02: Scope Of The ReportPart 03: Market Landscape Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysisPart 04: Market Sizing Market definition Market sizing Market size and forecastPart 05: Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market conditionPart 06: Market Segmentation By Product Market segmentation by product Market segmentation By Applications Market segmentation By End Users Comparison by product Others - Market size and forecast Market opportunity by productPart 07: Customer LandscapePart 08: Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas - Market size and forecast EMEA - Market size and forecast APAC - Market size and forecast Key leading countries Market opportunityPart 09: Decision FrameworkPart 10: Drivers And Challenges Market drivers Market challengesPart 11: Market TrendsPart 12: Vendor Landscape Overview Landscape DisruptionPart 13: Vendor AnalysisAccess Detailed TOC atAbout Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comAnesthesia Machine Market 2023 Analysis - Research Covers Top 10 Players as Heyer Medical AG, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V, Draeger, GE Healthcare

Anesthesia Machine Market

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Market Research Future Recently Added Premium Research Reports on  Anesthesia Machine Market 2023 Which Gives in-depth Analysis of Regional data with Size and Share of Top 10 Players in the Globes.Competitive Landscape:Heyer Medical AG, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V, Draeger, GE Healthcare, Covidien, Smiths Medical, Mindray DS USA Inc., and Teleflex Inc.Get Premium Sample Copy @Market Scenario:The anesthetic machine is used to deliver and support anesthesia under the direct supervision of anaesthesiologists. The global anesthetic machine market was valued at 9.4 billion in 2016 and which is expected to reach 14.75 billion at a CAGR of 7.8 during the forecast period of 2016 to 2023.The growing number of surgeries performed around the globe is the prime driver of the market. According to estimates, in 2015, approximately 80 million inpatient surgeries were conducted in the U.S. According to Stanford Health Care, the most common anesthetic surgeries were nervous system surgeries, eye, ear and nasal surgeries, respiratory system surgeries, cardiovascular system surgeries, digestive system surgeries, urinary system surgeries, musculoskeletal system surgeries, and skin system surgeries.These figures swell when we include other specialties such as trauma and gynecology, which are capturing a broader market. Advancements in anesthesia system technology and the shift away from general anesthesia towards partial anesthesia, coupled with the development of short-acting anesthetics is driving a change in trend. Thus, the predominant continuous flow anesthetic machine or Boyles anesthesia machine is giving way to the intermittent flow anesthetic machine. Another trend catching on is the growing use of computer controlled anesthesia and patient monitoring devices.Portability and miniaturization have led to growing adoption of anesthesia in point of care surgeries. The growing capabilities of anesthetic devices such as the ability to deliver variable flow, minimum low flow rate, scavenging systems to capture waste gases, emergency systems such as oxygen flush systems and others are driving the market.The market restraints of the anaesthetic market are the high cost of installation and maintenance, scarcity of anesthesiologists, the risk of infection, complications such as pain, and deaths due to overdose and others. The mortality rate for general anesthesia is 1:10,000 as cited by many studies. Thus, advancements in devices due to safety concerns is strongly correlated with market growth.Segmentation:The Global Anesthesia Machines Market is segmented based on type, clinical indications, source, form, end users, distribution, and regions.Based on the type, the market comprises of continuous anaesthesia machines, intermittent anaesthesia machines, and others.Based on clinical indications, the market comprises of nervous system surgeries, eye, ear and nasal surgeries, respiratory system surgeries, cardiovascular system surgeries, digestive system surgeries, urinary system surgeries, musculoskeletal system surgeries, and skin system surgeries, and others.Based on components, the market is segmented into machines, ventilators, monitors, disposables, and others.Based on the subject, the market is segmented human and veterinary.Based on dimensions, the market is segmented into portable anaesthesia machines and stand-alone anesthesia machines.Based on end users, the market is segmented into hospitals, the point of care, and others.Based on the regions, the market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and rest of the world.Regional analysis:North America commands the most significant share of the market due to a large number of surgeries and sizeable public expenditure on healthcare. The U.S. spends a substantial proportion of the GDP on healthcare, of which approximately 16 % in 2016. However, the recent reimbursement cuts by the government of U.S. may hinder the market.Europe market is dominated by Germany, France, and the U.K. Owing to the extensive medical device industry of Germany. Poland, Spain, and Italy also have a sizable market share of the European market.Asia Pacific region is expected to demonstrate the fastest growth for the anesthesia machine market is owing to economic development and developing healthcare infrastructure. China is expected to drive a considerable growth followed by India. The leading domestic players, in China, are Tuoren Medical, Shengguang Medical, and Qiangjian Medical, which account for approximately 16 % of the local market share of China.The Middle East and Africa are led by Gulf economies of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar. The Middle East is a market to watch owing to its high wealth and the development of large hospital complexes in the region such as the King Fahd hospital, Riyadh. The market is however dependent on petrodollar and the expat population, which is a threat to its stability. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia reduced its healthcare spending by 35 percent in the year 2016 to wean the downfall of revenues owing to falling crude oil prices. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations spend approximately 75 % of total healthcare expenditure through public budgets which must be seen as a threat as well as opportunity for the private players to capture the domestic market of Gulf economies.Thus, the short-term prospects for the Middle East region are expected to rise to previous levels after 2018. The government is undertaking harsh fiscal adjustment owing to weak oil price. However, the high and satisfactory foreign reserves of Saudi Arabia, which equal over 95 % of GDP, and low public debt stock of just 5.8 % of GDP in 2015 are enough to say that the cuts will not be too drastic!The Latin America market is characterized by poor domestic capacity and capability of production. China is expected to increase its share of the medical devices imports of Brazil, especially in low-end devices. Among the regions of Brazil, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Parana tops the healthcare expenditure list. However, the differential regional healthcare availability owing to extreme social and economic differentiation of the Brazilian population is the prime threat to the market. The inadequate health care in its vast rural areas, political turmoil, the weak Brazilian Real are the other threats to the market.Continued!Browse Full Reports @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comInsulation Monitoring Devices Market Global Sales, Ex-Factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis 2025

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The report "Insulation Monitoring Devices Market - Global Industry Trend Analysis 2012 to 2017 and Forecast 2017 - 2025 ", has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts.The main objective of this report is to aid the user in understanding the market Insulation Monitoring Devices as a whole, its definitions, segmentation, market potential, influential trends, and the barriers that it is facing. Meticulous research and analysis were an important part of the report preparation. Those reading the report will be able to get a detailed understanding about the market. Industry experts have verified and checked the data and information that have been taken from credible sources like websites, annual reports of companies, journals, and other resources. In order give the facts and data a pictorial form, diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other representations have been used. That augments the visual appeal of the report and makes understanding it much easier.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Insulation Monitoring Devices Market: IntroductionAn insulation monitoring device regularly monitors the insulation resistance of an ungrounded system between earth and an active phase conductor. Insulation monitoring devices are supposed to trigger an alarm or give an alert (sound or light) whenever the insulation resistance of the device dips below a certain threshold limit.These monitoring devices are generally flush mounted and vertically or horizontally positioned. Insulation monitoring devices have auxiliary connection terminals of two types, namely removable screw terminal and tunnel type terminal.Insulation monitoring devices are widely used in unearthed devices where uninterruptible power supply is a must to avoid risk to human life. Thus, these devices find major applications in mines, airports, hospitals and railways.Insulation Monitoring Devices Market: DynamicsThe global insulation monitoring device market is primarily driven by the necessity of electrical safety in IT systems. Insulation monitoring devices provide continuous operation and safety against fire hazards (earth fault detection). Also, data can be lost or corrupted if power fluctuates even for a second. A momentary disturbance in certain sectors, such as healthcare, can trigger a damage that might not be recoverable, hence insulation monitoring devices are essential. Since insulation monitoring devices are a prerequisite, the market is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.Renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar energy plants, experience frequent fluctuations in insulation resistance because of the changes in wind flow and solar radiations. Thus, keeping track of insulation resistance is a must in these plants. Therefore, these renewable energy power plants contribute to the growth of the insulation monitor device market to a great extent.The latest trend in the market of insulation monitoring devices is the incorporation of new technological feature, such as a display with high resolution, which can indicate fluctuation of insulation resistance on a graph. It helps in calculating the risk and taking timely action. Such innovations provide increased reliability and thus, will fuel the market to a great extent and will also create a number of opportunities in the coming years.The insulation monitoring device market in the transport industry includes electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, railways, airways and marines and their safety is critical and of top priority, especially marine, airways and railways. Therefore, the transportation industry is foreseen to make a substantial contribution and is expected to maintain its position in the market during the forecast period.Insulation monitoring devices have gradually gained the interest of marine, transportation, healthcare and manufacturing industries as they ensure the operational continuity of an electric device and provide safety against shock; thereby maximizing the reliability of electrical infrastructure. Nevertheless, their implementation and adoption arises faces barriers and challenges, such as initial high investment cost and shortage of skilled resources. Hidden costs are further hindering the insulation monitoring system markert.Request For TOC @Insulation Monitoring Devices Market: SegmentationOn the basis of the response time/configuration, the insulation monitoring devices market can be segmented as:Response TimeResponse time 7secOn the basis of the design, the insulation monitoring devices market can be segmented as:Mounting SupportCubicalEnclosurePlateDIN RailPanelMounting PositionVerticalHorizontalAuxiliary Connection TerminalRemovable Screw TerminalTunnel Type TerminalOn the basis of the end-use, the insulation monitoring devices market can be segmented as follow:MiningTransportationManufacturing and Production IndustryData CentersHealthcarePower UtilitiesOtherInsulation Monitoring Devices Market: Regional OutlookNorth America owns a lions share in the insulation monitoring devices market, supported by penalty-based environmental regulations, high awareness of economic energy conservation and increased adoption of the insulation monitoring devices in data centers, transportation, and healthcare along with the rising demand for electric vehicles.Technological modernization of transportation and data centers in the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific contributes to the growth of the insulation monitoring device market in these regions and has the potential to see sizable growth in the future as well. The insulation monitoring devices market in Europe is expected to grow substantially, owing to the huge investments in generation of power from renewable energy.Insulation Monitoring Devices Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified across the value chain of the insulation monitoring devices market are:Schneider ElectricMitsubishi ElectricLittelfuseEatonABBBender GmbH & Co. KGCirprotecSiemensViper innovationsMRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources.The report provides the following information:Tailwinds and headwinds molding the markets trajectoryMarket segments based on products, technology, and applicationsProspects of each segmentOverall current and possible future size of the marketGrowth pace of the marketCompetitive landscape and key players strategiesThe main aim of the report is to:Enable key stakeholders in the market bet right on itUnderstand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting themAssess the overall growth scope in the near termStrategize effectively with respect to production and distributionMRR.BIZ is a leading provider of strategic market research. Our vast repository consists research reports, data books, company profiles, and regional market data sheets. We regularly update the data and analysis of a wide-ranging products and services around the world. As readers, you will have access to the latest information on almost 300 industries and their sub-segments. Both large Fortune 500 companies and SMEs have found those useful. This is because we customize our offerings keeping in mind the specific requirements of our clients.Pre Book Report @About UsMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.bizEurope Boiler Market Growth Potential Analysis Report Profiling BDR Thermea Group, Daikin, Lennox, Hovalm, Viessmann, Bosch Thermotechnology, Siemens AG, Burnham Holdings, Inc, A. O. Smith Corporation, Vaillant Group, NIBE

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This Europe Boiler market report studies the industry based on one or more segments covering key players, types, applications, products, technology, end-users, and regions for historical data as well as provides forecasts for next few years.Europe boiler market share is set to witness growth owing to increasing demand for space heating system along with positive outlook toward adoption of renewable technologies. Major players across the region have introduced smart control system integrated products to enhance the system efficiency and reduce fuel loss. Strict efficiency norms have initiated the deployment of high efficiency condensing boilers across the region.Request a sample of this premium report at:Historical data from 2013 is provided for Europe Boiler Market along with estimates and forecasts to 2024 based on segmentation of Boiler industry by Raw Technology, By Product, By Fuel, By Application, companies and Country. Previous years data offers fact based information on trends and growth graph while the forecasts aim to show an outlook of Boiler market for the next few years keeping in mind the advancements happening in the sector.Players operating in the Europe Boiler market include Grundfos, BDR Thermea Group, Daikin, Lennox, Hovalm, Slant/Fin Corporation, Viessmann, Bradford White Corporation (BWC), Immergas S.p.A, Fondital S.p.a, Wolf GmbH, Ferroli S.p.A, CTC Enertech Group, Weil-McLain, Bosch Thermotechnology, Siemens AG, Burnham Holdings, Inc, A. O. Smith Corporation, Groupe Atlantic, Ariston Thermo Group SpA, The Weishaupt Group, Baltur S.p.A, NTI Boilers, KyungDong Navien, SIME, Raypak, Energy Kinetics, ACV, Vaillant Group, NIBEEurope Boiler market is predicted to reach over USD 12 billion by 2024. Increasing spending toward renovation of existing building coupled with increasing demand for energy efficient space heating systems will drive the industry growth. Introduction of several standards to promote the development and deployment of energy efficient heating system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will further propel the business outlook. EU introduced several directives including Renewable Energy Directive, Energy Labelling & Ecodesign, Energy Efficiency Directive, and Energy Performance of Building Directive to limit the GHG emissions.Germany for 2016, accounted for over 13% of Europe boiler market share owing to rapid investment toward construction sector along with favorable measures to promote the deployment of renewable heating technologies. For instance, National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency introduced by government of Germany, with an objective to encourage the adoption of energy efficient systems.Austria boiler market in 2016, is set to reach over annual installations of 95 thousand units. Increasing investment towards construction sector along with growing economic will fuel the industry growth. In 2014, according to the European Commission the country witnessed over 47 thousand new residential establishments.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Ability to offer high efficiency by tapping the heat from flue gases, minimal environment impact and competitive pricing are some of the key parameters which will fuel the condensing boiler market. Rising consumer awareness coupled with strict efficiency standards and norms will further propel the industry outlook. Competitive pricing, safe operations, high pressure handling capacity and long-life span are some of the key benefits which will fuel the water tube boiler market share.Table of Content:Chapter 1. Methodology and ScopeChapter 2. Executive SummaryChapter 3. Europe Boiler Industry InsightsChapter 4. Europe Boiler Market, By TechnologyChapter 5. Europe Boiler Market, By ProductChapter 6 Europe Boiler Market, By FuelChapter 7. Europe Boiler Market, By ApplicationChapter 8 Europe Boiler Market, By CountryChapter 9. Company ProfilesFor More Details on this Report At:Related Report:Combi boiler Market Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 - 2024Combi Boiler Market is predicted to surpass USD 3.5 Billion by 2024. Investments toward refurbishment of residential infrastructure along with rise in demand for effective water & space heating will complement the industry outlook. Respective governments have introduced efficiency norms for limiting the GHG emissions which is further augmenting the business growth.About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report LLC4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:Opalesque Industry Update - European law firm Fieldfisher has launched specialist law firm Cummings Fisher focusing on hedge funds, derivatives and the alternative investment management sectors. Cummings Fisher is led by its three principal partners: Managing Partner Claire Cummings, who founded Cummings Law in 2003, is joined by partners, Ron Feldman leading the derivatives practice and James Tinworth leading the funds practice. Cummings Fisher is based at 1 Mayfair Place in the heart of the UK's hedge fund and alternative investment management district. It will specialise in funds, derivatives, financial services regulation and fund formation with enhanced capabilities provided by the additions of Ron and James at partner level and associate lawyers experienced in fund and financial services legal and regulatory issues. The three principal partners offer a wealth of combined leadership experience in Cummings Fisher's specialist areas. Claire practices financial services law with a focus on regulatory issues, cryptocurrencies and tokens, trading and brokerage documentation and advising both existing and start-up funds and fund managers. James joins Cummings Fisher from Stephenson Harwood where he was a partner and head of the hedge funds practice. Ron was previously a partner at MJ Hudson and held senior positions at the London office of Schulte Roth & Zabel and in-house at the investment bank Credit Suisse. Fieldfisher will provide Cummings Fisher with the full support of its international infrastructure of legal experts across a wider range of practice areas including tax, employment, data privacy, corporate, IP and technology. Cummings Fisher will also be able to make full use of the wide network of Fieldfisher offices in Europe and has its own global reach through associations with other buy-side focused law firms. Guy Usher, Head of Financial Markets & Products at Fieldfisher, commented: "The Cummings Fisher proposition fills a big gap in the market between traditional law firms and the sole practitioners serving clients in the alternative investments sector. "Cummings Fisher will be the first London-based firm providing legal services solely to hedge funds, investment funds and their managers, combined with complex advisory and cost-efficient document handling using our near shore service centre in Belfast, which already has 30 trading document negotiators. It can also provide data extraction solutions using our Condor alternative legal solutions platform." Claire Cummings, Managing Partner at Cummings Fisher, said: "This is an exciting, innovative move as we continue to evolve to meet the fast-changing needs of legal service users. "We share an ambition to develop Cummings Fisher to offer our clients in the alternative investment sector access to technically excellent, client-focused and commercially-based specialist legal advice in London as well as major European and global financial centres. We are now able to extend our expertise to provide a global reach for clients and build on our sector-leading advice to firms involved in emerging financing trends, such as crowdfunding, cryptocurrencies, payment platforms, tokenisations and digital currencies. "We are delighted to be backed by a firm which provides us with access to a broad platform of comprehensive legal expertise, professional support resources and industry memberships, to which we can add specialist knowledge of alternative investments and our own recognised thought leadership and events." Claire Cummings founded Cummings Law, a law firm specialising in providing legal advice to a wide range of alternative investment funds and start-ups, in 2003 She practises financial services law with a focus on regulatory issues, cryptocurrencies and tokens, trading and brokerage documentation and advising both existing and start-up funds and fund managers. Ron Feldman has broad experience in providing legal advice in relation to derivatives transactions and documentation, prime brokerage and asset custody arrangements to global financial institutions and alternative investment funds. He also provides regulatory advice on matters such as international derivatives reform. At Cummings Fisher, he expands the firm's offering to buy-side clients in the alternative investment sector. James Tinworth provides funds and UK financial services regulatory advice. His funds work focuses on hedge funds but advises in relation to all types of fund structures. James is a specialist in the AIFMD. He regularly advises on the structuring, establishment, operation and restructuring of investment funds. He has a depth of experience in a wide variety of fund launches and structures (both open and closed-ended, including hybrid hedge-private equity funds and UCITS) established in a number of both onshore and offshore jurisdictions.Two Impending Bills Prepare Ireland for Regulation

Published January 17, 2019 by Lee R

Protection of minors in light of the new gift box threat has fueled Ireland's protectionism in optimizing regulation.

Two new bills on the Parliamentary docket render the coming weeks in Ireland key for iGaming.

Social Needs

The bills will be in no small part reaction to a social climate concerned about the impact on young children of the promotion of gambling through advertising.

The Journey of the Bill

The legislative process will entail the submission of proposals to Parliament by an Inter-Departmental Working Group on Gambling chaired by Fine Gael politician David Stanton.

Overseeing the Process

The pending legislation was announced by Fine Gael parliamentary group chair Martin Heydon, who said the Gambling Control Bill and the updated Gaming and Lotteries Act will address a range of pressing gambling issue germane to the jurisdiction, including promotion of regional lotteries, optimizing the application process, and increasing monetary limits on stakes and prizes for currently licenced land-based gaming machines.

Establishing an Independent Regulator

A key piece of infrastructure that the legislation calls for is the establishment of an independent regulatory authority whom Heydon specified would act in an independent ombudsman-type capacity to keep up with the rapid impact of gaming technology on all gaming.

New Threat to Children

Heydon further pointed out a promotion that may leave children overly vulnerable to promotion, calling loot boxes which include some form of gambling advertising dangerous to children, as they come in a form which otherwise appeals to children, comparing the allure of opening one of these mystery boxes to scratching a scratch card.

Addressing Online Ease of Access

Heydon also acknowledged the increased threat that irresponsible iGaming advertising and promotion can pose in light of the accessibility which all aged users have to uncensored content in the online environment.

More About Loot Boxes

As a gambling product promising surprise bonuses to money-paying viewers, the loot boxes are being heavily promoted and featured in popular online media channels such as Youtube and video games

UK Minister Opposes Gift Boxes

UK childrens commissioner Anne Longfield has come out squarely against the loot box phenomenon to characterise the mystery boxes as gambling products outright, while asserting the seriousness of the problem of gambling amongst children under the age of 18.

Overview

The new bill adapts the original 2013 Gambling Control Bill, and looks like a key development paving the way for a functional iGaming model in the Ireland jurisdiction for 2019.Posted Thursday, January 17, 2019 9:47 am

A brewery near Pe Ell will donate 100 percent of its proceeds from its own version of Sierra Nevada Brewings Resilience Butte County Proud IPA, starting this Friday.

Just come out and have a beer for a good cause and try our other beers, too, said Tim Moriarty, one of the Jones Creek Brewing owners. Well have seven other beers on tap, the Sierra and a cider.

The Camp Fire, in Butte County, California, was the deadliest wildfire in modern California history. According to a press release from Jones Creek Brewing, the wildfire killed 86 people and displaced more than 14,000 families. Sierra Nevada Brewing announced days later that it would brew the Resilience IPA and donate 100 percent of its sales to the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund.

Sierra Nevada kind of came up with the base recipe for the beer and sent it out to everybody, Tim Moriarty said. So there might be a few minor changes  depending on the different brewing systems and who is in the kitchen.

Jones Creek Brewing brewed its own Resilience IPA. Mirinda Moriarty said if the whole batch of beer brewed for the Camp Fire Relief Fund sells out, Jones Creek Brewing will raise about $1,500.

The brewing community has really come together in this large-scale fundraising effort, said Sierra Nevada founder and owner Ken Grossman in the press release. Now were asking drinkers to come together and help us raise funds by buying the beer.

More than 1,400 breweries will participate in this fundraiser that is projected to raise as much as $15 million for direct Camp Fire relief, according to the press release.

We are so grateful to the breweries, the suppliers, the wholesalers and retailers who have so graciously donated their time and resources to make this happen, Grossman said in the press release. With their help  and the help of the drinkers everywhere  well be able to make a lasting and impactful difference in the lives of those impacted by this terrible tragedy.

Jones Creek Brewing owners Tim and Mirinda Moriarty opened the brewery, located just outside of Pe Ell, in November 2017. They both attended high school in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and know many who have lost family members and homes due to the fires.

Tim Moriarty said his parents bought the property in 2011, and that same year bought him a home brewing kit.

It spiraled out of control really fast, he joked.

In 2014, the Moriartys moved to Lewis County.

They said we will fund the brewery if you build it, Tim Moriarty said. So we decided we are taking this crazy adventure and will see how it goes.

Jones Creek Brewing keeps eight of its own beers on tap, as well as a guest cider.

The Resilience IPA will be available all weekend at Jones Creek Brewing  Friday 4-9 p.m., Saturday 12-9 p.m. and Sunday 12-6 p.m. The brewery is located in the Willapa Hills, 1.5 miles north of Pe Ell at 173 Beam Road.Posted Wednesday, January 16, 2019 6:17 pm

Donald Siegler was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to driving a vehicle while high on marijuana and causing a collision that killed 18-year-old Centralia resident Cheyllyn R. Collinsworth in May 2017.

Throughout the more than one-hour long hearing in Thurston County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon, the sound of muffled crying from the crowd was not uncommon.

Cheyllyn Collinsworth was killed weeks before graduating high school and had aspirations to pursue a career in teaching. Her mother and aunt addressed Judge John Skinder. In their often-tearful addresses, they focused on what the loss has meant to family, friends and to themselves.

Deborah Collinsworth read a portion of her daughters obituary and spoke of the future she had planned before her untimely death, sometimes addressing Siegler directly.

She tried to describe the sense of loss she has felt since then.

Cheyllyn Collinsworth brightened the lives of her family and friends, her mother said, and was driven. Her eyes were donated after her death, and have since gone to two recipients.

She read samples of Cheyllen Collinsworths writing, including one directed toward a younger version of herself, where she encouraged herself to be strong and confident.

Marijuana kills just like alcohol when you choose to drive impaired, Deborah Collinsworth said.

Additionally, she said her daughter  who was described many times as a person of faith  believed in forgiveness, and would want her family to forgive Siegler for his actions.

But I am not there yet, she said, and recommended to the judge that Siegler receive the hardest penalty available, while noting no sentence will diminish her still-fresh grief.

Deborah Collinsworth recommended Siegler reflect on himself during his incarceration, and determine the person he wants to be upon his release.

Siegler spoke briefly and softly, and almost exclusively to Cheyllyn Collinsworths family, turning around from his spot at the podium. He said the wrong person died that day, and that he would do anything to take it back. He chose not to address the judge.

Skinder acknowledged the grief the family experienced, and continues to experience, numerous times. He called vehicular homicide cases among the most difficult. In such cases, an innocent person is killed, but the death is almost always the result of an accident, he said.

My heart truly goes out to you, he said.

Skinder also said he believed Siegler truly was remorseful.

The 60-month sentence was the result of negotiations between Deputy Prosecutor Olivia Zhou and Sieglers counsel Sax Rodgers. While family members may have wanted Sieglers sentence to be harsher, Skinder said, the sentence was negotiated and, to him, seemed a fair one. It was already an exceptional sentence, meaning it went above the standard sentencing range for the charge. Vehicular homicide in a reckless manner carries with it a standard range of 21 to 27 months.

Additionally, Skinder said, if Siegler is convicted of a future DUI, the sentence would also be harsh.

The case stems from a collision on May 17, 2017, on Old Highway 99 in Grand Mound.

Thurston County Sheriffs Office deputies responded just past midnight May 18. Collinsworth was unconscious when they arrived and died before she could be airlifted.

Siegler was injured and hospitalized.

Witnesses said Sieglers car crossed the centerline, striking the other vehicle head-on. A blood test revealed his THC level was 6.5 ng/mL. The legal limit for THC while driving in Washington is 5 ng/mL of active THC.

On Dec. 6, 2018, Siegler pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and DUI.Coronavirus outbreak: Eight flights from several countries to fly back stranded Indians today

United Arab Emirates to launch unmanned spacecraft to moon in 2024

Visit visas to Pakistan, 11 other countries suspended by UAE

Year 2020: When UAE announced relaxing of Islamic laws for personal freedoms

Playing a role to bring Delhi, Islamabad to the talks table says UAE in first official confirmation

Indians topped list for most number of ambulance call in Dubai

International

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Dubai, Jan 17: Indian immigrants topped the list for the most number of ambulance call for various medical reasons followed by Pakistanis in 2018 in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to a report published by Khaleej Times, Indians topped the number of injuries (different medical reasons) at 26,389 followed by Pakistanis at 19,225, Egyptians (8,218), Filipinos (6,143), British (4,814), Bangladeshis (4,326), Saudi Arabians (4,186), Iranians (2,985) and Syrians (2,800).

The data was released by the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services. As many as 32,781 Emiratis needed ambulatory care in 2018.

Heart patients taken care of by the ambulance were 9,554, gynaecological cases numbered 1,905 and different cases of injuries recorded were 58,342.

Neurological cases stood at 23,335, respiratory disease cases were 8,927, other medical cases 81,094 and general cases 1,790.5 killed in car bombing in Colombian capital Bogota

International

pti-PTI

Bogota, Jan 17: Bogota's mayor says at least five people have been killed and another 10 injured in a car bombing at a police academy in Colombia's capital.

The scene outside the General Santander police academy is chaotic, with ambulances and helicopters rushing to the normally tightly controlled facility. Witnesses say they heard a loud explosion that destroyed windows in adjacent buildings Thursday.

Man who survived 9/11 attacks perishes in Nairobi terror strike

Pictures on social media showed a charred vehicle surrounded by debris on the academy's campus. Mayor Enrique Penalosa says at least 5 people were killed and 10 injured.

Leftist rebels from the National Liberation Army have been stepping up attacks on police targets in Colombia amid a standoff with conservative President Ivan Duque over how to re-start stalled peace talks.

PTITwo women who entered Sabarimala move SC seek round the clock protection

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: The two women who entered the Sabarimala shrine have moved the Supreme Court seeking round the clock protection. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the matter on Friday.

It may be recalled that one of the two women was assaulted by her relative. Kanaka Durga who was one of the two women who entered the shrine was attacked when she returned home on Monday.

Sabarimala: Violence breaks out as 2 women attempt to enter temple

Following protests and threats, Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga had gone into hiding. Their entry had sparked widespread protests and also a day long strike in Kerala. While speaking from an undisclosed location, they had said that they were facing threats, but were hopeful that the authorities would provide them security. There have been protests following a Supreme Court order which lodged the ban on women of all ages to enter the shrine.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 12:21 [IST]SP-BSP ready with their offer of three seats to RLD minus Mathura and Kairana

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Jan 17: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)-led by former Union minister Ajit Singh is desperate to join the alliance formed by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati. The RLD leaders are ready to do anything to join the SP-BSP alliance.

So much so that RLD leadership is ready to leave its traditional Mathura and Kairana Lok Sabha seats. However, the SP-BSP did not even ask the RLD at the time of formal announcement was made. But the SP-BSP alliance does not want to let go Jat votes from the alliance in the western UP.

So the alliance does not find any problem in talking to the RLD on its terms and conditions and taking it on board to win over Jat votes in the region. The SP-BSP are very confident over the prospects of the alliance and this is the reason that they are not in mood of giving any importance to smaller political parties in the state.

SP-BSP: Electoral math sorted, challenge ahead is political chemistry

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, RLD chief Ajit Singh was humiliated on his traditional seat Baghpat while his son was defeated in the Jat-dominated seat by Hema Malini of the BJP. The party predominantly flourished in Western Uttar Pradesh had a bad time in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said that the SP-BSP alliance is not ready to give RLD more than three seats. After the meeting of Akhilesh Yadav with Jayant Choudhary, the decision on seat sharing could be taken in the meeting between Ajit Singh and Mayawati.

Sources further said that Ajit Singh wants his son Jayant to contest his tradition Baghpat seat while he himself wants to contest from Muzaffarnager. But the most astonishing fact is that Mathura Lok Sabha seat where there are around 4.5 lakh Jat votes, the SP wants its candidate on RLD symbol Hand Pump.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 10:35 [IST]KCET 2021 registration open from today: How to apply for KCET Exam 2021, fees, other key details

Siddaganga seer still critical, VIPs, devotees throng mutt

India

oi-Deepika S

Tumkur, Jan 17: The 111-year-old seer of Siddaganga mutt, Dr. Shivakumara Swami is continue to be in critical stage, people from all walks of life have been making a beeline to the mutt to have a glimpse of the 'walking God'.

The seer, widely respected for his social service, particularly in the field of education is being treated for a lung infection which he developed after undergoing a liver bypass.

Dismissing all rumours about the 111-year-old seer's condition, mutt authorities said he is stable and recovering.

Deve Gowda gives cryptic statement about Siddaganga Seer's health

Meanwhile, mutt junior pontiff Sri Siddalinga Swami broke down as he turned emotional before the media while expressing his helplessness in not being able to entertain the children of the mutt who have been anxiously waiting to have a glimpse of their most loved seer.

Around a hundred police personnel have been deployed at the mutt. Many VIPs visited the mutt and inquired about the seer's health. Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge, had visited the seer at the hospital on Sunday and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda visited the seer on Wednesday.

The scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, paid visit to the seer at the mutt.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Film Chamber and Commerce (KFCC) on Wednesday wrote to chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, asking him to urge the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, on Siddaganga mutt seer Shivakumara Swamiji.SC asks search committee on Lokpal to recommend names by Feb end

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: The Supreme Court has directed the Search Committee to recommend a panel of names for the appointment of Lokpal and its members by the end of February. The court also asks centre to provide the necessary infrastructure for the Search Committee.

The search committee is headed by former apex court judge Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed the Centre to provide the search committee the requisite infrastructure and manpower to enable it to complete its work.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, arguing for NGO 'Common Cause', submitted that the court should issue directions to the search panel to make public minutes of its meetings as it must be disclosed who were the names discussed or shortlisted to the post.

To this, the court replied the moment the search committee submits the name during hearings of the case on March 7, it will give the names to Bhushan.

When Bhushan persisted that the search committee could draft its own rules and hence transparency may be insisted on, CJI Gogoi said why should the court doubt a committee headed by a retired SC judge and comprising eminent persons?

But when Bhushan continued to doubt transparency in the process, CJI Gogoi turned philosophical and said: "Mr Bhushan, don't always look at things in a negative way."

"At least, I should know what is happening,' Bhushan said. "You know more than anybody including even judges as to what is happening in the country," the bench added.

The bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and S K Kaul, said it would hear the matter again on March 7.The top court had on July 24 last year rejected as "wholly unsatisfactory" the Centre's submission on the issue of setting up of a search committee for the Lokpal and demanded a "better affidavit".

The apex court was also told that the selection committee members comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the then CJI Dipak Misra, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and eminent jurist Mukul Rohatgi had met on July 19 last year to deliberate upon names for members of the search committee.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the leader of the largest opposition party, has been giving a go by to the meetings of the selection panel.

The top court on July 24 last year was told that the selection panel also took note that the search committee is to comprise a minimum of seven people, including chairperson, with experience in anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, policy making, finance including insurance and banking, law and management, etc.

The Centre on September 27, 2018 had constituted an eight-member search committee headed by Justice Desai to recommend names to the selection panel for appointment of a Lokpal.Rakesh Asthana seeks correction in court judgment ordering probe in bribery case

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: CBI special director, Rakesh Asthana has moved an application in the Delhi High Court seeking a correction in the court's recent judgment in which his plea was rejected seeking the quashing of an FIR against him in the alleged bribery case.

The HC had ruled that the probe into the FIR against Asthana and three others be completed within 10 weeks time. It had also added that the sanction to prosecute Asthana was not required in the matter.

Asthana's plea to quash bribery case rejected: CBI to complete probe in 10 weeks

The FIR against Asthana and others was filed after a Hyderabad based businessman Sathish Babu Sana had claimed that he had paid bribe to get relief in a case related to meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Asthana and others besides seeking to summon records of the FIR and related documents have also sought for quashing the FIR against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 5:49 [IST]Rajasthan men file RTI petitions on projects, get used condoms in reply

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Jaipur, Jan 17: Nothing could have been more shameful for the world's largest democracy. Right to information (RTI) forms one of the foundations of a democratic system but it was mocked recently in Rajasthan where two persons queried about alleged corruption in the local village panchayat but what they got in response was shocking.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Vikas Choudhury and Manohar Lal had filed to separate applications and got used condoms wrapped in old newspapers! The two men, residents of Chani Badi in Bhadra tehsil of Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district, got the shocking deliveries allegedly posted by the gram panchayat after being instructed by the State Information Commission. The duo's applications were made under the RTI with the village panchayat last April seeking details of the development projects undertaken since the year 2001.

Condom ads without sexually explicit content allowed at all hours, clarifies I&B Ministry

"After opening the first envelope with used condoms folded in an old newspaper, we were quite apprehensive about the stuff in the second one so we called the block development officer (BDO) and requested his presence while opening the other," Choudhary, who is preparing for state civil services examination in Delhi, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times over the telephone.

"When the BDO refused our request, we decided to open it in the presence of some prominent persons of our village and filmed the whole episode. The material in the second envelope was the same as the first one," he said.

Lal was stunned by the turn of events and expressed his disgust saying he was in a constant mental agony and depression since he received the RTI reply.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 9:28 [IST]People of Assam observed Shok Bihu this year to protest against citizenship bill

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Jan 17: The issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill by the government led by Narendra Modi has infuriated people of Assam so much that they have not taken to street but one of the allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state as Asom Gana Parishad withdrew its support from the state government. People of the state have observed Bihu as Shok-Bihu this year.

Not only people from the other political parties but people associated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and even a section of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are disappointed over this decision of the central government. Sources in the state said that prayers made to the Agni (fire) God and Surya (Sun) God is to restore peace in the area and help preserve Assamiya Asmita, its language, culture, heritage and overall Sanskriti from Bangladeshi influence!

Citizenship Bill: Cong offers support to Assam CM for new govt if he quits BJP

The people of Assam is of the view that even the Assam accord of 1984 signed by the then Congress government and Ason Gana Parishad talks about preserving culture and language of Assam. The source said that Assam has 99 per cent Vaishnavite population and are followers of Bhakti Marg while even Hindus of Bangladesh (Bengalis) are Shakts. Principle, philosophy, food habit, language, customs, all are different. "Are Assamese Hindus not Hindus?, they asked. They also accused the government that the proposed law will destroy culture of the state.

Now people of Assam are asking that how would you differentiate between a Bangladeshi Muslim and Bangladeshi Hindu. Bangladeshi Hindu covers up for Bangladeshi Muslim efficiently because they move village wise and take care each other's security. For them, Assam is just a safe heaven for infiltrators. The BJP government is talking about Hindus in Citizenship bill but Assamese are apprehensive that in the guise of this law many Muslims hiding their identity will come to Assam as they are spread across the country. The People of Assam are saying that it will be very difficult to identify that who is a Bangladesh Hindu and who is a Bangladeshi Muslim.

They are of the view that with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the original owners of Barak Valley will ever get their land back? Will the infiltrators, now citizens return the land? Why would they? They've just got extra ammunition to attack them. Kachari tribes of Assam is no more in Barak Vally. Only 21 family of Kachari tribes remains which is an ancient tribe. How long people like them will have to flee the places of their ancestors for vote bank politics. Is this not a human right violation. Assam that faces difficult situation during floods and people are forced to take shelter along national highway even cases have been found that when last rites were performed along NH. So where will they be accommodated.

They added that the policy of vote bank started by the Congress is continuing by the Bharatiya Janata Party. This is what people inside the BJP and the RSS affiliate organisations feel. But one thing is clear that people of the Assam who had voted for the BJP on the issue of Jati, Mati and Bhedi are feeling cheated as they gave a full majority to the party to protect their identity. The protest is expected to continue.Operation Lotus: An unwanted adventure, when focus should have been the LS polls

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Bengaluru, Jan 17: Another misadventure by the Karnataka has come to an end, with some rebels in the Congress returning to their fold. It began with the fiasco of trying to install a government after the 2018 assembly elections, which was short lived.

Another attempt to install the government was made a few months back, but then the rebels in the Congress backed out again. This time, there was more drama when around 9 Congress rebels went missing and reports stated that they were in talks with the BJP.

The BJP too moved its MLAs to Gurgaon amidst reports of counter poaching. Finally it all ended with the Congress rebels returning to their fold and Yeddyurappa telling his MLAs that the plan is not going through.

Inside story of how Siddaramaiah led the operation against Operation Lotus

The BJP must be mindful of the fact that in the 2019 elections, its best chance to win a large number of seats in south is in Karnataka. The first BJP government in south was installed in Karnataka in 2008. For the BJP, Karnataka has always been the gateway to the south.

Now, the question was such adventurism necessary in a crucial election year when the party is looking to return to power? Has this exercise of desperately trying to install a government in Karnataka taken the focus away from the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign.

I have always said in Karnataka, the BJP's state and central units are not in sync. This was seen in the 2018 elections and due to the lack of coordination, the BJP fell short at least by 20 seats. Had the units been in sync, the party could have easily installed its government with a comfortable majority, says leading political scientist, Dr. Sandeep Shastri.

Dr. Shastri says that the BJP has consistently faced this challenge. I think ever since the BJP lost the chance to come to power in 2018 and also the fiasco of the short lived government, it has resulted in the party losing face.

While the state unit has been in a hurry to install a government, the central leadership has been counselling patience to rock the boat. Yeddyurappa was keen on becoming the CM as he feels that his chances of getting the job after the Lok Sabha elections is bleak, says Dr Shastri.

I feel that the central leadership would be happy for the government in Karnataka to collapse as this could pose a serious problem to the alliance in 2019. However the leadership also has at the back of its mind that bringing down a government could change the focus. The party's image would have suffered and also taken the focus away from the Prime Minister's leadership.

If you look at the recent attempt, many within the state leadership too were not keen. Barring Yeddyurappa and his followers, there was lukewarm response from others in the state unit.

If one looks at it, this was one last gamble that Yeddyurappa tried. When there is an element of desperation one tends to lose sight of the facts such as the anti-defection law and also the fact that such an operation needed more than 10 Congress MLAs to resign, says Dr. Shastri.

Operation Lotus fails again

Ideally, the BJP should have focused on the next Lok Sabha elections. They should have let the alliance continue and let the people watch the daily tantrums. This adventurism is more in line with the aspirations of the state leadership, which thought it did not want the moment to pass away of them coming to power.

I think this exercise has the potential to adversely affect the BJP in two ways. It has allowed the public to think of it as a destabiliser. Secondly it may have pushed the Congress and JD(S) closer.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 12:29 [IST]Dont you have confidence in the state you served for 30 years: SC to Param Bir Singh

On appointment of DGPs, SC tells 5 states to follow norms

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: The Supreme Court dismissed the pleas of five states seeking modification of its order issued last year on the selection and appointment of director generals of police (DGPs).

The court was hearing applications of various state governments, including Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Haryana and Bihar, seeking implementation of their local laws regarding the selection and appointment of DGPs.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the earlier directions of the court on selection and appointment of DGPs were issued in larger public interest and to protect the police officials from political interference.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari elevated to Supreme Court by President

On December 12 last year, the court extended till January 31 the tenures of the present DGPs of Punjab and Haryana and agreed to hear the states' pleas seeking to implement their local laws regarding the selection and appointment of the police chief.

DGPs Suresh Arora (Punjab) and B S Sandhu (Haryana) were due to retire on December 31 last year and will now remain in office till January 31 according to the earlier order of the court.

Several states were seeking modification of the court's earlier order directing all the states to mandatorily take the assistance of the UPSC in short-listing the names for appointing DGPs.

The top court, on July 3 last year, passed a slew of directions on police reforms in the country and chronicled the steps for appointment of regular DGPs.

It said the states will have to send a list of senior police officers to the UPSC at least three months prior to the retirement of the incumbent.

The commission will then prepare a panel and intimate the states, which in turn will immediately appoint one of the persons from that list.

Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Kerala and West Bengal told the court that they have already framed a comprehensive law, dealing with the procedures to appoint the DGP, in pursuance of the 2006 court verdict on police reforms.

The court, while deciding the PIL filed by former DGPs Prakash Singh and N K Singh in 2006, issued several directions, including the setting up of a state security commission to ensure the government does not exercise unwarranted influence on the police.

It said the appointment of DGPs and police officers should be merit-based and transparent and officers like DGPs and superintendents of police (SPs) should have a minimum fixed tenure of two years.

Prevent black day says retired HC judge on elevation of 2 judges to SC

However, when states enacted laws providing a mechanism for DGP selection, the court on July 3 last year kept the state laws in abeyance.

It earlier passed directions on police reforms and restrained all states and Union Territories from appointing any police officer as acting DGP.

The directions had come on an application filed by the Centre in which it claimed that certain states have been appointing acting DGPs and then making them permanent just before the date of their superannuation to enable them to get the benefit of an additional two-year tenure till the age of 62 years.

The court, on September 8, 2017, agreed to hear a clutch of pleas observing that its historic 2006 verdict on police reforms, recommending steps like fixed tenures for DGPs and SPs, has not yet been implemented by states and Union territories.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 6:26 [IST]Nation built by those with positive mindsets, not compulsive contrarians: Jaitley

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: Taking a swipe at the opposition, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said that a new class of Compulsive Contrarians including the left and dynastic politicians has emerged to create perpetual propaganda against the Modi government.

In a blog post Jaitley, who is currently in the United States undergoing medical treatment, cited a list of what he said were examples where the 'compulsive contrarians' have adopted double standards whenever it suited them. These include the Justice Loya case, the CBI vs CBI issue and the Rafale deal among others.

"The Compulsive Contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them," Jaitley wrote today.

He went on to list "examples" like "the Justice BH Loya case, the Rafale case, the CBI issue, on judges and the RBI debate".

"Every fact alleged in the public space by the Compulsive Contrarians was manufactured," Jaitley said on opposition allegations involving Judge BH Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin encounter killing case when he died of a cardiac arrest in 2014. BJP president Amit Shah, an accused in the killing, was discharged in the case.

"The Judge died a natural death due to a cardiac stroke...No outsiders had any contact, and yet on friendly websites, social media campaigns, fake PILs, wild insinuations were made. The cause of the death was sought to be altered into a conspiracy for murder," said the minister.

On the Rafale jet deal, Jaitley wrote: "Though the Court verdict should have been final, the Contrarians did not stop. They again raised it in Parliament. They conclusively lost the debate in the Parliament and yet the falsehood has not stopped."

He said PM Modi "should be credited with saving thousands of crores of the country" with this deal.

"The right to campaign for stifling funds to the economy in the name of the autonomy (RBI), justifying corruption in the name of institutional independence, attacking Judges when the verdict is not favourable, manufacturing facts as in the case of Judge Loya's death and the Rafale deal are indicative of the mindset of the Compulsive Contrarians," Jaitley wrote.

Jaitley left for the US on Tuesday, which set off speculation that he may be unable to present the interim budget on February 1, the government's last bid to have its expenses cleared as it seeks re-election in the national election due by May.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted that he was "upset" to hear about Jaitley's health and wished him speedy recovery.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 14:26 [IST]Mumbai dance bars to reopen but showering of money not allowed

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Mumbai, Jan 17: The Supreme Court on Thursday has eased the rules on the licensing and functioning of dance bar in Maharashtra, saying that liquor and dance can co-exist. Striking down a set of stringent rules, the court upheld the definition of obscenity given in the law saying that it was not vague.

The Supreme Court passed its verdict in the validity of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016 on Thursday.

"There cannot be a total prohibition on dance bars. No licence has been granted by Maharashtra since 2005. There may be regulations but that should not amount to a total prohibition," SC said in its verdict.

The performers will be allowed on the premises of the bar and discotheques but showering of the money has been disallowed by SC. The performers can be tipped by customers though.

Maharashtra government's diktat of putting CCTV cameras in Mumbai dance bars and for licences to be given only to the people of good character was dubbed 'vague' and done away by SC. The time of five and a half hours for dance performances was upheld.

The Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act prohibited women to dance in commercial establishments and had imposed as many as 20 restrictions which forced the industry to shut down in the financial capital.MP: BJP Yuva Morcha leader fined Rs 10,000 for flouting COVID-19 norms but no case as he expresses 'remorse'

Ayodhya land deal: Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, says betrayal in name of Lord Ram is unrighteous

Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader shot dead in Mandsaur

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Mandsaur, Jan 17: BJP leader and Mandsaur Municipal Corporation President, Prahlad Bandhwar, was shot dead in Nai Abaadi, Mandsaur on Thursday. Police has launched a search operation for the miscreants.

SL Borsi, SHO Kotwali police station, said, "We have got a name, police is searching for him. A police team has gone for the same. They had a land dispute."

The BJP leader was rushed to the hospital in an auto-rickshaw. Doctors tried to resuscitate Bandhwar, but he succumbed to the injuries.Kerala nun rape case: Four nuns who protested against Bishop Franco punished

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17: Four Kerala nuns, who campaigned against former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal accused of sexually assaulting a nun in Kerala, have been handed transfer orders by the Jalandhar-based Missionaries of Jesus.

However, the nuns say that this is just an effort to isolate each one of them, harass them and close the case but they are strong and will stand together.

Letters have been sent to four of the five nuns - Sister Alphy Pallasseril, Sister Anupama Kelamangalathuveliyil, Sister Josephine Villoonnickal, and Sister Ancitta Urumbil - who supported their fellow rape survivor nun.

Kerala: Church threatens to expel nun for protesting against rape-accused Bishop

Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been accused of raping the nun multiple times over several years.

In her complaint, the 45-year-old nun had said that on May 5, 2014 the bishop visited the convent in Kuravilangad and stayed in the guest house in room number 20.

She said the bishop called her to his room at night and forced her to have unnatural sex with him. The next day, the bishop attended a function that was organised by the nun.

The nun has alleged that the bishop raped her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. The bishop has denied these charges. Ever since the allegations surfaced, he has maintained that nun has filed a case against him because of vendetta.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 13:23 [IST]The city council has a good plan. The narrower lanes will slow traffic.

Narrower vehicle lanes will make it too difficult for larger vehicles.

A separate pedestrian solution should be constructed away from any vehicular traffic.

Widening the sidewalk could work best if a barrier is put up between the sidewalk and vehicular traffic.

Vote

View ResultsInside story of how Siddaramaiah led the operation against Operation Lotus

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Bengaluru, Jan 17: For the BJP it was yet another failed attempt at installing the government in Karnataka. Despite being the single largest party in the state with 104 MLAs, the BJP's third attempt to form the government failed after the Congress rebels backtracked at the last moment.

For the Congress and JD(S), the Herculean task was to convince the rebels, who were upset after the Cabinet expansion. Some of them had rebelled after being left out and nearly 5 of them had been camping in Mumbai giving the coalition the jitters.

This time around, it was Siddaramaiah who stepped in to resolve the crisis. He along with Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy took the lead in pacifying the rebels, who the Congress claimed were in touch with the BJP.

Operation Lotus fails again

In a bid to resolve the issue, a team comprising, Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, M B Patil, Zameer Ahmed and K J George was formed. Siddaramaiah while leading the talks explained to the rebels that their move would backfire. First and foremost they did not have the numbers. Secondly for the BJP to form the government at least 14 had to resign, Siddaramaiah explained.

He also explained to them that the Speaker could sit on the resignations apart from the fact that the anti-defection law could also come into play. He told them that the effort would be a futile one and if they resigned they would be neither here or there as the BJP clearly did not have the numbers to form the government.

Once the talks were held, the first MLA to come out of the camp was Bheema Naik. He said that he had gone to Goa with his friends. He also said that the BJP had been pestering him, but he was not joking them. Then began the march past with Pratapagouda Patil, Amaregouda Bayyapur and J N Ganesh also coming out of hiding. All of them clarified that they were not switching sides.

Sources said that the rebels were told that it would be difficult to accommodate them in the ministry as of now. They were told to be patient and remain with the side that is in power instead of resigning and being neither here nor there. During the talks with the senior leaders, they were also assured that they would have a say in transfers. Further and assurance was also given that they would be the final word in their constituencies and no minister would come in the way of their decisions. For now the rebels appeared to be happy with the assurance, the source also said.

For now the Congress and JD(S) has managed to beat the rebellion. The coalition has managed to convince four of them as a result of which the job for the BJP has become harder or next to impossible for now.

The suspense regarding the mastermind of the rebellion, Ramesh Jarkiholi still continues.

Operation Lotus: Karnataka House in numbers

He still has by his side MLAs, Mahesh Kumatalli and B Nagendra by his side. Jarkiholi would need some more coaxing as his ego has been hurt after he was dropped from the Cabinet. Congress sources say that he too would be won over and it is just a matter of time. Siddaramaiah got in touch with Ramesh and said that his grievances would be addressed and he would personally ensure the same. President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Dinesh Gundu Rao expressed confidence that Ramesh and his men would stay in the Congress.How Indian Army is fighting back the outbreak of Pakistani catfishing

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: With incident of honey-trapping of Indian soldiers on the rise, the Intelligence Bureau has issued an advisory warning of more such attempts by Pakistan. With the social media becoming a boon for agencies such as the ISI to lay traps on Indian soldiers, a list of dos and dont's too would issued in due course of time.

An officer tells OneIndia that some are gullible and hence are easily trapped. It could be due to several factors and a primary one among them is loneliness. In some of the recent incidents, the traps have been laid very easily. Some of the agents have used names of actors from the Hindi film industry to set traps.

MEA lodges strong protest with Pak High Commission official for ceasefire violation

General Bipin Rawat recently said, I tell my boys, do you think film stars want to become friends with you. But people still get trapped by these names. He also advised the soldiers, who have been trapped to come forward of face the consequences. He also said that if the soldiers do not come forward and it comes to our notice, the punishment meted out is heavy.

General Rawat also said that the scammers from across the border used Bollywood actresses' names to entice recruits into online relationships.

In 2015, the military regulations that were introduced barred servicemen from sharing any operational information online. However this has not had much effect and people continue to fall trap.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that banning the social media in sensitive areas would be a good option, but would be difficult to implement. Our soldiers work in tough conditions and sometimes use the social media as a recreational tool. However they must be very careful with whom they are chatting. More importantly they need to be careful about what they are chatting.

Once there is reciprocation, then the trap is laid. This is followed by blackmail and that is when the information is given out. It is hard to set guidelines in this regard and the soldiers must now learn from the numerous incidents. The Army on the other hand has raised the surveillance on the online activities of its soldiers. Further the Army has been viewing this very seriously and says that all steps would be taken to prevent the compromise of security.

Why honey trapping should top India's internal security concerns this year

Pakistan has a unit in Faridkot which is exclusively handling a module relating to cat fishing. It has set aside a huge budget of nearly Rs 3,500 crore for such operations. The intelligence agencies had said that apart from trying to elicit information, there is also a sustained attempt to embarrass the Indian establishment.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 11:43 [IST]Operation Lotus: Will Madhya Pradesh govt see the same fate as Karnataka politics?

Congress MP Hariprasad mocks Shahs illness, says BJP president suffering from suar ka zukam

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP BK Hariprasad stoked a controversy by commenting on BJP president Amit Shah's illness on Thursday.

Hariprasad, a Congress MP, has said, "Because of everything that is happening in Karnataka, Amit Shah has panicked and has contracted a virus. It is not normal fever. It is swine flu -- suar ki beemari."

He also said that Shah's illness was a "curse for meddling in Karnataka politics" and added that the more he interferes in the state's politics, the more sick he will fall.

The BJP Karnataka has slammed Congress MP BK Hariprasad for his shameful comment on BJP President Amit Shah in a tweet.

Operation Lotus: An unwanted adventure, when focus should have been the LS polls

Calling the Congress MP a "rogue" it said that his comment shows his mental stability and the politician is "unfit to live in human society".

BJP president Amit Shah, who has been admitted to AIIMS for swine flu treatment, is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two, the party said Thursday.

"National President of BJP, Amit Shah ji, is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two. Thanks everyone for your good wishes!" the party's media head and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said. Shah had informed people about his illness Wednesday in a tweet. He was diagnosed with swine flu.

A team of doctors is monitoring his condition under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, the hospital said.Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey visited AIIMS Thursday to enquire about Shah's health.

According to AIIMS, the BJP leader was admitted following complaints of chest congestion and breathing issues. He was admitted in the old private ward. Union minister Piyush Goyal and other BJP leaders visited AIIMS on Wednesday night.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 17:02 [IST]Body of one out of 15 miners, trapped in Meghalaya spotted after 33 Days

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Shillong, Jan 17: Nearly a month after 15 miners got trapped inside the illegal rat-hole coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, Navy on Thursday Navy divers have detected the body of one person from the illegal coal mine from a depth of more than 200 feet. Navy said that the search operations for the rest of the miners are on.

The body was detected at a depth of nearly 160 feet inside the 370-foot-deep mine in East Jaintia Hills and will be taken out under the supervision of doctors, the navy said.

The body was first spotted by rescue teams, including the Indian Navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with the help of an Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (UWROV). It is to be noted that these specially-designed vehicles are used by the navy divers to locate objects underwater.

Meghalaya mine rescue ops likely to become longest in history

The 15 men, who went down the narrow pit on December 13, were trapped after water from a nearby river and from an adjacent mine flooded it.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had said the search must continue as "miracles do happen". The top court had asked the centre and the Meghalaya government to consult experts and continue efforts to rescue the miners.

The mine is located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees. To reach the mine, a person has to pass the 30-foot wide Lytein river three times. No habitation was found nearby and 80-90 illegal coal mines dot the area.

Seek help of experts to rescue miners trapped in Meghalaya says SC

The slow progress in the rescue efforts in Meghalaya has been contrasted with the dramatic rescue of 12 Thai boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in July last year, which drew a massive international audience.

(with PTI inputs)

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 10:14 [IST]Optimistic that COVID-19 vaccines will be at final stages by first quarter next year: Bill Gates

Next four to six months could be worst of pandemic, warns Bill Gates

Bill and Melinda announce they are divorcing after 27 years of marriage

Bill Gates hails Ayushman Bharat Scheme, congratulates Modi govt for successful execution

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: Months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Narendra Modi government has received appreciation from the billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates on the first 100 days of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.

In his tweet, Gates wrote, "Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. It's great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far. @PMOIndia

Ayushman Bharat is Narendra Modi government's flagship healthcare scheme that aims to provide medical coverage to over 10 crore poor families.

The response from Bil Gates came after Union Health Minister JP Nadda informed that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free health care in just first 100 days of the scheme and the number is rising rapidly.

"In just first 100 days of #AyushmanBharat, 685000 beneficiaries availed free health care & the number is rising rapidly," Nadda tweeted.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on January 3 praised Prime Minister Modi and the Health Minister for their visionary leadership which helped around seven lakh people avail benefits of the healthcare scheme.

"In its first 100 days, #India''s ambitious #AyushmanBharat scheme has provided free care for almost 700,000 people. I applaud Prime Minister @narendramodi and Health Minister @JPNadda for their visionary leadership for #HealthForAll (sic)," Ghebreyesus tweeted.

On January 1, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed the government''s flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat a "game changer" in healthcare and said on an average 5,000 claims is being settled every day since its rollout on September 23, 2018.

On January 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed Ayushman Bharat a "game changer" in healthcare and said on an average 5,000 claims are being settled every day since its rollout on September 23, 2018.

The total number of hospitals covered by this scheme is 16,000. More than 50 per cent of the implementing hospitals are in the private sector.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 16:28 [IST]RSS marking houses of donors for Ram Temple, just as Nazis, claims Kumaraswamy

Baseless charges levelled against us, says Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Jan 17: Amid a political turmoil in Karnataka, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy accused the Opposition BJP of creating "nuisance" to destablise the government, but expressed confidence that the current crisis would fizzle out soon.

He stressed that the Congress-JD(S) ties were "strong" and the parties would together fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

"There is no plan to meet Modi. No Congress ministers are resigning. No MLAs from Congress or JD(S) will resign and shift to BJP. It is not going to happen. This nuisance has been created by the BJP," Kumaraswamy told PTI.

Operation Lotus: An unwanted adventure, when focus should have been the LS polls

On Tuesday, two independent MLAs withdrew their support to the coalition government in a significant turn to the political war that erupted in the state, with both sides venting their fears of poaching.

Kumaraswamy also alleged that the BJP was "misleading" people with "false information" through media, especially local electronic channels.

In the 224-member state assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides Speaker.

(with PTI inputs)

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 13:34 [IST]Amit Shah doing well, will be discharged soon: BJP

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 17: BJP president Amit Shah, who has been admitted to AIIMS for treatment of swine flu, is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two, the party said Thursday.

Shah had informed people about his illness Wednesday in a tweet. "National President of BJP, Amit Shah ji, is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two. Thanks, everyone for your good wishes!" the party's media head and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said. A team of doctors is monitoring his condition under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, the hospital said.

Congress MP Hariprasad mocks Shah's illness, says BJP president suffering from 'suar ka zukam'

Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey visited AIIMS Thursday morning to enquire about Shah's health. Later in the day, Union ministers JP Nadda and Anupriya Patel, Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari and other leaders visited him.

According to AIIMS sources, the BJP leader was admitted following complaints of chest congestion and breathing issues. He was admitted in the old private ward. Union minister Piyush Goyal and other BJP leaders visited AIIMS on Wednesday night.

PTI5 Pakistani soldiers killed; 7 bunkers destroyed

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 17: In a befitting reply to ceasefire violations by Pakistan, security forces on Thursday killed five Pakistani soldiers and destroyed seven bunkers in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to a tweet by ANI, the Pakistani troops again violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Poonch district. The Indian Army gave a befitting reply and gunned down as many as seven militants, a tweet by CNN News 18 stated.

As Pakistan bolsters military might, an uneasy disquiet at the border

Two Army personnel were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion that took place near the LoC in Naushera and Sunderbani sectors of Jammu and Kashmir on January 11. An Army officer and a soldier, who got grievously injured, succumbed to their injuries in a hospital while undergoing treatment.

On Wednesday, India summoned Pakistan High Commission official and lodged a strong protest at the unprovoked ceasefire violations (CFV) in Naushera and Sunderbani sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of External Affairs said India's strong concerns were shared at continued unprovoked firing and ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the International Boundary.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 15:07 [IST]KCET 2021 registration open from today: How to apply for KCET Exam 2021, fees, other key details

Govt ready to implement Sadashiva Commission report: Karnataka Dy CM

Bengaluru

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Bengaluru, Jan 18: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G Parameshwara said the government has no objection to the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report, but there should be a comprehensive debate on this report.

He was speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of Karnataka Adi Jambava Development Corporation organized by the Department of Social Welfare.

Parameshwara said, "The Sadashiva Commission was constituted to study the educational, economic and social backwardness of Dalits. This report needs to be discussed at the government level. We have no opposition to the implementation of this report. We all want this report to be implemented."

Traditional rivals to allies: How effective is the Cong-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka

Ambedkar has allowed the disadvantaged communities in the Constitution. The previous and current government for the first time allocated 24.1 per cent budget for the development of disadvantaged community on the basis of the population.

He further said that the demand for Rs 1,000 crore each to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Corporation and Adi Jambava Commission is appropriate.

Everyone agreed to the proposal to build a Commission exclusively for Adi Jambwa community, because of its economic and educational backwardness. The exclusive Commission was inevitable if these funds were to be utilized for the benefit of the community.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, former PM HD Deve Gowda, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Social Welfare Minister Priyanka Kharge were present on the occasion.

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Story first published: Friday, January 18, 2019, 2:24 [IST]Barrs expansive view of presidential deference is concerning, but in his testimony he limited the extent of that deference. He insisted that the president would be guilty of obstruction if he coerced someone to change testimony, suborned perjury or tampered with evidence.

Barr said he would not stand by and watch the president fire a prosecutor in order to end a legitimate investigation. Presidential tampering in the administration of justice on behalf of personal interests would be a breach of his constitutional duties and an abuse of power, he said.

At times, Barr seemed slightly out-of-time. He admitted ignorance of recent changes in electronic surveillance law. He defended his get-tough-on-crime past promoting stiff sentences in the early 1990s, and in the process appeared to claim that racial disparities in the justice system are less of a problem than many experts believe.

But he said Congress was right to reassess harsh sentencing laws last year in the First Step Act, which he promised to faithfully apply.

Similarly, he sympathized with former Attorney General Jeff Sessions permissive attitude toward overseeing local police departments.Kay Rizzo-Wise, La Vista

Great details appreciated

I read the Jan. 13 article concerning the OPS retirement system problems. I appreciated the fact that it was a full story with great details.

I write this because with many of the changes in the paper in the last few years, I have heard concerns that the paper is deteriorating, but I have noticed that there is now space given so that the stories have room to finish the story.

I used to notice in this and other papers that stories were shorter, but missing many pertinent facts. Thanks for this full treatment of stories.

Marianne Nolan, Omaha

Trump train headed for disaster

Three years ago some family and friends asked if I was going to get on the Trump train. I declined.

Most of those people are still on board and have not seemed to notice that its a runaway train.

Folks, what you are about to see is a slow-motion train wreck, and it will be something for the history books.

Steve Jones, Omaha

Their backs are against the wallA new collaborative effort aims to boost the adolescent vaccination rate in the Omaha area. The initiative has an important public health message: Parents can get their children, ages 9 and older, vaccinated at the local pharmacy.

Public health experts have set a national target of an 80 percent vaccination rate for adolescents. Nebraskas rates fall short, with 61 percent of the states girls and 56 percent of boys up to date on their human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, one of three vaccines needed for adolescents.

All three vaccines can be given together in one visit. The vaccines are typically covered by health insurance.

The University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Public Health and College of Pharmacy and the Douglas County Health Department have launched a campaign to inform parents. CVS, Walgreens and Hy-Vee pharmacies are participating as part of a two-year, community-based research study funded by an anonymous $300,000 donation to the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Getting children up to date with their vaccinations is one of the most important things a parent or guardian can do, with benefits for not only the children but for our community as whole.

Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.I think weve done real well this morning, Veterans Home Administrator Alex Willford said. He credited great employees and great volunteers. Helping the veterans move were about 200 staff members, volunteers and family members.

John Hilgert, director of the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs, rode to Kearney on the first bus. He said residents took note of the police escort in Gibbon and the law enforcement officers staged along U.S. Highway 30, he said.

The community support is just amazing, Hilgert said.

Clouse echoed Hilgert.

Clouse has been involved since the beginning of the process to bring the veterans home to Kearney.

Just to see the sparkle in their eyes, and the fact they have a new home. The outpouring of all the veterans groups, the military and the community has just been outstanding. Its just a communitywide effort, Clouse said.

The Grand Island Veterans Home, which was originally open only to Union veterans of the Civil War, welcomed its first veteran in 1888. It was established the year before as the Soldiers and Sailors Home.One woman told police that Thompson grabbed her buttocks, moaned in her ear, then kissed her on the lips before she left for the night. Other women said Thompson touched their backs, buttocks and thighs and yelled insults and curse words at them.

Davis said the allegations were not corroborated by other employees, according to an investigation launched by the restaurant. He also said the women received settlements of $10,000 to $40,000 as a result of the complaints with the equal opportunity commission.

Prosecutor Makayla Danner said because of the nondisclosure agreements, some of the women were afraid to speak to probation workers about what they went through for a presentence investigation, even though Danner said they are allowed to talk. Danner said the women still are going to counseling to deal with the emotional scars that Thompson inflicted but didnt take full responsibility for.

The young ladies were afraid they would be sued by Local if they came to the court and spoke the truth, Danner said. We feel the things that he has done are severely egregious.

Two of the women who filed reports appeared in court Thursday, although they declined to comment.

Davis said Thompson now works as an estimator in the construction industry.A bill to add another district court judge in Douglas County has been introduced by State Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha. He said there are many advantages of such specialty courts.

Any time we can invest money in problem-solving courts, were saving money at corrections, Lathrop said.

The cost of housing someone in prison is about $38,627 per year, compared with $2,865 for handling a case in a problem-solving court, Heavican told lawmakers Thursday.

In a problem-solving court, a judge and probation officers closely monitor an offender, making sure that they submit to drug tests and stay off drugs and that they keep jobs and take other steps to become a productive citizen.

Such courts also help relieve overcrowding in Nebraska prisons, the second-most crowded in the nation. A mental health court would work to ensure that an offender is taking medications, attending counseling and taking other steps to address their problems.

Drug courts now exist in all 12 of the states judicial districts, and participation in such courts has doubled since 2008. Last year, special veteran courts were launched in Douglas and Lancaster Counties that focus on the special needs of military veterans who commit crimes.

State court officials estimate that it would cost about $660,000 a year to establish one mental health court. That pays for extra probation and support staff, as well as training and testing expenses, they said. National studies indicate that graduates of problem-solving courts have a much lower chance of offending again.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Strand said too many people stand in the way of important agricultural growth. But board members Bob Bendig and David Saalfeld said they wanted to see a smaller operation. Also voting no on the land-use proposal were board members Doug Backens and Greg Beam.

Many of the same neighbors who testified against putting the chicken processing plant on the Camenzinds land near Nickerson showed up again to oppose the chicken-farming operation in separate meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. Cattle feeders, meat industry executives, chicken farmers and a farm lobbyist testified in support.

The family had said it, along with Lincoln Premium Poultry consultants, planned to use the most neighbor-friendly approaches to offset smells, dust, waste and water impacts. Lee Camenzind said the family intended to use any waste generated by the chickens as natural fertilizer on their own land for growing corn and beans.

Case Camenzind said he considered some of the criticism from opponents to be harsh, but neighbors said the issue becomes personal when it involves what people see, drink and breathe.

Opponents, including organizer and nearby landowner Randy Ruppert, said they arent sure the battle is over.The license of the former Childrens Hospital & Medical Center pharmacy director accused of embezzling more than $4.4 million from the hospital has been revoked for at least two years under a settlement agreement filed with the state.

That means that Lisa Kwapniowski cannot practice as a pharmacist in the state during that time. According to the order, she is not licensed in any other state.

According to a petition filed by the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, Kwapniowski created a company called RxSYnergy and submitted false invoices for a fictitious drug and legitimate medications to the Omaha hospital.

The petition, filed in late November, sought disciplinary action against Kwapniowskis license to practice pharmacy.

Documents filed with the state in March 2012 identify Kwapniowski as the president and sole member of RxSYnergy, the petition indicates.

Kwapniowski, according to the petition, told an investigator that the funds were deposited into a bank account created for RxSYnergy and eventually transferred to her personal account.

She submitted a total of 231 invoices from the company to the hospital between April 2012 and June 2018, totaling more than $4.4 million.Recognizing the Muslim Men That Saved Hundreds of Egyptian Christians 859-3842 , press@persecution.org Contact: Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator, International Christian Concern (ICC), 301-



Sayed Askar, a Muslim cleric, witnessed a terrorist planting bombs on a church roof and immediately called the authorities. A bomb squad quickly responded and in the process of defusing the bombs, an officer, Major Mustafa Abid, lost his life.



The actions of those involved saved hundreds of worshipers at the church from a Christmas Eve (Orthodox) disaster.



At a time when religious tensions are high in Egypt and the Middle East, it is both refreshing and encouraging to see members of different faiths defend each other.



ICC is asking all concerned individuals to sign a letter that recognizes and honors the risk and sacrifice of Imam Askar and the bomb squad as they sought to defend their fellow Egyptians.



The letter also expresses sincere and heartfelt sympathy to the family of Major Mustafa Abid who lost his life in the line of duty.



ICC will deliver the letter after all signatures are collected.



For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator:

E-mail:

Phone: (301)-859-3842



About ICC

International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.



International Christian Concern

2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006

| E-mail:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2019 / Christian Newswire / -- International Christian Concern (ICC) is inviting all those concerned to sign a letter recognizing a group of brave Muslim men who courageously followed their conscience and duty at great personal risk to thwart the attempted bombing of Virgin Mary and Father Seifin Church in Nasr City, near Cairo, Egypt, on January 5, 2019.Sayed Askar, a Muslim cleric, witnessed a terrorist planting bombs on a church roof and immediately called the authorities. A bomb squad quickly responded and in the process of defusing the bombs, an officer, Major Mustafa Abid, lost his life.The actions of those involved saved hundreds of worshipers at the church from a Christmas Eve (Orthodox) disaster.At a time when religious tensions are high in Egypt and the Middle East, it is both refreshing and encouraging to see members of different faiths defend each other.ICC is asking all concerned individuals to sign a letter that recognizes and honors the risk and sacrifice of Imam Askar and the bomb squad as they sought to defend their fellow Egyptians.The letter also expresses sincere and heartfelt sympathy to the family of Major Mustafa Abid who lost his life in the line of duty.ICC will deliver the letter after all signatures are collected.For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator:E-mail: press@persecution.org Phone: (301)-859-3842About ICCInternational Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.International Christian Concern2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006 www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org

Share TweetA VHS tape of Disneys 1992 animated film Aladdin got a workout when Claire Hoff was a kid.

Ask Hoff, now 30, how many times she watched it, and she laughs.

When we first got it, she said, probably a couple of times a week at least.

Though she liked the story, the music was by far her favorite part of the film. She used to walk around the house when she was 4 years old, belting out a signature song with gusto  and considerable volume.

Even now, the song sticks with her for a while when she hears it or thinks about Aladdin.

When I found out we were going to see the musical this week, that Prince Ali song was in my head for a few days, she said.

Hoff will be among thousands of people who attend Disneys touring Broadway show Aladdin: The Musical during its 10-day run at the Orpheum Theater. Many of them will remember similar childhood experiences. Chad Beguelin, who wrote the musicals book, said the people behind the Tony-nominated show have been surprised to see young couples on dates in the audience. They had it pegged as strictly a family show.Irish actor Liam Cunningham leads a Late Late Show line-up including Mairead McGuinness, with music from Mary Black and Paddy Casey.

Joining host Ryan Tubridy to chat about the upcoming final season of Game of Thrones, actor Liam Cunningham will also discuss his recent trip to South Sudan where he visited those fleeing the civil war, photographing the people he met in the camps along his journey.

In one of the most turbulent weeks of Theresa Mays tenure, Ryan will be joined in studio by Mairead McGuinness, Vice President of the European Parliament and MEP, to get the view from Brussels as the United Kingdom goes back to the drawing board to negotiate a Brexit deal.

Irelands Favourite Folk Song is a national celebration of the songs that define us as a people. Ahead of the search, Ryan will be joined by Irish folk royalty including Mary Black, Phelim Drew, Aoife Scott and Fiachna O Braonain, to discuss the music theyre most connected to and to play some of their most loved songs.

At the beginning of 2018, Trisha Lewis weighed 27 stone and was fearful for her life. One year later, she is 100lbs down, and has shared her weight loss journey with her with 17,000 Instagram followers. Trisha joins Ryan to discuss the realities of life for someone with morbid obesity, and her plans to lose another 100lbs in 2019.

Illegally adopted from a GP in Monaghan in the 1970s, and with few clues to her origins, Margaret Norton will tell Ryan the extraordinary story of how, despite the odds, she recently reconnected with her birth parents.

Irelands largest festival of traditional music, TradFest, returns next week, and to celebrate well have a performance from 11 vocalists including Paddy Casey, Eleanor McEvoy and Sibeal Ni Chasaide.

There will also be comedy from Bridget and Eamon (Jennifer Zamparelli and Bernard O'Shea), and well be announcing details of the Late Late Shows annual search for the best new Irish enterprises.

Only on The Late Late Show, RTE One, Friday, January 18 at 9.35pm

Ashley McCown

Theres no other setting quite like a hospital. The heightened vulnerability and emotional state of those who are admitted  sick or injured  can be a volatile mix. Thats just one reason these environments demand the highest level of professionalism and ethical behavior from administrators, medical professionals and staff. When those standards arent upheld, the institutions reputation and ability to fulfill its mission can easily be compromised. From medical errors to data breaches, disease outbreaks and workplace violence, healthcare organizations are among those at greatest risk for a public relations crisis.

Earlier this year, security staff from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore left a patient, wearing only a hospital gown and socks, at a bus stop in the freezing cold after shed visited the emergency room. After video of the woman in distress, taken by a doctor who happened to be walking by, was shared widely on social media, UMMC was heavily criticized for failing to provide compassionate care by engaging in a practice widely known as patient dumping. The investigation by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cited the hospital for several failures.

In June, El Camino Hospital in California came under fire when a video of patient mistreatment went viral. This one showed an ER doctor mocking a patient having an anxiety attack. In a written statement, the hospitals chief executive called the doctors demeanor unprofessional and not the standard we require of all who provide care. The doctor was removed from the work schedule pending further investigation, and apologies were offered to the patient.

Even in healthcare, most crises can be anticipated and planned for so that small situations are managed effectively and do not spiral out of control. Here are our recommendations to ensure a hospital is crisis-ready:

Assess vulnerabilities. News programs including 60 Minutes have investigated patient dumping, and yet UMMC was seemingly still engaging in this inexcusable and inhumane practice. The hospital shouldve had clear procedures for discharging patients with no known address. Communications staff should work with HR and legal to ensure everyone delivering care understands that patient dumping is completely unacceptable and, in that vein, to take an objective look at all areas where the institution may be vulnerable and at risk including workplace violence, data breaches, sexual harassment/misconduct, regulatory investigations and strikes/union activity. Hospitals need to dedicate senior level attention and resources to sound crisis planning and should make it a priority across the institution.

Proper training. Often, we think crises originate from outside our organizations. It would be easy to blame social media for the two crises discussed earlier. However, both of those incidents were triggered by staff conducting themselves in a way that was inconsistent with the hospitals mission and standards of care. While the general public, media and regulators are critical stakeholders, patients and employees are the most important audiences. Its not just about having the right protocols in place; clear expectations must be communicated to staff.

Define the crisis team. Identify key roles and assign responsibilities. Make sure each person on the team truly understands their own responsibilities and where those fit within the framework of communications procedures. Ensure every role has a backup in case that person is unavailable when a crisis strikes.

Closely and carefully monitor social media. Hospitals should also have experienced communicators on the team who really know how to listen to and monitor social media and who know what steps to take if accusations start flying. Media often pick up and run with controversial videos before they contact the organization for comment. Both these situations started and blew up on social media. Early detection of damaging videos or social posts means a hospital can more effectively respond before they are shared for hours and hours and picked up by the media without the hospital commenting.

Develop a crisis communications plan. A communications plan should be a living document that can be regularly updated and adjusted as personnel and other factors change. Develop clear communications procedures for crises the organization is most likely to face and map out how to respond  across audiences and platforms including social media.

Draft holding statements in advance. Identifying the range of vulnerabilities a hospital wants to prepare for also means it can have some language at-the-ready to address those situations. As part of the crisis plans we develop, we regularly draft holding statements for a wide variety of scenarios. These statements are reviewed and approved in advance by legal counsel, so theres a bank of easily adaptable language ready to use. Once a crisis strikes and the clock is ticking, it is very hard to determine the right thing to say to the media, patients, Boards of Trustees and regulators, get it approved by multiple reviewers and distributed. This forward-thinking approach can make the difference between responding to media inquiries within an hour or two as opposed to a day, and after several news cycles have come and gone.

Drill, drill, drill. Recent polls suggest that while 75 percent of organizations have some sort of crisis plan, the same percentage has low confidence in that plans effectiveness. Having a plan is just the first step. Being able to effectively execute against that framework is paramount. Remember, plans dont work if they are gathering dust on a shelf or have not been exercised. I recall a time when I was participating on a panel about crisis planning and one of my fellow panelists shared that his organization had a crisis plan and defined Crisis Response Team. However, the first time the team ever met and relied on their plan was when a major data breach had occurred. Regular training and table-top exercises ensure your plan is current and crisis ready and so is your response team. Crisis plans should be updated annually and phone trees for the Crisis Respond Team quarterly.

Share best practices. I share the above examples not to point fingers, but to learn from them. Sound crisis planning isnt a one and done exercise. Its a long-term commitment and discipline. Learning from each other and sharing best practices will ensure hospitals are in the best possible position to protect their institutions.

For hospitals and those working in healthcare, its not a question of if but when. How leadership plans for/responds to a crisis will determine how quickly that organization bounces back and whether it sustains any long-term damage to its hard-earned reputation.

***

Ashley McCown is President of Solomon McCown & Company.

Karen Swim

The impact of technology has changed both the way we work and our attitudes about work. A growing number of workers have joined the gig economy, exploring careers outside of the single-employer model and taking on multiple employers or projects. According to a study conducted by Gallup last year, approximately one-third of the U.S. workforce, about 57 million people, works in the gig economy model.

The gig economy challenges long-held beliefs about work and business with a brazen brand of entrepreneurism. But while some of the rules have changed, workers and companies that operate in the gig economy are a diverse bunchand in important ways some of them are not all that different from those in the traditional workforce.

Some in the gig economy work on-demand jobs for wages to supplement an existing income or create one. These giggers are not necessarily interested in building a business, and will even gig-hop for higher pay. In fact, for those that are on-demand labor for large companies, we could argue that they are employees with a different pay structure. They cannot set their own rates or rules but are restricted to an infrastructure created by a company. Unlike traditional workers, they also have to compete with other workers for each gig.

Then there are freelancers, who have full control over rates, hours and clients. These self-employed entrepreneurs may or may not have aspirations to build a larger business. Designers, writers and management consultants typically fall into this category.

But even those that set their own rates are not without challenges. The labor infrastructure that supports work still favors the traditional employment model. Benefits, taxes and even qualifying for loans are not seamless processes for those in the gig economy.

How we define and describe these workers underlies some of the challenges that face those in the gig economy. Gig workers who work on-demand for large companies operate in a model that requires them to operate like a business  but not be paid like one. Unlike a business that can set pricing that accounts for overhead such as insurance and equipment, gig workers must work within a rate structure. They discover that the rate they are paid is not pure profit, once taxes and expenses are accounted for, and leads many into a spiral of working more to earn their actual rate.

In the public relations world, there is a group often classified as part of the gig economy: independent PR professionals who function as micro-agencies, with one or a few principals. But while the gig economy has certainly fueled the growth of these micro-agencies, they actually function much like their larger counterparts, performing the same tasks and serving diverse clients of all sizes. They are neither freelancers nor giggers, but small business owners.

Micro-agencies deliver many of the same services as traditional agencies. While some may focus on small or local clients, others count huge national and international companies and nonprofits, and even traditional PR agencies, among their clients. These solo PR professionals and micro-agencies are typically senior level professionals who are often go-to subject matter experts in particular areas such as media relations, influencer relations or crisis communications.

One of the biggest challenges, especially for those in public relations, is being overlooked or underutilized by hiring entities. Companies may often overlook solo PR professionals in their search for agency support. When searching for help to develop thought leadership programs, manage a speaking program for executives or increase visibility with target audiences, decisions may be driven by size rather than expertise.

Recognizing the breadth of those that work in the gig economy can yield tremendous benefits to companies. Solos and micro-agencies work closely with clients and have a deep knowledge of overall operations. This affords them an opportunity to provide strategic counsel that sees the big picture but also understands the details. As everyone struggles to find top talent, a micro-agency may be the secret sauce that offers top talent who can move your communications programs forward.

***

Karen Swim is the president of Solo PR Pro (www.soloprpro.com).

Oleg Deripaska

Mercury Public Affairs scored a major victory Jan. 16 as Republicans in the Senate blocked a bid to restore sanctions on aluminum and energy companies controlled by Oleg Deripaska, Russian oligarch and confidant to strongman Vladimir Putin.

The Treasury Dept. last month eased the sanctions, claiming that Deripaska restructured his ownership position in Rusal, the worlds No. 2 aluminum company, and its parent EN+ Group.

Mercurys connection with Deripaska is via a contract signed last May with British politico Gregory Barker, EN+ Group chairman and a member of the UK House of Lords.

The British Parliament is investigating Barker for alleged breach of the code in relation to personal honor, parliamentary services and paid advocacy.

Former Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter heads Team Mercury, supported by partner Morris Reid (former leader of BGRs international practice and staffer to former VP Al Gore) and senior VP Deirdre Stach (Clark & Weinstock alum and aide to ex-Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Robert Walker)

Mercury receives a $108,500 monthly fee for representing Deripaskas work.A Silicon Valley family was in the news recently for renting a $1,500-a-month living space for their two cats, because they didnt get along with the dog they shared their previous home with.

David Callisch couldnt be happier with the tenants living in the 425-square-foot studio apartment behind his house, in San Jose, California. They dont drink, they dont smoke and they never turn on the music too loud. Thats because Tina and Louise are two cats who live alone in the $1,500-a-month living space. Callisch planned to use it as an Airbnb, but when his friend Troy Good asked him if he could rent it from him for his daughters cats, he agreed. He was shocked by the request at first, but then decided he couldnt ask for better tenants.

Photo: AdinaVoicu/Pixabay

Its quirky, isnt it? I never planned for this to happen, Callisch told KPIX5. People love their pets, theyre part of their family, so I wanted to help out my buddy.

Tina and Louise are the pet cats of Troy Goods daughter, 18-year-old Victoria. When she left for college at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, she learned that she couldnt take the two felines into her freshman dorm, so she left them in the care of her father. Things got complicated when Good moved in with his fiancee, who had a pet dog, because the three animals didnt get along well at all. Luckily, Callischs vacant studio apartment was vacant, so Tina and Louise got their own place.

I know pets are valuable but I feel like this would upset a lot of Bay Area residents. https://t.co/kH3ol0dVzJ  Connie (@SnoopConnieCon) January 14, 2019

He says, Hey, would you mind if I  how about if I rented your place? Callisch recalled. I said, Well, what do you mean? He says, Well, you wouldnt have to deal with people all the time if you rented it, and I could stick the cats there. Im close, I could come visit. I said, Really?

The $1,500-a-month studio apartment doesnt have a kitchen, but Tina and Louise dont seem to mind. They have plenty of space, a cat tree, a bathroom with a shower and even an Apple TV. The two tabbies have been living here since July. The landlord feeds them every day, and Victoria comes to visit and stay with them every time she comes home from college.

This is the out of touch reality that exists in Silicon Valley  while others sleep on the streets  | San Jose apartment rents for $1,500 to two cats https://t.co/sqkTH6Frqz  Scott C. Lemon (@humancell) January 14, 2019

The news of two cats living alone in a rented studio in one of the most expensive property markets in the United States caused controversy online. While most people recognize that pets are important, the fact that there are thousands of people on the streets makes this story hard to swallow.

While this story is funny, it really does highlight the tremendous inequity in the Silicon Valley, said Jennifer Loving, CEO of Destination Home, an organization combating homelessness in Santa Clara County. We have thousands of people on our streets, and were paying to make sure that our cats have a place to live.

Victoria Amith, the owner of the two cats, is aware of how the situation could be perceived, but made it clear that this was a temporary solution and that she plans to take Tina and Louise with her as soon as she gets her own place.

Its not in a public space, its in someones backyard, because theres obviously a huge housing issue in the area, and I dont want people to be like, Oh, this is taking away the housing,; the college student said. I love my cats so much, Im so attached to them. Im like a cat lady.RICHMOND, Va.  A man charged with killing his close friend, a disabled Army veteran, took to Facebook on Monday to express the great loss of his friend before the body had even been found, the victims niece said Wednesday.

Chelsea Higgs Wise said that she and other relatives of Clarence H. Click Fowlkes suspected on Monday night that a close friend of the family, Rodney M. Powell, was involved in Fowlkes death because they saw the Facebook post, which she said was later deleted. Police said they are investigating the timing of Powells posts on social media.

Members of the victims family were further shocked this week to learn that Powell, whom they have known for 25 to 30 years, was charged more than a decade ago in a murder-for-hire killing of one of three men suspected of killing two Food Lion employees in Chesterfield County in 1990. Those charges were later dropped, though.

On Tuesday, Chesterfield police arrested Powell, 46, of Henrico County, on a charge of first-degree murder in the slaying of Fowlkes, 58, who worked as a security guard. Family members found Fowlkes dead late Monday evening in his home in the Chesterfield Village Apartments in the 700 block of Chinaberry Drive.

Wise on Wednesday said Powell was regarded as a longtime friend of the family.Highway fatalities have increased from under 33,000 in 2014 to 37,461 in 2016, before declining slightly in 2017.

Many have speculated whether drivers distracted by smart phones have caused this increase. Before further restricting driving, we should examine the problem.

Safer, over time

The recent increase in fatalities is unsettling because driving has become safer over time. Fifty years ago, over 50,000 Americans died annually on the highways; the worst year was 1972 with 54,589 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Vehicle miles driven have increased dramatically as the death toll has fallen. Indeed, fatalities per mile driven have fallen by 80 percent since 1966. If we still had 1966s fatality rate with todays 3.2 trillion miles driven, we would have had 176,000 highway deaths in 2017.

Has driving truly become more deadly since 2014? The increase in fatalities might seem to answer this in the affirmative, but real world data never lies exactly on a smooth curve. Could the recent increases in fatalities just be random variation?Latest News CoreLogic report reveals best of the best property markets in New Zealand New data details the most expensive and cheapest markets in the country

Government adds serviceability restrictions to policy toolkit Decision follows Minister of Finances request for more DTI and mortgage analysis

The number of houses sold across New Zealand dropped by -12.9% year-on-year in December to 5,330  the lowest number for the month of December in seven years, according to the latest figures from The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).

REINZ chief executive Bindi Norwell says that numbers typically tend to decline around the Christmas period, and this trend was seen in full effect at end of 2018.

While December is usually a quiet month as people focus on Christmas holidays, December 2018 was extremely quiet with the lowest number of properties sold for the month of December for seven years, Norwell said.

Additionally, 12 out of 16 regions saw an annual decrease in the number of properties sold. However, what were hearing is that part of the lower sales volumes can also be attributed to some vendors understanding of the value of their home. A realistic approach to market value may help vendors sell their property in a more reasonable timeframe.

Auckland, Taranaki and Wellington saw some of the largest drops in volume of sales, however some regions did see an annual increase during December. West Coast went up by +42.9%, and Tasman, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay also saw notable increases.

According to ASB economist Kim Mundy, the overall drop in house sales is unlikely to reflect a sharp drop in demand around New Zealand.

Housing data is notoriously difficult to get a good steer on over the Christmas period, Mundy stated. We are likely to get a clearer picture of the health of the housing market from February/March onwards.

Mundy says some prospective buyers may also have been holding off until the Reserve Bank eased its LVR restrictions in January, reflecting a delay in purchasing activity rather than a lack of demand.

Despite the noise, the latest REINZ data highlights a continuing dichotomy in New Zealands housing market, she concluded. The Auckland market has remained lacklustre, while regional New Zealand, house price growth is continuing at a reasonable pace. For now, however, we continue to see risks of further small price falls in Auckland as the market has shifted in favour of buyers.Chinese academics recently delivered a stark warning to the countrys leaders: China is facing its most precipitous decline in population in decades, setting the stage for potential demographic, economic and even political crises in the near future.

For years Chinas ruling Communist Party implemented a series of policies intended to slow the growth of the worlds most populous nation, including limiting the number of children couples could have to one. The long term effects of those policies mean the country will soon enter an era of negative growth, or a contraction in the size of the total population.

Annual population growth Great Chinese Famine Later, longer, fewer policy is promoted. One-child policy becomes constitutional. One-child policy is introduced. Two-child policy is introduced. 1.5% 1 0.5 0 Projection -0.5 1951 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 Source: U.S. Census International Data Base Annual population growth Great Chinese Famine Later, longer, fewer policy is promoted. One-child policy becomes constitutional. One-child policy is introduced. Two-child policy is introduced. 1.5% 1 0.5 0 Projection -0.5 1951 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 Source: U.S. Census International Data Base Annual population growth Great Chinese Famine Later, longer, fewer policy is promoted. One-child policy becomes constitutional. One-child policy is introduced. Two-child policy is introduced. 1.5% 1 0.5 0 Projection -0.5 1951 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20 30 40 50 Source: U.S. Census International Data Base Annual population growth Great Chinese Famine Later, longer, fewer policy is promoted. One-child policy is introduced. One-child policy becomes constitutional. Two-child policy is introduced. 1.5% 1 0.5 0 Projection -0.5 1951 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20 30 40 50 Source: U.S. Census International Data Base Annual population growth One-child policy is introduced. Great Chinese Famine One-child policy becomes constitutional. Two-child policy is introduced. 1.5% 1 0.5 0 Projection -0.5 1960 80 2000 20 40 Source: U.S. Census International Data Base

A report, issued this month by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is the latest recognition that while Chinas notorious one child policy may have achieved its original aim of slowing population growth, it has also created new challenges for the government.

A decline in the birth rate and an increase in life expectancy means there will soon be too few workers able to support an enormous and aging population, the academy warned. The academy estimated the contraction would begin in 2027, though others believe it would come sooner or has already begun.

The government has recognized the worrisome demographic trend and in 2013 began easing enforcement of the one child policy in certain circumstances. It then raised the limit to two children for all families in 2016, in hopes of encouraging a baby boom. It did not work.

6 One-child policy is introduced. Two-child policy is introduced. 5 4 3 2 1 Fertility rate Births per woman Projected 1961 1980 2000 2020 2040 2050 Sources: World Bank; U.S. Census International Data Base 6 One-child policy is introduced. Two-child policy is introduced. 5 4 3 2 1 Fertility rate Births per woman Projected 1961 1980 2000 2020 2040 2050 Sources: World Bank; U.S. Census International Data Base Fertility rate Births per woman One-child policy is introduced. Two-child policy is introduced. 6 5 4 3 2 1 1961 1980 2000 2020 2050 Sources: World Bank; U.S. Census International Data Base

After a brief uptick that year, the birth rate fell again in 2017, with 17.2 million babies born compared to 17.9 in 2016. Although the number of families having a second child rose, the overall number of births continued to drop.

In 2018, the total number of births fell to 15.2 million, a drop of nearly 12 percent nationally from 2017. Some cities and provinces have reported declines in local birth rates of as much as 35 percent.

On Friday, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that in 2019, the total number of births fell for the third year, to 14.6 million.

Number of newborn babies Projection under two-child policy* Projection under one-child policy 14.6 million babies were born Second child First child * Based on medium fertility variants Sources: China Bureau of Statistics; Study on Measurement of Population Changes with Implementation of a Comprehensive Two-child Policy, Peian Wang at Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission Number of newborn babies Projection under two-child policy* 14.6 million babies were born Projection under one-child policy Second child First child * Based on medium fertility variants Sources: China Bureau of Statistics; Study on Measurement of Population Changes with Implementation of a Comprehensive Two-child Policy, Peian Wang at Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission Number of newborn babies Projection under two-child policy* Projection under one-child policy Second child 14.6 million First child * Based on medium fertility variants Sources: China Bureau of Statistics; Study on Measurement of Population Changes with Implementation of a Comprehensive Two-child Policy, Peian Wang at Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission

The fertility rate required to maintain population levels is 2.1 children per woman, a figure known as replacement level fertility.

The fertility rates in many advanced economies have fallen as their societies have become wealthier and older.

Chinas fertility rate has officially fallen to 1.6 children per woman, but even that number is disputed.

Yi Fuxian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has written that Chinas government has obscured the actual fertility rate to disguise the disastrous ramifications of the one child policy. According to his calculations, the fertility rate averaged 1.18 between 2010 and 2018.

Fertility rate by country (2017) Replacement level fertility Singapore S. Korea Japan U.S. India Philippines Niger China Source: The World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Fertility rate by country (2017) Replacement level fertility Singapore Japan U.S. India Philippines Niger China Source: The World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Fertility rate by country (2017) Replacement level fertility Singapore Japan India Philippines Niger China Source: The World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Fertility rate by country (2017) Replacement level fertility Singapore Japan India Philippines China Source: The World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Fertility rate by country (2017) Singapore Japan China U.S. Replacement level fertility India Philippines Niger Source: The World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

As in other countries, there are myriad reasons for the declining birth rate, including rising prosperity and new opportunities for women. Chinas economic expansion has created a society where many young couples now struggle with economic pressures -- including rising education and housing costs -- making it difficult to have even one child, let alone two.

But the most profound cause of the drop, Professor Yi and others said, was the one child policy. Fewer children were born, and because of cultural preferences for male offspring, fewer of them were girls.

Chinese women born during the years following the one child policy are now reaching or have already passed their peak fertility age. There are simply not enough of them to sustain the countrys population level, despite new efforts by the government to encourage families to have two children.

Female population 2019 2050 projection Women population in their 20s to 40s will drop by almost 30%. More than 35 million women will be older than 84 years old by 2050. 1 year old 20 50 84 Source: United Nations Population Division, 2019 Female population 2019 2050 projection Women population in their 20s to 40s will drop by almost 30%. More than 35 million women will be older than 84 years old by 2050. 1 year old 20 50 84 Source: United Nations Population Division, 2019 Female population 2019 2050 projection More than 35 million women will be older than 84 years old by 2050. Women population in their 20s to 40s will drop by almost 30%. 1 year old 20 50 84 Source: United Nations Population Division, 2019

The looming demographic crisis could be the Achilles heel of Chinas stunning economic transformation over the last 40 years.

The declining population could create an even greater burden on Chinas economy and its labor force. With fewer workers in the future, the government could struggle to pay for a population that is growing older and living longer.

A decline in the working-age population could also slow consumer spending and thus have an impact on the economy in China and beyond.

Many compare Chinas demographic crisis to the one that stalled Japans economic boom in the 1990s.

100% More than 64 years old 80 60 Working age 15-64 years old 40 20 Younger than 15 years old Projected 1960 80 2000 20 40 60 80 2100 Source: United Nations Population Division, 2019 100% > 64 years old 80 60 Working age 40 15-64 years old 20 < 15 years old Projected 1960 80 2000 20 40 60 80 2100 Source: United Nations Population Division, 2019 Projected 100% > 64 years old 80 60 Working age 15-64 years old 40 20 < 15 years old 1960 2000 50 2100 Source: United Nations Population Division, 2019

Some experts believe the population has already started shrinking. In a recent paper, Dr. Yi and Su Jian, an economist at Peking University, argued that the population contracted in 2018, the first year it has done so since the famines of 1961 and 1962 induced by the Great Leap Forward, Maos industrialization campaign. The researchers said inaccurate census estimates had obscured the actual population and fertility rates.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.

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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349By Rejoice Xu, China Aviation Daily | Jan. 17, 2019

Chun Yun, the annual Chinese traffic rush for the Spring Festival, will start on January 21 and end on March 1, when nearly 3 billion passengers predicted travel around the country. For the first time, over 400 million passengers will travel by railway. In order to provide better service, new strategies have been brought into transportation.

"It is roughly predicted that there will be 2.99 billion travelers throughout the period, rising by 0.6% year on year in which 413 million people travel by railway with a growth rate of 8.3%, 73 million people by civil aviation with a growth rate of 12%, 43 million people by river, close to last year", said Weiliang Lian, Deputy Director of National Development and Reform Commission.

Lian said, "affected by bullet-train, air transport and private cars, passenger load for road trip still tends to decline this year, except country road trips and customized road trips are thriving, which leads to 2.46 billion passengers on road trips in all, same as last year."

Specially, 11 days earlier than last year, this year's Chun Yun boasts 30 million college students and 180 million migrant workers. So large a home-coming group mainly flows out from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou with a prediction of 10.5 million people per day in the peak days of railway. In addition, highway faces great challenge to maintain unimpeded since the scale of congestion will be five times as large as daily average.

Chinese railway extends 4683 kilometers in 2018, 4100 kilometers of which are for high-speed train. The total railway is 131 thousand kilometers long with 29 thousand kilometers for high-speed train. For over 60% of the Chun Yun passengers will choose high-speed train, according to Guo Zhuxue, Deputy General Manager of China Railways Corporation, further expansion of Fu Xing bullet train's scale and coverage is on the schedule. Then, 17 extra-long and 160 km/h Fu Xing bullet trains will be involved in the Spring Festival rush the first time.

As for road trip, the total traffic mileage is 4.86 million kilometers with 86 thousand kilometers added last year, in which 144 thousand kilometers highways increase 6000 kilometers last year. With a new record of 190 million private cars, this year's self-driving journeys will continue to rise.

For civil aviation, since winter season began, weekly scheduled flights are over 90 thousand on average, growing 4.5% year on year. Wang Zhiqing, Deputy Director of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that during Chun Yun, 10 hub airports like Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport would try to extend domestic flights' operating time in a bit to increase capacity.

Also, "free pass of small vehicles on highways is still available this year", said Liu Xiaoming, Vice Minister of Ministry of Transport. Last year the heavy fog in Qiongzhou Traits caused huge delay, thus, the department has made comprehensive emergence plans and encourages to make appointment for crossing the strait this time.

Congestion is always one of the conundrums in Chun Yun. "On the seventh of the first lunar month last year, there were more than 50 sections of expressways that jammed over 10 kilometers and affected some 3000 vehicles. The longest congested section was up to 50 kilometers. Situation could be worse this year", Lian said.

Several measures have been taken to offer better service in Chun Yun.

Apart from the extra-long Fuxing bullet trains, free pass in highways and extension in airport operating time, which have been mentioned above, the government will focus on congestion prediction for road trips, opening self-help check-in with ID card for railway and realizing mutual recognition between railway and subway security check in order to avoid repetitive security check.

Moreover, to maintain unblocked Chun Yun, it is necessary to pay priority to transfer. More than 42% of the Chun Yun rush choose to use 2 kinds of transport. This year information sharing among road trips, urban buses, railway, civil aviation and water transport will be a highlight, which will guarantee 80% of the passengers to transfer within an hour.

Last but not least, people with poor credit and bad behavior in vehicles will be given serious punishment.

Lian said," These kinds of behavior will damage order and safety of transportation." In 2018, CAAC published 6 lists of 4209 names with severely poor credit who were restricted to fly and 8 lists of 1793 passengers who were banned to travel by train. This action will be further used in Chun Yun this year.

Not only does the government target personal behavior, it has also strengthened credit supervision and management on transport enterprises. Entrusting National Public Credit Information Center and several big data institutions, National Development and Reform Commission made an overall public credit assessment on more than 9400 transport companies nationwide. 218 companies with bad performance will be contacted with local governments to evaluate whether they can take part in Chun Yun this year.

As Liu Xiaoming said, one of the key points in Chun Yun this year will be the emphasis on the punishment of illegal transport, wrongful seat occupancy, bullying in air and public ground transport and interference in driving. The poor behavior will be publicized on national transportation credit information sharing platform and transport credit websites, marking an overall limitation on the whole network.ISTANBUL  A new book written by three Turkish reporters and drawing on audio recordings of the killing of a Saudi expatriate, Jamal Khashoggi, offers new details about an encounter that began with a demand that he return home and ended in murder and dismemberment.

First we will tell him We are taking you to Riyadh, one member of a Saudi hit team told another, the book claims. If he doesnt come, we will kill him here and get rid of the body.

Turkish officials have cited the recordings, saying they captured the death of Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, in his Oct. 2 visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. And intelligence officials leaked some details in a campaign to force Saudi Arabia to own up to the crime.

But the new book offers the most comprehensive description to date of what is on those recordings. It sets the scene as a team of Saudi operatives lay their plans before Mr. Khashoggi arrives, and then recounts what happened next.BELGRADE, Serbia  The water in Belgrades central fountain was lit Russian red, ceremonial artillery blasts thundered at the palace, and tens of thousands of Serbs were bused in from around the country to welcome President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday.

If the tableau seemed more fitting for the days of kings than a typical state visit, these are no ordinary times for Serbia, which once again finds itself tugged between East and West in ways hauntingly reminiscent of the Cold War.

Then, Yugoslavia, with its capital in Belgrade, managed to stay out of the Soviet bloc, though it was nominally aligned with it. Now, amid resurgent competition for political and economic influence in Europe, especially in the Balkans, that strategy seems suddenly relevant.

With Serbia seeking to join the European Union without damaging its ties with Moscow, this country on the eastern flank of Europe is in play all over again.Almost a third of the walls in the world are designed to keep the neighbor out, Ms. Vallet said.

Fortress Europe

Much like the desert terrain along the United States border with Mexico, the perilous seas, not walls, have been the main obstacle for people trying to get to Europe.

The Continent has gone beyond building walls to impede the arrival of undocumented migrants. Frontex, the European Unions border agency, and national governments raised a security apparatus that is often referred to as Fortress Europe.

It includes naval patrols and surveillance on the Mediterranean, where most migrants try to cross into Europe. European governments work with countries like Libya, Morocco and Turkey to try to deter migrants from attempting deadly sea crossings.

Last year, an estimated 150,000 illegal crossings were detected on the external borders of the European Union, according to Frontex. (The same person may attempt the crossing and be counted in different locations.) This was 25 percent less than in 2017, and the lowest level in five years.

Still, far-right politicians like Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary have promoted the specter of an impending migration crisis, accompanied by xenophobic rhetoric, to justify funds for border protection.

[Read more about whether Europe is still facing a migration crisis.]

Success is relative

The boosting and militarization of border security has led to a higher death toll for forcibly displaced persons, according to a report released in May by the Transnational Institute, a research and advocacy institute.

In another report on border walls, researchers at the institute looked at maritime barriers in the Mediterranean and considered them as significant or more significant than land barriers on the European continent.BRUSSELS  Some of the smugness here is gone.

The European Union took a tough line in negotiating its divorce with Britain, wishing to preserve its unity and discourage other countries from wanting to leave the bloc. But now officials worry that what they have achieved may be a catastrophic success.

British politics is in meltdown after Parliaments crushing defeat of Prime Minister Theresa Mays carefully negotiated plan for Brexit, as the process of withdrawal is known. And no other compelling alternative plan for an orderly exit is in sight, with just 10 weeks to go until Britain is set to exit the bloc.

European Union officials are now worried that Britain could leave without any agreement  a so-called hard exit that analysts warn could trigger a recession in Britain, causing huge backlogs, delays and shortages of goods, and badly hit the European economy, too, since more than 40 percent of Britains trade is with the bloc.

Yet they see no point in making any concessions now, since Mrs. May has lost control of the process.LONDON  Time is not on Britains side as the clock ticks down to its scheduled March 29 exit from the European Union and its politicians remain paralyzed over how the country should leave.

But on Thursday, decision day was delayed once again when a critical debate and vote in Parliament that could help break the deadlock was put back until Jan. 29.

Delay has been a frequent tactic of Prime Minister Theresa May, who has gambled that the pressure of a looming deadline for departure would persuade lawmakers to accept her plan for withdrawal, or Brexit.

That hit the rocks this week when her proposals suffered a crushing defeat in Parliament, leaving the country in limbo and suggesting that Mrs. May would have to redraw her plans or surrender leadership to lawmakers.MANILA  The Philippine government should take control of the countrys largest shipyard, the defense secretary said on Thursday, after officials raised concerns that Chinese companies seeking to take it over would act as agents of Beijing, projecting Chinas power deeper into the region.

Among the foreign companies expressing interest in the sprawling shipyard on Subic Bay are two Chinese firms, one of which is state-owned, according to Philippine officials. They have voiced fears that a Chinese takeover of the yard would give a strategic foothold to China, which is expanding its economic and military presence in the region and has seized islands in the South China Sea that are claimed by the Philippines, among others.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he had raised the issue of the shipyard in a meeting on Wednesday with President Rodrigo Duterte, who has tried to improve relations with Beijing, worrying American policymakers who have long seen the Philippines as a strategic check on China. Also in the meeting were Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and the countrys economic managers.

The Philippine Navy suggested that, why not the Philippines take over so that well have a naval base there? he told foreign correspondents on Thursday, recounting his conversation with the president. Then well have shipbuilding capabilities.Over the years, outside analysts have closely followed visits by North Korean leaders to factories, farms and military units to discern the regimes policy priorities.

The sleuthing is challenging: The North Korean state news media often withhold the locations of these sites and their purposes, identifying them only by the names of their managers.

Now, two analysts based in the United States have located six such factories believed to be linked to North Koreas missile program, visits to which by the countrys leaders were deliberately obscured by the state news media to thwart Washingtons intelligence-gathering or cyberattacks. The factories and their operations were discovered through a painstaking digital examination of open-source data.

North Korea may be reluctant to share those locations precisely to make them harder to target, Jeffrey Lewis, an expert on North Korea at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif., said in a report published Thursday. In other cases, however, the visits may have been related to the development of new missile-related systems that North Korea was not yet prepared to reveal.BOGOTA, Colombia  The suspect in a car bombing that left 21 people dead on Thursday in Bogota, the capital,was a member of the countrys largest remaining guerrilla group, the defense ministry said Friday.

Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez, the assailant who was also killed in the attack, was a member of the National Liberation Army, a Marxist rebel group known as the ELN, said Guillermo Botero, the Colombian defense minister.

The group did not claim responsibility for the bombing, but it has stepped up attacks against the government since its rival, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC, signed a peace deal with the government in 2016.

Thursdays attack was the first car bombing in Bogota in years, a gruesome reminder of a time when drug lords and rebel groups ravaged the capitals streets with car bombs, killing hundreds of civilians and members of the security forces. Since the signing of the peace accords, the Colombian government has said it turned the page on that violent era.Some protesters and eyewitnesses reported that security forces had fired live rounds at them in the Burri neighborhood of Khartoum, and videos posted on social media by local activists appear to show at least one man being treated for a head injury. Gunshots can be heard in other footage in which the Burri Almahas Mosque is seen in the background.

The near-daily demonstrations initially began over corruption and mismanagement of the economy.

But as the unrest broadened over the past month, so did the message of the protesters, who turned their focus to the overall leadership of Mr. Bashir, who has ruled Sudan since 1989, when he seized power in a coup. His party has moved to change the countrys Constitution to prolong his rule.

On Thursday, security forces were deployed in large numbers in the capital.

The Sudan Doctors Committee issued a statement accusing the security services of preventing ambulances and emergency responders from reaching those wounded in Thursdays demonstrations. It demanded immediate access to every citizen who needs medical assistance.

Human rights groups have urged the Sudanese government to end what they said was unwarranted use of force against protesters and to enact reforms that have long been called for by the international community.I first met my patient, a man in his late 80s, in 2012, when he had been living with myelodysplastic syndromes, a form of bone marrow cancer, for five years  longer than the average survival for those diagnosed with the condition. He was a former high school math teacher who was unerringly precise about his laboratory values. He also had a spark to him that no cancer could extinguish.

Over the years, we had tried a variety of therapies to treat him, some of which worked for a while, some not at all. After our most recent failed attempt to solve the complicated equation of his disease, he had said enough was enough, and asked to be placed on hospice at the nursing facility where he now resided. Fortunately for him, it was one of the few hospice programs that allowed him to continue seeing me to receive the regular blood transfusions that corrected the anemia brought on by his cancer, which eased his fatigue and made him feel more like himself.

When I entered the examination room, he was wearing an outfit typical of what he sported to many of our visits: a red and yellow tattersall shirt; chinos with a broken button, held closed with a black belt; red Ohio State socks; and tan moccasins. His face was framed by square, dark brown glasses that gave him an air of being more serious than he frequently was. His son sat by his side.

Im honored to be in the presence of such musical greatness! I joked with my patient. I should have brought a Sharpie marker with me to get your autograph.On the second day of the year, Danielle Miller gave up on the federal government.

Furloughed from her Internal Revenue Service job near Cincinnati and fearful of running out of money during the partial government shutdown, she filed for unemployment benefits: $414 a week, about $200 less than usual.

Once Christmas came and went, after New Years, I was like, I cant go on, said Ms. Miller, a single mother who has worked for the I.R.S. for almost 14 years. She spent part of this week calculating when her first unemployment check would arrive. Its disappointing, and its frustrating, she said. I have a job.

The shutdown, the longest on record, is prompting tens of thousands of federal employees to seek jobless benefits. As the impasse meanders through its fourth week and more bills come due, their numbers have been growing.

On Thursday, two days after the White House doubled its projections and warned that the shutdown was reducing quarterly economic growth by 0.13 percentage points per week, the Labor Department reported 10,454 initial claims by federal workers for the week that ended Jan. 5, doubling the previous weeks figure. Thousands more have applied since, state officials said.The board of trustees at Michigan State University named a new interim president on Thursday to replace John Engler, a day after he resigned amid widespread criticism over his remarks that some victims of Lawrence G. Nassar, the former university and U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor, appeared to be enjoying the spotlight.

The trustees appointed a top university administrator, Satish Udpa, as the interim leader on Thursday morning at a hastily scheduled board meeting, where they roundly condemned Mr. Englers comments and accepted his resignation, effective immediately, by a vote of 7 to 0 with one trustee absent.

The swift upheaval, nearly a year after a high-profile sentencing hearing for Dr. Nassar where more than 150 young women told stories of sexual abuse, underscored the challenges still facing Michigan State in the wake of the scandal.

Many of the abuse charges stemmed from Dr. Nassars time at the university, where he had been a faculty member and the team physician for two female varsity squads, in addition to his role with the American gymnastics team. The universitys longtime president, Lou Anna K. Simon, stepped down under intense pressure the same day, Jan. 24, that Dr. Nassar was sentenced to prison last year.WASHINGTON  A Republican lawmaker plans to introduce legislation on Thursday that would embolden President Trumps trade war by granting him sweeping new executive powers to increase tariffs on imports.

The proposal, by Representative Sean P. Duffy of Wisconsin, is unlikely to pass Congress, but it has alarmed conservative advocacy groups and business lobbyists, who warn that such an idea could further destabilize the global rules of trade and prompt other countries to adopt similar presidential powers.

The legislation would allow Mr. Trump to unilaterally raise tariffs on a foreign product if he determined that a trading partner had imposed significantly higher tariffs or other trade barriers on that same American good. The draft proposal would also give the president power to enter into new trade agreements without congressional approval.

The president already has broad powers to impose tariffs but must go through certain channels to put them into effect, including a formal investigation by the Commerce Department or other agencies. His actions can also be overturned, in some cases, by the United States International Trade Commission or the World Trade Organization.But the lull did not last long.

Mr. Trumps decision to revoke Ms. Pelosis military transport drew howls of outrage from Democrats and some Republicans, and threw into disarray a long-planned trip by the speaker and senior lawmakers  including the chairmen of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees  to visit American allies and troops stationed overseas.

Democrats, newly in control of the House and eager to use their power to challenge Mr. Trump, vowed that they would not be bullied into scrapping the trip altogether.

Image The dueling letters: Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to President Trump on Wednesday about the State of the Union address.

Were not going to allow the president of the United States to tell the Congress it cant fulfill its oversight responsibilities, it cant ensure that our troops have what they need whether our government is open or closed, said Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the chairman of the intelligence panel.

We are a coequal branch of government, Mr. Schiff said, suggesting that the president apparently did not understand the new reality in Washington. It may not have been that way with the past two years when he had a Republican Congress willing to roll over anytime he asked, but that is no longer the case.

Mr. Schiff was on the bus outside the Rayburn House Office Building near the Capitol when Mr. Trump fired off his letter, along with Representative Eliot L. Engel, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and several other lawmakers in what made for an unusual tableau.

Instead of heading for Joint Base Andrews and boarding a military plane, the lawmakers sat stunned on their bus, unsure of what to do next, until it eventually drove slowly to the Capitol driveway  some journalists jogging or riding electric scooters to keep up  to disgorge its perplexed passengers. At one point, the House sergeant-at-arms, the chambers chief law enforcement officer, turned up to puzzle over the security arrangements for the lawmakers, whose secret travel plans were now public. And the speaker, holed up in her office with aides as reporters mixed near the Rotunda with tourists oblivious to the drama, calmly plotted her next steps.WASHINGTON  President Trump vowed on Thursday to reinvigorate and reinvent American missile defenses in a speech that recalled Cold War-era visions of nuclear adversaries  though he never once mentioned Russia or China, the two great-power threats to the United States.

While the president infused the new missile efforts with his ambitions for a Space Force, the actual plans released by the Pentagon were far more incremental. As a political matter, Mr. Trumps speech seemed designed to play well with his base, a tough-sounding call to a new generation of arms that evoked Ronald Reagans 1983 Star Wars missile defense program.

But the timing was awkward.

The presidents enthusiastic endorsement of new technologies to detect and intercept incoming missiles stands in sharp contrast to his demand, for example, for a decidedly low-tech barrier  a wall  on the southwestern border to stop migrants from illegally entering the United States. And his call for billions of dollars in new spending on missile defenses comes as the government is shut down in a dispute over $5.7 billion for that wall.

Our goal is simple: to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place, Mr. Trump said.Thursdays House vote, in which nearly 70 percent of House Republicans sided with Democrats and against the Trump administration, represented an even more dramatic display of Republican opposition to the move, signaling concerns within President Trumps own party about his administrations handling of a key aspect of its Russia policy.

The congressional showdown over Russia sanctions comes at a time when Mr. Trumps allies have increasingly struggled to address questions about the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into Russian interference in the 2016 election on behalf of Mr. Trump, and whether Mr. Trumps team coordinated with the effort.

Democrats had urged the administration to delay its decision on the fate of the sanctions until the conclusion of Mr. Muellers investigation. They noted that Mr. Deripaska had emerged as a bit character in the story lines around the investigation as a result of his relationship with Paul Manafort, Mr. Trumps former campaign chairman. Mr. Manafort has been convicted of and pleaded guilty to charges brought by Mr. Muellers team.

Last April the Treasury Department announced sanctions on Mr. Deripaska, his companies and those of other Russian oligarchs in retaliation for the Russian meddling, casting the penalties as evidence that the administration was taking a tough stance against Moscow.

While the sanctions went into effect against Mr. Deripaska personally, the sanctions against three of his companies were repeatedly delayed amid an aggressive lobbying and legal campaign by his companies and their allies. They argued that the corporate sanctions would have unintended economic ripple effects that would damage companies in the United States, Europe, Jamaica, Guinea and elsewhere by disrupting the supply of aluminum.And it wasnt just voters who think Mr. Kings career is nearing an end: Republican officials are already planning to move past him, and are busy recruiting and raising money for primary challengers in 2020 if he does not step down.

Mr. King says he has no plans to seek another line of work, as Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate majority leader, recommended this week. He pushed back on Wednesday in a fund-raising letter to supporters, writing that the unhinged Left has teamed up with Republican NeverTrumpers and is pulling out all the stops to destroy me.

He attacked The New York Times, which published a quotation from him in an article last week that led to the firestorm in Congress.

White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive? Mr. King told The Times, comments he now says were taken out of context.

Some longtime supporters in Mr. Kings Fourth District said that even if the nine-term congressman defiantly stays on, they will most likely back a primary challenger. Two candidates announced this week that they would jump into the race, including a prominent Republican state lawmaker, Randy Feenstra, and others are expected.

The Fort Dodge Messenger, which in November endorsed Mr. King over his Democratic challenger, J.D. Scholten, issued an unusual correction on Wednesday night calling on Mr. King to resign.WASHINGTON  Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressed her case on Thursday for postponing President Trumps State of the Union address during the prolonged partial government shutdown, even as House Democrats privately weighed action as early as next week on a homeland security spending measure that would counter the presidents demands for a wall with their own ideas for securing the border.

The date of the State of the Union is not a special date, Ms. Pelosi told reporters. Its not constitutionally required, its not the presidents birthday, its not anything. It is a date that we agreed to.

Early Thursday afternoon, Ms. Pelosi finally received a response from Mr. Trump to the letter she sent him on Wednesday suggesting he delay his Jan. 29 speech or deliver it in writing, but he did not mention the address. Instead, the president said in his own letter that he was postponing an overseas trip Ms. Pelosi had planned with a congressional delegation, flying on military aircraft, that was scheduled to depart from Joint Base Andrews later in the day.WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is asking most State Department employees to return to work on Tuesday, despite the stalemate in funding negotiations between the president and congressional Democrats that has led to a partial government shutdown.

In a message posted online on Thursday, the departments deputy under secretary for management, Bill Todd, cited the agencys core national security mission as the reason many furloughed employees were being asked to return to work next week. He said the department was taking steps to make additional funds available so employees could get paid. It was not immediately clear what these steps entailed or why the department did not take these steps sooner.

A State Department spokesman said agency budget officials and members of its legal team had been working to find a way to resume payment to many of its employees during the shutdown. While they have found an avenue to pay some employees for work performed during the next pay period, officials said that, as of Thursday, they had not identified sources for funding for future pay periods if the government remained closed.

The government has been partly shut for 27 days, and there has been no indication that President Trump and Democrats are any closer to an agreement that would lead to reopening the government. Mr. Trump has refused to reopen the government until lawmakers agree to fund a wall along the southern border with Mexico.Judge Stephenson said that even though the officers accounts of the shooting differed from the video, that did not amount to proof that they were lying. Two people with two different vantage points can witness the same event, she said, and still describe it differently.

The judge suggested that key witnesses for the prosecution had offered conflicting testimony, and said there was nothing presented at trial that showed that the officers had failed to preserve evidence, as the prosecutors had argued. Challenging the point that officers had shooed away a witness as part of a cover-up, the judge said it was not obvious that the police had known the witness had seen the shooting.

The officers, who were brought to trial in November, were accused of writing in official reports that Laquan had tried to stab three other officers, saying they saw him trying to get up from the ground even after a barrage of shots.

Mr. March, Mr. Walsh and Mr. Gaffney each denied that they had conspired to come up with a narrative that might justify Mr. Van Dykes decision to shoot Laquan. None of them fired any shots that night. Other officers, too, had witnessed the shooting and had given questionable accounts, but were not on trial; grand jurors indicted the three officers but declined to indict any others.

[Read More: Was the Laquan McDonald case a turning point or an aberration?]

It was undisputed and undeniable, Judge Stephenson said, that Laquan had ignored officers commands to drop his knife. While she spoke, the three officers sat silently, sometimes staring down at the carpet or nervously jiggling a leg. After she read the verdict, several people broke into applause.Infants and toddlers were among the children who were put into foster homes or migrant children shelters, often hundreds or thousands of miles away from where their parents were detained. Under separate policies, the administration also made it difficult for relatives other than the childrens parents to take the children into their own homes.

After a review of internal government tallies, The New York Times found last year that more than 700 migrant children had been separated from their families in the months before the government officially announced the zero-tolerance policy.

On June 26, 2018, a federal judge in San Diego, in response to the A.C.L.U. lawsuit, directed the federal government to halt the separations at the border and to reunite children with their parents. President Trump rescinded the policy that same month.

However, the federal inspectors found that separations have continued to occur: As of November, the report found, Health and Human Services had received at least 118 children who had been separated from their families since the court order.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversaw the family separations at the border, have said they have separated families only when necessary, such as when a parent is facing a serious criminal prosecution, or when authorities have reason to believe that the adult accompanying the child is not an appropriate guardian.

The report vindicates what D.H.S. has long been saying, said Katie Waldman, a spokeswoman for the department. For more than a decade it was, and continues to be, standard for apprehended minors to be separated when the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, the childs safety is at risk, or serious criminal activity by the adult. We are required under the law that Congress passed to send all unaccompanied alien children to H.H.S.

Ann Maxwell, the Health and Human Services Departments assistant inspector general for evaluation and inspections, said the separations appeared to have been occurring for a full year before the court issued its order.At 3:38 p.m. on Monday, March 26, 2018, a German tourist called the authorities from the Juan Creek crossing on Californias scenic Highway 1. She had spotted something jarring: a brown sport-utility vehicle, upside down, in the Pacific Ocean.

When Highway Patrol officers arrived, they found the S.U.V. Jennifer Hart was at the wheel, and her wife, Sarah Hart, was trapped between the roof and the seats in the back. Both were dead.

Within about three weeks, the authorities would also discover the remains of four of the Harts six children  Markis, 19, Jeremiah, 14, Abigail, 14, and Ciera, 12  and declare them all dead, too. They eventually discovered skeletal remains inside a womans shoe, and announced this month that they belonged to 16-year-old Hannah. Devonte, 15, is still considered to be missing, but is presumed dead.

Jennifer, 38, had been drunk at the time of the crash, and Sarah, 38, and two of their children had in their systems a significant amount of an antihistamine that can cause drowsiness, law enforcement officials said.Those cases were among the examples provided to legislators last year by Tennesseans for Reasonable Parole Review, an informal collective including a juvenile court judge, a juvenile court administrator, researchers, people who were incarcerated as youths, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.

The bottom line is most of these kids who end up doing very horrific crimes or tragic crimes have all in some ways been victimized, said Judge Sheila Calloway, the juvenile court judge, who has been pushing for reform. When we lock them up for life, we discount their ability to rehabilitate and become better citizens.

A previous attempt to pass legislation that would make juveniles eligible for parole after serving 30 years instead of 51 years expired in committee last year. Part of the opposition to the bill cited the murder of a family in eastern Tennessees Greene County in 1997 by six youths, two of whom were 14 and 17 and were tried as adults. If passed, the bill would have retroactively applied to the Greene County killers.

Dan Armstrong, the elected district attorney in the county, lobbied legislators last year when the bill for juvenile sentencing changes was being considered. He said such legislation would make a mockery of the judicial system, particularly in cases involving the murder of multiple people.

I understand the focus on juvenile justice reform, he said. I am not necessarily opposed to the idea. But the community has lived with this for over 20 years. How come we still have to fight this battle to keep these people in jail?

In Ms. Browns case, she had run away from home at 16 and lived with a pimp who raped and abused her while forcing her to become a prostitute, according to court documents. In 2004, a 43-year-old man picked her up in Nashville for sex and drove her to his home, the documents say.

At one point, Ms. Brown said, she thought he was reaching for a gun to kill her. She later shot him in his sleep and fled, taking money and guns, the documents say. In 2006, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.Good morning.

(Heres the sign-up, if you dont already get California Today by email.)

Yesterday, we talked to Austin Beutner, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, about the citys teachers strike that has all but ground the operations of the nations second-largest school system to a halt.

Today, we hear from the other side.

My colleague Jennifer Medina talked to Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of United Teachers Los Angeles, just before Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that negotiations between the union and the district would resume today.

A meeting is scheduled for noon at City Hall, with the mayors staff serving as a mediator between the two groups.

Mr. Caputo-Pearl, said that neither he, Mr. Beutner nor the mayor would be at the table for the negotiations. Were going to let our teams dig into it and then well be involved soon enough, he said late last night. He did not make any predictions about when the strike would end.Deep in the blue-collar San Diego neighborhood of Kearny Mesa, wedged between auto dealerships and neon-lit fast-food chains, the chef John Hong is performing nightly timed shows of the Japanese ritual omakase.

This isnt a theater. Its the restaurant Hidden Fish, a Lilliputian space of only 13 seats wrapped around an L-shaped bar. But you could be forgiven for thinking youre watching a kind of choreographed dance. Diners, divided into 50- and 90-minute zones, gather and eat for a set time before new customers are rotated in. In the center, wielding his knife like a conductors baton, stands Mr. Hong, doling out precise, timed portions of exquisite nigiri sourced from across the globe.

Omakase, which translates to Ill leave it up to you, is a tradition of Japanese dining in which a chef creates an (often elaborate) tasting menu, and customers eat whatever they are served. Mr. Hong first encountered the concept of timed omakase during a visit to New Yorks Sushi by Bou last year. He says he was inspired by how that restaurant, which serves meals in tight 30-minute increments, slashed price tags and made omakase accessible for almost anyone by putting diners on a clock.

Mr. Hong, who grew up in Los Angeles and trained under sushi master Yukio Sakai, decided the concept was worth gambling on in San Diego. He opened Hidden Fish in September, offering 30-minute and 90-minute meals, and very quickly had to make an adjustment.In 2016, Atelier Vime, a Provence-based antiques dealer and wicker workshop, was established in an old hotel particulier in the village of Vallabregues, France. Though its far from any passing foot traffic, within a matter of months the brands wicker and rattan furniture had caught the attention of interior designers, including Pierre Yovanovitch, Charles Zana and David Netto. Instagram is how people found us, says Anthony Watson, who started Atelier Vime with his partner in life and business, Benoit Rauzy, and the designer Raphaelle Hanley. When we opened an account three years ago, we were unknown in the interiors business, but then it all happened quite quickly.

Vimes feed is a lush showcase for its collection of hand-woven furniture and objects  such as mirrors, pedestals and light fixtures  along with an array of rattan, wicker, raffia and rope designs by midcentury designers like Tito Agnoli, Charlotte Perriand, Adrien Audoux and Frida Minnet. The account also offers a window into Watsons and Rauzys unique aesthetic universe: an unusual but arresting mix of rustic designs and Louis XV furniture set against the backdrop of the house in Vallabregues. (Unsurprisingly, Atelier Vime is expanding its offerings to include interior design services.)

Image The American artist Wayne Pate (left) with Atelier Vimes Benoit Rauzy, Raphaelle Hanley and Anthony Watson in their home-cum-showroom in Paris, from where they are selling their designs and the work of other designers and artists. Credit... Young-Ah Kim

This week, to coincide with the Parisian design fairs Maison & Objet and Deco Off, Atelier Vime invites clients and collectors to step inside its world. Rauzy and Watson have transformed five rooms of their pre-Haussmann duplex in Pariss Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood into a showroom for their permanent collection, along with six new styles  among them wicker place mats, lamps and a daybed  and an array of objects theyve curated from artisans they admire. The idea is to show what we like, says Rauzy of the mix, which includes curtains they designed with Pierre Frey, ceramic vases from fellow Provencal artisans Les Dalo and hand-printed cushions from the American artist Drusus Tabor. We are all newcomers from the same generation, and we have the same approach.When one hapless fellow invited family and friends to come watch him in a glassblowing demonstration, a bad cut-and-paste omitted the word glass. The result, wrote his wife, was a shocking offer.

Her solution: She made him resend a corrected version of the same message four times. Her hope was that the flood of identical emails would minimize the amount of attention attracted by the first one.

It worked. Happily, we never had any responses to the initial rude offering, she said.

Some people resort to deception. Janet Katz told people she was the victim of a computer virus. I blame a small child  son, niece, nephew, whatever, Roanne Martin said.

Sharyn Tom pointed out that you dont have to defuse the fallout alone. Enlist someone you have good rapport with to Reply All to your Reply All, and say something funny to cut the tension, like, Great story, bro, we appreciate the update! she suggests. The other person helps by taking the focus and embarrassment away from you, and pivots into humor or something useful.

In general, though, the wisest course seems to be quick action and a huge helping of humble pie.

I just call it what it is by sending yet another Reply All message like: Well, that was awkward, Sheryl Moore wrote. Usually that is met with kind and understanding replies.

Or, as Cassandra Kiger put it, You own it, make apologies, spend 48 hours in shame, and move on.

Five ways to avoid Reply All nightmares

Most people endure a botched Reply All episode only once. After that searing experience, youre unlikely to make the same mistake again.

But you can avoid the fiasco in the first place. Heres how:

Enter the address last. Jeff Branzburg has cultivated the habit of clicking Forward, not Reply, when answering messages. That way, the Address box of every reply starts out empty. Compose the email, and only then go back and enter the address(es), he says. This technique requires extra steps, but it guarantees youll never accidentally Reply to All.

Give yourself an Oh no! window. In some email programs, you can set up a freakout delay. Your email will wait 60 seconds (or more) after you click Send, giving you a window in which to realize your gaffe and stop the message in its tracks. You can set this up in Microsoft Outlook or in Gmail. If youre a Mac person, you need the free version of a plug-in called Mail Butler to add this feature to Apples Mail program. The oh no filter gives you enough time to correct errors, Gerard Stijntjes notes. Ive shared it around at work and it is helping.

If Microsoft Outlook dominates your email life, as it does in many organizations, you have three additional safety nets at your disposal:Where have Earths craters gone?

Certainly we have the striking Meteor Crater in Arizona, and Chicxulub, which lies beneath Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula, the 100-mile-wide scar of the meteor that likely killed off the dinosaurs.

Some of the cosmic battering, from the space rocks that landed in the oceans, did not carve out craters. Others have been erased by erosion and plate tectonics.

Still, there do not seem to be enough craters on our planet, especially from the older eras  just 190 confirmed examples worldwide.

A new study suggests that geologists cannot find more big de nts i n Earths surface because they were never there.Shortly after graduating from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., Melissa Miller returned home to Baltimore and prepared to head to New York to pursue an acting and voice-over career.

She briefly considered living in Hoboken, N.J., where a friend was moving, until she realized it would make for a three-leg commute to Manhattan  to, on and from the PATH train.

I wanted to be in New York City so I could take the subway and be anywhere, said Ms. Miller, 22. Specifically, she wanted easy access to Times Square, Penn Station and the theater district, where she takes classes and goes to auditions.

For her new home, her requirements included a doorman, a laundry room and not too many stairs.

I wanted to live alone, she said. I had too many bad roommate experiences with people I thought I knew.It is a measure of English Brexiteers political acumen that they were initially oblivious to the volatile Irish question and contemptuous of the Scottish one. Ireland was cynically partitioned to ensure that Protestant settlers outnumber native Catholics in one part of the country. The division provoked decades of violence and consumed thousands of lives. It was partly healed in 1998, when a peace agreement removed the need for security checks along the British-imposed partition line.

The re-imposition of a customs and immigration regime along Britains only land border with the European Union was always likely to be resisted with violence. But Brexiteers, awakening late to this ominous possibility, have tried to deny it. A leaked recording revealed Mr. Johnson scorning concerns about the border as pure millennium bug stuff.

Politicians and journalists in Ireland are understandably aghast over the aggressive ignorance of English Brexiteers. Businesspeople everywhere are outraged by their cavalier disregard for the economic consequences of new borders. But none of this would surprise anyone who knows of the unconscionable breeziness with which the British ruling class first drew lines through Asia and Africa and then doomed the people living across them to endless suffering.

The malign incompetence of the Brexiteers was precisely prefigured during Britains exit from India in 1947, most strikingly in the lack of orderly preparation for it. The British government had announced that India would have independence by June 1948. In the first week of June 1947, however, Mountbatten suddenly proclaimed that the transfer of power would happen on Aug. 15, 1947  a ludicrously early date, as he himself blurted out. In July, a British lawyer named Cyril Radcliffe was entrusted with the task of drawing new boundaries of a country he had never previously visited.

Given only around five weeks to invent the political geography of an India flanked by an eastern and a western wing called Pakistan, Radcliffe failed to visit any villages, communities, rivers or forests along the border he planned to demarcate. Dividing agricultural hinterlands from port cities, and abruptly reducing Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs on either side of the new border to a religious minority, Radcliffe delivered a plan for partition that effectively sentenced millions to death or desolation while bringing him the highest-ranked knighthood.

Up to one million people died, countless women were abducted and raped, and the worlds largest refugee population was created during the population transfers across Radcliffes border  an extensive carnage that exceeds all apocalyptic scenarios of Brexit.

In retrospect, Mountbatten had even less reason than Mrs. May to speed up the exit clock  and create insoluble and eternal problems. Just a few months after the botched partition, for instance, India and Pakistan were fighting a war over the disputed territory of Kashmir. None of the concerned parties were pushing for a hasty British exit. As the historian Alex von Tunzelmann points out, the rush was Mountbattens, and his alone.After landing a prestigious judicial clerkship, followed by a job at a major Washington law firm  both rarities for a woman in the 1950s  she took 10 years out to raise five children to school age. She then practiced public interest law and worked on policy initiatives on behalf of children and indigent criminal defendants. She served as an assistant attorney general in President Jimmy Carters Justice Department.

In other words, by the time she became a federal judge at the age of 50, she was a fully integrated adult with a breadth and depth of experience, not an ambitious young careerist strategizing the next move up the ladder. In her last decade on the appeals court, she was deeply involved in rule-of-law projects in Eastern Europe under the auspices of the American Bar Association. And when she left the court in 1999 at the atypically young age of 70, it was to accept a two-year appointment as the American judge on the 14-member international court at The Hague that was established to try those accused of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

On Saturday, the day Patricia Wald died, the clinical psychologist Mary Pipher published an essay in The Times titled The Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s. Pat Wald could have written it. In fact, she practically did. In 2008, under the title Why This Older Woman Is for Obama, she published a remarkable two-page statement on behalf of Barack Obamas campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Senator Obamas opponent at the time was, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton. In her statement, Judge Wald explained why she supported Mr. Obama and why, with a troop of wonderfully gritty older women, I spent eight days on the icy streets of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, campaigning for him.

Its a tough-minded statement that, if she read it, must have made Senator Clinton wince. While identifying herself as a veteran of the womans movement since its infancy and as an ardent supporter of womens rights to choose, to work, to live as we see fit, and yes, one day to elect a woman president, Judge Wald explained why, to her mind, Hillary Clinton wasnt that woman:

Her acceptance of the Bush administrations rationale for going to war in Iraq without reading the National Intelligence Estimate and her rejection of a modest proposal approved by the U.S. Sentencing Commission retroactively to reduce the harsh penalties for crack cocaine hardly evidenced uniquely seasoned leadership qualities or demonstrated a bold force for change.

Invoking the memory of Robert Kennedy, Judge Wald wrote, I recall a time in the not-too-distant past when many of my generation passionately believed in an alliance of government and the people for positive social change. She went on: Too often in the 40 years since, our political leaders have divided and polarized us. Our sights have been blurred and misdirected, our youth dispirited and politically apathetic.LOS ANGELES  I first met Alex Caputo-Pearl, the union leader at the head of the teachers strike here, in 2002, back when he was teaching social studies at Crenshaw High School.

He started out as a young Teach for America recruit in 1990, the programs inaugural year. Alex, a Maryland native, told me he always envisioned Los Angeles as the most promising place in the country to stage a campaign to restore the promise of equality to public education, and to fight for justice for underserved students of color and underappreciated teachers. The fact that the times  the crime-and-punishment 90s and early aughts  werent particularly good for his particular vision didnt matter. Alex dug in. Among other things, he co-founded the Coalition for Education Justice and started a social justice academy.

Now the times seem to have finally caught up with his vision. In 2014 Alex became president of United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing more than 35,000 teachers and school staff members in the Los Angeles school district, and he immediately began infusing it with an activist energy it had lacked for a long time. On Monday, after two years of the union and the district failing to agree on a new contract, teachers began a strike that feels like the culmination of everything Alex came here to do.

Los Angeles hasnt seen a teachers strike in 30 years, and the risks are huge. But nearly 100 percent of the union members voted to strike because they believe it is necessary if public education is going to be restored to its rightful status as one of the Golden States great attractions.SAN FRANCISCO  With the growing recognition that prosecutors hold the keys to a fairer criminal justice system, the term progressive prosecutor has almost become trendy. This is how Senator Kamala Harris of California, a likely presidential candidate and a former prosecutor, describes herself.

But shes not.

Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the states attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent. Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors.

Consider her record as San Franciscos district attorney from 2004 to 2011. Ms. Harris was criticized in 2010 for withholding information about a police laboratory technician who had been accused of intentionally sabotaging her work and stealing drugs from the lab. After a memo surfaced showing that Ms. Harriss deputies knew about the technicians wrongdoing and recent conviction, but failed to alert defense lawyers, a judge condemned Ms. Harriss indifference to the systemic violation of the defendants constitutional rights.

Ms. Harris contested the ruling by arguing that the judge, whose husband was a defense attorney and had spoken publicly about the importance of disclosing evidence, had a conflict of interest. Ms. Harris lost. More than 600 cases handled by the corrupt technician were dismissed.And why do the tedious work of preserving the foundations of free government when it is so much more interesting to reinvent it?

Complacency breeds heedlessness. Liberals were heedless when they wrote off moral character as an essential trait of a good presidency. Conservatives (like me) were heedless when we became more concerned about the state of democracy in Iraq than in Iowa. Liberals were heedless when they embraced identity politics without ever thinking it could also be used against them. Conservatives (again, like me) were heedless when we downplayed the significance of the populism and scaremongering infecting the movement via talk radio and Fox News.

The heedlessness occurred on the other side of the Atlantic, too. European integration is a blessing; integration without genuine democratic accountability and consent isnt. Similarly, immigration is a blessing; immigration without assimilation is a curse. Two generations of European leaders allowed the former without requiring the latter, and then airily dismissed public discontent as politically insignificant and morally illegitimate. Now they are living with the consequences.

As for Brexit, the 2016 decision by 52 percent of the British electorate to leave the European Union over the vehement objections of the 48 percent (details to be hashed out later, if ever), must surely count as one of the worst considered in the islands storied history. But not as foolish as the decision by former Prime Minister David Cameron to put a foundational question up for a popular vote  just as he had put another foundational question, the independence of Scotland, to a vote two years earlier  without seriously considering the consequences of things going the wrong way.

The problem here wasnt a failure by Cameron and the Remain camp to make a stronger case for staying in the European Union, or to read the polls better. It was a philosophical failure  a failure to understand that the purpose of representative government is to save democracy from itself. I now find myself vaguely rooting for a hard Brexit, on the theory that lasting lessons are only learned the hard way.In 1969, a Chicago advertising agency was working on an ad concept that would parody the social justice marches of the day to sell hair-care products. One of the staff members assigned to execute it, a black woman named Barbara Gardner Proctor, wasnt amused.

It was during the days of the black revolution, Ms. Proctor recalled 20 years later in an interview with C-Span, and they wanted me to do a foam-in demonstration in the streets, with women running down the streets waving hair spray cans. I said I would never do that.

She was fired, which set the stage for a bit of history.

It became quite apparent to me, she said, that if I did not begin to control my own destiny, I was going to have it changed about every five years.

And so the next year she became, by all accounts, the first black woman in the United States to found her own ad agency when she established Proctor & Gardner. There was no partner; she simply used her married name and her maiden name to create the impression that there might be a male associate, in case any potential clients had chauvinistic leanings. Eventually she built Proctor & Gardner into a multimillion-dollar company.[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

The new fees were supposed to help fix New York Citys ailing subway by raising more than $1 million a day from those who could afford to take taxis and Ubers in Manhattan.

But before the $2.50 fees on rides could even go into effect as planned on Jan. 1, they were sidelined by a lawsuit brought by a coalition of taxi owners and drivers.

The opponents warn that the fee will add up for passengers, and will also deal a final blow to a taxi industry teetering on the brink. They say the surcharge will drive away customers when they are already losing business to Uber and other app-based services and struggling with enormous debt and bleak prospects.

Three taxi owners and five other professional drivers have committed suicide over the last year.

If they put the surcharge on, thats it, weve lost our whole life investment, said Gloria Guerra, 62, who with her husband, William, owns a taxi medallion, the aluminum plate required to drive a yellow taxi in New York that once sold for more than $1 million. The business will be bankrupt. All the medallions will be bankrupt.The minimum wage in New Jersey is currently $8.85, and raising it to $15 would boost the incomes of more than 1 million people in the state, according to New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal-leaning research group. The bill proposes increasing the minimum wage to $10 an hour on July 1. On Jan. 1, it would increase to $11 an hour, and then would increase by $1 an hour every year until it reaches $15 in 2024.

No one working a full-time job should ever live in poverty, Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement. Putting the minimum wage on a clear and responsible path to $15 an hour is good for workers, good for our businesses and good for our economy. A higher minimum wage strengthens all of New Jersey.

The announcement of an agreement between Mr. Murphy, Stephen M. Sweeney, the senate president, and Craig Coughlin, the speaker of the assembly, amounts to a fait accompli; both Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Coughlin had said they would not introduce a bill unless it could pass and Mr. Murphy would sign it. With Democrats in control of both houses of the legislature, passing the bill will be a formality.

The agreement also marks a major political victory for Mr. Murphy, who made raising the minimum wage and legalizing marijuana central promises during his run for governor. Though he said during his campaign that he wanted to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2021, the governor said he was willing to negotiate with legislative leaders to get it passed early this year.

The bill includes some exceptions: For seasonal workers and employees at small businesses who employ five workers or less, the base minimum wage would reach $15 an hour by 2026. For farmworkers, the base minimum wage would increase to $12.50 an hour by Jan. 1, 2024. Then, a special committee would review whether to raise those workers minimum wage to $15 an hour.[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

Through the fall, traveler after traveler arrived in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities of New York from areas of Israel and Europe where measles was spreading. They then spent time in homes, schools and shops in communities where too many people were unvaccinated.

Within months, New York State was facing its most severe outbreak of the disease in decades, with 182 cases confirmed by Thursday, almost exclusively among ultra-Orthodox Jews. Health officials in New Jersey have reported 33 measles cases, mostly in Ocean County, driven by similar conditions.

In 2018, New York and New Jersey accounted for more than half the measles cases in the country.

Alarmed, health officials began a systematic effort to bring up vaccination rates and halt the diseases spread.

But while there has been progress, the outbreak is not yet over. Health officials said part of the problem has been resistance among some people in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods to fully cooperate with health workers, get vaccinations and promptly report infections.[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

Several years ago, before Confederate monuments came toppling down amid collective recognition that American public space needed a politicized renovation, a group of women in New York City started a fund to build a statue in Central Park honoring womens suffrage.

Memorializing any woman at all was going to be novel, because once you got past Alice in Wonderland, who was there really? As it happens, there is not a single statue of a nonfictional woman in the entire park  one of the most heavily visited tourist sites in the world, with more than 25 million people passing through each year  and yet the list of the commemorated is copious enough to include King Wladyslaw Jagiello, the 14th-century grand duke of Lithuania. At which point you might ask yourself: Where is Barney Greengrass?

Given this myopia and absence of logic, it is easy to see how the decision to erect a statue of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the Mall, the widest pedestrian path in the park, might be considered an innovation. Last summer the city, in partnership with the Statue Fund, as it came to be called, announced that a design for such a sculpture had been selected, following a competition that had received 91 submissions.

The monument, to be unveiled in 2020 in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, would feature renditions of the two women best known for helping to secure that right. That the suffrage movement was big, broad and diverse is meant to be reflected in the image of a scroll unfolding between Anthony and Stanton like a very long to-do list (procure more rolled oats, seek equality) naming and quoting 22 other women whose contributions were greatly significant.But Mr. de Blasio on Thursday implied that Mr. OBriens behavior had been egregious. He said that two or three other sex harassment cases had been substantiated during his administration against employees of the mayors office, which has about 1,000 employees, but that those cases were nothing like this incident.

After leaving City Hall, Mr. OBrien went to work for Hilltop Public Solutions, a political consulting and lobbying firm founded by Nicholas R. Baldick, a close ally of the mayor who initially recommended Mr. OBrien to City Hall.

Mr. OBriens ouster in February 2018 came at a delicate moment for City Hall, as the national #MeToo movement focused attention on sexual harassment, and Mr. de Blasio at the time struggled to answer questions about how his administration handled harassment complaints.

Administration officials, after months of delays, eventually released data on the sexual harassment complaints filed against city employees: From mid-2013 through 2017, there were 1,312 such complaints lodged at all city agencies, with 221 substantiated, the city said at the time. Those substantiated claims were said to involve as many as five mayors office employees. But the administration gave no details and did not identify the workers.

The report on Mr. OBrien states that because the two complainants requested anonymity, their names and identifying information were omitted from the document.

The first assistant corporation counsel, Georgia Pestana, who was one of the authors of the investigative report, said the circumstances of Mr. OBriens departure were kept private in order to protect his accusers.

The privacy interest of these women was paramount, Ms. Pestana said, sitting beside the mayor on Thursday in City Halls Blue Room.  If you dont create a space where people can believe us when we say we will hold your information and your identities confidential, women are not going to come forward.Even as Aparicio is celebrated, she has become a target of racist attacks online. Aparicio said that while it initially upset her, she is now focused on the scores who have called her a role model and sent fan art. Im not the face of Mexico, she added, since the country has many faces.

Image This cover made history for Vogue Mexico. Credit... Vogue

The editor in chief of Vogue Mexico and Vogue Latinoamerica, Karla Martinez de Salas, said she witnessed the racist and classist reactions to photos of Aparicio in Vanity Fair, and worried that the Vogue images would meet a similar response. Rather, they were celebrated with the largest response the magazine has ever received on social media.

In the park, Aparicio sat facing the sun. Her best friend in real life and on film, Nancy Garcia Garcia (who plays Adela, the cook), has told her she looks tired these days. She feels tired. In August, Aparicio flew to Venice for the premiere of Roma, where she watched the movie for the first time. She tried to contain her emotions, but 30 minutes in, she began crying, and continued until the closing credits. It has been a whirlwind ever since, with trips to London, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles and more.

The journey actually started two years earlier. The director of a Tlaxiaco cultural center had invited Aparicios older sister, Edith, to a mysterious casting call that would turn out to be for Cuarons big-screen portrait of Cleo and Mexico City in the 1970s. Casting the lead was a monthslong process that involved tapes of more than 3,000 women, none of whom Cuaron found quite right. At the audition, Edith Aparicio, who was pregnant, hesitated and urged Yalitza to try out instead so she could recount the details.

Cuaron met her at a callback. I was starting to get a bit nervous until suddenly Yalitza walks into the office, and it was that presence  kind of shy but very open, Cuaron recalled by phone. Hed been looking to match the sensibility of Libo, an empathic way of relating to others.An Acceptable Loss is an American political thriller that indicates in every frame its intention to take the subject of war seriously. The director Joe Chappelle has heavily filtered the movies images  draining the color from his characters faces, polishing their features into dull smoothness, dimming even the daylight. And unfortunately, the plot is as lackluster ideologically as the picture is visually.

The story follows Libby Lamm (Tika Sumpter), a professor who was once the top security adviser to a steely United States vice president, Rachel Burke (Jamie Lee Curtis). Now, after retreating from politics, Libby is hounded by antiwar protests and demands for her trial as a war criminal. At first, the film plays coy with the events that made her a pariah. But the phrase that was central to her foreign policy  total war  suggests her history. Despite her diplomatic manner, Libby was the architect of an unprovoked nuclear attack carried out by the United States.

Libby is racked with guilt and anxiety. Every night, before she falls asleep with a gun under her pillow, she records her memories of the meetings where she supported Burkes plan to drop a nuclear bomb on Homs, Syria. Libby plans to publish a memoir exposing the moral and tactical failures of those still in power. But she knows from experience that if she shows any resistance to the administration, she risks becoming a target.You werent actually involved in any real fighting over there, were you? a childhood friend asked me on my return from Iraq. I felt as offended as if hed walked up and slapped me. I felt invalidated by the very question. Of course I was! I shot back. What do you think Ive been doing for the past 10 years?! I explained that we were tasked with the pursuit and capture of specific individuals, making our mission unrelentingly violent. We used plastic explosives to enter Iraqi homes in the dark hours, flowing through them like a flash flood, heralding our entry into each room with flash-bang grenades that felt like a punch in the head if you followed them too closely. We fought in the homes of our enemies, among their families. I told him what it was like to be in a firefight inside a house. How the blast of automatic weapons fire in a small room is so loud as to strip away conscious thought, leaving muscle memory born of rote repetition to determine who lives or dies. It was seven months of blood and fire and broken glass. He seemed discomfited by the exchange, and after a silence changed the subject. If a friend Id grown up with, who knew me well, could not, or did not want to, understand what I was saying, how could I hope to explain it to anyone else?

On the way home from Iraq, we were herded into a tent in Kuwait and given forms that asked us to indicate the experiences wed had by coloring in bubbles next to questions. Had I seen Americans wounded? Yes. Had I seen Americans killed? Yes. Had I seen Iraqis wounded? Yes. Had I seen Iraqis killed? Yes. Had I been shot at? Yes. Had I shot at anyone? Yes. We turned in the forms, then wandered the camp, constrained by huge sand berms, with little to do other than eat and ogle mannequins in skimpy lingerie being sold by Kuwaiti merchants. I was never asked about that form again. I still dont know its purpose. It was the first of many occasions when someone asked me for my story but didnt seem to know what to do with the answers.

Having spent the majority of the deployment cleaning ourselves under a single cold-water pipe, we took advantage of a nearby shower trailer reserved solely for Marines permanently assigned in Kuwait. Two such Marines entered as we basked in the steam from the hot showers. One of them demanded we leave. No one said a word, but the look in our eyes must have said something dire because the second Marine grabbed the first by the arm and simply said, Back away, man, theyve been up north, and left us to ourselves. Even before we had left the region, even among our fellow Marines, we had already become disconnected. I wondered how we would explain to people back home the things we had done in their name. But I hold to the notion that there is value in the effort  value for me and, I hope, for the people who I talk to.

On our return to Camp Lejeune, N.C., we were freed to spend a night with our families. Unable to sleep, I woke my wife at 2 a.m. and made her watch Napoleon Dynamite, a movie that so divided my platoon I thought we would come to blows over its absurdities. I wanted her to see and understand something about the previous seven months of my life. I didnt know how to tell her about a 2-year-old child toddling through window glass shattered by an explosive charge and leaving tiny, bloody footprints on the polished concrete floor of his home. Later that morning, more than a hundred Marines assembled in a final unit formation behind a large brick building immediately across the New River from a demolitions range. Before we were dismissed for the last time as a unified group, some Marines across the river detonated a substantial charge. We all visibly flinched, some of us dropping to the ground, all of us conditioned to dodge the shrapnel and fire that invariably accompanied loud blasts in Iraq. We looked around at one another and slowly stood back up, laughing at ourselves but sharing a level of understanding that has since been elusive. Make a prediction about the article you are about to read: How might the shutdown affect young people across America, including children, teenagers, college students and young adults?

Now, read the article, The Shutdown Makes Me Nervous: Young People Caught Up in Impasse, and answer the following questions:

1. Why does the author begin the article with Stella Blaylocks story? What does it tell readers about how the shutdown is affecting young people?

2. How is the shutdown affecting college students in particular? Why are these issues significant for students like Cartonise Lawson-Wilson who rely on government assistance to fund their education?

3. The author writes that the standoff between President Trump and Congress has taken a financial and emotional toll on federal workers and their families. What have been the financial impacts on families? What have been the emotional ones?If Dr. King came back and seen the way things are, he wouldnt be pleased with it. No, he wouldnt be pleased at all. All right. I call us sanitation engineers because were supposed to run the job, not let the job run us. I was 24 years old when I started. But back then, it was a different ball game. Back then, the working condition, it was unbearable. After three weeks, when I got my first check, I broke down and cried. We were working full time. And at the same time, the wages were so low, we was qualified to get food stamps. We were determined that we was going to get a union organized, that we would see justice. We were striking about the wages, fair treatment and dignity. When we heard that Dr. King was coming to Memphis to help us in that sanitation strike, we were very surprised. We knew then that there was somebody that cared about our struggle. We was at Mason Temple this particular night. Dr. King said, the Lord allowed me to go to the mountaintop and to look over into the promised land. And he said, I might not get there with you, but we will make it to the promised land. Everybody was just jubilated, just excited, not knowing the next day would be a day of silence. Because of Dr. Kings death, that was one of the reasons that Mayor Loeb went on and signed that union into a decree. We got what we wanted, but at the same time, we lost the great leader. He never thought in terms of his personal welfare, but always in terms of the cause which he dedicated his life to. I really had a lot of animosity. I came from the streets. I was a street thug. And Dr. King was the one that taught me, through his humility and his leadership. I said, thats the way Id like to be.  united will never be defeated. The workers united will never be defeated. The workers united will never be defeated. The workers united will never be defeated. There are still some unsolved problems need to be solved. What do we want? 15. When do we want it? Now! What do we want? 15. When do want it? Now! It is what it is until somebody can roll his sleeves up and get out there and fight.Is it biologically plausible that cannabis could cause a psychotic disorder?

Yes. Brain scientists know very little about the underlying biology of psychotic conditions, other than that hundreds of common gene variants are likely involved. Schizophrenia, for instance, is not a uniform disorder but an umbrella term for an array of unexplained problems involving recurrent psychosis, and other common symptoms.

Even so, there is circumstantial evidence for a biological mechanism. Psychotic disorders tend to emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood, during or after a period of rapid brain development. In the teenage years, the brain strips away unneeded or redundant connections between brain cells, in a process called synaptic pruning. This editing is concentrated in the prefrontal cortex, the region behind the forehead where thinking and planning occur  and the region that is perturbed in psychotic conditions.

The region is rich with so-called CB1 receptors, which are involved in the pruning, and are engaged by cannabis use. And alterations to the pruning process may well increase schizophrenia risk, according to recent research at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard. In a 2016 analysis, scientists there found that people with the disorder often have a gene variant that appears to accelerate the pruning process.

What does this mean for me?

Experts may debate whether cannabis use can lead to psychotic disorders, but they mostly agree on how to minimize ones risk.

Psychotic conditions tend to run in families, which suggests there is an inherited genetic vulnerability. Indeed, according to some studies, people prone to or at heightened risk of psychosis seem to experience the effects of cannabis differently than peers without such a history. The users experience a more vivid high, but they also are more likely to experience psychosis-like effects such as paranoia.

The evidence so far indicates that ones familial risk for psychotic disorders outweighs any added effect of cannabis use. In a 2014 study, a team led by Ashley C. Proal and Dr. Lynn E. DeLisi of Harvard Medical School recruited cannabis users with and without a family history of schizophrenia, as well as non-users with and without such a history. The researchers made sure the cannabis users did not use other drugs in addition, a factor that muddied earlier studies. The result: there was a heightened schizophrenia risk among people with a family history, regardless of cannabis use.

My study clearly shows that cannabis does not cause schizophrenia by itself, said Dr. DeLisi. Rather, a genetic predisposition is necessary. It is highly likely, based on the results of this study and others, that cannabis use during adolescence through to age 25, when the brain is maturing and at its peak of growth in a genetically vulnerable individual, can initiate the onset of schizophrenia.MELBOURNE, Australia  The Olive Jar and Capitano have a lot in common. Both restaurants are in Carlton, Melbournes historically Italian neighborhood. They sit about a block from each other on Rathdowne Street, not far from Carltons touristy main drag, Lygon Street, the center of Melbournes Little Italy. They both serve pizza, pasta and wine.

The Olive Jar is a product of old Carlton; Capitano is part of Carltons renaissance  a new restaurant that aims to pay respect to the neighborhoods history while modernizing its tastes and aspirations. Both are as Melbourne as Melbourne can be, but they exist in almost entirely separate worlds.

The Olive Jar isnt particularly well known. For 30 years it was called La Contadina  it became the Olive Jar in 2014 but retained the same ownership. Away from the bustle of Lygon, it has never succumbed to the whims of single-visit customers who are there thanks to a guidebook, so it retains its family-restaurant status. Upon entering, youll see examples of fresh housemade pasta draped over a display on the front counter, along with a huge platter of antipasti.

Specials are noted on a chalkboard in the dining room, the brick walls decorated with photos, posters and tchotchkes, including pots and pans with handwritten signs that say they were brought from Italy by Nonna.So I tried a glass with a smoky, charred lamb salad, and loved it. Its an experience Ive had the pleasure of repeating several times since.

That wine was the Ritinitis Nobilis from Gaia, one of Greeces best modern wineries. Since it was first issued, back in 1998, Gaia has been trying to redefine retsina as a proud custom rather than a genre to be shunned.

Image Gaia Ritinitis Nobilis at Souvla in San Francisco. Credit... Jason Henry for The New York Times

The origin of Ritinitis Nobilis stretches back more than 25 years ago to the days before Gaia, when Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, a founder and the winemaker, was working at Boutari, a historic Greek producer. A mentor, Yiannis Boutaris, of the family that owned Boutari, dropped an offhand remark that stayed with him: Retsina can be a wine of quality.

That remark challenged him, he said, both to determine whether it was true and to see if he could do it.

Quality retsinas didnt really exist back then, Mr. Paraskevopoulos wrote in an email. At the time, he said, they were more a source of shame.

Retsina was Greeces national wine, and as such it needed protection, he said. The thing is, you can neither protect nor promote something that isnt good. I had to make a good one.And then there was the price. Some research on leasing led Mr. Vakil to suspect he could get a better deal than TrueCar offered. Ultimately, he leased a Volt for a lower monthly payment than the TrueCar guaranteed price. I saved about 60 bucks a month  its a meal, he said. I just worked up from the bottom price.

A study from a nonprofit consumer group and a lawsuit in federal court against TrueCar, as well as myriad complaints on Twitter and web forums, suggest that Mr. Vikals experience is not rare, and that shoppers as well as dealers say they have been let down by TrueCars service.

The consumer group found that the TrueCar guaranteed price averaged $1,550 more than what consumers paid when dealers had to bid for their business. The lawsuit, which was brought by 162 car dealers and is still working its way through the court, asserts that TrueCars no haggle promise is false advertising, and that the factory invoice pricing falsely implies savings that TrueCar does not deliver.

TrueCar, in a written response, said: On average, the prices offered tend to be thousands of dollars below M.S.R.P. and also tend to be at or below the market average transaction prices because dealers provide prices to TrueCar knowing that consumers can easily compare those prices to what other people paid.

TrueCar became a billion-dollar public company by collecting sales data from car dealerships and showing consumers what other buyers had paid for specific cars and options, and offering the cars at a low pre-negotiated price. Its website says it is behind the car-buying programs for over 500 companies, including USAA, AARP and American Express.LOS ANGELES  Pacific Gas and Electric promises that its customers lights will stay on if it follows through on plans to file for bankruptcy this month. But companies that supply the California utilitys electricity may have more to worry about.

PG&E said Monday that it would use bankruptcy to resolve huge liabilities arising from two years of deadly wildfires. Such a move would allow the company to try to revoke or renegotiate contracts it signed with suppliers when power prices were higher than they are now. That, analysts said, could hurt companies that borrowed based on the higher prices  especially those whose power comes from renewable resources.

That prospect was underscored this week when credit-rating agencies downgraded the debt of Topaz Solar Farms, which is owned by a unit of Warren E. Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and whose sole customer is PG&E, and Genesis Solar Farm, a large project in the Mojave Desert developed by NextEra Energy. Both companies said they were operating normally, but were monitoring PG&Es problems closely.

People often think utilities are safe investments, but this is such a crazy situation, said Daniel Lowenthal, a partner at the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler who specializes in bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, referring to PG&Es suppliers, shareholders and lenders.LONDON  Facebook identified two disinformation campaigns originating from Russia  including one tied to an agency controlled by the Kremlin  that were targeted at users in Europe and Central Asia. The company said on Thursday it had deleted nearly 500 pages and accounts that had posted the misleading messages.

Many of the pages were discovered to be linked to employees of Sputnik, an agency controlled by the Russian government that was established to spread reports and information sympathetic to Russia. It used independent news pages on topics like weather, travel and sports to mask its efforts, Facebook said.

The company has been under pressure to more aggressively address the spread of misinformation, and to counter manipulation on its social network that is aimed at stirring division and discord, ever since it became evident that Russia used it to target groups of voters, sow division and spread false information in order to sway the 2016 presidential election. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, has said the detection of suspicious activity is a top priority.

But on a platform of two billion users, disinformation campaigns are hard to detect, and Facebook remains a gathering ground for groups eager to spread disinformation to the widest audience possible.Anglesey Island, where the plant, called Wylfa Newydd, was to be built, will most likely feel the harshest impact. Llinos Medi, leader of the Anglesey Council, the local government authority on the island, said in a statement that she was concerned about the suspensions immediate impact on local men and women whose employment is at risk as a consequence of this suspension.

For Hitachi, though, the announcement could mark the end of a long and expensive saga. The company acquired the Horizon sites from two German utilities in 2012 for 697 million, or about $900 million, and wound up spending around 2 billion in total on design approvals, staff and other matters. It has been hiring apprentices, who have been training at a technical college on the island and going to Spain and Japan for work experience. At times in recent months more than 100 archaeologists were on the site, excavating and recording ancient structures that the construction would have destroyed.

Hitachi hoped Britain would prove to be an international showcase for its reactor designs. Ultimately, the company lost patience with the high level of spending required to land such a project there.

Hitachi had sought to arrive at a financial arrangement that would attract long-term investors like pension funds to the project and reduce its own exposure. But the offers of support from both the British and the Japanese sides were not enough.

In an interview on Thursday, Duncan Hawthorne, Horizons chief executive, said the Wales site was very attractive and had a supportive community, but that alone, he added, is not enough to attract outside investment.

Investors, Mr. Hawthorne said, were put off by the eight- to 10-year wait for a return, as well as the risks of cost overruns and other issues. With the project gaining momentum and spending rising, it became too much for Hitachi to keep going, he said.

Mr. Hawthorne said Hitachi would prefer to return to Britain as a supplier rather than a developer taking on large upfront risks.BlackRock has used its heft to promote policy change in the past year, including voting for a shareholder resolution that required the gun maker Sturm, Ruger & Company to be more transparent about the safety of its products.

In some respects, Mr. Fink is limited in what he can do. Much of BlackRocks holdings are through 401(k) plans in index funds, and the company isnt able to sell specific companies whose policies it might disagree with. But it recently introduced a series of socially responsible investment funds that exclude entire industries, such as tobacco, firearms or coal.

The letter is also a defense against those who criticized him over last years letter.

I didnt know Larry Fink had been made God, the real estate billionaire Sam Zell said the day after Mr. Finks letter was sent last year. And Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, said he did not believe it was the role of investors to push their views in the way Mr. Fink suggested.

I dont believe in imposing my political opinions on the activities of our businesses, Mr. Buffett said last year.

In Mr. Finks latest letter, he wrote that he had no intention of telling companies what their purpose should be. Rather, we seek to understand how a companys purpose informs its strategy and culture to underpin sustainable financial performance, he wrote.

He also pushed against the notion, long espoused by the economist Milton Friedman, that a companys only social responsibility is its profits.

Profits are in no way inconsistent with purpose, Mr. Fink wrote. He added, Purpose is not the sole pursuit of profits but the animating force for achieving them.1. A few members of Congress were on a bus, heading to Andrews Air Force Base for their first leg of an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, when President Trump sent a letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed, Mr. Trump wrote. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over.

The point was clear. A day earlier, Ms. Pelosi said Mr. Trumps State of the Union address should be delayed  or delivered only in writing  because of security concerns raised by the government shutdown. She has continued to push her case for a delay, and also hinted that Democrats would begin promoting their own proposals for border security.[Read a review of A Discovery of Witches and an interview with one of its stars.]

Its a very character-driven story, which is why Im glad it ended up with Sundance, Harkness said. It means we dont have to blow up so much stuff and have so much fake blood. As executive producer of the show, Harkness had a hand in everything from the casting to the edits. She has been busy promoting both the show and Times Convert. Harkness gives a lot of interviews in hotel rooms  which may be why her publicist stipulated that this one take place at the Langham Huntington, even though the author lives less than two miles away. In any case, Harkness, who arrived in jeans and well-worn cowboy boots, her blonde hair staticky from the Santa Ana winds, fairly radiated spontaneity and sincerity. Maybe it was the wine.

She was, for example, expansive on the subject of new projects, a topic many writers would rather submit to a tax return than discuss. All Souls groupies will be happy to hear she is now 200 pages into a book about Matthew grappling with the forces of religious radicalism in 16th-century Europe. She recently returned from a three-week cruise around New Zealand to research another book about Matthews nephew, the beloved soldier and mercenary Gallowglass. A deep dive into the history of witchcraft is also in the works.

Harkness is descended from a witch  or at least a woman hanged in Salem for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The supernatural seized her imagination at a young age. I can still see The Witch of Blackbird Pond on the shelves of the Horsham library, she said. Horsham, a suburb of Philadelphia, is not a bad place to grow up if youre interested in history, another early passion of hers. There were family picnics at battlefields, tours of historic houses. When she was 8, her father, the manager of a paint store, and her mother, who worked as a secretary, took Harkness and her younger brother on a trip to England  sparking a lifelong interest in Elizabethan history.

She went to college at Mount Holyoke, where she designed her own major, in Renaissance Studies. A class called Magic, Knowledge and the Pursuit of Power in the Renaissance was transformative: It was like somebody had taken a can opener to my brain and peeled off the lid. The teacher opened up the class by asking, How do you know what you think you know? Ive never stopped asking that question.Tours like these are important for the future of museums, Mr. Vo said in an interview later. It makes them relevant, he said, and people want to see themselves reflected in collections.

Alistair Brown, policy officer at the Museums Association, an organization for museum, gallery and heritage professionals, agreed. More and more museums are looking at radical ways of reappraising their collections, he said in a telephone interview. Theyre either inviting critical and diverse voices into the museum, or at least welcoming their presence if uninvited.

The trend benefits from many years of research by museums into the background of the items in their collections, as well as decades of campaigning by minority groups to be heard, Mr. Brown added.

One of the most prominent series showing museum collections through a new lens is led by Alice Procter, a 23-year-old art historian studying for a masters degree at University College London. Her Uncomfortable Art tours look at how imperialism and colonialism underpin the collections of some of Londons major cultural institutions, including the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

Ms. Procter discusses, for example, how items were acquired in colonial times and paintings were used to shape national identity in Britain, which portrayed itself as a superior and benevolent society. She hands out badges featuring the slogan Display It Like You Stole It, and sells Dear Art Gallery... postcards to let cultural institutions know when labels are inadvertently racist, sexist or totally impenetrable, among other options.

Not everyone is pleased. The British Museum began a monthly series last year to discuss the acquisition of items in its collection, partly in response to Ms. Procter. (The next is scheduled for Feb. 8.) In April, the British tabloid The Daily Mail wrote that Ms. Procter was using sell-out tours to label Lord Nelson a white supremacist and brand Queen Victoria a thief.  She immediately began receiving threats.CREMONA, Italy  Florencia Rastelli was mortified. As an expert barista, she had never spilled a single cup of coffee, she said. But last Monday, as she wiped the counter at Chiave di Bacco, the cafe where she works, she knocked over a glass and it shattered loudly on the floor.

The customers all stood still, petrified, Ms. Rastelli recalled. I was like: Of all days, this one, she said. Even a police officer popped in and asked me to keep it down. I was so embarrassed.

The people of Cremona are unusually sensitive to noise right now. The police have cordoned off streets in the usually bustling city center and traffic has been diverted. During a recent news conference, the citys mayor, Gianluca Galimberti, implored Cremonas citizens to avoid any sudden and unnecessary sounds.

Cremona is home to the workshops of some of the worlds finest instrument makers, including Antonio Stradivari, who in the 17th and 18th centuries produced some of the finest violins and cellos ever made. The city is getting behind an ambitious project to digitally record the sounds of the Stradivarius instruments for posterity, as well as others by Amati and Guarneri del Gesu, two other famous Cremona craftsmen. And that means being quiet.MICKEY: THE TRUE ORIGINAL EXHIBITION at 60 10th Avenue (through Feb. 10). Mickey Mouse has been a constant in popular culture for decades, but that doesnt mean that hes been constantly the same. This 16,000-square-foot show celebrates Mickeys 90th anniversary by charting his evolution from the gloveless, sharp-featured late-1920s version to contemporary iterations in which artists have rendered him abstract, three-dimensionally massive or even psychedelic. Curated by Darren Romanelli, the exhibition includes Steamboat Willie Redux, modern animators reimagining of Mickeys first cartoon short; an enormous Mickey portrait by Keith Haring; Supersonic Skein, a vibrant mural crocheted by London Kaye; and Shinique Smiths Bale Variant No. 0026 (Ode to Mickey Mouse, My First Love), a sculpture made of plush Mickey dolls. The show, which requires advance purchase of timed-entry tickets, will particularly delight young visitors with Sorcerers Way (a room devoted to Mickeys role in Disneys Fantasia) and the Mickey Mouse Club, a space to eat free ice cream surrounded by TV memorabilia. Children can also participate in a Mickey trivia game show and dance in the Cosmic Cavern, Kenny Scharfs fluorescent disco installation inspired by the classic Mickey wristwatch.

disney.com/mickeytrueoriginal

ODD DAY RAIN at TADA! Youth Theater (Jan. 19, 7 p.m.; Jan. 20, 2 and 4 p.m.; Jan. 21, noon and 2 p.m.; through Feb. 24). Todays young people, who seem to latch on to digital devices almost as soon as they can toddle, may have more sobering thoughts about technology after watching this rock musical revival, set in a post-apocalyptic landscape in 2211. Society seems to consist of only the youthful survivors of a calamity referred to as the accident: One, Claire, lives in a doorless pod where the Computer, an omniscient artificial intelligence, completely controls her existence; another, Aurora, is part of an apparently homeless cohort outdoors. Written by Janine Nina Trevens and Deirdre Broderick and performed by the TADA! Resident Youth Ensemble, Odd Day Rain presents a distant future that may feel uncomfortably close.

212-252-1619, ext. 5; tadatheater.comOur guide to new art shows and some that will be closing soon.

HILMA AF KLINT: PAINTINGS FOR THE FUTURE at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (through April 23). This rapturous exhibition upends Modernisms holiest genesis tale  that the male trinity of Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian invented abstract painting starting in 1913. It demonstrates that a female Swedish artist got there first (1906-7), in great style and a radically bold scale with paintings that feel startlingly contemporary. The mother of all revisionist shows regarding Modernism. (Roberta Smith)

212-423-3500, guggenheim.org

BLUE PRINTS: THE PIONEERING WORK OF ANNA ATKINS at New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (through Feb. 17). An intimate, exquisite show of a pioneer of photography and natural science. In the early 1840s, Atkins, a seaweed-loving Englishwoman, began documenting aquatic plants through the new technique of cyanotype (or blueprint, as architects would later call it), and sewed her spectral images into the very first books of photographical impressions  albeit ones made without a camera. Atkins, perhaps assisted by servants, placed hundreds of specimens of seaweed or algae on coated paper, left them in the sun, and then washed the exposed sheet to produce white shadows of the plants against rich Prussian blue backgrounds. Each one is a little miracle, with neuronlike roots winding across the page, the leaves revealing every branching vein. (Jason Farago)

917-275-6975, nypl.org

CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI SCULPTURE: THE FILMS at the Museum of Modern Art (through Feb. 18). This show is built around works by the Romanian modernist (1876-1957) that have been longtime highlights of the museums own collection. But these days, can Brancusi still release our inner poet? The answer may lie in paying less attention to the sculptures themselves and more to Brancusis little-known and quite amazing films, projected at the entrance to the gallery throughout the duration of the exhibition. MoMA borrowed the series of video clips from the Pompidou Center in Paris. They give the feeling that Brancusi was less interested in making fancy museum objects than in putting new kinds of almost-living things into the world, and they convey the vital energy his sculptures were meant to capture. (Blake Gopnik)

212-708-9400, moma.org

EMPRESSES OF CHINAS FORBIDDEN CITY at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass. (through Feb. 10). Every emperor of the Qing dynasty had dozens of wives, concubines and serving girls, but only one of them could hold the title of empress. The lives of women at the late imperial court is the subject of this lavish and learned exhibition, which plots the fortunes of these consorts through their bogglingly intricate silk gowns, hairpins detailed with peacock feathers, and killer platform boots. (The Qing elite were Manchus; women did not bind their feet.) Many empresses lives are lost to history; some, like the Dowager Empress Cixi, became icons in their own right. Most of the 200-odd dresses, jewels, religious artifacts and scroll paintings here are on rare loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing  you will not have a chance to see these again without a trip to the Peoples Republic. (Farago)

978-745-9500, pem.orgQUEER TIGER BEAT at the Duplex Cabaret Theater (Jan. 18, 9:30 p.m.). If Nikki Palumbo and Gwynna Forgham-Thrift curated their own magazine of teen heartthrobs, then the comedians and actresses theyve invited for this show would certainly make the cover. The lineup features Jes Tom, Lorena Russi, Kelsey Bailey, Mila Myles, Jessica Henderson and Taylor Ortega, who co-stars in the upcoming Disney Channel movie Kim Possible.

212-255-5438, theduplex.com

SIDESHOW GOSHKO at KGB Bar (Jan. 24, 7 p.m.). Leslie Goshko will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her monthly storytelling series, which has been featured on truTVs Impractical Jokers and NPRs Snap Judgment. Youll hear stories from the likes of the Moth StorySlam champ Adam Wade, as well as from Andy Christie and Gastor Almonte. Also, there will be a trivia contest and a wine giveaway, in which 10 lucky audience members will take home their own bottle of Sideshow Sauce.

212-505-3360, kgbbar.com

For an overview of January and Februarys cultural events, click here.Their circling of the wagons, she concluded, was tribal. As frustrated as they are with Mrs. May, Conservatives are desperate to avoid a change of government that would put Jeremy Corbyn, the head of the Labour Party, in office.

Many of them feel sympathy for her, as well, believing that she was given an impossible task.

It feels like a parallel universe, doesnt it, considering where we were last night, just 24 hours ago, she said. I have to say, looking at the scenes in the last half-hour or so, its the most united the Conservative benches have been, probably, for months.

A notable tribute to Mrs. May came from Conservative lawmaker Mark Francois, a leader of the arch-Brexiteer European Research Group.

Mr. Francois, in November, submitted a scathing letter to the partys 1922 committee, which has the power to remove the party leader, saying Mrs. May just doesnt listen and is in complete denial. Since then, he has missed no opportunity to criticize her deal, which he described as rancid, and complained that, instead of submitting the deal to a vote, members of her government had gone and run away and hidden in the toilet.The timing of Mr. Pences comments was significant, coming just before Pyongyangs lead negotiator over the nuclear program, Kim Yong-chol, is expected to arrive in Washington to meet on Friday with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The North Korean negotiator is usually not permitted to travel more than a short distance from the United Nations headquarters in New York, where Mr. Pompeo met him last year, so the invitation to Washington was seen as a gesture to make arrangements for the summit meeting.

Mr. Kim, the negotiator, is a former general and intelligence chief believed to be about 74, and is viewed as a member of the inner circle of North Korean leaders. He is also widely regarded as the architect of an attack on a South Korean ship in 2010 that killed 46 South Korean sailors.

But so far, his meetings with Mr. Pompeo, in both Pyongyang and New York, have yielded few results.

While the United States has demanded that North Korea turn over its nuclear weapons before it sees any significant sanctions relief, the North has argued for a step-by-step approach  including that the United States withdraw troops and weapons from the Korean Peninsula.

Breaking that logjam will be the key to the meeting with Mr. Pompeo, American officials said. North Korea has still not taken the first step demanded by the United States: Providing an inventory of its nuclear weapons, its stockpiles of nuclear material, its production facilities, missile fabrication plans and launch sites.

The North has instead said that it would give Washington a target list. Mr. Trumps negotiators have argued that they already have a list, but want evidence that the North was being truthful in its declarations.If nothing more is presented, he continued, it would just be hearsay from a narcotrafficker hoping for some kind of benefit.

Maria Celia Toro, a political analyst at the Colegio de Mexico, a university in Mexico City, said that Mexicans have been conditioned by a long history of false accusations.

She added, The most sensible thing to do is to wait.

Many observers pointed out that if Mr. Guzman had, indeed, paid Mr. Pena Nieto $100 million, then he did not get much bang for his buck, since he was eventually extradited to the United States by the president. Mr. Cifuentes dated the alleged bribe to October 2012 and Mr. Guzman was captured for the first time in February 2014. He later escaped from prison only to be recaptured in January 2016 and extradited in January 2017.

It isnt logical that you would pay a bribe so that in a few years you will be captured, said Juan Alberto Cedillo, a Mexican journalist who has investigated Mexican organized crime groups for more than a decade.

In addition, Mr. Pena Nieto might have surmised that any deals the two men had brokered would likely have arisen during judicial proceedings in the United States.

For all his faults and flaws, Pena Nieto captured Chapo and extradited him, knowing full well that any information would filter out, said Alejandro Hope, a security expert with a Mexican consulting firm, the Group of Economists and Associates. The guy was being hunted down from Day 1 of Pena Nietos administration.

Some who have questioned the veracity of Mr. Cifuentess testimony also pointed out that Mr. Pena Nieto is still in Mexico. He attended the funeral of a former governor of his home state several days ago, his first public appearance since leaving office. Were he guilty, some contended, he might have taken a page from the playbook of other politicians and fled, or gone into hiding.ATLANTA  A Georgia man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of planning to attack the White House with explosives and other weapons, federal prosecutors said.

Investigators monitored the man for months, and then arrested him when he tried to buy weapons from an undercover F.B.I. employee posing as a dealer, according to an F.B.I. affidavit.

The suspect, identified as Hasher Jallal Taheb, 21, of Cumming, Ga., had also discussed attacking other buildings in the Washington area, and at one point said he wanted to attack the Statue of Liberty, according to the affidavit. Officials said on Wednesday that the suspect was believed to have acted alone.

All potential threats have been neutralized, and they have been under control from the inception of this case, Byung J. Pak, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said at a brief news conference in downtown Atlanta announcing the arrest.Im not a high-paid salary, federal bureaucrat in Washington. Im an air conditioning mechanic. My husband is an electronics technician in the United States Coast Guard. I work at the United States Department of Agriculture. My husband is an attorney for the Department of Commerce. We work for the U.S.D.A. in rural housing. My husband is active duty. Ive been a government employee, now, for 29 years. Today, was the first time in my life that I actually filed for unemployment insurance. It was quite a moment. Its just my husband and I. Im coming to the point to where I dont know if I should just go ahead and apply for unemployment. If I should look for, maybe, temporary work. Were going to need another income pretty soon. The prospect that, for no reason at all, I may have to find another permanent job is very frustrating and it speaks to a kind of waste. You know, the taxpayers would have to fund the whole hiring process for my replacement. I have an autoimmune condition that causes severe nerve pain and made the decision to cut back work hours so I could focus on my health and get more treatment. But we cant now get on my husbands plan because my husband works for the federal government and theyre not processing the special enrollments right now. I was due to retire from the government on Dec. 30. The lady that was processing my, my pension has been furloughed. I cant even retire. My husband is working without pay. Were very stressed about our bills and how were going to manage them. Theres a food pantry that was started by the spouses club and that is helping every single family here. And were just, were conserving really. You know, the food pantry is great. You know, were trying to, you know, make meals that last. No spending in excess. You know, as much as I want that Starbucks its not happening. My medicine is getting low. I have diabetes and Im a breast cancer survivor. Some of my medications are getting low. If the shutdown keeps going on, then I cant delay my care anymore. Ill get a lot worse. So, it really means my husband is not going to have a paycheck. Im going to have a paycheck thats a lot lower than it was and were going to be paying a lot more. We need to come together and realize that this hurts all of us. And its going to start hurting everyone pretty soon. So, please stop and put your petty differences to the side and open us back up. If the issues with the wall, deal with the wall later. But open us back up. We want to work.WASHINGTON  President Trump has insisted that he is not going to compromise with Democrats to end the government shutdown, and that he is comfortable in his unbendable position. But privately, its sometimes a different story.

We are getting crushed! Mr. Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, after watching some recent coverage of the shutdown, according to one person familiar with the conversation. Why cant we get a deal?

The president is confronted by a divided and partially shuttered government with an untested staff that has undergone yet another shake-up. Polls show that most Americans blame him for the government shutdown, and his advisers are warning him of its negative effects on the economy. And as the shutdown enters its 27th day on Thursday with no end in sight, most of his top aides would like him to find a way out.

Mr. Trump has told them he believes over time the country will not remember the shutdown, but it will remember that he staged a fight over his insistence that the southern border be protected. He wants Democrats to come back to the table agreeing with his position on a wall, and he does not understand why they have not.WASHINGTON  The federal agency that had leased a prime property in Washington to the Trump Organization failed to grapple fully after the 2016 election with the politically fraught question of whether Donald J. Trumps victory left the deal in violation of the Constitution, according to an inspector generals report released on Wednesday.

The inspector general for the agency, the General Services Administration, found that its lawyers agreed that Mr. Trumps election raised constitutional issues about the Trump Organizations lease of the building on Pennsylvania Avenue, which was redeveloped as the Trump International Hotel. The lease was signed in 2013 and the hotel opened two weeks before the 2016 election.

But rather than confront head-on after Election Day what to do about the issue  or seek the advice of the Justice Department  the agency ignored it, the report said. Essentially, the General Services Administration decided to punt, the report said, quoting a senior agency lawyer, effectively clearing the way for Mr. Trumps business to continue operating in the heart of the capital.

The inspector generals report suggested that the intersection of Mr. Trumps business with his role as president might violate the Constitutions restrictions on government-bestowed benefits or emoluments to federal officials, besides their salaries.WASHINGTON  The swirl of speculation surrounding the Russia investigation often assumes that the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will release a report of his findings that will serve as the definitive explanation of how Russia interfered in the 2016 election and whether President Trump or his associates coordinated with Moscow.

But there is no such guarantee. The law does not require the Justice Department to release a report, and Mr. Mueller has been silent on the issue. Mr. Trumps nominee for attorney general, William P. Barr, said at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he wanted to release as much of what Mr. Mueller found as possible. But he said he needed to learn more about the report and the regulations that govern his releasing information from it before deciding what to do about disclosing the findings.

That answer did not satisfy leading Senate Democrats, who said on Wednesday that they would oppose Mr. Barrs nomination unless he agreed to release the entire report Mr. Mueller produces, except for redactions of sensitive national security information.

Why do people assume that a Mueller report is coming?

Because the government has issued plenty of big reports after important investigations into national catastrophes and scandals. Commissions that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction after the invasion of Iraq, for example, produced book-length public reports that became part of the historical record.SEATTLE  The Seattle area, home to both Microsoft and Amazon, is a potent symbol of the affordable housing crisis that has followed the explosive growth of tech hubs. Now Microsoft, arguing that the industry has an interest and responsibility to help people left behind in communities transformed by the boom, is putting up $500 million to help address the problem.

Microsofts money represents the most ambitious effort by a tech company to directly address the inequality that has spread in areas where the industry is concentrated, particularly on the West Coast. It will fund construction for homes affordable not only to the companys own non-tech workers, but also for teachers, firefighters and other middle- and low-income residents.

Microsofts move comes less than a year after Amazon successfully pushed to block a new tax in Seattle that would have made large businesses pay a per-employee tax to fund homeless services and the construction of affordable housing. The company said the tax created a disincentive to create jobs. Microsoft, which is based in nearby Redmond, Wash., and has few employees who work in the city, did not take a position on the tax.

The debate about the rapid growth of the tech industry and the inequality that often follows has spilled across the country, particularly as Amazon, with billions of taxpayer subsidies, announced plans to build major campuses in Long Island City, Queens, and Arlington, Va., that would employ a total of at least 50,000 people. In New York, elected officials and residents have raised concerns that Amazon has not made commitments to support affordable housing.Lawmakers are also pressuring Huawei. A new bill introduced on Wednesday would ban the export of American technology to Chinese telecommunications companies that have broken U.S. sanctions, including Huawei and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE.

Because the companies make wide use of an array of American parts, like microchips, the bill could have a major impact on their business. A similar ban last year, following a finding that ZTE had violated American sanctions, effectively shut the Chinese company down before the Trump administration lifted it.

Both companies have repeatedly violated U.S. laws, represent a significant risk to American national security interests and need to be held accountable, said Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic senator from Maryland and one of the sponsors of the bill, in a statement.

The bill, called the Telecommunications Denial Order Enforcement Act, was also sponsored in the Senate by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas. In the House of Representatives, it was sponsored by Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican, and Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat.

The charges in Seattle had hung over Huawei for much of last year, as various other crises were unfolding for the company. The charges were due to pass the statute of limitations last year, but the case was extended.

In plea negotiations last year, Huawei faced the prospect of pleading guilty to a criminal charge of theft of a trade secret and agreeing to some sort of compliance plan, according to one of the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

If the case is resolved with a plea agreement, Huawei will most likely plead guilty to a criminal charge of theft of a trade secret and have to agree to some sort of compliance plan, the person said.

Because of an editing error, a picture caption with an article last Thursday about Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado misstated the relationship between Mr. Polis and Marlon Reis. As the article and a caption on the front page of the section correctly noted, they are partners; they are not married.



An article last Thursday about magazines focused on marijuana misspelled part of the title of one such publication; it is Dope Girls, not Girlz. The article also misstated the name of another publication; it is Kitchen Toke, not Toke Kitchen. The article misstated the slogan of Miss Grass; it is Welcome to the High Road, not High Minded. And because of an editing error, the publishing history of Miss Grass, an online publication, was described incorrectly. It started last year; it does not have individual issues.

OBITUARIES

A picture caption with an obituary on Saturday about the botanical artist Jessica Tcherepnine, using information from the Shepherd Gallery in Manhattan, misidentified the subject of one of her paintings. It is an ackee, not a magnolia. And the obituary misstated part of the name of a museum in London whose collection includes paintings by Ms. Tcherepnine. It is the Natural History Museum, not the National History Museum. (The error was repeated in a picture caption.) In addition, another picture caption with the obituary misstated Ms. Tcherepnines given name as Josephine.

Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.

To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, complaints or other comments about our coverage, please email nytnews@nytimes.com or call 1-844-NYT-NEWS (1-844-698-6397).Half a world away, crowds of heroic protesters are in the streets. They shout Peaceful, Peaceful even as security forces target them with live ammunition.

They are risking their lives to try to topple a genocidal ruler. But President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other world leaders are largely ignoring these brave protesters, increasing the risk that they will be massacred.

These protests are unfolding in Sudan against the regime of President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide. Other presidents have committed genocide over the last century, but Bashir has the distinction of conducting three different genocides by my count: in South Sudan, in the Nuba Mountains and in Darfur. He is not just a serial killer; he is a serial genocidaire.

For almost a month, ordinary Sudanese have poured out of their homes and offices around the country to join this Sudan uprising. Perhaps 40 or more have been killed by security forces and hundreds more detained and often beaten. The police reportedly have dragged injured protesters from hospital beds, with lawyers, doctors and journalists particularly targeted.To the Editor:

Leyla Guven, a member of Parliament from the Peoples Democratic Party in Turkey, has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the last two months. Having dedicated her political efforts over the years to the struggle against the Turkish states illegal military invasions and occupations of Kurdish regions and against Turkeys continuing human rights abuses, she now offers her life in protest of the isolation of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, and other Kurdish political prisoners.

Ms. Guven is a major inspiration to people throughout the world who believe in peace, justice and liberation. I join all those who support her and stand in condemnation of the repressive conditions of Mr. Ocalans imprisonment.

Like Ms. Guven, thousands of leaders and representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Democratic Regions Party are behind bars. The largest umbrella womens movement of Turkey, the Free Womens Congress, founded in Kurdistan, was forcibly dissolved and many of its activists have been imprisoned . And those who have spoken out against the indiscriminate killing of thousands of Kurdish people by the Turkish Army since the breakdown of the peace process in 2015 have been criminalized in multiple ways.

Those of us here in the United States who have protested the expansion of the prison-industrial complex have been emboldened over the years by the courageous actions of Kurdish political prisoners  especially by the women who have resisted American-type prisons in Turkey.If theres an upside to the crushing defeat of Prime Minister Theresa Mays laboriously negotiated plan for withdrawing from the European Union, it is that staring in the face of an exit without a deal 10 weeks from now may finally compel British lawmakers to accept reality.

That was far from evident in the immediate aftermath of the 432-to-202 vote in Parliament on Tuesday. Though it was the worst drubbing a British government had suffered in modern times and a dangerous step toward the cliffs edge, the vote was cheered by many sides  by hard-core Brexiteers who would sever ties to the Continent at any cost; by remainers for whom any glitch in the Brexit process keeps alive the hope of staying in the union or at least softening the terms of a divorce; by Labours Jeremy Corbyn, who wants to oust Mrs. May so he can come to power.

Mr. Corbyns ambitions, at least, were dashed for the moment when many of the politicians from Mrs. Mays camp who defied her on Tuesday came to her support on Wednesday, opting to keep her in office rather than risk an election in which they had no acceptable alternative candidate.

On the Continent, the exasperation was tangible. If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is? asked Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, which includes the European Unions heads of state and government, in a tweet that implied that the solution should be for Britain to stay in the union.His reputation as a tightwad was well earned. At breakfast with a reporter in 1993, at a suburban Philadelphia restaurant near Vanguards headquarters, Mr. Bogle figured out that he would beat the $5.95 cost of the buffet by ordering from the menu. If he had an early-morning meeting in New York, he would take the early Amtrak Metroliner shuttle rather than pay for a hotel room in Manhattan.

Image John Bogle has changed a basic industry in the optimal direction, the Nobel laureate Paul A. Samuelson wrote in a foreword to Mr. Bogles book Bogle on Mutual Funds, published in 1993.

Mr. Bogle readily took swipes at the press for lauding fund managers who temporarily got a hot hand, and for focusing heavily on a funds quarterly performance. Even a fund managers long-term record is not an accurate predictor of future performance, he said.

It was that combative nature that had led him to start Vanguard in the first place.

After graduating magna cum laude from Princeton in 1951 with an economics degree, Mr. Bogle was hired by Walter L. Morgan, founder of the Wellington Fund, a Philadelphia-based fund management company. Mr. Morgan had read Mr. Bogles senior thesis on mutual funds.

While working his way up at Wellington, Mr. Bogle persuaded Mr. Morgan to introduce a new all-equity fund, called the Windsor Fund, to complement Wellington, which invested in both stocks and bonds.

Mr. Bogle was named president of Wellington in 1967, and soon thereafter it merged with the Boston investment company Thorndike, Doran, Paine & Lewis. Several years later, a management dispute with the principals of the new company led Mr. Bogle to depart; he founded Vanguard in 1974 to handle the administrative functions of the mutual funds overseen by Wellington Management.

Two years later, Mr. Bogle founded the First Index Investment Trust, later called the Vanguard Index Trust, now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, the first index fund for individual investors. The next year he again broke from industry practice, selling mutual funds directly to investors rather than through brokers, and thus eliminating the sales fees of up to 9 percent that funds typically charged.At least 35 priests on the most recent list have died, and others have been permanently removed from ministry or restricted from serving in public roles.

The disclosure offered virtually no details about the claims, just names, career histories and date ranges for the suspected abuse. Even so, the list indicated that one priest who admitted to abusing minors in 1961 served in Jesuit-run schools for 36 more years. It also showed that there were priests accused of abuse whose careers spanned decades, though in most cases the allegations did not emerge until years later.

One of the priests, Robert Cornigans, was accused of abusing a minor in 1976, an allegation that did not emerge until 2003. He left the Jesuits in 1981, according to the orders records. In 2004, he joined the faculty of the Masters School. He taught English in its Upper School and lived on campus.

In the letter, officials said that Mr. Cornigans resigned after the list was released, and that he would be leaving his campus residence in the next few days.

We want to be very clear that the safety and security of our students, and our entire community, is our highest priority, the letter said, noting that the school would hire an outside firm to conduct an investigation.

The school declined to comment further. Efforts to immediately reach Mr. Cornigans on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Officials at Regis and Fordham Prep in New York, as well as at St. Peters Prep in Jersey City, were among those who sent emails to their school communities or issued statements acknowledging the disclosures.David Haskell, a longtime deputy editor at New York magazine, will become its editor in chief on April 1, inheriting a glossy biweekly and a suite of websites devoted to pursuits like fashion, food, shopping and politics. He succeeds Adam Moss, who is stepping down after 15 years at the helm.

The appointment of Mr. Haskell, 39, on Wednesday is a sea change for a publication that has reached journalistic heights under Mr. Moss  collecting dozens of National Magazine Awards and, last year, a Pulitzer Prize  even as it struggled to find financial stability in a topsy-turvy environment for the news industry.

Mr. Moss, working with the companys chief executive, Pamela Wasserstein, reinvented New York as a digital company dabbling in e-commerce, TV spinoffs and live events. Since 2016, Mr. Haskell has split his duties between editing (one of his projects, celebrities stories of moving to the city, became a book) and imagining the future of the business.

I feel so grateful for the opportunity, and obviously so daunted, Mr. Haskell said in an interview on Wednesday, shortly before an address to the staff. Anyone whos a student of narratives knows how dangerous it is to take something over at the top of its game.Its happened before, he said. Ill be all right. And now, what can I do for you?

We talked at length, and his voice got stronger as he launched into a lecture on the relentless rules of arithmetic for mutual funds. He said they amounted to this: The fees charged by brokerages, fund companies and advisers were sapping the returns of millions of hard-working people who were trying to save for retirement. Reduce the fees and give the money to the people who need it, he said. That, he said, was what his career was all about.

After a few minutes, he faltered, and we agreed to resume the conversation a week or two later. Jack asked me not to reveal that stretch of weakness and hospitalization  or other bouts that occurred later  and I didnt, while he was alive.

Now, after the announcement of his death on Wednesday, I believe its fair to let people know how strong he was, and how idealistic.

[Read the obituary of Mr. Bogle.]

The basic biographical details are well known. A poor boy and a brilliant student, he discovered an interest in asset management  and the burden of fees on investors  while an undergraduate at Princeton. He had his ups and downs in the fund business but made history by popularizing the index fund and creating Vanguard, giving up his chance at great wealth by eschewing ownership of the company.

The Vanguard Group, as he structured it, was owned by its mutual funds, which were owned, in turn, by fund shareholders and dedicated to low-cost investing. He was paid well and accrued what would be a great fortune for most of us  he told me last year his assets were well below $100 million  but its small change by the standards of money management.We don't just shine white-hot spotlights on social and government shortcomings for the sake of criticism.

Our news coverage, and commentary by The Times Editorial Board, takes aim at such issues, most importantly, hoping to prompt better results and public policies.

It's why we congratulate the city of Gary for a healthy reduction, by both number and percentage, in shootings and homicides in 2018.

There were times when it didn't look so promising last year.

In June, we shined the spotlight on 17 shootings that occurred in the Steel City in one weekend.

It amounted to 2.2 shootings for every 10,000 Gary residents. Meanwhile, 36 people had been shot that weekend in Chicago, or about 0.13 shootings for every 10,000 Chicagoans.

In a June 26 editorial on the topic, we took Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson to task for spending time stumping at the U.S.-Mexican border for the U.S. Conference of Mayors when her city faced a public safety crisis.

A month later, another editorial criticized the mayor for referring to the rash of June shootings as "an aberration," a label we thought minimized the deadly tempest that had unfolded in the city.Trump isnt the first president to seek to silence his opponents. The first was our second president, John Adams, who succeeded where Trump will fail. And if history is an adequate guide, Trump will be lucky to fail.

Adams signed the Sedition Act a couple of weeks after the Fourth of July in 1798, just seven years after the ratification of the First Amendment, which prohibited the federal government from interfering with peoples right to speak out against the government. But Adams and Federalist congressmen didnt spend a lot of time worrying about whether the Sedition Act violated the Constitution. They were concerned with shutting down criticism. It was a time of crisis in the United States, as war with France was a very real possibility. Then as now, national crises afford politicians the excuse of undermining peoples rights and liberties in the name of national security.

The Sedition Act made it a crime for American citizens to print, utter or publish  any false, scandalous and malicious writing about the government. And who got to decide if something was false, scandalous or malicious? The government did. In short, the Sedition Act was exactly what Trump pines for now.Although I enjoy the fruits of the success of our expanding trails network, without Rorys assistance throughout these achievements would have been less significant. All in Northwest Indiana can thank Rory directly for guiding our efforts with his passion and wisdom, and I am personally thankful for his mentoring and assistance to my efforts at NIRPC.

Along with Rory has been my successful partnership with Diane and her efforts to create trail connections in the Chicago Southland. Diane has been part of a number of significant efforts right across the state line, including the aforementioned Pennsy Greenway. In addition, Diane has been instrumental in developing the Grand Illinois Trail through the south suburbs and has been a leader from the start on the planning and building of the Cal-Sag Trail.

Rory would often mention at the start of his presentations that I am from the federal government, and Im here to help. With regards to both Diane and Rory, this has been the case countless times over, I am indebted to both for their years of dedicated public service to our greater Calumet Region and for helping me be the professional I am today.

You can find out where these bistate trails are by viewing a copy of the 2018 Greenways+Blueways Map at www.nirpc.org/greenways-blueways-map.

Mitch Barloga is the active transportation manager for the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. The opinions are the writer's.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Also among the concerns, Flores said, were testing environments that allowed students to share questions with others who had not yet taken the exam, and extended testing periods going beyond the approved exam time limit.

Morikis, who began as Gary emergency manager this year, said changes were made in the way the school administered the 2018 standardized test and the district will continue to follow its clear testing procedures.

"From the moment that the investigation and the whole situation occurred, there was immediately a change to monitoring," Morikis said.

Of the nine educators investigated, two voluntarily agreed to have their teaching licenses suspended, DOE spokesman Adam Baker said. The seven remaining educators appeared in a two-day DOE hearing in November, which found five of those educators played a role in the ISTEP irregularities.

Baker described the administrators' attempt to change test outcomes as blatant and said evidence showed students attempted to change answers as many as 13 times. One test, he said, registered as having been completed in only 18 minutes.

Baker said the ones hurt most in this situation are the students. He said he fears students could feel the adverse social and emotional effects of the former Gary educators' actions.But the gig economy doesn't pay all that well  something the furloughed government workers are finding out.

Pay for such workers has declined over the past two years, and they are earning a growing share of their income elsewhere, a recent study found. Most Americans who earn income through online platforms do so for only a few months each year, according to the study by the JPMorgan Chase Institute.

Chris George, 48, of Hemet, California, is furloughed from his job as a forestry technician supervisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture forest service. He's been driving for Lyft but has only been averaging about $10 for every hour he drives. Paying for gas then eats into whatever money he has made.

He just got word that he'll be getting $450 in weekly unemployment benefits, but hadn't received any money as of Monday. In the meantime, he's taking handyman or other odd jobs wherever he can.

"I've just been doing side jobs when they come along," he said Monday. "I had two last week, and I don't know what this week's going to bring."

George Jankowski is among those hunting around for cash. He's getting a $100 weekly unemployment check, but that's barely enough to pay for food and gas, he said.INDIANAPOLIS  Hoosier high school students soon might get a memorable lesson about government and its power to mandate.

On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee voted 7-3 to advance legislation to the full Senate requiring all Indiana students to pass the U.S. citizenship exam, typically administered to immigrants, as a condition of earning a high school diploma.

Senate Bill 132, sponsored by state Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, is aimed at remedying what Kruse sees as a widespread lack of basic government knowledge, based in part on late night talk show host interviews of people on the street who don't know simple facts about American government.

Kruse said existing Indiana requirements that students earn passing grades in two semesters of U.S. history and one semester of U.S. government to receive a high school diploma are insufficient if students aren't also mandated to take the citizenship test.

State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, was among two committee Democrats and one Republican to oppose the civics test as a graduation requirement, though he said he has no problem with the citizenship test being used in Indiana classrooms as a teaching tool.INDIANAPOLIS  Former Lake County Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura was named chief of staff Wednesday for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr.

In her new role, Bonaventura will run the law firm that essentially is the attorney general's office, including managing its 334 employees and nearly $30 million annual budget.

Hill, a Republican, said in a written statement that he selected Bonaventura for the post because she has "an impressive breadth of leadership experience."

"She is uniquely qualified to oversee the multiple functions of our office as we continue to work hard every day serving the people of Indiana," Hill said.

Bonaventura spent 31 years on the Lake County bench, including two decades as Juvenile Court judge, before being appointed in 2013 by Republican Gov. Mike Pence to lead the Indiana Department of Child Services.

She quit as DCS director in December 2017 with a fiery resignation letter that accused Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb of starving the child protection agency's resources to an extent that "all but ensures children will die."

The attorney general, who repeatedly has clashed with the governor over both political and personal matters, promptly hired Bonaventura as his special counsel.GARY  Memories of those pioneers in the decades-long fight for civil rights justice will be rekindled Saturday at the Gary Frontiers Service Clubs 40th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast.

Nearly 600 people are expected at the Saturday morning program at the Genesis Convention Center, where the Gary Frontiers will honor five pioneers in the fight for civil rights.

The Drum Major and Marcher awards to be presented recognize people who have dedicated their lives to improving the human conditions of others and, as Gary Frontiers president Oliver Gilliam stresses, people who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives in the struggle for helping others.

While the program honors specific people, Gilliam said, it also recalls those unnamed individuals who stood up to injustice and, in some cases, had to be sneaked in and out of such places as Jackson, Mississippi, to fight for justice and against the Ku Klux Klan.

This years honorees are Dr. Janet Seabrook as Drum Major and Monroe Smith, Nellie F. Moore, Wendell Clayton Harris Sr. and Sharon Chambers as Marchers.CROWN POINT  A Hobart man who admitted he was robbed of marijuana and money before he was found slumped over the wheel of an idling car Sunday was the boyfriend of an 18-year-old Portage High School student killed last week in Griffith, police said Wednesday.

"Yeah, I smoked some weed, just lost my girl, sir," William Michael Hawkins, 18, allegedly told a Hobart police officer after his arrest near Home Avenue and Linda Street.

Hawkins was referring to Alayna Ortiz, 18, of South Haven, who was fatally shot about 9 p.m. Jan. 9 in a parking lot at the Park West Apartments in Griffith, police said.*

Whether Hawkins played any role in Ortiz's homicide remains unclear, because police have not released many details. The case remains under investigation.

Griffith police issued a news release stating there will be a news conference at 2 p.m. Thursday discussing developments in the Ortiz case.

Ortiz was remembered last week as a kindhearted, outgoing young woman.

"Anyone who knew Alayna knows that she was a very open, friendly person, and when she trusted you, she trusted you with everything," said Amanda Riffett, Alayna's mother. "And when she loved you, she loved you with everything in her heart."MICHIGAN CITY  A 16-year-old was taken into custody after police found an 18-year-old shot in the head Wednesday night in a vehicle at the 200 block of Jackson Street.

Javan D. Brown, 16, was taken into custody and booked into LaPorte County Jail Thursday, according to a news release from the Michigan City Police Department.

Following a probable cause hearing on Thursday, a warrant was issued for a Count 1 felony murder, police said. Brown was being held on a $1 million cash bond.

The victim, identified as Justin Ameer Garner, 18, suffered a single gunshot wound, police said.

Police said they were dispatched to the site at 7:59 p.m. and found Garner in the driver's seat of a parked vehicle.

The death is being investigated by members of the Michigan City Police Department and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force.

Anyone with information regarding the case is encouraged to contact lead Detective Cpl. Michelle Widelski at 219-874-3221, extension 1088.EAST CHICAGO  The city is allowing an acting sergeant accused of soliciting naked photos from a female officer-in-training and a Central High School teen to remain on the payroll as its human resources department carries out its investigation.

"The belated allegations against (acting Sgt. Juda Parks) are just that  allegations. His duty status has not changed," city attorney Darnail Lyles said Wednesday, a day after two female officers filed employment discrimination complaints against the city.

Lyles said the city plans to "vigorously defend" itself against Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints filed Tuesday by ex-Officer Madelline Melendez and Officer Ashly Rodriguez.

Melendez, 24, alleges she was forced to quit Monday because she planned to come forward with allegations that Parks, as a school resource officer, sought naked photos while she was a 17-year-old student at Central High School and again in 2018 through text messages.

Rodriguez filed a complaint alleging harassment and a hostile work environment at the department.

Internal memos obtained by The Times Media Co. shows she went to her superiors Dec. 24 with a sexual harassment complaint against Parks, claiming he solicited naked photos from her, too, on more than one occasion.Authorities allege Hawkins had loaned Galloway marijuana for resale on the street and Galloway hatched the robbery because he couldn't make enough money to repay Hawkins.

Police said the plan went into effect after a delivery service brought a large amount of marijuana and vaping sticks containing THC  an active ingredient from marijuana  to a residence in the 4400 block of Madison Street in Gary where Hawkins stayed.

Galloway, his uncle and the three men twice attempted to steal the marijuana from Hawkins during burglary attempts, but a friend of Hawkins repulsed them by wildly firing guns at them, authorities said.

Hawkins and his friends fled the Madison Street address Jan. 9 and drove to what they thought would be the safety of a relative's home at the Park West Apartments in Griffith.

Unbeknownst to Hawkins, Galloway's group watched from a distance and saw Hawkins' group leave with bags they suspected contained marijuana, according to reports. They allegedly followed Hawkins' red SUV from Gary to Griffith with the intention of robbing Hawkins.

Hawkins pulled into a parking space at the apartment complex. Galloway's associates pulled up behind him to block him in and they walked up to Hawkins' SUV with guns drawn, records state.The Northwest Indiana Forum will present a breakdown of its "Ignite the Region: Northwest Indianas Strategy for Economic Transformation" economic development plan at its annual meeting later this month.

The Portage-based economic development agency, which serves a seven-county Region in Northwest Indiana, will also elect its board of directors at the Jan. 24 meeting at The Venue in Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond. The meeting will take place between 5:30 and 8 p.m., with the presentation starting at 6:15 p.m.

"The annual meeting is an opportune time to learn more about the Forums activities, efforts, and accomplishments in economic development, public policy, and environmental affairs as well as membership," the NWI Forum said in a news release.

The nonprofit economic development agency, which is funded by more than 130 companies from across the Region, spent $200,000 to hire Austin- and Seattle-based TIP Strategies earlier this year to "craft a playbook for economic development of our seven-county region" with the hope it would get cities, towns, and others on the same page for how to most effectively pursue jobs, investment and new businesses.

The event costs $60 for the general public and is free to forum members. For more information or to register, visit www.nwiforum.org or email Raeann Trakas at rtrakas@nwiforum.org.

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The business news you need With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Much more remains to be done. It is time for this body to fix the state school aid formula, Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act. It is time for this body to fulfill the promise of our state constitution that The Legislature shall provide for the free instruction in the common schools of this state. We can no longer pass the majority of that duty off to the property taxpayers of Nebraska. Yes, local effort should be part of the funding, but local taxpayers should not be required to shoulder an undue burdensome share in any of our common schools.

To mend the urban-rural divide on this issue, we must make state funding truly equitable to all. As chairman of the Education Committee, I will bring legislation that reflects the efforts during this past interim of an informal TEEOSA study group made up of 11 senators who had in the past showed a legislative interest in fixing TEEOSA. We can, and we must, work together to fix TEEOSA.

This year we need to update our American civics and social studies statutes to aid and guide the Department of Education as they update the social studies standards. We must emphasize to our schools that our children understand that freedom is not free; to maintain it, they must understand the sacrifices of the Americans who came before them. They must be informed of their civic duties.The University of Nebraska Medical Center Simulation in Motion-Nebraska program recognized a milestone Tuesday when it conducted its 250th free training session in Sutherland.

UNMC, which has trained 4,700 health professionals to date covering 87 of 93 Nebraska counties, conducted training for volunteers with the Sutherland Fire and Rescue and the Hershey Volunteer Fire Department. UNMC officials presented a plaque to recognize the milestone.

SIM-NE is a statewide, mobile education system that takes state-of-the-art, hands-on training to emergency medical service providers in rural areas across the state, including health professionals in hospitals. It provides free training using four, 44-foot-long, customized trucks.

As a resource for the state of Nebraska, the University of Nebraska Medical Center celebrates this milestone that supports Nebraskas rural emergency medical services, UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said in a press release. The lifesaving training emergency medical specialists and other health professionals ask us to provide helps their communities remain engaged and productive.

Dr. Paul Paulman, a native of Sutherland, said the training programs offered by SIM-NE have benefited first responders and others in all parts of Nebraska.What was once the Quality Inn & Suites became the Ramada by Wyndham Inn & Suites. What was once the Comfort Inn became the Quality Inn.

Ownership and management at the new Ramada, the old Quality Inn & Suites, will remain under North Platte Hospitality Inc. The hotel will just operate under a new franchise name now, said Teresa Riley, general manager. Having been under the franchise Choice Hotels, the hotel now is under the Wyndham name.

One reason for the change is the construction of a new Comfort Inn in the 2800 block of East Halligan Drive, which is also a Choice Hotels brand.

If you stay in the Choice brand, then youre competing with a hotel thats brand new, said Austin Priest, director of sales at the hotel.

He added that Ramada taps us into a whole new market.

Reservations will be unavailable online for a couple of weeks, but should be back up and running soon, Riley said. Guests can still check in on the phone and in person until then.

The hotel will soon go under renovation.

Definitely we are starting with the sleeping rooms, Riley said.A few weeks ago, a leak rumored that the S10 phones could feature new fast-charging technology. New information, however, indicates that the reality of the matter could be different, and S10 owner may have to put up with Samsung's good old 15W fast charge.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

Last month, word on the grapevine suggested that the upcoming Galaxy S10 phones would feature a new form of fast-charging technology. Apparently, that will not be case, and the S10 phones may very well ship with the same fast-charge as the Galaxy S9 and Note 9.

The S10 phones were listed on 3C, Chinas certification website, with charger specifications that arent any different from what we saw last year. That is, 5V/2A and 9V/1.67A, with the latter corresponding to a peak output of 15 W.The Moto Razr 2019 seems to be ready to take on the mobile world by storm with its foldable display and other new technologies. The only problem could be the value this handset can provide, as it is expected to hit Verizon with a price tag that reads no less than US$1,500.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

The Motorola Razr became a legend in its early days as an ultra-slim flip phone and its smart, non-foldable successors never managed to reach the same level of popularity. However, Lenovo is now ready to bring back the Razr as a foldable smartphone. Sadly, it seems like the upcoming foldable Razr is not going to be a budget-friendly piece of hardware.

Back in October 2011, Verizon users were able to purchase the Droid Razr Android smartphone, as well as the more potent Droid Razr Maxx. These handsets arrived on the market more than 7 years since the introduction of the first Motorola Razr, the legendary V3. This year, the time has apparently arrived to take the Razr story to a whole new level with the Motorola Razr 2019.

According to insiders familiar with the matter who were interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, "The once-popular flip phone is being revived as a smartphone with a foldable screen and a starting price of roughly $1,500." The same sources claim that Lenovo is teaming up with Verizon to bring the new handset to the US "as soon as February" although the device is still in the testing phase.From Tom Marino's congressional website:

WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Tom Marino (PA-12) released the following statement announcing his resignation from the United States House of Representatives.

Rep. Marino said the following:

As of January 23, 2019, I am officially stepping down from Congress. Having spent over two decades serving the public, I have chosen to take a position in the private sector where I can use both my legal and business experience to create jobs around the nation. I want to thank the people of the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania for the faith they have placed in me to represent them in Congress. It truly has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I worked in Congress to fight for the hardworking people of our region and I am proud of the work we have accomplished. I am confident that the area will continue to thrive.

Congressman Tom Marino has accomplished a great deal over his career in the United States Congress, passing eight bills into law during two Presidential administrations, including:

H.R. 348, RAPID Act- Streamlines the approval and permitting process for federally-funded energy, critical infrastructure, and other vital construction projects.

S. 238, the Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act- Mandates that pepper spray be provided to Bureau of Prisons officers in high and medium security prisons; named in memory of Corrections Officer Eric Williams, who was murdered in a federal prison in our region.

H.R. 366, Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act of 2013- Prohibits any person from knowingly attending-or causing a minor to attend- an animal fighting venture. Offenders will be subject to fines and potential imprisonment.

Congressman Marino also led the effort to help secure funding so our region can benefit from rural broadband access.

Congressman Marino has been very active in Foster Care policy in Congress and has served as the Co-Chair of the Foster Youth Caucus. Tom has also served as the Co-Chair of both the Cystic Fibrosis and Kidney Caucuses.

Congressman Marino was elected in 2010, defeating a Democratic incumbent by 10 points. He has been re-elected by wide margins in four additional elections. Congressman Marino has served as a U.S. Attorney, District Attorney, and Assistant District Attorney. He has never lost an election.

Congressman Marino and his wife Edie reside outside Williamsport with their two children.Montoursville  Lifelong County resident Ryan Tira, of Montoursville, enthusiastically announces his decision to run for the open judicial seat on the Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas.

It would be an honor to occupy the seat previously held by the esteemed Honorable Judge Richard A. Gray, Tira said.

Tira earned his Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College and his law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law.

After law school, Tira returned to home to begin his legal career. My wife and I knew Lycoming County was the place we wanted to start our family. We are proud to raise our children in a place with such strong family values. I am grateful to be able to practice law and live here, remarked Tira.

Tira joined the law firm of McNerney Page Vanderlin & Hall as an associate attorney in August 2002, and became a partner in January2007. At McNerney Page, he has developed a practice centered around serving public clients, including County, Borough and Township governments. Tira said, a gratifying part of my career has been assisting local governments to meet the needs of their communities. Through this work, I have overseen many hearings, all of which have prepared me to handle court room proceedings as a Judge.

Tiras legal practice has taken him before several judicial bodies, including the following:

United States District Court

State Superior Court

State Commonwealth Court

Courts of Common Pleas throughout Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board

Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission

Unemployment Compensation Referees

Private arbitratorsCaleb Slinkard was hired as the editor of the Norman Transcript in August of 2015. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce and previously was in charge of several newspapers in northeast Texas.

Follow Caleb Slinkard 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up TodayRepublicans and Democrats alike are dialing up the pressure on Rep. Steve King, R-Fourth Dist, with one GOP leader suggesting Tuesday that the nine-term Iowan resign his congressional seat in the wake of the latest in a string of what she called his racist comments.

Id like him to find another line of work, Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-highest Republican in the House, told reporters.

Cheneys was the most explicit call from a senior Republican for King to leave and the latest GOP effort to inspire him to quit over his quote in The New York Times last week questioning how white nationalism and white supremacy became offensive terms.

For his part, King vowed to continue to point out the truth and work with all the vigor that I have to represent Fourth District Iowans for at least the next two years.

King will be blocked from committee assignments for the next two years as a result of his comments in The New York Times. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday night.

King served on the Agriculture, Small Business and Judiciary committees in the last Congress, and he chaired Judiciarys subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.Kent Hutcheson, of Hutchs Guide Service, will return to speak at the River City Hunting, Fishing, Boat & RV Expo this weekend.

Hutcheson, of Pierre, South Dakota  known as Hutch  said his seminar will center on fishing the Missouri River system  specifically, Lake Oahe and Lake Sharpe  both in South Dakota.

I focus on that river system, where Im based out of, Hutcheson said Tuesday.

A former sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, Hutcheson is also a licensed master captain in the United States Coast Guard and has a commercial assistance towing license.

As both a bass and walleye tournament fisherman, Hutcheson has garnered more than 150 top 20 finishes over 30 years.

Hutcheson said he enjoys coming to Council Bluffs to speak about his trade, the river system and, of course, fishing.

Plenty of my customers, over the last 10 years, have told me they would rather come see me in Council Bluffs, than elsewhere, he said.

Hutcheson is scheduled to speak Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. in room B. Lake Sharpe is located near Pierre. Its reservoir includes rainbow trout, catfish, northern pike, bass and walleye.The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, Christian musics largest annual tour and one of the top first quarter tours in the world, will come to the Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way, on Jan. 24.

The show will feature Christian music performers Newsboys United, Danny Gokey, Mandisa, Rend Collective, Ledger, Newsong, Hollyn and more. Pre-Jam Party artists will include Ty Brasel, Manic Drive, Dan Bremnes and Adam Agee.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. Cost is $15 at the door. For more information, call 712-323-0536 or go online to caesars.com/mid-america-center.com or jamtour.com.OMAHA  A Wisconsin-based company said Wednesday it had inked a deal to purchase First Data, the Omaha-born company that has employed around 5,000 people in the area.

Fiserv, a financial technology company, said it would purchase First Data in an all-stock deal for $22 billion.

The companies, in a joint statement, said their offerings were complementary.

The transaction unites two premier companies to create one of the worlds leading payments and financial technology providers, the companies said in their statement.

It wasnt clear in the statement what it would mean for the companies workforces.

A spokeswoman for First Data didnt have an initial comment when contacted by The World-Herald.

Jeffery Yabuki, president and chief executive of Fiserv, said in the statement that his company looked forward to welcoming First Datas talented associates.

First Data, which traces its roots to Omaha in 1971 as the Mid-America Bankcard Association, has in recent years still employed around 5,000 people in the area.

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The company spokeswoman said Wednesday she didnt have current figures for the most recent employee head count.Twice during the current legislative session, Senate President Page Cortez has taken extraordinary steps to help certain gambling companies that are represented by a former colleague who is close to Cortez.President Donald Trump plans to nominate Associate Justice Greg Guidry of the Louisiana Supreme Court for a seat on the U.S. District Court in New Orleans, the White House announced Wednesday (Jan. 16). A Republican, Guidry grew up in West Jefferson and now lives near Covington.

Guidry was elected to the Supreme Court in 2008 and re-elected without opposition last year. Previously he served on the states 24th Judicial District Court and 5th Circuit Court of Appeal, both in Gretna.

Before taking the bench, he worked as an assistant Louisiana attorney general and assistant U.S. attorney in New Orleans, where he headed the offices violent crime and drug units and was the in-house ethics officer. He holds bachelor and law degrees from Louisiana State University.

Greg Guidry re-elected to Louisiana Supreme Court; sole opponent didn't file tax returns

The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. Louisianas U.S. senators, both Republicans, praised Trumps choice.

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Justice Guidry is exceptionally qualified for this position," Sen. Bill Cassidy said. "He has served our state well for decades as both as a trial and appellate judge in addition to being a former federal prosecutor. With his experience, I am confident he will serve with distinction on the Eastern District of Louisiana Court.

I congratulate Justice Guidry on his nomination to a federal judgeship in the Eastern District," said Sen. John Kennedy, a member of the Judiciary Committee that will vet the nomination. Justice Guidry has distinguished himself as a Louisiana Supreme Court justice and a prosecutor during a lengthy legal career. I look forward to learning more about him as he goes through the nomination process.

Meet Barry Ashe, the newest federal judge in New Orleans

. . . . . . .

Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and education, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.After 27 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard ended its search for two people reported missing in the Mississippi River near Boothville Thursday (Jan. 17), according to a news release.

Katelyn Carlisle and Rueben Arellano were on board a 32-foot vessel when it capsized near mile marker 18 around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday (Jan. 16), the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard air and boat crews responded to the call, as well as the Plaquemines Sheriffs Office, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries boat crew and Branch Pilot boat crew.

River traffic was reopened after 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the release. The cause of the incident was under investigation.

Coast Guard searches for 2 people in capsized vessel near BoothvilleSales of WWOZ Brass Passes, those golden tickets to New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, are over. WWOZ posted on its website that Brass Passes are sold out.

The passes, which cost $675 each, get holders in to every day of Jazz Fest except May 2, which is Rolling Stones Day. Owning a pass, however, guarantees you a chance to buy a ticket for May 2, which is an additional $185 per ticket. Only a limited number of May 2 tickets will be sold.

Jazz Fest is April 25-28 and May 2-5; Jazz Fest added a day for 2019, the first Thursday (April 25).

Louisiana residents dont have to have a Brass Pass to get an early crack at Rolling Stones tickets, however. Tickets are being sold at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome until 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17. They went on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday morning; fans camped out overnight in the chilly, damp air to get their turn.

As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday, a Jazz Fest spokesman said, There are still people in line to purchase tickets and tickets are still available.

Rolling Stones fans shiver through the cold night for advance tickets

Roughly 10,000 Rolling Stones tickets will be sold at the Superdome. Each fan at the Dome may buy two tickets, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tickets to Rolling Stones Day go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday (Jan 18) morning via Ticketmaster (as do all Jazz Fest 2019 tickets).

Brass Passes have a number of advantages; unlike regular tickets, they allow re-entry to Jazz Fest. Theyre also fully transferable to another person; a different person could use the ticket each day. Holders also have access to the WWOZ hospitality tent, with refreshments, bathrooms and wifi.State officials are considering nearly doubling the capacity of the proposed Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion, despite controversy over its potential impacts to the seafood industry from the freshwater that would flow through.

The states coastal master plan calls for a complex diversion structure on the river near Wills Point, on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish about 13 miles downriver from Caernarvon. The Mid-Breton diversion would allow up to 35,000 cubic feet per second of river water and sediment to flow into the Breton Sound estuary in attempts to rebuild land lost to erosion and to add sediment to remaining wetlands, according to the plan.

But in a permit application to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state is seeking to nearly double the diversions capacity to 75,000 cfs, Mid-Basin Sediment Diversion Program Manager Brad Barth said at a Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority meeting on Wednesday.

Barth explained that analysis of the river conducted in 2018 found that an increase in the capacity of the diversion would allow more sediment to pass through the structure with the potential to build more land. The increase in capacity is not expected to significantly change the projected price tag of the project, which is expected to be around $800 million, he said.

The potential increase in size of the Mid-Breton diversion would put it on par with a diversion slated further down river on the west bank near Ironton, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.

Fishers have criticized both diversions for their potential to impact the salinity levels in the bays needed to sustain a variety of fisheries. Oysters in existing beds would be killed by increased freshwater content; the timing of the growth of shrimp to adult sizes would be changed, requiring fishers to travel farther; and saltwater loving species of commercial fish would be replaced with freshwater species, they argue.

The Mid-Breton diversion would disrupt one of the most productive fishing basins in the U.S., said St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis, a member of the authority board. I do not believe that diversions are the answer, he said.

St. Bernard Parish will participate in the permitting process of the diversion and voice their concerns during a federal analysis of the diversions potential environmental impacts, McInnis said. We are going to approach this process in a professional way, he said.Michael Scott in space? Kind of.

President Donald Trump's plans for a Space Force, which he envisions as a new, sixth branch of the U.S. military, has inspired a new workplace comedy by the creators of "The Office."

"The Office" actor Steve Carell will star in and executive-produce "Space Force," which is being developed for Netflix, the streaming service announced Wednesday (Jan. 15). "The Office" co-creator Greg Daniels will also earn a co-creator and executive-producer credit on the new series, in addition to serving as showrunner, according to a Netflix news release. Howard Klein ("The Office," "Parks and Recreation") will also serve as executive producer.

"On June 18, 2018, the federal government announced the creation of a sixth major division of the United States Armed Forces," reads a minute-long promo shared Wednesday by Netflix on social media. "The goal of the new branch is 'to defend satellites from attack' and 'perform other space-related tasks.' Or something. This is the story of the men and women who have to figure it out."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, citing unnamed sources, Carell is expected to earn more than $1 million per episode.

That would reportedly set a new record for talent, but it could pay off big for the streaming service. While Netflix doesnt generally release viewing data, the nine seasons of The Office -- which originally ran on NBC -- are believed to be among the most-watched programs on Netflix.

I believe its the No. 1 most-popular acquired show on Netflix  there are millions of streams of those episodes, NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt told New York magazine in September. I believe that Netflix has helped make The Office extraordinarily popular, and more popular than it was when it was on the network. And they pay us a lot of money for it. If we knew how popular it was going to be before they made the deal, we would have asked for more money from them!

A release date for Netflixs Space Force has yet to be announced.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans announced Wednesday (Jan. 16) it will close two schools, one in the Metairie Delta neighborhood and another in Uptown New Orleans, to form a new institution. St. Therese Academy for Exceptional Learners will open this fall at the site of Our Lady of Divine Providence School at 8617 W. Metairie Ave.

Divine Providence will close along with Holy Rosary School, and some of their students will be transferred to St. Therese. Schools Superintendent RaeNell Houston said the two schools have experienced challenges in terms of enrollment and finances.

Enrollment at Holy Rosary, which includes elementary through high school grades, fell from 159 students in the 2014-15 academic year to 110 this year, according to figures from the archdiocese. Divine Providence, which offers pre-school through seventh-grade classes, saw enrollment slip from 211 five years ago to 167 this year.

The announcement made for the second in two weeks of Catholic schools closing in the New Orleans area. On Jan. 9, the 80-school archdiocese said it is closing St. Peter Claver in Treme because of sagging enrollment and finances.

St. Peter Claver School in Treme closing; more Catholic school changes coming in New Orleans area

Holy Rosary has existed as a school in various configurations since 1908. It added a middle school serving students with learning differences in the 1990s and added high school grades in 2004. After Hurricane Katrina, it moved into the former Our Lady of Lourdes campus near Napoleon Avenue and Freret Street.

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Our Lady of Divine Providence School was established in 1967. It has offered a conventional elementary curriculum and in recent years added individual instruction for children with learning differences.

St. Therese will serve elementary and high school students with mild to moderate exceptionalities through a 21st century program of personalized learning, Houston said. The new school will maintain a low student-teacher ratio to allow for learning to be tailored to the students unique abilities and learning styles, she added.

Conventional education students currently at Divine Providence will be given priority admission status to transfer to other local Catholic schools, Houston said. Students involved Divine Providences individual instructional programs transfer to St. Therese.

Current Holy Rosary students, including those receiving Louisiana state vouchers, will transfer to St. Therese. If families opt against going to the Metairie campus, the archdiocese Office of Catholic Schools will work with them to find another school, Houston said.

Families with questions or concerns may call the Office of Catholic Schools at 504.866.7916 or email superintendent@arch-no.org.A vast majority of LGBT students at middle and high schools in Louisiana regularly hear homophobic and transphobic remarks on campus, according to a report recently released by the national education organization GLSEN.

GLSEN, formerly known as the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, released state-level data last week from its biennial National School Climate Survey, which has documented the experiences of LGBT children in schools since 1999. The organization surveyed 23,001 LGBT students nationwide, including a sample of 297 students from Louisiana with a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percent for the states results.

Among those surveyed in Louisiana, 83 percent of them attended public schools. The report found 85 percent of LGBT students reported regularly hearing homophobic remarks from other students, and 77 percent reported regularly hearing negative remarks about transgender people. Additionally, 32 percent of LGBT students said they regularly heard school staff make homophobic remarks and 52 percent regularly heard school staff make negative remarks about someones gender expression.

The report also found most of Louisianas LGBT students reported experiencing harassment at school. Of those surveyed, 79 percent of LGBT students said they experienced verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation, and 67 percent experienced verbal harassment at school based on gender expression.

Candidate for Orleans School Board president faces backlash over LGBT views

Fifty-three percent of LGBT students said they never reported these types of incidents to school staff and only 28 percent of those who reported them said it resulted in effective staff intervention, the report showed. Additionally, 33 percent of LGBT students reported they also experienced victimization at school based on disability, according to the group. Meanwhile, 30 percent reported victimization based on race/ethnicity and 38 percent reported victimization based on religion.

This research makes clear that many LGBTQ students in Louisiana are facing hostile environments that lack many of the resources that make their schools safe spaces for them to attend, according to GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard in a Jan. 9 released statement.

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The report also said 78 percent of students reported experiencing at least one form of anti-LGBT discrimination at school during the past year. Seventy-two percent of transgender students said they were unable to use the school restroom aligned with their gender, and 65 percent of transgender students were prevented from using their chosen name or pronouns in school, the survey said.

The report also shared the following statistics on school policies and supports for Louisianas LGBT students:

Forty-eight percent of LGBT students in Louisiana said they were disciplined for public displays of affection that didnt result in similar action for non-LGBT students.

Byard stressed leaders statewide must prioritize the safety and well-being of all students by supporting policies and practices that are inclusive and affirming of LGBT students. GLSENs 2017 survey found students attending schools with these resources and supports report more positive school experiences, including higher academic achievement and lower victimization and absenteeism, the report stated.

The results of Louisianas survey can be found on GLSENs website. A state-by-state breakdown of GLSENs survey is also available online.

Heres what its like to be New Orleans first transgender homecoming queen

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.Former William J. Fischer Academy principal Stanley Green was found not liable for intentional infliction of severe emotional distress Wednesday (Jan. 16) after a jury deliberated for more than an hour in federal court.

Green embraced defense attorney Ted Le Clercq in a bear hug after the verdict was read inside U.S. District Judge Sarah Vances courtroom in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The former Algiers school leader was accused of sending unwanted sexual advances to former social studies teacher Lindsay Garcia, who claimed Green begged her for sexual favors and asked her to go on dates with him through several calls and texts.

The jury unanimously voted Green wasnt responsible for any possible mental suffering and anguish Garcia might have experienced ever since she met Green in 2016. Le Clercq said outside the courtroom that Green is gratified the jury reached a verdict in his favor.

Now that these issues have been resolved in his favor and against Lindsay Garcia, Stanley Green looks forward to becoming a principal again and participating again in the extraordinary school improvements in education of this great city, according to the statement from attorneys Le Clercq and Andrew Baer of the Deutsch Kerrigan law firm.

Former Fischer charter school principal sued, accused of sexual harassment

Green joined Fischer in 2016 after being hired by the Algiers Charter Schools Association in an effort to improve the failing school. Garcia claimed Green began flirting with her as early as August 2016 when he asked her about her family and her dating life while the two of them were supervising students in the cafeteria.

The two educators exchanged numbers later that day and began to exchange texts with one another, and Garcia told jurors over the course of the three-day trial that Green eventually asked her if shed like to go on dates with him. Garcia initially gave Green excuses for why she wasnt comfortable dating him as opposed to outright rejecting him because she feared losing her job as well as the chance that Green would make my life hell, she told jurors. Green left a hello beautiful note on her classroom desk and was recorded telling Garcia in the school hallway one day that he wanted to snatch someone and kidnap them, according to evidence shown to jurors.

Garcias attorney Harry Ward told jurors the final straw in Greens conduct was an incident in Greens office where Green asked Garcia about her private parts. Garcia told jurors she was asking about her teachers evaluation when she realized Green was staring at her privates during the entire exchange.

She was in a good place way before Green did what he did to her, Ward said. Greens actions broke her.

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Former school principal denies sexual harassment complaint in civil trial

Greens defense team assembled several of Greens and Garcias former colleagues to testify that the flirtatious behavior between the two educators was mutual. One former Fischer teacher told jurors Tuesday that she offered to report Greens behavior after Garcia told her about the conduct. However, Garcia told the teacher she was going to take one for the team and endure Greens comments.

Another former teacher told jurors Wednesday that she and Garcia often engaged in girl talk that included instances where Garcia said she liked Green and found him attractive. The former Fischer teachers who testified Tuesday and Wednesday also recalled an incident where Garcia appeared to be staring at Greens privates in the hallway when he was wearing sweatpants during the schools pajamas day event on homecoming week.

Ward objected to the comments of the former Fischer teacher Wednesday, saying her remarks constituted to speculation. Even so, Judge Vance overruled Wards objections and said the teacher was testifying based on her observations as an educator who worked along aside Green and Garcia.

Garcia denied the claims from her former colleagues and stressed that Greens actions made her feel cornered. In his closing statements, Ward pointed out the former teachers testifying on Greens behalf shared a bias for Green because they both left Fischer to work for Green at another charter school. Ward also said Garcia was coping with her family issues on her own without any professional help until Greens actions ultimately caused her to seek a clinical social worker.

Le Clercq told jurors he wasnt defending Greens flirtatious behavior, but added that Green shouldnt be held liable for Garcias distress.

The distress suffered for Green to be liable in court must be such that no reasonable person could be expected to endure it, and Le Clercq told jurors that mutual flirting between the two educators wouldnt fit into that category of emotional distress.

Resources for sexual assault survivors in the New Orleans area

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.A candidate for president of the Orleans Parish School Board is facing blowback this week for having what civil rights organizations describe as a history of anti-LGBTQ statements and advocacy.

The seven members of the OPSB are scheduled to elect a new board president at Thursdays (Jan. 17) meeting, and board Vice President Leslie Ellison is lobbying to assume this role. Board President John Brown is now term-limited from re-election after serving in the role for two years. OPSB District 6 member Woody Koppel is also planning to run.

The OPSBs president is responsible for signing the districts contracts, which is significant because the school board serves as an authorizer for the dozens of nongovernmental organizations that manage schools through charter contracts. The boards president also sets meeting agendas and assigns members to its five committees.

However, LGBTQ civil rights organizations state Ellison has an anti-LGBTQ record that puts students at risk. Alexander Andersen, vice president of the Board of Directors for Louisiana Trans Advocates, said in a released statement Wednesday that Ellisons election to school board president would make LGBTQ students in Orleans Parish schools unsafe and unwilling to go to the school board if they experienced discrimination.

Louisiana should steer clear of LGBTQ restrictions: Billy Nungesser

The organizations cite concerns about Ellisons candidacy stemming in part from Ellisons 2012 state legislature testimony in support of a bill letting charter schools exclude gay students, according to an article from NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune at that time. Ellison, a charter school board leader at the time, told lawmakers she couldnt sign a contract with the anti-discrimination clause spelled out by the Louisiana Department of Education, which bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, because that contract violated both the separation of powers as well as the freedom of religion.

Ellison in July 2013 also elicited shock from attendees of a school board meeting during a discussion over an anti-bullying policy affecting five schools at the time, according to a Times-Picayune article from 2013. Ellison expressed opposition to listing characteristics like sexual orientation, race or religion in the bullying policy when then-member Seth Bloom, who is gay, said I just find it perplexing that certain minorities seek protection for certain minorities but not for others.

Ellison replied back that this has nothing to do with being black. I cant change my blackness at all, which drew audible gasps from attendees. The American Psychological Association has stated that sexual orientation is not a matter of personal choice.

Ellison responded to her critics Thursday afternoon in a released written statement where she pointed out that shes served as OPSB vice president by a unanimous vote of board members who have never questioned my commitment to serve every child citywide over the past two years. She even approached former OPSB member Bloom about his bid for OPSB president before she nominated him and voted in support of his presidency for his two elected terms, she added.

My record and priorities will continue to place all children first and clearly negates any question of my ability to do so with fairness, Ellison stated.

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OPSB District 7 member Nolan Marshall told The New Orleans Advocate he could vote for anyone who understands the president represents the views of the board, and he thinks Ellison does.

I believe both candidates understand that as a president they lose the right to speak as an individual, Marshall told The Advocate. As long as she can abide by that, I think she would serve well as president. If she does not, I think it would be incumbent on the board to remove her.

However, Marshall told NOLA.com | the Times-Picayune in a written statement Thursday he is not promoting Ellisons candidacy for the board presidency because of our divergent views on sex education, bullying policies and how we address the issues concerning the LBGTQ community.

However, Marshall said. I am prepared to work with anyone that has the majority of the Boards support and understands that they must represent the Board and not their personal beliefs.

Since 2012 Ellison has represented the 4th District, which represents Algiers, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater and the French Quarter. Ellison currently serves on the OPSBs Legal, Property, Budget and Finance committees. Ellison is owner and CEO of the Ellison Group and serves as administrator at Gideon Christian Fellowship International.

Ellison previously worked as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the city of New Orleans and as an administrator for the City Attorneys Office. She ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in the fall of 2015, receiving 15 percent of the vote in the primary election for the 7th District seat.

Kenny Tucker, chair of the political action committee for the Forum for Equality, said in a released statement Wednesday that Ellisons well-documented history of anti-LGBTQ statements and advocacy would send the wrong choice to students if shes elected board president.

Electing Ms. Ellison to the level of Orleans Parish School Board President is the wrong choice and sends the wrong message to our youth about how seriously we take their safety from bullying and discrimination at school, Tucker stated.

Heres what its like to be New Orleans first transgender homecoming queen

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.Casa Borrega, 1719 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., is offering free food and drinks to all furloughed federal workers Thursday, Jan. 17. Workers should come prepared to show proper ID.

The offer provides workers with free one taco plate with any kind of protein and one free house margarita, owner Hugo Montero said.

Casa Borrega, mi Casa es tu Casa !!!! Montero posted on Facebook.

Montero said, "We are doing this because we care for our fellow Americans in trouble and because as immigrants and American citizens we believe that a political agenda that uses federal employees as scapegoats is an immoral practice. We just showing solidarity and respect.''

Also on Thursday, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is offering free tickets to furloughed federal workers for its performance tonight.

LPO concert free for furloughed federal employees Thursday (Jan. 17)

Ruby Slipper Cafe announced Jan. 7 it would offer free meals for affected workers and their immediate families. Top Knot Beauty Co. on Metairie Road is offering free haircuts this month to federal employees who have gone unpaid.A Harvey woman is accused of stealing more than $100,000 total from 74 customers who bought her vacation packages for the 2018 Essence Music Festival, only to arrive and find themselves without a place to stay or a ticket to the nightly concerts, according to Jefferson Parish authorities.

Travel agency owner arrested in Essence Fest vacation scams: JPSO

The Jefferson Parish district attorneys office, in a bill of information filed Tuesday (Jan. 15), charges Nakesia Washington, 41, with one count of theft valued over $25,000, according to Jefferson Parish court records.

Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office investigators accused Washington of scamming her customers out of more than $100,000, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, spokesman for the department.

Washington is the owner of OBL Travel LLC. She was first arrested on Aug. 2 after the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office began receiving complaints from customers who paid between $1,092 and $2,208 for vacation packages to attend the annual festival, which was held July 5-8 in New Orleans.

Nashville-area travel consultant Mattine Buchanan, the first name listed on the bill of information, said she lost more than $31,000 after she contracted with Washington to bring a group of 25 women to New Orleans for Essence.

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A sales manager from the Omni Royal Orleans hotel in the French Quarter contacted Buchanan on June 20  two weeks before the festival -- and told Buchanan that the reservations Washington made had been canceled for non-payment, according to Buchanan.

Washington still owed them more than $14,000 and hadn't returned Omni staffer's calls about the balance, Buchanan said.

Dozens more of Washingtons customers arrived to find cancelled hotel rooms, none of the paid-for party passes and missing concert tickets, according to the Sheriffs Office. Washington told customers shed been hospitalized with a heart attack and her bank account had been hacked.

Washington was being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna but she was released on Wednesday. No bond information was available Thursday morning.

Washington returns to court Feb. 7.Carlos Osorio-Frias, the suspect in a fatal shooting at a Metairie apartment, was declared competent to stand trial Wednesday (Jan. 16) by Jefferson Parish court-appointed doctors.

Woman stole $100,000 from 74 Essence Festival customers, authorities say

Osorio-Frias, 30, of Waggaman, was arrested Nov. 20 and booked with second-degree murder in the death of Shackner Lanza, 26. Lanza died of multiple gunshot wounds after he was shot inside an apartment in the 100 block of Raspberry Lane in Metairie on Nov. 18.

Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office investigators said they believe Osorio-Frias shot Lanza following an argument that devolved into a fight.

Osorio-Frias has not been indicted for the crime. But his defense attorney, Gary Wainwright, asked the court for a mental evaluation based on direct interactions with the accused and information provided by Osorio-Frias family, court records said.

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Relatives told Wainwright that hed recently had radical changes in behavior.

Wainwright also mentioned Osorio-Frias clashes with officers at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna after his arrest.

Osorio-Frias was booked with aggravated assault, resisting police by force, battery of a police officer, disarming a police officer and other charges after two encounters during which he allegedly attacked a guard at the jail and later snatched a Taser from another, authorities said.

Dr. Rafael Salcedo, a forensic psychologist, and Dr. Richard Richoux, a forensic psychiatrist, evaluated Osorio-Frias in December. They determined he was competent to stand trial, court records said.

Osorio-Frias returns to court Feb. 1 for a bond reduction hearing. He was being held in lieu of a $607,200 bond on the charges related to the homicide and the incidents involving the corrections officers. But he was being held without bond on two counts of being a fugitive from another jurisdiction.A new $7.4 million affordable housing development geared toward military veterans has started to take shape near Broad Street and Orleans Avenue. The complex is expected to open this fall.

Leaders with SBP, the rebranded St. Bernard Project, joined city officials and sponsors Tuesday (Jan. 16) to officially break ground on the three-story building, which is located on St. Peter Street just off Broad Street, behind The Broad Theater and next to SBP headquarters. The complex will have 50 apartments as well as amenities including a community room, outdoor areas and a wellness center for yoga and meditation. In addition, the building will include rooftop solar panels and energy storing batteries to make it a so-called net zero property, generating all the electricity it uses through renewable means on site.

Liz McCartney, SBPs chief operating officer, said the idea is to pass those energy savings on to the families who will be living there, adding another layer of affordability to the project.

A big part of the vision was that we wanted this to be as energy efficient as possible, said McCartney, who is overseeing development.

Zack Rosenburg, SBPs co-founder and CEO, added the project will help meet a glaring need for affordable housing in the city, including for struggling military veterans.

The city is not going to be whole until everyone has humane, decent housing, Rosenburg said.

Short-term rental rules in New Orleans tightened

St. Peter is the second part of a four phase development plan that started with SBPs 2014 purchase of a former salvage yard around the building that is now The Broad Theater. SBP opened its new headquarters building at 2645 Toulouse St. (map) in May 2016. Future phases call for developing the vacant lot at the corner of Broad and St. Peter streets, adding a mixed-use building that will combine commercial space on the ground floor with additional housing units on the upper floors, McCartney said.

At Tuesdays groundbreaking, officials, including New Orleans City Councilman Jared Brossett, stood in front of rows of wood piles driven into the ground in preparation for construction. They praised the St. Peter project as a potential model for building sustainable, affordable housing across the country.

Plans for St. Peter include 29 affordable and 21 market rate apartments, with a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The project also includes apartments that provide full accessibility for residents with disabilities, including on upper floors.

Most of the affordable units will be priced at rates available to families making 60 percent of the median income for the New Orleans area, or roughly $800 to $1,000 a month, based on 2018 income estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A small share of apartments will be available to those making 30 percent of median income, or about $400 to $500 a month. In addition, several units will be set aside for Housing Authority of New Orleans vouchers.

The market rate apartments will be priced on the affordable end of local rents, McCartney said. Rent in New Orleans averaged about $1,100 a month in December 2018, according to RentCafe, which tracks rents nationwide.

St. Peters financing includes low-income housing tax credits, which cover 70 percent of the cost of construction for new affordable housing projects that are not utilizing federal subsidies. Investors buy the tax credits, providing funding for the project. The project has also received a $1.1 million donation from Entergy to pay for the installation of rooftop solar panels.

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Entergy New Orleans CEO David Ellis admitted the utility may seem an unlikely partner in SBPs efforts to reduce electricity bills. But he noted the utility has invested in SBP since its start rebuilding homes for local citizens after Hurricane Katrina and, today, is investing in more energy efficiency projects across the city, including its own solar facility in New Orleans East and a program to install solar panels on 100 rooftops in the city. (For their part, sustainability advocates say Entergy could be moving faster to weave renewable forms of energy into its grid.)

Ellis added the projects focus on veterans resonated with the local utility and its New Orleans-based parent company, Entergy Corp., where roughly 15 percent of employees are veterans. The project is also an opportunity for the company to learn about how the utility can support solar and energy storage in a multifamily environment, he said.

We want to know how effective these technologies are, Ellis said. Does it make sense to do this?

How did a long past of racist housing policy shape New Orleans? New exhibit explores

Broadmoor Construction is the general contractor on the project. Eskew+Dumez+Ripple is the architect. Other partners include Boston Financial, Louisiana Housing Corp., Home Bank and Toyota, which will assist with batteries for energy storage on site.

Rosenburg said SBP intends to work with its network of partners to find veteran tenants. The apartments will also be open to low-to-moderate income families. The goal is to have a mix of residents, roughly half veteran and half civilian families, he said.

He pointed out a range of benefits to the St. Peter Street location. Its a short distance from public transit options, including bus stops, the Canal Street streetcar and the Lafitte Greenway, a bicycle trail that connects the area to the French Quarter. Whole Foods is just a few blocks away. The missing element continues to be new, affordable housing, he said.

Theres such a need, Rosenburg said.

SBP officials plan to open the St. Peter development on Nov. 9, 2019, just in time for Veterans Day, which falls on Nov. 11.

An earlier version of this story misreported the size of Entergy New Orleans rooftop solar program. The utility will be installing solar panels on 100 rooftops in the city.



Jennifer Larino covers residential real estate, retail and consumer news, travel and cruises, weather and other aspects of life in New Orleans for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reach her at jlarino@nola.com or 504-239-1424. Follow her on Twitter @jenlarino.We just broke 600 signatures in under 24 hours! Join the movement for #LGBTQ representation in our public spaces by painting the Walt Whitman Bridge with the #PhillyPrideFlag! Sign below.https://t.co/7qtOnaifGj pic.twitter.com/XisgdjiZu2  whitat200 (@whitat200) January 16, 2019

A petition drive to win support to paint the Walt Whitman Bridge the multi-colors of the gay pride flag has been launched on social media.

The petition was posted on Change.org with a goal of tallying 1,000 signatures. The 2-mile bridge connects Gloucester City, just south of Camden, with Philadelphia, and was opened in 1957.

It is named for Walt Whitman, widely considered one of the most influential American poets. Whitman is also celebrated for prose about the beauty of the human body and his love for men which is depicted in some of his best-known works, including the anthology Leaves of Grass.

Lets elevate and celebrate LGBTQ representation in our public space and paint the Walt Whitman Bridge the colors of the (Philly) Pride Flag! a statement on the Change.org petition page said. Its also arguably the largest monument to a queer American anywhere in the United States today.

Whitman lived from 1819 until 1892 and died in Camden. The 200th anniversary of his birthday is May 31 this year.

The signature effort had 934 toward a goal of 1,000 by Thursday morning.

An effort to reach the organizers through a message on social media was not immediately successful. A call and email Wednesday to the Delaware River Port Authority, which operates the bridge, was not immediately returned.

The most recent bridge painting took 30 months and was scheduled to end last year. It cost $56.6 million, according to the DRPA. It is currently painted one shade of green.

Its a gigantic idea, Conrad Benner, one of the petition organizers wrote on Twitter. I dont think wed need to use public money to do it. I think we could use the attention of this project to raise even more money for other worthwhile LGBTQ causes.

The goal of this petition is to understand if there is wide enough support for painting the Walt Whitman Bridge rainbow, the petition page said. If there is, wed then take the next steps and look at working with the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) to leverage that support in exploring the best options.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.

Ask Alexa for New Jersey newsWASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps nominee for attorney general told the U.S. Justice Department that it shouldnt prosecute U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez on criminal corruption charges.

William Barr, a former U.S. attorney general picked by Trump to return to the post, said he spoke with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about the case.

Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee that it was not unusual for former senior Justice officials to express their opinions on actions they think may be ill-advised and have ramifications down the road. He said he was following the Menendez case because the senators attorney, Abbe Lowell, was a friend of his.

I thought the prosecution was based on a fallacious theory that would have had bad long-term consequences, Barr said.

Menendez, D-N.J., said that was the argument his legal team used as well.

We contended the same thing in our motions, Menendez said. But at the end of the day, whats most important is that a judge exonerated us on the most significant charges and the jury didnt buy the governments case, so I guess maybe Barr was right.

Menendez was indicted on charges that he intervened with federal agencies on behalf of a friend and campaign donor, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for trips and campaign donations. After his first trial ended in a hung jury, a federal judge acquitted Menendez of some of the charges and the Justice Department dropped the rest.

The indictment and subsequent rebuke by the Senate Ethics Committee loomed large in Menendezs re-election campaign last fall, when his Republican opponent, former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin, spent $36 million of his own money attacking the senator over ethics. After several polls indicated that the race was closer than expected, Menendez wound up winning by more than 10 percentage points.

Barr said the prosecutors took two legal actions  campaign contributions and traveling with a long-time friend and wrongly put the two together.

You take those kinds of things and you couple it with official action and them the prosecutor comes along and says, 'Well, were going to look into your mind and see what your subjective intent was for performing these two sets of lawful acts and were going to say that youre corrupt, Barr told the committee.

I think thats too much power for the prosecutor, he said.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.When a lawyer in Gov. Phil Murphys administration told his supervisor that Katie Brennan accused another staffer of rape, he recently testified, the supervisor, Matt Platkin, told him there was nothing more to do.

When Murphys chief of staff testified that he didnt tell the governor about the rape allegation, he said he was acting on Platkins advice as chief counsel.

It was Platkin who passed the matter over to the state Attorney Generals Office. And it was Platkin who advised a high-ranking state official to invite Albert J. Alvarez, the staffer accused of rape, into his office and tell him to find work outside state government, according to testimony.

Do I think his name has been mentioned a lot? Yes, said state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, who is co-chairing the state Legislatures probe into the scandal.

Four hearings, one month and nine witnesses into the investigation of how a top staffer accused of rape was able to keep his job for months after members of the governors inner circle learned of the allegation, anticipation is building for Platkin, the governors top lawyer, to testify.

Gov. Phil Murphy's chief counsel, Matt Platkin

Hes scheduled to appear Friday, when its expected hell fill in some of the blanks in the timeline between when Brennan says she was raped in April 2017 and Alvarez resigned a year and a half later.

Who hired Alvarez? Why didnt anyone tell Murphy about the allegation? Did anyone offer to help Alvarez make a soft landing? And why did it take him so long to leave?

If anyone knows the answers, it might be Platkin. Witnesses  including top-ranking officials from Murphys campaign and administration  have testified Platkin coordinated the states response to Brennans allegations.

I think well have a fuller picture but not the complete picture, Weinberg said. I dont know if well ever get the complete picture because there were so many not my jobs.

Platkin, a 32-year-old Stanford graduate, joined Murphys campaign for governor at the inception, serving as policy director and fleshing out the candidates platform. Before the campaign, he served a similar role in Murphys pre-campaign vehicle, New Way For New Jersey.

He came recommended by a senior staffer in U.S. Sen. Cory Bookers office, said Julie Roginsky, a former strategist for Murphy.

As chief counsel, Platkin is the governors top lawyer, with an office just steps away from Murphys door. Political insiders say he is a trusted  even indispensable  advisor who got in on the ground floor of the governors political career and has remained a key aide even under the intense glare brought by the scandal.

Theres a lot of  Matt Platkin told me, Weinberg said of the testimony from officials so far.

The governors office declined to comment.

Murphy has stood by his team, saying at a December news conference: I have no reason to believe that folks operated in any other way but out of respect for their obligations  both ethically, legally  to confidentiality.

Brennan, now chief of staff for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, has accused Alvarez of raping her in her apartment on April 8, 2017, following a campaign gathering in Jersey City. He offered to drive her home and once there asked to use her restroom and get a glass of water, she said.

Alvarez, who has denied the allegations through his attorney, was the campaigns director for Latino and Muslim outreach at the time. Brennan said she was a campaign volunteer.

Both would take roles in the transition, Alvarez as deputy director of personnel. It was during the transition that people close to the governor first learned of Brennans allegation. Believing authorities were on the verge of arresting Alvarez, Brennan authorized her friend Justin Braz to notify transition officials  without disclosing her identity. Braz told his immediate supervisor, incoming chief of staff Pete Cammarano, and transition counsel Raj Parikh.

Braz soon circled back to let them know the Hudson County Prosecutors Office had declined to press charges.

Officials have testified Alvarezs hiring authority in the transition was restricted. After telling Jose Lozano, the head of the transition, about the allegation, Parikh advised against telling anyone else.

Alvarez was then hired by the administration as chief of staff to the Schools Development Authority, which at the time carried a $140,000-year salary.

Witnesses whove already testified, including Alvarezs former boss, the chief of staff, and the transition director, said theyre not sure exactly who hired Alvarez.

Or, as state Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen, put it: Nobody seems to know where he came from. Where the hell did this guy come from?

This is likely to be a question Friday for Platkin, who was in charge of the states various authorities.

McKenna told lawmakers he received a text from Lozano before inauguration day setting up an introduction to Alvarez, who would be his chief of staff. Lozano testified it was Alvarez who told Lozano hed been hired for the job and asked Lozano to make the introduction.

In March, a couple months after Murphy took office, Brennan told Platkin that she was raped by Alvarez. Brennan and Platkin were friends, she said. And Cammarano testified last week that Brennan came with Platkins recommendation.

Platkin told her he would reach out to the Attorney Generals Office to see what could be done, Brennan said.

Mr. Platkin was horrified, Brennan testified. I was filled with hope. I was optimistic that the administration would help me pursue justice and protect me in my workplace.

Platkin took several steps after that meeting, witnesses said.

He referred Brennans allegation to the administrations chief ethics officer, Heather Taylor, who receives such complaints and forwards them to the state Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, which is under the attorney general.

He also told her he was recusing himself because he was familiar with both Alvarez and Brennan.

And he shared Brennans story with Cammaraono, the chief of staff and advised him not to discuss Brennans allegation with anyone, including the governor, Cammarano said.

Lawmakers have questioned why Murphy was kept out of the loop. Cammarano testified there were times he thought he should go against Platkins recommendation.

His advice seemed to be not to tell anybody, and implicit in that is not to tell the governor, Weinberg said in advance of Fridays testimony. Why did he make that decision that his boss shouldnt know?

After her meeting with Platkin, Brennan also notified his deputy, Parimal Garg, whom she also considered a friend. Garg testified last week that he reported back to Platkin.

Matt said that he had already relayed Katies allegation to Heather Taylor , Garg said. Matt said there was nothing more for me to do.

Cammarano testified that after Platkin brought him into the fold, they decided Cammarano would tell Alvarez to start looking for a new job.

During that conversation there was a decision made that I would meet with Mr. Alvarez and tell him he needed to leave state government  I think it was just a product of our conversation between the two of us, he said.

But Alvarez did not resign. And more than two months later, Brennan emailed the governor, asking to discuss a sensitive matter from the campaign. Murphy forwarded her message to Platkin and Jonathan Berkon, the top lawyer for the campaign.

Platkin filled Berkon in, and together they decided Alvarez had to go. Platkin dispatched Alvarezs boss at the Schools Development Authority in June to tell him the news.

He told me that something had happened during the campaign that he didnt really go into with me  That if whatever it was came to the fore that it would not be a good situation and could embarrass the governor, and therefore if he looked for another job this problem wouldnt hit the fore and everything would be fine, Charlie McKenna, the then-CEO of the SDA, said last month.

Still, Alvarez did not resign until he was contacted by the Wall Street Journal on Oct. 2. Brennan had taken her story to the press.

Alvarez has not been charged with a crime, though prosecutors in Middlesex County are now reviewing the case.

NJ Advance Media reporter Susan K. Livio contributed to this report.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus.

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Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.WASHINGTON  A day after a group of Democrats declined an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump, Rep. Josh Gottheimer took him up on his offer.

Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., and other more moderate members of both parties met with the president, Vice President Mike Pence and others in the White House situation room Wednesday to discuss a solution to the record-long government shutdown.

I think its very important to keep working to reopen the government, Gottheimer said. Both sides have to keep talking to each other. There are places where we need to find common ground. I believe there is a way forward.

Trump has refused to sign a spending bill to fund federal agencies unless it also includes more than $5 billion in taxpayer funding for a southern border wall that he promised Mexico could pay for. The partial shutdown is now in its fourth week with no end in sight.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that Trump either postpone his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress scheduled for Jan. 29, or else deliver in writing until the government reopens. She cited the extra security precautions required by the U.S. Secret Service, an agency hamstrung by furloughs.

Known as the Problem Solvers Caucus, the bipartisan group of lawmakers co-chaired by Gottheimer also met with Trump in September 2017 to discuss issues such as health care, infrastructure spending and taxes.

Gottheimer said there were several immigration-related issues that could be resolved, but not as long as the government remained closed. They included strengthening border security and protecting the unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children now in danger of deportation because Trump rescinded an executive order allowing them to stay,

This is affecting real people, Gottheimer said. You open the government and give us time to actually work on the issues at hand.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders called it a constructive meeting."

They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants, she said. "We look forward to more conversations like this.

Majorities of Americans continue to pin the blame on Trump for the shutdown. In a PBS Newshour/Marist College survey released Wednesday, 54 percent said Trump was responsible, with only 31 percent blaming congressional Democrats. Polls released earlier this week by Quinnipiac University, ABC News/Washington Post and CNN, all reported similar results.

In addition, 70 percent of those in the Marist poll opposed Trumps tactic of shutting down the government to get what he wanted. Just 22 percent said it was a good idea.

The path President Trump is taking to fulfill his major 2016 campaign promise is not popular, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. Americans dont think the government should be shut down as a tactic to debate policy issues.

And 58 percent of adults in a Pew Research Center survey opposed building a new wall, while 40 percent supported it. Furthermore, 51 percent said they opposed funding the barrier even if it was the only way to end the shutdown, while just 29 percent said it would be unacceptable to reopen the government unless the wall was funded.

Trump, though, has shown no willingness to compromise on the wall.

There are now 77 major or significant Walls built around the world, with 45 countries planning or building Walls. Over 800 miles of Walls have been built in Europe since only 2015. They have all been recognized as close to 100% successful. Stop the crime at our Southern Border!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2019

While the Democratic-controlled House has passed several spending bills to reopen the government, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has refused to consider the measures in his chamber, even though they are virtually identical to legislation passed last year. He said he will not pass anything that Trump wont sign into law.

Rep. Albio Sires, D-8th Dist., on Wednesday called on the Senate to act.

Congress is a separate and co-equal branch of government and therefore our actions should be based on the will of the American people, not just the will of one man at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Sires said.

Today is the 26th day of the partial government shutdown and it is long past time for the Senate to vote on reasonable legislation.  Albio Sires (@RepSires) January 16, 2019

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., also urged McConnell to allow votes on House-passed bills to reopen the government. He cited the case of furloughed Environmental Protection Agency employee Emily Nering of Basking Ridge.

If President Trump wants to discuss issues like border security and comprehensive immigration reform, then he should end the shutdown of agencies that have nothing to do with the border, release his hostages and reopen the government," Menendez said on the Senate floor.

But if he continues to bury his head in the sand, then its time for the Senate to act, he said. We could likely pass legislation to reopen the government with a veto-proof majority, if only the majority leader would hold a vote.

The Marist poll of 1,023 adults was conducted Jan. 10-13 with a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points. The Pew survey was of 1,505 adults was conducted Jan. 9-14 with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.New Jerseys Democratic governor and legislative leaders have reached a highly anticipated agreement to raise the states minimum wage to $15 an hour for most workers by 2024.

Under the deal, many workers would see their wages rise gradually to a $15 an hour, though some, including those employed by small businesses with five or fewer employees, will have to wait longer.

The deal had been held up by a disagreement over which workers should receive $15 an hour and when.

Gov. Phil Murphy called for $15 for all, while his fellow Democrats who lead the state Legislature  Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin  said there must be exceptions made for some employers, including small businesses and farmers. This tension had stalled progress on one of the Democrats' top priorities.

Im sorry it took as long as it did, but I think we came up with a really good compromise, Sweeney, D-Gloucester, told NJ Advance Media. It took forever, but we got it done.

The breakthrough announced Thursday is a plan to raise the standard minimum wage to $10 an hour on July 1, $11 an hour in 2020, $12 an hour in 2021, $13 in 2022, $14 in 2023 and $15 in 2024.

This is a big, big step forward for New Jersey. And particularly, its responsible, Murphy said during a virtual town hall. We are changing the lives of a million workers in this state. I cant stress that enough.

The impact of the deal is far-reaching. New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal Trenton think tank, estimated more than 1 million workers will benefit from the wage hike. But about 10 percent of those employees will be put on a slower path.

Seasonal workers and small business employees wont reach $15 an hour until 2026. Farm workers will hit $12.50 in 2024, after which it would be left up to state officials in the executive branch whether to keep going to $15 an hour by 2027.

A bill still must be passed by the state Senate and Assembly and signed into law by the governor. The Democrat-controlled Legislature hopes to vote on the measure by the end of the month, according to one legislative source.

Murphy said hes pleased to clear the deck and focus on new priorities"  such as legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.

The highest priority I had for 2019 was minimum wage getting to $15, he said. As of today, we have that deal sealed.

Murphy has said a big increase in the minimum wage is needed begin closing a wealth gap that is 13th widest in the U.S. New Jersey has one of the highest median incomes in the country, but one in 10 residents live under the federal poverty line, which measures only extreme poverty.

Advocates say $15 an hour will boost incomes closer to workers need to afford basic expenses in New Jersey. Someone working 40 hours a week at the current minimum wage, $8.85 an hour, will earn $354 a week, or $18,408 a year. At $15 an hour, that same worker will earn $600 a week and $31,200 a year.

Annual adjustments for inflation will resume once workers reach $15 an hour. New Jersey employees on one of the slower paths will receive even bigger inflationary adjustments to help them catch up.

But advocates for low-income workers warned that without that provision the state would create a permanent underclass.

Teen workers who lobbied hard to be included on the standard track will arrive at $15 an hour in 2024. The tipped wage will rise gradually from $2.13 an hour to $5.13. That wage, combined with a workers tips, must equal the standard hourly minimum.

We applaud the inclusion of teen workers, who were at risk of being carved out of this legislation, as their work is just as valuable to the economy and their families as anyone elses," said Brandon McKoy, director of government affairs for New Jersey Policy Perspective.

For the states agricultural and tipped workers, there remains more work to be done, McKoy added.

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which represents 20,000 businesses, said he announcement is another hit to small businesses trying to absorb new rules, like paid sick leave, energy costs and higher personal and corporate state tax rates.

Most small business owners pay what they can afford their workers. Now that its a mandate, its inevitable that some of those with the smallest profit margins will struggle, stagnate or simply fail," NJBIA President Michele Siekerka said in a statement.

The Legislature in 2016, also under the control of Democrats, voted to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour without any exceptions. Then-Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, vetoed that bill.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.WASHINGTON  Former Gov. Chris Christie once called Iowa Rep. Steve King a friend."

Now he says shame on him.

Christies change of heart came in response for King questioning how the terms white nationalist and white supremacist became offensive. He responded in a tweet.

The recent comments from @SteveKingIA were reprehensible & should be repugnant to any American, whether they come from an elected official or your next door neighbor. It is unacceptable to me and to anyone, I suspect, who has lent him support over his career. Shame on him.  Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 16, 2019

But even as King made similar comments in the past, Christie stood by him, when he wanted Kings support as he debated whether to run for president in 2016.

I will be a supporter of Steve King for as long as he continues to be in public life, Christie said in October 2014 as he helped King raise money for his re-election. I consider him a friend.

That was more than a year after King told the right-wing Newsmax website that most of the unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children -- the so-called dreamers -- weigh 130 pounds and theyve got calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.

Then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, condemned King after those 2013 remarks. There is no place in this debate for hateful or ignorant comments from elected officials, Boehner said.

King also had called unauthorized immigration a slow-rolling, slow-motion terrorist attack on the United States, advocated an electrified wall along the U.S. southern border, and was called out by the Anti-Defamation League for a long history of making bigoted statements against immigrants.

Christie mildly rebuked King in 2017 for saying on Twitter that we cant restore our civilization with somebodys elses babies., but said he would continue to stand by him.

Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO  Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017

I dont determine friendships solely on whether I agree with something they say or not, Christie said in March 2017. Ill remain friends with Congressman King. I believe Congressman King is a good man who has a good heart  just disagree with what he said. Thats not something I subscribe to and not something that I think is appropriate. But hes an elected official and he has the right to say what he believes and his constituents will judge him up or down on that basis.

King roundly was condemned by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for his recent comment. House Republican leaders stripped him of his committee assignments and the Democratic-controlled House voted, 424-1, to reject white supremacy and white nationalism.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.Dion Harrell hadnt seen the inside of a cell for years by the time his conviction was overturned, thanks to DNA evidence in 2016.

He served four years of an eight-year sentence for a 1988 rape he didnt commit. But Harrell spent nearly three decades as a registered sex offender before he was able to clear his name.

I went through a lot, man, Harrell recalled in an interview. I had no place to live for a great amount of years. Had to do odd jobs to survive, sleeping in abandoned cars and homes ... I couldnt be around my own kids without another adult being there with me. 

Under state law, those exonerated from crimes they did not commit can sue the state to recoup money for time they spent locked up.

But whats the current price tag on years of lost job opportunities, estranged family and the stigma of being labeled a sexual predator?

Not a dime.

Now advocates say theyre planning a full-court press to get New Jersey lawmakers to close gaps in how the state compensates victims of wrongful convictions.

A bill before the state Legislature (A1037), introduced last year but still awaiting a vote, would expand access to compensation for those who spent years on sex offender registries or on probation or parole for crimes they didnt commit.

This week, a group calling itself the New Jersey Coalition for the Wrongfully Convicted is launching a campaign to pass the bill. The coalition includes the Innocence Project, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Princeton-based Centurion Ministries and the Hotel Trades Council, a service workers union that assists the Innocence Project with advocating for legislation.

The coalition also includes state Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, D-Bergen, the main sponsor of the legislation. Johnson, a former police officer, said it was unacceptable that there are people who have been severely harmed by our criminal justice system, and yet are unable to seek fair compensation for the time that they spent behind bars.

A spokesman for Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward said the coalition will be putting up advertising dollars and lobbying lawmakers to pass the measure, which has yet to pick up steam in Trenton.

Under current law, exonerated inmates can sue the state Treasury for either double their annual income or up to $50,000 for each year they spent locked up. The new measure would also allow them to recoup up to $25,000 for years spent on parole, probation or as a registered sex offender.

It would also wipe away a restriction imposed by former Gov. Chris Christie that prevents people who pleaded guilty from seeking money from the state.

Innocent people plead guilty, said Michelle Feldman, the state campaigns director for the Innocence Project, adding that one in 10 people freed by her legal group thanks to DNA evidence pleaded guilty to the crime.

Its counter-intuitive, but it happens.

The pool of people who could now seek compensation is small. Advocates say they are aware of just two  Harrell and Rodney Roberts, who was freed thanks to DNA evidence in 2014 after pleading guilty to a kidnapping charge for a 1996 rape he did not commit  who would qualify for a combined $1.4 million.

But the push comes as New Jerseys attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, is expected to set up a new unit in his office devoted to reviewing botched prosecutions.

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Morris, is also pushing legislation that would create an independent commission to handle wrongful conviction claims. Either effort could see more wrongly convicted New Jerseyans set free.

Johnsons bill is awaiting committee hearings in both the Assembly and the state Senate, where Senators Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, and Christopher Kip Bateman, R-Somerset, are sponsors.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter.Police arrested two relatives of Jameek Lowery, who died shortly after being placed in police custody earlier this month, and scuffled with residents in front of his mothers home Wednesday in the latest example of explosive tension between police and the community in the aftermath of the mans death.

Lowerys sister, Jamilyha, and his cousin, Hanif Clyburn, were taken into police custody during the altercation, which police say began as a traffic stop and video shows it culminated with a female officer using pepper spray on a crowd that included Lowerys mother, Patrice King.

Court records show Clyburn was charged with marijuana possession, riot/failure to disperse, two charges of making terroristic threats, resisting arrest and hindering arrest. Jamilyha Lowery was charged with obstruction of justice.

Clashes between police and residents have been near constant since the death of Lowery, 27, who was pronounced dead less than two days after videotaping a Facebook Live video inside Paterson police headquarters on Jan. 5.

He was transferred to St. Josephs Regional Medical Center, but became unresponsive before he arrived and was later taken off of life support.

After days of unrest, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said he will announce a major initiative to address police operations and trust-building through community relations Thursday morning.

Authorities said Lowery was suffering from meningitis and was high on ecstasy at the time of his death. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said officers used physical force and a compliance hold to restrain Lowery, but have yet to receive results of an autopsy conducted by the state medical examiners office.

Lowerys family and protestors have said that Lowery, who was black, is the victim of police brutality because of his race.

Police Director Jerry Speziale has suggested Lowerys facial swelling may have been caused by medical treatments at the hospital, including nasal intubation. Prosecutors said he was admitted twice on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Lowerys mother accused the city of spreading lies about her son and said she will have an independent autopsy conducted.

A little more than 12 hours later, witnesses and videos posted to social media show police questioning Clyburn near Lowerys mothers home in Paterson. Clyburn, who recorded his interaction on Facebook Live repeatedly asks why he is being questioned and can be later seen handing over documentation.

He didnt resist at all, Darla Lennon, who witnessed the incident, said.

Video shows more police officers arriving as people in the neighborhood began to come out of their homes, several of them recording with their cell phones. Tensions boiled over when police moved to place handcuffs on Clyburn, taking his phone in the process.

Shouting began, before officers swarmed around Jamilyha Lowery and pushed her up against a police cruiser to handcuff her. It is unclear from the video about what prompted police to arrest her, and police did not provide further details.

Shortly afterward, an unnamed female police officer used pepper spray on the crowd, dispersing it.

Noelia Ramos said the officer got out of her car with the mace in hand ready to go and threatened to mace the group again after the arrest as she pulled away.

About a dozen people were waiting for the two to be released Wednesday afternoon after they were told the couple was not being charged.

Police Chief Troy Oswald did not return calls for information about the encounter. King referred questions about her sons death and Wednesdays incident to her attorney.

Late last year, an investigation by NJ Advance Media showed Paterson police use force more than 86 percent of other departments in New Jersey. During the course of an arrest, a black person in Paterson is more than five times more likely to have force used on them.

NJ Advance Media reporter Stephen Stirling and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com . Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo .

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the attribution on why Lowerys face had swelled after treatment at the hospital. The police director suggested it may have been caused by medical treatments at the hospital, including nasal intubation.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsIt would be difficult to imagine that, after a year like 2018, former Gov. Chris Christie would have given a 2019 State of the State address that didn't mention any successes, modest though they might be, in Camden and Atlantic City.

There was continued progress in Camden's schools, and a further reduction in its overall crime rate. Atlantic City welcomed the reopening of two casinos, as well as ribbon-cuttings on a new Stockton University branch and a South Jersey Gas headquarters.

From current Gov. Phil Murphy, not a peep about either city. And, while Murphy's remarks were short on audience "shout-outs" of the type that President Ronald Reagan made famous, there were acknowledgements to the mayors of Newark and Plainfield, and innovative programs in Jersey City. Mars (Hackettstown and Newark) Teva Pharmaceuticals (Parsippany-Troy Hills) and the RealReal (Perth Amboy) were mentioned as responsible users of state business development programs.

Murphy highlighted a "dreamer" from Orange now attending an Essex County college, and the owner of a home-brewing supply company in North Brunswick. Scouring the text of Murphy's address from top to bottom, we couldn't find an allusion to anyone, any company, or any government entity in the southern third of the state worthy of praise. It's surprising that Murphy remembered to acknowledge Jim Florio, who is from Camden County, among former governors who attended Tuesday's speech.

It's seems obvious that the governor's choice to ignore South Jersey was intentional, probably the latest incarnation of an intra-party spat with Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester. But the snub to all of the counties south of Trenton is petty. It's also insulting to the large number of people and businesses trying to make a difference in our region.

With so much of the governor's remarks focused on needed reforms to the Economic Development Authority tax incentive programs that threw scads of tax breaks at companies willing to move to Camden, it's understandable that Murphy wouldn't mention that it's great to have Subaru stay in South Jersey due to one of one of those Camden deals. It wouldn't have fit Tuesday's narrative.

Look, we've been critical of the same EDA programs that Murphy, and a just-finished audit he commissioned, attacked. There's too little oversight, too little rationalization of per-job incentive amounts, no restriction on poaching jobs from nearby New Jersey suburbs, and considerable evidence that associates of South Jersey power broker George Norcross III had a pipeline to a lot of the EDA's Camden handouts. And, yes, the recent programs that tilted EDA resources to Camden were the brainchild of Sweeney and U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., George's brother and a state senator at the time they were conceived.

Is that a reason for Murphy to toss away a whole region along with some of its brackish bath water? We don't think so. So, we'll remind the governor again -- as we did when his initial transition team and cabinet picks showed a lack of geographic diversity -- that New Jersey's southern border is not New Brunswick. And there a lot of people in a lot of need in Cumberland and Salem counties.

If seen through to fruition, many of Murphy's priorities, such as a boosted minimum wage and a more responsive NJ Transit, will lift all boats, all over the state. But believe it or not, governor, some of those boats are harbored in shore towns located below Asbury Park and Long Branch.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.The confirmation process for Trump cabinet nominees often inspires half the country to reach for the nitroglycerin tablets, especially when its a branch of government that the president treats like a drawer full of sock puppets. But William Barrs first day of hearings restored enough faith and respect for public servants - even crusty institutionalists that skew hard right - to suggest that this appointment is different from the rest.

Barr will undoubtedly be the next Attorney General, and he has vowed to treat the Robert Mueller investigation with the gravity it deserves, because he knows his post is the last firewall against President Trumps ongoing attempt to pervert American justice.

In eight hours of testimony, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard everything it needed to hear from George H.W. Bushs former AG (1991-93), and much of it sounded like a libretto for Trumps worst nightmare.

To wit:

The president dismisses Russian interference in the 2016 election, and continues to treat Vladimir Putin as an kindred spirit.

Barr says Russia attempted to interfere in the election, believes its foreign policy objectives are directly contrary to our goals, and that Putin wants to weaken our European alliances.

Trump says the Russian investigation is a witch hunt that should have been dead and buried long ago.

Barr says Mueller wouldnt waste the countrys time on a witch hunt, repeatedly expressed confidence in the Special Counsels integrity, and vowed to resist any order to fire Mueller without cause.

Trump says Jeff Sessions never should have recused himself.

Barr believes Sessions did the right thing.

Trump still seems unable to grasp the nuances of pardons and witness tampering.

Barr said that any pardon granted in exchange for not giving witness testimony is a crime, and added that a president who intervenes in a matter in which he has personal stake has committed a breach of his constitutional duties to faithfully execute the laws, which could be grounds for impeachment.

And in the end, Barr believes that it is vitally important that the Special Counsel be allowed to complete his investigation. The country needs a credible resolution of these issues.

Granted, it is a low bar after a few months of acting AG Matt Whitaker - whose only qualification was his open hostility to Mueller  but Barr made it clear that he doesnt need this gig and pays no fealty to Donald Trump.

And at 68, hes not eager to make the history books as the guy who torpedoed an investigation that has already led to 33 indictments and guilty pleas from five Trump associates.

Barr is far from an ideal nominee, of course  his retrograde record on immigration and civil rights should have dissolved in the fog of time, and his response to a question about birthright citizenship revealed that he doesnt know the 14th Amendment. He also has an unsettling unitary vision of executive power.

And he suggested that Muellers report must be filtered through the attorney general, and that he alone would decide what would be released publicly  even though 76 percent of Americans believe it should be released in its entirety.

Another red flag: He tried to discount an 18-page memo he wrote in June, which challenged Muellers theory of obstruction of justice and probably got Barr the appointment. But he claims he wasnt prejudging the case and saw no reason to recuse himself  not even if so advised by DOJ ethics officials.

No doubt, given that Trump still finds Justice Department officials disposable, Mueller still needs legal protection from Congress, through a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

But for an administration that routinely appoints people who reek of corruption and cronyism  today, a coal lobbyist is in charge of the EPA, and a Marvel Action Figure mogul runs Veterans Affairs  at least Trumps nominee for Attorney General comes equipped with standards for professional conduct. He could do much worse, and given the stakes, so could the country.Middlesex County stripped Carterets police chief of power hours after he was promoted to the post by the mayor and a year after the officer, who has yet to take the chiefs exam, was described by the county as ineffective."

The boroughs longtime mayor, Daniel Reiman, said Chief Dennis McFadden, who was promoted from deputy chief, was respected in law enforcement throughout the county and state and his appointment on Jan. 1 to acting chief was well-deserved.

In my 18 years with the Borough, the last 16 as Mayor, there isnt anyone who I believe is more qualified to serve as Chief of our Department, Reiman said in an email.

That respect, though, doesnt appear to extend to the county prosecutors office.

I continue to have serious concerns regarding the leadership of the Carteret Police Department and its impact on public safety, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said Wednesday when asked about the promotion.

The same day as McFaddens appointment, the county agency took over control of the departments internal affairs. The prosecutors office, which is the highest law enforcement agency in the county, has never taken the extraordinary step of seizing control of the departments internal affairs unit since Carey has been at the helm. Even Edison, despite numerous criminal investigations, has never fully lost control to the county under his leadership.

Last March, recently hired Carteret Police Director Kenneth Lebrato was ordered by the county to take over the departments internal affairs after the county found McFadden "ineffective in executing his official duties.

The rare step to appoint a civilian to oversee internal investigations was in response to McFaddens handling of excessive force complaints and failing to run background checks for local gun buyers for nearly two years, according to a scathing letter from Carey obtained by NJ Advance Media. The internal affairs order was renewed after its initial six-month term, according to a letter sent by the county.

Lebrato, a retired assistant county prosecutor who previously worked under Carey and as the boroughs municipal attorney, is set to retire next week after less than a year in that role.

The mayor said he was in support of county control over internal affairs and downplayed the measure, saying it will not change the day-to-day operations.

Capt. Michael Dammann, who was also previously promoted without taking the civil service exam, will remain as the internal affairs officer but will now report to the county instead of Lebrato.

Residents previously told NJ Advance Media they had dealt with Dammann when filing complaints about the mayors youngest brother, officer Joseph Reiman, and claim they were ignored.

McFadden appears to have stayed in the good graces of the full-time mayor  who, for years, has assumed the duties of the empty borough business administrator position  in the fallout of the scandals, which includes an excessive force case against Joseph Reiman.

The mayor defended McFadden Wednesday, saying he has followed protocol from the previous chief and that the former prosecutor has never had any issues with the new chief. Carey took over the prosecutors office in 2013, around the same time or just shortly after McFadden was promoted to deputy chief.

McFadden has served as deputy chief for the last six years, but for at least two years, since the last chief has retired, he has been the top cop in the department and often referred to as the chief in press releases.

The mayors brother, Joseph Reiman, is facing a multi-count indictment over the violent arrest of a teen that was captured on dashboard video.

Another Reiman brother, Charles, was second on scene and did not turn on his body camera as he arrived at the incident, creating a gap of time in the videos in the arrest. Both are named in a lawsuit over the encounter.

In videos and records obtained by NJ Advance Media, Joseph Reiman had shown a pattern of using force during his arrests, and his fellow officers said they believed the encounter with the teen was not uncommon and feared it would be covered up.

The officer has denied all wrongdoing in court and is currently suspended with pay. That case is set to go to trial in the spring.

New Jerseys Civil Service Commission, which handles testing for new hires and promotions, confirmed that McFadden has not taken the chiefs test. The state civil service commission allows local leaders to fill open positions if not enough people have passed the exam.

When asked about the two provisional positions, the mayor put the blame on the civil service for its exam schedule.

Civil Service may ultimately call for a test depending upon the limited number of individuals who may even be eligible to sit for such a test, he wrote in an email.

The state held exams for both positions in December.

The mayor will publicly announce the chiefs appointment at Thursdays council meeting.

Correction: The mayor does not have the title of business administrator, as was previously reported, but has assumed the duties of the empty post. This story has been updated.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.Patersons mayor announced Thursday new police initiatives, including additional deescalation training and an effort to find funding for body cameras for officers, in the wake of the death of Paterson resident Jameek Lowery.

Trust in law enforcement has been eroded, Patersons Mayor Andre Sayegh said at a brief press conference at city hall. I recognize that there have been specific incidents here in Paterson that have played a significant role here. This will help us avoid mistrust, misunderstanding and miscommunication."

The mayor did not take questions during or after the press conference.

Lowery died Jan. 7, days after filming a Facebook Live video inside Paterson police headquarters and begging officials first for help and then asking them not to shoot him. He admitted in a 911 call that he was high on ecstasy pills.

The mayors announcement comes after several days of nightly protests at city hall about Lowerys death and one day after two of Lowerys family members were arrested and maced as police confronted a group of Paterson residents questioning an arrest underway.

The initiatives, dubbed by Sayegh as tools of trust, included an independent authority to audit the police department, pursuing funding for body cameras, creating a citizen advisory board and creating a more diverse workforce among Paterson police.

He also said police will undergo additional training in crisis intervention, ways to deescalate situations between officers and members of the community. and cultural and racial sensitivity.

The city council will identify potential community members who will meet with police leaders, according to the mayor, who did not take any questions during the presser.

These initiatives, these tools for trust tackle the mistrust head on and can put us back on a path to a city where everyone feels that they are treated the same and receive the same protection and help, Sayegh said.

Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake, who took now-Lt. Gov. Sheila Olivers state assembly seat in 2018, held a press conference Thursday following the mayors announcement in which she echoed protestors plea for Gov. Phil Murphy to sign bill A3115, which was approved by both state legislative bodies last year.

The bill requires an independent prosecutor to conduct an investigation when someone dies in police custody, or during an encounter with police. Those investigations are now typically held by local prosecutors.

On Wednesday, Lowerys sister, Jamilyha, and his cousin, Hanif Clyburn, were taken into police custody during the altercation, which police say began as a traffic stop. Video shows it culminated with a female officer using pepper spray on a crowd that included Lowerys mother, Patrice King.

Court records show Clyburn was charged with marijuana possession, riot/failure to disperse, two charges of making terroristic threats, resisting arrest and hindering arrest. Jamilyha Lowery was charged with obstruction of justice.

Tensions between police and residents have been strained since the death of Lowery, 27. On Jan. 5., Lowery walked into Paterson police headquarters while broadcasting a Facebook Live. He asked for water and repeatedly begged officers not to shoot him. He had called 911 earlier and asked for help because he had taken ecstasy.

Prosecutors say Lowery was transferred to the hospital with no acute injuries. However, family members said Lowery had a broken cheekbone, fractured eye socket and several bruises and scratches when they arrived at the hospital. Authorities also said Lowery was suffering from meningitis.

The police director suggested Lowerys facial swelling may have been caused by medical treatments at the hospital, including nasal intubation. Prosecutors said he was admitted twice on Saturday.

The results of an autopsy for Lowerys official cause of death, conducted by the state medical examiners office, have not been released.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the attribution on why Lowerys face had swelled after treatment at the hospital. Speziale suggested it may have been caused by medical treatments at the hospital, including nasal intubation.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com . Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyoAn off-duty Union County police officer who slammed into a car on Route 1 in 2016 admitted in December to drunken driving and was accepted into a pre-trial program that will likely wipe the charges.

Mark S. Grzeda, an officer with the Union County Police Department, returned to the job on Dec. 10 after he was suspended without pay following an indictment on charges of assault by auto and DWI, a county official said. The Union County Police Department patrols county parks and assists other law enforcement agencies.

Grzeda, 33, of East Brunswick, was driving his Honda Accord south on Route 1 in Woodbridge on April 1, 2016, about 9:30 p.m. when he rear-ended a Honda CRV, according to a police report. The impact caused the CRV to roll over off the road, the report said, and the driver received a minor knee injury.

The Woodbridge officer who responded to the scene noted in his report that he could smell alcohol on Grzedas breath and that Grzeda was swaying and his eyes were bloodshot.

He stated he just left Buffalo Wild Wings in Linden and had two beers and a half a bottle of Jack Daniels, the report said.

Grzeda failed a field sobriety test and was arrested, the report said. His blood alcohol content level was .18, more than double the legal limit in New Jersey, which is .08.

Following his arrest, Grzeda informed his employer of the charges, Union County spokesman Sebastian DElia said.

Grzeda was placed on administrative duty and was then suspended without pay following his indictment on Sept. 5, 2017, DElia said.

He was disciplined internally, DElia said. DElia said he couldnt comment on the nature of the discipline.

DElia also declined further comment.

At a court hearing on Dec. 3 before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez, Grzeda pleaded guilty to DWI and was accepted into a pre-trial intervention program. Once he completes the 12-month program, the charges will be dismissed.

Grzeda also received a three-month license suspension and was ordered to pay more than $600 in fines. Grzeda will be on restricted duty that does not involve any driving while his license is suspended, DElia said.

Grzeda did not return a request for comment.

In court, Grzeda offered a short response when Jimenez gave him the opportunity to speak.

My apologies to Middlesex County, your honor, Grzeda said. Besides that, thank you very much.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsEditors note: This article has updated Reimans comments on the judges decision and added more details on Wronkos online comments.

A Jersey mayors Facebook page is public record and he had to turn over a list of the people he banned from viewing it, a New Jersey superior court judge decided this month.

Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman has used the social media page for around eight years. He makes announcements and residents respond with questions  except for those he blocked.

Steven Wronko, an open government advocate and Spotswood resident, said he was among those blocked. Reiman has not denied blocking Wronko, saying the man made inappropriate comments on the mayors page.

On July 18, 2018, Wronko requested a copy of Reimans banned list and a copy of deleted comments from his Facebook page for a six-month time frame, but his request was denied, according to court documents.

New Jersey, like all states, has long-standing laws in place that allow citizens to request documents from government. But lines between officials personal and public social media accounts can be blurred. In a high profile case in May 2018, a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for President Donald Trump to block seven Twitter users.

In September, Wronko filed a civil complaint against the borough, claiming the information from Reimans Facebook page was considered electronically stored government records.

Reiman regularly uses the page for borough business, Wronko said. And, Carterets official Facebook page often links to Reimans page, treating it as an official source of information, CJ Griffin, a lawyer who works for Hackensack-based law firm Pashman Stein, argued in the civil action complaint.

In a decision earlier this month, Judge Alberto Rivas agreed. He ordered the clerk to send Reimans banned user list to Wronko, according to the civil action order.

Reiman said he obviously disagreed with Rivas decision but said he complied with it, turning over the list to the borough, which in turn gave it to Wronko. He said he does not plan to appeal the decision.

On Wednesday, Wronko showed NJ Advance Media the list he just received. The document had about 25 Facebook users listed. Wronko claims the list is incomplete and said he intends to file a class action lawsuit in federal court with others who were blocked from the page.

Its an egregious violation of everyones civil rights, Wronko said.

Right now, Carteret officials were only required to surrender the list, not unblock the Facebook users. That could change if Wronko successfully convinces a federal court his rights to free speech were violated, he said. In the meantime, Wronko said he is pleased with the small-scale win.

Reiman said he had no intention to un-block Wronko.

Wronko is a nut, he said, claiming the mans comments incited violence on the page.

Reiman claimed Wronko also used profanity on the page. The mayor and others who moderate the page deleted some of Wronkos comments, and ultimately blocked him, but Facebook also removed some of the posts, he said.

A copy of the comments shown to NJ Advance Media included reactions by Wronko to a flag-raising event. Wronko commented, I have a right to challenge it, now I will request that they fly a Palestinian flag and a north Korean flag. Other comments by Wronko included ban me and I will sue and How dare you try to threaten me.

In a statement, Reiman said of Wronko, He has attacked my supporters and residents when we raise flags of democratic nation states who are U.S. allies and who have minorities that live here in Carteret. You can see where he created online fights demanding we raise the flag of North Korea and other states that sponsor terrorism.

Rivass decision followed a similar decision by Superior Court Judge Bonnie Mizdol in June 2018. In that case, Timothy Larkin requested a list of Facebook accounts blocked or removed from the pages of Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer and five borough council members.

Mizdol ruled the Glen Rock officials pages were subject to the open records act. Griffin represented Larkins case too, and in both cases, the judges ordered the boroughs to pay for the plaintiffs attorney fees.

However, in other cases, judges have ruled officials pages were not considered official government record and were instead personal or campaign pages.

Steven Gelber, a political opponent of Hackensack Mayor John Labrosse, tried to get the Labrosse Team Facebook page to be considered a public record in September 2018. But Mizdol said no, according to Insider NJ. She said the page was clearly for a political campaign, not government communication.

Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.HOBOKEN  Jersey Citys council president, Rolando Lavarro, pleaded not guilty in municipal court Thursday morning after being accused of harassment by someone who worked for a rival campaign last year.

Rampaul Guyadeen, 58, a Jersey City man who has worked behind-the-scenes for local politicians, alleges Lavarro confronted him outside School 23 on Election Day and told him Im going to f*** you up when their dispute escalated.

Thursdays hearing was held in Hobokens municipal court to avoid a conflict of interest. Judge Cataldo F. Fazio told the parties to return on Feb. 20 to attempt to end the dispute with mediation.

Lavarros attorney declined to comment after the hearing and refused to give his name to The Jersey Journal.

A Democrat, Lavarro, 48, was first elected to Jersey Citys council in 2011 and has been its president since 2013.

In November, Lavarro campaigned for a slate of school board candidates that lost to a slate Guyadeen was pushing. Guyadeen alleges Lavarro arrived at the school on Election Day and told him he was too close to the school, where people were voting. Electioneering is not permitted within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling place.

Lavarro is certainly not the first Jersey City elected official to be dragged into municipal court. In 2007, then-Mayor Jerramiah Healy was convicted of obstructing justice and resisting arrest in a fight with a cop in Bradley Beach.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.JERSEY CITY  The citys police unions are threatening legal action if Mayor Steve Fulop dismantles the program that allows cops to work off-duty jobs.

Fulop vowed last February to phase out the program after a string of cops admitted using it as part of a criminal conspiracy.

In a letter sent to police precincts on Wednesday, Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association President Carmine Disbrow and Bobby Kearns, head of the Jersey City Police Superiors Association, say the matter will land in court.

We authorized our attorney to begin legal proceedings to force the city to come into compliance with the existing ordinance regarding off-duty, the letter says.

Also on Wednesday, the POBA urged residents on its Facebook page to call Fulops office and tell him to keep the program alive. Ending off-duty gigs would create a dangerous situation for all of Jersey City by pulling cops off the streets, the POBA says.

Asked to comment, city spokeswoman Ashley Manz said if places like New York City with more construction and a larger population can do without off-duty jobs, so can Jersey City.

The off-duty program was a disgrace and abused for decades," Manz said. "It tarnished the image of the city with many officers being arrested and many more knew of the abuse.

The program allows officers to work off duty managing traffic at construction sites or as private security. The jobs were highly lucrative for police officers. In 2017, roughly 600 cops made a total of $22 million working off-duty gigs, city payroll records show. One officer made $125,000 from off-duty work that year, in addition to his $61,000 salary.

It was abused for years by a group of cops, with 10 pleading guilty since 2015 to participating in a scheme to accept money for jobs they didnt work and take bribes to allow cops to get away with abusing the program. Phil Zacche, the former police chief, pleaded guilty in a separate but related case, admitting he took money for no-show security jobs at a public-housing complex.

Last year, a month after Zacche pleaded guilty, Fulop announced he was killing all off-duty jobs, saying the program was filled with too much corruption to be salvaged. The city has said they will use flag men instead at utilities projects and construction sites.

Disbrow opposed the move immediately, offering the same argument he is making now: when private companies hire cops to work off-duty jobs, more cops are on the streets at no extra cost to taxpayers.

The amount of crime that has been deterred because of their presence is impossible to calculate, but we can assure you those numbers will be more prevalent when the officers are gone, Disbrow and Kearns wrote in a Jan. 14 letter to Fulop.

The Wednesday letter says Fulop rejected a union proposal to have the program overseen by a retired judge.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.More than 80,000 people in Hudson County will receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits early this month amid the longest federal government shutdown in American history.

New Jersey residents who receive food assistance through the SNAP program will have access to their February payments on Jan. 17 due to the federal government shutdown, the state announced on its website.

While SNAP benefits come from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hudson County administers the disbursement of the benefits, Hudson County spokesman James Kennelly said.

Meanwhile, benefits for other programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, will be available to recipients on the regular date.

SNAP recipients: An important message about the federal government shutdown and your February benefits: pic.twitter.com/cD2Qupydq1  Hudson County (@HudCoTweet) January 14, 2019

The partial government shutdown began just before Christmas and has continued into the new year, becoming the longest shutdown in American history with Tuesday marking the 25th day of the impasse.

The reason? President Donald Trump has refused to sign a spending bill unless it approves nearly $6 billion for a wall or a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.

If we dont get what we want  I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Trump said in a meeting with top democrat officials on Dec. 11.

This marks the third federal government shutdown of the Trump administration and affects roughly 800,000 federal workers across nine of 15 federal agencies, according to Vox.

This is going over way too much," a Hudson County resident who was with her mother at the Division of Welfare in Jersey City on Tuesday said of the shutdown. Whatever the problem is, it shouldnt affect the people and their pay. We shouldnt be responsible for that."

The mother, 68, is retired and receives SNAP benefits, the daughter said. She added that her mother would have to dip into her savings if the shutdown continues into March and SNAP funds are affected.

I barely have any savings, the mother said in Spanish.

The pair said they are from El Salvador and immigrated to the U.S. legally. The daughter, now 41, said she immigrated to the U.S. when she was 10 years old. While her mother does not support the wall, the daughter said she thinks its necessary.

I personally think it is a necessity ... because its too many people coming over," the daughter said, but declined to be named. I feel like we do need that wall.

She added her family has been talking about the wall at home.

It (the wall) is not a necessity because people will always find a way to get in," the mother whispered to her daughter in Spanish.BAYONNE  Police detectives are investigating a reported theft at the John T. Brennan Fire Museum, according to police Lt. Eric Amato.

Exact details of the incident, which was reported to police on Tuesday, are unclear at this time.

The local Bayonne Chapter of the Exempt Firemens Association, which oversees the museum, declined to elaborate on what exactly was stolen and only confirmed that police are investigating.

They want to make no statements, said Donald Haiber Jr., a Bayonne fire captain and spokesperson for the group. Its under investigation and its with the police department and the detectives.

A source with knowledge of the incident who spoke on background said someone stole artifacts from the museum, such as old fireman badges, and sold them on the internet. However, no charges have yet been filed.As police responded to reported gunfire Monday on Rose Avenue in Jersey City, a pair of juveniles was arrested with a gun in a different part of the city, authorities said.

Jersey City spokeswoman Ashley Manz said the two boys were arrested following a foot pursuit with police in the area of Union Street and Ocean Avenue. Police had spotted a stolen car and while pursuing it engaged in a foot chase with the suspects  one of whom discarded a handgun that police later recovered, Manz said.

The arrests were made as other officers were responding to gunshots on Rose Avenue between McAdoo and Cator avenues just before 11:20 a.m. No one was injured in the gunfire, but residents on the block told The Jersey Journal their homes were struck by bullets.

Manz said the minors, whose ages and hometowns were not provided, were charged in connection to the Rose Avenue shooting. They face weapons offenses related to the gun, as well as obstruction, receiving stolen property, and resisting arrest. They were also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Manz said.

One of the boys was also charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence, Manz added.

This story has been updated with new information.A novel treatment for Alzheimers disease with ties to New Jersey is now being tested here to see if it can slow or halt the progression of the disease in a way other medications havent been able to.

The Princeton Medical Institute was chosen late last year as the second site in the country for a clinical trial involving troriluzole, a prodrug designed to help people with mild to moderate Alzheimers.

Researchers are recruiting New Jersey residents between the ages of 50 and 85 who might be eligible to take part in the study and receive the experimental treatment.

I hope people will try to come and help us, says Dr. Irfan Qureshi of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, the company developing the drug. "This has the potential both to improve peoples symptoms and even to markedly delay the progression  but thats what the study will show us.

Few drugs are currently available to treat Alzheimers, and their effects are limited. No new treatments have been approved in more than a decade. The T2 Protect AD study hopes to buck that trend by taking an unconventional approach to treatment, and directing it at a different target than much of the past Alzheimers research has focused on.

For one thing, troriluzole is not a drug. Rather, its whats known as a prodrug.

Qureshi says the problem with some medications is that they arent absorbed well in the body, so their effects may be reduced.

A prodrug is essentially a molecule that by itself is pharmacologically active, but its interaction with the body turns a prodrug into an active drug, he says. Its a way to get an optimal amount of drug into the blood stream.

The prodrug being used in this study is an inactive form of a medicine called riluzole, which has been prescribed for more than two decades to treat ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease. It has not previously been looked at as a potential Alzheimers drug, but Qureshi says recent developments have changed that.

Very, very recent innovative science shows it improves cognitive symptoms in animal models of Alzheimers disease and models of aging, he says.

But its not just the treatment approach thats novel in this study. The way its intended to slow or stop the advance of Alzheimers is different, too.

Past research has focused mostly on trying to clear away the beta-amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brain of Alzheimers patients, but those efforts so far have brought disappointing results.

The prodrug being used in the T2 Protect AD study is aimed at an entirely different target. It goes after whats called glutamate, a molecule that serves as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Glutamate is really the currency that neurons use to communicate with each other, Qureshi says.

But in the brain of someone with Alzheimers, glutamate begins to go awry, leading to brain cell dysfunction.

We believe targeting glutamate will improve patients symptoms, Qureshi says. The first thing patients and their families ask is, Can you give me something to make me better? We believe targeting glutamate will make people better. The main goal is to target the symptoms.

He says the prodrug being tested has good potential to protect cognition, leaving neurons more able to talk to each other.

The way the medicine works is very innovative, he says. When you attack something like glutamate, you have to do it in a way thats not too much and not too little. We have a long history of safety information with this compound.

This treatment is one of several in the pipeline at Biohaven, a biopharmaceutical firm thats taking an entrepreneurial approach to the treatment to Alzheimers and other neurological disorders.

The company is based in New Haven, Conn., but Qureshi, executive director, neurology at Biohaven, lives here in New Jersey, where he worked previously with Bristol-Myers Squibb. He says a number of his colleagues at Biohaven have that same Jersey connection.

This is really a new company focused on brain diseases, he says. The majority of folks who work at Biohaven worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb. That creates a nice opportunity for us to get people who have a commitment to neuroscience and move forward in a quick way.

The T2 Protect AD clinical trial is being coordinated by the Alzheimers Disease Cooperative Study based at the University of California, San Diego. Its goal is to recruit approximately 300 patients at 30 to 40 trial sites across the U.S.

This clinical trial is open to women and men between the ages of 50 and 85 who have mild to moderate Alzheimers disease but are otherwise in good health. Other criteria include:

Living in a community setting (not in assisted living)

Having a study partner who has regular contact with you and can accompany you on visits to the clinic.

Being available to take part in the study for 48 weeks.

Qureshi says lining up sites for the clinical trial has not been a problem. Weve had tremendous interest from investigators, he says. The more they learn, the more they say, Hey, I really want to participate in that.

The first trial site was launched in New Haven, and Princeton Medical Institute became the second site this past November. Since then, more than 30 additional sites nationwide have been announced, although some are not yet recruiting patients.

The Princeton Medical Institute is a research organization affiliated with a private medical practice in Princeton and located near the campus of Princeton University. It has enrolled more than 5,000 patients in over 500 clinical trial over the past 18 years, in such areas of concern as memory loss, Alzheimers, depression and migraines.

Dr. Olga Tchinkindas is the lead investigator for the T-2 study at the Princeton Medical Institute. She is a graduate of Saratov State Medical University in Saratov, Russia, and her postgraduate training in the U.S. includes a psychiatry residency at the Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus. She is certified in psychiatry with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Tchinkindas welcomes the opportunity to continue to broaden Alzheimers research beyond the traditional focus on beta-amyloid plaques.

Amyloid is already targeted by other medications, she says. Some of them are still in trials and some of them have been on the market, and honestly, they do not give the result we were hoping for. So pharmaceutical companies are looking for different solutions and different strategies.

Across the country, Alzheimers research efforts are being slowed by a shortage of people willing to volunteer for clinical trials. Tchinkindas encourages New Jersey residents who might be eligible for this study to consider it.

We need help with (recruiting) patients, she says. They are probably looking for us, and we are looking for them. We hope people will try to come and help us.

More information on the T2 Protect AD study and a complete list of participating sites is available on the study website.

If you are interested in being considered for the trial being conducted at the Princeton Medical Institute, you can call the institute at (609) 921-6050.This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here: chalkbeat.org/newsletter.

Three years ago, Newark unveiled a high-profile experiment: Rather than close low-performing schools in the citys impoverished South Ward, the district would try to revive them with an infusion of extra services and staffers.

It was a major victory for Mayor Ras Baraka, who convinced the districts state-appointed superintendent to devote $10 million in private funds to the effort, and for local activists and teachers unions who had long endorsed this community-school approach  transforming schools into service-rich hubs able to treat the many ailments, from hunger to asthma to mental-health crises, that can impede some students learning.

Now, with the program still in its infancy, Newarks new superintendent  a homegrown educator who is close to the mayor, the union, and those same activists  is declaring it a failure.

I have zero student achievement. I have poor attendance. And I have a lot of people who are getting money in their wallets, Superintendent Roger Leon said at last months board meeting, before promising big changes. I assure you the city will see what a true community school is when we move forward in actually bringing one about.

Beyond those remarks, Leon has not spoken publicly about the South Ward community schools effort or his plans for an alternative approach. He declined to be interviewed for this story.

But people who have spoken with the superintendent, including Baraka, say Leon is dismayed by the programs uneven implementation and disappointing early results for students, which even some community-school supporters acknowledge. Those familiar with Leons thinking say he envisions a broader, citywide effort that draws from an earlier community-school program called the Newark Global Village School Zone, which a previous superintendent abruptly ended.

It could be a risky move to try to create community schools throughout the city when the district has yet to sustain them on a small scale. To be successful, the district will need parents and educators to embrace the model and partner organizations to lend financial and technical assistance.

Baraka, the former principal of the high school that was the centerpiece of the Global Village, said he believes that Leon can garner the support of those groups  but first he must share his vision with the public.

He needs to articulate that, tell people  and I told him that, Baraka said, adding that local philanthropies, nonprofits, and universities are eager to aid Leons efforts. What they need now is instruction. Thats where you get a lot of anxiety from people.

Yet even if Leon reveals his plan and secures public support for it, he will still likely face the same challenges that have imperiled community-schools efforts in other districts, including high costs, the difficulty of improving schools academic programs while simultaneously rolling out new social services, and the pressure to show positive results quickly. And, as Leon himself may demonstrate, new district leaders have a tendency to overhaul or scrap their predecessors programs before they have had time to bear fruit.

Rogers got to learn from the past, said Pedro Noguera, an education professor who previously helped run the Global Village. Theres a lot of frustration with promises that have been made and not fulfilled.

Heres some money. Run with it.

The South Ward Community Schools Initiative kicked off in Dec. 2015 to great fanfare. It promised to strengthen the teaching at five low-achieving, high-poverty schools while also bringing in medical and mental-health services for students and involving their parents in decision making.

A three-year pilot program, it was billed as an alternative to closing troubled schools and opening charter schools  controversial policies that Baraka and local activists had railed against. In a coup for those critics, Superintendent Christopher Cerf agreed to fund the program with leftover money that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other private donors had supplied to bankroll the earlier reforms.

The effort was hobbled, however, by a chaotic launch, according to experts and current and former officials.

The programs planning phase in early 2016 was rushed, and its leadership was muddled. An outside group hired to help oversee the effort, Strong Healthy Communities Initiative, left just as classes started that fall and was not replaced for several months. And the district and mayors office, which had joint control of the program, did not agree to a governance structure until 2017.

Most controversially, more than $6 million of the $10 million allocated to the program over three years was spent in year one, according to Ronald Chaluisan Batlle, executive director of the Newark Trust for Education, a nonprofit brought in to help manage the program beginning in 2017. Chaluisan Batlle said records he found after arriving indicated that about 30 teachers and other school workers had been hired in the first year. Experts strongly discourage schools from using grants to pay employees because the positions may prove unsustainable after the seed money runs out.

That first year, schools were essentially told, Heres some money. Run with it, said Mateus Baptista, a former education policy advisor to the mayor, who blamed the district for the lax oversight. There was no strategy, no intentionality.

To some: Its working. To others: It has not been implemented.

Despite the bumpy rollout, resources eventually began flowing to schools.

Students got free dental exams and after-school tutoring. Teachers were trained on how to help students cope with trauma. Parents attended weekend workshops and, at Belmont Runyon School, picked up fresh fruit and vegetables from a community food pantry.

Attendance workers were hired to closely monitor chronically absent students  a widespread problem at the pilot schools  and Rutgers University partnered with Malcolm X Shabazz High School to provide additional support. The district also successfully applied for more than $23 million in federal school-improvement grants, which paid for extra staffers and training to improve the culture at the five schools.

Charity Haygood, principal of Avon Avenue School, said she has been able to hire a full-time social worker, who has counseled students dealing with the loss of a parent or thoughts of suicide. The attendance counselors, who live in the neighborhood, have worked with parents to make sure their children had uniforms and a way to get to school, she said. As a result, fewer students are regularly absent.

Its working, Haygood said. Theres an impact.

However, its hard to discern an impact at all the schools. Apart from Avon, they continue to suffer from above-average absenteeism rates for the district, according to November attendance figures. And only Avon and Shabazz saw modest gains in their English and math test scores last year; the other three schools saw declines in one or both subjects.

Experts warn that its too soon to expect significant results, and that a more sophisticated data analysis is needed to isolate the programs effects. An outside evaluator, Metis Associates, has been hired to conduct such an analysis this school year  though Superintendent Leon does not appear to be waiting for that assessment to come to his own conclusions.

In August, Metis completed an initial evaluation based on interviews and site visits, which contained both good and bad news for the program. The evaluators said it had made significant progress since launching. But they also catalogued a number of remaining obstacles, including the lack of a data system to track the services provided and outcomes achieved; a need for more training and resources, according to school staffers; and tensions and a lack of clarity about the role of the district, the mayors office, and the programs nonprofit partners.

Even some community-school proponents believe the South Ward effort has not lived up to its potential.

Viva White, a social worker whose son is in the fifth grade at Belmont Runyon, said the school has offered some new services such as free haircuts, vision screenings, and the family food pantry. But she has not seen the sort of systematic changes  revamped classroom materials that better reflect students experiences, discipline policies centered on conflict resolution and peer mediation, parental input in key school decisions  that researchers say are hallmarks of successful community schools.

I believe it can work and turn around academic achievement, behavior problems, morale, White said. However, so far, she added, The model has not been implemented the way it needs to be.

The district declined to authorize Belmont Runyons principal to be interviewed for this story.

A 10-year effort, not a two or three-year project

The question that close observers are asking now is whether Superintendent Leon will try to shore up and build on the South Ward community schools program or scrap it and start his own effort from scratch.

Experts, who note the enormous health and academic challenges faced by many students at the five schools, say that community-school programs typically require an extended period to take root. It would be a waste, these experts say, to abandon the initiative  a fate that has befallen similar initiatives in Newark before.

They need to see this as a 10-year effort, not a two or three-year project, said Jane Quinn, the former director of the Childrens Aid National Center for Community Schools, which has provided technical support to the South Ward program.

Leon has already provided signs that he is skeptical of extending the program.

The top district officials who were overseeing it  including the program director, Brooke Tippens, the chief academic officer, and two assistant superintendents  have all been ousted, reassigned, or quit. Leon or his deputies did not meet with them before their departure to be briefed on the program, according to three former officials. And their replacements have often been absent from leadership meetings with the mayors office and the Newark Trust for Education.

We havent had regular representation from the district, said Chaluisan Batlle of the Trust. Weve been working to get that.

Last month, representatives of city agencies, nonprofits, and universities that support the South Ward program met with the mayor and superintendent to discuss its progress. But Leon stunned some listeners when he described his vision for the district but did not mention the program, according to attendees.

People in the room were like, Oh, my God, he didnt say anything about community schools, one person recalled.

Antoinette Baskerville Richardson, the mayors chief education officer, said she has no doubt that Leon will incorporate community-school tenets into his yet-to-be-revealed plans for the district. However, it is unclear whether the South Ward program will continue in its current form.

Whether there will be community schools is not the question, she said. What this means for the South Ward Community Schools Initiative is the question.

We want a seat at the table.

As Leon crafts a long-term strategy for the district, he has been looking back at the Global Village  an effort spearheaded by researchers from New York University in 2009 that focused on seven Central Ward schools, including Central High School, where Ras Baraka was principal.

Modeled on the famed Harlem Childrens Zone in New York City, the program was designed to improve schools in a single high-poverty neighborhood while also connecting students and their families with healthcare, healthy food, and affordable housing. Using public and private funds, the schools extended their hours, brought together their teachers for joint trainings, and made sure their courses were aligned so students could progress seamlessly from the elementary schools to the high school.

But, as is common in urban school systems, the program fell victim to a change in district leadership. In 2012, the new superintendent, Cami Anderson, pulled the plug on the Global Village and replaced it with her own school-improvement program. Now, Leon may be pursuing the same strategy, but with a twist: out with the old and in with the older.

Since becoming superintendent, Leon has reached out to people who were connected with the Global Village, including former principals and the programs architects  Noguera, now a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, and Lauren Wells, a former NYU research director who became Barakas chief education advisor. Wells is now helping Leon develop his district plan.

According to Baraka, Leon has said that he wants to replicate the Global Village, but on a wider scale. In response to emailed questions asking whether Leon planned to continue the South Ward program or bring back elements of the Global Village, a district spokeswoman replied yes to both.

Wells, while declining to go into detail about Leons plans, said in an interview that she does not believe it is an either-or choice between the South Ward program or the Global Village, as both adopt a community-school approach. The key, she added, is to make sure schools work together using similar strategies.

The city, she said, needs coherence and collaboration.

As Leon and his advisors privately determine their next steps, some Newark residents are calling for more community in community schools. At a recent forum in the South Ward, Maggie Freeman, a local activist and political leader, said families should be involved in designing community schools and shaping their future.

We want a seat at the table to determine whats on the menu, she said. We dont just want to be spoon-fed.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here: chalkbeat.org/newsletter.A Rutgers physician has found himself embroiled in controversy after reportedly rattling off a series of misogynistic messages on Twitter in early January.

The physician is now no longer with the university, a spokesman confirmed.

Rajesh Geria, who had been an emergency medicine physician at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and assistant professor at the associated medical school, had posted a torrent of messages in response to a tweet from another physician about feminism and misogyny, according to a report by The Daily Targum.

While his employer, Rutgers University, would not confirm whether the tweets were the reason Geria is no longer at the university, a spokesman did note in an email that the views he expressed on his personal social media account are not those of the university.

On Jan. 1, Taylor Nichols, an emergency medicine physician in Portland, Oregon, posted on Twitter a Venn diagram distinguishing feminism from misogyny.

While Gerias comments are no longer available, as he has since deleted his Twitter account, the Targum captured screenshots of his tweets, one of which read:

Looks like you are a second year resident? For a feminist you really got big balls since half the people on twitter could end your career before it even starts. Be careful young feminist," according to the screenshot.

From there, the two exchanged barbs, with others jumping in as well, the report said.

Little Taylor hoping to get a big promotion from dr. Choo for pushing her agenda. So cute!!! The dr. Choo, said Geria, who, according to the Targum, was referring to one of Nichols colleagues.

The facts are that being a feminist does not make one a misandrist, and that being a misandrist does not make one a feminist. Feminism is not misandry, and that misandry is not feminism. This isnt hard.  Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) January 4, 2019

The Targums report said this wasnt the first time Geria had expressed anti-feminist views as well as a hostility toward LGBTQ rights on Twitter.

Before deleting his account, Geria had issued apologies to Nichols, her colleague and others, the report noted.

Geria could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.Police are seeking four people who assaulted and robbed a delivery driver at gunpoint over the weekend, and have released a sketch of one of the suspects.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. Sunday on Third Avenue in Upper Deerfield Township.

The bandits robbed the driver of cash, a wallet and two cellphones before running off.

New Jersey State Police released a composite sketch of the gunman in the group.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the state police at 856-451-0106.A funeral director is making a final gesture to honor a former U.S. military veteran who died alone.

Peter Turnpu, 77, served in Vietnam but left little behind about his life since.

Funeral director Leroy Wooster said he found a letter from the local Veterans Administration among Turnpus few possessions after he died last month in his home in Waterford, Camden County.

Now he has launched an effort to encourage mourners to attend a burial service Friday for Turnpu so he wont be laid to rest alone.

The choice I had was to turn my back and leave him at the Medical Examiners officer to be buried in Potters Field, or to donate my time, casket and other resources make sure he goes to a veterans cemetery to get buried, Wooster said Thursday.

Wooster said the VA has promised to provide a military honor guard for the service and pay for the burial plot despite the current federal government shutdown. He said an appeal he made to a local news broadcast has generated interests and resonated on social media.

Im happy to say that many people will be at the cemetery, Wooster said.

The service will be held Friday at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Road in Wrightstown. Mourners are asked to arrive no later than 1:30 p.m. for a procession to the graveside at 2 p.m.

Wooster said an honor guard from nearby Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will perform a ceremony and an American Legion Post from Pine Hill will also participate in the service.

Turnpu had no surviving relatives. He came to America from Estonia with his mother and became a citizen in 1954, Wooster said.

He served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1966 and was honorably discharged. He had worked as a truck driver for a small South Jersey company. He was married, but divorced in 1980.

The only papers he saved were his immigration papers for him and his mother from Estonia and the letter from the Veterans Administration hospital, Wooster said. There was nothing more recent than 30 or 40 years ago.

Wooster said Turnpu lived alone in a rented house. He said a neighbor alerted authorities when he hadnt seen him and his body was discovered shortly afterward on Dec. 9.

This could be anyones relative, Camden County Freeholder Bill Moen said Thursday. I dont know this gentlemans backstory. The effects of war or combat could have affected how this gentleman ended up in an unfortunate situation. But all of those things combined is why something like this is important for the community to give him a proper send off.

Moen oversees services to veterans in the county. He said several organizations have told him they will have members attend Turnpus burial service Friday.

Wooster said it has taken a month since Turnpu died to coordinate his burial in a military cemetery. He said only one detail remains.

I dont know who is going to get the flag the honor guard presents at the end of Taps, he said. It should go to someone who deserves to receive it.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Ask Alexa for New Jersey newsIf you own index funds, John Bogle probably had a big hand in your portfolio.



Bogle, the man who brought the index fund to individual investors and founded the Vanguard Group, died Wednesday at his home in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 89.



The investing guru - a New Jersey native - was mocked by his contemporaries when he started Vanguard in 1975 with a plan to operate its mutual funds at cost. A year later, Bogle was scorned by professional investors when he introduced the first index fund - mutual funds that track an entire stock market index rather than actively trade and make bets on which stocks will outperform - for individual investors.



"Don't look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack!" Bogle often said about his belief that individual money managers can't outperform broad market averages consistently and over time.



Critics called it "un-American" and "a sure path to mediocrity," according to Vanguard's website.



But Bogle, now called the "father of indexing," proved the critics wrong, and the "hackstack" changed the industry. He simplified investing for the average investor, and made it far cheaper, too.

That first fund, now called the Vanguard Index 500, has more than $400 billion in assets. Today, index funds make up more than 70 percent of Vanguard's $5.1 trillion in assets under management.



Throughout his career, Bogle encouraged investors to keep as much of their own money as possible, rather than pay high costs to mutual fund companies, and to not look when the markets are volatile. Create a plan and stick to it, he said.

"The two greatest enemies of the equity fund investor are expenses and emotions," Bogle said in his book "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns."



I had the good fortune to hear that kind of talk directly from Bogle, who I met several times in the early 1990s when I was a producer at CNBC. He was a rock star, but always gracious, humble and kind. He always seemed pleased to share his knowledge with young investors like me. Our first meeting inspired me to look up what expenses I was paying on my meager investments.

My portfolio, to this day, thanks him.

Bogle's message was consistent, and never-changing.

He told a New York Times reporter in 2012: "In investing, you get what you don't pay for. Costs matter. So intelligent investors will use low-cost index funds to build a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds, and they will stay the course. And they won't be foolish enough to think that they can consistently outsmart the market."

Born in Montclair in 1929, Bogle graduated from Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. - he worked his way through school as a waiter - and he went on to graduate magna cum laude in economics from Princeton University in 1951.

His senior thesis caught the eye of fellow Princeton alumnus Walter Morgan, who had founded Wellington Fund, the nation's oldest balanced fund, in 1929, according to the Vanguard website. Bogle worked his way up through the company, and was named president in 1967.

After a management dispute in 1974, Bogle left and founded Vanguard.



A few years later, Bogle shook up the industry again when he stopped selling Vanguard funds through brokers. Instead, investors could buy the funds directly from Vanguard.



This saved investors millions of dollars in sales commissions, and before long, other mutual companies followed suit.



His thrifty nature was widely known, extending beyond his wishes for investors. For example, while meeting a reporter at a restaurant in 1993, he decided to bargain-hunt off the menu rather than select the more pricey $5.95 buffet. He was also known to avoid expensive hotel rooms, taking early or late shuttles rather than stay overnight for short trips.



Bogle stepped down from Vanguard in 1996 when he underwent a heart transplant after suffering from a congenital heart defect and several heart attacks, but he never stopped beating the drum of low-cost investing. He returned to work as the company's chairman until age 70, when he created Bogle Financial Markets Research Center.



Vanguard did not report a cause of death, but several publications say the cause was esophageal cancer.



Bogle is survived by his wife Eve Sherrerd, who he married in 1956. They had six children, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com.

Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter.A former second-grade teacher In Jersey City admitted Wednesday she sexually assaulted a 15-year-old student in her Lyndhurst home more than three years ago.

Lauren Coyle-Mitchell, 36, pleaded guilty in Bergen County Superior Court to aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, a court official said.

Under a plea bargain, Coyle-Mitchell faces five years in state prison, parole supervision for life and will be required to register as a sex offender, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

She is also barred from public employment and must forfeit her teaching certificates, according to the report.

Coyle-Mitchell worked at Dr. Lena Edwards Academic Charter School in Jersey City and was accused of performing oral sex on the girl in her Lyndhurst home in 2015.

Teachers at the school went to Lyndhurst police after a field trip to Washington, D.C. and claimed the teacher had inappropriate contact with the student.

Coyle-Mitchell was charged in June 2015 with aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

A month later, she was arrested again and accused of breaking a no-contact order by trying to call and text the victim.

In May 2018, the Board of Examiners, the states teacher licensing agency, suspended Coyle-Mitchells certificates, which included teacher of elementary school and teacher of students with disabilities.

Sentencing was set for Aug. 2.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.In this 2017 photo, the parents of this 7-week old red wolf pup keep an eye on their offspring at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. A pack of wild canines found frolicking near the beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast have led to the discovery that red wolves, or at least an animal closely aligned with them, are enduring in secluded parts of the Southeast nearly 40 years after the animal was thought to have become extinct in the wild.Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.Even though the University of New Havens ties to the police/military college received international attention after the Jamal Khashoggi killing, UNH President Steven H. Kaplan, Dean Mario Thomas Gaboury and its board of governors are making no changes. They continue to put the University of New Havens world-renowned programs in criminal justice, national security and forensic science studies at the service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias next generation of security professionals, to quote one of their press releases.

They refuse to respond to critics. They refuse to have an open meeting on campus to discuss the matter. That the U.S. Senate unanimously declared that the Saudi Crown prince was responsible for Khashoggis murder appears to have made no difference.

UNH officials claim to be improving the justice system of Saudi Arabia. Really? Take a look at the trial of the members of the Saudi hit team that murdered Khashoggi. As the Washington Post notes, its a travesty. The proceedings are all secret. We have no idea if the arrested can testify freely. The Saudi prosecutor is not even releasing the names of the people on trial!

The Post says its believed that none of the senior security officers are being charged. One of those apparently not on trial is Salah al-Tubaigy, the top Saudi forensic scientist who brought his bone saw with him to Istanbul. Al-Tubaigy is still listed on the governing board of the Saudi Society of Forensic Medicine which is housed at King Fahd Security College, the college where UNH lends its forensic and other services.

UNH explicitly says it wants to help Saudi programs in national security. Does it realize that the Saudi feminist activists who have been in jail since last May are typically slandered in the regime media as traitors? Amnesty International says some of these activists are being abused and tortured. Isnt it reasonable to assume that the Saudi security professionals would use all their skills to root out these supposed feminist traitors and others the regime despises like Shia Muslims, free thinkers and people opposed to its war against Yemenis?

UNH says its helping train at KFSC College with its curriculum. Is ethics part of the that curriculum? What about human rights and respect for international law? Do they get a mention? We dont know because UNH wont reveal the curriculum.

The public needs to persuade UNH officials to break their ties with the Saudi government. A good start would be for West Haven and New Haven city councils and political leaders to make public statements in this regard and to turn down invitations for social events or collaborations with the West Haven-based college.

To be clear, were not picking on UNH. Yale Law School has taken $10 million from a shady Saudi billionaire to foster studies in Islamic law. Its Kamel Institute has not seen fit to consider if Saudi executions, its persecution of women, its arbitrary detaining of businessmen or its aggression against Yemen are violations of Islamic law. Yet the University of New Haven, as the only U.S. college directly helping Saudi security professionals, should be the first object of concern for those who care about human rights and peace.

Stanley Heller is executive director of the Middle East Crisis Committee and host of its TV show The Struggle. He can be reached at mail@thestruggle.orgNEW HAVEN  The Connecticut Airport Authority and the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority agreed Wednesday to set up a working committee to explore the possibility of having the CAA either acquire or enter an operating agreement for Tweed New Haven Regional Airport.

Meanwhile, Mayor Toni N. Harp has unilaterally terminated the citys 2009 Memorandum of Agreement with East Haven, which settled litigation and cleared the way for construction of unpaved runway safety areas while limiting Tweeds main runway length to the current 5,600 feet.

New Haven now is looking to extend the runways usable length to at least 6,000 feet by paving some portion of the runway safety areas.

In withdrawing from the agreement, Harp, in a letter dated Jan. 2, cited terms of the agreement that give any party the right to terminate it if the state of Connecticut fails to enact the legislative initiates contained in Section II of the agreement in the 2009 legislative session.

Harp said the state did fail to enact all of the initiatives.

With regard to any future CAA involvement at Tweed, the CAA approved a process to explore a deeper partnership between CAA and the Tweed Airport Authority, Harps office said in a release.

In a meeting late Wednesday afternoon, the Tweed Authority then unanimously approved a resolution committing to participate in the working committee to investigate the feasibility of greater CAA involvement in Tweed.

Tweed Authority Chairman John Picard said that as a result of the process, Bradley and Tweed at the very least wont be in competition, and possibly, just possibly, it might remove some of the ... angst people in Hartford feel about Tweed.

To me, there is no downside to opening up discussion, said Tweed Authority Executive Director Tim Larson. Getting the Connecticut Airport Authority to a point where it can consider a single marketing strategy for the state  not a two-airport strategy ... is a good thing, he said.

I think what were really interested in is making sure that theres a coordinated transportation system here in the state, and that certainly applies to the aviation system and airports, said CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon. So I think first and foremost ... this is about us working jointly with Tweed and perhaps other airports. Thats where this effort starts.

Whether it ultimately includes the CAA actually running or owning Tweed remains to be determined, he said.

The push for CAA involvement, which Picard said would improve coordination among state airports and promote further development of Tweed, comes as Tweed has just begun American Eagle flights to a second city, Charlotte, N.C., in addition to American Eagle jet flights to and from Philadelphia.

It also comes as New Haven continues to push for the longer runway, and as it awaits a court decision on a lawsuit to try to have a state statute that limits runway length according to the strictures of the 2009 agreement between New Haven and East Haven.

The working committee will include representation from the CAA, the city of New Haven and Tweed, as well as state political leaders and the New Haven business community, according to the resolution the Tweed Authority approved.

This is a positive sign that state and local leaders are moving toward consensus about the overall importance of Tweed and the need to support the greater New Haven business community with commercial air service, said Harp.

In the coming months, my administration looks forward to this important dialogue, she said. We all agree a viable commercial airport will help attract and retain world class talent and to grow as a city and as a region.

If a consensus is being reached, that has yet to be conveyed to some of the state legislators representing the area surrounding the airport.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, whose district includes the Morris Cove section of New Haven, which borders Tweed, said that in the past, the (CAA) has been cool to that idea. He said he spoke to Dillon as recently as a couple of weeks ago and he didnt mention the possibility.

I dont know what interest the (Connecticut) Airport Authority has in taking over another entity that doesnt make money, said state Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, whose district includes East Haven.

None of this makes any sense, Fasano said. This is fantasy land.

Fasano called Harps letter a desperate, foolish act and said New Haven unilaterally canceling the MOU is of no moment. He added, I guess we could say, Well, you can no longer use the runway safety areas.

But I dont think thats the result that they want, he said. Its stupid  its just pure stupidity  and its not going to get them anywhere. ... Its just arrogant, because thats what they are.

Looney said that when Harp first came into office, there was some interest in trying to, in effect, modify the MOU that was in effect at that time. Twice, the city asked about coming up with an amenities package to get people to drop their objections, but the city never followed through in either case, Looney said.

Legislators from the area around the airport all agree that there really has to be a community benefits plan in effect prior to removing the statute, he said. And the entire region ought to be involved in paying for that because people in neighboring community all will benefit, Looney said.

Larson said discussions that resulted in Harp sending the letter withdrawing from the MOA began at the authoritys last meeting, attended both by Harp and then-Lt. Gov.-elect Susan Bysiewicz.

Runway length and the MOAs limit of annual boardings to 180,000 both have emerged as stumbling blocks in negotiations trying to bring new air service to Tweed, he said. Tweed currently is on a trajectory to have 40,000 annual boardings, or enplanements, with current service, Larson said.

The state failed to meet its end of the bargain because there originally was supposed to have been $2 million a year provided to subsidize Tweed and we only got $1.5 million, he said.

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., who received a copy of Harps letter, acknowledged that the MOA  signed by former New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and former East Haven Mayor April Capone  gives the right to either party to pull out if the state did not do its due diligence, and it appeared as if it did not.

He pointed out that East Haven withdrew lawsuits seeking to keep Tweed from putting in the runway safety areas based on that MOA, but said he has turned the letter over to a town attorney and does not yet know what Harps action will mean.

None of the people involved then are involved now, Maturo said. Its up in the air.

Harp said the MOA was outdated.

With all the time elapsed and all thats changed since this Tweed MOA was signed, Im eager for New Haven and its partners to turn the page and work together toward an economically viable, commercially reliable airport serving the needs of southern Connecticut air travelers, said Harp. Improvements at Tweed will enhance the prospects for schools, businesses, and research facilities throughout greater New Haven, and spare residents the time and expense of travel to faraway airports.

I remain committed to working toward those improvements, now without that dated MOA, she said.

Michael Piscitelli, New Havens interim economic development administrator, said, The CAAs interest in Tweed is indicative of the central role that New Haven plays in driving the economic engine in Connecticut.

We look forward to embarking on the next chapter of Tweeds redevelopment with CAA, he said. It is in the collective interest of the city, state and business community that Tweeds capital improvements and air service development program be overseen by a measured and balanced group of state and local leadership.

Todays actions are the kind of positive collaboration that promises to move New Haven and Connecticut forward, Piscitelli said.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.comMiller, Mississippi, Boo Killebrews haunting play about institutionalized racism that officially opened Jan. 9 at Long Wharf Theatre, starts, appropriately enough, with maid Doris repeating an oft-told ghost story to the three, young children. John, 10, hangs on Doris every word while Becky, his younger sister, listens quietly and John, the oldest Miller child, lies on the bed stricken with disinterest.

As the African-American Doris, who is also the cook and moral center of the Miller family of Jackson, Mississippi, tells her story, one perceives her purpose in this ritual is not to merely entertain her charges at bedtime with Poe-like diversion, but rather to warn them of the real and present danger of ghosts in the very walls that protected and insulated the Millers during the Jim Crow era  as the play itself travels from 1960 to 1994.

While this seemingly innocent, opening scene unfolds, watch the attentive Becky. As the play settles in and Killebrew discloses the Millers inability to keep in stride with the march of time, one realizes that young Becky is by now all too familiar with the familys demons.

Miller, Mississippi, which continues through Feb. 3 at Long Wharfs Stage II, is an epic ghost story that bravely scrutinizes and regularizes racism, using the fictitious yet palpably real Miller family, whose Baby Boomer progeny grow from adolescence to stone-cold adulthood. To Killebrew, who grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, the ghosts are indistinguishable from the living.

It may even strike some theatergoers that, though under one roof, the Millers are bifurcated, with young, indiscreet John (Jacob Perkins)  the rebellious, impulsive zealot on social progress and racial equality  eager for greener pastures elsewhere. Hed like nothing better than to bring Becky (Leah Karpel) along, as he becomes aware of her victimization at the hands of the very real family ghosts as well as her reluctance to give up with her role in this living, Gothic nightmare. Its a place in which clocks and calendars are simply set decoration for her, Tom (Roderick Hill) and their frozen mother Mildred (Charlotte Booker). They choose to hang onto vestiges of Jim Crow like an extra from Titanic hugging a secured table stem as the ship sinks.

As one observes at the abrupt end of the opening scene, playwright Killebrew deals with a very real problem in macabre and stylized fashion. In the best Southern Gothic tradition, she fantastically exaggerates the action in order for the audience to empathize with her characters. On the other hand, this device lends predictability, as the family members initially seem archetypical.

Since Killebrew chose to set her story over a 34-year stretch, time is short for full exploration. Yet she nonetheless manages to humanize the three children (not poor old Mildred, fossilized in the same chair, looking at the same, ignored televised news program and nursing the same two fingers of Beefeater as if stuck on a 90-second loop).

Hill, Karpel and Perkins have the daunting challenge of playing kids (10-16 years old), a device that can work effectively yet seldom does. Under Lee Sunday Evans thoughtful direction, one never loses sight of the fact that adults are behaving like kids even if they are playing at it. Yet, as hinted earlier, the scene ends in such catastrophic madness that its over before we have time to mull over the matter. Overall, when all is done, the entire cast works very effectively and truthfully.

If all of this sounds a tad complicated or imaginative, remember that Killebrew exhibits no interest in kitchen-sink realism with Miller, Mississippi. This is, after all, a horrific ghost story concerning standardized racism, one that strikes the correct balance of realism and the macabre. Its scary stuff, which is kind of the idea.

E. Kyle Minor is the Register theater writer.WEST HAVEN  Details of alleged abuse of overtime by a now-retired police sergeant who is facing criminal charges have emerged in a report obtained by the Register, concluding that the officer inflated overtime hours and compensatory time to himself and the school resource officers he supervised.

In some cases, then-Sgt. David Tammaro, who was the departments public information officer  writing news releases and answering questions of the media  put in for more hours on incidents than the actual investigators working on the case, the report states.

Part of the time Tammaro charged for in his role as public information officer involved working the departments Facebook account  and it was discovered during the investigation that he used aliases on the account to respond to or offer comments to information on the Facebook page. Those aliases were Salvatore Gallucci and Rinaldo Rovella.

Tammaro, a 28-year veteran of the department, was given broad freedoms in the job because of all his years of experience, police officials have said.

The external investigation was done by Knight & Cerritelli at the request of City Attorney Lee Kennedy Tiernan to ensure a conflict free and unbiased report from West Haven police, which had been conducting an internal investigation, the report states.

The external report was completed mostly based on interviews and information city police had gathered for the internal investigation.

When the law firm took over, the departments internal investigation was halted, a police department source said, and so the firms report stands as the official report.

The report, seeking to determine whether Tammaro violated department rules, doesnt mean disciplinary action will be taken , because Tammaro has since retired and therefore is not subject to department discipline, the source said.

But the report, completed in August  a month before Tammaro retired  states that, based on the findings, the police chief or Board of Police Commissioners may wish to review the police departments general orders relating to recordkeeping, falsification, overtime, compensatory time, and disciplinary procedure, specifically conduct unbecoming an officer.

The report in its conclusion lists 17 recommendations for the department to correct deficiencies identified in the report in order to promote accountability and improve morale within the department, including updating overtime and compensatory time slips; clarifying the rules for school resource officers and Board of Education events they attend; and a policy requiring a chief or deputy chief to randomly audit overtime slips on a weekly basis.

None of the recommendations has been addressed, a department source said, because most of the suggested controls are in place, but were not adhered to in this case.

Tammaro, who is free on $10,000 non-surety bail, was charged by Connecticut State Police in October with 87 counts of second-degree forgery related to his use of overtime. Because Tammaro is not charged with larceny, the charges would not require him to pay back any money he may have been paid for work not earned, a source said.

Tammaro could not be reached for comment. But his attorney, William Dow of New Haven, said the report is not evidence.

In courtrooms we deal with evidence, Dow said. I am going to appear on the next court date and represent Sgt. Tammaro there, not in the newspaper.

Before retiring and after the alleged abuses came to light, Tammaro had been on paid administrative leave since late February/early March of 2018.

The external and criminal investigations allege Tammaro falsified hours on overtime slips and forged signatures of supervisors, approving the hours as worked. As part of an agreement negotiated with the union and administration years ago, the PIO position carries four hours of overtime built into the 40-hour work week, the report states. Those extra hours were to compensate for time spent on social media, including the West Haven The Way It Is Facebook page, WHPD.com and Tips 411, the report states.

Tammaro was called out by a fellow police officer and it finally stuck after several in the department had for a long time tried to bring the alleged behaviors to police Chief John Karajanis for a formal investigation. It has been reported that Karajanis and Tammaro are close friends and that Karajanis, who now is on sick leave, finally took action.

Tammaro told investigators he had permission from Karajanis and Deputy Police Chief Joseph Perno to use their C1 and C2 codes to approve overtime. Perno told investigators Tammaro did not have permission to sign his name to timeslips.

The report states, Even Chief Karajanis acknowledged that some of the claimed overtime by Sergeant Tammaro was inappropriate and should not have been paid.

The arrest warrant affidavit states that Tammaro as the departments public information officer and crime prevention officer and as supervisor of its school resource officer and community resource officer programs, reported directly to Karajanis.

The external investigation indicates that Tammaro played fast and loose with overtime and compensatory time for himself and those under his supervision.

The report lists pages of occasions that in working as the public information officer, Tammaros hours didnt match up with the cases being investigated. Many officers interviewed as part of the report claim Tammaro rarely was at crime scenes outside of the scope his regular day hours, although he charged overtime.

Some instances of overtime abuse listed in the investigation report include:

In July 2017, a person was reported missing at 1:34 p.m. and found about an hour later, but Tammaro generated overtime until 6 p.m. His last verified activity had been at 2:47 p.m.

In August 2017, the departments traffic unit investigated a fatal motor vehicle accident and received six hours of overtime, but Tammaro received eight hours of OT, to monitor Facebook with no articulable need to do so.

In November 2017, Tammaro was paid eight hours of overtime to monitor social media for an accident involving an Orange police cruiser in West Haven that was being investigated by state police.

In another case, Tammaro received four hours of overtime from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. for a raid that didnt start until 4 a.m.

In May 2017, a hostage situation started at 12:04 p.m. and ended at 1:38 p.m. but Tammaro generated eight hours of overtime to monitor social media until 11 p.m.

The investigation concluded that the overtime slips entered for Tammaro by Tammaro  as well as the slips for those he supervised  were sloppy and incomplete.

The report makes special note under the heading, Sergeant Tammaros Cell Phone. The report states that when Tammaro handed over his department-issued cellphone for data recovery, there had had been a passcode installed, but Tammaro disavowed any knowledge of a passcode. When phones require a password, they cannot be opened without the code.

In addition, the preferences on the phone were changed so the phone would restore to factory settings after a certain number of failed attempts to enter a passcode.

The phone, the report states, now is in the custody of the state police as part of the criminal investigation.

The report calls for an investigation to see who had access to the cellphone, or whether an active member of the West Haven Police Department placed a passcode on the phone and changed its settings. The actions may constitute a felony charge of tampering with physical evidence, the report states.

One portion of the investigation findings addresses the issue of overtime and compensatory time for the school resource officers and community resource officers supervised by Tammaro, concluding in part that he inappropriately gave compensatory time to those employees, assigned too many officers to events and made unilateral decisions to staff events with officers.

In several cases, the report states, the officers under his supervision received overtime for hours they have no recollection of working or received OT or compensatory time in excess of the hours actually worked.

The findings state that community resource officers routinely received four hours of overtime or six hours of compensatory time irrespective of the time actually worked, for gigs such as attending police commission meetings that usually required a presence of only an hour to 90 minutes.

For school board events, there is a four-hour minimum of pay, per union contract. But school resource officers, the external report states, routinely were awarded a minimum of four hours overtime for school board events that clearly were not related to the Board of Education, including the Our Lady of Victory graduation, which the report states should have been an hour-for-hour pay event.

The investigation states, The unilateral decision by Sgt. David Tammaro to issue compensatory time for many of these functions was to avoid the inevitable questions that would arise had the institutions or Board of Education received a bill for police services.A New Haven woman who allegedly threatened there would be another Sandy Hook situation at Hamden High School was arraigned Wednesday in Superior Court in Meriden, according to judicial records.

Ajauanna Laudat, 21, was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree breach of peace, first-degree threatening and first-degree false incident report.

Laudat was released Wednesday on $75,000 bail, according to court records, and is due in court Feb. 14.

Laudat allegedly sent three anonymous threatening emails to staffers at Hamden High School Monday, according to an incident report by Detective Mark Sheppard.

The first email, received at approximately 9:24 a.m., indicated that the sender would shoot up Hamden High School without warning, so administrators would not have a chance to dismiss students.

Police were notified and the school was locked down, according to the report. Officers were sent to safeguard the interior and exterior of the building.

A second email came in at 9:46 a.m. from a different address, stating that now its done and youre all going to die now.

A third email from a third address was received at 10:46 a.m., according to the report.

This message threatened that there will be another Sandy Hook situation at the school. It indicated that the sender and a team of individuals would set off a bomb at the school after shooting students.

According to the affadavit, the mail read: Great [expletive] job. I feel like you dont take me seriously. You want to keep kids here fine. There will be another Sandy Hook situation. My team and I have also planned to bomb the school after shooting as many kids as possible. Raising the threat was a bad idea. You dont even have metal detectors. It was so (easy) bringing this in and acting like a student, read the email, according to the report.

Sheppard contacted the Google Legal Affairs department, as all three emails came from Gmail accounts, and received the IP address used to send the emails, according to the report. In all three instances, it was the same.

That IP address was traced back to a Sprint mobile device, registered to a New Haven resident. Sheppard and another officer spoke with the person, who said Laudat used the number in question.

Police made contact with Laudat Monday. She said she was a paraprofessional at Hamden High and denied sending the threatening messages. She agreed to allow Hamden police to seize and search her cellphone as part of the investigation, according to the report.

A screenshot of an email page that listed one of the addresses that sent the threatening messages was found on the phone, according to the report.

Police interviewed Laudat again the next day.

Ms. Laudat would eventually admit that she had sent the threatening e-mails to the HHS Administrators, Sheppard wrote in the report.

A student told police that Laudat had asked about the schools protocols for dealing with a threat in the preceeding days and frequently complained about working all day in the school, according to the report.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.comNEW HAVEN  A judge castigated James Kendrick Thursday for forcing hideous sexual contact upon a young girl, and then sentenced Kendrick to serve 16 years in prison for risk of injury to a minor.

Superior Court Judge Brian T. Fischer called the victim, who was in court and spoke during the sentencing hearing, a remarkable young lady. She is incredibly strong, resilient and brave.

After all she has been through, Fischer noted, she forgives him.

The girl, who also testified during the trial last October about what she had endured at age 7 or 8, said in a brief statement Thursday that she still loves the relative who abused her, forgives him and is glad youre getting the help you need.

The girl also said she is doing well in school. And she added, Im happy Im with my grandmother.

Kendrick, 41, of New Haven, also spoke during the hearing. He apologized that the girl had to go through this legal situation. But he continued to maintain he is innocent.

A jury last October found Kendrick not guilty on two counts of first-degree sexual assault. But just as Kendrick was heaving a sigh of relief in the courtroom, the jury foreman announced guilty on the third charge, risk of injury to a minor.

At the outset of Thursday mornings hearing, Fischer noted Kendrick faced a possible maximum sentence of 20 years. The sentence Fischer imposed was 20 years, but to be suspended after Kendrick serves 16 years. He will then face 15 years of probation and must remain on the sex offender registry for the rest of his life.

New Haven Public Defender Beth A. Merkin argued for the minimum possible sentence of five years. She said he tried to be the best he could be, still loves the girl and also worked hard to see that she did well in school.

This man helped in her life, Merkin said.

But Senior Assistant States Attorney Maxine Wilensky told Fischer that Kendrick committed the worst violation of trust of a child. He physically abused her and forced her to lie about the abuse.

Wilensky cited Kendricks long list of convictions: 17 in all, for crimes such as threatening, unlawful restraint, assault, violations of protection orders and a previous sexual assault. She noted that in one case he forced a young woman to have sex with him at knifepoint.

Theres absolutely nothing redeeming about this individual, Wilensky said.

Merkin countered, I dont agree he has no redeeming qualities. At that point Merkin talked about how Kendrick encouraged the girl to do well at school. And she is a good student. Shes articulate. Shes going places.

The girl was soft-spoken and subdued as she delivered her short statement of forgiveness. But her grandmother wept as she said, This family has been torn apart. I trusted him; I trusted him like my own son.

She wouldnt say a word (about the abuse) because she was threatened, the grandmother said. I wish I could turn back the hands of time. I thank God that shes home with me today.

In his statement, Kendrick, dressed in prison attire, told Fischer: I pray that her grandmother helps her through this. It is what it is. I had a trial; I was found guilty. I ask you to be merciful.

Kendrick added, I was the best I could have been. I thought I did my best. I do feel I have things to offer to society.

But Fischer said that during the offense, which occurred in 2011 or 2012, He had sexual contact with her in an indecent manner. Fischer noted in graphic detail what Kendrick had done to the girl.

She was told by him not to say anything, Fischer said. She lived in fear of him and his corporal punishment. He told her, What happens in here stays in this house. For four to five years she didnt notify anyone. When he was incarcerated and she felt safe, she then told DCF (the state Department of Families) and her family.

The impact on her is unimaginable, Fischer added. It has lifelong ramifications. He noted she is now in therapy.

Fischer ordered Kendrick to stand in order to hear the sentence. Then Fischer told him: I have an obligation to protect society from sexual predators like you.

After Fischer pronounced the sentence, he added the probation conditions. These include: no contact with the victim or her family, sex offender treatment, being on the sex offender registry for life, no contact with any minor under age 16, mental health evaluation and anger management treatment.

Fischer also imposed a criminal protection order concerning the victim for 20 years.

As the girl was leaving the courtroom, she received hugs from both Wilensky and Merkin.

randall.beach@hearstmediact.comBeginning Tuesday, six weekday trains will be restored to the Shore Line East railroad, the state Department of Transportation has announced.

The Shore Line East trains will replace scheduled bus service that has been operating since last April. Additionally, two Friday-only trains will now operate every weekday to provide customers with additional travel options.

We are pleased to return these trains to the schedule, but our work is not yet done. We will work tirelessly to restore full train service on Shore Line East. This is our goal. Our customers deserve no less. DOT Commissioner Joseph J. Giulietti, a former president of Metro-North railroad, said in a release.

Shore Line East is the train service between New Haven and New London owned and operated by Amtrak under an agreement with CTDOT. In addition to New Haven and New London, there are stops in Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook and Old Saybrook.

The following SLE trains will be reinstated on Tuesday:

Westbound to New Haven

Train 1627 - will depart Old Saybrook at 5:37 AM and arrive in New Haven at 6:22 AM.

Train 1645 - will depart Old Saybrook at 7:50 AM and arrive in New Haven at 8:35 AM.

Train 1675 - will now operate daily , departing Old Saybrook at 3:05 PM and arrive in New Haven at 3:45 PM.

SLE Train 1687 - will depart Old Saybrook at 6:13 PM and arrive in New Haven at 6:54 PM.

Eastbound to Old Saybrook

Train 1604 - will depart New Haven at 6:55 AM and arrive in Old Saybrook at 7:36 AM.

Train 1626 - will now operate daily , departing New Haven at 2:10 PM and arrive in Old Saybrook at 2:58 PM.

Train 1638 - will depart New Haven at 5:10 PM and arrive in Old Saybrook at 5:56 PM.

Train 1656 - will depart New Haven at 7:11 PM and arrive in Old Saybrook at 7:56 PM.

Customers should check their particular train departure time as it may differ from the bus departure time.

DOT has been working with Amtrak to accelerate necessary repairs to the aging diesel locomotive and rail car fleet on Shore Line East. In order to get rail service back to normal, some rail cars and locomotives were shipped out of state to other Amtrak facilities for repair. Work shifts were added at the SLE New Haven shop.

In addition, another diesel locomotive was overhauled and recently released for service on SLE. The returned locomotive is part of the $46 million diesel locomotive overhaul program, which will when complete restore 18 diesel locomotives. The newly overhauled locomotives can be identified by their new red and black CTrail paint scheme.NEW HAVEN  As the United States population grows annually, Connecticuts inability to keep apace might have political consequences.

According to U.S. Census Bureau projections from 2018, the nations population grew by 18.4 million, or 5.96 percent, from the last census in 2010; but Connecticut ranks 48th in the nation for state growth, and is one of three states projected to have shrunk  by 1,482 people  since 2010.

A lot of it has to do with the job opportunities in Connecticut; weve had major corporations leave such as General Electric recently, and Connecticut is still financially in a recession-like economy, said Gayle Alberda, assistant professor of politics and public administration at Fairfield University. Another big thing is brain drain, and its hard to retire here.

Wesley Renfro, associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University, said the states effectively plateaued population is a ticking time bomb, because young people are neither moving to nor staying in the state, so the population is aging.

Theres fewer young people here than there should be, he said.

Experts say Connecticuts lagging population is of interest because of the impact it could have on the states congressional representatives, of which there are currently five. Following the census, Congress reapportions the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives every 10 years based on state population so citizens have approximately equal representation. In 2010, the average size of a congressional district was 710,767, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

For now, experts believe Connecticuts five congressional districts will remain intact past 2020.

Its possible, but its very unlikely that Connecticut will lose a representative following 2020, said Jeffrey Ladewig, associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut.

Ladewig said that in 2010, residents of Connecticut were slightly underrepresented in Congress, with a population large enough for about 5.05 congressional districts. By 2020, following current trends, Ladewig said, Connecticut is likely to maintain five congressional districts, but will be overrepresented with a population befitting an estimated 4.75 districts.

By 2030, in all likelihood, well lose a seat, he said.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, said that if the experts are right and Connecticut could lose a congressional seat in a little more 11 years, There are many critical issues that working families face in Connecticut now and over the next decade  including the dramatic effects climate change and rising automation could have on jobs, the environment and national security  but reapportionment is not high on that list.

I have no doubt that Connecticut will continue to have representation in Congress from strong leaders who are fighting for working families and the middle class. she said.

Ladewig said the census numbers dont tell the full story with reapportionment, as overseas populations such as those serving in the military are absent from census estimates of the resident population but will be included in apportionment discussions. He said the effect on Connecticut of including overseas residents would likely be negligible though.

The effects on Connecticut politics of losing a congressional district could be significant.

It would set off a pretty complicated process within state-level politics, Renfro said. There would be a lot of jockeying over five seats becoming four seats, because an incumbent would lose a seat. Given that Connecticuts delegation to the House of Representatives is overwhelmingly Democratic most of the time, it has potential to be a nasty intra-party fight over how five seats gets translated into four.

The Connecticut legislature is responsible for drawing congressional boundaries and, once they have a draft map in place, it takes a supermajority vote to approve new congressional district boundaries.

Alberda said a political battle in 2030 could be influenced by what occurs in 2020, if state-level political districts were redrawn, which could tip the balance of power between urban centers and suburbs and between Democrats and Republicans.

One has to wonder if you could see the return of Republicans, said Jonathan Wharton, a professor of political science at Southern Connecticut State University and former chairman of the New Haven Republican Party.

Wharton said Republicans have been targeting the 4th Congressional District, which encompasses Greenwich as well as Bridgeport and is currently held by Democrat Jim Himes, for many years and that the 5th District, which recently elected Democratic political newcomer Jahana Hayes, is not nearly as strong of a blue district as the 1st and 3rd, which include Hartford and New Haven, respectively.

Ron Schurin, an associate professor in residence of political science at the University of Connecticut, said he does not anticipate that Democrats in Connecticut will have a major battle if they redistrict. However, incumbents may find themselves challenged politically by new constituents. If the map changes, it could influence the electorate in some districts.

The (DeLauro) seat is a longtime Democratic seat. The (Rep. Jim Himes, D-4) seat has been in play for many years and still could be, he said. Himes is certainly more responsible to the financial community than someone sitting in Rosa DeLauros seat.

The last time Connecticut lost a representative, in 2002 following the 2000 Census, it sparked a tough, partisan battle in the newly redrawn 5th Congressional District between two incumbents: Democrat Jim Maloney and Republican Nancy Johnson, who won the seat.

If Democrats are in control of redistricting, they have to choose which two incumbents face off. The only projection you can make is it would be highly partisan, said Ladewig. It makes all incumbents a little vulnerable, because they all will have new voters in their districts who dont all know them.

Gary Rose, chairman of the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies at Sacred Heart University, said he does not believe the electoral math would work for Republicans in most places.

Irrespective of how the reconfiguring is done, its going to be very difficult for any Republican to win any district, he said.

Wharton said he was also pessimistic about Republican chances in the Nutmeg States congressional delegation in the future.

Realistically, I think it only happens on either end of the state, he said, as the Interstate 91 corridor leans blue.

Andrew Doba, a Democratic consultant in Connecticut and former member of then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloys staff, said he believes Democrats current control over the states congressional districts would survive any consolidation.

Its a part of our political process and a part of our government, he said. The politics will generally work themselves out. I think there are nothing but good signs for the Democratic Party in Connecticut.

Experts said if reapportionment affects Connecticut, it would likely be felt more acutely at the federal level.

We have some pretty important players down there, Rose said.

Himes, he said, was influential within the centrist New Democrat Coalition as its chairman from 2017 to 2019, and Hayes, as the states first African-American congresswoman and part of a more diverse and progressive freshman class, could wield influence.

We have a lot of bang for our buck in terms of our congressional delegation, Schurin said.

U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1, is on the Committee on Ways and Means and DeLauro sits on the Committee on Appropriations, Wharton noted.

Our lawmakers sit on some pretty powerful committees, he said.

Renfro said the number of legislators sitting in the House isnt the only factor that determines a states influence and power, but its nevertheless important.

If you do decrease the number of members in that delegation, you probably get less pork, he said.

If Connecticut were to lose a congressional district, its number of electoral votes in presidential elections would also decrease from seven to six. Although Connecticut has not recently played a major role in any presidential races electorally, Alberda said it could continue to play a fairly unique role, regardless of congressional representation.

Connecticut doesnt get a lot of presidential visits, but if candidates air ads in solid states, they do get an investment in their return to build fundraising, she said. If a Democratic nominee airs a few ads in Connecticut, the return on investment is Nutmeggers donate to the campaign. We might lack in electoral votes, but we play a vital role in getting the message out in swing states.

Political experts agree the electoral role of Connecticut, as well as most states in New England and the industrial Midwest, is diminishing as states in the South and West grow at a more rapid pace. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas, Florida and California have all grown by more than 2 million people since 2010, and other states along the Sun Belt, such as North Carolina and Georgia, lead the rest of the nation in population growth.

The population expanding in southern states and the Sun Belt has helped the Republican Party, Rose said. As those states grow, I think the Democratic Party is becoming a more northern party.

Schurin said population trends have worked in Republicans favor thus far, but migration could also be influencing the political makeup of historically red states; last year, he mentioned, former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto ORourke won more than 48 percent of the vote in his Senate race against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and a number of Democrats flipped seats in the historically red state down ballot.

Additionally, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won her Senate race in Arizona, and Democratic gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Andrew Gillum in Florida ran high-profile, competitive campaigns, all in states that voted for Republican President Donald Trump in 2016.

Alberda said since Texas is guaranteed to gain seats as the state with the largest population growth, its changing demographics can have an outsize influence nationally. Part of the demographic shift, she said, is New England residents moving out of state and taking their political values with them.

We dont actually pay enough attention to demographics in general; its a slow-moving freight train, Renfro said. Its not sexy compared to scandals, but it matters a whole lot in terms of our tax base. Its a really powerful thing right in front of us.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.comEAST HAVEN  Joshua Balter, a naval veteran, lawyer and former state Senatorial candidate, formally announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for the 99th District state House seat Wednesday.

James Albis, who held the seat for four terms as a Democrat, resigned to take a position with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection earlier this month.

A special election to replace him is expected to be held Feb. 26. The Democratic Town Committee is expected to meet Friday to choose a nominee; Town Attorney Joseph Zullo has been put forward as the Republican standard-bearer for the seat.

Balter thanked Albis for his efforts in the announcement.

This is a critical time in our town and state and I am running because I know that I can expand on James great work and be the Representative we need. Through my twenty years serving in the Navy, then advocating for working families as an attorney, and work with local groups in the community, I have always been committed to helping others, said Balter. We need elected officials in Hartford who will prioritize the needs of everyday people over politics and that will be how I serve if elected. I will be a Representative for the people and not special interests.

Balter previously ran for the Democratic nomination to challenge Len Fasano for the 34th District state Senate seat in the past election cycle. He raised the idea of running to represent the 99th District on Facebook earlier this week before issuing a formal announcement Wednesday.

According to the announcement, he lives in East Haven with his wife, Lisa.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.comNEW HAVEN  A Texas-based sandwich restaurant chain has opened its first Connecticut location in the Elm City.

Which Wich Superior Sandwiches opened its first location in the state Monday at 200 College St. The restaurant is owned by a husband-and-wife franchise team, Vidhi Patel and Chintan Patel.

I am absolutely in love with Which Wich because its fairly new, up and coming, Vidhi Patel said in a statement. The timing could not be more perfect for me right now to start my own business. Before, due to my husbands job, we were very unsure as to which state we were going to settle in.

Patel said her husband had been working in Georgia, but the couple moved to Connecticut two years ago so Chintan Patel could take a job as a scientist at an area pharmaceutical company. Vidhi Patel immigrated to the United States when she was in second grade.

Patel said she and her husband first found about Which Wich while in Augusta, Ga. The Patels signed an agreement to open a pair of Which Wich shops and now are looking at potential locations for the second restaurant.

Officials with the Dallas-based company, which started in 2001, said they believe Connecticut ultimately could support 30 or 40 locations. The chain has 500 locations open or in development.

Scott McIntosh, Which Wichs director of franchise development, said Wednesday the company hasnt established a timetable for opening more restaurants.

Historically, we get flooded with requests from potential franchisees when we enter a new market, McIntosh said. Connecticut is a very attractive market for us from a demographic standpoint.

While comparisons with Milford-based Subway are inevitable, McIntosh said the two chains typically dont compete for the same type of customer.

One is looking for a value proposition, he said. The other is looking for a better experience in terms of quality of food and ambiance.

A Subway spokesman was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

David Cadden, a professor emeritus at Quinnipiac Universitys School of Business, said the chain and its franchisees need to choose locations carefully in Connecticut.

If they do, they might survive, Cadden said. But I dont think anyone at Subway is losing any sleep over them.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.comChinas president Xi gave a speech which opens the door to re-unify Taiwan and China using a war. Beijing previously assumed the Taiwanese would eventually decide to reunite with the mainland. The Taiwanese once widely forecasted that communist rule would collapse after the mainlands capitalist market reform. KMT insisted reunification would take place only under a democratic system.

Xi has revived a civil war strategy by declaring the inevitability of reunification and threatening that separatist sentiments or foreign intervention will be met with force. President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of continuing reform but only under the partys leadership.

A Taiwan-China unification war would defeat Taiwan but at terrible cost and without a sustained lasting situation.

All political parties in Taiwan are rejecting calls for unification under these conditions.

Proposal for Talks and 2072 Target

There is proposal for talks and a target for 2072 for unification. This is 100 years after Mao said China could wait 100 years to unify with Taiwan.

Fundamentally Rework One Country Two Systems to Make it Appealing

Another option is to fundamentally rework the substance of One Country Two Systems (1C2S) to make it more appealing to Taiwan voters.

Another is to use money, technology, and political leverage to manipulate Taiwans political system to advance its goals. However, this will not be sustainable.

Xis speech suggests that neither Taiwan nor the United States should count on Beijings developing ideas that are sufficiently creative to elicit interest from Taiwan.

According to the 1995 proposal outlined by CPC General secretary and President Jiang Zemin, Taiwan would lose sovereignty and the right to self-determination, but would keep its armed forces and send a representative to be the number two leader in the PRC central government, in accord with the One China, Two Systems approach adopted for Hong Kong and Macau. The Republic of China would become fully defunct.

Few Taiwanese are in support of One Country, Two Systems while some unification supporters argued to uphold the status quo until mainland China democratized and industrialized to the same level as Taiwan. In the 2000 presidential election, independent candidate James Soong proposed a European Union-style relation with mainland China. This was echoed by Hsu Hsin-liang in 2004 along with a non-aggression pact. In the 2004 presidential election, Lien Chan proposed a Confederation-style relationship. Beijing objected to the plan, claiming that Taiwan was already part of the China and was not a state and therefore could not form a confederation with it.Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.

Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.

A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.NISKAYUNA, N.Y.  A 33-year-old Upstate New York man, who police say impregnated an 11-year-old, pleaded not guilty in town court Wednesday evening to predatory sexual assault against a child  the most serious sex crime charge under state law.

Robert Cronin was sent to the Schenectady County jail and is being held without bail.

Police said in a felony complaint that, between February or March of 2018, Cronin raped an 11-year-old girl in Niskayuna, Schenectady County, impregnating her.

News10 (WTEN), which first reported the story, said that the victim recently had the baby.

In a jailhouse interview Wednesday, Cronin sat down with News10s Anya Tucker, during which he did not deny that the baby was his but did deny ever having sex with the girl.

He told Tucker that the girl became pregnant after using an article of clothing that Cronin had used to masturbate with.

"Do you understand why it would be hard for people to understand the reasoning behind this conception that you're offering?" Tucker asked Cronin during the interview.

"Yes," he responded.

Exclusive: Niskayuna man arrested on sex assault charge after 11-year-old girl delivers baby https://t.co/eN8PX2Phz6  NEWS10 ABC (@WTEN) January 16, 2019

Cronin is due back in Niskayuna Town Court at 4 p.m. Friday for a preliminary hearing.

The girl and infant are believed to be in safe places and being well cared for, News10 reported.

Niskayuna Deputy Police Chief Michael Stevens told the Times Union that police and Schenectady County Child Protective Services officials were led to the case through a child abuse hotline call two months ago. They brought in District Attorney Robert Carney's office, which is prosecuting the case.

Stevens said he did not believe Cronin, who works with computers, had a record.

-- Sara Cline and Robert Gavin, Times Union, Albany, N.Y.OTTAWA, Jan. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - Severe weather across Canada continues to highlight the financial costs of climate change to insurers and taxpayers. In 2018, insured damage for severe weather events across Canada reached $1.9 billion, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.

Ice storms, floods, windstorms and tornadoes, did damage to homes, vehicles and commercial properties across the country.

Notably, 2018 has the fourth-highest amount of losses on record. However, unlike the Quebec ice storm in 1998, the Calgary floods in 2013 or the Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016, no single event caused the high amount paid out for losses. Instead, Canadians and their insurers experienced significant losses from a host of smaller severe weather events from coast to coast. These included:

January storms and floods that caused more than $54 million in insured damage across Eastern Canada

in insured damage across February storms and floods that caused more than $57 million in insured damage across southern Ontario and Quebec

in insured damage across southern and An early-April storm that caused more than $85 million in insured damage across Ontario and Quebec

in insured damage across and A mid-April ice storm that affected southern Ontario and resulted in more than $190 million in insured damage

and resulted in more than in insured damage An early-May windstorm that affected Ontario and parts of Quebec and topped $410 million  with $380 million of this damage being in Ontario

and parts of and topped  with of this damage being in Summer storms across the Prairies that caused more than $240 million in insured damage

in insured damage A flood in Toronto on August 7 that caused over $80 million in insured damage

on that caused over in insured damage Ottawa - Gatineau tornadoes and windstorms on September 21 caused $295 million in insured damage

- tornadoes and windstorms on caused in insured damage December storms in British Columbia that caused $37 million in insured damage

As the financial cost of a changing climate rises, IBC is working closely with governments at all levels to advocate for increased investment to mitigate the future impacts of extreme weather and build resiliency to its damaging effects. This includes investment in new infrastructure to protect communities from floods and fires, improved building codes, better land-use planning and, increasingly, creating incentives to shift the development of homes and businesses away from areas of highest risk.

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reminds Canadians that it is not only insurers who foot the bill for severe weather damage. For every single dollar paid out in insurance claims for homes and businesses, IBC estimates that Canadian governments pay out $3 to recover public infrastructure damaged by severe weather.

Visit IBC's website for information on how to prepare for a disaster and home flooding mitigation techniques.

Quotes

"Climate change is costing Canadian taxpayers, governments and businesses billions of dollars each and every year," said Craig Stewart, Vice-President of Federal Affairs for IBC. "We must take the necessary steps to limit these losses in the future. The cost of inaction is too high."

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. For more than 50 years, IBC has worked with governments across the country to help make affordable home, auto and business insurance available for all Canadians. IBC supports the vision of consumers and governments trusting, valuing and supporting the private P&C insurance industry. It champions key issues and helps educate consumers on how best to protect their homes, cars, businesses and properties.

P&C insurance touches the lives of nearly every Canadian and plays a critical role in keeping businesses safe and the Canadian economy strong. It employs more than 126,000 Canadians, pays $9 billion in taxes and has a total premium base of $54.7 billion.

For media releases and more information, visit IBC's Media Centre at www.ibc.ca . Follow us on Twitter @InsuranceBureau or like us on Facebook . If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC.

If you require more information, IBC spokespeople are available to discuss the details in this media release.

SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada

For further information: To schedule an interview, please contact: Vanessa Barrasa, Manager, Media Relations, 416-550-9062, [email protected]

Related Links

www.ibc.ca

The all-new Mazda3 adopts a matured Kodo design language that embodies the essence of traditional Japanese aesthetics. While the overall form presents a simple, single motion, subtle undulations bring the design to life through shifting light and reflections that glide over the body surface. In designing the hatchback and sedan versions of the new Mazda3, the development team took a fresh look at their respective values and personalities and then worked to maximize the unique appeal of each. The hatchback presents a powerful and seductive look with lasting visual appeal that evokes a sense of exciting experiences to come. In contrast, the clean, sleek and sophisticated beauty of the sedan speaks of maturity and refinement. The result is two body types with personalities so distinct one might even think they were completely different models.

The 2019 Mazda3 and Mazda3 Sport will be available in three trim levels: GX, GS, and GT. Beginning with the Mazda3 GX at $18,000, customers will be treated to standard features not often seen in this class, such as a digital center gauge display with 7-inch LCD screen, 8-speaker sound system, 8.8-inch Mazda Connect screen with HMI Commander, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and LED headlights and tail lights.

A GX Convenience Package will be available for $2,300 which adds 16" alloy wheels, Advanced Blind Spot Monitoring (ABSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), air conditioning, heated front seats, cruise control with steering wheel mounted controls, and body coloured power exterior mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators.

The Mazda3 Sport GX starting MSRP is $21,300 and includes all equipment from the Mazda3 GX with Convenience Package. Both sedan and hatchback start with a 2.0L Skyactiv-G engine mated to a 6-speed Skyactiv-MT manual transmission as standard equipment. A Skyactiv-Drive 6-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode and Drive Selection switch is available for an additional $1,300.

In the mid-trim Mazda3 GS, MSRP begins at $22,700 and starts off where the 2.0L GX with Convenience Package and manual transmission ends, adding dual-zone automatic climate controls, heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, rain-sensing wipers, automatic on/off headlights, and i-ACTIVSENSE safety technologies. Mazda's i-ACTIVSENSE suite of safety technology includes Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Advanced Smart City Brake Support with Pedestrian Detection, high-speed Smart Brake Support, Lane-keep Assist System, Lane Departure Warning System, High Beam Control System, Forward Obstruction Warning, and Distance Recognition Support System.

Options for the Mazda3 GS include the 2.5 litre Skyactiv-G engine with 6-speed automatic transmission, a new version of Mazda's predictive i-ACTIV AWD system, and a Luxury Package. The Luxury Package includes leatherette-trimmed upholstery, 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, driver's seat memory function, power glass moonroof, and auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Mazda's evolved i-Activ AWD newly adds "four-wheel vertical load" detection and works in harmony with G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus) to control torque distribution between the front and rear wheels. As a result, it is fully capable of responding faithfully to the driver's intentions, regardless of the driving scene. It also reduces overall mechanical loss by approximately 60% over the previous model and contributes to improved fuel economy. When equipped with AWD, the Skyactiv-G 2.5L also includes Cylinder Deactivation.

The Mazda3 Sport GS starts at $24,000 and features the 2.5 litre Skyactiv-G with Cylinder Deactivation as standard equipment, still paired with the 6-speed manual transmission. The Luxury Package is also available with the manual or automatic transmission, while i-ACTIV AWD is only available with the 6-speed automatic.

As with the outgoing model, the top trim is the Mazda3 GT, which starts at $26,200. In the sedan, the 2.5L Skyactiv-G engine and 6-speed automatic are standard equipment, along with all equipment from the GS Luxury Package. The Mazda3 GT also adds paddle shifters on the steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic levelling headlights, signature lighting on front and rear lights, Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), and Bose premium audio with 12-speakers.

Options for the GT model include i-ACTIV AWD, and a Premium Package. The Premium Package includes leather-trimmed upholstery, 10-way power adjustable driver seat with 2 position memory function, rear parking sensors, Smart Brake Support Rear (SBS-R), Smart Brake Support Rear Crossing (SBS-RC), advanced keyless entry (proximity and ignition), navigation with voice command, windshield-projected colour Active Driving Display (ADD), SiriusXM Satellite Radio, SiriusXM Traffic Plus and Travel Link services (complimentary 5-year trial subscription), and more.

The Mazda3 Sport GT is made for drivers, with a choice of 6-speed automatic or optional manual transmission mated to the 2.5L Skyactiv-G engine producing 186 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque. The Premium Package is included for the manual model. All-wheel drive is available paired only with the Skyactiv-Drive 6-speed automatic transmission.

2019 MAZDA3 MSRP TRIM PACKAGE TRANS. DRIVE ENGINE MSRP GX

6MT FWD 2.0L I4 $18,000 Convenience Package 6MT FWD 2.0L I4 $20,300 Convenience Package 6AT FWD 2.0L I4 $21,600 GS

6MT FWD 2.0L I4 $22,700

6AT FWD 2.5L I4 $24,300 i-ACTIV AWD 6AT AWD 2.5L I4 CD $26,000 Luxury Package 6AT FWD 2.5L I4 $26,200 Luxury Package, i-ACTIV AWD 6AT AWD 2.5L I4 CD $27,900 GT

6AT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $26,200 Premium Package 6AT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $28,700 Premium Package, i-ACTIV AWD 6AT AWD 2.5L I4 CD $30,400 2019 MAZDA3 SPORT MSRP TRIM PACKAGE TRANS. DRIVE ENGINE MSRP GX

6MT FWD 2.0L I4 $21,300

6AT FWD 2.0L I4 $22,600 GS

6MT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $24,000 Luxury Package 6MT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $25,900

6AT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $25,300 i-ACTIV AWD 6AT AWD 2.5L I4 CD $27,000 Luxury Package 6AT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $27,200 Luxury Package, i-ACTIV AWD 6AT AWD 2.5L I4 CD $28,900 GT

6AT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $27,200 Premium Package 6MT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $28,400 Premium Package 6AT FWD 2.5L I4 CD $29,700 Premium Package, i-ACTIV AWD 6AT AWD 2.5L I4 CD $31,400

The all-new 2019 Mazda3 will be available at Canadian Mazda dealers in the first quarter 2019.

About Mazda Canada Inc.

Mazda Canada Inc. is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer service and parts support of Mazda vehicles in Canada. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Mazda Canada has a nationwide network of 164 dealerships. For additional information visit Mazda Canada's media website at www.media.mazda.ca.

SOURCE Mazda Canada Inc.

For further information: Chuck Reimer, Mazda Canada Inc., 905-787-7079; Sandra Lemaitre, Mazda Canada Inc., 905-787-7167

Related Links

http://www.mazda.ca

OTTAWA, Jan. 15, 2019 /CNW/ - Ken Neumann, National Director of the United Steelworkers union (USW) said today that, with no sign of U.S. steel tariffs ending anytime soon, the federal government must continue safeguard measures on several categories of foreign steel imports, which surged throughout much of 2018.

"Our members themselves are appearing this month before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) to make the case for extending safeguard measures beyond the original 200-day period that began in October," Neumann said, adding that the union's participation in CITT proceedings is critical for making a decision that takes into consideration impacts on workers and communities as well as companies.

"The need to extend the safeguards is compounded by the continuing unfair, U.S.-imposed, 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian steel," he said. "The Liberal government has so far failed in its efforts to end this attack on Canadian jobs in a critical industry."

Abnormal increases of foreign steel imports into Canada are the result of initial tariffs imposed by the U.S. on much of the world last March, and prior to the start of tariffs on Canadian steel to the U.S. in June.

The CITT's mandate in the current inquiry is to determine whether imports of certain products are causing injury or threat of injury to domestic producers and warrant safeguard measures to stabilize the Canadian steel market in seven steel products.

"Of course we must rigorously defend our steel industry from a glut of foreign steel made cheap because of labour, human rights and environmental exploitation," said Neumann. "We need safeguards to ensure the stability of the steel market and to dampen the effects of Trump's tariffs.

"Beyond that, a more permanent and rational approach to steel trade is what is needed most, starting with the integrated North American market and the removal of tariffs based on a bogus charge of Canada being a threat to U.S. national security."

USW members from Algoma Steel Inc., Stelco, Ivaco, Tenaris, ArcelorMittal, Nova Tube, Evraz and AltaSteel are attending the CITT Ottawa hearings, which are scheduled to end on Jan. 24.

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

For further information: Ken Neumann, USW National Director, 416-544-5951; Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.usw.ca

The project funded primarily by the investment program of the Virtual Museum of Canada is the outcome of a partnership between the Musee de la civilisation, the Akufen creative studio, Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) and the Air Inuit regional airline. The project was made possible through the significant contribution of several members of the scientific community, national and provincial park employees and key figures from Indigenous Nations concerned with the sites selected for the exhibition: Mi'gmaq, in Kejimkujik (Nova Scotia), Innu, in Pepeshapissinikan (Quebec), Inuit, in Qajartalik (Nunavik), Blackfoot, in Aisinai'pi, at the Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park (Alberta) and the Hupacasath First Nation, in K'aka'win (British Colombia).

A Rich, Mostly Unknown Heritage

By exploring the Images on Stone. Rock Art in Canada exhibition online, the public will discover the mysteries surrounding the many rock drawings and carvings found throughout Canada. People will also learn about the various scientific and cultural aspects of this age-old phenomenon more widespread in North America than generally believed. Featuring encyclopaedic contents and a selection of five sites representative of the cultural and geographical diversity of rock art in Canada, the exhibition will highlight the means used to produce rock art, the significance of graphic contents, the Indigenous cultural communities associated with each site, the connection that they maintain with these sites and the preventive or curative measures taken to ensure their preservation.

This new exhibition is in line with the museum's commitment toward Indigenous Peoples. It asserts the institution's pledge to be a preferred partner of First Nations and Inuit in the affirmation and protection of their identity, to contribute to raising awareness about the reality, heritage and traditions of Indigenous Peoples by promoting the dissemination of their culture and to encourage the involvement of Indigenous groups in the Musee de la civilisation's activities and projects of concern to them.

Word from the Executive Director:

"There are a large number of Indigenous rock art sites in Canada. Some of them are thousands of years old, while others were created before the first contact with Europeans. This unique, astonishingly rich heritage has long remained unknown by a great many people unaware of its value, let alone its existence. The purpose of the Images on Stone. Rock Art in Canada online exhibition is to allow the public at large to experience rock art up close. Neophytes and amateurs alike will learn about the origins and Indigenous spiritual beliefs at the source of these rock art creations, their significance and how rock art inspires today's artists."

Stephan La Roche, Executive Director

Highlights:

The generic term rock art defines an age-old form of visual expression. Rock art includes paintings, drawings and carvings created on rock formations of every kind: caves, rock shelters, erratic blocks or exposed rock outcrops;

defines an age-old form of visual expression. Rock art includes paintings, drawings and carvings created on rock formations of every kind: caves, rock shelters, erratic blocks or exposed rock outcrops; Rock art has been a means of "artistic" expression for at least 5000 years;

Rock art is found on every continent, except for Antarctica . Although this mode of expression is universal, sites on each continent have their own specificities in terms of location, representation, dating and purpose;

. Although this mode of expression is universal, sites on each continent have their own specificities in terms of location, representation, dating and purpose; In Canada , rock art is found from coast to coast. The exact number of sites has yet to be determined, but they are estimated at 3 000;

, rock art is found from coast to coast. The exact number of sites has yet to be determined, but they are estimated at 3 000; British Columbia has an extremely rich rock art heritage. Some 1300 petroglyph and pictograph sites have been located on the Northwest Coast and inland. Some sites combine both forms of rock art;

has an extremely rich rock art heritage. Some 1300 petroglyph and pictograph sites have been located on the Northwest Coast and inland. Some sites combine both forms of rock art; About 800 sites with pictographs have been identified across the parts of the Canadian Shield stretching from Quebec to Saskatchewan , with most found in Ontario . In Quebec , some 20 sites have been located;

to , with most found in . In , some 20 sites have been located; In the Atlantic Provinces, only 14 petroglyph sites have been confirmed in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick , mainly on rock outcrops and erratic rocks or blocks, often found near bodies of water.

This online exhibition was designed and produced by the Musee de la civilisation in partnership with the Virtual Museum of Canada, the Akufen creative studio, Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) and the Air Inuit regional airline. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Daniel Arsenault, who laid the groundwork for this project. Through his teachings and extensive work, he contributed to increasing public awareness of this rich, mostly unknown heritage.

Related Links:

Musee de la civilisation: www.mcq.org and www.youtube.com/user/mcqpromo

Virtual Museum of Canada: www.museevirtuel.ca

SOURCE Musee de la civilisation

For further information: Media Contacts: Quebec City: Valerie Denuziere, 418 643-2158, ext. 206; email: [email protected]; Montreal: Rosemonde Gingras, 514 458-8355; email: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.mcq.org

MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The hydrogen movement in Quebec is gaining momentum.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) joined with Honda Canada Inc. and other hydrogen partners at the 2019 Montreal International Auto Show to provide an update on the overall progress of hydrogen fueling infrastructure for fuel cell electric vehicles ("FCEVs") in Quebec.

Building of Quebec's First Hydrogen Fueling Station Well Underway

The building of Quebec's first multi-fuel station, located in Quebec City, is well underway. In partnership with Harnois Energies and Hydrogenics, the station is being built with investment support from the Government of Quebec, through Transition energetique Quebec (TEQ), as well as Natural Resources Canada and Toyota.

Toyota also supplied an additional, stand-alone hydrogen fueler for the station to help ensure uninterrupted service for its customers.

"To us, what's most exciting is that the station will use an on-site electrolyzer to turn Quebec's abundant hydroelectricity into clean, sustainable hydrogen for fuel cell electric vehicles," said Martin Gilbert, Director of Corporate Strategy and Innovation, Toyota Canada Inc. "As a global leader in the production of hydroelectricity, and with this type of technology in place, Quebec is poised to be a world leader in the production of hydrogen."

The new station will start fueling vehicles in February and there are already plans to build another station in Montreal.

Honda Canada recently joined the hydrogen movement in Quebec, and will be providing investment support for the Montreal station, bringing this cutting-edge technology closer to more Quebeckers and making FCEV travel between Quebec City and Montreal even more convenient.

Fleet of Toyota Mirai FCEVs Now on Quebec Soil

At last year's Montreal International Auto Show, Toyota committed to delivering 50 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to its first Canadian customer  the Government of Quebec.

With this first fleet of Toyota Mirai now on Quebec soil, Toyota is the first automaker to bring hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to Canada en masse.

"Quebec consumers lead the way when it comes to adopting and embracing innovative clean technologies like hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles," Gilbert told the auto show audience. "It's clear that Quebeckers care about the climate  and that they're willing to take action to make a difference. It's why we believe that, perhaps more than any other market, Quebec is ready to embrace fuel cell electric vehicles."

Additional Support Put in Place for the Arrival of FCEVs

Toyota Canada has been advocating, investing and building partnerships to prepare the Quebec market for fuel cell electric vehicles. The company has been working closely with the Government of Quebec and other hydrogen stakeholders to put in place the necessary fueling infrastructure, training and service support for FCEVs.

TCI has invested in training for Quebec first responders to help them understand how fuel cell electric vehicles work and how to safely handle them. The company has also trained its local Toyota dealership technicians, and is upgrading its Quebec Zone office to enable advanced level support for FCEVs right in Quebec.

"Today, with the right vehicles, partners, investment, fueling infrastructure, and training all in place, Quebec's hydrogen movement has momentum," Gilbert told the crowd. "Quebec drivers now have another practical electrified vehicle option. Fuel cell electric vehicles are here."

The Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle has a 500km range, refuels in five minutes and has proven cold-weather reliability. Most importantly, it produces zero carbon emissions.

To learn more about the recent developments on this subject, please view the video here: https://bit.ly/2RBqWKf.

About Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over 5 million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability in the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI's head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota manufactures vehicles at two sites in Canada. Having produced more than seven million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota Corolla, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid.

For more details, including a full list of media contacts, digital images and product details please visit media.toyota.ca.

To unsubscribe or update your profile, please send an email to [email protected].

Toyota Canada Inc. | 1 Toyota Place | Toronto, ON | M1H 1H9 | Canada

SOURCE Toyota Canada Inc.

For further information: Media contact: Mylene Demers, Office: 514-286-2145 ext. 232, Mobile: 514-261-5840, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.toyota.ca

Previously unexplored sediment-hosted high-grade copper-silver district identified in north-central Peru ;

; Initial sampling has outlined 4 areas of high-grade copper and silver over 15 kilometres of strike within at least 2 structural corridors. Nineteen mineralized boulders (>0.1% copper) range in grade from 0.1% to 8.3% copper and 0.2 g/t silver to 109 g/t silver with an average grade of 2.8% copper and 27.2 g/t silver (See Table 1 and Figure 1-3);

(See Table 1 and Figure 1-3); Hannan's mineral claim applications cover 23 kilometres of potential host-rock strike by up to 6.5 kilometres width. The area contains multiple structures within low angle strata that presents an exploration target of considerable scale, with early indications that the mineralization maybe developed over the entire 23 kilometres of strike;

Copper-silver mineralization consists of disseminated chalcocite, covellite, bornite and digenite developed at the contact of oxidized and reduced strata. The host rocks are Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous, deposited within an intra-continental basin. Hannan is attracted by the geological setting of this mineralization, as the presence of a closed basin, extensive evaporites/diapirs and inversion structures corresponding with a classic sediment-hosted stratabound copper-silver deposit model (see Figure 4).

Peru is the world's second largest copper producer. Sediment-hosted deposits are the second most important source of copper globally, accounting for approximately 20% world production.

Michael Hudson, Chairman and CEO states, "The San Martin copper-silver project is an early stage project, but already demonstrates many of the features needed to consider it a tremendous discovery opportunity for Hannan. The eastern margin of the Peruvian Cordillera has seen very little previous exploration, and to collect undocumented high-grade copper-silver samples over a 15 kilometres strike is a rare and exciting experience. The project has the hallmarks of forming a significant new sediment-hosted copper-silver district, with high-grades of up to 8.3% copper and 109 g/t silver from an intra-continental salt bearing sandstone sequence. We look forward to commencing the first systematic exploration ever completed in the area over the coming months".

As was announced on 24 December, 2018, Hannan conducted initial field work at the San Martin project during late 2018 when riverbeds and creeks were prospected. Only a small proportion of the claims were accessible owing to seasonal rains, however four separate areas of high-grade mineralized copper-silver boulders were discovered over a 15 kilometre strike, across multiple structures. Grab samples taken from boulders within creeks which drain outcrop returned values ranging from 0.1 to 8.3% copper and 0.2 to 109 g/t silver with an average grade of 2.8% copper and 27.2 g/t Ag (Table 1 and Figure 1-3) over 15 kilometres of strike across two structural corridors, highlighting the potential for discovery of a strike extensive near-surface, sediment-hosted copper deposit. Grab samples are selected samples and not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property.

Mineral claim applications have been filed for a 14,800-hectare area. At this time the claim applications are in process and have not been granted. Hannan had a community liaison team on the ground before sampling took place and looks forward to working closely with all the communities in the area. Field work will recommence during Q1 2019, with the aim to extend the mineralized trend. Mineralized widths remain unknown and will be the focus of upcoming work programs.

Copper and silver mineralization is hosted by the 150 Ma Saraquillo Formation, which was deposited in an intra-continental basin during the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous period. The Saraquillo Formation is 1.2-1.8 kilometres thick and extends for over 1000 kilometres of strike. The Saraquillo is associated with salt domes which suggest widespread evaporitic strata, with several small artisanal salt mines present in the area. The Cordillera Ayu Mayo is comprised of two parallel anticlines striking north-northeast and flanked by east and west dipping thrusts. Dips vary from 0 to 35 degrees and steepen immediately adjacent to thrust faults. Mineralization is associated with the contact of fine-grained reduced carbonaceous sandstones with highly oxidized red beds of the Saraquillo Formation. Mineralization consists of disseminated chalcocite, covellite, bornite and digenite with minor fine pyrite. Chalcocite is the dominant copper sulphide and it is always found together with carbonaceous material. Chalcocite occurs as fine disseminations, fracture filling and centimetre-sized massive aggregates. Secondary copper minerals are common on exposed surfaces. Albitization and silicification is associated with the mineralization, where the former dominates in more strongly mineralized samples. The geological setting of a closed basin, extensive development of evaporites, and major structures fits well with a sediment-hosted copper-silver deposit model (Figure 4). The company has collected a wide suite of samples for petrographic studies and the results are awaited.

Management of Hannan have had significant prior experience in Peru, which is the world's second largest copper producer, with steady growth predicted over the coming years. The country's copper output is forecast to increase from 2.5 million tonnes ("Mt") in 2018 to 3.8Mt by 2027, averaging 4.7% annual growth. Sediment-hosted deposits are the world's second most important source of copper accounting for approximately 20% of world production.

Sampling and analytical procedures

All samples were collected and bagged by Hannan staff. The samples were transported by bus to ALS facility in Lima where the samples were prepared by crushing the sample to 70% < 2mm, followed by riffle split and then pulverizing the split to 85% <75um. The samples were analyzed using the ME-MS61 technique which involves four acid digestion followed by ICP-MS. Over range samples for Ag and Cu were analyzed with method OG62. Hannan did not insert any certified standard into the batch, instead relied upon certified standards inserted by ALS.

About Hannan Metals Limited (TSX.V:HAN) (OTCPK: HANNF)

Hannan Metals Limited is a base metal project generation company. It has 100% ownership of the County Clare Zn-Pb-Ag project in Ireland, which consists of 9 prospecting licenses for 35,444 hectares and has recently filed mineral claim applications for 14,800 hectares within the San Martin Province in Peru searching for copper and silver.

Over the last decade, the team behind Hannan has forged a long and successful record of discovering, financing and advancing mineral projects in Europe and Peru.

Mr. Michael Hudson FAusIMM, Hannan's Chairman and CEO, a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.

On behalf of the Board,

"Michael Hudson"

Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release contains "forward-looking statements", and "forward- looking information" under applicable securities laws. Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements, which include the Company's expectations regarding future performance based on current results, expected cash costs based on the Company's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs, which may prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projects of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: The Company's expectations regarding timing to complete field work and outcome of results, the granting of the claim applications in Peru, community relations, liabilities inherent in mine development and production, geological risks, the financial markets generally, and the ability of the Company to raise additional capital to fund future operations. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Table 1  List of samples collected by Hannan during the field work 2018 (PSAD56/UTM zone 18S).

SampleID East_18S North_18S SampleType Weight_kg Cu % Ag ppm LD1904 314356 9292335 boulder 0.88 8.26 109 LD2605 315445 9281393 boulder 0.58 6.91 7.27 LD1606 313845 9295286 boulder 1.04 6.31 93 LD1705 313885 9294173 boulder 1.02 6.09 97.6 LD1702 313830 9294354 boulder 0.79 4.82 46.2 LD1605 313828 9295316 boulder 0.67 3.66 18.5 LD1602 313795 9295402 boulder 0.38 3.22 16.35 LD1708 313829 9294265 boulder 0.38 3.22 1.39 LD2604 315097 9281077 boulder 1.1 2.83 27.4 LD1601 313918 9295489 boulder 0.72 2.15 26.2 LD1709 313709 9294383 boulder 0.57 1.18 14.5 LD1905 314491 9292341 boulder 0.83 1.06 24.6 LD1901 314249 9292330 boulder 0.57 0.913 5.37 LD1906 314412 9292339 boulder 0.68 0.743 13.95 LD1903 314296 9292337 boulder 0.77 0.589 4.39 LD1604 313786 9295378 boulder 0.45 0.38 4.68 LD1706 313885 9294173 boulder 0.91 0.301 3.03 LD2602 314825 9281012 boulder 0.44 0.176 2.23 LD1703 313831 9294317 boulder 0.4 0.101 0.23 LD1704 313866 9294211 boulder 0.95 0.0675 0.18 LD1902 314255 9292330 boulder 0.53 0.0659 0.43 LD1801 311750 9300921 boulder 0.71 0.0624 0.7 LD2601 314826 9281010 boulder 0.68 0.0337 0.41 LD1701 313795 9294584 boulder 0.88 0.0259 0.12 LD1603 313779 9295360 outcrop 0.68 0.01145 0.05 LD1707 313885 9294173 boulder 0.42 0.01125 0.03 LD2401 312519 9283545 boulder 0.59 0.00205 0.06 LD2603 315068 9281073 boulder 0.41 0.0016 0.02 LD1502 314172 9296545 boulder 1.24 0.00097 0.22 LD1503 314213 9296519 boulder 1.17 0.00063 0.23 LD1506 315212 9296325 outcrop 2.07 0.00051 0.06 LD1504 314242 9296507 boulder 1.41 0.00047 0.18 LD1501 314620 9296314 boulder 1.23 0.00043 0.14 LD1505 314382 9296364 boulder 1.01 0.00031 0.08

https://www.facebook.com/hannan.metals

https://twitter.com/hannanmetals

SOURCE Hannan Metals Ltd.

For further information: www.hannanmetals.com, 1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7, Mariana Bermudez, Corporate Secretary, +1 (604) 685 9316, [email protected]SAINT-BENOIT-DU-LAC, QC, Jan. 15, 2019 /CNW/ - The dairy sector plays a vital role in Canada's economy, contributing $20.9 billion through sales by farmers and food processors, including over $7 billion in Quebec. The Government of Canada knows the importance of supporting a strong and competitive dairy sector, to ensure Canadian families continue to benefit from high-quality products while creating well-paying jobs.

Minister of International Development and Member for Parliament of ComptonStanstead Marie-Claude Bibeau, along with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Member of Parliament for La Prairie Jean-Claude Poissant, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, today announced an investment of over $1.6 million under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund to La Corporation des Moines Benedictins (Fromagerie de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac).

This project enabled the award-winning Fromagerie de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac to purchase and install modern automation equipment in its new plant, leading to lower operation costs, increased production, higher demand of milk and job creation.

Quotes

"Our Government proudly supports the modernization and competitiveness of the dairy processing industry. This funding will help the Fromagerie de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac boost their production of award-winning, specialty-cheese and increase milk inputs from this region's dairy farmers to benefit our economy."

- Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for ComptonStanstead

"Quebec's dairy sector - especially cheese making - has grown significantly in the last 10 years. The investment announced today is one of the many examples of our Government working hand in hand with dairy farmers and processors to foster growth and competitiveness of the sector. The Government of Canada is proud to support projects like this that help processors in this region modernize and improve competitiveness, to ensure the sector remains strong and creates more, well-paying jobs."

- Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food and Member of Parliament for La Prairie

"The Saint-Benoit-du-Lac Abbey is well-known in the Eastern Townships. With its beautiful architectural elements and magnificent site, where visitors can enjoy the surrounding landscape, the monastery attracts many visitors and tourists to the region. Cheese production is a key component of their economy and people from the region are able to find work in line with monastic management values (honesty, respect, accountability, collaboration, spirit of service and dedication to quality)."

- Father Abbot Dom Andre Laberge, Saint-Benoit-du-Lac Abbey

Quick Facts

Fromagerie de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac's project was supported by the Dairy Processing Investment Fund, a $100 million , four-year (2017-21) program designed to help dairy processors modernize their operations and diversify their product lines to pursue new market opportunities.

, four-year (2017-21) program designed to help dairy processors modernize their operations and diversify their product lines to pursue new market opportunities. The Fromagerie de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac, located in the Eastern Township area of Quebec, is a small-scale specialty-cheese and award-winning producer operating since 1943, employing 19 people. It specializes in 13 different types of blue-veined and swiss-type cheese including the Mont-Saint-Benoit, Frere Jacques and Ermite.

Canada's dairy sector is also supported by the associated Dairy Farm Investment Program, a $250 million , five-year federal investment launched in August 2017 . To date, over 1900 projects have been approved for funding support valued at over $128 million , including over 870 projects in Quebec worth over $49 million , in a wide array of projects from small investments in cow comfort equipment to large ones for automated milking systems.

Associated Links

Follow us on Twitter: @AAFC_Canada

Like us on Facebook: CanadianAgriculture

SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

For further information: Katie Hawkins, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, 613-773-1059, [email protected]; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]; Mr. Charles Dorion, General Director, Fromagerie de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac, [email protected], 819-843-4080 ext 6502

Related Links

www.agr.gc.ca

VANCOUVER, Jan. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - The cost of insured losses due to extreme weather in British Columbia (BC) and across the country continues to rise. Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reports that the windstorms that battered the southern coast of BC on December 20 caused over $37 million in insured damage to homes, businesses and vehicles. This event has pushed the total insured damage from extreme weather in Canada to $1.9 billion for 2018.

As the financial cost of a changing climate rises, IBC is working closely with governments at all levels to advocate for increased investment to mitigate the future impacts of extreme weather and build resiliency to its damaging effects. This includes investment in new infrastructure to protect communities from floods and fires, improved building codes, better land-use planning and, increasingly, creating incentives to shift the development of homes and businesses away from areas of highest risk.

December's storm damaged over 3,000 homes across southwestern BC and left over 750,000 BC Hydro customers without power. It downed large trees and hydro poles across Vancouver Island, the southern Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland. In White Rock, the winds caused boats to damage the pier. Due to strong winds and flooding, a state of emergency was declared for Tseshaht First Nation.

IBC reminds consumers to be insurance aware. Know what your policy covers before severe weather hits. Ask your insurance representative about what coverage is included or what you need to add on, such as overland flooding coverage. Consumers who have questions can also call IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC.

Visit IBC's website for information on how to prepare for a disaster and home flooding mitigation techniques.

Quote

"The financial costs of climate change are increasing rapidly. Last month's storm events are the latest example of the need to improve our resilience to climate change and adapt to the new weather reality we face," said Aaron Sutherland, Vice-President, Pacific, IBC.

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. For more than 50 years, IBC has worked with governments across the country to help make affordable home, auto and business insurance available for all Canadians. IBC supports the vision of consumers and governments trusting, valuing and supporting the private P&C insurance industry. It champions key issues and helps educate consumers on how best to protect their homes, cars, businesses and properties.

P&C insurance touches the lives of nearly every Canadian and plays a critical role in keeping businesses safe and the Canadian economy strong. It employs more than 126,000 Canadians, pays $9 billion in taxes and has a total premium base of $54.7 billion.

For media releases and more information, visit IBC's Media Centre at www.ibc.ca. Follow IBC on Twitter @InsuranceBureau and @IBC_West or like us on Facebook. If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 18442ask-IBC.

If you require more information, IBC spokespeople are available to discuss the details in this media release.

SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada

For further information: To schedule an interview, please contact: Vanessa Barrasa, Manager, Media Relations, 416-550-9062, [email protected]

Related Links

www.ibc.ca

With this investment Atlantic will hold 39.2% on a partially diluted basis in Velocity and looks forward to working closely with Velocity management to further advance Velocity's Rozino project through feasibility study and ultimately, construction and commissioning.

Atlantic recognizes many of the key characteristics of its Moose River Consolidated Mine in Velocity's properties (as derived from Velocity's Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the Rozino Project completed on September 17, 2018), namely the potential for:

AISC in the range of ~USD$550 -650/oz, in the lower decile of industry costs

-650/oz, in the lower decile of industry costs Low initial capex

Low strip ratio deposits with a 1.51 g/t Life of Mine (" LOM ") gold grade

") gold grade Resource extension potential at existing deposits

Simple metallurgy and conventional processing methods

Potential for multiple open pits which could be treated through a central milling facility

An under-explored gold belt, with little, if any modern gold exploration

Bulgaria is a country with a long mining history and has been proven in recent years to be a jurisdiction where Canadian mining companies can successfully operate and develop gold mining operations. Velocity also brings a significant additional advantage through its local partner, with which it has agreement to process mineralized material through its currently operating CIL process facility located near the Rozino deposit.

The above AISC and gold grades are based off disclosure in Velocity's PEA on the Rozino Project (see Velocity's news release dated September 17, 2018). The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The Financing comprises the following:

An investment of $3,906,000 to acquire 18,600,000 units (the " Units ") of Velocity (the " Equity Financing ") at a price of $0.21 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of Velocity ( each, a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (" Warrant "), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one common share in the capital of Velocity at a price of $0.25 per share for a period of 36 months from the closing of the Financing.



to acquire 18,600,000 units (the " ") of Velocity (the " ") at a price of per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of Velocity each, a and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (" "), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one common share in the capital of Velocity at a price of per share for a period of 36 months from the closing of the Financing. The remaining investment to be made in exchange for the issuance of convertible debentures of Velocity in the principal amount of $5,094,000 (the "Debenture Financing"), which will earn interest at a rate of 8.5% per annum over a 60-month term (the "Term"), payable semi-annually in cash or common shares of Velocity at the discretion of Velocity. The principal amount of the convertible debentures will be convertible to common shares of Velocity during the Term at the election of Atlantic at a conversion price of $0.25 . The convertible debentures issued under the Debenture Financing will be secured with a first ranking charge at any time by way of general security agreement and guarantees from each material subsidiary of Velocity.

Velocity intends to use the proceeds of the Financing to advance its Rozino gold project towards feasibility and permitting, including resource expansion and definition drilling, engineering studies, and environmental monitoring and assessment. In addition, Velocity will proceed with exploration and assessment of satellite deposits in Bulgaria where Velocity has negotiated option rights.

Steven Dean, Chairman and CEO commented "Atlantic is pleased to enter into a strategic partnership with the Velocity management team with the shared objective of advancing its Bulgarian exploration assets through to feasibility stage and beyond.

Through our understanding of the Bulgarian mineral properties to date, Atlantic sees many of the hallmarks we recognised only 4 years ago in our Moose River Consolidated mine which has led to its successful construction, commissioning and operation as the lowest cost producer in the sector with significant production growth in the near future.

We look forward to completing the Financing in short order and working collaboratively with Velocity in 2019."

Other key terms of the Agreement include the following:

Atlantic to have the right to appoint one individual to serve as a director of Velocity provided Atlantic owns at least 15% of the common shares of Velocity, with the number of nominees increasing to 2 out of five directors when Atlantic's share ownership of Velocity exceeds 30%

Atlantic's voting rights in Velocity to be limited to 35% of Velocity's outstanding shares, other than, among other things, in the context of a change of control of Velocity, if Velocity is in default under the agreements related to the Financing, or with approval of Velocity

Atlantic and Velocity will enter into a separate agreement whereby Atlantic provides certain commercial and technical services from time to time as agreed by the parties

Other rights customary for a strategic investor including but not limited to anti-dilution rights, standstill periods on further acquisitions and/or dispositions of shares, and minority shareholder protections

All securities issued in connection with the Financing will be subject to a hold period of four-months and one day in Canada. The Financing is subject to acceptance for filing by the TSX Venture Exchange, Atlantic being satisfied with its due diligence regarding Velocity, and the delivery of certain closing documents. Velocity has obtained the approval of the shareholders of Velocity for Atlantic becoming a control person of Velocity as required under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange by consent resolution. Atlantic has also entered into voting support agreements with the directors and officers of Velocity, holding in aggregate 36.7% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Velocity.

Atlantic does not currently own or have control or direction over any securities of Velocity. Following closing of the Financing, Atlantic will beneficially own and have control and direction over an aggregate of 18,600,000 common shares of Velocity representing approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of Velocity. Assuming conversion of both the convertible debenture and the exercise of the Warrants offered to Atlantic pursuant to the Financing, Atlantic would own and/or control, directly and indirectly, 48,276,000 common shares, representing 39.2% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Velocity on a partially diluted basis.

About Velocity

Velocity is an exploration and development company with a medium-term strategy to move towards gold production in Bulgaria. A Preliminary Economic Assessment has been completed on the Rozino gold project and Velocity is focused on expansion and exploration drilling as part of feasibility-level work. Six additional near surface gold projects provide additional potential for resource growth.

Velocity envisions staged open pit mining of satellite deposits and processing in a central CIL plant. An existing, operating processing plant is available through an Exploration and Mining Alliance with its established Bulgarian operating partner. Velocity's strategy is to build a production profile of more than 100,000 ounces of gold per year for over 10 years.

Rozino PEA (excerpts taken from Velocity's news release dated September 17, 2018)

On September 17, 2018, Velocity announced the results of an independent PEA on its Rozino gold project ("Rozino" or the "Project") located in southeast Bulgaria. The PEA provides a base case assessment of developing the Project by open pit mining and gold recovery by a combination of on-site preconcentration in a flotation plant ("Flotation Plant") and further processing in an existing operating carbon-in-leach plant ("CIL Plant") located in Kardzhali, 85km by road from Rozino. Saleable gold dore will be produced at Kardzhali. The PEA financial model returns an after-tax NPV5% of $129 million and an after-tax internal rate of return ("IRR") of 33.1%.

Rozino is located within the Tintyava prospecting license, an exploration property in which Velocity had an exclusive right to acquire a 70% interest by delivering the PEA report to the underlying property owner, Gorubso Kardzhali A.D. ("Gorubso"). With the delivery of the PEA in Q4 2018, Velocity is deemed to have earned a 70% interest in the Tintyava Property and to be in Joint Venture with Gorubso for the further development of the Property.

PEA1 Highlights

After-Tax Financials : After-tax NPV 5% of $129 million and after-tax IRR of 33%

: After-tax NPV of and after-tax IRR of 33% Cash Cost : All-in sustaining cost 2 of US$543 per ounce

: All-in sustaining cost of per ounce Annual Gold Production : Steady state 3 annual production of 65,000 ounces, peak annual production of 78,000 ounces

: Steady state annual production of 65,000 ounces, peak annual production of 78,000 ounces Capital Costs : Total estimated capital costs of $97.6 million (includes contingency)

: Total estimated capital costs of (includes contingency) Sustaining Capital : Low estimated sustaining capital of $6.3 million

: Low estimated sustaining capital of Mining : Open pit with 0.6 g/t gold Cut-Off Grade (COG), attractive strip ratio of 2.5 and 1.51 g/t LOM gold grade

: Open pit with 0.6 g/t gold Cut-Off Grade (COG), attractive strip ratio of 2.5 and 1.51 g/t LOM gold grade Processing : On-site flotation producing gold bearing pyrite concentrate assaying 30 g/t and transportation to the CIL Plant (located 85 km from the Project) for processing

: On-site flotation producing gold bearing pyrite concentrate assaying 30 g/t and transportation to the CIL Plant (located 85 km from the Project) for processing ROCE: Return on capital expenditure of 3.3

(1) Base case parameters assume a gold price of US$1,250/ounce and an exchange rate (CAD$ to US$) of 0.75. All amounts are

reported in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified. Financial results on 100% equity basis. (2) All In Sustaining Cost (AISC) is defined as all cash costs related to mining and processing to final product. It includes on-mine

and off-mine costs (direct and indirect). Sustaining capital costs related to continuing the business including exploration,

development and equipment required to sustain production are included. Taxes, working capital, M&A, disposals and

acquisitions as well as new mine development capital costs are excluded (3) Steady state refers to the long-term average over time where processing throughput is maintained at nameplate capacity

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The PEA was prepared by CSA Global, an international mining consultancy with experience in Bulgaria, in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Updated Mineral Resource Estimate - Rozino

An updated mineral resource estimate using all of the relevant drill hole information to date was reported for a range of cut-off grades returning an Inferred mineral resource of 13Mt @ 1.37g/t gold at a 0.6 g/t gold cut-off grade, for total contained gold of 573,000 ounces. The estimates are based on 2m down-hole composited gold assay grades from angled diamond drilling.

Velocity has received results from approximately 9,050m of diamond drilling to date. Relative to the dataset available for the previous March 2018 estimates, the current sampling database contains assay results for an additional 12 holes for 1,580m of drilling.

1 Effective date September 10, 2018 2 Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. 3 The mineral resource disclosed herein has been estimated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining,

Metallurgy and Petroleum "CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" (CIM, 2014) 4 Any known legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of

the mineral resource are detailed below in the section entitled "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information"

Please see Velocity's news release dated September 17, 2018 for additional information regarding the PEA and updated resource estimate.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Stuart A. Mills, BSc, MSc, CGeol, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and the Velocity's Vice President Exploration. Mr. Mills is independent of the Company.

Further updates will be provided in due course.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Steven Dean

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About Atlantic:

Atlantic is a well-financed, growth-oriented gold development group with a long-term strategy to build a mid-tier gold production company focused on manageable, executable projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions.

Atlantic is focused on growing gold production in Nova Scotia beginning with its MRC phase one open pit gold mine which declared commercial production in March 2018, and its phase two Life of Mine Expansion which will ramp up gold production to + 200,000 ounces per year at industry lowest quartile cash and all-in-sustaining-costs (as stated in the Company's news releases dated January 16, 2019 and January 29, 2018).

Atlantic is committed to the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility and continually invests in people and technology to manage risks, maximize outcomes and returns to all stakeholders.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this press release, and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Financing, including the ability to close the Financing, the benefits of the Financing, the timing of the Financing and approvals related thereto; Velocity's properties, including plans and expectations of Velocity and Atlantic related to the properties; statements related to Atlantic's proposed exploration and development programs, grade and tonnage of material and resource estimates; discussions of future plans, guidance, projections, objectives, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, among other things, the activities contemplated in this news release and the timing and receipt of requisite approvals in respect thereof. Forward looking information, including future oriented financial information (such as guidance) provides investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. These forward looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results may vary. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary include without limitation, the ability to close the Financing, timing and receipt of certain approvals, changes in commodity and power prices, changes in interest and currency exchange rates, risks inherent in exploration estimates and results, timing and success, inaccurate geological and metallurgical assumptions (including with respect to the size, grade and recoverability of mineral reserves and resources), changes in development or mining plans due to changes in logistical, technical or other factors, unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications, cost escalation, unavailability of materials, equipment and third party contractors, delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters), political risk, social unrest, and changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, the assumptions that: (1) market fundamentals will result in sustained gold demand and prices; (2) the receipt of any necessary approvals and consents in connection with the development of any properties; (3) the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of any mineral properties; and (4) sustained commodity prices such that any properties put into operation remain economically viable. Information concerning mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates also may be considered forward-looking statements, as such information constitutes a prediction of what mineralization might be found to be present if and when a project is actually developed. Certain of the risks and assumptions are described in more detail in the Company's audited financial statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The actual results or performance by the Company could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements relating to those matters. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what impact they will have on the results of operations or financial condition of the Company. Except as required by law, the Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, alter or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Atlantic Gold Corporation

For further information: about Atlantic, please contact: Chris Batalha (CFO), +1 604 689-5564; Maryse Belanger (President and COO), +1 604 689-5564

Related Links

www.atlanticgoldcorporation.com

The 4-hour workshop, titled "Mastering the Art of Talking to Investors," will provide key tips and best practices to prepare entrepreneurs to choose the right time to seek financing, target the right investors, as well as to demystify often overlooked topics, including business valuation and the key elements of a perfect pitch.

Getting ready to approach investors

"There are many factors that influence the success an entrepreneur will have with its' fundraising but knowing the investors you are talking to is definitely one of the most important, and often the most underrated " points out Stephanie Schwanen, Director of Communications at Anges Quebec.

This initiative stems from a finding by Anges Quebec that entrepreneurs lack the tools to prepare themselves to approach investors. "A common mistake entrepreneurs make is spending too much time talking about their product, their technology. Entrepreneurs must keep in mind that the investor often does not buy the product, but a part of the company in exchange for capital" adds Caroline Pelletier, Vice-President Screening at Anges Quebec.

Thanks to this tour, in which some 20 angels member of Anges Quebec will take part in, the organization also aims to demystify the role of angel to potential investors.

"The benefits of becoming a member of a network like ours are great: the investor has access to a pool of diversified expertise, qualified and seasoned investors and profitable investment opportunities. We will take advantage of this tour to meet potential investors interested in learning more about our organization" said Francois Gilbert, CEO of Anges Quebec.

A tour available on Soul.City

The Angels On Tour trajectory will be available on Soul.City, a company funded by Anges Quebec, which has developed an application where the user lives an enhanced experience of discovering cities via an emotional platform, all over the world. The tour will be unveiled progressively via the application.

"Soul.City is delighted to be part of the Angels On Tour initiative. Since our company was funded by Anges Quebec, I can say that angels have an approach that is different from other venture capital funds, and I believe that every entrepreneur will benefit greatly from this workshop" adds Annick Charbonneau, CEO of Soul.City.

To be informed of the tour dates, download Soul.City (avaible on iOS and Android) or subscribe to Anges Quebec's newsletter.

About Anges Quebec

Anges Quebec is the largest group of angel investors in Quebec. Its mission is to allow its more than 230 members to make profitable investments. The members of Ange Quebec have invested to this date, over $80 M in the Quebec economy, totalling over 210 investments in more than 100 innovating companies. Thanks to its professional development center, Anges Quebec supports its members in their ongoing acquisition of new skills and knowledge inherent to investing.

SOURCE Anges Quebec

For further information: Information and interviews: Stephanie Schwanen, Communications and Community Director | Anges Quebec, Cell : (514) 895-7622 | [email protected]Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are sparing no expense while renovating their new home, Frogmore Cottageand the latest reports reveal how much they're spending, and on what!

According to The Times of London, the royal couple will throw down $3.8 million on Frogmore, which is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, about 30 miles west of London. That might seem like a lot of money to spend, but keep in mind these former servants' quarters need a lot of work. For one, they'll be taking the cottage's five apartments and merging them into one 10-bedroom home.

And besides, these are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex we're talking about, so we doubt there'll be much need for corner-cutting.

"Renovations using the best finishes with top-of-the-line, custom 'everything' is $1,000 per square foot," says Michael Hershkowitz, a contractor and founder of REDOnyc in New York City. "Plus they are including structural work[$3.8 million] is probably not an unreasonable figure."

So where will that money go? Here's a rundown of the renovations reportedly in the works.

A green energy unit

Meghan and Harry are planning to install a $60,000 green energy unit. Um, what's that? It's a way to provide heat, hot water, and electricity to the home with minimal carbon emissions. After all, this royal couple is passionate about the environment! In fact, two of the seven charities they supported at their wedding were environmental charities, according to Live Kindly.

We don't have particulars on the exact type of green energy unit, but given the size of the home, one likely possibility cited by experts is a solar water-heating unit, a hybrid system that uses solar water heating along with other low-carbon technologies like a heat pump or a wood boiler, according to Simple Energy Advice. In addition to being environmentally-friendly, these units save on energy costs over time.

A floating floor

A floating floor sounds like the stuff of fairy tales, making it perfect for a royal couple.

The reality is a bit more mundane, though. When it comes to flooring, a "floating floor" refers to an installation method. Floating floors are held in place with tongue and groove joints rather than being nailed or glued to the original flooring, according to Networx.

"There are all sorts of reasons to go with a floating floor," says California real estate developer Tyler Drew. "Floating floors are often popular with houses that lack cement foundation and rely on wood joists for support."

A mom/baby yoga studio

Meghan is building a yoga room, with a special springy floor typically found in dance studios, according to the Daily Mail. Hey, only the best for mom and tot. And after all, this baby's grandmother is a yoga instructor!

Additional fireplaces

Harry and Meghan will also be adding a few grand fireplaces, the Mail reports, a delightfully homey touch. Can't you easily envision them reading a book to their little one in front of a cozy fire?

More stairs

More stairs will be added to the home, too. Most likely this is to ensure "that security personnel can move through the house without disturbing the occupants," according to Drew.

In other words: No need for random bump-ins with bodyguards, since they'll have their own methods of navigating from story to story.

Security

Frogmore Cottage is currently highly accessible, which won't work for the royal couple. While the exact details of their plans are unknown, one unnamed source told The Times that Frogmore's security measures will be more "like Fort Knox" by the time they're done. Experts surmise that these measures will include fencing, road closures, alarms, and video cameras, among other things.

A satellite dish

Plans for the cottage also include what some see as a real eyesore: an outside satellite dish.

It looks like these royals enjoy their TV time! What better way to unwind after a long day of diplomatic duties than tuning in to a rousing rugby match?

Still, the dish has ruffled some locals' feathers. In the words of one historian interviewed by The Sun, with typical British understatement: "Oh, dear, a satellite dish. It's not quite right."

Right or wrong, what the royals want, the royals get.

The post Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's $3.8M Renovationand One Horrible Eyesore They're Adding appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.The White Horse Country Pub and Restaurant in New Preston donated $4,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank, which can provide 12,000 meals.

The money was raised from the Christmas Ornament sale. The ornaments were crafted by Woodbury Pewter and sold for $20 each  all of which goes to the food bank.DANBURY  Hundreds of federal employees working without pay during the government shutdown can find some relief from Union Savings Bank and Danbury City Hall.

The bank announced Thursday afternoon it will provide no-interest loans to federal employees who either live or work in Danbury, such as the roughly 260 corrections officers and staff at the Federal Correctional Institution.

Workers who apply can receive up to five times the amount of their paycheck if they are paid biweekly or twice the amount if they are paid monthly, Union Savings Bank CEO and President Cynthia Merkle said.

The city will collect food for local pantries and prepaid gas cards to distribute to federal employees as the shutdown drags on, Mayor Mark Boughton said.

We want to just put politics aside; we dont want to comment, good or bad or indifferent or whatever, we want to be able to help people, Boughton said. While Washington is broken, the city of Danbury works and we work to move things from A to B and keep compassion alive and well here.

The local announcement comes on the heels of a program unveiled this week by Gov. Ned Lamont, Webster Bank and the Connecticut Bankers Association  which Merkle helps lead  to provide state-guaranteed, zero-interest loans to the about 1,500 federal employees working across the state.

Communities and agencies across the country are all finding ways to pitch in to help about 800,000 federal employees nationwide affected by the shutdown, already is the longest in U.S. history, with no end in sight.

We really believe that what were doing here clearly aligns with the mission of Union Savings Bank to serve the individuals in our communities and we decided we really needed to be proactive, not withstanding whats happening at the state level, Merkle said.

Accepted applicants through Union Savings Bank will receive the money within 24 hours with no fees or prepayment penalties, she said. Half the amount borrowed would be due 90 days after the loan is made and the outstanding amount must be paid in 120 days.

Federal employees need only their two most recent pay stubs to apply and the bank will perform a credit check.

The program will be a huge boost for the 100 corrections officers and 160 nurses, doctors and other staff working at the prison without any pay, said Drew Ueberroth, president of the union representing prison employees.

None have been paid during the shutdown  including the warden, he said.

They have more bills to pay, families to feed, driving to work, he said. Every week this goes on it gets more and more stressful for staff.

We have people not coming to work now because they had to decide whats more important: Staying home and making sure they have food for their family or coming to work, he continued. Unfortunately, every one has to make that decision on their own.

Those calling out of work leave others to pick up the extra shifts, keeping those officers and staff from finding other paying work, too, correctional officer and union steward Matt Moon said. He has worked at the prison for 10 years and said the uncertainty surrounding this shutdown gives it an entirely different tenor than the shutdown in 2013.

Theres so much unknown about this shutdown, it really wears on people, Moon said.

The city will collect food and items for local pantries to stock up should the shutdown drag on into March, when SNAP and welfare benefits might start to be affected by the lack of funding, Boughton and city health director Lisa Morrissey said.

Officials are asking for prepaid gas cards that can be distributed to federal employees working in the area, some of whom drive two hours or more to work at the prison from New York and even New Jersey.

Those items can be dropped of at any Union Savings Bank branch or any Savings Bank of Danbury branch, Boughton said. Savings Bank of Danbury will participate in the state loan program, officials have said.

zach.murdock@hearstmediact.comInterim Superintendent JeanAnn Paddyfote has presented a nearly $98.3 million budget for the 2019-20 school year  a 3.43 percent increase  to the Board of Education.

The figure is less than the 5.2 percent increase Paddyfote had previously suggested.

Paddyfote said the lower increase was created by the reduction of two additional staff members at East Ridge Middle School, which has seen declining enrollment over the last three years.

Paddyfote had originally planned for a four-teacher reduction at East Ridge. Her new budget proposal calls for a reduction of those four teachers, as well as an assistant principal position and a full-time school secretary.

The assistant principal is actually a ten-month position, and the secretary is a ten-month position, said Paddyfote.

There were also additional proposed staffing reductions at the elementary level  art teachers and office paraprofessionals, bringing the total reduction in staff to 10.13 full-time equivalent positions across the district.

The 2019-20 budget would also eliminate one district administrator position  the coordinator of psychologists, who works at the Ridgefield Public Schools offices at 66 Prospect St.

In total, the proposed staffing cuts are projected to save the district $672,608 in salary alone.

Its $672,000 but what you dont see is the reduction in employee benefits, Paddyfote said.

New staff

The budget also asks for new staff.

Three new school psychologists would be added to the elementary schools, costing $220,000 in salaries. The schools would also hire two board-certified behavioral analysts for the central office, costing $143,800 in salaries.

In total, those five positions would cost the district $363,800  the cost of which would be offset by reductions in spending on professional education services, according to Paddyfote.

The 2019-20 proposed budget would also have the district hire a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) supervisor for the central office, which would cost $162,506.

The budget proposal also calls for part-time positions to be hired at Farmingville Elementary School, Ridgefield High School, and Scotts Ridge Middle School. Those three positions would cost $29,447.

Budget drivers

The increase is mostly being driven by salaries and benefits, which together make up about 68 percent of the nearly $3.3 million budget increase Paddyfote proposed.

Salaries for both certified staff ($48.3 million) and non-certified staff ($10.8 million), along with employee benefits ($19.6 million) make up about 80 percent of the total budget.

The remaining 20 percent of the budget proposal is taken up by transportation costs, special education costs and tuition for outplaced students, energy, repairs and maintenance, and supplies and materials. Also included in the 20 percent is $5 million in all other expenses, which Paddyfote said includes items like pensions, liability, and workers comp.

One area of risk is the cost of health insurance, which the budget predicts will rise by 7 percent.

Paddyfote has previously said the district health insurance could go up as much as 20 percent.

She noted that while Ridgefield ranks somewhere in the middle of District Reference Group A, the socio-economic grouping applied by the state, it spends the least per-student compared with the eight other towns in the DRG.

Ridgefield spent $17,961 per pupil during 2016-17 school year, Paddyfote told the board, compared to the $21,734 Redding spent per pupil. Weston ($20,890), Westport ($20,387), New Canaan ($20,162), Darien ($20,157), and Wilton ($19,865) all spent more per pupil than Ridgefield in 2016-17.

I just dont know how you can sustain that, said Paddyfote, regarding Ridgefields performance compared to how much it spends.

If you want to move forward and you want to make gains, she added, youre getting to that tipping point where if you dont leverage the funds in the right way youre not going to get the results.BETHEL  A special town meeting will be held Tuesday to consider spending $450,000 for a cooling system for the middle school.

The schools 27-year-old chiller plant often fails in the heat and needs to be replaced, district officials said.

The money would come from the towns fund balance, and the district hopes to install the new system in May, before the hot weather comes.

The system went down during the heat at the beginning of the school year and the moisture levels in the school became severe, Superintendent Christine Carver told the Board of Selectmen at a meeting this month.

The humidity levels built up so much within the building that kids were slipping, she said. The building is literally raining (in) spots because it gets thrown off to such a degree. Its not just about being comfortable, which is obviously a big factor, but its about what it does to the interior of the building.

A chiller plant is similar to an air conditioning system in a home, but it is much larger and has components in and out of the building, said Bob Germinaro, the districts supervisor of facility and security operations.

He said the plant was state-of-the-art when it was installed in 1992 and had a life span of 20 to 25 years.

But the cooling tower outside is deteriorating, while the compressors inside cannot run to full speed because they are losing the ability to maintain pressure, Germinaro said.

Its becoming problematic getting it repaired, Germinaro said. Its very old technology.

Peregrine Energy Group, a Stamford-based company, recommended the town replace the plant as part of its study of the systems in the school buildings, said Teri Yonsky, director of fiscal services.

The school structure itself is very good, but some of the systems are aging out, she said.

Based on Peregrines recommendation, the district replaced valves throughout the middle school through its operating budget.

The town also spent $230,000 in the fall for two new boilers at the middle school. That funding came from money left over from previous fiscal years, but there is not enough remaining in that account to pay for the chiller plant, Yonksy said.

She said the district cannot wait until the regular budget process to receive the money because the plant needs to be replaced before the hot weather.

The boards of selectmen and finance approved $450,000 for the project, but the schools might not need to spend the full amount, depending on the type of plant the district chooses.

Germinaro, Selectman Rich Straiton and an engineer from Peregrine will evaluate bids to see whether a water cool or air cool system would be best.

Yonsky said she received estimates of $390,000 for the air system and $420,000 for the water system. For the latter, the district would need a water treatment system, as well, but the funding would cover that.

Germinaro said he will weigh which system would fit better in the school and whether parts would come from overseas. The air system is the latest technology, but the water system still works well, he said.

The newer water systems are just as good, but it all boils down to cost and energy efficiency, Germinaro said.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Meeting Room A of the municipal center.Wednesday was hardly a joyous milestone in the world of beer, wine and liquor, but that didnt stop them from raising a toast of half-priced cocktails at Elis Tavern in Milford.

And why not? The 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution  better known as Prohibition, banning most alcoholic beverages  at least highlights the healthy state of the industry today.

So Kevin Fitzsimmons, general manager and part-owner at Elis, featured happy hour prices on sidecars and old-fashioneds for the occasion. Speakeasy drinks, he called them.

Hopefully history doesnt repeat itself, he said as he prepped for the after-work crowd.

No, it doesnt repeat, but it does ebb and flow, like the fluid dynamics of a keg, a cask or the fifth of bourbon used to make those sidecars (mix with lemon). The spirits industry just had its eighth straight year of added market share, reaching 36.6 percent of the total alcoholic beverage market, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Distilled Spirits Council.

Distilled spirits sales rose 2.6 percent to 226 million cases, which means the better part of a case per adult.

The council had parties last month around the 85th anniversary of repeal, including one at the French ambassadors residence. We were thanking them for supplying us during the long, dark years, said Frank Coleman, senior vice president at the council.

And in Connecticut lately, the alcoholic beverage trade has been in the news. Breweries, now numbering almost 90, along with wine and liquor tasting rooms, are trying to win state approval to sell more product over the counter  a measure the powerful package store association opposes.

Photos: On this day  Jan. 16, 1919  Prohibition takes effect in US

Diageo North America said last week it will move its headquarters from Norwalk to lower Manhattan at the start of 2020. That will cost Connecticut 350 of the 600 local Diageo jobs as the company migrates to a denser field of marketing talent.

The good news  and theres always some of that in the spirits business  is that Diageo will keep 250 people in Fairfield County, at a location yet to be determined.

We are committed to continuing to operate in Connecticut. Our Fairfield County office will house a number of teams, including our innovation center of excellence, said Deirdre Mahlan, president of Diageo North America, in w written statement. We share the governors optimism for the future of the state and look forward to helping deliver on that vision.

Thats the first high-profile loss for Gov. Ned Lamont, with at least a consolation prize. The center of excellence is, as one company official put it, where all of the innovation liquids are designed.

By rights, Connecticut should keep those testing labs because, back 100 years ago, we were one of only two states, along with Rhode Island, to outright reject Prohibition, with a 20-14 vote in the state Senate. (Apparently two senators were out tipping one up for the evening when it came time to vote.)

Diageo has as part of its roots a storied Connecticut spirits maker, Heublein, of Hartford. I was there on the sad day in 1995 when Heublein, then part of London-based Grand Metropolitan, closed its Smirnoff plant, idling 240 workers in the capital city.

Less than three years later, the newly formed Diageo moved hundreds of Heublein headquarters employees to Stamford. That period, the mid-90s, was a low point for distilled spirits, said David Ozgo, chief economist of the spirits council.

Heublein had made it through Prohibition on the strength of its A.1. steak sauce and other food products but couldnt survive corporate consolidation. And while almost no one can recall Prohibition today, people in the industry dont want it forgotten.

Theres never been a constitutional amendment that put a whole industry out of business, said Coleman, at the spirits council. Its a cautionary tale of good intentions run amok ... the bottom line is that it left us with way more crime, all kinds of bad alcohol, government tax revenue went through the floor.

That last point is no small deal, then and now. An hour-long, 2012 documentary, Prohibition: Connecticut Goes Dry, produced and directed at CPTV by my friend Jennifer Boyd, shows how the dire need for tax revenues in the depth of the recession sped up repeal. (Disclosure: Ive been in, and helped with, some of Boyds many documentaries.)

Boyds piece called Connecticut the wettest state, highlighting the booze-filled Roaring 20s in Westport, with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his crowd. It makes clear that enforcement was weak at best.

Sounds like marijuana laws, todays rapidly ending prohibition. Connecticut will soon in all likelihood join the ranks of recreational-legal states. As always, theres talk of abuse and addiction, with the affected industries saying theyre doing their parts.

Legal pot wont affect the sale of distilled spirits, according to the spirits council. The group released a report last week showing spirits sales have not been negatively impacted in the three states that have had legalized recreational marijuana retail sales the longest. Those are Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

In Norwalk, an entrepreneur is planning a distillery that will produce spirits made from seeds and flowers of hemp, a marijuana cousin. Now thats a combo.

Prohibition itself started a year after ratification, giving the feds time to write rules and rich drinkers time to stock up. These days, it isnt puritanical Protestants leading the temperance movement opposing looser alcohol laws.

Public health advocates are much, much bigger players in the anti-alcohol movement, said Ozgo, the spirits council economist. They get tons of money from the federal government.

And so the debate over laws continues. The industry says its working to cut down abuse and addiction. Fitzsimmons, serving anniversary speakeasy drinks at Elis Wednesday night, respects the history. Hes the son of a retired New York City IRS criminal investigator.

Eliot Ness was his idol.

dhaar@hearstmediact.comhighlights The Al-Shabaab termed the attack retaliation for Trumps Jerusalem move.

Al-Shabaab terrorists stormed the DusitD2 complex in Kenya's Nairobi.

The death count in the Nairobi attack has reached to 21.

New Delhi:

The deadly terrorist attack in Nairobi, in which 21 people were killed, was retaliation for US President Donald Trumps move to declare Jerusalem as Israels capital, the Al-Shabaab jihadist group said according to the SITE monitoring group. A statement by the group traced by the SITE claimed that its fighters stormed the DusitD2 complex on instructions by Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

"It is a response to the witless remarks of the US president, Donald Trump, and his declaration of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel," the SITE quoted the group as saying.

A group of terrorists inspired and instructed by the Al-Qaeda leader stormed the DusitD2 complex on Tuesday. In the deadly attack, 21 people have lost their lives with many still undergoing treatment in critical condition. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed that the 20-hour-long operation to eliminate the terrorists hiding in the DusitD2 building has ended.

Earlier, it was reported that 15 people have been killed by the terrorists. The count, however, is expected to rise further as the Kenyan police scoured the rubble of a Nairobi hotel complex for more victims.

The deadly terrorist attack in Nairobi, in which 21 people were killed, was retaliation for US President Donald Trumps move to declare Jerusalem as Israels capital, the Al-Shabaab jihadist group said according to the SITE monitoring group. A statement by the group traced by the SITE claimed that its fighters stormed the DusitD2 complex on instructions by Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

"It is a response to the witless remarks of the US president, Donald Trump, and his declaration of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel," the SITE quoted the group as saying.

A group of terrorists inspired and instructed by the Al-Qaeda leader stormed the DusitD2 complex on Tuesday. In the deadly attack, 21 people have lost their lives with many still undergoing treatment in critical condition. The operation to eliminate the terrorists hiding in the DusitD2 building took over 20-hours. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed the end of operation.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Bogota:

At least nine people were killed and over 50 injured in a car bombing at a police academy in Colombia's capital, say reports. According to eye witnesses, the explosion was so huge that it destroyed windows in adjacent buildings.

The scene outside the General Santander police academy is chaotic, with ambulances and helicopters rushing to the normally tightly controlled facility.

AFP news agency: At least four dead in presumed car bomb attack on Colombia police school, Bogota mayor says. https://t.co/tj42UbijzA  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019

According to reports, the explosion happened just after a ceremony at which officers were being promoted.

Leftist rebels from the National Liberation Army have been stepping up attacks on police targets in Colombia amid a standoff with conservative President Ivan Duque over how to re-start stalled peace talks.

More details are awaited.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.highlights Theresa May's government won by 325 votes to 306 - a majority of 19.

The no-confidence motion was moved by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Britain is set to exit the 28-member European Union (EU) on March 29.

New Delhi:

A day after the devastating defeat over her Brexit divorce deal with the European Union (EU) in Parliament, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday won a confidence vote, averting a disorderly general election. Within minutes after May's historic parliamentarian defeat on Tuesday, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn moved a no-confidence motion against her government. The confidence vote took place at about 19:00 GMT on Wednesday and May's government won by 325 votes to 306 - a majority of 19. Over 100 lawmakers from her own party and legislators from the Democratic Unionist Party, who props up May's minority government, voted to keep her in power despite their strong opposition to the Brexit deal.

Soon after her victory, May called on MPs from all parties to put the 'self-interest aside' and meet her individually on the way ahead for Brexit. She also promised that she would "continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum and leave the European Union".

The embattled prime minister further said, "We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House", adding that she will return to the Commons on Monday to give MPs another vote on her plans.

Read | Michael Sheen blames Brexit, Donald Trump election as reasons for his break-up from Sarah Silverman

"The House has put its confidence in this government. I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver Brexit and ensure that this House retains the confidence of the British people," May was quoted as saying.

May's divorce deal to leave the European Union (EU) was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs on Tuesday, leaving the country with no plans for Brexit on March 29. The PM's bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between London and Brussels, was rejected by 432 votes to 202 - a majority of 230, the biggest defeat ever suffered by a British premier in modern history.

During a six-hour-long debate on his motion, Labour leader Corbyn argued that May's "zombie" administration had lost the right to govern the country.

"By any convention of this house, by any precedent, the loss of confidence and supply should mean they do the right thing and resign. If a government cannot get its legislation through parliament, it must go to the country for a new mandate and that must apply when it is on the key issue of the day," Corbyn said.

Read | US shutdown becomes longest in history; sends economy into uncharted waters

Britain is set to exit the 28-member European Union, which it joined in 1973, on March 29. With just over two months to go until the scheduled departure, Britain is still undecide on what to do.

May (62), the leader of the Conservative Party, has spent two years negotiating the divorce plan aimed at bringing about an orderly Brexit and setting up a 21-month transition period to negotiate a free-trade deal with Brussels. It included both the withdrawal agreement on the terms on which the UK leaves the EU and a political declaration for the future relationship. In December, May survived another no-confidence vote by her own Conservative Party.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.highlights The body was spotted by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV.

The search operation for rest of the miners was underway.

15 miners are trapped in a 'rat-hole' mine since December 13, 2018.

New Delhi:

Indian Navy has recovered a body from the illegal 'rat-hole' coal mine in Meghalaya where 15 miners were trapped for over a month, the spokesperson of the Navy said. The body was spotted at a depth of more than 200 feet inside the illegal coal mine at Ksan near Lytein River in East Jaintia Hills. The rescue operations for the rest of the miners was still underway.

"One body detected by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV at a depth of approximately 160 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine. The body has been pulled up to the mouth of Rat-hole mine and shall be extracted out of the mine under the supervision of Doctors," SpokespersonNavy tweeted.

#MeghalayaMineTragedy #Flash One body detected by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV at a depth of approx 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/sP1sv6ikRn  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 17, 2019

At least 15 miners are trapped in the illegal 'rat-hole' mine since December 13, 2018, after it got flooded. After the Supreme Court chastised it for the lackluster attitude, the BJP-led alliance government in Meghalaya intensified the rescue operations. Indian Navy took over the rescue mission and sent its underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) to look for the coal miners.

In a joint rescue operation also involving local workers and NDRF, pumped over one crore litre of water out of the flooded mine but seepage from the nearby rivers was creating more hurdles.

Earlier on Friday, the top court had asked the Meghalaya government to continue with their efforts to save miners trapped in a coal mine saying "miracles do happen". The court also suggested the Centre and state government take help from experts.

"Carry on with your rescue efforts, what if all or at least some are still alive? Miracles do happen," a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri had told the state government.

As far as the issue of funds for the rescue mission is concerned, the state Deputy Commissioner had more than Rs 30 lakh at his disposal at the start of the rescue operation. On January 3, the government took a decision to place an additional Rs 20 lakh with the DC to meet the requirements.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.highlights The minor girl has been identified as Shravanani, a resident of the Bhoiwada area.

She wanted to attain an out-of-body experience also known as astral travelling.

The police said that the girl had attempted to take her own life on past instances as well.

New Delhi:

A 14-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide in Mumbai in her attempt to astral travel, as reported by Zee News. This incident is reminiscent of the mass suicide by 11 members of a family in Delhis Burari in June 2018. The minor girl has been identified as Shravanani, a resident of the Bhoiwada area, who committed suicide in an attempt to attain an out-of-body experience also known as astral travelling. The police said that the girl had attempted to take her own life on past instances as well, but was saved. The cops have registered a case and initiated an investigation, as reported by the news channel.

The girls parents told the police that she was continuously watching videos related to astral travelling on YouTube for the past few days. In fact, investigators found videos relating to astral travelling which have led them to believe the connection between them and the girl's death. Astral travel means a wilful out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of a soul or consciousness called an astral body that is separate from the physical body and capable of travelling outside it throughout the universe. In order to experience the same, the 14-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide. As an investigation in the matter has been initiated, the police refused to divulge further details in the alleged suicide case.

Read More | Burari deaths: Delhi police receives psychological autopsy report of deceased

On July 1 of last year, a family of 11 members was found dead at their home in the national capital's Burari area. Ten of the 11 members of a family, including minor children were found hanging from iron mesh of the ceiling on July 1 sending chills down the spine. The eldest in the family, 77-year-old Narayan Devi was found dead on the floor in the adjacent room. An investigation into the deaths later revealed that this was a case of 'shared psychosis'. The deceased were trying to imitate a ritual to contact their late patriarch which ultimately led to their deaths, revealed officials familiar with the matter.

In fact, the effect of the Burari incident prompted the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in New Delhi to constitute a 'psychology division' to deal with such cases involving mental health.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to his home state of Gujarat starting today. During the visit, the PM will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show and the 9th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit. In a crucial development, a special CBI court in Panchkula will pronounce the quantum of punishment for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three of his accomplices who have been convicted for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. All the convicted will be produced before the court through video conferencing. The political turmoil in Karnataka is expected to witness a clear picture today as told by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, who on Wednesday asserted that none of his party legislators were going to quit.

22:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 3 people were killed and 15 injured in an accident between bus, and pick up transport vehicle on Kalyan-Ahmednagar highway near Pimpri Pendhar village in Pune. Rescue of the injured passengers is underway.



#Maharashtra: 3 people killed, 15 injured in an accident between a bus and pick up transport vehicle on Kalyan-Ahmednagar highway near Pimpri Pendhar village in Pune; Rescue of the injured passengers is underway pic.twitter.com/k5lkfVHIek

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



21:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI have arrested four Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials including Director SAI and two private persons during an ongoing raid, in connection with alleged corruption in the transport department in the Authority.

20:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 5 dead, several injured in huge explosion at Bogota police school in Colombia, 5 dead: Reports

19:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Central Bureau of Investigation conducts a raid at the official premises of Sports Authority of India (SAI).



Central Bureau of Investigation conducts a raid at the official premises of Sports Authority of India (SAI). pic.twitter.com/GnZqUq4MAx

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



17:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered 8 FIRs in connection with alleged abuse of children in shelter homes across Bihar.

17:11 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Enforcement Directorate (ED) Lucknow unit registers money laundering case in connection with alleged illegal mining in Uttar Pradesh. Case is based on a CBI FIR to probe the role of State Mining Ministers, including former UP Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav during 2012-16.

16:05 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi airport sources: On 18 January & 20-26 January airspace will remain suspended at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport from 10:35 am to 12:15 pm for rehearsal and Republic day parade. There will be relaxation in the suspension on 19 January.

14:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad to participate in multiple events.



Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad. He will participate in multiple events in the state, including the inauguration of Global Trade Show in Gandhinagar, during his two-day visit. pic.twitter.com/MiftIzLFXI

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



13:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In West Bengal: Mortal remains of Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad who lost his life in cross border firing by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir on January 15, brought to his residence in Howrah.



West Bengal: Mortal remains of Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad who lost his life in cross border firing by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir on January 15, brought to his residence in Howrah. pic.twitter.com/6NYzBzHnDQ

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



12:38 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court to hear pleas of Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini, who had entered the Sabarimala Temple on January 2 and sought police protection. Kanaka Durga was later allegedly assaulted by her mother-in-law.

11:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The State Bank of India on Thursday said the lenders are considering a resolution plan for Jet Airways to ensure a long-term viability of the debt-laden company.

11:47 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court asks Election Commission to respond by Friday whether the 'pressure cooker' symbol can be allotted to TTV Dhinakarans Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) party for the upcoming election, as an interim measure.

11:37 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In National President of BJP, Amit Shah is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two, says Anil Baluni, BJP.

10:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In President Ram Nath Kovind arrives in Prayagraj to visit the Kumbh Mela - world's largest religious gathering later today. He was received by UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik.

10:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Nearly 1,200 experts from India and abroad, including Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan will deliberate on issues related to water at a convention to be held in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh from Friday.

10:00 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Haryana: Security tightened in Panchkula ahead of pronouncement of a sentence of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others in Journalist Ramchandra Chhatarpati murder case.



Haryana: Security tightened in Panchkula ahead of pronouncement of sentence of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others in Journalist Ramchandra Chhatarpati murder case. pic.twitter.com/YtiBCuUEUd

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019









09:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In IMD: Earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale strikes Nicobar Islands region

08:54 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Meghalaya: Operation continues to rescue the miners who have been trapped in a mine at Ksan near Lytein River in East Jaintia Hills, one body has been recovered. The miners are trapped since December 13.

08:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We are not indulging in any poaching. It is CM Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading, not BJP, CM himself is offering money and ministerial posts, says BJP's BS Yeddyurappa.



BS Yeddyurappa, BJP: We are not indulging in any poaching. It is CM Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading, not BJP, CM himself is offering money and ministerial posts. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/gyYZ76LZpf

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



08:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We are not indulging in any poaching. It is CM Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading, not BJP, CM himself is offering money and ministerial posts, said former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa.



BS Yeddyurappa, BJP: We are not indulging in any poaching. It is CM Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading, not BJP, CM himself is offering money and ministerial posts. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/gyYZ76LZpf

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



07:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Tamil Nadu: Early morning visuals from the bull-taming event #Jallikattu in Madurai's Alanganallur; temple bulls are entering for worship through the Vadivasal (the bull-entering point).



Tamil Nadu: Early morning visuals from the bull-taming event #Jallikattu in Madurai's Alanganallur; temple bulls are entering for worship through the Vadivasal (the bull-entering point). pic.twitter.com/cv7CX1fQyF

 ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

As many as six persons, including three traffic personnel injured after terrorists hurled grenade on security forces at Zero Bridge of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Thursday. As per the latest reports, all of the injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital and going under medical treatment. Soon after the incident, security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the attackers. The incident occured less than 100 metres from the National Conference headquarters and the local office of the All India Radio.

"Jammu and Kashmir: Terrorists hurled grenade on security forces at Zero Bridge in Srinagar today. Injured have been admitted to a hospital and are currently stable. More details awaited," the news agency ANI reported.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Indian Army gunned down five Pakistani soldiers in Kashmir's Poonch sector. The Indian Army also destroyed seven bunkers of the Pakistani forces in one of the most stringent retaliations so far.

In December, five security personnel were injured in another grenade attack by suspected militants in Anantnag district on Saturday.The incident occurred when the militants among a crowd lobbed a grenade at the security forces in Arwani area of Bijbehara.

Five security forces' personnel sustained injuries and were evacuated to a hospital, where they were discharged after first-aid treatment. A case was registered and police launched a preliminary investigation in the matter.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Congress MP BK Hariprasad on Thursday mocked the illness of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah who was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) yesterday evening after the later was diagnosed with swine flu.

Taking the political discourse to a new low, the Congress MP said, "Amit Shah has got fever due to panic. He panicked as some MLAs (of the Congress) have come back. If he topples the Congress-JD(S) government, then he will have vomiting and loose motions. That is why he got swine fever."

Amit Shah is suffering from suar ka zukam and was cursed by the people of Karnataka, the MP further added.

Referring to the BJP's alleged "Operation Lotus" to topple the Karnataka coalition government, Hariprasad said if he (Shah) continues to destabilise the Karnataka government, he will have to deal with even more serious diseases.

The BJP on Thursday reacted furiously to Congress MP B K Hariprasad's controversial 'swine flu' dig at BJP president Amit Shah, saying that flu is curable but "mental illness" of the opposition party's leaders is difficult to treat.

Demanding that the Congress should sack Hariprasad and tender a public apology for these "abhorrent" remarks, the BJP claimed that the opposition party's "silence" over these comments show that all such "toxic" views have the sanction of its leadership.

"The kind of ugly and indecent comments Congress MP B K Hariprasad have made about BJP president Amit Shah's health show the standards of the Congress. Flu is curable but it is difficult to cure Congress leaders' mental illness," Union minister Piyush Goyal said.

Apart from Goyal, several Union ministers, including Rajyavardhan Rathore, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and BJP leaders reacted sharply to Hariprasad's remarks.

"This is a completely abhorrent and ugly statement. They don't even have the basic decency as to how to react to a person's illness," Naqvi said.

Expressing sadness over "cheap statements", Rathore said he was not surprised to see Congress leaders completely abandon decency and dignity. Such comments also show the frustration of the Congress leadership, he added.

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said Hariprasad's comments show the "moral degeneration" of the Congress, its complete "bankruptcy" of thoughts and "lack of moral values".

"The fact that the Congress leadership is silent on Hariprasad's comments clearly establishes all such toxic comments have sanction of the leadership. And if they want to really disapprove of his remarks, Rahul Gandhi should sack Hariprasad and should make him apologise publicly to Shah," Rao added.

Another party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain described Hariprasad's remarks as "shameful", saying this is the real face of the Congress.

BJP ally and Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan termed Hariprasad's comments as "very shameful" which, he added, reflected his mindset.

It is expected of Rahul Gandhi to take the matter seriously and dismiss him from the party, he said.

Noting that Shah had himself informed people about his illness, Hussain said the Congress leader's comments would hurt people across the country.

Shah was diagnosed with swine flu and admitted to the AIIMS Wednesday. Later, he informed people about his illness in a tweet.

The party Thursday said that he is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.highlights Amit Shah is undergoing treatment for Swine flu at Delhi's AIIMs.

The health of senior party leaders is becoming a concern for the BJP.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley is also suffering from a serious ailment.

New Delhi:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, who is undergoing treatment for deadly swine flu (H1N1 virus) in Delhi's AIIMS, is out of danger and will be discharged in a couple of days, party spokesperson Anil Baluni informed via Twitter on Thursday. "National President of BJP, Shri Amit Shahji is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two. Thanks everyone for your good wishes!" Baluni wrote on Twitter.

Earlier on Wednesday, Shah had announced that he was diagnosed with deadly flu and being treated for the same. "Mujhe swine flu hua hai, jiska upchar chal raha hai. Ishwar ki kripa, aap sabhi ke prem aur shubhkamnao se shigarh swasth ho jayunga (I have been diagnosed with swine flu for which the treatment is underway. With Gods grace and good wishes from all of you, I will recover soon)," the BJP president had tweeted.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Shah on phone and wished him a speedy recovery. BJP MPs Meenakshi Lekhi and Mahesh Giri also visited Shah at the AIIMS hospital. "Spoke to Amit Shahji who is undergoing treatment for Swine Flu at AIIMS and inquired about his health. I pray for his speedy recovery," Singh had said.

Several leaders of the saffron party are facing health issues. Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who had undergone a kidney transplant last year, has once again developed serious ailment. Jaitley recently left for the US where he is likely to undergo another surgery.

Besides Jaitley and Shah, another top party leader - national general secretary (organization) Ram Lal, is also suffering from high fever and admitted to Kailash Hospital in Noida on Thursday. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was also admitted to the AIIMS Hospital for the treatment of sinus. However, he was discharged after the treatment.

On Wednesday, the official Twitter handle of Congress sent best wishes to senior BJP leaders Amit Shah. "We're sorry to hear senior BJP leaders Shri @AmitShah & Shri @arunjaitley are unwell. We wish them a speedy recovery," Congress tweeted.

We're sorry to hear senior BJP leaders Shri @AmitShah & Shri @arunjaitley are unwell. We wish them a speedy recovery.  Congress (@INCIndia) January 16, 2019

Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and others also extended their wishes.

Spoke to @AmitShah ji who is undergoing treatment for Swine Flu at AIIMS and inquired about his health. I pray for his speedy recovery.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 16, 2019

       Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) January 16, 2019

Wishing you speedy recovery @AmitShah ji. May the God's grace be with you always.https://t.co/X7Bji7Uxj3  Nongthombam Biren (@NBirenSingh) January 17, 2019

Crass comments from @INCIndia leaders mocking Sh @AmitShah's illness unveils Congress's true nature.



Surprisingly some journalists from 'unbiased' media houses have also joined in this hate mongering.



A new low in public discourse, hatred for BJP has stripped their humanity.  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 17, 2019

In an election season, the health of its senior leaders is now becoming a concern for the BJP. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is also not keeping well. Swaraj had even announced last year that she will not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and cited health issues as a reason behind her decision.

National President of @BJP4India, Shri @AmitShah ji is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two.

Thanks everyone for your good wishes!  Anil Baluni (@anil_baluni) January 17, 2019

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.highlights Indian army killed five Pakistani soldiers and destroyed seven bunkers.

The exchange of fire took place along LoC in Kashmir's Poonch.

The action comes a day after Army chief's warning to Pakistan.

New Delhi:

In a massive retaliatory action against the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and International Border (IB), Indian Army on Thursday killed five Pakistani soldiers in Poonch, according to reports. The Indian Army also destroyed seven bunkers of the Pakistani forces in one of the most stringent retaliation in 2019.

The Pakistan army has continuously been violating the ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite the repeated warnings, the Pakistani forces didn't stop and even resorted to shelling forward posts and civilian areas prompting Indian security forces to retaliate strongly.

The retaliatory action also came a days after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's warning to Pakistan that India will not hesitate and act strongly against any "inimical action". General Rawat had assured "befitting reply" to ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

"Our forces are giving a befitting reply to our enemies along the Line of Control. They are suffering heavy losses. I am warning our enemy (across the LoC) that we will not hesitate in carrying out strong action against any inimical action," the Army chief had said.

The relations between the hostile neighbours hit bottom in the year 2018 that witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations (2,936 incidents) in the last 15 years along the border by Pakistani troops.

In a separate incident in the Valley, at least six persons, including two traffic personnel, injured after unidentified terrorists hurled grenade on security forces at Zero Bridge of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.

Soon after the incident, security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the attackers. The incident occurred less than 100 metres from the National Conference (NC) headquarters and the local office of the All India Radio.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.highlights Shivpal Yadav had earlier termed the alliance as opportunistic.

Shivpal says the BSP-SP alliance lacks credibility among people.

Yadav says BSP chief Mayawati will not will a single seat.

New Delhi:

Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia chief Shivpal Yadav has advised former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav not to trust the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati. This came after SP- BSP announced a Grand Alliance to fight the BJP in the upcoming general polls. Earlier, Shivpal had termed the alliance between the SP and BSP as opportunistic and said that the party workers will never accept this unholy alliance.

"It's an opportunistic alliance so it lacks credibility among people. The Bahujan Samaj Party, particularly ever since the breakup of its alliance with the Samajwadi Party in June 1995, had left no stone unturned to humiliate party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and other senior leaders like Janeshwar Mishra," said Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday, adding: "The results of the coming Lok Sabha elections would endorse my observation about the SP-BSP alliance."

Referring to the "Lucknow guest house incident", Shivpal said Akhilesh should be wary of Mayawati. In 1995, Mayawati was heckled and pushed by Samajwadi Party workers at a guest house in the Uttar Pradesh capital after she pulled out of the two-year-old coalition government with the Samajwadi, then led by Akhilesh Yadav's father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mayawati later formed a government with the BJP's support.

While addressing a rally in Chandoli, Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal said, "Behenji (Mayawati) had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against me. I had said at the time that I am ready for an inquiry, I am ready for a narco test. But I wanted that Mayawati should also have a narco test done. She refused."

"You can't trust people who sell tickets. Who used to abuse Netaji (Mulayam Singh)? She used to call them 'gunde (hoodlums)'. Today they have come together. Can she be trusted? She won't win many seats," said the Samajwadi rebel.Delhi:

The Jammu and Kashmir State Board of Secondary Education (JKBOSE) is likely to release the class 11 result 2018 for Kashmir division today. According to the media reports, the board is expected to declare the results today. Earlier, there were reports that suggested the results would be announced on January 08, 2019. The declaration of the results will seal the fate of thousands of students who have appeared for the examination. The candidates who have appeared for the examinations are asked to keep all the details ready for the fast and easy access to the results.

Soon after the official announcement of the results, the JKBOSE 11th Result 2018 for Kashmir Division will be available online on the official website of the board i.e. jkbose.ac.in. The candidates can find result link on the homepage of the website. In order to check the result, the students will have to submit the roll number or the name of the student. The roll number of the students must be the same as present on the admit card.

Also Read: JKBOSE 11th Result 2018 for Kashmir Division likely to be announced soon, details here

The result for class 10 and 12 was announced on December 29, 2018, and on January 07, 2019 respectively. Both results were announced around at 7:30 pm. The exams for class 11 were conducted from October 26 to November 14, 2018. The first and the last exams were of IT & ITes/ Retail/ Healthcare/ Tourism and Chemistry/ Elective Language respectively.

Here are the steps to check JKBOSE Class 11 Result for Kashmir Division:



Step 1: Visit the official website of the board - jkbose.ac.in

Step 2: Click on the JKBOSE Class 11th Kashmir Division Result link



Step 3: Enter your examination roll number and other information



Step 4: Click on the Submit Button

Step 5: JKBOSE 11th Result will be displayed on the screen

Step 6: Take print out of result for future reference

Also Read: JKBOSE Class 12 date sheet 2019 released; check here for details



About Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE)



The Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education is renowned as the JKBOSE. This is actually a governmental body that is responsible for the development as well as maintenance of Jammu and Kashmir school education. Under the state government administration, this governmental body acts as the autonomous body of education. Apart from this, the JKBOSE also looks after the quality of the education which is provided to the student at a school level through 10,609 affiliated schools in the state. It also conducts annual 10th and 12th Class Exams every year.





New Delhi:

The State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday said that lenders are considering a resolution plan for the debt-laden Jet Airways to ensure long-term viability of the company. SBI had on Wednesday said that discussions with stakeholders were progressing well on a comprehensive resolution plan that also contemplates equity infusion and consequent changes in its board of directors. There are rising concerns over financial health of Jet Airways, whose shares have also taken a beating at stock exchanges.

We would like to state that lenders are considering a restructuring plan under the RBI framework for the resolution of stressed assets that would ensure long-term viability of the company," SBI said in a statement. It said the restructuring plan for the cash-strapped airline would need approval from boards of lenders.

"Any such plan would be subject to the approval of boards of the lenders and subject to adherence and clearance, if required, from the RBI and/or Sebi (takeover code, ICDR regulations.) and Ministry of Civil Aviation and in compliance with all regulatory prescriptions," the statement said.

Read More | Jet Airways in talks with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways on rescue deal: Sources

Shares of the airline are trading 4.24 per cent lower at Rs 259.50 apiece on BSE.

The Naresh Goyal-founded airlines is in a severe cash crunch and also owed money to vendors and lessors. It has also not been able to pay salaries to its pilots, senior executives resulting in the cancellation of flights. To reign in the crunch, Jet has cancelled flights on non-profitable routes and has also decided to do away with complimentary meals for economy class passengers travelling on domestic routes under two more fare categories. Following three consecutive quarterly losses, the full-service carrier has simplified its sub-fleet, reduced sales, distribution and maintenance cost.

Though India is one of the worlds fastest-growing airlines markets, Jet Airways has constantly faced the brunt of the falling rupee, rising jet fuel prices, intense price wars by low-cost carriers.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Please purchase a subscription read this premium content. If you have a subscription, please sign up for a digital website account or log in.Rahaf Mohammed, the Saudi teen who was granted asylum in Canada last weekend, has posted photos of herself enjoying a glass of wine, a cigarette, and bacon on Snapchat.

Ms Mohammed, 18, was granted asylum after fleeing Saudi Arabia, where she feared being killed after being disowned by her family for not conforming to the country's strict rules.

The teen has shared photos on Snapchat celebrating her new life since being in Canada.

Earlier this week Ms Mohammed posted a photo of her breakfast to the social media platform with the caption "Omg bacon," which is controversial due to the Muslim religion's ban on consuming pork products.New Zealanders stuck in Australian detention centres say more than 100 Kiwis have joined a mass hunger strike against conditions and long delays.

While not in prison, the Australian detention centres 154 New Zealanders deemed unsuitable for Australia are held in are far from freedom.

Joining a hunger strike, detainees are fighting against their deportation and inhumane conditions they are desperate to see changed.

"This is the level we have to take it to for someone to understand the conditions we're living under. They're not even right for a canine," said Kiwi detainee Alvin Tuala.

Alvin Tuala is in Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) North, Australia's newest facility - but the shared rooms resemble prison, with toilets doubling as a sink and with little privacy.

"They systematically build these detention centres so that no one wants to stay here to fight their cases," said Mr Tuala.

It's part of the reason those at MITA in Melbourne have gone without food for more than a week and an estimated 70 Kiwis are among them.

Kiwi Lee Barber, who is at Yongah Hill where a hunger strike began on Monday, says they have the numbers and are "gonna go all the way".

Many are also separated from loved ones, held thousands of kilometres from family and friends.

"Mate, it gets me emotional that I can't see my family," said Mr Barber.

An Australian Border Force official visited Yongah Hill on Tuesday night to hear complaints from detainees.

But Newshub's obtained a leaked recording in which they were told little will change.

"I don't think I can do very much at all... these demands are not realistic," the border force official tells a detainee with a list of demands.

Despite that bleak assessment, they say they'll strike as long as it takes.

Newshub.By Macaulay Jones



OPINION: Will you be able to keep streaming the EPL, drinking awful English beers and listening to Ed Sheeran's latest when Brexit happens?

And what even is a hard or soft Brexit? Will that interfere with the beer?

If you like accessing or buying things created overseas you should care about Brexit and its technicalities.

In the wake of becoming Prime Minister, Theresa May proclaimed "Brexit means Brexit". A common question asked, which will affect nations around the world including us, is: will it be a hard or soft Brexit?

The hard/soft Brexit distinction is shorthand for discussing the future of UK membership in the European Union's (EU) single market and customs union, after leaving the organisation.

Proponents of a soft Brexit argue remaining in the EU single market and customs union is a means of easing the disruption and will continue to allow the free movement of goods services, people and capital between the EU and UK.

Those in favor of a hard Brexit argue staying in the EU's common market or customs union while losing voting power will turn the UK into a vassal state of the EU, while remaining stuck with the regulations of the EU without having a say in them.

They also say a hard Brexit will be worth it as it will unleash the UK from EU control and enable it to be more competitive and will allow the UK to forge separate presumably better trade deals with other countries.

It is this ability to negotiate new trade deals which directly impacts third party countries, such as New Zealand. Brexit presents an opportunity for our Government to negotiate a trade deal with the UK that grows the potential market for Kiwi exports in the UK while maintaining pre-Brexit levels of trade with the EU. The UK has already began consultation talks with NZ over a possible future free trade deal, but this will not be possible under a soft Brexit.

Along with opportunities, a hard Brexit also poses many challenges to New Zealand businesses who export to the UK, particularly if this occurs without a deal being struck. The NZ government is attempting to limit the disruption felt and is offering advice in the case of a no deal Brexit.

Thankfully for agriculture exporters, the UK government has agreed to continue to accept EU model health certificates and establishing listings relating to exports of animals and animal products for at least six months after the UK leaves the EU, deal or no deal.

So, while the hard or soft Brexit debate continues the clock is ticking for Theresa May to find a deal agreeable to the UK people, their Parliament and the EU. The decisive rejection by Parliament of May's proposed transition deal this week demonstrates just how divisive the issue is and difficult it will be for the UK government to find a compromise.

Hard or soft, deal or no deal New Zealand's Trade Minister David Parker has described the UK as "one of New Zealand's oldest friends", and the New Zealand Government will be striving to make the most out of this very messy situation.

But no matter the case Kiwis will still be able to watch the EPL, listen to Ed Sheeran and even enjoy a lukewarm British beer.

UK exports outside the EU will continue, but the businesses which produce them will be affected by the disruption caused by Brexit.

Macaulay Jones is policy advisor for Federated Farmers.Justice Minister Andrew Little expects New Zealand's next United Nations human rights review, being partly overseen by Saudi Arabia, will show improvements from 2014.

Every five years member countries go before the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, to defend their human rights record and give an update on what's been achieved since last time, in what's known as the Universal Periodic Review.

The last time New Zealand was judged, the UN came up with 155 recommendations on ways we could improve our human rights record, mostly focused on indigenous rights, inequality, child poverty, refugees and the response to the 2010/11 Christchurch earthquakes.

Mr Little says he'll be in front of the UN panel next week to explain what's happened since then.

"It's also an opportunity for me to update them on the things that this Government specifically is doing around child poverty, the fact this year will be our first 'wellbeing Budget'," he told RadioLIVE on Friday.

"And then the constitutional stuff around what we're doing with the Bill of Rights, and creating this obligation on Parliament if the courts rule that a law breaches the Bill of Rights, that Parliament actually has to do something about it."

Focuses this year are likely to again be child poverty, Treaty rights and New Zealand's efforts to help refugees and asylum seekers, but Mr Little wants to talk up the Government's efforts on criminal justice reform too.

Prison numbers hit new highs under the previous National-led Government, but the coalition has talked of trying to cut it by as much as 30 percent, whilst lowering crime rates at the same time.

Mr Little says Maori are still over-represented on the inside, which the UN pointed out in 2014.

"New Zealand on the world stage is regarded as an honest broker, somebody that takes seriously the whole issue about international obligations and commitments. Our reputation is very important - us seeing to uphold the conventions and the commitments we've entered into is very important.

"We're doing our best, we don't get everything right, we're not perfect by any stretch. But we want to lead the pack in terms of upholding and delivering on people's human rights - that gives us leverage for other things overseas."Jacinda Ardern hopes to convince leaders in Europe against "false protectionism and isolation" when she visits next week.

The Prime Minister will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and will also be making stops in London and Brussels.

"I hope other leaders will come to see more compassionate domestic policy settings as a compelling alternative to the false promise of protectionism and isolation," she said in a statement on Thursday.

"I will be using the opportunity in Davos to hold a number of bilateral meetings with leaders to promote trade and other matters."

Ms Ardern's office confirmed to Newshub that she will not be travelling with her family when she heads to Europe. However she will be joined at the World Economic Forum by Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

It will be a change for Ms Ardern after travelling with her partner Clarke Gayford and their baby Neve when she attended the United Nations general assembly in September last year.

There, Ms Ardern made history as the first world leader to attend the United Nations General Assembly with her baby in tow.

The primary purpose of her trip is to progress a free trade agreement with Europe and to promote New Zealand business interests, the Prime Minister's office said.

"I will be using my engagements to enhance New Zealand's profile as a likeminded partner to the EU across a wide range of issues, including climate change, social policy, trade and our commitment to the rules-based system," Ms Ardern said.

She is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May with whom she will "reconfirm the understanding that New Zealand will be left no worse off, including in respect of its trade interests, following the UK's decision to leave the EU".

A meeting has also been scheduled between Ms Ardern and the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, president of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, and NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.

"There is still much progress to make in trade talks with our European partners, so a key focus of this whole trip is to speak to European Commission and individual country leaders to shore up support for our on-going negotiations," Ms Ardern said.

The Prime Minister will also be participating in a range of panel discussion in Davos including a panel on mental health with His Royal Highness Prince William.

At the World Economic Forum she said she will be prompting the Government's approach to "inclusive growth" and the delivery of the world's first wellbeing budget in May.

Newshub."I said it's not allowed, you have to book a family unit," Mr Xuan said.

He said the woman, who showed up in the afternoon, didn't want to book the larger room as it was too expensive.

"They didn't stay because I said you can't [fit] six people into a studio - it's too small," Mr Xuan told Newshub.

"I showed them the big unit but they said they can't afford it so they left."

Mr Xuan said the group were "a little bit rude" and "a bit strange".

He said the group hadn't even checked in and yet the children were "already in the room".

A television reporter was waiting at the entrance of the motel, which Mr Xuan suspects triggered them to leave.

The group was earlier sighted in Wellington on Thursday at a Z Tawa service station at around 2pm. Staff members were reportedly told to keep an eye on the travellers as they have a history of causing havoc.

The tourists are understood to be British, which prompted the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke, to speak out on Thursday.

"I can't tell British visitors what to do. I think that would be overreaching my powers," she told Newstalk ZB.

"The vast majority of British tourists who come here have an extraordinary time and behave really well and this is the exception."Alice Neville for The Spinoff

With this detailed guided tour, it's easy to follow in the footsteps of the unruly visitors whose shocking antics have gripped the nation.

Mere weeks into 2019, we already have a strong contender for the year's most compelling news story.

From the farthest reaches of the North Shore to the light-industrial outskirts of the Tron, a large family of overseas visitors has allegedly been leaving rubbish, behaving in a threatening manner and refusing to pay restaurant bills.

Presumably in large part due to skilled negotiator Madeleine Chapman's diplomacy efforts with a certain Bunnings-hat-wearing member of the crew (along with deportation notices issued by Immigration New Zealand), the group is thought to be leaving the country imminently.Next week's rare 'super blood wolf moon' is going to be a real let-down for Kiwis hoping for a display as spectacular as its name.

While both North and South America, Scandinavia and the UK will get the full five-hour show, New Zealand skywatchers will only get four minutes of a partial penumbral eclipse - the hazy edge of the Earth's shadow - and to make matters worse, the sun will still be up.

At 8:43pm on Monday as the moon begins to rise, a tiny slither of it will be "a little bit fainter than the rest", according to timeanddate.com - but only for Kiwis in the upper half of the North Island or Hawke's Bay.

And to make things even more difficult, you'll have to be somewhere high with an unobstructed view of the horizon to see it on the horizon.

"The moon exits the penumbra just as it sets in New Zealand and no change in colour or brightness will be visible despite timeanddate.com saying five minutes will be visible," astronomy educator Josh Kirkley of Stardome told Newshub. "I know this from personal experience."

And five minutes later, it'll be all over.

"It is not worth camping up for unless they just want to see a normal full moon," added Mr Kirkley.

The closest place to New Zealand with a view of the full eclipse is the west coast of the Americas - so be prepared to shell out for last-minute flights to LA or Santiago.Channel News Asia quoted Auckland Mayor Phil Goff as calling the tourists "trash" and "leeches". The article then highlighted how the Mayor told a student radio station he'd "like to see them out of the country".

Multiple restaurant owners came forward following the incident alleging the group refused to pay the bill for their meals. One curry restaurant in Northcote was allegedly left $250 out of pocket after the group refused to pay.

When images of the group surfaced online, Australian media linked them to travellers who were run out of Queensland in Australia in 2018 after they were accused of scamming restaurants and residents of thousands of dollars.

Media attention covering the travellers intensified from there, as the group moved on to Hamilton, where a 26-year-old woman, Tina Marie Cash, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in the Hamilton District Court.

British tabloid The Sun jumped on the story, publishing an article about where Cash allegedly used to live in Leicestershire in the English Midlands. A journalist for the tabloid visited village where a local said they were terrorised by the group's anti-social behaviour.

The Mirror also ran a story on the holidaymakers, highlighting how Cash admitted to theft charges and that the family faced deportation after being met by authorities in Hamilton on Tuesday.The unruly tourists who have outraged New Zealand with their holiday exploits have been described by a motel worker as "polite".

The motel employee, who asked not to be named, said the tourist group arrived in Levin at around 9.30pm on Wednesday night.

Do you have any information on the group? Email news@newshub.co.nz

He said he spoke to a "young lady" who he described as "polite and to the point" but not very "informative".

The tourist group "would be welcome back again," he told Newshub.At least nine Kiwi websites have been caught up in one of the biggest password security breaches of all-time.

A massive 87GB file containing more than 770 million email addresses and passwords has appeared online, and was briefly available for download from New Zealand's own Mega cloud storage site, Wired reports.

The file, named 'Collection #1', contains private data that appears to have come from more than 2000 different websites.

"It just looks like a completely random collection of sites purely to maximize the number of credentials available to hackers - there's no obvious patterns, just maximum exposure," security researcher Troy Hunt told the magazine.

Mr Hunt runs the website Have I Been Pwned?, which lets people search a database of known breaches to see if any of their email addresses and passwords have been compromised.

He said at least 140 million email accounts - and their passwords - in Collection #1 are new to his database, meaning they've never shown up online before.

Wired says Collection #1 ranks as the third-biggest data breach of all-time, behind two incidents involving Yahoo which saw more than 1 billion users' login details leaked. Others have reported Collection #1 as being the biggest ever, even though much of its content is not new.

Kiwi websites caught up in the latest breach are:

equestrianentries.co.nz

millenniumcareers.co.nz

kiwipainting.co.nz

oldship2u.co.nz

shiftme.co.nz

socialise.co.nz

taurangaknitting.co.nz

www.bloomsonline.co.nz

Millenium Hotels and Resorts and oldship2u.co.nz didn't immediately respond to Newshub's request for comment.

Equestrian Entries told Newshub they didn't need our assistance, and declined to comment further.

The owner of the Tauranga Knitting Centre wasn't aware of the breach, and said she would look into it.

Newshub could not reach Shift Me, maori.org.nz or Blooms Online. The other sites don't appear to be active at present.

The good news



Much of the data in Collection #1 has been leaked before - for example, it contains emails and passwords leaked from MySpace a decade ago and data from a LinkedIn breach from 2016.

Another silver lining is Collection #1 doesn't contain any credit card numbers. But as people often use the same password on multiple sites, having access to a password from one site often makes it possible for criminals to access others.

"People take lists like these that contain our email addresses and passwords then they attempt to see where else they work," Mr Hunt wrote on his website.

He recommends using a password manager, which generates difficult-to-crack combinations of letters and numbers, and stores them in an encrypted state.

"If you're in this breach and not already using a dedicated password manager, the best thing you can do right now is go out and get one. I did that many years ago now... the only secure password is the one you can't remember."

Mega, where Collection #1 was uploaded, was started by former MegaUpload boss Kim Dotcom in 2013. He left the company in 2015, claiming the site was now in control of the New Zealand Government.

Newshub.A rather pregnant Meghan Markle had the perfect response to a woman who called her a "fat lady" during a royal engagement.

The Duchess of Sussex, cradling her baby bump as she is wont to do, visited one of her four new patronages, an animal welfare organisation called Mayhew earlier this week.

While being introduced to a group of volunteers and beneficiaries, Meghan met a woman whose name is Peggy McEachrom, according to People magazine.

In an adorably awkward moment captured on video, McEachrom paid the former Suits star several compliments, including one particularly unexpected one.

"Lovely lady, you are! May the good lord always bless you...And you're a fat lady!" McEachrom, who hails from Jamaica, appears to say in the clip.GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn moreCatch up on local news with our roundup of top 5 headlines of the week, and learn how you can get unlimited access to these stories and more here.Visitation will be Thursday, June 17, 2021 from 3-8pm at Scott Funeral Home in Jeffersonville. Service on Friday June 18, 2021 at 11AM.City Attorney Walter Erwin told The News & Advance Lynchburg has never had an ordinance regulating tethering. During last weeks City Council meeting, no council members responded to Goodjohns comments.

Joann Martin, the citys director of communications and marketing, said no further action is being taken on the proposal at this time.

A year ago, Lynchburg Animal Control Officers seized two dogs after they were left outside without proper shelter during an extreme cold snap. One dog died as a result of the cold.

Goodjohn said this event prompted her to take action to help those who cant speak for themselves.

I have always hoped that the law is there to protect the voiceless and deliver justice for victims, she said in last weeks council meeting. Chained dogs are this citys victims. They are the victims of poor decisions, lack of education, absence of empathy, and in some cases, barefaced cruelty.

Jill Mollohan, interim executive director of the Lynchburg Humane Society, said the organization is against tethering dogs for extended periods of time. She said the humane society wont know how a tethering ordinance would affect operations until it is enacted, but could increase the intake rate.Attorney General Mark Herring, whose consumer counsel office participated in the case, said the commission's decision would save Dominion ratepayers more than $1.3 billion.

"Attorney General Herring had to oppose significant parts of this proposal that were either underdeveloped, prohibitively expensive, or both," spokesman Michael Kelly said. "While the General Assembly has limited the tools at his disposal in these proceedings, he is still going to fight for Virginia customers whenever possible."

The SCC order cites the testimony of the consumer counsel and environmental organizations that said the company had failed to produce "a well-developed and comprehensive plan to maximize the potential" of the smart metering technologies to allow customers greater control over their electricity use and ability to produce their own solar power.

"Dominion promises to do so in the future, but it asks us to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on smart meters now, money Dominion will ultimately seek to recover from its customers in one form or another," the order states. "This we will not do."

The Southern Environmental Law Center, which represented Appalachian Voices in the proceeding, said the commission properly rejected Dominion's proposed plan as inadequate to justify its cost to ratepayers.Please register or log in to keep reading

Stay logged in to skip the surveys.Women dont need to be protected by men. They need the constitutionally guaranteed protection of equal treatment under the law. I encourage Virginias General Assembly to become the 38th and final state needed to ratify the ERA.

ROBERT BOYD

Bedford

The ERA and abortion

The Equal Rights Amendment and the issue of abortion go together like peanut butter and toothpaste. Not so much.

Since 1973, women have had the right to have an abortion. That right has to do with a Supreme Court decision, nothing at all to do with the ERA. At the time Roe v. Wade was issued, the ERA did not exist, just as it does not exist today. The Supreme Court explained that their decision was grounded in privacy rights, not equality.

Until which time the Supreme Court should reconsider and overturn Roe V. Wade, abortion will remain legal and the law of the land.

Twenty-four states, including Virginia, have adopted their own such amendments in state constitutions. None of these void, limit or expand laws that govern the right to abortion procedures. So, why would they expect this to happen on the federal level?The relationship between humans and dogs goes back thousands upon thousands of years. Anthropologists posit that once wolves followed ancient hunters and gatherers in the wild, grabbing scaps of meat, bones and other discarded remnants of a hunt; in time, some ventured into the camps, bonding with ancient humans who domesticated them, raising their descendants as familial and hunting companions.

Today, there is nothing quite like the relationship between a person and his dog when it comes to the depth of the bond between the two, the dependence of one on the other and how much we identify the family dog  or dogs  as true members of our families. (Sorry, cat lovers, but thats just how it is!)

A dog is a pack animal, and for the family cocker spaniel, Boston terrier or golden retriever, we humans are its pack. They look to us as the alpha animal for food, shelter, care, companionship and, yes, love.

Which is why it is so upsetting to many animal lovers to see a dog (or any companion animal for that matter) mistreated or harmed. Or forlornly tied up outside, at the end of a chain, and all alone  sometimes without shelter or water and sometimes for hours or days on end.Central Virginia Community College campus police will soon carry a life-saving nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

The colleges nine officers are being trained to administer the drug naloxone and could be carrying the medication by the end of the month, CVCC Police Chief Russell Dove said at the colleges quarterly local board meeting Wednesday.

Naloxone, commonly sold under the trademarked name Narcan, has become a valuable tool for paramedics and police officers amid the ongoing national opioid epidemic. The drug provides emergency treatment for an opioid overdose until emergency medical assistance arrives.

Dove said the college has not experienced an opioid overdose on campus but described the medication as invaluable in the case of a potential overdose.

I hope it's something that we never have to use but our motto is Id rather have and not need than need and not have, he said.

The move comes after the Lynchburg Police Department and Lynchburg City Schools approved policies last year to allow officers and employees to administer the drug. Dove said he based his naloxone policy on existing policies used by the LPD and Piedmont Virginia Community College.Basically we will have an agreement that they will take care of the spreader, Johnson told the school board. And we will bring you that agreement in February and you can approve it or not approve it.

Also during Wednesdays meeting, Johnson said school division staff should have some preliminary budget figures to present to the school board in February if the General Assembly passes its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

This is a short session so we should have something pretty soon, Johnson said. We should be ableto put together some numbers for you once that is passed.

Several board members asked if the budget could possibly be affected by a bill to increase Virginias minimum wage  which has passed the state senates Commerce and Labor Committee this week.

The bill would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10 per hour. The new wages would go into effect on July 1 and increase to $13 an hour in 2020 and to $15 an hour by 2021.

I dont think that will get passed, Johnson said. If it did we would have to make adjustments for that, but I feel pretty confident that it wont happen.A Bedford man was killed Wednesday after he was thrown from an SUV after a single-vehicle crash, police said.

Jason P. Lutz, 40, died after the 2004 Jeep Cherokee he was driving ran off U.S. 460 in Campbell County near the Bedford County line, struck a guardrail and overturned, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a news release Thursday.

Lutz died at the scene. The Jeep came to a stop on its wheels while partially on top of the guardrail, police said.

Police responded to the wreck at 9:05 p.m. Wednesday. Lutz was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation, police said.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Lisa Smeds Alenius will defend her doctoral thesis on 22 January 2019 at Karolinska Institutet. Her thesis focuses on factors in the nurse work environment relating to quality of care and patient safety. The thesis shows that the experience of adequate staffing and resources, leadership on ward and hospital levels, and teamwork with physicians are all of great importance for how nurses assess patient safety. The thesis also shows that those assessments are consistent with objective measures of patient safety.

Lisa Smeds Alenius is a RD Nurse and a doctoral student at the Department of learning, informatics, management and ethics, LIME, at Karolinska Institutet.

Why did you want to investigate this topic?

"Since the resources available for care, both human and economic, are limited, I wanted to investigate how nurses perceive their work situation to make better and more full use of their competence to benefit both patients and the hospital as an organization."

What methods did you use?

"The thesis is based on data from the Swedish component of the international, EU-funded project "Registered Nurse Forecasting" (RN4CAST), with survey responses from 11,000 nurses working in medical and surgical wards at all the acute care hospitals in Sweden. Data from the National Patient Register were also used, as well as data on hospitals."

What conclusions did you arrive at?

"The factor with the most influence on nurses' assessments of patient safety on their wards was whether they felt sufficient staff and resources were available. Leadership, both at ward level and at hospital management level, was also influential, as was teamwork with physicians.

The thesis also shows that nurses' assessments of the safety and quality of care can provide an important basis for decision making. When the nurses assessed patient safety and quality of care as excellent, objective measures also showed a clearly reduced risk of patients dying within 30 days.

In free-text responses to an open question, many nurses described how they felt they were expected and required to maintain a high level of quality and safety in care, while at the same time they had little opportunity to influence the necessary conditions for care provision. Several organizational factors that make it difficult for nurses to utilize their professional competence to the fullest, were also made visible."

What was surprising?

"We saw in the survey responses that nurses had a strong sense of commitment and a desire to make use of and share their knowledge, so it is disheartening to learn that organizational conditions do not really support that. It was also clear that the nurses were very happy with their chosen profession but not necessarily with their place of work. I see that as a force that could be utilized more constructively. Given the right conditions, many might want to continue working as a nurse."

What do you hope your results will lead to?

"I hope that the results of the thesis will stimulate nurses and managers at different levels to investigate how nurses' competencies and capacities are being utilised. Nursing is a central part of patient care and because nurses constitute the largest occupational group in hospitals, it is important their professional knowledge is used in a more strategic and effective way.

Nurses should not only be self-evident as indispensable actors in organizing and influencing care processes. It is also about providing the necessary conditions, for example adequate staffing and resources, and supportive organizational structures for care provision.

It would also be reasonable to imagine that if there were more opportunities for nurses to make full use of their professional competence, hospitals would become more attractive as workplaces which, in turn would improve chances of recruiting and retaining skilled personnel."

What are you going to do now?

"I want to continue researching how healthcare can utilize staff competencies in the best possible ways, which also benefits patients. I also want to explore other professional groups to see how they perceive their work situation and how their skills are utilized."Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are a class of chemicals used to produce materials commonly found in everyday life, such as some plastics, tin cans, electrical and household appliances, cosmetics, pesticides, etc. EDs are, however, not without danger: these molecules interfere with the endocrine system, disrupting the physiological production and the target effects of hormones. In particular, EDs have proven effects on the reproductive system and an incidence on the occurrence of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases during aging.

There is also growing evidence that EDs strongly interfere with the functioning of the thyroid. EDs cause changes in thyroid hormone concentrations, the peripheral metabolism of these hormones and the signaling of their receptors. The mechanism by which they act on the thyroid axis is, however, still far from being elucidated: the tests currently available are strongly limited by the availability of adequate quantities of human thyroid tissue and by the inability to predict the effects of EDs after low dose exposure.

The new European collaborative project SCREENED aims to develop new 3D in vitro tests to overcome these limitations. Based on 3D constructions of rodent and human thyroid cells, these tests will for the first time mimic the structure and function of the native thyroid gland and, thus, its vascular and morphogenetic anatomical characteristics. Professor Lorenzo Moroni, the Coordinator of the SCREENED project, explains: "These new 3D in vitro thyromorphic models will make it possible to predict with more sensitivity and specificity the effects of EDs on thyroid function, compared to conventional molecular and 2D in vitro assays. These tests will also allow selective identification of female and male responses to the exposure to EDs and to test simultaneous action of different EDs on thyroid function."

The SCREENED project is part of a bigger cluster of eight research projects, all funded by the European Commission, and each focusing on a different aspect of new testing and screening methods to identify EDs. SCREENED brings together nine European universities and companies, including Sabine Costagliola's Lab from Universite libre de Bruxelles. Sabine Costagliola has been conducting researches on the morphogenesis and functions of the thyroid gland for many years. The objective of Sabine Costagliola and her team will be to produce in vitro human thyroid organoids derivated from stem cells and evaluate their resemblance with the native organ. These samples will then be used by the consortium to conduct researches about EDs' effects on the thyroid.

The ambition of the SCREENED project is that these new 3D in vitro tests, as well as the increased knowledge about adverse reactions after exposure to EDs, will be used for regulatory purposes, ultimately to improve human health.Over the past several decades, it's become increasingly recognized that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), including postpartum depression, are more than just "baby blues." They're the most common complication of childbirth in the U.S., affecting about 14 percent of women in their lifetimes and up to 50 percent in some specific populations. PMADs can lead to a variety of adverse outcomes for both mothers and their babies, including poor breastfeeding rates, poor maternal-infant bonding, lower infant immunization rates and maternal suicides that account for up to 20 percent of postpartum deaths.

But while it's obvious that PMADs are a significant problem, finding a way to solve this issue is far from clear. In a policy statement published December 2018 in the journal Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatric medical homes coordinate more effectively with prenatal providers to ensure PMAD screening occurs for new mothers at well-child checkups throughout the first several weeks and months of infancy and use community resources and referrals to ensure women suffering with these disorders receive follow-up treatment.

To help solve the huge issue of PMADs requires a more comprehensive approach, suggests Lenore Jarvis, M.D., MEd, an emergency medicine specialist at Children's National Health System. A poster that Dr. Jarvis and colleagues from Children's Perinatal Mental Health Taskforce recently presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2018 National Convention and Exhibit in Orlando, Florida, details the integrated care to help women with PMADs that originated at Children's National and is being offered at several levels, including individual, interpersonal, organizational, community and policy. The poster was ranked best in its section for the Council on Early Childhood.

At the base level of care for mothers with possible PMADs, Dr. Jarvis says, are the one-on-one screenings that take place in primary care clinics. Currently, all five of Children's primary care clinics screen for mental health concerns at annual visits. At the 2-week, 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-month visits, mothers are screened for PMADs using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a validated tool that's long been used to gauge the risk of postpartum depression. In addition, recent studies at Children's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and emergency department (ED) suggest that performing PMAD screenings in these settings as well could help catch even more women with these disorders: About 45 percent of parents had a positive screen for depression at NICU discharge, and about 27 percent of recent mothers had positive screens for PMADs in the ED.

To further these efforts, Children's National recently started a Perinatal Mental Health Taskforce to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and open communication with providers among multiple hospital divisions. This taskforce is working together to apply lessons learned from screening in primary care, the NICU and the ED to discuss best practices and develop hospital-wide recommendations. They're also sharing their experiences with hospitals across the country to help them develop best practices for helping women with PMADs at their own institutions.

Furthering its commitment to PMAD screening, Children's National leadership set a goal of increasing screening in primary care by 15 percent for fiscal year 2018--then exceeded it. Children's National is also helping women with PMADs far outside the hospital's walls by developing a PMAD screening toolkit for other providers in Washington and across the country and by connecting with community partners through the DC Collaborative for Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care. In April 2019, the hospital will host a regional perinatal mental health conference that not only will include its own staff but also staff from other local hospitals and other providers who care for new mothers, including midwives, social workers, psychologists, community health workers and doulas.

Finally, on a federal level, Dr. Jarvis and colleagues are part of efforts to obtain additional resources for PMAD screening, referral and treatment. They successfully advocated for Congress to fully fund the Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression program, part of the 21st Century Cures Act. And locally, they provided testimony to help establish a task force to address PMADs in Washington.

Together, Dr. Jarvis says, these efforts are making a difference for women with PMADs and their families.

"All this work demonstrates that you can take a problem that is very personal, this individual experience with PMADS, and work together with a multidisciplinary team in collaboration to really have an impact and promote change across the board," she adds.The UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country is proposing improvements with respect to the pharmacological study of cognitive function enhancers in patients with schizophrenia

A study by the UPV/EHU has assessed the effectiveness of various drugs, which are used to delay cognitive deterioration in patients with Alzheimer's, in improving cognitive impairment displayed by patients with schizophrenia. Through an analysis of nine clinical trials carried out worldwide, the researchers have specified a series of methodological improvements in the study of drugs that ensure the functional recovery of these patients.

Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental disorder involving a series of symptoms. It is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Various symptoms of this disorder, such as delusions and hallucinations, have been shown to be very adequately treated by means of antipsychotics, and its symptomatology can be improved. Yet patients experience many difficulties on a social and functional level, in other words, "they have severe problems in carrying out everyday life activities ranging from personal hygiene or managing their finances to maintaining a stable social network, having a partner or holding down a job. And there is no treatment for this", explained Arantzazu Zabala, a Doctor in Psychology specializing in neuropsychology.

Since the year 2000, explained Zabala, one of the authors of the work, "it has emerged that it is the cognitive impairments that correlate most with functional deficits, and since then, to combat these deficits, the scientific community has been developing a broad range of interventions, including cognitive enhancers. These are drugs which when added to the routine, antipsychotic treatment, could reverse or, to a certain extent, reduce the cognitive impairments displayed by patients".

Methodological improvements in the interests of progress

Nine clinical trials from across the world were analysed in a study conducted by researchers from the UPV/EHU, the University of La Rioja, the BioCruces Health Research Institute and Cibersam (Centre for Biomedical Research into Mental Health). The trials involved patients with schizophrenia and used three acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (deonepezil, galantamine and rivastignine)that are very effective in improving the cognitive impairments of patients with Alzheimer's. As the researcher explained, "right now there is insufficient evidence to be able to recommend acetylcholinesterase inhibitors as a cognitive enhancer for patients with schizophrenia". In fact, numerous limitations in the nine trials studied have emerged in this meta-analysis, and various improvements that need to be applied to studies of this type have been proposed.

Doctor Zabala is nevertheless optimistic: "Much work remains to be done, but it's heading in the right direction." The researcher insists that the trials analyzed "are original pieces of work, are among the first ones, but right now the therapeutic targets have expanded greatly. Our work draws attention to the need for studies that will offer sufficient methodological quality to be able to guarantee the effectiveness of the compounds". In this respect, the research conducted at the UPV/EHU proposes a series of improvements in studies of this type, which the scientific community should bear in mind "so that in addition to demonstrating the effectiveness of a drug on the patient's functionality, aspects such as the safety and tolerance of it are also studied," concluded Zabala.Willoughby

Police ask students to first contact authorities about threats, not to share on social mediaCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.One of the men convicted of the 1985 murder of Mentor-on-the-Lake teenager Michelle Hayes did not object to his sexual oriented offender classThe Prisoner of War/Missing In Action Connecticut Forget-Me-Nots group based in New Milford will host the 34th annual bell-ringing ceremony Jan. 20 at noon.

The ceremony, which will take place at St. Francis Xavier parish center on Elm Street near the top of the Green in New Milford, will mark the 46th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement, a document to end active involvement in Vietnam at which time all prisoners of war would be returned within 90 days.New Milford Mayor Pete Bass will hold the next coffee with the mayor Jan. 19 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the E. Paul Martin Meeting Room at Roger Sherman Town Hall at 10 Main St.

Residents are invited to come with ideas, questions or concerns, and general conversation.Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington will hold a book discussion and signing Jan. 20 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The bookshop and Community Table will partner for the event with New York Times bestselling author Dani Shapiro, who will celebrate the release of her new book, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity and Love.The VPF Traffic Unit is appealing to all vehicle owners and drivers to ensure their vehicle documents are valid. Photo: FileHelp support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities.GREENWICH  Human trafficking is often hidden in plain sight  and as one expert said, It happens in Greenwich.

In fact, the highest number of human-trafficking cases in the state are found in Fairfield County, lawyers, government officials and nonprofit leaders said at a panel discussion held Wednesday night at YWCA Greenwich.

Multiple Greenwich businesses have been found to be involved in trafficking and wage theft in sweeps conducted by the Connecticut Department of Labor, and victims of trafficking have received services from the YWCA Greenwich. Connecticut isnt immune to the silent scourge of modern day slavery seen around the world, experts say.

People say it doesnt happen here, said Resa Spaziani, supervisor of wage and workplace standards for the state Department of Labor. I assure you, it happens in Greenwich.

Trafficking victims are often forced into work through physical coercion or threats, but also by psychological manipulation, said Luis C. deBaca, lawyer and former U.S. State Department ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons.

Trafficking doesnt mean the person didnt want to do that work, deBaca said. Maybe they come to take that job, but they get stuck in the cycle of debt bondage and wage theft. Then they receive threats to their family if they try to leave and its no longer voluntary.

In Connecticut, construction sites, nail and massage salons, and restaurants are the businesses most likely to see trafficking, Spaziani said. Car wash employees and other low-wage workers are also prone to trafficking.

Fairfield County  and especially Greenwich  is an epicenter for trafficking, Spaziani said, because of its proximity to New York City.

(Trafficking victims) meet in New York and they get on bus usually around 7:30 a.m., she said. And Greenwich and Stamford are easy commutes.

After working a 13-hour day, the group is bused back to the city, Spaziani said.

Many times the employer will have a residence, and he will have eight, nine, 10 people in a two bedroom or a one bedroom, she said.

Newly elected State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest (D-18), former chair of the states Trafficking in Persons Council, said the human trafficking found in nail salons and illicit massage parlors in Connecticut is of grave concern.

We are the only state in the U.S. that does not license nail technicians, she said. That makes us a hotbed for human trafficking.

Gilchrist this week introduced a bill that would require licensure of all nail technicians in Connecticut.

Illicit massage businesses are often the seedy places you see in strip malls, she said.

We know what that looks like, and it resembles typically a woman of Asian descent who is trafficked from Flushing, Queens, and is moved two to three times a week across Connecticut to different illicit massage businesses, she said. Weve all seen businesses like this before, but how often do we ask ourselves, Who is that individual inside there? Who is she and how to we help her?

Child labor trafficking cases are also common in the state, Spaziani said, but offenders are rarely prosecuted or convicted.

We get child cases in construction and restaurants and generally, its a relative putting the to work to help the family, she said. Horrifically, the judge doesnt think that its a big crime and throws it out. We have warrants for child labor in many courts that arent getting signed right now.

Eradicating the problem

Anyone who suspects they have observed trafficking is encouraged to report it to the state Labor Department immediately, Spaziani said.

When youre having your nails done, ask, What are you getting paid? Are you getting paid? she said. People are willing to talk to you about that.

Demato said that holding companies accountable on social media can help consumers become more aware of where the products they buy come from.

Were finding there to be a growing demand from younger consumers of publishing and sharing information on websites showing true evidence of what the company is doing, she said.

In tight fiscal times for the state, Gilchrest said it may be a difficult fight to convince other legislators that bills aimed to fight trafficking should be a priority.

We as community need to step up and say this is priority, she said.

An estimated 40.3 million people are trapped in modern slavery in the world today, Krishna Patel, general counsel and justice initiative director of Grace Farms in New Canaan and former federal prosecutor, told the large crowd. Human trafficking is the largest criminal industry worldwide, with $150 billion in criminal proceeds and $354 billion worth of consumption in the G20 countries.

Globally, the fishing, chocolate and garment industries are the most impacted by trafficking, said Patel.

Slavery is in every possible supply chain, said Divya Demato, CEO and co-founder of GoodOps, a company that specializes in auditing supply chains for workers rights violations.GREENWICH  Nothing makes the stress of midterms dissolve like dogs.

There is an extensive amount of research that shows dogs soothe anxious students, said Shelby Semmes, a Greenwich High School special education teacher who coordinated with Greenwich Hospital to bring the dogs to school.

You can visibly see students relax around their presence, she said.

Three therapy dogs arrived at GHS on Wednesday to help students relax, recharge and refocus during their week of midterms. Two dogs will return Thursday and Friday, and one dog next Tuesday.

Dana Neuman, who brings her dog Otis, who patiently listens to students read at the Byram Schubert Library, helped Semmes organize the visits to GHS, which started in 2016.

Students can take turns petting and visiting with the dogs for one hour, from 10 to 11 a.m., in the media center. The dogs are Healing Touch Volunteers from Greenwich Hospital.

jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.comWashington - Followed by a phalanx of journalists, Rep. Jahana Hayes joined a group of House Democratic freshmen Wednesday who went on the hunt for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Why did the new House Democrats go searching for McConnell, first in his state office in the Russell Senate Office Building, then in the Senate cloakroom, and finally on the largely deserted Senate floor?

The group, which included firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wanted to give McConnell a letter signed by 30 freshmen urging him to allow votes in the Senate on House Democratic legislation to reopen the government.

All we want is a vote, Hayes said Vote yes. Vote no. Just vote.

But McConnell is holding fast to his promise to only hold votes on bills President Donald Trump will sign. As the partial government shutdown stretched into its 26th day, there was no sign of a way to end the partisan stalemate over Trumps demand for $5 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump invited some moderate Democrats to lunch at the White House on Wednesday, but failed to convince any of them to consider funding his wall before the government is reopened.

Meanwhile, most congressional business, especially in the Senate, has been slowed.

With no quick end to the shutdown in sight, the Trump administration continues to try to blunt the impact of the shutdown by ordering thousands of furloughed workers, without pay, back to work at their shuttered agencies.

The Food and Drug Administration, for instance, announced Tuesday that it would restart food-safety inspections at facilities that handle riskier products like fresh-cut produce. The FDA has been closed since Dec. 22 because it receives its funding from the Department of Agricultures budget which, like the budgets of eight other major federal agencies, has not been approved.

At a Capitol Hill event Wednesday, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, said the move does little to ensure the nations food supply is safe.

DeLauro, head of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, said food inspections are a staff-intensive task that must be carried out broadly and often.

The FDA has announced plans to bring back employees, DeLauro said. But they will be working with only one-third of the regular inspectors and they will also work without pay.

DeLauro also said that if theres an outbreak of some sort, states will have no capacity to deal with it.

Protecting our nations food supply is paramount, she said.

The Trump administration has also sent Internal Revenue Service employees who had been furloughed back to work to process tax refunds and income verification requests from mortgage lenders.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced it will call back to work about 2,500 employees to reopen about half of the Farm Service Agency offices around the country that help farmers in a number of ways, including the processing of farm loans.

While there is no movement toward an agreement that would reopen the government, some Senate Republicans are feeling pressure to distance themselves from Trump as polls show a majority of Americans blame the president and GOP lawmakers for the shutdown.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, joined several moderate Democrats in proposing the government be reopened for three weeks to give Trump and congressional Democrats time to come to an agreement on border wall funding.

Meanwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday asked Trump to postpone his State of the Union address  or deliver it in writing  citing security concerns related to the partial federal government shutdown.

The State of the Union address is scheduled for Jan. 29.3 1 of 3 Talley Media / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Talley Media / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Wary of January snowstorms? Well, the Dustbowl is coming East to Hamdens Space Ballroom on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Dustbowl Revival, that is  a Venice, Calif.-based band self-described as a folk-funk experiment. The group features eight full-time members who mash the sounds of New Orleans funk, bluegrass, soul, pre-war blues and roots. With vocals by Z. Lupetin and Liz Beebe, they do sweet ballads, hoedown bluegrass and brassy, bluesy dance tunes  all tightly.Petition urges local authority to bring forward district's zero net-carbon commitment

SENIOR councillors will tonight receive a petition signed by thousands of people across West Berkshire urging the local authority to declare a climate emergency and work towards making the district zero-carbon by 2030.

The petition, started by West Berkshire Green Party, has gained more than 1,600 signatures and will be the first of its kind to be presented in the council chamber.

It will be handed in by West Berkshire Green Partys prospective Parliamentary candidate for Newbury Steve Masters at a meeting of the councils executive committee tonight.

The UK is currently targeting a reduction of 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and West Berkshires own aims to reduce carbon emissions are aligned to this.

In November, Bristol City Council declared a climate emergency when its members unanimously backed a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030  a move which was also copied by Scarborough Council at the start of January.

It's one thing to declare a #ClimateEmergency  but actually becoming carbon neutral in 12 years is an ambitious task. Bristols Green councillors have launched a report into how the city can achieve its 2030 target https://t.co/Xi8QX0HC9o  Green World (@GreenWorld_UK) January 11, 2019

Meanwhile, the 10 local authorities that make up Greater Manchester are set to implement measures banning fracking, as part of the regions commitment to become carbon zero by 2038.

In November, a Newbury branch of the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion was formed.

Extinction Rebellion is an international social movement established last year that aims to drive radical change through non-violent resistance in the fight against climate change and conservational protection.

Mr Masters said the number of signatures on the petition  gained over a six-week period  sent a powerful message to the Conservative-led council.

He said: The public response has been amazing and I would like to thank the people of West Berkshire for their enthusiasm and warmth, many of whom waited patiently to sign in cold temperatures.

One of the most telling aspects of this process has been the response of the partners of a number of our Conservative councillors who, even when they declined my invitation to sign, often said how crucial it is that we act.

A petition must contain a minimum of 1,500 signatures if it is to be reported to a council meeting for debate, where it will be discussed for up to a maximum of 15 minutes.

At a council meeting in December, Jeannette Clifford, the councils portfolio holder for transport and the countryside (Con, Northcroft), told Mr Masters that setting a target year of 2030 was not realistic, without having a strong, concrete plan in place.

However, she remained optimistic that the council would achieve net zero carbon status before 2050.

But Mr Masters criticised Mrs Cliffords views, saying that they were out of touch with reality.

He said: The petition suggests research and co-operation between all levels of government in order to formulate a credible plan based on the current science and modelling available.

Mrs Cliffords claim that we must wait for leadership from central government completely misses the point.

Her Conservative colleagues are wedded to a future that doesnt relinquish fossil fuels soon enough.Newburyport - Paul James Matthews, 95, a resident of Newburyport, died Monday morning June 14, 2021 at Port Healthcare Center in Newburyport. He was born on January 26, 1926, in Newburyport, Mass., to the late James and Mary Matthews. Paul was raised in Newburyport and was a graduate of NewbAmbitious plans by All Saints Church in Poringland to build a new 1.7m community hub in the South Norfolk village are to go on show to the public next month.

Ambitious plans by All Saints Church in Poringland to build a new 1.7m community hub in the South Norfolk village are to go on show to the public next month.

Matthew Project needs a Development and Marketing Manager The Matthew Project needs a Development and Marketing Manager, based in Norwich. Read more

Matthew Project needs a Workshop Co-ordinator The Matthew Project needs a part-time Workshop Co-ordinator based at the Next Steps centre in Norwich. Read more

Why dont we declare the certainty of our faith? Regular columnist James Knight explains why everyone stands to benefit by following Christs teachings. Read more

Watton church needs Families Matter Keyworker Employed by St Marys Church Watton, the Families Matter Keyworker (FMK) part-time post is in partnership with church and community, working with clergy and volunteers to provide positive spiritual and physical wellbeing for families across Watton. Read more

SOUL Church in Norwich needs financial manager SOUL Church in Norwich is seeking to employ an enthusiastic full-time Financial Manager to take the lead in the financial management of the Soul Church Group with direction from the Board Finance Director. Read more

Rock legend Rick made CBE in Queen's honours Norfolk-based rock star and keyboard legend Rick Wakeman has been awarded a CBE in the Queens honours list. Read more

YMCA Norfolk needs SOS Bus Driver YMCA Norfolk is seeking an SOS Bus Driver in King's Lynn to drive the SOS Project Safe Haven vehicle. Read more

Two Recovery Workers needed by Matthew Project The Matthew Project is advertising two exciting full time opportunities as Recovery Workers, to support people in the community delivering 1:1 and group work. The roles will be centred in either Great Yarmouth or Kings Lynn and Thetford. Read more

Yare Valley Churches now up and running! A running club set up during pandemic restrictions at three churches in the Brundall area has now started running together as a group. Read more

2,000-mile cycle challenge reaches Norwich Pedal power took centre stage outside Norwich Anglican Cathedral this week as the nationwide Cathedrals Cycle Route reached the city. Read more

Norfolk science-faith lecture on 'dying well' It is often said that the prospect of death concentrates the mind wonderfully. This has been illustrated during the pandemic, and the June meeting of Science Faith Norfolk focused on the medical practice of palliative care in this context. Read more

Lead youth worker vacancy at mid Norfolk church The Fountain of Life is a charismatic, evangelical, network church in the Church of England. It is located in mid Norfolk, has mission at its heart and seeks to take the gospel into the centre of the communities in which works. Read more

New website for Norfolk pregnancy loss charity Norfolk pregnancy loss charity Time Norfolk has launched a new website to encourage people who need support to find out how to access help. Read more

Raisekids to run real-life monopoly in Wymondham Raise Kids Work is running its first three-dimensional monopoly game through the town of Wymondham as a fun fundraiser for Raise Kids Work. Read more

Norfolk church to celebrate the beauty of creation Always wanting to punch above its weight, the tiny church of All Saints, Hethel, in South Norfolk, has organised a Celebration of Creation weekend on June 26-27 with everyone welcome. Read more

Willy Notcutt  exceptional doctor and Christian Tributes have been paid to Dr William Willy Notcutt, retired senior consultant anaesthetist who was also a committed Christian. Tony Mallion describes his remarkable life. Read more

Norwich Youth for Christ completes gaming marathon Norwich Youth for Christ has raised 2,418 though a sponsored 24 hours of streaming and gaming. Read moreA fire that burned down a summer camp house in Duxbury, Vermont is being considered an arson, the Vermont State Police announced Thursday.

On Jan. 6, the Waterbury Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 2141 Camels Hump Road at around 5:30 a.m. Firefighters quickly discerned that the one-story house had been almost entirely leveled.

The house, owned by Ronald and Betty Deforge of Barre, Vermont, has been deemed a total loss.

Since the house was being used as a summer camp, no heat or electricity was being supplied, nor was there anyone inside, when the fire started. For these reasons, the fire is currently being considered an arson.

Det. Sgt. Steve Otis began an investigation of the incident on Jan. 7, which is ongoing.

The Vermont Department of Public Safety requests that anyone with information about the fire contact Det. Sgt. Todd Ambroz at the State Police Barracks in Middlesex at 802-229-9191 or todd.ambroz@vermont.gov or call the the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program at (800-322-7766).

The Vermont Arson Tip Award Program offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest of an arsonist.A top lawmaker in Massachusetts' House of Representative is accused of groping an incoming lawmaker, according to the Boston Globe.

Rep. Paul McMurtry, a Democrat from Dedham and a member of House Speaker Robert DeLeo's leadership team, allegedly grabbed the backside of an incoming legislator at an orientation cocktail hour last month for new lawmakers in the state, the Globe reported.

At the time of the alleged incident, McMurtry was the chairman of the House personnel committee.

DeLeo's communications director, Catherine Williams, told NBC10 Boston that four House members had told the speaker or his staff that they had heard secondhand reports of "inappropriate conduct" at the New Member Legislative Academy at UMass Amherst. She said all of those House members denied having firsthand knowledge of the incident and declined to identify anyone involved.

After hearing the first complaint on Dec. 19, Williams said DeLeo "immediately notified House Counsel."

"The Speaker's office was subsequently made aware on January 4, 2019, of a rumor conveyed by one member, by way of a second member, of a name that Matt Stout of the Boston Globe provided," Williams wrote in her statement, declining to name McMurtry.

Back in 2017, DeLeo announced a review of sexual harassment policies after 12 women told the Globe they had been sexually harassed at the State House. Since then, Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg resigned after an ethics report concluded he had failed to protect the Senate from his husband, Bryon Hefner, who has been charged with sexual assault, criminal lewdness and distributing nude photos without consent.

McMurtry denied the allegations to the Globe and said that he welcomed an investigation. Without naming McMurtry, a spokesperson for DeLeo told the paper that an outside consultant, Cynthia Farquhar, had deemed an allegation to be plausible, adding that an ad hoc legislative committee would investigate.Rep. Seth Moulton will be visiting New Hampshire amidst speculation as to whether he will run for president, The Boston Globe reported on Wednesday.

On Feb. 2, Moulton, a Democrat from Salem, Massachusetts, will appear before the Bedford Democratic Committee.

Although Seth Moulton is unlikely to declare a run for the presidency soon, The Boston Globe reported that Moulton dodged the question of a presidential candidacy several times when pressed in a meeting with their editorial board.

Moulton spokesperson Matt Corridoni addressed the speaking event by explaining that the representative is "always happy to accept invitations to speak with Democratic groups especially ones so close to home."

Still, The Boston Globe predicts that this visit to New Hampshire will re-ignite rumors that Moulton will run for president.

The visit comes at a time when many Democrats, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, are exploring bids for the Democratic nomination.Police are seeking help with a road rage incident in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Bedford Police say they responded to a call about an assault in progress and fight between two drivers at the end of Boynton Street near the intersection of Route 101 at 8:35a.m. Thursday morning.

The victim told police that his attacker, reportedly a man of considerable stature, got out of the back of a gray four-door sedan, possibly a Hyundai, wearing a ski mask and attempted to start a fight with him.

The victim did not leave their car, so the assailant eventually got back in the car they arrived in and departed before the police arrived.

Police searched the area but found only security footage of the incident.

Two women were seen in the front of the car with the suspect.

The security footage shows the assailant's car as missing the passenger side hubcap and having a damaged driver's side hubcap.

Bedford Police request that anyone with information about the incident or who have seen the attacker's car call Bedford Police at 603-472-5113.Maine State Police are assisting local police in an investigation after an infant sustained serious injuries inside a home on Pooler Drive in Vassalboro.

Six-month-old Blaze Wood was taken to Maine General Medical Center in Augusta on Jan. 2 then flown by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland the following day, according to police.

Police say the boy's father, 23-year-old Dylan Wood, lived with the infant and has been interviewed.

Officials continue to monitor the child's condition. The investigation is ongoing.Police in Manchester, New Hampshire, arrested a man accused of a number of "nefarious" activities while behind the wheel on Tuesday.

Michael Douville, 51, of Nashua, was allegedly smoking crack cocaine while his female passenger engaged in sexual acts as he was driving.

Authorities say two detectives stopped Douville's vehicle at the intersection of Union and Valley streets while at a red light.

The detectives walked up to Douville's car and ordered him to pull over; instead, he allegedly accelerated through a green light and briefly disappeared from the detectivess before he was found by another Manchester officer.

Douville was stopped near Warsaw and Pine streets, where the female passenger ran away, but the Manchester officer was able to successfully arrest Douville, according to police.

He's charged with lewdness, disobeying a police officer, reckless conduct and possession of a controlled drug. He appeared at Hillsborough County Superior Court-North on Wednesday. It's unclear if he has an attorney or if he has been released on bail.In what has become the longest government shutdown in American history, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker are planning on taking a road trip.

"Instead of building walls, let's show them how to build bridges," said Walsh in his State of the City address.

Tuesday night, Walsh announced the two would be traveling together to Washington to show how their bipartisan approach to governing works.

Walsh is a Democrat leading the city and Baker is a Republican leading the state.

"I think we would both like to have a chance to sort of make a collaborative pitch to the folks down there to think a little bigger about to treat each other and try to get things done," said Baker.

Walsh calls President Donald Trump's determination on building a wall along the southern border "frustrating."

"There's no if, and, or buts about it, and there's no dialogue," said Walsh.

It's not clear when or how the two will get to Washington. They still have to work out the logistics through their administrations' staffers.

Baker wants the timing to align with other local and state leaders across the country.

"I have a feeling that if we schedule this the right way, we may be able do it when there are other folks from either state government or other cities down there," said Baker.She imperiled his State of the Union address. He denied her a plane to visit troops abroad.

The shutdown battle between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is playing out as a surreal game of constitutional brinkmanship, with both flexing their political powers from opposite ends of Pennsylvania Avenue as the negotiations to end the monthlong partial government shutdown remain stalled.

In dramatic fashion, Trump issued a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, just before she and other lawmakers were set to depart on the previously undisclosed trip to Afghanistan and Brussels. Trump belittled the trip as a "public relations event"  even though he had just made a similar warzone stop  and said it would be best if Pelosi remained in Washington to negotiate to reopen the government.

"Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative!" concluded Trump, who had been smarting since Pelosi, the day before, called on him to postpone his Jan. 29 State of the Union address due to the shutdown.

Denying military aircraft to a senior lawmaker  let alone the speaker, who is second in line to the White House, traveling to a combat region  is very rare. Lawmakers were caught off guard. A bus to ferry the legislators to their departure idled outside the Capitol on Thursday afternoon.

The political tit-for-tat between Trump and Pelosi laid bare how the government-wide crisis has devolved into an intensely pointed clash between two leaders both determined to prevail. It took place as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without pay and Washington's routine protocols  a president's speech to Congress, a lawmaker's official trip  became collateral damage.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the speaker planned to travel to Afghanistan and Brussels to thank service members and obtain briefings on national security and intelligence "from those on the front lines." He noted Trump had traveled to Iraq during the shutdown and said a Republican-led congressional trip also had taken place.

Trump's move was the latest example of his extraordinary willingness to tether U.S. government resources to his political needs. He has publicly urged the Justice Department to investigate political opponents and threatened to cut disaster aid to Puerto Rico amid a spat with the island territory's leaders.

Some Republicans expressed frustration. Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted, "One sophomoric response does not deserve another." He called Pelosi's State of the Union move "very irresponsible and blatantly political" but said Trump's reaction was "also inappropriate."

While there were few signs of progress Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence and senior adviser Jared Kushner dashed to the Capitol late in the day for a meeting with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. And the State Department instructed all U.S. diplomats in Washington and elsewhere to return to work next week with pay, saying it had found money for their salaries at least temporarily.

For security reasons, Pelosi would normally make such a trip on a military aircraft supplied by the Pentagon. According to a defense official, Pelosi did request Defense Department support for overseas travel and it was initially approved. The official wasn't authorized to speak by name about the matter, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said the president does have the authority to cancel the use of military aircraft.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California slammed Trump for revealing the closely held travel plans. "I think the president's decision to disclose a trip the speaker's making to a war zone was completely and utterly irresponsible in every way," Schiff said.

Trump's trip to Iraq after Christmas was not disclosed in advance for security reasons.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump wanted Pelosi to stay in Washington before Tuesday, a deadline to prepare the next round of paychecks for federal workers.

"We want to keep her in Washington," Sanders said. "The president wants her here to negotiate."

The White House also canceled plans for a presidential delegation to travel to an economic forum in Switzerland next week, citing the shutdown. And they said future congressional trips would be postponed until the shutdown is resolved, though it was not immediately clear if any such travel  which often is not disclosed in advance  was coming up.

Trump was taken by surprise by Pelosi's move to postpone his address and told one adviser it was the sort of disruptive move he would make himself, according to a Republican who is in frequent contact with the White House and was not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

While he maintained a public silence, Trump grew weary of how Pelosi's move was being received on cable TV and reiterated fears that he was being outmaneuvered in the public eye. Trump was delighted at the idea of canceling Pelosi's trip, believing the focus on the resources needed would highlight her hypocrisy for cancelling his speech, according to the Republican.

Trump has still not said how he will handle Pelosi's attempt to have him postpone his State of the Union address until the government is reopened so workers can be paid for providing security for the grand Washington tradition.

Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday: "Let's get a date when government is open. Let's pay the employees. Maybe he thinks it's OK not to pay people who do work. I don't."

Trump declined to address the stalemate over the speech during a visit Thursday to the Pentagon, simply promising that the nation will have "powerful, strong border security."

Pelosi reiterated she is willing to negotiate money for border security once the government is reopened, but she said Democrats remain opposed to Trump's long-promised wall. "I'm not for a wall," Pelosi said twice, mouthing the statement a third time for effect.

In a notice to staff, the State Department said it can pay most of its employees beginning Sunday or Monday for their next pay period. They will not be paid for time worked since the shutdown began in December until the situation is resolved, said the notice.

The new White House travel ban did not extend to the first family.

About two hours after Trump grounded Pelosi and her delegation, an Air Force-modified Boeing 757 took off from Joint Base Andrews outside Washington with the call sign "Executive One Foxtrot," reserved for the first family when the president is not traveling with them. It landed just before 7 p.m. at Palm Beach International Airport, less than two miles from the president's private club.

A White House spokesperson did not answer questions about the flight.A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television has been arrested by the FBI during a visit to the U.S., the broadcaster reported Wednesday, and her son said she was being held in a prison, apparently as a material witness.

Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for the network's English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son, Hossein Hashemi.

The FBI said in an email that it had no comment on the arrest of the woman who was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and has worked for Iran's state television network for 25 years.

Hossein Hashemi said his mother lives in Tehran and comes back to this country about once a year to see her family, usually scheduling documentary work somewhere in the U.S. as well.

"We still have no idea what's going on," said Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado who was interviewed by phone from Washington. He also said he and his siblings had been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury.

The incident comes as Iran faces increasing criticism of its own arrests of dual citizens and other people with Western ties. Those cases have previously been used as bargaining chips in negotiations with world powers.

Federal law allows judges to order witnesses to be arrested and detained if the government can prove their testimony has extraordinary value for a criminal case and that they would be a flight risk and unlikely to respond to a subpoena. The statute generally requires those witnesses to be promptly released once they are deposed.

Marzieh Hashemi, an American citizen, had not been contacted by the FBI before she was detained and would "absolutely" have been willing to cooperate with the agency, her son said.

Asked whether his mother had been involved in any criminal activity or knew anyone who might be implicated in a crime, Hashemi said, "We don't have any information along those lines."

Hashemi said his mother was arrested as she was about to board a flight from St. Louis to Denver. A spokesman for St. Louis Lambert International Airport declined to comment and referred questions to the FBI.

The constitutionality of the material witness law has "never been meaningfully tested," said Ricardo J. Bascuas, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law. "The government only relies on it when they need a reason to arrest somebody but they don't have one."

No matter the reason for Marzieh Hashemi's detention, she should have been granted a court appearance by now, Bascuas said.

She apparently was unable to call her daughter until Tuesday night. The family is trying to hire an attorney, but it has been difficult because she has not been charged with a crime, her son said.

Iran's state broadcaster held a news conference and launched a hashtag campaign for Hashemi, using the same techniques families with loved ones held in the Islamic Republic use to highlight their cases.

"We will not spare any legal action" to help her, said Paiman Jebeli, deputy chief of Iran's state IRIB broadcaster. Iran's Press TV aired footage of her anchoring news programs and discussing the war in Syria, set to dramatic music.

There were no references to any case against Hashemi in U.S. federal courts, nor in Missouri.

Hashemi describes herself online as having studied journalism at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She converted to Islam in 1982 at age 22 after meeting Iranian activist students in Denver.

She married a man she met while in journalism school. They had two sons and a daughter. Her husband is dead, said Hashemi's brother, Milton Leroy Franklin of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie.

Last week, Iran confirmed it is holding U.S. Navy veteran Michael R. White at a prison, making him the first American known to be detained under President Donald Trump's administration.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state TV that Hashemi's arrest indicates the "apartheid and racist policy" of the Trump administration.

"We hope that the innocent person will be released without any condition," Ghasemi said.

At least four other American citizens are being held in Iran, including Iranian-American Siamak Namazi and his 82-year-old father, Baquer, both serving 10-year sentences on espionage charges. Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife, Afarin Neyssari, received 27-year and 16-year prison sentences, respectively. Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang was sentenced to 10 year in prison.

Also in an Iranian prison is Nizar Zakka, a permanent U.S. resident from Lebanon who advocated for internet freedom and has done work for the U.S. government. He was sentenced to 10 years on espionage-related charges.

Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission, remains missing as well. Iran says that Levinson is not in the country and that it has no further information about him. His family holds Tehran responsible for his disappearance.

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington, Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Jim Salter in St. Louis, Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.LaToya Brown knows the effects of the ongoing partial government shutdown all too well. Her husband is one of thousands of federal workers required to work without pay during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.

I always joke with him saying, Your income is the cake. We pay all of our bills with his income. My income is the icing. So I told him we need to spread the icing really, really thin right now," Brown said.

Browns husband is deemed an essential worker and commutes from Fredericksburg to Alexandria along I-95, spending money on gas that he isnt getting back.

Brown currently works at the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, a food distribution center in Stafford County, Virginia, where she is leading the effort to feed others while also cutting back on spending and making ends meet in her own home.

The food bank has opened its doors for the first time as a direct food pick-up location for families affected by the partial shutdown.

Brown is working to set up discreet pick-up locations for any furloughed federal workers who are intimidated or ashamed to use the food bank's services.

In those times when we have to live a little lean, you just have to make use of the resources that you have.

Brown said shes being open and honest with her own family about their financial constraints while her husband is missing paychecks. She said she has told her son to cut spending in college and rely on dining hall food.

Its chatter going on at campus because a lot of his friends have parents who work for the federal government, Brown said.

But she wholeheartedly believes that pride should not stop families from getting help.

Were not here to judge anyone, Brown said. Were concerned about the need right now.A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges abuse at the Prince Georges County Correctional Center led to a prisoners miscarriage.

The lawsuit says during Sameirow Carters detention at PGCCC, she was targeted, attacked, punished and subjected to inhumane and dangerous conditions.

The suit names the correctional officers and the director, saying, Ms. Carter was unjustifiably placed in four-point restraints by correctional officers, physically attacked by another, and forced to urinate on herself while shackled to the bench in her cell.

The suit goes on to say Carter was punched in the face while shackled.

The punch to Ms. Carters face required medical attention, her wrists were injured by the restraints, and, two weeks after her release, Ms. Carter suffered a miscarriage caused by stress associated with the assault, the suit says.

Carter could not be reached for comment.

In a statement, her attorney said, The countys treatment of Ms. Carter is not an aberration. It is part of a systemic pattern and practice of using excessive force against detainees and subjecting them to inhumane conditions. The county must be held accountable for its actions and those of its employees.

A spokesperson for the jail said they cant comment on pending litigation.

The alleged incident happened while Carter was held for one night in August 2017 on a charge of using a handheld telephone while a vehicle was in motion.An army of robots  all of them named Marty  is coming to some grocery stores in Maryland and Virginia this year.

Giant Food Stores, headquartered in Pennsylvania, will deploy the robots to 172 of its stores to help prevent tripping hazards and clean up spills. Some locations  including in Culpeper, Virginia, and Hagerstown, Maryland  will get the robots.

The plan is for Marty  a tall, gray, boxy robot with big googly eyes  to handle liquid, powder and bulk food item spills and free up time for associates to assist customers.

The robots were tested in a pilot program at two Pennsylvania Giant Food stores, their parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, said in a news release Monday.

"Bringing robotics and A.I. from a research lab to the sales floor has been a very exciting journey, and we were thrilled by the customer response in our pilot stores," Nicholas Bertram, the president of Giant Food Stores, said in a statement. "Our associates have worked hard to bring this innovation to life with amazing partners."

Marty is set to arrive in waves and be at all stores owned by Ahold Delhaize USA by mid-2019.

Six stores in Maryland will receive a Marty, including locations in Hagerstown, Eldersburg, Lavale and Rising Sun. Nine stores in Virginia will receive a Marty, located in Culpeper, Front Royal, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Stephens City, Waynesboro and Winchester.

Giant Food, a separate grocery chain more commonly known in the D.C. area, is not getting the robots.What to Know Over 2,700 children separated from their families have been identified as part of a court case in which families were ordered reunited

Investigators are concerned about the children who have not been identified because they were not covered by the reunification order

The watchdog report found ongoing problems keeping track of children, which could affect their well-being

It seems likely that thousands more migrant children were split from their families than the Trump administration previously reported, in part because officials were stepping up family separations long before the border policy that prompted international outrage last spring, a government watchdog said Thursday.

It's unclear just how many family separations occurred at the U.S.-Mexico border; immigration officials are allowed under longstanding policy to separate families under certain circumstances. Health and Human Services, the agency tasked with caring for migrant children, did not adequately track them until after a judge ruled that children must be reunited with their families, according to the report by the agency's inspector general.

Ann Maxwell, assistant inspector general for evaluations, said the number of children removed from their parents was certainly larger than the 2,737 listed by the government in court documents. Those documents chronicled separations that took place as parents were criminally prosecuted for illegally entering the country under President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy.

"It's certainly more," Maxwell said. "But precisely how much more is unknown."

Maxwell said investigators didn't have specific numbers, but that Health and Human Services staff had estimated the tally to be in the thousands.

Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who sued on behalf of a mother separated from her son, said the separation policy "was a cruel disaster from the start. This report reaffirms that the government never had a clear picture of how many children it ripped from their parents."

Most of the tens of thousands of children who come into government custody cross the border alone. But the report found that in late 2016, 0.3 percent of children turned over to Health and Human Services had crossed with a parent and were separated. By the summer of 2017, that percentage had grown to 3.6 percent, officials said. The watchdog did not have exact numbers, but the total number of migrant children who passed through the agency's care during the 2017 budget year was 40,810. The separated children had already been released to sponsors, who are generally parents or other close relatives.

The inspector general did not say why the children had been separated before the zero-tolerance policy. Immigration officials are allowed to take a child from a parent in certain cases  serious criminal charges against a parent, concerns over the health and welfare of a child or medical concerns. That policy has long been in place.

Katie Waldman, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security, said the report reinforced what officials have long said. "For more than a decade it was and continues to be standard for apprehended minors to be separated when the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, the child's safety is at risk" or there's a record of a "serious criminal activity by the adult," she said.

In some cases, however, Homeland Security officials said a parent had a criminal history but did not offer details on the crimes, the watchdog reported.

The Administration for Children and Families, the division under Health and Human Services that manages the care of unaccompanied minors, said it generally agreed with the findings and noted the report did not find that the agency lost track of children under its care. It also noted new policies were in place to help track newly separated children. And the court never instructed officials to determine the number of children separated before the June 26 ruling.

Last spring, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said anyone caught crossing the border illegally would be criminally prosecuted. Families were brought into custody by U.S. Border patrol officials, then their parents taken to criminal court. If the parents were gone longer than 72 hours  the length of time Border Patrol is allowed to hold children  the children were transferred to the custody of Health and Human Services.

The practice prompted an outcry, with church groups and lawmakers calling the separations inhumane. Trump ordered an end to the separations on June 20. At the time, a federal judge who was already hearing the case of a mother separated from her son ruled that children must be reunited with their parents.

Despite "considerable" effort by Health and Human Services to locate all the children placed in its care, the report said officials were still finding new cases as long as five months after the judge's order requiring reunifications.

"There is even less visibility for separated children who fall outside the court case," investigators concluded.

They said it's not clear the system put in place to track separated children is good enough. And the lack of detail from immigration authorities continues to be an issue.

The border remains a crucible for the Trump administration, with a partial government shutdown that has dragged on nearly a month over the president's demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall that congressional Democrats are unwilling to provide.

The inspector general's office was also looking into other aspects of the separations, including the health and mental well-being of the children who had been separated. It expects to have other reports on the topic.

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he would hold the government accountable in the matter. "The Trump administration, with its unique blend of incompetence, cruelty, and disregard for basic decency, misled the American public on one of its most heinous policies to date," he said in a statement.An artist known for using sand to draw messages and images on the streets of Coronado has died, his daughter told NBC 7 Thursday.

Alberto Avila, 65, died Wednesday night at a hospital in El Paso, Texas, his daughter Elena Avila Zermeno said. Avila was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer two years ago and had been in remission. Zermeno said her fathers health had taken a turn for the worse after this past Thanksgiving. He had lost a lot of weight and, recently, his organs had started failing.

Avila, originally from El Paso, moved to San Diego as an adult, spending much of his time in waterfront communities, most recently Coronado. He moved back to El Paso to live with his daughter about five years ago.

NBC 7's Artie Ojeda shares the story of "The Sandman," a beloved sand artist on the streets of Coronado who was given a controversial citation by police.

During his years in San Diego, the Sandman was known for using sand to draw art on the streets. Zermeno said Avila began creating sand art about 15 years ago in Chula Vista. He then moved on to Mission Beach and, finally, Coronado.

"He would say God told him to do this and he just loved it," Zermeno told NBC 7. "He loved talking to people; he loved how his art made people feel."

Zermeno said her father was an expert in creating spirals, circle formations, hearts, characters and lettering using sand as his medium. He would use a broom to meticulously push the sand into shapes.

When he first started doing sand art in Coronado he would create large-scale pieces on a cul-de-sac near the Hotel del Coronado featuring cartoon characters like The Simpsons and Winnie the Pooh.

"That was his spot," Zermeno fondly recalled.

Sometimes, people would stop to take photos of the Sandmans work.



Avila loved that.

"He wanted to feel like he made a difference, like he opened peoples eyes," Zermeno said. "The main thing about my dad was that he didnt want to be forgotten."

But, while the Sandman was beloved by many, his work also created controversy on the quiet, seaside island of Coronado.

In July 2017, some Coronado residents including Neva Kaye raised money to fly Avila from Texas to Coronado for the communitys Independence Day parade. The group knew Avila had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to honor him by gifting him with the trip.

They pulled the money together using a GoFundMe page created by Kaye and Avila was able to make his way back to the island. He took to the streets to draw with sand.

However, not everyone in the community saw the Sandmans work as a positive thing, including the Coronado Police Department.

On July 7, 2017, Avila was given a citation after he used sand to draw on the street in front of Dales Swim Shop on Orange Avenue. Coronado police said they thought they had worked out a compromise with the Sandman where he agreed to only create his art near the beach.

A few days later, Avila used sand to write an anti-police message in front of the Brigantine restaurant in Coronado.

After that incident, Avila spoke with NBC 7 and said he misunderstood what he had talked about with police. He said he never agreed to keep his art in specific areas. He also said police asked him to stop making his art for several days but he did not want to do that.

"I didnt say nothing, I just looked at him (the police officer) like that, but I was gonna say, 'Ill stop when hell freezes over and youre coming with me,'" Avila said laughing.

Zermeno described her father as "stubborn" and "feisty," which is what would sometimes get him into trouble. She said she "could see both sides" of the controversy in the July 2017 incident including why the police didnt like Avilas work.

"Sometimes he crossed the line and I would have to tell him, 'Dad, you cant do that; you cant say those things,'" Zermeno added.

However, at the end of the day, she said Avila didnt want to hurt anyone with his art, he only wanted people to pay attention.

"I feel very proud that he spoke his mind and what he felt," she said.

Since moving back to Texas, Zermeno said Avila had been creating his art on the streets of El Paso, often using gravel instead of sand. She said the police there didn't seem to mind, even posing for photos with her dad from time to time.

She said he lived happily the last couple of years, still doing what he enjoyed.

Avila leaves behind his daughter, three grandchildren, brothers, and extended family. His brothers who live in San Diego are now on their way to El Paso to help make arrangements for Avilas funeral.

NBC 7 spoke briefly with Kaye Thursday who said she created a new GoFundMe page to help the Sandmans family cover those expenses.

Kaye said Avila would be "remembered for bringing smiles to many with his beautiful street designs."

"Thank you, Sandman, for all the years of waving to us while driving into Coronado. It always brought a smile to my face," Kaye said on the fundraising page.

Sleep well, Sandman.Sign up to get breaking news, weather forecasts, and more in your email inbox.

Sign Up NowWhat to Know Two distinct winter storms then dangerous cold have us in a First Alert form Thursday night through Monday night.

The first winter storm is the weaker of the two and will bring a wintry mix on Thursday night and rain most likely on Friday morning.

The second winter storm is significant and will impact the entire East Coast Saturday night through the day Sunday. Then the cold moves in.

This article will no longer be updated. Get the latest details on the storm here.

A pair of winter storms followed by dangerously cold temperatures will hit the Philadelphia region over the next five days.

This threatening weather will come in three distinct parts with conditions ranging from snow and ice to heavy rain to strong wind to sub-zero temperatures.

We've issued a First Alert for the winter weather starting Thursday evening and lasting through Monday, which is also the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Here is the latest breakdown from the First Alert Weather Team:

First: The Nuisance Storm  Thursday night into Friday morning

The first winter storm is the weaker of the two. This storm will bring light snow and rain Thursday night and Friday morning. The best chance for accumulating snow will be north and west of Philadelphia. Light rain and snow will end Friday morning.

There should be no problems for the Thursday evening rush. Light snow moves in later in the evening. The snow should change to rain along the I-95 Corridor early on Friday. North and west of the city, where temps will remain colder, they may only see snow.

Today is Sunday, Jan. 19, the 19th day of 2014. There are 346 days left in the year.

Roads could be slippery and schools could be impacted Friday morning the further north and west your get from the City.

Expected snowfall totals on untreated surfaces: 1 to 3 inches in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and north/west Pa. suburbs; Up to an inch in Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware; Little to no snow at the Jersey shore, southern Delaware and Delaware beaches.

Temps should push into the low 40s Friday. Then dry conditions continue into the day on Saturday.

Second: The Major Storm  Saturday evening through Sunday night

The second winter storm will cause problems for the entire East Coast and could bring ice to parts of our region.

Based on the latest predicted track, Philadelphia and neighborhoods north and west should see a period of snow Saturday night then a switch-over to heavy rain on Sunday for much of the area. The precipitation will flip back over to snow Sunday night with ice possible as temps change.

Snow should begin to fall late Saturday afternoon into evening becoming heavy in points north and west. Ice then becomes a concern late Saturday night as freezing rain could fall as the ground remains cold. A quarter of an inch, or more, of ice could accumulate by Sunday morning in the northern and western suburbs, Lehigh Valley, Berks County and Poconos.

What you get will depend on where you are and how the rain/snow/ice line moves during the storm. Even a small amount of ice could knock out power and bring down tree limbs leaving homes without heat when people need it most.

Inches of rain could then fall once it begins to just rain.

The biggest uncertainty is the location of the rain/snow line, which may bisect the Philadelphia area at times leaving some neighborhoods in rain and others in snow and ice Temps that could fluctuate from the 50s along the coast to below freezing north and west will be critical in determining the effects of the storm.

As Arctic air rushes in later on Sunday, any leftover moisture will quickly freeze  slush will likely turn to ice on roads and sidewalks. The sooner you shovel, especially in northern and western suburbs, the better as whatever snow is on the ground will harden as temps quickly drop.

A district judge has been charged with drunken driving in the eastern Pennsylvania city where her father is mayor.

Its still too soon to predict how much snow and ice could fall as there is uncertainty.

Third: Dangerous Cold  Late Sunday through Monday night



The coldest air of the winter season so far will plunge our neighborhoods into a deep freeze later Sunday as winds, with gusts above 40 mph possible, blow. Low temperatures are expected to rest in the single digits and highs in the teens on Monday.

Making matter worse, the wind chill will remain well below zero all day, but it'll feel 10 to 20 degrees below zero.

Any moisture left on the ground will freeze making for potentially treacherous travel Monday.

[NATL] 6 Essential Life Hacks for Surviving Cold Winter Weather

This Arctic blast will come on one of the most popular days for volunteerism: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Outdoor activities are likely to be moved or canceled.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia hopes to get people inside as quickly as possible Monday. Other groups are also making plans for the cold. Keep an eye on social media and reach out to organizations to learn of any changes to volunteer opportunities.

Temps still wont break the freezing mark Tuesday when sunny skies push the high temperatures into the upper 20s. Relief from the cold finally comes on Wednesday with high temps pushing into the 40s.

Our team of First Alert meteorologists will keep you updated with the latest forecast here and on air and on the NBC10 App so you will be prepared for rain, snow or both and bitter cold in your neighborhood.A law firm tied to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's Ukrainian consulting work has agreed to pay more than $4.6 million and register as a foreign agent, the Justice Department said Thursday.

The civil settlement with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP brings to a close at least one part of a probe that spawned from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Mueller's team has delved deeply into Manafort's years of work in the eastern European country as they investigated possible coordination between Trump associates and Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The Manafort part of Mueller's probe which yielded two indictments, a trial conviction and ultimately Manafort's guilty plea  also entangled several prominent law or lobbying firms, including Skadden, because of their involvement in foreign lobbying or public relations work that the former Trump campaign chairman sought to conceal from the U.S. government.

The Skadden settlement says that in 2012 the law firm acted as an agent of the government of Ukraine as part of that work but, because of an unnamed partner's "false and misleading" statements, failed to register with the U.S. government under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. The law firm will now have to register with the U.S. government as the foreign agent for the work and pay the $4.6 million fine, which equals the proceeds of the Ukrainian work.

In a statement, Skadden said it had "learned much from this incident" and was "taking steps to prevent anything similar from happening again."

The announcement comes months after Mueller referred to federal prosecutors in Manhattan an investigation into Skadden attorney Greg Craig, a former White House counsel in the Obama administration who has since left the firm. Craig was the author of the report at the center of the settlement announced Thursday, which sought to prop up the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government's prosecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Lawyers for Craig did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

The New York-based probe has also scrutinized two prominent Washington lobbying firms to determine whether they had knowingly violated FARA as part of their work for Manafort. Prosecutors in recent months have questioned witnesses knowledgeable of work performed by the two firms, the Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs, which have denied any wrongdoing.What to Know An abducted 2-year-old girl in the Bronx has been found safe after an Amber alert was issued Wednesday

The toddler, Seniya Benitez, has autism and is nonverbal, police said

Police said her father abducted her after getting into an argument with the girl's grandmother, who has legal custody of her

Police say the New York City toddler allegedly abducted by her father in the Bronx Tuesday has been found safe, and a suspect is in custody.

Seniya Benitez, a 2-year-old girl with autism, was the subject of an Amber alert issued Wednesday afternoon, more than seven hours after authorities said they started looking for the child.

By Wednesday evening, police said Seniya had been found safe and her father, Christian Benitez, was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment and custodial interference.

Sources said police found Benitez through "good detective work." He was hiding out in an apartment on Washington Avenue, and when police knocked on the door and walked in, found the suspect and the child.

Seniya had been last seen shortly before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in her home on Gleason Avenue. Police said her grandmother, who has legal custody of the child, got into an argument with Benitez's father after she asked him to clean up -- and the father allegedly shoved the grandmother and took the child.

Surveillance video showed Christian Benitez running from the Gleason Avenue building.

Cops said there was no information on any violence-related issues in father Christian Benitez's past, though he was homeless. He was only allowed supervised visits with the girl.

"He has mental issues, he doesn't take medication, he has anger issues," said Maria D'Amore, the legal foster parent to the girl.

D'Amore feared the little girl was somewhere cold and hungry.

"She doesn't have diapers, I don't know if she's eating, drinking," she said.

"I'm very happy she was found."What to Know An 84-year-old woman is dead and an 85-year-old man is hurt after a fire ripped through a home in Queens late Wednesday, officials say

Ruth Andrade was found inside on the first floor unconscious; she was rushed to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead

It's not yet clear what may have sparked the blaze on 91st Avenue in Jamaica

A woman is dead and an 85-year-old man was hurt after a fire tore through a home in Queens late Wednesday.

Fire officials say the blaze broke at around 11:30 p.m. on 91st Avenue, near Merrick Boulevard, in Jamaica. Once the flames were put out, firefighters found 84-year-old Ruth Andrade of Queens, inside and unconscious on the first floor. Andrade was rushed to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The 85-year-old man was also transported to the hospital, where he is expected to survive, officials said. A third person, according to fire officials, also suffered injuries that are not considered life-threatening. The relationship between the victims, if any, wasn't immediately clear.

About 150 firefighters got the flames under control around 1 a.m. Thursday, about an hour and a half after the fire sparked inside the home. The homeowner has faced a number of violations over the years, including turning the house into smaller apartments.

The Department of Buildings and fire marshals remain on the scene. It's not yet clear what may have sparked the blaze.What to Know A source says the deadly hammer rampage inside a Brooklyn buffet Tuesday night may have been racially motivated

A chef died in the attack; two others were wounded and in critical condition

The 34-year-old suspect is in custody

Police are investigating whether the deadly hammer attack inside a Brooklyn restaurant Tuesday night could have been connected to the suspect's self-professed affinity for Chinese movies that denigrate Asian women, a law enforcement source said.

The hammer-wielding suspect burst into Seaport Buffet late that evening, attacking the 60-year-old owner, a 34-year-old chef and a 50-year-old worker inside, police said.

A source said Wednesday that the suspect, 34-year-old Arthur Martunovich, first encountered Latino workers inside the Sheepshead Bay restaurant on Emmons Avenue and allegedly told them, "I am not here for you."

He went on to attack the three Asian men, claiming he was inspired by Chinese movies where women were allegedly mistreated, according to the source.

The chef, Fufai Pun of Brooklyn, died at the hospital. The two other victims remain in critical condition.

The suspect, 34-year-old Arthur Martunovich, is facing charges of murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

A source said when Martunovich was being processed for arrest inside the police station Wednesday, he was taken the bathroom, where detectives uncuffed him. That's when he turned on the detectives, swinging at them and punching one of them in the eye. He allegedly scratched the second detective before being restrained and cuffed again.

Both detectives were treated for their injuries.

Martunovich was cuffed again and restrained with Velcro straps, and taken away for psychiatric evaluation, the source said.

Witnesses described a frightening aftermath Tuesday night.

"A couple of people, customers from the restaurant, came in here, and we let them in and they said a guy came in crazy with a hammer and started hammering certain people, random people," said Samantha Randazzo, the owner of Randazzo's Clam Bar next door.

"The guy said he was just screaming crazy words, like, 'I'm killing everybody, world is hell,'" she said. "Just screaming crazy things."

She said workers inside the clam bar locked their doors in fear.

"We tried helping people who were trying to come in, customers, but we were scared to even walk out," she said. "We didn't know where he was."

Witnesses said they saw the suspect running toward a garage behind the restaurant. An officer arrested him a few blocks away.What to Know Harvey Weinstein's lead attorney, Benjamin Brafman, wants off the case, a source with direct knowledge of the matter tells News 4

The source said Brafman would be asking Judge James Burke for permission to withdraw from the case "very soon)

Weinstein is charged with raping a woman he knew in a hotel room in March 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on another woman in 2006

Harvey Weinstein is recasting his legal team a month after losing a hard-fought bid to get his sexual assault case thrown out.

Weinstein and high-profile defense attorney Benjamin Brafman said in a statement Thursday that they "have agreed to part ways" and that new lawyers would be introduced next week.

The disgraced movie mogul's trial is tentatively scheduled for May 6.

He is charged with raping an unidentified female acquaintance in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. A conviction could put him in prison for the rest of his life.

Weinstein, 66, denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Thursday's announcement came after days of speculation about Weinstein and Brafman's future together.

"Both parties have agreed to part ways amicably and Mr. Brafman has agreed to cooperate fully with new counsel for Mr. Weinstein so as to ensure an orderly transition," the statement said.

A judge must still approve the move.

Brafman, whose other celebrity clients have included Sean Combs and Jay-Z, has been by Weinstein's side since he was arrested and paraded out of a Manhattan police station last spring.

The 70-year-old Brafman, a tactical and pugnacious litigator, appeared to embrace his role as the "Pulp Fiction" producer's chief attack dog.

After Weinstein turned himself in on May 25, Brafman came out swinging, telling reporters: "Mr. Weinstein did not invent the casting couch in Hollywood" and that "bad behavior is not on trial in this case."

He then scored a victory in the courtroom, getting part of the case dropped in October after evidence surfaced that a police detective had coached a witness.

Last month, however, he failed to convince a judge to dismiss the rest of the charges.

"Mr. Weinstein praised Mr. Brafman for his legal work to date and Mr. Brafman reiterated his belief that Mr. Weinstein would be exonerated of the charges that have been filed against him," their statement said. "Brafman personally wished Mr. Weinstein the best of luck as he defends the case and the accusations that Mr. Weinstein has vehemently denied."

Weinstein has played a leading role in shaping his own defense, commuting from his Connecticut home to work with Brafman at his Manhattan office as a de facto paralegal.

"He's a hands-on client," Brafman told Esquire in a profile rushed online this week. "He's relentless."

The magazine reported that Weinstein was running Brafman's strategy past other lawyers and advisers.

In the days before a Dec. 20 hearing on their failed bid to dismiss the case, Weinstein was peppering Brafman with emails and voicemails and showing up at his office after dark to work on strategy, the magazine reported.

Last week, in a statement responding to a Daily Beast article that he was looking for new lawyers, Weinstein said he was "looking to augment the team, not replace anyone."

"Harvey is the type of guy who gets a second opinion on his tuna salad," Brafman told Esquire.

In 2001, Brafman won an acquittal for hip-hop star Sean Combs after he was accused of toting an illegal handgun into a crowded Manhattan nightclub. In 2011, the lawyer helped former International Monetary Fund director Dominique Strauss-Kahn beat an attempted rape charge. The District Attorney's office ultimately dropped the charges, saying there were inconsistencies in the accuser's story.

Brafman used some of that playbook in Weinstein's case.

He also piled onto police and prosecutors, seizing on the detective's alleged misconduct and accusing Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. of bowing to public pressure in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Explaining his role in the Weinstein case, Brafman told The Associated Press last June: "I'm trying my best to save him in somewhat of an impossible situation he finds himself in."

Associated Press writers Tom Hays and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.What to Know Fourteen people ,including two alleged drug kingpins, have been arrested in connection with alleged drug ring primarily serving southern BK

The alleged drug ring made about $8,000 in daily sales -- netting roughly $50,000 each week

More than $2 million in suspected heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, over $800,000 cash and two firearms were recovered, prosecutors said

Fourteen people, including two alleged drug kingpins, have been arrested in connection with a drug ring primarily serving southern Brooklyn that made about $8,000 in daily sales, prosecutors announced Thursday.

A 73-count indictment filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges two alleged supervisors of the drug ring, William Barrous and Emmanuel Batista, with operating as major traffickers under New York States drug kingpin statute. The men also face charges of conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance.

Additionally, Barrous was charged with criminal posession of a weapon and criminally using drug paraphernalia.

Barrous is scheduled for arraignment Thursday in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Batista and 10 other defendants are scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 31. Two others were arraigned last week.

Attorney information Barrous and Batista was not immediately known.

According to prosecutors, the long-term investigation was conducted by the NYPDs Narcotics Borough Brooklyn South and involved over 50 sales to undercover officers between Feb. 10, 2017 and Nov. 30, 2018.

Allegedly, the delivery service overseen by Barrous, 28, and Batista, 27, operated in shifts between 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days per week. Customers were centered in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park and Mill Basin, prosecutors say, adding that the drugs sold included heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and prescriptions pills.

The majority of the arrests occurred on Dec. 12, 2018, after a series of searches, according to prosecutors. At Barrous Fresh Meadows, Queens, residence  which apparently served as a stash house for the drug ring  police allegedly found two loaded guns and 7 kilos of heroin and cocaine. Prosecutors estimate the drugs would have yielded millions of dollars in street-level sales.

Additionally, police recovered over $796,000 cash, including bags of cash that bore markings indicating a day of the week and shift number, prosecutors allege, adding that police also seized ammunition, drug packaging equipment and a large quantity of jewelry.

During a search of Batistas residence, Flushing, Queens, police allegedly seized heroin and cocaine, nearly $7,500 cash, expensive jewelry, designer handbags and a Land Rover.

The investigation revealed that the drug ring allegedly sold between $4,000 and $8,000 in narcotics each day for up to $50,000 per week.

Prosecutors say Batista oversaw the daily operations. In setting up sales, alleged members of the drug ring provided customers with a phone number that connected them to a dispatcher." Upon receiving an order, the dispatcher would allegedly then used a different phone to call one of several runners to deliver narcotics to the customer.

The highly organized delivery service operated in two daily shifts, with two runners per shift covering a portion of the delivery services territory, according to prosecutors.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Brennan said that the accused drug kingpins who headed this drug delivery service were businessmen who cared only for their bottom line: profits.

Brennan continued by saying the ring was showing utter disregard for the damage inflicted on customers lives, the ring sold more than $100,000 in heroin, cocaine and the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl each month.

NYPD Commissioner James P. ONeill said the drug bust was evidence of the opioid problem facing Americans.

Today, opioids are a larger threat to American lives than vehicle crashes and gun violence, and this crisis demands our full and highly-focused attention, ONeil said in a statement.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the alleged dealers profited off those "lost to addiction without concern for the harm they cause in the communities where they sell these illegal narcotics.

The opioid crisis has hit this section of Brooklyn hard and so I commend the Special Narcotics Prosecutor and all of our law enforcement partners for focusing resources on ending this drug delivery service. Gonzalez said.

Meanwhile, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said deadly drugs in our communities is a battle we must continue to fight.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought Wednesday to reassure U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria that they will be safe after American troops withdraw from the country.

Amid confusion over plans to implement President Donald Trump's pullout order and threats from Turkey to attack the Kurds, Pompeo made an unannounced stop in Iraq while on a weeklong trip to the Middle East aimed at assuaging the fears of Washington's Arab partners that the U.S. is abandoning the region or walking away from the fight against the Islamic State group.

"These have been folks that have fought with us and it's important that we do everything we can to ensure that those folks that fought with us are protected," Pompeo said of the Kurds while visiting Irbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, after talks in Baghdad.

His comments were similar to those made earlier in the week by Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, who said on visits to Israel and Turkey that protecting the Kurds is a priority for the U.S. even as it moves to withdraw some 2,000 American troops from Syria.

Bolton's comments drew a quick rejection from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said they were a "serious mistake" and that Turkey "cannot make any concessions in this regard." Turkey regards the Kurds as terrorists and has vowed to attack them.

Pompeo, however, downplayed Erdogan's response to Bolton and predicted that any differences could be ironed out in upcoming talks between the U.S. special envoy for Syria, Jim Jeffrey, and Turkish and Kurdish officials.

"Erdogan has made commitments; he understands that - I think he uses the language - he talks about he has no beef with the Kurds. We want to make sure that that's the case, and I'm confident that as Ambassador Jeffrey and others travel through the region in the days ahead, we'll make real progress on that," Pompeo said.

Still, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that Turkey will not refrain from military action to protect its borders from what he describes as threats posed by Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Turkish rebuffs continue to amplify a rift between the NATO allies and raise new questions about how the United States would protect fighters who are U.S. allies in the war against the Islamic State group.

Earlier in Baghdad, Pompeo said he told Iraqi officials that "the fight to counter Iran is real and important."

Pompeo and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi discussed efforts to ensure the "lasting defeat throughout the region" of the Islamic State group, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said.

Pompeo also promoted the U.S. push to move Iraq toward energy independence, said Palladino. Iraq imports electricity and natural gas from Iran to meet its energy needs.

Iran has cultivated close ties with Iraqi politicians and religious and business leaders since the 2003 U.S. invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and destabilized the country. Neutralizing those relations will be a difficult  and possibly dangerous  task. Iran has the ear of several powerful Iraqi militias that rival the might of the country's U.S.-funded security forces.

Abdul-Mahdi and Parliament Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi, who met with Pompeo separately, both said they told the American diplomat that Iraq values good relations with its neighbors.

Pompeo also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim and stressed the U.S.'s support for strong, relations based on the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement between the two countries.

Pompeo has said the Syria withdrawal would not detract from U.S. efforts to contain Iran's considerable clout in the region. The White House reinstated sanctions against Iran last year for allegedly violating the 2015 nuclear deal championed by former President Barack Obama. International nuclear inspectors had said there was no evidence that Iran was violating the deal.

Pompeo's visit is the third high-profile visit by an American official to Iraq in the last month. Iraqi politicians were incensed when Trump last month made an unscheduled visit to a U.S. base in western Iraq without also meeting Abdul-Mahdi, as his predecessors Obama and George W. Bush had done.

Trump said on his Dec. 26 visit that the United States could use its bases in Iraq as a platform for continued operations against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The visit left lawmakers smarting and prompted calls to annul a 2014 agreement that brought U.S. forces back to Iraq. Some 5,200 U.S. troops are now stationed in the country.

Earlier in December, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry urged Iraq to sever its energy dependence on Iran and open its energy sector to American investment. He was in Baghdad with a trade delegation arranged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.What to Know Its Thursday, January 17th  and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for your day.

Its Thursday, January 17th  and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for your day.

No. 1  Hotel dishwasher awarded $21 million in religious discrimination lawsuit

Sixty-year-old Marie Jean Pierre was a dishwasher at the Conrad Miami Hotel for more than a decade until she was fired in March 2016.

Pierre, a devout Christian missionary born in Haiti, said she was fired by her boss at the hotel after she missed six Sundays from work to attend Bethel Baptist Church in Miami.

Hilton responded to the settlement saying We were very disappointed by the jurys verdict, and dont believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law.

No. 2  Organizations helping those dealing with bills, obligations during government shutdown

You keep hearing about the government shutdown and the effect it's having on furloughed workers - want to do something to help? Feeding South Florida needs volunteers to help sort through donated food for those employees. Search "federal workers" on our app for more info.

No. 3  Former To Catch a Predator host arrested

Chris Hansen, who rose to national fame with the Dateline NBC series, was arrested in Connecticut for allegedly writing bad checks. Hansen ordered over $12,000 worth of promotional items from a marketing company. The 59-year-old turned himself in Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

No. 4  Key West moves closer to ban on sunscreens with certain products

The city has plans to ban sunscreens that are harmful to their local coral reefs banning a sunblock that contains ingredients which are known to cause coral bleaching. Commissioners now have to review the proposed ban again before going for a final vote on February 5th.A former dishwasher at a Miami hotel, fired after missing work on Sundays for religious reasons, was awarded a $21 million jury verdict.

Sixty-year-old Marie Jean Pierre was a dishwasher at the Conrad Miami Hotel for more than a decade until she was fired in March 2016.

Pierre, a devout Christian missionary born in Haiti, said she was fired by her boss at the hotel after she missed six Sundays from work to attend Bethel Baptist Church in Miami.

Pierre argued that she had informed her employer when she was hired that she could not work Sundays because of her religious beliefs and should not have been scheduled to work on the Sundays she missed.

"I love God. No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honor God," Pierre said Wednesday in an interview with NBC 6 Miami.

Her lawsuit argued that her former employer, which was managed by Hilton at the time, had violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects workers from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or national origin.

A jury in federal court ruled in her favor on Monday, granting her $21 million in damages, plus $35,000 in back wages and $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish.

"They accommodated her for seven years, and they easily could have accommodated her, but instead of doing that, they set her up for absenteeism and threw her out," her attorney Marc Brumer said. "She's a soldier of Christ. She was doing this for all the other workers who are being discriminated against."

The company said it was disappointed by the jury's decision and that it intends to appeal.

"During Ms. Pierres ten years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments," Hilton said in a statement.

Federal law requires an employer to make reasonable considerations for religious practices. Brumer said he hopes the verdict sets a standard.

"This was not about money. This was about sending a message to other corporations whether big or small," he said. "Whatever size you are, if youre going to take the blood and sweat of your workers, you better accommodate them or let them at least believe in their religious beliefs."

There is a cap on punitive damage awards in federal court, so Pierre can't receive the entire $21 million. But her attorney said he expects she will receive at least $500,000.

"I asked for $50 million, knowing that I was capped at $300,000," Brumer told NBC News on Wednesday. "I didn't do this for money. I did this to right the wrongs."Thousands of federal employees and their families are applying for unemployment and food stamps to get by as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history drags on with no end in sight. But for some of them, it has been an exercise in confusion and frustration.

Others, meanwhile, are hesitant to apply, knowing they will have to pay back the unemployment benefits when they finally return to work.

The U.S. Labor Department on Thursday reported that the number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits has jumped, from fewer than a thousand per week before the shutdown to more than 10,000 during the week that ended Jan. 5.

The nearly 4-week-old stalemate over President Donald Trump's demand for funding for a border wall affects about 800,000 employees. When it started, roughly 420,000 were told to work without being paid, and 380,000 others were sent home with no pay. Some of those numbers have shifted in the past week as agencies such as the IRS have called tens of thousands back to work.

Trump signed legislation Wednesday to guarantee employees will be given back pay once the shutdown ends. But that also means those who obtain unemployment benefits to get by in the meantime will have to repay the money.

The Labor Department has said that federal employees who aren't working during the shutdown can collect unemployment, while those who are on the job without pay cannot.

But the rules are being applied unevenly. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for example, said the state will give benefits to people still on the job despite the federal guidance prohibiting it.

"The good news is we're going to do it, and shame on them," he told TSA workers during a visit Thursday to Sacramento International Airport.

He said workers in California's employment development department may authorize benefits for federal employees who are still working and that he's confident those workers will pay the state back.

The rules made no sense to Charisma Banks, whose husband is deployed on a ship with the Coast Guard. The Chesapeake, Virginia, mother of a 9-year-old boy called the state unemployment office to ask whether her husband could qualify for benefits. She was told no.

"They're like, 'Here's where it gets sticky: Even though he's not getting a paycheck, he's still employed,'" she said.

Banks, 34, has signed her son up for free lunch at school and applied for a grant from the American Legion. "I don't even know how to go to food banks, but I had to learn this week," she said.

Will Kohler, a furloughed, $38,000-a-year IRS tax examiner in Covington, Kentucky, applied for unemployment but ran into another kind of complication: His application is in limbo because the Treasury Department office that needs to verify his claim is closed as a result of the shutdown.

Kohler said many co-workers are in the same predicament. Not a single one has been approved for unemployment, he said. He said workers like him are stuck in a difficult position, in part because they are restricted by government ethics rules from getting many kinds of outside work.

"When it gets to a point where government employees have to go to a food bank, this is not the America that I grew up in," he said. "It's mind-boggling. It really is."

Mick Devine, the New England vice president for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said some of his union's members have been hesitant to apply for unemployment because they will just have to give it back.

Kathy Catanzaro, an administrator at Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, said she is seeing the same thing: "People are a little bit apprehensive about filing because they know they'll have to pay it back once they're paid and get back to work."

An untold number of workers are also tapping other public assistance programs such as food stamps.

In Corpus Christi, Texas, Haley Hernandez, a stay-at-home mother of four and wife of an active-duty member of the Coast Guard, said she has applied for free lunches for her children, and she is awaiting an electronic food stamps card in the mail. She wonders how they will pay their $1,400 mortgage.

"This is a first for us," Hernandez said. "Honestly, it's pretty shameful, I feel, that any government employee would have to ask for food stamps or any kind of assistance like that. You would think that they would take better care of their service members."Of all the issues at stake as President Donald Trump and Democrats wrangle over his prized border wall, the latest snag is whether bargaining over the proposal should come before or after shuttered government agencies reopen.

It sounds like one of those perplexing snits that frustrates Americans and prompts them to blame both parties for Washington's dysfunction. But it's actually a consequential dispute about who'll have leverage, now and later, as the partial shutdown enters its 27th day Thursday, setting a dubious record for duration.

If Trump blinks first and temporarily halts the shutdown so negotiators can seek agreement, the White House and some Republicans worry there'll be no incentive pushing Democrats to cut a deal. With 800,000 federal employees back at work and getting paid, why would Democrats agree to provide billions in taxpayer money for a keystone of Trump's presidential campaign that they hate and that he promised repeatedly Mexico would finance?

Yet Democrats fear that if they negotiate while the shutdown persists, it would encourage Trump to use such brinkmanship in the future. He'd think the pressure tactic had worked, and he'd have plenty of opportunities to do the same in the near future, they say.

Later this year, Congress and Trump will have to renew the government's borrowing authority or face the first federal default, which many believe would batter the economy. By autumn, lawmakers will also need to approve a fresh round of spending bills for next year, providing opportunities for Trump to threaten a new shutdown for whatever issue he deems worth highlighting as his 2020 re-election campaign revs up.

The Democrats' No. 2 Senate leader, Dick Durbin of Illinois, likened the situation to a family whose ornery uncle lives upstairs and threatens to turn off the electricity every time they talk about building an addition.

"You say to yourself, 'Am I going to encourage him to shut off the electricity every time there's a family discussion over an issue?'" Durbin said. "You've got to tell the uncle upstairs, 'That's unacceptable.'"

That same desire to maintain leverage is what's helped keep many Republicans on Trump's side.

Underscoring that, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Republicans were divided over a proposal by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Coons, D-Del., for a three-week respite from the shutdown while negotiators seek agreement on wall money. Trump has previously spurned the idea.

To strike a deal temporarily reopening government, the commitment from Democrats "would have to be pretty strong to get something done" on the wall, Rounds said. Otherwise, he added about Trump, "If it's just seen as a weakening of his position, then he probably wouldn't do it."

Graham, who is close to Trump, has been among the most outspoken Republican advocates of temporarily halting the shutdown.

"If you open the government back for a defined period of time, you've lost nothing if you can't reach a deal," Graham said in an interview. "I haven't had one Democrat come up to me and say, 'Let's do a deal with the government shut down.' They're all saying, 'There's something we can do, but we just can't do it now. Why? Because if you do it now, they'll shut down the government next year for something else.' I share that sentiment."

Trump is demanding $5.7 billion to build more than 200 miles of his proposed Southwest border wall, and has refused to sign spending bills reopening government lacking that money. Democrats say they won't give him any wall funds but have been willing to provide $1.3 billion for other types of border security, like technology and some physical barriers.

Polls this month show more Americans blaming Trump than Democrats for the shutdown, a comfort to Democrats and a concern for a growing number of Senate Republicans including some seeking re-election in 2020 from swing states like Colorado and Maine.

But majorities of Republicans polled agree with Trump that there's an immigration crisis at the Mexican border and blame Democrats for the shutdown. That means GOP senators abandon Trump at their own peril.

All this helps explain why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has refused to force a solution to the standoff.

McConnell is known for brokering bipartisan agreements in the past. But ever since Trump walked away from a pre-Christmas deal to avert the shutdown that both parties thought the White House backed, McConnell has said it's up to Trump and congressional Democrats to craft a compromise.

McConnell has ruled out sending legislation reopening the government to Trump for a certain veto. Some have mentioned that tactic as a way of letting vulnerable GOP senators demonstrate they want to end the shutdown, but many Republicans have no desire to defy Trump and risk retribution from the president's loyal legion of voters.

"The number of people ready to end the shutdown is a pretty good-sized number," said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of his party's Senate leadership. "But the number of people willing to take actions that they know the president doesn't agree with and won't be successful is a much smaller number, if that number exists at all."Total Lunar Eclipse: Any eclipse event is going to have multiple times listed, as in the time you'll want to show up, the time that the umbral eclipse kicks off, and the moment of maximum eclipse. No bigs, you can handle what's coming on Sunday, Jan. 20, if you plan to head up to Griffith Observatory's viewing. The event starts at 7:30 p.m., and bids farewell at 11, and during that time? Oh goodness, prepare yourself for the Super Wolf Blood Moon, which will not be seen again for over 18 years (2036, if you're counting at home). The moon, of course, is on its own schedule, but you might think about arriving early, to savor the sunset.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: While many events honoring the civil rights leader will take place on Monday, Jan. 21, you can expect the Long Beach Peace & Unity Parade and Celebration to happen on the Saturday before, as it traditionally does (Jan. 19 is the date). The Kingdom Day Parade brings its 2019 theme of "Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, Healthy Democracy" to the parade goers along a lengthy stretch of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard on Jan. 21, while the California African American Museum will offer a day of activities, also on Jan. 21.

Southern California Slack Key Festival and Island Marketplace: A beautiful gathering paying tribute to the traditional music of Hawaii? And hula, too, and crafts, and foodstuffs, and so much more? It's a must-do, each winter, for those who love songs that gorgeously evoke a Maui morning or a day spent hiking alongside an ancient volcano. Be at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Jan. 20 for an afternoon filled with festive music, dance, and Hawaiian spirit. The concert is ticketed while the Island Marketplace is free to enter.

Hello Kitty Truck: Wherever it roams, you can bet fans, some rocking a big bow or bright-hued clothing, will queue up for a host of snacky delectables or hard-to-find Sanrio items. And that will absolutely be the cute case when the popular truck rolls into Del Amo Fashion Center on Saturday, Jan. 19 for ten terrific hours, beginning at 10 in the morning. Look for "a new batch of exclusive goodies and limited-edition collectibles," with the Giant Hello Kitty Chef Cookie leading the sweet line-up.

Farewell, Seasonal Ice Rinks: It only seems like a moment ago that the Bai Holiday Ice Rink Pershing Square and ICE in Santa Monica debuted. Oodles of axels, or at least light-hearted spins around the ice, followed since their November 2018 opening days, but now the holidaytime run is done for both of these pop-up attractions. Best get downtown, or to 5th and Arizona in Santa Monica, if you'd like to slip on the blades once last time, before these chilly charmers pack it up for another season. The final day for both is Monday, Jan. 21.What to Know SpaceX is pulling out of a deal with the city of Los Angeles to lease an 18-acre site on Terminal Island.

SpaceX's reasons for the move remain unclear, but the company said it is moving the rocket-building operation to Texas.

The rocket is being developed for possible missions to Mars and to transport passengers around the world in record time.

Elon Musk's SpaceX aerospace firm is pulling out of a deal with the city of Los Angeles to lease an 18-acre site on Terminal Island, where it had planned to build a rocket for manned flights to Mars, Councilman Joe Buscaino said Wednesday.

Buscaino, who represents the San Pedro area, announced the news on Twitter.

"While I feel crushed about #SpaceX pulling the #SuperHeavy out of the @PortofLA, I feel confident that other innovators will see the huge value they get in San Pedro," Buscaino wrote.

SpaceX's reasons for the move remain unclear, but the company said it is moving the rocket-building operation to Texas.

Branimir Kvartuc, a spokesman for Buscaino, told City News Service that SpaceX informed the councilman's office last week it was pulling out of the lease, but Kvartuc did not want to fully comment on SpaceX's reasons.

He said the lease included an option for the company to pull out this coming summer.

"The reason they are pulling out has nothing to do with the Port of L.A., has nothing to do with California, it has nothing to do with taxes. It has to do with materials that they are going to build it with," Kvartuc said.

The City Council unanimously approved a 10-year lease with SpaceX in May of last year, with up to two 10-year extensions at a beginning rent of $1.38 million annually.

"This is game-changing for our city, and for the harbor-area communities," Buscaino said at the time.

The Hawthorne-based rocket maker said at the time that the new facility on the former Southwest Marine Shipyard was to be used to build the company's Big Falcon Rocket -- now referred to as the Super Heavy for the booster component and the Starship for the second stage and spacecraft.

The rocket is being developed for possible missions to Mars and to transport passengers around the world in record time. Musk has predicted that the rocket will be ready for a launch to Mars by 2022. SpaceX already leases 8.1 acres in San Pedro's Outer Harbor, where rocket boosters and other spacecraft returning from orbital missions can be docked, and that operation will remain, according to the company.

"To streamline operations, SpaceX is developing and will test the Starship test vehicle at our site in South Texas," Eva Behrend, a spokeswoman for SpaceX, said in an email. "This decision does not impact our current manufacture, design and launch operations in Hawthorne and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Additionally, SpaceX will continue recovery operations of our reusable Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecraft at the Port of Los Angeles."

SpaceX officials said initially the company wanted to use the port for its rocket-building operation so it can ship rocket parts by sea to potential launch sites in other parts of the country, as the vessels would be too large to transport by land.

According to a project description in a California Environmental Quality Act review, "the vessels, once complete, would be too large for delivery by road and thus must be taken via supply barge, necessitating the facility be located adjacent to the water."

Earlier this month, SpaceX announced it will be laying off about 10 percent of its workforce. The company, which carried out a record 21 satellite launches last year, has roughly 6,000 employees. Next month, the company will conduct a test launch of its "Crew Dragon" capsule designed to take astronauts to the International Space Station.Dozens of parents have joined multiple lawsuits against a now-defunct dental chain, stemming from a bacterial outbreak traced to a polluted water system in its Anaheim office that sickened dozens of children.

There are now 113 plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits against the Children's Dental Group, the most recent of which was filed Wednesday, said attorney Dan Hodes.

"We expect it to grow to about 150," Hodes said. All of the cases are being consolidated and will go to trial before the same Orange County Superior Court judge.

"The thrust of the case is this was an example of predatory dentistry," Hodes said. "This was about a corporate dental group forcing on their dentists production quotas, which in turn caused those dentists to do hundreds, if not thousands, of unnecessary baby tooth root canal procedures largely for money."

Attorney John Kelly, who represents the defendants, said, "Nothing new here. We are aware of these cases."

In 2016, a bacterial outbreak in the Anaheim office at 2156 E. Lincoln Ave. sickened dozens of children ranging in age from 2 to 11. Orange County Healthcare Agency officials concluded the bacteria came from the dental office's water system, so they forced the clinic to install new plumbing.

As of July 2017, the agency reported there were 73 cases claimed with 22 confirmed and 51 probable. Seventy-two of the patients required hospitalization.

"The problem is CDG also did not properly disinfect water lines, so their water was contaminated with a deadly mycobacterium," Hodes said.

The children infected "suffered life-altering injuries," Hodes said.

Some lost portions of their jaw and adult teeth, and some suffered hearing loss, "which is not uncommon as a reaction to the antibiotics that were used," Hodes said.

Many now have a "fear of doctors and dentists and a fear of needles," Hodes said. "This is serious stuff for a kid. This is not what kids should endure in childhood."

The Children's Dental Group, which operated nine offices in Southern and Northern California, "no longer exists because of this," Hodes said.

Children's Dental Group was sold to another chain, and the Anaheim office was sold to a separate dental company, he said.

A series of bellwether lawsuits are expected to begin to go to trial in January 2020.A man, who was released from jail only hours earlier, is suspected of burglarizing a home in Fontana and using a knife in an attempt to rape an 18-year-old girl while she slept Tuesday.

Twenty-year-old Flavio Hernandez was arrested because he left behind booking paperwork in the home with his information on it, according to Fontana police investigators.

"The frustrating part is that the suspect had just been released county jail, hours prior for a similar charge," Fontana police officer Jay Sayegh said.

Investigators say Hernandez was released early from jail for a previous burglary conviction. They also say he is an example of what is wrong with California's early release program.

"They're taking crimes like burglary and narcotics, things like that, and considering it non-violent," Sayegh said.

Officers say in Tuesday's incident, they believe Hernandez went in with the intention to burglarize the home and placed the stolen items outside where he could get them later before waking and threatening the sleeping teenager.

"He then saw an opportunity and reentered the house with the intention of raping this young female," Sayegh said.

The 18-year-old victim spoke with NBC4 but did not want to be identified. She said she awoke to someone going through her belongings. The man pulled out a knife and attempted to rape her, the teenager says.

"I grabbed his wrist with the knife, then i started screaming," the victim told NBC4.

The attacker stumbled down the stairs and left through the front door, which family members say they mistakenly left unlocked, according to victim.

"I want to see him and punch him you know," the victim's mother said, sharing relief that her daughter was not harmed in the attack.Texas homeowners would know much sooner about dangerous gas leaks in their neighborhoods  and gas companies would pay stiffer fines when they break safety rules  under legislation proposed by a Dallas lawmaker.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia on Wednesday filed a sweeping reform package  11 bills total  that aims to hold natural gas companies more accountable and prevent tragedies like the gas explosion that killed Linda Rogers last year in northwest Dallas.

Click here to read more from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.A rodeo cow named Betsy has evaded capture for six months as she wanders the trails of Alaska's biggest city, the cow's owner said.

The 3-year-old cow "busted out" of a pen before participating in junior events at the Father's Day Rodeo in Anchorage, rodeo promoter Frank Koloski told the Anchorage Daily News.

Betsy headed to the Hilltop Ski Area and was spotted grazing on slopes during the summer, Koloski said. She then moved to the network of trails that crisscross the Anchorage Hillside when snow fell.

Trail users began spotting her in the fall, posting about their sightings on social media and giving Betsy near-celebrity status.

With a rotating crew of others, Koloski said he has spent "hours, days probably" searching for the cow. Anchorage police, animal control authorities and the Bureau of Land Management have relayed information about the cow's whereabouts, but she continues to elude him.

"We're out days. It's nights. It's weekends," Koloski said. "If we get a nice night with a full moon, we go out as a group."

The forests just outside the city still have plenty of grass in tree wells where the snow hasn't touched, Koloski said. Betsy also has access to fresh water sources.

"This cow comes from an area where she's been very self-sufficient," Koloski said.

People have tried to lure the cow with food, but that's not a good idea, he said.

"I know deep down this cow doesn't want to be caught," Koloski said.Federal workers from across North Texas joined Transportation Security Officers to rally against the partial government shutdown at DFW International Airport.

Supporters said they want the public to understand how their families are being impacted.

You provide a service to this country and youre not getting a paycheck for it, said federal prison guard Kyle Coats. So, Im absolutely angry.

Coats said he finished an overnight shift at a prison in Seagoville at 8 a.m. then came to the rally. He said his last paycheck was issued December 28th. Hes tapped into savings to support his family, but said the money will run out in a week.

Some nights you cant sleep because youre worried, how long is this going to go on? What am I going to lose if this goes on? I have a house payment, I pay child support, Coats said.

Coats continues to report to work without receiving a paycheck. He said he voted for President Trump and supports the construction of a border wall along the U.S./Mexican border. Still, he wants lawmakers to find another way to get it done and end the shutdown.

Everyone has a political opinion, but shutdowns are bad for everybody, said Sarah Frey, who has been on furlough from her job at the EPA since December 28th. Conservative Republican or liberal Democrat, shutdowns are bad for everyone.

Frey said she and her husband just bought their first home last summer. Their young daughter is 22 months old and Frey said each day of the shutdown brings growing anxiety.

I was able to pay the mortgage for January because we try to stay a little bit ahead, Frey said. February will probably be the last one I can afford.

Im a chemist and a biologist and here I am, out here picketing as opposed to protecting air and water, said fellow EPA employee Rita Ware. We need to get to work.

Wares last paycheck came on Friday.

I am supporting a disabled son, he lives in a facility and you know thats not chump change, Ware explained.

Some workers, like TSO and federal prison guards, said they are working without pay while others are furloughed and waiting out the shutdown at home.

The shutdown continued into its 26th day on Wednesday, breaking a record. The second longest shutdown was 21 days during the Clinton presidency.Philip Rouse dressed in a suit and tie Wednesday afternoon to fill out an application for a new job. Both he and his future employer know he is overqualified.

"I have a masters degree," said Rouse. "And a bachelors from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland."

Rouse applied for work at Peek's Floor Co. The family-owned business is offering temporary contract work to federal employees like Rouse, who was furloughed from his job at the Environmental Protection Agency.

"I moved across country from Milwakee, Wisconsin to take this job," Rouse said that was at the beginning of December. "And then they shut it down on me."

"We see fellow citizens being treated unfairly due to Washington," said Peek's Floor Co. Vice President John Stacy. "We love America. We are very upset with Washington, D.C. We'd like to see all of them gone. Both sides."

Stacy said helping furloughed workers was the least his business could do. The company will hire up to 100 furloughed federal employees for $15/hour temporary work.

"We've had to sacrifice our personal lives so we could make payrolls. Lots of times there were no family vacations. We gotta make payroll," Stacy said, adding that he believes the federal government is out of touch. "Absolutely!"

"That's why I'm here, to get some supplemental income," said Ken Nieves, who applied at Peek's as well. He was furloughed from Housing and Urban Development. "We don't want to get too far behind that we're just bleeding our savings, and that's where we're at right now."

If you are a furloughed federal government worker looking for a job, you can contact Peek's Floor Co. at 214-638-3311.A Collin County man is among the roughly 800,000 federal government employees feeling the pinch of the partial government shutdown.

Since his last day in the office on Dec. 28, Tom Ruiz has spent his time at home with his wife and four kids. But he wouldn't call it a vacation.

"We're at home, but we're demoralized," Ruiz said. "We're looking to get back to work, we're yearning to get back to work."

While Ruiz's paychecks from his job as a communication specialist at the Region 6 office of the Environmental Protection Agency stopped last Friday, the bills have not.

"I have multiple sclerosis and I'm dealing with multiple sclerosis every day," he said.

Between frequent MRIs, medication and care, Ruiz said his family has to make cuts to stay afloat during a shutdown that shows no sign of an immediate end.

"We've got to make that dollar stretch and when there's no dollars to stretch, then it's impossible," Ruiz said.

Ruiz said his mortgage lender is working with him to extend his house payment deadline during the shutdown, without penalties or a hit to his credit score. A relief, said Ruiz, but a temporary one.

"We've got to get that payment as soon as I can get that paycheck," Ruiz said.

Ruiz, a musician, took a side gig playing guitar at a coffee shop in McKinney. He said he made a modest $103 Sunday evening.

"I slept so well that night because I knew that I went out and I earned money for my family," Ruiz said. "It was something to bring home."

Jeanne Schulze, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1003 told NBC 5 she represents approximately 600 local EPA employees on furlough.

Schulze called on voters to call their representatives in Washington and demand an end to the government shutdown.

"Those we've elected to represent us need to re-open the government and let us get back to doing our jobs to protect public health and the environment," Schulze said in an email to NBC 5.

She said federal employees planned to join TSA workers in a rally at DFW International Airport on Wednesday, the 25th day of the government shutdown.When Sen. Elizabeth Warren took the stage earlier this month at this city's ornate Orpheum Theatre, Tricia Currans-Sheehan posed a pointed question to the expected presidential contender.

"Why did you undergo the DNA testing and give Donald Trump more fodder to be a bully?" the Iowa college professor asked, referring to a genetic analysis the Massachusetts Democrat released last fall to rebut President Donald Trump's repeated jabs about her Native American ancestry.

Warren had a simple response: "I can't stop Donald Trump from doing what he's going to do." After another woman in the crowd retorted, "Yes, you can," Warren gently reiterated that "I can't stop him from hurling racial insults. I don't have the power to do that."

The scene demonstrates the challenge Warren, who has launched a presidential exploratory committee, and dozens of other White House hopefuls will face as the Democratic primary gets underway. They must decide how  and whether  to respond to Trump's pugnacious and insensitive attacks on his political opponents. If they punch back too hard, they could be accused of playing Trump's game. If they ignore him entirely, they risk appearing unprepared to take on a president who knows few boundaries.

Warren was tested again late Sunday when Trump seized on one of her social media videos to issue a tweet that made light of two massacres of Native Americans. South Dakota's two Republican senators distanced themselves from Trump's comment, which drew condemnation from Native American officials. But Warren herself didn't immediately engage.

In an interview this week, Warren called the tweet "disgusting" for mocking "one of the darkest moments in American history," the deadly assault on hundreds of Native American women and children at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Yet she also hinted at a bigger reason for not responding right away.

"He needs to focus on getting the government open, on doing his job," she said. "He hopes that he can draw attention elsewhere, but it's not working."

Others considering 2020 campaigns also indicate that, whenever possible, they plan to ignore Trump's personal needling and focus on issues.

"I don't want to waste my time on negativity" when voters "want to hear positive," Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said in an interview in which he also commended Warren, his likely rival for the Democratic nomination.

"What's more important is what Sen. Warren is talking about, and she's putting great ideas out there," Booker said. "Why let anybody distract from the compelling things she's saying and how she's presenting herself?"

But Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, another potential 2020 candidate, suggested Democrats face a tricky challenge.

"You have to stand your ground" in response to Trump, she said in an interview, but also take care about "how you do it, because he wants you to go down in the rabbit hole. He wants to define the agenda every single day."

While "everyone makes their own decision" on replying to a Trump taunt, she added, "I think it is very important to put it in its place and, while you respond, you do not spend weeks talking about him. Because that is exactly what he wants."

Other possible Democratic candidates haven't hesitated to tangle with Trump. Sen. Sherrod Brown recalled that when Trump slammed him over the closure of a General Motors plant in his home state, he poked the president for seeking "an Ohio Democrat to blame" while the GOP held power in the state.

Asked how he would respond if Trump got more personal, Brown didn't shrink. The president "talks like an idiot," Brown said. "And I don't think that serves anybody well to answer every time he says something stupid, or something that's a lie." Democrats, he added, should "talk about the issues that matter to the public."

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is mulling another presidential campaign, said last March that he would have "beat the hell out of" Trump if they were in high school together, citing Trump's now-infamous 2005 comments about assaulting women with impunity.

Inside the White House, Trump's Sunday tweets mocking Warren were widely joked about by staff weary from the government shutdown, according to two aides, and the president repeatedly mocked Warren's video in private conversations with aides and outside advisers. White House officials and Trump allies said the president is already an active participant in the Democratic race.

The aides spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House dynamics.

Attention from Trump can drive up fundraising and elevate a candidate above a crowded field. But responding to attacks also distracts from a candidate's message, as Trump's rivals in the 2016 GOP primary learned as he bedeviled them with name-calling. Trump goaded Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida into making a thinly veiled insult of his manhood that quickly backfired, and weeks later sucked Texas Sen. Ted Cruz into a brutal back-and-forth about an insult he leveled at Cruz's wife.

Beyond Warren, Trump has hurled insults at other Democrats, labeling Sen. Bernie Sanders as "crazy." Trump once asked a crowd to choose between two demeaning names for Biden and deployed innuendo when saying Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York "would do anything for campaign contributions."

In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was the subject of a near-daily barrage of personal attacks from Trump. Her team decided she would ignore personal insults and criticisms of her husband and of the Clinton Foundation, according to her 2016 communications director Jennifer Palmieri.

However, Clinton publicly defended parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq and former Miss Universe Alicia Machado after Trump criticized them. Those instances were aimed at standing up for others, Palmieri said, while a candidate who responds to a personal taunt risks appearing small and distracted from the more important issues facing the nation.

"It comes across as very self-absorbed. Then the campaign ends up in this tit-for-tat with Donald Trump, and not about the voters," Palmieri said.

Responding to an attack on someone else in "defense of inclusivity or some larger truth" is a good idea, Palmieri said, but "don't do it in defense of yourself. Then you're sinking to Trump's level."

Warren's release of the DNA test remains a concern for some voters as she hits the trail. Tricia Currans-Sheehan, the Iowa teacher who asked Warren about it in Sioux City, drew a contrast between what she described as Warren playing "into Trump's hand" and the "poise" that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi displayed in another showdown with the president in December.

Retired Sioux City teacher Colleen Sernett-Shadle said after Warren's event ended that "I worry" the Democratic candidate might "give in" to Trump on other attacks.

Other Iowa activists shared the call for discretion.

"We're wrong if we're going to go out and be as visceral as Trump is," said Nancy Bobo, a Des Moines Democrat and early 2008 backer of former President Barack Obama. "It's going to come down to soft skills to pull off a win. By that, I mean style, someone who can show real strength to be a counter to all the divisiveness."

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.The University of Connecticut is opening its housing a day early to help students avoid moving in during the worst of the weekend storm.

UConn residence halls at Storrs and Stamford will open at 9 a.m. Saturday. Move-in was originally scheduled for Sunday.

The school is encouraging students to take advantage of the early opening on Saturday, or wait until Monday. Students who are new to their halls or picking up keys for new room assignments will be able to check in from noon until 4 p.m. Saturday.

The worst of the storm, which will include snow, sleet, and freezing rain, is expected Sunday.

The storm is expected to start late Saturday and go into Sunday. The NBC Connecticut meteorologists are forecasting between 3 to 6 inches of snow in Storrs and 1 to 3 inches in Stamford. After the storm, bitterly cold temperatures are expected and Monday will likely be icy.

NBC Connecticut

The dining halls and Storrs Student Union will not reopen until Sunday so students should make other plans for meals.

Students who have no other choice to move in but Sunday are asked to use caution and look out for pedestrian and plows while driving.More banks across Connecticut are offering no-interest loans to provide short-term financial help to workers going without pay during the partial shutdown of the federal government.

On Thursday, the City of Danbury announced that Union Savings Bank would provide no-interest loans for up to 90 days as the shutdown persists.

While Washington is broken, the City of Danbury works, we work to get from A to B and keep compassion alive and well here, said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

Unions President and CEO Cynthia Merkle told reporters that because the shutdown hits Danbury directly, with more than 250 workers at the Federal Correctional Institution in the city working without pay, the bank felt a civic duty to provide some relief.

We apologize that our fellow community individuals are living with this but hopefully we can make it a little bit better, Merkle said.

The first loan program that was announced came at the beginning of the week when Gov. Ned Lamont appeared with Webster Bank CEO John Ciulla to announce that the bank would provide loans that would be backed by the full faith and credit of the State of Connecticut.

A spokesperson for Webster Bank said more information on the loans, and interest in the program, would be available Friday.

Elsewhere in Connecticut, the images of the shutdown on affected employees look like the fallout of a recession or depression.

TSA workers lined up to collect groceries during a Foodshare event in Windsor Locks. The event was quickly organized in the past few days to provide assistance for the 150 TSA workers at Bradley who are working without compensation.

This is not a typical thing for Foodshare to do but we wanted to pull together in this time of need, Miranda Muro from Foodshare said.

Sarah Small and Adrian Pellot have each worked at Bradley for the TSA for more than 11 years. They say the anxiety of the shutdown is picking up the longer it continues.

Definitely, yes, because we have no other way of getting any money unless we literally get another job, said Small.

Pellot, who has a supervisory role at the airport, says he keep checking his bank account to ensure he can cover critical payments and says the loan programs may become necessities if the shutdown continues for even more days and weeks.

Even yesterday, I was thinking, I had a quarter of a tank of gas in my car, do I just fill up here in Connecticut? he asked. Massachusetts is a little bit cheaper, do I take the drive and go up to Mass and do that? Im trying to think about little ways to cut costs here and there.Manchester police are searching for a man wanted on sexual assault charges.

Manchester police said Marvin Argueta-Recinos is wanted in connection with a 2015 sexual assault investigation. He faces charges of second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault, and risk of injury to a minor.

Investigators said they believe he may have fled after confessing to Manchester detectives.

He may be in Manchester, East Hartford or in the state of California using a different name, police said. He is believed to have ties to El Salvador.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact Manchester Police at 860-645-5578.The Connecticut General Assembly will have to pass bills allowing the state to guarantee the loans provided by Webster Bank or any other financial institution to federal workers who are not being paid during the federal government shutdown.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced the new program with Websters CEO during a hastily planned press conference Tuesday night.

The program to provide no-interest loans to the 1,200 or so federal workers working without pay has been welcomed by both Republicans and Democrats, but if the state is going to guarantee them, then money needs to be set aside for that purpose.

We have to vote on that. That would take legislative action, said Rep. Matt Ritter, (D  Hartford), Majority Leader in the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Ritter said he does not think there would be much to pick apart, because the loans do not provide much exposure to either Webster Bank or the State of Connecticut.

Its an emergency vote. It sounds like there should be bipartisan support. I think everyone just wants to make sure the state is protected in case it goes on too long, he said during an interview Wednesday.

Sen. Cathy Osten, (D  Sprague), who chairs the Appropriations Committee, also said she expects a vote to authorize such an agreement, that would also be coupled with changes to Connecticuts unemployment benefits. Osten wants to see some kind of benefit built in for the scenario of a government shutdown that would free up money for people who are working without pay.

Helping out with cashflow, Osten said. So that people can buy gas, have food in their house and buy heating oil so that they can stay warm. Its winter here in Connecticut and we need to have that there.

Christopher Scofield works at Bradley International Airport. His job to make sure radar and landing systems at the airport are functioning properly for planes to take off and land safely is funded by the FAA. Hes been working without pay since the shutdown started.

When I first heard about [the loan program], the first thing I thought of was, what an opportunity," he said Wednesday.

Scofield has picked up extra hours at his second job to pick up lost income, which he said made for an 18-hour work day for him this week.

He said hes not sure whether hes going to take on one of the interest-free loans, but says the longer the shutdown goes on, the more likely it is that he will have no choice but to take one out.

I think its a great opportunity and Im glad that somebody is looking out and kind of helping us.Gov. Ned Lamont plans to activate the states Severe Cold Weather Protocol Sunday as a storm moves through and leaves bitterly cold temperatures in its wake.

Sundays storm is expected to bring heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain across the region. Behind Sundays storm, bitterly cold air and strong winds will result in wind chills as low as -20 on Monday, creating icy conditions. Those in need of shelter from the cold can contact 211. The protocol will run from noon on Sunday through noon Wednesday.

On Thursday the governor urged residents to prepare for the storm and use caution while traveling.

We are urging everyone in Connecticut to make plans to stay in place Saturday night and into Sunday morning, and only travel if absolutely necessary. I am also activating the Severe Cold Weather Protocol on Sunday to help the most vulnerable in our communities access shelters during this stretch of brutal cold temperatures. If you or someone you know is in need of shelter, please call 2-1-1, Lamont wrote in a media release.

Tracking a Major Weekend Winter Storm

The Severe Cold Weather Protocol activates coordination between Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and the Department of Housing (DOH) to work across the states network of shelters to make sure everyone has a place to go in the cold.

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists continue to track the storm and will have updates as we move closer.Danbury police have arrested a juvenile in connection with a shooting near Danbury Hospital on Jan. 17.

One victim was shot in the arm in the area of Ellsworth and Hospital Avenue, according to police.

Police said the victim was targeted.

The Ellsworth Avenue School and Western Connecticut State University were notified and went into lockdowns after the shooting, according to Mayor Mark Boughton.

Police said the suspect was taken into custody on Monday and charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, unlawful discharge of firearms, breach of peace: threatening, first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment.What to Know Apple lowered its Q1 guidance, following weaker than expected iPhone sales and a weakening economy in China

Apple stock fell about 7 percent on the news

There have been several signals throughout the quarter that Apples latest iPhone models werent selling as well as expected

Apple has lowered its Q1 guidance in a letter to investors from CEO Tim Cook Wednesday.

Apple stock was halted in after-hours trading just prior to the announcement, and shares were down about 7 percent when trading resumed 20 minutes later.

Apple lowered revenue guidance to $84 billion, down from the $89 to $93 billion it had previously projected. The company lowered gross margin to about 38 percent from between 38 percent and 38.5 percent.

Apple blamed a variety of factors for the lowered guidance, including a weakening economy in China and lower-than-expected iPhone revenue. Apple said the lower-than-anticipated revenue happened primarily in Greater China, but also said that upgrades to new iPhone models in other countries were not as strong as we thought they would be.

Cooks letter said fewer carrier subsidies, price increases based on the strength of the U.S. dollar and cheaper battery replacements caused the weak iPhone upgrades for the quarter.

If you look at our results, our shortfall is over 100 percent from iPhone and its primarily in greater China, Cook told CNBCs Josh Lipton in an interview Wednesday. Its clear that the economy began to slow there for the second half and what I believe to be the case is the trade tensions between the United States and China put additional pressure on their economy.

A White House spokesman did not immediately have a response to Cooks comments on the trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

There have been several reports pointing to weak iPhone sales in recent months. Some Apple suppliers cut their estimates last quarter, leading many to speculate consumers werent upgrading to the new models. Apple also took the unusual step of promoting discounted prices for iPhones on its website if customers traded in an older model. The company also increased the trade-in value of some older iPhone models.

Despite the lowered guidance, Cook did point out some growth areas in the letter to investors. He said Apples device install base increased by 100 million units over the last year. Apple has been promoting its growing install base as a way to show it can squeeze more revenue out of each of its uses through subscription services like iCloud storage and Apple Music. The company is said to be considering new subscription products through its Apple News and TV apps as well.

We had sort of a collection of items going on. Some that are macroeconomic and some that are Apple specific, Cook said in his CNBC interview. And were not going to sit around waiting for the macro to change. I hope that it does and Im actually optimistic, but we are going to focus really deeply on the things we can control.

Here's the full letter from Cook to investors:

To Apple investors:

Today we are revising our guidance for Apple's fiscal 2019 first quarter, which ended on December 29. We now expect the following:

 Revenue of approximately $84 billion

 Gross margin of approximately 38 percent

 Operating expenses of approximately $8.7 billion

 Other income/(expense) of approximately $550 million

 Tax rate of approximately 16.5 percent before discrete items

We expect the number of shares used in computing diluted EPS to be approximately 4.77 billion.

Based on these estimates, our revenue will be lower than our original guidance for the quarter, with other items remaining broadly in line with our guidance.

While it will be a number of weeks before we complete and report our final results, we wanted to get some preliminary information to you now. Our final results may differ somewhat from these preliminary estimates.

When we discussed our Q1 guidance with you about 60 days ago, we knew the first quarter would be impacted by both macroeconomic and Apple-specific factors. Based on our best estimates of how these would play out, we predicted that we would report slight revenue growth year-over-year for the quarter. As you may recall, we discussed four factors:

First, we knew the different timing of our iPhone launches would affect our year-over-year compares. Our top models, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, shipped in Q4'18  placing the channel fill and early sales in that quarter, whereas last year iPhone X shipped in Q1'18, placing the channel fill and early sales in the December quarter. We knew this would create a difficult compare for Q1'19, and this played out broadly in line with our expectations.

Second, we knew the strong US dollar would create foreign exchange headwinds and forecasted this would reduce our revenue growth by about 200 basis points as compared to the previous year. This also played out broadly in line with our expectations.

Third, we knew we had an unprecedented number of new products to ramp during the quarter and predicted that supply constraints would gate our sales of certain products during Q1. Again, this also played out broadly in line with our expectations. Sales of Apple Watch Series 4 and iPad Pro were constrained much or all of the quarter. AirPods and MacBook Air were also constrained.

Fourth, we expected economic weakness in some emerging markets. This turned out to have a significantly greater impact than we had projected.

In addition, these and other factors resulted in fewer iPhone upgrades than we had anticipated.

These last two points have led us to reduce our revenue guidance. I'd like to go a bit deeper on both.

Emerging Market Challenges

While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China. In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 percent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline, occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad.

China's economy began to slow in the second half of 2018. The government-reported GDP growth during the September quarter was the second lowest in the last 25 years. We believe the economic environment in China has been further impacted by rising trade tensions with the United States. As the climate of mounting uncertainty weighed on financial markets, the effects appeared to reach consumers as well, with traffic to our retail stores and our channel partners in China declining as the quarter progressed. And market data has shown that the contraction in Greater China's smartphone market has been particularly sharp.

Despite these challenges, we believe that our business in China has a bright future. The iOS developer community in China is among the most innovative, creative and vibrant in the world. Our products enjoy a strong following among customers, with a very high level of engagement and satisfaction. Our results in China include a new record for Services revenue, and our installed base of devices grew over the last year. We are proud to participate in the Chinese marketplace.

iPhone

Lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for all of our revenue shortfall to our guidance and for much more than our entire year-over-year revenue decline. In fact, categories outside of iPhone (Services, Mac, iPad, Wearables/Home/Accessories) combined to grow almost 19 percent year-over-year.

While Greater China and other emerging markets accounted for the vast majority of the year-over-year iPhone revenue decline, in some developed markets, iPhone upgrades also were not as strong as we thought they would be. While macroeconomic challenges in some markets were a key contributor to this trend, we believe there are other factors broadly impacting our iPhone performance, including consumers adapting to a world with fewer carrier subsidies, US dollar strength-related price increases, and some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements.

Many Positive Results in the December Quarter

While it's disappointing to revise our guidance, our performance in many areas showed remarkable strength in spite of these challenges.

Our installed base of active devices hit a new all-time high  growing by more than 100 million units in 12 months. There are more Apple devices being used than ever before, and it's a testament to the ongoing loyalty, satisfaction and engagement of our customers.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, revenue outside of our iPhone business grew by almost 19 percent year-over-year, including all-time record revenue from Services, Wearables and Mac. Our non-iPhone businesses have less exposure to emerging markets, and the vast majority of Services revenue is related to the size of the installed base, not current period sales.

Services generated over $10.8 billion in revenue during the quarter, growing to a new quarterly record in every geographic segment, and we are on track to achieve our goal of doubling the size of this business from 2016 to 2020.

Wearables grew by almost 50 percent year-over-year, as Apple Watch and AirPods were wildly popular among holiday shoppers; launches of MacBook Air and Mac mini powered the Mac to year-over-year revenue growth and the launch of the new iPad Pro drove iPad to year-over-year double-digit revenue growth.

We also expect to set all-time revenue records in several developed countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Korea. And, while we saw challenges in some emerging markets, others set records, including Mexico, Poland, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Finally, we also expect to report a new all-time record for Apple's earnings per share.

Looking Ahead

Our profitability and cash flow generation are strong, and we expect to exit the quarter with approximately $130 billion in net cash. As we have stated before, we plan to become net-cash neutral over time.

As we exit a challenging quarter, we are as confident as ever in the fundamental strength of our business. We manage Apple for the long term, and Apple has always used periods of adversity to re-examine our approach, to take advantage of our culture of flexibility, adaptability and creativity, and to emerge better as a result.

Most importantly, we are confident and excited about our pipeline of future products and services. Apple innovates like no other company on earth, and we are not taking our foot off the gas.

We can't change macroeconomic conditions, but we are undertaking and accelerating other initiatives to improve our results. One such initiative is making it simple to trade in a phone in our stores, finance the purchase over time, and get help transferring data from the current to the new phone. This is not only great for the environment, it is great for the customer, as their existing phone acts as a subsidy for their new phone, and it is great for developers, as it can help grow our installed base.

This is one of a number of steps we are taking to respond. We can make these adjustments because Apple's strength is in our resilience, the talent and creativity of our team, and the deeply held passion for the work we do every day.

Expectations are high for Apple because they should be. We are committed to exceeding those expectations every day.

That has always been the Apple way, and it always will be.

Tim

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:

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Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert makes two offers for Sears: one to save it, one to salvage pieces in a partial liquidation

Americans are flocking to these 10 cities where you can afford to buy a home on a $60,000 salaryHundreds of thousands in public dollars were spent on people who shouldn't be using a school district health insurance plan, according to an audit of Hartford Public Schools, and now the Hartford Police Department is investigating the alleged fraud.

Last year Hartford Public Schools discovered an ex-husband of one of its employees ran up health care bills approaching $700,000 over a 15-year stretch.

The school district and Hartford auditors got an outside firm named Secova to investigate.

An audit found Hartford Public Schools provided health insurance to some recipients who were not eligible to receive the benefits.

Auditors learned Secova found at least another 17 former spouses on the district health care plan.

They passed that information onto police. Those former spouses could now face criminal charges, or be taken to civil court to pay back the district.

"This was a mess that needed to be cleaned up, there was lack of vetting," Hartford Internal Audit Commission member Bruce Rubenstein told NBC Connecticut.

The Hartford Police Major Crimes division and several other agencies are investigating the alleged fraud and will provide a report at the end at the conclusion.

Hartford Public Schools is self-insured, so it pays out these health care claims.

Secova estimates its audit could save the district a $500,000 per year.

The district says it will hold any employees who took advantage of the plan accountable, and send out annual reminders that any family status change must be updated within 30 days.Moving to protect the U.S. from advanced missile threats from China and Russia, President Donald Trump on Thursday laid out plans for a new array of space-based sensors and other high-tech systems designed to more quickly detect and defeat attacks.

Trump, in a speech at the Pentagon, declared that space is the new warfighting domain. And he vowed that the U.S. will develop an unrivaled missile defense system to protect against advanced hypersonic and cruise missile threats from competitors and adversaries.

"Our goal is simple: to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States  anywhere, anytime, anyplace," Trump said. "In a time of rapidly evolving threats, we must be certain that our defensive capabilities are unrivaled and unmatched anywhere in the world."

Trump did not mention Russia, China or North Korea in his roughly 20-minute speech. But the Pentagon's new strategy makes clear that its plan for a more aggressive space-based missile defense system is aimed at protecting against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and countering advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

The new review is the first since 2010, and it concludes that to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defense technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, who also spoke, said the new hypersonic missiles being developed by nations such as Russia and China are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat.

To address that, the U.S. is looking at putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles when they are launched. The U.S. sees space as a critical area for advanced, next-generation capabilities to stay ahead of the threats.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the U.S. can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

Russia and China have made clear their efforts to develop the high-tech programs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims can't be intercepted. One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp maneuvers to avoid being detected by missile defense systems.

Missile defense officials on Thursday declined to provide any budget estimates or timelines for the programs.

Michael Griffin, the defense undersecretary for research and engineering, told Pentagon reporters that developing a new layered network of sensors in space is key to being able to detect a fast-moving hypersonic missile in its early, more vulnerable stages. The Pentagon, he said, will study the issue to determine how many would be needed, and at what orbit they would fly. He said the program is affordable and some funding for that would be in the budget that will be proposed for 2020. The system could be operational in the late 2020s.

Officials said the study on space-based interceptors could begin in the coming months. But, recognizing the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponization of space, officials emphasized that no testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, immediately raised concerns, calling the plan a bad Star Wars sequel.

"While it is true that the missile threat environment America now faces is different, the answer is not to build a wall in space," Markey said. Adding that Trump's "misguided rush to weaponize space would be as ineffective, costly, and dangerous as it was more than three decades ago when it was soundly rejected."

During his Pentagon appearance, Trump also pressed his case to build a wall on the southern border and expressed his condolences on the deaths of four Americans in Syria on Wednesday.

Any expansion of the scope and cost of missile defenses would compete with other defense priorities, including the billions of extra dollars the Trump administration has committed to spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons. An expansion also would have important implications for American diplomacy, given long-standing Russian hostility to even the most rudimentary U.S. missile defenses and China's worry that longer-range U.S. missile defenses in Asia could undermine Chinese national security.

While the U.S. continues to pursue peace with North Korea, Pyongyang has made threats of nuclear missile attacks against the U.S. and its allies in the past and has worked to improve its ballistic missile technology. It is still considered a serious threat to America. Iran, meanwhile, has continued to develop more sophisticated ballistic missiles, increasing their numbers and their capabilities.A week after 18-year-old Alayna Ortiz was shot to death in Northwest Indiana, charges have been filed against two suspects in the case.

21-year-old Giovante Galloway and his uncle, 48-year-old Juarez Rogers, were both charged with murder and numerous felony burglary charges in the death of Ortiz.

On the evening of Jan. 9, police say that Ortiz was shot and killed while riding in a car with her boyfriend and two other people.

Police say that Ortizs boyfriend is believed to be a drug dealer, and the four individuals were fleeing a residence after two break-in attempts, which were believed to have been carried out by Rogers and Galloway.

The group was seeking shelter at the Park West Apartments in Griffith, Indiana, and that is where the shooting ultimately took place.

Police say that Galloway owed Ortizs boyfriend money, and when he couldnt pay up, he and his uncle devised a scheme to steal money from the couples home.

The suspects spotted Ortiz and her boyfriends vehicle, and followed them that night to Griffith with the intention of robbing them, police said in a sworn affidavit.

When the suspects allegedly attempted to rob the couple, gunfire rang out, and Ortiz was struck in the head by a bullet. She later died from her injuries.

Police do not believe that Ortiz was the intended target in the slaying.

Galloway is now in police custody, but Rogers remains at large. Police believe that he is still in the area.All lanes of Interstate 294 were briefly blocked near Willow Road after a serious accident, according to the Illinois Tollway.

The crash, which occurred near milepost 49.25, forced the closure of all lanes south of the Sanders Road underpass as a Flight for Life helicopter arrived to take one of the victims in the crash to a local hospital.

According to Illinois State Police, two vehicles were involved in the crash, a Toyota SUV and a semi-truck and trailer.

There was no word on the conditions of either driver. All lanes are now re-opened, but the exit ramp at Willow Road heading southbound remains closed as the investigation continues.

The crash happened at the same milepost as the accident last week that claimed the life of Illinois State Trooper Chris Lambert. That accident occurred in the northbound lanes, while Thursday's crash occurred in the southbound lanes.

Well have further details on this story as it develops.Moments after three Chicago police officers were found not guilty of attempting to cover up what happened the night Laquan McDonald was shot in 2014, one of the most prominent activists in the case called for protestors to stay off the streets and head to the polls.

"Don't protest. Don't take to the streets," said William Calloway, who fought to get video of Laquan McDonald's shooting released. "It's time that we take to the polls."

Urging supporters to vote instead of march, Calloway, who said he was "devastated" by Thursday's ruling, said "we're going to transcend from protests to politics."

Det. David March and officers Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney were acquitted Thursday of felony charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice for allegedly attempting to prevent or shape the investigation.

Judge Domenica Stephenson repeatedly stated the state failed to prove conspiracy or obstruction of justice, saying mistakes do not equate to lying.

Defense attorneys said "there never was a case," while prosecutors said they "disagreed with the ruling."

Critics of the department in wake of the shooting called the decision a "setback." Some vowed to protest, despite Calloways calls.

"I am surprised ... that this judge would take it upon herself to make the entire country know what I've known all the time, that justice is justice for everybody but African-Americans in this county of Cook," said McDonald's great-uncle Marvin Hunter.

Judge Stephenson announced the long-awaited verdict more than a month after the final witness testified in the trial.

Prosecutors claimed the three conspired in lying and falsifying reports to conceal what really happened the night Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shot McDonald.

Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in October 2018. He is slated to be sentenced Friday.

All three officers were on the scene on Oct. 20, 2014, when Van Dyke fired 16 shots at McDonald, according to prosecutors.

"This has been a crack in the wall of the code of silence and that others will think twice about engaging in conduct that will land them in a situation such as this," said special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes.If youve visited a doctor in recent years you may have noticed more physician assistants diagnosing illnesses and prescribing medication. In fact, physician assistants are among the fastest-growing professions in the United States.

State-licensed physician assistants, also called PAs, can take medical histories, perform physical exams, counsel patients and assist in surgeries while working under a doctors supervision. In addition to primary care, physician assistants also work in medical and surgical specialities.

But recently-graduated physician assistants who want to work in Illinois must wait months before they can treat patients. The current processing time for Illinois Physician Assistant applications is 8 to 10 weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

For comparison, licensing officials in Wisconsin said they can process a PA license application in as little as eight days.

Betsy Matthews is the administrator of American Center for Spine and Neurosurgery in Libertyville and said the longer processing times in Illinois impact patient care and her offices ability to attract new hires.

Without that license they cant practice and even without the license they cant obtain any privileges at the hospitals, Matthews said.

New physician assistant Alexa Niermeyer told NBC 5 Investigates she had to wait about three and a half months before the state issued her PA license, controlled substance license and other required documents.

A lot of PAs graduate with student loans and then obviously other expenses and to have to wait that long to start working and getting a paycheck can be ready challenging for people, Niermeyer said.

A spokesperson for the IDFPR said several factors can increase individual processing times, including applications submitted with incomplete or insufficient information or personal history issues requiring further Department review.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is committed to processing all applications thoroughly and promptly to ensure all practitioners are qualified and safe to practice, said IDFPR director of policy and community relations Eric Eizinger.

Matthews said physician assistants are often looking at positions in a variety of states and are willing to relocate.

Illinois reputation for taking a long time to process applications has unfortunately spread, Matthews said.

The Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants (IAPA) said the IDFPR is understaffed and lacks sufficient funding to tackle the backlog of applications.

The IAPA will work during 2019 with the new Governor to improve the financial situation and help the department have the resources it needs, said IAPA spokesperson Dan Shomon.

Shomon said the IAPA has worked successfully to resolve individual cases of licenses being delayed.

According to the IDFPR, the volume of initial applications received varies throughout the year and the Department optimizes staffing resources to meet the processing demands.Marin County Health officials are trying to figure out how more than 40 people got sick after eating contaminated oysters harvested from Tomales Bay in late December.

The 44 people from around the Bay Area got sick with norovirus around New Years after having eating the raw oysters.

"The contamination came from the oysters themselves," said Dr. Matt Willis. "The water in Tomales Bay was presumed to be contaminated  Norovirus most frequently comes from a human source."

Willis said the common denominator was that the oysters were traced back to the Hog Island Oyster Company.

"Were trying to figure out where it came from," said the companys co-owner Terry Sawyer. "Were very proactively cooperating with California Department of Public Health and other health agencies."

That batch of Hog Island Oysters was recalled at more than 30 restaurants and Sawyer is now having to get his oysters from other areas of the country.

"Were still in business, we have product from growing areas outside of this area, from growers we know are reputable," Willis said.

None of the 44 people had to be hospitalized.Just two months after a wildfire wiped out Paradise, California, officials are gearing up for this year's fire season and fear the government shutdown could make it even more difficult than one of the worst in history.

The winter months are critical for wildfire managers who use the break from the flames to prepare for the next onslaught, but much of that effort has ground to a halt on U.S. land because employees are furloughed. Firefighting training courses are being canceled from Tennessee to Oregon, piles of dead trees are untended in federal forests and controlled burns to thin dry vegetation aren't getting done.

Although the furloughs only affect federal employees, the collaborative nature of wildland firefighting means the pain of the four-week-long shutdown is having a ripple effect  from firefighters on the ground to federal contractors and top managers who control the firefighting strategy.

State and local crews who need training classes, for example, are scrambling without federal instructors. Conservation groups that work with the U.S. Forest Service to plan wildfire-prevention projects on federal lands are treading water. Annual retreats where local, state and federal firefighting agencies strategize are being called off.

The fire season starts as early as March in the southeastern United States, and by April, fires pop up in the Southwest. Last year's most devastating fire leveled the Northern California town of Paradise just before Thanksgiving, leaving just a few months to prepare between seasons.

"I think a lot of people don't understand that while there's not fire going on out there right now, there's a lot of really critical work going on for the fire season  and that's not getting done," said Michael DeGrosky, chief of the Fire Protection Bureau for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

It's especially important with climate change making wildfire seasons longer, deadlier and more destructive.

DeGrosky was supposed to be teaching a course this week for firefighters who want to qualify for the command staff of a fire management team. But the class was canceled without instructors from federal agencies.

Similar classes were called off in Oregon and Tennessee, and others face the same fate as the shutdown drags on. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats are at odds over funding for a border wall.

A dozen senators from Oregon, California, New Mexico, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, West Virginia and Michigan sent a letter this week to Trump warning that the shutdown would put lives at risk this coming fire season. Classes necessary for fire incident managers, smokejumpers and hotshot crews are in jeopardy in the near future, the senators said.

Smokejumpers parachute into remote forests to battle blazes not inaccessible by firefighters on the ground and hotshot crews are small groups of elite firefighters trained to battle the most ferocious flames.

The winter is also when seasonal firefighters apply for jobs, get the required drug tests and move to where they will train and work. In many cases, there's no one to answer the phone or process the applications, and some potential recruits may decide to work elsewhere to avoid the hassle.

"Even if the shutdown ends and we start hiring people, we will have missed the cream of the crop," DeGrosky said.

The U.S. Forest Service said in an email that the agency was committed to hiring for temporary and permanent firefighting positions and would continue critical training "to the extent feasible."

The first session of an apprenticeship program for wildland firefighters went ahead this week, Forest Service spokeswoman Katie O'Connor said.

"The agency is assessing and prioritizing the activities we are able to maintain while in shutdown status. We are unable to speculate on specific impacts while the government shutdown is ongoing and ever-changing," O'Connor said in a statement.

Conservationists and fire managers say there are other concerns.

Clearing and thinning projects and planned burns on federal land that could lessen fire danger by weeding out flammable debris also are largely on hold in California, Oregon and elsewhere. Private contractors say they have received letters telling them to stop the work.

There's already a backlog of such projects in federal forests in Oregon and Northern California, said Michael Wheelock, president of Grayback, a private contractor in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Intentional fires can only be set in a narrow winter window before temperatures and humidity falls  and that is rapidly closing, Wheelock said.

"Every week that goes by, it's going to start increasing the impact," he said.

Joyce McLean, who lost her and her husband's home in Paradise last November, supports Trump's push for a border wall but worries what will happen if firefighters aren't prepared for next time.

"I hope there are no more forest fires," said McLean, 74. "I wouldn't wish that on nobody."What to Know A Facebook engineering manager who ran an open-source project left earlier this month after being harassed by her colleagues

Sophie Alpert said in an internal post that she wants to spend my time at a place willing to push further on diversity and inclusion

Facebooks diversity has been improving, but the company is still largely white and male

On Jan. 11, Sophie Alpert, a Facebook engineering manager who ran a major open-source project called React, made an announcement on Twitter: todays my last day at Facebook.

In the tweet, which got 3,600 likes and elicited 247 comments, Alpert said she was leaving to join a start-up called Humu. But she neglected to tell her more than 41,000 followers the reason for her abrupt departure.

To the YouTube commenters saying me being a thing in a dress takes away from the content of my keynote:



I was Reacts #1 committer for its first 5 years, and now I manage the team. This content wouldnt _exist_ without me. Would be cool if you respected me as a person too.  Sophie Alpert (@sophiebits) October 27, 2018

Four days earlier, Alpert, who identifies as transgender, provided that reason in an internal post viewed by CNBC. Alpert wrote on Workplace, Facebooks internal social network, that shed been harassed by her colleagues after criticizing the lack of diversity at the company. Among other things, she said shed been attacked on Blind, an anonymous workplace app.

Facebook is good for many people, but its not the right place for me right now, Alpert wrote. I want to spend my time at a place willing to push further on diversity and inclusion. One where its not OK to write on Workplace that white privilege doesnt exist. One where if I call out that our board has too many white men, I dont get harassed by other employees on Blind with transphobic messages saying I should be fired.

Facebooks diversity problem has been overshadowed in the past year by the bigger crises at the company related to user privacy and securing the platform against manipulation by foreign actors. With the stock down more than 15 percent in the last 12 months, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has his hands full dealing with concerned users, advertisers, investors and lawmakers.

Amid the turmoil, Facebook is also facing a mass exodus of talent, from the departures of the founders of Instagram and WhatsApp to security chief Alex Stamos.

As Alperts case illustrates, at least some of it relates to core cultural issues. In November, Mark Luckie, an African-American manager whod recently left Facebook, accused the company of having a black people problem, and said that, in some buildings, there are more Black Lives Matter posters than there are actual black people.

Facebook, like most of its Silicon Valley peers, is mostly male and very white. Of the companys more than 30,000 employees, 36 percent were women, as of last years diversity report, up from 31 percent in 2014. Women occupied 22 percent of tech roles last year, an increase from 15 percent four years earlier. Black employees, meanwhile, made up only 4 percent of the company in 2018, with those in technical and leadership roles having even less representation.

Facebook said the number of employees who identify as "LGBQA+ or Trans+" rose for a third straight year to 8 percent. The company also said it has "employee affinity groups" across the globe for LGBTQ and trans employees.

Alpert did not respond to requests for comment. Anthony Harrison, a spokesman for Facebook, said in a statement to CNBC that the company doesnt tolerate harassment and has clear policies about how people should communicate with and treat each other at Facebook.

Harrison also provided a comment specifically about Alpert.

Sophie is very aware of how serious we took her concerns given she spent significant time with members of our human resources team who worked in earnest to address the issues on Blind, he said. Because the comments in question were made anonymously there we werent able to find out who posted them.

Making some changes

Alperts post resonated with some of her colleagues.

Its sad to know that we still have to fight those battles against discrimination and bullying within our own walls, and even sadder to know that this situation is making great talent leave, one employee wrote in a comment.

Another wrote a post saying, Really sad to see such a talented engineer and leader leave Facebook due to harassment and bullying. How do we stop this from happening?

A human resources employee at the company responded in the thread, saying she would reach out to Alpert to be sure weve reviewed all your concerns.

Alpert added a follow-up.

Thanks for the offer, she wrote. You and I already discussed these issues months ago when you said there wasnt anything HR could do, but Im happy to discuss more if it would be helpful.

Within Facebook, complaints arent all falling on deaf ears.

According to a report this week from Business Insider, Facebook has just announced a new set of ground rules for communication at work. Mike Schroepfer, Facebooks chief technology officer, wrote a memo laying out the three guidelines:

Dont insult, bully, or antagonize others, the memo says. Dont try to change someones politics or religion. Dont break our rules about harassing speech and expression.

Alpert has suffered through this type of behavior in the past. In October, she spoke at the annual React Conf event in Henderson, Nevada. React, which Alpert managed, is one of the most significant open-source projects maintained by Facebook. Its described as a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, and has nearly 1,300 contributors on GitHub.

Alperts conference session was posted on YouTube, where its been viewed more than 35,000 times. The video evoked comments from people calling her a thing in a dress, according to a tweet from Alpert on Oct. 27. Alpert said that as head of React, this content wouldnt _exist_ without me. Would be cool if you respected me as a person too.

Today's my last day at Facebook.



I'm gonna miss working on React full time, but I'm excited to try something smaller and new: I'm joining @humuinc next week as an engineer.  Sophie Alpert (@sophiebits) January 11, 2019

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California is seeking records on police misconduct from law enforcement agencies all over the Bay Area whose officers have been involved in eight fatal shootings throughout the Bay Area under the state's new Right to Know Act.

California state law has traditionally barred access to internal police records, but since Senate Bill 1421 went into effect Jan. 1, media outlets and other organizations have been working to obtain documents related to "serious uses of force, sexual assault, and dishonesty related to investigations."

Ongoing investigations and records pertaining to other forms of misconduct may still be kept secret, however, according to the ACLU.

They've filed public record requests on behalf of the friends and families of men who were fatally shot by police over the last decade: Oscar Grant in 2009; Derrick Gaines in 2012; Richard Pedro "Pedie" Perez in 2014; Richard Hester Perkins in 2015; and Terry Amons and Augustin Gonsalez, who both died in 2018.

The Bay Area police departments named in a statement released Wednesday by the ACLU include San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, Pittsburg and Hayward as well as the BART Police Department. Similar requests have also been filed with law enforcement agencies in Sacramento and Stockton.

The ACLU says other members of the public can make similar requests, and they've published a tutorial as well as templates for sample letters on their website.(Natural News) Researchers in a Yale laboratory have developed a safer way to purify water. Led by Professor Chinedum Osuji, the team has created a highly ordered and aligned nanoporous polymer from vegetable oils, reports Nanowerk.

The film was created as an alternative to the current set of membrane-based technologies derived largely from petroleum-based materials. According to Xunda Feng, a postdoctoral associate in Osujis laboratory and co-author of the study published in the journal American Chemical Society, these technologies have two important drawbacks. They have low selectivity. They are also fabricated entirely from petroleum-based materials, Feng said, referring to the environmental concerns raised by using crude oil to filter water.

Past attempts at designing alternatives have failed, as these substitutes were found to be of inferior performance.

According to the researchers, the creation of the new material involved the use of molecular templating. This technique involved a single molecule acting as a guide for fatty acid molecules to self assemble. The molecules of fatty acid dont physically bond to the guiding molecule, allowing nanopores to generate once the template has been removed. Nanopore size is defined by the self-assembly process while the chemical nature of nanopore walls is determined by the fatty acid, the researchers noted in their study.

Further experimentation on the membrane yielded surprising results. In an adsorption test, the researchers discovered that a tiny difference of 0.4nm separated complete admittance from near-absolute rejection. Gilad Kaufman, a Ph.D candidate in Osujis laboratory and contributor to the projects, has said in a statement: These novel membranes can selectively transport water and desired molecules, but reject unwanted ones, in a manner that is superior to current commercially available membranes.

Synthesizing the template molecule was described as a low-cost and scalable effort by Kohsuke Kawabata, a postdoctoral associate in Osujis laboratory and co-author of the study.

Osuji has expressed the desire to continue working on the new membrane in collaboration with Professor Menachem Elimelech, the Roberto C. Goizueta Professor of Environmental and Chemical Engineering at Yale University. Now we want to make large films and examine their selectivity in pressure-driven flow, to see what molecules go through and which one dont  basically scaling it up to practical membranes, he said. He has also said that the team will explore other potential uses for their new discovery, writing in the study: We expect that these aligned nanoporous polymers will be useful in a wide range of applications from analytical chemistry to nanofiltration and lithographic pattern transfer.

The problem with petroleum

Petroleum products have a variety of health hazards attached to their name. According to Marine Engineering Online, the risks of exposure to petroleum is based largely on its form (liquid or gas) and the amount of exposure.

When ingested, liquid petroleum can cause nausea and acute discomfort. If liquid petroleum is drawn into the lung during vomiting, this can result in more serious health effects. If skin makes contact with liquid petroleum, this can lead to skin irritation, dermatitis, and eye irritation. Exposure to petroleum gas can lead to narcosis, or a state of drowsiness or unconsciousness usually produced by drugs. Symptoms of narcosis include headache, eye irritation, dizziness, and diminished response. At higher concentrations, petroleum gases can lead to paralysis and even death.

Exposure to petroleum isnt just limited to those working in tanker operations. Petroleum has been used as an ingredient in water filters. Some body care products have even been found to contain traces of petroleum, such as baby lotions and baby oils.

You can read about more scientific discoveries and breakthroughs by visiting Scientific.news

Sources include:

Nanowerk.com

Pubs.ACS.org

MarineEngineeringOnline.com(Natural News) Leftists hell-bent on destroying traditional Western culture have begun focusing more heavily on foundational things we humans have taken for granted since the beginning of time  like the sexes.

Most people, for now, still understand that there are two sexes, only two sexes and that no matter what someone believes they are, identifies as, or calls themselves, there are still only two biological sexes on the planet.

Unable to deal with that reality, some Leftists are now resorting to what amounts to a commonly used fallback tactic: Banning.

As noted by Infowars, a Left-wing French website called Mediapart just published a piece calling for heterosexuality to be banned because  try to keep up with the logic here  it encourages homophobia and racism.

Heterosexuality is not a sexual orientation, but a system of domination generating and nourishing sexism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and other oppressions such as racism, ableism or classism, says the article by Merome Jardin, a longtime gay rights activist.

Using additional fabricated words and made-up constructs such as femicide  a woman dying every three days at the hands of her male companion, Jardin blames heterosexuality for every one of the worlds ills, including rape and even LGBT suicides.

Theres more. The inane article also compares heterosexuality with Holocaust denial, noting that straight people have only taken to supporting gay rights when we rubbed their noses in the horrors they created.

And Jardin claims that heterosexuality was even to blame for the AIDS epidemic for leading to the abandonment of gays, bis, and trans.

Thus, it is urgent that heterosexuality be banned, Jardin concludes, without bothering to consider how the worlds population will be replenished if that were to actually happen.

Progressivism is poisonous

This insane proposition is made with no small amount of irony, Infowars notes: Jardin is a member of a group called the Collective Against Islamophobia. Islam is a religion whose followers are notoriously anti-gay and homophobic, even to the point of murdering gays and lesbians. And since Frances Islamic population is the highest in Europe at nearly nine percent, it makes you wonder how that segment of society is handling his demand.

This is merely the latest act of insanity  and desperation  from the Left designed to tear down another pillar of traditional Western culture.

To that point, Onar Am, a speaker and author in Norway, wrote in a column for CNS News in April 2017 that Islam is not Americas biggest threat, its Left-wing politics. He writes:

The problems we are now facing with Islam are only symptoms of the lefts success in paralyzing the West and preventing it from asserting itself. Islam was never strong. The West has become weak. That is why fear of Islam is misplaced. The real enemy of the West is the ideological left, an adversary from within which slowly but surely destroys western civilization by debilitating its cultural and political immune system. In many ways, the left is like HIV, and Islam is like a cold. A cold is annoying but hardly life-threatening to someone with a healthy immune system. To someone ravaged by the HIV, however, even a common cold can be lethal.

Other cultural and societal observers agree. Lifesite News noted in June 2017 that the Left, embodied in the Democratic Party in America, does not believe in freedom of speech for those who disagree with them or freedom of religion (for Christians); will attempt to coerce people into saying things they dont agree with to enforce their ideological agenda; uses science as a political weapon and as a tool of convenience; and are content to destroy the lives of anyone who does not toe the progressive line.

Progressivism is poisonous, the site noted. If youre a Christian who still clings stubbornly to the orthodoxies that have defined that religion for more than two millennia, Leftists hate you.

Read more about the Lefts destructive social justice campaigns at SocialJustice.news.

Sources include:

Infowars.com

LifesiteNews.com

CNSNews.com(Natural News) Disease-associated absenteeism costs us around $2 billion a year, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates. To be more specific, that accounts to around $16 to $81 for a small employer and $17 to $286 for a large employer, per employee, per year. Think about all the apples and vegetables you could buy with that! Financial jokes aside, there is a push for workplaces to have more wellness-focused programs. The key here, forward-thinking businessmen say, is not the amount of money saved (though this helps) but improving employee health, which consequently enhances productivity and lengthens retention.

Exercise in the office isnt a new idea. But its such a clear win-win situation  in terms of health, morale and productivity, says CEO of HootSuite, Ryan Holmes in an article on BBC.

Holmes recently wrote an article on Medium, called Why its time we paid employees to exercise at work: Companies that sweat together, stay together. In this passionate plea, Holmes asks more employers to set up wellness programs in their workplaces. More importantly, exercise should become an essential part of the working day. Further, bosses should pay for it.

Wait, before you click the back button, consider this: Holmes says that paying employees to exercise within their work day is more than worth it. Within his own social media tech company (which has around 700 employees), he set up a small on-site gym which people are encouraged to use before, during, and after work hours.

We made it clear that anyone could block off an hour for exercise during the day, provided it didnt conflict with meetings and they made up the time (by having lunch at their desks, for instance), says Holmes. I see employees return from workouts refreshed and better focused on their jobs. Time lost on exercise is made back and more in terms of improved productivity.

Holmes even asserts that he would have never been able to build his company to where it is without exercising himself to maintain composure and focus in the midst of chaos.

Burn, baby, burn

Eighty percent of American adults are physically inactive, according to State of Obesity. This percentage of people do not meet the governments national physical activity recommendations for aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening. People blame their inactivity on work. Regular exercise disrupts their work commitments, they say. This is not, and should never be, used as an excuse, warns Holmes  especially if employers take their employees health seriously and design exercise-focused programs in their offices.

A 2013 final study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that wellness programs among local employers can help contain the current epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases, the main driver of premature morbidity and mortality in the United Stateslifestyle management programs as part of workplace wellness can reduce risk factors, such as smoking, and increase healthy behaviors, such as exercise. The study, entitled Workplace Wellness Programs Study was published in RAND Health.

Another study made by Bristol University showed that employees who regularly exercised at work were more productive, calm, and efficient.

Asian companies have already taken the hint; many Japanese companies have exercise breaks and China reintroduced mandatory exercises twice a day among state-owned companies.

Little steps to wellness

Companies need not deliver such a powerful culture shock to their workplace. Wellness programs can start with gradual changes. This can be asking employees to stand up every few hours to breaking long periods of extended sitting times with short bouts of physical activity. Employers can even invest in higher desks, which forces employees to stand.

Another recommendation would be to ban cake culture in the office. Prof Nigel Hunt of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons says that the habit of bringing cakes into the office increases the risk for obesity and dental problems.

Sources include:

BBC.com

Medium.com

SHRM.org [PDF]

CDC.gov

StateofObesity.com

Entrepreneur.com(Natural News) Chaos has erupted in Brazil, and authorities in the state of Ceara are being overwhelmed by an unprecedented wave of violent crime. For more than a week, gang members and other criminals have been terrorizing communities in response to a crack-down on crime proposed by the new president, Jair Bolsonaro.

During his inaugural speech in early January, Bolsonaro vowed to rebuild Brazil by fighting corruption, instituting massive reforms and tackling crime. The surge of violence and mayhem in Ceara are a direct challenge to the new presidents proposals. According to reports, three rival gangs have joined forces to commit over 160 attacks and assaults, in an effort to protest Bolsonaros proposal to eliminate the practice of separating gangs in Brazil prisons. Bank bombings, bus torchings, and the general destruction of public property have left the capital city of Fortalewasza in shambles.

Unrest in Brazil

As The Guardian reports, Fortaleza has been ground zero for the chaos afflicting the Brazilian state of Ceara. The whirlwind of crime and aggression has brought the city to a grinding halt: Taxis arent running, businesses arent open and residents are afraid to leave their homes.

Hundreds of national guard troops are now being deployed to patrol the area. In a statement, Brazilian authorities declared, The decision was made after the recorded violence and the difficulty [faced by] local forces fighting organized crime alone.

Critics of the right-leaning Bolsonaro say that this wave of violence is his fault, for fanning the flames by making forceful proposals during his campaign. His platform included harsher prison sentences for criminals and expanding the militarys presence in select areas, along with a promise to crackdown on government corruption.

As Breitbart reports further:

As well as tackling violent crime, Bolsonaro also promised to push for the prosecution of the dozens of socialist politicians involved in the countrys Operation Car Wash corruption scheme that saw billions of pounds fleeced from the public budget. The scandals most significant participant was former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, who Bolsonaro has pledged to keep in jail for the remainder of his 12-year sentence.

Perhaps it was Bolonsaros campaign promises that caused the riots, after all. Corrupt politicians will do anything to stay in power and out of jail even if it means destroying an entire city. Now, there are growing concerns that a similar wave of violence will overtake the United States once President Donald Trump begins his own effort to take down the Deep State.

Defending America against the Deep State wont be easy

As Mike Adams, founder of Natural News and creator of Brighteon.com, contends, it is time for the Deep States reign to come to an end, and for President Trump to defend the United States against enemies both international and home-grown. Indeed, there is much work to be done, if the president is to truly drain the swamp.

Adams explains further:

All the evidence needed to arrest and prosecute these traitors already exists. The exhaustive evidence of a massive deep state criminal conspiracy operating inside the U.S. government has been covered up by Rod Rosenstein, buried by Obama and ignored by Jeff Sessions. Establishment Republican traitors like the late John McCain attempted to aid the deep state in overthrowing the Trump presidency by ferreting false intelligence used to mislead the FISA court. CIA operatives pretending to be journalists  Anderson Cooper, anyone?  helped carry out a public disinformation campaign to mislead the American public and create an utterly false narrative of Russian collusion where none existed. Thousands of operatives throughout government, the intelligence community and the fake news media are guilty of conspiracy to overthrow Americas democracy. Overwhelming evidence already exists to out them and prosecute them.

If nothing is done to stop the dark forces at play, the United States as we know it will cease to exist  and the last traces of our freedom will disappear with it, as the authoritarian Left secures its power. As Adams contends, globalist and communist factions have teamed up to topple Americas constitutional republic and overtake the government.

But, as the events in Brazil have shown us, when Trump makes the call to start tearing down the Deep State, its not going to be pretty. The radical Left here in the U.S. has already shown that it will do anything to stop conservatives.

Whether its rigging elections and changing laws to fit their agenda, blatant censorship, or terrorist Antifa groups, the regressive and authoritarian Left is attacking America, no holds barred.

Indeed, the Deep State and all of their associates are not likely to go down without a fight. As violence and disorder overtake city streets in Brazil, it is reasonable to expect similar events will unfold in the United States, as President Trump continues to double down on his protection of American values.

See more coverage of left-wing atrocities at LeftCult.com.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

TheGuardian.com

Breitbart.com(Natural News) Chinese officials recently announced their plans to build an artificial moon that will hang over the city of Chengdu by 2020. Wittingly called artificial moon, the satellite is designed to complement our natural moon. Wu Chunfeng, chairman of Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Co., Ltd., the primary contractor for the Chinese space program, said that since artificial moon will be eight times as bright as the real moon, it will be bright enough to replace street lights.

In an article published in the Chinese news site Peoples Daily Online, Wu mentioned that while the testing of artificial moon began years ago, it has only been recently that the technology was sophisticated enough to see actual results. Artificial moon is said to be capable of illuminating an area of up to 50 miles and save the government a vast amount of money by doing away with the need for streetlights.

The human-made moon will only light up the capital city of the Sichuan province, but will be visible across China, and even overseas.

Not much else is known about the satellite.

The opposite of Tatooine, but a glimpse of the destruction it could cause

Fans of the Star Wars saga all know of the two-sun system that influenced the atmosphere of Tatooine, the planet where Luke Skywalker lived. While artificial moon will not burn and destroy the environment, its very existence could cause unintended harm to wildlife.

Biologists say that this new, artificial moon could disrupt the nighttime habits of nocturnal animals. Research has shown that many animals are highly sensitive to the light and phases of the moon. Nocturnal eagle-owls, for example, communicate with each other by displaying their white throat feathers  an activity that increases during the full moon, when the moonlight is brightest.

Coral species, as well, are sensitive to the level of moonlight they are exposed to. In Australias Great Barrier Reef, several coral species release their eggs and sperms in an annual mass spawning event linked to moonlight.

A giant ball of powerful light eight times brighter than our natural moon could potentially harm these processes. (Related: Long-Term Artificial Light Exposure Disrupts Circadian Rhythms and Can Be Detrimental To Our Health, New Study Finds.)

That said, Kang Weimin, the director of the Institute of Optics of the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, said that the light would only emit a dusk-like glow.

The future is so bright! Animals will die under the scorching power of our might

Life relies on Earths predictable rhythm of day and night. The DNA of all plants and animals is made to respond to these natural rhythms. These internal clocks, as it were, are radically disrupted by lighting up the night sky.

Scientific evidence confirms that artificial light at night has negative, and sometimes even deadly, effects on many creatures including birds, mammals, amphibians, and plants.

It is only recently that scientists are becoming aware of the dramatic consequences artificial light has had on nocturnal ecology. Predators that use light to hunt, and prey species that use darkness as cover, have all changed in behavior to accommodate this new reality where light is no longer part of a cycle, but an everyday occurrence.

Ecologists have warned that artificial light is causing migratory birds to wander off course and toward the dangerous landscapes of cities. It is estimated that more than a million birds die each year by colliding needlessly into illuminated buildings and towers.

Read more articles about the dangers of artificial light at Ecology.news.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

En.People.cn

DarkSky.org(Natural News) A list of vaccine excipients released by the CDC provides insight into some of the most toxic ingredients that big pharmaceutical companies use in manufacturing vaccines. With the FDA and CDC insisting on the safety of these vaccines, larger drug firms continue to use these ingredients to cash in on their products while simultaneously disregarding public safety.

Vaccines heavily-laden with infected animal cells

The CDCs list includes an array of excipients that use various vero cells taken from animal hosts. These cells have undergone great scrutiny as various clinical studies raised concerns about possible infection. An excipient found in polio vaccine, for example, contains cells from African green monkeys. Vero cells taken from this species of ape are known to be infected with Simian Virus 40, a DNA tumor virus associated with the onset of different types of cancer. Further analysis also revealed that the virus has a slow-moving an archetypal strain that drug manufacturers and regulators failed to monitor. The use of this infected vaccine excipient resulted in a significant increase in cancer rates since the 1960s.

A rotavirus vaccine also came under fire for using this excipient. A 2010 study published in the Journal of Virology found that the rotavirus vaccine contains a live simian virus, with researchers noting a 96 percent matching certainty. Another study confirmed the presence of an endogenous baboon virus in the same vaccine. The results appear in the journal Advances in Virology. Infected cells taken from diseased monkeys have also been feared to have tainted a smallpox vaccine. Warning indications for said vaccine include a host of adverse health conditions such as cardiac disease, blindness and encephalitis.

Bovine serum is another potentially lethal excipient found mostly in MMR and rotavirus vaccines. The inclusion of this excipient in vaccines has raised concerns of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) contamination. While different health agencies  including the World Health Organization, the CDC and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration  have refuted this, there were rare, documented cases of CJD infection in humans in the U.K. These cases were associated with ingestion of products infected with mad cow disease.

Experts have also raised concerns about the use of porcine vero cells in vaccine production. A rotavirus vaccine was in a bit of hot water a few years back after regulators found out that the treatment contained very high levels of porcine circovirus 1. The vaccine was proven to contain more than 100,000 porcine circovirus 1 DNA molecules in each dose. However, it remains uncertain how the virus directly affects humans, which makes it all the more disconcerting.

Drug firms deliberately add carcinogens, neurotoxins to vaccines

Highly toxic chemicals are not uncommon in vaccine production. In fact, the CDCs list of vaccine excipients includes at least one industrial-grade chemical. Benzene, for example, is a key component of food dyes used in vaccines. Benzene is a highly toxic carcinogen associated with the onset of different types of cancer such as acute myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Other carcinogenic compounds found in vaccines include formaldehyde, acetone and ethanol.

Thimerosal, a neurotoxin, was also present in most vaccine excipients listed in the CDC document. Thimerosal contains mercury, the second most toxic element in the world next to plutonium. Various studies have found a correlation between thimerosal and the onset of autism spectrum disorder in children.

Despite the apparent health hazard, big pharmaceutical companies insist on using aluminum hydroxide as a key component to vaccine production. Aluminum hydroxide is tied to a host of adverse medical conditions including rhabdomyolysis, encephalopathy and osteomalacia. The asthma-inducing glutaraldehyde also appeared to be a staple in vaccine production. Data from the CDC list showed that at least eight vaccine excipients used the toxic compound as a disinfectant. Glutaraldehyde was linked to chemical colitis, rectocolitis and eczema.

Sources include:

CDC.gov [PDF]

FDA.gov

SFGate.com

Virology.ws

GreedMedInfo.com

NaturalHealth365.comA US Navy Admiral has assumed command of NATOs Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1, taking over from a Royal Danish Navy Commodore. In a ceremony marking the hand-over in Copenhagen on Monday (14 January 2019), Rear Admiral Edward Cashman of the US Navy said: The North Atlantic is a bridge that connects the Allies, not a barrier that separates them. That connectivity is even stronger today and more important than ever to our security and to our prosperity." Rear Admiral Cashman will command the group from the new flagship, the USS Gravely. At the same ceremony, the Royal Danish Navys Commander Peter Krogh took command of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group (SNMCMG) 1, succeeding a Belgian Navy commander.

NATOs standing naval forces are integrated into the NATO Response Force, and provide the Alliance with a continuous presence at sea. These multinational forces regularly carry out patrols, exercises and port visits, work with partners, and can be rapidly deployed in times of tension or crisis. They also support the Alliances Aegean deployment  helping to cut lines of illegal migration between Greece and Turkey.

NATOs naval forces consist of four groups: Standing NATO Maritime Groups 1 and 2, and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups 1 and 2.

SNMG1 now consists of the US flagship USS Gravely and Germany's FGS Spessart. SNMG2 is led by the Dutch flagship HNLMS Evertsen and Canadas HMCS Ville de Quebec, while SNMG2s Aegean deployment is led by Germany's FGS Bonn and joined by Albanian vessel ALS Lisus, Greek vessels HS Maridakis, HS Mykonios, and HS Polemistis, and Turkish vessel TCG Kumkale. SNMCMG1 is now led by Danish flagship HDMS Thetis, joined by Germanys FGS Dillengen; and SNMCMG2 is under German command, with the FGS Werra serving as flagship.The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will pay a visit to EUROCONTROL on Friday, 18 January 2019.

During the visit, the Secretary General will meet the Director General, Mr. Eamonn Brennan, and will discuss the long-standing cooperation between NATO and EUROCONTROL.

Still and video images will be available on the NATO website after the event.

Professional-quality videos and b-roll will be available for download from www.natomultimedia.tv. Please register for access. Contact: content@natomultimedia.tv

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg)Yves here. This fine post is a little light on the economic backdrop to 1914 and World War I. Save some short affairs like the War of 1870, Europe enjoyed nearly 100 years of peace, only to have it usher in the unprecedented conflagration of the Great War. One reason for the long period of quiescence was that the mastermind of the 1815 Treaty of Vienna, Talleyrand, had given top priority in negotiations over how various territories were to be ruled, of securing a lasting peace. Another factor was that the rise of the liberal order, powered by the Industrial Revolution that Karl Polanyi described in The Great Transformation, was producing enough in the way of improvements in apparent domestic prosperity so as to reduce the attractiveness of war. Moreover, to the extent that the British and major European states had territorial ambitions, colonial land grabs offered more upside with less risk of manpower and treasure.

By Anatol Lieven. a professor in the War Studies Department of Kings College London and a senior fellow of the New America Foundation in Washington DC. A new, updated edition of America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism, was republished in September 2012 by Oxford University Press. Originally published in The National Interest on December 22, 2018; cross posted from openDemocracy

This year saw the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, in which some 16 million Europeans died, two great European countries were destroyed, and others crippled. This year may also be seen by future historians as the last year of the period between the cold wars, when after 29 years of relative quiet, the worlds major powers once again moved into positions of deep and structural mutual hostility.

The First World War also engendered the dreadful scourges of Communism and Nazism, and thereby led to the Second World War, which very nearly finished off European civilisation. As a result of these catastrophes, almost all of the political and cultural elites that led their countries into war in 1914 were swept away, and in the Russian and Austrian cases, destroyed. Historians differ concerning the precise balance of causes and of blame for the disaster of 1914, but on one thing all are agreed: nothing that the great powers could conceivably have gained from going to war remotely compared to what they risked losing.

During World War I, the British and French, later joined by the Americans, portrayed the war as one of civilisation against German barbarism. One hundred years later, one can certainly say that on balance the British and French systems were better than the German; but one must also admit that an Algerian subject of the French Empire or an African subject of the British Empire might have a different perspective  and also that the Russian Empire made a pretty odd member of a supposed alliance for democracy.

Above all, as it turned out, the real barbaric threat to European civilisation did not come from any of the European ruling establishments of 1914. It came from the hatreds and tensions generated within European societies by the social and economic changes of the previous decades, which the war then released. One of the reasons why the conservative elites of European countries before 1914 encouraged aggressive nationalism in their societies was because they thought that this would divert mass support away from socialism, and thereby preserve the old European order. They were most disastrously mistaken.

Graver Threats

I fear that in their enthusiasm for a new cold war against China and Russia, the western establishments of today are making a mistake comparable to that of their forbears of 1914, and that the historians of the future will judge us by a similarly harsh standard. This is not primarily because of the threat of world war, but because this new cold war is serving  and in certain quarters is deliberately intended to serve  as a distraction from vastly graver threats which will eventually overwhelm us if they are not addressed.

Existing western political elites (on both sides of the political divide) are desperately unwilling to address these threats, because this would involve radical changes to their existing ideological positions. In their obsession with their own righteousness and civilizational superiority, the western elites are also falling into the moral trap warned of by Hans Morgenthau (a cold warrior who opposed Soviet aggression, but also a German Jew deeply acquainted with the civilizational fantasies that had helped bring on the disaster of 1914-18):

Political realism refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a particular nation with the moral laws that govern the universe the light-hearted equation between a particular nationalism and the counsels of Providence is morally indefensible, for it is the very sin of pride against which the Greek tragedians and the Biblical prophets warned rulers and ruled. The equation is also politically pernicious, for it is liable to engender the distortion in judgement which, in the blindness of crusading frenzy, destroys nations and civilizations.

Anti-Russian Regimes

The historians of the future may also note the multiple ironies involved in the idea of the USA leading a new league of democracies against an authoritarian alliance. In Asia, of course, this anti-Chinese alliance would include as key members Vietnamese communists, murderous Filipino authoritarian populists, and above all Indian Hindu neo-fascists. Even in Europe, the most bitterly anti-Russian regime  that of Poland  is also the one that in its authoritarianism and cultural nationalism is in fact ideologically closest to Putin! In the USA, we may devoutly pray that in 2020 Trump will be defeated and replaced by a more convincing leader of the free world. On the other hand, all the evidence now suggests that in 2022, France will elect a president from the National Front.

Even if they do not lead to catastrophic war, diverting domestic discontent into external hostility very rarely works, because of course the factors that created the discontent remain unchanged. Does anyone who has interviewed the Yellow Vests in France seriously think that they are acting as they do because of manipulation from Moscow? Does anyone who has seriously studied the crisis of the white working classes in the USA (Robert Putnam or Thomas Frank, for example) write that the reason that they have voted for Trump is because they have been swayed by Russian propaganda?

Rising Death Rates

The people who claim this would do better to address a much more important link between developments in Russia and the USA, and a far more important contribution to the rise of Putin and Trump: the rising death rate among working class males in Russia in the 1990s and the USA in recent years, for the same reasons: diseases and addictions fuelled by economic, social and cultural insecurity and despair. In Central America, a far more terrible version of these pathologies is driving millions of people to seek to move to the USA, driving in turn the radicalisation of parts of the US population; yet total US aid to Mexico in 2017 was less than that to Ukraine or Egypt, and a fraction of that to Afghanistan. Does any truly responsible national establishment neglect its own neighbourhood in this way?

Looming behind these problems is the even graver danger of climate change, which threatens damage to the USA and the West incomparably greater than anything that the Chinese or Russian governments could or would wish to inflict. In a tragicomic irony, amidst the hysteria over a minor clash between Russia and Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, and barely noticed by most of the US media, there was one example of close US-Russian co-operation: the US and Russian governments combined to block adoption of the latest UN report on climate change.

This is not to say that there are not real threats from Russia and China, and real areas (notably trade) where the USA needs to push back. But these are all in the end limited issues, which are either negotiable or containable. None of them justifies trying once again to restructure the national strategies and institutions of the USA and Europe around the principle of a cold war.

If Khrushchev had not transferred Crimea from the Russian Soviet Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic in 1956, everyone would recognise the Sea of Azov as Russian, and this issue would not even exist. In the South China Sea, the USA is pushing back against China in the name of an international Law of the Sea which the USA itself does not recognise. If the Chinese were ever so mad as to use their position in the South China Sea against US trade, the US Navy could block Chinese trade to the whole of the rest of the world. And so it goes.

Sarajevo

There were of course deep factors pushing the European states to war in 1914. The one that actually led to war however was Serbian nationalist claims to Austrian-ruled Bosnia, leading to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. It seems highly probable that not one in a hundred of the British soldiers who died in the First World War had previously ever heard of Serbias claims, or of Sarajevo. In the name of God, let us not make this mistake again.By Rachel Bluth, Reporter for Kaiser Health News and Peggy Girshman Fellow. She was previously the lead political correspondent for the Annapolis Bureau of Capital News Service and has also written for the Maryland Reporter and the Prince Georges Sentinel. Originally published at Kaiser Health News

Scrolling through the GoFundMe website reveals seemingly an endless number of people who need help or community support. A common theme: the cost of health care.

It didnt start out this way. Back in 2010, when the crowdfunding website began, it suggested fundraisers for ideas and dreams, wedding donations and honeymoon registry or special occasions. A spokeswoman said the bulk of collection efforts from the first year were related to charities and foundations. A category for medical needs existed, but it was farther down the list.

In the nine years since, campaigns to pay for health care have reaped the most cash. Of the $5 billion the company says it has raised, about a third has been for medical expenses from more than 250,000 medical campaigns conducted annually.

Take, for instance, the 25-year-old California woman who had a stroke and needs financial support for rehabilitation, home nursing, medical equipment and uncovered medical expenses. Or the Tennessee couple who want to get pregnant, but whose insurance doesnt cover the $20,000 worth of medications, surgeries, scans, lab monitoring, and appointments [that] will need to be paid for upfront and out-of-pocket for in vitro fertilization.

The prominence of the medical category is the symptom of a broken system, according to CEO Rob Solomon, 51, who has a long tech resume as an executive at places like Groupon and Yahoo. He said he never realized how hard it was for some people to pay their bills: I needed to understand the gigantic gaps in the system.

This year, Time Magazine named Solomon one of the 50 most influential people in health care.

We didnt build the platform to focus on medical expenses, Solomon said. But it turned out, he said, to be one of those categories of need with which many people struggle.

Solomon talked to Kaiser Health News Rachel Bluth about his companys role in financing health care and what it says about the system when so many people rely on the kindness of strangers to get treatment. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: KHN and other news outlets have reported that hospitals often advise patients to crowdfund their transplants. Its become almost institutionalized to use GoFundMe. How do you feel about that?

It saddens me that this is a reality. Every single day on GoFundMe we see the huge challenges people face. Their stories are heartbreaking.

Some progress has been made here and there with the Affordable Care Act, and its under fire, but theres ever-widening gaps in coverage for treatment, for prescriptions, for everything related to health care costs. Even patients who have insurance and supposedly decent insurance [come up short]. Weve become an indispensable institution, indispensable technology and indispensable platform for anyone who finds themselves needing help because there just isnt adequate coverage or assistance.

I would love nothing more than for medical to not be a category on GoFundMe. The reality is, though, that access to health care is connected to the ability to pay for it. If you cant do that, people die. People suffer. We feel good that our platform is there when people need it.

Q: Did anyone expect medical funding would become such a big part of GoFundMe?

I dont think anyone anticipated it. What we realized early on is that medical need is a gigantic category.

A lot of insurance doesnt cover clinical trials and research and things like that, where people need access to leading-edge potential treatments. We strive to fill these gaps until the institutions that are supposed to handle this handle it properly. There has to be a renaissance, a dramatic change in public policy, in how the government focuses on this and how the health care companies solve this.

This is very interesting. In the places like the United Kingdom, Canada and other European countries that have some form of universal or government-sponsored health coverage, medical [costs] are still the largest category. So its not just medical bills for treatment. Theres travel and accommodations for families who have to support people when they fall ill.

Q: What have you learned that you didnt know before?

I guess what I realized [when I came] to this job is that I had no notion of how severe the problem is. You read about the debate about single-payer health care and all the issues, the partisan politics. What I really learned is the health care system in the United States is really broken. Way too many people fall through the cracks.

The government is supposed to be there and sometimes they are. The health care companies are supposed to be there and sometimes they are. But for literally millions of people theyre not. The only thing you can really do is rely on the kindness of friends and family and community. Thats where GoFundMe comes in.

I was not ready for that at all when I started at the company. When you live and breathe it every day and you see the need that exists, when you realize there are many people with rare diseases but they arent diseases a drug company can make money from, theyre just left with nothing.

Q: But what does this say about the system?

The system is terrible. It needs to be rethought and retooled. Politicians are failing us. Health care companies are failing us. Those are realities. I dont want to mince words here. We are facing a huge potential tragedy. We provide relief for a lot of people. But there are people who are not getting relief from us or from the institutions that are supposed to be there. We shouldnt be the solution to a complex set of systemic problems. They should be solved by the government working properly, and by health care companies working with their constituents. We firmly believe that access to comprehensive health care is a right and things have to be fixed at the local, state and federal levels of government to make this a reality.

Q: Do you ever worry that medical fundraising on your site is taking away from other causes or other things that need to be funded?

We have billions being raised on our platform on an annual basis. Everything from medical, memorial and emergency, to people funding Little League teams and community projects.

Another thing thats happened in the last few years is weve really become the take action button. Whenever theres a news cycle on something where people want to help, they create GoFundMe campaigns. This government shutdown, for example: We have over a thousand campaigns right now for people who have been affected by it  theyre raising money for people to pay rent, mortgages, car payments while the government isnt.Despite the high drama of the last two days, much less has changed on HMS Brexit than ought to have. For instance, even though the catastrophic defeat of Mays Withdrawal Agreement should have led the Prime Minister to get serious about a Plan B, its not evident that shes unveil anything next Monday other than a reheated Plan A: go back to the EU for more concessions theater.

Update 6:50 AM: Normally updates to posts go at the end, but this is such a stunner I am putting it at the top and not restructuring the post due to the hour. May has brass balls. Despite her claim that she is not trying to run out the clock, her actions speak louder than words.

I knew something was afoot when May pressed Corbyn to lodge his no-confidence motion and immediately said if she survived it, shed comply with Grieves non-binding motion and deliver an amendable Plan B on Monday, as opposed to taking the 21 days allowed in the Withdrawal Act.

Get a load of this (hat tip guurst):

Govt has also just bought itself another week's delay.

Leadsom confirms PM will table Plan B motion on Monday, meeting Grieve amendment requirement, but it won't be debated until Tues 29th  two clean months before Brexit Day.  Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) January 17, 2019

Well see what kind of spin she tries putting on this move. It looks like there will be more drama between now and Monday than I had anticipated.

Back to the original post:

Some signtings:

May and Hammond are singing from different hymnals. Hammond has gotten out ahead of the Prime Minister and has bee slapped down before. Is this to be one of those times?

From May in Question Time Wednesday:

There are actually two ways of avoiding no deal. The first is to agree a deal, and the second would be to revoke article 50. That would mean staying in the European Union and failing to respect the result of the referendum, and that is something that this Government will not do.

From Hammond, per the Telegraph in Exclusive: Philip Hammond tells business chiefs MPs will stop no-deal Brexit:

Philip Hammond told business leaders that the threat of a no-deal Brexit could be taken off the table within days and potentially lead to Article 50 rescinded, a leaked recording of a conference call reveals. The Chancellor set out how a backbench Bill could effectively be used to stop any prospect of no deal. He suggested that ministers may even back the plan when asked for an assurance by the head of Tesco that the Government would not oppose the motion. He claimed next weeks Bill, which could force the Government to extend Article 50, was likely to win support and act as the ultimate backstop against a no-deal Brexit, as a large majority in the Commons is opposed to no deal under any circumstances. A recording of the call, passed to The Daily Telegraph, recounts how the Chancellor, Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, and Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, spent nearly an hour talking to the leaders of 330 leading firms. They included the heads of Siemens, Amazon, Scottish Power, Tesco and BP, all of whom warned against no deal.

So are Hammond and Clark free-lancing against May?

And even if this backbenchers bill passes, it does not stop a no-deal Brexit. As weve said before, and Clive hammered home again in comments yesterday, Parliament would have to pass secondary legislation amending the hard coding of the Brexit date in the Withdrawal Act or revoke it entirely, and send in an Article 50 revocation notice. Anything less is just faffing about.

Richard North went further down this rabbit hole than we have and similarly thinks this scheme is wanting:

Mrs May is now required on Monday formally to present to the House an amendable motion that sets out the details of how her government plans to proceed with Brexit. And it is at this point when, we are told, back-bench plotters aim to introduce a Bill which would force the Government to take the threat of a no-deal Brexit off the table within a matter of days. The precise mechanism for this is unclear. One version has it that the plotters are seeking to give parliament the power to revoke the Article 50 notice. This could then be used as leverage, in the first instance to prevent the government going down the no-deal road. While this is being put in place, the plan over the next few days is to work up a series of proposals with senior parliamentarians in other parties to put to Government as a basis for renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement with Brussels  to which effect the government will be forced to ask for an extension to the Article 50 period. These are the bare bones, as culled from a series of exclusive reports in the Telegraph. Nevertheless, there are several reasons for questioning whether this is a realistic  or even practical stratagem. Not least, the right unilaterally to revoke an Article 50 notification, conferred by The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, in Articles 65, 67 and 68, as amplified by the ECJ, is one reserved for States. Under normal circumstances, the instrument communicating the revocation to the other parties must be signed by the Head of State, Head of Government or Minister for Foreign Affairs. Parliament simply has no locus in this matter and any Act promulgated by Parliament could only be addressed to Government. Its writ does not extend beyond these shores, and it has no jurisdiction over the EU. As to whether Parliament could then force Mrs May to revoke the Article 50 notification is moot. While it has been established that its approval is needed to invoke Article 50 in the first place  on the grounds that it affects citizens rights, no such proviso applies in reverse. Thus, the Government would be exercising Crown prerogative, over which Parliament has no direct control.

There is also the obvious lunacy of thining that the Withdrawal Agreement could be renegotiated. Brussels is getting to the end of its rope in coming up with diplomatic variants of What about no dont you understand?

And as Lambert pointed out, giving businesses the idea that they can drop no deal planning isnt such a hot idea either.

The EU thinks the odds of no-deal have increased. From a Bloomberg story (hat tip vlade):

Over in Brussels and the European capitals, the sentiment was very different. Mays crushing loss sparked talk of the rising risk of a no-deal Brexit and a dogged refusal to renegotiate the agreement rejected by British lawmakers. One German asset manager, Stefan Kreuzkamp at Deutsche Banks DWS, said: We have to acknowledge that the probability of a hard Brexit has increased. Even though the majority of British MPs claim that they want to avoid it.

The EU isnt going to deal with the UK unless it has its ducks in a row. I would take this snippet from this mornings Politico newsletter with a bit of salt; anything from a single source is questionable, particularly given that Donald Tusk, Michel Barnier, and Jean-Claude Juncker have not been shy about presenting the EUs views. If this person is not speaking officially on behalf of the EU, why is he conveying messages? The fact that he treats Norway as an option when Norway has said it wont allow the UK into the Efta also indicates more than a bit of shooting from the hip.

The reason I question this as being a bankable opinion, as opposed to indicative, is the comment on the second referendum. EU sources have previously said a general election would be grounds for delaying Brexit. I have yet to see anyone mention holding a second referendum as a reason, and I wonder if this speaker has looked into the lead times involved, particularly since he raises the European Parliament elections as an issue:

THE EUS KEY POINTS: Heres where the EU now stands, as per a diplomat who is well-placed to convey what Brussels is thinking and briefed a group of reporters Wednesday over dinner  1) The Withdrawal Agreement wont be touched. The U.K. will have the opportunity to agree to it and sign it even on March 29, the diplomat said. Perhaps once Britain is truly teetering on the brink of the abyss, MPs will see that the deal on the table is indeed a very generous offer that no other third country could ever get: at least two more painless years in the club (though sans representation in EU bodies), the diplomat added. 2) The UK will need to move its red lines if it wants a deal: Its up to the U.K. to budge, the diplomat said. The view from Brussels is that the EU side, in the Political Declaration, respected what was left on the table after May took away, in speech after speech between Lancaster House, Florence, and Chequers, the options that the EUs negotiator Michel Barnier had drawn up in his now-famous stairway to hell. The [higher] the U.K. is ready to walk up the stairs of the Barnier ladder, the easier it will be, the diplomat said. (Side note: The Norway option of membership in the European Economic Area might need a little longer to agree on than the Swiss, Ukrainian, or Turkish models, as its up to Norway et al to let the U.K. into their club.) 3) Delays wont come cheap: The EU would need a very good reason to extend the Article 50 period  such as a general election or a second referendum, the diplomat said. Most importantly, lets not play with elections. EU citizens have a right to vote, and even if there were an understanding that U.K. citizens wouldnt take part in the May EU election, Imagine youre a Belgian citizen living in the U.K.  These are cases that end up in [the European Court of Justice] court. And you will win. 4) May needs to get her act together: Leaders dont want May to come back to Brussels until she has the backing of the Commons for whatever it is she asks for. This time, we need a meaningful vote before we agree on anything, the diplomat said, adding that it is common practise in other parts of the EU for leaders to be able to tell their colleagues first what they need  and second to be credible when they say they will obtain a majority in their parliaments for whatever that may be. May has failed to deliver on the latter at least two times in a row now, the diplomat said

This briefing indicates the EU wont roll over to give the UK an extension. I do recall reading after the December EU summit that some EU leaders said privately that if the UK asking for an extension, they wouldnt get an immediate response. And the EU may have its own denialism about the adequacy of its crash-out preparedness.

It may seem short-sighted for the EU to be showing Brexit fatigue, but in protracted negotiations, its hard to keep emotional issues from playing into the dynamics.

For what it is worth, The Times has a report that is totally at odds with Politico. I am mentioning it for the sake of completeness. The reason for my skepticism is that The Times has by far the worst record of all major UK papers in running hot-breathed stories about Brexit developments that proved to be complete hogwash. The specific reason for skepticism is EU sources have been consistent in saying that the UK needs to have a settled view of what it wants before asking for an extension, while this story is a radical departure in suggesting the EU would grant an extension in order for the UK to muddle around more. Mays defeat was no surprise, and this report also contradicts RTE yesterday indicating that the result was in many respects a relief because there was no prospect of May turning it around, and so the EU would be spared further petitioning to renegotiate the Withdrawal agreement.

From The Times:

European Union officials are examining plans to delay Brexit until 2020 after Germany and France indicated their willingness to extend withdrawal negotiations because of Britains political turmoil. Diplomats and officials are preparing a longer than envisaged extension of the EUs Article 50 exit procedure because the extent of Theresa Mays defeat in the House of Commons last night. Previous planning had centred on a three-month delay to Brexit from March 29 until the end of June but now, according to multiple sources, EU officials are investigating legal routes to postpone Britains withdrawal until next year. Peter Altmaier, Germanys economy minister, who is close to Angela Merkel, the chancellor, and to Martin Selmayr, the powerful German head of the EUs civil service, said that Britain needed an extension to find a consensus on the way forward after the vote.The European Union should allow for additional time in order to achieve a clear position by the British parliament and people, he told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. I would see this as a reasonable request.

In fairness, the Guardian has a less muddled version of this story, saying that the EU would be willing to entertain long extension of Brexit if the Government and Labour were to agree on a different version of Brexit, which is consistent with the idea in Politico of choosing a different position on the Barnier ladder. But if anyone of them had read Cobrbyns op eds, they would understand hes as deep in unicorn land as the Tories have been, and wants his own special deal that isnt on Barniers menu.

New poll indicates UK voters do not want revocation or extension of Article 50. The survey, of over 2000 people by ComRes on behalf of the Daily Express, is a decent sample size and appears not to be an online poll. And it was taken before Tuesdays vote, which is unlikely to have improved results:

Three-quarters of voters say the crisis-hit EU departure process has shown that the current generation of MPs are not up to the job, according to the data from polling firm ComRes. A root-and-branch overhaul of the countrys entire political system is wanted by a massive 72% of people quizzed in the survey. But despite the chaos embroiling Brexit, a majority of voters (53%) still want the result of the 2016 EU Leave vote to be honoured by ensuring the UKs withdrawal from the bloc. Less than a third of voters (31%) wanted Brexit cancelled or a second referendum on the UKs relationship with the EU to be held.

The plot, such as it is, will advance a bit next Monday, but whether there will be any progress is very much in doubt.2018 Elections presidential candidate, Dr. Noah Manyika has written an open letter to President Emmerson Mnangagwa urging him to come back urgently and fix the economic crisis in Zimbabwe. The president is away on a 5-country road show mean to attract investment to Zimbabwe and is currently in Belarus.

The full letter below:

Open Letter to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa

January 17, 2019.

Dear Sir,

I write this brief open letter in response to a statement attributed to you expressing your sadness at the developments in our country. I am sure by now you are aware that mere words will not quell the anger our people feel nor solve the catastrophic problems our nation is facing. You, and you alone Sir, have the opportunity to pull our nation from the brink by

1. Immediately suspending your overseas trip and urgently returning to Zimbabwe to assume full civilian control of government as required by our constitution. Your immediate return and the immediate withdrawal of the military from the streets to the barracks will give the nation and international community much needed assurance that you, and not the military, are running this country.

2. Immediately revoking the fuel price increases you announced on the 12th of January 2019. Justifying them by claiming that they align our prices with the region ignores the fact that fuel prices are not the only distortion in our economy, and that the increases have resulted in unbearable hardships for ordinary citizens. It is impossible for people to trust that this is part of any anti-corruption drive as you claim when no action has been taken against well-known Godfathers of corruption, many of whom are supporters or senior members of Zanu(PF) and the government.

3. The immediate lifting of the blockade of the internet and all social media platforms. In the 21st Century, shutting down the internet is shutting down the economy. Ironically, the actions of your government have done much more harm to the economy than the shutdown called by the ZCTU. It is further ironic that you are headed to Davos to be part of a gathering that celebrates the success of open economies when the reality in Zimbabwe is the exact opposite.

4. The Immediate release of all demonstrators and civic leaders detained during the shutdown. Your governments draconian actions have not only completely disempowered those who have been inclined to support the calls for ending our isolation, but seem to invite the very same measures whose removal you have been calling for.

5. The immediate disbanding of your cabinet and urgent engagement of national leaders to come up with a platform for the non-partisan, competent, reformist, inspiring and problem-solving collective leadership our country desperately needs.

Anything less Sir would amount to you declaring war on your own presidency, on the economy and on the people whose suffering you have said you want to end. I have said this before and believe it strongly that there is no external Third Force you have to fear. The fate of your presidency is fully in your hands.

The worst enemies of your presidency Sir, are the men and women who surround you who encourage your instincts for command politics. These man and women who include the sycophantic official press, your Zanu(PF) colleagues, your presidium, family, business people, the security services, traditional and church leaders and some members of the diplomatic corp etc. fail to advice you that the world outside Zanu(PF) operates very differently. They fail to counsel you that the decisions you are making are completely inconsistent with your claims to be a listening president, a reformer, a man of faith and a servant leader who believes that the voice of the people is the voice of God. Instead they only bolster your reputation for ruthlessness.

Blood has been needlessly spilled once again in our country Sir. If you are the man of faith you claim to be, you know that ultimately the innocent never die in vain. Any delay on your part will result in the shedding of more innocent blood. Unfortunately Sir, as the person leading our country, that blood will be on your hands.

Is There Not a Cause?

Dr. Noah Manyika

President: Build Zimbabwe Alliance.

Founder: War On Poverty Trust

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsThe Nelson Chamisa led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC Alliance) has condemned acts of brutality perpetrated by government against unarmed civilians.

Presidential spokesperson Dr Nkululeko Sibanda has issues the statement below:

If there was anybody out there who had any doubt that Mnangagwa and General Chiwengas government was more than an impudent axis of evil, then the last 3 days provided unquestionable evidence.

What is absolutely clear is that the government has acted in the manner that fits hooligans and terrorists. This all started with the most bizarre announcement by any President anywhere on earth.

Almost immediately every right-thinking person understood that Zimbabwe was run by a group of lightweight thinkers, scaring everyone into shocked action.

Responding to the shocking incompetent manner in which Mnangagwa has run government, the people of Zimbabwe peacefully came out in numbers to protest and demand a government that can actually think and govern. Meanwhile, this government borrowed from the darkest pages in the history of modern governance. It flouted rules that cannot even be flouted inactive combat zones. Mnangagwas government ordered the Presidential Guard out of their uniforms, provided them with civilian cars and state of the art, high-powered automatic battle guns, to run riot on unarmed citizens.

Once again, these military men fired live ammunition at unarmed civilians killing several. The over the last 2 days he ordered an internet and communications blockade, during which the numbers of those killed and maimed may have increased. Pictures of the overnight military raids on residential areas are reminiscent of those carried out during Zimbabwes Gukurahundi genocide of the 80s, in Matabeleland. This only goes to prove that those who masterminded Gukurahundi and all the history of violence and disappearance of journalist such as Itai Dzamara, are at the helm of the State. The current abuse of human rights must come to an end immediately. Thus, the Presidency of the MDC calls upon the international community, in particular SADC, to intervene immediately to stop errant leaders from committing crimes against humanity, through military on unarmed civilians.

President Nelson Chamisa notes with concern the events of the last 3 days. The military has not just killed and maimed citizens in cold blood. They also burned down the MDC party headquarters, injured hundreds, arrested thousands and jammed the countrys communications networks. The primary targets of this blockade have been the journalist who have reported on conflicts and saved millions of lives across the globe over the last 2 centuries, including citizen journalists. Secondly, they have used this dark period to arrest, kill and maim hundreds without anybody reporting on incidences in real time.

President Chamisa continues to monitor the conditions in the country and stands in the front line with Zimbabweans as they continue exercising their rights to public and peaceful protests. At this juncture it is important to remind anybody who maybe misguided to act unlawfully and against the constitution by killing citizens that eventually the law always catches up. In terms of following the constitution no one is obliged to take orders from anybody that are unconstitutional and every individual is personally liable for crimes against humanity.

To the international community it is important to pay particular attention to the peculiar and characteristic ruthlessness of the Zimbabwe governments methods of cruelty:

The deployment of ununiformed military personnel,

Arming them with automatic rifles with clear orders to shoot at members of the public,

The flouting of every convention on both armed conflicts and unarmed conflict

The blockade on all internet communication

To the ZANU PF government and its President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and his Vice General Chiwenga, President Chamisa strongly challenges you to open your hearts and turn away this evil. Think about the people you have killed over the last year and a half. Imagine their families and their anguish. You do not have to do this and it does not have to be this way. Zimbabwe can be a prosperous nation, prosperity brings about peace, not guns and murder. This appeal is to your humanity. Please take it seriously. Order the armed forces back into their barracks, allow peaceful protests and do not prevent a process on national dialogue. These are the first few steps you can take immediately.

Withdraw your personal army units from our streets.

Restore the internet

Allow peaceful protest to continue

Be an honest partner to the people of Zimbabwe

Free all the incarcerated including MDC and Trade Union leaders

Investigate all murders and prosecute all guilty officers

Beyond the immediate President Chamisa thinks there is still enough room and need for national dialogue. As such, he still encourages you to consider this in light of his 5-point plan to restore Zimbabwe to a functional country.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsBritain summoned Zimbabwes ambassador on Tuesday to register its disquiet over a crackdown on dissent by security forces in Zimbabwe.

Britains Minister of State for Africa Harriet Baldwin revealed that she had discussed the crisis with Zimbabwes top diplomat in London, Christian Katsande.

Just spoken to Zimbabwean ambassador regarding this weeks protests in Zimbabwe. Worrying levels of violence  urged restraint from security forces and the need to restore internet access, Baldwin said on Twitter.

On Wednesday, Britains ambassador to Zimbabwe Melanie Robinson said she had also held discussions with Zimbabwean authorities after fuel price protests on Monday triggered a brutal response by the police and military.

Doctors say as many as 72 people have been treated for gunshot wounds, with several fatalities.

Weve been following up Minister Baldwins conversation last night with the Zimbabwean authorities here today. Continuing to raise our concerns about the violence and fatalities, and urging restraint, Robinson tweeted.

The European Unions top envoy in Zimbabwe Timo Olkkonen revealed that the internet blackout, imposed late Monday and partially lifted on Wednesday, had also affected them.

Zimbabwe is online again, he tweeted on Wednesday night. The past days require thorough assessment. Its clear what has happened is tragic. Priorities now are urgent access to medical services for those that are hurt and guarantee due legal process for detainees. EU is supporting these efforts.

 ZimLive

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Related Zimbabwe Latest News#ThisFlag leader Pastor Evan Mawarire who was arrested yesterday has been charged with subverting a constitutionally elected government (treason, in other words).

He is charged under section 22 of the Criminal Law Act and is facing up to 20 years in prison.

The Act says: Any person who, whether inside or outside Zimbabwe (a) organises or sets up, or advocates, urges or suggests the organisation or setting up of, any group or body with a view to that group or body (i) overthrowing or attempting to overthrow the Government by unconstitutional means; or (ii) taking over or attempting to take over the Government by unconstitutional means or usurping the functions of the Government; or (iii) coercing or attempting to coerce the Government; or (b) supports or assists any group or body in doing or attempting to do any of the things described in subparagraph (i), (ii) or (iii) of paragraph (a); shall be guilty of subverting constitutional government and liable to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twenty years without the option of a fine.

More to follow 

 Byo24

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsANALYSTS yesterday ridiculed President Emmerson Mnangagwas five-nation tour of Eurasia at a time the country was imploding due to severe economic difficulties, as well as his penchant for luxury as he used an expensive luxury Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft for the trip.

They said it was unnecessary for Mnangagwa to exhibit signs of profligacy by chartering a luxury plane  one of its kind  manufactured five years ago at a cost of 230 million and costs $74 000 per hour for hire until return, according to Business Insider, when the main reasons for mutiny yesterday in the country were economic hardships.

Mnangagwas trips will cover Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Davos in Switzerland, where he will be attending the World Economic Forum. Government claims that these trips will unlock economic value as the countries were more economically stable than Zimbabwe.

Given that Mnangagwa will likely spend two weeks away, government could folk out US$25 million for hiring the plane in addition to hefty allowances for himself and his large entourage.

Asked to explain why Mnangagwa would go on State visits when already the signs of implosion showed before the trip, Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo curtly responded: I will only issue a statement about the situation in the country tomorrow.

Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said it was frightening that Mnangagwa would leave the country in its current state of distabilisation.

We know that Zanu PF has a history of intransigence and they do not have a conscience because it is frightening that he left the country in a state of destabilisation after announcing the fuel hikes  and how does he even know what is going to happen because there could be another coup being planned while he is away? Ngwenya said.

This shows that Mnangagwa does not have the depth to comprehend the magnitude of the problems in Zimbabwe, and actually, former President Robert Mugabe might have been very arrogant, but his thinking capacity was better because he understood what the problems in Zimbabwe meant.

Ngwenya said the sad thing was that Mnangagwa thought that the problem in Zimbabwe was fuel only, yet there were a myriad other issues to be solved.

What is sad is that it seems as if his handlers and advisers are hiding things from him and not telling him the truth. What is actually going to happen is that during his trips, he is going to be inundated with journalists following him and asking him about the situation in Zimbabwe and the strike by civil servants. He goes on a trip carrying a large contingent to Russia, which will spend $2 million to $3 million when doctors are on strike; and foreign journalists are going to ask what he is doing there when his country is imploding, he said.

Another political analyst Earnest Mudzengi said Mnangagwa chose to travel against the backdrop of immense pressure to deal with the problems currently facing the country.

However, the fact is that as he looks at the problems, he might not have a solution for them from within, and he has probably gone outside to find solutions. The issue now is about whether he can realistically get some rescue from the Eastern bloc for those problems because the Western countries have been clear that they can engage Zimbabwe, but on condition that there are democratic political and economic reforms, which Zanu PF may not be willing to implement.

He thinks the Eastern bloc countries might be willing to co-operate without stringent conditionalities. So, Zanu PF might not be going to go to their full extent in terms of dealing with the real problem, and they might be dealing with the symptoms only, like the fuel crisis when it is just one area and it is a potential scene for creating instability. If they deal with the fuel situation they think that they have quelled the situation and yet its extent goes beyond that, to bond notes and other problems, he said.

Mudzengi said Mnangagwas hiring of expensive private planes were not only a Zimbabwean problem, but an African post-colonial problem where leaders wanted to live in luxury as long as they were in power.

Former Finance minister and MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Tendai Biti ridiculed the trips, saying: What President rushes to visit countries like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan  for what when the country is in a mess?

Zimbabwean academic at the Namibia University of Science and Technology lecturer Admire Mare said presidential trips could have been booked in advance, hence Mnangagwa could not have avoided proceeding with them despite the culminating problems in the country.

However, the issue here could be that how could he communicate such a huge fuel hike on the eve of his five-nation trip. He could have consulted more with industry, labour and consumer associations to try and solve the problems to ensure that the populace digests such austerity measures better, Mare said.

 NewsDay

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsDemocratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane called on the South Africa to intervene in Zimbabwe where the military and police, under a complete internet shutdown, launched a brutal door-to-door clampdown targeting government critics on Tuesday.

Maimane told the Cape Town Press Club that the South African government can no longer remain silent on the tensions in Zimbabwe, where doctors said close to 30 people were treated for gunshot wounds

We cant approach the latest crisis with silent diplomacy. Weve to go in there and intervene, and ultimately hold the Zimbabwean government to account, Maimane said.

Its a blight on the brotherhood, what the African Union has become, where they refuse to stand up to each other and say whats happening in Zimbabwe is wrong.

Security forces patrolled high density suburbs in Harare, Bulawayo and Chitungwiza after Mondays protests against fuel price increases.

Human rights groups said soldiers in uniform were targeting young men suspected to have participated in the protests that left at least five people dead. Police said they had made over 200 arrests after some shops were looted and arsonists targeted a police station and the headquarters of the Movement for Democratic Change in Harare.

The widespread unrest over the countrys deteriorating economic crisis came after the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called on Zimbabweans to stay away from work starting Monday until Wednesday. The call has been largely heeded, with urban centres looking like ghost towns on Tuesday.

The increase to more $3,31 for a litre of petrol and $3,11 for diesel, announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last Saturday, has ignited simmering fury over a currency crisis that has imposed severe shortages and forced businesses to close.

The crisis has undermined Mnangagwas pledge that Zimbabwe was open for business since he replaced Robert Mugabe, the post-independence strongman who presided over economic decline and fell in a 2017 coup.

Mnangagwa is in Russia, where he is reported to be seeking loans. Western countries have turned away from the former security chief following the violent suppression last year of claims that the ruling Zanu PF rigged Mnangagwas presidential election victory.

In Moscow, Mnangagwa defended the fuel price increase as necessary. It will take time for things to settle and results to be shown, he said. At the same time his government unleashed the fiercest crackdown since the July election.

On Tuesday, Zimbabwean social media users said they were unable to access WhatsApp, Twitter and other services. NetBlocks, an international civil society group, said the shutdown widened to a full internet blackout later on Tuesday.

This is a polarising set of actions by the state. They are faced with a situation they do not know how to control at the economic level, Piers Pigou, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said.

The US dollar is the main benchmark currency used in Zimbabwe since 2009 but there are crippling shortages of the currency, throttling the ability to pay for imports.

Surrogate dollars, known as bond notes, introduced by the government have collapsed against the value of the real thing in black market trading, driving up prices as wages stagnate. Electronic US dollars in the financial system lack physical backing, undermining confidence in the governments insistence that all dollars are equal.

Additional reporting Financial Times

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsMembers of the Zimbabwe Republic Police support unit aided by members of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces on Thursday entered Day 3 of beating up citizens at the aftermath of the violent protests that rocked the whole country.

An eyewitnesses in Bulawayo said he observed support unit members beating up a man near Cold Storage Commission in the industrial area.

Bulawayo remained largely closed with no shop open save for a few private schools.

MDC Official Mathula Lusinga said in Bulilimamangwe area young boys and men were rounded up and taken to an unknown location.

In the village of Ngwanyana, near Botswana hundreds of men and boys including secondary school children have been rounded by the military and taken to an unknown location. Lusinga said. Those that managed to escape before the roundup are now hiding in the bushes. Lest we forget Gukurahundi started like this and Mnangagwa and Chiwenga were in charge! Its really bad right now.

Hi please spread the word MDC alliance Crispen Dube ward 9 Councillor Chikanga Dangamvura was abducted yesterday morning his whereabouts are not known up to now. MDC Deputy Treasurer General Charlton Hwende announced.

Businessman and fervent supporter of President Emmersonn Mnangagwa Ali Naka condemned the brutality that was unleashed by the state on citizens especially children.

Why would a so-called National Army beat a 7 year old to death? He queried. A trusted source called me now from Parirenyatwa hospital confirming that the numbers of the killed are much higher than the official figures being quoted! This is absolute nonsense.

 Byo24

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZANU PF youth leaders were allegedly behind acts of violence and arson, including the burning of a Zupco bus in Harare on Monday during countrywide protests against fuel price increases, court papers showed.

Benson Bhobho, Zanu PF youth league chairperson for ward 40 in Whitecliff, was yesterday charged with public violence together with members of his executive, Charles Bengeza, Shylock Chihuri, Emmanuel Chari, Cassim Muzhingi, Noleen and Rumbidzai Dulana after their arrest in connection with the burning of the Zupco bus that was heading to Harare.

According to court papers, Bhobho (35) teamed up with his executive and other accomplices, who are still at large, around mid-morning on Monday, and proceeded to Whitehouse shopping centre along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway, where they barricaded the highway with boulders, burning tyres and throwing missiles at motorists.

Pursuant to their plan, the accused stopped a Zupco bus which was proceeding to Harare and ordered the bus crew and all passengers to disembark.

Emmanuel Chari drove the bus (off) the road and parked it about 40 metres (away), where he and his colleagues set it on fire, the court papers read.

This came as the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) on Monday called for a nationwide stayaway to push government to reverse recent fuel price hikes as well as deal with the deepening economic crisis.

But the stayaway turned violent, with government accusing the opposition of orchestrating the mayhem, which resulted in about eight civilian deaths, the death of a police officer and numerous injuries, including the destruction of public assets.

Court papers, however, indicate that the Zanu PF youth leadership, led the mob that burnt the Zupco bus along the Bulawayo-Harare Highway and also chased away workers at a shop owned by Chegutu East legislator Webster Shamu (Zanu PF).

The accused looted various groceries from the shop and set ablaze a Mitsubishi pick-up truck which was parked at the service station, leaving it to burn to ashes, the papers stated.

Police recovered some of the alleged stolen items from the Zanu PF youth leaders, among them Mazoe cordials, fire extinguishers and ropes.

The accused last night appeared before Harare magistrate, Elijah Makomo for trial, where they denied the charges.

The State was represented by four prosecutors, including Michael Reza, George Manokore and Charles Muchemwa.

ZCTU, meanwhile, has distanced itself from the violence which erupted around the country.

Acting President Constantino Chiwenga on Monday warned the hooligans, saying the law would take its course against those who destroyed State property.

 NewsDay

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsBelow is the full text of EFF leader, Julius Malemas party statement following the brutal attacks on civilian protesters in a stayaway strike that enforced on the povo by sections of the military and police. In their statement, the EFF said, Mnangagwa is consistent with the Mugabe administration in violation of the citizens right to protest and civil disobedience.

FULL TEXT:

The EFF extends its solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, who have taken to the streets to protest against the increase in petrol prices. We call on the government of Zimbabwe to respond to these demonstrations with restraint. We particularly condemn the unleashing of military on citizens who are exercising their right to protest.

A democratic government knows too well that militaries are not entities used to respond to protesting, armless, and defenceless citizens. To unleash the military is to treat citizens as enemies of the state, who must be met with excessive violence, force and death, as militaries are death driven, only to be deployed to those who are armed and sworn enemies of the people. Militaries should never ever be used against protests and civil defiance demonstrations actions.

The progressive international community celebrated the fall of Mugabe, with the hope that the era of human rights abuse, associated with his reign in Zimbabwe, will come to an end. President Mnangagwa is therefore consistent with the Mugabe administration in violation of the citizens right to protest and civil disobedience.

 Zimbabwe Eye

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Related Zimbabwe Latest News Flash

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the United Nations needs to speed up efforts in fighting climate change, achieving toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and harnessing the benefits of new technologies.

Briefing the UN General Assembly on the 2019 outlook, the secretary-general said that "standing still means falling further behind," and that on these three "key 21st-century challenges," the United Nations should dramatically accelerate efforts.

On climate change, Guterres reaffirmed his stance that the world needs to transform its economies to keep temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with the pre-industrial level.

To that end, the UN chief said he will convene a climate summit on Sept. 23, 2019 to mobilize action by political leaders, the business community and civil society, appealing to world leaders to bring solutions and commitments "that will at last match the scale of the challenge."

Turning to the SDGs set in the UN 2030 Agenda, Guterres warned that "despite considerable efforts from governments and many others, the transformative changes ... are not yet being made."

He called for sharper focus on "what works in reducing poverty and inequality, and in delivering strong and inclusive economies," and urged increased financing for related solutions.

On this front, he said, the UN General Assembly will have its first head of state and government meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development since the 2030 Agenda was adopted in 2015, which will follow the climate summit.

Guterres further announced that the two summits will be complemented by meetings on three other key challenges: Financing for Development, Universal Health Coverage and the risks faced by Small Island Developing States.

With regard to new technologies, the secretary-general said the world needs to step up efforts to enhance its capacity to reckon with their profound impacts.

"The Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to open new possibilities for health care, education, humanitarian assistance and much else," he said, while cautioning against disruption of labor markets, the weaponization of artificial intelligence and the activities on the dark web.

This year, the UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, which was set up in July, will report on proposals for reducing digital inequality, building digital capacity and ensuring that new technologies work as "a force for good," according to Guterres.

"I am convinced that we can move forward with confidence for the green economy and the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," he said.

In Wednesday's briefing, Guterres also highlighted the world's major gains in 2018, which included the ceasefire in Hodeidah of Yemen, the peace deal in South Sudan, the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, progress in resolving Greece and Macedonia' name dispute and two global compacts respectively on migration and refugees.UK based constitutional law expert, Alex Magaisa, has questioned the legality of the internet bloackade in Zimbabwe that lasted about 30 hours. Writing on his blog, BSR, Magaisa said that if mobile operator, Econet Zimbabwe, shut down the internet based on a warrant as it claimed in an SMS, the the shutdown was technically illegal.

Said Magaisa:

Econets statement says it was responding to a written warrant. If it was indeed a written warrant, it could not have been used to block Internet and social media communications. This is because the scope of a warrant is specifically defined by the Act and it does not cover blocking communications. It only permits the interception of communications and this is strictly defined by law.

We find the meaning of interception in the definition section of the Act. It describes interception using a telecommunication system as to listen to, record, or copy, whether in whole or in part. Nowhere in this definition is there any mention of or reference to blocking communications, not for individuals, let alone the entire country.

Prominent lawyer, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere also said that theres no law in Zimbabwe that authorises the shutdown of the internet:

1. There is no law in Zimbabwe that authorizes an internet shutdown. Theres a night and day difference between intercepting communications and the wholesale, arbitrary blocking of access to information. The internet shutdown was unconstitutional and violated s61.

 Fadzayi Mahere  (@advocatemahere) January 16, 2019

2. I invite telecoms corporates to read s61(3)(b) of the Constitution which gives them freedom of establishment and expressly states that they are independent of control by government and political interests. #ZimbabweShutDown

 Fadzayi Mahere  (@advocatemahere) January 16, 2019

 BSR

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZimbabwe might soon have another Government of national Unity that will see the country retracing back to its former glory days when it was the bread basket of Africa, a prominent Prophet has foretold.

Prophet Isaiah Brian Sovi of Imperial City Church on Wednesday said when he was praying for the country amidst the violent protests and state brutality God showed him Zimbabwe rising again.

Praying for Zimbabwe I saw light, Sovi said. Fuel prices will go down and economy will boom again. Zimbabwe will be the jewel of Africa. I saw a Unity Government. I saw South Africans moving to Zimbabwe. Write it down.

Prophet Sovi is not new to controversial prophets that come to pass. He has previously prophesied the death of pop stars, bombing in countries like Kenya and in known for supernatural miracles that he performs.

He is credited for resurrections and commanding demons and charms to appear physical.

Recently he was cleared by the Presidents office in Botswana to come and conduct church, business and philanthropy after he was unceremoniously banned from the country in 2017 at the instigation of some pastors.

Sovis prophecy comes barely a year after another man of God Prophet Shepherd Bushiri said God showed him a vision of Zimbabwe prospering.

In the prophecy, the Bushiri said, The sleeping giant is going to rise. You have not seen what God is about to do in Zimbabwe. I am seeing a new city which is like Dubai, I am seeing a new city. I had a vision. It will look like Dubai and God said to me I am about to bless this land.

Raise your hands and pray for the nation of Zimbabwe. I will bless Zimbabwe, says the Lord. God will rise in His power and bless the people of Zimbabwe. They will not cry anymore. I see the land which will take away the shame of Africa. Zimbabwe is about to be blessed. God is restoring Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a unique sleeping giant. Its not the first time that I have said this. God has remembered the apple of his eye and the country is now sitting on the foot of prosperity.

 Byo24

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsPRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for calm and peace in the country in the wake of terror attacks in the country instigated by the opposition, saying violence will neither revive the economy nor rebuild the nation.

In a statement posted on his Twitter page, President Mnangagwa, who is in Russia as part of his five-nation tour of Eurasia and Switzerland, said he was deeply saddened by the events in the nation.

Over the past two days, as I have been in Russia working on economic agreements that will give our economy a much needed boost, I have been deeply saddened by the events in our beloved homeland.

Wanton violence and cynical destruction is not the Zimbabwean way. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected, said President Mnangagwa.

He reiterated that Zimbabweans have a right to freely and peacefully express themselves.

Unfortunately, what we have witnessed is violence and vandalism instead of peaceful, legal protests. There can be no justification for violence against people and property. Violence will not reform our economy. Violence will not rebuild our nation, he said.

What will lead to a stronger economy is investment. That is why I travelled to Moscow, and that is why I will be travelling on to other countries in the region and then the World Economic Forum in Davos.

President Mnangagwa said he understood the pain and frustrations of many Zimbabweans assuring them that the country was on the path of recovery.

Resolving Zimbabwes challenges is a monumental task and while it may not always feel that way, we are moving in the right direction. We will get there, he said.

In the meantime, I call for calm and peace from all our brothers and sisters. We are one nation, with one mission, and we will realise it together.

President Mnangagwa said within 48 hours of his visit in Russia, there are signs that serious investment is coming to Zimbabwe.

Arlosa, the worlds largest diamond company, has decided to launch operations in Zimbabwe, and we have also signed a series of important agreements that will lead to investment, development and jobs, said President Mnangagwa.

Four people, one of them a police officer, have been confirmed dead, in the terror attacks pre-planned by the MDC Alliance and foreign agents.

The violent mob also looted shops, destroyed property and burnt vehicles as they rolled out their violent campaign that also targeted the police.

The violence was also deliberately timed to besmirch Zimbabwes human rights image at a time President Mnangagwa is on the five nation tour seeking investment into the country.

Neighbouring South Africa has expressed confidence in the measures taken by the Government to resolve the situation.

The South African Government has noted protests action in Zimbabwe and is monitoring the situation. Consultations are taking place between diplomats, we are confident that the measures being taken by the Zimbabwean Government will resolve the situation, said the countrys department of International Relations and Co-operation in a statement.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZimbabwe police armed with AK-47 rifles arrested Evan Mawarire, an activist and pastor, from his home in the capital, Harare, on Wednesday morning as a crackdown grew over protests against dramatic fuel price hikes in the economically shattered country. He was clutching a Bible when police bundled him into their car.

Mawarire in 2016 organised what became nationwide anti-government protests against government mismanagement and then-President Robert Mugabes long stay in power.

They are alleging that he incited violence through Twitter and other forms of social media in the central business district, said Beatrice Mtetwa, Mawarires lawyer.

There were widespread reports of violence as the country faced a third day of protests, and Zimbabwes largest telecom company, Econet, sent text messages to customers saying it had been forced by the government to shut down internet service.

The matter is beyond our control, it said.

Other arrests were reported. A spokesman for the main opposition MDC party, Nkululeko Sibanda, said in a Twitter post that party leadership had been detained. This is only deepening the political crisis in the country, he said.

As President Emmerson Mnangagwa makes an extended overseas trip that will include a stop at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to plead for more foreign investment, former military commander and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, a hardliner, is in charge at home.

Eight people were killed on Monday when police and military fired on crowds, according to Amnesty International. But Zimbabwes government said three people were killed, including a policeman who was stoned to death by an angry crowd.

The anti-government demonstrations amounted to terrorism, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said on state television Tuesday night. The protests were well-coordinated by Zimbabwes opposition, she said.

Streets were deserted in Harare on Wednesday.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsMDC Alliance organising secretary Amos Chibaya has been arrested for allegedly holding a meeting with some civic organisations at his house where they planned the violence that rocked Gweru on Tuesday.

After the meeting, Mr Chibaya, who is the Member of Parliament for Mkoba, is alleged to have held another meeting with his partys youths whom he instructed to embark on the violence.

Apart from Chibaya, Chiwundura Member of Parliament Livingstone Chiminya and over 100 other people were also arrssted over the violence that led to the looting of shops and bars.

Chibaya was being held at Gweru Central Police Station while Chiminya was at Mkoba 1 Police Station and both are expected in court today.

After an uneventful Monday which saw cities and towns in the Midlands province remaining calm with people going about their business Tuesday turned into a nightmare for residents, commuter omnibuses and shop operators as criminals barricaded roads and burnt tyres.

The criminals embarked on a looting spree which resulted in shop owners losing goods worth thousands of dollars.

Some were still counting their losses and the quantum of losses was expected to increase.

The skirmishes saw at least one commuter omnibus being burnt in Mkoba 16 before the members of the uniformed forces moved in to restore law and order.

The police then raided homes of suspected perpetrators, leading to the arrest of Chibaya, Chiminya and the 100 people on allegations of inciting MDC-Alliance youths to engage in violent activities.

Chibaya handed himself to the police in the company of his lawyer Mr Reginald Chidawanyika after learning that the police were looking for him.

In an interview at Gweru Central Police Station he said he was facing charges of inciting violence.

Mr Chidawanyika said his client stood accused of holding a meeting with civil organisation leaders at his house in Mkoba 13, before inciting MDC Alliance youths to prevent members of the public from going to work from Monday to Wednesday.

It is alleged that my client on January 12 held a meeting with other civic organisation leaders in Gweru to plot a civil strike titled shutdown of all economic activities within Gweru Urban and incited 15 MDC Alliance youths to go onto the streets of Gweru to prevent the general public from going to work, he said.

Chibaya allegedly addressed the youths and made the following utterances, As youths you must make sure the shutdown is successful, no public transport must be allowed to operate, if anyone is seen operating any shop during January14-16, close the shop totally, block all the roads leading to town.

As a result of his utterances  it is alleged that youth gangs blocked Hamutyinei, Bristol roads in Mkoba which lead to the city centre, Matobo Road in Mtapa leading to town, using logs, stones and burning tyres, disrupting free movement of vehicular transport and the general public.

Furthermore, another gang went to Choppies supermarket in Mkoba 6 and looted groceries worth $10 000, Flame Lilly Bar Mkoba 1 where they looted merchandise worth $1 363 and Samanyanga shop at Mkoba 10 and looted various groceries valued at $2 500.

Meanwhile, Evan Mawarire was yesterday arrested for inciting public violence and organising disturbances that rocked the country, causing loss of life and destruction of property.

Mawarire recently posted videos on the Internet together with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions calling for mass action.

Mawarires lawyer Ms Beatrice Mtetwa confirmed her clients arrest.

He was picked up in the morning on allegations that he incited people to commit acts of violence, she said. He is at the Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police Station and they have not yet decided which cells to place him in.

Mawarire is expected to be in court today.

He is appearing in court tomorrow (today) and I am one of the lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights working on his case, said Mtetwa.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsRe: Castro makes his first move from West Side to West Wing, by columnist Gilbert Garcia, Metro, Sunday:

I find unnecessary Gilbert Garcias use of Latino Barack Obama in an otherwise excellent summary of Julian Castros rise to presidential candidate.

Castro is his own man. He is an authentic minority, deeply rooted in evolution of Hispanic culture, close family support and a passion for truth, honesty and commitment. Educated, cultured, polite and politically astute, his path to public service was delineated early and realistically planned.

Castro is experienced in nuance of governance as mayor of a major U.S. city and in corporate-level management as head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has proven to understand and manage compromise, encourage collaboration and understand requirements for consensus-building, and clearly recognize and avoid polarization  qualities that are absolute as president  to reconstruct the deconstructed.

Castro is a Latino, period.

Carlos Hernandez

Whats his hook?

Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro faced the nation with a telegenic face but with smooth delivery of tired rhetoric. It was probably too early, although keeping that face before the public for the longest time possible may prove to be an effective strategy.

His camp needs to produce much more specific suggestions and plans to reform government. It needs to come up with something innovative. He needs a hook to grab interest from his ultimate opposition, which is blaring and brash.

Tax the rich and overhaul health care are just words that have been heard too often from unsuccessful campaigns. Prospective, bright leadership can be an effective lure, but concrete plans presented confidently and loudly are needed to sell the divided votership.

Informed voters will recognize good ideas, but the uninformed need a train whistle to get on board.

Norm Loukinen

Keep driver fines

Re: A program that unfairly tags the poor, Editorial, Tuesday:

I respectfully disagree with the suggestion to repeal the Driver Responsibility Program.

Income level considerations should not dictate who gets punished for DWI violations. If so, why not make the fines and monetary assessments much greater for those who can afford to pay more? But do not eliminate fines for first offenders. This might possibly serve to encourage rather than dissuade irresponsible consumption.

Very simple: Dont drink and drive (regardless of your income).

Guillermo Benavides, Laredo

Ivy League High

Texas education problem should not be solved by raising property tax rates but by using those taxes more wisely.

Look at the new high schools these days, and you would think theyre Ivy League colleges. Its ridiculous to build such extravagant schools. For the price of one, they could build two, if not three, normal high schools.

As for college, the first year should be minimal payment  if any  and the following years should be free if the student maintains a 95 percentile average or above. This will cut the students who just went to party, but whose folks have a lot of money. The cream will come to the top for a better, smarter Texas and America.

Michael B. White

Wants over needs

Re: Your or youre? Your Turn, Monday:

To respond to Ginger Burkholders question, Cant the seventh largest city in the U.S. show some educated leadership in correct grammar usage? the answer is a profound No. There are too many important things on this progressive sanctuary citys agenda of wants over needs. Get used to it.

Durand C. Waters, Windcrest

Respect, please

Re: Not rational, Your Turn, by Malcolm T. Kirven, Tuesday:

Mr. Kirven , although we do not share the same views, I respect your opinion. I did not refer to you as MTK or Special K but as Mr. Kirven.

Referring to the president of the United States as 45 is inappropriate and at most disrespectful. If you do not respect the man, at least respect the presidency of the United States and refer to it appropriately, whether or not you feel President Donald Trump has earned your respect.

Alfred Laborde

Why he cant lie

Having listened to Donald Trump the last two years and, more specifically, his erratic rant over a border wall during his recent photo-op trip to our lower Rio Grande Valley, surrounded by the usual backdrop of sychophants, I realized Trump cannot lie.

Lying requires knowledge of facts and the truth  things alien to him. Trump is just full of bull.

Carlos Valle, Jr., Laredo

Not for $5 billion

I have no doubt there are sections of border fencing that need to be repaired, reinforced and/or extended. If the president were asking for $10 million to do this, Id have no problem. Or $100 million? Perhaps. But hes asking for $5 billion!

After World War I, France spent a huge amount on an impregnable barrier along its border with Germany. It was called the Maginot Line. In 1940, Hitler did an end run around the Maginot Line and defeated France in two months!

No wall along the border with Mexico can keep drugs or terrorists out. Drugs come in through ports of entry; terrorists can cross our long, unguarded border with Canada via air or even be homegrown in the U.S.

The wall may have sounded like a good idea when it was free  another country was paying for it  but $5 billion? No way!

Thomas N. LeeHeres what we know about the citizenship question the Trump administration proposes for the census  the one a federal judge for entirely good reasons blocked this week:

The Census Bureau doesnt want it, telling the Commerce Department, its parent agency, that this would result in 630,000 households refusing to fill out the 2020 questionnaire.

The Constitution says every person shall be counted, not every citizen or eligible voter.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross lied  no other word for it  to Congress about the origins of the question, claiming that the Justice Department asked for it to help enforce the Voting Rights Act.

The Justice Department told Commerce it had no such interest. (If this administration is crazy about the Voting Rights Act, it is hiding this very well as it backs states trying to thwart the measure through voter ID laws and gerrymandering).

Ross told Congress he didnt talk to anyone at the White House about the question. But subsequent revelations show he talked to then-White House adviser Steve Bannon about it, who urged him to talk to Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, champion of voter restrictions ostensibly to block voter fraud  of the type that is virtually nonexistent.

The Justice Department did finally ask for it after Ross prevailed on now-departed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to force the department to do so.

Judge Jesse M. Furman of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan didnt buy it, saying that Ross broke a veritable smorgasbord of federal rules in ordering the citizenship question.

Heres what we can also reasonably surmise about the policy preference at play here. That policy is mostly about forcing advantage for Republicans in elections.

Its simple: Immigrant undercounts will affect predominately urban areas that are traditional Democratic strongholds  such as the cities of San Antonio and Houston. These areas will get fewer of the federal dollars that are divvied up according to census figures.

But, as to the partisan motivation, the question will warp the numbers that legislators use in the redistricting that occurs after each decennial census. An undercount also could provide the data that fuels a movement to count only citizens or eligible voters for redistricting purposes.

Which brings us back to what the Constitution instructs about the census. Every person must be counted, it says.

The government lawyer told the federal judge ruling in this case that all of the above is immaterial because the secretary has wide leeway to impose the question, though it is a clear policy preference.

The matter will now likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Its conservative majority could simply agree with the governments lawyer that the statistical data that undermine the need for a citizenship question on the census is immaterial and that the commerce secretary has wide discretion to impose any policy preference he pleases.

Or the court could decide that the rules governing such changes matter, as do motives and consequences, particularly when such a question will short Americans of their own tax dollars  returned to them in the form of services  and short many of them also of fair representation.

Our hope is that the court is mindful of the motivations and consequences. In the meantime, despite Ross belated assurances that he just incompletely remembered the sequence of events, his actions have just received the exposure and condemnation they deserved.One useful development has come out of this pointless shutdown: It has revealed how little Republican politicians actually care about many of the principles they claim to champion.

Eliminating waste, fraud and abuse? Youd never know this mattered, given their insistence that Democrats agree to spend only $5 billion on a wall that is a nonsolution to a nonproblem.

Valuing freedom and property rights? Hard to square with proposals to invoke eminent domain to build a border wall and use asset forfeiture money to pay for it (an idea endorsed by the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, no less).

But perhaps the biggest swindle revealed by the shutdown is Republican officials commitment to the dignity of work.

For years, the GOP has tried to slash the safety net on the premise that lazy Americans need to be weaned off government handouts. The objective is not to punish the poor, they say, or even to save money. Rather, its to imbue dejected Americans with greater feelings of self-worth through an honest paycheck.

And yet, with astounding callousness, Republicans have brushed aside the hundreds of thousands of Americans now being denied the dignity of that paycheck thanks to an unnecessary government shutdown.

Government workers are selling their childrens toys on Craigslist, rationing their insulin, delaying surgeries. The White House and other Republicans have largely dismissed such hardships, insisting that its no biggie for these civil servants to go without pay for a little while. After all, they note, federal workers will likely be awarded back pay when the government reopens.

Whenever that is.

In fact, White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett told PBS NewsHour that workers laid off during the shutdown are better off, since they can go on vacation but they dont have to use their vacation days.

This, of course, ignores the estimated 420,000 air-traffic controllers, TSA screeners, corrections officers, Border Patrol agents and others deemed essential whove had to continue working without pay (and in some cases cancel scheduled vacations). For these and the 380,000 workers on furlough, a promise of eventual back pay hardly feels like being better off.

Not only because that back pay may arrive weeks after mortgage payments and other bills come due. And not only because many have had to turn to the handouts  free meals, trips to food pantries, unemployment insurance  that the GOP has spent decades stigmatizing.

But also because they truly do find meaning, pride and feelings of self-worth through their jobs.

Consider the legions of federal employees who safeguard the natural world through their work at the Environmental Protection Agency or the National Park Service; who help businesses make informed decisions through data they collect for the Census Bureau; who inspect food for the Food and Drug Administration to prevent outbreaks of salmonella, E. coli or listeria.

These public servants took such positions not just for the paycheck. They took them because they find meaning in the work that theyre currently barred from doing. Being told to stay home  or even to report to work but indefinitely forgo compensation for their labor  is demoralizing.

And finally, there are the federal contract workers who have also been laid off during the shutdown.

Historically, these workers have gotten zero back pay after the government reopens, in part because getting them made whole is complicated. Unlike those on federal payrolls, the government doesnt necessarily know who all of these contract workers are, making it challenging to cut them a check directly. Its also not clear how to get private contractors to reimburse such workers for the lost time without amending thousands of existing contracts.

In the meantime, these workers are not on vacation. Many  such as Larry Howard, a furloughed National Zoo guest-services contract worker who makes $13.50 an hour  live paycheck to paycheck. About a third of the estimated 1 million contract employees at unfunded agencies make less than $15 per hour, according to the labor organization Good Jobs Nation.

These workers, like their counterparts on federal payrolls, would like to show up for their jobs and get paid. Theyd like elected officials to see the dignity in their work, too.

Or at least, said Howard: Id like them to treat us as well as they treat the pandas.

crampell@washpost.com Flash

The 27th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-27) wrapped up on Wednesday, proposing solutions to many challenges that the region and the world are facing, according to a joint communique.

Opened by Cambodian National Assembly President Samdech Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday, the forum brought together 331 delegates from 21 countries, discussing a number of topics including economic and trade matters, political and security issues, and regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, among others, the communique said.

Economic and trade matters

Key issues identified were protectionism, unilateralism and inequality, it said, adding that some proposed solutions are to enhance open and inclusive multilateralism and to strengthen free trade.

"The delegates highlighted the need to build strong institutions to promote trade and investment for sustainable inclusive growth," the communique said. "We reiterated our commitment to fight against protectionism to achieve our common goal of free trade and investment in the region."

The delegates also discussed promoting access to finance, science, technology and innovation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and called for regional cooperation to encourage investment in education along with vocational training and lifelong learning to meet SME requirement of critical skills in the changing global business environment.

"In addition, we discussed enhancing regional connectivity through e-commerce and called for investment in telecommunications infrastructure and harmonized rules, regulations and legislation governing digital trade to promote the free flow of goods and services in the region," it said.

Political and security issues

Main issues raised included lack of political trust, and non-traditional security threats including terrorism, transnational crimes, cyber security, Rohingya crisis, and peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, the communique said.

"Some suggested policies to address these issues include developing mechanisms to strengthen mutual trust for peace and security, promoting collective efforts to resolve the root-causes of terrorism, advancing cooperation on cyber security and digital literacy," it said.

Concerning the situation in the Korean Peninsula, the delegations noted the positive developments and expressed a desire for a diplomatic resolution of the remaining issues, it said, adding that the delegates hoped that the upcoming summit between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will bring concrete results.

Regional cooperation in Asia-Pacific

Key issues discussed included climate change, cultural exchange and cooperation, and disaster risk reduction, said the communique.

Proposed solutions covered building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation to mitigate and adapt to climate change and global warming, it said, adding that promoting cultural diversity and furthering investment in disaster risk reduction are also essential.

The communique said the delegates underscored the commitment to the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, especially the principles for mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies and enhancing civilization connectivity.

The delegates also raised the important role of the Asian Cultural Council in promoting the synergies of culture and peace and sustainable development.

The delegates also urged the APPF member countries to foster global and regional cooperation mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Belt and Road Initiative, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), among others.

According to the communique, Australia will host the APPF-28 in 2020.San Antonio police arrested a man Wednesday after he admitted taking a shower with a 9-year-old girl, authorities said.

Ernesto Vallejo, 33, was charged with indecency with a child by contact, according to Bexar County Jail records.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Police began investigating him on Dec. 27, when the girl and her father made a police report against him.

During a forensic interview, the child told investigators that Vallejo made her shower with him and also made her touch him, according to his arrest affidavit.

Later, Vallejo allegedly laid on top of her while they were both fully clothed and "said he wanted to show her how babies are made," police said.

Police interviewed Vallejo on Thursday, shortly before his arrest. He told them "he did a mistake but it was not as bad as the victim's parents were saying," according to the affidavit.

Vallejo admitted showering with the girl, but denied that he asked her to touch him. He also told police he was wrestling with the girl after the shower and admitted to saying "this is how you make babies," according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Previously convicted sex offender among 15 arrested, indicted on child sex crimes in December

"He stated it was stupid of him to say and that they were both fully clothed," detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit.

Vallejo's criminal record includes a 2009 conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, records show. He was sentenced to seven years of prison in that case, but records show he was released early in 2014.

Vallejo was released from Bexar County Jail Thursday after posting a $75,000 bond, jail records showed.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSASan Antonio was well represented as seven women were inducted into the Texas Womens Hall of Fame on Thursday.

San Antonio resident and Grammy winner Vikki Carr joined state Senator Judith Zaffirini, who represents part of San Antonio and former Our Lady of the Lake University President Sister Elizabeth Anne Sueltenfuss joined former Texas and U.S. First Lady Laura Bush, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, philanthropist Susan Dell and pilot Tammie Jo Shults in being honored at a ceremony at the Governors Mansion in Austin.

Today, we recognize seven extraordinary women, Abbott said. Women whose strength, perseverance and passion embody what it means to be a Texan. Each of these women have left their own unique mark on our state, and Texas is better because of their contributions.

Sen. Zaffirini was first honored for her decades-long career as a Texas legislator, where she has amassed more than 60,000 consecutive votes while representing a stretch of land from San Antonio to her native Laredo since 1987. She has written more than 1,000 bills that have become law.

We who are honored today must accomplish even more things in the future than we have already, and only in that way will we prove ourselves worthy of this prestigious award, Zaffirini said.

Zaffirini concluded her speech with a prayer, receiving laughter and applause when she included a plea to Abbott to see the light and not veto any of my bills during the current session of the Texas Legislature.

Neither Bush nor Biles attended the ceremony, each having the award accepted by someone else on her behalf.

Sueltenfuss, who died in 2009, was honored for her record of uplifting people in need in San Antonio during her two decades as the president of Our Lady of the Lake University. Current university President Diane Melby accepted the award on Sueltenfuss behalf, noting the former presidents ongoing legacy at the university and in San Antonio.

She saved my life, she changed my life and she transformed me into the person I am today, Melby said.

When it was her turn to speak, Carr led the audience in a singalong of her 1968 hit rendition of Cant Take My Eyes Off You.

Thats what Im supposed to be doing, Carr said. To reach people with my singing, with my gift, as all of you have done with your gifts to help so many others.

Carr now sings in the choir at her San Antonio church.

When I first came here, I said I love San Antonio, I would love to live here someday. Well, be careful what you wish for, Carr said in an interview after the ceremony. Ive loved San Antonio  the people here, they have all taken me in as a San Antonian.Five new quarter designs will be minted into circulation this year, one of them honoring San Antonio's iconic missions.

Ten years have passed since the United States Mint decided to include the San Antonio missions in a new set of quarters featuring the countrys national parks, wildlife refuges and forests. Fifty-six new quarters honor the 50 states, Washington, D.C. and the five U.S. territories.

Starting in 2010, one quarter was rolled out every 10 weeks. The quarters featuring national parks were released in the order the parks were authorized, so those featuring the San Antonio missions, which were designated a national park in 1978, are among the last to be released.

The quarter is currently for sale on the U.S. Mint website. It will be released into circulation Aug. 26, according to U.S. Mint.

RELATED: San Antonio's Mission Concepion bridal shoot featured by New Zealand magazine

The San Antonio coin, which is Texas' sole representative in this set of quarters, does not actually feature an image of the missions and is the only design of the 45 so far released that displays four symbols rather than one full picture. It was selected from 15 different candidate designs, some of which depicted the missions themselves.

The arches and bell on the top left of the design illustrate community, according to U.S. Mint. The lion, upper right, is a nod to Spanish cultural heritage. The waves on the bottom right signify San Antonio River and represent irrigation methods and life-sustaining resources, the website said. The final symbol, wheat, indicates farming.

In contrast to the state quarter designs, which were plentiful for all 50 states, the America the Beautiful set will likely be much harder to collect, according to numbers provided by U.S. Mint .

From our subscriber site: Thankfully, you can still use the bathrooms at San Antonio's missions, despite federal shutdown

The average mintage for the 50 state coins was nearly 700 million per state, while the average for the America the Beautiful collection has been only half that  about 341 million per state through 2018, the numbers show. That's likely due to decreased demand for quarters and coins in general.

West Virginia's Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, which was released in June 2016, is the highest-produced so far at nearly 859 million. The total mintage for some of the coins released in 2010 was fewer than 70 million, the U.S. Mint website says.

Quarters representing Massachusetts' Lowell National Historical Park, the American Memorial Park of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam's War in the Pacific National Historical Park and Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness will also be released throughout 2019.

Click through the slideshow to see which designs were considered for the missions coin.

S. M. Chavey is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | @smchaveyDeputy City Manager Erik Walsh has been named the only finalist to replace Sheryl Sculley as San Antonios city manager. He will meet with city stakeholders and the public before the council officially votes to approve him Jan. 31.

Walsh was announced as the top candidate Wednesday evening, after hours of interviews and hours more of council deliberation. He was among two applicants who made it to the final round of interviews. Assistant city manager Maria Villagomez was the other.Houston police are looking for possible suspects in connection with a shooting Wednesday that left a man dead in front of a vacant business in the 6300 block of Dumfries Drive, department spokesman John Cannon said.

The man has been identified by Houston police as 21-year-old George Washington. Flash

The government of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won a confidence vote in the Greek parliament on Wednesday, while a new crucial vote for the ratification of the Macedonia name deal will follow it in the coming days.

A total of 151 lawmakers voted to back the government, while 148 voted against and one was absent during the roll call voting in the 300-member strong assembly, which was broadcast live on Greek national broadcaster ERT.

The vote was called by Tsipras on Sunday after the withdrawal of the junior partner in the ruling coalition due to its opposition to the Macedonia name agreement clinched last year to resolve the long-standing name dispute with the neighboring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

In addition to the 145 deputies the Radical Left SYRIZA ruling party has in the plenary, 6 MPs who were either independent or belonging to the Independent Greeks (ANEL), the right-wing party which co-ruled the country since 2015, cast a vote of confidence to the minority government.

"The government today requests confidence vote, which I repeat, is also a confidence vote to stability and the country's credibility," Tsipras said, delivering a speech shortly before the vote.

A total of 13 governments across Europe today are minority governments he added in response to the call of the opposition to step down and declare early elections.

"Even if you secure today the confidence vote of 151 lawmakers, your parliamentary group will still be numbering only 145 MPs. You are de facto a minority government... Elections are the only way to see the country moving forward," Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of the conservative main opposition New Democracy party said, addressing the assembly.

The government's instability will harm Greece's efforts to restore growth after exiting the bailout period last summer after eight years, he argued.

On his part, after the conclusion of the voting on Wednesday Tsipras reiterated his determination to continue his work until the end of his term in office in autumn 2019.

The next critical test for his government was expected later this month. Although no exact date had been yet announced, the PM has said that he intends to bring the Macedonia name agreement for approval by the parliament by February.

Cabinet ministers have voiced confidence that the majority of MPs will seal also the historic deal.

Under the agreement FYROM will be renamed Republic of North Macedonia in exchange of the clearing of the path to its accession to EU and NATO, thus ending a row over the use of the name Macedonia which started 28 years ago.

Athens had expressed concern of future territorial claims from the moment the new state declared independence from Yugoslavia picking the same name used by a northern Greek province.

Skopje's parliament approved a few days ago the final constitutional amendments agreed between the two sides to end such fears.

However, hardline skepticists in both sides of the borders still object to the historic agreement.

On Sunday, Greek critics of the Macedonia name deal organized a rally in front of the Greek parliament.Houston police on Thursday said the shattering of glass at a building hospital in the Texas Medical Center apparently was not due to a shooting.

Police initially reported a possible shooter situation in the 6500 block of Fannin, but an investigation disproved that, and the cause of the shattered glass at Houston Methodist was still unknown late Thursday afternoon..Kenyan police say nine more people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the extremist attack in Nairobi this week, bringing the total number of suspects in detention to 11.

A police officer confirmed the latest arrests Thursday after two people were taken into custody on Wednesday. He did not provide further details.

The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

A 40-year-old Houston native working in Kenya was among those killed in the attack. Jason Spindler was in the country to use the San Francisco-based company he co-founded to bolster businesses in emerging markets.

HoustonChronicle.com spoke with Spindler's family about his work and what his life meant to his friends and family in Houston.

IN DEPTH: Houston native who helped out after 9/11 killed in Nairobi terror attack

Al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked extremist group, has claimed responsibility for the hotel assault that took the lives of 20 civilians, one police officer and five attackers.

The U.S. ambassador in Kenya says the United States is working closely with Kenyan authorities following the extremist attack in Nairobi this week.

U.S. Ambassador Robert F. Godec in a statement on Thursday also dismissed "false reports on social media" that the U.S. knew about the attack in advance and warned Americans to stay away from the DusitD2 complex before it was attacked on Tuesday.

Godec says that "we deplore the spread of false information in the wake of this tragedy, which only serves to hamper ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism."

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.Thanks to the owners of Chimichurris, one of Kingwood residents favorite restaurants, Sharkys Waterfront Grill, will get new life.

On Tuesday, the family-owned South-American grill restaurant at Kingwoods Kings Harbor announced on Facebook that it will acquire the neighboring and adored seafood spot. Prior to this, Sharkys was the only restaurant in the area that didnt have any firm reopening plans.

Were are excited and blessed to announce that the rumors are true We have recently acquired Sharkys Waterfront Grill! In 10 years we have fallen for the Harbor as many of you have and are happy to have the opportunity to keep the vibe alive, the post read.

Look for an end of June reopening date, said Rosa Perez, who co-owns Chimichurris with her husband Ronald. Both will assume the same roles at Sharkys.

Were hoping sooner rather than later, but we would like to be ready by summer, she said.

The last post on Sharkys Facebook page, dated May 25, 2018, thanked and asked visitors to be patient for news. The restaurants official website  www.sharkyswaterfrontgrill.com  remained active throughout its closure.

We signed the lease on (Jan. 14), Rosa said.

Also staying the same are the menu and concept, Rosa added, before naming offerings such as Shark Bites  bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp  and signature margaritas. She said these were customer favorites and that they surfaced often in comments and reviews.

Maybe spicing it up here and there with some different condiments, she said. My husband loves to create and build.

She quipped that sometimes she has to rein his culinary artistry in.

Old staff members might make a return as well. Rosa said that they reached out and gave one of her managers their contact information when rumors of Sharkys return were in the currents.

Thats a good thing, she said. [At Chimichurris,] its very important for us to keep our employees happy, and that we provide them support in any way we can. We anticipate on doing that at Sharkys as well.

When news broke that Sharkys wouldnt make a return, Rosa said her husband reached out to Midway, owner of Kings Harbor, to double-check, knowing that the establishment is significant to the community and kids. He also asked if he could carry on Sharkys legacy.

It didnt take long for us to decide that this is what we wanted to do and begin negotiations, she said. It was pretty quick.

Rosa wasnt aware of Ronalds interest in Sharkys, but she knew that it should stay afloat as Kings Harbor needs foot traffic to thrive and the restaurant was a big part of that.

Living close to the waterfront development has Rosa noticing the ties binding the businesses here. An example that she cited: After a meal at Sharkys or nearby restaurants patrons  both grown and small  would visit the dessert shop The Berry Bar or the boutiques Pretty Little Things and Dapper Darlings.

If Sharkys didnt come back, it would be just a big, empty space, she said.

Regarding repairs, Rosa said there will be surprises when things are torn down and replaced, but the process will move at a faster pace than Chimichurris.

nguyen.le@chron.comAfter six years in business, The Granary is ready for a makeover.

The Pearl restaurant is rolling out a new bar program, happy hour and dinner menu and has plans to start up a weekend brunch service in coming weeks.

Chef and owner Tim Rattray said in a release that the intent is to provide a more well-rounded dining experience by expressing our personality more completely through liquor and cocktails.

Rattray developed the new seven-cocktail menu with Olaf Harmel of The Modernist. Look for drinks such as a Coopers Old Fashioned (made with 12-year aged El Dorado rum), The 36th (mezcal, ancho reyes, apricot and lime), a brown martini and The 604 Margarita.

Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, with bites such as pulled pork sliders, crispy smoked chicken wings, crispy Brussels sprouts, chicharron and discounted drinks.

On ExpressNews.com: S.A. barbecue rib king aiming for a championship repeat

The revamped dinner menu includes: brisket ramen, grit fritters, burnt end Bolognese with smoked rigatoni, cold-smoked king salmon, barbecue cabbage and grilled Maitake mushrooms.

Rattray also said that in mid- to late February, The Granary will launch a Saturday and Sunday brunch that will coincide with the weekend farmers market at the Pearl. Look for dishes of smoked meats, eggs, pastries and other items to be announced.

The Granary Cue & Brew, 602 Avenue A (in the Pearl), 210-228-0124. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Facebook: thegranarysa

Chuck Blount is a food writer and columnist covering all things grilled and smoked in the San Antonio area. Find his Chuck's Food Shack columns on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com, or read his other coverage on our free site, mySA.com. | cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiverAldos Ristorante Italiano, a fixture in the Medical Center area for 33 years before it closed earlier this month, is reopening Monday, Jan. 21, at the Dominion Ridge shopping center in northwest San Antonio.

The new space  a full remodeling of the now-closed Italian restaurant Di Frabo  features a full bar, a tiled pizza oven, private dining spaces and an expanded wine list. Most of the menu will be making the move as well, from lamb chops and spaghetti Bolognese to shrimp scampi and veal.During their annual Central Economic Work Conference, held Dec. 18-21 last year in Beijing, Chinese leaders emphasized that, in 2019, China will continue its fight against three major challenges: controlling financial risks, poverty reduction and pollution control.



The overall aim is to achieve people's wellbeing, their economic development as well as social balance.

To understand the extent of the problem and appreciate the dramatic upswing achieved by China in this regard, let's probe more deeply. Graham Allison, an American political scientist, and professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, in an article on China's anti-poverty drive, mentioned a "Pyramid of Poverty."

He noted that, in 1978, 90 percent of the total population of 1 billion lived below the poverty line (set at US$1.9 per day by the World Bank). However, the pyramid had been turned upside down, so that, by 2014, only 1 percent of its total population was in such dire straits.

China, through its rapid reform and opening up policy that has now lasted 40 years, has been able to lift more than 700 million people out of extreme poverty. This figure is more than the combined population of the United States, Russia, Japan, and Germany. It also accounts for almost 70 percent of the global poverty reduction figures.

Additionally, China has also contributed immensely to fulfilling the United Nations millennium development goals (MDGs) set by the Millennium Summit in 2000. The MDGs are eight international development goals with targets ranging from eradicating extreme poverty to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, achieving universal primary education to reducing child mortality by 2015.

According to the 2015 UNDP report, the MDGs had produced the most successful anti-poverty movement in history. The report also recognized that, between 1990 and 2005 alone, more than 470 million people in China were lifted out of extreme poverty.

It also stressed that the direction of China's future development endeavors and the degree of its commitment to global public goods would have a significant impact on the entire international community.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking at the Imperial Springs International Forum held in Guangzhou last Dec. 18, said: "China's reforms and opening up has lifted at least 500 million people out of poverty, bringing benefits to not only Chinese people but also those in other countries."

He went on to say that China's Belt and Road Initiative would provide the benefits of its development to other countries through win-win cooperation.

Notably, more than 68.5 million rural people have been lifted out of poverty in China over the past five years, resulting in the reduction of extreme poverty rate from 10.2 percent to less than 3.1 percent in 2018, based on the international poverty line of purchasing power parity (PPP), US$1.9 per day.



The success has also provided further impetus not only to China's own human rights endeavors, but also to the efforts of the international community.

Looking ahead, Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, speaking at the Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference last year, mentioned that, in the previous five years, China had reduced its impoverished population by an average of 13.7 million annually.

The number of rural poor was almost 100 million in 2012 and has been steadily reducing ever since so that most of these people now have access to basic infrastructure, education, health care, electricity etc.

Although there are certain challenges such as regional imbalance and there are almost 20 million people still to be lifted out of poverty, it can be said that 2019 is a critical year and strong efforts must be continued in winning the battle against extreme poverty by the target date.

Already, China has put a targeted poverty elimination strategy in place by focusing on special groups, stimulating their self-development capacity and creating additional opportunities.

Moreover, China's initiative to extend and share its experiences of poverty reduction measures with other developing countries will help to enhance its international image, boost its soft power and build win-win cooperation for a shared future. This will benefit not only China but also the other developing countries keen to achieve similar success in poverty elimination.

Rachana Gupta is a China Focus columnist, an expert author of Ezine Articles and an active blogger and poetry writer.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.The Houston Black Real Estate Association turns 70 years old this year.

Started in a time when racial discrimination in mortgage lending was legal and black Houstonians were not allowed to become realtors, HBREA made equal housing opportunity its founding mission. The organization says it is the oldest minority trade association in the city.

To celebrate the anniversary, HBREA is hosting a gala Jan. 18 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel at 7 p.m.

George C. Fraser, founder of the minority networking platform FraserNet, will give the keynote speech, and Marcus Davis, host of Majic 102 and owner of Breakfast Club, will MC.

HBREA expects Mayor Sylvester Turner, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Rep. Al Green and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to attend.Kids clothing retailer Gymboree Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Wednesday, the second time in less than two years, and will shutter its Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores.

San Francisco-based Gymboree operates stores at North Star Mall, Huebner Oaks and the Village at Stone Oak. The company also has Crazy 8 shops at Bandera Pointe, Ingram Park Mall, Alamo Quarry Market, the Village at Stone Oak and South Park Mall.

Gymboree Play & Music, which has locations in San Antonio, separated from Gymboree Group in 2016. It is not affected by the bankruptcy filing, a spokesperson said in an email.

Gymborees stores and website are still open, and the company said it will provide more details about going-out-of-business sales soon.

On ExpressNews.com: Gap closing San Antonio store this month, selling items at discount

The retailer said it sought the bankruptcy courts OK to continue honoring gift cards for 30 days. However, Gymboree has discontinued its GymBucks and Gymboree Rewards programs, effective immediately.

We are saddened and highly disappointed that we must move ahead with a wind-down of the Gymboree and Crazy 8 businesses, CEO Shaz Kahng said in a statement.

The company also said it will sell its Janie and Jack business, which has a store at North Star Mall, along with its intellectual property and online platform for Gymboree. The retailer has an asset purchase agreement with Goldman Sachs affiliate Special Situations Investing Group Inc., which will serve as the stalking-horse bidder, or the first bidder to make an offer so other parties would have to submit higher bids.

On ExpressNews.com: Retail roundup: Gap closing, Lego competition, new ride opening and more

Gymborees Canadian subsidiary, Gymboree Inc., will also seek bankruptcy protection. The retailer has about 544 Gymboree stores and outlets in the U.S. and Canada, along with 139 Janie and Jack shops and 265 Crazy 8 stores, according to its website.

madison.iszler@express-news.netA bankruptcy judge on Thursday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of San Antonio oil and gas executive Brian Alfaro.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta directed U.S. marshals to arrest Alfaro and take him to a federal jail for failing to turn over personal financial records and other documents to a court-appointed receiver as he previously was ordered to do.

RELATED: Ferrari, Mercedes, jewelry seized from S.A. businessman's Shavano Park home

Alfaro should be held in jail "until he becomes fully compliant with the previous orders," Gargotta ruled.

Alfaro couldnt immediately be reached for comment. He was indicted on eight counts of mail fraud in November in a case stemming from a lawsuit in filed against him in bankruptcy court by some investors. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count if found guilty. He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail following his first court appearance in the criminal case.

Gargotta had held Alfaro and his wife, Kristi, in contempt of court in December after finding they failed to produce various records to receiver J. Scott Rose.

Rose, in a Tuesday court filing, informed the judge that the couple had not fully complied with the contempt order or a previously issued receivership order.

Alfaro, in an interview Wednesday, said he has tried to comply with the orders.

Visit our subscriber site, Express-News.com, to read what Alfaro had to say about the documents he was ordered to hand over:

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPDSonora, CA  After what seems like months without marijuana as a major news topic, Clarke Broadcasting notes new developments this week at the state level and locally.

As state cannabis regulators continue to tweak rules and get their track and trace system up and running, they have an updated online tool for public use. All cannabis-related activities that are legally licensed by the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) can now be accessed through the updated interface, which it released this week.

Calaveras County Sheriff Rick DiBasilio, who shared the information as something potentially noteworthy for many, comments that the state rules continue to change at a rapid pace, making it sometimes a challenge to keep up and that the BCC provides working documents and related news on its website as well.

The sheriff also acknowledged the Calaveras supervisors 3-2 decision at their Tuesday meeting, as reported here, to bring back the topic of cannabis regulation as a study session topic sometime in March. Although it is too soon to tell what that might mean, it will most probably involve at the very least, planning to update the county ordinance so that it is consistent with state law.

License Search Leads To New Business News

Clarke Broadcasting clicked on the License Search subheading on the bureaus homepage to see how the look up works. The data base is set up to contain information on the business names, addresses, owner names, locations and license statuses of all state-licensed retailers, distributors, testing laboratories, microbusinesses, and temporary cannabis events. While it is searchable by each of these things, entering a county or city name will generate a listing of entities in that location.

A search for all Tuolumne County licensed businesses yielded just one result: Jeff Muzios Hazy Bulldog Farms, LLC in Sonora, which was issued a temporary retailer business license for medicinal sales good through Nov. 9 of this year. The owners confirm that they received their final occupancy permits yesterday for their store, located at 1243 Mono Way, and will officially open this Friday. Consumers need to note that the business is solely for medical marijuana sales. At this point the owners say they are hoping to possibly add deliveries but there are no firm plans yet.

As expected, a search of all Calaveras County businesses turns up the three already established medical marijuana dispensaries that are also licensed by the county. A retailer license issued Nov. 20 last year good through the same date this year is listed for Blue Mountain Collective, Inc. (692 Marshall Ave) in San Andreas, with owners listed as Raphael Calderon, Conrad Bonet, Jr., and April Valdes. Two temporary retailer licenses also come up for Jeremy Carlson, owner of Calaveras Naturals Inc. (aka Calaveras Little Trees, located at 2641 Highway 4) in Arnold. One is expired and the other good through Aug. 22 2019. The third license is for Tom Calmeses Green Gold Cultivators (568 Angels Rd) in San Andreas, listed as in effect through Aug. 12. Sheriff DiBasilio wryly confirms that the database makes it easy to determine what the legal cannabis businesses are in the county  and at this point that number is three.

Other BCC Developments

Under an emergency regulation (3702), announced last week called California Cannabis Track-and-Trace (CCTT), distributors and retailers must enter their wholesale cost and retail selling price of cannabis or cannabis products into the states CCTT system. The system was designed to record all commercial cannabis activity by annually licensed distributors and retailers who must also meet all reporting requirements

Today, BCC issued a reminder that distributors are are required to calculate and collect the cannabis excise tax from retailers on the sale or transfer of cannabis or cannabis products and provide them an invoice or receipt that lists the tax amount. Retailers are required to collect the tax from their retail customers. It also notes that the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) may hold a retailer liable for the excise tax due to the CDFTA without a proper receipt or proof that the retailer paid it to its distributor.

Consumers should be aware that retailers are required to collect the same amount of cannabis excise tax from their customers as paid to the distributor. While the amount can be included as part of the retail selling product price or listed on a separate line, all retail receipts must include on the actual receipt the following statement: the cannabis excise taxes are included in the total amount of this invoice.

To access the License Search and/or attempt to keep up with all the latest BCC proposed and enacted actions, click here.Washington, DC  Mother Lode Congressman Tom McClintock says the Senate rule of cloture prevented the Republican majority from keeping election promises. McClintock blames Senate Republicans for stubbornly refusing to reform the rules.

McClintock was Thursdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

McClintock describes cloture as giving a minority of Democrat Senators in the 115th congress the power to reject almost every measure brought to the Senate. The U.S. Senate.govs glossary defines cloture as the only procedure by which, if 60 members of the Senate vote in favor a 30 hour time limit will be imposed on debates. The history of its use to limit filibusters is detailed here. At the beginning of President Barack Obamas 2nd term, the 113th Congress of 2013-14, called for 150 cloture votes on nominations, out of 218, the most cloture votes of any congressional year. According to Senate.gov since 2017 cloture was invoked 157 times with all but 9 related to nominations by President Donald Trump.

Details from McClintock about how lack of cloture led to the Senate acting on fewer than 300 of over 1,300 bills approved by the House are in McClintocks blog How Cloture Killed the 115th Congress here.

McClintock was re-elected to a two-year term this past November. Details of his support for funding a border wall are here. Locally the informal myMotherLode poll How much of an inconvenience is the government shut down for you? 12 percent of 880 votes say it is a big inconvenience, 14 percent say some and 73 percent say none at all.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.State of insecurity: Ghana has not ...Community Partner Program

Now more than ever it is important to help local businesses thrive and keep our community informed. Herald/Review Media is offering a Community Partner Program to assist local businesses by getting their message in front of the largest audience in Cochise County!

Click here to fill out formWe'll keep you connected to all the updated local news and information about what's happening in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County!

Click Here to Subscribe!Amazon founder Jeff Bezos may be the world's richest man right now, but that may soon change once he and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie, get divorced. If the couple's reported $137 billion fortune gets split in half (which is the likely scenario in their home state of Washington), that would mean Bezos' status would be downgraded to the world's fourth-richest man. Cry us a river, right?

But this got us at realtor.com wondering: What will happen to their many homes? How much property do they have, anyway?

Apparently, a whole lot. In fact, the Bezoses have purchased so much real estate during their marriage that Jeff was ranked No. 25 on the most recent Land Report 100 list, a ranking of America's 100 largest landowners.



Watch: Just How Many Homes Could Jeff Bezos Afford?



While all acquisitions aren't known, what we could confirm is that the couple have acquired residences in the Seattle area (Amazon headquarters, of course); Beverly Hills, CA; Washington, DC; and Manhattan, plus a huge ranch in Texas.

Will they sell these homes and divide the proceeds? Not likely, since that could cost them millions in taxes. The more likely route is that they'll divvy 'em up. Here's who we'd wager will get what, based on their interests.

Washington compound

Purchase price and date: $10M in 1998, $50M-plus in 2005

The scoop: First, the Bezoses threw down $10 million for a 5.3-acre lot with a 20,600-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom house on the shores of Lake Washington in the posh town known as Medina. Then seven years later, they purchased the estate next door, which contained an 8,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom mansionand is reported to have cost over $50 million.

The entire estate underwent a massive renovation in 2010, to the tune of $28 million. In addition to the newly renovated mansions, the compound features 310 feet of pristine shoreline and a boathouse.

Who may get it: This is a no-brainer. Since it's the Bezoses' home base, it would be easiest for Jeff to take one house, and MacKenzie the other. That way their four children can easily go back and forth between the two.



Beverly Hills, CA, compound

Purchase price and date: $24.5M in 2007, $12.9M in 2018

The scoop: In another instance of buying adjoining properties, the Bezoses first purchased an 11,891-square-foot, seven-bedroom, seven-bath mansion for $24.45 million. Then 11 years later, they bought the place next doora 4,568-square-foot, four-bedroom contemporary home for $12.9 million. The compound is located on a posh street known for being the home of stars from the golden days of Hollywood, including Jimmy Stewart, Walter Matthau, and Donna Reed.

Who may get it: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Bezos family don't spend much time in their Beverly Hills digs, so if they decide to keep this compound, of course it would be easiestonce againfor novelist MacKenzie to have one (the larger, perhaps?) and Jeff the other. This isn't so tough, right?

Bezoses' homes in Beverly Hills, CA Google Maps



West Texas ranch

Purchase price and date: Undisclosed price in 2004

The scoop: The largest of all the Bezos properties, this 30,000-acre ranch is the site of Jeff's private space transportation company, Blue Origin (a must-have for multibillionaires, and a rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX). When Bezos bought it, the seller had recently spent millions on renovations to the property, located about 30 miles from the town of Van Horn. Bezos told the local media he purchased the property because he wanted his four children to experience ranch life, as he did during the summer he grew up in Texas.

Who may get it: Since the ranch has sentimental value to Jeff and is the home of his pet space project, we'd wager he'd keep this one.



Washington, DC, mansion

The Textile Museum in Washington, DC, in 2013 flickr/Tim Evanson

Purchase price and date: $19M in 2015

The scoop: The Bezoses secretly purchased the former Textile Museum in Washingtons Kalorama neighborhoodhome to many other power couples, including Barack and Michelle Obama as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Once renovations on this place are complete, which should be any day now, it will be the city's largest private residence: The property consists of two buildings that span a total of 27,000 square feet.

While there is no indication that it will be a full-time residence, it will sure be convenient for when Bezos wants to check in on the Washington Post, which he'd purchased for $250 million.

Who may get it: It would make the most sense for Jeff to take this one, because he seems to be more invested in the newspaper than MacKenzie is, and likely spends more time in Washington, DC.

Another view of the former Textile Museum Lonely Planet/Getty Images



New York City apartments

Purchase price and date: $7.65M in 1999, $5.3M in 2012

The scoop: Following in their established pattern of finding a home they like and then buying the place next door, the Bezoses purchased three units on Central Park West in Manhattan's Lincoln Square neighborhood for $7.65 million, from recording exec Tommy Mottola. Thirteen years later, the couple picked up an adjacent 1,725-square-foot unit for $5.3 million.

While the media have not been invited for cocktails at this 32-story Art Deco building, it's likely the Bezoses have combined these units for one grand pied-a-terre in the Big Apple.

Who may get it: Since the publishing industry is based in New York and MacKenzie is an author, it would make sense for her to take over this property.

25 Central Park West Google Maps

What other properties do the Bezoses own?

In addition to these residences, celebritynetworth.com reports that the Bezos family owns an additional 100,000 acres scattered throughout the U.S.all of which suggest that the real estate fallout of this divorce could take years before it's all said and done. Now, who said being outrageously rich is easy?

The post How Many Homes Does Amazon's Jeff Bezos Ownand Which Will He Keep After Divorce? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.Midlands parks master plan was the topic of discussion Tuesday night at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in east Midland, and residents provided city officials with a wish list.

But some Midlanders also took the opportunity to tell those wanting to plan for tomorrow that the Parks and Recreation Department needs to take better care of the citys parks.

Residents from across Midland told planners from the consulting firm Halff Associates that the condition of parks is lacking -- whether because of field surfaces, lack of lighting, insufficient shade or vandalism.

Laurie Williams, Parks and Recreation manager, told those in attendance that job advertisements arent bringing needed staff and the city has cut the departments budget, forcing changes. These changes include reducing ground and surface maintenance that would prevent stickers from being a problem at parks across the city.

Halff Associates team leader Aaron J. Tuley said the buy-in from Midland residents who attended the meeting and those who communicate through a survey on the citys website and through social media will help create key principles for city leaders to use to:

--make decisions,

--create goals and objectives,

--prioritize the most important things do now versus years down the road; and

--determine the magnitude of costs.

There is always that hurdle that a community needs to get over and (see the city) prove to the community that they can maintain what they have, Tuley said. It shouldnt preclude a community from dreaming big ideas, developing a vision that might not be reachable today but might be reachable in the future.

It comes down to having a sense optimism about where you live, he said.

The wish list is long for what residents wanted to see. Some from south and east Midland hoped for better conditions, lights and better security at certain parks. There was a call for more neighborhood parks in areas of town outside Loop 250. Those connected with Little League associations talked about security issues. On multiple occasions, residents asked for help dealing with people you dont want or the homeless. Williams said the homeless was a reason that bathrooms at some parks are locked during winter months. She said keeping some bathrooms open requires winterizing the facilities.

Dealing with the elements was brought up numerous times. Residents asked for more shade and water. There was one call for more pools  as Washington and Doug Russell aquatic centers are quite popular. Others wanted to see more water features like that planned for Dennis the Menace, the south-central park that is being renovated, and Centennial Park that is to be built downtown. Some residents asked for water fountains to refill their water bottles.

Trails made the wish list, with some residents requesting more perimeter trails for hiking or biking. There were calls for trails from neighborhoods to parks, and paths that would keep long-distance cyclists safe.

Other calls included the development of a larger, more involved childrens museum, more outdoor learning environments, food truck courts, gathering places, an indoor park and even a pumptrack, which is a playground for all wheels -- from mountain bikes to BMX and skateboards, according to velosolutions.com.

When it comes to how to fund Midlands master plan, officials said partnerships should be explored. The city partnered with Concho in the redevelopment of Fasken Park, and XTO helped pay for the yet-to-be-built splashpad at Dennis the Menace. The Midland Development Corp. and Permian Strategic Partnership also could be potential partners. City officials previously told the Reporter-Telegram they would like revenue from drilling that takes place under Hogan Park used to help with parks development. The amount collected is expected to be in the millions.

Officials at the meeting said feedback was necessary to determine what parks Midlanders wanted emulated, where they wanted parks located and what parks to shore up.

We dont think funding should be a major concern, said one official.Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram

Midland ISD Superintendent Orlando Riddick is among three new members of Chiefs for Change, a nonprofit, bipartisan network of educators from across the nation, according to a news release on the organization's website.

"These chiefs reflect the regional and political diversity of our network," John White, Chiefs for Change board chair and Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, said in the release. "They lead systems that in many ways look very different  in red, blue and purple states  and yet they are all doing the work that can help every child succeed."Midland College is expected to partner with Concho Resources and Texas A&M University to create the Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College.

The academy could help address the growing need for engineers around the state and nation and offer an opportunity for students to pursue a degree in engineering while being co-enrolled at Midland College and Texas A&M.

The topic was a discussion item at the MC board meeting on Tuesday, and trustees expressed their support for the academy, calling it a plum in the colleges cap and a great addition to MC.

We have a great engineering program now, Midland College President Steve Thomas said. We have wonderful regional partners  Texas Tech and UTPB  but to add A&M with their outstanding reputation in engineering and to have them here on campus, students will have an opportunity to start here.

Damon Kennedy, vice president of Instructional Services at MC, provided the board with some of the partnerships details:

--The academy could begin in the fall of 2019 with as many as 20 students. The academy eventually could have up to 100 students.

--Texas A&M would hire a professor who would be assigned to the Midland College campus.

--Students would be exposed to as many as 19 engineering majors.

--Labs currently housed at the Advanced Technology Center on Cuthbert Avenue would be relocated to Midland Colleges main campus. Officials said a lab will be built out and a collaborative classroom that will be a show piece for the institution would be created. Concho Resources will pay for the lab equipment that will be moved to Midland.

--There likely will be a minimum SAT or ACT score to qualify for the academy, and the coursework will be highly rigorous and competitive.

Courses would transfer to the College Station campus, so MC students would have a pathway to the main A&M campus, according to Midland College officials. Thomas said after the meeting the collaboration with Concho Resources and Texas A&M will be a great marketing draw for a lot of students.

Midland College, I think -- if nothing else -- were really about providing options for students, Thomas said. The more options we can provide students, I think that makes us a better institution. And as you know, the population here in Midland, because of our demographics, its going to be hard for many of them to take off and go to university their first or first two years even, financially. So, for us to be able to connect with these one, two, three universities and let them start here at Midland College, that just helps those families even more.

Officials at the meeting said there are six similar academies across the state, but Midland Colleges academy will be the only one west of Interstate 35.

More details about the academy will be provided at an event planned for 10 a.m. Feb. 14 at the Carrasco Room at the Scharbauer Student Center. Officials from Texas A&M, Concho and Midland College will be on hand.Missouri-based NASB Financial, Inc., the unitary thrift holding company for mortgage lender North American Savings Bank, has announced the appointment of Tim Bachta as its executive vice president and chief information officer.

Prior to his appointment, Bachta served for three years as chief information technology officer of Shamrock Trading Corporation in Overland Park, Kansas. Bachta also held leadership roles at Sprint, Assurant, and NIC.

"NASB is focused on improving the customer experience at all touchpoints, said Paul Thomas, chief executive officer of NASB. Tim's addition to the executive team will play a central role in formulating future business and IT strategies to continue these efforts.A media group consisting of people from six countries praised the development and stability of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region after visiting the area.

The Silk Road Celebrity China Tour was held from Jan. 9 to 16 in Xinjiang, with 12 media representatives from Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka visiting Xinjiang locals as well as a vocational training center.

The media group said that the Chinese government's successful experience in governing Xinjiang deserves praise.

The group visited a transportation hub where China-Europe freight trains converge in Urumqi, the regional capital, and conducted live coverage of the trains.

Shiabur Rahman, an editor with Bangladesh's Daily Sun, said that the China-Europe freight trains brought Xinjiang closer to the rest of the world. As the front gate of China's opening-up westward, Xinjiang's economic development will become increasingly better.

Abdul Matin Amiri, with a weekly publication from Afghanistan, said the display of unity and joy from the locals is completely different from what some media in the West describe, adding that Xinjiang is developing well under the leadership of the Chinese government -- cities in the region are thriving and people are living prosperous lives.

The reporters also visited the once poverty-stricken residents who have relocated from the mountains and are living modern lives in newly-built houses.

Erdal Kurucay, with Turkey's ATV, said the happiness exuded from the once poor residents showed Xinjiang's rapid economic development and the success of China's targeted measures in its anti-poverty campaign.

The media group also enjoyed an ethnic minority music performance by a Xinjiang folk music orchestra.

Misket Dikmen, president of the Izmir Journalists Association of Turkey, said that Xinjiang has done a good job of protecting and promoting minority cultures.

They also visited the Id Kah Mosque, one of the most renowned mosques in Central Asia.

Shiabur Rahman, the Daily Sun editor, said that before he came to Xinjiang, he heard that the Chinese government did not allow Muslims to worship, but after his visit, he found that the government does not intervene in normal religious activities and religious freedom of the Xinjiang Muslims has been effectively protected.

The group also attended an exhibition of major cases related to violence and terrorism in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has effectively prevented the incidents of violence and terrorism and safeguarded people's lives and property in the region through taking effective measures, said Shiabur Rahman, adding that the Chinese government is a very responsible one.

After visiting a vocational education and training center in the city of Kashgar, Turkish ATV reporter Tugcenur Yilmaz said that trainees are learning laws, Mandarin and skills in the center, which plays an important role in de-extremism.

Shiabur Rahman said those people were once affected by extremism and religious fanaticism. He said that such training has made a great contribution to the non-occurrence of violence and terrorism in Xinjiang in the long term.

Bangladesh has been impacted by extremism as well, and that he would bring the experience back to his country, Shiabur Rahman said.Vanuatu turns the Corner LETS USE THIS AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE FUTUREThis frame grab from video provided by Hawar News, ANHA, the news agency for the semi-autonomous Kurdish areas in Syria, shows a damaged restaurant where an explosion occurred, in Manbij, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian war monitoring group, and a local town council said Wednesday that the explosion took place near a patrol of the U.S.-led coalition and that there are casualties. (ANHA via AP)In this Jan. 10, 2019 photo, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters in her first formal news conference, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address to the nation, set for Jan. 29, until the government reopens. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)HAHIRA [mdash] Michael Brandon Lodge, 35 of Moultrie passed away Saturday, June 12, 2021 at his residence. Mr. Lodge was born June 3, 1986 in Albany, Ga. Survivors include his parents, Gary and Carolyn Lodge of Moultrie; brother, Jonathan (Shayla) Lodge of Richmond Hill; and one niece, RyleiGuangdong police broke up 88 mafia-style criminal organizations and 334 gang-related criminal organizations last year as part of a national campaign against such rings, which will help improve public security in the country's most populous province.

In the campaign, more than 53,000 people were detained on criminal grounds in the province during the year, with 8.54 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) worth of assets sealed, frozen or seized, Zhang Qinghong, deputy chief of the provincial Commission for the Political and Legal Affairs, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

A total of 7,510 people involved in 2,087 cases were prosecuted and court verdicts were passed on 2,361 people in 601 cases, Zhang said.

With the campaign, the public security situation in Guangdong continued to improve, with the sense of security among the public and business climate further lifted, he said, citing a drop in public security and criminal cases in the province.

A large mafia-style criminal gang led by a man surnamed Shi, for example, was busted by the Guangzhou police, with 78 suspects captured.

The gang was accused of running casinos, forcing trades and making usurious loans in Haizhu district. It laundered its illegal income and was tied to violent crimes, extortion and possession of guns, the authorities said.

A cross-border gang was cracked by the Shenzhen police as they investigated a kidnapping case. The gang, led by brothers from Hong Kong, surnamed Wong, was built up around a consulting company in Shenzhen and was involved in illegal business operations, lending fraud, extortion and illegal detention.

In rural areas, 33 people were captured and seven village officials were punished in connection with a gang in Dashatang village of Qingyuan.

The gang, which was organized by clan, broke the law through violence, extortion, robbery, damaging residents' houses and illegally extracting river sand, the authorities said.

More than 70 percent of the 88 mafia-style gangs taken down in the campaign were busted in rural areas of the province, said Lin Weixiong, deputy director of the provincial Department of Public Security.

Party secretaries who were found to be unqualified at loosely led grassroots Party organizations have been removed, according to Ouyang Guiyou, an official with the Organization Department of the Guangdong Committee of the Communist Party of China.

During the campaign, cases were processed involving 1,853 people who offered umbrellas of protection to gangs, 321 of whom were prosecuted, Zhang said.

Among them, Liu Xiaofeng, former head of the industrial, commercial and quality supervision office in Zhuhai's Nanping town was sentenced to 10 years in prison after his first trial. He was found to have offered protection to businesses that forced tourists to purchase merchandise, and took 180,000 yuan in bribes.

Meanwhile, more than 13 million yuan in rewards were paid to people providing tips to police about crimes during the campaign. Zhang said measures are in place to protect the safety of the tipsters.Ron Butler

This initiative is designed to create more paid international trips for the execs of the associations. National governments get together to share info because they spend our tax dollars on themselves to do it; this new international association would, in effect, be wasting my membership dues.

We have so many pressing issues at the national association level that our association could spend every dollar and every waking moment on serious government relations issues that are a clear and present danger to the Canadian public and the mortgage brokers who serve them. Worrying about commissions from New Zealand can wait another decade.

David Hetti

Alliances with these markets will allow us to innovate. These more mature markets have learned certain lessons some time back; if we use this opportunity to learn from their experience and integrate these lessons, we can be ahead of the curve and get a bigger market share.

The fact is, the Canadian market is very behind relative to other similar markets. In the UK, 71% of mortgages are handled by brokers; in the US, 65% of the market is handled by non-bank lenders. In Canada, its no more than 30%. No matter how you cut it, the banks dominate here.

Jason Singh

The International Federation will play a positive role and not encroach upon brokers autonomy. In a time of unprecedented change, the federation will provide a great forum for broader conversations to happen.

As the agenda starts to take shape re: commission-sharing and referrals, I am always mindful of the challenges of scaling. What works well for one country may not always be right for another, given differences in policies, regulations, risk appetite, cultures, etc. I remain optimistic and comfortable that we will have the right people at the table to ensure we act when and where it makes sense.Over 1/4 (approximately 27%) of Canadians with home equity lines of credit are paying for just the interest, according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

Taking this metric into account, the proportion of HELOC users with limits greater than $75,000 (around 49%) represents a significant fraction of mid- and upper-class Canadians using high-value homes for their loans, the agency added.

For perspective, HELOC holders borrowing from federal banks have a loan of around $65,000 on average, Bloomberg reported.

A similar proportion of HELOC users (49%) reported using the money for renovations, while 22% took advantage of the sum for debt consolidation. Another 13% stated that HELOCs help pay off other financial accountabilities.

Read more: High-cost debt to bring additional pain to an already burdened public

However, while the loan type has emerged as a popular option in recent years, the agency cautioned that many consumers appear to lack awareness of the terms and conditions of this financial product, exposing them to the risk of overborrowing, debt persistence, uninformed decision-making and wealth erosion.

This echoed warnings from industry players and analysts in recent months, with credit cards being an especially pernicious cause of the debt traps that many Canadians are falling into.

It certainly can be a lifesaver in certain emergencies, Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly told CBC News. Youre setting up a coffee shop and your espresso machine breaks and you need to buy a new one and you need to do that today. You dont have the money to do it. So you can put it on [a loan].

But you do that too many times and you can drown in the debt, and obviously the interest that is charged can be overwhelming.There was nothing passive about the father of passive index investing.

Admirers called John C. "Jack" Bogle bold, visionary, principled, scrupulous, industrious, meticulous, magnanimous, inexhaustible, unyielding, thrifty, faithful, and relentlessly optimistic. Detractors (and even some friends) found him ambitious, prideful, obstinate, severe, competitive, combative, cantankerous, censorious, cheap, self-righteous, and self-aggrandizing. All agreed, however, that the founder of Vanguard and creator of the first retail index mutual fund was a man of irreproachable integrity and inexhaustible energy who profoundly changed the mutual fund industry and investing for the better. Bogle, a tireless advocate for individual investors and business ethics, died Wednesday, Jan. 16. He was 89.Transparency is how we protect the integrity of our work and keep empowering investors to achieve their goals and dreams. And we have unwavering standards for how we keep that integrity intact, from our research and data to our policies on content and your personal data.

Wed like to share more about how we work and what drives our day-to-day business.China on Wednesday hit back at a Canadian official's accusations of China over sentencing a Canadian drug smuggler to death, saying the case must be handled in accordance with Chinese law since it happened in China.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked for comments on Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland's remarks accusing the death sentence handed down to Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian national convicted of smuggling over 222 kg of methamphetamines, as "inhumane and inappropriate."

"If the death penalty is inhumane and inappropriate, is it humane and appropriate to let more people lose their lives to drugs?" Hua said. "Even the Canadian people believe that smuggling over 222 kg of methamphetamines is a very serious crime."

Recalling the Chinese people's painful memories of drug use after the First Opium War (1840-1842), she stressed that "China will not allow any drug smugglers from any country to harm the lives of Chinese people."

"The case occurs in China, it must be handled in accordance with Chinese law," she added.

The sentence by the Chinese judicial organ is just, and Canadian officials' relevant remarks are obviously "arbitrary", Hua said, expressing the hope that "the Canadian side would respect the rule of law and China's judicial sovereignty."

Schellenberg was sentenced to death on charges of drug smuggling on Monday by the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in northeast China's Liaoning Province. According to reports, Schellenberg was sentenced for possession of and trafficking drugs in 2003 and in 2012 respectively in Canada.Susan Dziubinski: Hi, I'm Susan Dziubinski from Morningstar.com. Funds in the small-cap growth category are among the best performers this year. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the category has enjoyed decent net inflows this year, too. In an effort to preserve their focus, small-cap funds sometimes close to new investors. Here are a trio of Morningstar Medalists in the small-growth category that are still open.

Alex Bryan: Vanguard Small Cap Growth Index is one of the cheapest and best diversified funds in the Morningstar small growth category. This fund basically owns the faster growing half of the U.S. small-cap market and that brings in more than 600 stocks. Like a lot of its peers, it tends to favor the technology and healthcare sectors, but it effectively keeps risk in check through it's broad diversification, and its low expense ratio gives it a durable edge against its competitors. It charges a low expense ratio of 7 basis points, and that's helped it beat the category average by about 85 basis points annually over the past 10 years. Broad diversification and a low fee should continue to give this fund an edge going forward.Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.Music of joy and praise again fills the sanctuary at First Lutheran Church at 1019 W. Fifth St. in Lorain.A new color magazine is among the methods of communication Lorain City Schools is publishing

If You Go: Lorain City School priorities

Students, parents, teachers and community members will have at least two opportunities to learn more about the 2019-2020 priorities for Lorain City Schools.

The next Community Business Schools Partnership meeting will be at 8 a.m. Feb. 20. The meetings are in the foyer of the Performing Arts Center at Lorain High School.

The next Town Hall will be at 5 p.m. Feb. 21 at the LHS Performing Arts Center.

The Performing Arts Center is on the west side of Lorain High School, 2600 Ashland Ave.

Usually the Town Hall is scheduled the second Thursday of the month, so it comes before the Community Business Schools Partnership meetings on the third Wednesday of the month. However, that was changed for February so the Town Hall would not be on Valentines Day, said Sarah Egan-Reeves, marketing and communications coordinator for the district.The Lorain County chief deputy coroner testified Jan. 17 there were a foreign hair and a fake fingernail on Jimmie Holland Jr.s body when he A man is facing two more charges after two women say he exposed himself to them Tuesday night.You are here: China

Former head of State-owned firm turns himself in [Photo/ccdi.gov.cn]

Wang Junwen, a fugitive suspected of taking bribes who fled overseas in 2003, returned to China Tuesday to hand himself in to authorities, China's top anti-graft authority announced Wednesday.

Wang, 67, was a former senior Party official at Hainan provincial economic cooperation department and former head of a state-owned enterprise in the province, according to a statement by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.

He is the sixth fugitive to return to China and turn himself in after an office in charge of fugitive repatriation and asset recovery under China's central anti-corruption coordination group released evidence related to 50 fugitives.

The statement said Wang was cooperating in returning his illegal gains.The production increase came after Catawba acquired Palmetto Brewing just before the end of 2017.

We integrated an entire different, new culture when we bought Palmetto, Pyatt said. We developed brand new customer relationships to support that, and we did it without going broke, which makes me happy.

More than 100 different kinds of beer were made and sold in 2018, and the company donated about $40,000 in cash during the year, Pyatt said.

Pyatt t akes great pride in those donations.

We gave over $40,000 in cash to charities in 2018, Pyatt said. Were going to do more this year. Something to be proud of is the way every location takes care of the region that were in.

The charitable donations were able to help all different kinds of causes, Pyatt said.

It can be a regular that had a stroke that needs a little help with gas or just getting a ride to the hospital, Pyatt said. Or it can be a national program to help forest fire - affected people on the west coast  Every location every week is doing something to help someone. Im very proud of these people.If you needed an excuse for a drink, this could be it.

Studies are suggesting that drinking a Gin & Tonic can actually speed up your metabolism, thus helping you lose weight. This news comes after research revealed that gin can help save you from hayfever.

Her.ie mentions a study conducted by the University of Sigulda in Latvia suggests that a G&T will speed up your metabolism to burn calories quicker.

The scientists gave a control group of mice a shot of water or a shot of gin and then measured how efficiently they burned calories. Amazingly, the gin drinking mice had a metabolic increase of 17%.

Professor Thisa Lye revealed what she thought of the findings: Consumption of gin resulted in a marked increase in metabolic rate, which indicates the spirit may have a slimming effect on the body.January 17, 2019

Seymour Hersh: George H.W. Bush Team Leaked To Media To Reveal CIA's Iran-Contra Affair

A new piece by Seymour Hersh in the London Review of Books gives some insight into secret U.S. operations during the Reagan administration. The Vice Presidents Men includes a quite sensational claim of who revealed the Iran-Contra affair.

According to the conventional wisdom, as reflected in Wikipedia, an Iranian operator revealed to a Lebanese paper that the U.S. was selling weapons to Iran in the hope to get hostages in Lebanon released:

After a leak by Mehdi Hashemi, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa exposed the arrangement on 3 November 1986. This was the first public report of the weapons-for-hostages deal.

People is the National Security Council used profits from these weapon sales to illegally arm and finance CIA run anti-government gangs in Nicaragua. Both, the weapon sales to Iran and the weapon delivery to guerilla in Nicaragua, were illegal under U.S. law. The leak to Lebanese paper blew up both operations.

That Mehdi Hashemi, the Iranian operative, leaked the affair is only supported by second hand hearsay from a dubious source. Seymour Hersh reports of a very different culprit.

According to his sources former CIA director George H.W. Bush, who was then Reagan's vice president, ran his own secret operations through a special office in the Pentagon. It was led by Vice-Admiral Arthur Moreau. The office and its operations were kept outside of congressional oversight. Neither the CIA nor the Joint Chief's of Staff were aware of its doing. During some 30 different operations the Bush team used small groups of U.S. marines to affect Soviet operations in foreign countries and to get rid of unwanted foreign politicians. Bush essentially ran the prequel of the 'war on/of terror' which today is run by the CIA and the Joint Special Forces Command.

Bush disliked William Casey, who Reagan had named as new CIA director. Casey was a business man who got the job after he managed Ronald Reagan's election campaign. Bush thought that he was too incompetent to run the clandestine service.

One of the operations run under Bush also involved Nicaragua, but had nothing to do with the later Iran-Contra scandal. At the same time the CIA director William Casey was drumming up support for the Contras in Nicaragua. The two operations collided when Lieutenant Colonel Oliver (Ollie) North at the National Security Council used the proceeds from the weapon sales to Iran to illegally finance the CIA's Contras in Nicaragua. While North was also a confidante of the Bush/Moreau's operations, he allegedly freelanced and eventually deserted to the CIA side.

According to a former officer involved in Bush's operations office, Bush and Moreau feared that the CIA's widely expanding Iran-Contra operation run by Oliver North would become a threat to their own operations. They decided to blow it up:

Ollie brings in Dick Secord and Iranian dissidents and money people in Texas to the scheme, and its gotten totally out of control, the officer said. Were going nuts. If we dont manage this carefully, our whole structure will unravel. And so we  former members of Moreaus team who were still working for Bush  leaked the story to the magazine in Lebanon. He was referring to an article, published on 3 November 1986 by Ash-Shiraa magazine in Beirut, that described the arms for hostages agreement. He would not say how word was passed to the magazine, ...

According to Hersh's source the effect of the leak to the Lebanese paper was foreseen and intended:

The officer explained that it was understood by all that the scandal would unravel in public very quickly, and Congress would get involved. Our goals were to protect the Moreau operation, to limit the vice presidents possible exposure, and to convince the Reagan administration to limit Bill Caseys management of covert operations. It only took a match to light the fire. It was: Oh my god. We were paying ransom for the hostages  to Iran.

If Hersh's anonymous source is correct, which I have no reason to doubt, the Iranian Mehdi Hashemi did not leak the issue. It was bureaucratic infighting between a former CIA director, who continued to run secret operations, and a sitting one, who was deemed incompetent by the former, that led to the disclosure of the Iran-Contra affair.

Seymour Hersh is known to have lots of contacts with former officials and officers. According to his on telling he is actively seeking them out as soon as they retire. Old men like to tell war stories, but dislike to damage their still living friends. George H.W. Bush died last November. Hersh likely knew the story long ago but is only now allowed to tell it.

The new Hersh/LRB piece is quite long and the details seems to have little relevance for current affairs. But his sources tell an interesting story about the backstage fights that went on between the various branches of the national security bureaucracy during the Reagan presidency. There is no doubt that similar fights, including intentional leaks to damage competing officials, continue today.

Posted by b on January 17, 2019 at 19:11 UTC | Permalink

CommentsWith the new year upon us and a legislative session (under way), let us resolve to be the bright light that shines through the darkest night for the smallest and most vulnerable of angels.Shares of A2 Milk Company Ltd [ASX:A2M] have been steadily climbing higher over the last month, upon recent news the company had established two new senior roles. A2 Milk have announced the roles of Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Technical Officer, aimed at improving strategic and technical capabilities.

A2 Milks share price is currently trading at $11.78.

What these roles mean for A2 Milks share price

It is only early days but the last few weeks of trading have seen shares in A2 milk pick up momentum, little by little.

Melanie Kansil, chief commercial officer (effective first half of 2019), deals directly with emerging markets in the UK. While Phil Rybinski, chief technical officer (effective April 2019), deals with existing quality and regulatory affairs, as well as product development.

Mr Rybinskis role offers an integrated approach to quality, research and development and science, which if successful could keep supporting A2s share price.

When a company as large as A2 Milk is actively expanding its senior positions, it can mean many things. It could be a good sign that the company is planning for bigger things. Particularly as A2 milk has enjoyed a strong share price that has almost doubled its worth in two years due to Chinas milk powder demands.

Or, it could be a sign of trouble here at home.

If the number of people buying milk suddenly decreases, which has been proven possible with the US having a 7% decline, then it certainly isnt going to help A2 milks share price.

Plant based alternatives are vastly becoming not only available, but preferable to some households and cafes. This could potentially hurt the shares of A2.

In terms of big announcements, A2 has been pretty quiet. But theres still a lot of things happening. For example, Chinas deal with A2 Milk that is still seeing an effect on the share price.

A2 milk learns new lessons for 2019

In September 2018, the A2 Milk share price plummeted after CEO Jayne Hrdlicka sold $4 million of shares, naturally hurting A2s value by placing doubt in investors minds.

But things quickly recovered. It looks as if things are turning around for A2 milk, but as to how far the share price can go is anyones guess.

Regards,

Ryan Clarkson-Ledward,

For Money Morning

PS: Take a look at this Free report: Aussie stock picker, Sam Volkering (with gains as high as 1,431% in the last 18 months) reveals what he believes are his next four big potential winners. You can read more about it here for free.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed German auto major Volkswagen to deposit Rs 100 crore by Friday in accordance with its November 2018 order or face punitive action.

The Tribunal warned that if Volkswagen fails to pay the stipulated cost within 24 hours, its India head may be arrested and all his properties may be seized.

In November 2018, the NGT had directed the car manufacturer to deposit Rs 100 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) within a month for causing "serious environmental damage" by using a cheat device that lowered vehicular emissions only during tests.

Volkswagen had challenged the order in the Supreme Court but the court refused to put a stay on the Tribunal's order.

On Tuesday, a four-member committee set up by the NGT in November, penalised Volkswagen Rs 171.34 crore for causing air pollution in Delhi due to excess nitrogen oxide emissions.John C Bogle, legendary investor and businessman, who brought the most impact to millions of American investors through low-cost index funds, passed away on Wednesday. Bogle was in frail health for years, had survived at least six heart attacks and also received a heart transplant in 1996.

Bogle was born on 8 May, 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey in the United States of America. In 1947, he was accepted at Princeton University where he studied economics and investment, and showed keen interest in the mutual fund industry. After graduating from Princeton, he was hired at Wellington Fund where he was later promoted to assistant manager due to his great talent. Climbing through the ranks, in 1970, he replaced Walter L Morgan as the chairman of Wellington. However, he was later fired for an unwise and poor investment decision he made.

Four years later, he founded the Vanguard Company and, in 1976, announced the first index mutual fund to the general public. He believed that mutual funds should be managed in a manner that serves the interests of the investing public. Until then, actively run equity funds ruled the mutual funds industry; charging high expense and underperforming the index they were paid to outperform. In the long term, investors earned low returns and ended up paying high expenses.

Index funds solved this by eliminating active management through mimicking the benchmark, than outperforming it. Under Under this new concept, investors gained by paying lower expenses and earning high returns than they previously did. Today, Vanguard is the largest fund company, managing $4.40 trillion, and is the only true mutual structure among mutual funds.

This stupendous achievement is known. What is not known is that in1960, when Bogle was 31 years old, he was diagnosed with an incurable heart disease. He got himself a pacemaker but as Dr Bernard Lown, his heart specialist, described later, Bogle was afflicted with a bizarre electrical derangement of the heartbeat, threatening catastrophic cardiac arresta guillotine about to drop. I gave him the brutal verdict and he was undaunted. He lives his life intently and with exuberant energy. A sense of humor lightened the morbid reality, and he joked that playing squash with a portable defibrillator close by unnerved every opponent.

But the inevitable downward spiral of my heart disease continued, Bogle writes in his new book. Cardiac arrests and paddles on my chest. Physical activity fades away. The right side of the heart no longer pumps. Deaths shadow draws near. This continued for some 36 years after the first diagnosis of his heart trouble. In 1996, Bogle was eligible for a heart transplant. Some 15 years later, his acquired heart thumps away minute after minute, like the beat of a jungle drum.

This personal anecdote comes on page 583 of a 600-page book titled Dont Count On It. And he narrates this story not to recount his life but to pay homage to four of his heroes and mentorsWalter Morgan, a pioneer of finance, economist Paul Samuelson, Peter Bernstein, a financial economist and, of course, his heart specialist Dr Lown. It is astounding what John Bogle has achieved in one lifetime with such a serious heart ailment.

Bogle hated the idea of trading the market. This is why his index fund only provided net asset value of the funds after the markets closed. However, the rise of exchange-traded funds, low-cost index funds but tradable in the stock market during the trading hours, received a bad rap by Bogle. Even though he despised it, his company Vanguard eventually succumbed to the market craze of ETFs and joined in. Yet, Bogle continued to promote the idea of long-term investing through ETFs and not trade in them.

Bogles approach to investing is defined by simplicity and common sense. Below are his eight basic rules for investors-

1. Select low-cost funds

2. Consider carefully the added costs of advice

3. Do not overrate past fund performance

4. Use past performance to determine consistency and risk

5. Beware of stars (as in, star mutual fund managers)

6. Beware of asset size

7. Don't own too many funds

8. Buy your fund portfolio  and hold it

But business success is not why Bogle stands out. He is known as Saint Jack of the financial services industry, the conscience-keeper of Wall Street. John Bogle has spent an entire career fighting for individual investors against the dark forces of Wall Street. John Bogle is an institution in the US financial market. He is a true pioneer, having created index funds and having led a lifelong battle for the small investor by advocating low-cost funds. He has also been a powerful writer; his books are now being re-issued as investment classics.You are here: Business

China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) made greater contributions to society last year, an official with the state assets authority said Thursday.

In 2018, central SOEs handed in 2.2 trillion yuan (325.5 billion U.S. dollars) of taxes and fees, up 5.7 percent from a year earlier, Peng Huagang, spokesman for the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, told reporters.

The country's three telecom operators completed their tasks of fee cuts in advance last year, saving more than 120 billion yuan for their clients during the year, Peng said.

An industrial investment fund for central SOEs to support poor areas decided upon 63 projects involving 12.89 billion yuan, which will bolster infrastructure construction, promote distinctive industries, improve education and medical care, and raise people's incomes.

Peng also said the combined profits of those companies reached a new high of 1.7 trillion yuan in 2018, up 16.7 percent from 2017, while their revenues rose 10.1 percent to 29.1 trillion yuan.The selection committee headed by prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on the 24th January to finalise the name of the next chief of CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), as the term of the current CBI chief will be over on the 31st January. The government has, reportedly, initiated this process since December 2018. In the meantime, a controversy is already brewing regarding the appointment of Nageshwar Rao as the interim director; but thats another story.

Just like the appointment of information commissioners under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the naming of the selection committee and the short-listed candidates for these posts also demands transparency. While, in the past, this information was available under RTI requisition; recently, the department of personnel & training (DoPT), which appoints them has defied the Supreme Court order which directed it to make this information public. Now, the DoPT is playing the same game of opaqueness in the case of the appointment of the next CBI chief.



Activists Anjali Bharadwaj and Amrita Johri filed RTI applications regarding details of the meetings of the selection committee (which consists of the PM, the leader of the Opposition, and the chief justice of India (or a Supreme Court judge nominated by him) including the date of meetings, copy of the agenda of meetings, copy of the minutes of meetings and details of persons who attended each meeting. Information was sought under the RTI Act about any process adopted by the government to short-list candidates for consideration by the selection committee; a copy of any short-list prepared; and details of any committee set up to prepare such a short-list.

The DoPT has responded to each of these RTI applications with the same summary response: It is informed that as per this departments executive order No. 230/14/99-DPSE dated 08.07.2004 issued in pursuance of Honble Supreme Courts directions dated 20.04.2004 given in CA No. 4303/2002, amongst all the IPS officers of the senior most 4 batches in service on the date of retirement of the (incumbent) director, CBI are needed to be considered for filling up the post of new Director, CBI. The process of selection of new Director in CBI has not attained finality

States Anjali Bharadwaj, There is complete lack of transparency in the process of appointment of the CBI director. The government has not provided information sought under the RTI Act about details of the on-going selection process. This is clearly an attempt to obfuscate and withhold information about the appointment process. No details about the selection committee meetings or the process of short-listing candidates have been provided.

She fears a repeat of December 2016 as she says, When the previous CBI director retired, the government failed to convene a meeting of the selection committee to appoint the successor, and Mr. Rakesh Asthana was named interim director. After a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court, Mr. Alok Verma was selected and appointed as director. In order to ensure public trust in the institution of the CBI, it is critical that appointment of the director be made in a timely manner and there be transparency in the process of appointment, which will enable public scrutiny."

As against such utter secrecy, which would arouse the suspicion of every right thinking citizen, Commodore Lokesh Batra states that, In 2012 such information was given out and included file notings too. I was also allowed inspection of files. It is strange that Anjalis and Amritas RTI applications have been thwarted.

The information Cdr Batra sought included the following:

a) Names, seniority and batch details of IPS officers initially included for short-listing by the CBI selection board/committee headed by the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) for the appointment of the next CBI director;

b) Names, seniority and batch details of officers recommended in the panel for selection of CBI director and name of the officer selected;

c) List of file/files with reference numbers on which the selection process of the next CBI director was processed by the selection committee headed by the CVC and by the appointment committee of the Cabinet;

d) Attested copies of the file/file notings from time to time and when the process of selection for the post of the next CBI director was initiated; and

e) Permission for me to inspect all the files concerned with the said issue.

Anjali Bharadwaj and Amrita Johri had requested the following information recently, but they have been flatly refused the information. The requisitions were as follows:

1. Information regarding all the meetings held since 1 December 2018 of the committee constituted under Section 4(A) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act to select/appoint the CBI director:

a. Dates of all meetings

b. Copy of agenda of all meetings

c. Copy of minutes/discussions/proceedings/verbatim recordings, etc, of the proceedings of all meetings

d. Name and designation of persons attending each meeting.

1. Information (as defined in Section 2(f) of the RTI Act) on the process being adopted by the government to prepare a short-list for the consideration of the selection committee set up (under Section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act) to appoint the CBI director upon the retirement of the incumbent director.

2. Copy of any short-list prepared by the government for consideration by the selection committee set up (under Section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act) to appoint the CBI director upon the retirement of the incumbent director.

3. If any committee has been constituted to prepare a short-list for consideration by the selection committee set up (under Section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act) to appoint the CBI director upon the retirement of the incumbent director, please provide the following information related to the said committee

a. Order/notification regarding constitution of the committee

b. Names of members of the committee

c. Date of all meetings of the committee

d. Copy of agenda of all meetings of the committee e. Copy of minutes/ discussions/ proceedings/ verbatim recordings etc. of the proceedings of all the meetings

f. Names and designations of persons attending each meeting.The donation amount declared by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) is more than 12 times the aggregate declared by the national parties which include Indian National Congress (INC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) for the same period. A total of Rs437.04 crore was declared by the BJP from 2,977 donations while the INC declared receiving Rs26.658 crore from 777 donations.

This is revealed by a report, prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which focuses on donations received by the national political parties, above Rs20,000, during the financial year 2017-18, as submitted by the parties to the Election Commission of India (ECI). Such a declaration is mandatory on an annual basis.

Key observations drawn from the report show that donations above Rs20,000 declared by national parties from all over India in FY17-18 aggregated to Rs469.89 crore from 4201 donations. Of this amount, a total of Rs437.04 crore was declared by BJP from 2,977 donations while INC declared receiving Rs26.658 crore from 777 donations. The donations declared by BJP is more than 12 times the amounts declared by INC, NCP, CPI, CPM and AITC put together for the same period.

As in the past 12 years, BSP once again declared that the party did not receive any donations above Rs20,000 during FY17-18.

A comparison of donations received by the national parties during FY16-17 and FY17-18 shows that the total donations of the national parties during FY17-18 decreased by Rs119.49 crore, amounting to a 20% drop, from the previous financial year, FY16-17.

Donations to BJP highest amounts decreased from Rs532.27 crore during FY16-17 to Rs437.04 crore during FY17-18 (18% decrease).

INC donations decreased from Rs41.90 crore during FY16-17 to Rs26.658 crore during FY17-18 (36% decrease).

ADR segregated state-wise donation amounts on the basis of reports submitted by the parties to the ECI. This analysis shows that a total of Rs208.56 crore was donated to the national parties from Delhi, followed by Rs71.93 crore from Maharashtra and Rs44.02 crore from Gujarat.

A total of Rs42.60 crore, which is 9.07% of total donations received by the national parties, FY17-18, could not be attributed to any state/ Union Territory due to incomplete information provided by the parties.

Corporate/business entities made 1,361 donations to the national parties amounting to Rs422.04 crore, which is 89.82% of total donations while 2,772 individual donors donated Rs47.12 crore, making up 10.03% of total donations to the parties during FY17-18.

BJP bagged 1,207 donations from corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs400.23 crore while 1759 individual donors donated Rs36.71 crore to the party during FY17-18. INC received a total of Rs19.298 crore via 53 donations from corporate/business sectors and Rs7.36 crore via 724 individual donors during FY17-18.

As one of the top two donors, Prudent Electoral Trust donated a total of Rs164.30 crore to BJP and INC together, of which Rs.154.30 crore went to BJP (35% of total funds received by the Party) and Rs10 crore was INCs share (38% of total funds received by the Party).

NCP received Rs 50 lakh from BG Shirke Construction Technology Pvt Ltd and Rs50 lakh from Jankalyan Electoral Trust Mumbai.

Based on this data, ADR makes the following observations and recommendations: Observations:

1. Incomplete disclosure of information in the donations report: There is still ambiguity in details of donations declared by the national parties for FY17-18.

a) Of the seven national parties, four, namely BJP, INC, CPI and CPM did not declare PAN details of 219 donations through which the parties collected a total of Rs4.95 crore. BJP collected Rs4.01 crore from 119 donations but failed to provide PAN details of donors. CPI collected Rs 75.50 lakh from 70 donations without PAN. 26 donations to INC (Rs16.40 lakh) and four donations from CPM (Rs2.30 lakh) do not have PAN details.

Four national parties (BJP, INC, CPM and AITC) have declared Rs80 lakh worth of donations from 60 incomplete/Incorrect PAN details in FY17-18.

AITC has not provided cheque number, bank on which it was drawn and the date on which the cheque was received/ encashed for any of its 33 donors who contributed a total of Rs20.25 lakh. Thus, without the complete cheque/DD details, it would be a time-consuming process to link the donors against their donations and hence trace the money trail.

CPI has also not declared the details of cheque and DD for a total of 82 donations through which the party received Rs44.35 lakh.

CPI has not provided the names and PAN numbers of 50 donations of state secretaries and districts councils of the party though their contributions amount to Rs53.57 lakh while the party collected Rs75.50 lakh from 70 donations without PAN.

Recommendations

1. ADR supports the Supreme Courts judgement on 13 September 2013 declaring that no part of a candidates affidavit should be left blank. Similarly, no part of the Form 24A submitted by political parties providing details of donations above Rs20,000 should be blank.

2. Full details of all donors should be made available for public scrutiny under the RTI. Some countries where this is done include Bhutan, Nepal, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, the US and Japan. In none of these countries is it possible for nearly 50% of the source of funds to be unknown, but at present it is so in India.

3. The national and regional parties should, ideally, lead by example by filing complete and correct statements of donations to the ECI well in time for public scrutiny to encourage financial transparency.

4. The national and regional political parties must provide all information on their finances under the Right to Information Act. This will go a long way in strengthening political parties, elections and democracy.Zalmay Khalilzad

The US envoy in Afghanistan said January 16 that a peaceful end to the 17-year conflict requires the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government, which they have consistently refused.

Zalmay Khalilzad spoke to reporters in Kabul on his latest visit to the war-torn country, where he is at the centre of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict which began with the US invasion of 2001.

"The road to peace will require Taliban to sit with other Afghans, including the government," Khalilzad said.

"There is a consensus among all regional partners on this point," he added, according to quotes sent to AFP by the US embassy in Kabul. The insurgents have long refused to hold direct talks with the Kabul government, which they dismiss as a puppet of Washington.

Taliban representatives have met several times with US officials in recent months, but earlier this week threatened to suspend the fledgling peace efforts, accusing the US of changing the agenda of the talks and "unilaterally" adding new subjects.

"If the Talibs want to talk, we can talk, if they want to fight we can fight. We hope that the Talibs want to make peace," Khalilzad said in response to the threat.

The envoy arrived in Kabul late Tuesday, where he met with the country's political leaders. On his third tour of the region since his appointment in September, he had previously travelled to India, the United Arab Emirates and China. He is expected next in Pakistan.

His tour comes shortly after US officials said in December that President Donald Trump intends to withdraw as many as half of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.

Khalilzad on January 16 said that if the Taliban choose to continue fighting, "the United States will stand with the Afghan government and the Afghan people and support them".

He dismissed reports the US wanted to maintain military bases in the country.

"We have never said we want permanent military bases in Afghanistan," he said.

"What we want is to see this conflict end through negotiation, and to continue our partnership with Afghanistan, and to ensure no terrorist threatens either of us." In the long run the US is seeking a military, diplomatic and economic relationship with Afghanistan, he added.

Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, said he hopes for fresh talks with the Taliban "very soon".

The US is not the only country dancing around talks with the militants. Russia and Iran have held meetings with the Taliban in recent months, while China has also made overtures. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan are all participating in the US efforts. AFP NSA .Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May

British Prime Minister Theresa May will miss next week's annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos to focus on Brexit negotiations, sending ministers in her place, Downing Street said on Thursday.

"She will not be going to Davos. She will be focussed on matters here," May's spokeswoman said, adding that "there will be government ministers attending."Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan wished all Hindu citizens on the occasion of Diwali. Prime Minister Imran Khan wishes a happy Diwali to all Hindu citizens, tweeted Prime Ministers Office in Pakistan.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on January 17 ordered the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the country's anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case'.

As many as 172 suspects were placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendations of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the apex court. A person cannot fly abroad if his name is placed on the ECL.

The Supreme Court, in a detailed judgement, ordered the government to remove the names of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the ECL.

It, however, referred the report and material collected by the JIT in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case' to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Dawn news reported.

The JIT probe focused on "32 fake accounts" which were allegedly used to give massive financial benefits to former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and several others.

"Removing of the names will not prevent (the) NAB to probe and in case sufficient material is found connecting these individuals with cognisable offences, it will not be precluded from making an appropriate request to the federal government to place their names on (the) ECL again or take any appropriate action provided by law," according to the judgement authored by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan.

The apex court in its earlier instructions asked the government to delete names of Bilawal and Shah from the ECL but the Cabinet waited for the detailed judgment.

After the judgement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government will decide whether it should implement the court orders or file a review petition.

Justice Ahsan was part of the three-judge bench that last year took a suo-motu cognisance after it emerged that several big names were involved in money laundering through fake accounts.Japan's Hitachi Ltd decided on January 17 to freeze a 3 trillion yen ($28 billion) nuclear power project in Wales as Britain scrabbles for a way to exit the European Union, dealing a blow to UK plans for the replacement of ageing plants.

The suspension comes as Hitachi's Horizon Nuclear Power failed to find private investors for its plans to build a plant in Anglesey, which was expected to provide about 6 percent of Britain's electricity.

"We've made the decision to freeze the project from the economic standpoint as a private company," Hitachi said in a statement, adding that it had booked a write-down of 300 billion yen.

Hitachi had called on the British government to boost financial support for the project to appease investor anxiety, but turmoil over the country's impending EU exit limited the government's capacity to compile plans, people close to the matter have previously said.

Hitachi had banked on a group of Japanese investors and the British government each taking a one-third stake in the equity portion of the project, the people said. The project would have been financed one-third by equity and rest by debt.

"It is now clear that further time is needed to develop a financial structure for the Horizon project and the conditions for building and operating the nuclear power stations," Hitachi said.

With the clock ticking down to March 29, the date set in law for Brexit, the United Kingdom is now in the deepest political crisis in half a century as it grapples with how, or even whether, to exit the European project it joined in 1973.

Prime Minister Theresa May's two-year attempt to forge an amicable divorce was crushed by parliament this week in the biggest defeat for a British leader in modern history, deepening uncertainty for potential investors.

The withdrawal of the Japanese conglomerate could leave the nuclear newbuild industry open to Russian and Chinese state-owned companies as Western private firms struggle to compete.

China's General Nuclear Services, an industrial partnership between China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) and French utility EDF, plans to make a number of investments in Britain's nuclear power sector, most notably the Hinkley Point C project in southwest England.

CGN also intends to deploy the first Chinese-designed reactor for use in Britain at a plant in Bradwell, Essex.

MAXIMISING VALUE

The UK government said that despite negotiations with Hitachi, they failed to reach an agreement. The focus for the government was about driving-down costs and maximising value for consumers and the taxpayer.

The UK government remains committed to the nuclear sector and is reviewing alternative funding models for future projects and will give an update this summer, it added.

Britain wants new nuclear plants to help replace its ageing fleet of nuclear and coal plants coming offline in the 2020s, but high up-front costs have deterred construction.

Another Japanese firm, Toshiba Corp, scrapped its British NuGen project last year after its US reactor unit Westinghouse went bankrupt and it failed to find a buyer.

Hitachi stopped short of scrapping the Anglesey project in northern Wales. The company will continue discussions with the British government on nuclear power, it said.

The nuclear write-down wipes off the Horizon unit's asset value, which stood at 296 billion yen at the end of September.

Horizon Nuclear Power said it would take steps to reduce its presence but was keeping the option open to resume development in the future.

"Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey remains the best site for nuclear development in the UK and we remain committed to keeping channels of communication open with the government and our other key stakeholders regarding future options at both our sites," said Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Horizon.

However, analysts and investors viewed the suspension as an effective withdrawal and saw the decision as a positive step that has removed uncertainties for the Japanese conglomerate.

Hitachi bought Horizon in 2012 for 696 million pounds ($1.12 billion), from E.ON and RWE as the German utilities decided to sell their joint venture following Germany's nuclear exit after the Fukushima accident.

Hitachi's latest decision also further dims Japan's export prospects.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd has effectively abandoned its Sinop nuclear project in Turkey, a person involved in the project previously told Reuters, as cost estimates had nearly doubled to around 5 trillion yen.

($1 = 108.9300 yen)Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on January 16 survived a confidence vote after a row over a landmark name deal with Macedonia sunk his four-year coalition.

A total of 151 lawmakers supported Tsipras' government out of 299 present, including several independent MPs, the official count showed.

"Parliament today gave a vote of confidence to stability (and) the effort to regain the country's international credibility," Tsipras told reporters after the vote.

"To a government which has already changed Greece and will continue until the completion of its constitutionally-mandated term," he said.

Despite the victory, the subsequent fate of Tsipras' government -- and whether he will complete his four-year term which ends in September -- is far from certain.

The PM now faces an immediate challenge to also push through parliament the controversial name deal with neighbouring Macedonia, which has sparked protests in both countries.

In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, the 44-year-old leftist leader insisted his government "has another nine months and very important tasks to carry out," pointing to elections in October.

Among his goals are a revision of the constitution, a minimum wage increase and the completion of a property deal with the church that was recently blocked by senior bishops.

"We do not seek (the support of) 151 lawmakers just to complete our term, but in order to carry out specific political initiatives," government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Open TV on Wednesday.

Yet many Greeks think the elections could take place earlier than October and may even be called to coincide with European and local elections in May, if not sooner.

Another protest will be held in Athens on Sunday against the agreement with Skopje to rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia.

Main opposition leader Kyriakos Misotakis of the New Democracy conservatives called Tsipras a "fortune-hunter" and "cheap demagogue" who had built a career on lies.

"You took power with lies, managed it with lies, and will leave it will lies," Mitsotakis said during the confidence vote debate.

"You've dealt enough damage to the country... you see your end approaching," Mitsotakis, who leads Tsipras in opinion polls, told leftist MPs.

The name-change deal aims to resolve a 27-year diplomatic dispute, but it broke up Tsipras' coalition with the nationalist ANEL party at the weekend, ending their four-year partnership.

Macedonian lawmakers last week approved the deal, but it will only come into effect if it is also backed by the Greek parliament.

Athens has not given a date for the vote on the Macedonia deal, but Tsipras recently said it would be before the end of January.

The European Union and NATO have hailed the agreement which would lift Greek objections to Macedonia joining both organisations.

The proposal faces resistance in Greece because of what critics see as the implied claims to Greek land and cultural heritage.

For most Greeks, Macedonia is the name of their history-rich northern province made famous by Alexander the Great's conquests.

In many cities in northern Greece, posters were put up overnight to urge local lawmakers to vote against the deal. A number of MPs also said they had received anonymous threats.

Police made several arrests over the poster incident, and are investigating the threats.

ANEL chief Panos Kammenos, Tsipras' former coalition partner, on Wednesday said the name deal should be put to a referendum.

Much will depend on the stance of small pro-EU party To Potami, whose position hardened this week after Tsipras poached one of their lawmakers.

"You may have found 151 lawmakers for the confidence vote but you will not find 151 to back the (Macedonia) deal," the party's parliamentary spokesman Panos Amyras told the government on Wednesday.France has put in motion a contingency plan to deal with an eventual "hard Brexit," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on January 17, including 50 million euros ($57 million) of investments to help ports and airports cope.

"What's certain is that the scenario of a no-deal Brexit is less and less unlikely. That's why... I have decided to trigger the plan for a no-deal Brexit," Philippe told reporters.

Prime Minister Theresa May's two-year attempt to forge an amicable divorce was crushed by the British parliament on January 15 in the biggest defeat for a British leader in modern history.

($1 = 0.8773 euros)EgyptAir has resumed air freight service to New York after a three-year halt following the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula in an Islamist bomb attack, a source at the flagship carrier said on January 17.

"(The United States) was apprehensive after the incident, and this may be normal for it, but security procedures and precautions are greater now. It saw there is no (more) need for it (suspension of air freight)," the source told Reuters.

A bomb spirited aboard the Russian airliner brought it down in Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 on board. The attack prompted Russia to halt all flights to Egypt and Britain to cease flights to Sinai.

EgyptAir resumed taking freight on its commercial flights to New York on January 16, the source said. There would be one freight-bearing flight each day of the week with a capacity of 10-15 tonnes of cargo per flight.

He said EgyptAir also had preliminary plans to start freight service to Washington DC.

EgyptAir had continued US-bound flights carrying passenger luggage throughout the suspension of freight service.

Sources told Reuters last year that US authorities had suspended cargo transports due to a lack of confidence in security measures at Cairo airport.Theresa May has had quite a week, with her Brexit deal getting rejected by Parliament by an overwhelming majority and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn tabling a no-confidence motion against her. But it ended well for the British Prime Minister as she won the motion and retains her post. What will be her next move?

The date for Brexit -- March 29 -- is approaching, and her 585-page long Withdrawal Agreement is nowhere close to being finalised. May needs to look at a Plan B. She said she will reach out to other parties and seek a deal that could be agreeable to the House of Commons. She urged other leaders to come up with 'genuinely negotiable' ideas to keep unrealistic demands at bay.

An option in front of May is to go back to the European Union and sweeten her deal, although that is a tough feat as the EU has given no indication that it can provide more concessions. She could ask for an extension of the March 29 deadline, but the Parliament is unlikely to give her more time just to work out the deal.

Most of May's problems have arisen due to her not having enough representation in the House. She could call for a general election to increase her majority in the Parliament, but that plan could backfire as it did last year, when she ended up worse off.

There could also be a second referendum, where voters may be asked to choose between May's exit agreement and remaining in the bloc. This has been ruled out by the Prime Minister. But if it does happen, it would require the House's consent.

A very unlikely possibility is a no-deal exit, where Britain just walks out of the union without reaching any trade agreement and then reverts to the World Trade Organisation trade rules. It would majorly disrupt British trade and impact business and growth in a big way.The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2019 will be held in Boao, Hainan from March 26 to 29 with the theme of "Shared Future, Concerted Action, Common Development," announced BFA Secretary General Li Baodong on Wednesday. The opening plenum will take place on March 28.



According to Li, the theme and topics of this year's event cover a wide range of issues of common interest among stakeholders. The program was finalized after several rounds of discussion among BFA's initial countries, board members, advisers, partners and think tanks.

Around this theme, the annual conference will feature approximately 50 official sessions, including the opening plenum, themed sessions, CEO dialogues and roundtable meetings. They are formatted under five topical modules -- Open World Economy; Multilateralism, Regional Cooperation and Global Governance; Innovation-Driven Development; High-Quality Development; and Critical Issues.

Speaking at the press conference, Li said that globalization and free trade are inevitable trends of economic development and that multilateralism, dialogue and cooperation are the shared aspiration of most countries. He stated that openness and innovation are natural choices to sustain economic progress and globalization. As a widely watched event, this year's conference will provide an open, inclusive dialogue platform for stakeholders and send a clear message to build consensus regarding global governance, he said.

Li added that the BFA annual conferences, hosted in China, have been attended by state leaders every year. Currently, the BFA secretariat is maintaining communication with state leaders and has received positive feedback regarding their presence at the 2019 Annual Conference. Additionally, a number of other Asian and European leaders have stated their intention to participate.Gillete ad

Gillette, the men's grooming products maker that has always touted itself as the best a man can get is getting rough treatment from men on social media.



Boys will be boys? Isnt it time we stopped excusing bad behaviour? Re-think and take action by joining us at https://t.co/giHuGDEvlT. #TheBestMenCanBe pic.twitter.com/hhBL1XjFVo

 Gillette (@Gillette) January 14, 2019

The company is getting a backlash for its ad that challenges toxic masculinity and sexual harassment.

The ad starts with the recent #MeToo campaign and continues trying to give a message that men should not allow other men to harass women or keep quiet when they see something wrong.

It features men reminding their sons about good behaviour in situations like breaking up a fight at a family gathering, standing up for a boy against his bullies and rejecting the kind of toxic masculinity that is so often overlooked as "boys being boys".

I've used @Gillette razors my entire adult life but this absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global assault on masculinity.

Let boys be damn boys.

Let men be damn men. https://t.co/Hm66OD5lA4  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 14, 2019

However, the ad seems to have given a wrong message to some activists calling the ad emasculating towards the male section of the society, including TV presenter Piers Morgan.

Morgan took his frustration out on social media where he tweeted, Let boys be damn boys. Let men be damn men.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, who recently took on the Greggs vegan sausage roll and complained it was nothing just monstrosity, targeted Gillette this time stating that he has been using the companys razors during his entire adult life and he found the new ad to be absurd.

Morgan, on live TV, continued stating the ad tried calling all men evil. What Gillette is now saying, everything we told you to be, men, for the last 30 years is evil, he said in the interview by The Independent UK.

If we did this to women, if I did a commercial tomorrow that showed the worst of women, all hell would break loose he added. He ended the rant by labelling the ad repulsive and asked Gillette to shut up

Many male activists have come forward and showed their rage on social media calling the ad as anti-men.



Spare me your virtue signalling. I am NOT part of the problem. That ad IS offensive because the underlying message is that ALL men behave like this. WRONG!!

I & many others don't. It's caving in to the PC mentality that all men are at fault I object to. #Gillette

 Ronnie W (@Ekbalco) January 15, 2019

A Twitter user posted, Spare me your virtue signalling. I am NOT part of the problem. That ad IS offensive because the underlying message is that ALL men behave like this. WRONG!!Another user decided to boycott the brands products and tweeted, Trashing it! And purchased a new and better one for half the price and blades are also half the price. Im proud of my masculinity and Im not toxic. You ppl at @gillette are toxic and bigots. #boycottgillete .

@gillette @RationalMale Trashing it! And purchased a new and better one for half the price and blades are also half the price. Im proud of my masculinity and Im not toxic. You ppl at @gillette are toxic and bigots. #boycottgillete. pic.twitter.com/4GD0G0onIS RedPill_Dragon (@RedPill_Dragon) January 15, 2019

"Any wonder men are killing themselves in record numbers when we're constantly told how shit we are?" said another user.

Some men, however, supported the ad stating anyone who is saying the ad is emasculating is proving the whole point of the ad. Any man who thinks the Gillette #MeToo ad is emasculating is proving the point, one person tweeted.Amid the ongoing coronavirus global outbreak people are stuck at home and have been spending more of their lives online. According to the Global Web Index report, surveying around 6,76,000 internet users aged 16-64 across 46 markets, global internet users spent around 2 hours on an average on social media per day. In many of the markets that Global Web Index surveyed, social media use has shrunk in Q1 2020 when compared with 2019 and 2018. Emerging markets continue to spend the most time on social networks. In Japan, people spend only three quarters of an hour staying connected on social networks during a typical day while in Philippines people spend the most time engaging with social media, almost four hour a day. Lets take a look at the top countries where people devote most time on digital social sphere. (Image: Flickr)

Bala Murali Krishna

India has become the latest battleground for social media and Internet companies as the clock ticks on two regulatory measures that seek to fundamentally change the free platforms.

One issued by the information technology ministry will require Facebook and others to, among other things, proactively detect and delete within 24 hours any content impacting the sovereignty and integrity of India or even decency or morality.

It is part of a sweeping update to rules set in 2011. While its mandate is to the social media platforms, it impinges on the citizens right to free expression on a range of subjects, from the moral (promotion of tobacco or alcohol) to the political (criticism of the State). In its worst application, the law could conceivably be used to target a user for preferring one brand of beer over another in a Facebook post on, say, ones experience at a newly opened bar.

The rules drafted under provisions of the IT Act of 2000 are in public comment stage until January 31, and could become law soon after, with or without changes.

The social media companies say they will push back. Lobby groups representing Facebook and other companies have sought legal counsel and are said to be drafting objections. However, recent battles elsewhere in the world suggest the Internet giants, despite their obvious heft, are no match against the State.

In Vietnam, the tech majors could not stop an Internet law that, among other things, cracks down on political dissent from becoming effective this year. Within days, a battle has loomed, as the countrys communist government issued notices to Facebook for not removing some unidentified content. Facebook has yet to comply with the order or with the laws other provisions, such as opening an office in the country or storing the data of Vietnamese users within the country.

In Australia, the tech groups fought a much stronger battle but couldnt stop a deeply flawed anti-encryption bill from being passed last month. Even the opposition Labor Party voted for the bill, withdrawing 170 amendments it initially sought.

That law still can be invoked only to fight terrorism and for law enforcement, and will additionally enjoy parliamentary oversight in its first year. In comparison, Indias proposed rules are harsher, and could be used to stifle political, religious, sexual and intellectual views.

While many Internet and rights groups in India have expressed their opposition to the proposed rules, political parties have barely protested. The lack of political opposition is troubling in a democracy, but understandable given the track record of most parties in upholding freedom of speech. Parties across the political spectrum routinely crack down on dissent on Facebook, or shut down offline events with impunity.

Consequently, the more likely outcome of the battle is a form of conciliation, or perhaps stalemate. Facebook, Google and Twitter, for example, could justifiably claim an inability to proactively detect and identify objectionable content.

Facebooks losing battle against fake news is a glowing example that current machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities are ineffective in policing varied, indeterminate and highly subjective content with any accuracy. It remains to be seen how the Internet platforms respond to requests for taking down content or user accounts, or identifying real users.

In any case, any threat will likely not be immediate and the Internet giants may have judicial recourse in some instances. Also, in most of Facebooks existence, Indian authorities have never officially sought the social network to take down any content. Obviously, that could quickly change given the new law.

The second threat to Internet freedoms might look more dire because it could threaten WhatsApp, the messaging platform Indians have taken to like duck to water. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has sought views from industry and public on whether or not the so-called Over the Top (OTT), operators should be regulated.

Published industry comments reflect a sharp divide. While telecom companies seek parity with the messaging platforms via uniform licensing terms, Internet groups and the software lobby Nasscom oppose any form of regulation because it could stifle innovation.

The TRAI is to report its findings and views to the telecom department, which will have the final say. It is conceivable that encrypted messaging platforms  WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram  could be ordered to decode messages and identify users. If that were to happen, the messaging apps have a clear choice: break end-to-end encryption that protects all the data and the users from being identified, or face a likely ban, as Russia has done with Telegram.

Would Facebook-owned WhatsApp walk away from its largest market? Or indeed Twitter or Google? More likely, all the Internet giants will hang on and heed what an Indian official reportedly told a tech executive: It's a monster you have created, now go find a solution.

Bala Murali Krishna works for a New York-based startup. Views are personal.

For more Opinion pieces, click here.Source: PTI

Commenting on the Supreme Court verdict paving the way for reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena said on Thursday that the government failed to make the law regulating dance bars foolproof.

Senior Sena leader Anil Parab said it was unfortunate that the apex court did not uphold the Bombay High Court's ruling, as the objective behind the 2016 law was noble.

Sena is a partner in the BJP-led government in the state.

"Why did the SC make amendments to provisions of the law? Was it because these provisions were unconstitutional or because we (the state government) did not present our side effectively?" asked Parab, a member of the state legislative council.

When the dance bar bill was placed before the state legislature, the Sena had made it clear that it should stand judicial scrutiny, Parab said.

"Not making the bill foolproof is a failure of the government," he added.

Interestingly, while Parab found fault with the government, Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe slammed Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik for his claim that there was a nexus between the government and the dance bar owners.

Representatives of all the parties were present when the draft of the bill was being prepared, she said.

"Three meetings were conducted and (NCP leaders) Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde were present. How can the NCP now make such absurd allegations when they were part of the law-making process?" she asked. Malik, NCP's national spokesperson, had alleged that "a nexus of BJP leaders, the chief minister and bar owners' association" was responsible for the government losing the case in the Supreme Court.

Stating that there can be a regulation but not a total prohibition, the Supreme Court Thursday set aside certain provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on dance bars.

The court quashed some provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, such as mandatory installation of CCTV cameras.Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan is set to play an important role in Congress' election campaigning for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A detailed report authored by Rajan on the employment situation of the country will be included in the party's election manifesto, the 'Vision Document', as per a report in Navbharat Times .

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Rajan and the Modi government had often been on the opposite sides of many economic policy issues during the former's term at the central bank. He was also vocal about the government's demonetisation exercise.

It is not yet clear whether this indicates Rajan's entry into politics in the future through the Congress Party. However, Congress will use this report as an ammunition to attack PM Modi and his employment generation claims.

It has been pointed out by his critics that Rajan had been relatively silent regarding the UPA government's policies but openly critical of the NDA government.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be addressing meetings across India in the coming months in which he will target the Modi establishment mainly on his job creation policies. P Chidambaram, Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor and veteran Congress leader Sam Pitroda are framing the party's election manifesto.US awaits concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons that threaten America and other countries in the region, Vice President Mike Pence has said.

Pence's statement comes during his address to the global chief of mission conference on January 16 and gains significance as the White House is preparing another summit between President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two leaders have recently exchanged letters.

Kim and Trump held a historic meeting in Singapore on June 12 last year where they issued a vague goal for the "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur.

Pence said that the US awaits North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons.

"While the president has started a promising dialogue with Chairman Kim, we still await concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle the nuclear weapons that threaten our people and our allies in the region," Pence said.

In his address, Pence also said that Russia seeks to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century.

"Unlike the Soviet Union and its many client states, no shared ideology or objective unites our competitors and adversaries except this one. They seek to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century," he said.

"Truthfully, it is a pact surrounding what they perceive to be a common enemy, but the truth is the US will rise to that challenge, we will stand with our allies and we will advance our values and our principles in the world," Pence added.

Targeting Iran, Pence said that President Trump is standing up to the Iranian regime which is making the west Asian nation change its ways.

"And as we stand today, Iran is now under unprecedented pressure to change its ways," he said.Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said that the BJP-led government in the state would not support the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill unless there was a provision for protecting the indigenous people of the northeast.

Singh also stressed that his government would want President's assent to Manipur People's (Protection) Bill, 2018 before passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The Manipur People's (Protection) Bill, passed unanimously by the Assembly last July, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meiteis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951.

The rest, categorised as "non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law.

"Unless there is a provision for protecting the indigenous people of Manipur as well as the other northeast states, the state government would not support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill," the chief minister said after inaugurating several development projects in Chandel district on Wednesday.

He had earlier sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking President's nod for Manipur Peoples' (Protection) Bill.

"The stand of the Manipur government is very clear. Before the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the President should give his assent to the Manipur People's Bill," he asserted.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha last week, provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley referred the opposition as "compulsive contrarians", and lashed out at the critics for having the habit of manufacturing falsehood.

In a blog post, the Finance Minister without mentioning Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress-led opposition has adopted double standards whenever it suited them.

Free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of democracy, but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not, Jaitley said.

He also slammed the opposition, as he referred to them as compulsive contrarians, stating that their sole objective was to oppose anything that was done by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

He also spoke about the four judges  Justices Kurian Joseph, J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi and Madan Lokur who held a press conference and accused that the top court was not in order.

Jaitley slammed the judges stating that the press conference held by them damaged the judiciary more than envisaged.

He said that there are extra-adventurist lawyers practising in the top court who try to over-awe the court and even threaten to walk out of cases.

He also wrote about the judges who carry out impeachment motions and make public comments on judges. Such comments on judges get them involved in public conduct, which makes it difficult for them to exercise jurisdiction. Jaitley cited that the last Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra was attacked by these compulsive contrarians.

Jaitley also wrote about a newspaper without naming it that has been writing about Collegium proceedings and conversations in the past two years.BJP leader Ram Madhav

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday termed the proposed 'Grand Alliance' of the opposition parties as a "non-starter".

"The maha gat bandhan (grand alliance) has fallen flat. It is a non-starter. Delhi and Odisha chief Ministers said they have nothing to do with Congress. The two big political parties in Uttar Pradesh said Congress no entry," he told a press conference here.

"There is utter chaos and confusion in the name of grand alliance, Yet efforts are on by them to create an illusion in the minds of the people that through a kind of a grand alliance they can defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

The BJP general secretary said "We have vision, have the capacity to give a stable government. On the other hand the opposition has no vision, or the capacity and commitment to give a stable government."

Madhav claimed that the BJP will come back with a greater majority together with NDA allies will form another strong and stable government to take forward the development agenda of Modi's vision for new India.

"Look at our opposition on the other hand. There is no opposition. ... no leader in the country to match Modi's leadership, popularity, his vision. Their alliance is without any visions, programmes, without any ideas or ideologies. They have only a single point agenda stop Modi," he said.Amit Shah_BJP

Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad Thursday mocked the health condition of BJP president Amit Shah, saying he contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

The remark by Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha MP and Congress general secretary, sparked an angry reaction from the BJP with the party's Karnataka unit calling him a "rogue" and described his remarks as "shameless" that showed his party's "culture" and his "mental stability".

The BJP also requested Congress President Rahul Gandhi to admit Hariprasad to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences(NIMHANS) in Bengaluru for treatment.

"As a few legislators have already come back, Amit Shah is shaken and has got fever. It is not a normal fever. It is swine flu," Hariprasad said in remarks made in Kannada in Bengaluru.

"You should know that if you try to destabilise the Karnataka government, not just swine flu, you will get vomiting and dysentery also," he added.

Shah was Wednesday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for swine flu treatment.

"I have been diagnosed with swine flu for which the treatment is underway.

"With God's grace and good wishes from all of you, I will recover soon," Shah had tweeted in Hindi.

According to BJP's media head Anil Baluni, Shah is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two.

Hariprasad made the remarks at a party protest against the alleged attempt by the BJP to dislodge the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka by allegedly luring the ruling coalition MLAs.

"Congress MP & AICC General Secretary BK Hariprasad mocking at health condition of Sri @AmitShah ji shows his mental stability," the Karnataka BJP said in a tweet.

"This rogue needs to learn human values & is unfit to live in a civilised society. We request @RahulGandhi to admit him to NIMHANS to get some treatment," it added.

BJP state General Secretary and MLA Arvind Limbavali blamed the Congress and its "culture" for Hariprasad's comments.

"Congress & it's culture. This Congress MP definitely needs some education & before that he needs to learn some human values. Most importantly he needs to get his mental stability checked. Anyway I hope BK Hariprasad recovers from his mental illness & start behaving civilized," Limbavali said in a tweet.

Another BJP leader and Member of Parliament from Bengaluru North P C Mohan tweeted, "Senior Congressman BK Hariprasad's comments about Shri Amit Shah health condition are uncivilised, shameless and a reflection of disturbed state of mind. Get well soon, Hariprasad."

The Congress Wednesday claimed that the operation by the BJP was a "flop", as as few MLAs who had allegedly gone incommunicado and were in Mumbai had showed up with its leaders.

Both the Congress-JDS combine and the BJP have been trading charges of horse trading against each other, ever since the political drama unfolded on Monday.Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday slammed critics of the NDA government for manufacturing lies against the Modi government. He said there is a new class of compulsive contrarians who think this government could do no good.

In his blog post, Jaitley spoke on the CBI issue stating that the contrarians have chosen to side with the questionable who are questioning Alok Vermas dismissal.

He also said that the opposition launched an attack on the PM for allowing an investigation against the CBI chief. He stated that it is the central government's responsibility to ensure the 'cleaning-up of investigative agencies' when there are questions raised on their accountability and integrity.

Jaitley said, The Government was only concerned with their accountability and integrity. The Contrarians chose to side with the questionable. Autonomy is always a great sounding idea. In the absence of accountability, an investigating agency can become a monstrosity.

The FM stated that the selection committee had only one question in place  was there enough material available to transfer the CBI chief? The panel headed by Prime Minister Modi found that the CVC report had enough findings and accordingly the action was taken.

Jaitley also wrote about Justice Sikri being targeted by the opposition for baseless reasons and accusations. The FM criticised Mallikarjun Kharge from Congress stating he sided by Alok Verma in spite of enough findings in the CVC report.

Kharge went on to file a petition in Supreme Court against the dismissal of Verma claiming he was an honest man and was wrongly removed from his post as the CBI chief. Jaitley said Kharge was biased and slammed him for accusing Sikri, one of the most honourable Judges for conflict of interest.Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court yesterday fined Shanghai Kuailu Investment Goup1.5 billion yuan (US$221.8 million) for fraudulently raising funds.

Two other companies involved in the case  which the court saidcost investors 15.2 billion yuan  were fined 200 million yuan each and 15 executives were jailed, two of them for life.

The two other companies were East Hongqiao Small-Sum Credit Co, a joint venture mainly sponsored by Kuailu, and East Hongqiao Bonding Co, also closely linked to Kuailu.

Huang Jialiu, chairman of East Hongqiao Bonding, and Wei Yanping, former chairman of Kuailu Investment, were jailed for life.

Xu Qi, former chairman of Kuailu Investment, was fined and sentenced to 13 years in prison and fined, and another 12 defendants were fined and jailed for up to 15 years.

Between March 2014 and April 2016, East Hongqiao Small-Sum Credit Co fabricated large amounts of evidence of indebtedness, and East Hongqiao Bonding Co posted guarantees at Kuailu's request, prosecutors said.

Kuailu and its affiliates, without any regulatory permit or registration, lured investors with high returns and illegally collected more than 43.4 billion yuan from the public  only about 28.2 billion yuan of which was used to pay back the principal and interest to earlier investors.

The authorities are continuing their investigations and hunting other executives who are still at large.



Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav arrives at his official residence which authorities wanted to vacate, in Patna, Wednesday, December 5, 2018. Patna district authorities cancelled the move to get Yadav's bungalow vacated till further order after his lawyer met them and apprised them about a writ filed in Patna High Court. (PTI Photo) (PTI12_5_2018_000062B)

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for attributing his exit from the Grand Alliance on the inability of Congress president Rahul Gandhi to take a stand on corruption.

"No one in Indian politics matches the standards of Nitish Kumar ji. He is not only politically, morally or socially scandalous, but 'Bhishma Pitamah' of moral corruption. You will never find him accepting his blunders. He blames partners as well as opponents for his mistakes," Yadav, whose party lost power on account of Kumar's exit, tweeted.

At an event organised by a private news channel here on Tuesday night, the chief minister had accused Gandhi of not taking a stand when his state government was rocked by corruption allegations against Yadav, who was then the deputy chief minister.

Kumar had alleged that Gandhi balked at issuing even a statement, which could have compelled him to have second thoughts about leaving the Grand Alliance of his Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, and returning to the NDA.

Congress leaders have, so far, remained tight-lipped on the claim by Kumar, who had also alleged that the RJD , despite being an old ally, was averse to give more seats to the Congress in the 2015 assembly polls and it was at the insistence of the JD(U) that it got 40 and ended up winning 28 its best ever performance in the 243-member house.

The younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, also took potshots at Kumar for his claim that BJP chief Amit Shah had asked him "twice" to induct former poll strategist Prashant Kishor into the JDU.

The chief minister, who also heads the JDU, had made the claim while dismissing speculations that Kishor, who joined the party in September and was elevated to the post of national vice-president within few weeks, could be his political successor.

"Finally Nitish Kumar admits that JDU is advanced version of BJP (and) therefore he is giving all important organisational posts except him(self) to the people chosen by Sh Amit Shah," Yadav remarked sarcastically in an earlier tweet.

"Hope now you understand why mob lynchings and state sponsored crimes have become a routine practice in Bihar," he added.

Since his return to the NDA, Kumar has been drawing flak from the RJD-Congress combine for allegedly compromising on his stand against communalism, which had led him to snap his 17-year-old ties with the BJP in 2013, soon after the party announced the then Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, as the chief of its committee for the Lok Sabha poll campaign.Source: PTI

Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil on January 16 said the Supreme Court is unlikely to overturn the Bombay High Court's verdict on the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial project in the Arabian Sea here.

Speaking to reporters at Mantralaya (secretariat), he refuted BJP MLC Vinayak Mete's claims that officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) were to be blamed for the apex court's stay on construction work of the project.

"The Bombay High Court gave a verdict in our favour and petitioners' case did not hold merit because of the ground work of PWD officials," said the revenue minister.

The BJP minister said the HC had observed that the state government had secured all the necessary permissions and clearances before going ahead with the project and therefore turned down the plea of the Conservation Action Trust (CAT).

The trust had requested the HC to to scrap the project on the ground the state government had not taken proper environmental clearances for it.

"There was no failure on our part on arguing our case before the SC. Once a petition is rejected by the HC, petitioner has the right to approach the SC.

"The apex court, while listing the matter for next hearing, had ordered a stay on the construction work while stating that it will have to examine the matter," Patil said.

"Instances of SC overturning HC's orders are very rare. In this case also, the apex court will not take a contrarian view," he said.

The SC on January 16 sought responses from the Centre and the Maharashtra government on a plea challenging the Bombay HC order which had refused to restrain authorities from taking steps regarding the proposed project.

Advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar, who appeared for Maharashtra, said that while issuing notice on the plea, the bench orally told him to ask the authorities not to proceed with construction activity.

Meanwhile, Patil pleaded ignorance when asked about the role of state party leaders in the alleged attempts being made by the BJP to topple the JDS-Congress in Karnataka.

Patil claimed for the past two days, he has been in his office in Mantralaya and hardly moved out.

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, who was closeted in a close-door meeting with Patil, also declined to comment on the political developments in the neighbouring state.Representative image

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A consortium of banks led by State Bank of India has agreed to provide finance for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' pet Nagpur-Mumbai 'Samruddhi Corridor' expressway project, a top official said on Wednesday.

SBI has agreed to lend the highest amount, Rs 8,500 crore, said Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary in the Chief Minister's Office.

"Other lenders include Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra as well as the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India," he said.

The estimated cost of the project, being constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, is around Rs 50,000 crore, of which around Rs 26,000 crore are required for the construction of the expressway.

"We were falling short of Rs 3,000-4,000 crore to reach the target of Rs 26,000 crore. The consortium of banks has agreed to share that shortfall too. It has solved the major issue of financial support," Gagrani said.

He added that banks believe in the financial viability of the project. Almost 95 per cent of the land acquisition is complete, Gagrani added.

Acquisition in some stretches in Amravati and Aurangabad regions is yet to be done.

The corridor will have 25 toll plazas, and the toll will be collected for 40 years.The Netherlands said on Thursday it is signing 10 MoUs at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit starting on Friday with focus on sectors like smart city and waste management, healthcare and agricultural cooperation.

The European country is being represented by a delegation, which has more than 100 members, at the three-day business conclave being held at Gandhinagar.

The delegation, led by Netherlands' Minister of Finance for Taxation and Customs, Menno Snel, consists of representatives from 45 companies, three trade associations and government agencies.

"We met Chief Minister Mr (Vijay) Rupani...We have 45 companies, out of which 10 are signing MoUs. Our delegations have been growing.

Lots of MoUs are on strategic cooperation," Snel told reporters here Thursday.

Out of 10 MoUs, five were signed Thursday and the rest will be inked during the summit, he said.

The MoUs deal with mobility management, waste-to- energy conversion, delivery system in diagnostics, saline farming, and protected cultivation of horticultural crops.

A Dutch company, Pal-V, which makes flying cars, is also participating in the summit.

Pal-V plans to deliver its first vehicles, which will have seating capacity for two persons, to customers in Europe by 2019 or early 2020.

"We think India has a good opportunity for our client base...we are planning discussions about some regulations for India as well as governmental use.

"We are also looking to develop in the Indian market," said the company's CEO, Robert Dingemanse.

"We are having discussions at governmental and private sector-level for cooperation to develop markets and investigate possibilities to supply parts (from here) to our company," he said.

As part of the Smart City project, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation will sign an MoU with Dutch company ARS T and TT with an aim to explore potential collaboration based on technical expertise and vast experience of the company in traffic and transport area.

Netherlands' AWECT will sign an MoU with the VMC to set up a high-efficient waste and energy plant in Vadodara.

Dutch company Philips will sign an MoU with the state government in healthcare delivery system with the company willing to set up a radiology and cardiology centres in every district for Gujarat.Representative Image

Two former students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who were members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during the infamous February 09, 2016 event, have claimed that the student outfit had planned the controversy to divert the attention from Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide.

JNU ABVP units former vice president Jatin Goraiya and former joint secretary Pradeep Narwal have claimed at a press conference that the students seen raising slogans of Pakistan Zindabad in the purported video were actually ABVP members or supporters.

The duo had resigned from the student wing affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in February 2016 citing ideological differences.

At the time, I remember Jatin and I, since we were Dalits, were told repeatedly to appear for TV interviews and defend ABVP after Vemulas suicide, which we refused to do since they kept referring to him as a terrorist. With the February 9 event, they saw an opportunity to divert attention, The Indian Express has quoted Narwal as saying.

Read Also: All you need to know about the JNU sedition row

Goriaya has alleged that before the February 9 incident, members of the JNU ABVP wing discussed how to blow up the incident on their WhatsApp group.

"The Rohith Vemula movement had put the ruling party on the backfoot and the entire JNU row was orchestrated by the ABVP to gain attention. Hashtags like #ShutdownJNU were started on social media to divert attention. It was planned by the BJP, RSS and ABVP," he added.

Meanwhile, former ABVP member Saurabh Sharma told PTI, "They are siding with the Congress that has supported the accused. These are political moves to divert the issue. The matter is sub-judice and we are hopeful the truth will come out in the next few days."

On February 9, 2016, a group of students, at the behest of the then Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President Kanhaiya Kumar, had organised an event on the college campus to commemorate Afzal Gurus third death anniversary. Guru, a 2001 Parliament attack convict was hanged to death in 2013.West Bengal Environment minister Suvendu Adhikary Wednesday said construction firms and agencies have been asked to cover construction areas to prevent dust particles from spreading in the air in the city and surrounding areas.

The dust generated during construction of buildings was the principal reason for particulate matter hanging on air during November to March, he said.

Adhikary told a press meet that only three parameters of environment - PM 10 (particulate matter), PM 2.5 (particulate matter) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) - remained non-compliant while nine other parameters were compliant in the city and surrounding areas.

The nine compliant parameters included SO2, Ozone, CO, Ammonia, Benzene, Lead, Arsenic and Nickel, he said.

The minister said a three-pronged action plan has been launched to address the issue.

As the first step the department, in collaboration with West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), would monitor the construction activity of buildings and roads and ask for wrapping the construction areas/buildings with geo-textile fabric, install dust barriers which will be appropriate for the location, he said.

At a meeting earlier in the day between the body of private real estate firms CREDAI, HRBC and the minister and Environment officials, the firms were asked to apply water prior to levelling of earth or any other earth moving activity to keep the soil moist throughout the process.

"We are committed in ensuring a 100 per cent clean environment and you will see the three non-compliant environment parameters also coming to favourable situations by 2019 November," Adhikary said stressing environment pollution was not so alarming as being projected in certain quarters.

As part of the second step, to curb vehicular pollution 15-year old commercial vehicles were being totally stopped from entering the city from January 8, 2019 following a transport department circular issued on December 31, 2018, the minister said.

As part of the third step, the Kolkata Police in a circular prevented burning of firewood, tyre, straw and ten teams were constituted forming members of KP, PCB to undertake continuous raids in different parts of the city, he said.

"As part of our aim to stop waste burning and solid burning, we have formed the teams which will undertake raids in different zones. But we will provide the people, associated with small roadside business, incentives so that they can start business with alternative resources," he said.

Adhikary said the government has also stopped waste burning at one point of Dhapa dumping ground and burning of waste at the other point will also be stopped soon, to stop accumulation of particulate matter in air.

He said all the three action plan will fall in place by March 31 this year and the "results will be seen by next winter as we will act on war footing."

The minister said the department will install 10 devices which will suck dust particles at ten points of the city and five more automated air monitoring stations across the city by March 31. There are presently two automated monitoring stations at Victoria Memorial and Rabindra Bharati University, B T Road.Mumbaikars may soon find relief as the BEST workers have called off the strike and accepted the '10-step' pay hike, granted as an interim measure by the civic transport Undertaking's management.

The move by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking union comes after the Bombay High Court directed the union to take a final call on the strike that ended on January 16.

As BEST has agreed to implement the "10-step increment" for its employees with effect from January this year, let's take a look at the Undertaking's state of finance.

Read  BEST union to withdraw stir, accepts 10-step pay hike formula

BEST transport, which has been reeling under pressure over rising debt, is estimated to report a deficit of Rs 844 crore in FY20, as per the revised estimates on the BEST Undertaking website.

BEST's overall deficit is estimated to be Rs 720 crore as per the revised budget estimate for FY20. The deficit is solely due to the debt and expenses under its transport arm as its other arm, which deals with electric supply, is estimated to report a surplus of Rs 124 crore for the next fiscal.

Source: BEST Undertaking website.

The move to implement the "10-step increment" for its employees may further swell the losses of BEST Undertaking.

As per the BEST workers' union and BMC's previous submissions in court, a 'one-step' increase in pay for a BEST worker amounts to around Rs 330 per month.

Rough estimates suggest that if BEST implements 'one-step' increase in pay for 32,000 workers, it would incur a loss of Rs 12.67 crore annually. The undertaking is said to have incurred a loss of over Rs 20 crore due to the workers' strike.

The cash-strapped organisation is said to have told a panel submitting a status report on the strike that meeting the striking workers' demand would only add to their existing financial mess.

BEST said it may also have to hike fares by about Rs 4 to make up for the losses and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) may have to source additional revenue from its reserves if their budgets are merged, according to a report by The Hindu.

Also Read  Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray promises merger of BEST, BMC buses

The BEST workers were on strike since January 8 to January 16 over various demands that include a pay hike, a revision in the pay scale of junior level employees and the merger of BEST's budget with that of the BMC.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has said his party will fulfill its promise to merge the budget of the transport undertaking with that of the BMC. The party has a majority in the BMC and is a key ally in the BJP-led coalition that heads the Maharashtra government.

BEST may, however, will have to deal with the issue of falling ridership to reduce its losses. The buses' patronage has reduced to 25 lakh from 45 lakh passengers a day in the last six years, according to a report by The Wire.

The BEST union and its management agreed to have retired High Court justice F I Rebello as the mediator. Rebello will look into these issues over the next three months and bring about conciliation.

The BEST has a fleet of over 3,200 buses providing services across the metropolis including Navi Mumbai, and the neighbouring Thane district.Uber Technologies said it is experimenting with intra-city buses, quadricycles and electric scooters and auto-rickshaws in India, reports Business Standard.

The shift coincides with its expansion plan to grow its presence to 50 cities from the current 36 by December-end.

Pradeep Parameswaran, President  India & South Asia, Uber, told the newspaper the company will add capacity only if there is demand to absorb it.

Why we had not gone to many of the cities earlier was because we had limited relevance there. But now we have a diversified portfolio. We will bring about multi-modal transportation options.

In Trichy, the company offers only auto-rickshaws and no cars, he said, adding that he expects to have more auto-rickshaw riders than cars in Sri Lanka.

The company plans to pilot electric two- and three-wheelers in India, the report said. Globally, the rid-sharing service provider has discovered that one out of four riders, who hire a non-electric two-wheeler, are women. This is prompting it to study the possibility of bring Jump, a two-wheeler EV manufacturer, to India, the report added.

It is also testing extending intra-city bus services to inter-city services (similar to that launched in Egypt and Mexico) in places where cars are only available, the report said.

We are exploring high capacity 12 or 30-40 seater vehicles. Some of the routes will be fixed but for others we will use technology to have variable routes based on demand," Parameswaran said.So I was online looking to buy some medicines, because I couldnt be bothered to actually step out at 10pm to get a strip of Dolo. Weve all been there, havent we? And it turns out you can buy medicines of certain kinds online but you get them only on a few websites, and, in most places, the delivery wont be done overnight. So I suppose Ill have to go make friends with the pharmacy guy again.

But my search also brought up two interesting headlines. The first read, Madras High Court bans online sales of medicines. And the second said, Madras High Court stays ban on online sale of medicine. Talk about confusing. So I had to dig deeper into the subject. Can we, or can we not, buy a Dolo online? Lets find out.

Indias pharma industry

Indias pharma industry is nowhere near the size of, say, American style Big Pharma, but it certainly is expanding fast. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, Indias pharmaceutical sector was valued at $33 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 percent over 201520 to reach $55 billion. In comparison, Americas pharma industry was worth $446 billion in 2016. Thats around 45 percent of the global pharmaceutical market. So, our pharma industry is less than a tenth of the value of its US counterpart.

Online medicine delivery startups, such as PharmEasy, 1MG, Netmeds and LifCare, are raising large sums of capital and putting pressure on their peers to either keep raising cash or sell out.

PharmEasy raised more than $50 million in two tranches, while 1MG was said to be in talks to close a $60-80 million deal. According to Mint, Netmeds, which recently secured $35 million, is in talks with investors to raise more funds. LifCare raised around $11 million in last July.

Why are investors bullish on a sector thats so over-regulated in India? Because the union health ministry in September issued draft rules on the sale of drugs through e-pharmacies.

We live in times when Indias government and judiciary do not get along. Another sign of that - the Delhi high court ordered a ban on the sale of online medicines by e-pharmacies, making it a risky investment. Prior to that, in October, the Madras High Court granted an interim injunction announcing a ban on the online sale of medicines, albeit temporary. Later, in December, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana of the Madras High Court passed an order staying that injunction, effectively banning online sale of medicines by e-pharmacies till the Centre notifies the final rules bringing e-pharmacies into the ambit of regulation. A few weeks later, on January 2, 2019, following an appeal filed by e-pharmacy companies, a Division Bench of the Madras High Court issued a stay order on the ban.

A tale of two verdicts

The story goes back to September 2018. The Union Health Ministry released a notification according to which e-pharmacies will be given a set of regulations including data localisation and other sets of rules regarding registration. The draft rules also required online pharmacies to register with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Indias primary drug regulator and central licensing authority, and obtain a trade licence.

The response was immediate. The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists opposed the governments decision of e-pharmacy regulation and called in a day-long nationwide strike on September 27.

That brings us to the October 2018 verdict in Chennai. Chennai-based Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association filed a plea seeking a direction to authorities concerned to block links of websites that are selling medicines online. They claimed that while online shopping might be convenient to consumers, purchasing medicines from unlicensed online stores can be risky as they may sell fake, expired, contaminated, unapproved drugs or otherwise unsafe products that are dangerous to patients and which might put their health at risk. They also said that the laws for pharmacies in India are derived from Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Drugs and Cosmetics Rule, 1945 and Pharmacy Act, 1948 - laws that were written prior to the arrival of computers. They claimed India has no concrete laws defined for the online sale of medicines. Though various amendments have been made to the Act no provision has been made to utilise information technology for the sale of medicines online.

After their submission, Justice R Mahadevan granted interim injunction announcing a ban on the online sale of medicines till November 9. The court also directed the Centre to file its counterpoint.

Now, speaking about the centre, in 2017, the government issued a draft of the Drugs (Sale and Distribution) Rules 2017, aiming to remove ambiguity on regulations to facilitate the sale of drugs online. As per the draft which finally made an appearance in March 2018, no one can operate an online pharmacy without registering with the Central Licensing Authority. Also, the supply of drugs by an online pharmacy will be regulated. The next month, in April, the CDSCO was reportedly considering regulations for online pharmacies in order to increase consumer trust in such platforms.

Online pharmacies were in agreement with such a move. Dharmil Sheth, co-founder of PharmEasy, said, The Act applies to all players, whether online or offline, and any player found selling prescription medicines without prescriptions or without registered pharmacists dispensing from licensed premises, whether online or offline, should be checked by the regulator. Prima Facie, this should not affect members of DHP: however we can offer a full response once we see the final order. Prashant Tandon, founder and CEO of 1MG said that all the members of digital health platforms are high-quality players who operate in full compliance with these requirements, and that they welcomed any move towards identifying and taking action against those who were violating the Act.

In December, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana of the Madras High Court directed the centre to notify rules related to the online sale of drugs and medicines by 31 January and ordered a ban on the online sales till then.

Around the same time, the Delhi High Court passed a similar order. Zaheer Ahmed, a New Delhi-based dermatologist, had filed a PIL about the lack of regulation over the lakhs of medicines sold on the internet daily, claiming that it put patients and doctors at risk. Ahmed submitted that selling medicines online is not allowed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Pharmacy Act, 1948. Sound familiar? The dermatologist said the Drug Controller General of India had, in 2015, instructed state authorities to curb sales of medicines online in order to protect public health, but the practice continued.

In some cases, he added, medicines were sold without prescriptions. The gist of Ahmeds PIL was, and I quote this verbatim, Unlike common items, drugs are highly potent and its misuse or abuse can have serious consequences on human health, not just for the person consuming it but for humanity at large as some drugs can be addictive, habit-forming and harmful to the body. A large number of children/minors or people from uneducated rural backgrounds use the internet and can be victims of wrong medication while ordering medicines online. Ahmed also accused the government of not doing enough about the situation and claimed many online pharmacies were functioning without proper licences.

After hearing Mr Ahmeds petition, Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao of the Delhi High Court ordered a ban on the sale of medicines online by e-pharmacists across India and directed the Delhi government as well as the centre to put the order into effect immediately.

Stemming the tide, or a spanner in the works?

The court orders were a blow to an industry expected to grow by leaps and bounds. One Moneycontrol report said that, according to Frost & Sullivan, Indias online pharmacy market market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 63 percent to touch Rs 25,000 crore by 2022. The report claims online sale of medicines could account for 15-20 percent of total pharmaceutical sales over the next 10 years.

It said the governments Digital India initiative, a push for e-healthcare in the country and insurance schemes like Ayushman Bharat will support the sector. Stable economic growth in India translates to more disposable income, improved health infrastructure and diverse healthcare finance options.

However, there is also a high disease burden and all these factors together could drive growth in this sector. Frost & Sullivan also added that India's organised pharma retail market is valued at Rs 1.3 lakh crore and is the third-largest in terms of volume globally.

So it does seem like the e-pharma industry created a more competitive environment for the retail pharmaceutical industry. Further, the retail players also face rising pressure on price controls and poor inventory management.

Vimal Monga, finance secretary at Indian Medical Association, said, Proper guidelines should be drafted and notified to check the number of medicines sold online. Buying medicines online is a health risk. Drugs with similar names might confuse consumers as well as sellers...without properly verified prescriptions, more problems will emerge. There are 19 lakh pharmacies in the country and 50 lakh families are dependent on the people who work in these shops. The online pharmacies are commercial and want to make money, so obviously there wont be proper monitoring involved. Indian Medical Association is happy with the decision of the high court. Although this might affect the drug market as our industry is not ripe enough to cope with sudden changes. A couple of hints about a turf war there?

Down To Earth magazine reported that according to an India E-pharmacy market Opportunity Outlook 2024 report, currently, the country has over 8,50,000 independent pharmacy retail stores which are able to meet only 60 percent of total demand. Such retail pharmacies are responsible for 99 percent of the pharmaceutical sales annually, with online pharmacy contributing only one percent of total sales.

Incidentally, the three-day 70th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress was also held in late December in the national capital. And the issue of online pharmacies was addressed there as well. According to Express Pharma, Atul Nasa, Head of Office/ Controlling Authority, Drugs Control Department, Delhi, said, The coming months will see stricter implementation of quality standards and increased awareness of the risks of online pharmacy. OTC drugs need greater regulation to prevent unmonitored use and abuse.

India is not alone in expressing concern regarding online pharmacies. Many countries have taken action to regulate and monitor online pharmacies. As per data from China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), around 991 companies obtained Internet Medicine Trading Service Qualification in March 2018. The National Health Commission (NHC) and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) put in place rules for internet-based medical services and telemedicine. These rules specify the need for proper registration, licensing and monitoring of such services. Portugal claims that under their monitoring system there has been a decrease in deaths caused due to purchase of wrong drugs and medicines.

A rethink?

On December 20, 2018, just days before the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, a division bench of the Madras High Court suspended the ban on the sale of online medicines after e-pharmacy companies filed an appeal requesting a stay on the courts earlier order. That stay came as a much needed respite for e-pharmacies who were reeling from the double whammy of the Delhi and Madras High Courts orders.

Pradeep Dadha, Founder and CEO, Netmeds, said, We are extremely happy with the Madras High Court order suspending the ban...This ruling validates our commitment of providing affordable and accessible medicines to customers across the country. As a fully licensed pharmacy, Netmeds.com is committed to adhering to all the guidelines and standards as prescribed under the Drugs and Cosmetic Act of 1940.

He also told The Economic Times, ...the bench recognized that mechanisms are in place to prevent any real abuse of process by the online pharma sector. One of the most pertinent observations made was that the Central Government is not opposed to online pharmacies, and is actively putting in place systems for regulating the sales.

However, it was something of a mixed day for online pharmacies in India. On the very same day, a division bench of the Delhi High Court led by its Chief Justice, Justice Rajendra Menon, extended its interim order banning the online sale of medicines through e-pharmacies till January 8.

The HC has now listed the online sale of drugs/medicines matter for further hearing on March 25, 2019. Nakul Mohta, who had filed the petition behalf of Dr Ahmed in the Delhi Court, told the media, Our petition is primarily against the government. We are not targeting e-pharma companies. The petition has been filed by a doctor and we are saying that the government will have to ensure that medicine must not be sold through unregulated channels. Currently, it is not permissible in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and allied Acts to sell drugs online. Its a criminal offence.

It does look like a protracted legal battle has begun involving e-pharmacy companies, doctors, retail pharmaceutical groups and the government. This issue can be resolved if the government reviews and passes the draft regulations for e-pharmacy companies. The ball is now in the governments court.

In the meantime, you can buy that Dolo. Itll reach you eventually...I guess?Agricultural distress and joblessness are not new issues in India, but they often hog the limelight prior to elections. This year is no different. After toying with several policies ranging from farm loan waiver to hiking minimum support prices (MSP) for farm produce and reservation for the not so well off among higher castes, the government seems to be running out of piecemeal alternatives. It now needs to do something more radical if it is serious about 'wiping every tear from every eye'.

Universal Basic Income (UBI) sounds appealing in this context. It is premised on the idea that a just society needs to guarantee each individual a minimum income, which they can count on and one provides the necessary material foundation for a life with access to basic goods and dignity.

A UBI, like many rights, is unconditional and universal  it requires that every person should have a right to basic income to cover their needs, just by virtue of being citizens. In a country like India, UBI can be pegged at a relatively low level of income but can yield decent welfare gains.

UBI has three components: universality, unconditionality and agency. The proponents of UBI argue that poverty and vulnerability of the poor can be tackled very swiftly with this cash transfer programme. The poor in India have been treated as objects with in-kind transfers. An unconditional cash transfer treats them as agents and entrusts them the responsibility of using welfare spending as they see best.

Since all individuals are targeted, the exclusion error (the real poor being left out) is zero. The income floor provides a safety net against health, income and other shocks, and imparts psychological benefits as a guaranteed income reduces the pressure of finding basic living on a daily basis.

The payment transfer will encourage greater use of bank accounts, give beneficiaries better access to formal credit and reduce the administrative burden should it largely replace the plethora of government schemes.

Critics of UBI are quick to point out that a cash transfer programme will promote conspicuous spending or spending on social evils like alcohol, tobacco etc. Another argument against UBI is that it will lead to a moral hazard  free money will make people lazy and they will drop out of the labour market. In the Indian context, prevalent gender norms may regulate the sharing of such income within the household with men likely to exercise control over spending. Unlike, say food subsidies, which are not subject to fluctuating market prices, a cash transfers purchasing power may be severely curtailed by market fluctuations.

In addition, the idea of an equal transfer to the rich might trump the idea of state welfare for the poor. Finally, UBI may put undue pressure on Indias banking system, especially the beleaguered state-run banks.

Even if one ignores the critics and focuses on the positives, the fact remains that UBI will be a huge expense and the cash starved government may not have the financial wherewithal to take the leap.

In this context, it is important to note that as per the Union Budget of 2016-17, there were about 950 centrally sponsored sub-schemes in India, accounting for about five percent of GDP. The magnitude would be larger if states were included.

But the important question to ask is how effective are the existing programmes in alleviating poverty? Misallocation (measured by poorer areas obtaining a lower share of government resources) is evident with backward districts (accounting for 40 percent of total poor) receiving only a small share in most flagship schemes.

Source: Economic Survey

While the concept of universality reduces the burden on administration by doing away with the tedious task of separating the poor from the non-poor, UBI is neither politically astute nor fiscally prudent at this juncture.

What one could realistically expect is a truncated version of UBI with the beneficiaries being the bottom of the pyramid  the lowest 40% of the population. Going by the Economic Survey, if the UBI is pegged at an annual transfer of Rs 8,241 per annum, covering 40% of the population will cost around Rs 4.38 lakh crore, which is 2.3 percent of FY19 nominal GDP.

The moot question therefore is how easy or difficult is it to find the resources? If one looks at the large heads of subsidies and the flagship schemes of the government, our rough calculation suggests a broad allocation of 2.9% of GDP in FY19.

Source: India Budget

Hence, UBI even in a diluted format can only see the light of the day if the government is ready to dump all its existing schemes in favour of UBI. Will such a radical step yield a big enough political dividend to warrant such a massive overhaul?Here are stocks that are in the news today:

Results on Thursday: Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Indo Thai Securities, Cyient (also for share buyback), Rallis India, Federal Bank, Aditya Birla Money, Geojit Financial Services, L&T Technology Services, AU Small Finance Bank, Burnpur Cement, Mastek

Board meeting on Thursday: UCO Bank (for fund raising)

Motilal Oswal Financial Services Q3: Profit at Rs 40.05 crore versus Rs 248.32 crore; revenue at Rs 647.6 crore versus Rs 810.16 crore YoY.

Motilal Oswal Financial Services: Company declared an interim dividend for the FY 2018-19 at the rate of Rs 4 per share.

Jet Airways: Company has been working on various cost cutting measures, debt reduction and funding options including infusion of capital, monetisation of assets including the companys stake in its loyalty program, in consultation with various key stakeholders. Company, SBI in consultation with the other members of the consortium and the other stakeholders has been working on resolution plan which contemplates various options on the debt-equity mix, proportion of equity infusion by the various stakeholders and the consequent change in the composition of the companys board of directors.

Mindtree Q3: Profit falls to Rs 191.2 crore versus Rs 206.3 crore; revenue rises to Rs 1,787.2 crore versus Rs 1,755.4 crore QoQ.

Fortis Healthcare: Company completes the acquisition of the entire portfolio of Indian assets of RHT Health Trust (RHT).

IIFL Holdings: India Infoline Finance Limited (IIFL), a material NBFC subsidiary of the company has filed Shelf Prospectus and Tranche I Prospectus for the proposed public issue of non-convertible debentures with the Registrar of Companies, Mumbai.

5paisa Capital Q3: Consolidated loss at Rs 12.67 crore versus loss at Rs 25.3 corre; revenue 21.85 crore versus Rs 19.65 crore YoY.

Astral Poly Technik: CARE assigned AA/Stable rating for long term bank facilities and A1+ for short term bank facilities.

RITES: Company has received a rating of IVR A1+ on short term non fund bank facilities upto an amount of Rs 850 crore from Infomerics Valuation and Rating Pvt. Ltd.

Edelweiss Financial Services: Subsidiary Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors Limited (EAAA) closed EISAF II an India dedicated Alternative Investment Strategy Fund, by raising Rs 9,200 crore ($1.3 billion).

Williamson Magor & Company: 50 lakh equity shares of McNally Bharat Engineering Company Limited held by the company have been initiated for release from pledge on 11.01.2019. 43,00,000 equity shares of McNally Bharat Engineering Company Limited pledged by the company on 10.01.2019.

Bulk Deals on January 16

TGB Banquets and Hotels: Abhishek Agarwal HUF sold 3,58,000 shares of the company at Rs 20.52 per share on the NSE and 2,40,000 shares at Rs 20.62 per share on the BSE.

LEEL Electricals: IndusInd Bank Client A/C sold 4,30,000 shares of the company at Rs 51.27 per share on the NSE.

Share India Securities: Nainesh Gunvantlal Jain bought 1,80,000 shares of the company at Rs 82.05 per share on the BSE.

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings

Sagar Cements: Board meeting is scheduled on January 24 to allot 31 lakh convertible warrants on a preferential basis.

Khadim India: Board meeting is scheduled on February 7 to consider the unaudited financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

South Indian Bank: A conference call for Investors and Analysts to be held on January 21 in respect of financial results for the quarter ended December 2018.

Honeywell Automation India: Board meeting is scheduled on February 4 to consider the unaudited financial results along with limited review report for the quarter ended December 2018.

Kennametal India: Board meeting is scheduled on January 31 to consider the un-audited financial results of the company for the quarter and half year ended December 2018.

JSW Energy: Board meeting is scheduled on January 30 to consider the unaudited standalone and consolidated financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Cera Sanitaryware: Board meeting is scheduled on January 29 to consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter and nine months ended 31.12.2018.

Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers: Board meeting is scheduled on February 6 to consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Newgen Software Technologies: Company will be conducting earnings conference call on January 24.

Vedanta: Board meeting is scheduled on January 31 to consider the un-audited financial results of the company for the third quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Kalpataru Power Transmission: Board meeting is scheduled on February 1 to consider the standalone unaudited financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

D-Link (India): Board meeting is scheduled on February 12 to consider the un audited financial results for the quarter & nine months ended December 2018.

InterGlobe Aviation: Board meeting is scheduled on January 23 to consider the unaudited standalone financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

MCX: Company's officials will be meeting Unifi Capital on January 17.

Coffee Day Enterprises: Board meeting is scheduled on February 7 to consider the standalone & consolidated un-audited financial results of the company for the quarter/nine months ended December 2018 and the consolidated results of its subsidiary, Coffee Day Global Limited.

NHPC: Board meeting is scheduled on January 21 to consider the proposal for raising of Rs 2,000 crore through issuance of debentures/bonds in one or more series/tranches on private placement basis from domestic market and/or to raise term loans from domestic financial institutions/Banks/Inter Corporate Loans in suitable tranches.

Unichem Laboratories: Board meeting is scheduled on February 1 to consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Subros: Board meeting is scheduled on February 6 to consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended December 2018.

Shalby: Board meeting is scheduled on January 28 to consider the unaudited financial results for quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Tide Water Oil (India): Board meeting is scheduled on February 11 to consider the financial results for the quarter and nine months period ended December 2018 and other business matters.

NIIT: Board meeting is scheduled on January 24 to consider both consolidated and standalone unaudited financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

: Reliance Industries Ltd is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.live bse live

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December quarter earnings started on a mixed note with subdued results from TCS and Infosys earlier this month. Global cyclicals like metals and oil & gas that were the drivers of earnings growth over the last few quarters are looking tired now, given the correction in commodity prices, suggest experts.

Earnings in the quarter are likely to be a bit subdued as margins are likely to be squeezed due to higher raw material prices. Crude oil was up 36 percent YoY in INR terms; similarly, metals were up by 24 percent YoY in INR terms, Karvy Stock Broking said in a note.

While raw material prices have declined since mid-November, this may help boost margins in the next quarter i.e. Q4FY19. For the quarter, consensus expects Nifty constituent revenues to grow 11 percent, EBITDA is expected to grow 7.5 percent, and EBITDA margin at 21 percent, with a contraction of 70 bps. EPS is expected to decline by 68 bps, it said.

While this quarter is certainly disappointing, the brokerage firm believes the setback is temporary, because the margin pressure on account of raw material prices will dissipate in the coming quarters, and secondly the drivers for recovery are in place.

Motilal Oswal expects financials to drive Q3 earnings, with corporate banks leading from the front. PSU Banks are also likely to deliver a healthy performance, aided by treasury marked-to-market gains and improving asset quality trends.

Capital Goods will have another healthy quarter and IT is likely to post the fourth straight quarter of double-digit profit growth. NBFC might face a significant deceleration in profit growth but still post a respectable double-digit number, it said.

We have collated a list of top 10 stocks from different brokerage firms that are likely to more than double their net profit year-on-year in the December quarter:

Glenmark Pharma: PAT likely to grow 122 percent YoY to Rs 232 crore

Motilal Oswal sees Glenmark Pharma reporting 122 percent Year-on-Year (YoY) growth in net profit for the December quarter, largely attributed to growth seen across geographies, margin expansion, other income as well as the lower tax rate.

The US business is expected to increase ~23 percent YoY on the back of new launches. The Europe business is expected to exhibit 11 percent YoY growth. India branded business is likely to grow at a decent rate of 14 percent YoY.

EBITDA margins are expected to expand ~310bps YoY to 16.5 percent. This is primarily due to a decline in gross margin on account of lower contribution from domestic business. Absolute EBITDA is expected to grow ~44 percent YoY led by margin expansion and revenue growth.

Container Corp: PAT likely to grow by 129 percent YoY to Rs 322 crore

Motilal Oswal maintains a buy rating on Container Corporation of India. It sees its net profit growing 129 percent YoY to Rs 322 crore. Net sales are expected to grow by Rs 1,600 crore led by volume growth of 13 percent YoY. Realisation is expected to remain flat QoQ.

The domestic brokerage firm expects EXIM realisations to improve 4 percent YoY and domestic realisation to remain flat YoY, resulting in a net realisation increase of 4 percent YoY. The stock trades at 22.7x/19.8x FY19E/20E P/E and FY19E/20E EV/EBITDA of 15.7x/13.6x.

SAIL: PAT likely to grow 100 percent YoY to Rs 375 crore

Motilal Oswal which maintains a buy rating on SAIL sees its net profit growing by 100 percent YoY to Rs 375 crore. SAILs EBITDA is expected to decline 10 percent QoQ to Rs 2,100 crore on lower steel prices.

Volumes would increase 8 percent QoQ to 3.8mt. Steel prices are expected decline ~2 percent QoQ on lower global steel prices. EBITDA per ton would decline Rs 1,140/t QoQ to Rs 5,669/t.

Timken India: PAT likely to grow 258 percent YoY to Rs 9.2 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities sees net profit growing 258 percent YoY to Rs 9.2 crore for Timken India. It expects revenues to increase 47 percent YoY led by (1) acquisition of ABC Bearings and (2) 24 percent growth in core business led partly by a low base in export segments and strong growth in aftermarket and industrial segments.

Kotak Institutional Equities expects revenues in the railway segment to grow 10 percent YoY in 3QFY19. The EBITDA margin is likely to decline 80 bps QoQ largely due to normalisation of gross margin (higher in the last quarter possibly due to price increases were given by customers pertaining to previous quarters).

Axis Bank: PAT likely to grow 99.6 percent YoY to Rs 1,449 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities expects Axis Bank to report nearly 100 percent YoY rise in the net profit for the quarter ended December to Rs 1,449 crore.

The loan growth is likely to stand at 12 percent YoY, affected by changes in top management. It expects slippages of Rs 3,500 crore as the remaining unrecognized stressed loans are recognised. Recovery from NCLT cases would be lower in Q3FY19 versus in Q2FY19. Movement of sub-investment grade portfolio would be the key monitorable.

Canara Bank: PAT likely to grow 162 percent YoY to Rs 330 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities expects Canara Bank to report nearly 162 percent YoY rise in the net profit for the quarter ended December to Rs 330 crore.

The brokerage firm expects 13 percent YoY loan growth and 20 bps YoY net interest margin (NIM) improvement (lower income derecognition), leading to 15 percent YoY net interest income (NII) growth.

Pre-provisioning operating profit (PPOP) is likely to decline by 20 percent YoY due to lower treasury gains. Slippages of 3.5 percent of loans as some of the balance accounts get recognized as NPLs.

United Spirits: PAT likely to grow 131 percent YoY to Rs 311 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities expects United Spirits to report 131 percent YoY rise in the net profit for the quarter ended December to Rs 311 crore.

The investment bank has modeled in 15 percent net revenue growth led by 8.7 percent underlying volume growth. For this quarter, reported and underlying volume growth should be broadly similar given much of the low-end franchising impact is now in the base.

Kaveri Seed: PAT likely to grow 183 percent YoY to Rs 15 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities expect Kaveri Seeds to report 183 percent YoY rise in the net profit for the quarter ended December to Rs 15 crore. The brokerage firm expects moderate 9 percent YoY growth in revenues in a seasonally weak quarter.

It expects EBITDA margins to expand 50 bps YoY to 14.3 percent given a rising share of high margin fruits and vegetable seeds.

Brigade Enterprises: PAT likely to grow 97 percent YoY to Rs 84 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities expects Brigade Enterprises to report 97 percent YoY rise in the net profit for the quarter ended December to Rs 84 crore.

We estimate revenue recognition of Rs 690 crore at 26 percent EBITDA margin, though revenue is not comparable with the same period last year, said the report.

Kotak estimates strong growth in hospitality and leasing segment with revenues of Rs 1.6 billion (+27 percent YoY) on the back of stabilisation of new hotel properties as well as incremental lease revenues.

Aditya Birla Fashion: PAT likely to grow 134 percent YoY to Rs 82 crore

Kotak Institutional Equities expects Aditya Birla Fashion to report 134 percent YoY rise in the net profit for the quarter ended December to Rs 82 crore.

The brokerage firm expects 14 percent YoY revenue growth driven by a healthy 14 percent YoY growth in Pantaloons, 12 percent growth in Madura and faster growth in innerwear and luxury categories.

Kotak also expects YoY increase in EBITDA margins on account of 100 bps margin expansion in Pantaloons and 180 bps margin expansion in Madura.live bse live

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Larsen & Toubro Infotech shares gained nearly a percent in morning Thursday after the acquisition of Ruletronics Systems' Indian, UK and US businesses.

Ruletronics is a boutique Pega consulting company with customers in banking, insurance, healthcare and retail verticals.

Total revenue of Ruletronics for the previous 12 months period ended March 2018 was around $3.35 million.

"...has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ruletronics Limited (UK), Ruletronics Systems Inc. (US) and Ruletronics Systems Private Limited (India)," L&T Infotech said.

Ruletronics is a silver implementation partner of Pega Systems, which is a leader in intelligent business process management (BPM), customer relationship management (CRM) and process automation.

"Acquisition of Ruletronics will strengthen the company's rapidly growing digital business with a suite of capabilities in Pega implementation in establishing BPM roadmap & strategy, customer services, RPA and decisioning," the company said.

L&T Infotech acquired Ruletronics of $7.48 million, including up-front consideration and earn-outs. The closing of the transaction is expected to get completed within 8 weeks.

At 10:13 hours IST, the stock was quoting at Rs 1,781.00, up Rs 12.85, or 0.73 percent on the BSE.live bse live

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IT may continue to perform well but we believe that banks and capital goods will offer better opportunities in 2019, Vivek Ranjan Misra, Head of Fundamental Research at Karvy Stock Broking, said in an interview with Moneycontrol.

Q) What is your outlook on markets ahead of Budget and 2019 in general?

We believe that the first half may be muted on account of upcoming elections; however, if a stable, reform-oriented government were to assume power, that would be a positive trigger for equities, which we believe will be the case. Thus, the first half may be a good time for investors to buy stocks.

Q) It looks like most of the worries are global in nature. Are we heading for growth slowdown in the US in 2019 or a possible recession?

There is a debate in markets whether a recession is around the corner or not. The US yield curve has flattened and the spread between the 10-Year yield and 2-year Yield is 19 bps, a negative spread (or an inverted yield curve) usually points to a recession ahead.

However, more than the US, data from other parts of the global economy are weak. Caixin Manufacturing PMI for China for December 2018 dropped below 50 (came in at 49.7) the first contraction since May 2017.

Similarly, the Eurozone flash PMI dipped to 51.4 in December 2018 from 51.8 in November, the slowest pace of expansion since February 2016. Last quarter Japanese economy declined by 0.6%.

However, not all is bad. In the US, consumer confidence is near an 18-year high, whereas the unemployment rate is at 3.97 percent which is near a 40-year low.

China has plenty of policy tools at its disposal to counteract a slowdown. It appears to us that a recession in 2019 appears unlikely, but the global economy may be slowing down. IMF is forecasting a growth of 3.7 percent for 2019, which is a good number.

Q) TCS and Infosys Q3 were a mixed bag. Which sectors are likely to hog limelight?

IT may continue to perform well, but we believe that banks and capital goods offer better opportunities for 2019

Q) Any top five stocks or sectors which you are recommending to clients for a period of more than 1 year?

A) We like the following - ICICI Bank, Bajaj Electricals, Finolex Cables, Sunteck Realty and Relaxo Footwear.

Q) What is your call on small & midcaps for 2019? Some experts have given the green signal to invest in broader market but selectively. How one should choose the right kind of stock for investment?

We believe that over the coming quarters largecaps are likely to do better. Mid and small caps are likely to underperform until their valuations become attractive.

We believe that after mid-2019, with decent time correction, conditions may be favorable for mid and small-caps to perform well.

Amidst talks of slowdown, do you think India will be able to pull it off with ease keeping in mind the political climate?

Indian economy remains resilient. IMF forecasts growth for FY2019-20 to be 7.4 percent, which is a strong number. What makes us optimistic about equities is that growth drivers are changing from private consumption to investment.

In Q2FY2018-19; Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) increased by 12.5 percent on a YoY basis recording the third consecutive quarter of double digit growth. As long as elections results are not bad, Indian equities should have a good year ahead.

Q) Retail investors have remained loyal to investing in equities via SIP route despite wild gyrations in 2018. Do you think the number could fall if the volatility increases?

Investment by domestic institutions was one of the highest in 2018, while it may indeed slow down, it is reasonable to expect strong flows which can make Indian equities resilient and Indian stocks may outperform global peers.

Q) Enormous wealth has already been created in the history. The Sensex has grown like 100x in 32 years, at 15 percent CAGR. Do you think 2019 will also give us a similar opportunity to enter and remain invested for a long time to create wealth?

Yes, equities should outperform other asset classes, however, returns expectations need to be tempered somewhat as valuations (12 months forward PER is 19.6x) of stocks is high.

Q) What are your views on PSBs?

A) State-owned banks could be a surprise in 2019, as the NPL cycle has peaked, recovery of NPLs via IBC is in progress, recapitalization will enable them to grow and valuations are low.

: The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.In a victory for President Donald Trump, the US Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation to keep sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including aluminium firm Rusal.

Senators voted 57-42 to end debate on the measure, as 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans broke from party leaders to join Democrats in favour of the resolution, amid questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That result fell short of the 60 votes necessary to advance to a final passage vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 seat majority.

A similar measure will be brought up for a vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives, where Democrats control a majority of seats. But its long-term fate was uncertain. To keep the administration from lifting the sanctions, the measure must pass both the House and Senate and muster the two-thirds majority needed in both chambers to override an expected Trump veto.

Many members of Congress have been questioning the US Treasury Department's decision in December to ease sanctions imposed in April on the core businesses of Deripaska - Rusal, its parent, En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo - watering down the toughest penalties imposed on Russian entities since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Deripaska, an influential businessman close to Putin, himself would remain subject to US sanctions.

The Trump administration pushed Republican lawmakers not to support the resolution introduced by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, which would have prevented the administration from lifting the sanctions.

"Forty-two Republican senators chose today to stand with Vladimir Putin," Schumer said in a statement. "I'm extremely disappointed that many of my Republican colleagues are too afraid of breaking with President Trump to stand up to a thug."

Senate aides said Treasury officials had approached senators and staff repeatedly in recent days to argue that it was appropriate to lift the sanctions because Deripaska had agreed to cut back his controlling stakes.

CONCERN OVER RIPPLE EFFECTS

They said the sanctions on Deripaska would punish him, but lifting restrictions on the companies would avoid potential effects on companies in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

Rusal is the world's largest aluminium producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. China's aluminium exports jumped to a record high in 2018.

The Russian companies, along with some European governments, also lobbied for months for the sanctions to be eased.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney welcomed the outcome of the Senate vote, saying he hoped it would pave the way for sanctions to be lifted that affect the Irish company Aughinish Alumina, a Rusal unit.

"We respect different views in US on sanctions, but our focus has always been on protecting jobs and livelihoods in Ireland and EU," he said on Twitter.

Democrats had been optimistic they would get 60 votes on Wednesday, after 11 Republicans made the unusual break from Trump policies and supported the resolution in procedural voting on Tuesday.

Backers of the resolution of disapproval said it was too soon to ease sanctions, given Russia's continuing aggression in Ukraine, the finding by US intelligence that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US election to boost Trump, and Russia's support for the Syrian government in that country's civil war.

The US military said on Wednesday that four Americans had been killed in Syria in a bomb attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, documents have shown. Manafort is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy against the United States.

The Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, dismissed the Democratic-led resolution as a political stunt.Over 60 percent of millennials in the US disapprove of Donald Trump's performance and only 37 percent view the president favourably, according to a survey.

The poll conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the US found that Trump, his Twitter activities and Twitter in general are not popular with millennials.

The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted prior to the government shutdown, the researchers said.

Of those polled, 54 per cent identified themselves as Democrats, 32 per cent as Republicans, 12 per cent as independents and two per cent were unsure, they said.

Sixty-two per cent of all millennials -- Americans aged 18 to 37-- surveyed said they disapprove of Trump's job performance and only 37 per cent said they view the president favourably.

Among millennials who identified as Republicans, more than 80 per cent said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

A majority of millennials do not approve of Trump's behaviour on Twitter, researchers said.

Sixty-eight per cent said the president tweets too much, 26 per cent said he tweets about the right amount and six per cent said he doesn't tweet enough.

Even among Republicans, 40 per cent said they feel the president tweets too much.

"Millennials largely dislike Trump because they so strongly identify with the Democratic party and independent millennials are prone to agree with Democrats on a lot of policy issues," said John Cluverius, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

"Republican millennials like Trump and like the job he's doing as president, but two-fifths of them want the president to tweet less. It goes to show that even among his staunchest supporters, there's concern about the president's personal approach to the office," said Cluverius, who oversaw the poll and analysed the results.

Twitter itself gets a low approval rating from millennials, with only 37 per cent saying they view the social media platform favourably. Facebook gets the same low mark, too, with a 37 per cent favourability rating, researchers said.

"I was surprised to see such low favourables for Facebook and Twitter, given that this generation makes up a huge part of the user bases of both platforms.

"Younger millennials may be switching to platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, but I think this finding reinforces the idea that while lots of people use these services, they don't make people happy," said Cluverius.

The poll also asked millennials for their views on the issues of gun control and immigration.

When it comes to immigration, millennials expressed far less liberal attitudes than on other issues, according to Cluverius.

Thirty-five per cent of those polled said the US should let in more people from other countries, 34 per cent said the country should let in fewer people from other countries.

The poll also asked millennials for their feelings on potential 2020 presidential candidates: Trump, Joe Biden, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Fifty-four per cent polled said they will support whoever the Democratic nominee is, compared to 27 per cent who said they will vote for Trump, 10 per cent who are undecided and nine per cent who said they will vote for another candidate.

Biden and Sanders are the most well-liked by millennials, with 54 per cent who have a favourable impression of Sanders and 51 per cent who have a favourable view of Biden.This three-image mosaic handout photo is the highest resolution view ever obtained of the north polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The view looks southward over cratered plains from high above the north pole of Enceladus. Cassini spacecraft took the image on March 12, 2008, when it flew over the surface of the moon as part of a joint U.S.-European mission. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 20,000 miles (32,000 km) above Enceladus. REUTERS/NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute (UNITED STATES). NO COMMERCIAL SALES.. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.. - GM1E43E0V9B01

China wrote its name in the books of history on Tuesday, by carrying out a short-lived, albeit successful planting mission on the moon.



First time for humankind: A seed taken up to #Moon by China's Chang'e-4 probe has sprouted #ChangE4 pic.twitter.com/N6fA3A4ycv

 China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 15, 2019

China launched its Change-4 mission, with the sole aim of experimenting with cotton seeds. The seed was to be planted after the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon by Change-4. Along with the cotton seed, the Chang'e-4 probe carried the seeds of cotton, potato and rape, among others, as well as eggs of the fruit fly and some yeast, to form a simple mini biosphere, according to a team led by scientists from Chongqing University in southwest China.In the few days that followed, China managed to form a hospitable environment and carry out the planting, though none of the seeds except cotton sprouted. Having said that, the cotton seed turned out to be quite healthy and grew at a steady pace for a few days, thus making the experiment a huge success.Jet Airways owes banks nearly Rs 8,000 crore.

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Ravi Ananthanarayanan

Jet Airways (India)s shares have been volatile this week. Prospective acquirer Etihad Airways is driving a tough bargain and that is making investors cautious. If the SpiceJet bailout case is used as a precedent to argue for a similar treatment for Jet Airways, then they should turn very cautious.

Investors are usually excited at the prospect of an acquisition, more so when a foreign-owned company is a suitor. While the mandatory open offer holds out the promise of a windfall, there is a bump-up in valuations when an MNC tag is attached. In distress cases such as Jet Airways, existential worries also come to an end.

However, when the bidder acts tough the gains can diminish. News reports indicate Etihad is seeking an exemption from an open offer. It also wants to invest in Jet Airways equity at a discount to the market price. Etihad is apparently asking to invest in Jet Airways equity shares at Rs 150/share, compared to the market price of Rs 278. While that may be the fair value of Jet Airways as assessed by Etihad, it also allows it to average its cost of acquisition. In April 2013, Etihad had agreed to pay Rs 755/share to acquire a 24 percent equity stake in Jet Airways. Its sitting on a significant loss on paper already.

One school of thought could be that Etihad has to follow the law and no exemptions should apply. But Etihad may be taking inspiration from SpiceJets bailout. The current promoter, Ajay Singh, acquired the then promoter Kalanithi Marans stake through a Scheme of Reconstruction and Revival for Takeover of Ownership, Management and Control of SpiceJet Limited. This scheme was presented to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and according to SpiceJets annual report, it detailed the change in ownership and the infusion of fresh funds into SpiceJet to support its turnaround plan. There was no open offer that was required.

Now, there was no specific exemption given by SEBI. Instead, it appeared that the acquirers concluded that the transaction qualified for an exemption from an open offer. This was based on the acquisition being done through a scheme of arrangement that was approved by a competent authority. This article in The Firm has more details.

The circumstances surrounding Jet Airways is similar. It is facing a funds crunch that is affecting its ability to meet payment obligations to employees, to aircraft lessors and other vendors. On December 31, 2018, it defaulted on debt repayments as well.

While bankers are reportedly considering Etihads offer, on January 17, news reports indicated current Jet Airways promoter Naresh Goyal is also willing to invest Rs 700 crore in the company but with strings attached.

The ball is chiefly in the court of the lenders who have to now decide, possibly in consultation with the government, on the best way to get equity funding into Jet.

Attempting to benefit in the short term from a prospective deal does appear risky for shareholders given the uncertain structure. Jet Airways may still benefit from stronger management and ownership in the cockpit, but that may play out over a longer period. Ultimately, thats the lesson from the SpiceJet episode as well, as the company has subsequently turned into one of the better performing airlines in the country.live bse live

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The Indian pharmaceutical market grew 9.4 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 129,015 crore in 2018. The growth, much faster than 2017, was led by uptake of drugs to treat chronic diseases and normalisation of supply chain after the disruption caused by GST, according to market research firm AIOCD-AWACS.

The IPM grew in 5.5 percent to Rs 116,000 crore in 2017.

The growth was aided by 11.7 percent YoY growth in sales of cardiac medications to Rs 16,021 crore and 12.9 percent YoY growth in anti-diabetes medications to Rs 12,143.

Both cardiac and anti-diabetes segments now constitute little over one-fifth of the Indian pharmaceutical market, an indication of the growing burden of chronic lifestyle diseases.

Four out of the top five brands in the Indian pharmaceutical market are from the anti-diabetes category. Abbotts human insulin Mixtard continues to be the largest selling brand with sales of Rs 522 crore in the domestic market despite being under price control.

Sales of gastrointestinal drugs rose 9.2 percent to Rs 14,811 crore, anti-infective 7.5 percent to Rs 17,607 crore, vitamins 8.7 percent to Rs 11,034 crore, respiratory 12 percent to Rs 9,741 crore and dermatology 11.1 to Rs 8,657 crore.

Third quarter FY19

For the third quarter ended December, sales of the Indian pharmaceutical market grew at 9.5 percent. Abbott, Lupin and Torrent Pharma, Cipla, Glenmark grew in double digits in the third quarter.

The data shows Lupins domestic sales grew at an impressive 13.8 percent in the third quarter to Rs 1,277 crore, Abbott sales rose 10.4 percent to Rs 2,149 crore and Torrent Pharma sales expanded 16.4 percent to Rs 1,087 crore

Cipla sales rose 10 percent to Rs 1,662 crore and Glenmarks sales 12.6 percent to Rs 798 crore.

Sun Pharma, Alkem, GSK and Dr Reddys sales grew below industry growth. Market leader Sun Pharma sales rose 6.9 percent to Rs 2,766 crore, Alkem 7.4 percent to Rs 1,191 crore, GSK 6.5 percent to Rs 995 crore and Dr Reddys 6.5 percent Rs 738 crore.

Sales of multinational companies (MNCs) grew 8.3 percent in 2018.

The top 10 drug makers contribute 43 percent to the Indian pharmaceutical market.India has the highest penetration of artificial intelligence skills among the workforce. AI is the fastest growing skills set and increasing exponentially, said Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, while addressing an event at the companys R&D centre in Bengaluru.

He also said that today the GDP component impacted by digital technologies in India is 8 percent which will increase to 60 percent by 2021.

This confidence is powered by Indias adoption of AI solutions to create breakthrough innovations and accelerate the digital transformation of the country.

According to Microsoft, over 700 business and government organizations have adopted its Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions. Over 60 percent of these AI customers come from large businesses in manufacturing, financial services.

There is no denying that the Indian consumer is one the biggest beneficiaries of recent advances in AI. When a customer at Future Generali uses the AI chatbot REVA to either get policy status, or premium due date, or make renewal payments, it signals that Indian consumers are readily engaged with the proliferation of AI.

According to Gartner, 25 percent of all customer service and support operations will integrate virtual customer assistant or chatbot technology across engagement channels by 2020, up from less than 2 percent in 2017.

Maheshwari in his address also said that the use cases of AI is growing in India and that will be a game changer for the country.

Talview, an AI enabled talent assessment technology provider, saved an upward of 9,000 hours of time of a customer in identifying, sourcing and screening talent. And it does this by using its automated video interviewing solution which helps customers hire from the untapped talent pool from multiple cities across the country.

Apart from engaging with customers and optimizing operations, AI is also making healthcare more accessible and affordable. But how? One example of this is Narayana Health which has implemented real-time data analytics and predictive insights across their operations running on Microsoft Azure, SQL Server and Power BI.

With the help of AI solutions, the hospital chain can predict better cost of surgeries, reduce the time spent by patients in the ICU or monitor consumables and antibiotic use.

In 2018, Microsoft partnered with Apollo Hospitals to use AI for early detection of cardiac diseases. SRL Diagnostics is applying Ai for more accurate diagnosis in digital pathology and early detection of diseases such as cancer.

NITI Aayog is working with Microsoft and Forus Health to roll out a technology for early detection of diabetic retinopathy as a pilot project.

In the report National strategy for artificial intelligence, Niti Aayog said that 3Nethra, developed by Forus Health, can screen for common eye problem. It is a is a portable device.

Integrating AI capabilities to this device using Microsofts retinal imaging APIs enables operators of 3Nethra device to get AI-powered insights even when they are working at eye checkup camps in remote areas with nil or intermittent connectivity to the cloud, the report further said.

The resultant technology solution also solves for quality issues with image capture and systems checks in place to evaluate the usability of the image captured.

Microsoft will also provide farm advisory services to Niti Aayog which will help increase crop yield, pest detection and pest incident predictions as part of projects across locations identified by NITI Aayog.

Adoption of AI for healthcare applications is expected to see an exponential increase in next few years, said Niti Aayog in its discussion paper on National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence.

Accenture, in one of its its recent AI research reports, had estimated that AI will boost Indias annual growth rate by 1.3 percentage points by 2035.You are here: Business

China has pledged to continue pushing forward the construction of pilot free trade zones (FTZs) to widen opening-up, a commerce ministry official said Wednesday.



The country will explore the opening of free trade ports with Chinese characteristics and accelerate the formulation of related policies and mechanisms, said Assistant Commerce Minister Ren Hongbin at a press conference of the State Council Information Office.

Meanwhile, more efforts will be made to expand the Shanghai FTZ and encourage Shanghai to promote trade and investment liberalization, Ren said.

Apart from alleviating managerial barriers to foreign investment in pilot FTZs, China will enhance openness in key spheres such as medicare and education.

Ren added China will unveil more measures for innovation and expanding opening-up in FTZs, and prioritize FTZs in implementing key reform measures.

At the press conference, Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology, also said the ministry will adopt a model of pre-establishment national treatment with a negative list and introduce opening-up measures in automobile, shipping and aircraft industries.Microsoft

Can cloud prevent modern day cyber attacks? This was one of the main topics of discussion during day two of the Media and Analyst Days at Microsoft's R&D centre in Bengaluru.

On November 27, 2018, Delhi police had raided 16 call centres -- operating out of NCR -- for allegedly running scams. These call centres reportedly defrauded customers for anything between $100 and $500 by offering dubious tech support by posing as Microsoft employees. As many as 50,000 customers had fallen victim to these fraudsters.

However, Microsoft had been working on detecting such fraudulent call centres, and along with Delhi police got these centres busted. Its Digital Crimes Unit fights global malware, reduces digital risk and protects vulnerable populations.

"Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is dedicated to enable a safer digital world. What is powering DCU is cloud [computing]. The intelligence we build on the cloud, the tools we use to detect where these criminals could be hiding, our use of data analytics, machine learning and ascertaining the source of the malware being pushed, we can help law enforcement agencies to narrow down on cybercriminals. Many of our operations have led to criminals being jailed in the US. And if it was not for cloud we would not have been able to visualise data and we would not have been able to identify the control service," said Keshav Dhakad, Group Head and Assistant General Counsel Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA), Microsoft India.

The company has earmarked $1 billion for R&D that is spent on cybersecurity research every year.

According to Dhakad, companies can protect their data with the help of AI- driven cloud. Firms that have realised the need to safeguard data can opt for security solutions like the one Microsoft is ready with. As for startups, many of them already have maximum security in place.

Around 92 percent Indian firms are keen on using AI to enhance cybersecurity as Tech Support Fraud (TSF) originating from India -- pegged at 98 percent -- is giving the country's ITeS industry a bad name.

AI will help protect firms from the growing cyberattacks and companies like Innefu are providing innovative cybersecurity solutions using AI.

Founders of Innefu said that they were using AI to look for patterns in the past to predict future attacks.

AuthShield, built by Innefu Labs, is used by institutions like Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and National Housing Bank (NHB).

India secures a spot among the top 10 spam-sending countries in the world alongside the US, said a Niti Aayog report by VK Saraswat.

In addition, India was ranked among the top five countries to be affected by cybercrime, according to a 2017 report by online security firm Symantec Corp.Adar Poonawalla, CEO and Executive Director of Serum Institute of India, has received India's first fully customised ACH145 helicopter, manufactured by Airbus.

The helicopter is produced by Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH), which is the dedicated private and business aviation helicopter brand of Airbus Helicopters.

In a statement on January 17, the American aircraft manufacturer said the delivery "marks the entry of the highly successful twin-engine helicopter into Indias private and business aviation market."

While the statement didn't include the helicopter's price, industry reports peg it at a little less than $10 million.

The helicopter will be ready to fly in India by January-end, the statement added.

The helicopter provides a cabin that can seat up to eight passengers.

The Cyrus Poonawalla Group, named after the family patriarch and Adar's father, also owns a Gulfstream G550 jet aircraft, which can seat up to 18 passengers.

Apart from ACH, Airbus also owns Airbus Corporate Jets.Baring Private Equity Asia may acquire NIIT Technologies in a deal that may value the latter at Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, according to a report by Mint.

The private equity firm will first acquire 30.58 percent stake held by NIIT Technologies promoters, the report suggests. As of December 31, 2018, NIIT held 23.58 percent stake and Rajendra Singh Pawar (trustee of Pawar family trust) and Vijay Kumar Thadani (trustee of Thadani family trust) owned 3.53 percent stake each.

According to the newspaper, Baring PE Asia may acquire this stake for about Rs 2,500 crore. The six-month weighted average price of the IT solutions company on the BSE works out to Rs 1,198.72 per share, valuing the promoters stake around Rs 2,260 crore.

The deal will come at a premium to the shareholders of NIIT Technologies and will value the company at Rs 8,000-10,000 crore as against its six-month average market capitalisation of around Rs 7,400 crore, a source told the newspaper.

The stake purchase is likely to trigger an open offer, allowing Baring PE Asia an opportunity to further raise its stake in the company, the report suggests.

After the buyout, Baring PE Asia reportedly plans to merge NIIT Technologies with Hexaware Technologies. The move is aimed at creating an IT services entity to compete with larger rivals: Mindtree, L&T Infotech, Mphasis and Oracle Financial Services Software.

At present, both NIIT Technologies and Hexaware are rather smaller IT services firms in the listed space. If the merger goes through, the combined entity will have a market capitalisation (m-cap) of around Rs 20,000 crore, which is more than that of Mindtree and is close to mid-tier IT firms, a source told the newspaper.

However, as per the report, not all promoters are in favour of transferring control given Baring PE Asias demand of eventually merging Mindtree with Hexaware Technologies.

Baring Asia wants to merge Hexaware with Mindtree because they are finding it tough to monetise their stake directly. Through the merger, Baring will be able to dilute its stake in Hexaware, which is so expensive right now (as compared to its earnings growth) that it is difficult to find a buyer, a source told the newspaper.

Currently, Baring PE Asia holds 62.79 percent stake in Hexaware Technologies through HT Global IT Solutions Holdings. On August 24, 2018, it sold 8.4 percent stake in Hexaware Technologies for around Rs 1,120 crore.

It all depends on whether Mindtrees largest shareholder and founder of Cafe Coffee Day, VG Siddhartha, decides to do with his stake.

Baring PE Asia has held discussions with Siddhartha, who owns stake in the Bengaluru-based IT services firm via two of his firms, on paring his stake, the report added.Zhang Yimou and several other Chinese directors' new films have been selected to appear in the competition lineup of the upcoming 69th Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, which will open on Feb. 7. The competition section includes feature films not yet released outside their country of origin.

"One Second," the latest film by director Zhang, has been selected for the main competition lineup of the 2019 Berlinale, a reliable source recently told Chinese movie news source Mtime.com. The news has not yet been announced by the Berlinale organizers.

"One Second" is Zhang's first film of a three-movie deal with Huanxi Media Group. Set in the mid-1970s in northwestern China, the film tells the story of a movie fan living in a remote farmland and a homeless female vagabond. The film stars Zhang Yi, Fan Wei and Yu Ailei.

Zhang is no stranger to Berlinale awards  he won the Golden Bear at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival for "Red Sorghum" and took the Silver Bear in 2000 for "The Road Home."

Two other Chinese films, "So Long, My Son" by Wang Xiaoshuai and "Ondog" by Wang Quan'an have already been announced by organizers among the selected films in the main competition of the festival.

The first teaser poster for "One Second" by Zhang Yimou [Image courtesy of Huanxi Media Group]

The two renowned Chinese directors have also won awards at Berlinale before: Wang Xiaoshuai's "Beijing Bicycle" won the Silver Bear in 2001 and Wang Quan'an took home the Golden Bear in 2007 for his "Tuya's Marriage."

The latest Golden Bear Chinese win was in 2014, when the Chinese film "Black Coal, Thin Ice" grabbed the award at the 64th Berlinale while its leading actor Liao Fan won the Silver Bear for Best Actor.

Joining the competition lineup are productions and co-productions from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Macedonia, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States.

In addition, the romantic drama "Better Days," directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang and starring Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee, has been selected into the Generation 14plus section along with two other Chinese films, "The Crossing" by Bai Xue and "A First Farewell" by Wang Lina.

In the 2019 Berlinale Shorts section, 24 short films from 17 countries will be competing for the Golden and Silver Bears, including Chinese director Shen Jie's "Splash."

The French actress and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche will head the International Jury at this year's festival.An annual list was released on Saturday to name China's most influential modern artists and art galleries in 2018.



The 12th Art Power 100 and the second Design Power 100 Award Ceremony was held in Guantang Art District in Beijing on that day.

The award is considered one of the major third-party evaluation systems of modern art in China. This year, it was co-organized by Cankao Xiaoxi, a newspaper of Xinhua News Agency, and the Forbidden City Gallery, which is affiliated to the Palace Museum in Beijing.

The title of Artist of the Year was bestowed upon Mao Yan, a Nanjing-based artist known for his portraits, while the Red Brick Art Museum in Beijing was awarded the Art Gallery of the Year. China Guardian Auctions was listed as the Auction House of the Year.

The other winners included Fan Di'an, the head of Central Academy of Fine Arts, who was named Art Educator of the Year, and the Nation's Greatest Treasures, a TV variety show covering highlighted collections in major Chinese museums, was honored as the best promoter of art.

In the design category, a project led by the University of Hong Kong to renovate a village damaged by 2008's devastating earthquake in Sichuan province was hailed as the best rural revitalization program. The award for urban revitalization was given to Beijing Fun, a commercial area in Bejing's Qianmen district.

A symposium on fine art, along with exhibitions displaying young artists' work, was also held in Beijing to run alongside the award ceremony.

by Taboola Sponsored Links You May LikeInitially it was, Seabolt replied. But now its at the point where things are getting extremely serious. My wife is absolutely against what Im doing. And my kids are scared of me going to jail. I dont know now.The Kankakee River, which has flooded more than 12 times since the early 1980s, had one of its most severe floods last year, and climate models indicate more frequent severe storms are likely in the Midwest in the coming years.Hammond Public Library will host a variety of upcoming events at the library, 564 State St. Cupcake Decorating 101 with Creativebug, an online resource from JoAnn Fabric, will be offered at 2 p.m. Jan. 26. Jenny Bean will demonstrate how to make beautiful treats with Creativebug. All supplies will be provided. Register at 219-931-5100, Ext. 329. Learning How to Use Ancestry Library Edition will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 26. Amanda Aguilera, of the library's Suzanne G. Long Local History Room, will explain how to trace your family history with this free online resource. Information is at 219-931-5100, Ext. 307. The World at War, a new series that examines books related to World War II, will be offered at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30. The War Comes to Plum Street, by Bruce C. Smith, will be the subject of discussion. More information is at 219-931-5100. The African American Literature Book Club will discuss Behold the Dreamers, by Imbolo Mbue at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 31. Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk. Information is at 219-931-5100, Ext. 320.Weve had a long stretch of warmer than average temperatures in Michigan. That is about to change.

Only nine days since December 1 have been colder than historical average temperatures. The other 38 days have been warmer than normal. Now a lobe of cold air from northern Canada is going to move south into the eastern half of the U.S.

The six to 10 day forecast shows the transition to colder weather. And thats the first thing youll deal with during this weather pattern flip-flop - much colder air.

Six to 10 day temperature forecast for January 22 to January 26, 2019 shows colder than average air moving into middle of U.S.

The colder than average air that is coming will just be taking hold in the forecast period above, January 22 to January 26. The amount of cold air should build as we head toward the end of January. The eight to 14 day temperature forecast is much more aggressive with the cold air coming.

Temperature forecast for January 24 to January 30, 2019 shows a very high chance temperatures will be colder than normal.

Long range forecasters at NOAA give all of the Great Lakes region an 80 percent chance of colder than normal temperatures during the last week of January. To give you some exact numbers, we are probably looking at high temperatures in the single digits and teens for several days at the end of January. We may have some early mornings below zero.

Temperatures may struggle to get into the teens around January 24, 2019. Shown is the high temperature forecast from a favored weather computer model.

With the colder air in place, Michigan will be on the cold side of any storm system. That means there isnt a chance of rain or freezing rain in Michigan. Anything that falls from the sky over the next week should be snow.

There are three snow systems showing for Michigans next seven days. Today will have a light snow in southern Michigan. Saturday and Saturday night will have a heavy snow just south of Michigan, with substantial accumulations in southern Lower. Next Tuesday or Wednesday could have another accumulating snow.

In the case of this weather pattern change, cold will bring snow.

Finally, with the weather pattern change to colder air will come something we are used to here in Michigan, but havent seen a whole lot this winter - lake effect snow.

It wont be a long lasting, super widespread and super heavy lake effect situation just yet. That may be coming toward the end of January. In the next week, a 24 hour period after the Saturday and Tuesday weather systems could have lake effect snow. Right now it looks like a northerly wind, which tends to keep the lake effect near Lake Michigan and at the south end of Lake Michigan. With lake effect only lasting less than 24 hours in each stint, the heaviest snow bands probably wont dump more than six inches of snow.

The point of all of this is get ready- winter has finally arrived here in Michigan.FRANKENMUTH, MI  Saginaw County hasnt seen much snow lately. In fact, Michigan was in what MLive Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa called a snow desert in December. But Zehnders Snowfest organizers say that wont make a difference for the annual snow-and-ice-sculpting competitions taking place in late January in Frankenmuth.

Saginaw and Bay City saw just 0.6 inches of snowfall in December, 7 inches less than normal, according to Torregrossa.

Snowfest chairman John Shelton isnt worried.

It has absolutely no effect, Shelton said. We actually started making snow last week.

Shelton said Zehnders makes its own snow for the event using about 230,000 gallons of water, a snow gun, a crane, and a 10-by-10 foot cube to mold the white stuff into about 85 blocks for carving.

Shelton said its not the snowfall that matters for Snowfest, but the cold weather.

We need temperatures in the low-20s to high-teens to make snow," he said. Once Mother Nature cooperated with cold temperatures, we just set it up and got it going, so everythings on track, we hope, for another successful Snowfest.

Mother Nature could bring some flakes to Frankenmuth on Saturday. Theres a 60 percent of snow, though currently less than 1 inch, according to the National Weather Service.

Snowfest takes place Wednesday through Monday, Jan. 23-28. About 100,000 to 120,000 people attend the event each year.

Learn more about the festival here.FREMONT, MI -- Michigan State Police detectives are investigating a Fremont Public Schools administrator after receiving a criminal sexual conduct complaint.

Police confirmed Thursday morning, Jan. 17, that detectives have initiated an investigation into an allegation made by an employee of the Fremont School District against a district administrator.

The allegation involves an administrator and an employee at Pathfinder Elementary School, according to district Superintendent Ken Haggart. Police have not released the name of the administrator being investigated.

No students were involved in the alleged misconduct, which Haggart said was reported to have occurred outside the school day and with no kids around.

The original complaint was taken Monday, Jan. 14, and police were notified. Due to the seriousness of the allegation, Haggart said the administrator was placed on leave Monday, and the administrator will remain on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

A letter to parents of Pathfinder Elementary School students is being sent out Thursday. The letter from Haggart reads:

"Working in partnership with parents to provide open communication and ensure the safety of all students, I wanted to inform you of an event that occurred this week. Fremont Public Schools is currently investigating an alleged misconduct violation against an administrator at Pathfinder Elementary School brought forth by another staff member. The administrator has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

"The district first became aware of the incident earlier this week and contacted our attorney immediately to begin an investigation. We hope to have the matter settled as soon as possible.

"This incident involves only adults and occurred outside of school hours. Students will perceive little change in their school day, and most importantly, all will continue to be supported in a safe and caring environment. Should you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at 231-924-2350.

We will plan to reach out to you as more information becomes available.ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, MI -- Speaking in front of the victims family and the man accused of murdering him, Stanielle King detailed the morning she was tied up and robbed in a drug deal that turned deadly.

King testified Wednesday, Jan. 16, in St. Joseph County District Court that the three people accused of murdering Kevin Johnson, a Kentucky truck driver, taped her up and robbed her at gunpoint before shooting and killing Johnson last November inside her home in Flowerfield Township.

Answering questions from Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeremy Von Eitzen during Theron Hunts preliminary examination Wednesday, King testified that she messaged Theron Hunt, asking for drugs, on Nov. 14. Johnson and his girlfriend were going to meet King at her house to get meth, she testified.

The drug deal turned hostile when Hunt and the other two who police have named as suspects in Johnsons death showed up, armed with a gun, and pepper-sprayed King in the face, she testified.

Hunt, who faces charges of open murder, armed robbery and felony firearm, is one of three people charged in Johnsons death.

Tyler McNeil, 20, and Kayla Cheney, 24, were also charged with the crime. Both McNeil and Cheney previously waived their right to a preliminary examination.

King admitted to being high the night that Johnson was killed after the judge warned her of the possibility of incriminating herself while testifying. But she chose to continue telling what happened the night Johnson died.

Id rather have that than not have justice for Kevin," King said after being warned.

The three suspects taped her mouth, eyes and hands before pointing a gun in her face and ransacking her home, King testified. She said they led her to a bedroom with a knife in her back, pushed her down on the bed and tore apart her room looking for valuables and drugs.

Survival mode kicked in and I gave them what they wanted, King testified.

Tyler McNeil, 20, Kayla Cheney, 24, and Theron Hunt, 40, face murder charges in St. Joseph County. (Courtesy St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office)

The testimony was delayed Wednesday after a misunderstanding about a possible plea agreement for Hunt. The chief prosecutor was out sick and there was confusion on details of an offer from the prosecutors office.

If convicted at trial, Hunt could face a mandatory life sentence without parole, Defense Attorney Timothy Reed said. There was a great disparity" between that and the offer that Hunt was given should he plead guilty to manslaughter, Reed said. Though manslaughter is a 15-year felony, he said, Hunts two prior felony convictions would mean he could serve a maximum term of 30 years.

Hunt was stuck in the middle, St. Joseph County District Judge Jeffrey Middleton said. Mr. Hunt, you have a lot at stake here. I dont want to make you roll the dice."

Both sides agreed to adjourn the preliminary examination to that afternoon, once they could get clarification from the prosecutor. The proposed deal was dropped, Reed said, and Hunt moved forward with the examination at about 1 p.m. Wednesday.

After taking the stand, King offered further detail of what she said happened that night. While she was tied up, King testified, Hunt and McNeil were moving things from her home to their car outside and that Cheney was sitting nearby with a knife, smoking meth.

Shortly after, the group heard the engine of Johnsons semitrailer as it approached the house.

When Johnson came inside, King heard a shuffle, she testified. Johnson was shoved to the ground before Chaney hit King in the head with the gun, she said.

The next thing I recall hearing was the boom, King said.

The suspects ran, while the victims girlfriend yelled for help and King worked to remove the tape, she testified. Johnson attempted to run after the suspects but fell at the bottom of her front stairs, she said.

I just kept saying, Stay with us, we need you bud, King said.

Deputy Kevin Brooks from the St. Joseph County Sheriffs Office said he saw the headlights of the victims semitrailer flashing as he approached the scene about 3 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. Inside the truck, he found two women, one of whom was King, covered in blood. The women told the deputy that a man had been shot and that the suspects left in a car, Brooks testified Wednesday.

He found Johnson laying on his back near the front steps of the trailer, he said.

The scene was pretty bloody, Brooks said.

Brooks testified that he searched inside the home and found bloody footprints near the front stairs. The home was in shambles," he said.

It seemed like the place had been ransacked," Brooks said.

In his cross-examination of King, Reed questioned her criminal history and drug use. The defense attorney also asked whether she knew Hunt prior to the incident and whether she was aware of any debts owed over drugs.

King admitted to smoking and buying meth, but said she had only met Hunt once before the day when Johnson was killed.

As King testified about the night of Johnsons death, his two sons, ex-wife and mother cried in the back of the courtroom.

It was devastating, heartbreaking, said Johnsons mother, Opalene Johnson, about hearing the news of her sons death. It was the worst thing Ive experienced in my life.

Johnson said her son was a good person, but had got caught up with the wrong people.

A mother can see it, she said.

Her son worked about 10 years as a truck driver after leaving a job as a prison counselor, Johnson said. The pay was better and there was less paperwork, she said.

Johnson was buried next to his late father the day before Thanksgiving, she said. He would have turned 42 just weeks after his death.

He was a Christmas baby, she said.JACKSON, MI  A man wanted for selling drugs as part of a larger drug operation in Jackson was finally caught and arrested by police Wednesday, thanks to a tip from the public.

Police arrested Dwayne Riley on Jan. 16 behind Powers Party Store, 1630 E. Michigan Ave., after weeks of searching for him, Jackson Narcotics Enforcement Team commander First Lt. Derrick White said.

Riley was wanted on two felony counts of delivery or manufacturing of a controlled substance, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition and felony firearms, records show.

His warrant stems from a JNET investigation and search warrant executed in May at his Elm Street home where police located firearms and heroin, White said.

Riley, 29, is also believed to have been the driver during two recent vehicle pursuits with police in which he drove so recklessly, police were forced to end the pursuits, White said.

Police received information from the public about his whereabouts and spotted him riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle driving through Jackson, police said.

Officers followed the vehicle to the store and kept an eye on him, waiting for a good opportunity to make the arrest, White said.

Due to his history of fleeing, JNET waited to arrest him when it was most advantageous for police and had the most likelihood of him being safely taken into custody, White said.

Shortly after the driver got out to the car and walked into the store, police walked up to the vehicle and arrested Riley without incident, White said.

Riley had a loaded handgun in his lap when officers approached the vehicle, White said.

Thankfully he decided to surrender to officers, and he was taken into custody, he said.

Police found an unspecified amount of suspected heroin and prescription narcotics inside the vehicle as well, White said.

Beyond his original charges, Riley now faces 10 additional felony drug charges.

He is now also charged with one count each of conducting a criminal enterprise, conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, maintaining a drug house, felony firearms, felon in possession of a firearm, felon is possession of ammunition, second-degree fleeing and eluding police and two counts delivery of a controlled substance, records show.

Prior to Rileys arrest, police arrested two men affiliated with the drug operation that has been selling narcotics in Jackson for years, police said.

Rileys codefendants Christopher McIntyre, 33, and Lawrence Moss, 27, were arraigned earlier this week and both are facing 10 felony drug charges for conspiracy, manufacturing and delivering controlled substances, records show.

Christopher McIntyre, 33, left, and Lawrence Moss, 27, right.

Opioids are killing people in our community, Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka said. I want to note the outstanding work done by JNET in this investigation. We look forward to prosecuting these cases in court.

Riley, McIntyre and Moss worked together for years distributing heroin throughout the city of Jackson, White said.

These charges will undoubtedly reduce the amount of heroin available in Jackson and will likely save lives, White said.

JNET thanks the citizens of Jackson for helping provide information that lead to the arrests of Riley, McIntyre and Moss.

All three are currently lodged in the Jackson County Jail with bond set at $250,000.

Preliminary examinations for all three are scheduled for Jan. 31 before District Judge Daniel Goostrey.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Maria Gomez remembers crying in anguish the December day she went to pick up her son from the Kent County Jail and learned he had just been loaded into a van for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment.

Gomez couldnt understand it because her 27-year-old son was born in Grand Rapids and was a U.S. Marine veteran.

Its not right what they did to my son. They didnt care what he did for his country. Thats what makes me mad, Gomez said Wednesday, Jan. 16, in broken English.

As controversy gained momentum Wednesday over last months three-day detainment of U.S. citizen Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, ICE officials released a statement that put the blame on Ramos-Gomez.

He was interviewed by ICE officers Nov. 23 while in jail for an incident at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital two days earlier. He allegedly told officers he was a foreign national illegally present in the U.S, according to the statement.

ICE then filed for a detainer in the event Ramos-Gomez was released.

In fact, he was about to be released Dec. 14 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor when ICE took custody of him and transferred him to the Calhoun County Jail. He was released from there Dec. 17 when attorney Richard Kessler, contacted by Ramos-Gomezs mother, provided documentation to ICE on his citizenship.

During a press conference earlier Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Maria Gomez said she wants answers from both the Kent County Sheriffs Department and the Department of Homeland Security on the mistake. She said her son had both a drivers license showing the word veteran on it as well as a U.S passport when he was at the jail.

Jilmar Ramos-Gomez served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014 and was a lance corporal and tank crewman.

He was arrested Nov. 21 after damaging a fire alarm at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. He also trespassed on the heliport, according to the ACLU. Ramos-Gomezs family says his actions were related to post-traumatic stress disorder and they acknowledged is he is currently receiving mental health treatment.

He could not post bond and was in jail until he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespassing Dec. 14. A judge then issued a personal recognizance bond pending sentencing.

But before his mother could drive to the jail and pick him up, he was placed into ICE custody.

ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman believes Ramos-Gomezs detainment is symptomatic of a sloppy and reckless approach by ICE to immigration enforcement. She wondered why no one with ICE tried to do any verification on Ramos-Gomezs citizenship.

She said its too easy for ICE to issue detainment orders that do not require a judges approval.

Aukerman joined leaders with Movimiento Cosecha GR in calling for the Kent County Sheriffs Department to end a contract with ICE to detain people for up to 72 hours so they can be picked up. The jail is reimbursed $85 for each day of detainment.

Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young released a statement on the controversy, saying an initial review shows no violation of jail policy.

The role of the Kent County Sheriffs Office in this very unfortunate situation was that of a holding facility. We do not possess the authority to verify the investigative justification for detaining a person. We regret any circumstance in which an individual is detained needlessly regardless of whether the person is being held by local or federal authorities, and we believe this case underscores the need for immigration policy reform," according to the statement.

Kessler, the attorney for the Marines family, said its possible that Ramos-Gomez could have made statements about being in the country illegally, but he said ICE should have protocols to account for a persons mental health issues.

He questioned why ICE officers would be interviewing Ramos-Gomez in the first place. He also said it would have been simple for them to check Ramos-Gomezs passport and other documents to confirm citizenship, prior to sending him to Calhoun County.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A man accused of killing his girlfriend then shooting at pursuing officers in the U.S. 131 S-curve has been ordered to stand trial.

Adam Nolin, 33, waived a probable cause hearing Wednesday, Jan. 16 in Wyoming District Court on charges of open murder, felony firearm, attempted murder, fleeing police and carrying a concealed weapon.

He recently was found competent to stand trial following an evalution through the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry.

Nolin is accused of fatally shooting 27-year-old Tia Randall at their home in Creekside Estates mobile home park, near Clyde Park Avenue SW and 52nd Street in Wyoming, on Sept. 27.

Police began to pursue his pickup and he led police on a chase through Wyoming and into Grand Rapids. It ended in the S-curve when he crashed the truck and fired at police before an officer used a cruiser to strike him.

Some of Randalls family and friends were in the courtroom Wednesday and wore shirts that read Rest in Heaven Beautiful Tia Marie Randall.

Kent County prosecutors said Nolin has not been offered any deals.FLINT, MI-- Residents from the Brownell-Holmes neighborhood in north Flint packed the Hasselbring Senior Center on Jan. 14 to share their thoughts about crime.

The residents expressed concerns over youth loitering, blight, lack of street lighting, lack of economic prosperity, lack of community policing and response times and lack of administrative support to revitalizing their north Flint neighborhoods.

One of the rooted issues keeping crime concentrated in north Flint is the lack of community policing, several residents stated. Another is people trying to take matters into their own hands, Faith Baptist Temple Rev. Freelon Threlkeld said.

I have become immune to the situation because I know the reciprocation of involvement is very dangerous, Threlkeld said. If the police know what and where the problem is, why arent they stopping it?

The sound of guns being shot off has become a norm for north Flint residents. Some said its gotten to the point where they wont call for help but avoid standing close to the windows when they hear shots being fired. Resident Kim Sims is becoming increasingly concerned for her son who was raised in North Carolina and recently move to Flint to live with her.

Hes too scared to ride his bike around the neighborhood, Kims said. I just want my son to feel like hes living in America again, that hes in a safe environment.

The meeting was part of a continuing effort to tackle problems in the neighborhood.

In November 2018, residents started working with the Illuminating Community Change Project to identify root causes of crime in their neighborhoods. The three-year project is funded by the Hamilton Community Health Center, which received $1 million in October 2017 to increase safety in the citys neighborhoods.

The main aspect in planning is enhancing community engagement and awareness, said Sandra Johnson, the projects manager. Were working really closely with the North Flint Neighborhood Action Council and utilizing that group as an umbrella organization where were hoping to engage residents from across the entire target area.

So far the project has identified three targeted hot spots in north Flint: the Pierson Road Commercial Corridor, the Brownell-Holmes neighborhood and apartment complexes such as Ridgecrest Village Townhomes, Simmons Square Apartments and River Park Apartments.

Some of the oldest and most densely populated neighborhoods are in the Brownell-Holmes area of north Flint, Johnson said.

We believe that in order to better address the high levels of crime and violence being reported and experienced in north Flint its going to take engaged residents to do that, Johnson stated Were hoping that with community engagement well be able to identify some of the root causes behind some of the crimes and violence.

The program has partnered with the Flint Police Department, the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Michigan State University researchers to collect, analyze and implement data in its planning.

One result of the project could be trying to strengthen the relationship between residents and the city police to try and create programs that push for more community policing, Johnson stated. This could include higher visibility of police in the community or at the corner stores where crime seems to be more prevalent.

All of the data collected during these focus groups will be shared with the community once its been collected and well get their input on how to address it, according to Johnson.

Johnsons end goal is not only to have a more engaged community, but programming that is sustainable.

"I want to see stronger job training programs and an entire engaged Flint and not just a segment of north Flint thats been left to grow and revitalize itself, Johnson said.FLINT, MI  A 21-year-old man has been found guilty in connection with an April 2016 double homicide at a Flint apartment complex.

Jurors convicted Toron Cortez Fisher on Wednesday, Jan. 16 of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and two counts of felony firearm in the shooting deaths of 19-year-olds Sasha Bell and Sacorya Reed.

Fisher and cousin Malek Emmanuel Thornton went to the victims residence at Ridgecrest Apartments in Flint on April 18, 2016 to retaliate for an earlier incident in which Thornton had been robbed, according to a statement from the Genesee County Prosecutors Office.

Fisher and Thornton believed the 19-year-olds were involved in setting up the robbery, per the statement. Court testimony revealed Thornton was robbed at Bells apartment in late 2015, according to MLive-The Flint Journal records.

Thornton pleaded guilty in October 2018 to second-degree murder and felony firearm while agreeing to testify against Fisher in the case.

Bells murder garnered national and international headlines due to her involvement in a lawsuit in which she alleged her child had been poisoned by lead as a result of the Flint water crisis. Police have said the murders had no direct connection to Bells involvement in the lawsuit.

Her 16-month-old son was not harmed in the shooting, but he remained in the apartment for two days until Bells sister discovered the bodies.

Thornton is due to be sentenced Thursday, Jan. 17 in Genesee Circuit Court. Fisher faces a mandatory life sentence without parole at his Feb. 27 sentencing date.The plans recommendations, to be carried out over a 20-year period, include reducing sediment from the Yellow River  the main source of sand in the Kankakee during floods  by covering riverbanks with plants; protecting roads and other critical areas, such as sewage treatment plants and large subdivisions, from high water; removing or replacing an old bridge that impedes water flow; allowing some areas, such as the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area in Starke and LaPorte counties, to flood; and creating water-detention areas in drainage ditches that feed the Kankakee.GENESEE COUNTY, MI  Genesee County Animal Control is facing an overcrowding issue as the Flint Township facility undergoes a multi-million dollar renovation project.

The approximately $8.5 million project has left the Pasadena Avenue building down approximately 30 cages and has pushed director Paul Wallace to make some moves to alleviate the numbers.

A tail count on Tuesday, Jan. 15 showed 130 dogs at the site, with Wallace noting the figure runs around 80 canines on an average day and never less than 50. The number of cats in the facility average between 25-30 on a typical day.

This time of year the dogs kind of pack up. We cant have packs of dogs roaming around out there, he said of the winter months. The (animal control officers) on the street are very good at what they do. We get called from anything from a vicious dog to an injured dog.

Wallace noted the facility has gone to using some roller cages in the garage area as auxiliary emergency housing for animals in recent weeks along with housing some dogs in the same ward as cats.

The facility is also working closely with local rescues and shelters to help alleviate the numbers, Wallace said, including Flint City Pits and the Humane Society of Macomb County.

We have this network of rescues and other shelters and transfers and we all work together to try and make Michigan a no-kill state and were getting there, added Wallace, the facilitys director for four years.

25 Genesee County Animal Control continues construction to fix overcrowding

Placards on ward doors mark days of the week to denote how long an animal had been at the facility and up for euthanization in a weeks time.

Part of the overcrowding issue stems from a push by Wallace for a no-kill policy at the shelter.

Euthanasia is still an option in some circumstances where an animal is too lethal or dangerous, terminally ill, or too injured such as being hit by a vehicle, Wallace said.

Volunteers also help with the numbers, taking dogs home to help re-socialize them and make them ready to become adoptable after having shots done and a medical examination.

While the renovated facility will add approximately 10,000 square feet of space, Wallace noted the cage count will remain at roughly the current number of 378, but some will allow for animals to be indoors and outdoors to relieve anxiety.

A new air system will also cycle fresh air in 12 times per hour, with a new building layout meant to minimize overlap between adoptable and stray animals to attempt to spread potential diseases.

The first phase of construction, including office spaces and new lobby area, is set to be complete by April, Wallace said.FLINT, MI -- A drinking water expert says regulators at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality should have known they were flirting with disaster when they allowed the city to treat its own water in 2014.

Robert Bowcock, who visited Flints water plant in early 2015, told Genesee District Court Judge Jennifer Manley Wednesday, Jan. 15, that he could see problems as soon as he walked in the front door and so should have DEQ officials who had oversight responsibilities.

It was a mess and the reason it was a mess was it was a treatment plant ... that was seldom used ... and sat in mothballs 50 weeks out of the year ..., said Bowcock, a longtime associate of environmental activist Erin Brockovich. It was sort of like grandmas Chevy .. full of spider webs, dust and bad oil.

Flints water source was changed from pre-treated Lake Huron water to the Flint River in April 2014 and the citys treatment plant was put into full-time operation for the first time since 1967 in what was promoted as a temporary, cost-saving move while the city was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager.

City, state and federal officials agree that the river water was never properly treated to make it less corrosive to Flints water distribution system, which included transmission lines made of lead.

Bowcock testified Wednesday during the preliminary examination of Patrick Cook, a specialist for the DEQs Community Drinking Water Unit.

Cook, 55, is the last of four current and former DEQ officials originally charged with criminal wrongdoing related to the Flint water crisis. Three other defendants accepted plea agreements with prosecutors in the past several weeks.

Cook remains charged with willful neglect of duty, misconduct in office and conspiracy.

Prosecutors allege that he was the DEQ official responsible for compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule and that he signed a permit in 2014 that was necessary for the use of the Flint water plant.

They claim he was aware of problems in Flint but took no action to ensure residents received clean, safe drinking water and misled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the necessity of treating Flint River water to make it less corrosive.

Cooks attorneys have claimed their client is not guilty of the charges and pointed out Wednesday that Bowcock spent only a few hours at the water plant and never had first-hand dealings with Cook.

Bowcock traveled to Flint while the city was struggling to control bacteria and total trihalomethanes in the water system. Only later in 2015 did problems with elevated lead become public as well as suspicions that outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease were linked to Flint water.

In meeting with city officials at the time, he testified that he recommended the city back off its heavy use of chemicals like lime in an effort to control water quality.

Bowcock said it should have been reasonably foreseeable that Flint would have problems with the safety and quality of its water after the citys water source was changed to the river without corrosion control.

I did not feel confident the water leaving the plant that day (I visited) was safe, Bowcock testified.

Unlike other witnesses who have testified about specific problems with equipment inside the Flint treatment plant, Bowcock said the problems were widespread because the plant hadnt been used to regularly produce drinking water for decades.

The plant was built in 1956.

It was generally in disrepair ... just a dirty old treatment plant -- not the kind of thing that you just whimsically fire up to save a few bucks, he said.ANN ARBOR, MI  After two decades in business at 1251 N. Main St., Hawkins Auto Body may close, giving way to a budding industry.

Plans are in the works to transform the Ann Arbor repair shop into a medical marijuana dispensary with a sleek new look.

Theyre hostile taking me over, running me out of here, said owner Jeff Hawkins, who isnt happy about it.

Hawkins has been in business 34 years and at the North Main location for about the last 20, he said.

He mostly restores old classic cars, but also helps out the occasional college student or old lady who needs a quick repair, he said.

Hawkins isnt sure where hell go from here, but he doesnt expect to find another spot in Ann Arbor.

Theyre just buying everybody out, Hawkins said of the growing number of marijuana dispensaries in Ann Arbor.

Hawkins landlord is giving him 90 days to get out once the deal goes through, he said.

The twist: His landlord is his father, who gave in when a medical marijuana business started flashing big money, he said.

Exclusive Brands LLC, which already has city approval for a marijuana dispensary at 3820 Varsity Drive, is proposing another one on the North Main property.

The companys plans hit a snag at the Ann Arbor Planning Commission meeting Tuesday night, Jan. 15, failing to secure enough votes due to concerns about the driveway configuration.

Commissioners suggested changes to be discussed by city planners and traffic engineers.

Well modify it any way they want, said Harry Hawkins, who acknowledges he intends to boot his son from the property to make way for the marijuana dispensary.

A real estate investor and owner of West Hawk Industries in Ann Arbor, Harry Hawkins said his sons body shop isnt doing well enough to pay the property taxes, which he pays, and he thinks his son can find a new place in perhaps Milan, Dexter or Chelsea.

Id like to just clean up that area and make it look nice for the entrance to Ann Arbor, he said, indicating the dispensary plans to invest about $200,000 into fixing it up.

16 Hawkins Auto Body

The commission voted 5-4 in support of the dispensary Tuesday night, but it needs six votes to pass.

The five in favor were Shannan Gibb-Randall, Lisa Sauve, Scott Trudeau, Julie Weatherbee and Wendy Woods.

The four against it were Zachary Ackerman, Erica Briggs, Sarah Mills and Alex Milshteyn.

The property is located along the west side of North Main, across from the Lake Shore Drive entrance to the Argo Pond area and next to the Bluffs Nature Area. The dispensarys plans have sparked concerns about traffic safety on a busy stretch of road off M-14, where rush-hour traffic backs up.

Jeff Hawkins said hes seen a number of crashes there over the years, and his property has served as an unofficial turn-around spot for many motorists trying to navigate the corridor.

City staff recommended denial of the dispensarys plans last July, but on Tuesday suggested conditional approval, based on the proposed changes.

The dispensary worked with the citys traffic engineers to come up with a plan for modifying the driveway by adding a raised curb in the center, so motorists could make only right turns in and out.

While shes not against a marijuana business there, Briggs said she is against a driveway configuration that allows only right turns into the site, because she thinks drivers will still try to turn left, posing a potential danger. She suggests traffic engineers consider allowing left turns into the site.

Other commissioners considered the raised curb proposal an improvement, if not ideal, and said they trusted the citys traffic engineers.

A representative of Exclusive Brands described the site as an eyesore, and said the company hopes to transform the site and create a positive addition to Main Street.

There is no public sidewalk along the west side of North Main and the dispensary would have to add one along the site.

The dispensarys proposed hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

There was some talk of not having it operate during afternoon rush hours, but the city decided against that.

Ann Arbor has approved 25 medical marijuana dispensaries, along with four processing facilities, three grow facilities and one safety compliance facility. The city has capped the number of dispensaries allowed in the city at 28 for now.

The city plans to work through the issues with the North Main dispensary proposal before moving on to other dispensary applications, said Brett Lenart, the citys planning manager.A 19-year-old homicide suspect from Ypsilanti struck a deal with Washtenaw County prosecutors Wednesday, Jan. 16.

Based on the agreement, Dabronte Roberson would serve 10 to 20 years in prison in the July 4, 2018 fatal shooting of Garland Johnson Jr. in Ypsilanti Township.

Roberson pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, punishable by up to five years in prison; and no contest to second degree murder. A third count of open murder was dismissed and the court agreed to limit Robersons prison sentence to the range presented by prosecutors.

Second-degree murder, in the absence of a plea deal, is punishable by up to life in prison.

Garland, 23, was found shot outside a Dairy Mart on Grove St. about 10:30 p.m., July 4, 2018. He died later a hospital.

Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Archie C. Brown read a police report prior to accepting Robersons plea, but no further details of the shooting were spoken in open court Wednesday.

Roberson arrived at the courthouse shackled in an orange Washtenaw County Jail jumpsuit with a jean jacket hanging over his shoulders. He lifted his chained hand to wave to friends and relatives in the courtroom.

Roberson is currently serving a year-and-six-month prison sentence for a separate conviction in Wayne County on charges of felony firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of fewer than 25 grams of cocaine.

MLive requested comment from the victims father, Garland Johnson Sr., who also attended the plea hearing, and was awaiting a reply.FLINT, MI-- Hollywood screenwriter David Magee spent the first act of his life in Flint.

The Flint native, best known for award-winning films like Mary Poppins Returns and Life of Pi, got his start acting in community theater here in Vehicle City.

His interest in the theater was sparked while watching his father perform with the Flint Community Players. Now, Magee has watched the stories hes written come to life on the screen, but his goal wasnt always becoming a screenwriter.

I worked for a lot of years without having any real great success as an actor or building sets, Magee said. But, I was working in a field I loved and I was determined to become successful in it one way or another... There were certainly times where I thought I was never going to get there, get that success.

Magee began performing in school plays at a young age. The launching point of his acting career started when he played the role of Tom in a fifth-grade musical adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Magee grew up in west Flint and Flint Township, where he went to Carmen schools. The city was thriving when Magee was a young boy. Some of his fondest memories were made in downtown Flint.

Magee remembers walking Saginaw Street, seeing the A&W hot dog cart, reading the forecast illuminated on the weather balloon and performing plays at the Capitol Theatre.

It was when I became a teenager that the effect of the gas crunch began affecting the sales of cars and eventually where automotive companies moved their work, Magee said. By the time I was headed off to college I was aware that Flint was experiencing some troubles.

After graduating from Carmen High School, Magee attended Michigan State University and the University of Illinois before moving to Hartford, Connecticut to work as a stage carpenter. After a few years Magee moved to New York City to pursue his acting career while abridging novels for voiceovers to pay the bills.

As a result I learned an lot about story structure, Magee said. I also learned how to take the best three hours of a 12-hour read and cut a book down to 29,000 words which is just slightly longer than a screenplay.

In his free time, Magee acted out scripts on a stage for a group of professional actors, writers and directors. One day hed decided to read a monologue aloud which eventually turned into the first play hed write, Buying the Farm.

After performing the play at a stage in the Hamptons, a producer in his group of professionals approached him asking what he planned on doing next. When Magee was short of an answer, she told him she needed a screenwriter and hired him to adapt a play she just bought the rights to.

That ended up becoming Finding Neverland, he said.

It took weeks of writing in isolation to complete the script. When it was finished, Miramax almost immediately bought it, Magee said.

Finding Neverland premiered in 2004. The movie was nominated for and won several awards. More success was in the future. Next up, Magee adapted Yann Martels bestselling novel Life of Pi.

It wasnt until Life of Pi' that I had another big success, Magee said.

The film premiered in 2014 and won four Academy Awards.

It took so long to get the film made I didnt really realize how incredible it was, Magee said. There was finally that moment where I could say to everyone that told me, Hey when are you going to get a real job, and I could say I did get a real job.

Three years after Life of Pi premiered, Magees was told by his agent that director Rob Marshall wanted him to write the sequel to Disneys 1964 classic Mary Poppins.

There are plenty of circumstances where I wouldve said no right off the bat because thats a really daunting project to take on, but I admire Ron Marshall," Magee said. We went over some notes. It became apparent to me that we spoke the same the language and we could create something together.

After months of writing and weeks of rehearsals, Magee was able to sit in the auditorium and watch as Mary Poppins Returns came to life.

I got to watch the whole film acted out by the actors in real time in front of me. It was (hearkening) back to my days doing theater, Magee said. It was an extraordinary task, it was an amazing thing to be a part of.

Every now and then Magee travels back to Flint to visit his 97-year-old mother and older sister. The screenwriter said he doesnt believe success has anything to do with where youre from, but rather where youre trying to go.

I think a lot of people believe and will try to get you to believe that you shouldnt have big dreams, Magee said. But this life is short... you really have to give those dreams a go.EAST LANSING, MI -- Satish Udpa will take over as Michigan State Universitys interim president beginning immediately after the Board of Trustees accelerated the resignation of John Engler and appointed Udpa at an emergency meeting Thursday.

Engler took the helm at MSU after the sudden resignation of former president Lou Anna Simon, who stepped down following court testimony from sexual assault victims of ex-MSU Dr. Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted hundreds of women and girls while employed by the university.

On Wednesday, at the request of board members, he resigned effective Jan. 23. The board, however, voted on Thursday to accelerate that date to be effective immediately, on Jan. 17.

Board Chairwoman Dianne Byrum, referencing Englers remarks, said the university was making big strides but none of our work will matter if our leaders say hurtful things and do not listen to survivors."

The only absent member was Republican-nominated Melanie Foster. The rest of the board, from both parties, voted for the motion.

The only thing I think about is not partisanship, its not personality, its not friendship, its not the last 24 hours of Twitter, said Rep. Dan Kelly, a Republican-nominated board member.

The only thing that influences me is this university, its not written in stone that were a great university... the only way we are a great university is we do what our forefathers did, which is continue to grow and be a great university.

Udpa, who will start immediately, has been MSUs executive vice president for administrative services since 2013, and prior to that served as dean of the College of Engineering for several years. Hes worked for the university since 2001, and was named a University Distinguished Professor for his work in electrical and computer engineering in 2009.

In his current role, Udpa has overseen projects to end coal burning at MSUs on-campus power plant, expand the universitys capacity for mobility and autonomous vehicle research. and build a $21 million water treatment plant and 2 million gallon water storage tank on campus to improve the schools water quality.

He is also a board member of the Michigan State University Foundation, a nonprofit corporation aimed at connecting technology developed by MSU students and faculty with economic development initiatives. The foundation owns and operates the East Lansing Technology and Innovation Center, the Michigan Biotechnology Institute and a handful of other ventures to support startups.

Engler resigned ahead of a hastily-scheduled Thursday Board of Trustees meeting after public outrage over comments about survivors of Nassars abuse reached a boiling point. During an editorial board meeting with the Detroit News, Engler said that some Nassar survivors were enjoying the spotlight, the latest in a series of comments that have landed him in hot water.

Engler said in a letter he was asked to resign by the boards five Democratic members.

The universitys search for a permanent president is ongoing.Nearly a year after former Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon resigned in disgrace over the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, her interim successor John Engler stepped down amid a similar storm of controversy.

Engler put in his resignation ahead of a emergency Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Thursday after public outrage over comments about survivors of Nassars abuse reached a boiling point. During an editorial board meeting with the Detroit News, Engler said that some Nassar survivors were enjoying the spotlight.

In his 11-page resignation letter, Engler says he will step down effective Wednesday, Jan. 23.

Board Chairwoman Dianne Byrum tweeted Wednesday evening that she had received Englers resignation letter, and it would be discussed and acted upon Thursday.

This evening I received a letter of resignation from John Engler and this will be discussed and acted upon at the BOT meeting tomorrow morning.  Dianne Byrum (@DianneByrum) January 16, 2019

In his letter, Engler touts his accomplishments during his tenure at MSU, such as reaching a $500 million settlement with Nassar survivors and creating a program to offer 24-hour first response to victims of sexual assault.

At all times my goal has been to prepare a renewed, effective organization for our permanent president, he wrote.

The bottom line is that MSU is a dramatically better, stronger institution than it was one year ago," he adds.

Engler served as Michigans governor from 1991 through 2003 and started his role as the universitys interim president on Feb. 5 following Simons resignation on Jan. 24. He was initially set to stay on as MSUs president until the board selects a permanent president in June, tasked with moving the university beyond the Nassar crisis.

Engler was an unpopular pick from the start among students, faculty, and Nassar survivors, who were frustrated by the lack of public input in the decision and his past record in politics.

Frequent controversies over his interactions with and remarks about survivors has only deepened the resentment. Since then, Engler has become repeatedly embroiled in controversies over his interactions and remarks regarding the women abused by Nassar.

One Nassar survivor, Kaylee Lorincz, said during an April Board of Trustees meeting that Engler had asked her, If I wrote you a check for $250,000 would you take it?" and told her to give him a number that she would settle for without a lawyer present during a meeting. Engler denied her account of the meeting when he was called to testify in Washington, D.C., but Lorincz said she refused to be bullied into silence: What is Mr. Engler so afraid of? she asked at the time.

In May, Englers administration reached a $500 million settlement agreement for women and girls who were molested by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment for decades. The settlement included $425 million that will be paid to the 332 current claimants and $75 million set aside in a trust fund to protect any future claimants alleging sexual abuse by Nassar.

But when the university made the settlement payment in December, Engler simultaneously announced the closure of a Healing Assistance Fund dedicated to ongoing costs for Nassar survivors, angering the MSU community further. The Board of Trustees balked at that decision and voted to reinstate a healing fund at its last meeting.

Up until this week, Engler had the backing of the Board of Trustees despite ongoing flareups with survivors - in June, Trustees Brian Mosallam and Dianne Byrum called for Englers termination after an email of his accusing Rachael Denhollander - the first woman to publicly come forward about Nassars sexual abuse - of taking kickbacks became public, but the board majority blocked a vote on the issue.

The November 2018 election and a health-related resignation from Trustee George Perles sparked a significant shift in the board dynamic, however. Democrats Kelly Tebay and Brianna Scott replaced outgoing Republican Trustees Brian Breslin and Mitch Lyons both of whom did not seek reelection, and former Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Nancy Schlichting to the board before the end of the year.

Had Engler not handed in his resignation, the Board of Trustees was prepared to terminate his contract Thursday after his latest comments about Nassar survivors, sources told MLive. Board Chairwoman Dianne Byrum asked Engler to resign Wednesday, a source close to the board said.

The board already has identified Englers replacement and will appoint that person as interim during the meeting scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday.

Its unclear exactly how the vote to terminate Engler would have panned out, although some trustees made their opinions on the embattled interim president clear.

JOHN ENGLERS REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER, Mosallam declared on social media.EAST LANSING, MI -- Michigan State University Interim President John Engler is leaving the institution in a stronger position than it was in when he stepped in a year ago, he wrote in a resignation letter Wednesday.

Engler took the helm of the states largest university just under a year ago, when the university was under fire for its handling of the serial sexual abuser and ex-university doctor Larry Nassar. He plans to resign on Jan. 23, he wrote in a letter to MSU Board of Trustees Chairwoman Dianne Byrum in a letter that largely touted the changes the university had been made under his leadership.

The bottom line is that MSU is a dramatically better, stronger institution than it was one year ago," he wrote in the letter.

Engler came under fire for comments to The Detroit News, in which he said some victims were enjoying the spotlight. Its the latest in a string of comments hes made that have riled the campus community. The previous board chose to keep him in place after a previous incident, but November elections ushered in a Democratic majority on the board. In the letter to Byrum, he wrote the five Democratic members had requested his resignation, which he gave.

The board meets at 8 a.m. on Thursday, and Byrum said in a tweet members would discuss and act on the letter at that time.

Perhaps the biggest thing that happened during his tenure was last May, when the university and survivors of Nassars abuse reached a settlement agreement.

It was one of many accomplishments Engler detailed in a list, which also included adding 24-hour mental health and emotional service for students through a phone app; restructuring the universitys health colleges; setting clear expectations for employee reviews; removing Nassars supervisor; expanding the Office of Institutional Equity that reviews sexual misconduct cases; and establishing a workgroup on relationship violence and sexual assault and implementing its key recommendations.

He noted he had not sought the position of president, but accepted it to help the university he loved, and said it had been an honor to serve the university.

Read his full resignation letter below:ATLANTA -- A 21-year-old man has been arrested and accused of plotting to attack the White House with an antitank rocket and other weapons, according to the Associated Press. The FBI alleges Hasher Jallal Taheb, of Cumming, Georgia planned to use the rocket to blow open a door at the White House and storm the building to take down as many people as possible.

Taheb was arrested Wednesday after he met with undercover agents to secure the weapons he allegedly planned to use for the attack. Taheb met with an undercover FBI agent Wednesday to exchange his car for the rocket, three semi-automatic assault rifles and three explosive devices with remote detonators according to an affidavit.

The two were soon joined by a second undercover agent who brought a tractor trailer full of weapons to the site. The agents then explained how to arm the weapons -- which were no longer in working condition -- before helping load them into Tahebs rental car. After getting into the car, Taheb was arrested.

A week prior, he told the undercover agent that he planned to drive straight to the White House to carry out the attack as soon as possible.

Taheb allegedly had a hand-drawn diagram of the ground floor of the West Wing which he used to plan the attack, which was shared with the undercover agent. Following the attack, Taheb planned to flee the country if he escaped, but also believed he could die in the alleged assault.

Taheb first appeared on te FBIs radar in March after it was alerted to a tip that Taheb had become radicalized and changed his name.

He has been charged with attempting to damage or destroy a building owned by the United States using fire or an explosive. The AP reports it is unclear if Taheb has a lawyer that can comment on the allegations.UPDATE: John Engler turns in his resignation letter, effective Jan. 23.

LANSING, MI -- Michigan State University Interim President John Engler will resign after his latest comments about victims of ex-MSU Dr. Larry Nassar, a member of the universitys Board of Trustees told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Yes, John is going to resign, Trustee Joel Ferguson told The Associated Press.

He said board members expect to receive a letter providing details of his resignation.

Engler came under fire after telling The Detroit News some Nassar victims were enjoying being in the spotlight, stoking another round of calls for his resignation.

Engler was asked to resign during a conversation today with board Chairwoman Dianne Byrum, a source who asked not to be named told MLive.

The board called a meeting for early Thursday morning to discuss personnel matters.

This is not the first time Engler has stoked controversy. In June of last year, a number of lawmakers urged him to resign after an email in which he accused a Nassar victim of taking kickbacks and said victims were being manipulated by trail lawyers. At that time, the board -- which has since changed composition -- chose to keep him in place.

The Associated Press contributed to this story."I am grateful for the support that our senators have given to our district," she said in 2018. "I have been in communication with them and I am hopeful that they will grant this loan forgiveness to continue to help our district recover."A University of Michigan graduate is starring alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda on the and Peggy tour of the award-winning musical Hamilton.

Simon Longnight, who graduated from the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department in April 2018, plays Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in the tour which began last week in Puerto Rico.

The tour will continue, minus Miranda, to San Francisco with performances beginning on Feb. 12. Julius Thomas III will then take over the title role.

Hamilton tickets about to go on sale in Detroit: How to get them

Longnight, who was called back for auditions at least six times before being offered the role, appeared alongside his hero, Miranda, on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.

This is crazy, he said. Its crazy to wake up day after day and realize your reality out shines your wildest dreams.

Born in Eugene, Oregon, Longnight got serious about the arts at age 12 when he enrolled in a free ballet course at Oregon Ballet Academy.

His love of dance and musical theatre would grow and be fostered by many mentors such as his parents, his South Eugene High School drama teacher Pat Avery, his ballet teacher John Grensback and many others.

He eventually auditioned for and gained entry to the University of Michigan and its number one musical theater department. Longnight is the oldest of seven children, five of whom were adopted through foster care. He credits his family with much of his success.

There is no way I would be the person I am today without the love and support from my parents, my crazy siblings, my incredible grandparents and all the teachers and mentors who have fostered my imagination and never allowed me to believe my dreams were unattainable. Because of them my dreams are my reality.

Hamilton is the story of Americas Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washingtons right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nations first Treasury Secretary.

The musical features a score of hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway.CLARKSVILLE, IN  A Kentucky teenager was killed when a wheel from a truck driven by a Michigan man went airborne and struck her pickup truck.

The Associated Press reports 18-year-old Olivia Kustes of Rineyville, Kentucky was pronounced dead at the scene on Interstate 65 just north of the Ohio River in Clarksville, Indiana on Wednesday.

Indiana State Police told the Associated Press that the rear diver's side wheel came off a southbound pickup driven by 51-year-old Peter Gaetano of Covert, Michigan.

It then crossed over a median wall into the northbound lanes, where it struck Kustes' truck.

Police say a commercial vehicle driver, 45-year-old Alvin Logan of Chicago, maneuvered his semitrailer in front of Kustes' truck to slowly bring it to a stop.Hunting for a job after military transition can be a stressful, tricky task. After all, Uncle Sam provided a lot of job stability while you were serving.

So why not continue that stability with a federal civilian job? With plenty of career fields to choose from, a veteran hiring preference, and time in service counting toward retirement, a government job brings plenty to love.

Related: For the latest veteran jobs postings around the country, visit the Military.com Job Search section.

Need other reasons to work for the federal government? Here are five.

1. Great benefits. Average government salaries are competitive with the private and nonprofit sectors. Pay can also increase fairly quickly for top candidates with strong education and experience. And federal benefits, including health insurance, retirement, and vacation, are extremely competitive with, if not superior to, other sectors.

Another notable benefit of federal employment is family-friendly policies, including flexible work schedules, as well as first priority and subsidies at a number of top-notch day care facilities, including on-site daycare.

2. Location, location, location. Where do you want to work and live? Whatever the answer, chances are you can find federal government work there. Most people think that federal government jobs are all in Washington, D.C., but in fact, 84 percent of those jobs are outside of the D.C. area. Even living overseas is a ready option; more than 50,000 federal government employees work abroad.

3. Nine to five? Suit and tie? Not so much anymore. Flexible federal work schedules, including telework, are a major plus for those with busy schedules or long commutes. And, of course, there's everyone's favorite: federal holidays (Columbus Day, anyone?), plus generous vacation and sick leave. In addition, in a bid to attract talented workers, government agencies have adopted more casual dress codes for employees. All of these packaged together make government an attractive employer.

4. Job stability. While there have been more government shutdowns and federal furloughs recently than in past years, shutdowns are actually rare. And when they do happen, about half of shutdowns last three days or less. Sometimes, they don't even last long enough to shut down government activities. Typically, only about 20 percent of the government is actually closed during any given government partial shutdown. That may seem like serious instability, but it's far less risky than the private sector. Let's face it: The government isn't going to go out of business.

5. Public service lets you continue the mission. Just because you took off your uniform doesn't mean you still can't serve. Many veterans find a new mission in public service through a federal job. Pros? Your time in service counts toward promotion and retirement, and you get veteran preference points on your application.

As far as continuing the mission, the work of government employees impacts the lives of every American and the lives of people around the world. You can play a vital role in addressing pressing issues, from homelessness to homeland security.

Of course, working for the federal government isn't all roses. There are plenty of reasons veterans shouldn't work for the federal government.

Private sector or federal, whatever your choice, Military.com is here to help you find the perfect job.

Related: Unleash your career potential and get customized job recommendations based on your military experience and personality traits.

The Next Step: Find the Right Veteran Job

Whether you want to polish up your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area, or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox.

-- Sean Mclain Brown can be reached at sean.brown@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmclainbrown.President Donald Trump called for the best cutting-edge missile defense weapons and systems at the Pentagon on Thursday as officials unveiled the long-delayed Missile Defense Review, the latest Defense Department blueprint addressing how the U.S. can best defend against missile threats from any source around the world.

"We will ensure that enemy missiles know no sanctuary on Earth or in the skies above," Trump said during a speech before service secretaries, lawmakers, troops and press in the Pentagon auditorium.

"We have some very bad players out there. We're a good player, but we can be a far worse player than anybody," he said. "We have the finest weapons in the world, and we're ordering the finest weapons in the world."

According to the review, the Pentagon believes it will need a mix of ground, air and space capabilities to stay ahead of advanced threats:

Space-based sensors:

DoD officials have long touted the use of space-based sensors, which would be able to monitor, detect and track missile launches. The Pentagon aims to track missile launches in their boost phase "from locations almost anywhere on the globe," according to the report.

The sensors "enjoy a measure of flexibility of movement that is unimpeded by the constraints that geographic limitations impose on terrestrial sensors, and can provide 'birth to death' tracking that is extremely advantageous," the report states.

Related content:

Trump on Thursday said the Pentagon's 2020 budget proposal will include a space-based missile defense layer. While the DoD in recent weeks said it has solidified a top-line figure, the formal budget proposal has yet to be released.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:

The Pentagon wants to equip its latest and most advanced stealth fighter "with a new or modified interceptor capable of shooting down adversary ballistic missiles in their boost phase," the report states.

While the idea has drawn skepticism, Northrop Grumman conducted an experiment with the Missile Defense Agency in 2014, saying the plane could be retrofitted to track intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

Drone lasers:

Developing scalable laser beams and mounting them on globally operated drones, which have expanded loiter time, could also aid in detecting missile launches. Directed energy-detection weapons, such as lasers, microwaves or even particle beams, could act as a complementary enhancement, according to the report.

"High-energy lasers, for example, could burn through a missile's critical structures, control surfaces, and/or control systems, causing the missile to structurally fail or become uncontrollable," said Henry "Trey" Obering, an executive vice president at consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton who leads the company's directed-energy innovation team.

Speaking broadly about laser-enhanced weapons overall, "These weapons reach targets at the speed of light and have much larger magazines, cost less per shot, and track targets with precision far beyond traditional kinetic weapons," Obering said in a release following Trump's speech Thursday.

"In fact, they would be able to kill multiple threat missiles with a single magazine versus having to fire multiple kinetic interceptors to kill a single threat missile, which becomes 'cost-imposing' for an adversary," he said.

Interceptors in space:

According to the review, scientists will study other enhanced space technologies, such as space-based interceptors or using interceptors in Earth's orbit to shut down ballistic missiles. "New DoD analysis will evaluate the possible effectiveness of space-based interceptor technologies and their cost-effectiveness when compared to other systems based on land, sea, and in the air," the report states.

Cruise and hypersonic missiles:

The review says the Pentagon must invest more in its own hypersonic and cruise missile technology, as well as ways to counter hypersonic missiles from encroaching into U.S. territory.

For example, last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his country has developed "invincible" new nuclear weapons, including hypersonic missiles, that can penetrate U.S. defenses.

While the Pentagon is investing greatly in its own hypersonic missile technology, officials have not found surefire ways to defend the U.S. against a hypersonic missile threat.

"We don't have any defense that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us, so our response would be our deterrent force, which would be the triad and the nuclear capabilities that we have to respond to such a threat," Air Force Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command, warned lawmakers last March.

Ground-based interceptor fields:

The U.S. is already moving forward with 20 new GBIs to be stationed in Alaska beginning in 2023. But the United States may decide to further increase its capacity of the Ground-Based, Mid-Course Defense (GMD) "beyond the currently planned force size of 64 GBIs," the report said. "The missile base in Ft. Greely, Alaska, has the potential for up to an additional 40 interceptors. In addition, building a new GBI interceptor site in the continental United States would add interceptor capability against the potential expansion of missile threats to the homeland, including a future Iranian ICBM capability."

Should the Pentagon want to move forward, it will decide on a site selection based on emerging threat conditions, the report states.

Speaking during the Missile Defense Review rollout, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan pointed to Russia and China, which are making advancements in their missile strategies.

"The rest of the world is not developing fighter or bomber aircraft. They are developing missiles," he said Thursday. However, it has been reported that both China and Russia are developing additional heavy and possibly stealth bombers for their fleets.

But it's the development of new adversary missiles that will be "harder to track, harder to defeat," Shanahan said.

"Missile defense necessarily includes missile offense," he said, adding that the U.S. will not provoke adversaries like Russia or China, but it will not ignore their developments either.

"This is the department of 'get stuff done,' " Shanahan said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has been awarded a $37.2 million contract to upgrade the Marine Corps' fleet of light armored vehicles.

The Jan. 4 contract, which was awarded through Army Contracting Command in Warren, Michigan, procured 60 hardware kits for the Light Armored Vehicle Reset Program, an effort to extend the service life of the LAV into the 2030s, according to a Marine Corps news release.

Active light armored reconnaissance battalions will be the first units to receive the upgraded vehicles, which will be known as LAV A3s, the release states.

The Marines originally fielded the LAV in 1983 and relied on the system's speed, maneuverability and firepower for security, command and control, reconnaissance and assault missions.

The reset effort will include improvements to the LAV's powerpack to improve reliability, cooling capacity and diagnostics, with the added benefit of better fuel economy, the release states.

It will add a new drivetrain to improve towing capability, a steering dampener to improve road feel and usability, and a digitized drivers' instrument panel, according to the release.

"The Marine Corps is committed to ensuring this platform remains viable into the 2030s," Steve Myers, LAV program manager, said in the release.

The hardware kits will be installed at Marine Corps depots, with initial operational capability targeted for the second quarter of fiscal 2021, the release states.

In February 2006, General Dynamics Land Systems received a $128 million increment of a $257 million contract for the Light Armored Vehicle A2 for the Marine Corps, according to a GDLS press release.

The LAV A2 variants were an improved version of the original Marine LAV. The eight-wheeled amphibious armored vehicle -- which offered improved suspension and enhanced armor protection -- came in armored personnel, anti-tank, command and control, logistic, and mortar variants.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.A Marine student and an instructor both sustained injuries last week during a live-fire training accident at the Corps' Infantry Officer Course in Quantico, Virginia, the service confirmed.

The incident took place Jan. 9 around 11 a.m. during the firing of an M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon, officials with Marine Corps Training Command said in a statement. The mishap was first reported by Marine Corps Times.

Both the student officer and the instructor-staff member were transported to an unidentified local hospital to treat minor injuries, Training Command officials said.

"Firing the LAW is a routine scheduled event required as part of the Training Command school's program of instruction," they said in the statement. "The safety of our Marines is a top priority."

While an investigation has been opened into the incident, officials said there is no current indication of negligence or misconduct by Marines during the training.

The M72 rocket-launcher has been used by the Army and Marine Corps since the Vietnam War. A man-portable system, it fires a 66 mm round with an effective range of roughly 200 meters. The system is subject to backblast, a pressure-caused phenomenon that creates a danger zone of 15 meters or more behind the weapon.

An upgraded version of the system reportedly under consideration by the Marine Corps would eliminate backblast and improve the system's stability and lethality.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal called on Americans to stop fixating on President Donald Trump and search for answers within themselves to the nation's problems.

At an Association of the U.S. Army event Wednesday night, McChrystal passed on his recent scathing criticism of Trump -- "Yeah, I know. I think I'm on the record" -- and instead focused on the need for Americans to make their own unbiased judgments on the nation's direction.

In a question-and-answer session following his lecture on leadership values, he said of Trump, "I think almost independent of his personality, what we need to do is look in the mirror right now."

"Stop looking at President Trump, or [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, or [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer, or somebody else," McChrystal said. "Look in the mirror. Decide what we believe is the necessary leadership for our country."

Trump rose to leadership through a unique set of factors, he said.

"I think if we look at President Trump, he emerged, McChrystal said. He didn't create the dissatisfaction that caused him to be successful in the election. There were already things brewing, so he emerged from that situation."

Earlier at the event, McChrystal, former commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, gave a presentation on his third and more recent book, "Leaders: Myth and Reality," as part of AUSA's Lyman Lemnitzer lecture series.

The book, written with Jeff Eggers and Jason Mangone, focuses on 13 leaders and the traits and circumstances that made them successful. McChrystal said some of his choices might surprise the audience, including designer Coco Chanel, Nobelist Albert Einstein and even McChrystal's arch-nemesis, Jordanian al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"They emerged as leaders, sometimes because they fought to do it," McChrystal said, "and at other times because they were there at the right place and the right time."

As JSOC commander, he directed the operation that killed Zarqawi in June 2006. McChrystal described standing over his body.

"Even at that point, I had a pretty healthy respect for the guy, for his commitment to a cause," however evil, he said.

McChrystal made headlines Dec. 30 with his criticism of Trump on ABC-TV's "This Week Program."

"I don't think he tells the truth," he said of Trump on the show. When asked whether the president is "immoral in your view," McChrystal replied: "I think he is."

"If we want to be governed by someone we wouldn't do a business deal with because their -- their background is so shady, if we're willing to do that, then that's in conflict with who I think we are. And so I think it's necessary at those times to take a stand," McChrystal said on the show.

Trump hit back two days later in a tweet calling McChrystal a supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who "got fired like a dog by [former President Barack] Obama. Last assignment a total bust. Known for big, dumb mouth. Hillary lover!"

McChrystal resigned after 34 years of service in 2010 when he faced possible firing by Obama over a Rolling Stone article detailing disparaging comments made in his presence by aides about then-Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.Two F-15 Eagles from Kadena Air Base, Japan, experienced mechanical issues and were forced to make emergency landing using arresting cables, the Air Force told Military.com Wednesday.

One of the F-15s had a problem with its landing gear and the other "experienced a hydraulic issue," said Air Force Capt. Victoria Hight, spokeswoman for Pacific Air Forces.

The jets were returning to Kadena when the incident occurred Tuesday, Hight said in an email.

"Both pilots followed proper procedures and landed the aircraft safely without incident," she said.

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Various media outlets noted that the jets landed on the same runway, but in the opposite direction of one another. The news was first reported by the Okinawa Times.

The separate incidents have not forced the base to order a stand-down of its fleet, Hight added. The base flies F-15C/D models.

"Our airmen are well-trained to execute their missions under any conditions, and they handled this particular incident in a professional, safe manner," the spokeswoman said.

In July, the base paused all F-15 flying operations after a pilot crashed off Okinawa during a routine training flight.

The lone pilot "successfully ejected" and was rescued by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.'At the Limits of What I Can Do:' Marine Corps Commandant Makes Plea for Funding

Gen. David Berger told Congress that the service has trimmed assets and people and needs full funding to ensure readiness.An AV-8B Harrier aircraft operating aboard the USS Kearsarge in the Mediterranean was damaged earlier this month after a loose grounding wire was sucked into the plane's engine.

The incident occurred as the Harrier, with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was undergoing routine maintenance, according to Marine Corps spokesman Capt Christopher Harrison.

"No one was injured, and an investigation is underway in order to learn from the incident and prevent future occurrences," Harrison said of the Jan. 5 mishap.

The Naval Safety Center said it is considered a "Class A" mishap, defined as those involving fatalities, severe damage totaling $2 million or more, or a complete loss of the aircraft.

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In recent months, the Marine Corps said it is planning new initiatives in sustainment, maintenance and training.

Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, deputy commandant for aviation, said in October that adding defense industry engineers to work with sailors and Marines may be a simple way to close gaps in maintenance issues with some of "these complex systems."

He noted that 2017 wasn't a great year for Marine aviation and practices.

The number of Marine Corps aviation accidents rose nearly 80 percent between fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2017, according to a report from Military Times. Most of this increase came in the Class C category, non-fatal accidents sustaining between $50,000 and $500,000 in damage to the aircraft, Rudder said.

"We had a terrible year," he said of the 2017 increase. In 2018, he said, the service cut all classes of mishaps, A through C, in half.

"So we've actually had a great year," Rudder said in October, "but we're still concerned, making sure the pilots are trained. ... We want pilots to be proficient so they can react well to things that are unforeseen within aviation in the operating environment."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.The U.S. Air Force is learning that wrench-turners, not computer geeks, may make ideal cyber warriors, National Guard Bureau cyber officials said Thursday.

"We tend to be very linear in our thinking sometimes -- that you have to have a computer science degree; you have to come from a computer background; and that is what makes a good cyber operator," Air Force Col. Jori Robinson, vice commander of the Maryland Air National Guard's 175th Wing, told a group of reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.

The Air Force is studying "what actually makes somebody have a capacity -- not necessarily the ability right now, but a capacity -- to learn cyberspace operations," Robinson said.

"So there have been some studies recently that are showing that, hey ... that person is over in maintenance, that person has been turning wrenches on a jet for the past 15 years. They actually have the capacity and the innate ability to understand networks and get a better idea, and they are turning out to make some of the most prolific and fantastic operators that we have," she said.

"We took some of our maintainers and turned them into cyber operators, and they are just crushing all of these classes. They are the most sought-after folks from Cyber Command to come and sit on these teams," Robinson said.

Air Force Lt. Col. Jody Ogle, J6 director of communications and cyber programs for the West Virginia National Guard, said his state has already experienced success from the effort when the 167th Air Wing recently began converting from the C-5 Galaxy to the C-17 Globemaster.

"C-17s don't require as many maintainers as C-5s, so there was a net loss of people," Ogle said.

Using workforce development grant money, "we put them through civilian education, and it was met with great success," he said, adding that roughly 50 maintainers went into cyber-related jobs.

"Cyber isn't always defense," Ogle said. "There is an [information technology] side of that too -- you build the domain. .... When you think of cyber, you've got to think of those who maintain your IT systems as well."

The Air National Guard currently has seven network warfare squadrons, two information operations squadrons, one information aggressor squadron and a small number of other cyber-capable units.

The Army National Guard is establishing a Cyber Brigade with five cyber battalions; 10 cyber protection teams, one in each of the Federal Emergency Management regions; five cyber support companies; and five cyber warfare companies under state authority by fiscal 2022.

The National Guard Bureau currently has 3,880 cyber warriors, and "we are building out all of our units, all of the training, so by 2022 we should be fully mission capable across all the units and the skill sets," said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Burkett, vice director of domestic operations for the National Guard Bureau.

"We see the future is bright for the National Guard ... and we definitely embrace the best talent that's out there to join our ranks and be part of a very cutting-edge mission that is absolutely necessary for the survival of our country," he said.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.AUSTIN, Texas -- Army Spc. Octavious Deshon Lakes Jr. was identified Wednesday by service officials as the soldier who died from injuries sustained in a tactical vehicle accident Jan. 14 at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

Lakes, 22, was killed in a rollover accident in an M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle during an exercise. Three others were injured.

Lakes, whose home of record is listed as Buford, Ga., entered the Army in March 2017 as a combat engineer. He was assigned to 3rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, since June 2017.

He deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait from July to October 2017.

"On behalf of Greywolf soldiers and families, Command Sgt. Maj. (Alfred) Ronneburg and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Spc. Octavious Lakes," said Col. Kevin S. Capra, commander of the 3rd "Greywolf" Brigade at Fort Hood. "His dedication, professionalism and spirit will be missed, but never forgotten."

Lakes' awards and decorations include two Army Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.

The accident is under investigation by the Army's Combat Readiness Safety Center.The U.S. Army's chief of staff said Wednesday that the service's 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade will deploy to Afghanistan despite the plan to withdraw about 7,000 U.S. forces from the war-torn country.

The Army announced in October that it planned to deploy the 2nd SFAB to Afghanistan, but press reports in late December of a decision by President Donald Trump to cut the 14,000 U.S. troops in the country by half cast doubt on the scheduled spring deployment of the specialized advise-and-assist brigade.

However, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Wednesday morning that the second of six SFABs is finishing up its training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, for the deployment.

"The 2nd SFAB ... is going through their exercise down at the Joint Readiness Training Center, and they will be deploying shortly to Afghanistan," he told an audience at an Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast.

"The 1st SFAB has deployed and now has redeployed from Afghanistan. And all of the reports that we have received ... from theater were extraordinarily positive," Milley said. "It's a tactical effect; it's not a strategic effect necessarily, but the tactical effect that they had was very positive."

The Army has stood up five SFABs in the active force so it could assign at least one to combatant commands such as U.S. Central Command, Africa Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Southern Command, he said.

The National Guard's 6th SFAB is intended to cover Northern Command, Milley added.

"We have been doing security force assistance for well over a century, and we think, the United States Army thinks, that we will be involved in security force assistance for many years and decades to come, no matter where it is," he said.

The SFABs were stood up to relieve conventional brigades from performing advise-and-assist missions, Milley said.

"We have a conventional brigade in Africa. We have five of them in the Middle East, so these chains of command of these conventional brigades have been ripped apart doing it. So we want to recover the conventional brigades, put in these Security Force Assistance Brigades and then, in combination with the great efforts of our Special Forces, we think we can continue to execute the ... security force assistance mission," he said.

The bulk of the troops in Afghanistan are serving in an advisory role to prepare Afghan security forces to be able to operate on their own. Commanders in Afghanistan plan to withdraw about 7,000 U.S. forces from the country over the next eight to 12 months, but Special Operations Forces will likely remain in country, conducting direct-action operations against enemy forces.

Army SFABs will likely continue to deploy to the Central Command region because "right now, that is where they are being used ... because that is where the demand is," Milley said.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.The license plate of a Toyota shown in this video was blurred by Niles police. Video taken by a witness shows one man attacking another on Milwaukee Avenue near the Chicago border. (Niles Police Department)PORTLAND  Town officials from Portland and East Hampton are scheduled to sit down Friday with state officials and water company representatives to discuss extending water service through Portland into East Hampton and perhaps beyond.

Portland hopes to extend an existing water line east along the Route 66 corridor, while East Hampton is in desperate need of a reliable water supply.

Leaders from the two towns will be joined by from officials from Hebron and Marlborough as well as representatives from at least two water companies for the meeting, which is being held by the state Department of Public Health.

In a Nov. 21 letter to DPH commissioner Dr. Paul Pino requesting the meeting, Portland First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield acknowledged East Hampton has significant water quality and quantity issues.

Portland has been asked to allow the Metropolitan District Commission to utilize portions of our system to expand their services to supply water to East Hampton, she said.

Portland annually buys some 146 million gallons of water from the MDC.

While sympathetic to East Hamptons needs, Bransfield said MDCs request raises several concerns for Portland, including questions about the current systems capacity, the need for ongoing maintenance, potential fee structure and billing and the impact to our customers.

Despite the immediate need of a neighboring community, Bransfield said, We have a responsibility to ensure that this decision is made with the best interests of our citizens in mind.

Further development of the Route 66 area, which would expand Portlands tax base, would require expansion of both water and sewer capacity, Bransfield noted.

During a conversation in her Town Hall office Wednesday, Bransfield said expanding water service to East Hampton opens the door to a similar expansion to communities further to the east.

Looming above all these issues is the question of funding a waterline expansion.

In a report to the Town Council earlier this month, East Hampton Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said it could cost plus/minus $80 million to bring a reliable water system into the center of town.

Both he and Bransfield hope the state will provide a $40 million grant to help facilitate their shared goal of extending water service in their respective communities.

In her letter to Pino, Bransfield called for an in-depth study of the issues.

More for you News Lake Pocotopaug pollution spurs critic to seek office in...

For his part, Maniscalco is looking for something sooner and more definite.

We have a very, very significant need for reliable service here, he said, ticking off the needs: the necessity of bringing potable water to the Village Center and along the Route 66 business corridor in the area of Town Hall, as well as associated issues involving Lake Pocotopaug.

Employees in Town Hall rely on bottled water because the well that services the 70-plus year old building is, like many wells in town, contaminated.

So, we kind of need to address these issues and address them soon, he said during a phone conversation Thursday morning.

We cant sit around and wait for another study, Maniscalco told the Town Council last week.

Council Chairwoman Melissa H. Engel agreed.

Weve got to get a move on, she said.

Maniscalco said he welcomes the opportunity to sit down with Bransfield, DPH officials as well as representatives from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Hebron Town Manager Andy Tierney and Marlborough First Selectwoman Amy Traversa.

Also scheduled to take part in the meeting are Chatham Health District Executive Director Don Mitchell, and representatives of the Lower River Council of Governments, the MDC and the CT Water Co.

Maniscalco has been in discussion with both CT Water and the Aquarion Water Co. as well as MDC.

Speaking about Bransfield, Maniscalco said, Its pretty clear we have two different positions.

We both need water, but our time lines may not jibe, he said.

He said he appreciates Bransfields vision of addressing the water needs of communities further to the east.

Maybe East Hampton could be Phase One of that process and Marlborough and Hebron could be Phase II, he said.

Maniscalco said he is very hopeful that we will get some kind of direction for moving forward during Fridays meeting. Weve got to get something done.

Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Cromwell and Portland for the Middletown Press. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com.Contributed photo

MIDDLETOWN  Connecticuts new state troubadour, Nekita Waller, and a five piece band will celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Russell Library.

Songs include inspirational pieces in a classic soul style. During the evening, actor Michael Scott will also present a reading of a piece by Martin Luther King Jr.CASEVILLE  Caseville firefighters were called to Blue Chips Machining on consecutive days to put out a fire over a heat treating oven.

According to Caseville Fire Chief Ben Willenberg, firefighters were first called around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to the factory located at 6755 Michigan Street to fight the small fire, which originated in some spray foam insulation near the ceiling and began smoldering.

A total of 13 firefighters were able to put things out using a foam spray and very little water, due to the electric panels below.ABC/Randy HolmesTom Morello will lend his shredding chops to End of Suffering, a new album from English punk band Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes.

The Rage Against the Machine and Prophets of Rage guitarist guests on a song magnificently titled "Tyrant Lizard King." You'll get to hear it when End of Suffering is released on May 3.

Carter and Morello previously linked up during the Resurrection Festival in Spain last summer, when Carter joined Prophets of Rage onstage for a performance of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name."

Morello, meanwhile, will play a number of festival dates this spring in support of his new solo album The Atlas Underground, which he released last fall.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.At an appearance earlier this week, Swopes referred to his wife as his co-defendant and said he wanted to be able to discuss trial strategies with her, but Rossetti and prosecutors noted that he is under a no-contact order with his wife.The division also concluded that the signals did not contribute to the situation, but ICC staff will contact IDOT and Union Pacific to schedule a detailed inspection of the traffic signals and railroad warning devices, Crawford said. Inspections generally take place on an annual basis, and in addition to other reviews completed as part of routine maintenance.The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association, the union for teachers and certified staff in District 86, contributed the most to the Yes for D86 campaign, donating $17,400, including a $15,400 contribution on Oct. 30. The union also paid for an additional $14,600 worth of postage and printing costs for pro-referendum advertising, according to campaign finance disclosure reports as of Dec. 31, 2018, filed on Jan. 15.The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Terence Quick, received today the Romanian Ambassador Lucian Fatu and the Swedish Ambassador Charlotte Sammelin.

With the Romanian Ambassador, Mr Quick discussed the three Meetings planned in February, March and May, in Bucharest, by the Romanian Presidency of the European Union, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Diaspora.

The first Meeting, at the level of experts, will deal with the measures to be taken to tackle the problem of ever-increasing trafficking, the second Meeting at the level of ministers, will focus on the overall strategy to be adopted by European countries in order to meet the needs of their expatriate populations who reside in various parts of Europe, and the third session, to be held at the level of officials, will look at the cultural, economic, social and educational cooperation among expatriate communities in every European country they live.

Mr. Quick accepted the invitation of the Minister for Romanians Abroad, Natalia-Elena Intotero, for a bilateral meeting in the context of the March Ministerial Meeting, which will later become a tripartite meeting including Cyprus, as the Cypriot Presidential Commissioner for Overseas Cypriots, Fotis Fotiou, will also be present in Bucharest.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also received the Swedish Ambassador, Charlotte Sammelin, with whom he discussed matters of bilateral interest and matters pertaining to developments in Europe, as well as the upcoming elections to the European Parliament.It is adding a second hot strip mill at its 55-hectare complex in Cilegon, West Java, which it expects to come online in the second half of this year. The new 1.5-million-tpy mill will add to its existing 2.4-million-tpy hot strip capacity.Krakatau Steel also fired up its first 1.2-million-tpy blast furnace just last month - on December 20 - after years of delays. The blow-in was originally scheduled for 2016 but was postponed several times to June 2018 , before being eventually pushed back to December 2018.Market participants in Asia are looking out for any changes to Krakatau Steel's sales strategy once its new hot strip mill starts up.

"Krakatau Steel has typically kept prices high for the domestic market. There may not be much of an impact in terms of HRC import volumes if domestic prices remain high because buyers will continue to look toward...A: Everybody is different. I mentor people who have just had an idea and no real product yet and I also mentor people who have existing businesses and they are facing a situation where they dont feel, as a small businessman, that they have the internal bandwidth to solve the problem. So maybe a fresh set of eyes from an experienced executive will help them speed the path toward the solution of the situation they are facing.Services for Ricky Everett Roberson are Friday, 11 a.m., at Stephens Funeral Home. Burial will follow in First Baptist Collinsville cemetery. Mr. Roberson, 68, of Meridian, passed away Sunday. Friends may sign the online register at www.stephensfunerals.com.Submitted

Members of the Community College Policy Fellowship Program listen to MCC President Thomas Huebner. The CPFP group meets throughout the academic year to discuss state and national policies on education and to determine successful ways to advocate on behalf of Alabama and Mississippi college students.If you've been using smartphones since the early 2000s, you may remember the iconic Motorola RAZR and how it took over the world.

The slick flip phone was probably the hottest looking smartphone that everyone owned. It was a marvel when it came to the aesthetics, however, the hinges kept breaking easily.

It was the first phone that generated a craze among the consumers and now, it seems like it will be making a comeback. According to Wall Street Journal's sources, the new phone is expected to launch soon. Photo:  YouTube (Main Image)

 YouTube

Lenovo, the company that also owns Motorola, is now looking to revive the nostalgic phone, however, there is some rather bad news if you thought you could get it easily.

Rumours suggest that the Motorola RAZR will launch in partnership with U.S. Carrier 'Verizon'. However, that's not the disappointing development, it's the staggering price.

The price tag that Lenovo will ask for this piece of nostalgia is a mind-numbing $1500 (Rs 1,06,990). That's a hefty price tag for a piece of nostalgia if you ask me.

It seems like that this price tag will obviously not result in good sales numbers.

 Motorola

Apart from the fact that this is a folding phone, there's no news about its specifications, design or anything else.

We could speculate that a phone that folds, better have two screens or great specifications that would make it worthy of paying that hefty price tag. There's a good chance that it might a fully foldable phone which could justify its high price tag.

As of now, this particular Motorola RAZR phone is just a part of a rumour which should be taken with a pinch of salt. Who knows what the device will look like and what specifications it has to offer.

For now, we just hope it's a real device and delivers the same spectacular device as its older counterpart.

Source: Wall Street JournalI dont want people to get so dazzled by the buzz words, said Kerry Trotter, the mother of a second grade pupil at Oak Terrace School. These kids have to be kids, too. They have to play and have some unstructured time. They need to have the occasional party, the occasional movie day.The last of Rajkummar Rao and Fatima Shaikh that we saw in 2018 was a mixed bag of highs and lows.

Whereas Rajkummar ended the year with a high, given the commercial and critical success of 'Stree', Fatima's year in Bollywood could have been better if 'Thugs of Hindostan' hadn't been the major disappointment that it was.

However, regardless of what the past year brought to their film careers, 2019 holds new possibilities for both of them.

Why we say that is because according to the latest reports, Rajkummar and Fatima are all set to star in Anurag Basu's yet-untitled movie, which is said to be a spin-off of Basu's 2007 directorial venture 'Life In A Metro' showcasing four different stories in one film.

The first look of the film was earlier released on Twitter by Rajkummar and from the looks of it, it looks like a recreation of a song sequence from the 90s.

While Rajkummar can be seen posing away from the camera in Mithun's iconic pose, Fatima is seen waving her saree with her back to the camera.

As per latest reports, the shooting for the film has already started in Bhopal, where the cast is supposed to be shooting on a 15-day schedule, with 12-hour shifts.

What is more, a Mumbai Mirror report has also suggested that a portion of the film will be shot in the ancestral property of Saif Ali Khan, which is now a luxury hotel.

Fans can expect to taste the flavour of Bhopal in Anurag Basu's upcoming film, and we cannot wait to see what the trio has in store for us.COLUMBUS, Ohio

Jan. 16, 2019

Ohio

Ohio

North America

Ohio

Ohio

State of Ohio

Nick Lashutka

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$173 million

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Michael Fisher

the United States

Canada

/PRNewswire/ --Ten years after launching a first-of-its-kind effort to eliminate patient harm in children's hospitals in partnership withbusiness leaders, the eight founding children's hospitals gathered in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium, the very spot where the effort was launched as a collaboration inin 2009. The effort has now expanded to more than 135 children's hospitals acrossand has transformed pediatric healthcare through its work.The eightchildren's hospitals  Akron Children's Hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic Children's, Dayton Children's, Mercy Health Children's Hospital, Nationwide Children's Hospital, ProMedica Toledo Children's Hospital and UH/Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital  took a risk 10 years ago in January of 2009, when their leaders decided to put aside competition, transparently share data and work together to eliminate serious safety events in their hospitals. The effort  now known across the globe as the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety  had never been done before  and was even described byhospital leaders as "herculean" in scope.In fact, the effort was so unique that it required an act of theto protect the peer review process and allow the hospitals to share learning and data in ways that drive change quickly and effectively."It's highly likely that without the cooperation and support of the Ohio General Assembly, we would have been unable to overcome the legal barriers to transparently sharing our safety data," said, President and CEO, Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS). "We are incredibly fortunate thatleaders shared our vision, understood the barriers that needed removed and took swift and appropriate action to do so."The SPS network's efforts have savedfrom serious harm and led to an estimated savings of more than, with consistent progress toward the goal of eliminating serious harm. The hospitals in the network share information and data regularly to learn best practices that are then spread across the network and shared publicly, along with results, on the network's website.Early efforts were led by the Ohio Business Roundtable, with foundational support from the Cardinal Health Foundation. Additional supporters of SPS have included American Electric Power, AK Steel, The George Gund Foundation, Humana, Interact for Health and Medical Mutual of"SPS is about eliminating serious harm. Our goal is zero. Children's hospitals have a responsibility for the health and safety of all patients and employees, and SPS ensures we deliver on that commitment," said, President & CEO, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Chair of SPS. "While nearly every hospital in our country has a program to improve safety, our network is unique because we share goals, data, and processes  learning from each other every step of the way  and amplifying our work in a way that cannot happen in a singular hospital. We are proud of our accomplishments so far, but until we get to zero, our work is never done."SPS is a network of more than 135 children's hospitals fromand. SPS is funded in part by the federal Partnership for Patients program and the Cardinal Health Foundation.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ohio-based-international-childrens-hospitals-patient-safety-effort-that-is-saving-lives-celebrates-10-years-of-success-looks-toward-future-300778773.html



SOURCE Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety



PHILADELPHIA

Jan. 16, 2019

University of Pennsylvania

Penn

Penn

Shelley Berger

University of Pennsylvania

Thomas Kim

Philipp Mews

Shelley Berger

Shelley Berger

John Swartley

University of Pennsylvania

the United States

$2 billion

$10.7 billion

Penn

Penn

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- EpiVario, an early-stage drug discovery and development company, today announced it has secured an exclusive worldwide license, in all fields, for novel technologies and drug candidates for a wide range of memory-related psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Alzheimer's disease, and alcohol and drug addiction.The license agreement, executed by EpiVario and the Trustees of the), covers patents related to the acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACSS2) gene and its role in memory-related psychiatric conditions. EpiVario andalso executed a sponsored research agreement, which funds the lab of Dr., the Daniel S. Och University Professor at theand one of EpiVario's co-founders. Through this agreement, EpiVario will have access to additional understanding of ACSS2 and potentially other modulators of its activity."Securing this exclusive license was a key element in our strategy to be the first to bring this treatment to market with strong patent protection," said, CEO of EpiVario. "We look forward to working with Dr. Berger and her research team to continue to hit milestones on our way towards Phase I clinical trials in 2020."EpiVario treats memory-related disorders at the source. By inhibiting the non-essential ACSS2 enzyme, it disassociates the stress response linked to traumatic events and can prevent the process of negative memory formation. The treatment's proof-of-concept has already been established in animals through research on ACSS2 knockdown mice, which was conducted by EpiVario co-founders, Ph.D. and, Ph.D. and published in Nature in June of 2017."The Penn Center for Innovation is pleased to partner with Dr.and EpiVario to help develop new therapeutic solutions for those suffering with brain disorders such as PTSD," said, Associate Vice Provost for Research and Managing Director of PCI at the. "The experienced team at EpiVario brings a suite of complementary R&D skills and capabilities to this collaborative program with Dr. Berger and Penn Medicine."There are currently 26 million people living with PTSD inand 296 million worldwide, and it is estimated that eight percent of the U.S. population experiences PTSD at some point during their lifetime. The U.S. government spends an estimatedannually to help treat PTSD in the veteran population, and the global market for PTSD treatment is expected to reach nearlyby 2026.Current PTSD treatments are focused on targets that include the NK1 receptor, prohormones, or the serotonindopamine activity modulator, but have failed to show real efficacy, only minimizing frequency and severity of symptoms. By targeting the ACSS2 gene, EpiVario hopes to find a more effective means of treating memory-related disorders.Dr. Berger andhold equity in EpiVario. Dr. Mews was a member of Berger's lab at the time of the invention and holds equity in EpiVario. Bothand the inventors of the licensed technology may receive additional financial benefits under the license in the future.About PTSD PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can develop as a response to experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as interpersonal violence, combat, or a life-threatening accident or natural disaster. Core features of PTSD include re-experiencing symptoms (i.e., intrusive memories, flashbacks, and nightmares), avoidance of reminders of the trauma, negative thoughts and feelings (e.g., amnesia for aspects of the trauma, anhedonia, withdrawal, exaggerated self-blame), and increased arousal (i.e., insomnia, irritability, poor concentration, hypervigilance). The severity of PTSD symptoms can intensify through cycles of memory recall and reconsolidation. Psychiatric comorbidities, including depression and alcohol and substance use disorders, are common, and PTSD can heighten the risk of suicidal behavior.About EpiVario EpiVario is an early-stage drug discovery and development company that targets a wide range of memory-related psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, Alzheimer's, and alcohol and drug addiction. The company's novel approach targets memory formation at the source of the disease, preventing the creation and reconsolidation of traumatic memories. Core to EpiVario is administering its drug in conjunction with psychotherapy, where a negative or traumatic memory is intentionally re-lived, with the goal of disassociating the stress linked to the original traumatic event. EpiVario is a startup company originally founded at the Penn Center for Innovation. For more information visit https://www.epivario.comSOURCE EpiVarioJoseph Klim, a postdoctoral fellow in the Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology in Cambridge, MA, is the first author of the new paper, which appears in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

New research may help change these limited treatment options, as scientists have uncovered a gene which could serve as a new drug target.

Generally, however, individuals living with ALS mainly benefit from supportive or palliative care.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved two drugs that slow down the disease, albeit modestly: riluzole and edaravone. Clinical trials have shown that riluzole extends survival by a few months, while edaravone improves the daily functioning of people with ALS.

The NINDS also quote the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) 2016 estimate that 14,00015,000 people in the United States have the condition. ALS currently has no known cure.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) , people with ALS experience gradual paralysis, which often results in death from respiratory failure within 35 years. Approximately 10 percent of people who have the condition, however, go on to live for 10 years.

New research makes a discovery that suggests a clear approach for developing a potential therapy for ALS.

Previous research has found that the protein TDP-43 aggregates in the neurons of people with ALS. Instead of remaining in the nucleus of these cells  as it would in a healthy neuron  in ALS, the protein leaves the nucleus and accumulates in the cells cytoplasm.

This discovery led researchers to believe that the neurons trash-disposal system was genetically faulty in a way that affected TDP-43, but they did not know which genes were responsible.

TDP-43 binds to RNA, which communicates the genetic information needed to activate a certain protein.

In this study, Klim and colleagues decided to investigate every type of RNA that the TDP-43 protein in human neurons regulates. They also genetically modified TDP-43 and studied the effects.

Using motor neurons created from human stem cells, the scientists decreased the TDP-43 protein and examined how gene expression changed as a result.

RNA sequencing revealed that Stathmin2 (STMN2), a gene that plays a key role in the growth and repair of neurons, changed significantly and consistently along with TDP-43.

Once we had a connection between the TDP-43 and the loss of this other critical gene, STMN2, we could see how a motor neuron might begin to fail in ALS, Klim explains.

Kevin Eggan, who is a professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard and the studys corresponding author, explains how the scientists reached their results.

With the discovery that our human stem cell model had predicted exactly what was happening in patients, [Klim] went on to test in this system whether fixing Stathmin2 could rescue the motor neuron degeneration in our dish caused by disturbing TDP-43.

In a beautiful series of experiments that I believe provide great hope for patients, he went on to show this was exactly the case: rescuing expression of Stathmin2 rescued motor neuron growth, says Prof. Eggan.

Kim adds, We discovered that when TDP-43 levels are diminished in the nucleus [], it becomes impossible for STMN2 to create a vital component for repairing or growing motor neuron axons.

The researchers also analyzed human neurons that they obtained postmortem from people who had lived with ALS. These findings further replicated their stem cell results.

These experiments point towards a clear path for testing whether repairing Stathmin2 in patients can slow or stop their disease, says Prof. Eggan.A new study brings us closer to an anti-flu probiotic pill. By subtly altering the bacteria in our nose and throat, we might be able to beat influenza. Share on Pinterest The respiratory systems microbiome could help researchers defeat the influenza virus (pictured). In most cases, when someone mentions the microbiome, they are referring to the bacteria in the gut. However, bacteria cover every inch of us, both inside and out, and the term microbiome refers to all of our microbial passengers. The bacteria in our respiratory system are currently receiving increased attention. Some of them, scientists believe, may be able to protect us from disease. A recent study by researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor investigates the potential for manipulating these bacterial populations to reduce disease risk. I love the idea of working with our microbes as opposed to seeing them as an enemy that needs to be eradicated, says lead author Prof. Betsy Foxman. In particular, Prof. Foxman is interested in understanding the role that microbes play in our susceptibility to flu.

Facing flu Finding new ways to reduce influenza risk is important. For many of us, a case of the flu is little more than unpleasant. However, for individuals in high-risk populations  people who are young, old, or pregnant  flu can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia. Although flu vaccines work well against influenza, they are not effective in preventing all strains, and not everyone has easy access to them. Designing a cost-effective and straightforward way to reduce the risk of influenza is a pressing public health concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 650,000 deaths occur each year globally as a result of influenza. The influenza virus primarily targets the epithelial cells of the upper and lower respiratory tract. These cells swarm with communities of bacteria. Is it possible that the makeup of these colonies could influence the ability of the influenza virus to set up shop and cause illness? Previous studies have shown that manipulating the microbiome can change susceptibility to disease. For instance, one study found that treating mice with oral antibiotics led to increased degeneration of the bronchiole epithelium and a higher risk of death after infection with influenza. Also, earlier research by Prof. Foxman showed that people with the influenza virus had increased levels of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in their nose and throat. It seems clear that there is a relationship between the respiratory microbiome and influenza viral infection. However, to date, as the authors write, an association between the nose/throat microbiome and influenza risk has not been demonstrated in human populations. Their latest work, which features in PLOS ONE, sets out to address this issue.

Bacterial protectors To investigate, the scientists used data from the Nicaraguan Household Transmission Study, which took place from 20122014. The participants were household members of individuals with confirmed influenza. The team followed each of them for 13 days or until they developed flu, whichever came first. The current study took data from the 537 individuals who tested negative for influenza at the beginning of the study. The researchers took samples of throat and nose bacteria at the beginning of the program. Using DNA sequencing, they were able to build up a picture of the types of bacteria present. They broke this data down into five clusters. Having divided the types of bacterial community into five groups, they controlled for other variables, such as smoking, age, cramped living conditions, and flu vaccination. We looked at who had which cluster and whether it makes a difference on whether they got influenza, and it does, Foxman says. Thats the exciting thing about it  it tells us if you have this bacterial community, you have lower risk for getting the flu. Thats big news because it really hasnt been shown before. These results might help explain why some people are more susceptible to influenza than others.In its latest Magazine Media 360 Brand Audience Report, MPA  The Association of Magazine Media looked at which of the 110 magazines had growth across all three online platforms  web, mobile and video  in November 2018, compared to the prior year.

Hearst was the publisher with the most brands on the list, with seven: Elle Decor (129% growth in November 2018 compared to the year prior), Cosmopolitan (71%), Town & Country (70%), House Beautiful (56%), Harpers Bazaar (46%), Esquire (37%) and Road & Track(33%).

Editorial intuition combined with our proprietary data tools, is leading to better, smarter creative decisions," Brooke Siegel, vice president, content, Hearst Digital Media, told Publishers Daily.

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When our brands find a topic or story that deeply engages our audience, we chase it ambitiously and aggressively across all platforms. When we see a strategy working, we share it across all our teams. Its a collaborative effort and its one thats working, she said.

MPA found 13 brands had notable overall online growth. The MPA says this growth is bucking the trend of declining web traffic in favor of mobile and video growth.

Travel publication Afar led the pack with 167% growth across online platforms in November 2018, compared to a year ago.

Afar was followed by Elle Decor (129%) and American Media, Inc.'s Mens Journal (122%).

Taste of Home (Trusted Media Brands, 38%), Saveur (Bonnier, 30%), Fast Company (Mansueto Ventures, 20%) and Food & Wine (Meredith Corp., 13%) were also on the list.

Four of the magazine brands that experienced over 300% video viewership growth year-over-year in MPA's September 2018 Brand Audience Report were also Hearst brands: Esquire, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.

In the October MPA report, about half the titles with the most video growth year-over-year were Hearst.

The Hearst titles that more than doubled their video audiences from October 2017 to October 2018 included: Road & Track (1252%), Town & Country (945%), Esquire (579%), House Beautiful (216%), Car and Driver (170%) and Cosmopolitan (151%).by Alex Weprin , January 17, 2019

Netflix is cracking open more viewership numbers, following the explosive debate over its reported Bird Box viewership a few weeks ago.



In its quarterly earnings report, released Thursday afternoon, Netflix said in its first four weeks of release, Bird Box now has 80 million views, with a view being a household that watches at least 70% of the film.

The company previously reported that 45 million household had watched the film in the first seven days after release.

Then, Netflix upped the ante, suggesting that it now accounts for 10% of all TV screen time in the United States. Netflix arrived at that number by looking at how many hours of video it serves to TV screens every day in the U.S., which it pegs at 100 million.

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It estimates TV screens in the U.S. are on for around 1 billion hours every day, including in hotels, bars, etc), thus 10%.

Its a bold statement, even if Netflix acknowledges that its share of mobile screen time is lower  and that the figure is also lower in other countries, due to lower penetration.

But the message is clear: At any given moment, a significant percentage of the U.S. population is watching Netflix.

The company followed that claim up by strategically revealing additional viewing metrics around some of its other shows.

Elite, a Spanish original, has now been seen by more than 20 million households in its first four weeks of release, the company says. Bodyguard, (a coproduction with ITV Studios in the U.K.), Baby (an original series from Italy, and the Turkish original The Protector all saw more than 10 million views in their first four weeks.

The point in releasing those numbers was to show the companys originals out pace the U.S., even series developed in Italy or Turkey can attract millions of viewers on the companys platform.

Similarly, Netflix said its original series You, a series that flopped on Lifetime but was available on Netflix everywhere else in the world, was picked up by Netflix for an exclusive second season. The company says You was seen by 40 million households in its first four weeks.

This quarter marks something of a new era for Netflix.

The company has never previously disclosed any viewership figures, and the ones it released on Thursday, however selective, are sure to be picked apart and analyzed for weeks to come. Inevitable comparisons will be made to Nielsens streaming ratings, which are U.S.-only for now.by Chuck Martin , January 17, 2019

Grocery chain Stop & Shop plans to launch driverless grocery vehicles in the Greater Boston area.

The vehicles will contain a selection of Stop & Shop produce, meal kits and convenience items for consumers to shop at their doorsteps, according to the company.

The vehicles from Robomart, a San Francisco startup, can be summoned via smartphone app starting in the spring. When the vehicle arrives, customers can unlock the vehicles doors to select the fruits, vegetables and other products they want to purchase.

When the shopping is done, the shopper closes the doors and the vehicle goes on its way. Technology including RFID and computer vision automatically records what customers select and provides a checkout-free experience, with email receipts.

This is one way in which were leveraging new technology to make shopping easier for our customers -- by essentially bringing the store to them, stated Mark McGowan, Stop & Shop president. We also recognize that many of our customers want the opportunity to make their own choices when it comes to fresh produce, and we're proud to be the first retailer to engage with Robomart to address our customers needs with their cutting-edge solution.by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, January 17, 2019

Two Senators are expressing concerns over how the ongoing government shutdown will affect the Federal Trade Commission's probe of Facebook's data practices.

When American's privacy is breached, they deserve a speedy and effective response, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) write in a letter sent Thursday to the FTC. The government shutdown could have profound effects on the FTC's investigation beyond delays due to staff furloughs.

Last March, soon after it emerged that Cambridge Analytica had harvested data from millions of Facebook users, the FTC said it was investigating whether Facebook violated a 2012 consent decree.

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That order -- which grew out of allegations that Facebook was sharing users' information without their consent -- prohibits Facebook from misrepresenting its privacy practices, and from misrepresenting the extent to which it makes users' information available to third parties.

Cambridge Analytica -- now defunct -- received the data from researcher Aleksandr Kogan, who obtained the information in 2014 through the personality-quiz app "thisisyourdigitallife." Only 270,000 Facebook users downloaded Kogan's app, but he was able to gather data about many of those users' contacts.

The FTC, which hasn't publicly discussed the investigation since last March, has been closed for around four weeks due to the government shutdown.

Markey and Blumenthal are now asking the agency whether it has a plan to resume the investigation when the government reopens, and whether it will require additional resources to do so.

We strongly encourage the Commission to use every tool at its disposal in its investigation and we write to ensure that the FTC is able to address any detrimental impacts from the shutdown and conduct a fulsome investigation, they say.Facebook has interrupted two more coordinated campaigns to flood its network with politicized misinformation.

Unlike past efforts, the tech titan is fingering Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik for spreading the deceptive fare.

Despite their misrepresentations of their identities, we found these Pages and accounts were linked to employees of Sputnik, Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy, Facebook, notes in a new blog post.

Among other Kremlin-backed positions, the offending Pages spread anti-NATO sentiment throughout markets in and around Eastern Europe.

One of the campaigns was comprised of 364 Pages and accounts, originated in Russia, and operated in the Baltics, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern European countries.

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In this cast, the page administrators and account owners primarily represented themselves as independent news Pages or general interest Pages in Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan.

Before identifying these pages to be fraudulent, Facebook took about $135,000 in advertising in exchange for promoting their content.

A separately campaign consisted of 107 Facebook pages, groups and accounts, as well as 41 Instagram accounts.

This effort was orchestrated by a network that originated in Russia and operated in Ukraine, according to Gleicher.

The network paid Facebook about $25,000 in advertising before its efforts were foiled.

As with past attacks on its network, Gleicher confirmed Facebook has shared information about its investigation with U.S. law enforcement, Congress, other technology companies, and policymakers in those countries impacted by both campaigns.by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, January 17, 2019

Aer Lingus today unveiled a refreshed brand with updated logo and new aircraft livery, designed to communicate the airlines positioning as a modern and contemporary Irish brand that competes on the international stage.

The new brand refresh  created with brand design firm Lippincott  is part of the airlines ambitious growth plan that will see Aer Lingus increase its North Atlantic fleet from 17 to 30 aircraft by 2023.

The effort supports Aer Lingus ambition to be the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic.

The new logo remains but restyles the iconic shamrock, adding a tilt to symbolize dynamism and speed, with heart-shaped leaves intended to reflect warmth and hospitality from the brand.

Four shamrocks are featured on the new Aer Lingus aircraft livery: within the new logo, on the tailfin, at the door, and on the wingtip, the last strategically placed for capturing on social media.

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The body of the new-look aircraft will be white with a teal-colored tail, undercarriage and engines.

The refresh is being rolled out today across all brand platforms, with a new website and app design. It will be visible across all guest touchpoints, from check-in to boarding gate and on to the aircraft.

Sean Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Aer Lingus stated: The refreshed brand reflects an airline that connects those living in Montreal to Marseilles, in Berlin to Boston, as well as those living in Cork to Croatia. The benefit for Ireland of being at the fulcrum of such connections is considerable, and we in Aer Lingus are determined to realize this potential for Ireland.by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, January 17, 2019

Jerry Gibbons, who broke into San Franciscos fiercely competitive advertising world as a mailroom boy, rose to head several of the citys most powerful ad agencies and led the western office of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, died of heart failure Jan. 7 at age 82. The news was confirmed by the 4As, which supplied most of the following information about his life and career.

Gibbons garnered a reputation as a brilliant marketing strategist who artfully combined ideas from copywriters, art directors and broadcast producers into client campaigns.

In recent years, Gibbons headed agency consultant ADvice that counseled agencies nationwide on how to be more efficient, profitable and successful in winning new accounts.

But in a business where insecurity and stress rampages through posh offices and claustrophobic cubicles, Gibbons was best known for his kindness of spirit, generosity and perpetually positive attitude.

People were important to Jerry and he didnt just collect them because it added to his prestige, says Stuart Montgomery who headed Time magazines ad sales in Northern California for over 25 years. He liked interesting people and he kept in touch with them regularly.

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Gibbons was born in Coalinga, CA. His father James Gibbons worked in the oil fields of Coalinga as a career long manager with Tidewater Oil Co. His mother, Hazel, was a homemaker. After high school, he enrolled at San Jose State University as a psychology major, left after a year to join the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Ord, CA for two years. Afterwards, he returned to San Jose State, switched majors to advertising and after graduating was hired as a mail room clerk in Young & Rubicams San Francisco office.

He landed a job as a junior account executive with McCann-Erickson, then San Franciscos biggest ad agency, moved to Dailey & Associates where he met Robert C. Pritikin, a young copywriter creative director. The two hit it off and launched Pritikin & Gibbons Communications positioning it as a creative, risk-taking, boutique shop.

The agency was later sold to N.W. Ayer and Mr. Gibbons was named president. Jerry was the perfect human being, recalls Pritikin.We were business partners for years and we never had one dispute. In pitches and in dealing with clients, he was Mr. Cool and never got flustered.

During the 1980s Gibbons was senior vice president at Foote Cone & Belding and president and chief executive at DDB/Needham, both in San Francisco. He was later president of Lewis & Partners, another Bay Area agency and then launched his own ad firm called the Gibbons & Dickens Group.

When the 4As was looking for a western regional executive vice president in 1992, it sought out Gibbons. He was known and highly respected by everyone in the advertising business, remembers Brent Osborne, former head of radio sales at KSFOAM/FM. He didnt have an enemy in the world.

During his long career, Mr. Gibbons was actively involved in the advertising community and beyond. He was a past president of the San Francisco Ad Club, Society of Communications Arts and Alpha Delta Sigma. He was a former board director of the Oakland Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, National Association of Visually Handicapped, U.S. Organization of Disabled Athletes, the Advertising Agency Federation. He was chair emeritus of the Marine Mammal Center and a longtime member of its board.

In 2005, he was named Admark Advertising Person of the Year by the San Francisco Advertising and Marketing Association.

Gibbons loved the outdoors and the ranch life. He and his wife of 56 years, Val, who survives him, spent most weekends on their property in the Napa hills tending to their horses and mending fences.

Gibbons is also survived by his three children, Scott Gibbons, Cristin Gibbons and Trisha Ashworth, five grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his younger brother Jimmy and older brother Earle.

A celebration of his life will be held Feb. 17, from 3-5 pm at Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco. Donations may be made to Bay Area Advertising Relief Committee www.baarc.com or to the Marine Mammal Center at www.marinemammalcenter.org.by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, January 16, 2019

House Republicans are questioning wireless carriers and other companies over their sale of customers' location data.

This practice of selling and sharing of location information ... potentially impacts hundreds of millions of American customers, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce committee wrote in letters sent Wednesday to the CEOs of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. We are deeply troubled because it is not the first time we have received reports and information about the sharing of mobile users' location information involving a number of parties who may have misused personally identifiable information.

The letters came several days after Rep. Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey), chairman of the Energy and Commerce committee, asked Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to provide an emergency briefing to Congress about carriers' practices. Pai declined to do so.

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The moves by Congress were prompted by an article in Motherboard, which reported last week that some of the largest carriers are selling customers' location data to third parties. Motherboard's article detailed how a reporter paid a bounty hunter $300 to track a phone's location to a neighborhood in Queens, New York.

The carrier for that phone was T-Mobile, which shared the location data with the aggregator Zumigo, which in turn shared the data with Microbilt. Microbilt then shared the information with a bounty hunter, who shared it with a bail industry source, according to Motherboard.

Soon after the article appeared, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon promised to stop selling location data by March. This week, Sprint also said it would stop selling the data to aggregators, according to Motherboard.

Last May, it emerged that an aggregator was selling location data to law enforcement authorities who lacked warrants. At the time, carriers also promised to stop selling location information to outside aggregators.

House Republicans are now requesting a host of information from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint, including the names of all outside companies that received data about customers' locations since 2007. Other questions center on the contracts between the carriers and the outside companies, and how the carriers ensure that third parties are only selling approved services.

The lawmakers also are questioning the CEOs of Zumigo and Microbilt about how they handle customers' location data. Among other questions, the officials want to know how the companies obtain consumers' consent before disclosing location data.

Congress is requesting answers by January 30.by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, January 16, 2019

Sen, Marco Rubio (R-Florida) introduced a new privacy bill Wednesday that would task the Federal Trade Commission with crafting recommendations governing digital data.

The proposed American Data Dissemination Act would override many state privacy laws, including a new California measure, slated to take effect next year. The California bill allows consumers to learn what data is held about them, and to opt out of the sale of that data.

Use of your personal data is governed by antiquated laws that do not work in the modern economy, Rubio said today in an op-ed published in The Hill. The time has come for Congress to address consumer data privacy in a candid, responsible and modern manner.

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Rubio's proposal also involves exempting small start-ups from new privacy rules. Specifically, his proposed law tasks the FTC with devising standards to determine which companies need not follow any new regulations.

Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google (FAANG) and others would welcome cumbersome regulations that prevent start-ups and smaller competitors from challenging the FAANGs current dominance, Rubio wrote. While we may have disagreements on the best path forward, no one believes a privacy law that only bolsters the largest companies with the resources to comply and stifles our start-up marketplace is the right approach.

Rubio's bill would give the FTC six months to submit recommendations for privacy requirements to Congress. Congress would then be required to act on those recommendations; if lawmakers fail to do so within two years, the FTC would then promulgate final rules.

His proposal comes as tech companies and the ad industry are urging lawmakers to pass a federal privacy bill that overrides state laws.

Rubio isn't the only lawmaker floating new laws.

Last year, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) unveiled a draft of a bill creating a national do not track regime that would give consumers the right to prevent information about them from being shared or sold by ad-tech companies.

Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota), who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, is also expected to unveil a proposal this year.

But it's not clear that Democrats will agree to legislation that preempts the relatively strong law in California. Last year, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said at a hearing that a proposed law won't garner the 60 Senate votes it needs to close debate, unless the law is "progressive."

Were not going to get 60 votes for anything and replace a progressive California law, however flawed you may think it is, with a nonprogressive federal law, he said.Robotics Prosthetics Market  Scenario

Robotic prosthetics are artificial limbs which combine the prosthetics with robotics to offer fully functional prosthetics which allow patients to carry out normal functions with their artificial limbs. This factor alone has boosted the robotic prosthetics market. Market Research Futures survey of the global robotics prosthetics market has found that the growth of the market is anticipated at a CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2027.

Robotics prosthetics represent immense promise for advanced medical technology, which is in high demand. Medical advancements are being achieved at a rapid pace, and the ability of robotics prosthetics to promote normal limb function after the loss of a natural limb is in high demand. The increasing prevalence of various chronic diseases which can result in limb loss is a key factor driving the growth of the global market. The expanding geriatric population is another driver of the global robotics prosthetics market  increasing cases of fragility fractures combined with an increase in awareness regarding innovative medical technology. Increasing spending on healthcare as well as investments in R&D in the advancement of existing technology are some other factors contributing to the growth of the market.

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Robotic prosthetics are not well covered in insurance reimbursement policies which has been a challenge to the adoption of robotic prosthetics. Moreover, robotics prosthetics are expensive, which makes them inaccessible, thus restraining market growth.

Key Players

The Global Robotics Prosthetics Market is highly fragmented with the presence of many local players and international players. The main focus of these players is cost reduction and innovation to ensure sustainability. In addition, the international players implemented growth strategies through collaborations and partnerships to expand their overall market share.

SynTouch, LLC, Transenterix, Inc., Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Touch Bionics Inc., Mazor Robotics Ltd., Stryker Corporation, HDT Global Inc, Medrobotics Corporation, Hansen Medical, Inc., KUKA Roboter GmbH, ZOLL Medical Corporation, Smith & Nephew, ReWalk Robotics, Aethon, and Shadow Robot Company

Market Segmentation

The robotics prosthetics market has been segmented in MRFRs report on the basis of product, application, technology, end-user, and region. Products available in the robotics prosthetics market include prosthetic hands, prosthetic legs & knees, prosthetic arms, prosthetics feet/ankles, and others.

Technology employed in robotic prosthetics include Bluetooth, microprocessor knees, myoelectric technology, prosthetic foot materials, and others.

Applications of robotic prosthetics are divided between lower body extremities and upper body extremities.

End users of robot prosthetics include hospitals, clinics, and others.

Regional Analysis

The Americas which comprise of North America and South America are also subdivided into various country level markets. Among these, the U.S leads growth for the Americas regional robotics prosthetics market. The regions high prevalence of orthopedic diseases has resulted in the high demand for robotic prosthetics. High healthcare investments and the presence of a developed healthcare sector which has an affinity toward the adoption of advanced technology are some other factors driving market growth. Notably, Mexican Americas have a high risk for osteoporosis and as such are vulnerable to bone issues that may result in a need for robotic prosthetics.

Europe is a significant market which has a strong affinity toward R&D as evidenced by government support, via encouraging regulations. The high availability for funds toward investments in R&D is driving the growth of the robotics prosthetics market.

The Asia Pacific is a highly promising market due to its sheer size. The region has an immense patient population with growing awareness regarding advanced medical technology. The presence of a rapidly expanding geriatric population is a key driver of the market. The regions healthcare sector is undergoing heavy reforms as well as witnessing increasing investments. Increasing demand among patients for high-quality treatment options is driving international market players to focus on the region. The region also significant in the medical tourism market and as such is likely to attract more patients as the quality of healthcare improves.

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Phone: +1 646 845 9312An expert on premium research reports, Market Research Future has added a report titled Global Ophthalmic Drugs Market 2023 to its offering. The report provides an in-depth analysis of regional data and an accurate projection of the market size and share of the Top 10 market players across the globe.

Market Scenario

A number of factors such as rising prevalence of eye diseases, growing awareness, huge research funding in ophthalmology, unmet medical needs, rising competition among market players, improving regulatory framework, aging population, and increasing government assistance, are a few factors propelling the growth of the global ophthalmic drugs market.

Ophthalmic diseases are potential threats to the status of sight of the population. Various retinal diseases such as Wet AMD, Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy, Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO), and Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization (mCNV) are growing at an alarming rate worldwide.

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It is noted that the rising prevalence of eye diseases is the key factor driving the ophthalmic drugs market. According to the 2017 statistics suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO), around 253 million people are living with vision impairment, out of which 36 million are blind and nearly 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. It is also reported that the chronic eye disease is the main cause of vision loss, globally. Globally, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness, according to the World Health Organization, and blindness due to glaucoma is six to eight times more common in African Americans than Caucasians.

Various other factors such as growing awareness of eye diseases, huge research funding in ophthalmology, unmet medical needs, rising competition among market players, improving regulatory framework, aging population, and increasing government assistance are continuously contributing to the growth of the global ophthalmic drugs market.

Despite these drivers, there are some issues associated with the ophthalmic drugs market. The high cost associated with a diagnosis of eye diseases, side effects of available treatment options, lack of healthcare insurance, and poor healthcare system in low and middle-income countries may hamper the growth of the market to an extent.

It is estimated that the ophthalmic drugs market is expected to grow at a CAGR 6.0% during the forecast period of 20172023.

Segmentation

The global ophthalmic drugs market is segmented on the basis of indication, drug class, type of dosage, product, and distribution channel.

On the basis of indication, the market is classified as glaucoma, retinal disorders, inflammation/infection, dry eye, allergies, uveitis, and others.

On the basis of drug class, the market is classified as antiallergy, anti-VEGF agents, anti-inflammatory, antiglaucoma, and others. The anti-inflammatory segment is further segmented into nonsteroidal drugs and steroidal drugs.

On the basis of type of dosage, the market is classified as eye drops, eye solutions, ointments, capsules and tablets, and gels.

On the basis of the product, the market is classified as prescription drugs and OTC drugs.

On the basis of the distribution channel, the market is classified as hospital pharmacies, online pharmacies, drug stores, and others.

Regional Analysis

The Americas dominates the ophthalmic drugs market owing to the presence of patient population, rising prevalence of eye diseases, well-developed technology, high healthcare expenditure, and the presence of the leading players. According to the glaucoma research foundation, in the United States, more than 120,000 are blind because of glaucoma. This accounts for 9 to 12% of all cases of blindness. It is also reported that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma, but only a few of them know they have it. It is also reported that glaucoma accounts for more than 10 million visits to physicians each year. In November 2017, Bausch & Lomb, a U.S.-based company, received the FDA approval for Vyzulta (latanoprostene bunod ophthalmic solution). The drug is designed for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. In December 2017, Rhopressa (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) by Aerie Pharmaceuticals has also received FDA approval for the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Europe holds the second position in the ophthalmic drugs market. It is expected that the government support towards research and development expenditure, increasing competition among marketers, and amendments in reimbursement policies in healthcare are likely to drive the European market.

Asia Pacific is the fastest growing ophthalmic drugs market owing to a huge patient pool, increasing demand, and development of the healthcare technology.

The Middle East and Africa hold the lowest share of the global ophthalmic drugs market due to low development, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities.

Key Players

Some of the key players in the global ophthalmic drugs market are Actavis Generics, Allergan Plc, Bausch & Lomb Inc., Genentech, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shire Plc, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., and others.

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Detailed Table of Contents:

1 Report Prologue

2 Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

3 Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

Continued!

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Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comNurse call systems are intended to alert the nurses in case of medical emergency or need for care. These systems are also used to track a patient or to give an indication of an untoward incidence. The increasing geriatric population, technological advancements in the nurse call systems and growing need for better-integrated hospital platforms are expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Additionally, preference for mobile devices among people is likely to boost the market growth. On the other hand, high costs of implementation and lack of skilled professionals who can coordinate IT and healthcare both may hinder the growth of the market during the forecast period.

The global nurse call system market is currently dominated by many market players. The key players in the market are engaging themselves in new product launches and strategic collaborations to strengthen its market position. For instance, in July 2017, Austco Communication Systems Pty Ltd. launched Pulse Mobile, which is a nurse call alarm management component for smartphones.

The Global Nurse Call System Market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period. It is estimated that the global nurse call system market is expected to register a CAGR ~ 9.5 % during the forecast period from 2018 to 2023.

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Key Players for Global Nurse Call System Market

Market Research Future (MRFR) recognizes the following companies as the key players in Nurse Call System Market: There are plenty of large and small market players which operate in this market all over the globe.

Austco Communication Systems Pty Ltd.,

Honeywell International Inc.,

Hill-Rom Services Inc.,

Ascom,

Johnson Controls.,

CSINC,

AMETEK, Inc.,

STANLEY Healthcare,

West-Com Nurse Call System, Inc,

Azure Healthcare,

Cornell Communications,

Jeron Electronic Systems Inc.,

Vigil Health Solutions Inc.,

BEC Integrated Solutions, LLC, and

Systems Technologies.

Segments for Global Nurse Call System Market

The global nurse call system market has been segmented into type, technology, applications, and end-users.

The market, on the basis of type, has been segmented into nurse call buttons, nurse call integrated communication systems, nurse call mobile systems, nurse call intercoms, and others.

The market, by technology, has been segmented into wired systems and wireless systems. Wired systems are anticipated to account for the largest market share by technology, owing to its low cost and its fast speed of transmission. Wireless systems are expected to be the fastest growing due to their high level of system integration, better patient mobility and changing trends in the field of communication technology.

The market, by applications, has been segmented into a medical emergency, alarms, workflow management, and others.

The market, by end users, has been segmented into hospitals & nursing homes, assisted living centers, ambulatory care centers, and others.

Regional Analysis for Global Nurse Call System Market

The market in the Americas is expected to dominate the global nurse call system market during the forecast period owing to the speedy adoption of new technologies and the presence of many large hospitals. According to an article published by the American Hospital Association in 2018, the US has a total of 5,534 registered hospitals. The European market is expected to be the second-largest due to the well-developed healthcare infrastructure and rising geriatric population in the region. Moreover, the market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing during the assessment period owing to rising expenditure on the improvement of healthcare infrastructure and a growing aging population which is increasing the patient population. The market in the Middle East & Africa is likely to account for the smallest share of the global nurse call system market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the improving healthcare infrastructure.

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Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comAdditional factors such as growing population and urbanization worldwide are fostering the market growth. Improving economic conditions that enable access to the quality life & the improved healthcare worldwide are providing impetus to the market growth. Seminal efforts &investments put in the field to bring betterment in the therapy, by the key market players are paying off well, fostering the market growth. Simultaneously, government initiatives are playing a vital role in encouraging the market growth.

On the other hand, factors such as low awareness among people about the availability of this treatment, the high cost involved in Lithotripsy along with the skepticism of physicians towards the advancement & efficacies of this treatment, are likely to impede the growth of the Lithotripsy market.

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Global Lithotripsy Market  Competitive Landscape

The Global Lithotripsy Market is fiercely competitive with the presence of several large and small players forming the competitive landscape in the market. These market players acquire promising companies to expand in the fast-growing markets, focusing on improving their market performance. The structure of the market is changing due to the acquisition of local manufactures by the multinational companies. Strategies like product innovations and technologies are creating strong investment opportunities for the market players.

Global Lithotripsy Market  Key Players

Some of the fervent key players driving the market include DIREX, S.L. (Spain), Boston Scientific (US), Dornier MedTech. (Germany), Elmed Electronics & Medical Industry & Trade Inc. (Turkey), EDAP TMS (France), Jena Med Tech GmbH (Germany), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Medispec LTD (US), Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany), and STORZ MEDICAL AG (Switzerland)

Lithotripsy Market  Segmentation

The MRFR analysis is segmented into three key dynamics;

By Types: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), Intracorporeal (Endoscopic Lithotripsy, Laser Lithotripsy, Electrohydraulic Lithotripsy, Mechanical Lithotripsy, and Ultrasonic Lithotripsy.), and Percutaneous lithotripsy, among others.

By End-Users: Hospitals and clinics, Research laboratories, and Academic Institutes, among others.

By Regions: North America, Europe, APAC and the Rest-of-the-World.

Industry, Innovation & Related News

April 23, 2018  Shockwave Medical, Inc. (US), a pioneer in the treatment of calcified cardiovascular disease, announced CE Mark and European commercial availability of the Shockwave S4 Peripheral Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) Catheter. Intravascular Lithotripsy is an innovative therapy designed to treat calcified leg artery blockages with lithotripsy  sonic pressure waves historically used to treat patients with kidney stones.

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Lithotripsy Market  Regional Analysis

Considering the global scenario of the lithotripsy market, Americas is holding largest market share in global lithotripsy market in 2016. While the European market is second largest market and Western Europe region is the growing with the fastest rate and accounts largest share in European market due to rising healthcare expenditure and increasing awareness for the new products and therapies. On the other hand, Asia-Pacific region will be fastest growing market for lithotripsy during the forecast period. Middle East and Africa is expected to grow at steady pace during the forecast period.

Table of Content

Report Prologue Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

2.3 Market Structure

2.4. Market Segmentation

Research Methodology

3.1 Research Process

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

3.5 Forecast Model

Market Dynamics

. Continued

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In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.comRecognizing the kind of growth, the market is witnessing currently, Market Research Future (MRFR) recently published a study report. According to MRFR, continuing with the same trends, the Global Blood Glucose Test Strips Market is projected to grow exponentially by 2017, registering a modest CAGR between 2017 and 2027.

Additionally, advancements in the medical science & healthcare industry growing along with the growing population, and urbanization drive the market growth, witnessing the increasing inclination of people towards the sedentary lifestyle. Simultaneously, improving economic conditions are supporting the market growth, availing access to the quality healthcare, and increasing the healthcare expenditures.

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On the other hand, lack of awareness among the patients about the advantages of improved test strips is expected to restrain the market growth during the review period. Besides, the unmet clinical needs and the unavailability of external funding observed mainly in the developing regions are presenting challenges to the market growth. However, augmenting demand for the personal, hand-held diagnostic devices along with the demand for the test strips that can give fastest & accurate results are expected to fuel the market growth.

Blood Glucose Test Strip Global Market  Competitive Analysis

The market of Blood Glucose Test Strip is fiercely competitive as well as fragmented due to the presence of numerous matured & small key players in the market. These market players try to gain competitive advantage through strategic partnership, acquisition, expansion, collaboration, product & technology launch. Heavy investments are transpired in the R&D to develop a completely different technology compared to their competition.

Blood Glucose Test Strip Market  Key Players

Some of the key players for Blood Glucose Test Strip Market are:

Abbott Laboratories

Acon Laboratories, Inc

Allmedicus

Apex Biotechnology Corporation

Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings Ag

Braun Melsungen Ag

HMD Biomedical

I-Sens, Inc.

Lifescan, Inc.

Roche Diagnostics

Taidoc Technology Corporation

Blood Glucose Test Strip Market  Segments

The Blood Glucose Test Strip Market can be segmented in to 2 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;

By Technologies: Comprises Thick Film Electrochemical, Thin Film Electrochemical, & Optical among others

By Regions: North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.

Industry, Innovation & Related News:

July 05, 2018  Researchers at MITs Little Devices Lab (US) presented a Lego-like device they have developed to perform diagnostic tests at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Referred to as plug-and-play the engineered system device is called as Ampli blocks, can test blood glucose levels in diabetic patients and also detect viral infection.

June 22, 2018  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a mHealth platform that includes a sensor embedded in the arm, a wearable transmitter and an app, all designed to help those with diabetes and their care teams continuously track blood-glucose levels. The Eversense CGM, system useful in continuous glucose management is developed by Senseonics and accounts for the first approved implantable device that promises up to three months of constant monitoring, contrary to other wearable CGM platforms.

April 13, 2018  Livongo Health (US) a start-up developing connected devices and software for diabetics and other chronic conditions. The company completely devoted to providing cost-competitive aid for diabetes, has already developed its own glucometer & apps providing accurate readings. Livongo, also ships test strips to patients at no additional cost. The company announced that it has bagged the investment for USD 105 million to support the further development of its technology and a partnership from Cambia Health Solution.

April 2018 Pops! Diabetes Care, which is a Twin Cities device maker has registered its first patient in their clinical study which it is backing to see whether their device named, Pops! One, can effectively monitor blood-sugar levels for diabetics. They are also additionally partnering with the Childrens Minnesota health care system on a six-month research of 50 young patients who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. They will use the Pops device to record their blood-glucose levels and alert them when they need to inject insulin. The most noticeable piece is the blood-testing device which is slightly smaller than a typical smartphone which contains a disposable cartridge with a glucose meter and three tiny lancets that have been designed so that they are less painful and easier than using a conventional finger-stick unit with individual test strips. The individual replacement cartridge can be used for up to three tests.

Blood Glucose Test Strip Market  Regional Analysis

North America market leads the Global Blood Glucose Test Strip Market with the significant market share. The market is further expected to reach astronomical amounts growing at a substantial CAGR throughout the forecast period (2017-2027). Well-developed healthcare sector, increasing prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. & Canada coupled with the high per capita healthcare expenditures of these economies, together drive the regional market growth. Moreover, presence of some of the matured market players fuels the market growth.

Europe & Asia Pacific is the second & third largest market respectively in the Global Blood Glucose Test Strip Market. Expected to be a fastest growing market Asia pacific region is estimated to grow rapidly over the projected period. Increasing healthcare expenditures along with favorable government policies of developing economies like India and China foster the market growth in APAC.

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While the worlds second largest market of Blood Glucose Test Strip, Europe is predominantly driven by the availability of funds for research, well-developed healthcare infrastructure, huge patient population, & government support for research & development. Besides, economies having high healthcare expenditures such as the UK & Germany propel the growth of the Europe market.

Major Table of Content

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

Continued.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

Contact:

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Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.comHas the writer who suggested having cameras during the next negotiating session on ending the government shutdown forgotten that cameras helped get us into this situation? President Donald Trump insisted in on having cameras rolling while he negotiated with now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY. During this negotiation session, Trump stated his position on wall funding which, by the way a Republican controlled Congress had not funded during the previous two years. He said he would be proud to shutdown the government if he didnt get this funding. Hard to negotiate with that stance.Major Vincent August Knapp age 48 of Canton, GA passed away at his home June 3, 2021. The family will receive friends at Darby Funeral Home on Monday, June 21st from 3-8pm. The funeral will be on Tuesday, June 22nd at 11am at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church with Lt. Colonel David BOffer a personal message of sympathy...

You'll find individual Guest Books on the page with each obituary notice. By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. . From a Guest Book, you may log in with your user account to leave a message. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that. Otherwise, it's simple to create a new one by clicking on the Create "Sign up" button and following the simple steps on the Sign Up page.Did you see a photo in today's print edition that you'd like to order? Would you like to order a reprint of today's front page?

Order ReprintsImages Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images.

Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.RALEIGH -- On Friday, the State of North Carolina will hold its annual State Employees Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance Program in Raleigh, NC. This years theme is The Time is Always Right to Do the Right Thing. The program will include a commemorative bell ringing ceremony and remarks from Governor Roy Cooper and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles.

The bell ringing ceremony will occur at 11:55 a.m. during the lighting of the Unity candle immediately before the annual Observance Program which begins at noon at First Baptist Church, located on 101 S. Wilmington St. in Raleigh.

At the request of Dr. Kings widow, Coretta Scott King, since 1986 the nation has commemorated the birthday and philosophy of Dr. King with a bell ringing ceremony. The ringing of the bell signifies personal conviction and community involvement and provides an opportunity for reflection.

Additionally, during the State Employees MLK Observance Program, the winner of the John R. Larkins Award will be announced. Each year, North Carolina honors a state employee with the Larkins Award in recognition of his or her commitment to justice and equality.The organizers are also seeking more partners to continue holding the prayer breakfast and use the proceeds from the event to support the McDowell County NAACP Scholarship Fund. This effort will go to provide needs-based financial support so more McDowell youth can attend McDowell Technical Community College.

For tickets or more information, contact Gloria Boyce at 828-724-4612 or Paula Avery at 828-317-9729.

On Monday, Addies Chapel United Methodist Church, located at 201 Ridley St., will host the 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Day service, starting at 11 a.m. The theme of this years service is Weve Come Too Far to Turn Around.

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The service is presented by the Addies Chapel United Methodist Women and church family. It is open to all of McDowell County, according to organizers.

Usually, officials from the city of Marion, the McDowell County School System and other local civic leaders attend this yearly event.

The guest speaker will be the Rev. James Hunt of Winston-Salem, pastor of New Birth Worship Center in East Bend.Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Today, the agency operates with 25 volunteers, nine full-time paid staff and one cadet and performs rescues not far off from ones performed by its original members.

Reflecting on the changes theyve seen since they first entered the Rescue Squad, Wright and Wilson both commented on the growth of incoming calls, equipment and training hours that need to be logged.

I can remember the first year I was here, the average number of calls was about 300 per year, said Wright. Today, we are at an average about seven calls a day, with close to 3,000 total calls this last year. Drastic, drastic change.

Obviously the equipment we have, the vehicles we drive and what training we have is very different, said Wilson. We have two crash trucks, three ambulances, three quick-response vehicles, three boats, two 6x6 UTVs, one confined space trailer and one drive team trailer.The offender is believed to be among the injured and is under police watch at the hospital, according to police.SPRINGFIELD  Nathan Jensen, 30, of Ludlow, was sentenced Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court to three to five years in state prison after being found guilty of shooting another man in the eye with a BB gun.

Jensen shot David Eagleton on May 20, 2017, on State Street in Ludlow.

A jury on Monday found Jensen guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.

At the sentencing by Judge Karen Goodwin, Eagleton described how his life has changed since that night when he was the victim of a random attack by a maniac with a gun who was accusing him of something I didnt do.

Jensen testified he went outside his apartment building with his BB gun when he thought someone was breaking into a car around 11 p.m. He said he shot the BB gun behind him in self defense as he was running away.

Eagleton, his wife and the couple they were with that night said they were walking home after being out together when Jensen, whom they didnt know, confronted them with the BB gun.

Eagleton said the vision in his eye has gray areas, he has blind spots and the retina remains fragile after surgery for a detached retina. The BB is still in his eye and he hasnt had surgery to remove it because of the high risk to his vision, he said.

He said in addition to the physical effects, he has increased anxiety when out in public.

Eagleton, who was very emotional as he gave his statement, said he knows forgiveness helps with healing.

I do forgive you Nathan, he said to Jensen, who was sobbing loudly at the time.

But, Eagleton said, Jensens manipulation on the stand as he testified in his own defense showed you are still a danger to society. He said he wanted Jensen to admit he was at fault for events that night, but Jensen did not.

Assistant District Attorney Nina Vivenzio asked for an eight- to 10-year sentence, saying it was necessary to protect public safety."

Eagleton is only 36 years old but has a lifetime risk of complications from his injuries, Vivenzio said. She said testimony from a ballistician during the trial was that four deaths a year were caused by BB guns.

Vivenzio said there was no evidence of any damage to any cars, or attempt to do damage.

This defendant acted like a vigilante ... acting as judge, jury and executioner, she said.

Defense lawyer Lauren Olanoff asked for a sentence of two and one half years to the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow with three months to be served and the rest suspended with probation. She said Jensens criminal record is not as serious as Vivenzio portrayed.

She said Jensen is the sole provider for his wife and his 9-year-old stepdaughter and is the person on whom his extended family depends. Jensen has never been in jail, she said.

Jensen was allowed by the judge to speak and did so at length, but his words were mostly indistinguishable as he cried loudly throughout.SPRINGFIELD  Luis Gomez pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge for the Nov. 3 shooting of Jesus Flores on Waltham Avenue.

Springfield District Court Judge Charles W. Groce III ordered Gomez, 28, held without right to bail.

Gomez, of Springfield, was arrested Monday in New Britain, Connecticut, on a fugitive from justice warrant. He waived extradition and was brought back to Springfield by city detectives Wednesday afternoon.

Flores was shot in the abdomen. He died 10 days later at Baystate Medical Center. At the time of the shooting, he was apparently working as a doorman at an illegal club that had been operating in an industrial space at 42 Waltham Ave. The club has since been shut down by the city.

An investigation by homicide detectives led by Capt. Trent Duda identified Gomez as a suspect. Springfield police obtained a warrant for his arrest on Dec. 21.

Gomez is charged with murder, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, a firearm violation with three prior arrests for violent or drug crimes, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.

Assistant District Attorney Max Bennett handled the arraignment for the prosecution. James Goodhines was Gomezs defense lawyer.SPRINGFIELD  Auctioneers will sell off the espresso and coffee-making machines, coolers, furniture, utensils and other restaurant equipment Thursday at Cafe Du Jour, 1365 Main St.

The storefront will be home to a new Delaneys Market location set to open in the early part of this year. Auctioneers Aaron Posnik & Co. of West Springfield will conduct the sale beginning at 11 a.m.

Cafe Du Jour, in business since 1995 and owned since 2009 by the Saleh family, closed earlier this month.

The Salehs had been on a month-to-month lease and the landlord, Glenn Edwards, of Chart Organization, of Lynbrook, New York, told them they would have to vacate.

Restaurateur Peter Rosskothen announced in November that he had an agreement to put a Delaneys Market take-home meal shop there. Construction will begin in February.

Itll be the second location for Delaneys Market. The first opened in the Longmeadow Shops in 2016.

Delaneys Market sells ready-to-reheat entrees and appetizers, soups, sandwiches side dishes and desserts from the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House catering kitchen. It also sells beer and wine selected to pair well with the food.

Nothing at Delaneys market is for consumption on site  its all for taking out, and the business is open for both lunchtime and dinner.

Rosskothen owns Delaneys Market himself and is partner with Michael Mick Corduff, executive chef at the Log Cabin, Delaney House and Log Rolling catering.

Rosskothen has said he plans other Delaneys Market locations in Westfield, Wilbraham and at his Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road in Holyoke.BOSTON  Dustin Pedroia, on schedule, ran for the first time this offseason last week.

He sent me a text Saturday night with him running and said dont worry, hell be ready," Dombrowski said. "Hes doing well from his own perspective. He has started the program. Hes on basically a pace that was described to me.

Pedroia appeared in only three games this season. He underwent a left knee cartilage restoration procedure Oct. 25, 2017. He then had scar tissue removed during an arthroscopic surgery in late July in Arizona.

Manager Alex Cora spoke with Pedroia earlier this week.

Hes in a good mood, Cora said. Hes doing his progression. I just want him to be patient. I think thats the most important thing. And in his case, we know its very difficult. But its been a good offseason for him, from everything he says. So hopefully when he gets there in spring training, hes a go and we can see him bouncing back.

But Cora doesnt want to set any timetables for Pedroia.

He was asked if Pedroia believes hell be ready to play in spring training games by the first week of March. Cora said hes unsure. Hes stayed away from that topic when speaking with Pedroia.

I know theres a chance hell be there and hes going to play and hes going to bounce back, Cora said. I think sometimes we create expectations, especially me personally last year. I thought he was going to be a big part of what we were trying to accomplish. I believe in him. ... If hes ready to play, hell lead off (Opening Day). Im looking forward to it. But I dont want to get too high on this. Im going to give him his space like I think we did last year when he went to Arizona. But when he calls me, Im there for him.

The plan is for Pedroia to lead off on Opening Day in Seattle if hes on the active roster. Andrew Benintendi then will assume the leadoff spot in the second game.President Donald Trump announced Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosis upcoming trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan would be postponed until after the partial federal government shutdown ends.

Trump, in a letter to the speaker, said the seven-day overseas trip will be rescheduled once lawmakers reach an agreement on and pass federal spending legislation that reopens the government.

The presidents move came one day after Pelosi called on Trump to delay his Jan. 29 State of the Union Address until after the federal funding lapse is addressed or to submit the annual joint congressional speech in writing.

Trump, who had remained largely quiet on Pelosis request to reschedule the State of the Union, argued that the speakers military aircraft trip should be postponed in light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay due to the shutdown -- now in its 27th day.

"I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the strong border security moment to end the shutdown, he wrote.

Trump added that if the speaker -- who is third in line for the White House -- would like to make (her) journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be (her) prerogative.

I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous southern border finally receive the attention, funding and security it so desperately deserves! he concluded.

Reporters for Politico and CBS News noted on Twitter that details surrounding Pelosis trip had not been previously announced due to national security concerns.

Drew Hammill, Pelosis deputy chief of staff, tweeted that the speakers visit to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest" and did not include a stop in Egypt."

In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key allies to affirm the United States ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance. ... The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation and thanks to our men and women in uniform for their service and dedication, and to obtain critical national security and intelligence briefings from those on the front lines," he said.

Hammill added that the president traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by Rep. (Lee) Zeldin.

The President traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by Rep. Zeldin. (4/4)  Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 17, 2019

He further pointed to an NBC News report suggesting that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will lead a delegation to Davos, Switzerland despite the shutdown.

The government shutdown -- which has become the longest in U.S. history -- began in late December when funding ran out for nine Cabinet-level departments and various agencies after Congress and the White House failed to reach an agreement on border security spending.

Trump has pledged to oppose any spending bill that does not include $5 billion for his proposed border wall -- something Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said they will reject.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.LUDLOW  Gunshots rang out in the administrative building at the Hampden County House of Correction Thursday morning as a man in black stalked the hallways, intent on taking lives.

The nightmarish scenario  a drill, of course  was one of several enacted within the administrative building as staff trained for the possibility of an active shooter there.

Sheriff Nick Cocchi, at the start of the four-hour training, told the 50-plus employees who gathered for it that his intent was to make them safer should the unthinkable occur.

A lot of us started many decades ago here and this wasnt even a topic of conversation or even in our minds, Cocchi said. But, over the evolution of the past few decades, especially the last probably five or six years, active shooter drills and active shooters have unfortunately become way too frequent.

While the jail itself is quite secure, Cocchi said the administrative building is more vulnerable to attack by a disenfranchised employee, a family member of one of our offenders or just somebody from the community that doesnt believe in the mission that we are carrying out every day.

The training was provided by an Agawam-based company called PASS (Protective Advanced Safety Service), founded by John Nettis, who worked for the sheriffs department for 22 years.

You are probably not going to be comfortable with a lot of the things that will happen here today, Nettis said.

A key tenet of the training offered up by Nettis and his colleagues centered on whats known as the Run, Hide, Fight protocol thats widely recognized as the optimum way to survive a shooting.

If you hear gunfire and can safely run, do so. If you cant, then hide, and if possible create a barricade between yourself and the shooter.

The strategy here is to get out, said Nettis. We want you to get out, but only when its safe to do so.

If the shooter comes at you, though, fight for your life.

You have got to learn how to fight, Nettis said. You cant just lay down and die.

In the first scenario, the gunman, portray by Mark Poggi of PASS, simply walked up and down the corridors of the administrative building firing blanks.

We want you to smell the cordite in the hallways, see the gun casings on the ground, Poggi said.

In a second scenario, Poggi again roamed the hallways, testing locked doors and firing his gun multiple times before he was taken down by armed personnel.

Afternoon scenarios were to include an evacuation of the building.

The training included horrific footage of a shooting that occurred within a Chicago police station and a chilling graphic that showed the movements of a gunman through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last February as he took 17 lives and injured 17 others.

It also included a bit of humor at times and deep-breathing exercises that can induce clarity and calmness during life-threatening situations.

Cocchi said he will use the training to harden vulnerable areas within the administration building and refine the departments existing protocols.Police were called to the school just before noon and learned that several notes were left throughout the school indicating that seven different bombs would be exploded at various times.The man accused of murdering 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte in 2016 has fired his defense attorneys.

Angelo Colon-Ortiz, appearing in Worcester Superior Court in handcuffs, confirmed to judge Janet Kenton-Walker that his relationship with his court-appointed attorneys, Louis Alois and Edward Ryan Jr., had broken down.

It has unfortunately become abundantly clear that we can no longer represent him," Alois told Kenton-Walker. He does not believe we are representing him.

Kenton-Walker allowed Ryan and Alois to withdraw from the case and said the Committee for Public Counsel Services will appoint a new attorney for Colon-Ortiz.

The move comes after Colon-Ortiz and his then-attorneys filed a motion to suppress the DNA evidence used to identify him as Marcottes killer.

On March 16, 2017, State Police investigators went to Colon-Ortiz home and obtained a cheek swap DNA sample from him. Prosecutors say that Colon-Ortizs DNA matched samples found on Marcottes body, leading to his arrest.

Colon-Ortiz was then indicted for Marcottes murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

But in the motion to suppress last month, Colon-Ortiz claimed that he did not know he had a choice to refuse giving the DNA sample. The motion argues that he had difficulty understanding the Spanish-speaking state trooper at the scene and had to receive their request second-hand through his girlfriend.

I was given a piece of paper to sign, Colon-Ortizs affidavit reads. I did not read it and did not understand that I was signing a consent to allow them to obtain a sample of saliva from my mouth.

Ryan wrote in the motion that his client could not have meaningfully consented to the DNA swap.

He was confronted, albeit in his home, by three state troopers, only one of whom spoke any Spanish, Ryan wrote. However, the troopers proficiency in the language is questionable. The police acknowledged in their report of this encounter that Raquel assisted Trooper Miranda in communicating with Angelo at times, and she also translated for Trooper Parr.

Marcotte, a 27-year-old Google executive living in New York, was found slain in the woods of Princeton in August 2016. She left her mothers home on Brooks Station Road to go on a jog and never returned.

Investigators say Colon-Ortiz was spotted in the area around the time Marcotte went missing. A witness reported seeing his SUV on the side of the road. It appeared the SUV had broken down. Colon-Ortiz was standing outside the black SUV with the hood up, authorities said.

A state trooper later saw a black SUV in Worcester and took down the vehicles license plate number after the driver matched the description of Marcottes suspected killer, authorities have said.SPRINGFIELD  Two people have offered competing proposals to buy the long-vacant, former Oak Street fire station in Indian Orchard, each offering $100 for the city-owned property.

The proposals to buy and redevelop the former fire stations were submitted by Jeffrey P. Donnelly, of Springfield, and Sheryl Minnick, of Fishers, Indiana.

"We're very happy to have people interested in the fire station," said Thomas Mathews, project manager with the city's Office of Planning and Economic Development. "That property is going to take a lot of work."

A city review committee will be established to evaluate each proposal and determine if either is acceptable, and if so, which is the best, Mathews said.

Donnelly, in his submitted plan, said he will convert the station as an owner-occupied, live-in art studio, with an art workspace and studio on the first floor and a single-family residence on the second floor.

Minnick is proposing to convert the site to a single-family home, saying it will be owner occupied and not rented out to tenants.

The city, as part of the bid process, offered an incentive of up to $50,000 to the buyer, from federal Community Development Block Grant funds, that must be used for exterior work, the bid requirements said.

Donnelly, who is an artist and photographer, had also submitted a proposal for a live-in art studio last August, offering $100 for the property then as well. A second bid was received at that time, also for $100, to convert the site for clinical services for opioid addiction.

The city rejected both bids received in August, saying that neither met the citys goals for the site. The criteria said any reuse would need to fit in with the neighborhood and meet neighborhood goals.

The review committee will forward its recommendation to Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. Any sale of the property needs approval from Sarno and the City Council.

Donnelly, in his latest proposal, said the goal is preservation of the station building "from top to bottom, interior and exterior."

He said: The developer plans to leave intact as much of the original building and materials and fixtures, along with restoring those that have deteriorated past their useful life or function and incorporate those items into the new proposed use.

Minnick said she would also preserve the building and "make this Building my home and part of the Community of Springfield, Mass."

The city has attempted to sell the property or sale and redevelopment multiple times.

The two-story station was built in 1910 and is at the intersection off Oak and Berkshire Street.

The building has not been in use as a fire station for more than a decade.SPRINGFIELD  As with the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Michael Hootstein sees water everywhere but not a drop is fit to drink.

Hootstein, of Shutesbury, is a retired hydrologist who has custodial care of two grandchildren who attend Amherst public schools. For more than two years, he has argued that the drinking water available for Amherst students is so unsafe from lead contamination that teachers and staff will not drink it.

He has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court seeking an injunction for emergency relief, namely that the school department be ordered to provide safe bottled water to students, just as it is routinely does for teachers and administrators.

The schools have instead filed a motion for the case to be dismissed.

David K. McCay of the Mirick OConnell law firm, representing the schools, argued that the drinking water is safe, that Hootstein is basing his entire complaint on old data, and that Hootstein does not have legal standing to argue the case before the court.

Both sides played out on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Springfield. Judge Mark Mastroianni took the matter under advisement and said he would issue a decision shortly.

The original complaint has been on file since October 2017, and Mastroianni indicated that was much too long without some ruling by the court.

This case is going to age no longer under the courts watch, he said just before adjourning the session.

Hootstein repeatedly described the drinking water in the Amherst schools as lead-poisoned water, and said it exposes young children to a host of medical and developmental issues.

It is outrageous! It is outrageous that we would poison our children, he said.

The schools have essentially admitted the danger by purchasing and supplying bottled water to faculty and staff, he said.

All Im asking is that (students) get the same bottled water as the teachers and superintendent are getting, he said.

For the schools to provide safe water for employees and unsafe water to students represents an institutional wickedness and disregard for life that puts Amherst almost on par with the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, according to Hootstein.

For two years, Ive trying to take away the poison that is being given to school children every single day, he said.

Prior to the start of the session, he asked the court clerk if the pitcher of water on the plaintiffs table was lead free. He had brought a bottle of water with him but security would not let him bring it to the courtroom. The clerk could only offer that the water in the pitcher was fresh.

McCay argued for the case to be dismissed because it lacks the merit to proceed.

The long and short of it is there is no emergency, he said.

He said the data Hootstein is using as the basis for his complaint is two years old and outdated.

A 2017 survey by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection of Massachusetts schools found four schools in Amherst  Crocker Farm elementary, Fort River Elementary, and the Amherst Regional Middle and High schools  had lead levels of more than 15 parts per billion, the minimum amount before action is needed.

McCay said that since then the schools have voluntarily worked with the DEP to test water fixtures throughout the schools and replace those with high readings. More than 150 water fountains and other fixtures were replaced, he said.

Every fixture in service is below the actionable level of 15 parts per billion he said.

He also argued the case should be dismissed because there is no evidence that any student in the schools has been harmed by lead exposure prior to the replacement of the water fountains.

Hootstein charged that McCay was willfully misrepresenting the data to the court with an assortment of gobbledygook.

Mastroianni also spent some time entertaining the question of whether Hootstein has standing, or grounds to argue, before the court.

Someone who is not a lawyer  and Hootstein is not  can represent themselves in court. But one generally needs to have passed the bar and obtained a law license to represent someone else in court.

McCay argued Hootstein may represent himself in court, but he lacks the standing to represent his grandchildren.

Hootstein countered that as a custodial grandparent I have a right to send my children to school and have them be safe.

In the hallway afterward, Hootstein said he would appeal if Mastroianni rules against him on the standing issue. He said he does not have the money to pay a lawyer to take over the civil case.

The bottom line is this: how can you know you have poison in the water and not take it away from the kids, he said.

Hootsteins motion for an emergency injunctionThe Boston Globe reported Wednesday that State Rep. Paul McMurtry, D-Dedham, grabbed the backside of an incoming female lawmaker during an orientation cocktail reception.

The Globe did not name the alleged victim.

McMurtry denied the allegations.

The incident allegedly happened in December on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, during an event for incoming legislators. McMurtry was accused of grabbing the lawmakers backside as she walked toward a group that was taking a photo.

McMurtry was, at the time, chairman of the House Committee on Personnel and Administration.

The Massachusetts House last year established new procedures for addressing sexual harassment claims after a Boston Globe column detailed numerous instances of harassment on Beacon Hill.

According to the Globe, those procedures are being followed. An outside consultant found the accusation to be plausible, and an ad hoc legislative committee will now decide what discipline, if any, is warranted.

Read the full Globe report here.BOSTON  A special Massachusetts House committee will conduct a full investigation into whether a male representative grabbed an incoming female lawmakers backside during a cocktail reception.

The incident will provide the first known test of new rules the House put in place last year to address sexual harassment.

The House has a really comprehensive set of rules to handle, to deal with situations such as this, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, told reporters at the Statehouse Thursday. From my perspective as speaker, I kept to those rules and acted accordingly.

The Boston Globe first reported Wednesday that during an orientation cocktail reception, held as part of a new member legislative academy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December, Rep. Paul McMurtry, D-Dedham, grabbed the backside of a freshman female lawmaker as she walked toward a group that was taking a photo. The Globe story cited several unnamed officials who witnessed or were told of the incident.

The newspaper did not name the alleged victim.

McMurtry denied the allegations.

I can assure you they are absolutely, positively, unequivocally not true, McMurtry said in a statement to the Globe.

Reached Thursday, McMurtrys legal counsel said the lawmaker had no additional comment.

In a lengthy emailed statement, DeLeo said four lawmakers came to him with rumors about the incident, but none had direct knowledge of it. DeLeo immediately notified House Counsel James Kennedy, who informed the Houses contract Equal Employment Opportunity Officer Cynthia Farquhar. (The House Committee on Rules is in the process of trying to hire a full-time Equal Employment Opportunity Officer.)

Farquhar investigated and determined that the allegation was plausible and therefore requires full investigation, DeLeos statement said.

A full investigation will now be conducted by a committee of legislators, referred to as a Special Committee on Professional Conduct, appointed by the House speaker and minority leader. The committee could recommend no action, private discipline or public reprimand.

House rules require that reports of this nature, and any investigations into the reports, be confidential to the fullest extent possible, DeLeos statement said. As such, the Speaker will have no further comment on this matter.

House Minority Leader Brad Jones, R-North Reading, said he was notified by the House counsel that an investigation was required, and he acted according to House rules.

The highest-ranking woman in the House, Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Haddad, D-Somerset, declined to comment.

Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, another member of DeLeos leadership team, also declined to comment. Theres a process, well let it unfold, Peake said.

Last year, in response to news reports detailing alleged incidents of sexual harassment on Beacon Hill, the House overhauled its sexual harassment rules and created the current investigatory procedure.

Several lawmakers said they are happy the new rules are in place.

Im pleased we put rules in place that will more professionally handle this exact type of situation, and Im looking forward to seeing what the results are, said Rep. Jay Livingstone, D-Boston.

Rep. Mindy Domb, a freshman Democrat from Amherst, said she has no direct knowledge of the allegations, and she personally has not experienced a hostile work environment during her first two weeks in the House. But, Domb said, It makes me really sad and mad if thats happened, and especially at the very outset of somebodys public service, it just feels completely inappropriate and stupid for a person to have done something like that.

Domb said she is happy that there will be a full investigation. Let the light shine on it, let the chips fall where they may, and let the consequences fall on the person whos done it in a big way, Domb said. We have to set an example that this is not tolerated in any workplace.

Some representatives say this is the latest manifestation of a long-standing culture on Beacon Hill.

Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, said the fact that the House felt compelled to adopt stricter procedures suggests that there were deficiencies before. In 13 years in the House, she personally has seen comments, behaviors and jokes that cross the line.

The biggest problem I see here is not so much sexual assault or even hard-core harassment, but theres a sort of persistent gender hazing that goes on, and its hard to know how to respond to it without being marginalized sometimes, Provost said.

The allegations come amid the ongoing #metoo movement, in which several high-profile men have been accused of mistreating women.

I think its been very clear for many people for a very long time that we need a climate change everywhere in our country. Every place of employment, every school, even every home needs to rethink how we talk about healthy relationships, said Rep. Jack Lewis, D-Framingham. The House isnt immune to the need for that conversation.Most Massachusetts food stamps recipients will receive their February benefits early due to the partial government shutdown.

State officials are cautioning recipients to budget wisely, since those benefits will have to last for the entire month.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, 93 percent of households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will have their February benefits loaded onto their electronic benefit cards by Jan. 20, instead of at the beginning of February. SNAP clients will not get another payment in February.

EBT cards can be used throughout the month.

The SNAP program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because of the shutdown, the federal government is not getting any additional money to fund SNAP.

However, the department found an obscure rule that allowed it to make payments that were obligated within 30 days of the expiration of the last continuing resolution, Politico reported. So the Department of Agriculture was able to distribute February payments by Jan. 20.

It is not known what will happen with food stamps benefits in March if the shutdown is not resolved.

More information can be found on the state DTA website.BOSTON  Gerardo Millan-Ramos, of Randolph, works as an environmental engineer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is the sole breadwinner for his family of three, which includes a disabled child.

With the federal shutdown shutting him off from paychecks, Millan-Ramos said, I can probably hold off with my savings maybe for two more weeks or something like that, then Ill have to start tapping into some of my relatives money.

Millan-Ramos said the mental challenge of losing his paycheck is as hard as the financial one. Its really a struggle to keep your sanity and your cheerful spirits in the middle of something like this, he said.

As the federal shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, reaches its 27th day, a group of Massachusetts workers rallied in front of the Statehouse Thursday asking federal lawmakers to end it.

I want to go back to work, said Brian Lanouette, a tax examiner for the IRS in Andover.

Lanouette lives by himself and has no income. Theyre going to repossess my car, he said. Heats getting shut off, its getting pretty tough.

Whether or not they get the money for the wall, just open government, Lanouette said.

U.S. government workers in Massachusetts rally outside the Statehouse on Jan. 17, 2019 urging an end to the government shutdown. (Shira Schoenberg / The Republican)

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a bill guaranteeing back pay for federal workers, but workers will not get that money until government reopens.

It means not being able to pay my creditors, it means not knowing how Im going to pay my rent come next month, said Mary Maldonado, an IRS tax examining technician from Dracut. It means having to reach out to family and friends to help me to try to get through this.

Sheila DEntremonte, a paralegal working for the Securities and Exchange Commission in Boston, called it horrifying to not know when she will next get paid. You have to contact all your creditors.  Its devastating not knowing, even having to cut down on how much you spend or groceries, DEntremonte said.

Those employees deemed essential  like Ken Martin, an SEC information technology specialist from Grafton  must work without pay. I come into an empty office, Martin said. Im the only one there. Im doing essential IT functions, but Im basically doing it for free.

Martin said he has worked for the federal government for 20 years and likes his job, so he does not want to call in sick, like some federal workers have been doing. I like doing what I do, and I like serving my country, but I just dont want to do it for free, Martin said.

Ron Gonzalez, of Boston, works as an EPA enforcement counsel, doing legal work primarily related to hazardous waste cleanup.

For me, (the shutdown) means that Im out here on the street at a rally instead of at my desk doing enforcement actions, Gonzalez said.

Gonzlez said his message to Trump and Congress is: The dispute that folks seem to have about border security doesnt really seem to have a lot to do with all the different federal workers  Lets put the government back to work, and you guys can sit down and debate what border security needs.By AARON BLAKE, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trumps legal spokesman, Rudy Giuliani, on Wednesday night appeared to grant the possibility that members of Trumps campaign did, in fact, collude with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

And in the process, he contradicted dozens of previous denials that both the Trump team (and Trump himself) have offered.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign," Giuliani told CNN's Chris Cuomo before getting cut off.

"Yes, you have," Cuomo said.

Giuliani shot back: "I have not. I said 'the president of the United States.'"

But while Giuliani himself might not have assured that nobody on the campaign colluded, others including Trump sure have. In fact, the Trump team has moved the goal posts on this question no fewer than 10 times after initially denying any contact at all with "foreign entities." Trump has said dozens of times that there was "no collusion," full stop. This appears to be the first time anyone has acknowledged the possibility that someone colluded without Trump's knowledge.

The most likely explanation for that is the unfolding case against Paul Manafort. We learned recently that he shared polling data with an associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, who special counsel Robert Mueller's team has said had ties to Russian intelligence during the 2016 campaign. They also discussed a pro-Russia Ukraine peace plan, which is conspicuous because the Republican National Committee's platform was amended on that issue.

Giuliani suggested that it was possible Manafort did something wrong but that he was on the campaign for too short a time for anyone to know what he was up to.

He was only there for six months or four months, Giuliani said.

Lets walk through the de-evolution of the Trump teams collusion denials.

1. November 2016: No communications, period

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks: "It never happened. There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign."

2. February 2017: There were no communications to the best of our knowledge

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders: "This is a non-story because, to the best of our knowledge, no contacts took place."

3. March 2017: There were communications but no planned meetings with Russians

Donald Trump Jr.: "Did I meet with people that were Russian? I'm sure, I'm sure I did. . . . But none that were set up. None that I can think of at the moment. And certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form."

4. July 8, 2017: There was a planned meeting at Trump Tower, but it was primarily about adoption and not the campaign

Trump Jr.: "We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up."

5. July 9, 2017: The meeting was planned to discuss the campaign, but the information exchanged wasnt meaningful

Trump Jr.: "No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."

6. December 2017: Collusion isnt even a crime

President Trump: "There is no collusion, and even if there was, it's not a crime."

Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow: "For something to be a crime, there has to be a statute that you claim is being violated. There is not a statute that refers to criminal collusion. There is no crime of collusion."

Technically speaking, the criminal code doesn't use the word "collusion," but it's generally understood as a broad term that could encompass more specific, codified crimes. And even special counsel Robert Mueller's team has used it in court filings.

7. May 16, 2018: Even if meaningful information were obtained, it wasnt used

Giuliani: "And even if it comes from a Russian, or a German, or an American, it doesn't matter. And they never used it, is the main thing. They never used it. They rejected it. If there was collusion with the Russians, they would have used it."

The Trump campaign did use the information.

8. May 19, 2018: There was a *second* planned meeting about foreign help in the election, but nothing came of it either

The New York Times reported Sunday on yet another meeting about getting foreign help with the 2016 election. This one came three months before the election and featured Donald Trump Jr. and an emissary, George Nader, who said the princes who lead Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates wanted to assist Trump.

Alan Futerfas, Trump Jr.'s attorney: "They pitched Mr. Trump Jr. on a social media platform or marketing strategy. He was not interested, and that was the end of it."

9. July 16, 2018: Trump couldnt collude, because Trump didnt even know Putin

Trump: "There was no collusion. I didn't know the president. There was nobody to collude with."

10. July 30, 2018: Collusion isnt a crime, and Trump wasnt physically at the Trump Tower meeting

With Michael Cohen alleging that Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting in real time - despite many previous denials - Giuliani told both CNN and Fox News that Trump wasn't physically at the meeting.

"I'm happy to tell Mueller that Trump wasn't at the Trump Tower meeting," Giuliani told CNN, adding that "Don Jr. says he wasn't there."

He added on Fox: "He did not participate in any meeting about the Russia transaction. . . . And the other people at the meeting that he claims he had without the president about it say he was never there."

Giuliani also argued that collusion isn't even a crime.

"I don't even know if that's a crime - colluding with Russians," Giuliani said on CNN. "Hacking is the crime. The president didn't hack. He didn't pay for the hacking."

And on Fox: "I have been sitting here looking in the federal code trying to find collusion as a crime. Collusion is not a crime."

11. January 16, 2019: Trump didnt collude, but no guarantees on others in the campaign

The exchange with Cuomo:

GIULIANI: I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign --

CUOMO: Yes, you have.

GIULIANI: I have no idea -- I have not. I said the president of the United States. There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you could commit here -- conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC.

CUOMO: First of all, crime is not the bar of accountability for a president. Its about what you knew --

GIULIANI: Well, he didnt collude with Russia either!

CUOMO: -- what was right, and what was wrong, and what did you deceive about? Those are going to be major considerations.

GIULIANI: The president did not collude with the Russians.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: He said nobody had any contact, tons of people had contact. Nobody colluded, the guy running his campaign --

GIULIANI: He didnt say nobody --

CUOMO: -- was working on an issue at the same time as the convention.

GIULIANI: He said he didnt. He didnt say nobody. How would you know that nobody in your campaign --

CUOMO: He actually did say that, Rudy. He said, nobody, and then he said, as far as I know.

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: Well, as far as he knows, its true.BOSTON  Two first-year, female lawmakers plan to reintroduce a bill that would require an independent committee to investigate instances of sexual harassment on Beacon Hill.

Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, and Sen. Becca Rausch, D-Needham, will file the bill Thursday.

We think you cannot have leadership investigating leadership, Sabadosa said. There needs to be someone independent.

The bill is being filed at the same time as the House is forming a special legislative committee to investigate an incident in which Rep. Paul McMurtry, D-Dedham, was accused of groping an incoming lawmakers backside at an orientation cocktail reception in December.

Under House rules, the Special Committee on Professional Conduct will be made up of lawmakers appointed by the House speaker and minority leader. Sabadosa questioned how that committee can be unbiased.

McMurtry was appointed by House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, last session as chairman of the House Committee on Personnel and Administration.

I dont understand how a committee formed by leadership can investigate one of their own, Sabadosa said.

The House and Senate have both tightened up their policies around sexual harassment in the wake of the #metoo movement and amid reports of sexual misconduct on Beacon Hill.

Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, resigned last year after an investigation found he had allowed his husband, who was accused of sexually assaulting other men, undue access to Rosenbergs Senate business.

In the Senate, the Senate Ethics Committee, which is made up of lawmakers, can investigate members, as it did with Rosenberg. Although a special commission recommended broader changes to the Senates sexual harassment policies, lawmakers still have not implemented those changes.

In the House, new rules adopted last year create a mechanism for investigating sexual harassment complaints involving the House counsel, an equal employment opportunity officer and the special legislative committee.

Under the state Constitution, only House members can discipline another House member. But theoretically, an independent commission could complete an investigation while still leaving any discipline to members.

Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, first introduced a bill last year that would create an independent commission to investigate and report on complaints of workplace harassment in the Legislature. Eldridge envisioned a commission that had subpoena power and could confidentially investigate and recommend disciplinary measures. The bill did not pass.

Sabadosa said she is reintroducing it because, I need to feel safe, and my aide needs to feel safe.

She noted that the Legislature is full of complex relationships and power dynamics.

You cant have the superiors and the friends of the people who are both the victim and the accused party making these decisions, Sabadosa said. You need someone who has no bias, no prior relationships.

Sabadosa said she thinks it is significant that she and Rausch are just entering their first terms in the Legislature. I think were the ones coming in and saying were not accepting this, this is not OK, this is not the environment we signed up to work in, she said.CHICOPEE  A Springfield man charged with kidnapping and three counts of sexual assault is being held for a dangerousness hearing Friday.

Christian D. Barbee, 33, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Chicopee District Court to kidnapping, witness intimidation, aggravated rape, rape of a child with force and aggravated statutory rape of a child.

At a prosecutors request, Judge Kevin Maltby ordered Barbee held without right to bail pending a hearing Friday to determine if he is too dangerous to be released on bail.

Details of the case were not available Wednesday, but the charges were filed five months ago by Chicopee police.

Barbee has compiled an extensive criminal record, including an arrest in January 2018 on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and threatening to commit a crime.

In 2008, he was given a 30-month jail term after pleading guilty in Palmer District Court to breaking and entering in the daytime and intimidating a witness. As part of a plea bargain, prosecutors dropped charges of kidnapping, assault with intent to rape and threatening to commit a crime.

The victim was Barbee's former girlfriend, who lived with her mother in Hampden, court records show.

In a related case, Judge Patricia Poehler sentenced Barbee to 36 months probation on charges of breaking and entering, assault and battery and malicious destruction of property involving the same victim.

In 2011, Massachusetts State Police officers, U.S. marshals and members of the Holyoke and Ludlow police departments arrested Barbee on warrants after he eluded capture in Northampton.

The search  which led to students at one Northampton elementary school being kept inside for recess  ended when Barbee was found hiding in a home in Ludlow.

In 2013, he was sentenced to two to four years in state prison on charges of escape from a penal institution, witness intimidation and violating a restraining order, court records show.This particular company I just saw in New York, Hensel said, and theyre the same company that will be performing occasionally downtown, so its the same show that you would see in downtown Chicago, but youre seeing it here  for a lot less money and free parking.SPRINGFIELD - Activists rallied in downtown Springfield Wednesday in an effort to support Eduardo Samaniego, an undocumented immigrant and political activist who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials late last year.

Samaniego, a Mexican national who crossed into the U.S. illegally when he was 16, had, until his arrest, been at the forefront of various activist efforts to critique and curb the Trump administrations immigration policies.

Wednesdays Springfield rally took place in front of 1550 Main Street, the location of the local ICE offices. Activists stood outside holding Free Eduardo signs and chanting. They later entered the building to deliver a petition to ICE officials demanding Samaniegos release.

Samaniego was arrested in October "for a misdemeanor, stemming from a misunderstanding with a taxi driver, and has been in jail in Georgia ever since, according to a friend of the activist. Since that time, Samaniego has been held in detention by federal officials. He is currently at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia.

As a response to his arrest, Samaniegos friends and colleagues designated Wednesday as a day of protest to Free Eduardo." Rallies took place in cities across the country, activists said.

Hes unbelievably courageous, said Amy Bookbinder, a longtime regional activist and a friend of Samaniego, who took part in the Springfield rally. He doesnt just fight for himself, he fights for everyone, she said, adding that he does so at such risk to himself.

Hes an incredibly wonderful, kind human being, she said.

After coming to America as a teenager Samaniego attended high school in Georgia, graduating as valedictorian of his class. He was subsequently offered a full ride scholarship at Hampshire College in Amherst, where he studied constitutional law. Over the last several years Samaniego worked as an activist, often acting in collaboration with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, a Northampton based nonprofit dedicated to advancing worker and immigrant rights.

Bookbinder, who is also associated with the PVWC, offered criticism of the detention center where Samaniego is alleged to be held. Hes in the worst detention center ostensibly in the entire country, she said, referring to Irwin Detention Center. That detention center has all kind of abuse charges already from the ACLU.

Susan Theberge, another friend and colleague present Wednesday, said that Samaniego had been conscientious not just about immigration but about a variety of topics, including global climate change. He was passionate about it, he was in the midst of organizing a meeting to get a campaign going, she said.

Its a travesty," she said, of his detention. He needs to get out of there right away.

The PVWC released a statement in connection with the rallies, calling for solidarity with Samaniego and activism for his release.

Part of the reason why Eduardos organizing is so powerful is because of his fearlessness and determination to subvert ICEs narrative of terror on the immigrant community, said Andrea Schmid, a PVWC community organizer. Eduardo believes that safety doesnt come with silence and fear of ICE, but rather through visibility and the power of organized communities.SPRINGFIELD  A city woman is proposing to open a retail marijuana shop at the former Lido Ristorante building on Worthington Street  the fourth recreational cannabis business sought in the downtown district.

HashburyDotGreen, Inc., owned by Dawn Cincotta, a resident of Pine Point, announced the plan for 557 Worthington St. on Thursday.

Lido closed in March 2012 after being in business for 64 years.

We are honored to have the opportunity to open our retail cannabis facility at the former historic Lidos restaurant location, a place that I myself, and most of our family has worked at over the years, Cincotta said in a prepared statement. I, and the rest of the Hashbury team are excited to be part of the rebirth of Springfield, and serve our community that has been waiting for this moment for decades.

The company will present its plans for the shop and answer questions during a community outreach meeting scheduled Jan. 30, at 6 p.m., at the Kimball Towers Community Room.

Cincotta was born and raised in Springfield and has been a social worker in the city for the state Department of Transitional Assistance and the state Department of Children and Families, taking early retirement from the state in 2014.

In addition, Cincotta recently sold her business, Hashbury Headshop in Sixteen Acres, after being the owner-operator there the past three years, the release said.

The retail marijuana business borrows its name from the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, the business said.

There are three other proposed marijuana shops in the downtown: at the Patton building at 15 Hampden St.; at the former Hampden Bank headquarters at 1665 Main St.: and at the Biergarten building, at 1600 Main St.

Thus far, there have been nine announced sites proposed for marijuana shops in Springfield.

The City Council approved a zoning ordinance in September that allows up to 15 adult use marijuana shops in Springfield that must be located in business or industrial zones. The shops are only allowed on 58 designated streets within those zones.

Any shop will need license and permit approvals from the state Cannabis Control Commission, the mayor, and the City Council.Steve Carell and The Office creator Greg Daniels are reuniting for a Netflix series inspired by President Donald Trump's call for the formation of Space Force, a new branch of the U.S. military.

Netflix handed out a straight-to-series order for Space Force, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The forthcoming streaming series is described as a workplace comedy centered around the people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services.

The trade paper reported the series concept was sparked with Trump's order last June to establish Space Force.

An air date has not been announced.

The forthcoming Netflix series will mark Carell's first long-term commitment since he finished his seven-season run on NBC's The Office in 2011.

Netflix dropped a teaser trailer for Space Force on Wednesday.Maren Morris has announced plans for a world tour that will stop in Boston.

The country star will play the House of Blues on April 27.

Dubbed "Girl: The World Tour," the trek begins in Mexico on Feb. 1 and includes stops in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.

Tickets for the Boston show are on sale beginning Jan. 22 through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.

In 2016, Morris' single "My Church" won a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance.

That year she also headlined the 100th edition of the Big E.SPRINGFIELD  Community Bank cut a ceremonial ribbon Thursday to mark a renovation of its offices in the Tower Square retail mall, and announced $12,500 in donations to three local groups.

Springfield Boys & Girls Club received $7,500 and YMCA of Greater Springfield and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County each received $2,500 in a brief ceremony attended by Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno at the branch office.

The bank was once Nuvo Bank & Trust Co., which changed its name in May 2017 to Community Bank following a series of mergers that ended with Community Bank System buying Merchants Bank of Vermont.

Prior to selling itself to Merchants in 2015, Nuvo was an independent bank owned by local stockholders. It was founded in 2008.

Community Bank has more than 230 branch offices across upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania and Vermont. Tower Square is its only one in Massachusetts.

Community doesnt have plans to add more offices in the Bay State, said Hal Wentworth, vice president of retail banking and marketing. But he said the bank is always on the lookout for an opportunity to grow.

In the Springfield renovation, Community Bank added an ATM and moved the teller line to the front of the office.

We are right on Main Street, said branch manager Gilbert Nieves.

Community Bank has nine employees in Springfield.

In recent months Tower Square has added an AT&T store, and White Lion is building a brewery and tasting room in the complex.A Lawrence man was arrested in Dorchester Wednesday night and charged in connection with a shooting that seriously injured a 16-year-old girl.

Lawrence man Jose L. Rivera, 36, was charged with three counts of armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm with two prior crimes tied to violence and drugs.

Police say Rivera shot the 16-year-old on Friday, before Lawrence Police responded to High Street 9 p.m. for a report of gunfire. Officers found the teenage victim in the passenger seat of a black BMW car, suffering from serious injuries.

A fight had broken out that night, witnesses told police. Several other individuals inside the BMW car with the victim were allegedly involved in the exchange. At one point, police said in a report, a person inside the BMW stepped outside to shoot several rounds of gunshots into the air.

Witnesses told police the 16-year-old girl was shot when a person stepped out of a High Street residence and fired several rounds into the car where she was sitting. The BMW car then drove the injured girl to to Lawrence General Hospital. At the hospital, police arrested Christian Figueroa, 20, the driver of the BMW, who was wanted by police for an unrelated shooting.

The 16-year-old girl was transported to a Boston hospital, where she is still being treated.

Rivera, the man who allegedly shot the teen, will be arraigned in Lawrence District Court on Thursday. His arrest was made by a team of authorities, including Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Essex District Attorneys Office and State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, Lawrence Police, Boston Police and U.S. Marshalls.Two people have died as the result of a serious crash on Interstate 95 in Attleboro early Thursday morning.

Massachusetts State Police responded to I-95 southbound near Exit 3 around 1:25 a.m. Upon arrival, troopers found a 2018 Kia Soul that had rear-ended a 2007 Hyundai GST, trapping the backseat passengers in the car.

One of those passengers, a 23-year-old woman from Los Angeles, was brought to Sturdy Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to officials.

The driver and sole occupant of the Kia, a 28-year-old man from Providence, was brought to Rhode Island Hospital where he later died.

Both victims names are being withheld until next of kin are notified.

State police said the Kia was speeding in the right travel lane when, for reasons still under investigation, the driver lost control and swerved, rear-ending the Hyundai in the middle travel lane.

Five people were traveling in the Hyundai, authorities said. A 23-year-old man from Berwyn, Illinois, a 23-year-old man from Providence and a 27-year-old man from Daly City, California, were also injured in the crash.

I-95 was closed for three hours and traffic was diverted to Exit 3.

The crash remains under investigation.Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, standing alongside education and community leaders, said he will do everything in his power to prevent the proposed changes to Title IX, a federal sex discrimination law, from taking effect.

At a press conference in City Hall Wednesday, Walsh discussed the proposed changes to Title IX policy by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the effect it would have on students seeking to report sexual assault on college campuses.

This proposal to change Title IX would be devastating to survivors of sexual assault and make it even harder for survivors to get the help they need, Walsh said. It would force them to endure more severe instances of assault before schools intervene and create a division between young people and their education.

The mayor said that as a feminist it was his duty to speak out.

Title IX, a federal law enacted in 1972, bans gender discrimination in educational environments and programs that receive funding from the United States government. The law has further been defined to cover a colleges responsibility to students who report a sexual assault on campus -- or off.

The rule changes would narrow the definition of sexual misconduct for college and universities, raise the bar for evidence in such cases, and overall, reduce a schools ability to address sexual harassment and assault.

Sexual harassment is currently defined by the Department of Education as "any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature" and the proposed regulations would change the definition to behavior that is "severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive."

Students reporting assault would have to undergo cross-examination by lawyers in a live hearing similar to the criminal process under the proposed changes.

This could have a chilling effect, said Lee Pelton, the president of Emerson College. He said his college is asking their students to read the proposed changes and submit a comments to the Department of Education as he, the mayor, and others gathered at the press conference vowed to do.

Too often, as we all know, assaults are going unreported because of the legitimate fears of survivors of being shamed, of being disbelieved, of being retraumatized, Pelton said. As new federal regulations are being considered we must be mindful not only of the progress we have made but also of the work that still needs to be done.

Marisa Kelly, the president of Suffolk University, said she was concerned about students who may be assaulted off campus. The proposed change would bar schools from investigating off-campus assaults, even if the accused is also a student at the school.

WALSH - Proposed changes would be devastating to survivors of sexual assault who may be forced to endure more instances of sexual assault before the schools intervene. pic.twitter.com/ETxTh1MwCl  Jackie Tempera  (@jacktemp) January 16, 2019

Irrespective of where an incident took place the impact on a sexual abuse survivors educational experience can be devastating, Kelly said. Not being able to access complaint procedures simply because this happened off campus raises the danger that incidents will go unreported.

Katie Mitrano, a senior at UMass Boston and the regional outreach leader for Every Voice, spoke of her own assault - which happened the same day she arrived in Boston for college.

College is time in people's lives to learn. Find their passion. Make new friends and escape their comfort zone. Not a time to be violated in the worst way humanly possible, she said.

Debra Robbin, Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc., also spoke of her own experience with sexual assault. When she was a college student she was raped and had no recourse, she said.

At that time campus sexual assault was not discussed, there were no resources, no one to talk with and no opportunity for redress. I wouldn't have even have thought of that, she said.

Asked after the event whether she was worried campus culture would revert back to what she experienced as a student, she said: I hope not.

The thing is anyone can be a victim of sexual assault. It is a non-partisan issue. It doesn't sit with party lines. That's a very important point to consider.

The Department of Education announced the proposed changes in November and invited the public to comment on the revision until January 28. More than 53,000 comments have already been submitted.

The Department of Education is required by law to review the comments and address them before publishing the final rules, according to the mayors office.The longest partial federal government shutdown in history has not yet impacted free and reduced lunch programs in public schools across Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties, but it could.

Monica Hatchett, a spokeswoman for Henry County Public Schools, said the programs will last for several more weeks if the shutdown is not resolved.

What we know right now is that school nutrition programs of all types are fully funded through the end of March, she said.

The school division is monitoring the information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds the child nutrition programs, it receives to determine whether there may be dramatic program cuts after that date, Hatchett said.

Worst case would be total loss of funding, she said. Best case would be extension of funding in some manner so that we dont see any interruption to the services we currently provide to our students.

She added, Our team will be meeting regularly in the coming weeks to determine paths that may be necessary should the shutdown continue for an extended period.The matricula form of identification is very important, because its valid like a passport and accepted both in Mexico and the United States, Huerta said.

Its hard to get, he said, because we check different databases including in Mexico to ensure the identity and any potential criminal record of the applicant. With high-tech security features, including a computer chip, its also nearly impossible to falsify.

Mexican and many authorities in the United States have a device which reads the computer chip, he said.

In the United States, a lot of authorities and chiefs of police in different places, they love this matricular consular , he said.

Why? First, most banks accept this to open a bank account. Otherwise, he said, people without bank accounts would carry large amounts of cash, making them more vulnerable to crime.

If police have a negative encounter with someone, if the person does not have a recognizable form of identification, police might be more suspicious, and jail that person. Upon seeing a maticular consular , which lists the holders local address, police would feel more confident that this person is part of the community.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department in Washington on Aug. 16, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Andrew Harrer.Ensure you get a print copy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror delivered weekly to your home or business!

Complete online access is included with all print subscriptions purchased online. Plus, up to four other members of your household can share online access through this subscription with their own, individual linked accounts at no additional charge.

(Are you a current advertiser? Ask your sales rep for our special advertiser rate code!)All of Lebanon has seemingly come to a halt because of the absence of a new government. It appears that this will remain the case as long as some political parties continue to let foreign interests prevail over national ones, one former official told LOrient-Le Jour (OLJ). The political camp defending Lebanons sovereignty has failed to steer the country away from regional power struggles. Instead, parties on either side of the divide have chosen to align with Iran or the United States at the expense of Lebanons own interests.

The events that took place in Beirut and Jahiliyeh last Sunday illustrate this point, in addition to multiple other acts of defiance. Taken together, these actions hint a disregard for the Lebanese state similar to what was displayed on May 7, 2008, when Hezbollah gunmen took to the streets of Beirut, or on Feb. 6, 1984, when the Amal Movement and its allies completely bypassed the governments authority.

When supporters of Amal removed the Libyan flags planted in the streets of Beirut ahead of the Jan. 20 Arab League summit and replaced them with the Amal flags, it was similar to what they did in 2007 when they burned the Lebanese flag, asserting the logic of militancy over that of government institutions.

The speeches given in Jahiliyeh last Sunday during a commemoration ceremony marking the 40th day since the death of former minister Wiam Wahhabs bodyguard Mohammad Abu Diab are also signs of an upcoming white revolution against the Taif Agreement. Some parties wish to change the agreement to address what they see as an imbalance of power leading to the political marginalization of the Shiite community. In other words, the Shiite community wants to change the status quo by adjusting the current equilibrium to increase its power and its influence in the decision making process.

How else could former minister Wiam Wahhab and Talal Arslanes words be interpreted? Both hinted that in the absence of a March 8th government, and without providing adequate support to the Syrian-Iranian axis, Lebanon will have to face chaos and an institutional vacuum.

The staggering positions articulated during the Jahiliyeh ceremony were clearly intended to impair the government in every way possible. This systematic policy of undermining the very foundations of the state is being led by people who oppose a government that doesnt meet the requirements of the March 8th bloc. It is increasingly clear that the political differences preventing the formation of a government are not about the daily struggles of the Lebanese people, such as inadequate electricity and excessive pollution. Instead, the dividing line is between people who support a sovereign state and those who accept the influence of outside powers.

Bipartisan agreements, such as the 2006 Mar Mikhael accord between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), have replaced institutions by placing the concerned parties above the constitution and the law. The Mar Mikhael agreement also made it possible to keep decisions relating to war and peace in the hands of the resistance.

Hezbollah eventually took advantage of the agreement by extracting its desired benefits while failing respect its own part of the deal. As a result, a few months ago FPM leader Gebran Bassil asserted that his party disagreed with Hezbollah on a major point in the fourth clause of the agreement: the promise of state-building.

Now, Hezbollah and Amal are continuing to undermine the government. Their interference in the organization of the Arab League summit is a prime example. They have tried to impose their will by insisting Syria be invited to the event and by calling for Libya to be banned from participating. These are both signs that the two parties are willing to try to make their own interests prevail over the interests of the state and its institutions.

Hezbollah and Amals actions regarding the Arab League summit have also eroded their relationship with the FPM, which was already on rocky ground as the parties stand accused of sabotaging Michel Aouns mandate.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale's recent visit to Lebanon demonstrated how proxy wars are destroying the Middle East. The US official's visit also coincided with increased tension at the southern border where the Israeli government discovered tunnels, dug by Hezbollah, leading from south Lebanon into the Jewish state.

During his visit to the Center House on Jan. 14, Hale delivered a powerful message about the Iranian danger that the US administration is trying to counter and the financing of Hezbollah. The existence of a militia that is not subject to government authority is unacceptable, Hale said. He also stated that the establishment of a new Lebanese government is an important issue for the United States, but the composition of the government should be solely up to the Lebanese.





(This article was originnaly published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 15th of January)







Local News, Press Releases, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: January 17 2019

Measures intended to increase voter participation; Senate and Assembly approved the legislation.

Long Island, NY - January 17, 2019 - Senator Ken LaValle announced that the NY State Legislature approved a package of voting reform bills.

Senator LaValle said, In todays society, with so many people working long hours, combined with active lifestyles, the system needs to change to make it easier for individuals to participate in elections. This past week, I voted to approve several measures to make the process of voting easier and more accessible for everyone. If they become law, there will be more time to cast your vote, more clarity on primary day, and more transparency.

Senator LaValle continued, Additionally, and especially meaningful to me as a past teacher and principal, we approved a bill that would allow 16 and 17 year olds to preregister to vote when they reach the age of 18. It is critically important for our future that they are engaged, knowledgeable and involved.

He concluded: It is my hope that when the measures become law more people will take advantage of the opportunity to vote, allow more of voices to be heard, and thereby strengthen our government in the process.

The specific bills that were approved in the Senate in a bipartisan manner:

Early Voting: This bill, S.1102 , will establish an Early Voting system to permit eligible voters in New York State to vote in person for a number of days preceding Election Day.

Consolidation of Federal and State Primaries: This bill, S.1103 , will save taxpayer costs and it will now make primary day on one single date instead of two. By making the state primary elections the same day as federal primary elections, it should make the process run better as well. It also ensures that New York States election law complies with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.

Closing the LLC Loophole: This bill, S.1101 , will add transparency and amend Election Law to hold LLCs to the same aggregate contribution limit of $5,000 that applies to corporations. The amendment would require the disclosure of the identity and proportion of ownership of all direct and indirect owners of the membership interests in the LLC. This legislation will also amend the Election Law to require all contributions made to political committees or campaigns by an LLC be attributed to each member of the LLC in proportion to the members ownership interest.

Voter Pre-Registration: This bill, S.1100 , will enable 16- and 17-year olds to pre-register to vote and requires local boards of education to adopt policies to promote student voter registration and pre-registration.

The package of legislation has been approved by both the Senate and the Assembly and was transferred to the Governor for consideration.Nature & Weather, Local News, Press Releases

By Chris Boyle Published: January 17 2019

Morning commute expected to be impacted; drivers are urged to take caution, NWS says.

Long Island, NY - January 17, 2019 - After a winter packed with frigid temperatures but a general lack of snow so far (although it's still early in the season), Long Island may actually be getting a little snowfall this weekend, according to reports from the National Weather Service.

Snow is in the forecast for late tonight into Friday morning. Accumulations will range from a coating to an inch across Long Island to 1-2 inches north and west of NYC. Slippery roads may impact the Friday morning commute, especially across the interior, reports say.

As late afternoon progresses into evening, temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s with snow developing towards midnight into Friday morning with a wintry mix. Precipitation occurring between approximately 10 p.m. tonight and 2 a.m. Friday morning will result in a slushy coating for Long Island which could increase the danger of slick and slippery roadways, so drivers are urged to take caution.

As Friday morning progresses, the wintry mix is expected to change over into heavy rain that is expected to last throughout the remainder of the morning.

While tonight's forecast is pretty much a lock, according to NWS, what's in store for Long Island come Saturday night is slightly less certain; however, snow is sure to be involved, and possibly in much greater amounts that we've seen previously this winter.

Snow is expected to develop Saturday night after 7 p.m., which could potentially result in several inches of precipitation; this is expected to transition over to extremely heavy rain , and then once again over to freezing rain and snow. That, combined with heavy winds, is expected to cause potential coastal flooding in some areas; residents of affected regions are expected to exercise caution in the event that happens.

Temperatures on Sunday are expected to be especially cold, and with the excessive rain and snow in the forecast Saturday night, this could result in extremely icy conditions on streets and roadways. Residents are urged to take extreme caution if driving anywhere because of this.

PSEG Long Island has announced that they are closely monitoring and ready for the forecasted weather expected to affect their service territory over the next few days. PSEG noted that they are performing system checks on critical transmission and distribution equipment and logistics checks to ensure the availability of critical materials, fuel and other supplies.

Be prepared and stay safe during extreme weather:

To report and receive status updates on an outage Text OUT to PSEGLI (773454) or to report an outage online visit www.psegliny.com/outages

Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter to report an outage and to get updates before, during and after the storm.

Downed wires should always be considered live. Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything contacting the wire. To report a downed wire call PSEG Long Islands 24-hour Electric Service number: 1-800-490-0075.

Visit PSEG Long Islands outage map to view outage information across Long Island and the Rockaways at https://outagemap.psegliny.com

Make sure everyone in the family is prepared and knows what to do if there is an emergency. Visit https://www.psegliny.com/safetyandreliability/stormsafety/beforeastorm to learn about safety tips from Sesame Street, YouTube safety videos and more.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today urged New Yorkers to prepare for multiple storm systems that are forecasted to bring significant snowfall as well as bitter cold and dangerously low wind chills.

"While New Yorkers are no strangers to snow, I am urging everyone to be cautious over the next several days as current forecasts are calling for the most significant snowfall so far this winter," Governor Cuomo said. "All of New York's transportation and public safety agencies are monitoring these storms closely and are prepared to immediately assist any community that needs help."

The current weather forecast for throughout this upcoming weekend is as follows:Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: January 17 2019

3x5 American flags were mounted on 8 poles surrounding Veterans Plaza on the front lawn of Huntington Town Hall.

Huntington, NY - January 17, 2019 - Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Councilwoman Joan Cergol and Councilman Ed Smyth joined the Kiwanis Club of Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Councilwoman Joan Cergol and Councilman Ed Smyth joined the Kiwanis Club of Huntington for their 9th Annual Field of Honor Flag Return Reception at Honu Restaurant on Monday, January 14.

The Huntington Kiwanis honors our veterans in a very special way each year with the Field of Honor, said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. Participation each year has proudly reflected Huntingtons overwhelming support for our armed forces and veterans and we thank you for undertaking this great cause, which benefits veterans and children across our community.

Congratulations to the Kiwanis Club of Huntington and committee chair Dr. Daniel Picard for orchestrating its 9th successful Field of Honor Flag season, said Councilwoman Joan Cergol. This is a triple win for Huntington: we bring honor to our veterans, beautify Huntington and Huntington Town Hall, and assist children in our community. Whats better than that?

Councilman Ed Smyth added: This event has become a tradition the community looks forward to participating in and seeing the flags flying in front of Town Hall is a reminder to us all of the sacrifices our Veterans have made.

3x5 American flags were mounted on 8 poles surrounding Veterans Plaza on the front lawn of Huntington Town Hall from September 2018 through December 2018. Each flag purchased had its own custom-printed gold ribbon personalized and dedicated to each veteran honoree. Net proceeds benefitted veterans and children in Huntington.Build wall, stop immigrants: Well, the government has been shut down for over a week now in my city and Ive seen absolutely nothing changed (because of it). Ive got water. Ive got electricity. Ive got gas. My street gets plowed. Everything is just fine. The only thing that has affected me personally over the years is I had a relative killed by an illegal immigrant who fled the country and was never found. One of my friends was hit by an illegal immigrant in his car. Over 10 years ago, his brother was hit and still has the effects today and walks with a limp.  If the government shuts down, the only thing it can do for me is build the wall. Illegal immigrants are the only thing affecting my life.Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: January 17 2019

Public Assistance benefits for rent, groceries and utilities may be available to furloughed workers and those working without pay through OTDA.

New York, NY - January 17, 2019 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed state agencies to provide support for federal workers impacted by the federal government shutdown that now exceeds the record for the longest government shutdown in United States history. The Governor called for the New York State Department of Labor to provide increased support to workers seeking unemployment insurance benefits and the State's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to help those working without pay apply for and obtain public assistance benefits.

"It is unconscionable that the President is holding hostage the wages and livelihoods of hard-working Americans in an attempt to advance his hateful and regressive political agenda," Governor Cuomo said. "While the federal administration steps on the backs of workers, New York State is stepping up to help in any way we can. These measures will ensure furloughed federal workers in New York receive prompt and special one-on-one services so they can obtain the vital safety-net benefits they need during this hard time."

"We shouldn't be playing politics over keeping a government open and functioning," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "People's lives are at stake every minute the federal shutdown continues. To help the hardworking New Yorkers impacted by the longest shutdown in history, state agencies will provide the assistance, benefits and support they need while their wages are being denied by the federal government."

The Department of Labor has been directed to accelerate the Unemployment Insurance application process and extend the hours at the Call Center. The Governor has also directed the Department of Labor to work with the federal unions to make sure their members are made aware of these benefits.

In addition, some furloughed federal workers or federal employees who are still working but not receiving a paycheck may also be eligible for emergency assistance to help meet basic needs through the state's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Even households that are not traditionally eligible for public assistance may be eligible for short-term assistance to help pay rent or buy food if they do not have resources readily available to them due to loss of income. Anyone interested in receiving this help or learning about what programs they may be eligible for are encouraged to visit https://otda.ny.gov/programs/apply/ or go to their local department of social services or New York City Job Center

If you're a New Yorker who has been affected by the federal shutdown, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits through the NYS Department of Labor. To see if you qualify or to apply for benefits call 1-888-209-8124 and you will be able to speak with Department of Labor specialists who can assist you in quickly receiving the benefits you need. The call center is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday. You can also apply through DOL's website: https://labor.ny.gov/ui/how_to_file_claim.shtm

If you are interested in learning more about finding temporary or part-time job opportunities visit the Department of Labor Career Centers in your area or call 1-888-469-7365. Or you can go you the website at www.labor.ny.gov

Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "This shutdown is a hardship on federal employees, but luckily there are benefits available to help them through this difficult time. Our agency continues to stand ready to assist our fellow government workers. Reach out to us  we're here to help."

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Samuel D. Roberts said, "Federal workers adversely impacted by the ongoing government shutdown need to know that they may qualify for help while they are forced to go without a paycheck. It is important that they reach out to their local department of social services to find out what assistance may be available to them."

On January 14, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance announced that most recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive their full February benefits early due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Current SNAP recipients may receive their February benefits by Thursday, January 17. OTDA also urged the SNAP recipients receiving their benefits early to budget accordingly due to the uncertainty caused by the federal shutdown. More information is available hereLocal News, Crime, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: January 17 2019

Jewelry Retailer Signed Consumers Up For Store Credit Cards Without Consumers Knowledge or Consent.

New York, NY - January 17, 2019 - Attorney General Letitia James and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today announced an $11 million settlement with Sterling Jewelers Inc. (Sterling) (doing business as Kay Jewelers, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry, and several other brands). The settlement resolves an investigation that revealed that Sterling signed consumers up for store credit cards without the consumers knowledge or consent. Sterling also enrolled consumers in a credit insurance product without consumers knowledge or consent and misrepresented the terms of the store cards. Pursuant to the settlement, Sterling will pay $11 million in penalties.

By tricking consumers into enrolling in store credits cards, Sterling Jewelers betrayed customers trust and violated the law, said Attorney General Letitia James. This settlement holds the company accountable for its misconduct and ensures that no more consumers are deceived.

Sterling is based in Ohio and operates approximately 1,500 jewelry stores, including around 130 stores in New York.

Sterling offers a store-branded credit card that can be used only at Sterling stores. Sterling imposed store card enrollment quotas on employees and based employee performance reviews and compensation on the quotas, creating intense pressure on employees to enroll consumers in store cards.

Sterling employees used a variety of tactics to deceive consumers into enrolling in store credit cards. In some cases, employees induced consumers to provide personal information by purporting to enroll consumers in a rewards program or discount program. In reality, sales representatives used the personal information to complete and submit credit card applications. Consumers often did not find out that they had applied for a card until they noticed an unexplained inquiry on their credit report or received the card in the mail.

In addition, when consumers knew they were applying for credit, Sterling employees misrepresented the terms of the store credit cards. Sterling employees told consumers that they were being enrolled in a no interest promotional financing plan, when in reality they were signed up for a plan that included monthly financing fees.

Finally, Sterling enrolled consumers in credit insurance offered in connection with the store credit cards without consumers knowledge or consent. In many cases, consumers did not find out that they were enrolled in credit insurance until they noticed fees for the product on billing statements.A man has gone on trial accused of careless driving causing the death of a teenager and causing serious bodily harm to another man as a result of a fatal road accident in Co Longford more than two years ago.

Eighteen-year-old Joseph Reynolds died when the car in which he was travelling in collided with a tractor at Cloonart South, Bornacoola on the main N4 between Rooskey and Newtownforbes on July 17, 2017.



Jamie O'Reilly, Cartrongar, Drumlish, Co Longford denies both charges.



In opening the case before Judge Keenan Johnston at Longford Circuit Court this afternoon, counsel for the prosecution Shane Gerety said it would be the State's case Mr O'Reilly was at the wheel of a tractor which failed to have a flashing amber beacon in operation at the time of the incident.



He said evidence would be heard that it was this failure which prevented Liam Doherty, the driver of a car Mr Reynolds was passenger in, from colliding with the tractor as Mr O'Reilly exited a field onto the N4 at 11.30pm.



Defence counsel John Shortt SC expressed his client's "sincere regret" to the late Mr Reynolds' family and to David Gregg, who sustained serious bodily harm as a result of the collision.



He did though insist it would be the defence's case that those tragic events were not the consequences of Mr O'Reilly driving without due care and attention on the night in question.



The case continues tomorrow before a jury of eight women and four men.

ALSO READ: Man to stand trial over fatal Longford road accidentLongford will commemorate the centenary of the first meeting of Dail Eireann on Monday, January 21, with a lecture in Longford Library.

Ardagh native, Dr Mel Farrell will speak on The First Dail, 1919-1921: a Democratic Revolution?

Dr Farrell is the author of a major book entitled 'Party Politics in a New Democracy: the Irish Free State, 1922-37', which was formally launched in early 2018.

He has also written and lectured extensively on the politics of the Revolutionary period, including in County Longford.

Currently, Dr Farrell is Director of the Irish Humanities Alliance in the Royal Irish Academy. The lecture will begin at 7.30 pm.

The Dail was established following Sinn Feins success in the general election of December 1918, in which it secured 73 out of 105 Irish seats in the House of Commons.

The party was committed to abstention from the British parliament and took its electoral success as the go-ahead to form an Irish parliament.

A single County Longford constituency, returning one member, was formed prior to the election and the seat was won by Joe McGuinness, who had been the South Longford MP. His opponent was the sitting North Longford member, James P. Farrell of the Irish Parliamentary Party, who sadly suffered a stroke shortly before polling day.

McGuinness was in prison at the time of the election having been arrested earlier in the year on suspicion of being involved in the so-called German Plot.

He and other leading Sinn Fein members were accused of conspiring with Germany, though there was no real evidence of this.

Interestingly, McGuinness had also been in prison (for his role in the Easter Rising) when he was sensationally elected in South Longford in May 1917.

The lecture will examine the background to the establishment of the Dail, including the local scene.

It will also consider the assemblys progress until the general election of 1921. It will be a must for anyone interested in history, either local or national.Lockport, NY (14094)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 76F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.It is said to be an uphill battle, but it is important and noteworthy nonetheless.

We speak of Julian Castros presidential bid.

He is from San Antonios West Side and comes from a family with not-so-distant immigrant roots (in Mexico) at a time when the president has fighting words for such immigrants. Simply, his personal story has particular resonance in this time and place. All together, this makes for a specific combination we cant say fits any previous presidential candidate in our memory.

He is not a first  others have come from humble, perhaps humbler, beginnings, and others have been Latino. In that latter category, we remember businessman Ben Fernandez from decades ago, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida running on the Republican side more recently. And there was Bill Richardson, former New Mexico governor, U.N. ambassador and energy secretary, on the Democratic side.

But Castro, a former San Antonio mayor and HUD secretary, runs at a fraught time in our country. The culture war rages, over immigration in particular. This comes replete with demonization of immigrants, and amid charges that any desire for meaningful and comprehensive reform is code for being squarely for wide-open borders. Conversely, any legitimate concern for border security is cast as loathing brown people.

Both are odious simplifications.

Castro will not be alone in what is certain to be a crowded Democratic field in advocating a more humane and thoughtful approach. But we are nonetheless thankful that a voice from San Antonio will be raised on this issue. This city, more than many others, knows the truth and complexities of immigration  and diversity.

This is how Castro put it at his campaign launch Saturday: Today, this community represents Americas future  diverse, fast-growing, optimistic, a place where people of different backgrounds come together.

We are, as a city, something a nation would be better for emulating, even as we also exemplify some of the challenges facing the country.

But Castro, as one of the first to formally announce, reminds us also that immigration is not the sum total of any valid campaign on the Democratic side, though it is a topic in need of strenuous debate in both parties. Speaking from Guadalupe Plaza, he also stressed affordable housing, affordable and accessible health care, sane energy policy that views climate change as a real threat, a minimum-wage increase, income equality generally and prekindergarten education, crafting nationally what the city, led by Mayor Castro, accomplished.

We look forward to an active debate in the Democratic Party on these issues  and on the Republican side as well. And were confident Castro will more than hold his own in this debate. In any case, the timing is impeccable for taking the national temperature on these issues, particularly on immigration.

Since his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 as mayor of the nations seventh-largest city, Castro has risen in stature in the party, and, yet, other candidates come out the chute with far better name recognition. This, though Castro was spoken of as a running mate for Hillary Clinton in 2016. And he likely wont be the only Texas native son running.

We have no clue how his campaign will fare in these currents, whether it will thrive or flounder. Anyone who tries to anoint front-runners or candidates certain to be nominated this early in the race is on a fools errand. But we nonetheless welcome the San Antonio voice that will be part of this election.

There is much that will make this run historic  particularly if it is successful  but it is the addition of this voice and the timing that make it even more so for us.A little more than a decade ago, Texas prisons were bursting at the seams, a problem only exacerbated by the fact that the majority of those released from prison eventually returned. The Legislative Budget Board in Austin estimated that in the next five years, Texas would need as many as 17,000 additional beds to house the growing prison population.

In no uncertain terms, then-House Speaker Tom Craddick told then-chairman of the House Corrections Committee Jerry Madden, Dont build new prisons; they cost too much.

State legislators listened and, under the leadership of then-Gov. Rick Perry, began consulting with experts to find the root of this pervasive problem and come up with solutions. The result was an innovative bill that invested $241 million in treatment programs within prisons with the goal of reducing recidivism: that is, to stop the revolving door and make sure people who get out of prison stay out of prison. Additional resources were provided for things such as drug treatment programs, education and job training for offenders. The bill also expanded halfway houses as a prison alternative and reduced the caseload of parole officers to allow for closer supervision.

In short: Texas didnt stop being tough on crime, we just started being smart on crime, too, and the results could not be disputed. Both incarceration and crime rates dropped by double digits. Not only did this prevent the state from having to build new prisons to house additional inmates, it allowed us to close eight prisons and led to more than $3 billion in taxpayer savings. Other states were quick to notice, and we began to see similar reforms moving through legislatures in Georgia, North Carolina and other states. Despite the positive impact in Texas and other states, efforts to replicate these changes at the federal level were slow-moving.

After years of attempting to take the Texas model nationwide, we were proud to fight for the First Step Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month. This law borrows from many of the changes implemented by Texas more than a decade ago and applies them to the roughly 180,000 federal prisoners.

Just as we saw in Texas, the First Step Act will expand evidence-based drug treatment, education and faith-based programs to rehabilitate individuals who are serving their sentences. As an incentive to complete these programs, certain nonviolent offenders will be eligible to earn time credits that will not shorten their sentences, but allow them to be completed in less restrictive custody, such as a halfway house or home confinement. Not only is this beneficial to the individual, it also equates to savings for taxpayers.

We worked to ensure that violent criminals are not able to earn these credits and that a low-level offense alone is not enough to qualify. The person must also be deemed low-risk, meaning he or she isnt likely to reoffend. That determination is made using a risk-assessment tool developed by the Department of Justice, and relies on the experienced law enforcement officers and wardens who work with these individuals every day. Put simply: Its important to rehabilitate the men and women in prison, but not at a cost to public safety.

The First Step Act also moderates mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes, including nonviolent drug offenses, which have disproportionately affected minorities. By providing judges greater discretion to make sure the penalty fits the offense, we can refocus taxpayer dollars on preventing violent crime and keeping communities safe.

This legislation is an investment in the future of our country, and in the people who want to build better lives and earn second chances. We believe that prisons should serve as a place for rehabilitation, not just punishment. That serving time doesnt have to mean wasting time. And that our criminal justice system can work for, not against, Texans.

As the name of this legislation states, this will not fix every problem in our criminal justice system. This is the first step in building a smarter, more responsible federal prison system. We are proud to have supported this law and will continue working to bring smart reforms like those weve seen in Texas to the federal prison system.

Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.But that all changed 10 days after her 87th birthday. On Jan. 14, 2018, Michelini suffered a massive stroke while in Arizona that left her so critically ill, daughter Lynne OBrien says for eight weeks we did not know if she would survive. And the family eventually had to hire a medical Lear jet to get her home to the Fox Valley.A man found shot to death Thursday morning in the driver's seat of a Yellow Cab in the parking lot of a thrift store in Windcrest, has been identified.

A witness reported the shooting just before 7 a.m. at the large parking lot for the Texas Thrift store in the 7500 block of Interstate 35, officials said.

When police arrived, they found the victim, Aadam Xirsi, 50, dead. The driver's side front window had apparently been shattered by a bullet, and the victim had one leg dangling out of the open door.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Investigators said they believe Xirsi operated the taxi.

Windcrest Police Chief Al Ballew said officers are reviewing security camera footage in the area and the taxi driver's log in order to get a better idea of what led to the shooting.

"We're still working this," he said. "It's fresh. It's still under investigation."

No weapon was found inside the vehicle, and Ballew said it's unclear what kind of firearm was used in the killing.

Police are working to identify any suspects involved in the slaying.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdownsErik Walsh is the City Councils lone finalist to become San Antonios new city manager.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced the citys selection Wednesday evening, capping three long days of interviews for the citys most important appointed position.

Walsh has been seen as the favorite for the job since shortly after current City Manager Sheryl Sculley announced she would retire. He is one of two deputy city managers to Sculley, and he currently oversees many of the citys most important departments, including police and fire.

On ExpressNews.com: Sculleys replacement will come from San Antonios ranks

The 49-year-old will now meet with various city stakeholders and appear at a public symposium Jan. 23 at the University of Texas at San Antonios downtown campus. The council is expected to vote to approve him on Jan. 31. He would assume the role on Feb. 1.

This is a developing story. Go to ExpressNews.com for more information about the councils pick..

Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinnessA day after another suicide at the local lock-up, a Houston-based legislator raised the possibility of state oversight for the troubled Harris County jail.

Citing "unsanitary and unhealthy conditions" and the reliance on outsourcing local inmates to other states, state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, on Thursday penned a scathing letter to newly elected Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, alleging jail mismanagement and hinting at legislative solutions.

"As I am sure you are aware, there was another suicide earlier this week in the facility," Whitmire wrote. "This brings the tragic uptick in suicides to a total of five since January 2017. It is apparent that mismanagement by the current jail administration continues to be an epidemic that jeopardizes the safety and well-being of our fellow citizens who find themselves housed in the Harris County Jail."

The senator also urged an evaluation of "issues surrounding the operation of the Harris County Jail" and pushed for immediate corrective actions.

READ MORE: State finds Harris County jail out of compliance for 5th time in two years

Hidalgo did not immediately offer comment, but Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez promptly replied with a letter pointing out his office's innovative programs, including a telepsychiatry initiative.

"Although suicide is far less prevalent in the Harris County Jail than in jails elsewhere," he wrote, "I will not be satisfied with our progress until we have zero inmate suicides."

The latest suicide came early Wednesday, after 42-year-old Tracy Whited hanged herself in a jail cell at the 1200 Baker Street facility.

When she first came to the jail for a pair of misdemeanor charges, Whited denied having thoughts of self-harm, authorities said. She went through the intake process, and was seen by medical staff. Afterward, she was assigned to a general population cell with close to 50 other inmates.

Detention officers did all their required checks, jail officials said later, but around 7:20 a.m. Monday another inmate spotted Whited unconscious and hanging from a bed sheet tied to her bunk.

Jail guards cut her down and started CPR, and paramedics rushed her to Ben Taub Hospital. She died on Wednesday morning after she was taken off life support, her family confirmed.

She'd been locked up for criminal mischief and misdemeanor escape, after she knifed the hood of her boyfriend's car and then walked toward the doors of the processing center as she was being booked. A hearing officer ordered her held on $3,000 bond.

Whited's death marked the jail's fifth apparent suicide in just under two years, a rate that officials have repeatedly stressed is a lower than the national average. For local jails across the country, the suicide rate is 50 per 100,000 inmates; in Harris County, that figure is around 16 per 100,000, according to the sheriff's response letter.

As part of a broader effort to improve inmate care, Gonzalez wrote in his response, the jail has increased reentry programs, partnered with Houston Community College, implemented a first-of-its-kind telepsychiatry program to help keep people out of jail with earlier mental health intervention, started offering a non-addictive medication for opioid addiction, and increased training for detention officers.

At the same time, the jail shifted away from outsourcing inmates to Louisiana. Last year, the overcrowded facility at one point shipped more than 500 jailed men and women to a private prison in Jackson Parish. Now, the sheriff said, there are just over 200 outsourced inmates but they're all housed elsewhere in Texas instead of out-of-state.

Gonzalez also highlighted some of the long-standing issues behind jail overcrowding: the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Harvey, the difficulties of housing roughly 600 parole violators and Texas prison inmates that the state hasn't yet picked up, and the lengthy wait for state hospital beds for inmates deemed incompetent to stand trial.

Despite the efforts he outlined, Gonzalez's jail has still netted a number of rebukes from oversight authorities. Back in early 2017, the jail racked up a non-compliance finding by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards after the apparent suicide of 32-year-old Vincent Dwayne Young. Jailers hadn't checked on Young for over an hour when they found him in his cell hanging from a bed sheet.

Afterward, the sheriff's office sought funding to install more surveillance cameras in health services cells and put in place a new policy requiring random weekly audits to make sure jailers were really doing rounds as often as required.

The facility was still in non-compliance when the state chastised them again in April 2017, this time for leaving inmates in a transport van overnight.

Then in December, the jail racked up another non-compliance when Maytham Alsaedy killed himself in his cell just a week before he was scheduled to plead guilty to capital murder.

READ MORE: Justice Department quietly probing Harris County juvenile justice system

The stabbing suspect was already housed in a unit for inmates with serious and persistent mental illnesses, but a jailer had neglected to make the 26-year-old remove newspaper covering a cell window - so staff didn't actually lay eyes on the man or see what he was doing before he killed himself.

Then in August, Debora Lyons hanged herself with a bed sheet in a common area of the jail. According to a source familiar with the case, she had threatened suicide at least once in the days before her death.

In response, the county submitted a corrective action plan, but state officials hadn't yet marked the jail compliant with that plan when they showed up in November for an annual inspection, which the facility failed for serving lukewarm food and having "excessive trash" and cockroaches in some of the cells.

"They continuously find themselves in non-compliance," said jail commission executive director Brandon Wood, adding that the string of non-compliance findings in the past two years is more than "the overwhelming majority" of county jails.

"These shortcomings have caused me to consider legislation that would create a mechanism for the State of Texas to intervene in the management and operations of jail facilities that have demonstrated an inability to provide the protection and safety that all citizens of Texas deserve," Whitmire wrote. "I am currently working with the Jail Standards Commission and other state agencies to find a solution to address this persistent problem."

The letter didn't specify what legislation for state oversight might look like or when such a proposal would be filed. The possibility of a policy solution drew praise from advocates, including Jay Jenkins, a project attorney with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.

"We applaud and support Senator Whitmire's call for more oversight," he said, "while recognizing that these types of tragedies will continue to happen without a dramatic reduction in the size and scope of our justice system."Cars were circling the library looking for parking more than 30 minutes before the meeting. More than 300 people sat in the librarys meeting room or stood outside in the hallway in a line stretching all the way back to the buildings entrance to take part in the meeting.WASHINGTON - Members of the security detail tasked with protecting senior leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs followed questionable procedures that put officials' safety at risk, abused rules governing overtime pay and acted as chauffeur for former Secretary David Shulkin's wife, according to a new investigation.

The alleged failures, documented by VA Inspector General Michael Missal in a report released Thursday, detail missteps that went on for years and came to a head under Shulkin. The investigation was commissioned after "various complaints" alleged broadly that VA's protection division was being grossly mismanaged, the report says.

There were inadequate threat assessments, the report found, and "insufficient written operational procedures that resulted in security vulnerabilities."

In one example, agents habitually stored the keys for Shulkin's motorcade vehicle behind the fuel door, rather than returning them to a secure location. Agents also weren't wearing proper protective gear, and one agent shared details of the secretary's whereabouts with unauthorized people.

The complaints also claimed that Shulkin - who was fired by President Donald Trump in March - had misused the protective services available to him.

The inspector general's office determined that Shulkin violated ethics rules when he permitted his driver, a VA employee, to use a personal vehicle to drive around his wife.

Generally, the Executive Protection Division provides security and transportation for the VA secretary and deputy secretary. Family may benefit from those protective services only if they are traveling with the secretary or deputy.

Though security staff advised Shulkin of these rules, the secretary's wife was still transported alone by agents, the report said.

Shulkin did not respond to a request for comment. He told inspector general investigators, however, that he never asked his security detail to provide his wife such privileges, but that at least on one occasion his assigned driver transported Shulkin's wife. In the report Shulkin was "adamant" that it was a personal favor on the driver's personal time and in a personal vehicle. The secretary's driver confirmed there were instances in which he drove Shulkin's wife in his personal car on his own time.

But even those instances are a violation of ethical obligations, according to the inspector general, because federal regulations don't allow for someone in Shulkin's position to accept gifts from subordinates.

"Personal favors and transportation services are included in the definition of a gift," the report said.

A senior staff person told the inspector general's office that on two occasions, Shulkin's primary driver left an official event to take the secretary's wife somewhere. Both times, Shulkin had to leave the official event in a different car with a different driver. There were other instances in which the secretary's wife traveled in a government car without her husband, the secretary's driver said in the report. The driver recalled taking her to the train station.

Investigators also found that drivers often worked excessive hours to collect overtime, putting them and VA officials at risk. One driver worked more than 14 hours straight on 92 occasions and a stint of 19 consecutive days on duty, the report says.

The VA spent about $2.6 million in protective services in 2017, the report says, most of that in personnel base salaries and overtime costs.

Investigators found that during a trip Shulkin led to Europe in July 2017 - one that mixed business and leisure, and contributed to his firing - three agents on the security detail claimed to be doing advance work for Shulkin and his entourage when they were in fact sightseeing, the report says. They received overtime pay for the work. The report said this was possible because the security division was so poorly managed at the time.

In response to the report, VA officials agreed with the failings and said they had addressed many of them, although the inspector general wrote that the agency has not documented these changes. The VA also promised administrative action against employees who submit false time cards or violate other department rules. Officials blamed the problem on Shulkin and his leadership of VA.

The inspector general's office also investigated complaints that during his time as VA secretary, Shulkin used his security detail to take him to nonofficial events - despite a risk assessment that determined he required "portal-to-portal" protection, or protection that ends once the subject goes home at the end of the business day.

Instead, the report lists instances in which Shulkin requested protection for weekend visits to a furniture store and a Home Deport in Alexandria, Virginia.

"We're coming in on a Saturday to take him house hunting?" one agent wrote in an email to Shulkin's executive assistant after receiving a weekend assignment.

Agents who flagged the issue were not critical of the secretary so much as the lack of training he received on the appropriate uses of his security details, according to the report.

In October 2017, about eight months after Shulkin's Senate confirmation hearing, the secretary received a memo with more clear guidelines for his protective staff. Ultimately, the inspector general found that Shulkin had not been given clear guidance and was doing what he thought was within his power. Investigators determined that staff did not flag the behavior as inappropriate or address it with him until the October memo.

Shulkin, the only holdover from the Obama administration, left the administration 10 months ago, amid political infighting between him and top Trump aides grew unsustainable.

In the early months of Trump's administration, he was one of the president's favorite Cabinet members, largely because he was seen as advancing a key campaign promise to improve veterans' care.

But political appointees at VA, installed by the White House, complained that Shulkin was not doing enough to advance private health care for veterans outside the government system. Shulkin complained that the aides were undermining his authority. After months of bad headlines he was ousted.NEW DELHI - High in the Himalayas, Sikkim is one of the tiniest states in India. But it is about to embark on an experiment of global interest.

Sikkim's ruling party has announced an ambitious plan to implement a universal basic income for every one of its 610,577 citizens.

If successful, the scheme would represent the largest trial run anywhere in the world of a concept that supporters like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg say could provide a safety net, help alleviate poverty and address the challenge of job automation. Detractors, meanwhile, say it would reduce the incentive to work and would come at a huge expense.

A universal basic income is a regular, guaranteed income paid by the government, universally and unconditionally, to all citizens. It is a cash payment that aims to replace the often-confusing array of assistance states offer to citizens and places spending decisions in the hands of the recipients.

"If there is one chance of it happening anywhere, it is Sikkim," said P.D. Rai, the sole member of India's parliament from the state. Sikkim already has a progressive track record: it was one of the first Indian states to ban plastic bags way back in 1998 - a ban that it has managed to implement successfully unlike many other states. It has also provided housing for all its citizens. Most recently, it became the country's first organic state, eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Its social indexes also stand out from the rest of the country, with a literacy rate of 98 percent, and it has managed to significantly bring the percentage of people living below the poverty line to just about 8 percent - compared to nearly 30 percent nationally. Sikkim's small geographic area and low population density have been responsible, in part, for its success.

Rai acknowledges that there will be challenges. "It's a matter of political will ultimately," he said. "With the rise of global inequality, we want to ensure that we bridge the gap." Rai declined to reveal how much the program, which was announced ahead of upcoming elections this spring, would potentially cost the state. The tourism and power sectors will be tapped to raise the resources. With over 2.5 million tourists coming annually, tourism is a major source of revenue. Being a surplus power generating state, Sikkim sells 90 percent of its hydropower. For now, he said, the government is holding meetings with experts and stakeholders and expects to roll out the scheme by 2022.

India has a large existing social security apparatus: the central government alone spends 5 percent of GDP spent on 950 schemes. These range from free rice, an allowance to build houses and even guaranteed employment for some living in rural areas. But inefficient implementation and diversion of funds due to corruption have long plagued the system, leading many to propose a universal basic income as a possible solution. India's Economic Survey for 2017 highlighted the concept as a "powerful idea" that should be debated.

Elsewhere in the world, there have been several small-scale experiments with implementing a universal basic income, but they have met with limited success. In April 2017, the government of Ontario in Canada announced a pilot project involving 4,000 people that would have cost 150 million Canadian dollars. The project ended abruptly for being "expensive and unsustainable" after a year when the local government changed.

In Finland, an experiment with universal basic income similarly ended last year before its completion. The trial included a $630 monthly payment to 2,000 unemployed citizens.

In the United States, meanwhile, the concept has been floated in Stockton, California by its young mayor. Last year, it announced that 100 residents would receive $500 a month for 18 months.

The notion of a universal basic income has found backers in Silicon Valley, with tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk endorsing it. In his Harvard commencement address in 2017, Zuckerberg spoke of the need for a "new social contract," with ideas like a basic income to provide a "cushion" for everyone. Musk has described it as a "necessary" step as automation takes over human jobs.

But economists have pointed to various possible pitfalls. Some question whether giving cash instead of something like a food subsidy would lead to spending on wasteful items. Plus as prices rise, a cash handout would buy fewer goods. Others say a basic income would disincentivize work, raising the possibility of a shrinking labor force.

Hailing Sikkim's initiative, Pranab Bardhan, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, said that the rationale behind a universal basic income in a place like Sikkim is very different from a place like Stockton.

"In developed countries, the main purpose is to restructure or economize the existing welfare schemes, like unemployment benefits," said Bardhan. "In low- or mid-income countries, like India, the rationale will be to address the minimum economic insecurity of a larger section of the population, not just the poorest, without touching the existing anti-poverty measures."WASHINGTON - Last April, telecom giant T-Mobile announced a megadeal: a $26 billion merger with rival Sprint, which would more than double T-Mobile's value and give it a huge new chunk of the cellphone market.

But for T-Mobile, one hurdle remained: Its deal needed approval from the Trump administration.

The next day, in Washington, staffers at the Trump International Hotel were handed a list of incoming "VIP Arrivals." That day's list included nine of T-Mobile's top executives - including its chief operating officer, chief technology officer, chief strategy officer, chief financial officer and its outspoken celebrity chief executive, John Legere.

The executives had scheduled stays of up to three days. But it was not their last visit.

Instead, T-Mobile executives have returned to President Donald Trump's hotel repeatedly since then, according to eyewitnesses and hotel documents obtained by The Washington Post.

By mid-June, seven weeks after the announcement of the merger, hotel records indicated that one T-Mobile executive was making his 10th visit to the hotel. Legere appears to have made at least four visits to the Trump hotel, walking the lobby in his T-Mobile gear.

These visits highlight a stark reality in Washington, unprecedented in modern American history. Trump the president works at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump the businessman owns a hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania.

Countries, interest groups and companies like T-Mobile - whose future will be shaped by the administration's choices - are free to stop at both, and to pay the president's company while also meeting with officials in his government. Such visits raise questions about whether patronizing Trump's private business is viewed as a way to influence public policy, critics said.

Last week, a Post reporter spotted Legere in the Trump hotel's lobby. In an impromptu interview, the T-Mobile chief executive said he was not seeking special treatment. He chose the Trump hotel, he said, for its fine service and good security.

"It's become a place I feel very comfortable," Legere said. He also praised the hotel's location, next to one of the departments that must approve the company's merger.

"At the moment I am in town for some meetings at the Department of Justice," Legere said. "And it's very convenient for that."

After The Post published a version of this article online Wednesday, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission - which would have to approve the merger - tweeted about her concern. "This does not look good," Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel wrote, making note of the report.

Later in the day, Legere used Twitter to respond: "Wow - A lot of attention on where I choose to stay in DC," he wrote, continuing, "I trust regulators will make their decision based on the benefits it will bring to the US, not based on hotel choices."

The potential conflict of interest posed by Trump's dual roles in Washington was underscored in a separate development Wednesday, when the General Services Administration's internal watchdog issued a scathing report of the agency's decision-making that allowed the president to keep his lease for the hotel, which is in a federally owned building. It said the agency should have assessed whether the lease violates the Constitution's emoluments clauses, which bar presidents from taking payments from foreign governments and U.S. states. But it "improperly ignored" those concerns, the report said.

The VIP Arrivals lists obtained by The Post - in which Trump hotel executives alerted their staff to foreign officials, corporate executives, long-term guests, Trump family friends and big spenders - provide an inside look at some of the hotel's customers. The Post obtained lists for about a dozen days in 2018.

Those lists showed 38 nights of hotel stays by the T-Mobile executives; because The Post's data is incomplete, the number could be higher.

Rooms at the luxury hotel routinely cost more than $300 per night.

The Post shared details about those stays - gleaned from the VIP Arrivals lists and eyewitness accounts - with both T-Mobile and the Trump Organization. Neither challenged the findings. After Legere's brief interview at the Trump hotel, T-Mobile declined to comment further for this report.

Trump's hotel also has hosted parties put on by the Kuwaiti and Philippine embassies, rented hundreds of rooms to lobbyists paid by Saudi Arabia, and hosted a large meeting of the oil industry's lobbying group.

But the T-Mobile case stands out because the company's executives were expected at the hotel so soon after announcing they needed a win in Washington.

"It's currying favor with the president," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. "It's disturbing, because it's another secret avenue for currying favor with the government."

She said that even if they weren't directly ordered by Trump, the president's appointees might feel pressured to help Trump's customers. That might undermine public confidence in the decisions that result, Krumholz said.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Eric Trump - who is running the family business with his brother, Donald Trump Jr., while his father serves in the White House - said in an email that the hotel has "absolutely no role in politics." Asked about the stays by Legere, Eric Trump said that his hotel offers extraordinary service: "It should come as no surprise that a CEO of a major corporation would want to stay with us."

Before last year, Washington had been a place of disappointment for T-Mobile, which is the third-biggest of the United States' four big cellphone providers, which has long sought a merger to grow bigger.

In 2011 and in 2014, the Bellevue, Washington-based company planned to combine with rivals: first AT&T, then Sprint. But both times, the Obama administration rejected the mergers on antitrust grounds, saying they would decrease competition and hurt consumers.

On April 29, 2018, T-Mobile announced it would try again with Sprint.

The deal would require approval from agencies including the Justice Department, which handles antitrust enforcement, and the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the airwaves that cellphones use. Those two agencies declined to comment.

Sprint, the market's fourth-place player, is largely owned by SoftBank, a Japanese company whose founder, Masayoshi Son, has built his own relationship with Donald Trump. After Trump's election, Son was praised by the incoming president for a promise to invest $50 billion and create 50,000 jobs in the United States. Sprint declined to comment for this report.

Legere, the T-Mobile chief executive, also had a history with the president.

But it wasn't a good one.

"I will obviously leave your hotel right away," Legere wrote on Twitter in April 2015, during a public spat that began with complaints about Legere's stay at a Trump hotel in New York, and escalated when Trump called T-Mobile's service "terrible."

Later, Legere mocked Trump's hotels after checking out. "I am so happy to wake up in a hotel where every single item isn't labeled 'Trump,' " he wrote, according to news coverage. Those tweets appear to have been deleted.

Three years later, on the day after the Sprint merger was announced, Legere was scheduled to arrive at the Trump hotel in Washington.

That day's VIP Arrivals list had 39 names. There were executives at a Defense Department contractor called AxleTech; a spokesman said they chose the hotel because they had a meeting at a corporate office across the street. Two other VIPs were connected with the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action, which was hosting a dinner with the president at the hotel that night. A spokeswoman said one room was for the event photographer, the other for staff preparations.

And there were the nine T-Mobile executives. Of them, only Legere was listed with an "R" next to his name - signaling to Trump hotel employees that he was a repeat Trump customer.

Inside the hotel's busy, soaring lobby, Legere was noticed quickly.

"Everybody knew. You couldn't miss it," said Jake Loft, who was in the lobby for a regularly scheduled networking event. He spotted Legere by his outfit, which was - as usual - a walking billboard for T-Mobile. Legere wore a black-and-magenta hoodie with a T-Mobile logo over a bright-magenta T-shirt with another T-Mobile logo. "He wasn't dressed appropriately," Loft said.

Tim Briseno, who was there with Loft, said that "it was essentially like a track suit." Briseno remembered Legere giving out business cards, with an offer of a discount. "He was like, 'If you guys switch, you'll get 40 percent off for the rest of your life.' " T-Mobile did not respond to a query asking whether that offer was legitimate.

They asked Legere for a photo.

"I didn't look at the photo until after I left," Loft said. Legere had given them both bunny ears. "I was like, 'That was good.' "

Legere wound up in several photos on Instagram, giving bunny ears in every one.

On that first visit, some of the T-Mobile executives were expected to stay between one and three days apiece, according to the VIP Arrivals list.

In late May, the Trump hotel expected T-Mobile's general counsel, David Miller, for a return visit, staying two days. Then, on June 17, the VIP Arrivals list showed that Legere, Miller and T-Mobile Executive Vice President David Carey would be returning for five-day stays.

By that time - just six weeks after the merger was announced - the list shows that the T-Mobile executives were already experienced Trump customers. Legere and Carey were members of the "Trump Card" program. Carey's entry also contained the notation "R(10)."

That - according to Trump hotel staffers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they aren't permitted to speak to the media - was an indication that Carey was making his 10th visit to the hotel. The listings also contained the words "Long Term" because of the length of their stays. Carey and Miller did not respond to requests for comment.

After that, Legere came a few days later. On June 27, the same day that Legere testified to Congress about the merger, he was spotted at the hotel by independent journalist Zach Everson, according to an account Everson posted on Twitter. Everson said he saw Legere in the hotel lobby, talking to former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who has advised T-Mobile during the merger talks.

Lewandowski is a frequent patron of the Trump hotel: He has held two book parties there and often appears in social-media photos mingling in the lobby. Lewandowski did not return requests for comment this week.

The visits by T-Mobile executives cumulatively are probably worth tens of thousands of dollars to the Trump Organization, the president's company, which he still owns despite criticism from government ethics experts.

Since Trump was elected, his hotel has been patronized by other groups with lobbying interests in Washington: foreign embassies, industry associations, religious groups. Lobbyists working for the Saudi government - a close U.S. ally that has grown closer under Trump - paid for 500 hotel rooms in the first four months after Trump was elected.

Opponents of the T-Mobile merger say they believe the executives' repeated stays are an effort to influence policy.

"I can't believe this is a coincidence. In mergers, companies look for any potential advantage they can find," said Gene Kimmelman, who was chief counsel at the Justice Department's antitrust division under President Barack Obama. He now leads the government-watchdog group Public Knowledge.

Kimmelman said he doubted that the career Justice Department officials would be moved by it but said it could "sway others in government" appointed by Trump.

Daniel Schuman, of the liberal group Demand Progress, is part of a coalition opposing the merger, arguing that it would reduce choice for consumers. The coalition, called the 4Competition Coalition also includes labor unions and some smaller cellphone providers.

"This isn't justice with a blindfold on, right?" he said. "It creates a fundamental corruption in the way that the work of the American people is done."

Analysts say Legere's own T-Mobile shares are valued at $16.5 million, a fortune that would probably grow if the merger is approved.

In the interview at the Trump hotel last week, Legere said that although the hotel was clearly a place to be seen, he did not believe the president knew about his staying there.

Did he expect that his staying there might earn his company any special treatment?

"Certainly not. I don't know why it would," he said.

Sometime after that interview, Legere apparently checked out of the Trump hotel. By the next evening, Legere was tweeting about the great bar at "my current DC hotel" - the Four Seasons in Georgetown.

- - -

Brian Fung contributed to this report.WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is seeking to expand the scope and sophistication of American missile defenses on a scale not seen since President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" initiative in a new strategy that President Donald Trump plans to roll out personally on Thursday alongside military leaders at the Pentagon.

Known as the missile defense review, the document that Trump will unveil marks the first official update to American missile defense doctrine in nine years. It comes as North Korea and Iran make advances in ballistic missile production, and as Russia and China press forward with sophisticated cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles that potentially threaten the security of U.S. forces and allies in Europe and Asia.

The Trump administration's response is to call for urgent new investments in missile-defense technologies across the board, many of which the Pentagon pursued during the Cold War but abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the Pentagon focused on building interceptors to down missiles from rogue states. Now it is again broadening its ambitions, both in terms of technology and mission-set. Whether the administration secures enough money to tackle such lofty ambitions in missile defense remains unclear.

The Pentagon wants to put a constellation of sensors above the Earth that can track missiles as they launch, and is recommending a study of weapons that can shoot down missiles from space. The review will also note that further development of high-energy lasers could give the United States a cost-effective way to destroy missiles shortly after their launch in what is known as "boost phase."

For years, U.S. missile defenses have focused exclusively on combating threats from rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran. While the Trump administration's strategy continues that focus, it adds a new objective as well: the defense of U.S. forces and allies from regional missile threats. This means, in part, finding new ways to protect American forces and allies in Europe and Asia from the cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles.

"We are expanding the scope of what we're postured to defend against," a senior administration official said in a call with reporters Wednesday.

Undertaken at the direction of the White House, the missile defense review was supposed to be released nearly a year ago, but the Pentagon spent months rewriting it to address regional missile threats in addition to those posed by rogue nations. Ongoing disarmament negotiations with North Korea also raised questions about when the Pentagon would see fit to release a document that gives some insight into possible ways the United States could down Pyongyang's missiles in the future.

The document will give an indication of the Pentagon's priorities and overall strategy. The initiatives it outlines must receive backing from Congress to proceed. Lampooned during the Reagan years for its high price tag and questionable effectiveness, missile defense now enjoys far broader support in Congress, particularly since North Korea tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile in 2017.

The full review is due to be released by the Defense Department on Thursday. People familiar with the document discussed some of its contents with The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the review has yet to be released.

One of the main issues facing the Pentagon is whether it can develop and field new technologies fast enough to counter rapidly advancing missile threats in nations such as North Korea. The strategy will encourage prototypes for promising new technologies to be evaluated outside the standard acquisition process to increase speed.

Above all, the Pentagon is looking at new defenses the United States could employ against the missile threat posed by North Korea, ideally by downing missiles shortly after launch in their boost phase.

The F-35 fighter jet in the future could be fastened with an interceptor capable of shooting down North Korean missiles. The U.S. military could also put high-powered lasers on drones flying off the Korean coasts that could shoot that nation's rockets. It may also test whether Aegis missile defense systems on American ships can down the sort of intercontinental ballistic missile Pyongyang could launch against the United States. The U.S. military could also take some of the Aegis missile defense test systems in Hawaii and make them operational to better protect the state.

The review will address the possibility of establishing a third site with ground-based missile interceptors in the United States to defend against possible attacks from Iran, but according to a senior administration official, it will stop short of a decision on whether the Pentagon should press forward with the initiative. The United States operates ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California. The Pentagon has been mulling a third site closer to the East Coast.

The review will also suggest ways for the United States to enhance protection of its forces and allies from regional missile threats, or possible attacks on American interests outside the U.S. homeland.

The Pentagon will encourage allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East to develop their own air and missile defense platforms that can operate together with American systems. It will also seek to field more mobile missile defense systems so American forces can respond quickly during regional crises or conflicts and ensure their access to the battlefield isn't denied by an adversary.

While the U.S. efforts will look to counter regional missile threats, they don't seek to protect against a full-scale strategic missile attack on the American homeland by a nuclear-armed nation such as Russia or China. Washington will continue to rely on its nuclear deterrent to prevent such attacks, the senior administration official said, noting that U.S. missile defense capabilities are still "primarily postured to stay ahead of rogue threats."

The review also rejects the possibility of limiting American missile defenses in the future. The Bush administration, led by national security adviser John Bolton, lifted such limits with its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia in 2002.WASHINGTON - President Donad Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, on Thursday dialed back a comment that had left open the possibility that members of Trump's 2016 campaign may have conspired with Russia, saying he did not intend to suggest any conspiracy or wrongdoing.

On Wednesday night, Giuliani contradicted repeated denials from Trump and his team that there was "no collusion" between the campaign and Russians by asserting on CNN, "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign."

When anchor Chris Cuomo responded, "Yes, you have," Giuliani replied: "I have not. I said 'the president of the United States.' "

The surprising statement was widely interpreted as a shifting of the goal posts by Trump's team in light of a recent discovery as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation - that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared 2016 polling data with an associate with alleged ties to Russian intelligence.

In a written statement, as well as a telephone interview with The Washington Post, Giuliani said he can speak only for his client, the president, and not for those who worked on his campaign, adding that his knowledge is limited to Trump's actions.

"I represent only President Trump not the Trump campaign," Giuliani's statement read. "There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form. Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign."

Giuliani's efforts to create distance between the president and top aides ensnared in the special counsel investigation come amid new signs of how extensively Mueller has mapped interactions between Trump associates and Russians in his 20-month-long investigation.

Manafort is among at least 14 Trump associates who interacted with Russians during the campaign and transition, according to public records and interviews.

Giuliani told The Washington Post that he is "not worried" about the Manafort case.

"With regard to the president, he was not involved in any collusion in any way, and he has no knowledge of any collusion," Giuliani said. "The rest I can't be responsible for, except I can tell you the state of my knowledge, which is that I have no knowledge that anyone on the campaign illegally colluded with the Russians."

New details about what Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik discussed during the campaign emerged last week when Manafort's team sought to rebut the allegation by the special counsel that Manafort lied to investigators after he pleaded guilty last fall and agreed to cooperate.

In sections of a court filing that they had intended to be sealed from public view, Manafort's lawyers appeared to acknowledge that he shared polling data related to the presidential election with Kilimnik, a Russian employee of his consulting business who prosecutors said was identified by the FBI as having ties to Russian intelligence during the 2016 campaign.

Asked about Manafort sharing polling data, Giuliani said Trump "didn't know about it. Does it lead to anything else? I don't think so. So far, every one of these things has turned out to be nothing."

Even as he said he could not speak for Manafort, Giuliani went on to play down the significance of Manafort's relationship with Kilimnik, who had helped him navigate the Ukrainian political scene.

"Sharing polling data with Ukranians who happen to have or are alleged to have a favorable relationship with Russia? They're not Russians," Giuliani said. "They're not Russian government officials. I don't know. It would be like sharing polling data with an English guy and say we're colluding with America. It's really far afield. We're at a point where everything becomes hysteria."

Also in the interview, Giuliani said Trump would have considered not cooperating with the Mueller investigation had he known that the FBI launched a counterintelligence probe into whether the president was working for the Russians after firing James B. Comey as FBI director in May 2017.

After more than a year of negotiations over the special counsel's interview request, Trump last November submitted written answers to a series of questions from Mueller about the president's knowledge of Russia's election interference.

Asked whether Trump would have not provided those answers had he known about the FBI counterintelligence investigation, Giuliani said, "It would certainly have been a great consideration."

"We were very close on whether to do it or not," Giuliani said. "A lot of the doing it had to do with their good faith. That investigation, if it's true, seems like a pure vindictive misuse of a counterintelligence investigation."

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Video: President Trump's lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani is now arguing that even if the president colluded with Russia or directed hush-money payments, it is not a crime.(JM Rieger/The Washington Post)

Embed code:ROXANA  An early-morning fire Thursday left a South Roxana home completely destroyed.

The South Roxana Fire Department responded to a call about a fire at a modular home on the corner of Poag and High streets at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning, according to South Roxana Fire Chief Todd Werner.

Roxana, Wood River, Hartford, Edwardsville and Mitchell fire departments provided mutual aid, and an Alton Memorial Ambulance was present as well.

The six departments did everything they could in an attempt to save the home from the blaze, but the house was still a total loss.

No one was injured in the fire, Werner said, including the family dog that took off running once the heat began. He was later found by neighbors.

Thankfully no one was home when the fire started, Werner said.

The fire was contained around 6 a.m., but crews stayed on scene until about 9:30 a.m., putting out hot spots and waiting for the arrival of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.

While the fires cause is still under investigation by the Fire Marshal, Werner said that as of Thursday morning there are no concerns that the fire is suspicious in any way.African heads of state gathered in Ethiopia to discuss the Democratic Republic of Congo's disputed presidential election, after questions were raised about the accuracy of the results.

Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi was declared the surprise winner of the Dec. 30 poll, ahead of rival candidate Martin Fayulu, who has disputed the outcome. If the Constitutional Court validates the electoral commission's poll figures, Tshisekedi will succeed Joseph Kabila, who was barred by the constitution from seeking a third term after leading the cobalt- and copper-rich country for almost 18 years.

The leaders will discuss the Southern African Development Community's stance on the election, said Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi, a senior adviser to Kabila. SADC and another regional bloc, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, last week took the unusual step of calling for a recount of the vote.

Congo views the calls as "blatant interference in internal matters of a sovereign country," Kikaya said in an interview in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where leaders are meeting under the auspices of the African Union. "More importantly it's against all rules of the African Union, even international law. Elections are a matter of national sovereignty."

The Congo Research Group on Wednesday published leaked data it said show Fayulu won the election by a large margin. The figures include a near complete tally of results from the National Independent Electoral Commission's database, and a second more partial set gathered by an almost 40,000-strong observer mission run by the Catholic Church on election day, the New York-based organization said.

"The results contradict those published by the election commission," the CRG said on its website. "These two documents suggest that the elections were dramatically rigged in the favor of Felix Tshisekedi."

Congo's Constitutional Court this week began hearing an appeal by Fayulu for a recount. The 16-member SADC's call for a recount came in a statement emailed by Zambian President Edgar Lungu's office. SADC member countries South Africa and Zambia both sought to soften that language by issuing separate statements on Monday saying any decision about a review of the results should be left to the authorities in Congo.

Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso, the current chairman of the 12-member ICGLR, echoed the statement from Lungu's office, saying a recount would "provide the necessary assurance to winners and losers."

"What's peculiar with the two statements is that they both called for a vote recount and a government of national unity, which for us is mutually exclusive," Kikaya said. "If you want a vote recount, that means that we don't know who is elected yet. How can you at the same time have a government of national unity?"

Kikaya said the court will announce its ruling on the election dispute on Friday.Laredo police are asking the community for assistance in identifying two suspected robbers.

On Wednesday, authorities released the images of two men and a vehicle allegedly involved in the aggravated robbery, which was reported Jan. 12 in the 3400 block of North Arkansas Avenue.no info / no info

Gary Fountain, For the Chronicle / Gary Fountain/For the Chronicle

International Gem & Jewelry Show

An exhibition of gems, minerals and jewelry.

When: Noon-6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday

Where: NRG Center, One NRG Park

Details: $8; nrgpark.com

Bowie: Art Market & Movie Night

A David Bowie celebration with a free screening of his 1986 film, Labyrinth, accompanied by a themed art market.

When: 5-10 p.m. Friday

Where: Karbach Brewing Co., 2032 Karbach

Details: facebook.com/events/1494493090684712

Onesie Bar Crawl - Houston

Participants will make their way through several bars along Washington Ave., wearing their favorite pajamas.

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: Check in at Fuego's Saloon, 817 Durham

Details: $25; crawlwith.us/houston

The Glasstire Party: San Antonio Comes to Houston

Event features food, drinks, art and a musical performance by San Antonios own Ada Vox, a drag performer who was a top ten finalist on the 2018 season of American Idol.

When: 7-11 p.m. Friday

Where: The Space HTX, 2005 Commerce

Details: facebook.com/events/1012938128898901

Boyz II Men & The Houston Symphony

Four-time Grammy award-winning R&B trio, Boyz II Men, will perform with the Houston Symphony.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana

Details: $35; houstonsymphony.org

Jay Pharoah

Comedy show, featuring actor and stand-up comedian, Jay Pharoah. The six-season SNL alum is well known for his stellar impressions of President Barack Obama, Jay Z, Denzel Washington, Kanye West and many others.

When: 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Houston Improv Comedy Club, 7620 Interstate 10 W., Suite 455

Details: $25-$35; improvhouston.com

Turkish Music Festival

An evening of Turkish music and traditions, hosted by the Asia Society Texas Center. The concert will feature Grammy-nominated composer and musician Mehmet Ali Sanlkol, along with the San Francisco-based Del Sol String Quartet.

When: 7:30-10 p.m. Friday

Where: Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore

Details: $30; asiasociety.org

10" x 10" Art Show

Art show featuring artwork in 2D and 3D media for less than $125 each.

When: 5-9 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Hardy & Nance Studios, 902 Hardy

Details: facebook.com/events/323778001743657

Chigozie Obioma

Author will sign and discuss An Orchestra of Minorities.

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet

Details: brazosbookstore.com

Jazzmeia Horn Septet

Da Camera presents Jazzmeia Horn, a Texas-born jazz vocalist and winner of the 2015 Thelonious Monk Competition.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center 501 Texas

Details: $37.50-$67.50; dacamera.comCalling all moviemakers: San Antonio could be the place to be this year.

The Alamo City was recently named one of 20 best big cities "to live and work as a moviemaker" in 2019. The report, published in MovieMaker Magazine Wednesday, aimed to find the 20 large cities and 10 small ones in North America that could replace Los Angeles as the nation's next film hub.

"That sense, of the entire motion picture business thrown into the air and all of us waiting for it to come back down, is where we are at the close of 2018," the article said. "The only thing we know for sure is that when the industry lands and is 'rebuilt' it won't look the same as before."

MovieMaker measured cities by the incentives they offer, the quality of life for filmmakers, the number and quality of productions generated in 2018, the work of film commissions and non-profits, and the local luminaries, according to the article. Albuquerque, New Mexico, was named the top city, followed by Atlanta.

RELATED: Tower of the Americas releases 2019 outdoor movie schedule

Though the Lone Star State, was criticized for its "disinterest" in offering incentives, all of Texas' biggest cities made the list. Austin came in No. 8, Dallas No. 17, Houston No. 19 and of course San Antonio at No. 20.

The Alamo City's placement was largely due to the work of the San Antonio Film Commission and its five-year strategic plan aimed at transforming the city into "a thriving film production hub," according to MovieMaker. The plan, adopted in 2017, had a successful 2018, San Antonio Film and Music Commissioner Krystal Jones told MovieMaker, and continues to help the city identify as a film-friendly city.

"The city's spirit of steady, constant improvement is reflected in its Film Commission, which is known as a reliable resource, able to secure permits, access and resources for moviemakers," the article said.

Click through the slideshow to see movies shot in San Antonio.

S. M. Chavey is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | @smchaveyThe Chicago White Sox are winning in spite of injuries to key players and occasional bullpen meltdowns. When they get back from a trip to Houston and Pittsburgh, theyll have 100% capacity at Sox Park. The buzz created Wednesday by the half-filled ballpark suggests things could get pretty wild the rest of the way.There's a new way of looking at insomnia.

Rather than just considering sleep-related symptoms, a new study from the Netherlands branches out to look at personality traits and emotions, and finds there are five types of insomnia.

The findings may pave the way for a better understanding of the causes of insomnia, as well as the development of more personalized treatments for the condition, the researchers said. [5 Surprising Sleep Discoveries]

The study, conducted by researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam, was published online Jan. 7 in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.

Five types

Insomnia affects an estimated 10 percent of the population. The main symptoms involve difficulty falling or staying asleep  for example, people with the condition may lie awake for long periods before being able to fall asleep, or they may wake up too early and not be able to fall back to sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health.

But despite having similar symptoms, people with insomnia can vary widely in their response to treatment. In addition, attempts to find "biomarkers" for the condition  like commonalities in people's brain scans  have proved futile, the researchers said. These inconsistencies suggest that there may be more than one type of insomnia.

In an effort to find "subtypes" of insomnia, the researchers analyzed information from more than 4,000 people who filled out online surveys about their sleep habits and other traits as part of a project called the Netherlands Sleep Registry.

Based on their survey responses, about 2,000 of these participants had insomnia. (These participants scored high on an insomnia-related survey, but did not have a confirmed diagnosis.) To identify subtypes, the researchers went beyond looking at sleep-related symptoms and considered other factors, including personality traits, mood, emotions and response to stressful life events.

The study authors found that participants with insomnia tended to fit into one of five categories:

Type 1: People with type 1 insomnia tended to have high levels of distress (meaning high levels of negative emotions like anxiety and worry) and low levels of happiness.

Type 2: People with type 2 insomnia had moderate levels of distress, but their levels of happiness and experiences of pleasurable emotions tended to be relatively normal.

Type 3: People with type 3 insomnia also had moderate levels of distress, but had low levels of happiness and reduced experiences of pleasure.

Type 4: People with type 4 insomnia typically had low levels of distress, but they tended to experience long-lasting insomnia in response to a stressful life event.

Type 5: People with type 5 insomnia also had low levels of distress, and their sleep disorder wasn't affected by stressful life events.

These subtypes were consistent over time: When participants were surveyed again five years later, most of them maintained the same subtype.

Personalized treatment?

The researchers also found that people with different insomnia subtypes differed in terms of their response to treatment and their risk of depression. For example, people with subtypes 2 and 4 saw the most improvement in their sleep symptoms after taking a benzodiazepine (a type of tranquilizer), while people with type 3 did not see improvement from this type of drug. In addition, people with subtype 2 responded well to a type of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy, while people with subtype 4 did not. People with subtype 1 had the greatest lifetime risk of depression.

The findings suggest that certain insomnia treatments may work best for certain subtypes, and future research should examine this. In addition, identifying people with insomnia who are at greatest risk of depression may lead to ways to help prevent depression in this group, the researchers said.

In an editorial accompanying the study, Tsuyoshi Kitajima, of the Department of Psychiatry at Fujita Health University School of Medicine in Japan, said the work shows that "robust subtyping is possible" among a group of people with insomnia.

However, Kitajima said some sleep doctors may have concerns about these subtypes because they are largely based on factors that aren't directly related to sleep. But, Kitajima noted that some of the subtypes described in the new study bear similarities to previously accepted (though now abandoned) categories of insomnia. For example, people with subtypes 1 and 2 tended to develop symptoms early in life  in childhood or adolescence. This is similar to symptoms seen in people with so-called "idiopathic insomnia," a traditional category of insomnia in which people develop the condition early in life without an identifiable cause. (However, idiopathic insomnia is no longer listed as a type of insomnia in the diagnostic manual known as the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition).

Kitajima added that it would be beneficial to confirm the findings in people who have actually been diagnosed with insomnia.

The study authors also noted that participants volunteered to take part in a sleep-related study, and this group may not necessarily be representative of the population as a whole. There could also be additional subtypes that have yet to be identified.

Originally published on Live Science.Scientists discovered the crystal-encased microbes during an expedition to Joetsu Basin to sample gas hydrates  crystalline solids of gas and water that form in the ocean under high pressure and intense cold. They presented their findings in December at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

After the researchers examined massive hydrates collected at the sea bottom off Japan's western coast, they found that some of the hydrates contained tiny grains of a mineral called dolomite. And dark spots in the dolomite hinted that there was yet another surprise to come, researcher Glen Snyder, a professor at Meiji University in Japan, told Live Science at the conference. [Extreme Life on Earth: 8 Bizarre Creatures]

While the hydrates were quite large, measuring up to 16 feet (5 meters) long, the dolomite grains were tiny  about 30 microns, or 0.001 inches, in diameter, Snyder said. The researchers discovered the dolomite in residue left behind after they chemically separated the hydrates into gas and water.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of microdolomite grains (490 times magnification) recovered from inside a gas hydrate beneath nearly 200 feet of seafloor sediment. (Image credit: Glen Snyder, Meiji University Gas Hydrate Research Laboratory)

Fluorescent staining of dark cores in the grains revealed that they contained genetic material, which glowed under UV light. It represented "high concentrations" of microbial matter, the scientists reported at the AGU meeting.

Microbes are known to live around gas hydrates; nevertheless, it was entirely unexpected to find these nested microbial tenants inside mineral grains that were inside the hydrates, Snyder said. The staining couldn't show whether the microbes were alive or not, and microbiologists are currently working to interpret the microbial DNA and identify the microbes, according to the presentation.

Because the microbes are effectively sealed inside a "pristine environment," scientists can be fairly certain that the organisms were naturally present in that area, and were not accidentally introduced by scientific equipment or human intervention, according to Snyder.

Digital light microscopy of dolomite grains reveals organic matter trapped inside the cores. (Image credit: G. Snyder, Meiji University Gas Hydrate Research Laboratory/Kentaro Tanaka, University of Tokyo Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute)

Though this is the only known evidence of microorganisms encased in dolomite crystals, there may be other microbial opportunists elsewhere in the oceans, growing in saline chambers in gas hydrates, the scientists reported.

In fact, temperature and pressure conditions on other planets such as Mars could also be just right for shaping gas hydrates, which could potentially serve as homes for Martian microbes, the researchers wrote.

Microbe-housing dolomites discovered in the sea of Japan aren't very different from minerals found in Martian meteorites; this suggests that the Red Planet might present opportunities for microbial life to survive as it does inside dolomites on Earth, Snyder said.

Original article on Live Science.Impact craters on the moon reveal that the number of asteroid impacts increased dramatically over the last 300 million years. Here, a map of all the impact craters larger than 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter and younger than 1 billion years old.

Like a motorcycle windshield splattering bugs on the highway, Earth's atmosphere is constantly deflecting tiny bits of extraterrestrial rock, dust and other space garbage that get in the way of our planet's 67,000-mph (107,000 km/h) joyride. Occasionally, that debris breaks through  as it did 66 million years ago, when an asteroid the size of Manhattan crashed into the Gulf of Mexico and killed the dinosaurs.

That impact was singularly catastrophic. But, according to a new study published today (Jan. 17) in the journal Science, that smashup was also just one episode in an ongoing spike of gargantuan asteroid impacts bombarding our neck of the solar system. After studying 1 billion years of asteroid craters on the Earth and moon, the study's authors found that the rate of huge asteroid impacts on Earth has nearly tripled in the past 290 million years  and nobody's sure why. [When Space Attacks: 6 Craziest Meteor Impacts]

"It's perhaps fair to say it was a date with destiny for the dinosaurs," study co-author Thomas Gernon, associate professor of Earth science at the University of Southampton in the U.K., said in a statement. "Their downfall was somewhat inevitable given the surge of large space rocks colliding with Earth."

Reading the scars

In the past, researchers have attempted to estimate the hit rate of asteroids on Earth by dating the rocks at large impact craters around the world. The trouble is it's hard to find craters older than about 300 million years, so geologists suspect that geologic processes like erosion and plate tectonics periodically scrub the world's oldest craters out of existence. This potential erasure of old craters is known as "preservation bias," and it makes accurately calculating Earth's asteroid impact rate a challenge.

To get around this bias, Gernon and his colleagues from the United States and Canada looked to the moon.

Earth's natural satellite (which itself may have resulted from a huge space-rock collision 4.5 billion years ago) is the planet's closest cosmic companion and faces roughly the same proportion of asteroid hits over time, the researchers wrote. And because the moon is not subject to forces like plate tectonics, its oldest craters are thought to remain on full view.

In their new study, the researchers picked 111 large lunar craters (those with a diameter larger than 6.2 miles, or 10 kilometers) that were less than 1 billion years old. To estimate the ages of these lunar scars, the researchers turned to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been taking infrared images of the moon since 2009.

These images helped the researchers see how heat radiates off of the moon's surface. They saw that larger rocks (the kind kicked up by big asteroid impacts) absorbed more radiation during the day and tended to release more heat than comes from fine lunar soil, which has been pummeled into dust over millions of years of tiny micrometeorite impacts. (Unlike Earth, the moon has no effective atmosphere to protect it from these constant, tiny strikes.) [Crash! 10 Biggest Impact Craters on Earth]

Because it takes so long for big rocks to break down into dust, the researchers concluded that craters surrounded by larger, hotter boulders probably resulted from more-recent asteroid impacts than did craters carpeted with pulverized dust. With this in mind, the team was able to calculate the approximate ages of their chosen lunar craters, without leaving their Earthly laboratories.

A billion-year bombardment

The team found that, much like Earth, the moon has far more craters that formed in the last 290 million years than those that formed in the previous 700 million years. Indeed, around 300 million years ago, the rate of asteroids pummeling the Earth and moon seems to have increased threefold.

"This means that the Earth has fewer older craters on its most stable regions not because of erosion but because the impact rate was lower prior to 290 million years ago," study co-author William Bottke, an asteroid expert at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said in the statement.

Why did the rate of asteroid impacts pick up so drastically about 300 million years ago? It's hard to say, but the researchers suggested that it could be the result of a huge asteroid-on-asteroid impact in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter around that time. If two big enough rocks hit each other fast enough, it could have led to a cascading series of collisions that lasted hundreds of millions of years.

Fortunately, scientists today are (mostly) pretty good at noticing when a large extraterrestrial object is coming our way. In June 2018, NASA announced a five-point plan detailing how the U.S. government plans to detect and, if necessary, clean up after large, Earth-bound objects that could breach the planet's atmosphere. Of the more than 8,000 large asteroids near Earth that NASA knows about, none pose a threat within the next century, an agency spokesperson said.

That's comforting news for now. But if humans should last nearly as long as the dinosaurs did (about 200 million years), we may yet have our own date with destiny in store.

Originally published on Live Science.

The 5 Strangest Meteorites in History

Fallen Stars: A Gallery of Famous Meteorites

10 Things You Didn't Know About the MoonA new list of top global health threats from the World Health Organization (WHO) reads like a "who's who" of public health hazards: Pandemic flu. Ebola. Drug resistance. But tucked in this list of much-talked-about threats is one perhaps-surprising inclusion: the anti-vaccine movement.

The list, released this week, highlighted "10 of the many issues that will demand attention from WHO and health partners in 2019," the organization said in a statement. And the anti-vaccine movement, which the list refers to as "vaccine hesitancy," made the cut.

Vaccines prevent 2 million to 3 million deaths a year globally. However, vaccine hesitancy  defined as delays in vaccination or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services  threatens to reverse progress being made against infectious diseases, the WHO said. [5 Dangerous Vaccination Myths]

For example, measles  a vaccine-preventable disease  has seen a 30 percent rise in cases globally in recent years, and vaccine hesitancy may have played a role in that increase. In fact, some countries that were close to eliminating the measles have now seen a resurgence in cases, the WHO said.

The inclusion of vaccine hesitancy in the WHO's list of global health threats puts a focus on the "danger of this movement," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore.

If this list had been made 100 years ago, all of the top 10 health threats would have been infectious diseases, Adalja said. But that's not the case today, and that's because of vaccines. "Vaccine hesitancy threatens to undo a lot of that progress," Adalja told Live Science.

Adalja also noted that another health threat on the WHO's 2019 list is "noncommunicable," or noninfectious, diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

But in years past, "you wouldn't even live to get many of these noncommunicable diseases," Adalja said. "The fact that noncommunicable disease are included is a testament to how powerful vaccines are."

Vaccine hesitancy is a complex problem to tackle, the WHO said. Indeed, the reasons for refusing vaccines can differ depending on the individual, Adalja said. Some people question the safety of vaccines, even though numerous studies show that vaccines are safe and effective. Other people may think their children are getting "too many vaccines" over a short period and so ask to have the vaccines spread out. But such "alternative vaccination schedules" put children at risk for contracting preventable infectious diseases.

When a patient shows vaccine hesitancy, doctors need to figure out what that individual's concerns are and "provide facts and evidence for why vaccination is the best course of action" Adalja said.

Another reason for vaccine hesitancy is complacency, when people perceive the risks of infectious diseases as low, the WHO said, even though these diseases are real threats.

Adalja said he would like to see today's society better embrace vaccines and their life-saving benefits, as was the case, for example, in the 1950s when news of the release of the polio vaccine was met with much public jubilation.

"We need to get back to that era where vaccines were celebrated the way a new iPhone [is]," Adalja said.

Other important global health threats on WHO's list include: Climate change  which is predicted to lead to an additional 250,000 deaths each year from factors such as malnutrition, heat stress and malaria; weak primary health care services; dengue fever; HIV; and fragile and venerable settings, including those affected by ongoing crises such as famine, conflict and population displacement.

Originally published on Live Science.When Mike Poben, an opal buyer and and fossil fanatic, bought a bucket of opal from an Australian mine, he was surprised to find to find what looked like an ancient tooth in the pile.

Later, he also found a fossilized jaw piece  one that was shiny and glistening with opal.

After showing the two opalized specimens to paleontologists in 2014, Poben learned that they were part of a previously unknown dog-size dinosaur species, a new study finds. This dino lived about 100 million years ago in Australia, back when the landscape was lush and dotted with lakes. [Photos: Meet Wade, the Long-Necked Dinosaur from Down Under]

The fossils originally came from a mine in Wee Warra, near the town of Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. The mine's amazing name gave the paleontologists an opportunity that was too good to pass up, so they named the newfound Cretaceous-age dinosaur Weewarrasaurus pobeni.

"Weewarrasaurus was a gentle herbivore about the size of a kelpie dog [a type of Australian herding dog]," said study lead researcher Phil Bell, a senior lecturer of paleontology at the University of New England in Australia. "They got around on two legs and had a long tail used for balance. Because they were small and didn't have horns or particularly sharp claws for defense, they were probably quite timid and would have traveled in small herds or family units for protection."

In that sense, these dinosaurs were likely the kangaroos of Cretaceous Australia, Bell told Live Science. "I think I would have liked one as a pet."

Opals glisten on the jaw fossils of Weewarrasaurus pobeni. (Image credit: Robert A. Smith, courtesy of the Australian Opal Centre)

The finding is remarkable, and not just because Poben happened across the fossils in an opal-filled bucket. It's extremely rare to find opalized fossils in general, though "Lightning Ridge is the only place in the world where you find opalized dinosaurs," Bell said.

During the Cretaceous, Lightning Ridge was a flood plain where dinosaurs lived, Bell said. Most of the opalized fossils found there came from marine creatures that lived in a nearby ancient sea. These iridescent fossils include shells, cephalopods known as belemnites and marine reptiles called plesiosaurs.

But sometimes, an opalized dinosaur is also uncovered.

"Occasionally, a bone from a land animal, like a dinosaur, would wash out to sea" and fossilize, Bell said. There, they may encounter silica minerals in the water, the solution that makes opal. Sometimes when these bones fossilized into rock, these minerals would accumulate in in the fossils' cavities, laying down opal. Other times, if the organic bone was still present, these silica minerals could take its shape, preserving its internal structure as opal, according to Geology In, a news site focused on Earth sciences.

Unfortunately, the rest of W. pobeni, at least this particular specimen, is likely lost and gone forever.

"Because these things are exhumed by opal miners, lots of other information is often lost, like their exact position in the mine and any other fossils that were found around it," Bell said. "We know of plenty of cases where a miner has brought up a handful of bones from a single animal. The rest of the thing might have been destroyed in the mining process or sitting in a waste pile at the bottom of the mine."

Poben has since donated the fossils to the Australian Opal Centre, a museum that holds the world's largest collection of opalized fossils, according to National Geographic.

The study was published online in December in the journal PeerJ.

Originally published on Live Science.The city of Chicago isnt known as a hotbed of UFO activity, but OHare Airport is the home of one of the most publicized sightings of the last decade.

A flying saucer-like object was spotted over Concourse C of the United terminal in November 2006 by pilots, airline management and mechanics. The incident, reported by a Chicago Tribune columnist a few weeks later, noted the object was first seen by a United ramp worker around 4:30 p.m.. After that, a variety of witnesses said the object was dark gray and 6 to 24 feet in diameter. Some said it appeared as a spinning Frisbee while others said it wasnt rotating at all. All agreed the object was silent and appeared just below the 1,900-foot cloud deck, until shooting off into the clouds and leaving a circular hole shape in the clouds.

"But I know that what I saw and what a lot of other people saw stood out very clearly, and it definitely was not an [Earth] aircraft," one mechanic told reporter Jon Hilkevitch.

A manager on Concourse B ran outside his office after hearing the report about the sighting on an internal airline radio frequency.

"I knew no one would make a false call like that. But if somebody was bouncing a weather balloon or something else over O'Hare, we had to stop it because it was in very close proximity to our flight operations."

The story was eventually picked up by many major media outlets, and caused people to reconsider the idea of UFOs, though the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline refused to investigate the incident.

The FAA dismissed the incident as a weather phenomena and Dr. Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at Adler Planetarium, agreed, saying the weather conditions at OHare that day were right for a hole-punch cloud.

Its something that occurs when a propeller or jet airplane passes through when you have uniform cloud cover and the temperature is right near the freezing point, Hammergren explained.  They make liquid water droplets freeze and a hazy disc of ice crystals descends from a hole, and it looks like a perfect hole punched in the cloud.

But for Center for UFO Studies Scientific Director Mark Rodeghier, the possible alien craft that appeared in the centers own proverbial backyard remains a mystery worth exploring.

Its an unknown object over OHare, and its seen by official personnel, and does United or the FAA take it seriously? Of course not, they have zero interest because UFOs cant exist. But how can you not worry about something hovering over an airport after 9/11? It doesnt make sense, Rodeghier said.

Journalist Leslie Kean also wrote about it in her book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On The Record and talked about in on The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert in 2010, saying the government should investigate the OHare incident.

"This thing was hovering over Chicago O'Hare Airport at rush hour," Kean said. "Lots of people saw it  the U.S. government never said a word."

Ryan Smith is a RedEye special contributor.

Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.Survivors advise giving Jayme space to process and heal. Elizabeth Smart, whose nine-month abduction at age 14 in 2002 similarly held the nation in thrall, says questions about why she didnt run or scream wounded her. "My brain heard that question as, You should have tried harder. You should have run, you should have yelled, this is somehow your fault,' " she told the Associated Press.As early as 6 oclock in the morning the strikers began to appear in little groups of two or three at the main plant and the branch shops, the Tribune reported. Many were pale and wan from the weeks of privation, but there was not one that was not smiling and eager to be back to work.That question has dominated British politics and Londons relations with Europe ever since. The problem for May was that no matter how hard she tried, there was no answer that could at once satisfy her own party and command agreement from Europe. A close economic relationship with Europe  whether as a continuing member of the EU single market or as part of its customs union  was rejected by her partys many Brexiteers. Yet a looser relationship that would leave Britain free to chart its own trading course with Europe and other countries stumbled over Brussels insistence that the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland remain open  for fear that a hard border between the two would end the hard-won peace agreed to in 1998.LIMERICK has signed a formal agreement with one of the innovative high-tech powerhouses in the United States that could create new employment opportunities.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr James Collins and Mayor of Austin Steve Adler, at a special ceremony in Austin, Texas.

It envisions increased opportunities in the business, tourism, education and culture sectors in Limerick following the creation of links with the US city.

The signing is part of a high-level delegation from Limerick to Austin, Texas led by the Mayor and includes the University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership, Limerick Chamber, the Shannon Group, Bank of Ireland and the GAA, as well as the Chief Executive and officials from the Economic Development Directorate of Limerick City and County Council.

It is hoped that the signing of the Memorandum will establish long term, collaborative relationships in the areas of business, technology, manufacturing, professional services, education, the creative industries, culture, as well as any other area of interest and benefit to both communities.

The formal bilateral trade and investment relationship envisioned by the MoU will result in the creation of new employment opportunities, expansion of foreign direct investment, an increase in the hugely sought after STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) capabilities of workers and the enhancement of collaboration between third level institutions in Limerick and Austin.

Mayor Collins said he was delighted to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the citizens and businesses of Limerick. The agreement will allow partnerships to be formed to allow industry, education and cultural interests on both sides to capitalise and learn from each other.

Austin is one of the innovative high-tech powerhouses in the United States and it is important that Limerick links up with industry leaders to see how we can develop and become world class leaders in our own right. It shows that Limerick has a vision to be the best and by linking up with Austin we are setting our sights at the top. This link between Austin and Limerick will allow entrepreneurs and businesses to work closely for the benefit of both cities and regions.

Austin is home of some of the worlds most recognisable corporations  Dell, WP Engine and Trusource  companies which have also made Limerick their home.

Adrian Farrell, Consul General of Ireland in Austin said: The Consulate of Ireland in Austin has worked closely with both cities to develop this exciting new agreement which will strengthen relations and deliver benefits in trade and enterprise, innovation, education and culture for citizens and businesses in Limerick and Austin.

Austin also a creative hotbed for industry and the arts, playing host to the annual SXSW music industry showcase.LIMERICK Fianna Fail TDs Niall Collins and Willie O'Dea have paid a warm tribute to Ireland South MEP Brian Crowley who has revealed he will retire on health grounds.

Mr Crowley, who has consistently topped the polls for Fianna Fail in his 25 years in Europe, confirmed this Thursday he will not be contesting re-election to the European Parliament in May.

He said a sustained bout of ill-health in recent years had forced the decision, despite his best efforts to regain full health.

He has come under pressure in recent times to resign his seat given his inability to attend parliament at all this term due to his health issues.

Mr Crowley defended his record, saying he was working remotely from his hospital bed.

Mr Collins said: He has given outstanding service to Munster and to Ireland South, and im sorry to see him being forced to retire due to health considerations. He was a great advocate or role model for people to overcome their disabilities and achieve their potential in life.

Former Defence Minister O'Dea added: "He was an outstanding character who battled against great odds. Very few people who were confined to a wheelchair from the age of 16 would have the tenacity and courage to go before the people for election to the European Parliament which is a very arduous job. I know he is retiring very reluctantly, and he will be a huge loss."

His huge vote was a "personal vote" as opposed to a Fianna Fail one, Mr O'Dea believes.

Fianna Fail is likely to run two candidates in what will be either a four or five-seater Ireland South constituency this May. British negotiations over its exit from the European Union will determine whether there are four or five MEPs representing Limerick and Ireland South.

If Article 50 is extended, South is likely to be a four seater. If not, it will rise to five.

It comes after a formula was devised to redistribute the British MEPs seats Europe-wide once the country quits the bloc.

Ireland South now covers a huge geographical area, including Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Bray, Kilkenny, Ennis, Carlow, Tralee, Tullamore, Portlaoise and Wexford.

A number of Fianna Fail politicians have expressed an interest in running for Europe.

Cork TD Billy Kelleher  who studied in Pallaskenry  has indicated he may be willing to put his name forward, while the brother of fellow Rebel representative Michael McGrath, Cllr Seamus McGrath is also interested.

Outside of Cork, Gorey councillor Malcolm Byrne is also seeking to be added to the ticket.

All the European hopefuls are attending the Fianna Fail general election selection convention in the Woodlands House Hotel tomorrow night.

Fianna Fail is expecting to complete its ticket for Ireland South by the end of February, with a one-day Ard Fheis scheduled for the 23rd.

As it stands, Limerick is once again unlikely to have a candidate for the election to the Brussels and Strasbourg parliament.THERE COULD be 100 available beds across the public and private nursing home sector in Limerick as University Hospital Limerick continues to struggle with its ongoing overcrowding crisis.

That is according to Nursing Homes Ireland which is now urging Limerick hospitals to be proactive in their engagement with nursing homes with view to alleviating the persistent overcrowding at UHL.

On a daily basis, particularly over the busy winter period, UHL deals with large numbers of elderly and frail patients, and many of whom are left waiting on a trolley for treatment for hours and sometimes days.

According to Nursing Homes Ireland, there are 1,126 registered beds in the 24 private and voluntary nursing homes across the county.

A snapshot survey undertaken by NHI earlier this week informed nine nursing homes in the county had 44 beds available to provide care. Replicated across the county this would equate to approximately 100 beds being available in private and voluntary nursing homes, NHI said this week.

Speaking on the issue of overcrowding, NHI CEO Tadhg Daly said that nursing homes are equipped with teams of nurses, carers and support staff who can provide specialist respite, rehabilitative, transitional or long-term care to improve the health and wellbeing of a person recovering from a stay in hospital.

They are also the most appropriate setting for a person who requires round-the-clock care and support in their recovery. Timely transfer of patients from the hospital back into the community via nursing home care will support the patient and hospital and its staff in freeing up beds and facilitating admissions. It is important the HSE engages with local nursing homes to ensure the critical role of nursing homes is fulfilled in alleviating overcrowding.

Mr Daly added: I would also urge older people in University Hospital Limerick and their families to consider their preferred nursing home if a period of rehabilitation or an extended stay removed from the hospital is a likely requirement. Their consideration should entail preliminary engagement with the nursing home and with hospital staff to discuss support available to facilitate a timely discharge. HSE provide transitional care funding to support patients and their families to meet the cost of transitional care in a nursing home care. The budget has increased year-on-year and families should be aware it is a support to enable timely discharge from hospital back into the community.A LIMERICK criminal figure who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for firearms offences has been acquitted of possession of a handgun almost three years ago.

Liam Lika Casey, 34, of Hyde Road, Prospect had pleaded not guilty to a single charge relating to an alleged incident at Caledonian Field, Ballinacurra Weston, on May 6, 2016.

Giving evidence at Limerick Circuit Court Michael Shannon said he was with his girlfriend chilling out in an area of waste ground at around 5pm when he saw Mr Casey approaching.

The 23-year-old told John OSullivan, BL, prosecuting, the defendant was keeping a nice little pace and that he saw him pull something from his pants as he approached around 30 metres away.

When asked what the item was he replied: A black handgun.

Mr Shannon said he immediately turned and ran away because he was afraid he would be shot.

Cross-examining the witness, Mark Nicholas, SC, suggested his evidence had been an absolute invention and that events did not happen as he claimed.

You want to finger and nail Liam Casey with your invention, he said.

Mr Nicholas put it to the witness that members of his family were involved in a dispute with his client around the time and that he wanted to do him down to help that cause.

Mr Shannon denied this saying he was not involved in any dispute.

Mr Nicholas submitted that CCTV footage recorded a short time after the alleged incident directly contradicted aspects of his evidence.

You told a lie, he said.

The witness later confirmed he attended Roxboro Road garda station to carry out some personal business at around 6.15pm on May 6, 2016 but did not tell gardai about what had happened. I felt I would not be believed, he told Mr Nicholas.

Following less than 30 minutes of deliberations this Wednesday, the jury of seven women and five men returned with a unanimous not guilty verdict.

Mr Casey is currently serving a five year prison sentence following the seizure of a pump-action shotgun at a premises in Bruff on February 26, 2017.THREE children in Limerick have come to the attention of gardai for making murder threats, newly released official figures show.

The figures are included in the annual report of the Garda youth diversion programme, the national programme offering young people the opportunity to accept a caution instead of going to court.

In 2017, the most recent year with available data, three children under the age of 18 were picked up in Limerick for issuing threats to kill.

According to the report, murder threats are the most common homicide offence amongst under 18-year-olds.

The threats amongst under 18-year-olds also increased substantially in 2017, although the numbers remain low nationally.

Threats to kill increased by 62% in 2017 to 21 incidents, with 58% of all incidents nationally made by a male to another male.

In 34% of cases, the threat was made by a male to a female.

From 2013 to 2017, 270 under-18s in Limerick came to the attention of gardai for more serious crimes, a rate of almost five teens a month.

These crimes included burglary, assault causing harm and the possession of drugs for sale or supply.

According to the report, 17 under 18-year-olds in Limerick in 2017 came to the attention of gardai for burglary, with 10 of these being recorded by gardai at Roxboro Road.

Seven teens in 2017 also came to the attention of gardai for assaults causing harm, with five of these offences recorded at Mayorstone Park.

A further 11 under-18-year-olds in Limerick were also recorded for the possession of drugs for sale or supply.

Nationally, there has been a total of 38,141 children for whom a youth referral has been created between 2013 and 2016.THERE is profound relief in Limerick and the Mid-West this Wednesday evening after an attempt in the US Senate to block an agreement to lift sanctions against Rusal, the parent company of Aughinish Alumina, failed to pass.

A vote to block the lifting of sanctions, despite an agreement hammered out after months of negotiations by the US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, failed to pass. While 57 senators voted in favour, a threshold of 60 was needed.

This clears the way for the agreement to go ahead as and from Friday, the Limerick Leader understands.

But up until 6pm this evening, it looked as if Aughinish could be the victim of political differences in the US.

The final outcome of the bid to block the lifting of US sanctions against the major Limerick employer has been described as a huge sigh of relief for all concerned workers by Minister of State Patrick ODonovan.

Minister ODonovan said after the vote, hopefully this is the end of a long drawn out matter.

The vote was sparked by Democratic Party minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer who believed the proposal is flawed and failed to sufficiently limit Oleg Deripaskas control and influence of EN+ Group and Rusal which owns Aughinish.

Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has also raised concerns about the deal and the party in general believes it is the Trump administration going soft on Russia and Vladimir Putins friends.

The US sanctions were originally proposed last April to target Oleg Deripaska, the major shareholder in RusAl, and other Russian oligarchs in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US elections.

In response, Ireland and other European countries likely to be affected, lobbied hard, arguing that it would have adverse and unintended consequences on jobs and economes in countries friendly to the US.

After several postponements, agreement was finally reached last month when the US Treasury announced that Mr Deripaska had adjusted his shareholding and as a result sanctions against RusAl would be lifted within 30 days. Those 30 days are now due to end this Friday.

The Democrats in the US Senate raised concerns about the US Treasury agreement with Rusal and EN+, in that they felt it was insufficiently tough on Mr Deripaska. That is why they sought to move a resolution through the Senate to block the de-listing, the Fine Gael TD said.

The motion, however, was not successful in the US Senate, as it did not receive the required 60 votes.

This means that the path is now clear for the de-listing to take full effect this Friday evening, at which point Aughinish would no longer be impacted by the sanctions. This is obviously a huge sigh of relief for the hardworking employees and management of the firm and for all those involved in trying to safeguard its future.

However, we need to await developments over the next day or so to ensure that the de-listing goes ahead as planned on Friday.

The Irish Government has always understood the rationale behind the sanctions. However, our concern has always been that inadvertent damage to companies like Aughinish, and other firms across the EU, needed to be avoided.

That is why we have worked so hard  especially through our Embassy in Washington and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in Dublin  to ensure that US legislators and authorities understood fully the ramifications that these sanctions would have on Aughinish.

Our understanding of the agreement reached with the Russian firms concerned is that the right balance has been struck between punishing individuals whilst avoiding unnecessary collateral damage to the friends of US, like Ireland and Sweden.

I understand fully though that the issues that gave rise to these sanctions are currently a source of division within the US political system. And we respect that there may be differences of opinion within Washington on how these sanctions are best applied.

Our focus though has always been on protecting Aughinish Alumina and we hope that the vote tonight ensures that the firm can shortly return to full business-as-usual, Minister ODonovan added.A MAN who reversed a high-powered car directly at Limerick gardai forcing them to take evasive action has been banned from driving for three years.

Gerard Ward, aged 43, who has an address at Patrick Street, Clarecastle, County Clare, pleaded to a charge of dangerous driving relating to an incident in the city centre on August 30, 2018.

Garda Shane Kirwan told Limerick District Court that gardai from the divisional drugs unit attempted to intercept a car being driven by the defendant at around 6.30pm after he was observed leaving the address of a known drug dealer which was under surveillance.

After initially stopping the vehicle at traffic lights at Careys Road, Mr Ward reversed into another car and narrowly missed two detectives who were approaching the defendants car.

He almost collided with us, we had to take evasive action, Garda Kirwan told Inspector Paul Reidy.

Mr Ward then drove off and a high speed pursuit ensued.

The defendant  a qualified electrician  was arrested a short time later at Quins Cottages, Rosbrien, after he was boxed in and stopped by gardai.

Garda Kirwan said the car he was driving had failed to stop for gardai and that there were quite an amount of vehicles and pedestrians in the area given the time of day.

Solicitor Caitriona Dwane said her client, who has no previous convictions, was suffering a very bad drug addiction around the time and had made a really very poor decision.

She said previous efforts by Mr Ward to address his addictions had not been successful but that he remains committed and continues to make genuine efforts.

Judge Marian OLeary (pictured) was told the defendant is attending a counsellor and that he is also receiving assistance from his GP.

Its a long-standing matter but he is making very positive progress at the moment, said Ms Dwane who said her client  a father-of-one  is engaging with the Peter McVerry Trust with a view to entering a residential detox programme in the near future.

He is probably in the best place he has ever been in to beat his addiction, added Ms Dwane who urged the court to be as lenient as possible.

Imposing sentence, Judge OLeary commented the defendant was lucky not to be facing more serious charges given the nature of his driving.

It was very, very dangerous, there could have been far more serious consequences, she said.

In addition to being disqualified for three years, Mr Ward was fined 500.

Noting the defendants guilty plea and his personal circumstances, Judge OLeary said she would not impose a custodial sentence.THE Limerick star of the new series of Operation Transformation has described the response from people as absolutely amazing.

Bruff woman Jean Tierney, who works as sales and marketing manager at House bar and nightclub in the city, had the presenter of the RTE show Kathryn Thomas in tears as she bravely recounted the loss of her first child after a miscarriage, while her second, a little girl, Sloane, passed away at just five days old.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader this week, Jean said: I couldnt be happier with how the guys edited the show on Wednesday night. They found such a dignified way to tell our story.

Since then, many people have approached her in the street in Limerick, she said, adding: There are so many other couples and families out there that have experienced the same thing, but just dont know how to talk about it.

Thirty-three year old Jean says her story is shared with partner Paddy, as well as her friends and family.

They have all lived with me. I have managed to fire them all into the limelight.

The weight-loss show opened to viewing figures of around 375,000 last Wednesday, and Jean says she is using the public support as a drive to keep going.

The pressure of the public and their support keeps you on track, she laughs.

More than 1,500 people were at Lough Gur for Jeans Operation Transformation walk at the weekend, a traditional fixture during the first weekend of the show, which is now in its 12th series.

The turnout  with just a few days notice  rendered Jean speechless.

And Im normally a good talker too, she laughed, People had only a few days to register, so the fact so many turned up on a Saturday, it was just something else.

Operation Transformation airs again this Wednesday night on RTE One from 9.35pm.EVERY 1 invested into Lero, a national research centre headquartered at the University of Limerick, has generated five times its value to the Irish economy, a new report has found.

A study by the UL Kemmy Business School has found that over the last 13 years, every 1 invested into Lero contributed 5.25 to the economy on average.

Between 2005 and 2018, Lero contributed a national gross output of more than half a billion euro and created 2,678 jobs nationally, the study also finds.

The report found Lero has made a significant economic contribution to the Irish economy, according to Professor Helena Lenihan, economist at the Kemmy Business School and co-author of the report.

There is little doubt that Lero provides other benefits such as boosting software knowledge and positioning Ireland as a key part of the State infrastructure which attracts Foreign Direct Investment and supports local industry.

However, this report focuses solely on the ripple effects of Leros expenditure in the economy, which shows a strong knock-on economic impact.

Lero is part of the world-leading SFI Research Centre network.

Since 2005, it has received 98.69 million from national funding agencies including Science Foundation Ireland, the EU and industry partners.

Headquartered at University of Limerick, Lero is home to more than 200 researchers across all seven Irish universities and two Institutes of Technology.

Its research covers a wide range of software development from driverless cars and automation to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Education and research are vital for national competitiveness and for wider economic prosperity, Lero director Professor Brian Fitzgerald said.

The Kemmy Report demonstrates that Lero has had a positive impact on the Irish economy, which is a tribute to the work of Lero research teams across the country.THE agreement to lift sanctions against Rusal, the parent company of Aughinish Alumina, will be debated and voted on in the US Senate this Wednesday evening, putting concerns about jobs at the plant centre-stage once again in West Limerick.

We remain hopeful that the Senate will decide not to vote against the agreement, Minister of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Patrick ODonovan told the Limerick Leader just hours before the vote was due to be taken.

Minister ODonovan acknowledged that we are now into the crucial stage.

However even if the Senate opposes the agreement, that does not necessarily mean that the sanctions will not be lifted, he stressed.

We are still in the middle of a very sensitive situation here, the Limerick TD continued, but he emphasised that a vote against by the US Senate will not be the end of the road.

We are monitoring it closely and engaging with members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives.What we are doing is continuing to work through the Department of Foreign Affairs and our ambassador Dan Mulhall, trying to impress the significance of this to the Irish economy and the wider European economy, Minister ODonovan continued.

However, he added: We are very conscious as well there is a different political climate in place in the US.

It is understood that the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was taking a lead role in this, despite the pressures of Brexit. He visited the plant at Askeaton last Friday.

The US sanctions were originally proposed last April to target Oleg Deripaska, the major shareholder in Rusal, and other Russian oligarchs in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US elections.

The Irish government lobbied strongly, arguing that the sanctions would have adverse and unintended consequences for Aughinish and its 450 strong workforce and hundreds of contractors. The sanctions were postponed on several occasions as negotiations led by the US Treasury and its Office of Foreign Assets Control continued to search for some kind of agreement.

Last month, agreement was finally reached with the announcement that Mr Deripaska had adjusted his shareholding and as a result sanctions against Rusal would be lifted within 30 days.

Those 30 days were due to be up this Friday. However, Democratic members of Congress in the US, including House of Representives leader Nancy Pelosi, have voiced concern about the agreement on the grounds that it signals a softening of approach by the Trump administration towards Russia and Putins friends and have threatened to oppose or stall it.

Then last weekend the partys minority leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer said he would force a vote this week, saying he believes the proposal is flawed and fails to sufficiently limit Oleg Deripaskas control and influence of these companies.

That vote will be taken this Wednesday and whatever the outcome, there will be work to do, Minister ODonovan said.

This is a new Congress. We have to get to know them.

The campaign to meet and explain the situation as it affects Aughinish and Ireland must be repeated with all new members of Congress, the Limerick junior minister added.BEEF farmer and councillor, Emmett O'Brien says Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's comments that he is trying to eat less meat to reduce his carbon footprint "won't save ice caps but will sink beef".

Mr Varadkar said this week: I am trying to eat less meat both for health reasons and for reasons of climate change.

Cllr O'Brien said: In some wild bid to quell rising sea levels, melting ice caps, extreme weather events and climate change Leo Varadkar, as usual, came out with glib and careless words of advice that cutting back on eating meat will improve our carbon footprint.

The barrister pointed to the number of air miles clocked up by the taoiseach carrying out his duties.

Aside from the obviously glaring fact that his recent overseas flights to Eritrea and Mali and his repeated trips to Europe leave a carbon footprint so large that cutting back on meat would only be a drop in the stew pot.

His comments though betray the dismissive and condescending metropolitan attitude of the Fine Gael government ministers towards rural Ireland. During the summer we had Minister Eoghan Murphy having a great laugh at a herd of cows declaring he knew where almond milk comes from for his latte and Shane Ross continued assault on anyone in rural Ireland with a driving licence.

The bottom line is the taoiseach and his trendy ministers are more interested in useless PR announcements and virtue signalling to social media activists, said Cllr O'Brien.

The facts of the matter are thousands of people in rural Ireland and County Limerick are employed in the beef industry, he said.

Outside of farmers you have butchers, drovers and factory workers, all sustaining families in rural Ireland. We have the best sustainable grass feed beef in Europe and as beef prices hit rock bottom and huge uncertainty over Brexit with huge tariffs looming in the face of a no deal Brexit Leo Varadkars comments were ill-timed, unhelpful and utterly contemptuous of rural Ireland.

Cutting back on eating meat wont have any impact on climate change when developed countries spew fossil fuels into the atmosphere but careless words will have a huge impact on our beef sector, concluded Cllr O'Brien.LifeStyle

The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand.Irish motorists are being warned they will need to arrange a 'Green Card' if they wish to be covered by insurance to drive in Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

What is a Green Card?

A Green Card is an internationally recognised insurance document which provides proof of the minimum compulsory motor insurance cover required by the country visited. It is a hard copy document which is printed on green paper or with a green background.

What has changed to cause this situation?

Currently all Irish motor vehicles with a valid registration travelling within the EU are covered by the terms of the EU Motor Insurance Directive (MID). This allows motor vehicles to travel freely between the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain as well as within other EU countries without requiring supplementary insurance documentation.

Should a no deal Brexit occur, then the UK, including Northern Ireland, will no longer be party to the MID. This means that anyone who drives their Irish registered motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK will require a Green Card to demonstrate to the authorities in Northern Ireland or anywhere else in the UK that they have valid motor insurance cover in place.

Will everyone with motor insurance need a Green Card?

Only those who plan on driving their Irish registered motor vehicle in Northern Ireland, or any other part of the UK, will require a Green Card when driving in the UK/ Northern Ireland.

Green Cards are also required for any Irish motor insurance policyholders who wish to drive their Irish registered motor vehicle in a non EEA country. In this scenario the policyholder should check with their insurer or insurance broker as to the Green Card arrangements for the country in question.

When will I know for sure if I will need a Green Card?

A Green Card will only be required if a no deal Brexit takes place. The EU and the UK are currently engaged in discussions about the final nature of the Brexit arrangements. If an agreement is reached then Green Cards will not be needed. Likewise, if the date of Brexit is extended, Green Cards will not be required before the revised date. The current expected date for Brexit is March 29, 2019.

What is the process for getting a Green Card? / Should I contact my insurance provider about this?

The Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) is the Green Card Bureau for the Republic of Ireland. We are working with motor insurance companies and insurance brokers operating in this country to provide anyone who wishes to drive their Irish registered motor vehicle in the UK, including Northern Ireland, with a Green Card should a no deal Brexit take place.

If there is no Brexit deal between the UK and the EU, insurance companies and insurance brokers will begin providing Green Cards to their policyholders who wish to drive their motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK from March 2019  provided that the expected 29th March timeline for Brexit is still in place.

From the beginning of March, if Brexit is still due to take place on March 29, then any Irish policyholder who plans to drive their motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK should contact their insurer or insurance broker one month in advance of their expected travel date. This is to ensure they receive their Green Card in sufficient time.

The point of contact for issuing Green Cards will be the insurance company or insurance broker you deal with. So if you receive your motor insurance via an insurance company you should contact them. Or if you receive your motor insurance via an insurance broker then you should contact your broker.

When will these Green Cards be needed?

The current timeline for Brexit is March 29, 2019 so Green Cards will only be needed after this date - if there is a no deal Brexit and you plan to drive your Irish registered vehicle in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK. This timeline will be pushed back should Brexit be delayed.

Will it be easy to get a Green Card if I need one?

Yes. A process for delivering Green Cards to effected motor insurance policyholders is currently being finalised. We are working with the various motor insurance providers to ensure they can be issued as swiftly and efficiently as possible to anyone who needs to drive their motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK post a no deal Brexit. The Green Card will be provided in either hard copy, or electronic format for printing at home, depending on the arrangements your insurer or insurance broker puts in place. A period of one months advance notice will be required for the delivery of individual Green Cards.

How long will it take to get a Green Card if I need one?

Unless the expected date for Brexit, 29th March, has been delayed, insurance companies and insurance brokers will begin issuing Green Cards from March 2019. Anyone planning on driving their Irish registered motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK should contact their insurer or insurance broker one month in advance of their expected travel date.

I drive to the UK/ Northern Ireland every day, how will this impact me?

If there is a no deal Brexit then anyone driving their motor vehicle from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, or anywhere else in the UK, will need a Green Card to show the law enforcement authorities that you have valid motor insurance.

What cover does a Green Card provide if I have an accident in Northern Ireland/ UK?

The Green Card merely confirms to the UK authorities that you have the legally required minimum third party motor insurance required to drive in the UK. Your existing cover may go further than what is provided for under third party policies. Whilst most Irish insurers automatically extend full policy cover for journeys into the UK, some restrictions may apply. It is therefore advisable to carefully read your policy documents if you are driving abroad and to check with your insurer if you are unsure.

Will British/ Northern Irish vehicles require a Green Card if they are travelling to the Republic of Ireland?

If a no deal Brexit takes place then yes they will also require a Green Card.

If I plan on driving my vehicle in another part of the EU will I need a Green Card after Brexit?

No, unless you intend to travel to the EU via the UK.

What if I have to drive my motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK at short notice, will I still be able to get a Green Card?

Anyone planning on driving their Irish registered motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK is strongly advised to contact their insurer or insurance broker one month in advance of their expected travel date. Your insurance company or insurance broker will be able to advise you about the process they have in place for handling exceptional, short notice circumstances.

Is there a cost involved in getting a Green Card from my insurer/broker?

There may be a small admin charge associated with the provision of Green Card documents. Your insurance company or insurance broker will advise.

If I do get a Green Card, how long will it remain valid for?

Green Cards provide a guarantee of insurance cover for a minimum of 15 days and can remain valid until the expiry date of the motor insurance policy. Your insurer will specify the expiry date on the Green Card.

What happens if I change my vehicle?

Green Cards are issued in conjunction with a specific vehicle and a specific motor insurance policy. The maximum length a Green Card can remain valid is the length of time associated with a valid motor insurance policy. So if the vehicle is changed, the policyholder will require a new Green Card for the new vehicle.

What happens if I change my insurer and/or renew my policy?

Green Cards are issued in conjunction with a specific vehicle and a specific motor insurance policy. If you change your motor insurance provider or renew your motor insurance policy a new Green Card will also be needed.

You would also require a new Green Card if your motor insurance policy was renewed while you are still abroad.

My insurance is due to expire soon. Will the Green Card still cover me?

A Green Card will only be issued if the policyholders motor insurance policy remains valid for a minimum of 15 days after it is issued.

Can I transfer my Green Card to another vehicle?

No.

Can I transfer my Green Card to my partner?

Each Green Card applies to a specific vehicle and the specific motor insurance policy covering that vehicle. If your partner is covered under the motor insurance policy on the specific vehicle then the Green Card will apply to them.

What happens if I drive in the UK/ Northern Ireland without a Green Card?

The law requires any motor vehicle to be properly insured no matter where it is used. If motorists do not have proof of insurance cover for the country they are driving in then they may be subject to legal penalties and fines in that country.

If Green Cards are required, will I have to have it with me all the time?

Yes, the Green Card will be required to be with you anytime you drive your motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or anywhere else in the UK.

My vehicle tows a trailer/caravan. Will I need a separate Green Card for the trailer/caravan?

No. The Green Card issued for the towing vehicle will cover the trailer/caravan while it is attached to that vehicle.

I have a multi vehicle insurance policy. Will my Green Card cover all the vehicles on my policy?

No. Each Green Card applies only to one specific vehicle and one specific motor insurance policy. So each of the vehicles will require their own specific Green Card.

I am planning to bring my car to Britain by ferry. Will I need my insurance documents at customs?

While this is a question for the UK customs authorities, legally you may be required to show your Green Card documentation before they will allow your vehicle enter the country in a no deal Brexit scenario.

I employ drivers who regularly cross into Northern Ireland/ UK. Can I arrange Green Cards for them?

Yes, you will be able to liaise with your insurance company or insurance broker to ensure that any vehicles used by your drivers receive the necessary Green Cards. However it will be the responsibility of each individual driver to ensure they carry the Green Card specifically associated with their vehicle with them at all times when driving in Northern Ireland/ UK.

I am going to rent a car in Northern Ireland/ UK. Will I need a Green Card?

No. However if you plan on driving that car back into the Republic of Ireland or to another EU state then the rental company will need to issue you with a Green Card.A pensioner who put a bomb on a bus bound for Dublin, and made hoax bomb threats during Queen Elizabeths State visit to Ireland, claims his Irish language rights were destroyed during his trial.



Donal Billings (67), whose trial at the non-jury Special Criminal Court was heard in both Irish and English, is seeking to appeal his conviction through the Irish language also.



It is the first case to be heard in Irish since the Court of Appeal was established in 2014, and requires the swearing in of two Irish interpreters.



Billings, with an address at St Bridgets Court, Drumlish, County Longford, was found guilty by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of possessing an explosive substance at Longford railway station car park on May 16, 2011.



He was found guilty of making false reports on May 16 and May 18, 2011, that bombs had been placed at Busaras and Sinn Fein's headquarters in Dublin and that two mortars were set for Dublin Castle.



He was also found guilty of making a false report on May 20 that two bombs had been placed in the toilets at Cork airport. Queen Elizabeth was visiting Ireland at the time.



Sentencing him to eight-and-a-half years imprisonment, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, said Billings was "perfectly entitled to hold a low opinion" of Queen Elizabeth and her visit to Ireland but was "not entitled to express such an opinion by engaging in criminality". Concurrent jail terms were imposed for the making of false reports.



Counsel for Billings, Martin Giblin SC, submitted that his clients Irish language rights were decimated and destroyed during the trial process.



Advancing his arguments in Irish, which were translated into English for the court, Mr Giblin said Billings wanted to be tried by three judges who had an ability in Irish as far back as 2011. The trial was in 2016.



Mr Giblin said the State, including the Special Criminal Court and the DPP, had a duty to show respect to the Constitution and to personal constitutional rights. He said constitutional rights couldnt be denied by questions of procedure.



Mr Giblin said the defence applied for a transcript of proceedings that recorded everything that was said in both Irish and English during the trial. A transcript was provided in the English language only, even though it was within the States abilities to provide one in Irish also, counsel submitted.



He said the Explosive Substances Act 1883, under which Mr Billings was convicted, had never been translated into Irish.



Mr Giblin said his clients Irish language rights were independent of his fair trial rights, a point which seems to have been misunderstood by the Special Criminal Court, he submitted.



Ronan Munro SC, also for Billings, contended that the charge of possession should have been thrown out at the close of the prosecutions case.



Also advancing his arguments in Irish, which were translated for the court, Mr Munro said there was insufficient evidence for the trial court to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the bomb was placed on the bus in Longford.



Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Garnet Orange SC, said the fairness of Mr Billings trial was not affected by the lack of an official translation of the Explosive Substance Act or the unavailability of an Irish transcript.



Insofar as was possible, he said, the DPP facilitated Billings in his desire to have his defence conducted in Irish and the DPP was a stranger to any complaints raised regarding language issues during the trial.



Furthermore, Mr Orange said the circumstantial evidence created a compelling case showing Billings was guilty of possession.



Mr Orange said Billings had made four threatening phone calls that referenced bombs and busses. Low and behold, he said there was a bomb on a bus that very day headed for Busaras, having stopped in Longford, where Billings lived.



He said Billings was found in possession of packaging for a sim card that was used to make the threatening phone calls. On the packaging, was the bus registration number and the name of the bus company in Irish.



Everything pointed to (Billings) as being the person who planted the explosive device on the bus and it would have been perverse to have concluded otherwise, he submitted.



President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Ms Justice Marie Baker and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, said the court would reserve its judgment.



During case management last year, Mr Justice Birmingham commented that he was having enough difficulty finding three judges to speak English let alone Irish, in reference to the shortage of judges the court was facing at the time.



EVIDENCE



The Special Criminal Court heard that a phonecall was made to Longford garda station on May 16, 2011. The caller said there was a bomb on a Dublin-bound Corduff travel passenger bus, a second bomb on a bus at Busaras and a third bomb at Sinn Fein headquarters in Dublin.



The Corduff travel bus was stopped on Station Rd, Maynooth, and searched by gardai, who found a suspicious object, comprised of gunpowder and a two-litre bottle of petrol, in the luggage compartment.



Mr Justice Hunt said that Billings had placed a highly dangerous explosive on a public transport vehicle containing an innocent driver and many passengers.



This was an "outrageous, highly irresponsible and dangerous act", the judge said, which "recklessly exposed passengers, staff and members of the emergency services to very significant risk of serious injury or death".



The bomb, the judge added, was intended to give credence to further hoax calls Billings planned to make.



A further phonecall was made on May 18, threatening two mortars were set at Dublin castle for 8pm that evening.



The time and place coincided with a state banquet in the castle for Queen Elizabeth.



The caller said, "I'm a member of the Republican Brotherhood, Squad A. Two mortars are set for Dublin Castle at 8pm."



"This is for the Queen of blood and war of Iraq."



Searches were carried out but nothing was found.



A third phonecall, made at 3.15pm on May 20, threatened two bombs at Cork airport. Queen Elizabeth was due to fly out that afternoon from the airport. After a search, nothing was found.



The investigations led to Billings being identified as a suspect.



Referring to Billings garda interviews, Mr Justice Hunt said that the "lies told by the accused were rather obvious and unsophisticated".



Billings has two previous convictions, from Northern Ireland in 1973, for possession of explosives.Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Sean Canney, is urging dog owners to be responsible, especially in the run up to the current lambing season.

Minister Canney said: Dog owners must be mindful that with ownership comes responsibility. Owning a dog means that you have to feed, house and care for your pet, but you must also remember that you have to keep them under control at all times. Never let your dog out unsupervised, especially at night.

Dog attacks cause real and serious injury to sheep and have a very negative impact, both financially and emotionally, on the farmers involved and their families. Even quiet, docile dogs can turn into killers, especially if they join other dogs.

Minister Canney added: We are all aware of the terrible dog attacks on sheep over the last number of years. This is not acceptable. Dog Wardens and the Garda Siochana are doing what they can, but they cannot be in every part of the country at all times. The solution rests with dog owners. Whether you live in or near the countryside or visit it for recreational purposes, I ask that you be on guard the whole time. Do not give your dog the opportunity to attack sheep and cause distress and pain to both sheep flocks and their owners.

The Minister pointed out that it is the responsibility of dog owners under the Control of Dogs Acts, to ensure that they are in control of their dogs at all times. Attacks on sheep can result in economic losses to the farmer, for which the dog owner can be held liable under the Control of Dogs Act.

Some 2.5m lambs will be born on farms all over Ireland this springtime. Sheep flocks are very vulnerable to dog attacks at this critical time, especially during the night. In addition, the presence of dogs even on a lead, can alarm sheep prior to lambing and have a detrimental effect on them and their lambs. Make sure that your dog is not responsible for injury to sheep or for the stress and financial loss to sheep owners and their families.

Some sheep never recover fully from a dog attack and can suffer ongoing health problems, including reproduction problems and nervousness. While it is recognised that the vast majority are responsible dog owners, a momentary lapse in concentration can have disastrous consequences. Dog owners are requested to be particularly vigilant at this time of year and care should be taken to ensure all dogs are secure at night time.The question of different degrees of sexual assault as set out in the legislation was noted by District Judge Desmond Zaidan at Naas District Court on January 10.

The judge was commenting in the case of a Kildare man who is charged with alleged sexual assault.

The State is alleging that on dates between March and May 2015, the man, who is in his forties, sexually assaulted a 12-year-old child.

The court was told that the Book of Evidence has been presented to the man and his legal team.

Garda Sgt Brian Jacob said that the Director of Public Prosecution had opted for the case to go forward to the next sitting of Naas Circuit Court, starting on March 5.

Judge Zaidan asked about the nature of the allegations. He was told that they included the defendant forcing the girl to masturbate him on a couch, putting his hand on her vagina and putting his fingers in her vagina.

The judge said that the case could have been sent to the Central Criminal Court on more than one charge, where penetration is alleged.

He said that was the reason why the rape legislation was amended.

For legal reasons there are reporting restrictions on the case. Tony Hanahoe, solicitor, asked for free legal aid (one junior counsel and one senior counsel).

Judge Zaidan said the case was a serious Section 2 sexual assault, not a more aggravated charge. It is going to the Circuit Court, not the Central Criminal Court and he granted just a junior counsel but said Mr Hanahoe could apply to the Circuit judge for a senior counsel.Parking woes for commuters from Naas and Sallins using the local rail station have worsened.

Local TD James Lawless said that the parking facilitates at the station have reached breaking point.

Pressure on the Irish rail car park at Sallins station has reached breaking point. The closure in the last week of the privately owned Waterways front car park has thrown fuel on the fire of an already very volatile situation.

While it is very welcome that private interests are now pursuing commercial opportunities in the Waterways, this does have repercussions for the station parking as it highlights the scarcity of dedicated commuter spaces, he said.

He said that while plans for 2m. investment in a major car park extension between the existing car park and the Sallins community centre are welcome this is still a year away.

READ ALSO Advance parking signs are in the pipeline for Naas

READ ALSO Kildare man charged with online harassment of County Council official including posting Facebook videosNow in it's fifth year, this Easter Monday April 22 will see the return of the ever popular Jog for a Dog charity 5km in aid of My Canine Companion Autism Services to Castletown House, Celbridge.

Once again kindly sponsored by Irish Dog Foods in Naas, this event has sold out in advance every year. Open to both runners and walkers, the race will start and end in the beautiful grounds of Castletown, while the 5k race itself takes the runners and walkers around the town.

We are so delighted that Irish Dog Foods are supporting us again, they have been with us since day one and we are so proud to be reaching our fifth anniversary run together, said committee Chairperson Laura Sullivan at the official launch of the event today.

Thanks to their generous support from day one, this event has gone from strength to strength and together we have raised over 75,000 for an amazing charity, that trains service dogs for children and young adults with autism.

The race is organised and run by families who have all benefited from autism service dogs and pups provided by My Canine Companion.

Thanks to our sponsors covering all our race costs, every penny of our runners and walkers registration fees and any money they raise through sponsorship, goes straight to the charity, added Laura.

Jog for a Dog is such a great event and thanks to the runners and walkers who have joined us over the last four years, this event has raised significant funding for us and has helped us train additional and much needed autism service dogs, said Niall Ruddy, who co-founded the charity with his wife Cliona O'Rourke in 2011.

Like the majority of charities in this sector, we receive no government funding, therefore all our funds have to come from great fundraising events such as this - the charity itself and the families, including a number in the local Kildare area, greatly appreciate the support."

Service dogs can be a life changing addition to children with autism and their families and provide huge benefits including safety, independence and companionship.

Online registration is now open at www.popupraces.ie with entry fees ranging from 10 for juveniles runners/walkers to 20 for senior runners/walkers.

There are also two family rate categories to cover family groups of adults and children. Numbers are strictly limited and this event has sold out online every year to date. The organiser hope to provide on the day registration but only if the limited places havent sold out prior to the day.

It has always been a fantastic day and we are planning for the same this year. We would hate for people to be disappointed so we advise people to sign up online, added Laura.

With chipped timing, medals and goody bags for all registered competitors; plus refreshments available for participants and their families on the day, this year's Jog For a Dog once again promises to be a great day out.

Registration is open at www.popupraces.com with more information about the race on the Jog for a Dog Facebook page and Twitter account.

Sponsorship cards are also available to any participants, please email race@jogforadog.com or call Laura on 086 358 1338 to receive a sponsorship card. For more information on My Canine Companion please see www.mycaninecompanion.ie

Caption: Staff members of Irish Dog Foods, Naas, pictured with (front) Caroline Reilly, Laura Sullivan, Maria McGarry, Mandy Pakenham and Canine Companions, Farrah, Harpur, Hally, and Vonnie, at the launch to announce details of the 2019 Jog for A Dog 5k Road Race with My Canine Companion Autism Services and supported by Irish Dog Foods PICTURE: TONY KEANEA man who has been housed at the Eyre Powell Hotel in Newbridge for the past seven years while seeking asylum appeared at Naas District Court yesterday Wednesday, January 16 charged with a serious assault on a man who works at the hotel.

Oussama Denine, 36, with an address at the Eyre Powell Hotel is alleged to have assaulted Michael Browne at the hotel the day before, Tuesday, January 15.

Garda Conor Sheehan said that it would be alleged that Mr Denine, an Algerian national, punched Mr Browne eight times, fracturing his eye socket.

Garda Sheehan said that doctors werent clear if there were more injuries because of the severity of the swelling to his face. He said that it was believed a disagreement about Mr Denine cooking food in his own room lead to the alleged assault.

The rules of the Eyre Powell is that residents are not permitted, for safety reasons, to cook in their own rooms.

Gardai objected to bail for the defendant, based on the seriousness of the charge.

They also had a concern about where he would stay because while he remains an asylum seeker his residence remains the Eyre Powell, but obviously returning there was problematic after the alleged assault.

Representing Mr Denine, Timmy Kennelly explained that his client had been in the hotel for the past seven years waiting for an adjudication in his application for asylum. He explained that Mr Denine found it incredibly frustrating.

He was very cooperative with Garda Sheehan at the time of the alleged incident, and he wanted to give his side of the story.

He has a PPS number and is working in a warehouse, he said, adding that Mr Denine just wanted a decision on his asylum application one way or another.

I spoke to him at length. He just wants them decide. If they dont want him to stay then they should just send him back, Mr Kennelly said.

He simply wanted to cook his own food. Hes been here seven years and he hasnt left. So he obviously wants to stay.

Judge Desmond Zaidan wondered how the State could justify a seven year delay in deciding on the asylum application.

Hes entitled to get a decision. This could only happen in Ireland, the judge noted.

Mr Kennelly said that his client had no trouble abiding by any conditions it might impose for bail, like a curfew, or staying away from the Eyre Powell.

He has a sum of cash that he can lodge if necessary. Its money he has worked hard for.

Judge Zaidan refused to grant bail and adjourned the matter for seven days.A man found with drugs in his possession was before the court because he was wearing trousers which were "not his own", Kilcock District Court was told.

Twenty three year old Ludovic Kingidila of 17 Beaufort Crescent, Maynooth appeared at the January 15 sitting in Naas.

Mr Kingidila faced a charge of having illegal drugs in his possession at Straffan road, Maynooth, on April 5 2018. Judge Desmond Zaidan was told that Mr Kingidila was searched by Gardai and found to have 20 of cannabis in his pocket.

Mr Kingidila, an student accountant technician, was granted free legal aid with solicitor Brian Larkin, and the case was adjourned for a short period.

When it resumed later in the afternoon, Mr Kingidila pleaded guilty to the offence.

But Mr Larkin then told the Court: The trousers (defendant) he was wearing were not his own.

The Court heard the 23 year old, who came to Ireland in 2011, was living in a house with others and threw on a pair of trousers which were not his own.

The solicitor said his client was not a drug user.

There was laughter in the Court.

Judge Zaidan said he did not accept the excuse but agreed to accept a 500 donation to the Clane Abbey Repair Fund instead of a conviction.

It will teach him not to put on the wrong trousers, he said, adjourning the case to July 2 for payment to be made.Patients attending Naas Hospital face delays and appointment cancellations if a planned strike goes ahead.

Talks have been taking place between nurses representatives as well as the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive.

Nurses are seeking a 12% increase in pay and this has been costed at 300m.

They say this is needed to recruit and retain staff and they say they want parity with other health care workers. There has been criticism of the pay demand becasue it breaches the public service stability agreement which runs until 2020.

If the strike goes ahead it will affect all public hospitals in the State.

It will also be only the second time nurses have gone on strike in a century and first since 1999.

Nurses and midwives are scheduled to take part in a series of 24 work stoppages, the first of which has been pencilled in for Thursday January 30.

The precise impact on Naas hospital is as yet unclear because the INMO is still in talks with the HSE about arrangements for managing the strike.

Were agreeing some principles nationally which will then be implemented by local strike committees, and INMO representative told the Leader last Monday when asked about the likely impact on Naas Hospital.

They says the union is legally required to give one weeks notice, but has given three to allow for safety planning.

Should the dispute go unresolved, there will be further 24-hour strikes on February 5 and then again on the 12th, 13th and 14th.

The strike will see INMO members withdraw their labour for 24 hours, providing only lifesaving care and emergency response teams.

The dispute centres on safe staffing in the public health service.

The INMO adds that the HSE has not been able to recruit and retain enough nurses and midwives on current wages.

The number of staff nurses fell by 1,754 (6%) between 2008 and 2018, despite an aging, growing population making the health service busier.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: Going on strike is the last thing a nurse or midwife wants to do.

But the crisis in recruitment and retention has made it impossible for us to do our jobs properly.

We are not able give patients the care they deserve under these conditions. The ball is in the governments court.

This strike can be averted. All it takes is for the government to acknowledge our concerns.James (Jim) Connolly  Palmerstown, Dublin / Maynooth

January 15 2019, peacefully at his residence, beloved father of the late Niall, deeply regretted by his loving wife Anne, Son Seamus, extended family and friends. Reposing at Reilly's Funeral Home, Leinster St., Maynooth, on Thursday from 5-8pm, with prayers at 7pm. Removal on Saturday from his residence to arrive at St. Philomena's Church, Palmerstown, for 10am funeral Mass, followed by burial in Palmerstown Cemetery. Family flowers only, plesae. Donations, if desired, to Alzheimers Assoc. of Ireland. Donation box in church.

Mary Melody (nee Nolan)  Old Road, Kildare Town / Lorrha, Tipperary

Ex director of nursing at Lourdesville Nursing Home, Kildare Town. January 16 2019, At the General Hospital, Naas. Predeceased by her loving husband Paddy. Sadly missed by her loving daughter Sheila, sisters Terry and Margaret, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, by Shay and the nursing staff at Lourdesville Nursing Home, Kildare and her many, many friends. Reposing at Mc Wey's Funeral Home, Abbey View, Kildare Town (Eircode R51TE20) on Friday 18th January from 3 o'clock with Rosary there at 6 o'clock. Removal on Saturday at 10.45 to St. Brigid's Parish Church, Kildare, arriving for Funeral Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Kildare. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to The Irish Heart Foundation. Donation box in church.

Eilish Moran  Baallyshannon, Suncroft

Peacefully at Silverstream Nursing Home. She will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by her sister, brothers, nieces, nephews, friends and neighbours. Reposing at her home on Thursday from 1pm until conclusion with rosary at 8pm. Funeral Mass on Friday in St. Brigid's Church, Suncroft at 11 am followed by burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Suncroft. Donations in lieu of flowers to Alzheimers Society of Ireland.Former Fine Gael TD and Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton will address a Kildare seminar on Brexit at the end of this month.

County Kildare Chamber and Kildare Local Enterprise Office will jointly host What now for Brexit? and how to prepare... at the Osprey Hotel on Thursday, January 31, at 7.30pm.

Ms Creighton, who now heads up Vulcan Consulting, will join a panel including Manus Rooney of Enterprise Ireland and Sasha Kerins of Grant Thornton.

According to Kildare Chamber: This event will focus on identifying exposure to Brexit, strategies to address Brexit challenges and opportunities and also the opportunity to pose your own questions. This event is suited to companies who may have an exposure to Brexit on the export or supply side or those who are concerned about competition in the marketplace.

The event is free but spaces are limited, and attendees are asked to book by clicking here.A pregnant woman whose baby was diagnosed with a fatal foetal abnormality has been refused a termination at a Dublin maternity hospital which takes referrals from the Portlaoise maternity unit, the Dail has been told.

The incident involving Dublin's Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital was raised by Solidarity-People Before Profit TDs Ruth Coppinger and Brid Smith.

The Coombe and the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise are part of a shared maternity services network. Women with complication who present to Portlaoise are referred to the Coombe.

Ms Coppinger said in a heated Dail debate that there are problems with the new abortion legislation because the woman was told she must wait four weeks in order to see if there is a spontaneous miscarriage.

"Ive been contacted by a woman who has a fatal foetal abnormality that has been certified by two consultants and now it appears the board of the Coombe Hospital is refusing her constitutional right that we all voted for to have an abortion at a time she chooses, she said.

In December 2018 the Master of The Coombe Hospital Dr Sharon Sheehan told RTE that the hospital would not be ready to provide abortion services at the start of January.

Dr Sheehan said she would advise Minister for Health Simon Harris to delay the introduction of services until February or March.

Abortion services were introduced into nine Irish hospitals in the first week of January but the service is not yet available in Portlaoise hospital or any hospital in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.

Dr Sharon Sheehan, She said the Coombe Hospital is "fully committed" to providing termination of pregnancy services.

However, she added that to ensure the provision of "safe, high-quality, sensitive and compassionate care for women", it is essential to have the finalised legislation in place, an agreed model of care nationally and national clinical guidelines.

Dr Sheehan said that at the moment, none of those things have happened.

She added: "There has been extensive work, and that is continuing to proceed at a pace, but they are not ready and we now have only 20 days before this service is to be introduced.

"In my opinion, the country is not ready, and therefore the Coombe is not in a position to deliver these services from the 1st of January."

The HSE declined to comment when asked if and when abortion services would be introduced at Portlaoise hospital.

The following maternity units and hospitals will be providing abortion care: National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Dublin, Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, University Hospital Galway, Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Cork University Maternity Hospital, University Hospital Waterford.

None of these hospitals are in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG).

The DMHG includes Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, St James Hospital Dublin, St Lukes Radiation Oncology Network, The Adelaide & Meath Hospital (Tallaght Hospital) Dublin, Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore, Naas General Hospital and The Coombe Women & Infant University Hospital Dublin.A Portarlington resident has been charged with stealing 100 of steaks from a local supermarket.

Before last week's sitting of Portlaoise District Court was Kamil Cruk (26), with an address at 9 Ballymorris Manor, Portarlington, charged with theft from Lidl, Canal Road, Portarlington.

Sgt JJ Kirby gave evidence that on May 15 last year, the accused entered Lidl in Portarlington and stole a packet of steaks to a value of 100.

The property was not recovered.

The accused had 12 previous convictions, including five for theft.

Defence, Mr Declan Breen said the accused had appeared before the court many times before, as he had a huge heroin addiction.

Mr Breen said that in 2018 this addiction was at its height and the accused embarked on a spree of shoplifting.

The accused received a prison sentence in recent months, but this is under appeal before the circuit court.

Mr Breen said that, at long last, the accused was now on a methadone programme and was linked in with Merchants Quay Ireland.

The court heard that the accused has not come to garda attention since.

To this, Judge Catherine Staines remarked that perhaps the imposition of a prison sentence had finally made the accused realise he had to change his ways.

The matter was adjourned to April 4 next, to await the outcome of the appeal before the circuit court.Prison management and senior civil servants face a grilling on the high volume of, sometimes big, compensation payouts due to incidents at jails in Portlaoise and elsewhere.

The issue will be raised when the Dail Public Accounts Committee, which is chaired by Laois TD Sean Fleming, examine 2017 spending on Irelands prisons this week.

Deputy Fleming said he intended raising the treatment of prison officers by management who had been injured in the course of their duties.

TDs will meet the Irish Prison Service and Department of Justice officials in public session

Scheduled witnesses include Aidan ODriscoll, the new Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality, and

Caron McCaffrey, the new Director General of the Irish Prison Service.

It is set to be Ms McCaffrey's first time to answer questions in public about Irish jails since her appointment in late 2018.

Dep Fleming said the Committee has many questions about the figures reported in the 2017 Appropriation Account for the Irish Prison Service.

The Committee is concerned by the volume and level of compensation payouts being made to prisoners, staff and members of the public and the factors driving these costs.

"We will want to know what procedures are in place to minimise these incidents in the future. In many cases the legal costs being borne by the taxpayer appear to be disproportionately high in comparison with the size of compensation awards themselves, he said.

Dep Fleming told the Leinster Express there are a number of 'serious cases' he his dealing with involving officers who were injured in incidents. He said he would be asking management about their treatment of these officers who were not fit to return to full duties but could not return to work because, he claimed the serviced deemed that no other suitable task could be found.

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live from 9 am on Thursday, January 17.A Laois native will be one of the star guests on RTE's Late Late Show which also features Game of Thrones and Brexit chat.

Bernard O'Shea, from Durrow, and his co-star Jennifer Zamparelli from the hit series Bridget and Eamon joins Ryan Tubridy in the studio on Friday night.

The busy comedian Bernard, who recently became a dad for the third time, is a co-host of 2FMs Breakfast Republic with Jennifer.

Irish actor and star of Game of Thrones Liam Cunningham leads the line-up this week.

Ryan will chat with Liam about the upcoming final season of Game of Thrones and his recent trip to South Sudan where he visited those fleeing the civil war, photographing the people along his journey.

Ryan will be joined in studio by Mairead McGuinness, Vice President of the European Parliament and MEP, to get the view from Brussels as the United Kingdom goes back to the drawing board to negotiate a Brexit deal.

Irelands Favourite Folk Song is a national celebration of the songs that define us as a people. Ahead of the search, Ryan will be joined by Irish folk royalty including Mary Black, Phelim Drew, Aoife Scott and Fiachna O Braonain, to discuss the music theyre most connected to and to play some of their most loved songs.

With Operation Transformation in full swing weight loss also features. At the beginning of 2018, Trisha Lewis weighed 27 stone and was fearful for her life. One year later, she is 100lbs down, and has shared her weight loss journey with her with 17,000 Instagram followers. Trisha joins Ryan to discuss the realities of life for someone with morbid obesity, and her plans to lose another 100lbs in 2019.

Illegally adopted from a GP in Monaghan in the 1970s, and with few clues to her origins, Margaret Norton will tell Ryan the extraordinary story of how, despite the odds, she recently reconnected with her birth parents.

Irelands largest festival of traditional music, TradFest, returns next week, and to celebrate the Late Late features have a performance from 11 vocalists including Paddy Casey, Eleanor McEvoy and Sibeal Ni Chasaide.

There will also be details of the Late Late Shows annual search for the best new Irish enterprises.

The Late Late Show goes out on RTE One on Friday, January 18 from 9.35pmFor more than a dozen years, residents of a Warren County community have kept a holiday tradition that helps those less fortunate.

For the past 13 years, residents of the Reserve at Hawk Pointe in Washington have donated to charity instead of exchanging holiday cards. Since the program started, residents of the 55 and older community have donated $36,163 to various local charities.

This year, some 50 residents of the Reserve at Hawk Pointe donated money to a local food bank. The residents donated $2,690 to the local Community Food Pantry of Washington.When the first medical marijuana prescriptions are sold in Warren County, it will be out of an old bank on Main Street Phillipsburg.

For its commercial front, the NETA NJ has closed a sale on the former Phillipsburg Trust Co. building at 55 S. Main St. The closing was confirmed Wednesday by both the town council president and a director for the Ewing-based company.

NETA NJs proposal for a Phillipsburg dispensary was one of six given the green light last month by the state health department.

Currently, Warren County residents who require medical marijuana must drive an hour or so to the next closest New Jersey dispensary in Woodbridge. This proposed facility will "provide patients in Phillipsburg with medicinal relief outside of the debilitating and dangerous opioids that are prescribed daily," said Bobby Fulper, who was appointed council president for a second year during the council's reorganization last week.

The bank property is assessed at just under $200,000, according to county tax records. Trish Zita, a NETA NJ director, declined to disclose the sale price or an estimated opening date for the dispensary.

Were still really excited about Phillipsburg, she said. Were dedicated to the community and want to be there.

(PHOTOS: The 1st medical marijuana doses sold in the Lehigh Valley)

Procuring a dispensary site is a sign of progress for NETA after an apparent setback late in December for the other half of its operation.

A cultivation facility -- where medical marijuana will be grown and processed -- was proposed at 400 Heckman Street, which town officials found was within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.

Zita said NETA NJ is securing a new cultivation site, one outside of Phillipsburg but still within New Jerseys northern region.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.UPDATE: Just 2 days after call to N.J. hotline, priest faces sex abuse charges in decades-old case

Authorities arrested a Roman Catholic priest from Phillipsburg this week on allegations he sexually assaulted an underage girl during the 1990s.

The arrest of Father Thomas P. "Tom" Ganley, 63, was announced in a news release late Thursday afternoon from New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.

Ganley was a priest at Saint Cecelia Church in the Iselin section of Woodbridge when the allegedly criminal acts occurred from 1990 through 1994. He was assigned to Saint Philip & Saint James Church in Phillipsburg at the time of his arrest Wednesday, according to the attorney general's office.

The arrest represents the first criminal case filed by the New Jersey Clergy Abuse Task Force, which Grewal formed last September to investigate allegations of clergy abuse. The arrest was made by members of the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office assigned to the task force.

Ganley was being held Thursday at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick, pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday.

Ganley is accused of sexually assaulting the girl when she was between the ages of 14 and 17. He is charged with one first-degree count of aggravated sexual assault, and two second-degree counts of sexual assault.

The Rev. Tom Ganley offers the invocation during the grand opening June 19, 2017, of Freedom House, a drug-addition and mental-health treatment facility is at 427-429 S. Main St. in Phillipsburg.EXT

Both the Saint Cecelia and Saint Philip & Saint James churches are part of the Diocese of Metuchen. A call and email seeking comment from the diocese were not immediately returned after regular business hours Thursday.

Saint Philip & Saint James Church also could not be reached immediately for comment Thursday evening. The churchs website as of Thursday evening listed Ganley as parochial vicar.

New Jerseys investigation into allegations of sex abuse by priests follows the release last August of an 884-page grand jury report in Pennsylvania that detailed sexual abuse allegations by 301 priests across six Roman Catholic dioceses. The Diocese of Allentown was among the six, and had 35 priests named by the grand jury for sexual abuse allegations made against them, in addition to one priest whose name and title were withheld and one layperson.

Grewal says he formed the New Jersey Clergy Abuse Task Force in response to publication of the Pennsylvania report, which identified more than 1,000 victims through a multi-year investigation led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Our Clergy Abuse Task Force is diligently pursuing its mission to expose the truth about past wrongs and seek justice for survivors, because no person is above the law and no institution is immune from accountability, Grewal says in the release announcing Ganley's arrest. This case illustrates that we are prepared to move swiftly to investigate allegations, and where there are viable criminal charges, to pursue those charges.

"We urge all survivors, witnesses of sexual abuse, and others with information to call our hotline.

New Jersey's Clergy Abuse Hotline established by Grewal last September is staffed by trained professionals and operated on a 24/7 basis. The number is 855-363-6548. More than 350 calls have been received through the hotline, according to Thursday's news release.

The investigation of Ganley is active and continuing. The attorney general's office asks anyone with information that may be of interest to call Detective Paul Kelley at 732-745-4499 or Detective Julissa Alvarado 732-745-3711 of the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office.

We want survivors to know that our task force is comprised of experienced prosecutors and detectives from every county and we stand ready to bring all these resources to bear to investigate these crimes and hold abusers accountable, said Director Veronica Allende, of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. It is important for survivors to know that, even if the abuse they suffered occurred many years ago, criminal prosecutions may still be possible and we will do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Findlehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Since it began being televised, the presidents State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress has been a showcase for the chief executive. So it shouldnt come as a surprise, in this age of polarized politics, that the presidents opponents would want to rain on the parade.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, citing security concerns during the partial government shutdown, has asked President Donald Trump to hold off on his address until the government is back at full strength  including the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security. Alternatively, Trump could make his speech from the White House or just deliver his message in writing to Congress, Pelosi said.

Pelosi and majority Democrats in the House have some leverage on this decision. Both houses must invite the president for him to speak to a joint session on Capitol Hill. The address, typically held in the House, is scheduled for Jan. 29. The shutdown over building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border is now 26 days old.

Republicans fired back, accusing Pelosi of a partisan power play that would deny Trump a forum that all modern presidents have used. Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of Homeland Security, said the department would be able to provide security for the address. If the House isnt on board, Sen. Rand Paul suggested Trump deliver his address to the Senate.

Others think the State of the Union speech should be shelved entirely, calling it a political rally rather than an action plan for the year. The legal obligation could be met by speaking from the Oval Office or sending a letter to Congress, they say.

What do you think? Should the president delay his address, deliver it in a different way, or forgo a speech altogether? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section.As the Robert Mueller winds down its Russia investigation, the drums of war against Iran are being beaten louder to distract attention from the Trump government shutdown and the FBI probe. The question is, when will the Trump administration strike Iran? The administration has been demonizing Iran as the greatest threat to Israel and the entire world.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton have developed an aggressive policy of regime change with Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump Administration, under Bolton, has sought plans to strike Iran. The writing on the wall couldnt be clearer. Bolton asked the Pentagon to provide the White House with military options to strike Iran, generating concern at the Pentagon and State Department.

It is unfortunate that the hostility between Iran and the United States has been oversimplified and directly linked to Irans program for acquisition of nuclear technology. Bolton was a strong proponent of pulling out of the Obama administration-era deal in which Iran agreed to pause its nuclear weapons program in exchange for a reduction in sanctions.

Bolton advocates war against Iran in his op-ed column in a New York Times, To Stop Irans Bomb, Bomb Iran. He says the inconvenient truth is that only military action could stop the nuclear program. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trumps former national security adviser, said in The American Conservative that Boltons appointment creates a prospect of war with Iran that is very real.

Mohammed Khaku

Upper Macungie TownshipBethlehem Township police say an Easton man and woman took advantage of three people in a check cashing scam that cost victims hundreds of dollars.

Police are looking for more victims as well as one of the perpetrators, a news release says.

According to the release, the scam was conducted by Samaj Eutsey, 21, and Emily Davis, 19. In each case, Davis promised the victims quick money by participating in the scam, police said.

According to police:

The victims would give their debit card and PIN information to Davis. Then a check worth thousands of dollars would be deposited. The victims were told they could keep a portion of the deposit and a payroll service would collect the rest. But the deposited checks were fakes, so the victims were on the hook for withdrawals made by Eutsey and/or Davis before the bank discovered the checks were bogus.

Eutsey is seen on video depositing checks and withdrawing money, police said.

One person was victimized in September. Another was victimized in November. A third was victimized on another date.

Davis was arraigned Tuesday on two counts of theft, two counts of forgery and four counts of criminal conspiracy. She was initially jailed but then released Wednesday after posting 10 percent of $5,000 bail.

There is an active felony arrest warrant out for Eutsey, police said.

Local victims to the scam should call investigator Ed Fox at 610-419-9646. If you know the whereabouts of Eutsey, call the Northampton County non-emergency dispatch number at 610-759-2200.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.A man who was married in Northampton County Court before heading to state prison in a drug case is back behind bars for allegedly having a handgun, body armor and ammo while free on parole.

Elmer Torres Jr. made headlines in 2016 when he and Sabrina Stametz were married moments after Torres was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 3 years in state prison.

Torres was accused of jumping from a moving car on Feb. 11, 2016, when officers tried to pull him over in Freemansburg, and running home to Bethlehem Township. Police said they found heroin, meth, cocaine, crack cocaine, Suboxone, and assorted pills in the car.

Torres pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and the remaining 14 counts were withdrawn, according to court records.

Torres, 40, was paroled last July. On Monday, state parole agents and Bethlehem police arrived at Torres' home at 613 Muschlitz St. for a home check.

State agents said they were tipped off that Torres had a firearm and was selling drugs from the home. Bethlehem police said they were also investigating the address for sales of methamphetamine.

Torres was detained in the home, and parole agents said they found a semiautomatic handgun under a couch cushion feet away from where Torres was stopped.

After getting a search warrant, officers said they collected a loaded .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun with an obliterated serial number from the couch. In Torres' bedroom, officers said they found body armor, a black holster, .40-caliber bullets, .22-caliber bullets, 12 gauge shotgun shells, drug dealing paraphernalia and prescription pills.

Torres was charged with prohibited possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, unlawful body armor, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Torres was sent to county prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.A Georgia man was charged Wednesday with plotting a terrorist attack on the White House, after he allegedly told an undercover FBI agent he "wanted to do as much damage as possible" and hoped to be a martyr, according to court papers.

Hasher Jallal Taheb, 21, is accused of attempting to damage or destroy the White House by means of fire or an explosive, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Atlanta.

The court papers said the FBI began investigating Taheb in March, when an unidentified citizen told law enforcement officials that he had "become radicalized."

An FBI informant and an undercover FBI agent later befriended Taheb, and in their conversations, the suspect described his plan to "blow a hole in the White House" so that the trio could then enter and attack the people inside with guns and grenades, according to the criminal complaint.

On Wednesday, Taheb, the informant and the undercover agent met in a parking lot in Buford, Georgia, to exchange their cars for rifles, an antitank weapon and explosives, according to the complaint.

As part of the sting operation, the weapons were all rendered inert, officials said.

According to the charging document, Taheb was arrested after the exchange was made. It is unclear if he has obtained a lawyer.

The operation is similar to others that the FBI has used on terrorism suspects, with one notable exception: For the past three weeks, the undercover and the other agents on the case have not been paid, because of the partial government shutdown that has meant no paychecks for Justice Department employees, including FBI agents.Less than two years after it opened, Hardball Cider has closed its Main Street Bethlehem tasting room.

Wednesday night a sign declaring that the space is available for rent hung in the window of the former tasting room and restaurant at 553 Main St.

The Upper Mount Bethel Township-based hard cider company has offered no explanation for the closure on its Facebook page or website. Phone numbers for owner Geoff Deen and the cidery do not seem to be working and Hardball did not respond to a Facebook message seeking information.

First launched in 2014, Hardball has garnered national attention: Deen competed in a start-up business contest on an episode of The Rachael Ray Show, winning $10,000 for his business pitch. The prize included a consultation with Barbara Corcoran, an investor known from ABCs Shark Tank.

Hardball Cider is available at several local farmers markets and grocery stores, along with ballparks like Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading and PNC Field in Moosic.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter@sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Editor's note: Azu Ishiekwene, a member of the board of the Global Editors Network, writes on the controversy rocking the judiciary and the proposed trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen.

Ishiekwene also wondered why the judiciary postponed the 88th meeting of the NJC, which was due to commence on Monday, January 13.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng.

Your own opinion articles are welcome at info@corp.legit.ng drop an email telling us what you want to write about and why. More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest contributors.

Were ready to trade your news for our money: submit news and photo reports from your area using our Citizen Journalism App.

Contact us if you have any feedback, suggestions, complaints or compliments. We are also available on Twitter.

The first sign of chaos is the number of senior advocates of Nigeria who offered to take up the matter free of charge.

Often, when you find that many senior lawyers falling over themselves to represent a client  usually a high-profile client  you can be sure that more than anything else, theyre in it for spite, drama and self-interest.

Any claim of public interest must be taken with a healthy pinch of salt.

Until over 130 top lawyers and senior advocates offered to represent the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, at his trial for false declaration of assets this week, Senate President Bukola Saraki had the record for the largest contingent of senior lawyers in a court case.

Saraki lined up over 90 lawyers, including senior advocates, for a case that a pair of law interns might have got him off the hook given the theatrics by the bench and the shambolic performance by the prosecution. In the end, the prosecution won the case for Saraki.

This time, the drama exceeds anything we have seen in recent history. The Executive Director of Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative, Mr. Dennis Aghanya, petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau, that the Chief Justice, a public officer, had not fully declared his assets, contrary to the provisions of the law.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

Public officers are supposed to declare their assets once every four years. The petitioner alleged that there is material difference between what Onnoghen declared in 2005 when he was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court and 2016 when he became Chief Justice.

He alleged that Onnoghen appeared to have suppressed or otherwise concealed the existence of multiple domiciliary accounts owned by him as well as the substantial cash balances in them, which in five Standard Chartered Bank accounts totalled $164,804.83; 55,254.56; 108,352.02; and in two Union Bank accounts came to N49.3 million. Onnoghen had allegedly declared only two of seven accounts in his first form.

In a response attributed to him, Onnoghen allegedly said it was only in 2016, after he became Chief Justice that he realised that he had not updated his assets declaration form.

But Onnoghens embarrassing and potentially consequential admission has been swept under the rug; it is no longer his problem. It is the problem of President Muhammadu Buhari, the hydra-headed monster who has crowned his multiple-dimensional election-rigging plan with yet another despicable plan to drag the Chief Justice, and indeed the entire judiciary, in the mud.

It doesnt end there. What better evidence of Buharis disdain for the rule of law is required than sidestepping the National Judicial Council (NJC) statutorily charged with dealing with such matters and railroading Onnoghens trial, at lightning speed, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)?

To put their ducks in a row, those who insist on the persecutory argument say there can be only two motives for it: 1) to crown Buharis Arewa-lisation of appointments by paving the way for Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, the next-in-line, and 2) to create a favourable judicial climate not just for the 2019 election, but specifically for the ruling partys grim prospects in Zamfara and Rivers states.

If you have to go back to the top of this article to find out how we got to this point, then thats a measure of how the elite, particularly lawyers and politicians with vested interests, has led us adrift. The matter has been so badly muffled and the moral burden central to it so conveniently and maliciously blurred, twisted and damaged that it has been steered away from the doorstep of Onnoghen, the man at the heart of it all.

It is distressing that Onnoghen, the essential symbol of judicial propriety and the moral conscience of the law, allowed the matter to get to this level. But no one is talking about that. If it is correct that he admitted not fully disclosing his assets as required by law, he should have spared the judiciary this embarrassment. He should have apologised and promptly stepped down.

Whatever the plot of his enemies, he should have risen above the fray by taking the moral high ground. That is the right thing  and the surest safeguard of judicial independence and integrity, which ought to matter more to him than his political survival.

READ ALSO: We would soon begin production of e-passports in Nigeria - FG

Theres of course the new jurisprudence of technicalities and grandstanding  jurisprudence Nigeriana  which is fast gaining ground, and which, to be sure, is not without its basis in law. I get it; how the shadow can sometimes not only be more important than the substance but can, in fact, become the substance. In jurisprudence Nigeriana, its politics uber alles; expediency trumps propriety.

Its been said that the petition should have gone to the NJC and processed through the backdoor channel of quasi-judicial immunity created by the scandalous judgment of the Court of Appeal in Nganjiwa vs FRN (2017). Thats the law. The process should have been followed, however disagreeable, and perhaps, too, the petition filed at a less combustible time.

Whats the hurry about and who does not know that had the matter been referred to the NJC, the Chief Justice, who is the chairman of the panel, would have happily recused himself?

That sounds sensible. But consider, for example, that less than 24 hours after the matter was referred to the CCT, Onnoghen ordered indefinite postponement of the 88th meeting of the NJC, which was due to commence on Monday? In whose interest was the meeting postponed and why now?

In a judgment which Onnoghen delivered on July 12, 2013, (SC.279/2012) he ruled that the CCT had exclusive jurisdiction to handle all violations of the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau, which of course, would cover false declaration of assets  the matter over which he is now being tried. There are not a few legal authorities who argue that the NJC may be considered an ordinary, regular court and in the matter at hand, the unilateral decision of the Chief Justice to postpone its meeting exposes the Councils vulnerability.

Yet, South South governors have taken sides with Onnoghen as have leading PDP politicians and militants in the Niger Delta, who have threatened to resume blowing up pipelines if the Chief Justices trial were to continue.

There are, of course, those that have a genuine concern about possible encroachment on the rule of law and executive highhandedness. Theres also merit in the criticisms of the governments embarrassing foot-dragging on corruption allegations, especially those involving a few of its valuable, high profile friends. Abdulrasheed Maina and Babachir Lawal are just two shameful examples.

However, at the height of the travail of the former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, over claims that she forged her NYSC discharge certificate some of those egging on the Chief Justice today called for Adeosuns removal on moral grounds, even though she had not been indicted. The evidence against Adeosun was so overwhelming, they argued, she had to go.

Have the rules changed so fast and so soon?

Whatever theWe would soon begin production of e-passports in Nigeria - FG Read more: https://www.legit.ng/ motive or persuasion of Onnoghens supporters, I doubt if the honourable Chief Justice would consider this his finest moment. He is neither a politician nor a social mobiliser. He must feel extremely awkward and hard pressed to find himself warmly embraced by politicians of dubious stripes, with not a few offering him advice unbecoming of his office and others vowing to take up arms for his cause.

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In August, Kenya was in something of a similar situation. Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu was facing 13 counts of abuse of office, tax evasion and fraudulent recovery of loan securities.

Even though Mwilu argued that her trial was the price she had to pay in a 4-3 ruling by the Supreme Court for the repeat of Kenyas presidential election, she did not incite public sympathy to prevent the law from taking its course. Nor did she hide from prosecution under the byzantine technicalities of the law.

In an eloquent address last year, in which he reminded judges and Kadis that corruption in the judiciary is not only bribe-taking, Onnoghen also said, The prestige of the Judiciary is indeed essential in a system of government such as ours in which the judiciary functions independently. The behaviour of judges is, in the circumstance, closely scrutinised to guarantee continued confidence in the integrity of the courts.

It would be interesting to know, if in the opinion of his Lordship, his own role in the events of the last one week would guarantee continued confidence in the integrity of the courts and the judiciary as a whole.

On Monday, for example, the Chief Justice and moral beacon of the Nigerian judiciary did not appear before the court, presumably on the advice of his formidable legal counsel. What message did he send to ordinary mortals that he could not appear before an institution which he heads and in which he expects others to have confidence?

He cannot leave the answer to politicians, militants or the mob.

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Onnoghen's Trial is Politically Motivated - APRJ | Legit TV

Source: Legit- A southeast group has commended the Nigerian Army for over the Operation Dance III

- The group which pledged its support for the Army, said the first and second versions of Operation Python Dance helped rid the region of criminals

- According to the group, if the exercise had not held in southeast, perhaps they would have been in the same situation as the northwest geo-political zone where bandits wrecking havoc

A southeast group called the South East Revival Group has hailed the Nigerian Army for its efforts to curb crime in southeast and Nigeria as a whole, after it launched the third episode of Operation Python Dance.

Vanguard reports that the group said the exercise has put an end to criminal elements in southeast and the Operation Python Dance III will put an end to all forms of intimidation, coercion, force and blackmail which the agents of darkness had programmed to use in truncating the 2019 general elections across the south east.

Charles Mbani, the national president of the group, said the group will willingly support the Army to ensure a free and fair election next month.

READ ALSO: Presidential panel summons Dankwambo over death of personal cook

He said: We are not unaware of the mixed reactions that have trailed the launch of the exercise at the various brigades across the country. Being a group that has been in the tick of the affairs in the southeast, which has hosted the earlier editions of Operation Python Dance, we are in position to offer a fair assessment and projection of what to expect from the nationwide exercise. The earlier versions of the operation held solely in the Igbo states of south.

"It is on record that these first and second versions of Operation Python Dance, which we know locally as Exercise Egwu Eke I and Exercise Egwu Eke II, were initially opposed by those that did not appreciate what was achievable. We can categorically state that after Exercise Egwu Eke I held with remarkable success, people were less critical of Exercise Egwu Eke II, which has made Operation Python Dance III record better reception than the two preceding editions."

The group added that Operation Python Dance I & II helped reduce incidents of armed robberies and banditry in the five Igbo states and their neighbours. It said this helped reduce the rate of crime during the Yuletide season.

"Had Operation Python Dance not held in our geo-political zone perhaps we would have today been in the same situation as the northwest geo-political zone where bandits are sowing terror in the hearts of the people," the group added.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has expressed confidence that the ongoing Exercise Egwu Eke III will swallow all the bandits, rustlers, terrorists, kidnappers, robbers and militants in the country.

Buratai gave the assurance when he launched the exercise otherwise known as `Python Dance in Lagos.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Nigerian Air Force Operations Against Boko Haram | Legit TV

Source: Legit- Cameroon and Nigeria are seeking ways to collaborate to fight corruption in both countries

- CONAC chair, Dieudonne Gams, said corruption is not a problem of one country but all countries in Africa

- According to officials, transfer of illicit funds within Cameroon-Nigeria borders is on the rise and there is an urgent need to track it down

Cameroon and Nigeria have begun seeking ways to collaborate to fight corruption in both countries, according to officials of Cameroons anti-graft body on Wednesday, January 16.

Officials of National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) and Nigerias anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), met in the capital Yaounde on Wednesday to lay down the guidelines for the collaboration.

Our coming here is to canvass for greater understanding in terms of relationship, exchange of ideas and information, Mohammed Umar, EFCCs director of operations, said.

READ ALSO: Come out if you have evidence of corruption against my administration - Buhari to Nigerians

Corruption is not a problem of one country but all countries in Africa and we appreciate the cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria, CONAC chair, Dieudonne Gams said.

Transfer of illicit funds within Cameroon-Nigeria borders is on the rise and there is an urgent need to track down the funds and arrests offenders, the officials said.

The joint operations can help us to recover lot of looted funds," Umar said.

The collaboration is the first of its kind between the two countries.

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In a previous report by Legit.ng, the United States says the failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to implement laws against corruption has led to the perpetration of such practices.

The country made the remarks in its 2017 Human Rights Report. The US said numerous cases of corruption were evident across all levels of government.

It added that impunity remained widespread at all levels of government, even though the government had taken steps to investigate alleged human abuses.

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Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | Legit TV

Source: Legit- A former ambassador of Nigeria to Germany, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, has reacted to the number of delegates to the UN General Assembly

- Speaking in Ogun state recently, Osuntokun said that the size of the delegation to the international assembly should be reduced

- The former envoy said that the country attracts unnecessary attention to itself in the international scene when it has too many delegates

Nigerias former ambassador to Germany, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, has called for reduction in the number of Nigerias delegates to the UN General Assembly.

Osuntokun made the call at the opening of a three-day Covenant International Model United Nations (CIMUN) conference at the Covenant University, Ota in Ogun state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

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He was the key speaker at the maiden CIMUN conference which had the theme, Restructuring the Future Through Innovative Ideas.

According to Osuntokun, who is also a former special adviser in the ministry of foreign affairs, elaborate delegation often attracts unnecessary attention to Nigeria and its people. He said that reducing the size of the countrys delegation would achieve greater results.

There is need for us as a country to begin to take another dimension in preparing for the UN meetings, especially as it concerns the size of our delegation.

It is always too large. This aspect is the most critical thing, and we must strive to look into it because this always attracts unnecessary attention to us as a people and a country.

The idea that every senator, every member of the House of Representatives should attend the United Nations meetings is totally unreasonable.

Our delegation must be made up of professionals and must be small, so that whatever we say there as a country and as a people would be as a result of sense and experience, he said.

Osuntokun, who was also a former member, presidential advisory council on foreign missions, suggested that knowledgeable people should be encouraged to attend such gatherings as their contributions would be based on experience.

He noted that the country has experts in various fields, saying that emphasis should not only be placed on those working in the ministry of foreign affairs.

We have experts in the universities and ministries, as well as the press, who should be part of the delegation, he advised.

He expressed optimism that participants at the conference, drawn from universities across Africa, would find their ways into the ministries of foreign affairs, finance, defence, or the presidency in the near future.

Professor Yomi Akinyeyi of the department if history and strategic studies, University of Lagos, said there was the need for the UN to put in place a commission on governance.

According to him, this will assist in the monitoring and administration of each country and raise a red flag when there is a deviation from normalcy. Akinyeyi, who presented a paper on United Nations and Global Insurgency, said that the UN has done well in its interventions in insurgency and related issues.

The don, however, said that the UN could do better. Insurgency today, the world over, is on the rise. It is not a new phenomenon. There can be a new approach to the challenge, he said.

Ronald Kayanja, the director of the United Nations information centre, noted that the Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulation of how the UN works, especially how decisions are reached by its key organs.

He said that it is a learning tool in public speaking, diplomacy, negotiation and consensus building for students.

At the Model UN, students broaden their horizon by learning and networking, and as such, can be part of the UNs effort to establish peace, secure human rights and enable all peoples to live in dignity, Kayanja said.

He said that in the over 70 years of existence of the UN, MUN had grown to become the pride of students and their institutions across the world.

It is estimated that more than 400, 000 students worldwide participate every year in MUN at all educational levels, while many todays leaders were once MUN delegates as students, he said.

In his message to the conference, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said that the theme was apt. He said that achievement of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would require innovative ideas.

Our today enjoys remarkable opportunities to advance progress. The 17 SDGs are blueprint for dignity, prosperity and a healthy planet. We need less hatred more dialogues, and deeper international corporation.

Multilateralism is more important than ever; empowering the worlds young people is also an imperative. We must do more to enable young people to shape the decisions affecting their lives, Guterres said.

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Professor Akan Williams, the deputy vice chancellor of the Covenant University, said that MUN was more practical orientation of what happened in the UN.

Akan said: When they simulate this and play some roles, they also get to understand what happens in some other countries, thereby, broadening their horizon on issues in parts of the world. It encourages research amongst students.

It also brings to bear, the critical things they do in the classroom; when eventually they become ambassadors of their countries, or when they have an opportunity to be in the UN, it is not going to be strange."

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that President Muhammadu Buhari was on Thursday, September 26, at the UN headquarters in Manhattan, New York, and delivered an address at the 73rd session of the general assembly on the fight against tuberculosis.

The president also held a bilateral meeting with the UN's secretary general, Antonio Guterres, on ways to tackle the terminal disease.

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Nigeria is upside down - On Legit TV

Source: Legit- Yemi Osinbajo says that the federal government has been able to block channels of looting the nation's treasury

- According to the vice president, all monies returned to government by those who looted public treasury will be judiciously utilised to develop Nigeria

- Osinbajo added that just because someone who acquired money through illegal means while holding public office returns it, did not make him a free person

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the federal governments fight against corruption is on course and that all monies returned to government by those who looted public treasury will be judiciously utilised to develop the country.

Osinbajo gave the assurance on Wednesday, January 16, in Abuja at a town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Daria Media with support from the MacArthur Foundation.

The town hall meeting tagged: 'The Candidates' is a two-hour televised series between the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of four leading political parties.

The parties were selected from the results of multiple polls aggregated by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

READ ALSO: Come out if you have evidence of corruption against my administration - Buhari to Nigerians

The vice president, however, said that the federal government had been able to block channels of looting the nation's treasury through the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

He said that all returned looted funds would be used following budgetary process, saying that, in the case of properties, ones there was a final forfeiture, such property (asset) become the property of the state unless where there was a legal claim to it.

He, however, said that the mere fact that someone returned monies acquired through illegal means while holding public office did not make him a free person.

This, Osinbajo said, was especially so as some of such persons could still be facing investigation.

While speaking on the farmers herders clashes especially in Benue, the vice president attributed the development to climate change. He said the development was getting worse because of desertification, adding that the federal government was collaborating with the country`s neighbours to address it.

He said the federal government was making efforts to recharge the Lake Chad which he noted was shrinking.

The vice president said that the long term plan to address the development was to create ranches, saying that water dams were presently being created by the federal government as a short term measure.

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According to the organisers of the town hall series, Omoyele Sowore and his running mate, Rabiu Rufai, would feature on January 23, while Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, would feature on the programme on January 30.

The platform provided an opportunity for the studio audience which included Civil Society Organisations, Diplomatic Corps and some members of the general public who had applied online to directly interact with the presidential candidate and his running mate.

Legit.ng previously reported that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and some prominent Nigerians have advocated autonomous stronger states through devolution of powers.

They gave the submissions during the Bisi Akande Colloquium held at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall in Ibadan to commemorate Akandes 80th birthday ceremony.

Akande, an APC starlwart, is a former of Osun state and former APC Interim national chairman.

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Onnoghen's Trial is Politically Motivated - APRJ | Legit TV.

Source: Legit.ng- Toyin Saraki says many of those seeking power currently in Nigeria had failed the country

- The wife of the Senate president said since 2015, 9.9 million Nigerians have lost their jobs

- Mrs Saraki added that Nigeria's debt has grown by $11.47 billion over the past three years

Wife of the Senate president, Toyin Saraki has warned that many of those seeking power at this years general elections had failed Nigeria in their respective capacity.

She made this claim while delivering her speech at the 2018 edition of Daily Trust African of the Year award in Abuja on Wednesday, January 16.

Mrs Saraki, who was the chairperson of the occasion, reeled out some statistics to back up her claims.

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Her words: Many of those power-seekers have failed Nigeria. Since 2015, 9.9 million Nigerians have lost their jobs. 2 million have been affected by Boko Haram and herdsmen crisis, making us the most terrorised country in the world.

We now have the highest number of road fatalities in Africa and the poverty capital of the world.

On our current path, by 2021, we will overtake India as the world capital for infant deaths. Meanwhile, our electricity supply is the second worst in the world- only Yemen is worse.

And what of the future? 13.5 million Nigerian school children are currently out of school, as investors flee Nigeria, taking $2 billion with them.

Our debt has grown by $11.47 billion over the past three years. What a legacy for our children to inherit. It is a legacy we must all work to change."

She therefore urged all Nigerians to work together for a healthier, safer and freer Nigeria.

Meanwhile, YIAGA Africas Watching The Vote (WTV) has commenced a nationwide advocacy visit to election stakeholders in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Magu, EFCC operatives make move to block slush funds from Ghana by politicians

The largest citizen movement committed to credible elections in Nigeria, says the move is in a bid to, share the promises of the WTV project, discuss the deployment plans for the 2019 elections, seek stakeholder buy-in and explore areas of collaboration as well as to provide information on the ongoing pre-election observation across Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, January 15, by the project director of YIAGA Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu.

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I am learned, I am educated but PVC is a NO | Legit TV

Source: Legit- The Gombe state governor will be summoned by the presidential investigation panel on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) over the death of one of his personal aides

- John Okon, who was a personal cook to Dankwambo, allegedly died as a result of injuries sustained due to beatings and torture by men of SARS

- According to Okon's wife, problem started after a burglary at the Kaduna residence of Damkwambo where the deceased was living with his family

The presidential investigation panel on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has resolved to summon Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe over the death of one of his personal aides.

Tony Ojukwu, chairman of the panel disclosed as it resumed sitting on Wednesday, January 16, in Abuja.

The panel's decision was in relation to a petition written by the Law Chambers of Sunny Olorunmola on behalf of one Mrs Okon over the death of her husband John Okon who was a personal cook to Dankwambo.

Mrs Okon alleged that her husband died as a result of injuries sustained due to beatings and torture by men of SARS. She further stated that he was in custody of the men of SARS headed by one SP Jummai of the anti crime department, Kaduna.

READ ALSO: Magu, EFCC operatives make move to block slush funds from Ghana by politicians

She said the problem started after a burglary at the Kaduna residence of Damkwambo where the deceased was living with his family.

The deceased who lived in the boys quarters of the governors private residence in Kaduna woke up on November 8, 2018 to discover that the house had been burgled and four theatre TV cinema sets carted away by unknown persons.

The deceased, his wife and other domestic staff reported the case at the Kabala Costain Police Station, where they were all arrested. They were subsequently transferred to the state Police Headquartres on Friday, November 9, 2018 for further investigation.

My husband fell sick and died on November 13 as he was being rushed to Barau Diko General Hospital, Kaduna for medical attention, she said.

Counsel to the petitioner, Gloria Balkson, brought a pathologist, Dr Godwin Ayuba, who performed autopsy on the deceased.

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Ayuba led by Balkson narrated their finding to the panel.

He died as a result of multiple traumas; break down of blood due to infection or drug and so much bile stain, signifying leakages in the gall bladder. His stomach had undigested peppery liquid food and the small intestine was ballooned at intervals," he said.

When the wife of the deceased was led in evidence by her counsel, she said that she identified one Inspector Baba Yakubu as the police officer who dragged her late husband and tortured him.

They did not allow him to drink water or eat food, she said.

The panel led by Tony Ojukwu asked Yakubu to respond to the allegation but he denied dragging the deceased.

I am not working at the counter, my office is upstairs and the ones responsible for feeding suspects are those working at the counter, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the panel was set up by the federal government to investigate the allegations of human rights abuses by the men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The panel is to make useful recommendations to government on the way forward.

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Meanwhile, the outgoing Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has officially handed over to his successor, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu.

The official handover was held at the police headquarters, Abuja at a brief ceremony on Wednesday, January 16.

Adamu's appointment means he is the 20th indigenous IGP Nigeria has had.

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Saraki vs IGP: Who is telling Nigerians the truth about Offa robbery? | Legit TV

Source: LegitIt would be recalled that Legit.ng earlier shared a staggering accusation levied by popular Lagos hotelier Ehi Ogbebor. The beautiful lady who is known to be married to Nigerian wealthy man Kenneth Bramor accused her husband of being a ritualist.

This allegation was very groundbreaking but it later died down with time. Months after surviving the brunt of such accusation levied against him by one of his own wives, Kenneth Bramor has yet again displayed the level of his wealth.

This he did by buying the newest car model of Bentley. Kenneth did not just settle for less. He went all the way to buy a 2019 version of Bentley Super Luxury Mulsanne Extended Wheel Base with custom plate number named after his family name 'Ibuere'.

From all indications, this car is worth over N111m. That's quite a staggering amount, right? Well, someone quite as wealthy as Kenneth can afford the car.

Nigerian billionaire accused of being a ritualist by wife buys latest Bentley

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: Wealthy Nigerian man Kenneth Bramor reportedly gifts first wife N300m car as compensation for marrying another wife

The wealthy man who is a philanthropist and an oil magnate is often referred to as the Umbrella of the Niger Delta as well as the Asiwaju of the people. By buying this car, he has broken a record as he is the first to make a purchase of this model.

To celebrate his new ride, Kenneth took to his page to share an image. He also blessed the photo of the car with a caption.

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He said: "The Vehicles that bring the cash behind and the one the cash is used for #2019 Bentley Super Luxury Mulsanne."

See the post below:

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This very suggestive caption and post has caused many to congratulate the rich man upon his new purchase. See some of the reactions below:

oyinboman: "Money make the world go round"

djmaxxclue: "Too much money @kennethbramor more life boss"

twinnetp: "Congratulations boss @kennethbramor more blessings.. As you have chosen to touch lives postively, your household will never."

ayinke_beesaw: "Congrat,i tap from ur blessing"

highzictemitope: "Congratulations to you Sir, more to come in Jesus name . Daddy pls say a prayer for me too Oo, I want to bless people just like you do. God hear my cry Biko ooo."

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Ehi Ogbebor, the wife who levied a grave accusation against the rich man, have been known to also display luxurious cars that show just how rich her husband is. Recently, it was reported that she rocked a Rolls Royce to a wedding.

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Top 5 the Richest People of Nigeria: The Luxury of Corruption | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng News- The prosecution team has vowed to appeal the acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo

- This was followed by the decision of the International Criminal Court in Hague to declare the former president free of crime against humanity

- Gbagbo had been on trial since 2011 after being slammed with crimes involving death of 30,000 Ivorians during post 2010 election violence

Following the decision of International Criminal Court in Hague to acquit former Ivory Coast president and warlord, Laurent Gbagbo, of post-election violence, the prosecution team has vowed to appeal the judgement, SBS news reports.

Legit.ng gathers that Gbagbo, together with his right-hand man, Charles Ble Goud, were cleared of violence and crimes against humanity on Tuesday, January 15, by the ICC judges.

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The court also ordered their release, but postponed it pending a fresh hearing on Wednesday where prosecutors would be able to lay out objections.

But in a reaction to the court verdict, disgruntled prosecution lawyers, in a document, filed an "urgent request" for appeal of the judgement.

The team said: "It has determined that it intends to appeal... following the acquittals."

It also objected to the release of the former president, citing claims that Gbagbo may flee if the appeal was a success and his trials continued.

Recall that Gbagbo has been standing trial after being accused of killing over 3,000 people in Ivory Coast following his vehement rejection of 2010 election in the country.

He has been in detention since 2011 but his trial began at the world apex court in 2016.

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Legit.ng had earlier reported that Laurent Gbagbo had been acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The former president had been charged with crimes against humanity in connection with violence following a disputed 2010 election that left 3,000 dead and 500,000 displaced.

He was captured in 2011 in a presidential palace bunker by UN and French-backed forces supporting his rival, Alassane Ouattara.

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What is working well and what needs improvement in Nigeria? On Legit.ng TV

Source: LegitBut for now, Sales-Griffin apparently will need to continue to fight the Wilson challenge. He said hes optimistic he can make the ballot anyway when the full election board hears the case. Dont be mad, take action, Sales-Griffin said. So look, Im not mad. Im going to take action. Im going to see this all the way through, all the way to the end. Im going to do my best.- Federal government has revealed its plan to tender FEC meeting resolution at National Economic Council meeting on Thursday

- FG said it agreed to the new N30,000 national minimum wage and is planning to forward its proposal and resolution to NEC for more deliberation

- NEC is constituted by state governors, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and some major ministries, departments and government agencies

After the federal executive council meeting, which was held on Tuesday, January 15, and presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the federal government has disclosed its plan to tender the resolution of FEC meeting to the National Economic Council (NEC).

The Punch reports that at the Tuesday meeting, federal government agreed to the new N30,000 national minimum wage and is planning to forward its proposal and resolution to NEC meeting, which will hold on Thursday, January 17.

Legit.ng gathers that the national executive council is constituted of state governors, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and some major ministries, departments and government agencies.

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Briefing newsmen about the development, the minister of information and culture, Lai-Mohammad, said more broad deliberations will be needed on the resolutions made at the FEC meeting.

He said: Until after the meeting of the NEC, l cannot (give details) because it is work in progress, since it will also be discussed at the NEC meeting before we come out with the decision. Thereafter, we can address the media.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Nigerian governors held another meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, December 13, in continuation of their deliberation on the amount to be agreed upon as new minimum wage.

The Thursday meeting was presided over by Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, who chaired the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

However, many state governors did not show up for the meeting.

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Minimum Wage: Is N30,000 Too Much for FG to Pay Workers? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit- The 2019 presidential election campaign team of Aisha Buhari accuses Atiku Abubakar and Bukola Saraki of carrying out conducts capable of threatening the peace of the country

- The director of media of the team, Abdulmumini Jibrin, claims Atiku and Saraki are taking Nigerians for granted by trying to incite the north not to support power transfer to the southern part of the country after Buharis term

- Jibrin accuses the prominent members of the opposition parties, especially the PDP, of carrying out misinformation against the president

The 2019 presidential election campaign team of Aisha Buhari has alleged that the biggest threat to the stability of this Nigeria can be traced to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the director-general of the Atiku campaign, Bukola Saraki.

The director of media and strategic communication committee of the women and youth presidential campaign team, Abdulmumini Jibrin, said Atiku and Saraki, are taking Nigerians for granted by trying to incite the north not to support power transfer to the southern part of the country after President Muhammadu Buhari completes his second term, Daily Trust reports.

READ ALSO: Abubakar Adamu Mohammed to be named as successor of IGP Ibrahim Idris

Jibrin also accused the prominent members of the opposition parties, especially the PDP of carrying out misinformation against President Buhari.

He said: The biggest threat to the stability of this country is the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the Director-General of Atiku Campaign, Bukola Saraki, who are taking Nigerians for granted by mooting the idea to incite the North not to support power transfer to the southern part of the country after President Muhammadu Buhari completes his second term in a clear attempt to shortchange the southern part of Nigeria.

No wonder, the PDP presidential candidate has refused to commit to returning power to the southern part of the country after 2023. This is even after concerted pressure by many of their stakeholders. This is already heating up our polity with combined negative consequences on our economy, security and general development.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

So, if we are talking about the politicians who are threatening the foundation of the peace and security of our country, the cap fits Saraki and Atiku"

Meanwhile, one hundred and forty support groups of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who earlier defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), have returned to the party.

Legit.ng reported that the national coordinator of the groups, under the platform of the coalition of Atikulate leaders forum, Pastor Franklin Eze, announced their return while addressing a press conference on Monday, January 14, at the PDP campaign office, party Legacy House, Abuja.

Eze said that the 140 groups formerly known as as coalition of All aggrieved Atiku Support Groups (AASG) were back with their full support for PDP and Abubakar.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

We are honestly tired of Buhari and Atiku | - on Legit TV:

Source: Legit.ngMining in Nigeria is one of the main businesses in the country which leads to high income. The growth of the mining industry of the Nigerian market will create more jobs for residents of the country. However, a lot of companies currently involved in mining projects in the country are confronting some difficulties. So, let`s consider problems of mining in Nigeria and possible solutions to them.

Photo from africanbusinessmagazine.com

What are the problems of mining in Nigeria?

The mining industry is one of the leading industry in the country. Of course, such a laborious process has some difficulties. Below is the list of the problems of mining industry in Nigeria.

1. Infrastructural difficulties

This is one of the main problems of mining in the country. The government must do some essential amenities to carry out mining operations effectively, but in most cases, small mining companies do not have good roads, lack of regular power and water supply. State authority must provide mining companies with high-grade road networks, regular water and power supply to improve mining processes.

2. Inadequate finance

The mining sphere in Nigeria is controlled by small mining companies which need adequate funding to develop their industry. The inadequate supply is one of the critical problems of the mining industry in Nigeria. Many of such companies use illegal techniques and equipment to carry out their processes.

3. Deficiency of accurate geological data

The mining industry in Nigeria faces the problem of scarcity of accurate geological data. The information on minerals quantity and locations in Nigeria is inadequate. There is still a substantial dependence on data taken over 50 years ago.

Picture from africanstand.com

READ ALSO: When and where was oil discovered in Nigeria?

4. Deficiency of well-equipped laboratories

Having well-equipped laboratories is necessary. They provide efficient research for different minerals and mining products. It is especially crucial during explorations of the new mineral and processing to improve their quality. Unfortunately, to find a modern well-equipped laboratory in the mining industry in our country can become a challenging task.

5. High risk for the health of the employees

Mining generally is a risky process, especially in Nigeria. The degree of risk is much higher than in numerous other countries of the world where technological progress and genuine organizations have decreased the risk.

6. Inadequate regulation

Nigerian mining manufacturing is not regulated correctly. It has made it accessible for illegal mining. State authority entrusted with managing this business is under-equipped for the work.

Source of photo: internationaltin.org

7. Existence of illegal mining companies

A lot of small mining companies begin to do their business illegally not to pay government taxes and in that way to increase their income. A significant rate of mining in Nigeria is carried out illegally.

8. The absence of proper law and changeable state policies

From year to year, the absence of adequate law and continuous changing in the attitude of the state on matters concerning the mining has discouraged foreign investors.

9. Low productivity

The productivity of native mining industry is rather low due to the usage of old machinery and mining techniques.

Picture from media.pri.org

Solutions to the problems of mining in Nigeria

As you have noticed the mining industry in Nigeria faces pretty much problems, but each issue has its own solution. Which of them are the most successful, and which ones require further work and careful analysis before implementation? Let's look at the most basic ones.

1. Solution to infrastructural difficulties

The state authority has to guarantee and provide essential facilities such as clean water, safe roads, regular power supply all over the country. Availability of these will support mining in Nigeria and will bring this industry on the next level.

2. Adequate finance

Mining partnerships do not easily obtain loan facilities, and it has stopped the development of small mining organizations. Some of them have had to search for foreign investors for funding. The established mining permit should also be satisfactory as the guarantee for getting a loan in Nigeria.

3. Up-to-date and accurate geological data

New geological data have to be renewed because to use the data which is more than a half of century old will not lead to the success of the industry. The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency is co-operating with Geological departments in our Higher Institutions to restore Nigerian geological maps.

Photo from i1.wp.com

4. Building of modern well-equipped laboratories

Providing standard and good-equipped laboratories both by the state authority or by mining companies and individuals have to be approved.

5. Creating safe working conditions

Having good investment, mining business groups and individual partners involved in the mining will be able to obtain modern facilities to allow them to do their works safely. People directly connected with mining must know that their health and lives are protected by the mining company.

Picture from bacon.house.gov

6. Regulation and functional control

The government should pay more attention to the regulation of the mining industry in Nigeria. Functional control of the mining business must be secured to allow the state power to get taxes from all companies and individuals involved in the industry.

7. Creating special laws and state policies

The state authority has to create a legal background for the regulation of the mining industry in Nigeria. Up-to-date laws and policies must be created. It is expected that proper legislation and related laws would guarantee clarity in the process of allowing mining permits, secure the safety of ownership, support ambitious economic terms, and lead to significant increase in the Nigerian mining industry. The latest law in this field is the mineral act which was approved into law in 2007.

Source of photo: pressafrik.com

There is a significant potential in the Nigerian mining industry. Proper law regulation, sufficient funding, modern techniques, tools, and laboratories will improve the situation in the mining industry, solve the existing problems and lead more foreign investors.

READ ALSO: Top mining companies in Nigeria

Source: LegitWashington D.C, January 17: Every year, thousands of people head to the islands of Hawaii for their honeymoon. Just thinking about the vast beaches and luxury resorts is enough to melt away wedding stress. But those who travel all the way to Hawaii just to sprawl on the sands of Waikiki are missing out on some of the most dramatic scenery in the United States. If you're honeymooning in Hawaii, make sure to add these six awe-inspiring sites across the Hawaiian Islands to your itinerary.

Hanauma Bay, Oahu:

Found on the southeastern tip of the island of Oahu, about 20 kilometers from the state's capital city, Honolulu, Hanauma Bay is all that remains of a once-powerful volcanic crater. This stunning cove is a popular snorkeling spot.

Na Pali Coast, Kauai:

Stretching across more than 27 kilometers of Kauai's northern shore, the Na Pali Coast is the island's most famous juncture with the ocean. The occasional waterfall adds to the already dazzling beauty of these jagged green cliffs. You can experience the Na Pali Coast from the Kalalau Trail, but this hike isn't for the faint of heart. You can also see the coast by boat or enjoy views on the cliffs from the eastern end of Route 560, about 17 kilometers west of the resort town of Princeville.

Waimoku Falls, Maui:

The short hike to Waimoku Falls - located in the southeastern part of Maui's Haleakala National Park - is a worthwhile detour along the island's famous Road to Hana Drive. One can follow the Pipiwai Trail through several bamboo groves and they will find themselves staring up at the 122-meter-high falls.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island:

This honeymoon hot spot was formed over thousands of years by volcanic activity - which one can see first-hand Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the southern coast of the Big Island. This island chain was formed thousands of years ago from volcanic activity, and the Kilauea volcano continues to add layers.

Molokini, Maui:

A less fiery view of Hawaii's volcanic history can be found at Molokinki, a half-moon-shaped islet found about 4 kilometers off the southwest coast of Maui - making it an easy day trip from Maui's resorts. Molokini is all that remains of a violent volcanic eruption that rocked the Pacific around 230,000 years ago. Today, the atoll (and the 31 hectares of ocean floor surrounding it) draws snorkelers and scuba divers, as well as boaters looking for a scenic place to drop anchor.

Waimea Canyon, Kauai:

Although it's not nearly as large as its Arizona counterpart, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" boasts some memorable scenery. Numerous lookout points offer panoramic views of the 22.5-kilometer-long, 1,100-meter-deep canyon on the northwest side of Kauai. One can also follow Waimea Canyon Drive, which cuts through the state park and leads down into the canyon, weaving between the rusty buttes. One can also take a helicopter ride here.Under the new law Pritzker signed Thursday, it would be illegal for retailers to sell guns without being certified by the state. To qualify, stores first must be licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Then, they would have to submit a copy of that license to the Illinois State Police, along with an affidavit declaring it remains valid. Shop owners would have to install surveillance equipment, maintain an electronic inventory, establish anti-theft measures and require employees to undergo annual training.Srinagar, January 17: National Conference (NC) vice-president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah slammed the Northern Command Chief Lt General Ranbir Singh on Thursday for the latter social media post in which wrote, great year for security forces.

Expressing his opinion on the above remark of the senior Indian Army official, Abdullah took to Twitter and wrote that the compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, Takes a Dig at Vivek Oberoi's Portrayal of Narendra Modi in his Biopic and It's a Bit Mean.

Abdullah wrote, I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed & no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration.

I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed & no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration. https://t.co/PPNGWmrCBy  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) January 17, 2019

The reaction of the former CM comes after the army official stated that 2018 had been a great year for the security forces as they had managed to kill 250 terrorists. Gen Singh said these words while inaugurating Kalai bridge in Poonch district.

He had said, 2018 has been a great year for the security forces, more than 250 terrorists were killed, 54 were caught alive, and 4 surrendered to the forces. Adding on he said that the Indian Army is one step ahead of Pakistan and giving a befitting reply to them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2019 08:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).OSAGE BEACH, Mo.  A Sunrise Beach woman has reportedly confessed and been charged with stealing from local jewelry stores where she was an employee.

Regina M. Pryor, 35, Sunrise Beach has been charged with felony stealing. According to Osage Beach Police Chief Todd Davis, the Osage Beach Police Department, OBPD, received a call from the Zales Outlet Store Loss Prevention Officer on Thursday, Jan. 10 stating an employee had allegedly stole cash and jewelry in the amount of $13,794.62.

OBPD officers went to the Osage Beach store to investigate the claim, at which time the officers spoke with the loss prevention officer.

He said a theft occurred while Pryor was working at Kay Jewelers, which has since closed. Pryor was currently working at the Zales Outlet Store. Signet Jewelers Limited operates 3,600 stores, primarily under the name brands of Kay Jewelers and Zales.

She confessed to everything, Chief Davis said. Pryor allegedly confessed to stealing $3,785.62 in cash from an in-store purchase by an employee of a diamond ring and also stealing a $9,999 diamond bracelet in December, while working at the Kay Jewelers Store. She said she did it because she was afraid she was going to lose her job. Pryor also allegedly admitted to adding hours to an employees payroll account and collecting and keeping a portion of the overages from that employee.

A warrant for Pryors arrest was served on Thursday, Jan. 10. OBPD officers arrested Pryor and transported her to the Camden County Jail. She is being held on a $1,000 cash bond. We completed the probable cause statement and sent it to the prosecutors office, Chief Davis said.Rome, January 17 - The decree that will bring in the government's two flagship measures - the 'citizenship wage' basic income for job seekers and the 'quota 100' pension reform that will reduce the retirement age for some people - was approved at a cabinet meeting on Thursday evening. Premier Giuseppe Conte said that "this is a fundamental stage for this government experience, they are two measures that do not respond to extemporary electoral promises but constitute a project of social and economic policy of which this government is proud". Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio said that no one will be able to abuse the basic income saying there were 'anti-couch' measures built into the decree. He said the basic income would range between 780 euros and 1032 euros. He said there would also be a "training pact" in the measure. Di Maio said it took us just 20 minutes in cabinet to draft the new Italian welfare state". Conte said that one million people would be able to retire earlier over three years. The decree earmarks 22 billion euros in "real money", Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini said. One million jobs will open up as one million people retire under the quota 100 scheme, Salvini said. The government will now go ahead and realise all of its contract, Di Maio said. "Everything has been resolved, Everything is fine. The text is ready," said earlier Labour Undersecretary Claudio Durigon after a meeting of top government figures, including Conte and his two deputies, Interior Minster Salvini and Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio. Di Maio expressed satisfaction earlier on Thursday, with the cabinet set to approve the decree for a new basic income and a pension overhaul after the meeting of senior government figures. "Today is an important day and, as always, the citizens are the winners," 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Di Maio told ANSA. "It's a result that rewards the years of battles carried out by the M5S", said the leader of the anti-establishment movement. The cabinet meeting to approve the decree began around six o'clock and was still going shortly before eight o'clock, sources said. Officials were still hammering out the final details, sources said. The cabinet meeting on the decree lasted only half an hour, sources said. The examination of the decree for the government's 'quota 100' pension reform and its 'citizenship wage' basic income was put off last week amid government tension over a range of issues including the TAV high-speed rail line between Turin and Lyon. The pension reform, amending an unpopular 2011 reform that raised the retirement age to 67, is the League's pet policy promise while the basic income is the flagship campaign pledge of the M5S. Agreement has been found on allocations for early severance pay for state employees and for the Alitalia flight fund, sources said. State employees already at 'quota 100' will leave in August, the sources said. After the introduction of the 'citizenship wage', the REI 'inclusion wage' basic income support will be eliminated but not for those already receiving it.Vatican City, January 17 - Pope Francis said Thursday the Word of God is not ideology but it is life that makes us grow. What does it mean for a Christian to have a "perverse heart," a heart that can lead to faintheartedness, ideology, and compromise? Francis asked in his homily Thursday morning at the Mass at Casa Santa Marta. "Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God." This is the harsh "message", the "warning" as Pope Francis calls it, that the author of the Letter to the Hebrews addresses to the Christian community in today's liturgy. The pope warns that the Christian community, in all its components - "priests, nuns, bishops" - runs this danger of "slipping towards a perverse heart".Genoa, January 17 - Italian police on Thursday arrested a man who shot at a neighbouring couple three days ago in Imperia seriously wounding the woman. Domenico Ferraro, 63, was charged with attempted murder. The man, who has a heart condition, felt ill in the street at Santremo and was taken to hospital where he was recognised, sources said. He is now being guarded in the hospital.Rome, January 17 - Rome's special superintendency for art and architecture will present a new plan for safeguarding and promoting the Eternal City's historical districts at a meeting on January 31 with representatives from the city and regional government. The objective is to propose a tool that can provide gradual protection and promotion for historic villas and buildings in the city, by respecting the characteristics of the various neighbourhoods and conserving not just individual buildings or decorations but rather entire urban areas. The operating constraint plan aims to work in harmony with already existing regulations and plans in order to incentivise urban transformation in terms of sustainability, renovation, and lower land consumption, while also maintaining the spirit of districts known particularly for the features of their buildings. "The regulation promoted by the regional government, aimed at transforming and densifying the city with the aim of reducing land consumption, actually opened up a new vision of profitability linked to increasing space volume within some buildings," said special superintendent Francesco Prosperetti. "Therefore, demolishing and rebuilding became advantageous. The embarrassment comes from the fact that single buildings recognised as single assets don't have the characteristics to become protected objects. Now, however, entire historic and traditional urban areas are at risk," Prosperetti said. He said this is an emergency that must be faced, especially due to the fact that after the meeting it will still take between six to eight months to enact the new operating constraints. The special superintendency has already chosen the city's 2nd district, which includes historic areas such as the Coppede and Trieste neighbourhoods, as the pilot area for the new protections. The choice of the 2nd district was a natural one, following the outcry from neighbourhood associations after a historic villa on Via Ticino was knocked down in 2017, and Villa Paolina di Mallinckrodt on Largo XXI Aprile came under risk of demolition. Villa Paolina di Mallinckrodt was purchased by a company that plans to turn it into a modern building based on the possibility, granted by new national and regional regulations, of increasing the volume of space within the building.Enyia acknowledged that such changes would be difficult to implement immediately, but she said improving and restructuring how city government operates eventually could make it happen  pointing to the tens of millions of dollars the city has had to spend on police misconduct settlements and corruption as an area where money is wasted. As an example, Enyia said that if the city properly invested in economically depressed neighborhoods, CTA ridership might rise again, making it more feasible to offer free rides.Rome, January 17 - Ten people were arrested as a drug pusher gang was smashed in the hills near Rimini on Thursday, police said.When we talk about this issue of trust between the department and communities, its verdicts like this that only continue to erode that trust from ever being established, said Enyia, who is director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and has done policy work for governments and nonprofits. People dont necessarily understand the framework of what would constitute unethical conduct. What they hear is there was a lie or a cover-up or altered evidence, and they make judgments about that based upon what theyve heard. Theyre not attorneys, theyre not lawyers, and yet verdicts like this continue to send a message to them, many of whom have been harmed because of police misconduct, that there will be no justice.(CNN)  An American and a Briton were confirmed to be among at least 21 people killed in an attack at a hotel complex in Nairobi as the incident was brought to an end Wednesday.

The hourslong assault, launched Tuesday by heavily armed militants, targeted the DusitD2 compound, an upmarket cluster of shops and hotel facilities in the Kenyan capital.

"The security operation at Dusit complex is over, and all the terrorists eliminated," President Uhuru Kenyatta told reporters without giving details. He called the attackers terrorists.

More than 700 people were evacuated to safety in the course of the attack, he said.

Shortly before Kenyatta declared the attack over, gunshots and explosions could still be heard at the scene.

Six more bodies were found late Wednesday at the scene, according to Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett, speaking live on local television station Citizen TV. That brought the death toll to 21.

Boinett said 16 Kenyans, one Briton, one American, and three unidentified people of African origin are among the dead. Twenty-eight other people have been hospitalized.

Jason Spindler, an American who survived the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, was identified by his employer as one of those killed in the attack. He was co-founder and managing director of I-DEV International, a firm advising on business strategy for emerging markets.

A British man is also among the dead, the UK high commissioner to Kenya said. He was named by development organization Gatsby Africa asLuke Potter, head of its forestry and tea portfolio.

The coordinated attack started Tuesday afternoon as an unknown number of gunmen attacked the complex, leading to a standoff that continued through the night, with people trapped in various parts of the buildings hours later.

Security camera footage showed at least three armed men, dressed in dark clothing and with their faces uncovered, moving through the compound.

The Kenya Red Cross said in a Twitter update that at least 30 people had been injured in the attack and that 50 remained unaccounted for as of 3 p.m. (7 a.m. ET) Wednesday.

Somali Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, according to a statement circulated Wednesday.

"In a response to the witless remarks of U.S. President, Donald Trump, and his declaration" of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the group targeted "Western and Zionist interests worldwide ... in support of our Muslim families in Palestine."

Witness: 'I saw a human leg flying'

Alice Mwanza, 26, who works within the complex in a building adjacent to the hotel, was one of those trapped for several hours as the assault unfolded.

"Yesterday around 3 p.m., we heard an explosion and immediately we could see smoke through the office window. Out of curiosity I asked my friends to come with me so we could see what's happening. We thought it was fire from one of the buildings. However, as we took the stairs to the ground floor I saw a human leg flying and my workmates saw it, too, and now we could hear gun shots," she said.

The group took shelter inside a soundproof studio and were rescued more than three hours later by police and Red Cross workers, who gave them first aid, she said.

"After we were discharged, I was given some pills to calm down and later at home I had this scary flashback of that human leg flying. I had to sleep with my lights on. Coming out safe I was so grateful to God, especially the news of so many people dead," said Mwanza.

David Mureithi recounted how he and others were told by office security staff to flee through a back door after hearing an explosion followed by gunshots. "We could hear the gunshots getting closer and rapid," he said.

Two of his colleagues who had gone to get lunch shortly beforehand were killed, he said.

"I have worked in Somalia before, but the explosions or the gunshots [there] were heard from a safe distance," he said. "Yesterday I tried acting calm but honestly this is terrifying, how close the attack was, more devastating and sad for losing two of our personnel.

"I thank God I came out alive. I watched the news and it's still terrifying. "

Security services praised

Friends and relatives of those still unaccounted for anxiously waited for word on their loved ones early Wednesday as the interior ministry announced that authorities had evacuated people from the compound, and the site had been secured.

Sporadic gunfire continued for hours after that all-clear before Kenyatta declared the incident over.

The President praised Kenya's security services for their swift response, saying: "The operational priority of the security services was first and foremost to safeguard civilian life."

Abbas Gullet, secretary general of the Kenya Red Cross, also hailed the rescue effort. "To have gotten out over 700 people out of that place, one would have to go in to understand and imagine what it took to get there," he said.

The Red Cross in Nairobi launched a blood drive to help the victims and urged people to donate. It also said it had launched a hot line to provide counseling and connect people who were searching for loved ones.

Tributes paid to victims

The U.S. State Department confirmed that the fatalities included a U.S. citizen, but did not provide details.

A friend of Spindler, Chris Schroeder, described him on Twitter as "one of those rare men who was loved by pretty much anyone (he) touched in Kenya and around the world."

Schroeder added: "He chose a life of hope and inclusion. I am grateful to have known and learned from him."

Gatsby Africa described Potter as having devoted the past 10 years "to helping some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world" and said he would be greatly missed by his family, partner, daughter, friends and colleagues.

"Luke was respected by all he worked with, bringing huge drive, determination, a relentless work ethic, and a thirst for new ideas to every project," the statement said. "He brought a calm head and his unique sense of humor to every situation. He was deeply committed to his work, to his teams, to Gatsby and to development in Africa."

The attack happened three years to the day after Al-Shabaab militants targeted a Kenyan military base in neighboring Somalia, killing dozens of soldiers.

In 2013, Al-Shabaab militants targeted the luxury shopping center of Westgate, killing 67 people in a siege that lasted several days. Westgate is about 2 miles away from the site of Tuesday's attack.

Militants from the group also killed nearly 150 people, most of them students, in an attack on Garissa University College in Kenya in April 2015.

Attack started with car bombs

The latest attack began at a bank inside the compound Tuesday afternoon. An explosion ripped through three vehicles in the parking lot, followed by a suicide blast in the foyer of the Dusit Hotel, said Boinnet, the nation's police chief.

Crowds in bloodied clothes fled as armed officers escorted office workers to safety amid the gunfire. The flames in the parking lot raged, with the smoke visible from buildings far away in Nairobi's affluent Westlands neighborhood.

"As we were leaving, there were gunshots all over the place," said Evans Ng'ong'a, who was also inside the complex. "Attackers jumped over the fence and started shooting after the explosion."

In a series of tweets, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Bob Godec condemned the attacks and said all embassy personnel in Kenya were safe.

The European Union also offered its condolences to those affected and pledged its continued support to Kenya.

"Kenya's stand against terrorism, at home and abroad, is a necessary fight against a challenge that we all face  being it in Africa, in Europe or in the rest of the world  which will contribute to bringing peace, stability and prosperity to the country, the region and beyond," it said in a statement.

This story was first published on CNN.com "At least 21 killed as Kenya hotel siege is declared over"The woman said she didn't have any money, and the man pulled out a silver or chrome "short-barreled revolver" and forced her to the tracks above, where he threatened to kill her and assaulted her, police said.The family of Trooper Christopher Lambert mourns the loss of our son, husband, father and friend. We would like to thank the law enforcement community and the thousands of others who have expressed their love and concern, the statement said. We will always remember his devotion to his wife and daughter, his dedication to his career and community, and the love and laughter that he shared with us.The paraprofessionals, the teachers, the educators standing with us today are saying no more, and they want a resolution. They want a contract today," CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates told reporters on Thursday. "And if they dont get it, theyre willing to take the next step. It is past time that we do right by our school communities here in the city of Chicago."BOZEMAN - A fatal crash on Monday marked the eighth snowmobile incident Gallatin County rescue officials have responded to since Christmas. Many of the riders have been visitors from outside of Montana.

Despite the increased awareness of these snowmobile accidents, officials say this amount of incidents is far from unusual. So far, the number of sled incidents is in line with what rescue officials have seen in mid-January in years past.

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin says many factors contribute to crashes.

"It's just the nature of the beast," he explains. "We have a lot of people come here from out of state, don't know the terrain, don't necessarily even know how to snowmobile, and then that sometimes can end badly."

A snowmobile rental company in West Yellowstone, Back County Adventures, says they require training for their renters.

Even so, Gootkin believes it's not about the rental companies; it's the riders who need to know their own limits.

"It's not the rental company's responsibility," Gootkin says. "It's the person's responsibility that is taking that risk and taking that chance."

The sheriff notes that the low snow amounts we've seen this winter, and lack of a hard base layer, can make riding off-trail especially dangerous.

To avoid trouble, Gallatin Search and Rescue officials urge riders that no matter your skill level, always travel in groups or with a partner, carry a reliable means of communication, and bring gear to survive outdoors in case circumstances become dire.

"Our main message to all of those folks is if you're not comfortable, go easy, go slow," the sheriff urges. "Even as you gain that comfort level, sometimes you get overconfident. And that's when you can really make a mistake and hurt yourself. Just enjoy the outdoors, but go slow."

Gallatin County officials say they're glad to see people out being active and snowmobiling, but both native Montanans and tourists need to have those essentials with them. And know that the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office will be there if necessary.

Authorities identified the man killed in Monday's snowmobile crash near West Yellowstone. The Gallatin County Sheriff/Coroner's Office says 60-year-old Michael Najjar of Five Points, Alabama ran a stop light and collided with an SUV. He was declared deceased at the scene.A Missoula teacher's video is going viral on social media for his reaction to a racist encounter at the local grocery store.

Ibrahin Mena moved from Venezuela to Missoula three years ago to teach English and Spanish at Missoula International School.

"I didn't know how to act because I came from a country where we are all mixed so I never experienced that," Mena said.

On January 4, Mena said he was shopping for kitchen sponges at a grocery store when another customer said some racist remarks.

"In that moment, that person told me that I should use the sponge, and that it was perfect for me, that I should use the sponge to take my skin off," Mena said.

The comments left Mena speechless, but he wasn't speechless for long, quickly taking to social media about his experience.

Mena talked about his encounter at the store saying in the viral video "I think people need to know that this thing happened , and also an opportunity for me to share how I feel."

More than 10,000 people watching the video, and that's when Mena said something wonderful happened.

"I give a little bit of love, and I receive a lot. I have received emails, the school where I work received emails, cards, comments. A lot of love," Mena said.

Love. That's the message Mena is trying to teach others moving forward. According to head of Missoula International School Julie Lennox, Mena is taking the lesson to the classroom.

"What he has done is opened up a conversation where hes learning so many other people experience the same thing so how can we create a coalition and keep working to change," Lennox said.

She adds the school is holding an assembly in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to get the conversation going about how to respond with hurtful comments with kindness.

Mena said he never expected dozens of people to respond to him. He wants to keep working to show others that love in stronger than hate.

"I think that everyone has a heart. If we start talking with the language of heart, we are going to start understanding each other," Mena said.BUTTE- Residents in Butte-Silver Bow County weighed in on the future of the counties' small communities Tuesday night, as residents met with the Butte Planning Department.

The planning department discussed ideas for an updated growth policy with residents in Melrose and Divide. The last growth policy was adopted in 2008. The policy gets an update every 10 years.

The policy is a document that outlines future land use for all of Butte-Silver Bow County. The planning department wanted to speak with residents in Butte's rural communities to see what their goals and visions are for their areas.

"Community involvement is very important in these meetings, we want to move forward with what the people want and they need a voice," said Senior Planner, Dylan Pipinich.

Residents met at the Melrose School Auditorium and spoke with the planning department for over an hour. Melrose and Divide residents said they want to remain small communities but would like better police response, paved roads and a small convenient store.

"I think it was good to have everyone talk about what they want to see and it seems like pretty much everyone is along the same lines, we want to keep it small but we need to get a little more youthful," said owner of Sportsman Motel, Tony Wagner.

The planning department is still about a year away from a completed growth policy. The department will be passing out surveys for residents that can't attend their open meetings.

The department is planning meetings for the Butte and Ramsay areas in February.(WJAR) - The director of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families said Wednesday that a worker was placed on leave after a 9-year-old Warwick girl with special needs was found dead in a filthy Warwick home.

DCYF Director Trista Piccola became emotional at a morning news conference as she addressed the girl's death.

"I want to start by just acknowledging why we're here this morning. On January 3, a little girl died," Piccola said, fighting back tears.

The girl was found dead in a bathtub. Her adoptive mother, Michele Rothgeb, was arrested Sunday.

Piccola said eight children were placed in the care of just one adult and that Rothgeb received monthly payments for each child she adopted.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2MgGKvLDuring a court hearing Thursday, Assistant States Attorney David Mullner said the toddler's father notified authorities after walking into a room and seeing Waldon assaulting the child after a shower on Jan. 8 last year.Whenever anti-Semitism is used as a wedge to create divisions between Jews and other marginalized groups, Jews staying at the table is an act of resistance, said Shahanna McKinney-Baldon, one of the leaders of the coalition, who plans to attend the national march in Washington, D.C., this weekend. In this situation, for Jewish Women of Color, who live in the intersections among racism, anti-Semitism and sexism, it is imperative that we not only stay at the table, but put ourselves at the center."We are going to be running at just about full capacity again this year after the pandemic last year," said Director of Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation PJ Holm. Read morePerson of interest in arson investigation at the former strip club, Club Playpen, in northeast Portland. (Images: Crime Stoppers of Oregon)Court docs: Man suspected of at least 20 burglaries in Washington Co. has long criminal historyAuburn, IN (46706)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High near 85F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds early with showers likely late, and a thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.Michael Lykoudis, chair of the Driehaus Prize jury and dean of the Notre Dame architecture school, said in a statement: Maurice Culot has had a remarkable influence on generations of architects and urbanists, leading the retrieval and dissemination of knowledge about what makes a city vibrant and livable.When those two things stopped, I knew I had to change the way people thought about me. My manager said I had to be willing to take a chance to let people know I could do something else. That's when I did the play Wit' in New York for six months. I shaved my head and was naked at the end of the play. It was a daunting experience, but it was something I knew I had to do.The Realistic Joneses: The four Joneses attempt to muddle through the strange and amazing moments of each day knowing that "talking with someone can make you feel better," but fearing that actual communication may not be a possibility. Through March 9 by Shattered Globe at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.; 773-975-8150 and www.sgtheatre.orgMissouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr speaks to reporters Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2018, during a press conference in the House Lounge of the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Haahr was elected by colleagues to the top leadership position earlier Wednesday, which was the first day of the 2019 legislative session.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shook things up Wednesday by "suggesting" President Donald Trump work with her to reschedule the January 29 State of the Union address -- or just submit it in writing.As for Urban, whose gentle lyricism I encountered often during the early 1990s in the band Som Brasil, Levy hears in his trumpet work a very concentrated musical intelligence. Hes always searching for the right notes to play, and he has an ironic sense of humor and was inspired a lot by Woody Shaw, I would say. It was kind of an outward reaching playing.ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- Detectives in the Major Case Squad of St. Louis charged a man with the murder of a 68-year-old while investigating a murder the suspect was previously charged for early this week, police say.

Police ID man found dead in car near North County high school Police have identified the man who was found dead in North County late Monday morning.

Prosecutors have charged 53-year-old Jeffrey E. Tod with murder in the second-degree connected to the murder investigation of Deandre Moore, 41, of St. Louis.

Moore was discovered dead from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle near McCluer High School on December 10, 2018.

Tod was charged with murder in the second-degree Sunday evening in connection to the death of 68-year-old Kenneth Alvern Linzie in Calverton Park, the first homicide in the citys history.

While investigating the death of Linzie, detectives were able to connect the deaths of Linzie and Deandre Moore to Tod.

No bond has been authorized for Tod.BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany should finish the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline despite U.S. opposition and growing domestic concerns, but future energy projects should be coordinated by the European Union, a veteran German diplomat said on Thursday.

Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, said the initial birth defect of the $11 billion project was the fact that European treaties had allowed the German government to deem the project as purely commercial.

In fact, he told reporters, it was clear that such a large project clearly had a political nature, particularly given Russias annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014 and other actions in recent years.

The pipeline, which would carry gas straight to Germany under the Baltic Sea, has been criticized in some quarters because it would deprive Ukraine of lucrative gas transit fees, potentially making Kiev more vulnerable in the future.

Germany and Russia have been at odds since Moscow annexed Crimea, but both countries have a common interest in the pipeline, which will double capacity of the current route.

Russian gas giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) is building the project jointly with Western partners Uniper (UN01.DE), Wintershall (BASFn.DE), Engie (ENGIE.PA), OMV (OMVV.VI) and Shell (RDSa.AS).

Ischinger cautioned against abandoning the project as it neared its completion date of late 2019, citing German foreign policys focus on consistency and sustainability. Saying forget it now would not be good German foreign policy.

The U.S. ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, drew fire this week for telling German companies involved in the project that they could face sanctions if they continued with the plan that is already far advanced.

Germany says U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2 would be the wrong way to solve the dispute.WYOMING, Mich., Jan 17 (Reuters) - Bob Roth makes no bones about his feelings towards U.S. manufacturing.

The co-owner and chief executive of RoMan Manufacturing Inc, which makes transformers and glass-molding equipment for automakers and other industries, asks callers on his voicemail: "What have you done today to support U.S. manufacturing?"

His procurement team has been under long-standing orders to source all parts and materials as near as possible to his western Michigan factory, even with President Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum.

But with those tariffs dragging into a new year and steel comprising a quarter of RoMan's fixed costs, Roth says his company has now begun the lengthy process of switching from its U.S. suppliers to an Israeli company for a key component for its products.

It is a strategic decision that RoMan and other auto suppliers have put off since the tariffs kicked in last spring. With tariffs firmly part of the landscape, some are now starting to shift their own supply chain to keep costs in check, according to more than a dozen interviews with U.S. auto suppliers and industry consultants.

The choice is stark for most suppliers: absorb the extra cost, pass them on to customers or find ways to slash material costs.

The transformers Roth's 150 workers at RoMan produce require a magnetized steel core that is now more expensive as tariffs have allowed U.S. steel producers to raise prices. The Israeli supplier has access to cheaper steel and its cores qualify as finished products, so they are not subject to tariffs - making them a cheaper alternative.

"We don't have the money to buy our way out problems like this," Roth said of RoMan, which has annual revenue of around $35 million. "In the long run we can't afford to absorb the extra cost of tariffs."

Roth says he appreciates the sentiment behind Trump's push to bring back American manufacturers jobs, but adds tariffs are "the wrong tool" because they hurt U.S. firms.

Trade consulting firm Trade Partnership Worldwide LLC estimated last summer metals tariffs could cost 5,000 jobs in the U.S. auto industry and 400,000 jobs overall - 16 jobs lost for every steel or aluminum worker hired. But so far there is little data available on how tariffs affect businesses such as RoMan because the process of switching suppliers is a long one and many manufacturers have muddled through so far.

Steven Wybo, a managing director at consultancy Conway MacKenzie, said "every single auto supplier we are working with has concerns around tariffs," and he worries they come at an already challenging time for the sector.

Suppliers are gearing up for a large number of vehicle launches over the next three years, an expensive business, while also bracing for an expected decline in U.S. new vehicle sales. And some in the sector will bear the brunt of restructuring at Ford Motor Co General Motors Co , which are dropping less-popular sedan models. Adding tariffs to the mix can require a creative approach.

RoMan, for instance, splits half of a 10 percent tariff with a Chinese customer on transformers subject to retaliatory measures against U.S. manufacturers. RoMan will raise some prices 2 percent this month to partially offset rising copper prices.

Warren, Michigan-based Eckhart Inc - which books about $100 million in annual sales by building robots and automated tools for GM, Volvo and Tesla Inc and other automakers - must absorb the tariffs or run the risk of losing out in competitive bids.

So Eckhart has focused on cutting costs, including rolling out a new U.S. purchasing system for raw materials, CEO Andrew Storm said.

"We have to fight for every single dollar of revenue that comes in the door," Storm said. "So we find ways to eat the extra cost."

That is why RoMan is seeking alternative suppliers to cut costs - and it takes a long time to ensure a new supplier is financially sound and can consistently hit industry standards. Months into that process, RoMan is only now validating test parts produced by its potential new Israeli supplier.

"You can't turn your supply chain on a dime," said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR).

Dziczek said she gets calls "all the time" from suppliers wondering whether to overhaul their supply chain, and yet worrying that if they do, Trump may reverse policy overnight.

LOSING BUSINESS

The issue stretches up and down the supply chain for cars. Ford and GM have already warned metals tariffs will cost them $1 billion each in profits, setting in motion a complex dance over who foots the bill. If automakers have to cover the cost, they typically raise vehicle prices to pass it onto consumers. Just this week, a Toyota Motor Corp executive said industry wide tariffs have increased the average U.S. vehicle price by around $600.

Peter Bible, chief risk officer at tax advisory firm EisnerAmper and former chief accounting officer at GM, said suppliers making parts for less-popular vehicles will have trouble passing on higher costs. Automakers will resist price increases, but will be also be wary of pushing suppliers too hard, Bible said.

Problems at a single supplier can be disastrous, as Ford discovered last May when a fire at a supplier halted production of some highly-profitable pickup trucks. Some suppliers have adapted quickly to cut costs.

They have cost Gentherm Inc , which makes climate control systems for vehicles and had revenue of close to $1 billion in 2017, a "few million" dollars, according to CEO Phil Eyler.

"We've worked really fast to change supplier locations in a couple cases," he said.

Mark Wakefield, a managing director at consultancy AlixPartners, said suppliers providing more commoditized parts will find adjusting harder.

That's the case for Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Pridgeon & Clay, which supplies stamped steel and stainless steel parts to automakers, with annual revenue of more than $350 million.

Third-generation owner Kevin Clay has lost business to low-cost overseas competitors in India who use cheaper tariff-free steel, and whose finished products are not subject to Trump's U.S. tariffs.

Metal tariffs have shaved 25 percent off Clay's pre-tax profit. Banks still wary of his sector following the Great Recession are growing reluctant to issue loans, and his company has mothballed some spending plans and cut staff more than usual for this time of year, according to Clay.

"These tariffs have cost me business," said Clay, who describes himself as a moderate conservative who fervently believes in free trade. "If the aim is to get to a tariff-free world, this is a crappy way to get there."

(Additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; editing by Joe White and Edward Tobin)By Sanjana Shivdas

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Top U.S. aluminum producer Alcoa Corp beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Wednesday, buoyed by strength in its alumina segment, but shares slipped after the company did not provide a closely watched profit measure for the full year.

The company's shares were down 1.6 percent in extended trading, reversing course after rising as much as 3.5 percent to $30.

Alcoa Chief Financial Officer William Oplinger said on a post-earnings call that the company was eliminating "the poorly point-in-time full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization outlook" given the unprecedented market volatility.

Alcoa said it expected the global aluminum deficit to extend into 2019 and estimated that its aluminum shipments would decline 500,000 to 600,000 tons year over year.

"Demand growth for primary aluminum in 2019 is expected to be robust, with global consumption growth in the range of 3 percent to 4 percent, driven by continued strong growth in China," Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey said on the call.

The company said it expected an alumina surplus in China in 2019, driven by refinery expansions and lower-than-expected smelting production.

Strong sales of alumina to third-party smelters, which jumped 20.8 percent to $1.13 billion, helped the company counter a fall in aluminum prices.

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa has reaped mixed benefits from President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports into the United States. The company has been hit by imports from its smelter in Canada.

Alcoa, which is shuttering two of its aluminum plants in Spain, said it expected an annual net income improvement of $70 million to $80 million beginning in the third quarter of 2019 from the closures.

Benchmark three-month aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange fell 5.7 percent in December, the steepest monthly drop since June, as the United States said it would withdraw its sanctions on Russian aluminum giant Rusal.

Net income attributable to Alcoa was $43 million, or 23 cents per share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of $196 million, or $1.06 per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 5.4 percent to $3.34 billion.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned 66 cents per share. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 50 cents per share, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Peter Cooney)They called his quixotic little mutual fund Bogles Folly, a sure path to mediocrity and even un-American after he introduced it in 1976. But Vanguard founder John C. Bogle  who died Wednesday, Jan. 16, at age 89  had the last laugh. Vanguard has grown into a $5.3 trillion juggernaut with 16,600 employees worldwide, making it one of the worlds largest investment companies. And what has fueled (and continues to fuel) its long-lasting growth is low-cost investing, in general, and the index fund, in particular. Bogles many admirers called him Saint Jack for his efforts to slash investing costs. His thoughts and investing lessons inspired a popular investment website, Bogleheads.org, which describes itself as offering investing advice inspired by John Bogle. He authored numerous books, almost all after leaving Vanguard in 1999, and they all made the same basic point: Costs are virtually everything in investing, and index funds are the best way to deliver low costs. Bogle was fortunate enough to live to see his ideas not just triumph, but become conventional wisdom. At Vanguard, he worked relentlessly for 20 years to cut fund costs. He launched product after product, seemingly unable to find a corner of the market that didnt deserve an index fund.

They grew slowly at first. Until the 2000s, index funds were never the main event. In the 1980s and 1990s, the brilliant, gun-slinging mutual-fund manager was the star. Find the right manager, and you could make a fortune  those were the words that inspired many of us. Indeed, Vanguard itself has its share of good, actively managed funds; Bogle was instrumental in starting many of them, too. Most notably, he commissioned Wellington Management and Primecap to each mange several Vanguard funds. A Young Bogle Draws His Plan The son of a World War I veteran who lost his fortune in the Great Depression, Bogle was a man who always watched his nickels and dimes. Born in 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey, he won a scholarship to the Blair Academy, where he was voted most likely to succeed by his classmates. Even then he showed an unusual aptitude with numbers. In later years, a colleague at Vanguard said Bogle could run his finger down a lengthy column of numbers and instantly point out a mistake. He won a scholarship to Princeton University, where he waited on tables to make ends meet. Bogles senior thesis, penned in 1951, offered a stunningly accurate roadmap of the future course of his life. Everything he did was basically laid out in his thesis. Investment companies should be operated in the most efficient, honest, and economical way possible, a young Bogle wrote. Future growth can be maximized by reducing sales charges and management fees, he posited. The principal role of the investment company should be to serve its shareholders.

Such thinking was anathema on Wall Street at the time. (Indeed, in many ways, it still is.) Stock brokers charged huge commissions on stock trades. Mutual funds typically imposed large front-end loads, up to 8.5%, and annual fees of well more than 1%. But Bogle opened the door to another way to run a fund company. By charging dirt-cheap fees, Vanguards funds gained ground on their rivals. As the low-cost advantage attracted more investment dollars, Vanguard could afford to cut its prices further, continuing the cycle. Whats more, Bogle brought to Vanguard the radical notion that a mutual fund firm should be run like a mutual insurance company. Its customers (investors) should be the owners of the funds; thus, only one set of shareholders could profit from them. Vanguard had no outside shareholders, so it had no incentive to turn a profit and could run its funds at cost for shareholders. If a statue is ever erected to honor the person who has done the most for American investors, the hands-down choice should be Jack Bogle, Warren Buffett once said. Indeed, a statue of Bogle has stood for years on the Vanguard campus in Malvern, Pennsylvania. After college, Bogle went to work at Wellington Management, rising through the ranks to become president in 1967. That same year, Bogle made one of his first few major missteps  a merger with an aggressive set of managers in the Go-Go 1960s. When the bottom fell out of the market in the early 1970s, the firms funds crashed, too. Bogle was fired in 1974.ROCHESTER, Minn.  A man reportedly found in bed with a 14-year-old is pleading not guilty to 4th degree criminal sexual conduct.

Robert William Vidales, 20 of Rochester, was arrested on December 8, 2018. The mother of the teenage girl told police she found Vidales in their home wearing only underwear and socks. Officers say Vidales ran out of the home and was arrested down the street.

His trial is scheduled for July 22.MASON CITY, Iowa  The third suspect in a violent Mason City home invasion has been arrested.

Camden Michael Nicholson, 17, is charged with 1st degree robbery.



Joseph Jaskiel Joseph Jaskiel

The Mason City Police Department says Nicholson, along with a 15-year-old male and Joseph Ryan Jaskiel, 16 of Mason City, entered a womans home in the 800 block of 8th Street NE at around 11 pm on December 27, 2018, and robbed and assaulted her.

According to court documents, Nicholson forced the woman to the floor and choked her until she went unconscious. Law enforcement says one or more of the teens also threatened to stab the woman with a knife. The three are accused of then stealing jewelry and electronics from the womans home and leaving her behind without calling anyone to help her.

Jaskiel and the 15-year-old, who are also charged with 1st degree robbery, were arrested on January 3. A warrant was issued for Nicholson, who was believed to be out of state, and he made his first court appearance Wednesday in Mason City.KIMT NEWS 3  Emotions are running high at the Minnesota Capitol Wednesday as a debate got underway about whether to legalize recreational marijuana.

Its a debate thats trickling over to our own community.

I would say pass it immediately, Jonathan Hutchison, of Rochester, said. It would help a lot of people out.

Hutchison battles epilepsy, and benefitted from medical marijuana until finances got in the way.

It just costs way too much, Hutchison said, and I think that's a lot of people and that's making a lot of people get meds.

He thinks recreational marijuana would provide health benefits. Others say the substance would cause more harm than good.

I'm not in favor of that because if the people try it once, they can be engaged with that, Enid Campos, of Rochester, said, and they can try it once more and they can become addicted.

If lawmakers do legalize recreational marijuana, it could have an impact on what they do at medical marijuana dispensaries.

Minnesota Medical Solutions has an office in Rochester.

Their CEO Dr. Jay Westwater released the following statement: Recreational use of cannabis has not been part of Minnesota Medical Solution's business model, so legalization is not something we are advocating nor opposing in any way. Our only concern is that if cannabis is legalized in Minnesota, it is done with great intentionality to protect existing medical cannabis patients.

It's a continuing battle that could impact the system the state already has in place, and an ongoing conversation at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Gov. Tim Walz has said he supports legalizing recreational marijuana in Minnesota.AUSTIN, Minn.  An Owatonna man is pleading not guilty to robbery and assault in Mower County.

Tyjuan Lavelle Williams, 31, was arrested in December 2018 and charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of 2nd degree assault, and domestic assault. Law enforcement says Williams went to his girlfriends apartment on October 25, 2018, and attacked her roommate. The victim says Williams punched her in the face several times and held a knife to her left side.

Authorities say that after the assault, Williams stole the roommates cell phone and the cell phone of a male visitor to the apartment, then threw his girlfriends cell phone against the wall.

Williams trial is now set for February 25. He remains in the Mower County Jail on $125,000 bond.WINNESHIEK COUNTY, Iowa - The Winneshiek County Sheriffs Office has a warning for residents.

The Winneshiek County Sheriffs Office is warning area residents of a male subject that has been reported going door to door at night inquiring about residents insurance needs and previous claims, the Sheriffs Office said Thursday. Subject has been seen wearing a snowmobile jacket, shiny dress shoes/cowboy boots and driving a car with a loud muffler.

If anyone has any additional information they are asked to call the Sheriffs Office, and if you feel you are in danger to call 911.ROCHESTER, Minn. - Greg Wimmer experimented just like other young people.

"Yes, I have smoked pot," Wimmer said.

Everyone around him did.

"Everybody I knew did, so what are you supposed to say, like, oh, no I didn't inhale."

But as a parent, he understands the concerns some families have if their teenagers have access to it.

"It is not a good thing at that age," Wimmer said. "Like, a lot of things you are not supposed to. You have to wait until you are older."

New research also says marijuana can be worse for you than alcohol, but he says the two are hand-in-hand.

"I never knew people that just smoked pot without drinking, so that's another catch."

As for whether or not Minnesota should legalize it, Wimmer says it should be considered.

"I guess we'll see because it hasn't been working that well the other way around, so maybe you have to adjust again."ROCHESTER, Minn. - Rapid growth and low unemployment are making it tough for companies to staff and maintain skilled workers.

A Minnesota state grant is aimed at changing that by brining Rochester Community and Technical College and Crenlo Manufacturing together.

It's called the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant, and it's nearly $50,000.

The hope is that it will give on-the-job traiing to employees looking for job advancement.

Brent Brockman, of Crenle, thinks it help them be a more competitive employer in the city.

"We want to take a proactive approach as a company and be able to develop a program," Brockman said. "[We're] very excited for our employees to be able to offer this here at Crenlo, and to develop a training curriculum that's going to support the growth of the business."

Between their two plants in Rochester, Crenlo has about 25 job openings.LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A federal trial in Nebraska has been pushed to March for a man suspected of being the "AK-47 bandit," who investigators believe robbed banks in five states.

Gathercole is suspected of robbing the Iowa Heartland Credit Union in Mason City in 2015. He has not been charged in Cerro Gordo County.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that a federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion by Richard Gathercole for a new court-appointed attorney and set trial for March 25.

Gathercole has pleaded not guilty to robbery and other charges. He's accused of stealing more than $90,000 in August 2014 from a bank in Nebraska City, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Omaha.

Officials believe Gathercole carried an AK-47 while robbing banks in California, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska and Washington.

Gathercole, of Roundup, Montana, was arrested in June 2017 near Lexington, Nebraska, after a sheriff's deputy spotted a pickup truck that Kansas authorities had reported stolen by a man who fired at a state trooper.AUSTIN, Minn. - On Wednesday, the Cedar River Watershed Partnership held a 'Partnering for Profitability' program at the Hormel Sales Cabin. The Cedar River Watershed Partnership is a collaboration between Central Farm Service, Land O' Lakes SUSTAIN, Hormel Foods, Mower Soil and Water Conservation District, Minnesota Water Quality, and Environmental Initiative.

They met with local farmers to discuss how they can implement new farming strategies to protect the soil, water, and overall health of their farmland. Farmer Jason Louks spoke on a panel at the program. He has already made changes at his farm to be more environmentally sustainable, and is encouraging other farmers to do the same. "We're not gonna contaminate something and feed it to our family, we're not going to do that to the general public either. We want to produce healthy, quality products and we want to sustain our environment and keep it for future generations."MANTORVILLE, Minn.  A Dodge Center man is now facing charges for a fatal crash.

Tanner Ronald Kruckeberg, 24, is accused of two counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Charges were filed Wednesday for a two-vehicle collision involving Kruckeberg on September 7, 2018.

The Minnesota State Patrol says Kruckeberg was driving the Hummer that smashed into the car driven by Rachel Marie Harberts of Dodge Center. The Patrol says Harberts was stopped on Highway 14 and waiting to turn left onto County Road 3 when Kruckeberg struck her from behind.

According to court documents, Kruckeberg admitted to law enforcement he was talking to someone on his cellphone while driving and when the call ended, Kruckeberg looked down to manually hang up. A State Trooper says when Kruckeberg looked up, he saw Harberts car right in front of him.

The State Patrol says their examination of the scene did not find any evidence of hard braking from Kruckeberg before the crash.

Harberts 8-year-old daughter Emerson was killed in the collision, while Harberts and her 12-year-old son Jaxon were taken to the hospital. Harberts herself later died from her injuries.One from the Heart, directed by Francis Coppola, released in 1982. Like Scorsese, Coppola loved the musical form and its dramatic possibilities, along with the visual landscape of soundstage illusions. This Las Vegas love story was shot in the Zoetrope facilities in San Francisco. According to production designer Dean Tavoularis, interviewed for a behind-the-scenes video feature, Francis said, Why dont we do the whole movie on the stage? Tavoularis doubted he could do that, given the scripts scenes depicting traffic jams along the Strip and shots of McCarran Airport. Well, the director said, think of a way to do it. Tavoularis solution included a 50-foot chunk of a real DC-7.Shot in 2016, with TVs in the background droning on about Trump vs. Clinton in the upcoming election, Life and Nothing More sides with just about everyone on screen at once. There are no easy villains or cardboard heroes, only human beings who might, as one man tells Andrew early on, make a stupid decision to make a little fast money. There is no easy money in this corner of America. Regina Williams, the powerhouse of the films unerring pickup ensemble, keeps tripping over her own short fuse, blowing her stack and mishandling her children. Yet shes full of love and stubborn resolve.ROSEBURG, Ore. -- A former Roseburg attorney accused of raping a teenage girl is back in custody Wednesday after he didnt show up for his trial last year.

In court documents, police said Sean Handlery, 38, knew the girl, and she was 15 when the abuse began. They said it ended after a year in February 2016.

Police said the girl handed over text messages, Facebook messages and notebooks that clearly showed they were having sex. In some of the messages, Handlery wrote about his concerns about being arrested and going to jail if anyone found out.

She told police they had sex at several different locations, including his house and office.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Handlery failed to appear in court in October. Deputies located Handlery Monday at 12:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Swiftwater Road in the Idleyld Park area. Officials had received information the man was possibly camping or living there.EUGENE, Ore. -- Eugene city councilors held a work session Wednesday to discuss adding a fee to some single-use items in grocery stores and restaurants.

In Eugene, you can no longer get a plastic bag for free, and you have to pay five cents for a paper one. The new proposal would add a fee to some single-use items like plastic lids, stirrers, food wrappers and plastic containers, but councilors did not say exactly how much the fee would be.

RELATED: Legislature to weigh statewide plastic bag tax, straw ban

Restaurants also wouldn't be able to give customers single-use straws unless they asked for one, and they would have to pay more for new environmentally-friendly items.

However, one employee KEZI 9 News spoke with said more people have been asking for these items for the past five years.

"Additional costs now will make up for stuff in the future hopefully for businesses," Springfield resident Alicia Lundeen said.

Lundeen says some people look for restaurants that are environmentally friendly and do not mind paying more.

Some councilors said they're worried about the consequences the proposal could have, especially on low-income families, but others said the move is essential for our environment.

The council voted to hold another work session on the idea instead of moving it to a public hearing, saying they have more questions than answers.31 Shares Share

In medical school, we learn about Brocas area, the region of the brain that when injured prevents a person from translating their thoughts into spoken word. When this area is damaged, from a stroke or traumatic injury, the person can hear a partner declare their love or a child cry, but are unable to vocalize a response. Silenced by their injury, their voice is trapped.

In a similar way, as medical students, like the consequences of an injury to Brocas area, we may hear and intimately know the experiences of gender violence, but we are unable to share. Our voices are trapped and silenced, exacerbated by the hierarchical and apprentice-based training environment, further constrained by a complex policy and regulatory environment.

An unspoken epidemic

An alternative to using our voices is to use data, public health statistics and numbers may tell our stories more safely. But in medicine, those numbers by and large dont exist. The recently published report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on sexual harassment in academia unveils the pervasive issue of gender violence in medical training. The findings from the report found that women medical students were 220 percent more likely than non-science students to experience sexual harassment and that nearly half of women medical students experienced sexual harassment from faculty.

And yet this study  essentially the only published of its kind  is limited in scope. The data were collected at only two medical schools and does not include peer-to-peer or patient violence. In effect, medical schools have failed to survey students about gender violence during training with the rigor necessary to understand the topic.

What we do know about gender violence is largely from the general population. Gender violence occurs along a continuum  from harassment, obscenity, stalking, sexual assault, to trafficking  and is pervasive in the U.S, with 23 million women reporting an experience with rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, and one in four female college students are sexual assault survivors. Gender violence is a public health epidemic.

Medicine is approaching its own #MeToo moment, as seen by recent events, including: the criminal charges of sexual misconduct by prominent physician leader, Dr. Thomas Frieden; the prestigious promotion and subsequent demotion of Yale professor Dr. Michael Simon; and the sexual harassment lawsuits at academic health centers: Dartmouth, University of California San Francisco, and the University of Maryland. Federal lawsTitle VII, Title IX, the Clery Act  have long mandated institutional responses to remedy gender violence at federally funded institutions; however, few of these mandated processes are survivor-centered, and institutional violations are all too common.

Further, proposed changes to Title IX guidance, which is undergoing the public Notice and Comment process, would weaken an already frail system for addressing gender violence in academic settings. The new rules would give institutions the option to demand a higher evidentiary standard to adjudicate investigations and would not require the investigation of off-campus offenses. This is particularly problematic for medical trainees because our training requires us to travel for residency interviews, away rotations, and conferences.

Addressing gender violence in medicine

As we look for solutions to address gender violence in medicine, in a rapidly evolving federal context, one stop-gap option is the use of privileged or confidential advocates. Advocates do not exist at every institution, and their specific protections vary by state. Advocates provide people who have experienced gender violence with information about institutional, criminal and civil actions, as well as non-reporting alternatives. Importantly, advocates are protected from subpoenas and exempt from Title IX reporting.

This year, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) took steps to improve resources for students, residents, faculty, and staff experiencing gender violence by building an advocacy program. In February, OHSU held its first community listening session on sexual harassment, convened by prominent women-identified institutional leaders. During the listening session, we drafted and read a letter to a filled lecture hall, outlining how to improve access to gender violence resources. With support from faculty champions and the Title IX office this effort led to the funding and establishment of a campus-wide gender violence program.

Although there is certainly more to do, an early win like this sends a powerful message to the house of medicine that experiencing gender violence during training should not be the price of admission to the profession. We urge the medical education community to take four fundamental steps:

Research. Medical schools and regulatory bodies  including the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association  fail to collect data on gender violence using evidence-based tools, such as the ARC 3 campus climate survey. Each year, thousands of medical students, residents, and fellows receive surveys that fall below the scholarly standards of sociology, criminology and gender studies.

Resources. Institutions must invest in support services for students who experience gender violence, such as advocates. Institutions must look to the lessons learned in other contexts (e.g., college campuses) and invest and translate evidence-based prevention interventions to medicine.

Regulation and policy scan. Medical education leaders must assess how organizational and national policies impact trainees who are gender violence survivors and offenders. There are many policy domains to study, including federal grant funding, medical specialty organizations and honorary societies, academic conferences and educational protection policies for clinical students.

Reconceptualize. Many contemporary solutions to addressing gender violence focus on the criminal justice system. Although that may work well for some, students would benefit from additional options. Institutions should learn about other models  like restorative justice  for resolution. Leaders and researchers at UC Davis are using this modality to address learner mistreatment in medical school.

Healing this system will take time and effort from those with the power to create change. Like the stroke survivor who seeks to use her voice, we are using the tools available to us, albeit limited, to translate the stories that we hear into action. Together, we can and should expect medicine to be a violence-free learning environment.

Support services

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and the Clery Act are federal laws that require educational programs to address and remedy any known sex and gender discrimination, including sexual assault and harassment on campus. All institutions that accept federal financial support are required to stop discrimination, prevent the recurrence of the behavior and mitigate its effects. Contact the Title IX Coordinator at your institution for more information about your rights and resources.

Some institutions have non-reporting, private resources on campus, such as privileged or confidential advocate programs (resources will vary by institution and state). If you need help navigating issues related to sexual assault or harassment, the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline is a free, 24/7 resource: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Kelsey Priest and Caroline King are medical students.

Image credit: Shutterstock.comEarlier this week, I delivered my second inaugural address as the 2019 legislative session kicked off. During the address, I outlined my vision to grow Nebraska during the next four years. The four pillars of that vision build upon work we have accomplished during the last few years: connecting Nebraskans to great-paying jobs; cutting red tape and improving services; controlling spending and cutting taxes; and promoting Nebraska.

As the session opens, I have been unveiling new initiatives to grow Nebraska. Recently, we announced a new veterans tax relief proposal, which has been receiving broad support, including an endorsement from the Lincoln Journal-Star editorial board. This past week, the University of Nebraska, along with our state colleges and community colleges, joined me to announce a new initiative to connect Nebraskans to high-paying jobs and great educational opportunities.

We are focused on connecting Nebraskans to great jobs because it gives individuals and families dignity, economic freedom and financial independence. In Nebraska, we are well-situated to connect people with improved job opportunities. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 2.8 percent. We have the fourth-highest workforce participation rate in the nation. And there are tens of thousands of openings on the states jobs website in any given month.The newly elected Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who is charged with overseeing elections in Nebraska, announced he is exploring voter ID legislation.

My great-grandparents migrated from Eastern Europe and settled in Lincoln in about 1885. Lincoln was still a small village when my great-grandparents arrived. Many came from Europe  Irish, Italians, Czechs, Scandinavians, Germans from Ukraine and Jews from Eastern Europe. Lincoln was a melting pot. Our whole country was and still is a melting pot.

Czarist Poland was not much different then than some of the Central American and Middle East countries are today, whose citizens want to come to our country. My great-grandfather left Poland at age 33 because living there was just plain hell. Jews were constantly attacked by Cossacks; their villages burned, women raped and men killed in vicious ways. They were denied education, property, the right to sell liquor, access to professions, and were not even citizens of their country of birth, despite some having lived there for centuries. And the vote? There were no elections, so no need to worry about voting.

The family of the current secretary of state came from that same part of the world and settled in Lincoln in 1906 for the same reasons. For both families, coming to Nebraska was like coming from a dungeon into the sun of freedom.Local donors and state legislative and educational leaders knew they had a winning idea on their hands in 2012 when the Nebraska Legislature approved $15 million in seed money to build the $19 million Health Science Education Complex at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Operated by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the HSEC trains 126 medical professionals per year in a rural setting at UNK with the belief that HSEC graduates will practice in rural Nebraska. Small towns and sparsely populated regions have fought for years to recruit and retain nurses, technicians and other professionals for local clinics, hospitals and care centers, but too frequently big-city lights lure away young professionals.

Its a sound idea to train medical professionals in a place like Kearney, where students from small-town Nebraska can study in a setting thats comfortable to them and assists them in answering their call to be caregivers and healers.

UNMCs HSEC at UNK addresses rural Nebraskas need for medical professionals.

We apologize for the alphabet soup in the previous sentence, but the next bit of good news calls for a second helping.Rudy Giuliani claimed Wednesday night that he "never said there was no collusion" between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

In a remarkable, and at times contentious, interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, the president's lawyer appeared to contradict his own past statements about collusion as well as what Trump and his supporters have repeatedly asserted. On Twitter, Trump has used the phrase "no collusion" dozens of times, and a number of those instances were direct denials that his campaign was involved with the Russian government.

Giuliani's shocking declarations - several of which Cuomo called out as being false - quickly sent the internet into a tailspin as many wondered what could have prompted the former New York mayor to suddenly change course.

The heated exchange, one of many that occurred during the roughly 20-minute long interview, began shortly after Giuliani raged about the amount of "false reporting" on the Russia investigation.

"Mr. Mayor, false reporting is saying that nobody in the campaign had any contacts with Russia," Cuomo responded. "False reporting is saying that there has been no suggestion of any kind of collusion between the campaign and any Russians."

Giuliani jumped to correct Cuomo.OMAHA  An Omaha in-home day care has been shuttered by the state because the owners husband has been accused of sexually assaulting a boy there for years.

Debra A. Harrison, doing business as Debs Day Care at 8328 Bedford Ave., no longer is allowed to provide care for any children other than her own, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

William Harrison, 62, has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child. He is listed in department records as the day cares secondary caregiver.

Omaha police officers on Friday interviewed a boy at Project Harmony who said that William Harrison had been sexually assaulting him for four years, starting when the boy was 8 years old and ending about a week ago. The boy told police that Harrison performed oral sex on him and forced him to have oral and anal sex. The alleged assaults occurred at the home, the boy told officers.

The father of the boy said his son had attended the day care when he was younger.

This has just been such an overwhelming deal as it is, he said.

Officers spoke to Harrison at his home and he admitted to the assaults, according to a court affidavit.LITCHFIELD  Seventy out of 126 students missed classes Wednesday at Litchfield Public Schools because of illness.

The epidemic led Litchfield Public Schools authorities to close the schools Thursday (today) and Friday, LPS superintendent Wade Finley said.

Some of the children in pre-kindergarten through 12th-grades have been diagnosed with Influenza A, while others showed symptoms of headaches and sore throats, according to Finley. Staff members had also become ill.

Finley said some children previously missed school because of illness, came back to school and were sick again.

We just cant get over the hump and kids are dropping, he said. Hopefully we can come back Monday and were a little healthier.

But Finley said he doesnt guarantee kids arent still going to be sick. He said he and other administrators, teachers and the school board just thought they should close the schools at this time.

Though sick students had received online assignments, Finley said the administration, staff and school board considered students missing important lessons.

How much are our teachers going to have to come back and teach the same thing anyway? Finley said.KEARNEY  The American Red Cross and Kearney Rotary clubs will install free smoke alarms, by appointment, for residents who register. To register, call 2-1-1 or visit www.getasmokealarm.org.

Through the Home Fire Campaign, volunteers will work alongside fire departments and other groups to canvas at-risk neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms, educate families about fire prevention and safety, and raise funds for this lifesaving mission.

Every day, seven people die in house fires. The Red Cross wants to prevent these needless tragedies. For more information, visit redcross.org/ks or follow @KSRedCross on Twitter.DENVER  A Minden, Neb., woman who had a warrant out for her arrest in Colorado turned herself in to law enforcement Wednesday to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department.

The Denver District Attorneys office issued a felony warrant on Dec. 31 for Shelley Biever, 65, of Minden for theft between $20,000 and $100,000; computer crime  theft between $1,000 and $20,000; computer crime  theft between $20,000 and $100,000; attempt to influence a public servant; and conspiracy to commit theft between $20,000 and $100,000. All violations are classified as felonies.

Biever formerly was employed as the volunteer coordinator at Kearney County Health Services in Minden. She currently is listed as an inmate at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. She is not eligible for bail. Her next scheduled court date is 10 a.m. Friday in Denver County Court.There can be different variations in that, which is unexpected, Martinez said. It makes the body want to move.

Born in Peru, Martinez came to the United States to learn English in 2002. He grew up listening to Latin music. For his 14th birthday, his mother gave him a guitar. He writes about the experience of playing a guitar, When I was singing, it felt like I was following someone elses rules. But when I played the guitar, I made my own rules.

While he enjoyed many types of music, he especially loved rumba and flamenco music. Martinez now teaches music at Union College in Lincoln.

Music in South America is our identity, the same as food, he said. But music is a big key in our families and our culture. I grew up with that and thats what I try to bring to my performances.

With his band, Jarana, Martinez hopes to help audiences understand the musical  and cultural  perspectives of South America.The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Wednesday that 21 Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen in Nebraska on Thursday, Friday and Tuesday to provide certain services to Nebraska ag producers.

The offices will be closed for the federal Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday.

According to Sen. Deb. Fischer, the services will help producers with existing farm loans and help ensure 1099 forms are distributed to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Services deadline.

I want to ensure that Nebraska agriculture producers are aware of this opportunity provided by the USDA on Jan. 17, 18 and 22, Fischer said. More than 20 Farm Service Agency offices across the state will reopen to provide limited, specific services. I encourage Nebraskans to closely review the services being offered and utilize them during this time.

Fischer is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Area FSA staff will be at the following locations that will be open:

 Broken Bow Service Center: 2519 Heritage Drive, Broken Bow, NE 68822; (308) 872-6877

 Grand Island Service Center: 703 S. Webb Road Suite A, Grand Island, NE 68803; (308) 395-8586MEDFORD, Ore. -- Three local businesses ranked among the top five thousand small, private companies across the country.

Rising Sun Farms (#2,817) in Phoenix, Rentec Direct (#4,193) and Kingsview Assest Management (#4,609) in Grants Pass all made the Inc. 5,000 list.

The heads of Rising Sun and Rentec say they started their businesses in the area because they wanted to raise a family here. They also offered advice for people wanting to start their own business: find your passion.

"I think about jobs I've had and other careers that people get themselves into where they're like, 'I have to go to work again today,' and that just isn't a recipe for success," said Nathan Miller, president and founder of Rentec, who says he's lived in Josephine County almost his entire life.

Elizabeth Fujas is the owner and operator of Rising Sun Farms. She's lived in the area for about 35 years. She says her business came "from the heart," and says others should find work that makes them fill fulfilled.

"Look to see what makes [you] happy," Fujas said. "Every day they're going to be coming to work saying, 'I want to be happy. I want to feel like I'm doing something; helping the universe.'"

Josephine County signed a proclamation today saying it's joining SOREDI and other partners to help bring in, and retain businesses.

This comes as welcome news to both Fujas and Miller, as the partnership goal with SOREDI is to make Southern Oregon the "most 'business friendly' region on the West Coast."

Fujas says she's struggled finding and retaining her work force, and is looking for a sustainable water source. Miller says he wants Grants Pass to invest in its downtown region, like the alleyway beautification project.

"I think it's great for citizens to encourage the cities and counties to do what they can to make the area attractive," Miller says.Mt. Shasta, Calif.  Deputies arrested a Mount Shasta man on Wednesday morning after he shot at a woman as she tried to drive away from him, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office (SCSO).

The incident began when deputies received a call about a "domestic disturbance and a possible suicidal man" at a house in the 800-block of Michelle Drive in an area outside the City of Mount Shasta.

The man involved would later be identified as 79-year-old Donald Hannan.

"At some point the verbal confrontation between the couple residing at the residence escalated and a female adult attempted to leave the home and drive away from the scene in her motor vehicle," SCSO said in a statement.

When the woman tried to leave the house in her car, Hannan allegedly grabbed a handgun and shot at her as she drove away. The victim drove herself to the Mt. Shasta Police Department and officers later brought her to the hospital.

Deputies arrived at the scene of the shooting and found themselves in a stand-off with Hannan, according to SCSO. Even as more police officers and state troopers arrived on the scene, an SCSO sergeant reportedly negotiated with the suspect  leading him to eventually surrender.

We are very pleased the actions of the responding SCSO sergeant, deputy, and allied-agency officers resulted in the peaceful resolution of this incident," said Sheriff Jon Lopey. "Preliminary reports indicate the victim was not injured as a result of the assault."

Hannan is charged with Attempted Murder and Discharging a Firearm at an Occupied Vehicle. SCSO detectives with their Major Crimes Unit are assisting with the investigation and follow-up.The Kansas City Police Department is investigating if impairment was a factor in a head-on, wrong-way, rollover crash that happened this morning. One driver died and the other has minor injuries.KCTV5.com is now with you on the go! Get the latest news updates and video, StormTrack5 weather forecast, weather radar, special investigative reports, sports headlines and much more from KCTV5 News.

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Copyright 2019 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press.KCTV5.com is now with you on the go! Get the latest news updates and video, StormTrack5 weather forecast, weather radar, special investigative reports, sports headlines and much more from KCTV5 News.

>> Click/tap here to download our free mobile app. <<

Copyright 2019 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.Iverson, whose grandfather founded the machine tools firm in Des Plaines, has made it a priority to encourage young people to consider manufacturing careers. He launched a nonprofit, Champion Now, to change perceptions about the industry, and wrote a book about his efforts. Still, his own three children, some of whom worked for a time at his company, have opted for white-collar jobs: one in marketing for an insurance company, another in financial services, another doing web development for a venture capital firm.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  Two universities from the country have been included in the Emerging Economies University Rankings for 2019 by data provider Times Higher Education (THE).

The results on Tuesday showed the University of the Philippines among the top 100 in the list, claiming the 87th spot. Meanwhile, De La Salle University was on the 251st to 300th bracket of the list.

China dominated the rankings with its Tsinghua University claiming the top spot, followed by the Peking University while India is the most represented country in the batch with 49 entries.

THE ranked the institutions based on the same performance indicators as their World University Rankings, except they are applied to universities under emerging economies.

THE's performance indicators are divided into five areas: teaching (the learning environment), research (volume, income and reputation); citation (Research influence); international outlook (staff, students and research) and industry income (knowledge transfer).

Universities are excluded from the list if they do not teach undergraduates or if they produce research publications fewer than 1,000 between 2013 and 2017, with a minimum of 150 per year. They will also be excluded if 80 percent or more of their research output is exclusively in one subject area.

Countries with emerging economies are classified under "advanced emerging", "secondary emerging" and "Frontier" based on a "quality of markets matrix" by the Financial Times Stock Exchange. The matrix takes into account the country's Gross National Product per capita, and credit rating among other criteria.

The Philippines is classified as a secondary emerging economy, which means it has not passed enough category benchmarks to be considered as an Advanced Emerging economy.Another Brazos Valley driver says he was illegally towed by a company operating in Northgate.

KBTX has received more than dozen complaints from vehicle owners who say they've been illegally towed by Roadrunners Towing & Recovery at the Coyote parking lot.

"I feel like I've been caught up in a cartoon, said Randy Hargrove, the driver who was towed.

Signs posted at the lot say you must pay if you walk away.

"I wasn't walking away without paying. I was walking to get change, said Hargrove.

That's when Roadrunners quickly towed his vehicle away.

Hargrove took his case to a Brazos County court and a judge ruled in his favor, but when he called the wrecker company to collect his money he was told they were appealing the ruling.

"Soon as she heard my name she said were not talking to you, said Hargrove.

Roadrunners owner Tom Chavers did not want to appear on camera.

In a phone conversation he told KBTX "If he [Hargrove] had gone to the judge instead of KBTX, he would know we have 30 days to pay or make an appeal. That's not right, we have a legal system and it doesn't include KBTX."

Hargrove doesn't understand why they just won't comply with the judge's ruling and pay him back.

"This whole thing is over five dollars and the bottom line is its not over five dollars. It's the $297 dollars that Roadrunners wants to hold on to," said Hargrove. "I'm just looking for the truth to be revealed and these people to be held accountable."

If you ever feel like you've been wrongfully towed, you have 14 days to request a hearing from a local justice of the peace.

What Are Your Rights?

When a tow truck tries to tow your car or after your car has been towed, you have certain rights as the car owner under the law.

Your rights:

If you return to your car and it is being hooked up to a tow truck but IT IS NOT FULLY hooked up and ready for towing, you can keep your car WITHOUT paying a CHARGE. You do not need to prove ownership of the car in this instance.

If you return to your car and IT IS FULLY HOOKED UP, READY FOR TOWING, BUT HAS NOT LEFT THE PARKING LOT, you may keep your car but YOU MUST PAY A DROP FEE. You do not need to prove ownership of the car in this instance either.

If your car has been towed from a parking lot, you can find your car by calling the phone number on the no parking sign. You can recover your car from the vehicle storage facility (VSF) after documenting that you are the owner (or allowed user) and paying the towing and storage fees.

You may request a TOW HEARING at any Justice of the Peace Court in the county where your car was towed if you believe your car was wrongfully towed, stored or booted; or if you were charged more than the allowed fee.

You must request a tow hearing from the court within 14 days of the tow.

HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT

Consumers may file a complaint online through the TDLR website regarding a tow company, tow operator, car storage facility or their employees, or a booting company or their employees.

Filing a complaint with TDLR is not a substitute for requesting a tow hearing; however, you may do both.

Full statement from Dixie Chicken, Inc., the owners of the Coyote lotHere are key dates in Sudan since Omar al-Bashir came to power almost three decades ago.

 1989: coup 

In June 1989 army brigadier Bashir seizes power in a coup backed by Islamist ideologue Hassan al-Turabi.

Sudan then hosts radical Islamists, including Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who remains until 1996.

A leadership power struggle erupts in 1999 and Bashir forces Turabi from the ruling circle.

 2003: rebellion in Darfur 

In 2003 a rebellion erupts in the vast western region of Darfur, which complains of economic and political marginalisation.

The conflict, which has largely diminished in recent years, has killed some 300,000 people and displaced nearly 2.5 million, the United Nations says.

The International Criminal Court in 2009 indicts Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, and a year later for genocide. Bashir denies the charges.

 2005: civil war ends 

Khartoum signs a peace treaty in 2005 with southern rebels after a north-south civil war that lasted more than two decades, leaving two million people dead and a further four million displaced.

The agreement schedules a referendum on independence for 2011.

 2010: vote boycotted 

In 2010 Bashir is elected in the first multiparty election since 1986, but voting is boycotted by the opposition and criticised abroad.

He is re-elected in 2015.

 2011: South Sudan born 

In July 2011 South Sudan breaks away, six months after a referendum overwhelmingly approves independence.

Around the same time, the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army-North launches insurgencies in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

 2012: war for oil 

In early 2012 fighting breaks out along the border between Sudan and South Sudan over oil fields in an area claimed by both.

South Sudan shuts off oil production for more than a year, hitting the economies of both countries badly.

 2013: deadly demonstrations 

Khartoum lifts petrol subsidies in late 2013, causing prices to rocket by more than 60 percent and sparking broad public anger.

Demonstrations turn into anti-government protests and the security forces respond with force. Amnesty International says more than 200 people were shot dead, while the government puts the toll at dozens.

 2016: Darfur referendum 

Darfur holds a referendum in April 2016 on whether to unify its five states, a long-standing demand of rebels seeking greater autonomy.

The poll is boycotted by the opposition and criticised internationally, with the result backing the five-state division of the region.

In August negotiations fail between the regime and rebels on a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

The following month Amnesty International says government forces used suspected chemical weapons in 2016 in Darfur, killing scores of civilians. Khartoum denies the allegations.

In November Sudan hikes fuel prices by around 30 percent, sparking new nationwide strikes.

 2017: US embargo ends 

In October 2017 the United States ends its 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan, imposed over Khartoums alleged support for Islamist militant groups.

But Washington does not drop it from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

 2018: food price protests 

In early 2018 demonstrations erupt over soaring food prices, notably of bread which has almost doubled. They are swiftly dispersed and opposition leaders and activists are rounded up.

In August the ruling party nominates Bashir as its candidate for the 2020 presidential election, despite the constitution having a two-term limit.

On December 19, protests begin in several towns after the government triples the price of bread, soon turning into rolling nationwide anti-government rallies.

The deadly demonstrations continue into 2019, with some political groups calling for a new regime.The International Criminal Court on Wednesday dashed Ivory Coast ex-president Laurent Gbagbos hopes of a swift release following his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity.

Trial judges had earlier ordered Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude to be immediately freed after clearing them of any role in a wave of post-electoral violence in 2010-2011 that killed 3,000 people.

Celebrations erupted outside the court and Gbagbos daughter said he planned an emotional homecoming to the Ivory Coast, after seven years in detention.

But prosecutors filed a last-ditch challenge late Wednesday to keep the pair behind bars while the ICC looks at an overall appeal against Tuesdays decision to acquit them.

Pending the decision of the appeals chamber on this prosecutors request Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ble Goude shall remain in ICC custody, an ICC spokesman said.

The Ivorian pair can themselves appeal by a deadline of 1100 GMT on Thursday.

Prosecutors say there is a risk that if released now, Gbagbo and Ble Goude will refuse to return to face justice if the court later decides to overturn their acquittal.

The courts decision to clear the two men had come as a major blow to ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, as it was the latest in a series of failed cases against former African leaders.

Gbagbo and Ble Goude have been on trial since January 2016 over the bloodshed that gripped the former French colony after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to his bitter rival, and now president, Alassane Ouattara in a presidential vote.

Judges stopped the trial midway on Tuesday due to an exceptionally weak prosecution case, and earlier on Wednesday they rejected an initial bid by prosecutors to keep Gbagbo behind bars.

 Overwhelmed with joy 

Gbagbos daughter Marie Laurence had said her father planned to return home after his release.

We are so overwhelmed with joy, we are proud of Dad. He went through it with dignity, she told reporters outside the ICC following the earlier decision.

We think that it was for a cause and that the message was clear  an innocent standing for Africa. Justice prevailed, the truth came out, she added.

We assume that the plan is to go back to Ivory Coast. We dont know how long it will take for all the paperwork.

In Ivory Coast, however, Gbagbo still faces a 20-year jail term for economic crimes imposed by a local court last year.

Any decision lies with him. We have no comment to make otherwise, said government spokesman Sidi Tiemoko Toure when asked about a Gbagbo homecoming.

He added that the government urges calm, forgiveness and reconciliation and that Ouattara and the government are thinking of the victims of the crisis.

Gbagbos wife Simone, dubbed the Iron Lady, was granted an amnesty by Ouattara last August from a similar 20-year jail term.

Ivory Coast faces fresh elections in 2020 to elect a successor to Ouattara, who has said he will not stand for re-election after serving two five-year terms.

Gbagbo has been behind bars since 2011, when he was captured by Ouattaras troops, aided by UN and French forces, and sent to The Hague.

Violence after the November 2010 election turned Abidjan into a war zone and destabilised the African economic powerhouse, the worlds largest cocoa-producing nation.The International Criminal Court on Wednesday halted the release of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo following a fresh appeal by prosecutors, a day after he was acquitted of crimes against humanity.

Judges had earlier ordered Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude to be freed after clearing them of any role in a wave of post-electoral violence in 2010-2011 that killed 3,000 people.

The trial judges on Wednesday rejected a bid by the prosecution to keep the former strongman, 73, and his ex-youth chief in detention pending an overall appeal against the decision to acquit them.

But in a fresh legal twist, an appeals chamber late on Wednesday separately said that the order for their release must be put on hold while they deal with a separate appeal by prosecutors against the two men being freed.

Pending the decision of the appeals chamber on this prosecutors request Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ble Goude shall remain in ICC custody, an ICC spokesman said.

The Ivorian pair can themselves appeal by a deadline of 1100 GMT on Thursday.

Gbagbo has been behind bars since 2011, when he was captured by Ouattaras troops, aided by UN and French forces, and sent to The Hague.

Gbagbo went on trial in 2016 but on Tuesday judges threw out the case midway, saying the prosecution case was exceptionally weak and that there was no need even to hear from the defence.

His daughter has said he plans to return to Ivory Coast if and when he is released.Highlighted by Discovery of 7.58 metres grading 1.05% Nickel, 0.31% Copper, 0.05% Cobalt, 0.20 g/t Platinum and 0.48 g/t Palladium

Includes a Massive Sulphide Intercept grading 4.14% Nickel, 0.26% Copper, 0.18% Cobalt, 0.81 g/t Platinum and 1.93 g/t Palladium over 0.65 metres

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balmoral Resources Ltd. (Balmoral or the Company) (TSX: BAR; OTCQX: BALMF) today announced the discovery of numerous nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE sulphide mineralized zones within the central portion of the Grasset Ultramafic Complex (GUC) in Quebec. The new discoveries are located 7 kilometres northwest of, and along strike from, Balmorals Grasset nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum-palladium deposit (Figure 1). These discoveries reinforce the district scale and multi-deposit potential of the GUC.

Results are highlighted by an intercept of 7.58 metres grading 1.05% nickel, 0.31% copper, 0.05% cobalt, 0.20 g/t platinum and 0.48 g/t palladium from one of three new discoveries, each of which returned greater than 1% nickel, intersected in drill hole FAB-18-58. A massive sulphide intercept returning 4.14% nickel, 0.26% copper, 0.18% cobalt, 0.81 g/t platinum and 1.93 g/t palladium over 0.65 metres occurs at the base of this intercept (Photo 1).

A second intercept, located approximately 100 metres shallower and along the same stratigraphic horizon in drill hole FAB-18-56, returned 1.35% nickel over 3.94 metres, including 3.59% nickel over 1.03 metres with similar copper, cobalt, platinum, and palladium values (see Table 1 below). The central ultramafic (komatiite) volcanic unit that hosts these discoveries remains largely untested on the property.

Follow-up borehole EM work has identified strong conductors associated with these new semi-massive to massive sulphide discoveries in multiple holes. The conductors indicate the potential for additional along-strike, up-dip and down-dip/plunge continuity of the sulphide horizons. Off-hole EM anomalies, indicating the potential for additional massive to semi-massive sulphide discoveries within the host ultramafic volcanic sequence, have also been identified. These geophysical anomalies provide immediate targets for follow-up drilling.

These new discoveries are a great way to begin our renewed nickel exploration of the GUC, and clearly demonstrate the highly prospective nature of the complex, said Darin Wagner, President and CEO of Balmoral Resources. The drill holes announced today have greatly enhanced our understanding of the geology and economic potential of the GUC. The confirmation of Type 1 komatiite hosted nickel sulphide mineralization in the belt opens up exciting new avenues for exploration and significantly broadens the prospective target area on the Fenelon and Grasset properties.

Table 1: Fall 2018 Results  Fenelon Property

Hole Azimuth Dip From To Interval* Nickel Copper Cobalt Pt Pd Style** Number (Metres) (Metres) (Metres) (%) (%) (%) g/t g/t FAB-18-54 260 -50 180.05 222.15 42.10 0.31 0.01 0.01 0.04 0.09 2 FAB-18-55 70 -50 463.68 464.14 0.46 0.42 0.03 0.03 0.19 0.11 1C FAB-18-56 18 -58 199.86 201.69 1.83 0.34 0.09 0.01 0.10 0.19 1C 510.60 513.83 3.94 1.35 0.46 0.07 0.30 0.55 1 including 512.80 513.83 1.03 3.59 0.67 0.18 0.60 1.27 " FAB-18-57 18 -53 199.00 199.38 0.38 0.98 0.02 0.01 0.10 0.27 2 204.11 209.06 4.95 0.40 0.10 0.02 0.10 0.18 2 FAB-18-58 18 -63 403.51 409.86 6.35 0.50 0.04 0.02 0.07 0.29 1 including 403.51 403.94 0.43 3.62 0.23 0.09 0.54 2.96 " 604.16 604.54 0.38 1.09 0.04 0.05 0.17 0.49  631.90 639.48 7.58 1.05 0.31 0.05 0.20 0.48  635.94 639.48 3.54 1.46 0.48 0.06 0.28 0.65 " which includes 638.83 639.48 0.65 4.14 0.26 0.18 0.81 1.93 " FAB-18-59 10 -50 99.35 103.20 3.85 0.30 0.05 0.02 Pending 2

* Reported drill intercepts are not true widths. Insufficient drilling has been conducted in this area to date to determine true widths. All values presented uncapped

** Style or Mineralization Type: 1 = Volcanic Hosted  Type 1, 2 = Sill/Intrusive Hosted  Type 2, 1C = Intrusive Contact Hosted

Geology and Mineralization

Todays results, along with previous work by Balmoral, has outlined a 950+ metre thick, dominantly bi-modal, ultramafic (komatiite) - felsic (rhyolite and rhyolite tuff) volcanic sequence which is locally intruded by a series of ultramafic (peridotite) sills and late gabbro dykes (Figure 2). Nickel sulphide mineralization is now known to occur at several locations within this thick stratigraphic sequence, as well was within the sills and along the sill contacts. The lithologic sequence, styles of nickel sulphide mineralization, and age of the host rocks are all strongly analogous to the prolific Kambalda nickel camp of Australia, which hosts numerous current and past-producing nickel sulphide deposits.

A short presentation on the GUC and the similarities to deposits in the Kambalda region is available by following this link, and a short summary of komatiite hosted nickel deposits is available at this link.

The new nickel sulphide discoveries announced today provide the first confirmation of Type 1 komatiite hosted nickel sulphide mineralization in the region. This style of nickel sulphide mineralization is hosted by cumulate, peridotite sequences at the base of individual komatiite flow units within a sequence of stacked ultramafic and lesser felsic volcanic flows. This mineralization exhibits classic sulphide segregation/settling textures grading down-sequence from disseminated, through net textured (matrix), to massive sulphide (Photo 1, Photo 2 and Figure 2). As is the case with most productive systems of this type, the thickest accumulation of nickel sulphide mineralization occurs at the base of the central ultramafic sequence where it comes in contact with - and appears to have thermally eroded - the basement volcanic-sedimentary sequence.

By comparison, the H3 zone of the nearby Grasset deposit (a Type 2 komatiite hosted deposit, see presentation linked above) occurs within the upper portion of an intrusive phase of the GUC, near the top of the currently recognized ultramafic sequence. Similar mineralization to that observed in the H3 Zone occurs in drill holes FAB-15-46 and FAB-15-47 and FAB-18-54 and FAB-18-57 from the current drill campaign over locally broad widths. This series of occurrences may represent the distal expression of a Grasset type deposit located down-plunge within the host intrusive body. This style of mineralization is, within the GUC, characterized by the highest nickel tenors.

Type 1 nickel sulphide mineralization is also evident at the margins of the ultramafic intrusive bodies within the GUC. To date this style of mineralization is best characterized by the H1 Zone of the Grasset deposit and a newly discovered occurrence in drill hole FAB-18-55.

Bore Hole EM Results

Bore hole electromagnetic surveys were completed on the majority of holes completed during the recent program. Numerous in-hole and off-hole conductors were outlined, including strong conductive responses associated with the nickel sulphide/VMS mineralization located at the 200-225 metre down-hole level in holes FAB-18-56 to 58, and with the nickel sulphide mineralization located within the basal portion of the Central ultramafic sequence in the same holes.

The strongest conductor identified was from the surveying of drill hole FAB-18-57. It occurs off-hole to the northwest and along the up-dip projection of the nickel sulphide zone(s) intersected in holes FAB-18-56 and FAB-18-58. Hole FAB-18-57 intersected a late, high angle gabbro dyke along the projected trend of the mineralization. The observed anomalies are currently interpreted to indicate both up- and down-dip continuity of the nickel sulphide mineralized horizons and provide high-priority targets for follow-up drilling.

The geophysical program also confirmed observations that the ultramafic volcanic components of the GUC exhibit significantly weaker magnetic signatures than the intrusive phases of the complex, which the Company has mainly targeted to date. As a result they are virtually indistinguishable from the mafic and local felsic volcanic lithologies with which they are interlayered regionally. This opens up the potential for the komatiite sequence to be much more laterally extensive than previously recognized, and for it to extend much further along strike to the northwest, and to higher stratigraphic levels to the southwest, than previous interpreted. Both of these areas have seen very limited historic drill testing.

Summary

Balmorals drilling has identified multiple new nickel sulphide zones within the GUC, 7 kilometers along strike to the northwest from the Grasset deposit



Nickel sulphide intercepts range from 0.31% to a high of 4.14% nickel with elevated to strongly elevated cobalt, copper, platinum, and palladium values and occur in at least three distinct geological settings within the GUC.



Type 1 komatiite hosted nickel sulphide mineralization has been confirmed for the first time in the belt, increasing the potential for additional discoveries



BHEM anomalies associated with intersected sulphide mineralization provide high-priority follow-up targets



The ultramafic sequence has proven to be much thicker and potentially laterally extensive than previously recognized



Strong analogies between the GUC and globally significant komatiite hosted nickel sulphide camps have been confirmed.



Additional results from 5 drill holes, targeting expansions to the Grasset deposit, should be finalized within the next 2-3 weeks. These results will include the deepest drill test of the Grasset system to date.

Qualified Persons

Mr. Michael Tucker (P. Geo. B.C., Ont. and Temporary Permit, Que.), Project Geologist for the Company, is the non-independent qualified person for the technical disclosure concerning the Fenelon property in this release. Mr. Tucker supervised the fall 2018 drill program described herein and has worked on the Grasset and Fenelon properties since 2014. Mr. Darin Wagner (P.Geo. B.C., Ont. and Restricted Permit, Que.), President and CEO of the Company, is the non-independent qualified person for the balance of the technical disclosure contained in this news release. Mr. Wagner has supervised the Companys exploration activities since inception. Both individuals have reviewed the technical content of this release.

About Balmoral Resources Ltd.  www.balmoralresources.com

Balmoral is a multi-award winning Canadian-focused exploration company actively exploring a portfolio of gold and base metal properties located within the prolific Abitibi greenstone belt. The Companys flagship, 1,000 km2 Detour Gold Trend Project hosts the resource stage Bug and Martiniere West gold deposits and the Grasset nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE deposit. Employing an aggressive, drill focused exploration style in one of the worlds preeminent mining jurisdictions, Balmoral is following an established formula with a goal of maximizing shareholder value through the discovery and definition of high-grade, Canadian gold and base metal assets.

On behalf of the board of directors of

BALMORAL RESOURCES LTD.

Darin Wagner

President and CEO

For further information contact:

John Foulkes, Vice-President, Corporate Development

Tel: +1 (604) 638-5815 / Toll Free: +1 (877) 838-3664

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements regarding the nature and potential of certain zones of mineralization, the utility and usefulness of certain geophysical surveys, the correlation of geophysical anomalies to mineralization of interest to the Company, the assay results from sulphide or other mineralization intersected in on-going drilling and anticipated results and timing of the Companys exploration programs in general are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believes, expects, anticipates, intends, estimate, postulate and similar expressions or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include those related to the mineral tenor of mineralization intersected on the properties, the success or failure of the geophysical contractors to survey individual drill holes and interpret the results from the surveys, factors relating to weather, staffing and costs which may be beyond the control of the Company, metal prices and economic considerations related to mining and exploration, access to financing to continue the Companys exploration activities and the financial stability of the other companies mentioned and the market fluctuations in prices for securities of exploration and mining stage companies. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Companys public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical reports filed with respect to the Companys mineral properties.

This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available atNOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: VLC) (Velocity or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an investment agreement, dated January 16, 2019 (the Agreement) with mid-tier producer Atlantic Gold Corporation (TSXV: AGB) (Atlantic Gold) for a C$9.0 million strategic investment (the Strategic Investment). In connection with the Strategic Investment, Atlantic Gold has agreed to purchase 18,600,000 units of Velocity in a private placement at a price of C$0.21 per unit for total gross proceeds of approximately C$3.9 million (the Equity Placement). In addition, Velocity has agreed to issue and sell to Atlantic Gold approximately C$5.1 million principal amount of secured convertible debentures of Velocity (the Convertible Placement). Upon closing of the Strategic Investment, Atlantic Gold will own 19.9% of the outstanding common shares of Velocity on a non-diluted basis and 39.2% on a partially-diluted basis.

We are delighted to welcome Atlantic Gold as a strategic investor in the Company. Atlantics development expertise in Nova Scotia complements our exploration success in Bulgaria. Our corporate strategies are aligned, with Velocitys development objectives mirroring Atlantics successful hub and spoke approach of satellite deposits feeding a centralized processing plant, stated Keith Henderson, President & CEO of Velocity. The proceeds from the financing will allow for the progression of our PEA-stage Rozino gold project toward feasibility and for exploration and resource definition of several additional projects. We believe that 2019 will be a transformative year for Velocity.

Steven Dean, Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Gold, commented We are pleased to enter into a strategic partnership with the Velocity management team with the shared objective of advancing its Bulgarian exploration and development assets through to feasibility stage and beyond. Through our understanding of the Bulgarian mineral properties to date, Atlantic Gold sees many of the hallmarks we recognized only 4 years ago in our Moose River Consolidated mine which has led to its successful construction, commissioning and operation with significant production growth in the near future. We look forward to completing the Strategic Investment in short order and working collaboratively with Velocity in 2019.

Transaction Details

In connection with the Equity Placement, Atlantic Gold will acquire 18,600,000 units (the Units) of Velocity at a price per Unit of C$0.21 for total gross proceeds of C$3,906,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant (a Warrant) entitling Atlantic Gold to acquire one common share at a price of C$0.25 per common share for a period of 36 months following the closing of the Equity Placement.

The Convertible Placement will consist of C$5,094,000 principal amount of secured convertible debentures (the Convertible Debentures) issued by the Company to Atlantic Gold. The Convertible Debentures will carry an 8.5% coupon over a five year term and will be secured by general security agreement of the Company. Velocity can elect to pay any interest due in cash or shares at its sole election. Atlantic Gold can, at its option, convert the Convertible Debentures into common shares of Velocity at a conversion price of C$0.25 per share.

In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Atlantic Gold will be granted:

the right to appoint one director to Velocitys Board of Directors upon the closing of the Equity Placement, and increasing to two out of five directors upon Atlantic Gold holding over 30% of the issued and outstanding shares of Velocity;

the right to participate in any future equity issuances by Velocity in order to allow Atlantic Gold to maintain its pro rata fully-diluted ownership in Velocity;

Upon closing of the Strategic Investment, Atlantic Gold will be subject to a one-year standstill limiting it from acquiring additional common shares of Velocity. Furthermore, Atlantic Gold has agreed to vote with Velocity management and not to sell any of its Velocity securities for a one-year period.

The securities issued under the Strategic Investment will be subject to a four-month hold period from the date of closing. The closing of the Strategic Investment is subject to customary items including, among other things, acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange and the delivery of certain closing documents.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Shareholder Approval

Shareholder approval of the Strategic Investment was obtained through the written consent of Velocity shareholders holding an aggregate of 39,455,098 shares of the Company, representing 52.7% of the current outstanding shares of Velocity. Additionally, voting support agreements have been entered into by directors and officers of Velocity representing 36.7%.

Use of Proceeds

Proceeds from the Strategic Investment will be used to fund the advancement of the Rozino gold project (the Rozino Project) towards feasibility and permitting, including resource expansion and definition drilling, engineering studies, and environmental monitoring and assessment. In addition, Velocity will proceed with exploration and assessment of satellite deposits where Velocity has negotiated option rights.

Advisors

Haywood Securities Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Velocity. Lotz and Company and McCarthy Tetrault LLP are acting as Canadian legal counsel to Velocity and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is acting as legal counsel to Atlantic Gold.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Stuart A. Mills, BSc, MSc, CGeol, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and the Companys Vice President Exploration. Mr. Mills is not independent of the Company.

About Velocity Minerals Ltd.

Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on eastern Europe. The Company envisions staged open pit mining of satellite deposits and processing in a central, currently operating carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant. The Companys management and board includes mining industry professionals with combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies.

About Atlantic Gold Corporation

Atlantic Gold is a well-financed, growth-oriented gold development group with a long-term strategy to build a mid-tier gold production company focused on manageable, executable projects in mining friendly jurisdictions. Atlantic Gold is focused on growing gold production in Nova Scotia beginning with its MRC phase one open pit gold mine which declared commercial production in March 2018, and its phase two Life of Mine Expansion which will ramp up gold production to + 200,000 ounces per year (NI 43-101 Technical Report on Moose River Consolidated Phase 1 and Phase 2 Expansion, effective date 24 January, 2018). Atlantic Gold is committed to the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility and continually invests in people and technology to manage risks, maximize outcomes and returns to all stakeholders.

About Rozino

The Rozino Project is one of six exploration projects located within an Exploration and Mining Alliance with Bulgarian operating partner Gorubso-Kardzhali AD. Velocity began exploring and drilling at Rozino in August 2017 and completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment in September 2018. The PEA provides a base case assessment of developing Rozino by open pit mining and on-site crushing, milling and simple flotation to produce a 30 g/t gold concentrate. The concentrate would then be trucked 85km on existing roads to the currently operating CIL plant where saleable gold dore would be produced. Mineralization remains open for expansion. Having delivered the PEA, the Company has exercised its option for a 70% interest in the project and will move forward in joint venture with Gorubso-Kardzhali AD.

Rozino PEA

On September 17, 2018, Velocity announced the results of an independent PEA on the Rozino Project. The PEA provides a base case assessment of developing the project by open pit mining and gold recovery by a combination of on-site preconcentration in a flotation plant and further processing in an existing operating CIL Plant located in Kardzhali, 85km by road from Rozino. Saleable gold dore will be produced at Kardzhali. The PEA financial model returns an after-tax NPV5% of $129 million and an after-tax IRR of 33.1%.

Rozino Project is located within the Tintyava prospecting license, an exploration property in which Velocity had an exclusive right to acquire a 70% interest by delivering the PEA report to the underlying property owner, Gorubso Kardzhali A.D. With the delivery of the PEA in Q4 2018, Velocity is deemed to have earned a 70% interest in the Tintyava Property and to be in Joint Venture with Gorubso for the further development of the Property.

PEA1 Highlights

After-Tax Financials : After-tax NPV 5% of $129 million and after-tax IRR of 33%

: After-tax NPV of $129 million and after-tax IRR of 33% Cash Cost : All-in sustaining cost 2 of US$543 per ounce

: All-in sustaining cost of US$543 per ounce Annual Gold Production : Steady state 3 annual production of 65,000 ounces, peak annual production of 78,000 ounces

: Steady state annual production of 65,000 ounces, peak annual production of 78,000 ounces Capital Costs : Total estimated capital costs of $97.6 million (includes contingency)

: Total estimated capital costs of $97.6 million (includes contingency) Sustaining Capital : Low estimated sustaining capital of $6.3 million

: Low estimated sustaining capital of $6.3 million Mining : Open pit with 0.6 g/t gold Cut-Off Grade, attractive strip ratio of 2.5 and 1.51 g/t Life of Mine gold grade

: Open pit with 0.6 g/t gold Cut-Off Grade, attractive strip ratio of 2.5 and 1.51 g/t Life of Mine gold grade Processing : On-site flotation producing gold bearing pyrite concentrate assaying 30 g/t and transportation to the CIL Plant (located 85 km from the Project) for processing

: On-site flotation producing gold bearing pyrite concentrate assaying 30 g/t and transportation to the CIL Plant (located 85 km from the Project) for processing ROCE: Return on capital expenditure of 3.3

(1) Base case parameters assume a gold price of US$1,250/ounce and an exchange rate (CAD$ to US$) of 0.75. All amounts are reported in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified. Financial results on 100% equity basis.

(2) All In Sustaining Cost (AISC) is defined as all cash costs related to mining and processing to final product. It includes on-mine and off-mine costs (direct and indirect). Sustaining capital costs related to continuing the business including exploration, development and equipment required to sustain production are included. Taxes, working capital, M&A, disposals and acquisitions as well as new mine development capital costs are excluded. AISC is an industry financial measure that has no definition under Canadian GAAP. As a result AISC cannot be compared between companies or individual operations.

(3) Steady state refers to the long-term average over time where processing throughput is maintained at nameplate capacity.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The PEA was prepared by CSA Global, an international mining consultancy with experience in Bulgaria, in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Please see news release dated September 17, 2018 for additional information regarding the PEA.

About Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a member of NATO (2004) and a member of the European Union (2007). The local currency (BGN) has been tied to the Euro since 1999 (1.956 BGN/EUR). The country is served by modern European infrastructure including an extensive network of paved roads. Bulgaria boasts an exceptionally low corporate tax rate of only 10%. The countrys education system is excellent with good availability of experienced mining professionals in a favourable cost environment. Foreign mining companies are successfully operating in Bulgaria. The countrys mining law was established in 1999 and updated in 2011. Mining royalties are low and compare favourably with more established mining countries.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Keith Henderson

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Keith Henderson

Phone: +1-604-484-1233

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web: www.velocityminerals.com

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.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the closing of the Strategic Investment and the conversion by Atlantic Gold of all or some of the Convertible Debentures, the use of funds from the Strategic Investment, the appointment by Atlantic Gold of a nominee or nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company, and the future business and operations of Velocity. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as pro forma, plans, expects, may, should, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes, potential or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities for the Rozino Project and the Companys projects generally, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs for the projects, the fact that the Companys interests in the Tintyava property is only an option and there is no guarantee that the interest, if earned, will be certain, actual results of exploration activities, including the program, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital to fund the Company's business plan, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSX Venture Exchange in respect of the Strategic Investment), the failure of Atlantic Gold to proceed with the Strategic Investment as a result of the inability of the Company to meet the conditions precedent to the closing of the Strategic Investment, issues rising from Atlantic Golds due diligence or otherwise, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading. "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual management's discussion and analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.When people with opinions similar to Kings open their mouths, they damage not only the Republican Party and the conservative brand but also our nation as a whole. They want to be treated with fairness for some perceived slights but refuse to return the favor to those on the other side.

Some in our party wonder why Republicans are constantly accused of racism  it is because of our silence when things like this are said. Immigration is the perfect example, in which somehow our affection for the rule of law has become conflated with a perceived racism against brown and black people.

I do support border security not because I want to keep certain ethnicities out of our nation, but because I support enforcing our laws. I do not care if you come from Canada, France or Honduras, if you break our laws, there should be consequences. But it has become almost impossible to have a reasonable conversation along those lines. Thats in part why I laid out my agenda on civility, fairness and opportunity last week on the floor of the Senate."How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" I thought of John Kerry's words from 1971 when I heard the terrible news Wednesday about the death of four U.S. soldiers and the wounding of three others in a suicide bombing in Manbij, Syria. In the present instance, however, you would have to amend the quote to say: "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a war supposedly won?"

On Dec. 19, recall, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of roughly 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria with these words: "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency." This was news to analysts, who pointed to intelligence reports that, while the Islamic State has lost most of its territorial control, it still had some 30,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, making it one of the largest and most dangerous terrorist groups on the planet.Voters are aligned (61/32 percent) with the Democrats position to fund more security but not the wall. Voters they didnt believe Trump told the truth in the Oval Office (President Trumps TV address to the nation last week was mostly misleading, 49 percent of American voters say, while 32 percent say it was mostly accurate. ... American voters believed Pelosi/Schumer more than Trump 46  36 percent, including 48  33 percent among independent voters) and they overwhelming reject the notion that immigrants commit more crimes (63/29 percent), and overwhelmingly believe immigrants are good for America (73/16 percent).

Trump made the midterm elections about immigration and got clobbered. Voters arent any more susceptible to his fearmongering now. To the contrary, he has lost the debate. (59  40 percent say the wall  is not a good use of taxpayer dollars; 55  43 percent that the wall would not make the U.S. safer; 59  40 percent that the wall is not necessary to protect the border). He has a pair of twos and keeps doubling down. Go figure.

At any rate, without a game plan and without public opinion on his side, he wont be getting concessions from Democrats anytime soon. Republicans (like Democrats) understand Trump cant find his way out of a paper bag, so the pressure understandably builds on McConnell.Brenntag has signed an agreement to acquire the lubricants division of Reeder Distributors, Inc. that is a regional, integrated lubricant distributor headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Reeder Distributors fuel and equipment divisions are not part of the acquisition. The company services automotive customers as well as all types of industrial and commercial customers mainly throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth market place.

Markus Klaehn, Member of the Management Board of Brenntag Group and CEO Brenntag North America: Brenntag North America intends to be an active market consolidator in selected regions in the lubricant distribution market. The acquisition of Reeder Distributors lubricants division is a bolt-on to our lubricants business platform and results in a geographical expansion in an adjacent market.

Anthony Gerace, Brenntag Groups Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions: Reeder Distributors lubricants division is a natural addition to our existing lubricants business because of its relationships with major lubricant suppliers and the acquisition will enable Brenntag to expand and strengthen our footprint in the regional market place.

Reeder Distributors lubricants division generates annual sales of approximately 60 million USD. Closing of the transaction is subject to certain contractual closing conditions and is expected to occur in the course of the first quarter of 2019.ERWIN  A top North Carolina lawmaker and an education leader are starting to make their pitch for the General Assembly to approve a nearly $2 billion public education construction bond referendum.

Moore said last month he would press in 2019 for a statewide bond package that would largely benefit K-12 public schools but also the UNC System and the state's community college. Moore's proposal ultimately would let voters decide in 2020 whether the state should borrow.DEATHS AND INJURIES

The state said at least 57 died in the earthquake, though a study issued the following year put the death toll at 72, including heart attacks. About 9,000 were injured.

The greatest concentration of deaths occurred at the Northridge Meadows, a 163-unit apartment complex where 16 people were killed when it collapsed onto the parking area below, crushing first-floor apartments.

The catastrophe at Northridge Meadows revealed a particular seismic hazard due to so-called soft-story construction in which a building's ground level has large open areas for purposes such as parking spots or shop windows.

___

DAMAGE

The widespread damage to buildings, freeways and infrastructure made the Northridge quake the costliest U.S. disaster at the time.

According to Earthquake Country Alliance , 82,000 residential and commercial units and 5,400 mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, nine parking structures toppled, nine hospitals were evacuated due to structural or other problems, seven key freeway bridges collapsed, and hundreds more were damaged.

Some 200 steel-frame high-rises sustained cracked welds.I didnt really have any thoughts. It was just a lot of emotions going on, she said.

When planning out the surprise, the idea was to get Burnadette to the school under some sort of pretense. She said Willard had called her in Wednesday morning and then asked if she could come down to the cafeteria, which she thought meant she wanted her to help out there in some way.

And staging it as a moment to honor Burnadette for her volunteer work was not difficult. Both Willard and Brunson said she goes above and beyond for Hanes.

I was just so happy that it worked out for Mrs. Pegeuese because shes given back so much to me here at the school that to be able to give her something as amazing as this after I knew that she had missed her daughter so much, Willard said. We talked about her every time Mrs. Pegeuese came in. We always talked about Dianna. So it was nice to be able to give something back for Mrs. Pegeuese this time.

Brunson said they have known the Pegeuese family for some time now, and Madison and her daughters have become incredibly close.

Knowing her friend was coming home soon and wanting it to be a surprise for the family, Brunson decided she would try and replicate military family member reunions like she had seen on the news before.Q: Why hasnt the pool at the Gateway YWCA been repaired and reopened? It was damaged in the early fall/late summer due to flooding from heavy rains. Is there an insurance dispute or something?

C.B.

Answer: Most people are not aware of the extent of the damages that the YWCA suffered as a result of the flooding, said Greg L. Fagg, vice president of operations for the Gateway YWCA, and are therefore not aware of the cost involved to get the Aquatic Center back in service.

The total cost for repairs is almost $600,000, he said, which includes $280,000 just to have our electrical repairs completed so we could partially reopen the facility in August. The week prior to Christmas we received a check from the insurance company that covered the electrical issues.

He said the Gateway YWCA is in conversation with several people who are interested in partnering with us for the remaining dollars which will enable us to reopen the Aquatic Center. If these partnerships are obtained, the project could be completed sometime in February. However, we do not have firm commitments so we cannot put a firm timeline together or make an official announcement.The award winners were announced Monday at a ceremony.

The companies are honored for their success in increasing overseas sales, as well as the significant role exporting plays in the states economy.

Unifi was named as the top large business exporter for its yarn products, particularly its recycled yarn Repreve products. Its operations in Yadkinville, Madison and Reidsville were recognized. The company has more than 1,300 employees combined at those facilities.

The other honorees were: Advanced Detection Technology in Iredell County; Bernhardt Furniture Co. in Caldwell County; National Wiper Alliance in Buncombe County; P2P Rescue in New Hanover County; and ImmunoReagents Inc. in Wake County.

Richard Craver

Spirit Airlines expands N.C. reach to RDU

Low-fare airline carrier Spirit Airlines said Tuesday it will launch May 2 nonstop daily service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to seven destinations.

The destinations are to Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., New Orleans and Orlando.

Spirit will offer two flights to Baltimore/Washington International and one each to the other cities.H.O. Woltz III, Insteels president and chief executive, said in a statement the company remains actively engaged with the administration regarding the detrimental impact of the Section 232 tariff program on downstream consumers of steel.

Insteel has said that since the Section 232 tariffs went into effect, it has effectively eliminated our access to the world market for steel.

It also has insulated all domestic steel producers from international competition, causing steel prices in the U.S. to rise to levels higher than anywhere else in the world.

Woltz said Thursday that domestic prices for hot-rolled steel wire rod, our primary raw material, remain substantially higher than global market levels, providing foreign producers of welded wire reinforcement and PC strand with a significant cost advantage as they aggressively seek to expand their presence in the U.S. market.

As a result, Woltz said the resulting pricing pressure has compressed margins in those portions of our business that are susceptible to import competition, particularly for our PC strand product line.

We remain hopeful that the administration will be amenable to a solution that places domestic producers on equal footing with foreign competitors.Ivey acquired the authority to oversee the complexs operations Sept. 5, with extensions that would have kept his authority through Jan. 23.

Fannie Mae had a security interest in the property since it served mostly Section 8 residents. The previous owner had a $2.02 million obligation on the property, according to a bankruptcy filing.

In Iveys latest interim report on Jan. 9, he discussed efforts to sell the property through the bankruptcy process. He said it was likely the property would have been abandoned if the sale was not successful.

Ivey wrote he had secured a potential unidentified buyer for the property in October that was willing to pay $2.6 million. Most of the proceeds were to go to reinstate the Fannie Mae secured loan.

However, the group later cited the condition of the apartment complex had deteriorated further than expected or believed to be appropriate. The group said it wanted the trustee to accept a lower offer given the complexs conditions.

Ivey agreed to enter a compromise with the buyer to lower the price by $49,254, citing it was in the best interest in creditors to avoid further litigation costs.More than 100 years after the introduction of the HaberBosch process, scientists continue to search for alternative ammonia production routes that are less energy demanding. Chinese scientists have now discovered that black phosphorus is an excellent catalyst for the electroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia. According to their study, layered black phosphorus nanosheets are a highly selective and efficient catalyst in this process.

Ammonia is an essential raw material in all industrial areas, from agriculture to fine chemicals and the pharmaceutical industry. For more than a century, it has been synthesized industrially by the HaberBosch process, in which nitrogen from air is reduced with hydrogen or synthesis gas under high pressure and temperature over a transition-metal catalyst. However, the energy demand of this process is so high that one to two percent of the global energy supply is devoted to industrial production of ammonia.

Researchers are in search of milder alternatives, which employ catalysts that operate under ambient conditions. Metal-free alternatives are especially desirable. A highly interesting candidate is phosphorus in its lowest reactivity, nontoxic form: black phosphorus. This material is a rising star in electronic applications because of its metallic-like appearance and unusual electronic properties. Moreover, its puckered two-dimensional sheet-like structure may provide the necessary edges and sites for adsorption and molecular activation.

With this idea in mind, researcher Haihui Wang at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, and colleagues, prepared thin layers of bulk black phosphorus, by a facile liquid exfoliation method, as stated in their publication. The catalyst nanosheets were included in a carbon fiber electrode for electrolysis. To provide a nitrogen supply, a hydrochloride electrolyte solution was saturated with nitrogen.

On application of a voltage, the electrode readily and selectively produced ammonia from nitrogen, and the layered black phosphorus even outperformed most nonmetallic and metal-base catalysts reported at present, added the authors. The extraordinary activity and selectivity of this material are explained by the structure and energetics of the phosphorus sheets.

What is so special about phosphorus? With theoretical calculations, the authors found that the zigzag arrangement in the phosphorus layers, in contrast to other layered or flat materials, provided ideal sites for nitrogen adsorption and the electronic structure at the edges was best suited for binding, activating, and reducing nitrogen by a low-energy pathway.

Having explained the extraordinary activity and selectivity of the layered black phosphorus catalyst, the authors admitted thatdespite the generally good stability of black phosphorus under ambient conditionsits performance declined in the long term because of oxidation. Thus, further improvements in preventing black phosphorus degradation in the electrolyte will be beneficial, they concluded.

This work opens up a novel and attractive application for black phosphorus. In electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction, the performance of black phosphorus is superior to other nonmetallic and even metallic catalysts, suggesting that this material may soon play a bigger role in electrocatalysis. In time, perhaps even the HaberBosch process will have a competitor.For a better experience on our website and avoid any trouble, we strongly recommand to activate Javascript ( click here ).

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Check out our questions and answers here !Pittsylvania leaders approve changes to their festival ordinance; RIFA approves local incentive packages to a pair of new employers; A step forward in the development of the Riverfront Park; A local industry hit hard by the pandemic will get a little more time to pay back a loan.Evelyn "Berniece" Anderson, age 89, of Pierce City, Missouri, passed away following an illness on June 12, 2021. Berniece was born on April 22, 1932, in Neosho, Missouri, to Truman and Louella (Ball) Patrick. At 21 years old, Berniece married her best friend, Millard Anderson. Before his pasPage Content

A City employee is facing a charge of theft after allegedly stealing cartridges and microcassettes worth thousands of rand from the Supply Chain storage facility.





The Supply Chain Management (Stores) employee was expected to appear in the Hillbrow Magistrates Court on Thursday, 17 January 2019, to be officially charged.



Its reported that this employees arrest follows that of his fiance, who was arrested last month, allegedly for the same offence. Her loot was estimated at R240 000.







I must admit that I am deeply disappointed after learning that these corrupt activities are still continuing, said City of Joburg Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba.





Mashaba warns that municipal officials caught stealing from the City or engaged in corrupt activities will face the full might of the law.





We have a zero tolerance to corruption, that is why we will continue to vigorously pursue every allegation, he said.





Under Mayor Mashaba, the City of Joburg has adopted a zero-tolerance stance against corruption, naming it in its strategic plan as public enemy number one. Just last week, six JMPD officers were arrested for allegedly soliciting a bribe of R20 000 from a Johannesburg shop owner.





Another officer was arrested yesterday after allegedly taking a R10 bribe from a taxi driver in Soweto whose vehicle permit and driving licence had expired.





Corruption has no place in this administration, Mashaba added.



Scene Editor Billy Arnold covers arts and entertainment. He apprenticed as a sound engineer at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio before making his way to Jackson, where he has become a low-key fan of country music.Allie Gross covers Teton County government. Originally from the Chicago area, she joined the News&Guide in 2017 after studying politics and Spanish at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.Emily Mieure covers criminal justice and emergency news. She also leads the News&Guides investigative efforts. She has reported for WDRB TV in Louisville, Ky., WFIE TV in Evansville, Ind., and WEIU TV in Charleston, Ill.MariaDB Corporation, developers of the MariaDB open-source fork of MySQL, have announced a new open source databasea fusion of two of its existing productsthat processes both transactional and analytical workloads on the same dataset.

One database, any workload is how the company is pitching MariaDB Platform X3. The new offering combines two products formerly marketed separately, MariaDB Platform For Transactions and MariaDB Platform For Analytics, into a single, unified solution that incorporates row storage for transaction processing and columnar storage for analytics.

[ Discover the Bossie Award winners: 2018s best open source software for enterprise for software development, machine learning, cloud computing, and data storage and analytics. ]

With MariaDB Platform X3, an organization may use a single database both for conventional customer-facing workloads (transactional, or OLTP) and internal business-intelligence workloads (analytical, or OLAP). The same data is available for either kind of work and is kept automatically in sync between the two sides.

MariaDB Platform is priced at a flat per-node cost, regardless of whether nodes are OLTP or OLAP. This allows for more flexible deployments, where the number of nodes in a given deployment can be moved freely between OLTP and OLAP workloads as demand changes.

In a blog post announcing the release, the company outlined some technical details. The product contains two separate instances of MariaDB server  one for transactional, one for analytical work. Data is stored on the transactional side, with changes and updates synchronized to the analytical side, which uses MariaDBs ColumnStore engine to handle data for real-time analysis.

Both halves of the new product retain their distinctive features. MariaDB Platform For Transactions provides enterprise features like Oracle compatibility by way of data types and stored procedures, and dynamic data masking for sensitive workloads. MariaDB Platform For Analytics already supported connections for many industry-standard analysis tools, and these are available here as well: Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, Pentaho, and clients for C, Java, and Python. Support for Python allows you to use Jupyter/IPython notebooks with MariaDB Platform For Analytics as a data source.

MariaDB Platform X3 is available both on-prem and via the newly-announced MariaDB Managed Service offering. For on-prem deployments, MariaDB offers conventional binaries and a host of container-based options: simple Docker containers, Docker Compose sandboxes, and Helm charts and scripts for Kubernetes.Six diplomatic staff at the Ecuador embassy in London have been issued subpoenas by the US Department of Justice, which wants to question them in the wake of a story published by The Guardian claiming that former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort, visited WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

In a statement, WikiLeaks said the questioning was scheduled for 18 January US time (which would be approximately 19 January Australian time), adding that it had been made in 7 January.

It said the request had been made to the Ecuadorian authorities who had approved it, despite it being "highly unusual to permit foreign interrogations of former diplomatic officials over their diplomatic work, or to provide foreign investigators information about those who have been afforded political asylum in relation to them".

The Guardian story, which ran on 28 November, was denied by Assange, Manafort and the former consul of Ecuador at the embassy.

WikiLeaks pointed out that there no visitor's logs for Manafort and no other media outlet had been able to confirm the story, which was attributed to unnamed intelligence sources.

The Washington Post ran a critical story about the claims and The Intercept ran a couple of yarns, questioning why there was no security footage of Manafort entering or leaving the embassy despite the fact the area surrounding the embassy has a large number of security cameras installed.

Additionally, questions were raised as to why none of the British policemen, who have been stationed outside the embassy since Assange took refuge there in June 2012, was able to confirm Manafort's alleged visits.

The subpoenas were issued after Democrat Senators Dianne Feinstein, Chuck Schumer and Bob Menendez wrote to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding that Washington ask Ecuador to provide it with information about the allegations in the story.

Assange has said that he fears being extradited to the US if he leaves the embassy in London. Last year, US officials said arresting him was a top priority.

In November 2018, it emerged that the US may have already filed charges against Assange. This came to light after portions of a complaint against him were apparently cut and pasted into a complaint against an unrelated individual, Seitu Sulayman Kokayi.

Assange's problems began when he visited Sweden in August 2010 to attend a conference where he was scheduled to give a talk. During that visit, he had sex with two women whom he met. The pair filed rape and molestation complaints against him later, claims that he denied.

He was questioned by Swedish authorities and cleared. He could have left the country then and there, but stayed for a while, in case the authorities decided to question him again.

Interpol issued a Red Notice for his arrest on 20 November 2010. On 27 November, Assange surrendered to authorities and appeared before a Westminster judge. He was granted bail in December after his backers provided 240,000 in cash and sureties.

A legal back and forth eventuated and went on until June 2012, when Swedish prosecutors sought his extradition.

Assange's lawyers, among them the world-renowned Australian Geoffrey Robertson, replied that if he agreed to the extradition request, then he could be flown to the US from there.

On 19 June 2012, he jumped bail and took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy, seeking asylum in the South American country. British police surrounded the building and blocked any chance of his leaving.

Ecuador granted him asylum in August 2012. He has had to stay inside the four walls of the embassy since then. He was granted Ecuadorian citizenship by a former president of the country, Rafael Correa.More than a million files belonging to the Department of Securities in the US state of Oklahoma were exposed to public view for an unknown period, the security firm UpGuard says, before they were secured after the department was notified by the company on 8 December 2018.

A blog post said the files included personal information, system credentials, internal documentation and communications intended for the Oklahoma Securities Commission.

The server in question was running an ancient version of Microsoft's Internet Information Server  IIS 6.0  that had reached its end-of-life in July 2015.

The unsecured data was found using Shodan, a search engine for Internet-facing IP addresses, which showed that the data had been publicly accessible at least from 30 November last year.

UpGuard said the metadata of the files showed that their dates ranged from 1986 to to 2016. They were exposed through an unsecured rsync service at an IP registered to the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

Among the information on the server was the following personal information:

One Microsoft Access database containing information on approximately 10,000 brokers, including their social security numbers.

A CSV with the partial name IdentifyingInformation.csv containing the date of birth, state of birth, country of birth, gender, height, weight, hair colour, and eye colour for over a hundred thousand brokers.

A database related to viators, a financial vehicle through which terminally ill patients can sell their life insurance benefits, contained information related to people with AIDS including patient names and T cell counts.

The following system credentials were also exposed:

VNC credentials for remote access to Oklahoma Department of Securities workstations.

A BlueExpress database of credentials for third parties submitting securities filings.

A spreadsheet of IT services with the usernames and passwords for accounts with Thawte, Symantec Protection Suite, Tivoli, and others.

The department closed off access to the server that same day it was notified.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The wife of a slain Bicol lawmaker will be taking his place in the Daraga mayoralty race.

Dennis Batocabe, the brother of AKO BICOL party list representative Rodel Batocabe confirmed that Gertrudes "Gertie" Batocabe would replace her husband in the elections.

In a phone interview, Dennis said the announcement was made to answer questions on the issue, and an official announcement with Gertie will be made on January 30  which also marks 40 days after the killing of her husband.

However, in a text message, Justin Batocabe  the son of Rodel and Gertie  said, "Wala pa pong final decision regarding the matter po [there is no final decision regarding the matter]."

READ: Duterte to Daraga mayor: Stay away from Batocabe kin who will run in elections

On January 7, AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin told CNN Philippines they were eyeing Batocabe's son to take his father's place and serve the remainder of his term in the House of Representatives.

The lawmaker, along with his security escort Orlando Diaz, was killed at a gift-giving event in Daraga on December 22 last year.

Carlwyn Baldo, the current mayor of Daraga, has been implicated as the main culprit in the killing, although he has denied involvement.

Meanwhile, the six prime suspects in the slay are in police custody  one of them, Henry Yuson, confessed to being the gunman and that Baldo ordered them to kill Batocabe.

READ: Arroyo calls for full prosecution of Batocabe slay suspects

Legazpi-based stringer Rosas Olarte contributed to this report.Cyber security firm Macquarie Government has appointed former Brennan IT executive Dayle Wilson as head of product and operations to support the business range of built-for-government services, including its Australian Signals Directorate-certified government cloud services.

Wilsons appointment marks his return to the Macquarie group, having previously spent a decade with Macquarie Telecom Group across numerous key technology roles, ending as chief technology officer.

Wilson was most recently chief operating officer at Brennan IT.

This is an exciting time in Macquarie Government, with the ongoing investment in building cloud and information security services and products to precisely meet the needs of government agencies now and into the future, Wilson said.

Macquarie Government has a unique position. On the one hand, it can leverage the Macquarie Telecom Groups 27 years heritage as a proudly Australian challenger communications business with a laser focus on customer service and commitment to bringing to market pioneering technology.

But Macquarie Government itself is solely devoted to understanding and meeting the needs of government agency customers, supported by a team of more than 100 government security certified engineers, all based in Australia.

According to Wilson, there is growing recognition by governments around the world of the need to develop national capability in both cloud and cyber security.

Macquarie Governments recent strong growth shows it is well placed to respond to these priorities from Federal and state governments.

Im excited to have the opportunity to come back to Macquarie to be a part of building what I believe is a business for the future.The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has completed a 30 MW / 8 MWh grid-scale battery at the Dalrymple substation on South Australias Yorke Peninsula.

The project was completed on behalf of the Australian Government, with ARENA provided $12 million in funding towards the construction of the $30 million Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration project.

ESCRI has been commissioned and tested and is now live and connected to the National Electricity Market, making important contributions to energy security and reliability in South Australia.

Transmission provider ElectraNet developed and owns the ESCRI battery, which was built next to, and connected to, their Dalrymple substation. AGL will operate the battery under a long-term lease agreement.

ARENA acting chief executive Nicola Morris said ESCRI woyld complement South Australias other batteries and reinforce Australias role as a leader in large-scale battery technology.

Were excited to see that the completion of the ESCRI battery has already helped inform the development of further battery projects around Australia.

The ESCRI battery will provide storage to support renewable generation and will provide fast frequency response to stabilise the grid.

The battery will also work with the 90 MW Wattle Point Wind Farm, and local rooftop solar, to provide contingency power to the households and businesses on the Yorke Peninsula if a power outage occurs.

It is clear that grid scale energy storage has a role to play our future energy mix. ESCRI demonstrates that utility scale batteries can deliver a range of market services and back up power when it is needed Morris said.

ARENA has funded four grid-scale batteries, including two batteries recently commissioned in Western Victoria and Infigens Lake Bonney battery, currently under construction in South Australia.

ElectraNet chief executive Steve Masters said the new battery was the first large-scale battery in the NEM to provide both regulated network services and competitive market services to maximise value from its operation. Services include supplying back up power to Yorke Peninsula customers in the event of an unplanned outage.

On average, it can provide backup power to 4500 customers in the Dalrymple service area for 2-3 hours while connection to the grid is being restored," Masters said.Irene Jaehne Mouser beloved mother, grandmother, and friend went home to be with her Lord and Savior at the age of 93, in Huntsville, Tx. on June 9, 2021. Irene met her husband Leroy Mouser while working at the Houston Police Department. In 1947, Leroy and Irene were married, had three sons,Digital transformation has been one of the key initiatives for enterprises across a number of industry verticals for the last half-decade at least  ever since Uber demonstrated how easy it is to upend entire sectors of the economy with a cell phone app.

Heading into 2019, however, the biggest challenge for enterprise executives will be to keep the momentum going. As it turns out, few traditional businesses have much to show for their investment into digital transformation so far, and some industry observers are starting to detect a distinct impression among key decision-makers that the whole thing is just a case of technology, and consultants, trying to remain relevant.

A closer look at the numbers, however, reveals a different story. According to Gartner, about a third of all business will begin refining and scaling up their digital initiatives in 2019, nearly double the current rate. This has prompted the firm to declare that the movement is on the cusp of evolving from an initial stage characterized by first desiring, then designing and delivering a program to a mature stage that will start producing actionable results. Equally telling, only 4 percent of organizations will have no digital initiative program in 2019, which is less than half todays level.

Going forward, we can expect to see todays market leaders emerge with a fully optimized digital ecosystem by the end of the decade. The biggest impact this will have on business, of course, is a completely reimagined business model in which actual products are merely conduits to the real revenue-generators: digital applications and services. At the same time, many of the back-office workflows will likewise be digitized, resulting in massive automation and extreme levels of analytics aimed at capitalizing on currently unseen opportunities and rapidly evolving markets.

Overall, says IDC, we can expect investment in digital transformation to approach $6 trillion (yes, trillion with a T) by 2021. It is hard to imagine that this level of investment will produce a giant goose egg for business around the globe, says the firms Shawn Fitzgerald, but its important that this is not just about implementing new technology. While it is likely that organizations will create new data management and monetization capabilities, and we will likely see the rise of bots and other forms of AI in the workplace, the more profound effects will take place in areas like product branding and functionality, customer engagement, and the overall cost of doing business.

One interesting caveat is the impact that this will have on the Chief Data Officer (CDO), which was largely created to manage emerging digital initiatives. Fitzgerald says that by 2022, the CDO title will be in decline as the result of digital processes becoming fully embedded in the business model. In other words, digital will have become such a basic, intuitive element of modern business that there will be no real need for a point person to oversee it  just like there is no longer a need for elevator operators.

And somewhat ominously, Fitzgerald predicts that by 2020, 30 percent of the G2000 will be running advanced digital twins of the operational processes, which in turn will flatten the enterprise organizational structure and probably reduce their collective knowledge workforce by about a third. Whether this will translate into lower employment across the board is questionable, however, given that digital technologies have a track record of producing new businesses that will undoubtedly require experienced data pros.

But to what extent will the enterprise pursue digital transformation? To hear some experts tell it, nothing less than the complete overhaul of the entire business model is worth the effort. But is that realistic for many traditional businesses?

According to DCX Technology CTO Dan Hushon, we can expect to see more enterprises make a bet-the-company commitment to digital business, which will manifest itself in a wide range of innovation and a wholesale reimagining of the business model. This isnt going to be easy, of course, since it will run counter to entrenched interests that prefer internal competition among business units or, at best, a hybrid digital strategy that attempts to straddle both digital and traditional modes of operation. In this light, top executives should aim for a single, well-defined digital strategy that galvanizes the entire organization around a single goal, somewhat like what the space program did for American society in the 1960s.

There is also an argument to be made that, given the advances taking place in the IoT and intelligent analytics and automation, the enterprise will have no choice but to go all-in on digital transformation. In very short order, data will infuse virtually everything around us  at home, at work, online, in transit  so companies that fail to leverage the value of data at each critical stage of its lifecycle will find themselves out-performed in the new economy. This is somewhat akin to a steam engine trying to compete in the age of electricity and internal combustion.

The danger here, however, is that digital transformation is an incredibly complex undertaking, and it wont always be clear to everyone why their workflows are changing and why this is important to the future of the organization. This makes digital fatigue a very real problem, particularly among senior executives who feel they are just beating their heads against a wall trying to get a reluctant organization to face the future.

When this happens, its probably best to focus away from the big picture and drill down to the finite problems that affect the workforce, says UK consulting firm Webcredible. Nobody is going to complain that their workloads are becoming easier and the hassles theyve been dealing with are now handled by automation. This kind of bottom-up approach may lack the cohesion of an integrated, all-at-once program, but it is likely to be far less disruptive, and nobody even needs to use the words digital or transformation.

Clearly, the road ahead will not be easy. Digitizing even a moderately sized enterprise is like turning a battleship at sea: It requires a lot of discipline, cooperation and time. Smaller craft, meanwhile, can zip in between the waves at will.

Without question, the next decade will see a raft of start-ups built around digital processes and workflows, and perhaps deconstructed away from corporate organizational principles altogether in favor of fully independent work units and amalgamated processes. Whether this will be better than a traditional structure remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Inflexibility and inefficiency are two of the surest ways to come up short in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

Arthur Cole writes about infrastructure for IT Business Edge. Cole has been covering the high-tech media and computing industries for more than 20 years, having served as editor of TV Technology, Video Technology News, Internet News and Multimedia Weekly. His contributions have appeared in Communications Today and Enterprise Networking Planet and as web content for numerous high-tech clients like TwinStrata and Carpathia. Follow Art on Twitter @acole602.The end of the year is usually a time when most organizations are either actively engaged in business planning for the next year or have just completed the process. Regardless of where they might be in the business planning process, just about everyone involved would agree that it was a painful. Most organizations still rely on antiquated spreadsheets to share financial data. Too often, theres not even much consensus concerning whether the data in those spreadsheet applications are accurate.

Regardless of external factors, most businesses every year will assume they will continue to grow a few percentage points. Many times, finance teams ignore the lines of business altogether. The business plan is based on historical data collected by finance teams that frequently dont trust projections made by overly optimistic line of business executives. The simple fact of the matter is that what passes for business planning in most organizations is deeply flawed. Most business plans are not actually worth all the time and effort that goes into creating them.

A survey of 1,000 business planning professional conducted by Dimensional Research on behalf of Anaplan, a provider of planning software delivered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application, highlights the extent of the problem. Only 15 percent of companies surveyed report executing on all their plans. A total of 39 percent of the executives surveyed could claim their organization put three-quarters or more of their plans into action.

Why AI Addresses Business Planning Failures

The fundamental challenge organizations face is two-fold, says Simon Tucker, chief planning officer for Anaplan. The first is that they often dont have trust in the data they do have to make a reliable decision. The second is that the data they do have tends to reside in disparate systems, says Tucker. In fact, Tucker says, all too often, each business unit makes plans without consulting other business units. Theres been some progress over the last two years as organizations embrace the concept of connected planning, but much work remains to be done, adds Tucker.

Its still a relatively new concept, says Tucker.

The good news is that advances in machine learning algorithms and forms of artificial intelligence (AI) will make it simpler to gather and analyze relevant business data regardless of what silo it resides in, says Tucker.

In fact, the Anaplan survey finds 94 percent of survey respondents reporting that they believe machine learning has a role in the future of planning technology, while 55 percent said they expect capabilities such as creating what-if scenarios to enable organizations to run advanced analytics applications with confidence.

A survey of 1,062 business and IT professionals published this week by Infosys, a provider of IT services, similarly finds AI as being perceived to deliver increased outcomes when combined with analytics by 37 percent of respondents. The biggest challenges in realizing those benefits stem from a lack of expertise in integrating multiple datasets (44 percent) and a failure to understand how to deploy the right analysis techniques (43 percent), find the survey.

Those issues have now become boardroom-level conversations as organizations look to create data analytics strategies that span the entire enterprise, says Sunil Senan, a vice president at Infosys.

Data analytics is no longer a tactical tool, says Senan.

Specifically, the Infosys survey identifies customer experience enhancements (31 percent), risk mitigation (28 percent), developing new business models (23 percent) and profit maximization (18 percent) as the primary drivers of investments in advanced analytics.

The Human Element

Developing analytics expertise is even driving some companies to unexpected lengths. For example, Northwestern Mutual is developing a data sciences institute on the campus of its Milwaukee, Wisconsin Headquarter campus. During a recent National Competitiveness Forum in Washington, D.C., Northwestern Mutual chairman and CEO John Schlifske described how the insurance provider is working with a variety of academic institutions such as Marquette University to turn Milwaukee into a technology center.

We want to grow talent that wants to stay in Milwaukee, says Schlifske.

Schlifske even went so far as to describe not being able to attract people with data science skills as an existential threat to the business. Earlier this decade, Northwestern Mutual acquired LearnVest, a financial technology startup based in New York for $250 million. Northwestern Mutual recently decided to shutter LearnVest. But many of the data scientists that Northwestern Mutual gained via that acquisition still work for the insurer. Part of the attraction of working for Northwestern Mutual versus moving to Northern California to work for a technology company is that the cost of living is much lower. But unless there are critical masses of data scientists working for the insurer, data scientists wont be interested, adds Schlifske. Most data scientists want to work and live in an area where a technology ecosystem is being fostered, notes Schlifske. The first students from the data science institute funded by Northwestern Mutual will be graduating in the Fall of 2019.

Because of that issue, Marquette views Northwestern Mutual as a natural partner. During the same conference, Dr. Michael R. Lovell, president of Marquette University, noted that growing homegrown data scientists is ultimately going to be less expensive for corporations than continuing to acquire startup companies. If nothing else, students who remain in the Milwaukee area also enjoy other intangible benefits when they decide to go to work for Northwestern Mutual, says Lovell.

The commute is going to be a lot shorter in Milwaukee, says Lovell.

In the meantime, vendors ranging from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to SAP are pouring resources into various types of business planning software. At the recent re:Invent 2018 conference, AWS launched a preview of Amazon Forecast, a managed cloud service based on the AI models that Amazon uses to manage its own operations. AWS CEO Andy Jassy told conference attendees that Amazon Forecast provides 50 percent more accurate forecasts at one-tenth the cost of traditional supply chain software without requiring customers to hire dedicated data scientists.

Theres no machine learning experience required, says Jassy.

SAP, meanwhile, sees AI accelerating a transformation of business planning that is starting to gain momentum, says Dave Williams, vice president of global product marketing for enterprise software at SAP. As business planning becomes more of a continuous process rather than an annual event, businesses are becoming more agile, says Williams. Organizations can continuously adjust their strategies as they leverage AI to more precisely track any number of key performance indicators (KPIs).

In time, not only will financial teams be able to work more closely with business executives to identify and track KPIs, there will also be digital assistants making recommendations based on both the latest events as well as potential outcomes that might be achieved by dynamically adjusting organizational strategy.

Business executives will be able to make a more intelligent decision rather than just relying on gut feel, says Williams.

Of course, it may take a little while longer before AI transforms business planning for the better. But at this point, its clear that the way businesses are managed will soon be transformed utterly.Thursday, January 17th, 2019 (8:44 am) - Score 3,326

The Welsh Government has quietly chosen BT (Openreach) to supply the final LOT 2 of their Phase 2 superfast broadband (30Mbps+) roll-out contract, which uses 9.256m of public money and aims to bring FTTP full fibre coverage to around 10,000 more premises across East Wales (rural areas).

The original Superfast Cymru contract  partly funded by a public investment of 225m (including some from the Broadband Delivery UK programme)  completed earlier this year. Overall this helped to extend the coverage of Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) and ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband technologies to an additional 733,000 premises (drops to 717K if only counting 30Mbps+ capable premises).

As it stands today nearly 95% of premises in Wales should now be able to access a 30Mbps+ capable broadband connection (93%+ if using Ofcoms late 2018 figure), although most of this has been delivered by commercial projects rather than the above scheme (Superfast Cymru was aimed at areas that commercial investment alone would have found too difficult or expensive to reach).

Since last year the Welsh Government has also been busy developing a new follow-on Phase 2 scheme to tackle c.88,000 premises in the final 5%+ (here and here), which originally aspired to make fast reliable broadband (defined as 30Mbps+) available to every property and aims to focus on full fibre (FTTP/H) connectivity. The potential value of this project is up to 200m, with around 62m already confirmed.

As part of all this the WG invited potential suppliers to bid on three regional deployment lots in January 2018, which are as follows.

NOTE: The figures below seem to have been revised by the WG in Nov 2018 to add an additional 5,376 premises (intervention area), taking the total from c.88,000 to c.93,500. This is a consequence of the resubmission of OMR data from The figures below seem to have been revised by the WG in Nov 2018 to add an additional 5,376 premises (intervention area), taking the total from c.88,000 to c.93,500. This is a consequence of the resubmission of OMR data from Openreach following the identification of incorrect service data (credits to Steve for spotting this).

LOT 1  North West Wales (Est. value: 14.858m)

Areas: Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey

Intervention Area of 23,355 NGA white premises [revised] has been identified with an additional 27,590 premises potentially available pending further info.

Contracted Supplier: BT (6,583,064  5,740 premises out of 23,355) LOT 2  East Wales (Est. value: 21.706m)

Areas: Cardiff; Flintshire; Monmouthshire; Newport; Powys; Vale of Glamorgan; Wrexham

Intervention Area of 32,356 NGA white premises has been identified with an additional 19,689 premises potentially available pending further info.

Contracted Supplier: BT (9,256,012  10,098 premises out of 32,356) LOT 3  South West Wales (Est. value: 25.436m)

Areas: Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Carmarthenshire; Merthyr Tydfil; Neath Port Talbot; Pembrokeshire; Rhondda Cynon Taf; Swansea; Torfaen

Intervention Area of 37,818 NGA white premises has been identified with an additional 15,900 premises potentially available pending further info.

Contracted Supplier: BT (6,740,426  10,175 premises out of 37,818)

In October 2018 the WG announced that BT had secured the contract for both LOT 1 and LOT 3 (here), although many were more than a little displeased to learn that this would only harness 13 million of the allocated public funding and aimed to deliver just 16,000 extra premises by the end of March 2021 (albeit 90% via FTTP). The same completion date will apply to LOT 2.

Julie James AM had previously admitted that the available funding was unlikely to deliver fast broadband to every premises that we have identified, although people had hoped the first deal would be much bigger. Nevertheless the first homes and businesses to benefit under this phase should begin to go live by the end of 2019.

At the time Julie hinted that the WG was effectively holding back making all of their public money available until LOT 2 had been confirmed. I want to see how much the final lot thats left actually costs and then all the rest of it will be put into the community pot. So, we are determined to spend all the money on the table on fast broadband connection, said Julie.

The Final LOT 2 Contract

Curiously the WG have not yet openly announced that the LOT 2 contract has been awarded, although one of our eagle eyed readers (Steve) spotted the related contract notice when it was published this week. Sadly the notice itself doesnt contain much in the way of new information, except to confirm that the total value of this contract is 9,256,012.00 and was awarded to BT on 11th January 2019.

If the prior contracts are any indication then this will extend coverage of a predominantly FTTP network to around 10,000 premises, which as with LOT 1 and LOT 3 would be well below what the WG originally hoped to achieve. This suggest that the WG will have quite a bit of money left over for the aforementioned community pot (its still unclear precisely how that will be used).

As before theres also no mention of how much private investment, if any, BT will contribute to this and the WG have previously refused to say. Todays deal is unlikely to be the last deployment contract we see being signed in Wales. But so far it seems clear that the WGs ambition has not been matched by its ability to deliver, which in part reflects the inherently high cost and complexity of expanding such services into remote rural communities.

In fairness Julie James AM has previously gone on record to say she is convinced that even this level of funding will not reach all remaining premises and wed agree. We also applaud the WGs focus on full fibre, not least because it fits with the UK Governments new aspiration to cover the entire country in Gigabit capable FTTP by the end of 2033 (here and here). On the other hand we saw plenty of delays with Openreachs FTTP roll-outs during the original contract and it remains to be seen whether some of these will return.

On the other hand some of the changes being proposed by the UK government to help make FTTP available to 100% of premises by 2033 (here), as well as a related commitment from landowners (here), does perhaps suggest that there may be fewer obstructions for operators to worry about in the future.

UPDATE 18th January 2019

The WG has today issued their official press release, which confirms that around 10,000 premises will benefit from the LOT 2 contract. In total, along with the two other lots announced in the Autumn last year, Openreach will provide 26,000 premises with access to fast reliable broadband by March 2021 at a cost of nearly 22.5m (to be met by the Welsh Government and EU funding).

Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, said: These premises would have no access to faster broadband without government intervention. While our Superfast Cymru programme has transformed the digital landscape in Wales, with over nine out of 10 premises now able to access faster broadband, there remain premises with no access. There is no one size fits all solution to reach all of these premises and a variety of measures will need to be used, including todays contract which will reach 10,000 of those without. The other elements are individual support through our ABC and ultrafast connectivity voucher schemes, and support for communities through our vouchers schemes and community led interventions. It is a challenging and complex process but we are working hard on ensuring the final premises will have access.

Kim Mears, Openreach MD for Strategic Infrastructure, said: Were delighted to be working once again with the Welsh Government in widening access to superfast fibre broadband across Wales. Our engineers have already delivered an enormous engineering project that has brought access to fast reliable connectivity to nearly 95 per cent of Welsh homes and businesses which is helping to enable a digital revolution in the country. But we also appreciate that there are those that didnt benefit from Superfast Cymru and this latest intervention working alongside the Welsh Government will be one part of a suite of measures to bring faster broadband to those that missed out.

In terms of the two voucher schemes mentioned above. Wales is home to two native voucher schemes  Access Broadband Cymru and Ultrafast Connectivity Vouchers (UCV is for businesses). The ABC scheme in particular offers vouchers to homes in areas that arent currently planned to benefit from the Superfast Cymru project with BT (Openreach) and which dont currently have access to a 30Mbps+ connection.

New connections delivered via ABC are typically required to deliver a step change in speed (i.e. at least double your current download speeds) and the amount of funding you could receive depends on the speed of the new connection (e.g. 400 for 10Mbps+ or 800 for 30Mbps+).

UPDATE 19th Jan 2019

The WG has confirmed to us that all 10,000 premises in the LOT 2 contract will be delivered with FTTP broadband, with no FTTC in the mix. We also queried what now happens to the rest of the funding, since most of the 62m confirmed (out of 200m possible) has not yet been allocated, and were told the following:

The funding allocated so far reflects what the contractor outlined initially it can achieve with the remaining premises in the timeframe of the grant agreement. The three lots announced are part of a suite of measures to reach the remaining premises and are only part of the solution. More details on further schemes will follow in due course, said the WG.Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

Mostly sunny this morning then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. NNW winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.News YBS to Launch Card Payment System

Passengers get on a YBS bus in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONYangon Bus Service (YBS) will be installing a card payment system in its buses within six months, Naw Pan Thinzar Myo, Karen ethnic affairs minister of Yangon Region, said at the two-year anniversary of the launch of the bus service on Wednesday.

Yangon Payment Services Co., owned by the regional government, will soon sign an agreement with Asia Starmar Transport Intelligence Co., which has won the tender to install the card payment system.

The company is due to receive permission to run the service called Yangon Payment System from the Myanmar Investment Commission this month.

The Yangon Region Transport Authority plans to install the system in 2,000 buses within six months after signing the agreement, and expects to install it in 4,000 buses in nine months, according to the minister.

The Asia Starmar Transport Intelligence Co. also plans to introduce a card payment system for other modes of transport if it is successful in the YBS, said the companys chief marketing officer Daw Yi Yi Khin.

Tender for the card payment system was invited in August 2017 and the process took over 18 months. Fifty-six companies made the bid and the transport authority selected 14 finalists.

The Asia Starmar Transport Intelligent Co. was selected over Excel KC Myanmar and AnyPay Payment Services Co as the most qualified candidate to install and operate the payment system.

The Yangon regional government and the Asia Starmar Transport Intelligent Co. will sign a seven-year contract with the possibility of extending it by one more year. The company has invested over $7 million in the payment system, said Daw Yi Yi Khin.

The YBS, launched January 2017, now operates more than 90 bus lines with over 5,000 buses serving over 2 million passengers daily, according to Yangon Region Transport Authority.

At present, passengers put their bus fares into a cash box and, since the transport authority did away with bus conductors shortly after the launch of YBS, those needing change from a larger note have difficulty.

Sometimes we dont have change, so the card payment system will be more convenient for us, said Ma Yoe Yoe Htet, a resident of Yangons Hlaing Township who regularly used YBS buses.

Over the past two years, bus operators have reported many cases of passengers giving ripped and damaged banknotes as well as paying less than the fixed fare.

Bus operators loose between 10 and 20 percent of their monthly income from such cases, said the minister.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.News Yangon Timeout

--

Releasing the Power of Dialogue

Goethe Institute is hosting its first forum on dialogue, where it will be discussed as an art, a skill and a method of communication as the only non-violent way of managing conflicts. Six Myanmar panelists of varied backgrounds will be under the moderation of Dr. Thomas Henschel, founder of the Mediation Academy in Berlin. Panelists include 88 leader U Ko Ko Gyi, performance artist Ma Ei, activist and musician Darko C and journalist Wai Yan Hpone.

Thursday Jan. 17 | 7 p.m. | Goethe-Institute Myanmar | Corner of Kabar Aye Pagoda Road and Nat Mauk Street, Bahan Township

Digital Natives, The Last Episode

The last event in the Digital Natives series organized by Impact Hub Yaw Min Gyi in partnership with Grab Myanmar will have panelists discussing growing up as a digital native, becoming a digital entrepreneur and creating an innovative product by using digital innovations which will be followed by a networking session.

Thursday Jan. 17 | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Impact Hub Yaw Min Gyi | Royal Towers, C8, Room 202, Dagon Township

Aung Myint: 17 A.M.

Respected multi-disciplinary artist Aung Myint will exhibit a collection of his most recent paintings at Myanm/art gallery. Sticking to a red, white and black color theme, Aung Myint is considered a pioneer in experimental art, rejecting traditional romanticism and confronting social and other critical issues. The exhibition openingwith coffee and mohingawill take place at 10 a.m. on Friday Jan. 18.

Jan. 1824 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Myanm/art | 3FL, 98 Bogalayzay Street, Botahtaung Township

Annual Floral Show and Competition

This five-day event is organized by Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) in collaboration with the Myanmar Floriculturist Association. There will be 18 showrooms and 13 competition categories for a wide variety of flowers and plant species with cash prizes for the top three in each group.

Jan. 1822 |Kandawgyi Nature Park, Yangon, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township

Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra with Japan Concert 2019

This concert is presented by MRTV, the Embassy of Japan and The Japan Foundation as part of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2019 and to celebrate the opening of The Japan Foundation, Yangon. Famous Japanese musicians playing their countrys unique, traditional instruments will be accompanied by Myanmars spectacular National Symphony Orchestra.

Friday Jan. 18 | 6 p.m. | National Theater | Myoma Kyaung Street, Dagon Township | Free admission

Myanmar Tourism: Challenges and Opportunities

A roundtable discussion will take place with Prof. Robert H. Lieberman a novelist, filmmaker and Professor at Cornell University alongside Myanmar tourism advocates including Yin Myo Su, founder of Inle Heritage Foundation, May Myat Mon Win of Myanmar Tourism Marketing, Suki Singh, MD of GCP Hospitality and Thaung Su Nyein, CEO of Information Matrix as organized by the Myanmar Tourism Federation.

Friday Jan. 18 | 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. | Pullman Yangon Centerpoint | Corner of Sule Pagoda Road and Merchant Road | RSVP, Free admission

Film Screening and Discussion Night

The seventh edition of Pansuriyas monthly film screening and discussion events will have a countryside theme. Five short films by independent Myanmar filmmakers will be screened, namely Buffalo Boat, Crocodile Pond, Big Boy, Flower Valley and Buffalo Boy, Myanmars first Palaung-language short film.

Friday Jan. 18 | 7 p.m. | Pansuriya | 100 Bogalayzay Street, Botahtaung Township

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

Claiming to be the worlds biggest book sale, the traveling Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has arrived in Myanmar with a selection of 1 million titles for sale and many at discounted prices. This is a 24-hour event offering English-language books of a wide variety of genres.

Jan. 1828 | Myanmar Event Park | Shin Saw Pu Road, Dagon Township

Concept Context Contestation

This exhibition examining art and the collective in Southeast Asia is organized in collaboration between the Goethe-Institut and Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) and features contemporary art by talent from across Southeast Asia. The Yangon edition of this traveling exhibition is curated by Myanm/arts Nathalie Johnston and features 10 local artists. The opening event will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Jan. 19Feb. 10 | 10:30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. | The Secretariat | Middle Block, Thein Phyu Road, Botahtaung Township

No Commitments

Three top DJs in Yangon will play the tunes to make you move and keep you dancing late into the night. Yu KT, Hour Late and Seeger will team up for a set of fresh techno and house music at Level 2. This is the first event of 2019 for the ongoing No Commitments club night.

Saturday Jan. 19 | 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. | Level 2 | Yangon International Hotel compound, Dagon Township

EuroCham Construction Forum 2019

This forum will focus on three topics specific to the Myanmar contextinfrastructure development, heritage preservation and building technology. Leading European construction companies will be represented by professionals with a variety of backgrounds.

Tuesday Jan. 22 | 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Grand Mercure Yangon Golden Empire |Corner of Myittar and Tha Khin Phoe Hla Gyi roads, South Okkalapa TownshipWorld China Brushes Off Outrage Over Death Sentence, Canada Fires Back

The Canadian national flag flies above the Canadian embassy in Beijing, China, on January 15, 2019. / REUTERS

BEIJING/SHERBROOKE, QuebecChina said on Wednesday it was not worried in the slightest by mounting international concern over the death sentence handed to a Canadian for drug smuggling.

Mondays sentence for Robert Schellenberg for smuggling 222 kilograms (489 pounds) of methamphetamines prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of arbitrarily applying the death penalty.

Trudeau has called several world leaders in recent days to share concerns about the case of Schellenberg and two Canadians that Beijing detained last month after a senior Chinese executive was arrested in Vancouver on a US arrest warrant.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Canadas so-called allies could be counted on ten fingers and did not represent the views of the wider international community.

I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest, Hua said of the mounting outcry, adding that a majority of Chinese supported severe punishment for drug crimes.

Schellenbergs sentence has further strained relations between China and Canada, already aggravated by the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., on a US extradition request.

Asked about Huas remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that the 28-nation European Union had offered its backing to Ottawa.

Were very pleased to have this support from the EU which, like Canada, believes in the rule of law, she told reporters as Trudeaus cabinet prepared to meet in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

For the second day in a row, however, she stressed that Canada and China enjoyed a broad and deep relationship.

Freeland and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Tuesday and expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals, the State Department said.

Days after Mengs arrest, China detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering state security. One of the men, Michael Kovrig, is a diplomat on leave without pay from Canadas embassy in Beijing.

John McCallum, Canadas ambassador to China, told reporters the standoff would not be settled quickly and vowed to enlist the help of foreign alliesespecially the United Statesand the business community.

I think we have to engage the senior Chinese leaders and persuade them that what they are doing is not good for Chinas image in the world, its not good for the image of corporate China, he said on the sidelines of the retreat.

Its difficult, it wont happen tomorrow.

Trudeau complained last week that China was not respecting Kovrigs diplomatic immunity. A source directly familiar with the case said Canada was unhappy because Chinese officials were questioning Kovrig about his work when stationed at the embassy.

The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper.

McCallum said Kovrig and the other Canadian were being questioned up to four hours a day, had no access to lawyers and were only allowed one consular visit a month.

China has not linked any of the three Canadians cases to Mengs arrest, but has warned of severe consequences if she was not immediately released.

The Global Times, a state-run tabloid with a nationalistic slant, said China cannot be weak at this time.

Canada does not have any special cards that can allow Chinese law to bow its head to it, the newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday, adding that Canadas protests would have no effect.

Freeland said on Tuesday that Ottawa had formally applied for clemency for Schellenberg.

When asked if China typically listened to this type of request, Hua said the judiciary was not subject to interference from administrative organs.

You ask whether China is willing to listen to the Canadian sides request, but I dont know if Canadas leaders or politicians have seriously listened to Chinas solemn position, Hua said.

Schellenberg had appealed against an original 15-year prison sentence issued in November, but the court in Liaoning province sided with prosecutors who argued at a retrial that the punishment was too light.Burma Shan States Coffee Lady Moves up the Value Chain

A coffee processor tests beans with a moisture meter at the Amara Coffee Processing Factory compound. / Amara Coffee / Facebook

As a young girl, Daw Su Su Aung picked and collected coffee beans to help her mother and grandmother, who were coffee growers and traders in Ywangan Township, southern Shan State.

As an adult, she continues the family business, both growing coffee and buying beans from local farmers and selling them to markets outside of town.

Now in her mid-40s, she has started to produce her own brand of coffee powder, Amara Arabica, which is made without the use of chemicals at any stage of production.

Both Amara coffee beans and powder yield a strongly aromatic coffee, and the brand has become well known locally since its launch in 2017. The products are not yet widely available in shops throughout the country, however. As more orders are received, the family-run business has plans to expand.

Daw Su Su Aung recalled, I first made the coffee powder for home use and to give to friends and relatives as gifts. My specialty beans are exported; I roasted these fine quality beans for grinding, as I wanted my friends and relatives to enjoy the taste.

She has received positive feedback, encouraging her to produce more for Myanmars growing coffee-lovers market. Thats how this family business started, she told The Irrawaddy recently.

Until three years ago, the smallholder coffee farmers in Ywangan mostly sold their raw green coffee beans at local markets in Shan States Aungban Township, or in Mandalay, as they lacked any means of processing the beans into high-quality products.

This has changed in the past three years, thanks to the US-funded Value Chains for Rural Development project, which focuses on the coffee industry and works closely with the Myanmar Coffee Association. The project provides training for coffee growers in the techniques used to produce high-quality beans.

Myanmars coffee industry has also developed thanks to the advocacy efforts of coffee lovers. The Ywangan Coffee Cluster is one of seven that comprise the Myanmar Coffee Association, and has more than 10,000 coffee growers producing high-grade Arabica beans.

Coffee farmers increased access to the processing know-how required to produce quality beans, and to coffee markets, has made it possible for them to export thousands of tons of coffee to Europe and the U.S., in addition to Asian markets including Japan, South Korea, Thailand and China. From fiscal 2015-16 to October 2018, total coffee exports, including border trade, amounted to more than 1,500 metric tons (MT) valued at over US$5.2 million, according to U Ye Myint, the chairman of the Myanmar Coffee Association. In fiscal 2017-18 alone, exports exceeded 477 MT.

At the end of 2015, Daw Su Su Aung started learning to produce high-quality beans through a U.S.-funded training program run by WinRock International, an INGO helping coffee growers and processors in Myanmar. Six months later, she brought together other coffee farmers, mostly women, from about five villages in her town, and applied for a USAID grant.

The value chain project helped her to start building the Amara Coffee Processing Factory. The facility processes the beans of every farmer in her network, and hosts training programs related to coffee cupping (the process of evaluating the aroma and taste of coffee) and quality control.

When this reporter met Ywangans Coffee Lady at the Amara Coffee processing facility in the township last year, she was attending a quality assessment training session hosted by her facility.

We use the natural, or dry, system of processing as taught by WinRock, which produces better quality beans. In 2015-16, our specialty coffee developed a reputation in the area. We launched Ywangan Coffee as a specialty brand and it debuted in the U.S. market [in 2016], Daw Su Su Aung said.

The Amara Coffee processing factory now benefits some 300 families in 20 villages in Ywangan, whose coffee beans are processed into quality products. The factory produced 20 tons of specialty coffee in 2017, double the amount produce a year earlier.

She also leads the Amayar Womens Coffee Producer Group, which provides alternative employment opportunities to women in nearby villages by producing specialty coffee.

Now that growers have gained access to the new and more valuable international markets in the U.S., Their incomes have increased too, because the price of raw beans has risen. Workers now earn at least 100,000 kyats per month, she said.

However, as with other types of farming, coffee growing requires extra labor during the harvest season, despite the fact that many local coffee farmers in Ywangan work on their own plantations.

In December and January, when the coffee cherry beans are ready to be picked, finding enough workers can be tough, Daw Su Su Aung said.Burma Commerce Ministry Director General Dismissal Not Over Corruption

U Yan Naing Tun, former director-general of the Trade Department who was dismissed by the Presidents Office on Monday. / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAWDeputy Commerce Minister U Aung Htoo said the dismissal of a director-general from his ministry on the orders of President U Win Myint earlier this week was not connected with corruption.

U Yan Naing Tun, the director-general of the Trade Department overseen by the Commerce Ministry, was sacked on Monday and rumors have since been spreading that he was dismissed for corruption.

He was transferred from the militarywhere he served as a lieutenant-colonelto the government, spending a number of years in charge of the border trade department in Muse, a key border trade zone on the Myanmar-China border. He later became director-general of the Trade Department under the government of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Somebody made a complaint against him over the lack of transparency in his supplying of sugar [to private companies] for industrial purposes. An internal investigation was launched in response. When we submitted our findings to the Presidents Office, it dismissed him according to the law, U Aung Htoo told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.

But it was nothing to do with corruption. He violated the code of conduct for civil servants. We presented our findings to the Presidents Office and it took action, he added.

The Ministry of Commerce, the Internal Revenues Department under the Ministry of Planning and Finance, and the Directorate of Industrial Supervision and Inspection under the Ministry of Industry are responsible for carrying out field inspections in order to supply sugar for local factories.

Based on the report of the combined inspection team, the Ministry of Commerce decides the amount of sugar to supply to each factory.

There was a complaint in November about that process, so we launched an internal investigation and reported to the Presidents Office, said U Aung Htoo.

The Irrawaddy was not able to contact U Yan Naing Tun for his comments on the issue.

According to a member of the national anti-graft body, U Han Nyunt, they have not received any complaint against U Yan Naing Tun.

The NLD last week expelled from its party the deputy speaker of the Irrawaddy regional parliament for alleged misappropriation of funds.

The NLD government has sacked a number of deputy ministers and chief ministers, but none of them were charged with corruption. However, the government has been known to take action against director-generals under corruption charges.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.Burma Brothers Injured by Artillery Shell in Northern Rakhine

Two brothers injured by an artillery shell in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State, on Wednesday. / Garuna Network

SITTWE, Rakhine State  Two brothers were injured by an artillery shell that fell on their house in the north of Rakhine States Maungdaw Township on Wednesday, according to their father and a local aid group.

Maung Kyaw Hla, 18, and Maung Kyaw Naing, 12, were sent to Maungdaw Hospital to be treated for their wounds, said Ko Chit Htoo Khaing, chairman of the Maungdaw-based Garuna Network humanitarian aid organization.

One was hit in the right side of the head and the other in his left shoulder, he told The Irrawaddy.

Like most of the more than 100 households in Yan Aung Myin village, both victims are members of the Daingnet, a tribe of the Arakanese ethnic group.

U Htwee Maung, their father, was with his sons when the shell exploded but was not injured.

One of my sons was inside the house and the other was outside when it happened at about 1 p.m., he said. I dont know where the shell came from. I just heard a sound like stones being thrown onto the roof. Then it exploded and our house was on fire.

There were reports of a clash between the Arakan Army (AA) and border guard police near the village on Wednesday afternoon.

I heard that the AA troops attacked a border guard police vehicle near the village, but I dont know exactly, Maungdaw Township Administrator U Myint Khaing told The Irrawaddy.

The Myanmar Army and the AA have been fighting in Kyauktaw, Rathaedaung, Ponnagyn, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in recent weeks. More than 5,000 locals have been displaced.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.News Border Guard Police Wounded in Rakhine Rebel Ambush: Myanmar Army

A border guard police officer on duty in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy

SITTWE, Rakhine State  Six border guard police officers were wounded in an ambush by the Arakan Army (AA) on Wednesday in northern Rakhine State, according to Myanmar Army spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun.

He said the AA ambushed a vehicle with border guard police on board at around noon north of Maungdaw Townships Kyee Kan Pyin Village, where the board guard police have a base.

One was seriously wounded and the rest sustained minor injuries, Brig. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy. It happened in the north of Kyee Kan Pyin, not near the [border] fence. It was closer to the motor road. As far as I know, they were ambushed, which was followed by an exchange of fire.

All the six wounded officers have been sent to Yangon for medical treatment, he added.

Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the AA, claimed that there was no clash in Maungdaw on Wednesday.

There was no clash with us in Maungdaw the entire day of Jan. 16. But I heard there was friendly fire between the Bamar army and border guard police in Maungdaw. I heard it was friendly fire between reinforcements for the Bamar army and border police on patrol, he said.

Also on Wednesday, two brothers, aged 12 and 18, were injured by an artillery shell that fell on their house in Maungdaws Yan Aung Myin Village, near the site of the reported gunfire.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.Asia US Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Bills Targeting China's Huawei and ZTE

Attendees pass by a Huawei booth during the 2019 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Jan. 9. / Reuters

WASHINGTON  A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced bills on Wednesday that would ban the sale of U.S. chips or other components to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, ZTE Corp or other Chinese telecommunications companies that violate U.S. sanctions or export control laws.

The proposed law was introduced shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported federal prosecutors were investigating allegations that Huawei stole trade secrets from T-Mobile U.S. Inc and other U.S. businesses.

The Journal said that an indictment could be coming soon on allegations that Huawei stole T-Mobile technology, called Tappy, which mimicked human fingers and was used to test smartphones.

Huawei said in a statement the company and T-Mobile settled their disputes in 2017 following a U.S. jury verdict that found neither damage, unjust enrichment nor willful and malicious conduct by Huawei in T-Mobiles trade secret claim.

The legislation is the latest in a long list of actions taken to fight what some in the Trump administration call Chinas cheating through intellectual property theft, illegal corporate subsidies and rules hampering U.S. corporations that want to sell their goods in China.

In November, the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled an initiative to investigate Chinas trade practices with a goal of bringing trade secret theft cases.

At that time, Washington had announced an indictment against Chinese chipmaker Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd for stealing trade secrets from U.S. semiconductor company Micron Technology relating to research and development of memory storage devices.

Jinhua, which has denied any wrongdoing, was put on a list of entities that cannot buy goods from U.S. firms.

On Capitol Hill, Senator Tom Cotton and Representative Mike Gallagher, both Republicans, along with Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, introduced the bills that would require the president to ban the export of U.S. components to any Chinese telecommunications company that violates U.S. sanctions or export control laws.

The bills specifically cite ZTE and Huawei, both of which are viewed with suspicion in the United States because of fears that their switches and other gear could be used to spy on Americans. Both have also been accused of failing to respect U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Huawei is effectively an intelligence-gathering arm of the Chinese Communist Party whose founder and CEO was an engineer for the Peoples Liberation Army, Cotton wrote in a statement. If Chinese telecom companies like Huawei violate our sanctions or export control laws, they should receive nothing less than the death penalty  which this denial order would provide.

The proposed law and investigation are two of several challenges that Huawei, the worlds biggest telecommunications equipment maker, faces in the U.S. market.

In addition to allegations of sanctions-busting and intellectual property theft, Washington has been pressing allies to refrain from buying Huaweis switches and other gear because of fears they will be used by Beijing for espionage.

Huaweis founder, Ren Zhengfei, denied this week that his company was used by the Chinese government to spy.

Canada detained Rens daughter, Meng Wanzhou, who is Huaweis chief financial officer, in December at the request of U.S. authorities investigating an alleged scheme to use the global banking system to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran.

For its part, ZTE agreed last year to pay a $1 billion fine to the United States that had been imposed because the company breached a U.S. embargo on trade with Iran. As part of the agreement, the U.S. lifted a ban in place since April that had prevented ZTE from buying the U.S. components it relies on heavily to make smartphones and other devices.Food A Feast to Welcome the Year of the Pig

People toss the Salmon Yee Sang salad as high as possible while exclaiming Good luck!, More income!, Good health! and Wealth! at the Sedona Hotel Yangon. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

Sedona Hotel Yangon is welcoming the Chinese Year of the Pig. Its Chinese restaurant, Dufu, will host a Spring Festival offering special set menus created to bring diners luck, health and prosperity.

The Spring Festival will be available for the whole of February and will include Longevity, Prosperity and Fortune set menus created by the executive chef and his team of local chefs. The sets start at US$138 net per table of five persons.

The Irrawaddy was invited to a special tasting event for members of the media at the Sedona Hotel Yangon on Jan. 16.

To begin, the hotel served up the traditional Lunar New Year main dish Yee Sang (Prosperity Toss), which symbolizes wealth, prosperity and health, and is commonly shared with the family.

The colorful salad included strips of salmon mixed with shredded vegetables such as radishes, carrots, ginger and onion slices, crushed peanuts, pomelo, pepper, pickled ginger, and a variety of sauces and ingredients. Every ingredient in the dish has a symbolic meaning.

After the final preparation, all the diners toss the salad as high as possible, shouting sayings like Good luck!, More income!, Good health! and Wealth!. It is the fun part of the meal, and Chinese people believe that the higher and more vigorous the toss, the better the coming year will be.

The salad is a delicious, crunchy mix of sweet and tangy flavors.

Within the three set menus, highlights include authentic Chinese dishes such as Fried Sea Bass in Spicy Bean Sauce, Braised Sea Cucumber with Dried Seafood and Fat Choy, Longevity Hong Kong Noodles with Char Siew, Wok-fried Tiger Prawn with Salted Egg, and Curry Chili.

The Fried Sea Bass in Spicy Bean Sauce is a sweet and crunchy dish, and not really spicy at all. The chef deep-fried a whole sea bass, giving it a crunchy exterior, while the meat was tender. The spicy bean sauce was not very hot. This dish was really good.

My next favorite was the Longevity Hong Kong Noodles with Char Siew; this was just fried noodles topped with slices of crispy pork neck; the long noodles symbolize longevity.

The fried noodles were quite juicy and tasty. The outside of the slices of pork neck were crispy but the meat was very tender and sweet. The portions were large and of coursethis is a Chinese New Year special menu, after allmost of the dishes were sweet.

This is a good chance for Chinese people looking for a special way to reunite with family members or other relatives, and for foodies who just want to try some authentic traditional Chinese dishes.

The hotel offers a deluxe red hamper for US$88 net. It includes premium items such as gold ingo Chinese cake, homemade peanut cookies, house wine, pu-er tea, and Pacific clams. On Chinese New Year, Feb. 5, the hotel will host activities including a Chinese dragon dance and many others.In Person Arakan Army Chief Promises Myanmar Military, Govt Eye For an Eye

AA chief Tun Myat Naing in Laiza, Kachin State, in January 2017. / Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy

The chief of the Arakan Army (AA), Tun Myat Naing, recently spoke with The Irrawaddys Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint about his groups policies and accusations by the Presidents Office that it has ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

What is the situation like in Rakhine States Buthidaung [Township] after the Presidents Office instructed the Tatmadaw to use aircraft against the AA?

We predicted this after [the Tatmadaw] declared [a unilateral ceasefire] on Dec. 21. But we didnt expect that the Presidents Office would also get involved. So we can see that the national reconciliation policy of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government has made great progress. We have seen [Tatmadaw] troop deployments both by air and by road. So it is very likely that future clashes will be fierce.

The government has said that the AA has turned its back on the peace process. Why did the AA launch attacks on four border police outposts when a ceasefire was about to be discussed?

You need to know what happened before our attacks and what role the border police were playing. Before Jan. 4, there were clashes in Rathaedaung, Buthidaung, Kyaktaw and Ponnagyn [townships]. At that time, large numbers of Tatmadaw troops came from Buthidaung and launched large-scale attacks on us in Rathaedaung and Kyauktaw. They cut off all the routes used for delivering food and put intense military pressures on us. They arrested villagers and made them surround their posts, I mean using them as a shield in case they come under attack.

In Paletwa Township, [the Tatmadaw] fired artillery even at night. And artillery fired by Navy vessels fell on places near the forests as well as other places. They fired because it is Rakhine State. But if it were a Bamar State, they would be very worried about killing a [Bamar] civilian in a Bamar village. This shows racial discrimination, the lack of Union spirit and cruelty, we believe. Our wish is that we dont want police in attacks against us. So we warned them. But they were involved in implementing the four cuts strategy [cutting off access to food, funds, information and recruitment] on a large scale and in the persecution [of locals] in order to instill them with fear.

According to the structure of the border police, they have about 3,000 troops and are equipped with G3, G4 arms. Even their ammunition is strong. A police outpost has at least tens of thousands of bullets and grenades. And as many as 70 percent of them in each police battalion have combat experiences, and battalions are commanded by those transferred from the military. Their function, organizational structure and chain of command are like that of an army.

Before Jan. 4, Tatmadaw troops were putting pressures on our troops and using helicopters. And border guard police were also involved. So we did what was necessary according to the nature of war. And we believe that we are right in doing so. They said we have turned our back on peace just to put us into a tight political corner.

Why did the AA attack four police outposts?

For one thing, we dont want them [police] to be involved [in military attacks against us]. And we wont tolerate it if our Arakanese people are oppressed. Weve recorded the battalions that made artillery strikes on our villages. Weve also recorded in detail the police battalions and border guard police. We wont forgive that. Well retaliate.

For another, it was a tactical decision. If they have gathered their forces in one place, we have to fight where they are absent. We are right tactically.

There are claims that civilians are being used in attacks. Does the AA have records of this?

We are making records in the places we can reach. At first there was no forced labor of local villagers. But recently we have seen cases of local villagers being used as human shields. [Tatmadaw troops] forced civilians to walk ahead of them and stand guard while they slept. [Tatmadaw troops] also opened artillery fire on villages, labeling them rebel villages. Recently there has been increased artillery fire. In Paletwa Township they opened artillery fire whenever they felt unsafe, even at night.

While the government has invited the AA to peace talks, the Presidents Office has allowed attacks on the AA in Rakhine State. What will the AA do in response?

Peace is a word and a military operation is action. They talk about peace while carrying out military operations. So it can be said that they are saying one thing and doing another. [The Tatmadaw] issued a declaration on Dec. 21 and pretends to have a ceasefire in other places. But it hasnt ceased fire in Rakhine State. The declaration in fact was a declaration of war on Rakhine State. We dont view it as a declaration of peace. Because [the Tatmadaw] is not honest with its ceasefire declaration, it is unlikely that [the ceasefire] will be successful.

About 5,000 civilians have been displaced in just over a month of clashes. Has the AA made preparations to save civilians from being harmed in future clashes?

The financial status of our Arakanese people is not sufficient to feed the displaced people. We rely on donors and international agencies. We, the United League of Arakan/AA, will try. There are going to be more displaced people. Of course our Arakanese people are suffering. But what else can we do? We, the Arakanese people, have faced hardship for a long time. But this was discovered only after gunshots were heard.

The AA is attempting to establish bases in Rakhine State. If it has to choose between a ceasefire and [establishing] military bases, which will it choose?

We will have to choose both. We have always heard about [the correlation between] peace and development, and we have heard it more recently perhaps because of our revolution. Rakhine has never had them. Rakhine has never been developed. We didnt fight while others [ethnic groups] fought. We will rely on ourselves rather than believe the words of others. This is the lesson we have learned from our experiences. And about the deployment of the AA, what we believe is that the existence of the AA directly relates to the existence and survival of Arakanese people. No one loves Rakhine State as much as the Arakanese do. The Myanmar Army says it loves Rakhine State because of its interests.

Despite the fact that we live in a strategic region, we cant enjoy strategic benefits. But others enjoy them. Therefore, the Arakan Army must exist in Rakhine State. It would be good if there were no fighting. But the potential for such a situation will be strong only after a long series of political talks.

According to the Tatmadaws ceasefire declaration on Dec. 21, it doesnt accept the presence of AA troops in Rakhine State. But your group is fighting for a base there. So will there be more clashes?

Yes, there will be. It doesnt want to recognize the Arakan Army. It is natural for it [the Tatmadaw]. It doesnt want to recognize the Kachin Army, either. It has to talk with us just because the situation forces it to. But its recognition or non-recognition is not important. We just need the recognition by the Arakanese people. It [the Tatmadaw] is stupid not to recognize us. The entire elephant is in the room and it is saying it doesnt see it. So there is something wrong with it. We will do what we need to do.

Has the AA already built a stronghold in Rakhine State? Has it formed battalions and brigades? People also say that the AAs headquarters have been moved to the Myanmar-India border. Is that true?

Taking lessons from the 70 years of civil war in Myanmar, we have changed our chain of command and our structure to ensure flexibility. I dont want to comment on the location of our headquarters. But we have adopted a flexible command and control system. Some groups announce their battalions and brigades. But we dont want to announce our formation; it could weaken our militarily. It is like giving your information to the enemy. Some time in the future, we will become an organization that can protect the security of Arakanese people. And only we will be able to control the racial conflicts in Rakhine State.

Do you mean your group will occupy a township in Rakhine State?

What I mean is broader than that. Because the Myanmar Army wants to stay in Rakhine State, it sows discord between Arakanese and Muslims. It created conflict. Because the political leadership is not yet strong, people are misled and swayed. It doesnt just want to sow discord between Arakanese and Muslim in Rakhine State. It also wants to cause ill feelings between Arakanese and Mro, Arakanese and Khami. It paved the way for problems to create an excuse for its rule in certain places. This is what it does.

And I have heard various criticisms [from the Tatmadaw] about our presence [in Rakhine State], citing security issues and so on. It gives various excuses. If we had a big problem with Muslims, it would use it as an excuse with the international community in order to end our existence. But since we didnt have problems with Muslim, it is attempting to label us terrorists who have links to ARSA. We will continue to do what we have to do.

Why has the AA sent warning letters and carried out assassinations in Rakhine State?

Letters packed with bullets are not just meant to be a threat. We mean it for real. We will do it [kill them] if they do not do as they are told. There are traitors and slave-minded people in a liberation movement. It would be good for them to listen to our warnings. If not, we have to do what we have to do.

What do you say to the Myanmar governments accusation that your group has two outposts on the Bangladesh side of the border and that it has held meetings with ARSA?

We dont have outposts in Bangladesh. We sometimes have to seek food supplies at the border. We dont need to lie. No government would allow a rebel group from another country on its territory. This is just one of its accusations.

There are also allegations that your group has funded its operations through the illegal drug trade over the past nine years. Can you explain how you raise funds?

There are such accusations. Revolutionary groups raise funds by different means. We have many members and some individuals might do it [traffic drugs]. You can see in newspaper reports the arrest of many officers, majors and tactical commanders in connection with drug dealing. Can we say the Myanmar Tatmadaw is involved? And National League for Democracy members are also involved in drug cases in Rakhine State. Can we say the NLD is involved? I have to keep secret how and from where we get funds and arms. This is a matter of life and death. I cant reveal this for the time being. But I will make it public if our revolution is successful and write it down for history.

We have marched on this journey with the support of the [Arakanese] people. Much remains to be done to reach our goal. Because the Tatmadaw has deployed its troops to launch attacks, we have to go through difficult times. We have informed our people that we have to go through the storm in 2019 and 2020. Only after going through the storm will we be able to enjoy the bright sunlight and breeze. We have told the Arakanese people to have mental strength and face the music while we go through the storm.

Can you elaborate on what your group calls the 2020 Arakan Dream?

Each and every Arakanese individual is very proud of his history. We believe we will at some point be free of the yoke of enslavement and of the life in which your destiny is determined by others. That belief is the Arakan Dream, and we have to realize it. We are performing the role that our Arakanese history has assigned to us. We are trying collectively to stop other people from determining our fate. By 2020 our group will be 10 years old, and by that time the political beliefs of the United League of Arakan will have been widely disseminated among the Arakanese people. We have made a clarion call to Arakanese people from all walks of life and all places to rebuild our country with unity and to shoulder the responsibility for the collapsing Arakanese society.

It is not true that we will secede from Myanmar in 2020. We have never said that we would secede from Myanmar.

The Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee [FPNCC] consists of different ethnic groups that have different objectives. Can the FPNCC be productive collectively or will members work separately to achieve their objectives?

Yes, there are some differences within the FPNCC. But we have to work based on our common interests. The FPNCC is interested in the bilateral [truces] proposed by the government, because some of the FPNCC members have signed bilateral ceasefire agreements [with the government] at the Union level. But four groups clashing [with the Tatmadaw] have not signed. This is the cause of the ongoing clashes. Only after signing it, and when there is no more bloody fighting, will the peace [process] be more realistic. We have such hopes.

The FPNCC is not very happy with the way the NCA mingles ceasefires and politics. If there is a strong truce, it will be easier to find a political answer.

Has the AA negotiated with the Tatmadaw to sign a bilateral ceasefire agreement?

Not yet. We have to continue talking with it. But it appears we have to try with great patience in the face of the current crisis and under threats.

Will the Arakanese people see more negative impacts from fighting in the months to come? What are the prospects for peace?

For my part, it is difficult to say. If the government continues its offensive, the clashes will go on. I heard [government and Tatmadaw officials] say that Rakhine will be completely ruined in the next 10 years or so and that Rakhine will meet the same fate as Syria. So I believe that if they want to destroy our land [Rakhine State], we should destroy their [the Bamars] land. If they offer peace, we will welcome it as warmly as we can. And we will work actively. If they are to tear our land apart militarily, we will have to do the same to them.

Does the AA have plans to establish its own controlled areas, like its allies?

We wish to. But we can do it only when the circumstances allow. Much remains to be done. We have yet to try very much.

Is the political goal of the AA to have a federal state or a confederate status like the United Wa State Army?

We wish to keep the sovereignty of our state in our hands. We prefer [a confederation of states] like Wa State, which has a larger share of power in line with the Constitution. And we think it is more suited to the history of Rakhine State and the hopes of the Arakanese people. If there is sharing of power and Union rights, every race will be happy with the unity of the Union.

Do you mean the AA idolizes the UWSA regarding its political objective?

Yes, I do. It would be better if we had confederate status. It is what we want.

As your group tries to establish strongholds on the border, what have China and India said to your group?

So, they have not told us to do this and not to do that. They want the problem to be solved peacefully. We will be the ones who make the decisions.

What is Indias opinion of the AAs operations on the Myanmar-India border? Has the AA built good ties with the Indian government?

We cant say we have good ties. But we try to make India understand why we are fighting. We said we welcomed its projects. We justified our military objectives and said we are fighting for our rights as an ethnic group and that our cause is just. And we explained that our existence and our stance do not go against its interests.

If the AA were to hold talks on politics and a ceasefire with the government in the future, would it uphold the general policy of the UWSA [of an alternative to the NCA]?

We have decided to stick to that policy in collaboration with our allies in discussing those issues.

It was only recently that [the Tatmadaw] accepted federalism. Do you think the demand for a confederation of states is realistic?

It will take time to build trust. If there are deep doubts between the two sides, it will be difficult to move forward. There must be honesty to build trust. [State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] once said that ethnic groups should not only make demands but think about what they can give in return. We are not asking for things owned by others. We are just claiming back what is ours. There is a need to see the objective reality. When somebody has borrowed money for so long, he thinks that money is his. This is what we talk about with other ethnic groups.

So you mean the AA will fight until the AA obtains confederate status?

Fighting happens only because the situation forces us. The best approach is for us to keep trying politically as well.

There are countries in which self-determination is obtained only through fighting, and in some countries it is obtained without the need to fight. It would be best if we could achieve self-determination peacefully. We will try.

Does the Northern Alliance support the political goal of the AA to demand confederate status? What is its stance?

We allies have a policy to mutually respect each others political objectives and existence. We will acknowledge each other and provide mutual support.

Given the latest developments, can 2019 be a year of peace?

Peace is nowhere in sight considering the current situation.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.Update - 10.14pm: Theresa May has made a statement in Downing Street following her survival of no confidence vote earlier this evening.

Speaking in Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: This evening the Government has won the confidence of Parliament.

Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit.

I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British peoples instruction to leave the European Union and I intend to do so.

"I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together" - @theresa_may says she will hold talks with MPs across Parliament to find a consensus on #Brexit.



Get more political reaction here: https://t.co/9bjy3YziLq pic.twitter.com/VBdtnJjC3K  Sky News (@SkyNews) January 16, 2019

In a historic vote in 2016 the country decided to leave the EU. In 2017, 80% of people voted for parties that stood on manifestos promising to respect that result.

Now, over two and a half years later, its time for us to come together, put the national interest first and deliver on the referendum.

Mrs May attempted to put pressure on Jeremy Corbyn in her statement.

She said she had held constructive meetings with Mr Cable, Mr Blackford and Ms Saville-Roberts and would meet MPs including the DUP on Thursday.

She added: I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open.

Update - 9.22pm: Theresa May is to make a statement in Downing Street at 10pm, following her survival of no confidence vote earlier this evening, a Number 10 spokeswoman has confirmed.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman also said she would meet with eurosceptic MPs in her own party, who accepted an invitation, on Thursday.

Theresa May during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons this evening. Picture: UK Parliament/Mark Duffy

Earlier - 'British public must have final say': Mayor of London as Theresa May survives no confidence vote

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he is "deeply disappointed" about the outcome of this evening's no confidence vote in Theresa May.

The Britsh House of Commons narrowly voted against a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May by 325 votes to 306.

Following the result of the vote, Sadiq Khan tweeted:

Deeply disappointed that Conservative MPs have put political interest above the national interest tonight.

The Govt needs to withdraw Article 50 immediately. If we cannot have a general election  the British public must have the final say  with the option to stay in the EU.

Deeply disappointed that Conservative MPs have put political interest above the national interest tonight.



The Govt needs to withdraw Article 50 immediately. If we cannot have a general election - the British public must have the final say - with the option to stay in the EU. https://t.co/RYK0KT0I8o  Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) January 16, 2019

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, raising a point of order after the vote, said: Last night the House rejected the Governments deal emphatically.

A week ago the House voted to condemn the idea of a no-deal Brexit.

Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the Government must remove clearly once and for all the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the result of the vote shows the importance of his partys confidence and supply agreement with the Conservatives.

DUP votes once again make the difference, he wrote on Twitter.

The result of tonight's vote shows the importance of our C&S Agreement.



DUP votes once again make the difference.  Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) January 16, 2019

Mr Dodds said the result of the motion of no confidence illustrates the importance of the confidence and supply arrangement that is currently in place between his party and Theresa Mays Conservatives.

He said: Im always delighted when our opponents illustrate the strength of that relationship that we have, and what is delivering for Northern Ireland.

When the people of Northern Ireland see the investment in education, in health and infrastructure they will thank this Parliament and this party and this Government for that extra investment.

A number of Labour MPs then held their hands in the air and rubbed their fingers together, in reference to the extra investment promised to Northern Ireland in exchange for the support of Mr Dodds partys 10 MPs.

He said the agreement was built on delivering Brexit, adding that he is looking forward to working in the coming days to achieve that objective.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas called on Jeremy Corbyn to hold a second referendum after his confidence motion failed.

In a clip posted to Twitter, the Brighton Pavilion MP said: The leader of the opposition was right to try to bring down this toxic, failing Government. But now MPs have had their say on the Brexit deal, he needs to give the people a say over our future relationship with our nearest neighbours.

Ms Lucas added that to do otherwise would be a betrayal of the majority of his partys members and young supporters who were unable to vote in the referendum two years ago.

PM hangs on by 19 votes.

So disappointing that MPs failed to remove this cruel & incompetent Govt with tonight's #NoConfidenceMotion



Parliament has now had its say both on the #Brexit deal & on the Government.



It's time to extend that right to the people with a #PeoplesVote pic.twitter.com/dSNZuginmh  Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) January 16, 2019

Theresa Mays official spokesman has since said that the Westminster leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and Plaid Cymru had been invited to meet Mrs May later tonight.

However, a no-deal Brexit will not be taken off the table, despite Mr Corbyns insistence it was a prerequisite for talks, he added.

The spokesman said: The Prime Minister has been very clear that the British public voted to leave the European Union.

We want to leave with a deal but she is determined to deliver on the verdict of the British public and that is to leave the EU on March 29 this year.

Asked by a reporter if he was taking no-deal off the table in response to the opposition leader, he replied: I am not.

Earlier: Arlene Foster has said she had a "useful discussion" with Theresa May and confirmed the party will support the Prime Minister in Wednesday's confidence vote.

The DUP leader said she had indicated during a meeting in London, which was also attended by the party's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds, that her party "will act in the national interest".

She added that the issue of the backstop, the main sticking point for the DUP in Mrs May's rejected Withdrawal Agreement, "needs to be dealt with and we will continue to work to that end".

In a statement issued after the meeting, Mrs Foster said: "These are critical times for the United Kingdom and we have indicated that first and foremost we will act in the national interest.

"Lessons will need to be learned from the vote in Parliament.

"The issue of the backstop needs to be dealt with and we will continue to work to that end."

Useful discussion with the Prime Minister.



Lessons will need to be learned from the vote in Parliament.



The issue of the backstop needs to be dealt and we will continue to work to that end. pic.twitter.com/cbVGNQobta  Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) January 16, 2019

She confirmed the party will vote in support of the Government "so that we can concentrate on the real challenges ahead of us".

There will be "further engagements in the coming days", she added.

Earlier Mrs Foster said she would urge the Prime Minister to go back to Europe and seek a better deal, and called on the Irish Government to help find solutions to Brexit.

She also claimed there had never been a hard border on the island of Ireland.

She told Northern Ireland-based U105 radio: "For those of us who lived on the border and who were attacked by the IRA, we know that the IRA escaped across that border so it was not a hard border, nobody wants to go back to that.

It takes the will to look for solutions and the regrettable thing is the Republic of Ireland has not been in the solution-finding mode.

"I hope that they are now, I hope that our Prime Minister uses that vote last night to go to Europe and to look for a better deal."

The DUP's 10 MPs voted against Theresa May's draft EU Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday.

The opposition had focused on the backstop, an insurance policy to avoid a hard Irish border after Brexit.

- PAThe race for the European elections is already hotting up, with some big names making no secret of their ambition to run, writes Political Correspondent Juno McEnroe.

The countdown is on to the European Parliament elections next year with a number of hopeful figures pressing the flesh as parties weigh up which candidates to field.

An extra seat proposed in the Dublin and South Constituencies; the chances still of a snap general election this year; and increasing criticism around EU institutions mean MEP hopefuls have a lot to ponder, especially with several incumbents set to seek re-election.

Brexit is now up in the air and will also dominate debate.

A bewildering plethora of topics hung over campaigns during the last European elections in May 2014.

These included water charges, the aftermath of the bailout and the economic crash, as well as payments for farmers.

This time around, sitting MEPs say it will all be about Brexit and an EU landscape without Britain, the future of the bloc, challenges for Ireland as well as the negotiations over common agriculture payments over the next year.

Corporate tax and the pressure to change Irelands rate will also be a hot topic.

So who are the runners and riders for next Mays race and how is the field shaping up?

Ireland South moves from a four-seater to a five-seater after taking in the counties of Laois and Offaly.

Fine Gael incumbents Sean Kelly and Deirdre Clune will seek re-election here and it will likely be tough to oust the pair.

The party will run a third candidate, a sweeper, with Laois-Offaly solicitor Thomasina Connell likely to make the ticket.

Fianna Fails dilemma still rests with the unknown situation regarding former party MEP Brian Crowley, who is sick and hasnt attended parliament once since his 2014 re-election.

The poll topper resigned from the parliamentary party after his re-election and has still made no statement about his intentions for next year.

But Crowley is set to reveal those intentions later today.

Fianna Fail is targeting the Ireland South seat and is hoping Gory councillor Malcolm Byrne could retake it for the party.

Crowleys intentions will decide a lot for contenders in the Munster region.

There is also speculation Oireachtas Finance Committee TD John McGuinness might be a good choice for Fianna Fail in Ireland South, maximising his base in Carlow-Kilkenny.

Furthermore, Cork North-Central TD and senior party figure Billy Kelleher stuck his neck out yesterday, indicating he would be interested in Europe.

In an interview on RTEs Morning Ireland, the business spokesman confirmed he would like to be at the centre of developments in Europe.

This was clearly a pitch across the airwaves to his boss to allow him to put his name forward  if indeed there is space for Fianna Fail to reclaim its support base in Ireland South.

Nonetheless, a spokesman for party leader Micheal Martin maintains that his position is that sitting TDs will not be contesting the European elections.

One reason for this is that there is a strong possibility that those elections may be overtaken by a snap general election or even that both votes may be held on the same day this May.

Elsewhere, Liadh Ni Riada, while damaged from Sinn Feins dismal result in the recent presidential race, is expected to seek a second term as an MEP for Ireland South.

Independents are also expected to field someone in the now bigger five-seater, but a name has yet to emerge.

Dublin also grows and becomes a four-seater which, like Ireland South, will increase competition there.

There is much speculation about candidates for Dublin.

Barry Andrews, a former minister and the sitting director general of the Institute of International and European Affairs, has made it known he wants to run for Fianna Fail, as has former minister and Dun Laoghaire councillor Mary Hanafin.

LGBT rights campaigner Tiernan Brady is also considering his options, having unsuccessfully sought selection in Europe in 2014.

Party sources also say Conor Lenihan, another former minister from the boom years, has expressed an interest in running in Dublin.

He confirmed to this newspaper that he would likely put himself forward for the partys regional selection convention.

Brian Hayes

Elsewhere, a recent announcement by MEP Brian Hayes that he is leaving politics has triggered speculation about who from Dublin Fine Gael will want to send to Europe.

Senator Neale Richmond, a popular party figure and election candidate in Dublin-Rathdown, says the EU parliament is important work.

But he enjoys his current role and focus on Brexit in the Upper House.

Theres a lot to consider, he said, after his name was linked with a bid.

And while attention has turned to former EU minister Lucinda Creighton, who has not ruled out a return to party politics and is a friend of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, two senior party figures have emerged as possible contenders.

Former tanaiste Francis Fitzgerald and super junior minister Mary Mitchell OConnor have both not ruled out running for Europe.

The latter is thought to be eyeing up options with a Cabinet reshuffle now on the cards this summer.

There is also speculation Fine Gael is considering running Noelle OConnell, head of the European Movement Ireland, and SDLP MLA Claire Hanna in the race.

With Sinn Fein seeking to return poll topper Lynn Boylan in Dublin, the remaining questions are around Independents or smaller parties fielding a candidate.

Lynn Boylan

This is especially so after a decision by Independent MEP Nessa Childers not to run again.

And with an extra seat in Dublin, the May race could be wide open.

Labour potentially has its best chance of securing a seat in Europe with a bid in Dublin, with barrister and former minister Alex White.

The party will also contest Ireland South with former TD Michael McNamara while another former TD Dominic Hannigan will run in the vast constituency of Midlands-North West.

Party sources say he will face competition from Iverna McGowan, a former director of Amnesty Internationals European institutions office, who also wants to run here for Labour.

It is also understood Independent MEP Luke Ming Flanagan will seek re-election there.

There is also much speculation that the controversial presidential race runner-up Peter Casey may run in this enormous electoral region, which stretches from Kildare and Louth up to Donegal. The Derryman says he intends to remain in politics and has taken on a radio role recently.

Certainly, if three-time elected MEP Marian Harkin decides not to seek re-election in Midlands North-West, there is space for another independent.

She has yet to reveal her next step: I havent decided yet. Every other time, I always knew. I love my work. It is also a lot of responsibility. You represent 15 counties and have all the legislation in Europe too, the Sligo woman said.

Ms Harkin thinks the debate around immigration  a significant issue for other member states such as France and Italy  is unlikely to figure here come vote day next May.

We dont have much immigration. If we did, it would be an issue, added the MEP.

Having campaigned for an EU globalisation fund, carers leave as well as workers rights and pay during her third term as an MEP, she says the post-Brexit landscape will be the next big debating point for voters.

The standout argument or issue this time will be Irelands relationship with Europe.

Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly says water charges, medical cards and the banks were the hot topics in 2014.

Next years elections could be more European topics, he thinks.

Security is a big issue. But it might not necessarily be at home, the former GAA president added.

With between three and five out of the 11 sitting MEPs potentially not running this time, Mr Kelly says the race will be wide open.

Its not good for Ireland when we need experience in Europe, the Kerryman said.

Matt Carthy

Sinn Feins Matt Carthy will not be seeking re-election here as an MEP, with intentions to run and keep the seat belonging to Cavan-Monaghan TD Caoimhghin O Caolain, who is set to retire from politics.

And while there is speculation the partys northern MEP Martina Anderson will seek to retain the Midlands-North-West seat for Sinn Fein when MEP seats in the North are scrapped with Brexit, no decision has been made on Mr Carthys possible successor.

Party sources are also not ruling out running a second candidate in Ireland South, alongside Ms Ni Riada, given the expanded constituency there.

Other new faces could get to Europe if the Social Democrats secure a result with their candidates Dublin city councillor Gary Gannon and party political director Ann-Marie McNally now running.

One note of caution for MEP hopefuls.

With the Brexit process up in the air and the slight possibility it might all be pushed back, there is now a chance Irelands two extra MEP seats could be held back, until Britain does in fact leave the EU.

This would change strategies for contenders in Dublin and Ireland South without the extra seats.

What is abundantly clear is that whoever is elected to Strasbourg on our behalf will have to fully represent Irelands interests in a changing bloc of member states, where the future of the EU  more than ever before  will now be debated on the back of Brexit.

Ireland will also need all the allies it can get without Britain at the negotiating table in Europe and Irish MEPs may at times have to stand together, even if they are affiliated with different political groups at a European level.

Indeed, EU leaders including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar are very conscious of the pressures that will come to bear on new MEPs and during election campaigning.

Only recently, Mr Varadkar warned about external interference in the European elections.

He also cautioned that a European Parliament full of nationalists, populists and extremists could bring some of its work to a halt, given that voters often use their votes as an opportunity to register a protest.

Imagine the pressures and debate impacting on campaigning if, indeed, Britain does not leave the EU before the May elections.

This is a strong possibility given how close those votes are to the March 29 Brexit date.

With Britain, then, still in fact a member of the EU, what kind of debate would follow in the run up to the European elections?

Certainly, it would be dominated by Brexit.

It may seem some time away, but the race for the European Parliament elections next May is heating up and the fight for seats will be so much tougher this time around for parties and candidates amid the looming chaos Ireland faces thanks to Brexit.A NEW, multi-million euro boutique hotel is planned by one of the countrys most accomplished hospitality developer/managers, for Cork citys South Mall, taking in a historic bank building which has lain idle since 2012, after Danske Bank/NIB closed its 27 Irish bank branches.

Planning permission is being sought for a 58-bed hotel at and behind 71 South Mall, the former National Irish Bank (NIB) branch with its classical, Cork limestone facade, with the development site running down the side of Morgan Street, which faces the side of the 202-year old Imperial Hotel, which commands the midsection of the rejuvenating South Mall.

The application comes just a month after the official opening of the 163-bed Dalata/Maldron hotel on South Mall and Parnell Place, and a target opening date of 2021 is mooted at 71, if planning is successful.

Behind the surprise application at 71 South Mall/Morgan Street is South Mall Hospitality Ltd, headed by directors Ray Byrne and Eoin Doyle.

Entrepreneurial Ray Byrne opened the Wineport Lodge in Lough Ree over 25 years ago (RTEs The Restaurant is filmed there). During the past decade of economic recovery, Mr Byrne carved a niche in running hospitality businesses for receivers, most famously in Dublins case in Cafe en Seine (recently relaunched).

Among his several company interests is hospitality management firm NHance, with up to a dozen businesses under its care in locations as diverse as Dublin, Kilkenny and Cork, including (since 2017) West Corks famed Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff, just undergone a 1m upgrade.

Architects for the South Mall 58-bed hotel project are Mall-based Scott Tallon Walker (who also did the Clarion Hotel/City Quarter for Howard Holdings in the mid 2000s,) and the very recent planning notice seeks a change of use from financial/professional services to hotel.

The application says the existing, five-bay classical banking hall (designed by William Caldbeck in 1855) will be kept for bar/restaurant/cafe use, and the four-storey building will be upgraded, with over 12,000 sq ft added behind in a five/six storey building for 58 bedrooms, with set-back and roof deck, with guest access to the hotel from the narrow Morgan Street which links to Oliver Plunkett Street, and where the bank branch had a cash transfer depot/access.

Picture Larry Cummins

The property, owned by a private investor in recent decades, adjoins the yellow brick corner property 72 South Mall/Morgan Street, the offices of the late estate agent Liam Lynch, who died recently, and which previously were part-occupied by Keane Mahony Smith auctioneers.

Contacted this week by the Irish Examiner, South Mall Hospitality co-director Ray Byrne said they aimed to established a boutique hotel to cater for growing visitor numbers and demand and would  retain and refurbish the impressive facade of the property that sits proudly on South Mall.

The wonderful banking hall with its high corniced ceilings, elegant pillars and striking black and white tiled floor will form the backdrop for a buzzy cafe/bar, where locals and visitors can meet and experience traditional Cork hospitality, Mr Byrne stated, adding that South Mall has undergone a renaissance in recent times with the opening of the new Maldron Hotel and a major refurbishment of the famous Imperial Hotel. It is also home to some of the citys best loved eateries, such as Electric and Jacobs on the Mall.

The application is further proof of new vitality and organic growth prospects for the historic trading thoroughfare, once a waterway, and now being lifted by a rising economic tide.

Among the other recent developments is the arrival of FBD Insurances, in the former Ulster Bank branch at the corner of South Mall and Cook Street, the letting deals by JCD Group at their brand new 46,000 sq ft office block at 85 South Mall, to KPMG and Forcepoint, and the new Maldron Hotel at the Malls eastern end.

That hotel, with completion works continuing post its December 2018 official opening and the pending arrival of its Italian restaurant in March on Parnell Place, adjoins the iconic 97 South Mall former AIB bank building, now occupied by Eventbrite and owned by JCD.

No 71s aimed-for re-use of its C19th banking hall may go on to show what could have been, had Dalata opted to purchase and integrate 97 South Mall into its hotel plans, in what would surely have been the souths most impressive hotel foyer?The prison officer who made claims about covert surveillance in the Irish Prison Service has still not been contacted nearly two months after the justice minister ordered an urgent inquiry into the matter.

Minister Charlie Flanagan announced on November 22 that he was seeking an urgent investigation into the allegations which had

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Surveillance can be necessary to prevent illegal trafficking of substances into prisons, but this must of course be carried out in accordance with the law, Mr Flanagan told the Dail before ordering a statutory inquiry.

David McDonald, the senior prison officer who had made the claims, said that the surveillance was covert, included non-prison service employees such as life partners, and was conducted by a private investigations company. Some of the surveillance would have involved recording conversations between solicitors and clients, he said.

Mr McDonald claimed that deaths in custody were not being handled properly and cited meetings he had had on the issue with the former inspector of prisons, the late judge Michael Reilly. This last claim is not included in the inquiry ordered by the minister.

Mr McDonald is a senior officer in the operational support group within the prison service, a unit set up to prevent contraband entering prisons. He made his claims in an affidavit sworn in relation to a dispute he is engaged in with the prison service. The dispute involves three members of the support group unit who believe they have been treated unfairly by the prison service.

Mr McDonald has yet to be contacted by Ms Gilheaney or any representative on her behalf. His solicitor was contacted, but, in correspondence, pointed out to Ms Gilheaney that it is unclear what kind of investigation she is conducting.

The minister appointed her to investigate under a section of the Prisons Act 2007 which allows her access to prisons, but not to investigate the prison service.

It is our clients contention that the issues raised in his supplemental Affidavit relate to the management and operation of the Irish Prison Service and/or An Garda Siochana. In those circumstances we should be very much obliged if you would kindly indicate on what basis therefore your investigation is to be conducted, the solicitor wrote in reply to Ms Gilheaney.

The Irish Examiner understands there has been no contact since then.

Meanwhile, a number of prison officers whom Mr McDonald claimed had been under covert surveillance have been informed of the claims. A specialist unit, which Mr McDonald claims was under covert surveillance despite its target being just one of their number, has been briefed on the issue. This newspaper understands there have been no official denials of the covert activity.A no-deal Brexit could impact the public finances so much this year that key projects will be jeopardised, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has warned his ministerial colleagues.

Speaking as British Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons, by 325 votes to 306, Mr Donohoe revealed he has ordered an urgent review of the likely impact of a no-deal on the Irish economy in 2019.

The minister said that he can, and will, if required change the spending profiles within government departments in response to events during this year.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.

Government spending this year is set to total 66bn, but Mr Donohoe said the economic outlook has deteriorated and given the scale of the defeat in the Commons on the Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday, he has ordered the review of the potential impact of Brexit.

That is certainly something we would well need to engage in in the event of a disorderly Brexit, he said.

There are a couple of different ways in which that could happen. The first one is, we could make the decision whether priority decisions need to be made in the context of a more urgent and imminent need which we may have. Secondly, is whether decisions need to be made in terms of where current expenditure is allocated, he added.

Reacting to the news, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar insisted there are no plans for checks along the land border in Ireland in the case of a no-deal Brexit, despite Transport Minister Shane Ross saying there would be.

On Tuesday night, Mr Ross said such checks were likely in the event of a disorderly Brexit on March 29 only to be contradicted by Tanaiste Simon Coveney.

Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar said any checks would only be at airports and ports.

The preparation for checks are being made at ports and airports. There are no preparations for checks along the land border, he said.

Our absolute priority is to get the deal ratified. Our focus is on avoiding a no-deal scenario. Yes, we are making preparations for a no-deal scenario, we have to do that now. We are not preparing for checks along the border, he added.

Mr Varadkar said there can be no movement on the Irish backstop or on the need to avoid a hard border, despite the historic defeat for Theresa May in Westminster,

Mr Varadkar restated the commitment made by both the Irish and British governments to avoid a hard border.

We cant shift on the issue of there being no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, Mr Varadkar said.

That is the outcome that we need. We have said it from day one that Brexit cannot result in a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. We have made that commitment to the people of Ireland, north and south, he said.

And the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom Government has made that commitment to the people of Ireland, north and south, so it needs to be honoured.

In the Dail, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said there is a private understanding that a hard border in Ireland is increasingly likely  but the Government refuses to tell the public.

Mr Martin said Government was increasingly like the old episode of the classic television comedy Fawlty Towers which was entitled Dont Mention the War.

Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald said: The reality is that in the absence of a backstop, there will be a hard border and there will be checks. The Taoiseach has skated around this issue time and again. Is it not now time to say out loud that in the absence of a deal, there will be a hard border and to reassert that this is an unacceptable, indeed, an unconscionable situation for us?

Ms Mays official spokesman said that the Westminster leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and Plaid Cymru had been invited to meet her last night.

However, a no-deal Brexit was not taken off the table, despite Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns insistence it was a prerequisite for talks, he added.

She has also accepted an invitation to meet with the eurosceptic members of her own party this morning.The heartbroken mum of tragic Dawn Croke has slammed the operators of a fake charity page which is claiming to raise funds for her daughter's funeral.

Mum-of-two Dawn, 32, died when she was struck by a jeep outside St Crona's National School in Dungloe, Co Donegal, last week.

Dawn Croke.

There has been a huge outpouring of grief since Dawn's death with hundreds of people attending her funeral at St Crona's Church in Dungloe on Monday last.

Now fraudsters have set up a fake Go Get Funding page Dawn Croke Funeral Fund in the name of Dawn's old school where she taught PE, Rosses Community School.

The fake fundraising page says it is seeking to raise 10,000 for Dawn's funeral expenses.

However, Dawn's heartbroken mum Anne has now issued a warning on her Facebook page for people not to donate.

She warned "It has come to our attention that a false 'fund me page' has been set up in the name of the Rosses Community School. Please DO NOT donate and report wherever you see it.

"Any 'fund me page' or similar sites are fake accounts. So please do NOT donate. We are very upset about this so please please share everywhere around the globe. Thank you. Anne Croke"

Hundreds of people have sent messages of support to Anne's Facebook page since she posted her message earlier.

They have also expressed their disgust that fraudsters would try to cash in on Dawn's death.

All are calling on the site to take down the fake page.

Dawn Croke's funeral on Monday

Rosses Community School, where Dawn's father Tony also taught, has also warned the public not to donate to the page.

The fake page has been using school crests as well as messages from the school in the wake of Dawn's tragic death.A man who caused the death of a father-of-two in a two-car collision when he broke a red light while driving at around twice the speed limit has been jailed for five years.

Michael Jones (aged 25), a roofer from Whitestown Drive, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Hong Qing Qu at Blanchardstown Road South on November 17, 2015.

After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last December a jury found him guilty of the charge.

Michael Jones.

This morning Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a sentence of five years imprisonment. She backdated the sentence to December 19 last, the day Jones first went into custody, and also disqualified him from driving for life.

Sergeant Stephen Byrne told Dominic McGinn SC, prosecuting, that Mr Qu was driving home from work when his car was struck by an Audi A3 driven by Jones. Mr Qu sustained serious injuries and was brought to James Connolly Hospital in Dublin where he was pronounced dead.

Sgt Byrne said that gardai were able to determine that Jones had driven through a red light and was travelling between 115km/h and 137km/h at the point of collision. The speed limit of roads in the area was 60km/h, the court heard.

Jones was taken from the scene by men who put him into a Volkswagen Passat and drove him to a hospital, where they left him lying on the ground. Jones gave a false name and said he had injured his leg in a fall.

In her victim impact statement, which she read aloud in court, Mr Qu's widow said that her two children always ask her Where's Papa?. She said because they are too young to understand death she tells them that he is a hero.

If the driver slowed down just a little bit, I wouldn't have lost my husband and my children wouldn't have lost their father, she revealed.

She said that her husband's parents had not seen their son in 10 years by the time they saw him lying dead in the hospital.

She asked the court to picture an old man shouting and screaming at his son to wake up.

She said she wanted justice and to let my children know that the law in Ireland is truthful and that the person who made the mistake has to take responsibility.

After reading her statement she held up a photo of her husband to Jones and shouted that she wanted him to see how young Mr Qu had been at the time of his death.

Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, said his client wished to express his remorse for his actions. Jones has no previous convictions.

Judge Patricia Ryan said that Jones was driving well in excess of the speed limit and that he went through a red light which had been red for a considerable time prior to the collision.

She said the mitigating factors were that Jones admitted to driving the Audi, his lack of previous convictions, his relatively young age, his good work history, his expression of remorse both in the hospital after the collision and in court and that he himself was injured in the collision.

Judge Ryan said that without mitigation the appropriate sentence would have been seven years imprisonment.

She extended her sympathy to the wife, children, parents and extended family of Mr Qu and said that she had taken the content of the victim impact statement into account when considering the sentence.The Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a dog that was set on fire.

The animal was found in an overgrown scrub area in the Glen on the northside of Cork city by members of the Cork Animal Care Society and the city dog warden.

The presence of a stray lurcher was reported to the Cork Animal Care Society by members of the public, prompting the search. However, the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) says it appears not to be the same animal.

The dog, now believed to be a German shepherd or similar breed, was set on fire and had its legs broken. It is not known whether this happened before or after the animal died. CSPCA workers have not been able to identify the dog. The heat from the fire would have damaged any microchip if it had been chipped, says Vincent Cashman of the CSPCA:

It is not the lurcher than had been reported in the area. It is a black and tan coloured dog. It is large and male, possibly a German shepherd-type animal.

Mr Cashman said that the CSPCA deals with regular cases of animal cruelty but that something of this nature is particularly unusual: "The dog's front legs were broken. It did not get there on its own."

He appealed to anyone who may have any information on the case to come forward: "Without witnesses, it is very hard to build a case on this so we would appeal to anyone with any information to make contact."

The Cork Animal Care Society (CACS) shared an image of the dog on their Facebook page. It was shared more than 1,000 times and attracted hundreds of comments. The group posted on their page: "What kind of sick twisted individuals do this to an animal. Over the last few days, the amount of cruelty we have heard of and been witness to here in Cork is unbelievable."

The CACS appealed to anyone with any information on what happened to the dog to get in touch via Facebook.

A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana in Cork confirmed that the incident has not been reported to them.Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin is facing an exodus from the Dail as two of his top TDs declared their desire to contest the upcoming European elections.

This is despite Mr Martin making it known he wants his TDs not to stand because of the potential instability they could cause by forcing by-elections were they to depart for Brussels.

Yesterday Cork North-Central TD and former junior enterprise minister Billy Kelleher confirmed his interest in standing for Europe.

Mr Kelleher

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Mr Kelleher told the Irish Examiner that Europe is likely to be very important and, given he is 25 years in Leinster House, a fresh challenge is appealing.

I love being a TD but we as a party must look at Europe with fresh enthusiasm and I would be interested in playing a part, he said.

Mr Kelleher is known to be close to Mr Martin, having backed his campaign to be leader in 2011, but is frustrated in opposition. He is also fearful that should Fianna Fail make it into Government, he may miss out on the Cabinet given Mr Martin and finance spokesman Michael McGrath are also from Cork City.

Emphasising the potential of a move to Europe, Mr Kelleher said: Brussels and the European Parliament is going to play a critical role for Irelands future in the years ahead, and I think Irelands going to play a critical role as well in Europe, so from that perspective I certainly would like to be central to that.

Fianna Fail hasnt made any decision in terms of its strategy. Once it outlines its strategy, well certainly I would be making my views known, but I certainly would have an interest in pursuing the area in the European stage.

In an interview last year, Mr Martin made it clear he wants his TDs to see out the rest of the term and not stand for Europe.

We want our strong players in Dail Eireann. I think we will be able to identify candidates who are not members of Dail Eireann for the European elections, Mr Martin previously told the Irish Examiner.

Since a falling out with Mr Martin, the seat held by Mr Crowley has become a target for the party, with Gorey councillor Malcolm Byrne seeking a nomination in the Ireland South constituency.

Meanwhile, former agriculture minister and Cavan Fianna Fail TD Brendan Smith also declared his intention to stand for election.

Mr Smith said he has been approached by many people in recent days and weeks to consider running.

Coming from a border county and as someone who is keenly aware of the issues of our province which is partly occupied by the British, representing Ireland on the European stage would be a great challenge, but one I am interested in, he said.

Mr Smith called on his party to stand just one candidate, saying Fianna Fail made a mistake last time around by running two.

We are in the running for one seat, so I think it would be a mistake to run two, as happened last time, he said.

A Fianna Fail spokesperson said: The partys strategy for the European Parliament elections will be decided by the National Constituencies Committee. A number of candidates have already declared an interest in various constituencies.

The party leader will obviously not be expressing preferences for any one candidate over another in any of the very competitive selection conventions that will take place over the coming weeks.The Financial Regulator was all over and raised no quibble about transactions which fooled people about the true financial state of Anglo Irish Bank in 2008, the Supreme Court has been told.

It was accepted there was no evidence the regulator had prior knowledge of the exact nature of the transactions before they were carried out, the court was also told.

Denis Casey, the then chief executive of Irish Life & Permanent, should have been permitted to rely on the role of the regulator, the Central Bank and the Department of Finance in his trial concerning those transactions, Michael OHiggins SC said.

Mr Casey was encouraged by the regulator to pursue the green jersey agenda involving Irish banks supporting each other, counsel said.

The regulator had mentioned the green jersey agenda during a phone call with Mr Casey and while it was accepted the parameters of the transactions involved were never spelt out, it was understood it involved the Irish banks helping each other.

The agenda involved unashamedly massaging key elements of balance sheets and, in the case of Anglo, boosting that banks corporate deposits.

The transactions involved were complex and this was not a simple situation akin to a person charged with stealing a loaf of bread, he added.

The view during the global financial crisis was that the large pillar banks were deemed too big to fail but not the smaller ones.

Counsel was opening the appeal by Mr Casey over his conviction for his part in a multi-billion euro conspiracy to deceive people about the true financial state of Anglo.

Mr Casey, who is attending the appeal before the five-judge court, was sentenced to two years and nine months imprisonment in July 2016 after being found guilty of a conspiracy to defraud.

A jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court found Mr Casey conspired with Anglo's John Bowe and Willie McAteer to engage in transactions between Anglo and ILP aimed at fooling people into thinking Anglo had received an extra 7.2bn in customer deposits.

The appeal centres on whether Mr Casey is entitled to use the role of the Financial Regulator, the Central Bank and the Department of Finance as a defence in his trial.

Mr Casey contends he authorised the transactions on the basis the Regulator was fully aware of them and they were encouraged as part of the "green jersey agenda".

That defence was not permitted after the trial judge ruled it could only be used in seeking to mitigate a sentence rather than a defence.

The trial judge also accepted arguments by the DPP that Mr Casey had produced no evidence to support such a defence.

After Mr Casey lost an appeal to the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a further appeal on a point of law of general public importance.

The core legal issue is whether or not a defence of "officially induced error" is available under Irish law to Casey.

The court will also consider, if such a defence is available under Irish law, the parameters of it and, on the evidence in this case, whether it was open to Casey.

The appeal is continuing.A cashier was duped into giving the change for 50 to a man buying a bar of chocolate who only handed over a tenner but pretended it had been the larger note.

Judge John King ordered the customer to do 120 hours of community service for the deception yesterday.

It was a particularly nasty type of offence taking advantage of a cashier by saying he gave him the wrong change, Judge King said.

Inspector Finbarr OSullivan said that to make matters worse for the cashier, he had to pay the 40 out of his own pocket because his till was short at the end of the day.

Connie ODonoghue, of 9 St Anthonys Park, Knocknaheeny, Cork, pleaded guilty to a deception charge arising out of the incident.

He admitted that on April 26, 2017 at Centra, Donnybrook Hill, Douglas, he did dishonestly by deception induce the teller to give him 40 with the intention of making a gain for himself.

Judge King said he could do 120 hours of community service in lieu of four months in prison.

Cathal Lombard, solicitor, said the offence was opportunistic and was not one of those offences whereby a person systematically and repeatedly behaved in this way.

Judge King said that he had come across the latter type of cases too.

Mr Lombard said the accused was on medication for depression and had hit a low at that time.

He said that after this offence the defendants medication was adjusted causing him to feel much better.

Mr Lombard also said that ODonoghue had brought 40 to court for the out of pocket cashier.A judge has ordered the arrest of a teenage mugger who was fed drugs and alcohol from the age of 10 by his aunt and uncle.

The then 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty in December to attempted robbery of a woman who had been out walking her dogs at Marina Village, Malahide, Dublin, on the night of April 15, 2017.

The Dublin Childrens Court heard the teen and another male approached her and demanded money. However, she stated she did not have any and they fled. He was due to appear again for sentencing today.

At his prior hearing, Judge John OConnor had indicated that he was minded to apply the Probation Act if the youth stayed out of trouble over Christmas and came back to court with a comprehensive letter of apology to the victim.

However, the teenager did not turn up to court today when the case was set to resume. Judge OConnor issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Garda Matthew OConnor had agreed with defence counsel Nora-Pat Stewart the teenager was remorseful when he was later interviewed at a care facility. He wanted to apologise, she told the court.

Ms Stewart said he had a difficult upbringing and had been fed drugs and alcohol and drugs by an uncle and an aunt from the age of 10.

The teens mother, who was present for the hearing last month, was aged 14 when she gave birth to him, the barrister said.

He went to live with the aunt and uncle, however, from the age of 10 they gave him alcohol and drugs.

He was later placed in a care home, however, while there he would be collected by men who brought him out to sell crack cocaine, Ms Stewart said.

The teenager was never caught in possession of drugs but had been caught with the money, Judge John OConnor was told.

He was then moved to another childrens home outside Dublin.

Counsel said the teen was taking part in an educational course and had a girlfriend who was a good influence on him.

Recently turned 18, he hoped to get steady employment and he had a good relationship with his mother's partner who was like a father to him, Ms Stewart said.

Addressing the court, his mother had said her son was not aggressive and she had prayed he could turn his life around.

'Out of character'

She described the incident as totally out of character for him but he had been innocent and easily led by others since he was aged 10.

She had spoken about her own health problems and added that her son helps me with shopping and so much.

He can see that without drink and drugs you can have a happy life, she said.

She explained that the boy's granny could not cope with him and left him on his own with his uncle.

At 10, 11, 12, he had five overdoses and was in a coma at one stage, she had said, adding, it was a very bad coma, for a kid at 14, for having cocaine, Valium and some things Im not too sure about myself, it was a list of endless tablets, he wasnt right for a week after it.

The mother said her son has remained in contact with some of his care worker since turning 18 and they also keep an eye on him.

The teens uncle has also managed to quit drugs but there also had been a number of deaths in the family and her grandmother had a breakdown, she had said.

The youth has no prior criminal convictions.Although many people treat the first month of the new year as a blank canvas in which to fill with new experiences and memories in the coming 12 months, it can quickly become a dreary period.

We are now almost halfway through January and after a fun-filled Christmas, those commitments to pull the socks up have, for some, become nothing more than empty promises.

For a lot of us, January is a long month of dark, dreary nights and this January has so far blessed our little green isle with freezing temperatures, downpours and flooding.

Not to mention that with the majority of our group of no-craic friends partaking in dry January, we can run out of ways to keep ourselves occupied.

Cue that life-saving Netflix subscription of endless shows and movies.

Our favourite streaming site has only gone and added shows which make for the perfect cosy night in.

Here are some of what is on offer this month to beat those January blues.

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Release date: January 18

An exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unravelling of the Fyre music festival.

Created by Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule, Fyre was promoted as a luxury music festival on a private island in the Bahamas featuring bikini-clad supermodels, A-List musical performances and posh amenities.

Guests arrived to discover the reality was far from the promises. Chris Smith, the director behind the Emmy Award Nominated documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, gives a first-hand look into disastrous crash of Fyre as told by the organisers themselves.

Grace and Frankie: Season 5

Release date: January 18

In the return of this Emmy winning comedy, two friends Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) launch a scheme to get their old lives back.

Guests stars Ru Paul and Nicole Richie.

Marvels The Punisher: Season 2

Release date: January 18

Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) is back, but as he starts the process of moving on with his life, he finds himself fighting new battles on multiple fronts.

Star Trek: Discovery: Season 2

Release date: January 18

Mysterious events in different regions of the galaxy launch Discovery on a new mission with a temporary captain: Christopher Pike of the Enterprise.

Trigger Warning with Killer Mike

Release date: January 18

In this subversive comedy documentary series, rapper and activist Killer Mike and a team of funny correspondents explore socially relevant topics.

IO

Release date: January 18

One of the last survivors on Earth, a teen races to cure her poisoned planet before the final shuttle to a distant space colony leaves her stranded.

Close

Release date: January 18

When attackers target the heiress shes protecting, battle-hardened bodyguard Sam scrambles to save her client  and teach her how to fight back.

GODZILLA The Planet Eater

Release date: January 9

With the earth alliance weakened, Haruo weighs siding with the Exif, whose death cult is summoning a monster that can destroy the world.Irish actor Liam Cunningham leads a Late Late Show line-up this Friday that includes Mairead McGuinness, Mary Black and Paddy Casey.

Joining Ryan Tubridy to chat about the upcoming final season of Game of Thrones, actor Liam Cunningham will also discuss his recent trip to South Sudan.

While there, he visited those fleeing the civil war and photographed the people he met in the camps along his journey.

In one of the most turbulent weeks of Theresa Mays tenure, Ryan will be joined in studio by Mairead McGuinness, Vice President of the European Parliament and MEP, to get the view from Brussels as the United Kingdom goes back to the drawing board to negotiate a Brexit deal.

Irelands Favourite Folk Song is a national celebration of the songs that define us as a people.

Ahead of the search, Ryan will be joined by Irish folk royalty including Mary Black, Phelim Drew, Aoife Scott and Fiachna O Braonain, to discuss the music theyre most connected to and to play some of their most loved songs.

At the beginning of 2018, Trisha Lewis, who works as a chef in Cork, weighed 27 stone and was fearful for her life.

One year later, she is 100lbs down, and has shared her weight loss journey with her with 17,000 Instagram followers.

Limerick-born Trisha joins Ryan to discuss the realities of life for someone with morbid obesity, and her plans to lose another 100lbs in 2019.

Illegally adopted from a GP in Monaghan in the 1970s, and with few clues to her origins, Margaret Norton will tell Ryan the extraordinary story of how, despite the odds, she recently reconnected with her birth parents.

Irelands largest festival of traditional music, TradFest, returns next week, and to celebrate the Late Late will have a performance from 11 vocalists including Paddy Casey, Eleanor McEvoy and Sibeal Ni Chasaide.

There will also be comedy from Bridget and Eamon (Jennifer Zamparelli and Bernard O'Shea), and details of the Late Late Shows annual search for the best new Irish enterprises will be announced.Around 700 jobs at Aughinish Alumina in Limerick are safe for now after the US senate voted to support the White House in ending sanctions against the plants Russian owner.

The senate had threatened on Tuesday to keep sanctions on Aughinishs owner Rusal, a company controlled by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

He has come under intense pressure from US authorities over perceived ties to the Kremlin.

Republicans  including hardline supporters of President Donald Trump  had crossed the political aisle on Tuesday to back the Democrats move to keep sanctions on Mr Derispaskas companies, in spite of the US treasurys recommendations to end the crackdown last month.

However, when it went to a debate and vote in the senate, treasurys position prevailed by 57 votes to 42  a major relief to the Irish Government, which had lobbied Washington, DC on the impact of sanctions on the Limerick plant.

Around 700 workers and contractors are employed at the Aughinish Alumina plant near Askeaton, which has been described as one of Limericks best employers.

Aughinish owner Rusal is in turn majority-owned by a company controlled by Mr Deripaska.

US treasury in April imposed sanctions against Mr Deripaska and the eight companies in which he is a large shareholder, including Rusal, in response to what it called malign activities by Russia.

The US sanctions fuelled volatility in aluminium prices by casting doubt on the future of a major player in the supply chain.

Rusal supplies about 6% of the worlds aluminium and operates mines, smelters, or refineries in locations including Ireland, Guinea, Jamaica, and Russia.

Limerick had been reeling from the latest setback on Tuesday, said Limerick TD Niall Collins.

People are very worried locally because they thought it had been conclusively dealt with, he said.

Irish ambassador to the US Daniel Mulhall had warned of the unintended consequences of the sanctions on communities such as Aughinish, with 700 direct jobs at stake and another 1,000 who depend indirectly on it.

The Department of Business said it was monitoring developments in the US Congress very carefully.

Our embassy in Washington has been working extremely hard, together with our EU partners, over the last eight months to ensure that American legislators understand the ramifications these sanctions would have, if fully implemented, for European firms.

"We are continuing to engage this week with the US authorities to help secure an outcome that would safeguard the long-term future of jobs at Aughinish Alumina.Aer Lingus has had a makeover.

The national carrier has unveiled a brand refresh 20 years, after the previous brand change.

Aer Lingus aircraft are now white with a teal coloured tail, engines and undercarriage.

The logo has also changed and is a restyling of the iconic shamrock.

The new brand is being rolled out today across all platforms with a new website and app design.

Aer Lingus COO Mark Rutter says the brand has changed with Irish society.

"The brand must reflect Ireland in 2019: a society that is open, progressive, liberal, outward-looking and dynamic," he said.January 17, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Asia-Pacific (APAC) will continue to lead the distribution transformers market of the global power sector with a share of 48% and reach $6.94bn in 2022, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

The company's latest report, 'Distribution Transformers Market, Update 2018, reveals that the global market value is likely to reach $14.32bn in 2022, growing at a modest CAGR of 1.6% between 2018 and 2022.

Nirushan Rajasekaram, Power Analyst at GlobalData, says: "Systemic transformation of the global power sector is contributing to the requirement for power technologies, which support low carbon power generation. Markets in the US and Europe are primarily replacement markets, with initiatives undertaken to enhance the adaptability of the grid to changing market conditions. Other countries in APAC and Middle East are constructing new grid networks to support and sustain the growing power generation segment and demand requirement."

The need for grid expansion and upgrades within APAC is greatly influencing the distribution transformers market. China and India, with their large populations and industrial bases, are driving the regional market.

Rajasekaram adds: "China and India have laid out plans for grid expansion to improve rural electrification, accommodate growing renewable asset portfolios, and support their economic growth. In addition, favorable economic conditions and market reforms among smaller markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam will result in strong growth, where new infrastructure is expected to be developed."

However, despite APAC being the largest market for distribution transformers, EMEA is forecast to experience the highest market growth over the forecast period, with the market estimated to reach $3.7bn in 2022.

The push for sustainability and clean power generation, increasing electricity and peak demand, and economic diversification are likely to increase the need for distribution transformers within the Middle East and Africa. However, the established networks in Europe will require the replacements of transformers more suited to enhance the integration of smart technologies into the grid, according to the report.

Rajasekaram concludes: "Rapid changes in the power generation segment, rising electricity consumption and the existing lack of suitable facilities for power transfer would propel the installations of distribution transformers globally. Growing integration of distributed technologies at low voltage networks is leading to complex power flows within the network. Augmenting the distribution grid is needed to ensure reliable operations and thereby driving the transformers market."

For more information

Analysts available for comment. Please contact the GlobalData Press Office:

Asia-Pacific: +91 40 6616 6809

EMEA & Americas: +44 (0)207 832 4399

Email: pr@globaldata.com

To gain access to our latest press releases and expert analysis on developments in your industry, please connect with us on: GlobalData.com

Editor's notes

Quotes provided by Nirushan Rajasekaram, Power Analyst at GlobalData

Information based on GlobalData's report: Distribution Transformers Market, Update 2018 - Global Market Size, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2022

This press release was written using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis conducted by GlobalData's team of industry experts

About GlobalData

4,000 of the world's largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData's unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData's mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspJanuary 17, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The impending merger of Thailand's Thanachart Bank and TMB Bank, the country's sixth- and seventh-largest lenders by assets, is just the tip of the iceberg as more and more banks look to merge and compete with their larger regional rivals, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Thanachart Bank is 51% owned by Bangkok-based publicly traded company Thanachart Capital Pcl while the Thai government and Dutch banking group ING Groep NV are the largest shareholders of TMB Bank with stakes of 25.92% and 25%, respectively.

The merger, which is expected to get the nod by the end of January 2019, comes after the government last year announced tax incentives for domestic banks to consolidate and improve competitiveness.

Andrew Haslip, Head of Content for Asia-Pacific Financial Services at GlobalData, says: "While the merger will create a national champion and Thailand's sixth-largest bank by overall assets, the main gains in market share will be in the retail deposit and credit card markets."

The merged entity will see gains in market share across all of the main retail banking lines of business, as both banks maintain a full product suite. However, with a combined market share of 9.3% in retail deposits at the end of 2017, it will move just behind Krungsri Bank to become one of only six players with truly significant market share, according to GlobalData's Retail Banking Analytics dashboard.

Likewise, in credit cards the bank will vault ahead of established players such as Citibank, AEON, and Krungthai to become the third-largest issuer in the market.

With a strong position on both the asset-gathering and lending sides of the market, the merger is expected to create a strong competitor in the local market. Moreover, as this merger was at least partly prompted by the increased integration of the ASEAN banking market under the direction of the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework, it is expected that the new entity will become more regionally focused. Banks around the ASEAN region should expect the bank to quickly seek to compete more outside of Thailand.

Haslip concludes: "This move may just be the beginning. Further consolidation among ASEAN banks is expected over the next 12 months, as more and more banks merge to create scale across the rapidly integrating region."

For more information

Analysts available for comment. Please contact the GlobalData Press Office:

Asia-Pacific: +91 40 6616 6809

EMEA & Americas: +44 (0)207 832 4399

Email: pr@globaldata.com

To gain access to our latest press releases and expert analysis on developments in your industry, please connect with us on: GlobalData.com

Editor's notes

Quotes are provided by Andrew Haslip, Head of Content for Asia-Pacific Financial Services at GlobalData.com

This press release was written using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis conducted by GlobalData's team of industry expert

About GlobalData

4,000 of the world's largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData's unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData's mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspSanta Clara, Calif. - January 17, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Focus on precision medicine is encouraging R&D across the cell therapy market with Big Pharma/Bio-Pharma responding through collaborations with small to mid-segment players with niche therapeutic focus, thereby gaining a competitive edge with respect to therapy, technology as well as geographic spread. The market was valued at $2.70 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $8.21 billion in 2025, growing at a robust compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9% between 2017 and 2025. A diverse therapeutic focus, accompanied by rising M&A activities and implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies such as single-use bioreactors, will pave a way for unique cell-gene and stem cell  gene combination therapies.

"In addition to collaborations, pharmas are employing a pay-for-performance business model that allows the payer to pay based on the therapeutic outcome of the high-value therapy, said Aarti Chitale Senior Research Analyst Transformational Health. "Novartis and Gilead are among the first companies to adopt this pricing model for their ground-breaking CAR-T Cell therapies Kymriah and Yescarta, respectively. In addition to innovative pricing models, Pharma companies are also showing a preference for risk sharing and fast-to-market models in order to support the development of novel therapies."

Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Growth Opportunities in the Global Cell Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025, presents revenue analysis at global and regional levels, as well as some of the key market drivers and restraints that affect long-term growth. There is also a focus on the regulatory challenges to market expansion and drug development across emerging markets, including China and South Korea.

For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/31s.

"Amendments in regulatory and reimbursement policies, as well as the implementation of conditional approval policies for RM, will further drive the market by expediting product launches," noted Chitale. "Additionally, improvements in cell culturing techniques alongside the use of different stem cells such as adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and induced Pluripotent Stem Cell will strengthen the market with superior treatment options for non-oncological conditions such as neurological, musculoskeletal, and dermatological conditions."

With the rising demand for cell therapies, the following growth opportunities have multiplied for vendors:

Wide-ranging therapeutic focus across both oncology and non-oncology conditions. With more than 959 ongoing regenerative medicine clinical trials, the market finds opportunity across both stem cell and non-stem cell based therapies.

Curative Combination Therapies which help to improve response rates among patients while reducing the duration of response. These therapies also find application in identifying the right patient as well as predicting the immune response in cancer patients.

Manufacturing Automation by means of implementation of IT solutions and single-use manufacturing techniques for optimizing small-volume, high-value manufacturing of novel cell therapies, thereby reducing the time to market drastically.

Emerging Business Models which help market players focus on academic and research collaborations alongside industry collaborations to support therapeutic and technological innovations.

Growth Opportunities in the Global Cell Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025 is part of Frost & Sullivan's global Life Sciences Growth Partnership Service program.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Growth Opportunities in the Global Cell Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025

PA1F-52

Contact:

Mariana Fernandez

Corporate Communications

T: +1 210 348 10 12

E: Mariana.Fernandez@frost.com

http://ww2.frost.com

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This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspWho Is John Bogle?

John Bogle was the founder of the Vanguard Group and a major proponent of index investing. Commonly referred to as "Jack," Bogle revolutionized the mutual fund world by creating index investing, which allows investors to buy mutual funds that track the broader market. He did this with the overall intent to make investing easier and at a low cost for the average investor.

He died on Jan. 16, 2019, at the age of 89.

Key Takeaways John Bogle was an investor and founder of the Vanguard Group, one of the largest investment firms in the world.

Bogle created index investing, which allows investors to buy mutual funds that track the broader market.

Bogle introduced the Vanguard 500 fund, which tracks the returns of the S&P 500 and marked the first index fund marketed to retail investors.

One of Bogle's pioneering achievements was low-cost investing in mutual funds by creating no-load funds.

Index investing utilizes a passive investment strategy that requires a manager to only ensure that the fund's holdings match those of the benchmark index.

"Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor" is a book Bogle wrote on investing that has since become a classic for investors worldwide.

4:07 John Bogle on Starting World's First Index Fund

Understanding John Bogle

John Bogle attended Princeton University where he studied mutual funds. In his early career, he worked for Wellington Management before founding his own mutual fund company, Vanguard Group, in 1975.

With Vanguard, Bogle employed a novel ownership structure in which the shareholders of mutual funds became part owners of the funds in which they invested. The funds themselves own the investment firm, making the fund investors indirect owners of the firm itself. This structure allows the firm to incorporate any profits into its operating structure, reducing investment costs for fund investors.

In 1976, Bogle introduced the Vanguard 500 fund, which tracks the returns of the S&P 500 and marked the first index fund marketed to retail investors. Bogles unique structure for Vanguard also made it a natural fit for the provision of no-load mutual funds, which do not charge a commission on investment purchases.

When the Vanguard 500 fund was launched in its initial iteration, it raised only $11 million in its first underwriting in 1976. As of Oct. 31, 2020, the fund manages $557 billion in assets.

Bogle retired as CEO and chair of Vanguard in 1999 and wrote "Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor" the same year, which has since become a classic for investors worldwide.

John Bogle and Passive Investing

John Bogle contributed significantly to the popularity of index investing, in which a fund maintains a mix of investments that track a major market index. Bogles philosophy that average investors would find it difficult or impossible to beat the market over time led him to prioritize ways to reduce expenses associated with investing in mutual funds. For example, Bogle focused on no-load funds featuring low turnover and simple investment strategies.

The philosophy behind passive investing generally rests upon the idea that the expenses associated with chasing high market returns cancel out most or all of the gains an investor would otherwise achieve with a passive strategy that relies upon funds with lower turnover, management fees, and expense ratios.

Passive investing stands in contrast to active investing, which requires managers to take a more hands-on role with the intent of outperforming the market.

Index funds fit this model nicely because they base their holdings on the securities listed on any given index. Investors who purchase shares in index funds gain the benefit of the diversity represented by all the securities on an index.

This protects against the risk that a given company will lower the performance of the overall fund. Index funds also more or less run themselves, as managers only need to ensure their holdings match those of the index they follow. This keeps fees lower for index funds than for funds with more active trading.

Finally, because index funds require fewer trades to maintain their portfolios than funds with more active management schemes, index funds tend to produce more tax-efficient returns than other types of funds.South Carolina lawmakers are once again introducing legislation to legalize marijuana for treatment of critically ill patients in the state, making another go at a debate that has gradually made progress in this deeply red state in recent years.

Sen. Tom Davis, a Republican from Beaufort, told The Associated Press that would file the Compassionate Care Act in the state Senate this week. In the House, Republican Rep. Peter McCoy of Charleston is sponsoring similar legislation.

If it succeeds, South Carolinas measure would be among the most restrictive in the country. Making it explicitly illegal to smoke medical marijuana, the proposal also lays out several requirements for prescribing physicians and operators of medical cannabis dispensaries and also specifies a list of illnesses to which it could be applicable, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder and multiple sclerosis.

Marijuana-related measures have made strides in South Carolina in recent years, and advocates continue to push for more. In 2014, Davis led a successful effort to pass a narrow law allowing patients with severe epilepsy, or their caregivers, to legally possess cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive oil derived from marijuana.

A bill similar to Davis current effort died in committee in previous sessions, but Davis and others have said theyre encouraged by polling showing that nearly 80 percent of South Carolinians support legalizing marijuana for medical use. Last summer, Democratic primary voters also opted overwhelmingly to support the legalization of medical marijuana in a non-binding ballot resolution.

Rep. Todd Rutherford, the leading Democrat in the House chamber, has said his caucus wants to move forward this year on legalizing marijuana for medical uses.

Davis previous proposal drew opposition from the law enforcement community, with State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel testifying about his concerns that legalizing marijuana in any form could create a black market for resale and potential abuse. At committee meetings, law enforcement groups distributed handouts showing visual similarities between candies marketed to children and the packaging of some edible marijuana products available in areas where recreational usage of the drug is legal.

But there has been more recent movement on the issue.

Last week, a Senate panel advanced a resolution urging Congress to open more research on medical uses for marijuana. Bill sponsor Sen. Greg Hembree, a Republican and former prosecutor, said he supports expanding the possible medical uses of cannabis with the right testing, procedures and caution, something he said he feels isnt happening in other states that have embraced medical marijuana perhaps too readily.

Patrick Dennis, general counsel for the South Carolina Medical Association, said Monday his organization had concerns about the proposal.

Our physicians remain opposed to sections of the new bill forcing physician to be the access point for marijuana in South Carolina, Denis said. It is important for lawmakers and physicians alike to engage in careful study if this new iteration of marijuana legislation.

A total of 33 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico allow some type of medical cannabis program, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Discussing his proposal with AP, Davis called it a socially conservative bill that helps patients in need but also includes stiff penalties for recreational use.

This is South Carolina, not California or Colorado, and what the vast majority of people in our state want is a socially conservative medical marijuana law, one that provides medical patients truly in need with relief but draws a bright line against recreational use by imposing strict penalties, he said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Cannabis South CarolinaFlorida-based workers compensation carrier Normandy Insurance Co. is now offering workers compensation insurance to small, mid-size, and large businesses in Texas.

This marks the fourth major expansion by the multi-state insurer in the past two years. Normandy now offers workers compensation insurance in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The company, which has been assigned a Demotech Financial Stability Rating of A (Exceptional), said it intends to continue expanding into more states.

Normandy Insurance Co. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Source: Normandy Insurance Co.

Topics Texas Florida Workers' CompensationIdling in a long highway line of slowed or stopped traffic on a busy highway can be more than an inconvenience for drivers and highway safety officers.

It is one of the most vulnerable times for secondary accidents, which often can be worse than an original source of the slowdown, according to the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Highway Administration, which reports that secondary crashes go up by a factor of almost 24 during the time that highway safety officials are assessing and documenting the crash site.

In 2016, there were more than 7 million police-reported traffic crashes in which 37,461 people were killed and an estimated 3,144,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But researchers at Purdue University say these crash assessments could be safer, faster and more accurate if responders used a drone technology they have developed.

Its the people at the back of the queue where you have traffic stopped who are most vulnerable and an approaching inattentive driver doesnt recognize that traffic is stopped or moving very slowly until it is too late, said Darcy Bullock, professor of Civil Engineering and the Joint Transportation Research Program director at Purdue. The occurrence of these secondary crashes can be reduced by finding ways to safely expedite the clearance time of the original crash.

Conventional mapping a severe or fatal crash can take two to three hours depending on the severity of the accident, according to Bullock.

Our procedure for data collection using a drone can map a scene in five to eight minutes, allowing public safety officers to open the roads much quicker after an accident, said Ayman Habib, the Purdue professor of Civil Engineering who developed the photogrammetric procedures and envisions even more uses for the technology.

The technology is already in use. The Tippecanoe County, Indiana sheriffs office used drones to map crash scenes 20 times in 2018 and another 15 times in the same year to support specialty law enforcement teams throughout their county and neighboring counties.

Overall, it can cut 60 percent off the down time for traffic flow following a crash, said Capt. Robert Hainje of the Tippecanoe County sheriffs office.

Bullock, Habib and colleagues from the sheriffs office presented their findings this month at the annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C.

The collaboration with Purdue faculty and students has been tremendously effective in helping our law enforcement, first responders and special teams, Hainje said. The drone technology with the thermal imaging capability helps with all types of emergencies such as search and rescue, aerial support over water for diver teams or in wooded areas and for fugitive apprehension.

John Bullock, a sophomore in the School of Mechanical Engineering and research assistant on the project, worked with local public safety colleagues to develop field procedures and post processing of images to create orthorectified images that clearly illustrate the position of vehicles, infrastructure and general terrain adjacent to the crash site. The drones are programmed to use a grid-type path and record about 100 photos in two-second intervals. This post processed data is used to develop an accurate scale map that with photos at the scene provides enough data to create a 3D print of the scene.

The technology is so much faster than traditional ground-based measurements and provides a much better comprehensive documentation that it opens up all different kinds of research, Habib said. It can provide high-quality maps, imagery, and models for post-crash investigation by engineers and public safety officials.

The technology has other civil engineering applications beyond crash scene mapping and can be used to estimate the volume of material needed or used for a construction project within a couple of percentage points.

Source: Purdue

Topics TechMetLife has named Darla Finchum as head of the companys U.S. property/casualty business, MetLife Auto & Home. Finchum has been serving in this role on an interim basis since August, 2018.

She will be responsible for growth and management of the companys personal and small commercial lines as well as transforming the business to meet the needs of todays technology-focused consumers. She will report directly to president of the U.S. Business and EMEA Michel Khalaf and join the U.S. business senior Leadership team.

Prior to taking on the interim leadership role, Finchum served as chief claims officer for MetLife Auto & Home. She joined MetLife in 2000 through the acquisition of the St. Paul Companies personal lines business and has held multiple roles of increasing seniority in the claims organization.

MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Co. and its affiliates with administrative home offices in Warwick, R.I.

Topics USA AutoU.S. President Donald Trumps new pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency told lawmakers on Wednesday he does not believe climate change is a major crisis, and would continue to undo Obama-era emission limits if confirmed.

Trump nominated EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler last week to run the agency permanently, seeking a strong advocate for his pro-fossil fuels agenda  a choice that cheered business interests and drawn scorn from environmentalists.

I would not call it the greatest crisis, Wheeler said at his confirmation hearing when asked if he believed the increasingly urgent warnings from scientists about the threats from global warming.

Wheelers confirmation is expected to sail through the Republican-controlled Senate despite Democratic opposition. A Washington insider with years of experience, he has been running the EPA since July when his predecessor Scott Pruitt resigned in a flurry of criticism over his use of resources and staff for personal matters.

Democratic lawmakers focused on Wheelers record at EPA, his past lobbying work for energy companies, and his stance on global warming  casting him as a pro-business extremist not fit to run the nations top environmental regulator.

Democrat Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, asked Wheeler his view of global warming, which scientists say is driven by fossil fuels consumption and is leading to sea level rise, and more frequent flooding, wildfires and extreme weather.

Wheeler said he believed global warming is an important issue that needs to be addressed, but that far-reaching federal regulation forcing deep emissions cuts was the wrong approach and more faith should be put in the hands of states and private enterprise.

You are putting up a smokescreen to ensure there is an advancement of Donald Trumps dirty policies, Markey said, in one of the hearings most heated exchanges. Thats why it is relevant that you are a former coal industry lobbyist.

A federal report written by 13 government agencies late last year said climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century, damaging everything from human health to infrastructure and agricultural production.

Trump, who has repeatedly cast doubt on climate change and has indicated his intention to withdraw from a global pact to fight it, dismissed the report after its release, saying I dont believe it.

Wheeler said he had been briefed on the assessment, but was waiting for further briefings from his staff before taking a public position on its findings.

RECORD OF ROLLBACKS

Wheeler defended his record at EPA, which has been largely defined by moves to undo or weaken Obama-era environmental regulations. He cast the agencys rollbacks as a way to reduce the regulatory burden on business while also protecting air and water quality for Americans.

Among his accomplishments, Wheeler last year finalized a proposal to replace Obama-era federal curbs on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants with a new rule placing much of that power in the hands of states.

He has also overseen the EPAs gutting of the justification for Obama-era mercury emissions limits, a proposal to reduce the number of waterways under federal protection, and efforts to lower targets for vehicle fuel efficiency.

Democrats pressed Wheeler on whether his EPA work was in any way linked to his previous lobbying on behalf of energy companies like underground coal giant Murray Energy, a vocal proponent of reduced environmental and safety regulation.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, held up photos of Wheeler attending meetings between Murrays Chief Executive Robert Murray and Trump administration officials, and asked Wheeler for a full accounting of the number of such meetings he had arranged for the coal company.

Wheeler said he would provide a written response.

Industry representatives and Republican lawmakers have largely praised Wheeler for his deregulatory stance.

He understands how the regulatory process works and the type of effort that is required to develop effective and legally defensible regulatory reforms, said Jeff Holmstead, a partner at industry-focused law firm Bracewell and a former EPA air administrator.

Environmental groups have taken a different view.

Activists briefly interrupted Wheelers testimony on Wednesday shouting Shut down Wheeler, not the EPA, and several were arrested after demonstrating outside the hearing room.

(Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk Editing by Marguerita Choy and Paul Simao)

Topics Legislation Pollution Climate ChangeReinsurance broker Guy Carpenter & Co. announced the formation of a new Global Capital Solutions Group as well as a series of leadership appointments that will become effective upon the closing of the acquisition of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc. by Carpenters parent, Marsh & McLennan Cos.

The 4.3 billion ($5.5 billion) acquisition of JLT remains subject to the receipt of certain antitrust and financial regulatory approvals.

The new appointments reflect ongoing strategic efforts to align and integrate the capabilities of both Guy Carpenter and JLT Re, said Guy Carpenter in a statement.

Guy Carpenter provided the following details of the leaders of its various business units:

Global Capital Solutions Group

David Priebe, vice chairman of Guy Carpenter, will lead Global Capital Solutions Group. He will work with GCs Analytics, Strategic Advisory and broking teams. The group will be made up of two components, Global Capital Solutions and GC Securities, both reporting to Priebe.

Ed Hochberg, CEO of North America at JLT Re, will become head of the Global Capital Solutions practice, advising clients on capital, reinsurance optimization and risk transfer solutions. Hochberg will also support the overall integration of JLT Res North America business with Guy Carpenter.

Shiv Kumar will continue as president of GC Securities, responsible for the insurance-linked securities and M&A practices.

Guy Carpenter North America

Tim Gardner, CEO of Guy Carpenter North America, and John Trace, president of Guy Carpenter US, will continue in their leadership roles.

Keith Harrison, CEO of UK & Europe at JLT Re, will become head of London North America for GC. In this role he will lead the London division of GCs North America business, reporting to Tim Gardner. Harrison will also lead the formation of a new London-based operation to service and source business non-affiliated with Guy Carpenter, which will be overseen by Peter Hearn, president and CEO of Guy Carpenter. Harrison will be responsible for new business production, client management, and delivering advisory, growth and placement expertise, as well as access to the London market for North American clients. Harrison will join the Guy Carpenter executive committee, as well as support the overall integration of JLT Res UK and European businesses with Guy Carpenter.

Simon Keeley, currently head of London North America for GC, and Mark Higgins, currently head of London North America for JLT Re, will both report to Harrison and form part of the senior leadership team that will integrate the businesses and position the combined entity for continued growth.

Guy Carpenter International

James Nash will continue as CEO of Guy Carpenter International.

Jeremy Fox, CEO of JLT Re Asia Pacific, will become chairman of GC Asia Pacific, reporting to Tony Gallagher, CEO of GC Asia Pacific. In this role, Fox will be responsible for servicing multinational clients in the region and producing new business, as well as working with Gallagher on designing and delivering key strategic priorities for the region.

Guy Carpenter Specialties

Kevin Fisher, currently CEO of GC Global Specialties, will become chairman of GC UK & Specialties. Fisher will continue working with the leadership team to deliver enhanced client solutions across the UK and Global Specialties platform.

James Boyce, currently deputy CEO Global Specialties and head of Non-Marine Specialties at GC, will become CEO of Global Specialties. Boyce will report to Peter Hearn and will join the Guy Carpenter Executive Committee.

Bradley Maltese, deputy CEO of UK & Europe at JLT Re, will become vice chairman of Global Specialties, reporting to Boyce. In addition, Maltese will work with the senior leadership team to further develop and grow the Global Specialties client offering, and will also play a key role in executing the integration of the JLT Re Specialty practices with Guy Carpenter.

Richard Morgan, managing director, GC Global Specialties, will become head of Non-Marine Specialties, reporting to Boyce.

The appointments of Fisher, Boyce and Morgan are effective immediately.

Global Strategic Advisory

David Flandro, global head of Analytics at JLT Re, will become Global Head of Economics and Franchise Risk Advisory, reporting to Rob Bentley, CEO of GC Global Strategic Advisory. In this role, Flandro will oversee GCs global thought leadership, business intelligence, ratings advisory and market intelligence units.

Vicky Carter, vice chair of GC Global Strategic Advisory, will continue in her leadership role.

The combination of Guy Carpenter and JLT Res capabilities and expertise will create an exciting opportunity to deliver enhanced value to clients across the globe through a structure that is intuitive and aligned with our strategic priorities, said Carpenters president and CEO Hearn. These roles will be filled by experienced and talented leaders who will have a positive impact on our business. I congratulate them and look forward to working with them in their important new roles.

All other Guy Carpenter executive committee members will continue in their current roles.

Source: Guy Carpenter

Related:

Topics Mergers Europe London Leadership Marsh McLennanDismay, confusion, relief  and hope.

The City of London had a range of reactions to the U.K. Parliaments overwhelming rejection Tuesday night of Prime Minister Theresa Mays blueprint for quitting the European Union, and her sprint to cobble together a new one by Monday. As money managers, traders, bankers, and lawyers girded for the prospect of leaving the bloc on March 29 with no deal, they commiserated with rattled clients and pushed ahead on contingency plans they had hoped would never be needed.

Guy Healey, head of private banking at Brown Shipley & Co., had already reduced his clients exposure to British stocks and sterling last fall. On Wednesday, he started getting clients ready for the worst-case scenario. The 209-year-old private bank, which caters to wealthy individuals and families, started informing about 200 clients in mainland Europe that they would have to actually get on a plane and come to the U.K. to meet with their relationship managers in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Thats because Brown Shipley, which deals primarily with U.K.-based customers, would lose passporting rights to conduct cross-border business in the EU. Its bankers are also advising clients that they will have to shift their accounts to one of the banks joint-venture partners in Luxembourg if there is no transition. Needless to say, this is going to make it tougher for the bank to cultivate new business in Europe.

Its bad news, said Healey, exasperated if unsurprised by the turn of events. We had been holding off on this plan, but now we have two months to go, and it doesnt look like the EU will compromise  and we are not discounting a no-deal situation.

For big banks such as Barclays Plc or JPMorgan Chase & Co., the drama in Westminster had little effect other than forcing sterling traders to stay at their desks a bit later than usual. Theyve been preparing to shift operations and capital to Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin and other locales for two years now, deal or no deal. Yet lawyers in the City suggest Healey and his peers at smaller institutions are right to redouble their own efforts.

Unless and until politicians act collectively to take another path, the default destination is one that a clear majority in the U.K. Parliament do not want - a no-deal Brexit, said Charles Brasted, a partner at Hogan Lovells, the global law firm.

Poker Game

While May survived a subsequent no-confidence vote Wednesday night and pledged to work with the Labour opposition to forge a new agreement, it remains to be seen whether she can succeed given that 230 members of Parliament gave her plan a thumbs-down on Tuesday night, the worst legislative defeat by a British government in memory. Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at the City of London Corporation, warned that financial stability must not be jeopardized in a game of high-stakes poker as lawmakers scramble to salvage a deal.

In December, European regulators agreed to permit EU banks to continue using U.K. clearing houses to process trillions of dollars worth of derivatives contracts for 12 months, whether there is a deal or not. The move calmed concerns that financial markets would be seriously disrupted, but McGuinness said there are still unresolved questions around insurance contracts, uncleared derivatives, and the flow of data between the U.K. and the EU. And shes worried about unforeseen market shocks in a hard Brexit. Its great that there is a clear majority against no deal, but we are hurtling toward that by default, she said.

Yet on the Citys trading floors, a more benign view of the situation was taking shape. Luke Pledger, the senior managing director who oversees sterling at BGC Partners Inc., an inter-dealer broker based in Londons Canary Wharf, said the markets are signaling a softer Brexit is most likely.

He and his traders watched the pound-dollar rate rebound from a brief plunge after the vote and settle at $1.28, near a two-month high. With little support for a hard Brexit in Parliament, lawmakers will have to compromise on a withdrawal agreement or seek an extension of the March 29 deadline, a move the EU could well approve. That could mean the U.K. agrees to stay in a customs union. If Parliament cant find consensus, the prime minister could even opt for a second referendum.

We are far more likely to swing towards a softer Brexit than a no-deal, hard Brexit, by some margin in my view, Pledger said over the din of traders shouting orders on the floor Wednesday. That gives the markets a sense of relief, and thats reflective of where the currency is trading. The pound resumed its ascent on Thursday, and was trading well above $1.29 by late afternoon.

Fund manager Justin Urquhart Stewart foresees an even softer outcome from the current turmoil  staying in the EU, the option he has always favored. The co-founder of Seven Investment Management LLP, a London-based investment firm with 14 billion pounds ($18 billion) in assets, cited the damage to the economy thats already been seen as corporations hit the pause button on expansion.

Impossible Scenarios

Hopefully, this vote will kill this whole thing stone dead, Urquhart Stewart said of the rejection of Mays deal.

With so many possibilities flying around, Alan Higgins, chief investment officer at Coutts & Co., said matters are as confused as ever.

In a conference call Wednesday, he walked clients of the London-based private bank through three possible outcomes: a variation of Mays rejected deal, a no-deal exit, and a second referendum. He said he was leaning toward a revamped version of Mays agreement  perhaps one that encourages the EU to drop its insistence on the backstop, hated by hard Brexiteers, that would keep Northern Ireland in the EU customs union should future trade negotiations fail  but it was a long shot.

All of these scenarios seem impossible, but one of these impossible things has to happen, Higgins said. So the question is, which one?

Related:

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Europe London Uk BrexitThe Democratic governors of New York and New Jersey each set goals to legalize recreational marijuana as part of their 2019 agendas, declaring in separate State of the State speeches Tuesday that new laws should raise state revenue and redress past criminal and economic injustice.

We must ensure that those with a past mark on their records because of a low-level offense can have that stain removed, said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who advocated legalization of pot during his 2017 election campaign. He cited thousands of jobs created and billions of dollars in tax revenue reaped in Massachusetts and Colorado, two of 10 states where pot is legal. We can do that here, and in a smart way that ensures fairness and equity for minority-owned businesses and minority communities.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomos proposed legalization law also seeks to reduce impacts of criminalization affecting communities of color and would allow counties and cities to opt out of the program. The proposal, contained in a 2019 budget document released Tuesday, would impose taxes on pot cultivation, and wholesale and retail purchases, to be spent on traffic safety, small business development, drug treatment and mental health care.

Cuomo, who in 2017 described marijuana as a gateway drug to more dangerous substances, clearly signaled hed changed his position Tuesday, telling the state legislature in Albany: Lets legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics New York Cannabis New JerseyThe Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled that a state police officer was justified in arresting a suspect for driving under the influence of marijuana based on the officers observations of the drivers demeanor, physical appearance and behavior.

The case  Commonwealth vs. Mark J. Davis  comes after Major Daniel Risteen stopped defendant Davis for speeding and driving erratically on the Massachusetts Turnpike one afternoon in July 2015.

Davis, driving a gray Infiniti sedan, drove past Risteen at between seventy and eighty miles per hour and followed dangerously close to two other vehicles, according to the opinion document. Davis also failed to slow down at the toll booths, and he was driving seventy miles per hour in a zone with a posted speed limit of thirty miles per hour.

Risteen stopped the vehicle immediately after it had passed through the toll booths, and Davis, who had been driving in the left-hand lane, stopped on the left-hand side of the egress.

There were two passengers in the vehicle in addition to Davis. After Risteen approached the drivers side door and asked Davis for his license and registration, he detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana and an odor of fresh marijuana coming from within the vehicle, as well as the smell of burnt marijuana on Davis, according to the opinion document.

During this initial interaction, Risteen also noticed Davis eyes were red, glassy, and droopy, he was fighting with the eyebrows, trying to keep his eyes open, and his speech was slow and lethargic. Davis admitted to smoking marijuana a couple of hours ago.

Risteen noted both passengers also appeared to have smoked marijuana and thought they looked high. They smelled of marijuana, and they had trouble staying awake during the interaction, according to the opinion document. The passengers both said they had been smoking marijuana earlier that day.

Risteen placed Davis under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana.

After he was arrested and placed in the police cruiser, Davis asked if one of his passengers could drive his vehicle, but as Risteen believed neither one of them could drive, they were both high, he instead had the vehicle impounded and called a tow truck to remove it from the turnpike.

Prior to the tow, an inventory search of the car was carried out by searching the trunk. There, a loaded handgun, ammunition and three bags of marijuana were found sealed inside a plastic food container with a tight-fitting lid. Risteen decided to conduct a further search of the car at the state police barracks, because the sedan was stopped in a spot that was causing traffic to back up at the tolls.

After the tow truck delivered Davis vehicle to the state police barracks, Risteen requested a drug dog to search the vehicle. The dog alerted to the glove compartment, for which Risteen obtained the key and found eleven oxycodone pills and two plastic bags containing cocaine.

Driving Under the Influence

After his arrest, Davis moved to suppress the evidence seized from his automobile. A Boston Municipal Court judge denied this motion, finding the police had probable cause to arrest him for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana and the search of the vehicle was justified as an inventory search.

A jury acquitted Davis of all charges except unlawful possession of the drugs found within the locked glove compartment, and he appealed to the Appeals Court. The Supreme Judicial Court then took on the case.

On appeal, Davis argued that police did not have probable cause to arrest him for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana, and the search of his automobile was not a lawful inventory search or justified by any other recognized exception to the warrant requirement.

A warrantless arrest is lawful under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article 14 of the Declaration of Rights if it is supported by probable cause.

In Davis view, the facts known at the time of his arrest gave rise only to a suspicion that he had consumed marijuana prior to the traffic stop, and without evidence of impairment, there was no crime, just the civil infractions of speeding and tailgating.

A driver operates a motor vehicle while under the influence when the consumption of an intoxicating substance such as alcohol or marijuana diminishes his or her ability to operate a motor vehicle safely,', according to the opinion document. The offense requires impairment of the ability to drive, as opposed to proof that the driver is drunk or high. We acknowledge that it is often difficult to detect marijuana impairment, because the effects of marijuana consumption vary greatly amongst individualsand as yet, there are no validated field sobriety tests.

Indeed, Risteen testified that before he reached the drivers side door, he had been considering a number of reasons why Davis would have been driving erratically, only one of which involved driving while intoxicated.

After approaching the drivers side door of the Infiniti, however, Risteen detected the odor of burnt and unburnt marijuana. Among other things, Davis had red and glassy eyes, he was struggling to keep his eyes open and his head upright, his coordination was slow, he had difficulty focusing, and he also had difficulty following the officers directions. Davis told Risteen he had smoked marijuana earlier that day. Given this, the SJC found the motion judge was warranted in ruling police had probable cause to believe Davis operated a motor vehicle while impaired.

As a result, The SJC found the denial of the defendants motion to suppress on this basis was justified.

Searching the Vehicle

On appeal, Davis also challenged the search of his vehicle at the state police barracks on two grounds. First, he asserted that the judge was wrong in finding both passengers were unable to drive the vehicle safely from the turnpike toll booth. Second, he argued the inventory search was a pretext for an investigatory search.

The motion judge determined the officers were authorized to conduct the search of Davis vehicle as an inventory search pursuant to the state police inventory search policy. For evidence seized without a warrant to be admissible, the Commonwealth needs to establish a warrantless search fell within an exception to the warrant requirement, according to the opinion document.

An inventory search serves three separate purposes: Police may impound and search a vehicle in order to protect the vehicle and its contents from the threat of theft or vandalism, to protect the police and the tow company from false claims and to protect the public from dangerous items that might have been left in a vehicle.

The SJC agreed with the motion judges conclusion that the police had reasonable grounds to impound the vehicle, finding that the car  which was stopped on the left-hand side of a toll exit on the Massachusetts Turnpike in the middle of the day  posed a public safety hazard.

The judge also determined the police were justified in rejecting Davis request that one of his passengers be permitted to remove the vehicle from the highway, crediting Risteens testimony detailing his observations of the passengers state.

Based on Risteens decision to use a drug dog to search the vehicle, Davis argued that the inventory search of his automobile was a pretext to search the vehicle for an investigative purpose. Unlike other types of searches, an inventory search is administrative, and the decision to conduct an inventory search cannot be for investigatory purposes.

The SJC concluded the officers had adequate grounds to secure the vehicle and search the glove compartment for evidence related to the offense of operating the vehicle while under the influence of marijuana, however.

This is because the officer had probable cause to believe, based on Davis appearance and his interactions with Risteen, as well as his admission to having smoked marijuana earlier, that his consumption of marijuana had diminished his ability to operate a motor vehicle safely, the opinion document said. In addition, once the passengers had left the vehicle, Risteen saw marijuana leaves scattered on the rear passenger seat.

Therefore, the SJC maintained the officers had authority to search the vehicle pursuant to the automobile exception. The search could extend to the locked glove compartment because it was reasonable for the officers to believe it contained marijuana or implements used to consume marijuana, according to the opinion document.

As a result, the SJC affirmed the order denying Davis motion to suppress and affirmed the previous judgments.

Topics Auto Personal Auto Law Enforcement Cannabis MassachusettsOn Tuesday, Kreidler issued a cease-and-desist order to Illinois Union Insurance to stop underwriting NRA-branded policies. The commissioner added in his order that the insurance product is illegal in Washington State because it insures unlawful activity.

Kriedler is also looking to fine Illinois Union Insurance $102,000 for selling 811 of the Carry Guard policies to consumers in the state, iFIBER One News reported. The commissioner is additionally planning to fine Lockton Affinity $75,000 for its part in the sale of the illegal policies.

When it comes to insurance products associated with the NRA, its buyer beware, Kriedler said in a statement. The attempt to insure a criminal act is a rip-off for consumers. The policies sold are deceptive and dishonest. I would be remiss as the states insurance regulator if I didnt shut them down.

Both Illinois Union Insurance and Lockton have until February 14, 2019 to agree or appeal to the terms of the fines.He was most recently serving as a regional business development director for AIG in Houston. Bernal has also held positions with AON Risk Services, Brown & Brown and Travelers. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and his MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Bernal holds a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriting (CPCU) designation.

"In our region, and especially in Texas, we see tremendous opportunity to grow AXA XL's presence and business here as we align with our broker partners to protect their clients' growing operations globally. We're excited to expand our team with an industry talent like Roman," commented Speeg.

"Roman is well-known for his consultative and collaborative style, and ability to build strong working relationships. We're eager to get 2019 off to a strong start, now also leveraging Roman's knowledge and relationships to drive growth for our underwriting teams, and in support of our brokers' and clients' objectives," Speeg added.Technology has allowed us to locate and manage real-time risks as we improve road safety standards for drivers and pedestrians alike, AIG Malaysia CEO Antony Lee was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post. In line with our #AIGJagaYou promise, we will leverage data-driven insights from our mobile app, along with our claims experience, to cultivate better driving behaviours nationwide.

This effort is also in line with the liberalisation of motor insurance where premiums are now heavily influenced by driver risk profiles.

Lee spoke at a media briefing commemorating AIGs global centennial year, as well as its 66 years of presence in Malaysia.

The need for better road safety is quite urgent in Malaysia, due to high road accident and mortality rates. In 2017, there were over 533,000 road accidents in the country, with over 6,700 deaths, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.Local Twin Cities artists Enzyrose, Eyenga Bokamba, Noah Lawrence-Holder, LeShon Lee, and Meadow Gillispie, talk about their reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the trial of Derek Chauvin, and life as a black artist during this time.Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. To add your business to the stream, email cfields@insidenova.com or click on the green button below.Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic...Pratham USA, established in Houston, Texas, by Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist Vijay Goradia, has been named the winner of the CrowdRise by GoFundMe Holiday Challenge. Supporters of the nonprofit organization helped it raise over $700,000 over a month-long period. (crowdrise.com photo)When people around the world were tracking the latest developments in the Brexit vote in UK Parliament, an unusual sight caught peoples attention.

An armed police officer was seen walking inside the official home of the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, with a machine gun in one hand and a bag with two large boxes of doughnuts in the other.

After this, the talk of the town was not Brexit vote but the delivery of the doughnuts. A video of the same went viral on social media:

It's a "snacks arriving under armed guard" kind of day in Westminster pic.twitter.com/yow4B9GUdr  Andy Silke (@andysilke) January 15, 2019

Many people compared it to Trumps fast food feast for the athletes in the White House, while others were busy trolling the unusual event:

1.

How do I become PM?  Jude (@StuffJudeSays) January 15, 2019

2.

subliminal messaging:

donut vote for the the deal  Craig Cockburn (@siliconglen) January 15, 2019

3.

After Brexit, when the food has run out, all delivery people will be armed..  Charles MacDonald (@charlessr1956) January 15, 2019

4.

Is it coz theyve all glazed over?  Holly Fitzgerald (@hm_fitzgerald) January 15, 2019

5.

Current state of western Democracy. @Wendys in the White House, @krispykreme doughnuts being guarded by automatic weapons out front of @10DowningStreet pic.twitter.com/sIuT6PMx9L  Matt Karolian (@mkarolian) January 15, 2019

6.

Hire me for this job. Ill bring my own rifle. https://t.co/7xXUJcfupP  Lotus  (@ourmemorypalace) January 16, 2019

7.

So many things to unpack.

#1 - Love that there's a @krispykremeUK

#2 - Krispy Kreme deserves an armed guard

#3 - The long history of law enforcement & doughnuts

#4 - @lexkypolice need to see this. https://t.co/XQcnpUnSPw  Christina Ginn (@NBChristinaGinn) January 15, 2019

8.

Don't want to alarm anyone but the people responsible for getting us food if there's no deal are already guarding their donuts with a machine gunpic.twitter.com/LSbX1AUbiU  James Felton (@JimMFelton) January 15, 2019

9.

Draw your weapons from the armoury, Constable. All of them. Yes, including the experimental Krispy Kreme distraction devices. pic.twitter.com/keBIRJhbJD  John O'Shea (@politicalhackuk) January 15, 2019

10.From celebrities to common people everybody is taking the 10-year challenge. The challenge, as the name suggests, requires people to share their 10-year-old picture alongside a recent picture to show their transformation.

With the popularity of the challenge increasing, a Brazilian soap opera star Helena Price took to Twitter to try something different. Let's try something different than what you looked like 10 years ago... What were you working on/trying to accomplish? How'd it work out?, she wrote.

Let's try something different than what you looked like 10 years ago... What were you working on/trying to accomplish? How'd it work out? #10yearchallenge  Helena Price (@helena) January 14, 2019

She wanted to highlight the fact that transformations are not just physical, they go deeper than that.

She even shared her transformational story in a series of tweets:

In 2009 I quit my bartender job and moved from NC to SF with $40, no job and no network. I sold my car and put the money to a deposit on bedroom I found on Craigslist. I wanted to work in tech, so I googled "coffee shops where techies hang out."  Helena Price (@helena) January 14, 2019

The rest of the story's too long and complicated for Twitter, but I'm pretty pleased with how things turned out. Onto the next 10!  Helena Price (@helena) January 14, 2019

After she shared her transformational story, people also started sharing theirs:

1.

Ten years ago I was 60. Owner of a sweet bookstore that was surviving against all odds after 15 years. Working hard to stay in business and doing ok. Now: sold the business, retired, happy grandma. Proud of my friends still at the store. No regrets.  roberta dyer (@bobbiejeandyer) January 15, 2019

2.

10 years ago, I was a flight attendant, and thought I wasn't even near smart enough to go to university. But a few years later I went and knuckled down, and am now in my dream job! Amazing how much your own thoughts can restrict you, and also get you where you want to be.  Louise Hedger (@lou_hedger) January 16, 2019

3.

I was 22, and our nyc design studio just shut down due to the recession. I found a job on Craigslist at a fashion/yarn companylasted only 10 mos thereI learned everything I did not want in a job, like what I wouldn't settle for/tolerate, and shit I would never put up w again.  Amy Wu (@amywutoo) January 15, 2019

4. She even shared her depression story:

10 years ago, I was suicidal, severely depressed and because of how much I resented and hated my body, I would constantly cut/burn myself.

10 years later, I'm a year and a half on estrogen and preparing to have gender confirmation surgery in November this year and I'm ecstatic.  K9 Pepper (@TequilaAndHeim) January 15, 2019

5.

10 years ago I was stuck in a toxic marriage, trapped by financial fears. Now I have a house & dream job (full-time writer, supplemented by teaching writing at UVic, which I LOVE). I thought I couldn't handle being a single mum, turns out I can and I love it. #10yearchallenge  Karen Rivers (@karenrivers) January 16, 2019

6.

10 years ago I was working hard on an early death, addiction, mental illness, suicide attempts, living to drink, drug and spend time with dangerous people. So it didnt pan out, Im still alive, in recovery from addiction, healthy, sometimes even happy....  Princess Bitchface Always Ruins Everything (@EmVersion7) January 15, 2019

7.

In 2009 I miscarried and fell into a depression so deep I barely got out of bed for six months and dropped out of my diploma course. There was only six months left on it.

In 2019 I'm on the second half of the same course again, gonna get that diploma this time. I'm gonna make it.  Re-Phage  (@phage_re) January 15, 2019

8.

I was 16. I had no clue what to do with my life, family life was hard and I was obsessed with Marching Band.

Now 26. I am finishing my Masters Degree in Library and Information Science, am working at two jobs I love, and living life with my love   Alexa Moore (@AlexaMoore) January 15, 2019

9.

I was in 7th grade. One of the last years of my brutal bullying. I wanted to die but didnt because I liked to write books and I wanted to finish one first. Today. Ive given up on that dream. Im lost. Struggling with everything. Hopefully the next ten are better?   pissed off bitch (@heatherishere) January 15, 2019

10.

Ten years ago I was engaged and trying to work out exactly where I wanted to go in life. I got married a year later, passed my professional registration & was awarded a life changing fellowship. I like myself better than I did ten years ago. Lets see what the next decade brings  Jessamy Carlson (@jessamycarlson) January 15, 2019

Now, this is what transformation should be all about!According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Antarctica is losing six times more ice annually than it was 40 years ago. It is happening as a part of climate change and has caused global sea levels to rise by more than half an inch since 1979.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak," lead author Eric Rignot, a NASA research scientist and UC Irvine professor, said in a statement. "As the Antarctic ice sheet continues to melt away, we expect multi-meter sea level rise from Antarctica in the coming centuries," he added.

Rignot and his colleagues calculated the annual Antarctic ice loss from 1979 to 2017 using some evidence. Aerial image from NASAs Operation IceBridge has been flying research planes over the continent since 2009, which has helped the researchers estimate the annual snowfall, ice sheet thickness, wind erosion etc.

AFP

By combining this data, the team found that Antarctica has been losing more ice every year. In the past few decades, about 63% of the continents ice came from West Antarctica and remaining from East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula.

The biggest reason for ice loss is circumpolar deep water - a mass of warm extra-salty water that has been increasingly pushed under floating ice shelves by stronger westerly winds. This water quickly melts the ice sheets.

Reuters

The research reveals a mass loss during the entire period [of 38 years] and a rapid increase over the last two decades in parts of Antarctica closest to known or suspected sources of CDW, the researchers said in the paper.

In the decades to come, it is likely that sea level rise from Antarctica will originate from the same general areas, they noted, adding that the trend could contribute multimeter sea level rise with unabated climate warming.The supremacy of nations has since long been decided through their dominance on the waters. Lately, China and Russia have been the ones to build largely on this, investing heavily on warfare technology for both the surface as well as underwater.

This has put the US Navy on the back foot, increasing the potential risk to their aircraft carriers. So, how does the US Navy plan to solve this? By turning to automation.

As per recent reports, the US Navy is planning to bring in unmanned surface combatants, which will basically act as robot warships, not needing any human support.

The move is a part of the US Navys paradigm shift in its defence strategy on waters. While it has a long standing history of appointing gigantic warships equipped with the state-of-the-art weaponry, the new military tactic replaces them with smaller warships, increasing their numbers in the process.

US Navy's Sea Hunter (Reuters)

Also read: NYPD Planned To Fly Drones For Surveillance On New Year's Eve But Then It Rained

Equipped with artificial intelligence and automation, the new warships will be used to accompany manned warships in the waters. The whole idea is to gain as much information in the waters as possible through the highly capable sensors on these automated warships. The US Navy calls these automated war machines as nodes and aims to include many of them on its fleets goal of 355 ships.

This is also where having a large fleet instead of a small one with larger ships will help. The collaborated data through the n number of warships will provide a greater accuracy of the information. It will also be more difficult for the enemy to track a large number of small ships in the waters.

This will not be the Navys first encounter with autonomous technology at sea though. The force has been using Defence Advanced Research Projects Agencys (DARPA) Sea Hunter for long now, a submarine-hunting warship that can go for 2 to 3 months straight without any humans on board.

US Navy's unmanned warship - the Sea Hunter (DARPA)

Also read: Machine Kills Machine: A Speeding Autonomous Tesla Knocks Off A Humanoid Robot Standing On Its Way

This time around, the US Navy is also looking at a centralised combat system for all such warships. The aim is to simplify the operations, with less time on training for the soldiers and hence more time in the deep waters for the warship.

For now, the US Navy will start getting feedbacks from the industry for what exactly is possible and all that they dont know enough about in these regards. In parallel, the force is buying 10 new destroyers on this multiyear contract, as confirmed by the report.There was a time, way back in 2004, when the Moto Razr was the pinnacle of phone design. With the latest features, and a flip shell design, it was very sleek, and very coveted.

So Motorola figures it might be time to give it another shot and revive the device for round two.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Motorola's owner Lenovo is bringing back the Razr in a new avatar, and it might launch as early as February this year. It seems the company is following in the footsteps of Nokia, which brought back the 3310 in a new form in 2018.

The new Razr is expected to keep the foldable design, but will this time feature a $1500 price tag (approximately Rs 1.07 lakh). There's no guaranteed launch date so that probably means the phones are still being tweaked. And based off that price, it might be the company is trying to imitate the latest trend and either give the phone two separate touch screen displays or a foldable one.

Indeed, that's what had seemed the when patent drawings emerged last year.

If that's the case, it'll be maybe the third flexible display on the market, after the FlexPai and the yet-to-debut Samsung Galaxy F. And if things carry on as we believe, it won't be the last this year either.Over the last couple of years, the Indian government has been really pushing the Make in India movement to the forefront, especially where technology is concerned.

And that's worked to an extent, as India surpassed Vietnam to become the #2 mobile manufacturer in the world last April.

Amitabh Kant, the CEO of Niti Aayoog (National Institution for Transforming India), posted that again on Twitter today, with supposedly updated numbers from the industry. He indicates there are now 268 manufacturing plants set up around the country, creating a total of 6,50,000 jobs. Production, he says, has reached a $31 billion threshold, with 65 million chargers exported in 2018.

Make in India performance in Mobile Manufacturing sector. India surpassed Vietnam to become No 2 manufacturer in the world. pic.twitter.com/ILc62YODko  Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) January 17, 2019

Also Read: Smartphone Penetration In India Is On The Rise, Set To Reach 37.3 Crore Users In 2019

Of course, we're not all the way along yet. Right now, these are mostly assembly plants in India, we're not actually manufacturing components yet. Those are still being shipped in from China.

The government recently cut taxes on the import of the hardware necessary to manufacture these components locally, but it'll take some time for brands to set up the infrastructure needed. Not to mention it might be cheaper for the many Chinese brands in our market to manufacture in their own countries.

Reuters

In the overall manufacturing jobs sector in India, mobile manufacturing jobs have grown quite rapidly in the last four years -- making smartphones more affordable for Indians to buy as a result.

Either way, it's a nice little reminder of how far we've come from the early 2000's when we were some of the last people in the world to get mobile phones.Already behind bars for 20 years in the rape case of two of his followers, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Sirsa journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati by the special court in Panchkula Today.

He was convicted on January 11 by Special CBI Court Judge Jagdeep Singh, along with three others - Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal and the quantum was announced today.

The murder case goes back to 2002 after the journalists newspaper had published an anonymous letter narrating the ordeal of the rape victims by Dera chief at Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

Ram Chander Chhatrapati

Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapatis newspaper Poora Sach had exposed him way before the court punished him last year and to seek revenge, Chhatrapati was shot dead outside his house in 2002 October. The Dera chief was accused as the main conspirator and the journalist's family moved to Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking justice in 2003. The case was given to CBI in 2007.

Dera chief was convicted in the rape case last year which saw massive violence in Panchkula by his followers. Fearing the violence, the CBI court had made the Dera chief attend the hearing from Sunaria jail in Rohtak where he is lodged through the video conferencing. Section-144 was imposed in Panchkula as a precautionary measure by the administration.With millions of YouTube views and hits on Spotify and iTunes, a group of young nun rockers play one of their biggest gigs next week, and thousands of Catholics, including the pope himself, will lap it up.

It may be rock and roll, but Twisted Sister they ain't, and sex and drugs are not an option for the Sisters of the Servants of the Plan of God. They play their brand of melodic rock in their traditional habits.

"We're young sisters," says 37-year-old guitarist Sister Ivonne of the band, which includes members from Chile, Japan, Ecuador, China and Costa Rica.

"This is another form of bringing our evangelical message, showing our strength -- that's to say, it's also music that we like, it shows a lot about who we are."

AFP

Known as "Siervas" or Servants, the band plays catchy Christian songs that sound indistinguishable from many of their peers in mainstream rock.

But the appearance is very different, rock's grunge and glad rags giving way to the nuns' tried and trusted black and white habits and veils on stage.

YouTube hit

With a half-dozen slickly produced videos on YouTube, Siervas has built an international following as it communicates its message of "love, joy, hope."

Their "Trust in God" music video, which features the nuns playing on a helipad atop a Lima skyscraper, went viral on YouTube with nearly two million views.

And now, the Peru-based sisters will play at the World Youth Day celebrations, a gathering of global Catholic youth in Panama presided over by Pope Francis.

AFP

The message at the heart of their music? "We want to reach as many people as possible, and if the pope is included in that, we're more than satisfied," said Ivonne, who pens much of the lyrics.

The 11-member band, which performs in Spanish, has previously played for crowds at Francis' visits to Mexico and Peru.

Not just music

"We're not just working in music, but we take the word of God and his consolation to the prisons, to the disabled," said Sister Daniela, the drummer from Costa Rica.

Tuesdays, when they are back in Peru, they bring food to the homeless on the streets.

The group will gig at a women's prison during the trip to Panama. They will also play at a children's cancer hospital and schools.

"We go to the women's prisons to listen to them. All they ask is to be listened to and to know God has forgiven them," said Camila, the 22-year-old Peruvian guitarist.

AFP

The band, which has so far visited 11 countries, including the United States, was formed in Lima in 2014 when the young musician nuns from different nationalities came together, said 24-year-old Sister Arisa, from Japan.

"It was God's plan that we come together," said Arisa, a violinist.

After months of rehearsal, they held their first concert in the auditorium of the General Command of the Army, helping raise funds for a house for the order in Angola.

The band has undergone several changes to its lineup since 2014, as sisters leave to fulfill their missionary role.

"Until now we have not been able to talk to the pope, we would love it if he approaches us," said Ivonne, from Chile.

"I wouldn't know what to say, I think I would faint."After Long Slumber, India Finally Appears Serious about Connect Central Asia Policy, hoping to make Uzbekistan its gateway to the region

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at his home state during the Vibrant Gujarat business summit from 18-20 January. This is the second visit to India by Mirziyoyev, who has taken several steps to open his country to the outside world since taking over as the President in 2016.

He was last here with a high-level delegation only four months ago in September 2018, when, besides holding several meetings in the national capital and signing 17 agreements; he also visited the Taj Mahal with his wife.

Historical Linkages

Although in his lifetime the founder of the Mughal Empire, Babur was forced to escape from Andijan in the Ferghana valley after his defeat in the hands of Muhammad Shaybani Khan, Uzbeks seem Mughals as Timurid successor and hence as their own.

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In fact, not just Mughals, Central Asia and South Asia are more intricately connected than we would ever want to imagine. The two regions are contiguous land, though dotted with highest mountains of the world, and hence, are entrenched in our history, politics, culture, and behaviour.

Even as the debates on whether Aryans originated in Eurasia and came here or were originally from India continues, dated history attests to the fact that from Sakas to Kushan rulers, the most famous among whom was Kanishka, and later Turks, Afghans, and Mughals came from the larger Central Asian region.

Circa 3rd century BC at least, there are records of regular trade routes crisscrossing a number of historical cities along the Old Silk Route. Besides silk from China, and spices, jewellery and clothes among other goods from India, Buddhism travelled up to Tibet and China through this road.

In the modern age, different colonial forces divided the region, Central Asia came under Russians (and consequently the USSR) and South Asia under the British, with Afghanistan as the buffer. Consequently, interactions were abruptly interrupted.

Reluctance Over the years

After the disintegration of the USSR, as the five 'stans' of Central Asia  Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan  were trying to find their own feet on ground and stabilize, Hindustan (in various Turkic and Persian dialects thats how India is still referred, in varying pronunciations) was busy forging new alliances in the West since their most trusted power bloc had ceased to exist.

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It maintained strategic relations with Tajikistan though during the civil war in Afghanistan to extend its limited support the Northern Alliance Government.

In the last decade, India finally woke up to new realities in the immediate neighbourhood, and promulgated its Connect Central Asia policy, unveiled by then minister of state for external affairs, at the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in 2012 during the first Track II meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue.

Although never officially pronounced, it is largely seen as Indias response to Chinas New Silk Road strategies, now expanded to ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). If that is so, Indias outreach has largely been little more than half-hearted handshakes in contrast to multi-billion investments by China in the region in infrastructure development.

India has combined trade with Central Asia totalling only 1.5 billion USD of which one billion USD is with Kazakhstan alone. According to some estimates, if exploited to its potentials, Indias trade with the five Central Asian countries could reach up to $170 billion.

New Found Enthusiasm in Connect Central Asia Policy

Since taking over as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has certainly invigorated Indias international affairs, taking at least 84 trips abroad, much to the chagrin of his critics. In fact, after Jawaharlal Nehru who visited all the five Central Asian capitals (when it was part of the USSR), Modi was the first PM to travel to all the five Central Asian capitals in one trip.

Several high-level delegations have since then held discussions at various. In fact, only last week, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited the historical city of Samarkand to participate in the first Foreign Ministers level meet of India-Central Asia Dialogue countries held on 12-13 January. (EAM and media wrongly pitched it as the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, though several rounds of deliberations at different levels have taken place since 2012.)

Swaraj said in her speech, There is scope for other connectivity initiatives in the region, complementing each other in providing the promise of more efficient transit of goods between India and Central Asia, adding, India believes that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognized international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency, and equality.

More importantly, they must follow principles of financial responsibility and must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity, she noted. India has expressed its strong objections in the past to ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is part of Chinas ambitious BRI due to concerns over its sovereignty. CPEC passes through areas in Pakistan that are disputed, and hence India sees it as disrespect to its territorial integrity.

Indias reluctance to connectivity project in Central Asia also stemmed from the fact that Pakistan act as physical barrier between it and the region. However, despite physical barriers even smaller countries like South Korea and Japan have higher volume of trade and commerce in the region.

With the completion of the first phase of Shaheed Behesti port, Irans first deepwater seaport at Chabahar, India hopes to open direct access not only to Afghanistan but the larger Central Asia through multimodal International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). It has made capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a ten year lease.

India is also looking to develop a railway line from Chabahar to Zahedan on Iran-Afghanistan border, close to Zaranj-Delaram road that India has already built in Afghanistan. Indias biggest stake is in the region is obviously in Afghanistan where it has invested to the tune of 3 billion USD in several large and medium projects. Afghan Foreign Minister was also invited to the Dialogue this year.

After passivity for years, it is finally taking some interests in Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline as well. Energy-rich Central Asia could also compensate for Indias demands through not just oil and gas but also electricity. India has also inked MoUs with both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to import uranium for its nuclear plants.

Although at this point there is no concrete talk of India joining the CASA-1000 project that will bring 1300 megawatts of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan into Afghanistan and Pakistan, the success of TAPI can herald new chapter in this direction as well.

Last year, India was also admitted to the Ashgabat Agreement that aims at the establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor between Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

India is successfully operating air-corridor with Afghanistan for several months now and is open to similar ventures with Central Asian countries as well to not only bypass Pakistan but for faster transportation of goods, though at higher costs. In her speech at Samarkand last week, Swaraj suggested Dialogue on Air Corridors as well.

Uzbekistan as Gateway to Central Asia?

As Uzbekistan is opening its economy for foreign investment, it is pinning hope on India as well by offering them to serve as a gateway to Central Asia. Tashkent has expressed it, interests in not only Chabahar but also in joining the INSTC.

bccl

Last year direct flight from Mumbai to Tashkent began (direct flight from Delhi to all Central Asian capitals already operate), and India has also been put in the list with simplified online visa processing. It also enjoys the most favoured nation (MFN) status for trade in Uzbekistan, among 45 countries.

Besides military cooperation and joint exercises that the two countries stepped up after Mirziyoyevs visit last year, Indian companies are exploring opportunities of investments in the pharmaceutical, textile, tourism, education and IT sectors of Uzbekistan, particularly in 18 free economic zones (FEZ).

Huge investments in Chabahar project can only be matched if the meagre trade volume that India currently has in Central Asia exponentially increases in near future. That explains the new found enthusiasm with connectivity projects in the region. If only words match Indias actions on the ground and do not see the same laxity that Chabahar and TAPI witnessed for years.

(M Reyaz recently completed PhD on Central Asia from the Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, and teaches Journalism at Aliah University. He tweets at @journalistreyaz. Opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect Indiatimes' editorial policy)The egg is one of the most affordable source of protein, especially for the poor. But the BJP governments in both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had banned the egg in mid-day meal. But, now the governments in both the states have changed. But while in Chhattisgarh, the egg returned to the plates of the children during mid-day meal, in Madhya Pradesh, the government adheres to the previous governments idea of no-egg in mid-day meal. Congress is ruling in both the states.

unsplash/Representational Image

While the Congress is in majority in Chhattisgarh and therefore it could do it, in MP, it doesnt enjoy and BJP is just inches away from the magic numbers which perhaps have forced the government to stick to the convention.

The Chhattisgarh government, however, has issued orders that if children or parents have an objection to eggs, milk or other nutrition-rich substitution will be provided to the students. But in MP, the government still adheres to the ban of eggs imposed in anganwadis by former CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan government.

A discussion on the topic was recently held in the Panchayat and Rural Development Department but no decision was taken The previous BJP government did not even suggest an alternative to eggs, official sources were quoted by the Indian Express.

Sachin Jain, a Bhopal based Right-to-food campaigner said that large population of tribals would welcome to the inclusion of eggs anganwadi menu. They were denied the protein-rich item under pressure from one section of the community. The egg is not only a good source of protein but also easily available, he said.REUTERS





On Thursday, the Air Quality Index across Delhi was 410 in the evening while it was 346 in the morning that was already way higher than the accepted safe level. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:





1) Construction Of Shivaji Memorial In Arabian Sea Halted After Supreme Court Order

The Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) has asked the contractor to immediately halt the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial statue off the Mumbai coast after the Supreme Court order a couple of days ago. Read more

2) An Armed Robbery In Jammu-Delhi Duranto Express Has Exposed Railways' Security Claims

wikipedia commons





The latest reality check came to the fore when a group of unidentified assailants looted passengers on board in Jammu-Delhi Duranto Express at Knifepoint and fled with valuables of the passengers. Read more

3) Egg Is Back On The Plates Of Chhattisgarsh Schoolkids As Govt Revokes Ban

unsplash/Representational Image





The egg is one of the most affordable source of protein, especially for the poor. But the BJP governments in both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had banned the egg in mid-day meal. Read more

4) Someone Was Building 'Separation Home' For Menstruating Women On Govt Money In Himachal, WTF

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This explains a lot about our societys view on the women during their menstrual cycle. A government-funded building has been constructed in Champawat district in Uttarakhand to keep women away from their homes when they are on their periods. Read more

5) 15 Indians Stranded In Iraq After Being Duped By Agent Seeks Sushma Swaraj's Help To Return

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A group of fifteen men, all from Telangana who went to Iraq in search of work despite an official ban by the Indian government are now seeking the help of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to return. Read moreThe Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) has asked the contractor to immediately halt the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial statue off the Mumbai coast after the Supreme Court order a couple of days ago.

The SC had on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to stop all the construction activity there, until is decides on the case.

The court order came in a petition filed by Debi Goenka from the NGO Conservation Action Trust (CAT).

Goenka had first approached the Bombay High Court against the project, but it was turned down, following which he filed the petition in the SC.

In his petition Goenka had argued that the Maharashtra Government did not hold any public consultation before the project.

He also argued that the massive construction project which will have a total height of 212 metres was given the go ahead without addressing the adverse impact on the marine life and ecology of the region.

BCCL

The Shivaji Memorial, which is estimated to cost Rs 3,600 crore is being built in the Arabian Sea, around 1.5 km from Mumbai shoreline opposite Marine Drive.

The Maharashtra Government, which has ordered the halting of the construction after SC's verbal order has however said it will file a review petition in the coming days.

BCCL

Vinayak Mete, a BJP MLC and the chairman of the memorials steering committee blamed the PWD for the SC order.

Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil however rejected the allegations.

"There was no failure on our part on arguing our case before the SC. Once a petition is rejected by the HC, petitioner has the right to approach the SC. The apex court, while listing the matter for next hearing, had ordered a stay on the construction work while stating that it will have to examine the matter," Patil was quoted as saying by PTI.

Construction of the Shivaji Memorial, which is hailed as a tribute to the great Maratha warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji was inaugurated by PM Modi in December 2016.

BCCL

The statue, which has changed its proposed hight multiple times since its inception will stand at a height of 123 metres. The construction was scheduled to be completed by 2022-23. However it is likely to drag further, depending on the outcome of the case.A one-day-old baby girl, dumped by the roadside and bitten by ants, got a chance at life when a 25-year-old constable from Yelahanka police station took on the role of her mother on Wednesday.

Sangitha S Halimani volunteered to breastfeed the infant who was found unwrapped and shivering in the bone-chilling cold at GVVK campus near Yelahanka on Wednesday morning. Civil defence wardens saved her from freezing to death and took her to the nearby government hospital.

The infant was fed with formula milk and was on IV fluids before Sangitha came to the hospital. The baby reminded me of my daughter. When I saw her, I felt like feeding her and asked doctors if I could nurse her. She seemed like a healthy child though she was bitten by ants, Sangitha told TOI.

toi

Sangitha, mother of a 10-monthold girl, nursed the baby for over 10-15 minutes. I dont understand how could the babys parents leave her, that too uncovered in this chilly weather, she said.

Sangithas act of compassion received appreciation from doctors and others.

Dr Asma Tabassum, medical superintendent, Yelahanka general hospital, lauded Sangitha for her timely help.

The child, weighing 2.7kg, was suffering from hypothermia (drop in body temperature due to exposure to cold) and was highly susceptible to infection. The cop volunteered to feed the child as she was moved by her plight, said Dr Asma.

unsplash/representational image

The child was later taken to Vanivilas Hospital at 11.30am. The baby was sent to Vanivilas as she was suffering due to lack of glucose, and was highly prone to septicaemia (bloodstream infection), Asma added.

She is now undergoing treatment at the neonatal intensive care unit. The baby is doing well though there is a threat of septicaemia. We guess she is 12 hours or just one-day old, said Dr Ravindranath Meti, resident medical officer, Vanivilas Hospital. The child is yet to handed over to the women and child welfare department.

In June last year, DS Archana, a constable in Electronics City, won hearts after she breastfed an abandoned baby. Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy also lauded her act and she was later honoured by the city authorities.A group of fifteen men, all from Telangana who went to Iraq in search of work despite an official ban by the Indian government are now seeking the help of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to return.

According to ANI, the group of men from Nizamabad had gone to Iraq in September 2018 to through an agent who promised them job there. However according to them the agent who took them there on a visiting visa.

BCCL

We came to Iraq from India after giving Rs 1.5 lakh each to the agent, after coming here the agent again asked for more Rs 50,000 for making Iqama and we paid. Later, we got to know that the agent has cheated us by sending us to Iraq on a visit visa. The agent in Iraq is not responding to us and we are facing crisis here without proper food and water. I request external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to help us get back to India, the men were heard saying in a video released by ANI.

The men, who have been stranded in the country has also reportedly been fined by the Iraq authorities for staying back in the country despite their visa expiry.

Before the conflict in Iraq and the subsequent arrival of the ISIS Indians used to be a sizeable population in the country, mostly working in the healthcare, oil and construction sectors.

BCCL/ FILE

But following the ISIS capture of parts if Syria and Iraq, India had banned its citizens from travelling to the country.

BCCL/ FILE

A group of 39 Indians, mostly from Punjab who were abducted by the ISIS in Iraq in 2014. They were believed to be held hostage by the group for years. But following the defeat of ISIS in 2018 the bodies of the men were recovered and brought back.It was in 1990 that Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.

And since then, the Internet took the world by storm. Were at a point where imagining life without the Internet doesnt even seem possible. And where do we go to access the Internet?

Oh, its everywhere. Contained within rectangular, shiny screens, the Internet makes us believe everything is just a tap away. And because of all this information available to us, weve become extremely attached to it.

We learn about the latest Internet trends, read articles that will blow our minds, look at images of places well never visit, upload photos of literally every movement. Its a miracle shower selfies arent a thing yet! We shop via digital medium because the choices are just so vast, learn all about sex by watching porn, search about our ailments on it only to believe were dying of something grave.

Were all becoming social media activists without really indulging in activism. Were watching one episode after another only to feel anxious when a show ends and were scrolling. Were scrolling, scrolling and scrolling. In fact, youre doing it right now.

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Our whole life now is contained within the rectangular, shiny screen. Even before we brush our teeth, we go through all social media apps that our phones can possibly store. Ever spent some extra thirty minutes in the bathroom because you couldnt stop scrolling? Were all guilty of it. Our phones, tabs and laptops are such an integral part of our lives at this point that it would be totally alright to lose our wallet but losing our phone will send us into an anxious tizzy which would make us hunt down the lost device almost like were looking for a lost piece of our heart.

And why not, right? After all, that rectangular, shiny screen contains our whole life.

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Within just roughly three decades of its invention, the internet has gotten us into a habit that we dont even know is destroying us: over consumption. In fact, we dont realize that were over consuming information and data because were so busy doing it! However, recent studies and researches are proving how dangerous this over consumption can be.

Researchers in Canada conducted a study which proved that smartphones have definitely reduced our attention span. A study published in Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology states that there is, in fact, a correlation between high use of smartphone and depression as well as anxiety.

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But really, why does this surprise us? Were constantly scrolling, confused about what link to open next because of the abundance of choices and hence, our memory cant hold information. Were scrolling even when were sitting with friends and family, becoming antisocial. In the name of communication, were actually communicating a whole lot less and hence, the depression brought on by the feeling of loneliness.

All our personal data is in our phone and hence, the anxiety. We can spend an endless amount of time just scrolling, be it on Facebook or a porn site. Theres an invisible thread going from our phones to us. Were connected to it. No, were attached to it. Actually, scratch that because our phones are actually a part of us. They are an extension of us. You may think its all under control because youre running it but the reality is that the rectangular shiny screen is running you.

unsplash

It is a modern dilemma, really. To use or not to use.

However, for your mental well-being, it is important you keep that phone away. Take regular digital detox sessions. It is an addiction. It is obsessive. However, its just a rectangular, shiny screen and you have to find the willpower to use it a whole lot less than you do. May sound difficult but really, you were living a good life before smartphones and the internet happened. Youll survive.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  It would be beneficial for the government to take over the largest shipyard in the country as its Korean operator undergoes corporate rehabilitation, a Palace official said Thursday.

"I understand they're number four in the world ranking in ship-building. Edi magandang kita yun (Then that is good income)," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said of Hanjin Heavy Industries Construction shipyard in Subic, Zambales. It is considered the world's fifth largest shipyard.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte is considering the Hanjin takeover, which was proposed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and some senators.

Panelo earlier said Malacanang sees no problem if reports are true that two major Chinese shipbuilders are eyeing Hanjin. On Thursday, however, he said the Philippines can do it instead.

READ: Ex-Navy chief warns of possible Chinese takeover of Korean commercial shipyard in Subic

"Maganda rin siguro kung tayo na ang magpapatakbo nun, sa akin personally. Kung kaya ba nating patakbuhin 'yun, bakit naman hindi? Di ba income yun?" he said.

[Translation: "It would be good I think if we will be the ones to run it. If we can do it, why not? That's good income, right?"]

Panelo, however, clarified these are all proposals for now and that the government has not made any move yet.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said Hanjin currently has $2.3 billion in foreign direct investments, but owes Philippine banks some $400 million. In 2018, the company had laid off 7,000 of its employees. Around 3,000 more Hanjin workers are at risk of losing their jobs, while the government assures they will all be assisted.Assault on new Oglala legislators halted

By Talli NaumanNative Sun News Today Contributing Editor

PIERRE  The leadership of the South Dakota Legislature closed the first week of its 2019 session with a statement quelling attempts to provoke disciplinary action against the two Oglala Lakota women elected to District 27.

The move to disqualify Sen. Red Dawn Foster and Rep. Peri Pourier began in December with allegations raised by an anonymous pen, writing in the name of Native Integrity

There will be no disciplinary action, House Majority Leader Lee Qualm (GOP-Dist. 21) told the Native Sun News Today on January 11.

There is more than sufficient information to show that they are qualified, he said in a telephone interview.

Documents disseminated by "Native Integrity" claim Red Dawn Foster and Peri Pourier, who were elected to the South Dakota Legislature, were not residents of District 27.

Sen. Phil Jensen (GOP-Dist.33) and Rep. Julie Frye-Mueller (GOP-Dist. 30) repeated the Native Integrity allegations in the leadup to the session, with a media release.

The release announced an official challenge to seating Foster and Pourier, based on copies of notarized affidavits filed in county offices stating the respondents, who are Democrats, failed to meet the state Constitutions requirement to live in South Dakota for at least two years prior to an election in order to run for office.

Jensen stated that other legislators were worried about being accused of racism if they called for a disciplinary action.

He argued: I dont think South Dakotans want to set precedent in the state and the Constitutional eligibility requirements to run for office based on fear but based on duties as elected officials that take an oath to uphold the South Dakota Constitution.

Like Jensen, Frye-Mueller claimed a legislator is bound to look into the evidence. The last thing any of us want to do at the beginning of session is to deal with this type of scandal; however, first of all, it is our Constitutional duty, she said.

We have all seen the ugly widespread effects of election fraud in other states, and if we show we will do nothing now to address these reported violations of our law, then the credibility of our elections is already gone, she added.

Jensen and Frye-Mueller submitted letters to South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice David E. Gilbertson, requesting that the Judiciary not intervene in this Legislative matter by swearing in the lawmakers-elect before the disputes over qualifications are addressed in the Senate and House.

The submitters did not return telephone calls requesting interviews with the Native Sun News Today. Gilbertson swore in both Foster and Pourier along with peers on January 5, and Secretary of State Steve Barnett certified the action.

Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.com

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today

Join the ConversationSatisfying the fears of ugly Americans

By Professor Elizabeth Cook-LynnNative Sun News Today Columnist

The use of the word choice is being used to describe what is going on now at the Mexican border when Indians fleeing the death scenes in their own countries are treated as criminals by the U.S.

We all know it was not a choice when a little Indian girl was killed at the border a few days ago as she was taken into custody by Trumpian Republican officials, one of hundreds of Indians suffering this same fate. We know the word choice is being used for political reasons, to satisfy the unfounded fears of ugly Americans.

This official choice policy has been put in place by white men and women who came here to the Americas from elsewhere generations ago and now claim to be in charge of the law. They are intent upon building a wall between Mexico and the U. S. to keep this little girl, whose name was Jakelin Caal Maquin out.

She was seven years old and she was Mayan Indian, perhaps a speaker of the Quiche language, even Spanish, but hardly any English. Her death is a symbol of an ongoing criminal act by todays American government against defenseless Indian people.

Elizabeth Cook-Lynn

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen talked to Fox News about the event saying it was so sad and cruel for those parents who choose to cross borders illegally, endangering their children. Nielsen uses the word Choice to shift the burden of blame to the Indian family, criminalizing the need to survive by desperate Indian parents and children.

Jakelin was at the border because her father and she were fleeing life threatening conditions in their home country, Guatemala. They were trying to make it to safety in our country, now called the U. S. of America.

Those of us who read Indian history know this language of choice well. It might be useful for American border officials to know this history, too. I challenge them to read the U. S. Senate Miscellaneous Document No. I, 40th Congress of 1868. Those documents made the matter of choice for our Indian fathers, mothers and grandparents of two hundred years ago in this way:

INDIANS ARE TO GO UPON SAID RESERVATIONS.THEY HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THIS POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND EXTERMINATION. (1868 (2nd session {1319}).

The history which flows from that policy and the criminalizing of a human beings right to exist in his or own land where indigenous people like the Mayans and the Ocheti and thousands of other tribal people have lived for centuries is at the heart of Americas continuing criminal behavior and immorality.

Americas border policy today is not only a wrong, failed public policy, its history has made America one of the most dangerous nations on the entire globe. Palestinians know this policy in the Middle East as they climb the walls in Israel to pray in their holy places and thousands across the globe know it, too.

In all of the Americas, and for all generations, our own Indigenous parents and grandparents (like the parents of Jakelin) have a history of trying to save ourselves and save our children. The U. S. federal government continues to take it upon itself to manage the desperate lives of Indians, installing more FBI Agents on reserved lands right here in South Dakota than ever before and making it comfortable for federal judges in the cities that surround us to give us maximum sentences for any and all wayward behaviors, putting every crime by Indian persons on the front page of local newspapers.

We are displaced, defamed and dehumanized in so many ways until our children are beginning to see themselves in the ugly images of those who do not want us in their presence.

Contact Elizabeth Cook-Lynn at ecooklynn@gmail.com

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today

Join the ConversationAcross the Western US, Native American women are falling victim to violence in alarming numbers, officials say.

In 2018 alone, more than two dozen Native Americans  the majority of them women  went missing in sparsely populated Montana, according to US Senator Jon Tester.

Were here today because we have an epidemic on our hands, Tester said during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing last month. Native Americans in Montana and across this country are dealing with violence at a much higher rate than the rest of the population  you cannot set foot in Indian country without hearing a heartbreaking story about this growing problem.

Twenty-four doesnt sound like a lot, but in a state of a million people if you (projected) that out through the (overall) population, that would be a ton of folks, he added. We gotta find a solution to this.

Tester and another Senator from Montana, Steve Daines, say they will reintroduce a bill that would require the Department of Justice to overhaul law enforcement protocols and improve data collection regarding slain or missing Native Americans.

For example, the National Crime Information Center cited 5,712 reports of slain or missing Native American women and girls in 2016, according to a recent report by the Urban Indian Health Institute. But only 116 of those cases were logged into a Department of Justice database, the report said.

The bill, known as Savannas Act, was first introduced in 2017 by North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp. According to statistics cited by her office, Native American women on some reservations are killed at a rate 10 times the national average.

Its named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old Native American who was abducted and killed in Fargo, North Dakota, in August 2017 while eight months pregnant, CNN affiliate KXMD reported.

The bill passed the Senate in December but was blocked in the House. Since Heitkamp was defeated in last years midterms, Tester and Daines have taken up the cause.

The hearing before the Senate committee last month included testimony from Kimberly Loring-Heavy Runner, whose sister, Ashley, 20, went missing in June 2017. Ashley, a member of the Blackfeet tribe, still has not been found.

Im here today to stress to you that I believe law enforcement did not take Ashleys case seriously, as well as other girls that have gone missing and been murdered in Indian country, Loring-Heavy Runner said.

Wheres the problem? Is it with BIA, is it with the FBI, is it with tribal law enforcement? Tester wondered aloud at the December 12 hearing. Why are we not finding these people? We would have a different reaction if this was a non-native.

The Department of Justice has said its taken steps to address the problem. Last September it announced more than $113 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of crime and combat violence against women in American Indian and Alaska native communities.

There is an unacceptable level of violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, said Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio at the time. We are committed to reducing violent crime and improving public safety.

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.I felt I knew exactly what I needed to do, Silver, 37, says. It was really just a matter of what order I was going to do it, what was I going to focus on. But in the end, everyone stayed, no one left. So it is really the team of people that have kept this company going.  I have always felt extremely supported by the employees here, my friends and family and faith.

Ketchie has grown from a job shop that serviced local textile mills to nearly 500 international customers, shipping its custom machined parts to all 50 states and across five continents. In addition to creating parts for industries such as railroad, mining, lumber and textiles, Ketchie also produces its own line of mounted bearings, which are used in power-transmission applications.

Silver says sales at the 28-employee company through October have increased 31 percent to more than $5 million compared with the previous year. The company typically invests 12 percent to 15 percent of its sales into capital expenses, including new equipment.

We have invested in so many machines in the last 10 years [that we have] newer technology, newer machining capability, better machining capability to make us more efficient and cut cycle times, Silver says.CHA established the first PORT in the county. PORT connects victims of a nonfatal opioid overdose to local county resources. After EMS is called to respond to a nonfatal opioid overdose, victims are given the option to sign a release form, allowing CHA staff to contact the overdose victim. From there, the peer support specialist, Watts, reaches out via phone or text within 24 hours to discuss the individuals needs and provide information on recovery supports, the syringe exchange program, safe injection practices, Naloxone access, crisis, and treatment options. There are currently two individuals receiving PORT services and the peer support specialist has made contact with participants on eight occasions.

Thank you to all the staff they are always friendly with a smile they don't look at you like an addict! Anonymous SEP participant

In addition to providing resources that allow participants to make healthier choices, program staff ensure all individuals who seek services are met with respect and compassion. Participants are often referred by peers who use the program and credit the space as an environment where they are treated equally. Person-centered language is used to emphasize the individual over the behavior and to combat the stigma that many participants feel.Students hold up placards during a demonstration against climate change in Brussels (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

More than 10,000 students have skipped school again in Belgium to join a march demanding better protections of the globes fragile climate.

Despite the rain and cold, the colourful protest march in Brussels was bigger than the initial one last week.

Expand Close Students hold up placards during the demonstration in Brussels (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP) / Facebook

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Banners reading School strike 4 Climate and Skipping school? No. We fight for our future highlighted the march, which was free of incidents.

Some schools have shown understanding over the no-shows.

Expand Close There was a bigger turnout than for the first protest (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP) / Facebook

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Patrick Lancksweerdt, a director of a local school, told De Standaard newspaper that education has to turn youngsters into mature citizens. By their actions, they proved that they are.

The students hope to turn the rallies into weekly events.House of Commons Speaker John Bercow speaks at the conclusion of the debate ahead of a vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal Photo credit: House of Commons/PA Wire

The speaker of the House of Commons is usually taken for granted, except for those rare moments when Britain is having a legislative meltdown and parliament gets centre stage.

And for the Brexit crisis, you might say that the current speaker, John Bercow, is made to ORRR-DUHHH.

As a rambunctious parliament is grappling with the contentious issue, Bercow is trying to stay above the fray even as he plays a major role in shaping the debate.

With his stentorian voice, assertive ways and unapologetic manners, he's playing a major role shaping the debate over the UK's troubled withdrawal from the European Union.

But along the way, he has ruffled some feathers in the government of Theresa May. He's even been compared to the devil by a tabloid newspaper.

The 55-year-old Bercow, who has been speaker since 2009, determines which amendments will be voted on, who will be called upon to speak, and deciding when to use his commanding voice to demand "order".

Or as he sometimes pronounces it, "ORRR-DUHHH! ORRR-DUHHH!"

Some in the government feel he's opposed to Brexit, and it doesn't help that his wife's car is festooned with an anti-Brexit sticker.

Others feel he's simply determined to preserve parliament's power and put the government in its place.

After he was called "Speaker of the Devil" in a front-page headline this week, Bercow refused to apologise. "My job is not to be a cheerleader for the executive branch," he said. "My job is to stand up for the rights of the House of Commons." The speaker's primary role is to maintain order, something Bercow does with some style.

"The House must calm itself. Zen. Restraint. Patience," he has said when things threaten to get out of hand. Bercow at times presides over Britain's august legislators as if they were a bunch of unruly kids who won't eat their broccoli.

Earlier this year, a former employer accused him of bullying, but Bercow denied the charge.Allegations that US President Donald Trump could have worked for Moscow's interests were dismissed as "absurd" and "stupid" by Russian officials.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference that US media reports claiming that Mr Trump might have been a Russian agent reflected a dramatic plunge in standards of journalism.

Mr Trump said this week he had never worked for Russia and repeated his claim the investigation into his ties to Moscow was a hoax.

Asked whether Russia could release the minutes of Mr Trump's one-on-one negotiations with president Vladimir Putin, Mr Lavrov dismissed the idea, saying it defied the basic culture of diplomacy.

He added that such requests reflected illegitimate meddling in the US president's constitutional right to conduct foreign policy.

Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, similarly derided the claims that Mr Trump might have worked for Russian interests.

"What kind of nonsense are you asking about?" Mr Ushakov snapped when asked if Mr Trump was a Russian agent. "How can one comment on such a stupid thing? It has reached such a scale that it's awkward to even talk about it.

"How can a president of the United States be an agent of another country?"

The Kremlin's hopes for better relations with the US under Mr Trump have been shattered by ongoing investigations into the allegations of collusion between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia.

Mr Ushakov noted that Russia-US relations were currently at a level that "can't be worse".

Mr Lavrov said a probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller had produced no evidence of Mr Trump's collusion.

He particularly scoffed at the charges levelled against Mr Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying that he talked to the Russian ambassador only in a bid to protect US interests. "It's quite obvious that the situation is absurd," Mr Lavrov said about the US probe.

He also criticised Washington for its intention to opt out of a key nuclear pact over alleged Russian violations.

Mr Lavrov noted that earlier this week, the US had ignored Moscow's proposal to inspect a Russian missile that Washington claimed had violated a nuclear arms treaty.

He said that Russia made the offer during talks in Geneva, but the US negotiators stonewalled the proposal, repeating Washington's demand that Russia destroys the 9M729 missile it claimed violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

"Our questions why the Americans don't want to examine our proposals and get first-hand information about specific parameters of the missile were left unheard," he said.

US Undersecretary of State Andrea Thompson said following the talks that "the meeting was disappointing, as it is clear Russia continues to be in material breach of the treaty".

Turning to last month's arrest in Moscow of Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, on suspicion of espionage, Mr Lavrov said the man's brother had visited Moscow and had been briefed about prison conditions. The Interfax news agency later carried the foreign ministry's statement saying that Mr Whelan's brother was not in the Russian capital.

Mr Lavrov rejected claims Russian authorities could have arrested Mr Whelan in order to swap him for one of the Russians held in the US, saying "we don't do such things".

He said Mr Whelan was caught red-handed and the investigation was ongoing.

Mr Whelan holds citizenship from Ireland, the US, Britain, and Canada, and Mr Lavrov said Russia would allow consular visits.

Mr Lavrov insisted that Moscow was not taking any sides over Britain's exit from the EU. He rejected allegations that Russia was gloating in the turmoil, saying that Russia was interested in a "united, strong and, most importantly, independent" EU.

Commenting on the situation in Syria, Mr Lavrov said that Moscow expected the Syrian government to take over territory in the country's east following the planned US military withdrawal.Running: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made her declaration in an appearance on the Stephen Colbert TV chat show. Photo: Getty Images

Democratic US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, an outspoken Donald Trump critic and champion of women's issues including the MeToo movement, has announced she will run for president.

Nearly 22 months before the 2020 election, the battle for the White House is already firming up.

Four Democrats - three of them women - have made clear steps towards a formal campaign in recent weeks. And many more, including several of Ms Gillibrand's Senate colleagues, an anti-Trump billionaire businessman and former vice-president Joe Biden, are waiting in the wings.

"I'm going to run for president of the United States, because as a young mom I'm going to fight for other people's kids as hard as I would fight for my own - which is why I believe that health care should be a right and not a privilege," the senator told Stephen Colbert on his CBS late-night talk show.

Her goals will include putting gender at the fore of her campaign, combating "institutional racism", taking on special interests and entrenched systems of power in Washington, and fighting against political "corruption and greed". "I know that I have the compassion, the courage, and the fearless determination to get that done," she added.

The 52-year-old from upstate New York said she was forming an exploratory committee, a crucial legal step for a candidate to run for president, just days before she reportedly travels to the early voting state of Iowa.

Colbert asked her whether an exploratory committee ever turns around and just says no, don't run for president. Is it a formality, he asked.

"Well, it's an important first step. But it's one I'm taking because I am going to run," Ms Gillibrand said.

On the government shutdown, she blamed Mr Trump and his drive for money to build a wall on the border with Mexico, saying "he shouldn't be having a temper tantrum because he can't get what he wants".

Mr Trump should talk to both parties about his vision for immigration reform, she added.Accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman once paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, an ex-Guzman associate testified on Tuesday that he previously told U.S. authorities.

Alex Cifuentes, who has described himself as Guzman's onetime right-hand man, discussed the alleged bribe under cross-examination by Jeffrey Lichtman, one of Guzman's lawyers, in Brooklyn federal court. Asked if he told authorities in 2016 that Guzman arranged the bribe, he answered, "That's right."

Reuters could not immediately reach Pena Nieto or his former spokesman for comment. He has previously denied taking bribes.

His former chief of staff, however, took to social media to reject the accusation.

"The declarations of the Colombian drug trafficker in New York are false, defamatory and absurd," wrote Francisco Guzman in a post on Twitter, adding that the Pena Nieto government "located, detained and extradited" the Mexican kingpin.

The allegations are among the most explosive to emerge from Guzman's trial, which began in November and has so far featured testimony of lower-level corruption.

Guzman, 61, was extradited to the United States in 2017 to face charges of trafficking cocaine, heroin and other drugs into the country as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Cifuentes testified that he had told U.S. prosecutors that Pena Nieto initially reached out to Guzman, asking for $250 million. Cifuentes told the prosecutors that the bribe was paid in October 2012, when Pena Nieto was president-elect, he testified.

Cifuentes also said testified that Guzman once told him he had received a message from Pena Nieto saying he did not have to live in hiding anymore.

Lichtman had promised jurors in his opening statement last November they would hear how Mexican drug kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada bribed Pena Nieto and another former president as part of a scheme to frame Guzman. He said Zambada was the real boss of the cartel.

Pena Nieto at the time called the claim "completely false and defamatory."

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, however, refused to allow Guzman's lawyers to question Zambada's brother about the alleged bribes last year.

It was unclear how Cifuentes' testimony, which appeared to implicate Guzman, could be used to defend him, though Lichtman homed in on inconsistencies in Cifuentes' memory. Cifuentes admitted that at a meeting last year, he told prosecutors he was no longer sure of the exact amounts of the bribes, but did not elaborate.

Pena Nieto was president of Mexico from December 2012 until November 2018. He was once a rising star in Mexicos long-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and was the former governor of the state of Mexico, the countrys most populous.

But the president ended his term a much diminished figure, pummeled by conflict-of-interest scandals, rampant crime and a lackluster economy.

While Pena Nieto himself was barred by law from running for second term in 2018, his centrist party suffered a historic defeat at the polls as leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won in a landslide, relegating the PRI to the role of a marginal player in the new Congress.

Captured by Pena Nieto's government in February 2014, Guzman broke out of prison for a second time some 17 months later, escaping through a mile-long tunnel dug right into in his cell.

The jailbreak humiliated the government and battered the president's already damaged credibility, though Pena Nieto personally announced news of the kingpin's third capture when he was again arrested in northwestern Mexico in January 2016.

Colombian-born Cifuentes is one of about a dozen witnesses who have so far testified against Guzman after striking deals with U.S. prosecutors, in a trial that has provided a window into the secretive world of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organization.

Cifuentes earlier on Tuesday had also testified that Guzman asked an associate to pay a $10 million bribe to a general. The witness said the bribe was never paid and Guzman subsequently ordered the associate killed, though the hit was never carried out.A European flag in front of German flags at the Reichstag building in Berlin (Markus Schreiber/AP)

European Union nations are spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the increasingly likely possibility that Britain will leave the bloc on March 29 without a plan.

A no-deal Brexit would shake up the rest of the continent in ways that many Europeans have not even fathomed.

France is spending 50 million euros (44 million) to beef up security at airports and the Eurotunnel and hiring hundreds of extra customs officers.

Portugal is opening special airport lanes for British travellers, the nations main source of tourists.

Germany is fast-tracking a debate on solving bureaucratic problems if there is no Brexit deal.

Governments from the Netherlands to Romania and the Czech Republic are preparing rules for British citizens to live and work in their countries once they no longer enjoy EU residency rights  and expecting that Britain is doing the same for their citizens.

Britain, which would face by far the biggest disruption, has devoted thousands of civil servants and several billion pounds on measures to mitigate the worst effect  although officials can only speculate about what will actually happen on March 30 if Brexit happens without a deal.

After the British Parliament overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit divorce deal this week, other European governments are now bracing for chaos too.

We strongly believe Britain will leave with no exit deal, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, unveiling a raft of emergency measures to cope with that prospect.

Under these conditions, our responsibility  is to ensure that our country is ready, that the interests of our citizens are preserved and defended, he said.

The French government will hire nearly 600 extra customs officers and veterinary inspectors and invest in new infrastructure at airports and ports, all to be in working order by March 30.

Special security measures will be put in place for the tunnel beneath the English Channel.

The company that operates the Eurotunnel says a quarter of all UK-EU trade passes through the tunnel, which could be a major chokepoint in a no-deal Brexit.

Frances emergency decrees will allow British workers and retirees living in France to continue staying there for a year after March 29  but only if the British Government agrees to do the same for French citizens in the UK.

The decrees will temporarily let British companies transport goods in France, and allow certain British insurance and other financial activities to continue in France despite Britains loss of access to the EU financial market.

aThe compromise reached after 18 months is the best compromise. It is the result of constructive work and attitude, which we will maintain until the end: calm, unity, dialogue and transparency. It is now for the UK to clarify how it wishes to proceed"@MichelBarnier #Brexit pic.twitter.com/VFEtEH9TKe  European Commission  (@EU_Commission) January 16, 2019

The exceptional transfer of military equipment between the two countries will also be allowed.

In Berlin, German politicians debated a bill that aims to solve bureaucratic issues arising from Brexit.

We want to keep the damage  and there will certainly be damage from Britains departure  as small as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

Thats why we will of course do everything to find an orderly solution, but we are also prepared if there is no orderly solution.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said 80% of British tourists arrive at airports in Faro, the Algarve and Funchal in the Madeira Islands, where dedicated lines for them will help prevent delays.

Romanian leaders have sought to reassure the estimated half a million Romanians living in Britain that they will not be left in the lurch  but have not provided specifics.

Romania currently holds the EUs rotating presidency.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are working on legislation to deal with the short term rights of British citizens in a no-deal Brexit, while the Dutch will let British citizens living in the country remain for 15 months and offer them the chance to apply for residency permits.

In Britain, the Government has begun to recruit hundreds of extra customs officers and border staff and has passed laws to help cross-border trade continue to flow, such as permits for long-distance truckers.

Britain says EU citizens will be able to stay temporarily despite a no-deal Brexit.

A high-level EU official is now touring all the capitals of the blocs 27 nations other than Britain to assess Brexit preparations and provide help where it is needed, EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.

The EU has produced 88 notices how specific sectors should deal with possible Brexit emergencies.

Were not taking any chances, said Mr Schinas.President Donald Trump has denied the use of a government aircraft to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an apparent response to her attempt to delay his State of Union address amid their government shutdown clash.

The nations two most powerful leaders appeared to be engaged in a game of Constitutional one-upmanship, as negotiations to end the four-week stalemate failed to produce results.

In a letter to Ms Pelosi on Thursday, Mr Trump said that, due to the shutdown, a trip to Egypt, Brussels and Afghanistan would be delayed, declaring: In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, Im sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.

While the shutdown dragged on, the US State Department instructed all US diplomats in Washington and elsewhere to return to work next week with pay, saying it had found money for their salaries at least temporarily despite the ongoing government shutdown.

In a notice to staff posted online and sent to employees, the department said it had found money to pay most of its employees beginning Sunday or Monday for their next pay period.

They will not be paid for time worked since the shutdown began in December until the situation is resolved, said the notice, which was signed by William Todd, the deputy undersecretary of state for management.

Expand Close House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Carolyn Kaster/AP) / Facebook

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It was not immediately clear where the money was found, but the department said it would use existing funds as well as other available fiscal authorities to shift existing balances to restart payroll funding.

Salaries cannot be guaranteed beyond the next pay period, which ends on February 14, if the shutdown does not end by then, the department said.

However, it said it would review its balances and available legal authorities to see if other flexibilities may be available.

The department said it was taking the step because it had become clear that the lapse in funding is harming essential diplomatic and national security objectives.

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While the department has done its best to address matters essential to achieving US national security and foreign policy objectives during the ongoing lapse, it has become clear as the lapse has continued to historic lengths that we need our full team to address the myriad critical issues requiring US leadership around the globe and to fulfil our commitments to the American people, it said.

It added that the departments leadership was deeply concerned about the financial hardships faced by its employees.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had raised eyebrows among the US diplomatic corps last week when he proclaimed that morale at the State Department was good despite the shutdown and the fact that 40% of its employees in the US and nearly 23% overseas had been rested and the rest were working without pay.

His comments also touched a nerve as he said he planned to go ahead with a previously scheduled conference of all US ambassadors in Washington this week despite the funding constraints affecting employees.

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan announced the return to work with pay instructions to that conference on Thursday and was greeted with two rounds of sustained applause, according to one diplomat who was present.

Outside the State Department other agencies continued to operate under the shutdown constraints.

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Whatsapp Demonstrators call for an end to the shutdown (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Ms Pelosi, whose role as House speaker makes her second in line to the presidency after Vice-President Mike Pence, said Mr Trump has yet to respond to her request that he postpone his State of the Union address until the government is reopened so workers can be paid for providing security for the grand Washington tradition.

We havent heard  very silent, she told reporters on Thursday.

Lets get a date when government is open. Lets pay the employees.

Maybe he thinks its OK not to pay people who do work. I dont.

The presidents planned January 29 address became a potential casualty of the four-week partial government shutdown after the Democratic leader cited concerns about whether the hobbled government can provide adequate security.

Republicans cast Ms Pelosis move as a ploy to deny Mr Trump the stage.

Mr Trump declined to address the stalemate over the speech on Thursday during a visit to the Pentagon, simply promising that the nation will have powerful, strong border security.

The President of the United States just compared visiting our troops in a war zone to a "public relations event." Another sad day for our nation when that's how the Commander in Chief sees such a visit. https://t.co/I7F6jlJUBF  John Kerry (@JohnKerry) January 17, 2019

The uncertainty surrounding the annual address also underscored the unravelling of ceremonial norms and niceties in Mr Trumps Washington, amid the shutdown over the presidents demand for money to build a US-Mexico border wall.

The impasse is draining the finances of hundreds of thousands of federal employees going without pay cheques.

Today, I wrote to @realDonaldTrump recommending that we delay the State of the Union until after government re-opens, as the @SecretService, the lead federal agency for #SOTU security, faces its 26th day without funding. https://t.co/K2oL8WGvqo pic.twitter.com/g3fIlxDbbK  Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 16, 2019

Ms Pelosi reiterated she is more than willing to negotiate money for border security once the government is reopened, but she said Democrats remain opposed to Mr Trumps long-promised wall, one of his signature campaign promises.

Im not for a wall, Ms Pelosi said twice, mouthing the statement a third time for effect.

Pressure on Mr Trump intensified, as politicians from both parties scrambled for solutions.

The shutdown, already the longest ever, entered its 27th day on Thursday.

While Mr Trumps own advisers said the shutdown was proving a greater drag on the economy than expected, Mr Trump showed no signs of backing off a fight that he views as vital for his core supporters.Tourist Monika Billen (62) was found dead in the Australian outback amid extreme heat. PIC: Northern Territory Police

The body of a tourist has been found beneath a tree in the searing heat of the central Australia Outback, eight days after she was reported missing.

Desert Palms Resort staff in Alice Springs reported guest Monika Billen (62) missing on January 9 but her last reported sighting was on January 1, a police statement said.

The German tourist's body was spotted by searchers in a helicopter under a tree far from hiking tracks and 3km west of Emily Gap in the East MacDonnell Ranges, police said.

The location had already been searched twice in a 16-square kilometre targeted area but was densely covered with trees and foliage, Police Superintendent Pauline Vicary said.

Police worked with Ms Billen's German mobile phone provider to narrow the search to the targeted area over the past two days, Ms Vicary said.

When asked why it took eight days to find her, Ms Vicary said the search involved "a lot of technology and information and extensive work, interpreting data" and using outside experts.

Ms Billen's extended family in Cologne has been told the news, police said.

They do not believe the death was suspicious and a coroner will investigate the cause of her death.

The last reported sighting of the keen hiker was on January 1 at Emily Gap, 15km east of Alice Springs.

Security video showed her leaving the Desert Palms Resort that morning.

There was confusion last week when a woman told police she had given a dehydrated and disoriented-looking Ms Billen a lift in the area on January 2.

But the woman later told police she was mistaken, and that she had encountered Ms Billen two days earlier, on December 31.

That would suggest Ms Billen had headed out on a walk again in 44C heat a day after she had appeared dehydrated.

"It was 44 degrees that day and other factors such as the heat radiating off the road makes it even hotter," Ms Vicary told reporters.

Deaths and injuries occur around Alice Springs during the southern hemisphere summer, with walkers heading out in extreme heat.

Police rescued a 60-year-old hiker last weekend on the 223km Larapinta Trail which heads west from Alice Springs.

The woman was found injured and dehydrated on the same day rescuers called off a search for Ms Billen.

This time last year, a 33-year-old Californian man died after talking a wrong turn while hiking the Larapinta Trail.THE US and Britain have conducted their first joint naval drills in the disputed South China Sea since China built island bases there, the two navies said.

A US Navy guided missile destroyer the USS McCampbell, and a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Argyll, conducted communication drills and other exercises "to address common security priorities", the US Navy said.

"There's no record in recent history of operations together, specifically in the South China Sea," a US Navy spokesman said.

No such joint drills have been conducted there since at least 2010, he added.

The exercise comes after another British warship, the 20,000-tonne HMS Albion, sailed close to the Paracel island chain claimed by China in the South China Sea in August.

It was the first time Britain had directly challenged China's growing control of the strategic waterway and came after the US said it would like to see more international participation in such action. Beijing accused London of engaging in "provocation".

China's claims in the South China Sea are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Neither the US nor Britain has territorial claims in the area.Fashion editor of the Irish Independent and Weekend magazne, Bairbre Power, has been ranked among the top five style influencers in Ireland. Photo: Mark Condren.

The irony was rich. Last week I added yet another two books to the hundreds I already have at home - where the bookshelves groan and my wardrobes and clothes rails are filled with enough garments to dress a small army.

The uncrowned queen of minimalism in the home, Marie Kondo's first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, became a surprise global publishing hit, selling more than five million copies in 40 countries, and and her new Netflix show, 'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo', is also a runaway success.

Kondo's second anti-mess book also feeds our appetite for cleaner homes and decluttered lifestyles. Spark Joy is an illustrated guide to the art of folding and tidying from this Japanese mother of one, who started studying tidying seriously at the age of 15.

Curious about this doll-sized, ever-smiling woman, who Time magazine nominated as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, I had another personal reason for wanting to see Kondo demonstrate her 'KonMari' method of folding and tidying. I'm flirting with the idea of moving house, and downsizing to a smaller property. To date, I've had limited success on a day's tidying because I'm distracted by memorabilia. I sit down to read old magazines and hit a complete roadblock over nostgalic things like old photos.

"Life truly begins only after you have put your house in order," Kondo promises in the preface of her book.

However, the clearout doesn't mean that you should just chuck indiscriminately.

"Far from it. Only when you know how to choose those things that spark joy can you attain your ideal lifestyle," writes Kondo, who promises that taking good care of your things leads to taking good care of yourself. I'm no stranger to filling skips and I do it with enthusiasm, but I'll confess to having two blind spots - and that's saying adieu to clothes and books.

In a lecture hall off Oxford Street in 2016, I remember that Marie stood in front of her table of white T-shirts, showing us as she systemically folded them, turning in the sides and reducingly them down into smaller shapes until they ended up the size of a neat clutch bag. They sat up independently on their own and ultimately, that's how we should store our clothes, filing them upright in drawers. Easy to spot things and you don't end up churning everything around.

The hall was packed with cleaning enthusiasts, decluttering professionals with business cards and a sprinkling of cynics whose darting eyes spoke volumes about their inability to "spark joy" from a heap of clothes.

For the uninitiated, this is Kondo's buzz phrase for identifying pieces you should keep in your life. Basically, we should surround ourselves with things that do just that - spark joy - and dispense with the rest.

I, for one, was sceptical about whether holding clothes to my heart would trigger the right response. Marie says there are two options - keep or chunk and thoughts of 'it might come in handy' and storing it in a 'maybe ' box is a complete No No.

If I wasn't certain if the piece held close to my heart was sparking joy, I followed Marie's advice, and tried it on, especially the clutch of turquoise dresses that I once loved but haven't brought away on holidays for years. They were sent to the bin without a tear.

There's lots to consider as you explore the merits of the KonMari method and I had mixed results. I faced my demons, grabbed Kondo's book and attempted to spark joy. There was a lot of second-guessing going on and a few moments of tears - from laughter it has to be said - as I followed Kondo's advice to say 'Thank You' and 'Goodbye' to the pieces I was discarding.

She insists that you always remember to fold your socks, never roll them into a ball and never, ever tie them into a knot. That's "cruel. Please put an end to this practice today," she writes.

The Irish could win the Oscars for self doubt and I was riddled with it as I tackled the fashion. Thankfully I didn't have Kondo in person standing over me and I thought of her client who took 15 minutes to decide if the first piece she held sparked joy?

I was shocked by the sheer volume of clothes I was faced with. Where did all those stripey T-shirts come from? I admonished myself for buying so many. Who did I think I was, Coco Chanel?

Waiting for the all important joy factor to well up in my heart, in my head I did the mental arithmetic of how much this item cost, how often I'd worn it and what other outfit it might bring joy to. It was a bit like going to Pilates after a hard day in the office. Everyone else is in 'the zone' and your brain is skipping through shopping lists and trying to tell if that's your car alarm going mad outside.

This wasn't the first time that my head overruled my heart and I fully expect to have to return to this particular edit again.

The key to achieving a connection with your clothes, Kondo writes, is to hold them firmly in both hands, "as if communing with it. Pay close attention to how your body responds and when something sparks joy, you should feel a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising."

If you're unsure about a piece of clothing, you shouldn't just touch it, you should hug, and wait for your body to respond.

One hour at Kondo's talk in London and nights poring over two of her books in Milan, I returned to Dublin to give KonMari my best shot. I folded, as per instructions, the origami way and stored my 'joyful bounty' with light colours in front, dark colours to the back.

I got into the groove and told pieces destined for the black sacks how much I appreciated their service in my life. I've been known to talk to my plants, when I'm apologising for not watering them sooner. The last time I remember speaking to the contents of my wardrobe was when I discovered a long lost, much-loved earring which had belonged to my late mum. When I reacquainted it with its match, I told it how thrilled I was to have it back. That was a genuine, heart-felt response to something I was thrilled to have back in my life.

Originally, I thought I might start this grand edit of possessions with books and then move onto clothes but Kondo says "No, start with clothes."

I discovered the tops and scarves most important to me, but like old school days, I reckon my assignment report card should read: tried hard but more work needs to be done.

Before I went to Marie's talk, I had my own grand plan of decluttering which centred on bringing a selected edit of my favourite household pieces, books, clothes and 'komono' (what Marie calls the miscellaneous pieces) to their new abode. Then I would be sufficiently freed up by the move to edit the rest at home, distingushing 'stuff' from 'other stuff.'

This is wrong, says Marie, who believes it's better to tidy before you move. She says that if you havent even found a new house yet, then start tidying straight away because "it's the house you live in now that will lead you to your next house."

On reflection, the elephant in my closet are the ten black coats. I'm not sizeist but I'm never giving away my black Peter O'Brien braided grosgrain coat (from his a/wear days), even if it is only a size eight and I haven't fitted into it for two years.

It's a treasure and I love it. Decision is final

Marie Kondo's six steps to declutter your life

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The whole approach of holding items to your heart and waiting for that rush of love and emotion may reduce household cynics to laughter, but following the KonMari methodology and its six basic rules will set you on your way to decluttering your home.

1. Commit yourself to tidying up.

2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle and think about what kind of house you want to live in and how you want to live in it.

3. The key to actual success, says Kondo (pictured above), is to finish the discarding process first.

4. One of the most common mistakes people make is to tidy room by room. However Kondo recommends to tidy by category, not location. Using the room-by-room method doesn't work, she says, because people think they have tied up when in fact all they have done is shuffle their possessions around the house from one room to another.

I've definitely been guilty of this in the past so I'm getting rid of my hidey holes, starting with the space under the hall stairs.

With clothes, you should bring every item to one place and make a pile in order to get a picture of the volume you have.

This can be very enlightening. It is reckoned that people have three times the amount of things they think they have.

5. Follow the right order. Kondo recommends you tidying your house in the following order: clothes, books, papers, (miscalleneous) and finally, sentimental items. Start by practising on your clothes and this is a good learning ground on which to hone your skills before you tackle more problematic areas, like sentimental things.

6. Hold the piece in your to discover if it sparks joy. Remember that you are not choosing what to discard, but what to keep. Marie says when you hold something that doesnt' bring you joy, you will notice that your body feels heavier.

Now that you've decided what to keep, you have to follow the correct methods of storage. The four principles of storage are: Fold it, Stand it upright, Store in one spot and Divide your storage space into square compartments.

With clothes, fold both edges of the body of the garment in towards the centre to form a rectangle. After that, you fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and then continue to fold it in half or thirds.

Bairbre PowerBritain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at St Mary Magdalene's church for the Royal Family's Christmas Day service on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

The Duchess of Cambridge arriving for a visit to the King Henry's Walk Garden in Islington, London to learn about a project bringing people together through a shared love of horticulture

Fashion boost: Kate Middleton visits King Henrys Walk Garden in Islington, London, in a Dubarry jacket on Tuesday. Her fashion choice could trigger an upsurge in sales for the Galway brand

Apparently, it's the phone call that all fashion designers lie in wait for, and once it comes through, it means a retail red-letter day.

And this week, it was the turn of Irish brand Dubarry, when Kate Middleton stepped out in one of their 480 jackets, produced by John Hanley tweeds in Nenagh, on her first public engagement of the year.

Dubarry, originally a shoe retailer established in Ballinasloe in 1937, has already enjoyed a celebrity endorsement boost from the likes of Geri Horner and Amanda Holden. And they're already a brand loved by the Queen, Princess Anne and Zara Phillips. Yet it's assumed that the Kate Effect will provide a huge shot in the arm for the design house. At the time of going to press, the Bracken Heath jacket that Kate wore had sold out online, in all sizes but a size 18.

"There has been a notable uplift in our website traffic in the past 24 hours and indeed significant sales of the Bracken jacket in the immediate aftermath," reveals Dubarry's Marketing Director Michael Walsh. "This has also seen significant foot flow into our stores in Dublin, London and Cheltenham enquiring about the Bracken jacket."

Expand Close Fashion boost: Kate Middleton visits King Henrys Walk Garden in Islington, London, in a Dubarry jacket on Tuesday. Her fashion choice could trigger an upsurge in sales for the Galway brand / Facebook

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Whatsapp Fashion boost: Kate Middleton visits King Henrys Walk Garden in Islington, London, in a Dubarry jacket on Tuesday. Her fashion choice could trigger an upsurge in sales for the Galway brand

Irish designers have enjoyed royal connections before with, it must be noted, varying degrees of success. It all started with couturier John Cavanagh, who designed a wedding dress for Katharine Worsley (bride of the Duke Of Kent) in 1961. Two years later, he then dressed Princess Alexandra of Kent for her own wedding in Westminster Abbey.

Paul Costelloe was roundly regarded as one of Princess Diana's favourite designers in the 90s, and was a regular caller to her inner sanctum at Kensington Palace.

"That was the beginning, that was one of the biggest things for my career, dressing Princess Diana," he told the Irish Independent last year of the association. Following Diana's endorsement, Costelloe went on to work with Zara Tindall and Princess Anne, both of whom are still clients.

Philip Treacy has been a blueblood staple for longer than he cares to remember, and the connection with the Royal Family has been, on reflection, a mixed bag of fortunes. He designed no fewer than 20 hats for Harry and Meghan Markle's big day, though back in 2011, he admitted that he'd end up with his "head on a spike" for creating Princess Beatrice's 'octopus' hat for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011. Yet adopting the maxim that there's no such thing as bad publicity, the infamous fashion creation has been part of his journey to the top of his game. Last year, Irish designer Don O'Neill's white ballgown was one of the many designers that Meghan Markle packed for her 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. The Kerryman, back then a relative unknown, noted that creating the gown for the duchess was "beyond my wildest dreams". It's a major coup for any designer on the up, amounting to acres of publicity that could scarcely be bought.

But the question soon needs to be asked: does a royal connection actually amount to an increase in sales, or is it simply good for PR? London-based consultants Brand Finance certainly seem to think it's the former, and two years ago pitched Middleton's potential worth annually to the British fashion industry at 1b (1.12b). Relative newcomer Meghan, says Brand Finance, boosted the British economy by $677m (594m) in 2018 alone.

Where Kate Middleton's 'purse-friendly' approach (relatively speaking) has apparently aided an ailing high street, animal lover Meghan is said to be doing the same stellar work for sustainable and eco-friendly labels. And what of the next generation of royal style icons? Prince George (5) may be king one day, but he is reportedly worth a mere 2.3b (2.59b) by comparison to three-year-old Charlotte's 3b (3.38b). A princess is worth potentially more to the economy because of the fashion she might wear in the future, and Charlotte's birth alone is said to have generated economic benefits of over 100m (124m).

"As well as the boost to baby clothing sales that we have seen from Prince George, a Princess would be able to set trends throughout her life, which will be great for the people who designed her clothes or those who can make quick knock-off copies," says Brand Finance Chief Executive David Haigh.

The vintage Silver Cross pram that carried Charlotte to her christening at Sandringham in 2015 enjoyed a dramatic upswing in popularity, for instance. Prams With Pizazz, a company that restores them, was "inundated" with calls after the ceremony, according to owner Scott Frew.

One designer who has certainly felt the warm glow of the Kate Effect is London-based Erdem Moralioglu, who has credited Kate with transforming him from a struggling designer to a fashion powerhouse boasting $15m (13.1m) in annual sales. Designer Jenny Packham, similarly, reported a 58pc increase in frock sales when Middleton wore her buttercup yellow shift dress outside St Mary's Hospital after Charlotte's birth.

They're healthy numbers by anyone's standards, but the Kate Effect (or the Meghan Effect, for that matter), doesn't always inure designers from the slings and arrows of a famously fickle industry.

Expand Close Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at St Mary Magdalene's church for the Royal Family's Christmas Day service on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay / Facebook

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Whatsapp Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at St Mary Magdalene's church for the Royal Family's Christmas Day service on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Besides equating a 'sellout' item with a wild streak of success is something of a misnomer. If, for instance, Kate or Meghan wear a certain label or item without prior warning to the fashion houses, it means precious little if the designer in question has a humble amount of stock to sell. And this can often be the case. Just ask Orla Kiely, the Kilkenny-born Irish designer whose fashion empire collapsed late last year. Kate was a fervent champion of Kiely and was regularly spotted in her dresses and frock coats. In one instance, a dress that Kate favoured sold out online within minutes of photos being published.

"We don't know in advance (when Kate wears our outfits), so it is a case of 'oh, holy smoke'. It's good for business, absolutely," Kiely said in May 2017.

But evidently, not good enough: the ringing endorsement from one of the world's biggest fashion icons wasn't enough to save the fashion label. The full story behind the demise of Kiely's fashion empire has yet to surface, although a statement released last year alluded to "various challenges that have faced the company over the past few years, both in the UK and abroad". Proof positive then, that a doff of the cap from even the most fashion forward and influential princess doesn't always mean that a designer can sit back and rest on their royally recommended laurels.Prince William, the Centrepoint and Mountain Rescue patron looks on as he walks with a group of homeless young people helped by Centrepoint on a fell walk on July 24, 2009 in Cumbria, United Kingdom

The 10-year challenge is the latest annoying social media trend to infiltrate our feeds and there are only two types of participants: ones who find the most flattering picture of themselves that looks similar to their current self for a queue of compliments of one who picks the worst and hams it up for a laugh.

The good news about history is that it's not easily distorted and the same applies to picture archives, which I went through to do our own 10-year challenge in my Mastermind expert subject - the British royal family. So, let's examine how much has changed between 2009 and now?

Meghan Markle

Things have changed the most for California-born Meghan Markle, the former Suits star turned Duchess of Sussex, whose world was upended after falling for now-husband Prince Harry in 2016. In 2009, she was just another aspiring actress trying to make it in Hollywood and that year, she only has two acting credits to her name - brief guest slots on Without a Trace and the short-lived Knight Rider series. But perhaps most iconically was her Tostitos ad, spending 32 seconds choosing the right brand of tortilla chips. But who out of us wouldn't go through a few embarrassing acting jobs to be a princess a decade later?

Kate Middleton

Expand Close Kate Middleton attends the wedding of Nicholas van Cutsem and Alice Hadden-Paton at The Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks on August 14, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Indigo/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Kate Middleton attends the wedding of Nicholas van Cutsem and Alice Hadden-Paton at The Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks on August 14, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Indigo/Getty Images)

Then 27, Kate was still a year away from being engaged to her then-boyfriend of five years Prince William and while press interest in her was ramping up around the world, it was pre-social media domination and in comparison to her every move being documented now, she had some semblance of a private life. But most importantly, her style! At a friend's wedding, she still had her preferred knee-length hemline, but thankfully the blue and white patterned coat dress and matching fascinator have since been done away wtih. Before her wedding, she was working without a stylist and her fashion choices were more reflective of the fussy designs preferred by Britain's upper crust socialites.

Prince William

Expand Close Prince William watches children from central London schools take part in a Skill Force team building exercise at Tower of London on July 6, 2009 in London, England / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prince William watches children from central London schools take part in a Skill Force team building exercise at Tower of London on July 6, 2009 in London, England

By now, Prince William had begun to pursue a more statesman-like role as it was the start of his becoming the William we know today. 2009 was also the beginning of his outward passion for children's issues, speaking at a children's bereavement charity event where he spoke publicly for the first time about the impact of losing his mother Princess Diana in 1997. On a more depressing note, he was at the height of oft-analysed hair loss and the comparisons between him and uncle Prince Edward were in full throttle.

Prince Harry

Expand Close Britain's Prince Harry attends the awards ceremony at the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governors Island on May 30, 2009 in New York City / Facebook

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Whatsapp Britain's Prince Harry attends the awards ceremony at the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governors Island on May 30, 2009 in New York City

Before Harry was a settled down husband and father-to-be, he was the royal family's reigning cheeky chappy, newly single from his split with girlfriend of six years Chelsy Davy and embroiled in a scandal over allegedly racist comments in which he referred to an army colleague as our little Paki friend Ahmed" from a video taken three years earlier, when he was 21, during a military training exercise in Cyprus. A spokesperson for him apologised, saying it was a nickname for his friend.

It was also the beginning of 'Hot Harry'.The Bon Secours Health System is currently looking to hire additional nursing care staff as part of its strategic plan to continue supporting the needs of its communities.

Its all part of the groups first Nursing Care Strategy and a key theme of the organisations corporate strategy  The 2020 Plan. The Bon Secours Health System is currently seeking enthusiastic, self-motivated nursing care staff with a passion to make a difference.

One of our main goals is to grow our services and invest in new developments in order to continue to support the healthcare needs of our communities, says John McPhillips, Group HR Director.

We are a well-respected and progressive employer, says Fiona Murphy, Bon Secours Group Director of Nursing.

We want to become an even better one and be recognised as a healthcare provider and employer of choice. We recognise the importance of nursing care and the vital role it plays across the Bon Secours Health System and we are paving the way in creating our first Nursing Care Strategy unique to us, which will see the integration of nursing and healthcare assistant roles.

Bon Secours Health System is the largest private hospital group in Ireland, with a network of five modern Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited acute hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Tralee, as well as a care village in Cork. The group employs over 3,000 staff who, with 450 leading consultants, work in partnership to provide the highest standard of care to more than 280,000 patients each year.

Bon Secours Hospital Cork, the largest private hospital in Ireland, has been treating patients in the Munster region for over 100 years, says Fiona. We are currently investing in a 77m development at the Cork hospital, introducing state-of-the-art radiotherapy and ICU facilities and undertaking a major refurbishment and upgrade of patient accommodation, which will all significantly enhance patient services in 2019.

Other recent developments, as part of the 2020 Plan, include the acquisition and development of Bon Secours Hospital Limerick at Barringtons, the opening of a new cath lab in Galway, the significant expansion of our care village in Mount Desert - Cork, and the development of new theatres and consultant clinics in Tralee.

With one voice moving forward, the mission and core values of Bon Secours remain as relevant today as they were at the foundation of the organisation. This will drive future changes relevant to nursing care. This is an exciting time for nursing care at Bon Secours Health System.

Fiona Murphy says it is important to deliver exceptional care to patients and that empowering staff and working in teams positively influences the patient experience and patient outcomes.

As part of the strategy being developed currently, we are committed to developing our staff by making sustainable changes which is a key enabler of enhanced patient care and also improves personal well-being, says Fiona. This is an opportune time for everyone with an interest in nursing care to make contact with Bon Secours Health System, as we embrace the transformational change ahead.

Fiona adds that innovation is vital in the ever-changing healthcare landscape.

We need to continue to invest in our infrastructure and facilities, along with our innovative practice to benefit our patients. A working example of this innovation includes our Direct Access Endoscopy Service at Bon Secours Hospital Dublin and our Robotic Surgery in Cork.

These are all testament to our plans for growth, and continuous development.

Providing new opportunities

These new developments and the Nursing Care Strategy open a door full of opportunities for both candidates moving back to Ireland after living abroad, or those already living here.

There are excellent career prospects here, says Fiona. We have already increased our workforce in 2018. The Bon Secours Health System has invested heavily in the recruitment of nurses through attendance at Jobs Expo, overseas recruitment initiatives, open evenings and targeted social media campaigns.

We want to be recognised as a healthcare provider and employer of choice, adds John. We have an ambitious and exciting plan to get there  our People Strategy 2017-2020. Being a progressive place to work and an employer of choice means proactively building a workplace environment where staff trust those they work for, appreciate working as part of an innovative team, and becoming part of the Bon Secours family. It means having pride in what they do and enjoying working with those around them, within the distinct culture of our organisation.

We will enhance and strengthen our employer brand in ways that enable us to attract, engage and retain the most talented people to make a positive difference in healthcare delivery.

When asked about the type of candidates the Bon Secours Health System looks for, John says, Our employees embody the Bon Secours Health Systems values of respect, justice, integrity, stewardship, innovation, compassion and quality. They are what make our outstanding people. Such values empower us all to achieve our very best for the patients we serve.

Complementary to our vision to create a great workplace, we will continue to promote, champion and support our staff in their leadership and management growth with a view to creating an organisation built on excellence and continuous development. As part of our People Strategy, we have developed a People Development Strategy, including a leadership and management competency framework aligned to our values.

Path to success

John says the health system is also introducing career pathways and succession management programmes to identify career opportunities that prepare and stretch employees to succeed. As well as a commitment to the career development of staff, the group also believes that the unique skills, diversity and hard work of staff should be celebrated and rewarded.

The Bon Secours Health System maintains competitiveness with attractive rates of pay and conditions of employment. For staff to feel recognised and valued, the Bon Secours Health System host a groupwide annual staff recognition and awards event to celebrate their success, achievements and dedication. This is in addition to a range of initiatives taking place locally, which also highlights our commitment to recognising staff.

We have done a considerable amount of work to ensure we look after the health and wellbeing of our staff. We are committed to caring for them through our occupational health facilities, health screening, employee assistance programmes, stress management support such as mindfulness training, and wellbeing promotions such as Pilates and yoga programmes. We are now embarking on a journey to achieve the IBEC Keep Well Mark accreditation in 2019, as part our wellness strategy.

John and Fiona consider the New Year to be a great time to take stock of your career and look for new opportunities.

Find a role where you can make a real difference and work in a culture that values your talent and contribution, John says. Bon Secours Health System is open for business and is always seeking talented individuals across all professions who have a passion for change, career development and want to deliver excellence in patient care.

For further information on careers and opportunities available within the Bon Secours Health System, visit www.bonsecours.ie/careers

Sponsored by:Just in case you were in any doubt, it truly is open season on men. You can slag them off as much as you want now, safe in the knowledge that they brought it all on themselves, what with their years of being in charge and never letting women do anything other than cook the dinner and have babies.

We've seen this to be true this week, in the aftermath of the Gillette ad controversy.

I don't have any issue with the ad, in which woke men deter their less-woke brethren from engaging in typically masculine behaviour, from brawling to barbecuing.

But imagine the outcry if you made a similar ad about women, portraying them as little more than a set of stereotypes? I suspect that someone at Gillette would already have been sent packing, P45 in hand.

However, men are fair game, and men like Piers Morgan who have complained have simply been pilloried.

This past week, the American Psychological Association issued guidelines aimed at professionals working with troubled men and boys.

The psychologists identified a range of traditional masculine behaviours they believed could prove damaging, among them competitiveness, stoicism, and aggression. But what's easy to overlook is that some of those traits can be harnessed for good or for ill.

I've got sons and I love their boyishness. I like that they're messy, boisterous and competitive.

I like that they obsess over trucks, trains and dinosaurs and I like their taste for toilet humour. Many of those traits seem to me to be both gender-specific and, yes, entirely innate.

My instinct as a parent is to foster these traits in a positive way. Competition can be good when it spurs you on to better things, and when you learn how to lose well. Boisterousness can be harnessed towards productivity.

And, fundamentally, decency is decency, no matter what your gender.

If you teach your kids to be kind, you can only hope that in the end, that's what they'll be. But I also want them to speak up for themselves, even if they do end up sounding like Piers Morgan.

Gigs aren't the ticket for the middle-aged

How do you go to gigs as a middle-aged person? Is it really possible?

One of my favourite acts is playing in Dublin tonight, and there are still a few tickets left. I'm sorely tempted.

But it's midweek, it's mid-January, I'm knackered, and I fancy an early night. Besides, who will put the kids to bed?

"I will," says my husband. "You're over-thinking this. Just go."

But where will I park my car? What do you do with your coat at a gig? I can't remember. And what about my handbag? I could leave my handbag in the car, but then where would I put my keys? And I'll need to bring my phone, won't I?

If I go, I should get the cheaper standing tickets to save money? But my shoes pinch, and my knees hurt if I stand for too long, unless I can lean up against something, which I'm sure the person next to me wouldn't be OK with.

So maybe I should get a seated ticket? But it's unreserved seating, and I'll probably be late, because I'll be working late, and then the only remaining seats will be in the middle of a row, and I'll have to clamber over everyone to get there, which will be mortifying.

"You're over-thinking this," says a colleague, who happens to be going to the same gig. "Just go."

But the band themselves aren't on stage 'til 9pm, by which time I'm usually yawning on the couch and wondering if I should go to bed or go mad and stay up for the 'News at 10'.

Honestly, I think it's better for all concerned if I just go home. Rock and roll really is only for the kids.Theresa May looks set to get an extension to the Brexit deadline of March 29. But she must soon be able to tell EU colleagues where this whole mess is headed - and that is by far the harder part.

Shortly after her historic, crushing defeat, Mrs May talked up a "collaborative approach" to finding a new Brexit deal. But first off, she had to deal with the little detail of seeing off Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's attempts to oust herself and her government colleagues.

Now that she has - as expected - survived, what can she do? And will it work?

The lame duck prime minister spoke of meeting the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and senior people across various parties, to see what would get parliament's backing. She said her approach would be "constructive" but ideas would have to be realistic for negotiations with Brussels and capable of getting wide support from MPs.

Contacts were understandably slow yesterday given the no-confidence motion in play. But it is clear her moves will go nowhere without meaningful engagement with Labour and the Scottish National Party, and something must be put together by Monday due to various other MP votes last week.

The immediate problem is that the terms for these future discussions as outlined are already looked upon askance. They are referred to by some Labour MPs and the Scottish members as "red lines" which must be abandoned.

Against that, too much bending on these terms could drive away some of her existing 200-plus supporters. So, as often happens, it's about bringing on new supporters without alienating the ones she has got. Mrs May has committed to leaving the EU with a deal. But a majority of the MPs have also signalled that her threat, in extremis, to quit without a deal, must now be taken off the table entirely.

As with many other things, the prime minister has relented on her determination to push for the March 29 deadline. Now she is saying any extension is only likely to get EU approval if London has a plan for the immediate future.

Next up is the question of the Border backstop. Mrs May has agreed to this insurance policy designed to prevent a hard Irish Border. This has already cost her the DUP support and that of a large cohort of her own Conservative Eurosceptic MPs. By contrast, Scottish National Party MPs objected because they did not get a backstop-type deal.

More problematic again is Mrs May's ambition to end free movement of people from within the EU, truncate EU Court jurisdiction for commercial disputes, and stop all payments to EU coffers. But these aims are all impediments to wooing pro-EU MPs who want to either retain single market membership or else get a relationship like non-EU member Norway.

The prime minister has often talked up the Brexit benefit of Britain having an independent trade policy. This principle is crucial because it has to rule out Britain remaining a member of the EU customs union. In fact Labour has committed to a new permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit.

The embattled prime minister has clung to those same principles through the latter end of the EU-UK talks and especially since she has so unsuccessfully sought support for the draft deal she concluded on November 25. It is now clear that there are few identifiable policy changes she can make which might meld keeping to those principles - but also succeed in meeting demands to bring more supporters on board.

Much will also depend on whether Mr Corbyn can at least park his quest for an early general election. Can he make a political virtue out of helping his sworn opponent in the people's interest?

That raises two more questions: can Corbyn's pro-EU lieutenants persuade him? And would the Tories accord enough kudos?It would be a tragedy, and an ironic one at that, if the Government's primary goal, backed by its European partners, of ensuring that there was no hard Border in Ireland - the so-called Brexit backstop - resulted in exactly that.

But such was the scale of Theresa May's Commons defeat that the prospect of the return of a hard Border, or derivatives thereof, is one that cannot be ruled out.

No deal means no backstop, means a hard Border of some kind or another.

This much was admitted by Tanaiste Simon Coveney, who had to intervene - during a joint press briefing held with his cabinet colleague Shane Ross - to declare there were no plans for Border checks in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Ross, the Transport Minister, had seconds before stated publicly to journalists it was likely there would be Border checks in the event of a no-deal Brexit, only to admit in a private follow-up conversation (caught on tape) that he didn't know what to say.

More significantly, Mr Coveney admitted in the private exchange there was a likelihood of checks (though it was not clear where they would happen) in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Tanaiste warning his junior coalition partner they did not want to become the Government responsible for the re-introduction of Border checks in Ireland.

No wonder Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the Government was increasingly like the old episode of the classic TV comedy 'Fawlty Towers' with the line "Don't mention the war". Mr Martin went further, stating there was private understanding in political circles a hard Border in Ireland was increasingly likely, a reality the Government can't or, according to Mr Martin, won't convey to the public.

You can appreciate the Government's reluctance, morally and strategically, to make public such a concession.

The prospect of any return to a hard Border, despite DUP leader Arlene Foster's staggering denial of its existence, is inconceivable for most on this island, if wholly unappreciated by many across the Irish Sea.

Incredibly, amid all the chaos that has ensued from Westminster this week - the comprehensive defeat of Mrs May has left us no clearer about what form of Brexit may ultimately emerge - the markets have remained remarkably calm, with investors surmising the UK is less likely now to crash out of the EU without a deal.

But that's a calm that could quickly morph into an almighty storm if a hard Brexit is unleashed.

In many respects, Brexit is already here.

The relentless political uncertainty is already disrupting the all-island economy, affecting investment decisions and consumer confidence, igniting fear and anxiety and undermining prosperity, a key promise of our 20-year-old peace process.

Unlike politics, businesses, big and small, North and south, don't have the luxury of going down to the wire. Years of political and economic progress are under extraordinary strains.

The unity of Northern Ireland's business community - crying out for certainty to protect jobs and future trade - stands in stark contrast to the deeply divided state of politics in the North.

Indeed, what was staggering among all the noise in Westminster and the convulsions over the backstop - although the scale of the defeat indicated the UK parliament has bigger problems - was the lack of any voice representing the collective decision of the people of Northern Ireland, who voted resoundingly to remain.

The DUP's dereliction of the wishes of Northern Ireland's majority is matched in its insanity by the refusal of Sinn Fein to represent the voice of nationalism, while stoking the fires by calling for a Border poll that could - at this time - destabilise the North even further.

The 1990 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was and remains the foundation block for peace and prosperity on the island, our membership of the customs union and single market a key component in reducing the physical and psychological barriers that blighted the Border.

At the heart of the GFA lies the principle of consent, which has been dislodged by the fraught decision by the UK population, as a whole, to leave the EU.

The backstop burns precisely because it drives a stake through the heart of the principle of consent and acts as a catalyst on issues such as a united Ireland that we had hoped would be developed, organically - and smoothed by integration and a consensus on an agreed Ireland - over time.

Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar insisted we can't shift on the issue of no hard Border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, noting his British counterparts had made the same commitment.

Yet the Irish Government has activated our no-deal contingencies all the same.

Is there any way that this red line can be blurred?

Will we, as some predict, come to regret holding the line on the issue of the backstop?

Is there any way that the backstop can be renegotiated? Not in 70 days.

Beyond the toxicity of the historic UK parliamentary vote, the immediacy presented by the March 29 deadline, and the red line of the Border backstop, lies an extraordinary social and political challenge to mend relationships in a society that was just beginning to heal.

Future generations will not forgive us for squandering those gains.Aer Lingus has claimed new hand-held devices designed to streamline its operations at Dublin Airport have been interfered with. Photo: Bloomberg

Pictured at the Aer Lingus brand reveal in front of an Airbus A330 freshly painted in the new aircraft livery was from left First Officer Laura Bennett;First Officer Niall McCauley;Sean Doyle, Aer Lingus Chief Executive; Mike Rutter, Aer Lingus Chief Operating Officer;and Dara McMahon, Aer Lingus Director of Marketing. Pic:Naoise Culhane

Aer Lingus has revealed its first major brand refresh in 20 years.

The new look "brand identity" includes a reboot of its iconic green livery and shamrock logo, with uniforms designed by Louise Kennedy due later this year.

So, what's new?

For starters, the shamrock has been retained.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close First Officer Laura Bennett;First Officer Niall McCauley;and First Officer Paul Deegan. Pic: Naoise Culhane First Officer Niall McCauley;First Officer Laura Bennett;Sean Doyle, Aer Lingus Chief Executive;and First Officer Paul Deegan. Pic: Naoise Culhane / Facebook

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Whatsapp First Officer Laura Bennett;First Officer Niall McCauley;and First Officer Paul Deegan. Pic: Naoise Culhane

It has been "restyled", however - adding a tilt "to symbolise dynamism and speed" and heart-shaped leaves to reflect "warmth and hospitality", the airline says.

Eagle-eyed passengers may also notice a new, "Instagram-worthy" shamrock on the wingtips... "in prime position for capturing on social media", it notes.

And the colours? Aircraft will now be mainly white, with a rich "teal" replacing the old green and a "light green" for its stripes and shamrocks.

An A330-300 is the first aircraft to wear the new hues. The 'St. Munchin' was painted in Shannon and will fly to New York on January 18 as flight EI105.

Expand Close Pictured at the Aer Lingus brand reveal in front of an Airbus A330 freshly painted in the new aircraft livery was from left First Officer Laura Bennett;First Officer Niall McCauley;Sean Doyle, Aer Lingus Chief Executive; Mike Rutter, Aer Lingus Chief Operating Officer;and Dara McMahon, Aer Lingus Director of Marketing. Pic:Naoise Culhane / Facebook

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Whatsapp Pictured at the Aer Lingus brand reveal in front of an Airbus A330 freshly painted in the new aircraft livery was from left First Officer Laura Bennett;First Officer Niall McCauley;Sean Doyle, Aer Lingus Chief Executive; Mike Rutter, Aer Lingus Chief Operating Officer;and Dara McMahon, Aer Lingus Director of Marketing. Pic:Naoise Culhane

"Re-imagining this great brand was both challenging and stimulating," said Sean Doyle, who replaced Stephen Kavanagh as the airline's CEO this month.

The new look, developed with US design and brand strategy company Lippincott, reflects the airline's ambition to become "the leading value carrier across the North Atlantic", it said at a launch event in Dublin Airport.

As well as retaining "proudly familiar" features, it reflects Ireland in 2019 - "a society that is open, progressive, liberal, outward-looking and dynamic," added Mike Rutter, the airline's Chief Operating Officer.

A new font, 'diodrum', contains a nod to Celtic heritage in its 'g'.

The refresh comes as part of a "major investment programme" that has ranged from a Business Class upgrade to new routes, including Montreal and Minneapolis-St Paul, and the arrival of 14 new A321LR 'neo' aircraft - a new generation of single-aisle, transatlantic planes with economy and business class.

Aer Lingus plans to grow its transatlantic fleet from 17 to 30 aircraft by 2023.

Last year, it was revealed that designer Louise Kennedy had been chosen to replace the airline's current uniform, worn by cabin crew since 1998.

The airline, owned by Willie Walsh-led IAG since 2015, will also offer a complimentary glass of wine or beer with meal service to transatlantic economy guests, it says.

The new brand will be introduced today across its app, website, check-in and boarding gates, with the rollout fully complete by 2021.

Read more:A waiter killed his partner and two young, Irish-born children before taking his own life in a horrific murder-suicide just days before Christmas.

Two Dublin schools expressed their shock and sorrow after reports emerged that two of their past pupils had been murdered.

The Irish Independent has established that Spanish national Victor Marin Del Sol, who lived and worked in south Dublin for more than a decade, flew to Poland to spend time with his family over the festive period.

Some time after his arrival he strangled his two young sons and then laid in wait for his partner, Ewelina Szwarc, to return home before stabbing her to death.

The couples 11-year-old daughter fled in terror and Marin Del Sol is believed to have then taken his own life.

Polish police are continuing to investigate the tragic events of December 22.

The two brothers, Oskar (9) and Christian (7), who were born in Ireland, spent a year in two Rathfarnham schools before their mother moved back to her native Poland with them.

The couples daughter, Maria Victoria, also attended one of the Rathfarnham schools.

Marin Del Sol, who worked as a waiter in Little Caesars, had travelled to Poland to meet with his partner Ms Szwarc and their children.

Oskar attended second class in Ballyroan Boys School in Rathfarnham before his mother moved them to Poland.

Christian had attended junior infants in the nearby Scoil Naomh Padraig, while Maria Victoria was in third class at the same school.

"Oskar was a lovely child. He was a nice boy. He spoke Polish and Spanish and had little English, but he was developing well in the language and integrating well," Ballyroan Boys School principal Des Morris said. "It is shocking and sad."

Scoil Naomh Padraig principal Grace O'Neill spoke kindly of Christian and Maria Victoria. "We remember them as lovely, happy children, and we will remember them in our prayers," she said.

According to reports in Poland, the alarm was raised in the town of Pyrzyce when Maria Victoria escaped and alerted neighbours.

Some media reports speculated that Victor and Ewelina had split two or three years ago, but the manager of Little Caesars restaurant told the Irish Independent he believed they were still a couple until relatively recently.

"Everybody loved Victor. He was an amazing guy. He really loved people," he said.

"He told us he was going to Poland before Christmas for a few days to see the children.It's terrible. We could never have imagined that Victor could do such a thing."

It was reported in the Polish media that Ms Szwarc spent the night with her daughter nearby while Marin Del Sol stayed in her apartment with the boys and when they fell asleep he strangled them.

If you've been affected by the content in this article, you can contact a number of groups, such as AWARE (1800 80 48 48), Pieta House (066 716 3660), and Samaritans (116 123).The boss of the Irish Prison Service says it is tackling the unacceptable level of sick leave among staff.

IPS director general Caron McCaffrey told the Dails Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that there was an absentee rate of 15.7 days-a-year among employees in the prison service in 2017.

She said there are limited international comparators available as very few countries publish sick leave statistics for their prisons.

However, she maintained that from figures that are available, the Irish sick leave level in 2017 was at the lower end of the scale when compared to other prison services".

She told TDs that the rate in Northern Ireland was 19.7, Denmark was 21.9, Latvia 18.88 and Slovenia was 15.3 days per staff member.

Ms McCaffrey added: Prison Staff work in an extremely challenging environment in which, on a daily basis, they face unique circumstances unlike most others in the public sector.

Notwithstanding this, the Irish Prison Service is tackling the unacceptable level of sick leave we are currently experiencing in two ways.

She said firstly it is providing staff with the best possible supports to target the work-related causes of sick leave.

And secondly its efforts include focused, structured management of all absences to identify and reduce absenteeism.

She said the IPS is committed to strengthening the support it is providing for staff.

Ms McCaffrey said that in 2019 the IPS will complete the introduction of the Critical Incident Stress Management model of support interventions for staff, which has been endorsed by the State Claims Agency.

This model aims to minimise the emotional impact of critical incidents on staff and increase the resistance and resilience of staff to harmful stress.

She paid tribute to IPS employees adding that many work in a difficult and challenging environment to maintain a safe, secure and humane prison system which contributes to safer communities".Illegal cross border dumping businesses are being run by mafia style operations, a Fianna Fail TD has said.

Louth TD Declan Breathnach said border criminal gangs are capitalising on rising environmental costs faced by businesses and families by operating illegal landfill sites.

Speaking to Independent.ies Floating Voter podcast, Mr Breathnach said the illegal dumps are being operated on the north and south of the border

We all know there is big business in waste and waste disposal. The reality is huge activity has gone on - most notably in my own community where two of the biggest landfills ever found were unearthed at huge expense to the Department of the Environment to rectify, he said.

The reality is criminality has moved into that area and has done for a long time. The small guy moving door to door (collecting bins) is feeding into that mafia style operation and it is a difficult one to watch, he added.

On Brexit, the Fianna Fail TD said too many good relationships have been made for governments in Ireland and the UK to make a backwards step.

He said the people in the UK who voted to Leave the EU were sold a pup and a second referendum should be held.

Mr Breathnach said one of the main issue concerning voters on the North of the border was immigration before the Brexit vote.The Finance Minister has ruled out a 12pc pay hike for nurses to avert strikes because of the "great risk" of knock-on claims by public servants.

Paschal Donohoe said the challenge in meeting their demand is "too great".

He warned that granting it would threaten current and future public sector pay deals.

Mr Donohoe also accused the nursing unions of timing their industrial action later this month to have the maximum impact on patients' operations and appointments.

He reminded deputies that a pay deal to avert an unprecedented strike by gardai was followed within 24 hours by demands from all other public servants for the same money.

The minister delivered a strong message in the Dail as the Government faces a showdown with nurses in the coming weeks.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has served notice of a 24-hour strike on Wednesday January 30, followed by five dates the following month.

The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) is also planning industrial action.

Mr Donohoe noted that the risk of knock-on claims was not dealt with by deputies during a debate on a Fianna Fail motion on the dispute.

Fianna Fail called for a special commission chaired by a judge to be set up to consider pay rises for nurses.

But Mr Donohoe said every other public servant would be demanding the same judge-led assessment.

"That route will spell massive difficulty for the ability of this wage agreement to stay in place, the ability of any further wage agreement to be negotiated at a time we are facing such risk to our economy," he said.

He said colleagues referred to the fact that nurses were in the gallery during the debate, but said the empty chairs would be "quickly filled by every other public servant asking why can't the same money be made available to them".

Members of the INMO and PNA are demanding pay rises to put their wages on a par with professional grades like radiographers. They are due to meet the Oversight Body that oversees compliance with the pay deal tomorrow.

The unions will continue talks with health sector management next Monday.Ireland South MEP Brian Crowley (54) has revealed medical issues arising from his 39 years spent in a wheelchair left him with no option but to retire from the European Parliament.

Mr Crowley, who admitted to the Irish Independent in 2013 that he had asked in vain for doctors to amputate his legs, has been unable to attend a single session of the current European Parliament due to ongoing health complications.

At a special press conference in Cork today, he confirmed he will be stepping down as a European Parliament member after 25 years service and will not contest next May's Euro elections.

The Cork politician - who topped the poll in all five European Parliament elections he contested since 1994 - was brokenhearted his health left him so far unable to fulfill his lifelong ambition of contesting a Presidential election.

The Bandon native has been confined to a wheelchair since he was left paralysed after suffering spinal injuries as a teenager in a freak 1980 fall.

His health issues have been very severe over recent years.

Expand Close Brian Crowley, Liadh ni Riada and Gerry Adams at MEP South at the Euro Count centre, Nemo, Cork / Facebook

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Whatsapp Brian Crowley, Liadh ni Riada and Gerry Adams at MEP South at the Euro Count centre, Nemo, Cork

"Is this what I wanted? No it is not. I wanted to be out in Brussels and Strasbourg but I was not able to.

"I have been in hospital for a long period of time - over three and a half years with a number of surgeries," he said.

"Because of that I could not attend the Parliament in Strasbourg.

"I have now made a decision that I will continue in my office up until May 1 but I will not be contesting or allowing my name to go forward for the next European Parliament elections.

"I do not believe I would be in a position to run the type of campaign I would like to - I simply would not be able to do it (health-wise).

"Over the period of time I was in hospital, the work has not stopped. I was working from hospital and via my staff. I was working through my contacts within the EU Commision and EU Pariament that I have built up for almost 30 years."

The 54 year old has spent the bulk of his time since the 2014 European Parliament election being treated in hospital, mostly for complications arising from wheelchair-related pressure sores on his legs.

In the space of just two years, Mr Crowley had to undergo 25 different plastic surgery procedures.

He also suffered a major blow in 2009 of losing his younger brother, Flor, in a tragic car crash.

Until his health problems emerged in 2012, he had one of the best attendance records of any MEP in Brussels and Strasbourg.

However, his health problems have been so severe he was unable to attend a single session of the current European Parliament - boasting the lowest attendance record of all 750 MEPs.

He ranks as one of the European Parliament's long-serving MEPs and counts such political heavyweights as Ollie Rehn and Jose Manuel Barroso as amongst his Brussels friends.

Initially, all the procedures I had done were cosmetic. They had to reconstruct part of the skin on my legs, do skin grafts, move muscle to try and give more protection to certain parts of my legs. Things like that, he said.

The difficulty was that each surgery had to be done separately and they had to wait for me to recover before they could undertake the next procedure. To recover I had to lie in bed in hospital."

"It was a special silica (sand) bed that was kept at a constant 18 degrees. The bed moves with you so that there is never any major pressure put on the skin of my legs, he added.

The veteran MEP admitted that, at one point, he proposed that doctors amputate his legs to once-and-for-all, resolve the problem.

I said look, why dont you amputate the legs? The biggest problem most people have with amputation is how do I learn to walk again? That is not an issue for me per se. Im not going to be walking again so the ability to learn how to re-walk with false limbs is not an issue.

But the doctors were against that. They said that if you do that it could change something else  it could alter things and have unforeseen consequences. It was the final, final option in their minds, he added.

I saw it as a quick, easy solution to deal with the problem but they were very much against doing something like that.

Despite hoping that 17 plastic surgeries had finally resolved his skin problems by 2012, he suddenly found himself facing into a further eight procedures in 2013.

Even more procedures have been required since 2014. Despite this, the problem has significantly worsened.

It was tough. I thought the problems had been resolved but it was decided that further procedures were required.

But I never stopped working on my telephone and my laptop. I've had tremendous support from other MEPs as well as from friends and supporters."On site: Work is under way at the new national childrens hospital next to St Jamess Hospital. Photo: Mark Condren

The Government must explain why they were asleep at the wheel while estimates for the new childrens hospital building project spiralled out of control, Fianna Fails Dara Calleary has told the Dail.

The massive bill for the new national children's hospital which is due to open its doors in 2022 will be at least 1.7bn.

The Fianna Fail deputy leader said the experience raised serious questions about how taxpayers money was protected in other public projects like the national broadband roll-out.

Mr Calleary said that one year into the Governments Ireland 2040 development plan the childrens hospital costs had overrun to 1.7bn raised serious questions about its value.

This plan was published with great fanfare, a roadshow and spin, spin, spin, the Mayo TD added.

The cost of the new hospital has already spiralled from 983m to 1.4bn in the space of less than two years - but that will only cover the design, construction and equipping of the hospital.

However, it was revealed that another 300m is needed to cover extras such as the IT system which has also gone 9m over budget.

Replying for the Government, Tanaiste Simon Coveney told the Dail that the Ireland 2040 plan was an attempt to forward plan for the medium to longer term and could not be dismissed because of expected difficulties and challenges in one project.

Mr Coveney said the Government was unhappy with the childrens hospital project now costing 45m more than the estimate given in April 2017 when it got the green light. He said some of the extra costs were due to additional staff, planning costs and other issues.

But the Tanaiste insisted that problems with one project did not mean the entire planning process should be dismissed out of hand.

There are many other projects that are being achieved on time and under budget, Mr Coveney said.Transport Minister Shane Ross has been described as "an embarrassment" by Fine Gael colleagues who are fuming over his limited grasp of the Brexit crisis.

Cabinet members were unsparing in the commentary about the Independent Alliance TD after he appeared to suggest Border checks are inevitable if the Brexit deal collapses.

The breach of the long-running Government policy not to engage on questions about what will happen at the Border in a no-deal scenario has angered colleagues from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar down.

The Irish Independent revealed yesterday how Tanaiste Simon Coveney had to warn Mr Ross not to discuss the possibility of Border checks in public for fear "that all of a sudden we'll be the Government that reintroduced a physical border on the island of Ireland".

Details of the private conversation, caught on tape after a press briefing, were widely reported by UK and international media.

And in the Dail, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the exchange was "deeply worrying because it suggests the public are not being told the full truth for party political reasons".

"This obviously was a conversation that was never meant to be public; the microphones were still on. However, it seems there is a private understanding and knowledge within Government about a Border in the aftermath of a no-deal Brexit but at all costs that private understanding must not be shared with the public," Mr Martin said.

"It is like the episode from 'Fawlty Towers', 'Whatever you do, don't mention the war', but somebody forgot to tell the minister, Deputy Ross."

Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald said the Taoiseach had "skated" around the issue of what happens without the backstop.

"Is it not now time to say out loud that in the absence of a deal, there will be a hard Border and to reassert that this is an unacceptable, indeed, an unconscionable situation for us?" she asked.

Mr Varadkar subsequently conceded that without a deal "obviously we have a big problem" but insisted there are still no contingency plans for a hard Border.

He added: "To maintain the absence of a hard Border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, we have to have an agreement on customs and regulation."

The Taoiseach sought to defend Mr Coveney's comment, explaining that his "only concern" in answering questions on Border checks "is that if one uses the wrong words or says things in the wrong way, people will misinterpret that as though one has some sort of secret plan to impose a hard Border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We have no such secret plan".

Privately, Fine Gael ministers blamed Mr Ross for not being on top of his brief.

One Cabinet member said they were "shell-shocked" at his performance, which was "embarrassing".

A second Fine Gael minister said the Tanaiste had always made it clear that they were to be ultra-cautious when faced with Border questions.

"If you mention checks, you play right into the hands of the Brexiteers," the minister said.

Another party figure noted that appearing competent throughout the Brexit negotiations was key to Ireland's success to date, adding that Mr Ross undermined that.

Despite the anger, there is no question of Mr Varadkar taking any action against Mr Ross due to the Independent Alliance's central role in the minority Government.

The Taoiseach and Mr Coveney had a scheduled private meeting with the four Alliance ministers on Tuesday night where the atmosphere was described as positive.

Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar also dismissed claims by DUP leader Arlene Foster that there was never a hard Border.

"I remember it well," he said, adding: "There were customs checks.

"I remember the 24-hour rule and I remember seeing soldiers and I never want to see any of those things ever again."The scene of the tragic fire at Glenmaluck Road, Carrickmines . Picture By David Conachy 10/ 9/ 2015

THE portacabin which rapidly became engulfed in flames in the Carrickmines halting site blaze was a modified security hut with a steel lining that acted "like an oven," a fire expert has told the Dublin City Coroner's Court.

The inquest heard that "noxious" black smoke would have enveloped the mobile home within a number of minutes.

Five adults and five children died in the tragic fire at the Glenamuck Road halting site in south Dublin in October 2015.

David O'Connor, a certified fire safety engineer told the jury that he was asked by gardai to carry out a fire safety assessment of the site, approximately three weeks after the event.

Expand Close Fire Safety Engineer, David O'Connor who gave evidence at the inquest at Dublin Coroners Court into the deaths of 10 people at a fire on Glenamuck Halting Site, Carrickmines on 10th October 2015 pictured leaving the Coroners Court this afternoon. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Fire Safety Engineer, David O'Connor who gave evidence at the inquest at Dublin Coroners Court into the deaths of 10 people at a fire on Glenamuck Halting Site, Carrickmines on 10th October 2015 pictured leaving the Coroners Court this afternoon. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.

He was assisted by support documents and CCTV footage from gardai taken near the scene.

He explained to the inquest that fire safety requirements of building regulations did not apply to caravans as these units are considered temporary dwellings and are exempt from requirements.

"These units are considered temporary dwellings so are exempt from building regulations and control regulations," he said.

He said fire safety guidelines would apply if the local authority was carrying out works on halting sites. Otherwise, statutory obligations rest with the owner or occupier of dwellings there, he said.

He said examination had shown the fire had grown in two stages - with an initially ignited 'local fire' in 'unit two' of the halting site filling the living room with 'untenably hot smoke' in a number of minutes.

The entire unit would have become smoke filled soon afterwards and he estimated that this would have taken four minutes.

At some point, the fire would have rapidly increased, either from boiling over or from flaming oil. Windows and doors must have been open for it to grow so rapidly, he said.

He said petroleum-based polystyrene insulation in the walls meant that temperatures would have been much higher than that of a normal house fire. "It was off the charts," he said, describing it as being similar to "an articulated truck going on fire."

Mr O'Connor said he could find no evidence of any type of fire alarm system but agreed with coroner Myra Cullinane that unit two had been "completely destroyed" so he was unable to confirm what was there and unit three was 'very badly destroyed' so he could not say for sure if there was a fire alarm.

Since the Carrickmines blaze, a new guide to fire safety in existing traveller accommodation has been drawn up and there are now requirements for a smoke detector, an escape window and other requirements, said Mr O'Connor, adding that this was "a good thing that has been done" arising from the tragedy.Woman from Northern Ireland swallowed an entire plastic and foil packet of painkillers in the middle of the night and forgot about it (Photo: BMJ Journal)

Woman from Northern Ireland swallowed an entire plastic and foil packet of painkillers in the middle of the night and forgot about it (Photo: BMJ Journal)

A woman from Northern Ireland swallowed an entire plastic and foil packet of painkillers in the middle of the night and forgot about it  and doctors couldnt find it for more than two weeks.

The bizarre case, dated in November last year, is documented in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports, which revealed that the packet of Tramadol was eventually removed by surgeons after being stuck in her throat for 17 days.

It took four visits to Craigavon Area Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for doctors to discover the fit and well woman had swallowed the entire packet.

After being told the cause of her complaint the lady is reported to have said: I had no idea Id swallowed this. I couldnt believe it when I saw the picture!

The unnamed woman, in her 40s, had gone to A&E complaining of discomfort and difficulty swallowing. Doctors were initially baffled when X-rays and other examinations showed nothing lodged in her oesophagus, but the woman kept returning during a frightening three weeks.

After repeated tests and overnight stays in hospital, the packet was finally discovered and removed in an operation.

The patient claimed she had taken the prescription painkillers in the middle of the night, but she had no recollection of swallowing the entire plastic packet along with them.

Although the chunk of plastic was stuck in her throat for more than two weeks, the woman was still able to eat, drink and breathe normally.

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When doctors examined her originally she also had no problems moving her neck, and nothing unusual showed up in X-rays.

Following the first visit to A&E, doctors believed she had injured her throat while swallowing tablets normally, so told her to come back if there was no improvement in two days.

Only after another five days on her fourth visit did doctors send a camera down the patients throat and discover the true and peculiar cause of the problem.

She had swallowed her Tramadol tablets whole in the original foil packet which was lodged in the upper oesophagus, Dr David McCrory wrote in the case report.

She underwent rigid oesophagoscopy and removal of foreign body uneventfully (17 days after ingestion of her tablets!) and she was discharged after a period of observation.Transport difficulties: A road sign directs traffic to the Port of Ramsgate in England. Photo: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Cancer patients, diabetics and newborns in neonatal units are believed to be on the "critical list" being compiled to guard against medicine shortages here after Brexit.

The main concern is that a disorderly Brexit will mean a delay of containers with drug supplies at customs.

Ireland's medicines watchdog, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), has been working at various levels for two years to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

Although a list of critical medicines has yet to be finalised, the greatest risk is to a small number of products, including radioisotopes which have a short shelf-life and are used in radiotherapy for cancer patients.

Other medicines which could be affected are those which require cold storage. These include insulin, antibiotics and products like eye drops. The other drugs which are being given special consideration are those which need specialised manufacturing processes. Some products mentioned include total parenteral nutrition, which is specially formulated for sick or premature infants and imported from the UK.

Suppliers are being contacted to ensure there are contingency plans in place and the Revenue Commissioners are being asked to ensure customs delays are minimised.

Although patients are being told not to stockpile, suppliers are doing "bridging stock" which allows for eight to 10 weeks of drugs to be stored.

The HPRA has an existing system in place to deal with regular drugs shortages and there can be 45 notifications a month.

The preparations have also involved the big drug companies who supply branded medicine.

A spokesman for the large companies body, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, said: "Given the vital nature of our business to human health, the industry has been preparing for a 'no deal' Brexit.

"Our primary goal has been to protect patients.

"The industry is investing heavily in ensuring that we are prepared, as best we can, for every eventuality.

"That means reorganising supply chains and revising regulatory approvals so that delays getting medicines to patients are avoided."

Almost 70pc of medicines supplied in Ireland come to us from or through the UK.

This has meant drug giants re-organising how drugs are brought to Ireland and bypassing the UK in some cases.

Darragh O'Loughlin of the Irish Pharmacy Union, representing pharmacists, said they are waiting for the full critical list of medicines.

He said a lot of work has gone into preparations.

"A problem could arise where there is just one single source of supply. There may be just one company making the medicine. In the case of generic drugs, there are likely to be several manufacturers," he pointed out.

He also expressed concern about delays to trucks carrying medicines.

Other measures to help supply include working with the UK drug regulator to maintain joint labelling of products.On site: Work is under way at the new national childrens hospital next to St Jamess Hospital. Photo: Mark Condren

The massive bill for the new national children's hospital which is due to open its doors in 2022 will be at least 1.7bn, it emerged yesterday.

It has already spiralled from 983m to 1.4bn in the space of less than two years - but that will only cover the design, construction and equipping of the hospital.

However, it was revealed yesterday another 300m is needed to cover extras such as the IT system which has also gone 9m over budget.

The overrun of the long-awaited hospital, to be built on the site of St James's Hospital in Dublin, with two satellite centres, was described as a "catastrophic" failure by Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly yesterday.

He listed the range of other projects which are likely to be put on hold - including facilities for cystic fibrosis patients and extra beds for gridlocked University Hospital Limerick - because it will command so much of the health capital budget.

He was reacting to members of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board who were being grilled about the leap in costs at the Oireachtas Health Committee. The board admitted that lessons needed to be learned about how the project was managed.

Chairman Tom Costello said the 1.4bn which the board was responsible for would not increase and future risk was with the contractor.

But a separate 300m, overseen by children's hospital group chief Eilish Hardiman, is needed on top of this as well as philanthropic funding for its research centre.

Mr Costello said a two-stage tender process was used but the complexity of the project was underestimated.

Key areas of weakness included insisting on cost reductions from the contractor which later could not be delivered on.

They also had no early costings for the full amount of expensive cable for mechanical and electrical services needed for the digital-only hospital where doctors will use iPads instead of medical charts.

Mr Costello said in mid-2018 it became clear "there was a very significant gap development between the estimated quantities at tender stage and the quantities that were now required to deliver the completed design".

A 200m overrun was flagged to the Department of Health in August last year.

Project director John Pollock said the facility would be a digital hospital with 6,000 rooms which needed multiple data points. There has to be a "huge amount of duplication" including back-up systems, power supplies and generators, he added.

Other cost drivers included sprinklers which needed to be installed after the Grenfell fire in London and also the additional 90m which was added on because the finishing date was pushed out nine months to mid-2022.

The board said the two-stage procurement process was in line with best international practice and used in the construction of other hospitals - but they could not say if there were overruns on those projects.

Mr Costello said nobody had lost their job and no contract was ended due to the overrun.

The same contractor, BAM, was chosen to do the first stage and the second stage.

The hospital and centres will have a staff of 3,663, up from the current 3,330, said Ms Hardiman.

The first satellite centre in Connolly Hospital is due to be completed this summer.

The centre in Tallaght Hospital will be ready in the middle of next year.

Questioned by Labour TD Alan Kelly, they said they had told the Department of Health about the first stage of the escalation in cost in the middle of last year. The department confirmed yesterday it was told of the potential increase in construction costs in August.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Simon Harris said he had been "kept informed" last summer there was work still to be done and the assessment of costs needed to be concluded to reach a final figure in late December.

Once that came through he brought it to Cabinet for approval.

An independent review of how the capital costs were managed is to begin next week and completed in three months.Supermac's founder Pat McDonagh has revealed the company has been contacted by people from as far afield as Asia and Africa who are interested in becoming franchisees after the epic trademark win against McDonald's.

The Galway-based company took on the US giant over the 'Big Mac' trademark and won, in a case has that has attracted global attention.

Nearly 1,000 articles have been written in 52 countries with a reach of 530 million people, after it emerged that the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) made a ruling which gave a landmark legal victory to Supermac's on Tuesday.

McDonald's had been objecting to Supermac's using its own branding across Europe, specifically the 'Mac' part, on the basis of the similarity between the names.

However, this was a position the Irish company did not agree with.

"In their (McDonald's) submissions, they said that there could have been confusion either in the decor or the products of the restaurants. We couldn't see that there could have been confusion in that," Mr McDonagh said.

With their battle now behind them - although McDonald's is appealing - he said they have now received requests from people who would like to become franchisees in "at least 10 different countries, from the US, the UK, Asia, Africa, Australia and mainland Europe, all in the last 24 hours".

It's been a four-year battle to get to this point and the costs of it would run "certainly well into six-figure sums anyway", said the Supermac's founder.

"That is for the most part on legal fees and gathering information and a lot of our own time has gone into it as well," said Mr McDonagh, who got the nickname Supermac as a teenager.

Next up, it will look at its plans for expanding.

"The European office now has the opportunity to decide on granting us the Supermac trademark for a food service, so we can operate in the food service business basically.

"The lines have been drawn now and it's only a matter of decision. I know they were anxious to get this case decided on first, and I would hope it wouldn't take long.

"We have to get the trademark over the line first and then we can move from there."

The issue of expanding into Australia had been put on hold while the company concentrated on the trademark issue, but now it has succeeded, it can look again at its expansion plans.

The story has been covered all over the world including in the US, Canada, Australia and Malaysia.

Mr McDonagh said the brand has got "more recognition in the last 24 hours than for the last 20 years probably" in some of these countries.

"It has reached proportions of media coverage way beyond what I would have even considered, because we didn't do it for that reason, but I think it's because it is such a unique story."

He said he thought this was down to a number of factors.

"It is the David versus Goliath scenario where it's the big brand versus the smaller guy. Normally I suppose the support goes for the small operator at the end of the day."

The businessman said that the EUIPO "put considerable time and effort into deciding this. And what it means for general business is that larger companies can't hold trademarks and not use them," Mr McDonagh said.

"In other words, what they stated in that judgment is, if you are not using a trademark name, then you lose it."

Mr McDonagh said that this ruling would have benefits for smaller companies, because it "gives them an opportunity to use their name". Most people starting a business don't think of a trademark until they are up and running, he added.

Part of the ruling from EUIPO stated that the US multinational had not proven genuine use of the contested trademark Big Mac as a restaurant name.

"We are disappointed in the EUIPO's decision, and believe this decision did not take into account the substantial evidence submitted by McDonald's proving use of our Big Mac mark throughout Europe. We intend to appeal the decision and are confident it will be overturned by the EUIPO board of appeals," a McDonald's spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, in relation to the "iconic" McDonald's Big Mac burger, it said: "We have a range of intellectual property protection across the brand at an EU and national level and this remains unaffected by the recent EUIPO decision."FOOTAGE: Deirdre Jacob was 18 when she vanished yards from her home in Newbridge

THE family of Deirdre Jacob who went missing over 20 years ago near her home in Co Kildare are making a fresh public appeal to help find her.

A student in London, Deirdre had returned to her family home for the summer months in 1998 and on the afternoon of July 28 she vanished with her last known sighting outside her home at around 3pm that day.

Expand Close Deirdre Jacob's parents, Michael and Bernie. Photo: Mark Condren / Facebook

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Deirdre was reported to have went into town to get a bankdraft for her second year of student accommodation in London while also visiting her grandmother on the trip.

In a special report on tonights Prime Time programme on RTE, the young womans parents are to issue a fresh appeal for help in locating their daughter.

Deirdres younger sister Ciara, who was 14 at the time also makes a fresh appeal for information to help in the search for her older sister.

The 18-year old was spotted by eight different people who described the CAT bag with yellow lettering on the front she was carrying, on the day she disappeared.

In August 2018, detectives investigating the case reclassified it as murder with video footage discovered following her disappearance playing a crucial role in the investigation.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or you can reach detectives in Kildare on 045 521222.A Derry businesswoman has revealed she was removed from the finals of an Irish awards ceremony because she lives in Northern Ireland.

Bubblebum founder and CEO Grainne Kelly told BBC Radio Ulster she was contacted "out of the blue" to be told she was a finalist in the Irish Women's Business Awards.

The company behind the awards are UK-based Creative Oceanic, which holds awards ceremonies across Canada, UK and Ireland.

Mrs Kelly's company makes car booster seats for children and distributes them worldwide.

She said she had been asked to promote the awards on social media.

After not hearing from the awards for a number of weeks, she contacted them to ask for details of the presentation night, only to be told "because you don't live in Ireland we can't actually have you as a finalist in the award".

Mrs Kelly said she "was not complaining" at not being nominated, but told the organisers "last time I checked I actually do live in Ireland".

The businesswoman said she had won all-Ireland awards in the past with no issue.

She said that she told the organisers she lived in Derry, but was told "that's not in the South of Ireland".

"Ireland is an island, it's the island of Ireland split into two, it doesn't matter if you live in Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland," Mrs Kelly told them.

She said that the snub was akin to banning people from Scotland taking part in UK wide awards.

Mrs Kelly claimed the organisers told her that they were planning Northern Ireland awards in the future, which she declined to be part of.

"Once you are doing an all-Ireland award, a Northern Ireland award isn't as competitive, you want it to be as competitive as it possibly can," she said.

"There are so many people that are Irish that live in America, therefore technically they are saying if you live in America and you're Irish you can't enter either."

Mrs Kelly claimed that woman who lived around Belfast remained nominated for an award at the event.

"Derry is right on the border, I could live in Donegal if I want five days a week," she joked.

"I'm very confused about my identity now with all this Brexit chat, I don't know whether I'm allowed to be British, am I allowed to be Irish, what am I allowed to be?"

Mrs Kelly said the incident was a "miscommunication" from a company that "didn't understand the politics of Northern Ireland".

However, a spokesperson for Creative Oceanic said that the Irish Women's Awards 2019 aim to "recognise women from the Republic of Ireland" and that a separate awards ceremony for women in Northern Ireland will take place this year.

"Creative Oceanic is at the forefront of delivering unique campaigns and event strategies in thirteen different cities across the UK, Ireland and Canada; proving to be a definitive service in promoting meritorious professionals and developing brands by understanding the needs

and expectations of various industries," the company said in a statement.

"We previously launched the Scottish Womens Awards (Glasgow) which are already in their third year, the English Womens Awards Midlands (Leicester), The English Womens Awards North (Manchester) as well as The Welsh Womens Awards which will take place in March 2019.

"The Irish Womens Awards 2019 aim to recognise women from The Republic of Ireland and are; either resident or have a registered business fully-operating in the Republic of Ireland.

"It is vital that we create a level playing field and create boundaries for the smooth running of the awards and for the sake of fairness that all finalists satisfy the criteria mentioned above.

"There are exceptional women in Northern Ireland and Creative Oceanic is delighted to announce the inaugural Northern Ireland Womens Awards in Belfast later this year. Northern Ireland has equally many female role-models and success stories and we should not underestimate what the women working and living there have achieved.

"Our intention is not to discriminate or disqualify anyone from participating in the awards ceremonies as everyone is more than welcomed to get involved, however our criteria has to be met and this is done through due diligence on the finalists at an early stage. We have a vision to promote inspirational women and celebrate their achievements; and are delighted with the response and are not afraid to try things in a different way to achieve our goals."17/01/19 Michael Shine (86) of Ballsbridge, Dublin has pleaded not guilty to the thirteen charges allegedly committed during medical examinations at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth and at two private clinics in Drogheda. Pic Collins Courts

A retired surgeon has gone on trial accused of indecently assaulting seven boys under his care between the early 70s and 90s.

Michael Shine (86) of Ballsbridge, Dublin has pleaded not guilty to the thirteen charges allegedly committed during medical examinations at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth and at two private clinics in Drogheda.

The complainants were variously aged between 11 and 15 when Mr Shine is alleged to have indecently assaulted them.

Opening the prosecution case at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Cathleen Noctor SC told a jury of nine men and three women that it was up to the prosecution to prove the alleged charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Summarising the evidence expected before the jury, she said the first complainant was aged 11 in 1971 when he was hospitalised for surgery.

Ms Noctor said that while attending at Mr Shine's clinic on Laurence St in Drogheda, the surgeon examined the boy's wound and was alleged to have indecently assaulted the boy.

Ms Noctor said that during another check-up, Mr Shine indecently assaulted the boy.

She said a second complainant will allege that in a follow-up appointment after knee surgery, Mr Shine indecently assaulted him. This offence allegedly took place in 1972 when the boy was 14.

A third complainant will allege four counts of indecent assault on dates in 1973 and 1974, the court heard. This witness had attended at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital with stomach cramps.

He will say that while being examined by Mr Shine, the doctor indecently assaulted him, counsel said. He will also allege that Mr Shine assaulted him a number of times during post-operative follow-up appointments.

A fourth witness will testify that he underwent surgery on his testicle when he was aged 13 in 1975. Ms Noctor told the jury that this man will say that during a follow-up check-up, Mr Shine indecently assaulted him.

She said that it is alleged that Mr Shine attempted to assault another teenage boy during a examination following surgery on his testicle.

A sixth complainant was aged 15 in 1988 when he attended twice with the defendant following surgery on his finger. Counsel said that allegedly during both of these check-ups, Mr Shine indecently assaulted.

The final complainant attended at the Drogheda hospital some time in 1992 with a laceration on his penis foreskin. Ms Noctor said he will allege that during an examination, Mr Shine indecently assaulted him.

The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan.A JUDGE has ordered the arrest of a teenage mugger who was fed drugs and alcohol from the age of 10 by his aunt and uncle.

The then 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty in December to attempted robbery of a woman who had been out walking her dogs at Marina Village, Malahide, Dublin, on the night of April 15, 2017.

The Dublin Childrens Court heard the teen and another male approached her and demanded money. However, she stated she did not have any and they fled. He was due to appear again for sentencing today.

At his prior hearing, Judge John OConnor had indicated that he was minded to apply the Probation Act if the youth stayed out of trouble over Christmas and came back to court with a comprehensive letter of apology to the victim.

However, the teenager did not turn up to court today when the case was set to resume. Judge OConnor issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Garda Matthew OConnor had agreed with defence counsel Nora-Pat Stewart the teenager was remorseful when he was later interviewed at a care facility. He wanted to apologise, she told the court.

Ms Stewart said he had a difficult upbringing and had been fed drugs and alcohol and drugs by an uncle and an aunt from the age of 10.

The teens mother, who was present for the hearing last month, was aged 14 when she gave birth to him, the barrister said.

He went to live with the aunt and uncle, however, from the age of 10 they gave him alcohol and drugs.

He was later placed in a care home, however, while there he would be collected by men who brought him out to sell crack cocaine, Ms Stewart said.

The teenager was never caught in possession of drugs but had been caught with the money, Judge John OConnor was told.

He was then moved to another childrens home outside Dublin.

Counsel said the teen was taking part in an educational course and had a girlfriend who was a good influence on him.

Recently turned 18, he hoped to get steady employment and he had a good relationship with his mother's partner who was like a father to him, Ms Stewart said.

Addressing the court, his mother had said her son was not aggressive and she had prayed he could turn his life around.

She described the incident as totally out of character for him but he had been innocent and easily led by others since he was aged 10.

She had spoken about her own health problems and added that her son helps me with shopping and so much.

He can see that without drink and drugs you can have a happy life, she said.

She explained that the boy's granny could not cope with him and left him on his own with his uncle.

At 10, 11, 12, he had five overdoses and was in a coma at one stage, she had said, adding, it was a very bad coma, for a kid at 14, for having cocaine, Valium and some things Im not too sure about myself, it was a list of endless tablets, he wasnt right for a week after it.

The mother said her son has remained in contact with some of his care worker since turning 18 and they also keep an eye on him.

The teens uncle has also managed to quit drugs but there also had been a number of deaths in the family and her grandmother had a breakdown, she had said.

The youth has no prior criminal convictions.Plans to urgently replace data retention laws struck down following a legal challenge by convicted murderer Graham Dwyer have been hit by the Brexit turmoil.

As a result of the High Court ruling last month, gardai have been unable to access phone records in criminal investigations.

The Irish Independent has learned the Department of Justice sought to have a new Communications (Data Retention) Bill included on a list of "priority legislation" to be published by the Government this spring. However, it failed to make the list, with just a small number of bills being designated priority legislation.

This is because much of the resources of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, which drafts legislation, are being taken up with a mammoth 17-section emergency bill to deal with contingencies in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

That bill will contain key measures relating to healthcare arrangements, energy, taxation, financial services, public transport regulation, extradition and immigration.

Last month the High Court ruled that aspects of Ireland's data retention laws, under which gardai gathered mobile phone evidence against Graham Dwyer, contravened EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court later heard that as a result of the ruling, requests by gardai for phone data in relation to the investigation, prevention and detection of crime were not being acceded to. Requests were still being made, however, for access to retained phone data where a person's life was at risk, or in matters of State security, in accordance with the court's judgment.

Mobile phone data proved crucial in the case against Dwyer, who now intends to use the High Court ruling to support a challenge to his conviction for the 2012 murder of Elaine O'Hara.

Despite not making the Government's priority legislation list, it is understood the Department of Justice is hopeful new data retention laws can be introduced soon.

Just six pieces of legislation made the list, published on Tuesday by chief whip Sean Kyne.

In addition to the Brexit omnibus bill, the other priority legislation listed were bills allowing for the setting-up of a CervicalCheck tribunal, the extension of the franchise in Presidential elections, the revision of European Parliament constituencies, the holding of a divorce referendum in May, and changes to the regulation of heath professionals.

In addition to the data retention bill, important new legislation to provide statutory powers in relation to the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan also looks set to be delayed after failing to make the priority list.

Also absent from the list were bills providing for the exchange of criminal records information between EU states, repealing the offence of blasphemy, and enacting provisions relating to electronic court services.

A bill which would permit the IDA to participate in partnership arrangements for the development of critical industrial and commercial property in regional locations also failed to make the priority list.Campaigners calling for a second referendum to resolve the Brexit deadlock are claiming they have growing support - but there are many questions to be answered.

How could a second Brexit referendum come about?

Holding a referendum requires an Act of Parliament. The most obvious way would be for the UK government to table a simple stand-alone Bill, as was the case for the 2016 referendum. However, Prime Minister Theresa May has made clear she is firmly opposed to the idea.

An alternative route could be for MPs to try to amend another piece of relevant legislation.

How long would a second Brexit referendum take?

In the case of the 2016 referendum, it took seven months to get the Bill through Parliament - although in practice it could be done much more quickly.

The UK's Electoral Commission then has a statutory duty to assess the referendum question to ensure it is intelligible and free from bias - a process which would normally take up to 12 weeks, although again it could be shortened.

The legislation would specify the length of the referendum campaign. All recent campaigns have lasted at least 10 weeks.

Overall, the UK's Institute for Government estimates the whole process could take up to five months.

What would that mean for the Brexit timetable?

On current plans, Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, so it could not be completed by then.

Therefore, for a referendum to be held, the British government would have to go to Brussels to ask for an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process - something the EU may or may not grant.

What would be the question on the new Brexit referendum ballot paper?

This is where it gets complicated.

Generally referendums offer a simple choice between two options - as in 2016 when it was Leave or Remain. However, most MPs accept that there would have to be at least three options - leave with a deal, leave without a deal, or remain in the EU.

How would that work?

Various ideas have been floated.

One would be for voters to rank the options in order of preference. If none of the options gained an overall majority of first preference votes, the one with the fewest votes would be eliminated and its second preference votes would be distributed among the other two.

Alternatively, voters could just be given one choice. If none received an overall majority, the one with the fewest votes would again be eliminated, but under this scheme the other two options would then go forward to a final ballot a week later.

A third way could be to have a two-question ballot. The first would ask if voters wanted to Leave or Remain. The second would ask them to choose between a deal and a no-deal Brexit in the event that there is still a majority for Leave.

Where do the British political parties stand on a second Brexit referendum?

The Conservatives officially oppose a second referendum, arguing that voters made their views clear in 2016 and that another ballot would simply exacerbate the bitter divisions opened up by the Brexit debate.

However, a growing number of mainly Remain-supporting backbench Tory MPs are warming to the idea, believing it offers a way out of the current impasse.

Labour says it wants a general election, but if that is not possible all options are on the table - including a second referendum.

Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longstanding Eurosceptic, has, however, shown little enthusiasm for the idea, while some of his supporters fear it could alienate traditional Labour voters in Leave-supporting areas.

However, he is facing a groundswell of support from within the party for another vote, including from many of the young Momentum activists who propelled him to the leadership and who are passionately opposed to Brexit.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the SNP - which opposes Brexit - will back a second referendum.

Are there any precedents for a second referendum?

In the UK, not really. However in other countries including Ireland, where referendums are more common, there is a history of giving voters a chance to think again.

For example in 2009, Irish voters supported ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty, having rejected it at the first time of asking.

Similarly, in 2002, Irish people voted for the Nice Treaty on the second occasion.The First Dates Ireland restaurant has never had a dater quite like Lorraine O'Connell.

The bubbly Limerick woman appears on tonight's episode and is a whirlwind who gets maitre d' Mateo and barman Ethan Miles to partake in shots, steals her date's strawberries, and manages to accidentally spit out her wine.

Lorraine (52) was encouraged to apply for the show by her friend Ursula over a bottle of wine, "You can blame the vino!" she laughs.

"To be honest I was doing it for the craic. I never thought I'd be picked. You do these mad things when you're a woman of a particular age you just try these things. Well, I do anyway!"

Lorraine is looking for a man like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean crossed with a little Orlando Bloom in Lord of the Rings with a touch of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

She is paired with office licence manager Peter.

Without giving too much away, Lorraine says they had "great craic" and she woke up the next morning "with pains in my stomach from laughing".

However, at one point during the date she breaks dating etiquette by answering a phone call from Ursula, forcing Peter to pop to the loo.

When he gets there, he phones a friend and says, "I don't know, I don't really know. It's not what I expected. This woman is just 100 per cent full on!"

During his absence Lorraine steals the strawberries from his dessert plate.

"I was terrible wasn't I?" she laughs. "Everyone was giving out to me about the strawberries but I'm coeliac and when you're coeliac you get the same things every time and I saw his dessert come out and I thought, 'Oh, will I?' and I did!"

At one point she spat out her wine accidentally. "I had a few glasses of wine. As you can tell I love the vino and it just kind of happened, it just got caught. I'd say he looked at me and went, 'What the...?'"

Lorraine, who loves vintage style and is in the process of setting up an online vintage clothing business, says she would thoroughly recommend taking part in the show.

"It was an experience and a half," she says. "I had such a crack. The whole team were very good as well.

"Don't let anybody older or with a disability or anything hold them back. Irish people are afraid to try things when they get older but they should try it whether you get a good outcome out of it or a bad outcome out of it.

"Life is life and it's getting shorter and shorter so enjoy it. You'll always have the negative and the positive."

And as for romance she says that despite her fun attitude, she would like to have a little romance in her life.

"There's nothing like a little loving. There's nothing like a little loving, nothing like meeting someone and having a kiss and a hug and whatever else comes out of it. A release of tension!"

Lorraine says she never saw herself getting married, although she admits she did contemplate getting hitched during one long term relationship in her forties.

"There was one guy I would have married but that didn't work out. Sure what can you do?" she says.

"It took me a while to get over. We were too much alike. Burt things are tough if you make them tough. It just didn't work out for me. It was just one of those things."

First Dates Ireland continues on RTE2 tonight at 9.30pm.A young Polish woman who found herself without somewhere to live when she moved to Ireland with her family in 2006 is looking for love on First Dates Ireland tonight.

Dominika Kowalska is now 24 and has graduated from IADT in Dun Laoghaire, but was forced to sleep in the airport with her mum and two brothers when they moved to Dublin when she was 12.

"We arrived in Ireland at the end of May. Mum had a friend who was meant to help us," she told the Herald.

However, the friend didn't show up.

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"The first night here we slept in the airport and then we bought a family bus ticket and were just walking around the city centre," said Dominika.

"We got to a building - a citizen information centre - and my brother had a bit of English."

They secured a room in a hostel on Gardiner Street, where they lived for several weeks.

"Mum had 1,000 in her pocket and a full bag of hair supplies - she was a hairdresser so was hoping she could do hair here," said Dominika.

"She paid 500 for one week to live in the room there.

"Finally, her friend got in touch and we moved to a flat in Crumlin with the help of a few friends.

"It was hard but it made us stronger.

"Eventually we moved to bigger places and then we moved to the country. We picked up four dogs on the way, so we had to find a space big enough."

Dominika has a daughter, Rennea (3), and said she was looking for someone who would understand the situation and take things seriously.

She will be matched with Paul from Galway tonight.

"I knew what I wasn't looking for. I have a daughter so I wanted a guy who would be serious," she said.

She said her mum also got behind her for the show.

"We still live together and I wouldn't have been able to graduate without her," said Dominika.

First Dates Ireland is on RTE Two tonight at 9.30pmA Bros documentary has proved such an unlikely iPlayer hit that TV bosses have decided to broadcast it on BBC Two.

Comments on everything from hindsight and the meaning of home to superstition by twins Matt and Luke Goss in the film prompted giggles from viewers and were mocked online.

The documentary followed the brothers, briefly one of the biggest bands in the world, before they reunited for two 30th anniversary gigs.

It aired on BBC Four in December and became a talking point, with viewers searching it out on iPlayer.

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Jan Younghusband, BBC music head of TV commissioning, said: Since its first broadcast on BBC Four at Christmas and then becoming a huge hit on BBC iPlayer, Bros: After the Screaming Stops has been one of the most talked about and much-loved documentaries of the year.

So were delighted to bring it to BBC Two so even more people can enjoy this very special film.

David Soutar, director of production company Fulwell73, told the Press Association: We knew we were on to something special when we began filming Matt and Luke in 2017 and we were determined to deliver something different to what viewers might expect.

The huge popularity of this film is a testament to the power of their story and we cant wait for even more people to see it next week on BBC Two.

The 1980s boyband sold out stadiums around the world and became the youngest to play Wembley Stadium.

The film charted the brothers reunion 28 years on, having hardly spoken and not played together since their split.

It sparked comparisons to mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap but the phenomenal success of the documentary led to the announcement of a Bros Coming Home gig at the O2 Academy Brixton.

Bros: After the Screaming Stops will air on BBC Two from 10.45pm on Saturday January 26.5 Seconds Of Summer star Michael Clifford is engaged after proposing to his girlfriend (Yui Mok/PA)

5 Seconds Of Summer star Michael Clifford is engaged after proposing to his girlfriend.

The Australian pop star tweeted three pictures of him and fiancee Crystal Leigh, including the moment he got down on one knee while on holiday in Bali, Indonesia.

In the other two images the couple, who have been together for three years, are seen embracing while showing off her diamond ring.

I was lucky enough to ask the love of my life to marry me in the place it all began for us. in the last 3 years she has helped evolve and shape who I am in ways I could never have imagined. I couldnat ask for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with. I love loving you. pic.twitter.com/4uDb9bo2bL  michael_is_a_penguin (@Michael5SOS) January 16, 2019

Clifford, 23, captioned the post: I was lucky enough to ask the love of my life to marry me in the place it all began for us. in the last 3 years she has helped evolve and shape who I am in ways I could never have imagined. I couldnt ask for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with. I love loving you.

According to US Weekly, Clifford and Leigh were on holiday at a resort in Bali, where they shared their first kiss.

The 1975s Medicine played in the background when Clifford proposed on Friday January 11, the publication said.

Clifford is the lead guitarist for 5 Seconds Of Summer, whose hits include She Looks So Perfect, Youngblood, and Want You Back.

In 2015 he burned his face following an incident involving pyrotechnics during a 5 Seconds Of Summer concert at Londons Wembley Stadium.Forward thinking: Tullow CEO Paul McDade says it is a good time to accelerate its drilling programme in Guyana

Tullow Oil has brought forward its drilling programme in Guyana, where Exxon Mobil has racked up discoveries of billions of barrels.

The Dublin-listed company originally planned to start drilling wells at the end of this year, but is now set to begin in the second quarter because of the excitement over Exxon's nearby discoveries, Tullow CEO Paul McDade has said.

"We felt it would be good to try and accelerate the programme," he said.

While Tullow acquired new licences off Ivory Coast, Suriname, Comoros and Peru in 2018, its focus this year will be on Guyana - where Exxon has found five billion barrels of recoverable oil.

In a trading update yesterday Tullow, which was founded 34 years ago by Aidan Heavey, said it will drill the Jethro prospect in the second quarter of 2019 as the first of two planned wells on the Orinduik block in Guyana.

A prospect called Carapa will be tested on the Kanuku licence, also in Guyana, in the third quarter of this year.

Tullow expects production to be in the region of 93,000-101,000 barrels of oil per day in 2019.

This is an increase on the 88,200 barrels of oil per day produced by the company in 2018, the majority of which came from the Ghanaian fields.

Tullow plans to drill seven wells in Ghana this year, where it estimates output will eventually reach as much as 180,000 barrels a day.

Increasing production in Ghana means it will likely remain Tullow's output hub, though a discovery in Guyana could create another focus area, Mr McDade said.

The company has around a 20pc chance of making a significant discovery in Guyana, Tullow's director of exploration Angus McCoss said in November.

The group said yesterday that full-year revenue for 2018 is expected to be around $1.8bn (1.6bn).

Tullow expects gross profit to be approximately $1.1bn (961m) for 2018.

Tullow had free cash flow of about $410m in 2018, which was slightly lower than previous guidance, due to ongoing talks with the Government of Uganda to finalise the sale of its stake in a project there, which is now expected to be completed in the first half of 2019.

Meanwhile, net debt at year-end was approximately $3.1bn, gearing the company at 1.9 times.

Job Langbroek, analyst at Davy Stockbrokers, said that while the guidance from Tullow ensured there were no real surprises, "the update underlines the fact that better oil prices and a growing production profile builds significant cash flows."

"Moreover, future scheduled production growth from discovered resources is substantial. All this is a platform for the re-start of the new ventures business in the group," Mr Langbroek added.

(Additional reporting Bloomberg)Bad deal: Declan Ganley believes spectrum allocation policies have been wrong-headed and that the auction system is bad for the mobile industry and its customers. Photo: AFP/Getty

Can the world trust Chinese telecoms infrastructure firms to build our 5G mobile networks?

This is arguably the biggest issue facing the telecoms industry as countries prepare the rollout of next-generation cellular systems that could control vast swathes of vital infrastructure.

Everything from national traffic management and self-driving cars to the power grid and health systems is expected to pass through the 5G networks now being planned.

But a growing chorus of critics claim that some of the companies leading the 5G industry can not be trusted because of overly close links to the Chinese government. This, the mostly American agitators claim, is unacceptable because it could give Beijing potential access to critical national assets. The critics charge that Chinese companies are, by necessity, tied closely with Chinese authorities that demand a much closer grip on communications than Western countries.

In recent months, a series of international incidents involving Chinese telecoms firms has heightened tension around the topic.

The Chinese firm Huawei, in particular, has been embroiled in controversy. Last week, it fired an employee who was arrested for spying in Poland. Late last year, Canadian authorities arrested Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on foot of a US warrant. The CFO is also the daughter of Huawei's chairman.

Huawei comes in for close attention because it's such a big player in communications network infrastructure. It now has 28pc of the world's networking market, overtaking Ericsson and Nokia to become the biggest player.

This means it is to the fore in the new generations of 5G mobile networks and core broadband infrastructure.

For example, Eir is planning to invest 150m in a 5G mobile network upgrade that's based on Huawei kit. Vodafone and the ESB, through their nationwide Siro fibre broadband venture, build their key infrastructure using Huawei. BT Ireland uses it too.

What US authorities claim is that using infrastructure on this scale opens up the possibility of manipulation, even if unintentional, by the Chinese government.

But are such claims sheer paranoia?

One telecoms executive who thinks the Americans are right to protest is Declan Ganley, the Galway-based Rivada Networks founder. Ganley is known to Irish people more for his political forays into issues like European treaties and abortion. But in the telecoms world he has been a long-standing figure, with substantial contracts in the US. His company, which has raised close to 100m in funding and counts the billionaire Peter Thiel as a backer, is developing a speciality in spectrum arbitrage, an idea that the frequencies and bandwidth that mobile operators use should be freed up using a commercial exchange system.

It has also been heavily involved in bidding for international contracts, including an expensive pitch for a major Mexican state service which it controversially lost last year.

In Ireland, Ganley has a long history in the mobile business, losing out on a cellular licence in the 1990s. In recent times, however, he has emerged as one of Ireland's most vocal critics to giving Chinese telecoms infrastructure companies such as Huawei contracts to build new 5G networks in European countries.

Is this an ideological crusade? Does he hate Chinese tech companies?

"I don't hate Chinese technology companies," Ganley says. "What I do strongly dislike is unfair competition. What I don't like with regard to China is that they have made their technology companies an arm of Chinese strategic foreign policy. I don't think that's good for those companies and I don't think it's good for the world. As we get into the ecosystem of the Internet of Things, you're going to have everything from air conditioning, to refrigeration, transport, storage, medical devices, pharmaceutical dispensing, automated manufacturing machines, agriculture, municipal power supplies and everything else connected. In a cyberwar, if you wanted to take down the electrical grid in a city like New York, all you'd have to do is get everybody's air conditioning turned up by two degrees on a hot day."

But isn't this a little paranoid? Where's the proof that any of this is on the horizon in any way? "Chinese companies are required by law to share data and information with the Chinese government," says Ganley. "This is not an option for them and it's not a secret."

This message is one that US politicians have been touting for some time, with damaging effect on Chinese firms.

Eighteen months ago, Huawei was humiliated when the main US mobile operators pulled out of arrangements to sell Huawei phones after US authorities advised them to do so. This destroyed any chance of Huawei making an impact on the US market, the most important after China and the EU. It was a big deal because Huawei is now the world's second-biggest smartphone seller, recently creeping ahead of Apple to trail only Samsung.

Last month, Britain's biggest telecoms operator was reported to be scaling back its use of Huawei equipment for security reasons. British Telecom will now move Huawei kit away from 'core' network functions in rolling out 5G infrastructure, the 'Financial Times' reported.

The Australian and New Zealand governments have also adopted policies against equipment from Chinese telecoms manufacturers.

But all of this begs an obvious question: why telecoms firms? If there is some Chinese plot to infiltrate our communications using Chinese equipment, why do Ganley and many other critics use iPhones and laptops that are universally built in China under Chinese supervision?

"This is going to be an issue for all of those companies," says Ganley.

But he still uses a smartphone, right?

"Absolutely. And yes, its many components are manufactured in China right now. But that is going to become an issue. As we enter into this more connected cyber world, trusted sources of supply are going to become much more pertinent than they have been up until now. And this is going to become an issue for more than just the companies that we've talked about."

There is another element nagging at the narrative of why the West should avoid using Chinese telecoms networks for reasons of security and infiltration - Edward Snowden.

The revelations that the US whistleblower brought to light made us realise that the US-based services we use everyday, from Gmail to Microsoft to Facebook, are routinely scanned and infiltrated by US authorities. Any partially interested tech industry observer would also assume that the UK's GCHQ security services do likewise.

If he is worried about backdoors into infrastructure and nation-state infiltration, does this not bother Ganley?

"It would if I didn't trust the US system," he says. "While the US system has its flaws, it's arguably the least worst system of government we have in the world. I trust them more to be responsible guardians of the rules that govern my data than the Communist Party of China.

"Without getting into the weeds on this, I don't like violations of privacy by any government. I believe in freedom. I believe in small government. And small government is not a government that knows everything that you're doing every hour of the day. They shouldn't have the ability to know that. But if I had to pick one that was going to potentially have access to that, who would I trust to allow my data to be looked at? At the very bottom of the list would be the Communist Party of China."

Chinese companies aren't the only telecoms-related topic on Ganley's mind.

The shape and purpose of 5G services themselves, independent of who builds them, is also something that the businessman believes needs addressing.

Ganley is a long time critic of mobile licensing systems. He believes that spectrum - the critical, finite bandwidth in which companies are allowed to offer mobile services - is being wasted.

"Our policy towards spectrum allocation in the West has been wrong-headed for the best part of almost 20 years," he says. "In fact it has been since we started doing the 3G licence auctions. We created a situation where we ended up with oligopolies or concentrations of ownership of wireless spectrum in companies that have become rent-seekers."

Ganley believes that the auction system, in particular, short-changes the entire industry and consumers, too.

"It leaves them short when you actually have to start developing services for it," he says. "Because if you've written a massive cheque up front for the government, then obviously the amount of money that you can then raise to invest in infrastructure in developing the asset is going to be a bit less."

But isn't that a basic market calculation done by the investing operator? If they can't afford to develop the service, they won't bid as much for the licence, right?

"The market theory should go that way except that this is much more akin to feudal economics than free-market economics," says Ganley.

"It's like picking a few landowners. If we sold real estate the same way that we sell spectrum, we'd be saying you can own real estate as long as you can bid 500 million acres at a time and that you'll be one of only three or four bidders at that point. There aren't going to be many bidders for that. And whoever is in is going to have to write a really big cheque to the government for the rights to that.

"Then what are you going to invest into your 500 million acres? Great high tech cities? Probably not as you're not going to have a lot of spare cash to do that. So you're going to do what the feudal lords did, you're going to charge your rent and you are going to become a rent-seeker. And you're only going to invest enough in your property so that you can continue to collect the rent."

In other words, mobile services and bandwidth availability aren't being as developed as quickly as they might optimally be.

But if this is true, what about the iPhone economy? Haven't smartphones changed things more quickly than any other product we've had in history? They have only been able to do that given the 3G and 4G networks they've operated on. Isn't that proof that the system is actually working?

"I very strongly believe that we would be much further down the track in terms of where technology would have bought us," says Ganley.

"The cost of data is so high that if you did not have the need to pay it off and service these massive one-time auction fees, the money would have been free to be invested into research and development."Apple chief executive Tim Cook has called for a new privacy law in the US, claiming that shadowy data brokers are eroding peoples trust in technology.

The longstanding Apple boss wants US authorities to move closer to a European level of data privacy and to "shine a light on actors trafficking in your data behind the scenes".

Apple has begun taking a harder line on the issue of privacy over the last two years, seeking to distance itself from companies such as Facebook and Google, which Cook has previously criticised for building "detailed profiles of people".

"Consumers shouldnt have to tolerate another year of companies irresponsibly amassing huge user profiles, data breaches that seem out of control and the vanishing ability to control our own digital lives," Cook will say in an article for Time today.

"Thats why I and others are calling on the US Congress to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation, a landmark package of reforms that protect and empower the consumer."

Cook took particular aim at so-called 'data brokers', which hoover up personal information about people and create profiles that become difficult to parse, expunge or correct.

"One of the biggest challenges in protecting privacy is that many of the violations are invisible," Cook said.

"For example, you might have bought a product from an online retailer, something most of us have done. But what the retailer doesnt tell you is that it then turned around and sold or transferred information about your purchase to a "data broker", a company that exists purely to collect your information, package it and sell it to yet another buyer.

"The trail disappears before you even know there is a trail. Right now, all of these secondary markets for your information exist in a shadow economy thats largely unchecked, out of sight of consumers, regulators and lawmakers.

"We think every user should have the chance to say, 'wait a minute, thats my information that youre selling and I didnt consent'."

Its not the first time that Cook has criticised the online business model of free services that monetise personal data.

And it comes as data brokers have begun to attract greater scrutiny in Europe rolling the introduction of the GDPR privacy law, with some hosting databases containing billions of personal data transactions that fall largely outside the vision of the people attached to the personal data.

Cooks move comes as the Irish Data Protection Commissioner pursues 16 separate data privacy investigations into multinational firms based in Ireland. At least two of these relate to Facebook, according to a spokesman for the DPC.

"The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetised our customer if our customer was our product," Cook said in a recent interview with Recodes Kara Swisher. "Weve elected not to do that."

Cook said that citizens should have the right "to have personal data minimised", the rightto know "what data is being collected and why", to data access and to proper data security.

"Meaningful, comprehensive federal privacy legislation should not only aim to put consumers in control of their data, it should also shine a light on actors trafficking in your data behind the scenes," he said.Bumper sales at the Blanchardstown and Henry Street Ann Summers stores contributed to revenues increasing sharply at the Ann Summers Irish retail operation - up to 3.46m last year.

"Our two new flagship stores in Blanchardstown and Dublin continue to outperform the rest of the estate," said Ann Summers CEO Jacqueline Gold.

New accounts show that revenues at Ann Summers Retail Ltd increased by 15pc - from 3m to 3.46m - in the 53 weeks to the end of June 30 last. In a statement accompanying the accounts, CEO Ms Gold said that she was pleased to report the 15pc growth in sales at the Irish unit and a 24pc reduction in operating losses to 702,522. After paying interest charges of 73,718, the business recorded a pre-tax loss of 776,240 - down 28pc on the pre-tax loss of 1.07m recorded in fiscal 2017.

The principle activity of the business is the sale of lingerie, apparel and adult toys. Ms Gold said that the group continues to make significant investment in its Irish and UK operations including a new IT infrastructure, key flagship stores and a brand re-launch - "all of which are part of a long-term strategy to grow our business". Ms Gold added: "We continued to roll out our store refurbishment programme both in the UK and Ireland.

The Blanchardstown and Henry St shops opened in 2017 and 2016 respectively.Are you on the hunt for a new role in sales? Whether youre starting from scratch or ready to take your career to the next level there are plenty of available roles out there.

To help you with your search we have rounded up ten posts that caught our attention this week. Now all you have to do is apply. Best of luck!

Account Director (Business Development), BT Ireland

Are you self-motivated, client-orientated and ambitious? If you answered yes you should apply for this great role in BT Ireland. Responsibilities include relationship building, hitting targets, negotiating contracts and client acquisition. Find out more about this role online now.

Team Manager (Customer Success), MongoDB

MongoDB set up their Irish office five years ago with just 10 employees. Today, they employ nearly 100 people across nine teams in the heart of Ballsbridge. They are currently hiring a team manager. The ideal candidate will be highly organised, customer-focused and a team player. Apply for this role with just one click here.

Key Account Manager, Europcar

Europcar are on the hunt for an excellent key account manager. The main responsibilities include growing their customer base, creating business development plans and ensuring the account sales administration is fully up to date. If you want to apply youll need to have strong communication skills, great customer service skills and an impressive track record. Click here to apply for this role.

German Inside Sales, MD7

If youre a fluent German speaker then this could be the role for you. MD7 are hiring for an inside sale role. The job has many duties including managing a portfolio of existing contracts, outbound and inbound calls, reviewing lease documents and liaising with the leave processor team. The job comes with lots of benefits like uncapped commission, gym membership, dental insurance, Cycle to Work Scheme and lots of team events. Apply now.

Influencer Account Executive, Outset Agency

If you have at least one years experience in social media, digital marketing, PR or talent management you should check out this influencer account executive role. The job includes opportunity spotting, management of online talent databases, management of digital influencer campaigns and ad-hoc support. What are you waiting for? Apply for this fantastic role today.

Sales Development Specialist, CarGurus

CarGurus is the #1 visited online car shopping website in the US. They are looking for a sales development specialist to join their growing Dublin team. The successful candidate will have an entrepreneurial attitude, the ability to multi-task in a rapidly-changing work environment and strong communication skills. Find out more here.

Door-to-Door Sales Representatives, Save & Switch

Do you have experience in door-to-door sales? Save & Switch need someone with a drive to succeed to join their busy Dublin-based team. The role comes with uncapped commission and lots of opportunities for promotion. Do you have what it takes? Apply on Jobbio today.

Inside Sales Executive, CPM Ireland

CPM Ireland is looking for enthusiastic inside sales executives to help generate sales for their client, One4All. The right candidate will be proactive, have a working knowledge of website technology and be comfortable with IT in general. Some experience in sales or customer service is ideal but not a prerequisite. Get more details here.

Full-Time Sales Assistant, OBriens Wine

Do you know your pinot grigio from your sauvignon blanc? OBriens Wine is hiring full-time sales assistants. Employees are expected to provide a high standard of customer service, check stocks are maintained, keep a high level of merchandising standards and be constantly working to improve their wine knowledge. Apply online now.

Senior Sales Executive, eShopWorld

eShopWorld are seeking a passionate and entrepreneurial senior sales executive. The role will focus on direct sales in the U.S. and Canada. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and driving business development opportunities as well as sales strategy development and supporting customer growth efforts. To apply youll need to have at least 8 years of proven sales success. Find out more here.

Inside Sales Account Manager, Attitude Technologies

Attitude Technologies specialises in high-quality GPS real-time tracking systems. Based in Cork, this innovative company is currently on the lookout for an inside sales account manager. They need someone with three years of experience, strong communication skills and an entrepreneurial mindset. Apply through Jobbio today.

Corporate Account Executive, Nitro

Nitro need a German-speaking corporate account executive to produce incremental sales revenue. Key responsibilities include developing business cases, understanding pipeline development and diversification and maintaining a sustained level of calls and emails. Could this be the role for you? Read the full job description here.

Inside Sales, Flipdish

Flipdish is one of the fastest growing startups in Ireland. They power ordering websites and apps for restaurants, takeaways, cafes, and convenience stores in over 10 countries. They are currently hiring for an inside sales representative. The duties include reseller sourcing and management, meeting monthly quotas and inbound lead qualification. Apply here.

Powered by:A lot of bottle: The newly-merged entity would have a total of 3,200 suppliers, creating a milk pool of 1.8-billion litres  second only in size to Glanbias 2.5-billion litres

The UK's competition watchdog has launched a probe into a merger between two Irish dairy co-ops.

The merger of LacPatrick in Monaghan, and Lakeland Dairies, based in Cavan, was backed by well over 90pc of the co-ops' farmer members in meetings last year.

Now the UK's Competition and Markets Authority has announced the start of its inquiry into the merger plans between Lakeland Dairies (NI) Ltd and Lacpatrick Cooperative Society.

It had announced a preliminary intention to investigate the deal in November.

The CMA said it will be considering whether the merger could be expected to result "in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services".

It's calling for any parties with concerns over competition or public interest matters arising from the merger to contact them. The merger would create the second-largest dairy processor on the island, with a milk pool of 1.8-billion litres.

Alo Duffy, the chairman of Lakeland, said it would pay a "sustainable and competitive milk price in line with market conditions".

At meetings in October, 97.24pc of Lakeland members voted in favour, while 95.99pc of LacPatrick farmers gave the thumbs-up.

The newly-merged entity will be known as Lakeland Dairies, with a total of 3,200 suppliers creating a milk pool second in size to Glanbia, which has 2.5 billion litres.

There are around 600 Northern Ireland suppliers to Monaghan-based LacPatrick, and 750 which supply milk to Cavan-based Lakeland.

In a recent New Year message to farmers, Lakeland said it was looking to boost sales in the Middle East and Asia, saying that in recent months it had hosted 140 customers from those regions.Mainstream Renewable Power has interests around the world, including Africa, and is looking to expand globally

Mainstream Renewable Power has attracted 50m of investor demand for shares made available on a private trading venue.

The privately-held company put in place a so-called grey market to allow investors to either buy into, or sell out of, the business. Everyone who wanted to sell was matched with a buyer, the Irish Independent understands.

A price of 9 was put on each share - suggesting a value of some 540m for Mainstream after the grey market sale closes. That's a discount to the company's view that it is worth 11.70 a share, communicated to shareholders in a letter in August.

Mainstream told shareholders it would set a price that would make buying Mainstream shares "an attractive investment opportunity for incoming third-party investors".

"Attracting new third-party investors is an important element in achieving a successful and liquid grey market," the company told shareholders.

The share sales are expected close next month, with another grey market providing another opportunity for investors to enter or exit the company expected to launch in the middle of next year.

The company settled on the grey market option, having said for some time it was seeking a mechanism that would allow investors to sell their shares.

Two investors, Barclays and a Japanese company called Marubeni, have exited the business on foot of the deal.

Separately, the company announced yesterday that it has put in place a new 90m debt facility.

The money comes via HSBC and DNB Bank. Mainstream can increase the facility to 200m if it can bring in new lenders, subject to the approval of HSBC and DNB.

The funds will be used to develop Mainstream's various projects around the world.

Mainstream said the first tranche is likely to be used for commitments relating to a massive 1.3 gigawatt (1,300 megawatt) planned project in Chile.

Mainstream group CEO Andy Kinsella said the deal would give the company "the freedom to pursue large-scale development opportunities around the world".

"First up, it will help us to fund the first phase of our fully-contracted 1.3-gigawatt Andes Renewables wind and solar platform in Chile, where our assets are ensuring renewable energy continues to outcompete both new and existing fossil-fired generation".

Michael Lalor, head of corporate banking for Ireland at HSBC, said the deal would help the bank in "advancing our global green credentials while also highlighting the strength of our network and trade finance".

Having sold a massive offshore wind farm project in Scotland for more than 600m, Mainstream is now looking to build out various renewable projects in countries around the world, including the Chile project.

It has said it does not see itself as a long-term holder of assets - preferring to sell projects to long-term investors. Renewable assets are often attractive to pension funds because they provide a steady stream of income.

Mainstream is chaired by Eddie O'Connor, who founded the business after the sale of Airtricity, which he also founded, to SSE for 2.2bn.Irish med tech firm Diaceutics is opening a new regional hub in Singapore in an effort to expend its presence across the Asian market.

The Dundalk-based company, which uses diagnostics intelligence to connect patients to the right drugs, estimates that there are currently more than 300 targeted oncology drugs in late stage development across this region.

Diaceutics currently works with 166 laboratories across Asia and more than 10pc of the companys annual revenues come from this market.

Its move into the continent, with an initial team of six, is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

From its Asian HQ, Diaceutics will support the launch of, and access to, precision therapies in China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan.

COO Damian Thornton said the company is on a mission to improve patient outcomes worldwide through better testing.

"With more than half of the worlds population residing in Asia, this is a natural step for us. Singapore provides the ideal hub from which to ramp up our work in Asia and the EDB was instrumental in helping us to establish here," he said.

Diaceutics also has offices in the US, UK and Ireland.East Coast Bakehouse, the food company co-founded by former Jacob Fruitfield boss Michael Carey, is now profitable after racking up significant startup costs and losses, the businessman has said.

Newly-filed accounts for the firm show that it made a more than 3m loss in the financial year to the end of last February. That brought its accumulated losses since the firm was founded in 2015 to 7.4m.

The company has ploughed 20m into establishing a major production line in Drogheda, Co Louth, where it now employs 75 people. That compares to about 40 that it employed there this time last year. In 2018, it started operating a second shift at the plant.

Mr Carey told the Irish Independent that the company is performing in line with its strategic plan, and that its turnover is currently running at about 8m a year.

"We're continuing on the track of our business plan," he said.

Mr Carey, a former Bord Bia chairman who sold Jacob Fruitfield to Valeo Foods in 2011 in an 80m deal - and made an estimated 16m from the sale - established East Coast Bakehouse with his wife, Alison Cowzer. It started operations in June 2016 - the month of the UK Brexit vote. It's backed by a number of heavyweight investors, including Laurence Shields, the founder of LK Shields solicitors; Donard Gaynor, a former executive with US drinks firm Beam; Patrick Joy, the founder and CEO of Co Louth-based Suretank, which makes containers for the oil and gas industry; and Stephen Twaddle, the former president of Kellogg Europe.

Mr Carey said there are no plans to raise any more equity for the company.

East Coast Bakehouse is generating about 40pc of its revenue in the UK and 60pc from Ireland and about two dozen other countries it exports to. Its UK revenue includes sales of branded product and contract manufacturing.

"Despite the Brexit risk, the natural market for the business as it got established continued to be the UK," said Mr Carey. "It clearly wouldn't be good for us if it happens to turn out to be a hard Brexit. It's very disruptive."

He said that the company had taken a number of steps to mitigate the impact of Brexit.

"The domestic market becomes more attractive to us," he says. "There's currently 5m of biscuits imported into Ireland from Britain every week."

Mr Carey was in charge of Jacob Fruitfield in 2008, and its largest shareholder, when it announced it was closing its biscuit-making factory in Tallaght, Dublin, with the loss of 220 jobs. Production was moved to locations including the UK.

East Coast Bakehouse is now one of the few large-scale biscuit-making firms manufacturing in Ireland.

"The opportunity is massive," said Mr Carey. "Being in a position to provide that product locally puts us at a great advantage."

He added the company is also looking to invest more heavily in innovation.

"While we're still selling products into the UK, it's mainly more value-added products," he said. "We've developed ranges of high-protein products, sugar-free products and products that have a greater possibility of securing a healthier margin."The annual migration of global aviation executives to Dublin begins in earnest this weekend, as hundreds of them descend on the capital.

They're in town for the 'Airfinance Journal' conference at the Convention Centre Dublin next week, and the Airline Economics event that takes place at the Shelbourne Hotel.

For restaurants and hotels, it's a boon in what could otherwise be a lean January. For lessors, banks, lawyers, aircraft and engine-makers, it's a chance to do deals and press the flesh.

The conferences also underscore Ireland's position as a leading centre for the global aircraft-leasing business. The statistics are widely known now - about 60pc of the world's leased aircraft are managed from Ireland, equating to assets worth about $110bn (96bn), and the leasing sector supports about 5,000 jobs here.

Many of the world's largest lessors, such as Gecas, Aercap, SMBC Aviation, Avolon, Goshawk and Orix, all have either their headquarters or major offices in Ireland.

As chief commercial officer of Gecas, Declan Kelly has a top-down view of the industry. He insists it's in good health, despite challenges facing the global economy - to which airline capacity growth is closely linked.

Chatting at a Dublin Airport hotel before he heads to Seattle, Kelly says Gecas has just completed a review of all its global operations and that "everyone is very positive". But he's quick to acknowledge that there are headwinds.

"We do see a slowdown in [passenger] growth happening at the moment, and it's more of a tapering than any shock to the system," he says. "We've had seven to eight great years and we are prepared for this."

Gecas, which has its roots in Tony Ryan's Guinness Peat Aviation, has a fleet of about 1,900 aircraft, including 1,550 fixed-wing and 350 helicopters. It tussles with Aercap for the accolade of being the world's biggest lessor.

"Traffic has been growing at 6pc or 7pc [per annum]," says Kelly, who was appointed to his current role a year ago. "So you're going to see that tapering off a bit, probably to 4pc or 5pc. From talking to the industry leaders and looking at the OEMs [Original Equipment Manufacturers including Boeing and Airbus], that's generally the consensus."

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents about 290 airlines accounting for 82pc of global air traffic, last week said that passenger growth is moderating. Its director general, former Air France-KLM boss Alexandre de Juniac, said there are "clear signs" of the slowing pace of growth, but IATA still expects to see 6pc demand growth this year.

"But trade tensions, protective tariffs and Brexit are all uncertainties that overhang the industry," said de Juniac.

Kelly (55), who hails from Ahascragh outside Galway, lives in Shannon, where Gecas has its operational headquarters. He's also the vice-chairman of industry body Aircraft Leasing Ireland. Like so many other of his peers, he slipped into the aircraft-leasing sector without any broad plan to do so. He studied engineering at college, but had no flightpath set for the aviation world.

"Remember, at that time it was the 1980s, and there was very little employment. You filled out applications for everything. Aer Lingus came up for me," he says. He joined the airline in 1981.

There, he was involved in providing line maintenance for aircraft, before moving to Shannon to join International Aviation Services in 1987. In 1991 he joined Guinness Peat Aviation.

It would be just two years before the company, founded in 1975 by Tony Ryan, would be rescued by GE. Kelly says that Tony Ryan and others [Ryan had himself worked at Aer Lingus, where he first dipped his toes into the leasing sector in 1973 by leasing one of the airline's new 747s during the winter to Air Siam] were appreciative of the grounding that Aer Lingus gave many staff.

"They saw that there was very solid training in Aer Lingus," according to Kelly. "They could move people quickly from that environment to leasing."

Gecas is expected to have generated earnings of about $1.2bn (1.04bn) in 2018. It contributed $1.4bn in net income in 2017.

Last year, Kelly's boss, Gecas CEO Alec Burger, told the Irish Independent that he believed the leasing sector was in a "golden era", but agreed that it would have to plateau. Boeing and Airbus both had record years in 2018. Boeing delivered 806 commercial jets, and Airbus 800. The plane-makers also have bulging order books.

For some, the question is whether there is sufficient demand to fill these jets.

Lessors point out that a chunky percentage of new jets will go towards fleet renewal, and that the balance which are swelling global fleets are catering for continually rising demand for air travel, propelled by Asia in particular.

"Trees can't grow to the sky," says Kelly. "There will be some tapering as we go forward and we're beginning to see that.

"But when we look at the market, we look at it globally and domestically, at what kind of aircraft will be used in those markets.

"The narrow-body side [including jets such as the Boeing 737 family and Airbus A320] is holding up very well for us and everyone at the moment. There appears to be equilibrium between supply and demand. There's a huge technology shift going on at the moment too, from old to new, and that always causes disruption, with displacement of aircraft retirements," he adds.

"You're probably seeing a slight softening in the wide-body market [wide-body planes include the Boeing 787 and Airbus A330, for instance] but other than that we don't see any major shocks."

Kelly says a "slight distortion" that's been seen by Gecas in China is a result of the US-China trade war.

He refuses to talk about Gecas's own future. GE, struggling under a huge debt pile, has been looking to deleverage for more than a year. CEO Larry Culp said in November that he feels "urgency" to cut debt and will do so via asset sales. Gecas has spent more than 12 months in the spotlight as a prime disposal candidate.

At the beginning of January, it was reported that US investment giant Apollo was considering a bid for Gecas that might value it at as much as $40bn (35bn). But some analysts think it's worth more in the region of $30bn (26.2bn), and that figure would wipe out all of GE Capital Services book value.

Kelly also believes there will be more M&A in the market, focused on the smaller players. There's been activity at the top end, too. Dublin-based Goshawk Aviation acquired Sky Leasing last year to create a top 10 lessor with a $9.1bn fleet. CIT Leasing was sold to Avolon in 2017, while Orix acquired a 30pc stake in Avolon last year for $2.2bn.

"You are seeing more M&A coming into the leasing side," he says, adding it will probably more prevalent among smaller lessors. "We've a lot of players in the market at the moment. There has been excessive competition in our space."

Much of it will be evident in Dublin next week.Flurries of sleet and "wet snow" are due to sweep in overnight as the thermometers drop below zero.

After a period of unseasonably mild weather, cold conditions took grip on Wednesday with the possibility of more frosty days to come.

Expand Close Snow fall on Tynemouth beach on the North East coast. Thursday January 17, 2019. : Owen Humphreys/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Snow fall on Tynemouth beach on the North East coast. Thursday January 17, 2019. : Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Snow fell across parts of Britain on Thursday as freezing wintry conditions grip much of the country.

So far Ireland has escaped the worst of the cold snap, although temperatures have plunged, and Thursday night will see the mercury hover between 0C and 2C.

Met Eireann says that a weather front coming in from the west will bring precipitation. This could fall as sleet or even snow in parts of Connacht, the Midlands and Ulster, according to forecaster Matthew Martin.

But those expecting a thick blanketing could be disappointed.

The UK Met Office has issued an ice warning for Northern Ireland, as well as most of England and all of Wales and southern Scotland.

There are currently no national weather warnings in place for the Republic of Ireland. Met Eireann will be liaising with local authorities over ice and frost.

Mr Martin said that the cold air at the moment was coming from the north, which was affecting the UK most.

"At the moment (in Ireland) it is cold with good sunshine," he said. "There will be frost tonight in the north and east."

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Whatsapp Snow fall on the beach at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside. Thursday January 17, 2019. Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

He said any snow would be a "transient affair" as temperatures are due to rise from Friday morning.

However the coming week will be a mixed bag with more risk of wintry precipitation. Mr Martin said it was "too early" to go into any great detail beyond the weekend.

"Friday and Saturday will be cool but not cold, with no risk of snow but possibly some slight frost by night" he added.

Meanwhile UK Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said the snowfall is the first at low level for 2019 and also marks the first cold spell of the year, with the mercury across much of Britain set to stay in single figures on Thursday.

So far, falling snow has been seen in parts of London, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and in the North East of England, where images show a white blanket on Tynemouth beach and Whitley Bay after snowfall of between 1cm-3cm).

Ms Maxey said 4cm of snow has been recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, and that the weather for this time of year across the UK is "fairly typical".

She revealed that the recent mild temperatures and warm ground, alongside rain, mean that generally "nothing is settling" in some parts.The threat of increased beef imports into Europe from Argentina could erase any benefits that accrue to Irish farmers from lower EU beef production in 2019.

Bord Bia meat specialist Joe Burke told delegates at its Meat Marketing seminar that Irish beef exports could benefit from a 2pc decrease in EU beef production this year.

"For 2019 there's expected to be a net decline of 1.7pc or a return to 2017 levels [of supply] as some of our key markets are forecasting declines in production which will hopefully work in our favour," Mr Burke told the seminar.

"Production in France will be down 3.7pc, Germany down 2.9pc, UK down 2.3pc. This will have a significant impact on their import demands," he said.

However, Bord Bia markets specialist Mark Zieg pointed out that imports from South America into the EU increased sharply last year, with supplies from Brazil up 22pc and Argentina 40pc higher.

Mr Zieg said Argentina is "aggressively targeting" the EU market, with beef exports to the EU set to rise by 15pc for 2019.

He said such a move puts Ireland in a vulnerable position given the possibility of a Mercosur deal being secured which would further increase EU market access for South American beef.

"It's something that we need to be watching very strongly. We have seen a couple of successive years of Argentina increasing their overall exports.

"They grew by 207,000 tonnes in 2018 and are forecasting less growth this year but are still there at 75,000 tonnes," he told the Farming Independent.

"They produce beef that would be seen by many buyers as being of a similar type quality to Ireland's - a conformed steer and heifer beef from traditional breeds such as Hereford," he said.

"It would often be pitched at a similar price to Irish beef. There's an increased presence on the market for it and it increased rapidly in Europe, so that shows that there is a popularity there for it."

He said the decline of the Irish suckler herd by 50,000hd last year and a reduction in suckler calf registrations by 40,000 is a concern when Ireland is trying to compete with top quality South American product.

He added that Bord Bia was working on getting EU funding to market Irish suckler beef as a premium product in order to improve prices.

"It is of concern because lighter weights are coming through and conformation grades are not as good, so if we went to very low levels of sucklers then conformation and quality would be restricted.

"There are still a lot of things we can do with well-conformed dairy beef, but the suckler beef herd has been the backstop and it's what we talk about and we really wouldn't like to see it diminish any further," Mr Zieg explained.

"There's an awareness in the industry that we need a critical level of sucklers and that has to be addressed."Farmers at Elphin mart check out lots at the recent charolais sale. But Brexit will bring huge problems for the farming sector. Photo: Brian Farrell

Hundreds of pedigee Charolais breeders representing the breed worldwide are expected to attend the 2019 World Charolais Technical Congress, which is being hosted in Ireland from August 4-12.

The outline of the schedule for the major event for the breed and valuable showcase for the quality of Charolais on Irish farms has been announced.

Irish Charolais Society President Kevin Maguire, who holds the international World Presidency for 2019 as recognition of the awarding of the hosting of the Technical Conference to Ireland, says that the society is honoured to have the opportunity to show the tremendous progress of the Charolais breed in Ireland, which is now on par with the breed in any part of the world.

The international delegates will arrive in this country on Sunday, August 4 and over the following week will visit some of the best known herds in the country, culminating with their attendance at the National Livestock Show at Tullamore on Sunday, August 11.

The week-long itinerary for delegates will include visits to:

* The Skidoo Pedigree Charolais herd in Swords, Co Dublin, one of Ireland's oldest and most recognised Pedigree Charolais herds.

* The Teagasc Grange Research Centre in Co Meath, for an overview of beef production in Ireland, the role Charolais plays within it, and an insight into research trials currently being undertaken in Grange.

* The Kepak Feedlot in Clonee, Co Meath, for an overview and explanation of the beef industry in Ireland, the current grading system and the performance of Charolais cattle going to slaughter.

* The Performance Testing Centre at Tully, Co Kildare for an update on current research being undertaken at the centre and a review of trials carried out there.

* On Thursday the Charolais Technical Conference will be held in the Lyrath Hotel, Co Kilkenny. The topic of the conference will be "Genomics" and will include presentations from various personnel involved in the cattle breeding industry in Ireland. Each country will have the opportunity to make a presentation on the topic of Genomics.

* That evening they visit the Knockmahon Pedigree and Commercial Charolais herd in Castlewarren, Co Kilkenny, and complete the day with a barbeque and barn dance on the farm.

* On Friday they visit the famous Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Co Tipperary, followed by a tour of Tullamore Distillery and the Irish Charolais Society Gala Dinner in Athlone.

* The following day delegates will visit the newly established Bostonia Pedigree and Commercial Charolais Herd at Enniscrone, Co Sligo.

* The final day's highlight will be the Charolais Show at Tullamore.One of the country's largest developers, Cairn Homes, expects to report operating profit of 53m in respect of 2018.

This is a massive jump on the profit of 14.5m reported in 2017.

The full year gross margin is expected to be approximately 20.5pc, according to a trading update from the group.

Total revenue for 2018 was around 337m, up from 149.5m in 2017. Excluding its non-core site sales, revenues from new homes sold were 294m.

Demand is being driven by strong population growth and strengthening employment levels.

"2018 has seen Cairn Homes double the number of quality homes built and sold to 804, boosting our revenues to circa 337m," Michael Stanley, co-founder and CEO of Cairn, said.

"Considering this was only our third full trading year, this performance illustrates the positioning and growing maturity of our business, the capability of our talented team and the depth of unsatisfied demand for new family homes in Ireland."

Overall and the Dublin-listed group sold 804 homes last year, almost double the 418 unit sales in 2017.

The company's average selling price in 2018 was 366,000 per housing unit.

Looking ahead and Cairn said it has a strong forward sales pipeline, with a sales value of 159.5m based on 344 units at an average selling price of 464,000.

It added that market conditions in Ireland remain positive, notwithstanding Brexit uncertainty.

The group had closing net debt of around 140m.In demand: Ballymore and Oxleys Dublin Landings on North Wall Quay. The developers are currently seeking to forward sell 268 apartments at the scheme

Dublin's North Docklands area is showing increasing appeal to investors and developers thanks in part to competitive office rents and in part to the strong demand for both short and long-term residential accommodation.

The mix of new developments and occupiers in the pipeline also suggests that the area will not alone strengthen its appeal for financial services companies but also for tech companies.

After the collapse of Anglo Irish Bank and the difficulties faced by banks and other financial services companies, the north docklands appeared to lose its attraction in terms of demand from the financial services sector. So far Brexit has done little to reverse this trend. In contrast the tech sector has been much more active.

An analysis of letting deals by David O'Malley of Savills shows the north docklands with 15 lettings in 2016 for 19,849 sq m (213,653 sq ft) of offices. Then in 2017 while the number of lettings increased to 19 the amount of space almost halved to 10,392 sq m (111,858 sq ft). And last year while the number of lettings increased slightly to 20, the amount of space more than doubled to 21,778 sq m (234,416 sq ft).

O'Malley says that the tech sector accounted for as much as half the area's lettings in 2016 and 2017. However tech's share dropped to only 18.5pc in 2018 while the real estate sector, mainly serviced offices, accounted for as much as 42.45pc. The latter sector was boosted by WeWork's letting at No 2 Dublin Landings. However, WeWork's occupants could also include tech businesses.

"I don't see the 2018 reduction in ICT's percentage take-up as a trend. ICT take-up will likely increase in 2019 with one large letting already agreed. There is also likely to be significant interest from this sector as we come closer to the completion of schemes such as Exo and North Dock."

He also believes that more ICT companies would take more space in the north docklands if there were more Grade A offices immediately available. Some of the larger rumoured take-up in the area are ICT firms.

"The Grade A vacancy rate in the North Docklands at the end of Q3 2018 was 5.2pc and this is likely to have reduced significantly taking into account the recent lettings at The Exchange. This is well below the natural level of vacancy," he adds.

Financial services accounted for 15.3pc of 2018 office lettings in the area while professional/technical services accounted for 13.5pc. It will be interesting to see if the increased presence of Government financial services organisations may affect demand from private financial services companies. The Central Bank's completion and occupation of the former Anglo Irish Bank's intended headquarters building has been followed by the National Treasury Management Agency's deal to take space at the neighbouring Dublin Landings scheme.

Meanwhile, the north docklands' reputation as a financial services centre could be further enhanced if, as reported in this newspaper recently, the OPW secures a lettings deal at Dublin Landings for the Irish Revenue Commissioners.

Interestingly the hospitality sector could help to distinguish the north docklands from south docks. Currently the north docklands hotels include the Gibson, Hilton and Spencer. Oakmount, headed by Paddy McKillen Jnr and Matt Ryan, is also developing another hotel, the Mayson, on North Wall Quay.

In addition, the Beckett Locke aparthotel and Michael O'Flynn's Tramyard student hostel are well on their way with the latter already open for business and both of these will cater for summertime visitors.

In contrast, south docks only has The Marker and Maldron hotels, although the south docks area is served by other hotels close by.

The north docklands hotels serve both corporate visitors as well as those attending conferences at the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD) or concerts at 3Arena. The visitor ambience of the area is further enhanced by tourists disembarking from cruise ships and visitors to the Epic Museum at CHQ (Custom House Quay).

Longer term residents of the north docklands will also be catered for by new apartment developments such as the 268 units being built at Dublin Landings and it's a reflection of the strength of demand that developers Ballymore and Oxley are seeking to forward sell the apartments which are believed to be guiding more than 170m.

To the east of this site, Johnny Ronan's Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) and partners Colony Capital may build around 500 apartments on the 4.6 acre 'Project Waterfront' site which this newspaper reported they purchased for about 180m. That site also has permission for 300,216 sq ft (17,891 sq m) of offices.

More residential development could also enhance the competitiveness of the area when it comes to attracting office occupiers.

After the crash, the south docklands was quicker to respond to resurgent demand for new offices. Consequently as a number of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) offices became dated, they could not command the high rents attained on the southside. Some north docklands offices have seen rents range from the low to mid 40 per sq ft. These compare to around 60 per sq ft being attained for new prime southside offices.

However the gap is narrowing and when The Exchange, the first new north docks speculative office development since the crash, recently completed its lettings, landlords IPUT and the Cosgrave Property Group, benefitted from rents of around 50 per sq ft.

A similar level was achieved last August when Ballymore and Oxley let No 2 The Landings with over 9,300 sq m (110,104 sq ft) of offices to WeWork. Since then No 2 was bought by South Korean real estate firm JR AMC for 106.5m, or 7.7m over the guide price quoted by CBRE and Knight Frank. Colliers acted for the purchaser.

Two other new developments due for completion in 2020 are also quoting rents at similar levels.

These include The Exo, promoted as Dublin's tallest office building comprising 15,794 sq m (170,000 sq ft) over 17 floors. Positioned overlooking The Point Square and Dublin Port, David O'Malley of Savills is quoting an average of 48.50 per sq ft for the entire, if let on a floor-by-floor basis. Some upper floors in the Nama-backed building are priced at 55 per sq ft.

Nearby at 91/94 North Wall, TIO and Bennetts are developing a further 18,581 sq m (200,000 sq ft) of offices branded as North Docks. These will be accommodated in two buildings both of which will have river frontage and Savills are quoting 49.50 per sq ft for the entire.'Brexit is the most immediate issue for this country' (stock photo)

BUSINESSES are a long way from being Brexit ready and continued uncertainty over its outcome is set to impose yet more costs on companies, business leaders from both sides of the Border have warned.

The rejection by the House of Commons of UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays withdrawal agreement has raised the likelihood of a disruptive no-deal Brexit, which could have serious consequences for business here.

We now find ourselves with a 70-day window where I dont think we are prepared as a country, said Simon McKeever, CEO of the Irish Exporters Association.

We are, to put it bluntly, screwed, he added, speaking at a manufacturing industry conference in Dublin yesterday.

The additional burdens imposed by a hard Brexit would include extra forms that businesses need to be fill in so as to cope with new customs rules, and the redrawing of shipping routes.

Food and agriculture exports from both sides of the border would be hit as many products like milk cross and re-cross the border.

The imposition of World Trade Organization tariffs would make Northern Irish goods more expensive in the Republic, and goods from the Republic more expensive in Northern Ireland.

Tariffs on agrifoods average 22pc under WTO rules, according to Michael Bell, the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association.

WTO rules are designed to stop the movement of agrifood products, he said.

Although Brexit is the biggest shock on the horizon for most businesses, it is not the only one.

For example, a combination of Brexit uncertainty and the falling pound has seen migrant workers in the Norths agriculture industry head back home, while the planned merger of Sainsbury and Asda will put further pressure on farmers.

Multiple speakers at the event said that both British and Irish businesses needed more time to prepare, with a no-deal Brexit more likely.

The real risk for business is the cliff edge, said Fergal OBrien, director of policy and public affairs at business group Ibec.

Mr Bell raised the question of what will happen when a food container is sitting on the docks and a customs official is presented with the choice of delaying a shipment worth hundreds of thousands of euro, or letting it through if there is a grey area in the rules.

Who will be empowered? he asked.Some insurance products may no longer be available to Irish consumers if there is a no-deal Brexit, the Central Bank has warned.

Deputy Governor Ed Sibley said this morning that the supply of "niche" products may reduce or end altogether.

Thats because policies underwritten from the UK or Gibraltar will face more regulatory friction after a hard Brexit.

Though the Bank does not comment on individual products, products with smaller markets like gadget insurance or pet insurance would be more likely to be affected.

Certain existing policies underwritten from those jurisdictions will be able to continue, if legislation being drafted comes into force. But those policies cant be renewed under the legislation.

Mr Sibley said the Irish financial system should be able to withstand even a hard Brexit.

"I am satisfied that from a financial stability perspective that the most material and immediate risks are now manageable.

"This is not to say that a hard Brexit will not be bumpy for the economy, and for the financial system.

"Indeed, some level of market disruption would be inevitable, but the system as a whole should be resilient enough to withstand these bumps."Philips is to close its Glemsford factory and transfer its operations to the Netherlands, putting 430 jobs at risk.

The company is proposing to close the site, which makes baby bottles, in 2020 and to transfer the majority of its operations to a manufacturing factory in Drachten, in the Netherlands.

The decision comes just months after the company's chief executive Frans van Houten expressed his concerns about Britain maintaining frictionless trade following Brexit.

Philips also said the move is part of plans to reduce its industrial footprint from 50 sites to 30.

"I recognise that our proposed plan will have a profound impact on our colleagues working at the Glemsford site, and our manufacturing presence in the UK," Neil Mesher, chief executive of Philips UK & Ireland said.

"We have announced the proposal after careful consideration, and over the next period, we will work closely with the impacted colleagues on next steps.

"Philips has a long, established history of serving customers within the UK, and we remain committed to them. The UK is an important market for us, and we will continue to invest in our commercial organisation and innovation programmes in the country."Theresa May sits down in Parliament after the vote on her Brexit deal.

Theresa May is battling on two fronts as the UK Prime Minister fights to retain her grip on power while attempting to find a Brexit compromise that could command majority support in the House of Commons.

Mrs May faces a vote of no confidence on Wednesday after suffering a massive parliamentary defeat over her controversial EU withdrawal agenda.

The UK Labour party launched a bid to oust her government after Mrs May's Withdrawal Agreement was overwhelmingly rejected by 432 votes to 202.

Despite the humiliating defeat, British government sources remained optimistic about seeing off the Labour challenge after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and leading figures from the Brexiteer and Pro-Europe wings of the Tory party said they would back the PM.

Expand Close A pro-Brexit protester holds a banner as anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament, January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls / Facebook

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Whatsapp A pro-Brexit protester holds a banner as anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament, January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

The scale of the 230-vote rejection of the UK government's Brexit agenda saw Mrs May pledge to reach out to leading parliamentarians from across the Commons to try and find a way forward.

With the UK scheduled to exit the EU in just over 10 weeks' time on March 29, the Prime Minister has until next Monday to return to the Commons and present a "Plan B" option.

After suffering the the biggest government defeat on a meaningful vote for at least a century, which saw 118 Tory MPs rebel, opponents of the Prime Minister's Brexit stance insisted Downing Street must now show real movement.

Calls for Article 50 to be extended, meaning the UK remains in the EU longer, also intensified among pro-Europeans.

Mrs May signalled she hoped to find "genuinely negotiable" solutions that she can hammer out with Brussels after the defeat.

However, French president Emmanuel Macron made it clear a renegotiation of the Brexit deal was unlikely.

Speaking after the vote in the House of Commons, he said: "I don't really believe in this, because we already went as far as we could."

He told British leaders to "figure it out yourselves" as he wished them "good luck" as he predicted that Britain would ask for more time to hold talks.

The comments came as it emerged Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark used a private telephone call to tell business chiefs not to expect changes to the legal Brexit withdrawal text, but rather to the political declaration on future relations with the EU, according to Government sources.

Obstacles

The Financial Times, meanwhile, reported Mr Hammond told those on the call the Government would not put any "obstacles" in the way of a plan by Tory MP Nick Boles to give senior backbenchers a role in finding a solution to the deadlock.

"We have to reach out to MPs in the Commons first," the Chancellor is reported to have said. "There is a large majority in the Commons that is opposed to no-deal."

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted he was tabling the no confidence motion in the Government because Mrs May's "catastrophic" Brexit defeat represented an "absolutely decisive" verdict by MPs on the Prime Minister's handling of EU withdrawal.

But, Mr Corbyn's hopes of forcing an early general election were dampened as the DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said his party would back Mrs May.

He told BBC2's Newsnight: "We will be supporting the Government in the no confidence motion.

"What it really shows is when it comes to the crunch and the Government's survival is on the line the DUP will be able to keep the Government in power."

Asked if Labour could win Wednesday's no confidence vote, shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner told the BBC: "I think the numbers are probably not there tomorrow. We will hope that we can."

Mr Gardiner refused to be drawn on reports that up to 100 Labour MPs were set to call on Mr Corbyn to pivot towards a second Brexit referendum on Wednesday.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who had cancelled travel plans in order to be in Brussels for the aftermath of the vote on Wednesday, voiced "regret" at the defeat of what he termed "the best possible deal".

He said the Commons vote "increased the risk of a disorderly withdrawal" from the EU.

Mr Juncker said: "I urge the United Kingdom to clarify its intentions as soon as possible."EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO SALES. NO ALTERING OR MANIPULATING. MANDATORY CREDIT: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor UK Parliament handout photo of Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in the House of Commons, London, after MPs rejected LabourOs motion of no confidence by 325 votes to 306. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday January 16, 2019. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement following winning a confidence vote, after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal, outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

British Prime Minister Theresa May says it is "time to put self-interest aside" as she reaffirmed her intentions to deliver on Brexit.

In a short statement outside No. 10 Downing Street, Mrs May described the past 24 hours as "unsettling".

"This evening the government has won the confidence of parliament. This now gives us all the opportunity to focus on finding a way forward on Brexit. The events of the past 24 hours have been unsettling. Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with Brexit," she said.

"I believe it is my duty to deliver on their instruction to leave the European Union and I intend to do so."

Mrs May attempted to put pressure on Jeremy Corbyn in her statement in Downing Street.

"We must work together to set out what they do want. I'm inviting all MPs to come forward. It is now the time to put self-interest aside. From tomorrow, meetings will be taking place between senior government representatives. I am disappointed that the Labour Party has not chosen to take part but our door remains open.

"It will not be an easy task. In a historic vote in 2016, the country decided to leave the EU. Now, two and a half years later, it's time for us to come together and put the national interest first and deliver on the referendum," she finished.

Earlier this evening, Mrs May narrowly survived a motion of no confidence this evening in the House of Commons, after the crushing defeat of her own deal left Britain's exit from the European Union in disarray.

Welcoming the result, Mrs May told the House of Commons: "I am pleased that this House has expressed its confidence in the Government.

"I do not take this responsibility lightly and my government will continue its work to increase our prosperity, guarantee our security and to strengthen our union.

"And yes, we will also continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise we made to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum and leave the European Union."Plans are being hatched to delay Brexit until 2020 to give the UK more time to find an orderly route out of the European Union.

After surviving a no-confidence motion thanks to the DUP, British Prime Minister Theresa May has initiated cross-party talks in a bid to end the political turmoil in London.

But she faced demands to remove the catastrophic no-deal scenario from the table and consider postponing Brexit Day beyond March 29.

And UK Chancellor Philip Hammond told business leaders the threat of a no-deal Brexit could be taken off the table within days, potentially leading to Article 50 being rescinded.

EU officials are understood to be examining plans to reset the clock on Britains departure from the European Union  but cannot do so without a request from the UK government.

Germany and France are willing to extend Article 50.

And sources said Ireland will not have any issue with an extension provided the backstop remains in place at the end.

As the uncertainty grows, plans for a no-deal Brexit here have been upgraded from contingency status to the implementation stage.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Fine Gael TDs the Government continue to hold their position and nerve in relation to Brexit.

However, the Coalition was shaken by Transport Minister Shane Ross appearing to confirm Border checks would be needed in the event of a no-deal exit.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney was subsequently caught on tape by the Irish Independent telling him we cant get into where theyll be at this stage.

Mr Varadkar again insisted yesterday that there is no "secret plan" to impose a hard Border.

"This is a problem that began in Westminster with the referendum on Brexit. We found a solution: the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated over several months and agreed by 28 governments.

"Now Westminster has rejected that solution. Therefore the problem lies in Westminster," the Taoiseach said.

He welcomed Mrs May's move to try to break the deadlock in the House of Commons by meeting with other party leaders.

But her olive branch was last night rejected by Labour's Jeremy Corbyn who refused to have substantive talks the prime minister unless she took 'no deal' off the table.

"Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward the government must remove clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that," Mr Corbyn said.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Mrs May was not going to bow to the demand.

"The prime minister has been very clear that the British public voted to leave the European Union. We want to leave with a deal, but she is determined to deliver on the verdict of the British public, and that is to leave the EU on March 29 this year," he said.

However, when asked about the idea of delaying Brexit one of Mrs May's closest allies, Pensions Minister Amber Rudd, last night told reporters nothing should be taken off the table.

There have been discussions at EU level about a possible three-month delay - but it is understood the legal implications of stalling the process until 2020 are now being investigated.

One hurdle to such a lengthy extension is that elections to the European Parliament are scheduled to take place in May.

As a member of the EU, the UK is currently entitled to 73 seats in the Parliament.

Northern Ireland's DUP opposes the idea of an extension, with MP Nigel Dodds saying "it's not in my view necessary because the EU can act when it wants to...".

The party's 10 MPs, who support the minority government under a confidence and supply arrangement, proved crucial to Mrs May's survival last night by margin of 325 to 306.

Had they abandoned Mrs May as a protest against the backstop, she would have lost the vote.

The prime minister met DUP leader Arlene Foster yesterday who described the talks as useful.

The party continues to insist that it will not support any deal which keeps Northern Ireland more closely aligned to EU customs rules than the rest of the UK.

During the meeting with the prime minister yesterday, DUP leader Arlene Foster made it clear that her party's red lines remain in place.

"Lessons will need to be learned from the vote in Parliament," Ms Foster said. "The issue of the backstop needs to be dealt and we will continue to work to that end."

However, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier firmly rejected the idea of backtracking on the Irish specific elements of the Withdrawal Agreement.

"The backstop which we agreed to with the UK must remain a backstop. It must remain a credible backstop," he said.

Mr Barnier said he "profoundly" regretted the House of Commons vote to reject the Brexit deal and added it was now up to the British Government to say how it intended to proceed.

"An orderly withdrawal will remain our absolute priority in the coming weeks," he told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

He said there would be a "favourable response" from the EU side if Mrs May was prepared to re-think her negotiating "red lines" and seek a more "ambitious" deal with Brussels.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said she regretted the decision by British MPs to oppose the agreement.

She told reporters in Berlin that "we will of course do everything to find an orderly solution, but we are also prepared if there is no orderly solution".

Ms Merkel said: "We still have time to negotiate, but we are now waiting to see what the British prime minister proposes."

Continued from Page 1The Irish Prison Service is tackling an unacceptable level of absenteeism, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Director general Caron McCaffrey said the latest statistics recorded the sick leave rate at 15.7 days per year per employee.

Ms McCaffrey said: Prison staff work in an extremely challenging environment in which, on a daily basis, they face unique circumstances unlike most others in the public sector.

Notwithstanding this, the Irish Prison Service is tackling the unacceptable level of sick leave we are currently experiencing.

She said they were doing so by providing staff with supports to target the work-related causes of sick leave and by analysing and identifying absences in a bid to reduce absenteeism.

Representatives from the Irish Prison Service and the Department of Justice were before the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday to address the 2017 spending of the countrys prisons.

It was the first time Ms McCaffrey has appeared before the committee to answer questions about Irish prisons.

She was appointed as the new director general last month by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan. She is the first woman to hold the role.

Ms McCaffrey told the committee there were limited international comparisons available to the service, as very few countries publish sick leave statistics for their prisons.

But she said from what was available, the Irish rate was at the lower end of the scale  when compared to other prison services.

In Northern Ireland, the comparable figure was 19.7, while in Denmark it was 21.9 and in Latvia it was 18.88 days per member of staff.

The new boss paid tribute to the staff, many of whom work in a difficult and challenging environment to maintain a safe, secure and humane prison system which contributes to safer communities.

Secretary general of the Justice Department Aidan ODriscoll also appeared before the committee.

He raised the matter of a court affidavit by a serving prison officer that contains allegations of unauthorised surveillance in the countrys jails.

A whistleblower alleged in November that conversations between prisoners and their solicitors were being recorded and that tracking devices were placed on prison officers cars.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan ordered an independent examination into the matter after the allegations emerged.

Mr ODriscoll said specifics of the case could not be discussed during the committees proceedings because of the court affidavit.

Notwithstanding that it was the subject of a newspaper article, that affidavit has not yet been opened in court and so its details cannot be publicly discussed, he said.

He added that they would await the outcome of the investigation before making any comment.

The details of the latest set of accounts relating to the countrys prisons were outlined during the meeting.

Mr ODriscoll said the latest accounts showed the prison services gross expenditure was 326.9 million in 2017. More than two-thirds of that figure related to payroll costs, while 7%  or 22.8 million  was capital related.

There were more than 9,200 committals to prisons with a daily average of 3,680 prisoners in custody in 2017.

In total, there were 3,186 staff at the end of 2017.

The service operates 12 prisons across the country.People view an Aer Lingus A330 displaying the new branding during the official unveiling at Dublin Airport (Brian Lawless/PA)

The boss of Aer Lingus has said the airline does not anticipate any disruption to flights in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Speaking in Dublin on Thursday at the launch of the airlines new branding, chief executive Sean Doyle said he was confident that flights would take off on March 30, just as they had on March 29.

In any scenario were confident well fly beyond the 29th of March, and we have plans and have prepared for that, and were in dialogue with the authorities that we need to, Mr Doyle said.

Expand Close Aer Lingus chief executive Sean Doyle speaking at the unveiling of the airlines new branding at Dublin Airport (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook

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In terms of the wider effect, my guess is as good as anybodys and I wouldnt like to speculate.

Well continue flying as we have done, I think air travel will carry on and Aer Lingus, as well as other IAG carriers, will carry on business as usual.

International Airlines Group (IAG) is one of the worlds largest airline groups, and the holding company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling.

IAG has previously said it is confident it will comply with EU and UK ownership and control rules post-Brexit.

The EU has told airlines they must be 50% EU-owned to retain flying rights across the Continent after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Doyle said he shared the holding companys optimism, and that Aer Lingus would pass the test in order to keep its flights on schedule.

I fully share IAG confidence. I think, if you look at the legislation, the draft in either scenario, it really understands the importance of continuity of air travel.

Were fully confident. Air travel is fundamental for the economy and everybody appreciates that, thats coming across clearly, he added.

A new look, for a new ambition #ThisIsAerLingus pic.twitter.com/3ZCdq19K7P  Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) January 17, 2019

IAG argues that Aer Lingus and its other carriers have long-established air operator certificates, a large domestic workforce and substantial businesses in their native countries, rather than being part of a bigger group that is majority-owned by non-EU investors.

Irelands premier, Leo Varadkar, said on Wednesday that Irelands contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit were no longer theoretical, and the country was now actively making preparations for Britain to crash out of the EU with no set withdrawal plan in place.For those of us who have had the luxury of not coming into direct contact with the criminal justice system, the idea that prison is largely rehabilitative carries a lot of weight. Buying into the binary tale of good versus evil, we can believe that criminal behaviour is Britain punished justly and proportionately, with life-changing lessons learned as a result of the considered support that prison offers offenders.

But its not always that straightforward. In fact, it rarely is  especially when it comes to the most marginalised groups such as women, foreign nationals, trafficked persons and BME offenders. And if you happen to belong to all of the above groups, the likelihood of having gained anything beyond an increased chance of reoffending is low.

Which is why I hope the news that Wales has the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe, according to the first separate analysis of rates of imprisonment in England and Wales, sparks more action towards prison reform in the UK.

 Prisons minister Rory Stewart admits government shouldn't have cut officer numbers

Disproportionately affected by the various shortcomings of the criminal justice system, these groups have faced additional challenges both inside prison and also returning to their lives on the outside.

Last July, for example, The Independent reported that more than 46,850 self-harm incidents were recorded among prisoners in the year to March 2018  an increase of 16 per cent on the previous year. It also revealed that women were much more likely to self-harm than men.

Women, the Wales Governance Centre report shows, also face an increased chance of receiving shorter sentences in Wales, with 78.6 per cent sentenced to fewer than 12 months in prison, 10 per cent higher than men.

Short sentences sound positive, but even a brief spell of incarceration can lead vulnerable lives to spiral out of control. The majority of women in prison (57 per cent) have experienced domestic abuse and have a history of mental health issues, according to the Prison Reform Trust. As many as 83 per cent of women enter prison as a result of non-violent offences, but the majority (61 per cent) reoffend after receiving sentences shorter than less of a year. And once released, that report also reveals, the chances of them feeling confident enough to disclose challenges they may be facing  such as homelessness, childcare issues or drug abuse  to responsible officers, given the real threat of recall to prison, rarely look good. Rehabilitation after short stays just isnt working for women.

The inequalities dont stop there: legal aid cuts have had a devastating impact on prisoners, and as well as costing the economy around 234m a year, while the overrepresentation of black and other ethnic minority offenders within the prison population leads to other issues including reports of feeling unsafe and being mistreated by staff on the grounds of identity. Just one in 100 prisoners have their allegations of discrimination against staff upheld.

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And its no wonder  given the impact of budget cuts, attempts to partially privatise prisons, poor safety provisions and very modest salary prospects for prison officers  that the result has been demoralisation and mass resignations of prison staff. That is not a recipe for improvement.

At this point it feels as if, especially for a certain section of the population, there almost too many problems with justice  from the point of arrest to incarceration  to count. Reducing the numbers of people incarcerated for small crimes is a good place to start, but it isnt enough to change the culture and effect of prison life on its inmates.

Its not just about government and the choices it makes around crime, policing and justice. As a culture, our oversimplified rhetoric around what makes a criminal has also contributed to widespread indifference over the rights and responsibilities of anyone who comes into contact with the prison system.

The Ministry of Justice is finally waking up to the fact that short-term prison sentences are rarely effective, by proposing a ban on prison sentences of less than six months. Thats welcome, but there needs to be more change than that. At the very least, that has to begin with educating ourselves about the often inescapable circumstances that land marginalised groups in prison in the first place. That would be a good start in keeping them out.Region by region, country by country, government by government, the far right are taking control in Europe.

Sometimes in unlikely places. The latest is Andalucia, the province which covers virtually the whole of southern Spain, and includes Granada, Seville, Malaga, Cordoba and Cadiz. Eight million people.

You may have visited, but not taken much notice of the politics. Time to do so. For last month, Andalucia became the latest region of Europe to see members of the far-right Vox party elected to the provincial assembly, and they are now propping up a centre-right Partido Popular local government.

Andalucias new president, Juan Manuel Moreno, has agreed to adopt some of the more moderate/less extremist Vox policies for his regional administration.

It highlights the real dilemma facing traditional conservative parties everywhere in Europe, when the far right grabs 10 to 30 per cent of the poll and the seats in a legislature.

 Smoke bombs set off outside London's Downing Street by far-right 'yellow vest' protesters

Do you compromise and try to appease them, as in Andalucia; or try to go round them via grand coalitions with social democrats, as in Germany?

If its the former, you boost the far right, and lend it legitimacy (and the parliamentary rise of Hitler is an unfortunate precedent); if its the latter, you end up with distorted politics, and usually weaken the left-wing partner.

In Andalucia, the limited cooperation of right and far right constitutes a revolution. It ends 36 years of uninterrupted rule by the socialist PSOE party. Even so it is, in a sense, no surprise. Spain was hit hard by the financial crisis (including a collapse in real estate and construction), and by the eurozone crisis.

Unemployment stands at more than 25 per cent, though that may be an exaggeration because of the extent of the informal grey economy.

The separatist rebellion in Catalonia and the migrant crisis have given the far right the push they needed to gain an influential 12 seats in the hung 109-strong assembly. Plus, of course, a system of proportional representation that has opened doors to such fruitcakes, closet racists and neo-nazi legislatures from Seville to Budapest. Never forget that Nigel Farage would never have been an MEP without PR (and he failed to win a seat at Westminster under first-past-the-post).

How bad is Vox? The good news is that Morenos conservatives have been able to limit its demands to some pro-family policies, preventing the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, and protecting bullfighting (admittedly barbaric, but big in Andalucia), hunting and, er, flamenco, which is not all that threatening to civilisation.

However, Vox follows the usual template of the far right  a commitment to expelling illegal migrants; reversing legislative rights for women and LGBT+ people, and being generally anti-EU. Scapegoating Brussels, migrants and establishment democratic politicians seems to be a reliable way to win elections these days in Europe. It worked for Ukip and Brexit, after all.

Its all the more shocking in this part of Europe because it is only 40 years or so since the country was under the fascist regime of General Francisco Franco, the victor of the bloody civil war, friend of Hitler and Mussolini, and brutal oppressor of his nation, including dissidents in Andalucia.

Memories are short, it would seem, and sensitivities still acute, as the row over relocating Francos earthly remains away from his vast mausoleum continues to divide Spanish opinion  a symbolic, cultural argument as much as a political one.

We have become so inured to the rise of the right, and, in Britain so obsessed by Brexit, that we seem to shrug our shoulders when another citadel falls to its cynical lies and propaganda.

Europe has its economic problems, but they pre-date the migrant crisis, and the EU is hardly the source of them, given that some EU countries are doing relatively well economically.

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Yet when the far right comes second in the French presidential elections; when it is the informal opposition group in the Bundestag; when it is in power in Italy, Poland and Hungary, surely it is time to fight back?

Soon, in the May elections, its representatives will invade the European Parliament, and turn it into a sort of clubhouse for modernised fascism. Even Nigel Farage refused to have anything to do with them.

It is creeping; it is sometimes reversed; it is being challenged, but the long-term trend is clear.

These modern-day fascists, who masquerade under pseudonyms such as gilets jaunes or populist or patriot are on the march. Matteo Salvini; Marine Le Pen; Viktor Orban, Geert Wilders, the German AfD, the Swedish Democrats, the Polish Truth and Justice Party  they are certainly not going away.

They are inspired by and allied to Trump and Trumpism. They are part of a global wave that includes Bolsonaro in Brazil, Putin in Russia, Modi in India, Erdogan in Turkey, Duterte in the Philippines, and more: hard men semi-dictators.

We are, in fact, witnessing the strange death of liberal democracy not just in Europe, but globally. This is one time when democrats should be panicking. Were not. Why not?Jeremy Corbyns heart wasnt in it. Im sure he would love to fight another general election campaign, but he was not very good at pretending he thought it was likely.

At prime ministers questions, before the debate on the no-confidence motion, he asked: With poverty rising, can the prime minister tell us when we can expect it to fall? As he said it, he seemed to realise this implied she would be in charge for a while, so he added: ... for the time that she remains in office?

Given that he was about to table a motion in effect demanding a general election in seven weeks, he was calling for a remarkably speedy anti-poverty programme.

So the result of the vote came as no surprise to him. He united the Conservative Party a day after its deep division had been exposed, and he gave John Woodcock the chance to remind everyone that most Labour MPs had expressed no confidence in his leadership.

But Corbyn had to go through with the motion, because he would have looked feeble, rather than just insincere, if he had simply waved aside the biggest ever defeat of a government on a central question of its policy.

Curiously, his response to his defeat is roughly the same as Theresa Mays response to her defeat the previous evening. They both seem intent on ploughing ahead exactly as before. The prime minister came up with nothing new except for a limp offer to hold meetings with senior parliamentarians from across the house. The Labour leader looks set to hold out against pressure from his own party to move on, having failed to secure a general election, to supporting a new referendum.

Many Labour supporters of a new referendum have failed to read their partys policy closely enough. They thought that, if the party couldnt force a general election, it would support a new referendum. But that is not the policy agreed at the last party conference. It says: If we cannot get a general election Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote.

Corbyn has stuck closely to this formula, and his spokesperson has told journalists that he will continue to do so now that the vote for a general election has been defeated. The policy says that all options must remain on the table. Of course, this means all options apart from a no-deal Brexit, as Corbyn made clear in his response to Mays invitation to come round and talk some time. He said he would if shed rule out a no-deal Brexit. But we can expect Corbyn to focus most of his effort in the future on options that do not include a referendum.

He will be very interested in a permanent customs union, and possibly even in Norway-plus, a plan that would keep the UK in the single market as well, accepting free movement of people. But a new referendum will remain just an option, not the policy, and it will continue to be hard to pin down Corbyn and John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, on whether, if there were to be another referendum, Remain should be one of the choices on the ballot paper.

Just as no-dealer Tory MPs (and party members) hoped May would change her mind about Brexit, Remainer Labour MPs (and party members) hoped Corbyn would swing the partys official policy behind taking Brexit back to the people.

Both groups are going to be disappointed.A Canadian man being sentenced to death, while others have been detained, should send severe shockwaves through the international community, and serve as a warning to Brexiteers hoping to secure shiny new trade deals with China.

Already it is increasingly clear our economy is too reliant on China. Apple, Samsung and Jaguar have all warned that their UK businesses are being hit by the slowdown affecting the worlds most populous country. As a result of this, combined with the potential shock of Brexit, Jaguar Land Rover announced it was streamlining UK operations  at a great cost to British jobs.

When Britain voted for Brexit it was in the middle of David Camerons golden era of UK-China relations. The British political establishment and media crooned over the possibilities of untapped markets, unaware that being too close to Beijing is a double-edged sword.

Huawei technology was incorporated into our 4G network, Confucius Institutes (non-profit educational groups affiliated with Chinas government) were set up in our universities, and a dreadful deal was signed with a Chinese state-run firm to fund Hinkley Point nuclear power plant  in my view, stopping the development of green tidal technology in my Swansea constituency.

Fast forward to 2019, and how things have changed. The UK government has launched an inquiry into Confucius Institutes, with critics concerned they are designed to spread propaganda; British Telecom has removed Huawei technology from our 4G network amid concerns raised about the firms presence in telecoms infrastructure. Add to that those job losses at Jaguar Land Rover and economic damage from the Hinckley Point deal.

The dangers of Chinas growing influence in the world are increasingly clear. Since Canada arrested Huawei chieff financial officer Meng Wanzhou, on suspicion she had helped coordinate the illegal circumvention of international sanctions on Iran (claims she denies), the country has sacrificed its prospective new trade deal with China, the countrys second biggest trading partner.

The tit-for-tat gangster politics that followed is concerning, as China flexes its muscles and does as it likes. Chinas authoritarian methods pose a great threat to our liberal values of human rights and freedom. From Hong Kong, where student protesters are being locked up, to Xinjiang where up to 1 million Muslims are in arbitrary detention in re-education camps. The Chinese people do not enjoy many basic rights and freedoms. Abroad, Beijing is funding and empowering authoritarian leaders from Southeast Asia to Africa.

Chinas vision is global. President Xi Jinpings belt and road initiative is the biggest global powerplay we have seen in decades. The $1 trillion worth of investment and loans in foreign infrastructure is trapping countries across the global south into debt, with Sri Lanka, among others, forced to literally cede territory to China after defaulting on their loans. The result is that many nations now pledge allegiance primarily to China, and Xis ambition is to fundamentally reshape the geopolitical map.

 China on the arrest of Huawei employee in Poland

Since Brexit, the diplomatic situation worldwide has fundamentally changed. Many of us have been caught unawares by Chinas sudden rise and are worried they are using their power so aggressively. Is it really the time to leave behind our great European allies, one of the greatest bulwarks of liberal democracy?

Canada is also faced with soured relations with the US, their biggest trading partner, putting them in a precarious situation. With Trump in the White House, the last thing the world needs right now is for European nations that still believe in human rights to be falling out. A no-deal Brexit or Theresa Mays failure of a compromise is going to divide us from Europe at a time when the world cannot afford it.

Brexit was sold to the British people with the idea there were untapped opportunities which the European Union stopped us from enjoying. For many at the time, China was their imagined land of opportunity. It is now clear this was merely a fantasy. Their economy is weaker than we thought, and their diplomacy is too narrowly nationalistic. Our true friends are in Europe.

Its like Brexiteer David Davis once said: If a democracy cannot change its mind, it ceases to be a democracy. And when a country is afraid to call out human right abuses, it ceases to be an arbiter of those rights. The British people deserve the chance to make an informed decision based on this new and profoundly significant information. A peoples vote on the terms of the deal is the only way forward.

Geraint Davies is the Labour MP for Swansea WestRarely, a moment arrives in a nations history when reality hits, and it realises that it is not the power it was, not the force it fancies itself to be, and that it cannot get what it wants because other, stronger nations, wont allow it to.

It is becoming more obvious that Brexit is just such a moment for the UK. As Theresa May asks us to consider what the historians will say, it is a nice moment to suggest that they shouldnt heap the blame on her. She made her mistakes, heaven knows, but the fundamental problem for her is that the EU is, roughly, ten times bigger than the UK. In population, in economic heft, in terms of the scale it can bring to its negotiations with other economic superpowers such as the US, China, India and Japan.

The British were not able to get the Brexit theyd like  to have their cake and eat it  because the EU could say no to that proposition, and they did. We had few cards to play  the budget contributions, keeping EU citizens as hostages (counterproductive anyway), their loss of the City as a pool of capital, and impeding the import of everything from French cheese to Polish plumbers. In the end, they had far more.

So they told us where to get off: what did we expect. It has happened before. Politicians occasionally  not enough  mention Suez as a moment of similar national crisis and humiliation. The parallels are close. Back in 1956 the British government believed that it could still play a global role, as a great power. Wed won the war, after all. We disliked the Egyptians nationalising the Suez Canal, through which all of our oil and much other trade used to flow, to and from what is nowadays termed global Britain. We joined with the French, a similarly post-imperial medium sized European power and the Israelis to collude in an invasion of Egypt. The idea, entirely pre-planned (in a secret treaty, the Sevres accord), was the Israelis would invade Sinai, and then the British and French would invade, secure the canal for international security and to break up the fight.

All went well  it was a military success  until the Americans found out about it. They were furious, because it interfered with their Cold War policies, and told the British to pack it in and get out. If we didnt, they told the government, they would crush the pound, and thus inflict huge economic damage on the UK's economy and banking system. The British thus came face-to-face with the limits of their power. They couldnt do what they want. So we and the French retreated. Humiliation. Bitter recriminations. Reputations trashed. Fall of the prime minister.

The contrasting sequels to that are instructive. The British decided to rebuild their special relationship with America and become their closest and most trusted ally, co-operating on security and nuclear weapons. The French, by contrast, were conformed in their belief that they should look to Europe for their national and international ambitions. Suez was October 1956; the Treaty of Rome was March 1957.

Looking across the Atlantic, the US secretary of state, John Forster Dulles, told Congress that the Suez debacle partly created, partly disclosed the vulnerability of the British economic financial position. His boss, President Eisenhower said this to an aide; Ive just seen a great power make such a complete mess and botch of thingsof course theres nobody in a war I'd rather have fighting alongside me than the British. But  this thing! My God!

And so we find the EU now in the same position the Americans were in the 1950s; revealing uncomfortable economic realities to us. Internally, in Britain, the events created and opened up deep passions and divisions, just as they do today.

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The EU, like the US then, is too big to ignore, too rich to dictate to, and too powerful to say no to. The economic realities behind diplomacy drive events far more than wed like to think in our personality-obsessed media.

We rely on the EU for half of our foreign trade, roughly a fifth of our national income. The EU relies for about 10 per cent of its exports on the UK, and less in terms of its overall national income. It varies  it is rather larger for the Netherlands than Bulgaria, for German car makers than for Romanian retailers, but the broad economic imbalance is there. For BMW, for example, the integrity of the vast single market is more important than the money it makes in Britain; it is a global concern with plants from Spartanburg, South Carolina to Shenyang, China. The UK is useful, lucrative as a market and has been an excellent place to build Minis and BMW engines; but it is not as important to the Group as we might wish to imagine.

Think, if you will, about the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 that preceded the UK's vote on the EU. That, too, was dominated by economic, material issues, though with traditional patriotism, or nationalism, also in the mix. The Scots wanted, from the English in effect, to be able to say in the (former) UK single market; to keep the pound sterling; and to have various other benefits that they currently enjoyed, but without making many other concessions. The births government (EH?) loftily said, basically, that they could take a hike along the high road. The British Treasury had no special wish to favour Scotland, and the Bank of England would not run monetary policy to suit the Scottish economy. The Scots, in effect, would be granted independence if they voted for it; but they would have to accept English terms. Mercifully the Scottish people were canny enough to see the realities facing them. The disparity in power was clear  the remaining UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) was about ten times larger than Scotland in national income and population just like the UK vs the EU. It had nothing to do with the relative skills of, say, Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond. It was a matter of weight of money.

If the UK has any sense now, just like after Suez, we would retreat and simply accept our diminished status in the world, with as much dignity as we can muster, and hope time heals the wounds. We should instead concentrate on building an economy that would give us more clout in the counsels of the EU. After all, this is actually what the Germans have managed to do, as paymaster for the entire system. Without Germany there would be no EU. Without Britain they could get along pretty well anyhow. Britain without the EU? We darent.It was Vote Leave superbrain Dominic Cummings that first bequeathed to the world the idea of alternative branches of history, the notion that but for this or that, reality could very easily be different, so why should anyone, and especially Dominic Cummings, be expected to take the blame for the absolutely inevitable consequences of their actions? After all, somewhere, in a far-off galaxy in our infinite universe, it is theoretically possible there exists a United Kingdom that hasnt been forced to burn in the explosion that followed Dominic Cummings successful mission to drive a car into David Camerons living room, and if you have the misfortune to exist in this galaxy and not that one then frankly its your own fault.

It is a concept that, at least until Thursday morning, existed only in the abstract, when Jeremy Corbyn summoned the media to a church hall in Hastings, to join him in his journey up the branch of history where he had won, and not lost, the confidence motion in the government the night before, and so he was launching a general election campaign.

Hastings, where Windrush blame lifeboat Amber Rudd won in 2017 by just 346 votes, is Labours number one target seat in the general election that no one appears to have told Corbyn isnt happening. And so here he was, with his activists gathered, in front of a theatre curtain with a red ballot box style cross illuminated across it from the overhead spotlights. Afterwards  with 71 days to go until Brexit, and the need for cross party cooperation now of fundamental importance  he would be heading off to the local hospital to heal the swing voting sick.

On a personal note, it was considered something of an indulgence for me, a sketch writer, to come all the way to Hastings when theres so much going on in Westminster, which should provide some context for the behaviour of the leader of the Labour Party, and the only man really, who can break the Brexit deadlock. It was a stunt so overwhelmingly childish it would have shocked no one had he strode out on to the stage in Power Rangers pyjamas.

Then theres the fact he didnt appear to know what day of the week it was. He read to the gathered masses from a script prepared for the wrong day. He spoke of the no confidence motion he had tabled last night. As he did so, shadow justice secretary Richard Burgons head shot round in blind panic. Had he tabled another one? If he had done, no one had told Richard Burgon. Or perhaps they had, but Richard Burgon had forgotten, probably at some point during the latest battle of the brutal morning war of attrition between Richard Burgon and his own shoelaces, now well into its third decade and as delicately poised as ever.

It was another episode of Corbyns unique brand of post-Brexit politics. Since Christmas, his strategy has been to say that it doesnt matter if you vote Leave or Remain, austerity is hurting you just the same.

I dont want to live in a country that depends on food banks, payday loans and loan sharks. I want to live in a country that is positive, enthused and engaged with the future, he said, to predictable cheers. A noble sentiment, no doubt, but one that is easier to utter if two and a half years ago you didnt care oooh seven out of 10 about a political earthquake that will make the economy smaller, and the capacity to deal with these problems smaller too.

As the media asked questions, his activists heckled, lending the occasion that sort of retro 2016-ish vibe, though it stopped short of outright booing.

Asked about the policy of a Final Say referendum, he did tiptoe a bit further than usual towards an idea on what should happen, that it shouldnt be just a rerun of the last one, which marks the first tentative steps down the road first signalled by Len McCluskey, that Remain shouldnt be on the ballot paper.

Which was an interesting teeing up of the next discussion. That in the general election that isnt happening, it would be the party that decided the policy on Brexit, not him.

Our policy going into the general election will not be decided by me, he said. I will be one person in the room.

The party wants a second referendum, by a margin of at least 65 per cent, and they want Remain to be on the ballot paper.

And with that, we were done. The audience clapped. Next stop, the hospital  and perhaps into the spaceship that might carry him to the branch of history where its actually happening.If youre an American, hes still out there among the maybe candidates. But if you live in the Middle East  whether youre Arab or Israeli, Muslim, Jew or Christian  you should keep your eye on Bernie Sanders.

Hes no shoo-in, of course  certainly not after his pitiful handover to the awful Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election. I still remember shouting No! myself when I heard his fans cursing his decision to stand down in favour of Clinton. But the guy just might have the guts, even the courage, to stand up to the ally to whom the US always gives groveling, uncritical, slavish, immoral support.

Note how at this point I dont need to identify Israel as the ally in question. Nor did I have to mention in my first paragraph that Sanders is one of the two most prominent Jewish members of the US Senate. In fact, Sanders wears his origins, race, religion, social background and integrity so easily that he comes across, even to a cynical European still living in a pre-Brexit world (just), as a patently nice guy. Unlike Donald Trump, hes sane. But unlike Obama, hes not so goody-two-shoes or optic-obsessed to think that he can fandangle voters with ageing good looks and the right heart.

Its one thing for a black candidate to go for the black vote in the US, but for an American Jew to go for the American Jewish vote is a very different matter.

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Sanders campaign is not just going to be about economics or the futility of Mexican walls. It might well be about Iran. Its going to raise a lot of questions among the Christian fundamentalists. But, most importantly of all, its going to be about Israel. And, if this liberal intellectual is going to be a serious candidate for 2020, hes going to meet plenty of latent anti-Semitism in the United States. It took long enough for John Kennedy, the first Catholic American to become president, to shake off the claim that he would be more loyal to the Pope than to America.

Just imagine how Sanders will have to confront the same bigots when they insinuate that hes more loyal to Israel than to his own country. Hes not  as one television presenter once suggested  a dual national. Hes not an Israeli. Hes the child of Polish Jewish immigrants.

You know, he told the same television host, my Dad came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket. He loved this country ... I am, obviously, an American citizen and I do not have any dual citizenship. He was, he said in a later interview, proud to be Jewish but not particularly religious. He spent time on an Israeli kibbutz near Haifa in 1963 after college graduation. So did thousands of other Americans and Europeans  and they werent all Jewish.

Take a look through his Israel/Palestine CV, and Sanders is clearly neither an aggressive Zionist nor a liberal patsy. Hes a New Deal Democrat, which is how many would judge him. Younger, leftist voters might consider him as a kind of upwardly mobile intellectual, a Chomsky on wheels  even though the great (Jewish) philosopher, activist and linguist said before the last presidential election that hed vote for Clinton as a frontrunner rather than Sanders in swing states in a final vote to keep Trump out. Much good did that do him.

But lets remember a few more things about Sanders. Hes always supported the right of Israel to exist and its right to self-defence, and hes always condemned Palestinian attacks on Israelis. But hes also kept away from pro-Israeli Jewish lobby groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and he didnt restrain himself when he chose to condemn Israel for its illegal colonial project of building homes for Jews and Jews only in the occupied West Bank, nor when Israel has blatantly interfered in US domestic or electoral politics.

When Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress in 2015  with the usual Saddam-like standing ovations from American representatives more fearful of being critical of Israel than standing up to the lobby  Sanders skipped the speech. He [Netanyahu] doesnt have the right to inject himself into an American political discussion by being the speaker before a joint session of Congress to criticise the United States, he told CNN. This is breath-of-fresh-air stuff from a leading American politician, even if his 77 years gives Sanders the patina of wisdom  and thus more leeway than usual for a critic of Israel.

The 2014 Gaza war (with its usual exchange rate of 2,100 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, for 72 Israelis) seems to have been a critical moment in the Sanders horror of Israeli-Palestinian killings. He spoke of the Israeli attacks [sic] that killed hundreds of innocent people  including many women and children and referred to Israels ruthless air strikes as disproportionate and completely unacceptable. Unlike Hillary Clinton, he didnt cosy up to AIPAC by speaking at their 2016 policy conference. In the speech he would have given to them, he said that it is absurd for elements within the Netanyahu government to suggest that building more settlements in the West Bank is the appropriate response to the most recent violence. It is also not acceptable that the Netanyahu government decided to withhold hundreds of millions of shekels in tax revenue from the Palestinians.

But, he added, it was unacceptable for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas  my inverted commas, here, for a man who has long run out of presidential legality  to call for the abrogation of the Oslo agreement. This would make sense  only Abbas had actually threatened Oslo because the continued building of Jewish colonies on Arab land had already effectively destroyed the agreement. And in a later AIPAC-encouraged Senate round robin letter, Sanders appeared to give all the usual caveats to Israel, complaining that the UN delivered disproportionate criticism of Israel and demeaning the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He later said he didnt actually write the letter even though he signed it, which was a bit like apologising to the Palestinians after you have thrown them under the proverbial bus.

The nearest hes got to confronting the great taboo  the sacrosanct economic-military relationship between Israel and America which no candidate ever wants to talk about  was half-Chomsky and half-Obama. What must be done, he said, is that the United States of America must have a Middle East policy which is even-handed, which does not simply supply endless amounts of money, of military support to Israel, but which treats both sides with respect and dignity, and does our best to bring them to the table.

But he even got a nod of approval from that brilliant grudge Norman Finkelstein when he told J Street liberals that Donald Trumps support for a peace deal didnt amount to much. The real question is: peace on what terms, and under what arrangement? Does peace mean that Palestinians will be forced to live under perpetual Israeli rule, in a series of disconnected communities in the West Bank and Gaza? Thats not tolerable, and thats not peace.

If Palestinians in the occupied territories are to be denied self-determination in a state of their own, will they receive full citizenship and equal rights in a single state, potentially meaning the end of a Jewish majority state? These are very serious questions with significant implications for Americas broader regional partnerships and goals.

If you want to see what Sanders is up against in the abuse stakes from American Jews who would definitely not vote for him, you have only to glance at columnist Andrea Peysers critique in the New York Post in 2016. Bernie Sanders is not quite Jewish, she wrote. Hes Jew-ish  a non-practising, anti-Israel, kinda, sorta Hebrew ... Whats disproportionate about Israels self-preserving responses to rocket fire on civilians heads, Bernie? Sanders, she said, had forged a far-left political brand, siding with Jew-haters and Israel foes, which is redundant.

But Bernie Sanders can also dish it out. When anti-Israeli audience members interrupted him in Vermont, he told them to shut up  itself a red rag to the super-left, who immediately condemned him for being pro-Israel. Hes talked about the dangers of Hamas, but hes also condemned proposed US legislation that would punish boycotts against Israel and Israeli colonies on the West Bank (the Israel Anti-Boycott Act) on the grounds that it would harm free speech in America.

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Hes now bashing Trump for destroying the Iran nuclear agreement, Saudi Arabia for its Yemen war and Israel for its shooting down of Palestinians on the Gaza Strip fence. Hes even critical of that imperial journalistic messenger Thomas Friedman for blaming the Palestinians for their own suffering. So things cant be that bad.

Of course we have to remember the numbing sickness of American politics; the absolute need to kowtow to power when theres no alternative; the use of the word compromise instead of capitulation; the personal pressures that might be used against a Jewish presidential contender. Im not sure Bernie Sanders can resist all this. I still recall how Judge Richard Goldstone, a fine and decent man whom I wrote of two weeks ago, believed in justice for the Palestinians and wrote so eloquently of their suffering in the 2008-2009 Gaza war in his massive UN report. Yet he, after pressure on him from Jewish groups and from his own Jewish family, then recanted and turned his back on those who trusted him.

Be sure Bernie Sanders knows of Goldstones Calvary, but he may be made of sterner stuff. The Arabs will watch Sanders, if theyre wise, though they are still blinded by the Trump bauble. The Israelis, whose lives depend on their future dependence on America as much as their past reliance, may come to fear him.

One certainty is that if Sanders is up for the 2020 race, the US-Israel Middle East collusion is likely to lose its taboo status for a long time to come.A passenger flying from Russia from Bangkok had to be restrained with tape and belts when he refused to stop drinking.

The man, flying on S7 flight 582 to the Russian city of Novosibirsk, had to be restrained by fellow passengers when the cabin crew were unable to subdue the 26-year-old.

The passenger boarded the flight to southwestern Siberia looking completely sober, according to a spokesperson for the airline.

Later in the flight, a cabin crew member noticed him drinking alcohol and asked him to stop, the airline said.

The passenger then began to annoy his neighbours by continuing to drink and speaking too loudly, and fellow passengers called for cabin crew assistance. He ignored cabin crew members as well as the captains order to stop breaking the rules, said S7.

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In order to guarantee flight safety cabin crew members asked the man to the rear kitchen area and tried to calm him down, when he started to offend and threaten other passengers and the crew.

With the help of other passengers the man was restrained, however went on to behave inadequately, trying to hit his head against the floor. During the flight he was watched by a cabin crew member and a doctor.

Right after landing he was handed over to police officers and fined for disorderly conduct.

Russian Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said that it had received a request for police assistance to meet the Bangkok flight on landing in Novosibirsk.

The police arrived at the scene of the incident and found that a 26-year-old air passenger during the flight had used obscene language, waved his hands and did not respond to requests of the airline staff to observe the rules of conduct onboard the aircraft, the ministry said in a statement.

S7 is a Russian airline that is part of the Oneworld Alliance alongside airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific and American Airlines.The work environment at Oxfam is marked by "racism, colonial behaviour and bullying behaviours", according to a new report.

The interim report produced by the independent commission, set up by Oxfam International in the wake of the Haiti scandal in 2018 to assess the company's culture, found it has a "toxic work environment".

A lack of "robust policies and procedures" across the charity also led to a culture in which sexual misconduct could be misunderstood at best or, at worst, unaddressed, it said.

The 30-page report details the initial findings of the commission's investigation after speaking directly with staff, communities and survivors to identify problems and solutions.

The Independent Commission on Sexual Misconduct, Accountability and Culture Change (ICSMACC) heard from staff who complained of a wide range of issues, which the charity apologised for and said it was acting to stamp out.

The report said: "The Commission has heard multiple staff raise concerns of elitism... racism and colonial behaviour... sexism, rigid hierarchies and patriarchy that affect relationships among Oxfam staff and between Oxfam staff and its partners and program participants."

Staff were highly critical of both management behaviour and company procedures for dealing with bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.

These were said to be "deficient" and compromised staff morale at times.

Bullying is so prevalent that staff said they did not believe the company's values were understood by all employees.

The report said: "Oxfam's values are printed on wall posters but not always understood or upheld in action-and sometimes are even contradicted".

Additionally, those who have raised issues in the past, referenced as "whistleblowers and survivors", "felt deeply frustrated and saddened at the lack of accountability they experienced".

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 some cases, those individuals reported being pushed out of the organisation, or were left with "no choice but to leave".

The investigation into the charity's culture began in May 2018 following reports of alleged sexual assault by staff in Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake.

The Commission is still gathering research before the full report is published in May 2019, including an investigation from the UK Charity Commission.

Oxfam said the report was an "important step" to help "tackle the root causes of abuse".

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Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International executive director, said: "We set up the commission to ask the hard questions of our culture and practice. This is an important piece of work at a crucial time for us. We will use its emerging recommendations to bolster our ongoing improvements so that we truly have 'zero tolerance' to anyone who would abuse their power over others."

Ms Byanyima also apologised to those who had experienced abuse from the organisation.

"It is painfully clear that Oxfam is not immune from sexual and other forms of abuse that stem from the abuse of power," she said. "To those who have experienced such unacceptable behaviour: we are sorry, I am sorry, and we will follow up on any cases passed to us by the Commission as a matter of urgency."

Press AssociationA British MP has warned Saudi Arabia risks stirring revolution unless it introduces reforms and allows greater freedom of expression.

Crispin Blunt, a Conservative MP and chair of a parliamentary panel on detained Saudi women activists, urged the Saudi government to recognise that a civil society is a necessary part of a political system that is meant to be a consultative monarchy.

The alternative to a consultative monarchy is an absolute monarchy and down that route lies disaster and eventually revolution, he wrote in an op-ed for The Independent.

Mr Blunt, who described himself as a friend of Saudi Arabia, is among a group of cross-party MPs calling for the Saudi government to allow access to womens rights activists detained in the country, following allegations that the women have been subjected to torture and sexual assault in prison.

More than a dozen were imprisoned in a crackdown by authorities in May last year, just ahead of the countrys ban on women driving being lifted. Many of them were prominent in the campaign to remove the ban.

Some were later released without charge, but at least eight women and a number of male supporters of the movement remain in custody. Human rights groups have said at least three of the women have suffered torture and sexual assault in Dhahban Prison, where they are being held, and all have been denied access to lawyers.

Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations, saying: These recent reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are baseless.

The panel wrote an open letter to the Saudi government earlier this month requesting access to the women detainees. Now, Mr Blunt has written to the new Saudi foreign minister, Ibrahim Abdulaziz AlAssaf, to make the same request.

I write to request that you reassess the role the Women Activist Detainees have played in Saudi Arabian civil society, one which accompanied the welcome step, in June 2018, of women being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, he wrote in the letter dated 14 January.

Recommended British MPs call for access to jailed women activists in Saudi Arabia

I would be grateful if you would give our request the consideration this crisis commands and assist in facilitating the panels visit to Saudi Arabia to independently assess the conditions of the Detainees, he added.

The crackdown on women activists came just weeks ahead of the removal of the driving ban last June, seen as a step forward for equality in Saudi Arabia. The arrests were widely interpreted as a message to campaigners that changes in the country would be delivered from the top, and to discourage similar campaigns on other issues.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The one year-old patient who died after contracting what was believed to be meningococcemia has tested negative for the disease, the local government of Valenzuela City announced.

City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said the patient who was declared dead on arrival Monday at the Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital did not have meningococcemia, contrary to what the Health Department initially reported.

"Negative for meningococcemia yung bata na dead on arrival na pinadala sa amin, Gatchalian told CNN Philippines Balitaan.

[Translation: The child that was brought to us dead on arrival, tested negative for meningococcemia.]

Gatchalian explained that they ran a blood culture test to confirm the hospital doctors initial diagnosis of the disease based on the rashes observed on the childs body and reported to the Department of Health (DOH.)

On Wednesday, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said they have treated the case initially as meningococcemia and provided prophylactic antibiotics to the persons who were in contact with the patient.

There have already been two cases of meningococcemia recorded for this year, one in Pateros, Manila and another in Novaliches, Quezon City. The two patients have already been discharged from the hospital, Domingo assured.

What is meningococcemia?

Domingo explained that meningococcemia is a disease caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, which is common in the environment. However, the bacteria multiplies and triggers detrimental effects once the immunity of the body weakens.

"Ang meningococcemia isa siyang bacteria common naman po talagang nandiyan lang siya sa ating paligid sa karamihan ng tao hindi naging sanhi ng sakit kaya lang po minsan kapag mababa ang ating resistensiya maari siyang pumasok sa ating katawan at magcause ng sakit," Domingo told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Ngayon.

[Translation: Meningococcemia is a bacteria common in our surroundings. For a lot of people, it is not the cause of illness. However, sometimes when the body's resistance weakens, the bacteria may enter our bodies and lead to sickness.]

Once the bacteria spreads it could affect the blood or even lead to meningitis which could infect the brain, he described. Although the cases should not cause alarm, Domingo said, the public should still be cautious and should immediately seek treatment once the symptoms of high fever and rashes, manifest.

The health official said meningococcemia is also a transmissible disease which means a person in contact with the patient's bodily fluids can be infected.

"'Yung meningococcemia, talagang mataas na mataas ang lagnat at nagkakaroon ng pantal na later kumakalat, so kung may ganitong signs magpatingin na po kaagad sa hospital o sa ating mga clinics para macheck-up," he said.

[Translation: The meningococcemia causes very high fever and spreads rashes so once you see these signs have yourself checked at the hospitals or clinics.]

Around two hundred cases of meningococcemia are recorded in the country every year, Domingo said.A museum in Israel will remove an artwork depicting Ronald McDonald as the crucified Jesus after it sparked violent clashes between police and members of the countrys Arab Christian minority.

The life-sized sculpture of fast food chain McDonalds clown mascot on a cross, created by Finnish artist Jani Leinonen, was due to go on display in the city of Haifa for several months.

However, the piece sparked protests, which became violent on Friday, when three police officers were injured as dozens of demonstrators tried to force their way into the Haifa Museum of Art.

One person was arrested on suspicion of assault after clashes outside the gallery, while investigators are searching for two other individuals suspected of throwing firebombs at the building.

I object to this disgraceful sculpture, said Nicola Abdo, a Haifa resident and protester. As a Christian person, I take deep offence to this depiction of our symbols.

McJesus has been removed from an exhibition at the Haifa Museum of Art after protests (AP)

Christian Arabs, who make up around two per cent of Israels population, initially won support for their cause from the countrys populist culture minister Miri Regev.

Ms Regev, who won plaudids on the right for censuring art deemed pro-Palestinian, threatened to cut state funding for the museum on the grounds it had offended religious sensitivities.

However, Israels justice ministry rebuked her suggestion, claiming she did not have authority to take such actions.

The mayor of Haifa, Einat Kalisch-Rotem, announced in a tweet late on Wednesday McJesus would be taken out of the exhibition following consultations with church leaders.

The sculpture will be removed and returned as soon as possible, Einat Kalish Rotem tweeted.

We regret the aggravation the Christian community experienced and the physical injury and violence that surrounded it.

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

Artist Mr Leionen, known for his public artworks criticising capitalism using the branding and logos of multinational corporations, has also demanded the artwork be removed from the exhibition.

He told Israeli newspaper Haaretz he had asked the museum to take the piece off display last September because he wanted to show solidarity with Palestinians.

The sculptor accused the country of using art and culture to whitewash and justify the occupation of the West Bank.

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Meanwhile, some in the city see the decision to remove the artwork as an opportunity for reconciliation between religious groups.

The winner today is the people of Haifa, said Wadie Abu Nassar, an adviser to local church leaders. The removal of this sculpture is a reflection our desire to coexist in the city.

Additional reporting by APIsraels former army chief, who is set to be Benjamin Netanyahus biggest election rival, has launched a long-awaited political platform after weeks of feverish speculation pushed him to second favourite in the polls.

Benny Gantz, 59, whose political opinions are virtually unknown, revealed his partys campaign on Thursday under the slogan Israel before all in a khaki colour scheme.

The elections wild card only set up his Israel Resilience Party late last month and has kept silent about whether it would be supporting Israels powerful and ruling right or whether he would join the left.

Despite this the paratrooper, who served as chief-of-staff between 2011 and 2015, has already gathered a lot of support and his party is just second to incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu's in a new poll released this week.

On Thursday Lt.Gen Gantz posted his first ever campaign video, inviting his followers on social media to join him for change.

I put Israel before everything. Join me and we will take a new path together. Because it should be different, it can be different and we will make it different, he said.

Recommended Netanyahu rejects corruption allegations in bizarre Instagram outburst

He ended the clip with a joke about his silence saying I think Ive spoken too much.

Mr Netanyahu, Israels longest-serving premier, called the snap elections  which are due to take place on 9 April  under the shadow of criminal charges.

He is currently enmeshed in three graft cases, which commentators believe may hurt his performance in the vote. The decision whether to indict him is expected to be announced within the next few weeks.

According to new polls released by Channel 10 news on Tuesday, Lt.Gen Gantz is just three points behind Netanyahu as the peoples choice for prime minister: some 41 per cent of respondents selected Netanyahu as their preferred candidate, while 38 per cent chose Gantz. Twenty-one percent said they could not decide between the two.

A separate poll by Israels public broadcaster also put Lt. Gen Gantzs Israel Resilience Party second in the polls, securing 13 of the 120-seat Knesset to Mr Netanyahus right-wing Likud party which it said would likely take 31.

Israeli commentators say they believe that Gantz, as a former military figure, could win over the Israeli public.

He is presumed to be centre-left and in comparison to Mr Netanyahus hawkish allies, he appears a relative moderate when it came to decisions regarding the Palestinians.

He served as head of the army during the 2014 Gaza war, but after the conflict ended he publicly called for Israels blockade on the enclave to be lifted to allow goods in.

People in Israel vote on security. Netanyahu has been a magician about convincing people he has all the answers, and people can sleep well at night, Amos Harel, defence expert and writer for left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz, told The Independent.

But Gantz is not a civilian. He is not a newbie: he is a general, who understands Israel.

Netanyahu and Gantz visit a tactical headquarters of the Israel army in southern Israel near the border with Gaza on July 21, 2014 during the war (Israeli Government Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images))

Also part of the charm is that he hasnt spoken yet. A lot of his current popularity is because he hasnt taken any position that anyone can argue about or against, he added.

The only hint of Gantzs political leanings was revealed in a rare statement on Monday when he expressed sympathy with Israels Arab-Israeli Druze population, whose members serve in the Israeli army and are often fiercely loyal to the state.

Speaking to Druze protesters outside his house in Rosh Ha'ayin, Lt. Gen Gantz said he would do anything in his power to fix Israels controversial Nation State law which holds a constitution like status and was ratified last summer. In the legislation, Israel is positioned as national home of the Jewish people, where only Israeli Jews are given the right to self -determination and the Arabic language was downgraded from a national language to one of special status.

Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu is facing possible indictment. According to Israeli media, the countrys state prosecutor is likely to recommend he be indicted in case 4000 or Bezeq named after a telecommunication company he supposedly awarded regulatory favours to.

He may also face trial in the other two cases, in which police have argued that he received expensive gifts from wealthy friends, and in which he allegedly negotiated a deal with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper for better coverage.

Mr Netanyahu has vehemently rejected the allegations. He demanded he be allowed to confront the states witnesses in a televised address a few weeks ago.

Gantz is not a civilian. He is not a newbie he is a general, who understands Israel Amos Harel, Haaretz newspaper

On Thursday Mr Netanyahu took to social media to try to drum up support at home and abroad in the US by joining in the 10-year challenge. The Facebook and Twitter phenomenon has seen people post photos of themselves a decade ago next to current images, to show their growth and development.

The Israeli prime minister controversially posted photos of a newly fortified border wall with Egypt and the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the examples of Israels 10 year progress.

However, Mr Harel still believes the current premier will hold his current position.

People are seeing these as mid-term elections, Mr Harel concluded. Netanyahu will win by a large majority. It will then be up to the attorney-general to decide on his future and whether to indict him.Turkey deported a Dutch journalist on Thursday after receiving a report from her own government linking her to a Syrian militant group listed as a terrorist organisation.

Ans Boersma, 31, writes about Turkey and Syria for Het Financieele Dagblad, the Netherlands main business daily, among other papers. She was detained on Wednesday after appearing at a government office to renew her residency. She was not allowed to go home, and instead hustled quickly to the airport.

Awaiting her departure, she tweeted: And then suddenly you are in the plane back to the Netherlands. Declared an unwanted person in Turkey.

Fahrettin Altun, spokesperson for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in a statement that the deportation was in no way related to her journalistic activities during her stay in Turkey. He instead said the move was due to allegations from authorities in The Hague that Ms Boersma was under investigation for ties to Jabhat al-Nusra, a Syrian jihadi group with al Qaeda links that now calls itself Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The Dutch prosecutor confirmed that Ms Boersma is a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation into terrorism but that she is not suspected of a terrorist crime. The prosecutor said she was not detained on arrival in Amsterdam and the Netherlands had not requested her deportation from Turkey.

Recommended Number of journalists jailed for doing their job nears record high

Mr Altun said authorities had received intelligence from the Dutch police alleging Ms Boersma had links to a designated terrorist organisation and requested information about her movements in and out of Turkey.

He tweeted: The Netherlands told Turkey that the reporter, who was deported today, had links to Jabhat al-Nusra.

We acted on intelligence from the Netherlands and took a precautionary measure. If a credible foreign government agency tells you that one of their citizens has links to terrorism, you dont take any chances. The Dutch authorities alone are in a position to explain why they arrived at that conclusion.

Nusras successor organisation controls much of Syrias northwest Idlib province, where it has largely defeated rebel groups backed by Turkey and is girding itself for war against forces loyal to Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

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

Though designated by many governments as a terrorist organisation, it has never been linked to attacks in the west, focusing on its quest on toppling the Assad regime.

Turkey has been accused of seriously backsliding on press freedom in recent years and has been described as one of the worlds biggest jailers of journalists. But Turkish authorities recently renewed Ms Boersmas press credentials, and insisted privately as well as publicly that her coverage had nothing to do with her expulsion.

Netherlands has not suffered a deadly terrorist attack in years thanks in part to what experts describe as aggressive policing and surveillance of citizens, especially those who travel to Turkey, which has been seen as a gateway to battlefields in Syria and Iraq where militant groups operate.Three people have been injured in a massive explosion at a university building in Lyon, France.

Footage of the blast shows a fireball erupting into the sky above the building where a large fire could already be seen on the roof.

The building on the La Doua campus in Villeurbanne, north of Lyon city centre, is a science library.

The area has been evacuated and firefighters are on the scene.

Police told Reuters works were being carried out on the roof and the fire began after a gas bottle exploded.

The university told AP construction work was the cause and the explosion was accidental.

The university said multiple explosions occurred and had been caused by renovation work.

Images posted on social networks showed massive plumes of black smoke and flickering flames rising above the campus in the Lyon suburb of Villeurbanne.

Many captured the moment of the largest blast which sent a mushroom cloud metres into the air above the science building.

Authorities in the city and university insisted there were no risks of chemical leaks.

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 incident comes days after a blast apparently caused by a gas leak hit a Paris bakery, killing four people.

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In that explosion a gas leak had been reported immediately before the blast in which dozens were injured and twelve neighbouring buildings were damaged.Rescue workers searching for a toddler who fell down a well in Spain have found several strands of his hair.

The two-year-old boy, called Julen, plunged into the 360ft shaft on Sunday while walking with his parents in a mountainous area near the village of Totalan, northeast of Malaga.

The discovery of the hair on Wednesday is the first confirmation that the boy  who is said to have momentarily wandered away from his mother and father  is down the hole.

DNA tests have shown it belongs to the child.

The boys dad, Jose Rosello, told reporters that the family was "not going to give up" and have "hope that he is not dead."

Recommended Spain rescues 549 migrants crossing Mediterranean in small boats

He said: "I feel like we have [been] here for months," adding that, while he feared the worst, he had hope for an angel to help us bring him back alive".

The narrow well was bored only a month earlier during water inspection works and was not covered or protected, local media reported.

The four-day rescue operation  which has involved more than 100 professionals and volunteers  had earlier found a bag of sweets in the well, but two cameras lowered into the shaft failed to capture any trace of the toddler.

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Miguel Angel Escano, mayor of Totalan, said: "There is hope he's alive but it diminishes with each passing minute."

Rescue teams are now digging two tunnels, one parallel to the well and another at an angle aiming to reach the point where the child is believed to have fallen.

The difficult operation, which started on Tuesday, was expected to take up to 48 hours.The German government is reportedly exploring whether it can exclude Chinese technology company Huawei from future mobile infrastructure, apparently due to concerns over security.

The move comes amid a deepening diplomatic row involving China, Canada and the US after Washington accused Huaweis chief financial officer - the daughter of the companys founder - of fraud, and new allegations of the theft of trade secrets have been reported.

German newspaper Handelsblatt, citing government sources, said Berlin was discussing setting security standards Huawei currently cannot achieve, effectively blocking its participation in the rollout of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks.

Changes to the German telecommunications law were also under consideration as a last resort, the paper said.

The deliberations would mark a shift from the German government's position back in October 2018, when it told politicians it saw no legal basis to exclude any vendors from an upcoming 5G auction, despite warnings from Washington.

The government said in a more recent response the security of 5G networks was "extremely relevant", and would guide its upcoming decisions, Handelsblatt reported.

US officials have briefed allies that Huawei is ultimately at the beck and call of the Chinese state, and has warned the companys network equipment could contain back doors leaving them vulnerable to cyber espionage.

Huawei said the security concerns are unfounded.

Handelsblatt quoted Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei as saying his company had never received a request from a government to transmit information in violation of any regulations.

I love my country, I support the Communist Party, but I would never do anything that would harm another country in the world, it quoted him as saying.

Huawei is at the centre of fraud and intellectual copyright theft investigations in America, and tensions have been inflamed since Canada arrested the companys chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver airport on 1 December 2018 at the request of US authorities.

Recommended China orders death sentence for Canadian tourist amid Huawei tensions

America wants Ms Meng, the daughter of Huaweis founder, extradited to face fraud charges. She is accused of using a subsidiary company to circumvent sanctions against Iran.

China recently re-tried a Canadian drug smuggler who in November had been jailed for 15-years. At the retrial he was given the death sentence, with prosecutors saying the earlier sentence had been too lenient.

It has also detained two other Canadian nationals in the country on suspicion of endangering state security.

Beijing has expressed dismay at Ms Mengs arrest and has warned Canada of severe consequences if she is not repatriated.

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

On Wednesday Washington stepped up the pressure on Huawei with the introduction of bills that would ban the sale of US chips or other components to Huawei, ZTE Corp or other Chinese telecommunications companies that violate US sanctions or export control laws.

The proposed law was introduced shortly before the Wall Street Journal published reports federal prosecutors were investigating allegations Huawei stole trade secrets from T-Mobile US Inc and other US businesses.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Agencies contributed to this reportFinland is to tighten its laws to ensure sex without consent or with children is always punishable as rape.

The government announced the proposed changes after 57,000 people signed a petition calling for sexual offence legislation to be revamped.

The countrys Nordic neighour, Sweden, passed a similar law last year.

Campaigners in Finland welcomed the move and said the #MeToo movement had prompted a big change in the conversation about consent.

The main victory is the tone of the debate around the issue, said Hanna-Marilla Zidan, who had proposed the law changes through a citizens initiative  a European Union mechanism through which people can put forward legislative ideas.

Speaking to Yle, Finlands national broadcaster, she added: Its important because the law sends a message to society about whats okay and what isnt. Its about improving things for victims but also about the message the law sends  consent is not a grey area legally.

Finlands justice department has appointed a working group to hand detailed proposals to parliament after the next election in April.

The changes will also ensure sex with minors is always classed as rape.

It follows an outcry over a case in which a man who sexually abused a 10-year-old girl could not be charged with rape under Finnish law.

Prosecutors appealed unsuccesfully last year for a higher sentence after the 21-year-old was jailed for three years for aggravated sexual abuse in 2016.

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

A spate of alleged sexual assaults by migrant men also prompted calls from right-wing MPs to allow authorities to deport foreigners convicted of sex crimes.

But Finlands justice minister Antti Hakkanen stressed amendments to the law would be made under careful consideration, not by reading incendiary headlines on social media and making rapid changes.France has announced it is to invest 50m (44.3m) in its ports and airports to prepare the country in case of a no-deal Brexit.

Edouard Philippe, the French prime minister, announced the unexpected plan after a meeting with his ministers in Paris on Thursday morning.

He said he strongly believed that the UK would now leave the EU without a deal, following the British parliaments rejection of a proposed divorce agreement this week.

Whats certain is that the scenario of a no-deal Brexit is less and less unlikely, he told reporters. Thats why ... I have decided to trigger the plan for a no-deal Brexit.

He said the proposals would include money for airports and ports that are most concerned by the prospect of Britains withdrawal.

Among measures to be taken will be the hiring of 600 new staff, including customs officers and veterinary controllers, and preparing new parking areas and temporary buildings at ports.

We want to be ready so that the interests of our citizens can be preserved, added Mr Philippe.

The announcement follows the French parliament approving a special law earlier this week that allows for the government to impose emergency measures to deal with a no-deal Brexit.

It comes after the countrys president, Emmanuel Macron, gave a scathing assesment of the UKs approach to leaving the EU and hit out at politicians who had lied during the referendum campaign.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Normandy, he said: Its a referendum that has been manipulated, manipulated from outside by a lot of what we call fake news, where everything and anything was said and now they are being told, Figure it out yourselves.

Result: it is not true. We (the Leave campaign) have lied to the people and what they (the public) have chosen is not possible.

Good luck to the representatives of the nation who has to implement a thing which doesnt exist and has to explain to the people: you have voted on a thing, we lied to you.

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

And he added: I can tell you very solemnly that in the framework of this future relationship, the interests of French fishing will be defended and we will have to negotiate a transition period with them anyway because the British cant afford not to have a plane taking off or landing in their country and 70 per cent of their supermarket supplies comes from continental Europe.

Meanwhile, in Lisbon, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he hoped Theresa May proposed consultations with Westminsters other political leaders to help break the deadlock over the terms of the proposed exit deal.

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He told Portugals parliment on Thursday that getting an agreement is in everybodys interest but that something has to change to secure such a deal.An Israeli woman who was killed in the Australian city of Melbourne had been on the telephone to her sister when she was followed from public transport and attacked close to the university where she was studying, police said on Thursday.

The body of Aiia Maasarwe, 21, was found by passers-by early on Wednesday near La Trobe Universitys Bundoora campus in the northeast of Melbourne, Australias second-largest city. Police described her as an Israeli national.

This is an horrendous crime that has been inflicted on an innocent member of our community, Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper told a news briefing on Thursday.

Our presumption is that this was a random attack and opportunistic, he said.

It was the second time in seven months that a young woman had been killed on her way home at night in Melbourne, which has an active night life and is popular with overseas university students.

Police said Ms Maasarwe had taken a tram home after an evening out seeing a comedy show. She had been speaking with her sister on the phone at the time of the attack and her sister alerted authorities, Mr Stamper said.

She heard the sound of the fall, the phone falling to the ground and heard some voices and that was it, he added.

Family members arrived from Israel on Thursday.

Ms Maasarwe had been in Melbourne on a six-month study abroad programme as part of a degree at Shanghai University.

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

Police said forensic testing was being conducted on two pieces of clothing found nearby that they believe was likely to have been left by the person responsible for her death.

In June, 22-year-old Eurydice Dixon was followed as she walked home from performing at a Melbourne comedy club before she was sexually assaulted and killed in a central park.

Dixons death provoked an outpouring of grief, with more than 5,000 people attending a vigil at the park, and a wider push by police to acknowledge that women should be free to come home alone late at night and be safe.

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More broadly, Australia has been reviewing its policies around violence against women. Sixty-nine women died violently in Australia in 2018, up from 54 in 2017, according to community group Destroy the Joint.

ReutersHundreds of Rohingya Muslim families have left India for Bangladesh since seven Rohingya men were deported to their home country Myanmar in October, community leaders said on Thursday, and more were preparing to flee a crackdown.

Indias Hindu nationalist government regards the Rohingya as illegal aliens and a security risk, and has ordered that tens of thousands of them who live in scattered settlements and slums be identified and repatriated.

This month it deported a Rohingya family of five to Buddhist-majority Myanmar, the second expulsion in three months.

That has worried the community given that the United Nations says conditions are not conducive for them to return to Myanmar after fleeing violence and persecution over the years.

Many people in India have given statements like launching a kill movement, said Mohammed Arfaat, a Rohingya youth leader who left for Bangladesh in October after six years in the northern Indian city of Jammu.

Mr Arfaat, a 24-year-old father of two, was referring to a call by the Jammu Chamber of Commerce & Industry for an identify and kill movement against the Rohingya.

We already faced so many problems in our country and we needed freedom to live elsewhere. But, if like in Myanmar, you are fearful again, why would you live there?, Mr Arfaat said by phone from Coxs Bazar in Bangladesh.

Drawings by Rohingya children Show all 18 1 /18 Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Save the Children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children Drawings by Rohingya children

Nearly 2,000 Rohingya have gone to Bangladesh in the past few months, according to Mr Arfaat and another youth leader.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Bangladesh said on Thursday the Rohingya arriving from India were all safe and sound and receiving assistance.

Very small numbers of people coming in from Myanmar now, UNHCR spokesman Firas Al-khateeb said by phone from Coxs Bazar. The majority of them have come from India this month.

India estimates that 40,000 Rohingya live in camps across the country, mainly in Jammu, Hyderabad and the capital, New Delhi. Only 16,500 have UNHCR identity cards the agency says can help prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation.

The Indian government does not recognise the cards and rejects a UN position that deporting the Rohingya violates the principle of refoulement when sending refugees back to a place where they face danger.

 Shoot Rohingya if they don't leave, says Hindu politician

Sahidullah, who lives in Jammu and cleans an auto showroom to support his wife and four children, said he did not want to leave India.

I want to live here as long as needed, said Sahidullah, who goes by one name. Many people have left and my relatives will be deported too, but its not yet safe in Myanmar.

In August, a UN report accused the Myanmar military of mass killings and rapes of Rohingya with genocidal intent in 2017 in an operation that drove more than 700,000 of them to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, according to UN agencies.

Myanmar has denied the charges, saying its military launched a counter-insurgency operation after attacks on security posts by Muslim militants.

ReutersChinas assault on individual human rights is at its worst level since the Tiananmen Square massacre, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an annual report that named the country among its top concerns.

In its World Report 2019, HRW singled out the actions of President Xi Jinpings government as among the biggest setbacks of the past year, though it concluded that globally there were signs of hope in movements against autocratic rule.

Kenneth Roth, the New York-based organisations executive director, wrote in his letter prefacing the report that China had increased the severity of human rights repression to the worst since the violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square democracy movement of 1989.

Elsewhere, the report found that:

In Pakistan, authorities have muzzled dissenting voices of activists and journalists while failing to protect the countrys religious minorities, instead pandering to extremist groups.

In Afghanistan, civilians are bearing the brunt of widening armed conflict, with more than 10,000 non-combatants killed or injured during the past year  one third of them children.

In central Asian nations such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, dissenting voices faced extreme levels of repression even as countries tried to open up to new international economic investment.

On China, Mr Roth drew attention to the rollout of mass surveillance techniques such as face recognition software, the ending of presidential term limits by Xi Jinping and, most critically, the persecution of more than a million Uighur Muslims in re-education camps in the countrys northwest Xinjiang region.

China has rejected all accusations of systematic abuse towards Muslims, saying its campaign is necessary to root out extremism. Having previously denied the existence of the Xinjiang camps, in October it opened them up to state broadcaster CCTV for a 15-minute segment showing how inmates receive free vocational training at the facilities.

Human rights defenders in China are subject to arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and enforced disappearance, according to the report. And, through its Belt and Road programme of international infrastructure projects, China fostered autocratic mismanagement in other countries, Mr Roth said.

This year it became clear that [Xi] is detaining 1 million Uyghur Muslims for so-called re-education, which basically means forcing them to renounce Islam and to renounce their ethnicity, he said.

Mr Roth said if any other country was doing this it would be an outrage, but China, because of its economic clout, has been getting away with it.

China cancels Christmas Show all 7 1 /7 China cancels Christmas China cancels Christmas A man sells Christmas decorations on a street of Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas a promoter dressed as a teddy bear rest along a retail street in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas A family walk past images of Santa Claus in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas A worker guards the entrance of a shop decorated with images of Santa Claus in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas Sales staff from an apparel shop dance wearing Christmas themed costumes to promote a year end sales in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas Sales staff from an apparel shop dance wearing Christmas themed costumes to promote a year end sales in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China cancels Christmas a sales person waits for customers near a Christmas tree decoration in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Muslims in Xinjiang, even if not formally detained, suffer extraordinary restrictions on personal life, the report said.

Authorities have recalled passports throughout the region, and to travel from one town or another, people have to apply for permission and go through checkpoints, it read. They are subjected to persistent political indoctrination, including compulsory flag-raising ceremonies and political or denunciation meetings.

With unprecedented levels of control over religious practices, authorities have effectively outlawed the practice of Islam in the region.

Human Rights Watch noted the fact that the #MeToo movement in support of womens rights also took hold in China, as accusations of sexual misconduct were levied against prominent academics, journalists, and activists.

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Nonetheless, the outrage which might have followed was subdued by censors, particularly when claims were made against a prominent presenter of a state TV channel, according to the report. The Chinese government, it noted, generally remains hostile to womens rights activism.

You would be hard pressed to find a government that could rival Xi Jinpings for the threat it presents to human rights, both inside and outside China, Sophie Richardson, director of Human Rights Watchs China programme, told The Independent.

She points to the case of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian citizen handed a death sentence as a result of a diplomatic spat, and warned that the international mechanisms of accountability for human rights abuses are themselves deeply compromised by Chinese influence.

Ms Richardson called on the UN Human Rights Council to take action, in the first instance by setting up a commission of enquiry to investigate the oppression of Muslims in Xinjiang.

China presents an extraordinary threat, and we need the world and institutions like the UN to perceive and respond to that while they can, she said. Otherwise, in the absence of significant pressure on Xi, the [Communist] party and the government to change their ways, it is hard to see any of these trends reversing in the near term.An aspiring Isis member who plotted to use an anti-tank rocket to storm the White House has been arrested in a sting, authorities in the US have said.

Hasher Jallal Taheb, of Cumming in Georgia, was detained by undercover FBI agents after meeting them to trade his car for guns and explosives to use in the attack.

He appeared before a court in Atlanta on Wednesday charged with attempting to destroy a building using explosives.

The 21-year-old planned to blow a hole in the presidential building with an AT4 before killing those inside with semi-automatic rifles, according to an FBI agent's affidavit filed for the hearing. He planned to wear a backpack with homemade bombs inside, the document asserts.

He wanted to do as much damage as possible, and he expected to be a martyr, meaning he expected to die during the attack," it says.

Recommended Thousands of US terror suspects have bought guns legally

The arrest came after local law enforcement received a tip-off from someone thought to be close to Taheb in March.

When the FBI launched an investigation, they discovered the suspect had hoped to travel abroad to fight with Isis but, after being unable to get a passport, had turned his attention to attacking the US instead.

Among his list of possible targets had been the Statue of Liberty and the White House.

He was arrested Wednesday after multiple meetings with undercover FBI agents posing as sympathisers.

He believed he was going to trade his vehicle for three rifles, three explosive devices and an anti-armor weapon, authorities say. Instead, after the deal was made, he was immediately arrested.

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

Chris Hacker, the special agent in charge of the FBI's office in Atlanta, said authorities do not believe anyone else was involved in the plot.

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It was not immediately clear whether Taheb had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.Thousands of demonstrators will take up the streets of the Big Apple this weekend for the third annual Womens March in New York City.

The mass protest began in January 2017 on the inauguration of President Donald Trump to protest his election win, notably racist and sexist policies, and his history of alleged sexual misconduct. Last year, in the second annual Womens March, an estimated 200,000 people from all across the country took part in the protests in their local cities.

But this year, there is a caveat with the New York City planned demonstrations on 19 January: There are two marches, and only one of them are authorized to march throughout the city. One of the marches, organised by the Womens March Alliancethe same organisation that spearheaded the 2017 and 2018 marches in New Yorkwill start from the Upper West Side and into Midtown. The other march is organised by the Womens March NYC and be held as a rally in Foley Square in lower Manhattan.

Here is everything else you need to know about the Womens March events taking place in New York City.

When and where are the marches meeting up?

The authorised march and the rally are both held on Saturday, January 19. For the Womens March Alliance event, demonstrators will convene at Central Park West and 72nd street at 10am ET (3pm GMT), and after their rally, theyll begin marching down through Midtown until 44th Street and Sixth Avenue.

For the rally in Foley Square, demonstrators will meet at 10am near the intersection of Centre and Lafayette street across from the New York state Supreme Court building. The rally will end at 2pm.

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

What if we need special accommodations for the Womens Alliance March?

Those with disabilities, and are in need of accomodationslike an ASL interpretermay participate in the march by meeting at the 61st and Broadway cross street.

What streets will be closed for the march?

For the march starting at the Upper West Side, several streets will be closed for the demonstration. Central Park West between 61st Street and 77th Street will be closed. The entire march route will also be closed, which consists of Columbus Circle between Central Park West and 59th Street, 59th Street between Columbus Circle and 6th Avenue, and 6th Avenue between 59th Street and 45th Street.

The march will disperse at the following locations, which will also result in road closures: 6th Avenue between 45th Street and 43rd Street, 45th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue, 44th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue, and 43rd Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue

As for the Foley Square rally, only Lafayette Street between Reade Street and White Street will be closed.

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What is the easiest way to get to the marches?

The easiest way to commute to the events will be through public transportation. To get to the Upper West Side march, the trains you should take are the 1/2/3 and C trains to 72nd Street. For the Foley Square rally, you should look to arrive at the 4/5/6 trains to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall or the J train to Chambers street.Donald Trump has unveiled a revamped US missile defence strategy involving a new layer of space-based sensors to detect and track enemy missiles.

The president announced the results of the review, the first compiled since 2010, during a speech at the Pentagon. He called for an investment into new missile defence technologies and pointed to the development of advanced weapon systems by both China and Russia. In the review, US intelligence agencies also warned Iran and North Koreas missile capabilities present existing threats to US and global security.

The world is changing and were going to change much faster than the rest of the world, the president said. The United States cannot simply build more of the same or make incremental improvements ... We must pursue advanced technology and research to guarantee the United States is several steps ahead of those who wish to do us harm.

Mr Trump outlined six major changes to the current set-up, calling for 20 new ground-based missile detectors, new radars and sensors to detect foreign missiles launched by rogue states and a new system that could potentially shield all major US cities.

Speaking about the possibility of the new space-based layer of the nations defence capability, the president said: Its ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defence and obviously our offence.

The system will be monitored and we will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers, or even powers that make a mistake, Mr Trump continued.

The stronger you are, the less you will need whatever that strength may be, he added.

Pentagon officials have previously said the US has too few resources to counter a first strike on the US homeland by a major nuclear power  with Washington believing deterrence a more worthwhile strategy.

Acting defense secretary Pat Shanahan said competitors such as Russia and China are aggressively pursuing new missiles that are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat.

The new proposals come on top of previously announced plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, lifting the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska to 64 from 44.

The new review is likely to stoke tensions with Russia, which views US missile defence advances as a threat.

The chair of Russias upper house defence and security committee, Viktor Bondarev, said that the new US missile defence strategy would ramp up global tensions, Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

China, in turn, has also alarmed the Pentagon with advances in super-fast hypersonic technology, which could allow Beijing to field missiles that are far harder to detect.

In a report earlier this week that singled out the hypersonic threat, the Pentagon warned Chinas military was on the verge of fielding some of the most modern weapon systems in the world.

In some areas, it already leads the world, the report said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

US officials, including under-secretary of defence for research and engineering Michael Griffin, believe a space-based sensor layer could help to detect missiles moving at hypersonic speeds.

However, seemingly recognising the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponisation of space, the strategy pushes for studies. No testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

For Mr Trump, who is trying to revive efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the reports release comes at an awkward moment.

Three North Korean officials, including the top envoy involved in talks with the United States, are booked on a flight to Washington, suggesting possible movement toward a second summit between the president and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to South Korean media.

While a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant, the report said.

The investments come on top of previously announced US plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, hiking the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska, to 64 from 44.

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Space, I think, is the key to the next step of missile defense, a senior Trump administration official told reporters ahead of the documents release.

Reuters contributed to this reportDonald Trump has cancelled speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis overseas trip to Brussels and Afghanistan, saying in a letter that he thinks it is best that she stay in Washington to continue discussions to reopen the federal government.

The president announced his decision in a letter to Ms Pelosi on Thursday, just a day after Ms Pelosi sent her own letter asking Mr Trump to either postpone his 2019 State of the Union, or else deliver it in writing because of security concerns posed by the shutdown.

Due to the shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed, Trump wrote in his letter to the Democrat. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over.

In the letter, Mr Trump noted that Ms Pelosi could go ahead with her travels if she books flights through private or public options, but that she would not have access to the US military aircraft that are usually afforded to travelling American dignitaries and officials.

Mr Trump continued: In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the strong border security movement to end the shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.

The US government has been partially shutdown for 27 days, making it the longest lapse in federal funding in US history.

Ms Pelosi had suggested on Wednesday, the president should postpone his State of the Union speech, citing the burden the shutdown has already placed on Secret Service agents who are not being paid but are required to work anyway.

The email exchange between Ms Pelosi and Mr Trump was met with criticism, even from one of the most ardent supporters of Mr Trumps.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has become a key supporter of the presidents, said that Ms Pelosis letter was very irrsponsible and blatantly political. He also said that Mr Trump cancelling the speakers upcoming trip was inappropriate.

One sophomoric response does not deserve another, Mr Graham said.

A spokesperson said that Ms Pelosi had planned her oveseas trip to Afghanistan in order to visit troops and to get security and US intelligence briefings. Drew Hammill, the deputy chief of staff for Ms Pelosi, disputed on Twitter that the speaker planned on making a stop in Egypt, and elaborated on the purpose of the congressional delegation (CODEL).

The CODEL to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest. In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key alliesto affirm the United States ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance, Mr Hammill wrote. This weekend visit to Afghanistan did not include a stop in Egypt.

He continued: The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines. The President traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by [Representative Lee Zeldin].

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Some 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed or forced to work without pay as a result of the shutdown, leading to consirable concern among federal employees that a drawn out shutdown could leave them unable to pay their mortgage, for gas, for childcare, or for other necessities.

The impacts of the shutdown could be seen within weeks after it started on 22 December, with rubbish piling up in American national parks. But, it was just this past week, that the most severe consequence of the shutdown was felt among federal workers after many did not receive a scheduled pay cheque for the first time on Friday.

In addition to the impact on national parks, Transportation and Security Administration agents have reportedly been calling out of work sick at elevated rates, while federal prison workers have been showing up to work without pay in some of Americas most dangerous prisons.

Mr Trump and congressional leadership have met several times in the White House to negotiate an end to the showdown.

The most recent meeting, however, appeared to leave the negotiating parties in a worse state than they where they started after Mr Trump reportedly slammed the Situation Room table and walked out. Reports indicate he did so after Ms Pelosi told him that Democrats would not agree to negotiating with him over the $5.7bn in border wall funding, even if the president agreed to re-opening the government witout immediate wall funding.Nearly 60 per cent of registered voters in America say they have made up their minds against voting for Donald Trump in 2020, according to a new poll.

The new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist Institute poll shows 57 per cent of American voters will not support the president in his bid for a second term, compared to just 30 per cent who say they will definitely do so.

The poll, released on Thursday, finds that supporters of the two major parties are divided on the subject.

While 91 per cent of Democrats say there is no way that Mr Trump will get their vote, just 10 per cent of Republicans say the same. Meanwhile, 62 per cent of registered independent voters say they have made up their mind against supporting the presidents re-election.

Of those who say they will definitely vote for Mr Trump are 69 per cent of Republicans, 50 per cent of Democrats, and just 25 per cent of independent voters.

The president has had his base and not much else, Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, told PBS NewsHour.

But the poll  assuming it is accurate  only portrays a fragment of the circumstances that will ultimately impact who is president in February of 2021.

In the 2016 race between Mr Trump and his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, just 138 million people cast a ballot, for instance. That represented roughly 58.1 per cent of the voting-age population at the time. Low or high turnout, especially in swing states, could have a significant impact on the are even if high portions of voters in certain areas have already made up their mind.

In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-8.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-2.jpg AP In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-3.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-4.jpg AP In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-5.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-7.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-9.jpg AP In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-12.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-10.jpg AP In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-6.jpg Getty Images In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-11.jpg AP In pictures: Nelson Mandelas death dominates world newspaper headlines newspapers-1.jpg Reuters

Beyond 2020, the president is likely taking a hit with voters as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, which 54 per cent of Americans say is the presidents fault.The Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence, has accepted a position teaching art at a Christian elementary school known for a ban on LGBT+ students, parents and teachers.

Karen Pence, who will be referred to as Mrs Pence, will be teaching two days a week Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Virginia.

I am excited to be back in the classroom and doing what I love to do, which is to teach art to elementary students, Ms Pence said in a statement. I have missed teaching art, and its great to return to the school where I taught art for 12 years.

Ms Pence taught at the school while her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, served in Congress, and spent 25 years as a school teacher.

Immanuel Christian School has a parent agreement posted on its website that says it bans gay students and parents from the school.

I understand that the school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission to an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student if the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home, the activities of a parent or guardian, or the activities of the student are counter to, or are in opposition to, the biblical lifestyle the school teaches, the agreement states.

This includes, but is not limited to contumacious behavior, divisive conduct, and participating in, supporting, or condoning sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bi-sexual activity, promoting such practices, or being unable to support the moral principles of the school.

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

Ms Pences communications director, Kara Brooks, called the media coverage paid to the schools anti-gay agreement absurd.

Mrs Pence has returned to the school where she previously taught for 12 years. Its absurd that her decision to teach art to children at a Christian school, and the schools religious beliefs, are under attack, Ms Brooks told CNN in a statement. She did not answer when asked if Ms Pence agreed with the policy.

It should be noted that in 1991, Ms Pencewho was an elementary school teacher at the timewrote a letter to the editor to an Indiana newspaper where she denounced an article that embraced gay and lesbians, the Washington Post reported.

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In addition to teaching, Ms Pence is also an artist with a specialisation in watercolor paintings of homes and historical buildings.

Some of her work recently appeared in her daughters book, Marlon Bundos Day in the Life of the Vice President.

The second lady has also adopted art as her policy platform, and established the Art Therapy: Healing with the HeART in 2017 to bring awareness to art therapy as a mental health profession through public appearances in the US and abroad.United States Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) almost deported a Marine veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder after detaining him for three days before federal authorities realised he was an American citizen, a human rights group has said.

Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, 27, was held in Kent County jail after allegedly trespassing and damaging a fire alarm at a Grand Rapids hospital on 21 November, an act of disturbance his PTSD had a role in prompting, according to his lawyers.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said Mr Ramos-Gomez pleaded guilty to his charges and was expected to be released on December 14 while awaiting his sentence, but ICE contacted the jail and requested the veteran be held for pickup.

Kent County Undersheriff Chuck DeWitt said ICE, not unlike other law enforcement agencies, has access to fingerprint records.

Once he was released from our custody, he was under the domain of ICE, Mr Dewitt told the Associated Press. Where they take him is their process, DeWitt said. Our procedures were followed.

Recommended ICE drops off nearly 200 migrants at bus stop on Christmas Day

Mr DeWitt said he is uncertain whether or not the native-born American veteran protested when immigration officers picked him up.

Mr Ramos-Gomez was then taken to a detention center in Battle Creekabout 70 miles from the Kent County jail.

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

Why did they think he was a non-citizen? Did they get him confused with someone else? Who knows, ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman told AP. This is an individual whos incredibly vulnerable with a mental illness.

Mr Ramos-Gomez was released three days later on 17 December from a detention centre in Calhoun County after his lawyer, Richard Kessler, contacted ICE on behalf of Mr Ramos-Gomezs family and showed personal records proving his citizenship.

ICE said the department could not respond to media inquiries because of the partial government shutdown.

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Mr Ramos-Gomez was a lance corporal in the Marines and received awards for his military service in Afghanistan.

The ACLU is asking Kent County sheriff and county commissioners to launch a probe into the jails role in handing Mr Ramos-Gomez over to ICE.

Ms Aukerman called the veterans treatment appalling.The New York state legislature has passed a bill prohibiting licensed mental health professionals from conducting gay conversion therapy on children.

Governor Andrew Cuomo will sign the bill into law in the nex few days week, which would make New York the 15th state, plus the District of Colombia, to ban the widely-discredited practice. Others include Delaware, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Hawaii.

New York has a reputation for diversity and inclusion and the Assembly Majority is committed to maintaining that reputation and protecting the rights of others, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said in a statement. Everyone has a right to live their life free from hostility and exclusion, and our youth deserve support in discovering their identity in a way that promotes happiness and positive mental health.

In 2009, the American Psychological Association (APA) condemned gay conversion therapy in a report, saying that the practice treats homosexuality as a mental disorder, a concept that has been rejected by the mental health professions for more than 35 years.

The Assemblys statement on the bill refers to the APA and added that conversion therapy can pose critical health risks to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people ranging from confusion and depression, to substance abuse and suicide.

New York has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, the bill reads in part, and in protecting its minors against exposure to serious harms caused by sexual orientation change efforts.

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 addition to outlawing gay conversion therapy, the State Legislature also passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in considerations of employment, education, credit and housing.

The bill includes a provision that offences involving biases with motivated by gender identity or expression could be prosecuted as a hate crime.

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Democratic assembly member Richard Gottfried said GENDA was able to pass largely due to the New York Senates newly-elected Democratic majority.

The Assembly has passed the bill 11 times, but the Senates Republican Majority refused to let the bill have a floor vote, Mr Gottfried said in a statement. Today, the new Democratic Majority has joined us in protecting the rights of New Yorkers regardless of gender identity or expression.A newborn baby girl was found dead in a rubbish bin inside a womens bathroom at an Amazon distribution centre in Phoenix, Arizona.

Investigators have located and spoken with the babys mother, who is co-operating with officers, according to Phoenix Police Department.

Sgt. Vince Lewis said police were not commenting on whether the mother is an Amazon employee to prevent her identity from being revealed.

The Phoenix Police Department said it received a 911 call about a newborn baby found dead inside a womens bathroom around 8.30pm on Wednesday. Firefighters responded to the call and confirmed the baby was dead.

A police investigation was opened in consultation with the Maricopa County medical examiners office.

Recommended Amazon employees taken to hospital after robot unleashes bear spray

Amazon has said it is working with authorities over the tragic incident. This is a terribly sad and tragic incident. We are working with local authorities to support their investigation, the statement read. The safety and wellness of our team is our top priority.

The Amazon warehouse remained in operation while the authorities were on the scene. The distribution centre is one of several company sites in Phoenix.

Under Arizonas Safe Haven Law, people are able to safely turn over their babiesup to three days oldto any qualified childcare authority or health professional.

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In some hospitals, there are special drawers where people can leave their babies without having to speak or explain to anyone their reasoning.

The law, passed in 2001, also states the mothers who follow those instructions will not face prosecution.If you are old enough to remember the hit comedy movie of 1980, Caddy Shack, then you will recall that a gopher infestation was threatening a golf course in Nebraska. The somewhat deranged groundskeeper was tasked with getting rid of the pest. His efforts at eradication include shooting, fThe former coal-lobbyist Donald Trump has tapped to officially take charge of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that he does not believe climate change is a major crisis.

Andrew Wheeler, who has served as acting administrator at the EPA since July, said during his Senate confirmation hearing that he would push to repeal environmental protections put in place by President Barack Obama and intended to curb greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change and threatening the planet.

I would not call it the greatest crisis, Mr Wheeler said when asked if climate change is a major concern. However, he added that was an "issue that has to be addressed globally.

Before taking over as acting administrator, Mr Wheeler served as a deputy for former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, who was forced to resign last year amid criticism for his misuse of government resources.

During his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Democrats focused in on Mr Wheelers time leading the EPA, as well as his history of lobbying on behalf of energy companies that have made huge sums of money through the burning of fossil fuels.

Recommended Furloughed NASA employees call on Mitch McConnell to end shutdown

When asked by Senators Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders for his view on climate change, Mr Wheeler said that he believes that it is an important one, but not an issue that should be solved by government regulations.

You are putting up a smokescreen to ensure there is an advancement of Donald Trumps dirty policies, Mr Markey told Mr Wheeler at one point. Thats why it is relevant that you are a former coal industry lobbyist.

Mr Wheelers career actually started at the EPA, where he served from 1991 until 1995 during the administrations of George HW Bush and Bill Clinton.

Lisa Murray's climate change photography Show all 12 1 /12 Lisa Murray's climate change photography Lisa Murray's climate change photography Dinka cattle herders starting their migration in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A Dinka woman fetches water in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Veronica in South Sudan preparing tea outside her home, recently ravaged by heavy flooding Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Children playing in Vietnam. When it floods, transport to and from school is a major challenge Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Sugeng, a fish and crab farmer from Indonesia who suffers financially every time the area floods Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Tan, a vegetable farmer, learning new methods through Oxfam in Vietnam Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Maluk, a 19-year-old from Tonj South, South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Normally this farmer in South Sudan would be harvesting sorghum, but rains are late so the hunger season continues Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Herders bringing home their cattle in Afar, Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Farmers harvesting chilli in Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A woman in Tigray, Ethiopia, scares birds away from her crops with a slingshot Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Irula tribe woman in Tamil Nadu Lisa Murray

From there, Mr Wheeler spent more than a decade as a top aide for Republican Senator Jim Inhofe  mostly as a chief council and staff director for the senator on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Mr Inhofe is a well-known climate change denier, and has advocated for reduced environmental regulations.

Mr Wheeler then left public service to become a lobbyist for the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, according to Senate lobbying disclosure records. During that time, he represented Murray Energy, a coal company that paid Mr Wheelers firm between $166,000 and $599,000 each year from 2009 until 2017, according to a data analysis from the Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP).

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Notably, Murray Energy was a top revenue source for Mr Wheelers firm, and donated handsomely to President Donald Trumps inauguration fund. Just after Mr Trump's election, the chief executive of Murray Energy  which paid Mr Wheeler to lobby against climate change mitigation policies and regulations on greenhouse gas emissions  gave that fund $300,000, according to CRP. That executive, Robert Murray, also reportedly gave the president a wish list of coal industry regulations he would like to see repealed.

Mr Wheeler is expected to be easily confirmed at the next EPA administrator, in spite of Democratic opposition.There are some things, such as courage and a sense of humour, that you cannot teach. But becoming a titan of social media? That may just be possible to learn.

Such is the hope, at least, of Democrats on Capitol Hill, who have undergone a class in how to tweet more effectively, from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the veritable Twitter superpower.

With @AOC, @RepDebDingell, @jahimes, @davidcicilline, @RepCartwright & @Twitter representatives at training session on Twitter for Democratic Members of Congress, tweeted California congressman Ted Lieu, after the lesson. The below pic is called a selfie.

Nobody in the Democratic party  Michelle and Barack Obama included  has as much Twitter power as the 29-year-old congresswoman of New Yorks 14th district.

Axios reported recently that from December 11 2018, to January 11 2019, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, had 11.8m Twitter interactions, second only to Donald Trump,  who had 39.8m  among politicians or the news media. Senator Kamala Harris was third with 4.6m, Barack Obama was fourth with 4.4m, and CNN came fifth with 3.1m.

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ms Ocasio-Cortezs boss as head of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, had a relatively modest 2.6m interactions, and come sixth.

Neither Ms Ocasio-Cortezs background nor her position as a first-time representative arenoteworthy enough to be driving the national political conversation. And yet she is doing exactly that, Ben Thompson, the founder of tech newsletter Stratechery, told the news site.

In short, she is the first  but certainly not the last  of an entirely new archetype: a politician that is not only fueled by the Internet, but born of it.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who has 2.42m followers, held Thursdays lesson with congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut, who has 76,500.

The older generation of members and senators is pretty clueless on the social media platforms. Its pretty clear that a lot of members have 25-year-olds in their offices [running their social media], Mr Himes told USA Today.

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

After the training session, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, whose Twitter handle is simply @AOC, tweeted: Class was in session this morning! I was thrilled to offer some insights on Twitter and social media to my colleagues this morning.

Since being elected last year, and during her campaign, the USs youngest ever congressman has used Twitter and Instagram to explain her position on policies, and challenge her opponents.

She has also had a lot of fun. When Republicans sought to attack her by posting video footage that had been unearthed of her dancing as student, he responded by positing a clip of her briefly grooving outside her new congressional office.

I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous, she wrote. Wait till they find out congresswomen dance too!

Whether the congresswoman can teach this sort of flair to her colleagues remains to be seen. Or read.A teacher in Tennessee who captured national media attention after going on the run with a 15-year-old student, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The victim of 52-year-old Tad Cummins said in a statement, that her former teacher was disgusting and that his targeting of her had devastating and permanent impacts.

While the victim was in court for the sentencing, she did not step forward when it was time for her to speak. Assistant US attorney Sara Beth Meyers read a statement from her.

What you did to me was unspeakable, Ms Meyers said. "You saw a broken girl who was lonely, scared and traumatised.

The victims letter continued to say that Cummins had only wanted sex, and used her need for protection against her. She was convinced that the 52-year-old would have discarded her eventually if he had not been captured in April 2017 after a nationwide manhunt to find her.

Recommended Sex trafficking victim granted clemency 15 years after murder

All you were was a man who just wanted sex, and you used me and manipulated me," the statement said. Tad Cummins is a sick, disgusting criminal.

Cummins pleaded guilty last April on charges of crossing state lines to have sex with a minor and obstruction of justice.

When given the chance to address the court before his sentencing, Cummins broke down in tears and apologised for the harm that he cause to his victim, and his own family. Two of his daughters were in the courtroom at the time.

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

He said he did not know why he had acted in the way he had, and that it was a misguided attempt to help that went sideways in a way I dont know Ill ever understand.

If someone had done this to one of my girls I would want to hurt them, and I fully understand if you feel that way about me, he added.

Cummins was arrested in April of 2017, more than a month after he and his victim had disappeared.

Prior to his disappearance, Cummins had been suspended from his teaching job in February of 2017. He was suspended after a student saw him kissing the 15-year-old victim.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

He disappeared a month later in March, when he left a note for his wife saying that the was leaving to think and asking her not to call the police.

He was fired the day after an Amber alert was sent out to try and find the 15-year-old victim.French producers of foie gras, the rich liver delicacy made from force-feeding grain to ducks or geese, have denounced a toughened ban on the product in California, saying they make the creamy pate humanely, following all the rules.

California has formally blocked the sale and production of foie gras (literally fat liver) since 2012. That ban has now been reinforced after the US Supreme Court declined last week to hear an appeal brought by farmers and chefs. Violators will be fined up to $1,000 if caught selling the product.

In France, which makes around 70 per cent of the worlds foie gras, farmers and high-end producers see a double-standard, arguing they treat the animals well, with no harm done to them during the fattening process.

Everyone can think what they like, but I know Im proud of what I do, said Julien, a farmer in Montaut, in the southwest of France, one of the main producing regions. He did not give his last name for fear of reprisal from rights activists.

I really look after them because, like I said, thats how I make a living. If I dont look after them I dont have any money at the end of the month, I cant pay my bills  so theres nothing to be gained for me in mistreating the animals.

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 California, animal-rights campaigners have picketed high-end restaurants serving foie gras, denouncing the manufacturing process as an unnecessary cruelty to animals.

The US Animal Legal Defense Fund said the Supreme Courts decision not to hear the appeal by the foie gras industry represented a death knell for the product in California and would spare thousands of ducks from terrible suffering.

The force-feeding, known as gavage, involves inserting a metal tube into the animals throats, allowing them to consume far more grain than they would naturally eat and fattening their livers by up to 10 times the normal size.

Some decorated chefs, including Frances Albert Roux, are opposed to foie gras, no longer serving it in their restaurants, while many supermarket chains will also not stock it.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Fabien Chevalier, the managing director of Frances Lafitte Foie Gras, said California was wrong to ban a product he said conformed to global hygiene regulations and was freely traded.

If we cant sell it in the US we will go elsewhere, he said. Today, Asian customers love our product. If we take the example of Japan, its a developed economy, Japan is the second biggest consumer of foie gras in the world.

In France, foie gras has been recognised as part of the nations cultural and gastronomic heritage since 2006. But several European countries ban its production, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Britain, and there are similar bans in Australia and Argentina.

ReutersAt least five people have died in severe rain and snowstorms that blanketed parts of California with at least five feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains this week, besides triggering flooding and mudslides, officials said.

Forecasters expect the bitter weather to push eastwards into the Rockies and US Midwest through the weekend, while the California Highway Patrol said rain-slicked highways led to two fatal accidents that killed four people.

A family of three, including a one-year-old baby, died in El Dorado County on Tuesday, after their car spun across a rain-soaked freeway to hit another car, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

Another man died in a storm-related car wreck on Wednesday in Napa County, highway patrol dispatchers said, but no further details were immediately available.

One man in Oakland was killed after being struck by a tree, uprooted by the wind and rain, that fell on a homeless encampment, media said

High winds could topple more trees as the soil gets wetter and more saturated, the National Weather Service warned.

Police in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties ordered evacuations on Tuesday from areas damaged by last year's wildfires because of the risk that heavy rain could trigger mud and debris flows on charred hillsides.

The snow and rain were brought by a one-two punch of weather, after one Pacific storm hit California on Monday and a second, larger storm arrived on Wednesday, forecasters said.

 Couple Jemma and Steven marry in midst of 'Beast from the East' snowstorm

Both are expected to sweep back-to-back through the Rockies and Midwest, gathering more strength from moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said, before hitting the Ohio Valley and the Northeast early next week.

Significant road closures and travel delays remain likely in the Los Angeles area through Friday as storm remnants linger, said Marc Chenard, a forecaster with the NWS' Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

The risk of flash flooding and rockslides persists, he said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"Some areas in the Sierras will get another 5 inches of rain after the 3 inches that already fell, with significant snow fall above 6,000 feet."

The weather is a boon for farmers and ski areas, however, as most of California is recovering from years of drought, the United States Drought Monitor said.

ReutersAt least ten people have been killed and dozens injured after a car bomb exploded at a police station in Bogota, Colombia's capital.

Ambulances and helicopters rushed to the General Santander national police academy, the normaly tightly-guarded target of the attack.

Images posted on social media showed a charred and burning vehicle surrounded by debris.

The police barracks buildings nearby are pockmarked with damage from the blast and have shattered windows.

The death toll, reported by the defence ministry, currently stands at ten, and the Bogota health ministry said a further 54 people were injured.

Residents of Bogota have been asked to donate blood at four points across the capital to help doctors treating the scores of wounded.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for todays bombing, but leftist rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) group have stepped up attacks on police in Colombia in recent months as peace talks with the president Ivan Duque have stalled.

Last week the ELN rejected Mr Duques demands for a unilateral ceasefire before negotiations in Havana resume.

The Cuban-inspired insurgency had been a minor player but stepped up its operations after the main guerilla group, FARC, disarmed in 2016.

Mr Duque, who had been visiting a western state of Colombia, announced shortly after the explosion he would be immediately returning to Bogota because of what he called an miserable act of terrorism against the police.

There is now a huge security presence at the police barracks (AFP)

All Colombians reject terrorism and are united in confronting it, he tweeted, adding he had ordered every effort to be made to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Colombia is saddened but does not bow before this violence.

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

Early investigations point to the possibility of a suicide bombing, which has never happened before during Colombia's decades of political violence.

The chief prosecutor Nestor Martinez said the attack was carried out by Jose Aldemar Rojas, a 56-year-old, who drive a Nissan pick-up packed with 80kg of pentolite high explosive.

After surveying the scene in person, Mr Duque said the bombing was an "attack against society" and a "demented terrorist act" which would not go unpunished.

Rafael Trujillo, whose son Gerson began training at the academy just two days ago, said he was on his way to deliver a package to Gerson when he heard the explosion just one block away.

"I'm sad and very worried because I don't have any information about my son," said Trujillo, standing outside the facility, where police officers had set up a taped perimeter.

"This reminds me of some very sad days in the past."

The United Nations peace mission in Colombia called it "an unacceptable criminal act which goes against the efforts the country is making to steer away from the violence, and work ... to build a more prosperous and peaceful future."

A national senator, Paola Holguin, tweeted images of the aftermath of the blast, offered her solidarity with the Colombian National Police and urged rejection of terrorism.

The General Santander National Police Academy in Bogota, which has been hit by a car bomb (Google)

Local reports suggest the vehicle laden with explosives drove into the police academy at full speed before detonating.

Vice President Marta Lucia Ramirez told reporters it somehow managed to break through the security checkpoints which guarded the facility before blowing up.

It was not yet known how the vehicle, reportedly a pick-up truck, slipped through a gate which is permanently guarded by explosive-detecting sniffer dogs and armed security.

The identities of those killed has not yet been released, but it is known a Panamanian and Ecuadorian are among the dead.

During the worst of Colombias long battle against leftist rebels and drug cartels bombing attacks were not uncommon and often aimed at killing police officers.

But as the conflict has wound down in recent years and following the disarmament of FARC in 2016, security in Bogota has improved.

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A year ago a wave of bombings against police stations along Colombia's Caribbean coast saw seven officers killed and dozens more injured in just 24 hours.

The last deadly bombing to hit Bogota was in June 2017, when an explosion in a upmarket shopping mall killed three people.The number of people killed in the terrorist attack on a hotel and shopping centre in Nairobi has risen to 21, the Kenyan government has said.

Gunmen stormed the building on Tuesday, throwing bombs at vehicles before entering the hotels lobby, where one attacker blew himself up and others opened fire.

All five al-Shabaab militants who carried out the attack and overnight siege were also killed, with two people suspected of facilitating the attack arrested.

The number of those killed at the DusitD2 complex rose with the discovery of six more bodies at the scene and the death of a wounded police officer, said Joseph Boinnet, inspector-general of the Kenyan police.

Twenty-eight people were injured and taken to hospital, he said.

The dead include a British citizen named as Luke Potter, as well as 16 Kenyans, three people of African countries yet to be identified, and one American.

Mr Potter worked for international development charity Gatsby. The organisation said Mr Potter had devoted the past 10 years of his career to helping some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, in his work across parts of East Africa.

Islamist extremist group al-Shabab, based in neighbouring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the atrocity on Wednesday.

It is the same group which carried out the 2013 attack at Nairobis nearby Westgate Mall that killed 67 people, and an assault on Kenyas Garissa University in 2015 that claimed 147 lives, mostly students.

While US airstrikes and African Union forces in Somalia have degraded the groups ability to operate, it is still capable of carrying out spectacular acts of violence in retaliation for the Kenyan militarys campaign against it.

Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Cars are seen on fire at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures An injured man is evacuated from the scene of an explosion at a hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb AFP/Getty Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures A soldier takes cover next to a bullet ridden window EPA Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures People run for cover during gunfire and explosions in Nairobi EPA Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Kenyan security forces take position following an explosion at a hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb AFP/Getty Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Security forces on the scene of an explosion in Nairobi AP Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Cars burn at the scene of an explosion in Nairobi AP Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures People are led away from the scene of an explosion at a hotel complex in Nairobi AFP/Getty Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures A soldier takes cover as gunfire continues at the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi EPA Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Armed plain clothes officials secure the damaged entrance of a hotel during ongoing gunfire and explosions in Nairobi EPA Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Members of security forces take cover at the scene Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures People are evacuated from the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Cars burn after an explosion in Nairobi AP Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures A member of security forces holds a weapon at the scene Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Security forces advance at the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Cars burn at the scene of an explosion in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures A glass damaged by bullets at the scene Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Security personnel on the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures A woman is helped at the scene of an explosion in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Security forces advance at the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Security personnel on the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi Reuters Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Undercover police are on the scene of a blast in Nairobi AP Nairobi hotel attack  in pictures Security personnel on the scene of a suspected terror attack in Nairobi AP

The bloodshed in Kenyas capital appeared designed to inflict maximum damage to the countrys image of stability and its tourism industry, an important source of revenue.

Twenty hours after the siege began, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta announced the all-night operation by security forces to retake the complex was over and all of the extremists had been killed.

We will seek out every person that was involved in the funding, planning and execution of this heinous act, he said in a televised address.

A member of the British special forces was among those who took part in the military operation to end the siege.

The SAS soldier, who has previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq, was seen working to rescue civilians trapped amid the firefight and explosions, and guiding Kenyan forces as they tried to flush out the Islamist fighters from the buildings.

The soldier is part of a British training team based in Kenya, and was at the scene mentoring Kenyan troops.

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Agencies contributed to this reportA Canadian kidnapped this week in a restive region of Burkina Faso has been found dead, a spokesman for the security ministry told Reuters on Thursday.

The man was abducted after nightfall on Tuesday by a dozen gunmen on a mining site owned by Vancouver-based Progress Minerals in the northeast near the border with Niger, an area that the government says is under growing threat from armed jihadists.

"It's the Canadian that was found last night in the province of Oudalan," said spokesman Jean Paul Badoum.

The death will fan concerns that the influence of violent groups with links to al-Qaeda and Isis has spread uncontested into Burkina from neighbouring Mali and Niger.

Attacks by Islamist militants have surged in the West African country in recent months. A state of emergency in several northern provinces has been in effect since 31 December.

Canadian media identified the kidnapped man as Kirk Woodman. In a statement to CTV News, the family on Wednesday asked for privacy.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday the government was aware that a Canadian was missing in Burkina Faso and said it was working with local authorities.

Earlier this month, another Canadian man and an Italian woman went missing in Burkina, the security minister said. There has been no word since then on their fate.

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

Security has deteriorated over the last few years across the remote and arid Sahel region just south of the Sahara Desert. In response, the United States, France and other European powers have sent troops and equipment to help stamp out the threat.

Tuesday's kidnapping occurred on the third anniversary of an attack at a hotel in the centre of the capital, Ouagadougou, that killed dozens, shocking a country that until then had largely been spared the violence that plagued its neighbours.

That attack was claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

ReutersTheresa May has been told that offering a softer Brexit would cause her party to explode as deep divisions among her cabinet were played out in public.

Former Tory minister Philip Lee warned that attempts to compromise over a customs union would enrage Brexiteers, after cabinet ministers clashed openly over whether Ms May should ditch one of her key red lines.

The prime minister has sought meetings with opposition parties to break the Brexit deadlock, after the Commons overwhelmingly rejected her deal by a record 230 votes on Tuesday.

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to attend talks unless Ms May takes the threat of a no-deal exit off the table and opens discussions on the prospect of a customs union - something No10 regards as incompatible with delivering on Brexit.

It comes after fresh splits emerged in the cabinet as senior ministers David Gauke and Amber Rudd both refused to rule out a customs union with Brussels, with Ms Rudd saying "nothing should be off the table".

Dr Lee, who resigned from government over Ms May's Brexit deal, said a softer Brexit could prove more divisive among Tory MPs than the original referendum result.

Asked whether a customs union could be part of a compromise, Dr Lee said: The idea they can entertain a customs union, a full customs union, and the European Research Group (ERG) are going to explode. I cant see it myself.

"And I think actually if they go down the path of reaching out this is the major problem with the Norway option.

If people are talking about party splits, I think that has the potential to split the party much more than this [referendum].

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner echoed his comments, saying Ms May was sticking to her "red lines" because any compromise would "break the Conservative Party".

"She knows the only way to get a deal through parliament is to break some of her red lines, but she knows that if she changes her red lines she breaks the Conservative Party," he told BBC One's Breakfast.

"She knows the ERG will desert her. That's the dilemma she's in."

It comes after Mr Gauke, the justice secretary, said that Ms May must not be boxed in by red lines, adding: We need to be prepared to be flexible.

Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Show all 11 1 /11 Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray (left) and a pro-Brexit protester argue as they demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament A pro-Brexit protester argues Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Police surround the pro-Brexit protester after he confronted Steve Bray, a pro-European protester Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament A leave supporter is spoken to by a police officer as he argues with a remain supporter, Steve Bray, outside Parliament PA Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament MPs in Parliament are to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal next week after her December vote was called off in the face of a major defeat Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament A leave supporter is spoken to by a police officer PA Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Police look on as anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament. Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Police hold back a leave supporter PA Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament A police officer speaks with anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Police surround a pro-Brexit protester after he confronted a pro-European protester Getty Images Police separate clashing Brexit protesters outside Parliament Conservative MP David Davies, wearing a gopro camera, speaks to anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray Getty Images

But Liz Truss, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told ITV's Peston: "I do not support being in a customs union.

"I think its hugely problematic and I dont believe that many of my colleagues in the Conservative party support it."

Tory chairman Brandon Lewis restated the government's position that the UK cannot be in a customs union in an interview with the Today programme, saying it was "something that people would feel is not delivering Brexit".Troops will be deployed across the country to help with preparations for a no-deal Brexit, the government has announced.

Ministers have issued a formal notice calling up British army reservists to help tackle the impact of crashing out of the EU on the welfare, health and security of UK citizens and economic stability of the UK.

The Ministry of Defence said it was supporting no-deal preparations across government to ensure there are effective and proportionate contingency plans in place.

Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, told MPs last month that 3,500 troops are on standby to help with no-deal planning.

Around 350 of these are now being called up and deployed.

In a parliamentary statement, defence minister Mark Lancaster said: A new order has been made under section 56(1B) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable reservists to be called into permanent service in support of the [governments] contingency planning for a no-deal EU exit scenario.

Defence is committed to assisting the cabinet office coordinated work programme to ensure that there are effective and proportionate contingency plans in place to mitigate the potential immediate impacts leaving the EU, under a no-deal scenario, might have on the welfare, health and security of UK citizens and economic stability of the UK.

He said the troops would perform a range of tasks, including reinforcing existing army operations, liaising with other authorities and providing specialist skills. They will also be sent to help at regional command centres and tasked with implementing no-deal preparations being carried out by other government departments.

The troops will initially be deployed for one year, starting from 10 February.

Labour MP Ian Murray, a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign for another referendum, said: Calling up the reserves shows just how serious the threat of a no-deal Brexit is.

It is staggering that soldiers are being put on standby because of the risk of a constitutional crisis of the governments own making. A no-deal scenario should be ruled out immediately by the prime minister, to avoid this chaos. There is absolutely no parliamentary support for this.

Last month, Mr Williamson told MPs: What are doing is putting contingency plans in place, and what we will do is have 3,500 service personnel held at readiness, including regulars and reserves, in order to support any government department on any contingencies they may need.

The latest move underlines the governments refusal to rule out leaving the EU without a deal, after Theresa Mays proposed withdrawal agreement was overwhelmingly rejected by parliament.

The prime minister has announced plans for cross-party talks to try to find an outcome that MPs can support, but has dismissed Jeremy Corbyns demand that she rule out no deal as an option before discussions begin.

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Delivering a speech in Hastings, Mr Corbyn said: The prime minister seems completely unable to grasp what has actually happened.

She seems to be prepared to send the country hurtling towards a cliff edge.

To get a deal that can command a majority in parliament, Theresa May has to ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future.

And in a letter to Ms May, he added: We are firmly of the opinion that the starting point for any talks about how to break the Brexit deadlock must be that the threat of a disastrous no-deal outcome is ruled out.

I note that it is a position shared by all the opposition parties, including the DUP, and is the expressed will of parliament. If you are serious about reaching a deal, then no deal must be ruled out.

Labour is open to meaningful discussions. But following the decisive rejection of the governments deal by MPs on Tuesday, those cannot be on the basis of your existing red lines. It is clear that no tweaks or further assurances are going to win support for the governments Brexit deal in parliament.Photo: Facebook

More than 90 parents camped out in front of Beairsto Elementary School this week, hoping to register their child for the French immersion program.

Maritza Reilly, communications co-ordinator with School District 22, said there are 88 available spots including eight for Grade 1.

The district fills the slots on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The board has looked at other options such as online, but not everyone has a computer, or a reliable computer or fast Internet speed. We have also considered the lottery system which some other schools are doing, but we feel this is the most fair way for families to register, said Reilly.

But just because there are more students registered in January than there are open spaces does not mean students will go without.

Reilly said typically not all students who are registered in January attend the program in September making room for children on the waiting list.

Harwood Elementary School also has a two-year French immersion program for older students that Reilly said is very successful.

Vernon isn't the only school district where demand is exceeding program capacity, forcing some school districts to raffle off limited French immersion spots.

According to the Canadian Parents for French BC and Yukon, parents in Sooke, Saanich, Victoria, Vancouver, North Vancouver, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Surrey, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge - Pitt Meadows, Kootenay Lake, Rocky Mountain, Fort St. John, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo and Burnaby are facing registration lotteries and French immersion programs that are oversubscribed.

It is estimated more than 200 students will soon be on waiting lists across British Columbia.

"No child should be turned away from this popular life-changing educational experience. That's the bottom line," said Glyn Lewis, Canadian Parents for French BC & YK executive director.

"We call on all school districts to sit down with educators and parents to map out a strategy for growth. It is simply unacceptable for some children to be enriched and for others to be turned away in our public education system. These school districts need to do better. They need to open more French immersion classrooms to meet the demand."No 10 drew up a paper setting out the potential timescale for a Final Say referendum on Brexit.

The documents existence emerged after Theresa May used it in meetings with political rivals as she seeks a consensus on how to push ahead with Brexit.

Officials later said the document had dealt only with its potential scheduling to demonstrate the belief at the top of government that a Peoples Vote could take more than a year to organise.

It comes as MPs from across the House of Commons who back a new referendum, manoeuvre to try to force one on to the parliamentary agenda.

Ms May has consistently ruled out a second referendum, but some attendees left meetings with her on Thursday  following her call to speak to all parties on the future of Brexit  suggesting they were struck by work the government has already done looking into one.

Ms Mays spokeswoman said: In order to inform the discussions, a paper, a very short paper set out in factual detail the number of months which would be required.

This was illustrative only and our position of course is that there will be no second referendum as the prime minister has repeatedly said.

The paper is said to have argued that it would take in excess of a year to plan and conduct another referendum on Brexit.

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The spokeswoman added: It was produced to inform the expected discussion at some of these meetings.

The Independent, which has campaigned for a new vote, understands it was a single piece of A4, with bullet points and did not cover other areas, such as what question would be asked. Other papers for other scenarios have not been drawn up.

MPs are expected to have the opportunity on 29 January to vote on whether to hold a second referendum, after a Conservative backbencher pledged to put down an amendment to Theresa Mays Brexit plan.

Sarah Wollaston said it was time to put it to a vote of MPs when Brexit was next debated, while Labour MPs who back a Peoples Vote have also said they will move to support any parliamentary bid to force another referendum.

No 10 declined to provide details of discussions in the meeting, but said that Ms May intended to continue talking to engage with parliamentarians and EU leaders over the coming days.

No plans were announced for any trip to Brussels ahead of the publication on Monday of her Brexit Plan B. The prime minister is expected to spend the weekend at her country residence Chequers.Theresa May has been urged to back a final say referendum rather than "waste more time on Brexit fantasies" by more than 170 business leaders.

The influential group, including former Marks and Spencer boss Lord Myners, architect Lord Foster, and lastminute.com co-founder Baroness Lane-Fox, ramped up pressure on the prime minister and Jeremy Corbyn to back a fresh vote on leaving the European Union.

Ms May issued a desperate appeal to opposition leaders to break the Brexit impasse on Wednesday night, after she survived a confidence vote in the Commons with support from the DUP and Tory Brexiteers.

However she faces an uphill battle to end the deadlock, as the Labour leader snubbed her invitation, while other parties agreed to engage if a no-deal exit was taken off table.

Business groups had urged MPs to support the prime minister's deal before it was emphatically rejected in parliament on Tuesday, by a record 230 votes.

In the wake of the defeat, senior business leaders urged politician to row in behind a second referendum on Brexit - a cause championed by The Independent's Final Say campaign.

"Many businesses backed the prime minister's Brexit deal despite knowing that it was far from perfect," said the letter published in The Times.

"But it is no longer an option. The priority now is to stop us crashing out of the EU with no deal at all. The only feasible way to do this is by asking the people whether they still want to leave the EU.

"With the clock now ticking rapidly before we are due to quit, politicians must not waste any more time on fantasies. We urge the political leadership of both the main parties to support a people's vote."

It comes as pro-EU Labour MPs try to bounce Mr Corbyn into campaigning for a fresh vote, with more than 70 MPs and 13 MEPs signing a letter in support.

The move intensified pressure on Mr Corbyn to move quickly, after senior Labour figures indicated that the party was ready to table repeated no-confidence challenges to the prime minister after Wednesday's vote failed to oust her.

Labour's party conference passed a motion saying a general election was its priority but the party would "support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote" if an election was not possible.

Ms May gave a late-night statement outside Downing Street on Wednesday, where she told MPs it was their "duty to act in the national interest, reach a consensus and get this done".

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"In a historic vote in 2016, the country decided to leave the EU," she said.

"In 2017, 80 per cent of people voted for parties that stood on manifestos promising to respect that result.

"Now, over two-and-a-half years later, it's time for us to come together, put the national interest first - and deliver on the referendum."Theresa May has toughened her stance on refusing to rule out a no-deal Brexit, telling Jeremy Corbyn it is an impossible condition that she cannot meet.

The Labour leader is boycotting talks with the prime minister until she drops threats to crash the UK out of the EU  and has told his MPs to do the same.

But, in a letter to Mr Corbyn, Ms May has said: That is an impossible condition because it is not within the governments power to rule out no-deal.

She argued that the default position, under the Article 50 process, was that the UK will leave the EU without a deal on 29 March.

Ms May wrote: There are two ways to avoid no-deal: either to vote for a deal, in particular a withdrawal agreement that has been agreed with the EU, or to revoke Article 50 and overturn the referendum result.

Recommended Downing Street prepares Brexit referendum document

And she challenged Mr Corbyn to make his choice, adding: I believe it would be wrong to overturn the referendum result.

The letter came as it was revealed that No 10 has drawn up a paper setting out the potential timetable for a Final Say referendum on Brexit  arguing it would take an astonishing 14 months.

The documents existence emerged after Ms May referred to it in meetings with other political leaders, as she seeks a consensus on how to solve the crisis.

But Dominic Grieve, a Tory supporter of a fresh referendum, ridiculed the idea as simply wrong, adding: It could be carried out swiftly and within a limited time extension of Article 50.

Ms May's no-deal claim comes despite both foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and chancellor Philip Hammond suggesting MPs could  in reality, whatever the legalities  block a crash-out.

In a leaked transcript of a conversation with business leaders this week, Mr Hammond said: It is clear to me there is a large majority in the Commons that is opposed to no deal in any circumstances.

In her letter to Mr Corbyn, Ms May also appeared to dismiss the aims of a cross-party campaign, coming to a head next week, to put parliament in charge of the process.

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Put forward by senior Tory Nick Boles, it would compel the government to seek an extension of Article 50, until the end of 2019, if the Commons cannot pass a Brexit deal within a few weeks.

But Ms May wrote: I do not believe that the EU would agree to extend our membership simply to allow further debate on Brexit in the UK.

Previously, the prime minister had not ruled out extending membership.

In the letter, she again urged Mr Corbyn to rethink his refusal, in order to put forward your own proposals, adding: I would be happy to discuss them with you.

She then had a possible dig at Mr Corbyns willingness in the past to speak to groups such as Hamas without preconditions, writing: You have always believed in the importance of dialogue in politics.

And she said: My door remains open to a meeting without preconditions, so that we, as prime minister and leader of the opposition, can talk and see if we can begin to find a way forward for our country on Brexit.Conservative supporters of a fresh EU referendum have officially launched a new campaign group, as one MP admitted the party had created the current mess over Brexit while another declared Theresa Mays deal dead.

At the first major event of the new group  Right to Vote  it was claimed several cabinet ministers and junior ministers had intellectually arrived at the second referendum argument and were considering whether to publicly back the idea.

Those present included MPs Heidi Allen, Sarah Wollaston, Anna Soubry, Dominic Grieve, Justine Greening, Phillip Lee and Sam Gyimah.

It was claimed that one backbencher was not present at the news conference after receiving a credible death threat.

Launching the push for a Final Say referendum, Mr Lee said the prime ministers Brexit deal  defeated by a historic margin on Tuesday  was dead, adding: There is no use in doctors like me or Sarah trying to resuscitate it  it is beyond recovery.

He continued: The prime minister spent two and a half years trying to reach an agreement on the UKs exit from the European Union that will command support and she has failed.

It is no good trying to tweak this agreement in a few places and trying again. And its no good telling the public they cant have a Final Say while insisting it is fine for MPs to be asked to vote again and again until the government gets the answer it wants.

Recommended Theresa May survives no confidence vote brought by Jeremy Corbyn

Ms Allen, the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, claimed, however, that is was especially hard for some Tories to fully back the campaign for a fresh vote.

You know what, Im going to say it, we created this mess, she said.

Ms Allen added: Quite a few of us are saying, well you know we need to exhaust all the options first. We need to go around that Norway loop, again  my association are going to deselect me, but to hell with your associations, its your voters you should be worried about.

Also speaking at the launch event, Mr Gyimah, the former universities minister who resigned to vote against Ms Mays Brexit deal, poured cold water on the current cross-party talks initiated by Ms May in the last 24 hours.

He said Brexit had until now been approached as a Conservative Party project, rather than a national project making any cross party talks difficult, as he described the referendum route as the life raft.

Asked by The Independent whether they could back a vote of no confidence in the government  brought by Jeremy Corbyn  if the prime minister was to oversee a no-deal Brexit, Mr Lee replied: What I would say on this is that on both sides passions run high, and people are very exercised about Brexit, about no deal.

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I think some people are feeling like well Im going to do everything about that and thats why its another justification for going down this path [referendum]. Nobody wants do what youre implying, nobody wants to cross the floor, nobody wants to do that.

I think that No 10 needs to recognise that passions are equally strong on the no Brexit side as on the Brexit side. I think its just been downplayed because the other side have been getting a bit more aggressive in inverted commas in terms of the way they go about things.

I dont think it would be a good idea for the government to go down ... to push us up against the wall at the end of March.

Mr Gyimah added: Im Conservative, I believe in Conservative principles and I think we deserve to be in government. I spoke in the no confidence debate, I cannot countenance Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister of this country. I will fight for my beliefs in the Conservative Party.Jeremy Corbyn is in open conflict with senior Labour MPs after telling them to boycott cross-party talks with the government over Brexit.

The Labour leader  who is refusing to negotiate with Theresa May, until she drops threats of a no-deal Brexit  tried to extend the no-talks stance in an email sent to all his colleagues.

But the order came as at least three Labour MPs opened talks, in a bid to find a solution to the gathering crisis after Tuesdays devastating defeat for the prime ministers deal.

Both Yvette Cooper, the Home Affairs Committee chair, and Hilary Benn, the Brexit Committee chair, went to the Cabinet Office to meet Tory ministers, both in the morning and afternoon.

And John Mann, a Leave-supporting Labour MP who backed Ms Mays apparently doomed deal, was also spotted coming out of the same building on Whitehall.

Ms Cooper defended joining the negotiations, saying: We want to see if the government is actually prepared to make some changes.

Mr Benn also stressed the need for Ms May to show flexibility on her Brexit red lines, saying: The really important question is, theres an open door, is there an open mind to a change?

But, in the email, Mr Corbyn wrote: I have been absolutely clear that any starting point for talks about breaking the Brexit deadlock must be on the provision that that the threat of a disastrous no deal outcome is ruled out.

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This is a position that has now been adopted by the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.

I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain from engagement with the government until no deal is taken off the table.

Speaking outside the cabinet office, both Mr Benn and Ms Cooper insisted they were as determined as their leader to block the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.

When asked whether Mr Corbyn should be there, Mr Benn said: That is a decision for Jeremy to take. Hes demonstrating that its not just the prime minister who can be stubborn.

Earlier, speaking in Hastings, Mr Corbyn defended his decision not to enter talks with the prime minister, to try to solve the Brexit crisis, unless she ruled out a no-deal departure.

Last nights offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality thats needed, he told party activists.Theresa May will run-down the clock towards Brexit for another week after opting to take the full amount of time she can before allowing a vote on her next steps.

Ministers announced on Thursday that the vote  at which point MPs will also be able to make their suggestions for the way forward  will not take place until 29 January.

Many MPs had expected it early next week so as to allow more time for the government to act upon the results.

Recommended Of course Jeremy Corbyn should talk to the prime minister

It comes amid fears that Ms May will delay any action until Brexit day comes closer to increase pressure on MPs to back her deal or face a no-deal Brexit.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs they will debate the governments proposed Brexit next steps on January 29.

She said: A statement and a motion on the Governments next steps under section 13 of the EU Withdrawal Act will be tabled on Monday 21 January 21.

A full days debate on the motion will take place on Tuesday 29 January, subject to the agreement of the House.

Due to previous decisions by the Commons, Ms May must table a motion on Monday setting out her plans following the defeat of her Brexit withdrawal agreement this week.

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The motion will be amendable, meaning it will offer the opportunity for MPs to suggest their own ideas and have them voted on. There are likely to be at least four competing amendments put down.

Jeremy Corbyn will likely table his own, setting out his alternative Brexit vision, and there may also be one from Tory Brexiteers seeking to banish the hated "Irish backstop" from Ms Mays withdrawal agreement.

There could be two further motions facilitating a new referendum, which the Labour MPs plan to stand behind. One could directly demand a new vote, while the other, if tabled, would begin to unlock a longer process.

It would likely be submitted by Conservative ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve, who has masterminded much of the Remain-rebellion on the Tory benches, and would mean that draft laws brought forward by backbenchers would take priority in the schedule over government business  upending the usual practice in the Commons.

On Wednesday, Mr Grieve brought forward plans for new legislation that would deliver a second referendum, indicating that they are the draft laws that he and other Peoples Vote supporters want to be debated and voted on.

It comes as Ms May and senior cabinet ministers met representatives of other parties in a bid to find consensus to break the parliamentary deadlock over Brexit.Gordon Brown has called on the government to extend Article 50 and seek voters' views on how to break the deadlock over Brexit.

The former prime minister used a speech in Edinburgh on Thursday night to call for MPs to hold a series of "public hearings" across the country to listen to voters' views on Brexit.

He proposed creating "citizens' national assemblies" in every UK nation and region in a bid to heal divisions that he suggested are deeper than they have been for decades.

Labour MPs Stella Creasy and Lisa Nandy have already called for a "citizens' assembly" to be set up to help decide the terms of Britain's EU withdrawal, insisting it is the best way of ending the impasse in parliament.

Lending his support to the plan, Mr Brown argued that a similar model has been successful in Canada, Australia, the USA and parts of Scandinavia.

In Ireland, he said an assembly of 99 citizens helped settle some of the issues relating to the country's constitution in the run-up to last year's referendum on abortion, which saw Irish voters decide to legalise the practice.

Arguing that the Brexit "crisis is now so profound that parliament cannot now solve it on its own", Mr Brown said: What is clear is that we cannot end the Brexit crisis without also repairing the trust and rebuilding the unity of a divided country.

Indeed, the dialogue Britain now needs - and deserves - is not just one between parliament and government - Mrs Mays latest throw of the dice - but between our political elite and the people.

Trust cannot be rebuilt without the widest possible involvement of citizens and communities as well as politicians. The people of Britain must be brought back into this debate.

He pointed to a new poll showing that voters want more of a say on Brexit by a margin of almost two to one.

Under Mr Brown's plan, the government would negotiate with the EU to extend Article 50 for one year in order to convene a series of regional citizens' assemblies around the country.

A consultation would be held in every region and could be overseen by parliament's select committees if the government refused.

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Voters would be asked to give their views on key questions relating to Brexit, including how close a relationship the UK should maintain with the EU and whether freedom of movement should end. MPs could also commission polling to help uncover what the public wants.

The results would then be considered by parliament and renegotiations with the EU reopened to secure a deal on the terms favoured by voters.

The outcome of the talks would be put back to the public via a fresh Brexit referendum.

Arguing that parliament is "paralysed and immobilised", Mr Brown said: "Citizens national assemblies can begin to bridge the current gap in our democracy as the Irish experience has shown, providing a means through which difficult issues can be considered.

And precisely because parliament has reached an impasse, citizens assemblies offer a fresh opportunity for parliament to hear how representative groups of people across all regions and nations think unity can be restored."

The former prime minister also argued that divisions in Britain are deeper than at any time in modern history, including during the miners' strike and poll tax riots.

 Jeremy Corbyn says Theresa May's Brexit plan is 'quite clearly a dead deal'

He said: "Britain is already more divided than during the three-day week of the 1970s or during the miners strike of the 1980s.

We are more divided than over the poll-tax, whose troubles came to a head in the early 1990s.

In addition, I suggest we are more divided today than even in 2016 after the bitterest of referendum campaigns - with a rising anger across the country over what people see as an out-of-touch political elite and paralysed parliament." His latest intervention in the Brexit debate came as Theresa May held a series of meetings with MPs from across the Commons in an attempt to plot a way forward after her deal was overwhelmingly rejected by parliament.

She met leaders of the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Plaid Cymru on Thursday but did not hold talks with Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, after he insisted that the prime minister must first rule out no-deal as an option.

In remarks that will be seen as criticism of Ms May, Mr Brown said: During days as extraordinary as these, bold, innovative leadership is needed. In desperate times you cannot cling to and simply repeat the old familiar responses that have failed and muddling through or making do is no solution."

He also called it a "near tragedy" that the UK and Donald Trump's USA are now seen as "the most dysfunctional of democracies".The Britain-based Russian TV channel RT has said it will launch a legal challenge over a ruling by the UKs media regulator that it repeatedly failed to be impartial while reporting on the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

The broadcaster said it would seek a judicial review following Ofcoms verdict in December that it had broken impartiality rules in seven news and current affairs programmes.

The poisoning, which Britain blamed on Russia, strained relations between the two countries and led to the biggest Western expulsion of diplomats since the height of the Cold War.

Mr Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer who later worked as a double agent for Britain, was targeted with the nerve agent novichok while at his home in Salisbury.

Russia has denied any involvement in the attempted murder.

Recommended Police officer poisoned in Salisbury novichok attack returns to work

In its ruling, Ofcom said RT had failed to give sufficient weight to a range of views in seven current affairs discussions or news items about the poisoning.

In an apparent response shortly after the ruling, Russias own media regulator announced it had launched an investigation into the activities of the BBC in the country.

Announcing the legal challenge on Thursday, RT said in a statement it will be seeking judicial review of Ofcoms decisions and process in its breach findings of 20 December against the network.

It added: Ofcom investigated 10 RT programmes, and decided that seven were in breach; we firmly believe that none were in breach. RT is left with no choice other than to seek judicial review of the matter.

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. 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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. 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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. 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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. 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Russian officials say RT is a way for Moscow to compete with the dominance of global media companies based in the US that they say offer a biased and anti-Russian view of the world.

But critics say it is little more than the propaganda arm of Vladimir Putins government and aims to undermine confidence in Western institutions.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Ofcom has said it will consider further representations made by RT but could impose sanctions, ranging from compelling the station to broadcast a statement of its verdict through to a financial penalty and, in the most extreme case, revoking its licence.Prince Philip has been involved in a road accident while driving close to the Queens Sandringham Estate.

The Duke of Edinburgh was not injured in the crash on Thursday afternoon, Buckingham Palace said.

Norfolk Police said officers were called to the Sandringham Estate shortly before 3pm following reports of a collision involving two cars.

A spokesperson said: It is force policy to breath test drivers involved in collisions. We can confirm both drivers were breath tested and provided negative readings.

They added that police and ambulance crews attended and two people in one of the vehicles suffered minor injuries. The palace said the 97-year-old royal was seen later by a doctor as a precaution and confirmed he was not injured.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the duke was driving when the accident happened.

She added: He saw a doctor as a precaution and the doctor confirmed he was not injured.

Witnesses, who contacted the BBC, said Philips Land Rover rolled over during the collision with a Kia. They added that they helped the duke from his vehicle and said the Queens consort was conscious but very, very shocked and shaken.

Berneen Caney, 25, who witnessed the scene of the accident, said: It appeared to be quite serious, there was a lot of glass over the road as well as debris, I saw one of the cars was quite badly damaged, as for the Range Rover, its windows were smashed.

The support worker from Kings Lynn added: By the time I passed by, the Range Rover had been tipped back up on its wheels. I didnt see that much as I was more concerned the car in front of me was braking to turn off and that there was glass and debris all over the road. There was a lot of people there including police, and there was a paramedic there too.

The palace spokesperson would not comment on who Prince Philips passenger was, but it is likely the duke was travelling with his close protection officer.

An image from the scene of the crash published by local radio station KL.FM 96.7 showed two cars by the side of the road, one on its side with a smashed windscreen and another in some bushes a few yards away.

Earlier in the day Norfolk Police had warned drivers to take it slow when driving home after the Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in the east of England.

The Archbishop of York shared a message of support for the Duke of Edinburgh following the car accident.

John Sentamu tweeted: Almighty God, the Fountain of all Goodness, We humbly beseech thee to bless Philip Duke of Edinburgh: Endue him with thy Holy Spirit; enrich him with thy Heavenly Grace; prosper him with all happiness; and bring him to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The duke is no stranger to the driving seat, and was seen with famous passengers in a Range Rover in 2016.

Prince Philip showed the former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle the personal touch when he drove them and the Queen to Windsor Castle after the Marine One presidential helicopter landed close to the monarchs Berkshire home during their visit to the UK in April 2016.

Even in his eighties, the duke continued to compete in demanding carriage driving competitions, and has previously pulled muscles in his back while driving his horse-drawn carriage.

In 2017, he joked how the rough and tumble of carriage driving left his Balmoral dog cart smashed up regularly. In his first interview since he announced his retirement, the Duke of Edinburgh told how he took up the sport of carriage driving when he gave up polo aged 50.

He was instrumental in helping to establish the sport, but gave up competitions some years ago.

 Prince Philip completes final solo royal engagement

Prince Philip retired from public duties in 2017, but he still occasionally attends events with the Queen.

His retirement from royal duties was marked with a commemorative 5 coin bearing the words not for self but country in Latin under an image of the prince.

He underwent hip surgery in April last year.

Additional reporting by agenciesEvery year Scotland honours its national poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796), on his birthday.

Burns wrote over 550 poems in the second half of the 18th century and remains an icon of the Romantic period and a hero for his liberal and socially-minded political outlook.

The centrepiece of the Burns Night festivities remains the noble haggis  a delicacy comprised of a sheeps heart, liver and lungs boiled with mincemeat, suet and onions in its own stomach.

But before the haggis, neeps and tatties can be tucked into, the dish must be toasted with a ceremonial reading of the poets work, a secular blessing paying tribute to the late writer and to the glory of Scotland.

Burns himself wrote a poem ideally suited to this purpose, Address to a Haggis, an ode it has since become the custom to recite before the meal commences.

Haggis is commonly served at Burns Night dinners (PA)

For those whose memory needs jogging, the complete text of the address, written in Burnss inimitable dialect, is below (with an English translation to follow for the uninitiated).

Address to a Haggis (1787)

Fair fa your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o the puddin-race!

Aboon them a ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye worthy o a grace

As langs my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,

Your hurdies like a distant hill,

Your pin wad help to mend a mill

In time o need,

While thro your pores the dews distil

Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An cut you up wi ready slight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like onie ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:

Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,

Till a their weel-swalld kytes belyve

Are bent like drums;

The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,

Bethankit hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout,

Or olio that wad staw a sow,

Or fricassee wad mak her spew

Wi perfect scunner,

Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view

On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,

As feckless as a witherd rash,

His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,

His nieve a nit;

Thro bloody flood or field to dash,

O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread,

Clap in his walie nieve a blade,

Hell make it whissle;

An legs an arms, an heads will sned,

Like taps o thrissle.

Ye Powrs, wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware

That jaups in luggies:

But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,

Gie her a Haggis

The Robert Burns monument in Dumfries (London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty) (London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

English translation

Good luck to you and your honest, plump face,

Great chieftain of the sausage race!

Above them all you take your place,

Stomach, tripe, or intestines:

Well are you worthy of a grace

As long as my arm.

The groaning trencher there you fill,

Your buttocks like a distant hill,

Your pin would help to mend a mill

In time of need,

While through your pores the dews distill

Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour wipe,

And cut you up with ready slight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like any ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm steaming, rich!

Then spoon for spoon, the stretch and strive:

Devil take the hindmost, on they drive,

Till all their well swollen bellies by-and-by

Are bent like drums;

Then old head of the table, most like to burst,

The grace! hums.

Is there that over his French ragout,

Or olio that would sicken a sow,

Or fricassee would make her vomit

With perfect disgust,

Looks down with sneering, scornful view

On such a dinner?

Poor devil! see him over his trash,

As feeble as a withered rush,

His thin legs a good whip-lash,

His fist a nut;

Through bloody flood or field to dash,

O how unfit.

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread,

Clap in his ample fist a blade,

Hell make it whistle;

And legs, and arms, and heads will cut off

Like the heads of thistles.

You powers, who make mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill of fare,

Old Scotland wants no watery stuff,

That splashes in small wooden dishes;

But if you wish her grateful prayer,

Give her [Scotland] a Haggis!Photo: Contributed

Government officials in Burkina Faso have confirmed a Canadian mining company employee has been found dead after being kidnapped in the west African country.

An official with the Ministry of Security says Kirk Woodman, a Halifax man who worked for the Vancouver-based Progress Mineral Mining Company, was found dead late Wednesday in Oudalan province.

Jean Paul Badoum said from Ouagadougou, the country's capital, that the body was found with bullet wounds.

Badoum said Woodman was kidnapped by armed gunmen from a mining camp, but officials have not yet identified the kidnappers.

He said no group has taken responsibility for the kidnapping.

Badoum said the body was found alone.

Acadia University professor Sandra Barr said in an email late Wednesday that Woodman was quite well-known among geologists in Nova Scotia, where he was based, and had worked in Africa for decades.

"He was very passionate about the work that he was doing there," she said.

David Duncan, a veteran exploration geologist based in Windsor, N.S., said he worked with Woodman on projects in Nova Scotia and overseas for more than four decades.

In an interview Wednesday, he described Woodman as a talented geologist  part of a wider community of Nova Scotia-trained geologists who helped find mines around the globe. He had the ability to tell whether a good prospect could become a producing mine, he said.

Duncan and Woodman worked for Etruscan Resources of Halifax on some of the first gold mines in Niger and then Burkina Faso  as part of a close-knit group of Canadian geologists who were pioneering the development of mines in western Africa.

He said working as an exploration geologist in western Africa always had its dangers, ranging from the risk of traffic accidents to contracting diseases such as malaria, but Duncan said in recent years the risk increased with the rise of Islamic militancy.

"It's a terrible thing, a terrible thing. We understood since the Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler was kidnapped in Niger that part of the world had changed ... with the introduction of Islamic fundamentalists into that part of the world," he said.

"It's gotten to be a much harder place... We were never worried about being kidnapped. Today, it's a different world."

The news comes soon after a 34-year-old Quebec tourist and her travelling companion were reported missing in the west African nation.

Sherbrooke native Edith Blais and her Italian friend Luca Tacchetto were travelling by car in southwestern Burkina Faso when all communication with their families abruptly ended Dec. 15.

A statement by Security Minister Clement Sawadogo referred to the disappearance of Blais and Tacchetto as a kidnapping.

West Africa's Sahel region has seen a number of abductions of foreigners in recent years by extremists linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State organization.

Burkina Faso recently declared a state of emergency in the region as attacks by Islamic extremists increased, especially along the border with Niger and Mali.

Sawadogo said foreigners should use extreme caution when travelling in dangerous areas of the country.Burns Night brings to mind forkfuls of peppery haggis and wee drams of whisky but the history of the festivities is often taken for granted.

The Burns Supper is a celebration of the life and legacy of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. While it was first organised by his close friends and family as a memorial dinner, the night has since morphed into an event for Scots at home and around the world.

It is celebrated with traditional Scottish fare, folk music and renditions of Burnss poetry  but this year many of the festivities will be virtual.

Who was Robert Burns?

Rabbie Burns penned more than 550 poems and songs before his death in 1796.

A massive source of inspiration to the founders of Liberalism and Socialism, the 18th-century writer is known for his astute social commentary and focus on all things political. Scotlands national poet is considered a revolutionary figure, both in his homeland and beyond.

Dubbed the greatest Scot of all time by STV in 2009, the writer from Ayrshire died of rheumatic fever at the age of just 37.

His funeral was held on the same day his son Maxwell was born. Burnss body was later transferred from a churchyard grave to a mausoleum in Dumfries, where his wife Jean Armour was also laid to rest after her death in 1834.

When is Burns Night?

Burns Night falls on 25 January every year.

The date was chosen to coincide with the poet's birthday, who was born on 25 January 1759.

The first Burns supper hosted by the Burns Club was held on 29 January 1802, on what was thought to be Burns' birthday.

However, the following year the discovery of parish records revealed that the late poet's birthday was actually four days prior.

How is it celebrated?

The main attraction of Burns Night is the Burns Supper. This traditionally involves participants donning tartan, listening to bagpipes, crooning Auld Lang Syne  also sung at New Years Eve  and reciting the great writers songs and poems.

Read more: How to make vegan haggis

The song Auld Lang Syne was derived from a poem penned by Burns in 1788, which he originally sent to the Scots Musical Museum.

Burns Night celebrations commonly incorporate the Saltire, the national flag of Scotland.

While the first Burns Supper was first held way back in 1801 and new rituals have since been appended, the crux of the celebration remains unchanged and revolves around paying tribute to Burns in whatever way feels most fitting.

Whats in the traditional dinner?

The jewel in the crown of any Burns Supper is always haggis, a savoury pudding containing minced sheeps heart, liver and lungs bound with onion, oatmeal, suet, stock and a selection of spices. It is traditionally bound in the animals stomach.

Burns describes haggis as the great chieftain o the puddin-race and a traditional Burns Night kicks off with a host reading his Address to a Haggis.

Read more: How to make classic haggis, neeps and tatties

Haggis is served with the classic side of mashed neeps and tatties (swedes and potatoes). The food is, of course, accompanied by the finest domestic whisky.

Vegetarians and pescetarians  or those who want to try something a little different  can choose haggis made without meat. Also popular is seafood dishes like Cullen Skink soup, made from smoked haddock.Jurors have been shown cockpit video from an air show jet that crashed in a fireball on a dual carriageway, in a bid to explain how failing to abort his loop when too low had been the pilots cardinal sin.

The video was shown on the second day of the trial of former RAF pilot Andrew Hill, who is accused of gross negligence manslaughter over the 2015 Shoreham Air Show crash when his vintage Hawker Hunter jet plummeted onto the busy A27 just north of the airfield.

Eleven people died in the ensuing massive fireball, but Mr Hill miraculously survived, the Old Bailey has heard.

The 54-year-old denies 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

In footage shown to the court, a GoPro camera positioned behind the pilots seat records the A27 coming into view through the cockpit windscreen.

Recommended Pilot involved in Shoreham Airshow crash which killed 11 goes on trial

The sky reappears as Mr Hill begins his attempt at a bent loop manoeuvre. Nothing can be heard other than the sound of the engine before the aircraft beings to judder, flying low along the road and crashing.

Jurors also viewed footage shot by spectators, which shows the plane in the sky attempting the stunt and crashing into the main road, where the fireball engulfed victims who were travelling along the dual carriageway or watching the display from the roadside.

Mr Hill, of Sandon, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, watched the beginning of the footage but lowered his head in the dock when the moment of impact was shown, before looking at the jurors.

Prosecutor Tom Kark QC has told the jury the disaster happened purely because of pilot error.

Mr Kark said that on 22 August 2015, the day of the Shoreham crash, the 1950s-era Hawker Hunter had been in excellent working condition.

But Mr Hill, the jury was told, had been too low and slow during the fatal stunt attempt.

 Graphic shown to jury details Shoreham air crash which killed 11 people in 2015

Mr Kark said that at the top of the loop Mr Hill, who had previously played fast and loose with safety rules, had been probably as much as 1,000ft [305m] below the minimum required height.

There was a relatively easy escape manoeuvre that could be performed, Mr Kark added. Instead, Mr Hill caused the aircraft to commit to the loop.

Mr Kark told jurors that Jonathon Whaley, a veteran ex-Royal Navy pilot with more than 1,000 hours flying experience on Hawker Hunters, had reviewed the video footage.

He had, Mr Kark said, concluded that Mr Hill made a conscious decision to commit to the loop despite being too low.

In Mr Whaleys view this was a cardinal sin, the court heard.

The catalogue of errors placed the aircraft in a position where a crash was inevitable, Mr Kark told the jury.

Andrew Hill is on trial at the Old Bailey, accused of manslaughter by gross negligence (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA)

Immediately after the crash Mr Hill told emergency services he did not remember or know what happened but felt terrible and had been feeling unwell, the court heard.

He was so seriously injured he had to be put in an induced coma. He recovered, but still does not remember events surrounding the crash, the court heard.

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Opening the case for the defence, Karim Khalil QC said a correct analysis of Mr Hills fatal loop would be that he was not in full control of his actions, possibly because the G-forces experienced while manoeuvring the fast jet had caused him cognitive impairment.

Hill served in the RAF between 1985 and 1994 where he trained to fly, becoming an instructor and fast jet pilot. On leaving the military, he became a British Airways airbus captain.

Mr Khalil said: Pilot error does not explain what happened here at all. He is not a cavalier pilot and not a pilot who, as is suggested, plays fast and loose [with the rules]. Quite the contrary. He did not deliberately fail to take evasive action.

The cockpit video was not released to the media.

The trial continues.Two police officers sabotaged several child sex abuse investigations out of cynical distain for the accusers by destroying evidence and fabricating witness statements, a court has heard.

Detective constables Sharon Patterson, 49, and Lee Pollard, 47, are accused of collapsing a series of cases by telling their superiors false information over a three-year period.

The Old Bailey heard on Thursday how the Essex Police officers, who were in a relationship, went beyond incompetence by ruining investigations through laziness and attempts at self-preservation.

Alexandra Healy, prosecuting, told the court allegations against the pair included the forging of documents, concealment of evidence and misrepresenting investigations to supervising officers.

The effect was that allegations involving child sex offences were not properly investigated, she said.

Recommended Essex Police have inadvertently opened a window to Brexit Britain

The motivation appears to have been a combination of laziness, self-preservation and sometimes a cynical disdain for complainants in these child abuse allegations.

The officers, who live together in Colchester, Essex, each deny three counts of misconduct in a public office between 2011 and 2014.

The allegations came to light when performance reviews were carried out into the child abuse investigation team, in the north of the county, which they worked in.

Ms Healy told the court Ms Patterson and Mr Pollards behaviour had gone beyond incompetence and was not because of a lack of resources or insufficient investigative manpower.

Ms Patterson is accused of falsely representing evidence to her supervisor so no further action was taken against a male suspect and of fabricating a witness statement.

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She also allegedly created a false Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) document to deceive her supervisor into thinking a decision had been taken not to charge a second male.

Mr Pollard allegedly removed and destroyed four photographs that were important exhibits to an investigation and misrepresented evidence to his supervisor so no further action was taken in a separate probe.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PAThe prime minister has refused to rule out a no-deal Brexit, and her government is making some preparations to cushion the expected impact of such a withdrawal.

But in many respects, the EU is further ahead than the UK when it comes to preparations. It has made a number of changes to deal with a no-deal Brexit  as well as the possible disruption caused even by an orderly withdrawal.Saturn's rings are relatively new, a Nasa spacecraft has found after plunging into the planet.

The world once exised without those famous rings and acquired them perhaps as recently as 10 million years ago, data from the Cassini spacecraft has shown.

The new study finally answers the question of how old the rings are as well as what they might have been made of. Scientists were able to weigh the rings by measuring their gravitational pull.

Just before Nasa's Cassini spacecraft fell into Saturn and destroyed itself, it flew between the rings and the planet itself, allowing scientists to watch how they tugged it around during the flight. That meant the spacecraft could act as a gravity probe, measuring how much pull the rings themselves had.

The researchers found that estimate  which showed they had about 40 per cent of the pull of Saturn's moon Mimas, itself about 2,000 times smaller than our own Moon  shows the rings are relatively new. They must have originated less than 100 million years ago and might be only 10 million years old, the data showed.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. 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Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

That finally answers a long argument among planetary scientists. Some argued the rings must have arrived alongside the planet, some 4.5 billion years, formed out of ice that was left behind when the solar system came together  others argued that they were much newer and came about when an object was destroyed and became rubble that orbited around the planet.

Researchers found themselves initially shocked by the data they received back from Cassini and what it seemed to suggest about the ring's gravity. But they then accounted for the fact Saturn has deep flowing winds and the measurements started to make sense.

"The first time I looked at the data I didn't believe it, because I trusted our models and it took a while to sink in that there was some effect that changed the gravity field that we had not considered," said Burkhard Militzer, a professor of earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, who models planetary interiors. "That turned out to be massive flows in the atmosphere at least 9,000 kilometers deep around the equatorial region. We thought preliminarily that these clouds were like clouds on Earth, which are confined to a thin layer and contain almost no mass. But on Saturn they are really massive."

It is still not clear how the vast rings managed to form so recently, according to the study's authors. But the researchers say that the surprising discovery of the ring's youth is a "fitting way to end Cassini's mission", and marks one of a range of surprising discoveries about the planet and the rings that surround it.Discount retailer Primark bucked the trend of gloom on the high street over Christmas, reporting a 4 per cent rise in sales in the 16 weeks to 5 January.

The sales growth was due to increased selling space  the company opened four new stores around the globe last year, and also moved some branches to larger premises.

This added space helped offset a decline in like-for-like sales, the company said.

Analysts said that while Primark had reported strong numbers in its latest update, trading is likely to become more difficult in future.

Primark has one of the most compelling propositions on the UK high street. However being a non-discounting store-only retailer poses a challenge in the runup to Christmas as spend continues to shift online and the market becomes even more promotional allowing shoppers to more easily trade up, said Kate Ormrod, retail analyst at GlobalData.

Targeting competitive segments of the market, specifically the 16-24s, will only prove more difficult for Primark due to the fierce opposition, namely from online pureplays given their ability to better engage shoppers online.

However, Sophie Lund-Yates at Hargreaves Lansdown said that Primark deserved praise for managing to shine through a pretty muddy high street environment.

With brands from Debenhams to Superdry battling with a dwindling customer base, Primarks doing well to stand firm  especially because it doesnt have an online presence to rely on like the others, she said.

For now Primark just needs to keep doing what its doing  opening new stores is clearly working, even if doing so seems like a brave move in a rocky retail climate. All in all, Primarks in a position some of its rivals can only dream of.

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Primarks parent company, Associated British Foods, said total revenue for the period was 1 per cent ahead compared with the same period one year prior.

The strong performance in retail bolstered the group against another decline in its sugar business, where revenue was down 14 per cent.

As expected, the lower revenue in our UK and Spanish businesses in the period was the result of the lower EU sugar prices for contracts negotiated at the end of last financial year. Looking ahead, the development of our sales book for this year has indicated early signs of recovery in EU sugar prices, the company said.

Shares in ABF were up more than 5 per cent in early trading.The government has been forced to defend its strategy of reliance on nuclear power after the plummetting cost of renewable energy prompted a Japanese company to pull out of a new plant in Wales that had been slated to provide thousands of jobs.

Hitachi took a 2bn hit to end its involvement in the Wylfa project in Anglesey, north Wales, with 400 jobs lost. At The project was expected to support to around 9,000 jobs when construction activity reached its peak.

The economics of the energy market have changed significantly in recent years, business secretary Greg Clark told the House of Commons on Thursday.

Renewable technologies will soon require no government subsidies, Mr Clark said, adding that renewable energy may now not just be cheap, but also readily available.

Because of this, and despite significant and generous offers of financial support from the government, Hitachi believed the 16bn Wylfa Newydd nuclear project was no longer viable, Mr Clark conceded.

Instead of nuclear, investors now favour other technologies that are less capital-intensive upfront, quicker to build, and less exposed to cost overruns, the business secretary said in a statement that will provide a major boost for the UKs renewable energy industry.

Recommended Nuclear power plant in Cumbria in doubt after Toshiba pull out

However he maintained that nuclear still had a role to play in the UK and defended the heavily criticised Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant under construction in Somerset.

Hinkley is currently eight years behind schedule and will cost billions more than initially planned. When it does come online in 2025 it will lock the country into paying 92.50 per megawatt hour compared to 57.50 for offshore wind.

While renewable costs continue to drop sharply, those for new nuclear power generation have soared, partly as a result of tighter safety rules brought in after the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

Those shifting economics prompted Hitachi to suspend work at Wylfa Newydd, resulting in up to 400 job losses. Hitachi said it had made strong progress on the project, but had not been able to agree on financing.

The companys board decided on Thursday that, despite having spent around 2bn on the project, it would be prudent to cut its losses.

Offshore wind is now significantly cheaper than nuclear power (Alamy)

The UK government had offered to take a one-third equity stake and guarantee a strike price of 75 per megawatt. The fact that, even at a price significantly higher than offshore, Wylfa Newydd was considered too risky will call into question the future of nuclear as an energy source.

A second Hitachi plant which had been proposed in Oldbury, Gloucestershire, will also not be built.

Hitachis decision is a blow to the governments hopes to attract foreign investment to the UK after Brexit and comes just days after a visit to the UK by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The news also puts the spotlight once again on the governments energy policy and calls into question the future of nuclear as an energy source. In November Toshiba pulled out of the Moorside plant in Cumbria after spiralling costs on US nuclear projects caused the collapse of its Westinghouse subsidiary.

Together, the Oldbury, Anglesey and Moorside plants were expected to produce 15 per cent of the UKs electricity needs. Now, ministers will have to come up with new plans to make up the shortfall and ensure uninterrupted power supplies.

Environmental groups said the government should boost renewable energy investment rather than focusing on nuclear.

A clever move now would be for the government to accept that the nuclear bet didnt pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy, Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK said.

Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Hitachis UK subsidiary, Horizon Nuclear Power, said: I am very sorry to say that despite the best efforts of everyone involved weve not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned.

As a result we will be suspending the development of the Wylfa Newydd project, as well as work related to Oldbury, until a solution can be found.

In the meantime we will take steps to reduce our presence but keep the option to resume development in future.

A business department spokesperson said: As the Business Secretary set out in June, any deal needs to represent value for money and be the right one for UK consumers and taxpayers.

Despite extensive negotiations and hard work by all sides, the Government and Hitachi are unable to reach agreement to proceed at this stage.UK motorists will have to apply for a Green Card to prove that they are insured if they wish to drive in the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit, insurers have warned.

The requirement for extra documentation is likely to affect a large number of drivers in Northern Ireland and the Republic who frequently cross the border in both directions to travel to and from work, to shop or visit friends and relatives.

Motorists in the European Economic Area (EEA) wishing to drive into the UK will also have to apply for Green Cards.

Holidaymakers and businesses planning to drive their cars on the Continent, or anyone crossing the Irish border by road have been advised to contact their insurance provider at least four weeks before they travel.

Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said: "As it looks increasingly possible that a no-deal Brexit may happen, we want all insurance customers to know the facts about what this means for them.

Recommended City watchdog to probe home and car insurance markets

"If you live in Northern Ireland and drive to the Republic of Ireland, or if you plan to drive your vehicle to mainland Europe after a no-deal Brexit, you will need a Green Card to prove you are insured.

An agreement struck between UK and EU insurance bodies last May to waive the need for Green Cards has yet to be ratified by the European Commission.

Unless it is ratified, or alternative transitional arrangements are made, before Brexit on 29 March, UK drivers will have to present the Green Card as proof of insurance.

The Department of Transport (DfT) said in September that the cards would be free, however insurers may increase their administrations fees to cover any additional costs.

Without a Green Card, motorists risk incurring fines unless they buy third-party insurance in the country they are driving in.

Mr Evans warned that leaving the EU without a deal would be "bad for the economy and bad for our customers".

"We continue to hope these arrangements are never needed and urge the Government, UK Parliament and EU27 to agree an orderly way forward," he said.Members of the World Economic Forum (WEF) will descend on the Alpine ski town of Davos in Switzerland next week for the bodys annual conference.

The gathering of political leaders, chief executives, NGOs, academics and activists has been held in the mountain resort region of Graubunden since 1971, when the organisation was founded by the German economist Klaus Schwab.

Last year, 3,000 delegates from 110 countries attended 400 sessions held over the course of the four-day symposium. More than 500 journalists were in attendance to watch US president Donald Trump booed for repeating his familiar criticisms of the press while former British prime minister David Cameron made headlines after being buttonholed by a reporter into arguing Brexit isnt a disaster.

What is the WEF?

The WEF defines itself as committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

In addition to providing a space for the exchange of ideas and policy proposals, Davos has also served as a platform from which world leaders can resolve their differences.

Most famously, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk, South Africa's last white minority leader, shook hands on the future of their country at the summit in 1992. Two years later, Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, reached key draft agreements on the disputed territories of Gaza and Jericho.

 David Cameron says Brexit 'isn't a disaster' at the World Economic Forum in Davos

It has also seen controversy.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of a session in 2009 after arguing with Mr Peres who had subsequently become Israel's prime minister, North Koreas invitation was revoked in 2016 over sanction-defying nuclear tests while Chinese premier Xi Jinping used a speech in 2017 to stand up for the international establishment after populist uprisings had led the Leave campaign to win the Brexit referendum and seen President Trump enter the White House.

Among the many notable celebrities to have addressed the WEF is Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, a passionate environmentalist, who spoke at the forums gathering in 2016 on climate change, pledging a $15m (11.6m) donation on behalf of his foundation. A commendable effort undermined somewhat when he was ridiculed four months later for using a private jet to fly from France to New York to accept an award bestowed by a clean water group.

The WEF has faced criticism in the past, with its meetings picketed by anti-globalisation protesters who believe organisations like the forum, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, exacerbate poverty and environmental destruction by promoting corporate interests and profit-driven business practices over humanitarian concerns.

Davos, they argue, amounts to little more than the Champions League of networking events for Fat Cats.

The Transnational Institute, a Dutch non-profit think tank, has gone further, attacking the Davos class and suggesting the WEFs purpose is to function as a socialising institution for the emerging global elite, globaliations 'Mafiocracy' of bankers, industrialists, oligarchs, technocrats and politicians. They promote common ideas, and serve common interests: their own.

What is the theme of this years summit?

The WEF is again placing a green agenda at the centre of its 2019 summit, whose theme is: Globalisation 4.0: Shaping a New Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The collective recently issued a report warning the international communitys ability to combat pollution has plummeted to crisis levels as a result of political and economic tensions, citing the US-China trade war as a particularly threatening development.

With global trade and economic growth at risk in 2019, there is a more urgent need than ever to renew the architecture of international cooperation, said WEF president Borge Brende.

We simply do not have the gunpowder to deal with the kind of slowdown that current dynamics might lead us towards.

What we need now is coordinated, concerted action to sustain growth and to tackle the grave threats facing our world today.

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

Who will be attending?

Among those arriving in Davos this year will be German chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Brazils new firebrand president Jair Bolsonaro, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, New Zealands PM Jacinda Ardern, Italian PM Guiseppe Conte, prime minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, Emmerson Mnangawa of Zimbabwe, Belgiums PM Charles Michel and both PM Mark Rutte and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

President Trump, Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron are all too busy putting out fires at home.

Bill Gates, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Prince William and Al Gore will also be in attendance.

More surprisingly, Black-Eyed Pea and would-be tech entrepreneur Will.I.Am and magician David Blaine are attending, following on from chef Jamie Olivers talk last year.Photo: The Canadian Press Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay arrives at Downing Street. London, Thursday Jan. 17, 2019.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was consulting opposition parties and other lawmakers Thursday in a battle to put Brexit back on track after surviving a no-confidence vote, though there was little immediate sign of a breakthrough from talks branded a "stunt" by the main opposition leader.

European Union countries were stepping up preparations for a disorderly British exit on March 29 after the U.K. Parliament rejected May's Brexit withdrawal deal with the bloc.

Lawmakers threw out the deal Tuesday, in a crushing defeat for May, who suffered the worst parliamentary defeat in modern British history.

The drubbing was followed by a no-confidence vote in the government, but May's minority Conservative government survived it on Wednesday night with backing from its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party.

May said she would hold talks "in a constructive spirit" with leaders of opposition parties and other lawmakers in a bid to find a way forward for Britain's EU exit.

The government confirmed that May will meet a Monday deadline to publish a Plan B, and that lawmakers will have a full day to debate it  and, crucially, amend it  on Jan. 29.

There was little sign of a breakthrough in uniting Parliament's feuding Brexit factions, whose conflicting demands range from a postponement of Britain's departure date to a new referendum on whether to leave the EU or remain.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he wouldn't meet with May until she took a no-deal Brexit "off the table."

"To get a deal that can command a majority in Parliament, Theresa May has to ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future," Corbyn said during a speech to supporters in the English seaside town of Hastings.

"Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that's needed," he said.

Green Party lawmaker Caroline Lucas, who met with May on Thursday morning, said the prime minister was "in a fantasy world" if she thought the deal could be transformed by Monday.

"Parliament is gridlocked," she said.

May so far has showed little inclination to make major changes to her deal or lift her insistence that Brexit means leaving the EU's single market and customs union. Many lawmakers think a softer departure that retained single market or customs union membership is the only plan capable of winning a majority in Parliament. They fear the alternative is an abrupt "no-deal" withdrawal from the bloc, which businesses and economists fear would cause turmoil.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, a longtime Labour Party leader, told the BBC on Thursday that it would be "sensible" for Corbyn to meet with May to better define the type of Brexit that Britain wants. He warned that a "no-deal" Brexit would do substantial harm to Britain's economy.

As Britain flounders, the 27 other EU countries have stood firm, saying they won't renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and insisting the British government and its lawmakers to decide what they want to do.

Some British lawmakers want May to call for an extension of negotiations with the EU and postpone the March 29 deadline to leave the bloc, while others are lobbying for a second Brexit referendum.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe held a special government meeting Thursday on planning to cope with a "no-deal" Brexit.

The French parliament adopted a law Wednesday allowing emergency measures after March 30 in the event Britain leaves without a deal.Primark has served as the face of fast fashion for several years now. And that isnt changing  even though it doesnt sell online at a time when clicks are replacing bricks at such a rate that Britains high streets might soon resemble the ghost towns of Americas rust belt.

The chains festive trading update, given pride of place by owner Associated British Foods (its other agricultural operations are a lot less exciting) was, its true, a bit of a mixed biodegradable bag. Overall sales were up 4 per cent, but in the UK the figure was just 1 per cent. The rise was in spite of all the fuss at the tail end of last year about how destructive fast fashion can be.

The growth largely came from new space. There was no figure given for the performance of existing stores, the industry standard like-for-like sales that retailers not named Next mostly serve up. We were only told that it was somewhat lower.

So, coming a day after a bravura set of numbers for the queen of internet fast fash boohoo.com, Primark was left looking a bit like a maml (middle aged man in lycra) labouring up the hill on a city tourer as the kids zoom past on their mountain bikes.

But thats what happens when businesses reach Primarks vast size, and the numbers showed that this maml still has pedalling power.

Overall, the clothing market has shrunk. But Primark has a bigger piece of the smaller pie. So all that bad publicity the industry endured when MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee tore into the industrys bigwigs? Pfah. It doesnt appear to have had much impact on the Primark brand.

Cheap fashion produces mountains of waste, parts of which cant easily be disposed of. But understanding of this is proving slow to percolate beyong the usual suspects who care about this sort of thing, and wouldnt shop at Primark anyway.

The contraction in the clothing market has been driven not by environmental concerns and bad publicity but by economic factors; stagnant wages, a lack of disposable income among consumers, the realisation that borrowing to buy is a zero sum game  and Brexit fears.

Campaigners therefore have their work cut out. Theyll just have to keep clamouring.

Primark wont be happy. It gets nettled when it is portrayed as some kind of supervillain and it has also been tagged as the poster child for many of the industrys other ills, notably the exploitation of workers who produce its threads and get paid pennies for doing so.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

In some respects this is understandable. There are others with fancier names and wares that behave far worse, whether towards workers or limited efforts to combat the environmental impact of their activities.

But thats what happens when youre the big dog  and Primark is only getting bigger. Outside of the supermarkets, UK retail looks positively corpse like. The jewel in Associated British Foods crown is alive and kicking.

So its just going to have to put up with taking shots. I imagine its executives will feel they can weather the storm come bonus time, even if does mean more dressing up for dressing downs in front of parliament TV cameras.The release of Gillettes new advert, called The Best Men Can Be, has sparked a huge online debate about the concept of toxic masculinity and whether its something that society needs to tackle.

The advert highlights several topical issues, including sexual harassment, the #MeToo movement and the pressure placed on young boys to conform to gender norms, all of which are arguably rooted in toxic masculinity.

So how can toxic masculinity be defined, where does the term come from, and how can it be addressed?

What is toxic masculinity?

Toxic masculinity refers to harmful behaviour and attitudes commonly associated with some men, such as the need to repress emotions during stressful situations, and to act in an aggressively dominant way.

I would say theres lots of forms of masculinity, says Tom Ross-Williams, actor, activist and ambassador for the Great Men project, a school workshop project run by gender equality organisation the Good Lad Initiative.

One of the ways that masculinity sometimes manifests is through toxic behaviour which ultimately ends in violence, and that violence either is enacted on men themselves, or on other people.

I think its a process of microaggressions that escalate to a point where violence is enacted on the world.

The Good Men project, another initiative that aims to challenge public perception of what it means to be a man in the 21st Century, describes toxic masculinity as a form of manhood thats defined by violence, sex, status and aggression.

The organisation explains that men who exhibit behaviour affiliated with toxic masculinity often view stereotypically feminine traits, such as being emotionally vulnerable, in a negative light.

Toxic masculinity doesnt solely affect the boys and men who exhibit toxic behaviour, but also those around them who may not identify with or relate to conventionally masculine traits.

It affects anybody outside of a very narrow man box. So that includes queer boys, gender non-conforming people and women, Ross-Williams tells The Independent.

I think it is especially harmful in that it holds structures of patriarchy that stop women from accessing certain positions of power or more fundamentally challenges their basic human rights.

Where has toxic masculinity come from?

The term toxic masculinity was reportedly first used by psychologist Shepherd Bliss in the 1980s and 1990s, explains writer Emily C. A. Snyder.

Bliss sought to separate the negative traits of men from the positive traits, and used the term toxic masculinity as a means of making the distinction.

Traits that Bliss defined as being toxic to masculinity included avoidance of emotional expression, the over-aspiration for physical, sexual and intellectual dominance and the systematic devaluation of womens opinions, body and sense of self.

Toxic masculinity and the notion that men must act in a dominant and aggressive manner in order to command respect is a concept that may stem from the perpetuation of the patriarchy, Ross-Williams 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

It may also come from a recent cultural shift in attitudes towards gender norms, explains Jack Urwin, author of Man Up, a book about modern masculinity.

The fact is, a lot of men seem to feel their place in the modern world is becoming less purposeful, he says in an interview with charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

So in an attempt to claw back some sense of manliness a lot of them are perpetuating what wed refer to as toxic masculinity  a sort of overcompensating form of behaviour that has its roots in ideas of traditional masculinity  such as strength and stoicism.

But because our understanding of these has become so warped and removed from context they end up just being very unhealthy ways to act.

How can toxic masculinity be addressed?

One of the ways toxic masculinity can be addressed is by changing how boys and young men are raised in todays society, says Christopher Muwanguzi, CEO of charity Working With Men.

He explains that dominance and aggression are both traits that are frequently imparted on young boys from an early age as necessary parts of being a man.

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By helping young men and boys understand that they dont have to conform to archaic aggressive stereotypes of masculinity, we can reduce antisocial behaviour, mental health struggles, suicides, gender-based crime and domestic violence, he says.

Ross-Williams also believes that men have a duty to recognise their privilege in modern society, and that doing so will have a knock-on effect on the current state of toxic masculinity.

In order to dismantle toxic masculinity, people would have to be willing to challenge their own privileges, which is not something a lot of people want to do because it gives them an advantage in the world, Ross-Williams states.

Several brands have started addressing toxic masculinity in their marketing campaigns, most notably Gillette in the recent The Best Men Can Be advert.

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While some have condemned the advert for seemingly criticising the behaviour of all men and for exploiting customers by jumping on a progressive bandwagon, others have praised it for showing the different ways in which masculinity can be defined.

It is completely necessary to show men  and especially boys  that there are many ways of being a man; ways in which strength can be reimagined as calling out a friend who tells a sexist joke or resilience can be seen as an acceptance of ones vulnerability, says Ben Hurst, project coordinator and lead facilitator of the Good Lad Initiative.

Gillettes ad is certainly not the answer to this problem, but its encouraging to see that they have taken a step in the right direction, and this advert along with adverts like it are certainly moving the conversation to the next level.If the thought of views of the Mediterranean, wine vineyards and sunny beaches off the Italian coast sounds appealing, the town of Sambuca may be the perfect destination  as homes are selling for just 1.

Although it may sound too good to be true, local officials are offering the homes on the hilltop town in an effort to repopulate the rural city.

And buyers will more than get their moneys worth as the dozens of homes for sale are built on land referred to as the Earthly Paradise on the southern island of Sicily.

According to city officials, the goal is to bring people back to Sambuca after an exodus of locals to larger cities.

However, the deal does have one condition  new owners must invest 15,000 ($17,000, 13,000) into refurbishing their new home within three years, as most of the abandoned homes are run down and dilapidated.

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There is also a 5,000 ($5,700, 4,400) security deposit to consider, which will be returned once the renovations on the houses, ranging from 40 to 150 sq metres, have been completed.

The deal is similar to past ones offered by Italian cities, but the difference is Sambucas homes are up for grabs for anyone  as city officials told CNN they are owned by city hall.

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As opposed to other towns that have merely done this for propaganda, this city hall owns all 1 houses on sale, said Sambucas deputy mayor and tourist councillor Giuseppe Cacioppo. Were not intermediaries who liaise between old and new owners. You want the house, youll get it in no time.

If youre interested in living in one of the houses surrounded by gorgeous beaches, woods and mountains, you should act fast, as 10 have already sold, according to Cacioppo.

Those interested can email: case1euro@comune.sambucadisicilia.ag.itWomens magazine Marie Claire has been criticised as irresponsible by medical experts, after suggesting that women can insert parsley into their vaginas to induce periods.

According an article that has since been deleted, parsley can help kick-start your period by softening the cervix and levelling hormonal imbalances that may be delaying the period.

The reason is supposedly because parsley is an emmenagogue, a substance that stimulates or increases menstrual flow.

If youre struggling to find a dish based on parsley, dont panic  the most effective forms are said to be parsley tea and parsley vaginal inserts, the article states.

However, doctors strongly advise against inserting parsley into the vagina  as it can lead to numerous health risks.

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Dr Shazia Malik told The Independent: There is no evidence of any benefit to a woman of doing this, and clear risk of significant harm as deaths have been reported.

I would urge women not to insert anything unless they have taken proper medical advice.

Dr Sheila Newman reiterated the warning to avoid putting parsley in the vagina, telling us: That is not something that is recommended by gynaecologists.

There are only a few things that should go in your vagina and vegetables generally arent one of them.

Additionally, Dr Newman said: There are ways to manipulate your menstrual cycle and avoid having your period at certain times but they should be discussed with your gynaecologist and that the advice published by Marie Claire is irresponsible.

 Huda Beauty criticised for 'abhorrent' DIY guide on how to lighten your vagina

In addition to non-medically backed claims that parsley can induce periods, the herb has also been touted as a method of inducing at-home abortions  which can lead to infection and be potentially fatal.

There are also no evidenced-based practices, that this works, Dr Newman said. We have safe and effective ways to terminate an undesired pregnancy.

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In August, a woman died from septic shock and infection after reportedly using parsley to induce miscarriage in Argentina.

A spokesperson for Marie Claire told The Independent: Marie Claire prides itself on well researched beauty and lifestyle stories, with advice sought from appropriate industry experts  sadly this feature does not reflect those standards and we have removed the article. It was misguided and we are sorry our usual care and stringency was not followed.People who are morally virtuous are less likely to be funny, according to new research.

Based on suspicions about their moral superiors, a group of scientists from the National University of Singapore Business School investigated the link between joke appreciation, joke making and peoples sense of their own morality.

The results suggested that people with high moral standards were less likely to make jokes or laugh at other peoples jokes, subsequently making them less likeable.

Although highly moral people are often viewed positively for displaying admirable character traits, they may also be disliked to the extent to which they are viewed as sanctimonious, prudish, or unrelatable, the scientists write in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Both experimental and field data indicate that such tension not only means that morality may impinge upon humour, but that this can come at the expense of likeability and popularity.

Thus, morality can have a downside that was previously overlooked.

During the investigation, researchers used a series of jokes and memes to test peoples reactions.

The team tested the theory that humour which relies on violating social boundaries can lead to tension in people who strongly adhere to those rules.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 A young elephant seals looks shocked at his friends revelation in George Cathcart's "WTF?!", taken in San Simeon, California George Cathcart / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 A Green Turtle vs a Napoleon Maori Wrasse in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia Troy Mayne / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 Andrea Zampatti won the On The Land category with this precious snap in Italy Andrea Zampatti / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) mother with cub hitching a ride on mama's bum. Wapusk National Park in Manitoba, Canada Daisy Gilardini / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 A sea otter pictured cheering after sleep in early morning in Elkhorn Slough, California Penny Palmer / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 An owl struggles to keep his grip as his owl friends look the other way in Tibor Kercz's "Help!!!" in Opusztaszer, Hungary Tibor Kercz / CWPA / Barcroft Im The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 A red fox surveys his shot in Douglas Croft's "Must Have Three-Putted" Douglas Croft / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 Two mudskippers sing their hearts out on tidal mudflats, taken in Krabi, Thailand Daniel Trim / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 Jean-Jacques Alcalay was highly commended for his snap of a blue wildebeest appearing to ride a wave of hundreds of other wildebeest in Masai Mara, Kenya Jean-Jacques Alcalay/ Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 A wild rabbit seen collecting nesting material in Belgium Flanders, Bredene Olivier Colle / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 Three king penguins approach the only church on South Georgia Island appearing to be headed for services. Titled as Mom, do we always have to be the first ones at church? Carl Henry / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 The Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) tried to hide in the bush for a quick tryst, but they were surely caught in the act Bence Mate / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 A bunch of Widgeon pictured flying but one was seen flying exactly in front of a high airline plane, taken in Preston John Threlfall / CWPA / Barcroft The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 These two monkeys broke away from their group to 'test drive' a motorbike parked near the entrance to the reserve in Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Indonesia Katy Laveck Foster / CWPA / Barcroft

Although highly moral individuals should be no less likely to engage in forms of humour that do not involve any moral violation, their avoidance of more off-colour jokes that challenge moral norms may lead them to be seen as less humorous overall, the scientists wrote.

The research also revealed that participants with a strong moral identity did not feel the need to compensate by telling jokes that did not involve any moral violations.

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As a result, it found that people who are perceived as highly moral and less humorous are often less liked others.

Although having moral employees and leaders can come with many benefits, our research shows that there can be offsetting costs associated with an internalised moral identity: reduced humour and subsequent likability in the workplace, the team concluded.

In contrast, the results did show that while people with strong moral identities are perceived as less humorous, they are also considered to be more trustworthy.Lily Tomlin has revealed why she turned down the chance to come out on the cover of Time magazine in 1975.

Appearing on The Ellen Show on Tuesday alongside Grace and Frankie co-star Jane Fonda, Tomlin explained her decision to host Ellen DeGeneres, who herself publicly came out when she featured on the cover of Time in 1997 alongside the words: Yep, Im gay.

It was a hard decision to make, Tomlin explained.

I fell down on the side of  probably after what you [Degeneres] went through, probably good sense."

Tomlin, who was nominated for an Oscar after starring in her first film, Nashville, in 1975, told the host it was made clear by the publication that she would only be on the cover of the magazine if she revealed her sexuality.

I decided that I just wasnt going to play their game, she said, explaining that she wasnt ready to come out publicly at that point.

The actor, who was living with her partner Jane Wagner at the time, added that she also didnt want her sexuality to overshadow her career as an actor and comedian.

I wanted to be acknowledged for my performance, explained the 79-year-old.

After the revelations, Fonda joked: If they put me on the cover of Time, Ill come out.

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In 2015, Tomlin revealed that what ultimately kept her from making a public pronouncement about her sexuality was a personal consideration, explaining that she waited until after her mother died to come out as a lesbian.

"My mother would have died. Literally. If shed lived to see me come out," she told The Telegraph.

Bless her heart, she was Southern, basically fundamentalist, but she was very witty and sweet and kind and she adored Jane.

She died 10 years ago. She was 91. So that was always kind of a dilemma for me.

Tomlin married her partner of 42 years, Wagner, on New Year's Eve in 2013.Goop, the wellness brand founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, opened its first London pop-up store in September last year, and is now set to become a permanent shop.

The store, which was originally only meant to remain open until 27 January, is located on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill and sells a variety of the items similar to those on offer on the Goop website.

It is divided into sections, stocking a mix of fashion, home, beauty and wellness products that have been chosen specifically to suit the tastes of UK customers.

The company opened its first permanent store in Los Angeles in September 2017, and has since opened several pop-ups in other cities.

The launch of the pop-up in London coincided with the 10th anniversary of the brand, which was founded by Paltrow in September 2008.

Goop has been condemned on several occasions for making unscientific claims about health products being sold on the site.

Shortly before the London pop-up opened, it was announced that the company had agreed to pay a settlement of $145,000 (110,000) following the controversy surrounding the purported health benefits of using vaginal eggs.

In April 2017, Goop revealed that it would be launching a magazine, with its first print edition released the following September.

The magazine is now sold on a quarterly basis and costs $30 (22.80) a year for subscribers.The Tanzanian government has agreed to set aside a unique forest as a new nature reserve after research revealed it was about to be wiped out for good.

Magombera forest is home to a recently discovered species of chameleon and threatened animals including bush babies and elephants.

But illegal logging and poaching have pushed the valuable ecosystem to the brink of destruction, with some estimates predicting it was on the brink of total destruction.

Now, after decades of collaboration with scientists and local villages, a joint effort involving NGOs and Tanzanian authorities has reached the $1m (0.78m) required to protect the land.

The value of the forest has been recognised for many years, but it has taken a concerted effort to ensure that both nature and local people benefit from the new scheme.

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When I first began work in the forest 15 years ago it was clearly a biologically important place, but it rang with the sound of axes and machetes, said Dr Andy Marshall from the University of York, who led the project.

The team has worked with villagers to ensure they have access to alternative sources of wood, and in doing so helped reduce the frequency of wildfires.

Thousands of trees are already growing back in areas of forest that had been stripped bare.

Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Show all 12 1 /12 Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park The Stadium, one of the most impressive geological formations of the Serrania de Chiribiquete. Colombian Amazon Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Forest burns due to the colonisation front near the northern border of Chiribiquete National Park, Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Grandpa Marcelieno and his son, of the indigenous Araracuara people, with sacred plants from the region: mambe and ambil. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Cattle ranching at the agricultural frontier near the northern border of the Chiribiquete National Park Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Oil palm monoculture, Puerto Concordia on the Ariari River, Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Preparation of traditional sugarcane-based beverage by the indigenous Barasano people of Pacoa, on the Apaporis River, near the southeastern border of Chiribiquete National Park Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Tapir in the community of Buenos Aires, Apaporis River. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park (Left) Pictograms over 20.000 years old found on stone in the Chiribiquete National Natural Park FCDS Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park The main maloca of the Mutanacua indigenous community of Pacoa, on the Apaporis River, near the southeastern border of Chiribiquete National Park. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Vigilant Grandfather, one of the Chiribiquete National Parks representative tepuyes. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Aerial view of one of the park's waterfalls FCDS Colombian reserve becomes worlds largest rainforest national park Ajaju River, Chiribiquete National Park. Colombian Amazon Cesar David Martinez

The newly created 6,463 acre Magombera Nature Reserve houses an enormous number of species within a relatively small area, and is considered among the most biodiverse forests in Africa.

As well as the Magombera chameleon and the red colobus monkey, the region is also home to numerous other internationally threatened species of plants and animals, including the Udzungwa dwarf galago, African elephants, and hippopotamus, said Dr Paul Salaman from the Rainforest Trust.

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It is also an important place for local communities who depend on the adjacent land for rice and sugar farming.

Additional funds provided by the Rainforest Trust will help fund a conservation programme that will open up the forest to tourism.

The plan is to develop a scheme that helps preserve the forest while also ensuring some of the tourist entrance fees are funnelled towards local communities.More than 10,000 students skipped school again in Belgium to join a march demanding better protections of the globes fragile climate.

Despite the rain and cold, the colourful protest march in Brussels was bigger than the initial one last week.

Banners reading School strike 4 Climate and Skipping school? No. We fight for our future, highlighted the march, which was free of incidents.

Some schools show understanding for the no-shows.

Patrick Lancksweerdt, a director of a local school, told De Standaard newspaper that education has to turn youngsters into mature citizens. By their actions, they proved that they are.

Thousands skip school to attend climate protest Show all 5 1 /5 Thousands skip school to attend climate protest Thousands skip school to attend climate protest A girl wears a face mask and has a message written on her forehead that reads 'no planet B' during a demonstration against climate change in Brussels on Thursday 17 January 2019. Thousands of students as part of the Youth for Climate movement took time off school to call for stronger action against climate change. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo) Thousands skip school to attend climate protest Students and others hold placards as they march during a demonstration against climate change in Brussels, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Thousands of students as part of the Youth for Climate movement took time off school Thursday to call for stronger action against climate change. Sign in center reads in Dutch 'shortly everyone will have a house on the sea'. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo) Thousands skip school to attend climate protest Thursday, 17 January 2019. Thousands of students as part of the Youth for Climate movement took time off school to call for stronger action against climate change. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo) Thousands skip school to attend climate protest Students and others hold up placards with climate messages during a demonstration against climate change in Brussels, Thursday 17 January 2019. Thousands of students as part of the Youth for Climate movement took time off school to call for stronger action against climate change. Banner at right in Dutch reads 'we are truant for more forests' and at centre-rear reads 'no money if it melts'. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo) Thousands skip school to attend climate protest Two girls hold up a banner during a demonstration against climate change in Brussels, Thursday 17 January 2019. Thousands of students as part of the Youth for Climate movement took time off school to call for stronger action against climate change. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo)

The students hope to turn the rallies into weekly events.

APKonstantin Stanislavski is being remembered in Google's latest Doodle, on what would have been his 156th birthday.

The influential Russian actor, director and theatre practitioner left a durable mark on the world of performing arts, by co-founding the Moscow Art Theatre and creating his own method for dramatic training.

Konstantin Sergeievich Alekseiev - who later adopted the stage-name Stanislavski  was born on 17 January, 1863, to a wealthy family in Moscow. His father is said to have constructed a stage on their family estate, which a young Stanislavski would act on. He would put on plays with his siblings, and they would often go the theatre, opera and ballet.

Stanislavski became part of a dramatic group, the Alekseyev Circle, in 1877 and worked obsessively to perfect his craft.

It was not just his biological family that shared his love of theatre. Stanslavski married Maria Lilina in 1889 and they had three children, although their first died as an infant.

The best theatre of 2018 Show all 10 1 /10 The best theatre of 2018 The best theatre of 2018 10. Girls & Boys, Royal Court One of those plays that had you staggering slightly as you left the stalls. This one-woman show was performed with amusing self-possession and fierce grace by Carey Mulligan, as a woman recounting how she met her husband, and how they navigated her more successful career and having a family. Dennis Kellys play began deceptively light and funny, but its snark turned to harrowing tragedy via a twist that left you winded  and delivered a howl against the conditioned violence of men. Designer Es Devlins painterly approach to light and colour was perfect and also paid painful dividends. Marc Brenner The best theatre of 2018 9. Fun Home, Young Vic This American musical was keenly awaited  and didnt disappoint. An adaptation of Alison Bechdels graphic novel about her in-the-closet father who ran a funeral home, and her own journey towards coming out, it felt important to see such a story onstage  and was so very beautifully told, with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music Jeanine Tesori (who also scored the terrific musical Caroline, or Change, which stormed London in 2018 too after opening in Chichester last year). Although the show doesnt totally burn in the memory, Zubin Varla was magnificent as the father, and Eleanor Kanes song of sexual discovery and first love  Changing My Major (to Joan)  was one of my favourite moments of the year. Marc Brenner The best theatre of 2018 8. Dance Nation, The Almeida By American writer Clare Barron (pictured), this play followed a group of teenage dancers, with their earnest dreams, petty rivalries, and general angst. Sounds like a bad TV series but it was so, so much more. Barron had these girls discovering their power. Power theyre thrilled by; power theyre afraid of. A slippery beast, the play flirted with the supernatural and the mythical in its depiction of the transformation of puberty. Among a strong cast of adults making no attempt to disguise their adulthood, Ria Zmitrowicz was especially memorable as Zuzu. Almeida The best theatre of 2018 7. Company, Gielgud Theatre I spend more reviews than Id like moaning about old-fashioned musical revivals that fail to tackle #problematic material. Stephen Sondheims musical about Bobby, whose friends harp on at him to get married, could have been one  but Marianne Elliott unlocked it with a smart, coherent approach to gender-swapped casting. Bobbie as a woman in her mid-thirties made a lot of sense, as did the switcheroos in several other couples, which gave a fresh fillip to the shows meandering investigation of relationships. The score sounded divine, Rosalie Craig was a glinting Bobbie, and Getting Married Today had me actually breathless with laughter. Brinkhoff Mogenburg The best theatre of 2018 6. Sweat, Donmar Warehouse A late addition: Sweat has just opened, although after rave reviews tickets are in short supply  catch it if you can before 26 January. Lynn Nottages play  about factory workers in Pennsylvania whose friendships and families fracture when job losses loom  was always likely to be good; it won a Pulitzer, after all. But Lynette Lintons production was ferociously good. Plumbing the emotional depths of Nottages heart-breaking story, it had fine, firmly controlled performances and a terrific set by Frankie Bradshaw. And while this incredibly empathetic play has plenty to tell us about blue-collar America, it couldnt have struck harder in Brexit Britain either. Johan Persson The best theatre of 2018 5. Misty, The Bush/Trafalgar Studies A game-changer, this show built up a thrilling momentum, galvanising audiences and transferring to the West End, allowing us to kick once and for all the bone-headed notion that there isnt an audience for black plays into the long grass. And how: Arinze Kenes piece of gig-theatre explored and exploded exactly the notion of a black play, with the mesmerising Kene playing himself as a writer struggling to work out if hes pandering to what producers expect of him by writing urban safari jungle s**t. This was art about art that felt pressingly topical, and while there were rough edges to it, there was also vital vim and intent. Helen Murray The best theatre of 2018 4. John, National Theatre American playwright Annie Bakers much-hyped The Flick left me a bit underwhelmed; this swept me up completely. A synopsis  a fighting couple stay in a strange, kitschy B&B filled with uncanny china dolls  doesnt do it justice. Here was the finest dissection of a floundering relationship and look at how gender politics infects us all. Here, too, was a kind of metaphysical mysteriousness that was truly stirring  John wasnt quite a ghost story, but rather, it eerily tilted towards the darker depths of the human soul. It was long, it was slow, and I loved every minute. Stephen Cummiskey The best theatre of 2018 3. The Writer, The Almeida Yes, another from the north London theatre  but what a year they had. And this was a play that really grappled with the specifics of its own setting: Ella Hicksons meta-theatrical masterwork began with a scene set at a theatre, where a young female writer castigated a sleazy older male director. But Blanche McIntyres production perpetually snatched the rug from under your feet, and was frighteningly smart and formally thrilling as it did so, asking potent questions about gender, power, capitalism and art. As theatre-about-theatre, it could also be maddening, and had a wildly ambiguous final scene that drove everyone nuts. Quite possibly the most written-about, talked-about, argued-about play of the year. Manuel Harlan The best theatre of 2018 2. Ear for Eye, Royal Court The year saw a genuine increase in the diversity of stories getting told in British theatre, and Debbie Tucker Greens incendiary play was a pinnacle of that: brilliantly tough, absolutely necessary. A large black cast moved through elliptical scenes exposing racial prejudice and police brutality  some beautifully poetic, some just vibrating with fury. And a long final filmed section demanded that audiences face the hard truth about British and American slave laws. It was a play that stayed with me long after it finished. Stephen Cummiskey The best theatre of 2018 1. Summer and Smoke, The Almeida If youd told me in January that top of my list would be this lesser-known Tennessee Williams play, surely the least enticing show on the Almeidas absolutely stellar programme, I might have scoffed. But Rebecca Frecknalls direction of this tale of thwarted love was as delicate and distinctive as it was wonderfully heart-squeezing. Matthew Needham was a burningly intense leading man, but it was Patsy Ferrans incredibly detailed, funny performance that rocketed this to number one. The best news? It transferred to the West End, where you can catch it until 19 January. Marc Brenner

He directed The Fruits of Enlightenment by Leo Tolstoy in 1891, and is later said to have described this as his first independent production.

But it was an iconic meeting between Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko that truly set him on the path to success.

Nemirovich-Danchenko, a writer and director originally from Georgia, met with Stanislavski in 1897. The meeting is said to have lasted 18 hours and ultimately let to the creation of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898.

Konstantin Stanislavski is pictured left with his wife, Russian actress Lilina (right) and Russian author Maxim Gorky (centre). The three of them are visiting Yalta in 1900. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) ((Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images))

The theatre company staged a celebrated production of Anton Chekhovs The Seagull in 1898, directed by Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. This new version of The Seagull, which followed an earlier, failed run in St Petersburg, established the Moscow Art Theatre as an influential institution.

As a theatrical practitioner Stanislavsky continued to keep careful notes of his work, and would later go on to write several major texts on the art of performance.

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Stanislavski developed his own dramatic training method, called the Stanislavski system, which requires actors to rely on their emotional memory, conditioning themselves to fully grasp their characters mindset. He encouraged actors to fully inhabit their characters, seeking motivation in their dialogue; a technique now common to much naturalistic theatre.

His system later became the base for the Method acting style still used to this day.Photo: The Canadian Press The building where businessman Richard Oland was found dead is seen in Saint John, N.B. on July 14, 2014. A forensics officer is back on the stand today at the Dennis Oland murder trial, this time facing defence questions.

A forensics officer is back on the stand today at the Dennis Oland murder trial, this time facing defence questions.

Sgt. Mark Smith of Saint John police has recounted for the court the collection of over 500 pieces of evidence from the scene where multi-millionaire Richard Oland was bludgeoned to death, and from searches relating to his son Dennis.

Smith has acknowledged difficulties keeping the crime scene free of contamination from police officers who should not have been there.

So many officers wanted a look at the bloody scene, the defence has said it was like a sightseeing tour.

The 50-year-old Oland is charged with the second-degree murder of his father on July 6, 2011.

He has pleaded not guilty.Dir: Josie Rourke; Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, and David Tennant. Cert: 15, 124 mins

History has not been kind to Mary, Queen of Scots. Beyond her native land, shes little more than a tragic footnote in Tudor history, ruined by disastrous marriages and the suspicion of her subjects. She fled into the arms of her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, only to find herself imprisoned and (eventually) on the chopping block. However, Mary Queen of Scots, a new film on her life, promises to reposition the reputations of Mary and Elizabeth, not as victim and destroyer, but as formidable equals, played, in turn, by two formidable actors, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie.

Screenwriter Beau Willimon, the former showrunner of House of Cards, here takes the view of John Guys revisionist biography of Mary from 2004, which rejects the notion that the two queens were destined enemies, instead placing the onus on the men who surrounded them, manipulating both women into precarious positions for their own gain.

And, certainly, Marys life seemed to exist at the whim of others: she inherited the throne of Scotland at six days old, but was shipped off to France while others ruled in her stead. There, she was married to the Dauphin and became Queen of France at 16, before being widowed at 18. When she returned to Scotland to claim her throne, she discovered an unstable nation, cleft in two between Protestantism and Catholicism. A Catholic herself, now neighbour to a Protestant England, Mary found herself in a complex and precarious position.

However, in Willimons writing, and under the direction of Josie Rourke, who makes her directorial debut here, much of the deeper historical context surrounding Marys life is traded in for a kind of universal symbolism. Shes undeterred when her half-brother, the Earl of Moray (James McArdle), is reluctant to give up his regency to a woman, or by the misogynistic ravings of Protestant leader John Knox (David Tennant).

She seeks solidarity in Elizabeth, beseeching for them to rule side-by-side and not through a treaty drafted by men lesser than ourselves. She speaks frankly about her sexuality and proves herself an ally to her gender-nonconforming courtier (Ismael Cruz Cordova). In short, Mary is a 16th century feminist force.

Ronan, in this sense, is perfectly cast. She can possess a kind of unshowy ferocity when she needs to, employed here as it is in her Oscar-nominated performance in Lady Bird. In contrast, Robbie finds unexpected vulnerability in the heart and stomach of a king version of Elizabeth were so familiar with. Although their climactic meeting is fictionalised, it matters little, since the scene serves as an electric payoff for the rising tensions between both characters.

Yet, commanding as their performances may be, the requirement to present them as untainted feminist role models undermines how much we can learn from their own relationship with power, as they navigated a patriarchal landscape vastly different, but not entirely alien, to ours.

10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Show all 10 1 /10 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Lucky Jim Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Mansfield Park Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Diary of a Provincial Lady Diary of a Provincial Lady by EM Delafield 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Tales of the City Tales of the City: the Seventies and Eighties gay bible, by Armistead Maupin 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues The Humans The Humans, Matt Haig 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues The Mating Season The Mating Season by PG Wodehouse 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Not Working Not Working by Lisa Owens 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues A Gentleman in Moscow A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Cold Comfort Farm Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 10 novels to help you beat the Brexit blues Adrian Mole, The Prostrate Years Adrian Mole, The Prostrate Years by Sue Townsend

Perhaps the films approach stems partially from Rourkes theatrical background, having served as the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse since 2011. Since theatres foundations exist in the restaging of classics, it demands an eye for reinvention, with the past often dealt with by finding its parallels in the present  Hamlet, for instance, is more often seen now in jeans than in breeches. Yet, Rourkes past experience results in both the films strongest and weakest aspects.

Many scenes are strikingly and beautifully staged, like tableaus, as Rourke contrasts the cavernous halls of Scotlands Holyrood Palace with Englands suffocating finery. Furthermore, the films casting of Gemma Chan and Adrian Lester helps confront the backwards notion that people of colour had no part to play in this era of history, even if their stories still exist at the sidelines here.

However, although there is significance in viewing Mary and Elizabeth through the lens of todays women in power, who are feared and undermined in equal measure, it inevitably does a disservice to its subjects  Mary and Elizabeth were real women, not historical superheroes.

Mary Queen of Scots will be released in UK cinemas on 18 JanuaryBooks do furnish a room. Ive used this expression while making a small sigh of pleasure, having corralled my collection into various shelves and bookcases, instead of leaving them piled up by my bed. Ive seen it on Instagram, a space where reading has become performative, and certain groups of users post book pictures as dogmatically as wellness gurus share yoga selfies. But Id not, until recently, really thought about where it came from.

The phrase seems to have originated with Anthony Powell  or rather, with his fictional creation, the hack Lindsay Bagshaw, who uses it to mock pretentious collectors. In the London Review Of Books, Michael Wood writes: Bagshaw knows that books are not furniture, but his jokes and his career suggest an easy understanding of all the people who cant imagine what else books would be.

Bagshaw and his creator might find an unlikely ally in the decluttering superstar, Marie Kondo. In her Netflix programme, she suggested that readers get rid of finished books, or books they are unlikely to finish. There is no meaning in them just being on your shelves, she stated.

Predictably, the citizens of the internet were horrified. They were not placated by Kondos suggestion that they rip out the pages that spark joy. Wont someone think of the charity shops? Poor Oxfam will be left selling copies of The Complete Works Of Shakespeare with Romeo and Juliets balcony scene missing, or baffling editions of Lord of the Rings where Gollum seems unexpectedly mellow.

40 books to read while self-isolating Show all 40 1 /40 40 books to read while self-isolating 40 books to read while self-isolating Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen It is a fact universally acknowledged that every list of great books must include Pride and Prejudice. Dont be fooled by the bonnets and balls: beneath the sugary surface is a tart expose of the marriage market in Georgian England. For every lucky Elizabeth, who tames the haughty, handsome Mr. Darcy and learns to know herself in the process, theres a Charlotte, resigned to life with a driveling buffoon for want of a pretty face. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 , Sue Townsend Read this one when youre decrepit enough, and chances are youll die laughing. No-one has lampooned the self-absorption, delusions of grandeur and sexual frustration of adolescence as brilliantly as Susan Townsend, and no one ever will. Beyond the majestically majestic poetry and the pimples, theres also a sharp satire of Thatcherist Britain. 40 books to read while self-isolating Catch 22, Joseph Heller Its not often an idiom coined in a novel becomes a catch-phrase, but Joseph Heller managed it with his madcap, savage and hilarious tour de force. War is the ultimate dead-end for logic, and this novel explores all its absurdities as we follow US bombardier pilot Captain John Yossarian. While Heller drew on his own experience as a WWII pilot, it was the McCarthyism of the fifties that fueled the books glorious rage. 40 books to read while self-isolating Tess of the dUrbervilles, Thomas Hardy A good 125 years before #metoo, Thomas Hardy skewered the sexual hypocrisy of the Victorian age in this melodramatic but immensely moving novel. Tess is a naive girl from a poor family who is raped by a wealthy land-owner. After the death of her baby, she tries to build a new life, but the shame of her past casts a long shadow. Read this if you want to understand the rotten culture at the root of victim-blaming. 40 books to read while self-isolating Things fall apart, Chinua Achebe A classic expose of colonialism, Achebes novel explores what happens to a Nigerian village when European missionaries arrive. The main character, warrior-like Okonkwo, embodies the traditional values that are ultimately doomed. By the time Achebe was born in 1930, missionaries had been settled in his village for decades. He wrote in English and took the title of his novel from a Yeats poem, but wove Igbo proverbs throughout this lyrical work. 40 books to read while self-isolating 1984, George Orwell The ultimate piece of dystopian fiction, 1984 was so prescient that its become a cliche. But forget TVs Big Brother or the trite travesty of Room 101: the original has lost none of its furious force. Orwell was interested in the mechanics of totalitarianism, imagining a society that took the paranoid surveillance of the Soviets to chilling conclusions. Our hero, Winston, tries to resist a grey world where a screen watches your every move, but bravery is ultimately futile when the state worms its way inside your mind. 40 books to read while self-isolating To kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee A timeless plea for justice in the setting of Americas racist South during the depression years, Lees novel caused a sensation. Her device was simple but incendiary: look at the world through the eyes of a six-year-old, in this case, Jean Louise Finch, whose father is a lawyer defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Lee hoped for nothing but a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers: she won the Pulitzer and a place on the curriculum. 40 books to read while self-isolating Great Expectations, Charles Dickens Dickens was the social conscience of the Victorian age, but dont let that put you off. Great Expectations is the roiling tale of the orphaned Pip, the lovely Estella, and the thwarted Miss Havisham. First written in serial form, you barely have time to recover from one cliffhanger before the next one beckons, all told in Dickens luxuriant, humorous, heartfelt prose. 40 books to read while self-isolating The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy Roy won the 1997 Booker Prize with her debut novel, a powerful intergenerational tale of love that crosses caste lines in southern India, and the appalling consequences for those who break the taboos dictating who should be loved, and how. And how much. Sex, death, religion, the ambivalent pull of motherhood: its all there in this beautiful and haunting book. 40 books to read while self-isolating Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel In an astonishing act of literary ventriloquism, Mantel inhabits a fictionalised version of Thomas Cromwell, a working-class boy who rose through his own fierce intelligence to be a key player in the treacherous world of Tudor politics. Historical fiction so immersive you can smell the fear and ambition. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Code of the Woosters, PG Wodehouse If you havent read PG Wodehouse in a hot bath with a snifter of whisky and ideally a rubber duck for company, you havent lived. Wallow in this sublimely silly tale of the ultimate comic double act: bumbling aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his omniscient butler, Jeeves. A sheer joy to read that also manages to satirise British fascist leader Oswald Mosley as a querulous grump in black shorts. 40 books to read while self-isolating Frankenstein, Mary Shelley Shelley was just 18 when she wrote Frankenstein as part of a challenge with her future husband, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron, to concoct the best horror story. Put down the green face paint: Frankensteins monster is a complex creation who yearns for sympathy and companionship. Some 200 years after it was first published, the gothic tale feels more relevant than ever as genetic science pushes the boundaries of what it means to create life. 40 books to read while self-isolating Lord of the Flies, William Golding Anyone who has ever suspected that children are primitive little beasties will nod sagely as they read Goldings classic. His theory is this: maroon a bunch of schoolboys on an island, and watch how quickly the trappings of decent behaviour fall away. Never has a broken pair of spectacles seemed so sinister, or civilisation so fragile. 40 books to read while self-isolating Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie The protagonist of Rushdies most celebrated novel is born at the exact moment India gains independence. Hes also born with superpowers, and hes not the only one. In an audacious and poetic piece of magical realism, Rushdie tells the story of Indias blood-soaked resurgence via a swathe of children born at midnight with uncanny abilities. 40 books to read while self-isolating Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte You will need a cold, dead heart not to be moved by one of literatures steeliest heroines. From the institutional cruelty of her boarding school, the small, plain Jane Eyre becomes a governess who demands a right to think and feel. Not many love stories take in a mad woman in the attic and a spot of therapeutic disfigurement, but this one somehow carries it off with mythic aplomb 40 books to read while self-isolating Middlemarch, George Eliot This is a richly satisfying slow burn of a novel that follows the lives and loves of the inhabitants of a small town in England through the years 182932. The acerbic wit and timeless truth of its observations mark this out as a work of genius; but at the time the author, Mary Anne Evans, had to turn to a male pen name to be taken seriously. 40 books to read while self-isolating Secret History, Donna Tartt Stick another log on the fire and curl up with this dark, peculiar and quite brilliant literary murder tale. A group of classics students become entranced by Greek mythology - and then take it up a level. Remember, kids: never try your own delirious Dionysian ritual at home. 40 books to read while self-isolating Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie A subtle and engrossing look at racial identity, through the story of a charismatic young Nigerian woman who leaves her comfortable Lagos home for a world of struggles in the United States. Capturing both the hard-scrabble life of US immigrants and the brash divisions of a rising Nigeria, Adichie crosses continents with all her usual depth of feeling and lightness of touch. 40 books to read while self-isolating Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons An absolute unadulterated comic joy of a novel. Stella Gibbons neatly pokes fun at sentimental navel-gazing with her zesty heroine Flora, who is more interested in basic hygiene than histrionics. In other words, if youve seen something nasty in the woodshed, just shut the door. 40 books to read while self-isolating Beloved, Toni Morrison Dedicated to the Sixty Million and more Africans and their descendants who died as a result of the slave trade, this is a cultural milestone and a Pulitzer-winning tour de force. Morrison was inspired by the real-life story of an enslaved woman who killed her own daughter rather than see her return to slavery. In her plot, the murdered child returns to haunt a black community, suggesting the inescapable taint of Americas history. 40 books to read while self-isolating Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh Evelyn Waugh bottles the intoxicating vapour of a vanished era in this novel about middle-class Charles Ryder, who meets upper-class Sebastian Flyte at Oxford University in the 1920s. Scrap the wartime prologue, and Charless entire relationship with Sebastians sister Julia (Dear Evelyn, thank you for your latest manuscript, a few suggested cuts) and youre looking at one of the most affecting love affairs in the English language. 40 books to read while self-isolating Dune, Frank Herbert You can almost feel your mouth dry with thirst as you enter the world of Frank Herberts Dune and encounter the desert planet of Arrakis, with its giant sandworms and mind-altering spice. Its the setting for an epic saga of warring feudal houses, but its as much eco-parable as thrilling adventure story. Rarely has a fictional world been so completely realised. 40 books to read while self-isolating Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte Will there ever be a novel that burns with more passionate intensity than Wuthering Heights? The forces that bring together its fierce heroine Catherine Earnshaw and cruel hero Heathcliff are violent and untameable, yet rooted in a childhood devotion to one another, when Heathcliff obeyed Cathys every command. Its impossible to imagine this novel ever provoking quiet slumbers; Emily Brontes vision of nature blazes with poetry. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald The savage reviews that greeted F Scott Fitzgeralds third novel  no more than a glorified anecdote; for the season only  failed to recognise something truly great; a near-perfect distillation of the hope, ambition, cynicism and desire at the heart of the American Dream. Other novels capture the allure of the invented self, from Stendhals The Red and the Black to Thomas Manns Confessions of Felix Krull, but Fitzgeralds enigmatic Jay Gatsby casts a shadow that reaches to Mad Mens Don Draper and beyond. 40 books to read while self-isolating A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess From the moment we meet Alex and his three droogs in the Korova milkbar, drinking moloko with vellocet or synthemesc and wondering whether to chat up the devotchkas at the counter or tolchock some old veck in an alley, its clear that normal novelistic conventions do not apply. Anthony Burgesss slim volume about a violent near-future where aversion therapy is used on feral youth who speak Nadsat and commit rape and murder, is a dystopian masterpiece. 40 books to read while self-isolating Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov Banned from entering the UK in its year of publication, 1955, Vladimir Nabokovs astonishingly skilful and enduringly controversial work of fiction introduces us to literary professor and self-confessed hebephile Humbert Humbert, the perhaps unreliable narrator of the novel. He marries widow Charlotte Haze only to get access to her daughter, 12-year-old Dolores, nicknamed Lo by her mother, or as Humbert calls her Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Cloaking his abuse in the allusive language of idealised love does not lessen Humberts crimes, but allows Nabokov to skewer him where he hides. 40 books to read while self-isolating Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip K Dick Here be Roy Baty, Rick Deckard and Rachael Rosen  the novel that inspired Blade Runner is stranger even than the film it became. Back in an age before artificial intelligence could teach itself to play chess in a few hours better than any grandmaster that ever lived, Philip K Dick was using the concept of android life to explore what it meant to be human, and what it is to be left behind on a compromised planet. That he could do it in 250 pages that set the mind spinning and engage the emotions with every page-turn make this a rare science-fiction indeed. 40 books to read while self-isolating Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad Inspired by Conrads own experiences of captaining a trading steamer up the Congo River, Heart of Darkness is part adventure, part psychological voyage into the unknown, as the narrator Marlow relays the story of his journey into the jungle to meet the mysterious ivory trader Mr Kurtz. Although debate continues to rage about whether the novel and its attitude to Africa and colonialism is racist, its deeply involving and demands to be read. 40 books to read while self-isolating Dracula, Bram Stoker Whatever passed between Irish theatre manager Bram Stoker and the Hungarian traveller and writer Armin Vambery when they met in London and talked of the Carpathian Mountains, it incubated in the Gothic imagination of Stoker into a work that has had an incalculable influence on Western culture. Its not hard to read the Count as a shadowy sexual figure surprising straitlaced Victorian England in their beds, but in Stokers hands hes also bloody creepy. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Catcher in the Rye, J D Salinger It only takes one sentence, written in the first person, for Salingers Holden Caulfield to announce himself in all his teenage nihilism, sneering at you for wanting to know his biographical details and all that David Copperfield kind of crap. The Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential novel of the adolescent experience, captured in deathless prose. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler Dashiel Hammett may have been harder boiled, his plots more intricate but, wow, does Raymond Chandler have style. The push and pull at the start of The Big Sleep between private detective Philip Marlowe, in his powder-blue suit and dark blue shirt, and Miss Carmen Sternwood, with her little sharp predatory teeth and lashes that she lowers and raises like a theatre curtain, sets the tone for a story of bad girls and bad men. 40 books to read while self-isolating Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray All the teeming life of 19th century London is here in Thackerays masterpiece, right down to the curry houses frequented by Jos Sedley, who has gained a taste for the hot stuff as an officer in the East India Trading Company. But it is Becky Sharp, one of literatures great characters, who gives this novel its enduring fascination. As a woman on the make, Becky is the perfect blend of wit, cunning and cold-hearted ruthlessness. Try as film and TV might to humanise and make excuses for her, Becky needs victims to thrive! And shes all the more compelling for that. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath The only novel written by the poet Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiographical account of a descent into depression that the books narrator Esther Greenwood describes as like being trapped under a bell jar  used to create a vacuum in scientific experiments  struggling to breathe. Almost every word is arresting, and the way that Plath captures the vivid life happening around Esther, news events, magazine parties, accentuates the deadening illness that drives her towards suicidal feelings. Plath herself would commit suicide one month after the novels publication in 1963. 40 books to read while self-isolating Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl Harry Potter may be more popular, but Willy Wonka is altogether weirder. From the overwhelming poverty experienced by Charlie Bucket and his family, to the spoilt, greedy, brattish children who join Charlie on his trip to Willy Wonkas phantasmagorical sweet factory there is nothing artificially sweetened in Roald Dahls startling work of fantasy. 40 books to read while self-isolating Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy Andrew Daviess recent TV adaptation of War and Peace reminded those of us who cant quite face returning to the novels monstrous demands just how brilliantly Tolstoy delineates affairs of the heart, even if the war passages will always be a struggle. In Anna Karenina  enormous, too! the great Russian novelist captures the erotic charge between the married Anna and the bachelor Vronsky, then drags his heroine through societys scorn as their affair takes shape, without ever suggesting we move from her side. 40 books to read while self-isolating Dangerous Liaisons, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos The most deliciously wicked experience in literature, this epistolary novel introduces us to the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont, who play cruel games of sexual conquest on their unwitting victims. The Marquises justification for her behaviour  I, who was born to revenge my sex and master yours  will strike a chord in the #metoo era, but emotions, even love, intrude, to the point where Lacloss amorality becomes untenable. Sexy but very, very bad. 40 books to read while self-isolating 100 Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez The energy and enchantment of Garcia Marquezs story of seven generations of the Buendia family in a small town in Colombia continue to enthrall half a century on. Hauntings and premonitions allied to a journalistic eye for detail and a poetic sensibility make Marquezs magical realism unique. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Trial, Frank Kafka Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K So begins Kafkas nightmarish tale of a man trapped in an unfathomable bureaucratic process after being arrested by two agents from an unidentified office for a crime theyre not allowed to tell him about. Foreshadowing the antisemitism of Nazi-occupied Europe, as well as the methods of the Stasi, KGB, and StB, its an unsettling, at times bewildering, tale with chilling resonance. 40 books to read while self-isolating Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier The second Mrs de Winter is the narrator of Du Mauriers marvellously gothic tale about a young woman who replaces the deceased Rebecca as wife to the wealthy Maxim de Winter and mistress of the Manderley estate. There she meets the housekeeper Mrs Danvers, formerly devoted to Rebecca, who proceeds to torment her. As atmospheric, psychological horror it just gets darker and darker. 40 books to read while self-isolating The Leopard, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Published posthumously in 1958, Tomasi di Lampedusas novel is set in 19th century Sicily, where revolution is in the air. The imposing Prince Don Fabrizio presides over a town close to Palermo during the last days of an old world in which class stratifications are stable and understood. Garibaldis forces have taken the island and a new world will follow. Its a deep and poetic meditation on political change and the characters that it produces.

I have a personal stake in everyone ignoring Kondos advice, because I host a podcast called Youre Booked, where I go to authors houses and examine their bookshelves for cues and clues about the life theyve lived. If book decluttering really takes off, Im not sure how we will continue, frankly. It helps that many of my guests are authors, which means they are constitutionally incapable of throwing out a book without feeling a twisting, twinging sensation in their soul.

It doesnt matter whether or not you didnt get on with a novel, you will have the deepest respect for the work of the person whose name is on the cover if you too have stared at a screen while weeping and refreshing a word count on a rainy Thursday afternoon.

While I reluctantly give away some of my books  its that, or only being able to leave my flat with the aid of a crane  I simply cant agree with Kondo. The books we display are full of meanings that go far beyond printed words. My guest Andy Miller, the author of The Year Of Reading Dangerously, challenged himself to read 50 books in a year, after realising that even though he worked with books, he never made time to read them.

Many of these books are canonical classics, but by displaying them together he shows that the collection is even greater than the sum of its parts. His collection represents that life-changing challenge, and that year of his life.

 Tidying Up with Marie Kondo - trailer

Nina Stibbe showed me a tattered, loved copy of The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and remembered that when she was a teenager in the Eighties, everyone was infected with Mole fever. At the time, she couldnt stop a bit of Mole-ishness creeping into her letters. It was its author Sue Townsend who made her believe that you were allowed to be funny and irreverent and childish, and that those things did not preclude you from becoming an adult, or a writer.

Cathy Rentzenbrink has a copy of Pride And Prejudice which has survived every single house move she has been through since she was 15. The cover is now ripped to about an inch square. The novel is about family and love  but that physical book is now about her own a lifetime of despair and joy; its travelled thousands of miles, and witnessed her saddest and happiest days.

Surely there is meaning in knowing that it doesnt matter how rough life becomes, Mr Collins is still sitting on our shelves, being a bore about Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and isnt it wonderful that he isnt real or hoping to marry any of our loved ones?

Daisy Buchanan hosts the podcast Youre Booked (Jamie Drew)

Even though the stories themselves are usually where the magic is generated, and the inspiration is sourced, books become totemic. When Im looking at a shelf, its thrilling to notice the books that seem especially battered, touched and loved. Books are messy because they contain multitudes. Every time we pick one up, were adding to the story.

Initially, I wanted to make Youre Booked because I think the way we read is changing, and I was getting increasingly grumpy about people pretentiously Instagramming their difficult novels, turning the verbal visual, and showing off. But the podcast has shown me that we can generate joy, solace and peace by constructing ourselves with our shelves. Our books dont simply add depth, texture and interest to our walls  theyre furnishing our souls too.

But Ive also discovered that our books betray us in the best way possible. We might think our guests clock the Dickens or the Tolstoy, and are thus forced to acknowledge our intellectual prowess. But everyone really notices the worn, slightly yellowed Douglas Adams or Jilly Cooper. The chances are, their reaction wont be snobbish, but delighted, as they are instantly transported back to the point in their life when they first picked up their own copy, and are reminded of their own youth, hopefulness and curiosity.

Daisy Buchanan is the host of Youre Booked. Series one is available from all podcast providers now. Series two begins on 21 JanuaryAs the longest government shutdown in U.S. history drags on, even the nation's fastest-growing companies are feeling the pain.

President Trump and Democrats in Congress have been unable to reach a compromise to reopen the government, with the former insisting that any deal must include $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall with Mexico. Roughly 800,000 federal employees are furloughed, and government contractors hired by the shuttered agencies have been scrambling to figure out what to do with their employees--and their dwindling cash reserves.

"There are two impacts: one is the revenue that I'm not generating and the other one is revenue that I am due that I am not being paid," says Corliss Udoema, founder and CEO of Contract Solutions, a Manassas, Virginia, company that offers staffing services for project management, court reporting, and IT-related jobs. Clients have included the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a government contractor, Udoema had to stop all work related to contracts she has with agencies closed during the shutdown. Because these agencies are closed, even work that has already been completed and invoiced remains unpaid. The loss of work and owed bills amount to a 50 percent revenue loss this January.

Contract Solutions has been featured twice on the Inc. 5000, a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. It made $4.5 million in revenue in 2018, and Udoema points out that she has access to financial resources to "withstand the storm," but even that has its limits.

"Once we get at the end of the month, I'm going to need to make some adjustments to my overhead," Udoema adds, noting that the shutdown has meant that half of her 50-person staff can't work.

In 2018, government contractors made up about 5 percent of the fastest-growing companies in the Inc. 5000, and generated more than $11.9 billion in revenue combined. These businesses also added roughly 20,000 employees between 2014 and 2017.

The Biggest Pain Point

In Beavercreek, Ohio, Brian Chaney, president of three-time Inc. 5000 honoree TACG, says the company's profits will decline about 40 percent this month. TACG offers IT, supply chain, and health care management services to the government, with clients including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, an agency subject to the partial shutdown.

"Our actual impact is staff," he says, noting that some of his highest-paid employees, those working in cybersecurity, are not working during the shutdown.

"These people have opportunities to go and move anywhere. We obviously love our folks and we don't want to see anybody go," Chaney adds. Of his 183-person staff, about 25 employees are unable to work but are still on the payroll. "By keeping them around, we're going to take a significant financial hit in January."

Unlike for federal employees, there is no official metric to track the number of government contractors. Some experts estimate that there are as many as four million federal government contractor employees in the U.S., compared with two million federal workers, reports The Wall Street Journal.

"There's this assumption that contractors are these sort of big, large, behemoth corporations that have big [profit and loss statements] and can afford not to work," says Veeral Majmudar, founder and CEO of the Savan Group, a McLean, Virginia-based business that provides IT management and strategy services to the government. "But the fact of the matter is most of these contractors are small businesses like us, and we don't have the luxury or cushion to manage that kind of a shutdown."

To be sure, most business owners who spoke to Inc. said that their companies are diversified enough to handle the slowdown. Or they're working with agencies that are fully funded. However, as the government shutdown drags on, their fast-growing trajectory might be forced to slow down.

"You're going to run out of special projects," says Udoema from Contract Solutions. "I'm staffed to support a higher number than I am supporting now, because those people are not able to work. At some point, the numbers are the numbers."

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified one of TACG's clients as the Federal Aviation Administration and mistakenly said that the agency, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has been closed during the shutdown. Parts of the FAA and the FDA continue to operate.

EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIESSo, just how much are pizza-making robots worth?

Last November, Zume Pizza co-founder and CEO Julia Collins got a pretty good estimate when SoftBank invested $375 million from its Vision Fund in her Mountain View, California-based automated pizza delivery company, valuing it at $2.25 billion. Other backers of Zume Pizza include AME Cloud Ventures, the investment firm by the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo Jerry Yang. All told, the company has lassoed $425 million in funding so far, according to Crunchbase.

The startup uses automated machines, like a sauce-spreading robot named Marta, to make pizzas via an assembly line, slicing the pizza making process down to just one human worker to spread toppings and do a quality control check. Zume Pizza says the speedy process cuts delivery times down to five to 20 minutes to customers in the Mountain View area.

At the recent Black Women Raise conference, a forum in New York City focusing on the specific challenges black women face in trying to raise capital for their businesses, Collins presented what she wishes she had known from day 1 about the subject and about business in general. Here are her top three tips for anyone looking to use outside capital to grow a business:

1. Describe the big picture for investors.

Less is more when giving your elevator pitch or talking about your business, Collins says.

"What worked was leading with the vision," she explained. "'I want to save the planet; I want to feed the world'-- that grabbed people's attention more than 'I want an automated platform to feed others.'" Investors want to invest in the next world-changing idea; bring them in with that. Save the details for when you seal the deal.

2. Befriend investors before asking for money.

What's easier, asking your friends or a complete stranger if you can borrow $20?

That's Collins's thinking when she suggested prioritizing relationships with investors over asking for capital. "Do soft circling," Collins advised. "Before you raise, you want to socialize your presence in the market. You want to go and have lunch and talk and get to know [investors] before you ask for any money."

Even if they don't invest in your company, having investors in your network can serve you. By association, you'll better understand their language, needs, and wants. You'll also feel more comfortable being in a meeting with them, Collins explained.

3. Pay yourself a reasonable salary.

Prior to Zume Pizza, Collins served as CFO of Mexican and barbecue fusion restaurant Mexicue. After not paying herself for two years, she felt burned out and had to step back. It was then that she learned an important lesson: It's OK to divert some funding toward paying yourself so you can make it to your next series.(The Center Square)  Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an amendatory veto of the states spending plan that lawmakers passed just two weeks ago because it doesnt have the proper effective date.The relationship of China with the greatest secular world powerthe United States of Americaand the most universal global spiritual powerthe Catholic Churchis in a state of flux. President Trump and Pope Francis are major protagonists in this dramatic period. Although what is happening in China has an impact worldwide, it is hard for the non-specialist to grasp what is underway and its significance for the future.

There are two Catholic communities in China: the "underground", or unofficial, Church and the official, government-controlled Patriotic Church. Cardinal Joseph Zen is one of the most knowledgeable and credible witnesses to what is happening in China, especially on the relationship between these two communities. He is a courageous defender of the underground Church yet has intimate knowledge of the official Church, in part because hea taught in several of its seminaries.

It has been recognizedand Pope Francis himself has confirmedthat the historic 2007 letter of Pope Benedict XVI to Catholics in China remains the magna carta of the Church in that country. On the tenth anniversary of this letter, Cardinal Zen gave a series of eight lectures on its origin, drafting process, and final content, and these enlightening talks are presented in this book.

In these lectures, Cardinal Zen explains in detail what he considers is now threatening the fundamental principles of the letterand therefore 'his people'. As the title indicates, for the love of his people, he will not remain silent.Photo: The Canadian Press Chinese Vice Premier Liu He attends an event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The top U.S. and Chinese trade envoys will hold talks in Washington this month in a possible sign of progress toward ending a costly tariff battle over Beijing's technology ambitions.

The Ministry of Commerce announcement of the Jan. 30-31 event was the first sign of a next step by the two sides following negotiations in Beijing earlier this month between lower-level officials.

China's economy czar, Vice Premier Liu He, was invited by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the ministry said.

Economists and business groups said earlier that a decision by Liu and Lighthizer to take part in person would indicate technical discussions made enough progress to require high-level political decisions.

The two sides have imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 per cent on tens of billions of dollars of each other's goods in the fight over U.S. complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Washington also is pressing China to roll back plans for state-led industry development that its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations.

The Washington talks are aimed at carrying out the Dec. 1 agreement by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to suspend further tariff increases for 90 days while they negotiate, said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng.

They are likely to take up more complex U.S. complaints about Chinese policy on which lower-level officials "couldn't give a clear response," said Yu Chunhai, a trade expert at Renmin University in Beijing.

Chinese officials have suggested Beijing might adjust its industry plans. But they reject pressure to abandon what they consider a path to prosperity and global influence.

Liu probably will tell U.S. officials "what China can and can't do," said Yu.

For their part, Chinese leaders object to U.S. export controls on "dual use" technology with possible military uses. They say Chinese companies are treated unfairly in national security reviews of proposed corporate acquisitions, though almost all deals are approved unchanged.

"Such communication must be made between officials at a higher level," said Yu.

Neither side has shown any sign of changing its basic position. Economists say the 90-day window is too short to resolve conflicts that have strained their relations for nearly two decades.

Chinese exports to the United States held up through much of 2018 despite Trump's tariff hikes but contracted by 3.5 per cent in December compared with a year earlier as the penalties began to depress demand.

Liu held talks in June in Beijing with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as trade tensions mounted. They failed to produce a settlement and Trump went ahead the next month with his first tariff hikes.

Liu made a surprise appearance at this month's talks in Beijing. Financial markets took that as a positive sign. Global stock markets rose but then fell back after the meeting produced no agreements.

U.S.-Chinese relations are increasingly strained over technology, trade and cyber-spying.

This month's talks in Beijing went ahead despite the arrest of an executive of Chinese technology giant Huawei in Canada on Dec. 1. The United States wants her extradited on charges that she lied to a bank about dealings with Iran.

On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Huawei stole trade secrets from U.S. companies.

The investigation was prompted in part by a lawsuit brought by T-Mobile U.S. Inc. that accused two Huawei employees of stealing technology for a robotic arm used to test mobile phones, the Journal said, citing unidentified sources. The two companies settled their dispute in 2017.Photo: Colin Dacre

Vancouver Island RCMP are investigating whether fog can be blamed for a pair of separate crashes that claimed two lives in Port Alberni Tuesday.

The first crash happened just after 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Burde Street and Carrier Road when a pickup smashed into a car turning left. Both vehicles rolled into the ditch and the driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene, reports CTV News.

"Visibility at the time was poor due to the dense fog in the area," said Port Alberni RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Amelia Hayden.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. emergency crews were called to a head-on collision between a dump truck and two other vehicles. One of the drivers was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the dump truck and the other vehicle involved suffered only minor injuries.

"It is very early into this investigation and we dont know what the causes are for this terrible crash at this time," said Hayden. "Once again however visibility in the area was significantly hampered by the dense fog."

with files from CTV Vancouver IslandNote: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one.Community Information

If you would like to submit an upcoming event or community announcement, please contact our staff at 208-232-4161 or send an email to cjohnson@journalnet.com. We will also accept news from local clubs and engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements. You can post your community or club events on our calendar.

Obituaries

Submit an obituary/notice All obituaries must be placed by your mortuary or onlineDeadline is 3 p.m. for publication the next day. The ISJ is not responsible for spelling, grammar, or basic mistakes.Photo: Contributed

A Canadian national has been kidnapped in Burkina Faso's northern Sahel region, government officials said Wednesday.

A spokesman for Burkina Faso's security ministry identified the man as Kirk Woodman, who works for the Vancouver-based Progress Mineral Mining Company.

Spokesman Jean Paul Badoum said Wednesday that the employee was abducted overnight during a raid on a mining site in Tiabongou.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canadian officials are reaching out to the kidnapping victim's family.

"The Canadian agencies involved in this situation are really aware of this situation, and we'll be in contact with the family," she told reporters.

In a statement, his family asked for privacy and said they will not be speaking publicly.

"We have faith and trust in Canadian authorities to bring our husband and father home safe. We are hopeful for a fast resolution to the situation," they said.

The news comes soon after a 34-year-old Quebec tourist and her travelling companion were reported missing in the west African nation.

Sherbrooke native Edith Blais and her Italian friend Luca Tacchetto were travelling by car in southwestern Burkina Faso when all communication with their families abruptly ended Dec. 15.

A statement by Security Minister Clement Sawadogo referred to the disappearance of Blais and Tacchetto as a kidnapping.

West Africa's Sahel region has seen a number of abductions of foreigners in recent years by extremists linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State organization.

Burkina Faso recently declared a state of emergency in the region as attacks by Islamic extremists increased, especially along the border with Niger and Mali.

Sawadogo said foreigners should use extreme caution when travelling in dangerous areas of the country.Photo: Castanet Staff File photo of Teneycke leaving the Penticton Courthouse in May 2017

The Correctional Service of Canada is refusing to comment on how dangerous offender Ronald Teneycke was able to send a letter to a South Okanagan man he shot, despite a court order forbidding contact.

The notorious criminal is facing a new charge of failing to comply with a non-communication order for a Christmas letter he sent to Wayne Belleville, the Oliver man he shot in the back during a criminal rampage through the South Okanagan in 2015.

Teneycke is currently at the Kent maximum security prison in Agassiz serving an indefinite jail term after being declared a dangerous offender last year.

In a brief statement to Castanet Wednesday, CSC refused to comment on Teneyckes letter due to privacy concerns, but said prison staff only have the authority to intercept inmate communications when it believes on reasonable grounds that the safety of the public or of the institution will be jeopardized.

Belleville said Teneyckes letter blamed him for the shooting and indicated he has no empathy for him to this day. Teneycke had shot Belleville in the back after he picked the fugitive up hitchhiking, unaware the hitchhiker was the subject of a region-wide manhunt for the armed robbery of a Oliver grocery store.

CSC is dedicated to providing ongoing support to victims of crime, and ensuring all victims are treated with fairness, compassion and respect and that their rights be considered at all times, Corrections Canadas statement concludes.

Prior to shooting Belleville, Teneycke had 37 previous convictions for offences including sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and uttering threats, in connection to the rape of an Okanagan teenager in 1993.

He was out on an intermittent sentence when he robbed the store and shot Belleville.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The award-winning rehabilitation of Pasig River, a major tributary of Manila Bay, faces a setback as authorities found new structures near a supposedly "recovered" estuary connected to it.

The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) in a statement on Thursday said it is investigating how informal settlements were again constructed around Estero de Magdalena in Manila. The PPRC considers it a priority waterway given the "alarming" volume of waste and the polluted wastewater it drains to the Pasig River, then to Manila Bay.

The PPRC in October 2018 won an international award for successfully reviving the Pasig River, declared biologically dead in the '90s due to persistent pollution. Efforts included the relocation of informal settlers around Estero de Magdalena, only to find out this January that there are "huge volumes of wastes again and new structures allegedly constructed by the (informal settler families) on the easements."

"With this, PRRC Executive Director Jose Antonio E. Goitia ordered for an immediate investigation to track down the persons allegedly accountable for allowing the construction of the informal settlements at Estero de Magdalena," the PPRC said in its statement. It said cleaning up this estuary "will significantly contribute" to the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, a new government priority after Boracay Island, which was shut to tourists for six months last year.

Goitia also reminded barangay officials to strictly implement solid waste management, warning them of possible sanctions for neglect of duty.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, in a separate statement called for coordinated efforts to clean up the bacteria-infested Manila Bay.

"All of these efforts for the cleanup are integrated. We plan to clean the Manila Bay including all the esteros and rivers connected-the Pasig River and the Laguna Lake," Cimatu said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to unveil on January 27 the P47-billion Manila Bay rehabilitation plan and name establishments initially found to be non-compliant with environmental laws. It said it may fine and close down at least 50 establishments for polluting the bay. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to shut down hotels near the bay if they fail to install proper water treatment systems.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, meanwhile, expects to relocate over 200,000 families around Manila Bay as officials said both commercial and residential establishments have polluted the bay.We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@idahopress.com for help creating one.Page Content



A new ground-mounted 1.2MW solar installation at Cameroons Douala International Airport was put into operation last week to help reduce the CO 2 emissions produced by aircraft during ground operations.

Aircraft currently use jet fuel based auxiliary power units (APUs) or diesel-driven ground power units (GPUs) to provide pre-conditioned air and electricity to aircraft during ground operations.

Through its new solar installation the Douala airport will now be eliminating at least 2,575 tonnes of CO from over 5,100 flights annually, based on the more than 5.5 million kWh per year it is projected to generate. As a demonstration of its engagement to the project, the Government of Cameroon funded the purchase of airport gate electric equipment to be connected by the newly installed solar park.

With this solar facility at Douala International Airport, Cameroon advances the modernization of its energy sector by using renewable energy to reduce green-house gases emissions and protect the environment, said Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, Minister of Transport of Cameroon. The Government of Cameroon is determined to continuing the implementation of tangible actions for a more sustainable aviation.

Sustainable development and climate change continue to be critical issues for the international community, and this latest commitment by Cameroon is a great example of the concrete actions which can be implemented as part of a broader air transport environmental strategy, commented Jane Hupe, ICAO Deputy Director Environment. ICAO expects to see many other countries replicating these cost effective and emissions reducing solar-at-gate solutions.

The new Solar-at-Gate pilot project is the third such initiative implemented by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the second to be realized in Africa following on recent installations in Jamaica and Kenya.

The installations are part of a longer-term Capacity Building for CO 2 Mitigation from International Aviation assistance programme which ICAO has been carrying out, with funding support from the European Union. It provides direct assistance to 12 African and two Caribbean region States.

The construction of the solar photovoltaic system at Douala International Airport shows the results achieved by the ICAO-EU partnership on the Environment, in which the authorities of Cameroon have been actively participating, noted Mr. Steven Rault, Chief of Programmes of the EU Delegation in Cameroon. By funding such initiatives, the EU wants to contribute to the sustainable development of the international aviation.



The Douala solar-at-gate inauguration ceremony on was attended by the Minister of Transport of Cameroon, senior officials from the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, airport authorities, and relevant stakeholders, and representatives of the European Union and other international organizations.Antkowiak started as a part-time teller at Susquehanna Bank and held several positions there, including head teller and branch relationship manager. During her banking career, she has specialized in branch operations, customer service, business banking, and consumer lending. She is a graduate of Western Maryland College and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology.As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

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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.City Councilman Zeke Cohen, who represents Fells Point, condemned the judges decision in a Facebook post and said he would be writing a letter to the judge. I want to be clear: this is not about the presumption of innocence. This defendant will have his day in court. This is about public safety, Cohen wrote.Houston, MO (65483)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High 93F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.If you were to overlap maps that rank rates of the uninsured, maternal morality and rates of death due to preventable diseases, youd find a big, cohesive block of Southern states  including Texas.

Most of these states have higher rates of obesity and diabetes than elsewhere in the country. Millions of people affected by these health issues in the South are uninsured. Without care, they encounter complications from their diseases, including early death.

For years, legislators have ignored the obvious solution  expand Medicaid as allowed under the Affordable Care Act.

Despite a Texas district court judges recent ruling holding the ACA unconstitutional, Southern governors and state legislators should embrace the chaos. For years, local legislators justified their refusal to consider Medicaid expansion by pointing to uncertainty about the ACA, also known as Obamacare. First, they waited to see if President Obama would be re-elected. Then came the victory of Donald Trump. The latest roadblock is lawsuit filed by Republican governors, led by Texas, which aims to overturn the ACA completely.

But the ACA is still in effect and legal experts across the country are confident that it will remain so. That means legislators are losing their excuse to avoid Medicaid expansion.

The overarching problem is that conservative state legislators in Florida, Texas and other Southern states have historically used national politics, not local voices, to fuel their decisions.

Take a look at state-by-state health care indicators. The South has the worst rates of infant mortality and maternal mortality in the United States. The region also has the highest rates of new HIV infections. These are important local issues and all voters could be helped if their representatives treated health care as an immediate need.

It would also be politically popular. For the first time in a decade, a majority of Americans listed health care as their top concern in a midterm exit poll . No wonder that voters in red states like Idaho, Nebraska and Utah approved referendums to expand Medicaid in the 2018 elections.

While courts and the federal government continue to kick the can on health care, state-level politicians have the power to act. It all started when Republicans in Congress failed to stop the ACA in 2010 and conservative states launched a case that to challenge the law in 2012. The resulting Supreme Court decision didnt kill the ACA, but it did dismantle the bills mandatory Medicaid expansion provision. States across the country could subsequently opt-in to accept federal dollars to support their poorest citizens.

States that didnt opt-in left millions of people uninsured  2.2 million Americans, to be more precise. These individuals fall into the coverage gap. They are too poor to qualify for federal subsidies through the ACA yet arent poor enough to qualify for Medicaid in their home states.

Its past time for Southern states to opt in. Nine out of ten Americans who fall into the coverage gap live in the South. The main culprits are Texas and Florida, where approximately one million people collectively have no health insurance.

Its not surprising that governors and state legislators are paralyzed on the Medicaid decision. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been clamoring for ACA repeal since it was first adopted.

Despite his public stance, McConnells home state of Kentucky expanded Medicaid in the initial rollout of the ACA. Its uninsured rate then dropped from 14 percent to 5 percent .

In addition to Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana have also expanded Medicaid. Those two Southernern states saw their uninsured rates drop from double to single digits  to around 8 percent each. Expect studies over the next several years to measure the full effect of this expansion on health outcomes.

When I spoke with Georgia legislators about Medicaid expansion, they expressed concern about the cost to the state. Yet, a 2016 report on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in Louisiana found that the state saved $317 million and created 19,000 jobs. This analysis revealed that accepting federal dollars for Medicaid expansion reduces expenditures in the long run.

State legislators and governors in the south must be brave. They must embrace uncertainty, serve state constituents and cast aside national politics.

If progress is stalled, the South will cement its place as the poorest, most unhealthy region in the nation. McConnell has seen the benefits to his own state. Arkansas and Louisiana are reaping the benefits of expansion each day.

Its time for other Southern legislators and governors  including those in Texas  to embrace this certainty: It is time to expand Medicaid.

Kannan is a dual degree MD at Emory University School of Medicine and Masters in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is the former Advocacy Chair of Health Students Taking Action Together (HSTAT), a nonprofit organization in Georgia focused on health care advocacy.President Trump has recently called migration at our southern border an emergency of the heart and soul.

Indeed it is an emergency, but for different reasons than the president seems to think.

The recent and best nonpartisan data indicate that the tide of immigration on our southern border has actually slowed over the last two to three years. So while the president is wrong about a crisis, he is right about the heart and soul of our nation being at stake.

The soul of our nation is at stake in the way we talk about and treat people. It is at stake in the credibility of the information we use to support our claims. In this, we stand by Jesus preaching. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 9:37, whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the One who sent me.

By all means we should articulate an emergency of heart and soul; we understand that what is at stake is human dignity, the compassionate care of children and fairness in legal proceeding. These are the real emergency threats to our well-being and to the long-term health and vitality of our nation.

Remember this  nothing has materially changed on the southern border in the last month. Only the rhetoric has shifted, and that shift comes in light of the government shutdown.

More than 800,000 government employees are without pay. Some of those have been deemed essential and are required to work even though they will not be compensated until the shutdown ends. All of them have bills to pay, families to support and futures to plan for. Each one of them is a taxpayer who holds all of the same hopes and commitments that each of us possesses. Many of them have missed paychecks. This is a moral emergency indeed.

In addition, the president is considering diverting disaster mitigation funds intended to provide relief from Hurricanes Harvey and Maria to fund southern border wall expansion. It is unconscionable to imagine that after all Houston and southeast Texas have been through, not to mention our Puerto Rican neighbors, that long-term recovery dollars would be redirected. Even considering the idea is abhorrent. This is a moral emergency indeed.

To be sure, immigration is a complex issue that needs comprehensive reform. We must have sensible policies that allow the United States to responsibly receive and integrate persons into the country. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants. And, we write as Christians who are compelled by the command of Scripture (in Exodus 22, Deuteronomy 24, Jeremiah 7, among many others) to welcome the widow, the orphan, and the alien in our midst. Yes, security is necessary to protect the vulnerable. Comprehensive reform can address all of these elements when the political will exists to do it.

We are asking for something much more basic than legislation. We are calling upon the president and all of our leaders, our faith communities and our neighbors to respond to the true moral emergency at hand  the demonizing rhetoric and a culture of fear that actually threaten our country far more than the absence of some length of wall.

Wells is pastor of South Main Baptist Church. Thompson is dean and rector of Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal). Williams is senior pastor at St Pauls United Methodist Church. Romero is rector at Trinity Episcopal Church. Robbins is senior pastor at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church. Willard is rector of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.FAYETTE COUNTY  On a scorchingly hot afternoon in September 2013, an armored Special Weapons and Tactics truck rumbled down a dirt road, stopping in front of a weathered single-story house. The Fayette Power Project loomed over the trees to the west. A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter hovered overhead. Federal and local police gathered on the ground.

The target of the assembled firepower: A 71-year-old man with a gun who three months earlier had been released from the Austin State Hospitals psychiatric facility.

Federal law said James Kollajas recent commitment for what his psychiatrists described as paranoid schizophrenia and dementia prohibited him from possessing any guns. Yet it hadnt worked out that way.

Police said Kollaja recently had taken a pot-shot at his nephew. Now, as officers gathered outside his home, the helicopter spotter reported he was standing near a barn on his property, loading his rifle.

In a state founded on a dare for authorities to confiscate its guns, separating Texans from their firearms has never been simple. Yet thanks to legal machinery whose individual gears often dont mesh, today it remains true even for those who most people agree shouldnt have guns.

Often called the relinquishment gap, the phrase describes the missing spans between laws that on paper forbid certain people from having firearms, and the legal enforcement tools to ensure that they genuinely dont. Texas isnt alone in failing to patch the holes. But because of the states sheer numbers - more people die here by firearm than any other state - the issue casts a larger shadow than in other places.

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The question of how to wrest firearms from dangerous people legally or temperamentally unfit to possess them has percolated to the surface as mass shootings committed by people with histories of instability have exposed the legal cracks that allowed them to acquire their guns.

It was widely reported that a domestic violence conviction while he served in the armed forces should have prohibited Devin Patrick Kelley from possessing his guns. But the U.S. Air Force failed to report it to the FBI, which maintains databases used by firearms dealers to perform background checks, so he could purchase the four guns he used in November 2017 to massacre 26 people at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

Lesser-known, though, is the Texas Department of Public Safety earlier had rejected Kelleys application for a state license to carry a gun in public. What disqualifying information Texas uncovered remains unclear; the public safety agency did not respond to questions.

Most gun-control efforts traditionally have focused on preventing those who would misuse firearms from getting them. Yet relatively little has been done to ensure that weapons are removed from those who already have them, but shouldnt.

While the law prohibits domestic abusers from possessing firearms, for example, only a dozen states have passed laws mandating that they prove theyve given up their guns. Texas is not one of them, relying instead on a patchwork of local initiatives to reel in illegally held guns from potential abusers.

Many states - Texas included - have passed laws permitting police to confiscate a firearm in the possession of a person experiencing a mental health crisis. A much smaller number have enacted red flag laws, which allow family members and others fearful of a persons mental stability to petition authorities to confiscate all his guns and ammunition, if only temporarily, to thwart imminently dangerous behavior.

Texas legislators have introduced similar bills. But they are opposed by the states influential gun lobby, which argues that current laws are sufficient, and that removing constitutionally protected guns even from a dangerous person doesnt meaningfully prevent the threat.

Related: Red flag law, closing gun show loophole among 19 gun bills filed by Texas lawmakers

The 2017 red flag proposals didnt pass. This years versions are predicted to meet a similar fate after Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick expressed opposition.

Its going to be a steep climb, said Greg Hansch, public policy director for the Texas chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Illegal guns turned in on the honor system

Prosecutors and advocates trying to prevent domestic violence have fought the firearm relinquishment battle for years. Studies show abused women are more likely to be killed if their partner has access to a gun, so a domestic violence conviction or protective order typically forbids abusers from possessing one.

Actually collecting the guns can be a different matter. Handing the weapons over typically is on the honor system, said Carla Bean, who runs the Dallas County District Attorneys protective order division. They can swear to not having a gun. But we don t know.

In 2015, the county started a program in which judges and prosecutors directly asked defendants if they had guns to relinquish. Dallas officials estimated the new procedure would harvest about 800 firearms a year from those who shouldnt have them.

Instead, the number has been closer to 30. Jerry Varney, administrative chief for the agency, said the main reason is that people havent been shy about lying.

Its easy for them to say [they have no guns] when they know you have no way of checking, he said. I could count on one hand how many times people said they have firearms. They could say no and feel secure in the fact no one is coming to their house to look.

In Travis County, which quizzes victims about their abusers gun collections, the number of annual gun confiscations has been closer to 100, said county Judge Michael Denton, who oversees the countys domestic violence docket.

Yet Shelli Egger, a legal aid attorney who sits on the Austin-Travis County Family Violence Task Force, said that in the absence of state law or even county-wide policy, confiscation procedures vary widely. For every judge who insists guns be turned in, she said, there is another who doesnt ask or declines to pursue guns even when they are known about.

I dont think the victims safety should depend on which court their case is assigned to, Egger said.

More perilous, Egger said, can be emergency protective orders, in which an abuser is deemed dangerous enough that a judge immediately orders him to stay away from his victim until his case can be heard formally by a judge, which can take up to two weeks. Yet even if the order contains a gun prohibition, officers delivering the orders seldom, if ever inquire about guns on the premises that must be forfeited, she said: It doesnt work that way.

Who wants to throw on the body armor and confiscate peoples firearms? said Shannon Edmonds, director of governmental relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

He was going to shoot us

Kollaja was familiar to local police in this rural county midway between Austin and Houston. A U.S. Army veteran, he increasingly had become angry at the government for what he described as poor treatment, recalled Fayette County sheriffs spokesman Lt. David Beyer.

In March 2013, One day he came to the office, Beyer said. He was upset about something. He had a letter and it had some threats. I said, What youre saying in here is not good; were gonna have to hold onto your guns.

He turned around and walked out and we followed him. He was trying to get into his car and we stopped him. He had a pistol and two rifles inside. If we hadnt stopped him, I think he was going to shoot us.

Court documents show that two weeks later Kollaja was committed to Austin State Hospital for 90 days. He was ordered to turn over his large gun collection to his nephew.

Over the years, states have scrambled to figure out how to balance their citizens Second Amendment rights with keeping guns out of the hands of people whose judgment appears dangerously impaired. Federal law prohibits those whove been committed to a mental institution from buying or possessing a firearm.

States must report them to the FBI. As of 2018, Texas had submitted 285,000 names to the agency (the number includes defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity in criminal proceedings, as well as those placed under legal guardianship).

Yet the gun prohibition applies only to those hospitalized involuntarily; if a person agrees to psychiatric commitment or receives outpatient treatment, he may still legally buy and possess a gun. In Texas, which typically has between 200 and 300 people waiting for a bed in a state psychiatric hospital, advocates say many who could be committed to a state hospital instead are shuffled to outpatient treatment, leaving their gun rights intact.

Doctors at private facilities, meanwhile, may also be reluctant to order long-term inpatient care, said Kelly Cross, a former Bexar County mental health judge. Most physicians where I am, they dont want a commitment, she told legislators during a hearing last summer. Why? Because more than likely the commitment is going to be to their private hospital and they dont have bed space.

Such pressures make involuntary commitments relatively uncommon. In 2017, Texas judges granted about 7,500 of just under 50,000 applications for mental health commitments, according to the Texas Office of Court Administration. (The number includes people placed under legal guardianship, who also may not possess firearms.)

Few mental health gun confiscations

In search of another tool to separate dangerous people and their guns, states have passed laws permitting police to confiscate firearms from citizens in a mental health crisis. Texass version, passed in 2013, permits police on scene where an armed person appears to be a danger to himself or others to confiscate his gun.

But the law applies only to any gun in the persons immediate possession, explained Maj. Mike Lee, who heads the mental health bureau at the Harris County Sheriffs Office. Other firearms the person may own elsewhere - in his house, under his bed - are off-limits to police.

According to a survey of the states larger law enforcement agencies, the law has resulted in only a small number of confiscations. Austin police take about four dozen guns a year; for Harris County sheriffs deputies, the number has been 30. Dallas police reported none since the law passed.

Because most people in crisis are not involuntarily committed, the guns usually are returned. In 2017, Houston police wrote about 10,000 mental health emergency detentions, Capt. Bill Staney, division commander of the departments mental health unit, told state lawmakers last summer. Sixty-five of them had guns that police confiscated, but only eight were eventually committed involuntarily.

So only eight out of all those peoplecould no longer have firearms, he said.

And even if the confiscated gun may no longer be available to the person after his commitment, Texas has no system to ensure a person deemed mentally incapacitated relinquishes any others he may own. Its okay in our state for him to own those guns, said Travis County Probate Judge Guy Herman. We dont have a law.

Red flag laws - also known as extreme risk protection orders -- allow family members and others, such as mental health counselors or police, to ask a judge to order a loved ones guns temporarily taken away from a person at risk of becoming a danger. Twelve states have passed them, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A study of Indianas and Connecticuts law, two of the oldest, concluded they lowered the states suicide rates.

Gun rights advocates said they oppose Texas adopting the measures. Red flag laws and due process are oxymorons, Terry Holcomb, executive director of Texas Carry, told legislators, adding that existing laws were sufficient protection against gun violence.

All I care about is that someones rights have not been stripped from them, including their firearms, when youre not taking their car, youre not taking their steak knives, youre not taking the rope, youre not taking the drugs out of the medicine cabinetbut - for a while - youve collected their firearms, added Alice Tripp, a representative of the Texas State Rifle Association, said at the hearing. Thats just wrong.

Even spotting gun, no authority to take it

Police heard next from James Kollaja over 2013s Labor Day weekend, when he demanded his nephew return his gun collection, according to court documents. When he refused, Kollaja became angry and threatened to shoot him.

Its unclear where Kollaja obtained his new, now-illegal guns; his nephew declined to comment. Kollaja allowed a Fayette County deputy onto his porch, but no farther. Peeking inside the screen door, the deputy spotted a black rifle with a scope on it leaning against the wall.

But the officer ran into a legal gap thwarting the guns confiscation.

Because it is a federal law that prohibits anyone who has been forced into inpatient psychiatric care from owning guns, local police cant seize the weapon unless they pass their own companion law. Texas hasnt. The deputy had no State authority to retrieve the firearm from Kollaja, even though Kollaja was previously committed into a mental facility by court order, court documents state.

The police retreated, later contacting U.S. attorneys in Houston. After a 10-day wait, a federal judge finally issued a search warrant.

Deputies drove to Kollajas house and asked him to accompany them to their office to surrender his guns voluntarily. Sitting on his porch with his gun across his lap, he declined, explaining he didnt trust the police. The S.W.A.T. team was called.

As negotiations broke down, police fired numerous canisters of tear gas and a flash-bang device. When they entered Kollajas house, he was found in a bedroom, asleep, with a loaded rifle in his possession, the documents state.The same day, local television news station Fox 45 published a purported internal memo, which said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had a complaint against Cassella for alleged racial discrimination that had been sustained in 2006. It also said that what appeared to be an internal disciplinary complaint, for not properly filing a report, was sustained. The memo had been addressed to De Sousa and Hill.A La Porte High School teacher is on administrative leave after allegedly making pornographic material visible during class, district officials said.

The incident happened in class Tuesday, officials said.

The teacher had pornographic material showing on his personal device on his desk, the district said.

The circumstances surrounding the porn were not immediately clear.

The district said they are aware of a possible video of the incident floating around on social media but could not confirm.

The incident was handed over to the La Porte Police Department and Harris County District Attorney's Office, although it appears no charges will be filed, the district said.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text messageThe new slate of Democratic judges have approved comprehensive revisions to Harris Countys bail system that could clear the way for thousands of people, regardless of income, to avoid spending time in jail while awaiting trial on minor offenses.

The county judges plan to present their new court protocol to a federal judge, in a joint request with the sheriff, the county and poor defendants, in a historic class action over bail practices, asking that she implement the revised system as a foundation for a settlement.

The civil rights lawsuit accused the county of holding indigent clients in jail for days because they couldnt afford costly bonds.

Under the new administrative rule, 85 percent of people arrested on misdemeanors automatically qualify for release on no-cash bonds, according to the countys pretrial services division. People arrested for bond violations, repeat drunken driving and family violence are the only exceptions. These defendants must appear before a magistrate or judge within 48 hours, at which time they may also qualify for personal recognizance bonds.

THE MORNING REPORT: Start your day strong with the top stories from HoustonChronicle.com

What it means is that no one will be in jail because they cannot afford to get out, said Court at Law Judge Darrell Jordan, the presiding judge, who has been on the bench since 2017. This is a history making moment for civil rights not only in Harris County but for the U.S., because as the third-largest county in America, which is larger than 26 states, what we do here will be watched by all and can be emulated or replicated by all.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez expressed his support, saying the change would improve criminal justice all around.

I have steadfastly supported bail reform, as long as it can be implemented in a way to enhance public safety, Gonzalez said. Violent offenders who pose a legitimate risk to our community belong in jail and deserve bail amounts and other restrictions that put safety first.

Today, however, too many jail beds are occupied by nonviolent people who can be safely released to return home to support their families while they await trial, said the sheriff, who is also a defendant in the bail case, although he does not oppose the lawsuit.

District Attorney Kim Ogg said she welcomed the outcome.

The millions of dollars squandered fighting bail reform should have been used to implement a bail system that was both fair to the accused and protected the public safety, Ogg said. Now we can do that, but the success of bail reform will depend on appropriate funding across the board.

Jordan and several of his 15 newly elected court at law colleagues unveiled the new bail protocol Thursday at a news conference in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, where most of the new judges attended law school.

Its a big day for Harris County, said attorney Allan Van Fleet, who represents the county judges in federal court. It will make Harris County safer and more equal and provide more efficient processing of people accused of misdemeanors.

Jordan and four fellow judges announced the bail revisions along with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Pretrial Services Director Kelvin Banks. They said the new bail rule was crafted with input from the sheriff, the DA and the lawyers for the indigent defendants.

Fundamentally, the steps you all are taking are about making sure were an example of innovation, an example of fairness, an example of a safe system, instead of an example of what not to do, and its incumbent upon us to make sure this is done right, Hidalgo said.

The newly elected county leader spoke about Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthals opinion in the federal April 2017 injunction, which cited research that found when courts hold poor people in pretrial detention, people lose their jobs and the judges effectively create recidivists.

Banks said the new plan represented a seismic shift, but his agency is up to the task with the new processing center in place.

Releasing the vast majority of misdemeanor offenders will save the county money. It costs $80 a day to hold someone in jail, whereas pretrial release costs 83 cents per day, he said. Helping people make it to court is vital, he said, and with the massive surge in pretrial clients, the division will be using smartphone apps, web-based apps and a kiosk to help defendants make their court dates and make sure they have the support they need.

Jordan, who presides over misdemeanor court, said the goal of all the parties working toward a settlement in the federal lawsuit is to create a cite-and-release system for misdemeanors similar to the court citations traffic officers issue for moving violations. The obstacle right now is coming up with a system for scheduling court appearances at the time of an arrest.

The county has spent about $9 million on outside lawyers defending itself against the 2016 lawsuit, brought by two civil rights groups and a local law firm on behalf of indigent defendants. Rosenthal ruled in 2017 that the countys policy of jailing only people who couldnt come up with bail money amounted to wealth-based detention, in violation of the due process and equal protection clauses in the Constitution.

Fourteen Republicans on the prior panel of judges strongly opposed the lawsuit and argued that dismantling their system would diminish judicial discretion and create a public safety threat. County Court at Law Judge Mike Fields, who lost in the Democratic sweep, sided with the indigent defendants along with Jordan, the only other African-American on the bench at the time.

Despite the loss of his bench, Fields  who was not at the press conference  applauded the current judges for their new system, which he said was a prime example of transforming campaign promises into practical policy.

Reimagining our criminal justice system isnt a Democrat issue or a Republican issue; its a human rights issue, Fields said. To make reform a reality, our system and the way we do things has to change. These judges are creating that change.

Judge Toria J. Finch, representing Court at Law No. 9, noted at the news conference that people keep telling the new judges that the atmosphere in the courts has changed. What the new judges are consciously attempting to do, she said, is restore the publics faith in the judiciary.

Once that spreads, people will understand that when they come to court theyre coming before a judiciary that will temper judgment with mercy, with compassion and with dignity, Finch said. Were not saying were going to neglect the safety of our communities, but we want to make sure that we cultivate an atmosphere that people feel they will be judged solely on the merits of what their case is and not how much money they make, where they come from, what their sexual orientation is  because we understand that every time we do something in court it has lifelong lasting effects.

Jordan, who has taken a leadership role in reforming bail practices, agreed that the courthouse is a different place. He testified at a 2017 federal injunction hearing that different judges and magistrates had effectively delivered different outcomes for defendants with the same criminal backgrounds depending on how much bail they could pay.

I never thought this day would get here, based on the work environment I was in before, Jordan said. Words cant express how excited I am about the work the new judges have done and the reality that this lawsuit is coming to an end in a way that addresses all the constitutional concerns Ive been fighting for the past two years.

Meanwhile, a similar case in Galveston continues to move through federal court. On Jan. 10, U.S. District Judge George Hanks Jr. upheld Magistrate Judge Andrew Edisons denial of Galveston Countys motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the countys cash bail system.

The Galveston lawsuit, filed last April on behalf of a man who could not afford to post $20,000 bail on a felony drug possession charge, accuses county officials of operating an arbitrary, two-tiered system of justice based on wealth. The system violates the constitutional rights to counsel, to due process and to equal protection under the law, the suit alleges.

In addition to agreeing that the case should continue, Hanks found that District Attorney Jack Roady, who controls the countys bail schedule, was liable for his role in perpetuating a wealth-based detention system.

Nick Powell contributed to this report.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com

twitter.com/GabMoBanks

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.The Trump administration likely separated thousands more children from their parents at the southern border than was previously believed, according to a report by government inspectors released Thursday.

Nearly 3,000 children were previously reported to have been forcibly separated from their parents under last years zero-tolerance immigration policy under which nearly all adults entering the country illegally were prosecuted, and any children accompanying them were put into shelters or foster care.

Even before the administration officially unveiled the zero-tolerance policy in the spring of 2018, staff of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that oversees the care of children in federal custody, already had noted a sharp increase in the number of children separated from a parent or guardian, according to the report from the agencys Office of Inspector General.

As of December, the department had identified 2,737 children who were separated from their parents under the policy and required to be reunified by a federal court order in June 2018.

But that number does not represent the full scope of family separations. Thousands of children may have been separated during an influx that began in 2017, before the accounting required by the court, the report said.

Thus, the total number of children separated from a parent or guardian by immigration authorities is unknown, because of the lack of a coordinated formal tracking system between the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the arm of Health and Human Services that takes in the children, and the Department of Homeland Security, which separated them from their parents.

On June 26, 2018, a federal judge in San Diego directed the federal government to halt the separation of parents and children at the border and to reunite them with their parents. President Donald Trump rescinded the policy that same month.

This article originally appeared in The New York TimesThe 10 historic buildings of Sam Houston Park have long seemed exceptional in a town that has never shown respect for its past. Including homes of various styles and a charming church, all restored and furnished in the styles of their eras, they serve as the primary exhibition spaces for a collection of more than 23,000 historic artifacts.

But their future is now in jeopardy because the non-profit charged with their upkeep is struggling to stay afloat.

The Heritage Society manages the 19th and early 20th century treasures, which are owned by the city, and also maintains five other city-owned buildings in the park, including its museum.

The Societys leaders say that in the near term, the organization must scale back radically to continue operating. Beginning Feb. 1, all 15 of its full-time employees, including executive director Alison Bell, will work only part-time. General park hours will remain the same, open dawn-to-dusk daily, but the organization will need to lean more than ever on its volunteers.

It would be horrific if they had to close, said Randy Tibbits, a co-founder of the Houston Early Texas Art Group, which often stages exhibitions in the Societys museum. They provide things to Houston that no one else is providing.

The Society recently completed the first phase of a $2 million renovation of the Kellum-Noble House, a big-ticket capital improvement. Built in 1848, the home is Houstons oldest surviving building  and in fact, the Society was founded in 1954 to save it from demolition. But the homes annual maintenance averages $300,000 to $350,000, and the organizations annual operating budget of about $1 million does not adequately cover those expenses.

Even before Hurricane Harvey inundated the park and flooded the 1868 Pillot House, the Society was borrowing heavily to finance building upkeep.

Financial documents show it spent more than $557,000 from mid-2012 to mid-2017 (before Harvey) on the structures, with no city funding for the cost of roofs, HVAC systems, paint, carpentry, alarm monitoring, insurance, pest control and preservation planning.

Efforts to renegotiate the Societys maintenance contract have led nowhere, said board vice president Minnette Boesel. Andy Icken, the mayors chief development officer, confirmed that while they will have continuing conversations, the city hasnt agreed to provide more funding, and there is no proposal right now to do so.

Nor does the Society receive any funds when the city stages festivals at the park. Boesel has once proposed adding a fee to those events to benefit the Society, when access to the museum and tours is cut off or difficult  a step that wouldnt cost the city anything, she said.

Sam Houston Parks historic buildings The 1847 Kellum-Noble House, the oldest surviving building in Houston, has original brick walls made of mud from Nathaniel Kellum's brickyard on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. Original to the site, and acquired by the city with the park property in 1899, it opened as the park's first house museum in 1958. The Greek Revival 1850 Nichols-Rice-Cherry House was originally located on Courthouse Square in downtown Houston. William Marsh Rice's business partner Ebenezer Nichols first lived there, and later Rice himself. Emma Richardson Cherry, one of Houston's best-known early artists, moved the house to Montrose; it then became the first house moved to the park, in 1959. The 1868 Pillot House, relocated from McKinney Street, was donated to the city in 1965. One of the first homes in Houston to have an attached kitchen with running water, closets and gas lighting, it was designed with full-length windows and wrap-around porches to accommodate Houston's hot temperatures. Eugene Pillot, who was in the lumber business, his wife Zeolide and their six children lived in the house. The 1891 St. John Church was built by German and Swiss immigrant farmers in northwest Harris County for their Evangelical Lutheran congregation. Services were held primarily in German until the 1930s. The building was brought to Sam Houston Park in 1968. The 1868 San Felipe Cottage reflects Houston's German working-class vernacular. Fire chiefs, successful business owners and city council members were among its residents when the home was at 313 San Felipe (now West Dallas); and ownership passed through the hands of three different women. It was moved to the park in 1962. The 1823 Old Place, an example of early Texas frontier architecture, illustrates the hardships faced by immigrants permitted to settle in colonial Texas in Austin's Colony. The original one-room building was encapsulated inside larger additions in later years. It was moved from the bank of Clear Creek to Sam Houston Park in 1973. The Staiti House, built as a spec home in the Westmoreland Addition, was purchased by oil pioneer Henry T. Staiti in 1905. After damage from a hurricane in 1915, the house was renovated and expanded by Alfred Finn's architectural firm. Its modern amenities included early electric lighting, an intercom system and a built-in ice box. Moved to the park in 1896, it is furnished to depict the lifestyle of the Staiti family in the early 20th century. The 1870 Yates House, originally located at 1318 Andrews Street in Freedmen's Town, is a simplified Greek Revival home built just five years after Emancipation by the Reverend John Henry Yates, an emancipated slave who became the minister for Antioch Baptist Church, founded Bethel Baptist Church and helped to organize the Houston Academy. Donated by the Yates family and moved to the park in 1994, its furnishings include some of the original possessions. The Fourth Ward Cottage, previously located at 809 Robin Street and brought to the park in 2002, was home to a German immigrant family in the middle of the 19th century. It was a rental house for more than a century (1883 to 2001) as part of the thriving African American neighborhood known as Freedmen's Town. Exposed layers in the walls illustrate changes made to create the "shotgun" structure over the years. The Baker Family Playhouse, built c.1893 by Captain James A. Baker for his daughter Alice at 1104 San Jacinto. moved with the family five times and entertained four generations of Baker children. It was moved to the park in 2010. See More Collapse

Unfortunately, the Heritage Society has reached an impasse, Boesel said.

The Society also has met multiple times with Houston First, which operates nearby Theater District facilities and the George R. Brown convention center. Houston First has not been in a position to help financially since Hurricane Harvey, still saddled with $170 million in repairs to the districts flooded facilities, Boesel said.

Before the storm, however, Houston First paid for a strategic plan for the park. Delivered last summer, the plan recommended that the Society seek partnerships, initiate place-making projects, program more activities, explore governance options and expand its marketing efforts.

Heritage Society board president Jim Furr said a task force that includes officials from the city, Houston First and other potential partners will explore options for saving the buildings by creating a revenue stream that could also make the park more lively. Slightly more than 15,000 people toured the buildings and gallery in 2016-17  a lacklaster number by most standards.

Furr envisions mixed-use in the broad sense, including a cafe or a retail operation with a commercial partner. He noted that major improvements are coming to downtowns western side in the next few years that will improve walkability and bike access to the park.

Its an exciting opportunity  and scary, Boesel said.

She, too, believes the park can thrive. Its at the nexus point linking Buffalo Bayou Park and hike-and-bike trails. Its an entryway to downtown, Boesel said. And we have all this heritage. This was the home of Houstons first zoo, and the citys first municipal park.

A lot of people gave time and goodwill decades ago to make the park what it is today, Furr said. As a retired architect, he has a special fondness for the Kellum-Noble House, built by Nathaniel Kelly Kellum next to his brickyard. It was included when the city bought the land in 1899.

Houstonian Christine Sigman often brings out-of-town visitors to see the park. She was there Wednesday, in spite of the drizzly weather, with her friend Lisa Mosley, of Boston. "Compared to some of the other parks in Houston, Sigman said, the houses really make this a destination.

Jasper Scherer and Mark Mulligan contributed to this report.Weve got a whole bunch of awesome sommeliers in Houston. In fact, theres even an informal wine study group called AweSOMM.

The participants, all in the retail or restaurant wine trade and trying to achieve their formal sommelier certifications, have in the past couple of years volunteered at the Taste of Italy Houston event sponsored by the Italy-American Chamber of Commerce. But AweSOMMs driving force, Jaime DeLeon, decided to add a little drama to the 2019 event, Feb. 25, at the Hilton Post Oak, by launching the Houstons Best Sommelier competition. Emphasis on Houstons.

A local event for locals only, said DeLeon, the adult-beverages sales manager for Krogers Houston division.

A $1,200 first prize, to be applied toward future wine-education studies, is at stake. Two runners-up will receive $300 for the same. The field will be limited to the first 20 who apply (awesommhouston.com) and modeled on the Court of Master Sommeliers certification protocols, although DeLeon makes it clear there is no affiliation with CMS. Also, previous participation in AweSOMM sessions is not a requirement.

To call the winner the best, DeLeon said, it had to open to everyone.

Well, almost everyone. Those already certified as Advanced and Master Sommeliers through CMS arent eligible.

The results of a wine-theory exam, covering the entire international spectrum, will cut the field to 10 finalists, who will then be put through their tasting and table-service paces utilizing a strong lineup of Italian wines featured at the event itself, which is free and open to the public starting at 3 p.m. (Registration at iacctexas.com/tasteitaly is required for admittance.)

DeLeon grew up on Houstons Northside, attending Sam Houston High School and never giving wine so much as a second thought. But, once his head got turned by the grape, there was no turning back, and hes now proudly wears a CMS Advanced Sommelier pin on his jacket lapel with the hopes of scoring the one for Master Sommelier at some in the future. Having studied for his certifications under the tutelage of Guy Stout, whos sort of the godfather of Master Sommeliers in Houston, he put his energy behind AweSOMM as a way of paying it forward.

Many of those attending AweSOMMs Sunday-night sessions, hosted at restaurants across the city, are Latinos who, like DeLeon, didnt grow up in anything approaching a wine culture.

Guy lent me my wings, he said, so Im giving them back.

Or, better, lending his own. A friendship with Jeremy Parzen, a Houston-based writer/blogger and a media consultant for the Italy-American Chamber, got the ball rolling between the two groups.

James deserves a lot of credit for what hes doing, Parzen said. He has provided the model and the path to further their careers in wine, to be part of the wine world with him.

The Italy-American Chambers website describes Taste of Italy Houston, now in its fifth year, as the largest food and wine fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian wines and food products, producers, and gastronomic traditions. The chamber says more than 550 people attended in 2017, the largest crowd yet, and 150 exhibitors participated. Some 300 are expected to showcase their Italian foods and wine this year.

dale.robertson@chron.com

twitter.com/sportywineguyUntil a metal band makes good use of the phrase Super Blood Wolf Moon, astronomy, folklore and fiction will have to do. Such a moon should be visible on Sunday night, a mix of rare lunar events and terminology attributable to Native American culture and authors of apocalyptic fiction.

Those weird forces come together to form a wicked-sounding phenomenon that has captured the attention of far more people than star-gazing professionals.

Its funny if you describe what happens with this eclipse to people, kids or adults, you get some blank looks, says Dr. Carolyn Sumners, vice president of astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. But if you say Blood Moon that does something else. You ask, Whats the scientific word? Nothing. Call it a total lunar eclipse, nothing. Call it a Blood Moon and people are there.

Heres the breakdown of Sundays astronomic event:

Super Blood Wolf Moon viewings George Observatory When: 8-10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20. Telescopes will be open until midnight. Where: George Observatory, Brazos Bend State Park, 21901 FM 762, Needville Details: hmns.org; 281-242-3055. Rice University When: Pat Hartigan, Rice professor of physics and astronomy, will give a lecture at 8:30 p.m. Sunday before the public viewing. Where: Rice University Campus Observatory, on the fourth floor of Brockman Hall for Physics, Room 101, 6100 Main Details: ruf.rice.edu/~ruco/open_houses.html See More Collapse

The Blood Moon is a total lunar eclipse and occurs with the alignment of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon, casting the Earths shadow across the entire Moon. The Moon generates no light of its own, and during a total lunar eclipse the Earths atmophere scatters the Suns light, particularly the blue and violet hues, leaving more red wavelenghts to reach the Moon and cast a reddish hue.

The Super Moon is an occurence of proximity because its orbit around the Earth isnt perfectly circular. When the Moon is at perigee, its closest distance to Earth, it appears more prominently in the sky, an estimated 10 to 15 percent larger.

The Wolf Moon is believed to be a Native American phrase for the first full moon in January. Mostly it sounds cool, as other old moon descriptions, like Harvest Moon, do.

Actually none of the three components of the name possess any grand astronomical roots. The phrase Super Moon has only been kicking around 40 years. While blood red is a common description for the coppery phenomenon of a total lunar eclipse, the phrase Blood Moon itself enjoys current chic due to recent religious apocalyptic fiction.

Its just the past five years or so that everybody started calling it a Blood Moon, Sumners says. People I know called it brick red. But nobody doing what I was doing knew anything about marketing.

Which isnt to undermine the rarity of Sundays occurrence. The next total lunar eclipse wont be visible in Houston again until May 2022. And that Blood Moon wont be a Super Moon.

This particular lunar event should begin shortly after 9:30 p.m., though sky gazers may want to punch in a little earlier. The penumbra  the initial shadow cast by the Earth onto the Moon should begin around 8:35 p.m. Observers should see the Moon dim a little bit before slowly shifting into the umbra, the full shadow of the earth, which takes place about an hour later. The Moon should be fully eclipsed at 10:42 p.m.

Conditions should be good for a viewing, with Saturdays expected rain having come and gone. That said, it could be chilly and windy outside. Well, Houston chilly.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science will host a viewing party at Brazos Bend State Park, with telescopes provided until midnight. And the Rice University Campus Observatory will also have an open house for viewing.

Bring something warm to drink, and lots of warm clothes, Sumners says. But thats whats cool about it.

She points out that the timing also works well for kids in Houston, with this particular Moon occurring the Sunday before a school holiday.

Its important to create a memory, she says. Usually kids need to be in bed by the time something like this happens. But they have Monday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So its only halfway through at 11:12 p.m. and not finished until 12:50 the next day, our time. But they can watch it and take notes and sleep in the next day.

andrew.dansby@chron.comThey had me at swimming with pigs.

In Fyre Fraud, Hulus alternately engrossing, sobering and yet often unintentionally hilarious documentary about the steaming pile of ego, fraud, disorganization and millennial social-media gullibility that was 2017s disastrous Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, one of the alleged attractions was the chance to swim with pigs.

Of course, like everything else at Fyre Festival, which was supposed to be a blissful weekend of beery bros and leggy, Instagram-famous models kickin it to cool tunes on a deserted island supposedly once owned by cartel king Pablo Escobar, the pigs were much less than advertised. The surly swine snapped and bit, not caring how many likes or retweets you had.

According to Fyre Fraud, they even tried to nip brash festival organizer, and now convicted felon, Billy McFarland in the testicles. Considering how the rest of the festival turned out  a fever dream of band cancellations, FEMA tents, no electricity, toppled porta potties, nasty showers, lousy food, unpaid bills and enough lawsuits for an entire season of Judge Judy  there was no doubt many attendees who were sorry the hogs missed their target.

Now, with Jenner Fursts absorbing Fyre Fraud and the even more compelling Netflix documentary, Chris Smiths Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, available for streaming this week, the rest of the world can feel their pain while basking in the schadenfreude that comes when trustafarians who can afford to blow thousands of dollars to see Blink-182 or Lil Yachty and think theyre going to be rubbing shoulders, or other body parts, with supermodel Bella Hadid get hoodwinked in the most embarrassingly epic way. (Some even quit their jobs or sold belongings in order to go.)

Fyre Fraud has one big advantage over Fyre: an interview with McFarland who apparently was paid an undisclosed sum for his services, something that Netflix refused to do. In fact, Fyre Fraud is less about the festival fiasco itself and more about McFarlands history of lies and scams, and how his ambitions and career bloomed alongside a social-media culture built on the quicksand of fame without talent, celebrity without skill, and viral messaging without content.

Yet McFarland doesnt say much beyond self-serving blather in his talking-head interviews. He does manage to look glumly guilty but thats a sad salve for all those he has ripped off over the years.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, on the other hand, digs deeper into the fiasco of the festival itself, where McFarlands arrogance, incompetence and lies were the headliners instead of Migos and Major Lazer.

Fyre Fraud Hulu Rated: Unrated Running time: 96 minutes ***1/2 (out of five) 'Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened' Netflix Rated: Unrated Running time: 97 minutes ****(out of five) See More Collapse

Its easy to laugh at those concertgoers lured to Fyre Festival because of a slick social-media campaign and an online post by Kendall Jenner. One tweet succinctly summed up the mockery: Every time a rich kid is scammed, an angel gets his wings.

Whats left out of that derision is any sympathy for those close to McFarland lured by his vision  from his investors to his own staff, the hired production crew to the cash-strapped Bahamian day workers  who were kept in the dark about what was going on, lied to repeatedly, went unpaid and were left holding a bag full of debt.

Frye gives voice to these ghosts in his ill-conceived machine, some of whom are still dealing with the fallout nearly two years later.

Sure, history is littered with con artists but McFarland  currently serving a six-year sentence in federal prison on fraud charges, including related to the festival  tapped into a sense of vanity, self-deception and the Internet-driven consumer anxiety known as fomo (fear of missing out) that seems to afflict this particular age. Hashtag suckerborneveryminute.

The most alarming part of these documentaries is neither The Lord of the Flies concert conditions nor McFarlands pressuring one of his business partners to perform a sex act with a Bahamian official to get shipments of bottled water through customs.

Its that the least delusional creatures on the island that weekend were the pigs.

cary.darling@chron.comAT&T is looking to fill 500 tech jobs at the Turnaround Houston Readiness Fair being held Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The job fair, held in the Moody Community Center at 3725 Fulton St., is part of a city initiative to address barriers to employment. Turnaround Houston offers access to job training, resume writing, tattoo removal, social service agencies, educational institutions, counseling and intervention to help hard-to-employ Houstonians.Gregg Leakes is sadly battling stage three cancer and although his wife NeNe is by his side taking care of him, it can be hard at times. "It's very, very hard to be a caretaker," NeNe previously told People. "People call and they say, 'How's Gregg doing?' and I want to throw the phone and say, 'How the f**k am I doing? I'm going crazy over here. Gregg is wearing me out!"

On a recent episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta NeNe expressed the situation further, explaining how Gregg has been lashing out at her. Her husband has seemingly gotten word of her thoughts and has taken to Instagram to apologize.

"We always hurt the ones we love... because they allow us to hurt them rather than snap back," he captioned an image of NeNe. "I'm tired of hurting my wife who is only trying to take good care of me and wants only the best for me too. She deserves much more for her hard efforts and tireless hours spent on me. I pray to God to get it together... she's done NO wrong... this is ALL on me."

Peep the full post below.If people would do that, it would be much easier for our cars to clear. If you have to zigzag between cars, it kind of messes us up  and for a liability issue, we will not go in a spot that we don't think we can make it through, he told the Times Monday.While not entirely traditional hip-hop presences, Diplo and Sia have dipped their toes in the ground on occasion, having collectively worked with Kanye West, Eminem, and more. Together with Labrinth, a rapper slash songwriter who caught ears on Nicki Minaj's "Majesty," the group formed LSD, an acronym for their respective monikers. As it happens, the acronym also alludes to a powerful hallucinogen, which seems to be at the centerpiece of their musical aesthetic. From the trippy (and vaguely unsettling) cover art to the even more potent dose of visuals, LSD seem more than willing to live up to their name's connotations.

Today, the trifecta have brought Lil Wayne into the fold for a remix to "Genius," allotting him enough time to showcase his prowess, but not enough to truly mark the occasion as his own. While the production is somewhat pristine, a quality that may put off the average hip-hop listener, that's to be expected given the mainstream familiarity of the orchestrators. Still, it's a new verse from Lil Wayne, and that in itself is always welcome.

Quotable Lyrics

I'm a genius under pressure, no question, I'm really special

Upper echelon when I bless you, molest you with intellectual

It's a pleasure, it gets sexual, women limit complexion

Quick connections, then ejections, my love is so ambidextrous

I'm a genius, imperfectionist, specialist in the exorcist

With excellence for evidence, necklaces for irrelevanceCharlamagne Tha God is an Adrien Broner, and that's got to mean something because he ain't exactly easily bemused, not in the slightest. The Breakfast Club host showed his appreciation for the former Junior Welterweight titlist by posting a video from his latest press conference. Yesterday evening, Adrien Broner sat before the press, for the very last time before his fight with Manny Pacquiao this Saturday.

The precise moment in the presser to elicit a response from Charlamagne occurred when Adrien Broner recognized a media person he didn't like. Let's just say, the incident could have been handled more delicately - but this is Adrien "About Billions" Broner we're talking about, the same individual whose psych-down of Manny Pacquiao included a dig at Filipino fight fans.

"Its cool. They exchanged words, we exchanged words. Its cool. They all cool, man. I told him Ima give him some sauteed German Shepard," Broner said of Pacquiao's following overseas.

Charlamagne message of compliance with Broner focused on the boxer's "devil may care" attitude. "ENERGY IM FOREVER ON. If I dont like you I dont pretend to and if I dont fuck with you, WE dont fuck with you," wrote the HOT 97 host next to his video homage. This is nevertheless a very important fight in Adrien Broner's career if he is to prove his doubters wrong. Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, is ready to prove that he remains a viable threat well into his 40s, in his 70th professional bout on record. Who's your pick for the big dance?After 2018, it's safe to say #Kanye2020 has lost its appeal, but some think that Cardi B might be more suited for the role of the President of the United States. Most will agree that celebrities should stay out of politics, but that line has already been blurred. Earlier today, Trump ordered thousands of government workers to return to their job, but they still won't be getting paid due to the ongoing government shutdown. Cardi B took to Instagram to air out her frustrations about Trump's move and urge the public to take a stand.



Zach Gibson-Pool/Getty Images

Cardi B might not work for the government, but she does feel for the federal workers who must return to work without pay. Although Trump isn't the first president to implicate a government shutdown, Cardi B pointed out that the only reason Obama shut down the government was for the purpose of healthcare.

"Trump is now ordering, as in summoning, federal government workers to go back to work without getting paid," she said. "Now, I don't want to hear any of y'all mothafuckas talkin' 'bout, 'Oh, but Obama shut down the government for 17 days.' Yeah, bitch! For Healthcare! So your grandma could check her blood pressure and you bitches could go check y'all pussy at the gynecologist with no mothafuckin' problem."

She continued: "This shit is really fuckin' serious, bro. This shit is crazy. Like, our country is in a hellhole right now. All for a fuckin' wall."

Peep the video below.There aren't many people who will stand behind R. Kelly right now. After the debut of Surviving R. Kelly on Lifetime, the culture has canceled the R&B legend. All of these allegations against R. Kelly have been known for decades, but it took a docuseries to motivate people on a massive scale to wash their hands of Kells. French Montana was one of the few people who voiced support for Kelly, suggesting that he should be able to enjoy his legacy. While speaking with Angie Martinez, A$AP Rocky attempted to clarify French's comment.



Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Diamond Ball

"I think he had a Kanye moment where he was trying to articulate something and his delivery just wasn't right," Rocky states at the 16:43 mark. "I think what he was trying to say was people like Bill Cosby, people like R. Kelly, they build up this legacy for a long time, and it just gets taken away. Don't get me wrong. Do I know if R. Kelly is a rapist and all that other stuff? It seems like he is." Rocky continued on to firmly state his own stance on Kells. "I look at it like this. If that man has a sickness, he needs to be dealt with," the rapper explained.Painter Taurean Washington has such a strong affinity for the spoken word, that he oft-considers himself a "hip-hop artist." After successfully moonlighting for years under this umbrage, Taurean is ready to show the World his latest body of work based on Kanye West's lasting reputation as a producer/rapper.

The exhibit, entitled "Yeezus Taught Me" will be shown in Columbia, Maryland on February 2nd from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. The one-of-a-kind vernissage will likely only be accessible to Kanye West fans in the DMV-area. Washington's homage to Yeezy is nevertheless, a fitting tribute to a rapper-cum-label-head in dire need of a moral WIN.

Washington describes his artistic practice in an easy-to-grasp portmanteau: Art-Hop. "I see myself as a visual lyricist. My paintbrush is the microphone, my lyrics are the image. Composition and the beat is the color," he told HipHopDX in conversation.

As for his inspiration to embark on the project, on the whole, Taurean Washington borrows from the same complexities as the rest of us. "To me, Kanye West is prolific and controversial at the same time," he says. "Kanyes Yeezus album epitomizes that idea. Its very raw and brash. This was the album that was interesting to interpret and give a 'visual rap' to. I created 10 paintings, each an interpretation of a song off the album."

Washington's other project to receive a fair bit of critical attention was the exhibition he based around Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly. Although he debuted the project on his own terms, Washington would later receive a veritable co-sign from K. Dot's reps, as they felt indebted to his very-public adulation. Be sure to check out Washington's Instagram showcase, and support your local art scene, while we're on the subject.The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is introducing the Vivanta brand in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal with the opening of Vivanta Kathmandu.

The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is introducing the Vivanta brand in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal with the opening of Vivanta Kathmandu. This will be the company's second hotel in the region after Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safaris Lodge in Chitwan National Park. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Patan Darbar Square, the hotel is a perfect gateway to explore the land of yaks and yetis, snow peaks and ancient temples.

"We are thrilled to embark on this exciting new venture in Kathmandu which will complete the tourist circuit by providing a stopover to UNESCO listed Chitwan National Park. Nepal offers medieval cities and sacred sites to Himalayan peaks and wildlife safaris, catering to a multitude of experiences. We look forward to working with our partner CG Group on this project, reiterating our commitment to the region," said Rohit Khosla, executive vice president, operations, north and west India, IHCL.

Vivanta Kathmandu houses 110 rooms and is located in the charming Jhamsikhel district. With its enviable setting, urbane rooms and avant-garde restaurants, the hotel is a perfect option for short and long stays. Guests have a choice of distinctive culinary options from Akari, serving pan-Asian cuisine; a rooftop bar Koko, serving bistro-style food; to the whiff of local Newari dishes at Mynt  the all-day diner.

"Vivanta Kathmandu is the perfect hideaway to explore one of the world's greatest travel destinations  Nepal. We look forward to providing guests with a hotel that is equally captivating and that will serve as a backdrop for the rich and authentic adventures that the country offers," said Naveen Tomar, general manager, Vivanta Kathmandu, Nepal.

Other facilities include a fitness centre, swimming pool, spa and world-class concierge services that de-mystify the region's unique culture and natural splendour.

Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe

 2021 Hotel News ResourceOpinion Article

17 January 2019

Fabrizio Verrecchia

Advertisements

If sales haven't been as strong as you'd hoped in 2018, there are probably as many reasons for that as there are ads on the Internet

But over the past 6 years, as a copywriter and marketing strategist for hospitality tech companies, I've found that a lack in sales generally comes down to one key problem: sending the right message, but at the wrong time.

The big problem with this is - if you don't address that issue first, you're going to keep struggling.

Because even if you have the best thing since sliced bread, if you're not getting any traction - then you don't have a chance of bringing in well-qualified leads for your sales process. And that means you're starved for sales.

So, let me help you get that right.

First, by demonstrating where things are most likely going wrong in your current 'market-to-message match'

And second, by helping you dial that in, with some key questions to ask hoteliers at each stage, so you can create more win-win partnerships moving forward.

And I think it would help if we had a simple example to keep referring back to, so let me BORE you with a story about my little backyard paradise, to show you why you SHOULDN'T be talking about how great your technology is all the time:

My backyard paradise is a little deck I built, deep inside the Tecolote Canyon.

Looking south, I'm surrounded by nearly a mile of green scenery, and I have almost complete privacy.

In fact, I'm the only one down here, except all birds that call this valley home; doves, sparrows humming birds...

There's even a family of hawks.

And, even though I live smack dab in the middle of San Diego, for all intents and purposes...

... this little hideaway makes me feel like I'm right in the middle of the country.

I'm sure you can see why this is one of my favorite places in the world.

Photo: Hospitality Copywriting

At this point, you're probably asking: Hey, Jeremiah. Why should I care about any of this?

You shouldn't! And that's the point.

I'm leading with what's important to me but unless you were in the market for a new house in San Diego, this messaging is all wrong.

Do you see how the timing's off?

Unfortunately, this is the fundamental mistake that most companies are making every day

And this is why most hospitality tech salespeople aren't getting much traction.

They're going on and on about how great their solutions is thinking they're addressing a prospective client's needs

 but they're not. Because they're not meeting hoteliers where they're at, and that's why they're missing their sales targets.

People aren't getting a real sense of 'What's in it for me'

 or how their lives and their businesses might be better with your solution in place

 and that's why it's hard for them to see WHY they should invest a bunch of time and effort, just to try it out.

Let's dive in a little deeper for clarification on the right way to set things up.

How to 'sync up' with your market

'Syncing up' with your market is all about creating the right context for a productive conversation.

Say I were selling my house (which I am not!)

 how do you think I should go about catching potential home-buyers' attention and developing those leads into red-hot leads?

Most hotel tech companies do this sort of work by making cold calls, putting out PPC ads, buying leads, or good ol' fashioned networking and I'm not saying any of these things are wrong

These are all proven ways of putting names on a list.

Where they're falling down is in the next step; when it comes to using the right messaging, to turn those contacts into opt-in subscribers.

This is why, even large, established brands are having an extremely difficult time producing high-quality leads with any consistency, these days.

Let's not fall into that trap

Before spending any time money or effort in generating a list of contacts, the first thing we need to do is sit down and map out the 3 stages that every buyer needs to go through before we can call them an actual, qualified lead.

This starts by reminding ourselves that: it doesn't matter who you are, and what you're selling (it could be room nights, management services or technology), your prospects are always at some point along a spectrum of awareness; between being relatively unaware of solutions, focusing in on a few solutions, or desperately in need of any solution.

And, because of that, we should never talk to these 3 different groups in the same way, right?

That would be out of sync.

Each one of these groups needs to know different things to make different decisions, at each stage - before they're ever going to feel comfortable moving ahead.

So the real question we need to ask is: how can we make sure we're never 'out of sync' with our messaging, ever again?

Skye Studios

Sometimes you should NEVER ask for commitment

Let's answer this fundamental question by first putting ourselves in our prospect's shoes.

If you're targeting someone who is relatively unaware of your solution (which is the most common situation, when it comes to selling technologies) you'll rarely ever win if you go directly for the sale.

Why's that?

Going back to my house example, let's say you just happen to be in the market

You'd never start your search by randomly booking flights and randomly visiting open houses all across the US, would you?

The first thing you'd do would be to start figuring out which state you wanted to live in. Then you'd start narrowing it down my region, city, and then eventually pick a neighborhood and focus in from there, right?

In other words, you'd go from big decisions to small decisions. It's only natural.

So it would be ridiculous for me to invest in cold calling, sending you direct mail or pestering you with any other social media stalking tactic, at this stage, right?

And even if I convinced you to visit my open house, what are the chances that you'd ever sign on the dotted line? One in a thousand?

So it would be a complete waste of my efforts, to go for the sale at this point - because the timing's all wrong!

Even if I had the best house and the best price, the sheer volume of options out there would almost always scuttle the sale.

And it's the same story in selling hospitality technology.

You can have the most amazing technology with stunning case studies and tremendous support, but all the other options out there are going to make it nearly impossible for people to reach a final decision.

That's why your goal at this point SHOULDN'T be to sell, it should be to influence buying criteria.

Creating a tactical advantage

Some of my favorite media options to create that tactical advantage include; side by side comparisons, flow charts and quizzes.

I like these options because each one of these media types are quick and easy to use.

And as potential buyers walk through these high-level, SWAT type analysis of their options, they come away with a much better understanding of their needs - so they appreciate your efforts.

And that, in turn, gives them confidence, which is key to working with you, down the road.

Going back to house example, again, this where I'd like people to realize, yes, San Diego is expensive, but the weather lets you enjoy nearly every day of the year outside, so you don't really need such a big house.

Because if I could just help people realize that

 and I could get them thinking, "Hey, if I don't need a big house, then I don't have to spend so much. So maybe San Diego isn't as expensive as I thought,"

 then voila! I'd have an actual chance closing a deal.

So what kinds of questions could I use in my media to help buyers reach this all-important conclusion?

Maybe something like this:

Hey, if you can only enjoy the outdoors for one or two seasons a year, doesn't that mean you spend a lot more time doing things you DON'T like doing, like shoveling the driveway and warming up the car every morning...etc.?

Doesn't all that time, stuck indoors kind of drive you crazy, making it harder to get enough exercise, or see friends and family?

And if you didn't have to spend so much time inside, wouldn't that also mean you wouldn't need such a big house?

In fact, if your house WAS smaller, that be better because you wouldn't have to clean as much and that means you could spend even MORE time outdoors, doing more of what you love, right?

These are just a few examples, but I think you get the picture.

The right questions at the right time can help set critical buying criteria for your prospects and that can give YOU a big leg up over all the other options out there.

JOSHUA COLEMAN

The second stage of awareness

After transitioning away from the first stage of awareness, which is called divergent thinking , BTW our prospects are now actively converging on a much smaller group of possibilities. That's why this stage is aptly titled: convergent thinking .

Prospects at this stage are much more qualified for your sales process so your demos have a higher chance of success

But that DOES NOT mean you can rush into things with any kind of blatant, feature and functionality dump.

In fact, I've very, very rarely seen a sale made at this stage by talking about how great any one solution might be, which far too many inexperienced sales people are prone to do

Because, unless you're talking with someone who has already gone through YOUR marketing

 and, because of YOUR marketing, they've gone from the divergent to the convergent mindset - then you might NOT be working with buying criteria that's favorable to your offer. i.e. they might already have 2 or 3 other 'suitors' in mind.

So if you spend all your time talking about how amazing your solution is, in that context, you're probably going to get a fairly tepid response.

Again, it's not you.

It's not them.

It's because you're not meeting them where they're at.

So howshould you engage prospects at this point?

At this stage, meeting your audience where they're at means engaging in an open and honest problem-solving conversation. You need to provide genuine consulting here.

You can do that by using special reports, articles and webinars with titles that give your prospects:

Ideas to overcome known problems

Examples of cost saving strategies

Or checklists that help quantify and break problems down into manageable action steps

As before, you're going to want to embed questions throughout your media that will help move your prospects forward in their decision-making process.

For example, if I were trying to sell my home, I'd include questions such as:

Would you like it if you could be 20 minutes from downtown, 20 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from the beach, but feel like you were living in the country?

Would it make your life easier if you never had to worry about parking, so it was always easy for friends to come over, and, because of a weird quirk of urban development, there was never any traffic in your neighborhood, either?

And don't you think it would help you buy with confidence if you knew that houses in this area have appreciated at least $10k every year, over the last 20 years, and now that they're putting a train station at the foot of the hill, land values were projected to go up by another 10%?

Yes, these are leading questions, so they're a little more-heavy handed.

But that's welcome at this stage, because each one of these questions helps paint a picture of what life will be like after making a buying decision, and that helps people understand how your solution fits in with their needs.

Because success is all about the win-win

Remember, I'm using these examples, here, because this is where I see most hospitality technology companies striking out these days. And that's an absolute cryin' shame!

Because most technology platforms deliver an enormous ROI these days

5X, 10X, even 50X are not unheard of.

So fewer sales isn't just hurting your bottom line

 it also means hotels aren't earning as much as they could.

And that means, when you look at economic forecasts for 2019

 with THE chief Japan rates strategist at Nomura predicting that we're in for more volatility

 "signs of a slowdown strengthen through the first half of 2019"

 and even going so far to say that we're now on "an irreversible path to an economic downturn" as you can see in the chart, below

There's ample cause for concern.

Nomura

Especially since, downturns have always hit the travel industry first, just like we saw with sliding ADR and occupancy rates in 2008.

STR

So the bottom line is: if you aren't doing everything you can to meet hoteliers where they are on the strategic decision-making spectrum - right now - and helping them smoothly transition towards a place where they CAN make an informed decision, then you're putting yourself, and the industry at large, in a much weaker position.

Fortunately, there's a silver lining

The good news is that human nature is nothing, if not resilient.

And so it's only natural that, as the industry start to shimmy and shake either because of volatility or falling consumer confidence more and more hoteliers are going to start taking bigger and bolder moves to modernize their operations.

Most people remember what happened in 2008, after all.

That's why I predict that hoteliers are going to be the #1 driving factor in your sales process over the next 12 months.

Tim Wright

In other words, 'the writing on the wall' will help more and more people to step out of the comfort zone and get them into the cognition stage ; where a marked departure from the standard operating behaviors is finally possible as long as you can show 'em the ROI, of course.

They're going to have to.

Because 'the writing's been on the wall' for some time now.

In fact, way back in January 2017, Michael Dominguez, Chief Marketing Officer for MGM, raised the 'clarion call of warning', at HEDNA's digital distribution conference in San Diego, declaring, point blank, "40% of the people in this room will be

irrelevant

in 5 years because you can't change."

There was absolutely no way to misunderstand what Mr. Dominguez was saying here.

Shape up or ship out!

And while this message might signal good news for your company, because that's going to help facilitate change, and make it much easier for you to sell your solutions

If this is the only thing holding up your revenues, then you need to realize that Michael Dominguez was speaking to you, too.

Because if you're only going after the 1 or 2% of the market that are in a true, do-or-die cognition state of mind, then you're always going head-to-head against every one of your competitors. That means it's incredibly easy to burn through your marketing resources trying to compete for attention. And, Where happens when times change and prospects stop doing all the heavy lifting, for you, just like we saw in 2009-12, when quick and easy distribution solutions became the preferred methods of driving revenue. We need to remember that whenever there's a crisis, selling solutions that require any time or capital investment becomes exponentially more and more difficult

So, let me be frank

You have something incredibly valuable to offer, and you know it can generate a substantial ROI for a wide range of hotels out there

 but if your demos are always getting 'wrapped around the axel' of how you go about generating that ROI, then you're probably losing a majority of those demos. And those numbers can quickly deteriorate if Nomura's credit crunch forecast comes to bear.

So why not stop going after the minority

 and turn your eyes to that 95-97% the market that still hasn't heard the warning bells

 so you can start helping them go from distracted and divergent to confident and convergent

 and develop some much needed familiarity and trust along the way?

Because if you do that well and if you're the only one that's in-sync with your target audience, just think about how much better and how much stronger is your businesses chances are going to be in this, uncertain economy.

People buy from people they know, like and trust, as the old axiom goes.

The key to accomplishing that is to put your marketing system together in a way that's in the greatest alignment with where your prospects are, mentally.

That's how you start relationships off, the right way.

That's how you prove you deserve their business - because you've already DEMONSTRATED that you speak their language.

And THAT'S how you convince people you'll continue to caring for and nurturing those relationships, long after a hotelier signs on the dotted line.

And isn't this is one of the most important, and powerful marketing messages there is?

Skye Studios

So let me give you a little vignette

 to help you remember that success in selling is all about being in-step with your prospects.

Imagine you only had 2 choices between equal 'suitors', and you just one dance to decide who you were going to marry

Would you rather go with the one who who's light on their feet, and knows how to dance with you cheek-to-cheek?

Or the one who keeps stepping on your toes and talking about him or herself all the time?

It's pretty obvious, isn't it?

But we forget about these simple truths sometimes when there are so many whiz-bang features involved

So just remember, it's just the same in love and relationships as it is in business.

You have to meet your prospects where they are and build from there.

Do that the right way, and you won't have to 'sell' your solutions anymore.

The relationship will naturally make the sale, for you.

About the author:

Over the past 6 years, Jeremiah has worked as a direct response copywriter for a wide range of hospitality technology companies, helping them elevate their marketing game, from the typical transactional, race-to-the-bottom approach, to value-based selling that results in high-margin repeat sales.Supplier News

17 January 2019

The first 2019 edition of the "marketing to China" Conference will feature a stellar lineup of Chinese digital marketing experts, who will address important industry topics, like

the potential of Chinese outbound tourism.

the future of Chinese mobile payments;

challenges in Chinese search engine optimization;

the role of influencers in building the brand in China

Chinese cross- border e-commerce platforms

The official lineup includes experts specialized in China-specific technologies& solutions such as:

WeChat

AliPay

Baidu

Douyin

XiaoHongShu

The rich conference agenda, presented by these seasoned professionals, provides European entrepreneurs with all the tools needed to succeed in today's competitive Chinese business environment.

The Prague 'marketing to China" keynote speakers include:

Matthew, based in Shenzen, is a speaker and writer focusing on Chinese mobile technology and innovation. His opinions are regularly featured in global media: The Economist, Wall Street Journal, BBC, The Financial Times, Forbes, Harvard Political Review, Quartz, TechCrunch, TechinAsia, CNN, Business Insider, eMarketer and Wired.

Ashley is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, and vlogger. She is the founder of several startups, including social media agency Alarice and resources platform ChoZan. She runs the world's largest vlog about China market, consumers and social media on YouTube @AshleyTalksChina

Michael Norris is presently Strategy Manager at AgencyChina. He delivers breakthrough insight and analysis to local and international brands, including Harbin Beer, Shell, Budweiser, Unilever and Tiffany.

Michael's commentary has been featured in Campaign Asia, Jing Daily, Business of Fashion and The Australian.

Elijah is a content producer, marketer, and passionate advocate for influencer marketing innovation in China. He is the Chief Marketing Officer of the influencer marketing platform PARKLU. PARKLU is China's premier influencer marketing platform with 25,000+ influencers across 11 social media platforms, with a combined reach of more than 550 million Chinese customers. Elijah is also the Cofounder of the beauty influencer brand Melilim Fu.

Bo has an over-20-year successful corporate career in Global Business Development, Innovation, Strategy, Supply Chain Management, M&A, etc. He served as the senior executive at the headquarters of many fortune 500 companies such as Monsanto, Cargill, Pfizer, Wrigley and Mars. After a long corporate life, Bo became a serial entrepreneur and investor. Bo founded the "China Start" to bring global startups and scaleups to China. He created a paradigm shift for global startups to expand to China instead of Silicon Valley.

Jan recently runs the world's largest entrepreneur community (Startup Grind) in China and APAC. He works with some of the brightest and most passionate startup community builders in around 80 cities in APAC. Over the last 24 months, Startup Grind community in China has grown more than 5x to 25+ active cities hosting regular events and impacting the innovation landscape in China and beyond.

Travel& Hospitality topics will be extensively covered by:

Dragon Trail Interactive - renown digital agency from Shanghai, specialized in the tourism industry. They created campaigns for Destination Canada, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, PromPeru, Visit Florida, Hertz, Norwegian Cruise Line, Leading Hotels of the World, Air Canada, and Sydney Opera House

- renown digital agency from Shanghai, specialized in the tourism industry. They created campaigns for Destination Canada, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, PromPeru, Visit Florida, Hertz, Norwegian Cruise Line, Leading Hotels of the World, Air Canada, and Sydney Opera House Austrian National Tourist Office - the official institution responsible for the international promotion of Austria. Each year, ANTO conducts more than 1,500 marketing activities worldwide this way. The range of activities includes above-the-line advertising for tourism country Austria, media cooperation, online activities, sales platforms as well as training for the travel agency and event sector.

- the official institution responsible for the international promotion of Austria. Each year, ANTO conducts more than 1,500 marketing activities worldwide this way. The range of activities includes above-the-line advertising for tourism country Austria, media cooperation, online activities, sales platforms as well as training for the travel agency and event sector. EuroPass - French startup which implements Chinese digital solutions in Europe. The company has a strong knowledge of the Chinese Free Independent Travellers market. EuroPass offers digital communication on Chinese social media (WeChat, Weibo..) and provides Chinese mobile payment solutions.

- French startup which implements Chinese digital solutions in Europe. The company has a strong knowledge of the Chinese Free Independent Travellers market. EuroPass offers digital communication on Chinese social media (WeChat, Weibo..) and provides Chinese mobile payment solutions. Compass Edge- Chinese travel technology company, which markets European hotels to the booming Chinese outbound FIT travelers. Its GoChina #OnlineBrandingSolutions are for independent hotels to achieve successful visibility and trust in China. This enables hotels to leave a favorable footprint to inspire and attract travelers.

m2C marketing to China Prague takes place January 29-30, 2019. Conference passes are available from EUR 599.00 at http://marketing2china.eu/pages/buy-tickets/Supplier News

17 January 2019

San Francisco  Beekeeper is on a roll! This week the company earned its fifth hotel technology award as a "2019 Top Rated Operations Product" by HotelTechReport for its Employee Engagement app that helps hotel teams "save time, improve efficiencies and collaborate better." Winners were selected from more than 180 of the top technology products around the world. The HotelTechAwards are the industry's only data driven awards platform with winners determined not by a handful of judges but by a global community comprised from thousands of verified hotel technology users across more than 120 countries.

Over the last eight months, Beekeeper has become widely recognized and earned hospitality's top technology honors for its operational communication platform that digitizes the non-desk workforce by connecting operational systems and communication channels within one secure, intuitive interface. The platform was named "Most Innovative Technology of 2018" by Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG); voted "People's Choice" at HITEC Houston 2018 as part of the Entrepreneur 20X Competition hosted by Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP); and earned the "Most Innovative Hotel Technology" 2018 designation during the Tech Pitch at HX: The Hotel Experience. It was also named the 59th Fastest Growing Company in 2018 by SaaS 1000. Last week, HotelTechReport named Beekeeper among the "Top 10 Best Places to Work in Hotel Tech 2019."

"The accolades keep on coming and we couldn't be prouder," said Connie Rheams, Beekeeper Vice President, Hospitality. "Being a HotelTechAwards recipient and being chosen the best Staff Learning & Communication Software in the Operations Technology category is especially gratifying because our ranking was based on verified client feedback. HotelTechReport took the time to poll our customers and ask them how they use Beekeeper and why they rely on us to connect colleagues across locations and departments in real time via mobile or desktop devices. Their responses were unscripted and impactful."

Here's what just a few reviewers had to say about Beekeeper and its employee engagement capabilities. To read the full list of assessments, click here:

"Beekeeper gives us the ability to effectively communicate with our employees. This is a great feature since 70 percent of our employees do not have a work email address. We live in a society of constant communication and instant gratification, and Beekeeper puts us in the position as an employer to meet and exceed these two needs. All in all, Beekeeper is a vital part of our employee engagement and success our of organization!"

[Beekeeper gives us] the ability to have sight throughout multiple levels of the organization at multiple properties throughout the country and share inspiration, ideas and teamwork. It has been an amazing tool to elevate our company culture."

"Recently our neighboring town of Paradise, Calif., lost over 14,000 homes in the most destructive fire in our nation's history. We had 29 employees lose everything. Cell towers were down, creating many rumors, but our staff used Beekeeper to effectively communicate and direct all effected to the proper agencies and lines of support we were providing."

"My favorite thing about Beekeeper is the ability to keep open communication between different departments that I don't often see, and employees on other shifts. It helps keep me up to date on what's going on business wide! I also enjoy the fact that Beekeeper allows my employees to be able to contact me anywhere I am if there is an issue that arises."

"[Beekeeper is] functional and user friendly. All employees can stay informed with the [happenings] around the hotel and easily adapt to using the mobile app or desktop version. As the model is like social media, the staff enjoy staying engaged."

"Today's labor market is extremely competitive, and hotels must now retain talent from gig economy jobs that provide unlimited flexibility to workers," said Jordan Hollander, CEO of HotelTechReport. "Beekeeper clients consistently write on HotelTechReport about the product's ability to increase employee engagement and communication while building a better culture on property. Beekeeper gives on property staff a way to stay connected during the busy workday which makes for a more engaged and better- informed team."

About Beekeeper

Beekeeper is an award-winning operational communication platform that digitizes the non-desk workforce by connecting operational systems and communication channels within one secure, intuitive interface. Beekeeper connects colleagues across locations and departments in real time via mobile or desktop devices and includes an intelligent dashboard to help companies improve internal communication and streamline business processes.

The company is based in Zurich and San Francisco and supports users in more than 130 countries. Clients include Heathrow Airport, Seaboard Foods, and Marriott.Press Release

17 January 2019

New YouGov research reveals 86% of unemployed parents want to return to work

However 59% of parents find lack of flexibility the biggest barrier to finding work

Travelodge is targeting 'parent potential' to help fill 3,000 new jobs

Employment Minister Alok Sharma backs new programme

550 jobs needs to be filled immediately

Advertisements

Travelodge, the UK's first budget hotel chain, today launches a new recruitment programme targeting mums and dads looking to get back into work by offering: jobs with hours that fit around the school run, a work buddy and access to management training.

This programme is designed to help attract some of the UK's 2 million plus unemployed parents into hospitality, as part of Travelodge's plans to open 100 hotels over the next five years, which will create up to 3,000 new jobs.

Jobs will be available across the company's hotels and head office - including roles in reception, restaurants, housekeeping as well as flexible hours in head office roles.

To design this new initiative, Travelodge commissioned a survey with YouGov to gain further insight into the challenges unemployed mums and dads are currently facing.

Key findings revealed that 86% of unemployed parents would like to return to work. However 59% of parents reported that the scarcity of jobs with flexibility around the school run was the biggest challenge to finding work.

Six out of ten (61%) of unemployed parents reported that they have lost their confidence whilst staying at home to raise a family and are apprehensive of returning to work.

Further findings revealed that 41% of parents are eager to work in order to regain their personal identity and not be labelled just a parent. In addition 31% of unemployed parents reported that they are bored at home and want to work in order to exercise their mind and learn new skills.

More than a quarter (26%) of adults reported that they want to work because they miss adult conversation.

Nearly seven out of ten (67%) of unemployed parents reported that they would appreciate the opportunity to climb the career ladder whilst raising their family.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge, Chief Executive said:

"Travelodge is growing quickly and we want to unlock the potential of Britain's mums and dads as they return to work. Hospitality can offer a great career for parents, with jobs close to home, hours that can match the school run, benefits that suit families and a path into management."

"We are preparing in earnest for post-Brexit Britain. With thousands of new jobs to fill, we need more new colleagues than ever. We see vast untapped potential in parents who want to return to work. YouGov research shows that many parents want to get back into a job, especially one that can lead to a career, and the first step is often the hardest. We've based our new programme on making it easier than ever for mums and dads to work around the school run and climb the career ladder whilst raising their family."

Alok Sharma, Employment Minister, said:

"These are the type of flexible work opportunities parents up and down the country will welcome, which fit around their family responsibilities.

"With record numbers in work and unemployment at a 40-year low, big employers need to follow Travelodge's example if they want to fill vacancies. Our welfare reforms are helping, offering flexibility for claimants to work the hours they can to make sure work always pays."

Travelodge will be offering roles across its 558 current UK hotels, in its forthcoming new hotel openings and at its head office. Positions include: Hotel Manager, Assistant Hotel Manager, Receptionist, Bar Cafe Team Member, Housekeeper, and Housekeeping Team Member, as well as support roles.

Detailed below is an outline of Travelodge's five step path to help parents back to work:

Careers advice on its website to help mums and dads return to work Flexible working hours to suit family life Full range of company benefits including discounted hotel stays Comprehensive training and a work buddy to help get up to speed Opportunity to join the Travelodge Aspire management programme

All jobs will have guaranteed hours and comprehensive benefits including discount hotel stays. New colleagues will also be eligible to join the company's Aspire management programme, which offers comprehensive training on hotel management. This can help new entry-level team members get into a management role at Travelodge within a year of joining the company, offering further significant salary and development progression.

For further details on all positions at Travelodge and to apply, please visit: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/careers/working-parents/.

Travelodge employs hundreds of employees who are working parents and have successfully climbed the career ladder whilst raising their family.

This includes three generations of one family working across different Travelodge hotels in Edinburgh. Also Alison Barr, District Manager for Yorkshire started with Travelodge as a part-time Receptionist and has successfully climbed the career ladder whilst raising her daughter, Katie.

Katie has followed her mum's footsteps and joined Travelodge as a Housekeeping Team Member and is now the Hotel Manager at Manchester Arena Travelodge. Katie and her team relentlessly supported parents and the emergency services on the night and for weeks after following the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017.McDaniel College students participated in the 2018 National Model United Nations China conference at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, China, Nov. 18-24. McDaniel's delegation of 13 students represented either Belarus, Chad or Togo. Ethan Cortes, of Sykesville, was a member of the Belarus team, which received an honorable mention delegation award. Mischka Johnson, of Westminster, was a member of the Belarus team, which received an honorable mention delegation award, and also served as head delegate. Christopher Shatzer, of Taneytown, was a member of the Chad team. The mission of the National Model United Nations is to advance the understanding of the United Nations and contemporary international issues through quality educational programs that emphasize collaboration and cooperative conflict resolution and prepare participants for active global citizenship. The National Model United Nations China conference is held through a long-distance partnership between the National Model United Nations and Northwestern Polytechnical University.Supplier News

17 January 2019

New York and Sydney - Virgin Hotels, one of the most loved consumer brands, has implemented new Wi-Fi infrastructure at its first hotel in Chicago in partnership with Local Measure, the leading customer experience platform for the hotel industry.

Virgin Hotels Chicago is famous not only for the Virgin brand but for its socially connected restaurants, bars and lounges, drawing on pop culture to create iconic experiences for its guests. Their food and beverage offerings play a key part in driving traffic to the hotel, and with new insights from customer Wi-Fi, the team can create personalized experiences and drive loyalty program membership.

Since 2016, the hotel has used Local Measure's platform to publish galleries of user-generated-content from the hotel, be alerted to special events that might be taking place within the hotel and respond to guest feedback in real-time on social media.

Local Measure's partnership with Cisco Meraki, has enabled it to bring its real-time social Wi-Fi analytics to the hotel. A social Wi-Fi sign on page acts as a customer acquisition tool while collecting location analytics and creating rich customer profiles that allows Virgin Hotels to create memorable moments for their guests.

Working with an iconic, customer-centric brand is particularly meaningful to Local Measure. "There is total synchronicity between our ambitions", said Ian-Michael Farkas, VP Americas at Local Measure, "Virgin Hotels have always sought to deliver exceptional customer experiences, and we are pleased to help Virgin Hotels Chicago make that a reality for guests everyday."

Doug Carrillo, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Virgin Hotels said, "Virgin Hotels has always been known as a consumer champion and we saw the Local Measure-Cisco Meraki solution as a way to further enhance the level of personalization offered. Partners that can help us find the solutions that bring forward our brand values is exactly what we're looking for, and we've found that with Local Measure and Cisco Meraki."

The customer experience marketing strategy at Virgin Hotels Chicago will act as a blueprint for openings planned for several other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Dallas, and Nashville.Appointment

17 January 2019

The Board of Directors and CEO Even Frydenberg of Scandic Hotels Group AB have agreed that Even Frydenberg will leave his position as President and CEO of the company. The Board of Directors has resolved to appoint Jens Mathiesen as the new President and CEO. Jens Mathiesen is a member of Scandic's Executive Committee and has successfully held the position of Country Managing Director Scandic Denmark since 2008. "The Board of Directors has arrived at the conclusion that Scandic needs new leadership, so it's natural for us to part ways. I want to emphasize that this is a leadership matter and not due to the financial performance of the company, and that Scandic's strategic direction stands firm. The Board of Directors are most grateful to Even Frydenberg for his contribution to the company," says Per G. Braathen, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Jens Mathiesen will assume the role of President and CEO with immediate effect. Until his replacement has been appointed, he will also serve as the Acting Country Managing Director Scandic DenmarkThe definition of country music varies depending on who you ask, but several local listeners point to Cody Ikerd as an artist who exemplifies what country music should be.Click here to find out where to get a COVID-19 vaccine or test.

To find out how many local residents have been vaccinated for COVID-19, click here. Use the map to find numbers for individual counties.

Find detailed statistics about COVID-19 tests, cases and deaths by county and for the state as a whole on the Indiana State Department of Health's online dashboard.Lima, OH (45805)

Today

Mostly sunny. High 85F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Increasing clouds. Chance of storms toward daybreak. Low 66F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.Several hundred dogs, many of them sick and starving, were reportedly found on the property, in what shelter officials are calling an animal hoarding situation. Some dogs were even eating the carcasses of other canines, according to the shelters web page.Support local journalism

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution.

ContributeCopyright  2018 at Sun Newspapers. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action.The Sicilian village of Sambuca

Many of the abandoned homes for sale are in dire need of a full-scale renovation. While the scale of the work required is unclear, buyers must also commit to refurbishing the property within three years at a minimum cost of 15,000 (13,200).

A 5,000 security deposit will be taken as a guarantee, although it will be returned once refurbishment is completed.

Alamy Stock PhotoT he great unwashed of Victorian south London once visited Manor Place Depot to use its bath house. Fast forward to the 21st century and the 120-year-old wash-house building is being repurposed to solve a different sort of social ill.

The site in Walworth, which also held a coroners court and offices, is being redeveloped by housing association Notting Hill Housing with 270 homes, including 60 flats earmarked for first-time buyers who would otherwise be priced firmly off the property ladder. New shops will occupy the disused railway arches, bringing the whole area to life.

Prices start at 109,375 for a 25 per cent share of a one-bedroom flat with a full market price of 437,500 at Manor Place Depot. Buyers will need to budget for mortgage payments of around 547 per month, plus rent at 410 and service charge of 106.

Two-bedroom flats start at 137,500 for a 25 per cent share of a home with a full market price of 550,000. The monthly mortgage will come in at 688, and other expenses will be rent at 309 and service charge at 135.

Local magnet for foodies: vibrant East Street Market, off Walworth Road in SE17 / Alamy Stock Photo

Prices aside, the big selling point about these flats is their location. The nearest station is Kennington, a third of a mile away, on the Northern line in Zone 2, but it might be worth the marginally longer walk to Elephant & Castle station, just half a mile away, to pick up Northern and Bakerloo line services and save with a Zone 1 travelcard.

In terms of open space, Kennington Park is a 10-minute walk away, while Burgess Park is also within walking distance. The site is just off Walworth Road, with its massive range of cheap-and-cheerful but useful shops. And of course Elephant & Castle is in the throes of regeneration that will include a snazzy 2 billion new shopping centre for those with more upscale retail ambitions.

A new cinema and new restaurants and cafes should all help turn the location into a destination and increase prices as the regeneration matures.

WHAT ELSE CAN I BUY?

Despite the very challenging conditions being endured by Londons property market, the average price of a flat continues to creep upwards in SE17.

According to the latest figures from Rightmove, prices have risen from an average of 515,000 to 553,000 over the past year, earning buyers who have been in situ for 12 months a paper profit of 38,000.

These average prices are boosted by the new apartments being sold around Elephant & Castle. A two-bedroom flat at Elephant Park, Lendleases massive development, is currently priced at 1,031,312. Buyers with a more realistic 400,000 budget will struggle to find a two-bedroom home in the area, unless they are prepared to buy above a shop or bag an ex-local authority home.

For more value head south of Burgess Park and into Camberwell or Peckham, where you can buy a two-bedroom home for 400,000 or less and still be within easy reach of Elephant & Castles regenerative pull.

In Commercial Way, Peckham, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward is selling a two-bedroom purpose-built flat with its own garage for 375,000. Meanwhile, in Southampton Way, Camberwell, Purple Bricks is listing a two-bedroom ground-floor flat close to Burgess Park and just under a mile from Kennington station for 350,000.Democratic lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday became the first South Asian to join the powerful intelligence committee of the US House of Representatives, which has oversight over the 17 intelligence agencies and will play an aggressive role in investigating president Donald Trump going forward.

Krishnamoorthi, a two-term member of the House from Illinois, is among four freshmen on the panel headed by chairman Adam Schiff. Schiff is an outspoken critic of the president, who has returned the hostility typically belittling the Democrat with a pejorative nickname, Little Adam Schiff.

The House committee on intelligence was front and centre in the previous Congress under Republican chairman Devin Nunes, as the presidents chief defender, turned into, according to most critics, a pliable tool for the use of the White House to weather the intense congressional scrutiny that was expected to follow.

It is very humbling to be chosen to serve on the Intelligence Committee this Congress, and I am ready to join with my colleagues in preserving the safety and security of our nation, Congressman Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.

Krishnamoorthi, who was born in Delhi and immigrated to the US when he was three, is one of the four Indian American members of the House of Representatives and one of five in the Congress with Senator Kamala Harris  a group he has christened the Samosa Caucus, small but spicy as the popular Indian snack, which as first reported by Hindustan Times.

The intelligence challenges and international threats facing our country today are vast, ranging from terrorism to cyber-warfare to investigating Russias previous, and continuing attempts to sabotage our democracy, he said in the statement.

I am honored that the Speaker (Nancy Pelosi) and Caucus (the House legislative comparable to the Congress/BJP parliamentary party in India) have placed their trust in me and the contributions Ill make to the Committee, he said.

When I took the oath of office, I swore to protect and defend the Constitution from all threats, foreign and domestic, and I know that the work we do under the leadership of Chairman Adam Schiff will fulfill that solemn duty.

Krishnamoorthi is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of relations with India and has been a frequent speaker at India-related events, headlining, for instance, the first public reception and engagement of the new Indian ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla as well as the farewell of his predecessor Navtej Sarna.Doubts remained whether the Brexit Plan B Prime Minister Theresa May will present in Parliament on Monday will be different from the one that was voted down on Tuesday, but the focus has now shifted to the new deal, to be debated and put to vote on January 29.

Given Mays inflexibility on the basic contours of the ways in which Brexit is to happen, Labour and other parties said the Plan B may turn out to be a tweaked version of her defeated deal with the EU, unless she agrees to changes on the basics.

Labour insisted on not joining talks unless May rules out the UK leaving the EU on March 29 without an agreement, considered the worst-case scenario due to its adverse effect on the economy, prices, movement of people and other aspects of everyday life.

Others have insisted on holding a second referendum, but a spokesman for May ruled it out. He added to concerns of the Opposition by stating that May is determined to stick to her Brexit principles, despite the strong opposition to them from allies and foes that led to the Tuesday defeat.

On Wednesday night, May, as expected, survived the no-confidence motion by 19 votes before setting in motion the process of rebooting her approach to Brexit.

On Thursday, May and her ministers began meetings with senior parliamentarians, opposition leaders and chairs of select committees to identify ways in which common ground could be achieved to secure the agreements passage in Parliament.

The spokesman said: Where people have pre-existing positions, of course they will want to make their argument for them, and the PM is going to listen, but you understand the principles which the PM holds, which she believes honour the result of the referendum. The PM has set out over the course of many months now what she believes the British people voted for, and what she believes is necessary to honour the referendum. She stands by those principles.

During the trust vote, Conservative rebels and the 10-member Democratic Unionist Party who voted against the agreement on Tuesday voted in support of May. The motion was rejected 325 to 306 after a six-hour debatePakistans Supreme Court Thursday ordered the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the countrys anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in Rs 35 billion fake accounts case.

As many as 172 suspects were placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendations of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the apex court. A person cannot fly abroad if his name is placed on the ECL.

The Supreme Court, in a detailed judgement, ordered the government to remove the names of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the ECL.

It, however, referred the report and material collected by the JIT in the Rs 35 billion fake accounts case to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Dawn news reported.

The JIT probe focused on 32 fake accounts which were allegedly used to give massive financial benefits to former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and several others.

Removing of the names will not prevent (the) NAB to probe and in case sufficient material is found connecting these individuals with cognisable offences, it will not be precluded from making an appropriate request to the federal government to place their names on (the) ECL again or take any appropriate action provided by law, according to the judgement authored by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan.

The apex court in its earlier instructions asked the government to delete names of Bilawal and Shah from the ECL but the Cabinet waited for the detailed judgment.

After the judgement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government will decide whether it should implement the court orders or file a review petition.

Justice Ahsan was part of the three-judge bench that last year took a suo-motu cognisance after it emerged that several big names were involved in money laundering through fake accounts.

Currently, a Karachi court is hearing the case against Zardari and Talpur for alleged money laundering.Japanese conglomerate Hitachi Ltd. confirmed it will halt work on its nuclear power projects in the U.K. and said it will take a one-time charge amid a shift away from reactor sales.

The company will book a loss of about 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion) after suspending indefinitely plans to build reactors in the U.K. and writing down the value of its British nuclear business, according to a statement.

The decision is a blow to the future of nuclear power, both leaving in doubt the U.K.s ambitions to replace its aging nuclear fleet and driving a nail in the coffin of Japans nuclear technology exports.

Hitachis move follows a decision by Toshiba Corp. in November to withdraw from the Moorside plant, leaving the Hinkley Point project in southwest England as the only U.K. facility under construction. Meanwhile, the use of nuclear power in Japan still faces public opposition almost eight years after the Fukushima disaster.

The U.K. was the last hope for reactor exports for Japanese companies, Stephen Thomas, emeritus professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich, said by email. As to Japans future in nuclear, I think it is the end as a reactor vendor, certainly outside Japan.

Scrapping the U.K. plans is the latest move by the Tokyo-based manufacturer to shift away from the nuclear power industry, as it seeks to expand in higher growth sectors like power transmission and distribution. Hitachis shares jumped the most in more than two years on Friday after the Nikkei first reported it would halt work on the project.

Hitachi bought Horizon Nuclear Power, developer of the Wylfa project, from Germanys two largest utilities for 697 million pounds ($897 million) in 2012 with the backing of the U.K. government. The company has now moved to shelve Wylfa after it failed to find Japanese investors or make progress with U.K. financing as Prime Minister Theresa Mays government has been swept up in Brexit turmoil, according to the Nikkei report.

Over the last decade, Japans manufacturers scooped up nuclear projects around the world in a bid to supply their own reactor technology and support fledgling sales. But the risk of rising costs and safety concerns, coupled with stiffer competition from renewables and gas-fired facilities has led to nearly all Japan-backed projects getting scrapped because of a lack of investors.Hoping to return to power at the next election, an India-focussed lobby within Britains Labour Party on Wednesday recalled strong and historic ties with the country and said it would highlight the issues and concerns of the 1.5 million-strong Indian community in the UK.

Set up in 1999, the Labour Friends of India was relaunched at an event attended by the Indian high commissioner, Ruchi Ghanshyam, and members of the shadow cabinet such as John McDonnell and Barry Gardiner, councillors and functionaries at the party headquarters in London.

The group is headed by co-chairmen Rajesh Agarwal, deputy mayor of London, and Darren Jones, Labour MP for Bristol North-West.

Agrawal said: Labour Friends of India will give a powerful voice to the 1.5 million strong British-Indian community, as well as promoting understanding of Indias position as a major international power and fast-growing economy.

A strong international partnership between the UK and India will continue to endure with the relaunch of the group, as we mark 20 years since its launch in 1999. Our ties with India are historic and strong, from supporting Indias right to Independence, to challenging the immigration policies for people from the subcontinent.

Jones added: With an election possible at any time, we will redouble our work to listen to and engage the community. That will involve everyone from our leadership and front bench, mayors and council leaders, councillors and activists.

The Labour Partys relationship with India, and the significant Indian diaspora in the UK has a proud history, and as we prepare to return to government, we are determined to strengthen our ties for the future.

The groups focus would be to broaden and deepen understanding of the issues of concern to the Indian diaspora, including businesses, students, community leaders and voluntary sector activists.China has warned its citizens to stay alert about spiritual courses offered by Indian religious schools, warning that some of them are mired in sexual assault cases and urged its citizens to stay off suspected religious cults.

The alert was issued by the ministry of public security (MPS), Chinas police, after a Taiwanese actress promoted a spiritual course offered by a south India-based organisation. It triggered a debate across the countrys social media whether the celebrity was actually promoting a religious cult.

Yi Nengjing, or Annie Yi, an actress from the island of Taiwan, posted on Sina Weibo on Monday promoting lessons of Amma and Bhagavan, creators of the Oneness University based in Chittoor, India, the tabloid, Global Times said in a report.

Following the heated discussions on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter, the MPS and the China Anti-Cult Association (CACA) forwarded the post and warned the public that some spiritual schools are mired in sexual assault cases.

The actress subsequently deleted her post.

The CACA referred to a case of a so-called Indian religious master named Singh who was reportedly arrested for imprisoning and raping nearly 200 female believers in December 2017, the report added.

The report was possibly referring to the case of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his woman followers.

Quoting anonymous experts, the report said the teachings and courses offered by the south Indian organisation fell within the definition of cult.

The Beijing-based expert also noted that its courses are a mix of Buddhism and Christianity, which is similar to the doctrine of the South Korean Unification Church, which the State Council, Chinas cabinet, considers a cult, it said.

The Supreme Peoples Court of China defines a cult as an illegal organisation that uses religion or qigong, a kind of healing practice that involves breathing exercises, as a means to deceive and ultimately control its members.

Cult leaders whose activities result in especially serious consequences, such as the death of three or more people, can be fined and imprisoned for at least seven years, the SixthTone website said in a report.

Chinese authorities have long been wary of religious sects. The 19th-century Taiping Rebellion, a violent uprising led by a man claiming to be the younger brother of Jesus, lasted for 14 years and resulted in the deaths of over 20 million people, the Foreign Policy magazine website said in an earlier report.

In 2017, according to the official news agency Xinhua, China opened a website named China Anti-Cult Network, aiming to promote the preventative measures and policies that China has for combatting cults, offer an interpretation of the anti-cult law and related information.

The website also has a section where the public can report criminal offences related to cults. It provides psychological guidance for the victims of cults and their families, and assistance in the search for missing relatives. An online pledge called Say No to Cults calls for the public to sign their names to show they oppose and resist cults, the report added.Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday survived a no-confidence motion by a majority of 19 and set in motion the process of rebooting her governments approach to Brexit after the withdrawal agreement was rejected by the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Conservative rebels and the 10-member Democratic Unionist Party that voted against the agreement voted in support of May during the no-confidence motion brought by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The motion was rejected 325 to 306 after a six-hour debate.

May said after surviving the motion: We must find a solution that has sufficient command and support of the House. I will start meeting senior parliamentarians and party leaders from tonight in a constructive spirit to identify ways to secure parliaments endorsement.

We will continue to work to deliver Brexit. I will return on Monday with a statement on the way forward.

The statement, seen as Plan B after the 599-page agreement was rejected, is expected to add, revise or delete provisions that have riled supporters and opponents of Brexit alike.

EU leaders in Brussels, Paris and elsewhere said they await clarity from London on the way forward. Under current circumstances, the UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, adding urgency to put in place arrangements for life after Brexit.

Opening the debate on the no-confidence motion, Corbyn insisted that a fresh election is the only way out to resolve the impasse; his suggestion, however, was rejected by May on the ground that it is not in the national interest. The last mid-term election was held in 2017.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson delivered one of the most hailed speeches, as he said: No one doubts her determination, which is generally an admirable quality, but misapplied it can be toxic. We know she has worked hard. But the truth is she is too set in her ways, too aloof to lead.

She lacks the imagination and agility to bring people with her. She lacks the authority on the world stage to negotiate this deal. Ultimately she has failed. It is not through lack of effort It is not through a lack of dedication.

I feel sorry for the prime minister. But she cannot confuse pity for political legitimacy, sympathy for sustainable support.

Also watch: British PM Theresa May takes conciliatory approach after winning confidence voteAfter constantly facing jibes from Shatrughan Sinha, BJP MP from Patna Sahib, the BJP finally advised the veteran actor to leave the party if he does not like it.

The advice came from Bihars deputy CM and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi who said Sinha had fallen into bad company of Yashwant Sinha.

Modi was speaking at a programme organised by a TV channel on Tuesday night.

Sinha, an actor-turned-politician, has virtually turned into a BJP rebel, lashing out at his own party leaders on national and state issues, often from public platforms. He has also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues like rising fuel prices, demonetisation, Rafale deal and the Vijay Mallya case.

Shatrughan Sinha is also my icon but the manner in which he is targeting the BJP, he should quit. He is using all sorts of language against the party which made him the cabinet minister, Rajya Sabha member for two terms and gave him two terms in the Lok Sabha, said Modi.

What embarrassed the BJP most that while criticizing the party and demonetisation and GST, Sinha also started visiting opposition leaders, including Lalu Prasad. He met Lalu Prasad and has started projecting his son as CM of Bihar, said Modi.

Sinha, who had been visiting an ailing Lalu Prasad at his Patna residence, also went to RIIMS in Ranchi December last to meet the RJD chief.

Modi also dared Sinha to contest from Patna Sahib if he was so sure of his popularity. His victory in last parliamentary elections was made possible by the joint efforts of BJP leaders like Nand Kishore Yadav, Sanjeev Chaurasia, Arun Kumar Sinha and Nitisn Navin, he said.

Modi, whose name is doing the rounds in political circles as the probable BJP candidate from Patna Sahib, left it to party to take a call on it. If the party decides, I will contest. If not, I will not. I am born in the BJP and will die in this party, he said.

Modi, who won Lok Sabha polls from Bhagalpur in 2004, was later made the deputy chief minister in the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in 2005.

As regards Sinha, he announced his intention to contest again from Patna Sahib in 2019, but did not specify if he intends to join any other party. The BJP did not give me a ticket; I took it on my own. And I will contest from Patna Sahib again, he said at the same event held by a TV channel. The location (constituency) will be the same, even if the situation is otherwise, he said.

Sinha has been cosying up to opposition parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. He has praised RJDs Tejashwi Yadav, calling him a very mature leader.

Yadav reciprocated the gesture at an iftar party last year. Chacha (Shatrughan Sinha) is with us, he said, fuelling speculation that Sinha could be the RJD candidate for the Patna Sahib seat in 2019.

The two-time Lok Sabha MP has also openly praised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.If all goes according to plan, citizens may soon be able to alert the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) about a disaster through an android mobile application.

An officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade said, The mobile application plan is in its primary stages. The fire brigade has conceptualised it and the design will be ready within a fortnight.

The fire brigade recently sent a presentation on the application, its uses and purview to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) information technology department, an officer confirmed. Once completed and launched, the mobile application can be used for online complaints on fires, road accidents or accidents involving hazardous material.

The plan so far is to allow users to create a profile on the application, which can be used to send out alerts. On filing a complaint, the GIS will map the users location, and display the response time. The nearest fire station will be alerted for quicker disaster response. Users will also be able to upload photos of the spot.

The back-end system of the mobile application will log complaints and display its status in real-time. The application will also display all active disaster calls in the city at that moment, be it a fire, a house collapse, or a road accident, requiring the services of the fire brigade.

Currently, citizens have to dial 101 for fire brigade and 1916 for the civic bodys disaster control room. Under the current disaster response mechanism, either the central command room of BMC or the fire brigade gets a disaster call from citizens through the centralised helpline numbers. The call is then forwarded to the nearest fire station.Union minister and new election in-charge for UP JP Nadda on Wednesday said the SP-BSP alliance ratified BJPs growing strength and added that the charisma of PM Narendra Modi and strategy of BJP president Amit Shah would dash the oppositions hopes in Lok Sabha elections.

We knew about this alliance from the beginning and it simply tells us that the opposition is nervous. Last time, we had 73 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. This time we would get 74, Nadda told media persons soon after his arrival in Lucknow, his first visit since being tasked with the role in UP.

Nadda, an old RSS hand, said the 10 per cent upper caste quota, already implemented in BJP-ruled Gujarat, would soon be in place in UP too.

Defending the partys meeting with different caste groups in the run up to Lok Sabha polls, he said the BJP was connecting with all and emphasised on partys slogan of sabka saath, sabka vikas.

He said despite the alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the BJP would post a better show in UP.

The oppositions life and political culture has been that of commission, corruption, lawlessness and division, he said, refusing to buy the oppositions claims that the Modi government had failed to fulfil its promises.

They (opposition) should present their own report card, not ours, he added.

Nadda, along with three co-incharges  former Gujarat minister Gordhan Zadafia, BJP vice-president Dushyant Gautam and former MP Narottam Mishra  later held a series of meetings with UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal.

As part of their strategy, the opposition is claiming that Modi wave has ebbed. My job is to counter the narrative and provide the correct picture. The opposition has no real vision. They are merely interested in negative politics that is revolving around Modi hatao (remove Modi). This is not good for the country, he said.

The reality is that the demand for Modi as PM has grown even more than it was in 2014. Back then, the opposition did not accept Modi wave as they arent accepting it now. We are finalising our action plan and will reveal it at the right time, Nadda said.

He said the BJP would go into polls on the basis of various welfare initiatives taken by the Modi government. BJP chief Amit Shahs strategy will also lead us to victory, he added.Mark Albertin interviews Beaufort resident Mamre Wilson for the upcoming film Beaufort Remembers. The film will be discussed during the Beaufort Historical Associations annual membership meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 22. (Contributed photo)Ram Madhav, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary, who oversees the partys units in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeastern states, said in an interview to Smriti Kak Ramachandran that BJP-led government at Centre is committed to eliminating terrorism from Kashmir and has maintained a consistent stand over it unlike Peoples Democratic Party and National Conference that change their stance depending on whether they are in or out of power. Edited excerpts:

2018 was considered to be the bloodiest in Kashmir. There was no political consensus and an increase in public support for militants. What is the BJP governments plan now?

I take objection to describing it as the bloodiest year. It was a successful campaign against terrorism in Kashmir, not just in the year that has passed, but in the last several years; we have been able to successfully neutralise a large number of terror modules. This is a major success in the fight against terror. Barring a few districts in south Kashmir, the Valley has largely been peaceful. Normal life of people, developmental activity of the government are going on unhindered. Things have improved and nobody should doubt our determination to eliminate the last terrorist in the Valley. But at the same time, we are focusing in a big way to undertake developmental activity to ensure that the democracy returns in the state.

Is your party ready for elections in the state where results of the local body elections show BJPs dipping popularity?

If local body polls are any indication, we have done well in the Valley also. It is another matter that two regional parties (PDP and NC) developed cold feet and decided to boycott municipal polls. Both Congress and BJP contested and won seats. We have been able to conclude the panchayat polls also. As far as the assembly or general polls are concerned, we are hoping that they will take place over the next few months.

Is BJP looking for another ally in the state?

Whenever the assembly polls are announced, BJP will contest all seats in Jammu and as many as possible in Kashmir. We are also keen that a good number of parties or individuals who are committed to peace, development and constitutional governance should be encouraged.

In three years, your equation with PDP went from a meeting of the North Pole and South Pole to untenable. In hindsight, was it a bad decision to ally with it?

There was a peculiar mandate in 2015, forcing an unusual arrangement in the state. We tried our best to deliver through a totally different kind of alliance. When it was not working, we decided to quit. Now one thing is clear  when the decision was taken, it was taken in prudence, after consultations.

So no pre-poll talks?

Not now.

Your critics say BJP has failed to carry forward the Vajpayee formula for winning over Kashmiris. Alienation has increased and there is a spurt in locals taking up arms.

The sense of alienation is a euphemism for Kashmir. When was it not there in last 30 years? Look at the scenario today, when great regional parties did not have the courage to reject the diktats of the terrorists and participate in the polls at the local level, young men came forward, contested polls on BJP ticket and... won. People also contested on Congress and Peoples Conference tickets, and we are still talking about alienation. There is a section of people deliberately cultivated by certain political elements. But largely Kashmiris want peace, development and constitutional governance.

Your former ally Mehbooba Mufti has suggested dialogue with local militants, describing them as sons of soil.

PDP was in alliance with BJP for three years. Together, we launched a massive campaign against terrorists and militants and today, for her own politics, if Mehbooba-ji wants to return to the politics of separatism and championing the cause of militants and their cohorts, it shows her own political double standards.When in power, we were consistent. We never said the militants are our in-laws, we went after them and we will go after them when we return to power. This is our firm decision, peace must return to the Valley. But these parties [NC and PDP] when they are in power, they do something and when out of power, they speak just the opposite.

The other region you are in charge of, the Northeast, is also on the boil over the Citizenship Bill.

Northeast is not on the boil. There are sporadic incidents of protests and violence, mostly because of the misinformation that is being spread through social media and a few political outfits in the region. We are in power in six of the seven states. Through these governments we are telling people the truth about the bill, which is not limited to any region or state.

Allies of the BJP have begun to step up pressure

Whenever polls are around, allies will try to have good political negotiations with the major alliance partner. We will listen to their concerns and follow coalition dharma.

How will BJP take on the alliance between BSP and SP in UP?

... it is good, it will now be face-off. It is a battle for 50% [of the votes in the state] and we are ready to face this challenge where we have to get 51%. We now have to take on only one opposition (party).

What about BJPs southern march? Will there be one in Tamil Nadu with the AIADMK?

In Karnataka, we have a good presence, we are confident of retaining our strength if not increasing it; in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, we have to increase our strength, and since we are not very strong, we are open to alliances with other parties.With the coming Lok Sabha polls in mind, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will hold a show of Opposition unity in Kolkatas Brigade Parade Ground on January 19, party leaders said on Thursday, claiming that it will be the biggest rally in post-Independence Bengal.

It will be a historic rally. Leaders of almost every opposition party will be present, West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said, after reviewing preparations for the event. Regional parties will be a deciding factor in the LS polls...Opposition rally in Kolkata will sound the death knell for the BJP which will not get more than 125 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, she claimed.

Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Partys SC Mishra, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, Congresss Lok Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin are among the leaders who confirmed their participation.

Akhilesh, who has skipped all meetings in the past aimed at forging Opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, would participate in the rally, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary confirmed.

Apart from them, National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Karnataka chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal have also confirmed their participation, TMC leaders said.

Former Union ministers Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha  all of whom had served in Atal Bihari Vajpayees cabinet, but have been bitterly opposed to the Narendra Modi regime  and former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, who quit BJP earlier this week, will also attend the rally, TMC leaders said.

However, Left parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), that are bitterly opposed to TMC will not attend the event. They have called a separate rally on the same grounds on February 3. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally at Parade Ground on February 8.

Trinamool supporters have started arriving in Kolkata from Wednesday night, three days ahead of the rally. There will be 20 giant LCD screens on the rally ground. Bengal food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick said more than a million people are expected to attend the rally, claiming that it will be bigger than the 1977 one on the same ground that was attended by the likes of Jyoti Basu and Jayaprakash Narayan.

Political analysts are sceptical about such claims. The biggest rally in Kolkata was the 1955 meeting at Brigade Ground where Jawaharlal Nehru felicitated Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin. It was massive, spontaneous and unsurpassable, said Amal Mukhopadhyay, political analyst and former principal of Presidency College.Two-time CPI(M) legislator Abdur Razzak Mandal joined the Trinamool Congress on Thursday morning, partially offsetting the embarrassment of the West Bengal ruling party that expelled two of its Lok Sabha lawmakers on January 9, one of them after he joined the BJP in Delhi.

Incidentally, the 60-year-old became the 40th MLA to switch to Mamata Banerjees party from opposition outfits since she came in power in May 2011.

A school teacher by profession, Mandal was elected twice from Jalangi assembly constituency in Murshidabad district in 2011 and 2016 on a Communist Party of India (Marxist) ticket even during the strong anti-Left sentiment in the state.

In the last assembly polls, the Left Front got four seats in the district. Mandal is the second Left Front MLA of Murshidabad who switched to the Trinamool. In December, CPI(M) MLA of Nabagram constituency Kanai Mondal joined the ruling party.

With Mandal in their fold, the Trinamool Congress can claim the support of 232 MLAs in a House of 294. The party won 211 seats in the 2016 assembly elections.

Razzak saheb has expressed his desire to attend chief minister Mamata Banerjees rally in Kolkata on January 19. He also told me of his desire to develop Jalangi constituency that is adjacent to the Indo-Bangladesh border, said state transport minister Subhendu Adhikari, also the Murshidabad district observer of Trinamool Congress.

With consent from Mamata Banerjee, we have inducted the Jalangi MLA in Trinamool Congress, Adhikari said.

Trinamool Congress won only four of the total 22 seats in Murshidabad district in the 2016 assembly election. But in the past two years, as many as six Congress MLAs of the district defected to Mamata Banerjees party as well.

On Thursday, soon after Razzaks defection, he was made chairman of the TMCs Jalangi constituency area committee. Trinamools strength will rise in the district with Razzak sahebs entry. He has vowed to give us a lead of more than 50,000 votes to the Trinamool candidate in the Lok Sabha election from Jalangi, said Adhikari.

Jalangi is a part of Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency that was won by CPI(M)s Badarudozza Khan, who secured 33.33% votes. The Trinamool candidate was in the third position with 22.44% votes.

The CPI(M) said Mandals decision to quit the party was selfish.

Razzak has defected to the Trinamool for his personal gain, and not for the interest of the people. He was expelled from the party on Wednesday evening, well ahead of his defection, claimed CPI(M)s district secretary Mriganka Bhattacharya.Suspense continued to haunt the Karnataka Congress on whether its missing dissident leaders would attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting or not, even though former chief minister and CLP chief Siddaramaiah has threatened proceedings under the anti-defection laws against those who dont attend the Friday meeting.

One of the alleged dissidents, B Nagendra, reached Bengaluru on Thursday to attend a court hearing and rubbished speculation that he had been poached by the opposition BJP. I have come to the city for a court hearing. There is no operation. I went to Mumbai for personal reasons as I have business there. I keep going there often, he said, insisting that he was never out of contact with the party leaders.

I dont have any reason to be unhappy. Regarding the CLP meeting, I have to see what happens with the court. If I have a hearing tomorrow as well it might be difficult to attend, he added.

The arrival on Wednesday of one of the alleged dissidents, LBP Bheema Naik, had boosted the Congresss morale and after the notice for the meeting was issued, party leaders said any dissidents were provided with a fait accompli, as Siddaramaiah had made it clear that proceedings under the anti-defection laws would be initiated against those who failed to turn up.

State Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao told HT that the party had sought a legal opinion on the powers of the legislature party chief to issue such a notice and only after that had they gone ahead with the move.

The legislature party chief has all the powers to issue such a notice. Let us see what happens on Friday, he said.

With this, said a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, the dissident faction had been thwarted in its attempt to muster more support. From the beginning it was clear that there were at best around five people who would even think of such a move, the leader said.

However, what worked in the partys favour was the fact that the dissidents could not muster much support. The problem is that no legislator is in a position to resign and face the people once again for a by-election. This is why we decided to force their hand in the matter and issued the notice to attend the meeting, the leader said.

On the same day, some BJP leaders returned to the city, even as a majority of its legislators from the state continued to stay at a resort in Gurugram. Senior leader CT Ravi said that no legislator was being kept captive, even as he agreed that his party had fuelled the fire of dissidence.

Addressing a press conference, Ravi said, If the Congress still has any self respect it should suspend or dismiss the dissidents. On one hand they said nobody had switched sides and on the other they celebrate the supposed return of MLAs.

Meanwhile, the BJP was criticised by former prime minister and JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda for keeping its legislators away from the state even as 156 of the states 176 taluks were facing drought. Responding to this, Ravi said, it was true that the BJP legislators had not gone to Gurugram to study the drought.

Ravi said the BJP was not trying anything new in the state. The politics that you indulged in, in the past is what we have done, he said. Dissidence is within your party, and, of course, we will add fuel to that fire, thats politics. But if your MLAs do not respect you, then dont blame us, Ravi said in a jibe aimed at the coalition.

Animosity between the three principal parties in the state has been at a fever pitch, especially over the past seven months. Senior Congress leader and its MP in the Rajya Sabha BK Hariprasad came in for criticism after he said BJP national president Amit Shah was suffering from Swine Flu because he sought to destabilise the Karnataka government.

Shah is famous for such conspiracies, and already six legislators have been kidnapped and kept in Mumbai. The BJP and RSS workers are guarding them. But since some of the legislators came back, he fell ill, Hariprasad said. It is not any ordinary fever that he got, it is swine flu. If you try and destabilise Karnatakas government you will get not just swine flu but also all other kinds of sickness.

Responding to the comment, state BJP spokesperson S Prakash said the statement on another persons ill health showed the Congress MPs sick mindset. Is this the campaign of love that Congress president Rahul Gandhi spoke about? Even Sonia Gandhi is ill but we always wish her a speedy recovery and good health, this shows the difference in our cultures, he said.The Supreme Court on Thursday paved the way for the reopening of dance bars in Mumbai, relaxing stringent conditions imposed by the Maharashtra government on their licencing and functioning that, it held, had virtually prohibited their running.

Offering relief to dance bar owners and employees, the court ruled that there could be regulations but not total prohibition and overturned the rule that barred serving of alcohol in bars.

The court, however, upheld the restriction on timings  from 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm  but allowed tips to be given directly to the dancers. However, it barred the showering of currency notes on them.

A bench of justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan struck down certain provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurant and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, and rewrote rules framed under it, in a bid to maintain a balance between public interest and the constitutional right to earn a livelihood.

The court noted that the conditions were hardly in the nature of regulations as the real effect was prohibition of dance bars. It brought on record that the state had granted no licences since 2005 despite a top court verdict that declared two provisions of the Bombay Police Act barring dance bars as unconstitutional.

The verdict came on a petition filed by restaurant owners association and a bar girls union challenging the 2016 Act that set conditions for operation of dance bars. The petition contended that by bringing the law, the Maharashtra government had tried to circumvent a previous top court order allowing re-opening of dance bars. This was after Maharashtra had first banned dance bars in August 2005 .

The court held that obscene dances could not be permitted in a dance bar and an employer permitting them would be jailed for three years. It quashed a rule that entitles only a person with good character, good antecedents and without a criminal record in the past ten years to obtain bar licences. Such terms are not defined or precise, the court said.

To protect the dignity of women, the SC banned showering of money on the dancers but allowed giving them tips.

The condition to mandatorily segregate the bar room from the dance stage was also quashed as the court found it unreasonable, having no rationale to the objective of the law. On the rule that barred operation of such bars within one km of religious and educational institutions, the court said this was impossible to implement in a city like Mumbai and asked the administration to provide a workable solution.

Quashing the ban on serving of alcohol in dance bars, the court said, It seems the state is more influenced by moralistic overtones under wrong presumption that persons after consuming alcohol would misbehave with the dancers. ..

On the states arguments that stringent measures were required to maintain morality in society, the court said the administration could not thrust its notion of morality on the people. ...standards of morality in a society change with the passage of time..., the court said.

Pravin Agrawal, vice-president of the Fight for Rights of Bar Owners Association, said, Most of what we demanded has been approved of, but a clause still remains that there should be no obscene performance. Now, that is a subjective term. We do not want the police to simply raid our bars every now and then, which is why we will ask for clarity on it.

Officials from the Maharashtra home department said the SC ruling was a victory for the state government as the 2016 Act had not been struck down per se.

The restriction on timings would be mainly a discouraging rule for the dance bar operator as the actual business in such bars begin after 11pm.... Most importantly, the clause of obscenity has not been struck down, giving the licencing authority the powers to keep activities well within control, an official said on condition of anonymity.

Ranjit Patil, minister of state for home, said, The ruling has no reflection of public sentiment which is against dance bars. We will decide on the further course of action after studying the judgement.The Supreme Court on Thursday requested the search committee on Lokpal to shortlist and recommend by February-end a panel of names for appointing the countrys first anti-graft ombudsman.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi also asked the Centre to provide the search committee requisite infrastructure and manpower to enable it to start its work and finish it within the stipulated time-frame.

The directions were given after Attorney General KK Venugopal told the bench that the panel, headed by former apex court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, met on Wednesday and discussed the difficulties it was facing in terms of infrastructure and staff.

The law officer said although funds had been allocated for the panels functioning, it was yet to get office premises or staff.

Venugopal apprised the court after it sought to know how many times the panel had met since it was set up last September.

Between September and now, how many times has the committee met? asked the bench, also comprising justices LN Rao and SK Kaul.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by NGO Common Cause against the government for delaying the appointment of the Lokpal. Appearing for the NGO, advocate Prashant Bhushan raised doubts on the working of the search committee.

Bhushan complained that the working of the committee lacked transparency and the panel must make public the shortlisted names.

At this, CJI Gogoi said, Why do you want us to pass unnecessary orders? We have asked the search committee to complete work by February-end. When they will give the list, we will give it to you.

But Bhushan persisted with its argument, prompting the CJI to remark, Dont look at things from a negative point of view. Look at things from a positive point. The world will be a better place to live. So try it from tomorrow.

The CJI continued with his comments even as lawyers present in the courtroom burst out laughing: I am sure you want to make the world a better place to live. One way to do this is to look at things positively.

But Bhushan still stuck to his submissions and said the committee must define the parameters for making the selection and it was not known whether there were any.

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi then told him: Mr Bhushan, you know everything thats happening in the country. He looked at mediapersons present in the courtroom and said: They are all going to write about you tomorrow.

The case will be heard next on March 7.

The top court had on July 24 last year rejected as wholly unsatisfactory the Centres submission on the issue of setting up of a search committee for Lokpal and demanded a better affidavit.

It was also told that the selection committee had met on July 19 last year to deliberate upon names for members of the search committee.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the leader of the largest opposition party, has been giving a go by to the meetings of the selection panel.

(With PTI inputs)The Centre plans to set up 29 airstrips on National Highways at strategic locations for emergency landings by fighter aircraft, according to the transport ministry.

The proposed strips have been planned on highways and roads near the international border in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Manipur and West Bengal. Three are planned on highways connecting Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh  all Maoist-affected areas. Emergency strips are also planned in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The ministry of road transport and highways, in 2016, announced the formation of an inter-ministerial joint committee with the ministry of defence and the Indian Air Force (IAF) to look into the feasibility of setting up these strips and to arrive at the technical details. IAF and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) were tasked with the site survey and inspection.

The work of site survey and inspection as well as the planning and bidding of the Emergency Landing Facilities (ELFs) are at different stages. The completion period of work has been kept as eight months, union minister of state for road transport and highways Mansukh Mandaviya informed Lok Sabha on January 7.

In November, Mandaviya announced that the Centre has identified 13 roads across states where emergency landings can take place. Eleven of the roads were under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) while the other two were state highways.

According to the ministry of road transport and highways, only one such strip is operational  on the Lucknow- Agra Expressway in Uttar Pradesh.

This is an excellent idea and many parts of the world do it but it is going to be a very complicated project. It would involve a lot of planning and consideration and most importantly funds, said former Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major.

Out of the 29 proposed stretches by IAF, bidding has begun for strips on three highways  from Bijbehera to Chinar Bagh in Jammu & Kashmir, Kharagpur in West Bengal to Keonjhar in Odisha (with a proposed cost of Rs 97.51 crore) and Nellore to Ongole in Andhra Pradesh (?79.84 crore).

Four proposed projects in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have been deemed non- feasible by the transport ministry while five projects in J &K, West Bengal, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are facing delays due to issues related to wildlife and land acquisition. Two of these projects in J&K and West Bengal have been kept on hold after discussions with local IAF units, according to the transport ministry.

The standard design for the emergency landing strips includes parking slots for four aircraft, an air traffic control (ATC) tower and two gates at both ends of the strip.

Several countries such as Germany, Sweden, South Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Czechoslovakia, even Pakistan have dedicated stretches on their highways and expressways for aircraft to land and take off in emergencies or during war.

This is an excellent project and many countries do it but it is going to be a very complicated project, said Air Chief Marshal (retd) Fali Homi Major. It will involve a lot of planning and consideration and, importantly, funds.

In 2015, IAF tested out such landings for the first time on the Yamuna expressway. The stretch of Agra- Lucknow expressway was also used for the first time in 2016 for landing six fighter aircraft .

Over the past few years, IAF has been increasing its efforts to utilise certain straight stretches of National Highways for emergency landings. Such highway stretches are planned to be used in emergencies, if an active airport is not available for some reason. These operations increase the flexibility in the use of Air Power. In addition, use of transport aircraft for quick insertion of forces for Human Assistance and Disaster Relief into civil area and Special Forces in case of contingencies has been validated, IAF said in a statement in 2017.Supporters of two Congress factions exchanged blows and flung chairs at each other in a brawl at the Himachal Pradesh Congress headquarters shortly after a new state unit president assumed charge.

The clash allegedly took place between supporters of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and outgoing state unit president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Eyewitnesses said at least two Congress workers were hurt in the fight, which brought into the open the factionalism in the partys state unit.

What happened at Congress Bhawan should not have happened. Appropriate action will be taken against those involved after identifying them, Kuldeep Rathore, the new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president told reporters later.

The brief fight took place in the presence of Virbhadra Singh, Rathore, Sukhu, AICC office bearer Rajni Patil and some party MLAs. Shortly before the fracas at the party office, Kuldeep Rathore took charge of his new assignment at a public meeting held two kilometres away.

Party members said the brawl was triggered by slogan-shouting by supporters of rival factions. (Deepak Sansta/HT Photo)

Party members said the brawl was triggered by slogan-shouting by supporters of rival factions.

At the public meeting earlier, Patil and Rathore had warned that indiscipline would not be tolerated in the party.

Both Virbhadra Singh and Sukhu have made veiled attacks against each other at meetings and through press statements after the party announced the appointment of a new state-level head.

Rajni Patil, who is the Himachal Pradesh in-charge at the All India Congress Committee, warned against this at the public meeting. No party leader or worker should think that the party would not take action against them if they continue to go to the media, breaching party discipline, she had said, without naming anyone.

Sukhu did not attend the public meeting, saying he was going for a medical check-up at that time.

But Rathore praised the absent leader and said Sukhu had told him that he will be there at the party office in the evening. He said Sukhu had supported his appointment. He also thanked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his elevation and claimed the Congress would win all four parliamentary seats in the state.Gujarat has transformed into a manufacturing state: PM

Gujarat has transformed into a manufacturing state from traders state, its a great achievement in itself, says PM.

Rs 1 crore loan in 59 min: PM Modi

We are working with a view to help small industrialists. To make sure they dont have to run to the bank for loans, we launched the quick loan disbursal portal for the MSME sector. The GST-registered micro, small and medium enterprises will be sanctioned a loan of Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes the new portal, said PM Modi.

PM Modi inaugurates Ahmedabad Shopping Festival

PM Narendra Modi Thursday inaugurated Ahmedabad Shopping Festival under the banner of VIbrant Gujarat.

PM Modi takes a look at stalls at the Ahmedabad Shopping Festival. ( ANI/ Twitter )

Health, education facilities given boost in last 4 yrs: PM

Health facilities and medical education have been given a boost in the last four years, more than 18,000 MBBS seats and more than 13,000 post graduate seats have been increased during this period.

PM congratulates Gujarat govt for implementing 10% quota

I congratulate Gujarat govt to be the first one to have implemented the 10% quota for the economically weaker section, said PM Modi.

Ayushman Bharat not just health cover, it will create jobs: PM

The Ayushman Bharat scheme is not just a health cover, it will also create jobs, thus overcoming the unemployment problem, said PM Modi.

People dont have to mortgage homes to avail medical treatment: PM

Unlike earlier times, when they hesitated to even enter a big hospital, over 50 crore poor now have faith in the govt that even for critical illness, the govt stands with them, and that the govt will provide them with appropriate medical facilities. Now, they dont have to mortgage their homes, for availing treatment at a hospital.

Sardar Patel would have been proud of Ahmedabads progress: PM Modi

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel started his political career from Ahmedabad, and wherever he is now hell be very happy to see this city progressing in terms of infrastructure, said PM Modi referring newly-inaugurated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Ahmedabad.

Visuals of newly-inaugurated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital

Here are the visuals of newly-inaugurated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Ahmedabad.

PM Modi inaugurates Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Hospital

PM Modi today inaugurated Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

PM Modi inaugurates Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Hospital in Ahmedabad. ( ANI/Twitter )

PM Modi to inaugurate Ahmedabad Shopping Festival  2019

Later in the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Ahmedabad Shopping Festival  2019.

PM Modi will inspect the facilities at the hospital

The Prime Minister will inspect the facilities at the hospital and address a gathering.

The hospital will support overarching vision of Ayushman Bharat

The hospital will serve the common man and support the overarching vision of Ayushman Bharat.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research will be a paperless hospital

In keeping with the spirit of Digital India, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research will be a completely paperless hospital.

PM to inaugurate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Ahmedabad.

More than 25 industrial and business sectors will be showcased

More than 25 industrial and business sectors will be showcased under one umbrella.

PM Modi inaugurates Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show at Gandhinagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show at Gandhinagar.

PM Modi will inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show

The Prime Minister will inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show at the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Center in Gandhinagar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad. He will participate in multiple events in the state, including the inauguration of Global Trade Show in Gandhinagar, during his two-day visit, reports ANI.

Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad. He will participate in multiple events in the state, including the inauguration of Global Trade Show in Gandhinagar, during his two-day visit. pic.twitter.com/MiftIzLFXI  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019The Northern Army commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on Thursday said the Indian Army was one step ahead of Pakistan and was giving a befitting reply to every single ceasefire violation by the neighbouring country.

Talking to media after inaugurating a bridge at Kalai in Poonch district, General Singh said, We are one step ahead of Pakistan and are giving befitting reply to them.

2018 has been a great year for the security forces, more than 250 terrorists were killed, 54 were caught alive, and 4 surrendered to the forces, he said.

When asked about the increased ceasefire violation by Pakistani forces since January 1 this year and the elimination of five Pakistani soldiers by Indian forces in retaliation in the last few days, Gen Singh said the answer lies in the query itself.

A top BSF source said at least five Pakistani army personnel were killed and three others injured in heavy retaliatory firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector in the past 48 hours.

On Thursday, Pakistani army again resorted to heavy firing in Jhangar, Laam, Pukherni and Peer Bhadreshwar areas of Rajouri district, prompting the Indian Army to retaliate in equal measure.

On Tuesday, Pakistan killed BSFs assistant commandant in sniper firing on the international border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Tuesday.

On Friday, an army officer, soldier and a porter were killed in Nowshera and Sunderbani sectors of Rajouri district.

Notably, PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the border district of Samba on February 3 to kick-start the BJPs election campaign in the state.

Despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the 2003 ceasefire agreement to maintain peace and tranquility, Pakistani troops have been indulging in ceasefire violations including BAT attacks, sniper attacks and planting IEDs inside Indian territory to kill Indian personnel.

Kalai bridge inaugurated

Meanwhile, General Ranbir Singh dedicated the Kalai Bridge to the country on Thursday. The bridge spans over the Suran River and connects Kalai area to Chandak area in Poonch district.

During the inauguration function, the Army Commander addressed the gathering of Army, GREF and local residents and said the Kalai bridge is an important milestone towards enhancing the road communication and for socio-economic development of the area.

The bridge is an important strategic asset as it will enhance the movement of military equipment and troops in a faster timeframe. The Indian Army and BRO has been working towards infrastructure development in the remote and far-flung areas of the state and have been improving road connectivity.

The bridge will reduce traffic congestion in the city and reduce the inconvenience caused to the people specially while moving towards Budha Amarnath Shrine in Mandi as it reduces the travelling time considerably.Southwest Florida welcomed the New Year with great weather for fishing, boating and other outdoor activities.

Favorable conditions allowed anglers to fish Gulf waters from near shore to a good distance off. Reports were good, with impressive catches coming from 80 to 120-foot depths. Big snapper, including mangrove, lane, yellowtail, vermilion and a few muttons, were boated, along with red grouper up to 31 inches, plus amberjack, scamp and porgy. The larger snapper was caught from a chum line on light tackle. Shrimp, squid and cut sardines were the baits of choice.

Closer to land conditions are improving and some life is returning to near shore areas. Sheepshead, grunts and snapper, plus some catch-and-release gag grouper, were caught within sight of land. Fish werent caught in great numbers, but this is great news that these waters are rebounding.

With a long stretch of warm days, the inshore sheepshead bite was up or down as they generally are more aggressive when its cooler. As a cool front pushed down on Friday, the bite heated up and was good through the weekend. Sheepshead were reported from all their usual locations  oyster bars, docks, piers, bridges and along the gulf beaches. Extreme low tides often had them concentrated in the deeper pockets of these areas.

Many of the redfish reports came from anglers targeting sheepshead, with fish running in size from 16 to 25 inches caught on shrimp rigs. A few reds up to 28 inches were also caught off the flats of northern Matlacha Pass and mid-Pine Island Sound on the eastern side. Cut mullet or ladyfish soaked on bottom got their attention. Redfish and snook are both closed seasons, catch and release only.

The million dollar question lately is where are the trout. Its been a struggle for many to catch any numbers; some are striking out completely. The few reports with decent numbers came from south Matlacha Pass and across Charlotte Harbor around Bull and Turtle bays. Like many species, many seatrout were decimated from the summers red tide and water issues. I have seen trout get hit hard in the past with a fairly quick recovery. Lets hope the numbers improve soon.

Large ladyfish provided big smiles and bent rods for anglers young and old to ring in the New Year. They have no food value, but they sure are fun to catch, especially when you find a school. They were reported between the Caloosahatchee River and St. James City, and in northern Matlacha Pass. Bonnethead sharks, another great fighter, were hooked along sand bar edges in Charlotte Harbor and around Captiva and Cayo Costa islands. Unlike most sharks, bonnetheads prefer eating shrimp over fish. An extra long shank hook or a short trace of light wire leader is a good idea if you really want to get one to the boat.

I cannot remember the last time I have seen as many boats on the water as witnessed over the holidays. The weather was great, and a lot of folks took advantage of it. Thankfully, the holidays are behind us and we should see the next few weeks a little less crowded on the water. Then our tourist season will kick in full swing for the next couple months.

If you have a fishing report or for charter information, please contact us at: Gulf Coast Guide Service, 239-283-7960 or visit www.fishpineisland.com or email gcl2fish@live.com.

Have a safe week and good fishin.

As a native of Pine Island, Capt. Bill Russell has spent his entire life fishing and learning the waters surrounding Pine Island and as a professional fishing guide for the past 18 years.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The government is not trying to resume formal peace negotiations with communist rebels, Malacanang said Thursday, disputing reports the President had ordered backchannel talks.

"We encourage yung peace talks sa local, hindi yung national (We encourage local, not national peace talks)," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace press briefing. He said this was discussed in President Rodrigo Duterte's command conference with security officials.

The President himself said he did not order Avelino Andal of the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to lead backchannel talks with Jose Maria Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

"Mr. Andal was not authorized to do back-channeling," Panelo said, adding Andal might have misunderstood what the President told him during a wake they attended together. "Siguro puyat na siya baka inaantok na siya (Maybe he lacked sleep and was drowsy)."

The government's negotiations with the National Democratic Front, which represents rebels in talks, were supposed to resume in June 2018, but Duterte postponed it for a three-month review. This sparked a word war between officials and the communist leadership though both sides expressed openness to get back to the negotiating table.

The Duterte government has since pushed for local government officials to talk to rebels in their areas, but has not released guidelines in doing so. The CPP, meanwhile, said they will never participate in localized peace talks.

The Duterte government is the sixth administration to talk with rebels in a bid to end the CPP's nearly five decades of armed insurgency, the longest running in Asia.South Africa: Search, rescue continues for SA citizens in Mozambique

This story has been published on: 2019-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

About 160 000 prisoners will have an opportunity to register to vote in the upcoming 2019 National and Provincial Elections. While the last voter registration weekend will be on 26 and 27 January, inmates will get an opportunity to register on 22  23 January. The Electoral Commission, which will conduct the process is appealing with f... See moreSeveral teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided at least six locations in four districts of western Uttar Pradesh and detained four men for interrogation in connection with the recently uncovered ISIS-inspired module.

It also conducted searches in Punjab.

The federal agency has arrested 12 people since December 26 last year in connection with its probe against the ISIS-inspired group, which was allegedly planning suicide attacks and serial blasts, targeting politicians and government installations in Delhi and other parts of north India.

The fresh raids also come days after the NIA arrested 24-year-old Muhammad Absar.

Also read: NIA arrests man from Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad

NIA teams and local police conducted early morning raids in Athsaini and Badarkha villages of Garhmukteshwar area in Hapur, Kaloli village in Bulandshahr, Battkheri village of Amroha and Jasora and Ajnera villages of Meerut.

Hapurs superintendent of police Sankalp Sharma said while speaking to the Hindustan Times that the NIA teams raided the two villages in the district after receiving a tip-off from a man called Naeem. He said Naeem was arrested from Rardhana village of Meerut on charges of supplying a pistol to terror module Harkat-Ul-Harb-e-Islam.

Three people have been taken into custody from Hapur for further interrogation, Sharma said. He, however, said no arrests have been made.

Another team raided Kaloli village of Bulandshahr and took a grocery shop owner Habib in custody. Habib returned to his village after spending many years in Saudi Arabia.

Raids were also conducted on the house of Zubair in Batt Kheri village of Amroha but he slipped out before the officials could start the search. The agency had earlier arrested five members of the outfit from Amroha.

Officials also raided Jasora, whose resident Absar was arrested on January 12, and Ajnera village of Mundali police station in Meerut. Absar was working as a teacher in Jamia Hasania Abul Hasan Madarsa in Piplera village of Hapur. His maternal uncle lives in Ajnera.

Absar had visited three places in Jammu and Kashmir between May and August last year along with Iftekhar Saqib in connection with the terror conspiracy, officials said.

Also read: NIA takes accused to Amroha, conduct searches

Among the men arrested by the NIA on December 26 were an engineering student, a graduate student, two brothers who worked as welders, and a mufti working at a madrasa in Amroha. Suhail was the mastermind of the group. The men were among 16 suspects who were held during raids at 17 places including Seelampur in Delhi, and Lucknow, Hapur and Amroha in Uttar Pradesh.

During the December raids, the NIA had recovered 134 mobile phone SIM cards, 112 alarm clocks and over 25 kg of chemicals that were used to make scores of remote-controlled bombs. They had also seized a rocket launcher that had been built by the men along with 13 pistols.

Also read: Terror funds generated in the name of charity

The group had come to the notice of the federal investigation agency about three-four months ago but it had taken investigators some time to unravel the conspiracy. The module was set up by Mufti Suhail, who worked at a mosque in Amroha district.The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at seven places in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in connection with its ongoing probe into the Islamic State (IS)-inspired module  Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam, officials said.

On December 28, the NIA announced that it had busted an IS-inspired module consisting of members from Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. The agency has arrested about a dozen accused in connection with the case. Officials said the module was allegedly headed by a preacher working at a mosque in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh.

Searches (on Thursday) were conducted at Rampur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Hapur, Amroha in Uttar Pradesh and Ludhiana in Punjab, said an agency spokesperson.

NIA officials also rounded up 50-year-old Mohammad Habib, a resident of Kaloli village in Bulandshahr district. The general store owner had spent over 25 years in Saudi Arabia and can be brought to NIA office in Delhi for questioning, an official said.

The fresh searches come five days after the probe agency arrested a suspect named Muhammad Absar from Hapur district for having alleged links to the global outfit.

Earlier, on January 4, Naeem, the alleged arms supplier of the Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam, was arrested from Meerut.

Arrests in connection with the case began on December 26, when 10 members, including an alleged mastermind Mufti Mohammad Suhail of the new IS module, were arrested from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh during raids at 17 places.

(With agency inputs)The Indian government should frame an emergency plan with standard operating procedures and an institutionalised mechanism with other countries to evacuate migrant workers, especially the millions in West Asia, a parliamentary panel has recommended.

The standing committee for the external affairs ministry made this recommendation in its latest report submitted to Parliament this month in view of the confirmation last year of the death of 39 Indians who were abducted by the Islamic State in Iraq in June 2014. The resident Indian community in West Asia is more than 8.5 million, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) statesBahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emiratesand Malaysia are home to a majority of migrant Indian workers.

The Gulf region has been facing frequent crises in the recent past and the death of 39 Indian workers in Iraq was a sad testimony to the security and safety challenges faced by them, the committee said in its report.

The committee recommend that the government should chalk out an emergency plan that clearly delineates the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and also forge an institutionalised mechanism with host countries to evacuate workers, the report said.

Migrant workers should be provided with information on dealing with emergency situations with during their pre-departure training phase, it added.

The committees report said, however, the death of the 39 Indians in Iraq had brought to the fore the challenges faced by Indian workers in conflict areas. In his testimony to the committee in April 2018, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said there were SOPs designed to get Indians out of conflict zones as safely and as quickly as possible.

Talmiz Ahmad, a former Indian envoy to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, however, said there were practical difficulties associated with evacuating Indian workers.

Even during conflicts, few workers want to leave as they have taken loans of lakhs of rupees to pay agents. During the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, an Indian government directive to leave the area was vehemently opposed by Indian workers, he said.The two women who entered Keralas Sabarimala shrine on January 2, defying traditionalists opposed to female devotees aged between 10 and 50 years offering worship at the temple, moved the Supreme Court on Thursday, seeking police protection.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising appeared before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and requested an urgent hearing, saying it was a matter of life and liberty for the two women, Kanakadurga, 39, and Bindu Ammini, 40. CJI Gogoi listed the matter for hearing on Friday.

Issue writ of mandamus directing authorities to provide full security, 24x7, to the two women who have entered the temple, and to deal with protesters indulging in acts of violence, physical and/or verbal on social media or otherwise against them in accordance with the law, the petition said.

Also watch: Protests erupt after 2 women attempt to enter temple

The plea sought a court direction to all authorities to allow women of all age groups to enter the temple without any hindrance and to ensure security and safe passage, including police security to women wishing to enter the temple.

In September. a Supreme Court bench ordered the shrines doors to be thrown open to women of all ages, overturning a decades-old ban on the entry of female devotees of childbearing age, imposed on grounds that the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is a celibate. The court order enraged traditionalists, who won the support of both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in their fight to keep women in the taboo age group out of the temple.

Protestors foiled the entry of women aged below 50 years into Sabarimala until Kanakadurga and Bindu Ammini, with a police escort, entered the shrine.

Their entry sparked widespread unrest in Kerala. Fearing a backlash, the two women stayed in an undisclosed location under state protection for almost two weeks.This year may mark the last time the traditional Republic Day salute to fallen Indian soldiers is given at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, which stands underneath India Gate, according to a senior defence ministry official who did not want to be named.

From next year, this ceremony which precedes the parade is likely to move to the National War Memorial, this person added.

Remembering fallen soldiers at the Amar Jawan Jyoti started in January 1972, days after Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan in December 1971. It honours the 3,843 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War and was started by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

India Gate, a monument of the British Raj, honours over a million Indian soldiers who fought in World War 1 and the Anglo-Afghan wars.

The National War Memorial, a key poll promise of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, is almost ready, a second senior defence ministry official said on condition of anonymity. It is a monument that will pay homage to over 26,000 Indian soldiers who have fallen during various wars since Independence. The National War Memorial is built at the India Gates C-hexagon and is spread over 40 acres, with four landscaped concentric circles named Amar, Veer, Tyag and Raksha (immortality, bravery, sacrifice and protection). It will also feature the busts of 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.

Although there was a plan to open the National War Memorial before Republic Day, the government eventually decided otherwise. One reason for this could be that the memorial is just getting ready. The other, according to the second officer, was perhaps because the government wanted to avoid another uncalled-for political controversy when general elections are around the corner.

All national-level functions will shift to the National War Memorial once it is opened to the public, the second defence ministry official said. The eternal flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti will continue to burn and be used for functions and ceremonies other than those that are national level, he added.

It is a very welcome move, but the opening of the National War Memorial should have all representatives from all three services, gallantry awardees, veterans and even representatives of political parties, noted military historian Mandeep Singh Bajwa said.After Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that any decision on Ram temple construction in Ayodhya would be possible only after the Supreme Court gives its judgment in the case, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leadership has announced that it will follow the decision of saints in the forthcoming Dharam Sansad during Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and not wait till eternity.

In an interview to Kenneth John, VHPs international secretary general Milind Parande spoke about the plans of the organisation. Excerpts:

Q. Will the construction of Ram Temple begin this year?

Ans: Ram temple construction will begin in Ayodhya either through legislation or according to the decision taken by saints in the Dharam Sansad scheduled to be held on January 31 and February 1.

Q. Do you think legislation is possible before Lok Sabha elections?

Ans: This is the burden of the central government. We have remained committed to the cause since the demolition of Babri Mosque in 1992. The central government had enough time to bring in legislation but failed.

Q. Does the VHP feel cheated?

Ans: Why should we feel cheated? Our agenda is temple construction in Ayodhya. We thought the government would support us. Religion and politics are two different things. If the government supports us, well and good, otherwise we are capable of constructing the temple on the direction of saints.

Q. Do you endorse the recent statements of RSS leaders that there is uncertainty over Lok Sabha poll results?

Ans: VHP will back a government which is committed to protecting the cause of Hindus. We have waited enough. We have full faith in the Supreme Court but are not sure when the decision will come.

Q. Will the VHP extend support to the BJP in Lok Sabha election?

Ans: We will only support those who are committed to the welfare of Hindus. In the last four years, the BJP government has failed to pave way for temple construction which has hurt the feelings and religious sentiments of 100 crore Hindus.

Q. If the saints decide to commence temple construction after Kumbh Mela, will the VHP support it?

Ans. Yes. Whatever the saints decide, our activists will follow it blindly.

Q. Will politicians be allowed in Dharam Sansad?

Ans: No. Dharam Sansad is an event of saints and has nothing to do with politics. However, if saints decide to allow some politicians committed to the cause of Hindus, we have no objection to it.Bengali techie Satyarup Siddhanta set foot on the 4,285-metre high volcanic peak, Mt. Sidley in Antarctica, at 6:28 am (Indian Standard Time) on Wednesday, becoming the youngest person in the world at 35 years, 274 days to scale the tallest mountains and volcanoes in all seven continents.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Daniel Bull, an Australian, was the youngest to climb these peaks. He achieved it at the age of 36 years and 157 days, completing the summits between 2006 and 2017.

Siddhanta scaled these peaks between 2012 and 2019. He is the only Indian to scale Seven Summits and Seven Volcanic Summits. I played the national anthem on the summit, Siddhanta told journalists over a satellite phone after returning to camp . Its very cold and overcast here. I suspect I have sustained frost bite on my fingers.

After a night halt at the camp, Siddhanta will start for the base camp that is at about 2,100 metres. From there, he will take a special flight for the camp in Union Glacier, said Dipanjan Das, Siddhantas close friend who coordinates his logistics during such trips. It took him 10 hours to reach the peak from the base camp, Das said.

Union Glacier is a private camp that operates during the Antarctic summer (November to January), winding up at the end of each season, and serves as a logistics hub.

Very few mountaineers in the world  about seven or eight  have completed the feat so far. He becomes the youngest, said mountaineer Debraj Dutta, secretary of the Indian Mountaineering Federation, Eastern Zone chapter. HT couldnt independently verify this claim.

On December 15, 2017, Siddhanta scaled Vinson Massif (or Mount Vinson), Antarcticas highest point, to become the fifth Indian civilian to complete climbing the tallest peaks in each continent, the so-called Seven Summits. Veteran mountaineers said the speed with which Siddhanta, an asthmatic in his childhood, achieved the feat, made the achievement more remarkable.

I am proud of Satyarup as a mountaineer for his world record. His feat is remarkable since he achieved it in less than seven years and in the face of fund constraints, said Basanta Singha Roy, who became the first Bengali civilian to climb Mount Everest in May 2010 and went on to scale three peaks above 8,000 metres. Watching his determined moves, we knew the record was only a matter of time. The short span in which he set foot on all these peaks makes it more special, said Debasish Biswas, who climbed seven peaks that are higher than 8,000 metres.

Siddhanta is a software engineer. The son of middle class parents, Siddhanta, even worked for two companies in two different shifts to raise funds for his trips.

His first major success was in scaling Mt Kilimanjaro, Africas highest peak, on June 29, 2012.

Our anxiety will not go till he safely comes back. There is danger in every step. Descending is considered no safer than ascending, said Siddhantas mother, Gayatri, who is anxiously waiting for his return.

Siddhantas next target is to reach North Pole to complete what is known as Adventurers (or Explorers) Grand Slam  which is reaching the two poles and summiting Mount Everest. In December 2017, he skied 111 km to South Pole and had climbed Mt. Everest on May 21, 2016.

He is expected to return to Kolkata on January 26.The family of a 25-year-old woman has accused doctors at a government health centre in Rajasthans Bharatpur district of medical negligence after an incision blade broke and was lodged in her abdomen during a surgery at a mass sterilization camp on Wednesday.

Meena Devi from Adhiya Ka Nagla village under Kumher sub-division was sent to Raj Bahadur Memorial Hospital in Bharatpur town after the botched surgery. She was then referred to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in state capital Jaipur after the doctors at the Bharatpur hospital failed to remove the blade.

Devis family said she was taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) of Kumher on Wednesday morning to the sterilization camp.

My daughter-in-law Devi has two daughters and a son and decided to go for sterilization. A health worker at the Anganwadi Manju Devi suggested her to get sterilisation done after which she came to Kumher CHC, Devis father-in-law Vijendra Singh said.

At the sterilisation camp, doctors were negligent and left the blade in her stomach. We want legal action against accused doctors, Singh said.

Dr Sahav Singh Meena, the in-charge of centre, had organised the sterilisation camp and was conducting the procedure. Dr Meena said on his part that a piece of the blade broke during incision on Devis stomach as she jumped and a piece was stuck in her abdomen.

We tried to remove it but did not succeed on which she was referred to the district hospital, Dr Meena said.

Eighteen women were admitted to the sterilization camp, where 17 were successfully operated upon.

Bharatpurs chief medical and health officer Dr Gopal Sharma said action will be taken against the accused doctor after an investigation into the incident.

Such camps are held regularly by the government as part of its long-running effort to control population growth. More than a dozen women died in Chhattisgarh in 2014 during surgery in a sterilization camp due to poor management by local authorities and unhygienic conditions, dirty medical instruments and equipment.In a rare instance, a Nagpur family court has granted divorce to a couple after recording the wifes consent via a WhatsApp video call.

The wife, 35, is studying in Michigan, US, on a student visa. Expressing her inability to attend the hearing as she was not permitted to seek long leave from her educational institution, the woman had requested that the hearing be conducted via a WhatsApp video call.

The husband, 37, a resident of Khamla in Nagpur, works in Michigan, but was in his home town when the divorce was officially granted by mutual consent.

After seeking consent from both sides, Nagpur Family Court Judge Swati Chauhan allowed their separation on the condition that the husband would pay the woman a lump-sum one-time alimony of Rs 10 lakh. The divorce was finalised on January 14, this year.

The family court had obtained the wifes consent via a WhatsApp video call on the directives of the court.

The couple had an arranged marriage on August 11, 2013, at Secunderabad, now in Telangana. The husband and wife, both engineers, secured jobs in a US-based automobile company.

However, differences cropped up when the wife stayed with her in-laws in Nagpur for some time after her US visa expired. She returned to Michigan later on a student visa.

Over time, their differences deepened and the husband filed for divorce at the Nagpur Family Court.

The court referred their case to a counsellor as per existing norms but no hearing took place for some time, as both were abroad.

Smita Sarode Singhalkar, the wifes lawyer, said she then took the lead and arranged a meeting at her office at Khare Town in Nagpur to go for an out of court settlement. The meeting was attended by the husband and his lawyer, while the wife was contacted on WhatsApp video call. The wifes brother represented her at the negotiation.

Singhalkar says it took a couple of meetings to arrive at a consensus as both sides couldnt settle on an agreeable alimony to be paid to the wife towards permanent settlement.

According to Singhalkar, it took a couple of meetings to arrive at a consensus on an agreeable alimony amount to be given to the wife towards permanent settlement.

After both agreed to the amount, we (Singhalkar and husbands lawyer Sameer Sonawane) contacted the counsellor, who in turn arranged another meeting with both parties, she added.

While the husband attended the meeting, the wife was represented by her brother.

The counsellor interviewed the wife on the terms of settlement via WhatsApp video calls and also consulted the husband. Subsequently, both the lawyers informed the court that since both the husband and wife were already living separately in the US for over a year and the wife was ready for a one-time settlement, a divorce should be granted.

The court turned the divorce case into a mutual consent petition before dissolving the marriage.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ONRakesh Asthana, once in line for the top job at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was moved out of the investigating agency on Thursday evening, closing a bitter chapter in the history of the bureau that saw him wage an internecine battle with his boss Alok Verma, who too was moved out on January 10, just 21 days before he was due to complete his tenure.

Asthana, who was special director at the agency, was not available for comment, but people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that he might be given a new assignment as director general of the bureau of civil aviation security, a post that is vacant at the moment.

A government order said Asthanas tenure at the investigation agency was being curtailed. The same order also named three more CBI officers whose tenure has been curtailed.

Joint director Arun Kumar Sharma and deputy inspector general Manish Kumar Sinha, both of whom were seen to be close to Verma and investigated Asthana on charges of bribery, were also removed.

While Sharma is a Gujarat cadre officer of the 1987 batch, Sinha belongs to the Andhra cadre and is from the 2000 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS).

The government order said the tenure of all these officials is being curtailed with immediate effect following approval from the appointments committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with home minister Rajnath Singh as its other member.

Superintendent of police-rank officer Jayant J Naiknavare , a 2004 batch Maharashtra cadre officer, is the fourth officer whose tenure has been curtailed. He was posted in the Mumbai branch of the agency, looking after corruption cases.

Asthanas exit comes days before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection panel is to decide on the agencys next full-time boss. M Nageswara Rao has been heading the investigating agency as an interim measure, triggering protests from the Congress party which has alleged that the government does not want a CBI chief who can act independently. A petition was moved in the Supreme Court against the interim appointment of Rao, which the top court has agreed to hear next week.

Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre, wrote to the cabinet secretary on August 24, levelling allegations of corruption against Verma. The cabinet secretary sent the representation to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for further verification. CBI, on October 15, filed a first information report against Asthana, accusing him of corruption. As the fight between Verma and Asthana escalated, the government stepped in on October 23, divesting both of their powers.

Verma moved the Supreme Court against the government order and the top court on Janaury 8 held that the government should have followed due process and dealt with the issue through the selection panel headed by the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and leader of the largest party in Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The court conditionally reinstated Verma and asked the panel to look at the CVC report.

The panel, through a 2:1 majority (Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge dissented), removed Verma from the CBI on January 10. It said he would complete his residual tenure till January 31 as the director general of fire services, civil defence and home guards.

Verma said he had already reached his retirement age while at CBI and declined the post. Asthana too moved the Delhi high court, seeking the FIR against him to be scrapped, but the court denied his request.The year 2018 was one of change, challenge, learning and accomplishments for the School District of Lee County. As we begin 2019, we celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to new opportunities, with focus on our Envision 2030 Strategic Plan. Our passion is student success through personalized education, increased family and community involvement, workforce preparation and progressive, continuous improvement.

During 2018:

The School District of Lee County achieved its highest graduation rate ever, at 82.6 percent.

The School District of Lee County and the Lee County NAACP signed an historic agreement designed to eliminate racial disparity and ensure success for all students.

Voters showed their support for our community and students by passing a half-cent sales tax increase to help the school district build new schools, maintain current facilities, upgrade technology, and ramp up security and technology. On Dec. 11, the board appointed an Independent Sales Surtax Oversight Committee to monitor expenditures of those dollars and its first meeting is Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at the Lee County Public Education Center. We thank the community for supporting this effort!

School Safety has been a focus of the Florida Legislature following the Parkland tragedy. Increased security measures at all Lee County schools, including teacher training, single point of entry, video camera systems, an increased effort recognize threats and troubled behavior and school resource officers are just a sample of the work that continues.

Finally, as the New Year begins, people are making resolutions or setting goals having to do with health and wellness. Our districts Employee Wellness Program has grown, with running teams, nutrition and weight loss programs and other challenges, which have resulted in better health.

Schools play a critical role in promoting the health and safety of young people and helping them establish lifelong healthy behaviors. Health education addresses the physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of students.

Research indicates that school health programs reduce the prevalence of health risk behaviors such as tobacco use, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, drug and alcohol use, as well as actions that increase stress, and risk of injury, and violence.

Health programs also have a positive effect on academic performance by removing barriers to learning. They also help us meet community needs by providing healthy, well-prepared members to the workforce  since in fact education is the economic driver for the community!

We are doing important work promoting health and wellness, supporting student success and improving community engagement. We invite all interested stakeholders to join us as we move into 2019.

Mary Fischer represents District 1 on the Lee County School Board.The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to be held in Varanasi between January 21 and 23 will cap the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments outreach to the overseas Indian community and be the last major diplomatic exercise before the next general election.

At least 7,000 people have registered for the event . The chief guest is Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius  the first person to be accorded this honour who has his roots in the Indian state in which the PBD is being organised.

Jugnauths ancestors belonged to Rasra village in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, and he will travel to his ancestral village during his stay in India, people familiar with developments said.

Though PBD, a biennial event since 2015, is held on or around January 9, the date for this years gathering was changed so that participants can also experience the ongoing Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj and the Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26.

We shifted the date of the eventon the demands of the NRIs as they wanted to attend the Kumbh and Republic Day parade, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters in Lucknow on Wednesday.

The three-day event will kick off with a special day-long programme on January 21 in Varanasi to give a glimpse of our rich heritage to the younger generation settled abroad, she added. The PBD will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22 and President Ram Nath Kovind will chair the closing ceremony the next day.

This is the third PBD organised during the tenure of this government and it will mark the culmination of the prime minister and external affairs ministers engagement with overseas Indians, a person familiar with planning for the event said.

The people cited above said the participating overseas Indians will be engaged to invest in specific projects. The Ganges river will be given a prominent status during the PBD, with Ganga Avtaran the mythical story of how the river descended to earth  being the theme for a cultural programme on January 22.

Besides the setting up of a tent city to accommodate delegates, a special part of the PBD will be Kashi ka Aathithya, whereby arrangements will be made for overseas Indians to stay free of charge in the homes of residents of Varanasi.

Prime Minister Modi was very keen on this Kashi ka Aathithya idea, said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, adding that around 1,000 NRIs with roots in the state will join the event.

The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 21 will be addressed by Swaraj, Norwegian MP Himanshu Gulati and New Zealand MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. The inaugural session of the PBD will be addressed by Jugnauth, Swaraj and Modi.

There will be several sessions devoted to topics such as developing Indias cyber capacity, the diasporas role in capacity building for artificial intelligence, affordable solar power and waste management and Indian community groups working for Indian nationals in distress.Kashmir was enveloped in snow again on Wednesday, halting flight operations at the Srinagar international airport following poor visibility. Although the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was open amid snowfall, many inter-district roads were closed.

The weather office has forecast another spell of snow from January 19 to 23 due to heavy precipitation.The MeT department has asked people to plan their travel accordingly.

Moderate snowfall started early in the morning in the mountains and then in the plains, slowing down pace of life in the Valley as people confined themselves indoors and markets witnessed moderate footfall.

Jammu and Kashmir police in a tweet wrote: Road Status: #Srinagar-Jammu highway open, Traffic plying from Srinagar to #Jammu; Srinagar-Kargil road Closed; Anantnag-Kishtwar road Closed; Mughal Road closed; Bandipora-Gurez road closed; Kupwara-Karnah, Kupwara-Keran, Kupwara-Machail roads closed.

It has been snowing lightly in central Kashmir while there is moderate to heavy snowfall in mountains particularly in some areas of north Kashmir, director, meteorological office, Sonam Lotus, said.

Divisional commissioner (Kashmir), Baseer Ahmad Khan on Wednesday issued a fresh avalanche warning for nine avalanche prone districts of the division including Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kargil and Leh districts.

The administration has kept at least 23 snow clearance machines ready. If snowfall continues and there is some substantial accumulation on roads, we will be putting the snow clearance machines into service after midnight so that the arterial roads are clear by Thursday morning, executive engineer, mechanical engineering department, Abdul Rashid Bhat said.

For two days from Thursday the weather is expected to be fine, which will give a window period for people travelling in and out of the state as usually the highway gets closed and flights are cancelled during heavy snowfall, Sonam Lotus said.

He also advised people to keep a proper stock of eatables besides keeping their warm clothes and heating devices ready.

Srinagar weather office has been the busiest centre in January owing to four spells of snow so far.

The Valley received its first snow of the year on January 2 bringing respite in the chilly conditions followed by widespread snowfall on January 5, which had closed the national highway and disrupted air traffic. January 11 also witnessed snowfall across the Valley.

Tourists are pouring in to experience the snow covered meadows, picturesque Himalayan mountains, pine forests and ice streams flowing across the Valley.

Srinagar recorded minimum temperatures of minus 2.1C, minus 3C in ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir and minus 4.2C in Pahalgam in south Kashmir. Kargil was the coldest at minus 20C while it was minus 16.2C in Drass.

Srinagar received seasons first snowfall on November 3, setting the tone for wet weather early this season. It was after nine years that the city was draped in white in November.

Kashmir also experienced mild rains and snow in first half of December while it remained cold and dry during rest of the month.

The intense winter (Challai Kalan) starts in the valley from December 21 and lasts for 40 days followed by Chillai Khurd (20 days which are less intense) and Chillai Bache (10 days of mild cold).In a case of a Facebook friendship gone wrong, a woman in Odishas Ganjam district lost her son after a man she befriended on the social networking site killed the 7-year-old as he saw him as an obstacle.

The police in Ganjam district arrested Debashis Panda on wednesday for allegedly abducting and killing the 7-year-old boy. The victims mother Nirupama had befriended Panda on Facebook a year ago, said sub-divisional police officer of Berhampur, Bishnu Pati.

He used to visit her house frequently and she had introduced him as her brother to everyone. But Panda was attracted towards Nirupama and wanted to establish a physical relationship with her. However, the woman had declined his advances. The man felt that the boy was an obstacle in their relationship as he always seemed to be around the woman and thus he wanted to kill the boy, said Pati.

On January 12, a week after the boys 7th birthday, Panda took the boy to drop him off to school. But he instead took him to the Tara Tarini forest in Purushottampur where he stoned the child to death before fleeing to Sambalpur to a friends place.

After Nirupama lodged an FIR, police recovered the boys blood-stained ID-Card and school uniform from Pandas possession and arrested him from Sambalpur.Seeking investigation by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Dovals son Vivek Dovals Cayman Islands hedge fund, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the central bank must publish the source of funds received from tax havens.

Within 13 days of PM Modi announcing demonetisation, Vivek Doval opened a hedge fund in Cayman Island, which is a tax haven. Opening funds there is not illegal, but questions must be raised on how as per RBI data from 2000 to 2017, India received Rs 8,300 crore FDI from Cayman, but post demonetisation, India received approximately the same amount in just one year alone, Ramesh said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Referring to the Bhartiya Janata Partys (BJP) committee formed in 2011 on Indian Black Money Abroad: Secret Banks and Tax Havens, which included RBI director S Gurumurthy, Doval, IIM-Bangalore professor R Vaidyanathan and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, the senior Congress leader said. In his own report, Doval had said that details of FDI from tax havens must be made public. We are just asking them to adhere to their own report.

Ramesh added that Doval also needs to answer about how Don W Ebanks, a man named in both Panama and Paradise Papers, was made a director in Vivek Dovals company. He also alleged that there were links between Dovals other son Shaurya Dovals company Zeus Strategic Management Advisors Pvt Ltd and GNY Asia.The Narendra Modi governments Citizenship Amendment Bill has caused confusion within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam, leaving the partys rank and file wondering what lies ahead and how they can defuse a potentially damaging backlash against the bill.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has called a meeting with select office-bearers on Thursday to discuss these issues.

The bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim settlers from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, has set off an upheaval among native Assamese, who have long resented waves of migrations from Bangladesh.

Asked how the BJP will handle the conundrum, Tafiqure Rahman, one of the BJPs eight vice-presidents in the state, said: Everybody is confused here. I am telling you the truth.

Of course, it (the bill) is a challenge. It will harm the culture of Assam; it will harm the language of Assam, he added.

They (central leadership) will decide everything. The state government is following their order. I am also bound to follow them. Rahman said, clarifying that he was not speaking to HT in his official but personal capacity.

Two major moves are afoot to offset possible dents in the BJPs support base, but both are mired in controversy.

One, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has moved a separate bill to amend the Constitution (Schedule Tribes) Order 1950 to grant Schedule Tribes (ST) status to six communities that are scattered across the state. These are the Tai-Ahoms, Mataks, Chutiyas, Koch-Rajbongshis and a clutch of Adivasi (indigenous) groups. This isnt a surprise political sop. These groups have long demanded such a status, which will give them a higher quantum of reservation in jobs and education. A similar move in 1996 floundered after Parliament failed to pass it.

Secondly, the BJPs move to form a committee to recommend constitutional safeguards to native Assamese, including reservation in jobs and assembly seats, failed embarrassingly with a majority of experts nominated by the BJP government quitting the panel in protest against the citizenship amendment bill.

These constitutional provisions relate to the so-called Clause 6 of an agreement in 1985 between the central government and Assamese students, who led a six-year mass agitation against illegal Bangladeshi migrants, which were then incorporated into the Citizenship Act 1955.

The BJPs foot soldiers say things have turned bad for a party that has seen a stunning rise in the northeast. Its legislators are being shown symbolic black flags. Two BJP legislators, Atul Bora and Padma Hazarika, have publicly opposed the bill, going against the party line.

On January 9, Assam assembly speaker Hitendranath Goswami told the Assam Tribune that as a citizen, he could not support any act, which is unacceptable to the indigenous people of Assam.

The party will have to more or less suffer because of this. That is what I feel, said Mrinal Saikia, the partys Sonitpur unit chief. Sonitpur is a tea-producing district north of the Brahmaputra.

The citizenship bill was a mistake, Saikia said, adding that party workers are demoralised because those associated with the BJP were (also) associated with the anti-immigration agitation (in the 1980s). That sentiment is still alive.

According to Saikia, the BJP committed a tactical error. It should have first initiated the move to secure constitutional safeguards to native-born Assamese and then brought the citizenship bill. There were no grassroots-level discussions, he said.

BJP state vice-president Manoj Ram Phookan, however, said the bill was brought in a democratic manner through executive committee resolution.

According to political analyst, Naba Jyoti Bora, the BJP does face a challenge but it may well survive this storm. The BJP has its own committed cadre now. Polarisation at many levels means a repeat of the 1980s-type agitation may not take place. Earlier, Assamese identity was the sole issue. Now people vote for economic development too.

Debojit Bora, the chief of BJPs Golaghat district unit, echoes this view. We have our own cadre now. There will be an impact but it will be limited to the middle-class, schools and colleges, and government employees. Thats not small chunk by any measure.The Indian Navys underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Wednesday evening spotted a body during the search for 15 workers trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, according to officials involved in the rescue operation. However, there is no clarity as to how long it will take to retrieve the body, which could be in a decomposed state, the officials said.

A joint rescue operation involving nearly 200 personnel from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Indian Navy as well state agencies, has been on at a rat-hole mine at Khloo Ryngksan in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district for the past one month. The rat-hole mining involves digging of small holes into the ground to extract coal.

Illegal mining is rife in the district and a National Green Tribunal ban on such activities has been in place for four years.

Yes, the Navy-operated ROV has found a dead body, S S Syiemlieh, additional deputy commissioner, East Jaintia Hills said on Thursday. The Navy also confirmed the development on Twitter: The depth is 160 feet (and not 60 feet) and the body has been pulled up to the mouth of rat-hole mine and shall be extracted out of the mine under the supervision of doctors.

According to East Jaintia Hills district administration officials, deputy commissioner F M Dopth has invited five families of trapped miners to watch the footage captured by the ROV. The officials said the body could be in a decomposed state and efforts to retrieve it could lead to disintegration of the body parts.

The relatives will give their opinion on Friday whether they want the body to be pulled out, the officials said.

Meghalaya deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong, said, Operation is on and we have not given up yet.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an NDRF official involved in the operation said that the body  the dead miner is seen wearing a red T-shirt and a torn blue jeans in the footage  was spotted around 6.30 pm on Wednesday.

The official also said the body is stuck in a rat-hole into which Navys ROV cannot enter. A Chennai-based company, which arrived at the spot a few days ago, is operating smaller ROVs in the main shaft, the official added.

The official said the agencies including the NDRF and the Navy were desperately looking for information on the rat-holes at the bottom of the main pit, which was flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it while workers were digging it to extract coal. We requested district administration to get in touch with Sayeb Ali, one of the survivors, the official said.

Ali, a resident of Chirang district in neighbouring Assam, had claimed on December 18, that he along with three others managed to get out of the mine on December 13 itself.

The NDRF official said he got in touch with Ali and three others survivors to extract information inside the mine. It was on the basis of their inputs that this body was spotted in a rat-hole, the official said, adding that they are now hopeful of detecting others as ROVs would now search beyond the depth of 210 ft where the body was first spotted.

The Supreme Court last week pulled up the Meghalaya government for its inaction against illegal miners while saying that rescues efforts must continue.Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Thursday lashed out at the Northern Command Chief Lt General Ranbir Singh, on his great year for security forces remark.

Taking to Twitter, Abdullah wrote, the compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration.

I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed & no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration, Abdullah wrote.

Also read: In Kashmir, stability and peace are distant dreams

Abdullah was reacting to a statement by Gen Singh on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Kalai bridge in Poonch district. Gen Singh said 2018 had been a great year for the security forces as they had managed to kill 250 terrorists.

I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed & no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration. https://t.co/PPNGWmrCBy  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) January 17, 2019

2018 has been a great year for the security forces, more than 250 terrorists were killed, 54 were caught alive, and 4 surrendered to the forces, he said.

When asked about the increased ceasefire violations by Pakistans army, Gen Singh said, We are one step ahead of Pakistan and are giving befitting reply to them.

Also read: Made them do bhangra: Army chief Bipin Rawat on improved military ties with China

In the past 48 hours, the security forces have killed at least five Pakistani Army personnel and injured three others in heavy retaliatory firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control in the Poonch sector.

Pakistan has been violating the ceasefire agreement almost on a daily basis since January 1, this year.

On Tuesday, a BSF assistant commander was killed in sniper firing in Kathua districts Hiranagar sector.

A soldier and a porter were killed in Nowshera and Sunderbani sectors of Rajouri district last Friday.At least four Pakistani soldiers were killed between Tuesday and Thursday after the Indian Army launched a strong retaliation to ceasefire violations that mark the most significant escalation of tensions along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir this year.

The action comes less than a week after an Indian Army officer and a soldier patrolling the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir were killed in targeted explosions, and a Border Security Force (BSF) assistant commandant was shot dead by Pakistani snipers on the International Border in Jammu.

At least four regular soldiers of the Pakistan Army were killed in the last 48 hours when the Indian Army retaliated along the LoC, said a senior officer of the Indian Army, who asked not to be named.

A second official, posted with BSF, too, said the Indian retaliation had led to deaths on the other side, but put the number at five.

The casualties [on the Pakistan side] were mainly in the Rajouri sector and we have been able to confirm it, the first officer added.

Earlier in the day, Northern Army commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said Indian forces were giving a befitting reply to every single ceasefire violation by the neighbouring country. The officer did not confirm or deny when asked if the retaliation had led to deaths on the Pakistani side.

Lt Gen Singh added that 2018 has been a great year for security forces, more than 250 terrorists were killed, 54 were caught alive, and four surrendered before the security forces, ostensibly referring to actions in the Kashmir.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah criticised the statement.

I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed and no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldnt be treated as a cause for celebration, he wrote on Twitter.

Officials said Pakistans ceasefire violations continued on Thursday and a civilian was injured by mortar shelling along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district.

The Pakistani side was reported to have engaged in heavy firing in Jhangar, Laam, Pukherni and Peer Badeswar areas of Rajouri district.

At 2,936, the year 2018 recorded the highest number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops in the past 15 years along the Indo-Pakistan border, according to official data.

The attacks come even as the Pakistani establishment signalled it was open to peace talks, though people in the Indian defence establishment have seen such attempts as being hollow.The northeastern states need to be more dependent on their own resources in future and these states, including Tripura, should attract private capital, said 15th Finance Commission chairman Nanda Kishore Singh on Thursday.

He further added that sole dependency on the public outlay would extend the states debt and fiscal deficit profile.

The Government of India has prepared a policy to make the states dependent on their own resources that need to be continued in future. Tripura has the second highest density of population after Assam. The Tripura government has a plan for development of the human resources that will help to utilise the human resources talent, Singh told the media on Thursday after their two-day meeting with all the stakeholders including government, political delegations and other autonomous bodies.

The state government submitted a memorandum to the fifteen member delegation of the Finance Commission seeking for hike of devolution to set up infrastructures in sectors of health, power,education, IT, tourism etc.

The memorandum mainly emphasised on connecting Tripura with Chittagong sea port in Bangladesh, increasing tourism through improvement of road connectivity ,launching of pro-indigenous developmental projects, hike of devolution to manage forest cover etc.

We support the vision of the new state government to make a model state. They gave us a memorandum. We are aware of the challenges of the state and we will give a sympathetic view to this states need and economy, he said.

Singh added that Tripura has the potential to become a healthcare hub and also can attract patients from Bangladesh,but termed chief minister Biplab Kumar Debs dream to make the state an IT hub as imaginative plan.

The Finance Commission would soon visit other northeastern states like Meghalaya,Mizoram and Sikkim.The controversy over recent recommendations of the collegium once again highlights the need for collective leadership and transparent decision making in the Supreme Court. The current Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ranjan Gogoi, was one of four judges who asked for both in whats now known as the Judges Press Conference (on January 12, 2018), when he was the third senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, and he should, now that he is in charge of the court, channel that demand into action.

Here are the facts of the ongoing controversy: the collegium decides on names for two positions in the court in December, but the final recommendation to the law ministry is not made, pending consultations with other judges in the court who served with those selected. The two names are leaked, apparently infuriating the chief justice, and one theory suggests that this is why the collegium decided to consider fresh names. This is a specious claim. In January, the collegium meets again, but this time discusses fresh names. The consultations are completed immediately after and two fresh names are recommended. One is of a judge criticised for his willingness to toe the executives line by the then second-most senior judge in the Supreme Court in March 2018. The other is of someone who is 33rd in terms of seniority (among judges of the high courts) and who, if elevated, will become the Chief Justice of India in 2024.No explanation is proffered as to why the two names all but finalised in December are dropped; nor is one offered on choosing someone once criticised for his conduct by a respected Supreme Court judge or why a chain of seniority is being broken in an institution driven by this seniority. At another level, this controversy should remind everyone of the need to reform the collegium system itself. The right to select judges to the Supreme Court was taken upon itself by the apex court in 1993 and revalidated in a 1998 judgment (Third Judges case). The current government tried to change that with the passage of a law on the National Judicial Appointments Commission, but the law was shot down  again by the Supreme Court. A so-called Memorandum of Procedure, on reforming this process of selecting judges, is now with the law ministry which has been reviewing it since September 2018.

In a speech last year, Justice Gogoi said noisy judges and independent journalists were democracys first line of defence. Given the confusion around what actually happened between the two meetings of the collegium, and the various theories being speculated upon, he should speak up.As part of its Be Informed! Be Involved! Speaker Series, the Americas Boating Club of Sanibel-Captiva will host a free Active Shooter Presentation on Jan. 23 for the public.

It will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Community House; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Retired Detective Bill Behrens, who has 29 years of law enforcement experience, will conduct the presentation. His police career was in and around the metropolitan Chicago area and primarily focused on the investigation, apprehension and prosecution of violent crimes perpetrators.

It will focus on what to do if you are involved in or in close proximity to an active shooting, or other violent situation involving a knife, club or fight. During the presentation, attendees will learn:

 How to effectively respond to an active shooter situation

 What to do when law enforcement arrives

Such incidents are occurring at an increasing rate and can happen to anyone in any place at any time. Knowledge of how to response and what to do is important for average members of a community.

The Community House is at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.The informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in April 2018 was supposed to reset the bilateral ties after the 73-day Doklam standoff in 2017. To some extent, Mr Modi and Mr Xi have been able to cool the tempers. However, a leader-level initiative was never going to offset structural factors like territorial disputes that make the two Asian giants each others adversary. As a result, both countries continue to prepare for a conflict that may break out notwithstanding the recent confidence-building measures.

It is clear that China is still smarting from its failure in Doklam to extend its road to the south in disputed territory. Since then, it has taken various measures to prevent a repeat. It has beefed up its presence to the north of the stand-off site. Tibet has seen a flurry of activity, including air force exercise and construction of expressways, heliports and airstrips. China is developing the worlds first electromagnetic surface-to-surface rocket specifically meant for India. The idea is to use cheap systems such as rockets to overwhelm Indias military (or possibly civilian) targets with improved accuracy afforded by electromagnetic catapult. China has also deployed vehicle-mounted howitzers in Tibet to enhance its high-altitude combat capability.

India too has responded vigorously. It has adopted a more offensive posture on the China border. It is planning to deploy Akash missile systems along with attack helicopters and long range fighter aircraft in the eastern sector. Mr Modi inaugurated, with much fanfare, the five-kilometre long railroad bridge at Bogibeel in Assam, which will expedite troop movements to Arunachal Pradesh. The construction of other strategically important roads is being speeded up both in the eastern as well as the western sector. A plan to construct hardened shelters for Indias aircraft stationed on the China border has also been green-lighted. This will help in case the electromagnetic rockets try to take out Su-30MKIs.

India should continue to strengthen its capabilities  that is its best insurance against a stronger rival  but be sure to leave the onus of escalation on China. This strategy proved to be successful in Doklam and looks good for the medium term. India should hope for the best but prepare for the worst.A woman was killed, while her husband and 18-year-old son were critically injured after they were stabbed by their neighbour Wednesday evening in west Delhis Khayala, said police.

The suspect, a 40-year-old Mohammad Azad of a DDA colony, is absconding. Police identified the deceased as Sunita, her injured husband and son as Viru and Akash, respectively. They said that Azads family lived on the ground floor, while Sunitas family lived on the second floor.

According to the police, the attack could have been a fallout over a minor argument the two families had a couple of days ago.

Police said that at around 7.30 pm, Sunita was returning home after buying groceries when she crossed paths with Azad and the duo entered into an argument.

People in the area say that after Azad and Sunita argued, she went home and narrated the incident to her son Akash who rushed to Azads house and allegedly started abusing him for arguing with his mother. Azad then stepped out of his house and got into a physical confrontation with Akash. Seeing his son being overpowered, Viru also rushed to his aid, said a police officer who is not authorised to speak to the media.

In full public view, Azad then stabbed Akash and Viru with a knife, the officer said, adding that when Sunita came to their aid, Azad stabbed her multiple times too. Azad then allegedly fled from the spot. People in the area then made a PCR call. Police said all three victims were rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Khyala where Sunita was pronounced dead, and Viru and Akash are critically injured.

The couple also have an eight -year-old daughter who was unharmed as she was at home at the time of the incident.

Initial probe revealed that a few days ago, when the couples daughter was returning home from school, she dropped her water bottle while climbing the stairs. The bottle just missed hitting one of Azads family members on the ground floor, said Joint commissioner of police (west) Madhup Kumar Tewari. On this, Azad had an argument with the childs parents. Locals said Wednesdays murder was fallout of this argument. We are yet to ascertain it. Tewari said teams have been formed to search for Azad and police were probing if anyone else was involvedLast May, Luis Carlos Soldevilla graduated with one of the best grade point averages in his Mexico City high school. For his senior project, he even tackled Goldbachs conjecture, a famous number theory problem. Soldevilla considered attending Boston University and the University of Washington, both of which had accepted him. He also had fond memories of the University of California, Berkeley, where during the summer of 2016 he took a computer science course.But instead of enrolling at a US school, Soldevilla started this fall at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, where hes pursuing a double major in computer science and mathematics. Why did he pick the Canadian school over those big American names?

A very important factor of my decision was that there was no Trump, the 19-year-old said.

New foreign student enrollment in the US dropped by 6.6 percent in the 2017-18 academic year, double the previous years rate of decline, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). While the total number of international students in the US grew slightly, the drop in new enrollees is the biggest since 9/11, said Rachel Banks, public policy director at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The decline seems to be continuing this year, she said.

The report attributed the drop to multiple factors, including visa delays and denials, the social and political environment and the cost of attending a US school. The administrations hard-right immigration policies, such as banning people from Muslim-majority countries and separating children from their parents at the border, make prospective students and their parents feel that were not a welcoming country, Banks said.The number of F-1 visas, the kind issued to foreign students going to school full-time in the US, dropped from about 644,000 in fiscal 2015 to about 394,000 in fiscal 2017, according to data from the US State Department. Vanessa Andrade, associate director of international partnerships and program development at California State University, Northridge, said safety is always the biggest concern.

Worries range from gun-fueled massacres to violent white supremacist groups, which have been resurgent since President Donald Trump took office, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Foreign enrollment at Northridge was down 16 percent in the 2017-18 academic year, according to IIE data.

An export with exactly the same economic effects as when we sell soybeans.

The more than 1 million foreign students in the US contributed $39 billion and supported more than 455,000 jobs during the 2017-18 academic year, according to an analysis by NAFSA. The largest spending benefits went to California, New York, Massachusetts, Texas and Pennsylvania. NAFSA said education is one of the countrys biggest services exports.Educationparticularly higher educationis a major American export, University of California, Santa Barbara economics professor Dick Startz wrote in a Brookings Institution blog post in 2017. When we provide a service that leads to foreigners sending money into the US, thats an export with exactly the same economic effects as when we sell soybeans or coal abroad.

In a small place with a large international student population, you see the economic impact almost immediately, said Jennifer Ewald, associate vice provost for global strategy at Fairfield University in Connecticut. You might not notice in New York City, but you will notice in a town like ours, she said. I dont think people outside of higher ed understand the threat to local economies.As state and federal dollars dried up, schools used tuition from international students to make up the shortfall. With US high school graduation rates flat or falling, international enrollment helped boost revenue due to limited tuition discounting, Moodys Investor Service wrote in a 2017 report in which it downgraded its credit outlook for the US higher education sector from stable to negative, where it remains today. In December, Moodys said more stringent immigration policies were playing a role in falling international enrollment.

Immigration lawyer Dana Bucin, a Hartford, Connecticut-based partner at Murtha Cullina, has advised hundreds of foreign students at schools including the University of Connecticut, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University. She said colleges are worried their pipeline of highly-talented internationals will shrink.The students are being stressed out of their minds, not because theyre planning on breaking law, but precisely because theyre trying to comply with it, Bucin said. They feel theyre here to contribute, not to steal anything away.

And contribute they do. Graduate education in critical areas such as science and engineering, where America is increasingly falling behind other countries, couldnt function without foreign students, warns a 2017 report by the National Foundation for American Policy. At approximately 90 percent of US universities, the majority of full-time graduate students (masters and Ph.D.s) in computer science and electrical engineering are international students, it said.

Because there arent enough homegrown students enrolled in these kinds of programs, internationals who are should automatically be given green cards, said Fariborz Ghadar, the director of the Center for Global Business Studies at Penn State University. The universitys international student body dropped about 5 percent from 9,134 in the 2016-17 academic year to 8,636 at its largest campus, University Park, in the last academic year.

If you oppose immigration, you can say, Well, well enroll some more Americans to offset the decline, said Ghadar. But were already letting in all the native-born Americans who are qualified.A handful of universities, including Haverford College and the New School in New York, sued the Trump administration in October over an immigration rule change that took effect in August. It altered how a concept known as unlawful presence is enforced, making it easier to ban foreign students for 3-year or 10-year periods if they are found to have violated the terms of their admission.

Such terms include not working more than 20 hours per week at a campus job, forgetting to notify school officials after moving to another dormitory, or even if a school official makes a mistake with the paperwork.

Plaintiffs contend the change is illegally designed to impose tens of thousands of reentry bars annually, and that it violates federal immigration and administrative procedure laws. They warn it will result in the banishment of untold numbers of international students and exchange visitors acting in good faith. Last month, additional plaintiffs including the American Federation of Teachers joined the suit, filed in federal court in Greensboro, North Carolina. More than 60 colleges and universities filed an amicus brief in support of the litigation.

The US becomes vastly less attractive when coming here risks a 10-year reentry bar through no fault of your own, said Mayer Brown partner Paul Hughes, lead counsel for the plaintiffs. The new policy injects enormous uncertainty and unpredictability into our immigration laws, Hughes said. Now a student can come and try to do everything perfectly legally but suffer enormous consequences if they make a minuscule mistake.

The Trump administration has asked the court to dismiss the case, saying the plaintiffs dont have standing to sue. Michael Bars, a spokesman for the immigration service, said the agency is focused on upholding the law to the greatest extent possible and isnt purposely targeting foreign students.

An export with exactly the same economic effects as when we sell soybeans.

US schools are in this rather uncomfortable and precarious position, said Ravi Shankar, the director of the international office at Northwestern University, which joined the amicus brief. On one hand, we have to comply with regulations for national security, which we all take seriously. On the other hand, were trying to make sure our messaging to students reiterates that theyre welcome here.Like other schools, Northwestern has increased its outreach, provided free legal advice to foreign students and pushed lawmakers to intervene in individual cases where students are denied visas. We want to inform students of whats really happening, said Shankar. We found fear was often based on assumptions.So with the U.S. losing out, which countries are winning over those students? Australias foreign student growth rate was up 15 percent in the 2016-17 academic year and Canadas hit 20 percent, according to NAFSA.At the University of Toronto, the number of foreign undergraduates such as Soldevilla climbed 14.8 percent, from 4,023 in 2016 to 4,620 in 2018. Applications increased about 20 percent for each of the past two years, said Ted Sargent, the schools vice president of international. Many are looking not just for a place to come to school but potentially to settle in the long run, he says.

Thats a key consideration for Istanbul-born Alara Demirag, an architecture student at the University of Toronto. The 20-year-old was accepted into four US universities, each of which awarded her scholarships. Studying in Canada was appealing, in part because it was easier to stay and work after graduatingand for her parents to join her. She said that some of her Turkish friends accepted by US schools were denied student visas, including one who got into Berkeley and was devastated.

For decades, the US has had the first pick in choosing the best minds from around the world, said Angel Cabrera, president of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. It isnt widely understood, but its a huge economic advantage that would be very dangerous to risk losing.Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and his actor-turned-author wife, Twinkle Khanna, are celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary today. To mark the occasion, Twinkle has taken to Twitter with what she calls an 18 year challenge. In a few hilariously worded tweets, Twinkle  who goes by the nom de plume Mrs Funnybones  has revealed the answer to the question what did your husband give you for anniversary.

However, since it is Twinkle we are talking about, she added a delicious twist, and made it about everything she didnt get on the anniversary but she might have liked. It started with her climbing aboard an aircraft, with the caption, What did your husband give you for your anniversary ? Unfortunately he didnt give me a private jet #18YearChallenge.

What did your husband give you for your anniversary ? Unfortunately he didnt give me a date with my childhood crush Rob Lowe #18yearchallenge pic.twitter.com/0bHTmOq6zi  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) January 17, 2019

What did your husband give you for your anniversary ? Unfortunately he didnt give me a private jet #18YearChallenge pic.twitter.com/XnEtWT1dbV  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) January 17, 2019

In another photo, she can be seen with actor Rob Lowe, with the tweet saying, What did your husband give you for your anniversary ? Unfortunately he didnt give me a date with my childhood crush Rob Lowe #18yearchallenge. There is another one in which Akshay is seen hugging Ranveer Singh with the tweet mentioning, What did your husband give you for your anniversary? Unfortunately he didnt even give me a freshly wrapped Mr Singh just kept all the hugs for himself #18yearchallenge.

Also read: Twinkle Khanna is on a career high, Akshay Kumar jokes its the beginning of Abhimaan 2

What did your husband give you for your anniversary? Unfortunately he didnt even give me a freshly wrapped Mr Singh just kept all the hugs for himself #18yearchallenge pic.twitter.com/OKvP2UUPGi  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) January 17, 2019

The last and the most beautiful tweet was saved for the end. What did your husband give you for your anniversary? Fortunately, he gave me 18 years of solid friendship, enough space so I could grow and somehow managed to hold my hand for a large part of the way. This is not the end-apparently we are just on page 120! #18yearchallenge.

What did your husband give you for your anniversary? Fortunately, he gave me 18 years of solid friendship, enough space so I could grow and somehow managed to hold my hand for a large part of the way. This is not the end-apparently we are just on page 120! #18yearchallenge pic.twitter.com/De4tSMrjrC  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) January 17, 2019

Akshay and Twinkle celebrated their anniversary with friends Sunny and Anu Dewan, and Bobby and Tania Deol at a restaurant in Juhu, Mumbai on Wednesday. The couples posed for the photographers outside the restaurant. The same group was spotted out for dinner at Akshay Kumars birthday in September.

Also read: Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna celebrate 18th wedding anniversary with dinner date

On the work front, Akshay has Kesari, Mission Mangal, Good News and Housefull 4 in the offing, along with Rohit Shettys Sooryavanshi. Twinkles Pyjamas are Forgiving was recently launched to much acclaim.Neetu Singh on Thursday provided an insight into life after 38 years of marriage. She took to Instagram to share a picture of herself and her husband, actor Rishi Kapoor, out on a dinner date, but both preoccupied by their phones.

Lunch date. This is what happens after 38 years of marriage. Husband on the phone and Im clicking selfies, Neetu captioned the picture, which shows her taking a selfie, while Rishi is busy on the phone. The couple has been stationed in New York City for several months, as Rishi undergoes treatment for an unspecified illness.

Neetu has been providing regular updates for fans on her social media - from family meet-ups to random encounters with other Bollywood celebrities. She recently shared pictures from the Kapoor familys New Years celebrations. Happy 2019!. No resolutions only wishes this year !!! Less pollution traffic!! Hope in future cancer is only a zodiac sign !!! No hatred less poverty loads of love togetherness happiness n most imp. Good health, Neetu captioned the picture, which also included her children Riddhima and Ranbir, and Ranbirs girlfriend, Alia Bhatt.

Ranbir and Alia pay frequent visits to Rishi, who, according to brother Randhir Kapoor, is doing well. Neetus New Years post stirred speculation, after the sentence about cancer was taken as a possible reference to Rishis illness. Let people say whatever they want to. That he is doing well is evident from the photos that I, too, have seen. He is having a good time with everyone and have even stepped out to enjoy a good meal with everyone. He will soon be coming back to India. We are looking forward to that right now, Randhir told Hindustan Times.

During his time in the US, Rishi has been visited by several Bollywood personalities, such as Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher, Sonali Bendre, Javed Akhtar and others.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreThe winter chill has taken over Mumbai but the Bollywood celebrities continue with their routine in the city. Actor Hrithik Roshan has finally returned to Mumbai, a day after sharing some posed candids from Switzerland on his Instagram. The actor was spotted at the airport and looked dapper in an all-black look.

Also read: Deepika Padukone shares childhood pic as she makes important Chhapaak announcement

Actor Deepika Padukone, who attended a book launch on Wednesday, was also spotted in black later during the day. Meanwhile, actor Kangana Ranaut paid a visit to Mahisasurmardini temple in Himachal Pradesh to seek blessings of the goddess.

Actor Emraan Hashmi also hosted the screening of his film Why Cheat India ahead of its release this Friday. He was joined by wife Parveen, actor Pooja Hegde and Bhagyashree.

Emraan Hashmi with wife Parveen, actor Pooja Hegde and Bhagyashree. (Viral Bhayani)

Actor Shraddha Kapoor too was spotted at the Mumbai airport. She will now be seen alongside Baahubali actor Prabhas in Saaho besides playing the title role in the Saina Nehwal biopic and featuring alongside Sushant Singh Rajput in Chhichhore. Among other celebrities who were spotted at the airport were Sophie Choudry and Shamita Shetty. Actor Raveena Tandon made a unique style statement at the airport as she was spotted in a quirky jumpsuit paired with a denim jacket.

Actor and radio show host Neha Dhupia was also spotted with husband Angad Bedi. The two attended Rannvijay Singhas daughters birthday bash.

Neha Dhupia with Angad Bedi at Ranvijay Singhas daughters birthday bash. (Viral Bhayani)

Fitness enthusiast and reality TV judge Shilpa Shetty too was spotted in the city with her mother and son. The actor seemed to be out for some shopping in the city. Dhadak actor Janhvi Kapoor too was spotted chatting on phone as she carried on with her daily routine. The newcomer looked glamourous in tiny black shorts paired with matching jacket and slippers. Malaika Arora too was spotted at a salon while chatting on phone with the words Girls can do anything written on her tee. Varun Dhawan too was spotted at a gym in the city.

Malaika Arora, Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor spotted in Mumbai. (Viral Bhayani)

Actor Aamir Khans brother Faisal Khan launched his film Factory and was joined in by his mother at the event.

Faisal Khan at the launch of his film Factory. (Viral Bhayani)

Faisal Khan with his team at the launch of his film Factory. (Viral Bhayani)

Shahid Kapoors wife Mira Kapoor too is keeping up with the industry celebs and shared a new selflie on Instagram while flaunting her perfect eye-liner. She captioned it, When the liner and light just works.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreActor Deepika Padukone has begun prepping for her next film titled Chhapaak, which also marks her debut as a producer. The actor will be essaying the role of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal in the film. Chhapaak will be directed by Meghna Gulzar, whose last directorial venture Raazi went on to join the Rs 100 crore club.

Deepika will reportedly portray several different looks in the film in order to justify the various surgical procedures that Laxmi went through post the acid attack. The actor shared an unseen childhood picture of herself on Instagram along with the caption, back to school... #Chhapaak. What connection the picture has with the film is not known.

Deepika had announced her next project in December with the tweet, A story of trauma and triumph. And the unquashable human spirit. Elated to collaborate with Fox Star Studios on #Chhapaak @meghnagulzar @masseysahib@foxstarhindi. Actor Vikrant Massey of Dil Dhadakne Do and Balika Vadhu fame will also star in the film.

A story of trauma and triumph.

And the unquashable human spirit.

Elated to collaborate with Fox Star Studios on #Chhapaak @meghnagulzar @masseysahib@foxstarhindi  Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) December 24, 2018

Also read: Deepika Padukone stuns in pink and red at book launch, talks about why she chose to become an actor. See pics, video

The actor had earlier told Mumbai Mirror, When I heard this story, I was deeply moved as its not just one of violence but of strength and courage, hope and victory. It made such an impact on me, that personally and creatively, I needed to go beyond and so the decision to turn producer.

Laxmi had earlier told HT in an interview, I am so happy that Deepika is playing the role. I have no right to judge her. How can I judge someone for something which I cant do. She has played wonderful characters on screen and I believe she will give her best. I want to thank Deepika ji, Meghna ji and the entire team who will be working together on the film. I am glad that the movie will spread awareness and will help people who are victims of such incidents to come out of it. They will get inspired that if she can do it than why not us.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreAkshay Kumar and his wife, writer Twinkle Khanna, were spotted outside a Juhu restaurant on Tuesday, where they celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary with friends. The Bollywood couple was joined by Sunny and Anu Dewan, and Bobby and Tania Deol.

Akshay wore a black T-shirt and dark pants, while Twinkle wore a white shirt and gold skirt combo. The couples posed for the photographers outside the restaurant. The same group was spotted out for dinner at Akshay Kumars birthday in September.

Videos from that party showed Twinkle getting into the wrong car, much to Akshay and Bobbys amusement.

The Bollywood couple frequently posts pictures of their married life, and their daughter, Nitara, on social media. In fact, Akshay recently took to Instagram to share a video of him and Nitara flying a kite on Makar Sakranti. Meet daddys little helper. Continuing our yearly father-daughter ritual of flying kites soaring high in the sky! Akshay captioned the video.

At the launch event for her latest book, Pyjamas Are Forgiving, Twinkle spoke about the two things her husband has told her never to attempt. ...My husband (Akshay Kumar) has told me two things, to never go back to acting and not to ever do stand-up comedy, because Im terrible at both, she said. The columnist has acknowledged her lack of acting talent in the past. I have not given any hit film. Whatever films I have done should be banned and (no one should watch) it. Most of the time, I pretend I have Alzheimers and I dont remember my film career and it makes me happy that ways, Twinkle told PTI.

Akshay, meanwhile, will next be seen in Kesari. He has been sharing pictures from the sets of the war drama on his social media.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreEver since the Karnataka assembly elections in 2018 threw up a hung house, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in the 224-member assembly, has been unhappy at its inability to establish a government in Bengaluru.

First, as the single largest party with a friendly governor, the BJPs BS Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the 23rd chief minister of the state even though the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) also staked a claim. However, while the governor had allowed the BJP 15 days to prove its majority on the floor of the assembly, a Supreme Court ruling cut short that time to two days. This crippled the partys efforts to cobble together a majority. Yeddyurappa had to resign within 48 hours of being sworn in. His stint as chief minister was one of the shortest ever.

The BJP has been sulking even as the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, which was sworn in on May 23, 2018,stumbles from one crisis to another. After waiting for nearly seven months to see whether the coalition would fall under the weight of its own contradictions, Yeddyurappa, who turned 75 last year, has realised that time is running out. After the 2019 general elections, circumstances may not be as propitious at the Centre for him to mount an attempt to unseat the coalition government in the state, and so he has made the current effort.

For the BJP, having a government in Karnataka is important for a few reasons. Smarting from the electoral setbacks in the Hindi heartland  where it lost power to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh  the party wants to deprive its key national opponent of states from which resources can be mobilised for the national battle. It would also help the BJP re-establish a beachhead in the south for only the second time ever.

The BJP realises that breaking a third of the 80-member strong Congress Legislature Party in the assembly  to escape the anti-defection law  will not be easy. However it is targeting the Congress, and not the 37 legislators of the JD(S), for a reason: For any JD(S) legislator, the appeal of the BJP is negligible. This is because almost all JD(S) MLAs have won from southern Karnataka, where the BJP is not much of a player.

Also in the past, the JD(S)s first family, led by Deve Gowda and his sons, campaigned against any defector and because of their hold on fellow Vokkaliga caste-men, they have been able to get them defeated. So the JD(S) MLAs are out of bounds, which leaves the BJP to target mainly the Congress MLAs.

Even with the support of two independents, the BJP will have 106 MLAs. It will have to convince at least 13 more to resign from the assembly to bring down the strength to 211 and claim a majority. This may not prove to be an easy task. So the BJP will be hoping that enough number of legislators quit so that there is an atmosphere of uncertainty and they can then ask for Presidents rule. For the saffron party, the worry will be that the Karnataka coalition partners will not only go to the judiciary but will also hit the streets crying subversion of democracy.

In the 2014 parliamentary elections, the BJP had won 17 of the states 28 Lok Sabha seats. It will aim to at least repeat that performance in 2019. If the Congress-JD(S) coalition government is dismissed or dislodged, it will be worried about a backlash. The BJP is thus faced with one of two choices: go in with Yeddyurappas urgency; or wait for the parliamentary polls, after which the coalition partners might undermine themselves.

venkatesha.babu@hindustantimes.comThe average person could be excused for being confused about how you treat more than 100 percent of stormwater runoff from a property. The short explanation is that it has to do with volume. The new standards increase the amount of water developers must cope with, not the acreage it crosses.Breaking News Updates Would you like to receive our Breaking News updates? Signup today!

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Deals Updates Would you like to receive Deals updates? Signup today!Ramos-Gomez enlisted in the Marines after high school, serving between 2011 and 2014, and earning a national defense service medal, a global war on terrorism service medal, an Afghanistan campaign medal, and a combat action ribbon, according to the ACLU. But he came back suffering from severe effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, the organization said.

"His family reports that he is focused on returning for his marine brothers in Afghanistan," the ACLU said in a statement. "He has episodes where he disappears and when he is found again, he often has no recollection of where he has been."

On Nov. 21, Ramos-Gomez was arrested by police in Grand Rapids and held at the Kent County Correctional Facility on charges of arson and malicious destruction of property after police said he gained access to a secure area at a hospital, set a fire and pulled an alarm. It was not immediately clear if he was a patient at the hospital.

Ramos-Gomez pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge for the incident and was ordered by a judge to be released on Dec. 14 - a Friday - pending his sentencing, which would likely amount to time served, according to Kessler. But when his mother arrived to pick him up around his 4 p.m. release, she was told he had been transferred to an immigration detention center that day in Calhoun County.How is the marijuana consumer harmed if an out-of-state company enters into a management agreement owned by a local licensee? Id be willing to bet that a company with such an agreement has more experience, more resources, and the ability to deliver a higher quality product to its customers. But of course, those out-of-state companies dont have the political connections to local Democrats that in-state operators and licensees have.Offer a personal message of sympathy...

By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account.The result was a budget so out of touch with the needs of our communities that citizens mobilized in large numbers against it. The executive had to modify his budget twice, and then observe as the county auditor and a County Council majority cut the fat from his operating budget to hire desperately needed teachers. Listening first works better.The sign, filled with history about religion, education and the Freetown community, is one of 10 to be placed around Anne Arundel County as part of the historic sign initiative launched by the cultural resource section of the Office of Planning and Zoning. Over 50 members of Freetown and Pumphrey gathered together Tuesday to recognize and celebrate the past, present and future of the communities.Matthew Umstead

mumstead@herald-mail.com

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va.  A Morgan County, W.Va., man wanted in connection with a stabbing in Allegany County, Md., was arrested Tuesday, Morgan County Sheriff K.C. Bohrer said.

Victor Lee Kitchen, 53, of Great Cacapon, W.Va., is charged in Morgan County with driving under the influence, and faces charges in Maryland of attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, false imprisonment and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, Bohrer said Wednesday in a news release.

Kitchen, who also was charged on a fugitive-from-justice warrant, was being held without bond Wednesday night at Eastern Regional Jail near Martinsburg, W.Va., Bohrer said.

Kitchen was detained without incident after officers with the Morgan County Sheriffs Department, West Virginia State Police and the town of Paw Paw, W.Va., responded to a request for assistance in finding the defendant, the release said.

The request was received at about 8 p.m. from Maryland State Police in Cumberland, Md.

Police were advised that Kitchen was en route to a Cacapon Road address with the intent of harming children there, Bohrer said.

Police found the defendant and a green Dodge Charger in which he was traveling at the Cacapon Road location, Bohrer said.Dave McMillion

davem@herald-mail.com

After his two West Virginia colleagues in the U.S. Senate said last week that they will donate their pay during the partial federal government shutdown, U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney responded Wednesday by saying that members of Congress are required to receive their pay.

Five members of Congress in the Tri-State area said last week that they are either donating, forgoing or having their salaries withheld.

Two of the members said if lawmakers cant do their job, they shouldnt get paid.

The comments were in reaction to the government shutdown that was in its 26th day Wednesday as lawmakers and President Donald Trump have been unable to reach a solution to end the deadlock.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said last week that he would donate his salary to food banks across West Virginia during the shutdown.

If Congress cannot do our job, we should not get paid, he said.

Manchin called the deadlock a reckless shutdown, saying it will hurt West Virginians who depend on food stamps. He cited children who will go hungry and pregnant mothers who wont get the nutrients they need.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she plans to donate her salary to charities.

A response wasnt available last week from Mooney.

After numerous telephone calls and emails to his offices following a Jan. 10 Herald-Mail Media story about congressional salaries during the shutdown, Mooney spokesman Ted Dacey responded Wednesday as to whether Mooney is keeping his salary.

In an email response, Dacey wrote, The 27th Amendment of the Constitution and Title II of the federal code require that members of Congress receive their pay even during a partial government shutdown.

Dacey, deputy chief of staff and communications director for Mooney, said the congressman voted for appropriations bills last year to fully fund the federal government through September.

Mooney also voted for the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which ensures that federal workers will receive immediate pay once the government reopens, Dacey said. It passed the House and Senate.

Congressman Mooney calls upon Senate Democrats, the minority party, to end their obstruction and fully fund the border wall (between the U.S. and Mexico) and government, Dacey said.Matthew Umstead

matthewu@herald-mail.com

HEDGESVILLE, W.Va.  Hedgesville High School students were dismissed from school early Thursday shortly after a power outage.

A partial outage that was reported at about 6:35 a.m. was attributed to an underground break in power that contributed to the failure of two fuse links, which led to a total power outage at 7:20 a.m., according to a Berkeley County (W.Va.) Schools news release.

Students were moved to areas with supervision and light, and buses making elementary school runs were alerted to return to the high school at 8:30 a.m. for dismissal, the release said.

Math Field Day activities continued as planned, and students attending classes at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College were to finish their morning classes and return to the high school at 11 a.m.

Transportation was to be provided for students who requested it.

Power was restored to the school later in the day, and classes will resume Friday.Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 8:26AM

We've all been there. A magazine we're interested in, a streaming video service, or beauty products that promise free trials of their amazing service and product provided you give your credit card information. You know, for easy billing after the demo period. The next thing you know, you've been paying the company for a service or product you don't really want and now have to run through the time-consuming process of cancelling payment.

Mastercard now protects consumers from this disreputable tactic. Mastercard wants to make sure these experiences are hassle-free and is introducing rules for merchants that offer free-trials. The rule change, going into effect globally in April 2019, will require merchants to gain cardholder approval at the conclusion of the trial before they start billing.

These new rules from Mastercard will help increase transparency and ensure an outstanding experience for cardholders.

To help cardholders with that decision, merchants will be required to send the cardholder  either by email or text  the transaction amount, payment date, merchant name along with explicit instructions on how to cancel a trial.

For each payment thereafter, the merchant will have to send a receipt to the cardholder for each transaction by email or text message with clear instructions on how to cancel the service if the consumer so desires. In addition, all charges that appear on the cardholders statement must now include the merchant website URL or the phone number of the store where the cardholder made the purchase.Matthew Umstead

mumstead@herald-mail.com

MARTINSBURG, W.Va.  Berkeley County (W.Va.) Sheriff Curtis Keller has moved to terminate two deputies linked to a Nov. 19 incident in which police officers are alleged to have used excessive force while arresting a 16-year-old boy.

The Berkeley County Deputy Sheriffs Civil Service Commission was notified Wednesday of Kellers move to terminate Deputies Austin Ennis and Chris Merson, according to the county clerks office.

The sheriffs actions are subject to a board review and an appeal before the civil service commission under state code.

Keller said both deputies requested a board review hearing Tuesday, when he took the action to terminate them.

The personnel move was related, in part, to violations of policy and procedure stemming from the November incident, Keller said.

There were other (alleged) violations in addition to that, he said.

The involvement of other deputies who responded to the incident still is being reviewed as part of the departments investigation, Keller said.

Ennis and West Virginia State Police troopers Derek Walker and Michael Kennedy were placed on unpaid administrative leave after the incident, which occurred after the teen rear-ended a cruiser driven by Merson.

Merson, who was placed on administrative leave with pay until Tuesday, was en route to a call off U.S. 11 near Spring Mills, W.Va., when the crash occurred.

Merson pursued the boy after being rear-ended. Keller has said the teen eventually crashed farther down the road and was apprehended.

Merson received a few stitches on his hand and didnt require time off due to the injury, Keller has said.

The incident was subject to an investigation by the FBI; an internal probe by the county sheriffs department; an outside investigation by the Jefferson County (W.Va.) Sheriffs Department requested by Keller; and a review by an investigator with Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes Delligattis office.

When asked about the status of her offices review of the incident, Delligatti said she is waiting on the FBI to complete its investigation.

Dash-cam video footage that apparently depicts at least some of the officers alleged actions in the incident came from two Berkeley County Sheriffs Department cruisers and later was provided to West Virginia State Police.

State police Superintendent J.L. Cahill has said the video footage shows a series of blows and resistance, as well as the teen being picked up and thrown by police after being removed from the vehicle in which he was driving.

Cahill has said that a total of five officers appear on the video footage. Keller noted that multiple sheriffs deputies also responded.

Officials agreed not to release the video footage while the investigation continues, Delligatti said.

The police officers alleged excessive use of force with the boy began after he crashed into a utility pole, police have said.

The crash occurred shortly after the teen rear-ended the sheriffs department cruiser, police have said.

The crash into the utility pole can be seen on video, and the vehicle began smoking, Cahill has said.Tim Shea

tims@herald-mail.com

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.  Wilson College will be able to digitize its archived collection of print editions of its student newspaper, The Billboard, thanks to a $6,000 grant from The Council of Independent Colleges.

The CIC grant was made possible by a contribution from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Digitizing issues of The Billboard will make copies of the newspaper, which dates to 1921, widely available to researchers and others from virtually anywhere, according to Amy Ensley, director of Wilsons Hankey Center, which houses and manages Wilsons C. Elizabeth Boyd 33 Archives.

These newspapers cover every turning point in the last 100 years through the eyes of students. They also represent nearly 100 years of womens history, Ensley said in a news release, referring to the fact that for most of the time period, Wilson was a womens college. The college went co-ed in 2013.

Digitizing Wilsons collection enhances its value as a historical record by making it searchable, which means the wealth of information contained within newspapers will be easier to tap by anyone researching a variety of topics  from gender and social issues to national and world affairs.

Once published weekly, The Billboard today is published every three weeks.

The timetable for completing the digitization project and details about how the collection will be accessed off campus will be announced in the coming months.

On campus, users will be able to access the newspapers using JSTOR Forum, a software platform that allows digitized materials to be organized, accessed and shared.

Founded in 1956, the CIC is the leading national association for nonprofit, independent colleges and universities, working to support college and university leadership; advance institutional excellence; and enhance public understanding of private higher educations contributions to society, according to the organizations mission statement.

For more information, go to www.cic.edu.Jennifer Fitch

jnowell@herald-mail.com

waynesboro@herald-mail.com

and JOYCE F. NOWELL

WAYNESBORO, Pa.  With one intermunicipal agreement for fire service reached in the Waynesboro area, frustrations with a second agreement were aired Wednesday night at a Waynesboro Borough Council meeting.

The Waynesboro Fire Departments first-due area includes the borough and portions of Washington and Quincy townships.

The borough and Washington Township recently reached an agreement under which the township will contribute $81,000 this summer for its 2019 fire service. There will be additional costs beyond that amount for workers compensation coverage.

The borough and Quincy Township have been without an agreement since the 2017 pact.

The contract has been expired for over a year with Quincy Township, Borough Manager Jason Stains said.

Some council members expressed frustration, saying Waynesboro taxpayers are subsidizing fire service in Quincy Township.

Washington Township is paying for theirs, Councilman Mike Cermak said.

Waynesboros fire department serves as the first responder for 21 percent of Quincy Townships homes.

A similar issue arose from 2007 to 2009, when the Quincy Township Supervisors proposed drastically cutting their contributions based on the number of houses. The 2008 amount was $13,000.

Quincy Township Supervisor Kerry Bumbaugh said Wednesday night in a telephone interview that he and Fire Chief Shawn Adolini had resolved three final minor contract issues earlier in the day.

Bumbaugh said the contract went back and forth between the municipalities, but it wasnt unusual for the agreement to continue even when an up-to-date contract wasnt in place.

Bumbaugh wasnt sure if Quincy Township was billed in 2018.

When they bill us, we still pay it based on the current contract, he said. If they would have sent us a bill, they would have gotten paid. Its likely that if they didnt bill us for nothing, they didnt get paid.

Bumbaugh said Quincy Township plans to continue its agreement with the borough.

To me, a contract is just a piece of paper, he said. With or without a contract, when they send a bill, they get paid.

Stains said he doesnt know what the per-call costs are in Washington and Quincy townships.Don Aines

daines@herald-mail.com

Tuesday nights shooting of a Hagerstown man at a Summer Street residence was over a drug debt or was a robbery during a drug transaction, different witnesses told Hagerstown police.

Shortly before 8 p.m., officers were called to Meritus Medical Center after a man with a gunshot wound on his face was driven there, according to the statement of probable cause.

The man, identified as 20-year-old Kenneth Tyrone Jackson, was later transferred to R Adams Adams Cowley Shock Trauma in Baltimore. He was listed in fair condition Thursday afternoon, according to the hospital.

Two men were arrested and charged after the incident at 155 Summer St.  Michael Anthony Degarmo, for allegedly shooting Jackson, and Ramon Leon Breland Jr., on accusations that he tried to hold up the people in the house.

Degarmo, 29, of George Street, was charged with attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and handgun offenses.

Police charged Breland, 21, of Violet Drive, with armed robbery, robbery, first-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

A detective determined Breland drove Jackson to Meritus Medical Center and that Breland and Jason Raeshaud Smith, 21, witnessed the shooting.

Breland told police he, Jackson and Smith went to the Summer Street address at Gateway Crossing to collect money for two or three ounces of marijuana sold to someone at the house, the document said. Breland and Jackson were let into the house, but an argument with a man named Will ensued.

The argument turned into a fight between Breland and Will, while Jackson was fighting with another man in the dining room, the document said. Breland told investigators that he heard two gunshots and that he and Jackson ran from the house.

Breland then discovered Jackson was wounded and took him to the hospital, the document said.

When police arrived at the Summer Street address, numerous people trying to flee were stopped and taken to headquarters for questioning, according to the document.

One man, 31-year-old Joshua Neal Arnold, told police Degarmo came to the house to arrange a drug deal, wanting to use the mans supplier to buy $1,800 of marijuana, the document said. After calls were made, a car with three men inside pulled up outside at about 6:45 p.m. and two of the three got out, Arnold told police.

Arnold told police that one of the two men who entered the house pulled a .22-caliber handgun, pointed it at him and said, Give me the money, the document said. The man instead rushed the gunman, whom police believe was Jackson, and heard a gunshot as they fought.

The man told police he saw Degarmo holding a .40-caliber handgun.

Jackson and the second man, whom police believe was Breland, fled the house, Arnold told police. Breland left behind a backpack with a 9-mm handgun inside, the document said.

Degarmo told police a man matching Brelands description came to the house to settle up on a drug debt, the document said. The man left, but returned a short time later with a man matching Jacksons description.

When Jackson pulled the gun and demanded money, Degarmo grabbed a handgun from a kitchen drawer and fired, according to the account he gave to police.

Degarmo was prohibited from having a firearm due to his criminal record, which included grand larceny convictions in West Virginia and Virginia and theft in Maryland.

Police said in a press release that three handguns were found after they obtained a warrant to search the house. The charging document said there was a blood trail leading from the back door to an alley.

Neither Smith nor Arnold was charged in the incident, according to online court records.C.J. Lovelace

cj.lovelace@herald-mail.com

Two years ago, the birth of his second child caused Jerry DeWolf, the chairman of the Washington County Republican Central Committee, to miss President Donald Trumps inauguration.

History repeated itself for the DeWolf family this week, as another addition forced them to miss Gov. Larry Hogans second-term inauguration in Annapolis.

DeWolf said his wife, Chrystal, delivered a healthy baby boy, Benjamin Chase, just before 7 a.m. Monday at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

The family was getting ready to head home Wednesday, just as Hogans historic inauguration  as the first Republican governor to be re-elected in Maryland since the 1950s  was taking place.

I couldnt believe the timing of it, DeWolf said in a phone interview from the hospital.

DeWolf said he and his wife attended Hogans inauguration four years ago and were excited to witness the second.

Benjamin was due on Jan. 24. DeWolf said he and his wife joked that he would arrive on Jan. 16 and spoil their plans.

I wasnt too far off, he laughed. ... This wasnt planned to miss the inaugurations back to back like this. It just defies logic. You couldnt plan this if you wanted to.

A doctors office visit last week prompted the couple to head to the hospital for a few tests. On Saturday afternoon, DeWolf said, his wife was admitted to the hospital and she went into labor.

Thirty-seven hours later, the couple welcomed their first son.

This is our last child. We both made that decision, DeWolf said. Were done, but were blessed to have three wonderful children.

Each of the children is about two years apart. The DeWolfs first daughter, Eleanor, was born about a month after Hogans first inauguration in 2015. Evelyn arrived in the early-morning hours of Trumps inauguration day on Jan. 20, 2017.Dave McMillion

davem@herald-mail.com

The new head of the Maryland Democratic Party was in Hagerstown Wednesday night, laying out her plans to rejuvenate the party. The plan includes finding viable gubernatorial candidates following the re-election of Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican.

At Washington County Free Library, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings spoke to about 40 people at a meeting of the United Democrats of Washington County, a grassroots organization formed in 2015 to revitalize local Democrats and take political action at local, state and national levels.

Rockeymoore Cummings, who has held her position for about six weeks, ran a short campaign for Maryland governor last year. She is married to U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.

Hagerstown attorney Bruce Poole was the state Democratic party chairman from 2015 to 2017.

Rockeymoore Cummings opened her appearance with some remarks, then took questions from the audience.

Voters returned Hogan to office even though Democrats outnumber Republicans in enrollment in the state.

Now it is time for reflection, and time to reach out to Democrats to get input on issues, Rockeymoore Cummings said. The process must involve working with stakeholders and collecting input through webinars, surveys and hearings, she said.

The end product will be arriving at a consensus.

What needs to be emphasized is that Democrats stand for the same things that most people support: stopping the opioid crisis, access to affordable health care and quality education, Rockeymoore Cummings said.

And yet, the message is not resonating, she said.

One woman in attendance said Hogan is well regarded here and his wife has ties at the cultural level. On the other hand, there was discussion about how Democrat Ben Jealous gubernatorial campaign seemed nonexistent here, although others pointed out that he made visits to the region.

Rockeymoore Cummings said the problem was that Jealous had no money to do anything. And it was sad.

Hagerstown area resident David Hluchy complained that conservatives are controlling the narrative on issues. And the control exists from the new cycles to the grocery aisle, he said.

David Hluchy acknowledged the point, using President Donald Trumps fight for a wall at the Mexican border as an example.

The wall has nothing to do with border security, but rather with instilling fear in Americans and dividing the nation, she said.

Yes, there is a controlled narrative, she said.

Hagerstown City Councilwoman Emily Keller said Republicans in the county will support whoever has an R after their name, no matter what. And they are good at it, she said.

Keller said Democrats often are divided among themselves over slight differences, and it hurts the party.

We got a lot to do before 2020. It goes by very quickly, said Tom Ruhf, president of United Democrats of Washington County.Dan Dearth

ddearth@herald-mail.com

One person died and another was seriously injured after a vehicle crashed into a retaining wall early Thursday at a convenience store on East Washington Street in Hagerstown.

The crash happened shortly after 1 a.m., when a black Honda Accord being driven by Ruben Antonio Molina Ramirez, 24, of Montgomery County, Md., crashed into the retaining wall at the Sheetz store at Cannon Avenue and East Washington Street, according to a news release from Hagerstown police.

Officers said Ramirez was freed from the vehicle and taken to Meritus Medical Center, then transferred to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

Ramirez was listed in serious condition Thursday night.

Police said an unidentified man who was a passenger was pronounced dead at Meritus.

The cause of the crash was being investigated by an accident reconstructionist.

Anyone who witnessed the Honda strike the wall or knows the identity of the passenger was asked call Officer Randy Keefer at 301-790-3200, extension 381.Alexis Fitzpatrick

afitzpatrick@herald-mail.com

Barring inclement weather, Hagerstown Community College will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday in the Kepler Theater, 11400 Robinwood Drive.

HCC President Jim Klauber told the board of trustees Tuesday that he would make the final decision Friday about whether the event would go on despite shifting calls for snow and potentially hazardous winter weather over the weekend.

Were looking forward to it. Its going to be a good event, he said. But if something comes up and it looks bad, Ill let you know Friday.

The celebration will feature keynote speaker Antonio D. Underwood and a dramatic rendition of Kings I Have a Dream speech performed by the Rev. Darin Mency from Hagerstowns Greater Campher Temple.

There will be music, dance and poetry performances, followed by a reception.

It is free and open to the public.

 Alexis Fitzpatrick

College to stay with current insurance broker

Hagerstown Community College will stay with its longtime insurance broker, Keller Stonebraker, for at least three more years.

Officials cited the brokers record of service and its proximity.

The college board of trustees on Tuesday voted to go ahead with a three-year agreement for $94,200, or $31,400 per year. Board member Gregory Snook abstained from the vote.

Hagerstown-based Keller Stonebraker has been HCCs insurance agent for more than 20 years, according to board documents.

The agreement also comes with an opportunity for two three-year renewals.

Vice President of Administration and Finance Trevor Jackson said that for the coverage period ending June 30, 2019, the college sent out requests for proposals last year. Five firms submitted proposals, but only three got an interview.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. of Rolling Meadows, Ill., quoted too high a price, and Assurance Agency out of Virginia had no experience with higher education, Jackson said.

The evaluation committee interviewed Keller Stonebraker, McGriff Insurance Services of Frederick and RCM&D of Virginia.

Jackson said McGriff quoted a lower price, but had commissions tied to its agreement, and the committee wasnt sure how that would work out.

RCM&D was priced slightly less, but basically the same as Keller Stonebraker. He said it was a bigger firm and the committee didnt think HCC would get the personal attention it receives with its current broker.

Theyre there for us every time we need them, Jackson said.

 Alexis FitzpatrickJulie E. Greene

julieg@herald-mail.com

The Washington County Historic District Commission voted 5-0 on Wednesday night to recommend against demolishing a roughly 208-year-old stone home in the Fairplay area.

The matter now goes to the planning commission, which could decide Feb. 4 whether to recommend the demolition permit be granted for the Emmert-Wingert House at 18461 Manor Church Road.

Planning and Zoning Director Stephen Goodrich said the county permitting office still could issue the demolition permit, regardless of whatever the recommendations are from the advisory board and planning commission.

The two-story house is part of Washington Countys inventory of historic properties, but it is not on the National Register of Historic Places, officials said.

Robert Householder told the advisory board he bought the 132-acre property in October with the intention of tearing the home down.

Householder said in an interview he plans to build a rancher on higher ground. Show cattle will be raised on the farm.

Householder told the panel the stone homes basement, where there is a spring, was flooded. The water was pumped out two weeks ago to remove the furnace and the basement flooded again.

He said there is mold 4 feet up on the first floor, mortar joints eroding from water, and floorboards so bent they could be used to make a barrel.

Householder said hes been in construction for 40 years and was vice president of United Masonry. The house would have to be totally gutted to redo it, he said.

Commission member Gary Rohrer said he has 45 years of structural experience, including restoration. He said what he saw in the pictures Householder handed out can be addressed, though it would be costly.

If everyone that purchased a historic structure or site with the expectation that Its my land, I can tear it down if i want to, in a generation we wont have any historic structures. Our heritage will be gone, Rohrer said.

The board members and several audience members talked about the importance of preservation and possible assistance, including tax credits, available to help restore the home.

Commission member Vernell Doyle said there had been a lot of discussion online about preserving the home, including someone who offered to buy it.

Householder said after the meeting that hed be OK with someone moving the house, but he didnt want it to remain on the property.

He told the panel that the stone house would block the view I want from his to-be-built home.

A demolition alert was posted on the Washington County Historical Trust of Marylands Facebook page on Tuesday about the property. As of Wednesday night, the item had been shared 195 times and had 57 comments.

The stone house is a significant example of the countys vernacular architecture, according to the inventory document prepared in 1975.

Vernacular architecture meets basic needs and is constructed in the local custom style.

Commission member Ann Aldrich, who lives nearby in an old stone home, said the Manor Church area is one of the best preserved sections of historic homes that demonstrates how and why the county was settled. The house was built near a church and there was a schoolhouse on neighboring land.Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 7:56PM

The newest update for Googles Wear OS platform is here. And while its a full point upgrade, there doesnt seem to be a lot of major changes to the platform. The Home app gets an update from 2.20 to 2.21, but the update doesnt bring with it any changes to Google Play Services or security patch updates. So, it looks like this update is more for performance fixes and any bugs that need to be dealt with. To get the latest version, head to Google Play Store on your connected smartphone and download the latest version of the Wear OS app. This should push the update to your smartwatch. Right now, the update seems to have made its way to Montblanc Summit 2, Fossil Sport, and Ticwatch Sport.

Source: Android AuthorityThe Herald-Mail

ANNAPOLIS  Washington County Day doesnt arrive at the capital until the end of the month. But from the serenade from Barbara Ingram School for the Arts students to the flyover by four Hagerstown-built Fairchild A-10 aircraft, Gov. Larry Hogans inauguration Wednesday had a Western Maryland flavor.

Barbara Ingram students performed several selections before the inauguration ceremony, including a rendition of America the Beautiful they performed for the Washington County commissioners inauguration in December. The students left Hagerstown at 7 a.m., said director Melissa Mackley, very excited to be a part of this day.

Some students were nervous, but that didnt last.

I was really anxious at first, senior Wesley Leon-Mora said. And then we walked out, and I saw the really pretty scenery and everything was really beautiful. And I felt at ease, because it was like it was calming; I knew that we were doing something good and it felt really nice.

Because its the state capital, I was expecting a lot of people, and it was a big event, junior Kevin Weddle said. It was, but it wasnt like a tense event; it was a calm, easy environment. ... It was not really stressful. It was very easy singing, and I thought it went really well.

Junior Zane Taulton enjoyed the ride to Annapolis. Its a decent drive and we got to see some cool things, he said. And this area in general is beautiful. We dont get to come here often because were so far away.

Former Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau President Tom Riford was master of ceremonies for the inauguration ceremony. Hogan invited him to emcee about six weeks ago, he said.

It was really an honor to be part of this historic occasion and to be asked by the governor personally, he said. I was thrilled also to see four A-10s made in Hagerstown fly overhead right after he was sworn in. That brought chills.

After being introduced by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Hogan delivered an address that focused on bipartisanship and skewered the political climate in Washington.

I liked the part about problem solving above partisan politics, which always sounds good, but sometimes we dont always implement that in Annapolis, said Del. William Wivell, R-Washington, adding, I dont know that theres any good coming out of criticizing folks in D.C.

The governors address today was filled with a lot of optimistic, attainable goals that we will have in the next four years, as long as we all work together to solve the issues and respond to the peoples problems, Del. Mike McKay, R-Washington/Allegany, added.

Its nice to hear him reiterate that he plans to follow a lot of the same policies as before, Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington, said. People have asked me, do I expect Gov. Hogan to operate differently in the next four years than his first four years? And Ive answered, no. I expect him to operate the same way.Janet Heim

janeth@herald-mail.com

When Dr. Allen Ditto retires on Jan. 31, he has plans for the fine motor and problem-solving skills he honed during his almost 40-year medical career.

He will tackle the collection of 4,000 models  mostly airplanes  hes stockpiled in the basement of his Fountain Head home in Hagerstown.

He enjoyed the hobby as a kid. Even though he doesnt love flying in planes, Ditto said he is fascinated with the engineering of them.

Since becoming a doctor, he said, he had time to purchase models, decals and supplies over the years, which he referred to as shopping therapy, but no time to put them together.

During his career, Allens put together four models, estimating they take an average of 100 hours each.

When Ditto visited his patients in the hospital, he generally worked 110 hours a week. Around 2005, his average work week dropped to about 85 hours.

With Allen retiring and less income coming in, his wife, Judy Ditto, gave him a Jan. 1 deadline to end purchases related to models

She is not retiring from her job as accounting manager of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, for which she has worked since May 2012.

Judy looks forward to coming home to meals cooked by her husband, who has been learning to cook through Blue Apron meal kits and is interested in taking cooking classes in Frederick.

I bought myself an Instant Pot and sous vide, Allen said, referring to a process of cooking by vacuum sealing.

He also is taking over the house cleaning, a task he has discovered he likes.

Following family footsteps

It will be the end of an era when Ditto retires on Jan. 31. The third generation of family-practice doctors in Hagerstown, Dittos retirement brings to an end 97 years of local medical care by Dr. Dittos.

Ditto-Ditto-Ditto was the headline that ran with a brief AP piece, prompted by a local newspaper story after Allen Ditto returned to Hagerstown to start his medical career. He set up his solo practice on Aug. 2, 1982.

There currently are four generations of Ditto doctors, though. Allen and Judy Dittos son Andrew Ditto is a family practice doctor in Navajo Nation in Winslow, Ariz., after graduating from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

I couldnt convince him to come back, said Allen Ditto, who is 65.

Edward III and Judy actively discouraged medical careers for their sons, then supported and took pride in the accomplishment.

I love what I do, said Allen Ditto, who still makes house calls.

There have been lots of tears, hugs, notes and gifts since Ditto announced his retirement in September 2018.

Allens grandfather, Dr. Edward W. Ditto Jr., began his medical practice in Hagerstown in 1921, followed by Dr. Edward W. Ditto III in 1953. All three graduated from Hagerstown high schools and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Ditto Jr. retired in the early 1970s and Ditto III in 1999.

Family support

A 1971 North Hagerstown High School graduate, Allen met Judy Hughes when they were in the same grade at North Potomac Junior High.

We took an instant dislike to each other in seventh grade. It was not love at first sight, Allen Ditto said.

He recalls Judy always completing assignments before the due date. She remembers dioramas he made with Army men.

Ditto always wanted to go to U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His parents took him for a visit in eighth grade. After 15 minutes, he knew it was not the place for him.

I hated it, Ditto said.

Thats when he got interested in first aid. He also got a taste for the work going on house calls with his grandfather and father.

As a Boy Scout, Ditto assisted his Scoutmaster, local surgeon Dr. Frank Brumback, with first aid at Scouting activities.

Hiking the entire 184.5-mile C&O Canal the summer after seventh grade helped Ditto realize he could accomplish anything with support and determination.

I wanted to quit every minute of every day, but they helped me, Ditto said.

One merit badge shy of Eagle Scout, Ditto said, he disappointed his mother.

Even the Eagle project was completed and approved. All that was lacking was the approval of Dittos merit badge counselor. But they couldnt connect over the summer before Dittos 18th birthday, the cutoff date.

Allen Dittos father and son are both Eagle Scouts.

Allen and Judy both played clarinet in Mr. Hurleys orchestra class in 11th grade. During their college years, they wrote daily to each other, with Allen at Emory University in Atlanta for pre-med and Judy at James Madison University in Virginia.

Allen and Judy got married in 1975 after graduation and moved to Philadelphia for medical school.

I always say we went to medical school. I wasnt sure if Id have finished if it wasnt for her, Allen Ditto said of Judys encouragement.

His knack for worrying, though, has taken a toll over the years.

Part of the way he is is what makes him such a good doctor. I think its one of his best qualities. ... You get weary about worrying (about patients), Judy said.

Life changed with the birth of twins Megan and Andrew in 1983.

Career changes came in 12-year increments for Allen Ditto.

After his third-year residency in Allentown, Pa., the Dittos returned to Hagerstown. He was in a solo private practice on Oak Hill Avenue the first dozen years. He and his father covered calls for each other.

Then, for the next 12 years, they were part of a combined practice with several other doctors called Potomac Family Medicine on Northern Avenue.

The last 12 years have been with Meritus Medical Group. The practice is now called Meritus Primary Care. It recently moved from Pennsylvania Avenue to Crayton Boulevard.

Judy did all of the books and human resources for her husbands solo practice and Potomac Family Medicine and early on with the last practice.

Fewer worries in retirement

Allen Ditto said a good doctor makes many decisions regarding patient care and there is much room for mistakes or errors of judgment, which is always on his mind.

On Feb. 1, I look forward to not worrying about that, Allen Ditto said.

For many years, he was voted #1 Doctor in The Herald-Mail and Hagerstown Magazines Hot List.

Judy and Andrew convinced Allen to sit for the all-day specialty boards renewal test, giving him seven more years and more options in retirement. He took the test with longtime medical partner Dr. Stephen Metzner in April 2018.

Judy worries that her husband, who likes to talk, wont have anyone to talk to. Allens not worried about that at all.

Besides assembling and detailing models, Allen loves to read, including two newspapers a day. Hell have more time for all of that. The Dittos might join a bird watching group.

Judy, Megan and Andrew are hosting an open house on Feb. 9 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Cortland Mansion for patients and colleagues to honor Allen Dittos years of medical service to the community.

Allen opposes the idea, but was told it was non-negotiable. The open house will offer some closure and celebration.

Ill miss seeing my patients. Its been a privilege being part of their lives. Ill really miss working with other doctors, he said.Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 9:41PM

Review: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Heres great news if you watch a lot of Netflix on your phone. Huawei Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro now support Googles Widevine DRM. This means you can play HD and HDR content on Netflix. Before your Netflix videos were capped at 540p, because the phones only supported Widevine L3. Now, it supports Widevine L1. So, now you can watch your shows and movies in better resolution.

Source: GizmochinaThe presidents resume of racially loaded, coded and hateful commentary is so well known that it often earns no notice from his partys bigwigs on Capitol Hill; it is a feature, not a bug, of his political persona. Sometimes, some Republicans deign to protest when he oversteps  as when then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., observed that Trump, then the partys apparent nominee for president, had rendered a textbook definition of a racist comment when he said a federal judges Mexican heritage was evidence of his bias.

For the most part, though, Trumps bigoted statements are ignored and minimized by Republicans, lest they incur the wrath of the president or his supporters. A small fish such as King is a different matter: His most recent racist eruption is a vehicle for latent Republican anxiety that the nations long-term demographic trends spell trouble for a party whose appeal has narrowed overwhelmingly to whites.A second person was arrested in connection with an Abingdon pharmacy robbery after an hour long standoff with police.

Logan Parsons, 27, was wanted for two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and eluding police in Washington County, Virginia. He also had a pending warrant in Sullivan County for aggravated assault.

The U.S. Marshals Service contacted the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office Wednesday afternoon and requested the Tactical Unit to assist in apprehending Parsons, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Police spotted Parsons enter a mobile home at the Choo Choo Trailer Park off Carters Valley Road in Mount Carmel, Tennessee. Parsons refused to come out of the trailer and a standoff ensued.

It started about 8 p.m. and Parson surrendered to authorities shortly after 9 p.m., police said. The trailer park was evacuated during the standoff and no one was hurt.

The charges for Parsons stemmed from an incident at the Highlands Community Pharmacy on Dec. 27. Police received a call about the robbery at 9:30 a.m.| BY Lynchy |

Dentsu Aegis Network has appointed Edmund Choe as Chief Creative Officer of Dentsu Aegis Network Vietnam and Dentsu One Vietnam, effective immediately. T

he creation of this new role and Choes appointment are part of the networks commitment to continually upgrade its creative capabilities, and further strengthen the award-winning creative agencys reputation in the region.

Based in Vietnam, Choe (pictured) will play an integral role in elevating Dentsu Aegis Network and Dentsu One Vietnams creative profiles, leading a team to produce innovative creative solutions for brands and businesses.

Choe brings with him over 30 years of experience, with his legacy beginning at Saatchi & Saatchi Asia where he has held creative leadership roles in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2008, Choe was given the CCO role for Greater China, overseeing offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In the same year, he was made a member of the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Creative Board.

In 2011, after two decades with Saatchi, Choe joined TBWA\China as Head of Creative and Co-President. Within two years, the agency doubled in growth to become one of the networks largest operations. Notable client wins included adidas, McDonalds, General Electric and AIA. In 2014, Choe moved back to Southeast Asia as CCO Singapore and ECD Emerging Markets before taking a career break in 2017.

In his new role, Choe will report to Sanjay Bhasin, CEO Dentsu Aegis Network Indochina, and Hideo Katakura, VP Dentsu Aegis Network Vietnam and CEO Dentsu One Vietnam.

Bhasin said, Edmunds vast experience across the region will help move people and business for clients in Vietnam. Beyond his impressive track record as a creative, he is also a great leader who believes in the power of a team. He is visionary and an innovator  adequately embodying the values of our network. I am delighted to have him onboard and see him take our creative teams and expertise to new heights.

Edmund is a leader, a thinker, a craftsman, a mentor of legendary proportions. Only his list of achievements is longer than the shadow he casts on the advertising landscape, said Ted Lim, Chief Creative Officer Dentsu Brand Agencies Asia Pacific.

Dentsu Aegis Network has seen transformational growth over the years and Im very excited to be a part of this journey. The agencys collaborative culture is a catalyst to creating great work and building brands. As a market, Vietnam presents itself as young and dynamic, with huge commercial opportunity for brands. Im looking forward to meeting the team and working closely with them to produce great, meaningful work, said Choe.

Choe is a highly-awarded creative, with over 20 Cannes Lions under his belt, on top of other regional and international awards. Over the years, Choe has also mentored many creative directors during his career, some of whom have gone on to be internationally acclaimed ECDs and CCOs.Ballad is required under the terms of the Wellmont-Mountain States merger to provide essential services in Lee County if the authority is unable to open the hospital. The health system said in a statement Friday it is committed to serving the residents of Lee County and is willing to assist Lee County leaders in their efforts to ensure health care access for the people they serve.

When we made this proposal, we shared the financials, we showed them the needs, we gave them a timeline of when we would get the ER approved by the commonwealth. What I think it was, that may have been one reason they gave you, they had another person at the table saying no, no, no, we can give you a hospital. And if I were them, and I heard that, Id say, that is great. These are not people who understand how it works with this whole lab thing. These are lay people who dont understand the implications of that. If I were in their shoes I may have seen the same. They came in and said you could have a hospital, and you had us saying you cant support a hospital.Pictured is a print-out of the group text-message sent by Lone Oak ISD Superintendent Lance Campbell to members of the school board in which Campbell asks the board to permanently ban four private individuals from being included on the board's meeting agendas.| BY Lynchy |

The newly created WPP agency Wunderman Thompson has appointed Annette Male as Chief Executive Officer for APAC, effective March 4, 2019. Male will report to Global CEO Mel Edwards and will be based in Singapore.

J Walter Thompson APAC CEO John Gutteridge is moving back to Australia to the newly created role of Chief Executive Officer for Wunderman Thompson Australia/NZ. Caspar Schlickum, APAC CEO at Wunderman, will stay on board during the transition and has decided to pursue another opportunity in the industry in the APAC region.

As a 20-year industry veteran, Male (pictured) has built a reputation for inspiring growth for clients.

Male serves as the APAC CEO at Digitas until March 1, 2019, where she is responsible for the China, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysian markets.

At Digitas, Male has helped the agency win Agency of the Year twice in Australia and Singapore, as well as drive double-digit growth year over year the last four years. Before Digitas, Male was the Deputy Managing Director at integrated agency Kitcatt Nohr, which is part of the Digitas family. She started her career at Mars and has also held roles at CHI & Partners, Tequila London and TBWA\GGT.

Mel Edwards, Global CEO, Wunderman Thompson said, APAC is a key growth market for Wunderman Thompson, and we couldnt be more delighted to have Annette leading our team there to deliver best in class work for our clients. Annettes passion and understanding for the integration of creativity, data and technology makes her the right choice for us. We are excited for what the future holds in APAC.

Gutteridges new Australia/NZ role sees him reporting to the CEO of WPP AUNZ, John Steedman.

Gutteridge (pictured right) will also be a member of the WPP AUNZ Executive Committee and will be responsible for driving innovation across the entire WPP group.

Tamara Ingram, Chairman, Wunderman Thompson added, John has been a strong leader in APAC and brought considerable talent and new business to the region. John and I have been in discussions since last year about his need to be closer to his family in Australia and this is a great outcome for both John and Wunderman Thompson.

John Steedman said, when Wunderman and J. Walter Thompson united last year to form Wunderman Thompson, that the search for an outstanding leader with a broad spectrum of both local and global industry experience across creative, data and technology began in earnest, and he is delighted Gutteridge wanted to return to Australia as he is a perfect fit for the role.

Says Steedman: John was an obvious choice. Wunderman Thompson is a formidable offering and the opportunity to lead the new agency and create a creative, data and technology powerhouse is just what John was after.

Says Gutteridge: I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in APAC and theres much to be proud of. I shall truly miss our clients, the diverse cultures and the great talent we have across the region. I am now relishing the prospect of being more intimately involved with the running of the business, the product and of course our clients, as we launch the exciting proposition of Wunderman Thompson.

The opportunity to play a key role and influence the future of WPP AUNZ is also tremendously exciting. I know the executive team well and look forward to working closely with them all in what will be an exciting year ahead. I cant wait to get started.Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one.A judge has told a former Dublin civil servant claiming 60,000 for an injury suffered at his local Mace store that he had never seen such utter gross exaggeration in his life, as he awarded him 1,500.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke told Gerard Masterson (58) it had been "preposterous" of him to claim that his whole life had been turned upside down as a result of knocking his ankle against the bottom shelf of a shop display.

Mr Masterson, formerly of Sea Park, Mount Prospect Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin, is now living in retirement in Madrid.

He told barrister Philip Fennell, counsel for Clearys Mace Store in St Gabriel's Road, Clontarf, that he had injured his left ankle against the sharp edge of the display after having been "forced to sidestep" a speeding member of staff in an aisle.

Mr Fennell said Mr Masterson had not even asked to sit down and had left the store without reporting the incident to anyone.

The barrister compared the injury with someone stubbing their toe.

Mr Masterson, who had claimed damages of 60,000 for his suffering, was awarded 1,500 by Mr Justice Groarke, who said he was entitled to succeed in his claim on the basis that the sharp edge of the shelf should not have been there.

He said he had gone to the store in May 2014 to buy a baguette and a newspaper and had been confronted with a member of staff "moving dangerously quickly" toward him.

The staff member was, in his opinion, moving at speed and he had been forced to sidestep quickly to his left to avoid a collision. He immediately felt waves of pain as a result in his left ankle.

Mr Masterson said he had been too weak to stand around to speak to someone in the busy shop and had gone home, where he had laid down on the couch and "lost consciousness".

Complaining

He had gone to his GP, who had advised him to take some time off work, rest and take Panadol.

A medical record had referred to mild swelling and made no mention of a cut or laceration.

Mr Justice Groarke said he could not understand why Mr Masterson had been referred to an orthopaedic surgeon, who had prepared a report of considerable length.

Mr Masterson initially said he had been concussed, was unable to walk and had to live on frozen food in his home for several days.

"After 12 days Mr Masterson's injuries were resolved, yet he claims his whole life was turned upside down and he is still complaining... it is preposterous," the judge said, awarding Mr Masterson district court costs.Theresa May won the vote of confidence by a margin of just 19 votes

Plans are being hatched to delay Brexit until 2020 to give the UK more time to find an orderly route out of the European Union.

After surviving a no confidence motion thanks to the DUP, Prime Minister Theresa May has initiated cross-party talks in a bid to end the political turmoil in London.

But she immediately faced demands to remove the catastrophic no-deal scenario from the table and consider postponing Brexit Day beyond March 29. EU officials are understood to be examining plans to reset the clock - but cannot do so without a request from the UK government.

Crucially, Germany and France have indicated their willingness to extend Article 50 - and sources told this newspaper that Ireland "will not have any issue with an extension provided the 'backstop' remains in place at the end".

As the uncertainty grows, plans for a no-deal Brexit here have been upgraded from 'contingency' status to the implementation stage.

Last night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told a private Fine Gael meeting that the Government "continue to hold their position and nerve in relation to Brexit".

The Government was shaken by comments by Transport Minister Shane Ross in which he appeared to confirm that border checks would be required in the event of the UK leaving without a deal.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney was subsequently caught on tape telling him "we can't get into where they'll be at this stage".

Mr Varadkar insisted yesterday that there is no "secret plan" to impose a hard border.

"This is a problem that began in Westminster with the referendum on Brexit," he said.

"We found a solution: the withdrawal agreement negotiated over several months and agreed by 28 governments.

"Now Westminster has rejected that solution. Therefore, the problem lies in Westminster."

Deadlock

He welcomed Mrs May's move to try to break the deadlock in the House of Commons by meeting with other party leaders.

But her olive branch was last night rejected by Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, who refused to have substantive talks with the Prime Minister unless she took 'no deal' off the table.

"Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the government must remove clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that," Mr Corbyn said.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Mrs May was not going to bow to the demand.

"The prime minister has been very clear that the British public voted to leave the European Union. We want to leave with a deal, but she is determined to deliver on the verdict of the British public, and that is to leave the EU on March 29 this year," he said.

However, when asked about the idea of delaying Brexit, one of Mrs May's closest allies, pensions minister Amber Rudd, last night told reporters nothing should be taken off the table.

There have been discussions at EU level about a possible three-month delay - but it is understood the legal implications of stalling the process until 2020 are now being investigated.

One hurdle to such a lengthy extension is that elections to the European Parliament are scheduled to take place in May.

As a member of the EU, the UK is currently entitled to 73 seats in the Parliament.

Northern Ireland's DUP opposes the idea of an extension, with MP Nigel Dodds saying "it's not in my view necessary because the EU can act when it wants to"

The party's 10 MPs, who support the minority government under a confidence and supply arrangement, proved crucial to Mrs May's survival last night by margin of 325 to 306.

Had they abandoned Mrs May as a protest against the backstop, she would have lost the vote. The prime minister met with DUP leader Arlene Foster yesterday who described the talks as useful. The party continues to insist that it will not support any deal which keeps Northern Ireland more closely aligned to EU customs rules than the rest of the UK.

Lessons

DUP leader Arlene Foster made it clear that her party's red lines remain in place.

"Lessons will need to be learned from the vote in Parliament," Mrs Foster said. "The issue of the backstop needs to be dealt with and we will continue to work to that end."

However, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier firmly rejected the idea of backtracking on the Irish specific elements of the Withdrawal Agreement.

"The backstop which we agreed to with the UK remain a credible backstop," he said.

Mr Barnier said it was now up to the British Government to say how it intended to proceed.

"An orderly withdrawal will remain our absolute priority in the coming weeks," he said.A horrific fire that claimed 10 lives at a Dublin halting site reached temperatures of more than 650C.

Detectives gave evidence of the recovery of nine bodies from the extensively burnt mobile home where Thomas Connors, his wife Sylvia and their five children lived at the Glenamuck halting site in Carrickmines.

The blaze ignited and spread rapidly from the kitchen through the mobile home, killing all nine occupants within 15 minutes.

It then spread through an upper window in the main bedroom to a second mobile home less than a metre away, shortly after 4am on October 10, 2015.

Four of the victims, identified as Thomas (27), Sylvia (30) and their sons Jimmy (5) and Christy (3), were recovered from the main bedroom.

Ignited

Willie Lynch (25), his pregnant partner Tara Gilbert (27) and their two daughters Jodie (9) and Kelsey (4) were recovered from the second, smaller bedroom.

Jimmy Lynch (39) was removed from the kitchen area, near the seat of the fire, which ignited from hot oil in a chip pan on an electric cooker.

The pan was so badly burnt it was almost unrecognisable, Det Gda Shane Curran told Dublin Coroner's Court.

"The whole unit was subject to extreme fire damage, with the entire roof destroyed," he said.

Expand Close The inquest heard from Garda Christina O'Neill / Facebook

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"The kitchen was the most intense area of burning, particularly around the cooker area.

"There was a molten lump of aluminium on the rear right hot plate. There was a metal basket that had warped, suggesting a chip pan had been in place."

The court heard the chip pan was aluminium, which melts at 650C.

"The fire temperature was above that in this location. The remains of a chip pan was all but burnt away so as to be almost unrecognisable," Det Gda Curran said.

Gardai found the hot plate in the on position.

"The fact the chip pan had completely melted strongly suggests there was a sustained fire in that area. No other likely ignition source was found," Det Gda Curran added.

Family members left the courtroom as the jury heard evidence of how DNA was used to identify the victims' remains.

Detectives used the Interpol system to identify remains for the first time in a process coordinated by Deputy State Path- ologist Dr Margaret Bolster.

All nine bodies were found on the floor of the destroyed unit.

The court heard that carbon monoxide works its way down from ceiling height.

"Someone who stands up in these conditions could be quickly overcome by poisonous gases," Det Gda David O'Leary told the court.

The inquest heard details of how the fire spread through the mobile home, burning through closed bedroom doors before spreading to the next unit, where baby Mary Connors had been placed after she was recovered from the fire.

The distance between the two units was 81cm.

The inquest heard from the first gardai, paramedics and firefighters to arrive at the scene.

Unsupportive

"From the opposite side of the M50 there was substantial smoke visible and you could see flames," said Gda Christina O'Neill, who arrived at 4.38am.

Firefighters entered a burning structure on a "snatch rescue" mission to save six-month-old Mary.

She was found in a room in conditions described by firefighters as "unsupportive of life".

Firefighter Ray Martin told the third day of the inquest that he and his colleagues responded to a call at 4.20am.

He was moving the hose to the fire when a man in his 30s began helping him.

"He was saying, 'You have to help them, please help them'," Mr Martin said.

One mobile home was ablaze and flames were emerging from a second unit when he was told there was a baby inside.

"It was a snatch rescue rather than fire extinguisher operation," Mr Martin said.

The inquest heard evidence that a fire hydrant between 50 and 70 metres from the site was being used as a water supply.

There was one closer, but Mr Martin did not know why this was not used.

The crew had 8,000 litres of water stored on two fire appliances. This amounted to between eight and 10 minutes of water, Mr Martin said.

"The radiant heat was extremely intense," he said.

"There were flames top to bottom at the door. We attacked the fire at the door, knocked the flames back.

"A woman came and she said 'She's in there [the baby], she's on the bed'.

"There was a lot of thick smoke and heat, but I couldn't see flames.

"I went straight to the bed, I saw the baby lying on the bed with the duvet turned over beside her.

"I took the baby off the bed and cradled her and brought her to the door."

Mary was rushed to an ambulance where paramedics were treating her brother Tom (4), who had been pulled from the blaze by his 14-year-old uncle, John Keith Connors.

The baby displayed no signs of life, she was not breathing, and there was soot around her mouth and nose.

There were burn marks on her face and arms, the inquest heard.

Mary was rushed to Tallaght Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 5.31am.A waiter based in Dublin killed his partner and two young children before taking his own life in a gruesome murder-suicide in Poland just days before Christmas.

The Herald has established that Spanish national Victor Marin Del Sol, who lived and worked in South Dublin for over a decade, flew to Poland to spend time with his family over the festive period.

Some time after his arrival he strangled his two young sons and then lay in wait for his partner Ewelina to return home before stabbing her to death.

The couple's 11-year-old daughter fled in terror and Marin Del Sol is believed to have taken his own life.

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Shock

Two Dublin schools expressed their shock and sorrow after reports emerged that two of their past pupils had been murdered.

Polish police are continuing to investigate the tragic events of December 22.

The two brothers, Oskar (9) and Christian (7), who were born in Ireland, spent a year in two Rathfarnham schools before their mother moved back to her native Poland with them.

The couple's daughter, Maria Victoria, also attended one of the Rathfarnham schools.

Marin Del Sol, who worked as a waiter in Little Caesars, had travelled to Poland to meet with his partner Ewelina Szwarc and their three children.

Oskar attended second class in Ballyroan Boys School in Rathfarnham before his mother moved them to Poland.

Christian had attended junior infants in the nearby Scoil Naomh Padraig, while Maria Victoria was in third class at the same school.

"Oskar was a lovely child. He was a nice boy. He spoke Polish and Spanish and had little English, but he was developing well in the language and integrating well," Ballyroan Boys School principal Des Morris said.

"It is shocking and sad. You can't fathom it."

Scoil Naomh Padraig principal Grace O'Neill spoke kindly of Christian and Maria Victoria, and expressed sadness at Christian's death.

"They were lovely, happy children, and we will remember them in our prayers," she said.

According to reports in Poland, the alarm was raised in the town of Pyrzyce when Maria Victoria alerted neighbours.

Some media reports speculated that Victor and Ewelina had split two or three years ago, but the manager of Little Caesars restaurant told the Herald that he believed they were still a couple until relatively recently.

"Everybody loved Victor. He was an amazing guy. He really loved people," he said.

Terrible

"He told us he was going to Poland before Christmas for a few days to see the children.

"It's terrible. We could never have imagined that Victor could do such a thing."

It was reported in the Polish media that Ewelina spent the night with her daughter a couple of blocks away while Victor stayed in her apartment with the boys and when they fell asleep he strangled them.| BY Kim Shaw |

Tradie has launched Tradie Blue underwear, a product line where profits go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia to help fund prostate cancer research programs.

To support the initiative, Melbourne agency The Incubator has produced a TVC starring Honey Badger Nick Cummins that will be screened during the 2019 Big Bash series from this Saturday.

Prostate cancer research is close to the heart of Tradie Underwear. In Australia, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and more than 3,000 men die from this disease in Australia every year. In fact, more men die of prostate cancer in Australia than women die of breast cancer. The challenge is two-fold, first, getting men to seek regular testing, and second, increasing the funds available to organisations such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

The ad might be a little bit raw, says Ben Goodfellow, founder of Tradie Underwear, but we make no apologies in the way we are getting the message out there. Men need to take this seriously, and if it takes a bit of off-colour humour to grab their attention, so be it.

Client  Tradie Underwear

Tradie Founder  Ben Goodfellow

Tradie Brand Manager  Simone Hyde

Creative Agency  The Incubator

Managing Director  Warren Cook

Creative Director  Kyran Docker

Production Company  Plot Media

Producer  Virginia Kay

Director  Nicholas Clifford

Assistant Director  Nathan Croft

DoP  Marden Dean

Editor  Chris Reynolds

PR Agency  Lampoon GroupDeveloper Harry Crosbie has told Dublin City Council he will abandon his luxury boutique hotel plan for Hanover Quay if it insists on the public gain- ing free access to the waterfront.

Mr Crosbie is planning to convert his own home at Han- over Quay on Grand Canal Dock into a four-star 19-bedroom hotel with guest bars and dining areas along the floor-length windows on the waterfront.

In a strongly-worded letter lodged with the council, Mr Crosbie said that if the council "insists on an open quayside, then I would prefer to abandon the project and stay as we are now".

"To allow free access would bring chaos and would be unsafe and attract anti-social behaviour in this very narrow strip," he wrote.

"This behaviour can be unpleasant and nasty, which is why I want to glaze the two kiosks in the square to allow full visibility.

"It would be impossible to run a business with huge crowds of young people regularly sunbathing right up against our windows, as now regularly happens around the basin on summer days.

"We have no problem with people using the quayside provided they enter through the main doors and we can con- trol the numbers and the behaviour.

"This is a people rather than a planning issue and I hope my long experience in the area and with U2 will be taken as solid advice.

"Both of these businesses working together will enhance and uplight the whole area and will be much enjoyed for many years to come."

OppositIon

Mr Crosbie was responding to a request for further information by the council to investigate the possibility of maximising public access to the quayside at his planned hotel, in tandem with the adjoining and proposed U2 visitor centre.

The Crosbie hotel proposal is facing some local opposition and, in its request for further information last year, the council said it had serious concerns over the addition of two floors at the existing building.

It requested Mr Crosbie's firm to reduce the proposal from four storeys to three.

However, in its response, planning consultants for the scheme, Future Analytics, said that "the height as proposed is appropriate and suits the site extremely well".

RKD Architects has told the council that "the removal of a proposed new floor level would seriously impact the commercial viability of the proposed scheme".

"Any reduction in hotel room numbers would make the overall scheme uneconomic and as such undermine the viability of a new publicly accessible mixed use amenity at this prominent waterfront location," it went on to add.

Future Analytics states that the planned hotel and adjoining U2 visitor centre "cumulatively provide a stunning architectural statement".

A decision is due on the application for the hotel later this month.A Dublin mother who stole up to 395,000 over a decade from a credit union will be sentenced in April.

The court heard Susan Redmond (49) had worked at Larkhill and District Credit Union in Dublin for 20 years and began taking out false loans on members' accounts in 2003.

Redmond completed and signed loan applications and then issued cheques, which she cashed.

Detective Garda Dominic McGrath revealed Redmond's colleagues noticed irregularities while she was on holiday.

Redmond, of Thornville Drive, Kilbarrack, Dublin, affirmed signed guilty pleas at Dublin Circuit Court to 10 sample charges of stealing from the credit union on dates from July 3, 2003, to April 26, 2013.

Det Gda McGrath said this sample represented 102 theft charges. He told Barry Ward BL, prosecuting, the 40 account holders affected by Redmond's thefts were her friends and family and that they were all reimbursed by the credit union.

He said none of the account holders made statements to gardai as they were not "forthcoming with information".

The detective said investigators were able to see money moving in and out of Redmond's bank account over the period.

He said in some instances she was taking out more false loans to pay back previous false loans.

The detective agreed with Justin McQuade BL, defending, that this was an "unsophisticated" fraud and Redmond had nothing to show for it.

He further agreed Redmond had lost a job she took up after leaving the credit union because of publicity while the case was in the District Court.

Det Gda McGrath said "luck had a part to play" as previous audits at the credit union had not been carried out on the accounts Redmond was using.

He told Judge Melanie Greally he didn't believe any of the account holders affected had been complicit. He said investigators could not find any purchases such as a car, holidays or expensive jewellery.

He said Redmond told gardai she couldn't put a finger on one large purchase, with the money going on day-to-day things.

Redmond's sister, Collette Clarke, told Mr McQuade their family was close-knit and that she saw "no huge warning signs". Ms Clarke said she noticed Redmond buying clothes and spending on hair and makeup, but thought these were going on credit cards or coming out of a loan.

She told the judge her own account was among those affected. She said Redmond had issued a false loan of 20,000 without her knowledge just before the fraud came to light.

Compulsive

Michael Dempsey, a clinical psychologist, told Mr McQuade Redmond was a vulnerable woman who "fit the criteria for compulsive buying disorder" and was "severely depressed".

He added her son was very dependent on her and that she had been in difficult romantic relationships.

Mr McQuade said Redmond had 20,000 in court as a token of remorse. He asked the judge to take into account his client's lack of previous convictions, her high level of co-operation and her personal circumstances.

The case was adjourned so Redmond can be assessed by the Probation Service. The judge remanded Redmond on continuing bail until April.HUNTINGTON - On this date, a Sunday, in 1909, the first edition of The Herald-Dispatch hit the streets in Huntington.

Today, just like 110 years ago, Huntington's daily newspaper continues to highlight the issues, share the region's successes and failures, and deliver details of the people and news that impact and make up the Tri-State community.| BY Ricki Green |

True love. Finding it can seem as elusive and impossibly unobtainable as uncovering three beautiful pieces of film from three international and Australian directors, each offering a different interpretation of one lonely mans search for love via one obscure personal ad.

The Producers hooked up with McCann Melbourne for an initial concept and The Producers took it from there to produce three films  one directed by Mitch Kennedy, one by Lou Quill and one by Olivier Staub  each one focusing on their lifes loves as metaphors for, well, love. For Mitch, it was his love of food. For Lou, it was his love of poetry and dance, and for Olivier, it was pure film noir, inspired by his love of chess.

The Producers found one personal ad, from one man  Shahram  and made that ad the heart of each film.

The Producers met with Shahram to find out his motivation behind the ad, where it came from and why he placed it  and to show him that they wanted to celebrate him, not make a joke out of him. He knew The Producers intentions came from the heart  just like his ad did.

The project was an example of how The Producers are constantly looking for ways to work with agencies in new, more collaborative ways as well as showcasing our directors unique talents and passions.

So whether youre looking for love, or looking for an amazing director, look no further than The Producers.

Although the course of true love never did run smooth, a job with The Producers always will.

Creative Agency: McCann Melbourne

Creative Director: Andrew Woodhead

Associate Creative Director: Aaron Lipson

Art Director: Megan Latter

Copywriter: Moira Cotnoir

Copywriter: Ellen Woods

Account Director: Jacquelyn Whelan

Account Executive: Leighton Howindt

Find The One

Director/DOP: Olivier Staub

Producer: Noelle Jones

Post Production  Shed Production, Montreal

Audio  Apollo Studio, Toronto & Windmill Audio, Melbourne

Share Shahrams Table

Director/DOP: Mitch Kennedy

Producer: Tanya Spencer

Editor: Sue Schweikert, The Post Lounge

Grade: Martin Greer

Composer: Ack Kinmonth

Before I Love

Director: Lou Quill

Producer: Victoria Conners

DOP: Liam Gilmour

Editor: Ryan Brett

Grade: CJ Dobson

VFX: PanchoFree access for current print subscribers

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Activate your account now.LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: What to watch in 2019

Elections in the cities, development in downtown Hendersonville, the next steps in the pursuit of high-speed internet service, the new sheriffs policy changes and popular uprisings against road improvements and development highlight the forecast for 2019.

Municipal elections in Henderson County are generally ho-hum affairs, especially when Hendersonville has no mayors race. With the already announced retirement of Flat Rock Mayor Bob Staton, the question becomes whether Historic Flat Rock and the activist organization Cultural Landscape Group Flat Rock field a candidate for that three Village Council seats. Historic Flat Rock and CLG organized strong and persistent opposition to the Highland Lake Road widening project. They could recruit candidates to run against Ginger Brown and John Dockendorf in their push for openness and neighborhood inclusion as the council looks at future road projects and greenways. Theres no point in targeting Nick Weedman, whose seat is also up and who is expected to run for mayor. Weedman was the only Village Council member to vote no on the Highland Lake project. If Weedman files for mayor, that will create an open seat in the villages southern-most district, including Kenmure, Claremont and Kingwood.

Laurel Park Mayor Carey OCain plans to run for election. OCain has been an activist leader in pushing for park and greenway development and a dedicated property tax for the upkeep of roads. He and his wife, Lutrelle, just bought Wild Birds Unlimited, so hell win the avian vote, too. Not much drama expected there.

Though theres no mayors race, veteran Hendersonville City Council members Steve Caraker and Ron Stephens are up for election. Also up this year are seats currently held by Hugh Clark and Bob Davy in Fletcher, George Banta and Robert Vickery in Laurel Park, Wayne Carland and Roger Snyder, the last two remaining members from the Mills Rivers founding Town Council; and Stanley Walker, Lynn Cass, Karen Bultman and Leon Morgan in Saluda.

Instead of election excitement, were likely to see at least a little fireworks erupt as the consequence of an election. Theres a new sheriff in town, and the Tea Party is spoiling for a fight with him over a campaign promise. During his primary election campaign against Charlie McDonald, Griffin refused to commit to keeping the 287(g) program, which greases deportation of undocumented persons charged with a crime. The night Griffin was taking the oath of office across town, Tea Party members and other conservatives pleaded with the Board of Commissioners to persuade Griffin to keep the ICE partnership. Griffin says hes evaluating 287(g) to determine whether its a good deal for county taxpayers.

The points to watch in downtown Hendersonville in 2019 form a triangle: the Historic Seventh Avenue District, the historic Grey Hosiery Mill and the corner of Church Street and Fourth Avenue. Look for the City Council to continue its focus on ways to stimulate redevelopment along Seventh Avenue, starting with the new police station on Ashe Street. This may be the year that reveals once and for all whether the Grey mill becomes an adaptive re-use  apartments are the latest plan  or gets bulldozed for a parking lot. And, finally, all eyes turn to the Dogwood parking lot, which the city has offered to sell to a developer who would erect a hotel in that block.

Despite making a lot of noise, the anti-growth anti-road widening forces had a mixed record in 2018. While killing the Balfour Parkway gave NIMY leaders a big trophy, scaled back projects to widen Kanuga Road, Highland Lake Road and N.C. 191 and a plan to install roundabouts on U.S. 64 in Laurel Park crept forward. The citizen army remains committed to stopping those and other projects  in the form of wider roads or higher density housing. Whether the NIMBY movement is ascendant or waning is the question.

The impressive turnout for public meetings to hear about new high-speed internet service seemed to manifest an appetite for fiber optic speed. Hendersonville, Laurel Park and Fletcher formed WestNGN, which stands for Next Generation Network. If it determines there is a big market in the most densely populated areas, RiverStreet, a Wilkes County-based company, could announce plans to run fiber optic line here.

And, of course, theres Hendersonville High School. If the stars align, the Board of Commissioners and School Board this year could find the will and comity to a new construction/renovation plan that pleases the Bearcat nation, meets budget targets and resolves the issue at last.

All the intriguing storylines are ready to unfold in the new year.Stein blesses Mission sale after negotiating sustained rural coverage

After negotiating changes to ensure sustained hospital facilities in rural counties and greater geographic representation of a new health care trust, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced Wednesday that he would not object to HCAs acquisition of Mission Health Systems assets.

As a result of extensive negotiations with the Attorney Generals Office, HCA has strengthened its commitments to provide healthcare services, the Dogwood Health Trust has agreed to make its board more representative of the communities it will serve, and the parties have agreed to enforcement measures that will ensure compliance with this agreement, Stein's office said. These commitments will be included in a revised asset purchase agreement and letter agreement. More information about these commitments is available here.

Access to healthcare is truly a life or death issue, said Attorney General Josh Stein. We kept that fact in mind as we conducted our review of this transaction. After extensive negotiations, I am satisfied that this new agreement protects healthcare in western North Carolina, ensures that the full value of Missions assets will continue to be used for public purposes, and requires that the Dogwood Health Trust will be independent and representative.

I am also pleased that HCA agreed to enforcement measures  this ensures that my office has the ability to take legal action should HCA fail to comply with the commitments it has made.

North Carolina law authorizes the Attorney General to review any transaction in which a nonprofit corporation sells substantially all of its assets.

The Attorney General has dedicated substantial department time and resources in carrying out this responsibility regarding the sale of Mission Health System. Since May 2018, the review and negotiation has been a top priority of attorneys in the Department of Justice.

With changes over the next year, Dogwood Health Trust board will be fully representative of the people of Western North Carolina and it will be accountable to the public. Dogwood will roll off two current board members over the next year and an additional current board member in 2020. Dogwood has committed that by Jan. 1, 2020, its board will include no more than five members from any one county, and by Jan. 1, 2021, its board will include no more than four members from any one county. The trust board must include at least one member from each of the five regions with a regional hospital and a second member from the McDowell Hospital region by Jan. 1. The South Central region, which includes Transylvania and Henderson counties, would get one member by Jan. 1, 2021.

Following discussions with the AG's office, the Dogwood board has already increased its diversity from no people of color to being 27 percent people of color.

HCA committed to build a 120-bed mental health facility in Asheville. It cannot reduce the scale of those plans under the sale agreement.



The botulinum neurotoxin is a common medicine for the treatment of a wide range of neuromuscular disorders, including muscle spasms, overactive bladder, cervical dystonia, and cerebral palsy (CP), as well as chronic migraine, and hyper-sweating. A team from Stockholm University, in collaboration with Ipsen Bioinnovation and Harvard Medical School, has now determined the molecular details of why a botulinum toxin variant, that they have designed, has enhanced receptor-binding properties. This engineered toxin shows great promise as a drug candidate.

Botulinum neurotoxins act at the neuromuscular junction to inhibit the transmission of neurotransmitters and cause paralysis. One of the key properties of the toxin is how it specifically recognises neurons. A team from the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University led by Associate Professor Pal Stenmark studies the molecular mechanisms by which these toxins bind neuronal cells.

Pal Stenmark and his research team have used X-ray crystallography to determine the high-resolution structures of the engineered toxin bound to its human receptors. Their previous structural studies were crucial for the successful engineering of the toxin (Nature communications, 2017 Jul 3;8(1):53.). Integration of these results with the promising clinical analysis indicate that enhanced receptor-binding improved the medicinal potential of this new toxin. The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

Being able to see the precise atomic interactions between the toxin and its receptors really help us design new molecules with enhanced properties. We hope this study will lead to further development of efficient biological drug products, says Dr Geoffrey Masuyer at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University and one of the studys lead authors.

We are very excited about this project. It is a good example of how academia and pharmaceutical companies can work closely together to further basic science and develop new therapeutics, says Associate Professor Pal Stenmark at Stockholm University (now Lund University).

Supported by SU Innovation

Business advisors form SU Innovation has been supporting the researchers from Stockholm University throughout the project, including ensuring their intellectual properties in the contracts with Ipsen Bioinnovation and Harvard Medical School.

 SU innovation made this cooperation with Ipsen Bioinnovation possible, which has been very valuable. Weve received important and specific support, especially within the areas of contracts and intellectual property rights, an area difficult to navigate without legal training, says Associate Professor Pal Stenmark at Stockholm University (now Lund University).

The article is avaliable at Science Advances: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/1/eaau7196From 1953 until 1966 there was a childrens television show hosted by a comedian who went by the stage name Soupy Sales. In 1965, upset at having to work on New Years Day, Sales ended his live broadcast by directing his viewers to tiptoe into their still-sleeping parents bedrooms and remove those funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. presidents from their pants and pocketbooks. Put them in an envelope and mail them to me, Soupy instructed the children. Soon, money began arriving and Soupy found himself suspended by management and ridiculed for his actio...Joe Ross, left, accepts a plaque Wednesday at the Duck Inn in Havre from Curt Lineweaver for his service on the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce held its 110th annual Chamber luncheon in the Olympic Room of the Duck Inn Wednesday, including introducing Curtis Lineweaver as the new Chamber president.

Lineweaver, who is replacing outgoing president Havre Daily News Publisher Stacy Mantle, is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co.

He said he felt good about being the next president of the Chamber and was excited to get started.

Lineweaver went over the various committees within the Chamber and gave a brief description of their importance.

"We're going to be revamping the committees and j...Havre Police Department

A caller at Lincoln-McKinley Primary School reported a non-injury vehicle crash between a Ford Explorer and a school bus Wednesday at 7:57 a.m.

--

Officers investigated the use of a fake $100 bill was reported at 4:25 this morning at a First Street West business.

Hill County Sheriff's Office

Tyrell Wade Nault of Box Elder, 18, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant at Hill County Detention Center Wednesday at 9:10 a.m.

--

Haley Marie Kelm of Havre, 21, was arrested on a state District Court warrant issued at the detention center at 11:32 a.m. Wednesd...New presidents have only so long to get big legislative initiatives done. Its alr| BY Ricki Green |

Australia-based The Glue Society has directed a new campaign for Hiscox Insurance through AMV BBDO, London.

1 in 3 UK businesses have been affected by online hacking. And yet most do not how to protect themselves or know what to do if they fall victim to criminal activity.

Hiscox Insurance challenged its agency AMV BBDO to develop a campaign which brought this situation into the open.

The result was a real world version of hack activity on the unsuspecting staff of a London bike store  a project delivered by the all-Australian team The Glue Society in conjunction with UK production company, Biscuit Filmworks.

The experience was directed and edited by The Glue Society (who are represented by Revovler/Will ORourke in Australia)  which included the building of the replica store  with music and sound design by Groove Q.

To pull off the Real World Hack, Hiscox secretly worked with senior execs at Brompton to surprise employees and passers-by at the brands location in Shoreditch.

In one day, the staff watched with confusion as a mirror-image shop called 3r0mpton opened over the road, mimicked its storefront, stole its customers and even created doppelgangers of its employees.

(If youre wondering why cameras were on hand to catch the reactions, staffers were told by their CEO that film crews would be there for the day working on a documentary about small businesses.)

The tactics used against Brompton (the UKs biggest bike manufacturer) conveyed the effects of a successful phishing attack, which can impersonate a business or executive and then siphon off everything from deliveries to customers.

At one point, a sudden and confusing crowd of customers descends on the Brompton team, representing how a distributed denial of service attack can overload a companys servers.

Finally, the scammers even board up the real Brompton location and demand payment to release it, simulating a ransomware attack.

The BBDO senior creative team of Josh Aitken and Vanessa Robinson worked with creative directors Clark Edwards and Andre Hull to develop the idea.

Says Clark Edwards, CD, AMV BBDO: Cyber crime lives in the shadows. Its faceless. Creating something physical to demonstrate the chaos it can bring felt like a fresh new way to talk about the problem.

As for why Brompton would go along with a stunt so disorienting to its own staffers, the bicycle brand hoped that illustrating a knockoff store would also create more consumer scepticism about off-brand copycats.

Says Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycle: When people copy us, with little understanding of the engineering and care behind the design, they are trying to fool our customers who may go on to buy a potentially dangerous product. We wanted to work with Hiscox to highlight these risks, as it is a serious issue and is not limited to the product but also to online cyber fraud, spam emails and viruses that hurt businesses and their customers alike.

Says The Glue Societys Jonathan Kneebone: It often takes an enormous amount of effort to make something seem effortless  but in this instance, all the groundwork paid off. And the result went well beyond a prank into something with more serious overtones.

Client: Hiscox UK

Agency: AMV BBDO

Creative Directors: Andre Hull & Clark Edwards

Senior Creative Team: Josh Aitken & Vanessa Robinson

Director: The Glue Society

Production Company: Biscuit & Revolver/Will ORourke

Editing & Post Production: The Glue Society Studios



Haiti - Economy : Nearly 70% of borlette tenants refuse to pay their royalties





Tuesday at a press conference, Margareth Fortune, the Director General of the Haitian State Lottery (LEH) denounced the granting of false operating authorization issued by the National Association of Tenanciers of Borlette (ANTB), which only contribute to the spread of corruption.



Moreover, she deplores the owner borlettes who refuse to pay their taxes to the State, noting that out of nearly 400,000 borlettes , only 120,000 (30%) have paid their bills in the last two months. She estimates that this represents a shortfall each year for the State of about 4 and 5 billion gourdes.



Pointing the finger at the ANTB she asserts that 5 large borlette tenants get richer by ransoming the small owners and asks the authorities concerned to act and force the responsible for games of chance throughout the national territory, to contribute to the Haitian economy by paying their taxes to the Treasury.



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26680-icihaiti-cap-haitien-the-owner-of-centrale-bank-borlette-shot-dead.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26610-haiti-flash-patrick-nara-owner-of-the-game-company-paryaj-pam-shot-down.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25606-haiti-justice-convened-the-dg-of-the-state-lottery-stands-up-to-the-commissioner-of-the-government.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25533-haiti-justice-the-war-continues-between-the-state-lottery-and-the-antb.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25520-haiti-justice-the-antb-in-jeremie-loses-in-its-legal-action-against-the-state-lottery.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25278-haiti-justice-illegal-games-arrests-of-haitians-and-dominicans-in-delmas-65.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-24650-icihaiti-security-margareth-fortune-of-the-leh-threatened-with-death-will-not-give-up.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23378-icihaiti-notice-illegal-use-of-the-logo-of-the-national-lottery-of-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23279-haiti-economy-lottery-of-the-haitian-state-between-pressures-and-open-conflict.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18149-haiti-social-the-borlettes-refuse-to-respect-the-rules-of-the-game.html



TB/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - Croix-des-Bouquets : Opening of the maternity hospital Foyer Saint Camille





The Mayor of Croix-des-Bouquets Rony Colin and the Director General of Foyer Saint Camille Hospital, the Reverend Father Robert Daudier, in the presence of the Deputy Mayor Jean Jonas Saint-Juste and Mrs. Geraldine Cetoute, of Mr. Jacky C. Pierre, Chief of the Mayor's Office, Jacques Cesar, Director General of the City Council, Dr. Pascal Laurent, Medical Director of the Hospital, this week officially opened the maternity hospital in Marin 12.



This maternity ward is open every day, 7/7 and 24 hours a day. It has 20 rooms, each of which contains two beds. The Maternity has two delivery rooms with two beds each. This gives the opportunity to doctors to perform 4 deliveries simultaneously.



Mayor Colin promises to make his full contribution to help the Foyer Saint Camille hospital become a reference hospital in the country, noting that pregnant women will no longer have to go other hospitals to give birth of their child. They will be supported in their own commune in a hospital environment meeting the standards by a competent medical staff.



After the ceremony, the Mayor accompanied by members of his delegation visited the maternity ward and other services of the hospital and spoke with hospital staff and shared words of comfort with patients.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26451-haiti-croix-des-bouquets-6-mini-police-stations-to-strengthen-security.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25997-haiti-politic-canaan-now-has-a-modern-municipal-school.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25813-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-245-km-of-main-road-built-in-canaan.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25711-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-cleaning-and-beautification-of-the-city.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25641-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-central-hospital-of-the-pnh.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24750-haiti-sports-a-large-football-stadium-in-croix-des-bouquets.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24715-haiti-croix-des-bouquets-the-public-square-of-carrefour-marassa-under-construction.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-24687-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-continuation-of-the-rehabilitation-works-of-the-lilavois-road.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24535-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24482-haiti-notice-important-works-at-the-cemetery-of-croix-des-bouquets.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24472-haiti-call-for-tenders-construction-of-the-public-square-of-bon-repos.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24418-haiti-croix-des-bouquets-drinking-water-is-coming-to-canaan.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-24267-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-follow-up-of-works-on-the-road-duval-22-carrefour-marassa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24218-haiti-politic-inauguration-of-the-community-resource-center-of-canaan.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23509-haiti-politic-croix-des-bouquets-announces-new-infrastructures.html



HL/ TB/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - Politic : President Moise met a high-level delegation of the UN





On Wednesday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, at the head of a delegation composed of Miroslav Jenca, Under-Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, and the Assistant Secretaries-General of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Women, and United Nations system-wide officials including OCHA, arrived in Haiti to carry out a strategic mission to assess the various options for Following the UN's engagement in Haiti following the planned withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in Support of Justice (Minujusth), whose mandate ends on October 15, 2019.



The high-level UN delegation met the same day at the National Palace President Jovenel Moise "We came to discuss with you, Mr. President, the continuation of the UN's engagement in Haiti, as well as your priorities, your development projects and determine, together, how the United Nations can accompany Haiti in its quest for development," said Mr. Lacroix in his introductory remarks.



During this meeting, the President Moise stressed the end of the logic of keeping the peace under the aegis of chapter 7, which will consolidate the achievements of stabilization "There will be no more chapter 7, no more armed foreign forces on the Haitian territory. This will be in the past," said the Head of State.



Moise also reported on the ongoing economic, political and social dialogue, as well as the Government's continued implementation of the development prerequisites of energy, road, educational and health the obligation to make major structural reforms to enable the state to provide more basic services and attract domestic and foreign direct investment.



The Head of State did not fail to remind his interlocutors of the need for a firm and formal commitment of the UN for the elimination of cholera in Haiti.



During its mission (from 16 to 20 January), the delegation will meet with national authorities and institutions, representatives of civil society, as well as members of the UN family in the country and Minujusth staff.



This mission will provide the Secretary-General with an assessment of the situation on the ground and recommendations on the way forward, from which the Security Council will determine, by 15 April, the most appropriate configuration of the United Nations presence. After the closure of Minujusth.



HL/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - Social : Rationing of electricity, 2 dead and 5 wounded in Lascahobas





Electricity rationing and blackouts at the Lascahobas commune (Center dept) for several months pushed the population to take the streets at the beginning of the week, demanding electricity 24 hours a day, lauching hostile remarks against the government, which does not keep its promises, erecting several barricades of burning tires and paralyzing traffic.



Police from the West Departmental Unit (UDMO) intervened to disperse the crowd and unblock the main road by throwing tear gas. Furious, several individuals threw stones and shards of bottles on the police. According to testimony, the police then fired live ammunition at demonstrators. A young man identified as Markenson Timettem (20 years old) was fatally shot and dead on the spot. Several other people were injured and transported to Zanmi Lasante Hospital. In addition, the offices of EdH, Senator Wilfrid Gelin, and the town hall were attacked with stones and suffered various damages.



Presclair Jean, Deputy Mayor of the commune, said one of the seriously wounded protesters had not survived and died on arrival at the hospital. He criticized the behavior of the UDMO agents who fired on the population to gain control of the situation. Bilan 2 dead and 5 wounded including an agent of the Departmental Unit of the West (UDMO)



Wednesday, the tension remained high, the population has taken the concrete again and threatens to intensify its demands not only to claim justice for the victims, but also to continue to demand the electricity that the Haitian state keeps their promise without result so far.



TB/ HaitiLibre

















We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

SubmitSamsung is having an Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 20 and we expect to see at least three new phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S10+ with four cameras on the back and two on the front in a punch hole on the Infinity-O display.

There might be more than a month to the official launch, but the S10+ already appeared in a live photo. The rumors are true and there will be two selfie cameras, tucked in the upper right corner, while bezels look like they are getting even thinner than the Galaxy S9+.

The posterd confirmed this is the Galaxy S10+ with a flip cover, but the user removed the watermark on the screen with the employee ID and the device SN. The picture was likely taken on the bus from/to the Suwon campus where Samsung Electronics's key facilities are. The device is still in its pre-production case that is used to hide the design until the very last moment.

The phone is reportedly lighter than a Galaxy Note9, despite being the same size. The hole on the top is not noticable at all, although he couldnt properly try gaming or video watching due to the watermark across the screen, therefore he can't share any thoughts on that issue. There is a fingerprint scanner under the display, but aside from these two technologies, the differences from last year's flagship arent huge.

Having a camera cutout in the upper right corner is a different approach than the Galaxy A8s and the Honor View 20. This means all status bar icons will go slightly to the left, but there is still room for the clock, notifications, Bluetooth, Silent mode, Wi-Fi, network bars, battery percentage, along with the icon.

Via| BY Ricki Green |

WPP AUNZs integrated communications agency, Ikon Communications has rebranded to include a distinctive new brand identity and new strategic positioning. The rebranding was created by fellow WPP AUNZ branding agency, Landor.

Lesley Edwards, CEO Ikon Communications said the old identity no longer reflected who Ikon was and the agency needed a bold new identity for the future which mirrored rapid growth, ambition and an unwavering desire to transform clients brands into Aussie icons. She added that it was also very important for any new brand identity to still reflect the 20-year Australian heritage of the iconic agency.

Says Edwards: We are now in Ikons 20th year and we recognized the need to revitalize our brand so that it better reflects who we are and how we come together to deliver our purpose.

Ikon has a strong reputation for challenging conventional thinking which extends to our commitment to put our clients first and provide them with the ability to achieve their full potential. Our brief to Landor was to consider our key proposition and represent our core values in our new brand identity. I believe they have achieved this and we are delighted with our new look.

Landor developed an identity matching the dynamism and flexibility of Ikon and its people.

Far from a rigid wordmark on a page, the 9 shapes that make up the logo are used as an integral part of the identity  each element representing one of the agencys capabilities. Together they make up Ikon; but used individually they showcase the agencys unique offer  from strategy to digital & technology; and from creative and social to channel planning & dynamic trading.

Says Matty Johnson, creative director, Landor: Working with a sister WPP agency was a real pleasure and a collaboration in the truest sense. Together we built a bold brand around the 9 core areas of Ikons business, and the idea that Ikon flex to the clients needs rather than offering one process to fit all.

The new brand will give Ikon and its employees the ability to reflect their expertise, skills and client first approach across everything they do. With a simple set of rules to keep the brand simple, yet flexible  any touch point will always be authentically Ikon.

The rebrand also coincides with the launch of Ikons proprietary strategic planning product, Lexikon, that allows clients to better understand the impact of media investment on brand metrics. Lexikon is underpinned by a proprietary database of brand data for over 50 major Australian brands and will be further expanded throughout 2019.

Says Edwards: We dont have a one size fits all agency structure, Ikon is a flexible system and the agency and even its proprietary tools are designed to suit our clients needs, not ours. We always seek to find better ways to give our clients a competitive edge and we believe we have created a new identity which clearly reflects this.GREENWICH  Police made an arrest in a larceny case on Greenwich Avenue over a year ago.

Cleveland Fowler, 24, of West 123rd Street, New York City, was transported to Greenwich from a New Jersey prison on Wednesday to face two counts each of larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny. Authorities tied him in with an incident Sept. 14, 2017, on Greenwich Avenue.

Bail was set at $50,000.

Fowler was in state custody in New Jersey on another criminal matter. According to court records, Fowler was charged with robbery in Essex County in July of 2018.

According to Greenwich police, a couple stole several thousand dollars of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. in that 2017 theft.

Police described the larceny as a grab-and-run operation. A male suspect grabbed an armload of merchandise from the shelf and ran for the door. Authorities said a female suspect was also working as an accomplice. The pair drove off.| BY Kim Shaw |

Aussie expat Milla McPhee, strategy director at adam&eveDDB, arguably Londons hottest agency, has been promoted to head of planning.

McPhee, who joined the agency in 2016, will manage the day-to-day running of the planning department and continue to lead strategy on key client accounts. She previously worked at Grey London and before that five years at Droga5 in Sydney and later New York.

McPhee graduated from University of Sydney with First Class Honours, and after a short stint learning the planning ropes at Droga5 Sydney, headed to Droga5 New York.

Nick Hirst, who joined the agency in 2014 from Dare, will step up from his current head of planning position to the role of executive strategy director. Hirst, who leads planning on Volkswagen, Aviva and McCain, and along with Alex Hesz, led strategy on the successful European Volkswagen pitch, will drive adam&eveDDBs core planning and data offering.GREENWICH  Greenwich Democrats are outraged after what appear to be photos of a phone banking session at Town Hall were posted online by one of the towns most vocal Republicans.

The photos show nothing more than a typical phone campaigning session during the 2017 election season, but the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee wants to know where they came from and why they were in the possession of Ed Dadakis, a town resident and a member of the state Republican Party. Though the images are more than a year old, both the head of the DTC and party member Joanna Swomley, who is clearly seen in the photos, said they were not aware of them before Dadakis posted them onto his personal Twitter account last weekend.

These images give the impression that we are being surveilled, Swomley said. These pictures are deeply troubling and we want to get to the bottom of things.

Dadakis said he did not remember where he got the images, but had been told they were part of an ongoing state Elections Enforcement Committee investigation into a complaint filed by J.R. Romano, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party. Romano accused Indivisible Greenwich, which Swomley co-founded, of operating as a political action committee without registering as one.

Dadakis said he did not consider his posting of the photos a major political issue or any issue at all.

However, Swomley said the images are not of Indivisible but rather private campaign work conducted by the DTC. Both Swomley and Tony Turner, chair of the DTC, have made Freedom of Information Act filings with the town to try to get to the bottom of what happened. The filings were made independently.

In his FOI, Turner said the DTC had used several rooms at Town Hall during the summer and fall of 2017 as part of the campaign work. He said it appeared a town-owned or operated recording device may have been used to record and surveil residents in those rooms and video and perhaps audio footage was disseminated to at least one third party without the consent of the individuals or groups depicted in the recording.

Turner requested any and all materials and information regarding recording equipment in any Town Hall room reserved by the DTC. He also requested information concerning the disclosure of any of that material and the identities and positions of everyone who had access to recording equipment at Town Hall.

Swomley requested similar information including the identities and positions of anyone with access to the recording equipment.

The four photos that were posted by Dadakis show the main hallway at Town Hall with a sign directing people to the Mazza Room, which is on the first floor, for the phone banking. The outside of the Mazza Room also is shown along with two photos that show work being conducted inside a room, though it is unclear if it is the Mazza Room.

Swomley said the angle of one of the images was so high it had to have come from a video camera in the room.

It looks as if the equipment in there was being used to record a private meeting in Town Hall and a private citizen was given access to either photos or a video of it, Swomley said.

Turner said on Wednesday that he wanted First Selectman Peter Tesei to get information about what happened.

One of the photos appears to be from a video of unauthorized surveillance of non-governmental meetings at Town Hall, specifically Democratic Party scheduled campaign events, and maybe others, Turner said. It has the appearance of a number of possible violations, including public trust. We have no choice, on behalf of the people, but to demand that the first selectman, as CEO of the town, have a full forensic investigation on the matter and report back to the people on a timely basis. The people need to know the number of occurrences, what happened, when, by whom and how, at a minimum.

Tesei said there are security cameras in the hallways at Town Hall but none in the meeting rooms. There are cameras inside the main Town Hall Meeting Room and the second floor Cone Room to record and broadcast meetings for town boards and commissions. Those cameras are secured and can only be accessed by a few volunteers working with GCTV Channel 79, he said.

The cameras for Channel 79 have to be turned on and are not left running. They are only used to record public meetings.

The image of Swomley that was posted online shows a smart board in the background. The only meeting room in Town Hall that has a smart board is the Mazza Room, which does not have a video camera in it. Swomley said the other photo of her, one taken from a higher angle, appears to be from the Cone Room.

Swomley said she did not recall anyone in the group of campaign workers taking photos or video of the phone banking work. There has been speculation that the photo of Swomley apparently in the Mazza Room could have been taken from the hallway through a window.

The images were posted online on Jan. 13 as part of a debate on Twitter between Dadakis and town resident Lucy von Brachel, a member of Indivisible Greenwich. Von Brachel had sent a tweet to Teseis personal account objecting to the use of Town Hall by former Trump administration official Carl Higbie and his private group for an upcoming event.

Tesei defended the use of the room and called it a free speech issue while telling von Brachel that she should embrace diversity in all forms including opinions. Dadakis weighed in, saying Indivisible used Town Hall all the time so it was fine for Higbie to do it too on something that is clearly of community interest.

Indivisible is just afraid to be confronted with the truth and facts, Dadakis said in a tweet.

When another Twitter user claimed the organization had never used Town Hall for a meeting, Dadakis posted the images claiming they were proof it had. Swomley insisted, though, that the phone campaign sessions were conducted by the DTC, not Indivisible.

Swomley had a personal connection to that campaign as she is married to Sandy Litvack, who was running that year for first selectman as a Democrat and was ultimately elected as selectman. On Wednesday, Litvack said he would support an investigation.

We should look into it, Litvack said. This is an area for the Board of Selectmen, not just the first selectman, acting as the governing body of the town. The board should investigate and report what we find.

Tesei, however, said the FOI process that was already set in motion is the proper process to follow to get information.

I dont think the Board of Selectmen has the authority and I dont think they even need to do it because its already being done, Tesei said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.comRep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., has been in office, oh, for two weeks now, but shes already linked up with sister-in-arms Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY (the cool people simply call her AOC) in a quest to end the government shutdown.

Hayes, Ocasio-Cortez and a handful of other House Democratic freshmen crossed the U.S. Capitol in search of Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Their goal was to personally deliver a letter signed by 30 fellow frosh to fully reopen the government.

Leader McConnell, all we want is a vote... vote Y, vote N??? Hayes posted on Twitter. Just vote #wheresmitch.

The House has voted twice to reopen the government, shuttered for close to four weeks by President Donald Trump in a gambit to get congressional funding for his $5 billion border wall. (Yes, he said in the campaign that Mexico would pay for it.)

But McConnell has refused to bring the measure up for a Senate vote unless and until Trump signs off on it.

On Wednesday, a McConnell staffer took the letter and promised to deliver it to the boss, according to The Hill, a Capitol Hill publication. But that wasnt good enough.

Hayes, Ocasio-Cortez  at age 29 an avowed leftwing firebrand from the Bronx  and the others searched McConnell out in the Senate cloakroom and even gained access to the Senate floor. But McConnell, Waldo-like, was nowhere to be found.

They split up, with some of the team going to a nearby Senate building where McConnell has his personal office.

But thats not even close to the most controversial thing Hayes has done this week.

In hailing National Pizza Week, Hayes tweeted: I know I am going to get slammed (again) for this, but Domenick & Pia Downtown Pizzeria in Waterbury is the best pizza in CT. Thats my story and Im sticking to it.

Wow! Forget about AOC. In Connecticut, thats radical!



William P. Barr, President Trumps nominee for attorney general, may get a few Democratic votes on his way to easy Senate confirmation. But the vote of Sen. Richard Blumenthal is unlikely to be one of them.

Barr certainly went out of his way to reassure the Senate Judiciary Committee (of which Blumenthal is a member) how chummy he is with Mueller, and how President Trump would bring the curtain down on Mueller prematurely over his dismissed body.

But Blumenthal was not happy with Barrs legalistic answers about how the ultimate report on the Trump-Russia investigation would be his, not Muellers, and whether he would tell Congress the reasons for withholding any part of the report from public view.

The American people deserve the Mueller Report, not the Barr Report, he tweeted.

And in Blumenthals second round of questioning later Tuesday, Barr said he saw no need to depart from government practice of 40 years that sitting presidents cannot be indicted.

Barr doesnt need Democratic votes in the Senate to win confirmation. But theres an argument that Barr is the closest thing to a straight shooter that this bomb-dropping president could pick.

When I asked Blumenthal about that, he thought long and hard and finally said best we can expect is too low a bar for confirmation of such an important government post. But he said he would keep an open mind about Barr. Open, that is, until he decides to close it one way or the other.

===================================

Some of us go to church Sunday morning. Others sleep off hangovers, drink copious cups of coffee, go on long runs or bike rides (weather permitting), or, heck, even read the Sunday newspaper! But regardless of your political preferences, you have to feel a bit sorry for Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.

The poor guy forsook his family, his oysters, honey bees and maple trees for a hit on Fox News this past Sunday. And hit it was.

Himes played the role of walking pinata as host Maria Bartiromo, she of the Brooklyn brassy set, threw grenade after grenade  barely allowing Himes to duck for cover.

To be sure, Himes bravely stood his ground and labeled Bartiromos attacks Republican talking points.

But Bartiromo kept the selector switch on fully auto, serving up a withering rat-a-tat-tat on what she viewed as a flawed dossier on Trump financed by Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director Jim Comey and subordinates targeting Trump. (Absurd on its face, Himes managed to get in.)

Her ultimate target was special counsel Robert Muellers impending report on Trump 2016 campaign contacts with Russian intelligence  the source of no small amount of nail-biting in the White House.

There has been a circus of this constant talk of collusion in the zeitgeist  at some point the American people need some honesty, she said. The truth is there is nothing and there hasnt been anything in a year-and-a-half.

Himes offered a gentlemanly tut-tut with let me try one more time to explain the dot-connecting that Mueller is presumably fleshing out. When that didnt work, he tried: So youve now twice asked me the question. Do you want to hear me answer it?

Ultimately Bartiromo closed with another cut-off and youre not looking at both sides, Congressman. I hope youll come back soon to finish the conversation. Thank you, sir.

Himes chuckled as the camera faded.

How I spent my Sunday morning, Himes tweeted later. Playing right wing fever dream bingo with @MariaBartiromo on @FoxNews. But, he added, I do think its important to go on @FoxNews to push back on the Trump talking points.

dan@hearstdc.comDANBURY - When he died, Paul Arbitelles body was marked with swastikas, a white power tattoo and bullet holes.

The fatal shooting by police of the armed man with racist tattoos may not signal that white supremacy is gaining ground, experts say, but that racists feel empowered by the gains hate-speak has made in the mainstream.

Weve been tracking hate groups and were not seeing a huge increase in the amount of people committing hate crimes, says Andy Friedland, the associate director of the Anti-Defamation Leagues Connecticut chapter. But certainly, they feel a lot more confident that now is the time to act.

While its not clear what motivated Arbitelle on Dec. 29, when police said he came at officers with a knife, the 45-year-old Danbury mans beliefs apparently ran deeper than his racist and Nazi tattoos.

A police report about the night Arbitelle attacked a black man in 2011 throws light on the darkest side of Arbitelles criminal life, when he told police three times he wanted to kill that n ****r.

And although it appears that Arbitelle was never part of a recognized hate group, his story is a cautionary tale about how racism can terrorize a community, even if it isnt organized.

We have to take every opportunity to deal with it on a small and immediate level and stifle it before it can solidify into inner hatred, said Glenda Armstrong, the president of the Greater Danbury NAACP. She noted that a whole community suffered in 2015 when a white supremacist killed nine black church members in Charleston, S.C. If we dont, people who are the extremists think its okay.

Headlines about Arbitelles death come at a time of heightened awareness in western Connecticut and across the country about the rise of white nationalism, especially in the two years since Donald Trump has been president.

Although the state has had its share of racist incidents and white supremacist messaging over that time -- from swastika vandalism in Danbury to white supremacist flyers in Wilton and Norwalk - Connecticut has not seen the rise in hate crimes reported by the FBI elsewhere in the country.

Even so, Connecticut has more history with white supremacy than one might expect from a small New England state - including being home to the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, James Farrands of Shelton, during the mid-1980s.

How much insight a state police report will provide about Arbitelles last night is unclear. The primary purpose of the investigation by the state police Western District Major Crimes Squad, now entering its fourth week, is to determine whether the police officer who fired the deadly rounds, Alex Relyea, or his partner, Regina Guss, committed a crime.

Police have already said the two decorated cops acted in self-defense. Relyea also inadvertently shot Arbitelles 74-year-old mother, Linda Arbitelle, who is recovering at home after two weeks in the hospital.

The Arbitelle family has not spoken publicly since the shooting, except to say that the mother is suing Danbury for damages.

Like a disease

The night Paul Arbitelle attacked a black man in Danbury nearly eight years ago highlightss a troubled life of crime, marred by hate.

Witnesses said Arbitelle crossed the street on a snowy Saturday night in February and asked a young black man who was talking on his cell phone Are you talking to me?

Arbitelle punched the man in the face.

By the time police arrived the victim had retreated into a friends house, and Arbitelle was yelling, F-k you, n-g, I will f-k kill you, according to a police report reviewed by The News-Times. Arbitelle then told police that he was going to Kill that n-g.

The police report says Arbitelle was screaming that he could not believe white people were treating him this way and that we should go arrest the black man he attacked.

In the conclusion of the report, police said Arbitelle has several tattoos and clearly expressed his beliefs in white power.

A Greenwich psychotherapist who has studied white supremacy for three decades likens racial hate to an addiction disease.

Racism is a dysfunctional way of processing feelings about yourself and the rest of the world, where you work from a concept that you are superior because you are white, said Sandra Eagle. And when life doesnt conform to the concept, you blame other people and you never learn anything.

White supremacy made national headlines again last week when Iowa Rep. Steve King had his committee assignments stripped by GOP leaders because of his controversial comments about race.

Trump was at the center of another controversy in 2017, when he said there were some very fine people on both sides when violence broke out between white nationalists and protestors in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

Advocates and activists say there is a link between divisive rhetoric in Washington, D.C. and acts of bias in Connecticut.

Over the last two years, for example, swastikas have vandalized property in Danbury, Ridgefield, Stratford, Greenwich, Stamford and New Milford. White supremacist flyers have been left in Wilton, Norwalk and Westport.

But well before Trump became president, Danbury was making national headlines for the wrong reasons over GOP Mayor Mark Boughtons hardline on illegal immigration, including a 2007 incident when city police officers posing as employers lured 11 undocumented laborers into a van and turned them over to immigration officials.

At the same time, although Connecticut is not immune to the racism and white supremacist extremism that has grown up with America, there are no substantial or active hate groups organizing activity here, police and national watchdog groups say.

Instead, over the last generation, white supremacist supporters in Connecticut have moved away from explicit displays of hate to extremist groups that identify with mainstream conservative causes, the ADL says.

For example, Litchfields Peter Brimelow runs a website that serves as a platform for white nationalists called Vdare.com.

Brimelow, who describes himself as an anti-immigration racial nationalist, was last in the headlines in August when he attended a party for President Trumps top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow of Redding.

No one person is responsible for the rise in hate crimes, but words have consequences, said the ADLs Friedland. It is time for all of our responsible leaders to step forward and denounce this clearly and openly.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342GREENWICH  He is facing a fine from the state Medical Examining Board for failing to justify prescribing high doses of opioids in 2015 and 2016, but the beloved medical director at Nathaniel Witherell remains in good standing at the town-owned skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility.

Dr. Francis Walsh, who was fined $3,000 on Tuesday, for prescribing the opioids from his private practice and for failing to justify potentially dangerous dosing and combinations of medications, the state board said.

The board also reprimanded Walsh by placing his license on probation for six months and requiring him to take courses in medical documentation and controlled substance prescribing. But he is still able to practice medicine and remans in good standing in his post at The Nathaniel Witherell in Greenwich.

The sanction imposed for 2015-2016 relates to Dr. Walshs private practice, not his work at the Witherell, Allen Brown, Witherells executive director, said Wednesday. The health and safety of residents is Witherells first priority, Brown said.

Dr. Walsh remains a trusted and valued member of our medical team, and is beloved by patients and families alike for the high-quality care he provides, Brown said.

Oversight is in place to prevent any problems at Witherell, he said.

The Nathaniel Witherell has both a pharmacy consultant and a pharmacy and therapeutics committee that reviews all prescribed medications to ensure that our medical practices are consistent with industry standards, Brown said.

Walsh operates a private practice in Cos Cob and is affiliated with Greenwich Hospital.

Walsh informed Witherells Director of Nursing Lynn Bausch when he was first made aware of the findings, Brown said.

She requested further input from the Medical Examining Board and was informed that (Walshs) practice at Witherell was not impacted, and no change in our medical oversight procedures were recommended, Brown said. Dr. Walsh was permitted to continue his practice at the facility without modification.

Larry Simon, chair of Witherells Board of Directors, said Wednesday he was not aware of the situation until he saw the news accounts of Walshs fine and restrictions.

I wasnt made aware of it, Simon said. We need to talk to him and see. I dont make decisions on things until I hear all the sides. What happened here was in his private practice and not in his role at Witherell.

As part of a consent order agreement with the state board, Walsh, who did not contest the allegations, is still able to prescribe medications at Nathaniel Witherell. However, he did agree to hire a doctor to review the practice in his private office, and he has surrendered his license to prescribe controlled substances at the private practice.

First Selectman Peter Tesei said he spoke about Walshs case to Brown, who assured him it had nothing to do with Witherell. Brown told Tesei that the facility had strict oversight of all medicine prescribed, with all items carefully tracked to prevent any improper actions.

In 2016, Walsh was honored with a Doctors of Distinction Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fairfield County Business Journal for his four decades of service to Witherell.

Witherell is the last municipally owned skilled nursing and rehabilitation center in Connecticut.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.comWhat began as a possibility has become a certainty: Gymboree Group Inc. has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in less than two years.

The parent company of the childrens clothing retailer of the same name announced Thursday that it and its subsidiaries officially filed for Chapter 11 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

A statement on the companys website from CEO Shaz Kahng confirmed national reports projecting the filing earlier this week.

We have weathered many ups and downs over our companys history, and todays changing retail environment has proven to be our greatest challenge, the statement read. That is what makes it so painful to share the news with you about where our company stands today.

The same statement also confirmed that stores under the Gymboree Group brand would ultimately result in the closure of Gymboree stores, outlets and Crazy 8 sites, which account for roughly 900 locations.

In addition, the company's Canadian subsidiary, Gymboree Inc., plans to follow a similar path through the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act of Canada in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

This is a heartbreaking outcome for our many dedicated employees and our treasured customers with whom we have built many strong relationships over the past four decades, Kahng said in her statement. While our Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet and Crazy 8 stores and websites will be closing soon, we will remain focused on ensuring we continue to deliver the exceptional service you have come to expect from us.

There are eight Gymboree locations in Connecticut, including those in the Westfield Trumbull Mall, the Stamford Town Center and the Danbury Fair Mall.

Theres also a Crazy 8 store in the Trumbull mall.

Gymboree Group has sought authorization from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to continue operating stores during the process, including authority to continue payment of employee wages and maintain healthcare benefits and certain other relief customary in the circumstances.

The Company also wants authorization to continue honoring customer gift cards for 30 days.

Gymboree Group has discontinued its GymBucks and Gymboree Rewards programs effective immediately.

The first time the company filed for Chapter 11 was in June 2017 when it was dealing with debt surpassing $1 billion.

That filing resulted in 375 stores shuttering and the company ridding itself of $900 million in debt, reports said.

Amid its latest filing, Gymboree Group has also entered into an asset purchase agreement with Special Situations Investing Group Inc. to sell Janie and Jack to save the brand and its roughly 139-store footprint. Theres a Janie and Jack store in the Danbury Fair Mall as well as a Gymboree.

SSIG is a Goldman Sachs and Co. LLC affiliate.

We are focused on using this process to preserve Janie and Jack by pursuing a sale of the business, with the hope that it will continue to serve customers for many years to come, Kahngs statement read.

Gymboree Play and Music and its 800 locations, which offers developmental play, music and art classes for children up to 5 years old and their parents, is unaffected by the bankruptcy plans. The business separated from Gymboree Group Inc. in 2016 to become a standalone, privately-held company owned by Gymbo Global Education Group, an international education company.

Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.comConnecticuts economy closed out 2018 with a flourish, adding 1,100 jobs in December and shaving one-tenth of a percentage point off the unemployment rate, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Labor.

The states unemployment rate fell to 4.0 percent, just one-tenth of a percentage point above the national jobless rate. And Connecticut officials got some additional good news: The original November report of 500 jobs lost has been revised upward by 1,500 to a net gain of 1,000 jobs .

Andy Condon, director of the Office of Research for the labor department, said the December data ends the year on a high note.

Preliminary numbers indicate that we saw job growth in almost every major industry sector in the states labor market, Condon said in a statement. But he cautioned the federal Bureau of Labor will release its annual benchmark revisions to to the states job numbers in March and we have seen significant downward revisions in recent years.

The biggest employment gain among Connecticuts industry sectors came from construction and mining, where 2,100 workers were added, and in education, which saw an increase of 1,100 employees. The biggest employment loss among industry sectors came in professional and business services, with 1,800 jobs lost, while other services saw a decline of 500 jobs.

Connecticuts manufacturing sector lost 300 jobs in December, according to state labor officials.

Three of the states six labor market areas saw employment gains in December.

The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk labor market area added 1,000 jobs last month. The New Haven labor market area added 400 jobs, and businesses in the Waterbury area added 100.

Southeastern Connecticuts labor market area, which cover Norwich, New London and Westerly, R.I., lost 300 jobs last month, as did businesses in the Hartford area. The Danbury area lost 100 jobs last month.

Two of the states top economists said the December employment gains were better than expected.

Peter Gioia, an economic adviser for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, said the employment gains were some of the best numbers weve seen in a long while.

The private sectors growth of 23,500 is the best number weve seen since 1998 when we gained 25,800 jobs, Gioia said. With last months employment data factored in, Connecticut has recovered about 93 percent of the 119,100 jobs lost in the recession, he said.

Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for New Haven-based DataCore Partners, said the state added 5,100 jobs over the last three months of 2018.

It represents a departure from previous three years, Klepper-Smith said. It was considerably stronger than expected.

But both men warned there are potential issues that could derail Connecticuts year-end gains.

The tariff situation is still a concern, theres volatility in the markets, and the government shutdown may have an effect on many industries, Gioia said. More importantly, were at the beginning of this legislative session, and lawmakers must do what they can to accelerate growth, not slow it down with bad policy decisions.

Klepper-Smith pointed to the shutdowns potential economic impact.

We have 2.8 million federal workers and those are sizable numbers ... if you take into account that those are people who have bills to pay, Klepper-Smith said. When people dont get paid and that money doesnt circulate through the economy, it puts downside pressure on the economy. Every job counts in this economy, every dollar counts.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.comSupport local journalism

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The elections board intended to investigate further, but was dissolved on Dec. 28 by state judges who declared its makeup unconstitutional. Gov. Roy Cooper tried to establish a temporary elections board to investigate matters, but Republicans declined to appoint GOP members.

Harris filed a lawsuit, claiming, dubiously, that since the disbanded elections board was unconstitutional, its investigation into the alleged ballot fraud was invalid and he should be declared the winner.

But even if the court did so, Democratic leaders in the U.S. House have said they wont allow Harris to take office because of the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, the head of the House Administration Committee last week sent a letter to N.C. elections officials asking them to preserve all original notes, recordings or documents used in investigating the allegations of ballot fraud.

As if this werent enough, weve learned that the state elections board alerted the U.S. Justice Department to suspected efforts to manipulate elections results through absentee ballots back in 2016. Its unclear how the Justice Department responded.

But this does show that the alleged corruption reaches further than one man in one election. This is a nasty vine that needs to be rooted out.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.TAOS, N.M.  Officials say two people have been pulled from an avalanche near the highest peak of a New Mexico ski resort, and a search is underway for others who may be buried beneath the snow.

Bobby Lucero, the director for emergency management in Taos County, said an avalanche was reported at Taos Ski Valley on Thursday.

He says two people were located in the snow, and the extent of their injuries is not known.

He says it is believed there may be others buried in the snow, and Taos Ski Valley's ski patrol is on scene working to locate them.A Winston-Salem man has been charged in the homicide of a King man last seen more than a week ago.

Christian Lang Willard, 20, of Gordy Trail was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder, King police said. He was jailed without bail in the Stokes County Detention Center, accused of killing 86-year-old Arzell Tuttle.

Police said Tuttle was killed in his house at 761 E. King St. between the evening of Jan. 9 and the morning of Jan. 10.

Law enforcement recovered a body that is believed to be Tuttles. It was on private property in Carroll County, Virginia, near Hillsville, said King interim Police Chief Jordan Boyette. He cautioned that the body has not been positively identified. Hillsville is about 50 miles from King.

We found it after getting information from (Willard) and a few others we interviewed, Boyette said. We got the information from the SBI and took off to Virginia to look.

The Carroll News, a weekly newspaper in Hillsville, Va. reported on its website Thursday that the Carroll County Sheriffs Office, also in Hillsville, received phone calls at about 7 or 8 p.m. Wednesday night from King police about the possibility of a body in Carroll County.GREENSBORO  A Greensboro man will spend a minimum of 11 years and 10 months in prison after a jury convicted him Wednesday in the 2017 shooting that left his best friend paralyzed.

Im truly sorry about what happened, said Damian Bennett. I always wanted to be there for her.

Bennett, 23, is convicted of shooting at Patrick Evans, grazing him and striking 25-year-old Monique Hunt because he was jealous that a second woman, the mother of his child, was riding in Evans vehicle.

The shooting left Hunt paralyzed from her waist down. She remains in extreme pain and needs help doing everyday things like changing clothes and bathing.

Hunt wasnt in the room to hear Bennett speak. She stayed long enough to hear the guilty verdict, but her family said she didnt want to hear the sentence.

He deserves every single day your honor can give him to keep him out of society, said Chris Parrish, who prosecuted the case. That he pulled out a gun and fired at that vehicle because he was jealous is just unbelievable.

Superior Court Judge Susan Bray sentenced Bennett to a minimum of 12 years in prison with a year and three months jail credit.Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input.The state wants more information about a controversial proposed quarry in Snow Camp after a public hearing Dec. 5 at Sylvan Elementary School.

The state is reviewing the application from Alamance Aggregates to have a crushed-stone operation on 321 acres, with 83 acres disturbed, in the area of Quackenbush, Clark and Snow Camp roads.

The state Department of Environmental Quality Division of Energy Mining and Land Resources is asking Alamance Aggregates to show it properly notified everyone it was supposed to, according to a letter dated Dec. 21, and has checked with utilities crossing its property. DEQ also wants more detailed environmental information and is requiring changes to environmental controls on the property, and studies on the impact to surrounding properties.

DEQ has seven criteria in the states Mining Act of 1971 for denying the permit application, including damage to groundwater quality and wildlife, damage to air quality, excessive sediment in streams and lakes, affecting people who have previously had experience with similar operations, or that the applicant has violated the rules of the Mining Act.

The company has 180 days to respond, though it is encouraged to answer as soon as possible.

NotificationsGREENSBORO  A new group that aims to help prevent violence locally has begun a partnership with an elementary school here.

Members of the group Save a Life toured Jones Elementary School on Wednesday and met with school and student leaders. Jones is located in Warnersville, a historic community in Greensboro settled by former slaves after the Civil War that has been home to many important black-led businesses and institutions over the decades.

Tifanie Rudd, the groups president, and Kurt Lauenstein, its secretary, said Save a Life is providing money for school technology needs and also plans to help connect the school with other resources. At the same time, the group hopes to learn from Jones and its educational efforts.

The group is an offshoot of a local violence-prevention effort based in the internationally known Purdue Peace Project. Save a Life considers the quality of education for children as an important factor in promoting a peaceful city.Next to Dignity will stand the bronze bust of King atop a granite base.

The late artist Wilbur Lee Mapp created the original bust in concrete and painted it gold.

In 1995, it was unveiled in Ole Asheboro, in front of Project Homestead offices.

Project Homestead ran into financial troubles and closed. The city of Greensboro moved the bust downtown, to the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and South Elm Street.

Its condition deteriorated. In August 2017, the city arranged to move it to the studio of metal sculptor Jim Gallucci.

Gallucci suggested casting it in bronze to make it more durable. Before Mapp died in November, he touched up the original so that Gallucci could make a mold and a wax casting. Carolina Bronze Sculpture in Seagrove created the bronze bust from the casting.

Dabney Sanders, Downtown Greenway project manager, describes the busts location between Hinnants sculptures as a nice synergy.

Sanders said she is pleased that greenway organizers commissioned Hinnant.Dakota graduated from Bret Harte in 2013 and went to Davidson College, NC where she earned a bachelor's degree in Arab studies. After spending time studying in the Middle East and Europe, she is happy to be home, writing about the community she loves.

Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input.The ongoing dispute over the transfer of 10 percent of Ingushetias territory to Chechnya shows few signs of calming. Regional authorities, including the heads of both republics, have attempted to both assuage and intimidate the incensed Ingush population with little success. The current redrawing of regional borders, unprecedented in the post-Soviet period, threatens to aggravate similar grievances across the region, while raising questions about the sustainability of its current political structure. Ramzan Kadyrovs willingness to continue expanding his influence at the cost of his neighbors also serves as an ominous portent for regional stability.

BACKGROUND: Ingushetia continues to experience domestic political fallout and unrest following its recent land deal with Chechnya. On September 26, the leader of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, and his Chechen counterpart, Kadyrov, signed an agreement on the border between the two republics. Officially described as delineating the border, which had never been formally settled following the split of the two republics in 1992, the deal in fact transferred nearly 10 percent of Ingushetias territory to Chechen control.

The deal caused outrage among the Ingush public, who were incensed it had been signed with no public consultation. Civil society mobilized for nearly two straight weeks of continuous protests, with tens of thousands of demonstrators rallying on the streets of the Ingush capital, Magas. The protests appeared to span all ranks of society, across age gaps, religious divides (including Salafists) and gender, with a high representation of women unusual for political activity in the region. Local security forces even joined the demonstrations, praying alongside activists and preventing riot police from neighboring republics from entering the protest grounds. Several Ingush parliamentarians declared that their votes on the land deal in the republican parliament, where 17 of 25 deputies officially voted in its favor on October 4, had been falsified. Opposition among government elements increased further when, on October 30, Ingushetias constitutional court ruled that the agreement contravened the republics constitution and was thus invalid barring a referendum.

Despite the near-unanimous opposition, Yevkurov remained steadfast in his adherence to the deal, causing his resignation to become one of the main demands of the protests within days of their outbreak. Chechen authorities responded more harshly: Kadyrov stated to Chechnyas parliament that he was amazed with Yevkurovs patience with such people who spread lies and provocations. He further threatened the protesters, calling on them to come to my land and have just one protest. On October 19, Kadyrov made his first of two nighttime visits (a third was conducted by Chechen parliament speaker Magomed Daudov) to Ingushetia to demand an apology from an elder who had made derogatory remarks towards him. Each of these visits were met by hundreds of Ingush men, but passed without further escalation.

The land agreements final legal status appears to have been settled. Protesters have resumed intermittent demonstrations at government-approved intervals, while the Ingush courts decision meant the case was referred to the Russian Federation constitutional court. The court reviewed the case on November 27, and on December 6 declared the deal was lawful. Ingush activists now plan to refer the case to the European Court for Human Rights.

IMPLICATIONS: The present crisis has wide-ranging consequences for the North Caucasus. The decision of the federal constitutional court is particularly impactful. While awaiting the courts declaration, the Ingush pledged to bring their protest movement to Moscow. They also asserted that they will open a case with the Russian constitutional court concerning the Prigorodny region, a part of the neighboring republic of North Ossetia. Prigorodny was part of Ingushetia until 1944, when Joseph Stalin liquidated the Chechen-Ingush ASSR and deported its population to Central Asia; unlike other areas, it was not returned when the republic was reconstituted in 1957. It has been a point of contention ever since, with open clashes between Ossetian and Ingush militias in 1992 leaving hundreds dead and tens of thousands of Ingush displaced. The legacy of Prigorodny is the main reason the present transfer has been so contentious; the Ingush say that, since the Russian constitutional court has established the precedent that it is lawful to alter the borders of the republics, this gives them legal basis to expect the transfer of Prigorodny back to Ingushetia. This issue is possibly the most serious land dispute in the North Caucasus today, but it will also open the question of other border questions that exist throughout the region: for instance, the demands of some Kabardin and Balkar activists to split their dual-nationality republic into two constituent parts, or last summers calls by Nogai activists to join their region (in northern Dagestan) to neighboring Stavropol Krai.

The present scenario also presents both Ingush regional authorities and federal ones with a dilemma. How exactly will they mollify protesters if the deal does indeed go through? It seems very unlikely that Yevkurov will remain as Ingushetias leader: his popularity has all but disappeared, and he is seen to have no remaining legitimacy among broad swaths of the Ingush population. It is wholly unclear who would replace him, however. When ethnic clashes emerged in Kabardino-Balkaria in August, the republics president was soon replaced with another, Kazbek Kokov, the son of Valery Kokov, who headed the republic from 1992 to 2005. There is no such political dynasty to draw from in Ingushetia: the previous head, Murat Zyazikov, remains wildly unpopular due to the harshness and incompetence of his rule while Ruslan Aushev, the republics first head, does not have any family members serving in high-ranking positions. Dispatching a governor from Moscow, as was done with Dagestan and its present leader Vladimir Vasilyev in September 2017, is also an option, but such a figure would have little legitimacy among the populace or ability to ameliorate their concerns. The transformation of Ingush civil society that has been brought about by the protests has made it into seemingly a key player whose views must be taken into account by the ruling class.

Finally, concern must be paid to the instigator of this crisis: Kadyrov. The Chechen leaders ambitions have consistently grown throughout the decade and a half he has ruled his republic, and he now appears to be angling to formally expand his regional sphere of control. There are real concerns he could attempt to pursue another irredentist claim following his present success, this time targeting Dagestan. Chechnya has long laid claim to the part of that republic formerly known as Aukh district, populated mostly by ethnic Chechens and also previously part of the Checheno-Ingush ASSR. At any rate, Kadyrovs willingness to agitate matters on a regional scale should be highly concerning to the Kremlin and its persistent obsession with stability in the often-restive region.

CONCLUSIONS: Civil society has grown deceptively strong in most areas of the North Caucasus in the past several years, most notably in Dagestan, where peaceful protests over municipal and republican issues have become commonplace. Despite this, few would have foreseen the present mass manifestations in Ingushetia, which certainly mark a new watershed of public political expression in the widely-repressed region. The past two months also underscore the divide that has emerged between Chechnya and Ingushetia: despite sharing a common culture, history, and language (Chechen and Ingush are nearly mutually intelligible), Chechnya is tightly controlled to such a degree that popular opposition to government decrees is unthinkable. Yet even despite this, the mass outpouring of support for Yusup Temerkhanov, the Chechen man convicted of killing Russian army colonel and war criminal Yuri Budanov, following Temerkhanovs death in August showed that Chechen society remains deeply polarized and able to mobilize as well.

The lack of a clear exit from the present crisis, along with the willingness of Kadyrov to use force to get his way, make the current situation susceptible to escalation and possibly violence. Federal authorities should intervene more directly to assuage protesters before this can occur. It is also clear Ingushetia, if not the wider North Caucasus, requires a more direct avenue for public participation in policymaking, but given Moscows traditional approach, chances for this emerging appear dim.

AUTHORS BIO:

Neil Hauer is an independent security analyst and journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia. His work focuses on the Syrian conflict, particularly Russias role, politics and minorities in the South Caucasus, and violence and politics in the North Caucasus, particularly Chechnya and Ingushetia, where he conducts regular fieldwork. He holds an MA in post-Soviet studies from Carleton University and previously served as senior intelligence analyst at The SecDev Group in Ottawa, Canada for three years.

Image Source: Ingush Republic Press Service accessed on 1.17.2019Eatons eMobility business has developed compact power-dense automotive inverters capable of increasing the range of electric vehicles. The inverters, which draw electricity from the battery and control how it is applied to the motor to manage power and torque, will be tested by a global automaker in first quarter 2019.





Leveraging Eatons expertise managing high-voltage power, eMobility developed the vehicle inverters with a power density of 35 kw/L and 98% operating efficiency. The inverters high-power density and compact, lightweight design help maximize range while taking up minimal space in the vehicle.

Scott Adams, senior vice president, eMobility, who spoke at AutoMobili-D, part of the 2019 North American International Auto Show, said that Eatons inverters can be tailored to a wide range of customer requirements and applications.

Most global automakers have different vehicle electrification strategies, so the products we are developing must be able to support a range of applications. Regardless of the strategy, electric vehicles need efficient and compact power electronics, and our new line of efficient inverters can be adapted for any application. The inverter market for electric vehicles is still emerging. Among our advantages in this market are our established partnerships with key power electronics components suppliers and the fact that our inverters comply with the critical ISO 26262 standard for functional safety. Scott Adams

Eaton projects xEVs will increase to 38% of the global passenger car market by 2030, with share dispersed among battery electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid electric and mild hybrid electric. Eatons inverters can be used in all types of electric vehicles, as well as other alternative fuel vehicles, such hydrogen fuel cell cars.

Eaton, with an extensive background in vehicle electrification, has high-voltage, fast-acting fuses in nearly 50 percent of global electrified cars and power electronics on a leading European battery-electric vehicle platform.

Eaton also has more than 15 years of experience in developing commercial vehicle hybrid systems and has a number of vehicle electrification products in the market, including DC/DC converters, power distribution units, battery-electric transmissions, and high-voltage fuses.Carbon, a leading Silicon Valley-based digital manufacturing company, showed the first digitally manufactured polymer parts in production for Ford Motor Company. The parts include Ford Focus HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Cooling) Lever Arm Service Parts, Ford F-150 Raptor Auxiliary Plugs for a niche market, and Ford Mustang GT500 Electric Parking Brake Brackets.

The companies jointly presented the applications today at the Additive Manufacturing for Automotive Workshop at the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Carbon and Ford, which recently announced the opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Center in Redford, Michigan, have expanded their collaboration to design and produce several new digitally manufactured, end-use parts using Carbons robust and reliable printers, proprietary Digital Light Synthesis technology, and innovative EPX (epoxy) 82 material.

Carbons durable EPX 82 material proved ideal for these parts, passing Fords rigorous performance standards and withstanding critical requirements such as interior weathering; short- and long-term heat exposures; UV stability; fluid and chemical resistance; flammability (ISO 3795); and fogging (SAEJ1756) for the selected applications.Agility Fuel Solutions, a leading global provider of clean fuel solutions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, announced that its 488LPI 8.0L V-8 propane engine has received EPA approval for sale through 31 December 2019.

The 488LPI engine uses Agilitys patented liquid propane injection (LPI) technology and is assembled in Agilitys Salisbury, North Carolina plant on a base General Motors V-8 engine long block, with proprietary Agility dress parts, propane injection system and controls. The 488LPI engine is used in school bus, propane bobtail and medium-duty truck applications.

A version of the 488LPI engine is available on the Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Propane school bus.

Agility Fuel Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hexagon Composites ASA, offers natural gas, hydrogen, and battery electric energy storage and delivery systems, Type 4 composite natural gas cylinders, propane and natural gas fuel systems, and propane dispensers.

Agility offers solutions for a variety of vehicle types, including Class 8 trucks, refuse trucks, transit buses, school buses, concrete mixers, and delivery trucks.Singapore Minister congratulates KCR on victory

Hyderabad: Singapore's minister-in-charge of trade relations, S. Iswaran, has congratulated Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on his successful re-election as the Chief Minister.

In a congratulatory letter, he described Rao's success in the recent elections as a testament to his outstanding accomplishments in his first term in office.

"Under your leadership, Telangana has achieved a stellar annual revenue growth rate of 17.17%. Singapore companies have also recognised Telangana's favourable investment climate," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office on Thursday quoted from the letter.

"During your tenure, DBS (Development Bank of Singapore) built its largest technology hub outside its Singapore headquarters in Hyderabad and Ascendas-Singapore continued to expand its footprint within the state," said the statement.

Iswaran was confident that under KCR's leadership, economic relations between Singapore and Telangana will strengthen further and more Singapore companies will find opportunities to participate in Telangana's economic development.

Click Here for Latest Direct-to-OTT Releases (List Updates Daily)Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one.The minimum wage in Washington state increased by 50 cents at the new year. This wage increase will not affect financial aid and work-study.Back home or over seas - Zags will always answer the call to travel.In 2019, youll see more events like these, Ehrhardt said.

The chambers vision outlined by Ehrhardt was the result of membership feedback from a survey and Ehrhardts listening tour of businesses last year just after she became president.

Members told the chamber they wanted more marketing for locally-owned restaurants, so this year youll get to experience Restaurant After Hours, she said. Restaurant After Hours will be a networking event held by the chamber seven times a year.

Other new events will include Morning Brew held every month except January and July so members can network with colleagues and community leaders.

Ehrhardt and the chamber also unveiled its new logo, which includes industrial and rural imagery to represent Danville and Pittsylvania County.

Among the chambers more than 600 members, nearly 60 percent have fewer than 25 employees and more than a third have fewer than five employees, Ehrhardt pointed out.

This chamber is proud to represent all of our members, and recognizes that individual needs vary by size, industry and location, she said.

During the meeting, Christine Baggerly, with Infinity Global Inc., became the 2019 chair of the chamber board of directors, replacing 2018 Chairman Paul Erwin, of Chatham Animal Clinic.

John Crane reports for the Danville Register & Bee. Contact him at jcrane@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7987.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.That is where the prosecution and defenses accounts differed. Defense attorney Brent Jackson said Giles was fearful of Brown. He claimed that Brown  armed and masked  and two others robbed Giles of marijuana in his own home in October 2016. The robbery was never reported, but Giles took to barricading his home and sleeping with a sawed-off shotgun in his room, Jackson said.

It scared him enough, for the next two, three months he was putting chairs up against the front door in his house, Jackson said. This October event created a state of fear.

And Giles acted in that fear the night of April 5, 2017, Jackson claimed. He described a tense exchange between the two before Giles turned his body, looked away, and fired the fatal shot inside the Cadillac. Brown was acting aggressively, and Giles feared being robbed or hurt, constituting self-defense, Jackson said.

But Haskins disagreed, contending that Giles terror was manufactured. There was no way for prosecutors to verify the 2016 robbery happened because it was never reported.

This thing had to be invented because he had to justify shooting a man, Haskins said. He had to concoct a fear.You asked. We listened. Your daily crossword, Sudoku and dozens of other puzzles are now available online. Play them or print them here.

Play nowUS Official Announces Start Date for American Withdrawal Process From INF Treaty

Sputnik News

18:56 16.01.2019(updated 20:28 16.01.2019)

The US called the latest round of negotiations aimed at preserving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty "disappointing". At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed the US for ignoring Moscow's "constructive proposals" and sticking to its own "prepared position that was based on an ultimatum".

US Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson announced that the United States is planning to commence its withdrawal from the INF Treaty beginning 2 February, citing a lack of "Russian compliance". The process of withdrawing from the bilateral treaty will take around 6 months to complete. Russia will have the same amount of time after the suspension of US obligations under the treaty to prove that it has halted its alleged violations.

She added that no progress in regards to resolving the alleged treaty violations had been made during the meeting with Russian representatives in Geneva, as Moscow had failed to provide "verifiable measures to uphold INF Treaty". The US undersecretary expressed hope that Russia would present a plan to return to compliance with the treaty at the NATO-Russia Council next week.

Thompson further noted that following a full withdrawal, the US would be free to conduct research and development of armaments banned under the INF Treaty.

Both parties at the recent Geneva talks on the INF Treaty's future were left unsatisfied with the meeting. The Russian side slammed the US representatives for arriving to the talks with premeditated positions, which led Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dubbed to state: "You are violating the treaty and we are not".

He added that Russia had presented "constructive proposals" to the US, going on to explain what the 9M729 is  the missile system that led Washington to believe that Moscow was in violation of the 1987 treaty.

In early December 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US would suspend its adherence to the INF treaty within 60 days unless Russia returned to full compliance with the agreement. Moscow has consistently denied any violation of the 1987 accord, adding that the 9M729 missile system that US demanded they ban had been tested by Russia only at ranges permitted under the treaty.

 SputnikRussian Court Leaves Jailed Ukrainian Sailors In Pretrial Detention

By Crimea Desk, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service January 16, 2019

MOSCOW -- A Moscow court has prolonged the pretrial detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors detained by Russian forces who attacked three Ukrainian Navy vessels in the Black Sea in November.

On January 16, the Lefortovo district court ruled that four of the sailors will remain in jail until April 24, pending further investigation and possible trial. The pretrial detention period can be extended again by court order.

A day earlier, in a series of rulings, the court granted requests by the Russian Investigative Committee to keep commander Denys Hrytsenko, Security Service (SBU) officer Andriy Drach, and 15 sailors in jail until April 24.

The court ruled that three sailors will stay in pretrial custody until April 26.

On January 15, as Russian security officers escorted some of the sailors from the courtroom during a break in the proceedings for lunch, some spectators chanted, "Glory to Ukraine!"

All 24 say they consider themselves prisoners of war.

Russia has held the Ukrainian sailors since its forces fired on, boarded, and then seized their vessels near the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on November 25.

Moscow claims the Ukrainian vessels illegally entered Russian territorial waters near Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia occupied and took over in 2014.

The sailors have been charged with illegal border crossing and face up to six years in prison if convicted.

The court rulings came five days after the European Union reiterated its call on Moscow to release the sailors and all other Ukrainians whom Brussels says have been "illegally detained" in Russia and Crimea.

The United States and other Western countries have also called for their release.

U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton said in December that there will be no substantial meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin while Moscow still holds the Ukrainian ships and sailors.

Russia moved swiftly to seize control over Crimea after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power in Kyiv by the pro-European Maidan protest movement in February 2014.

Putin's government sent troops without insignia to the peninsula, seized key buildings, took control of the regional legislature, and staged a referendum denounced as illegitimate by at least 100 countries at the UN.

Russia also fomented unrest and backed opponents of Kyiv in eastern Ukraine, where more than 10,300 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict since April 2014.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled in November 2016 that the fighting in eastern Ukraine is "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-court-leaves -jailed-ukrainian-sailors-in-pretrial -detention/29712904.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.EU Alarmed, Frustrated After Brexit Vote

By Lisa Bryant January 16, 2019

European Union leaders are greeting the British parliament's defeat of a hard-reached Brexit plan with a mix of frustration and alarm, even as Europe begins preparing for chances Britain will leave the bloc in just over two months without a withdrawal agreement.

If British lawmakers' resounding "no" to the Brexit deal negotiated between Brussels and the British government comes as no surprise, European politicians  like their British counterparts  are now faced with a major question: what's next?

"We know what the UK parliament doesn't want," the European Parliament's chief Brexit representative, Guy Verhofstadt, told reporters. "Now it's time to find out what they want."

"What we don't want," he added, "is that this mess in British politics is now transferred and imported in European politics."

British Prime Minister Theresa May is now expected back in the Belgian capital for more Brexit talks. But she may not get very far. After nearly 18 months of negotiations, EU leaders are unlikely to make any major new concessions.

"We'll see," French President Emmanuel Macron told local officials. "Maybe we can improve one or two points, but I doubt it."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says there's still time for more talks, but she also warned it was time to prepare for a "disorderly" or no-deal Brexit.

Larissa Brunner, a junior policy analyst at the European Policy Center in Brussels, said a no deal now certainly is seen as "a strong possibility."

That's the message sounding in the private sector as well. French employers' union MEDEF says companies must prepare for the worst-case scenario. France's wine and spirits industry is braced for a major loss in business with Britain.

"I think a hard, no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic both for the EU and the UK. And I think it's pretty much impossible to prepare perfectly for it in the time that is left."

Only the stock markets seem unfazed  for now.

Another big unknown is the fate of Britain's EU lawmakers. European Parliament elections are in May, and it's possible the fate of Brexit may still be up in the air.UK's Theresa May Survives Second No-Confidence Vote

Sputnik News

22:17 16.01.2019(updated 01:11 17.01.2019)

For the second time in as many months, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has survived an attempt to remove her from power. Parliament has voted 325 to 306 that it has confidence in May's government, in power since June 2016.

The first challenge, in mid-December, came from within her own Conservative Party after her disastrously handled Brexit negotiations resulted in the resignations of a number of her own cabinet members and the House of Commons voting to hold her in contempt  a first in British history. The second challenge, mounted Wednesday by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, immediately followed the defeat of that Brexit agreement in the single largest defeat of any motion in the history of Parliament the day prior.

The final count for that vote was 202 for and 432 against.

However, May is far from out of the woods. Her Brexit deal having failed to pass Parliament, the March 29 deadline, when the UK will depart from the European Union, hangs over all political movement in the country. Brussels having demonstrated its intransigence to a fundamental renegotiation of the November deal, May must find a way to sell the deal to Commons or to push back the deadline, something she can only do with the unanimous approval of EU members. If Parliament can't agree on the Brexit deal, it risks a no-deal Brexit, which May has said would be bad for the country.

"We have a responsibility to identify a way forward that can secure the backing of the House" of Commons, May said in comments following the vote.

During Parliamentary debate on the no-confidence motion, Corbyn called May's government a "zombie government," evoking his past rhetoric that the government was "shambolic." After the vote, he said May's government must "remove the possibility of a no-deal Brexit."

 SputnikTurkey to Purchase Russian S-400 Regardless of Potential Patriot Deal With US

Sputnik News

11:55 16.01.2019

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier stated that Turkey was open to a US proposal on Patriot air defence systems supplies only if abandoning the S-400 deal with Russia is not a precondition for the agreement with Washington.

Turkey will go on with the purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems even if it takes the deal proposed by the United States on deliveries of surface-to-air missile systems Patriot, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has announced.

"From our point of view, there is no link between the purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems and US Patriot systems, these topics are not interconnected in any way. Our position remains unchanged: we will do everything that we deem necessary to ensure our national security".

Kalin also confirmed that Ankara has been engaged in talks with Washington over the purchase of Patriot systems.

"We have got a US proposal on Patriot [systems] but we have preconditions and expectations regarding the supplies, transfer of technologies and price. We will see from the ongoing talks with the United States whether the United States will be able to fully meet our demands", he added.

Kalin's comments echo Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's statement last week following reports by the Anadolu news agency, saying that a US delegation in Ankara had made an official offer to Turkey to buy Patriot systems.

"Turkey may buy Patriot systems in the future. But it will be impossible if abandoning S-400 will be one of the conditions for the purchase".

The statements by Turkish officials follow an announcement by the Pentagon last month that the US State Department had approved a possible $3.5 billion sale of Patriot systems to Turkey.

In December 2017, Ankara signed a loan agreement with Moscow on the deliveries of the Russian-made S-400s to Turkey, which has become a major stumbling block in the latter's relations with the United States.

Washington has consistently expressed concern over Ankara's decision to buy the S-400s and threatened to block the delivery of US-made F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets to Turkey.

 SputnikSEF reiterates it has final say on cross-strait matters

ROC Central News Agency

2019/01/16 21:07:45

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Following a proposal by China's Fujian Province that was welcomed by Kinmen's county magistrate, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) reiterated Wednesday only it has the authority to negotiate with China.

The proposal was made Monday by Fujian Governor Tang Dengjie (), when delivering a government work report to the annual session of the provincial people's congress, according to Chinese media.

According to the proposal, Tang will seek to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, including bridge links, and plans to supply water, electricity and gas.

In response to the proposal, Kinmen County Magistrate Yang Cheng-wu () of the Kuomintang, who was elected county head in the Nov. 24 local elections, said the county government will organize a delegation to visit Fujian in late January to discuss related matters.

However, SEF spokesperson Kuan An-lu () said Wednesday that the words of a local authority should not be considered final in any cross-strait agreement.

Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement Tuesday saying the proposal falls under the jurisdiction of the central government and therefore needs to be carefully assessed.

Referencing plans by Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih () to visit Beijing with 15 heads of KMT-governed cities and counties, Kuan said local governments can certainly visit China, but are not authorized to sign agreements.

She also noted that the SEF, a semi-official intermediary body responsible for cross-strait affairs, is the only agency authorized to conduct cross-strait negotiations.

Only agreements signed between the SEF and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), an organization set up by Beijing to handle technical or business matters with Taiwan, can safeguard people's lawful rights. she added.

Kuan urged local authorities to respect the central government and deal with related matters through the SEF.

Fujian has provided water to Kinmen since last August, following a "water link" deal between China and Taiwan to provide the county with water for 30 years, signed in 2015.

Under the deal, Kinmen agreed to import an average of 34,000 tons of water a day from Fujian at a cost of NT$9.86 (US$0.32) per cubic meter, with daily supply able to rise to 55,000 tons a day, according to Kinmen County Waterworks.

Taiwan spent NT$1.35 billion to build the 16-kilometer-long underground and underwater pipeline that runs from Kinmen's Tianbu Reservoir to the coastal city of Jinjiang in Fujian that made the deal possible.

(By Miao Zong-han and Chung Yu-chen)

Enditem/AWSyrian Kurds Reportedly Reject Turkish Safe Zone Agreed With Trump

Sputnik News

10:03 16.01.2019(updated 17:07 16.01.2019)

On 15 January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he and his American counterpart Donald Trump had reached a "historic understanding" on Syria in their latest phone call.

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces said in a Wednesday statement they would help establish a US-proposed "safe zone" in northern and eastern Syria under "international guarantees" and without "foreign intervention", Reuters reported.

The US-backed Kurdish forces further added they hoped to reach "agreements and solutions" with Turkey in order to secure stability in the border region.

Earlier in the day, AFP cited senior political leader Aldar Khalil as saying that Syrian Kurds had rejected the "security zone" under Turkey's control in northern Syria.

The official said that the Kurds would only accept the deployment of UN forces along the separation line between Kurdish fighters and Turkish troops to prevent an offensive.

"Other choices are unacceptable as they infringe on the sovereignty of Syria and the sovereignty of our autonomous region", Khalil told AFP.

Following a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Tuesday that Ankara would create a 32-kilometre safe zone in northern Syria. Erdogan's spokesperson later elaborated that the security zone would be controlled by Ankara.

The spokesman further added that the Turkish military would coordinate their actions with locals.

The idea was initially proposed by Trump, who threatened on Twitter to "devastate" Turkey's economy if Ankara attacked US-allied Kurdish forces in Syria.

In response, Turkey said it may "remain hungry, without food and water", but will still fight terrorists.

Last month, Donald Trump declared victory over Daesh* in Syria, subsequently announcing the withdrawal of the 2,000 US troops currently deployed in the Mideast country. The president stated that regional countries, including Turkey, would wipe out the remaining terrorists.

Trump, however, stressed that he sought to protect US-allied Kurds while gradually pulling the troops out of the country, with White House National Security Adviser John Bolton calling the protection of Kurdish militia by Ankara a condition for the US withdrawal.

Edogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin hit back, saying it was a "fatal mistake to equate Syrian Kurds with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its Syrian branch PYD [Kurdish Democratic Union Party]/YPG [Kurdish People's Protection Units]". Ankara considers the YPG to be affiliated with the PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey.

*Daesh, also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State, is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

 SputnikIran to Keep All Its Forces and Weapons in Syria - Revolutionary Guards Chief

Sputnik News

13:04 16.01.2019(updated 14:14 16.01.2019)

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iran to "get out of [Syria] fast" threatening to continue air raids against Iranian military targets, allegedly stationed in the Arab state.

The Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Ali Jafari has said that Tehran will not listen to Tel Aviv's threats and will keep its forces and weapons in Syria, Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep its military advisors, revolutionary forces and its weapons in Syria", he said.

Jafari has cautioned Israel against making any further threats, warning that it "was playing with the lion's tail" and promising that otherwise Iranian missiles will "roar and fall on [its] head".

Jafari's statement comes in the wake of threats made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 15 January during an appointment ceremony for the new IDF Chief of Staff. The Israeli PM specifically warned that IDF forces will continue conducting airstrikes in Syria targeting the Iranian troops allegedly stationed there. In light of this threat, Netanyahu urged Tehran to "get out of there fast".

Israel has been conducting air raids on Syrian territory over the last few years, claiming to be targeting Iranian and Hezbollah forces and warehouses. The latest strike on 12 January, which targeted the Syrian capital's suburbs, damaged Damascus International Airport service buildings and several planes. Netanyahu stated on the next day that the Israeli Air Force had targeted alleged Iranian and Hezbollah weapons depots in Syria.

Israel previously admitted to having conducted airstrikes in Syria, stating that it was targeting Iranian military facilities, allegedly located in the Arab Republic. Tehran and Damascus have condemned the Israeli air strikes on the Arab Republic on multiple occasions, calling for the international community and the UN to stop further air raids.

 SputnikIran Vows No Military Withdrawal From Syria Despite Israeli Threats

January 16, 2019

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps says Iran will retain its military presence in Syria, defying Israeli threats that Iranian forces will be targeted if they do not leave the war-torn country.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep its military advisers, revolutionary forces, and its weapons in Syria," Iranian media quoted Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari as saying on January 16.

The comments come days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was "more determined than ever to act against Iran in Syria."

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on January 13, Netanyahu also said that Israel had succeeded in "curbing Iran's military entrenchment in Syria" by attacking Iranian and Hizballah targets there "hundreds" of times."

Jafari called Netanyahu's threats "a joke" and warned that the Israeli government "was playing with [a] lion's tail."

"Be afraid of the day that Iran's precision-guided missiles roar and fall on your head and revenge all the blood you have spilt of innocent Muslims in the region," the Iranian general said.

Iran, along with Russia and Lebanon's Shi'ite militant group Hizballah, has given Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government crucial support throughout the war, which began with a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011.

The conflict has left more than 400,000 people dead, displaced millions, and devastated many historic sites across the country.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-vows-no- military-withdrawal-from-syria-despite-israeli -threats/29713491.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.Russia, Kurdish militants reject US-proposed 'security zone' under Turkish control

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:05AM

US-backed Kurdish militants have rejected Washington's proposal for the establishment of a "security zone" under Turkish control along the Syrian side of the two countries' border, saying it infringes on the sovereignty of the Arab country.

Aldar Khalil, a Syrian Kurdish politician and co-chair of the Democratic Society Movement, told AFP on Wednesday that the Kurds would accept the deployment of UN forces along the separation line between Kurdish militants and Turkish troops to ward off a threatened offensive.

"Other choices are unacceptable as they infringe on the sovereignty of Syria and the sovereignty of our autonomous region," he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Ankara would establish the "security zone" in northern Syria proposed by US President Donald Trump, a day after the two leaders held a phone conversation.

Erdogan noted that during a "quite positive" telephone conversation, Trump reaffirmed that "a 20-mile (30 kilometer) security zone along the Syrian border... will be set up by us."

"We could create such a safe zone if coalition forces, especially America, provide logistical and financial support," Erdogan added.

Ankara and Washington engaged in a war of words over the fate of the Kurdish militants in Syria following the planned withdrawal of American troops. Turkey views the Washington-backed militants as terrorists.

Trump threatened to devastate NATO ally Turkey economically if it launches attacks against the Kurdish militants in Syria when US troops leave the Arab country.

In response, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that Turkey was "not scared of and will not be intimidated" by such rhetoric and that economic threats "will get nowhere."

'Syrian govt. must regain control of north'

Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacted to Washington's proposal and said Wednesday that the Syrian government must wrest back control of the country's north.

"We are convinced that the best and only solution is the transfer of these territories under the control of the Syrian government, and of Syrian security forces and administrative structures," Lavrov told reporters.

The top Russian diplomat further said Moscow welcomed and supported "contacts that have now begun between Kurdish representatives and Syrian authorities so they can return to their lives under a single government without outside interference."

Lavrov further highlighted the progress in efforts to resolve Syria's seven-year conflict, and said the focus should remain on Idlib Province -- the last major militant stronghold in the country.

"The Syrian settlement is progressing, though of course more slowly than we would like," he said. "The fight against terrorism must be completed. Now the main hotbed of terrorism is Idlib."

Trump announced the plan to pull US forces out of Syria last month amid plans by Turkey to launch an operation against anti-Damascus Kurdish militants.

The Kurdish militants in northern Syria, who have long enjoyed US support, feel abandoned by Washington.

The US has been arming and training Kurdish militants under the banner of helping them fight Daesh, but Syria and several other countries see ulterior motives behind the deployment.

Turkey, a key US ally in the region, has repeatedly questioned Washington's deployment of heavy weapons in Syria despite the defeat of Daesh in much of the Arab country.IRGC commander vows to protect Iranian advisors in Syria after Israeli PM's threat

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 06:24PM

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has vowed to protect Iranian military advisors in Syria, dismissing as "ridiculous and funny" Israeli threats to attack them.

"We will protect all of the military advisors as well as weapons and equipment that we have deployed to Syria in order to reinforce the Islamic resistance fighters and support the people of this Islamic country," Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said Wednesday.

The remarks came in response to fresh threats by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Tuesday that Israel "won't stop attacking" Iranian military advisors in Syria unless they evacuate the country.

Iran has been supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government purging foreign-backed terrorist groups from the country.

Israel views the Islamic Republic's advisors in Syria as a threat and has openly pledged to target them out until they leave the country.

The Israeli air force has staged repeated air raids against Syrian military bases that it claims are used by Iranian military advisors.

"Rest assured that your ridiculous threat means nothing to us," Jafari said of Netanyahu's words.

He noted there was a reason Iran remained patient in the face of Israel's "desperate measures" in Syria, warning Netanyahu that he would soon find out what that reason is.

"Just beware that you are twisting the lion's tail," the general said. "Fear the day that Iranian precision-guided missiles come down on your head roaring, and avenge all the blood that you have shed from the oppressed Muslims in the region."

Netanyahu 'biting off more than he can chew'

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi also reacted to the Israeli premier's remarks, warning him and other officials in Tel Aviv against testing Iran's patience.

"We will teach them how to talk and walk if necessary," he said.

Qassemi called Netanyahu's threats "pointless propaganda" and said, "he would have resolved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if he could do anything."US Senate Upholds Lifting Sanctions on Russian's Companies

By VOA News January 16, 2019

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday narrowly upheld a Trump administration plan to lift sanctions against three companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Eleven Republicans in the Senate joined Democrats in an effort to enforce the sanctions against the giant aluminum firm Rusal and two companion companies, but their effort failed on a 57-42 vote, three short of the number needed to advance the measure.

Numerous lawmakers had questioned the U.S. Treasury Department's decision in December to lift the sanctions that were imposed on Deripaska's core businesses  Rusal; its parent, En+; and the power firm EuroSibEnergo  in response to Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Treasury argued that it was appropriate to lift the sanctions imposed last April because Deripaska had committed to curtailing his ownership of the companies and sever his control.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said last week that Deripaska remains under sanctions, "his property and interests remain blocked, and any companies he controls are also sanctioned.''

In pushing for the sanctions to be enforced, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, "For a very long time, the Republican Party predicated its foreign policy on taking a tougher line against Russia and Putin. In so many campaigns for president, we Democrats were accused of not being tough enough on the Russians."

But now, Schumer said, "it seems that acquiescence to [President Donald Trump], a fear of breaking with the president, has held back too many of my Republican colleagues from supporting this resolution.''

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky reiterated that Deripaska's influence over the companies was being limited and called the vote a "Democratic stunt," even as the 11 Republicans joined Democrats in the unsuccessful effort to overturn Treasury's action.Classified Russian Military Town From UK's Skripal Probe No Longer Secret

Sputnik News

22:27 16.01.2019(updated 22:35 16.01.2019)

The closed unit status was revoked upon the Russian president's order shortly after the name of the town popped up in London's investigation into the alleged March 2018 nerve gas attack.

The town of Shikhani, in the Saratov region, mentioned in the British probe into the poisoning of Russian former intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, lost its status as a closed administrative-territorial unit, the Russian newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" reported.

It was further specified that the status had been withdrawn only from Shikhan-1, the town itself, while the military community, called Shikhani-2, also known as Volsk-18, retained its pass control and is still guarded by the military. It houses the Ministry of Defence's central 33rd research centre, which studies radiological, chemical and biological protection.

The status of the closed administrative-territorial unit Shikhani was revoked upon an order issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin last July.

In April 2018, The Times reported, citing sources in British intelligence, that the nerve agent A-234 "Novichok", which London claimed had been used to poison the Skripals, was developed precisely in Shikhani during the Soviet era. However, the UK failed to prove that the gas used in the Skripal attack had been produced on Russian soil.

On March 4 2018, Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping centre in Salisbury. London said they had been subject to poisoning with a military-grade nerve agent. London accused Moscow of staging the attack, saying it suspected Russian nationals Petrov and Boshirov of executing the poisoning and claiming that they worked for Russia's military intelligence.

However, Moscow has repeatedly noted that London has not provided any evidence proving its role in the poisoning. Petrov and Boshirov, in their turn, denied their involvement in the attack in an interview with RT. They said that they had indeed visited Salisbury on March 4, but went there for tourist purposes, noting that they worked in the fitness industry.

Russia has said that it has sent over 70 diplomatic notes to the United Kingdom calling for cooperation in the case. London, however, has left them unanswered; instead claiming that Moscow has refused to cooperate on the issue.

 SputnikU.S. Senators Advance Deripaska Sanctions Resolution Over Administration Objections

By RFE/RL January 16, 2019

The U.S. Senate has moved forward with a resolution opposing President Donald Trump's administration for a plan to ease sanctions on Russian companies tied to billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

A total of 11 Republican senators joined all Democrats in the January 15 vote, which clears the way for formal debate followed by a final vote on the resolution.

The resolution is in response to last month's announcement by the Treasury Department that it would lift sanctions on the core businesses of Deripaska, a powerful Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin.

The companies includes aluminum giant Rusal, its parent company En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo.

Earlier on January 15, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin traveled to Congress in an effort push Republicans to oppose the Democratic-backed resolution.

If the resolution passes the Senate in the final vote, it would then go to the House of Representatives, where Democrats are in control. It would then go to the White House, where a Trump veto was likely.

Were it to pass all those steps, however, the resolution would block the Treasury move.

Ahead of the vote, the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, urged the resolution's passage, saying: "This is not the moment to give up a source of leverage over the Russian government."

Republicans control the 100-member Senate 53-47.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senators-deripaska- sanctions/29712623.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.US Senate advances measure critical of easing Russia sanctions

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 02:36AM

The US Senate has voted to move ahead with a Democratic-backed resolution blocking President Donald Trump's plan to lift sanctions against three major Russian companies.

Senators voted 57-42 on Tuesday to advance legislation that would disapprove of a Washington's plan to ease sanctions on Russian aluminum giant Rusal as well as En+ Group and power firm EuroSibEnergo.

The three companies are claimed to have ties with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian business tycoon and an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The bill had been proposed by Democratic Senate Minority leader Senator Chuck Schumer based on a provision in a 2017 Russia sanctions law.

Under a 2017 law, Congress has the authority to halt any decision by the Trump administration to weaken sanctions, providing lawmakers with a 30-day window to reject the plan if lawmakers believe it undermines US economic and national security interests.

The Tuesday vote in favor of the disapproval resolution came despite efforts by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to convince Republicans in the US Senate to kill the bill.

"I do disapprove of the easing of the sanctions because I think it sends the wrong message to Russia and to the oligarch -- a close ally of Mr. Putin, Oleg Deripaska -- who will in my judgment continue to maintain considerable control under the Treasury's plan," Susan Collins, a Republican Senator from Maine, said after the vote.

The US Treasury notified Congress in mid-December of its intent to lift sanctions on the Deripaska-connected companies.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the Tuesday resolution as a "political stunt."

"It was all just a farce. The Democratic leader doesn't actually mind doing other business because he now intends to bring a privileged and political stunt of a motion relating to the administration's use of sanctions against Russia," McConnell said.

Mnuchin had argued that opposing the resolution would be a "vote to go easy on President Putin and his oligarchs."

A total of 60 senators will be required to pass the resolution in a vote expected to be held on Wednesday and at least two Republicans would have to change their votes for the measure to pass.

The vote comes as US Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been running a thorough investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US 2016 presidential elections and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow.

Ever since Trump was inaugurated in January 2017, the US intelligence community has overwhelmingly maintained that Moscow sought to meddle in the 2016 election.

The Trump campaign is accused of collusion with the Kremlin to find damaging information on his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Trump has denied any collusion by his campaign and has long denounced the Mueller probe as a witch hunt and a hoax. Moscow has also denied any involvement.Watchdog: Pakistan's Military Courts 'Disaster' for Human Rights

By Ayaz Gul January 16, 2019

A global advocate for justice is calling on Pakistan not to use the tenure of its military courts to try civilians for terrorism-related offenses, saying that doing so would constitute a "disaster" for human rights.

The military tribunals have been in operation since January 2015. At that time, the Pakistani parliament authorized them for two years to conduct trials of suspected terrorists in a bid to deter growing terrorism in the country.

The authorization was extended for another two years and will lapse on March 30 unless lawmakers approve another extension.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said that the military "justice system" is a "glaring surrender" of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Pakistan. The ICJ said, "Fears that repeated extensions risk making an abusive and discredited process effectively permanent."

The ICJ denunciation comes as Prime Minister Imran Khan's government consults with opposition parties on legislation to extend the tenure of the courts.

The ICJ cited "serious fair trials violations in the operation of military courts, including: denial of the right to counsel of choice; failure to disclose the charges against the accused; denial of a public hearing; a very high number of convictions  more than 97 percent  based on "confessions" without adequate safeguards against torture and ill treatment."

The Pakistani military announced last month the special courts have handed down death sentences to 310 people and 56 of them have been executed. It added that the executions of a remaining 254 people are pending upon the completion of the legal process in the civilian courts.

The army's media wing noted that 234 people were given "rigorous imprisonment" terms of varied duration ranging from life terms to a minimum duration of five years, and two of the accused were acquitted.

The army released the details while the country was observing the anniversary of the December 2014 massacre of more than 150 people, mostly children, at an army-run public school in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

The militant attack caused outraged among Pakistanis and prompted the then-parliament to allow the military to try civilians linked to terrorist groups or organizations instigating violence in the name of religion.

Convicts are allowed to challenge the sentences in civilian courts, although none of the sentences has been overturned to date.

Lawyers and families in appeal proceedings in civilian courts have questioned evidence in some cases and alleged their relatives were coerced into confessions.

The Pakistani army and civilian officials reject the charges and maintain the legislation allowing the trials binds the special tribunals to conduct "fair and transparent" hearings.

Political parties have backed the military courts, noting Pakistan's regular judicial system does not offer protection to witnesses. Moreover, judges and attorneys prosecuting suspected hardcore militants have complained of receiving death threats, or have come under attack.

The ICJ's statement criticized authorities for failing to enact promised reforms to strengthen the criminal justice system during the four years of operation for the military courts.Newly Appointed IDF Chief Kochavi Pledges to Make Army 'Deadly, Efficient'

Sputnik News

02:54 16.01.2019(updated 09:30 16.01.2019)

The former Army intelligence chief earlier made headlines for his proposal to assassinate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi as the new military chief of staff Tuesday, according to a report by Haaretz. Kochavi replaced Gadi Eisenkot, who recently made headlines by admitting that Tel Aviv had supplied weapons to terrorists in Syria.

"I take this job upon myself in sacred reverence; I take it as an honour," Kochavi said during the ceremony, attended both by Netanyahu and Eisenkot.

"Now, as it is my turn, and I have received the responsibility of leading the army, I commit to dedicating all my energy, with a critical and demanding approach, to strengthening our defensive wall, to training for present and future threats  which focuses upon strengthening our attack capabilities towards our enemies and presenting an army that is deadly, efficient and modern, that preserves its mission and its uniqueness," he added.

While Kochavi's speech could be perceived as humble, Netanyahu, who promoted Kochavi to chief of staff, then spoke with his trademark, much more aggressive tone.

"We must poke holes in Iran's lies," Netanyahu said during the ceremony. "We made that apparent with the revelation of Israel's secret nuclear archive. We did it by destroying the attempted preparations of Hezbollah. I advise them to leave [Syria] quickly, because we will continue with our assertive policy, as promised, without fear and without a break."

"I am not looking for excessive wars, yet in necessary wars we will be asked to show true sacrifice," he added.

The departing Chief of Staff Eisenkot also spoke, pointing out that during his time, he prioritized bringing Israeli soldiers safely back home.

"During my service I saw it as a duty to fill out many tasks and to make every effort to return my soldiers home safely," he said. "Out of this responsibility I placed my goals as chief of staff, and in light of this, I am looking at the army I leave behind me and see that it is a fit, prepared and powerful military that has grown stronger in wisdom and determination."

He added that IDF's accomplishments were achieved "not with arrogant words but with modesty, deep thought, meticulous planning and professional execution while always casting doubt and aiming to improve."

"Defense actions cannot always be summed up in an eight-word headline in a newspaper," he added.

Nadav Argaman, the head of Shin Bet intelligence service, also welcomed the promotion of Kochavi, Haaretz reports.

"I have known Aviv for many years. We have collaborated, and I think he will be a great chief of staff. We know from the time he served as the head of the Intelligence Corps and as the commander of the Gaza Division. He's a very talented man," he said.

Aviv Kochavi earlier served in the intelligence branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). During his time in the intel community, he reportedly proposed to assassinate Syria's Assad over his support for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The proposal was turned down at the time, as the military was more focused on countering Tehran, according to an unnamed senior Israeli official cited by the Jerusalem Post.

 SputnikIran's Missiles Used in Satellite Launches Threaten Europe, Middle East - Pompeo

Sputnik News

05:50 16.01.2019(updated 08:27 16.01.2019)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Earlier in January, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that if Tehran went ahead with plans to carry out space launches in the coming months, Iran would face more economic and diplomatic pressure.

Iran's failed attempt to launch a satellite into orbit with a three stage rocket demonstrates the Islamic Republic's intent to develop missiles able to reach as far as Europe, Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Iran attempted to launch a satellite into orbit but the rocket's third stage failed to provide enough speed to reach the orbit, Iranian Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said.

Iran plans a second satellite launch in the coming days in what the nation claims is a space exploration programme, while claiming that rocket launches do not violate a Security Council resolution, related to the country's nuclear programme.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has insisted that the country's space programme does not violate the aforementioned resolution.

Iran has recently made significant progress in its space programme with the launch of its Simorgh Satellite Launch Vehicle in July 2017. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France in a joint statement condemned the launch, saying it contravened UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Unanimously adopted on 20 July 2015, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 endorsed the international nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The resolution laid out a plan for removing the UN sanctions on Iran in exchange for strict monitoring of its nuclear programme, which the country insists is peaceful.

The United States withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018, and Tehran has since accused Washington of violating the UNSC resolution. Iran has also denied that its missile programme violates the resolution. Washington, for its part, has reimposed sanctions against Tehran that had been lifted under the JCPOA. The first package of US restrictions came into force in August. In early November, Washington imposed new sanctions targeting core sectors of Iran's economy.

Following last year's ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, Russia, and Iran announced that the European Union would establish a financial mechanism, known as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), to enable trade with Tehran, bypassing the Trump administration's reimposed restrictions.

Last week, Mike Pompeo said Washington was planning to tighten sanctions on Iran. However, Pompeo stressed the United States was ready to "open a new chapter" in relations with the Islamic Republic once it meets the 12 demands that the secretary outlined during an address in May.

Those demands include allowing unlimited international inspections of Iran's nuclear programme, halting Tehran's support for Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region, withdrawing all Iranian military forces from Syria, and releasing all US citizens being detained in the Islamic Republic, among other things.

Tehran, for its part, has responded to those demands by listing its own to European states.

 SputnikIran to open bunkering terminal in blow to UAE's Fujairah

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 09:48AM

Iran will start bunkering operations at a newly-built ship fueling terminal on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm by next month, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) said Wednesday.

The 52,000-tonne capacity terminal will give Iran access to traffic on one of the world's biggest shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz through which 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil exports pass.

It also means Iranian ships will part with calling at the Fujairah port on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates for fueling.

Officials say bunkering at Iranian ports is as much as $5-7 per tonne cheaper compared to Fujairah where approximately 80 percent of bunker fuel is said to be of Iranian origin.

Iran is building another bunkering unit with a capacity of 52,000 tonnes in Bandar Abbas in the hope of establishing a ship refueling hub in the region.

According to IRISL Managing Director Mohammad Saeedi, about 17 shipping companies are sailing to Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf, for which the country can provide bunkering services.

"If we establish suitable fueling infrastructure in the country, ships will get cheaper fuel at Iranian bunkering sites instead of doing a 130-mile detour to Fujairah," he said.

"Besides, this will create added value and wholesome jobs for the Iranian people," he added.

Fujairah, once a sleepy fishing village, has transformed itself into one of the world's top tanker refueling and oil storage hubs. It is currently the world's second-largest bunkering port after Singapore.

As regards Fujairah's strategic location, Iranian ports are sitting as much or even more pretty. However, cheaper freight and less congestion make Iranian ports ideal sites for expansion with investment in port infrastructure.

"The government, the ministry of petroleum and the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran should help develop this lucrative and productive industry," Saeedi said in remarks quoted by Tasnim news agency.

"In this regard, we need more cooperation from the ministry of petroleum. Our oil products should not go the UAE and for fuel, Iranian vessels should be supplied by our own storage sites," he added.

In November, a UAE government official said his country was fully complying with US sanctions imposed the same month on the Islamic Republic.

Even before the sanctions, the United Arab Emirates had toughened its stance on Iran in line with Saudi Arabia's hawkish policies toward the Islamic Republic.

Washington's sanctions announced on Nov. 5 target Iran's shipping sector as well as its banks and national airline.

Fujairah and Dubai have traditionally been a major trading partner with Iran - a lucrative destination for UAE re-exports and services. Iranians have also made significant investments in the UAE, some putting those investments north of several hundred billion dollars.

However trade has been dwindling between the two countries, falling to $17 billion in 2017 from a peak of $20 billion in 2013.

Abdullah al-Saleh, the UAE's undersecretary for foreign trade and industry, said in November he expected trade with Iran to decline further due to the sanctions.US backing down again on draining Iran oil exports

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:40AM

US officials are again backpedalling on their pledge to dry up Iran's oil exports amid warnings of a surge in prices if Washington refuses to extend a waiver issued in November.

US special representative for Iran Brian Hook had told an industry conference in Abu Dhabi Saturday that the United States was "not looking to grant any waivers or exemptions to the import of Iranian crude."

However, he appeared ambivalent when pressed by CNBC, the US business news channel reported on Tuesday.

"All I can say is that we believe that when we have a better-supplied oil market, then that puts us in a much better climate to accelerate the path to zero," the broadcaster quoted Hook as saying.

"Hook's remarks suggest that the administration's decision will in part depend on the cost of crude when the six-month waivers expire around the start of May," CNBC said.

The United States gave waivers to eight major clients of Iranian oil - China, India, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Greece, Taiwan and Turkey - after restoring energy sanctions in November.

The waiver surprised the market which was bracing itself for President Donald Trump's pledge to bring Iran's oil exports down to zero when the sanctions went into effect on November 5.

Hook said the Trump administration agreed to the waivers to prevent an oil shortage that would cause prices to surge.

However, Amos Hochstein, the former international energy envoy who ran Iran sanctions under the Obama administration, said the real reason Trump is giving the waivers is because he is unable to force the biggest customers of Iranian oil to stop buying oil from the country.

"There will 100 percent be exemptions in May," Hochstein said, adding that Trump's refusal to do so would raise the prospect of the US sanctioning Chinese and Indian companies and getting embroiled in yet another trade dispute.

"The reason for that is if you don't give an exemption and someone is importing, then you have to sanction them, and you probably don't want to sanction them," Hochstein said.

Asian buyers of Iranian oil have just overcome final hurdles to resuming shipments from the country, with first cargoes set to arrive in Japan as early as this month.

According to media reports, China took 576,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil in December, while South Korea discharged 300,000 barrels, its first cargo since July.

Oil pricing agency S&P Global Platts quoted presidents of Japan's JXTG Holdings and Cosmo Oil as saying that the refiners will resume loading from Iran at the end of this month.

Bloomberg also said the National Iranian Tanker Company's Silvia I is expected to reach South Korea on January 15 with the first cargo of at least 14 million barrels from Iran that will reach the nation's shores through April.

Meanwhile, a senior official said the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) plans to offer 1 million barrels of crude oil on its energy exchange on January 21.

Last month, Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh said Iran planned to sell 3 million barrels of crude oil to private companies in the third round of sales aimed at bypassing US sanctions.

Iran began selling oil to private buyers on its energy exchange first in October when one million barrels were offered at $74.85 a barrel as the US prepared to reimpose sanctions on the country's oil sector.

The second offer came after the sanctions were reinstated in November and 700,000 barrels of crude oil were sold to private companies for export.Iran won't sacrifice progress over 'fake' US, France concerns

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 09:02PM

Iran's Foreign Ministry has dismissed as "fake" French and American concerns about its recent strides in space technology, asserting that nothing will stop the Islamic Republic's scientific progress.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will move forward in paths and prioritize choices that will benefit the country's long-term strategic interests and the Iranian people and it sure won't sacrifice its scientific progress over foreigners' unsubstantiated and fake concerns," Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, launched a domestically-built satellite into space with an aim to collect environmental information to boost the country's forecasting system.

The first and second stages of the space mission were performed successfully, but technical problems that occurred in the third and final stage kept the domestically-built Simorgh satellite carrier from accelerating to the orbital speed.

The French foreign ministry condemned the launch, claiming that it was in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

"Iranian ballistic program is a source of concern for the international community and France," French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement, calling on Iran to stop its space launches.

Paris' "concerns" echoed similar remarks by American officials, who had warned ahead of the launch that it contravened the resolution.

Qassemi, however, said there was no reason for concern as the launch had a non-military nature.

"Such capabilities are non-military in nature and are in no way in violation of international laws in this field," he argued.

He said no country could block Iran from developing advanced technologies through an "unfair" interpretation of Resolution 2231.

The real source of concern, Qassemi said, was the Western countries' militarization of West Asia, which has turned the region into a "weapons depot."

"The allies of these two countries (the US and France) are committing shameful atrocities that should definitely cause more concerns than Iran's scientific and domestic activities," he added.Iran's Satellite Fails to Reach Orbit, Crashes Into Indian Ocean - Reports

Sputnik News

01:13 17.01.2019(updated 01:15 17.01.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Iranian media has reported about the successful launch of the Payam satellite. The vehicle has reportedly passed its first and second stages but had failed to reach the necessary speed for the third stage in order to rise to the planned altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles).

The remains of Iran's Payam satellite plummeted into the Indian Ocean, Ahmad Motamedi, the chancellor of Amirkabir University, which designed and developed the satellite, told the local Mehr news agency.

"According to GPS data active until the last minute, Payam fell into Indian Ocean, after failure to be located into the orbit," Motamedi said.

The researcher described the technical performance of the satellite as "favorable," adding that Payam was sending out signals for about six minutes before the connection with it was lost.

Motamedi mentioned the failure of the launcher to calculate the initial speed of the satellite and fuel-related problems among the reasons that led to the satellite's failure to reach the orbit.

"Given the order by Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi to design and build the next satellite, named 'Payam 2', our team of scientists will prepare it for launch in less than a year, thanks to the technical knowledge we have now acquired," Motamedi pointed out.

Iran has recently made a significant progress in its space program with the successful launch of its Simorgh Satellite last year.

Tehran's satellite launches have sparked a backlash in a number of states, particularly, France and the United States, which claimed that the move was made in non-compliance with Iran's international obligations, namely those under the Iran nuclear deal. These allegations were, however, vehemently denied by Tehran.

 SputnikPentagon Reportedly Considering Boosting Missile Defences Worldwide

Sputnik News

09:27 16.01.2019

Donald Trump's national security strategy, unveiled in December 2017, described "enhanced" missile defence as a priority, at the same time the document emphasised that it was not intended to undermine strategic relationship with Russia or China.

The Trump administration is considering new ways to expand US defences against a potential missile attack both within the country and beyond, AP reported.

Donald Trump's approach to the system is expected to focus on stopping missiles before they are launched or in the first few minutes of flight while their booster engines are still burning. Congress has reportedly encouraged the Pentagon to push harder on that approach, which might include the use of drones equipped with lasers.

AP cited unnamed senior administration officials as saying that they're interested in developing and deploying more effective means of detecting and tracking missiles with a constellation of satellites in space. For instance, they may use advanced sensors to trace a hostile missile "so that an anti-missile weapon can be directed into its flight path".

The media outlet, however, noted that deploying missile interceptors aboard satellites in space is not expected to be part of the Trump strategy.

According to AP, the United States is expected to reveal the details after the Pentagon releases the results of a missile defence review on Thursday. The release of the document was delayed last year for unknown reasons, although it came as Trump was engaged in talks with North Korea's Kim Jong-un on denuclearisation. The publication might have complicated the negotiations.

In a parallel development, Russia has sent a letter to US lawmakers, accusing Washington of undermining the New Strategic Arms Reduction (New START) treaty, a 2010 bilateral accord on nuclear arms reduction, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"In the worst case scenario these problems might potentially disrupts prospects for its extension after 2021. [] We cannot confirm full implementation by the United States of its obligations under Article II of the Treaty. Accordingly, we shall continue to point out this situation in the course of bilateral contacts on all levels, as well as direct the attention of the international community to this absolutely abnormal state of affairs".

The New START treaty, which was signed in 2010 and entered into force a year later, covers a ten-year period with the possibility of a five-year extension. The accord limits the number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, nuclear-armed bombers, and nuclear warheads.

Talks on nuclear non-proliferation between the two countries have been in limbo since the Trump administration announced plans to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, having accused Russia of violations.

Moscow has flatly denied the allegation, emphasising that Washington, for its part, was deploying launchers for Tomahawk cruise missiles in Romania and Poland  a violation of the INF Treaty's provisions.

The treaty was signed by the Soviet Union and the US, and envisaged the destruction of all nuclear-armed ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres (about 300 to 3,400 miles).

 SputnikIran enters space; minor issues to be resolved in few months: President Rouhani

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Wed / 16 January 2019 / 16:20

Tehran (ISNA)  Iranian President said that the people of Iran are so smarter than what the enemies think, calling on ministers and governor-generals to work harder for resolving problems and evading US' anti-Iran sanctions.

Speaking at the joint meeting of the Council of Ministers and governor-generals from around the country on Wednesday, Dr. Hassan Rouhani said, "We should always keep in mind that rulers' thoughts, ideals and opinions should be in line with the overwhelming majority of people".

Stating that, "People's opinion should be the basis for reform", Dr. Rouhani said, "This should be the case in a popular ruling system and democracy, which is one of the Islamic Revolution's honours".

He also said, "The people of Iran are much smarter than what the enemies think, but this does not mean that they have no problems".

The President added, "People know well what the problems are and know the domestic and foreign roots of them well".

"We were able to enter the space, and this is very good for agriculture, environment and acquiring the required information for protection of forests and pastures," he said.

President went on to state, "Of course, there are still minor issues in this regard and they will be resolved in a few months".

"Americans are concerned about the Iranian nation's capabilities and that is why they are seeking to put maximum pressure, but these pressures will be fruitless".

He said, "They themselves state that these pressures on Iran are unprecedented and they have put all their efforts in this, and if we want to divide the United States' foreign policy, sometimes half of their efforts are exerted on this region, mostly the Islamic Republic of Iran".

Dr. Rouhani added, "The people of our dear Iran need to be sure that the government will not stand back a moment and it will use all its power to solve the problems".

The President also said, "We need to hand over authorities to governor-generals as much as we can," adding, "Banks should be obligated to sell their surplus properties".

"We have to desalinate and sweeten seawater within the framework of environmental regulations," said Rouhani.

Stating that, "Sanctions, monopoly and multiple rates create corruption," the President also said, "The best way to fight corruption is transparency".

Dr. Rouhani went on to say, "Increasing access to information and the cyberspace is an honour for the government".

"Filtering will become history," he said, adding, "We need to take advantage of the modern technologies by relying on the law and morality"

"The foreign currency received for production should be monitored until the end," he said, adding, "Central bank and all organs need to be coordinated in this regard".

End Item

Edited by: Sepideh HashemiKenyan President Says Deadly Attack and Siege on Nairobi Hotel Has Ended

By VOA News January 16, 2019

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says the deadly attack and siege on a hotel and office complex in the capital Nairobi has ended.

In a nationally televised address Wednesday morning, President Kenyatta said 14 civilians had been killed in the attack on the DusitD2 complex, while 700 civilians had been rescued by security forces.

Kenyatta said all the "terrorists" who took part in the attack on the DusitD2 complex had been "eliminated."

The U.S. State Department confirmed late Tuesday that one American was among the dead, but has not identified the victim. A British citizen was also reportedly killed in the attack.

The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for Tuesday's attack, which began in mid-afternoon with an explosion outside a bank and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby.

Four gunmen could be seen on surveillance video walking through the parking lot with at least one stopping to open fire.

Terrified office and hotel workers and guests ran for cover, streaming from the buildings, climbing out of windows, ducking behind police vehicles and anything they could find while gunfire echoed off the walls.

Police found a sad and grisly scene inside one of the restaurants -- wounded and dead diners at their tables, slumped over unfinished meals.

Other witnesses say they found human limbs lying on the ground.

Witness Duran Farah told VOA he and some colleagues were entering the complex at the time of the attack.

"A loud explosion happened at the gate. Next there was shooting, an exchange of fire, a lot of fire, and we see people rushing and running around in every direction," he said. He and his friends escaped by running down an alleyway.

The DusitD2 hotel and shops are in an upscale Nairobi neighborhood popular with American, European, and Indian tourists, although exactly who was targeted and why is unclear.

The militant Islamic al-Shabab staged several previous attacks in Kenya, including the September 2013 assault on Nairobi's Westgate Mall that left 67 dead.

VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching, Somali service senior editor Harun Maruf, national security correspondent Jeff Seldin, Nairobi bureau chief Daniel Schearf, and reporter Mohammed Yusuf in Nairobi all contributed to this report.Kenya's Leader Vows to Hunt Down Terrorists After Deadly Attack

By Mohammed Yusuf, John Tanza January 16, 2019

Kenya's president on Wednesday vowed to track down terrorists who staged a deadly assault the day before on a hotel-and-office complex in an upscale suburb of Nairobi.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said all attackers had been "eliminated" and warned his government was launching an aggressive manhunt for all those involved. Police said at least 21 people had been killed at the capital's Dusit D2 complex, where surveillance video showed at least four gunmen walking through the parking lot as the siege began in midafternoon.

"I convened and chaired our meeting of our national security council," Kenyatta said in a nationally televised address. "I want to say this: We will seek out every person that was involved in the funding, planning and execution of this heinous act. We will pursue relentlessly wherever they will be, until they are held to account.''

The Islamist extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, which began with an explosion outside a bank and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby.

Previous attacks

Authorities have not confirmed the group's claim. However, al-Shabab has been linked to previous attacks in Kenya, including the 2013 attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall, which killed 67, and a 2015 attack at Garissa University College, which killed 148.

An official with the Kenyan Red Cross told reporters that 18 people had been injured and roughly 700 evacuated from the Dusit complex by security forces.

The dead included two Somalis, a British man and an American.

The American killed was identified by family members as Jason Spindler, who worked in Nairobi as chief executive officer of I-DEV International, a business strategy and investment firm. His father, Joseph, told the Associated Press that his son frequently ate at the hotel cafe, where he was shot.

A graduate of New York University's law school and of the University of Texas-Austin, Spindler had worked in finance but joined the Peace Corps in Peru after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He would have turned 41 next week.

"It is with a heavy heart that I have to report that my brother, Jason Spindler, passed away this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi, Kenya. Jason was a survivor of 9/11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell!" Jonathan Spindler said in a Facebook post.

Two of the other victims, Abdalla Sheikh Mohamed and Feisal Ahmed Rashid Dahir, were also having lunch when they were killed on the terrace of a restaurant in the complex.

Both men had worked on the Somalia Stability Fund, a project to bring peace and prosperity to Somalia through various community initiatives, their employer said.

Dahir, 31, was born in Nairobi and married last year, his father, Ahmed-Rashid Haji Dahir, told VOA's Somali service. He said his son's wife was seven months pregnant.

The elder Dahir went to the mortuary at nearby Nairobi University after another son phoned him with the bad news. "I was still hoping that I will find my son alive," the father said, "but late in the night they brought in eight bodies, including my son and his colleague, Abdalla."

'A normal lad'

Abdalla Mohamed was 27. On his Twitter account, he described himself as "just a normal lad from Kenya."

Mohamed's uncle, Yasin Jama Ismail, told VOA Somali the young man was helping his siblings with school fees.

Ismail said he could not understand the alleged al-Shabab attackers' motivation.

"The ones who brought this pain to me are carrying our name, Islam. I am also a Muslim," he said. "The question I'm asking: Why are they killing human beings?"

In his address, Kenyatta said security forces were taking steps to prevent further attacks. "Multiple security efforts are under way to detect, deter and disrupt and defeat any terrorist operatives or groups," Kenyatta said. "We are also on highest alert and shall remain so. I assure every Kenyan and our foreign visitors that you are safe in Kenya."

Opposition leader Raila Odinga called for Kenya's cohesion, saying that "divisions are what terrorists thrive on."

"All indications are that as a nation, despite persisting challenges in regard to securing our homeland, we are learning and getting wiser and better with every unfortunate attack," Odinga said. He said the nation's objective must continue to be keeping "these forces of evil out of our borders and weeding them out of our midst.''

VOA Somali service's Harun Maruf contributed to this report from Washington.US Program Trained UAE Pilots for Airstrikes Targeting Yemen

Sputnik News

00:39 17.01.2019(updated 00:49 17.01.2019)

The United States ran an aircrew training program to prepare United Arab Emirati personnel for air raids over Yemen, the poorest Middle Eastern nation, according to a new report that shows the Pentagon's involvement in the conflict has been much deeper that official statements suggest.

US Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) escorted half a dozen UAE F-16s to advanced Red Flag training exercises and "assisted 150 airmen in challenging ex[ercise] to prepare for combat ops in Yemen," an official US Air Force memo dated December 18, 2017, states. The document was obtained from AFCENT through a Freedom of Information Act request, Yahoo News reported Thursday.

Critics of Washington's complicity in the Yemen war sighed in relief in early November when then-Defense Secretary James Mattis issued an order to US aircrews halting mid-air refueling operations for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition's fleet of fighter and attack aircraft. Yet the new documents show that America has been more intimately connected in helping bomb ground targets than was previously known.

The memo also explains that further training was provided to UAE aircrews at the Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, which is operated by the US Air Force. "Unit fighter personnel advanced the UAE's F-16 fighter pilot training program; 3 pilots flew 243 instructor sorties/323 hrs that created 4 new instructors & 29 combat wingmen who immediately deployed for combat operations in Yemen," the memo says.

A representative from US Central Command, Lt. Col. Josh Jacques, offered a directly contradictory statement to Yahoo News, stating, "We do not conduct exercises with members of the [Saudi-led coalition] to prepare for combat operations in Yemen."

And just last month, American Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated the US is "not a participant in the civil war in Yemen, nor are we supporting one side or another."

Running a training program for UAE pilots "who go on to bomb civilian targets in Yemen is yet another US form of complicity in a brutal war that has gone on for far too long," William Hartung, director for the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, told Yahoo News.

US troops and former troops have also been involved in ground operations in the catastrophic conflict. A team of approximately one dozen US Army commandos secretly helped the Saudi coalition search out and destroy Houthi ballistic missile storage and launch sites while stationed somewhere in Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, the New York Times reported last May, citing anonymous US officials and European diplomats.

And a mercenary team of ex-American Green Berets and ex-Navy SEALs working for a company called Spear Operations Group were behind a "targeted assassination program" in Yemen. "There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen. I was running it. We did it," Abraham Golan, founder of Spear Operations Group, told BuzzFeed News in October.

An investigation published by Associated Press in June 2017 found that UAE officials are torturing terrorist suspects at 18 secret detention centers in southern Yemen before turning them over to US personnel for interrogation. Congress later passed a provision in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Pentagon to provide a full accounting of the US-UAE counterterrorism partnership in Yemen; that report was due in December. DoD submitted it in December, but it was only made public when it appeared at The Intercept, according to a January 8 report in Just Security by Luke Hartig.

"In a mere two pages of carefully parsed prose, the Department of Defense has provided what can only be described as a deliberately misleading and deceptively evasive account of US and Emirati actions in Yemen that amounts to the ultimate non-denial denial," writes Hartig, formerly a staffer at the National Security Council during the Obama administration.

 SputnikStatement by Vice President Mike Pence on the terrorist attack in Syria

January 16, 2019

President Trump and I condemn the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen. We honor their memory and we will never forget their service and sacrifice.

Thanks to the courage of our Armed Forces, we have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities. As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever.ICC Prosecutors to Appeal Gbagbo Acquittal on War Crimes Charges

By VOA News January 16, 2019

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court say they will appeal Tuesday's surprise acquittal of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo of crimes against humanity in connection with the deadly violence after his loss in the 2010 presidential elections.

The three-judge panel ordered the immediate release of Gbagbo and Charles Ble Goude, his close aide and the country's former youth minister, but suspended the order until Wednesday to give the prosecution time to file an appeal.

In its notice to the court, the prosecutors urged the judges to place strict conditions on Gbagbo's and Ble Goude's release, citing a fear that they may flee the court's jurisdiction if the appeal was successful.

More than 3,000 people were killed in late 2010 and early 2011 when Gbagbo refused to accept his defeat by Alassane Outtara, his bitter rival and current president. Presiding Judge Cuno Tarfusser said the majority of the judges had determined there was no evidence that Gbagbo and Ble Goude had concocted a "common plan" to push their supporters towards violence.

Tuesday's verdict was the latest setback for prosecutions of accused war criminals at The Hague.

Ex-Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba was acquitted last year of war crimes allegedly committed by his militia in neighboring Central African Republic, after his initial verdict was overturned. Prosecutors were forced to drop charges against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015 involving deadly violence following the 2007 presidential election.UN: 900 People Killed in DRC Ethnic Violence

By VOA News January 16, 2019

Nearly 900 people were killed in ethnic violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-December, the United Nations Human Rights office said Wednesday.

"The U.N. Human Rights Office said Wednesday that according to allegations from credible sources, at least 890 people were killed between 16 and 18 December in four villages in Yumbi territory, Mai-Ndombe province in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in what appear to have been clashes between the Banunu and Batende communities," a statement read.

Most of the population of the nearby villages have been displaced, including an estimated 16,000 who crossed the Congo River into neighboring Republic of Congo, according to the statement.

The U.N. has launched an investigation into the mass killing, as have national judicial authorities.

"It is crucial that this shocking violence be promptly, thoroughly investigated, and the perpetrators be brought to justice," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.

Earlier this week, a local priest said at least 400 people had been killed, causing election officials to cancel voting in the region, Reuters reported.

It was not immediately clear whether the violence was related to the recent presidential election, which has been contested by the runner-up.UN Security Council OKs Monitoring Mission for Yemen Port City

By Margaret Besheer January 16, 2019

The U.N. Security Council unanimously authorized Wednesday the deployment of up to 75 monitors to Yemen's port city of Hodeida as part of efforts to maintain a critical cease-fire there.

The resolution provides for the creation of a special political mission for an initial period of six months. It will be known as the U.N. Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA) and will join an advance team headed by Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert, which deployed to the city late last month.

"Hopefully with the deployment of this substantive mission, we can start to make progress on the ground," said British Ambassador Karen Pierce, whose delegation drafted the resolution.

Last month, delegations representing the government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and Houthi rebels met under U.N. auspices near Stockholm for a first round of talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-long conflict. Parties agreed to the localized truce in Hodeida, as well as redeployment of fighters to agreed locations outside the city. Agreements were also reached on the exchange of thousands of prisoners and for easing the situation in the southwest city of Taiz.

Wednesday's resolution authorizes the monitors to deploy quickly and oversee the cease-fire not just in Hodeida city, but throughout the governorate, as well as verifying the parties' compliance to redeploy their forces. UNMHA is also tasked with working with the parties so that the security of Hodeida and its ports are guaranteed by local security forces.

Yemen's U.N. envoy, Abdallah Ali Fadel al-Saadi, welcomed the resolution and reiterated the Hadi government's commitment to the agreements made in Stockholm. But he criticized the rebel Houthi group, accusing it of having violated the cease-fire agreement 573 times since it went into force on December 18, causing deaths and injuries.

"We call on the Security Council to bring pressure to bear on these militias to implement Security Council resolutions on Yemen," the envoy said.

The cease-fire in Hodeida is an important first step to restoring peace across the war-torn country. More than 24 million people  80 percent of the population  are in need of humanitarian assistance and of those, some 10 million are on the brink of famine. In addition to a food crisis, the country's economy has collapsed.

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition began bombing Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in support of Yemen's government in March 2015. Since then, the U.N. estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly due to coalition airstrikes.US Envoy: Taliban Must Engage Afghan Government

By Ayesha Tanzeem January 16, 2019

A high-level U.S. diplomat responsible for negotiations with the Taliban made it clear the insurgent group would have to engage with the Afghan government if they wanted the peace process to move forward.

"The road to peace will require the Taliban to sit with the Afghan government. There is a consensus among all the regional partners on this point," Zalmay Khalilzad, the special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, told a group of journalists Wednesday in Kabul.

The Taliban's refusal to engage directly with the sitting administration in Kabul seems to have become a stumbling block in negotiations that started last year, after U.S. diplomats gave in to a major Taliban demand and met them directly.

So far, the Taliban have held several meetings with the Americans.

The last significant round of talks between Khalilzad and the Taliban was held in December in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE government also took part in those discussions.

The Afghan government sent a delegation in hopes of joining the talks, but the Taliban refused to meet them. Taliban statements describe members of President Ashraf Ghani's administration as "puppets" or "stooges" of the "invaders."

The next meeting, reportedly scheduled in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, was called off by the insurgent group after it came under pressure by the Saudi government to meet with representatives of the current Afghan government.

Earlier this week, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted a statement saying the U.S. agreed last November to discuss "the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and preventing Afghanistan from being used against other countries in the upcoming meeting."

The statement then claimed that the U.S. was unilaterally changing the agenda and warned that the negotiations could stall.

Responding to the statement, Khalilzad said, "If the Talibs want to talk, we can talk. If they want to fight, we can fight," adding that in the end, if the Taliban chose to fight, the United States would support the Afghan government.

Khalilzad, who is on a trip to the region that has included stops in China, India and the UAE, is expected to arrive in Islamabad next.

Lisa Curtis, the director for South and Central Asia at the U. S. National Security Council, is already in Islamabad as part of the interagency delegation traveling with Khalilzad.American, Indian National Killed in Kabul Attack

By Jeff Seldin January 16, 2019

Two foreigners, an American and an Indian, were said to be among four people killed in this week's massive suicide truck bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for plotting Monday's bomb-and-gun raid against the capital city's high security Green Village complex, which houses offices and residences of foreign companies and charities.

The slain American, 55-year-old Mano "Paul" Kamaleson, was working for the First MicroFinance Bank in Kabul when the attack happened.

India has also confirmed that one of its nationals was among the dead. An Indian Embassy statement Tuesday strongly condemned what it said was a horrific and cowardly act of terror.

The Afghan Interior Ministry said the powerful blast wounded more than 100 people, including women and children.The victims were mostly Afghan civilians, it noted.

Security camera footage released via social media shows insurgents detonated a sewage truck packed with explosives near the complex that has previously also come under attack.

The Taliban said five of its members participated in the operation against what it described as a foreign intelligence site and claimed the attack resulted in dozens of casualties.

A suicide bomber drove and detonated the truck before his heavily armed partners stormed the facility, said the insurgent group.

Khalilzad back in Kabul

The deadly attack happened a day before U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, landed in Kabul to brief the Afghan leadership about his meetings with officials of regional countries.

The Trump administration has tasked Khalilzad to try to arrange negotiations between Afghan government and Taliban representatives with the help of countries around Afghanistan to find a political settlement to the Afghan conflict.

Meanwhile, Afghan officials said Wednesday at least two policemen were killed at a security outpost in southern Kandahar province when their colleague turned his gun on them. A provincial government statement said the incident happened late Tuesday in Panjwayee district, saying the assailant fled the scene.

The Taliban claimed the shooter was one of its infiltrators in Afghan forces and that he killed five personnel before fleeing and rejoining insurgent ranks.US Soldiers Killed in IS-Claimed Syria Blast

By Jeff Seldin January 16, 2019

The Islamic State terror group quickly claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, identifying the bomber as one of its Syrian fighters and said he had targeted a patrol of U.S. and coalition forces.

Doctors in Manbij told VOA two U.S. service members were killed instantly. Officials with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said the wounded were rushed to medical facilities in neighboring Iraq.

In a statement late Wednesday, the U.S. military said a civilian employee and a defense contractor were also killed in the blast.Three other troops were injured.

Earlier, a spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve said the Americans had been taking part in "a routine patrol" when the attack took place.

Video and photos of the site in the aftermath of the attack showed bodies on the ground and blood-stained walls. Witnesses at the scene said the attack took place near a restaurant where U.S. troops were known to meet with their coalition counterparts.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least nine civilians were killed in the attack.

"Today is a stark reminder of the dangerous missions our men and women in uniform perform on our behalf each and every day," acting U.S. Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon before a meeting with the Japanese defense minister.

"Our fight against terrorism is ongoing," he added, refusing to take questions."We will remain vigilant and committed to its destruction."

Word of the attack quickly reached the White House, where President Donald Trump was briefed on the developments.

"Our deepest sympathies and love go out to the families of the brave American heroes who were killed," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "Our service members and their families have all sacrificed so much."

US - Syria withdrawal

Trump called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria last month, saying IS had been defeated.

The Pentagon Friday confirmed it had begun pulling out some equipment from Syria, but that some 2,000 U.S. forces would remain in place until conditions on the ground allowed for them to leave.

Dozens of U.S. forces are based just outside of Manbij, which has been a flashpoint between U.S.-backed Kurdish militias and Turkey.

In a speech to U.S. diplomats Wednesday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence insisted, "we're bringing our troops home."

Later, in a statement, Pence condemned the attack in Manbij, adding, "We have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities."

Some critics of the decision to pull U.S. forces from Syria said the attack should give the administration reason to reconsider.

"My concern, by the statement by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we're fighting," U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said during a hearing in Washington, noting he had previously visited the restaurant targeted in the attack.

"I would hope the president would look long and hard at where he's headed in Syria," Graham added. "I know people are frustrated, but we're never going to be safe here unless we're willing to help people over there who stand up against this radical ideology."

IS transforming

Other critics have said that while the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate had collapsed, IS itself was transforming into a capable insurgent force.

Sources close to the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria said the attack was likely the work of a sleeper cell, and indicated efforts were underway to track down those who helped the bomber.

"I don't think there is any doubt about the validity of the ISIS claim," said Raphael Gluck, co-founder of Jihadoscope, a company that monitors online activity by Islamist extremists, noting the speed with which the terror group claimed the Manbij attack as well as the details included in its statements.

"As insurgents, ISIS are essentially saying, We can strike anywhere,'" he added.

As of August, defense intelligence officials estimated IS still had between 13,000 and 14,500 fighters in Syria. And a United Nations report issued at about the same time likewise warned IS fighters were not breaking rank, saying the terror group's "collective discipline" was intact.

"While it may not hold territory, it certainly has battle-hardened fighters and facilitators who have blended back into the local population," said Nicholas Glavin, formerly a researcher at the U.S. Naval War College's Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups.

Glavin, now studying at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said it is also significant that the attack was carried out in Manbij, a town that has been regarded as somewhat of a success story since it was liberated from IS by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in 2016.

"It raises the question of how Manbij would fare absent the current U.S. force posture, given recent proposals for Turkey to establish a safe-zone in the region," he said.

But Manbij has also been seen as a flashpoint between the Kurds and U.S. ally Turkey, which views the main Kurdish militia, the YPG, as a terrorist organization with links to Kurds in Turkey.

Carla Babb at the Pentagon and VOA Kurdish reporter Mahmoud Bali in Manbij contributed to this reportMaduro Vows to Punish National Assembly For 'Making Fun' of Constitution

Sputnik News

06:35 16.01.2019(updated 07:11 16.01.2019)

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - The Venezuelan National Assembly adopted on Tuesday a statement declaring country's President Nicolas Maduro an usurper with all the decisions made by the president and the executive bodies void, local media reported.

"The historic document, in which the parliament assumes the powers based on the constitution's articles 233, 333 and 250, has been adopted", the president of the country's National Assembly, Juan Guaido, wrote on his Twitter page.

Nicolas Maduro, in turn, has promised to hold the opposition-run National Assembly accountable for "making fun" of the constitution.

"Those who want to make fun of the constitution, let them ridicule it, there will be justice [] The Supreme Court will put things in their place", Maduro was quoted as saying by the national AVN news agency.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly has also reportedly stepped up its standoff with Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday by offering an amnesty to anyone from the military who joins it in disavowing the Venezuelan leader. The "amnesty law" would extend also to civilian government officials who collaborate "in the restitution of constitutional order," Venezuelan parliament said.

"We are talking to middle and low-ranking military: break away from the fear," Juan Guaido was quoted as saying by AFP.

The National Assembly has had an opposition majority since January 2016. Venezuela's National Assembly has reportedly opened its first debate on the amnesty bill. The bill stipulates granting amnesty to 75 prisoners who are opponents of the government of President Nicolas Maduro, as well as people living in self-imposed exile because of their opposition to the current Venezuelan leader.

On 10 January, Maduro took the oath of office to begin his second presidential term, which will last until 2025. The Organization of American States, members of the Lima Group  except Mexico  and the United States refused to recognize Maduro's new term. On Friday, the Washington-based Venezuelan Supreme Court in Exile called on Guaido to take over the presidency. Guaido himself has declared his readiness to do so, adding that the country's constitution allowed him to call a new election.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence has conducted a phone call with Venezuelan opposition leader to express the United States' support, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

In addition, CNN reported Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that Donald Trump was also considering the opposition leader Juan Guaido to name as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

In turn, Juan Guaido has announced mass protests on 23 January, the anniversary of the removal from power of Marcos Perez Jimenez, the late Venezuelan president who was deposed as a result of the 1958 coup.

 SputnikPence Says Daesh Defeated as Group Claims Credit for Killing US Troops in Manbij

Sputnik News

21:43 16.01.2019

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Daesh* has been defeated and its Caliphate has crumbled, Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday, the same day several US service members were killed in a Syria attack the terror group claimed credit for.

"The Caliphate has crumbled and ISIS [Daesh] has been defeated," Pence said in his speech to the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference at the US State Department. "We're now able to hand off the fight against ISIS to our coalition partners."

Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve announced in a Twitter message that several US service members had been among the 16 people killed in a bomb attack in the northern Syrian town of Manjib. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Operation Inherent Resolve said in the message that US service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria, adding that they are gathering information and will share additional details about the attack at a later time.

The attack was made in wake of the recent President Donald Trump's order to withdraw 2,000 US troops from Syria.

Over the past four and a half years, only two US service members had previously been killed in action in Syria since the start of the current campaign against Daesh there in 2014. The coalition's military operation in Syria has been approved neither by Damascus nor by the UN.

*Daesh, also known as IS (Islamic State), ISIS, ISIL  a terrorist group, banned in numerous countries, including Russia

 SputnikSerbian Officials Tuning Up For Putin's Visit To Belgrade

By Alan Crosby January 16, 2019

When Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Belgrade on January 17, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic is hoping to hit all the right notes. Literally.

Dacic has been known to belt out a tune or two at high-level meetings. And for Serbia, there may be few higher-level meetings than the planned get-together between Putin, the most popular foreign politician in Serbia, and Serbian officials in Belgrade.

"Putin's visits are mostly short and there's not much chance for a more relaxed atmosphere," Dacic, who is also first deputy prime minister, recently told the daily Vecernje Novosti.

"[Putin] likes to sing, and my choice would be what's according to me the most beautiful Russian song, Moscow Nights, and, of course, Kalinka," Dacic added.

Moscow Nights (Podmoskovnye Vechera) was a Soviet-era standard on Radio Moscow broadcasts, while Kalinka, one of the most-famous Russian folk songs, is "an obligatory part" of the diplomatic repertoire he has sung at meetings with Russians, other Europeans, and even Americans, who "enjoyed and applauded it," he said.

Serbia and Russia have long shared close cultural and economic ties, including Slavic cultural and Orthodox affinities.

And though Belgrade has professed many Western-oriented goals, such as membership in the European Union, it has also worked to keep strong ties with Moscow, taking its military hardware, holding joint military exercises, and developing deeper economic ties.

For its part, Russia has blocked international recognition of Kosovo as a sovereign state, aligning with Serbia, which refuses to recognize Kosovo's secession in 2008 from the former Yugoslavia. It also gifted Serbia six MiG-29 fighter jets recently to bolster Serbia's military.

The Kremlin remains committed to maintaining its presence in the region, and Putin's visit, his 14th meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in the past six years, "is, obviously, part of that effort," says Jasmin Mujanovic, a U.S.-based Balkan analyst and author of the book Hunger And Fury: The Crisis Of Democracy In The Balkans.

"For Russia, hot off their major success in Syria, their show of strength in the Azov, they are keen to continue flexing their diplomatic muscle in their now greater near abroad," he told RFE/RL, in a reference to Putin's alliance with embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian actions since its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea nearly five years ago.

"Serbia and the Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia are central to this approach, at least as far as the Balkans are concerned. And for local strongmen like Vucic and Milorad Dodik, the [Republika Srpska] member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, Russia is the central pillar of their strategy to create parallel or even alternative arrangements to the erstwhile hegemony of the EU-U.S. consensus in the region," he added.

Russia suffered several setbacks in the Balkans last year and is looking to get back on track in 2019.

Macedonia is on the verge of ending a name dispute with Greece, potentially clearing a path to NATO accession, something Moscow strongly opposes.

Serbia's importance to Russia has seemingly risen as the Kremlin looks to keep a foothold in a region where it has lost influence with former Yugoslav states like Croatia and Slovenia joining the EU and NATO.

In Montenegro, which joined the transatlantic security alliance in 2017 and aspires to EU membership, a trial implicating Moscow in an attempted coup plot continues, even though the Kremlin has denied claims that "Russian state bodies" were involved in the alleged plot.

But Moscow might have welcomed some other news from the region, including the election in Bosnia of Dodik, a Serb nationalist who has long courted the Kremlin. Dodik favors an independent Republika Srpska, which many analysts say works to Russia's advantage in its efforts to undermine the westward integration of the region.

Russia has struck a close relationship with the Bosnian Serb entity through the provision of police training and the exchange of military knowledge.

Russia also keeps a presence through its Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in the southern Serbian city of Nis. Moscow has pushed for the center to receive diplomatic status, a move that has sparked accusations from the West that it is being used for intelligence-gathering by the Kremlin.

Serbia, meanwhile, continues to oppose U.S. and EU sanctions on Moscow.

In a show of the Kremlin's aim to curry favor with Serbia, Putin last week awarded Vucic with the Order of Aleksandr Nevsky award, which is usually bestowed upon civil servants for at least 20 years of "highly meritorious service" and is rarely given to foreigners.

The award, which Vucic is likely to receive during the visit, underlines Putin's popularity among the majority of Serbs. A recent survey by Faktor Plus showed 57 percent named the Russian leader as the most-trusted foreign politician.

"Vucic is the first Serb to receive this high award in our time, which in itself speaks volumes," said Aleksandr Chepurin, Russia's ambassador to Serbia.

Chepurin predicted the Kosovo situation would be high on the Putin-Vucic meeting agenda, as well as strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation in economic and social spheres such as energy, trade, innovation, technological development, and the digital economy.

"Protecting the interests of our countries, Russia and Serbia, instead of satisfying the interests of the West -- that's basically the philosophy of both the Russian and the Serbian leadership," he told Tanjug on January 2.

He suggested that "the vector of development in Russia-Serbia relations in the new year will certainly be set by the Russian president's visit to Serbia."

Singing the praises of that kinship may be easy for some, but not all Serbs see the relationship as harmonious.

Serbia's reliance on Russian support on the UN Security Council to hold Kosovo at bay has given Moscow more leverage than some are comfortable with and will continue to do so as long as the issue remains open, said London School of Economics professor James Ker-Lindsay.

Meanwhile, Serbia's economic prospects lie more with deeper integration into structures such as the European Union, he argued.

"There seems to be a wariness of Russia in many Serbian circles. Many senior officials are aware that it is an unequal relationship and that Moscow's favor cannot be relied on. It will look out for its own interests above those of Serbia," he told RFE/RL.

"The degree of pro-Russian sentiment is often overplayed. Polls have regularly shown that while people do believe that Russia is a good friend to Serbia, not least of all over Kosovo, most Serbs do not believe that Russia is a shining example of the future they want. When given the choice, most Serbs still believe that the EU offers a better model for their future than Russia," he added.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said last month that Serbia's foreign policy priority remains joining the EU and that "we can be even more efficient in the reforms that we conduct, primarily because of our citizens."

With the government facing opposition-led protests recently by thousands of voters over what they see as a slide in Serbia's democratic credentials and the use of state media for propaganda, Vucic hopes Putin, who once sang Blueberry Hill at a black-tie charity event, won't change his tune.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbian-officials -tuning-up-for-putin-visit-to- belgrade/29713126.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.Is Turkmenistan Being Pulled Into Russia's Orbit?

By Bruce Pannier January 16, 2019

April will mark 10 years since a mysterious explosion at a gas pipeline leading from Turkmenistan to Russia.

It was arguably the low point in already uneasy relations between Ashgabat and Moscow. In the years that followed the blast, Turkmen-Russian ties were maintained at a bare minimum.

There has been a shift since 2016, possibly driven by the Kremlin's concerns about the security situation in northern Afghanistan and the ability of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to contain any such threat from spreading to countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The Turkmen-Russian rapprochement is not necessarily the result of any mutual desire to improve relations; it is being initiated almost entirely by a carrot-and-stick approach emanating from Moscow. Turkmenistan is simply in no position to resist at this point. Ashgabat's official policy of neutrality is no longer a shield.

Vulnerable Ashgabat

The weak position Turkmenistan finds itself in today is arguably of the government's own making. On December 12, 1995, the UN General Assembly recognized Turkmenistan's status of permanent neutrality, something of an amorphous distinction. In Ashgabat's view, permanent neutrality legitimized policies that sealed off the country from the outside world.

Revenues from Turkmenistan's sales of natural gas (the country has the world's fourth-largest gas reserves) enabled the government to isolate the country and still provide for domestic needs. Turkmen foreign policy was dominated by trade, specifically its gas exports.

In 2007, with world gas prices on the rise, Russia had promised to pay "European prices" to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan for their gas.

In 2008, Turkmenistan sold gas to two countries: Russia, via Soviet-era pipelines; and Iran, via a pipeline completed in 1997. That year, Turkmenistan sold some 40 billion cubic meters (bcm) to Russia -- and there were negotiations to boost that by another 5-8 bcm -- and 5-6 bcm to Iran. Iran paid by barter, but Russia paid in currency. Russia was paying about $140 per 1,000 cubic meters -- up more than fourfold from $32 per 1,000 cubic meters less than a decade earlier -- for Turkmen gas.

Additionally, construction was well under way on new gas pipelines leading from Turkmenistan to China and Turkmenistan to Iran, respectively.

Gas prices dropped during 2008. The Russian daily Vremya Novostei reported in April 2009 that Gazprom had lost more than $1 billion purchasing Central Asian gas in the first quarter. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan agreed to lower their prices; Turkmenistan did not. And when the explosion hit the gas pipeline on April 9, 2009, Turkmenistan's government complained loudly that it was Russia's fault.

The result was a halt in Turkmen gas exports to Russia. When, in 2011, the two sides finally agreed on a resumption of supplies, and the pipeline was repaired, Russia said it would take no more than 11 bcm per year. By 2015, that had dropped to some 4 bcm; and at the end of that year, Gazprom announced it would not purchase any gas from Turkmenistan. Russia has not bought any Turkmen gas since then.

Gas exports were really Turkmenistan's main link to Russia.

Ashgabat had attempted for years to keep Moscow at arm's length, and that extended to Russian-dominated organizations.

Turkmenistan's first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, was not an ardent supporter of the CIS. He was already skipping CIS summits in 1992, just one year after its establishment. In August 2005, Niyazov sent a former bodyguard who'd recently been appointed Turkmenistan's deputy prime minister in charge of CIS affairs, Aganiyaz Akyev, to an informal CIS summit in Kazan, Russia, to announce that Turkmenistan was officially reducing its status in the CIS to "associate member."

And part of the Turkmen government's interpretation of permanent neutrality is the avoidance of membership in any military blocs, such as the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that Central Asian neighbors Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are all members of and which Uzbekistan has twice been a member of in the past.

Economic Freefall

At the start of 2017, Turkmenistan suspended supplies of natural gas to Iran, claiming Tehran owed some $1.8 billion for supplies delivered nearly 10 years before. With Russia having canceled its gas deal with Turkmenistan one year earlier, this left Turkmenistan with one gas customer -- China, a country that had loaned Turkmenistan billions of dollars to develop gas fields that would supply China and build the pipelines to carry that gas to China. An unspecified portion of that gas goes toward paying off Turkmen loans from China.

At the start of 2016, China was reportedly paying $185 per 1,000 cubic meters, but the China National Petroleum Corp sent a delegation to Turkmenistan in February 2017 to negotiate a lower price. The results of those talks were never made public, but it seems unlikely Turkmenistan could reject the Chinese request for lower gas prices.

The result of lower gas prices and fewer customers has been an economic freefall in Turkmenistan. Never since the country became independent in late 1991 has the economic situation in Turkmenistan been as bad as it is right now. People wait in line for flour, bread, and other basic goods, all of which are rationed and often require personal-identification documents to purchase.

Turkmenistan has security problems, too.

In the late 1990s, when the Taliban controlled most of Afghanistan, including areas bordering Central Asia, Turkmenistan was the sole CIS state to engage the Taliban diplomatically. Under President Niyazov, Turkmenistan, referring to its neutral status, managed to establish amiable ties with the Taliban, much to the displeasure of Turkmenistan's Central Asian neighbors and Russia, who all viewed the Taliban as a threat.

After 2001, when the U.S.-led coalition began operations in Afghanistan, the northwestern provinces remained relatively calm. Turkmenistan seemingly had little to worry about from its southern neighbor.

Current President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has not fared as well. By the start of 2014, the situation in northern Afghanistan changed. Three Turkmen border guards were reportedly killed along the Afghan border in late February 2014 and three Turkmen soldiers in May.

Since then, there have been reports of further clashes between Turkmen troops and militants from Afghanistan, but Turkmen authorities have denied, or more usually said nothing, about such incidents, insisting the border with Afghanistan is calm.

As recently as November 28, Naqibullah Faiq, the governor of Afghanistan's Faryab Province, one of the four Afghan provinces bordering Turkmenistan, said 80 percent of his province was under Taliban control. And even if the Taliban might not threaten Turkmenistan, there are hundreds, certainly, of foreign militants in northern Afghanistan, stateless people who pay no heed to state borders.

The Turkmen government has ordered snap military drills and increased defense spending since 2014 without explaining the sudden need for either.

Advantage Russia

Other interested parties see the situation along the Turkmen-Afghan border differently. Russian officials have expressed concerns about developments there. On January 3, 2016, Aleksandr Sternik, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Third CIS Department, said Moscow was prepared to help Turkmenistan strengthen its border with Afghanistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated the offer during a visit to Turkmenistan at the end of that month. Just a few months previously, in October 2015, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev expressed concern about the Turkmen-Afghan border at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry repeatedly claimed there was no problem along its border with Afghanistan, even with Afghan media showing footage of fighting in areas along the Turkmen border.

The Kremlin didn't seem to believe Turkmen authorities' tales of tranquility along the Afghan frontier, which Russian officials with increasing frequency referred to as the "CIS border" with Afghanistan.

On June 9, 2016, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made an unannounced visit to Turkmenistan. Turkmen media was general in its reporting of Shoigu's visit, but Russian media was more to the point: Shoigu was in Ashgabat to "offer" Russia's help in strengthening Turkmenistan's military capabilities, including weapons sales and training.

On November 14, 2018, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on a CIS border-guard meeting in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan, where officials discussed a "significant deterioration in the situation on the border of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan."

Two days later, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the RIA Novosti report "did not correspond to reality" and calling the report "unfriendly."

'Real Danger'

On November 22, the acting general secretary of the CSTO, Valery Semerikov, said in a statement posted on the CSTO website that there was a "real danger" from IS groups forming in Afghanistan along the borders with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

And on December 25, the acting head of Russia's Central Military District, Yevgeny Ustinov, said Russia's military had renewed joint training with military forces from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Ustinov did not elaborate on this new cooperation with Turkmenistan's armed forces, but it seems evident Russia has forced its military assistance on Turkmenistan whether Ashgabat wants it or not.

Another example of Russian pressure on Turkmenistan happened on December 7. Lavrov raised the issue of people in Turkmenistan who had dual Turkmen-Russian citizenship, saying Russia was waiting for information about them. In 2003, Turkmenistan unilaterally withdrew from a 1993 dual-citizenship agreement it had made with Russia. It took this action following a purported assassination attempt on President Niyazov in November 2002. Several of the suspects subsequently arrested had dual citizenship and had reportedly been traveling between Russia and Turkmenistan prior to the purported attack. Those who had dual citizenship prior to 2003 maintained that status.

"We expect concrete information about this soon," Lavrov said on December 7, adding a mention of Boris Shikhmuradov, Turkmenistan's former foreign minister who was imprisoned after being found guilty of planning the alleged 2002 assassination attempt. International rights groups have been calling on Turkmenistan for years to release information about Shikhmuradov and show him publicly to prove he is still alive. Lavrov's mention of Shikhmuradov therefore raised a sensitive issue for Turkmen authorities.

There has been no public Russian follow-up of Lavrov's December remarks, leading one to wonder if this was a Kremlin reminder of another lever it had at its disposal.

Russia seems to have drawn Turkmenistan closer to the CIS, too. Berdymukhammedov has been no more enthusiastic publicly about the CIS than his predecessor, Niyazov; but as an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea drew closer, something vitally connected to Turkmenistan's gas export future, Berdymukhammedov started showing up at CIS summits. Berdymukhammedov made a memorable appearance at a summit in Sochi in October 2017, when Vladimir Putin received a puppy that the Turkmen leader was literally dangling in front of the Russian president as a gift.

At a September 2018 CIS summit in Dushanbe that Berdymukhammedov did not attend (the Caspian Convention was signed in August 2018), Turkmenistan was given the rotating CIS chairmanship for 2019. Turkmenistan is now preparing to host the 2019 meetings of CIS prime ministers, CIS foreign ministers, and the CIS summit in October.

Russia is also using its economic leverage. Gazprom head Aleksei Miller visited Turkmenistan on October 9 and November 28 to discuss a possible resumption of purchases of Turkmen gas.

Sticking Points?

Turkmen gas exports have always been the ultimate tie that binds the two countries, but the situation now is very different than it was more than 10 years ago when Russia was buying 30-40 bcm of gas from Ashgabat.

Russia has developed several large fields since then and added thousands of kilometers of gas pipelines. Russia and Gazprom did need Turkmen gas in the first decade of this century, but that is arguably no longer true.

So why buy any? To prop up Turkmenistan's cash-strapped government? To dissuade Turkmenistan from moving forward with the Trans-Caspian Pipeline project to ship gas to Europe where Russia already sells its gas and wants to sell more?

Whether the answer is either, both, or something else, Turkmenistan desperately needs to sell more of its gas -- and the sooner, the better.

What Gazprom has to offer Turkmenistan is immediate exports. The pipeline is there; only an agreement is lacking.

Turkmen officials were optimistic a deal would be reached by the end of 2018; but halfway into January there is still no word, so sticking points could still remain.

If or when the two parties reach a deal, volumes are unlikely to exceed 4-5 bcm and the price is unlikely to be as much as Turkmenistan might wish.

But then, Turkmen authorities and President Berdymukhammedov probably wish many things were different about the reality they now face. Turkmenistan has few if any real friends, an abundance of problems, and has left itself open to the intervention of a big power. Ashgabat might not be able to say "no" to Russia at this point.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iqshloq- ovozi-turkmenistan-pulled-into- russia-s-orbit/29713898.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.Hague Court Questioning Ends For Former Kosovar War Commander

January 16, 2019

THE HAGUE -- A former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) has completed two days of questioning at a controversial special court in the Netherlands about his role during Kosovo's 1998-99 war of independence from Serbia.

Rrustem Mustafa and his attorney spent some 17 hours being interviewed by members of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office at The Hague on January 14-15.

"The questions have been very serious and we have been very serious in response," Mustafa told reporters outside the Prosecutor's Office building on January 15. "The UCK has protected me and I did not have to defend the UCK."

He added that he was "invited as a suspect witness."

Sami Lushtaku, another UCK commander, is due to be interviewed by the court on January 16, said his lawyer, Arian Koci.

Mustafa and Lushtaku were important figures during the uprising against Serbian forces and have been politically active in the Democratic Party of Kosovo during the last 20 years.

Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who was acquitted in a UN court of war crimes and crimes against humanity -- met with Mustafa and Lushtaku on January 13 ahead of their visit to The Hague.

Haradinaj proclaimed the UCK's role during the 1998-99 war to be "clean and sacred."

Kosovar President Hashim Thaci, who also fought with the UCK, wrote on Facebook that the two men were "national war heroes" who will "always remain as such for the Kosovo institutions and the people."

Many Serbs say UCK fighters committed atrocities against the minority Serbian community of Kosovo, which has about 2 million citizens.

"This tribunal presents the last chance to shed light on the assassinations in Kosovo," said Beriana Mustafa, a journalist who lives in Pristina and whose father was killed near his home after he criticized UCK commanders.

"Hope is always the last to die," said Natasa Scepanovic, the leader of an association of Serbian victims that is hoping for prosecutions against UCK members they say committed crimes.

The body of Scepanovic's father was discovered in 2003, several years after he was killed. Her mother is one of about 1,700 people still listed as missing from the Kosovar war.

The special court, which is funded by the European Union, will deal with alleged crimes committed in the period January 1998 through December 2000.

The court was created by a law passed by Kosovo's parliament in 2015 under pressure from the EU, the United States, and international organizations.

But it only became operational two years later when rules for procedure and evidence were adopted by the parliament.

Although the judges, prosecutors, and other court officials are from various countries, the court is being administered under the laws of Kosovo.

The court's establishment led to great opposition within Kosovo and particularly among UCK veterans, who believe that Serbs who are alleged to have committed crimes in Kosovo in 1998-99 should also be interviewed by prosecutors.

But many leaders of Serbian forces have been tried and sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

At least 2,800 people were killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes during the Kosovo War, which ended after NATO warplanes forced Yugoslav forces to pull out of Kosovo.

The former Serbian-ruled region declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 110 countries, but not by Belgrade.

With reporting by AP and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/hague-court- questioning-ends-for-former-kosovar -war-commander/29711956.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.Four Americans, Including Two Soldiers, Killed In Syria Blast, Pentagon Says

January 16, 2019

The Pentagon says two U.S. troops and two American civilians are among among those killed in a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

"Two U.S. servicemembers, one Department of Defense (DoD) civilian, and one contractor supporting DoD were killed and three servicemembers were injured while conducting a local engagement in Manbij," the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement.

A Syrian war-monitoring group said the blast near a patrol of the U.S.-led coalition in Manbij killed and wounded more than a dozen people.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people were killed, including at least five U.S.-backed Syrian fighters. It added that nine civilians and others were wounded in the blast.

The attack took place at a restaurant near Manbij's main market.

The U.S. troops were at the restaurant to meet members of the city's military council, a witness told Reuters.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he and President Donald Trump condemned the attack, but reiterated that the United States would continue with its plan to withdraw troops from the country.

"Thanks to the courage of our armed forces, we have crushed the [IS] caliphate and devastated its capabilities. As we begin to bring our troops home ... we will never allow the remnants of [IS] to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate," Pence said in a statement on January 16.

The attack came days after the United States began the process of withdrawing from Syria, pulling out equipment from the northeast into neighboring Iraq.

A news site affiliated with Islamic State earlier issued a statement saying an attacker with a suicide vest had targeted a patrol of the U.S.-led coalition operating in Manbij.

The Observatory's chief Rami Abdurahman said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber but didn't immediately offer any further details.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s--led- coalition-patrol-suffers-casualties-in-syria -blast/29713631.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.Four US servicemen, 14 others killed in bomb attack in Syria's northern city of Manbij

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 02:46PM

At least four US servicemen and 14 other people have been reported dead after a massive bomb explosion struck near a patrol of the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria's flashpoint northern city of Manbij.

Reuters quoted an unnamed US official as saying that three other American troops were also wounded in the Wednesday afternoon blast.

"US service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria today," the military headquarters responsible for operations in Iraq and Syria had earlier said in a statement. "We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time."

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) identified nine of the fatalities as civilians, adding that the rest were members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Britain-based monitor added that the blast targeted the al-Ummara restaurant in the center of Manbij on Wednesday afternoon.

The Observatory noted that the death toll is expected to rise as some of the wounded victims are in critical condition.

US President Donald Trump "has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria," the White House said in a statement, in an apparent reference to the attack.

A helicopter is reportedly hovering in the sky following the bombing.

Daesh later claimed responsibility for the bomb attack, saying the attacker detonated his explosive-laden vest as US-led coalition forces were passing by.

Manbij has been a major bone of contention between Turkey and the United States.

Ankara has complained over the slow implementation of a deal reached with Washington in June 2018, which would see the YPG ousted from the town and moved back to the eastern bank of the river..

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

Over the past few weeks, the Turkish military has been sending reinforcements to frontline areas with YPG militants in northern Syria.

Trump said last month that he was bringing home the American troops deployed in Syria - some 2,000 - alleging they had succeeded in their mission to defeat the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

His abrupt move sparked concern among officials in Washington, prompting Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to step down in protest.

On January 10, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country would launch an offensive against YPG forces, in case the US delayed the planned withdrawal of its troops from Syria.

"If the (pullout) is put off with ridiculous excuses like Turks are massacring Kurds, which do not reflect the reality, we will implement this decision," Cavusoglu told Turkish-language NTV television news network in an exclusive interview.

The top Turkish diplomat then underlined that the Ankara government would go ahead with its incursion plan.

Cavusoglu said Ankara would fight the YPG whether or not US soldiers pulled out of Syria.

The Turkish military, with support from allied militants of the so-called Free Syrian Army, has launched two cross-border operations in northern Syria, dubbed "Euphrates Shield" and "Olive Branch", against the YPG and Daesh Takfiri terrorists.Russia concerned by US talk of possible military involvement in Venezuela

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 03:37PM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed concerns over US talk of some kind of possible military involvement in Venezuela, slamming Washington for inciting the Latin American country's opposition to hamper talks with the Caracas government.

"We have heard talk that allows for military involvement in Venezuela, talk that the United States will now recognize as the president of Venezuela not Nicolas Maduro but the representative of the parliament. All this is very alarming," Lavrov said at his annual news conference in Moscow on Wednesday.

He noted that the US approach to the South American country showed that Washington's efforts to undermine governments around the world it didn't like were continuing.

Venezuela, which sits atop the world's largest oil reserves, has been struggling with a worsening economic situation during the past years, which has caused civilian cross-border journeys into Colombia to purchase basic commodities and foodstuffs.

Maduro has accused the US of being behind Venezuela's economic crisis, saying Washington is orchestrating attempts to topple him as part of a wider offensive against Latin American leaders defying the US hegemony.

In 2017, US President Donald Trump said he would not "rule out" a military option for Venezuela to solve the ongoing crisis in the country.

Washington also criticized Russian military flights launched to Venezuela in December, censures that the Kremlin has rejected.

Reports also said that Trump was considering recognizing the leader of Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the so-called legitimate president of Venezuela.

Guaido on Friday branded Maduro, 56, as an illegitimate "usurper," saying he was prepared to take on the South American country's presidency on an interim basis and call elections, only a day after socialist Maduro was sworn in for a second term.

Russia-US relations are currently at post-Cold War lows over Ukraine, the war in Syria, and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. Russia is also opposed to the US and other NATO allies deploying their troops and weapons near its borders.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Thursday sought the suspension of the Philippine National Police's (PNP) alleged "profiling" of its members.

ACT, through the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL), filed a petition for prohibition before the Court of Appeals urging the court to declare as illegal and unconstitutional the police memorandum that allows the collection of information about the group's members from public schools nationwide.

"Underscoring the surreptitious conduct of the profiling and massive illegal personal information gathering, ACT members now fear for their safety and privacy-- all the more with reports of harassment and threats being inflicted upon their officers," the NUPL said in a statement.

READ: Teachers' group condemns alleged police profiling of its members

Police exects react

Director General Oscar Albayalde, PNP chief, welcomed the petition, saying it will provide a proper venue for its intelligence officers to respond to the allegations.

Albayalde, however, maintained that intelligence gathering is not harassment as it is part of their mandate to protect citizens from enemies of the state.

"I think this is a way para malaman talaga ano ang katotohanan at ano talaga ginagawa ng kapulisan at kung sino ang mga tao na ito (to know the truth, what the PNP does, and who these people are). Kung hindi totoo ang allegation sa kanila (If the allegations against them are not rue), let them speak the truth. This is the right forum where they can tell the truth," he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Supt. Benigno Durana Jr., PNP spokesperson, said he is "surprised" with ACT's petition.

"We'd rather reserve our point-by-point rebuttal to the issues raised by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers before the proper forum at the most appropriate time," Durana said in a statement.

"However I am surprised at the propriety of questioning the wisdom of state policy declared in the fundamental law of the land," he added.

Durana reiterated that the teachers group is a front organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA).

"The PNP recognizes ACT as a legitimate union of teachers in the Philippines established since 1982 for the purpose of protecting the rights of teachers. But they ceased to enjoy this recognition when the enemies of the state proclaimed ACT as one of their own-- as among the front organizations under its wings that work in support of the forces of the armed revolution," it said.

The PNP, citing a YouTube video of CPP-NPA Chairman Jose Maria Sison, has repeatedly claimed that Sison identified ACT as among the rebel group's affiliates. Sison, in the said video, talks about the structure of the CPP, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and "legal democratic forces in the Philippines," which include ACT, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Gabriela, and the League of Filipino Students.

"Because Sison himself has identified ACT as a front organization of the CPP/NPA/NDF, the burden is now upon members of ACT to dissociate themselves from this terrorist organization and denounce its infiltration, manipulation, and use of the ranks of Filipino educators," the police said.

ACT had previously denied the allegation.

READ: PNP urges ACT to 'dissociate from CPP-NPA'

"Dapat siguro makita talaga ng publiko 'yung video.. 30 years ago 'yung video na 'yun. Kung mapapanood natin yun nang walang distortion, malinaw eh magkaiba 'yung revolutionary forces dun sa legal democratic front," ACT's Secretary General Benjie Valbuena said in an interview on CNN Philippines' On The Record on January 10.

CNN Philippines' Robert Vergara and Carolyn Bonquin contributed to this report.UN Security Council approves dozens of monitors for Yemen's Hudaydah truce

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 16, 2019 04:48PM

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of dozens of observers to the strategic Yemeni port city of Hudaydah for six months to monitor a truce reached during the latest round of UN-sponsored peace negotiations in Sweden last month.

The 75 unarmed monitors will be sent to Hudaydah, located 150 kilometers southwest of the capital Sana'a, as well as to the ports of Saleef and Ras Issa.

The resolution calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to "expeditiously" deploy the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert.

Guterres described the mission as a "nimble presence" reporting on violations in Hudaydah, which serves as Yemen's lifeline to millions of people on the brink of starvation.

"The goal is to build on the current momentum, to make it irreversible and bring the full weight of the Security Council behind the process," French Ambassador Francois Delattre said ahead of the vote.

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths has told the council that a follow-up round of talks between Yemen's warring parties, which had earlier been scheduled for later this month, has been pushed back to February.

Griffiths said "substantial progress" was needed to shore up the ceasefire in Hudaydah before a second round could be held.

Meanwhile, delegates from Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement and representatives loyal to former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have started talks in the Jordanian capital city of Amman to discuss a prisoner swap deal.

Ansarullah delegates and Hadi loyalists held a round of peace negotiations in Rimbo, north of the Swedish capital city of Stockholm, last month. The talks resulted in the announcement of a break-through agreement.

The document includes three provisions: a ceasefire along the Hudaydah front and the redeployment of armed forces out of the city and its port; an agreement on prisoner exchange; and a statement of understanding on the southern Yemeni city of Ta'izz.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing Hadi's government back to power and crushing the country's Houthi Ansarullah movement.

According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis.

The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.

A number of Western countries, the US and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.UN Human Rights Office says credible reports suggest at least 890 killed in western DRC violence in mid-December

GENEVA (16 January 2019)  The UN Human Rights Office said Wednesday that according to allegations from credible sources, at least 890 people were killed between 16 and 18 December in four villages in Yumbi territory, Mai-Ndombe province in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in what appear to have been clashes between the Banunu and Batende communities.

Reports suggest that at least 82 people were also injured in the attacks, but the actual number of casualties is expected to be higher. Some 465 houses and buildings were burned down or pillaged, including two primary schools, a health centre, a health post, a market, and the office of the Commission Electoral National Independante (CENI). Most of the population of the affected villages has reportedly been displaced, including an estimated 16,000 people who sought refuge by crossing the Congo River into the Republic of Congo. The UN Human Rights Office has launched an investigation into these alarming reports. National judicial authorities have also initiated an investigation.

"It is crucial that this shocking violence be promptly, thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators be brought to justice," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said. "This is essential to ensure justice for the victims of these horrific attacks, but also to prevent new episodes of intercommunal strife, and to address the anger and feelings of gross injustice that may otherwise lead to repeated cycles of violence between communities."

The High Commissioner offered the advice and support of the UN Human Rights Office in the conduct of investigations, as well as in efforts to prevent the recurrence of such violence, and to work towards justice and reconciliation.

ENDSJan. 16, 2019

News

By Jim Garamone

Defense.gov

Alliance Commitment Remains Steadfast, Military Committee Chairman Says

BRUSSELS -- While circumstances have changed since NATO was formed in 1949, the commitment and support to defend alliance members  "is as resolute today as it was in 1949," the chairman of NATO's Military Committee said here today.

British Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach spoke at the conclusion of the meeting at alliance headquarters. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended for the United States.

The Military Committee is formed from alliance chiefs of defense and they provide military advice to political leaders.

Major Challenges

The chiefs of defense agreed that Russia and international terror groups are two major challenges facing the alliance, Peach said. "Discussions focused on continuing to monitor Russia's posture as well as on the importance of keeping NATO-Russia military-to-military lines of communication open," he said.

Russia has escalated actions in Ukraine with seizure of Ukrainian ships in the Sea of Azov. The chiefs spoke about military-to-military cooperation with Ukraine.

More broadly, the chiefs reviewed progress on NATO's Military Strategy, Peach said. "They underlined that there should be an integrated approach to all external challenges facing the alliance, as the military instrument, whilst powerful, is just one of the tools available," he said. "Today's security environment is unpredictable which means that more than ever, the alliance needs to be ready and able to counter any threat or challenge from both state and nonstate actors."

The chiefs looked at the alliance's current and future challenges to discern what may emerge as a threat. "The chiefs of defense emphasized the importance of continued intelligence sharing between allies and international partners," the air chief marshal said.

Disruptive Technologies

One threat the chiefs see emerging are new technologies classed as disruptive capabilities that could influence the planning and execution of future operations, missions and activities, he said. NATO needs to understand those technologies to maintain a competitive edge, Peach said.

The chiefs discussed the operations in Afghanistan and received briefings on the operational and political situation there. "The chiefs of defense reiterated their support for the NATO-led mission to train, assist and advise the Afghan national defense and security forces and institutions," he said.

They also reaffirmed their commitments to the long-term security of the country and to an Afghan-led peace process.

The chiefs also received a briefing from Pakistani chief of defense army Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat. "The allied chiefs welcomed Pakistan's commitment and support to reconciliation in Afghanistan and acknowledged Pakistan's continued support to facilitate NATO's logistical supply lines for its Resolute Support Mission," the chairman said. The chiefs also thanked Pakistan for its "sacrifice and commitment to defeating terrorist threats."

The results of the Military Committee sessions will be provided to the North Atlantic Council ahead of next month's Defense Ministerial meeting.Jan. 16, 2019

News Release

Press Operations

Release No. NR-011-19

Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan meeting with Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya of Japan

Acting Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Charles E. Summers Jr. provided the following readout:

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan met with the Japanese Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya today. Before beginning the meeting, Secretary Shanahan, on behalf of the entire department, extended thoughts and prayers to the families and team members of those killed and wounded during today's attack in Manbij, Syria.

During the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed the long-standing defense relationship as the cornerstone of regional security policy.

Secretary Shanahan acknowledged the key role Japan's new National Defense Program Guidelines and Mid-Term Defense Program will play in strengthening the alliance. They also discussed regional security issues and furthered discussions on U.S.-Japan defense cooperation topics, such as space, cyber, operational cooperation and information security.

Secretary Shanahan noted that he looks forward to working closely with Minister Iwaya to strengthen the U.S.-Japan Alliance and to ensure peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.

https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1733746/Dr. Robert Dane Shaw, 74, died on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, following a brief illness.

A memorial celebration of the life of Dr. Robert Dane Shaw will be held at 2 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 19, at Glen Echo Park in Maryland.

He was a beloved and loving son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather as well as an accomplished scientist, artist, public servant and teacher. He was born in Gilmer, Texas, on April 5, 1944, to the late Major Robert Curtis Shaw (USAF) and Mrs. Virginia Shaw.

After 34 years in Anchorage, Alaska, Bob and his wife, Ruth Jean Shaw, moved to Potomac, Md., in 2013, to love and care for their grandsons, Remy (nine) and Hugo (seven). The eldest of four siblings, Bob was devoted to family near and far throughout his life. He and Ruth Jean met in high school in Glasgow, Mont., and were married in 1964, sharing 54 years of love, learning, dedication to community, and choosing adventure.

Professionally, Bob was a storied adventurer. He served more than a decade as the Alaska State archaeologist, responsible for cultural resource preservation across four time zones and the geographic span of 20 Alaska native languages. Having joined the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, he left at the rank of captain in 1971 to forge a career in arctic anthropology, proving his bold claim "there's always room at the top." He also served in many other professional leadership roles, including as chief of history and archaeology in the Alaska State Division of Parks, president of the Alaska Anthropological Association, chair of the Alaska Governor's Historic Sites Advisory Committee, and as the Alaska State Historic Preservation officer. He was active as a scholar throughout his career, publishing scientific papers and receiving research grants from the National Science Foundation. Following his public service, he ran an archaeological consulting practice for clients including the Alaska Railroad and multiple Alaska native corporations.

Bob was a prolific artist and craftsman across a wide range of media and techniques, including silversmithing, carving in stone and wood, blacksmithing, knife making, and replicating ancient art forms and technologies. He was particularly proud of his work teaching traditional art forms to Alaska native youth at summer heritage camps and working with local Tlingit artists to create interactive displays for the Wrangell Petroglyph Historical Park. He routinely taught workshops and private students and previously held academic appointments in art at the University of Alaska and University of Washington. In 2015-2016, Bob was an artist-in-residence at SilverWorks Studio Gallery at Glen Echo Park in Maryland. His artwork was exhibited frequently.

Bob earned Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in anthropology/archaeology from Washington State University in 1983 and 1975 respectively, a B.S. in industrial education and earth sciences from East Texas State University in 1966, and a professional certificate in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in 1967.

He is preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Michael.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth Jean Shaw; one son, Douglas B. Shaw; one daughter-in-law, Leonor Tomero; two cherished grandsons, Remy and Hugo Shaw, all of Bethesda, Md .; and two sisters, Donna Seale, of San Angelo, Texas, and Cheryl Grimmet, of Gilmer, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, Bob's family asks that donations be made to the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture (https://glenechopark.org/donate-now).Remains Free, Judge Lightens Conditions of Release

Luke Strommen had a booking photo taken after appearing in District Court in Glasgow on Jan. 14 for the charge of Felony Sexual Intercourse Without Consent. He was released without bond or bail.

Former Valley County Undersheriff Luke Strommen pleaded not guilty to the charge of Felony Sexual Intercourse Without Consent Jan. 14, in District Court in Glasgow. Strommen also maintained his plea of not guilty on an earlier charge of Felony Sex...Generous Donation Received for Playground Project

The Glasgow School Board met in regular session on Jan. 9. All trustees and school administrators were present, along with GEA representatives and one dozen other school staff and community members.

Glasgow resident Doug Nistler utilized the publ...Affects Local Families and Community

The partial government shutdown is now officially the longest government shutdown in history, currently on day 24 as of press time, breaking the previous shutdown record of 21 days, which occurred at the end of 1995 through the beginning of 1996 u...General Public Opinion is, I Dont Care

Only nine members of the public alongside the County Attorney, Sheriff and the Commissioners administrative assistant attended a public hearing Jan. 14, to hear public opinion on establishing a medical marijuana dispensary ordinance in the county....Alaina Cox follows along as her electric K-Nex car travels at a slow and steady pace while her fellow eighth graders and gym teacher Chuck Barstad look on.

Glasgow Middle School eighth-graders demonstrated their command of physics, motion, design, construction and flare Jan. 11 in the middle school gym. The challenge was part of their science class, taught by Wade Nelson, in which they were to design a car using any means of propulsion available to them that would travel quickly and accurately across the gym floor.

Students were assessed for speed, how straight and how far the car travelled. If a car veered off course then the total distance off center it travelled was subtracted by the total distance travelled. The speed of the car was also factored. The last element of the grading was that of design creativity and effort judged by a panel of school faculty.

A.J. Etherington / The Courier The winners and the consolation prize from last week's car demonstration at the Glasgow Middle School pose for a photo. From left to rigth: Keigan Ingram poses with his "hard luck" trophy after snapping a rat trap onto his finger and breaking his car in the process; Michael Hoyer holds his third place trophy and his compressed air powered car; Riley Smith holds his second place trophy and his electric car; and the champion of the event, Ava Lloyd, shows off her Gold Trophy and her electric-powered Zamboni.

With some notable attempts, the cars did not disappoint and more often then not the students were successful in propelling their cars at least part-way down the gym floor. Methods used for propulsion included compressed air, rubber bands, spring-loaded rat and mouse traps, tape measures and electricity.

"Electricity is obviously the most reliable," commented Nelson, "But I was happy with [Michael] Hoyer who used air-pressure." Nelson stated that the display caps off the end of their physics unit and that a packet describing their efforts was also part of the test, which is graded.

Nelson tries to make the assignment entertaining and engaging saying the project was in its, "fourth year and I think every year stuff looks a little different." Nelson commented that some family support from parents and older siblings is notable but he added, "There is always some kid that comes out of the woods with something."

Nelson was pleased this year with the result saying, "I was happy. I thought the ones that were top ten and the run-off went well and I was really happy with it." Of the top placing car, a Zamboni built by Ava Lloyd, Nelson commented, "It was well done and she really put a lot into getting that front axle just right."

For seventh-graders Nelson also conducts an egg-drop experiment where the students attempt to build a device that will protect an egg from a fall of roughly three stories up. That display will be held in the spring.When you stop to consider Montana's great destinations, it is unlikely you would ever list off Hays, Mont. Nestled in the heart of the Little Rocky Mountains on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, the little north-central Montana town is not a major tourism draw for many travelers to the Big Sky State. But for those locals with more time to spend, Hays offers both cultural and natural wonders of Montana.

In late Dec. 2018, I volunteered to venture to Hays to deliver shoeboxes full of gifts and supplies for the children at St Paul's Mission School. Our church, St Raphael's Catholic Church in Glasgow, Mont., sends these boxes every year and each year a group of volunteers deliver them to the school. The mission runs completely off the donations and volunteers. For the better part of 50 years the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of the Rosary from Sparkhill, N.Y., have managed, run and taught at the school, which serves kindergarten through fifth grade.

Currently, the school serves just over 60 students with enrollment, like many reservation schools, fluctuating yearly. The students who attend come from the surrounding communities and pay absolutely no tuition to attend. Sister Christine runs the school as the principal. In total, three Dominican Sisters teach at the school which on a good year would be supplemented by Jesuit volunteers whether from Jesuit Universities or Jesuit Seminaries around the country.

In 2018, however, there were no Jesuit volunteers, but the Diocese of Great Falls and Billings had invited five sisters from Nigeria to come and teach at the school. Those five sisters belong to the order of Missionary Sisters of Divine Providence. According to Dominican Sisters Helen and Christine, it was a huge blessing in the face of no volunteers, but it had its challenges with language barriers and communication. Both of the two sisters along with one we didn't meet, Sister Nora, had been at the school since 1980, traveling back and forth each summer from the school to the convent in New York to their families' homes along the east coast.

Both women speak with a New York style accent and both can be blunt and strict, if not completely peaceful at the same time. It was remarkable to watch these elderly nuns, one of whom, Sister Helen, had come out of retirement to continue serving the school by teaching and engaging these young children. The school for its part was almost brand new having been built just a few years prior when the original school burnt down.

The walls were decorated with Native American artwork, both professional and produced by the students. A nativity scene waited for the arrival of Jesus on Christmas. It featured a Native woman (Mary) and a Native man regaled in traditional Native winter clothes sitting outside a Teepee alongside Native animals, such as horses, dogs and bison. It was beautiful and striking and the reminders of Native American culture and Catholic Theology were everywhere. "God made me Native" was scrawled on one hand-painted sign flanked all around by student artwork bearing the theme.

After delivering the Christmas gifts and supplies to the school, my wife and I visited St Paul's Mission Church. The original stone structure sits prominently in the center of the valley, the stream that cuts Mission Canyon just uphill from the Church runs swiftly by in the winter. A statue to St. Francis adorns the grounds of the Jesuit Mission established in the late 1800s by a Jesuit Priest.

According to the Sisters telling, the Church was originally built on the Hi-Line near modern day U.S. Highway 2. But after the arrival of the railroad, the Tribe's Chief at the time invited the Jesuit Missionary to move the Church to its current site in modern Hays. The school followed with the Jesuit mission and after transitioning from Jesuit to Franciscan Sisters, it came into the hands of the Dominican Sisters of today.

The prominent stone structure of the Church was remarkable enough in the treeless valley with the mountain backdrop painted with lodgepole trees and snow, but the interior was absolutely gorgeous and tranquil. No other person was present in the entire building, and much like the Missions of California or Arizona that had survived nearly 400 years of existence, the holiness and peace of this spiritual site could be felt in its existence.

Prominent statues of the times were on full display and icons dedicated to Mary, Joseph and a few Native American Saints, such as Saint Kateri, and a representation of the Blessed Mother holding her Baby, were not as a European or Jewish women but as a Native women. The simplistic but richly detailed chapel glowed with the sunlight pouring through its stained glass windows. The quietness of the deserted sanctuary sang a peaceful hymn as my wife and I prayed in the front pews before I took to photographing the monument.

We lingered, my wife waiting patiently while I scanned the details of the Jesuit Catholic Mission era sitting nearly untouched in front of my face. I remarked about our past, reminiscing about our honeymoon where we visited Missions in Carmel, Napa and San Luis Obispo, Calif. Or when we lived across from the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside.

We left feeling a sense of peace and made our way up the road to see the Mission Canyon and Natural Bridge geological features. To say we were once again struck by the beauty of a place we had never heard about before was a bit of an understatement. Mission Canyon is only a few hundred feet high, but it is so narrow that the road going up and down is seemingly only wide enough for one car. Fortunately, we didn't have to test that theory, because given the winter conditions of the road we seemed to be the only people up there on this early Friday afternoon.

We stopped at the Natural Bridge, a peculiar feature that appears often in the southern regions of the country like the deserts of Utah and Arizona, but that I had never experienced in Montana before this occasion. To describe it, basically at some point in the last few eons water began traveling down the canyon wall and instead of pouring over the edge, it began boring a hole straight through the rock. This in time made a massive hole in the canyon wall that would grow over time until it appeared as though some mythical creature or divine hand placed a bridge of stone across this cut in the canyon wall.

A.J. Etherington / The Courier The sanctuary of St. Paul's Mission reflects the traditional Jesuit simplicity of its founding order.

As we walked back in under the bridge, we were greeted by a pavilion of stone rising nearly straight up and cut in a nearly tower-like fashion. The sounds reverberated off the stone walls and rose straight out into the blue sky above, represented by a small portion of the view above us. I snapped photos trying desperately to find a way to capture the majesty and unique quality of the place and I'm still not sure I ever did.

We continued on our way up the canyon until it became evident we were running the risk of getting stuck and we turned around, making our way back to Glasgow via Lodgepole and Malta. In certainty, I felt connected to Hays as if somehow this gem of Big Sky Country had remained hidden in the earth and I had come along to mine it out and display for the world. Secretly, I wanted to rebury it and keep it as my own, but my wife insisted I share it.Realme Realpublic Sale: Get Realme 2 Pro, C1 and U1 on discount News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Realme has announced a limited period Republic Day special offer on select smartphones.

The 70th Republic Day is approaching soon and the online retailers have already come up with discounts to lure buyers. Now, Realme has announced the Realpublic Sale in the country to celebrate the occasion. Going by the same, you can get attractive discounts on purchasing a Realme smartphone via Flipkart, Amazon and Realme.com. Notably, Flipkart's The Republic Day sale will debut on January 20. It is the same day when Amazon will kick start the Great Indian Sale.

Realme Realpublic Sale discounts

If you are looking forward to purchase the Realme 2 Pro, then you can get a flat discount of Rs. 1,000 on this smartphone taking the price of this device down to Rs. 13,990 for the base variant. And, there is an exchange offer on Flipkart giving you up to Rs. 13,850 on exchanging your old device. When it comes to the budget-friendly Realme C1, you can get it at a lesser price point of Rs. 6,999 instead of Rs. 7,999.

On both these phones, you can get 10% discount on using an SBI credit card for the payment. Notably, these phones will be available on open sale via Flipkart. The other Realme smartphones such as the Realme U1 will be available on open sale and a discount of Rs. 1,000 on Amazon. It will also have no cost EMI payment option and 10% discount on using HDFC Bank debit and credit cards.

Realme promotional campaigns

The sale will arrive with many activities on the company's website. Firstly, people can participate in the Republiek Heros contest, which starts from January 18 on Realme.com. On taking part in this contest, you will get coupons of Rs. 100 instantly. If you share the link of the contest page and invite friends to like the same, you will get coupons worth Rs. 1,000. You can also get a chance to win 100 units of the Realme smartphones and Realme Earbuds, states the company. Notably, the contest will end on January 20. This is when the Realpublic sale will start.

In addition to this, the participants of the Realme Yo! Days sale will get Rs. 300 coupon. And, the Republic Wish activity will start from January 20 letting you get a chance to win 5 units of Realme U1 and 100 Flipkart coupons of Rs. 500 each.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsSpotify to be launched in India on January 31 News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Spotify is likely to focus on regional language content when it arrives in India later this month.

Spotify is a popular music streaming service, which isn't available in India as yet. Now, fresh speculation that has hit the web claims that this service could be launched in the country at the end of this month. A speculation also claimed that the service will throw a party in Mumbai to launch this service.

Notably, Spotify has already made deals with numerous big Indian labels. Back in March 2018, it opened its office in Mumbai and hired nearly 300 people. It is also claimed that the service is still in the process of poaching people working at rivals such as JioSaavn.

Spotify faced issues in India

The music streaming service had faced numerous issues in India. It was not able to enter into deals with Sony, Universal and other groups. Now, a report by Variety confirms that Spotify has been able to enter into partnership with T-Series, a leading Indian label with a huge follower base. This means that the company has plenty of content for its launch.

Earlier this week, both Spotify and T-Series announced their deal. The former will get access to the whole catalog of the Indian music and film company. Notably, it comprises both Bollywood and regional music content, content from emerging artists and non-film music.

Spotify focuses on regional music

The report further notes that soon to be launched music streaming service is on the verge of finalizing further deals with local labels. It is aiming to get more regional music to make its service appealing for the users in the country. It will be available in English and is in plans to add more languages soon. All these developments are likely to happen before the end of this month as its launch is pegged for January 31. Once the service goes live, users can expect to access music content in five languages.

It is said that the service will be launched with an extended free trial offer to help gain popularity among users. It is likely to face a stiff challenge from rivals such as Gaana, JioSaavn and Wynk. So, it is clear that it will not offer a premium version in the initially stages to beat the competition.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsGillette, WY (82718)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 89F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low 53F. NNE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.James Blake has today released his fourth album Assume Form, available now on all streaming services..

With the title mysteriously teased on sites around New York, Los Angeles and London at the start of 2019,Assume Form can now also be confirmed to feature a world-class cast of guests, ranging from Andre 3000 and Travis Scott to ROSALIA, Metro Boomin and Moses Sumney. Here are the kind of diverse and unexpected collaborators who could only be united by a mercurial, one-off talent, and a still-just-30-year-old who on Assume Form continues to take bold new shapes.

James Blake has risen to become one of the most important musicians, producers and songwriters in the world. In the last couple of years alone, the Mercury-Prize-winner and Brit and Grammy Award nominee has worked with Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Jay Z, Mount Kimbie, Bon Iver, Chance The Rapper & Frank Ocean; not to mention collaborating on arts projects with Quentin Blake, Natalie Portman or The Black Panther soundtrack.

A truly global presence, in the UK James has headlined the likes of Londons Field Day, Green Man, Glastonbury and has also confirmed an appearance at this summers Primavera Sound Festival.

Check out the new album here:This could be the year when the Oregon Legislature finally gets around to creating statewide rules regarding single-use plastic bags, but the bills we've seen thus far on the subject likely will require some adjustment.

And there's a new wrinkle this year on the plastics front: At least two bills filed thus far would target the use of single-use plastic straws in restaurants, following the lead of an ordinance recently passed in Portland.

The thin-film checkout bags and single-use straws are widely seen as contributing to a rising tide of plastic garbage cluttering up the worlds oceans and threatening marine life from plankton to sea turtles.

For Corvallis residents, proposals to ban single-use plastic bags at grocery stores may seem like old news, and that's because they are: We were shocked to realize that it's been six years since the City Council passed the local ban on these bags, after months and months of contentious debate in the community. Corvallis was just the second city in the state to ban the single-use bags at checkout; Portland was the first.And she didn't offer any details about what she thinks the best way is to overhaul the state's tax system to raise that additional revenue. She has said in the past that she doesn't want to take any options off the table, but here's a time when she needs to tip her hand.

Otherwise, that ambitious list of goals isn't much more than a wish list. (mm)

Training shutdown

One of the stories to track in this legislative session will be how lawmakers work to improve the workplace climate in the Capitol, which was recently rocked by a state report concluding that leaders haven't done enough to address pervasive sexual harassment.

One of the ways legislators hoped to tackle the problem was by scheduling a training session by a federal agency on how to build respectful workplaces. That training was expected to begin Tuesday, but got off to a poor start: It was canceled because of the partial federal government shutdown.

Legislative leaders said they would reschedule the training, even if it requires disrupting the schedule of the legislative session, which begins Jan. 22. That's the right call.

In the meantime, the irony of the situation wasn't lost on legislators such as Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, who tweeted: "Irony is when the Oregon Legislature's new and improved workplace harassment training is canceled because of the Trump federal government shut down." And we'll leave it at that for today. (mm)

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF

Meth  3:05 p.m., Monday, 1260 SW Third Street. A deputy arrested Dustin Trevor Mackie, 38, a transient, on outstanding warrants and issued him an additional citation for unlawful possession of methamphetamine.

CORVALLIS POLICE

Interfering with public transport  4:43 p.m. Tuesday, Northwest Samaritan Drive and Northwest Elks Drive. An officer responded to a call from a bus driver who said an intoxicated man was challenging other passengers to fights and then refusing to get off the bus. When the officer arrived, the man reportedly tried to get off the bus and fell into a shrubbery near the sidewalk. The officer cited the man, Emerson Carroll, 46, no address, for interfering with public transportation and second degree disorderly conduct.

Heroin  3:43 a.m. Wednesday, 1600 NW Harrison Blvd. A canine unit reportedly alerted to a car during a traffic stop and officers found drugs in it. The driver, Olga Peremyslova, 26, of Corvallis, was arrested for unlawful possession of heroin, unlawful possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a Schedule III controlled substance.

LINN COUNTY SHERIFFThe possibility of a new organization coming in to oversee the car show has been discussed.

Our recommendation was hopefully to find another organization that would be willing to be the host, much like the chamber was, but its up to them on how they want to do that, Niemann said.

Ferbrache said the committee will move forward independently for now.

We know how it goes after doing it all this time; we know what we have to do to get up to it and know what we have to do the weekend of the show, Ferbrache said. Were just going to see over the next three, four, five months how it goes.

Ferbrache said there are several people that he planned to contact, including those who have been involved with the car show in past years.

There was a pretty darn good group of people doing this 10, 15 years ago, Ferbrache said. And so, there may be some of them that are willing to do it again. But I dont know; I havent approached any of them yet.

So, what's the message that the committee and chamber want to get out?The popularity of forest schools in the United States has seen some growth, but Crosby estimated theres probably still only a little over 100 nationwide.

Were the fifth or sixth, I believe, in the state of Oregon, he said. Theres a couple in Portland, one in Eugene, one in Bend, one in southern Oregon  Ashland or Klamath Falls  so yeah, its becoming increasingly popular. Families in this country are starting to want their kids to experience something a little bit different.

And that means getting away from screens and connecting to something thats tangible and real, Crosby said. Its something that Kyla and I believe is an instinctual connection to the land and to nature, so were just trying to help cultivate that.

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There are no formal licensing procedures in place for forest schools in the United States. Fern & Feather Forest School works in partnership with a program called Wonderschool.The Greater Albany Public School District Board of Directors voted unanimously Monday night to support a resolution asking the Oregon Legislature to increase state school funding.

The resolution was proposed by the districts teachers union.

Sue McGrory, the unions president, told the board that teachers do the best they can with limited resources, but students are still being left behind. The biggest key to student success, she said, is having more adults in the school, which requires more funding.

The resolution includes statements about the state of Oregon schools, which McGrory touched upon in her remarks to the board. Oregon has some of the largest average class sizes in the nation, she said, plus one of the shortest school years and lowest on-time graduation rates in the nation.

Oregon students deserve better, she said. Greater Albany students deserve better, and you know it.

Frank Bricker, a board member who participated by telephone, said he thought it was important for the board to back the resolution to show its unity with the teachers on this issue.

Its not just the teachers out there asking for more money, he said.The city received 10 pieces of written testimony, with seven favoring the plan and three opposing it, although one person submitted two of the pieces of opposition comment.

During the public testimony at Wednesdays meetings, three residents testified in support of the plan, with all of them noting that the Bonaventure facility is just what they are looking for to fill their personal housing needs.

Gretchen Morris, who currently lives with her husband, John, in the nearby Skyline West neighborhood, said she likes the fact that the proposed center would be close to medical resources, shopping and public transit. Morris said she and her husband had looked at other communities but prefer to live in Corvallis, where they have resided for 50 years.

Molly Megraw spoke on behalf of the Northwest Alliance of Corvallis, which formed in 2015 to offer a community voice on development issues. Megraw expressed concerns about the density of the project, with the number of units, she said, violating the spirit of the citys density rules.

City staff countered during its presentation that because the Bonaventure facility is classified as group residential and group residential/care the maximums for single-family units do not apply.A teacher at Ashbrook Independent School in Corvallis was arrested earlier this month on charges of encouraging child sexual abuse.

An Oregon Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed that Scott Gerweck was arrested Jan. 4 on four counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse and four counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.

Kristina Edmunson, communications director for the Oregon Department of Justice, repeatedly refused to answer additional questions on the arrest or the basis for the charges, saying that investigation into the case was continuing.

Linn County Jail staff said Gerweck, 35, of Albany, was booked into the jail by Albany police on Jan. 4 and released on bail the next day.

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An Albany Police Department officer declined to offer any information on the case because it was being managed by the state Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.BUMBLEBEE

2  stars

(Sci-fi action, PG-13, 113 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) This uneven prequel finds something that was missing in the earlier Transformers flicks: heart. The movie is structured a little too closely to a John Hughes teen flick from the 1980s, but Bumblebee himself is irresistable: Hes just an intensely loyal big old goofball. Hailey Steinberg stars. Travis Knight, of Portlands Laika Studios, directs. (Katie Walsh, Tribune Media Service)

MARY POPPINS RETURNS

3  stars

(Musical, PG, 130 minutes, playing at the Regal 7 in Albany and the AMC Corvallis 12) While it would be all but impossible to match one of the most beloved and acclaimed musicals of all time, "Mary Poppins Returns" is a sequel worthy of the name. Emily Blunt is sensational, along with a stellar supporting cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda, in this wall-to-wall smile of a movie: big of heart and large in scale, brimming with show-stopping musical numbers. (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times)

GREEN BOOK

3  starsMONDAY

Talk by Sybrina Fulton, 11 a.m., Austin Auditorium, LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis. Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, will give the keynote address of Oregon State Universitys Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. In 2012, at the age of 17, Martin died during a violent confrontation in Florida. The publicity surrounding his death and the ensuing trial catapulted the country into a national debate. Since then, Fulton has co-authored a book about her son and become a spokesperson for turning family tragedy into social change. Free tickets to the address are available. Reviving an OSU tradition, the address will be followed by a peace march at 12:30 p.m. from the LaSells Stewart Center to the Student Experience Center Plaza. The march is an opportunity to join in solidarity with community members and reflect on Kings legacy of creating transformative change through nonviolence.Josh Gondelman is two comedic talents in one person.

He is a comedy writer who has won three Emmy Awards on the writing staff for HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." He is also a comedy performer who has appeared on "Conan" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

Gondelman, who will perform Saturday night at the Majestic Theatre in Corvallis, keeps the topical comedy he produces during his day job separate from the personal comedy in his performances.

"The newsy stuff I mostly leave for TV when I'm working," Gondelman said. "(On stage) I talk about stuff that happened to me directly. I was walking my dog and this happened, or here's what is cool about my wife."

Based in New York, Gondelman describes his stage material as "friendly and personal." He will talk about "stuff from my own experiences, (but) it's not like personal in that I mine the deep darkness of the human condition."

"I don't have the imagination to make up a lot of stuff. I talk about my fat little dog and living in the world. There's a little political stuff in there, but that's not really my bread and butter," he said.The Detective Pikachu movie was revealed a few months ago, and The Pokemon Company is ready to cash in on the popularity of the franchise by releasing a set of officially-licensed Pokemon cards.

The first set thats been revealed is a Special Case that will feature unique promo cards of the movie versions of the Pokemon, a metallic coin, and special booster packs based on the movie.

There will also be booster packs from previous Sun and Moon series sets and a binder for anyone looking to collect every card that will be available in the limited time Detective Pikachu booster pack set.

There will be three sets released in total, based around Pikachu, Charizard, and Greninja, which were the three Pokemon highlighted the most in the movies teaser trailer.

On top of the Special Case File editions, The Pokemon Company has also teased a Collectors Chest as well that will be released later this year. That chest is packed with even more booster packs and some other Pokemon-related goodies.

For more information on everything Detective Pikachu, as well as more products coming out in the future, check out the Pokemon Website for more details.What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com.Graveside services for Ruby Mae Brackeen, 93, of Gainesville, are set for 10:00 AM Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at the Fairview Cemetery in Gainesville with Bro. Gary Carter officiating under the direction of the Geo. J. Carroll & Son Funeral Home. A visitation will be held at 7:00 PM Monday, J



Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-352-2250Marc Lapadula first saw Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho on TV late at night when he was 15 years old.

I had no idea what was going to happen. Nobody had spoiled it for me, Lapadula said.

Now a lecturer in film studies at Yale University, Lapadula will visit Richmond to lead the upcoming One Day University: How to Watch Movies Like a Film Professor on Jan. 26, hosted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

We watch movies to be entertained, but we often leave the movies disappointed and not fulfilled, he said.

When people find a movie they love, they can watch it again and again, discovering something new with each viewing.

Lapadula said the goal of the class is for participants to uncover what is invisible to most people, so that you come away with a richer appreciation of what the screenwriters, producers and actors do when they cross the threshold into cinematic art.

So many movies are made just to make money that we have a low opinion of the medium, Lapadula said. But the best movies are at the level of art.The Virginia Festival of the Book will mark its silver anniversary with a busy schedule of readings, panel discussions and programs for all ages. On Monday, the festival unveiled its full schedule, which includes more than 100 free events.

Events will dive into a wide range of book genres and industry disciplines, offering everything from poetry to publishing, race to religion and current events to climate change.

The annual festival, a program of Virginia Humanities, generally draws more than 20,000 audience members from more than 40 states and has an estimated economic impact in the area of about $4 million.

Among the events announced Monday are the following:

 American Addictions: Our Opioids Crisis, at 2 p.m. March 20, features Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, and Chris McGreal, author of American Overdose.

 Ruth King: Mindful of Race, at 6 p.m. March 20, is a discussion with internationally renowned meditation teacher Ruth King on racism, white supremacy and identity.Schools officials said they spent more than a year developing the plan but thatevents - including the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that resulted in 17 deaths - pushed them to implement it.

Austin submitted an application with the Department of Criminal Justice Services last year to register as a special conservator of the peace, a classification the district believed would enable it to outfit teachers and other school employees with guns.

However, the Department of Criminal Justice Services rejected Austin's application in September and, on Friday, sustained the decision after Austin appealed.

The state agency relied on an advisory opinion from Herring that differentiated between "conservators of the peace," such as judges and other state or federal employees, and "special conservators of the peace," who are appointed by a circuit court.

Conservators of the peace, Herring wrote, are allowed to carry firearms in schools but special conservators of the peace are not.

"Virginia law expressly limits who may possess firearms on school grounds for safety purposes, and the General Assembly declined to enact bills presented every year from 2013 through 2017 to extend this authority to school teachers and administrators," he wrote.In addition to opposing the 5,200-acre section, the commission also voted against recommendation of the 70-megawatt site on 905 acres. But it voted to recommend the smallest segment, which would generate about 30 megawatts.

There was little discussion throughout by commission members, which frustrated some in the crowd.

In the end, the largely anti-project crowd, filling about half of the 512-seat auditorium, left somewhat happy, while sPower officials were disappointed but looking forward.

We appreciate all of the hard work by the Planning Commission and staff. We believe this remains a work in progress. Hopefully, we can have a meaningful discussion about the facts and benefits of this project, including economic development and new tax revenue opportunities, Daniel Menahem, senior manager of solar development for sPower, wrote in an email after the meeting. We are committed to being a long-term and viable partner with the county and look forward to working with the Board of Supervisors.

Sean Fogarty, among a group of residents who have banded together to oppose the proposal, said he is cautiously optimistic.

Another resident who has been active with the group, Dave Hammond, said he always has felt this was way too big a scope.This weeks two-day destination branding kickoff event, Guibord said, is the start of the staffs deep dive into finding out more about Fredericksburg. It will use the information to help create a brand complete with visual identity, messaging strategy and tagline; a brand usage guideline; and such things as business cards, brochures and letterhead.

City Manager Tim Baroody, who took part in the Wednesday morning session, said that the hope is to create synergy with the museums and other attractions in the city so theyre all sending the same message.

Discussions during the morning session covered a range of topics, including how much the city has grown the last few years, its reputation as a place where entrepreneurs start businesses, and the need to provide high-paying jobs so residents dont have to commute. Several also mentioned the citys rich history, which is one of its major draws, and its description as a college town because of the presence of the University of Mary Washington.

Participants were also asked to take part in a fine-tuning exercise, which asked them to come up with words for what Fredericksburg is and what it is not. They were handed a sheet with some of the words already filled in, including affordable, diverse and metropolitan; and then broke into groups to complete the remaining blanks.We want to excite our young students about getting involved in all areas of computer science, Germannas Gullickson said. We dont think we can do what without working together with UMW, employers in the region and our K-through-12 partners. All of that is going to be necessary to meet what appears to be an insatiable demand around computer-science occupations.

Paino expressed optimism about the initiatives prospects, while acknowledging it will face hurdles.

NEW CAREER PATHS

The discussion launched at the summit could break the model of education that is currently failing far too many of our students, he said. Only 1 in 5 students in our nation successfully navigate the current pathway from high school to college to career. Thinking differently about how all of the educational entities and industry work together to create a new model could help the vast majority of our students who are falling through the cracks of the system.

For much of the summit, participants focused on how they can leverage the need to build and accelerate the tech-talent pipeline to respond to workforce demands that will only intensify with Amazon HQ2 coming to Northern Virginia, Paino said.A Stafford jury Thursday recommended a 26-year prison sentence for a Maryland man who robbed a county business at gunpoint back in 2017.

Michael Anthony Pixley, 27, of Clinton, Md., was convicted of robbery, eluding police, wearing a mask in public and reckless driving following a two-day trial in Stafford Circuit Court. The charges stem from an early morning robbery at Mr. B's Exxon on Warrenton Road in southern Stafford on June 6, 2017.

Pixley is already serving a 10-year prison sentence for a robbery at a Sunoco station in Spotsylvania that took place about 30 minutes before the Mr. B's heist. He will be formally sentenced in Stafford March 21.

According to the evidence presented by prosecutors Sandra Park and Philip Chichester, the Exxon station was robbed at 1:38 a.m. by a man wielding a silver handgun. He left the store with $412.

Stafford deputies were already on the lookout for a silver vehicle that had been reported leaving the Spotsylvania robbery. Deputy Adam Assur spotted the vehicle within minutes of the Stafford robbery and learned it had been stolen in a carjacking in Fairfax County a couple of days earlier.Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below.The headlines in recent times have been startling: Hello, this is AI speaking, Google predicts when people will die, and Who is liable when AI is responsible for mistakes? A predictable media circus breaks out every time a computer defeats us in board games like chess or GO, in eGames like DOTA2, and most recently in debates. And the same old myths get retold about the battle of man against machine. People have radically different views on artificial intelligence. Critics invoke the coming jobs crash and warn of a future in which machines will ultimately control us, while enthusiasts rhapsodize in big company adverts about the fantastic future well be enjoying thanks to artificial intelligence.

The debate about artificial intelligence is often typified by half-knowledge, assumptions, fears, and myths, but also by exaggerated expectations, stresses Prof. Stefan Wrobel, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS. Education is what is needed. He adds: Public acceptance of machine learning techniques is crucially important to advancing their widespread use. This is something the new Fraunhofer study Machine Learning, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is keen to address. From the outset, the AI researchers clearly emphasize that they are not in the business of building artificial brains or artificial people, any more than aircraft manufacturers are interested in creating artificial birds. They are developing machines that are capable of learning and  similar to humans  solving elementary cognitive tasks.

The new technologies have long since arrived in our everyday lives. Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa or Cortana have already become the indispensable housemates of many families. Cut them off from the network, however, and they become dumb in both senses of the word; when asked questions, all they can do is forward them on to gigantic data centers, where they are processed and the data collected. If you order a pizza over the Internet, you'll find yourself communicating with a chatbot simulation of a human. Soon we will scarcely know if it's a computer we're talking to on the phone. The number of situations in which we will encounter learning systems in the future is huge.

The breakneck advances in artificial intelligence were set off by the new machine learning (ML) methods known as Deep Learning, which are modeled on artificial neural networks. By training on vast amounts of data, these systems are developing astonishing capabilities. Ultimately, such techniques are responsible for the enormous strides made in speech, text, image, and video processing.

The global digital race to get there first

The starting gun has been fired on a global race to harness these economically and strategically crucial technologies, primarily between the USA and China. Master these technologies faster and more effectively than anyone else, and youll be a winner in the age of Industrie 4.0, the Internet of Things, and robotic cars.

In September 2016, five companies  Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM  joined forces to form the Open Artificial Intelligence research alliance. China adopted a plan in July 2017 to become the world leader in all areas of AI by 2030. The strategic importance of AI has also been recognized by the German government. It is currently formulating its Artificial Intelligence Master Plan, which should be completed by the fall of this year.

Learning machines are regarded as a critical technology in the digital transformation of the economy and society. There is hardly a sector that the technology will not radically change: industrial production, medicine, law, finance, process control, logistics, customer management, and transport. Learning machines analyze images, research documents, advise us how to invest, optimize processes in industry, detect defects before malfunctions occur, and as robots, work hand-in-hand with humans. The potential of ML-based products is particularly promising from the viewpoint of Industrie 4.0, for example in industrial analytics and forward-looking optimization of production processes, notes Prof. Thorsten Posselt from the Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economics IMW.

In machine learning, knowledge is generated from experience. Take cats as an example. The learning algorithm forms patterns in the neural net from thousands of images that have been labeled as portraying cats. Using these patterns, it can recognize cats, even if only partially seen in the image. A crucial factor to the quality of the knowledge learned by the system is how much sample data it has access to. And that is why machine learning is most effective when vast quantities of images, documents, and speech recordings are made available to it. This leads to systems that learn to identify breast cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and the first signs of skin cancer from medical images.

Strong in fundamentals, weak in implementation

In the paper, the researchers analyze publication and patent statistics to provide evidence for how effectively Germany is taking advantage of machine learning. They show that Germany is well positioned in basic research but has deficits in converting this into products for the market. The comparatively low number of patent applications filed in Germany reflects this. The large technology companies in the USA, which have access to enormous volumes of data, boast unassailable advantages over German midsized companies, which have only a limited database at their disposal. Because access to data is crucial for competitiveness, their only recourse is to exchange their data with others. But this is only acceptable when use of the data is controlled and protected.

The other major challenge for Germany, the experts warn, is its lack of skilled employees. Insufficient numbers of data scientists and ML specialists severely threaten Germanys ability to compete. One critical research objective is to explain just how learning systems take decisions. In the field, experts call this explainable or transparent AI. The intention is to identify how the systems make their decisions. Other areas that researchers are keen to explore are machine learning with limited data and apprenticeship learning, in which machine learning is supported by additional expert knowledge. Additional knowledge can compensate for missing data and increase transparency.

The numerous legal and ethical issues need to be clarified in tandem. Who is liable for potential damage and errors? Who is responsible for the content generated? Who holds the copyright? Why did the machine decide this way and not the other? Are particular people discriminated against? What can the system decide for itself? How are data and consumer protection guaranteed?

The central ethical challenge is to design systems in a way that is consistent with the principles determining our view of society, law, and our values. AI would invariably be rejected if it led to behavior that is less ethical, moral, correct, or socially acceptable than is considered human nature, emphasizes AI expert Stefan Wrobel. If this challenge is met, learning machines will be accepted as valuable assistants and not perceived as an assault on our human ignorance.Organic products are booming. Factory farms and fields drenched in chemical cocktails hold little appeal for the many consumers who prefer to see free-ranging animals in verdant pastures, eat untreated fruit and vegetables, and wear clothes made of eco-friendly, pesticide-free cotton. This need to go green is spilling over to other products. But simply replacing synthetic materials with wood, cork and the like alone is not the answer. For products to be genuinely sustainable, manufacturers must also use adhesives, paints and foamed plastics that are made of bio-based feedstocks.

Most legacy adhesives are made of petroleum-based thermosetting epoxy resins. These are synthetic resins that hold their shape once they have been heated. Monomers are the feedstock for epoxy resins. A curing agent or hardener causes the individual molecules to bind, creating a solid plastic that will not melt. Additives serve to fine-tune the properties to suit the given application. For example, epoxy resins can be made to take on a particular color, resist heat, sunlight and fire, and be easier to process. And added fillers cut the costs of these materials.

Vegetable oil epoxides with natural additives

Is there an eco-friendlier way of making epoxy resins? Adhesive manufacturers are certainly busy looking for more sustainable options. And they are aiming higher, for products that are better, cheaper and greener than their forebears. One new approach is showing promise  vegetable oil epoxides, an organic version of conventional epoxy resins. They are sourced from vegetable oils containing a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are epoxidized; that is, their molecules are processed to create a three-membered ring consisting of two carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. Combining these vegetable oil epoxides with hardeners produces remarkably resilient plastics. And with that, sustainable adhesives, coatings and even foam resins are looking to be viable options.

There is a catch, though: The natural raw materials are extracted from vegetable seeds, so their chemical composition may vary greatly. And that variance is a problem for manufacturers.

Eco-friendly adhesives with enhanced properties

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructures of Materials and Systems IMWS set out to tackle this problem by probing the properties of newly developed biogenic resins. This is a penetrating analysis: We are investigating these resins from the micro to the macro level, says Andreas Krombholz, group leader at IMWS. The first step is to determine how the varying feedstock affects the resins. Once the IMWS teams solve that puzzle, they can start enhancing and adapting resins to the given processing methods. Industry partners then usher these processes out of the lab and into the world, ramping them up for industrial-scale manufacturing.

Fraunhofer scientists are also using vegetable oil epoxides to develop novel adhesives. All formulations for these adhesives from the Fraunhofer labs are solvent-free. The researchers are digging deeper to learn what benefits this filler or that additive has to offer. High electrical conductivity, for example, comes in handy. If an adhesive layer is conductive, it can be heated from the inside out by applying an electrical voltage, thereby quickly and selectively curing it. Or an additive such as modified thyme oil could endow the adhesive with antibacterial properties.

Step by step toward greater sustainability

The scientists are also striving to make vegetable oil epoxides even more sustainable. The latest adhesives made of this material are 86 percent organic. A comparison best explains the significance of that figure: A material is deemed to be sustainable if it is 35 percent organic. So how did the researchers manage to put up those numbers? To date, petrochemicals  that is, chemicals based on petroleum  have been used to epoxidize vegetable oils. Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, we switched epoxidation over to enzymes for the first time. This means we can process vegetable oils without using petroleum-based chemicals. The treatment with enzymes takes place at 40 degrees Celsius rather than 100 degrees as in the past, so we are also conserving energy, says Krombholz by way of explanation. The benefits do not end there. Industrial users in Europe had sourced the linseed oil for vegetable oil epoxides from Canada, which is not exactly eco-friendly considering the distance it has to travel. Fraunhofer scientists adapted the process to use Dragon's-head oil grown organically in Germany rather than linseed oil shipped in from overseas. This oils molecules have far more double bonds than those of linseed oil, so Dragon's-head oil not only has a greener environmental footprint. It also makes for a better epoxy. On top of that, the researchers found an eco-friendly replacement for the highly toxic hardener.

Foams made of sustainable materials

Vegetable oil-based epoxies sustainability-enhancing powers are not limited to adhesives. They can also serve to make greener foams such as those used in buildings insulating layers. But which resins work best for the various manufacturing processes? IMWS experts teamed up with industry partners to develop and fine-tune fast-curing, low-viscosity compositions of epoxidized linseed oils and hardeners. The biggest challenge is to increase the biogenic share while improving the materials properties. Materials should also be easy to process, says Krombholz. The Fraunhofer researchers latest foamed plastics have a biogenic by-weight share of 80 percent using lignin as the main additive, a by-product of cellulose production. Estimates put the annual production of lignin at around 20 billion metric tons.If you want to visit the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal, Germany, you should not rely on your GPS. It has been in existence for a few years, but the comfortable new access road is still unknown to most devices. Since March 2017, though, you can already see where the institute is located from some distance away, because there is a large wind turbine spinning on the summit of the Hummelberg.

The success of the German Renewable Energy Act made Germany an early pioneer in an energy transition that is driving the transition from use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy to a sustainable energy supply derived from renewable sources. The government decision on a final phase-out of nuclear energy by 2022 lends even greater urgency to the expansion of renewable energies. The German federal governments expansion targets are ambitious, with the share of renewable energy in gross electricity consumption in Germany increasing to 80 percent by the year 2050. Renewable energies already provided 191 terawatt hours, or 32 percent, in 2016.

The problem: Winds don't blow all the time

Often, though, the times for peak wind and solar energy generation do not coincide with the main demand times of electricity consumers. Besides, energy production from renewable sources can only be planned and managed up to a point. To stabilize theelectricity mix, other power plants have to be switched off or on, or electricity has to be exported or imported. So the main problem with renewable energies is not their volume, but rather the wide fluctuations in their production. And the problem is getting bigger and bigger as the share of renewables increases.

The solution: From wind turbine to power storage

For around five years, the effort to solve this problem has been the aim of the battery research project Redox Wind by Fraunhofer ICT in Pfinztal near Karlsruhe. Fraunhofer is active in all fields of battery-technology research. 19 million  are devoted to the Redox Wind project alone; 16 million  of this are provided by German federal and state governments, but Fraunhofer itself has also invested 3 million . Speaking at the dedication of the application center, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing for the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, summarized the center's mission: Decentralized, grid-integrated storage of fluctuating renewable energy is a key technology for the sustainable energy supply of the future. The storage of electrical energy has become one of the major challenges of energy technology, particularly where large-scale applications are concerned. And this requirement is becoming increasingly urgent. The goal of our research project is to provide an efficient way to use as much decentrally generated energy as possible for local applications, Prof. Dr. Jens Tubke, Head of the Applied Electrochemistry Department at Fraunhofer ICT, explained. Buffers like these will bring relief to power grids and help curb the necessary expansion.

The research team has developed a redox flow battery that will gradually be expanded to the largest in Germany. The battery stores the current electrochemically in a liquid medium. The system is of particular interest for the stationary storage of energy.

With energy stored in an external tank, battery power can be scaled independently of the capacity: The amount of electrolyte determines battery capacity, while the area and number of stacks  six interconnected cell stacks in each case  determine battery power. Redox flow batteries have a slightly lower energy density than lead batteries, but their service life is almost ten times as high, and because energy quantity and system performance are separate, the cost is significantly lower than for comparable lithium-ion systems. Another beautiful aspect: with the exception of vanadium  the basis of the storage solution  all of the necessary raw materials are available in Germany, Tubke pointed out. The technology has existed since 1948. Until now, however, there has simply been little demand for storage on this order of magnitude, Tubke explained. The situation has changed in the meantime.

Roughly speaking, the redox-wind installation can be reduced to three main components, explained Dr. Peter Fischer, Group Manager Redox Flow Batteries at ICT. With a total height of 141 meters and a rated performance of 2 MW, the wind turbine installed at this particular location can deliver just under 2.5 GWh of green electricity annually. The wind turbine was custom-designed for us as a prototype by turbine manufacturer Qreon and enables direct coupling of the battery to the DC link, Fischer explained. That way, the mains inverter on the wind turbine can be used as a battery charger and discharger at the same time.

Huge storage tanks with vanadium solution

The real heart of the project, the redox flow battery, consists of two components. One component is made up of the interconnected stacks in which the chemical energy of the electrolytes can be converted to electrical energy using the electrodes installed in the stack. The battery is planned to contain a total of 540 stacks. The maximum power of a stack to date is around 5 kW. The second component consists of the storage tanks on the lower level of the application center. People look small alongside the huge green vessels with a total capacity of 660,000 liters of vanadium solution for use in storing the energy in electrolytes. There are eight large tanks, eight medium-sized tanks and one reserve tank. With the system in idle, virtually no self-discharge takes place, Fischer pointed out. The redox flow battery will be able to store 20 MWh of power upon completion of the expansion in late 2018. This is enough to cover the power needs of a small town for ten hours. During the research phase, the ICT first wants to generate enough power to run its own campus off-the-grid. Weve created a nucleus, so to speak, to which we can now link additional projects, Fischer remarked. Because plannable and constant volumes of electricity, generated from renewable sources, is exactly what the energy transition needs.TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP)  The road to this years Westminster Kennel Club dog show passed through a pandemic and a major change of date and venue. The road also proved dangerous for one of the nations best known dog handlers. His wife and fellow star handler said Saturday that Bill McFadden waUNION COUNTY, SC (FOX Carolina)- The Union County Sheriff's Office says that it arrested two suspects that are accused of attempted murder and murder for shooting incidents that occurred in 2015, according to a release.Obote and Kabaka Mutesa II. Political marriage of convenience ended badly. Photo: YouTube.

[Letter from New York]

Travelers, explorers and statesmen concluded unanimously that Uganda with its huge natural resource endowments, intelligent, resilient and hard-working people, was poised to play a critical role in various dimensions in the 20th century and beyond. Churchill, who was later to become British Prime Minister, christened Uganda the Pearl of Africa after his visit there at the start of the 20th century.

Uganda was expected together with Kenya to serve as the model for economic integration and ultimately political federation. At the start of Africa's decolonization, Uganda was identified as the role model. That is why Andrew Cohen the architect of Africa's decolonization policy was posted to Uganda as governor to test what he had designed in his London colonial office.

Uganda was also singled out including by the World Bank as a country in a favorable position to lead in Africa's economic growth process because of its endowments. Its geographic location at the heart of Africa and source of the Nile as well as mid-way between Cairo and Cape Town and between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans gave Uganda a unique strategic advantage.

Earlier, at the start of the industrialization process at the end of the Second World War, Uganda was identified as the Detroit of East Africa. The selection of the city of Jinja as the industrial hub wasn't an accident.

Despite all these promises and opportunities, Uganda has turned out to be a huge disappointment. At the start of independence in the 1960s, Uganda with more resource endowments and a smaller population was ahead of Kenya and Tanzania in many areas; today it trails behind the two neighboring countries including in per capita income. Poverty, inequality of opportunities and wealth, unemployment especially of young people, sprawling urban slums, deteriorating infrastructure, degradation of the environment, corruption, sectarianism and political underdevelopment have become the prominent defining features of today's Uganda. The Pearl of Africa is in danger of "extinction". The country has become the sick-man of East Africa.

How do we explain this sad turn of events? Opinions differ depending upon where one is standing and what heir she chooses to pick, and, or emphasize.

Some believe, myself included, that the explanation should begin with the colonial policies of: making one part, Buganda, a special case while neglecting others; indirect rule; functional or regional specializations; and, external interference in Uganda's internal affairs since the 1950s.

Because Buganda collaborated with Britain in the colonization of other parts of Uganda and in the administration of the colony by sending Baganda administrative agents to other provinces, Buganda was rewarded with land taken mostly from Bunyoro and informally made a state within Uganda protectorate through the devolution of powers to the Mengo traditional administration.

Buganda had a resident as advisor, not a provincial Commissioner and district officers. As one would expect when negotiations began for a unitary independent Uganda, Buganda feared its special status would be lost. Naturally, it resisted these coming changes, resulting in the Kabaka (king) being exiled to Britain. It was this resistance that had prevented the federation of Uganda with Kenya at the start of the colonial rule and later at the start of independence with Kenya and Tanzania in 1963.

Accordingly, independence was delayed until 1962 when Buganda secured a federal status in the unitary state. This marriage of convenience incorporated into the 1962 hybrid constitution sowed the seeds that led to the attack by Milton Obote, who was the executive prime minister, against the palace of the Kabaka, who was also the country's president. This has been referred to as the 1966 crisis. It also led to the Republican constitution of 1967 that abolished kingdoms and created the post of executive president with enormous powers and strong central administration.

The colonial indirect rule that ended only in name at independence empowered minority ethnic groups or nationalities to govern over majority ethnic groups in an exploitative manner. Negotiations for independence consolidated minority control over the majority as chiefs in indirect rule and their relatives had education and connections enabling them to continue to dominate through politics and civil service to this day.

By and large, independence has benefitted those already privileged under colonial rule. Put differently, they are the ones who negotiated the 1962 constitution that benefitted them disproportionately. They have continued to benefit thereafter under different arrangements.

The functional or geographic colonial specializations or arrangements that designated Buganda and Busoga as economic growth poles, Northern and Eastern regions as recruitment for soldiers, police and prison officers and Western region and West Nile district as cheap labor reserves created inequalities and adverse conditions that have not gone away and still undermine the unity and prosperity of the country especially since the model was not redressed.

Not least, Ugandans have not been given an opportunity to choose their leaders and hold them accountable. Leaders like Ignatius Musazi with vast experience in Uganda politics and beyond were sidelined for various reasons. Yekosofati Engur considered troublesome was eased out. Abu Mayanja the co-founder of Uganda National Congress in 1952 ended up in Buganda administration. William Rwetsiba a seasoned politician was also diverted into civil service. Ben Kiwanuka who led the Democratic Party to pre-independence elections was blocked from forming the independence administration.

New people, young in their thirties and inexperienced were brought in and power handed over to them virtually on a silver platter. Obote replaced Engur and Musazi, Kakonge replaced Magezi and Ibingira replaced Rwetsiba. A year later, Kabaka Mutesa II, also in his thirties, replaced the governor general as president. When Obote digressed from what he had been brought in to do by the British he was eased out and replaced by "gentle giant" Idi Amin. When he too misbehaved he was eased out and replaced by Yusuf Lule who had been picked by foreign interests without even knowing who he was and what he had done before.

The return of Obote in 1980 wasn't good news in some external quarters and plans to oust him began shortly thereafter and Yoweri Museveni, branded as an "intellectual who picked up the gun" to save Uganda was imposed in 1986. He has collaborated well in the interest of his external sponsors at the expense of native Ugandans whom he claims he conquered and has a right to govern as master and not servant and will choose his successor to continue feasting on the carcass.

Ipso facto, as one can see from the above analysis, these developments created conditions that have resulted in possibly unintended outcomes thereby turning the great promise into a huge disappointment.

The challenge now is to understand these forces, get them out of the way and craft a new paradigm that will turn the promise into real benefits for all Ugandans. Under dedicated and patriotic quality leadership it can be done. Yes, it can and must be done.

What we Ugandans need is to muster the will and launch, for a start, an all inclusive transitional government that maps out a new path to prosperity, national and individual security, dignity and stability for present and future generations of all Ugandans.

Kashambuzi is a New York-based Internatiional Economist and human rights activist.(CNN) -- Hasher Taheb, 21, of Cumming, Georgia, was arrested in connection with a plot to attack the White House and other federal buildings, US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia BJay Pak said Wednesday.

Pak told reporters at a media briefing that Taheb planned to attack the White House and other locations using explosives that included a homemade explosive and an anti-tank rocket.

Taheb was investigated after officials received a tip from the community Pak said.

Chris Hacker, FBI special agent in charge of the Atlanta office, said the investigation took more than a year. Taheb was acting alone, he said.

The suspect made a brief court appearance in Atlanta, where a federal judge explained the charge against him. His next appearance is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on January 24.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, which began August 1, is continuing unabated in the new year.

The total number of probable patients is now 663, while 407 deaths are likely attributable to the viral illness, the Ministry of Health said Wednesday. An additional 123 people, who doctors suspect may be sick with Ebola, are currently under investigation. The ministry also reported that 237 people have recovered from the life-threatening illness.

On average, Ebola -- which causes fever, severe headache and in some cases hemorrhaging -- kills about half of those infected. The latest outbreak has a case fatality rate of 60%.

The current outbreak is the second-deadliest and second-largest in history, topped only by one in West Africa in 2014, when the disease killed more than 11,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

Recent tweets from both Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general, and Dr. Peter Salama, WHO deputy director-general of emergency preparedness and response, address the "numerous" challenges of this epidemic.

Salama believes the current outbreak "is really several distinct outbreaks," as North Kivu province remains the epicenter with additional cases occurring in neighboring Ituri province, according to the World Health Organization. The two provinces are among the most populous in the nation and border Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.

Not only is North Kivu experiencing this deadly Ebola outbreak, but long-term conflict smolders there, with 50 armed groups causing intermittent violence, according to WHO. The UN public health agency estimates that more than a million refugees and internally displaced people are traveling through and out of North Kivu and Ituri, and this movement is a potential risk factor for the spread of Ebola.

Another complication: a high number of malaria cases in the region.

Local grit has overturned some of the obstacles. Though protesters of a long-delayed presidential election vandalized health care facilities in late December, on Monday, locals in Rwangoma worked to repair the damage with their own labor and at their own expense. Each inhabitant contributed 500 Congolese francs (equivalent to about a third of a US dollar).

Hope arrived in the form of a baby girl born earlier this month to a mother who had been cured of the viral disease in December. Twice the healthy baby girl has been tested for Ebola, and twice the results have come back negative.

Other positives include the Ministry's November launch of the first randomized control trial for experimental Ebola treatments; 248 patients have received one of the four new drugs as of January 1, according to the WHO. Additionally, 60,715 people have been vaccinated since early August.Daphne Police are looking for whoever broke into seven cars Tuesday night, January 15, 2019 at two popular businesses. The smash and grab thieves broke car windows, steeling purses and other personal items. It happened at Bay Pointe Dance Academy and Daphne Fit Body Boot Camp.

Broken glass was still visible in the parking lots of both businesses Wednesday as a reminder. Police said smash and grab thieves broke the windows out of seven vehicles, stealing purses and personal items from all but one. Police think the thieves targeted moms bringing their children to dance class and women at boot camp training.

We feel like theyre probably targeting these types of establishments, you know, gymnasiums and workout facilities and dance studios, knowing that therell be a lot of female customers there, said Cpl. Jason Vanoy with Daphne Police. A lot of times, theyll leave purses in the car.

Five of the break-ins happened at Daphne Fit Body Boot Camp on Capital Drive and the other two at Bay Pointe Dance Academy. Police estimate the damages and property loss to be about $4,000. There is a lead police need the publics help with. Surveillance video recorded a week earlier from a nearby business shows what police believe is the same suspect vehicle; an older model, white Chevy Yukon.

Its from a few doors down and we feel like that is the suspect vehicle for the incident that occurred on the tenth. It was another vehicle with the window broken out and it was a purse taken, Vanoy explained.

This is the second time in as many months that Bay Pointe Dance Academy has been victimized. Business owner, Brandi Sherman is asking the public to be on the lookout.

If you see something suspicious, contact the police. Dont hesitate. It can save someone, Sherman said. So, we just all need to be aware of our surroundings and look out for one another at this time.

Among other things, police are stepping up patrols in the area. If you think you recognize the vehicle in the surveillance video or have any information about this case, youre asked to call Daphne Police.Mobile Police are hunting for a gunman who shot up a gas station, wounding the cashier inside. They say the attack appears to be random, and that's why they want this guy off the streets. They've turned again to "FOX10 News Fugitive Files" for help.

This is 35 year old Ernest Cannon. Police tell us on Sunday, December 30th last year, Cannon tapped on the window of the Discount Zone Citgo Station at the corner of Azalea Road and Airport. when the cashier approached, that's when police say Cannon pulled a gun, and started blasting away. The cashier was hit by flying glass, but is ok. Cannon disappeared.

Investigators don't know why they believe Cannon shot up the station, but the bottom line is he put someone else's life in danger, and they want him in custody

Cannon is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds. He's charged with Second Degree Assault, but there's nothing like this on his record, which includes nothing but drug arrests. Police are concerned he might randomly target someone else.

If you have seen Cannon, or know where he is, contact M-P-D immediately by calling the "FOX10 News Fugitive Files-Crime Stoppers Hotline" at 251-208-7211. Remember when you call, you don't have to leave your name.CRESTVIEW, Fla. (WALA) - Police say there is a possibility a missing U.S. soldier, who was last seen on January 11, could be in south Florida.

Crestview police say 23-year-old Sgt. Greco Tucker Jr. may be or has recently been in the Hialeah and Miami area.

Sgt. Tucker, described by superiors as an exemplary soldier, was reported missing after he didn't report for duty Monday morning. Crestview police have joined the U.S. Army in the search for him. An investigation into his disappearance revealed no signs of foul play and police say they found his phone and wallet inside Sgt. Tucker's Crestview apartment.

Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for Sgt. Tucker's white, 2014 Dodge Charger, which was missing from his apartment.

A member of the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Sgt. Tucker could be anywhere, according to police. Crestview police say they've interviewed family, coworkers and friends and obtained a warrant to search Sgt. Tucker's personal electronics.

Police are also keeping an eye on local airports and Sgt. Tucker's bank and financial records.

The Crestview Police Department asks the public to contact the Investigations Division at 850.682.2544 if anyone encounters Sgt. Tucker.Work is now officially underway on the new Airbus A220 assembly line.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Wednesday.

Political dignitaries from around the state and aviation journalists from around the world were here.

Work has already started clearing the site, right next to the A320 Final Assembly Line.

And we have learned some important numbers on hiring and when the project will be complete.

Almost anyone who played a role in bringing Airbus to Mobile over the past years was here for the groundbreaking and to speak on what would be an historic day for Mobile's economy.

As for locating in Mobile, Tom Enders, the Chief Executive of Airbus, said, "We made the decision because we were convinced it was for the good of Airbus going forward, to be here in Mobile to have access to this workforce here, to a community that is immensely dedicated to what they are doing."

Mayor Sandy Stimpson said, "What they saw was a unique mix of infrastructure, public-private partnership, and amazing people."

And Governor Kay Ivey said, "And each one of these 400 plus jobs will be supported by almost five additional jobs throughout the community.

An incentive agreement with the City of Mobile and Mobile County sets a target of 432 employees, and Airbus officials say they've already started posting the first jobs.

Some employees will train at an Airbus facility in Canada.

Daryl Taylor, Airbus Mobile Final Assembly Line General Manager, said, "We're looking to get out first set of pioneers, of roughly about 80 to 100 employees, very quickly, and have them train here, but also in Mirabel and learn from their colleagues who are already building this fantastic aircraft, and we'll see a lot of employment through '19."

Government leaders also expect more companies that are suppliers for Airbus to move to the Mobile area.

Brookley officials say there are already 20 international companies at the Aeroplex, and most are affiliated with Airbus.

Chris Curry, the President of Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley said, "And I think those that were on the fence trying to decide whether or not to relocate here can be assured that this is a long term project and venture for them."

And if you want to apply for jobs at Airbus, here is a website:

https://www.aidt.edu/jobs-2/Last year the Alabama Department of Conservation shut down oyster harvesting to the public last year. Officials say the decision was made based on a major shortage of oysters in the area.

"There was not going to be enough oysters to support harvest for the fishermen," said Scott Bannon, Director of Marine Resources Division.

In fact, some oyster catchers have had to change careers because of the decline.

Officials say the two main reasons for canceling last year's season is they didn't want catchers to waste their time and money and they didn't want to do more harm to they already scarce population.

"The predators such as drum and crabs and oyster drills. They all attack those very small oysters," Bannon said. "Also we're seeing a change in the dissolved oxygen levels on the bottom."

Through the years the shortage has taken its toll. What used to be a viable career for some, can only be an occasional hobby now.

"Oystering used to be a way of life for hundreds of oyster catchers," Bannon explained."Now people have had to come up with a different plan, they're now in different parts of the fishery or they're gone to get other jobs."

"It's changed their system, the way they used to work around here," added Kendall Stork, owner of Lighthouse Restaurant. "You've got to hustle and find something to do."

Stork's seafood restaurant is popular for it's seafood dishes. He says he doesn't even buy his oysters in this state.

"I'd say a good 15 years since I've bought strictly Alabama oysters. My oysters come from Louisiana, which is fine," he said.

He's seen the industry at it's best and worst here on the Gulf Coast and he's hope for better days here for oysters.

"I'd like to see Alabama oysters come back because Alabama and Mississippi oysters on the Gulf Coast were the best ever," he said.

Bannon says the Marine Resources Division is working to grow oysters in a safe environment, hoping to plant them in our waters and replenish the population locally.

Bannon added that there are several private entities and oyster farms that do their own harvesting.MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ala. -- The Alabama Department of Corrections is investigating the apparent suicide of a state inmate reported Wednesday at the Kilby Correctional Facility in Montgomery County.

Prison officials found Paul Ford, 49, hanging by a bed sheet in his cell at approximately 2:30 p.m., according to the Department of Corrections. Ford was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at 3 p.m., a news release states.

Ford was sentenced to life without parole in 1988 on a murder conviction in Talladega County.Check out the latest PG&E earnings call transcript.

Sometimes, it's possible to see a troubled company's trajectory toward Chapter 11 from miles away. In the case of utility company PG&E (NYSE:PCG), the disaster was not truly obvious until it was almost too late to react. Now that its share price has cratered from the high $40s in November to single digits this week, the question for anyone who rode it all the way down (thinking, perhaps, that California wouldn't let the company implode) is: What to do now?

In this segment from MarketFoolery, host Chris Hill and Fool.com contributor Dan Kline discuss PG&E and how to handle such troubled assets more broadly.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on Jan. 14, 2019.

Chris Hill: PG&E is filing for bankruptcy because of the liability around the wildfires in California. Not surprisingly, shares of PG&E down 50% today. Again, this is not a surprise. I'm curious if you've ever found yourself in this situation. This is a question we've gotten before from not just investors in PG&E, but investors in a distressed business. You could look at Sears at any point over the last 12 months. What's your go-to move in that situation as an investor? Even though I've got a couple of stocks in my portfolio that are way down, they're not on the verge of bankruptcy or anything like that. I'm loath to sell them. I think if I were in this situation, I would look to cut my losses.

Dan Kline: First of all, if you're in this situation, forgive yourself. This isn't bad prognostication. This isn't, you really believed Sears' strategy of doing absolutely nothing would turn their business around. This is liability in a disaster. Maybe, if you knew each member of management personally, you might have known, but there was no way. Let it go.

Then, get out the best you can. Holding on to the stock...there's not going to be a turnaround. These assets will all be sold because this company does need to still operate -- at least, these services need to be provided.

Hill: It's a utility.

Kline: But, three years from now, when they've figured it out, when the last PG&E desk chair is sold and there's a fund, the fund is not going to pay back stockholders. You don't want to be waiting to get your $0.02 on the $1.00. Just get out. Call it a lesson learned. Hopefully, you have some gains to offset those losses.

Hill: Right. We were talking earlier, I was saying, "Gosh, if you're in this situation with PG&E, maybe one of the silver linings is the timing of it all." We're a couple of weeks into the year. If you're selling now, then you've got 11 months to look at your portfolio and think, "Is there something I want to sell at a gain? These losses will offset that and I'm going to have a very attractive tax bill." And by very attractive, I mean, maybe you're paying nothing for capital gains.

Kline: You have to look on the bright side because this isn't good for anybody.Yes, I have been vaccinated

Not yet, but I plan to get vaccinated

No, I don't want to get vaccinated

Vote

View ResultsGoogle will debut the first beta build of Android Q sometime before the I/O developers conference. However, prior to the release, XDA-Developers have managed to get the very early build of Q running on the Google Pixel 3 XL. Though this wont be the first preview build, it still gives us the idea on where Google is headed.

The leaked Android Q build was built just this week with the February 2019 security patches, and its up-to-date with Googles AOSP internal master. That means it has tons of new Android platform features that you wont find anywhere publicly. However, it doesnt contain any Pixel software customizations and Google Play apps or services. Weve been hearing about the system-wide dark theme in Android Q, we have seen comment on the Chromium Gerrit which hinted that dark mode would be coming to Android Q.

However, the Android Q build that is obtained has a fully functional system-wide dark mode in Display settings. To enable the dark theme, you just have to tap on the Set Dark mode option in Display settings. You can set the dark theme to always be enabled or automatically be enabled depending on the time of day. Once enabled, the Settings, Launcher, Launcher settings, and Files app all turn dark.

Theres also another developer option called override force-dark which overrides the force-dark feature to be always-on. This seems to enable dark mode for apps that dont have a built-in dark mode option. Google is also said to be working on huge permission revamp in the Settings app that allows you to get an overview of permission access by apps and restrict certain permissions like location only while the app is in use.

The permission page for each app is also revamped, and you can quickly see which apps have been allowed or denied access. The app info screen has also been revamped, giving you quick access to open the app, uninstall the app, or force stop the app. You can also see when an app is actively using location permissions by pulling down the status bar and tapping on the top-right hand location icon that appears.

Though theres not a lot to talk about it, Google might be working on a new Developer Option called force desktop mode. Its description reads force experimental desktop mode on secondary displays. This sounds a lot like the Samsung DeX like desktop-screening feature. Theres a ton of new Developer Options in Android Q including the support for enabling freeform windows seems to be back, and once the option is enabled youll be able to launch freeform multi-windows by long-pressing on an app icon in the recent apps overview.

The Always on Display setting has been moved to Display-> Lock Screen display. The battery icon in the Always on Display also seems to have shifted from the center of the screen to the top-right. Two new settings have been added to the Accessibility page: Time to take action and Time to read. The time to take action lets you choose how long to show messages that ask you to take action, but are only visible temporarily. On the other hand, the time to read feature lets you choose how much time you want to read and take action on messages that automatically go away.

Other additions include two new screen lock setting: SmartLock only extends unlock and Lock screen when trust is lost. The former lets a trusted device keep your smartphone awake for longer, but doesnt allow it to unlock the device once it has been locked. The latter option will lock the smartphone when the last trusted device is no longer trusted. The built-in files app now lets you filter by images, documents, audio, video, etc. when browsing directories. The app installation dialog is no longer full-screen. Instead, its a pop-up like on tablets. Thats all there is to know about the early Android Q build, but since it is in the early stages, things might change when it lands officially.

SourceMicrosoft has released a new Windows 10 Insider preview build 18317 (19H1). With this Insider preview, the company has decided to separate Search and Cortana in the taskbar. Microsoft says that this will enable each experience to innovate independently.

Other available Search and Cortana settings have also been split between the two, along with the familiar group policies. Furthermore, the company has updated the search landing page design, enhance search results and integrate Microsoft To-Do with Cortana. Next up, up until now Start in Windows 10 has been hosted by something called ShellExperienceHost.exe. In order to provide smooth Start experience, now the company is separating it into its own process, called StartMenuExperienceHost.exe.

This has a number of benefits, including simplifying debugging and insulating Start from potential issues impacting other surfaces. Insiders, with this update, can now drag and drop font files from File Explorer into the modern Settings > Fonts page to install them. After installation, click on the font in the Font page, to view the different font faces associated with the font and all the details of the font. You can also uninstall the font from this font details page.

it is also introducing a simplified Windows Insider Program Settings page via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program with Build 18317. The goal is to make the end-to-end experience of signing up for the Windows Insider Program. The new Fast Ring build also includes a number of fixes to the Windows Console, along with other updates and fixes across the product. The Windows 10 19H1 is expected to roll out to users from April 2019.

SourceAccording to a latest report, Motorolas Razr is making a comeback with a foldable smartphone and a $1500 price tag. Lenovo is said to be partnering with Verizon Communications Inc. to sell the new Razr device in the U.S. exclusively as early as February.

Since the device is still in testing, the timing of its release isnt final yet and could change anytime. At this moment, there are no details regarding the specifications and other hardware details. It is also unclear if Razr would just borrow the name and use a more traditional landscape folding display or would just follow the original RAZR design.

This isnt the first time we are seeing a Razr resurrection, as the company in 2011/12 partnered with Verizon for Droid RAZR devices without any of the flip phone design. According to the report, the company is looking to manufacture over 200,000 of the new RAZR phones, which is quite optimistic for a $1500 phone. Would the resurrection of RAZR help Lenovo boost its brand image? Only time will tell.

SourceUh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.The death toll from an extremist attack on a luxury hotel and shopping complex in Nairobi climbed to 21, plus the five militants killed, police said Wednesday

Nairobi: The death toll from an extremist attack on a luxury hotel and shopping complex in Nairobi climbed to 21, plus the five militants killed, police said Wednesday in the aftermath of the brazen overnight siege by al-Shabab gunmen. Two people accused of facilitating the attack were arrested.

The number of those killed at the DusitD2 complex rose with the discovery of six more bodies at the scene and the death of a wounded police officer, said Joseph Boinnet, inspector-general of Kenyan police. Twenty-eight people were hurt and taken to the hospital, he said.

In a televised address to the nation earlier in the day, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the all-night operation by security forces to retake the complex was over and that all of the extremists had been killed.

"We will seek out every person that was involved in the funding, planning and execution of this heinous act," he vowed.

In an attack that demonstrated al-Shabab's continued ability to strike Kenya's capital despite setbacks on the battlefield, extremists stormed the place with guns and explosives. Security camera footage released to local media showed a suicide bomber blowing himself up in a grassy area in the complex, the flash visible along with smoke billowing from the spot where he had been standing.

Of the civilian victims, 16 were Kenyan, one was British, one was American and three were of African descent but their nationalities were not yet identified, police said.

Al-Shabab, which is based in neighboring Somalia and allied with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility. The Islamic extremist group also carried out the 2013 attack at Nairobi's nearby Westgate Mall that killed 67 people, and an assault on Kenya's Garissa University in 2015 that claimed 147 lives, mostly students.

While US airstrikes and African Union forces in Somalia have degraded the group's ability to operate, it is still capable of carrying out spectacular acts of violence in retaliation for the Kenyan military's campaign against it.

The bloodshed in Kenya's capital appeared designed to inflict maximum damage to the country's image of stability and its tourism industry, an important source of revenue.

The government said late Tuesday that buildings were secure. However, gunfire continued into Wednesday morning, and dozens of trapped people were rescued overnight. Several loud booms were heard Wednesday as teams sought to clear the complex of booby traps and other explosives.

Kenyatta's announcement that the security operation was complete came about 20 hours after the first reports of the attack.

The Kenyan Red Cross said about 50 people were unaccounted for. But many of those were believed not to have been in the complex during the attack.

Ken Njoroge, CEO of a company in the DustiD2 complex that offers mobile banking services, said he was unable to locate several employees. "It's very difficult for the families because the passage of time only makes the problem bigger," he said.

The American killed in the attack was identified as Jason Spindler, co-founder and managing director of San Francisco-based I-DEV International. Spindler's father, Joseph, said his son worked with international companies to form business partnerships in Kenya that would boost local economies.

The Houston-raised Spindler had a brush with tragedy on 9/11: He was employed by a financial firm at the World Trade Center at the time of the 2001 terrorist attack but was running late that morning and was emerging from the subway when the first tower fell, according to his father. He became covered in dust and debris as he tried to help others, the elder Spindler said.

In the Nairobi attack, a man who gave only his first name, Davis, described how he had escaped with colleagues by fleeing down a fire escape.

"It's a traumatic experience. It shakes you," he said. Still, Davis said he was impressed by the "inner strength" and compassion of people who helped each other in the midst of danger.

His own thoughts, he said, were: "Get people out and get out yourself. That's it."British Prime Minister Theresa May reached out to her opponents on Wednesday after narrowly surviving a confidence vote sparked by the crushing defeat in Parliament of her Brexit deal.

British Prime Minister Theresa May reached out to her opponents on Wednesday after narrowly surviving a confidence vote sparked by the crushing defeat in Parliament of her Brexit deal.

After a tumultuous 24 hours which she admitted voters might find "unsettling", she conceded the divorce terms she struck with the EU had been roundly rejected, but vowed to work to find an alternative.

"Now MPs have made clear what they don't want, we must all work constructively together to set out what parliament does want," May said in a televised evening address to the nation.

On Tuesday, MPs dealt the prime minister the heaviest drubbing in modern British political history by rejecting the divorce agreement by a stunning 432 votes to 202. But May emerged victorious on Wednesday night in a confidence vote triggered by the opposition Labour party, the first for 26 years, winning 325 votes to 306.

She set out a schedule of cross-party talks that began immediately with meetings with the Scottish nationalist, Welsh nationalist and the pro-EU Liberal Democrat leaders. "We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House," she had told earlier told parliament.

However, Opposition leaders set out a list of demands for cooperating, including discussing delaying Brexit beyond March 29, and ruling out the possibility that Britain crashes out without any deal at all.

Late night talks

May is working on the tightest-possible deadline as Britain prepares to leave the bloc that for half a century defined its economic and political relations with the rest of the world. Her defeat sparked warnings from European leaders that the prospect of "no deal" had increased, with the potential for huge economic disruption on both sides of the Channel.

May must return to Parliament on Monday with a Plan B that she and her team intend to negotiate with various MPs through the weekend. But main Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would only meet May if she could "remove clearly, once and for all the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit".

May said she was "disappointed" by Corbyn's decision and stressed that "our door remains open".

Ian Blackford of the Scottish National Party (SNP) said after meeting May late Wednesday that his 35-seat party would only hold "genuine" talks. If she were prepared to consider delaying Brexit, ruling out "no deal" and the option of holding a second referendum, they would participate, he said in a letter afterwards.

May has flatly rejected a second vote.

Divorce delay?

May survived Wednesday thanks to the support of members of her Conservative Party and its Northern Irish allies in the Democratic Union Party. But more than a third of the Conservatives and all 10 DUP members of parliament voted against her Brexit arrangements on Tuesday  each for their own reason.

May will thus tread carefully as she tries to win over opposition lawmakers  many of whom want to remain in the EU  while also attempting to appease more hardened Brexit-backing coalition partners. She stuck to two key principles on Wednesday: limiting EU migration and pursuing an independent trade policy.

Both points rule out Labour hopes of membership of an EU customs union or its single market. Yet she also hinted at the possibility of delaying Brexit.

May said the EU would allow this "if it was clear that there was a plan that was moving toward an agreed deal". EU officials have said extending the negotiating period could be possible until the newly-elected European Parliament meets in July.

Blurred lines

European leaders have repeatedly said they will not reopen the draft withdrawal agreement sealed at a special Brussels summit in December. French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the EU might be willing to tweak a few minor points  but only if they did not alter the bloc's existing position on trade and borders.

"We won't, just to solve Britain's domestic political issues, stop defending European interests," he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was time for talks as long as London could present a clear and united position. "We're now waiting on what the prime minister proposes," she said.

And Irish Prime Leo Varadkar added "that if the United Kingdom were to evolve from its red lines on the customs union and on the single market, that the European Union could evolve also."Images of the exhibits in Israel's Haifa Museum of Art began circulating on social media last week, and in a Friday demonstration outside the museum, protestors wounded three police officers with stones. Two Molotov cocktails also hit the museum in recent days, police said.

Jerusalem: A fast-food clown nailed to a cross has united its Finnish creator with Holy Land Christians demanding the artwork's removal from an exhibition at an Israeli museum. The controversy involves "McJesus"  a statue of a crucified Ronald McDonald by Jani Leinonen on display at the Haifa Museum of Art.

It, along with a figurine representing Jesus as a smiling crucified Ken doll, has raised the ire of members of the local Christian community. The works are part of "Sacred Goods", an exhibition about consumerism running in the northern coastal city's museum since August.

Images of the exhibits began circulating on social media last week, and in a Friday demonstration outside the museum, protestors wounded three police officers with stones. Two Molotov cocktails also hit the museum in recent days, police said.

After a series of meetings with Christian leaders, the museum resolved to install signs warning of "offensive content" at the exhibition's entrance, a spokeswoman for the institution said Monday.

The proposed solution, however, did not satisfy Christian leaders, who petitioned the Haifa district court to order the museum and municipality to remove "McJesus" and "Ken Jesus Christ" from public display.

"McJesus", created by a Christian artist, has been displayed "in many European museums," and "is about the cynical use of religious symbols by giant corporations," she added. It shows how Ronald McDonald "has become a symbol of popular culture, reaching the level of religious worship".

But while "McJesus" might be taken primarily as a critique of capitalism in other parts of the world, in West Asia such visual imagery was blasphemous, said Wadie Abunassar, advisor to church leaders in the Holy Land.

"We're not in Europe, we're in Israel," said Abunassar. "To us, as Arabs and Christians, this is an affront to our symbols, and we demand their removal."

'Would be taboo'

There are approximately 130,000-140,000 Christians in Israel, according to Abunassar, most of them Arabs, making them a minority within the minority of the overall Arab population.

"In Israel, such displays against Muslims and Jews would be taboo, but against Christians, they're allowed," he said.

Another person demanding the removal of "McJesus" was the artist who created it.

The attention the Christian campaign drew to the exhibition surprised Leinonen, who said he had in September demanded the museum remove it "as a protest against Israel's human rights violations".

"Israel overtly uses art exhibitions like this and culture in general as a form of propaganda to whitewash or justify its regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid over the Palestinian people," he said in a statement to AFP.

Following last week's protests, Leinonen contacted the curator again to have "McJesus" removed. "I insist the museum takes my artwork out of the exhibition immediately," he said.

The museum spokeswoman said "McJesus" was on loan from a Finnish gallery on terms that allowed its display in Haifa. "The museum was never requested by the gallery to remove the exhibit," she said.TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Rival militias clashed in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Wednesday and at least five people were killed and 20 wounded, the health ministry said, splintering a four-month-old, U.N.-brokered ceasefire. Armored vehicles could be seen in southern Tripoli where militia groups had fought for a month until September, part of the widespread factional conflict plaguing Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. A United Nations-engineered ceasefire agreed then had managed to hold for the most part until now

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Rival militias clashed in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Wednesday and at least five people were killed and 20 wounded, the health ministry said, splintering a four-month-old, U.N.-brokered ceasefire.

Armored vehicles could be seen in southern Tripoli where militia groups had fought for a month until September, part of the widespread factional conflict plaguing Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

A United Nations-engineered ceasefire agreed then had managed to hold for the most part until now.

But on Wednesday a militia known as the 7th Brigade, or Kaniyat, and a collection of factions called Tripoli Protection Force fell back into fighting in the same southern district.

The 7th Brigade and some allied groups triggered the August fighting in a bid to challenge the dominance of four super militias, including the Tripoli Protection Force, in the streets of the capital.

The U.N. mission in Libya warned in a statement against any breach of the ceasefire deal.

Any party initiating a confrontation will be held fully responsible, it said.

The internationally-recognized government in Tripoli, backed by the United Nations, has been working on a new security plan since the ceasefire deal but achieved little as Libya, long a major oil producer, lacks a national police force or army.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Editing by Ulf Laessing, Mark Heinrich and Toby Chopra)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Noting that the global health funds are behind a lot of this progress, Melinda said around the year 2000, the world started investing more in global health, and in particular, in global health institutions that really pooled the world's resources to buy things that would make the people healthier.

Washington: The world has become "dramatically healthier" in the last 20 years mainly because of the global health funds, top US philanthropist Melinda Gates said on Thursday, citing examples of India, Indonesia and Vietnam which moved up the ladder due to their economic growth.

"The story of the past two decades is a story of incredible improvement in the human condition," Melinda of the 'Bill and Melinda Gates' foundation said during a global conference with reporters along with her husband and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

"The world has actually become dramatically healthier in the last 20 years. The story of the past two decades is a story of incredible improvement in the human condition. And it's one of the reasons Bill and I call ourselves optimists," she said.

"The poorest parts of the world not only became less poor, they also became much, much healthier," Melinda said.

"Under-five mortality rates have declined by more than 50 percent since 1990, which is a dramatic improvement for the lives of the world's poorest and youngest," she said.

Responding to questions, Bill said countries like India, Indonesia and Vietnam have moved up the ladder because of the economic growth. As such they will be getting less money from all of these funds.

"But making sure they don't drop any vaccines, that's been very well organised. India, because of its size, has always been treated as kind of a special case by GAVI, but they did roll out rotavirus and they will roll out pneumococcus," he said.

GAVI, the vaccine alliance, is focused on childhood vaccines.

Noting that the global health funds are behind a lot of this progress, Melinda said around the year 2000, the world started investing more in global health, and in particular, in global health institutions that really pooled the world's resources to buy things that would make the people healthier.

"When Bill and I are out travelling, we see this when we talk with families. Deaths due to infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, measles have halved from their 1990 levels, and they've contributed to nearly 100 percent in the overall decline in mortality in poor countries," she said.

"There are GAVI, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which of course is working to eradicate polio," she said.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and more recently, the Global Financing Facility, is focused on maternal and child health, Melinda said.

"Since 1999, the foundation has invested almost $10 billion in these global health funds, which represents $1 in every five they invest," she said.

"And we, obviously, would not make those investments and continue to make those investments if we didn't see the incredible return that we're getting in the payoff for the world," she said.

Observing that the data has been really striking about these investments, Melinda said a child born today is half as likely to die before the age of five, compared to if she was born in 2000. Human and economic benefits of this are just enormous.

"This incredible return on investment is why we're committed to funding these mechanisms in the future. The next two years is a really critical time for these mechanisms. Donors will come together in France in October to replenish the Global Fund, and next year, they'll focus, then, on GAVI after that," Melinda said.

As such this year in 2019, the Gates couple, she said, will be talking a lot the impact they have seen from these funds to date and the impact they could have over the next 15 years.

Bill said all these institutions have made tremendous contribution to global health.

These institutions faced lots of problems trying to get the prices down, try to get the supply to be reliable, trying to get out, deliver to some of the toughest places in the world, including extremely rural areas with no infrastructure, including places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, where there are areas where war is taking place, he said.

Over the next 18 months, all these institutions are kind of a critical point where the level of distraction by domestic issues or issues that are confined to the rich world do make them somewhat concerned that the great success story here and the need to renew these resources may not get the attention it deserves, he said.

The first to go on this is the Global Fund, which just announced the $14-billion investment case for its sixth replenishment last week. The actual replenishment will take place in October in France under President Emanuel Macron's leadership, he said.

"We are really excited to see the ambitious plan they have there and hope we can get either close to or get to that number," Bill added.By Stephanie van den Berg THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday made a last ditch attempt to keep ex-Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo in custody, appealing an order for his release after he was acquitted on crimes against humanity charges. Judges ruled on Tuesday that prosecutors had failed to prove any case against Gbagbo and co-defendant Charles Ble Goude and that their continued detention could no longer be justified. Gbagbo has been in custody for seven years.

By Stephanie van den Berg

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday made a last ditch attempt to keep ex-Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo in custody, appealing an order for his release after he was acquitted on crimes against humanity charges.

Judges ruled on Tuesday that prosecutors had failed to prove any case against Gbagbo and co-defendant Charles Ble Goude and that their continued detention could no longer be justified. Gbagbo has been in custody for seven years.

But in a late filing, prosecutors asked a higher panel of five appeals judges to overturn a trial chamber ruling on Wednesday that rejected a prosecution attempt to keep them in custody.

If the men are freed "there is a concrete risk that, once released, the accused will not appear for the continuation of the proceedings in this case including the present appeal," prosecutors wrote.

"Pending the decision of the appeals chamber on this prosecutors request ... Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ble Goude shall remain in ICC custody," court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said.

A ruling by the appeals judges would follow the filing of written arguments by parties on Thursday, court documents said.

In their decision earlier on Wednesday, the lower court had rejected the prosecution motion to extend custody for any possible appeal by prosecutors, dismissing the case as "exceptionally weak".

It is unlikely their acquittals would be overturned by a higher tribunal and the men had assured the court they would return if required, Presiding Judge Cuno Tarfusser said.

Gbagbo hopes to return home to Ivory Coast, his daughter said.

"My father will not live in any other country than Ivory Coast. He would go back and we expect him to go back," Marie Laurence Gbagbo, told Reuters outside the court.

Marie Laurence Gbagbo declined to comment on the former president's possible political ambitions, saying: "I can't speak for my father on this. It is a very delicate question."

Gbagbo's acquittal was deplored by victims' groups representing those who died in violence that killed around 3,000 people during Ivory Coast's 2010 election, which Gbagbo refused to concede.

Hundreds of thousands fled the unrest that prosecutors blamed on Gbagbo and victims fear his return home could revive hostilities in Abidjan.

"The defendant's release may increase tensions," Paolina Massidda, a legal representative of the victims, said at the court in The Hague.

Despite his victory in The Hague, Gbagbo faces a possible 20-year prison sentence in Ivory Coast based on a conviction in absentia last January for misappropriating funds from the central bank of the eight-nation West African CFA franc zone.

The government has not commented on whether the ruling will be enforced if he were to return.

"I believe that the government is in a new push to reconcile Ivorians and so it's not the moment to twist the knife in the wound with convictions that are not real convictions," the lawyer of Gbagbo's wife, Rodrigue Dadje, told Reuters.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Additional reporting by Ange Aboa in Abidjan Writing by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The artwork called 'McJesus,' is sculpted by Finnish artist Jani Leinonen and depicts a crucified Ronald McDonald. It is on display as part of the Haifa museum's 'Sacred Goods' exhibit, in Haifa, Israel. Hundreds of Arab Christians calling for the sculpture's removal protested at the museum last week.

An art exhibit in Israel featuring a crucified Ronald McDonald has sparked protests by the countrys Arab Christian minority.

Hundreds of Christians calling for the removal of the sculpture, entitled McJesus, demonstrated at the museum in the northern city of Haifa last week. Israeli police say rioters hurled a firebomb at the museum and threw stones that wounded three police officers. Authorities dispersed the crowds with tear gas and stun grenades.

Church representatives brought their grievances to the district court on 14 January, demanding it orders the removal of the exhibits most offensive items, including Barbie doll renditions of a bloodied Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Museum director Nissim Tal said that he was shocked at the sudden uproar, especially because the exhibit  intended to criticize what many view as societys cult-like worship of capitalism  had been on display for months. It has also been shown in other countries without incident.

The protests appear to have been sparked by visitors sharing photos of the exhibit on social media.

Christians make up a tiny percentage of Israels Arab minority and say they face unique challenges.

We need to understand that freedom of expression is interpreted in different ways in different societies, said Wadie Abu Nassar, an adviser to church leaders. If this work was directed against non-Christians, the world would be turned upside down.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, who has been accused of censorship for pushing legislation mandating national loyalty in art, also called for the removal of the disrespectful artwork.

The museum has refused to remove the artwork, saying that doing so would infringe on freedom of expression. But following the protests, it hung a curtain over the entrance to the exhibit and posted a sign saying the art was not intended to offend.

This is the maximum that we can do, Tal said. If we take the art down, the next day well have politicians demanding we take other things down and well end up only with colourful pictures of flowers in the museum.

But that did little to placate those who want the artwork removed. A protester remained camped out in a tent at the museum on Monday with a sign reading Respect religions. Police watched closely as local Christians complained to reporters in front of street signs spray-painted with crosses and windows still shattered from last weeks clashes.

This is very offensive and I cannot consider this art, Haifa artist and devout Christian Amir Ballan said. We will continue through peaceful rallies and candle vigils... We wont be quiet until we reach a solution.

Jani Leinonen, the Finnish artist behind McJesus, has also asked that it be taken down  but for a different reason.

He says he supports Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS, a Palestinian-led movement aimed at pressuring Israel to change its policies toward the Palestinians. The group has made significant gains in recent years, persuading a number of foreign artists to cancel performances in Israel.

Tal said the museum wont bow to religious or political pressure.

We will be defending freedom of speech, freedom of art, and freedom of culture, and will not take it down, he said.Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday survived a confidence vote after a row over a landmark name deal with Macedonia sunk his four-year coalition. A total of 151 lawmakers supported Tsipras' government of the 299 present, including several independent MPs, the official count showed.

Athens: Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday survived a confidence vote after a row over a landmark name deal with Macedonia sunk his four-year coalition. A total of 151 lawmakers supported Tsipras' government of the 299 present, including several independent MPs, the official count showed.

"Parliament today gave a vote of confidence to stability (and) the effort to regain the country's international credibility," Tsipras told reporters after the vote. "To a government which has already changed Greece and will continue until the completion of its constitutionally-mandated term."

Despite the victory, the subsequent fate of Tsipras' government  and whether he will complete his four-year term which ends in September  is far from certain.

The prime minister now faces an immediate challenge to also push through Parliament the controversial name deal with neighbouring Macedonia, which has sparked protests in both countries.

In a speech to Parliament on Tuesday, the 44-year-old leftist leader insisted his government "has another nine months and very important tasks to carry out," pointing to elections in October.

Among his goals are a revision of the Constitution, a minimum wage increase and the completion of a property deal with the church that was recently blocked by senior bishops.

"We do not seek (the support of) 151 lawmakers just to complete our term, but in order to carry out specific political initiatives," government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Open TV on Wednesday.

Yet many Greeks think the elections could take place earlier than October and may even be called to coincide with European and local elections in May, if not sooner.

Coalition in tatters

Another protest will be held in Athens on Sunday against the agreement with Skopje to rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia.

Main Opposition leader Kyriakos Misotakis of the New Democracy conservatives called Tsipras a "fortune-hunter" and "cheap demagogue" who had built a career on lies.

"You took power with lies, managed it with lies, and will leave it will lies," Mitsotakis said during the confidence vote debate. "You've dealt enough damage to the country... you see your end approaching," Mitsotakis, who leads Tsipras in opinion polls, told leftist MPs.

The name-change deal aims to resolve a 27-year diplomatic dispute, but it broke up Tsipras' coalition with the nationalist ANEL party at the weekend, ending their four-year partnership.

Macedonian lawmakers last week approved the deal, but it will only come into effect if it is also backed by the Greek Parliament.

Athens has not given a date for the vote on the Macedonia deal, but Tsipras recently said it would be before the end of January.

The European Union and NATO have hailed the agreement, which would lift Greek objections to Macedonia joining both organisations.

Alexander the Great's territor

The proposal faces resistance in Greece because of what critics see as the implied claims to Greek land and cultural heritage.

For most Greeks, Macedonia is the name of their history-rich northern province made famous by Alexander the Great's conquests.

In many cities in northern Greece, posters were put up overnight to urge local lawmakers to vote against the deal. A number of MPs also said they had received anonymous threats.

Police made several arrests over the poster incident, and are investigating the threats.

ANEL chief Panos Kammenos, Tsipras' former coalition partner, on Wednesday said the name deal should be put to a referendum.

Much will depend on the stance of small pro-EU party To Potami, whose position hardened this week after Tsipras poached one of their lawmakers.

"You may have found 151 lawmakers for the confidence vote but you will not find 151 to back the (Macedonia) deal," the party's parliamentary spokesperson Panos Amyras told the government on Wednesday.The French parliament is expected to complete the adoption of a bill on Thursday allowing the government to pass five decrees covering preparations for a no-deal Brexit, which could create chaotic scenes on both sides of the Channel

Paris: The French government has activated its plans for handling the effects of a no-deal Brexit, which has become "less and less unlikely", Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Thursday.

Speaking after a ministerial meeting called to discuss the British parliament's rejection of the divorce deal negotiated with the EU, Philippe said: "I have taken the decision to activate the plan for a no-deal Brexit."

The plan provides for 50 million euros ($ 56 million) of investment in French ports and airports, "which are obviously the places most affected by the changes needed" in the event of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.

"In some ports that will be the construction of car parks, in others it will be the establishment of infrastructure for carrying out checks," Philippe said.

France also plans on recruiting 580 additional customs staff and veterinary inspectors.

The French parliament is expected to complete the adoption of a bill on Thursday allowing the government to pass five decrees covering preparations for a no-deal Brexit, which could create chaotic scenes on both sides of the Channel.

"We want to be ready to protect the interests of our citizens," Philippe said.

"Our objective is at the same time to respect our obligations, to make sure that the lives of our citizens and, in a way, British citizens living in France are impacted as little as possible," he added.

The government has drawn up five decrees, slated for adoption after being vetted by the country's Council of State. They cover: The residency rights of British citizens in France: They will be allowed remain without a permit for a year after Brexit, provided the French living in Britain can do the same. After that they will need to apply for residency.

The creation of emergency customs infrastructure. Transport links: British truckers will be allowed to continue making deliveries in France, and the Channel Tunnel will continue to operate.

Safeguards on financial activities that could be jeopardised by Britain losing its "passport" access to EU financial markets. Cross-Channel deliveries of defence equipment.

Last month the French government launched a Brexit information site: www.brexit.gouv.frThe comments on collusion came after Giuliani was asked about the revelation in court papers that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort had shared campaign polling data with an associate the US has tied to Russian intelligence.

Washington: President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Thursday said that he "never said there was no collusion" between Russia and members of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Giuliani's comments Wednesday night on CNN directly contradict the position of his own client, who's repeatedly insisted there was no collusion during his successful White House run.

Giuliani himself had described the idea of Russian collusion as "total fake news."

He said even if some on the campaign did something wrong, there's "not a single bit of evidence" tying Trump to a Russian hack of Democratic emails.

The comments on collusion came after Giuliani was asked about the revelation in court papers that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort had shared campaign polling data with an associate the US has tied to Russian intelligence.By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a victory for President Donald Trump, the U.S.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a victory for President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation to keep sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including the giant aluminum firm Rusal <0486.HK>.

Senators voted 57-42 to end debate on the measure, as 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans broke from party leaders to join Democrats in favor of the resolution, amid questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That result fell short of the 60 votes necessary to advance to a final passage vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 seat majority.

A similar measure will be brought up for a vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives, where Democrats control a majority of seats. But its long-term fate was uncertain. To keep the administration from lifting the sanctions, the measure must pass both the House and Senate and muster the two-thirds majority needed in both chambers to override an expected Trump veto.

Many members of Congress have been questioning the U.S. Treasury Department's decision in December to ease sanctions imposed in April on the core businesses of Deripaska - Rusal, its parent, En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo - watering down the toughest penalties imposed on Russian entities since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Deripaska, an influential businessman close to Putin, himself would remain subject to U.S. sanctions.

The Trump administration pushed Republican lawmakers not to support the resolution introduced by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, which would have prevented the administration from lifting the sanctions.

Senate aides said Treasury officials had approached senators and staff repeatedly in recent days to argue that it was appropriate to lift the sanctions because Deripaska had agreed to cut back his controlling stakes.

CONCERN OVER RIPPLE EFFECTS

They said the sanctions on Deripaska would punish him, but lifting restrictions on the companies would avoid potential effects on companies in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. China's aluminum exports jumped to a record high in 2018.

The Russian companies, along with some European governments, also lobbied for months for the sanctions to be eased.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he welcomed the outcome of the Senate vote, saying he hoped it would pave the way for sanctions to be lifted that affect the Irish company Aughinish Alumina, a Rusal unit.

"We respect different views in U.S. on sanctions, but our focus has always been on protecting jobs and livelihoods in Ireland and EU," he said on Twitter.

Democrats had been optimistic they would get 60 votes on Wednesday, after 11 Republicans made the unusual break from Trump policies and supported the resolution in procedural voting on Tuesday.

Backers of the resolution of disapproval said it was too soon to ease sanctions, given Russia's continuing aggression in Ukraine, the finding by U.S. intelligence that Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to boost Trump, and Russia's support for the Syrian government in that country's civil war.

"What's (Putin) going to do next? What's he going to ask President Trump to do next, and what will Trump do?" Schumer asked in a Senate speech before Wednesday's vote.

The U.S. military said on Wednesday that four Americans had been killed in Syria in a bomb attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager, documents have shown. Manafort is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy against the United States.

The Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, dismissed the Democratic-led resolution as a political stunt.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin and Polina Devitt in Moscow; editing by Bernadette Baum and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Saudi Prince's gift of golden Kalashnikov and golden bullets to Imran Khan a symbol of Riyadhs new position as patron of Pakistan, which is likely to bring in gifts at the top and plenty of trouble below

Recently, a Pakistani newspaper published an image of a smiling Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan receiving a gift from Saudi Prince Fahd Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Nothing unusual in that, except that the gift in question was a gold Kalashnikov accompanied by a set of gold bullets. Prince Fahd is known to undertake various charitable activities as Governor of Tobruk province in Saudi Arabia. In Pakistan, he is better known as the royal who almost hunted the endangered houbara bustard into extinction by bagging several thousands of them during his stay in Baluchistan.

All of this is rather symbolic of Saudi Arabias new position as patron of Pakistan, which is likely to bring in gifts at the top and plenty of trouble below. Saudi investments are stated to rise spectacularly, particularly in Baluchistan where rebels have long been seeking some freedoms, including the right to live.

PM Imran gets 'gold Kalashnikov' in gift from Saudi princehttps://t.co/qVKuMwphu9  The Express Tribune (@etribune) January 15, 2019

It's not that Riyadh hasnt had a special place in Pakistan, providing among other things, a useful retreat for politicians fleeing the wrath of the Pakistan Army. These days, Saudi Arabia is known more for being on the path to becoming a major investor in Pakistan and a haven for retired generals, rather than errant politicians.

The Saudi Arabia-Pakistan relationship has flourished following the near isolation of the Kingdom after the shameful episode of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, when much of the official representatives of non-debt ridden countries excused themselves from attending an investor conference in Riyadh, due to public pressure. The conference was aimed at increasing foreign investment in the country, which has fallen to a record low of a reported $1.4 billion from more than $12 billion in 2012. Saudi Arabias wealth still has enough clout to bring in interested parties, but the Kingdom is now looking at other ways to increase its growth and international status both of which are vital to preserving the monarchy in its present state. And thats where Pakistan comes in.

Khan, who is no politician, was heard saying that while he was concerned over the brutal killing of Khashoggi, Pakistan was desperate for Saudi assistance. This comment  denied later  was unsurprising given the state of the economy and the dreaded conditionalities that the International Monetary Fund was expected to impose on what was Pakistans largest loan request yet.

The desperation was probably also made worse by the fact that Khan had come back empty-handed from his first trip as Pakistan PM to Saudi Arabia in September 2018. Razzak Dawood, Khan's adviser on commerce, had reportedly said: "It was awful to beg from Saudi Arabia". It was not until the Khan actually attended the investor's conference  being only one of two prominent politicians among the dozens invited who actually did  that Riyadh opened the purse strings, and that too without clearly stating the conditions.

The extent of the opening of purse strings is still under some doubt. Initially, the Pakistani stock market reacted strongly to the news of a $6 billion package  half in terms of deferred oil facilities and half as a deposit to rectify the balance of payment crisis. In December, it was reported that the second tranche of $1 billion had been deposited, leading to a sigh of relief from those monitoring Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves. Hope was buoyed further as reports indicated further largesse of up to $12 billion in assistance. This was unprecedented in the bilateral history of the two countries.

The reality, however, soon dawned.

It appeared that the Saudis were more interested in investment  that too specifically in Baluchistan  than pouring in money into Pakistans coffers. The composition of the official delegation made it clear that the Saudis were looking for investment in power, ports and mining. On top of the agenda were Gwadar, the Reqo Diq copper and gold mines, and imports of urea and LNG. The long-dormant Saudi Pakistan Business Council was also to be revived.

Thereafter came another surge of optimism as newspapers announced that Riyadh would be a third strategic partner in the prestigious China Pakistan Economic Corridor, an announcement made by the ebullient Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry. Pakistanis celebrated. This coming together of two brotherly countries together with the Chinese was sure to bring the country back from the brink. But days later came a terse correction. Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtiar, whose ministry is responsible for making final decisions on CPEC as a whole, announced that Saudi Arabia would not be a part of the project after all, but would take part in offshoots of the CPEC under separate arrangements. In other words, Saudi Arabia would not sit at the same table in the Joint Working Groups or Joint Coordination Committees of the CPEC. That would remain a strictly China-Pakistan enterprise.

The confusion surrounding Saudi Arabia's involvement in CPEC (and Pakistan), however, now appears to have been cleared. Quoting Saudi petroleum officials, Reuters reported last week that Riyadh plans to invest $10 billion in setting up a refinery in Gwadar. The official, however, also observed that Saudi Arabia wants to make Pakistans economic development stable through... partnership with Pakistan in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. It seems that the CPEC partnership  in whatever form  is back on the table. Pakistan Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan echoed these statements saying that Saudi Arabia would indeed become an important partner in CPEC by investing in the project.

While Saudi Arabia s Aramco is indeed looking to double its refining capacity, the recent developments highlight two points. First, Riyadh wants to be associated with the CPEC even in an oblique manner. Second, Islamabad has now agreed to a project it has been fending earlier (Islamabad fears Saudi Arabia's presence just 120 kilometres from the Iranian border would incense Tehran, and result in Iran's renewed support to Shia fundamentalist groups in Pakistan). Clearly, the Khan government has had to pay a price for that financial bailout.

There could be another price to pay as well. There are reports that alternately confirm and deny that Pakistani troops are to be sent to Yemen. The reality is that a small contingent of Pakistani troops has been in Riyadh since 1979. Former Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Shareef is in the Kingdom commanding the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, and Pakistan troops were part of the Saudi Republic Day parade in Riyadh. However, using Pakistani troops to fight in Yemen is another matter altogether.

In November 2018, Pakistan senator Rehman Malik wrote an impassioned piece asking Imran to oblige the Saudis by sending troops into Yemen. Thats easy for him to say. Hes in the opposition. Sending boots on the ground anywhere is a politically dangerous decision, and when deployed into a Saudi Arabia-Iran competitive war, it could be political suicide.

In sum, there is no doubt that the strong tilt towards Riyadh is going to cost Pakistan dearly in terms of relations with an Islamic world that is ranged with Riyadh or Iran. Already, there are reports that Pakistan may renegotiate an LNG deal with Qatar for better terms, or turn alternatively to the Saudis instead. Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is due to visit in February, and a number of deals, including the refinery, are expected to be finalised during the visit. The Saudis in their turn are eager to show themselves as partners with China at a time when their global positioning is weak.

Saudi Arabia is an important partner for India as well with Riyadh promising to scale up investments in India during the most recent meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 meet. While Pakistan may envy Indias relative freedom to manoeuvre between Riyadh and Tehran, theres one area where the Pakistanis score. Indias phlegmatic implementation approach ensures that even top projects such as the building of a giant refinery in Western Maharashtra in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to be beset by delays. Islamabad has a far faster decision and implementation cycle in CPEC since the Army is involved directly or indirectly in most of the projects. Theres another worry.With the Saudis now likely to be firmly established in Gwadar, Indias Chabahar implementation is again beset by diplomatic difficulties, even though Saudi presence may spur Irans own interest in fully operationalising the port. The competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran, however, is likely to get fierce, and therefore, the security of the port project may need to be significantly upgraded. Meanwhile, pity the Baloch. With both the Saudis and the Chinese running hotfoot across the province, their chances of getting justice and even limited freedoms are even more remote. Baluchistan was once a remote backwater that no one was interested in. Its now moved to be a strategic centrepiece, together with all the trouble that brings in its wake.The American man who was among the 21 people killed in an attack at a hotel in Kenya capital Nairobi had survived the 9/11 attacks. Jason Spindler specialised in emerging economies.

New York: The American man who was among the 21 people killed in an attack on a luxury hotel complex in the Kenyan capital Nairobi was a consultant who survived the 9/11 attacks and specialised in emerging economies.

Authorities did not formally name Jason Spindler as one of the victims, but his mother Sarah and brother Jonathan confirmed his death on Facebook and to several US media outlets.

"It's with a heavy heart that I have to report that my brother, Jason Spindler, passed this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi," Jonathan wrote on Facebook, in comments visible only to his friends. "Jason was a survivor of 9/11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell!"

The Nairobi attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali group Al-Shabaab, which has targeted Kenya since it sent its army into Somalia in October 2011 to fight the jihadist group.

Spindler was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the New York University law school. He spent time in the Peace Corps in Peru.

On 11 September, 2001, Spindler was working for investment bank Salomon Smith Barney at the World Trade Center.

The main Twin Towers collapsed after being hit by two passenger jets commandeered by Al-Qaeda operatives.

Spindler's building, 7 World Trade Center, collapsed in the aftermath, but none of the nearly 3,000 fatalities that day resulted from that incident.

Kevin Yu, who attended UT-Austin with Spindler, said Spindler had helped save people stuck in the rubble on 9/11.

"That's exactly the kind of person he is," Yu told The Washington Post. "I have no doubt that when he heard the explosions outside the hotel, he was one of those trying to jump in and help."

Development work

After his ordeal on 9/11, Spindler's life changed, according to Yu. "Something struck a nerve and changed how he felt and thought about things," he told the Post.

After law school, Spindler co-founded consulting and investment firm I-Dev, and was working in Kenya on a mini-power grid project tailored for remote areas, according to the company's website.

"Jason was based mainly in Nairobi, but traveled frequently to San Francisco and across Latin America, Africa, Europe," a spokesperson for the company told AFP by email.

His mother Sarah told NBC News that her son "was trying to make positive change in the third world in emerging markets". "We all miss him so much. And it's so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism," she added.

Spindler's Facebook account had been converted on Wednesday into a tributes page.

He would have turned 41 on Monday, Yu said. His family was planning to hold a religious service that day instead.Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for the networks English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area.

New Orleans: A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television has been arrested by the FBI during a visit to the US, the broadcaster reported Wednesday, and her son said she was being held in a prison, apparently as a material witness.

Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for the networks English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son, Hossein Hashemi.

The FBI said in an email that it had no comment on the arrest of the woman who was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and has worked for Irans state television network for 25 years.

Hossein Hashemi said his mother lives in Tehran and comes back to this country about once a year to see her family, usually scheduling documentary work somewhere in the US as well.

We still have no idea whats going on, said Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado who was interviewed by phone from Washington. He also said he and his siblings had been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury.

The incident comes as Iran faces increasing criticism of its own arrests of dual citizens and other people with Western ties. Those cases have previously been used as bargaining chips in negotiations with world powers.

Federal law allows judges to order witnesses to be arrested and detained if the government can prove their testimony has extraordinary value for a criminal case and that they would be a flight risk and unlikely to respond to a subpoena. The statute generally requires those witnesses to be promptly released once they are deposed.

Marzieh Hashemi, an American citizen, had not been contacted by the FBI before she was detained and would absolutely have been willing to cooperate with the agency, her son said.

Asked whether his mother had been involved in any criminal activity or knew anyone who might be implicated in a crime, Hashemi said, We dont have any information along those lines.

Hashemi said his mother was arrested as she was about to board a flight from St. Louis to Denver. A spokesman for St. Louis Lambert International Airport declined to comment and referred questions to the FBI.

The constitutionality of the material witness law has never been meaningfully tested, said Ricardo J Bascuas, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law. The government only relies on it when they need a reason to arrest somebody but they dont have one.

No matter the reason for Marzieh Hashemis detention, she should have been granted a court appearance by now, Bascuas said.

She apparently was unable to call her daughter until Tuesday night. The family is trying to hire an attorney, but it has been difficult because she has not been charged with a crime, her son said.

Irans state broadcaster held a news conference and launched a hashtag campaign for Hashemi, using the same techniques families with loved ones held in the Islamic Republic use to highlight their cases.

We will not spare any legal action to help her, said Paiman Jebeli, deputy chief of Irans state IRIB broadcaster. Irans Press TV aired footage of her anchoring news programs and discussing the war in Syria, set to dramatic music.

There were no references to any case against Hashemi in US federal courts, nor in Missouri.

Hashemi describes herself online as having studied journalism at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She converted to Islam in 1982 at age 22 after meeting Iranian activist students in Denver.

She married a man she met while in journalism school. They had two sons and a daughter. Her husband is dead, said Hashemis brother, Milton Leroy Franklin of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie.

Last week, Iran confirmed it is holding US Navy veteran Michael R White at a prison, making him the first American known to be detained under President Donald Trumps administration.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state TV that Hashemis arrest indicates the apartheid and racist policy of the Trump administration.

We hope that the innocent person will be released without any condition, Ghasemi said.

At least four other American citizens are being held in Iran, including Iranian-American Siamak Namazi and his 82-year-old father, Baquer, both serving 10-year sentences on espionage charges. Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife, Afarin Neyssari, received 27-year and 16-year prison sentences, respectively. Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang was sentenced to 10 year in prison.

Also in an Iranian prison is Nizar Zakka, a permanent US resident from Lebanon who advocated for internet freedom and has done work for the US government. He was sentenced to 10 years on espionage-related charges.

Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission, remains missing as well. Iran says that Levinson is not in the country and that it has no further information about him. His family holds Tehran responsible for his disappearance.tech2 News Staff

Who does the world call when you've got a mountain of a problem (in the literal sense) that seems oh-so-difficult to fix without a zany imagination?

Recent events on Twitter suggest it's Elon Musk.

Australia could soon become a test ground for yet another one of Elon Musk's giant, whacky infrastructure solutions after he tweeted a "bargain" price to build a tunnel through a mountain to solve Sydney's traffic woes.

About $15M/km for a two way high speed transit, so probably around $750M plus maybe $50M/station  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2019

Musk in 2017 made a Twitter pitch  and followed through with the offer  to build what was the world's biggest battery in an Australian state to solve its severe energy crisis.

He declared on Twitter that his company could install a battery capable of "fixing" South Australia's power problem in 100 days  or do the entire thing for free. Musk followed through, building a giant lithium-ion battery and beating over 70 competing bids for the project in the process.

The project came after Australian billionaire Cannon-Brookes tweeted to Musk offering to "make the $ happen (& politics)" if it will be up and running in 100 days.

Musk most recently turned his sights on tackling city traffic via low-cost tunnels built by his company. In December, he unveiled a sample project near Los Angeles for the tunnels, which received mixed feedback from its first passengers.

It's no surprise, then, that when an Australian politician tweeted at Musk on Wednesday about the costs of drilling through a mountain range north of Sydney, he was quick to get back  with an estimate.

"I'm a lawmaker in Sydney, which is choking with traffic. How much to build a 50 km tunnel through the Blue Mountains and open up the west of our State?," asked New South Wales MP Jeremy Buckingham.

Im a lawmaker in Sydney, which is choking with traffic. How much to build a 50km tunnel through the Blue Mountains and open up the west of our State? @boringcompany @mcannonbrookes @elonmusk https://t.co/vmEORXKwzw  Jeremy Buckingham  (@greensjeremy) January 16, 2019

"About $15M/km for a two-way high-speed transit, so probably around $750M plus maybe $50M/station," Musk replied late Wednesday, with his response liked more than 22,000 times on Twitter.

Buckingham added that commuters would access the tunnels by driving their electric vehicles into the station and then being transported via an elevator into the tunnel. A special vehicle would then transport them at high speeds from one station to the next.

The potential tunnel is similar to one already being tested by the Boring Company in Los Angeles, where cars were lowered into the tunnel on a lift before being moved through it at high speed on fixed platforms. A second tunnel is under construction in Chicago.

Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes described the move as "a bargain for Sydney".

With inputs from AFPThe Associated Press

How did the earliest land animals move? Scientists have used a nearly 300-million-year old fossil skeleton and preserved ancient footprints to create a moving robot model of prehistoric life.

Evolutionary biologist John Nyakatura at Humboldt University in Berlin has spent years studying a 290-million-year-old fossil dug up in central Germanys Bromacker quarry in 2000. The four-legged plant-eater lived before the dinosaurs and fascinates scientists because of its position on the tree of life, said Nyakatura. Researchers believe the creature is a stem amniote  an early land-dwelling animal that later evolved into modern mammals, birds and reptiles.

Scientists believe the first amphibious animals emerged on land 350 million years ago and the first amniotes emerged around 310 million years ago.

The fossil, called Orabates pabsti, is a beautifully preserved and articulated skeleton, said Nyakatura. Whats more, scientists have previously identified fossilized footprints left by the 3-foot-long (90 cm) creature.

Nyakatura teamed up with robotics expert Kamilo Melo at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne to develop a model of how the creature moved. Their results were published on 16 January in the journal Nature.

The researchers built a life-size replica of the prehistoric beast  we carefully modeled each and every bone, said Nyakatura  and then tested the motion in various ways that would lead its gait to match the ancient tracks, ruling out combinations that were not anatomically possible.

They repeated the exercise with a slightly-scaled up robot version, which they called OroBOT. The robot is made of motors connected by 3D-printed plastic and steel parts. The model helps us to test real-world dynamics, to account for gravity and friction, said Melo. The team also compared their models to living animals, including salamanders and iguanas.

Technology such as robotics, computer modeling and CT scans are transforming paleontology, giving us ever more compelling reconstructions of the past, said Andrew Farke, curator at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, California, who was not involved in the study.

Based on the robot model, the scientists said they think the creature had more advanced locomotion than previously thought for such an early land animal. (Think more scampering than slithering.)

It walked with a fairly upright posture, said Melo. It didnt drag its belly or tail.

University of Maryland paleontologist Thomas R. Holtz, who was not involved in the study, said the research suggests an upright stance goes further back than we originally thought.

Stuart Sumida, a paleontologist at California State University in San Bernardino and part of the initial team that excavated Orobates fossils, called it an exciting study. Sumida, who was not involved in the robot project, said the work provided a much more confident window in to what happened long ago. It isnt a time machine, but Nyakatura and colleagues have given us a tantalizing peek.Reuters

Federal prosecutors are investigating Huawei Technologies, the worlds largest telecommunications equipment maker, for allegedly stealing trade secrets from US businesses and could soon issue an indictment, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said that one area of investigation is the technology behind a device that T-Mobile US Inc used for testing smartphones. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The action is the latest in a long list taken to fight what some in the Trump administration call Chinas cheating through intellectual property theft, illegal corporate subsidies and rules hampering US corporations that want to sell their goods in China.

The investigation arose out of civil lawsuits against Huawei, the Journal said, including one in Seattle where Huawei was found liable for misappropriating robotic technology from T-Mobile.

A Huawei spokesman and a spokeswoman for the US attorney in the western district of Washington declined comment.

T-Mobile alleged in a 2014 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, that Huawei employees stole technology relating to a smartphone-testing robot T-Mobile had in a lab in Bellevue, Washington.

The robot, Tappy, used human-like fingers to simulate tapping on mobile phones.

According to T-Mobiles lawsuit, Huawei employees photographed the robot and attempted to remove one of its parts.

In May 2017, a jury said Huawei should pay T-Mobile $4.8 million in damages.tech2 News Staff

Spotify, the music streaming platform, could finally make its official entry into India this month itself, on 31 January.

The news comes right after the announcement that Spotify and T-Series, film and music company in India (which is battling with PewDiePie for the top channel spot on YouTube) had collaborated where-in Spotify customers will be able to access to T-Series entire catalogue of Indian music, including regional, Bollywood and songs.

The publication Variety first reported about Spotify's entry date in India.

The Indian music streaming industry has been dominated by the likes of Gaana, Apple Music, Saavn, Google Music and more. While there has been no presence of Spotify, in India, the collaboration with T-Series is a step towards its official entry into the country.

In March last year, co-founder and CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, had confirmed that Spotify will come to India. "We are working on launching in some of the biggest markets in the world, including India, Russia and Africa which has a very rich musical culture," he said.

Spotify had also leased land in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai and hired 300 people to set up an office in India.

Disclaimer: JioSaavn is owned by Reliance Industries which owns Network 18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2tech2 News Staff

Motorola may not be amongst the biggest names any longer when it comes to smartphones but that wasn't always the case. Before Android took over the smartphone market Motorola's RAZR lineup was definitely among the most desirable phones that one could own.

According to a new report, Motorola is coming back with a new foldable RAZR smartphone.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Motorolas RAZR is apparently making a comeback and soon. Lenovo is apparently looking to bring back the RAZR with a new foldable smartphone, presumably running on top of Android. The device is expected to cost $1,500 in the US and will be sold exclusively through Verizon Wireless.

However, at this point, it is unclear if "foldable smartphone" means well see a classic clamshell design, as it could also refer to a design similar to what were expecting from Samsung next month. The device could debut as soon as next month, but apparently, its "still in testing" at the moment. The report by The Verge also mentions that Motorola will likely make only 2,00,000 units of this new device, so you could refer to it as a limited edition phone of sorts.

Nothing about the phone as such has been outed so you might have to wait on a while longer for those details to be out.

This wouldn't be the first time Motorola's tried to revive the RAZR brand nostalgia. In 2012, the company launched a few Verizon-exclusive Android smartphones such as the Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx in the US, but neither of them made a mark like the original lineup.Press Trust of India

India is becoming a "laboratory" for US companies, not only to explain their presence there but also to reinvent themselves in sustainability and disruptive-technology, an expert has said as panellists at a conference here discussed ways to boost the bilateral trade investment.

At the third edition of the ICCR-Houston India conference, various other panellists also emphasised that possibilities of economic ties between India and the US are limitless and investment in various emerging industries such as digital payments, e-commerce and startups can further boost business on both sides.

Held under the theme of "Make in India  The Inside Story" on last week, the business event was attended by several senior officials from India and Texas state of the US.

"India is becoming a laboratory for US companies, not only to explain their presence there but also to reinvent themselves in sustainability and disruptive-technology," Djordjija Petkosk, lecturer and senior fellow at Wharton Legal Studies & Business Ethics, University of Pennsylvania and advisor to World Bank, said.

"Also, an important step is to expend business in other emerging economies globally," Petkosk told PTI.

Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser at India's Ministry of Finance called for building of a new India, an economy based on innovation and rule of law.

"Economic fundamentals in India are strong, and the challenge is to push it into an even higher growth trajectory," Sanyal said.

Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India, discussed the financial inclusion programs such as Jan Dhan Yojana, banking reforms and Corporate Social Responsibility activities in India.

Sandip Sen, Global CEO of Aegis Ltd, a private entity, called for investment in various areas of emerging industries.

"There are emerging industries and opportunities to invest in it including digital payments, e-commerce, startups and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning," he said.

Consul General of India in Houston, Anupam Ray, talked about the role played by the Houston India conference as a unique platform for business development.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pointed out that Houston is the 4th busiest gateway for trade between India and the US and emphasised the importance of a direct flight between Houston and India.

"A direct flight will help grow the bilateral trade relations between Houston and India," he said.

Conference Chair and CEO Expedien, Jiten Agarwal, emphasised on the recent shipments of petroleum and Liquefied Natural Gas from Texas, in addition to several commercial deals that have taken place as a result of the networking during conferences since its inception in 2017.

During the discussion, the experts also highlighted on the progress in the business relations between India and the US.

"India has progressed from a reactive to a proactive society, which has led to the stability of the economy from a security perspective," Air Vice Marshal (retd) Arjun Subramanian said.

Makarand Paranjape, Director of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, India, mentioned that the alliance between India and US existed naturally and was thwarted by external forces.

"Indian diaspora has become a critical mass in the US, that going forward, the friendship between the two countries will only grow further," he said.

The day-long event was sponsored by the Consulate General of India, Houston, Economic Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Expedien.Reuters

The German government is actively considering stricter security requirements and other ways to exclude Chinas Huawei Technologies from a buildout of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported.

Handelsblatt, citing government sources, said government officials were discussing setting security standards that Huawei could not achieve, effectively blocking its participation. Changes to the German telecommunications law were also under consideration as a last resort, the paper said.

The deliberations would mark a shift from the German governments position in October, when it told lawmakers it saw no legal basis to exclude any vendors from an upcoming 5G auction following warnings from Washington.

The government told lawmakers in a more recent response that the security of 5G networks was extremely relevant, and would guide its upcoming decisions, Handelsblatt reported.

U.S. officials have briefed allies that Huawei is ultimately at the beck and call of the Chinese state, while warning that its network equipment may contain back doors that could open them up to cyber espionage.

Germanys Deutsche Telekom announced in December that it would review its vendor strategy and Frances Orange said it would not hire the Chinese firm to build its next-generation network in France. The shift by the national market leaders, both partly state-owned, followed Huaweis exclusion on national security grounds by some U.S. allies, led by Australia, from building their fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks.

Huawei says the security concerns are unfounded. Tensions have been heightened by the arrest of Huaweis chief financial officer in Canada for possible extradition to the United States. Handelsblatt quoted Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei as saying his company had never received a request from a government to transmit information in violation of any regulations.

I love my country, I support the Communist Party, but I would never do anything that would harm another country in the world, it quoted him as saying.tech2 News Staff

Facebook is overhauling its business structure to carve India out as a separate region, a first for the social media giant in any market outside the US.

As per a report by Livemint, the local office will report directly to Facebook's headquarters at Menlo Park and will no longer be part of the tech giant's Asia Pacific operations. Meanwhile, the functional heads will now report to Facebooks India managing director Ajit Mohan, and not to their respective regional heads.

The move is seen as a reaction to tightening regulations on foreign internet companies in India following a rise in the spread of rumours on social media. One of the suggested regulations for the likes of Facebook was to incorporate a local office or body. Considering India is the largest market for Facebook with around 294 million users and with general elections coming up in April-May this year, Facebook had to get things moving fast. This is to ensure that the spread of fake news is kept under check. With Facebook and its messaging platform WhatsApp being used to spread misinformation, it was pertinent that Facebook had an India-based reporting team soon considering it was without an India head for quite a while now.

The new Facebook India board comprises Ajit Mohan as vice president and managing director; Sandeep Bhushan, director and head of global marketing solutions; Ankhi Das, policy director; Prashanth Aluru, strategy and operations director; Manish Chopra, director of partnerships and Amrit Ahuja, director of communications.

Facebook on 24 September 2018 had appointed Mohan, as managing director and vice-president, Facebook India. In the past, Mohan has served as Hotstars chief executive since April 2016. He will be responsible for driving Facebook's overall strategy and continued investment in India, reporting directly to Facebook's Menlo Park HQ.

A Facebook spokesperson speaking to the publication said, "The changes mark a significant step, reinforcing Facebooks commitment to India and will enable more local accountability, faster and efficient decision-making, and closer connection with the headquarters."Key faces in the BJP including Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad have announced that they are receiving treatment for their respective health issues, sparking concerns of their absence ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

It seems that a season of sickness has hit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, as reports of its key leaders falling ill are slowly increasing in number. This came to light after news of the ill health of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's key aides, BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, broke.

Shah, who on Wednesday announced via Twitter that he was suffering from swine flu, is being treated in Delhi's AIIMS. Wishes for his good health came from across party lines including from the Congress on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Jaitley on Sunday left for the US for a medical check-up relating to his kidney ailment.

Jaitley, who had undergone a renal transplant surgery on 14 May, 2018, has not travelled abroad in the last nine months. He had in September 2014, undergone a bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition. That surgery was first performed at Max Hospital, but Jaitley was later shifted to AIIMS because of complications. He also had heart surgery several years ago.

In light of his continued health problems, political leaders from the BJP as well as Opposition parties took to Twitter to wish the finance minister a speedy recovery. Among the well-wishers in the Opposition are former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

In addition to Shah and Jaitley, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is also among the unwell BJP leaders. Prasad, who was admitted to the pulmonary medicine department at AIIMS on Monday, was being treated for a sinus condition. He was discharged from the government hospital on Thursday, ANI reported.

Ailing BJP leaders to form core committee for Lok Sabha election

Jaitley, Shah and Prasad's respective illnesses assume significance as they come months before the Lok Sabha election. The ailing leaders are part of the committees in charge of the BJP's strategy for the general election. Jaitley will lead the manifesto committee and the publicity wing while Prasad will head the party's media committee.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah announces following committees before the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections. pic.twitter.com/YLd4tu07Ol  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2019

However, amid the reports of them all undergoing treatment, there is speculation on when Shah will be able to resume his duties. However, ANI quoted BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni as saying: "Amit Shah is doing well. He will be discharged from AIIMS, Delhi in a day or two."

The party on Thursday also tweeted an update on his condition: "Update: BJP President Shri Amit Shah is doing well. Doctors, post check up this morning, have opined that he is recovering well and would soon be discharged. Thank you all for your kind wishes and several messages. We are overwhelmed by your affection."

There are also concerns that Jaitley will not be able to present his sixth and the BJP-led NDA government's last budget on 1 February. However, finance ministry sources told NDTV that Jaitley "is expected to be back by the weekend" and no one else would be given charge of the ministry for now.

Other ailing leaders

Shah, Prasad and Jaitley are not the only BJP leaders facing health problems ahead of the polls. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in November had announced that she will not be contesting the election due to health issues.

"It is the party which decides, but I have made up my mind not to contest the next (Lok Sabha) elections due to health reasons," Swaraj had said. She had also said that due to health reasons, she cannot participate in outdoor public programmes, which leaves her out of campaigns as well.

According to ANI, BJP national general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal on Thursday was also admitted to Noida's Kailash Hospital due to high fever.

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar has also been in ill health, which has caused a stir in the state. He is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals since February 2018.

Public confidence in the state government is on paper thin ice, with residents of Goa growing restless over both Parrikar's absence and his refusal to hand over the reins to another leader. Concerns over his prolonged absence have led to protests demanding his resignation and a "full-time" chief minister in his place.

Parrikar continuing as the chief minister despite the stir could be a result of the BJP's reluctance to let him resign because of the general acceptance he has received by both BJP allies and the Opposition. It fears losing out on this power and disturbing the political balance in Goa if Parrikar  a popular people's chief minister credited with speedy development in Goa in terms of both infrastructure and education  were to resign. It is no secret that parties allied with the BJP in Goa because of their faith in Parrikar.

Former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar said on Wednesday that Parrikar should prioritise his health and retire instead of continuing to occupy the top post.

With inputs from agenciesRahul Gandhi said, 'We fight Arun Jaitley on a daily basis for his ideas. However, I and the Congress party send him our love and best wishes for a speedy recovery. We are with you and your family 100% during this difficult period Mr Jaitley (sic).'

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wished a speedy recovery to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who left for the US for a medical check-up.

Rahul, who sent his best wishes to Jaitley, said he and the Congress party stood with him and his family during this difficult period.

"I'm upset to hear Arun Jaitley Ji is not well. We fight him on a daily basis for his ideas. However, I and the Congress party send him our love and best wishes for a speedy recovery. We are with you and your family 100% during this difficult period Mr Jaitley (sic)," Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

Jaitley, 66, who had a kidney transplant operation and follow-up check-ups at AIIMS last year, left for the US on Sunday night for a "regular medical checkup", sources said, adding that he would be back by this weekend.

This is Jaitley's first overseas visit since his kidney ailment was confirmed in April last year.'The BJP was not the original instigator of the crisis,' a minister said. 'It only saw an opportunity (caused by the Congress) and responded to the situation'  this statement by a Karnataka minister sums up the political crisis in the state.

"The BJP was not the original instigator of the crisis," a minister said. "It only saw an opportunity and responded to the situation"  this statement by a Karnataka minister, as quoted by The Times of India, sums up the political crisis unravelling in the state.

The report quoted sources as saying that the allegation of poaching and the unrest in the state politics at present were a result of the power play between former Karnataka chief minister and water resources minister DK Shivakumar, who is believed to have played a significant role in stitching together the Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state.

Both strong and influential senior Congress leaders, the bitterness between them came to the fore in October, when Shivakumar had said it was a blunder to divide the religion, commenting on the recommendation to grant minority status to the Lingayat community in Karnataka. "Our government in Karnataka committed a major blunder... We the people in politics and in the government should never, ever lay hands on religion and caste. It was a crime committed by our government."

In response, Siddaramaiah had said every cabinet minister had been party to the decision on the Lingayat issue, indirectly questioning why Shivakumar had not raised his concerns when the decision on minority status for Lingayats had been made.

Not just the power tussle with Shivakumar, but Siddaramaiah's own discontent with the Congress-JD(S) tie-up since the Karnataka Assembly elections in May has also been at the heart of the supposed poaching row in the state. Siddaramaiah has made no effort to hide his hostility towards Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, starting with criticising the JD(S) leader for presenting a full-fledged budget after assuming office to expressing doubts about how long the coalition government would survive in Karnataka.

"As the chairman of the coordination committee, Siddaramaiah is expected to be at the forefront to ensure that the JD(S)-Congress coalition government functions smoothly," The Times of India quoted a "senior Congress leader" as saying. "Unfortunately, he is only creating trouble by expressing doubts about the longevity of the government time and again.

Insiders are not alone in their opinion that the Grand Old Party had a hand in creating the mess that the state politics was in right now. Saying he didn't deny that the Congress was to blame, party leader and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said: "Naturally, some people who intend to join the cabinet or become ministers express their feelings in different ways whenever there is a cabinet expansion or an issue of a ministry. But after sometime, this feeling subsides and they realise that not all can become ministers. We also try to accommodate them in as many ways as possible."

Furthermore, reports say that the five Congress MLAs, who had been holed up at a hotel in Mumbai the whole week, will return to Bengaluru on Thursday. Even now, it's uncertain why the Congress legislators were in Mumbai to begin with. After the reports first emerged, Kumaraswamy had said three of them were there for personal reasons and that he was in touch with all of them. But Shivakumar, who was the first to bring up their Mumbai excursion, had claimed that the BJP was attempting to poach these Congress MLAs.

And then ensued all the poaching allegations between Congress-JD(S) and the BJP.

Kumaraswamy has appeared surprisingly calm amid the entire crisis, reiterating to reporters a number of times that the BJP was trying to destabilise the Karnatka government. But the BJP has vehemently denied all the poaching accusations, and in turn, accused the Congress-JD(S) unite of trying to lure the party's MLAs. So much so that the BJP has holed up 104 of its Karnataka's MLAs at a resort near Delhi since the party's national executive meeting on Saturday, in a bid to shield them from the Congress' alleged hunting tactics.

Firspost had earlier speculated that the discontent withing the Congress-JD(S) alliance had left these "missing" MLAs open to being poached by the BJP. But the fact remains that the reason for the MLAs going incommunicado in Mumbai is still unclear, no matter how many times Kumaraswamy says they were unreachable only for the media, not him.

The past is not blameless in causing this internal dispute in the Congress. The rivalry between Siddaramaiah and the JD(S) dates back to when Siddaramaiah was not just a leader of the party but also considered a chief lieutenant of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. He had quit the party and jumped ship to the Congress only as Kumaraswamy began to get more prominence. The fact remains that the Congress had faith in him to lead the state and Deve Gowda didn't.

Siddaramaiah begrudgingly accepted Congress president Rahul Gandhi's decision to ally with the JD(S), though he made his displeasure evident when he refused to campaign for Kumaraswamy ahead of the bypoll to the Ramanagaram Assembly Constituency.

Add to the Congress infighting the rift between the party and its coalition partner, and it can be concluded that all is not well in the Karnataka government. Kumaraswamy and Congress leaders can cry themselves hoarse claiming that there was no stability, but at this moment, the state administration is less at risk of the BJP using its money and muscle power to poach rival MLAs and more at risk of falling apart due to its internal battles. With Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, who was given charge of the party's affairs in Karnataka, having largely been absent from the scene, it remains to be seen whether the party leadership from Delhi will step in to douse the simmering discontent within the party and also with the JD(S).Mamata further claimed that the state parties would win much more seats than the BJP in the 2019 general election.

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said the mega Opposition rally being hosted by her Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata on 19 January would sound the "death knell" for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls and regional parties would be the deciding factor.

She also claimed that the BJP's seat count in the general election will not cross more than 125.

"The number of seats that the state parties will win will be much more than the BJP's," Mamata further claimed.

"The federal parties, that is the regional parties, will be the deciding factor after the elections," she told the media in Kolkata.

"The rally will sound the death knell for BJP ... Obviously they (BJP) will not cross more than 125 seats," she said in reply to a question.

Mamata also visited the Brigade Parade grounds to check arrangements for the rally.Speaking to reporters, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the Congress-JD(S) ties were 'strong' and the parties would together fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday refuted BJP Karnataka unit chief BS Yeddyurappa's claim that Kumaraswamy was indulging in "horse-trading", saying that any accusations of poaching are untrue and being made up by the saffron party.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said that the Congress-JD(S) ties were "strong" and the parties will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha election together.

On Wednesday, the chief minister made similar statement: "MLAs (Congress MLAs in Mumbai hotel) are unreachable to the media, not to me. I am in touch with everybody and I am speaking to everybody, they will come back. Our coalition is going on smoothly. I was relaxed and I am relaxed. Don't worry, be happy."

Clarifying that his party MLAs were not being shifted to any resort, as being speculated in the media, the chief minister had said, "We are not going to shift anyone to any resort, there is no need for it."

"So I request media not to fool itself and the people of the state," he had said.

The charges of horse-trading were triggered after three Karnataka Congress MLAs visited Mumbai earlier on Monday, reportedly along with some BJP MLAs. This was followed by the Congress' allegation that the BJP was trying to poach the ruling party's MLAs to destabilise the JDS-Congress alliance government in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa refuted these charges, saying that the BJP had nothing to do with the three Congress lawmakers' Mumbai visit, and accused the Congress-JDS alliance of making a poaching bid.

"We are not indulging in any poaching. It is chief minister Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading. He himself is offering money and ministerial posts to our MLAs," Yeddyurappa said. There is also speculation that about five to eight Congress MLAs are ready to jump ship to the BJP side. However, the Congress has dismissed reports that some of its MLAs may quit, saying they are "intact".

With inputs from agenciesKCR's sudden focus on Andhra Pradesh is thanks to the fact that in Jaganmohan Reddy and the YSRC, he finds an ally with a common enemy, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telugu Desam Party.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao's meeting with Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress (YSRC) president YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday was the first time that leaders of these two parties have met. It could spell trouble during election season for Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

KT Rama Rao (or KTR) is the son of Telangana chief minister and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao and was chosen, along with a few other senior leaders, to represent him in this meeting. Clearly, the need for a federal front that does not include either the BJP or the Congress is on the forefront of KCR's political ambitions ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Yet the two big national players are not the only ones whom KCR seeks to dismantle with his "third" front.

In his nearly 50-year long political career, this is the first time that KCR has extended a hand of friendship towards a political party operating chiefly in Andhra Pradesh, reported DNA. He had, before this, shown little or no interest in the state since it was divided to form Telangana.

His sudden focus on Andhra Pradesh is primarily thanks to the fact that in Jaganmohan Reddy, KCR finds an ally with a common enemy, N Chandrababu Naidu.

This significant phone call made by KTR to Reddy on Tuesday, which led to a showcase of bonhomie at Reddy's Lotus Pond residence on Wednesday, could thus spell trouble for Naidu, especially in an environment where speculations are rife that the Andhra Pradesh chief minister is not too keen on tying up with the Congress once again.

The last time KCR and Naidu went head to head, KCR emerged resoundingly victorious as the TRS swept the 119-seat Telangana Assembly with 88 seats in December. But in the campaigns that led to the Assembly elections, Naidu and his poll ally, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, were unsparing of KCR in a way that seems to have deeply influenced KCR's future political plans, says DNA. After his December victory, KCR even announced that he would "return the gift" to Naidu, and has even called Rahul a "buffoon."

A TRS leader, reported Hindustan Times, said KCR would like nothing more than "to decimate" the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, in a repeat of his feat in Telangana, which reduced the TDP to two seats from 12 in the Assembly.

As for Jaganmohan Reddy, whose sole focus has been to assert that the TDP government has been a failure for Andhra Pradesh, the removal of Naidu is a welcome prospect. Reddy, on Wednesday, said he was ready to support anyone willing to grant Andhra Pradesh special category status. "KCR and his daughter MP Kavitha have also spoken in favour of Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh," Jagan told NDTV.

As the KCR versus Naidu battle heats up, both leaders can be credited with probing alliance options exhaustively. While KCR has met West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik, Janata Dal (United) leader and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and DMK leader MK Stalin, Naidu has met Rahul, National Congress Party's Sharad Pawar and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to forge his own alliance, since he quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in March 2018.Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) vice-president Jayant Chaudhary Wednesday met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow and held discussions on a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) vice-president Jayant Chaudhary Wednesday met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow and held discussions on a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The meeting took place at the Samajwadi Party headquarters. It comes in the backdrop of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party announcing their alliance, Saturday, leaving the RLD miffed. The RLD had earlier said talks for finding a place in the alliance were on. Jayant has demanded six of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP.

"It was a good discussion (on seat sharing) with Akhilesh and you will know the outcome soon," Jayant told reporters after the meeting. Reports said that the two leaders have also arrived at a rough agreement on seat sharing.

However, according to the 12 January announcement by BSP supremo Mayawati, the two major alliance partners took 38 seats each for themselves, leaving only two for RLD, even as they claimed that smaller parties would be accommodated.

CNN-News18 quoted RJD sources to report that efforts were on to get one more seat from the alliance to at least accomodate the top leadership of the party. The TV channel said that the last leg of negotiations were on to work out a formula where three seats  Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar  are given to RLD, cutting out one more seat from Samajwadi Party's quota. Additionally, an SP candidate will contest election from Jat-dominated Hathras seat on RLD symbol to ensure amalgamation of SP's traditional vote bank with RLD's Jat support base.

The report said that RLD chief Ajit Singh will contest from Muzaffarnagar while Jayant will be the alliance candidate from Baghpat.

The Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to leave Amethi and Rae Bareli  held by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi  uncontested even though they do not have an official understanding or alliance with the party. The official reason cited for this decision was, that the alliance did not want to allow the BJP to tie down Sonia and Rahul in their respective seats. Mayawati said we want the Congress leaders to campaign against the saffron party with full steam in other parts of the nation.

With inputs from PTIThe TRS' strategy is clear: Openly embracing the YSR Congress and forgetting the bitterness of the movement for a separate state.

TRS working president KT Rama Rao  son of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao  calling upon YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday has huge political implications, especially for Andhra Pradesh. The TRS' strategy is clear: Openly embracing the YSR and forgetting the bitterness of the movement for a separate state.

During the Telangana movement, the TRS had strong words for Jaganmohan, even calling him a "traitor". However, as the adage goes, in politics there are no permanent friends or foes. In the changed political milieu post bifurcation, YSR Congress is no longer the political rival of the TRS. As the YSR Congress refrains from contesting in Telangana, the TRS is expected to be a clear beneficiary of this new arrangement.

In Telangana, the YSR Congress party won an MP seat and three MLA seats  all in Khammam district  in 2014. But all of them defected to the TRS, thus largely weakening the party. The YSR Congress has now declared it will not be in the fray in Telangana until 2024. Interestingly, in Khammam and the adjoining Mahabubabad parliamentary segments, the TRS failed to secure a lead over the Congress-led alliance in the recent Assembly polls.

The TRS hopes to benefit from its bonhomie with YSR Congress in undivided Hyderabad and Khammam districts, where there are traditional supporters of Jaganmohan. Therefore, KCR is politically justified in taking this step. Despite expressing reservations during the Telangana polls, the TRS has now extended its support to the demand for special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Speaking after the meeting with Jaganmohan, KT Rama Rao said the TRS wholeheartedly supports the demand of Andhra people for special status, as promised by the then prime minister in Rajya Sabha.

Speaking on the relationship being forged with the TRS, Jaganmohan said Andhra Pradesh has 25 MPs and Telangana has 17 MPs, and together they can force any central government to honour its commitment to Andhra Pradesh. The TRS has declared its support for special status during the meeting with Jaganmohan to fulfill two political objectives. It gives the YSR Congress grounds to strengthen its relationship with the TRS. The special status support plays well with voters from the Seemandhra region, which now constitutes Andhra Pradesh.

On the other hand, YSR Congress sources said there are specific reasons for their decision to respond to KCR's call to join his proposed third front. The people of Andhra Pradesh are desperate for the Centre's support due to the losses it suffered during bifurcation. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has been busy jockeying for position.

In 2014, Naidu joined hands with then prime minister candidate Narendra Modi, who was all set to win. Now, he is supporting the Congress-led front. Thus, the YSR Congress is handicapped in this regard, as it only said it would support anyone at the Centre based on its demand for special status. The YSR Congress feels that this cuts no ice with the electorate.

Thus, by joining the KCR's third front, Jaganmohan can raise his national profile. The north coastal Andhra has sizeable presence of people from the Koppula Veluma caste, who have much in common with those from the Veluma caste: to which KCR belongs. During KCR's recent visit to Visakhapatnam, the Veluma Sangam made elaborate arrangements to welcome the Telangana chief minister. This caste, which largely favours the TDP, gives the party a strong hold over north coastal Andhra. YSR sources said any shift in this vote is crucial for its victory in several constituencies, which will affect the 2019 mandate.

Meanwhile, the TDP has already launched a virulent attack on Jaganmohan, describing his parleys with TRS leaders as a "surrender of Andhra pride to the Telangana chief minister". Thus, the TDP plans to rouse Andhra sentiment to reap electoral dividend. A number of TDP ministers led by Nara Lokesh (Naidu's son) criticised Jaganmohan, calling the TRS-YSR Congress tie-up as "Andhra betrayers club".

KCR executed a similar political strategy in the recent Assembly elections in Telangana when Naidu played a lead role in the campaign for Congress-led People's Front, in which TDP was also a partner. The Congress certainly paid the price. KCR portrayed it as a fight between himself and Naidu, much to the embarrassment of the Congress. Now, in a tit-for-tat, TDP is using Jaganmohan's parleys with TRS as a weapon to counter the Opposition leader. If KCR ventures to campaign for YSR Congress, TDP would certainly take an advantage.

Meanwhile, both KTR and Jaganmohan tried to give the developments a national tint: calling the TRS-YSR Congress tie-up a part of the third front. But with both parties opposing the Congress more than the BJP, the TDP has enough ammunition to fire. Naidu has been alleging that Modi is behind Jaganmohan, KCR and even Pawan Kalyan: though these days, he isn't mentioning Pawan as Naidu is hoping for a possible tie-up with the Jana Sena. The coming together of YSR Congress and TRS strange bedfellows indeed  will only add to the spice of the political rhetoric in Andhra Pradesh.Addressing a rally in the Samajwadi stronghold Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal  the younger brother of Mulayam Singh  said Mayawati had then accused him of sexual harassment

Chandauli: After tying up with former bitter rival Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav has received advice  unsolicited  from his rebel uncle Shivpal Yadav, who warned him against trusting the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief.

Shivpal Yadav referred to what is generally known as the "Lucknow guest house incident" and urged his nephew to be wary of Mayawati, who had then fired allegations against Samajwadi party leaders including him.

In 1995, Mayawati was heckled and pushed by Samajwadi Party workers at a guest house in the Uttar Pradesh capital after she pulled out of the two-year-old coalition government with the Samajwadi, then led by Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mayawati later formed a government with the BJP's support.

Addressing a rally in the Samajwadi stronghold Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal  the younger brother of Mulayam Singh  said Mayawati had then accused him of sexual harassment.

"Behenji (Mayawati) had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against me. I had said at the time that I am ready for an inquiry, I am ready for a narco test. But I wanted that Mayawati should also have a narco test done. She refused," Shivpal said.

"You can't trust people who sell tickets. Who used to abuse Netaji (Mulayam Singh)? She used to call them 'gunde (hoodlums)'. Today they have come together. Can she be trusted? She won't win many seats," said the Samajwadi rebel.

On Saturday, as Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the national election due by May, the BSP chief said she had decided to rise above the guest house incident "for the sake of the nation".

The SP and the BSP will contest on 38 seats each, while they will not field their candidate against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli. They have also kept two seats for the smaller parties.

Shivpal Yadav, who was a powerful minister in Akhilesh Yadav's government, quit the Samajwadi Party in September over a persistent feud with his nephew and floated his own party.While Karnataka Water Resource minister and coalition leader DK Shivakumar said the BJP's Operation Lotus was for real, state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa has vehemently denied its existence.

Amid the ongoing stir in Karnataka over the BJP allegedly poaching Congress MLAs from the coalition government, Karnataka Water Resource minister and coalition leader DK Shivakumar claimed that Congress and JD(S)-led coalition government in the state is stable. Additionally, he claimed that the BJP is trying to "create chaos."

While Shivakumar spoke of the BJP's Operation Lotus, which is reportedly the saffron party's plan to poach coalition MLAs and form the government in the state, state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa has vehemently denied its existence.

As part of Operation Lotus, the BJP had reportedly planned to get about 15 Congress MLAs to resign and form the government in the state. In this pursuit, the saffron party had hoarded its MLAs in a resort in Gurgaon and shifted four Congress MLAs to Mumbai and other places.

"We are aware of what has transpired there (in Mumbai) and how much has been offered to them," NDTV quoted Shivakumar as saying. He was referring to reports of six coalition MLAs travelling to the Maharashtra state capital to talk to the BJP about potentially switching parties ahead of the upcoming polls. However, as per a report from Mumbai Mirror, two of the MLAs, Bheema Naik and N Ganesh, have returned to Bangalore.

Conversely, Yeddyurappa said, "The BJP has nothing do with ruling coalition MLAs who are in Mumbai," and accused the Congress and JD(S) of trying to shift the blame on his party to cover up their "failures and inability" to keep their flock together.

"No one from the BJP has indulged in any kind of operation or luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs. We had gathered all our MLAs atone place and were discussing the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the last two-three days. Today, all are coming back," Yeddyurappa said on Thursday.

Instead, he turned around and put the blame right back at the ruling alliance, accusing Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of "horse-trading."

"We are not indulging in any poaching. It is chief minister Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading. He himself is offering money and ministerial posts to our MLAs," Yeddyurappa said on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

However, as per a report from The Times of India, Yeddyurappa is said to have realised that the required number of Congress MLAs would not resign, and allegedly told MLAs at the hotel that Operation Lotus had been dropped.

"The party high command wanted no less than 16 Congress-JD(S) MLAs to resign, that too in one go. Till Saturday, around 12 Congress MLAs had assured us they would switch sides, but they backtracked. Hence we have dropped the operation," Yeddyurappa is said to have told MLAs.

According to reports, former chief minister Siddaramaiah was instrumental in changing the Congress MLAs' minds. Siddaramaiah while leading talks with the rebel leaders, said that the Speaker of the state Assembly could sit on their resignations, adding that their move would backfire.

The stir comes a day before a Congress legislature party meeting, where party members have reportedly been warned that those who fail to show up can face the anti-defection and will be assumed to have left the party.

With inputs from agenciesEarlier in the day, BJP informed that party president Amit Shah is doing well and will soon be discharged from the AIIMS.

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Accusing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah of kidnapping Congress legislators, Congress party's Member of Parliament BK Hariprasad on Thursday mocked at Shah's illness while asking him to slow down.

Speaking to ANI, Hariprasad said, "Bogus Chanakya tried thrice and failed. They are daydreaming. Amit Shah has kidnapped four Congress MLAs and their family members will file a habeas corpus. That's why Amit Shah is suffering from swine flu so he should calm down."

Levying strong charges against BJP, he also accused the party of indulging in corruption in Rafale deal and said that the money from the deal is being used to disturb the Karnataka government.

"In Rafale, they (BJP) got Rs 30,000 crore. With that, they are trying to destabilise Karnataka government and it is a desperate attempt to divert the minds of people from issue. Even if they bring Rs 1 lakh crore it's not possible for them to destabilise Karnataka government."

Hariprasad's comment invoked a sharp reaction from BJP leaders and Union Minister Piyush Goyal lambasted Hariprasad for his statement and termed it unfair and insensitive.

"The kind of filthy and senseless statement that Congress MP BK Hariprasad has made on BJP president Amit Shah's health, it reflects the level of the Congress, there is a treatment for flu but it is difficult to treat the mental illness of Congress leaders," Goyal tweeted.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, BJP informed that party president Amit Shah is doing well and will soon be discharged from the All India Institutes of Medical Science (AIIMS) where he is currently undergoing treatment for swine flu.

Shah was diagnosed with swine flu on Wednesday and is being treated under the supervision of AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria.At least 6,000 hand-illustrated stories, of Chandamama, 36 fictional characters, 640 episodes of duo Vikram-Vetal and other documents pertaining to patents and copyright of the magazine continue to be stored in a warehouse in Mumbai

Intellectual property rights of the Chennai-based children's magazine Chandamama, that was off the stands after its owner Geodesic Ltd shut shop in 2014, are up for grabs following an order by the Bombay High Court, the Indian Express reported. As directors of the firm face allegations of money laundering and siphoning of funds, the proceeds of the sale will be deposited by the Enforcement Directorate with the special court established under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Chandamama was launched in 1947 and quickly went on to become a favourite, enjoying a wide readership until the digital revolution of the 21st century. Founded by B Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani, Geodesic came on the scene only in 2004, the report added, after reduced subscriptions and advertising revenue led the magazine into financial trouble. Around 2010, the software company re-launched Chandamama with a new design, according to a Print Week, and also undertook the task of digitising its illustrations and stories. Geodesic had also launched the magazine on the iOS platform, Medianama wrote, with an app that would let users buy and download monthly issues of the English edition.

However, the Indian Express report said that in June 2014, the official liquidator of the Bombay High Court took possession of the company's assets after the firm failed to pay $162 million (nearly Rs 1,000 crore) to its Foreign Currency Convertible Bond (FCCB) holders in April 2014.

Another report by the Indian Express had also stated that as top officials of the firm continue to be under arrest, at least 6,000 hand-illustrated stories, 36 fictional characters, 640 episodes of duo Vikram-Vetal and other documents pertaining to patents and copyright of the magazine continue to be stored in a warehouse in Mumbai. Chandamama has acquired cult status over time and has been popular among children for its stories about Indian mythology, the Vikram-Vetal duo and other moral fables.

The first issue of the magazine was published in Telugu and Tamil and towards the 1990s, the illustrated work expanded to include 13 languages such as Hindi, Sindhi, Sinhala and Sanskrit among others.At least two traffic personnel were injured on Thursday in a grenade attack by militants on a security picket at Zero Bridge in Srinagar.

Srinagar: At least two traffic personnel were injured on Thursday in a grenade attack by militants on a security picket at Zero Bridge in the city, police said.

#JammuAndKashmir: 3 persons injured after terrorists hurled grenade on security forces at Zero Bridge in Srinagar today. Injured have been admitted to a hospital and are currently stable. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/GdcxFYcSSb  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019

"Militants hurled a grenade at a security forces' picket near Zero Bridge on Rajbagh side. At least two cops were hurt in the attack," a police official said.

He said security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the attackers.

The attack took place less than 100 metres from the National Conference headquarters and the local office of the All India Radio.The Supreme Court Thursday expressed its displeasure over the Centre not disbursing funds uniformly among the state governments for the development and upgradation of infrastructure in subordinate judiciary

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday expressed its displeasure over the Centre not disbursing funds uniformly among the state governments for the development and upgradation of infrastructure in subordinate judiciary.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed the Centre to ensure that the funds should be distributed uniformly in accordance with its policy decision under which a scheme has been envisaged that the union and the state government would share the funds in the ratio of 60:40 for development of infrastructure facilities for the judiciary.

The bench, also comprising Justices LN Rao and SK Kaul, passed the order after senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said the Centre was not distributing the fund uniformly to all states and gave example of Bihar which received Rs 204.03 crore in last four years, while Odisha did not receive any fund in last five years under the scheme.

When the senior advocate along with advocates Sneha Kalita and Avnish Pandey, was making the submission, the bench said there was a need for an order to ensure that the scheme is implemented uniformly in all states.

Since Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was present in the courtroom, the bench asked him "to make sure that there is a uniform disbursal of funds".

The bench told the solicitor general to personally look into the matter as to why the difference existed regarding funding to various state governments which is affecting the administration of justice due to lack of infrastructure.

Mehta assured the bench that he will look into the matter with Hansaria and take necessary action.

Hansaria also apprised the bench that there was a huge shortage of residential accommodation in the states, and while most of the states reimburse full rent to the judicial officers in case of non-availability of government accommodation, Bihar and Odisha only reimburse 10 to 20 per cent of basic pay towards rent.

Taking note of the issue, the bench directed the high courts of Patna and Odisha to do the needful.

The apex court on Thursday was perusing the reports relating to Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Bihar and Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Odisha.

The top court was informed that state governments and concerned high courts have expedited with the filling of vacancies and infrastructure activities only after its 5 December, 2018 order.

The apex court on its own had taken note of over 5,000 vacancies for judicial officers across the country and had directed all the 24 high courts and 36 states and UTs to apprise it of remedial measures.

It is also monitoring the steps taken for developing the infrastructure in subordinate judiciary.

The top court had appointed senior advocates Shyam Divan, KV Vishwanathan, Vijay Hansaria and lawyer Gaurav Agrawal as amicus curiae and asked them to assist it in dealing with the case.

Divan would deal with the vacancies and the processes needed to fill them up in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and the Northeast states.

While Vishwanathan would assist the top court in dealing with the vacancies in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Kerala, Hansaria would deal with Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Odisha, Patna and Punjab and Haryana.

Agrawal would render assistance to the top court in dealing with the issue of vacancies in states of Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Uttarakhand.The Supreme Court has set aside certain provisions of a law imposing restrictions on the licensing and functioning of dance bars in Maharashtra.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside certain provisions of a law imposing restrictions on the licensing and functioning of dance bars in Maharashtra.

A bench headed by Justice AK Sikri quashed certain provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, like the mandatory installation of CCTVs and a partition between bar rooms and the dance floor.

The top court, however, upheld a few provisions. It allowed the payment of tips to performers but made it clear that showering of currency notes cannot be allowed.

It quashed the provision mandating that dance bars in Maharashtra should be at least a kilometre away from religious places and educational institutes.

It also upheld the condition fixing the timing of dance bars in the state from 6 pm to 11.30 pm.The Supreme Court collegium's recommendation to promote two High Court judges to Supreme Court and Centre's subsequent nod which came at 'great speed' has been criticised severely.

The Supreme Court collegium's recommendation to promote two high court judges to the Supreme Court and Centre's subsequent nod which came at "great speed" has been criticised severely. Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Delhi High Court judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna are now embroiled in this controversy.

The collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justice AK Sikri, SA Bobde, NV Ramana and Arun Mishra had caused an uproar in the legal and judicial circles by recalling its 12 December decision recommending Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajendra Menon.

On 5-6 January this year during fresh deliberatons, it scrapped the earlier recommendation and instead sent the names of Justices Maheshwari and Khanna for appointment as Supreme Court judges.

Retired senior judges have taken note of the appointments (after the President Ram Nath Kovind notified the appointments) and have reacted sharply to the decision. A sitting Supreme Court judge has written to Gogoi against the collegium's decision and former Delhi High Court judge has written to Kovind seeking his intervention in the collegium's decision to elevate Justice Khanna.

One of the biggest critics of the system, Justice J Chelameswar, at whose official residence four collegium judges, including current Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, addressed the press a year ago on the administration of the Supreme Court under the then CJI Justice Dipak Misra, indicated that nothing had changed, told The Indian Express: "This is exactly why I refused to attend the Collegium meetings in 2016. I was told by legal luminaries then that I should resign and then speak. Now, I have retired, so should I speak?"

In his 2015 order, Justice Chelameswar expressed dissent in the ruling on the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). Chelameswar's critique of the collegium system, through which he was appointed, has shaped the discourse on judicial accountability.

In October 2015, a Constitutional bench of Supreme Court struck down the NDA government's NJAC Act. However, Chelameswar wrote a strongly-worded dissent note. Chelameswar argued that to entirely eliminate the government from the selection process would against the country's democratic principles.

Here are the key takeaways from the 2015 dissent order:

"Transparency is a vital factor in constitutional governance....Transparency is an aspect of rationality. The need for transparency is more in the case of appointment process. Proceedings of the collegium were absolutely opaque and inaccessible both to public and history, barring occasional leaks."

"To hold that it (government) should be totally excluded from the process of appointing judges would be wholly illogical and inconsistent with the foundations of the theory of democracy and a doctrinal heresy," he said, adding Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi was right in his submission that exclusion of the executive branch is destructive of the basic feature of checks and balances - a fundamental principle in Constitutional theory."

"For all the above mentioned reasons, I would uphold the Amendment. However, in view of the majority decision, I do not see any useful purpose in examining the constitutionality of the Act."

Read Justice Chelameshwars dissenting judgment in full here:

Judgement 1Every morning, children of Chiraigaon village in Varanasi don their red and grey school uniforms and head to Barthakalon Secondary School  to sweep, mop and clean it.

Every morning, children of Chiraigaon village in Varanasi don their red and grey school uniforms and head to Barthakalon Secondary School  to sweep, mop and clean it.

Our school is dirty, said student Kajal Maurya, So we just clean up whenever we want to sit. We sweep our classrooms, and when were done playing outside, we clean the grounds with some water. Her peer, Reshma Kanaujiya, makes note of another task they need to do: There is no dustbin in the school right now. So, we all collect the waste, get it together in one place and burn it. She added casually, We make sure to douse the fire later.

These students of classes 9 and 10  ostensibly the bright future of their families, communities and the country  spending time everyday to clean the premises of their school, seem to be a long way off from some of the affirmative findings highlighted in the recently released ASER report, a comprehensive study of the state of rural education in India.

The students of Barthakalon Secondary School have been following this routine for months. When asked why, Kanaujiya simply said, Because the cleaner doesnt come here. And the dai only cooks.

When the Right to Education Act was brought into place in 2009, it was recognised as a step forward in ensuring universal school education. With norms laid down for pupil-teacher ratios, infrastructure and number of working days, it attempted to formalise the education system, and make quality education accessible for the children of this country. But the large concerns about the primary focus being enrollment numbers and infrastructure standards, instead of quality education, have remained.

Zoning in on Uttar Pradesh specifically, the state may be able to highlight the fact that 99.1% of all secondary and higher secondary schools in 2015-2016 had a building and 94.82% had a boundary wall  the events unfolding within those walls are questionable, to say the least.

Satendra Kumar nods in assent when asked whether the uncleanliness of the school has affected students health, We cover our faces with a handkerchief when were cleaning... if we have a cold, we blow our noses into it as well. He added matter of factly, Madam, there is a lot of dirt here.

Sudha Kumari, the school in-charge, reiterated what Kanaujiya said, The cleaner doesnt come here. He hasnt come since July [2018]. When asked what has been done about it, she said, We took our complaint to the principal, to the secretary, to the block  but nobody is listening to us. Her complaint, she claimed, had been filed in August/September 2018. Kumari added that the dai also cleans the grounds  a claim vehemently denied by the students.

The village pradhan, Kalavati was not willing to speak about the issue, but her husband, Rajendra Sinha, readily represented her, prepared for the questions coming his way. We have filed an application asking for three cleaners for the school, he said in a decisive tone, and elaborated, This is an old problem. When I joined this school in 2016, we saw that the number of cleaners coming to work had started to fall until there was no one left. We had filed an application right then. Sinha was of the opinion, however, that the problem had been dealt with, Only after filing this application did we finally get one cleaner.

By the time we got an audience with the Additional Development Officer (ADO) of the Panchayat, Ravindra Sinha, the problem seemed to not have existed, I think all the cleaners here are working diligently.

We met the singular assigned cleaner, Gulelan Prasad, who immediately went on the offensive, I go to the school to clean everyday. When asked why the children have been cleaning then, he back-pedalled, I have been busy with other work in the last couple of days. Thats why I havent gone to the school recently. When our reporter questioned the degree of uncleanliness she saw, he replied, miffed, There are three schools under me. Plus I have to do the village rounds.

Until there is some accountability for the existing situation, the students at Barthakalon Secondary School, it seems, will keep coming to their filthy school, a pen in one hand and a broom in the other.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand.The diversity argument makes huge sense for Sabarimala. Legends and history overlap with heritage because they show the journey of a nation, of a community, and its social trajectory. Aryan supremacist or not, they should be remembered and learnt from, if only not to be repeated; not overwritten.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on 17 January, 2019. It is being republished in light of the Supreme Court verdict on a batch of petitions seeking the re-examination of its decision to allow the entry of women of menstruating age into Kerala's Sabarimala Temple that is due on Thursday.

The politically incorrect family joke that my husband and I share these days involves my very sporadic kitchen duty (now a tad more frequent since I began freelancing this December). It goes something like this: Whenever I cook a meal and leave, my husband feels obliged to wipe the gas stove, the countertops and floor all over again  despite my having neat-ified said surfaces  driven by a difference in our cleaning abilities and his smouldering, obsessive desire for the clean life. He will say, "Hereby I perform the purification ceremony after The Woman has entered and left my Sabarimala".

Had he been around, my dad would have typically dismissed this debate as detracting from serious, more pressing public issues. Even I have been reluctant to write about it, and possibly to its detriment. But the Swaminarayan Ayyappa temple contretemps has snowballed into such a socially pervasive and politically divisive hot potato that it has now begun to tickle my funnybone while saddening me vis-a-vis human behaviour as manifest through its limited scope. It has resulted in some calculated gains nonetheless  the former Chief Justice Dipak Misra has officially outlawed menstruation as a "disqualifier" for women entering religious venues, and for the first time, a government has taken womens rights seriously by sticking to its mandate of implementing and upholding a court order.

The BJP governments have been sociologically status-quoist (even while they have hardly displayed a sense of heritage given that they are pulling down houses older than the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Uttar Pradesh only to build a road to the Ganga). Policy-wise, the Congress is traditionally (by longstanding custom) a debunker of indigenous knowledge and quite the inveterate fence-sitter. Everyone, including the judiciary, has made this into an equality versus religious freedom question  a dubious one, no doubt, but one in which the moral and legal priorities were clear from the get-go, as were the respective veracities of both the causes. It was left to the Left Front government and only the Left Front government to act on what is right. And the Left is right, though not wholly, on Sabarimala.

The Left has undone the resurgence of regressive Hindutva (as opposed to enlightened Hinduism) post the 1991 Kerala High Court order banning womens entry to the shrine; until then there had been a trickle of women worshippers, particularly young mothers to the hilltop, since the pagan deity Ayyanars open durbar closed eight to nine centuries ago. Stopping the hard work done by the 19th century Hindu reformers for their faith from being thus squandered is not a mean feat.

What has the Left left undone/unsaid/unaddressed? The unbridled desire to meet the deity, any deity, for darshan reeks of a certain selling of the soul, a raw hankering for undeserved benefits or deliverances obtained through the means of prayer, submission. By definition, agnosticism eschews this hankering. Atheism excludes it.

Though not commonly discussed, atheism is intrinsic to Hinduism and a part of its polymorphous history and philosophy (refer the Kapila, Charuvakya, Ajita Kesakambali, Makkhali Gosala, Purva Mimamsa school of thought). While a majority of those born into the religion but of similar moral persuasion choose not to identify as Hindu, others from among this philosophical minority live in the Hindu pantheistic cosmos, participating in its multifarious social and cultural traditions, equal owners and interpreters of these as well as the mythologies. God-believers, too, not to mention the hypothetical divine, as a matter of principle, welcome them into shrines and worshipping ceremonies  and not just to turn them, convert their faith. The only condition is that they must be respectful of the space and its many meanings.

Being a priori rational, devoid of some biases and on the whole more objective, this has not been a problem for most atheists. By this token, the fear of the Ayyappa followers that womens entry to Sabarimala was an atheist conspiracy is patently untrue. Whether Hindu or Communist or identifying as both, as a handful of them actually do (as my father did), an atheist would  under ordinary circumstances  respect the story and traditions of Ayyappa. Yet, before the Supreme Court judgment came and the Left government in the state became constrained to implement it, not many atheists of all three categories had done their bit to dispel this fear, highlighting an important gap in the discussions, even as only their position allowed them to see through the artificialness of the religion versus egalitarianism dilemma best and most easily, and come up with the exquisite cultural right argument. But perhaps restrained by the Left parties no-touch line in matters of religion, they, too, failed on that front.

With due respect to Kanakadurga and Bindu, however, as a Hindu atheist, Communist-sympathising, unapologetic #ReadyToWait-er (a demographical oxymoron, yes!), I hold it in bad taste for a (still fertile, variously suspected of/bullied for being a radical/classical) feminist to visit Sabarimala. Though I run a slight risk of not looking decrepit enough to be regarded as an aunty by angry Ayyappa fans or the Board men, with their blinkered sociological vision, I believe in the worthiness of the elderly woman equal to that of the elderly man. They, and the other #ReadyToWait-ers, really dont.

Why? I dont hold that barring women from entering Sabarimala affects their livelihood or growth in ways such as a (hypothetical) bar on womens hiking, mountaineering, walking unaccompanied or unequal pay (as a female priest) would. In fact, these are bastions already assailed and accessible. The one important fundamental right that sets Sabarimala apart from Haji Ali or Shani Shingnapur, or Agastyarkoodam, is the exquisite cultural (not religious because it defies the essential practices doctrine, but cultural) right of a minority as enshrined in the Indian Constitutions Article 29  which applies to the ayyappans who undergo the 41-day pilgrimage for the duration of this male-exclusive pilgrimage with its homosexual, mythopoetic masculist undertones (for instance, his ectogenic birth, his friendship with Vavar)  not the deitys right to privacy in and of itself because that argument has been demolished as untenable for both man and god. It is to do with the distinct nature of the pilgrimage, as separate and unique from Kumbh, for instance. It is a heritage concept. Most notably, it was not referred to in the State of Keralas arguments against the Indian Young Lawyers Associations petition or in the Supreme Courts 28 September judgment. As an Indian, I share the Sabarimala heritage, though my visit there  should and when it transpires  would be for educational tourism and non-devotional.

Now there are plenty of real anti-female bias instances built into our religious-cultural heritage. Let us contemplate: should the Gaudiya Mission now look into revising the status of ghanisttha bhakt (close associate) it has denied social reformer Chaitanya Mahaprabhus follower Madhavi Devi? Along with Svarupa Damodara Goswami, Ramananda Raya and Sikhi Mahiti, Sikhis sister Madhavi is one of the three-and-a-half confidantes of Sri Chaitanya. As a child, it was demoralising to reckon with the idea that a woman, despite being worthy, was still in theory not a full participant. Maturity, however, has bestowed the realisation that her half-a-bhakt stature implies that not only did she make the cut but was perhaps the best loved bhakt of them all.

Cultural exclusivism exists even on the other side of the male-female binary. Eight temples in India (Attukal Bhagavathy and Chakkulathukav in Kerala, Brahma Temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan, Kanyakumari, Kamrup Kamakhya, Durga Temple in Muzaffarpur, Trimbakeshwar in Nasik, and Santoshi Mata temples) all bar entry of men periodically or wholly, based both on custom and tradition. Excepting the last two, each has its own mythology-based rationale for the bar. And men respect that rationale.

In a different male-exclusive universe, say a mens group performing pagan male bonding rituals, or a gay lounge entertaining male homosexuals, wouldnt members resent a numerical predominance of women, even attempts by some of them to turn them? Dont these spaces too  if only in terms of historicity and purpose  have attached to them some strange beauty and meaning? Only a handful of queer straight (according to queer theory) or radical feminist women do earn the stripes for being a "f*g h*g" and occasionally inhabit that gay lounge. They still leave the fireside drummers alone to their secret exertions.

The diversity argument makes huge sense for Sabarimala. Legends and history overlap with heritage because they show the journey of a nation, of a community, and its social trajectory. Aryan supremacist or not, they should be remembered and learnt from, if only not to be repeated; not overwritten.

Besides, his cultural appropriation story notwithstanding, wasnt Ayyappa still within his rights to decline marriage to the vanquished Mahishi? Had she defeated him, in her turn, and overpowered him, she could not have had her way with him, for nature would have prevented that. One-on-rape is impossible without coercion or involuntary seduction. But the so-called (and unfortunately, so-affiliated) Left-Lib third wave equity/difference feminist cabal, clamouring for both womens entry to Sabarimala and menstruation leaves at workplaces, but not risking the trek themselves even under cop protection, will dub this approach victim-blaming, run from it, get the media to switch off your microphone and then shout you down.

For them, it is just about populism and being politically correct, not about true equality. The fact that Kanakadurga and Bindu hadnt been able to go home or attend work due to protests until 14 January  12 days after they ascended the shrine  shows the size of the behemoth called entrenched misogyny that they have taken on, but to them and for us, that is really another story. It establishes the necessity of the move, after all. It will be far-fetched to convince oneself that as a deity, Ayyappa changed his mind about Mahishi, without any trigger or causal circumstance, and made his will known through the Supreme Court. That would be self-serving wish fulfillment. But commission of blasphemy and sacrilege is sometimes required for the mind or the human civilisation to evolve past irrational, artificial constructs and barriers come about in the course of history and time.

Only, after all this is over, when the political Right declines after an electoral judgment-delivering, with the courts and the government having stayed firm on this course, let this sense be achieved by the people of Kerala, and of India, so that even as more and more younger women go up to the sannidhanam, and rewrite the rules of engagement and hurt unwarranted sensitivities, their population eventually narrows to one comprising scholars, artists, administrators (let the temple administration include women) and students, not worshippers and tourists. Let the living gods of masculist pride continue their dance at the hill shrine of Sabarimala. Let the Ayyappa seeking cult carry on its travels.

Let the womens movement look within and course-correct on other larger matters by the mythical light of Sabarimala.The petition in the Supreme Court seeks 24x7 security for the two women who entered the Sabarimala temple in Kerala and also to deal with protesters indulging in acts of violence, physical and/or verbal on social media or otherwise against them in accordance with the law.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Thursday it will hear on Friday a plea seeking 24x7 security for the two women who recently entered the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising listed the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices LN Rao and SK Kaul.

In the plea, one of the women, who was attacked by her mother-in-law, has sought security for both the women.

The plea sought directions to all authorities to allow women of all age groups to enter the temple without any hindrance and to ensure security and safe passage, including police security to women wishing to enter the temple in future. It also pointed to danger to her life and liberty.

"Issue writ of mandamus directing authorities to provide full security, 24x7, to the two women who have entered the temple, and to deal with protesters indulging in acts of violence, physical and/or verbal on social media or otherwise against them in accordance with the law," the petition said.

It sought directions declaring all authorities not to conduct the rite of purification or to shut the temple on account of any woman of the age of 10-50 having entered the temple.

"Issue directions to declare that the rite of purification diminishes the dignity as human beings and violates their fundamental right," it said.

It also sought directions declaring that any form of prevention of women aged between 10 to 50 years from visiting the hilltop shrine is contrary to the 28 September, 2018, judgment of the apex court.

On 28 September last year, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in a 4:1 verdict paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple, saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

Two women of menstruating age group had stepped into the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa, breaking a centuries-old tradition and defying dire threats from the Hindu right.

Kanakadurga, 44, and Bindu, 42, stepped into the hallowed precincts guarded by police three months after the apex court's historic judgment lifting the ban on entry of girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age into the shrine of Lord Ayyappa, its "eternally celibate" deity.

Following the entry of the women into the shrine, the chief priest had decided to close the sanctum sanctorum of the temple to perform the 'purification' ceremony.

The top court has said it may not start hearing pleas seeking a review of the Sabarimala verdict from January 22 as one of the judges was on medical leave.

Earlier, the apex court decided to hear in open court the review petitions against the verdict. Besides Justice Indu Malhotra and the CJI, justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud are part of the five-judge constitution bench.

Justice Malhotra had delivered the dissenting judgment in the case.

There are around 48 petitions seeking review of the judgment and they were filed following violent protests in favour and against the verdict.

Despite the Supreme Court's historic ruling, permitting women in the 10-50 age group, no children or young women in the 'barred' group were able to offer prayers at the shrine following frenzied protests by devotees and right-wing outfits.The 55-day long Kumbh Mela, which began on Tuesday, will end on 4 March. It is the largest human congregation in the world, with over 130 million pilgrims expected to participate in the festival.

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Prayagraj on Thursday, where he will unveil a large statue of Maharishi Bhardwaj, one of the Hindu sages whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas, amid the ongoing Kumbh Mela.

The statue is reportedly 30 feet tall and has been prepared in about 30 days. Kovind will also participate in an event related to Green Kumbh.

The 55-day long Kumbh Mela, which began on Tuesday, will end on 4 March. It is the largest human congregation in the world, with over 130 million pilgrims expected to participate in the festival with the belief that taking a dip in the holy water of Ganges River will pave the way for their salvation and would rid them of their sins.It's worth looking at what happened on Twitter barely 24 hours after Kotler tweeted his congratulations to Modi

Philip Kotler's latest marketing mantra: Hand Narendra Modi award, build cult Indian online following

While questions have been asked about the people and countries behind this award, it's worth looking at what happened on Twitter barely 24 hours after Kotler tweeted his congratulations to Modi upon being the first-ever recipient of the award. The following is a roundup of findings from various analytical tools that help make sense of just what happened between 15 January  when Kotler tweeted his congratulations to Modi  and 17 January, by which point the marketing guru appeared to have captured the imagination of a sizable chunk of Indian Twitterati.

Mayawati, Akhilesh's alliance eclipsed by bitter past, but SP-BSP combine threatened more by intrinsic differences

If the past must come back to haunt the alliance, it would be in the way the two parties failed to align their priorities and interests, and not the past feuds. The BJP, in contrast, is willing to combine the voter base under a much larger umbrella of religion and nationalistic fervour; then there's the agenda of development for those who still credit the prime minister with bringing about acche din.

Sabarimala temple row highlights need for womens movement to introspect and course-correct on other, larger issues

The Left has undone the resurgence of regressive Hindutva (as opposed to enlightened Hinduism) post the 1991 Kerala High Court order banning womens entry to the shrine; until then there had been a trickle of women worshippers, particularly young mothers to the hilltop, since the pagan deity Ayyanars open durbar closed eight to nine centuries ago. Stopping the hard work done by the 19th century Hindu reformers for their faith from being thus squandered is not a mean feat.

Arshad Warsi on Fraud Saiyaan, why comedy is tiring and being referred to as an 'underrated' actor

Its rare to see Arshad in the lead role (in Fraud Saiyaan), but thats not something that drove him to take the film. I do films if I like the script. The number of heroes in the film doesn't matter. Secondly, a comedy coming from Prakash Jha is like being in an altogether different space because he usually makes very issue-based films. I was surprised that someone has written a film like this, said Arshad.

Gillette's controversial ad sets bar really low by asking men to be better

In truth, of course the film depicts some toxic male behaviour. It also, to be fair, makes the distinction that only some men behave in these noxious ways. About midway, the voiceover says, Some [men] already are [saying the right thing, acting the right way] in ways big and small. And it actually has very little to do with MeToo, since it doesnt ever mention womens courage and risk that are at the heart of the movement. Rather, it arrives at some solidarity from an angle, asking men to become part of the conversation and not leave it only to women to educate or reprimand other mens bad behaviour.This is the second leg of raids being conducted by the NIA in connection with the terror module active in India. Earlier, five people were arrested in raids conducted across 16 locations

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted raids at seven places in western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in connection with the investigation of the recently registered case of Islamic State(IS)-inspired module, which was allegedly planning suicide attacks and serial blasts, targeting politicians and government installations, in Delhi and other parts of north India. A Maulvi has been detained from Ludhiana for his alleged links with the IS.

This is the second leg of raids being conducted by the top investigating agency in connection with the terror module active in India. The NIA said that searches were being conducted based on inputs from interrogation of the people arrested for allegedly being part of a new IS module called 'Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam'.

The agency has arrested 12 people in this connection since December last year, the latest of these being arrest of Muhammad Absar (24) from Hapur on 12 January.

On 26 December, the NIA raided 16 locations across Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi and arrested five people for alleged connections to Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam. The head of the said module, Suhail, was also arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Amroha during the last set of raids. The agency searched various locations in several districts of Western Uttar Pradesh including Meerut, Hapur and Muzaffarnagar to trace suspects with links to terror outfits.

Inspector General of Police of Uttar Pradesh ATS Asim Arun confirmed that a large number of explosives such as ammonium nitrate have been recovered in the raids, adding that the suspects were planning a big terror strike. A pistol has also been recovered from the raids.

The agency had seized a locally made rocket launcher, material for suicide vests and 112 alarm clocks to be used as timers besides recovering 25 kilogrammes of explosive material  Potassium Nitrate, Ammonium Nitrate and Sulphur.

The group had allegedly purchased remote-controlled cars and wireless doorbells to use their circuits in assembling remote-controlled improvised explosive devices.

Besides, the NIA had also seized steel containers, electric wires, 91 mobile phones, 134 SIM cards, 3 laptops, knife, sword, ISIS-related literature during the searches conducted earlier.

In a similar but unrelated incident, the NIA had conducted raids on the properties owned by seven persons in various parts of Tamil Nadu over their alleged links with the dreaded Islamic State group. The raids were conducted at Otteri in Chennai, Tindivanam near Villupuram, Kuniyamuthur, Ukkadam, and Variety Hall Road in Coimbatore district between 6.45 am to 8.30 am on 19 December, Hindustan Times reported. Many Kashmir based students were arrested last year in Punjab for their links with terror groups.

With inputs from agenciesNIA hands over copies of electronic and documentary evidence to pro-Pakistani separatist and Dukhtaran-e-Millat head Aasiya Andrabi in a case against her for allegedly waging war against the country

New Delhi: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) Thursday handed over copies of electronic and documentary evidence to pro-Pakistani separatist and Dukhtaran-e-Millat head Aasiya Andrabi in a case against her for allegedly waging war against the country.

The NIA supplied the documents, filed along with the charge sheet, to Andrabi and her two associates  Sofi Fehmeeda and Naheeda Nasreen  on the court's directions.

The agency also informed special judge Rakesh Syal that a report from Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh was awaited and would be handed over to her later.

The accused were produced before the court. The three are currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.

The court has now put up the matter for further hearing on 5 March for scrutiny of documents.

The three were arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in April and the case was later transferred to the NIA in July.

According to the NIA, Andrabi, Fehmeeda and Nasreen were using various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and TV channels, including some in Pakistan, to spread "insurrectionary imputations and hateful messages and speeches against India".

It had said the Dukhtaran-E-Millat, a banned terrorist organisation, through Andrabi and others openly advocates secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India and its merger with Pakistan through violent means.

The agency had said the organisation was engaged in anti-India activities and had been inciting the general populace of Kashmir for an armed rebellion against the Government of India with aid and assistance of terrorist organisations based in Pakistan.

According to the NIA, the investigation has established that Andrabi, as the chief of Dukhtaran-E-Millat, used social media and other platforms to abet waging of war against the Government of India.

"She is spreading seditious and insurrectionary imputations against the Government of India. She is promoting ill-will and enmity between different communities in India on religious grounds.

"Investigation has also established that she has close contacts with designated global terrorist Hafeez Mohammad Saeed who is the head of Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Lashkar-e-Taiba, internationally designated terrorist organisations that are based in Pakistan," it had alleged.

The NIA had levelled similar charges against Fehmeeda, personal secretary to Andrabi, and Dukhtaran-E-Millat's general secretary Nasreen.

They have collected funds to carry out terrorist activities of Dukhtaran-E-Millat and have used public platforms to incite Kashmiri youths to rise in armed rebellion against the government with the objective of securing the cessation of Kashmir from India and its merger with Pakistan, it had alleged.Modi praised the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and said it was among the few organisations in the country which can commit to making world-class facilities for the service of the people.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat): A total of seven lakh poor people have been guaranteed free treatment at hospitals in just 100 days with an average of 10,000 people in the country receiving free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

"With its emphasis on improving primary health care centres in the country, the BJP-led government is working to open 1.5 lakh centres by 2022," the Prime Minister said at the inauguration ceremony of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical and Research in Ahmedabad.

He said that the government has opened around 5000 Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras, where medicines are available for as much as 50 percent below market rates.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Modi lauded Sardar Patel for his contribution to healthcare in the country.

"The country knows Patel Sahab as a visionary leader and a messiah for the farmers but along with that, he was very enthusiastic about cleanliness and health. He contributed to the implementation of a number of health services," Modi said.

"When he was the mayor of Ahmedabad, cleanliness and health were his top priorities. Today, wherever his soul is, will be greatly satisfied to see his city flourish in this way," he added.

He also praised the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and said it was among the few organisations in the country which can commit to making world-class facilities for the service of the people.

Built at a cost of Rs 750 crore by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the super-speciality hospital is equipped with modern amenities and equipment . "This 1500-bed hospital will take Ahmedabad's health services to a whole new level. This is the first government hospital with a helipad for the air ambulance," Modi said.

Modi also announced that along with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institue of Medical and Research, there would also be another hospital which will be affiliated with the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

"The poor people are afraid to even step into such hospitals, thinking that treatment will be very expensive there. But I am very satisfied to say that as part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the poor will receive treatment for free," Modi said.

"In little time, the Ayushman Bharat scheme has given a sense of security to the poor as far as health is concerned. 50 crore people now believe that during serious ailment, the government is with them, they no longer need to risk selling their homes and lands to pay for treatment," he added.

"We know the struggles of the poor and thus we are committed to providing equal opportunities for them in every section of the society. No one should be left behind because of the lack of opportunities. This is sabka saath, sabka vikaas, this is the foundation of New India," Modi said.

The prime minister is presently on a three-day visit to Gujarat, starting on Thursday. He will be visiting Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Hazira.The post of CBI chief has been lying vacant ever since Verma was removed as CBI director and further appointed as the director general fire service in the meeting on 10 January, in which Kharge gave his dissent.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Selection Committee will meet on 24 January to appoint a new Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief after Alok Verma's removal from the post last week.

Besides Modi, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are other members of the panel.

According to The Times of India, the IPS officers from 1983-1985 batches are being considered for the CBI director post. The front-runners include DG BSF Rajni Kant Mishra, NIA chief YC Modi, CISF DG Rajesh Ranjan and DGP Uttar Pradesh OP Singh.

According to the Tribune, Mumbai Police Commissioner Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is another front-runner for the top CBI post, while Kerala Police chief Loknath Behera and Special Secretary (Internal Security) Rina Mitra are also being considered.

The newspaper also said that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had expedited the process to shortlist three names for placing them before the PM-led panel.

The Congress has been attacking the prime minister for not appointing a regular CBI director. Kharge had also written to the prime minister demanding a meeting of the selection committee to appoint a regular CBI director.

The government had proposed to hold the meeting on 21 January but was shifted to 24 January upon Kharges request, PTI quoted sources as saying.

Referring to IPS officer M Nageswara Rao's appointment as the interim director of the CBI after Verma's removal, Kharge had earlier said that the agency cannot be run by an interim director, whose appointment he termed as "illegal".

The post of CBI chief has been lying vacant ever since Verma was removed as CBI director and further appointed as the Director General Fire Service in a meeting of the selection committee on 10 January, in which Kharge gave his dissent.

Verma was ousted within 48 hours after the Supreme Court reinstated him.

Kharge had opposed the removal of Verma and instead demanded that he be compensated as the government removed him from the post for 77 days and thus be given an extension.

With inputs from PTIThe rescue teams  which included the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)  detected the body of a miner on Tuesday, with the help of an underwater remotely-operated vehicle (ROV).

Over a month after 15 miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya, the Indian Navy recovered the body of one of the miners from the site at East Jaintia Hills. The body was found at a depth of more than 200 feet as the search operation for the rest of the miners continued.

#MeghalayaMineTragedy #Flash One body detected by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV at a depth of approx 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/sP1sv6ikRn  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 17, 2019

According to News18, the rescue teams  which included the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)  detected the body of a miner on Tuesday, with the help of an underwater remotely-operated vehicle (ROV). On their Twitter handle, the Indian Navy clarified that the body has been pulled upto the mouth of rat-hole mine and will be extracted only under the supervision of doctors.

Meghalaya: Operation continues to rescue the miners who have been trapped in a mine at Ksan near Lytein River in East Jaintia Hills, one body has been recovered. The miners are trapped since 13th December. #meghalayaminers pic.twitter.com/trqWsHmzwc  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019



On 13 December, water from nearby Lytein river flooded a network of tunnels in a coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills, trapping 15 men and prompting a rescue attempt that has failed to yield any result so far.

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday banned transportation of coal in Meghalaya till 19 February, refusing a plea by the miners to send extracted coal left to transport since the 2014 National Green Tribunal ban on mining.

Meghalaya chief secretary Y Tsering issued an order directing authorities to ensure compliance of the directions of the Supreme Court without fail. "In pursuance of the directions of the Supreme Court in its sitting Tuesday as communicated by the learned advocate general, transportation of coal in the state of Meghalaya is hereby stopped with immediate effect," Tsering said in his order.

A citizens' forum in Meghalaya, in which RTI activist Agnes Kharshiing was part of, had demanded the Supreme Court to issue a complete ban on coal mining/transportation in the state. The forum alleged collusions between the state government and the illegal coal miners wherein the courts and the NGT were misled on several occasions on the total amount of extracted coal waiting to be transported. The Supreme Court has also rapped the Meghalaya government for failing to curb illegal mining.

Due to lack of employment opportunities, the youth from states like Assam and Meghalaya are forced to take up mining jobs. A newbie miner can earn Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a day, while an experienced one can make up to Rs 4,000. A daily wage labourer in Assam, on the other hand, can only make Rs 300-400 daily, according to this Firstpost report.

On 13 December, water from nearby Lytein river flooded a network of tunnels in a coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills, trapping 15 men and prompting a rescue attempt that has failed to yield any result so far. Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat-holes", as each just about fits one person.

A three-member committee of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Meghalaya Police to investigate into nearly 1200 cases of illegal quarrying across the state.

An official said the police have been told that their probe should reach a logical conclusion after taking into account all 1200 cases of illegal rat-hole mining in East Garo Hills, South-West Khasi Hills and West and East Jaintia Hills districts.

The navy has augmented a total of 5 naval ROVs on site for the search operation. On 11 January, the Meghalaya government told a Supreme Court bench of Justices AK Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer that one crore litre of water had been pumped out from the illegal mine but seepage form nearby rivers was creating hurdles in the operation. The counsel told the court that the person running the illegal mine where the incident took place had been arrested.

The bench will next hear the matter on 18 January.

With inputs from agenciesMayawati, when she announced the alliance, brought up the infamous guest house incident obliquely hinting that the embers of the past still remain but she is consciously choosing to bury the hatchet

BJP's growing might has once again brought together two arch rivals, who had a bitter fallout the last time they united to stop the saffron juggernaut. Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav Saturday formally announced that Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election together, repeating an electoral experiment they successfully conducted in 1993 with windfall returns. However, while the alliance perfectly aligns the caste matrix in the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh, it also puts in sharp focus the ugly spat the two parties had back in 1995 when BSP pulled the plug on the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led government.

Mayawati too, when she announced the alliance, brought up the infamous guest house incident obliquely hinting that the embers of the past still remain but she is consciously choosing to bury the hatchet for a better political future. With Akhilesh at her side, Mayawati briskly referred to the 1995 incident  when she was harassed and held hostage by SP workers at a guest house  stating that she was ready to forgive and forget the past. There are some stray notes of discord from within the SP too. For example, Samajwadi Party MLA Hariom Yadav created controversy by stating that the SP-BSP alliance would survive only as long as SP president Akhilesh bowed to the wishes of Mayawati. Then, the question remains whether the cadres of the two parties, who have spent decades nursing the animosity, will be able to adopt this new tone of bonhomie and work together.

An answer in the affirmative to the aforementioned question is not only necessary for the alliance to make a significant impact, but its also key to ensure that the two parties stick together for future electoral battles.

However, any speculations or analysis as to whether the alliance will succeed this time is incomplete without understanding what led the fall-out of the two parties 26 years ago.

The infamous guest house incident

The incident still remembered as one of the ugliest episodes in the political history of Uttar Pradesh, unfolded on 2 June, 1995 when Mayawati, then the general secretary of BSP had withdrawn support from the Mulayam-led government. She made the announcement public at a rally in Lucknow and proceeded to the UP State Guest House at Mirabai Marg, where she was holding a meeting with her party's MLAs. However, as per various accounts, scores of SP workers, with no explicit objection from the party's top leadership, surrounded the guest house and started ransacking the building. As per various accounts chronicled at the time, the situation turned so bizarre that the SP workers, egged on by party MLAs, beat up BSP MLAs with lathis and stones, and snapped the electric and water supply of the government guest house while hurling casteist and sexist abuses at Mayawati. She was forced to lock herself up in a room at the guest house as SP workers continued the rampage and the local police remained a mute spectator.

Mayawati was finally rescued by BJP lawmaker Brahmdutt Dwivedi. It is said that out of respect for Dwivedi, Mayawati never fielded a candidate against his widow even as she fought BJP tooth and nail.

The beginning of the falling out

Although the larger blame for sealing the animosity between the two parties is pinned on the guest house incident, signs that the two parties are barely getting along were visible for a long time. If anything substantiates this best, it is the manner in which BSP unilaterally ended the alliance. All Mulayam got was barely a note sent through PL Punia, the Congress leader who was then an influential IAS officer in the UP Secretariat.

If the account as recounted in The Indian Express is to be believed, the fall of Mulayam's government can be counted among one of the most uncourteous withdrawals of support from an alliance government. The report states that Mulayam was left red-faced in a meeting of SP leaders from across the state, when Punia, walked in uninvited and simply handed him a note. Those present at the meeting recall that Mulayams manner changed as he read the note. He simply announced that the party workers should prepare for elections and abruptly ended the meeting. It was later revealed that Punia had come in to inform Mulayam that the BSP was about to pull the plug on his coalition government.

However, the problems for the alliance had been increasing at a more fundamental level since months as both partners represented the interests of widely different groups and both parties were political greenhorns. While Mulayam favoured the cause of OBC's and his Yadav community, Kanshi Ram and Mayawati rose to prominence following a different political trajectory, representing Scheduled Castes and staunchly opposing the upper caste hegemony.

And the interests of these two groups were antagonistic in several parts of Uttar Pradesh. As accounted in Ajoy Bose's biography of Mayawati, Behenji: A Political Biography of Mayawati, conflicts about agricultural labourer's wages and land rights became more pronounced after 1993 elections as both Dalit and OBC communities had become politically assertive with their respective caste messiah's in power. There was a sharp rise in cases of atrocities against Dalits under the Mulayam-led government, which steadily built the perception that would have been difficult for BSP to shake off. Caste riots and clashes became so common in the state that within the first four months of SP-BSP government, as many as 60 incidents of violence were reported, and the victims predominantly constituted Dalits.

The book narrates a specific incident that best explained this dilemma for the ruling coalition partners. Trouble erupted in Meerut in 1994 when Dalits were increasingly arrested by the idea of installing Ambedkar statues in upper caste thickets. However, some members of the upper caste chose to oppose this, leading to angry demonstrations by the Dalits. The predominantly Yadav constabulary cracked down on the Dalits and opened fire to disperse protesters, killing at least two Dalits.

Then there was the natural ego clash of two towering leaders, both regional satraps, trying to control the government.

A Hindustan Times report recalls the atmosphere within the alliance in these words: "While Mulayam was the CM, Mayawati was the super CM. Both she and Kanshi Ram used to call the shots holding fortnightly monitoring of the governments performance that culminated with the public humiliation of Mulayam."

Bose's book quotes the excerpt of Mayawati's interview to a Hindi political magazine Maya where she unflinchingly talks about disquiet within the alliance even in the early days. She also speaks forthrightly about the 'super CM' tag. She states that the alliance was forged on the promise that Mulayam would takes care of Dalit interests and makea adjustments to include the Bahujan Samaj in the bureaucracy. However, Mayawati alleged that Mulayam instead replaced the few Dalit bureaucrats that were present with his own favourites from the Yadav community. "That is when Kanshi Ram ji ordered me to go to Lucknow from time to time and check on the Mulayam Singh government. After all if we are partners in the government, it is our responsibility to ensure that the government is functioning properly... What can I do if people think I am the super chief minister."

Both parties have aged politically since then and have learnt the art of realpolitik. SP embraced its long-time enemy Congress in the last Assembly elections, while Mayawati has faced more than a few humbling defeats to appreciate the necessity of the alliance for political survivor. The change in guard within SP too had remarkably favoured the genesis of a fresh alliance; Mayawati would have found it much more difficult to make peace with Mulayam and share a stage with him. Therefore, the long-standing animosity between the cadres and the indelible guest house incidents may make matters tough but are not lasting impediments in the path of a successful alliance. But the intrinsic differences between their voter base is a much harder difference to overcome when running a government together, or even asking for votes.

If the past must come back to haunt the alliance, it would be in the way the two parties failed to align their priorities and interests, and not the past feuds. The BJP, in contrast, is willing to combine the voter base under a much larger umbrella of religion and nationalistic fervour; then there's the agenda of development for those who still credit the prime minister with bringing about acche din.

With inputs from PTIAs directed by the Supreme Court, the Centre submitted an affidavit, informing it that a search committee had been formed. But reports said the panel has not met in the past 100 days.

The Supreme Court on Thursday is scheduled to hear the matter of the appointment of the Lokpal, while reports say the appointment of the anti-corruption body itself is likely to be delayed.

As directed by the apex court on 4 January, the Centre on Thursday submitted an affidavit to the court, informing it that a search committee had been formed. However, according to CNN News18, the search committee has not held any meetings in the past 100 days, which points to a delayed hearing.

The Modi government, on 28 September, had constituted the eight-member search committee, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption authority.

The committee, formed despite concerns raised by the Congress, has former chief of the State Bank of India Arundhati Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati chairperson A Surya Prakash and Indian Space Research Organisation head AS Kiran Kumar as members.

Besides them, former judge of the Allahabad High Court Justice Sakha Ram Singh Yadav; former Gujarat Police chief Shabbirhusein S Khandwawala; retired IAS officer Lalit K Panwar; and former Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar are the other members of the panel, according to an official order issued by the personnel ministry.

Meanwhile, social activist Anna Hazare, seeking the implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, on 7 January said he will go on a hunger strike starting 30 January at his village in Ralegan Siddhi. According to The Indian Express, Hazare wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it was "becoming difficult to bear the lies of the government."

Hazare wrote, "In our country, the Constitution is right on top. To run the country on democratic principles, Parliament has been set up as a constitutional body. No matter which party the government belongs to, to run the country on democratic lines, it is important to abide by the decision of a constitutional body But you and your government are not implementing the decision of constitutional bodies. I think this is a threat to our democracy."

The veteran social activist had earlier announced he would launch a hunger strike on 2 October, 2018, at his village over non-appointment of the Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states. But he had withdrawn the proposed protest after the Maharashtra government assured him that it will look into his demands.

With inputs from agenciesIn the latest twist to the Karnataka poaching row, BJP state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa has alleged that CM HD Kumaraswamy has been 'horse-trading' by offering money and ministerial posts to BJP MLAs.

Bengaluru: BJP Karnataka unit chief and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has alleged that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was indulging in "horse-trading" by offering money and ministerial posts to his MLAs.

"We are not indulging in any poaching. It is chief minister Kumaraswamy who is indulging in horse-trading. He himself is offering money and ministerial posts to our MLAs," Yeddyurappa said here on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

BJP MLAs from Karnataka who have camped themselves in Gurugram since Monday evening said that they were here to make strategies for the coming Lok Sabha polls and had not run away fearing poaching by the ruling Congress-JDS alliance.

The charges of horse-trading were triggered after three Karnataka Congress MLAs visited Mumbai earlier on Monday, reportedly along with some BJP MLAs.

This was followed by the Congress' allegation that the BJP was trying to poach the ruling party's MLAs to destabilise the JDS-Congress alliance government in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa has refuted these charges, saying that his party had nothing to do with the three Congress lawmakers' Mumbai visit, and accused the Congress-JDS alliance of making a poaching bid.

Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has also accused Yeddyurappa of fabricating stories, adding that there was no need for the Congress-JDS alliance to poach on any party's lawmakers.Although the Supreme Court collegium sought to explain the volte-face in a release on 10 January, very few people were convinced provided for taking such a decision.

In a profound example of how appointment to higher judiciary needs pathbreaking reforms, two high court chief justices were selected in December but dumped later by the Supreme Court collegium and replaced by another two in another collegium meet in January.

Although the Supreme Court collegium sought to explain the volte-face in a release on 10 January, very few people were convinced.

"While recommending the names of Mr. Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna the Collegium has taken into consideration combined seniority on all-India basis of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of High Courts, apart from their merit and integrity. The Collegium has also kept in mind the desirability of giving due representation on the Bench of the Supreme Court, as far as possible, to all the High Courts," the release said.

Venting his ire, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court AP Shah said, "What has happened in this instance shows that the Collegium system continues to be opaque, secretive and unaccountable. The judges deciding the NJAC case spoke of reforms, what happened to that? There are no reforms, and no move to change anything. What happened between December and January? Only one Judge in the Collegium changed. Now this is routine in Collegium, such changes will take place."

Following are the profiles of the four judges who grabbed the headlines and had their shares of tears and cheers:

Justice Pradeep Nandrajog

Disappointment would be profound for Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, who got abruptly dropped from being promoted as a Supreme Court judge. Ironically, he was rejected by the same Supreme Court Collegium which had earlier considered him fit for the post. The collegium  consisting of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Madan B Lokur, AK Sikri, SA Bobde and NV Ramana  met on 12 December, 2018, and decided on appointments to the apex court.

However, after Justice Lokur retired on 31 December, the new Collegium, now including Justice Arun Mishra, met again on 5-6 January, revoked the earlier decision and recommended fresh names. This is when Justice Nandrajog got axed from the promotion list only to be superseded by Justice Sanjeev Khanna, who surprisingly superseded 31 other judges while being recommended for this coveted post.

Born on 24 February, 1958, Justice Nandrajog took over as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 2 April, 2017. He was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1981. He specialised in litigations pertaining to arbitration, commercial, service, election, land revenue, company and miscellaneous writ matters.

Justice Nandrajog was a counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for about six years and was also the nominated Counsel for the Election Commission of the Government of NCT Delhi.

Son of a former Delhi High Court judge justice Prithvi Raj, Justice Nandrajog started his schooling in Shimla where he enrolled himself first at the Auckland House School and later on shifted to St Edwards School for the primary section. A Chemistry graduate from the University of Delhi in 1978, Justice Nandrajog did his LLB from the same university in 1981.

With a career spanning about 22 years, Justice Nadrajog was appointed as the additional judge of the Delhi High Court on 20 December, 2002 and became a permanent judge in the same court on 16 April, 2004.

While delivering a farewell speech on the elevation of Justice Nandrajog as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 30 March, 2017, the then chief justice of Delhi High Court G Rohini had said, "Justice Nandrajog is known for his precise articulation and felicity of expression. His far-sightedness coupled with extraordinary intellect and desire to decide even the most complex and difficult issues is vividly reflected in his judgments. His judgments are also testimony to his liberal attitude in dispensing justice to the underprivileged and vulnerable groups of the society."

Justice Nandrajog had been part of many key judgments when it comes to divorce cases.

On 17 February 2017, Justice Nandrajog as a part of a Delhi High Court bench comprising himself and Justice Yogesh Khanna had taken a grim view of children being used as a tool of vengeance by parents in divorce cases as a part of custody battles.

According to Livelaw, the high court bench had observed, "A perusal of Article 39 (e) & (f) of the Constitution of India would guide that of the various fundamental rights of a child, one valuable right is to get love and affection from both parents, right to quality of life, right to be cared and the right to develop a sense of belonging.

In another landmark judgment on 3 November, 2016, Justice Nandrajog along with Justice Pratibha Rani had said that denial of sex to husband during pregnancy does not amount to cruelty in the Sumit vs Preeti case.

According to Livelaw, the duo observed, The plea that Preeti denied consortium to Sumit after August 2012, even if truth has to be understood in light of the fact that by the third week of May 2012, Preeti was in the family way, the girl child being born to the couple on January 23, 2013. Carrying a foetus in the womb, Preeti would obviously be inconvenienced by sex and assuming she totally shunned sex with the petitioner as her pregnancy grew would not constitute cruelty.

On 6 February, 2017, Justice Nandrajog and Justice Yogesh Khanna had said in another verdict that "an act of infidelity by either spouse, irrespective of the gender, is on an equal footing and would cause mental cruelty to the other spouse with the same intensity."

Criticising the CJI Gogoi-led Supreme Court Collegium for abruptly preventing Justice Nandrajog's elevation, former chief justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Shah said according to a report in The Indian Express, "I have worked with Justice Nandrajog and he is a very fine judge, as are others superseded."

Justice Rajendra Menon

Delhi High Court Chief Justice Justice Rajendra Menon's name was also removed from the elevation list as an apex court judge by the Supreme Court collegium.

A science graduate from Government Science College, Jabalpur under Rani Durgawati University and law graduate in 1981 from NSE Law College, Jabalpur, Menon was born on 7 June 1957.

From 1991, Justice Menon was standing counsel for several private and public sector undertakings like South Eastern Coal Fields Ltd, Northern Coalfields Ltd, Western Coalfields Ltd., Syndicate Bank, Union Bank of India, Vijaya Bank, Rani Durgawati University, MP Dairy Development Corporation, Associated Companies Ltd, Reliance Industried Limited, Tata Motors and various other establishments until he was elevated to the bench on April 2002 as additional judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Prior to becoming Acting Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court from 13 May, 2016 to 14 March, 2017, he was with the Gwalior Bench and then with the Principal Bench in Jabalpur. He was also the welfare commissioner for the Bhopal Gas Victims Compensation Commission between December, 2010 and March, 2015. Justice Menon was elevated as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court on 15 March 2017 and continued till 7 August, 2018 after which he was shifted to Delhi High Court as Chief Justice on 9 August 2018.

Chief Justice Menon had been part of key judgments in his long career spanning decades.

In December last year, a bench of Justice Menon and Justice VK Rao of the Delhi High Court grabbed headlines when they ordered a ban on the sale of online medicines by e-pharmacists across the country and directed the Centre and the AAP government to immediately implement the order.

In another case, according to a report in The Indian Express, the Maintenance Tribunal constituted under The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 has the power to evict legal heirs from self-acquired or ancestral property of parents on account of ill-treatment or non-maintenance. A bench comprising Chief Justice Menon and Justice VK Rao while upholding the 18 July order of a single judge and a district magistrate, who had directed her to vacate the first-floor of her in-laws house, said, "It is high time that senior citizens/parents are allowed to live in peace and tranquility, the orders passed by the Maintenance Tribunal and the Single Judge cannot be faulted."

However, Chief Justice Menon has his own share of controversy as well.

On 16 July, 2018, former additional solicitor general of India Indira Jaising in a stinging piece criticising the Supreme Court Collegium's decision to transfer Chief Justice Menon to Delhi High Court had referred to the "incriminating comments from a Joint Inquiry Committee led by Justice Banumathi, as per he (Chief Justice Menon) has been found guilty of wrongfully and punitively transferring a former woman ADJ who had accused Justice S K Gangele of Madhya Pradesh of sexually harassing her."

Nevertheless, expressing his disappointment over Justice Menon's rejection as a Supreme Court judge, former chief justice of Delhi High Court Justice Shah said, "Why the decision on Justice Menon has been reversed is also a mystery. This will have a very demoralising effect on the system."

On Wednesday, the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) appealed to the Supreme Court Collegium to consider the candidature of Justice Menon for elevation to the Supreme Court. According to Livelaw, the BCD resolution said, "It is further resolved that the Senior Judges of the Delhi High Court as also the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, who have been ignored by the Collegium should be considered by the Collegium and elevated by the Hon'ble Supreme Court along with Justice Sanjeev Khanna, who has already been recommended vide Resolution dated 10.01.2019."

Justice Sanjiv Khanna

From the ongoing controversy over the judges' appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Sanjiv Khanna of the Delhi High Court seems to be the biggest beneficiary. His name came up in the collegium meet held on 5-6 January where his name was put forward to be promoted as a Supreme Court judge. Surprisingly, Justice Khanna supersedes 32 other judges to become a part of the apex court. His elevation shocked many and was subjected to severe criticism by many legal luminaries.

As per a Livelaw report, former Delhi High Court judge and senior advocate Kailash Gambhir wrote to the President of India, questioning the Supreme Court Collegium's recommendations.

"I humbly urge your Excellency to kindly ponder over as the head of our largest democracy in the world with a robust judiciary and having remained a part of the legal fraternity, and see yourself that the way the present collegium of five eminent senior Judges have superseded almost 32 Judges, how will the democracy and independency of judiciary in the country survive," Gambhir wrote.

The Bar Council of India also protested the Supreme Court collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Khanna to the apex court by superseding several other judges and termed the decision as "whimsical and arbitrary".

The BCI, which is an apex body of lawyers, said the decision of the five-member collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was viewed by the Bar and the common man as "unjust and improper". Justice Khanna stands at Sl.No. 33 in the combined seniority of high court judges on all-India basis.

Born on 14 May, 1960, Justice Khanna, a Delhi University graduate, had joined the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. According to the Delhi High Court website, his area of practice included included taxation, arbitration, commercial, environment & pollution and writ jurisdiction matters.

It goes on to say that "as an advocate, he had handled several matters of medical negligence under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, and company law matters before the Company Law Board and the Delhi High Court". Justice Khanna was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on 24 June, 2005 and became a permanent judge on 20 February, 2006.

Among the key judgment that Justice Khanna has been part of, the Delhi High Court on 23 May, 2011 had came down heavily on the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission "for not keeping within the statutory role ascribed to it".

According to a Governance Now report, the court said, "The commission under the 2003 Act is required to deal with the aspect of tariff determination with intellectual integrity, transparent functionalism and normative objectivity and not act in a manner by which its functioning invite doubt with regard to its credibility."

The judgment also reprimanded the Delhi government for unjustifiably intruding and encroaching on the functions of the commission by interdicting. The then Delhi High Court chief justice Dipak Mishra, who later went on to become the Chief Justice of India, was also part of the two-judge bench.

Justice Dinesh Maheshwari

Overlooked by the Supreme Court collegium in its December meeting, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari has been fortunate enough in January to have got the collegium nod to join the apex court as a judge. According to an Indian Express report, reacting to Justice Maheshwari's appointment, former CJI RM Lodha said, "It is strange that Justice Maheshwari is recommended six weeks after being superseded."

However, Justice Maheshwari also does not fall in the seniormost category.

A communique on the Supreme Court website announcing Justice Maheshwari's elevation said,"Mr Justice Dinesh Maheshwari stands at Sl No 21 in the combined seniority of High Court Judges on all-India basis."

Former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Maheshwari was born on 15 May, 1958 and graduated in law from Jodhpur University in 1980. Starting his career as an advocate on 8 March, 1981, he mainly practised mainly on litigation related to civil and constitutional aspects.

Justice Maheshwari had joined the Rajasthan High Court on 2 September, 2004 and later joined Allahabad High Court on 19 July, 2014. He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court on 24 February, 2016 before being transferred to the High Court of Karnataka on 12 February, 2018 in the same capacity.

In his capacity as a judge, Justice Maheswari has been involved in many important verdicts during the course of his career.

As per a Livelaw report, in a order passed on 21 November, 2018 on the misuse of PILs along with Justice S Sujatha by the Karnataka High Court, the bench observed, "Public Interest Litigation cannot be used as a tool to wreck vengeance as well as to malign the morale of the officers. The fundamental object of public interest litigation is to enforce fundamental rights and genuine infraction of statutory provisions but not to set right the private dispute or to bring the parties to terms."

Giving the court's view on the legality and powers of a deputy chief minister on 5 July, 2018, a Karnataka High Court bench comprising Justice Maheshwari and Justice Krishna S Dixit dismissed a PIL that challenged the appointment of G Parmeshwar as deputy chief minister of Karnataka with costs.

The court said, "We are clearly of the view that with the consistent decisions of the Honble Supreme Court as also of different High Courts, it is beyond the pale of doubt that mere description of any Minister in the Council of Ministers as Deputy Chief Minister does not confer the person concerned with any powers of the Chief Minister and does not result in any unconstitutionality."

In another case by the same bench on 11 October, 2018, the court dismissed a plea by Vijay Mallya seeking restoration of his appeal filed before the Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal that had dismissed his appeal as he did not deposit a sum of Rs 3,101 crore within prescribed time. "The bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Krishna S. Dixit observed that the 2016 amendment to Section 21 of Recovery of Debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 that restricted the power of DRAT to waive pre-deposit not below 25% of decreetal amount, is retrospective," Livelaw reported.

Justice Maheshwari was however embroiled in a controversy last March when he agreed to probe a judge on Centre's request whose elevation to the Karnataka High Court was already cleared by the Supreme Court collegium.

"In what raises questions of propriety and process, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Dinesh Maheshwari has this month started an enquiry on a complaint directly forwarded to him by the Union Law Ministry against P Krishna Bhat, Principal District and Sessions Judge. Bhat had been cleared for elevation to the Karnataka High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium in April 2017," an Indian Express report had said.

With inputs from PTIThe Ministry of External Affairs of India said India also protested Pakistan's continued support to infiltration of terrorists into India, including supporting cover fire provided by Pakistan forces.

New Delhi: India on Wednesday summoned an official of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest over the death of an "innocent civilian in unprovoked ceasefire violation" by Pakistani forces on 11 January in Sunderbani area of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Ministry of External Affairs said India also protested Pakistan's continued support to infiltration of terrorists into India, including supporting cover fire provided by Pakistan forces.

"Pakistan High Commission official was summoned today and a strong protest was lodged at the death of an innocent civilian in unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan forces on 11 January, 2019, in Sunderbani Sector," the MEA said.

It further said, "Our strong concerns were also shared at continued unprovoked firing and ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the International Boundary."

A civilian was killed in unprovoked firing by Pakistani forces on 11 January.

The year 2018 had witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops  2,936  in the past 15 years along the Indo-Pak border, according to official figures.Passengers returning from the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on board the Tata Jat Express were robbed on Thursday by armed men near Delhi. This is the second such incident to have taken place on board a train on Thursday while nearing the national capital. Earlier, passengers of the Jammu-Delhi Duronto were robbed.

New Delhi: Passengers returning from the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on board the Tata Jat Express were robbed on Thursday by armed men near Delhi. This is the second such incident to have taken place on board a train on Thursday while nearing the national capital. Earlier, passengers of the Jammu-Delhi Duronto were robbed.

The second incident happened before 2 am between Badli and Holambi Kalan, railways said. "The train was attended by RPF and GRP at Sonipat station at 1.55 am, where the passenger of S-8, Ramnath Maurya, reported loot of Rs 1,000 and small injury in the left hand. He has been provided preliminary treatment at Panipat. "He told that he will lodge FIR at the destination station. The train was not escorted by the RPF. The matter is being thoroughly investigated," railways said. Passengers alleged that mobile phones, jewellery and cash were looted from them at gunpoint.

In the earlier incident, a passenger wrote descriptive details on the railways' complaints portal, alleging how they were robbed at knife point but could not find any help.Deolibai is one of the few older Lamani [known as Banjara in other states] women who have kept the meticulous art form of Banjara embroidery alive.

At the age of 10, Deolibai Ramavat, like every girl from her community, learned an art form. Six decades later, she mentions how important it was to keep practising that art every day.

Today, in her mid-70s, Deolibai has spent more than 30,000 hours in stitching intricate patterns  every one of them reflecting patience and a warning sign that the art form will soon fade away. With every passing hour, she became a master of the traditional Banjara embroidery. It was her mother, the late Somlibai, who had taught her the embroidery in the agricultural fields of rural Andhra Pradesh back in the day.

When I meet Deolibai in Pune city, without speaking a word, she removes a five-decade-old Ghagra Choli stitched by her mother. She touches the mirror in an attempt to rejuvenate her memories. This art form is dying now, she says looking at her own reflection in one of those tiny square shaped mirrors.

Deolibai is one of the few older Lamani [known as Banjara in other states] women who have kept the meticulous art form of Banjara embroidery alive. She calls it sui kaam [Needle Work] and mentions that the art form is centuries old. At the age of 15, she migrated to Punes Pashan area in Sanjay Gandhi vasti, also known as Laman Tanda, where more than 300 Banjara families live. The Lamani [Banjara] caste has been listed under Other Backward Caste in Maharashtra.

Labour of love

To design one Ghagra Choli, it takes about 110 hours of stitching spread across two months, estimate the older community women. The embroidered dresses are worn in the Lamani marriages and traditional community festivals. Earlier it used to be their everyday clothing. Now the younger generation has stopped wearing these dresses even in marriages. We just give it as a mark of our culture, says Deolibai. She has lost count of the number of dresses she embroidered for the community members. Coloured woolen threads, different types of needles, mirrors, and old coins are some of the things used to stitch intricate patterns and designs in these Ghagra-Cholis. The mirrors are stitched together with colourful threads on the entire dress. Coins are also attached to the bigger mirrors and are then stitched on the Choli [blouse]. The embroidered cloth used to cover the head with mirrors embedded in it is called Ganophulia in the local dialect.

Embroidery workshop takes up the narrow lanes of the community on Sundays. Its the only day of the week when the community women take an off from their construction labourer jobs. Deolibai is still not tired of paying attention to the minute details. She makes sure that every stitch retains the beauty of the art. Now she has started mentoring a handful of young community women. They talk about how stitching for a long time puts a strain on their eyes. I cant stitch for more than an hour because tears start coming from my eyes. This work is difficult, says the 45-year-old Laxmi, Deolibais daughter-in-law. Pointing towards Deolibai, she says, She can stitch for ten hours continuously without any strain.

The journey of settling down

Deolibais grandson, Kishor Ramavat (24), says, Several decades ago, many Lamanis from Mahbubnagar district and Yadgir district [in Telangana and Karnataka] migrated and settled here [in Pune]. They have been working as construction labourers since then in an attempt to make ends meet. The Ramavat family migrated from Kollampalle village in Mahbubnagar districts Narayanpet mandal of modern-day Telangana.

Earlier our ancestors used to graze cattle far and wide, and thats how we migrated [to different states of India], says Kishor. While travelling, the women used to practise the art. The younger generation now is exploring other pastures leaving the art form to the older women.

When I was young, even I would work on buildings. I would always carry my needles and threads [to the construction sites] and stitch after eating my lunch very fast, remembers Deolibai. A tragic incident instilled fear in her mind after which she quit working as a labourer. Three decades ago, her husband, the late Tulsiram, passed away after falling accidentally [from a construction site] owing to an electrical shock in Mumbais Goregaon. She was left scarred after this.

Usually I start my embroidery work at afternoon [around 3 pm] after my grand-daughter sleeps, she says. Every day she stitches detailed designs for two hours. Deolibai mentions that women stitch mostly in the natural light only as it becomes more painful to stitch in the night.

The dying art form

The community members assert that one of the reasons behind the decline in the art form is the terrible name-calling. When we wear our traditional dress many people from the other communities ask why we wear it. They say that its not good to wear such dresses in public, says Laxmi who has experienced several such cases at the construction sites.

A lot of people after seeing our members in this dress use derogatory terms and say that these lamanis have come. People think that this dressing is bad and cheap, adds Kisan Pavlatkar, 45, a community member. His wife, Shevanti, 38 is a homemaker and rarely works on the embroidery now. The ludicrous comments from other sections of society have deterred the younger generation to pick up the art form or even wear the traditional dresses.

Another reason behind the decline in the art form is the rising cost of the raw materials and the manual labour involved in the process. A single dress [Ghagra Choli] encompasses at least one-kilogram square and circularly shaped mirrors of varied size. Older coins [paisas] are also stitched to the dress. Earlier, these older coins were available readily, but finding them now has added more to the cost. We get these coins only in our village mela (fare) [in rural Telangana] where we pay Rs 800 for 20 coins, explains Deolibai. Now, women have started using newer coins also. You will find the new Rs 10 coin in dresses, adds Laxmi.

The lack of time available to the youngsters and kids deters them from practising the embroidery. Now the younger generation is getting educated, and they dont want to learn this art form. This education [embroidery] is more important though, says Deolibai. To date, she has not sold any of the dresses she embroidered. We stitch the dress for ourselves and never for the purpose of selling, she elaborates. Now, the younger community members have kept the traditional dresses as a memory of their culture.

Working as labourers

On an average, the community members work 24 days a month as labourers on the construction sites. Men are paid around Rs 600 daily, and women are paid Rs 250 for ten hours of work. We dont get paid much because we do all the manual labour. Only the men are taught technical work [like waterproofing], and they get more money for it, explains Laxmi about the old discriminating practise.

Laxmis two sons, Shivaji (27) and Kishor (24) work as construction labourers and her daughter, Manisha (22), is a homemaker. Deolibai remembers the time of the early 1960s and smilingly says, We were paid Rs 1 daily at the construction sites.

Deolibais sons own agricultural land in their village on which their relatives farm. Stitching is my farming here in town [sic], she says laughingly. Kishor and Kisan talk about how they grew up watching the art form. For the past couple of years, they have started documenting the embroidery on their phones fearing its decline. We settled in Pune, found work, earned some money, but the city killed our traditional art form, says Kisan sadly.The woman, a Candian national who works for an event management firm and often visits India, in her complaint alleged that while she was staying at the hotel, the man came to her room and molested her on the pretext of taking a selfie with her

Mumbai: A 35-year-old Canadian woman was allegedly molested by an employee of a Mumbai-based five-star hotel during her stay there, a police official said on Thursday.

Sumit Rao (32), a staff member of the hotel located in Juhu area, has been arrested in connection with the alleged incident that took place on 5 January. The woman, a Candian national who works for an event management firm and often visits India, in her complaint alleged that while she was staying at the hotel, the man came to her room and molested her on the pretext of taking a selfie with her, the official said.

According to police, the woman brought the matter to the hotel management's notice and then lodged a complaint at the Santacruz police station on Monday.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 354 (d) (stalking), he said.

A probe was underway into the case, he added.Justice (Retd) RM Lodha, who was the CJI from 27 April to 27 September, 2014, was critical of the decision of the five-member collegium headed by Gogoi to bypass senior judges and recommend the elevation of Justice Sanjeev Khanna of the Delhi High Court as a judge of the Supreme Court.

New Del: 2018's press conference by four senior-most judges including Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi has not served its purpose and instead the concerns raised at it like functioning of the collegium for appointment of judges for higher judiciary have aggravated, a former CJI said Wednesday.

Justice (Retd) RM Lodha, who was the CJI from 27 April to 27 September, 2014, was critical of the decision of the five-member collegium headed by Gogoi to bypass senior judges and recommend the elevation of Justice Sanjeev Khanna of the Delhi High Court as a judge of the Supreme Court.

He said in the controversial media briefing of 12 January, 2018, the present CJI as the second senior-most judge then had raised a litany of issues against his predecessor Justice Dipak Misra and the appointment of judges for higher judiciary was one of them.

"The concerns remain the same. Rather, they seem to have aggravated by this exercise (recent recommendations). I don't think there is any change. At least it is not visible to the public at large. It has not served its purpose because we don't find the changes which the press conference wanted to have really taken place," Justice Lodha said.

The other judges at the press conference  J Chelameswar, MB Lokur and Kurian Joseph  have since retired.

When asked what could be the future course of action, Lodha said if the collegium has sent the recommendation then the ball is in the government's court and now unless the collegium calls its back, it seems unlikely that anything will change.

"Now the government will take its call and then it will be sent to the President of India. Looking at the overall reaction and perception, it would be better if the matter is recalled and the matter is considered threadbare but this seems to be unlikely to me," he said.

Lodha said that the only remedy is that for the future the collegium considers other names like it happened with Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, who was from Rajasthan.

"He was superseded six weeks ago and his junior Justice Ajay Rastogi was brought to the Supreme Court, and now within six weeks Justice Maheshwari is the most deserving by the collegium. So those who have been overlooked can always be considered so there is no bar," Lodha said.

The collegium, also comprising justices AK Sikri, SA Bobde, NV Ramana and Arun Mishra, on 10 January recommended names of Maheshwari and Khanna for elevation as apex court judges.

Names of chief justices of Rajasthan High Court and Delhi High Court  Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Rajendra Menon  were considered by the collegium on 12 December, 2018 for elevation but the deliberation remained inconclusive and one member of the collegium, Justice MB Lokur, retired on 30 December, 2018. His place in the collegium was taken by Justice Arun Mishra.

The new collegium on 10 January ignored their prospect of elevation as apex court judges.On Thursday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis released the first look of the Firstpost newspaper owned by the media group Network18.

On Thursday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis released the first look of the Firstpost newspaper owned by the media group Network18.

The weekly newspaper, which will launch on 26 January, was unveiled at the The India Business Leader Awards held at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai. Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Suresh Prabhu, Jayant Sinha were also present. The newspaper, a 20-page broadsheet, will be published every Saturday and cater to readers in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Eight years after Firstpost.com became the go-to destination for the argumentative Indian, Network18, Indias most diversified media conglomerate, is all set to take the digital brand to the print platform. Firstpost will now hit the stands as a weekend newspaper and carry the same journalism gene of bold, independent and insightful opinion writing and add a reflective and contemplative coat to it for a calm weekend read.

The paper has been designed by Jacek Utko, one of the most reputed designers in the world. Utko brings to looks, needs and sensibilities of a paper born in the digital era. Utko's design will be complemented by the finest quality of newsprint and high standards of printing.

The viewspaper will be hit the stands in Delhi NCR and Mumbai on Republic Day. To begin with, it will be available for subscription in certain pin codes of these cities. Subscriptions will be booked through two routes: point of contact through vendors and online through Firstpost.com.

Firstpost was born on the cusp of India's digital revolution in 2010 and has ruled the opinion and analysis space. It has cemented its place as India's biggest and boldest digital-only viewspaper. Firstpost.com is embarking on a journey to elevate its relationship with the user from one of providing content to creating a connect. Through various soon-to-be-launched initiatives such as 'Club Firstpost' and the Firstpost App, we aim to engage with the users to delight them.

The launch of Firstpost as a weekend newspaper is a part of that plan, explains BV Rao, Editor, Firstpost: By taking the viewspaper from the virtual to the physical world we are signalling two things: Firstly, there is a market opportunity in the weekends for deep, thoughtful and reflective journalism, the kind that allows us to step back from the cacophony of the moment and analyse events calmly. Thus, the difference between the two products is not the quality of the content, but the kind of content."

Secondly, content is platform-agnostic, especially good content. The digital consumer reads a lot but not necessarily the best. Reading the best becomes somewhat of a lottery, dependent on whether they open the right links from among the dozens they are dumped with every day. Firstpost print content, arranged to enable quick access in one place, will provide that reading pleasure to digital readers as well. Existing digital readers can access the content free for a limited period and then signal their readiness to put a premium on the content they cherish.

Praveen Swami, Group Consulting Editor, Network18 says, Firstpost is a new kind of newspaper. Instead of the usual, mundane recounting of events already well-known to readers through digital media and television, every single article aspires to exceptionality: to offer a unique perspective; to excavate new information; to bring to life a new story.

Aiming to change the way in which the consumer perceives newspapers, Firstpost emphasises on narrative, long format journalism with a focus on national politics, culture, and art and being a mix of hard and soft feature news. Speaking on the launch, an elated Rahul Kansal, Business Head, Print & Brand Advisor, Network18, said, I am extremely proud to be a part of this milestone in the journey of Network18s growing news prowess. Firstpost sees itself as a viewspaper with a focus on politics and will offer a ringside view of the complex democracy and society of our multi-dimensional nation. The offering will serve discerning readers looking for an intelligent read, many of whom feel that Indian newspapers have dumbed down in their bid to capture the mass market.

Disclaimer: Firstpost is owned by Network18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.The three victims were rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Delhi's Khyala where Sunita was pronounced dead immediately and Viru breathed his last soon after, while Akash is under critical condition.

A 35-year-old woman and her husband died after being stabbed by their neighbour, following a scuffle over a minor issue in West Delhi's Khayala on Wednesday. The accused attacked the couple and their 18-year-old son in presence of locals, who recorded the incident on their mobiles phones but offered no help.

According to the police, the woman died on the spot, while the husband succumbed to his injuries after he was admitted to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Khyala. Their son also sustained multiples injuries and is in critical condition, CNN-News18 reported.

"The accused, identified as Mohammad Azad, in his 40s, stabbed the family multiple times and fled from the spot," a senior police officer said.

"The deceased have been identified as Sunita and Viru (41) and the injured son as Akash. At 7.30 pm, a quarrel broke out between Sunita and Azad in their locality over some minor issue while she was returning from market," the police said, according to PTI.

Sunita informed her husband and son about the argument. Akash then rushed to Azads house and allegedly started abusing him for getting into an argument with his mother, the police said citing locals.

Later on, Viru arrived at the spot to rescue his son, who was stabbed by Azad. When the couple tried to help out their son, they were stabbed multiple times as well, The Quint reported.

According to The Hindu, a senior officer said that the argument between Sunita and Azad started after a water bottle of Sunitas daughter had fallen from the terrace and hit the accused, four days ago.

The issue had been later resolved by the neighbours. However, Azad interrupted Sunita while she was on her way back home from the market on Wednesday evening and argued over the same issue. The three victims were rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Khyala where Sunita was pronounced dead immediately and Viru breathed his last soon after, while Akash is under critical condition. Sunita's eight-year-old girl was inside the house during the incident.

"The family was residing on rent at a DDA colony in Khyala and the accused was their neighbour," the police said.

"A case has been registered and an investigation is underway," the police officer said, adding that Delhi Police hs formed teams to nab the accused, who is still absconding.

With inputs from PTIPeople residing in Delhi woke up to another cold and gloomy morning as the temperature remained below normal level and a thick blanket of fog engulfed the region on Thursday. The maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 21 degree Celsius and 5 degree Celsius respectively.

New Delhi: People residing in the national capital woke up to another cold and gloomy morning as the temperature remained below normal level and a thick blanket of fog engulfed the region on Thursday.

The maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 21 degree Celsius and 5 degree Celsius respectively.

Foggy weather in Delhi disrupted the rail traffic as well. According to the latest report compiled by the Indian Railways, as many as 11 trains were rescheduled after getting delayed for at least by an hour.

Jayanagar-New Delhi S Sainani Express, Ghazipur-Anand Vihar Express, and Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express were delayed by one and half hours, 2 hours and one hour respectively.

Owing to low visibility, Bhubaneswar Duronto Express was delayed by five hours while Poorva Express and Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express were delayed by three hours each. Fog and chill are likely to persist with little hope for an improvement in the quality of air and visibility, particularly during the morning hours.

Delhi breathed uneasily as the Air Quality Index (AQI) at Mathura Road was docking at 346 in the morning with particulate matter (PM) 2.5. At Dhirpur, the AQI was 297 while in Pitampura area it dipped to 'very poor' category at 355.

AQI between the range of 51 and 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate; 201-300 falls under the category of poor. AQI in the range of 300-400 is considered as 'very poor' and range between 401-500 falls under the category as 'hazardous.'

AQI near Pusa Road, Airport Terminal 3 and Chandni Chowk stood at 346, 357 and 342 respectively. "The haze and fog will continue to persist during the early morning and late evenings for the next couple of days," said the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

People have been advised to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. "Go for a short walk instead of a jog and take more breaks. Stop any activity level if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue," advised SAFAR.

"If the room has windows, close them. If the air conditioner provides a fresh air intake option, keep that closed. Avoid burning of wood, candles or incense. Keep the room clean, don't vacuum. Do wet mopping to reduce dust," the SAFAR advisory further read.

Delhi, which is home to approximately 19 million people, is reeling under the menace of air pollution from the past couple of years. The region faced a major air quality crisis last year as pollution levels shot through the roof and even forced the shutdown of schools. Moreover, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had described the capital as a "gas chamber" and local administration was compelled to declare a public health emergency.Today's top stories: Two top lieutenants of Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley, unwell months before LS polls; Netflix and local rival Hotstar to censor content in India, say sources; Petrol price down, diesel rate up; and more.

Two top lieutenants of Modi unwell months before LS polls

BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday said he was being treated for swine flu, the second member of Prime Minister Narendra Modis inner circle to be unwell this week.

Shah is charged with crafting the strategy for Modi's re-election bid for the polls expected in April-May. He said on Twitter he expected to recover soon.

Last month, hospitals in Delhi reported a rise in cases of swine flu. Shah has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the country's top facility in the capital.

News of Shah's illness comes while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is in the United States for a medical checkup. No details were provided, but two people with knowledge of the matter said Jaitley was not expected back at least until 25 January.

After chargesheet, RJD not in the mood to give Begusarai seat to Kanhaiya Kumar

Chargesheet against former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar might cast a shadow on his possible candidature from the grand alliance for the general elections.

Kanhaiya was reportedly to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Bihar's Begusarai constituency as the nominee of the alliance comprising the RJD, Congress, NCP, Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM (S), Sharad Yadav's Loktantrik Janata Dal and all Left parties.

However, jeopardising his candidature, the Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet in a court on Monday against Kanhaiya and nine others, alleging that he had led a procession and supported seditious slogans raised on the JNU campus in February 2016.

According to sources in the RJD, the party is now in two minds about fielding Kanhaiya as their candidate from the Begusarai seat. Tanveer Hasan, who fought the 2014 general elections on an RJD ticket from Begusarai, remains the party's first choice.

"That's why our leader Tejashwi Yadav distanced himself from Kanhaiya Kumar in the October 2018 CPI rally at Patna's Gandhi Maidan and didn't share the stage with him," sources claimed.

Theresa May wins confidence vote, calls on MPs to work together to deliver Brexit

British prime minister Theresa May has called on MPs to "put self-interest aside" and "work constructively together" towards Brexit, after surviving a no-confidence vote and averting a general election.

The prime minister won by 325 votes to 306  a majority of 19  on Wednesday, a day after her government suffered a historic parliamentary defeat over her Brexit divorce deal with the European Union.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after the voting, May said the government has won the confidence of Parliament. This now gives "us all the opportunity to focus on finding a way forward on Brexit", she said.

"Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit and also address the other important issues they care about," the Conservative leader said. "Now MPs have made clear what they don't want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want."

"That's why I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together to find a way forward. One that both delivers on the referendum and can command the support of Parliament. This is now the time to put self-interest aside," she said.

Petrol price down, diesel rate up

Petrol fell by 8 paise and the rate of diesel increased by up to 13 paise on Wednesday.

Crude oil prices firmed after climbing about 3 percent and supply cuts led by OPEC indicate tight markets. Brent crude oil futures were at $60.83 per barrel, 19 cents, or 0.3 percent above their last close.

While petrol price declined by 8 paise, diesel rates continues their upward move for the seventh successive day, rising 13 paise on Wednesday in major cities across the country.

After the revision in the price on Wednesday, petrol was sold in Delhi at Rs 70.33 a litre, in Mumbai at Rs 75.97, in Chennai at Rs 73 and in Kolkata at Rs 72.44 per litre, according to data available on the website of the Indian Oil Corporation.

Accordingly, diesel was priced in Delhi at Rs 64.59 a litre, in Mumbai at Rs 67.62, in Chennai at Rs 68.22 and in Kolkata at Rs 66.36 per litre.

Kenya hotel siege: Militants and at least 21 people dead

Kenyan security forces have killed all the Somali militants who stormed an upscale Nairobi hotel compound on Tuesday, taking at least 21 lives and forcing hundreds of people into terrifying escapes, the government said on Wednesday.

Fifty people believed to have been in the complex remained unaccounted for on Wednesday afternoon, the Kenya Red Cross said, raising the possibility of a much higher final toll.

The bloody bodies of five attackers were broadcast across social media as President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the end of a 20-hour overnight siege that echoed a 2013 assault that killed 67 people at the Westgate shopping centre in the same district.

Somali group Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate fighting to impose strict Islamic law, said they carried out the attack in revenge for US president Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Kotak Mahindra Bank case likely to come up today

Kotak Mahindra Bank's case against an RBI decision on promoter stake dilution is likely to come up for hearing before the Bombay High Court on Thursday amid a growing clamour for a review of the central bank's ownership guidelines for home-grown private sector lenders.

There is also a growing clamour, among those associated with the ruling dispensation, to ensure that the certain amount of indigenous control is maintained in the banking sector, even while welcoming foreign capital, and any stake dilution should be left to market evolution rather than forcing it.

Netflix, local rival Hotstar to censor content in India: Sources

Netflix Inc and home-grown rival Hotstar plan to adopt self-regulation guidelines for content streamed on their platforms in India in an effort to prevent potential government censorship, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

A draft of an unofficial code that will be adopted by Netflix, Hotstar and other local players, seen by Reuters, said the platforms will prohibit content that shows a child "engaged in real or simulated sexual activities", is disrespectful of India's national flag or encourages "terrorism".

Amazon Inc's Prime Video will not sign the code, though it helped draft it, as the company does not want to act in the absence of government-mandated regulation, one of the sources said.

Anil Kapoor meets Narendra Modi in Delhi

Actor Anil Kapoor met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday in Delhi and tweeted about their meeting.

"I had the opportunity to meet our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modiji today, and I stand humbled and inspired in the wake of our conversation. His vision and his charisma are infectious and I'm grateful for the chance to have witnessed it in person," Anil tweeted, along with photographs of his meeting with Modi.

Last week, members of the film fraternity like Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and others also met Modi in the national capital.

74% Facebook users unaware of platform keeping a checklist of their interests

A new survey has revealed that roughly 74 percent of Facebook users don't know that the social media giant keeps a list of their interests and traits to target ads. The study also found that while Facebook offers a number of transparency and data control tools, most users of the platform are unaware of where they should be looking.The curtailment of the tenure of four officers of CBI on Thursday, including Rakesh Asthana and AK Sharma, shows the government is not interested in surface decoration but a serious cleanup of the agency

New Delhi: After Alok Verma's exit from the Central Bureau of Investigation, the cleanup has officially begun. And, it is not just a surface decoration but a serious attempt by the government to strengthen the foundation of the now shaky institution, which requires complete modification.

The curtailment of the tenure of four officers of CBI on Thursday including Rakesh Asthana and AK Sharma is the first sign of renovation of the premier investigation agency by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The appointment of Asthana, a 1984-batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer as Special Director in October 2017 had triggered cold war in the CBI. Then Director Verma had opposed the government decision and launched offensive against Asthana which finally culminated in all-out war in the CBI and an FIR against his deputy. The real nightmare for the government in this entire controversy has been the creation of two so-called camps and the officers' willingness to choose the sides. The knives were out in October and the government was embarrassed due to ongoing tussle between the Verma and Asthana camps. While Asthana is seeking courts intervention to quash the FIR against him lodged on the direction of Verma, two other officers  Sharma and MK Sinha  shunted out on Thursday were seen as close to the Verma camp.

Chaos is an unbalanced state of affairs with serious pitfalls and dangers in an important institution like the CBI. According to officials privy to the ongoing developments, the government approach is to bring symmetry in the functioning of the agency just days before the prime minister-led panel is expected to meet to appoint the new CBI Director.

"There was a complete break down and with opposition spreading disinformation and mounting attacks on the government, certain wise and intelligent mechanisms were needed to set the house in order. Since questions were being raised about Asthanas position since Vermas ouster, the government made it clear the priority is to reestablish the sanctity of the institution, an official said.

Sharma, an IPS officer of 1987 batch Gujarat cadre, has been shunted out from the CBI through a latest directive. He was seen as a close confidant of Verma. Interestingly, Sharma was made Joint Director (Policy), an important position the agency just a month after Verma took over the charge of CBI. Earlier, Asthana, in his letter to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had levelled serious charges against Sharma alleging that his family was operating shell companies in partnership with persons who figure in CBI's list of undesirable contacts. Sharma was transferred to MDMA unit during the massive shake up in October. According to sources, the government is keen on further probe into the allegations against Sharma including several companies that have come under the scanner.

"The details of around eight companies which are allegedly run by his family and relatives is with the CVC and the Cabinet Secretariat. These allegations will be probed to get to the bottom of the entire affairs, Sources said.

Another officer, whose tenure at CBI has been curtailed by the prime minister-led ACC is MK Sinha, a 2000 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh Cadre. Sinha, considered close to the Verma camp was DIG of the anti-corruption unit probing bribery charges against Asthana before he was transferred to Nagpur following a midnight sweep in October last year. Subsequently, Sinha moved to the Supreme Court levelling allegations against a Union Minister and other top officials of the government. He had also alleged that the levers of CBI are controlled by powerful persons just to fit it into their personal objectives of exonerating or implicating certain individuals, irrespective of the merit of the case. Sinha's application, seen more as mudslinging, had perturbed the government, which was fighting the Vermas removal case in the apex court.

The infighting within the CBI had made the investigation agency an unsettled establishment for the government and a new order was needed for its resurrrection. With Verma gone and the process to pick a new boss for the agency gathering momentum, it was the right time to clean the agency. With this firm directive, the government has also send a clear message that it will not hesitate in imposing the order upon squabbling group of officers.Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates congratulated the Indian government for the healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat after Union Health Minister JP Nadda wrote on Twitter that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free health care in just first 100 days of the scheme.

New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has congratulated the Indian government for the successful completion of the first 100 days of the healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat from its launch.

The response from Gates came after Union Health Minister JP Nadda wrote on Twitter that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free health care in just first 100 days of the scheme and the number is rising rapidly.

"In just first 100 days of #AyushmanBharat, 685000 beneficiaries availed free health care & the number is rising rapidly," Nadda had tweeted.

World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on 3 January had praised Prime Minister Modi and the health minister for leadership which helped around seven lakh people avail themselves of benefits of the healthcare scheme.

"In its first 100 days, #India's ambitious #AyushmanBharat scheme has provided free care for almost 700,000 people. I applaud Prime Minister @narendramodi and Health Minister @JPNadda for their visionary leadership for #HealthForAll (sic)," Ghebreyesus had tweeted.

On 1 January, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed the government's flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat a "game changer" in healthcare and said on an average 5,000 claims are being settled every day since the rollout of the scheme on 23 September, 2018.

The scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ranchi in Jharkhand on 23 September, aims to provide healthcare cover of Rs five lakh per family annually to more than 10.74 crore poor families or 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation, through a network of empanelled health care providers.

The world's largest ambitious healthcare scheme, it claims to cover medical and hospitalisation expenses for almost all secondary care and most tertiary care procedures.No other international relationship holds so much promise, as well as concern for the world, as does India's ties with China. China's assertiveness adds one more level of difficulty to this dynamic.

No other international relationship holds so much promise, as well as concern for the world, as does India's ties with China. As the two Asian nations emerge as world powers, manage disruptions, bend the fluid regional geometrics and shape global issues as they rise (albeit at different paces of progress), a key component of the relationship, especially for India, is fixing the power imbalance. China's assertiveness adds one more level of difficulty to this dynamic.

Tanvi Madan, fellow and director of India Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program at the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution, spoke to Firstpost on China and relations with India on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue. Her work explores Indian foreign policy, focusing particularly on India's relations with China and the US.

Here are the edited excerpts from the interview

***

Is there an element of under-balancing China going on in India-Pacific? Would you agree?

We all think of balancing as a very traditional realist, balance-of-power way. The challenge for everybody is: how do you balance China in a globalised world? Where its not just engagement but your entire supply chain and economies are linked to it? So, there are countries that really dont want to decouple from China. Theres a second thing. Particularly in the last couple of years, people (states) have become a little more careful (about balancing) because there is a bit of uncertainty about the US. That is creating a certain kind of behavioral change in China. For instance, Beijing has reached out to India and Japan because it is concerned about Donald Trump. This has also created an opportunity for these countries. That said, however, balancing is still going on. India and Japan havent really stopped doing anything Maybe they have grown a little quieter about it.

Is India's reluctance to militarise the 'Quad' or adopt a more overt containment strategy borne out of a fear of provoking China?

These things go step by step. When China was being more assertive in 2008-09, India, Japan and the US started the trilateral. It didnt immediately get militarised. They started discussions, consultations slowly it built up and did get militarised in the form of Malabar (trilateral naval exercise). Sometimes theres a question of different speeds. The fact that not just a Quad was restarted, but it exists and has met three times between November 2017 and November 2018 indicates balancing. Quads existence upsets China a lot. Some of it is about signaling but just as we saw the trilateral which has now gone from being at the under-secretary/joint secretary/assistant secretary level to the ministerial level when John Kerry, Sushma Swaraj and the Japanese foreign minister met a few years ago, these things dont happen overnight.

What will be the trajectory of India-China relationship? Do you foresee another Doklam?

We could ask the reverse. Are we going to see more improvement in ties? It all depends on what China decides. A strategic Chinese government, for instance, may want to drive a wedge between India and the US by appearing to be more generous. We are now at a situation where even if we solve the border issue tomorrow there will still be concerns over the Indian Ocean etc. Could it worse? Always. The challenge for policymakers is to make sure that it doesnt escalate. But avoiding escalation with China shouldnt be the goal. If China challenges India and if it means New Delhi has to show resolve (as it did not just during Doklam but also in 2013) it needs to do what needs to be done. Not say that we wont show resolve because it might lead to escalation.

If we think about the World War II or even the Cold War, do increasingly integrated economies in a globalised world preclude nations from going to open war with each other?

I think the jury is out. That was the theory. That a globalized, integrated China in an interconnected world could lead to a more open, transparent, and potentially even a democratised China. But that has not been the case. Paul Staniland of the University of Chicago has said why not look at the 1870s the rise of Germany and there might be more of an analogy because it was an integrated Europe and yet they went to First World War. But the threshold for war now is higher. Doesnt mean you cant rule it out. Threshold is higher because we dont know the counterfactual. Potentially had the integration not existed would we have seen caution on all sides? There is another aspect. Integration itself is setting up certain tensions  trade frictions, market access frictions etc. The key question for countries to consider is whether integration is benefiting or harming them more. Some of the reactions and the response that you are seeing in the US Some people have made the judgement that everybody else have opened up more to China, but it hasnt opened itself up to others.

How far can the pressure being applied by Trump work with China?

There are two different things. President Trump is very focused on things like trade deficits. Beyond the US president, there is a broader concern over things like market access issues that analysts and officials are more concerned about. Its not about the trade deficit number but the broader ecosystem. The way China behaves, the preference it gives to its state-owned enterprises, the IT theft issues.

But there are complaints against India too as far as market access is concerned

India and the US and a lot of European countries have similar problems with China, while the US has some issues with India. But the US-India trade deficit is one-tenth of that of China. So, the scale is different. India doesnt have the same IT theft or forced transfer of technology issues. Plus, as a democracy India is going to have these debates very openly. That is not the case with China. There is a larger conversation and concern about the way the Chinese economy is operating and what China is doing with its economic power including buying strategic infrastructure. Will the pressure work? To some extent, arguably, it already has. US pressure has resulted in increased opportunities for India and Japan with China. Had India not been in election mode and made itself more attractive to foreign investment, it could have benefitted more. Is it going to work in terms of changing Chinese behavior? I think that is an answer we dont have yet.

A trade war with the US should impact China more because it enjoys a surplus. Can we conclude that given the fact that data coming out of China isnt very reliable?

And thats the issue, right? We have articles in newspapers that soybean farmers in Iowa are hurt. That is a key political state. We dont have that kind of data from China. People were expecting economic headwinds in China. The question is, if that is going to hurt enough to force a change in behavior. There are a lot of people who are skeptical. Beijing also has another problem. Most people dont believe it when it agrees to do something because in many cases it has said that we will do x, and then didnt follow through.

Since you mention upcoming elections, has it affected Indias foreign policy approach in any way, particularly with reference to China?

People often tie the Wuhan reset with elections. No Indian prime minister going into an election wants to have a potential border flare-up with China. Unlike Pakistan, it is a bigger power things can get out of control You also might not have that sense of confidence. So, it might be a factor. But I dont think that toning down is election-related. It started after Doklam. We saw signs of it. But we also signs of it as early as December 2017 when Chinese officials came to Delhi and also restarted the Russia-China-India trilateral. Chinas concern with President Trump created an opportunity for India and it suited Indian interest to also bring the temperature down. To some extent there remains a capability gap. With the elections coming, you dont want a crisis, because you will then end up having high-level leadership makes these decisions with one eye on the elections.

Can China use border dispute as a tool to achieve some sort of objectives during the Indian election season?

Even they wouldnt know how that plays, right? Not just this prime minister but it would be harder for any Indian prime minister to back down if theres an election. We assume that the Chinese want escalation but actually what they want is to be able to do these things (incursions or salami-slicing of territory) without anybody pushing back. We see an example of this in South China Sea. But China, too, perhaps realizes that in an election situation there is very little incentive for an Indian politician to back down.

Some analysts feel that Indias current trade deficit with China is so huge that we have ended up funding Chinas containment strategy of India. What's your take?

I wouldnt go that far because the volume of trade is nowhere near Chinas trade with the US, for instance. (India-China bilateral trade hit a historic high of $84.44 billion in 2017, compared to US-China trade worth $710.4 billion in the same year). China has other ways to fund its containment strategy. The more serious issue is the India-China trade deficit ($51.75 billion in 2017, growth of 8.55% year-on-year) because it basically says this is not an interdependent relationship but a dependent one. We shouldnt make it all about the trade deficit though. Its not just the number. You want to reduce that but there are some underlying realities India is not producing some things that it needs. The second and more problematic aspect is Chinese behavior. What needs to be fixed is not so much the trade deficit number but the behavior. China has in the past (and even now) not opening up its market in areas where Indias export strength lies. Whether its pharmaceuticals, IT, or even films, for example there is a quota. For the last 10 years, Indian governments has been saying that it is not in Chinese interest to have such a big trade deficit because it means that it wont be sustainable. There has to be a more balanced relationship.

Does Chinas market-distorting behavior harm Indian manufacturing sector? Many Indian manufactures have moved from manufacturing to trading inexpensive Chinese products

There is obviously an aspect of Chinese behavior but it is also true that Indian companies havent been competitive. The government needs to stop constantly trying to protect them. Indian companies have done well when they had to compete. You can tackle the Chinese cases where you think they are indulging in market-distorting behavior but Indian companies also need to be efficient. So there are two aspects. One, Chinas market-distorting behavior and Indian competitiveness.

So, India needs to open up more. But there will be an inevitable political backlash. Is there any scenario that the two co-exist?

Thats a serious discussion that needs to be had. India is a democracy. Politicians say it is to protect the small and medium enterprises, but some SMEs may benefit from the opening up because they get greater access. The world has taught us that opening up alone without figuring how people benefit isnt the solution. Globalisation does need to be more inclusive. But we also have the reality that since India has opened up it has taken more Indians out of poverty. If India truly needs to build capacity, it needs to look at China. Not the China of today thats closing up but the China of 1980s that opened up. Invited companies and then used those expertise and networks to build global companies.

So does Indias political system interferes with its long-term planning?

You are trying to get me to say that democracy is bad. I am not going to. In a democracy, things are slower, but the speed and ability to do big things isnt going to be the same. It is tough but building consensus at every stage means that it will be more sustainable over time. We know why Air India privatization isnt happening. There are political-economic reasons. But China has problems too. Thats why it hasnt been able to reform its state-owned enterprises. They have the same issues with SOEs. Point is, democracy is used by politicians as an excuse to say, oh, we cant do this. In the recent past, China has made the argument that look, India as a democracy is messy. But the reason why so many democracies around the world are invested in Indias success is, this is the country that potentially can show that democracies can develop. We see the ugliness in democracies because they are transparent. We dont know whats going on in China, Saudi Arabia.

How do you rate Narendra Modi for his decisions on foreign policy? Is political continuity good for India?

I dont give grades or numbers. As far as continuity is concerned, anything that cannot be continued, even if there is a different government indicates there is something wrong with the policy. Whoever is in power, the challenges will remain, so will the opportunities. India wont fall apart if there is a different government. As far as Modis performance is concerned, these judgements are better made with passage of time, based on outcomes. And right at this stage these outcomes are not necessarily clear. I do think that the perception of India in 2013 as a market, etc., that has improved. I do think the government should worry that it is turning the other way. The narrative abroad is starting to go back to that disappointment, disillusionment. The government has done well in building partnerships, now it must use these partnerships to build capacities.BJP president Amit Shah is being treated for swine influenza in Delhi's AIIMS. The BJP chief on Wednesday said that he was being treated for swine flu. Shah is the second leader from the BJP who has taken ill ahead of the crucial parliamentary elections and the interim budget session (1 February), which is only a fortnight away.

BJP president Amit Shah is being treated for swine influenza in Delhi's AIIMS. The BJP chief on Wednesday said that he was being treated for swine flu. Shah is the second leader from the BJP who has taken ill ahead of the crucial parliamentary elections and the interim budget session (1 February), which is only a fortnight away.

In the capacity of BJP president, Shah is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most trusted advisor and has been charged with crafting the ruling party's poll strategy to bring Modi back to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. On Twitter, Shah said that he expected to recover soon. "I have been diagnosed with swine flu for which the treatment is underway. With God's grace and good wishes from all of you, I will recover soon," he said on Twitter in Hindi.

    ,        ,            

 Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 16, 2019

"A team of doctors are monitoring his condition under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria," sources at AIIMS told PTI.

Shah is the second BJP leader to have been admitted to hospital this week. Earlier on Monday, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was admitted to the pulmonary medicine department. Prasad was kept under observation in the ICU for sinus at the government hospital, PTI had said.

According to the latest reports, Prasad's condition is stable.

After facing defeats in state Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Modi is facing a tough election and an opposition that is trying to exploit discontent about lack of jobs and low farm prices that have angered farmers.

However, Shah and Prasad are not the only two senior BJP leaders battling illnesses.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is in the United States for a medical checkup, officials said earlier in the week. No details were provided but two people with knowledge of the matter said Jaitley was not expected back until at least 25 January.

Jaitley is due to present the interim budget for 2019/2020 on 1 February.

In November, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had announced that she will not be contesting the 2019 polls due to health issues.

It is the party which decides, but I have made up my mind not to contest the next (Lok Sabha) elections due to health reasons, Swaraj had said in November last year.

She had also said that due to health reasons, she cannot participate in outdoor public programmes, which leaves her out of campaigns as well.

Besides Swaraj, Goa chief minister and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been diagnosed with cancer, may also not be available to campaign for the party due to his poor health.

With inputs from agenciesA total of 1,428 people died due to extreme weather events in 2018, which was also the sixth warmest year since 1901, Of the 1,428 deaths recorded last year, heavy rains and subsequent flooding, dust storms, thunderstorms and lightning claimed half the lives.

New Delhi: A total of 1,428 people died due to extreme weather events in 2018, which was also the sixth warmest year since 1901, a top government official said on Wednesday. The average temperature over India during 2018 was "significantly above normal", the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

The country's average season mean temperatures were also "above the average" with the winter season (January- February, +0.59 degree Celsius) being the fifth warmest since 1901 and the pre-monsoon season (March-May) the seventh warmest, it said.

The average mean monthly temperatures were also "warmer than the normal" during all the months of the year except December, the statement said.

Meteorologists have pointed out global warming as behind the rise in temperatures.

"During the year (2018), annual mean surface air temperature, averaged over the country, was +0.41 degree Celsius above (1981-2010 period) average. The year 2018 was the sixth warmest year on record since nationwide records commenced in 1901," the MeT statement said.

The five warmest years on record are: 2016 (+0.72 degree Celsius), 2009 (+0.56 degree Celsius), 2017 (+0.55 degree Celsius), 2010 (+0.54 degree Celsius) and 2015 (+0.42 degree Celsius).

The MeT said 11 out of 15 warmest years were during the recent past 15 years (2004-2018).

"Extreme weather events over the country during 2018. The year 2018 was the sixth warmest year on record since nationwide records commenced in 1901. The other five warmest years are 2016, 2009, 2017, 2010 and 2015, all recent years," M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said on Twitter.

Citing media reports, he also posted a map depicting the number of deaths caused due to extreme weather patterns in the country that year.

Of the 1,428 deaths recorded last year, heavy rains and subsequent flooding, dust storms, thunderstorms and lightning claimed half the lives.

In Uttar Pradesh, 590 people died due to extreme weather events. The state with the largest population in the country saw 158 deaths due to flood and heavy rainfall, 166 deaths due to thunderstorms, lightning (39 deaths), dust storm (92 deaths) and the cold wave took 135 lives.

The casualty due to heavy rains and subsequent flooding was almost half  688 deaths  of the total number of people perished in the country in 2018.

Kerala, which saw unprecedented rain from 8 to 23 August, saw 223 deaths followed by Uttar Pradesh (158), Maharashtra (139), West Bengal (116) and Gujarat 52 deaths.

Cyclonic storms 'Titli' and 'Gaja' killed 122 people, while avalanches claimed 11 lives in Jammu and Kashmir.In a video, the men revealed that they were duped by an agent off around Rs 2 lakh each, who sent them to Iraq on the pretext of getting them a work permit in the country.

Nizamabad: As many as 15 Indians stranded in Iraq after being duped by an agent on the pretext of employment have requested External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help them return to India.

In a video, the men revealed that they were duped by an agent off around Rs 2 lakh each, who sent them to Iraq on the pretext of getting them a work permit in the country.

"We came to Iraq from India after giving Rs 1.5 lakh each to the agent. After coming here, the agent again asked for additional Rs 50,000 for making Iqama and we paid. Later, we got to know that the agent has cheated us by sending us to Iraq on a visit visa. The agent in Iraq is not responding to us and we are facing crisis here without proper food and water. I request Sushma Swaraj to help us get back to India," the men said in the video.

Nizamabad activist Basanth Reddy, who is helping the victims, stated that 15 people from the district had left for Iraq in September 2018 to work there after an agent promised them good jobs.

"The agent Narender had charged around Rs 2 lakh from each individual and sent them to Iraq. The victims are now stranded in Iraq without any facilities. I, along with the families of the victims, have approached Telangana DGP Mahender Reddy, who referred us to Nizamabad Commissionerate," he said.

Reddy urged the government to help, reiterating that the Indians stranded in Iraq have run out of money and are struggling for life. Meanwhile, Iraq authorities have imposed fine on the victims for staying back in the Gulf nation despite their visa expiry.According to group's report, agriculture and manufacturing sectors can contribute $1 trillion each

New Delhi: A working group of the Commerce and Industry Ministry Wednesday came out with a blueprint suggesting a host of long and short-term measures to increase the size of India's economy to $5 trillion by 2025.

According to its report, agriculture and manufacturing sectors can contribute $1 trillion each, while the contribution from the services sector has been pegged at USD 3 trillion.

The group was constituted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the ministry with participation from the government and industry. It was tasked to develop a roadmap towards achieving a $5 trillion economy by 2025.

"India's potential to achieve a $5 trillion GDP by 2024-25 is within the realm of possibility," the report said.

The report identified specific policy recommendations for the three sectors.

For the agri sector, it has suggested encouraging public and private investments to develop infrastructure like cold chains; special attention for north-eastern, eastern and rain-fed states for augmenting scope of access to institutional credit; and rationalisation and targeting of input subsidies towards small and marginal farmers.

It has also recommended reform in land leasing laws to promote land consolidation and contract farming, and accelerating the pace of public investment in agriculture and ensure greater efficiency in capital use.

For manufacturing, the group has suggested a three-pillar strategy to achieve required expansion of output -- focus on existing high impact and emerging sectors as well as MSMEs.

It said in the defence sector, there is a need to identify key components and systems and encourage global leaders to set up manufacturing base in India by offering limited period incentives; and ensure incentives result in technology/process transfer.

"Where applicable, leverage Government purchases (Offset Policy), particularly for technology transfer; and ensure high-quality anchor investors capable of spurring the growth of associated suppliers (including MSMEs) and offer limited period incentives to anchors, if required," the report said.

To boost electronics manufacturing, it said the government should consider offering additional fiscal incentives such as a limited-period tax holiday to players investing more than an identified threshold of investment.

Similarly, for the auto and auto-components sector, it recommended encouragement of global leaders for the identified components to set up manufacturing bases, and incentivising players willing to invest more than a threshold in identified areas.

The report suggested measures to boost manufacturing in other areas including aeronautical, space, garments, organic/ayurvedic products besides emerging areas such as biotechnology, electric mobility, unmanned aerial vehicles, medical devices, robotics and chemicals.

For micro, small and medium enterprises, the working group said there is a need to improve access to funding by way of development of SME credit risk databases, SME credit rating, and creation of community-based funds.

Further, the group suggested that a focus on champion services sectors like IT, tourism, medical value travel and legal would be required to achieve the expansion of the services sector output and concerted efforts need to be made to increase exports.

The recommendations for services sector include improving rail connectivity and seamless connectivity to major attractions; facilitating visa regime for medical travel; allowing expatriate professional to perform surgeries in identified hospitals; and e-commerce policy and regulatory framework for logistics segment.

To promote the growth of accounting and financial services, it pitched for promoting FDI in domestic accounting and auditing sector, transparent regulatory framework, and easing restriction on client base in the accounting and auditing sector.

Similarly, to push audiovisual services, the report recommended measures like exploring introduction of insurance in the film industry, promoting private investments in film schools, exploring franchise business models to exploit film franchise, and promoting gaming industry value chains.

It added that the scope for expansion into advisory, arbitration and mediation services is large and unexplored.

"It is suggested that a clear roadmap for domestic reforms in the sector, liberalisation and promotion of arbitration and mediation services, is developed," it said.

For the education sector, the report suggested allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India, easy visa regime for students and education service providers, removing regulatory bottlenecks, providing recognition of online degrees and setting up appropriate evaluation techniques for online courses.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ninth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) on Friday in Gandhinagar.

The summit is being held in the city from 18 to 20 January.

On Thursday, Modi will first inaugurate the 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show', an integral part of the biennial investor summit.

Vibrant Gujarat Summit was conceptualised in 2003 by Modi who was then the chief minister of Gujarat to re-establish the state as a preferred investment destination. The Summit provides a platform for brainstorming on agendas of global socio-economic development, knowledge-sharing and forging effective partnerships.

Heads of five countries and over 30,000 national and international delegates, including CEOs of major companies from India and abroad, are expected to attend the 9th edition of the summit, according to organisers.

Indian business tycoons who are expected to attend include Reliance Industries chairman and managing director, Mukesh Ambani, Kotak Mahindra Bank chairman and managing director, Uday Kotak, Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman and founder, Adani Group, Gautam Adani, chairman of Godrej group, Adi Godrej and chairman and managing director, Cadilla Healthcare, Pankaj Patel.

The CEOs and top executives of global companies like BASF, DP World, Suzuki, Vanguard and Maersk among others would also be present.

According to The Times of India, investments around Rs 40,000 crore have been proposed in the environment, conventional and pharmaceutical sectors as the 2019 summit kicks off.

Back in 2003, Gujarat was the first state in the country to start a state-level investor conclave. Over the years, the summit helped Modi to build an image of an investor-friendly administrator. The last Vibrant Summit held in 2017 had witnessed participation of over 100 countries.

Agenda for 2019 Summit

The focus of the 2019 Summit would be to boost bilateral trade and increase exports from Gujarat instead of just attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), according to officials.

Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture and Co-operation Department, Sanjay Prasad said the focus this time will be on bilateral trade and technical collaborations to help Gujarat-based firms increase exports after doing value-addition to raw material imported from different countries.

Attracting FDI in Gujarat has been the main focus of the earlier summits. But this time, we are focusing not only on FDI, but also on ensuring a quantum increase in all kinds of economic activities here, Prasad told PTI.

However, according to The Week, this year's summit might be a dull affair when compared to its earlier editions. The UK recently has opted out of the summit, citing unsatisfactory commercial outcomes. Before this, the United States too had said that it would not be a partner country in the summit till trade issues between the two countries were resolved.

MoUs and investments

Recently, the state government claimed that only 62 percent of all MoUs signed at Vibrant Gujarat Summits over the years have materialised into investments.

According to the Socio-Economic Review of Gujarat for 2015-16, 57 percent of all MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding)/Investment Intention approved during Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2003 to 2015 (as of October 2015) were commissioned or were under implementation.

During 2003 and 2015, the state witnessed an investment commitment of over Rs 76 lakh crore, according to Mint.

As many as 76,512 MoUs were signed at the eight Vibrant Gujarat Summits held between 2003 and 2017, according to DNA. Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said that of these, 47,594 MoUs had been commissioned.

Summit over the years

During the first summit in 2003, a modest 76 MoUs worth Rs 66,068 crore were signed. The numbers soared thereafter to 21,304 MoUs in 2015 with proposed investment of Rs 25 lakh crore. In the 2017 edition, as many as 25,578 agreements were signed.

However, following the BJP-led NDA government's thumping victory in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi moved to the national capital to take charge as prime minister and since then the summit has lost it sheen, according to NDTV.

Following the criticism that the MoU figures are highly exaggerated, the government in 2015 moved on from signing MoUs to letters of intent (LoIs). The government decided to emphasis on creating a global networking platform and signing of executable projects.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi/ Mumbai: Crisis-hit Jet Airways Wednesday said discussions are "progressing well" with stakeholders on a comprehensive resolution plan that also contemplates equity infusion and consequent changes in its board of directors.

Amid concerns over Jet Airways' financial position and battering of shares on the stock exchanges, the airline said it continues to ensure that the safety and operations are not impacted.

On Wednesday, the civil aviation ministry expressed hope that the airline, its strategic partner Etihad and lenders reach a "common plan" to deal with the situation.

Sources said Jet Airways officials held a meeting with lenders. Specific details about the meeting could not be immediately ascertained.

In an unusual move, the airline issued two statements on Wednesday, saying that it has been working on various cost-cutting measures, debt reduction and funding options.

The full-service carrier, which has been grappling with financial woes, defaulted on loan repayment to a consortium of Indian banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) on 31 December, 2018.

In a statement issued in the afternoon, the airline said a resolution plan that contemplates various options, including the proportion of equity infusion by various stakeholders and the consequent change in the company's board, is being worked out.

"SBI, in consultation with the other members of the consortium and the other stakeholders, has been working on a comprehensive resolution plan towards a turnaround of the company for its sustained growth and restoration of financial health," Jet Airways said.

The airline also said the resolution plan is presently under active discussion amongst the stakeholders and that the various options are yet to be crystallised and agreed to by the stakeholders in the best interests of the company.

Citing the board's decision taken in August 2018, the airline said it has been working on various cost-cutting measures, debt reduction and funding options. Infusion of capital and monetisation of assets, including the company's stake in its loyalty programme, in consultation with various key stakeholders, are being looked at.

According to the airline, the resolution plan contemplates various options on the debt-equity mix, proportion of equity infusion by the various stakeholders and the consequent change in the composition of the board of directors.

The implementation of the resolution plan, once approved by all the stakeholders, would be subject to receipt of applicable statutory, regulatory, contractual and corporate approvals and consents.

Late in the evening, Jet Airways issued another statement asserting that it is actively "engaged with the stakeholders on a resolution plan, which is progressing well".

The company remains committed to all its guests and employees and continues to ensure that the safety and its operations are not impacted, it added.

In the second statement, the beleaguered airline also "vehemently" denied and described as misleading in nature the conjecture being made about the longevity of the operations of the company by a section of the media.

Shares of Jet Airways plunged nearly 8 percent to end at Rs 271 on the BSE.

Meanwhile, an airline official Wednesday said it has deferred deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX planes.

The airline was to induct 11 Boeing 737 MAX planes by March this year and so far it has taken delivery of only five such aircraft.

According to reports, Jet Airways' strategic partner Etihad Airways is looking to hike its stake in the airline.

Responding to queries about the reports, an Etihad spokesperson told PTI, "Etihad does not comment on rumour or speculation".

As per reports, Etihad might have to make an open offer in case it is hiking the stake in Jet Airways.

On a question on Etihad Airways reportedly seeking exemption over the open offer, Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said the issue is being discussed amongst the promoters and the lenders.

"We hope that the three -- Jet Airways, Etihad and the lenders -- come together and decide on a common plan," he said in Mumbai.

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New Delhi: India has committed to purchase $5 billion worth of oil and gas from the US per annum and $18 billion worth of defence equipment that are under implementation, a top Indian diplomat here said, highlighting the growing bilateral trade cooperation.

The US export to India has gone up by at least 30 percent, India's Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the American business community, his first major public engagement on Tuesday.

In the last two years, the bilateral trade has increased from $119 billion to $140 billion, he said.

At a reception hosted in his honour by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), Shringla said India has been sourcing and buying much more from the US than ever in the past.

In the field of oil and gas alone, he said, India has committed to purchase $5 billion from the US every year.

Commercial Indian airlines, Shringla said, have placed orders of 300 airplanes worth $40 billion.

"We're looking at importing products that we've never bought from the US before," he said, adding that some of the consumer products from the US are increasing in demand in India.

In the defense sector, India is looking at $18 billion worth of orders that are under implementation.

Not only this, the large number of Indian studentsnumbering 227,000 currentlycontribute $6.5 billion to the American academic sector, Shringla said, giving an example towards India's contribution to the US economy.

Addressing representatives from the American corporate sector, he said that the progress made by India and the US in the last few years has been unparalleled.

"What amazes me is that in the last few years, the amount of progress that our relationship has made is unparalleled in many senses. The United States is India's largest trading partner. We are among the top 10 trading partners in terms of sheer volume of business," Shringla said.

Referring to the pro-business initiatives of the Indian government, the Indian Ambassador urged the American corporate sector to take benefit of the new business-friendly atmosphere in India and invest in the country. In his remarks, the US Chambers of Commerce president Tom Donohue said there are many issues in common, many challenges that the two countries have to deal with collectively.

"Our promise (is that) we will put all the attention and energy it takes to make this relationship successful," Donohue said.

The US-India relationship has gone from being a bilateral relationship to be both global and local, USIBC president Nisha Desai Biswal said, observing that the two countries have boundless opportunities in partnership.

We're partnering across the Indo-Pacific. But we're also deepening the ties between our cities and states. In fact, throughout the year, you will see more and more engagement between our states in our cities, more and more governors, mayors going to India, chief ministers and legislators coming here," said Biswal, the former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

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Mumbai: The former directors of the crippled IL&FS Group Wednesday approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking clarification on bench's earlier order restraining them from disposing of or creating any third-party rights on their properties till 16 January.

Former directors of IL&FS, except S Rengarajan, the past managing director and chief executive of IL&FS Securities Services, Wednesday sought clarification from the two-member bench of judges VP Singh and Ravikumar Duraisamy on NCLT's earlier order of 3 December, 2018.

The order had restrained the former directors from mortgaging, or third-party interests or in any way alienating movable or immovable or jointly held properties.

They were also restrained from dealing in securities in any companies till 16 January.

Rengarajan had moved the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the December 3, 2018 order.

NCLAT allowed him to withdraw Rs 2 lakh per month from any one of the bank accounts after intimating the tribunal.

The NCLAT order also said Rengarajan was prohibited from withdrawing any further amount from the said or any other account until further orders.

The lawyer of Rupa Kapoor, wife of former non-executive director of IL&FS, Vaibhav Kapoor, Wednesday asked the NCLT Mumbai bench on the validity of freezing her joint account, as she was an independent person with no relation with IL&FS and regularly filed her income tax returns.

Lawyers of other former directors said as per their understanding movable properties did not include bank accounts.

The bench said since matter is sub-judice, it cannot pass any judgement on this.

The lawyers, however, said they are looking for clarification on the order and are not seeking any modification on it.

Hearing the arguments from lawyers representing the government and the former directors, the bench said it has reserved the order.

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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS> and affiliate Kia Motors Corp <000270.KS> said on Wednesday they will recall about 168,000 U.S. vehicles at risk of fuel leaks, after recalling them in 2017 for engine fire risks, and will offer software upgrades for 3.7 million vehicles.

A high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged or improperly installed as part of an engine replacement during the prior recall, and that the installation could increase the risk of fire, the companies said.

The Korean automakers said they would offer a software update to about 3.7 million U.S. vehicles to protect them from internal damage and new extended warranties for engine issues. The "knock sensor" software detects vibrations indicating the onset of excessive wear on the connecting rod bearing.

Kia said that 20 percent of the vehicles involved have already received the update.

Kia said the new recall covers 68,000 various Kia Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles from the 2011 through 2014 model years, while Hyundai said it affects 100,000 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vehicles.

Hyundai said it was not aware that any fires were caused by the latest recall issue, while Kia did not say if it knew of any fires.

In May 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal investigation into the recalls of nearly 1.7 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles over engine defects.

In November 2018, Reuters reported that federal prosecutors had launched a criminal investigation into Korean auto affiliates Hyundai and Kia https://reut.rs/2VVMwYm to determine if vehicle recalls linked to engine defects were conducted properly, citing a person with knowledge of the matter and documents. The companies declined to comment.

A South Korean whistleblower in 2016 reported concerns to NHTSA, which has been probing the timeliness of three U.S. recalls and whether they covered enough vehicles.

In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At the time, Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same Theta II engines.

In March 2017, Hyundai expanded its original U.S. recall to 572,000 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles with Theta II engines, citing the same issue involving manufacturing debris.

On the same day, Kia also recalled 618,000 Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles - all of which use the same engine.

The recall, which was also conducted in Canada and South Korea, cost the automakers an estimated 360 billion won ($319.30 million). The nonprofit Center for Auto Safety in October called for the immediate recall of another 2.9 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles over engine fire risks.

A NHTSA spokeswoman declined to comment because of the partial U.S. government shutdown. The auto safety agency is not reviewing recall submissions or posting new recall campaigns on its website.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Bernadette Baum and Jonathan Oatis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.E-commerce firms in India will from 1 February not be able to sell products via companies in which they have an equity interest or push sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms.

New Delhi: The government's new foreign investment restrictions for its e-commerce sector, which includes giants such as Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-owned Flipkart, could reduce online sales by $46 billion by 2022, according to a draft analysis from global consultants PwC seen by Reuters.

Under the changes, e-commerce firms in India will from 1 February not be able to sell products via companies in which they have an equity interest or push sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms.

Announced in December, just months before a general election is due by May this year, the rules were seen as an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to appease millions of small traders and shopkeepers, who form a key voter base and say their businesses have been threatened by global online retailers.

Industry sources told Reuters the policy would delay or derail some investment plans and push companies such as Amazon and Flipkart to create new, more complex business structures.

In a private analysis PwC conducted based on estimates provided by the industry and using publicly available information, it forecast that online retail sales growth, tax collections and job creation would be severely hit if companies changed their business models to comply with the new policy. The draft analysis has not been made public. PwC India, in response to Reuters questions, said it does not endorse any of these assumptions or conclusions, nor have we conducted any independent study on this.

As a matter of policy, we do not comment on company specific issues, PwC said.

The analysis produced by PwC showed that the gross-merchandise value of goods sold online could reduce by $800 million from expectations in the current fiscal year that ends in March, a document seen by Reuters showed. Then, the sales would dip drastically below previous forecasts, lopping off $45.2 billion in the next three years, the data showed.

To be sure, sales would still be growing, but at a less robust rate than envisaged before the policy change.

Online retailers often use gross merchandise value, or GMV, based on monthly online sales as a measurement of performance, as they typically make revenue from the commissions they get from sellers.

The analysis also said that by March 2022 the Indian policy could lead to the creation of 1.1 million fewer jobs than may have been previously expected and lead to a reduction in taxes collected of $6 billion.

Amazon and Flipkart have both sought an extension of the 1 February deadline, but a source at the commerce ministry told Reuters the government was unlikely to agree.

Amazon said in a statement it remains committed to be compliant to all local laws but has asked the government for a an extension of four months.

Flipkart has sought a six-month extension, a source said. Though the company did not respond to Reuters questions, it told Economic Times newspaper that it believed an extension is appropriate to ensure that all elements of the policy were clarified.

Policy setback

The e-commerce investment policy is the latest flashpoint between India and US multinationals. U.S. companies have in the past two years protested against a wide array of regulations - from policies calling on tech companies to store more data locally to those capping prices of imported medical devices.

Morgan Stanley had estimated, before the latest government move, that Indias e-commerce market would grow 30 percent a year to $200 billion in the 10 years up to 2027. With rising use of the Internet and smartphones in India, online retailers have doled out discounts to lure people to shop online for everything from basic groceries to large electronic devices.

The new policy, which followed intense lobbying by groups representing millions of small traders and shopkeepers, was aimed to prevent such deep discounting by big online retailers.

Trader groups had alleged that online firms used their control over inventory from their affiliates, and through exclusive sales agreements, to create an unfair marketplace that allowed them to sell some products at lower prices. Such arrangements would be barred under the new policy.

A second official at the commerce ministry said on Wednesday there may not be any relaxations in the policy. We have already done whatever was required, the official said.

Big investment

Amazon has committed to investing $5.5 billion in India, while Walmart last year spent $16 billion to acquire Flipkart.

After one of the biggest foreign investments by Walmart, the government has again blindsided foreign investors, said Pratibha Jain, a partner at law firm Nishith Desai Associates, which advises e-commerce companies, adding that such policy moves made India a difficult place to do business.

Ccommerce minister, Suresh Prabhu, has said the e-commerce policy was very clear, though the government was open to hearing views of companies.We would like to assure all foreign investors and domestic investors we will have a stable, clear policy, Prabhu told ET Now news channel last week.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Wednesday said it would fight tooth and nail if the government made any changes to the e-commerce policy under pressure from U.S. companies.

If they want to exit the country they should do it as soon as possible, said the groups secretary general, Praveen Khandelwal, adding they planned to hold meetings with the commerce minister to ensure the new policy was not compromised.

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Mumbai: CNBC-TV18 will be hosting the 14th edition of the India Business Leaders Awards (IBLA). Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs is set to attend the function as the chief guest of the ceremony.

The awards were conceived with an aim to felicitate those business leaders who have made advancements in their sphere and risen beyond the industry threshold by setting new standards in terms of growth, scale and market leadership. The platform looks forward to saluting these champions on 17 January 2019, Mumbai.

Speaking about the awards, Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18 said, "Propelling to this year's theme, the 14th edition of IBLA aims to recognize those industry leaders who have been in-charge of the stellar accomplishments and have helped the exponential growth of their sphere and contributed towards the economic development of the country, while bringing change in their respective industry

As CNBC-TV18 completes 19 years in India, India Business Leader Awards has evolved to become a prestigious benchmark in honouring the leaders in Indias business landscape.

With each year, India Business Leader Awards is scaling its endeavour to provide an enriching platform for corporate doyens, who are responsible for creating history while keeping a keen eye on Indias future. Inspired by the evolving business and economic ecosystem of the country, the theme for this edition will be Leaders of Change.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Ltd. will be a part of the event. Some of the other prominent luminaries attending the event are Piyush Pandey, Global CCO, Ogilvy, Raamdeo Agrawal, MD, Motilal Oswal Group, and Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and MD, JSW.

The jury panel chaired by Uday Kotak, Chairman and MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank, comprised of industry veterans Harsh Mariwala, Chairman- Marico, Rajnish Kumar, Chairman- State Bank of India, Kalpana Morparia, CEO- JP Morgan India, Sanjay Nayar, CEO- KKR India, Vani Kola, MD  Kalaari capital, Nimesh Kampani, Chairman- JM Financial, Rajiv Memani, Chairman & Regional Managing Partner of EY India and Zarin Daruwala, CEO- Standard Chartered Bank who determined the winners of the prestigious awards.

With its 14th edition, this initiative intends to bring forth an event that is just as illuminating as it is rewarding. Stay tuned with the event by following #leadersofchange #CNBCTV18IBLA.

(Disclosure - Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)

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Byjus, the ed-tech firm, announced it has acquired US-based Osmo, the award-winning playful learning system for creating healthy screen time experiences for $120 million. This is Byjus first-ever purchase of a US company.

Osmo will continue to scale as a standalone brand as Byjus taps the companys physical-to-digital technology and content to expand and enhance its current offering. This new acquisition will bolster the Bengaluru-based firms team s international plans to innovate, explore and set new benchmarks for tech-enabled personalised learning solutions.

Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO, Byjus-The Learning App, said: With this acquisition, we are expanding into a new age demographic and entering the world of younger kids (age group 3-8). Our partnership with Osmo will help kids acquire a love for learning at an early age by introducing play-based learning. Overall, the partnership aims at fostering a love for learning through cutting-edge tech and a new approach to edutainment-based learning, Byju said.

Pramod Sharma, Osmos CEO and co-founder and his core team will continue to remain at Osmos helm.

We started Osmo for parents looking for a way to combine physical, hands-on play with the power of digital platforms to foster a love of learning, explains Pramod Sharma, Founder, Osmo. Finding a visionary education company like Byjus opened an exciting opportunity to work together to carry forward our mission across all primary school grade levels on a global scale. We are excited about what we can accomplish together, said Sharma.

Byju has been growing at 100 percent for the last three years, and is on target to triple its revenue to Rs 1400 crores this year. It has aggressive plans for international market expansion and will continue to make big investments in technology that will help to further personalise learning for students, the company management said.

Launched in 2015, Byjus Learning App offers personalised learning programs for school students in grades 4-12 in India. It has 30 million students cumulatively learning from the app and over 2 million annual paid subscriptions. The app creates personalised learning programs for individual students based on their proficiency levels and capabilities which help them learn at their own pace and style.

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To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News  CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day.Osmo will continue as a standalone brand since Byju's taps the company's physical-to-digital technology and content to expand and enhance its current offering, Byju's said in a statement.

New Delhi: Online education start-up Byju's on Thursday said it has acquired US-based Osmo for $120 million (nearly Rs 850 crore).

Osmo provides a playful learning system, bringing physical toys into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence.

Osmo will continue as a standalone brand since Byju's taps the company's physical-to-digital technology and content to expand and enhance its current offering, Byju's said in a statement.

"This new acquisition will bolster team Byju's international plans...With the integration of Osmo, Byju's will also look to offer a unique, customised, engaging and fun-learning solution for younger kids," it added.

Osmo chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder Pramod Sharma and his core team will continue to remain at Osmo's helm.

"We were captivated by Osmo's physical-to-digital approach to learning and fun from our first introduction," Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO of Byju's, said.

He added that the company's vision is to make learning fun and engaging across age groups, across geographies.

"Together with Osmo, we have the critical elements needed to build out an unprecedented library of engaging and entertaining educational content for a global pre-K-12 student audience. We are excited by what we are planning to launch in the coming months," he said.

Byju's, which has recently raised $540 million (about Rs 3,865 crore) from Naspers and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), said it has been growing at 100 percent for the past three years, and is on target to triple its revenue to Rs 1,400 crore this year.

"Byju's has aggressive plans for international market expansion and will continue to make big investments in technology that will help to further personalise learning for students," it added.

Launched in 2015, Byju's offers personalised learning programmes for school students in grades 4-12 in India. It has 30 million students cumulatively learning from the app and over 2 million annual paid subscriptions.

To keep watching Indias No. 1 English Business News Channel  CNBC-TV18, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family Pack (inclusive of 24 channels), available for Rs. 35/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 4/- per day.

To keep watching the Leader in Global Market & Business News  CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, call your Cable or DTH Operator and ask for the Colors Family HD Pack (inclusive of 25 channels), available for Rs. 50/- per month, or subscribe to the channel for Rs. 1/- per day.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - Miramont Resources Corp. (CSE: MONT) (OTCQB: MRRMF) (FSE: 6MR) ("Miramont" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 2,857,143 units ("Units") at a price of $0.35 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to approximately $1,000,000 (the "Private Placement"). The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Private Placement for its planned drilling activities at Cerro Hermoso, advancing the Lukkacha project and general working capital purposes. Closing of the Private Placement is expected to occur on or before January 31, 2019 (the "Closing Date").

Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share (each, a "Common Share") in the capital of the Company and one (1) transferrable common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.50 per Common Share until the date which is two (2) years from the Closing Date. The Company may pay certain finders a fee for introducing eligible participants to the Private Placement.

All securities issued under the Private Placement, including securities issuable on exercise thereof, are subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the Closing Date.

The Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

About Miramont Resources Corp.

Miramont is a Canadian based exploration company with a focus on acquiring and developing mineral prospects within world-class belts of South America. Miramont's key assets are located in southern Peru. The Cerro Hermoso property hosts a 1.4km diameter breccia pipe targeting gold - polymetallic mineralization, while the Lukkacha property is targeting porphyry copper mineralization.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

MIRAMONT RESOURCES CORP.

"William Pincus"

William Pincus, President and CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Telephone: (604) 398-4493

info@miramontrresources.com

www.miramontresources.com

Reader Advisory

This news release may include forward-looking information that is subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking, including statements with respect to the use of proceeds from the Private Placement. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - Goldsource Mines Inc. (TSXV: GXS) (FSE: G5M) ("Goldsource" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of its previously announced non-brokered private placement whereby the Company issued a total of 26,000,000 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of Cdn$0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of Cdn$1,300,000. Each Unit consisted of one common share and one common share purchase warrant of Goldsource. Each warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share of Goldsource at an exercise price of Cdn$0.09 until January 17, 2021.

Proceeds from the private placement will be used for the Company's Eagle Mountain resource expansion, pre-feasibility study costs and general corporate purposes.

The Company has agreed to pay a commission of up to 6% in cash, in respect of a portion of the private placement. Subject to regulatory approval, the Company expects to pay finder's fees of $28,500 in cash.

One of Goldsource's insiders purchased or acquired direction and control over Units under the private placement. The placement to that person constitutes a "related party transaction", within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). The Company has relied on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of that related party participation. Further details will be included in the Company's material change report to be filed within 10 days of the date hereof. Such material change report was not filed more than 21 days prior to closing of the placement due to there being less than 21 days between the date of related party subscription agreements and closing.

The common shares and warrants issued in connection with the private placement and the common shares issuable upon exercise of warrants are subject to a hold period expiring May 18, 2019. The private placement is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any state and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent an exemption from registration.

ABOUT GOLDSOURCE MINES INC.

Goldsource Mines Inc. (www.goldsourcemines.com) is a Canadian resource company working aggressively to develop its advanced-stage, 100%-owned Eagle Mountain saprolite and hard-rock gold project in Guyana, South America. Through a pilot plant initiative, the company achieved low cost, Phase I gold production at the project in 2016. Goldsource is now focused on delivering feasibility studies to achieve large-scale gold production at Eagle Mountain. Goldsource is led by an experienced management team, proven in making exploration discoveries and in project construction.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern the net proceeds from the private placement and the intended use of proceeds. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; timing and amount of capital expenditures; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of the risk factors including: the availability of funds; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos

President & Director

Goldsource Mines Inc.

For Further Information:



Goldsource Mines Inc.

Contact: Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos, President

Fred Cooper, Investor Relations

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1760

Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1760 (Canada & USA)

Email: info@goldsourcemines.com

Website: www.goldsourcemines.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATESVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSXV: ZNG) (OTCQB: GRLVF) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #913 at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver) on Sunday January 20 - Monday January 21, 2019.

The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference has been the bellwether of the junior mining market for the last twenty-five years. It is the number one source of information for investment trends and ideas, covering all aspects of the natural resource industry.

Each year, the VRIC hosts over 60 keynote speakers, 350 exhibiting companies and 9000 investors.

Investment thought leaders and wealth influencers provide our audiences with valuable insights. C-suite company executives covering every corner of the mineral exploration sector as well as metals, oil & gas, renewable energy, media and financial services companies are available to speak one on one. This is a must-attend for investors and stakeholders in the global mining industry.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference

We look forward to seeing you there.

For further information:

Group Eleven Resources Corp.

Spiros Cacos

+1 604 630 8839

s.cacos@groupelevenresources.com

www.groupelevenresources.com- Enlist E3 Soybeans Headline One of Largest Soybean Technology System Launches Ever

- High-yield Potential Qrome Products with Triple-stack Insect Control Available Across Corn Belt

- Technologies Authorized by China for Import

WILMINGTON, Deleware, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), today announced plans for commercial launches of Enlist E3 soybeans in Brazil, Canada and the United States, beginning in 2019. The Company also announced plans to expand the launch of Qrome products across the U.S. Corn Belt.

"I am excited to announce one of the largest soybean technology system launches ever," said Corteva Agriscience Chief Executive Officer, James C. Collins, Jr. "Enlist E3 soybeans incorporate advanced herbicide tolerance through three modes of action and enable use of our proprietary Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides to provide more complete solutions to farmers."

"We are also announcing expanded availability of Qrome products across a wider geography, and to more customers," said Collins. "Qrome hybrids have earned the trust of American producers for consistent performance and have produced high yields by combining top-tier genetics, strong defensive traits and advanced seed treatments."

Enlist E3 soybeans and Qrome corn products are among more than 20 new technologies that Corteva Agriscience plans to launch by 20211. They are a key part of the Corteva Agriscience strategy to grow and to drive customer and shareholder value through the Company's combined seed and crop protection pipeline.

Enlist E3 soybeans were jointly developed by Dow AgroSciences and MS Technologies. Both Enlist E3 soybeans and grain produced from Qrome corn products received import authorization from China in January 2019.

Enlist E3 Soybeans

Enlist E3 soybeans will be offered in Brazil, Canada and the U.S. across all Corteva Agriscience seed brands. Commercial sales will begin in 2019; timing will vary by country. First-half 2019 activities will focus on expanding grower experiences with Enlist E3 soybeans through demonstration plots, field technology days and other opportunities. Second-half 2019 activities will focus on commercial sales efforts. Robust ramp-up plans and extensive seed production will ensure that Enlist E3 soybeans are broadly available to farmers in 2020.

Corteva Agriscience is also engaged with numerous potential seed trait licensees and intends to broadly license Enlist E3 soybean technology. This will enable farmers around the world to have broader choice and flexibility in selecting herbicide tolerance traits, genetics and crop protection solutions.

"Enlist E3 soybeans are industry-leading triple-stack herbicide tolerant soybeans that allow Corteva Agriscience to better serve farmers with complementary seed and crop protection products," said Collins. "The fully-enabled launch of Enlist E3 soybeans follows the successful introduction of top performing Enlist cotton varieties and Enlist corn hybrids in 2017 and 2018, respectively."

The Enlist E3 soybean trait provides tolerance to new 2,4-D choline in Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides, as well as glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides. Enlist Duo herbicide is a combination of new 2,4-D choline and glyphosate, a convenient blend for control of tough broadleaf and grass weeds. Enlist One herbicide is a 2,4-D choline product offering the same excellent broadleaf weed control with greater tank-mix flexibility, including the ability to tank mix with qualified glufosinate products.

Growers can apply Enlist herbicides post-emergence to Enlist E3 soybeans to help control glyphosate-resistant weeds; additional tolerance to glufosinate means they can utilize three post-emergence herbicide modes of action in Enlist E3 soybean fields. With near-zero volatility and reduced potential for physical drift, Enlist herbicides with Colex-D technology are designed to land and stay on target.

Qrome Product Technology

Introductory quantities of Qrome products will be available in the Pioneer brand for 2019 planting across expanded geographies in the U.S. Corn Belt. For the 2020 growing season, Qrome products are planned across a wide range of genetic platforms and maturities in Corteva Agriscience seed brands. Farmers who planted Pioneer brand Qrome products as part of limited launch in 2017 and 2018 across the Western U.S. Corn Belt reported strong performance and high yields.

"Qrome products are the most optimized balance of insect protection and agronomic performance in the Corteva Agriscience product portfolio," said Collins.

Qrome products feature a novel molecular stack of multiple insect protection traits and include two modes of action to control corn rootworm. Pioneer brand Qrome products have consistently delivered an average 5.5 bushel yield advantage over legacy triple-stack technology in multi-year research trials. In 2018 on-farm trials, Qrome products held an average 10.2 bushel per acre advantage over all competitive products tested2.

Enlist E3 soybeans are approved for cultivation in the U.S., Canada and Brazil. Qrome products are approved for cultivation in the U.S. and Canada. Both Enlist E3 soybeans and grain produced from Qrome corn products have received import authorization in many importing countries, most recently in China. For additional information about the status of regulatory authorizations, please visit http://www.biotradestatus.com/.

To learn more about the Enlist weed control system, visit Enlist.com, follow us on Twitter at @EnlistOnline or go to our YouTube channel. Learn more about Qrome products at Pioneer.com/Qrome.

1 Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, Hosts Inaugural Investor Day

2 2018 Qrome performance data is based on the average of 244 comparisons made in the United States through Nov. 14, 2018. Comparisons are against all competitors and within a +/- 3 CRM of the competitive brand.

About Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is intended to become an independent, publicly traded company when the previously announced spinoff is complete by June 2019. The division combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Corteva Agriscience provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry - including some of the most recognized brands in agriculture: Pioneer, Encirca, the newly launched Brevant seed brand, as well as award-winning Crop Protection products - while bringing new products to market through our solid pipeline of active chemistry and technologies. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

Follow Corteva Agriscience on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Trademarks of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer and affiliated companies or their respective owners.

Enlist E3 soybeans are jointly developed by Dow AgroSciences and MS Technologies.

The Enlist weed control system is owned and developed by Dow AgroSciences LLC. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are not registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your area. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are the only 2,4-D products authorized for use in Enlist crops. Always read and follow label directions. Dow AgroSciences LLC

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/769289/DowDuPont__Corteva_Logo.jpgVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - ePower Metals Inc (TSXV: EPWR) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #422 at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver) on Sunday January 20 - Monday January 21, 2019.

The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference has been the bellwether of the junior mining market for the last twenty-five years. It is the number one source of information for investment trends and ideas, covering all aspects of the natural resource industry.

Each year, the VRIC hosts over 60 keynote speakers, 350 exhibiting companies and 9000 investors.

Investment thought leaders and wealth influencers provide our audiences with valuable insights. C-suite company executives covering every corner of the mineral exploration sector as well as metals, oil & gas, renewable energy, media and financial services companies are available to speak one on one. This is a must-attend for investors and stakeholders in the global mining industry.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference

We look forward to seeing you there.

For further information:

ePower Metals Inc

Michael Collins

(604) 428-6128

info@epowermetals.com

www.epowermetals.comLONDON, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

International Finance, a premium financial and business analysis magazine, hosted the 6th Annual International Finance Awards at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai on 17th January, 2019.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809810/International_Finance_Awards_2018.jpg )

This year's ceremony was special as it stood testament to the company's growth over the years. For the first time, International Finance Awards received 1,000 nominations, marking the highest since inception.

International Finance is pleased to have established an effective working relationship with a myriad of globally recognised firms, industry experts and thought leaders, which brings the company to a turning point.

The ceremony will witness the presence of 200 world's top C-suite executives and significant others across sectors in the EMEA region.

Sunil Bhat, Director, International Finance, said: "We are looking forward to the ceremony today. It is, in fact, a great opportunity for International Finance and our clients across various sectors to gather, greet and collaborate with each other."

"We are delighted to extend our felicitations to the winners of 6th Annual International Finance Awards 2018 and celebrate their excellence."

Over the last three years, International Finance has established a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region. After conducting successful ceremonies in Singapore, the 6th Annual International Finance Awards Asia Pacific will be held in Thailand for the first time.

The event is scheduled to be held on January 25, 2019 at the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, with an estimated 200 C-level executives from the region's leading companies expected to attend.

The nominations for the 7th Annual International Finance Awards 2019 will open on February 1, 2019.

For further details, contact:

Ryan Cooper

+44(0)207-193-5502

Sid Jain

+44(0)208-123-0715

Website:https://internationalfinance.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalFinanceMagazine/

Instagram: intlfinance

Twitter: @IntlFinanceMag

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/internationalfinance/Findit, The Social Networking Content Management Platform That Provides Members The Ability To Share Their Status Updates Done On Findit to Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIN and More Social Networking Sites

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Findit, Inc., a Nevada Corporation (OTC PINK: FDIT), is the owner of Findit.com, the inclusive Social Networking Content Management Platform that enables its members and visitors to share the content posted to Findit to your other social networking accounts to reach more people.

When you post updates in Facebook or do a Tweet in Twitter, your reach is limited to your friends and followers. In addition to the limitation of who can see your post or tweet, the algorithms on some sites even limit which of your friends and followers will see your posts, which reduces your audience even more. Some sites even limit the number of friends you can have.

That's weird, a social networking site that is set up to bring people together actually limits your popularity, and as we have come to find out they take members' data and sell it to generate revenue for their bottom line, and you don't get any of the money from the content you created and they profited from.

That being the case, many people and businesses on social networking platforms have a message they want to share with as many people as possible and the way these sites are set up - your reach is limited. Yes, the numbers may look good when you have 5,000 friends or 20,000 followers or even more, but of those friends and followers, how many of them actually see what you posted or tweeted?

Findit is different. Posts done in Findit are different - here are some of the differences. Findit gives its members and visitors to the site (they do not need to be members) the ability to reach more people in more places including search engines, that include Google two ways.

Findit runs "Sharethis' on each of a member's Findit Right Now Status Updates, which allows anyone seeing the post the ability to share that post to any social accounts they have that are included in 'Sharethis' (approximately 80). Included in 'Sharethis' is Facebook (FB), Twittter (TWTR), LinkedIN (MSFT), Google + (GOOG) and lots more. Findit is open to all, which means content posted in Findit is crawled by outside search engines and can be indexed in search results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOL6SxCLthU

These two features gives your posts the ability to reach anyone in the world that has access to the internet. This number is far greater than however many friends and followers anyone currently has. It also give anyone the ability to share your posts. To like a post, create your own post, or leave a comment on a post, one needs to sign in, but no one is required to sign in to see your posts or share your posts.

Findit will be rolling out its new Findit App for Android in the Google Play Store and on IOS in the Apple App Store. The App is currently in development and is being tested. Those who download the updated App will be given the option of creating an account within the app to post content in. However, people will have the option to download the app simply to browse and see content that is posted in Findit from current members without having to create an account. By providing the individuals who download the app the choice of how they want to use it, individuals can decide for themselves which way they feel more comfortable using the app, whether they want to create an account or use the app to browse content.

Google Play Findit App Download it Now

Apple App Store Findit App Download it Now

What can Members Include in Right Now Status Update in Findit?

Findit provides members with a content management dashboard that empowers them to create in-depth amazing content in each right now post. A Right Now post is a post that displays on the Right Now feed within Findit that can include the following:

Text (App and Web)

Pictures (App and Web )

Video (App and Web) Revised App, which is not yet launched, will allow for 10 second Videos or a full length Youtube Video Web allows Youtube Video Web and App will display both in the Right Now feed.

A link (App and Web)

Audio File (Web)

News/Press Release (Web)

Scheduling (App and Web)

Sharing to other Social Sites non members and members (Web)

Sharing from your Findit Post to your other social accounts through API calls (App Version not yet available)

Privacy Settings (Coming to App and Web Version-Pick who sees your posts or make them available to anyone)

Members have the ability to post the Right Now status update instantly, back-date it to fill in their feed, or post-date it to become live in the future.

Top Stories are being posted in Findit and can be shared to reach more people.

Here is the latest in Music on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal from Layzie Bone

Available now on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and everywhere else digital music is sold!!!! Be on the lookout for the Special Edition cd available exclusively @layziegear HHEOnTheRise PerfectTimingAnnihilation LayzieGear

People Share the Personal Posts Sometimes to Share with friends and others what they are up to.

Tried Cooking Salmon In My New Toaster Oven Last Night and It Was Much Faster Than Traditional Baking. Model Pictured: Panasonic nb-g110p flashxpress.

Findit provides members with a great way to control their while building out their brand.

You can catch lots of flies w/ honey, but you can catch lots more honies being fly... this seasons @aloyoga men's line is super fly so go peep it.

@dimlitesnotwits

Findit offers a place for everyone to create their content and share their story.

Time is running out to get in on the New Year's Eve fun at Antique Bar & Carnival! Don't miss out on the psychics, tarot readers, disc jockey, and showgirls that will have you dancing into the new year! Oh, and of course, the whole roasted pig!

Findit provides an outlet for every Business Owner the ability to get their content in front of their target audience. CBD is a very popular topic right now, CBD Unlimited keeps people up to date with daily posts in Findit.

Try pure CBD hemp oil for sale from CBD Unlimited and CBD vape oil today! We're serious, right now take a moment and try our high quality hemp extracted CBD products. Research has shown CBD to act as an agent of homeostasis, working to establish equilibrium throughout the body without interfering with prescription medications or creating additional side effects.

With Real Estate Listings and Vacation Rentals struggling for positioning to get their property noticed, adding your listings in a Right Now post helps to put your listing in front of the right people.

Folly Beach Vacation Rental at 911 West Ashley Avenue 29439

Peter Tosto from Findit stated, "We think it is so important to provide our members with transparency in our social networking platform and let them know we do not sell their personal data. For people that want to reach more people and recognize that not everyone is everywhere, Findit should be added to your portfolio if you want to have your message seen and shared by more people."

Click Here to see live posts with 10 second videos from the upcoming new Findit App. These were done with the APK file for Android in beta.

Findit has reserved the following account for President Donald Trump Findit.com/potus

Customizing your Findit account with a Findit address in your URL

Findit offers every member the option to have their own unique address in Findit. These addresses are currently available under the Keyword URL tab at the bottom of the Findit site in the footer or from your Dashboard when your signed into your account. A Findit address is exactly that - your unique address on Findit.

Vanity URLs Now only $7.95.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4wZoJUVHw

About Findit, Inc.

Findit, Inc., owns Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit offers News and Press Release Distribution. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increased brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., is a non reporting public company that trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTC Pinksheets.

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed by such forward-looking statements. This press release speaks as of the date first set forth above, and Findit, Inc. assumes no responsibility to update the information included herein for events occurring after the date hereof. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to factors such as the lack of capital, timely development of products, inability to deliver products when ordered, inability of potential customers to pay for ordered products, and political and economic risks inherent in international trade.

Contact:

Peter Tosto

Phone 404 443 3224

SOURCE: Findit, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/532947/Share-Status-Updates-from-Findit-Right-Now-to-Facebook-Twitter-and-More-Social-Networking-SitesVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Belmont Resources Inc. (TSX.V: BEA; FSE: L3L1) will be exhibiting at the 2019 Vancouver Resources Investment Conference on January 20-21, 2019.

Hello Investor:

We would like to invite you to meet the Belmont Resources team at Booth #301 celebrating 40+ years of being in business.

Belmont Resources Inc. (TSX.V: BEA)

January 20-21, 2019 (Sunday & Monday)

Vancouver Convention Centre West, 1055 Canada Place

Trade Booths

Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Monday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Click here to Register for Free (up to January 19th, 2019) please click on: https://cambridgehouse.com/register/76/start?promo=

ENTER PROMO CODE: "CHI" click "apply" to receive your FREE ADMISSION

The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) has been the bellwether of the junior mining market for the last twenty-five years. It is the number one source of information for investment trends and ideas, covering all aspects of the natural resource industry. The VRIC will provide current and prospective investors an opportunity to speak with management and consultants about the Company's active Kibby Basin, Nevada Lithium project. Pick up your free copy of the latest Rockstone Research Report #20.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the office at 604-683-6648.

Sincerely,

Gary Musil,

Corporate Secretary/CFO/Director

Email: gmusil@belmontresources.com

About Belmont Resources Inc.

Belmont is an emerging resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada and Nevada, U.S.A.

For further information see our Website at: www.BelmontResources.com

-Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Nevadalithium/

-Twitter https://twitter.com/Belmont_Res

Belmont owns the Kibby Basin Lithium project covering 2,056 hectares (5,080 acres) in Esmeralda County, Nevada, U.S.A. The Kibby Basin property is located 65 km north of Clayton Valley, Nevada the location of the only US Lithium producer. MGX Minerals Inc. (CSE: XMG) has currently earned a 25% interest in the Kibby project and has the right to increase this to 50% by expending an additional $300,000 and become the operator.

In 50/50 ownership with International Montoro Resources Inc., Belmont has acquired and is exploring joint venture opportunities for its significant Uranium properties (Crackingstone - 982 ha) in the Uranium City District in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"James H. Place"

James (Jim) H. Place,

CEO/President/Director

Belmont Resources Inc.

#600 - 625 Howe Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2T6

Ph: (604) 683-6648 Fax: (604) 683-1350

E-Mail: gmusil@belmontresources.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Belmont Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/532954/Belmont-Exhibits-at-the-Vancouver-Resources-Investment-Conference--January-20-21-2019Industry leading iconectiv TruNumber Protect takes center stage at inaugural Middle East conference

The increasingly damaging impact of telecom fraud and how service providers can protect themselves and their customers from its risks, will be one of the key takeaways from the upcoming Risk and Assurance (RAG) Conference in Bahrain. With annual global losses from telecoms fraud heading towards $30 billion, the most effective strategies to combat the criminal activity, and proven results, will be presented at the event.

At the conference, John Haraburda, principal solutions engineer at iconectiv, will deliver findings and insights from analyzing the traffic of dozens of service providers worldwide. Showcasing iconectiv's marketleadingTruNumber Protectfraud protection solution, Haraburda will spotlight the best practices, techniques and lessons learned that will help service providers strengthen their existing fraud portfolio, help prevent millions of dollars in lost revenue and address new threats to their business.

With 30 years of experience and presence in the numbering space, iconectiv is the trusted source of the most reliable and authoritative numbering data around the world. Influential and active across leading industry organizations including ETSI, the GSMA, IETF, MEF and the SIP Forum, iconectiv's fraud expertise is built on the company's history of numbering expertise and its deep-rooted knowledge of the telecommunications industry, legislation and business applicability.

Haraburda's session will cover the elements behind the global success of TruNumber Protect in proactively fighting telecoms fraud. These include the authenticity of its information, the precision of its intelligence management, the comprehensive coverage provided and the ability to integrate seamlessly with existing systems and platforms.

Supporting every type of service around the world, TruNumber Protect enables service providers to leverage automation to fight fraud and optimize the performance of both legacy and emerging platforms to preserve customer relationships and protect revenues and margins.

Batelco, the principal telecommunications company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is hosting the RAG conference. The agenda will cover fraud management, revenue and business assurance, enterprise risk management and security.

For more information about the event, please visit Risk and Assurance Group (RAG) Bahrain Conference.

About iconectiv

At iconectiv, we envision a world without boundaries, where the ability to access and exchange information is simple, secure and seamless. As the authoritative partner of the communications industry for more than 30 years, our market-leading solutions enable the interconnection of networks, devices and applications for more than two billion people every day. We have intimate knowledge of the intricacies and complexities involved in creating, operating and securing the communications infrastructure for service providers, regulators, enterprises, aggregators and content providers. Our 5,000+ global clients rely on us for network and operations management, numbering, registry and fraud prevention solutions. We are proud to be enabling the world of tomorrow by making new connections today. A US-based company, Telcordia Technologies, does business as iconectiv. For more information, visit www.iconectiv.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005457/en/

Contacts:

Sharon Oddy

iconectiv

+1-732-699-5130/908-809-2268

soddy@iconectiv.com

Casey Bush/Kyle Loomis

Global Results Communications

+1-949-689-9550

iconectiv@globalresultspr.comToronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - First Global Data Limited (TSXV: FGD) (the "Company") would like to announce the resignation of its Chairman and CEO, Mr. Andre Itwaru.

Mr. Itwaru was a founder and led the Company as its Chairman and CEO since its inception. Mr. Itwaru was responsible for setting the direction and vision for the Company and securing significant strategic relationships.

"Circumstances have forced me to make this decision, and it is with a heavy heart that I resign from the Company. I am very proud of what we were able to achieve and very appreciative of the strong relationship I developed with our shareholders and other stakeholders. It is my intention to support the new management team and Board of Directors in the transition," said Mr. Itwaru.

The Company is actively sourcing a replacement CEO and will provide additional updates by way of press release.

About First Global Data Ltd. (www.firstglobaldata.com)

First Global is an international financial services technology ("FINTECH") company. The Company's two main lines of business are mobile payments and cross border payments. First Global's proprietary leading-edge technology enables the convergence of compliant domestic and cross border payments, shopping, Peer to Peer ("P2P"), Business to Consumer ("B2C"), and Business to Business ("B2B") payments. First Global enables its strategic partners and clients around the world with our leading-edge financial services technology platform.

For further information please contact:

Ruth Fraser

First Global Data Limited

Email: ir@firstglobaldata.com

Tel: 416 504-3813

Caution:

Neither TSX Venture Exchange Inc. ("TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities offered in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Forward Looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. First Global undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of First Global, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). First Global disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.Revenue* from the tourism businesses up 3.8%

Surge in property development revenue, benefiting from signing of block sales of property renovation programmes.

Regulatory News:

Pierre Vacances-Center Parcs (Paris:VAC):

1] First quarter 2018/2019 revenue

As of 1 October 2018, the Group applies the new revenue recognition standard "IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers".

The main impacts on revenue are the following:

Tourism : in terms of its tourism marketing mandates and various outsourcing contracts (catering, events, ski lifts etc.), the Group acts mostly as an "agent" under the terms of IFRS 15 and only its net remuneration must be recognised in revenue. Application of IFRS 15 therefore leads to a decline in tourism revenue, which so far recorded the volume of business generated by these activities, with no impact on the Group's net profit (loss) for the year.

: in terms of its tourism marketing mandates and various outsourcing contracts (catering, events, ski lifts etc.), the Group acts mostly as an "agent" under the terms of IFRS 15 and only its net remuneration must be recognised in revenue. Application of IFRS 15 therefore leads to a decline in tourism revenue, which so far recorded the volume of business generated by these activities, with no impact on the Group's net profit (loss) for the year. Property development: sales operations on behalf of third parties are analysed on a case by case basis in order to establish whether the Group acts as an "agent" or a "principal". The outcome of this analysis is a sharp increase in Q1 2018/2019 revenue, driven primarily by the signing of renovation/disposal operations at Center Parcs, for which the Group is considered as a "principal" under the terms of IFRS 15.

Under IFRS accounting, Q1 2018/2019 revenue totalled 375.7 million (232.2 million for the tourism activities and 143.5 million for the property development activities). The Group nevertheless continues to comment on its revenue and the associated financial indicators with the presentation of joint ventures under proportional consolidation, in compliance with its operating reporting:

 millions 2018/2019 from operating

reporting 2017/2018

Pro-forma

IFRS 15 from operating

reporting Change Like-for-like

change* 2017/2018

Reported (before

IFRS 15) from operating

reporting Tourism 246.9 238.0 +3.8% 247.2 Pierre et Vacances Tourisme Europe 92.2 86.5 +6.6% 94.9 Center Parcs Europe** 154.7 151.5 +2.1% 152.3 o/w accommodation revenue 169.7 161.5 +5.0% +4.3% 161.5 Pierre et Vacances Tourisme Europe 66.0 60.6 +8.9% +6.8% 60.6 Center Parcs Europe** 103.7 100.9 +2.7% +2.7% 100.9 Property development 146.1 67.0 +118.2% 59.5 Total Q1 393.0 305.0 +28.9% 306.7

* On a like-for-like basis, the Group's accommodation revenue has been adjusted for the impact of:

- a beneficial calendar effect (one extra holiday day in December 2018 vs. December 2017), primarily favouring the mountain destinations;

- for the PVTE division, net growth in the portfolio operated, prompted by the annualisation of operation of new residences in Spain, which partially offset non-renewals of leases and withdrawals from loss-making sites in France.

- for the CPE division, net growth in the portfolio operated, prompted by the annualisation of stocks for the Center Parcs Ardennen domain and the opening of the new Center Parcs in Allgau. These effects are partly offset by the impact of the closure of Center Parcs de l'Ailette under the framework of renovation works.

** including Villages Nature Paris

Tourism revenue

Q1 2018/2019 revenue from the tourism businesses totalled 246.9 million, up 3.8% relative to Q1 2017/2018

Accommodation revenue rose 5.0% to 169.7 million, driven by both net average letting rates (+3.7%) and the number of nights sold (+1.3%).

On a like-for-like basis, i.e. excluding supply and calendar effects, revenue was up 4.3%

Pierre Vacances Tourisme Europe contributed 66 million, up 6.8% like-for-like.



This growth was driven by all destinations: revenue from the Adagio residences rose by 9.3% over the quarter, driven primarily by higher net average letting rates. mountain residences posted growth of 7.4%, with an occupancy rate of 81% over the quarter. Revenue from all seaside destinations (metropolitan France, French West Indies and Spain) rose by 1.1%.

This growth was driven by all destinations:

Center Parcs Europe contributed 103.7 million, up 2.7% on a like-for-like basis, driven by good performances of Villages Nature Paris and domains located in the Netherlands.

Supplementary income grew by 1.0%.

Revenue from property development

Q1 2018/2019 property development revenue totalled 146.1 million, driven primarily by the contribution from renovation operations for Center Parcs (105 million) and Senioriales residences (19 million).

Property reservations recorded with individual investors in Q1 represent sales volumes of 68.4m, similar to the level booked in the year-earlier period.

2] Outlook for second quarter

The portfolio of tourism reservations to date confirms further beneficial trends in Q2 2018/2019.

*The revenue and financial indicators discussed in this press release stem from operating reporting, with the presentation of joint ventures under proportional consolidation.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005517/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations and Strategic Operations

Emeline Laute

+33 (0) 1 58 21 54 76

info.fin@groupepvcp.com

Press Relations

Valerie Lauthier

+33 (0) 1 58 21 54 61

valerie.lauthier@groupepvcp.comPre-Stabilisation notice

16 January 2019

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

Commerzbank AG

 150mn mortgage covered Tap due 2034

Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 13623492) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft Guarantor (if any): none Aggregate nominal amount:  150,000,000 Description: 1.25 %  mortgage covered bond increase due 9 January 2034 Offer price: 98.60 Other offer terms: launched under  40bn MTN programme of Commerzbank AG, denoms 1k/1k, listing Frankfurt, payment date 23 January 2019 Stabilisation: Stabilisation Manager: Commerzbank AG Stabilisation period expected to start on: 16th January 2019 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Frankfurt/Main

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

ENDBETHESDA, Maryland, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmerit International (Pharmerit), a leading health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) consultancy, is expanding its Asian presence. The expansion includes the growth of the Shanghai, China, office as well as establishment of an office in Mumbai, India.

The Asia-Pacific region is a rapidly growing pharmaceutical and medical device market and an emerging leader in healthcare innovation. Pharmerit's expanded local presence will provide both regional and global sponsors with one-stop market access solutions from a team of in-country experts and affiliates.

"Our expanded presence strengthens our ability to meet the rapidly evolving global evidence and market access requirements," said Marc Botteman, Managing Partner at Pharmerit. "Over the past few years, we have been active in conducting and publishing research relevant to regional decision-makers in countries such as India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and The Philippines. With the addition of Mumbai, we are positioned to work with global sponsors and collaborate with their regional affiliates in Asia's emerging markets by leveraging our regional presence."

The expansion of the Shanghai office includes the addition of Dr. Xiaocong Li as Scientist as well as a new research analyst. Dr. Li brings a broad range of expertise in database and trial analyses, predictive analytics, machine learning, and economic modeling. "Xiaocong is a great addition to the Shanghai office as she fully understands the local requirements and procedures applicable in China. Her experience in HEOR and clinical practice will provide sponsors with increased access to local and technical support," said Cindy Gao, Asia-Pacific Lead.

The newly established Mumbai office is led by Varun Ektare, Senior Scientist and India Office Lead, a seasoned health economist with extensive experience in economic modeling, meta-analysis, literature reviews, health policy and market access in a range of therapeutic areas. Varun has been leading projects over the past 6 years in the Pharmerit Bethesda, USA office. "With Varun based in Mumbai, we can provide quality, local support in a fast-growing pharmaceutical and healthcare market," said Dipen Patel, Executive Director of Strategic Market Access.

About Pharmerit

Pharmerit International has over 30 years of experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device organizations in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) worldwide. We deliver quality research in health economics, outcomes, strategic market access, and pricing/reimbursement. Pharmerit has offices in Berlin, Bethesda, Boston, Mumbai, New York, Rotterdam, York, and Shanghai. Visit https://www.pharmerit.com.The scalable, fast, privacy-protecting Elixxir blockchain platform targets Summer 2019 for the launch of its BetaNet

MIAMI, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Elixxir, the full-stack blockchain led by the godfather of online anonymity, David Chaum , is initiating BetaNet implementation with the announcement of its BetaNet node selection process. The Elixxir platform leverages fundamental breakthroughs in decentralized technology to enable performance and privacy on a global consumer scale. Proprietary mix network design and multi-computation architecture allow the Elixxir platform to satisfy the four requirements needed for mainstream blockchain adoption: speed, privacy, security, and scalability, all on a single chain.

The 6 steps of the Elixxir node selection process are as follows:

Questionnaire Application Initial Screening Publication of Applications Initial Selection & Public Review Final Node Selection

(Full description of the 6-step process can be found here )

Elixxir expects to select hundreds of third-party nodes to support the platform's first implementation outside of the lab environment. Using a community-driven and public process, Elixxir will vet beta node applicants in order to select operators to support the planned launch of the Elixxir BetaNet in the summer of 2019.

Node selection marks the beginning of the governance process for the Elixxir platform. The selection process will begin with a questionnaire that assesses previous node experience, priorities as a node operator, expectations regarding incentives & risk, geographic network diversity, and more.

The questionnaire to begin Elixxir's Node Selection process will open for submissions on Monday, January 21st at 10am Eastern Standard Time. Click here .

"To date, blockchain technology has not targeted the requirements for consumer adoption. It doesn't have the level of privacy that consumers require, it doesn't have the kind of transaction speed needed, and it can't be built into the kind of smartphone apps consumers expect. With Elixxir, we've built a platform that meets all of these requirements," said CEO, David Chaum

Meeting the published node technical specifications, linked here , should be affordable, ensuring democratic accessibility for all interested operators. At current pricing, the estimated setup cost for a BetaNet node is approximately $1,600. BetaNet nodes will only require a single performant consumer GPU, a 8-16 core modern CPU, 8-64 GiB of RAM, a 500 Megabit network connection, and 500 GiB to 2 TiB of disk space.

The initial BetaNet will be launched to support Elixxir's fully-functional, proof-of-concept messaging dApp which will allow users to send messages securely and quickly, with true metadata-resistant privacy. As a next step, peer-to-peer payments will be rolled out within the messaging environment as the platform scales.

Sign-up for early testing of the proof-of-concept messaging is also available here .

About Elixxir

Elixxir's mission is to fulfill the promise of decentralization, enabling people to communicate and transact securely with the confidentiality they expect and at speed they need. Elixxir's technology offers a leap forward in delivering the freedoms required to provide true digital sovereignty.

About Elixxir's Founder, Dr. David Chaum

David Chaum is a serial entrepreneur who first proposed the idea of blockchain technology in 1982 while a graduate student at the University of California Berkeley. Chaum is widely recognized as the inventor of digital cash, is a renowned expert in cryptography and secure election systems, and is a leading proponent of blockchain technology. Chaum also founded the International Association for Cryptologic Research, the cryptography group at the Center for Mathematics and Computer Science in Amsterdam, DigiCash (issuer of eCash cyberbucks and fiat-backed digital currencies in the 90's), the Voting Systems Institute and the Perspectiva Fund.

Contact:

Margaux Avedisian

Acting-CMO

Media@elixxir.io

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809846/David_Chaum.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/747191/Mixxchain_Elixxir_Logo.jpgBRUSSELS, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

On January 17, global networks and key stakeholders will discuss ECRAID and its sustainable solutions to protect Europe from antimicrobial resistance and emerging threats

Kicking off on January 17th 2019 with a high-level meeting in Brussels, PREPARE and COMBACTE will commence the development of the business plan for ECRAID, the European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases. ECRAID envisages a European-wide sustainable clinical research organization for infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance that stems from both PREPARE and COMBACTE.

The Kick-off Meeting will be opened with prominent speakers such as Marc Bonten, Coordinator of COMBACTE; Herman Goossens, Coordinator of PREPARE; Carlos Moedas, the EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation; Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome Trust; and Magda Chlebus, Executive Director, Science Policy & Regulatory Affairs, EFPIA. In addition, there will be panel discussions with the participation of clinical research networks, such as African EDCTP-funded and Latin-America EU-funded organizations, preclinical research networks, SMEs, and pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies.

ECRAID's vision is to establish a coordinated and permanent European clinical research infrastructure for clinical research on infectious diseases. Due to their network, which is built on the foundations laid by COMBACTE (>950 clinical care sites) and PREPARE (primary care sites), ECRAID will be able to conduct clinical research faster and easier. Moreover, ECRAID will have rapid access to and knowledge of well-developed clinical and laboratory sites. Trials will be conducted continuously, allowing them to expand their experience and knowledge.

ECRAID aims to protect public health by generating rigorous evidence to improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The mission is to cultivate world-class research to protect citizens of Europe against antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases over the long-term.

About PREPARE

PREPARE, the Platform for European Preparedness Against (Re-)emerging Epidemics, is a EU funded network for harmonized large-scale clinical research studies on infectious diseases (IDs), prepared to rapidly respond to any severe ID outbreak, providing real-time evidence for clinical management of patients and for informing public health responses. 'Inter-epidemic' studies will train PREPARE in mounting a rapid, coordinated deployment of Europe's clinical investigators, within 48 hours of a severe outbreak. As such, PREPARE aims to be at the basis of establishing a paradigm shift in clinical research in response to severe ID outbreaks. PREPARE is funded by the European Commission's FP7 Programme under grant agreement No. 602525.

About COMBACTE

COMBACTE - Combatting Bacterial Resistance in Europe - was created to meet the challenges of clinical development of antibacterials in response to the worldwide growing problem of antibiotic resistance. This Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) program represents an unprecedented partnership between industry, academia and biotech organizations to combat antibiotic resistance in Europe by tackling the scientific, regulatory, and business challenges that are hampering the development of new antibiotics. In collaboration with other consortia within IMI's New Drugs 4 Bad Bugs (ND4BB) program, the COMBACTE projects will enable more rapid and efficient development and commercialization of much-needed new antibacterial treatments and diagnostic tests.

This research project receives support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No. 115523 | 115620 | 115737 | 777362 resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies in kind contribution.Scott Gilbert joins Calero as COO and David Bliss joins as EVP, Product and Marketing

ROCHESTER, New York, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Calero Software, a leading global provider of Communications and Cloud Lifecycle Management (CLM) software, today announced the addition of Scott Gilbert as Chief Operating Officer, and David Bliss as EVP, Product and Marketing, to its Executive Leadership Team. The announcement comes as the company wraps up another strong year of growth and global expansion in 2018. Bliss and Gilbert will be joining the Calero executive team to contribute to the company's strategic vision and long-term growth strategy. Calero is a portfolio company of Riverside Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm.

"Today's executive leadership announcement demonstrates the continued investment Calero is making in its people and technology as it continues to set a new standard for excellence in Telecom and Mobile Expense Management and Managed Mobility Services, both in the U.S. and abroad. It is against the backdrop of the Company's success, that Calero has chosen to add these two seasoned executives who each have their own track records of success in building growing technology businesses like Calero. I am thrilled to welcome Scott and David to our executive team," said Calero's President and CEO Joe Pajer.

As Chief Operating Officer, Scott Gilbert will be responsible for the Company's overall customer operations, and ensuring Calero continues to set the standard for best-in-class service to its growing customer base. With more than 20 years of telecom and software experience, Gilbert most recently served as Chief Information Officer at FirstLight Fiber, a previous Riverside Partners portfolio company, where the successful implementation of his systems and process methodology enabled the regional infrastructure provider to scale to nearly five-times its size via product expansion and acquisitions. Read full bio.

As Executive Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, David Bliss will be responsible for the Company's customer-centric product roadmap and marketing functions. Prior to Calero, Bliss led product management for CCC Information Services' core technology platform where he launched their mobility and artificial intelligence product lines, catapulting CCC to the market-leading platform within 18 months. Bliss previously served in a management consultant capacity with PwC and in progressive roles within product management and product marketing while at Accuity. Read full bio.

About Calero

Calero is a leading global provider of Communications and Cloud Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions designed to turn communication data into actionable insight by simplifying the management of voice, mobile and other unified communications services and assets. With a deep commitment to innovation and customer service, Calero's CLM approach enables organizations to support the full communications lifecycle, from procurement to payment, including software and services that aid Telecom Expense Management (TEM), Managed Mobility Services (MMS) and Usage Management. Calero has thousands of customers in over 50 countries worldwide, including Fortune 2000 corporations, universities and government agencies. Calero is a portfolio company of Riverside Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm. Learn more at http://www.calero.com.

About Riverside Partners

Founded in 1989, Riverside Partners is a middle market private equity firm currently investing Riverside Fund VI, L.P. The fund focuses on growth-oriented companies primarily in the healthcare and technology industries. Riverside Partners is particularly experienced at partnering with founders, owners and management teams and it brings substantial domain expertise and operating experience to its portfolio companies. For more information, visit www.riversidepartners.com.

For More Information

Scott Davis

Calero Software

Scott.Davis@calero.com

+1 (470) 246-5681

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/700877/Calero_Logo.jpgSUDBURY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX-V: FL) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of surface channel sampling of the newly discovered Spark Pegmatite, 2.3 km northwest of the PAK deposit (Figure 1), located on the Electric Avenue, a newly emerging premium lithium-metal district hosted in the Canadian Shield of northwestern Ontario. See Frontier Lithium Press Release issued November 7, 2018 for additional information.

Channel sampling was initiated at the time of discovery in September 2018 and completed a month later in October. The pegmatite is well exposed where minimal stripping by hand was required to complete the channel sampling. In total 236.4m of channels were cut and represent two main transects (Channels 33 to 35 for 64m and Channels 37 and 38 for 94.5m) that are 65m apart and 3 additional channels, CH-36, CH-39 and CH-40 cut where the pegmatite was exposed. Figure 2 is a view from the west showing the trace of the channels draped over the topography.



Figure 1: Location Map of the Spark Pegmatite showing channel locations overlain on high-resolution ortho-rectified image. (To view the full-size image, please click here)



Figure 2: 3D rendering showing exposure of the Spark Pegmatite and Channel intercepts (To view the full-size image, please click here)

The assay results and location for the channels are presented in Table I and Table II respectively.

Channel 33 to 35 represents a continuous transect of 64m averaging 2.05% Li2O while Channel 37 to 38 located 70m to the east, is 94.5m averaging 1.85% Li2O with elevated Ta2O5 up to 615 ppm and 2.9% Li2O over 6.2m from 63.2 to 69.4m. Channel 36 (northern extension of Channel 33 to 35) averaged 2.02% Li2O over 35m. Channel 36 could not be continuously sampled; however, overburden was removed by hand exposing continuous pegmatite. Channels 39 and 40 to the east average 1.88% Li2O over 26.9m and 1.54% Li2O over 16m respectively.

Sampling the surface exposures of the Spark Pegmatite shows consistent grades of Li2O throughout the sampled area varying from a low of 1.5% in Channel 40 in an aplite-rich pegmatite to over 2% throughout much of the rest of the pegmatite with narrower zones (<18m) ranging between 2.5% and 3.2%. High grade lithium zones of over 4% Li2O similar to the UIZ (Upper Intermediate Zone) at the PAK deposit occur, but over intervals typically less than 2m.

"We are extremely pleased these results and excited about the addition to the PAK Lithium Project. The consistent lithium grade across the channels and the lithological homogeneity across the width of the exposed pegmatite suggests this pegmatite could be substantial. The showing is the focus of exploration as it appears that the potential for a resource to augment the PAK deposit is high," stated Trevor Walker, President and CEO of the Company.

Table I - Channel Summary

CHANNEL From (m) To (m) Width (m) Li2O % Ta2O5 ppm SnO2 ppm Nb2O5 ppm Rb2O % Cs2O % Geology CH-33 to 35 0.0 64.0 64.0 2.05 136 51 94 0.30 0.02 LIZ/Aplite Including 0.0 34.0 34.0 2.18 136 56 89 0.29 0.02 LIZ/Aplite Including 28.0 39.0 11.0 1.86 240 52 102 0.31 0.02 LIZ/Aplite CHANNEL From (m) To (m) Width (m) Li2O % Ta2O5 ppm SnO2 ppm Nb2O5 ppm Rb2O % Cs2O % Geology * CH-36 0.0 35.0 35.0 2.02 94 49 87 0.24 0.01 LIZ/Aplite * CH-36 0.0 4.5 4.5 2.09 306 52 122 0.32 0.02 LIZ/Aplite Including 0.0 4.0 4.0 2.22 315 52 112 0.34 0.02 LIZ * CH-36 10.9 35.0 24.1 2.00 55 49 80 0.23 0.01 LIZ Including 23.0 35.0 12.0 2.33 49 51 62 0.22 0.01 LIZ Including 12.2 15.0 2.8 3.21 87 17 104 0.09 0.01 LIZ * Unable to sample from 4.5 to 10.9m (6.4m) CHANNEL From (m) To (m) Width (m) Li2O % Ta2O5 ppm SnO2 ppm Nb2O5 ppm Rb2O % Cs2O % Geology CH-37 to 38 0.0 94.5 94.5 1.85 186 81 93 0.29 0.02 LIZ/Aplite Including 51.3 69.4 18.1 2.52 319 109 76 0.34 0.02 LIZ/Aplite Including 63.2 69.4 6.2 2.90 615 214 72 0.27 0.02 LIZ CHANNEL From (m) To (m) Width (m) Li2O % Ta2O5 ppm SnO2 ppm Nb2O5 ppm Rb2O % Cs2O % Geology ** CH-39 0.0 26.9 26.9 1.88 168 59 78 0.27 0.01 LIZ/Aplite Including 0.0 16.6 16.6 2.33 179 48 84 0.27 0.01 LIZ/Aplite Including 12.2 16.6 4.4 3.04 184 28 93 0.26 0.01 LIZ ** Missing analysis from 4 samples from 7 to 11.3m (4.3m) CHANNEL From (m) To (m) Width (m) Li2O % Ta2O5 ppm SnO2 ppm Nb2O5 ppm Rb2O % Cs2O % Geology CH-40 0.0 16.0 16.0 1.54 130 108 81 0.29 0.02 Aplite Including 0.0 10.0 10.0 1.73 137 137 95 0.36 0.01 Aplite

Table II - Channel Locations

Channel ID Start of Channel Start (WGS84 Zone 15N) Length (m) Logged by Easting Northing Elev (mASL) Incl Azim CH-33 472740 5829500 357.0 -2 160 23 S. Beyer CH-34 472752 5829481 355.8 -2 148 11 P. Vanstone CH-35 472760 5829473 356.0 -12 146 30 P. Vanstone CH-36 472723 5829493 355.9 -2 330 35 P. Vanstone CH-37 472791 5829537 361.4 -5 142 78.5 P. Vanstone, G. Drever CH-38 472775 5829522 359.9 -6 229 16 G.Drever CH-39 472782 5829531 360.8 -7 243.6 26.9 G.Drever CH-40 472790 5829539 361.7 -8 258.2 16 G.Drever Total Channels 236.4

Due Diligence

All scientific and technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Garth Drever, P.Geo., the qualified person (QP) under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101. Under Frontier's QA/QC procedures, channels are cut with a motorized circular diamond saw, and are 4 cm wide and 10 cm deep. The channels are typically oriented perpendicular to the strike of the pegmatite internal mineralogical zones and are cut continuously across the zones. The samples are removed using a hammer and chisel. The length of a channel is determined by the width of the pegmatite zone. Offset channels are cut where deemed appropriate. Sample lengths typically are 1 metre but can be less depending on zone mineralogy and boundaries. Samples are described, placed into a poly sample bag with a numbered sample tag and then shipped to the assay lab for quantitative multi-element analysis.

All samples were assayed by AGAT Laboratories Ltd. ("AGAT"), an ISO accredited laboratory in Mississauga, Ontario. Sample blanks along with tantalum, lithium, rubidium and cesium certified reference material was routinely inserted into the sample stream in accordance with industry recommended practices. Field duplicate samples were also taken in accordance with industry recommended practices.

About Frontier Lithium Inc.

Frontier Lithium is a Canadian junior mining company and have the largest land position in the Electric Avenue, a newly emerging premium lithium-metal district hosted in the Canadian Shield of northwestern Ontario. Frontier is implementing a phased approach to development for becoming a producer of technical grade lithium concentrates required to produce premium glass/ceramics as well as supplying a by-product of chemical grade concentrates for the production of lithium hydroxide required for the burgeoning lithium battery industry.



Frontier's goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. The deposit boasts its lithium in a rare, high-purity, low-iron spodumene and is analogous to the Greenbushes' Deposit in SW Australia, which supplies approximately 40% of the world's lithium demands. Frontier has recently discovered a new LCT Pegmatite showing that called the Spark showing, which at surface has displayed a channel cut with similar grade and composition to PAK Lithium Deposit. The surface exposure is 3 times larger than the PAK pegmatite which widths greater than 100m and a strike length of more than 300m.

Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li2O), if available, to avoid inferior lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds.

The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management is working towards developing a viable operation. The Company has completed a pre-feasibility study to assess the economic viability and technical feasibility of producing lithium concentrates.

About the PAK Lithium Project

The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.

Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit has a current Measured and Indicated Resource of 7.5 million tonnes of 2.02% Li2O and an Inferred Lithium Resource of 1.8 million tonnes of 2.10% Li2O which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe2O3) as per its NI 43-101 Technical Report, "Preliminary Feasibility Study" disseminated on April 16, 2018.

The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.

Company Contact Information

Bora Ugurgel

Manager, Investor Relations

2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON.

P3N 1B3 CANADA

T. +001 705.897.7622

F. +001 705.897.7618

Additional information regarding Frontier Lithium is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on its website at www.frontierlithium.com, including various pictures of ongoing work at the project.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Frontier Lithium Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/532936/Frontier-Lithium-Identifies-an-Average-of-191-Li2O-over-236m-of-All-Channels-Sampled-on-the-Spark-PegmatiteToronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) -Tree of Knowledge International Corp. (CSE: TOKI) (OTC PINK: TRKWF) (the "Company" or "CBD") is pleased to announce that CBD&CBN Ltd. ("CBD&CBN") a company registered in the UK and headquartered in London, England is slated to launch its white label of TOK's brand in the UK through the worldwide web. The CBD&CBN brand was developed pursuant to a white label agreement between TOK and CBD&CBN dated November 19, 2018.

The Company's strategy in the UK includes the premium product line supplied for distribution under CBD&CBN's brand. The Company is prepared for success and current operations are capable of a one week turn around on order fulfillment before packaging and customs.

CBD&CBN is set to commence operations late this month and has made its first purchase order of US$50,000 from the Company. CBD&CBN operates under the direction of Stephen Oliver, former HM Customs Investigator and lawyer, and Andy Eyre, former military and entrepreneur, two individuals with a robust combined industry history and skill set. In its initial phase CBN&CBD is focused on generating exposure and building brand recognition through a comprehensive e-commerce strategy. CBD&CBN is supported by Mr. George Pessios, Software Engineer, IOS Developer and Web Designer, and founding member CBD&CBN, and Nick Gower, founding member and Search Engine Optimization expert.

Jean-Paul Gaillard, CEO of the Company, commented: "Their combined professional track record and wealth of knowledge has laid a foundation for Tree of Knowledge's aggressive strategy to create a dominant presence in the rapidly evolving CBD sector in the European Marketplace."

Founded in 2015, the Company launched its EVR CBD product line with the purpose of creating the finest quality CBD Hemp Oil in the world. EVR CBD now sells CBD Hemp Oil to customers throughout the US, Europe and South America, and sells isolates into Australia. As additional territories follow the lead of the United States and legalize CBD hemp oil, the Company expects that additional consumers will discover its benefits. The Company aspires to have its EVR CBD brand as the world's most trusted source for CBD products.

According to the Cannabis Trades Association UK, the consumer base in the CBD market in the UK has doubled from 125,000 to 250,000 between 2017 and 2018. Currently in the UK, the number of people using CBD oil is estimated to have reached around 300,000. According to Verdict.co.uk, an online media publisher: "The rise in popularity has followed a loosening of legal restrictions around the world. Although CBD-based products have been commercially available in the UK for some time, they appear to be gaining greater mainstream use and acceptance." Reports by Forbes indicate that the global cannabidiol (CBD) market is estimated to grow by 700% and could be worth $2.1 billion by 2020.

ABOUT TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

With its head office in Toronto and operations in North York, Ontario and Spokane, Washington, TOK currently has three primary business segments: (1) Multidisciplinary specialty pain clinics with a focus on the treatment of chronic pain, including controlled applications of medical cannabis in Canada, (2) Development of formulated products for therapeutic purposes and natural health product alternatives at its manufacturing facility in Spokane, which provides formulations for the Company's products and for third parties equivalent to GMP standards, and (3) Distribution and sale of hemp-based cannabidiol ("CBD") products in the United States, Canada, Europe, Brazil and China. Through an exclusive strategic alliance agreement with Jack Nathan Medical Inc., which operates over 72 Jack Nathan Health medical and dental clinics in six provinces across Canada, the Company has access to one of the largest healthcare systems across Canada for its education and research platform, with over 1.5 million patient visits annually. Currently the Company has research agreements with multiple universities for medical cannabis research and new medical grade products development. TOK's CBD product line contains EVR Premium Hemp Oil, which is an organically grown and handled, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, synergistic compound that is derived from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved industrial hemp grown in the United States. TOK currently offers several CBD products, which may be used in connection with the treatment of a number of ailments and for general wellness purposes.

For further information please visit: www.tok.ca

Or contact: Tree of Knowledge International Corp.

Michael Caridi, Vice Chairman

Tel: +1 (917) 295-1374 Michael@tok.ca

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Advisory

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the benefits expected from the while label arrangement with CBD&CBN Ltd. and the future operations of TOK and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of TOK, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from TOK's expectations are risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by TOK with securities regulations.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of TOK. As a result, TOK cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and TOK will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

This news release contains market and industry data that has been obtained from third party sources, including industry publications. The Company believes that its industry data is accurate and that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Third party sources generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. Although the data is believed to be reliable, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release or ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon by such sources.Carnival Corporation & plc Declares Dividend

MIAMI, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced that it has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share.

The company's boards of directors approved a record date for the quarterly dividend of February 22, 2019, and a payment date of March 15, 2019.

Holders of Carnival Corporation common stock and Carnival plc ADSs will receive the dividend payable in U.S. dollars. The dividend for Carnival plc ordinary shares will be payable in U.S. dollars or sterling. In the absence of instructions or elections to the contrary, holders of Carnival plc ordinary shares will automatically receive the dividend in sterling.

Dividends payable in sterling will be converted from U.S. dollars at the exchange rate quoted by Bloomberg (BFIX) at 12 noon London time on March 1, 2019. Holders of Carnival plc ordinary shares wishing to receive their dividend in U.S. dollars or participate in the Carnival plc Dividend Reinvestment Plan must elect to do so by February 22, 2019.

About Carnival Corporation & plc

Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 242,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 20 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards - including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for OceanMedallion. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products.

Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com, and www.cunard.com.

CONTACT: MEDIA: Roger Frizzell, +1 (305) 406 7862; INVESTOR RELATIONS: Beth Roberts, +1 (305) 406 4832Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16)  Philippine operatives have arrested a Chinese fugitive wanted in Beijing for corruption.

In a statement, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that 49-year-old Xie Haojie was arrested in his condominium unit in Pasay City on Sunday on the request of the Chinese government.

Authorities said Xie ran off with with P11 billion. The Chinese government said that based on investigation, Xie abused his power for private gains and was involved in bribery.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Xie, who is wanted for corruption and economic crimes, hid in the Philippines for almost a year after fleeing China to evade prosecution for his criminal offenses. The Chinese government said that based on investigation, Xie abused his power for private gains and was involved in bribery. PACC said Xie ran away with P11 billion.

Xie will be immediately deported to China. BI also said he will be included in the blacklist to prevent him from re-entering the Philippines

"We will not tolerate the presence of undesirable aliens using the Philippines as a hideout. Fugitives will be sent back [to their country] to face their crimes," Morente said in a statement.Additional studio space makes way for growing international presence

DALLAS, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Perennials and Sutherland, LLC, leaders in the international design industry and the preeminent providers of luxury furniture, performance textiles and accessories, has announced the opening of an additional Sutherland Perennials Studio in the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour. Home to 120 showrooms and over 600 of the world's most prestigious luxury brands, the Design Centre is the world's premier destination for design excellence.

Sutherland Perennials Studios are dedicated to showcasing Sutherland Furniture and Perennials luxury brands. The new studio, located at 366 Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, Centre Dome 3rd floor, will feature the best of Sutherland outdoor furniture and Perennials Rugs, while the initial studio at 217 will remain focused on Perennials Fabrics. At 1206 square feet, the larger unit will allow for more floor space dedicated to new Sutherland collections, including global client favorites like Vincent Van Duysen's Franck Collection. The space will also provide a preview of rugs designed by renowned artists like Martyn Thompson and Lori Weitzner, styled to actual scale to display indoor and outdoor capabilities.

Adam Hout, Regional Director of Sales, International, looks forward to offering London clients a hands-on look and feel of both Sutherland furniture and Perennials Rugs. "Featuring showstoppers like Van Duysen's collection with fossilized Belgian Bluestone, this second space offers both the UK and international design communities the benefits of localized customer service and distribution," says Hout.

The new studio will open on January 17, 2019 and will feature 2019 Sutherland introductions from designers like Christophe Delcourt and Jean-Pierre Geelen.

"With the success of our first London studio, we are thrilled to expand our on-site offerings and services in London," says Ann Sutherland, CEO of Perennials and Sutherland, LLC. "The Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour has been a wonderful partner thus far, so it was a natural step to invest further in our international presence alongside our esteemed London team."

Sutherland Furniture and Perennials Fabrics and Rugs are available to interior designers and architects through fine showrooms and studios worldwide.

About Perennials and Sutherland, LLC

The Perennials and Sutherland, LLC companies are icons and acknowledged leaders in the international design industry. Chairman of the Board David Sutherland and CEO Ann Sutherland share an ingenious talent for creating the finest interior and exterior collections of luxury furniture, fabrics, rugs and accessories. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company is comprised of Sutherland Furniture, Perennials Luxury Performance Fabrics and David Sutherland Showrooms.

Sutherland Furniture is a world leader in luxury outdoor furniture for modern lifestyles. The company has created the preeminent furniture brand through partnerships with the world's leading designers. View the full collections at sutherlandfurniture.com.

David Sutherland Showrooms are full-service, multi-line showrooms which serve the professional design market across the world. David Sutherland Showrooms and Sutherland Perennials Studios are located in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dania, London, San Francisco, Atlanta, Laguna Niguel, Seattle, Scottsdale, Santa Fe, Denver, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Paris, Munich, and Mexico City. For more information, visit davidsutherlandshowroom.com.

Perennials Fabrics is recognized by interior designers and high-end retail customers as the leader in luxury performance fabrics. Perennials Fabrics and Perennials Luxury Performance Rugs combine the look and feel of high-quality, natural materials with the superior performance properties of their genuine 100% solution-dyed acrylic fiber technology. View the full collections at perennialsfabrics.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/528699/Sutherland_Perennials_Studio_Logo.jpgCompany's Triple-digit Growth Fueled by New Demand for Enterprise-Wide Data Catalogs

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 17, 2019, the data catalog company, today announced it has closed a $50 million Series C funding round led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from new investor Salesforce Ventures and existing investors Costanoa Ventures, DCVC (Data Collective), Harmony Partners, and Icon Ventures.



The Series C funding round will be used to further Alation's leadership in the Machine Learning Data Catalog market and accelerate engineering investment in the award-winning Alation Data Catalog. In the last year, Alation has seen triple-digit revenue growth and exceeded 100 production implementations, including new customers Daimler, Fox Networks, and Hilton Hotels. At the same time, existing Alation customers, like eBay, Munich Re, and Pfizer, are expanding their usage of Alation from hundreds of daily users to thousands - leading to a net expansion rate for Alation of 47 percent.

"As growth investors, we look for companies demonstrating rapid and sustainable expansion with differentiated technology and incredible market potential. Organic demand for data catalogs today is tremendous, and Alation is leading the charge on taking advantage of this organic need to bridge data, analytics, and business outcomes. With their rapid expansion, Alation has the opportunity for a long-term sustainable, stand-alone analytics company focused on cataloging," said Anders Ranum, partner at Sapphire Ventures. "Alation is in the rare position of having designed a transformational product and go-to-market strategy that will drive value from years of existing IT technology investments. We are excited to provide the support that will accelerate Alation's ability to capture this tremendous market opportunity."

Alation is the leader in the data cataloging category and was the first to bring a data catalog to market. The Alation Data Catalog combines machine learning and human collaboration to drive business outcomes from self-service analytics, including analyst productivity and trusted data for executive decision-making. The current round of financing validates Alation's market leadership achieved through technical and business model innovation, as Alation accelerates global adoption and continues to close the gap between data analysis and confident data-driven decisions. The company will continue to expand the capabilities of the data catalog to meet a wide range of users and use cases, with the investment driving a doubling of engineering resources and funding research and development initiatives that build on Alation machine learning innovations, like Behavior I/O and SmartSuggest.

"At Munich Re, an initial group of actuaries started using the Alation Data Catalog to collaborate and discover data in our new data lake several years ago. Soon they realized that Alation can be used for much more than discovery. Now, we have a large population of Alation users that are knowledge workers, building on what is known and deriving new knowledge in the form of datasets, algorithms and innovative new risk products, which have led to new insurance solutions, particularly in natural energy and cyber-risk," said Wolfgang Hauner, CDO of Munich Re. "Alation has proved to be an important catalyst for the kinds of collaboration that lead to new innovations."

Despite big investment in big data, less than a third of companies are connecting analytics to action. While the rise of self-service analytics has given more people access to data, data users have trouble finding the right data, discerning what is accurate, and selecting an appropriate data set for the analysis at hand. The Alation Data Catalog closes the gap between investments in self-service analytics and business value. According to Gartner, "By 2020, organizations that offer users access to a curated catalog of internal and external data will realize twice the business value from analytics investments than those that do not."*

"With the rise of self-service analytics, the Alation Data Catalog has become the crucial single-source of reference for organizations seeking to be data-driven, allowing everyone from the business user to the data scientist to find the data they need and understand whether it is right for the analysis at hand," said Satyen Sangani, CEO and co-founder of Alation. "With the support of Sapphire, Salesforce, and our existing investors, we're confident that we'll continue to accelerate our company growth and meet the growing demand for data catalogs around the globe."

Learn more about the Alation Data Catalog:

See why Alation was named a Leader in the Forrester Wave: Machine Learning Data Catalogs, Q2 2018 (MLDCs) (https://alation.com/forrester-wave-machine-learning-data-catalogs/?utm_content=wp_press_release)

(https://alation.com/forrester-wave-machine-learning-data-catalogs/?utm_content=wp_press_release) Find out why Alation is a leader in the Gartner 2018 Magic Quadrant for Metadata Management Solutions (https://alation.com/gartner-magic-quadrant-metadata-management/)

(https://alation.com/gartner-magic-quadrant-metadata-management/) Download 451 Research's report (https://alation.com/data-catalog-rise-451-research/) examining the growing importance of data catalogs

(https://alation.com/data-catalog-rise-451-research/) examining the growing importance of data catalogs See why GigaOm (https://alation.com/gigaom-report-enterprise-data-governance-data-catalog/) believes that the modern data catalog is the answer to the complexities of the ever increasing volume of data sources

(https://alation.com/gigaom-report-enterprise-data-governance-data-catalog/) believes that the modern data catalog is the answer to the complexities of the ever increasing volume of data sources Read how customers are adopting machine learning data catalogs across a variety of industries, including the Alation Data Catalog, at alation.com/customers (https://alation.com/customers)

*Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence and Analytics Platforms, 16 February 2017

About Alation

Alation, the data catalog company, is building a data-fluent world by changing the way people find, understand and trust data. The first to bring a data catalog to market, Alation combines machine learning and human collaboration to bring confidence to data-driven decisions. More than 100 organizations, including the City of San Diego, eBay, Munich Re and Pfizer, leverage the Alation Data Catalog. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Alation is funded by Costanoa Ventures, DCVC.

About Sapphire Ventures

Sapphire Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on helping innovative technology companies become global category leaders. Leveraging nearly two decades of experience and an extensive global enterprise network, Sapphire Ventures invests capital, resources, and expertise to enable its portfolio companies to scale rapidly. Whether entrepreneurs sell to businesses, consumers or both, Sapphire Ventures offers a powerful platform for business development and operational excellence to help them accelerate growth. With $2.5 billion under management via direct growth investments and early-stage fund investments, Sapphire Ventures is positioned to elevate companies to the global stage.

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce is the fastest growing top five enterprise software company and the #1 CRM provider globally. Salesforce Ventures-the company's corporate investment group-invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Customer Success Platform, helping companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways. Portfolio companies receive funding as well as access to the world's largest cloud ecosystem and the guidance of Salesforce's innovators and executives. With Salesforce Ventures, portfolio companies can also leverage Salesforce's expertise in corporate philanthropy by joining Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 280 enterprise cloud startups in 18 different countries since 2009. For more information, please visit www.salesforce.com/ventures .

Media Contact

Sheridan Smalley

LEWIS for Alation

415-432-2477

alation@teamlewis.comDETROIT, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Bicomponent Fiber Market by Material Type (PE/PP, PE/PET, Co-PET/PET, and Others), by Structure Type (Sheath/Core, Side-by-Side, Islands-in-the-Sea, and Others), by End-Use Industry Type (Hygiene, Textiles, Automotive, Home Furnish, and others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2024.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660595/Stratview_Research_Logo.jpg )



This 240-page report, from Stratview Research, studies the bicomponent fiber market in the global advanced materials industry over the trend period of 2013 to 2018 and forecast period of 2019 to 2024. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

Bicomponent FiberMarket: Highlights from the Report

There has been a rapid progress in the non-woven technology in various end-use industries, thereby driving the demand for non-woven fabrics. Day-to-day products from personal care to hygiene to filters and automotive fabric products have realized worthiness of non-woven fabrics. People are demanding such products which give more comfort and softness. This is being done by replacing the traditional PP spun-bond fabric with bicomponent fiber. Bicomponent fibers have been in the forefront in fulfilling such requirements with continuous advancement in products to meet consumer demand.

As per Stratview Research, the bicomponent fiber market seems prosperous with significant growth opportunities for market participants across the value chain. The market is likely to reach an estimated value of US$ 2,266.9 million in 2024. Rising living standard of people in both developed as well as developing countries, increasing demand for non-woven fabrics in various end-use industries, growing disposable diaper and feminine products, increasing preference for thermal-bonded non-woven products over adhesive-bonded non-woven products, increasing automobile production, and rising demand for nonwovens containing micro-size fibers are some of the key factors proliferating the demand for bicomponent fibers.

Co-PET/PET is expected to remain the most dominant material type in the market during the forecast period owing to ease of production from petrochemical sources, low cost, good chemical resistance, and desirable range of physical properties. The material type is also likely to witness the highest growth in the same period, propelled by increasing penetration of bicomponent fibers in the emerging markets, such as China. Co-PET/PET fibers are cheaper, which makes them the preferred choice, especially in the price-sensitive consumer geographies, such as China and India.

Click Here and Run Through the TOC of the Report

Based on structure type, sheath/core is projected to remain the growth engine of the market during the forecast period. The structure type generally has low-melting-temperature polymer at the sheath and high-melting temperature polymer at the core. They are typically processed as bonding fibers for non-woven and their applications are extremely diverse, making them the most dominant bicomponent fiber structures in the market.

Hygiene is projected to remain the largest as well as the fastest-growing segment of the market during the forecast period. Rising health and hygiene awareness among people around the world is fueling the growth in the demand for various hygiene products, such as feminine products, baby diapers, and wipes. Also, the demand for disposable hygiene products, such as diapers and sanitary napkins, has been growing in line with the world's population increase. This, in turn, is generating a greater demand for bicomponent fibers in the segment.

Register Here for a Free Sample of the 240-Page Detailed Report

In terms of region, Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the largest and fastest-growing market for bicomponent fibers during the forecast period. The regional market is driven by a host of factors, such as growing awareness towards the hygienic environment and increasing population. Rising disposable income, improving healthcare infrastructure, and favorable government regulations regarding health and hygiene are further boosting the demand for bicomponent fibers in the region. China is likely to remain the growth engine of the region's market in the foreseen future. The country is also the world's largest market for bicomponent fibers and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period.

Key bicomponent fiber manufacturers are ES FiberVisions, Huvis Corporation, Far Eastern New Century, Jiangnan High Polymer Fiber Co., Ltd., CHA Technologies Group, and Jiaxing Xinwei Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Development of durable, stronger and softer bicomponent fibers and execution of mergers & acquisitions are some of the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors.

This report studies the global bicomponent fiber market and has segmented the market in four ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the four ways in which the market is segmented:

Bicomponent Fiber Market by Material Type:

PE/PP (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

PE/PET (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Co-PET/PET (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Bicomponent Fiber Market by End-Use Industry Type:

Hygiene (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Textiles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Automotive (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Home Furnish (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Bicomponent Fiber Market by Structure Type:

Sheath/Core (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Side-by-Side (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Islands-in-the-Sea (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Bicomponent Fiber Market by Region:

North America (Country Analysis: the USA , Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , the UK, Russia , France , and Rest of Europe )

Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan , India , China , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Rest of the world (Country Analysis: Latin America , the Middle East , and Others)

Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the compositesand advanced materials industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Advanced Materials Industry

Related premium market reports in the advanced materials industryare:

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High-Performance Glass Fiber Market by End-Use Industry (Aerospace & Defense, Sporting Goods, Automotive, Wind Energy, Electrical & Electronics, and Others), by Usage (Polymer Composites and Non-Polymer Composites), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

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Direct: +1-313-307-4176VANCOUVER, British Columbia, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

NetCents Technology Inc. ("NetCents" or the "Company") (CSE: NC) (Frankfurt: 26N) is pleased to announce that it has initiated the formal application process to trade on the OTCQB.

The OTCQB listing is a partnership offered through CSE. The Company is now listed in Canada with the CSE, Germany with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and soon to the United States with the OTCQB

"We have been planning to cross list for quite a while, but have been waiting until we established a footprint in the US. And now, with all of our signed US-based agreements along with the enhancements and platform functionality, the timing is now right for our formal entry into the US market," stated Clayton Moore, CEO of NetCents Technology.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market, and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS, OTC Market Groups connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. OTC Markets Group enables investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

http://www.otcmarkets.com

About NetCents

NetCents is a next-generation online payment processing platform, offering consumers and merchants online services for managing electronic payments. The Company is focused on capturing the migration from cash to digital currency by utilizing innovative Blockchain Technology to provide payment solutions that are simple to use, secure and worry-free. NetCents works with its financial partners, mobile operators, exchanges, etc., to streamline the user experience of transacting online.

NetCents Technology is integrated into the Automated Clearing House ("ACH") and is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC, which ensures our consumer's security and privacy.

For more information, please visit the corporate website at http://www.net-cents.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

NetCents Technology Inc.

"Clayton Moore"

Clayton Moore, CEO, Founder and Director

NetCents Technology Inc.

Suite 1000 - 1021 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC, V6E 0C3



Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Contact:

Gordon Jessop,

President / COO

gord.jessop@net-cents.com

+1-604-676-5249

VALLETTA, Malta, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

New ETx will give investors direct access to Dr Werner & Partner' client base

Blackmoon Financial Group, a blockchain Financial Service and Fintech firm, and Dr. Werner & Partner, a network of attorneys, experts for international compliance and international tax law, accountants and financial advisors, today announced that they have formed a strategic partnership to create a branded Exchange Traded Index (ETx).

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809210/Blackmoon_and_Dr_Werner_Partner.jpg )



The close ties between Blackmoon and Dr Werner & Partner will allow them to work very closely together in order to create the ETx that will be directly linked to Dr Werner & Partner client base.

Solving the problem of liquidity

Knowing that one can liquidate his or her investment without an impact to price, is a key risk-metric to any and all investment decisions. An STO that supports a thriving and liquid market, immediately increases its perceived value, even if its product, bottom-line or management is not as high a quality as its competitors. The liquidity of the marketplace defines the risk for an investor and the success of the issuer. Without the ease of execution and liquidity, any STO will have limited success, if any at all.

Introducing Blackmoon's Exchange Traded Indexes (ETx)

Blockchain technology may be a better alternative to raise capital from investors. However, price discovery and trading liquidity also require the inclusion of speculators. The ETx that Blackmoon issues on behalf of its partners' brands incentivise traders and speculators to take the risk in the market, by offering them a fungible financial product to arbitrage for profit - further adding bids and offers to an STO that would otherwise not exist - effectively creating a balanced and stable price.

"The partnership with Blackmoon will enable us to extend our (already advanced) crypto advisory services with security token offerings. The amount of interest for that sector is overwhelming and together with Blackmoon we will provide a state-of-the-art-service, that will enable the right client to launch an STO from A-Z." said Philipp Sauerborn, a senior employee at Dr Werner & Partner

"We are pleased to have discovered such an incredible company to partner with and we foresee releasing the Dr Werner & Partner ETx as soon as possible to offer this creative investment opportunity to investors across the globe," said Oleg Seydak, CEO of Blackmoon

The strategic partnership with Dr Werner & Partner is one of many that Blackmoon intends to form over the coming months. Their ultimate goal will be to have an entire suite of innovative ETx's to offer their own clients as well as those of their partners.

About Blackmoon

Blackmoon (http://blackmoon.net/) is a financial services company which is part of the Blackmoon Financial Group, a group of financial services and technology companies founded in 2014. The Blackmoon team has extensive experience in investment management, as well as developing automated investment interfaces and asset management tools.

Blackmoon aims to create and maintain the world's best framework for tokenized investment vehicles to deliver investment opportunities in both the real world and the blockchain universe. Blackmoon Platform brings blockchain flexibility to fiat instruments and the benefits of accumulated financial wisdom to the crypto investments.

Blackmoon world firsts include being the first operational blockchain investment platform, the first company to issue a token related to an initial public offering (IPO of Xiaomi) and the first company to launch the first ETx which is linked to the performance of the most-traded coins on Binance.

About Dr. Werner & Partner

Dr. Werner & Partner (https://www.drwerner.com) is an advisory network of lawyers, auditors, accountants and experts in international tax, regulation and compliance. Accepted applicants as licenced and regulated VFA / crypto agents with years of experience in ICO, STO, crypto start-ups and in obtaining regulative status for crypto, finance and gaming companies.

Disclaimer: Investment in virtual financial assets carries a high degree of risk and volatility and is not suitable for every investor; therefore, you should not risk the capital you cannot afford to lose. Please consult an independent professional financial or legal adviser to ensure the product meets your objectives before you decide to invest. Regional restrictions and suitability checks apply.

http://blackmoon.net/

https://www.drwerner.comLONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Malaga based law firm Maxima 1 Legal S.L. (M1 Legal) can now confirm they are regulated by the Claims Management Regulator in respect of regulated claims.

This means that they can now take legal action on behalf of consumers against financial institutions such as banks and credit card companies for misrepresentation and unregulated lending.

This will be another side to their business which will be given a strong focus over the coming months under the branding of Bank Reclaims. The brand will not solely focus on timeshare, they will also offer no win no fee claims against other mis-sold loans.

M1 legal lawyer Adriana Stoyanova commented: 'When the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took over responsibility for regulating consumer credit from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on 1st April, 2014, it promised to tougher measures aiming to protect consumers and restore public confidence in the sector.

'It seems, however, that before that date and during the transition period some companies involved in the sector still did not comply with the legal requirements imposed under the applicable legislation.

'An example which recently disclosed such infringements is the case of the timeshare resort Azure Island Residence Club, located in Malta, which mis-sold timeshare products to many British citizens, financed by Barclays Partner Finance,' she added.

'It appeared that during the period 1st April, 2014 - 24th, April 2016 British consumers signed 1,444 loan agreements which financed their timeshare purchases through the credit intermediary Azure Services Limited, which was not authorised by the FCA to carry on this regulated activity, i.e. credit brokering.

'The FCA issued a validation order; however, we appealed the validation order, on behalf of 25 affected people, in front of the Upper Tribunal. The judge found that there was evidence of potential consumer detriment - a relevant factor to be taken into account in deciding whether it is just and equitable to make a validation order (which was a precedent).

'In this particular case, the evidence of potential consumer detriment was considered being that the consumers were misrepresented about the duration and the loan conditions. For that reason, the Upper Tribunal decided to remit the matter back to the FCA to reconsider its decision, with a direction to take into account Consumer Detriment, without placing any further limitation on the scope of what the FCA should consider.'

Link to the decision of the Upper Tribunal:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b619143ed915d4b53bfc5e4/PLAXEDES_CHICKOMBE_AND_44_OTHERS_v_FCA___BPF.pdf

In their representations, BPF stated that the total amount payable under the relevant 1,444 loans is around 47million.

'Considering the fact that this is a small timeshare resort in Malta, we could imagine what the amount would be for some of the European timeshare resorts, which have thousands of members. This could be the next financial scandal!' said Adriana Stoyanova.

An audit was also carried out on all M1 legal files. It revealed that around 40% of the files which have loan agreements were arranged by unregulated finance brokers with loan amounts totalling just under 6million.

For any timeshare enquiries regarding this story call 0034 951 562 209 or email sharon@m1legal.com.

Links

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b619143ed915d4b53bfc5e4/PLAXEDES_CHICKOMBE_AND_44_OTHERS_v_FCA___BPF.pdf

Contact: clive.hemsley@livedesigns.co

SOURCE: M1 Legal

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/532927/Timeshare-Mis-selling--the-Next-Financial-ScandalVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) ("Ridgestone Mining") has received final assay results from an initial drill program conducted on its Rebeico gold-copper project located within the prolific Sierra Madre gold belt of Sonora Mexico.

Drilling was designed to test for gold and copper mineralization down-dip below historical workings along a portion of the >1km long "Alaska" vein.

Assay results for the first 4 drill holes (18REB1 through 18REB4) were reported in the Company's December 13th news release.

Highlights of the assay results from holes 18REB5 through 18REB12 are summarized as follows:

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Au

g/t Cu% 18REB5 82.00 83.00 1.00 5.61 0.30 18REB6 84.90 88.20 3.25 8.31 2.41 including 85.70 86.20 0.50 6.95 1.31 and 86.20 87.20 1.00 17.70 5.95 and 87.20 88.20 1.00 5.59 0.83 18REB8 63.15 63.50 0.35 9.59 0.55

76.90 78.50 1.60 0.22 0.39

83.75 85.40 1.65 0.04 0.33 18REB9 85.12 86.00 0.88 1.40 0.30 18REB10 103.64 105.14 1.50 36.10 1.22 and 105.14 106.60 1.46 1.48 0.07

A complete summary of results from the drill program along with maps and sections are available on the Company's website.

Significantly, Hole 18REB8 intersected highly anomalous bismuth values (2,800 ppm Bi) with the 9.59 g/t Au assay from 103.64 meters to 105.14 meters. As previously reported, anomalous bismuth may be indicative of a high temperature, intrusive-related style of mineralization potentially proximal to a copper gold porphyry or IOCG (iron oxide copper gold) system.

The high gold and copper values encountered along the previously un-drilled Alaska vein in this first phase of drilling are extremely encouraging, and further drill campaigns are warranted. It should be noted this first drill program investigated only very shallow depths and only a lateral distance of 500 meters along the >1km Alaska vein.

Mr. Jonathan George, of partner YQ Gold de Mexico S.A de C.V., commented "These results, together with those of previous geochemical and geophysical programs undertaken by Ridgestone and YQ Gold, provide compelling evidence of the potential for a significant new discovery in a relatively unexplored region of the Sonoran Sierra Madre mineralized belt."

The Rebeico drilling program was managed by Ridgestone's partner, YQ Gold de Mexico S.A. de C.V. Drill core was transported by YQ Gold personnel from the drill sites to a secure logging and sample storage area on a daily basis. After logging by YQ Gold geologists, intervals selected for sampling were sawed in half lengthwise. The -core samples were placed in pre-numbered sample bags and weighed. Blank samples were inserted into the sample stream for Quality Assurance / Quality Control ("QA/QC") purposes. YQ Gold personnel transported the samples to the ALS Minerals ("ALS") preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, Sonora. After preparation, sample pulps were air-freighted by ALS to their assay laboratory in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Gold was determined by fire-assay fusion with an atomic absorption finish. Silver and 31 major, minor and trace elements were determined by ICP-AES following 4-acid digestion.

The technical information disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Steven I. Weiss, C.P.G., Ph.D., with Mine Development Associates ("MDA") of Reno, Nevada, USA. Mr. Weiss is a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and the author of the technical report prepared by MDA and filed on SEDAR titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Rebeico Gold-Copper Project; Central Sonora, Mexico".

About Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Ridgestone is a TSX Venture Exchange-listed junior mineral exploration company with offices in Taipei and Vancouver, B.C. The Company's focus is on precious metals and copper in Sonora, Mexico, and specifically the Rebeico Gold-Copper project.

For further information, please contact:

Erwin Wong, CFO & Director

Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Telephone: 604-377-8758

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release such statements include but are not limited to the preparation of a definitive agreement and the requirement of TSX Venture Exchange approval therefor. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's Prospectus dated February 9, 2018 available on www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2019) - Lexaria Nicotine LLC, (OTCQX: LXRP) (CSE: LXX) a wholly owned subsidiary of Lexaria Bioscience Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement with Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) to fund the research & development of Lexaria's patented DehydraTECH technology.

Lexaria's DehydraTECH enhances the performance of beneficial compounds in ingestible products across four categories: taste & smell, speed of action, bio-absorption and bioavailability. The partnership will explore innovation in oral, reduced-risk nicotine consumer products and potentially commercialize DehydraTECH for oral nicotine delivery.

"This is an incredible milestone for Lexaria Bioscience and our shareholders. We are proud that Altria has chosen to invest in our DehydraTECH technology and look forward to reaping the benefits of working with a world-class partner," states Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria Bioscience. "Together we have the opportunity to change nicotine delivery and make a difference in the lives of millions of consumers."

In exchange for a minority equity interest Altria Ventures Inc., an indirect Altria Group subsidiary, will fund up to US$12 million for Lexaria Nicotine to conduct milestone-based clinical investigations utilizing DehydraTECHTM.

Altria will pay Lexaria Nicotine a royalty on revenue generated from the sale of nicotine products containing DehydraTECH and holds the option to acquire 100% ownership in Lexaria Nicotine, at which time royalty payments would stop. Additionally, Altria has the right to initially appoint one of the seven directors on Lexaria Nicotine's board of directors and, through further phased investments, may have the right to appoint up to three of the seven directors.

About Lexaria Bioscience

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. has developed and out-licenses its disruptive delivery technology that promotes healthier ingestion methods, lower overall dosing and quicker onset of lipophilic active molecules. Lexaria has ten patents granted in the USA and in Australia and has filed over 50 patent applications worldwide across ten patent families. Lexaria's technology provides more rapid delivery to the bloodstream; and important taste-masking benefits, for orally administered bioactive molecules including cannabinoids, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), nicotine and other molecules.

www.LexariaBioscience.com

Lexaria Nicotine LLC is a United States domiciled, majority-owned subsidiary of Lexaria Bioscience Corp., focused on reduced-risk nicotine solutions.

www.LexariaNicotineCo.com

For regular updates, connect with Lexaria on Twitter https://twitter.com/lexariacorp and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lexariabioscience/

About Altria Group

Altria's wholly-owned subsidiaries include Philip Morris USA Inc. (PM USA), U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC), John Middleton Co. (Middleton), Sherman Group Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries (Nat Sherman), Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. (Ste. Michelle) and Philip Morris Capital Corporation (PMCC). Altria holds an equity investment in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev).

The brand portfolios of Altria's tobacco operating companies include Marlboro, Black &Mild, Copenhagen and Skoal. Ste. Michelle produces and markets premium wines sold under various labels, including Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest,14 Hands and Stag's LeapWine Cellars, and it imports and markets Antinori, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte,Torres and Villa MariaEstate products in the United States. Trademarks and service marks related to Altria referenced in this release are the property of Altria or its subsidiaries or are used with permission. More information about Altria is available at altria.com and on the Altria Investor app. Take a closer look at Altria and its companies on www.Altria.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Lexaria Bioscience Corp.

Alex Blanchard, Communications Manager

(778) 796-1897

Or

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements. Statements which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Lexaria Bioscience makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: that the R&D Program will be successful or result in any regulator-approved products or that the contemplated royalties will generate material revenue. Such forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting Lexaria Bioscience's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by Lexaria Bioscience include, but are not limited to, government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, the patent application and approval process and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Lexaria Bioscience's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that existing capital is sufficient for Lexaria Bioscience's needs or that it will be able to raise additional capital. There is no assurance that Lexaria Bioscience will successfully complete any other contemplated or existing technology license agreements; or that results from any studies will be favorable or in any way support future business activities of any kind. Scientific R&D is often unpredictable and unanticipated results could emerge from any study and have a material impact as can any results that cannot be reproduced in subsequent testing. There is no assurance that any planned corporate activity, scientific study, R&D, business venture, or initiative will be pursued, or if pursued, will be successful. There is no assurance that any of Lexaria Bioscience's postulated uses, benefits, or advantages for the patented and patented technology will in fact be realized in any manner or in any part. No statement herein has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). DehydraTECHTM technology is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Corporate Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

Editor@NetworkNewsWire.comCollaborative business approach and adoption of value-based pricing models will create growth opportunities, finds Frost & Sullivan

SANTA CLARA, California, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Focus on precision medicine is encouraging R&D across the cell therapy market with Big Pharma/Bio-Pharma responding through collaborations with small to mid-segment players with niche therapeutic focus, thereby gaining a competitive edge with respect to therapy, technology as well as geographic spread. The market was valued at $2.70 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $8.21 billion in 2025, growing at a robust compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9% between 2017 and 2025. A diverse therapeutic focus, accompanied by rising M&A activities and implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies such as single-use bioreactors, will pave a way for unique cell-gene and stem cell - gene combination therapies.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809832/Cell_Therapy_PR_pic.jpg

"In addition to collaborations, pharmas are employing a pay-for-performance business model that allows the payer to pay based on the therapeutic outcome of the high-value therapy," said Aarti Chitale, Senior Research Analyst Transformational Health. "Novartis and Gilead are among the first companies to adopt this pricing model for their ground-breaking CAR-T Cell therapies Kymriah and Yescarta, respectively. In addition to innovative pricing models, Pharma companies are also showing a preference for risk sharing and fast-to-market models in order to support the development of novel therapies."

Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Growth Opportunities in the Global Cell Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025, presents revenue analysis at global and regional levels, as well as some of the key market drivers and restraints that affect long-term growth. There is also a focus on the regulatory challenges to market expansion and drug development across emerging markets, including China and South Korea.

For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/31s.

"Amendments in regulatory and reimbursement policies, as well as the implementation of conditional approval policies for RM, will further drive the market by expediting product launches," noted Chitale. "Additionally, improvements in cell culturing techniques alongside the use of different stem cells such as adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and induced Pluripotent Stem Cell will strengthen the market with superior treatment options for non-oncological conditions such as neurological, musculoskeletal, and dermatological conditions."

With the rising demand for cell therapies, the following growth opportunities have multiplied for vendors:

Wide-ranging therapeutic focus across both oncology and non-oncology conditions. With more than 959 ongoing regenerative medicine clinical trials, the market finds opportunity across both stem cell and non-stem cell based therapies.

across both and non-oncology conditions. With more than 959 ongoing clinical trials, the market finds opportunity across both stem cell and non-stem cell based therapies. Curative Combination Therapies which help to improve response rates among patients while reducing the duration of response. These therapies also find application in identifying the right patient as well as predicting the immune response in cancer patients .

which help to improve response rates among patients while reducing the duration of response. These therapies also find application in identifying the right patient as well as predicting the . Manufacturing Automation by means of implementation of IT solutions and single-use manufacturing techniques for optimizing small-volume, high-value manufacturing of novel cell therapies, thereby reducing the time to market drastically.

by means of implementation of IT solutions and single-use manufacturing techniques for optimizing small-volume, high-value manufacturing of novel cell therapies, thereby reducing the time to market drastically. Emerging Business Models which help market players focus on academic and research collaborations alongside industry collaborations to support therapeutic and technological innovations.

Growth Opportunities in the Global Cell Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025 is part of Frost & Sullivan's global Life Sciences Growth Partnership Service program.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Growth Opportunities in the Global Cell Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025

PA1F-52

Contact:

Mariana Fernandez

Corporate Communications

T: +1 210 348 10 12

E: Mariana.Fernandez@frost.com

http://ww2.frost.comATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Smarp, the Finland-based internal content hub provider for employee engagement and advocacy, has announced today that its United States offices will be relocating to Atlanta, Georgia.

Smarp's North American business development and customer success management team has operated out of New York City since 2015, and the company has decided to move its U.S. base down south as it eyes further expansion in the American market.

The new Atlanta office comes as part of Smarp's efforts to accelerate growth after securing 4.2M in funding from Nauta Capital in May. The Series A funding round was specifically held to fuel the company's expansion beyond the Eurozone. Aside from Finland and the US, Smarp also operates in London, UK and Stockholm, Sweden.

"Over the next few years, we plan to grow our Atlanta operations into equal status and importance as our global headquarters in Helsinki, Finland," said Smarp CEO Roope Heinila.

Smarp estimates that 30% of the companies using its platform and 30% of its billings already come from the US.

Employee advocacy and internal communications have gained much interest among human resources, marketing and sales departments in recent years. With the explosion of social media and influencer marketing, employees can employees can grow their influence as thought leaders and become brand ambassadors.

The relocation is expected to provide a more growth-conducive environment for the company. Indeed, Georgia has been consistently cited by Site Selection magazine as the country's top state for businesses. The company also hopes to attract top talent in its new location. Market research firm Forrester identified Atlanta as among the country's leading hotspots for available elite tech talent.

Smarp CEO Roope Heinila shared his excitement about the move. "We looked at several potential locations in the US when we decided to relocate our North American headquarters from New York," he said.

"Our primary criterion was the availability of talent, and Atlanta's world-class universities and diverse talent pool made it a top pick for us. In New York, we found that much of the talent pool was focused on the financial and media industries, whereas we see Atlanta as a growing tech hub with a vast and diverse talent pool. We're looking forward to contributing to the growth of the local ecosystem."

"Smarp's selection of Atlanta as its U.S. headquarters underscores the continuing growth of Atlanta's high-tech industry and reflects the expanding business links between Georgia and Finland," said John Saunders, Honorary Consul of Finland in Atlanta and a partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Assistance from The Georgia Department of Economic Development was instrumental in Smarp's decision, along with key support from the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Georgia Power.

"Smarp's new North American headquarters here provides our business community with more solutions for employee engagement and advocacy," said Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Hala Moddelmog. "I am excited to see another international company choose Georgia and join our strong technology ecosystem."

About Smarp

Founded in 2011, Smarp is privately held and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Smarp employs more than 70 professionals, working with over 300 global customers, to change the way organizations communicate, engage and empower their employees.

Smarp was built to serve as the primary place where employees can find and discuss content related to their industry and expertise. With Smarp, employees can easily catch up on the latest industry trends and share relevant content with their personal networks. As a result, not only do companies improve their internal communications and employee engagement, they also boost their marketing strategy, support their salespeople's social selling efforts and bring their social recruiting strategy to the next level.

Media Contacts

For more information about Smarp and its platform, visit https://www.smarp.com.

Press

pr@inboundjunction.com.

Dan Edelstein

+972-545-464-238

SOURCE: Smarp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/532924/Employee-Engagement-Advocacy-Solution-Smarp-to-Relocate-US-HQ-to-AtlantaMUNICH, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Leading watch manufacturer Swatch launches first payment service with accessories in Switzerland

Wirecard offers a fully digital payment experience via SwatchPAY! and boon

Users of SwatchPAY! and boon in Switzerland benefit from mobile payments without needing a smartphone or wallet

Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology, has signed a cooperation agreement with the leading watch manufacturer Swatch. In the future, consumers will be able to install fully digital, contactless payment solutions as an app in Switzerland and later throughout Europe and use them via their watches. This means that all SwatchPAY! customers will benefit from simple and secure mobile payments with boon at the point of sale.

boon by Wirecard is the industry's first mobile payment solution that works completely independently of banks and network operators. From 1st February 2019, users in Switzerland will be able to add their digital boon cards to SwatchPAY! and pay with their Blackback, Pastel, Chic & Magic Watches wherever Mastercard contactless is accepted.

"Constant innovation is a central part of Swatch's DNA," said Carlo Giordanetti, Creative Director of Swatch. "Thanks to the latest innovation, tokenization has never been so quick and simple. It has never been more convenient to pay anytime, anywhere using the Swatch on your wrist: carry out the tokenization, hold the watch to the payment terminal, done! SwatchPAY! is simple, stylish and typical Swatch!"

Georg von Waldenfels, Executive Vice President Consumer Solutions at Wirecard, said, "We are proud to announce our cooperation with Swatch. This brings a whole new lifestyle aspect to the market for mobile payments, which is currently experiencing strong growth worldwide. The benefits for consumers of being able to pay with their watch and boon mean a new level of freedom in everyday life. Our customers can now use their digital boon cards with their favorite Swatch watches - without having to take their wallet or smartphone with them."

boon by Wirecard is easy to set up on SwatchPAY! watches by going to one of the participating Swatch Stores, downloading the SwatchPAY! App and adding the digital boon card to the SwatchPAY! wallet. To pay, the user simply holds the watch in front of the payment terminal. With the SwatchPAY! App, several watches can be managed simultaneously.

SwatchPAY! and boon are equipped with numerous security functions. Industry standard security features ensure that a user's card information is never disclosed to merchants or Swatch itself.

Further information can be found on http://www.beboon.com and http://www.swatch.com.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363

Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

About Wirecard:

Wirecard (GER: WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both business customers and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on the areas payment & risk, retail & transaction banking, loyalty & couponing, data analytics & conversion rate enhancement in all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets, holds issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on http://www.wirecard.com, follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

Swatch media contact:

Swatch Group

Sidonie Perroud

Tel.: +41-32-321-20-77

Email: sidonie.perroud@swatch.com

About Swatch:

Swatch, founded by Nicolas G. Hayek in 1983, is one of the leading Swiss watch manufacturers and one of the world's most famous brands. The first Swatch watches amazed audiences with their revolutionary concept, creative design and provocative spirit. The brand's philosophy, based on color, movement, lightness and transparency, is clearly visible in every Swatch product and project. Today, Swatch still surprises with innovations, new models, collections and special editions. The brand's strong commitment to snowboarding, freeskiing, surfing, beach volleyball and mountain bike slopestyle has enabled it to maintain its strong presence in the world of sport. From the outset, Swatch has sought a link with the arts and with artists - Swatch watches are and remain a popular canvas for artists of all horizons and styles.VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2019 / Renaissance Gold Inc. (TSX-V: REN) ("RenGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed definitive earn-in agreements with Hochschild Mining (US) Inc. ("Hochschild"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hochschild Mining plc (LSE:HOC) on its Mars and Ferguson Mountain Projects. Upon signing the definitive agreements, Hochschild paid the Company US$50,000.

Robert Felder, President and CEO states, "We are very pleased to have an experienced gold producer and explorer like Hochschild as our partner on these two projects in Nevada. They recognize the excellent discovery potential on these projects and we very much look forward to working with them going forward. RenGold continues to maintain a very active exploration program throughout Nevada, and with the addition of these two agreements, the Company currently has six active exploration agreements in Nevada funded by five different partners."

Mars Project: Hochschild has the option to earn up to a 51% interest in the Mars Project by spending US$5,000,000 over a five-year period, and making payments to the Company totaling US$300,000. In addition, Hochschild must spend US$300,000 (committed expenditure) within 18 months of signing the definitive agreement. Upon vesting, Hochschild has a one-time option to elect to earn an additional 19% interest in the Mars Project by spending an additional US$5,000,000 by the ninth anniversary of the definitive agreement.

The Mars Project, Lincoln County, Nevada hosts a Carlin-type target in lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, characterized by anomalous gold in soils, and extensive jasperoid alteration with rock chip assays up to 3.7 g/t Au. The gold system is exposed over a 4.5 km strike length and occurs peripheral to a Mesozoic intrusive center. Historic work included three shallow drill programs which encountered multiple low-grade gold intercepts, but tested the system to a depth of only 250 feet. The RenGold technical team re-mapped the geology and alteration and conducted a detailed gravity survey, which facilitated the development of several new structural and stratigraphic targets on the project.

The Company recently entered into a lease-option agreement with a third party to acquire eleven additional unpatented mining claims covering a historic mercury occurrence adjacent to and just south of the Mars claim block. This mercury occurrence represents a higher level exposure of hydrothermal alteration and potentially represents a cap over a gold system at depth. This target has similarities to the ground staked by RenGold in 2015 on its Silicon Project now under option to Anglo Gold Ashanti NA in the Bare Mountains District in Nye County, Nevada where Anglo (see NR dated October 17, 2018), Corvus Gold (TSX:KOR) and Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE) are actively drilling.

The third party lease agreement has a term of 10 years, includes annual lease payments which apply to a buyout of the property for US$300,000. Upon buyout, the underlying Lessor's interest converts to a 1.5% NSR, of which 1% is purchasable for US$1,000,000.

Ferguson Mountain: Hochschild has the option to earn up to a 51% interest in the Ferguson Mountain Project by spending US$3,000,000 over a five-year period, and making payments to the Company totaling US$300,000. In addition, Hochschild must spend US$200,000 (committed expenditure) within 18 months of signing the definitive agreement. Upon vesting, Hochschild has a one-time option to elect to earn an additional 19% interest in the Ferguson Mountain Project by spending an additional US$3,000,000 by the ninth anniversary of the definitive agreement.

The Ferguson Mountain Project, Elko County, Nevada hosts a Carlin-type target in Devonian and younger carbonate host rocks. The RenGold technical team completed geologic mapping and soil and rock chip sampling over the project area, which detected geochemical leakage up structure from target horizons at depth. The targets are defined by the intersection of mapped high-angle mineralized structures and several low-angle stratigraphic and structural horizons, including the top of the Devonian unconformity and other horizons where structural and/or chemical ground preparation is likely to be well developed.

Exploration Update

Spruce East: Kinross has notified the Company of its termination of the Agreement (See NR dated May 15, 2017). The Company is assessing the remaining potential and marketability of the project.

Related Company News

Magna Terra Minerals (TSX.V:MTT) has announced the commencement and completion of drilling on their Piedra Negra Project in the Santa Cruz Province, Argentina (See MTT news release dated December 5, 2018), and the closing of the first tranche of a private placement (See MTT news release dated December 31, 2018). They also announced that drilling has commenced at the Luna Roja Project (see MTT news release dated January 14, 2019). RenGold holds a NSR royalty interest of not less than 1% nor greater than 3% on MTT's Gertrudis, El Meridiano, Covadonga and La Rosita projects as well as the Piedra Negra and Luna Roja (formerly named El Monte) Projects.

About Hochschild Mining plc

Hochschild Mining plc is a leading precious metals company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:HOC) with a primary focus on the exploration, mining, processing and sale of silver and gold. Hochschild has over fifty years' experience in the mining of precious metal epithermal vein deposits and currently operates four underground epithermal vein mines, three located in southern Peru and one in southern Argentina. Hochschild also has numerous long-term projects throughout the Americas.

About Renaissance Gold Inc.

Renaissance Gold Inc. is a western US focused prospect generator utilizing a joint venture business model. RenGold applies the extensive exploration experience and high-end technical skills of its founders and team members to search for and acquire high quality precious metal exploration projects that are then offered for joint venture to industry partners who provide exploration funding. RenGold maintains a large portfolio of gold and silver exploration properties and has entered into over 65 exploration agreements including those as its predecessor, AuEx Ventures Inc., and those from Kinetic Gold. RenGold's objective is to place its projects into exploration agreements, testing as many drill targets as possible and providing maximum exposure to success through discovery.

Qualified Person

All technical data disclosed in this press release has been verified by RenGold's Qualified Person, Robert Felder, M.Sc. and Certified Professional Geologist as recognized by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG).

By: Robert Felder, President & CEO

For further information, contact:

Robert Felder 775-337-1545 or bfelder@rengold.com

Ronald Parratt 775-337-1545 or rparratt@rengold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Renaissance Gold Inc. believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Renaissance Gold Inc's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Renaissance Gold Inc. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

SOURCE: Renaissance Gold Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/532841/Renaissance-Gold-Executes-Two-New-Earn-in-Agreements-on-Nevada-ProjectsVANCOUVER, British Columbia, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Premier Health Group Inc. (CSE: PHGI) (OTCQB: PHGRF) (Frankfurt: 6PH) (the "Company" or "Premier Health"), a Company focused on developing innovative approaches that combine human skill based expertise with emerging technologies for the healthcare industry, is pleased to announce as part of its international expansion strategy, it has entered into a strategic partnership with China's 360 Health, a healthcare subsidiary of 360 Security Technology. The parent company, 360 Security Technology, is a leading online service company in China with a market capitalization of over $20 billion USD as of January 16, 2019. As part of the collaboration, Premier and 360 Health will implement an infrastructure whereby Premier will be providing second opinion services by connecting 360 Health's patients in China with doctors in Canada both remotely and in person. Premier will also assist with General Practitioner training virtually and onsite through medical seminars.

"We are very excited to be working with 360 Health as China continues to adopt a Family Practice primary care model and look forward to helping them establish themselves as a leader in primary care. This partnership represents an excellent opportunity for Premier to tap into the fastest growing telemedicine market globally," said CEO, Dr. Essam Hamza.

360 Health has been approved for an Internet Hospital license in China and provides a platform for Chinese doctors and patients enabling online consultations (chat/video), online prescriptions and online purchase of medicine.

The Company will provide additional updates on the partnership over the coming months.

On Behalf Of the Board of Directors

'Dr. Essam Hamza, MD'

Chief Executive Officer

About Premier Health

Premier Health is a Canadian company that is strategically poised to take advantage of business opportunities in the global healthcare industry. We are developing innovative health care approaches that combine human skill-based expertise with emerging technologies, with the goal of setting the gold standard for services in locations of interest worldwide. Premier Health's subsidiary, HealthVue is focused on developing proprietary technology to deliver quality healthcare through the combination of connected primary care clinics with telemedicine and artificial intelligence (AI). We currently have an ecosystem of over 100,000 active patients and have plans to rapidly increase that number both domestically and internationally. The Premier Health team has a strong track record of successfully creating value in healthcare and technology enterprises. The Management team has deep clinical, financial and operational expertise and a passion for improving healthcare for all patients.

About 360 Health

360 Health (Shanghai Youyi Information Technology Co. Ltd.) is a subsidiary of 360 Technology Inc., a leading online service company in China. 360 Health focuses on medicine and healthcare services. 360 Health has been approved for an Internet Hospital license in China and provides a platform for Chinese doctors and patients enabling online consultations (chat/video), online prescriptions and online purchase of medicine.

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Premier Health's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to the implementation of its shareholder communications initiative and the timing thereof. Although Premier Health believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Premier Health undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For Additional Information Contact:

Premier Health Group Inc.

Email: investors@mypremierhealth.com

+1-604-617-7221



www.mypremierhealth.com





LONDON, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

CACI benefits from industry stalwart's deep experience in this crucial sector for our times

Cathy Sutherland today joins business information systems provider CACI as Director of the Information Intelligence Group.

Her career achievements in the sector over two decades have formed her exceptional reputation for leadership, strategy and operational delivery. From her private sector roles across R&D, consultancy and information solutions provision as well as military service, Cathy has made defence and security her single-minded professional focus.

Cathy has worked with senior stakeholders in government and industry partners to deliver mission critical intelligence capability that protects our nation and its interests.

In her most recent role at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, Cathy led 600 staff to generate multi-million revenues, leading campaign teams to win major government contracts and assuring BAE's reputation in National Security service provision.

At CACI, Cathy will lead the Information Intelligence Group. It provides systems, software and consultancy services to assist digital transformation and insight across UK government, defence and national security agencies.

She will report to Jeet Khaira, Managing Director of CACI's Information and Management Solutions (IMS) division. Jeet says, "Our mission is to work for the safety, security and prosperity of the UK, helping organisations share and exploit information in reliable, integrated and secure ways. Cathy brings a wealth of experience which will help us develop our strategy, relationships and service offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients."

Greg Bradford, Chief Executive, CACI Europe, adds, "We're delighted to welcome Cathy to our senior team. Her track record and expertise are perfectly suited to lead our agile, dedicated team of digital information intelligence specialists. With Cathy at the helm, they will be able to engage with a wider client base and bring our leading-edge services to the public and private sector firms who rely on information intelligence technology to operate safely and effectively."

Editors' notes:

About CACI

Established in 1975, CACI employs more than 850 staff in the UK and Europe, providing business information systems to public and private sector clients. CACI Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of CACI International Inc., an IT services company publicly traded on the NYSE and employing over 21,000 staff in more than 120 offices globally. http://www.caci.co.uk

About CACI Information Intelligence Group

CACI Information Intelligence Group is a specialist provider of systems, software and consultancy services, delivering digital transformation projects for UK government, defence and national security organisations.

We specialise in three core areas: development of large scale, high-velocity data processing systems; design and implementation of secure data-sharing solutions; and the use of free, open-source software to deliver innovative solutions at a low total cost of ownership.Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.Following are the latest Corporate Social Responsibility news releases and story ideas available from Business Wire. These recaps, curated by Business Wire, provide reporters and bloggers around the globe instant access to the latest news releases, providing relevant and trending content to share with their audiences. Discover more news via Business Wire's Hot Topic recaps or create a custom news feed specific to your needs here. This service is provided at no charge to members of the media and financial communities.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005088/en/

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Horace Mann selected for 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, recognizing commitment to advancing women in the workplace Source: Horace Mann

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- United for U.S. Coalition Grows Source: United Way Worldwide

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Yum! Brands Named to Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for Second Consecutive Year Source: Yum! Brands, Inc.

ST. LOUIS -- Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative Announces $3 Million in Grants Source: Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative

NEW YORK -- Voya Financial Selected for 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index in Recognition of Commitment to Advancing Women in the Workplace Source: Voya Financial, Inc.

ZURICH -- RepRisk Releases the Most Controversial Companies 2018 Report: Three of Ten Companies Ranked Were Included Due to Product Recalls Source: RepRisk

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Institutional Investor Trustees Representing $635 Billion in Assets Launch Principles Addressing Sexual Harassment and Workplace Misconduct Source: California State Teachers' Retirement System

BOSTON -- Separating the Men from the Boys: Gillette Campaign Inspires Men to Re-Examine What It Means to Be Their Best Source: Procter Gamble

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- United Way Worldwide Launches 'United for U.S.' Coalition to Help Those Impacted by Government Shutdown Source: United Way Worldwide

CINCINNATI -- Always and Walmart Join Forces To Help EndPeriodPoverty And Ensure Girls Can Stay In The Activities They Love Source: Procter Gamble

About Business Wire:

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Investor relations, public relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire to accurately distribute market-moving news and multimedia, host online newsrooms and IR websites, build content marketing platforms, generate social engagements and provide audience analysis that improves interaction with specified target markets. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX Network. Business Wire has 28 offices worldwide to securely meet the varying needs of communications professionals and news consumers.

Learn more at services.BusinessWire.com and Tempo, the Business Wire resource for industry trends; follow updates on Twitter: @businesswire or on Facebook.

Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for Business Wire Corporate Social Responsibility.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005088/en/

Contacts:

Business Wire

Matt VanTassel, 212-752-9600OXFORD, England, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

To mark the 20th anniversary of the death of HM King Hussein of Jordan, Oxford University's Middle East Centre will host a memorial next month. The event is being organised by the late King's nephew Saad Kurdi, and takes place on 7 February 2019 - 20 years to the day King Hussein died. It will be hosted at the Middle East Centre of St Antony's College, Oxford by the Centre's Director, Professor Eugene Rogan.

Professor Eugene Rogan said, "King Hussein was an extraordinary man with a remarkable legacy. This memorial, which next month will mark his passing, is intended to be more than simply a reflection of an important life, but a true appreciation of it."

Her Majesty Queen Noor Al-Hussein, the widow of His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan, and HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, the late King's sister, will be participating. The event will be addressed by King Hussein's biographer, the award-winning historian, Avi Shlaim. Reflections on the late Monarch's life will be provided by Her Majesty Queen Noor and HRH Princess Basma.

A unique film will be screened at the event, produced especially for the memorial, combining newsreel footage with pre-recorded contributions from major international figures who knew the King, or whose lives were influenced by him. These include US President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister John Major, HRH The Prince of Wales and former Formula One World Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart.

Avi Shlaim wrote about King Hussein's 1999 funeral.[1] "It brought to the Jordanian capital an extraordinary galaxy of international luminaries to pay their respects: kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, soldiers and statesmen, friends and foes. A delegation of four American presidents was led by Bill Clinton, who called the King 'a partner and friend.' There were delegations from all the Arab countries from North Africa to the Gulf, including two former foes - Asad and Arafat. By far the largest foreign delegation came from Israel, with President Ezer Weisman at its head. By their very presence at the funeral, these leaders expressed the appreciation of the whole international community for the critical role that the king had played in the struggle for peace in the Middle East. Hussein bin Talal was a titanic figure, an outstanding Hashemite ruler and, above all else, a peacemaker."

1. Avi Shlaim, Lion of Jordan (Allen Lane, Penguin Books 2007)

For further information:

Saad Kurdi

Telephone: +44-(0)-7711-131307

Email: mec@sant.ox.ac.ukLYON, France, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Merieux Equity Partners announced today that Benoit Chastaing has joined the firm as Senior Partner, to foster the firm's growth capital, MBO/LBO and majority investment activities relating to small and mi-cap companies within the healthcare and nutrition sectors.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/808405/Merieux_Equity_Partners_Logo.jpg )



Benoit Chastaing brings to Merieux Equity Partners a solid track-record in managing and financing fast growing companies within the sectors of interest of Merieux Participations 3, the third generation vehicle recently launched with the support of several large family holdings and institutional investors.

Benoit was until recently an active member of the investment firm Gimv, as Partner in charge of growth capital investment in France from 2016 to 2018. In this role, he led multiple majority deals such as Stiplastics Group and France Thermes and actively supported Almaviva, until its acquisition by Antin Investment Partners.

Prior to Gimv, Benoit was in charge of M&A and Investor Relations at Medipole Partenaires (third largest private healthcare organization in France, with 55 operating care centers) and member of the Executive Committee of the Group. Before joining Medipole Partenaires, Benoit started his career at PwC as auditor, then joined the Rexel group, where he held several positions both in France and abroad, including Chief Financial Officer of southern Europe.

Benoit graduated from ESCEM and IMD Lausanne. He is a former auditor of IHEDN (66th SN) and a reservist in the French Navy (Lieutenant Commander).

For more information, please click here .

Contact:

Gaelle Besomi, gaelle.besomi@merieux-partners.comPress contact:

Michele Moore

Tel.: +44 370 905 3408

Email: michele.moore@capgemini.com (mailto:michele.moore@capgemini.com)

Valmet awards Capgemini an IT transformation agreement

Capgemini becomes a strategic IT partner for Valmet

Paris and Espoo, January 17, 2019 - Capgemini (http://www.capgemini.com) today announced the signing of a multi-year contract of significant size with Valmet (https://www.valmet.com/), a global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Through this newly established strategic partnership Valmet secures access to Capgemini's global IT and digital engineering and manufacturing expertise to support its IT transformation. Capgemini was selected as the preferred supplier due to its innovative approach, automation focus, strong global delivery capabilities and close partnerships with key technology vendors.

Capgemini's global Applications Management and Development (https://www.capgemini.com/service/technology-operations/admnext/) capabilities will contribute to reducing Valmet's IT costs and improving operational efficiency through increased industrialization and consolidation of IT services and platforms. Part of Valmet's internal IT services team will transfer to Capgemini to further engage in Valmet's IT transformation initiatives for both existing applications and new emerging technologies. Capgemini will manage and develop Valmet's extensive IT landscape (for example, enterprise resource planning (ERP), delivery, engineering and product lifecycle management (PLM) applications) and engage in implementing Valmet's IT transformation roadmap. These new initiatives support Valmet's Industrial Internet, PLM landscape and field service capabilities.

Janne Puustinen, Vice President, Information Technology, Valmet, commented, "Capgemini's innovativeandproven solutions best aligned with Valmet's digital transformation ambitions. Working together,Capgemini will help us move towards more strategic, value-add activities to contribute to Valmet's future success."

Mikko Valorinta, Managing Director of Capgemini in Finland, said, "We are very proud and excited to partner with Valmet, one of the most iconic industrial companies in Finland, in accelerating its IT and business transformation. This multi-year contract is about enabling Valmet's digitalization and one of our main ambitions here is to help Valmet speed up the time-to-market for their new IT enabled services and products. We are glad to be joining forces with the experienced colleagues from Valmet and look forward to working together."

About Capgemini

A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of 200,000 team members in over 40 countries. The Group reported 2017 global revenues of EUR 12.8 billion.

Visit us at www.capgemini.com (http://www.capgemini.com). People matter, results count.

Valmet awards Capgemini an IT transformation agreement (http://hugin.info/152779/R/2231666/877404.pdf)



This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Capgemini SE via Globenewswire

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, January 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Company sets sights on GCC's upcoming 5G mobile broadband market, having achieved new milestones while bolstering its R&D investments

OPPO, a global smartphone brand, has reaffirmed its commitment to the region's 5G ecosystem through substantial new investments and technology trials.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809762/OPPOxQualcomm.jpg )



The company recently announced it would raise its global R&D investments to around $1.43 billion in 2019, a 150% year-on-year increase. This will allow OPPO to further explore areas of 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart devices. OPPO Research Institute has been exploring 5G applications in the fields of 3D vision, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR).

In 2018, OPPO reaffirmed its image as a pioneer in smartphone technologies by completing one of the world's first 5G signaling and data connections on a smartphone and becoming the first company in the world to complete a 5G Internet access test on a smartphone. OPPO also partnered with Qualcomm Technologies in the '5G Pioneer Initiative' to explore ways of developing innovative 5G technologies and bringing the greatest 5G experience to users around the world. These technological breakthroughs have provided OPPO with a technological edge and have brought the company a step closer to releasing 5G handsets commercially in 2019.

Andy Shi, Managing Director of OPPO MEA commented, "As a company that focuses relentlessly on the development of breakthrough technologies like 5G, OPPO is very encouraged to see governments supporting 5G as part of their economic vision. We understand how crucial 5G will be to the ongoing digital transformation efforts in the GCC and are proud to invest heavily in R&D and drive 5G innovations that will yield great benefits in the region."

Gulf nations also have some of the highest smartphone penetration rates globally, and this in turn is creating an ever-increasing user demand for enhanced mobile broadband experiences. The UAE specifically leads in the adoption of new technologies and has begun to accelerate efforts to adopt the 5G technology.

"We believe that countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia will be at the forefront of 5G technology in the region. In line with this, OPPO will drive the advancement of 5G together with AI, Big data and Cloud Computing, making smartphones and smart devices true intelligent personal assistants," concluded Shi.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global smartphone brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of young, trend-setting and beauty, OPPO brings consumers delighted experience of digital life.

For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO started the era of Selfie beautification, and was the first brand to launch smartphones with 5MP and 16MP front cameras. OPPO was also the first brand to introduce the motorized rotating camera, the Ultra HD feature and the 5x Dual Camera Zoom technology. OPPO's Selfie Expert F series launched in 2016 drove a Selfie trend in the smartphone industry.

In 2015, OPPO entered the Egyptian market. In 2016, OPPO set up its first Middle East & Africa Centre in Cairo. The markets OPPO has entered in the region include: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kenya. In 2017, OPPO was ranked as the number 4 smartphone brand globally, according to IDC. Today, OPPO's business has covered 31 countries and regions, and has 6 research centers worldwide, providing excellent smartphone photography experience to more and more young people around the world.

With the help of OPPO MEA, OPPO has built a founder team with professional members since the early second half in 2018. Moreover, to meet core needs and further understand all the users in Saudi, OPPO KSA has also built a localized team. With the launch in January 2019 in Riyadh, OPPO KSA will try its best to satisfy every consumer in KSA with the hand of OPPO MEA.As far as the fans of Tamil cinema are concerned, MGR is a name that needs no introduction at all. A demi-god for his followers, the matinee idol-turned Tamil Nadu CM was held in high regard because of his simple nature charismatic screen presence, on-screen mannerisms and of course compassion towards the needy. In fact, it can even be said that the name is synonymous with Tamil culture itself. Today(January 17, 2019), on the occasion of MGR's 102 birth anniversary, several fans took to Twitter and remembered the mass hero.

"MGR" The Three Letter Magic Word Of Tamil People. Now fans fighting for a their favourite stars Just go & ask ur Parents about this Man Stardom. He s the Real King The Gold Hearted God's child. A Demigod of Tamil Cinema... Happy Birthday Vaathiar #MGR102 u always lives in our ," wrote a supporter

"He is one of the greatest and humble leader that tamil nadu ever witnessed,He is the demigod of tamil cinema,He is the real king ,Gold hearted God child A102 BirthdayDr.MARUDHUR GOPALA RAMACHANDIRAN," added another die-hard fan of MGR.

Here are some more tweets.

#Sridevi with #MGR #MGR102 #MGRbirthday baby #Sridevi was fortunate enough to act in two movies with the legend. Nam Naadu and En Annan. it's a great blessing she had, to act with legends from all the industries#SrideviLivesForever pic.twitter.com/tYQKPhBKdp  Micky (@mickyblessy) January 17, 2019

MGR was truly a unique and priceless gem. His contribution towards bringing cinema closer to the masses and making Tamil Nadu a stronger state will never be forgotten.KGF: Chapter 1 became an all time hit and broke several records. The action film that stars Yash in the lead, managed to impress the audience worldwide. Also, the actors who were until now the known faces of Sandalwood, have gained immense recognition and popularity across the nation. Following KGF's success, one of the most common question targeted at Yash was what movie he's planning on taking up next. 'The Highway Mafia' is one such title that has been making rounds.

'The Highway Mafia' is a book based on real life events, authored by Chennai based Suchitra Rao. The book talks about illegal trafficking of cows in India. The story is also based on three real life events. Huge number of copies of The Highway Mafia were sold upon its launch. Now, the author Suchitra is planning on making a movie based on it.

The film is said to be released in four languages and preparations for the same have already begun. According to the speculations, Vijay of Tamil, Sushanth Singh of Bollywood, Mahesh Babu from Telugu and Yash of Kannada will be roped in to act the film.

MOST READ : CONFIRMED! Kichha Sudeep To Act In Salman Khan's Dabangg 3; REVEALS Exclusive Details!

Yash, who recently spoke to media during the success meet of KGF: Chapter 1 had revealed that he is been getting offers from other film industries. However, he has not considered anything, as he's only concentrating on KGF's sequel. If the reports hold true, Yash will be next seen in The Highway Mafia, which a few are predicting would be a super hit.Rating: 2.0 /5

Bombairiya Movie Review : Radhika Apte| Siddhanth Kapoor| Pia Sukanya | FilmiBeat

In a scene from Bombairiya, Meghna (Radhika Apte) asks Abhishek (Akshay Oberoi) if he thinks of himself as Captain America who has set out to save the city. Well folks, you really need to be a superhero to keep up with the pace to gather your thoughts while watching what's being unravelled on the big screen after a point.

Bombairiya begins with a jigsaw-sort of a narrative where an old man hiding in a shanty is shot dead. We are then introduced to Meghna (Radhika Apte) whose cell phone gets stolen by a biker (Siddhanth Kapoor) when she tries to intervene in and stop him from picking up a fight with Abhishek (Akshay Oberoi) in the midst of a road.

Soon we learn that she's a PR agent of a hotshot film actor Karan Kapoor (Ravi Kishen) who is away sipping on a single malt on a swan-shaped paddle boat at Film City. Amidst this chaos, there's also a politician in custody (Adil Hussain) who is after a 'package'. The rest of the plot revolves around this comedy of errors which ultimately has a larger purpose in store in the climax.

Director Pia Sukanya tries to pack in many flavours in her story but alas, it falls short of being an enjoyable fare. The non-linear narrative adds more to the confusion with its hurried pace. As minutes pass by, the suspense weans out and the story-telling leaves you exhausted. You really wish that the characters come up with a logical conclusion towards the end in this dark comedy.

Speaking about the characters, Radhika Apte shines in few moments but they don't last. Perhaps, it's because monotomy seeps in after a while when it comes to her portrayal of Meghna. Akshay Oberoi barely makes it to the shore with his sugary act. Siddhant Kapoor as the delivery boy is passable. Adil Hussain tries to add some gravitas to the narrative but succeeds only in parts.

Shilpa Shukla puts up a decent job. On the other hand, Ravi Kishan is fun to watch but suffers from less screen time.

Aayushi Lahiri's editing could have been a little more tauter. Karthik Ganesh's cinematography captures the essence of Mumbai quite brilliantly. Bombairiya doesn't have much scope for music.

In a nutshell, Bombay may be your 'jaan' but Pia Sukanya's Bombairiya falters when it comes to giving this city its heartbeat in her story. I am going with 2.5 stars.Vicky & Yami's Josh Is Truly High Due To Uri's Success

Vicky and Yami's josh is definitely high due to the success of Uri. Both the actors have been praised for their performances. Vicky continues on his roll of dishing out amazing performances in every movie he opts. Yami was seen as an intelligence officer in the film, and she left everyone wishing she had had more screen time.

Director & Actor Are Reveling In The Success Of Uri

Director Aditya Dhar points to how high Vicky's josh is as they pose for shutterbugs at the success bash. Aditya has been praised for his directorial skill in Uri. In an interview with Telegraph India, Aditya said about the success of Uri, "It feels really nice. When we were making the film, we knew the reactions would be decent, but we hadn't anticipated a magnitude of this kind. It's been three days since the film released and the reactions have been overwhelming, to say the least."

Veteran Actor Shishir Sharma Joined In To Celebrate

Veteran actor Shishir Sharma joined in to celebrate the success of Uri. He played the role of General Arjun Singh Rajawat in the movie.

Radhika Apte Looks Like A Boss

Radhika Apte made it to Uri's success party looking like a boss lady in a pinstriped black pantsuit. Radhika's next release is Bombairiya which will hit theatres on January 18th. It is a black comedy film starring Siddhanth Kapoor, Akshay Oberoi, Adil Hussain and others, apart from Radhika.

Farah Khan At Uri Success Party

Director-choreographer Farah Khan arrived at the success bash. She wore a long black tunic. According to Pinkvilla's reports, Farah Khan will be launching former Miss World, Manushi Chillar, in her next movie.

Bollywood Newbie Radhika Madan

Pataakha actress Radhika Madan looked pretty in a casual avatar at Uri's success party, sporting a black turtleneck and high waisted denims. She made her Bollywood debut in Vishal Bharadwaj's Pataakha, sharing the screen space with Sanya Malhotra.Gov. Jim Justice, somewhat belatedly, has come around to admit that the states vaccination effort has hit a wall and that, at its current pace, we will not reach herd immunity anytime soon.2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.The government's new strategy to tackle air pollution in the UK looks at new regulations to be introduced for farmers to tackle ammonia emissions.

The Clean Air Strategy, announced on Monday (14 January), highlights ways for farmers to tackle ammonia emissions through new funding and the introduction of new regulations.

Agriculture is responsible for 88% of UK emissions of ammonia gas which can travel long distances, be damaging to the environment, and combine with other pollutants to form fine Particulate Matter pollution, which are harmful to human health.

The government said it will provide farmers with the support they need to make important changes to tackle emissions.

For example, funding will be provided through the Countryside Productivity Scheme to help farmers purchase manure management equipment, including low-emission spreaders. The scheme is due to run again in 2019.

Funding is also available through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme for slurry tank and lagoon covers for farmers in priority water catchments.

The government will also consult with the farming industry to introduce new requirements, despite criticism regarding over-regulation.

Specific emissions-reducing practices include:

 A requirement to take action to reduce emissions from urea-based fertilisers. The government will consult on this policy in 2019 with a view to introducing legislation in the short timeframe.

 A requirement for all solid manure and solid digestate spread to bare land (other than that managed in a no-till system) to be incorporated rapidly (within 12 hours) with legislation to be introduced quickly.

 A requirement to spread slurries and digestate using low-emission spreading equipment (trailing shoe or trailing hose or injection) by 2025. The government will also consider options for phasing in this requirement so that those spreading digestate or large volumes of slurry may be required to adopt the practice at an earlier date.

 A requirement for slurry and digestate stores to be covered by 2027. The government will consider options for phasing in this requirement so that those producing or storing digestate or large volumes of slurry may be required to adopt the practice at an earlier date.

 Mandatory design standards for new intensive poultry, pig and beef livestock housing and for dairy housing. The standards will be designed in collaboration with industry experts and will include design features to improve animal health and welfare and minimise environmental pollution to air (including greenhouse gas emissions), water and land as far as practicable

Before the release of the strategy, the NFU called on the government to consider alternatives to additional regulation looking to curb ammonia pollution.

Some within the industry call for more government action. Responding to the strategy, the Soil Association said new food and farming policies that specifically support the shift away from intensive livestock production methods are needed.

Liz Bowles, head of farming at the Soil Association said: There is a higher risk of ammonia emissions with intensive livestock production methods, since emission rates increase at higher stocking densities.

It is vital that the strategy sets out government actions to support and promote a wider shift towards more extensive farming systems, such as grass-based systems and organic, which have higher animal welfare standards and lower stocking-densities.

Air pollution is one of the biggest threats to public health in the UK - behind only cancer, obesity and heart disease.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), applauded the new strategy, and highlighted how air pollution kills 7 million people globally every year making it an urgent threat to global health.

More than 40 towns and cities in the UK are at, or exceeding, air pollution limits set by the WHO.The Farmers' Union of Wales has called on the government to take 'immediate action' and withdraw Article 50 in a bid to 'take back control' of Brexit.

Following an emergency meeting of the FUWs Chairmen and Presidential team on Wednesday (16 January), the union is calling on the UK government to withdraw Article 50.

FUW says the government must now 'take back control' of the process of exiting the European Union, and to stop a 'no deal' scenario.

It comes as the prospects of a 'no-deal' Brexit edges closer as MPs overwhelmingly voted to drop Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal earlier this week.

Mrs May is now left scrambling to strike a Brexit compromise that could secure the backing of parliament.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: I spent all day in the House of Commons yesterday and discussed the urgent need to safeguard the agricultural industry with MPs from across the political spectrum prior to the meaningful Brexit vote.

I made it very clear that we cant afford to crash out of the EU with no deal. The consequences would be devastating.

Given the result of this vote and the dangers of a no-deal scenario, our chairmen and Presidential team felt that the only way we can take back control of the Brexit process is to withdraw Article 50 and by doing so safeguard the future of the agricultural industry not just in Wales but across the UK.

Mr Roberts added: There seems to be growing support for a second referendum across the country, which appears to be reflected in our own sector and we will be discussing this further at our next Grand Council at the end of the month.

But given that time is running out, the FUW urges the UK Government to take immediate action, he said.The Scottish government has put forward a proposal for the 'targeted use' of Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) to achieve a balance in protecting both consumer and farmer interests in the event of a 'no deal'.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has written to Defra Secretary Michael Gove, telling him the need to deal 'sensibly and sensitively' with the setting of applied tariffs for imports to the UK, particularly in relation to agri-food products.

In the absence of a trade agreement between the UK and European Union, the same tariffs would apply to imports to the UK from the EU as from third countries.

For agri-food products, these tariffs could be considerable with 'potentially significant consequences' for both consumers and producers, Mr Ewing said.

As a result, he has put forward a proposal to Mr Gove for the 'targeted use' of Tariff Rate Quotas.

It comes as the prospects of a 'no-deal' Brexit edges closer as MPs overwhelmingly voted to drop Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal earlier this week.

In his letter, Mr Ewing said: In the absence of a trade agreement between the UK and European Union, it is well understood that imports to the UK from the EU would be liable for tariffs up to the levels set in the Schedule of Commitments which your Government has lodged with the World Trade Organisation.

Similarly, UK exports to the EU would be liable for the tariffs set out in the EUs Schedule of Commitments. For agri-food products, these tariffs can be considerable.

A range of respected commentators, including the Governor of the Bank of England, have highlighted the consequences of this for food prices in the UK, with Mark Carney identifying potential rises of 5-10%.

This would have a significant effect, particularly on the more vulnerable sections of our population who spend a larger proportion of their household income on food.

Mr Ewing added: I understand that your officials have been considering a wide spectrum of options to deal with this issue, although there has been little clarity to date on precisely which options are being considered.

To assist in this process, my officials have provided to yours a proposal for the targeted use of tariff rate quotas to achieve a balance in the protection of both consumer and producer interests, as well as maintaining negotiating capital. I understand that similar thoughts on the use of TRQs has also come forward from a number of stakeholders, he said.ELLSWORTH, Ohio  Western Reserve Rangers 4-H club members Emma Reph, Olivia Reph, William Reph, Isabel Schors and Alaina Courtwright were selected to serve on the 2019 Mahoning County Junior Fair Board.

They reported on the Ohio Junior Fair Conference they attended recently in Columbus.

Serving as 4-H junior camp counselors this summer will be Alaina Courtwright, Natalia Kresic, E. Reph, O. Reph and W. Reph. Natalia, Emma, Olivia and William will also be traveling to Columbus monthly to attend Ohio 4-H Teen Leader Council training and will also be assisting with judging events at the Ohio State Fair.

Club advisers introduced themselves and stated their project responsibilities.

Karen and Bob Day, Laura Jones and Robin Reph are serving on the Mahoning County Project Committee. Jones also advises youth with poultry projects and R. Reph leads the youth with rabbit projects.

Jan and Kathleen Moser are advisers on the Mahoning County Junior Fair Board. K. Moser is a Certified 4-H Master Clothing Educator and assists the members with clothing and fashion projects.

Mikki Salovich showed the 4-H flag her mom found when cleaning at her grandmothers home. This Ranger flag was from the 1970s when Western Reserve Rangers was a saddle horse 4-H club. Mikkis grandmother, Jean VanAuker Bright, was a member of the club then. The flag would hang in the barn where the horses were housed at the fair.

Members participated in a team-building activity during the meeting. The activity was led by Kresic with Schors and the Rephs assisting.

Teens and parents were encouraged to participate in the Ohio 4-H Teen and Volunteer Conference in Columbus in March.

New members are welcome to join Rangers 4-H club Feb. 14 when the club meets at the Ellsworth Fire Hall at 7 p.m. Youth must be 8 years old and in third grade through 18 to join a 4-H club.

Youth who are 5 and in kindergarten through second grade can join the Cloverbud group led by Amanda Butchko and Janet Majirsky by calling Butchko at 330-360-7165. Check the Facebook page (Western Reserve Rangers 4-H club) for more information about the club.The following companies are subsidiares of Amphenol: ARCAS Automotive Group (Luxco 1) S.a.r.l., AUXEL FTG, AUXEL FTG India Pvt Ltd., AUXEL FTG Shanghai Co., AUXEL S.A.S., Air LB International Development S.A., All Systems Broadband, Amphenol (Changzhou) Advanced Connector Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Connector Systems Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Maryland), Amphenol (Ningde) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Qujing) Technology Co., Amphenol (Tianjin) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Xiamen) High Speed Cable Co., Amphenol Adronics, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Germany GmbH, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Puerto Rico, Amphenol Air LB GmbH, Amphenol Air LB North America Inc., Amphenol Air LB SAS, Amphenol Alden Products Company, Amphenol Alden Products Mexico, Amphenol Antenna Solutions, Amphenol Assemble Tech (Xiamen) Co., Amphenol Australia Pty Ltd, Amphenol Automotive Connection Systems (Changzhou) Co., Amphenol Bar-Tec, Amphenol Benelux B.V., Amphenol Borisch Technologies, Amphenol CNT (Xian) Technology Co. Ltd., Amphenol Cables On Demand Corp., Amphenol Canada Acquisition Corporation, Amphenol Canada Corp., Amphenol Comercial, Amphenol Commercial Interconnect Korea Co., Amphenol Commercial Products (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Commercial and Industrial UK, Amphenol ConneXus AB, Amphenol ConneXus Ou, Amphenol Custom Cable, Amphenol DC Electronics, Amphenol Daeshin Electronics and Precision Co., Amphenol EEC, Amphenol East Asia Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Amphenol East Asia Limited, Amphenol FCI, Amphenol FCI Asia Pte. Ltd., Amphenol FCI Connectors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Fiber Optic Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Finland Oy, Amphenol France Acquisition SAS, Amphenol France SAS, Amphenol Germany GmbH, Amphenol Gesellschaft m.b.H., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Baicheng) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Yulin) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Holding UK, Amphenol Intercon Systems, Amphenol Interconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Interconnect Products Corporation, Amphenol Interconnect South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Amphenol International Ltd., Amphenol Invotec Limited, Amphenol Italia S.r.l., Amphenol JET (Haiyan) Interconnect Technology Co., Amphenol Japan Ltd., Amphenol Kai-Jack (Shenzhen) Inc., Amphenol LTW Technology Co., Amphenol Limited, Amphenol MCP Korea Limited, Amphenol Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol Middle East Enterprises FZE, Amphenol Nelson Dunn Technologies, Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 1 B.V., Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 2 B.V., Amphenol Omniconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Optimize Manufacturing Co., Amphenol Optimize Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol PCD, Amphenol PCD (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Phitek Limited, Amphenol Printed Circuits, Amphenol Provens SAS, Amphenol RF Asia Limited, Amphenol Sensing Korea Company Limited, Amphenol Shouh Min Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Socapex SAS, Amphenol Sunpool (Liaoning) Automotive Electronics Co., Amphenol T&M Antennas, Amphenol TCS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol TCS Ireland Limited, Amphenol TCS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol TFC Fios E Cabos do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol TFC MDE Participacoes Ltda., Amphenol TFC do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol Taiwan Corporation, Amphenol Technical Products International Co., Amphenol Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Technology (Zhuhai) Co., Amphenol Technology Macedonia Dooel Kocani, Amphenol Tecvox LLC, Amphenol Tel-Ad Ltd., Amphenol Thermometrics, Amphenol Thermometrics (UK) Limited, Amphenol Times Microwave Electronics (Shanghai) Limited, Amphenol Tuchel Electronics GmbH, Amphenol Tuchel Industrial GmbH, Amphenol Tunisia LLC, Amphenol USHoldco Inc., Amphenol-Borg Limited, Amphenol-Borg Pension Trustees Limited, Amphenol-TFC (Changzhou) Communication Equipment Co., Anytek Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Anytek International (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Anytek International Co. Ltd., Anytek Technology Corporation Ltd, Asia Connector Services, Berg UK Ltd., Blueline Product Limited, C&S Antennas, C&S Antennas Limited, CSA Limited, Casco Automotive (Suzhou) Co., Casco Automotive Group, Casco Automotive Singapore Pte., Casco Automotive Tunisia S.a.r.l., Casco Holdings Co. Limited, Casco Holdings GmbH, Casco Imos Italia S.r.l., Casco Logistics GmbH, Casco Products Corporation, Casco Schoeller GmbH, Casco do Brasil Ltda., Cemm Thome Corporation, Cemm Thome SK, Cemm-Mex, Changzhou Amphenol Fuyang Communication Equipment Co., ContactServe (Proprietary) Limited, East Asia Connector Services, Edwin Deutgen Kunstofftechnik GmbH, Ehrlich Werkzeug & Geratebau GmbH, FCI Besancon SA, FCI Connectors (Shanghai) Ltd., FCI Connectors Canada, FCI Connectors Dongguan Ltd, FCI Connectors Hong Kong Limited, FCI Connectors Italia S.r.l., FCI Connectors Korea Ltd., FCI Connectors Malaysia Sdn Bhd, FCI Connectors Sweden A.B., FCI Connectors UK Ltd., FCI Deutschland GmbH, FCI Electronics Hungary Kft, FCI GBS India Private Limited, FCI Japan K.K., FCI Nantong Ltd, FCI OEN Connectors Limited, FCI PRC Limited, FCI Taiwan Limited, FCI USA LLC, FCIs-Hertogenbosch B.V., FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna GmbH & Co. KG, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna Verwaltungs GmbH, Fiber Systems International, Filec Production SAS, Filec SAS, Friedrich Gohringer Elektrotechnik GmbH, GE - Advanced Sensors Business, Guangzhou Amphenol Electronics Co., Guangzhou Amphenol Sincere Flex Circuits Co., Guangzhou FEP Automotive Electric Co., Hangzhou Amphenol JET Interconnect Technology Co., Hangzhou Amphenol Phoenix Telecom Parts Co., Holland Electronics, Intelligente Sensorsysteme Dresden GmbH, Invotec Circuits Holdings Limited, Invotec Circuits Limited, Invotec Group Limited, Invotec Holdings Limited, Ionix Aerospace Limited, Ionix Holdings Limited, Ionix Systems Limited, Ionix Systems Ou, Jaybeam Limited, Jaybeam Wireless SAS, KE Elektronik GmbH, KE Ostrov  Elektrik, KE Presov Elektrik, Konnektech, Kunshan Amphenol Zhengri Electronics Co., LPL Technologies Holding GmbH, LTW Technology (Samoa) Co., LTW Top Tech (Samoa) Co., Lectric SARL, Martec Limited, Mocorp Holding A/S, Nantong Docharm Amphenol Electronics Co., PROCOM, PT Casco SEA, PerLoga Personal und Logistik GmbH, Piezotech, Piher Sensors & Controls S.A., Piher Sensors And Controls, Precision Cable Manufacturing Corp. de Mexico, Procom A/S, Procom Antennas AB, Procom France SARL, Pyle-National Ltd., RSI International Limited, S.C.I. Palin, SEFEE SA, SGX Europe SP. z.o.o., SGX Sensortech (IS) Limited, SGX Sensortech China Holdco Limited, SGX Sensortech China Limited, SGX Sensortech GmbH, SGX Sensortech SA, SSI Control Technologies, STEMFI SA, SV Microwave, Shanghai Amphenol Airwave Communication Electronics Co., Shanghai Amphenol Electronics Technology Co., Shanghai Tecvox Trading Co., Shenyang Amphenol Sunpool Automotive Electronics Co., Sine Systems Corporation, Skymasts Antennas Ltd., Societe dEtudes et de Fabrications Electroniques et Electriques, Spectra Strip Limited, TCS Japan K.K., TFC South America S.A., Tecvox Europe S.r.l., Telect, Telect Mfg., Telect de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Teradyne Connection Systems, Thermometrics Mexico, Tianjin Amphenol KAE Co., Times Fiber Canada Limited, Times Fiber Communications, Times Microwave Systems, Times Wire and Cable Company, U-Jin Cable Industrial Co., Zhongshan Feisaide Electromechanical Co., and i2s-sensors.The following companies are subsidiares of Archer-Daniels-Midland: ADM (Shanghai) Management Co. LTD, ADM (Thailand) Ltd, ADM Ag Holdings Ltd, ADM Agri-Industries Company, ADM Agriculture Limited, ADM Agro Iberica S. L. U., ADM Agro Indust Latur and Vizag Pvt Ltd, ADM Agro Industries India Private Limited, ADM Agro Industries KOTA and AKOLA Pvt. Ltd., ADM Agro SRL, ADM Agroinvestimentos LTDA, ADM Alliance Nutrition of Puerto Rico LLC, ADM Americas S de RL, ADM Andina Peru SRL, ADM Antwerp NV, ADM Arkady Ireland Limited, ADM Asia-Pacific Trading Pte. Ltd., ADM Australia Holdings I PTY Limited, ADM Bio Science And Technology (Tianjin) Co Ltd, ADM Bioproductos SA DE CV, ADM CZERNIN SA, ADM Caribbean Inc, ADM Chile Comercial LTDA, ADM Clinton Bioprocessing Inc, ADM DO Brasil LTDA, ADM Direct Polska SP. ZO.O, ADM Dominican Holdings Inc., ADM Dominicana SA, ADM Edible Bean Specialties Inc, ADM Europe HoldCo SL, ADM European Holdings LLC, ADM European Management Holding GMBH, ADM Export Co, ADM Food Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ADM France, ADM Germany GmbH, ADM Grain River System Inc., ADM Hamburg Aktiengesesllschaft, ADM Holding (Thailand) LTD, ADM Holdings LLC, ADM Hungary Agro Trading LLC, ADM Industries Centers Ltd, ADM International Holdings Inc, ADM International SARL, ADM Interoceanic LTD, ADM Investments LTD, ADM Investor Services Inc, ADM Investor Services International LTD, ADM Ireland Receivables Company Limited, ADM Israel, ADM Japan Ltd, ADM MALBORK SA, ADM Mainz GMBH, ADM Medsofts Sarl, ADM Mexico Inc, ADM Mexico SA DE CV, ADM Milling Co, ADM Milling LTD, ADM New Zealand Limited, ADM Olomouc S.R.O., ADM Paraguay SRL, ADM Protexin Limited, ADM Pura Limited, ADM Receivables LLC, ADM Rice Inc, ADM Ringaskiddy Unlimited Company, ADM Romania Logistics SRL, ADM Romania Trading SRL, ADM Specialty Ingredients - Europe BV, ADM Spyck GMBH, ADM Szamotuly SP Z O.O, ADM Trading Australia Pty. Ltd., ADM Trading Co, ADM Transportation Company, ADM Trucking Inc, ADM Vietnam CO. LTD, ADM WILD Europe GmbH and Co. KG, ADM WILD Ingredients GmbH, ADM WILD Nauen GmbH, ADM WILD Valencia S.A., ADM Wild Netherlands BV, ADM Worldwide Holdings LP, ADMIS Holding Co Inc., ADMIS Hong Kong LTD, ADMIS Singapore Pte Limited, AOR, AT Holdings II Company, Agri Port Services Investments Ltd., Agri Port Services LLC, Agricolas Madagascar SARLU, Agrinational Insurance Co, Agriserve, Agrograin LTD, Alfrebro LLC, Alfred C Toepfer International Netherlands BV, Alimenta USA, American River Transportation Company LLC, Ameriseed, Amylum Bulgaria EAD, Amylum Nisasta Sanayi Ve Ticarek Anonim Sirketi, Archer Daniels Midland (UK) Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Asia Pacific Ltd., Archer Daniels Midland Erith LTD, Archer Daniels Midland Europe BV, Archer Daniels Midland Europoort BV, Archer Daniels Midland Nederland BV, Archer Daniels Midland Singapore PTE LTD, Arinos Unlimited, Aston Foods & Food Ingredients, Balanceados Nova SA Balnova, Barbados Mills Limited, Bela Vista Bio Etanol Participacoes LTDA, Bern Aqua, BioPolis SL, Biopolis, Campa Sued GmbH & Co KG, Cattleman's Choice Loomix LLC, Chamtor, Ci ADM Colombia Ltda., Controladora ADM Sa De Cv, Crosswind Petfoods Inc., Daavision BV, Eaststarch, Eatem Corporation, Eatem Foods, Elstar Oils, English River Pellets Inc., Epicore Bionetworks INC, Epicore Networks (USA) INC, Erich Ziegler GmbH, Evialis France, Fasco Mills Co., Filozoo SRL, Florida Chemical, Florida Chemical Company LLC, GP Blanching Inc., Global Cocoa Holdings LTD, Golden Peanut Company LLC, Golden Peanut and Tree Nut Seed SA (PTY) LTD, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts SA, Group Lysac, Guyomarc'h - VCN Company Limited, Guyomarc'h Vietnam CO LTD, HFR Shipping Company Ltd, HRA Shipping Company Ltd, HTI Shipping Company Ltd, Harvest Innovations, Hilltop Grain and Feed, Holding P and A Asia Company Limited, Hubei Meiweiyuan Biotechnology, Ilitchevskiy Maslo Extractionniy Zavod (IMEZ), Invivo NSA Asia PTE LTD, Invivo NSA Philippines Inc, Jamaica Flour Mills Limited, Julius Meijer-Alpharma BV, LLC ADM Ukraine, Liquid Feed Commodities, Malta Industries SA de CV, Malta-Texo De Mexico SA de CV, Master Mix of Trinidad LTD, Medsofts Investment Co, Medsofts L.L.C., Medsofts Trading Co, Mepla Comercio e Navegacao Ltda, NRG Inc, Naviera Chaco SRL, Neovia, Neovia Latina SL, Neovia Nutricao E Saude Animal LTDA, North Star Shipping S.R.L., P and A Marketing SA, PJSC ADM Illichivsk, PT Wirifa Sakti, Pancosma (Shanghai) Feed Additives CO LTD, Pancosma France SAS, Pancosma SA, Premiere Agri Technologies of Mexico Inc, Pura Foods LTD, Rodelle Inc., Schokinag-Schokolade-Industrie Herrmann, Sermix, Setna Nutricion SA, Societe Industrielle Des Oleagineux, Southern Cellulose Products Inc, Soy Investors LLC, Specialty Commodities, Specialty Commodities LLC, Sul Mineira Alimentos LTDA, SzSzV Kft, Toepfer International, Toepfer International Trading (Shanghai) Co. LTD., Vantage Corn Processors LLC, WILD Amazon Flavors Ltda, WILD Flavors, Wild Flavors Inc., Wild Flavors International GmbH, Wild Flavors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Wild Intermare GmbH, Wild Russia LLC, and Wisium SA (PTY) LTD.Nomura Holdings, Inc. provides various financial services to individuals, corporations, financial institutions, governments, and governmental agencies worldwide. It operates through three segments: Retail, Asset Management, and Wholesale. The Retail segment offers various financial products and investment services for individuals and corporations. As of March 31, 2020, this segment operated a network of 128 branches. The Asset Management segment engages in the development and management of investment trusts; and provision of investment advisory services for pension funds and other institutional clients. The Wholesale segment is involved in the research, sale, trading, agency execution, and market-making of fixed income and equity-related products. It also engages in underwriting various securities and other financial instruments, such as various classes of shares, convertible and exchangeable securities, investment grade and high yield debts, sovereign and emerging market debts, structured securities, and other securities; arranging private placements, as well as other capital raising activities; and the provision of financial advisory services on business transactions comprising mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, capital structuring, corporate defense activities, leveraged buyouts, and risk solutions. In addition, this segment offers various financial instruments. The company was formerly known as The Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Nomura Holdings, Inc. in October 2001. Nomura Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Read MoreFive Reasons Why Mexico is a Fantastic Place to Live

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - As a vacation destination, Mexico very frequently tops 'best of' lists, like the 'Best Places to Honeymoon' or the 'Top 10 Beaches in the World,' etc. However, what many may not realize is that Mexico is much more than just the perfect place to vacation; it's also a marvelous place to live.

Every year more and more North Americans are choosing to buy homes and live in Mexico. The experts at MEXLend Mortgages examine a few motivating factors.

The Food: Mexican food happens to be one of the most popular foods in the world. Not only can some of the freshest and most delicious produce be found here in abundance, but there is little match for Mexico's bold flavors and mouth-watering recipes.

The People: Traditional values exalt the importance of family and community, which results in warm and caring people known for their generosity and hospitality.

The Landscapes: Mexico is home to countless different landscapes. You can find everything from deserts, jungles, cenotes, beaches or extraordinary mountain ranges; to huge metropolitan cities like Mexico City, which is ranked among one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Culture: This country is home to many different traditions, cultures and celebrations. First off, almost any reason is a good time to celebrate. People love gathering to eat, drink and be merry for any reason at all! Plus, it is also teeming with fascinating history and relics from the past around every corner. There is always something new to discover about the history and the people of Mexico.

Business: Mexico's economy is the 15th largest in the world. The country has undertaken vast economic and structural reform in recent years, and with the recent signing of the USMCA (previously known as NAFTA) economists are confident Mexico will continue to boom. It is also home to spectacular universities which rank amongst the top schools in Latin America.

Living in Mexico can be a dream come true for anyone who wants to give it a shot, and we're here to help. MEXLend is the most experienced residential mortgage broker in Mexico. We accompany you through the process of buying or selling a home, including securing home loans, Escrow services, and insurance, anywhere in Mexico.The following companies are subsidiares of Laboratory Co. of America: 1957285 Ontario Inc. dba Quality Underwriting Services, 2089729 Ontario Inc., 2248848 Ontario Inc., 3065619 Nova Scotia Company, 3257959 Nova Scotia Company, 896988 Ontario Limited, 9279-3280 Quebec Inc., Accupath Diagnostic Laboratories Inc., Alpha Medical Laboratory LLC, Assets of Pathology Inc, Beacon LBS IPA Inc., Beacon Laboratory Benefit Solutions Inc., CannAmm GP Inc., CannAmm Limited Partnership, Center for Disease Detection International, Center for Disease Detection LLC, Centrex Clinical Laboratories Inc., Clearstone Central Laboratories (U.S.) Inc., Clearstone Holdings (International) Ltd., Clipper Holdings Inc., Colorado Coagulation Consultants Inc., Colorado Laboratory Services LLC, Correlagen Diagnostics Inc., Covance Inc., Curalab Inc., Cytometry Associates Inc., Czura Thornton (Hong Kong) Limited, DCL Acquisition Inc., DCL Medical Laboratories LLC (DE), DCL Medical Laboratories LLC (FL), DCL Sub LLC, DIANON Systems Inc., DL Holdings Limited Partnership, Decision Diagnostics L.L.C. (aka DaVinici/Medicorp LLC), Diagnostic Services Inc., DynaLifeDX, Dynacare - Gamma Laboratory Partnership, Dynacare Company, Dynacare G.P. Inc., Dynacare Holdco LLC, Dynacare Laboratories Inc., Dynacare Laboratories Limited Partnership, Dynacare Northwest Inc., Dynacare Realty Inc., DynalifeDX Infrastructure Inc., Endocrine Sciences Inc., Esoterix Genetic Counseling LLC, Esoterix Genetic Laboratories LLC, Esoterix Inc., Execmed Health Services Inc., FirstSource Laboratory Solutions Inc., GDML Medical Laboratories Inc, Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratories GP Inc., Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratory Limited Partnership, HHLA Lab-In-An-Envelope LLC, Health Trans Services Inc., Home Healthcare Laboratory of America LLC, IDX Pathology Inc., Impact Genetics Corp, Impact Genetics Inc., Kaleida LabCorp LLC, Lab Delivery Service of New York City Inc., LabCorp BVBA, LabCorp Belgium Holdings Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Canada) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (China) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Singapore) Pte., LabCorp Development Company, LabCorp Employer Services Inc., LabCorp Health System Diagnostics LLC, LabCorp Indiana Inc., LabCorp Japan G.K., LabCorp Limited, LabCorp Michigan Inc., LabCorp Nebraska Inc., LabCorp Neon Ltd., LabCorp Neon Switzerland S.a.r.l., LabCorp Specialty Testing Billing Service Inc., LabCorp Specialty Testing Group Inc., LabCorp Staffing Solutions Inc., LabCorp Tennessee LLC, LabCorp UK Holdings Ltd., LabWest Inc., Laboratoire Bio-Medic Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America, Lifecodes Corporation, LipoScience Inc., Litholink Corporation, MEDTOX Scientific Inc., Medical Neurogenitics LLC, Medtox Diagnostics Inc., Medtox Laboratories Inc., Monogram Biosciences Inc., Monogram Biosciences UK Limited, NWT Inc., National Genetics Institute, New Brighton Business Center LLC, New Imaging Diagnostics LLC, New Molecular Diagnostics Ventures LLC, Orchid Cellmark Ltd., Orchid Cellmark ULC, PA Labs Inc., Path Lab Incorporated, Pathology Associates Medical Lab LLC, Pee Dee Pathology Associates Inc., Persys Technology Inc., Pixel by LabCorp, Princeton Diagnostic Laboratories of America Inc., Protedyne Corporation, ReliaGene Technologies Inc., SW/DL LLC, Saint Josephs-PAML LLC, Sequenom Biosciences (India) Pvt. Ltd., Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine LLC, Sequenom Inc, Sequenom Inc., Southern Idaho Regional Laboratory, Tandem Labs Inc., The LabCorp Charitable Foundation, Tri-Cities Laboratory LLC, Viro-Med Laboratories Inc., and Yakima Medical Arts Inc..Sunday's Total Lunar Eclipse a 'Super Blood Wolf Moon'

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - This weekend the sky will be putting on a howlingly good show: 'a super blood wolf moon.' The cosmic event is the convergence of a few stellar lunar events - an eclipse coinciding with a supermoon turning an eerie blood red.

Why is it called a Super Blood Wolf Moon? Let's break it down:

Super Moon: The moon Sunday night will be the first in a series of three full supermoons in 2019, which is when a full or new moon is at or near its closest approach to earth in its orbit, or perigee, according to EarthSky. The second one takes place Feb. 19 and the third on March 21. Supermoons are around about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal. That is why they appear slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon, according to NASA.





It's called a "blood moon" because, from Earth, the moon appears blood red as it passes into Earth's shadow. It's not an astronomy term but has become a popular term because it's so dramatic, according to AccuWeather and the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Wolf Moon: Every month has special names to describe the full moon. The most widely used name for January's moon is the "wolf moon." The full moon in January has other names as well, but Native Americans and medieval Europeans gave it the wolf moniker "after the howling of hungry wolves lamenting the midwinter paucity of food," according to National Geographic.

Here's everything you need to know about the phenomenon:

On Sunday, January 20 the moon will be big and bright throughout the night and into Monday morning, but the true show - the total lunar eclipse - is expected to last about three and a half hours from the start of the partial eclipse to finish and will be visible throughout North America, EarthSky says.

Here in Puerto Vallarta, the total eclipse will begin at 10:41 pm and end at 11:43 pm. The partial eclipse will begin about 90 minutes before the total eclipse begins, according to AccuWeather. To see how the eclipse will play out here in the greater Banderas Bay area, CHECK OUT this site.

Unlike a solar eclipse, it's completely safe to watch a lunar eclipse with the naked eye. Total lunar eclipses are one of the best astronomical events to view without equipment, so it should be easy to catch. All you need to do is go outside and look up. You can also watch the partial eclipse before and after totality.

This will be the last total lunar eclipse of the decade. If you're more of a super moon enthusiast, though, you're in luck. Next month's moon will be even closer and brighter, according to EarthSky.FAIRFIELD  Gabriel Rosario, a 33-year-old man from Hazleton, Pa., was charged with identity theft after allegedly scamming a local resident.

On Jan. 13, a Fairfield resident reported they had been a victim of identity theft when they provided an individual impersonating a Verizon Wireless representative with account and personal information over the phone.

Legitimate Verizon representatives informed the victim that two iPhones had been fraudulently purchased through the victims account and scheduled to be shipped to the victims address, police said.

On Jan. 15, police observed Rosario attempt to take the two iPhone packages that had been delivered by FedEx. Each package contained an iPhone 10XS, each valued at $1,199. Rosario was taken into custody and charged with identity theft, illegal use of payment card, larceny and criminal trespassing. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 23.

Fairfield police reminded residents to be wary of online and phone scammers.

We strongly suggest that anytime anyone gets an unknown text or phone call, they confirm with the service provider before purchasing any order, Capt. Robert Kalamaras said. Were lucky that detectives were able to track down the suspect and put him in custody.

humberto.juarez@hearstmediact.comBRIDGEPORT  Maybe they should flip a coin.

State Sen. Marilyn Moore and state Rep. Charlie Stallworth are in talks to decide which one would be the better candidate to challenge Mayor Joe Ganim in this years municipal election.

Were just trying to work it out, Moore said Thursday.

This was the week Moore, 70, and Stallworth, 54, were supposed to decide whether they would take on Ganim, who has already raised over $170,000 toward another four-year term.

Stallworth, who played a key role in returning Ganim to City Hall in 2015  he was first mayor in the 1990s  told Hearst Connecticut Media in late December that he was considering running himself and would decide by mid-January.

Moore told Hearst last week that she was leaning toward a mayoral bid and would have a formal announcement this week.

Instead, they are in private talks to avoid dividing voters to Ganims benefit.

Were in conversations, trying to put all of our thoughts and ideas together to see who would make a better candidate to move the city forward, Stallworth said. Lets pull the communities together.

If were going to move forward, it doesnt help for us to divide ... so someone else can step in, Moore said. Thats not doing the best for the people of Bridgeport. So we want to be very thoughtful in our approach.

Were either elected, Moore or Stallworth would become Bridgeports first black chief executive.

Moore has for a few years been considered a mayoral contender. She has cultivated a reputation for operating independent of the Democratic Town Committee, run by close Ganim friend Mario Testa, and has not been afraid to criticize the mayor.

In contrast, Stallworth, pastor of East End Baptist Church, played a huge role in 2015 in helping convince voters to re-elect Ganim. And while his relationship with Ganim publicly fell apart over the last three years, Stallworth had until December mostly remained mum about the mayors job performance.

The dream that existed (in 2015) in conversation with him is not the dream that was fulfilled in the actual unfolding of the administration, Stallworth told Hearst in December.

Still, for the last few weeks some political insiders have speculated that Stallworth is part of a conspiracy to weaken Moores chances against the incumbent by entering the race.

The very thought of that is obnoxious to me, Stallworth said, promising that if he does not run, he will never cut a deal with the incumbent and endorse Ganim for another four-year term.

Moore said she believes Stallworth.

He might have another agenda (for considering a mayoral bid) but I dont think he would sit down and try and work things out because thats not what (Ganim and his allies) would want, Moore said.The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelet donors after a shortfall in donations during the holidays.

The Red Cross collected 27,000 fewer blood and platelet donations the weeks of Christmas and New Years than needed to sustain a sufficient blood supply.

Local residents can donate blood at the following drives that are scheduled in Greenwich:

*Jan. 18: 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 4 Riverside Ave., Riverside

*Jan. 27: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 1 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich

*Jan. 28: 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the YMCA of Greenwich, 50 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich

*Jan. 29: 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Blue Sky Studios, One American Lane, Greenwich

*Jan. 30: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Greenwich Hospital, 5 Perryridge Road, Greenwich

*Jan. 30: 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Greenwich Country Day School, Old Church Road, Greenwich

*Feb. 4: 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Temple Sholom, 300 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich

*Feb. 13: 11:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road, Greenwich

The Red Cross reports that it has less than a three-day supply of most blood types on hand, below the goal of a five-day supply needed to respond to emergencies and daily hospital needs.

All eligible donors, especially platelet donors and blood donors with type O blood, are urged to make an appointment to give in to help restock the shelves for hospital patients.

Eligible donors can schedule an appointment by using the free Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).Metro-North bar cars may remain a thing of dreams for some time, but head off to California and make some friends, and you may gain entrance to the holiest of holies.

The Patron Tequila Express.

Yes, it exists, and Twitter user @RailFanCA recently caught a glipse as it sped by, pulled behind Amtraks California Zephyr between between Auburn and Colfax, Calif.

Its current distance from Connecticut is not the only piece of bad news. The Patron Tequila Express is private, owned by John Paul DeJoria, founder of Patron Spirits Company.

Among the more common notable guests is actor Dan Aykroyd, a fried of DeJorias.

The car itself is a throwback. Originally Gulf Mobile & Ohio Railroad Car #50, the car is a restored 1927 vintage rail car, one of only 2,000 to be made.

Before bought by DeJoria, the car hauled passengers like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Huey P. Long and Clark Gable, among others.

Meanwhile, back in on the New Haven line, Grand Centrals 18 popular bar carts were shut down in 2017 after a Metro-North spot audit found irregularities and the railroad opened a theft investigation.

The last bar cars were seen in Connecticut in 2014, and plan to start serve alchohol on the trains again was stalled when the transit funding purse got tighter. Ten new train cars were supposed to be designated cafe cars, but it was not to be.

[It] was looking more and more expensive, DOT spokesman Judd Everhart told the Hartford Courant and it was ultimately decided to just suspend the program.A gent comes in every evening to enjoy a plate of pasta for dinner. A couple visits twice a week, once for the weeks special of Il Giro dItalia (A Tour of Italy) and once for a dish selected from overhead chalkboards. And the owner of Packages Plus n More has ordered just about every dish on the menu of his next-door neighbor in the Mill Pond Shopping Center of Cos Cob.

Hes addicted, muses Federico Perandin, referring to Packages Don Migliardi.

Perandin is the owner of Il Pastaficio, which he opened last September. Within days of launching, it was the talk of the neighborhood. For one thing, this Greenwich neighborhood boasts a population with a strong Italian heritage, so it welcomed the shop with open arms and fork at the ready. Second, its a bright light in a mall that badly needed some animation and Italians can provide that with gusto.

A dine-in retail shop, its small by restaurant standards, with seating for only 12 guests. Two small tables for two diners each are opposite the glass case showcasing 12 to 14 different pastas on any given day. One table up front is meant for a communal experience, with eight chairs surrounding an oversized square table. Perandin is all for strangers forging new friendships over a bowl of gnocchi under a simple, perfumed Neapolitan tomato sauce (San Marzano tomatoes, some shallots, a bit of basil, a shower of parmesan cheese). Its like being on Capri watching the fishermen on the Bay of Naples.

The space is starkly contemporary with lots of white on walls, floor, chairs and shelves. A polished oak service counter is topped with marble, and three-dimensional art works by hosiery fashion giant Emilio Cavallini adorn one wall.

Everything in Il Pastaficio is made in Italy, Perandin says proudly as he casts his eye from the large window up front to the glimmering stainless pots in the open kitchen in back.

At the age of 14, Perandin knew that he wanted to walk through the fabled gustatory corridors of his homeland, but after five years in culinary school, life intervened and for most of his working life Perandin became part of the advertising world of his father and brother. For 12 years, he ran his own advertising firm with clients such as the prominent Italian publishing houses of Cairo and RCS. But the lure of the table tugged at his heart  and stomach  and he was back in the world of rigatoni, fusilli and tagliatelle.

Two years ago, he went to a culinary school near Genoa to study pasta-making. He traveled the length of Italy visiting flour mills, pasta makers and pasta shops. It took a year of research before he was ready to open his own place not far from his home in Cos Cob.

At the far end of the shop, a wall of glass that ends abruptly just above a serving counter gives a view of the macchine per pasta alternately operated by Perandin and Italian-trained cook Roberta. Surprisingly, strains of music from a radio near the ravioli machine do not filter into the public space, nor does any aroma from the vast pans of sauces simmering away on the stove top. I missed that home-made tomato sauce smell, but Perandin is insistent that what goes on in the kitchen stays in the kitchen. In the public space, simple open shelving display cookbooks and bottles of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and olives. But youre not here, really, to pick up a grocery item. Youve come for pasta.

Like everything else in Il Pastaficio, the flour for the pastaand this is critical, says Perandin comes from Italy, mostly from Sicily. Durum, semolina, double-zero flours, all organic, make for lighter pastas. There are gluten-and chemical-free legume flours of chickpeas, beans, lentils or peas. Some doughs are made with what he calls antique grains much favored by cooks in central and southern Italy. Since these ancient tumminia, biancolilla and perciasacchi grains hover in the low-glycemic index, pastas made from them are easy to digest.

They dont hurt your stomach, Perandin explains. They are less fattening because they are made without eggs or butter, says Perandin as he bounces his curly-haired 3-year-old son on his knees. His wife, Anissa, is close by to help out whenever Perandins heavily Italian-inflected English sometimes gets in the way of making sense to us single-language people. She is his muse, he is the cook in the family.

I really love the flavor of the antique grains, continues Perandin. Years in the business arena dealing with clients is very evident. That said, he breaks away for a moment during an interview to greet friends seated at the big table, kissing one woman on each cheek. He returns and picks up the thread of the conversation.

Antique grains have a completely different taste, he says, and when pressed, he ranks his favorites: senatore cappelli, perciasacchi, maiorca and pane nero.

Who knew there was so much to learn. So youll do a Class 101 tasting at home. And when there, youll point to one of the pastas in the showcase ($8 a pound for rigatoni, $35 a pound for lobster ravioli) and pick up a ready-made sauce  pomodoro, bolognese, pesto or noci (tomato, meat, basil, or walnuts) to stir into your pasta. Or maybe spring for some ready-to-heat-up lasagna at home.

But you definitely wont leave wi thout a container of tiramisu, that decadent temptress of mascarpone, cream and cacao. Says Miglardi of Packages Plus. Its, its

Addictive?

Rosemarie T. Anner is a frequent contributor to Sunday Arts & Style.

Split Airport was the former Yugoslavia's fastest growing in 2018, adding an extra 305.891 passengers compared to the year before. Its General Manager, Luksa Novak, has said the airport has never been closer to catching up to the country's busiest in Zagreb as it welcomed a record 3.124.067 travellers in 2018, an increase of 10.9% year-on-year. It was the busiest in the former Yugoslavia in July, and ahead of Zagreb for half a year, reducing the difference between the two to 212.243 passengers. Jointly, Croatia's three busiest airport's - Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik - handled a record 8.999.789 passengers in 2018, or an additional 766.501 travellers on the year before. Split Airport was the former Yugoslavia's fastest growing in 2018, adding an extra 305.891 passengers compared to the year before. Its General Manager, Luksa Novak, has said the airport has never been closer to catching up to the country's busiest in Zagreb as it welcomed a record 3.124.067 travellers in 2018, an increase of 10.9% year-on-year. It was the busiest in the former Yugoslavia in July, and ahead of Zagreb for half a year, reducing the difference between the two to 212.243 passengers. Jointly, Croatia's three busiest airport's - Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik - handled a record 8.999.789 passengers in 2018, or an additional 766.501 travellers on the year before.



Split Airport passenger numbers 2018

Month PAX Change (%) JAN 33.699  10.8 FEB 30.629  28.0 MAR 53.165  57.2 APR 124.352  0.9 MAY 304.135  18.1 JUN 474.646  17.6 JUL 695.506  5.9 AUG 627.846  5.7 SEP 455.595  8.2 OCT 225.170  13.6 NOV 54.856  38.7 DEC 44.072  21.9



Mr Novak previously conceded that Split Airport's extreme seasonality may prevent it from overtaking Croatia's main hub, but added that it was not an impossible task. "Almost half of our annual traffic is achieved during July and August. During the four summer months we have the most passenger traffic in the country. We are extremely seasonal in character but when looking at it on a annual level we are in second place and have never been closer to Zagreb", the General Manager said. He added, "In the aviation sector, 5% - 7% passenger growth on an annual basis is the norm. If you are lucky enough, you can double your numbers in about fifteen years. We have managed to achieve that in just six years, and that is a truly amazing feat". In addition, Split Airport remains Croatia's most profitable. "The substantial passenger growth and the control of our expenditures has resulted in this level of profitability. We have not altered our fees over the past ten years as we do not want to jeopardise our growth with our pricing. I think this has proved worthwhile", Mr Novak said.



Split Airport's new terminal under construction









Work on Split Airport's much needed new terminal building, which will ease congestion, is nearing completion. The 59.7 million euro project includes a new car park, bus terminal and baggage handling system. It will feature thirty check-in desks, six gates, five carousels, restaurants, an observation deck and a business class lounge. Passengers are expected to start using the new facility from July. "We plan to make the move from the old to the new terminal during the winter because a lot of complex equipment needs to be tested, which is better done during the slower months", the airport's Assistant Director, Pero Bilas, said previously. General Manager Novak explained, "This is a complex investment taking place over an area of almost 80.000 square metres, with the terminal taking up 35.000 square metres. Upon completion, the entire terminal complex will spread over 48.000 square metres, which is comparable to our counterparts in Zagreb and Dubrovnik".

As contraction of Split's new terminal nears completion, the airport is turning its attention to easing seasonality. "We need attractions which are not only of interest to locals, but must be competitive with European metropolises because we need to measure up to them. This is not easy or cheap and it requires time, energy and vision. There are some good developments but we have to work on creating an appealing offer for tourists to come outside of the peak season and then we will have more aircraft arriving in the winter", the General Manager said. He added, "Carriers say they don't want to fly to a destination where they register fantastic results between April and October, which then have to cover losses generated over the winter. They want certainty and that is why there are so many airlines in Split in summer and few in winter". However, Mr Novak noted that the peak travel season has been extended at the airport and now lasts longer than before. A number of new carriers will introduce flights to Croatia's second largest city this year, including Air France, British Airways, Luxair, Ryanair and Laudamotion.



I have a daughter with two young sons and a nephew with a 1-year-old who have both been furloughed because of the government shutdown.

Chip Roy is a newly elected representative in the House. I am extremely disappointed he was among only seven representatives  and the only one from Texas  who voted against a bill that would guarantee back pay for those workers. Not an auspicious start for the congressman.

Larry Parnes

Refugees right

Re: U.S. not responsible, Your Turn, Monday:

As far back as Greek civilization, if even your worst enemy came to your door, you gave him food and shelter and sent him on his way.

The families coming here from Central America and elsewhere do have the right, by our laws, to seek entry and plead their cases. Save your unutterable loathing for those who created and enforce Homeland Securitys pitiless policy at our borders.

Judith Howse

It doesnt follow

Re: Who protects us? Your Turn, Monday:

Mike Colley is mistaken if he believes it follows that to be against the wall is to be against border security. I am as strongly supportive of security as I am convinced a wall will not help.

Richard Albanese has a great idea (Wall vs. electronics, Your Turn, Monday), but I believe he already knows what his experiment would show. The Berlin Wall was effective only because the communists were willing to shoot to kill who ever reached the top. I dont believe even the president is prepared to go that far  or my name is Pollyanna.

Henry Hare

Political clones

From my perspective, the only major difference between Julian Castro from San Antonio and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from Queens is that the former is a 44-year-old Latino and the latter is a 29-year-old Latina.

The former is better educated, has held several high political positions and is a more polished orator. Their political philosophies, at the end of the day, are scarily similar.

My advice to these two is that socialism has never worked and will never work, and the continued pursuit of this political philosophy will ultimately bring their political careers to a quick end.

Lawrence McMahan

Great grammar read

To reader Ginger Burkholder, who shared her thoughts on the crimes against punctuation and grammar in our culture (Your or Youre, Your Turn, Monday), you are absolutely correct about the obliteration of punctuation and grammar, and to support your statements, may I recommend you read Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.

For those of us who value the lost integrity of punctuation and grammar, this is a great read!

Eileen ShimanIn 1980, Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti ruled that during a lapse in appropriations, federal agencies must follow a stricter interpretation of the Antideficiency Act than they had up to that time. This ruling either went too far or did not go far enough. Either the Antideficiency Act should be paramount, in which case a government shutdown should result in the affected agencies shutting down completely, except for positions explicitly defined in statute  and with corresponding Americans with DIsability Act exceptions that allow excepted workers to be paid. Or the Antideficiency Act should be ruled to apply only to genuinely new obligations, not to expenditures for current employees' pay and benefits, rent, utilities, transportation, contracts already in force, and so on.Re: VA turning to more private care, front page, Sunday:

There is reason for concern about privatization of veterans health care due to the support from the Concerned Veterans for America advocacy group. This group led by the Koch brothers hides behind the label of nonprofit trust rather than a not-for-profit corporation, thereby allowing nondisclosure of public reporting requirements. As the article clearly states, one of its senior advisers, Darin Selnick, was instrumental in drafting the language used for the VA MISSION Act, which won bipartisan support last year.

As a disabled veteran, I agree that the VA system needs improvement in many areas, but we have to be diligent and wary of any change, especially if support for it comes from a nefarious lobbyist group.

Privatization of VA health care will increase costs to the American taxpayer, no doubt about it.

Ill give you an example of how this works to the benefit of the private sector.

Boeing, one of the worlds largest aircraft manufacturers, was awarded the multimillion-dollar C-17 aircraft maintenance contract instead of it going to the public sector, namely a maintenance depot run by the Department of Defense. The work was largely performed here at the former San Antonio Air Logistics Center, better known as Kelly AFB. The Department of Justice filed a $100 million lawsuit against the company for mischarging and overcharging the American taxpayer. In 2014, it was settled for $23 million, and allowing Boeing to deny any liability. A mere slap on the hand.

That is just one example of how large corporations take advantage of the federal government. Make no mistake, the Koch brothers are interested in lobbying for this change because they and their donors tend to benefit from it.

Granted, the VA has problems, but it would benefit veterans if proposed changes were to the system itself, not to switch care to the private sector. The closure of VA Hospitals and health care facilities as a consequence of legislation doesnt benefit veterans.

From past experience, I can demonstrate the excellent care I have received at Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital. The staff is compassionate and offer some of the best services and care, bar none.

From my observations, proper change is in the form of more doctors, better pay for employees to decrease the high turnover rate, better employee training, and a patient advocacy department (call center) that could handle all incoming calls and direct the veteran to the proper department.

Albert Baca lives in San Antonio and worked for Boeing Co. as a senior cost estimator. He is employed at the VA as a purchasing agent in the prosthetic department.What happens when immense bigotry gets lodged in a small mind? Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is what happens.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, King asked, White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive? It is a question that could only be posed by a bigot. And because it was a rhetorical question, King was assuming that all the rest of us  all right-thinking people  are bigots as well. Shouldnt the tie between whiteness and civilization be obvious?

As a reminder, white nationalism and supremacy  the ideology shared by Jefferson Davis, Bull Connor and, evidently, Steve King  became offensive because of centuries of stolen labor, murder and cruel abuse; because of a bloody war that one side conducted on behalf of slavery; because of repeating waves of anti-immigrant prejudice, alarmism and discrimination; because of routine lynchings and the stinging viciousness of segregation; because of the assumption that robbed, exploited and oppressed people somehow deserve social challenges resulting from robbery, exploitation and oppression.

For King, this was not a slip of the tongue but the development of a theme. We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies, King has argued. Those babies eventually grow up to be, in Kings words, migrant kids with calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. This is threatening because diversity is not our strength. In fact, it is cultural suicide by demographic transformation. And King blames all of this on a conspiracy led by one, Semitic force: George Soros, whose money floats in in such a way you cant see the flow.

King has pioneered a politics of resentment for demographic change and animus for outsiders. He feeds ethnic stereotypes and conspiracy theories. He issues apocalyptic warnings: Europe is waking up.  Will America  in time? And his local supporters dismiss criticism of King as a personality thing.

Many elected Republicans in Washington have been forthright in their criticism of King after his latest offense. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Kings remarks reckless and wrong. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Kings argument was abhorrent and racist. To Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, it was offensive and racist.

McCarthy has taken the welcome step of removing King from his committee assignments. Censure by the House is the next logical move, if Republicans are serious about scrubbing the stain King has left on their party.

In their criticism of King, you get the sense that Republicans are actually relieved to be in the position of attacking racism for a change, instead of being forced to defend it from the president. They seem to be signaling that they are not really the bigots that they appear to be. But attacking King reveals some sense of shame at what they have become.

Yet, in the end, Republican critics of King manage to look worse rather than better. If racism is the problem, then President Donald Trump is a worse offender. And their relative silence on Trump is a sign of hypocrisy and weakness.

Take the last days before the 2018 midterm elections. Trump closed his campaign for Republicans with a hysterical warning that brown people were invading the country. He initially suggested they should be shot. He added that he wouldnt be surprised if Soros was funding the migrant caravan. This is clearly what he regards as his strongest political argument  the racist promotion of animus against outsiders, tied to pernicious conspiracy theories.

Trump feeds ethnic stereotypes of migrants as rapists and murderers. He makes apocalyptic warnings that Democratic control would turn America into Venezuela and totally open borders. And his supporters dismiss criticism against him as a personality thing.

Add to this Trumps attribution of Kenyan citizenship to Barack Obama. And his sympathy for the very fine people attending a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. And his attacks on African-American athletes and other figures. And his pardoning of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known for racial profiling, terror raids and cruel punishment of inmates. And his attempts at a Muslim ban. And his contempt for shithole countries. And  a list far longer than I can include.

By any standard, Trump says things that are reckless, wrong, abhorrent, offensive and racist. And until Republicans can state this reality with the same clarity and intensity that they now criticize King, they will be cowards in a time crying for bravery.

michaelgerson@washpost.comThroughout my childhood, my father was an abortion provider in our hometown of San Antonio. What I didnt realize until much later was that he would put a Kevlar vest over his scrubs because anti-abortion terrorists threatened and harassed him. Every Friday, he drove hundreds of miles to Laredo and Corpus Christi to provide care for people there.

Now, decades later, the communities my father traveled to are without clinics entirely. In fact, since 2013, the number of Texas abortion clinics has dropped from 42 to 21. Right now, no abortion clinics are open in the Panhandle, large swaths of South and West Texas, and East Texas, forcing people in some cities to travel 300 miles one-way to get the care they need.

To put it simply, Texas is an abortion desert, and this is entirely by design. For the past decade, anti-abortion lawmakers controlling the Texas Legislature have passed dozens of laws intended to chip away at abortion access, with the end goal of making abortion nonexistent in our state. And this year will be no different, despite the gains made in the midterm elections.

But the political tide is turning, and the time is now to offer a vision for restoring and expanding access to abortion in Texas.

Texans who are forced to travel for abortion care rack up significant additional expenses for things such as transportation costs and hotel stays, or in lost wages. Research has also shown that as abortion clinics have shuttered, wait times for appointments have increased, which force patients to delay their care until further into pregnancy, adding even more cost to the procedure.

But what if patients could communicate with their physician over phone or video and still access safe, effective abortion care? Enter abortion pills via telemedicine. Advances in technology and medicine mean telemedicine is now lauded as a meaningful solution to gaps in health care access.

Telemedicine holds the promise that patients in the most rural parts of our vast state can get the basic care they need even if there is no provider in their community. The Texas Legislature acknowledged as much in 2017, passing a sweeping bill that expanded telemedicine in our state. Solely for political reasons, abortion care was specifically excluded.

For more than 15 years, medication abortion  a two-pill regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol  has been an FDA-approved, safe method of abortion care up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. In fact, studies have consistently shown that medication abortion via telemedicine is just as safe as a doctor dispensing the pills to a patient in person.

We need only look to pilot projects underway in Iowa , Hawaii or Maine for a glimpse of what abortion via telemedicine could look like. A patient would arrive at a medical facility, consult with an abortion provider over video, and then pick up a prescription at a local pharmacy and manage the abortion at home. Research shows medication abortion is extremely safe, but should a patient need follow-up, a provider is only a phone call away.

Another commonsense solution to expanding abortion access would be allowing advanced clinicians  such as advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants or certified nurse midwives  to provide abortion care. Texas is one of the 34 states that require abortions be provided by physicians, but research tells us that many advanced clinicians have the necessary skills and training to also provide abortions.

In fact, these so-called physician-only laws actually create unnecessary barriers to abortion care, according to a recent study by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. The same study found that abortions provided by advanced practice clinicians are just as safe as those provided by a physician.

Whats more, Texas insurance law recognizes registered nurses as primary health care providers, but again, these same nurses are forbidden from performing a safe health care procedure purely because of politics.

As I think about what lies ahead this legislative session, Im reminded of my father. He put his life on the line every day to ensure Texans could get the abortion care they needed without shame or stigma.

I look forward to the weeks and months to come, when together with our partners and with Texans who share the belief that each of us should be able to make decisions about our own health care, we offer a vision for a better Texas, where people and their decisions are supported and respected, and they can get the care they need with dignity. Starting with commonsense solutions to expanding access to abortion.

Aimee Arrambide is the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas.WASHINGTON - Asylum seekers coming across the border from Mexico in South Texas have recently devised a new system for defeating the tall barrier fences that were built to keep them out.

Theyll actually walk up to the border wall, where there are gates, said Jodi Goodwin, an immigration attorney in Harlingen, Tex. They know those gates have cameras. So theyll just wave at the cameras to notify the Border Patrol, Were here!

They dont have to worry about getting over a wall, she continued. To them, the wall is completely irrelevant.

The government shutdown fight over wall money has increasingly focused on the humanitarian crisis of indigent families and children traveling from Central America, what President Donald Trump called a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.

But those closest to the migrant flow say a growing number of refugees and asylum seekers - those openly seeking entry into the United States - are often undeterred by the physical obstacles that confront them, especially when theyre built well inside the border.

The disconnect is particularly acute in Texas, where the topography of the snaking Rio Grande River - which Trump visited last week - dictates that barriers must be placed far inside the border, ceding swaths of U.S. soil to immigrants or would-be refugees seeking asylum.

Border Patrol agents in Texas call it no mans land - ranging from a few hundred yards to a mile in width, it provides an opportunity zone north of the river but south of the barriers Trump wants to expand.

The barrier is going to do nothing to prevent these asylum seekers from crossing here in South Texas, said Rick Cavazos, the mayor of Los Indios, a border town of 1,100 in the Rio Grande Valley.

Cavazos, a former Border Patrol supervisor, endorses fences and barriers as a way to control criminals, drug couriers and human traffickers - the worst elements of the immigrant underground. But for many fleeing poverty and violence in Central America, now the most prevalent group of illegal border crossers, its a different story.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

If theyre true asylum seekers, theyre not trying to hide or get away, Cavazos said. They know theyre going to be brought in, given a court date, and, if they dont have anything in the system, more than likely be released.

Currently, about one in 10 people crossing the southern border illegally claim a credible fear of returning to their homeland, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Before 2013, the number was about one in 100.

White House officials say the surge is only growing, with reports showing that asylum requests at the southern border have recently increased from 1,500 to approximately 2,000 per week.

Trump and his top officials have repeatedly suggested that many of the claims are fraudulent. In a recent editorial, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wrote that word has gotten out that our broken legal framework will give them a free pass into the United States.

The administration has sought measures to narrow that legal path. But for many asylum seekers, the reality of the wall is more of a symbol than an actual hurdle.

Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who accompanied Trump to the border this month, has long argued that it will take more than a wall to fix the nations broken immigration system. Barriers are necessary, but not sufficient to deal with the problem, he said.

More an asylum crisis than a border crisis

Cavazos says that the barriers erected around Los Indios, just west of McAllen where Trump visited the border, have helped push illegal trafficking away from populated urban areas, where it is easier for those with bad intent to blend in and hide. Pushing criminals out into more remote, open areas makes it easier for Border Patrol agents to catch them, he added.

But for those seeking asylum, the obstacles are legal, not physical.

If somebody swims across the river, the Border Patrol is not going to attempt to stop that person, because it endangers lives, Cavazos said. They could drown. So if they make it to the U.S. side of the river, even though theyre south of the barrier, theyre still in the United States, so theyre afforded due process by way of a hearing.

For subscribers: Old fashioned border policies are for a different kind of immigration

In this months Oval Office address calling for a wall on the southern border, Trump shifted his focus somewhat from national security - the mainstay of his argument for a wall - to what he called a humanitarian crisis. But he did not say how the wall would alleviate the cycle of human suffering that he vowed to end.

Some experts say that as a barrier against the flood of illegal border crossers looking for humanitarian protection, the 234 miles of border wall Trump wants to build at a cost of some $5.7 billion is increasingly irrelevant.

The reality is this is more of an asylum crisis than it is a border crisis, said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based immigration think tank. What were seeing is a huge increase in asylum seekers, and a wall neither helps them nor deters them.

Recognizing the changing face of Central American migration, the White House has sought to force asylum seekers to present themselves at official ports of entry. But so far the courts have blocked an attempt to bar asylum requests from those who cross illegally between ports of entry.

A separate initiative to hold refugees and asylum seekers in Mexico while their cases are under legal review also remains on hold while U.S. officials seek the cooperation of Mexican authorities.

Trumps zero tolerance family separation policy similarly imploded under public pressure and court review, a setback that has seen a spike in the number of families captured crossing the southern border in recent months.

On his way to McAllen this month, Trump warned of another major caravan forming in Honduras, possibly following an earlier gathering that was stopped at the California border with Tijuana, Mexico. A sensor isnt going to stop it, Trump said. But you know whats going to stop it in its tracks? A nice, powerful wall.

1,000 miles of unwalled Texas border

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a close Trump ally who consulted with the White House on the McAllen trip, has publicly identified a 200-mile stretch between Brownsville and Falcon Lake as an ideal spot to stop about half the people who cross the border illegally. Texas has more than 1,000 miles of unwalled Mexican border.

But Vicente Gonzalez, the Democratic congressman who represents McAllen, said Patricks plan for that region would be largely futile.

Even with a barrier, 75 percent of migration right now thats coming undocumented to my region are asylum seekers, so the wall has no impact, he said. It really would impact only 25 percent of the people crossing.

For subscribers: White House struggles to explain Trumps border wall boast

Gonzalez recalled a recent conversation with a Border Patrol officer. He told me, I can always tell who the Central Americans are, because they look for us. They dont run. Theyre waving us down. So the whole idea is flawed when 75 percent of the crossings wouldnt be impacted by a barrier, at a monumental cost of taxpayer dollars.

Some local officials, including McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, point to another weakness in the administration policy: While most of the illegal border crossers are caught between the ports of entry, most of the drugs and contraband come through the understaffed portals, which border area officials see as a priority.

McAllen represents just one of the many bottlenecks in the asylum process for refugees from the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. By the middle of last year, there were more than 300,000 pending asylum cases nationwide, a growing percentage from south of the border. Court backlogs of two to three years are not unusual, and the waits to apply for asylum and get across legal portals like the Anzalduas International Bridge connecting McAllen to Reynosa can take several months - some of that time spent waiting on the bridge.

Given pervasive crime and other dangers on the Mexican side of the border, an increasing number of asylum seekers in the Rio Grande Valley are simply crossing the river for the relative safety of the no-mans land south of the wall. Although they may face deportation, once they are there they can present themselves to authorities and begin the lengthy asylum process.

Safely over the U.S. border but still on the Mexican side of the wall, for many refugees the worst part of the journey is over. Technically, theyre eligible to apply for asylum, said Lisa Brodyaga, an immigration lawyer in San Benito, Tex.

A lot of people, quite frankly, ultimately decide to do that because theyre extorted for money in Mexico, said Goodwin, the Harlingen immigration attorney. If they cant come up with the money, thats their best alternative. Ive had people who sit on the banks of the river and waited for a Border Patrol check to come by the levee.

Its a route that is more or less unique to the Rio Grande Valley. Unlike the western mountains and deserts around El Paso, the Valleys farm and river terrain is fairly passable - wall or no wall.

Smugglers know this, Selee said. Smart smugglers know what the topography is and what the laws are.WASHINGTON  Texas border region Congressman Vicente Gonzalez left a White House meeting on the 26-day-old government shutdown Wednesday questioning President Donald Trump's grasp of border issues, calling his comments "crazy" and "irrational."

He also reported zero progress in Trump's meeting with a half-dozen Democratic members of the bipartisan "Problem Solvers Caucus."

"He has not gotten off the notion of physical structure," Gonzalez said about Trump's demand for $5.7 billion for border wall construction in 2019. "He seems to be dug in pretty deeply."

The meeting in the White House situation room came a day after Democratic leaders in Congress spurned an invitation from Trump to negotiate an end to the shutdown with a group of party moderates.

ON THE COAST: Trump plan to tap Army Corps funds for wall hits a nerve, according to HoustonChronicle.com report

While some Democrats suspect Trump of trying to split off members of their party to gain leverage in the border wall budget standoff , Gonzalez said he felt obligated to accept the White House invitation.

"I felt like at a very minimum I had a responsibility to sit with him and try to find common ground," he said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders issued a statement praising the meeting.

TRENDING TEXAS HEADLINES: Get Texas political news and updates delivered to you.

"The President and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus," she said. "They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants. We look forward to more conversations like this."

But Gonzalez, a second-term Congressman from the Rio Grande Valley, said he was startled by some of Trump's remarks on the border in his home town of McAllen, which the president visited last week.

"He mentioned some pretty radical things about how he perceives the border region, which are completely irrational," Gonzalez said. "One thing that I gathered when I walked out is that he really believes this. I was kind of shocked, because some of it is just so crazy. Just crazy stuff. That is not the way the border region really is."

Gonzalez said he is reluctant to publicize specifics of the president's comments, but he described them as "bizarre" and exaggerated portrayals of a porous border and how criminal traffickers operate there.

While Trump has referred to the border region as a "humanitarian and security crisis," some Texas border officials, including McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, say the area is experiencing less crime than it has in decades.

"He certainly does not have a sense of the reality of the border," Gonzalez said. "It's still quite complicated. Otherwise, people wouldn't be paying $10,000 to get into the United States."

"He says a lot of things without evidence, statistics or numbers," Gonzalez continued. "It's shocking. But I was under the impression, for the first time, that he really believes these things. He lives in 'baseland.' That's what his base tells him."

Gonzalez said Trump also repeated his view that most of the 800,000 government workers who are furloughed or working without pay are Democrats.

"I don't think the Border Patrol and Customs agents and a lot of law enforcement  those might be Republicans, and after a few missed paychecks they might start feeling the pinch and start putting pressure on their members and the administration," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez' district has some 8,869 federal employees, including large contingents of workers with Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration and produce inspectors with the U.S. Agriculture Department.

"I have Border Patrol agents, his own base, calling me and asking me to see what we can do to come to an agreement to open the government, so they can start receiving their paychecks," he said.

Gonzalez, a critic of Trump's border wall plan, said he pitched the idea of reopening the government for at least 30 days to continue negotiations. "That's something both sides should easily be able to agree to," he said.

Despite Trump's hard line posture with Congressional Democrats, Gonzalez said the administration appears to be feeling the pressure of the shutdown, now in its third week.

"I do believe that even though he tried to play this tough guy act, that 'Hey, we can keep the government closed as long as we need,' I don't believe that's the way they genuinely feel, or I don't think we would have been there," Gonzalez said.

He said the White House strategy appears to be to convince rank-and-file Democrats to push party leaders to reopen the government on Trump's terms  something he sees as unlikely.

As for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gonzalez dismissed any suggestion that the Problem Solvers Caucus was trying to negotiate with Trump behind her back.

"I'm honest with her," Gonzalez said. "I tell her what I believe and give her my opinion. I let her know that I was going. But at the end of the day I represent a border district that's highly impacted, and it was important for me to be there."

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.Some stray dogs in San Antonio will be getting a life-changing job opportunity  helping veterans.

Under a new city plan, K9s for Warriors, an organization based in Jacksonville, Fla., will expand to Military City, U.S.A., culling stray dogs from the citys rescue shelters and training them to become service dogs for veterans.

I think were knocking out two birds with one stone here, said City Councilman Manny Palaez, who led the effort for the city. Were moving the dogs that need to be moved out of these shelters into the loving arms of veterans who need these kinds of partners.  These dogs are going to be saving the lives of veterans, and these veterans are saving the lives of these dogs. Thats symbiosis.

The city will lease land on the West Side next to Animal Care Services main campus to K9s for Warriors for $1 per year. The organization expects to build a kennel there, where it will treat dogs and prepare them for the training they will receive in Jacksonville.

OnExpressNews.com: Lone finalist for San Antonio city manager says he wanted the job since high school

Veterans from across the country can apply for the dogs, said Brett Simon, the organizations president, and some in San Antonio have already received them.

The applicants go through a screening process, and the organization provides dogs to those who have served after 9/11 and have diagnosed health issues that include post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries or mobility impairment, and issues stemming from sexual assault.

Palaez said the program is mutually beneficial because San Antonio has an abundance of large stray dogs  he called them the San Antonio Brown Special  who are often harder to place than puppies or small dogs. The K9s for Warriors program uses those kinds of large dogs.

Heber Lefgren, director of ACS, said the city takes in 31,000 stray dogs and cats every year. It has dramatically increased its live-release rate, from around 32 percent in 2011 to 92 percent now, in large part because of these kinds of partnerships. The remaining 8 percent include animals who are euthanized for health reasons and others who are put down because no one adopts them and the city has run out of space. The new program will help some of the most at-risk dogs, he said.

That is one of the reasons why partnerships like this are so beneficial, Lefgren said. Because that large dog is the harder dog to place in San Antonio.

The arrangement grew from a friendship between Palaez and Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond, who is also the nonprofit organizations CEO. The plan is to build up to 200 or 300 dogs moving into the program every year, officials said.

While Palaez heralded the new partnership, he said residents need to realize that it doesnt represent a panacea. There are still dogs in need of adoption at the citys shelters.

Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinnessErik Walsh, a 24-year veteran of San Antonios municipal government and one of City Manager Sheryl Sculleys top two deputies, has been chosen as the lone finalist to succeed her in the citys most important appointed job.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced the City Councils selection Wednesday evening, capping three long days of interviews for the high-profile position. Before the council votes to approve him Jan. 31, Walsh will meet with city stakeholders and also appear at a public symposium next Wednesday.

I just want to say this is probably the most difficult decision that anyone sitting on the City Council in our careers will ever make, Nirenberg said Wednesday night, after hours of closed-door deliberations. What has become evident in this whole process has been what a remarkable city staff we have.

San Antonios city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the nations seventh-largest city. Walsh, 49, has been seen as the favorite for the job since shortly after Sculley announced she would retire. Assistant City Manager Maria Villagomez, who oversees the citys office of management and budget, was the other finalist for the position.

On ExpressNews.com: Sculleys replacement will come from San Antonios ranks

The decision didnt come without drama. Walsh and Villagomez made public pitches to the council Wednesday afternoon before moving to closed-doors interviews. About an hour after the candidates left those interviews, the City Council summoned them back for follow-up questions.

In all, the council was in executive session deliberating the choice for nearly six hours.

I dont have a negative word to say about either one of them, Nirenberg said after they made their selection. I think we may very well see two city managers for San Antonio  in the sense that perhaps Marias time just hasnt come yet, but she is every bit as qualified to run a big city as Erik is, and Erik was just ready right now.

Neither candidate spoke to news reporters after the decision, but Nirenberg said Villagomez told him shes as excited as ever to serve the city.

Shes a rising star, the mayor said, but Walsh brought a breadth of experience that was unparalleled.

He knows, and is familiar with, and has high esteem from just virtually every constituency that is in this city  Erik slips into that position and represents us all very well, Nirenberg said.

Walsh, a San Antonio native who went to Central Catholic High School and has two degrees from Trinity University, has been a deputy or assistant city manager for most of Sculleys tenure. He currently oversees many of the citys most important departments, including police and fire. A third of the citys $2.8 billion budget falls under his portfolio.

Sculley announced she would retire soon after the Nov. 6 election, when voters overwhelmingly approved a charter amendment  pushed by the citys firefighter union  that set a salary cap and tenure limit for future city managers. While the amendment didnt affect Sculley, it was widely regarded as a referendum on her highest-in-the-nation compensation: a $475,000 salary with up to $100,000 more in bonuses.

During her tenure, Sculley worked for four mayors and is credited with improving city finances and services. She stewarded three massive bond projects, implemented the Pre-K 4 SA program thats hailed as a model and brought a budgeting approach that has enabled the city to maintain a triple-A bond rating, among numerous other accomplishments.

Walsh is the top earner among Sculleys highest-ranking subordinates, with a base salary of $256,733. He would make up to $312,000 in the top job and cant stay in the role for more than eight years, according to the new rules approved in the charter amendment.

During his public pitch Wednesday, Walsh reiterated that he thought he was the best man for the job.

I applied for this position because I want San Antonio to be economically viable, safe, and culturally inspiring, and a place where people want to work, grow and raise a family, Walsh said. Personally, thats important to me.

Walsh is familiar, low-key and well-liked  qualities that were important in choosing a successor to Sculley. Her considerable accomplishments over the past 13 years came to be overshadowed by complaints that she was too powerful, too abrasive and too highly paid.

For years, Walsh has also handled collective bargaining negotiations and high-profile contracts. Nirenberg has called the citys rift with the fire union one of its great conflicts heading into San Antonios new era.

On ExpressNews.com: Council expected to tap a Sculley deputy for city manager position

All six of Sculleys top lieutenants made it to the field of eight semifinalists, leading to an awkward situation in which co-workers interviewed for the job one after another. Sculley said it was meaningful that her successor would come from that group.

Im proud of all six of the applicants ... These two were outstanding candidates, it will be a difficult decision for the council, Sculley said Wednesday afternoon as Walsh and Villagomez headed into their private interviews. I think it will boil down to who the council members feel most comfortable with, in terms of the executives having the ability to execute on their policy initiatives and directives.

The outgoing city manager said this process has starkly contrasted with the last one in 2005, when no internal candidates were considered and Sculley was brought in to revitalize the citys organization. During her tenure, the city replaced all 40 or so of its department heads and worked to recruit and develop the best talent in the country, she said.

This is very different, Sculley said. The city manager that will be selected now is inheriting a much stronger leadership group and executive organization, and a stronger city of San Antonio.

The public symposium is next Wednesday at the University of Texas at San Antonios downtown campus. If the council approves him as planned Jan. 31, Walsh would assume the role Feb. 1. Sculley will stay on during the transition.

Staff Writer Josh Baugh contributed to this report. | Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinnessResponding to a jump in surgeries, Mission Trail Baptist Hospital is expanding services to serve more patients in Southeast San Antonio.

The 110-bed hospital unveiled this week a robot for minimally invasive surgeries and two operating suites for outpatient surgical procedures.

The additions were introduced in response to a 13 percent increase in surgery volume from 2016 to 2017, Mission Trail officials said.

The communitys growing, and we need to be able to grow with the community, said Dr. Kevin Kirk, Mission Trails chief of staff and an orthopedic surgeon.

The expansion will position Mission Trail to better accommodate projected population growth in its service area.

As the citys southernmost hospital, it sees patients from neighboring Atascosa and Wilson counties, as well as the Rio Grande Valley.

Mission Trail opened in 2011 as a new location in the Baptist Health System. Situated on the Brooks campus near Southeast Military Drive and South New Braunfels Avenue, it replaced the systems Southeast Baptist Hospital on Southcross Boulevard.

Related: Southeast Baptist Hospital to break ground

The upgrades at Mission Trail will reduce pressure on the hospitals operating rooms, which at times have neared capacity, leading to patient transfers to other hospitals, Kirk said.

As part of the expansion, the hospital installed the pair of surgical suites on its second floor, which now will operate as an outpatient surgical center for less severe cases.

The updates also include the addition of six pre-operative bays and three bays for patients who have undergone anesthesia. The additions will free up the four main operating room for the most acute-care patients, Kirk said.

The robots arrival marks the first time such technology has been available to patients on the South Side, said Dr. Phillip Hamby, chief of surgery at Mission Trails.

It will attract more specialists to the hospital who train largely or exclusively on robots for their procedures, including in urology and gynecology, he said.

That gives the community another advantage. Its a good thing, and its progress, Hamby said.

Together, the improvements at Mission Trail will allow more South Side residents to seek medical care closer to home, officials said.

On ExpressNews.com: UIW med students will make house calls in community health project

Mission Trail also recently added a new heart protocol that allows patients suffering a heart attack to be treated at the hospital rather than be redirected elsewhere, Hamby said.

Health care is local, and people want to stay within a certain radius to seek basic health care services, said Brandon Fowler, Mission Trails chief strategy officer.

Transfers to other hospitals can be difficult for some families on the South Side, many of whom face economic hardships and may not have access to transportation, Kirk said.

They dont have the luxury of jumping in their car and driving to the North Side or to the Medical Center, he said.

Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCarubaThe battle rages on over the removal of a Confederate monument and related time capsule from Travis Park.

A federal judge declared it a stalemate Wednesday and ordered the adversaries  the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the city  to attempt a settlement.

The Confederacy group sued over the removal and claims ownership of the statue and time capsule and the right to use the center of the city park where it placed them 120 years ago.

Over time, the statute depicting an unnamed Confederate soldier came to be viewed as a symbol of racism and oppression, like many such monuments and plaques in the South.

After a 10-1 City Council vote in 2017, crews worked in the middle of the night to dislodge the statue with its time capsule and two Civil War cannons.

They were put in storage and have remained in separate, undisclosed locations for the past 17 months.

Their fate had Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra trying to steer the parties away from a full-blown trial that he said would be long, costly and not worthwhile.

Although city officials have said they would like the monument displayed in a museum, Ezra said no local museum or heritage group with resources to do that has been identified.

Thomas Crane, lawyer for the UDC chapter, said he had fully expected the lawsuit to go to trial.

Theres been no settlement discussions up to now, he said.

Well, thats why Im here, Ezra replied in an emphatic whisper.

Shawn Fitzpatrick, a lawyer for San Antonio, said the city is willing to participate in a mediation, but any discussion of returning the statue or any other Confederate icon to Travis Park is a nonstarter.

Ezra tried to assess the value of the capsule, which was embedded in a granite cornerstone of the monument.

There still are many unknowns about its contents.

Pam Rosser, the Alamos on-site conservator and court-approved special master of the time capsule, said she inspected it about two weeks earlier, but could only peer through a 6-inch hole to see what was inside  fragments of old items.

Im not able to determine what those fragments are, Rosser told the judge.

On ExpressNews.com: Group sues San Antonio over removal of Confederate statue

Based on newspaper accounts, the UDC chapter believes the time capsule included a roster of the now-defunct Barnard E. Bee chapter, which raised funds for the monument; Confederate currency and coins; pressed flowers from the coffin of Confederate President Jefferson Davis daughter, author Varina Anne Winnie Davis; a Confederate flag bearing the name Jeff Davis in a wreath of violets; newspapers; and an Old Testament kept by a Confederate soldier in a Union prison.

Ezra went through the items one by one, saying he believed they have little intrinsic value, though they could have great sentimental meaning to a select few. Confederate coins and currency can be purchased on the Internet, he said.

Theyre not that difficult to obtain, he said. I doubt the wreath of violets has survived.

The judge speculated that the only thing of real potential value that was listed in newspapers when the monument was dedicated was the Old Testament volume. But Ezra said no one knows what else may be in the time capsule.

On ExpressNews.com: City votes to remove parks Confederate monument

The UDC chapters lawsuit, which claims the city violated the First, Fifth and 14th amendments by removing the monument, seeks unspecified monetary damages and attorneys fees.

As part of his order that the parties enter mediation, Ezra said the city will have to pay Rossers initial fee for inspecting the time capsule.

One of the goals should be to determine whether to open the time capsule, and who would pay to have its contents catelogued  a task that likely would cost $5,000, he said.

Robin Terrazas, president of the UDC chapter, said her members believes the capsule was damaged when the monument was removed.

She said the chapter, composed of about 180 local female Confederate descendants, should not have to pay for the research because it tried to warn the city about the capsules location, but was not consulted before crews hastily took down the monument.

Scott Huddleston is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSAWhile this has fostered competition in Europe, the U.S. has been much slower to introduce biosimilars (just six compared with 50 in Europe), and the drug companies have worked to block copycat versions of their drugs from entering the U.S. or gaining market share. Though not the primary focus of her article, Ms. Tribble also acknowledges that the failure of the federal government to negotiate drug prices with big pharmaceutical companies constitutes another significant barrier to reducing drug prices. Since the big pharma-friendly Republican Party will control the U.S. Senate for at least another two years, Marylanders can expect little or no price relief from the feds. Instead, we must pin our immediate hopes on Marylands General Assembly.Note: This is a full Taste Test review, with a star rating based on multiple visits.

SELMA  Few languages are better equipped than Vietnamese to describe the food of the people who speak it. Vietnamese is a language of diacritical accents and tone marks. Above the letters, below them, carved into the sides. Change the mark, change the sound, change the meaning. Not just an alphabet, a spice rack.

The menu at A Dong Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant in Selma is a sprawling sampler of both those countries. But the menus written in Vietnamese, and the restaurants heart and soul is written in the specialties of Vietnam, with tone marks and accents to match.

The restaurants name translates to East Asia, and the original shops been feeding Selma for a decade at The Forum shopping center. Its sister restaurant on De Zavala Road in northwest San Antonio opened a few years back. Its the same menu and a similar experience, but Ill focus on the original.

When I ordered hu tieu My Tho, I knew I was getting soup with translucent rice noodles and meat. I didnt expect that my waiter would be from the soups namesake Vietnamese city of My Tho. He gave his endorsement, and now Ill give mine to this cornucopia of shrimp, minced fish balls, barbecue pork and  this is key  bone-in bites of pork rib to give the broth a rich marrow undertone.

A Dong Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant *  8311 Agora Parkway at The Forum at Olympia Parkway in Selma, 210-566-7701, Facebook: @adongres Quick bite: Shopping-center cafe for soulful Vietnamese cooking mingled with Chinese standards Hit: Hu tieu My Tho, bun bo Hue, barbecue ribs Miss: Bean curd with pork, sesame beef, tempura mix Hours: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday Price range: Appetizers, $3.95-$13.95; soups, $4.95-$13.95; entrees, $8.45-$19.95; desserts, $3.95; lunch specials with egg roll, rice and soup, $8.45-$8.95 Alcohol: Beer and wine **** Superior. Can compete nationally. *** Excellent. One of the best restaurants in the city. ** Very good. A standout restaurant of its kind. * Good. A restaurant that we recommend. (no stars) We cannot recommend this restaurant at this time. Express-News critics pay for all meals. See More Collapse

More aggressive and more colorful, a noodle soup called bun bo Hue represented its city with a deep red broth colored by chile oil and gelatinous blocks of coagulated pork blood, pork sausage, beef shank and hamhocks. Far more nuanced than it sounds, the soup shimmered with lemongrass, shallots, scallions and cilantro.

On ExpressNews.com: Review: Berni discovers the lighter, brighter side of Vietnamese cooking

The bowls were on a roll every time at A Dong. Ive eaten vermicelli with char-broiled pork and egg rolls before. But A Dong raised my expectations for future bowls with pork grilled fat and sweet with a varnished glaze and straw-colored egg rolls clearly rolled by hand and fried to a bubbled crunch. Classic pho got its moment with pho dat biet, packed with supple ribbons of beef, meatballs and sausage in a broth like aromatherapy.

Beyond the bowls, A Dong created strong value and elegant five-spice flavors with a platter of roasted duck in all its white and dark meat glory, a full bird neatly sectioned and value-priced at $14.95. Sharp and bright Vietnamese flavors of fish sauce gave main-course satisfaction to a cold salad with shrimp, roasted pork and crunchy white lotus roots.

Anybody who loves crispy taqueria tripas would love the fried pork intestines here, flash-fried mahogany red with down-to-earth flavor. I wasnt as enthusiastic about a full-boned catfish hot-pot called ca kho to that left the fish cloyingly sweet and mushy.

Fried salty pork ribs lived down to their name with too much of that salt, and they were chopped into bits that left an unpredictable trail of bone slivers. And as much as I like the fajita-style idea of the stir-fried beef dish called bo luc lac, the portion here didnt support the $14.95 price.

On ExpressNews.com: 52 Weeks of BBQ: Naming the best of the best San Antonio barbecue

When it moved outside Vietnam, A Dong lost most of its tone marks. Sesame beef was the same boilerplate sesame beef you already know, with an all-brown-all-the-time sauce littered with sesame seeds trying their best. In a city like San Antonio, where chicken wings generate their own creative gravity, you cant just drizzle a stripe of fish sauce and get the same result as a wing fully dipped and committed to the cause.

Kung pao shrimp, in spite of its colorful chop of stir-fried vegetables, flatlined on flavor. A tempura sampler of snap peas, shrimp, squid and asparagus wore batter like a layer of yellow gauze. And whats there to say about tofu on a lake of brown gravy with a Birdseye scatter of peas and carrots except no.

The bright side of the Chinese experience at A Dong? Anybody whos tired of the unnaturally red and petrified artifacts called barbecue ribs at many Chinese places will stare in wonder at this rack of pitmaster-grade baby backs.

In all, the menu at A Dong features more than 125 dishes executed in a shopping-mall storefront about the size of a Mattress Firm. It stayed as busy as a mall food court, and you can have a standard, pan-Asian experience at A Dong, if thats what youre after. But Ill stay with the tone marks and accents of Vietnam.

Mike Sutter is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalkingThat new Gillette ad that has the nation talking? Its cut quite a path across San Antonio, too.

By Wednesday afternoon, the clip had more than 13 million YouTube views with 318,000 likes and 721,000 dislikes, with many condemning the Gillette ad as condescending with a message they say demonizes and feminizes men. Some even are swearing off the brand and its owner, Procter & Gamble, for competitors such as the subscription razor service, Dollar Shave Club.

The social media pulse in San Antonio mirrored the rest of the country, with the most visible and shared posts coming out against the ad.

The ad from the razor and shaving products company condemns bullying, sexual harassment and other examples of toxic masculinity with a message of morality and accountability for men in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The surprising thing is that most people seem to hate that message  or at least, the way it was delivered.

Two of the Gillette ads more striking visuals show a boy being chased by bullies and a row of men standing with their arms crossed behind smoking backyard grills as they chant, Boys will be boys.

On ExpressNews.com: U.S. women: Mansplaining prez debate too much like their real lives

San Antonio mom Maurine Molak understands such moments and mantras all too well. She continues to raise awareness of bullying and cyber abuse through the nonprofit Davids Legacy Foundation in memory of David Molak, her late 16-year-old son who committed suicide three years ago after being bullied.

I hear that (boys will be boys) a lot about bullying, Molak said. And I also hear that girls are just mean. But the message is really we can all be better humans, regardless of gender.

Molak applauded the ad for advocating personal responsibility and for its closing message about being a better role model for younger generations and young boys. The clip concludes with the classic Gillette tagline, The Best a Man Can Get, only with the addendum that its only by challenging ourselves to do more that we can get closer to our best.

Eric Smith, a licensed professional counselor in San Antonio whos worked with various mens groups, said he sees how the ad can be so divisive. He noted the spot addresses relevant, common-sense behavior and anecdotal experiences when it comes to men behaving badly, but it also comes across as a little simplistic and preachy.

You have to have a sophisticated conversation, Smith said. Theres obviously some major issues going on with whos had privilege and cultural perspective in this society. And were going to have to talk about it.

Plenty were talking on social media in the San Antonio area.

On Twitter, the most popular local tweet by far was a critical one by San Antonio-based conservative talk show host Joe Pagliarulo, who posted: Hey @Gillette, I have an idea, stay out of politics. Real men already stop other guys from acting badly. A razor company should want me to shave with your product. And, btw, Im extremely masculine. And theres nothing wrong with that. #TheBestMenCanBe.

By Wednesday afternoon, Pagliarulos tweet had more than 1,400 retweets and 7,500 likes.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio mostly supportive of Kylie Jenner piercing her 5-month-olds ears

On Facebook, Katye Brought in San Antonio posted, If you watch this and are offended, you are a part of the problem. And just as big of a snowflake as you like to call everyone else. #SorryNotSorry.

That sparked a response from Jeff Flinn in the posts comments that the ad glosses over the product for politics: If Im going to buy something, tell me why I should BUY It  dont PREACH to me, because I DONT NEED what youre preaching. Sorry.

Meanwhile, a Facebook post by Erin Zayko of a mans tweet saying men upset by the ad should smile more because youre so much prettier when you smile  another scene in the ad shows a guy tell a women, smile, sweetie  prompted Sam Sitterle to respond that the ad was just awful and that no one he knows does any of the things alluded to in it.

Smith said the Gillette ad challenges what he called traditional, stereotypical gender roles and the classic idea of the nuclear family, and all the back and forth on social media proves that even in the wake of #MeToo, these issues are far from settled. While an ad on social media may not be the best place to have this type of heavy discussion, Smith is at least encouraged that the discussion is happening at all.

Its really liberating for women and men to look at these issues a little deeper, Smith said.A proposed 24-story residential and office tower that would sit on the San Antonio River gained initial approval from a key city panel Wednesday.

The city Historic Design and Review Commission gave conceptual approval to the tower  which will have more than 200 apartments and 4,000 square feet of high-end office space  and an adjacent five-and-a-half-story parking garage at their Wednesday meeting.

On ExpressNews.com: Filling in San Antonios skyline: An update on 10 major downtown construction projects

Dallas firm JMJ Development is developing the project, which will sit at 112 Villita St., a block west of the Tower Life Building. The proposed tower is expected to have some ground-level retail, likely a coffee shop, architect Song Chia of Dallas-based firm Fab Studio told commissioners.

Frank Burney, an attorney for JMJ, told commissioners the building could set aside a certain number of residential units for affordable housing and seek incentives through the recently revamped Center City Housing Incentive Policy, which subsidizes housing development downtown.

Michael Matthews, JMJ Developments vice president of construction, declined to comment after the meeting.

On ExpressNews.com: Mixed-use development with apartments, microbrewery proposed south of Alamodome

The towers developers must come before the panel at a later date for final approval before beginning construction.

Tim Barton, JMJ Developments chief executive, told the Express-News in 2017 he expects the project to cost $70 million.

JMJ Development is also the firm that proposed a 14-story, 300-room Hard Rock Hotel to sit on top of the 131-year-old Joskes building at Shops at Rivercenter mall overlooking Alamo Plaza. The proposal included a rooftop bar, a ballroom, a spa and a pool deck, but its unclear whether JMJ will move forward with the project.

Joshua Fechter is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering real estate, economic development and philanthropy. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreportsCity Council members unanimously OKd $500,000 in economic incentives Thursday to a Cleveland investment management company to relocate its corporate headquarters here.

Victory Capital Holdings Inc. announced last week that it would keep 300 jobs from its November acquisition of USAAs investment management unit, move six senior executives here including CEO David Brown and create at least 50 new jobs paying an average salary of $96,000 in the coming years.

On ExpressNews.com: Ohio investment management company to move headquarters to San Antonio

Council members voted Thursday to give the economic development grant to seal the deal. Victory is expected to invest at least that amount in real and personal property here.

Were excited to grow with the city, to give back to the city, Victory Chief Operating Officer Michael Policarpo told City Council members at their Thursday meeting. Thats important to us, no matter where we are. But we are excited to grow our company.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio lands Texas first opportunity zone investment under Trump tax bill

Council members touted Victorys decision to relocate here as a big get for the citys financial services sector and evidence that the citys economic development strategy, which targets specific industries such as information technology and biosciences, is working.

The city projects a $945 million boost to the San Antonio economy and $460,000 in tax revenue from the headquarters within the next decade.

The company also considered Denver and Columbus, Ohio, in relocating its headquarters, according to a council agenda memo.

Its not about incentives, its not about low costs, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said before the vote. Its about the fact that we here in San Antonio have been building a modern, quality 21st-century city. That is something we are enormously proud of.

On ExpressNews.com: Filling in San Antonios skyline: An update on 10 major downtown construction projects

Victory agreed to buy USAA Asset Management Co. from the San Antonio financial services company for at least $850 million in November. USAA told the San Antonio Express-News at the time that less than 100 employees could lose their jobs as a result of the acquisition.

Publicly traded Victory, which currently manages $52.8 billion in assets, will manage $144 billion in assets when the deal is finalized later this year.

The $500,000 grant isnt the only local incentive on the table. On Tuesday, Bexar County commissioners directed county economic development officials to begin negotiating a separate $250,000 grant with Victory officials.

Joshua Fechter is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering real estate, economic development and philanthropy. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreportsAs "The Situation" hits the prison yard of Otisville FCI, located at Two mile drive Otisville, NY 10963 many people are wondering what his actual time will be like.

Daniel Wise "RDAP Dan", Federal Prison Consultant and founder of Federal Prison Time Consulting, claims Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will have a very easy time at this specific prison. RDAP Dan makes this statement largely due to the fact that the once-MTV-star is at a Federal Prison Camp, which is a minimum security prison.

Forbes voted FCI as one of the top 10 cushiest prisons in the United States. The Bureau of Prisons has different security levels ranging from camp to maximum. Factors such as the type of crime, criminal history and length of sentence determine which security level an inmate is assigned to.

Sorrentino's crime is classified as nonviolent and he does not have an excessive criminal history. In all honesty, if he were not famous he may have escaped with a slap on the wrist or probation with no jail time. The attention surrounding this case likely influenced his sentence. "It was well within the judge's power to hand down a sentence of probation", says Federal Prison Consultant, RDAP Dan.

Daniel Wise "RDAP Dan" was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute that took place in 2011, at a Georgia Pain Clinic. Wise knows the system all to well, as he fought his case from 2011  2014. Several defendants involved with Wise's case took plea agreements stating they would testify against him if he chose to go to trial. If Wise lost at trial he would have faced 15  20 years behind bars. Wise was the last person to take a plea on his case, receiving a sentence of 42 months at Coleman Federal Prison in Coleman, FL.

Three days prior to self-surrendering, Wise vented about his predicament in a YouTube video titled "Going to Federal Prison". Little did Wise know that the video would launch his career as one of the country's leading prison consultants and federal prison experts.

After Wise's release from federal prison in 2015, he saw that his pre-prison YouTube video had garnered a lot of traffic and comments, most of which came from non-violent offenders getting ready to enter the prison system for the first-time. Wise "RDAP Dan" states "The real prison sentence is not served in prison. The actual sentence for me, and just about every client I speak to, is the daunting process that leads to prison."

According to Wise, the pretrial experience for first-time nonviolent offenders typically lasts anywhere from several months to years. Wise says his pretrial experience started in 2011, but his prison sentence didn't begin until Sept, 23 2014.

Wise recounts the painful memories "Those three years of not knowing what was next was the real sentence. I had no idea what prison would be like; my only reference was was I saw on tv in shows like OZ or Locked Up Abroad. I had so many sleepless nights filled with fear, anxiety and sadness. I had two small daughters who did not understand. How do you tell your children you're facing up to 20 years in prison? Sounds like a death sentence. My poor choices did not just affect me. I turned my children into my victims by committing a crime that took their dad away for some time. Seeing and hearing them cry, begging me not to leave was heart-wrenching, to say the least. I was supposed to be the hero in their lives, but instead, I was the one that made a mess of things. I can never unsee the faces of my little girls as I crushed the image they had of me. Once in prison, I started to learn all of the things that I could have done during the pretrial phase, which could have reduced my time."

That's what Dan"RDAP Dan" Wise does for his clients who hire him prior to going to prison. RDAP Dan and his hit YouTube channel focus on taking responsibility for one's actions. Helping his clients realize they are not victims because they are the ones who created the situation they are in. The good news about that is, with the right assistance and guidance, they can also create a much better future situation for themselves.

Dan Wise "RDAP DAN" and his team focus on what individuals can do while on bond or pretrial release that can possibly assist with sentence reduction, or in many cases even probation vs prison. Daniel Wise 'RDAP Dan" freely offers hundreds of videos on YouTube that educate individuals as to what they can do in order to serve the least amount of prison time in the best possible location.

Wise's personal experience positions him to know better than anyone what Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will be facing while serving his sentence at the minimum security federal prison camp, Otisville FCI, in New York.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will have a very easy go in prison. The hard part is over, which is explained above referring to pretrial. Now, his days will consist of waking up, eating breakfast, walking the track and very intense prison workouts that will make his MTV workout clips look like child's play. He has put on a bit of weight over the years. Post prison, be prepared to see a more fit version of "The Situation" resembling his appearance from 15 years ago.

There will be classes that he can take while in prison, such as ACE classes (Adult Continuing Education). You can become a personal trainer while in Federal Prison through the NFPT (National Federation of Personal Trainers)

Will Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino be a target for extortion by other inmates due to the fact he is famous and may be perceived to have a lot of money? Dan Wise "RDAP Dan" Federal Prison Consultant says absolutely NOT! Wise states that Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will be treated extremely well by both inmates and staff. Staff will likely receive orders to leave him be because Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino has access to the media. Prisons do not need any bad press, especially in the current state of affairs. Wise said, "Look at what happened to former Captain Grimes of Alderson's Women's Federal Prison, in West VA. Grimes was just sentenced to 120 months federal prison time for sexual misconduct involving inmates.

The term Camp Cupcake really does define the experience of a Federal Prison Camp. Most of the time there is no fence surrounding the prison. Inmates could just walk off if they really wanted to. In order to be at a camp, you cannot be a risk to society or a flight risk.

Dan Wise 'RDAP Dan" Federal Prison Consultant says "Bottom Line, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will not have much stress in prison, other than missing friends and family. He will walk the track, eat well, take classes, play sports, watch TV on flat screens and have an opportunity to really focus and connect with himself on a personal level"

Wise closed his comments with, "I believe Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will emerge from prison as a much better person with a new found respect that one can only learn in prison. I wish him the best."Analysts at Maybank suggest the odds of a second Brexit referendum are rising:

"It does seems that the likelihood of second referendum is rising as that may well be one of the key solutions to break the brexit deadlock, if a compromised deal cannot be reached. PM May has invited leaders of all parties to have individual meetings with her on arriving at a compromised brexit plan that the government can support. We see a potential case of PM May dropping her alternative scenario of no-deal brexit, an extension of the brexit deadline beyond 29th Mar 2019 (to be agreed with EU) and possibly a second referendum as an alternative scenario to break the brexit deadlock if the modified deal fails in parliament again this Monday (another vote needs to be held in parliament within 3 sitting days of Meaningful vote)."

Senior economist at ABN AMRO also suggests that a people's vote is the logical next outcome:

"Ultimately, we believe the most likely scenario is another referendum. There is clearly no majority in parliament for no-deal. Moreover, the renewed powers of backbench MPs to submit Plan B proposals provides a mechanism for no-deal to be taken off the table (one proposal, for instance, is to vote on revoking Article 50 if an alternative isnt agreed before March). In any case, Brexit looks likely to be a softer one than Theresa Mays deal, and perhaps will not happen at all. (Bill Diviney)."

Oddschecker say that odds for a second referendum outcome "is now as short as 11/10."

Where Next for GBP/USD?

Analysts at Maybank suggest the GBP to USD exchange rate is tipped to appreciate in the near-term outlook:

"GBP was last seen at 1.2880 levels. 21 DMA looks on track to cut 50 DMA to the upside  ST bullish signal though stochastics in overbought conditions raises some caution on GBP bulls. Nonetheless weekly technical remains supportive of bullish extension."Ordinary people might find all of this confusing (and more so after Mr. Guiuliani tried to walk back his remarks the next day), but that isnt beside the point, its exactly the point. Mr. Giuliani, in classic Alternative Fact fashion, is insistent that one set of facts holds true  up until the moment he adheres to an entirely different set of facts. Thats not to be confused with, for example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosis recent claim that security concerns are behind her suggestion to Mr. Trump that the State of the Union address be postponed, conducted in the Oval Office instead of a Joint Session of Congress or submitted in writing. Dont get us wrong, thats pretty rich. But until Ms. Pelosi starts constructing a whole universe of false security narratives (Secret Service agents are biased or Congress needs a wall to keep out wealthy energy lobbyists or, in a more Giuliani fashion, Ms. Pelosi didnt mean Mr. Trump should not give a speech from Congress, she meant members of Congress should not be there when he gives it), thats just a run-of-the-mill prevarication. Perhaps Mr. Trump got worried that she was encroaching on his untruthy turf and tried to brush her back with his cancellation of her planned trip to Afghanistan and other countries. Rest assured, Mr. President, shell have to work a little harder if she wants to beat out Rudy Giuliani for Alternative Fact of the Week.this news is not availableJanuary 17, 2019 - An automated text messaging system increases patient engagement with home-based exercise and promotes faster recovery after total knee or hip replacement surgery, reports a study in the January 16, 2019 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

Patients receiving timely texts showed improvement in several key outcomes, including fewer days on opioid pain medications, more time spent on home exercises, faster return of knee motion, and higher satisfaction scores, according to the research by Kevin J. Campbell, MD, of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues. "A chatbot that texts timely, informative and encouraging messages to patients can improve clinical outcomes and increase patient engagement in the early postoperative period after total joint replacement," Dr. Campbell comments.

Automated Texts Lead to Improved Outcomes of Surgery

The randomized trial included 159 patients undergoing primary total knee or hip replacement. All received standard education, including instructions on home exercises after surgery.

In addition, one group of patients received a series of automated, physician-specific text messages. The pre-programmed texts provided recovery instructions along with encouraging and empathetic messages, personalized video messages from the surgeon, and brief instructional therapy videos. The texts were sent via a service called STREAMD; Dr. Campbell is the CEO and Co-Founder of STREAMD.

"The content of the text and video messages reinforced the perioperative instructions and were delivered to patients at the appropriate time based on their recovery progress," the researchers write. Over the six-week period after surgery, patients in the text-message group received about 90 texts. The system did not accept inbound text responses from patients, although patients could access further information on topics they selected.

Patients who received automated texts performed their home exercises an average of 46 minutes per day, compared to 38 minutes in the standard-care group, a significant difference of nine minutes per day. The texted group had greater knee motion at three weeks' follow-up, suggesting faster short-term recovery, but by six weeks, knee motion was similar between groups.

Patients in the text-message group stopped using opioid pain medications about 10 days sooner than those in the control group (22 versus 32 days). They also had higher mood scores and were more likely to say that their postoperative instructions were clear. Patients assigned to automated texts also made fewer phone calls to the surgeon's office. There was a trend toward fewer emergency department visits as well, although this difference was not statistically significant.

There is growing interest in using text messages to increase patient engagement in recovery after surgery. But previous digital patient engagement platforms have not been widely adopted by either patients or healthcare providers.

This study provides evidence of improved outcomes when an automated text-message system makes daily contact with patients and provides them with relevant information and encouragement. Advantages include more time doing recommended home exercises, faster recovery of knee motion, and improved patient satisfaction.

The 10-day reduction in opioid use is a potentially important advantage, reducing the risk of persistent opioid use and other complications. "This finding could be related to improved patient education and to the encouraging and empathetic tone of the text and video messages," Dr. Campbell comments. "It could also reflect improved mood scores and patients' confidence in their ability to manage their recovery, which have been shown to be very effective pain relievers."

The benefits of such an automated system could be especially important at a time when more patients are undergoing joint replacement surgery with less overall contact with the treatment team. "As we search for practical methods to engage patients, automated messages providing education, support, and encouragement create a natural and convenient way for patients to receive information, potentially improving key outcomes without placing extra time demands on the surgeon and staff," Dr. Campbell concludes.

###

Click here to read "A Novel, Automated Text-Messaging System Is Effective in Patients Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty"

DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.17.01505

About The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has been the most valued source of information for orthopaedic surgeons and researchers for over 125 years and is the gold standard in peer-reviewed scientific information in the field. A core journal and essential reading for general as well as specialist orthopaedic surgeons worldwide, The Journal publishes evidence-based research to enhance the quality of care for orthopaedic patients. Standards of excellence and high quality are maintained in everything we do, from the science of the content published to the customer service we provide. JBJS is an independent, non-profit journal.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the health, tax & accounting, finance, risk & compliance, and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer, headquartered in the Netherlands, reported 2017 annual revenues of 4.4 billion. The company serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide.TORONTO, ON (Canada) - An international team of scientists is challenging our understanding of a part of Earth's history by looking at the Moon, the most complete and accessible chronicle of the asteroid collisions that carved our solar system.

In a study published today in Science, the team shows the number of asteroid impacts on the Moon and Earth increased by two to three times starting around 290 million years ago.

"Our research provides evidence for a dramatic change in the rate of asteroid impacts on both Earth and the Moon that occurred around the end of the Paleozoic era," said lead author Sara Mazrouei, who recently earned her PhD in the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto (U of T). "The implication is that since that time we have been in a period of relatively high rate of asteroid impacts that is 2.6 times higher than it was prior to 290 million years ago."

It had been previously assumed that most of Earth's older craters produced by asteroid impacts have been erased by erosion and other geologic processes. But the new research shows otherwise.

"The relative rarity of large craters on Earth older than 290 million years and younger than 650 million years is not because we lost the craters, but because the impact rate during that time was lower than it is now," said Rebecca Ghent, an associate professor in U of T's Department of Earth Sciences and one of the paper's co-authors. "We expect this to be of interest to anyone interested in the impact history of both Earth and the Moon, and the role that it might have played in the history of life on Earth."

Scientists have for decades tried to understand the rate that asteroids hit Earth by using radiometric dating of the rocks around them to determine their ages. But because it was believed erosion caused some craters to disappear, it was difficult to find an accurate impact rate and determine whether it had changed over time.

A way to sidestep this problem is to examine the Moon, which is hit by asteroids in the same proportions over time as Earth. But there was no way to determine the ages of lunar craters until NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) started circling the Moon a decade ago and studying its surface.

"The LRO's instruments have allowed scientists to peer back in time at the forces that shaped the Moon," said Noah Petro, an LRO project scientist based at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Using LRO data, the team was able to assemble a list of ages of all lunar craters younger than about a billion years. They did this by using data from LRO's Diviner instrument, a radiometer that measures the heat radiating from the Moon's surface, to monitor the rate of degradation of young craters.

During the lunar night, rocks radiate much more heat than fine-grained soil called regolith. This allows scientists to distinguish rocks from fine particles in thermal images. Ghent had previously used this information to calculate the rate at which large rocks around the Moon's young craters - ejected onto the surface during asteroid impact - break down into soil as a result of a constant rain of tiny meteorites over tens of millions of years. By applying this idea, the team was able to calculate ages for previously un-dated lunar craters.

When compared to a similar timeline of Earth's craters, they found the two bodies had recorded the same history of asteroid bombardment.

"It became clear that the reason why Earth has fewer older craters on its most stable regions is because the impact rate was lower up until about 290 million years ago," said William Bottke, an asteroid expert at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado and another of the paper's coauthors. "The answer to Earth's impact rate was staring everyone right in the face."

The reason for the jump in the impact rate is unknown, though the researchers speculate it might be related to large collisions taking place more than 300 million years ago in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Such events can create debris that can reach the inner solar system.

Ghent and her colleagues found strong supporting evidence for their findings through a collaboration with Thomas Gernon, an Earth scientist based at the University of Southampton in England who works on a terrestrial feature called kimberlite pipes. These underground pipes are long-extinct volcanoes that stretch, in a carrot shape, a couple of kilometers below the surface, and are found on some of the least eroded regions of Earth in the same places preserved impact craters are found.

"The Canadian shield hosts some of the best-preserved and best-studied of this terrain--and also some of the best-studied large impact craters," said Mazrouei.

Gernon showed that kimberlite pipes formed since about 650 million years ago had not experienced much erosion, indicating that the large impact craters younger than this on stable terrains must also be intact.

"This is how we know those craters represent a near-complete record," Ghent said.

While the researchers weren't the first to propose that the rate of asteroid strikes to Earth has fluctuated over the past billion years, they are the first to show it statistically and to quantify the rate.

"The findings may also have implications for the history of life on Earth, which is punctuated by extinction events and rapid evolution of new species," said Ghent. "Though the forces driving these events are complicated and may include other geologic causes, such as large volcanic eruptions, combined with biological factors, asteroid impacts have surely played a role in this ongoing saga.

"The question is whether the predicted change in asteroid impacts can be directly linked to events that occurred long ago on Earth."

The findings are described in the study "Earth and Moon impact flux increased at the end of the Paleozoic", published in Science. Support for the research was provided by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, and the Natural Environment Research Council of the United Kingdom.

###

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Sara Mazrouei

Department of Earth Sciences

University of Toronto

+1 416 569 2600

sara.mazrouei@gmail.com

Rebecca Ghent

Department of Earth Sciences

University of Toronto

+1 619 481 4321

ghentr@es.utoronto.ca

Sean Bettam

Communications, Faculty of Arts & Science

University of Toronto, Canada

+1 416 946 7950

s.bettam@utoronto.ca

William Bottke

Southwest Research Institute

Boulder, Colorado

bottke@boulder.swri.edu

Tom Gernon

National Oceanography Centre

University of Southampton

Thomas.Gernon@noc.soton.ac.uk

Lonnie Shekhtman

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

lonnie.shekhtman@nasa.govPHILADELPHIA -The marketing of direct-to-consumer "neurotechnologies" can be enticing: apps that diagnose a mental state, and brain devices that improve cognition or "read" one's emotional state. However, many of these increasingly popular products aren't fully supported by science and have little to no regulatory oversight, which poses potential health risks to the public. In a new piece published in the journal Science this week, two bioethicists from Penn Medicine and the University of British Columbia suggest the creation of a working group that would further study, monitor, and provide guidance for this growing industry - which is expected to top $3 billion by 2020.

"There's a real thirst for knowledge about the efficacy of these products from the public, which remains unclear because of this lack of oversight and gap in knowledge," said lead author Anna Wexler, PhD, an instructor in the department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "We believe a diverse, dedicated group would help back up or refute claims made by companies, determine what's safe, better understand their use among consumers, and address possible ethical concerns."

The group, made up of researchers, ethicists, funders, and industry experts, among others, the authors wrote, would serve as a clearinghouse for regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), third-party organizations that monitor advertising claims, industry, social and medical scientists, funding agencies, and the public at large.

While some of these techniques are used in clinical and research laboratory settings - for example, electroencephalography (EEG) devices are used to diagnose and treat epilepsy -- many consumer-grade versions of neurotechnology devices are only loosely based in science. It is unclear whether the laboratory data collected to test them is applicable to consumer-grade products, leading many in the scientific world to question the efficacy of, and advocate for increased regulation of these readily available techniques and products.

For example, some consumer neurostimulation devices may pose dangers, such as skin burns. There are also potential psychological harms from many consumer EEG devices that purport to "read" one's emotional state.

"If a consumer EEG device erroneously shows that an individual is in a stressed state, this may cause him or her to become stressed or to enact this stressed state, resulting in unwarranted psychological harm," the authors wrote. Also, a smartphone wellness app that diagnoses symptoms of depression does so without medical support structures, such as a psychologist or mental health counselor.

The devices have thrived in part because of minimal regulatory oversight. Many fall outside of FDA jurisdiction because they are categorized as "low-risk" wellness products, paving an easier path to the market. Also, investors interested in financing these devices have publicly stated that it would be difficult to invest in them if they required an FDA approval, the authors said, which would mean rigorous testing and time.

Currently, most of the regulatory burden for consumer neurotechnology falls to the FTC, which has the authority to act on claims of false advertising. However, with thousands of health and wellness apps and devices, that oversight is ill-suited to monitor and regulate the industry effectively, they said.

The authors' proposal is two-fold: create an independent working group that would survey the main domains of direct-to-consumer neurotechnologies and provide succinct appraisals of potential harms and probable efficacy. Rather than evaluating each and every product or providing overarching framing questions, the proposed working group's appraisals would outline the evidence base and potential risks, and identify gaps in current knowledge.

This working group would be responsible for disseminating those appraisals to the public and partnering with organizations well positioned to communicate with key consumer groups.

"Given that government agencies and private enterprises are actively funding research into new methods of modulating brain function," the authors wrote, "the present generation of [direct-to-consumer] neurotechnologies may be only the tip of the iceberg--making it all the more imperative to create an independent body to monitor developments in this domain."

###

Peter B. Reiner, of the department of Psychiatry and the Neuroethics Collective at the University of British Columbia, served as co-author on the piece.

This work was supported the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health (DP5OD026420), and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant (435-2018-056).

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $7.8 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $405 million awarded in the 2017 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital - the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, a leading provider of highly skilled and compassionate behavioral healthcare.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2017, Penn Medicine provided $500 million to benefit our community.Results, published in Nature Communications, have shown that the nature of the evolutionary forces which act on male fruit flies depend on how many mates a females has.

Over the last 50 years biologists have realised that females in most animal species mate with multiple males in their lifetimes, in contrast to Darwin's Victorian ideas of the monogamous female.

However, it has previously been hard to work out how female promiscuity affects sexual selection: when females mate with more than one male, sexual selection can continue after mating because the sperm of rival males compete for eggs. But if females mate indiscriminately, do male adaptations for enticing choosy females become redundant?

The results of this study show that, in fact, indeed both of these changes occur. When female flies were genetically changed to become more promiscuous, sexual selection simply switched from favouring males who gain more mates (good at enticing) to favouring males who are better at post-mating competition (good at fertilizing). In particular, males were favoured who were good at mating multiple times with the same female.

Dr Stuart Wigby from the University of Oxford, whose lab hosted the research, said: 'This work gives us new insights into the broad evolutionary principles that explain why males vary so much in nature. For example, why in some species males show spectacular displays or fight to the death for access to females, while in other species males invest in making lots of sperm or in pairing with one or a few females.'

Dr Juliano Morimoto Borges from Macquarie University, the lead author, said: 'Because the gene we used to change female mating behaviour is very common among insects, our findings may also point to an important mechanism underpinning the evolution of insect reproductive patterns. This might either help in the development of improved ways to control insect pests or disease vectors by altering their reproduction, or at least help us understand the evolutionary consequences of attempting to do so."

The researchers looked at closely-confined small groups, which is a relevant model for many species but is also likely to explain why the males ended up repeatedly mating with the same females rather than seeking new mates. Seeing what happens in larger, more dispersed groups will be an important future step for understanding how promiscuity interacts with ecology to shape sexual selection.

###

For more information, please contact the University of Oxford press office at ruth.abrahams@admin.ox.ac.uk

Full paper title: 'Sex peptide receptor regulated polyandry modulates the balance of pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in Drosophila', Nature Communications.

Once the embargo lifts, the paper will be available to view online at http://www. nature. com/ ncomms .

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08113-w

Notes to editors

Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the third year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation.

Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.

Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 170 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past three years.As the next Women's March approaches, a new study of the 2017 Women's March solidarity events led by University of Notre Dame Associate Professor of Sociology Kraig Beyerlein is likely a good predictor of what to expect. Based on a survey of sister marches across the United States, key characteristics of the events were massive turnout, majority female leadership, low rate of counterdemonstrators, substantial grassroots mobilization and strong support from faith-based groups.

The study, published in the December 2018 issue of the journal Mobilization, reveals that sister marches drew nearly a hundredfold more participants than an average U.S. protest as measured by Beyerlein and colleagues' National Study of Protest Events (NSPE).

"This participation blew that of a 'typical' recent protest in the United States out of the water. For example, while the mean number of protesters in the NSPE was 61, it was nearly 6,000 for the sister marches," Beyerlein and his co-authors write. "Turnout figures for the solidarity events were also considerably higher than protests from prior decades reported in the New York Times -- which is particularly impressive given that newspapers heavily skew toward large demonstrations -- and the April 15, 2009, Tea Party rallies."

The NSPE shows that, on a national scale, roughly one-third of all U.S. protests feature counterdemonstrators. However, only about 20 percent of the 2017 sister marches encountered counterdemonstrators. This is interesting in that conservative groups criticized the Women's March in the days and weeks leading up to it. But they generally stayed home on Jan. 21, 2017, keeping their opposition to themselves.

As expected, participants were largely female, but turnout at three-fourths of the sister marches included 25 percent or more men. For all but a fourth of solidarity events, organizing committees and volunteers were overwhelmingly female as well, at 92 percent and 96 percent, respectively. In addition, the vast majority of speakers at sister marchers were women. While men had a notable presence the day of event, the study shows that women were primarily responsible for both the organizational "heavy lifting" and for serving as the "voice" of the marches. Strong female leadership and the inclusive nature of the sister marches were likely two reasons for their numerical strength, Beyerlein said.

Grassroots efforts also likely contributed to the success of the solidarity events. Among the 86 percent of events with speakers or organizational sponsors, three-fourths or more of them had roots in the local community. Collaboration between different state marches (versus partnership with the national march) was most frequent, occurring 70 percent of the time.

While it is not surprising that the marches received strong support from women's rights and LGBTQIA groups -- both of which the Trump campaign targeted -- the level of sponsorship from religious-based groups is notable, and likely unexpected given popular perception of the right having a monopoly on faith.

"Faith communities' resources are rarely directed toward protest action, and when they are it tends to be for movements opposed to issues central to the Women's March, such as reproductive or LGBTQIA rights," Beyerlein and co-authors note. "Supporting this view, Trump received considerable support among certain religious circles, garnering 81 percent of the evangelical vote. An approach that emphasizes the politically conservative nature of religion would not have predicted the former to sponsor, participate in or provide material support to nearly 60 percent of all sister marches." In other research, Beyerlein and Notre Dame graduate student Peter Ryan demonstrated the dynamics of faith in the 2017 Women's March on Chicago.

Recruiting participants for sister marches was done almost exclusively through social media. This seems like a given in the internet age -- however, solidarity events also relied, in considerable numbers, on conventional mobilizing tools including traditional media, advertisements, flyers and posters. The combination of methods is likely another reason for the considerable turnout at sister marches across the United States.

Beyerlein and other members of the research team plan to continue to examine the solidarity events. "Studying change in the sister marches over time provides the opportunity to document continuity or discontinuity in gender dynamics, organizing strategies and the presence of counterdemonstrators, among other factors," Beyerlein and co-authors state at the end of the article. "Moreover, given that the 2017 Women's Marches were the first mass mobilizations of his presidency, our research can identify how they fit into the broader trajectory of the Trump resistance."

###A survey of 20 disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the North West (UK) has revealed the social influences on why people attend their local Accident & Emergency department.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), conducted a household health survey including over 3,500 face-to-face interviews with households randomly selected in communities across Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

31% of survey respondents had attended A&E in the previous 12 months with individual attendance rates ranging between 1 and 95 visits. Age was a big factor in potential visits, with 18-26 year olds three times more likely to attend A&E compared to those above 64 years of age

Other outputs from the research, published in the online journal BMJ Open, suggested a lack of a job increased the likelihood of A&E attendance by 38% and poor housing conditions increased attendance by 34%.

Participants were asked to complete general background about their physical health, mental health, lifestyle, social issues, housing, environment, finances and local health service usage. Households were approached at different times during the day to ensure a mix of sample participants.

Depression, a need for help with personal care, access to public transport and household proximity to A&E departments were other key factors found to influence an individual's decision on whether to attend. Those living closer to an A&E department also formed a higher proportion of attendees while the distance from their local GP surgery could also influence a decision to attend.

Dr Clarissa Giebel, a Research Manager at the University of Liverpool, said: "This is one of the first surveys to explore a comprehensive set of socio-economic factors, as well as proximity to both GP and A&E services, as predictors of A&E attendance in disadvantaged areas

"A&E attendance rates are rapidly on the increase and are particularly high in disadvantaged areas.

"In order to reduce A&E attendances we need to consider wider factors communities are facing. Inequalities around employment and housing are an important part of understanding the motivations for attendance levels and there is a clear need for closer consideration of the placement of primary care services and ensuring clearer public access routes to them."

The research also identified that higher levels of education were associated with an increased likelihood of A&E attendance and having more than one illness did not automatically mean people would be more likely to attend A&E, when compared to someone with a single condition.

###

The research was supported by the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care North West Coast (NIHR CLAHRC NWC), part of the National Institute for Health Research, the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The University of Liverpool is Partner in the Collaboration which aims to identify and help reduce health inequalities across the North West Coast population.

The 20 neighbourhoods were selected by 10 local authority partners of CLAHRC NWC against set criteria including deprivation indexes and population size.

Professor Mark Gabbay, Director of CLAHRC NWC and Professor of General Practice at the University, said: "These results are important for frontline and community services to digest and use to plan future services so we can tackle health inequalities identified in the research. We will be sharing the results through a series of local learning exchange workshops with our Partners, including Local Authorities and NHS outlets, and be inviting along representatives from the participating communities.

"I am also proud to say members of the public have been directly involved in the compilation of the research and its resulting publications."For generations, traditional healers in Southeast Asia have used the mangosteen fruit to treat skin infections, wounds, dysentery and urinary tract infections. A new $1.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute will enable researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago to study the fruit and its potential as a treatment for prostate cancer.

Led by Dr. Jeremy Johnson, associate professor of pharmacy practice at the UIC College of Pharmacy, the researchers will expand on prior work, which identified phytochemicals in the fruit that can disrupt the function of the androgen receptor, a critical target in prostate cancer.

"Mangosteen contains unique xanthones, which are a type of antioxidant, that promote androgen receptor degradation," Johnson said. "This mechanism has not been identified with any other compounds and this approach could help deal with the very serious and common problem of drug resistance with FDA-approved drugs for prostate cancer."

In past studies, Johnson's group reported that mice treated with their mangosteen extract had prostate tumors that were 88 percent smaller than tumors in a control group.

Over the course of five years, the new funding will enable researchers to study how specific xanthones in mangosteen inhibit androgen receptor activity in prostate cancer cells. Johnson, who has also worked as a pharmacist, and his team will study how orally administered mangosteen xanthones are absorbed in animal models; they later will conduct experiments to determine what dose of the mangosteen xanthones are most effective at preventing or treating prostate cancer, also in animal models.

Round with a deep purple outer layer that surrounds the white pulp fruit, mangosteen is cultivated primarily in Thailand and other Southeast Asian and Pacific Rim countries. A long history and folklore surround mangosteen, also referred to as the "Queen's fruit," for its unique flavor and medicinal benefits. Queen Victoria, who lived from 1819 to 1901, is said to have offered a cash award to anyone who could bring mangosteen back to England.

Many in the U.S. may not be familiar with the mangosteen fruit, Johnson said. It was not approved for import into the country until 2007 but he says it may be found in local Asian grocery stores or Chinatown.

Along with his research on mangosteen, Johnson and his laboratory are studying Mediterranean herbs - including rosemary - for inflammatory bowel disease and colitis.

###

Co-principal investigators on the grant, which was awarded by the NCI's National Cancer Advisory Board as a MERIT Award, are Maarten Bosland, professor of pathology in the UIC College of Medicine, and Chun-Tao Che, the Harry H.S. Fong Professor of Pharmacognosy.In biology, folded proteins are responsible for most advanced functions. These complex proteins are the result of evolution or design by scientists. Now, a team of scientists led by University of Groningen Professor of Systems Chemistry, Sijbren Otto, have discovered a new class of complex folding molecules that emerge spontaneously from simple building blocks. The results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on 16 January.

The Otto research group studies how simple building blocks - in this case a nucleobase linked to the amino acid aspartic acid - can form rings. In previous research, Otto has shown that such rings can form stacks which can grow and divide, and show a level of chemical evolution. But this time, something different happened. Otto: 'One of my PhD students, Bin Liu, noticed that very large rings were formed, polymers of 15 building blocks.' They were extremely stable, so eventually most of the building blocks were transformed into these rings.

Folding pattern

After studying the rings' structure with X-ray crystallography, it became clear to the team that they were folded. 'When rings form stacks, there is interaction between the molecules. In this case, the interaction took place within the large molecule.' The hydrophobic parts of the ring were folding into the centre of the molecule, which is also what happens with proteins in water. The folding pattern, however, is completely different. 'Proteins are polymers linked by amine bonds. In our molecules, the building blocks are linked exclusively by disulphide bonds. The difference in structure results in a different folding pattern.'

This is the first time that a complex folding structure (or foldamer) that is so radically different from proteins has been described. 'Despite decades of research, we still have no reliable design rules that can fully predict the folding of proteins', explains Otto. This hampers the design of new enzymes. A different class of folding molecules can help us to understand the basic rules of molecular folding. 'Furthermore, the molecule we describe in our paper is only the first that we've discovered. In the past year, we have discovered several more and will publish these later.'

Origin-of-life

Proteins have two major folding structures: alpha helices and the beta pleated sheet. 'In protein design, scientists use variations on these themes, like adding an extra helix', says Otto. 'They tend to stick close to what nature has offered.' The new folding structure results in five stacks of five aromatic rings. The entire molecule has a five-fold symmetry. 'However, the other thiol-based structures that we are still studying show yet other types of folding.'

A striking conclusion drawn from the discovery of this new folding molecule is that complexity can emerge spontaneously. 'This is interesting for origin-of-life research: apparently, you can get these complex molecules before biological evolution has started.' The formation of the new molecule is actually driven by folding, explains Otto. 'That is quite special. The energy level of this molecule is very low. This drives the equilibrium from a "random" mixture of small rings towards this specific very stable 15-mer.'

Rational design

The new folded molecule will increase our understanding of molecular folding, which should stimulate rational molecular design. Whether the thiol-based polymers are as useful as catalysts (like proteins in nature) is not yet clear. 'We know they can bind other molecules, but we are still trying to find out whether they can have catalytic properties, like enzymes.' Folding is important to create active sites in enzymes: 'You need a very precise positioning of residues to create an active site. This cannot be achieved by direct chemical bonds between amino acids. It can only be achieved by folding.'

PhD student Bin Liu, who is first author of the JACS paper, has played a very important role in the study, says Otto: he discovered the folded molecule. 'The crystals for the X-ray diffraction studies were then grown by Piotr Chmielewski in Poland, with whom Liu already collaborated on his Master's thesis. Chmielewski's lab also did the NMR studies. The synchrotron studies were done with Ennio Zangrando and Nicola Demitri in Italy, and Liu travelled from Groningen to Poland and then on to Italy with the samples.'

###

Reference: Bin Liu, Charalampos G. Pappas, Ennio Zangrando, Nicola Demitri, Piotr J. Chmielewski, and Sijbren Otto: Complex Molecules that Fold like Proteins Can Emerge Spontaneously. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2019.People's love for their local areas could be harnessed to tackle global environmental problems, researchers say.

Parochialism (a focus on a local area) is often viewed negatively, and is sometimes seen as being akin to "nimbyism" - characterised by insularity and selfishness. But researchers from the University of Exeter argue that "positive parochialism" could be a foundation for environmental concern and action.

Their study revisits the Parish Maps project instigated in 1987 by UK arts and environment charity Common Ground, and finds the project offers a "foundation for ecological concern that remains relevant today".

"The Parish Maps project was hugely popular at the time, but has been somewhat overlooked since it ended," said Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, of the University of Exeter.

"It led to a huge upswell in local environmentalism and the creation of thousands of maps across the UK and beyond. We argue that it represents parochialism without the negative connotations many people associate with that word.

"We did not find evidence that parochialism was inevitably negative and inward-looking. It can be those things, but there's no necessary conflict between feeling connected to your local area and feeling connected to the wider world.

"For a long time, the consensus has been that if we want people to think about global issues they need a cosmopolitan world view - but this may not be the case. "Given where we are now in terms of trying to encourage people to make changes to help the environment, 'positive parochialism' offers something that has been overlooked."

The study examined Parish Maps archive materials held at the University of Exeter, and researchers also carried out in-depth interviews with those were involved in the project and who made local maps to examine the legacy of the project.

They argue that Common Ground's vision for Parish Maps represents a "positive parochialism" that "confidently asserts the validity of the parish without retreating towards insularity".

They identify an "unresolved challenge": to harness creative engagement like that used by people who created the Parish Maps to promote interest and engagement with environmental policy and planning.

Professor Devine-Wright added: "Policy making puts a primacy on the rational. Unlike the Parish Maps, it overlooks emotional and creative ways of engaging with the environment."

The co-authors of the paper - Dr Jos Smith, of the University of East Anglia, and Dr Susana Batel, of the University of Lisbon in Portugal - were both at the University of Exeter when the research was carried out.

###

The paper, published in the journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, is entitled: "'Positive parochialism', local belonging and ecological concerns: Revisiting Common Ground's Parish Maps project."The Houston-raised Spindler had a brush with tragedy on 9/11: He was employed by a financial firm at the World Trade Center at the time of the 2001 terrorist attack but was running late that morning and was emerging from the subway when the first tower fell, according to his father. He became covered in dust and debris as he tried to help others, the elder Spindler said.As the director of NIIMBL, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Kelvin Lee is a changemaker in the biomanufacturing industry, which has the potential to save lives, improve national security, and increase economic development in the United States.

For his impact in microbial and biochemical technology, Lee, Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, has received the 2019 Marvin J. Johnson Award in Microbial & Biochemical Technology from the American Chemical Society's Division of Biochemical Technology. He will receive the award at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society, to be held from March 31 to April 4, 2019.

"Kelvin has the unique ability to combine scientific excellence with a level of vision and leadership quality to impact the broader biotechnology community," said Wilfred Chen, Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UD and the 2017 recipient of the Marvin J. Johnson Award.

Lee joins Chen and two other UD colleagues who have received the Marvin J. Johnson Award --Abraham Lenhoff (2011) and Eleftherios Papoutsakis (1998). UD and the University of California at Berkeley are the only two universities to have four winners of the Marvin J. Johnson Award on their faculties.

Leadership and research excellence

With NIIMBL, a Manufacturing USA Institute headquartered in Newark, Delaware, Lee and the NIIMBL team lead a national consortium working to bring safe drugs to market faster and developing workforce training in the field of biopharmaceuticals. While many pharmaceuticals utilize chemistry to treat disease, biopharmaceuticals utilize living cells, offering increased opportunity for personalized medicine and other advances. Before he took the helm of NIIMBL, Lee was the director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute from 2008 to 2017. There, he increased biotechnology research, education, and workforce development in the state of Delaware.

Lee can help others make strides in biotechnology because he continuously does so himself. He is a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on three National Science Foundation grants: two in advanced biomanufacturing and another in systems biology. In recently published articles, he has demonstrated a new model to study how drugs move through and are processed by brain tissue, shedding light on a key problem in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and more.

Among other honors, Lee is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He has received the Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Lee joined the UD faculty in 2007 from Cornell University, where he served as the Samuel C. and Nancy M. Fleming Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and as director of the Institute for Biotechnology and Life Science Technologies and also of the New York State Center for Life Science Enterprise. A graduate of Princeton University, Lee received his master's and doctoral degrees from the California Institute of Technology and also studied at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

###Participants in Delaware's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) gathered alongside state leaders and community partners on Friday, Jan. 11, to celebrate the launch of a new five-year, $23-million grant to further expand environmental research in the First State.

EPSCoR is a federal-state partnership sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that engages Delaware's academic institutions in cutting-edge research and training activities that address critical needs of the state. The new grant is the fourth EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) grant awarded to Delaware since its designation as an EPSCoR state in 2003. The award supports activities at the four partner institutions -- the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College and Wesley College.

The state of Delaware is contributing $3.8 million of the overall grant through matching funds over the next five years. Delaware Gov. John Carney offered his congratulations to those in attendance at the event, held at Delaware State University, reflecting on EPSCoR's humble beginnings from an experimental program to the established program today that "has taken root in our state" to address problems such as water quality, increased salinity and other challenges related to climate change.

Carney noted that Delaware is investing in EPSCoR because of the program's efforts to build up the state's research expertise and workforce for future jobs.

"EPSCoR encourages and insists on collaboration," Carney said. "It is a way to build capacity so that we can develop that workforce here in the state of Delaware to address these important issues so that our economy can be stronger in the years ahead."

Delaware U.S. Senators Thomas Carper and Chris Coons also spoke. Carper, ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, called EPSCoR "the kind of program that is a good example of what we do well in Delaware: Communicate, collaborate and compromise," adding that he is particularly interested in the research aimed at sea level rise, the effects of land use and climate change. "Delaware can be a leader in these areas," said Carper.

Coons, a member of the Appropriation Committee, reminded the audience of Delaware's history and connection to the coast and its resources.

"This funding will support critical research focused on keeping Delaware's water safe and protecting our coastal environment," Coons said. "It's exciting to hear about how the entire scientific community -- students, researchers, current and future workers--is helped by this. This is not just a vehicle for doing great research, it's also a vehicle for training and developing and deploying the next generation who will do the lab work, design work, who will scale things up and deliver solutions to the problems."

Leaders from all four Delaware EPSCoR partner institutions -- Donald Sparks, Delaware Environmental Institute director at UD, DSU President Wilma Mishoe, DTCC President Mark Brainard, and Wesley College President Robert Clark -- described the impact that the EPSCoR program has had on institutional growth, student access and learning, and community partnerships over the past 15 years.

To date, Delaware's NSF EPSCoR program has resulted in $69 million in direct EPSCoR funding to the state and $82 million through leveraged EPSCoR funds and 212 additional research, education and innovation awards to EPSCoR faculty.

Delaware EPSCoR's Kent Messer, the project director and the S. Hallock du Pont Professor of Applied Economics for the Environment in UD's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, presented the "Water in a Changing Coastal Environment" project (Project WiCCED) and its overarching goals for the next five years of funding.

"History has shown that environmental problems can be solved when people work together and when cost-effective policies are enacted that are informed by good science," Messer said. "Project WiCCED will bring together some of the brightest minds, most dedicated people and most promising students to improve the water quality, step-by-step (or drop-by-drop) for a better future that Delawareans all can enjoy."

A major thrust of future work will focus on salinization, or the increasing salt content in water or soil, which degrades water quality. Delaware's long tidal shoreline and low elevation make its waters vulnerable to salinization, a problem made worse by rising sea levels and groundwater withdrawals for industry, agriculture and municipal use.

"Salt is bad for drinking water and our freshwater habitats," said Holly Michael, co-principal investigator and research lead on the WiCCED project. Michael also is the Unidel Fraser Russell Chair for the Environment and UD associate professor in the Department of Geology, which is housed in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. "Increasing salinity could also aggravate existing water quality problems by triggering release of polluting nutrients and industrial contaminants currently bound in the soil."

At UD, this latest round of funding will enable the hiring of two new faculty members in key research areas of human-natural systems modeling and hydrologic systems modeling, as part of a broader University cluster hire in coastal water security that includes environmental toxicology and remediation. These new positions will enhance university research and benefit students with interests in these areas, Michael said.

###To female molly and Limia fish, nothing is hotter than a male with a large dorsal fin. But these fins aren't just decorations to attract females.

Males also use them to fight or intimidate rivals. For scientists who study evolution, the fins present a chicken-and-egg dilemma. Which came first -- ornamental fins for courtship displays, or fighting fins only later used in displays?

In a new paper, biologists from the University of California, Riverside, studied the evolution of 40 molly and Limia species, and concluded dorsal fin displays arose first for males to compete with other males, only later being used in courtship displays to females. These changes in fin function went hand in hand with enlargement of the male dorsal fin. The fins reached extreme sizes in a few species and appear to be associated with rapid evolution, especially in mollies.

When Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution, he noted that some features arise not from natural selection by outside pressures like predators and food sources, but from competition within a species to find mates and reproduce. He called this "sexual selection," and scientists have used it to explain why males from many species have elaborate ornamentation and are larger than females.

Simply put, the ornament can evolve either because females prefer to mate with ornamented males, or because the ornament helps males defeat rivals. The male peacock's tail, for example, probably evolved through female choice. Deer antlers, on the other hand, probably evolved to compete with other males.

But whether male ornamentation arises through female choice or male-male aggression also has implications for how a group of animals diverges from an ancestral population and evolves into a separate species. In existing species, male-male aggression and covert or "forced" mating occurs much more often than courtship displays and female choice, leading some biologists to predict that, in general, male ornamentation probably evolved first for aggression.

"This is something that biologists have argued about for over a century, whether it's all in male-male competition for females or how important is female choice of a male," said Daniel Goldberg, the paper's first author, who conducted the research for his master's thesis. "The problem is, even though it was predicted in the 1990s that male ornamentation first evolved for aggression in many species of animals, studies that have been able to prove this for a particular group of animals have been few and far between."

Senior author David Reznick, a professor of biology at UC Riverside, has been working to unravel this problem in guppies. Guppies, like mollies and Limia, give birth to live young instead of laying eggs. The physiology of live birth comes in two main forms for these fish. In some species, the female produces a fully yolked egg, which is simply retained within her body, with no further nourishment after fertilization. In other species, the females have something like a placenta that nourishes eggs throughout development.

"The first step, which came before Goldberg's work, was to show that the male traits were tied to the type of female reproduction. You only get this kind of ornament in the ones that don't have placentas," explained Reznick. In live-bearing nonplacental fish, the female makes all her investment before the egg is fertilized, and the only thing left to ensure a quality offspring is to choose a high-quality male to fertilize it. The ornamentation could signal male quality.

Mollies are found along the Gulf Coast of North America and throughout Central America, while Limia are native to islands of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean. Both are popular aquarium pets. Goldberg took comprehensive measurements of various body dimensions of male and female molly and Limia species, along with detailed observational notes, to develop an ornamentation index that measures dorsal fin size relative to body size. He then used this information from the living species to follow the evolutionary tree back through time to figure out what the original ancestors would have looked like.

"If you look outside and you see a tree, where we have two branches that emanate from a single branch, that corresponds on an evolutionary tree to a speciation event," explained co-author Mark Springer, a professor of biology at UC Riverside who worked on the evolutionary sequence. "We're interested in trying to reconstruct what the ancestral state was like at each one of those branching points in the tree."

"We know what the branch tips are like, we know what each species is, and so we use that information to go back through time and envision their common ancestor," added Reznick.

As predicted, the researchers found that in both mollies and Limia, males evolved larger dorsal fins first for fighting other males, only later using them in courtship displays. At that point, it was only a matter of time until they reached huge sizes in a few exceptionally ornamented modern species: three species of aptly-named sailfin mollies, and one species of Limia: the humpback Limia.

The evolution of ornamentation really took off with the evolution of courtship.

"Mollies and Limia have a lot of different species, and the evolution of elaborate courtship displays seems to go hand in hand with rapid speciation," said Goldberg, who is now pursuing a doctorate in biology at Illinois State University. Reznick and Springer are studying the speciation rate in a separate project.

The findings may be broadly applicable to other species and may help biologists solve the chicken-and-egg riddle of male ornamentation.

###

The paper, In Love and War: The Morphometric and Phylogenetic Basis of Ornamentation, and the Evolution of Male Display Behavior, in the Livebearer Genus Poecilia, was published Jan. 17 in Evolution.One of the last acts of NASA's Cassini spacecraft before its death plunge into Saturn's hydrogen and helium atmosphere was to coast between the planet and its rings and let them tug it around, essentially acting as a gravity probe.

Precise measurements of Cassini's final trajectory have now allowed scientists to make the first accurate estimate of the amount of material in the planet's rings, weighing them based on the strength of their gravitational pull.

That estimate -- about 40 percent of the mass of Saturn's moon Mimas, which itself is 2,000 times smaller than Earth's moon -- tells them that the rings are relatively recent, having originated less than 100 million years ago and perhaps as recently as 10 million years ago.

Their young age puts to rest a long-running argument among planetary scientists. Some thought that the rings formed along with the planet 4.5 billion years ago from icy debris remaining in orbit after the formation of the solar system. Others thought the rings were very young and that Saturn had, at some point, captured an object from the Kuiper belt or a comet and gradually reduced it to orbiting rubble.

The new mass estimate is based on a measurement of how much the flight path of Cassini was deflected by the gravity of the rings when the spacecraft flew between the planet and the rings on its final set of orbits in September 2017. Initially, however, the deflection did not match predictions based on models of the planet and rings. Only when the team accounted for very deep flowing winds in atmosphere on Saturn -- something impossible to observe from space -- did the measurements make sense, allowing them to calculate the mass of the rings.

"The first time I looked at the data I didn't believe it, because I trusted our models and it took a while to sink in that there was some effect that changed the gravity field that we had not considered," said Burkhard Militzer, a professor of earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, who models planetary interiors. "That turned out to be massive flows in the atmosphere at least 9,000 kilometers deep around the equatorial region. We thought preliminarily that these clouds were like clouds on Earth, which are confined to a thin layer and contain almost no mass. But on Saturn they are really massive."

They also calculated that the surface clouds at Saturn's equator rotate 4 percent faster than the layer 9,000 kilometers (about 6,000 miles) deep. That deeper layer takes 9 minutes longer to rotate than do the cloud tops at the equator, which go around the planet once every 10 hours, 33 minutes.

"The discovery of deeply rotating layers is a surprising revelation about the internal structure of the planet," said Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "The question is what causes the more rapidly rotating part of the atmosphere to go so deep and what does that tell us about Saturn's interior."

Militzer also was able to calculate that the rocky core of the planet must be between 15 and 18 times the mass of Earth, which is similar to earlier estimates.

The team, led by Luciano Iess at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, reported their results today in the journal Science.

Did rings come from icy comet?

Earlier estimates of the mass of Saturn's rings -- between one-half and one-third the mass of Mimas -- came from studying the density waves that travel around the rocky, icy rings. These waves are caused by the planet's 62 satellites, including Mimas, which creates the so-called Cassini division between the two largest rings, A and B. Mimas is smooth and round, 246 kilometers in diameter. It has a big impact crater that makes it resemble the Death Star from the Star Wars movies.

"People didn't trust the wave measurements because there might be particles in the rings that are massive but are not participating in the waves," Militzer said. "We always suspected there was some hidden mass that we could not see in the waves."

Luckily, as Cassini approached the end of its life, NASA programmed it to perform 22 dives between the planet and the rings to probe Saturn's gravity field. Earth-based radio telescopes measured the spacecraft's velocity to within a fraction of a millimeter per second.

The new ring mass value is in the range of earlier estimates and allows the researchers to determine their age.

These age calculations, led by Philip Nicholson of Cornell University and Iess, built on a connection that scientists had previously made between the mass of the rings and their age. Lower mass points to a younger age, because the rings are initially made of ice and are bright but over time become contaminated and darkened by interplanetary debris.

"These measurements were only possible because Cassini flew so close to the surface in its final hours," Militzer said. "It was a classic, spectacular way to end the mission."

###

Other co-authors are Sean Wahl of UC Berkeley, Y. Kaspi and E. Galanti of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, D. Durante, P. Racioppa and M.J. Mariani of Sapienza University, A. Anabtawi of JPL, W. Hubbard of the University of Arizona, Tucson, and P. Tortora and M. Zannoni of the University of Bologna in Italy.Permafrost, the ground below the freezing point of water 0  for two or more years, is an element of the cryosphere which has not been as much studied as other soils like glaciers or marine ice, although it plays an important role in the climate evolution of the planet and in several human activities. Now, for the first time, a review of the state of permafrost on Earth has been carried out thanks to the data analysis of more than 120 drillings distributed around the Arctic and the Antarctica, as well as in mountains and high plains worldwide.

The study, titled "Permafrost is warming at a global scale" has been published in the journal Nature Communications, and is led by the researcher Boris Biskaborn, from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Germany). Among the collaborators of the study is Marc Oliva, coordinator of the Research Group Antarctic, Arctic and Alpine Environments (ANTALP), from the University of Barcelona

The analysed data were stored in the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost, an international initiative promoting the homogenization of data gathering on permafrost monitoring. The obtained data from 2007 to 2016 show that soil temperatures of continuous permafrost raised by 0,39  0,15 C, while discontinuous permafrost warmed by 0,20  0,10 C. In high mountains, the permanent frozen soil temperature rose by 0,19  0,05 C and the few existing holes in the Antarctica show a rise of temperatures of the order 0,37  0,10 C. The temperature of the terrestrial permafrost is estimated to have increased by 0,29  0,12  C.

The presence or absence of permafrost in the ground conditions the ecosystems of many areas located in high mountains and latitudes. Permafrost melting causes the release of carbon dioxide and methane, with its consequences, which speed up global warming. Also, this melting can cause the collapse of buildings that have built on it. It should be borne in mind, for instance, that more than 60 % of Russian territory is placed on permafrost areas, like a part of the terrestrial area in the Northern hemisphere. Therefore, this temperature rise of the frozen ground can have social and economic consequences at a local and regional scale, losing equipment, damaging infrastructures, eroding the coast, etc., apart from other implications for the global climate.

The published study in Nature Communications is connected to another study led by researcher Marc Oliva which shows that, due the rise of heat over the last decades, permafrost is only kept in the highest mountain areas in the Mediterranean basin, such as some areas in the Pyrenees, Southern Alps, the Apennines, and the Anatolia mountains, apart from some isolated areas in the Picos de Europa, Sierra Nevada, Atlas mountains and the Balkans. In Catalonia, there is only permafrost in the mountains of Besiberri, and all areas show signs of degradation, which makes it possible for it to disappear during the next decades.

This study was published in Earth-Science Reviews and gathers twenty experts from different areas of the Mediterranean area. For the first time, the conditions of permafrost in southern Europe mountain areas for the last 20,000 years have been reconstructed. The study analyses the evolution of permafrost going from the last glaciation to current date, in a geographical area ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to the Anatolian one, including the north of Africa and the Mediterranean islands. Its conclusion states that, since the last glaciation, the areas that were occupied by permafrost in the Mediterranean mountains have diminished gradually and only some mountains have recovered permafrost during the coldest phases, such as the Little Ice Age (1300-1800 AC). Since then, global warming made permafrost to be found only in the highest areas of Mediterranean mountains.

Over the next years, the members of the ANTALP research group will work on the study of cold processes in the Catalan Pyrenees, where some permafrost remains, although its distribution and expansion is still not widely known. Also, in the International Permafrost Association (IPA) meeting with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Marc Oliva was appointed Spanish representative and co-president of the initiative Antarctic Permafrost, Periglacial Environments and Soil (ANTPAS). The UB researcher notes "everything has to contribute to and promote the study of cold ecosystems in Catalonia, and make the University of Barcelona a model institution in this topic in Southern Europe".

###A group of scientists from Russia's Ural Federal University, headed by Professor Grigory Zyryanov, synthesized a group of multi-purpose fluorophores. The scientists told about the content and results of their research on the unique technology in a respected international scientific journal Dyes and Pigments.

'Fluorophores are powders of different colors, which emit visible radiation (in other words - glow) when exposed to optical emission of a certain band. This phenomenon is called "cold light" or fluorescence,' Zyryanov explains.

Fluorophores are called dyes because they are capable of staining biological objects: for instance, cells, including those affected by pathological processes. It is vital that the dyes, firstly, have the property of selectivity, meaning they stain, say, either healthy or diseased cells only. Secondly, they should be bright, high-contrast, and suitable for observation, since some biological tissues are naturally fluorescent.

The fluorophore is placed in a solvent, preferably water, then either the tested biological object is immersed in the resulting solution, or the solution is applied to the object. In this case, certain electrostatic, donor-acceptor interactions occur between the fluorophore and the bioobject: the fluorophore molecules are captured by receptor fragments of biomolecules (the scientific term for the substance being captured is ligand). As a result, supramolecular structures, (complexes based on non-covalent (weak, reversible) bonds) are formed.

By the way, many of the vital human body functions are controlled mainly by this kind of non-covalent interactions, and we are in some sense unsteady "construction kits".

'Depending on the type and intensity of the "communication" with the processed biological object, either the shift in the fluorescence band (in other words, the change in fluorophore's color, for example, from blue to green or red), or the fluorescent enhancement/quenching occurs. Scientists call this dynamics a change in the physical signal emanating from a fluorophore molecule due to the interaction with the biological object under observation,' Ural Federal University professor explains.

Such reaction indicates, for example, the area affected by pathogenic, particularly cancerous, cells (or, vice versa, healthy tissue surrounded by pathology is brightly stained). Thus, it is possible not only to establish the presence of the disease, but also to observe its development, and in some cases successfully remove the affected tissue surgically.

'Another field of application of fluorophores is pharmacy: they can be used to trace how a drug (for example, an anti-cancer drug) is absorbed by various organs of the human body, what changes in human organs and tissues occur, how benign they are,' Zyryanov adds.

The "behavior" of dyes is an indicator of the presence of explosives. In this case, the receptors of the brightly luminous fluorophore do not "touch", as in the case of the cancer cell, but "smell" the explosive molecule in the air in the form of vapors or nanoparticles, approximately the same way a dog senses explosives with the olfactory receptors of its nose. When in contact with explosives, the fluorophore, as a rule, goes out, as the fluorescent quenching happens, which is indicated with a special device.

Fluorophores are also effective in the express analysis of soils, groundwater and domestic sewage - when it is necessary to check them for the presence of herbicides, industrial wastes or, for example, traces of pharmaceuticals. Instruments commonly used for this purpose (expensive mass spectrometers and mass chromatography mass spectrometers) are large, heavy, and require additional maintenance personnel. In contrast, to conduct an on-site visit with dyes only a small portable laboratory is required.

The uniqueness of the Ekaterinburg scientists' technology lies in its simplicity, relative quickness and locality (due to the simultaneous passage through several stages of synthesis in one reactor). In addition, the creation of dyes is accomplished without solvents, which ensures the environmental sustainability of the process. Using the methods of "green chemistry", waste-free and low-waste technologies is the historically established approach at the Ural Federal University. The work is carried out at the Ural Federal University's Department of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry and at the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Organic Synthesis under the auspices of academicians Oleg Chupakhin and Valery Charushin.

It is also important that UrFU scientists "work up" fluorophores using long-wave radiation: it is more similar to sunlight in terms of range and has great penetrating power, while affecting only the dyes and, unlike short-wave radiation, does not damage surrounding tissues, thus not doing harm to the body by secondary effects caused by radiation, such as photodegradation.

Another advantage of the technology is its low cost. Thus, it is available to medical institutions (like cancer centers) not only in large cities. Moreover, since a slight modification of the fluorophore can drastically change its properties and purpose (the same substance is suitable for working with biological objects, explosives, and pharmaceuticals), the simplicity and low cost of the technology by the Ural scientists create conditions for the synthesis of extensive "libraries" consisting of several dozen dyes for different purposes.

Clinical trials of synthesized fluorophores (the study of the aspects and limits of applicability of the synthesized dyes, the accumulation of statistics) are carried out in medical institutions and research institutes of Ekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region. Foreign colleagues from Europe, Brazil, India, and China also show interest in the research. Professor Ashel Silvan, a member of the editorial board of Dyes and Pigments journal, a French chemist, who recently visited the center of pharmaceutical and chemical technologies at Ural Federal University, where Professor Zyryanov's research team works, expressed admiration for the quality of the laboratory base, scope and level of work. The Ural School of Organic Chemists, founded many years ago by the renowned academician Isaac Postovsky, confirms its leading position in global science.

###Friedrich Simmel und Aurore Dupin, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), have for the first time created artificial cell assemblies that can communicate with each other. The cells, separated by fatty membranes, exchange small chemical signaling molecules to trigger more complex reactions, such as the production of RNA and other proteins.

Scientists around the world are working on creating artificial, cell-like systems that mimic the behavior of living organisms. Friedrich Simmel and Aurore Dupin have now for the first time created such artificial cell assemblies in a fixed spatial arrangement. The highlight is that the cells are able to communicate with each other.

"Our system is a first step towards tissue-like, synthetic biological materials that exhibit complex spatial and temporal behavior in which individual cells specialize and differentiate themselves, not unlike biological organisms," explains Friedrich Simmel, Professor of Physics of Synthetic Biosystems (E14) at TU Munich.

Gene expression in a fixed structure

Gels or emulsion droplets encapsulated in thin fat or polymer membranes serve as the basic building blocks for the artificial cells. Inside these 10 to 100 micron sized units, chemical and biochemical reactions can proceed uninhibited.

The research team used droplets enclosed by lipid membranes and assembled them into artificial multicellular structures called "micro-tissues". The biochemical reaction solutions used in the droplets can produce RNA and proteins, giving the cells a of a kind of gene expression ability.

Signal exchange and spatial differentiation of cells

But that's not all: Small "signal molecules" can be exchanged between cells via their membranes or protein channels built into the membranes. This allows them to temporally and spatially couple with each other. The systems thus become dynamic - as in real life.

Chemical pulses thus propagate through the cell structures and pass on information. The signals can also act as triggers, allowing initially identical cells to develop differently. "Our system is the first example of a multicellular system in which artificial cells with gene expression have a fixed arrangement and are coupled via chemical signals. In this way, we achieved a form of spatial differentiation, "says Simmel.

Models, mini factories and microsensors

Developing these kinds of synthetic systems is important since they allow scientists to investigate fundamental questions about the origins of life in a model. Complex organisms became possible only after cells began specializing and distributing work between cooperating cells. How this came about is among the most fascinating questions in basic research.

Using a modular construction kit of tailor-made cell systems, the researchers hope to simulate various properties of biological systems in the future. The idea is that cells react to their environment and learn to act independently.

The first applications are already on the horizon: In the long term, artificial cell assemblies can be deployed as mini-factories to produce specific biomolecules, or as tiny micro-robot sensors that process information and adapt to their environments.

Cells from a 3-D printer

Friedrich Simmel and Aurore Dupin still assemble their cell systems manually using micromanipulators. In the future, however, they plan to cooperate with the Munich University of Applied Sciences, for example, to systematically build larger and more lifelike systems using 3-D printing technology.

###

Further information:

This work was funded by the European Research Council and the DFG Cluster of Excellence Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM). Aurore Dupin was supported by the DFG Research Training Group "Chemical Foundations of Synthetic Biology".

Publication:

Signalling and differentiation in emulsion-based multi-compartmentalized in vitro gene circuits

Aurore Dupin and Friedrich C. Simmel?

Nature Chemistry, Nov. 26, 2018 - DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0174-9

Nature News&Views: Dec. 14. 2018 - DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0192-7Performance targets, increased workload, curriculum changes and other bureaucratic changes are eroding teachers' professional identity and harming their mental health, a new study in Educational Review finds.

The study's authors interviewed 39 teachers across England and Wales who had experienced long term absence from work due to mental health problems, and six head, deputy and assistant head teachers who had dealt with mental health problems among staff.

The teachers cited constant, complex change in educational policies, target-led performance, lack of managerial support and heavy workload as causes of increased stress and anxiety. They spoke of disillusionment, loss of self-esteem and feelings of failure, leading some to take early retirement or, in one case, attempt suicide due to pressure of work.

Many believed that the focus on targets and results is fundamentally altering the teacher's role as educator and getting in the way of the pupil-teacher relationship, ultimately harming the learning opportunities and failing to address the psychological needs of children. Job satisfaction is also being eroded by bureaucratic demands, with excessive paperwork and pressure to improve results adding to teachers' already heavy workloads.

Difficulties with leadership and management styles were widespread, with many teachers feeling they were under constant scrutiny and pressure to perform to unrealistic expectations. Although conscious of the pressures on school managers to successfully implement new policies, teachers felt excluded from the process and ill-equipped to make the required changes.

This managerialist approach to education and the consequent loss of decision-making about classroom practice left many teachers with doubts about their role. Most felt that they were failing the children and themselves by no longer being able to encourage active learning in the classroom.

The study's Principal Investigator, Gerry Leavey, Director of the Bamford Centre for Mental Health & Wellbeing at Ulster University said: "The destruction of self-esteem and effectiveness, combined with the despair of an externally constructed failure permeated most of our interviews with teachers. Their comments express a tension between the old view of what it means to be a teacher - commitment, service to the school and pupils' learning - and the new managerialist view - accountability, performativity and meeting standards in a new, corporate world."

"This tension is often internalised and impacts on teachers' identity. It often pits taking care of themselves and the non-academic needs of pupils against management duties and targets. Too often, this leads to stress and mental health problems. Too many good teachers are leaving the profession through ill-health".

Dr Barbara Skinner, an educationalist at Ulster University, added that: "Educational reforms, and the rigidly prescribed organisational and management structures that accompany them, should be weighed against their impacts on professional identity and personal well-being. We also need better evidence-based interventions to promote teacher well-being"

###

FURTHER INFORMATION

To arrange an interview, please contact:

Professor Gerard Leavey, Ulster University

Email: g.leavey@ulster.ac.uk

For a copy of the study, please contact:

Jodie Bell, Press & Media Relations Manager

Email: newsroom@taylorandfrancis.com

Tel.: +44-0-20-7017-6571

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The article will be freely available once the embargo has lifted via the following link: https:/ / tandfonline. com/ doi/ full/ 10. 1080/ 00131911. 2018. 1556205

About Taylor & Francis Group

Taylor & Francis Group partners with researchers, scholarly societies, universities and libraries worldwide to bring knowledge to life. As one of the world's leading publishers of scholarly journals, books, ebooks and reference works our content spans all areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Science, and Technology and Medicine.

From our network of offices in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Boston, Melbourne, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi and Cape Town, Taylor & Francis staff provide local expertise and support to our editors, societies and authors and tailored, efficient customer service to ourIf you step on a tack, neurons in your brain will register two things: that there's a piercing physical sensation in your foot, and that it's not pleasant. Now, a team of scientists at Stanford University has identified a bundle of brain cells in mice responsible for the latter -- that is, the negative emotions of pain.

Pain research has traditionally focused on the neurons and molecules at the front line of pain perception -- the cells in nerves that process stings, cuts, burns and the like -- and ultimately convey a physical threat message. What Gregory Scherrer, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology and of neurosurgery, and Mark Schnitzer, PhD, associate professor of biology and of applied physics, are studying goes one step further. "We're looking at what the brain makes of that information," Scherrer said. "While painful stimuli are detected by nerves, this information doesn't mean anything emotionally until it reaches the brain, so we set out to find the cells in the brain that are behind the unpleasantness of pain."

Backed by animal-brain imaging and molecular testing, the researchers have found an ensemble of cells in the amygdala, a region of the brain classically associated with emotion and fear, that seems to specifically function as an on-off switch for pain aversion. And although the finding was made in mice, there's reason to think it could one day serve as a therapeutic target for human pain, since the mouse and human amygdala aren't so different in function. Researching this group of cells could reveal a potential treatment for chronic pain, the scientists hope.

The idea is that patients suffer from the emotional unpleasantness of pain, rather than pain sensation itself. If there's a way to dull the emotional hurt, rather than the physical sensation of pain, that could be big for chronic pain patients.

A paper describing the results of the study will be published Jan. 18 in Science. Scherrer and Schnitzer, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, share senior authorship. Postdoctoral scholar Gregory Corder, PhD and former postdoctoral scholar Biafra Ahanonu, PhD, are the co-lead authors.

Peeping at pain neurons

The amygdala seemed to the researchers a logical place to start, since it's a well-established hub for emotion in the brain. Within the amygdala, they narrowed their search by looking for neurons in mice that were active during brief pain stimulation -- such as a drop of hot, but not scalding, water applied to a paw. Neurons that are active express more of a specific gene called c-Fos, and indeed, a sea of c-Fos-expressing neurons flared after this stimulus.

"But that really only tells you that those neurons were active at some point, and it's not specific enough," Scherrer said. "What we wanted was to look at the neurons of freely moving animals."

To observe the deep-seated wiring of a mouse's brain, Scherrer partnered with Schnitzer, who had developed a "miniscope" -- a microscope about the length of a small paper clip, which could be affixed to a mouse's head to record activity in its brain. They positioned the device strategically to visualize the amygdala. The mouse, alive and well, could stroll as it pleased, while the miniscope recorded calcium flux in the neurons, a proxy for cell activity.

The scientists monitored the mouse brains with the microscope, watched the mice detect something uncomfortable, observed the aversive reactions and then checked which neurons were active. "With this setup, we identified a set of neurons in the amygdala that selectively encodes signals related to the emotional aspects of a painful experience," Schnitzer said.

When the mice touched a drop of uncomfortably hot or cold water (neither of which were severe enough to injure the mice) they withdrew, signaling to the scientists that the rodents were not pleased. Upon this withdrawal, the microscope's recording showed a bundle of neurons firing in the amygdala -- specifically in the basolateral region -- suggesting that these neurons were specifically responsible for the emotion of pain.

It was, however, still possible that this basolateral ensemble was simply firing to relay general emotion, rather than specifically the unpleasantness of pain. So, the researchers fed the mice sugar water -- a sweet treat known to bring joy to any mouse -- and kept an eye on the collection of neurons suspected to relay displeasure. As expected, those neurons stayed silent.

"There's also a difference between experiencing pain and experiencing something annoying, so we further wanted to test if the amygdala neurons active during pain were also associated with overall negative emotion, rather than pain particularly," Scherrer said.

What miffs a mouse? The same things that might bother a sibling: tiny puffs of air to the face, an unappetizingly bitter taste or a very bad smell. While bothering the mice, the researchers again monitored the basolateral amygdala pain ensemble, and here, too, the neurons remained subdued.

Tracking the perception of pain

"After all of that, we concluded that this ensemble of neurons selectively responds during pain," Scherrer said. "But it still didn't fully demonstrate that they underpinned the emotional response."

To investigate that question more deeply, the researchers set up a walking track with three invisible lanes: On the far left was a cold strip, on the right, a hot one; and in between the two was a temperate middle ground. (For context, walking in the two outer lanes was comparable to briefly walking barefoot on pavement in the midst of winter or summer, respectively -- uncomfortable, but not permanently damaging.)

Normal mice that walked on the track gradually learned that the middle lane was tolerable, while the outer two were unpleasant. But in a select group of mice, the researchers temporarily disabled the bundle of amygdala pain neurons thought to relay feelings of physical discomfort. These mice -- free of pain-incited unpleasantness -- skittered around the outer regions, undeterred by the extreme temperatures.

What's intriguing about this, Scherrer said, was that these mice weren't bereft of physical feeling. "Pain was just no longer unpleasant for them," he said. The rodents could still feel and respond to physical sensations, but the stimuli they once perceived as unpleasant (hot or cold drops of water) were no longer bothersome. When exposed to a drop of hot water, for example, the mice with a muted basolateral neural ensemble would move their paw away from the dropper, signaling that they felt the stimulus -- but they would move their paw back to its original position, something that normal mice did not do. This is a crucial part of harnessing the ensemble as a tool in pain therapy, Scherrer said, as an animal, or human, without the ability to physically feel anything at all leaves them vulnerable to injury.

Long term, Scherrer aims to confirm that the function of the basolateral ensemble in mice is the same as it is in people, and then down the line, find a safe and effective way to silence the ensemble's function without interfering with other neurons.

"There's really no good treatment for chronic pain in humans, and that's a major driver of the opioid epidemic," Scherrer said. "But you'll notice, patients who take opioids for pain report that they can still feel the sensation of pain but say it's less bothersome -- the emotions of pain are different. Our big future hope is that the cells in the basolateral ensemble could be a tactic to curb the ailment of pain without causing addiction and thus, ideally, act as a possible substitute for opioid treatment."

###

Other Stanford authors of the study are former Stanford postdoctoral scholar Benjamin Grewe, PhD; and research scientist Dong Wang, PhD.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants R00DA031777, R01NS106301, K99DA043609, F32DA041029 and T32DA35165), the New York Stem Cell Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, the American Pain Society, the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Stanford's departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, of Neurosurgery, of Biology and of Applied Physics also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med. stanford. edu/ school. html . The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med. stanford. edu .

Print media contact:

Hanae Armitage

650-725-5376

harmitag@stanford.edu

Broadcast media contact:

Margarita Gallardo

650-723-7897

mjgallardo@stanford.eduImmune cells engineered to attack childhood cancers were able to eradicate different types of pediatric tumors in mice, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The study, which will be published online Jan. 17 in Clinical Cancer Research, provides evidence that these engineered cells can target many types of pediatric solid tumors, including brain tumors. Better treatments are badly needed for children with these tumors, particularly when traditional therapies fail.

"The prognosis for children with relapsed brain tumors or solid tumors or metastatic disease generally is dismal," said Robbie Majzner, MD, the lead author of the new study and an instructor in pediatrics at Stanford. "We're excited that we have a potential therapeutic representing a completely new modality to treat these children." The study's senior author is Crystal Mackall, MD, the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and a professor of pediatrics and of medicine.

Immunotherapies that work well for adult cancers do not always succeed against childhood cancers, Majzner noted. One approach, called checkpoint inhibition, targets gene mutations that are limited in most pediatric cancers.

Another immunotherapy method, using chimeric antigen receptor T cells, or CAR-T cells, is the basis of a treatment for one form of relapsed childhood leukemia. Leukemia is a type of blood cancer. That therapy, tisagenlecleucel (brand name Kymriah), employs synthetic biology to make immune cells that react to a surface marker found on the leukemia cells.

CAR-T for pediatric solid tumors

Majzner and his colleagues decided to try to make CAR-T cells for pediatric brain tumors and solid tumors, including tumors found in bone and muscle. These cancers do not carry the same surface markers as leukemia, so the scientists' first step was to look for another marker that engineered immune cells could target.

"You need high amounts of the target on the tumor cells, and you may need the target to be on every cell in a tumor," Majzner said. The ideal surface marker must not be highly expressed on healthy tissue, to prevent engineered immune cells from attacking normal tissues.

The researchers screened 388 pediatric tumor samples for expression of a surface marker called B7-H3, which prior studies suggested might be a good candidate. B7-H3 was found on 84 percent of the samples, and it was present at high levels in 70 percent of samples. Many types of pediatric cancer were found to express high levels of B7-H3, including Ewing sarcoma (bone), rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle), Wilms tumor (kidneys), neuroblastoma (nerve cells) and medulloblastoma (brain).

The fact that the same marker exists across so many tumor types increases the chance that it could serve as the basis for a commercially viable therapy, Majzner said. Each tumor is fairly rare, with a few hundred children affected across the United States each year, but together they form a larger patient population.

'The tumor just goes away'

The scientists then developed six types of CAR-T cells to target B7-H3 and tested them in a dish. The type of B7-H3 CAR-T cells that performed best was used for further studies.

The researchers tested these B7-H3 CAR-T cells against several xenograft models of pediatric cancer, in which human tumors were implanted in mice. In mice with osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma -- both bone tumors -- B7-H3 CAR-T cells eradicated the tumors. The treated mice lived significantly longer than animals that received a control treatment.

"The tumor just goes away," Majzner said. "It's very consistent. It happened in all the mice, and that's exciting."

A group of mice with osteosarcoma had their initial tumors surgically removed and then received B7-H3 CAR-T cells to test whether the cells could treat cancer cells that had spread to the lungs. Again, the CAR-T cells worked; the treated mice lived significantly longer than those in a control group.

The researchers also tested B7-H3 CAR-T cells in mice implanted with a pediatric brain tumor called medulloblastoma. The CAR-T cells were injected into the blood and were able to cross the blood-brain barrier and eradicate the tumors.

The researchers showed that B7-H3 CAR-T cells do not attack cells expressing low levels of B7-H3, a reassuring finding since some healthy cells produce low levels of the marker.

"We're hopeful that there may be a therapeutic window of B7-H3 levels between tumor tissue and normal tissue," Majzner said. "The only way to find out is to test our new CAR-T cells in clinical trials."

Clinical trials planned

The team is now planning a series of phase-1 clinical trials for the B7-H3 CAR-T cells, starting with adult brain tumor patients. B7-H3 is not expressed on healthy tissues in the central nervous system, making it a good starting point for human trials.

The risk exists that the treatment may leave behind a few rare cancer cells that do not carry B7-H3, which could cause a relapse, Majzner noted. "We're already making combination CAR cells that combine several targets and optimizing those for future clinical trials," he said.

###

The study's other Stanford authors are postdoctoral scholars Johanna Theruvath, MD, and Sabine Heitzeneder, MD; MD-PhD student Christopher Mount; life science researchers Skyler Rietberg and Peng Xu; graduate students Miles Linde and Louai Labanieh; senior research scientist Elena Sotillo, PhD; former senior research scientist Siddhartha Mitra, PhD; Ravindra Majeti, MD, PhD, professor of medicine; and Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology.

Majzner is a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute. Majeti, Monje and Mackall are members of Stanford Bio-X, the Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute and the Stanford Cancer Institute. Majeti and Monje are also members of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Monje is a member of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford. Mackall is director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford and founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy.

Researchers at the University of Colorado-Denver, the National Cancer Institute, the University of Virginia, the University of Washington, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of British Columbia, the British Columbia Cancer Research Center, the British Columbia Cancer Agency, MacroGenics Inc., the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania also contributed to the study.

Mackall and some of the co-authors at other institutions hold patents on the use of B7-H3 CAR-T cells for cancer immunotherapy, as well as on anti-B7-H3 antibodies and single chain variable fragments. Mackall is a founder of and holds equity in Lyell Immunopharma.

The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, the St. Baldrick's Foundation and Stand Up 2 Cancer.

Stanford's departments of Pediatrics and of Medicine also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med. stanford. edu/ school. html . The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med. stanford. edu .

Print media contact: Erin Digitale at (650) 724-9175 (digitale@stanford.edu)

Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at (650) 723-7897 (mjgallardo@stanford.edu)Im happy to hear there have been at least some changes made, said Del. Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The depth of the problem is enormous.  What happens when the Baltimore Police Department does not make the progress necessary?Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16)  The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued a warning for retailers who will not follow the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) exemption on medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol under the tax reform law.

BIR Deputy Commissioner Marissa Cabreros said those found not implementing that portion of the law, which took effect January 1, 2019, may face hefty fines and possible imprisonment.

"If found guilty na hindi tama ang pag-invoice nila, maaari po silang mapatawan ng penalty at may imprisonment po yan na kaakibat na minimum six months," Cabreros said during a Malacanang briefing Wednesday.

[Translation: If found guilty that they were not following, they may be punished with penalty as well as imprisonment of minimum six months.]

Cabreros said some merchants have not yet programmed their cash registers to reflect the VAT exemptions in receipts.

She advised them to instead issue handwritten receipts to reflect the tax exemption.

Cabreros added there was enough lead time for retailers to prepare.

"If the system nila cannot do so, they are supposed to issue a manual resibo to recognize the VAT exemption and clearly indicate in the face of the resibo 'VAT exempt'," she said.

[Translation: If their system cannot do so, they are supposed to issue a manual receipt to recognize the VAT exemption and clearly indicate in the face of the receipt that it was 'VAT exempt'.]

"So hindi po dapat tanggapin yung rasong 'yung aming kaha eh hindi pwedeng magluwa ng resibong 'VAT-exempt'."

[Translation: So we will not accept the reason that "our registers cannot give out tax exempt receipts."]

The Finance Department said the government is expected to lose P3.6 billion in revenues from the VAT exemption, but the BIR said it intends to make up for it by going after tax evaders more aggressively.

The Health Department estimated about seven to 10 million Filipinos have diabetes, while another seven to 10 million suffer from hypertension.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Ina Andolong contributed to this report.Results from the largest study of hepatitis B and C and HIV infection prevalence in cancer patients show an alarmingly high rate of undiagnosed acute and chronic hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis B and C are serious but treatable viral infections that cancer patients should know they have - because these viruses can cause life-threatening complications when certain cancer treatments are used.

Investigators from SWOG Cancer Research Network, an international cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the study, the results of which appear today in JAMA Oncology. The SWOG team found that a substantial portion of newly diagnosed cancer patients with hepatitis B or C were unaware of their viral infection. Many had no identifiable risk factors for these infections, such as injection drug use.

The findings suggest that universal screening for hepatitis B or C may be warranted in community cancer clinics - a move that would allow physicians to help patients avoid liver failure, kidney disease, or other complications from hepatitis. Universal testing would also help care teams make more informed choices about cancer treatments, including avoiding those that may cause hepatitis viruses to reactivate and spread - making cancer patients even sicker. There is some evidence that anti-CD20 therapies, such as the drug rituximab, as well as hematopoietic cell transplantation, both treatments for lymphomas and leukemias, can cause some infection-causing viruses to reactivate and multiply.

"As a cancer patient, or physician, I would want to know the results of a hepatitis screening test," said Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD, a SWOG investigator and a director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "The presence of a potentially life-threatening infection could guide care in very important ways. In medicine, more knowledge is always better."

The SWOG study, known as S1204, is notable for its large size and its diverse patient sample.

Between 2013 and 2017, 3,051 eligible patients were enrolled and received a simple blood test checking for the presence of the HIV virus, as well as the presence of the hepatitis B virus and the hepatitis C virus. Patients lived in both rural and urban areas and were treated at 18 different academic and community hospitals across the county, from Montana to Massachusetts. The median age was 60.6 years, and 60 percent of participants were female. Minority enrollment was high; Of total patients enrolled, 18 percent were Latino and 18 percent were African-American. The most common types of cancer study participants were being treated for included breast, blood, bone marrow, colorectal, and lung.

S1204 is also notable for its results. Despite varying oncology practice guidelines on viral screening for cancer patients, there is very little evidence to base those guidelines on. Ramsey and his team sought to inform the debate over universal screenings in the cancer community by understanding how prevalent HIV and hepatitis are among newly diagnosed patients.

Here's what they found:

6.5 percent of patients had past hepatitis B, 0.6 percent had chronic hepatitis B, 2.4 percent had hepatitis C, and 1.1 percent had HIV - infection rates similar to those found in the general U.S. population.

Importantly, a substantial proportion of patients with past (87.3 percent) and chronic (42.1 percent) hepatitis B infections were undiagnosed prior to the study screening, as well as a large proportion of people with hepatitis C infections (31 percent).

No evidence of large numbers of undiagnosed HIV infections, although 5.9 percent of people with HIV were newly diagnosed through the study.

Many patients had no risk factors for their viral infections - 27.4 percent for past hepatitis B, 21.1 percent of patients with chronic hepatitis B, 32.4 percent with hepatitis C and 20.6 percent with HIV.

"While our results don't suggest that universal HIV screening is necessary for cancer patients, they do provide new evidence to inform a discussion in the oncology community about whether we should require hepatitis screenings," Ramsey said. "Screening may be especially important now that we've entered the age of immunotherapies for cancer - treatments that may affect cancer patients' immune systems and alter the course of their viral infections. While we don't know much about the impact of immunotherapies on patients with cancer and hepatitis and other viral infections, oncologists should know as much as possible about the overall health of the people they treat."

Joseph Unger, PhD, a SWOG biostatistician also based at Fred Hutch, said universal screening for hepatitis is an important debate for the cancer care and research community to engage in, especially given the large proportion of hepatitis cases that S1204 showed are undiagnosed.

"From a public health perspective, chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C are a significant challenge, since these infections affect millions of Americans, including many patients with cancer," Unger said. "Testing cancer patients for these diseases could catch a lot of undiagnosed cases and help modify their cancer care to improve outcomes."

Currently, Ramsey is analyzing results of a separate SWOG study that would determine whether universal hepatitis and HIV screenings of cancer patients would be cost effective. While blood tests for viral infections are fairly cheap - the ones used in S1204 cost no more than $80 to process at a lab and were largely covered by insurance - more than 1.7 million Americans were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in 2018. That's a lot of tests - and a lot of money. Results of the cost effectiveness study will be released later this year.

###

This SWOG study was conducted using specially designated Office of AIDS Research funding allocated to National Cancer Institute and supported by the National Institutes of Health under grants CA189974, CA180888, and CA180819.

Ramsey's SWOG team includes Joseph Unger, PhD of Fred Hutch; Laurence Baker, DO, of University of Michigan; Richard Little, MD, of the National Cancer Institute; Rohit Loomba, MD, of the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center; Jessica Hwang, MD, MPH, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Rashmi Chugh, MD, of University of Michigan; Monica Konerman, MD, of University of Michigan; Kathyn Arnold, MS, of Fred Hutch; Alex Menter, MD, of Kaiser-Permanente-Lonetree; Eva Thomas, MD, of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Oakland; Ross Michels, MD, NCORP of the Carolinas; Carla Walker Jorgensen, MD, NCORP of the Carolinas; Gary Burton, MD, of Gulf South MU-NCORP/Louisiana State University; Nishin Bhadkamkar, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; and Dawn L. Hershman, MD, of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

SWOG Cancer Research Network is part of the National Cancer Institute's National Clinical Trials Network and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program, and is part of the oldest and largest publicly-funded cancer research network in the nation. SWOG has nearly 12,000 members in 46 states and six foreign countries who design and conduct clinical trials to improve the lives of people with cancer. SWOG trials have led to the approval of 14 cancer drugs, changed more than 100 standards of cancer care, and saved more than 3 million years of human life. Learn more at swog.org.Despite recommendations first issued more than a decade ago, antibiotics are still routinely prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms for infants with bronchiolitis, a common viral lung infection. Published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the findings highlight a concerning lag in translating evidence-based guidelines into clinical practice and underscore the need to continue educating health care providers and the public about appropriate antibiotic use.

Bronchiolitis develops when the lung's small airways, or bronchioles, become inflamed and congested, usually because of a viral infection, for which antibiotics offer no benefit. The illness is the leading cause of hospitalizations for U.S. children in their first year of life. In 2006, guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended against antibiotic treatment for bronchiolitis in children without a documented bacterial infection.

In the new study, researchers analyzed data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. emergency room visits conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2007 and 2015, approximately 25 percent of children under the age of 2 with bronchiolitis who were seen in an emergency room received antibiotics, the analysis found, suggesting minimal improvement in antibiotic prescribing compared to previous years. There were no significant changes over time in antibiotic prescription rates during the nine years after the guidelines were published. Among the patients who received antibiotics, 70 percent had no documented bacterial infection, for which an antibiotic may have been an appropriate treatment.

Antibiotics, like all medications, are not harmless and may cause side effects, including allergic reactions and adverse events. A previous study found that side effects from antibiotics result in approximately 70,000 emergency room visits among U.S. children each year. Overusing or misusing antibiotics also contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can cause drug-resistant, and harder-to-treat, infections, a growing threat to public health in the U.S. and around the world.

"Targeted interventions to reduce inappropriate prescribing among clinicians are essential," said Brett Burstein, MD, PhD, MPH, of the Montreal Children's Hospital and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and senior author of the latest study. "But at the same time, informing the lay public about the potential downstream consequences and why it is important not to over-treat viral conditions are equally important."

The new analysis also found that increased antibiotic prescribing for children with bronchiolitis was associated with receiving treatment in hospitals that were not teaching hospitals or pediatric hospitals. The findings suggest that these types of facilities may benefit the most from efforts to more effectively translate guidelines for appropriate bronchiolitis treatment into changes in actual clinical practice, the study authors noted.

Fast Facts

Bronchiolitis is a common lung infection in young children, usually caused by a virus, in which the lung's small airways, or bronchioles, become inflamed and congested.

Antibiotics continue to be routinely prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms for infants with bronchiolitis, despite guidelines issued in 2006 that recommend against doing so.

From 2007 to 2015, one-fourth of children under age 2 with bronchiolitis who were seen in U.S. emergency rooms received antibiotics, among whom 70 percent had no documented bacterial infections, suggesting little improvement in antibiotic prescribing compared to previous years.

###

Editor's Note: The study is embargoed until 12:05 a.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 17. For an embargoed copy, please contact Terri Christene Phillips, MSA (cphillips@idsociety.org, 703-299-9865).

The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society is dedicated to perinatal, childhood, and adolescent infectious diseases. The journal, which recently received its first Impact Factor, publishes original research articles, clinical trial reports, guidelines, and topical reviews, with particular attention to global pediatric communities. It is the official journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS). Follow the journal on Twitter.Coinfection with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been observed in at least 35 countries on four continents and requires special case management. Currently, the World Health Organization recommends AmBisome monotherapy for treatment. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have showed that a combination therapy of AmBisome and miltefosine is more effective.

HIV affects VL by increasing its incidence, altering its symptoms and severity, and worsening treatment outcomes and relapse rates. While affective antiretroviral therapies have lowered the incidence of VL in HIV, it still remains a prevalent co-infection in some places. In Northwest Ethiopia, HIV rates among VL patients range from 20 to 40%. Studies have shown that 30 mg/kg AmBisome is effective in 43-70% of HIV co-infected patients, and also carries toxicity and an increased risk of death.

In the new work, Severine Blesson, of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative in Switzerland, and colleagues began a compassionate use clinical trial regimen combining AmBiosome and miltefosine in a treatment center in Northwest Ethiopia. Efficacy was measured by measuring parasite clearance at 29 days and 58 days. Out of 536 VL patients, 81 were HIV positive and 59 were enrolled in the trial. 19 of those received the standard of care, with AmBiosome monotherapy, and 39 received the combination therapy.

After 29 days, the adjusted efficacy was 50% for AmBisome along and 67% for the combination therapy. At day 58, is was 55% for the monotherapy and 88% for the combination. Additionally, no safety concerns about the combination therapy were identified.

"The results of this randomized trial strongly support a change in the treatment recommendations for HIV-VL co-infected patients," the researchers say. But, they also caution, "these results, even if encouraging, cannot be extrapolated to other settings without reservation."

###

Peer-reviewed / Observational Study / People

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper: http://journals. plos. org/ plosntds/ article?id= 10. 1371/ journal. pntd. 0006988

Citation: Diro E, Blesson S, Edwards T, Ritmeijer K, Fikre H, et al. (2019) A randomized trial of AmBisome monotherapy and AmBisome and miltefosine combination to treat visceral leishmaniasis in HIV co-infected patients in Ethiopia. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 13(1): e0006988. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1371/ journal. pntd. 0006988

Funding: Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement n305178, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS), the Netherlands/a> under grant agreement PDP15CH21; the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF through KfW), Germany under grant agreement signed on December 12th 2011; Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders, International under grant agreement signed on April 10th 2014; the Medicor Foundation, Liechtenstein under grant agreement FL-0001.526.038-3; UK aid, UK under grant agreement n204075-101; the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland under grant agreement n81017718. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared no competing interests exist.Separate skeletons suggested to be from different early hominin species are, in fact, from the same species, a team of anthropologists has concluded in a comprehensive analysis of remains first discovered a decade ago.

The research appears in a special issue of the journal PaleoAnthropology and is part of a series of articles that offers the most comprehensive accounting to date of Australopithecus sediba (A. sediba), a hominin species discovered in South Africa in 2008.

The fossil site of Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa yielded two partial skeletons: a juvenile male individual--Malapa Hominin 1 (MH1)--and an adult female (MH2); each is more complete than the famous "Lucy" specimen from Ethiopia. The discovery of Malapa was made by Lee Berger, a professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, who, with colleagues, dated the site to just under two million years old. They named a new hominin species, Australopithecus sediba, based on MH1 and MH2.

Over the past decade, researchers have been piecing together these skeletons; the culmination of their work appears in PaleoAnthropology, co-edited by New York University anthropologist Scott Williams and Dartmouth College anthropologist Jeremy DeSilva. The issue's nine papers, which analyze 135 fossils, outline A. sediba's skull, vertebral column, thorax, pelvis, upper limb, hand, and lower limb as well as its body proportions and walking mechanics.

The papers' consensus is that A. sediba is a unique species distinct from both A. africanus, with which it shares a close geographic proximity, and from early members of the genus Homo (e.g., H. habilis) in both East and South Africa, but that it shares features with both groups, suggesting a close evolutionary relationship.

"Our interpretations in the papers suggest that A. sediba was adapted to terrestrial bipedalism, but also spent significant time climbing in trees, perhaps for foraging and protection from predators," says Williams, whose research in the issue centered on the axial skeleton (vertebrae, ribs, and sternum). "This larger picture sheds light on the lifeways of A. sediba and also on a major transition in hominin evolution, that of the largely ape-like species included broadly in the genus Australopithecus to the earliest members of our own genus, Homo."

A few years ago, a separate research group posited that the hominin fossils at Malapa belonged to two different species--in part due to differences in their lumbar vertebrae. However, an analysis by Williams and his colleagues, including two Ph.D. candidates in anthropology at NYU, Jennifer Eyre and Thomas Prang, indicates that both are from A. sediba and that distinctions are due to age.

"The differences in these vertebrae can simply be attributed to their developmental age differences: the juvenile individual's vertebrae have not yet completed growth, whereas the adult's vertebra growth is complete," he explains. "As it happens, the two Homo erectus skeletons we have are juveniles, so MH1 looks more similar to them because it too is a juvenile."

###CHICAGO --- A new Northwestern Medicine study found only 13 percent of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were appropriate, with 36 percent considered potentially appropriate.

The study, conducted with the University of Michigan and Harvard University's Brigham and Women's Hospital, provides the most extensive assessment of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions to date and demonstrates the scale of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in the U.S.

Overuse of antibiotics contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance -- a major public health concern -- increases health-care costs and exposes patients to unnecessary side effects.

The study will be published today, Jan. 16, in the journal The British Journal of Medicine (BMJ).

It also found that 23 percent of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate and 28 percent were not associated with any diagnosis code at all -- suggesting that the rate of inappropriate prescriptions may in fact be even higher.

The study used a novel classification scheme and is uniquely comprehensive. For the first time, the scientists evaluated all 91,738 diagnosis codes inICD-10 (the system used in the U.S. to code diagnoses) and categorized each for antibiotic appropriateness.They also examined all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions among a cohort of 19.2 million patients, irrespective of the reason or site of care.

"Most prior studies have looked at antibiotic prescribing for a particular condition or in a particular location -- for example, antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis in the emergency department," said co-author Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics in the department of medicine and the Michael A. Gertz Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "This allowed us to take a broader look at the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing than has been done before."

Despite initiatives to curb the problem, a significant proportion of prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary. However, prior studies are limited in scope and largely out of date; in particular, most relied on diagnosis codes in ICD-9, although the system was replaced with ICD-10 in 2015.

In the current study, the scientists developed a new, comprehensive ICD-10-based classification scheme that determined whether each of the more than 90,000 diagnosis codes "always," "sometimes" or "never" justified treatment with antibiotics.

"No one had gone through all available codes before," Linder said.

The team then used the new scheme to evaluate 15.5 million outpatient antibiotic prescriptions filled in 2016 by a large cohort of privately insured U.S. children and non-elderly adults. The scientists assigned each prescription fill to one of four categories: either "appropriate," "potentially appropriate," "inappropriate" or "not associated with a recent diagnosis code."

They found that just 13 percent of prescriptions were appropriate, 36 percent were potentially appropriate and 23 percent were inappropriate. They also found that 28 percent were not associated with any diagnosis code at all -- suggesting that the rate of inappropriate prescriptions may in fact be even higher.

"This means that our prior methods of looking at antibiotic prescribing based on location or specific diagnosis code is missing a huge proportion of antibiotics," Linder said.

Beyond highlighting the widespread overuse of antibiotics in the U.S., the study could also help facilitate future research; the authors note that the new classification scheme could be applied to any dataset using ICD-10 codes, providing a valuable tool for scientists.

###

Dr. Kao-Ping Chua, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, was the study's corresponding author. Dr. Michael A. Fischer, associate professor of medicine in the division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at Harvard University's Brigham and Women's Hospital, was a co-author.

The BMJ study was supported by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R01HS024930) and a contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HHSP233201500020I).Our body's cells are constantly changing. But which of these changes are healthy developments and which lead to serious diseases? This is what LifeTime, a new transnational and interdisciplinary initiative of leading European researchers, aims to discover. The consortium is jointly coordinated by the Max Delbruck Center in Berlin and the Institut Curie in Paris, with the Helmholtz Association and the CNRS. It has now cleared an important hurdle: LifeTime will be given one million euros and one year to develop a plan to embed its vision for a healthier future within the European research and innovation landscape.

How can we detect the first signs of disease as early as possible? Could closer investigation at the cellular level help to quickly prevent disease progression through appropriate treatment? The European Union is now investing a million euros over a one-year period to devise the plan for a fundamentally new approach to understanding the constant changes within cells and their relationships to one another, thus creating the foundation for the precision medicines of the future. These funds will go to the international LifeTime consortium, which is jointly coordinated by the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Institut Curie.

The two largest European research organizations - Germany's Helmholtz Association and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France - are playing a major role in the project. More than 120 scientists at 53 institutions in 18 European countries are supporting the LifeTime consortium, as are more than 60 partners from industry. The European Union will concurrently fund the preparation of five other potential research initiatives. After the first year of funding, it will be up to the European Union to decide if any of them will be continued as a large-scale research initiative.

Precise therapeutic strategies

If a 58-year-old woman experiences a heart attack, there is currently only one option available to her. Physicians will use a cardiac catheter to look for obstructed or narrowed blood vessels and then treat her according to textbook protocols. The procedure might look different in the future: Physicians first take a tiny sample at the site of the heart attack. They then sequence the RNA which is expressed there by the DNA in individual cells, thereby identifying the cell aggregates that have become inflamed and that can either heal the aftereffects of the heart attack or cause additional damage.

What is crucial here is the development of innovative technologies that enable scientists to not only analyze cell populations, but also study individual cells in detail. Data gathered this way can be used by physicians to design precise therapeutic strategies.

This vision of precision medicine cannot be realized by only gathering human behavioral data from smartphones and wearable microcomputers - so-called wearables. Instead, it requires an understanding of how individual cells in our body change over time. That is because cells are not static components, but rather dynamic units that undergo constant transformation. Even when we are healthy, our cells develop and multiply, form tissues with numerous other cells, acquire new characteristics, or simply age all the time. Such change can be a normal development or lay the foundation for disease. Cells are especially prone to change over the course of the disease process.

Unlocking the future: single-cell biology, organoids, and AI

LifeTime's research teams bring together cutting-edge technologies and by collaborating within the project and they can significantly push forward their development in Europe. For example, miniature organs grown in the petri dish - so-called organoids - and other innovative system such as new single-cell biology techniques - recently selected as Science's breakthrough of 2018 - play a crucial role here. The organoids derived from patients' stem cells enable the development of personalized disease models. Combined with the genome editing tool CRISPR, as well as state-of-the-art microscopy, and other models they will help scientists understand how cells stay healthy or progress towards disease and react to therapeutics.

The experiments - performed using high-throughput methods - generate huge amounts of data. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are therefore required for the analysis. The computational strategies identify patterns in the transformation of cells and can, for example, predict the onset of a disease or how a disease will progress. Together with mathematical models that enable the reconstruction of the cells' past development, it is thus possible to infer how healthy cells become unhealthy cells. The scientists are also searching for central controls that can reverse or even completely prevent disease-causing changes.

The proposed groundbreaking initiative brings together not only researchers from the fields of biology, physics, computer science, mathematics, and medicine, but also experts from disciplines such as sociology, ethics, and economics. LifeTime researchers plan to include the public in their work by holding consultations early on to collect wider views and opinions on LifeTime and how it can meet the needs of European society. It is anticipated that the LifeTime initiative will significantly impact the pharma, biotech, and data processing industries, as well as other sectors, while also positively influencing Europe's competitiveness.

More than 60 companies, major European research organizations such as the Helmholtz Association in Germany, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, the Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and the EU-LIFE Alliance, as well as several national science academies are already supporting LifeTime. "LifeTime is an outstanding project of European pioneers. This interdisciplinary and international cooperation has the potential to raise health research, and thus medical care to a new level. Therefore, we are very pleased that the EU is financing the LifeTime consortium. LifeTime is in the best sense: research for people," says Otmar D. Wiestler, President of the Helmholtz Association.

A European vision

The consortium will initially receive funding for one year from the EU. During this time it will prepare a detailed plan for a ten-year research initiative. "We want to use single-cell biology to understand how diseases develop, cell by cell, in an organism. That the EU will now support the initiative is wonderful news for the Center," says Martin Lohse, Chairman of the Board of the MDC. "This affirms that we're developing a specialization in a particularly promising area of research - one that can be expected to quickly make its way into clinical medicine."

"This is a huge opportunity," says Professor Nikolaus Rajewsky, who heads the MDC's Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), a hot spot for single-cell analyses. He is one of the two coordinators of the research consortium. "All of LifeTime's members are among the best in their respective fields. They are doing visionary work. We are going to use this year to intensify our collaboration, share our vision and extend our network within Europe and beyond." A launch conference will be held in Berlin from May 6 to 7, 2019, where the consortium's members will introduce LifeTime and share information on how LifeTime plans to strengthen life sciences and healthcare in Europe.

The exact diseases the LifeTime initiative will focus on have yet to be selected. Refining the choice of disease will be a priority and will take into account a multitude of factors: "Europe's citizens face a wide variety of medical conditions. During the first year, part of the plan is to determine which diseases are most amenable to our emerging technologies and models," says Genevieve Almouzni, co-coordinator of the project, Research Director at the CNRS and director of the Research Center of the Institut Curie from 2013 to 2018. "We will do this with the aid of citizens, health professionals and policy makers. We foresee, that the diseases could include cancers but also heart diseases, nervous system disorders, or other diseases."

###

International consortium

LifeTime is the shared vision of more than 120 leading scientists at over 50 renowned organizations across Europe, who selected 18 partners to submit the proposal.

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres * French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) * Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) * Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences * VIB, Belgium * Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) * University of Basel * University of Zurich * Central European Institute of Technology * Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics * Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics * German Cancer Research Center * Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine * German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases * Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen * Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology * Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research * Saarland University * Technical University of Munich * Julius-Maximilians-Universitat * Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (Copenhagen) * Aarhus University * University of Copenhagen * Centre for Genomic Regulation (Barcelona) * French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) * Institut Curie * University of Montpellier * University of Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier * MINES ParisTech * Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland * Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens * Weizmann Institute of Science * Hebrew University of Jerusalem * Sapienza University of Rome * National Institute of Molecular Genetics (Milan) * University of Naples Federico II * University of Padua * University of Milan * European Institute of Oncology * Netherlands Cancer Institute * Radboud University * University Medical Center Utrecht * Hubrecht Institute/Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences * Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia * Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences * Iuliu Ha?ieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca * Karolinska Institutet * MRC Human Genetics Unit * University of Edinburgh * Wellcome Sanger Institute * Babraham Institute * European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) - European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) * The Francis Crick InstituteCopenhagen, January 16, 2019: A new study suggests that vital exhaustion - which can be perceived as an indicator of psychological distress - is a risk factor for future risk of dementia.

Researchers from the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen have, in collaboration with the National Research Centre for the Working Environment, and the Danish Dementia Research Centre, shown that being distressed in late midlife is associated with a higher risk of dementia in later life. The findings contribute to our understanding of psychological distress as an important risk factor that should receive more focus when considering prevention initiatives in relation to later dementia.

Psychological distress can be defined as a state of emotional suffering sometimes accompanied by somatic symptoms. Vital exhaustion is operationalized as feelings of unusual fatigue, increased irritability and demoralization and can be considered an indicator of psychological distress. Vital exhaustion is suggested to be a response to unsolvable problems in individuals' lives, in particular when being incapable of adapting to prolonged exposure to stressors.

The physiological stress response, including cardiovascular changes and excessive production of cortisol over a prolonged period, may serve as the mechanism linking psychological distress with an increased risk of dementia. Sabrina Islamoska, Ph.D. student from the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, has shown a dose-response relation between symptoms of vital exhaustion reported in late midlife and the risk of dementia later in life. Islamoska explains: "For each additional symptom of vital exhaustion, we found that the risk of dementia rose by 2%. Participants reporting 5 to 9 symptoms had a 25% higher risk of dementia than those with no symptoms, while those reporting 10 to 17 symptoms had a 40% higher risk of dementia compared with not having symptoms."

The researchers used survey data from 6,807 Danish participants from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, who responded to questions about vital exhaustion in 1991-1994. At the time of the survey, the participants were on average 60 years. The survey data were linked to national hospital, mortality and prescription registers in order to identify dementia cases. The participants were followed until the end of 2016.

Based on the results of this study, Islamoska has drawn attention to the debate on whether psychological distress in late midlife may be important for one's later risk of dementia. Nevertheless, it is also possible that dementia pathology in an early stage result in more psychological distress.

"We were particularly concerned whether the symptoms of vital exhaustion would be an early sign of dementia. Yet, we found an association of the same magnitude even when separating the reporting of vital exhaustion and the dementia diagnoses with up to 20 years," Islamoska said. The results of this study supports that distress in late midlife may potentially increase the risk of dementia in later life. Despite adjusting for several other well-known risk factors for dementia, such as sex, marital status, lower educational level, lifestyle factors and comorbidities, the risk of dementia associated with vital exhaustion did not change.

"Stress can have severe and harmful consequences not just for our brain health, but our health in general. Cardiovascular risk factors are well-known modifiable risk factors for dementia, and in some countries, a stagnation or even a decreasing incidence of dementia has been observed. Our study indicates that we can go further in the prevention of dementia by addressing psychological risk factors for dementia," Islamoska said.

###Together with Russian researchers, archaeologists from the universities of Frankfurt and Mainz are studying Bronze Age activity in the steppe between Europe and Asia

The aim of the project is to reconstruct demographic processes and settlement structures in the late Bronze Age up to the transition to the Iron Age - what is known as the post-Sintashta-Petrovka period. Artefacts discovered so far have shown that the southern Trans-Ural region at the dividing line between Europe and Asia on the northern edge of the Eurasian Steppe constitutes a unique cultural landscape. Superb Bronze and Iron Age monuments, such as burial mounds ("kurgans") and settlements, show that this was a centre of economic development and sociocultural processes that already began in the third millennium BC. After the decline of fortified settlements, the housing structure changed and "open" settlements with terraced houses without fortifications emerged. Russian research dates these settlements to the middle of the second millennium BC, i.e. the Late Bronze Age.

During the research phase that lasted from 2008 to 2014, Professor Rudiger Krause devoted himself above all to the fortified settlements of the Sintashta-Petrovka period (around 2000 BC). Characteristic for this culture were early chariots, intensive copper mining and substantial bronze production. Attention has now shifted to various other archaeological sites of the Bronze and Iron Ages in the microregion at the confluence of the Yandyrka and Akmulla rivers and the upper end of the Karagaily-Ayat valley. How have settlement structures evolved? How was the landscape used as the economic foundation for livestock farming? And how have funeral customs changed? The intention is to study the demographic processes underlying all this in the course of the project, using not only palaeogenetic techniques but also archaeological excavations, geophysical surveys, interpretation of the material culture and archaeobotany.

Who were the people responsible for the shift at that time from a settled form of existence to a nomadic way of life? Where did they originate from and how did they come to arrive in the Urals? Archaeology and palaeogenetics will work hand in hand in the search for answers to these questions. One of the aims of this collaboration is to analyse population genetics using state-of-the-art genome analysis methods.

The team led by Professor Joachim Burger at the University of Mainz is specialised in the analysis of genomes from archaeological skeletons. In the framework of this project, the palaeogenetics experts from Mainz will examine the question of to what extent genetic influences from Europe or the central Asian steppe coincide with the cultural transformation to be observed in the Trans-Ural region. Was it foreigners who introduced the change? Or did regional cultural developments take place here? How have demography and population structure changed over the millennia? To find answers to these questions, the researchers from Mainz will use high-resolution sequencing to study the genomes from the project's archaeological sites and analyse them with statistical methods they have developed themselves, in order to unearth as much detailed information as possible about the people of the Bronze and Iron Ages.

###

A report on the first phase of the research project can be read (in German) in Forschung Frankfurt, 1.2012, pp. 32-36: "Innovationwen vor 4000 Jahren in der Eurasischen Steppe. Streitwagenfahrer und Metallurgen in befestigten Siedlungen" by R. Krause and J. Fornasier.

Further information: Professor Rudiger Krause, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Prehistory and Early History, Westend Campus, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, Tel.: +49(0)69-798-32120; https:/ / www. uni-frankfurt. de/ 61564916/ LOEWE-Schwerpunkt

Professor Joachim Burger, Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Anselm-Franz-von-Bentzel-Weg 7, 55128 Mainz, Tel.: +49(0)6131-39-20981; http://palaeogenetics-mainz. de

Image material can be downloaded from: http://www. uni-frankfurt. de/ 75784479

Captions:

01 Trans-Ural region. Konopljanka-2 Bronze Age terraced house settlement with a filled-in well shaft in the foreground. 2018 excavation.  Ural Project, Goethe University

02 Trans-Ural region, Neplujevka. Burial of an adult in a large kurgan. Late Bronze Age, 2017 excavation.  Ural Project, Goethe University

03 Trans-Ural region, Neplujevka. Burial of a young person in a large kurgan. Late Bronze Age, 2016 excavation.  Ural Project, Goethe University

04 University of Mainz, documentation of bone samples in the cleanroom laboratory in preparation of palaeogenetic tests.  Joachim Burger, JGU Mainz

05 University of Mainz, preparation of bone samples in the cleanroom laboratory for genome analysis.

 Joachim Burger, JGU Mainz

Current news about science, teaching, and society in GOETHE-UNI online

Goethe University is a research-oriented university in the European financial centre Frankfurt The university was founded in 1914 through private funding, primarily from Jewish sponsors, and has since produced pioneering achievements in the areas of social sciences, sociology and economics, medicine, quantum physics, brain research, and labour law. It gained a unique level of autonomy on 1 January 2008 by returning to its historic roots as a "foundation university". Today, it is among the top ten in external funding and among the top three largest universities in Germany, with three clusters of excellence in medicine, life sciences and the humanities. Together with the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it acts as a partner of the inter-state strategic Rhine-Main University Alliance. Internet: http://www. uni-frankfurt. de

Publisher: The President of Goethe University Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, International Communication, PR & Communication Department, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: +49(0)69 798-13066, Fax +49(0)69 798-761 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de.Imagine a disc made of an insulator with a conducting edge along which a current always flows in the same direction. "This makes it impossible for a quantum particle to be impeded, because the state of flowing in the other direction simply doesn't exist," explains Bernhard Irsigler, the first author of the study. In other words: in the edge state, the current flows without resistance. This could be used, for example, to increase the stability and energy efficiency of mobile devices. Research is also being done on how to use this to construct lasers that are more efficient.

In recent years, topological insulators have also been produced in ultracold quantum gases in order to better understand their behaviour. These gases result when a normal gas is cooled down to temperatures between a millionth and billionth of a degree above absolute zero. This makes ultracold quantum gases the coldest places in the universe. If an ultracold quantum gas is also produced in an optical lattice made of laser light, the gas atoms arrange themselves as regularly as in the crystal lattice of a solid. However, unlike a solid, many parameters can be varied, allowing artificial quantum states to be studied.

"We like to call it a quantum simulator because this kind of system reveals many things that take place in solids. Using ultracold quantum gases in optical lattices, we can understand the basic physics of topological insulators," explains co-author Jun-Hui Zheng.

A significant difference between a solid and a quantum gas, however, is that the cloud-shaped gases do not have defined edges. So how does a topological insulator in an ultracold gas decide where its edge states are? The researchers in Professor Walter Hofstetter's research group at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Goethe University answer this question in their study. They modelled an artificial barrier between a topological isolator and a normal isolator. This represents the edge of the topological insulator along which the conducting edge state forms.

"We demonstrate that the edge state is characterized through quantum correlations that could be measured in an experiment using a quantum gas microscope. Harvard University, MIT and the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics in Munich all carry out these kinds of measurements," says Hofstetter. A quantum gas microscope is an instrument with which individual atoms can be detected in experiments. "For our work, it is critical that we explicitly take into account the interaction between the particles of the quantum gas. That makes the investigation more realistic, but also much more complicated. The complex calculations could not be carried out without a supercomputer. The close collaboration with leading European scientists within the context of the DFG Research Unit 'Artificial Gauge Fields and Interacting Topological Phases in Ultracold Atoms' is also of particular importance for us," Hofstetter adds.

###

Publication: Bernhard Irsigler, Jun-Hui Zheng, and Walter Hofstetter: Interacting Hofstadter interface, Physical Review Letters, https:/ / journals. aps. org/ prl/ abstract/ 10. 1103/ PhysRevLett. 122. 010406

A picture can be downloaded at: http://www. uni-frankfurt. de/ 75773481

Caption: Artificial edge in an optical lattice (blue), filled with an ultracold quantum gas that consists of 'spin-up' particles (red) and 'spin-down' particles (green). Along the edge - and only there - 'spin-up' particles can only flow to the left, and 'spin-down' particles can only flow to the right.

Credit: Bernhard Irsigler

Information: Bernhard Irsigler, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Riedberg Campus, Tel.: +49 69-798 47883, irsigler@th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de .

Current news about science, teaching, and society in GOETHE-UNI online (http://www. aktuelles. uni-frankfurt. de )

Goethe University is a research-oriented university in the European financial centre Frankfurt The university was founded in 1914 through private funding, primarily from Jewish sponsors, and has since produced pioneering achievements in the areas of social sciences, sociology and economics, medicine, quantum physics, brain research, and labour law. It gained a unique level of autonomy on 1 January 2008 by returning to its historic roots as a "foundation university". Today, it is among the top ten in external funding and among the top three largest universities in Germany, with three clusters of excellence in medicine, life sciences and the humanities. Together with the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it acts as a partner of the inter-state strategic Rhine-Main University Alliance. Internet: http://www. uni-frankfurt. de

Publisher: The President of Goethe University Editor: Dr. Anne Hardy, Referee for Science Communication, PR & Communication Department, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: (069) 798-13035, Fax: (069) 798-763 12531.SEATTLE -- Jan. 17, 2019 -- A new study in Science challenges long-held theories of why a common virus -- cytomegalovirus, or CMV -- can reactivate and become a life-threatening infection in people with a compromised immune system, including blood cancer patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

The discovery, to be published in Science's Jan. 18 issue, used a newly developed mouse model and could pave the way for cheaper, safer therapies to protect patients from CMV.

"This is a big deal for the bone marrow transplantation field," said Dr. Geoffrey Hill, the paper's senior co-author and director of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "Our study shows for the first time that antibodies can play a dominant role in controlling CMV reactivation. This is turning dogma on its head."

Previous research on CMV reactivation has focused on T cells, the celebrated disease fighters of the immune system. There had been occasional hints that antibodies produced by immune system B cells played some role against CMV, but it seemed to be a supporting role. Clinical trials using antibodies to fight the virus were disappointing, Hill said.

But Hill and his research team found that strain-specific antibodies made from B cells are responsible for keeping CMV suppressed in mice, without the need for any other immune cells.

A future therapy could work by collecting the CMV-thwarting antibodies from patients who have been exposed to the virus and who are undergoing bone marrow transplant. The antibodies would be purified and multiplied in the lab, then returned to the patient after transplant.

At Fred Hutch, Hill and colleagues are now pursuing clinical studies to test the approach.

"Most people don't see any symptoms of the virus because their healthy immune systems keep CMV in check," Hill said. "But it can roar back to life in anyone with a compromised immune system, and the results can be life-threatening."

BACKGROUND

CMV, a type of herpes virus, infects at least half of adults by age 40. The virus can cause life-threatening complications such as pneumonia, hepatitis and gastroenteritis and has plagued allogenic transplant patients for decades. CMV infection is the most common complication of bone marrow transplantation. Just over 8,000 people in the United States received allogenic transplants in 2017 for blood cancers, including leukemias and lymphomas, and other blood disorders, according to the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research.

"Just having been exposed to the virus in the past predicts a worse outcome, despite new antiviral medications. It's a major problem," said Hill, who cares for patients at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the Hutch's clinical care partner.

To find out the fuller story, Hill, who worked at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute until 2018, and Mariapia Degli-Esposti at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Australia, created the first animal model of CMV reactivation. They infected mice with CMV so that the animals experienced the primary infection followed by virus dormancy, as a person would. Three months later, the researchers gave the mice a bone marrow transplant, effectively wiping away their immune systems and replacing them with new donor marrow.

In a series of experiments looking at the roles of different types of immune cells, the team found that B cells played a critical role in controlling CMV. That is, transplanted mice that had no pre-existing B cells and thus lacked antibodies saw CMV spring back to life within 10 days of the transplant.

The group then looked into different strains of the virus, since CMV exists in many related but differing forms and can change over the course of infection. The researchers used eight different strains of CMV and found mice given the antibody from the same strain of the virus that they were exposed to previously were protected completely from CMV coming back.

Since earlier clinical trials had used antibodies from pooled sources, the strain-specific CMV protection had been hidden.

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The National Health and Medical Council of Australia funded the study.

In addition to Hill and Degli-Esposti, co-authors of the paper are Jose Paulo Martins, Christopher E. Andoniou, Peter Fleming, Rachel D. Kuns, Iona S. Schuster, Valentina Voigt, Sheridan Daly, Antiopi Varelias and Siok-Keen Tey. The scientists involved in the discoveries could benefit financially from this work in the future.

Media Contact:

Molly McElroy

O: 206.667.6651

M: 206.941.8146

mwmcelro@fredhutch.org

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.The second Brides for Haiti bridal expo and wedding gown sale will be held Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Msgr. Keesler Parish Center, 800 Main St. Hundreds of new, samples and once-loved gowns will be available in a wide variety of sizes and in prices ranging from $99 to $499. Admission is $10 and proceeds benefit the Haiti twinning program at St. Mary of the Mills. The parish, along with St. Marys Church in Barnesville, supports St. Joseph Church in Carcasse, Haiti, which has been battered repeatedly by a succession of hurricanes.The results of clinical trials conducted in Ethiopia by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), in partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the University of Gondar, and Addis Ababa University, open the way for more effective and safer treatments for people with both HIV and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a group of patients who have historically suffered from poor treatment options. The results were published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Visceral leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar), with up to 90,000 cases estimated in Asia, Africa, and South America, is the second largest parasitic killer after malaria, with 20,000-30,000 deaths every year. HIV affects visceral leishmaniasis by altering its severity, worsening treatment outcomes and relapse rates, and increasing the risk of death. Co-infection remains prevalent in several parts of the world, notably in North-West Ethiopia, where 20 to 40% of visceral leishmaniasis cases occur in people living with HIV.

"The region has the highest global burden of visceral leishmaniasis in people living with HIV. Young workers in Ethiopia, who have migrated to the lowlands for seasonal work and are at risk of contracting HIV, are also exposed to sandfly bites that cause visceral leishmaniasis as they sleep in improvised shelters," said Dr Jorge Alvar, Senior Advisor on Leishmaniasis at DNDi. "There is an urgent need for better treatment and outcomes for this seriously ill and neglected population."

Current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend the treatment of HIV/VL co-infection with liposomal amphotericin B (often better known as AmBisome, the brand name of the drug produced by Gilead), but the recommendations lack proper evaluation in most endemic areas.

Between 2011 and 2014, the international medical humanitarian organization MSF began using a compassionate use regimen, combining AmBisome with the oral drug miltefosine in Abdurafi Health Centre in North-West Ethiopia.

"The medical imperative was to reduce the alarmingly high treatment failure rates, so we tried something new," said Dr Koert Ritmeijer, Neglected Tropical Diseases Advisor at MSF. "Based on our experience treating more than 150 patients in routine care at Abdurafi Center, the results were very encouraging, but needed confirming in controlled clinical studies."

To provide the needed scientific evidence, DNDi ran a Phase III study, starting in 2014, testing both AmBisome monotherapy (40 mg/kg) as per current WHO and international recommendations, and a combination of AmBisome infusion (30 mg/kg) and miltefosine orally for 28 days (100 mg/day) in 58 HIV/VL patients in two sites in Ethiopia.

Results demonstrated the high efficacy of the combination therapy, with 67% cure rate when treatment lasted 28 days, and increased to 88% cure rate when patients who were not cured received a second round of treatment to clear Leishmania parasite, with a full treatment lasting 58 days.

"Considering the individual and public health benefits, there is a strong case for the prompt adoption of this treatment in international and national guidelines," said Dr Alvar. "The results also suggest a new case management strategy is needed, whereby using one or two rounds of treatment depends on whether negative parasitology has been achieved."

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The DNDi clinical trial was financed by the European Union (EU FP7); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland; Medecins Sans Frontieres; UK Aid; the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through KfW, Germany; the Medicor Foundation, Liechtenstein; and other private donors.

About DNDi

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that develops safe, effective, and affordable medicines for neglected diseases that afflict millions of the world's poorest people. Since its inception in 2003, DNDi has focused on developing new treatments for patients suffering from diseases such as leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, filarial diseases, mycetoma, paediatric HIV, and hepatitis C.

Media contactThe fossil site of Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, discovered by Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in August 2008, has been one of the most productive sites of the 21st century for fossils of early human ancestors or hominins. A new hominin species, Australopithecus sediba (Au. sediba), was named by Berger and his colleagues, following the discovery of two partial skeletons just under two million years old, a juvenile male individual-- Malapa Hominin 1 (MH1)-- and an adult female, Malapa Hominin 2 (MH2). The skeletons are under the custodianship of the University of the Witwatersrand, where they are being kept. Each partial skeleton is more complete than the famous "Lucy," an Australopithecus afarensis or early hominin species found in 1974 in Ethiopia. Now, 10 years later after the discovery of Malapa, full descriptions of the hominin fossil material, as well as raw measurement data and surface scans of the fossils, available at Morphosource.org, are published in a special issue of the open access journal, PaleoAnthropology.

"The anatomies we are seeing in Australopithecus sediba are forcing us to reassess the pathway by which we became human," explained co-editor Jeremy DeSilva, an associate professor of anthropology at Dartmouth, and co-author of four of the papers, including ones on the lower limb and computer animation of the walking mechanics.

The special issue is comprised of nine separate papers analyzing: the skull; vertebral column and thorax; pelvis; upper limb: shoulder, arm and forearm; hand; and lower limb fossils of Au. sediba; along with descriptions of body size and proportions; and walking mechanics, including a 3D computer animation of Au. sediba walking. The papers are co-authored by leading anthropologists, who are members of the main group of researchers that Berger had assembled for the study of the Malapa material. The research draws on approximately 135 specimens from MH1, MH2 and what may be a third individual, all of which were uncovered between 2008 and 2016.

The researchers find that Au. sediba is in fact a unique species, refuting earlier critics who questioned its validity as a species. Au. sediba is distinct from both Australopithecus africanus, with which it shares a close geographic proximity, and from early members of the genus Homo (e.g., Homo habilis) in both East and South Africa; yet, it also shares features with both groups, suggesting a close evolutionary relationship.

"Our findings challenge a traditional, linear view of evolution. It was once thought that a fossil species a million years younger than Lucy would surely look more human-like. For some anatomies of Australopithecus sediba, like the knee, that is true. But, for others, like the foot, it is not. Instead, what we're witnessing here are parallel lineages, illustrating how different hominin experiments were unfolding early in our complex evolutionary history," explained DeSilva.

These new research papers address critiques of Au. sediba from other colleagues while correcting some initial observations and testing new ideas regarding this extraordinary collection. For example, other researchers hypothesized that this was more than one species due to the differences in the size and shape of the vertebrae. "The differences in these vertebrae can simply be attributed to their developmental age differences: the juvenile individual's vertebrae have not yet completed growth, whereas the adult's vertebra growth is complete," explained co-editor Scott A. Williams, an associate professor of anthropology in the Center for the Study of Human Origins at New York University, and co-author of two of the papers, including the one on the vertebral column.

The special issue also finds that Au. sediba was well adapted to terrestrial bipedalism or walking on just two feet but also spent significant time climbing in trees, perhaps for foraging and protection from predators.

This larger picture sheds light on the lifeways of Au. sediba and also (whether directly or indirectly) on a major transition in hominin evolution, that of the largely ape-like species included broadly in the genus Australopithecus to the earliest members of our own genus, Homo.

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Consistent with the open research approach for Au. sediba by Lee Berger and the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, co-editors DeSilva and Williams, who are also affiliated with the University, invite colleagues to study the Au. sediba material and test the hypotheses presented in these papers.

PaleoAnthropology (2018)

Guest Editors: Scott A. Williams, Jeremy M. DeSilva

Malapa at 10: Introduction to the special issue on Australopithecus sediba (Williams, S.A., DeSilva, J.M., and de Ruiter, D.J.) The skull of Australopithecus sediba (de Ruiter, D.J., Carlson, K.B., Brophy, J.K., Churchill, S.E., Carlson, K.J., and Berger, L.R.) The vertebrae, ribs, and sternum of Australopithecus sediba (Williams, S.A., Meyer, M.R., Nalla, S., Garcia-Martinez, D., Nalley, T.K., Eyre, J., Prang, T.C., Bastir, M., Schmid, P., Churchill, S.E., and Berger, L.R.) The shoulder, arm, and forearm of Australopithecus sediba (Churchill, S.E., Green, D.J., Feuerriegel, E.M., Macias, M.E., Mathews, S., Carlson, K.J., Schmid, P., and Berger, L.R.) The hand of Australopithecus sediba (Kivell, T.L., Churchill, S.E., Kibii, J.M., Schmid, P., and Berger, L.R.) The pelvis of Australopithecus sediba (Churchill, S.E., Kibii, J.M., Schmid, P., Reed, N.D., and Berger, L.R.) The anatomy of the lower limb skeleton of Australopithecus sediba (DeSilva, J.M., Carlson, K.J., Claxton, A., Harcourt-Smith, W.E.H., McNutt, E.J., Sylvester, A.D., Walker, C.S., Zipfel, B., Churchill, S.E., and Berger, L.R.) Body size and proportions of Australopithecus sediba (Holliday, T.W., Churchill, S.E., Carlson, K.J., DeSilva, J.M., Schmid, P., Walker, C.S., and Berger, L.R.) Computer animation of the walking mechanics of Australopithecus sediba (Zhang, A.Y. and DeSilva, J.M.)

Available for comment are co-editors and also, co-authors: Jeremy DeSilva at Jeremy.M.DeSilva@Dartmouth.edu and Scott A. Williams at sawilliams@nyu.edu. Professor Lee Berger can be contacted at Lee.Berger@wits.ac.za or +27 83 454 6309.On average, three youths between 10 and 19 years old die by firearm-related suicide every day

(Boston)--A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers finds that states with higher levels of household gun ownership also have higher overall youth suicide rates, with every 10 percentage-point increase in household gun ownership associated with a 26.9 percent increase in the youth suicide rate.

Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study is the first to examine the relationship between household gun ownership and youth suicide rates while controlling for differences in the rate of youth suicide attempts across states.

"The availability of firearms is contributing to an increase in the actual number of suicides, not just leading youth to substitute other means of suicide for guns," says BUSPH predoctoral fellow Anita Knopov, the study's lead author.

The researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on suicides by youth between the ages of 10 and 19 years old from 2005 to 2015. They also used state-level data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to control for rates of risk behaviors as well as other factors associated with suicide, such as race, family constellation, poverty, education, and urbanicity.

The researchers found the overall youth suicide rate from 2005 to 2015 ranged from a high of 15 youth suicides per 100,000 people in Alaska to a low of 3 per 100,000 people in New Jersey. In the 10 states with the highest youth suicide rates, the average household gun ownership was 52.5 percent, compared to a household gun ownership rate of 20 percent in the 10 states with the lowest youth suicide rates.

"This study demonstrates that the strongest single predictor of a state's youth suicide rate is the prevalence of household gun ownership in that state," says study co-author Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH.

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The study was funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evidence for Action program.

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

About Boston University School of Public Health:

Founded in 1976, the school offers master's- and doctoral-level education in public health. The faculty in six departments conduct policy-changing public health research around the world, with the mission of improving the health of populations--especially the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable--locally, nationally, and internationally.High levels of erucic acid in food can impair health. The health-damaging effects of erucic acid include fatty degeneration of the heart (myocardial lipidosis), during which fats (lipids) accumulate in the heart tissue. This may result in reduced contractility of the heart muscle which may become weaker. The lipidoses triggered by erucic acid are reversible.

The maximum levels for erucic acid in foods are regulated in EU Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006. The maximum level is the legally established maximum permissible concentration of a substance in food, for example. It is a limit value determined by risk management which serves among other things as a trading standard and which can be achieved through good manufacturing practice. It is not a health based limit value, however, and it says nothing about whether an exceedance of the levels poses a health risk. The tolerable daily intake (TDI) is used to make a statement on health impairment, while also serving as a basis for deriving maximum levels.

The EU Commission has proposed to revise the existing maximum levels for erucic acid and to consider a reassessment of its maximum levels in foods that have not been regulated up to now. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed the health risks posed by the consumption of foods containing erucic acid in 2016. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) reviewed the proposal of the EU Commission on the basis of this data.

The EU Commission recommends the following maximum levels:

Vegetable oils and fats: 20 g/kg (currently:50 g/kg)

Foods with added vegetable oils and fats (excluding infant formula and follow-on formula): N/A (currently:50 g/kg)

Infant formula and follow-on formula: 4 g/kg (currently:10 g/kg)

Mustard: 30 g/kg (currently no max. level)

The BfR regards the proposed maximum levels as suitable to lower consumers' intake of erucic acid from food. The BfR also advocates the determination of a maximum level for mustard.

Contrary to the currently valid regulation, maximum levels for foods with added vegetable oils and fats, such as fine bakery wares (cakes, biscuits, muffins, waffles etc.), are no longer contained in the proposal of the EU Commission. It can be taken from the EFSA opinion on erucic acid, however, that the tolerable daily intake can be exceeded in particular by small children who consume large quantities of these foods. The BfR therefore recommends limit-ing the levels of erucic acid in this food category also in future.

###What happens when a strong advocate for one side of a controversial issue in science publicly announces that he or she now believes the opposite? Does the message affect the views of those who witness it -- and if so, how?

Although past research suggests that such "conversion messages" may be an effective persuasion technique, the actual effect of such messages has been unknown.

Now, a new study from researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center shows that such a conversion message can influence public attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) foods.

Using video of a talk by the British environmentalist Mark Lynas about his transformation from an opponent of GM crops to an advocate, researchers found that Lynas' conversion narrative had a greater impact on the attitudes of people who viewed it than a direct advocacy message.

"People exposed to the conversion message rather than a simple pro-GM message had a more favorable attitude toward GM foods," said Benjamin A. Lyons, a former postdoctoral fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. "The two-sided nature of the conversion message - presenting old beliefs and then refuting them - was more effective than a straightforward argument in favor of GM crops."

"Conversion messages and attitude change: Strong arguments, not costly signals" was published in January 2019 in the journal Public Understanding of Science. The study was done by Lyons, now a research fellow at the University of Exeter, U.K., with two other former APPC postdoctoral fellows - Ariel Hasell, a research fellow at the University of Michigan, and Meghnaa Tallapragada, an assistant professor of strategic communication at Clemson University - and APPC Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson.

How the study worked

In 2013, Lynas, a journalist and activist who had opposed GM crops, spoke at the Oxford Farming Conference about his change of belief. In the current experiment, APPC researchers used video excerpts from Lynas' talk to more than 650 U.S. adult participants, who competed a survey about it.

The respondents each were shown one of three video clips: 1) Lynas explaining the benefits of GM crops; 2) Lynas discussing his prior beliefs and changing his mind about GM crops; and 3) Lynas explaining why his beliefs changed, including the realization that the anti-GM movement he helped to lead was a form of anti-science environmentalism.

The researchers found that both forms of the conversion message (2 and 3) were more influential than the simple advocacy message. There was no difference in impact between the basic conversion message and the more elaborate one.

Measuring how the conversion narrative worked, the researchers found that it enhanced Lynas' "perceived argument strength," rather than bolstering his personal credibility, which they found an important distinction. The fact that argument strength served as a mediator on GM attitudes supports the idea that "the unexpected shift in the position of the speaker ... prompted central or systematic processing of the argument," which, in turn, implies a more durable change in attitudes.

GM foods: A low-profile issue on which minds may be changed?

Unlike other controversial issues in science such as evolution or climate change, Americans' views on GM crops do not seem to be related to political ideology or religious beliefs. Nor are Americans especially knowledgeable about GM foods - one prior study found that only 43 percent of Americans know that GM foods are available for human consumption and only 26 percent believe that they have eaten food that was genetically modified. In another earlier study, 71 percent of Americans say they have heard little or nothing about GM foods - yet 39 percent think GM foods present a risk to human health.

Given that many Americans' views on genetically modified foods aren't yet fixed by group values and motivated reasoning, their minds may be more easily changeable on this issue. Lyons said it may be possible to present scientific evidence through a conversion narrative to people on such low-knowledge, lower-profile issues and affect their views.

"After completing this study, I'm more optimistic about our ability to change minds on the issues that haven't been totally polluted by ideology," Lyons said.

The researchers cautioned that the findings may not extend beyond an American audience, and said that their audience included many who did not have strong pro- or anti-GM attitudes. They said conversion messaging should be tested with people who do have strong pre-existing views on GM foods. They also noted that this research tested a conversion in only one direction - from anti-GM to pro-GM foods - and said it would be valuable to explore the opposite case.

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The research was supported by the Science of Science Communication program of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established in 1993 to educate the public and policy makers about the media's role in advancing public understanding of political, health, and science issues at the local, state and federal levels. Follow APPC on Twitter and Facebook.New Teaching at the Right Level Africa initiative to support over three million primary school students with evidence-backed approach

On January 15, Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative for systems change, announced a commitment of US$80 million and technical support to five initiatives with proven systems changing strategies in education, health, and economic opportunity. Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa, led jointly by MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Indian NGO Pratham, was selected as one of the five initiatives receiving funding under this commitment. TaRL Africa was selected after rigorous assessment from an initial pool of over 250 initiatives.

Despite progress worldwide in school enrollment, millions of children in schools across Africa are not acquiring basic reading and arithmetic skills. The Co-Impact grant will support J-PAL's policy team and Pratham in working with governments and their partners to scale up the Teaching at the Right Level approach in multiple countries across Africa. This complements a burgeoning movement of players and programs in Africa committed to addressing the learning crisis through TaRL.

Pioneered by Pratham, TaRL is based on several key elements at the classroom level:

(1) Using a simple tool, children are assessed on their ability to read and do arithmetic.

(2) Then, children are grouped for instruction by level, rather than by grade. For a few hours per day the focus is on building foundational skills through activities and materials appropriate for each group.

(3) As children progress in reading and arithmetic, they move into the next learning group and continue to grow.

Shifting from "schooling for all" to "learning for all" also requires critical systems-level support. This includes working with stakeholders to adjust the approach to local contexts, developing and supporting a cadre of mentors, and continually assessing basic skills and empowering government officials and teachers to act on this data.

Since 2001 J-PAL-affiliated researchers have tested the TaRL approach through rigorous impact evaluations. Six randomized evaluations in India over the past two decades and a growing body of research in Africa have shown that TaRL has led to some of the largest and cost-effective learning gains of any primary education program evaluated. For example, in a randomized evaluation in Haryana, India, the TaRL approach implemented by government school teachers led to significant improvements in reading, with the largest gains made by children who were furthest behind.

The five-year Co-Impact grant enables the J-PAL/Pratham team to continue to support the scale-up of TaRL and reach at least three million students--and potentially millions more in the future. J-PAL and Pratham will set up a new initiative, TaRL Africa, with full-time staff based in South Africa, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Zambia, and other countries in the region.

J-PAL, Pratham, and TaRL Africa partners hope that Co-Impact's rigorous assessment and significant pledge of support will encourage further philanthropic, international donor and government investments in TaRL.

Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham, said,

"Using Teaching at the Right Level, we have helped millions of children to read and to do basic math in India. Together with J-PAL, we are excited to have the opportunity to work in Africa with many partners. Foundational skills can transform a child's life and unlock their potential to do so much more in education and in life. We are grateful for Co-Impact's support for this partnership."

Iqbal Dhaliwal, Executive Director of J-PAL, said,

"This grant represents the critical importance of using evidence from rigorous impact evaluations to drive decision-making. Our partnership with Pratham is based on innovation, learning, and a unifying vision--shared with Co-Impact--of creating systems-level change. Through investing in rigorous research and evidence-backed approaches, we can disrupt the status quo and transform lives. We have a lot of work ahead of us and are putting together an outstanding team to lead and execute this exciting initiative."

The TaRL Africa initiative will work with governments, local schools and NGOs, donors, and supporters to develop the foundations essential for lifelong learning, opening doors for the next generation of global citizens.

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For more information about Teaching at the Right Level and to learn how to become a partner, visit http://www. teachingattherightlevel. org . For more information about J-PAL, visit http://www. povertyactionlab. org . For more information about Pratham, visit http://www. pratham. org .

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center based at the Masachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 170 affiliated professors at universities around the world, J-PAL draws on results from randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. We build partnerships with governments, NGOs, donors, and others to share this knowledge, scale up effective programs, and advance evidence-informed decision-making. J-PAL was launched at the MIT in 2003 and has regional centers in Africa, Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Pratham is an innovative learning organization. Set up almost 25 years ago, Pratham believes that every child should be in school and learning well. Pratham means 'first' or "primary" in Sanskrit. As one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the country, Pratham facilitates India's well-known Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) exercise, which has been providing estimates of reading and arithmetic skills every year for every rural district in India since 2005. For the past two decades and more, Pratham has focused on high-quality, low-cost learning improvement interventions that help millions of children progress and thrive. Working directly with communities and schools, Pratham reaches close to a million children every year. Working in partnership with state governments, Pratham is able to contribute to the learning improvement of several million children annually.

Useful links:

Release: Co-Impact announces $80 million in grants aimed at improving the lives of 9 million people in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America: https:/ / www. co-impact. io/ 2019/ 01/ 15/ co-impact-announces-80-million-in-grants-aimed-at-improving-the-lives-of-9-million-people-in-africa-south-asia-and-latin-america/ .

J-PAL case study: Teaching at the right level to improve learning: https:/ / www. povertyactionlab. org/ case-study/ teaching-right-level-improve-learning .

Teaching at the Right Level home page: https:/ / www. teachingattherightlevel. org/ .A Bangladeshi boy's sustainable science project; the world of asteroid research; the rich history of the buildings surrounding us; and the life of a world-famous inventor are the stories told by the winners of the 2019 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books.

The prizes, announced Thursday by AAAS and Subaru of America Inc., celebrate outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults. The award program, now in its 14th year, aims to spur the creation of new, high-quality books about science for children of all ages.

"Through quality science writing and illustration, children can be inspired by the work of scientists and be awed by the world around them," said Rush Holt, CEO of AAAS and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.

The prize was launched in 2005, when AAAS and Subaru partnered to honor five authors and one illustrator for their contributions to the ever-growing genre of science books for children. The following year, AAAS and Subaru began recognizing authors and illustrators for recently published individual works. Awards are given in four categories: children's science picture book, middle grades science book, young adult science book and hands-on science book. The prizes are presented to the authors, except in the case of the picture book award, which is given to both the author and the illustrator.

Judged by panels of librarians, scientists and educators, the winning works feature accurate science and cannot perpetuate misconceptions or stereotypes. The criteria also require that each book be age-appropriate: For the youngest readers, a winning picture book should pique their curiosity about the natural world around them; for older readers, books should encourage the discussion and understanding of scientific ideas. Hands-on science books for any age must include inquiry-based activities that encourage problem-solving skills.

Educational materials are developed for each book and will be available on the prize website, sbfprize.org. The winning books also become part of the Subaru Loves Learning program. The initiative donates AAAS/Subaru Prize books to K-12 schools across the country through their local participating Subaru retailers.

Winners receive a cash prize, a commemorative plaque and will be honored at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in February.

The Winners:

Children's Science Picture Book

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea: How a Science Project Helps One Family and the Planet, by Elizabeth Suneby, illustrated by Rebecca Green. Kids Can Press, 2018.

Iqbal, a young Bangladeshi boy, is worried about the health of his mother and baby sister. They have developed coughs from the smoky fire inside their home over which his mother cooks the family's meals during monsoon season. With help from his teacher and his older sister, Iqbal sets out to design a smoke-free solar cooker. It is an innovation driven by concern. Yet, it just might earn him a prize in his school's sustainability-themed science fair. The fictional tale of Iqbal is accompanied by a glossary of Bengali words used throughout the story, details about clean cookstoves and instructions for creating a solar cooker with a pizza box and aluminum foil - features to deepen young readers' understanding of Iqbal's innovation and spur their interest in discovery.

Middle Grades Science Book

Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World, by Elizabeth Rusch. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2017.

In this nonfiction work, author Elizabeth Rusch guides middle-grade readers into the world of asteroid research. Shadowing several different scientists, Rusch illuminates the diverse work they pursue, from understanding asteroids' origins and tracking asteroids in space to examining the craters that meteors have left behind on Earth. Impact! also includes the gripping story of a recent meteor encounter - the Chelyabinsk meteor explosion above Russia in 2013 - and explores possible methods that future scientists might use to divert an asteroid, should one threaten our planet.

Young Adult Science Book

Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures, by Roma Agrawal. Bloomsbury USA, 2018.

Author and structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a sweeping look at how our built environment has come to be, tracing the evolution of our structures from mud huts to modern skyscrapers - including London's Shard building, the striking, pyramid-shaped glass tower that Agrawal helped design. In Built, Agrawal takes readers on a tour of engineering throughout time and across continents, from deadly bridge collapses to the surprising materials used in such iconic structures as the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.

Hands-On Science Book

Alexander Graham Bell for Kids: His Life & Inventions With 21 Activities, by Mary Kay Carson. Chicago Review Press, 2018.

This exploration of the life of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell is no ordinary biography. Mary Kay Carson highlights Bell's contributions beyond his most famous invention. Bell's creation of an early version of the phonograph and the metal detector, his research on airplanes and hydrofoil boats, and his work teaching deaf and hearing-impaired students, including Helen Keller, are all examined. The book includes sidebars that explain the scientific principles behind his inventions and 21 hands-on activities related to Bell's life and work. Readers can learn how to communicate with American Sign Language, create a telegraph out of a pie tin, fly a tetrahedral kite and more.

###

About AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, see http://www. aaas. org .

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $120 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.2019-01-16

Maeci

The Foreign Ministry confirms that the three Carabinieri on duty at the Italian Consulate General in Jerusalem have left the UN compound in Gaza and have returned to the Consulate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation specifies that, as is customary, the Consulate General had regularly notified the local Authorities of the mission of the Italian military to the Strip and would like to express its thanks to the personnel of the United Nations Office in Gaza and, in particular, to the UN Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov, for handling the situation  in close coordination with the Italian Foreign Ministry and Consulate General in Jerusalem  with great professionalism and effectiveness.

Bancolombia - using green buildings for green bonds Companies: Bancolombia, IFC People: Franco Piza

Partnered content

Green bonds typically support renewable energy projects, with energy efficiency only recently taking a wider slice of the pie. Bancolombia, which is Colombia's largest commercial bank, decided to focus its efforts on green buildings above other areas that it also finances, such as clean production and agribusiness. The bank was the first in Colombia to issue a green bond in the amount of COP 350 billion ($117 million) in 2016, when IFC was the sole investor, and has since issued a second bond in the local market for COP 300 billion ($100 million) that was oversubscribed by 2.8 times, attracting 72 new investors.

Bancolombia: A Metrics-Driven Model for Green Bonds

Here's how the Bancolombia model works. The bank provides a variable loan for green construction financing from 0.5 percent to up to 1 percent less than conventional market rates by using its own resources alongside the proceeds of its pair of green bonds. The more measurably green the project is, the better the financing rate.

Qualified projects must receive a preliminary design certificate from an approved green buildings rating system such as EDGE, with certification services offered by CAMACOL, Colombia's chamber of construction. If the building owner chooses EDGE, details of the project are entered in the EDGE software with the project required to achieve a minimum of 20 percent less energy, water and embodied energy in materials compared to a conventional building.

In less than one year's time, 25 projects have been brought forward by developers eager to secure the discounted rate, according to Franco Piza, the Corporate Director of Sustainability for Bancolombia. "Our financial services are linked to a positive transformation of society," said Piza. "Because we are financing 42 percent of market volume, it's our responsibility to offer products and services to reach new markets, lower risk and improve rates. The first order of business is profits for our clients through better assets, the second is protecting the environment."

An Incentive-based, High-Profile Strategy

To create awareness among its clients, Bancolombia held events in 17 cities around the country with 300 property developers participating, often meeting with clients one-on-one. An intensive digital marketing strategy supplemented the bank's approach, with an online knowledge platform, webinars, prime-time advertising and social media. The approach has worked for Bancolombia, sparking demand among clients to differentiate their properties while saving money through the incentive. At the same time, Bancolombia offers green mortgages to qualifying homebuyers who purchase EDGE-certified properties at a discounted rate of 65 basis points for the first seven years of the loan.

To respond to demand, Bancolombia supplements bond proceeds with its own capital, with $175 million already invested in green buildings. Bancolombia's long-term strategy is to recoup its investment by creating a better price in the market for subsequent green bonds, and to expand its program to El Salvador and Panama, where it also operates.

A More Valuable Portfolio with Less Risk

Piza predicts that demand could increase to 12 times the size of the original bond. "We're trying to structure a better portfolio while closing the loop between the use of resources and how they're obtained," said Piza. "Once we have proof that greener assets have greater value and less risk, then the cost of incentives can be assumed by the local market."

Today Bancolombia is a model for how to move towards a future with better performing buildings through green bonds. But soon, its unique approach might be the norm. "We welcome our banking colleagues in Colombia to replicate our strategy, which demonstrates our true leadership," said Piza. "It's our goal to prove our motto that 'Bancolombia makes it possible' for everyone."Turkish firm produces olive-sized watermelons

Company put mini watermelons 'tasting like cucumbers' on display in southern Turkey.

Olive-sized watermelons produced by a Turkish agricultural firm was put on display at a food fair on Wednesday.

The tiny watermelons were featured at the 26th FoodProduct held in the Turkish Mediterranean province of Antalya.

Head of the company, Mustafa Erust, told Anadolu Agency that they produced the olive-sized watermelon as snacks. "When you eat it, its rind tastes like watermelon but the inside tastes like a cucumber," Erust said.

Erust said the project was to have children get used to eating fruits, adding that they also produce mini-sized cucumbers, aubergine, zucchini, cauliflower and carrots.

The mini watermelons are largely sold in small packages in Turkish grocery stores and each package is sold for at least 8 Turkish liras ($1.4), he added.Sputnik tries to create a perception operation against Turkey

Russian Sputnik said that "Daesh militants are plotting new terror attacks and they are getting orders from Turkish intelligence".

On Jan. 16, a suicide attack near a patrol of the US-led coalition in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, killed four American soldiers and wounded more than a dozen people. The attack came after Trump's surprise announcement last month of the withdrawal of American forces from Syria.

Manbij has been held by US-backed fighters allied to the YPG since they took it from Daesh in 2016. It is located near areas held by Russian-backed Syrian government forces and by anti-Assad fighters backed by Turkey, which lists the YPG as a terrorist organization.

BLACK PROPAGANDA

In an article published in Russian Sputnik news agency, its been implied that Turkey is behind this attack.

"The military council of Manbij, Syria said that militants who had been plotting new terror attacks and who were getting orders from Turkish intelligence have been arrested," it said. "The antiterrorist squads of the council detained a cell of seven militants  members of opposition groups that participated in Operation Euphrates Anger' and were supported by Turkey, acting in concert with Turkish intelligence," the statement added.

"They planned several explosions and acts similar to terrorist acts, following instructions directly from the Euphrates Anger' groups and Turkish intelligence," the press service added.Erdogan: Syrians cannot live together with YPG terrorists

Turkey will continue to fight Daesh to eliminate the terrorist group in Syria, says President Erdogan.

Amid the US withdrawal from Syria, Turkey will press the fight against terrorist group Daesh to clear it from Syrian soil, Turkeys president said Wednesday.

"I BELIEVE TRUMP WON'T BACK DOWN"

"Turkey will continue the fight against Daesh and eliminate this terrorist group in Syria," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a joint press conference with visiting Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in the capital Ankara.

On Wednesday's suicide attack in Manbij, Syria, which initial reports say killed three US soldiers, Erdogan said that he doesn't believe US President Donald Trump will back down in the face of this attack, as this would mean victory for Daesh. He added that the attack could be meant to dissuade the US from leaving Syria.

Manbij remains under the control of the PYD/YPG, the Syrian affiliate of the PKK terrorist organization.

The attack came after Trump's surprise announcement last month of the withdrawal of American forces from Syria.

The pullout decision came during a phone call with Erdogan in which the two leaders agreed on the need for more effective coordination over the civil war-torn country.ENID  The funeral for Estella Irene Green is this morning at 10:00 in the Central Christian Church. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Henninger-Hinson Funeral Home.ENID, Okla.  An Enid man arrested last week after it was discovered he allegedly recorded a teenage girl in a bathroom was arraigned Thursday on felony charges of peeping Tom with photographic/electronic equipment.

Joseph Edward Lynn Semrad appeared before Special District Judge Brian Lovell for arraignment on three felony peeping Tom charges, as well as a felony count of possession of a firearm after former felony conviction and misdemeanor charges of attempting to destroy evidence and possession of marijuana.

Semrad's bond was set at $25,000, and he was ordered to return to court Feb. 25, 2019, for a bond appearance.

According to an affidavit filed in the case, Enid Police Department Officer Christopher Palmisano spoke with a man Jan. 10 who reported his 14-year-old daughter was being recorded in the shower.

The man said he learned this from his daughter's friend, according to the affidavit. The friend said she was told by the teen that whenever she is about to shower, Semrad goes into the bathroom first and always returns to the bathroom when she gets done.

Days before, the teen discovered a black cellphone hidden in a cabinet recording the inside of the shower, according to the affidavit. The teen found the cellphone after Semrad had gone into the bathroom prior to her taking a shower.

She sent a video Jan. 10 of the cellphone recording to her friend, showing where the phone was and that it was recording, according to the affidavit. She also told her friend about being recorded by Semrad.

The friend showed Palmisano the video taken by the teen. It shows what appears to be a black cellphone with a touch screen. It also appears to be an Android OS device, according to the affidavit. The video shows the phone concealed in the bathroom cabinet with the phone's display showing the shower.

Man arrested Thursday on child pornography, other felony complaints Police arrested a 36-year-old Enid man Thursday on complaints of manufacturing and possession of child pornography.

The teen's father told police Semrad can be violent and possesses firearms, according to the affidavit. He said Semrad had pointed firearms before at police and has a felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon in Ozark County, Mo.

Palmisano applied for and received a search warrant for Semrad's residence, in the 1700 block of East Oklahoma, according to the affidavit. Officers Jacob McKinley and Joshua Allison and Sgt. John Robinson assisted in serving the search warrant.

Palmisano and Robinson spoke with Semrad on the porch, according to the affidavit. Palmisano asked about suspected videos, which Semrad "vehemently denied having any knowledge of."

Palmisano showed Semrad the video of the teen discovering the phone in the bathroom cabinet, and Semrad continued to deny knowledge of the recording or any wrongdoing, according to the affidavit.

Semrad was brought inside the residence because of the temperature and sat in the kitchen, according to the affidavit. Palmisano and Robinson conducted a search of the residence and found several phones, several containers of a green, leafy substance and four firearms.

Robinson laid several phones on the kitchen counter and was asking Semrad about the phones, according to the affidavit.

"He was asking Joseph about the phones, to which Joseph feigned ignorance, and deflected the questions by claiming our actions were arbitrary," Palmisano wrote in the affidavit. When Palmisano and Robinson both walked out of the kitchen, Semrad stood up, grabbed a gold Moto cellphone while handcuffed and threw the phone into a soup cup full of water. Robinson grabbed the phone, dried it off and Allison transported Semrad to jail.

Detective Shawn Aebi went to Semrad's residence and took possession of the gold Moto cellphone, according to the affidavit Aebi prepared, and obtained a search warrant for the phone.

Aebi downloaded the contents of the phone and found several videos of a young female showering in the same shower inside the residence, according to the affidavit. After reviewing the videos, Palmianso confirmed the female in the videos was the teen.

At least one of the videos showed Semrad, identifiable by both his face and tribal tattoo on his right arm, setting up the cellphone before the teen's shower and taking the phone down after the shower, according to the affidavit.

Semrad faces up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000 on each of the peeping Tom charges. He also faces one to 10 years in prison on the firearms charge.I am a retired Naval Officer and small business owner, outside of my work at the News & Eagle. My wife Tammy and I enjoy serving together at church and attending Gaslight and ESO. We have two daughters, three dogs and little free time.

Follow James Neal | Religion/Health Reporter 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up TodaySeveral speakers urged Huber to develop in another part of the county, such as a location with developed but unused industrial space, or shut it down entirely. Huber declined to acquiesce to those demands, but he talked with people after the meeting and pledged to work with the community.Marty R. Montgomery, 63, of Athens, passed away on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at his residence. Mr. Montgomery was born on September 10, 1957, to John Montgomery and Lawson Farris Montgomery. Mr. Montgomery is survived by his son, K.B. Montgomery (Elizabeth); grandchildren, Madelyn Montgomery aMinister says Island ready for 'No Deal'

The Minister for Enterprise says the Isle of Man is ready for a no-deal Brexit.

Laurence Skelly says the island has been preparing for any eventuality.

He says the island is in a good position to deal with the consequences of a "no-deal" scenario as the economy is so diverse.Police begin Special Constable recruitment drive

The Island's police are recruiting new Special Constables to assist the Manx police force.

Special Constables are part-time volunteers who work alongside police officers.

To apply you must be aged at least 18 years, either a Manx or British citizen, a citizen of the EU or other states in the EEA, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the Isle of Man and able to pass the force fitness test. You should also be able to offer 10 hours a month to carry out duties. You will get full training to become part of a team that deals with a variety of incidents and events.

Drop in sessions are being held around the Island at the end of this month for those interested to learn more about the Special Constabulary and speak to those already serving.

Two recruiment information events will be held at the TT Grandstand in the press centre building on Tuesday 29th January and Thursday 31st January. Both events will start at 7pm.Police tell news outlets 32-year-old Tyree Jordan stole the car Monday afternoon in Elkton. Police spokesman Greg Shipley says Jordan had been restrained in the car when he took it while a trooper was following up with a tow truck operator, who was there for an earlier crash Jordan caused. No one was injured.Hella and AEye seek to extend their strategic partnership to deliver customized sensing and perception solutions for ADAS and Automated Driving based on AEyes iDAR technology. Both parties will combine their complementary know-how and capabilities in their respective domains.

AEyes iDAR artificial perception system leads the industry in range and scan rate performance for automotive-grade Lidar. iDAR is a new form of intelligent data collection that fuses 1550 nanometer (nm), solid-state agile Lidar with a low-light HD camera and embedded AI to intelligently capture data at the sensor level. Hella will bring in its high competence in the field of embedded software and image processing as well as its automotive experience and industrialization capabilities along the entire supply chain to leverage and extend this platform. This joint development effort will bring best-in-class Level 3 ADAS solutions to global automotive OEMs. The companies demonstrated first results of their already existing cooperation at CES in Las Vegas.

Frank Petznick, responsible for Automated Driving at HELLA, says: Hella is actively promoting the trend towards AD. The collaboration with AEye will provide us with additional opportunities to catalyze new functionality for ADAS and AD solutions that will redefine performance.

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Hella KGaA Hueck& Co.Chicago, Jan 17 (epa-efe).- The Chicago city government on Thursday presented the futuristic proposals of the five finalists competing to design a new terminal at O'Hare International Airport, including Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Vying with Calatrava for the design contract are Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza, Studio ORD, Foster Epstein Moreno and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The proposals include sloping roofs, glass walls and some extravagant features such as hammocks that travelers could use to nap before catching their flights.

Calatrava submitted a design that he described as a "masterpiece of modern architecture" and which will be exhibited to the public along with the others on Jan. 31 at the airport, on his Web site and at the Chicago Architecture Center.

The terminal conceived by Calatrava is shaped like a ship's prow with a white wavy roof that extends over the tarmac near the terminal.

The construction, which will be the largest project in O'Hare's 74-year history, will take about eight years to complete and will cost around $8.5 billion.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement that the renovation will mean that O'Hare, the world's sixth busiest airport, is on a par with peers like Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson International.

The remodeling will include the construction of a global terminal, which will replace the present Terminal 2.

In the new terminal, domestic travelers will be able to connect with international flights without delay and without having to transfer to another terminal.She is serving a suspension as a lieutenant and has not received the procedural due process afforded to her by the [Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights]. Not only is she entitled to a hearing, she is also entitled to appropriate notice, the complaint said. She is entitled to subpoena power under the LEOBR. None of this was afforded to her.Ronald E. O'Dell, 60, of Altamont, died at 1:08 p.m., Sunday, June 13, 2021 at home surrounded by his family. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Sidener Cemetery, rural St. Elmo with Robert O'Dell officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., FPublic scholarship is a tricky business. A desire to influence public policy can lead researchers to describe their findings in deceptively simple and sweeping ways. Personal passion can lead scholars to engage in nasty and vitriolic debate. Professional pressures can encourage researchers to garb important findings in indecipherable jargon.

Every year, I find myself reflecting on all of this anew as I compile the annual RHSU Edu-Scholar rankings. In this exercise, with the assistance of the star-studded RHSU Selection Committee and a few hard-working research assistants, I identify and rank 200 of the nations leading education scholars for the contribution they make to the larger world of policy and practice. The full rankings (and all the salacious details governing the process) can be found at Education Weeks Rick Hess Straight Up opinion blog.

Meanwhile, though I lack any easy answers to the challenges posed when researchers enter the public square, I can share a few hard-earned lessons that may help some negotiate the shoals of public scholarship.

About This Section Education Week Commentary teamed up with Frederick M. Hess to ask four accomplished scholars a simple question: Whats the best advice youve ever gotten on how to be a public scholar? Read the full package, along with original analysis of this years new Edu-Scholar data by the Education Week Research Center.

For those who see scholarship as a chance to make a difference, a sense of proportion is helpful. When I was starting my doctorate, I remember telling a mentor that I regretted leaving the classroom, but figured that now I could have a broader impact. His eyes twinkled as he said, You think that way because you are still young. There are always trade-offs. You can have a profound impact on the lives of 30 students. Or you can change a law and, maybe, have a tiny, indirect impact on lots of students.

If you treat those who see things differently with respect, you may be surprised how often they respond in kind. I hear time after time from thinkers frustrated that skeptical audiences of educators or policymakers just dont get it and dont want to listen. Yet I recall several years ago, when delivering a book talk to an assemblage of Chicago teachers, one asked if I agreed with deformers that districts should fire more teachers. I said, Yep, prompting an angry explosion. I kept my cool and said, Look, even teachers say that 5 percent of the teachers in their school deserve an F. The average Fortune 500 firm fires 1 to 2 percent of employees a year. Districts are firing less than 1 percent of teachers. I think that should probably be closer to 2 percent. The ensuing discussion was calm, even constructive.

The point: You see the world in certain ways. Others can reasonably see it very differently. Their challenges can provide an opportunity for insight and understanding, if youre open to it.

You see the world in certain ways. Others can reasonably see it very differently."

It can be easy to inherit likes and dislikes from allies and mentors, to start thinking that these people are on my side and those arent. Since my side is full of smart, caring people, those on the other side must be mean-spirited hacks.

For instance, I think back to one of my first school choice conclaves, when the convener kicked things off by saying, Its wonderful to be among so many impassioned warriors for children. Weve got the angels with us right here. I remember wondering if I was in the wrong room, as I didnt feel much like either a warrior or an angel. I would later learn that just about any gathering can sound like this (though the identity of the good guys and the bad guys tends to flip, depending on who is hosting). Meanwhile, I kept meeting supposedly awful people who seemed both decent and reasonable. Try to make it a point to judge for yourself.

When youre presented as an expert, people treat your most banal utterances as borne of expertisewhich makes it easy to become self-impressed and mistake imprudence for insight. Years ago, I spent a week traveling across South Korea for the U.S. State Department. I did one public briefing that still makes me shake my head. Asked by a reporter about South Koreas higher education reforms, I somehow wound up on a tangent about the benefits of the geographic dispersion of U.S. universities and the possible lessons for Seoul-centric South Korea. While I didnt actually know what I was talking about, it all sounded vaguely plausible.

The next morning, my interpreter greeted me with a newspaper opened to my headshot and an energetic story about the American expert (thatd be me) urging the government to revamp its approach to university reform. We headed back to the ministry to smooth things over. The strangest thing? I resented the pushback. On the car ride over, I realized I was now invested in this spur-of-the-moment, tossed-off notion. If I could drink my ill-considered Kool-Aid so quickly, just imagine how easy it is for experts to wind up captives of the ideas that have consumed their professional lives.

Remember that, in any field, research eventually influences policy and practice, but usually after a long and gradual accumulation of evidence. Think about the research on the health effects of tobacco, where a body of research ultimately swayed the public and shaped policy on smokingin spite of tobacco companies frenzied, richly funded efforts. Yet that shift was the product of a sea of studies by hundreds of researchers over several decades. When education types assert that something works, that kind of thing is hardly ever what they have in mind.

Rather, such claims are frequently based on a handful of studies conducted by a small coterie of researchers. When frustrated that public officials arent following the research, its helpful to recall that itd be disconcerting if a handful of studies was enough to override a lifetime of accumulated experience, knowledge, and judgment.

Screenwriter William Goldman famously said of Hollywood, Nobody knows anything. His point? For all the slick analyses and industry jargon, nobody in Hollywood really knows why some movies succeed and some dont. Ive found that Goldmans wisdom applies widely in education. People will tell you why this district should be a national model or that superintendent is a genius. Much of the time, the endorsement rests more on a pet project or a favorable impression than on a deep sense of whats going on.

Bottom line: Theres a lot of noise out there. Try to tune it out. After all, one of the most useful insights I ever got was from the mentor who murmured, when he noticed me eyeballing the clock during an endless meeting, Were not done yet. Everythings been said, but everyone hasnt said it. In this noisy age, I suspect that students, schools, and the nation will be well-served if public scholars do their best to embrace the quiet virtues of reflection, civility, and wisdom.The last time Los Angeles teachers went on strike 30 years ago, Gary Garcia was a young, newly married teacher on the picket line demanding higher salaries.

This week, Garcia, now the principal of John Marshall High School, was playing a different role, running a school building while the teachers joined thousands of their colleagues on strike over demands for smaller class sizes, additional school counselors, nurses and librarians, and higher wages.

Like other building leaders in the nations second-largest school system, Garcia is both teacher and principal this week, and hes expected to wear those two hats as long as the strike lasts. The district has deployed 1,400 substitutes and 2,000 administrators, some with teaching credentials, to help principals.

Principals are doing the best they can, but its going to be tough for them to juggle both teaching and administration if the strike drags on, said Juan Flecha, president of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, which represents about 2,800 principals, assistant principals, some central office administrators, and middle managers.

I think under ordinary circumstances what our administrators will tell you is that there arent enough hours in the day to get the work donethats administration alone, much less balancing everything they have to do now, including teaching. Its a very heavy lift, and very unrealistic in terms of working conditions.

Missing Content Experts

With principals leading classroom instruction, they are spending time away from the normal work they would have been engaged insuch as meeting with parents or dealing with discipline issues. And in many instances, principals are not content experts in the classes they are expect to teach, particularly at the high school level where deeper expertise is important, Flecha said.

Its difficult to be in two places at once, but I think its more difficult at the secondary level, he said.

Only about a third of the 485,000 students in the district showed up to school on the first day of the strike.

The low attendance made conditions more manageable for principals and substitutes, but brought additional worries: Students who are not in school are not learning, and the district is losing daily attendance funding every day students stay at home.

Flecha worries that as attendance rises, which it did over the first couple days of the strike, it will become challenging to provide a safe environment and a quality instructional program.

If teachers stay out and there arent enough substitutes, thats going to become a big headache for administrators, he said.

The principals Education Week spoke with this week said that creating a safe learning environment for students during the strikewhatever the durationwas their priority.

Joe Nardulli, the principal of Vista Middle School, where about 42 percent of the schools staff was out on the picket line on Tuesday, said he, school administrators, and the remaining staff were working to ensure that students continued learning and had a safe place to go during the work stoppage.

This has been a difficult situation to be in, Nardulli said in a phone interview.

Students at Vista Middle School were grouped by grade level and spent the day working in large campus spaces, including the physical fitness room.

The district provided grab-and-go lessons for students, including online skills-based math programs and English language arts lessons, which will ideally allow teachers to pick up where they left off when they return, he said.

Still, Nardulli, who estimated that he is spending about 25 percent of the day teaching, left school around 9:45 p.m. on Mondaymuch later than normal.

But, he said, he did not want to dwell on that.

Lets be honestteachers have a challenging job and so many responsibilities, he said. Administrators do also. There is really never enough time in the day to do all the things that we want to do because as teachers, and as principals, and as leaders, we are perfectionists.

Up at Night Working on Lesson Plans

Garcia, the principal at John Marshall High School, taught a civil rights lesson on James Baldwin to 11th graders on the strikes first day, and tackled a combined 9th and 10th grade world history lesson using Jared Diamonds Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies in the afternoon.

The 11th grade went really well, he said, during a mid-morning break.

The schools four assistant principals were also on classroom duty: One worked on science projects, with seniors helping out freshmen, while another, who teaches math at a community college, took over math instruction.

The district also sent over three administrators to help, and most students said that their teachers had given them work to complete during the strike.

And the staff set up a study hall with computers in the gym for Advanced Placement students to work in groups.

Only about 12 percent of the schools nearly 2,500 students attended.

And the strike wasnt far from their minds. One of the first questions the students asked was, How long is this going to last? Garcia said. He had no definitive answer to give them.

Garcia had spent all weekend developing lesson plans for the classes he intended to teach this week.

Instead of doing administrative work at night, Im doing lesson planning at night, he said.

Although the lessons were standards-based, it was not the same as having regular classroom teachers, he said.

They are not going to do much writing this week, thats not good, Garcia said. And even though I am offering lectures, they are more college-style lectures and not high school teaching. My administrators and I cannot replace what classroom teachers do.

While Garcia would not offer a position on the strike, he had discussed it with the teachers.

I told my teachers I completely empathized with them, he said. If your union is making this decision, its an agonizing decision. ...I just hope that both parties come together.

Administrators are stuck in the middle. Those that support their teachers cant strike in solidarity, Flecha said.

They have to toe the line as the face and the representative of the district on that campus, he said.

Even when the strike is over, principals will have a new hurdle: rebuilding a collaborative environment in their schools.

Not all teachers are out on the picket line, and depending on how long the work stoppage lasts, some may decide to go back to work. That could lead to friction among staff members, and it will be up to the principals to recreate a culture conducive to student learning, Flecha said.

After the nine-day strike in 1989, it took years in some cases to smooth out lingering hard feelings, he recounted.

If you were a teacher and did cross the line, you were effectively shunned by the faculty who struck, Flecha said. And in some cases, the harm was irreparable.Editors Note: Staff Writer Daarel Burnette II covers state education policy. This analysis is part of a special report exploring pressing trends in education. Read the full report: 10 Big Ideas in Education.

Why do black students whose parents serve in the military so significantly outperform their peers from black civilian families? This question has for years stumped researchers, but a new data-reporting requirement for military-connected students under the Every Student Succeeds Act could provide some insights for practitioners and policymakers serving Americas increasingly mobile students overall.

Moving just once for any student has the potential to derail the students academic trajectory.

And yet black military-connected students, who move on average six to nine times before they graduate high school, consistently perform on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and on state exams not only better than black students from civilian families, who on average rarely transfer schools, but also almost as high as their white civilian- and military-connected peers. That gap has only continued to narrow in recent years.

I first came across this emerging research about seven years ago. It was early on in my career as an education reporter, and I was writing frequently about how Minnesotas schoolssome of the best in the nationhad so dramatically left their black students behind.

In my personal life, I was grappling with the lingering effects of an academically and socially disjointed childhood.



ESSAs little-discussed Military Student Identifier is a big opportunity. Scroll down to read how two researchers suggest school and district leaders can make the most of the new reporting requirement.

As the son of a black Air Force officer, I attended 12 schools before my high school graduation. At some of these schools, I served as class president, was active in the theater and band programs and was a B-average student. At other schools, I was bullied, frequently suspended for fighting, and barely passed many of my classes.

Our familys moves came swiftly and almost always halfway through the school year. I witnessed many times over my mother in a schools main office, gripping a tattered manila folder stuffed with medical records, report cards, and teachers notes.

Was it possible, I wondered in retrospect, that in the chaos that military life is bound to bring, my parents had somehow dodged the more-often-than-not hyper-segregated schools, low expectations, teacher bias, and harsh disciplinary practices that so frequently plague black childrens academic experiences?

In my search for answers, researchers and practitioners pointed me to an aggressive, decades-old movement among military families to improve the quality of schools on and around military bases. That emphasis has resulted in teachers who have grown accustomed to working with a transient student population, and to an exaggeratedbut necessaryfocus on students transition between schools.

Thats not all. Military officials, who sometimes sit on local school boards, also demand smaller class sizes, after-school programs, qualified teachers, and a slate of course offerings so students can tap into their diverse interests. This sort of heavy accountability has a trickle-down effect for black families who otherwise would hold little political capital to improve schools in civilian life.

Orientation for new students is complete with tours, lunch buddies, and lots of introductions. It lasts for months, rather than days.

In order to assimilate new students into the social ecosystemwhat I remember to be the most vexing part of being the new kidsports teams and after-school clubs have open slots for newcomers throughout the year.

Students are tested two to three times to figure out which classes to best place them in.

And administrators at these schools, aware of the emotional distress that comes with having a parent who may be deployed to a war overseas for months at a time, work to assure a higher staffing level of school psychologists than is typical at most schools.

So much of the debate over what has caused Americas black students to perform at significantly worse rates than their white classmates is wrapped up in stereotypes and assumptions about what is and is not happening in the classroom and what is and is not happening in black families homes.

These debates are often devoid of clean and nuanced data, and often fail to consider powerful anecdotes that detail how so many black families, despite Americas racist past, have managed to send their children to and through college.

For both my grandfathers, the military provided an escape from the suffocating and violent grip of racially segregated Mississippi. But many black soldiers, including my grandfathers, did not benefit from the GI Bill, and both my parents were raised in segregated and under-resourced neighborhoods.

Integration came halfway through my parents K-12 experience, and the military, for my dad, offered a way to pay his way through college.

We spent a great deal of time trying to find the best for our children and being sure they were able to have what we perceived we didnt, my parents recently told me in a long (and therapeutic) email exchange.

Many of the 12 schools I attended in the 1990s provided the things military associations are now pushing to replicate. Many, for a variety of complicated reasons, did not.

While the data on black military-connected students is promising, there are still significant challenges today. Gifted students and students with special needs in military communities perform significantly worse than their civilian peers. Curriculum, standards, and the formats of transcripts vary dramatically between districts and states, making it especially hard for teachers to assess and place incoming students.

And, though its narrowing, there is still, after all, a performance gap between black and white military-connected students, which means discrimination and lack of access is still occurring.

ESSA requires states to track and publicly report the achievement rates of military-connected students.

For those researchers, practitioners, and advocates who care about the success of black children, the wealth of information now available through ESSA provides an opportunity to learn about what works.

PERSPECTIVE

What Clues Does ESSA Offer for Military-Connected Students?

By Doug Mesecar & Don Soifer

This school year, an important requirement under the federal Every Student Succeeds Actthe Military Student Identifiergoes into effect. Because of the new mandate, student performance data for the nations 1.2 million military-connected students will soon be publicly available for the first time.

Implemented to their potential, these assessment data should provide families, teachers, administrators, and researchers with a clearer understanding of how these students are performing. They could also help to provide a deeper understanding of what academic and nonacademic programs are working and not working for these highly mobile students.

Military-connected students have a greater than 50 percent chance of moving to a new school each year, an astounding level of transition and disruption. They are also at a much greater risk of receiving an uneven and inconsistent education due to different state content standards and graduation requirements, among other factors.

Educators serving military-connected students observe that while these students generally demonstrate resilience and adaptability, the frequent transitions and the stress associated with their parents wide-ranging deployments make effective and timely social-emotional support critical for students, including responsive counseling, peer-to-peer groups, and recognition of the contributions of the military. The impact of the lack of such support merits further research, but can potentially negatively affect a students academic outcomes and future opportunities.

A report we published in September 2018 for the Lexington Institute and the Collaborative for Student Success, Student Success, Getting School Districts Ready for the Military Student Identifier , identifies a number of essential practices for educators that can be used for benchmarking district and school programs serving military-connected students. These practices include ensuring:

 Direct social and emotional support for military-connected students and efficient intake systems for identifying these childrens academic and nonacademic needs;

 School and district leaders who use data on individual student progress to keep students from falling behind and who organize focused training for teachers on the unique needs of military-connected students;

 Communities that hold high expectations for all students and systems that produce timely and thorough communication with families and establish a strong relationship between school district and base leadership.

As jurisdictions look to implement the new identifier, there is an opportunity for increasing their understandingand oursof how this important and diverse population of learners is progressing through their schooling, and how effective policy and practice can lead to improved outcomes for them all.

Doug Mesecar and Don Soifer are research fellows for education at the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va.

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The borderless promise of e-commerce doesn't mean one size fits all. Your business can have customers from around the globe, but if you want to keep them and grow, it is crucial to understand local shopper preferences and behaviors, and be able to respond to them. Without localization, you won't have an effective go-to-market strategy, and your opportunity for growth will stall.

Sure, the advent of selling online means that conventional borders no longer exist. Consumers are expected to spend US$1 trillion on cross-border e-commerce by 2020, according to a report by McKinsey.

Also, online buyers are not afraid to purchase goods from foreign merchants, as a recent KPMG study confirms, with international sales making up more than 40 percent of the total for the countries located in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

However, selling across borders is not the same as selling at home. If you can't create a localized, trusted and customized experience for shoppers, you definitely will suffer from low conversion rates -- or even worse, fail to win their business at all.

Shoppers may be willing to browse an offshore merchant, but the quality of the buying experience and how much the vendor is trusted factor heavily into consumers' decision-making.

Localization is critical, as it contributes to the trust that is so important to global buyers. Vendors need to start by crafting a localization strategy. However, many don't understand what the minimum requirements need to be and where to begin.

Following are a few things to consider.

Audit Your Local Audience, Markets and Resources

Once you have prioritized your markets and determined which ones you want to optimize, focus on auditing the unique aspects of those markets that will impact buying behavior the most.

Any strategy that doesn't consider the language, culture, preferences, needs and even idiosyncrasies of the local market is doomed to fail.

Connecting with global buyers requires an approach that treats each market differently. This means localizing each aspect of the buying experience, which includes everything from the payment method, currency, prices, text, labels and messages, to date and time, phone number, graphics, formatting, punctuation and addresses.

Creating an audit of the market will help you determine the must-haves to be successful in the region.

Translating Your Site Is Not Enough

Many sellers still believe that translating a site into the local language solves the localization issue. It doesn't. English is the language of the digital world, but the reality is that in most countries, 80 percent of transactions occur in the local language.

However, translation is only a small piece of the puzzle. Localizing content, product, all documents, pricing, communication and onboarding also should be considered. Ultimately, support must be offered in the local language, too.

Consider a Different Layout, Flow and Shopping Cart

Besides language translation, there are many localization elements to consider. The design of a website for China should differ greatly from one for Japan -- even if you're selling the same product. Likewise, user experiences that work in Europe don't always have the same impact for shoppers in North America or other regions.

As with website content layout and flow, buyers expect your shopping cart to reflect their local preferences and norms. Conversion rates for non-localized shopping carts are significantly lower.

This involves localizing every aspect of the cart -- which means text, labels, messages, dates, times, phone numbers, prices, graphics, formatting, number of steps in the ordering process, length of forms, information that is prefilled and more.

It's essential that you research the best layout and flow that will work in each region, and then fine-tune them by testing different versions and comparing their conversion rates.

Online shoppers in France, for example, prefer carts with a blue and white color scheme and a more formal tone to their text.

French customers also react better to positive language versus negative -- such as "what to do" instead of "what not to do." Plus, in France, they are very fond of the Carte Bancaire payment method.

On the other hand, in China you need to offer Alipay as a payment method or WeChat Pay. In our experience, businesses that sell in the Chinese market conduct more than 50 percent of their transactions via Alipay alone.

It's not just payment or colors schemes either. Cultural and societal considerations are critical. In China, it is recommended that you avoid the number four, which is considered unlucky.

In some countries, selling online can be more difficult for foreign companies. For example, Latin American countries such as Brazil, Chile and Argentina have stringent currency laws that make it illegal even to publish prices in currencies other than the local one. In addition, it's a prerequisite that customers have a nationally issued bank card for any payment purposes.

You need to know the lay of the land in every country you want to have a presence in.

The Price Needs to Be Right

An important deciding factor when buying online is the price. While some aspects may be beyond your control, such as shipping and handling or fulfillment, many others are not, such as regional-appropriate pricing.

Just because your product is priced competitively in one market, that doesn't mean the same is true in another. Transparency can be accomplished by giving shoppers the option to view the price in their local currency. However, a better practice is to use GeoIP detection technology, which identifies the shopper's location and displays the local currency automatically.

Being able to set the pricing by location allows you to adjust your strategy to the economic reality of each market, and to the costs that you incur by doing business in that particular geography.

Payments Change Everything

Payment localization isn't just a matter of convenience. It's a determining factor in the buying decision, and it's a good way to establish a level of trust and comfort that no amount of marketing or promotion can provide.

In addition to increased conversions, card purchases transacted with the combination of a local payment method, gateway and merchant bank have a much higher chance of being approved than any type of foreign payment.

However, creating the necessary infrastructure to localize payments is neither cheap nor easy. The typical payment processor will be able to provide coverage only for a single country or region.

That means you'll need to source and sign a processor for every region or country in which you intend to sell, as well as set aside time and resources to integrate and maintain them. If your plans include expansion into multiple markets, finding an e-commerce platform that can help you scale is the best option.

To be successful on a global scale requires payment capabilities that involve more than just completing transactions. Advanced payments can be an invaluable tool to increase conversion or renewal rates, reduce churn, and improve the customer experience.

Among them are solutions such as credit card updating services, which ensure that recurring billing remains intact by updating a customer's card expiration date automatically, or intelligent payment routing, which redirects the payment through to the most appropriate gateway or processor, and configurable retry logic, which recovers up to 20 percent of failed transactions due to soft declines.

Local Customer Support Is a Must

Seventy-eight percent of consumers have abandoned a transaction because of a bad service interaction, according to American Express.

Hence, it's critical to your localization strategy to provide good shopper support -- from providing a local phone number, a localized email system (sent in local languages and during business hours) and even a toll-free number.

Additionally, email follow-ups, order recovery, lead management, and even marketing messages all need to be localized for an optimal experience.

The Certainties in Life Are Death and Taxes

OK, let's not get too gloomy here. Even taxes can be manageable. Regardless of where your company is based, you're legally required to properly manage and collect sales and value-added taxes levied on each transaction. The amount, the authority responsible for collecting it, and the rules governing it can differ from country to country.

You need to know how much tax to charge and which entities and businesses are exempt. Many of these details can be automated with templates that support pan-regional commerce and have GeoIP location detection to identify the shopper's country of origin.

Other details, such as how and where to distribute the tax proceeds, must be handled by the seller (as the merchant of record) or its proxy. Companies wanting to accelerate sales can leverage a digital commerce provider to act as a merchant of record in each country. In addition to tax handling, such providers can manage all the financial aspects of the transactions, leaving you with just the proceeds.

Data Protection Compliance: A Reality

We're increasingly seeing more regulation to protect citizens' personal information across multiple borders. In the case of GDPR, any company that interacts or does business with EU citizens or EU-based companies must comply.

New laws in the U.S., such as in California and Vermont, have similar mandates protecting local citizens and businesses. Compliance is essential as a result, because the failure to comply can result in crippling fines.

Hence, it makes business sense for merchants to work with an e-commerce partner that has an established governance structure that supports broad compliance, and that conducts regular compliance assessments and audits.

Where Do We Go From Here?

E-commerce continues to represent a huge opportunity for businesses, with no signs of slowing down. However, the companies that capitalize on this growth the best will be the ones that have comprehensive strategies in place to deal with optimizing sales in prioritized markets. This includes plans for international growth in which localization plays a critical role.

However, as we've seen, global e-commerce isn't one size fits all. It requires careful consideration of the marketplace you are entering, and it may seem truly beyond the scope of most companies.

Before expanding, businesses need to arm themselves with knowledge about where to prioritize their efforts. They also need to choose a partner with the right combination of skills to get them there: expertise in global e-commerce capabilities, relationships, even access to local affiliates and resellers that can help any merchant penetrate into a local market quickly, effectively, and with the right knowledge and marketing power behind them.

Erich Litch is president and chief operating officer of 2Checkout.

Towson makes sense for us to get in that area, said Jerry Altland, the companys vice president for real estate. Weve tried to get in that area for a long, long time. Its our customer there. Its perfect for us.EBRD investment in 2018 near record level with 9.5 billion in 395 projects

First investments in Lebanon and in West Bank and Gaza

Strong delivery in green finance with 36 per cent of investment

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has set ambitious goals for 2019 in support of the global development agenda after another year of strong delivery in the 38 emerging economies in which it invests across three continents.

The Bank overcame significant economic challenges in a number of countries to maintain an excellent level of investment and backing for reforms in 2018. It financed 395 projects worth a total of 9.5 billion, very close to the 2017 record of 9.7 billion.

At its Annual Meeting in Jordan in May 2018, EBRD shareholders asked the Bank to do even more with existing capital to increase investments in existing countries to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals the international community has pledged to deliver by 2030.

The EBRD responded with a plan that sees the Bank making an even greater impact in its regions. EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti told Bank staff this week the EBRD would raise both the quality and the quantity of its investments over the next two years. He was confident the Bank would achieve these ambitious goals.

At the 2019 Annual Meeting, in May in Sarajevo, shareholders will decide whether to investigate possible further expansion -- outside the current regions of activity.

2018 was a year during which the EBRD extended its broad international shareholder base that already stretches across five continents. India became the Banks 69th member and San Marino signed up to take a stake.

The EBRD also continued last year to work towards its climate finance goals, devoting 36 percent of its total investments to the green economy. The Bank is well on the way to meeting a target of dedicating a 40 percent share of investments to the green economy by 2020.

It underscored its green credentials with the launch of a new energy strategy that pledges to scale up investment in renewables, completely rule out financing for coal and restrict financing in upstream oil to exceptional projects, which reduce harmful greenhouse gases.

The EBRD also quadrupled the size of its Green Cities programme in support of environmentally friendly municipal investments to almost 1 billion.

The donor community showed great support for the work of the Bank, making available over a half a billion euros of co-financing, including 413 million in grants and 170 million in concessional loans to deepen the impact and sustainability of EBRD projects across its regions.

The EBRD continues its strong cooperation with donors to support development and reforms. They include, among others, the European Union, the Green Climate Fund, the Clean Technology Fund and national governments.

The EBRD continued to invest strongly in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region. Its financing for Egypt included funding to reduce extreme levels of pollution for the six million people living in the Kitchener Drain area of the Nile Delta.

Elsewhere in the region, the EBRD made its first investments in Lebanon in 2018, including the acquisition of a stake in Bank Audi, the countrys largest commercial lender.

It also started operating in the West Bank and Gaza, providing finance to support small businesses, helping build capacity at the Palestinian Monetary Authority and developing the economys commercial links with support from the EBRDs Trade Facilitation Programme.

In a particularly challenging year in Turkey, where an economic slowdown and significant currency depreciation affected many private sector companies, a third of the EBRDs 1 billion financing was in the Turkish lira or in support of local capital market development.

The Bank made an important contribution to energy security with its investment in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline that is helping forge energy links along the Southern Gas Corridor linking Asia with Europe and helping to promote the switch away from use of coal.

In another key investment that supported infrastructure links in south eastern Europe, the EBRD brought in significant amounts of private finance to fund a major modernisation of the Nikola Tesla airport in Belgrade, Serbias main air transportation hub that serves the country and the wider region.

The EBRD invested strongly in Uzbekistan in 2018, reengaging in the country after a gap of nearly eight years in response to political changes that had ushered in a programme of reforms. Investments in Uzbekistan included US$ 333 million (262 million) for projects bringing improved water, electricity and heating supplies to hundreds of thousands of people.

In response to a request from authorities in Greece, shareholders decided in December 2018 to extend the Banks mandate in the country for another five years until 2025, allowing the EBRD to continue supporting the Greek private sector, improving competitiveness and strengthening the regional integration of the local economy.

In Moldova, the EBRD facilitated a major breakthrough in the banking sector, joining with two equity firms to buy a significant stake in the countrys largest bank, Moldova-Agroindbank, and supporting Romanias Banca Transilvania when it invested in Victoriabank in steps that helped bring stability to a sector previously rocked by fraud and money-laundering.

With the launch of its Women in Business programme in Morocco in 2018, the EBRD extended its support for women entrepreneurs across its regions. Since its launch in 2014, the EBRD initiative has provided women entrepreneurs with more than 485 million in cooperation with over 30 financial institutions in 18 countries and improved their access to advisory services, skills development training and business networks.Douthat | Racists to the right, anti-Semites to the leftA Baltimore County Police Department patrol officer was en route to a call for service, traveling south on Whitehead Road near Whitestone Road at about 3:50 a.m., when the officer struck the man who was on a skateboard, police said.Where are the best places to shop? Who gives the best haircut? Who cooks the best burger? Join our readers in selecting the "Best of Windham."

Make your picks!Were really excited about it and what it can mean to the community as a real, tent-pole business that can drive people to Catonsville, Baldwin said, adding that he and others in the community have been likely to drive to Columbia or somewhere on Route 40 to do their grocery shopping rather than staying near the Frederick Road corridor.Small businesses struggling with rising electricity prices can look forward to some relief following price cuts from some of Australias leading energy providers this month.

Government pressure has resulted in energy retailers lowering their standard offer prices, meaning thousands of Australian families and small business owners will receive an automatic discount of up to 15 per cent off their electricity bill.

According to one of Australias leading energy comparison services, Make It Cheaper, 85 per cent of Australian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are overspending on their electricity with many small business slugged with a loyalty tax if they dont compare prices.

However, Federal Minister for Energy Angus Taylor said the government had introduced measures to drive down electricity prices.

As of July 1, the Australian Energy Regulator will introduce a default price, which is expected to save small businesses thousands of dollars off their energy bills.

Mr Taylor said this default pricing would get rid of the loyalty tax.

This means that when your contract with your energy company comes to an end, or you want to negotiate a better deal sooner with your energy company, the default price will be your guide, he said.

Median standing offers in NSW can be up to $411 per year more expensive than the cheapest market offer for households and up to $2,582 per year more for small businesses.

I know people are struggling with rising power prices. Negotiating with energy companies can be time-consuming and confusing.

Our plan will take the pressure off families and small businesses, and put customers back in charge, Mr Taylor said.

The Governments measures to drive down power prices include:

Stop the price gouging by big energy companies by banning sneaky late payment penalties, requiring them to pass on savings in wholesale prices to customers and strengthening the regulators power to crack down on dodgy, anti-competitive practices.

by banning sneaky late payment penalties, requiring them to pass on savings in wholesale prices to customers and strengthening the regulators power to crack down on dodgy, anti-competitive practices. Create a price safety net (default price) to protect customers and remove the loyalty tax on those who have stayed with their energy company or dont have time to shop around.

and remove the loyalty tax on those who have stayed with their energy company or dont have time to shop around. Back investment in reliable generation which, over the longer term, will improve competition, lower prices and guarantee reliable supply. The Government will support projects that reduce wholesale electricity prices, support the reliability of the grid and increase competition.

which, over the longer term, will improve competition, lower prices and guarantee reliable supply. The Government will support projects that reduce wholesale electricity prices, support the reliability of the grid and increase competition. Support reliable power by requiring energy companies to sign contracts guaranteeing enough energy to meet demand.

Make It Cheaper found that SMEs still had massive potential to save big just by comparing multiple energy offers and the Governments Business Energy Advice Program will help small businesses find the best energy deal.

The $11.6 million program is currently open for tender for organisations interested in supporting small businesses switch energy providers.Head down to the Spirit Store on Saturday, February 9 for an evening of Spiritual enlightenment with Tyrone comic, Kevin McAleer with his new show Guru.

So why the sudden shift from comedy into mindfulness?

Well, Tyrone's oldest lama Kevin McAleer has just been voted 'Ireland's Most Humble Guru' by Mindfulness Magazine for the eighteenth year running.

To celebrate this modest achievement, he has announced a majestic national tour of his unique self-awareness seminars for 2019, promising full spiritual enlightenment on the night.

Kevin McAleer came to prominence on the RTE television show Nighthawks which began broadcasting in the late 1980s.

McAleer became known for his three-minute sketches of surreal rustic tales told in his slow County Tyrone drawl.

He also played the part of boring Uncle Colm in 'Derry Girls' on Channel 4. One critic said that McAleer "put the dead back into deadpan".

Tickets are priced at 20 from the bar, The Spirit Stores website:

www.spiritstore.ie/tickets.php and McAteers The Food House, on Clanbrassil Street.If you are a lover of vinyl records you might want to mark Sunday, March 3, down in your diary.

The Pop Up Record And CD Fair will be rolling into Dundalk venue The Spirit Store from 10.30am to 5pm.

At the record fair there will be thousands of LP's, singles, 7 inch, 12-inch records and CD's all in one place with several stalls from all over Ireland.

At the fair, you can chose to come along as a customer and buy records, or sell some of your own or even trade some records with another attendee. Come along and browse the collections on show on March 3 and you might come away with some gems for your collection.

Entry to this event is free of charge. www.spiritstore.ieA Marianna, Florida, woman was arrested Wednesday after law enforcement said she shoplifted more than $500 worth of merchandise.

Shakola Danielle Reed, 23, of Marianna is charged with shoplifting.

According to Dothan Police Lt. Lynn Watkins, Reed entered the Dothan location of Kohls, where she allegedly shoplifting $512 worth of merchandise.

Store employees witnessed Reed take the items, Watkins said. Store employees called the police department and officers were dispatched to the area, and Reed was arrested.

Reed is currently out of jail on a $1,000 bond.

Get Breaking News Alerts Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.After a 45-minute deliberation, a jury came back on Wednesday with a guilty verdict on two counts of voter fraud against Gordon Mayor Elbert Melton.

Melton was found guilty in Houston County Circuit Judge Kevin Moultons courtroom. He still faces an additional felony offense yet to be tried.

Upon the verdict being read, I asked Moulton to have Melton taken into custody, prosecutor Mark Johnson said. Instead, Moulton released him back on bond.

Meltons sentencing hearing is set for next month. With this conviction, Meltons mayoral title has been taken away.

Last September, a grand jury returned indictments against Melton on three charges of absentee ballot fraud and one charge of second-degree theft of property. One fraud count was dismissed because the victim passed away.

According to Meltons arrest warrants, he is accused of willfully and unlawfully falsifying absentee ballots or verification documents. He is also charged with knowingly obtaining or exerting unauthorized control over $1,700 belonging to the Town of Gordon.

He was elected mayor in August 2016, defeating Priscilla Wilson by a 16-vote margin, 99 to 83.You may have noticed some activity taking place across the street from the Jackson County Courthouse, at 4438 Lafayette Street. Eric Bozeman will be opening a second location of his business Bozeman Bargains soon.

Eric was born and raised in Sylvester, Georgia, which is located between Albany and Tifton in Worth County. At age 7, Eric began helping his parents at their appliance and furniture store. He continued to work with his parents at Worth and Appliances after he finished school, and later purchased the business in 2008.

Shortly after he married his wife Nina last spring, they moved to Jackson County, because she accepted a job managing Farmers Furniture in Marianna. Since that time, Eric has been helping with deliveries at Farmers Furniture and traveling to Georgia to manage his store.

Bozeman Bargains will provide appliance repairs and used appliance sales. According to Eric, one of the challenges that he constantly faces is technology. He explained that Samsung now has appliances that allow users to view whats inside of their refrigerators with a smart phone. Appliances can also be remotely turned off and on with smart phones.

Word of mouth is my best advertisement, he added.We met with the librarians from our five elementary schools in May and asked them to begin compiling a list of their wishes for books to circulate, OBrien said. Our target audience was upper elementary school students who read at lower levels, so we wanted interesting books that were appropriate for elementary school students but had a lower readability level. The teachers chose their books based on circulation numbers and what the kids were interested in, what they requested, so with the grant money and the money generated from our fundraisers -- which we thank the community for -- theyll be able to purchase those books.Motorists from Donegal will have to carry a Green Card to drive across the border if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, to prove their vehicles have valid motor insurance.

Insurers and insurance brokers will provide green cards to motor insurance policyholders who travel to the UK, including to Northern Ireland, if a no deal Brexit takes place, the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has advised.

If there is a no deal Brexit, all motor vehicles travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland/ UK, will require a Green Card to demonstrate to law enforcement agencies they have valid motor insurance.

Green cards will not be required if an agreement is reached between the UK and the EU on Brexit, or if a transitional arrangement is implemented.

A Green Card is an internationally recognised insurance document which provides proof of the minimum compulsory motor insurance cover required by the country visited. Green Cards provide a guarantee of insurance for a minimum of 15 days and can remain valid until the expiry date of the motor insurance policy, providing cover for multiple trips.

In line with the current expected Brexit date of March 29, insurers and insurance brokers will begin issuing Green Cards to policyholders from March. This is on the basis that no agreement has been reached between the UK and the EU on Brexit or that the process has not been further delayed. At that point anyone who plans on driving their Irish registered vehicle in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK should contact their insurer or insurance broker one month in advance of their expected travel date. This is to ensure they receive their Green Card in sufficient time.

Currently all motor vehicles with a valid Irish registration travelling within the EU are covered by the terms of the EU Motor Insurance Directive (MID). This allows motor vehicles to travel freely between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland/ UK as well as within other EU countries without requiring supplementary insurance documentation. Should a no deal Brexit occur, the UK (including Northern Ireland) will no longer be party to the MID, meaning a Green Card will be required to demonstrate to the authorities in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK that valid motor insurance cover is in place for those vehicles.

The MIBI acts as Green Card Bureau in the Republic of Ireland. The MIBI is a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.

Speaking about this developing situation, David Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of the MIBI said: Green Cards will only be necessary in the event of a no deal Brexit. Our hope is that a deal will be agreed between the UK and the EU, meaning there will be no disruption to the motor insurance status quo for those travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland/ UK. If there is a transitional Brexit arrangement put in place between the EU and the UK then Green Cards will not be required.

"We had hoped to avoid the need for Green Cards, however as there continues to be uncertainty as to what the final outcome of the Brexit process will be, we want to raise awareness about the possible implications from a motor insurance perspective. This is to help members of the public who bring their motor vehicles to Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK to be prepared should a no deal Brexit occur.

"Even if a hard Brexit does occur, policyholders existing insurance policies will remain valid for vehicles travelling from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK. However, the Green Card is necessary to provide proof of that insurance cover to the relevant law enforcement authorities."Donegal ETBs annual Further Education and Training (FET) Fair will take place on Wednesday, 23 January in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Letterkenny.

The Fair attracts over one thousand adults and young people each year, making it the countys largest event to explore education and training opportunities.

For those who would like to take a different path in 2019, Donegal ETBs FET Fair is the ideal opportunity to investigate what education and training opportunities are available locally and find out how Donegal ETB and other providers can help people to meet their education and training needs.

There will be a wide range of options available; part-time and full-time learning, courses to help refresh the basics or develop knowledge in a range of areas of interest, including courses for recreation and courses to improve employment prospects.

Donegal ETB FET staff will be there on the day to talk through what Donegal ETB has to offer. Those attending can also speak to current learners to find out firsthand what its like to undertake a FET course with Donegal ETB. Information will be available on Apprenticeships, Traineeships and industry certified courses and attendees can try their hand at augmented reality welding. Many of Donegal ETBs FET courses are co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020; representatives from ESF will also be available to speak to on the day.

OPPORTUNITIES

Progression opportunities for learners will be represented through Colleges of Further Education, ITs and universities, while information on how to support a return to learning will also be available through Citizens Information, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and SUSI Student Grants.

Donegal ETBs Director of Further Education and Training (FET), Crona Gallagher said, People should take the time on 23 January to find out how Donegal ETBs FET Service can help them to go further in developing their skills and to find out about the many education and training options available throughout the county. As the largest FET provider in the county, with over 11,000 learners completing courses with us in more than 120 venues in 2018, we offer opportunities to upskill, retrain, gain on the job work experience and progress onto further and higher education.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information please contact Donegal ETBs Adult Guidance and Information Service on 0749178088 or email adultguidance@donegaletb.ie or visit them at 2nd Floor, McKendrick Place, Pearse Road, Letterkenny.

Further updates on the 2019 FET Fair can be found on Donegal ETBs website (www.donegaletb.ie/news) and Twitter, Facebook (@DonegalETB) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/comp

any/donegaletb.ie) accounts by following #FETFair2019.MNG makes $1.4 bn hostile bid for USA Today publisher Gannett

Newspaper chain MNG Enterprises Inc, better known as Digital First Media, has offered to buy Gannett Co for $12 a share in cash, an offer that values the publisher of USA Today at around $1.4 billion.

MNG, which publishes the Denver Post and the Boston Herald, already owns a 7.5 per cent stake in Gannett through its managed investment account, making it the company's biggest shareholder.

In a letter to shareholders on Monday the company said "a series of value-destroying decisions made by an unfocused leadership team", including an "ill-fated hostile for Tribune Publishing" have hit the company's bottom line.

MNG Enterprises Inc, controlled by secretive hedge fund Alden Global Capital LLC, said it had approached Gannetts board and management on multiple occasions about a potential combination, but the latter had not meaningfully engaged.

Alden Global, which started buying distressed newspapers a decade ago, now owns newspapers like the Denver Post, the San Jose Mercury News etc. The company, however, faces criticism for ruthless cost-cutting, asset sales and job cuts at the newspapers it acquired.

MNG, one of the largest newspaper holding companies in the United States, owns more than 200 publications. Buying Gannett would give it access to about 100 more newspapers, including the Detroit Free Press.

The USA Today is the largest circulated daily newspaper in the United States, according to a list by market research firm Cision Media Research.

MNG, which holds a 7.5 per cent stake in Gannett, said it will offer $12 per Gannett share, representing a premium of 23 percent to the companys close on Friday. Gannetts shares rose 18 percent to $11.52 in afternoon trading.

Gannett is struggling with a fall in revenue and has invested millions to scale up its digital footprint. It is also in the middle of a management shuffle, with chief executive Robert Dickey slated to retire in May this year.

The company said it would review the proposal, which comes three years after Gannett abandoned its plan to merge with Tribune Publishing Co, formerly Tronc Inc, the publisher of the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun.

MNG on Monday also urged Gannett to hire an investment bank to conduct a review of options, including a potential sale, and opposed its digital acquisition strategy.Govt to infuse Rs6,000-crore fresh capital into Exim Bank

The government will infuse Rs6,000 crore in fresh capital into Export-import bank of India (Exim Bank),which will enable it to augment capital adequacy and support Indian exports with enhanced ability.

Exim Bank is the principal export credit agency for India.

The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved the recapitalisation of Exim Bank through issuance of Recapitalisation Bonds by the Government of India to the tune of Rs6,000 crore for capital infusion in Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank), an official release stated.

The equity will be infused in two tranches of Rs4,500 crore in FY 2018-19 and Rs1,500 crore in FY 2019-20, respectively.

The cabinet also approved an increase in the authorised capital of Exim Bank from Rs10,000 crore to Rs20,000 crore. The recapitalisation bonds will be on the lines issued to public sector banks.

The infusion will give an impetus to anticipate new initiatives like supporting Indian textile industries, likely changes in concessional finance scheme (CFS), likelihood of new LoCs in future in view of India's active foreign policy and strategic intent.

Exim Bank of India (Exim Bank) was established in 1982 under an Act of Parliament as the apex financial institution for financing, facilitating and promoting India's international trade. The bank primarily lends for exports from India, including supporting overseas buyers and Indian suppliers for export of developmental and infrastructure projects, equipment, goods and services from India. It is regulated by RBI.UK PM Theresa May survives no-confidence vote

British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons by a narrow margin of 19, with her Conservative Party MPs closing ranks after parliament turned down her Brexit deal by a wider margin, that imperiled both her leadership and Britain's departure from the European Union.

The motion tabled by Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn was voted out by 325 to 302, after a five-hour debate on Wednesday, during which Corbyn accused Mays zombie government of failing the country and turning a deal that had been touted as the easiest in history into a national embarrassment.

Theresa May said again in Parliament on Wednesday that she would not support a second referendum, even as the rift among British political classes that has turned the society into warring factions of `Stayers and `Leavers widened.

May must now present lawmakers with a `Plan B for exiting the 28-member union even as the European Union insists that the Brexit deal is non-negotiable. The Parliament is to meet on Monday.

In Brussels, European diplomats said that the onus of failure of the Brexit deal was on British lawmakers as they failed to come up with a proposal - any proposal - that could win a majority in Westminster. At the same time, European leaders expressed fear that Britain could crash out of EU on 29 March with no safety nets in place.

Labour leaders, however, insist that May must first rule out a "no-deal" Brexit, which they say would wreak havoc on British workers.

"Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the government must remove, clearly and once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of no-deal and all the chaos that would come as a result of that," Corbyn said.

Leaders of the Scottish National Party said that avoiding a no-deal Brexit, extending the deadline for leaving the European Union, and consideration of a second Brexit referendum "have to be on the table" as options.

While May said again in Parliament on Wednesday that she would not support a second vote, the hardline wing of Tory Brexiteers published a plan for leaving the 28-nation trading bloc with no deal and trading with Europe as a third country.

In brief remarks outside her official residence at 10 Downing Street, May agreed that for people outside Parliament the previous 24 hours would have been "unsettling."

"Now MPs have made clear what they don't want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want," she said, adding that she had invited the leaders of all parties to meet with her to try to hammer out a deal that could pass a bitterly divided House of Commons.

But, opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who initiated the confidence motion against the government, is in no mood for a compromise.

Corbyn too is under pressure from within his own party with 71 MPs signing a letter calling on him to back a second referendum.

The opposition leader, however, is pushing for a general election, a Brexit that would involve a customs union with the EU and greater worker protections.Theresa May faces trust vote as MPs reject Brexit deal

Prime Minister Theresa May's government faces a vote of no confidence later after MPs voted out the Brexit deal negotiated by her government with the European Union. Theresa May lost the Brexit vote by a landslide majority of 230 votes.

Opposition Labour party has launched the bid to trigger a general election after the deal setting out the terms of Britain's exit from the EU was rejected by 230 votes.

A no-confidence motion tabled by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is expected to be held at about 1900 GMT today. The motion, however, looks unlikely to succeed as Northern Ireland's DUP and Tory rebels have offered support to the PM.

Now, with the EU firm on a `no renegotiation stand, Britain may crash out of the EU without any deal.

British MPs on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected the Brexit deal negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May by a margin of 230 votes, handing down the biggest defeat for a government in history.

MPs rejected the deal, which sets out the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) on 29 March, with 432 voting against and 202 in favour.

The deal, hammered out after months of negotiations, nearly two years after a divisive referendum in which the British people voted to leave the trade bloc, now stands rejected.

The Brexit deal negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa Mays government and EU leadership laid out the terms of Britain's exit from the 27-member EU, as well as the political declaration, which specified the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU.

A 'no' vote would spell out further uncertainty and turmoil in Britain as the country looks to exit the EU in 73 days' time,

Britain's future now remains uncertain. It could either be headed towards a "no deal" Brexit or the lawmakers could try to renegotiate the deal. The historic vote on Tuesday may also trigger a new election in the country or could make way for a second referendum over whether UK should pursue with Brexit at all.

The defeat is a huge blow for Mrs May, who has spent more than two years hammering out a deal with the EU.

The deal was aimed at bringing about an orderly departure from the EU and setting up a 21-month transition period to negotiate a free trade deal.

The vote was originally due to take place in December, but May delayed it hoping to win the support of more MPs.Bharti Airtel in talks to buy Telkom Kenya: report

Bharti Airtel is reported to be in talks to buy Telkom Kenya, the East African nations smallest telecoms operator, to expand its operations in the country, reports quoting industry sources said on Monday.

A deal will help the Sunil Mittal-led telco emerge stronger in the East African market and improve overall valuation of Airtel Africa in the run-up to its initial public offer (IPO), likely in May-June, people aware of the development said.

Airtel, currently Kenyas second-biggest telecoms operator, after market leader Safaricom, plans to buy the stake that London-based Helios Investment, which owns a 60 per cent in Telkom Kenya, is looking to partly offload its stake in the African telecom company.

Telkom Kenya is the third-largest telco in Kenya with over 5 million users, behind market leader Safaricom with over 30 million. Airtel Kenya had 10 million-plus customers.

Helios is trying to cash out of the investment which it made in 2015, reports citing sources said.

The two companies had held merger talks last year, only to abandon it later. Telkom made the approach that time.

A deal, if arrived at, is expected to be completed by the end of this quarter, the sources said.

The sector regulator Communications Authority of Kenya said it was yet to be formally notified by the two operators of the latest attempt at a deal.

The latest deal overtures come in the aftermath of Airtel Africa recently raising $1.25 billion (about Rs9,200 crore) by placement of shares to six global investors, which will be followed by an Airtel Africa IPO, through which the telco plans to garner an additional $1.5-1.6 billion.

Telkom Kenya in planning an expansion and optimisation of its 4G and 3G network. The network roll-out will see to the improvement of mobile connectivity, boosting the quality of service to customers.

In addition to improving mobile connectivity, Telkom Kenya will also invest in its fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) network, which is set to improve the quality of service offered to enterprise and corporate customers. The focus will include investments into access, core, transmission and IT components; infrastructure that is crucial to further improving network reliability and accessibility.At the town hall Wednesday, County Police Chief Tim Altomare said he didnt want his department involved in the program for that reason  people need to know police officers will help them and arent looking to deport them. He said that in Anne Arundel, as in communities across the world, there is a small population of between three and five percent who prey on the vast majority of law-abiding citizens.Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  Twenty years ago in January 1999, a group of concerned citizens, led by law students from the University of the Philippines, filed an ambitious lawsuit in a trial court south of Manila. The petitioners, including the Manila Bay residents of the tahong (mussels) and talaba (oysters), sued practically the entire Philippine government for a simple prayer: Please clean up Manila Bay.

For water to be swimmable, the fecal bacteria content must not be more than 100 units per cubic meter. In January 1999, when the case was filed, the fecal bacteria in Manila Bay was one million units per cubic meter. Twenty years later, in January 2019, one would expect it to be little lower.

But guess what? There are now 330 million units of fecal bacteria for every cubic meter. In some parts of Manila Bay, it is 1 billion.

Wow, that is pure s**t. So much for the triumph of the Rule of Law.

Way forward

It is said that in the Philippines, laws are only suggestions. This seemed to have become the destiny of the 20-year-old story of Manila Bay.

It had to take someone who is not from Manila, a Bisaya, to start cleaning up our seas. It started with Boracay. And now it is Manila Bay.

Here are three practical pathways to clean our waters:

1. Solid waste (basura - the most visible dirt)

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is on the right track. Last December 2018, the DILG directed an environmental compliance audit (ECA) of the local governments surrounding Manila Bay. This region-wide inspection will reveal which local governments, down to the barangay level, are complying with the law on solid waste management. Simple points to consider are: separation of wet and dry wastes, no-separation-no-collection rule, materials recovery facilities, and visible garbage on roadsides and public spaces.

The inspection exercise should not look for who is not complying. Finding what is wrong is easy. What the government should be looking for are the people and communities who are doing good things on solid waste management. We should shine upon them the spotlight of recognition.

2. Sewage and septage from humans (the primary source of fecal bacteria)

These words refer to the water used  to bathe, wash, laundry, etc.  and the human wastes that are discharged every single day. Where does it go? Is this why in 20 years the fecal bacteria in Manila Bay rose from 1 million to 330 million?

That is the legal duty of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the local water districts. In Metro Manila, the MWSS contracted the task to private concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water. Please check your water bill. Part of what we pay for every month is a sewerage fee.

Do we now have a sewerage and septage system? If we do, why has the fecal bacteria in Manila Bay risen? Where did all that money go?

Instead of quarreling with them, a little word of advice. Nature has given us all the answers. We only have to humbly listen. Septage and sewage can be treated by nature in the form of mini- and micro-wetlands. Unlike a conventional sewage treatment plant, natural septage treatment plants (STPs) do not need a lot of space, time, and money to build and operate. In fact, it is so simple and inexpensive that it can be done right away in small modules for homes and communities.

If everyone can only get together, hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, in the spirit of bayanihan  we may yet see and swim in a clean Manila Bay in our lifetime. Bayanihan, after all, is made up of two beautiful words: Bayan which means community and cooperation, and bayani which means hero. It essentially means cooperative heroism.

3. Relocation of informal settlers

This is the more challenging and interesting journey that is better left to the powers of today. But it need not take long, nor must it be expensive. We have real-life models: Look at the 40 sq. meter condos near the Baywalk of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. A project of an enlightened mayor many years ago, they look even better than the condos of BGC. And guess how much it costs? 800 per month.

Why was that possible? Because it was an honest-to-goodness effort (without kickbacks) to provide decent, affordable, and convenient housing for our people. Yes, Build, Build, Build. And lets build, build, build more affordable housing, especially for our young and soon-to-be-homeless people.

The Iloilo River restoration is another success story worth watching. The clean-up, dredging, relocation of informal settlers, and the remarkable river quality improvement took only about 1,000 days.

Lessons learned

Using the law as the thinking tool, almost a lifetime was spent trying to right wrongs done to the Land, Air and Water (the LAW) of Life. Here are a few lessons learned.

1. Planting seeds

Perhaps anything that is worth doing cannot be done in one lifetime. In this lifetime, we can only plant seeds of hope. If, by some good luck, during our time we see the seeds spring to life, salamat po.

2. The power of positive energy

The greatest human hunger is not the hunger for food. It is the hunger of the heart for appreciation.

It is time to change the narrative of the law from being an enforcer to being an enabler. It is time to shift the emphasis of law from the negative energy of enforcement to the happy energy of positive reinforcement.

The government can launch a Manila Bay region-wide search for success stories and good efforts. Then we can identify the moving spirits behind the good stories, and then give them due recognition. Perhaps this can even be held in the Heroes Hall of the Malacanan Palace. Yes, it is time to generate the positive power of appreciation and recognition.

As an Asian philosopher once said, Kind words do not just praise the goodness of others. Kind words have the power to change the destiny of a nation.

A little difference

Twenty years ago, young Filipinos took the government to court to tell a simple story  to care for Manila Bay. After a long and lonely journey, they got a court judgment ordering a dozen government agencies to do what they should have done 50 years ago.

Yes, it is a lonely journey to have as clients the sea and the fish, who do not pay attorneys fees. But just when the concerned citizens had lost almost all hope that the Manila Bay will ever see the light of day, something sparkles.

Emperors come and go, empires rise and fall. But a story lives forever. A story of the sea.

But never doubt for a single moment that a handful of thoughtful and committed men and women can change the world. It is the only thing that ever did.

To those of you in positions of power today, with your passion and focused action, you are on your way to making a big difference.A portrait by a Cathlamet High School student now on view at the Astoria Art Loft.Huawei faces renewed pressure from the US after prosecutors opened another investigation against the vendor alleging that it stole trade secrets from other companies.

As reported in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the probe is almost complete, and focuses on handset testing solutions used by T-Mobile US, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. Huawei has responded by highlighting that it settled a civil court case with T-Mobile relating to trade secrets in 2017, in which it was cleared of any malicious activity.

Hours before the investigation was revealed, US politicians tabled a bill which seeks to prevent Chinese telecoms firms from purchasing US-made components if they are found to have violated export control laws. Both Huawei and ZTE were referred to by name in the text of the bill, although it would apply to any telecom company based in China.

Speaking to Reuters, Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the bill was a reaction cause by hysteria that would exacerbate tensions. It was introduced a month after Huaweis CFO Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada at the request of the US, which maintains that the vendor circumvented US trade sanctions on Iran.

If the bill is passed into law, it impose export denial orders on the company in question and  crucially  prevent them from being rescinded or modified by the President or executive branch until the President certifies that the company has not violated US laws for one year and is fully cooperating with US investigations.

This specification is likely aimed at avoid a repeat of the situation that unfolded last April around ZTE. The vendor was hit with a ban for violating trade sanctions, but it was lifted within three months following presidential intervention. Nonetheless, it had a severe impact on ZTE, with the company registering H1 losses of CNY7.8 billion ($1.1 billion).

Senator Tom Cotton, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that it would enable decisive action to protect US interests and enforce our laws. If Chinese telecom companies like Huawei violate our sanctions or export control laws, they should receive nothing less than the death penalty, which this denial order would provide.Telefonica is seeking to bring in as much as 530 million by selling off majority stakes in two of its Movistar units in Central America.

El Economista reported that America Movil is the frontrunner to acquire the El Salvador and Guatemala units of Movistar, although it will have significant regulatory hurdles to clear in both markets.

America Movils Claro is the second largest operator in Guatemala, with Telefonicas Movistar taking third place. If combined, the merged entity would be a comfortable second of three operators, but Millicoms Tigo would still take first place with its market share of over 50%.

However, a merger between the El Salvador units of Claro and Movistar would create a new market leader with over half of the countrys subscribers. This would overtake Millicoms local unit and reduce the number of operators from five to four.

Telefonica is reportedly keen to sell some or all of its Central American operations to reduce its debt. As well as El Salvador and Guatemala, the group is present in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. It holds a 60% stake in all of its Central American units apart from its operations in Costa Rica, which it owns in full.

The operators net debt totalled around 42.6 billion at the end of September 2018, but by realigning its strategy it has since managed to reduce this figure at a consistent rate. The news of a potential sale to America Movil follow the recent announcement that Liberty Latin America has put in an offer to acquire Millicom.SALT LAKE CITY  President Donald Trump gets the most blame from Utahns for the ongoing federal government shutdown in a new poll, but congressional Democrats aren't far behind.

While 36 percent of those polled for UtahPolicy.comsay the president bears the most responsiblity for what is the longest shutdown in U.S. history, 32 percent place the blame on Democrats in the House and Senate.

Just 2 percent hold Republicans in Congress responsible for the shutdown that began Dec. 22, although 29 percent blame Trump as well as both parties for the impasse over border wall funding sought by the president but opposed by Democrats.

The poll was conducted of 822 registered voters Jan. 3-15 for the online political news source by Dan Jones & Associates, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

LaVarr Webb, who publishes UtahPolicy.com and writes a political column for the Deseret News, said the results were not surprising given how the situation has played out in public.

"In the average citizen's mind, the big fight is between Trump and the Democrats in Congress. The Democrats have been highly visible," Webb said, while Republicans are laying low.

"Two percent for Republicans in Congress is low, there's no doubt about that," he said, although the GOP could end up sharing more of the blame as the shutdown drags on.

"Maybe what will happen is the number who blame all equally increases. That's kind of where I am," Webb said. "Most people are not feeling the pain, but when they start to do so, most people will blame both sides."

Nationally, polls have shown most Americans blame the president for the shutdown.

Jason Perry, head of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, said Trump is viewed as provoking the fight.

"What's happening here, at least in the minds of Utahns, is that the impasse is in the hands of President Trump. It was his line in the sand. It was his campaign promise," Perry said.

Utahns view the president as the face of the Republican side of the battle to build the border wall and the Democrats as his opposition, he said, while at the same time, the state's Republican officials are seen as pushing to solve the standoff.

"The Democrats are the response to the line in the sand," Perry said. "In Utah, you listen to our Republican elected officials and they are saying we need border security, but we need to find a solution to the budget impasse."SANDY  Police have identified a man killed in a head-on crash in Sandy on Wednesday.

Stephen Keddington, 33, of Murray, was traveling west on 9000 South about 8 a.m. when he crossed into oncoming traffic for an unknown reason near 900 East and hit a Mazda 6 head-on, said Sandy Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen.

Keddington was taken to a local hospital where he later died. A 36-year-old man driving the Mazda suffered only minor injuries, he said.

Why the Honda crossed into oncoming traffic was still being investigated. Because the crash involved a fatality, Nielsen said the Unified Police Department's Major Accident Team will take over the investigation.

The road at the time was wet but not icy or snow covered, he said.SALT LAKE CITY  The Wasatch Front economy is booming, and Utah as a whole enjoys one of the lowest jobless rates in the nation.

That is one snapshot of the state.

The other view, that of rural Utah, is a starkly different profile with some counties experiencing a stagnant economy, high poverty rates and job losses.

A report released Thursday seeks to bring awareness to the urban-rural divide in Utah and keep it in the conversation of lawmakers as they prepare to convene a 45-day legislative session later this month.

"What we wanted to do is make sure it stays on everybody's radar, especially state lawmakers," said Lauren Simpson, policy director with ABU Education Fund.

"We want to make sure it remains a vital part of the conversation."

The ABU Education Fund, a sister organization to Alliance for a Better Utah  a progressive watchdog organization  released Reaching Across the Urban-Rural Divide, providing a snapshot of 16 rural Utah counties.

The report examines poverty rates, median income and unemployment rates, and provides a glimpse of these counties when it comes to education, health care and unique county circumstances.

Daggett County, for example, has a high median income of $85,000 and a poverty rate lower than the state as a whole, but it is struggling to haul in revenue with the forced closure of its county jail.

That reality is in sharp contrast to the state of Utah, where lawmakers are considering what to do with a hefty state revenue surplus of $1.3 billion.

Simpson said wise policymakers will be careful to make decisions that consider the state as a whole, not just one economic profile.

"We need to make policies that benefit everyone in the state, not just those who live along the I-15 corridor," she said.

Among the report's snapshot of facts:

 Emery County faced job losses of 18.3 percent between 2010 and 2016.

 A University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute study found economic growth of the southwest region bypassed Garfield County, and its population grew more slowly than any other county in the region.

 Kane County has the highest percentage in Utah of men age 65 and older who report a serious disability  at 58 percent.

 Piute County has a poverty rate of 16.7 percent, the second highest in the state, and lags behind only San Juan County, which sits at 25.9 percent. Utah's poverty rate is 9.7 percent.

Simpson said it is important to note that living in rural Utah has its perks and is a choice that people make because of benefits that transcend dollars.

"The report is not just about the problems, but about the opportunities," she said.

"There is a reason people in Garfield are not picking up and moving to Orem. There is a reason they like living where they live. And those kind of soft advantages are sometimes intangible and hard to capture in the hard data about those counties."

The report builds on current initiatives to bridge the economic gap that separates rural Utah from its urban counterparts.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is leading a multipronged effort to grow 25,000 new jobs in 25 of Utah's 29 counties outside the Wasatch Front by the end of 2020.

Former Carbon County Commissioner Jae Potter said the county implemented a number of best practices outlined in Herbert's initiative and is seeing some results.

Potter, whose term ended last year after he did not seek re-election, said a manufacturing company and an alternative energy company plan to break ground on facilities this year, bringing new jobs with them.

"We still have our issues, but we have made headway," he said. "We have some good things happening."LEHI  Thanksgiving Point has a new addition, and for its tiny winged residents, it's something of a paradise.

"(The butterflies are) pretty much all from the tropics so (we) want to keep it hot and humid," said Zak Gezon, Thanksgiving Point's head entomologist.

Open to the public starting Friday, Jan. 18, Thanksgiving Point's new Butterfly Biosphere allows guests to walk among hundreds of butterflies, see the hands-on invertebrate museum and play in interactive exhibits.

Protected from the harsh Utah winter, the butterflies are able to fly freely, often landing on their human visitors. And Gezon wasn't kidding when he said they keep the biosphere hot and humid  the Butterfly Biosphere stays right around 85 degrees with 60 percent humidity.

"We wanted to feel like you're on the beach in Central America, which is kind of unbearably hot and humid if you're used to a Utah winter," he said.

Because none of the butterfly species living in the biosphere are native to Utah, Thanksgiving Point employees have taken special precautions to keep the insects healthy  and away from Utah's own native butterflies and ecosystem. Due to the risk of the insects becoming an invasive species, the USDA allows the biosphere to fly adult butterflies but not cultivate eggs or hatch caterpillars.

"We probably have 1,200 butterflies flying around right now and if half of those are female they can each lay, like, 100 eggs.  That's, like, 60,000 eggs at any given time," Gezon said.

To stop the butterflies from laying eggs, Gezon and his staff are careful what they plant in the biosphere.

"Butterflies will only lay their eggs on very specific plants per species so we just make sure we mismatch what butterflies we are flying and what plants we have," Gezon said.

In order to keep plenty of new butterflies in the biosphere, Gezon and his staff raise butterflies from pupas  the transition stage between caterpillar and butterfly they receive in the mail. After the biosphere receives the pupa, they hang them for guests to see in the Emergence Chamber until their metamorphosis is complete.

Only when these small insects emerge as fully mature butterflies can they be released into the conservatory. Gezon said that on an average morning, the employees will release between a hundred to 200 butterflies  anywhere between 50 to 60 different butterfly species.

One of the more common species at the biosphere is the Papilio memnon, a species native to Southern Asia. It also has an unusual nickname  the Great Mormon  which Gezon said comes from its unique appearance. It's an allusion to the practice of polygamy, which was abandoned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890.

"There's a male butterfly and all the males look the same, (while) the females are polymorphic, meaning there are different color morphs of the females," Gezon said. "It looks like there's a single male to multiple females."

While the Great Mormon will likely attract plenty of local attention, there's a new butterfly in the biosphere's lobby that will catch everyone's eye: a 14-foot wide by 8-foot tall bronze sculpture suspended above patron's heads.

The sculpture, created by Utah artist Dennis Smith, depicts a young girl on the back of a mechanical butterfly. Smith competed against 20 other local artists for the job.

"(Thanksgiving Point) wanted a concept for something that would go in this space and for me, (this sculpture) was just a natural fit, Smith told the Deseret News. He hopes those viewing his work will imagine themselves as the girl, giving people the chance to "identify with (the work) in a personal way, he said.

In addition to the butterflies  both bronze and living  biosphere guests can also play with educational games, check out a nature-themed indoor treehouse and interactive areas, as well as play among insect statues that can make visitors feel like they've been shrunk to bug size. The biosphere also offers classes on different species and will even allow guests to hold some of the crawling creatures. Entomologists at the biosphere said they hope the butterflies can serve as a gateway insect to a whole world of invertebrates.

We try to do a lot of educational stuff, but keep it hands-on, for sure, said Josh Berndt, Thanksgiving Point's director of communications.

And while the new Butterfly Biosphere has plenty of space and lots of big things to see and play with, Thanksgiving Point community experiences coordinator Lindsey McBride hopes people focus on the little creatures inside.

"The whole purpose is to stop and look closer," she said.

If you go 

What: Thanksgiving Point's Butterfly Biosphere

When: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., last admission at 7:30 p.m.

Where: 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way

How much: $20 for adults, $15 for children 3-12 and seniors, free for Thanksgiving Point members and children 2 and under

Web: thanksgivingpoint.org

Note: All tickets are for timed entriesALTA  Among the skiers and snowboarders having fun on the slopes in Utah this week are a pack of playful dogs training for avalanche rescues.

The dogs are participating in the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue International Dog School, a four-day program for dogs and trainers that is held in Little Cottonwood Canyon every other year.

Hatch went to the school for the first time this year with his handler, Nichole Dye. The dog began training by getting used to the slopes last year, Dye said, and the struggle for him this week was focusing all of his energy into the tasks.

"This was super fun for him, he's a border collie-Brittany spaniel mix so he needs a lot of brain games," Dye said.

The purpose of the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue school is not just to train the dogs, but to help their handlers learn different techniques, according to Marguerite VanKomen, dog coordinator for Wasatch Backcountry Rescue.

"What we do is an ever-evolving organization, we're always looking to progress or excel  so the more we can train with the rest of the world the better," VanKomen said.

Mark Chytka, a trainer for the school, owns a dog he works with at Deer Valley resort. He said having dogs available is like an insurance policy for a resort.

"Every dog has issues that they're working on, and it's cool to be presented with that problem as an instructor and have to think through it with the handler and try some things and then start seeing things work," Chytka said.

According to Chytka, during training the dogs first watch their handler get into a hole and follow them in. They gradually work towards being able to find people they don't know who are already buried inside a snow cave. The dogs receive a reward when they find something, sometimes a treat and other times a "tug," or an opportunity to play.

"We're training the dogs to associate human scent in the snow with fun so that they want to find that," Chytka said.

Two dog handlers from Poland attended this year's program to learn from the trainers in Utah, though their dogs were not able to come because of legal issues. VanKomen said the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue sends teams to Switzerland to train each year.

"It's a meeting of the minds, we love meeting new people and learning how they train as well as showing them what we do. Every year I see huge progression of people and their dogs out of this school," VanKomen said.

The Wasatch Backcountry Rescue is a collective of nine resorts along the Wasatch Front. To be prepared, each resort always has a dog and a handler available.

VanKomen said that in Utah, the dogs are most often used to make sure no one is involved when there is a slide. Little Cottonwood canyon is the most avalanche-prone canyon in North America, she said. Most of the time officials are aware of danger beforehand and have shut down roads, but the dogs are still often brought in to check the area.SALT LAKE CITY  A residential care center for troubled teenage girls has been sued by the father of a former patient, accusing the clinical director of abusing his 17-year-old daughter.

Police in Enoch, Iron County, confirmed Wednesday that a criminal investigation into Stephen C. Barrick is ongoing. Barrick, 50, has not been arrested and no charges have been filed against him.

On Nov. 7, an Enoch police sergeant interviewed a teen girl who was a client at Renewed Hope Ranch, 425 E. 6000 North in Enoch, for approximately a year, ending in August 2018. The girl told police that she had frequent counseling sessions with Barrick in his private office.

"She stated during the last four months at this program, there was 'petting' and 'making out' that occurred in his office during counseling sessions," according to a search warrant affidavit filed in 5th District Court.

"(She) stated she was aware of a camera system throughout the entire facility including Stephen's office. (She) stated at times, Stephen would allegedly turn the audio record off and move a decorative tree in front of the camera to block the camera from recording," the warrant states.

The girl also told police that she and Barrick engaged in explicit live video chat on their cellphones, according to the affidavit.

When reached by the Deseret News Wednesday evening, Renewed Hope Ranch spokesman Michael Welker said he had been on vacation and had not yet had a chance to read the complaint.

However, he said, "Renewed Hope Ranch's position is that we believe any allegations of misconduct by Mr. Barrick are completely baseless and unfounded."

Welker said the ranch did an internal investigation into the allegations after they were reported to ranch officials by the teen's father. That investigation found the allegations to be unfounded, he said.

"We believe with 100 percent confidence that will be the finding and the result through the civil action. And Mr. Barrick has an absolutely stellar reputation, personally and professionally, in devoting his life and working tirelessly for troubled youth and troubled girls," Welker said.

On Jan. 10, the girl's father filed a lawsuit in 5th District Court against Renewed Hope Ranch and Barrick, alleging both negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, conspiracy, fraud and breach of contract.

The lawsuit also names the father's ex-wife as "an involuntary plaintiff" and as a defendant "because (she) refuses to be a party to this action as a plaintiff and all of the plaintiffs' rights and remedies cannot be fully addressed or resolved without her presence in this action."

The lawsuit claims that Barrick "molested" the teen girl and "engaged in further and "additional wrongful conduct, including sexting with the minor child.

"Rather than help and assist the minor child with her behavior issues, defendants compounded them by sexually taking advantage of a minor child," the lawsuit says.

The civil lawsuit seeks a minimum of $350,000.

Renewed Hope Ranch seeks "to provide unsurpassed residential care to troubled teenage girls who significantly struggle to overcome their mental, emotional, behavioral and educational challenges," according to its website.

Welker said, "We have devoted a lot of time and self-sacrifice to serve and help troubled girls. Its what we do, its our mission, we want nothing more than to help girls get their lives back, and change their lives."

Barrick has "over 23 years of experience working directly with adolescents" and has previously worked in juvenile corrections, school counseling, private practice counseling and outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation, the website states.

Contributing: Ashley ImlayIt is clear from the testimony in this case that an officer could reasonably believe that an attack was imminent based upon McDonalds actions, said Stephenson, reading from a 28-page ruling in her packed courtroom.  Only the officers involved in the incident know what their belief was at the time of the incident. We cannot now view the actions of the officers with the benefit of hindsight as to what they should have believed.SALT LAKE CITY  Utah families who rely on government assistance to eat are being warned to stock up while they can and budget carefully in case the federal government's partial shutdown drags on.

Utah's Department of Workforce Services reported Wednesday that approximately 75,000 households in the state receive nutrition benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. As the longest shutdown in U.S. history continues with no end in sight, officials said recipients can expect to receive their benefits through next month, but they may face problems in March if the political battle isn't resolved.

"There is an opportunity to issue February funding early because of an expiring continuing resolution (in Congress)," explained Department of Workforce Services Eligibility Director Dale Ownby. In distributing the benefits ahead of time, he said the department hopes to give recipients time to stock up in case of a prolonged shutdown, but was quick to note that at this point no more funding will be available when March rolls around.

"It's not extra. It's an advanced payment," he said. "Customers who are our ongoing customers may not receive SNAP again until March  and that is only if funding is restored."

He reminded recipients they will need to budget carefully and avoid spending their monthly allotment too soon because they are not going to get another issuance next month.

The fact they are holding hostage low-income Americans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on the table is not only unnecessary, but it is immoral.  Gina Cornia, executive director of Utahns Against Hunger

Advocates expressed dismay at the situation many families currently find themselves in due to political wrangling within the federal government.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, the executive director of Utahns Against Hunger said the situation is an unnecessary hardship on families that already are dealing with as much as they can handle.

"The shutdown is more political than it is anything," said Gina Cornia. "This could end tomorrow. The fact they are holding hostage low-income Americans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on the table is not only unnecessary, but it is immoral."

Cornia noted that families on food assistance typically spend about $1.27 per meal and have little flexibility in their household budgets to weather such a dramatic pending disruption.

"It's a really uncertain and really scary time for low-income families," she said. The state issues between $20 million and $25 million in food stamp benefits every month, she noted, leaving virtually no way to fill the void if federal funding is not reinstituted.

Speaking at her organization's warehouse, Utah Food Bank president and CEO Ginette Bott said shelves of food inventory are ready to be distributed to food pantries if and when needed. She said the food bank is currently well stocked due to a "very giving and gracious" holiday season and can support the state's 150 food pantry partners for the next few months if the shutdown continues.

She said the pantries can last through next month and into March before the food bank would have to increase its regular distributions. In the meantime, it is preparing just in case the need arises in the coming few months.

"We are procuring additional product and storing it off-site," Bott said. "We're in the process of aligning additional transportation and drivers if we need to increase our deliveries."

While the food bank is planning for the worst case scenario, she said there is still a concern if two major food assistance programs are left without funding due to the shutdown. One program would impact low-income seniors, while the other would affect young children who could lose their evening meal of the day, she said.

"We provide about 2,200 meals a day to kids," Bott said. "We could probably continue the program until the end of the school year without government funding."

One major concern is being able to provide meals to children in the summer, when schools are on the three-month break and they have no other options.

"Summer feeding is our biggest time for kids," she said. "Last summer, we did 100,000 lunches to kids throughout the state of Utah. Without government funding, we can't do that program."

She said over the next three or four months, the population of people who use their services could "have some real challenges" if a shutdown resolution isn't found.SANDY  Following an undisclosed threat found written on a bathroom wall, about half of the students from Jordan High School stayed home Wednesday, according to the Canyons School District.

For the past two days, administrators at Jordan High have been warning students and parents about a threat found written in a school bathroom. Although Principal Wendy Dau has stated in her letters to students that neither the school nor the Sandy Police Department believed the threat was credible, extra officers were at Jordan on Wednesday  the day the alleged threat was to happen  as a precaution.

"Police will perform a sweep of the building this evening after all activities have concluded, and there will be a significant law enforcement presence at the school tomorrow," according to a letter sent to students Tuesday night.

Families who did not feel comfortable sending their children to school were given the option of keeping them home.

On Wednesday, the Canyons School District reported about half of the 2,021 registered students were marked absent. Some students told the Deseret News that the absentee rate appeared to be greater than 50 percent by the end of the school day.

"It fluctuated at 50 percent throughout the day," said Canyons spokesman Jeff Haney. "We will continue to work with Sandy police on the investigation, which we hope will come to a quick resolution. We trust that law enforcement will hold those responsible to the full extent of the law. These kinds of interruptions are becoming incredibly challenging for our schools."

Sandy Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen said Wednesday that no unusual or criminal activity was spotted at the school during the day and there were no suspects yet as to who wrote the message.

"I know that this is a stressful time for our community, but I want to reassure you that the entire staff here at Jordan High along with the Sandy City Police (Department) are working around the clock to keep the school a safe learning environment for all," Dau's letter stated.Our current immigration laws favor would-be illegal immigrants over would-be legal immigrants by making it really difficult and expensive to immigrate legally, and comparatively easy and inexpensive to immigrate illegally. We exacerbate the problem by offering amnesty to illegal immigrants, thus perpetuating the status quo. We bicker over symptoms such as border security and children who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents.

The solution to the immigration issue in the United States is simple. 1) Make it easier to legally immigrate to the U.S. 2) Make it less economically rewarding to enter and/or remain in the United States illegally.

It would be in our best interest to do the following, too, but such measures are not necessary to prevent illegal immigration and may hinder compromise. 1) Reform laws that make it unreasonably difficult for professionals qualified in other countries to practice their profession in the U.S. 2) Stop granting amnesty to people who enter the U.S. illegally. 3) Fine employers for hiring illegal immigrants without at least using a simple tool like e-verify to confirm their status.

We dont lack the ability to fix this issue. We lack the desire. Neither Democrats nor Republicans want to raise quotas and lower hurdles because we the people fear competition. As long as we refuse to accept that our economy can sustain more immigrants than were permitting to enter legally, there will be people willing to find ways to enter illegally.

Ben Oldham

West Valley CitySALT LAKE CITY  Both men and women may face some employment discrimination if they are applying for jobs more commonly associated with the opposite sex, new research shows.

For example, men who apply to be housekeepers or women to be janitors are less likely to be called for interviews than their peers of the opposite sex.

That's what sociologist Jill E. Yavorsky found when she sent out 3,000 applications for working-class and middle-class jobs. She selected jobs precisely because they were associated mostly with one sex or the other, then sat back to see which of her applications generated calls for an interview.

"One of the biggest findings is that discrimination during early hiring practices is really concentrated among working-class jobs in male-dominated fields," said Yavorsky, an assistant professor at University of North Carolina Charlotte.

"This is important because we've seen the least amount of integration progress among working-class people. The jobs there are as segregated as they were in the 1960s," she said. This is in spite of the fact that the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in the early 1970s banned gender-based job discrimination, and the Supreme Court shortly after ruled that newspapers couldn't sort "help wanted" postings into his and hers categories.

Yavorsky's study looked at jobs statistically associated with females, including middle-class jobs in human resources and administrative support as well as working-class jobs involving housekeeping and customer service. The jobs dominated by males were manufacturing and janitorial at the working-class level and financial analysis and sales at the middle-class level.

Men were called back for the male-dominated working-class jobs 44 percent more often than women were. And when ads specified traits like strength and mechanical ability, she noted, women got only half the callbacks the men got.

Her findings show that sexist stereotypes about what women OR men can and cant do well ultimately limit the options of both sexes.  Stephanie Coontz, the Council on Contemporary Families director of research

Women were called back for the "female" middle-class jobs 52 percent more often than men and for "female" working-class jobs 21 percent more often. The number of female callbacks was even higher when the ads for those jobs specified friendliness and customer service.

Yavorsky's findings are being published in online Friday in the peer-reviewed journal Social Forces, and the Council on Contemporary Families released an advance briefing paper today.

What's often overlooked, Yavorsky said, is that gender discrimination in employment hurts men, too.

"We have these ideas around what men and women should want to do in terms of work, as well as what they are capable of doing based on these gendered expectations," she said. "And what I find is that men are generally considered incongruent with female-dominated work, regardless of the occupational class  and that discrimination is often magnified when the job is female-dominated, as well as emphasizes feminine attributes job seekers must display if they want to get the job."

"Her findings show that sexist stereotypes about what women OR men can and cant do well ultimately limit the options of both sexes," said Stephanie Coontz, the council's director of research and public education and author of several books on marriage and family life including, most recently, "The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap."

"They keep women who could excel at meeting physical or mental challenges from getting jobs that reward those skills, and they keep men who could excel at communicating, interpersonal interactions or caregiving out of jobs that reward those equally important skills," Coontz said.

The study

To be part of the study, a job had to be at least 65 to 70 percent dominated by one sex, Yavorsky said. And it had to be an entry-level job where a general resume could be used.

"For example, had I included an engineering job, I would have had to include a specific engineering resume," she said. "So I looked at jobs with expectations to which people with broad experience could apply, and I also tried to make them all pretty comparable in terms of entry-level status so I was comparing apples to apples."

Yavorsky also paid attention to the wording of job advertisements. The so-called feminine traits in her experiment included being friendly, cooperative, or teamwork-oriented. Communication skills were associated with women, she found, while strength and mechanical ability were coded as being more masculine.

Yavorsky found that discrimination for men was greatest if they applied for middle-class jobs that are more often associated with women.

She also found that women have an equal chance with men of getting entry-level jobs in middle-class occupations that are normally held by men. But it's an entirely different story when women apply for high-paying middle-class jobs more typically held by men. In those instances, women "lag badly."

Change over time

Though both men and women faced gender-based discrimination, women take a somewhat bigger hit as more disadvantaged, Yavorsky told the Deseret News, because of what happens in those "elite, male-dominated jobs" where women don't get promoted at the same pace. She also said men's wages tend to rise more than women's.

The CCF briefing paper is published along with an interview with Coontz by Virginia Rutter, a professor at Framingham State University in Massachusetts. In it, Coontz notes that the "greatest wage discrimination by gender used to be in working-class and lower-middle-class jobs. But as wages and job security in many traditional blue collar jobs have fallen, we now see the opposite, with the biggest gender wage gaps at the top of the occupational ladder."

Still, Yavorsky sees reason for both men and women to celebrate gains.

"The fact that I find no discrimination in middle-class entry-level male-dominated jobs suggests that women may experience fewer barriers making it into these jobs. That's actually quite important; this is where we've made the most progress over 40 years or so."

Yavorsky noted that men and women are largely considered equal in terms of cognitive ability now, with genders deemed comparable "in terms of rationality and being evenly smart."

Yavorksy hopes employers will consider ways to reduce bias and discrimination in their hiring practices, she said. They can use less-gendered language in their ads "that may subconsciously steer them to select particular genders for the job." They need to think about how their biases may influence their hiring-related decisions, even unconsciously, she noted.

"And one of the biggest things is to set evaluative criteria of their requirements for job seekers and ensure those are applied to every applicant equally."SALT LAKE CITY  Despite a state-mandated deadline in legislation that funded a systematic overhaul of Utah's homeless system, the Road Home's downtown shelter won't shut down on time.

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed the delay Wednesday while giving a progress update to the Pioneer Park Coalition, a group of local business leaders that have long lobbied for changes in Salt Lake City's Rio Grande neighborhood.

"It's just a matter of math and logistics," Cox told the group gathered at the Utah Transit Authority headquarters, as he broke the news that "unfortunately yes," the downtown shelter is currently behind its state-mandated deadline to close by June 30.

The reason? The South Salt Lake homeless resource center  which got a late start on construction after a holdup on city permits  is behind schedule by a few months.

As the largest of the three centers currently being built, the 300-bed men's shelter must finish before the downtown shelter can close, according to Cox.

"Logistically it's just impossible without those 300 beds to move people out," he said.

"We're not happy that it was extended," he added, noting "there was a lot of back and forth" with South Salt Lake over permitting issues.

"But I will tell you we are working very closely with (Shelter the Homeless, the shelters' owners) and the builders to see if we can't move that date up," Cox said. "We're trying to get it into August so we're not far past the deadline."

Shelter the Homeless and state leaders acknowledged late last year a delay could be possible  perhaps if bad weather or construction complications occurred  but hadn't yet called for an extension. But Wednesday, amid what has so far been a snowy winter, Cox warned the missed deadline was imminent.

The June 30 hard closure date for the downtown shelter was set by the Utah Legislature within a law passed in 2017 to put $20 million in state funds toward construction of the three new homeless resource centers.

While the law specifies the June deadline, it does not lay out specific consequences or ramifications if the deadline is missed. However, the state's Homeless Coordinating Committee, chaired by Cox, is in control of distributing homeless funds to providers throughout the state.

While the 300-bed men's shelter is behind schedule, Jon Pierpont, executive director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, noted the other two shelters in Salt Lake City  a women's shelter and a mixed gender shelter  are on track for the June deadline, and the South Salt Lake center's delay won't affect plans to begin transitioning those other populations out of the downtown shelter.

Preston Cochrane, executive director of Shelter the Homeless, said the other two shelters are "actually ahead of schedule." As for the South Salt Lake site, Cochrane said crews are working overtime and on Saturdays to catch up.

"The contractors are working around the clock as much as they can," he said.

Scott Howell, a member of the Pioneer Park Coalition and former state senator, said the delay is disappointing, but also not surprising.

"Of course we're disappointed," Howell said. "But we've all done a remodel job.  There's was always that potential."

Howell credited Cox and Shelter the Homeless leaders for their leadership and keeping the community apprised.

"What we're genuinely hoping for is if the contractors can make up lost ground," Howell said. "But we'll just have to adapt, we have no choice."

Howell added that perhaps there will be some upsides to the delay. "Maybe it gives us some more time to ease into it and help integrate the homeless" into the new centers, he said.

Pierpont said state leaders plan to have a news conference next week to give more details on the plan to roll out the transition from the downtown facility to the new model and its three separate facilities.

Plans include maintaining law enforcement presence at the new shelters and helping homeless individuals prepare for the move, Pierpont said.The partial government shutdown lingers from day to day with seemingly no solution in sight. The president wants a border wall. Democrats oppose it.

This wall of ideology seems intractable, but its not.

Heres the solution: Republican senators should propose a bill that includes at least part of the money for the wall  say half of the $5.7 billion President Trump wants  as well as a strong codification of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that exists today only because President Obama issued an executive order.

Both sides agree to the deal, appropriate money to reopen the government and agree to work on border security together.

Democrats in the House would have a difficult time ignoring such a compromise. The president would have trouble vetoing it.

The two issues are related. Each deals with the orderly process of handling the flow of immigrants across the southern border.

DACA, which both parties and the public supports, allows the children of undocumented immigrants  those brought here as children through no fault or decision of their own  to remain under a renewable two-year deferment of legal action and to obtain work permits. It is a humanitarian provision that keeps young people from being deported to nations that, despite their ancestry, are completely foreign to them.

The border wall is a tool to help control the flow of undocumented immigrants across the border, who attempt to come without submitting to due process or applying for visas. It wont stop people from overstaying their visas, from cyberattacking America or prevent them from entering the country in other ways. But it will shore up certain areas of the border, which already has 654 miles of some form of a fence or wall, covering approximately one-third of the border.

DACA has enjoyed wide bipartisan support, although Congress failed to codify it last year because of disputes over border security, among other things. Even the president has expressed support for such a law at times, while at other times trying to shrink the program.

DACA is on shaky legal ground. Obamas executive order has been called into question, although courts have required it to continue until the dispute over its legality has been settled.

Ruling last year on a challenge by a number of states, Texas-based Judge Andrew Hanen declined to end the program immediately but said he probably would find it illegal eventually. He also urged Congress to resolve the issue in the meantime by passing a law.

Now is as good a time as any. Democrats, who tend to support DACA, would be hard-pressed not to compromise on the wall to get the program written into law. Even Republicans who may have misgivings about DACA would be hard-pressed to reject a chance to get some wall funding.

Absent such a deal, the shutdown likely will last until one side or the other calculates that the political risk of continuing has grown too large. Meanwhile, the mounting effects will continue to hurt the lives of thousands of government workers and their families, jeopardize products that rely on government inspections, compromise the budgets of states that have chosen to keep parks open or fund needed services, and otherwise send negative ripples through the economy in myriad ways.

Such a deal would require leadership on the part of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who until now has declined to allow consideration of anything he believes the president would veto.

Passing such a bill would put pressure on President Trump, as well as give him a positive way out of the current impasse. But it also makes sense for the president, because every passing day of the shutdown threatens the country's economy, and he needs a strong economy to help convince voters he deserves to be re-elected.

Its unfortunate that the president, Republicans and Democrats need a self-serving reason to do whats right for the American people. But the approach above offers a way forward with a victory for all parties.SALT LAKE CITY  Three teenagers accused in a series of convenience store robberies that culminated with the stabbing of a clerk have been charged in juvenile court.

The boys, all age 17, were charged in 3rd District Juvenile Court with between 10 to 15 counts each ranging from aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, to retail theft and minors in possession of alcohol. One of the boys was 16 at the time of the alleged crimes.

New details of the case were revealed in a recently unsealed search warrant in 3rd District Court.

From Nov. 24 to Dec. 15, "the Salt Lake City Police Department received multiple reports of aggravated robberies and thefts that occurred at multiple locations throughout Salt Lake City, specifically at Maverik and 7-Eleven convenience stores, and at a Walmart department store," an officer with the Salt Lake City Gang Unit wrote in the warrant.

Police noted that "the levels of force increased during each incident."

The boys could be linked to at least eight robberies, the warrant states, and in most cases, two or all three of the boys are suspected of participating. The teens stole multiple 30-pack cases of beer from most stores, according to charging documents.

On Dec. 11, all three boys entered Maverik, 1680 S. Redwood Road, and approached the counter.

"We don't want to hurt you," one of the boys said, according to the charges. Another then yelled, "Pull out the strap!" which is slang for a gun, the charges state.

In surveillance video, one of the boys is pointing his phone as if it were a gun at the female clerk, according to the charges.

Then on Dec. 15 just before 4 a.m., all three boys entered a 7-Eleven at 1157 W. California Ave. and, without being provoked, chased the clerk into a back office and stabbed him, the charges state.

The warrant further states that one of the boys "rushes the clerk without warning" and the clerk reacts by trying to get into a back office.

"The clerk managed to partially enter his small office but (the boy) keeps the door from closing. (He) then swung the knife and stabbed the clerk in the left arm at least two times," according to the warrant.

"You have to come out or I will stab you again," the boy told the clerk, charging documents state.

The clerk was stabbed again several times, including in the neck, the charges state. The injuries were not life-threatening.

Later that day, all three boys were spotted at Walmart, 350 W. Hope Ave., allegedly shoplifting items, the warrant states. The gang unit was called and all three were arrested.

The Deseret News has opted not to name the juveniles at this time.LAYTON  A Layton councilman and former Salt Lake City director of 911 who garnered statewide attention last year after he was arrested for drunken driving has been picked to serve as Layton's mayor.

The Layton City Council voted to tap Scott Freitag, 49, over four other candidates in a special meeting Tuesday night to replace former Layton Mayor Bob Stevenson, who recently resigned to serve on the Davis County Commission.

Freitag, whom Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski fired from his job as director of the city's 911 dispatch center, will now serve as Layton's mayor through the end of 2019 until voters decide in the next election who will serve out the remainder of Stevenson's term, through the end of 2021.

In an anonymous vote in a public meeting Tuesday night, Freitag's colleagues on the City Council voted 3 to 5 to pick Freitag, Layton City Recorder Kimberly Read confirmed to the Deseret News Wednesday.

Because it was a secret vote (tallies were taken by paper), Read said she didn't know which council members voted for Freitag. He was chosen over two other City Council members vying for the seat  Joyce Brown and Joy Petro  as well as over hopefuls Jackie Malan and Remmy Knowlton.

When Centerville police arrested Freitag on Jan. 3, 2018, he was driving a Salt Lake City Corp. vehicle at 1:30 p.m., and his blood alcohol content was .214 percent  more than 2  times the .08 legal limit, according to police. He later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, a class B misdemeanor, and was sentenced to three days in jail and 72 hours of community service.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped two other misdemeanor charges against him: having an open container in a car and carrying a firearm while under the influence.

At the time of his drunken driving arrest in January 2018, Freitag told the Deseret News he "made a mistake" and was "dealing with the consequences."

Freitag didn't respond to a request for comment about his appointment Wednesday. But in his bio on the Layton website, Freitag pledged to "promote the vitality of our city" as well as champion public safety and parks and recreation.

"I have always strived to listen to every suggestion and opinion," his bio states. "I truly enjoy hearing from the residents of Layton. Every voice is important.

Biskupski fired him from his position at Salt Lake City saying, "There is no acceptable reason for anyone to put innocent lives in danger by getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, especially an individual leading a critical public safety agency."

However, while Biskupski said she was "angry and disappointed," she hoped Freitag would get "help to address his problems" and find "the support of loved ones that he needs at this time."

At the time Freitag pleaded guilty, he told the Standard-Examiner in an email he regretted the DUI.

I made a very bad choice in January and have  taken every effort to prevent that from ever happening again, Freitag wrote, while noting he had received support from Stevenson and other city officials at the time. I am very sorry for the mistake I have made and for all of those that I have let down. I plead guilty today because I believe in taking full responsibility for my actions.

Freitag is currently in the midst of his third term on the Layton City Council. He was first elected in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011 and 2015.

The Layton City Council must now pick a replacement for Freitag on the council.The main problem with the government shutdown isnt that the Republican president and Democrats in Congress cant agree on funding for a border wall. I'd give that finding a big fat "What else is new?" In the last decade of winner-take-all political posturing, both sides have pretty well demonstrated a distaste for anything that might be construed as cooperation or bipartisanship.

The American public has gotten used to that, distasteful as it is.

But there are disturbing aspects I would argue we should not get used to  or put up with. The first one is vandalism by those who see fewer workers on the scene to enforce rules as an invitation to wield a wrecking ball to sate their selfish whims. And the second is the unfairness of piling the bulk of the financial burden on the backs of a significant minority of America's workforce, namely those who are employed by the federal government.

I cannot explain the urge to vandalize, akin to looting that always occurs when a certain type of person sees opportunity and no one to stand in the way. The damage that is wrought can be seen in places like Joshua Tree National Park in California. News reports show felled Joshua trees, mowed down by people who take the diminished ranks of park staff as an invitation to carve new roads where experts deem none should be.

But hey, who cares that people who protect nature for a living think cutting a swatch through a sensitive environment could harm it? It's a vandal's dream, the opportunity to off-road on forbidden ground simply because you can. Who cares if you wreck it for everyone else.

I'd love to see harsh penalties for those who behave so egregiously.

The other injustice is what's happening to those who aren't getting paid in a timely manner because they happen to be the bargaining chip officials have chosen to get the other side to move.

Nobody is budging. And the ripples are getting deeper and wider as some 800,000 federal employees go without a paycheck, in turn impacting others who rely on those workers to consume goods, buy services, pay rent, need daycare, etc.

I sympathize with their plight. Burdening a sector that has no more responsibility for what's happening than any other is a poor way to work through a national issue.

Not all my friends care that some federal employees are not being allowed to work and earn, or that others, deemed "essential," are being required to work but aren't paid in timely fashion.

"I have worked for government," a friend said recently, noting she survived similar situations and planned for them. It's just one of the costs of choosing to work for the government, she added.

Why is it? I can think of absolutely no good reason why people employed in government work  supposedly good, reliable, steady work (and isn't that the employment dream?)  should have their paychecks delayed and their lives disrupted when Republicans and Democrats can't resolve differences, even as finances hum along for everyone else.

I think it's safe to assume my friend makes more than the $14 an hour I recently read that many of the TSA screeners at airports make. Hard to build a great safety net on $29,000 a year. I also suspect she's either had time to sock something away or her husband's salary meets their basic needs.

Regardless, why should federal employees take on this involuntary burden more than the rest of us?

Our leaders need to find a different bargaining chip. Maybe they need an involuntary furlough. Granted, the effect wouldn't be the same, as our elected leaders are far better off financially than average-Joe employees. But at least the burden would fall on those who have the power to resolve it.If youre having brain surgery, it shouldnt be rocket science to figure out how much youre going to pay.

Unfortunately, a new government move to get hospitals to become more price-competitive and transparent has led to a mostly incomprehensible list of jargon and numbers that, to the average consumer of medical services, will mean nothing.

Add to that the complexities of an insurance-driven health care market, where providers negotiate discounts and consumers pay varying deductibles and percentages based on their plans, and the new transparency is meaningless.

Surely, government and the industry can do better.

The price lists are the product of a well-meaning Trump administration order, which went into effect Jan. 1. The order hinges on a single sentence of the Affordable Care Act that requires each hospital to establish and make public a list of standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital.

The idea is a good one. If hospitals make their prices public, consumers could make informed choices when scheduling elective surgeries, and competitive pressures would force hospitals to lower their prices.

That would work in a true free-market setting. Unfortunately, it promises to do little in a market cluttered with third-party insurance contracts, where patients are far removed from the actual costs of procedures and where hospitals, as has been apparent since Jan. 1, obfuscate by using medical terms average people cant understand.

Consumers cant even be sure they are comparing the exact same procedures from one hospital to the next, and the figures provided often do not include other charges from physicians, anesthesiologists or others involved in a surgical procedure.

We looked at two Wasatch Front hospitals to illustrate the point. American Fork Hospital published a long list of procedures and services along with prices, ranging from low-priced items such as Q9958 HOCM CYCSTOGRAFIN/PER 1 ML for 21 cents to more expensive procedures, such as a MECH THROMB OF DIALY CIRC W STENT* for $23,915.81.

St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City, meanwhile, requires consumers to press an insured or uninsured button to obtain estimates. The insured option leads to a page that asks people to call a service center for an estimate based on their plan. The uninsured button leads to a disclaimer and then a list of procedures that includes broad price ranges and equally broad hospital stay estimates. A phone number is available for more advanced estimates.

It may be impossible to get meaningful numbers in a system so complicated by technical terms, negotiated rates and discounts, but Washington could help by establishing a uniform reporting procedure that would allow consumers to compare similar procedures at different hospitals.

Also, hospitals should be required to publish success rates for various procedures, as well as consumer feedback.

Even with that, consumers would be hampered by insurance rules that often provide a limited list of contracted hospitals  adding another layer of complication and further illustrating how tangled and unwieldy American health care costs have become.

Transparency is a worthy goal that should not be abandoned. Getting a handle on medical costs, however, wont be so easy.He said when he learned about the death, he "found himself in a state of depression and though not the actual cause of death felt himself to be responsable (sic) for it." He said the lawyer "played on this" to persuade him to plead guilty to facts he wasn't charged for.A battle erupted after Chester sought to install parking meters along Walnut street and other areas adjoining the Widener University campus.COLIN AINSWORTH - DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA

Art on the Avenue of the States President Linda Braceland is pictured with artwork for the gallery's final show. The center two pieces are Braceland's work.The First Thoughts and Final Thoughts commentaries from Lahren essentially bookend the day on Fox Nation at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m, respectively. The subscription service seems to be going out of its way not to compete in the evening with the top-rated, prime-time programming on the Fox News channel starring Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. (Fox Nation subscribers can only hear audio of those programs  and only after the programs have aired on cable TV.)crime

41 busted in nearly $1M overtime kickback scheme at Elwynfeatured

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Souper Bowl of Caring kicks off Sunday in SpringfieldJahlil Beats, center, takes a picture inside his Tandem apparel store on Avenue of the States with Kognition founder Matias Klein and Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland. The retail business opened in January.US Vice President Mike Pence has said China is using "debt diplomacy" and "unfair" trade practices to expand its influence (Photo: File)

Washington: US Vice President Mike Pence has said China is using "debt diplomacy" and "unfair" trade practices to expand its influence, and has been "put on notice".

The vice president was speaking at a global summit of American envoys on Wednesday. China, as we've observed, is using debt diplomacy and unfair trade practices to expand its influence, Pence said in his address to global chiefs of mission conference at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.

He said "as I made clear on that visit to the region just a few short weeks ago, the United States will always stand for a free and open Indo-Pacific where all countries can enjoy freedom of navigation and open trade."

The conference was attended by US Ambassador to India Ken Juster among others. The truth is, too often in recent years China has chosen a path of disregard of the laws and norms that have kept the world safe and prosperous for more than half a century and the days of the United States looking the other way are over. Perhaps most importantly, we've put China on notice, the vice president said.

He said with President Donald Trump's direction "we've placed tariffs on USD250 billion of Chinese goods", with the highest tariff specifically targeting the advanced industries that Beijing is attempting to "capture and control, the high parts of the modern economy".

Pence said as the president's has made clear, the US is prepared to levy even more tariffs until China makes much needed structural changes and signs a trade deal that works, not only for their nation but for the US too.

We remain hopeful that China will come to the table. Even as negotiations take place as we speak, that China will come to the table and finally enter into a fair and reciprocal trade relationship, he said.

Pence told his envoys that the US also needs a better relationship with China to understand their relationship across the Indo-Pacific. We've all seen the aggressive efforts in the South China Sea by China but the United States of America, as I said before and I say again, will continue to stand with nations across the region for a free and open Indo-Pacific and for freedom of navigation on the seven seas of the world, he said.

That strong stand is resulting in dialogue and in progress, not only with China but with nations around the world. And what's more, some of our greatest challenges, some of our most heinous enemies are in retreat, Pence said.Washington: Two US service members were among those killed in a fiery explosion at a market in the northern Syria town of Manjib, the US military officials said.

Prior to Wednesday's attack, only two US service members had been killed in action in Syria since the start of the campaign in 2014. Two US service members -- one Department of Defense (DoD) civilian and one contractor supporting the DoD were killed -- and three service members injured while conducting a local engagement in Manjib, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

Initial reports indicate an explosion caused the casualties, and the incident is under investigation, it said. In accordance with DoD's policy, the names of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete, CENTCOM said.

"US service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria today. We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time," according to a tweet from the spokesperson for the Operation Inherent Resolve.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, at least 15 people, including a US serviceman, were killed in the rare attack in Manbij. It said the cause of the explosion was a suicide bomb outside a restaurant.

"The President (Donald Trump) has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. The explosion took place in a market wedged along a crowded street thick with cars. Video that Hawar identifies as from the scene shows people gathered on a crowded sidewalk when the fiery blast occurs.

The attack comes less than a month after Trump announced that US troops would withdraw from Syria. Trump at that time declared in a video released on Twitter:

"We have won against ISIS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly. We've taken back the land and now it's time for our troops to come back home." The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria, with no specific date for their withdrawal.

Last week, the US began withdrawing some military ground equipment from Syria, according to an administration official with direct knowledge of the operation.

Condemning the attack, Vice President Mike Pence said, "President Trump and I condemn the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen. We honor their memory and we will never forget their service and sacrifice." Thanks to the courage of our armed forces, "we have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities.

As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to re-establish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever.

Pence said. "Our deepest sympathies and love go out to the families of the brave American heroes who were killed today in Syria. We also pray for the soldiers who were wounded in the attack. Our service members and their families have all sacrificed so much for our country," the press secretary said.Washington: Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday urged US diplomats to emphasize that the United States still welcomes legal immigrants, amid unrelenting pressure from President Donald Trump to seal off Mexico with a wall.

"I urge you to assure our allies this administration will continue to stand for legal immigration, even while we address the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border,"

Pence told 180 US ambassadors and chiefs of mission abroad who were back at the State Department for an annual meeting. "The United States supports legal immigration. In fact, we celebrate it. And America has a proud record of support for refugees," he said.

Pence's remarks amount to a tacit recognition of the effect on the US image of Trump's tough talk on unauthorized immigrants, whom the US leader accuses of spreading crime, despite statistics that immigrants are less likely to commit offenses than native-born Americans.

The US government has been shut down for nearly a month as Trump demands that Congress provide USD 5.7 billion to construct a border wall, a key promise from his presidential campaign. Despite Pence's remarks, the Trump administration has cut down on admission of refugees.

The United States accepted 22,491 refugees in the year through September, according to State Department figures, below the available cap of 45,000 and the lowest level in 40 years, with particular reductions on people from the Middle East. The Trump administration is lowering the cap further for the current fiscal year to 30,000.

The United States nonetheless welcomes more refugees than any other country, although others including Canada and Australia accept more on a per capita basis. Legal immigration is subject to laws by Congress, although lawyers say that authorities have ramped up scrutiny of applications since Trump took office.

The United States welcomed 1.1 million new permanent residents in the 2017 fiscal year, the last for which statistics are available, a figure that stayed steady despite Trump's inauguration during the period.Washington: US awaits concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons that threaten America and other countries in the region, Vice President Mike Pence has said.

Pence's statement comes during his address to the global chief of mission conference on Wednesday and gains significance as the White House is preparing another summit between President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two leaders have recently exchanged letters. Kim and Trump held a historic meeting in Singapore on June 12 last year where they issued a vague goal for the "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur. Pence said that the US awaits North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons.

"While the president has started a promising dialogue with Chairman Kim, we still await concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle the nuclear weapons that threaten our people and our allies in the region," Pence said. In his address, Pence also said that Russia seeks to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century.

"Unlike the Soviet Union and its many client states, no shared ideology or objective unites our competitors and adversaries except this one. They seek to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century," he said.

"Truthfully, it is a pact surrounding what they perceive to be a common enemy, but the truth is the US will rise to that challenge, we will stand with our allies and we will advance our values and our principles in the world," Pence added.

Targeting Iran, Pence said that President Trump is standing up to the Iranian regime which is making the west Asian nation change its ways. "And as we stand today, Iran is now under unprecedented pressure to change its ways," he said.

"The message that the disastrous nuclear deal benefited the very mullahs who oppressed their people. And even as we've striven mightily to protect our most important interests, we've also fought hard. We've also fought hard not only to stand up to those who would challenge us but to advance American values on the world stage," Pence said.A Georgia man accused of plotting to use an anti-tank rocket to storm into the White House was arrested in a sting Wednesday after he traded his car for guns and explosives, authorities said.

Hasher Jallal Taheb, 21, of Cumming was arrested Wednesday and is charged with attempting to damage or destroy a building owned by the United States using fire or an explosive, US Attorney Byung J BJay Pak said.

It wasnt immediately clear whether Taheb had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

A local law enforcement agency contacted the FBI in March after getting a tip from someone who said Taheb had become radicalised, changed his name and planned to travel abroad, according to an FBI agents affidavit filed in court.

The affidavit says Taheb told a confidential FBI source in October that he planned to travel abroad for hijra, which the agent wrote refers to travelling to territory controlled by the Islamic State. Because he didnt have a passport, he couldnt travel abroad and told the FBI source that he wanted to carry out an attack in the US against the White House and the Statue of Liberty.

He met with the undercover agent and the FBI source multiple times last month and was also in frequent contact using an encrypted messaging application, the affidavit says.

During one meeting with the agent and the source, Taheb advised that if they were to go to another country, they would be one of many, but if they stayed in the United States , they could do more damage, the affidavit says. Taheb explained that jihad was an obligation, that he wanted to do as much damage as possible, and that he expected to be a martyr, meaning he expected to die during the attack. At another meeting, he showed the undercover agent a hand-drawn diagram of the ground floor of the West Wing of the White House and detailed a plan for attack, the affidavit says. He asked the undercover agent to obtain the weapons and explosives needed to carry out the attack, and they discussed selling or exchanging their cars to pay for them.

Taheb told the undercover agent they needed a base where they could regroup and where he could record a video to motivate people: He stated he would be the narrator, clips of oppressed Muslims would be shown, and American and Israeli flags would be burned in the background. Last week, Taheb told the undercover agent he wanted to pick up weapons this week and drive directly to Washington to carry out the attack, investigators said.

Taheb said they would approach the White House from the back road, causing a distraction for police and then would proceed into the White House, using an anti-tank weapon to blow open a door and then take down as many people and do as much damage as possible, the affidavit says.

Taheb told the undercover agent he had never shot a gun but could learn easily and also said he had watched some videos of how grenades explode, authorities said.

Taheb met with the FBI source and undercover agent on Wednesday in a parking lot in Buford to exchange their cars for semi-automatic assault rifles, three explosive devices with remote detonators and an anti-tank rocket, the affidavit says.

A second FBI source met them and inspected the vehicles, and a second FBI undercover agent arrived in a tractor trailer with weapons and explosives that had been rendered inert by the FBI. The undercover agent and Taheb talked about the guns, how to arm and detonate the explosives and how to use the anti-tank rocket, the affidavit says.

Taheb and the undercover agent and FBI source whom he believed to be part of his group turned over their car keys to the second confidential source and then loaded the inert explosives and guns into a rental vehicle, the affidavit says. Then, after they got into the car and closed the doors, agents arrested Taheb.Rajendra Bothra is accused of cheating Medicare and subjecting patients to needless, painful injections. (Photo:AP)

Houston/New Delhi: An Indian-American doctor charged in one of US' biggest healthcare fraud cases-- involving a conspiracy worth a whopping $464 million-- was freed on a record $7 million bond.

Rajendra Bothra, a Padmashri-awardee, was charged along with five other physicians in the alleged fraud, which, the US government, said fueled the opioid epidemic.

US District Judge Stephen Murphy granted the bond for him despite the government's concern that the doctor has hidden money that could bankroll an escape to India.

Bothra, of Bloomfield Hills, who will be released on home confinement and tracked by a GPS tether, must identify all assets under penalty of perjury, Detroit news reported.

Being the lead defendant in one of the largest healthcare fraud cases in the US history, he must liquidate a $8.5 million retirement account to cover the bond, a process that could take three days, it reported.

His wife and daughter, who attended the hearing on Tuesday, will surrender their passports against concerns that the family might flee while Bothra awaits trial in July.

Bothra has investments and many siblings in India.

He is one of the most high-profile Indian-American Republican Party activists and fundraisers. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he hosted major fundraisers for former president George HW Bush and other senior Republican lawmakers.

Apart from his professional achievements in the field of medicine in the United States, Bothra has been active in working for the poor and sick in India.

For about eight weeks each year, Bothra leaves his general surgery practice in Warren and travels to India at his own expenses to work with Indian organizations to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and drug, tobacco and alcohol addiction.

He holds regular lecture tours in India to educate professionals and lay audiences on health issues. Bothra has worked with the Nargis Dutt Foundation to produce two documentaries, one on AIDS and another on tobacco abuse.

The Indian government also praised him for being instrumental in gifting sophisticated American medical equipment to hospitals in India and assisting in the rebuilding of hospitals of Maharashtra's Latur after a severe earthquake.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have been unable to pinpoint Bothra's net worth, which could be as high as $35 million.

Assistant US Attorney Brandy McMillion noted that Bothra owns a real-estate company that owns 22 properties across Metro Detroit, including $2.8 million worth of condominiums and commercial buildings in downtown Royal Oak.

Prosecutors are trying to identify whether the properties were purchased with proceeds from the alleged criminal activity.

US Attorney Matthew Schneider attended the brief court hearing on Tuesday and said his team of prosecutors will meet and decide whether to appeal the bond.

Bothra, jailed since last month when he was charged alongside five others, is accused of fueling the nation's opioid epidemic, cheating Medicare and subjecting patients to needless, painful back injections.In a way, the cannabis industry is a lot like the craft beer movement was a few decades ago, Green Leaf CEO Philip Goldberg said in the release. We have to educate people and change the overall perception of what cannabis is, what it could be, and how it might benefit people. Partnering with Flying Dog seemed like another great way to get more people interested in cannabis.The American man who was among the 21 people killed in an attack on a luxury hotel complex in the Kenyan capital Nairobi was a consultant who survived the 9/11 attacks, and specialized in emerging economies.

Authorities did not formally name Jason Spindler as one of the victims, but his mother Sarah and brother Jonathan confirmed his death on Facebook and to several US media outlets.

Its with a heavy heart that I have to report that my brother, Jason Spindler, passed this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi , Jonathan wrote on Facebook, in comments visible only to his friends.

Jason was a survivor of 9-11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell!

The Nairobi attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali group Al-Shabaab, which has targeted Kenya since it sent its army into Somalia in October 2011 to fight the jihadist group.

Spindler was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the New York University law school. He spent time in the Peace Corps in Peru .

On September 11, 2001, Spindler was working for investment bank Salomon Smith Barney in the World Trade Center .

The main Twin Towers collapsed after being hit by two passenger jets commandeered by Al-Qaeda operatives.

Spindlers building, 7 World Trade Center , collapsed in the aftermath, but none of the nearly 3,000 fatalities that day resulted from that incident.

Kevin Yu, who attended UT-Austin with Spindler, said Spindler had helped save people stuck in the rubble on 9/11.

Thats exactly the kind of person he is, Yu told The Washington Post.

I have no doubt that when he heard the explosions outside the hotel, he was one of those trying to jump in and help.

Development work

After his ordeal on 9/11, Spindlers life changed, according to Yu.

Something struck a nerve and changed how he felt and thought about things, he told the Post.

After law school, Spindler co-founded consulting and investment firm I-DEV, and was working in Kenya on a mini-power grid project tailored for remote areas, according to the companys website.

Jason was based mainly in Nairobi , but traveled frequently to San Francisco and across Latin America, Africa, Europe , a spokesperson for the company told AFP by email.

His mother Sarah told NBC News that her son was trying to make positive change in the third world in emerging markets.

We all miss him so much. And its so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism, she added.

Spindlers Facebook account had been converted on Wednesday into a tributes page.

He would have turned 41 on Monday, Yu said. His family was planning to hold a religious service that day instead.Bamako (Mali): At least 10 people were killed by "terrorists" in northeastern Mali, including members of an armed group and civilians, a government official said on Wednesday.

The attack took place around 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Menaka in an area which has been badly hit by jihadist violence that claimed several hundred lives in 2018, most of them civilians of Touareg or Fulani ethnicity.

"At least 10 (people), fighters for the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and civilians were killed on Tuesday... by armed men," the government official told AFP adding that "terrorists" were the suspected culprits.

In a statement the MSA, part of a Touareg rebellion movement in the north, condemned the attacks. "At the end of the clashes, the assailants summarily executed around 20 people, including the elderly," it said. The attackers "arrived on motorbikes... attacking an (MSA security) post," added a local elected representative, giving a death toll of "at least 10".

In August, a panel of experts said in a report to the UN Security Council that inter-communal conflicts in the region were exacerbating existing tensions resulting from clashes between jihadists groups and international and Malian forces.

France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency that took control of large parts of the troubled north in 2012, but large swathes of the country remain out of the government's control, despite a 2015 peace accord designed to isolate Islamist extremists. Since then, attacks have extended to central and southern regions of Mali and over the borders into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.Companies like Firefly, billionaire British entrepreneur Richard Bransons Virgin Orbit, and the US-New Zealand company Rocket Lab, are among the most promising companies designing miniaturized launch systems to link a broader swath of the economy to space at lower cost.

Firefly Aerospace Inc, a resurgent rocket company founded by a former SpaceX engineer, plans to build a factory and launch site at Floridas Cape Canaveral Spaceport in a $52 million deal, people familiar with the project said on Wednesday.

The Firefly project is strategically important for the Cedar Park, Texas-based startup as it competes with several other new entrants vying to cash in on a big jump in the number of small satellites expected in the coming years.

Companies like Firefly, billionaire British entrepreneur Richard Bransons Virgin Orbit, and the US-New Zealand company Rocket Lab, are among the most promising companies designing miniaturized launch systems to link a broader swath of the economy to space at lower cost.

Firefly and Space Florida, the states spaceport authority, declined to comment, citing confidentiality agreements.

Beginning around 2020, around 800 small satellites are expected to launch annually, more than double the annual average over the past decade, according to Teal Group analyst Marco Caceres.

The boom is fueled in part by new venture cash and technology leaps that have reduced the size of satellites used for everything from communications to national security.

A Florida project code-named Maricopa was publicly disclosed in November by Space Florida, but officials have been tight-lipped on specifics. Two people familiar with the project said Firefly is the company involved, though one of the people said the deal had not been finalized.

Firefly aims for a first flight in December of its Alpha rocket, which is capable of carrying around 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) into low-Earth orbit at a cost of about $15 million per flight.

By comparison, it can cost around $62 million for a ride on SpaceXs Falcon 9 with a payload topping 50,000 pounds (22,700 kg).

Firefly, founded around 2014 by former SpaceX and NASA engineer Tom Markusic, says its main competitors are government-subsidized foreign ones like the Indian Space Research Organization.

Asset management firm Noosphere Ventures bought Fireflys assets in 2017 after it nearly shut down when a key European investor backed out. That resulted in the cancellation of a $5.5 million NASA contract for small satellite launches.

Firefly has a launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and has generally talked about expanding operations for Alpha and a higher-capacity Beta rocket around 2021. It was not clear when the Florida expansion would be completed.

In November, NASA named Firefly as one of nine US companies competing for funding under a program to develop technology to explore the moons surface.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.Boeing and Lockheed are vying to develop rockets to carry satellites into orbit in what the Satellite Industry Association lobby group estimates is a roughly $5.5 billion satellite launch services market.

A joint venture between Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp will conduct the final design review for its new flagship Vulcan rocket within months, it said on Wednesday, as the aerospace company heads for a showdown with Elon Musks SpaceX and others in the launch services market.

The final design review is a crucial milestone as the company, United Launch Alliance (ULA), tries to move into full production ahead of a first flight in spring 2021 after slipping from its initial 2019 timetable.

The design is nearly fully mature, ULA systems test engineer Dane Drefke told Reuters during a tour of Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The companies are vying to develop rockets to carry satellites into orbit in what the Satellite Industry Association lobby group estimates is a roughly $5.5 billion satellite launch services market.

ULA has started cutting and building hardware and has begun structural and pressure testing at its Decatur, Alabama factory. Engineers were also modifying the Florida launch pad and tower to accommodate Vulcan.

ULAs legacy Atlas and Delta rockets have been synonymous with Americas space missions for decades. But the Colorado-based company has waged a cost-cutting campaign in recent years that included job cuts and trying new production methods as it faces mounting competition from SpaceX.

Musk has upended the industry with reusable rocket technology that has slashed the cost of space transportation.

And Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos Blue Origin said last week it will fly its still-in-development New Glenn rocket in 2021 - the same year as Vulcan.

While ULAs rockets burn up during each voyage, making for reliable but costlier missions, the company is charting a strategy of returning the first-stage engine to Earth under a parachute and plucking it out of mid-air with a helicopter.

ULA does not envision more job cuts and has been adding engineers in Florida and elsewhere, it said on Wednesday.

We are now optimal-sized, Drefke said, adding that ULA will be hiring more engineers as it moves into production.

The Vulcan, which will be powered partly by Blue Origins US-built BE-4 engine, is central to ending US reliance on Russias RD-180 engine for national security missions.

ULA confirmed new purchases of at least five more RD-180s in recent months for non-military missions, like commercial satellite launches.

Meanwhile, Blue Origin has hit a few minor setbacks during rigorous BE-4 testing but was progressing nominally and was expected to live up to delivery targets, Drefke said.

Blue Origin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.The Kumbh is celebrated with the belief that due to certain planetary positions, the positive energy levels of that particular place during a particular time, increases to its peak, thereby providing an atmosphere for spiritual growth and enlightenment. (Photo: AFP)

After meticulous preparations, the Ardhmahakumbh at Prayagraj opened officially this week. Millions of people will take a dip in the Holy Ganges over the next few weeks. I was among the approximately 120 million people who visited the Mahakumbh in 2013 but felt too cold to take a dip. I was richly inspired by my short visit there. While for some it is a deep expression of their faith, for others it is also a spiritual search of the divine. The Kumbh is celebrated with the belief that due to certain planetary positions, the positive energy levels of that particular place during a particular time, increases to its peak, thereby providing an atmosphere for spiritual growth and enlightenment.

In Islam too the planet moon plays a significant role because of the use of a lunar Islamic calendar to determine the date of Ramzan. The crescent moon, known as Hilal, defines the start and end of Islamic months. And it is only after sighting the moon that the Ramzan fast is broken.

In the just concluded Christian festival of Christs birth, the star plays an important role to help find the newborn baby Jesus, eventually leading to a path of spiritual growth. The Bible narrates the story of this special star thus: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

Last Sunday Christians celebrated the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. The whole event takes place at the sacred river Jordan. Again quite a few important events in the Bible take place on high mountains, be it Moses receiving the Ten Commandments or the transfiguration of Jesus.

While it is important to note that in Christianity planets, rivers, mountains etc. are not worshipped but only God the creator of the universe, the Bible does place great importance on nature. In fact nature too worships and glorifies God. Psalm 19 says, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. Or elsewhere, Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?

Be they holy rivers, mountains, stars, planets, or indeed our scriptures or the inspiring lives of holy men and women including those of our helpless neighbours needing us, they can all help us in some degree to set off on our spiritual path to finding God.

Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of the Parliament of Religions, can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.comWith barely three months to go for the general election, Prime Minister Narendra Modis promise of creating one crore jobs has come to haunt him. Indias unemployment rate shot up to a 15-month high of 7.4 per cent in December 2018 and should be giving the government sleepless nights. This was further compounded by the fact that India lost 11 million jobs in 2018, with rural areas being the worst hit.

It is ironic that while India is the worlds fastest growing economy, it has largely been jobless growth, which was epitomised in 25 million people applying for 90,000 ordinary railway jobs!

The government should be even more worried as rural India bore the brunt of this jobless growth, and saw 84 per cent of the total jobs lost. In the recent Assembly elections in several states, the ruling BJP lost heavily in rural areas. These figures should be a wake-up call for the government as it hopes to be voted back to power in May.

To be fair to the government, this setback on the job front is not for want of trying. It initiated a number of yojanas like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), but the benefit of these programmes could not be utilised as of 30.67 lakh people who were skilled by PMKVY, only 2.9 lakh could find jobs.

It must be appreciated that the government was caught between the devil and the deep sea. It adopted the soft option of being popular instead of taking stringent steps like land and labour reforms. These are two important requirements for attracting international funds. It applies to domestic investments too as many in the private sector preferred to employ people on a temporary basis to skirt the labour laws. These reforms are as important, if not more, than the ease of doing business measures taken by the government to attract investment.

Another failure of the Modi government was its inability to materialise Sabka saath sabka vikas. It failed to support job generating sectors like textiles and leather goods, and footwear and local garment manufacturers. They languished for lack of funds, giving fodder to the Oppositions derisive suit-boot jibe.

Prime Minister Modis reckless demonetisation drive not only led to a 1.5 per cent drop in GDP, to the extent of Rs 2.25 lakh crores a year, but resulted in 15 crore daily wage earners without any work in the short term. The government could perhaps redeem some of its promises by focusing on offering incentives for creating jobs for women in the textiles and apparel sectors. This is easier said than done as the government has little leeway in spending. But sops like these could gain it some political advantage as women do form a significant chunk of the national electorate.The BJP was told to give further details about the peaceful rallies it plans and also submit revised proposals for the rathyatras as well as assurances regarding the law and order issues.

The Supreme Court may have advised abundant caution over the BJPs proposed rathyatras in West Bengal, but it has scrupulously upheld a democratic right. While not striking down holding of yatras, the court said the state governments fears of possible law and order problems were not completely baseless. The BJP was told to give further details about the peaceful rallies it plans and also submit revised proposals for the rathyatras as well as assurances regarding the law and order issues.

The right to hold rallies was, however, clearly upheld, as is essential in a democracy where the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression cant be denied. If the court had struck down the rallies altogether, it would have set the worst possible precedent, as this would give every state government a handle to whip up intelligence reports on law and order fears and deny what is a normal Opposition political activity. The courts directions on the rathyatras, with their religious connotations, appear justified and its now up to the BJP to satisfy conditions, including the timing of the yatras, that would coincide with the school board examinations.

The rathyatras, of course, cant be rejected altogether, but it would have been ideal if religion didnt obtrude into politics. A secular nation must consider the rights of all religions, and its entirely up to a responsible national party to use such a right to reach out to all people than divide them on the basis of religion. Lets just hope that the message has been clearly transmitted  that rights also come with responsibilities.Vijayawada: Amid the raging row over his meeting TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy cancelled his visit to London at the last minute. He was supposed to fly to London on Thursday morning to see his daughter Varsha Reddy who is studying there.

It was planned that after his 3,600-km padayatra that he had launched in November 2017, Mr Reddy would go to London along with his family members to see his daughter.

He said is said to have cancelled the trip due to political reasons.Hyderabad: The ground is set for Telangana Rashtra Samitis senior MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy to be elected Speaker of the newly-elected Telangana Legislative Assembly.

After the notification, Mr Srinivas Reddy filed his nomination accompanied by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Congress MLA M. Bhatti Vikramarka, and MIM MLA Ahmad Balala.

Mr Srinivasa Reddys candidature was proposed by the Chief Minister and leaders of all parties supported it, ensuring that he will be elected unanimously on Friday. While the nomination was being filed, the Chief Minister joked that the Speaker must grant more time to ruling party members to participate in debates in the House.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister had reached out to all political parties seeking their support in ensuring a unanimous choice for the Speakers post.

While the BJP and the MIM agreed to support the candidature of Mr Srinivas Reddy, TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy told Mr Chandrasekhar Rao that the party will discuss and then take a decision.Vijayawada: TD chief and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has cancelled his trip to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF) meet later this month.

Observers say political reasons prompted Naidu to cancel his trip.

The state government had earlier registered strong dissent after the Centre clipped the number of days and size of the delegation led by Mr Naidu that the state government wanted to send to WEF.

Now, his son, IT minister Mr Nara Lokesh, will lead the 16-member state delegation to Davos from January 21 to 26.

Sources said that senior cabinet ministers suggested that Mr Naidu rethink about his trip to Davos as one can feel the poll heat in the state and new developments are taking place every day.

Mr Naidu is likely to focus on candidate selection for upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He will hold seat-wise meetings to select candidates.Touring is tiring, but the audience seems to enjoy both shows. The Soap Myth is a beautiful story about one mans triumphing over the odds. He might not beat the system, but the system is forced to acknowledge that what he said happened really did happen to a certain extent. He gets half a banana. And its about a topic thats dawning in America these days  what is fact and what is myth?Hyderabad: Former MLA and Congress leader Vanteru Pratap Reddy, who contested against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao from Gajwel in the recent Telangana state Assembly elections, has decided to join the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. According to TRS sources, he is joining the TRS on Friday in the presence of the Chief Minister.

Mr Pratap Reddy is fond of changing parties. In the 2014 assembly elections he was the Telugu Desam candidate from Gajwel and had lost to Mr Rao. He tried his luck from the Congress party this time, but when that too did not work he has decided to change parties once again.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, former MLA T. Narasa Reddy was the Congress candidate from Gajwel against Mr Rao and after he was defeated, he had joined the TRS.

During the election campaign in December, Mr Pratap Reddy had alleged that then irrigation minister and the Chief Ministers nephew, T. Harish Rao, was in regular touch with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and may join the Congress any time. Mr Harish Rao, he alleged, had called him from a private number and asked him to defeat Mr Rao and even expressed his willingness to extend the required financial assistance.

Mr Harish Rao had denied these allegations and challenged Mr Pratap Reddy to prove them.

Now, barely a month after the Assembly results, Mr Mr Pratap Reddy has decided to join the winning TRS.

There is speculation in TRS circles that Mr Pratap Reddy has been promised a party ticket to contest from Gajwel once Mr Rao resigns. Sources said that Mr Pratap Reddy wants to contest the Medak Lok Sabha seat in the forthcoming general election so as to play a key role in national politics to form the Federal Front. If he wins the seat he will have to resign as MLA and in the by-election in Gajwel, Mr Pratap Reddy will be given the TRS ticket. Another version is that the TRS leadership has promised Mr Pratap Reddy an MLC seat.BJP president Amit Shah was diagnosed with swine flu and admitted to the AIIMS on Wednesday. (Photo: Twitter | @BJP4India | File)

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday reacted furiously to Congress MP B K Hariprasad's controversial 'swine flu' dig at BJP president Amit Shah, saying that flu is curable but "mental illness" of the opposition party's leaders is difficult to treat.

Demanding that the Congress should sack Hariprasad and tender a public apology for these "abhorrent" remarks, the BJP claimed that the opposition party's "silence" over these comments show that all such "toxic" views have the sanction of its leadership.

In Bengaluru, Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha member of the Congress, had mocked the health condition of Shah, saying he contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

"The kind of ugly and indecent comments Congress MP B K Hariprasad have made about BJP president Amit Shah's health show the standards of the Congress. Flu is curable but it is difficult to cure Congress leaders' mental illness," Union minister Piyush Goyal said.

Apart from Goyal several union ministers, including Rajyavardhan Rathore, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and BJP leaders reacted sharply to Hariprasad's remarks. "This is a completely abhorrent and ugly statement. They don't even have the basic decency as to how to react to a person's illness," Naqvi said.

Expressing his sadness over "cheap statements," Rathore said he was not surprised to see Congress leaders completely abandon decency and dignity.

Such comments also show the frustration of the Congress leadership, he added.

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said Hariprasad's comments show the "moral degeneration" of the Congress, its complete "bankruptcy" of thoughts and "lack of moral values."

"The fact that the Congress leadership is silent on Hariprasad comments clearly establishes all such toxic comments have sanction of the leadership.

And if they want to really disapprove of his remarks, Rahul Gandhi should sack Hariprasad and should make him apologise publicly to Amit Shah," Rao added.

Another party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain described Hariprasad's remarks as "shameful," saying this is the real face of the Congress.

Noting that Shah had himself informed people about his illness, Hussain said the Congress leader's comments would hurt people across the country.

Shah was diagnosed with swine flu and admitted to the AIIMS on Wednesday.

Later, he informed people about his illness in a tweet.

The party on Thursday said that he is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two.This meeting is scheduled to happen in Kolkata on January 19. (Photo: File)

Chennai: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin will participate in the meeting of opposition parties called by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on January 19.

On December 10 last year, the opposition parties held a crucial meeting in New Delhi on the eve of Parliaments Winter Session and the counting of votes for the Assembly elections in five states.

The previous meeting had been called by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu in an effort to bring all opposition parties under one single umbrella to take on the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.Former chief minister and BJPs Lingayat strongman B.S. Yedyurappa is a disillusioned man today after his attempt to poach Congress and JD(S) MLAs in a bid to dislodge the coalition government in Karnataka, failed. Given his age, and his diminishing clout with the party top brass, it may have been his last shot at becoming chief minister. But was Yedyurappa alone to blame for the coup ?

Sources privy to the entire plot of Operation Kamala 4.0 said that the saffron party may have succeeded in dismantling the coalition government if the top BJP leaders had worked cohesively, said a party insider. It was internal sabotage that killed the operation, he charged.

The four Congress MLAs  Ramesh Jarkiholi, Umesh Jadhav, Mahesh K.

and B. Nagendra, who were camping in a five star hotel in Powai, Mumbai would have pulled more lawmakers out of the party as was planned if someone from the BJP Central leadership had spoken to them in person and assured them of a stable future in the saffron party as the plan was to get them to resign en masse on January 17.

But insiders said that when Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari wanted to meet them in Mumbai on Tuesday, he was reportedly stopped by party members close to other top leaders. If anyone could have succeeded in convincing them and the rest, it would have been Mr.Gadkari, but he was not reportedly given a free hand. Unfortunately at the same time, BJP President Amit Shah came down with flu and was admitted in a hospital and Railways Minister Piyush Goel was reportedly tasked last minute with overseeing the entire operation.

"In the absence of a strong commitment from the top brass, the four MLAs developed cold feet and opted out of the coup, said another insider source. An operation of this magnitude also required huge amount of financial support, which was allegedly lacking from the Central leadership, he added. At the last count, before the operation was wound up, the State BJP had only nine Congress MLAs in their basket, who were ready to switch sides on promise of plum rewards, the source added.

Many BJP party members have also criticized Mr Yeddyurappa for attempting the coup instead of exposing the lack of governance and reported corruption in the coalition government, said a party member. There are so many issues that the BJP as the leading Opposition party could have exposed in the recently concluded Assembly session in Belagavi but they failed to do it, he added.

However, with the Congress still facing a no-show from the four rebel MLAs, and the nine other disgruntled Congress MLAs still unhappy with Siddaramaiah distributing the cabinet berths only to his coterie, BSY's Operation Lotus may still find some traction.A special child takes part in a sit-in protest in-front of Ernakulam collectorate demanding an end to neglect to special school by the state government organised jointly by teachers, parents and students. (SUNOJ NINAN MATHEW)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Special school organisations decided to intensify their protest against the LDF governments apathy towards the demands of the schools. Over 1,200 people belonging to special schools in Thiruvananthapuram district held a dharna in front of the Secretariat on Thursday which was inaugurated by former KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran.

Protests were held before district collectorates also raising their demands including aided category status to 33 unaided special schools and salary hike to teachers.

They have planned an indefinite strike before the secretariat from January 25, the day the budget session of the Assembly starts.

The special school teachers in the unaided category get Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,500 per month while teachers in BUD schools draw Rs 30,650 and those in Integrated Education for the Disabled in normal schools Rs 28,500, said a special school teacher.

Similarly, while maids in BUD schools get Rs 17, 325, their counterparts in unaided special schools are paid Rs 2,500  Rs 3, 500. The LDF government now spends only Rs 6, 500 per year for students suffering from mental retardation, autism and cerebral palsy. But the visually challenged and hearing impaired receive Rs 1.25 lakh per year, it is said.The team from the bank landed in Kochi even as Kerala Legal Services Authority directed 116 persons allegedly involved in the cheating to appear before it for resolving the issue on Friday.

Kochi: A group of officials from the National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah submitted details of over 100 Keralites allegedly involved in cheating the bank to the Central Police station in Kochi on Thursday. Extreme International Management Consultancy is handling the legal matters on behalf of the bank.

The team from the bank landed in Kochi even as Kerala Legal Services Authority directed 116 persons allegedly involved in the cheating to appear before it for resolving the issue on Friday.

The fraud is part of the cheating of Rs 20,000 cr by Indians from banks in UAE in the recent past. Out of alleged cheats, 30 percent belong to Kerala.

Most of the money amassed through the cheating has been brought to the state using the hawala route. The persons availed the money from the banks in the garb of business requirement under the master facility system by claiming overdraft, check discounting, letter of credit and trust receipts.

The master facility system has been availed by submitting an audit report for one year and signed cheques along with the application. The culprits also created false records of non-existent business transactions including invoices, delivery records and receipts. The banks were lax in close scrutiny of the details as most of them made prompt in repayments in the beginning.

A modus operandi of the fraud was to avail 30 percent loan of the assets shown in the audit report and some of the persons behind the racket availed similar facilities from 10 banks. So a company with an asset of Rs 100 cr managed to get a loan of Rs 300 cr, by showing 10 different assets.

Many of the persons then sold off their properties and assets in Dubai and UAE and routed the loan amount through hawala route to India before fleeing UAE.

When the bank unearthed the fraud and imposed travel restrictions most of the perpetrators left the country. Apart from Indians business persons from Pakistan and Egypt were also found involved in a similar kinds of fraud.Hubbali: Expressing confidence that all legislators of his party would participate in the crucial Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bengaluru on Friday, an event billed as a show of strength, former chief minister Siddaramaiah ruled out a reshuffle of the ministry, saying dissident MLAs were not promised ministerial berths.

On the veiled threat of disciplinary action against legislators who do not show up at the CLP on Friday, Mr Siddaramaiah retorted that it was internal matter of his party, and therefore need not be disclosed to the media. He saw no need for the ruling coalition to woo legislators of Opposition BJP, and nor would dreams of BJP leaders on formation of their government take shape. Mr Yeddyurappa has lost respect and faced acute embarrassment while trying for Operation Lotus for the third time. It (Operation Lotus) is detrimental to democracy. The BJP has detained all its legislators in Haryana as it lacks confidence in them. It is also resorting to horse trading by luring ruling party legislators. But we need not resort to such tactics as the coalition parties have a total strength of 120 MLAs, he told the media at Kerur in Bagalkote district, on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a villager attracted the ire of Mr Siddaramaiah when he attempted to draw his attention during his speech at Kerur. Evidently annoyed with officers for their apathy, the former CM remarked that they resort to drama whenever he pays a visit to his constituency, and do not care to address problems of voters at other times.At least three residents of Piravom fell prey to the racket the other day and lost Rs 1.33 lakh in no time. The first to lose money was one Scaria Vat-takattil who lost Rs 48,000 on Wednesday evening.

Kochi: Falling for online banking fraud rackets that are active again in the state will be injurious to your financial health.

The fraudsters based in North-Indian states are duping unsuspecting victims by ringing them up and offering to replace old ATM-cum debit cards with new chip-based ones only to trick them into giving details like the One Time Password (OTP).

At least three residents of Piravom fell prey to the racket the other day and lost `1.33 lakh in no time. The first to lose money was one Scaria Vat-takattil who lost Rs 48,000 on Wednesday evening.

The caller identified himself as manager of Tripunithura branch of the Federal Bank and won the latters confidence by telling his bank account number and other details. He then asked Scaria to replace his old ATM card with a new chip-based one as per the RBI guidlines and directed him to reach the Tripunithura bank the next day.

In between he offered to make the process simple by moving the application and in the melee tricked the victim into giving his PIN number. When he reached the bank the next day, the victim was shocked to learn that he was deceived and that the racketeers withdrew `48,000 from a remote location in Delhi, police said.

The racket deceives victims by citing the Reserve Bank of India directive to all banks to replace their magnet stripe based old ATM cum debit cards with new EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) chip based ones.

Two more residents in Piravom were tricked by the racketeers in the same manner and came to know about the fraud when they too reached the bank branch on Thursday morning, they said.

The Piravom Police lodged three cases based on the complaints.

Weve taken cases as per section 406 IPC (Criminal breach of Trust) and 420 IPC (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property). More victims are approaching us now, they said.Preparation on at the Palace Grounds on the eve of the Organics and Millets International Trade Fair 2019 in Bengaluru on Thursday KPN

Bengaluru: The Organics and Millets International Trade Fair 2019 will be inaugurated at Palace Grounds on Saturday by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Briefing media persons on the details of the event, Agriculture Minister N. H. Shivashankara Reddy said, The three-day fair will be the biggest of its kind. This event will help spread the message of how millets are good for us, good for our farmers and good for the planet.

He said a few decades ago, millets was the staple food in several parts of Karnataka, but later they lost popularity. However, over the last few years we are witnessing a comeback of millets. With health awareness spreading across urban areas, there is a rising demand for millets, the minister added.

This fair will have a total number of 400 booths, including 220 exhibitors participating from ten states across the country and 23 food courts.

The participating states include Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Kerala and Telangana.

There will be international participation from seven countries including Chile, Poland, Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso, UAE, IFOAM, Germany and FIBL, Switzerland. Sixteen startup firms will also take part in the fair.

Agriculture Department Commissioner Dr K.G. Jagadeesha said, Farmers in Karnataka often face deficient rainfall and difficulty in growing crops. Many farmers opt for rice cultivation as there is high demand. But if we compare millets to rice, millets require almost 70% less water, no pesticides and minimal or no chemical fertilizers making them the most environment friendly crop.

He expressed happiness that the area under organic cultivation has registered a steady growth in the State increasing from 2500 hectares to 100,000 hectares as on date. The Governments aim is to increase this to around 1.5 lakh hectares in the coming three years, he added.

One of the prime focus areas of the fair would be B2B sessions that will be organized on all the three days. Around 85 farmer groups representing 15 regional federations, FPOs and other farmer groups have registered for the event.

There will also be a Farmers Workshop in Kannada on all the three days.Since the Supreme Court has postponed hearing the review petitions and writ petitions on the Sabarimala controversy.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP has decided to call off the indefinite fast being held before the secretariat on the Sabarimala issue on Saturday, the 48th day of the event.

Since the Supreme Court has postponed hearing the review petitions and writ petitions on the Sabarimala controversy, the state leadership decided to end the protest on the day the Sabarimala temple closes this season. The Sabarimala agitation led by the BJP had whipped up tensions in the state, including hartal shutdowns and the self -immolation of Venugopalan Nair, 49, in front of the secretariat.

The fasts were undertaken by BJP state general secretary A. N. Radhakrishnan, former state president C. K. Padmanabhan, state general secretary Sobha Surendran, vice-presidents N. Sivarajan and P. M. Velayudhan and finally V. T. Rema, president of state Mahila Morcha.

A party source told DC that a massive convention of Ayyappa devotees will be held at Putharikandam grounds at 4 p.m. on next Sunday. Around two lakh Ayyappa devotees from Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts will take part in the 'Nama Japam.'

Hence there is no point in continuing the indefinite fast before the secretariat," said the source.

The party cadres feel that if BJP national president Amit Shah had visited Sabarimala, the protest would have achieved a different dimension.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a meeting in Palakkad on January 27.Bengaluru: A 30-year-old NRI residing in Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman has been missing since December 10, 2018.

Deepak R.P.s inconsolable mother Manjula V. (50) recalls the last call he made to her. He had reportedly told her, Mummy! Did my sister eat her food. Make sure she takes her medicines on time. I miss you and her a lot. I am trying to save money so that I could buy a home for you two.

Deepak, a resident of Vijaynagar was working as a buyer at Mars International Hypermarket in Muscat for last six years. The sole breadwinner of the family, he had visited them three months ago to celebrate the birthday of his 35-year-old sister, who is autistic and specially abled. Little did the family know what was in store for them.

Deepak R.P with his family

Manjula told Deccan Chronicle, I received a call from Deepak on December 10. He had told me that he was going to another city near Muscat and will be back in two days. However I didnt hear from him since then. I soon grew anxious and began calling him frantically, but his mobile phone was switched off.

She further said,I tried to tell myself that all was well and Deepak would call back and kept praying to god. My son used to call me four to five times every day. But, when the days passed and a week got over I went to Mahila Sangha, who accompanied and helped me file a missing complaint at Indian Embassy in Vikas Soudha on December 18.

Ever since Manjula, along With her daughter, have been making rounds of Police Commissioners office to know about the whereabouts of Deepak.

When asked whether she heard from the company where Deepak used to work, she said, The officials from Mass International Hypermarket told me that my son last reported to work in December 7 and since then he has not been coming. They told me that they were also trying to trace him, but there is no news about him.

On December 20, Miss Manjula met Additional Commissioner of police B.K. Singh and handed over a complaint in this connection, which was forwarded to Ministry of External Affairs In Delhi.

According to Manjula, she received a reply from an External Affairs Ministry official that they have sent a complaint to Oman in Dubai and awaiting their reply. However, more than a month later the family has no news about Deepak.Bengaluru: As the members of the BJP boycotted the standing committee elections, members of Congress and JDS coalition won unopposed to the 12 posts.

Vrushabavathi Nagar corporator Hemalatha Gopalaiah was elected as the chairman for the standing committee on taxation and finance.

Elections were postponed twice due to the ruckus created by JD(S) and BJP corporators. They tried to win plum posts by supporting each other, thereby hijacking the plans of the Congress-JD(S) coalition.

On Thursday too similar fights were expected, but this time elections were held in the Mayor's chamber as Mayor Gangambike realised that a third postponement will severely affect the plans of civic body in drafting the upcoming BBMP budget.

BJP candidates alleged that the Mayor was conducting the elections violating the Karnataka Municipal Councils Act, which governs the civic body, and boycotted the elections.

Each of the 12 standing committee will have 11 members. BJP said that at least six members should elect chairman, but only 4 or 5 were present to elect the chairman and Mayor Gangambike declared their names.Yechury alleged the RSS and the BJP were violating law in Kerala and had turned Sabarimala into 'Ayodhya of South India' by polarising people on religious grounds. (Photo: File)

Bhopal: CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the party-led government in Kerala over the Sabarimala row and claimed his statements amounted to "contempt of court".

Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Kollam on Tuesday, PM Modi had said the conduct of Kerala's CPM-led LDF government on the Sabarimala issue would go down in the history as one of the "most shameful behaviours by any party and government".

PM Modi had also said the Congress and Communists were talking about gender justice in the Sabarimala issue but their actions were "just opposite".

Yechury condemned PM Modi for his remarks.

"He charged the elected government in Kerala with not paying attention to public sentiments. The issue was that the Supreme Court has ordered that women (of all ages) be given equal rights as far as entry in Sabarimala temple is concerned," he told reporters.

"No elected government has any other option but to implement an SC order. Now the prime minister of the country is saying why the Supreme Court's order was implemented," he said.

Yechury said the prime minister had taken oath of the Constitution, which said the apex court's orders have to be implemented, especially by the elected governments.

"We believe the PM's speech amounted to contempt of court. Now the Supreme Court has to take cognisance about this, but this doesn't look possible," he said.

The veteran Communist termed PM Modi as a "demolition man", saying he has "demolished institutions and economy of the country".

Yechury alleged the RSS and the BJP were violating law in Kerala and had turned Sabarimala into "Ayodhya of South India" by polarising people on religious grounds.

The CPM leader ruled out any national-level pre-poll alliance with the Congress and favoured state-specific tie-ups to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He said "an anti-BJP, secular and democratic alliance" is possible after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Those against Modi ji are facing legal action," Yechury said when asked about the chargesheet filed against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 JNU sedition case.The India-Pakistan diplomatic ties have nose-dived in recent years over the issue of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan. (Representational Image)

Ahmedabad: No business delegation from Pakistan would attend the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit as its industry members have not got visas to travel to India, the state's top industry body said on Wednesday.

The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) said it had extended an invitation to Pakistan industry representatives for the investor summit, but they will not be attending the three-day event in absence of visas.

The Gujarat government is organising the ninth edition of the summit from January 18 to 20 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also confirmed that no delegation from Pakistan would be attending the summit, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A controversy had erupted when the GCCI, while inviting several global trade bodies for the meet, also extended invitation to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce (KCC).

The India-Pakistan diplomatic ties have nose-dived in recent years over the issue of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan.

"Upon our invitation to chamber of commerce in Pakistan, we had received travel plan of a 13-member delegation.

"But today we received a communication from them, saying they have cancelled their India visit as they have not got visas," GCCI president Jaymin Vasa told reporters in Ahmedabad.

"Our bilateral business with Pakistan at present is going on without any (government) interference. We have a good business with Pakistan in sectors such as chemical, dyestuff, pharmaceutical and cotton yarn," he said.

Gujarat Chief Secretary JN Singh had last week said there was nothing wrong in inviting Pakistan's trade representatives for the high-profile event.

The GCCI had decided to invite global trade bodies for the summit and the state government agreed to it, he had said.

The Karachi Chamber of Commerce was one of the trade bodies invited by the GCCI, but the Gujarat government had not sent any invitation, the top bureaucrat had said.

The Pakistani trade body was invited to participate in the 'Global Conclave of International Chambers' at the summit.

GCCI office-bearers had earlier claimed it was only a "general circular" meant for around 285 global trade bodies, and that the final invitation was to be sent only after scrutiny.

In 2013, a trade delegation from Pakistan had come to Gujarat to take part in the biennial summit. However, following tension on the border, the delegation left without attending the main event.

Thereafter, no Pakistani delegation was invited for the investor meet held in 2015 and 2017.

The summit was conceptualised in 2003, when Narendra Modi was chief minister, to promote investment in Gujarat. It focuses on establishing Gujarat as a preferred investment destination in India.

Over the years, the summit has evolved into a platform for brainstorming on agendas of global socio-economic development in addition to becoming a forum for forging public-private partnerships.The body was pulled up to mouth of the mine, the spokesperson of the Indian Navy said adding that the body shall be extracted out under the supervision of doctors. (Photo: Twitter | @indiannavy)

Mumbai: Over a month after operations began to search and rescue 15 miners trapped in a deep coal mine in Meghalaya, Navy divers and underwater remotely operated vehicles on Thursday spotted a few skeletons.

However, it is not clear if the skeletons are of the missing miners, reports said.

According to a report in The Hindustan Times, senior government officials, on condition of anonymity, said that high Sulphur content in the mines may have led to the decomposition of bodies.

Forensic Experts have been called to conduct a DNA test to identify and match the skeletal remains, the report added.

Earlier on Wednesday night, the divers also detected a body at a depth of nearly 210 feet inside the 370-foot-deep mine in East Jaintia Hills.

The body, which is yet to be identified, was pulled up to the mouth of the "rat-hole" mine, the spokesperson of the Indian Navy said adding that the body shall be extracted out under the supervision of doctors.

The video footage was shown to some of the families of the miners and they were told that trying to retrieve it may cause the body to completely disintegrate, a report in NDTV quoted officials as saying. The families will share their views on whether bodies should be retrieved or not tomorrow.

"Operation by Navy started three weeks ago. We are a team of 10 people. We have sent a team of divers with an officer and latest equipment. Last night, we recovered a dead body at a depth of around 150 feet from the surface. For now, divers are using a hit and trial method. The search operation will be continued till the government asks us to step back," Captain D K Sharma said.

Around 200 rescuers from the Navy, NDRF, the Odisha Fire Service, State Disaster Response Fund, states Fire service and others from Coal India and private pump maker Kirloskar are involved in rescue operations.

A team of doctors and other senior officials are also monitoring the rescue operations from the spot.

Fifteen miners were trapped in the illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13 last year, after water from the nearby Lytein river and adjacent mine flooded it.

Last week, the Supreme Court pulled up the state government for its inaction against illegal miners while saying that rescues efforts must continue.

The apex court asked the Centre and the Meghalaya government to take help of experts and continue efforts to rescue the miners. Carry on with your rescue efforts, what if all or at least some are still alive? Miracles do happen, a bench headed by Justice AK Sikri said.Meghalaya: Indian Navy has recovered a body of one person more than a month after operations to search and rescue 15 miners trapped in a deep coal mine in Meghalaya.

The body was detected at a depth of nearly 210 feet inside the "rat-hole" mine and naval divers brought it to its mouth.

The miners are trapped since December 13, 2018.

Search operations for the rest of the miners continue.

The Supreme Court last week pulled up the state government for its inaction against illegal miners while saying that rescues efforts must continue.

The top court asked the Centre and the Meghalaya government to take help of experts and continue efforts to rescue the miners. Carry on with your rescue efforts, what if all or at least some are still alive? Miracles do happen, a bench headed by Justice AK Sikri said.

(With PTI inputs)Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, Siddaramaiah claimed that all the party MLAs would attend the CLP meeting. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: Ahead of the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting on Friday, more party MLAs allegedly under the BJP's radar for desertion returned home, giving the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government hopes of averting a crisis.

As Congress stepped up its efforts to quell dissidence, BJP state chief B S Yeddyurappa arrived in Bengaluru, asserting his party was not involved in any operation to topple the government.

He said his party MLAs were also flying back from Gurgaon, where they are staying for the past few days.

Slamming the BJP for making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy accused it of keeping the saffron party's MLAs in "confinement" at Gurgaon.

Grappling with the political turmoil triggered by reports of the BJP luring Congress MLAs to take a fresh shot at government formation, Kumaraswamy rejected its charge that he was trying to poach their lawmakers.

Friday's CLP meet is expected to be a show of strength for the Congress, in a counter to BJP's alleged toppling bid which the ruling coalition has said has turned out to be a "flop".

In a notice issued to Congress MLAs, CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah warned that absence of MLAs at Friday's meeting would be viewed "seriously".

"I would like to bring to your notice that your absence will be viewed seriously and it will be considered that you have voluntarily decided to leave the primary membership of the Indian National Congress," he said and added that action would be initiated under the Anti-Defection Law.

Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, Siddaramaiah claimed that all the party MLAs would attend the CLP meeting.

Asked if disgruntled MLAs coming back into the party fold would be made ministers, Siddaramaiah said, "We have not told anyone that we will make them minister or any other thing. There is no disgruntlement in the Congress."

In a breather to the Congress, a few more MLAs who had allegedly gone incommunicado and were on the poaching list of BJP surfaced, declaring allegiance to the party.

Yellapur MLA Shivram Hebbar who met KPCC chief Dinesh Gunduu Rao on Thursday said he had gone to Andaman and Nicobar Islands with family, as per the plan made about a month ago. Terming the timing as "coincidence", he said, "I'm a worker of the Congress. I have got elected from the party, and there is no question of getting sold for any reasons."

Another Congress MLA J N Ganesh from Kampli termed reports that he had planned to switch to BJP as a "creation" and "false". "I only want development of my constituency, allurement for money, horse trading are all very petty things to do.I even feel ashamed to talk about it," he added.

Congress MLA from Ballari B Nagendra said he was in Mumbai for personal reasons, business and other things. "I keep going to Mumbai so that doesn't show that I'm in touch with some one. I'm not disgruntled... not going (to BJP)," he said in response to a question.

Nagendra, however, expressed doubt about attending the CLP meeting tomorrow, citing a court hearing.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said Yeddyurappa making repeated claims that Congress-JD(S) leaders, especially the Chief Minister, were luring his party MLAs, was "surprising" for him. "They are making all kinds of futile attempts (to destabilise the government). Who is taking the lead and working (to lure MLAs)?" he said.

"...today I want to ask Yeddyurappa and his friends, how long have you been staying at a hotel in Gurugram, for what sake have you kept MLAs in confinement?" Kumaraswamy asked.

Accusing the BJP of "doing everything" to poach MLAs with allurements, he said, "but now you are blaming us, if you feel that people will accept whatever you say, you are wrong. People will give answer to BJP leaders at the right time."

On his part, Yeddyurappa said, "No one from BJP has indulged in any kind of operation or luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs. We had gathered all our MLAs at one place and were discussing preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the last two-three days. Today all are coming back."

"Why do they have to fear if we gather our MLAs, I don't understand.Internal fight within Congress and JD(S) is going out of control, to cover up their internal squabbles, they should not blame BJP," he added. "If your MLAs have gone to Mumbai or Delhi, what do we have to do with it? It is -Congress-JD(S)- your duty to keep your legislators intact. No one is in touch with us... I'm telling you," Yeddyurapa said.

"Who are they to ask where we are going? You try to keep your MLAs intact, why are you blaming us?" Yeddyurappa said, adding that "how many will come (for the CLP) will be known, their true colours will come out tomorrow."

Political turmoil has hit Karnataka since Monday amid reports that the BJP was allegedly making a renewed bid to dislodge the seven-month-old coalition government.

Both the ruling coalition and BJP have been levelling charges of horse trading against each other.India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar and this is being launched to protect these borders. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: A satellite will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) exclusively for the Home Ministry to help it further strengthen its frontiers with Pakistan and Bangladesh among others, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

The move is part of recommendations made by a task force on the use of space technology in improving border management which have been accepted by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. To execute the project in a time bound manner, a short, medium and long-term plan has been proposed for implementation in five years in close coordination with the ISRO and the Defence Ministry.

"Major recommendations of the report are to build capacity in border guarding forces to use space resources for security, operational planning and border infrastructure development," the statement issued by the Home Ministry said.

In short term, immediate needs of border guarding forces will be met by procurement of high resolution imagery and hiring of bandwidth for communications, it said. "In mid-term, one satellite is being launched by the ISRO for exclusive use of the MHA," the statement said.

Over the long term, the MHA will develop ground segment and network infrastructure to share satellite resources by user agencies, develop a central archival facility for storing various imagery resources and dissemination of the same to user agencies, it said.

"Deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces in remote areas will be also coordinated by satellite communications. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-based GPS will provide navigation facilities for operational parties in high altitude, remote and difficult borders and Naxal areas," the Home Ministry said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has been designated as lead agency for implementation of ground segment and network infrastructure, including establishment of archival facility, it said.

India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. With the assistance of the Department of Space, the Ministry of Home Affairs would implement the project, the statement said.

"This project will strengthen island and border security and facilitate development of infrastructure in border/island areas," it said.

The Home Minister has approved report of the task force created by the MHA to identify areas for use of space technology in improving border management, the statement said.

The task force headed by Joint Secretary (Border Management), having members from the BSF, the Department of Space and BM division of the Home Ministry, consulted all stakeholders including border guarding forces, the ISRO, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the Ministry of Defence to finalise the report.

Island development, border security, communication and navigation, Geographic Information System (GIS) and operations planning system, and border infrastructure development are the areas identified for use of space technology, it added.Shivpal Yadav referred to what is generally known as the 'Lucknow guest house incident' and urged his nephew to be wary of Mayawati, who had then fired allegations against Samajwadi party leaders including him. (Photo: File)

Chandauli: After tying up with former bitter rival Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav has received advice - unsolicited - from his rebel uncle Shivpal Yadav, who warned him against trusting the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief.

Shivpal Yadav referred to what is generally known as the "Lucknow guest house incident" and urged his nephew to be wary of Mayawati, who had then fired allegations against Samajwadi party leaders including him.

In 1995, Mayawati was heckled and pushed by Samajwadi Party workers at a guest house in the Uttar Pradesh capital after she pulled out of the two-year-old coalition government with the Samajwadi, then led by Akhilesh Yadav's father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mayawati later formed a government with the BJP's support.

Addressing a rally in the Samajwadi stronghold Chandoli in UP, Shivpal Yadav - the younger brother of Mulayam Singh -- said Mayawati had then accused him of sexual harassment.

"Behenji (Mayawati) had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against me. I had said at the time that I am ready for an inquiry, I am ready for a narco test. But I wanted that Mayawati should also have a narco test done. She refused," Shivpal Yadav said.

"You can't trust people who sell tickets. Who used to abuse Netaji (Mulayam Singh)? She used to call them 'gunde (hoodlums)'. Today they have come together. Can she be trusted? She won't win many seats," said the Samajwadi rebel.

On Saturday, as Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the national election due by May, the BSP chief said she had decided to rise above the guest house incident "for the sake of the nation".

The SP and the BSP will contest on 38 seats each, while they will not field their candidate against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli. They have also kept two seats for the smaller parties.

Shivpal Yadav, who was a powerful minister in Akhilesh Yadav's government, quit the Samajwadi Party in September over a persistent feud with his nephew and floated his own party.On the video that has surfaced online, other neighbours are heard shouting and talking as they give the attacker a wide berth, but nobody acts. (Representation image)

New Delhi: A woman was killed, while her husband and her 18-year-old son were critically injured after they were stabbed by their neighbour on Wednesday evening in west Delhis Khayala.

The suspect, a 40-year-old Mohammad Azad has been arrested.

Police identified the deceased as Sunita (35), her husband and son as Viru (41) and Akash (18), respectively.

According to police, Azads family lived on the ground floor while Sunitas family lived on the second floor. The attack could have been fallout over an argument between the families.

Sunita was returning home around 07:30 pm after buying groceries when she crossed paths with Azad and the duo entered into a heated argument.

A police officer said, People in the area say that after Azad and Sunita argued, she went home and narrated the incident to her son Akash who rushed to Azads house and allegedly started abusing him for arguing with his mother. Azad then stepped out of his house and got into a physical confrontation with Akash. Seeing his son being overpowered, Viru also rushed to his aid.

In a full public view, Azad stabbed Akash and Viru with a knife and when Sunita came to their aid, he stabbed her multiple times too.

All the three victims were rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Khyala where Sunita was pronounced dead and other two are critically injured.

Sunita also has an 8-year-old daughter who was unharmed as she was at home at the time of the incident.

According to locals, a few days ago, couples daughter was returning home from school, she dropped her water bottle while climbing the stairs which just missed hitting one of Azads family members. Later, Azad had an argument with the childs parents and believe that murder was a fallout of this argument.

On the video that has surfaced online, other neighbours are heard shouting and talking as they give the attacker a wide berth, but nobody acts.Arun Jaitley said that the 'Compulsive Contrarians' believe that this Government can do no good and hence its every act must be opposed. (Photo: File | PTI)

New Delhi: Terming opposition parties as 'Compulsive Contrarians', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday accused them of manufacturing falsehood and subverting democracy by weakening an elected government.

Nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the 'Compulsive Contrarians', he said in a Facebook blog without naming Congress or other opposition parties.

Jaitley, according to sources, is in the US for a medical check-up.

"The Compulsive Contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them, he said in a Facebook post titled 'The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic'.

Citing the tirade mounted by political parties on host of issues including 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections and the Rafale defence deal, Jaitley said that the 'Compulsive Contrarians' believe that this Government can do no good and hence its every act must be opposed.

Nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the Compulsive Contrarians. Didn't left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement? Weakening a Sovereign Elected Government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy, he wrote.'Finally Nitish Kumar admits that JD(U) is advanced version of BJP (and) therefore he is giving all important organisational posts except him(self) to the people chosen by Sh Amit Shah,' Yadav remarked sarcastically in an earlier tweet. (Photo: File)

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for attributing his exit from the Grand Alliance on the inability of Congress president Rahul Gandhi to take a stand on corruption.

"No one in Indian politics matches the standards of Nitish Kumar ji. He is not only politically, morally or socially scandalous, but ''Bhishma Pitamah'' of moral corruption. You will never find him accepting his blunders. He blames partners as well as opponents for his mistakes," Yadav, whose party lost power on account of Kumar''s exit, tweeted.

At an event organised by a private news channel in Patna on Tuesday night, the chief minister had accused Gandhi of not taking a stand when his state government was rocked by corruption allegations against Yadav, who was then the deputy chief minister.

Kumar had alleged that Gandhi balked at issuing even a statement, which could have compelled him to have second thoughts about leaving the Grand Alliance of his Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, and returning to the NDA.

Congress leaders have, so far, remained tight-lipped on the claim by Kumar, who had also alleged that the RJD , despite being an old ally, was averse to give more seats to the Congress in the 2015 assembly polls and it was at the insistence of the JD(U) that it got 40 and ended up winning 28 its best ever performance in the 243-member house.

The younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, also took potshots at Kumar for his claim that BJP chief Amit Shah had asked him "twice" to induct former poll strategist Prashant Kishor into the JDU.

The chief minister, who also heads the JDU, had made the claim while dismissing speculations that Kishor, who joined the party in September and was elevated to the post of national vice-president within few weeks, could be his political successor.

"Finally Nitish Kumar admits that JDU is advanced version of BJP (and) therefore he is giving all important organisational posts except him(self) to the people chosen by Sh Amit Shah," Yadav remarked sarcastically in an earlier tweet.

"Hope now you understand why mob lynchings and state sponsored crimes have become a routine practice in Bihar," he added.

Since his return to the NDA, Kumar has been drawing flak from the RJD-Congress combine for allegedly compromising on his stand against communalism, which had led him to snap his 17-year-old ties with the BJP in 2013, soon after the party announced the then Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, as the chief of its committee for the Lok Sabha poll campaign.The governor made the remarks in reply to a query if the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls be held together in view of the security scenario in the state. (Photo: File)

Jammu: Batting for early assembly elections, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has said all political parties, except Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party, want early polls.

The governor, however, hastened to add that it is the Election Commission of India, which has the mandate to hold the polls and decide the schedule.

"The government has sought opinion from everybody - all political parties and security agencies. We have talked to all. The government cannot decide it, it is for the Election Commission to decide (the poll schedule)," Malik said.

The governor made the remarks in reply to a query if the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls be held together in view of the security scenario in the state.

"There is a difference of opinion among political parties (on timing of the state assembly polls). Some want it to be delayed by two months, others by four, while yet others want it to be held as soon as possible," he said.

Malik said while the state BJP wanted the state assembly polls to be held along with the Lok Sabha elections, the National Conference wanted it to be held as soon as possible.

"The PDP, however, wants it (assembly polls) to be delayed," he added.

The governor, however, maintained that the ECI would ultimately be deciding the poll schedule, factoring in the requirement and availability of the forces and other conditions.

The governor, however, personally batted for an early election.

"I want the polls to be held as soon possible, so that I come out of this," he added.

Like the BJP, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President Gulam Ahmed Mir too favoured the state assembly polls and the Lok Sabha elections together in the state.

"We want both the polls together and soon. The Congress is ready for the polls. We do not want any delay in the assembly polls at all," Mir said.

NC vice president and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah last Tuesday said that the assembly polls should be held "as soon as possible" so that an elected government could be put in place at the earliest to run the affairs of the state.

While favouring an early poll in the state, Governor Malik wished the elections to be violence-free, just like the recent municipal and panchayat polls.

"I pray the assembly and Parliament polls are held without any casualty and with the largest possible participation of voters," he said.V. Ramakrishna (left) and his live-in partner C. Mahalakshmi who were nabbed for allegedly taking part in the fraud.

Hyderabad: A deputy engineer working on Mission Bhagiratha and an advocate practising in the Telangana High Court were accused of duping 161 job aspirants by collecting money on the pretext of providing jobs in L&T Metro Rail in Hyderabad.

Two persons, V. Ramakrishna and his live-in partner C. Mahalakshmi, were arrested as part of the fraud. A search is on to nab deputy engineer B. Laxman Rao, who is posted in Mancherial, and advocate G. Sridhar Reddy. Ramakrishna is Laxman Raos brother-in-law.

Police said that in 2017, one T. Lavanya, a resident of Dilsukhnagar, came in contact with Ramakrishna, a former public relations officer with various companies. He lured her and several others with the promise of jobs in Hyderabad Metro Rail with the contacts he had developed over the years.

Police said in all 161 aspirants were promised the jobs and Ramakrishna allegedly collected the money on behalf of the ring. In all the gang collected about `80 lakh from unemployed youths and distributed it among the members.

On realising she was cheated, Ms Lavanya moved the Uppal police who began investigations. The police found that Ramakrishna had 15 cases registered against him in the Telugu states for for cheating job aspirants.

Mahalakshmi and Laxman Rao provided SIM cards to Ramakrishna to talk to aspirants and persuade them to pay the money. Sridhar Reddy helped in getting details about Metro Rail officials. Ramakrishna, who knew mimicry, impersonated the voices of Hyderabad Metro Rail vice-president and HR department personnel and issued fake call letters, an Uppal police official said.

When the candidates approached Metro Rail with the fake job letters, they realised they had been cheated.

Police seized a car, two phones, fake job order copies of 161 victims, and Rs 70,000 cash from Ramakrishna and Mahalakshmi.Sumit Rao was arrested on Tuesday and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, police said. (Representational Image | PTI)

Mumbai: A 35-year-old Canadian woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by an employee of a Mumbai-based five-star hotel during her stay there, a police official said on Thursday.

The Canadian national accused Sumit Rao, 32, of sexually assaulting her in her hotel room in Juhu on the pretext of taking a selfie with her.

She works for an event management firm and often visits India. The incident happened on January 5.

Sumit Rao was arrested on Tuesday and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. A probe is underway in the matter, the official added.ESIL is among the list of top 12 large corporate debtors, referred as dirty dozen that was referred by the RBI for resolution in insolvency courts.

New Delhi: Adding a fresh twist to the tale, the lead banker in the committee of creditors (CoC) overseeing the Essar Steel insolvency resolution process has decided to recover its share of dues from the steel maker by initiating a separate recovery process outside the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). While the legal sanctity of the move is still unclear, it is feared that the move may stymie the entire resolution process.

Sources privy to the development said State Bank of India (SBI) would sell over Rs 15,000 crore worth bad loans belonging to Essar Steel to recover its dues from the debt-laden steel maker. For this, it has already put an advertisement inviting expression of interest (EoI) from banks/asset reconstruction companies (ARCs), non-banking finance companies and financial institutions.

If the auction of SBIs non-performing financial assets with total dues of Rs 15,431.44 crore goes ahead as planned, it could further complicate the resolution of Essar Steel that is awaiting order from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) over admissibility of a fresh bid put forward by its shareholders, proposing full settlement of all claims of financial and operational creditors.

This is a very curious development, as it negates the whole purpose of IBC that allows creditors to work out a resolution plan for a debt-ridden company within a timeframe or proceed with liquidation. If individual creditors look for settling their share of debt outside the IBC, a resolution plan will never be worked out and the process will go into further legal complications, said an industry observer asking not to be named.

In advertisement calling for EoI, SBI has put the reserve price for the recovery of bad loans from Essar Steel India at Rs 9,587.64 crore. The bank said the resolution plan for the recovery of non-performing asset (NPA) has been approved and filed in NCLT Ahmedabad, according to which the minimum recovery to the bank is Rs 11,313.42 crore.

The SBI ad said interested parties can conduct due diligence of the asset with immediate effect, after submitting EoI and executing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the bank. The sale of the NPA account is to happen through e-auction on January 30, as per the bid invite.

In September last year, SBI had withdrawn the process of sale of debt of Essar Steel to ARCsafter NCLAT asked lenders of the debt-ridden firm to consider the second round bid of Numetal and mining baron Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta.

Essar Steel, which runs a 10-million-tonne steel mill in Gujarat, owes more than Rs 49,000 crore to over two dozen banks led by SBI and has been under bankruptcy proceedings. As per the resolution plan submitted by ArcelorMittal, Rs 42,000 crore will be paid to the secured lenders, while an additional Rs 8,000 crore will be pumped into the company as working capital.

ArcelorMittal's offer to take over Essar Steel was accepted by the CoC.

Essar Steel Asia Holding, the holding company of Essar Steel that was controlled by the Ruias, had also proposed to the CoC, led by SBI, to pay an upfront Rs 54,389 crore to retake the management of Essar Steel.

Last week, the Ahmedabad bench of NCLT reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the bid by Essar Steel Asia Holdings to retake the management of the company. ESIL is among the list of top 12 large corporate debtors, referred as dirty dozen that was referred by the RBI for resolution in insolvency courts. Though priority was accorded to resolve this bankrupt entity as per timelines given in IBC, its resolution process has been anything but immediate. The case is way past its 270-day timeline even as some of the similar bankrupt steel firms have found new owners.There are rising concerns over financial health of Jet Airways, whose shares have also taken a beating at stock exchanges.

Mumbai: State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday said lenders are considering a resolution plan for Jet Airways to ensure long-term viability of the debt-laden company.

The SBI statement comes a day after the crisis-hit airline said discussions were "progressing well" with stakeholders on a comprehensive resolution plan that also contemplates equity infusion and consequent changes in its board of directors.

There are rising concerns over financial health of Jet Airways, whose shares have also taken a beating at stock exchanges.

We would like to state that lenders are considering a restructuring plan under the RBI framework for resolution of stressed assets that would ensure a long-term viability of the company," SBI said in a statement.

It said the restructuring plan for the cash-strapped airline would need approval from boards of lenders.

"Any such plan would be subject to approval of boards of the lenders and subject to adherence and clearance, if required, from the RBI and/or Sebi (takeover code, ICDR regulations.) and Ministry of Civil Aviation and in compliance with all regulatory prescriptions," the statement said.

Shares of the airline are trading 4.24 per cent lower at Rs 259.50 apiece on BSE.A first delegation from the Archdiocese of Seoul arrives in Central America for the diocesan Youth Day. From here, they will travel to Panama to wait for Pope Francis. Who prays for peace on the Korean peninsula: "Reconciliation and unity".

Cartago (AsiaNews) - A first delegation of young people from South Korea arrived in Central America in view of the World Youth Day which will take place in Panama at the end of January. A group of 41 boys from the archdiocese of Seoul - led by the auxiliary bishop Msgr. Pietro Chung Soon-taek - in fact arrived in Cartago (Costa Rica) for the diocesan Youth Day.

The group is hosted by the parish of Saint Stephen Protomayrtr. It is the first encounter for young Koreans meet Costa Rican peers: the two countries are practically at the two ends of the planet, and it is very complicated for young people to cover the costs of such a journey. Yet, as the communications office of the Archdiocese of Seoul writes, "they have joined in a simple and spontaneous way. They are young and share the same faith ".

To enliven the guests, the parishioners of Saint Stephen prepared a show with traditional dance and song. In a sign of thanks, the Koreans brought a statue of Mary Queen of Korea and a painting representing the 103 Korean martyrs.

From the 17th to the 20th, the students will be involved in voluntary work and in the visit to the local sanctuaries: on the last day they will take a bus that will take them to Panama City in a 15 hour journey. Here they will wait for Pope Francis's arrival and the beginning of WYD, which will take place from 23 to 28 January.

The Pope is very interested in the Korean situation. After the apostolic pilgrimage of 2014, the pontiff repeatedly pushed Seoul and Pyongyang to a true reconciliation. And yesterday - reports L'Osservatore Romano - he met a group of Korean parliamentarians: during the meeting, he encouraged those present as well as the two Koreas "to dialogue and seek consensus that foster and strengthen the common good". To the requests for prayers for peace on the Korean peninsula, Francis replied: "I always pray for the two peoples and for peace between them". The Pontiff then added: "in the inter-Korean relations a spirit of reconciliation and unity is important".Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.Lisa recommends: Carillon Brewing Co. in Dayton, The Caroline in Troy, and ele Cake Co and Bistro at Austin Landing for 2019 Winter Restaurant Week.

Lisa's Top 3 Tastes for Winter Restaurant Week 2019

The Miami Valley Restaurant Association's sold out Sneak Peek to Winter Restaurant Week at the Steam Plant welcomed hundreds of guests to sample dishes from thirteen local restaurants. Even if you eat out 3 meals a day all 8 days of restaurant week, you can't get to the more than 40 participating restaurants.

Tonights' offerings included soups, sandwiches, salad, short ribs, pork, shrimp, and more. After tasting my way through the event, my top 3 picks were:

Pork Loin Confit

1. Carillon Brewing Co.'s Pork Loin Confit (pictured) with Craft Beer Sauce served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes. The pork was moist and tender and brussels sprouts were roasted to perfection. The craft beer sauce complimented the dish perfectly. This is Carillon Brewing Co.'s first time participating in both Sneak Peek and Restaurant Week. It will be interesting to try this dish with one of their craft brews.

Beef Short Ribs

2. The Caroline's Hickory and Molasses Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes were amazing. The tender short ribs with sauce served over mashed potatoes were the definition of comfort food. During restaurant week this dish will be garnished with asparagus.

Duck Confit Salad

3. ele Cake Co and Wine Bistro's Duck Confit Salad (pictured) with Goat Cheese, Cherry Vinaigrette, and Crispy Fried Leeks was a change of pace for this gravy lovin' girl. The duck was lean and tender, the cherry vinaigrette hinted that spring is on the way, and I haven't had crispy leeks since Olive an Urban Dive closed.

Dayton Winter Restaurant Week runs January 20 - 27, 2019

For participating restaurants and menus, head over to our Guide to Winter Restaurant Week 2019.

Also read: Amy's Top 3 Tastes for Winter Restaurant Week.Unless someday I meet Peter Pan the time will come when I grow old(er), so while I wont remain forever young, I will never forget seeing Finding Neverland. All musicals, or almost every musical, is highly enjoyable, a few are absolutely exceptional and provides an everlasting memory of pleasure. Maybe, just maybe Mary Poppins flies down from Neverland, because this story about how J.M Barrie created the ideas in Peter Pan is practically perfect in every way. Finding Neverland is a flawless production that should not be missed.

The perfection starts with the cast, led by Jeff Sullivan as Barrie. Sullivan gives a masterful performance as the playwright desperate for a hit. If Sullivans singing voice could be transcribed into a book, it would be a story more magical than anything written by J.K Rowling. Sullivan makes certain to cross every t and dot every i as every aspect of his portrayal is deserving of an A+ grade.

The wheels of creativity, and perhaps romance too, starts to spin win Barrie meets Sylvia (Ruby Gibbs), a widow with four young boys. Its no wonder, as Gibbs radiates a charm bright enough to turn the arms on a sundial at night. Her motherly instincts are endearing and Gibbs voice is fittingly one that fairytales are made of. The parts of Sylvias four sons are rotated, on the night I attended, Peter was played by Ethan Stokes. Stokes, like each of the boys, possesses a talent level way beyond his years. From cute childlike antics, even at a fancy dinner party, to heart wrenching drama the boys expertly portray every emotion. Furthermore, for a rendition of Were All Made of Stars, the boys form a boys band that I would actually go see in concert. I would not say that of NSYNC or any others. Also, keep an eye out for Peters green suit. Its a nice touch.

A real standout performance is given by the main antagonist, Conor McGiffin as Charles Frohman, the producer. McGiffin has a stage presence that really hooks you. Id consider Frohman a bit of a crooked character, but McGiffin himself is straight-up talented. As if I didnt spell it out (literally) enough already, McGiffin also doubles as Captain Hook, in some dreamlike sequences. If the Pirates of the Caribbean ever becomes a musical, McGiffin is ready to be Captain Jack Sparrow.

With a sharp bite and slithery movements Mrs. du Maurier is dangerous, and Emmanuelle Zeesman makes a real splash in her portrayal of her. Though brief, Michael Luongos appearance as Lord Cannan is really hair raising and tops off the dinner party scene.

There are several little technical touches throughout Finding Neverland that the production crew deserves credit for. All the small touches plays a part in having such a perfect finished product. For instance, the lighting in the scene where Barrie and Sylvia sing What You Mean to Me, leaves no shadow of a doubt theres an attraction between the two. The lighting also brilliantly highlights the hook of Frohmans umbrella as hes being villainous. We are all also made to feel Barrie spinning out of control due to all the elements used during The World Is Upside Down.

Warning, and trust me, men this may go for you toobring along some Kleenex, or at least a masculine handkerchief. As all of a sudden theres an emotional blow that lands hard. The heart wrenching scene concludes with a moving song by Barrie and Peter, When Your Feet Dont Touch the Ground. Some tears may also flow, not just from sorrow, but also from the pure theatrical beauty of a closing scene. While witnessing it, and wondering how its done, I thought to myselfbest ending ever! (Also thinking, wheres my masculine handkerchief?) Im not over exaggerating its the definition of excellence. Would have been a perfect ending, but the standing ovation must wait, as theres still a little more greatness to come.

Honestly, Peter Pan has never been a favorite of mine so I wasnt overly enthused about this show. I should have been and am now. On the other hand, my wife had high expectations and they were exceeded. Its the best theatrical experience weve had in recent memory. We enjoy all the shows, but have already forgotten last yearsin January of 2060 I will still remember having seen Forever Neverland. Its that good.

Finding Neverland is at The Schuster through this Sunday, January 20.DARIEN  After dealing with a faulty heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for years, the police department is looking to finally address the pressing issue.

The Board of Finance on Tuesday approved transferring $25,000 from the towns capital contingency account to assist in fixing the police department buildings HVAC system.

The funds will be used to hire Sustainable Energy Solutions to investigate the problems. The planned work will occur in three phases: planning, investigating and reporting, according to Director of Public Works Ed Gentile, and take four months to complete.

Chief of Police Ray Osborne said things came to a head for the department last summer.

Water was dripping through ceilings. Condensation was dripping down on computers and dripping down on officers as they type reports, Osborne said.

In the middle of summer, it would be freezing in the communications area, he said, with dispatchers having to wear coats while working.

Its a very nice facility. The HVAC system is just not running right, Osborne said.

In addition, the department has faced mold issues. Board of Finance member James Mclaughlin said soon after the building opened, there were some initial problems and windows on the west side of the building had to be replaced.

Immediately in the first year these issues were apparent, Mclaughlin said.

He described the news as dissapointing and believed the situation needed to be immediately fixed, given the police department building was the smartest in town in terms of technology.

I think we got a potentially deteriorating situation in terms of the lifetime of that building, he said. We were planning for a lot longer, so we need to figure it out.

Gentile said the issues have been plaguing the police department for the last three years.

The part that is a concern to me is that its a brand new building, Gentile said. We spent quite a bit of time over there in the past years trying to rectify this.

Despite the attempts, Gentile said it has now come to a point where a specialist will need to inspect the building and come up with choices moving forward.

I dont see the Darien Police Department moving out of that building anytime soon, he said.

Gentile said they hope to rectify the situation before the problem grows into a more expensive problem.

This needs to be fixed or were going to be talking about this three years from now, Gentile said.

dj.simmons@hearstmediact

.com, 203-842-2568The ban would prohibit the sale of chips or other "made in the USA" electronic components to Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese telecommunications companies. "Huawei is the information gathering arm for the Chinese Communist Party". Ren Zhengfei: We would never do any harm to other nations. Huawei is also accused of stealing trade secrets.

Washington (AsiaNews) - A group of US lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, has proposed a law that would prohibit the sale of chips or other "made in the USA" electronic components to Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese telecommunications companies. The reason is that they violate the sanctions imposed by the United States or US export laws.

ZTE and Huawei have long been accused of violating the US embargo against Iran. Last year, ZTE agreed to pay a fine of 1 billion dollars to the United States for violating this embargo. The second is also suspected of working closely with the Chinese secret services.

Tom Cotton, a Republican senator among the drafters of the proposed law, states that "Huawei is indeed the intelligence gathering arm for the Chinese Communist Party, whose chief founder was an engineer working for the People's Liberation Army (PLA)".

Targeted by all these criticisms, days ago Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei (see photo) held a press conference at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen, where he denied that his company was used by the Chinese government for espionage. He said that while supporting the Chinese Communist Party, "it would never do any harm to other nations". " Huawei will certainly say no to any request from Chinas government to access data or create back doors to the networks, he said, adding that we would rather shut Huawei down than do anything that would damage the interests of our customers to seek our own gains.

The tug of war between the US government and Huawei is a further chapter of the tariff war with China. Analysts suspect that the US wants to curb the development of the largest telecommunications company in the world. The fact remains that Huawei has violated the embargo on Iran. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Seattle federal authorities are investigating the theft of trade secrets by Huawei against the T-Mobile US.

At the request of the United States, on December 1, Canada arrested Ren Zhengfei's daughter, Meng Wanzhou, on charges of violating the US embargo on Iran. At present Meng is on bail in Canada, in her million dollar apartment in Vancouver. If she were extradited to the US, she risks 30 years in prison.Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. This is the harsh message, the warning as Pope Francis calls it, that the author of the Letter to the Hebrews addresses to the Christian community in todays liturgy. The Pope warns that the Christian community, in all its components - priests, nuns, bishops - runs this danger of slipping towards a perverse heart. But what does this warning mean to us? The Pope focuses on three words, again taken from the First Reading, which can help us to understand: hardness, obstinacy, and seduction.

A hard heart is a closed heart, that does not want to grow, that defends itself, that is closed in on itself. In life this can happen because of many factors; as, for example, a great sorrow, because, as the Pope explains, blows harden the skin. It happened, he said, to the disciples of Emmaus, as well as to St Thomas the Apostle. And whoever remains in this bad attitude is fainthearted; and a cowardly heart is perverse: We can ask ourselves: Do I have a hard heart, do I have a closed heart? Do I let my heart grow? Am I afraid that it will grow? And we always grow with trials, with difficulties, we grow as we all grow as children: we learn to walk [by] falling. From crawling to walking, how many times we have fallen! But we grow through difficulties. Hardness. And, what amounts to the same thing, being closed. But who remains in this? Who are they, father? They are the fainthearted. Faintheartedness is an ugly attitude in a Christian, he lacks the courage to live. He is closed off.

The second word is obstinacy: In the Letter to the Hebrews we read, Exhort each other every day, as long as this today lasts, so that none of you may be obstinate; and this is the accusation that Stephen makes to those who will stone him afterwards. Obstinacy is spiritual stubbornness: an obstinate heart  explains Pope Francis - is rebellious, is stubborn, is closed in by its own thought, is not open to the Holy Spirit. This is the profile of ideologues, and of the proud and the arrogant:

Ideology is a [kind of] obstinacy. The Word of God, the grace of the Holy Spirit is not ideology: it is life that makes you grow, always, [that makes you] go forward, and also opens your heart to the signs of the Spirit, to the signs of the times. But obstinacy is also pride, it is arrogance. Stubbornness, that stubbornness that does so much harm: closed-hearted, hard  the first word  those are the fainthearted; the stubborn, the obstinate, as the text says the ideologues are. But do I have a stubborn heart? Each one should consider this. Am I able to listen to other people? And if I think differently, do I say, But I think this... Am I capable of dialogue? The obstinate dont dialogue, they dont know how, because they always defend themselves with ideas, they are ideologues. And how much harm do ideologues do to the people of God, how much harm! Because they close the way to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, in order to help us understand how not to slip into the risk of having a perverse heart, the Pope reflects on the word seduction: the seduction of sin, used by the devil, the great seducer, a great theologian but without faith, with hatred, who wants to enter and dominate the heart and knows how to do it. So, concludes the Pope, a perverse heart is one that lets itself be seduced; and seduction leads him to obstinacy, to closure, and to many other things: And with seduction, either you convert and change your life or you try to compromise: but a little here and a little there, a little here and a little there. Yes, yes, I follow the Lord, but I like this seduction, but just a little... And youre starting to lead a double Christian life. To use the word of the great Elijah to the people of Israel at that moment: You limp from both legs. To limp from both legs, without having one set firmly. It is the life of compromise: Yes, I am a Christian, I follow the Lord, yes, but I let this in.... And this is what the lukewarm are like, those who always compromise: Christians of compromise. We, too, often do this: compromise. Even when the Lord lets us know the path, even with the commandments, also with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but I prefer something else, and I try to find a way to go down two tracks, limping on both legs. The Pope concludes, may the Holy Spirit, therefore, enlighten us so that no one may have a perverse heart: a hard heart, which will lead you to faintheartedness; a stubborn heart that will lead you to rebellion, that will lead you to ideology; a heart that is seduced, a slave to seduction.Metro Manina (CNN Philippines, January 17)  Internet sensation Bretman Rock and beauty blogger Manuel Gutierrez, more popularly known as Manny MUA, on Thursday called out a university in Leyte for using their photos as examples of "improper grooming for men."

A poster bearing the logo of Leyte Normal University (LNU) made rounds online after some netizens noticed Rock and Gutierrez's images on it. The poster shows the school's dress code for students, with having beard, as well as wearing earrings, makeup, and feminine clothes marked as "improper grooming for men." A portrait of Gutierrez glammed up in full makeup and a cropped image of Rock in a girlish outfit were included in the poster.

The two took to Twitter to react on the poster.

"I've been tagged in this so much today... yes that's me... yes they're using me as an example of what NOT to do at school... a school having a problem with a man wearing makeup? Shockinggggg," Manny tweeted, with emojis of a face with rolling eyes and a facepalming man.

Filipino-American Rock, meanwhile, questioned how looking effeminate affects a student's study.

"First of all, my outfit is so cute... and second of all how will wearing that affect a [student's] learning, and why that picture I have cuter [look] lol," Rock said.

LNU apologizes

In a statement posted by the school's student council on Facebook, LNU's Office of Students Affairs (OSA) apologized to Rock and Gutierrez, as well as to others whose images appeared in the poster.

"It is with deepest regret that in the University's effort to [instill] discipline among our students, according to our culture, the Office of Students Affairs of this University was able to publish a poster regarding dress code of our students which inadvertently was able to include [images] of yours (Rock and Gutierrez's) and others," Jacqueline Espina, head of LNU OSA, said.

While LNU is "saddened that this has to happen," Espina said the inclusion of the two in the poster "was done without malicious intention of maligning" them.

She said the school's head had issued a memorandum asking its students, faculty, and employees to stop sharing the poster, adding that the post had already been taken down.

Espina said LNU had "emailed" its apology to Rock and Gutierrez.The increase over the previous year is 54% and is "destined to rise" on the back of Qatars isolation by Arab world over dispute with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Among the goods traded Turkish food and construction materials for Qatar and natural gas and aluminum for Turkey.

Doha (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Bilateral trade between Qatar and Turkey grew in 2018 and, according to forecasts, could reach a record figure of 2 billion dollars with a 54% increase on the previous year. The data shows once more how Ankara has now become a strategic partner for Doha, marginalized by the other Gulf States and the Arab world following the controversy - which broke out in 2017 and still unresolved - with Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the Turkish trade fair that began yesterday in Doha, Ankara's deputy finance minister Osman Dincbas said that Qatar is one of the most important societies with the best growth prospects. The figure of about two billion dollars in bilateral trade reached in 2018 is "destined to grow".

Last year Qatar promised a package of economic projects, investments and deposits for Turkey worth $ 15 billion. It includes a currency exchange for three billion, with the purpose of consolidating the Turkish lira which is going through a serious period of crisis. Dincbas said that "part of the 15 billion" has already arrived, without specifying the figure.

The only official data regards the first 10 months of last year, with a total trade of 1.7 billion dollars; a figure in net growth, considering that the volume of business in the same period of 2017 stopped at 1.4 billion. Among the goods being traded are Turkish food and construction materials for Qatar and natural gas and aluminum for Turkey.

Abu Issa Holdings, one of the leading food retailers in Qatar, recorded a 25% growth in mushroom brands of Turkish origin. The fair in progress in these days is also an opportunity to present Turkish pasta and honey brands, among the best sellers since the introduction of the embargo having replaced the Saudi and Emirati products. "We will continue to trade with Turkey," says Abu Issa, who adds that Ankara is "not a replacement. This should have happened a long time ago  we discovered some amazing products and the quality is superior to what we would get from there".

According to some analysts and experts, close Qatari-Iranian relations are the cause of the clash between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In fact, Qatar and Iran recently reiterated their mutual economic and diplomatic support. Others blame the rivalry between Doha and Abu Dhabi among Sunnis for the crisis.The Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking present guidelines to fight this atrocious scourge" and get to the roots of the problem, i.e. economic exploitation. This means stressing the legal and moral responsibility of buyers as well as convincing states and institutions to help and defend the victims.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  The Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development released today two documents on the issue of human trafficking (HT) and the care of its victims: Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking and Lights on the Path of Hope  Teachings of Pope Francis on migrants, refugees and trafficking.

Fighting the "atrocious scourge" of human trafficking, i.e. modern slavery, requires international collaboration and mobilisation to go to the roots of the phenomenon, namely economic exploitation. This means highlighting the responsibilities of those who "buy" the "product", convincing states and institutions to help and defend victims, and promoting awareness and training of those who address the problem.

The Orientations are meant as support for those involved, starting naturally with the Church, said Pope Francis. The Church wants to protect them [the victims] from deception and solicitation; she wants to find them and free them when they are transported and reduced to slavery; she wants to assist them once they are freed.

In light of this, All Catholics should proactively engage in making societies more just, respectful and inclusive, eliminating all forms of exploitation, especially those that are most ruthless.

Behind trafficking is a desire to exploit others, the document notes. The exploitation of others has perversely but quietly been accepted as a means to achieve ones own pleasure and gain, thanks to criminal and sinful behaviour.

Increasingly competitive markets compel firms to cut labour costs and access raw materials at the lowest possible price. Frequently, workers have no choice but to sign contracts with exploitative conditions.

Publicly, much attention is paid to traffickers who provide the supply side of HT [. . .]. Considering the different areas in which the victims of HT work or operate (agriculture, domestic work, prostitution and so on), the consumers constitute a huge mass who seem largely unaware of the exploitation of persons who are trafficked, yet enjoy the benefits and services they provide.

Since economics is the basis of human trafficking, society itself will have to change and everybody will need to simplify their needs, control their habits, rein in their appetites.

Indeed, The economic, social and cultural phenomena that are shaping modern societies need to be subjected to profound ethical assessment. It is vital to safeguard the dignity of the human person, in particular by offering everyone real opportunities for integral human development and by implementing economic policies that favour the family. Pope Benedict XVI taught that the Churchs social doctrine can make a specific contribution.

To reduce the demand that drives HT, accountability, prosecution and punishment are needed along the entire chain of exploitation, from the recruiters and traffickers to the consumers. [. . .] States should [thus] consider criminalizing those who take advantage of prostitution or of other uses of sexual exploitation provided by those who have been trafficked. This should include all sexual services, including cybersex.

Sadly, people who are trafficked are often manipulated and trapped in psychological schemes that do not enable them to escape, to ask for help or even to have a clear understanding of having been  or worse, of actually still being  victims of criminal activity.

At the same time, many of those potentially on the front line, such as law enforcement officers, public prosecutors, judicial authorities and social and health professionals must be sufficiently trained to identify and deal with victims of HT with all the competence, discretion and sensitivity they require.

The document then notes that although people and migrations are distinct realities, "increasingly restrictive migration policies" mean that those who favour irregular migration end up helping human trafficking, taking advantage of people's weaknesses.

In any case, The most radical form of prevention ought to be upholding the right to remain in ones country and place of origin and ensuring that people have access there to basic goods whilst more accessible legal pathways for safe and orderly migration are provided.

Finally, the document turns to victims rehabilitation. The latter should be assured a safe return, proper assistance in their place of origin and effective protection against being trafficked again or subjected to retaliation or harassment by the traffickers. Supportive services should be available to survivors and their families. Job-training and ready access to employment are very important.

Without full reintegration, the terrible trajectory of HT will not be dismantled, nor will stigma and suffering be left behind, nor the HT survivor made whole or offered a chance to live a life worthy of his or her human rights and dignity. (FP)

For the full document, click here.A referendum is scheduled over the new few weeks in Mindanao to ratify a new autonomy law. The Mindanao Catholic Church Leaders for Peace (MCCLP) believe it will remedy historic injustices suffered by the Muslim community. For PIME missionary, Fear and promises tend to influence the various positions.

Zamboanga (AsiaNews)  On 21 January and 6 February, voters will decide the fate of a new law, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, designed to set up an autonomous territory, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Named after the Moro people, it will be home to at least four million people, mostly Muslims.

For the Mindanao Catholic Church Leaders for Peace (MCCLP), a group of Catholic prelates, the law, which comes after a string of unsuccessful attempts, could be "the last concrete chance for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

The law is based on the 2014 peace agreement, signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the countrys largest Muslim rebel group. The deal brought to an end almost 50 years of conflict that left 120,000 people dead and two million people displaced.

In todays statement, the MCCLP notes that the new dispensation will address three "historical injustices" against the Muslim community: loss of ancestral territory, threats to their cultural identity, and loss of political governance.

For the group, the law "is more than just another piece of legislation; it is more significantly a peace agreement that involves the future development of Mindanao and the rest of the country."

What is more, On our part, as Catholic religious leaders, we need to focus on the horizontal peace process on the ground, which means engaging in the dialogue of life, action and spirituality among ordinary Christians and Muslims.

"We also need to commit [ourselves] to intra-faith and inter-faith dialogue towards mutual respect and understanding so as to reduce or eliminate biases and prejudices. Religion should be viewed as a bridge towards reconciliation, not a wall that divides.

Reacting to such statements, "Muslims have welcomed Catholic support for the law, seen as a sign of solidarity towards their autonomist aspirations," said Fr Sebastiano D'Ambra, speaking to AsiaNews.

The clergyman is a missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), and has been in Mindanao for over 40 years. He is also the founder of Silsilah, a movement for Islamic-Christian dialogue and is currently the executive secretary of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

"The MCCLP back the BOL, but at the same time, it wants to underscore and defend Christian rights. Many Christians came to Mindanao from the north of the country, taking land that is now under dispute with Muslims. The law clearly states that we must respect all cultural groups and even the leaders of the MILF have promised to defend the religious freedom of Christians."

Despite the prospect for autonomy, Muslims continue to be divided over the autonomy law. According to the PIME missionary, "In certain places, there is hostility, and local officials have urged Muslims to oppose it.

"Fear and promises tend to influence the various positions, he explained. Tensions are running high but for now everything is under control. The government has extended martial law and soldiers have been deployed in great numbers."

"People, Christians and Muslims, are starting to believe that the BOL is the solution to the conflicts that have affected Mindanao for years, said Sarah L Handang, a Muslim educator and activist for interreligious dialogue in Zamboanga.

"The only thing we have is hope. Perhaps our dream of peace will come true. It is important that people understand the opportunity that this law represents for the region."A Farmington Hills woman, originally from Taiwan, says an employee mocked her accent when she ordered at the drive-through of this McDonald's in Farmington. The owner of the restaurant says the employee was fired.The epidemic spreads due to the hygienic conditions in which the animals are kept. The virus is not harmful to humans, but it is deadly to pigs. The Chinese are the worlds largest pork consumers. At present the country is forced to import pork from abroad. Fears also in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Caixin) - Nearly one million pigs have been killed to stop swine fever spreading in China. The Ministry of Agriculture reported two days ago that "until January 14, 2019 there were cases of epidemics in pigs and wild boar in 24 provinces, and 916 thousand pigs were eliminated". The declaration does not say how many animals have died from the disease.

African swine fever is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It is communicated through urine, feces and blood (only in the first 30 days of infection).

Cases of African swine fever broke out last August in Shenyang, Liaoning Province; later the disease spread to many parts of China. The virus is not harmful to humans, but it is deadly to pigs. Since there is no vaccine to eradicate it, the only way to control epidemics is to eliminate the animals that have been exposed to the virus.

The government has imposed very strict measures to contain the spread of the virus, but accuses "illegal elements" that continue to transport and raise pigs in an unhygienic conditions and do not report cases of the virus to the authorities.

The Chinese are the largest pork consumers in the world and even the largest breeders. The spread of the epidemic is making it difficult to procure pork in the markets. Moreover, given approaching the Chinese New Year - February 5 - which this year falls just under the sign of the Pig, the country is being forced to import pork from abroad.

The epidemic also caused a reduction in the import of soybeans, one of the major ingredients for feeding pigs.

Hong Kong and Macao, which import pork meat from China, are on high alert after the virus was discovered in Zhuhai, 37 km from Hong Kong. Taiwan imposed a temporary ban on the import of pig products from Kinmen, a small island near China, after a dead pig who had the virus was found on the shores of the island.As the shutdown drags on, what do we learn about President Trump? Simply this: The thought of his presidency being imperiled by giving up on the wall  emphasis on his presidency, as if he owns it  is sufficient justification for his taking 800,000 or so hostages (or at least their livelihoods) until he gets his way.

Some argue that its only $5 billion (a tiny percentage of the annual federal budget) for a wall of indeterminate location, size, length, and composition. Somewhere, someway, sometime, there will be something more difficult for someone to traverse (thus eliminating a yet-to-be noticed crisis)  so what could it hurt? It could hurt by teaching the wrong lesson.

The right lesson is that Trump shouldnt take even one hostage. His narcissism precludes him from seeing federal employees as real people with real needs. (Hes pretty sure of the evil deep state, though.) Otherwise, why would he intentionally cause them harm by withholding their pay or precluding them from earning a living?

He sees the world as a zero-sum game. The only way to get something is for the other guy to lose something. For example, any benefit the U.S. may receive from a slightly modified NAFTA is somehow a loss to Mexico that magically turns into revenue for the wall.In response to a Daily Progress letter to the editor on Jan. 10 (Military force legislation outdated) raising concern that legislation on the presidents authority to use military force is outdated, I agree and wanted to share some information on what Ive been working on.

For years, Ive been raising concerns over presidents efforts to expand the use of military force without approval from Congress. The post-9/11 authorizations that Congress passed in 2001 and 2002 to serve as a legal basis for military action in Iraq and Afghanistan have been stretched by multiple administrations, Republican and Democratic, to justify wars well beyond what Congress intended.

Ive introduced updated authorizations for the use of military force to take away the blank check that multiple presidents have used to fight wars across the globe by repealing both the 2001 and 2002 authorizations and reasserting Congress role in authorizing military action.

Over the past year, I finally started to see Congress make some progress on this issue. In December, my Senate colleagues joined me in sending the Trump administration a message that they have gone too far with stretching war powers in Yemen without congressional authorization.Call it irony or call it justice, Donald Trumps signature last month on a bill naming the Barracks Road post office for Army Capt. Humayun Khan carries with it a sense of satisfaction.

The University of Virginia alum was killed in the Iraq War, where he was credited with sacrificing himself to save more than 100 other soldiers after a vehicle filled with explosives drove into the gate of his compound.

Capt. Khans story became national news in 2016 when his father, local resident Khizr Khan, criticized then-candidate Trump for his campaign rhetoric against Muslim immigrants. Mr. Trumps somewhat patronizing reaction to the criticism further provoked critics.

The following year, then-Rep. Tom Garrett proposed to Congress that the post office be renamed.

There can be no balancing of scales for the death of Capt. Khan; that loss is too great. But the fact that President Trump signed a bill honoring a Muslim hero affords at least a limited sense redress.LONDON  The poet Rupert Brooke voiced the exhilaration of those Britons who welcomed the war in 1914 as a chance to escape monotonous normality, "as swimmers into cleanness leaping." They got four years mired in Flanders' mud.

In a 2016 referendum, Britons voted, 52 percent to 48 percent, for the exhilaration of emancipation from the European Union's gray bureaucratic conformities. They thereby leapt into a quagmire of negotiations with an EU determined to make separation sufficiently painful to discourage other nations from considering it.

On Jan. 15, Parliament emphatically rejected the terms of separation that Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the EU. So, there is no majority, in Parliament or the country, for anything other than, perhaps, a second referendum, which might be impossible to organize before the March 29 deadline for leaving the EU  although the EU might extend the deadline, hoping for a British reversal.

Another democracy recently rethought something momentous. On Sept. 29, 2008, with the U.S. financial system nearing collapse, the House of Representatives voted 228 to 205 against the George W. Bush administration's bailout plan. The Dow promptly plunged 7 percent (777 points off 11,143) and four days later the House reversed itself, 263 to 171.Development of the 13-acre site will be in three phases with phase one scheduled to begin soon with phase two estimated to be completed in mid-2022.As lawmakers converged in Richmond for the start of the 2019 session, they made a show of bipartisan effort to finally fix Interstate 81.

But with legislators along the interstate corridor divided over tolls and taxes  the primary funding recommendations  theyre uncertain about whether they will leave Richmond on Feb. 23 with a solution to a widespread complaint among western Virginians.

Here is the issue, said House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah. Everybody agrees there is a problem, and nobody sees the solution in the same way.

Lee County School Board sues state after its firearms proposal is rejected

The Lee County School Board sued the state Tuesday after it denied a school employee designation that would allow him to carry firearms on school property.

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services denied Division Superintendent Brian Austins application to be a special conservator of the peace.

The denial came in September following Virginia Attorney General Mark Herrings Aug. 28 opinion that authorizing special conservators of the peace to carry guns in public schools would violate the law.But the project is highly popular with Virginia officials and many legislators, who say the jobs created by the project  paying an average of $150,000 a year under the deal  will boost gross state tax revenues by $3.2 billion over 20 years and diversify an economy that has grown too dependent on federal spending.

Amazon has been, throughout this process, a wonderful partner, and we have strived at every step along the way of this collaborative effort to be good stewards of the commonwealths resources, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball told the committee.

The Major Headquarters Workforce Grant Fund, proposed by Ruff in the Senate and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, is important to the company, Ball said, but far more important to them are the investments they want to see us make in higher education.

Ruff and Del. Nick Rush, R-Montgomery, have introduced companion legislation. It would establish another fund for more than $1 billion in state investments over the next 20 years in colleges and universities that accelerate production of bachelors and masters degrees in computer science and related fields. That would develop the talent that Amazon and other technology companies say they need to grow.An area plastic film manufacturer thats been a major local employer for 40 years will invest $25 million to expand its facility in Gordonsville, according to a news release Wednesday from Gov. Ralph Northam.

Klockner Pentaplast, located in Louisa County, will grow its global production capacity for pharmaceutical and medical device packaging films through the investment expected to create 34 new jobs.

Klockner Pentaplast is a valued major employer with more than 700 employees and a long history of reinvesting in Louisa County, Northam said in a statement. For over four decades, Klockner Pentaplast has demonstrated a commitment to creating new jobs and opportunities for Virginians, and this significant investment further solidifies the companys longevity in the Commonwealth.

The states Virginia Investment Performance program will provide a $300,000 grant for the expansion and the company will also be eligible for sales and use tax exemptions on its manufacturing equipment.

Klockner Pentaplast spokeswoman Trang Trilley said the company is very excited to build on its Gordonsville location and within the community.First you start tearing down statues, and then you start burning books, Puryear said.

Moore expressed some disagreement with the defenses argument, quoting a speech Abraham Lincoln gave at an 1858 debate where the former-president said he never intended to create social and political equality between black and white Americans.

The quote could be interpreted to show Lincoln was bigoted, Moore said, even though it was also a prevailing view of the time.

Moore did not rule on the Equal Protection clause defense Wednesday. He also has not yet ruled on whether a jury can be used to determine if the statues constitute war monuments and if the votes were grossly negligent.

In the three days of hearings, only one of the motions appears to have been ruled on: the defenses motion that Moore reconsider his previous ruling on legislative immunity.

On Monday, Moore indicated he would likely stick with his June ruling that councilors could be held individually liable for their votes.For Mgr Georges Abou Khazen, the jihadist threat is still present but only the Syrian military should fight it. Jihadism is an ideology that must be eradicated. IS suicide bomber kills 21 people in Mandij. Refugees continue to leave eastern Syria. Erdogans attempt to create a buffer zone will likely trigger a new escalation.

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  Yesterdays attack in Manbij and the thousands of refugees fleeing from the east show that, despite Trumps proclamation, the Islamic State (IS) group "has not yet been defeated" in Syria, this according to Mgr Georges Abou Khazen, apostolic vicar of Aleppo of the Latins who spoke to AsiaNews.

"The presence of the jihadist group" is a "pretext to influence the country. IS and its leaders can [still] move around and those who claim to fight it [United States and Turkey] are actually preventing the Syrian government, the only one entitled to do so, from eradicating the threat".

"In Idlib and in the Mesopotamia region, where the Americans and the Kurds are deployed, these terrorist groups are increasing their attacks, the prelate said. The Islamic State is not just a group of fighters but has an ideology that must be fought and taken out at its roots, because it is and will always be a real threat to a future of peace in the country."

In this context, "the situation for civilians is complicated" because the latest attacks come on top of the ongoing war. In the last 24 hours, more than 2,000 people, including several IS fighters left the groups last Syrian stronghold in the eastern desert.

The US-backed Arab-Kurdish coalition is poised to launch its final assault east of the Euphrates. According to UN sources, at least 25,00 people have fled in the last six months and evacuation operations have markedly increased in the past week. Only the village of Sousa, now waiting for a final push by the Kurds, remains under the control of the "Caliphate".

Meanwhile, US air raids are intensifying, following yesterday's attack in Manbij, in the north-west of the country, claimed by the Islamic State, which saw at least four US soldiers killed (out of a death toll of 21).

A suicide bomber targeted the Qasr al-Umara (Fortress of the Emirs) restaurant in central Manbij, which is located north-east of Aleppo near the Euphrates River. Some analysts believe the attack was a response to President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw US troops after purportedly defeating the Islamic State.

A small US force is deployed in Manbij. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) took the city from IS in the summer of 2016, more than two years after the jihadists had seized it.

Turkey, another stakeholder in what happens in the area, told Kurds to withdraw east of the Euphrates to let its forces take over the area. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the whole of northern Syria must return to the control of the central government.

"Erdogan wants to create a buffer zone (of about 32 km) to control the territory and attack the Kurds, said Mgr Georges Abou Khazen. This complicates the situation." Political and economic factors underpin the struggle.

"The Turkish president wants to hit the Kurds and get his hands on a strategically important territory that is rich in oil and natural resources." Such a "buffer zone" would also affect Aleppo and its region with tragic prospects.

For the prelate, "More interference is likely to follow. But only the Syrian government is entitled to control the territory and fight the jihadists". Such power games "end up complicating the situation".

What is worse, "People who until recently had glimpsed at prospects for peace and stability now seem to lose hope, fearing a new escalation of violence that would block the slow return to normal life, development and reconstruction".Customers of Browns Dry Cleaners, the long-lived local business that suddenly shuttered four stores on Christmas Eve, have two more days to claim their clothes before the doors permanently close.

The stores have been open limited hours for two weeks to allow customers to retrieve dry cleaning that was locked inside when the company closed. But clothes still at the stores after Fridays final closing will be donated to charity if not picked up within 60 days, company officials said.

Clothes left after Friday will need to be picked up by appointment.

Weve called everyone we could who left clothes with us to remind them and let them know when we were open and to come get their laundry, but customers have only claimed about 50 percent of the cleaning they left with us and Fridays our last day we will be open, said owner Cary Jackson, whose grandfather started the business more than 70 years ago.

Its important to let people know that any clothes left with us 60 days after we close will be donated, Jackson said.

Browns customers may pick up their laundry today and tomorrow at either the High Street location or the Preston Avenue location.Landscape definitely makes it into the writing, he said. I tend to go to Southern Colorado  my little escape. I finished a lot of songs down there. If I have unfinished songs, or a problem Im working on in my life, I go down there and think about it for a little while. I think a lot of the landscape made it into the writing  more so than it usually does.

That doesnt mean theres a direct correlation between a spot on the map and its reference in a song, especially as the writing process can bring unexpected results.

Theres us, who are like, I want to write a song about this, and then theres the song that wants to do what it wants to do. Youre starting out with a seed of something, and you hold on and see where it wants to go. Usually in my songs, a certain place could mean so many places, and a character could represent so many people in my life.

Isakov certainly would have plenty to draw on for those seeds  not only externally, but from recent personal experiences, particularly his recent struggles with anxiety, which included trips to the hospital when he felt like his throat was closing up.Reservations are encouraged  and, at some restaurants, required  so contact the restaurant you want to attend directly. Remember that taxes, tips and drinks are not included in the promo price.

Greene County Librarys How-To Tuesdays series will teach sourdough bread fans ages 12 and older how to enjoy baking their own at home. The free class begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Instructor Margaret Myers will teach the fundamentals of maintaining sourdough and using it to create a simple, traditional bread. A bread tasting is included.

And plan ahead for the next meeting of the librarys Cookbook Club, which is set for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29. The club is focusing this season on cuisines of countries of the 38th parallel. Members will discuss Ikaria by Diane Kochilas and share dishes theyve prepared from recipes in the book in a club potluck. Registration is required, and participants must be 12 or older.

For information, dial (434) 296-5544 or go to jmrl.org/greene.

First Colony Winery will present its annual Its Chili in January event to benefit the Henrico Firefighter Foundation from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The Henrico Firefighter Foundation is a cause dear to staff members hearts, as tasting room attendant Michele Grepp serves on the force.Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. manufactures and sells cellulose specialty products in the United States, China, Canada, Japan, Europe, Latin America, other Asian countries, and internationally. The company operates through High Purity Cellulose, Forest Products, Paperboard, and Pulp & Newsprint segments. Its products include cellulose specialties, which are natural polymers that are used as raw materials to manufacture a range of consumer-oriented products, such as cigarette filters, liquid crystal displays, impact-resistant plastics, thickeners for food products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, high-tenacity rayon yarn for tires and industrial hoses, food casings, paints, and lacquers. The company also offers commodity products, such as commodity viscose used in woven applications, including rayon textiles for clothing and other fabrics, as well as in non-woven applications comprising baby wipes, cosmetic and personal wipes, industrial wipes, and mattress ticking; and absorbent materials consisting of fluff fibers that are used as an absorbent medium in disposable baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, incontinence pads, convalescent bed pads, industrial towels and wipes, and non-woven fabrics. In addition, it provides finished dimensional lumber for use in the construction of residential and multi-family homes, light industrial, and commercial facilities, as well as in the home repair and remodel markets. Further, the company offers paperboards for packaging, printing documents, brochures, promotional materials, paperback books or catalog covers, file folders, tags, and tickets; high-yield pulps to produce paperboard and packaging products, printing and writing papers, and various other paper products; and newsprint, a paper grade used to print newspapers, advertising materials, and other publications. Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Read MoreThe motion was tabled by opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who wants to force a general election.

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks in the House of Commons in London after losing a vote on her Brexit plan on Tuesday. (Photo: AP)

London: Prime Minister Theresa May was expected to win a confidence vote on Wednesday despite a crushing defeat over her Brexit deal that triggered warnings of a chaotic no-deal divorce.

MPs on Tuesday rejected Mays deal on leaving the European Union, leaving the Brexit process in limbo with just 73 days to go before the official departure date.

May suffered the biggest government defeat in modern British history when the House of Commons rejected by 432 votes to 202 the deal she struck with Brussels last year after 18 months of negotiation.

The EU immediately warned that the vote raises the risk of a hugely disruptive no deal Brexit where Britain could sever ties with its biggest trading partner overnight.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker urged London to clarify its intentions as soon as possible, while EU negotiator Michel Barnier said he regretted profoundly the vote.

German Chancellor Merkel offered May some hope, saying we still have time to negotiate but were now waiting on what the prime minister proposes.Ireland, the only EU member state with a land border with Britain, said it would now intensify preparations for a disorderly Brexit, with foreign minister Simon Coveney calling on colleagues to hold their nerve.

May struck a conciliatory tone after the vote, promising cross-party talks to try and salvage a workable Brexit deal before returning with a new plan next on Monday.

The prime ministers own backbenchers rebelled in huge numbers over the divorce deal, but the ringleaders said they would still back her in the confidence vote scheduled for around 1900 GMT.

We are going to vote with the government... of course the Conservatives are going to support the Conservative government, leading Brexiteer Steve Baker told the BBC.

The motion was tabled by opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who wants to force a general election.

Mays parliamentary allies in Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party have led charge against her Brexit deal, but do not want a Labour government.

Ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum, most lawmakers  including May  opposed Brexit, which has caused bitter divisions across the nation.

Nearly three years later, they are still to form a majority consensus around any plan, with MPs criticising Mays deal both for keeping Britain too closely tied to EU, and for not keeping it closer.

Former foreign minister and leading Brexit supporter Boris Johnson said Tuesdays vote gave May a massive mandate to renegotiate her deal with the EU. DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose small party props up Mays government in the Commons, also called for fundamental change to the Brexit deal.Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates mountain resorts and urban ski areas in the United States. Its Mountain segment operates Vail Mountain, Breckenridge Ski, Keystone, Beaver Creek, and Crested Butte Mountain resorts in Colorado; Heavenly Mountain, Northstar, and Kirkwood Mountain resorts in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire; Park City resort in Utah; Stowe and Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont; and Stevens Pass Mountain Resort in Washington. This segment also operates Whistler Blackcomb in Canada; and Perisher Ski Resort, and Falls Creek and Hotham Alpine Resort in Australia, as well as 3 urban ski areas, such as Afton Alps in Minnesota, Mount Brighton in Michigan, and Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. Its resorts offer various winter and summer recreational activities, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowtubing, sightseeing, mountain biking, guided hiking, zip lines, challenge ropes courses, alpine slides and mountain coasters, children's activities, and other recreational activities; and ski and snowboard lessons, equipment rental and retail merchandise services, dining venues, private club operations, and other winter and summer recreational activities. This segment also leases its owned and leased commercial space to third party operators; and provides real estate brokerage services. The company's Lodging segment owns and/or manages various luxury hotels and condominiums under the RockResorts brand, and other lodging properties; various condominiums located in proximity to the company's mountain resorts; destination resorts; and golf courses, as well as offers resort ground transportation services. This segment operates approximately 5,500 owned and managed hotel and condominium units. Its Real Estate segment owns, develops, and sells real estate properties in and around the company's resort communities. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Broomfield, Colorado.

Read MoreRajendra Bothra was charged along with five other physicians.

Rajendra Bothra is accused of cheating Medicare and subjecting patients to needless, painful injections. (Photo:AP)

Houston/New Delhi: An Indian-American doctor charged in one of US' biggest healthcare fraud cases-- involving a conspiracy worth a whopping $464 million-- was freed on a record $7 million bond.

Rajendra Bothra, a Padmashri-awardee, was charged along with five other physicians in the alleged fraud, which, the US government, said fueled the opioid epidemic.

US District Judge Stephen Murphy granted the bond for him despite the government's concern that the doctor has hidden money that could bankroll an escape to India.

Bothra, of Bloomfield Hills, who will be released on home confinement and tracked by a GPS tether, must identify all assets under penalty of perjury, Detroit news reported.

Being the lead defendant in one of the largest healthcare fraud cases in the US history, he must liquidate a $8.5 million retirement account to cover the bond, a process that could take three days, it reported.

His wife and daughter, who attended the hearing on Tuesday, will surrender their passports against concerns that the family might flee while Bothra awaits trial in July.

Bothra has investments and many siblings in India.

He is one of the most high-profile Indian-American Republican Party activists and fundraisers. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he hosted major fundraisers for former president George HW Bush and other senior Republican lawmakers.

Apart from his professional achievements in the field of medicine in the United States, Bothra has been active in working for the poor and sick in India.

For about eight weeks each year, Bothra leaves his general surgery practice in Warren and travels to India at his own expenses to work with Indian organizations to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and drug, tobacco and alcohol addiction.

He holds regular lecture tours in India to educate professionals and lay audiences on health issues. Bothra has worked with the Nargis Dutt Foundation to produce two documentaries, one on AIDS and another on tobacco abuse.

The Indian government also praised him for being instrumental in gifting sophisticated American medical equipment to hospitals in India and assisting in the rebuilding of hospitals of Maharashtra's Latur after a severe earthquake.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have been unable to pinpoint Bothra's net worth, which could be as high as $35 million.

Assistant US Attorney Brandy McMillion noted that Bothra owns a real-estate company that owns 22 properties across Metro Detroit, including $2.8 million worth of condominiums and commercial buildings in downtown Royal Oak.

Prosecutors are trying to identify whether the properties were purchased with proceeds from the alleged criminal activity.

US Attorney Matthew Schneider attended the brief court hearing on Tuesday and said his team of prosecutors will meet and decide whether to appeal the bond.

Bothra, jailed since last month when he was charged alongside five others, is accused of fueling the nation's opioid epidemic, cheating Medicare and subjecting patients to needless, painful back injections.The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MoreParkland Corporation operates as a marketer, distributor, and refiner of fuel and petroleum products in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canada, International, USA, Supply, and Corporate segments. The Canada segment supplies and supports a coast-to-coast network of 1,860 retail gas stations under the Ultramar, Esso, Fas Gas Plus, Chevron, Pioneer, and Race Trac as well as operates convenience stores under the On the Run/MarchA Express brand. Additionally it offers bulk fuel, bulk and cylinder exchange propane, heating oil, lubricants, and other related products and services to commercial, industrial, and residential customers in various industries, such as oil and gas, construction, mining, forestry, fishing, and transportation under the Ultramar, Bluewave Energy, Pipeline Commercial, Chevron, Columbia Fuels, and Sparlings Propane brands. The International segment operates retail service stations under the Esso, Shell, and Sol brands; and delivers and supplies gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, propane, and lubricants to customers in various sectors, including power, oil and gas, and mining. The USA segment operates a network of gas stations; and delivers bulk fuel, lubricants, and other related products and services under the Farstad Oil, Rhinehart Oil, Tropic Oil, Superpumper, Harts, and On the Run brands. The Supply segment manufactures transportation fuels; transports, stores, and markets fuels, crude oil, and liquid petroleum gases; and manufactures and sells aviation fuel to airlines. This segment also engages in the wholesale, supply, and distribution business. The company was formerly known as Parkland Fuel Corporation and changed its name to Parkland Corporation in May 2020. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Read MoreNovan, Inc., a clinical development-stage biotechnology company, provides nitric oxide-based therapies to treat dermatological and oncovirus-mediated diseases. Its clinical stage dermatology drug candidates include SB204, a topical monotherapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris; SB206, a topical anti-viral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections; SB208, a topical broad-spectrum anti-fungal gel for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, including athlete's foot and fungal nail infections; and SB414, a topical cream-based gel product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The company also develops SB207, an anti-viral product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts; WH602, a nitric oxide-containing intravaginal gel to treat high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV); WH504, a non-gel formulation product candidate to treat high-risk HPV; and SB019 for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Novan, Inc. has a license agreement with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a strategic alliance with Orion Corporation. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Read MorePenske Automotive Group, Inc., a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors. The company engages in the sale of new and used motor vehicles, and related products and services comprise vehicle and collision repair services, as well as placement of finance and lease contracts, third-party insurance products, and other aftermarket products; and wholesale of parts. It also operates a heavy and medium duty truck dealership, which offers Freightliner and Western Star branded trucks, as well as a range of used trucks, and maintenance and repair services. In addition, it imports and distributes Western Star heavy-duty trucks, MAN heavy and medium duty trucks, buses, and Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles with associated parts in Australia, New Zealand, and portions of the Pacific. Further, the company distributes diesel and gas engines, and power systems. The company operates 304 retail automotive franchises, including 142 franchises located in the United States and 162 franchises located outside of the United States; 17 used vehicle supercenters in the United States and the United Kingdom; and 25 commercial truck dealerships in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, Utah, and Idaho, the United States, as well as Canada. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Read MoreDismay has been caused in judicial and legal circles by the unusual developments, for which there is no formal explanation.

The Supreme Court collegium has recalled its own December 12 decision to fill two vacancies in the nations highest court, and bring in two other judges instead on January 10, raising suspicions about judges selection and judicial administration.

Dismay has been caused in judicial and legal circles by the unusual developments, for which there is no formal explanation. A sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, has shot off a letter to Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and other members of the collegium, expressing his displeasure.

In December, the collegium led by Chief Justice Gogoi had selected the Chief Justices of the Rajasthan and Delhi high courts, Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Rajendra Menon respectively. But it didnt place the decision on its website.

The names cleared in January  Karnataka high courts Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjiv Khanna of the Delhi high court  have hastily been notified by the President. There is a mystery over why both names were changed. The only major change in the collegium between December and January is the retirement of Justice M.B. Lokur and his replacement by Justice Arun Mishra. Was this in any way significant?

When four judges of the Supreme Court  including the present CJI  took the unusual step of holding a press conference just over a year ago, they were concerned about the executive influencing the judiciary surreptitiously, and relatively junior Supreme Court judges being earmarked for benches handling politically sensitive cases. Justice Mishras name had cropped up then.

There is some worry that the present CJI may not have lived up to his billing.The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.Marijuana Company of America, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells hemp and hemp-derived consumer products under the hempSMART brand name in the United States and internationally. The company's hempSMART products include hempSMART Brain, a patented and formulated personal care consumer product that combines hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) for brain wellness; hempSMART Pain capsules for relief of minor discomfort with physical activity; hempSMART Pain Cream for muscle relaxation; hempSMART Drops, hemp CBD oil tincture drops; hempSMART Pet Drops for cats and dogs; hempSMART Face, a facial moisturizer; and hempSMART drink mix, an industrial hemp based powderized CBD drink. It also provides financial accounting and bookkeeping, and property management consulting services for operators in states where cannabis and/or hemp is legalized for medicinal and/or recreational use. The company sells its products through its web site and affiliate marketing programs. Marijuana Company of America, Inc. has a strategic collaboration agreement with Eco Innovation Group, Inc. to enhance the company's global cannabis offering. The company was formerly known as Converge Global, Inc. and changed its name to Marijuana Company of America, Inc. in December 2015. Marijuana Company of America, Inc. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Escondido, California.

Read MoreVedanta Limited operates as a diversified natural resources company in India. The company explores for, develops, extracts, produces, processes, and sells oil and gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, aluminum, iron ore, steel, and power. It is involved in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas; and exploration, mining, and processing of iron ore, pig iron, and metallurgical coke. The company also operates a thermal coal-based commercial power facility of 600 megawatts (MW) at Jharsuguda in the State of Odisha in eastern India; two 300 MW thermal coal based power plants at Korba; 1,980 MW (three units of 660 MW each) thermal coal-based commercial power facilities; 274MW of wind power plants; and a power plant situated at Mettur Dam in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. In addition, it manufactures and supplies billets, TMT bars, wire rods, and ductile iron pipes; engages in the mechanization of coal handling facilities and upgradation of general cargo berth for handling coal at the outer harbor of Visakhapatnam Port on the east coast of India; and provides logistics and other allied services inter alia rendering stevedoring, and other allied services in ports and other allied sectors. Further, the company is involved in manufacturing glass substrates in South Korea and Taiwan. It also has operations in South Africa, Namibia, Ireland, Australia, Liberia, and the United Arab Emirates. The company was incorporated in 1965 and is based in Mumbai, India.

Read MoreThe nation most likely to rupture Brics is Brazil, under its recently-elected populist President Jair Bolsonaro.

The rise of populist, right-wing leaders across the world, such as US President Donald Trump, raises questions about the groupings that India has assiduously helped to build in the past decade. Brics - one such grouping of five major emerging powers from different continents - was to bridge the divide as the world underwent an economic and political power shift from the Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific (or what is today called the Indo-Pacific). Although annual summits of the founding members - Brazil, China, India and Russia - began in 2009, South Africa was added to co-opt an African member in 2010, despite neither its population nor its GDP rivalling that of the other four.

Political churn in each nation is likely to impact Brics future. South Africa under its former President Jacob Zuma had faced an economic meltdown rendering South Africas membership lame duck till his replacement by Cyril Ramphosa in February 2018. The cleaning up of the financial mess is still underway, with the alleged state capture by outside agents like the Gupta brothers, who are of Indian origin. Reform of the National Prosecuting Service (NPA) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is also incomplete. Meanwhile, South Africa faces a general election in May this year, coincidently like India. To unify the ruling African National Congress (ANC), President Ramaphosa is compelled, paradoxically, to woo his predecessor while exorcising his ghost from governance. The African President will be the chief guest at this years Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, when Mahatma Gandhi will be remembered with much warmth and fondness.The guest, on the other hand, will be focused on investment and trade to help revive the South African economy. So far China, the Saudi-UAE combine and Germany have shown interest in the tangled South African economy.

The nation most likely to rupture Brics is Brazil, under its recently-elected populist President Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilian foreign policy, whether under authoritarian rule till 1985 or as a democracy since then, has been conditioned by the legacy of the Baron of Rio Branco, foreign minister in 1902-1912. He settled the Brazilian borders with all 10 neighbours, combining respect for international law, peaceful deal-making and soft power. The appointment of a relatively junior serving diplomat Ernesto Araujo as foreign minister, who proclaims God is back and the nation is back, and thus swears by religion as the touchstone of diplomacy, has shocked several of its neighbours as well as the Brazilian elite. He is additionally a China sceptic and during the campaign had visited Taiwan, which would not have gone unnoticed in Beijing. He debunks globalism in a nation that has been at the forefront of various multilateral issues, including climate change. President Bolsonaro himself announced that Brazil will withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement. Not surprisingly, he is also candidly enamoured of US President Donald Trump and other populist-nationalists in Italy, Hungary and Poland.

It is possible that this new evangelism may be moderated by the pragmatic economy minister Paulo Guedes, but President Bolsonaro is unlikely to abandon his core beliefs, which could well disrupt Brics, particularly as Brazil is due to host the next summit. Brics had been nurtured by Brazilian governments led by the charismatic Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and his successor Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party in 2003-16. Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a populist-nationalist himself, he has kept his politics for domestic vote consolidation while adopting a more liberal stance abroad. How he deals with a kindred soul in Brasilia will be a post-election challenge, if he retains power after the mid-2019 election. A non-BJP Indian Prime Minister may find Brazil a less palatable partner.

Russia and China are the other two legs of Brics. It was the Chinese need to successfully hold the Xiamen Brics summit in September 2017 that had facilitated a resolution of the Sino-Indian standoff at Doklam that year. But there has been a growing Sino-Russian convergence alongside the escalation of the Sino-US trade standoff, which they are trying during a three-month time-out to resolve by discussions. But Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 2, in a speech marking 40 years of the 1979 message that moderated the Chinese approach to Taiwan from liberation to peaceful unification, conveyed his impatience with the delay in annexing Taiwan and held out the possibility of the use of force to achieve it. If anything, this has hardened Taiwanese domestic opinion against unification, with one poll indicating only three per cent of the islanders in its favour. A close reading of the report delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 19th Party Congress on October 18, 2017 reveals the Chinese strategy to get to the envisioned China 2025. The national rejuvenati-on touted is about moving China closer to the global centrestage to transform global governance as per the Chinese vision of their centrality. Prof. Xiang Lanxin has thus called the Belt and Road Initiative as a post-Westphalian integration of a 21st century Eurasia. This is a resurrection of Tianxia or Mandate of Heaven that the Chinese have used historically to rearran-ge other nations in a dynamic equilibrium, ensuring Chine-se supremacy. This bodes ill for the unity of Brics.

Russia under President Vladimir Putin has reinvented its role as the arbiter of peace in West Asia, Afghanistan and the Pacific, by drawing Japan into negotiations over the Kuril islands return. President Putin is now using China as an economic and strategic partner and main foil to the United States, ceding it supremacy in the Chinese maritime periphery in exchange for China accepting a similar lead role for Russia on the Eurasian continent. This deal may not hold beyond the Sino-US standoff but is the basis of a new order. The fate of Brics thus hangs in the balance with President Bolsonaro likely to pull in a different direction. India will be the outlier balancing the pulls and tugs of old players with new moves. Meanwhile, both the Indian and South African people are to decide in May their next governments. The old saying appears apposite - the Brics are now loose bricks!Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI India ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI India ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The following companies are subsidiares of The Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. 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K., SK Telecom China Fund I L.P., SK Telecom China Holdings Co. Ltd., SK Telecom Innovation Fund L.P., SK Telecom TMT Investment Corp., SK Telink Co. Ltd., SK stoa Co. Ltd., SK telecom Japan Inc., SKP America LLC, SKT Americas Inc., SKinfosec Information Technology (wuxi) Co. Ltd., Service Ace Co. Ltd., Service Top Co. Ltd., Shopkick, Tbroad Nowon Broadcasting Co. Ltd., YTK Investment Ltd., iRiver Ltd, and id Quantique Ltd..The alternative plan was discussed at a meeting attended by senior BJP leaders at the West Bengal BJP office in central Kolkata on Wednesday.

Kolkata: A day after the Supreme Court dashed all hopes of the BJP over its rath yatras in West Bengal, the saffron party announced an alternative plan, that includes five rallies to be addressed by party chief Amit Shah across the state this month. It also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi might address some rallies in the state. The alternative plan was discussed at a meeting attended by senior BJP leaders at the West Bengal BJP office in central Kolkata on Wednesday.

State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh later said: BJP president Amit Shah will start addressing rallies from January 20 when the first meeting will be held in Malda. The next day he will attend two more rallies at Suri and Jhargram.

He elaborated: On January 22, Mr Shah will address another two rallies at Joynagar and Krishnanagar. So he will address five rallies from January 20 to 21. We also wish to organise a rally to be addressed by the PM by February.

Mr Ghosh added: We have decided the date for the rally at the Brigade Parade Ground on February 8. We have conveyed the schedule to our central leadership. We will announce it once the date is confirmed by the Prime Ministers Office.

Mr Ghosh, BJP MLA from Kharagpur Sadar, said: If there is any change, we will announce it. If possible, the PM may address a few rallies before that. Preparations are under way. We will finalise everything once the permission is received.

The state BJP chief also referred to the mega-rally of the Trinamul Congress at Brigade Parade Ground on January 19, where chief minister Mamata Banerjee has invited many leaders of different parties who are opposed to the BJP. Let us see who comes. There is no point in making any predictions. We heard many stories earlier. So there is no need to discuss it. It seems many whose names have been heard earlier are not coming. It remains to be seen if the aunt and her nephew (a reference to BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav) come at all.Halliburton Company provides a range of services and products to oil and natural gas companies worldwide. The company's Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services, including stimulation and sand control services; and cementing services, such as well bonding and casing, as well as provides casing equipment. It also provides completion tools that offer downhole solutions and services, including well completion products and services, intelligent well completions, liner hanger and sand control systems, and service tools; production solutions comprising coiled tubing, hydraulic workover units, downhole tools, pumping services, and nitrogen services; and pipeline and process services, such as pre-commissioning, commissioning, maintenance, and decommissioning. In addition, this segment offers electrical submersible pumps, as well as artificial lift services. The company's Drilling and Evaluation segment provides drilling fluid systems, performance additives, completion fluids, solids control, specialized testing equipment, and waste management services; oilfield completion, production, and downstream water and process treatment chemicals and services; and drilling systems and services. It also offers wireline and perforating services, including open-hole logging, and cased-hole and slickline; and drill bits and services comprising roller cone rock bits, fixed cutter bits, hole enlargement, and related downhole tools and services, as well as coring equipment and services. In addition, this segment provides cloud based digital services and artificial intelligence solutions on an open architecture for subsurface insights, integrated well construction, and reservoir and production management; testing and subsea services, such as acquisition and analysis of reservoir information and optimization solutions; and project management and integrated asset management services. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of The Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Deep Pride Limited, Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., EPS B.V., EPS Polidrox Industria e Comercio de Resinas Ltda, Geocel Holdings, Geocel Limited, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Guangdong Yuegang Dadi Paints Company Limited, Guardsman Australia Pty Limited, Guardsman Industries Limited, Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Jiangsu Pulanna Coating Co. Ltd., Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Resin Surfaces Limited, Ronseal (Ireland) Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO  Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade, Sayerlack, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Belize) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Caribbean) N.V., Sherwin-Williams (Ireland) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams (S) Pte. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Shanghai) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (South China) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Vietnam) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (West Indies) Limited, Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Mexico S.de R.L.de C.V., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands (Australia) Pty Ltd, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands Limited, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Luxembourg Investment Management Company S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams Uruguay S.A., Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, TOB Becker Acroma Ukraine, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar (Asia) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Australia) Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar (Finland) Corporation Oy, The Valspar (France) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (France) Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar (Germany) GmbH, The Valspar (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar (Nantes) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (Singapore) Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar (South Africa) Corporation (Pty) Ltd, The Valspar (Spain) Corporation S.R.L., The Valspar (Switzerland) Corporation AG, The Valspar (Thailand) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar (UK) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Vietnam) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar (India) Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Valspar (Uruguay) Corporation S.A., Valspar (WPC) Pty Ltd, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive (UK) Corporation Limited, Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar Inc., Valspar Industries (Ireland) Ltd., Valspar Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Paint (Australia) Pty Ltd, Valspar Paint (NZ) Limited, Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited, Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, Vantaco Oy, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams.AbbVie Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in the worldwide. The company offers HUMIRA, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune and intestinal BehAet's diseases; SKYRIZI to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults; RINVOQ, a JAK inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients; IMBRUVICA to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), mantle cell lymphoma, waldenstrAm's macroglobulinemia, marginal zone lymphoma, and chronic graft versus host disease; VENCLEXTA, a BCL-2 inhibitor used to treat adults with CLL or SLL; and MAVYRET to treat patients with chronic HCV genotype 1-6 infection. It also provides CREON, a pancreatic enzyme therapy for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; Synthroid used in the treatment of hypothyroidism; AndroGel for males diagnosed with symptomatic low testosterone; Linzess/Constella to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation; Lupron for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and patients with anemia caused by uterine fibroids; and Botox therapeutic. In addition, the company offers ORILISSA, a nonpeptide small molecule gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for women with moderate to severe endometriosis pain; Duopa and Duodopa, a levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel to treat Parkinson's disease; Lumigan/Ganfort, a bimatoprost ophthalmic solution for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension; Ubrelvy to treat migraine with or without aura in adults; Alphagan/ Combigan, an alpha-adrenergic receptor agonist for the reduction of IOP in patients with OAG; and Restasis, a calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant to increase tear production. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in North Chicago, Illinois.

Read MoreBank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company, through its subsidiaries, provides banking, financial, and insurance services to individuals, small and medium sized enterprises, and corporate customers. It offers current, savings, notice, instant access, and fixed term deposits; housing, student, consumer, business, syndicated, project, and shipping finance; and debit, credit, and prepaid cards. The company also provides hire purchase, factoring, guarantee, insurance, asset and wealth management, investment banking and brokerage, custody and depository, transfers and payment, and digital banking services. In addition, it is involved in property trading and development activities; land development and operation of a golf resort; management administration and safekeeping of UCITS units; administration of guarantees and holding of real estate properties; collection of the existing portfolio of receivables, including third party collections; and provision of card processing transaction, auction, and secretarial services. As of March 30, 2021, it operates through a network of 95 branches in Cyprus, as well as representative offices in Russia, Ukraine, and China. The company was formerly known as Bank of Cyprus Public Company Ltd and changed its name to Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company in January 2017. Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Read MoreAjay Maken handed over his charge of DPCC president to Sheila by appreciating her work as the chief minister.

Former chief minister and newly-appointed Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit leaves after addressing party workers at DPCC office in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: Biplab Banerjee)

New Delhi: Scores of Congress workers filled with enthusiasm turned up at Rajiv Bhavan, which is Delhi state Congress office, on Wednesday to witness Sheila Dikshit taking charge as the partys Delhi chief.

On the occasion, three new working presidents  Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia  also took charge along with Ms Dikshit. Senior Congress leaders Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Meira Kumar, P.C. Chacko, Sandip Dikshit and Ajay Maken were among those present.

Ajay Maken handed over his charge of DPCC president to Ms Sheila by appreciating her work as the chief minister.

Before 1998 the Delhi had a severe electricity crisis but after she took over as the CM, we have achieved round the clock electricity and even developed the infrastructure, Mr Mr Maken said.

80-year-old Ms Dikshit, who took charge of state president after two decad-es, was a bit emotional.

As enthusiastic workers have gathered here, similarly we will together strengthen the Congress, she said.

Our target is to reach out to the people at every nook and corner of Delhi, to ensure the victory of the Congress party, in all the seven Parliamentary seats in Delhi. I will be available to the Congress workers 24 hours a day to motivate them to work for the party at the grass-root level, she added.

We have to revive the scattered Congress. Both the parties are a challenge for use, she said and dismissed alliance with the AAP.

However, the ceremony was marred by the presence of Jagdish Tytler on the podium as a controversy erupted over the presence of 1984 riot accused at the event.

Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that Mr Tytlers presence in the front row at the event where Ms Dikshit took over as Delhi unit president was to intimidate witnesses in cases related to 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He claimed the Congress is afraid as it is aware that Mr Tytler and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath would also be jailed in cases related to the anti-Sikh riots.

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) alleged that the incident exposed Congress anti-Sikh face and demanded that the party leaders clear their stand on Mr Tytler.

However, Ms Dikshit backed the Congress leaders presence at the event and accused the BJP and SAD of having a narrow view of looking at things.

Its a very narrow way of looking at things. After all, he is a Congressman. The Congress has not shunted him out and he has not gone away from the party. So, why make an issue out of a non-issue,

Meanwhile a jubilant NSUI member Nirbhay Yadav said, Ajayji is like our elder brother but we look up to Sheilaji as a mother with whom not only does the Congress but also Delhi connects. We are sure that under her regime the Congress will surely attain new heights.

Mr Yadav added that her experience of leading Delhi as a former DPCC president and as the chief minister will only enrich the Congress in Delhi

Prominent Congressmen like Subhash Chopra, J.P.Agarwal, Arvinder Singh Lovely, Mahabal Mishra, Ramakant Goswami, Mangat Ram Singhal and A.K. Walia were also present.BancorpSouth Bank provides commercial banking and financial services to individuals and small-to-medium size businesses. The company operates through Banking Services Group, Mortgage, Insurance Agencies, Wealth Management, and General Corporate and Other segments. It accepts various deposit products, including interest and noninterest bearing demand deposits, and saving and other time deposits. The company also provides commercial loans, including term loans, lines of credit, equipment and receivable financing, and agricultural loans; a range of short-to-medium term secured and unsecured commercial loans to businesses for working capital, business expansion, and the purchase of equipment and machinery; and construction loans to real estate developers for the acquisition, development, and construction of residential subdivisions. In addition, it offers fixed and adjustable rate residential mortgage loans secured by owner-occupied property; construction loans; second mortgage loans; and home equity lines of credit, as well as non-residential consumer loans that consist of automobile, recreation vehicle, boat, personal, and deposit account secured loans, as well as issues credit cards. Further, the company operates as an agent for the sale of commercial lines of insurance; and offers a line of property and casualty, life, health, and employee benefits products and services. Additionally, it provides credit related products, trust and investment management, asset management, retirement and savings solutions, and estate planning and annuity products. As of March 4, 2021, the company operated through 305 full-service branch locations, as well mortgage, insurance, and loan production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas; and an insurance location in Illinois. The company was formerly known as BancorpSouth, Inc. and changed its name to BancorpSouth Bank in October 2017. BancorpSouth Bank was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI World ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI World ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.China Mobile Limited provides mobile telecommunications and related services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company offers local calls; domestic and international long distance calls and roaming services; and value-added services, such as caller identity display, call waiting, conference calls, and others. It also provides wireless Internet service, as well as digital applications comprising music, video, reading, gaming, and animation; wireline broadband services; and wireline voice services. In addition, it offers dedicated line and IDC services to corporate customers in a range of industry sectors; and basic corporate communication products comprising corporate VPMN and SMS, and tailor made solutions. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, which includes IDD, roaming, Internet, MNC, and value added business services. Additionally, it offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance, IT system operation, and technology support services; value-added platform development and maintenance services; mobile data, and system integration and development services; network construction and maintenance, network planning and optimizing, and training services; electronic communication products design and sale of related products; and non-banking financial services. It also provides mobile cloud research and development services; call center services; e-payment, e-commerce, and Internet finance services; and mobile Internet digital content services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. The company serves 950 million mobile customers and 187 million wireline broadband customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc..Robert Half International Inc. provides staffing and risk consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Temporary and Consultant Staffing, Permanent Placement Staffing, and Risk Consulting and Internal Audit Services. It places temporary services for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping; temporary and full-time office and administrative personnel consisting of executive and administrative assistants, receptionists, and customer service representatives; full-time accounting, financial, tax, and accounting operations personnel; and information technology contract consultants and full-time employees in the areas of platform systems integration to end-user technical and desktop support, including specialists in application development, networking, systems integration and deployment, database design and administration, and security and business continuity. The company also offers temporary and full-time employees in attorney, paralegal, legal administrative, and legal secretarial positions; and senior level project professionals in the accounting and finance fields for financial systems conversions, expansion into new markets, business process reengineering, business systems performance improvement, and post-merger financial consolidation. In addition, it is involved in serving professionals in the areas of interactive media, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations; and placing freelance and project consultants in various positions, such as creative directors, graphics designers, Web content developers, Web designers, media buyers, brand managers, and public relations specialists. Further, the company provides business and technology risk consulting, and internal audit services. It serves clients and employment candidates. Robert Half International Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Read MoreAlexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup>A</sup> urban office real estate investment trust ("REIT"), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet ("SF"). The asset base in North America includes 31.9 million RSF of operating properties and 3.3 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 7.1 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects, and 7.4 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology, and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity, and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology, and agtech companies through our venture capital platform. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value.

Read MoreSingh denounced the AAP leadership for not expressing faith in leaders from Punjab

Chandigarh: In fresh jolt to AAP in Punjab, MLA Baldev Singh resigned on Wednesday citing party chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals dictatorial, arrogant and autocratic style of functioning. Baldev Singh is a close aide of Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

Mr Khaira had also resigned from the AAP earlier this month. He said the party totally deviated from the ideology and principles on which it was formed after the Anna Hazare movement.

In his letter written to Mr Kejriwal, Mr Singh said, I am pained to forward my resignation from the primary membership of the AAP because the party has completely given up its basic ideology and principles. .

As a result of your dictatorial, arrogant and autocratic style of functioning, pioneers of AAP like Parashant Bhushan, Yogender Yadav, Medha Patikar, Kiran Bedi, etc., have all left the party or have been thrown out in a humiliating manner, he alleged.

Therefore, keeping these saddening developments and circumstances in mind... I have decided to quit as a primary member of the AAP, Mr Singh said.

He hit out at Mr Kejriwal for tendering an apology to Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia on the drug issue.

Your (Mr Kejriwal) meek apology to tainted former minister Bikram Singh Majithia revealed your double standards in politics.Your duplicity on the vital issue of Punjab river waters also puts you on the same pedestal of cunning leaders of India, he alleged.

Mr Singh denounced the AAP leadership for not expressing faith in leaders from Punjab.

Instead of expressing faith in the abilities of Punjabis and rewarding them you preferred to send an army of outsiders to muzzle the voice of our people. The said army was headed by two arrogant Subedars who indulged in every mean maneuvers to promote their near and dear ones, he alleged.Wall Street analysts have given iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Motorola Solutions, Inc. provides mission critical communications and analytics in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Services and Software. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation, optimization, and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety and first-responder agencies, municipalities, and commercial and industrial customers. Its LMR and video security and analytics devices include two-way portable and vehicle-mounted radios, fixed and mobile video cameras, and accessories; radio network core and central processing software, base stations, consoles, and repeaters; and video analytics, network video management hardware and software, and access control solutions. The Services segment provides repair, technical support, and hardware maintenance services. This segment also offers monitoring, software updates, and cybersecurity services; and public safety and enterprise command center software, unified communications applications, and video software solutions. It serves for government, public safety, and commercial communication networks. The company was formerly known as Motorola, Inc. and changed its name to Motorola Solutions, Inc. in January 2011. Motorola Solutions, Inc. was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given iShares Short-Term National Muni Bond ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Short-Term National Muni Bond ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The previous meeting had been called by Andhra CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to create united opposition front against BJP.

This meeting is scheduled to happen in Kolkata on January 19. (Photo: File)

Chennai: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin will participate in the meeting of opposition parties called by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on January 19.

On December 10 last year, the opposition parties held a crucial meeting in New Delhi on the eve of Parliaments Winter Session and the counting of votes for the Assembly elections in five states.

The previous meeting had been called by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu in an effort to bring all opposition parties under one single umbrella to take on the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.10 minutes ago | June 17th, 2021 8:38 AM

Does Nike (NYSE: NKE) Have What It Takes To Get Back Running Again

For a company whose shares powered to new highs on what felt like a daily basis for much of last year, Nike (NYSE: NKE) has surprised many with its sluggish performance in the first half of 2021. Their shares are trading down more than 10% from the most recent all time high that they tagged at the end of December. In the grand scheme of things, thisWall Street analysts have given iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

Read MoreBank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans. The company's Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment management, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products and services; and wealth management solutions, as well as customized solutions, including specialty asset management services. Its Global Banking segment provides lending products and services, including commercial loans, leases, commitment facilities, trade finance, and commercial real estate and asset-based lending; treasury solutions, such as treasury management, foreign exchange, and short-term investing options and merchant services; working capital management solutions; and debt and equity underwriting and distribution, and merger-related and other advisory services. The company's Global Markets segment offers market-making, financing, securities clearing, settlement, and custody services, as well as risk management products using interest rate, equity, credit, currency and commodity derivatives, foreign exchange, fixed-income, and mortgage-related products. As of April 15, 2021, it served approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers; approximately 17,000 ATMs; and digital banking platforms with approximately 40 million active users. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Read More5 minutes ago | June 17th, 2021 8:38 AM

Does Nike (NYSE: NKE) Have What It Takes To Get Back Running Again

For a company whose shares powered to new highs on what felt like a daily basis for much of last year, Nike (NYSE: NKE) has surprised many with its sluggish performance in the first half of 2021. Their shares are trading down more than 10% from the most recent all time high that they tagged at the end of December. In the grand scheme of things, thisCongress General Secretary K C Venugopal said that nothing will happen to Congress-JD(S) govt in Karnataka.

...Once again, this party, the ruling party of India, has been exposed before the people of Karnataka and the country. Their dirty horse-trading games have been established in Karnataka, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said. (Photo: DC File)

Hyderabad: Accusing the BJP of indulging in horse-trading of MLAs, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal on Thursday asserted that the coalition government with JDS in Karnataka would complete its full term.

"...Once again, this party, the ruling party of India, has been exposed before the people of Karnataka and the country. Their dirty horse-trading games have been established in Karnataka," he told PTI in Hyderabad when asked for his comments on the political turmoil in Karnataka.

"We are very sure that nothing will happen to the Congress-JD(S) government. It will continue for the full term. I am very much sure," he said.

BJP Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa has said no member of his party was involved in any operation to topple the coalition government in the state.

To a query on reports about discontent among Congress MLAs in neighbouring state of Telangana, Venugopal said no MLA would quit the party. "This is the way BJP is trying to poach our MLAs. They are offering crores and crores of rupees, everything is in the public domain now...," he alleged.

"Why did they (BJP) move 104 MLAs to a resort in Haryana? What is the purpose? Everybody knows that with 104 MLAs, they cannot form a government," he said.

According to sources, Karnataka BJP MLAs who are cooped up in a resort in Haryana will take a call on returning to the state after the Congress legislature party meeting on Friday.

On the question of stability of the coalition government, the Congress leader said nothing would happen to the ruling dispensation. "Day before yesterday, I told the media (that) nothing is going to happen. This is going to be a nightmare for BJP...," Venugopal said.

The coalition government in Karnataka suffered the first major setback when two MLAs, an Independent and a member of the Karnataka Pragnyavantara Janata Paksha, on Tuesday withdrew support to the government.

There was no immediate threat to the government with the withdrawal of support but speculation was rife that many other disgruntled Congress MLAs could follow suit by resigning from the Assembly, though the party has maintained that its flock is intact.

In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress has 79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides the Speaker.InterXion Holding N.V. provides carrier and cloud-neutral colocation data center services in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The company enables its customers to connect to a range of telecommunications carriers, cloud platforms, Internet service providers, and other customers. Its data centers acts as content, cloud, and connectivity hubs that facilitate the processing, storage, sharing, and distribution of data between its customers. The company offers colocation services, including space and power to deploy IT infrastructure in its data centers; a range of output voltages and currents; connectivity services that enable its customers to connect their IT infrastructure to exchange traffic and access cloud platforms; and systems monitoring, systems management, engineering support, and data backup and storage services, as well as installs and manages physical connections running from its customers' equipment to the equipment of its telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers, Internet exchange customers, and other customers. It provides its services to telecom operators, Internet service providers, and content delivery networks; content and cloud providers; and enterprises through direct sales forces, as well as through tradeshows, networking events, and industry seminars. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 51 carrier and cloud neutral colocation data centers in 13 metropolitan areas in 11 countries. The company is also involved in real estate management/holding businesses. InterXion Holding N.V. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands.

Read MoreBangladesh has banned a film based on a 2016 cafe attack claimed by the Islamic State group that left 22 people dead, saying it would damage the country's reputation.

The Film Censor Board denied the theatrical release of "Shonibar Bikel", a decision the movie's director criticised as "unhealthy for artistic expression". The title of the film translates to "Saturday Afternoon" and dramatises the July 2016 attack on an upmarket cafe by Islamist militants who killed 22 of their hostages, including 18 foreigners. The state's censor board said the film  a Bangladesh-German co-production  could incite religious fervour in the Muslim-majority nation of 165 million.

"The board did not sanction permission for the movie's exhibition, both at home or abroad, as it would disrupt internal security and also tarnish the country's global image," the censor board's vice chairman Nizamul Kabir told AFP on Thursday.With Indian firms losing millions annually owing to cyber attacks, key leadership across industries are now in a huddle and discussions over securing data is now a critical part of boardroom settings, Keshav Dhakad, Group Head and Assistant General Counsel, Corporate, External & Legal Affairs (CELA), Microsoft India, has stressed.

A large-sized enterprise in India loses an average of $10.3 million owing to cyber attacks and a mid-sized organisation an average of $11,000 annually, a Microsoft-led study said recently.

"From CEOs to CTOs, from large-sized enterprises to start-ups, securing data on-premise and in the Cloud has become paramount in India. Cyber attacks are growing in leaps and bounds and endpoint security is the key, be it on-prim or in Cloud," Dhakad told IANS during the Microsoft's Media and Analyst Day here.

Cyber security attacks have resulted in job losses across different functions in more than three in five (64 per cent) organisations that have experienced cyber attacks, revealed the Frost and Sullivan study commissioned by Microsoft last month.

"With traditional IT boundaries disappearing, the adversaries now have many new targets to attack. Hackers are always a step ahead, waiting for new loopholes to emerge and need just one worker to click on a spam link to corrupt systems within the organisation," said Dhakad.

More than three in five organisations (62 per cent) surveyed in India have either experienced a cyber security incident (30 per cent) or are not sure if they had one as they have not performed proper forensics or data breach assessment (32 per cent).

"Since start-ups are being born in the Cloud, they already have top-of-the-line security in place. For traditional enterprises, the Cloud journey has just taken off. Microsoft is ready with its state-of-the-art security solutions for both on-prim and Cloud requirements," informed Dhakad.

According to Microsoft, nine in 10 (92 per cent) Indian organisations are looking to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance their cyber security strategy.

"AI with Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge is an answer to the companies' need to secure their data as most of those cannot hire teams to manually do the task.

"Since human is the weakest link when it comes to hacking, AI-driven models can better do the job of keeping real-time tab on threats coming in, and mitigating those before any damage is done," said Dhakad.Besides withdrawing politically motivated cases against Congressmen, the State Government has on Thursday decided to withdraw cases registered against farmers during the protests in the past.

While informing about the Cabinet decisions, Public Relations minister PC Sharma said, We have decided to withdraw politically motivated cases slapped on thousands of people in Madhya Pradesh.

There are around 308 such cases pending in Bhopal alone while the number of such cases in Madhya Pradesh is in thousands and we would withdraw all these cases after due legal formalities, Sharma added.

The minister claimed he himself was framed in one such cases and another case is pending against his cabinet colleague Jitu Patwari who was also present on the occasion. When asked specifically whether the government plans to also take back criminal cases slapped on thousands of farmers during protests in last few years, Sharma claimed all the cases where innocents have been framed would be withdrawn.

All such cases would be sent to Home ministry by district collectors and in co-ordination with the Law ministry, the cases would be withdrawn through courts, he added.

A committee would be set up to compile details of all these cases, said Sharma.

Sports and Youth Welfare minister Jitu Patwari on the occasion clarified on the confusion prevailing on the loan waiver announcement saying the outstanding farm loans as on March 31, 2018 would be waived off and those who have paid their dues till December 12, 2018 would also benefit from the scheme.Continuing its crackdown of the ISIS module after an arrest in Delhi, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a suspect in Punjabs Ludhiana.

The NIA team, along with the Punjab police, conducted a raid in the wee hours at Madhni Jama Masjid in Ludhianas Meharbaan area from where they detained a maulvi at a mosque. He was identified as Mohammad Ovesh Pasha, who is just 23-year-old.

As per reports, the NIA team has seized no weapons from him, but reportedly seized some literature. The NIA team also took away the DVR of the nine CCTV cameras installed in and outside the Masjid.

Sources informed that Pasha is suspected to be a part of ISIS module, busted in Uttar Pradesh. He had come to Ludhiana seven months ago, and become the youngest maulvi in masjid. As per the mosque staff, Pasha was not even having an Android-enabled phone.

Hailing from Uttar Pradeshs Rampur, Pasha was earlier studying in a madrasa in UP where he got in touch with the ISIS operative.

Pashas name was nominated in a case under sections 17, 18, 20, and 39 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, besides 120 B, 121 A, 122 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act.

Similar raids were also conducted at seven places in the western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday in connection with the investigation of the recently registered case of ISIS inspired module.

Madhni Jama Masjid chairperson Sikandar Altaf maintained that over 25 persons of NIA and Punjab Police raided the masjid and detained the maulvi Mohd Ovesh Pasha, and also confiscated mobile phones of the masjid staff.A 28-year-old lawyer was assaulted after he molested a minor girl at Chhola Mandir area on Wednesday; Chhola Mandir police have started investigation.

Police said that the accused lawyer identified as Nagendra Mishra assaulted and molested the minor who is his neighbor.

SHO of Chhola Mandir Radheshyam Sengar said that the 17-year-old victim lives in Chhola Mandir area and after a dispute with the lawyer over parking of car the accused hold her hand and molested her regarding which the victim lodged complaint.

The family members of the victim after spotting the act gathered and assaulted the accused and later police were informed.

In her complaint victim stated that during Wednesday night accused entered a verbal spate over car parking with the victim and later he hold her hand and molested her.

The family members rushed to her rescue and informed police and on the receipt of the information an FRV reached the spot and pacified the fight.

Police have lodged complaint of molestation against lawyer while case of assault against family members of the victim. Meanwhile, a 25-year-old married woman was molested by her neighbour at Tarasewania under Parwalia area on Wednesday. The police said that the victim lives in Tarasewania area and was molested by her neighbor Vinod Meena who is her neighbor.

In her complaint that on Wednesday evening accused asked for her husband and after he found that husband was not at home he molested the victim and feared of the act she raised alarm which forced accused to escape. Victim along with the husband lodged a complaint with the Chhola Mandir police and a case was registered.A youth of the Nirakarpur areas Patanasahi in the district allegedly ended his life on Wednesday after failing to get benefits under the rural housing scheme Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) due to corruption and bribery at the block-level.

The deceased was identified as Laxmidhar Behera.

However, Laxmidhar had shot a video narrating his woes just before he took the extreme step and the video has now gone viral on social media.

In the video, Laxmidhar has alleged that block employees demanded bribe of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 for sanctioning a pucca house under the Indira Awas Yojana.

From BDO to sarpanch and even ruling-BJD leaders, I had approached everybody. But nobody listened to me. The officials asked me to pay Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. From where I can arrange the money as I work as labourer. Many may have got benefits from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and BJD, but I have not got any help, Laxmidhar is seen saying in the video.

Sources said Laxmidhars body was recovered near the Gahiradia Canal; and it was suspected that he committed suicide.

Khordha district Collector Nirmal Mishra said the entire incident would be investigated. We would look into the matter. But preliminary investigations reveal that a house was sanctioned to the beneficiary. Had there been allegations of bribery, we would have definitely taken action, said Mishra.

He further said a detailed probe would be initiated to ascertain who demanded bribe from the youth.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alleged that Laxmidhars death was sponsored by the State Government as he committed suicide after failing to pay bribe to get a house under the IAY.

It is very shocking that a precious life was lost for bribe. It is a real picture of the PC practice in Odisha. It is not a case of suicide; rather it is a Government-sponsored murder, Pradhan posted in social media after meeting Laxmidhars family members at his village.Lauding the development works being carried out by the State Government for poor and marginalised sections of society, Governor Droupadi Murmu on Thursday urged members of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly to maintain the dignity and purity of the House. The Governor was addressing the legislators on the first day of the Budget Session of the Assembly on Thursday.

The Governors about one hour long speech was marred by JMM MLAs protests inside the House. The protesters continued shouting slogans and many times during the speech they came into the well of the House. At one point of time they even alleged that the Governor was reading false report card provided by the Government.

The Governor, however, continued her speech seeking support from all members of the House to rise above party line and work for the betterment of the people.

She said in the field of public welfare, the Government has devised an environment in the State with dedicated and well-intentioned policies where many paths of development and prosperity arise. She hoped that all of them will get positive cooperation in taking the State forward rapidly on the path of development.

This will enable Jharkhand to stand at the forefront of the leading States.

Referring to the work done by the Government and the work that will be undertaken in future, the Governor said the Government is committed to justice and is determined to carry all the sectors and sections of society together. Development strategy is inclusive, just and continuous, based on economic progress. The priority of the Government is that not only are drinking water, toilets and electricity available to the residents, but also to expand the reach of roads etc. Skill development schemes are being run to make youth and women self-reliant. The Government is implementing the programme of good governance. Work is being done for the farmers, poor, deprived, exploited and neglected sections of society of all sections. Government changed the old rules and policies, made new policies improving the working style of the government and correcting the system, she said.

The Governor added due to proper exploitation and judicious use of natural resources and skills of human resources, Jharkhand is fast approaching to make its position in developed States of the country. In next financial year, Government will provide education of community policing with the aim of making the students of selected schools of the state a decent citizen, under the modernisation scheme of the Centrally sponsored police forces. Under the SIS scheme, STF will be strengthened in three years.

There is immense potential for development in the State and on its own strength this State is moving forward towards becoming the countrys leading State, she added.

The Governor said the Centre-sponsored and State-sponsored schemes are being implemented for the purpose of removing the backwardness of the villages. To meet shortage of irrigation in absence of rain more than 2.38 lakh dovas have been constructed in the last three years. Construction work of 3.5 lakh houses has been completed under the Prime Ministers Housing Scheme. The trees of Karnaj are abundantly available in the State. Van Jyoti Yojana will start for processing and development of Karnal oil based Bio-diesel production. Under this scheme, a comprehensive collection of Karanj seed will be collected at the level of the local village forest management committee.

This will increase the income of remote villages and people living near the forest.

Later, speaking outside the House Opposition Leader Hemant Soren said the important issues like hunger deaths, migration, paralysed education system and many others issues did not figure in the Governors speech. The government is a complete failure in many areas of common mans interest, he said.RLD vice-president Jayant Chowdhary on Wednesday met SP President Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow to discuss seat-sharing.

New Delhi: It is not only the BJP which is worried over the now official SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, but many alliance partners too, especially the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) which has a substantial presence in western parts of the state. The Congress, which has been left high and dry by the two UP satraps, stirred the political cauldron on Wednesday by hinting that it was willing to give a few seats to other parties who wanted to forge an alliance with it for the Lok Sabha polls.

The RLD had been demanding at least six seats from the SP-BSP alliance, but according to the final formula thrashed out, only two seats are left for allies out of 80 apart from the traditional Gandhi family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli.

RLD vice-president Jayant Chowdhary on Wednesday met SP President Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow to discuss seat-sharing. Sources said that the two are discussing a formula where the RLD can fight three seats. However, it was unclear as to which among the two, SP and BSP, is willing to give up the one extra seat.

It was a good discussion (on seat sharing) with Akhilesh and you will know the outcome soon, Mr Chaudhary told the media after the meeting that took place at the Samajwadi Party headquarters.

Also in Lucknow, Ghulam Nabi Azad, in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, said his party was willing to give a few seats to those who wanted to forge an alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls.

On two to four seats, there could be give and take, but at present we are making preparations for contesting on all the 80 seats in the state, Mr Azad said, adding, If any

political party is willing to accompany the Congress, and the Congress feels that it can fight the BJP, it will be definitely accommodated.

Top sources in the Congress claimed that channels were open with the RLD to accommodate it for the Lok Sabha polls.

While some insiders in the Opposition block think that the Congress fighting on its own in UP was a strategy to wean away the BJPs Upper Caste votes and thus help SP-BSP alliance, there is also a counter-narrative which says that a tri-cornered contest could end up benefiting the BJP.

J.P. Nadda, the BJPs in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, who is camping in Lucknow, exuded confidence that the BJP will win 74 Lok Sabha seats out of 80 in the state.

Mr Nadda, who held a meeting with senior office bearers of the party here, said the party will register a handsome win in the Lok Sabha polls and all records will be broken. We shall increase our tally of Lok Sabha seats from the state by winning 74 seats, one more than last time, he said.

The BJPs tally of 71 UP seats in the last Lok Sabha elections helped the party win a full majority.The Air services on Dehradun-Pithoragarh and Pantnagar-Pithoragarh routes was started on Thursday. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the launch of the services under Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme.

He said that with the commencement of this service, Pithoragarh can be reached from Dehradun in an hours time. This will facilitate the people of the areas adjoining Nepal and China border while also boosting tourism.

At the Naini Saini airport in Pithoragarh, a programme was organised to mark the launch of the air service. The passengers who arrived on the maiden flight from Dehradun to Pithoragarh and those who travelled from Pithoragarh to Pantnagar-Dehradun were garlanded by local women in traditional attire. A cultural troupe also performed Cholia dance on the occasion. Travelling as one of the passengers on the Heritage Aviation flight from Dehradun, the States Finance and Parliamentary Affairs minister Prakash Pant said that a long standing need of the district had been met with the start of this air service.

He also thanked the local residents for their cooperation towards facilitating the construction of the Naini Saini airstrip. He said that after necessary work on the Hindon airport is done, air service between Pithoragarh and Delhi would also be started. At the Pantnagar airport, the director Sanjeev Kumar informed that a total of 18 persons travelled on the flights between Pantnagar and Pithoragarh on a nine-seater plane. The tickets for the flights between these two destinations are fully booked till January 26, he added.Aam Aadmi Partys Haryana unit on Thursday while quoting its survey claimed that 80 percent of the people of Haryana believe that BJP led State Government lacks in commitment to improve condition of schools , hospital, and address the issue of unemployment and woes of farming community.

This information has come out during the door-to-door survey conducted by the Aam Aadmi Party in Haryana. Under this campaign, the party workers have covered 3.15 lakh houses in Haryana so far, said Gopal Rai, Delhi Cabinet Minister and in-charge of AAP Haryana unit.

The Aam Aadmi Party had earlier launched this campaign in Delhi too. After that success, it is now being implemented in Haryana, he said.

Gopal Rai said that under this survey, the party workers are knocking at every house in Haryana and asking them questions about the states schools, hospitals, farmers, unemployed youth etc.

The party workers are also apprizing people about the work done by the AAP government in Delhi and bold decisions taken by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the field of education and health. When asked about Haryana Chief Minister, most people said that such bold decisions can not be taken by him, claimed the AAP leader.

AAP Haryana unit chief Naveen Jaihind said that more than 750 teams are operating these campaigns in different villages of Haryana.

Jaihind said that people are waiting to uproot the BJP government in the next elections.

Notably, the AAP has announced to contest on all 10 Lok Sabha seats and 90 assembly seats of Haryana, election for which are scheduled to be held this year.

To woo the voters of Haryana, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had been holding public meetings and attacking the State Government over the issues of cow welfare, deteriorating condition of education and heath infrastructure in the state.In a city where thousands of people still go hungry every day, the schools have joined hands for an initiative to feed the needy. Twenty five ICSE and ISC Schools of the city have collaborated to start Roti initiative in schools.

The schools have been divided area wise so that on a particular day of the week each student of that school will bring two chapatis wrapped in foil. These chapatis will then be collected by Ashok Ghosh from the Helping Heart Foundation to be distributed in the remote areas to the poorest of the poor who have been hungry due to poverty.

The initiative was launched at DBMS English School campus. Ghosh and his team, Rajani Shekhar, principal, DBMS English School, PK Sahu, vice-principal, DBMS English School, students and teachers of DBMS English School and Bailey Bodhanwala, President of Association of Jharkhand Unaided Private Educational Institutions. The children contributed very generously. In Kadma group there are four schools including DBMS English School, Jusco School, Kadma, Baldwin Farm Area School and Kerala Public School, Kadma and they have been allotted Wednesday to distribute the food as per the initiative.

The remaining 21 schools will be distributing on the other week days as per the distribution schedule.

On Monday, Vidya Bharati Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Valley View School, Hill Top School, Gulmohar High School and Jamshedpur Public School will provide food.

On Tuesday, JH Tarapore School, Loyola School, Beldih Church School, Narbheram Hansraj English School and Sacred Heart Convent School will provide chapatis.

Tarapore School, Kerala Samajam Model School, KPS Burmamines, DAV Patelnagar, KPS NML and DSM School will take the responsibility on Thursday.

Mount Litera Valley, Dayanand Public School, Motilal Nehru Public School, Carmel Junior College, KPS Mango will be part of the initiative on Friday.

For the last nine years Helping Hearts Foundation has been collecting food from 18 restaurants to feed thousands of homeless people daily. We cater to 2,500 people daily but thats not enough and our target is 5,000. The schools have always stood by us and today was really a special initiative, said founder Ashok Ghosh.Minister for Public Relations, Law and Legislative Affairs, Science and Technology, Aviation, Religious Trusts and Endowment PC Sharma said that the State Government is preparing a plan to make entire education free for girls, which will be finalised soon.

He told girls that they must not leave education owing to poor economic condition under any circumstances. If need arises, they should contact local corporator, MLA or him. Every possible help will be provided. Sharma was addressing the Annual Function of Government Higher Secondary School, Chunabhatti, Bhopal.

Mentioning about the Chhindwara model of Madhya Pradesh, Sharma said that Chief Minister of the state is employment creator.

Currently, boys and girls of Chhindwara are working at local, regional, national and international level. Kamal Nath has not only developed infrastructure in Chhindwara but has taken measures for creation of job opportunities and has provided employment to the people. Various industries will be set up in the entire state now for job creation. B3esides, other measures will also be taken to give employment.

Sharma mentioned that proper measures will be taken to provide quality education to school students. He further stated that since Bhopal city is transforming into a Smart city then schools and its classes will also be made smart. Not a single work of school will stop, he added.

Sharma gave awards to first and second prize winners of Yuva Sansad, Kalidas Samaroh and Mogli Utsav, The programme was chaired by the local Corporator Seema Praveen Saxena.It is imperative that access to quality family planning information and services is easy and women are given the power of choice and decision-making

When 17-year-old Suguna Devi, a resident of Khagaria district of Bihar, had her first child within a year of her marriage, celebrations were short-lived. Born prematurely and underweight, the infant died a couple of days later. Within a month of this tragedy, Suguna became pregnant again. Fortunately, this time, her daughter survived. But giving birth in quick succession had made Suguna weak. After three months of struggle to take proper care of her baby, Suguna realised that she was going to be a mother again.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) statistics, 13 per cent of currently married women are not using contraception. Yet, they either want to stop having children or want to wait for two or more years before having their next child. Access to contraception can help the woman take this decision. She can decide how many children she wants and will not be compelled by circumstances. Providing contraceptive information, services and supplies so as to allow women and girls take their own decision was what India had promised seven years ago at the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning (FP2020). India had pledged to expand access to contraceptive choices to its 45 million women, who do not use any modern contraception method, by 2020.

But as statistics show, this goal is unlikely to be reached. The 2015-16 NFHS data showed that huge gaps still exist. Of the 45 million women, 31 million are not using any contraception. Further, the report found 14 million women used unreliable traditional methods, which enhanced the risk of pregnancy by three times when compared to using modern methods (birth control pills, condoms, sterilisation and intrauterine devices).

What is surprising is that despite a decline in Indias total fertility rate (the average number of children that would be born per woman in her life)  from 2.7 children per woman in 2005-06 to 2.2 in 2015-16  there was also a drop in contraceptive use (any method)  from 56.3 per cent in 2005-06 to 53.5 per cent in 2015-16 (NFHS-4). There has also been a decline in the use of modern methods of contraception  from 48.5 per cent in 2005-06 to 47.8 per cent in 2015-16  even though more contraception methods are now available for free under Indias family planning programme.

But Khagarias high Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of four is a clear indication that contraception services still elude women. Moreover, this high TFR has not only remained unchanged over the last decade but surpasses both State and national TFR, which stands at 3.3 and 2.2 respectively. Therefore, not much has changed in terms of usage of contraceptive services over the last 10 years. Incidentally, Bihar retains its position as the State with the highest TFR in India of 3.3 children per woman, according to UN Fund for Population Activities report titled, The State of World Population 2018.

One of the reasons for this is that nearly 41 per cent of the population in Bihar has an unmet demand for modern contraceptive methods. This is the highest in our country. Coupled with unmet need in the State is the fact that teenage birth rate stands at 12.2 per cent. This is the third highest among 20 States in the country after West Bengal (18.3 per cent) and Assam (13.6 per cent). While adolescent pregnancy raises the risk of mother and child death, what further increases the risk for these teenage births is their low Body Mass Index (BMI). Approximately, 45.2 per cent of the girls, aged 15-18 years in the State, have a BMI less than 18 kg/m, indicating that they are underweight. Further, 60.3 per cent of the women aged between 15 and 49 years suffer from anaemia. This means that the chances of post-partum haemorrhage, especially for these 3.5 lakh teenage births in Bihar, are higher and expose the women and girls to maternal mortality and morbidity. The survival of children, who are underweight, and that of anaemic mothers is also bleak. Bihars infant mortality rate (IMR) is 38 per 1,000 live births compared to 34 for the rest of the country.

High-risk births occur because girls and women are unable to understand the risks of early pregnancy. Nor are they empowered to delay or space their pregnancies. Bihar has the lowest spacing time duration (44.4 per cent) with approximately 15 lakh high-risk pregnancies, compared to the national average of 51.9 per cent. Less than three years between pregnancies enhances the risk of maternal and child mortality. This is also a big reason for high Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Bihar, which stands at 208 per 100,000 live births, as per Sample Registration System survey 2015. This is way above the national MMR of 130.

Every woman should be able to decide whether, when and how many children she wants to have. But several factors prevent her from doing so. Early marriage is one of the major reasons why girls are unable to exercise agency. Bihar not only has the highest number of child marriages in India (39.1 per cent)  the national incidence of child marriage among girls aged between 10 and 18 years is 4.5 per cent, according to NFHS-4  the State also has the maximum number of districts (20 out of 38) in the country that remains plagued by child marriage.

So, in Khagaria district, which has the highest prevalence of child marriage in the State, it is not uncommon to see early marriage that is followed by quick motherhood. The percentage of girls marrying below the legal age of marriage in Khagaria is 34.4 (NFHS-4).

Not only is the high percentage of early marriage in rural Bihar (91.4 per cent) worrying but the fact is also that 78.9 per cent of the marriages in the age group between 15 and 19 occur among the poor households (2018 NCPCR-Young Lives study). Poverty often means that education remains out of reach for these girls. A 2017 Population Council study found that two in three unmarried girls and less than one in seven married girls were currently in school. Families appeared to invest less in girls with 41 per cent of unmarried girls not attending school regularly.

Once they are married, fertility for women like Suguna begins too young. Lack of information, coupled with inability to access reproductive and sexual health services, means too many and frequent pregnancies. But by ensuring that adolescents are aware of the services available to them and educating them about their sexual and reproductive health, the Government can help them plan their pregnancy.

This is where family planning corners located at public health centres in Bihar have a pivotal role to play. By providing information about reproductive and sexual health as well as on contraceptive choices, trained counsellors at these family planning counselling desks can help couples space their children. Since unmet contraceptive needs lead to unwanted fertility, an increased use of temporary methods to stop child-bearing may lower total fertility significantly. Family planning counselling corners can give women the freedom to defer having children by using temporary contraceptive methods. And counselling is a crucial component in decision-making.

If couples are educated and allowed to make an informed choice, based on the advantages and disadvantages of contraceptives available, they will want family planning services. There is a clear relationship between TFR and contraceptive prevalence rate. Data has shown that where there is very low contraceptive prevalence, fertility is very high as is in Bihar. In States like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, fertility is lower because contraceptive prevalence is much higher.

By providing an appropriate range of contraceptive services, India can avert 23.9 million births and prevent one million infant deaths and over 42,000 maternal deaths by 2020. It has been proven that as contraceptive use rises, maternal and infant deaths decline. It is estimated that MMR could be reduced by a third through spacing of births. A Lancet study has shown that India would save $18.2 billion in consumption expenditure in 2020 if the FP2020 goal were to be achieved. This would also improve the chances of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.7 goal of eliminating unmet needs by 2030. But it is imperative that access to quality family planning information and services is ensured and women are given the power of choice in planning their families.

(The writer is a senior journalist)Aesthetically repugnant as he may be, many of the US Presidents policies, if he walks the talk, represent an opportunity for India to further its national interest

Of all the speeches, tweets and off-the-cuff remarks which together constitute President Donald J Trumps articulation of the US global policy priorities and ideological positions (or lack thereof), there has never been one that defines his presidency more than his address to the United Nations in end-2017.

It was the most unambiguous speech by a world leader to the globes most ambiguous institution in recent history. In a sense, it was a rather effective exercise in showing the mirror to the UN. He started off by putting the cat firmly among the pigeons by reminding the gathering that President Harry S Truman was instrumental in establishing the UN as an organisation specifically for post-WW II nation-states to help build democratic institutions in their respective countries that would strengthen member-states sovereignty and help them serve their citizens better.

It was a timely intervention. After all, someone needed to juxtapose what was intended with what the UN has become  a sinecure for the elite of various nations which passes ineffective and often unimplementable resolutions, an illiberal club which has ended up bestowing legal rights to groups at the cost of the individual and an organisation that happily tolerates grotesque aberrations of a Libya or Sudan finding a place on its human rights council, for example.

Trump also laid out his doctrine for Americas place in the world which, over the past year and a bit since his speech, seems to have been broadly accepted by the American establishment though his style of doing things is, perfectly understandably, unacceptable to many, including the simpatico. But let us not confuse style with substance. This doctrine emphatically underlines the supremacy of the nation-state in global interaction and/or cooperation while championing sovereignty, security and prosperity for them individually.

Crucially, he was careful to emphasise the demonstration effect of robust, liberal, democracies even as he iterated that Washington was not in favour of imposing a way of life on others and was accepting of diversity in governance models across the globe which may not albeit be ideal. Where he was explicit was in calling out Iran/Yemen, as corrupt, despotic (Islamist) dictatorships and Cuba/Venezuela as corrupt, totalitarian (Socialist) dictatorships. He did, of course, take a swipe at Russia and China, without naming them, for their expansionist moves in the Ukraine and the South China Sea respectively as well. But there was a qualitative difference in the latter criticism, rooted as it was more in fighting both countries as global power competitors as opposed to the bogus internationalism of the so-called Islamist/Socialist countries which are ideologically committed to undermining the global order premised on nation-states or blocs thereof as the primary unit of interaction. (North Korea and Syria, also attacked by Trump, represent proxy threats for the US and are a discussion for elsewhere.)

His definition of such rogue nations as the wicked few and his exhortation to decent nations not to become bystanders were just sound and fury signifying American strategic interests, so they need not detain us here. But his frontal attack on bogus internationalism and exhortation to all UN member nation-states to put their country first just as he was putting America first provides India the opportunity it needs to recalibrate its own place in the world at a time of geo-strategic flux.

In calling for a renewal of the founding principle of the UN, which is its member-states sovereignty, focussing on outcomes not ideology and adhering to what may be termed principled realism, the US, if it continues down this path, has opened up space for India to attempt and secure its strategic interests in a substantial manner. To be facile, all we need is to replace Iran with Pakistan in the countries listed by Trump at the UN and we are good to go! The reality, of course, is more complicated than that; for example, Saudi Arabia should in an ideal world make it to any list of despotic Islamic regimes but it is neither in the US nor Indias interest to proffer such a suggestion. The situation, however, is not so complicated as to not provide New Delhi enough leverage to make space for itself at the high table, provided we keep our domestic internal security situation under control, economic growth robust and democratic institutions ticking over despite the odd setback or two. Especially, given Washingtons targeting as articulated by Trump in his UN speech of those nations which support and promote the aims of Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Taliban and others, the last-mentioned presumably keeping the door open for inclusion of terrorist tanzeems operating in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir in this list.

Of course, in isolating pseudo-socialist totalitarian regimes and repressive Islamic theocracies  though that does not mean one doesnt deal with them in ones national interest even if with a pinched nose  Trump is focussed on US interests; the trick for New Delhi to pull off is to see how far our interests align with Washingtons given this once-in-a-generation opportunity. It is not only about meta-narratives but also the smaller issues on which there is an emerging convergence of views.

For example, Trump was emphatic in telling the UN that pressure by its refugee organisation on the US to allow refugees stateside was in effect dictatorial, chipped away at sovereignty and untenable. At the cost of resettling one refugee in the US, we can help 10 make a better life in their own countries, he said. New Delhi, grappling with similar pressure despite not having the economic wherewithal of the US in regard to, say, accommodating Rohingya refugees, should obviously take note. It is the citizens of low-income neighbouring countries who bear the cost both of refugees fleeing conflict and oppression or plain economic migrants.

US emphasis on result/outcome-orientated global actions, however, does require a fundamental reform of the United Nations itself. That is where the real opportunity for India lies if it can find common ground with the US. For example, given his transactional approach, President Trump has been quick to articulate the long-standing grouse of the American conservative establishment that the US contribution to the UN budget is 22 per cent of the total despite the US being just one of the UNs 193 member-states. But he was quick to add even while encouraging other members to contribute more that the investment was worth it if peace and global order could be delivered. The disproportionate military/financial contribution of the US in terms of the influence it has on the world body is a sentiment India is in a good position to exploit if it is adroit in the steps it needs to take to secure its strategic objectives.

The US Presidents paean to the nation-state and advocacy of independent, strong, prosperous countries guiding the UN as the best way to secure peace in our time as opposed to letting far-off, faceless bureaucracies such as the UN have the deciding say is in consonance with the approach of the Indian deep state. Its better to have people taking ownership of their future rather than be led by a paternalistic global elite that in the name of seeking mutual bliss-points ignores the oppressive nature of the regimes that push this line.

(The writer is an independent journalist and commentator based in New Delhi.)Given their recent experiment during the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, where the SP and BSP registered a combined victory, they are confident that their alliance at the national level will be a success. But both elections are different and the deal needs some fine-tuning to emerge victorious

After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh, resigned because his Government failed to protect the disputed structure despite having given an assurance in the Supreme Court that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government will ensure protection and security of the mosque. This incident led to another bout of State elections in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP was confident that it would return to power, riding high on the Hindutva wave that swept the country then. Kalyan Singh emerged as the Hindu mascot and the 1993 election was contested around him and Ram Mandir.

Amid this political cacophony, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram and the then Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav joined hands. The BSP and SP contested the 1993 Uttar Pradesh elections as allies. Uttar Pradesh once again became a crucible of political experiments, to see whether caste could get the better of religion, because in local parlance, it is believed that religion is the glue that binds all castes. The result was an eye-opener for all. The alliance decimated the BJP and its count came down from 221 to 108 and Mulayam Singh Yadav became the Chief Minister.

In the last 26 years, much water has flown down the Gomati river and the BSP and SP have once again decided to join hands. This time, the mantle is in the hands of BSP chief Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav. On January 12, they made the silhouette of this alliance public with both parties deciding to contest 38 seats each and leaving four seats for other parties, which include Amethi and Rae Bareli for the Congress and two others for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Later, developments showed that SP was ready to give another seat to RLD from its quota. So it will contest on 37 seats.

Plain arithmetic shows that the alliance between the SP and BSP can give jitters to the BJP because in 2014, the saffron party and its allies got 43 per cent votes, which translated into 73 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The party won 71 seats on its own  the highest tally in Uttar Pradesh  and its allay, Apna Dal, won two seats. On the other hand, SP got 22 per cent votes and BSP, 20 per cent, while the Congress secured six per cent. SP won five seats  all of them in the so-called Yadav belt, while the Congress was victorious only in Amethi and Rae Bareli which are the partys pocket boroughs.

Interestingly, all these parties contested elections against each other. Moreover, in 2014, the then Congress-led UPA Government, which was supported by SP and BSP from the outside, was facing massive corruption charges and the mood of the people was against the ruling regime.

In this scenario, the BJP played a shrewd political card by projecting the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, as the partys prime ministerial candidate. The BJP sold the Gujarat model as a precursor of development and promised achche din to the people. Just four to five months before the 2014 elections, signals were clear that the Congress would not return to power and this time, Narendra Modi would head the country. Even in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP gained ground after the Muzaffarnagar pogrom, which divided western Uttar Pradesh along sharp religious lines. Reports of exodus of Hindu families from Kairana and Shamli further added fuel to an already communally surcharged atmosphere.

The situation in 2019, however, is different. The BJP is now facing anti-incumbency. Decisions like demonetisation and the haphazard implementation of the Goods and Service Tax have made the BJP Government unpopular among the masses. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy in its recent study said that over 35 lakh people have lost jobs because of demonetisation when high-value currency notes were culled in one go in 2016. Issues of lack of employment and alleged corruption in the Rafale deal gave the Opposition parties a hammer to beat the Modi Government. To top it all, the agrarian crisis, including non-payment of cane arrears and stray cattle menace in Uttar Pradesh, has made the BJP unpopular among the masses.

In this scenario, the SP-BSP alliance seems to be a potent combination to take on the BJP. Even as the Congress will not be a part of the alliance, and its leaders have declared that the grand old party will contest the election separately, theoretically, it seems that the SP-BSP alliance will sweep the 2019 Lok Sabha election and will win around 50 seats out of a possible 80 in Uttar Pradesh. Yogendra Yadav, the psephologist, has claimed that if the BJP, BSP and SP are able to retain their vote percentage of 43 per cent, 20 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively (which these parties got in 2014), the BJP will win 41 seats, which is 32 less than its tally of 2014, while the BSP-SP alliance will get 41 seats, up by 36 seats, compared to the last elections.

But then, elections are not a game of psephology. They are based on permutations and combinations that vary every passing day and can impact the result, which can be unexpected sometimes. A sitting law-maker of the SP said that on the face of it, party workers are happy that the SP entered into an alliance with the BSP but results cannot be depicted merely on the basis of the 2014 election. In 2014, there was a wave in favour of Modi but in 2019, there is no wave either for or against the BJP. People are angry with the ruling party but that anger needs to be transformed into votes. This is a tedious job and needs to be meticulously worked on, he said.

What has given the Opposition confidence is the results to by-elections in various States. In Uttar Pradesh itself, a united Opposition defeated the BJP in Gorakhpur, Phuplur and Kairana parliamentary elections. Gorakhpur was said to be the BJPs citadel, where Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi had won five times in a row. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, too, won the Phulpur, constituency in 2014. Both leaders vacated their seats after they joined the State Cabinet. Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh was represented by BJP stalwart Hukum Singh. In all these seats, SP, BSP and RLD contested unitedly.

But in politics, people say, by-elections cannot predict the outcome of the general elections. This holds true for the 2019 elections too. One thing is clear that in Uttar Pradesh, where caste plays an important role, selection of candidates will be of paramount importance. A leader, who is popular and is working with the people, can turn the situation in favour of the alliance. But if a candidate is given a ticket merely because he is rich but has no roots among the masses, could prove catastrophic for the alliance.

Second, merely announcing alliance will not unite caste base of both parties at the ground level. Both leaders need to chalk out a strategy to bring a thaw between intermediary castes like the Yadavs, Kurmis and Dalits, who otherwise are always at loggerheads at the village level. If the sense of unity does not percolate down, it will be a requiem for the alliance.

(The writer is Executive Director (News) with Lucknow edition of The Pioneer).The Duchess of Sussex was affectionately described as a fat lady when she visited an animal welfare charity  and fell in love with a Jack Russell dog.

Meghan, who is six months pregnant, showed off her large baby bump in a stylish figure-hugging dress by high street retailer H&M, with a coat by Armani, when she visited her new charity Mayhew.

The duchess toured the charitys north-west London headquarters in Kensal Green to mark last weeks announcement that she has become the organisations patron.

When she chatted to a group of pensioners from a local dementia care home who receive petting dog visits organised by Mayhew, she was introduced to Gothrine McEachrom, known as Peggy, who said: Youre a fat lady.

The Duchess of Sussex after a visit to Mayhew, an animal welfare charity she is now supporting as patron (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA)

Meghan laughed and replied Ill take that.

When Peggy, who had a strong Jamaican accent, said she thought the duchess might be having a son, Meghan replied You think its going to be a boy, I dont know either.

But when the pensioner questioned whether she really did know the sex of her unborn child Meghan added: I dont, I promise you  no  were going to be surprised.

At @TheMayhew The Duchess of Sussex meets Wully, a formerly homeless Pet Refuge service user, and his two dogs Azzy and Gallis  Wully was helped by Mayhews Animal Welfare Officers. pic.twitter.com/exYEOu2Ed0  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 16, 2019

The duchess made the group laugh when she said: I ask everyone what they think and everyone has a very strong opinion about it  and its either a boy and a girl.

During the visit Meghan was introduced to Maggie, a one-year-old Jack Russell who had gone up for adoption on the charitys website.

The duchess picked up the dog when she spotted it was shivering and clutched it to her chest when she chatted to Mayhew staff who told her about the charitys projects in India and Afghanistan.

The Duchess of Sussex with Jack Russell called Minnie (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA)

Meghan had two pet dogs when living in North America but reportedly had to leave behind her dog Bogart, a Labrador-Shepherd cross, who was thought to be too old to make the move to the UK.

Her other dog Guy, a Beagle, did make the journey and is now part of the family and has joined the Sussexs other pet, a black Labrador.

Holding Maggie, who was brought to the Mayhew in November after her owner was unable to care for her, the Duchess said: We cant get another dog before the baby, our hands are full.

The duchess later described her early experiences with her rescue dog Guy, who had been traumatised by earlier experiences.

She said: He was petrified to come in the front door, he didnt know how to go up and down stairs  all the things youre patient with and then you end up with the best dog in the world.

The Duchess of Sussex meets another Jack Russell, Maggi (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA

It is thought Meghan researched Mayhew on the internet before approaching the charity to learn more about its work, and made two private visits, the first in November, before her public tour.

The charity was founded in 1886 and today sees itself as an animal welfare social worker, keeping cats and dogs, whether family pets or companions for the homeless, safe and well alongside their owners, and supporting communities.

It has a pet refuge service, provides vet services to vulnerable owners and has a team of animal welfare officers who work with local residents helping local communities.

During the visit, the duchess was shown a family of five kittens and their mother being cared for by the charity, who had been brought in by a resident.

Wearing five-inch stiletto heels and her 24.99 H & M dress, Meghan also met many of the staff at Mayhews headquarters which it has occupied for more than 130 years.Theresa May is braced for a potentially crushing Commons defeat for her Brexit deal after an eleventh hour appeal for support apparently failed to win round critics.

On a historic day at Westminster MPs will finally deliver their verdict on the Withdrawal Agreement hammered out with Brussels on Tuesday evening.

With more than 100 Tory MPs having declared their opposition to the plan, there was speculation the Government could go down to one of the heaviest defeats of modern times.

The Prime Minister has insisted she is focused on winning the vote  telling Conservative rebels on Monday evening they risked handing the keys of No 10 to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

However The Daily Telegraph quoted one Cabinet source as saying it would be hard for her to carry on if she lost by more than 100 votes.

The Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom insisted Mrs May was determined to continue fighting for her agreement in the best interests of the country.

Anything that looks like that level of disruption would incredibly bad  both for the country and for Brexit, she told BBC2s Newsnight.

So I think the Prime Minister will remain determined to deliver on this deal. Her purpose is to leave the European Union in line with what people voted for. She could not be clearer about that.

The deal suffered its first official parliamentary defeat in the House of Lords on Monday night as peers voted by 321 votes to 152  a majority of 169  to reject it.

Mr Corbyn indicated he was finally ready to table a vote of no-confidence in the Government if it loses in the Commons.

Dont be concerned, its coming soon, he told a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Jeremy Corbyn his signalled he is ready to table a vote of no confidence in the Government (Danny Lawson/PA)

It would appear unlikely Labour can muster enough votes to force a general election, with both Tory rebels and the DUP indicating they would continue to back the Government in a confidence vote.

However Downing Street has given little indication as to how the Prime Minister intends to proceed if she is defeated.

Under the terms of an amendment passed last week, she must table a motion on her Plan B by Monday  although in practice she is unlikely to want to wait that long.

Some reports have suggested she could fly to Brussels  possibly as early as Wednesday  in an attempt wring further concessions on the crucial issue of the Northern Ireland backstop.

But that could prove problematic if she has suffered a massive defeat, with EU leaders reluctant to give ground if they believe it is simply impossible for her to get the deal through the Commons.

Alternatively, she could to bring back the deal to the House for a second  or possibly even a third  time in an attempt to wear down the opposition.

Some MPs claimed to have detected some movement towards her position after she addressed a private meeting of Conservatives MPs at Westminster on Monday evening.

So far, however, the numbers contemplating backing the deal would appear to fall far short of what is needed to affect the final outcome.

The British people are ready for us to move beyond division and come together. pic.twitter.com/WfIqHPoARW  Theresa May (@theresa_may) January 14, 2019

Mrs May will make her final appeal when she winds up five days of debate in the Commons before MPs head to the division lobbies.

Voting is due to begin at 7pm and could continue for around two hours, depending on how many amendments Speaker John Bercow calls before the final meaningful vote on the deal.

Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Mrs May acknowledged the deal was not perfect but urged MPs to give it a second look.

With some pro-Remain MPs backing moves to take control of the parliamentary timetable if she is defeated, she warned any attempt by the House to thwart Brexit would be a subversion of our democracy.

When this deal is voted down, let us not continue to flog this dead horse. Instead we must get brexit right and seize the opportunities before us pic.twitter.com/AosSRdSclS  Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) January 14, 2019

On Monday, Conservative former ministers Nick Boles, Sir Oliver Letwin and Nicky Morgan put forward a plan to give Parliament control over the Brexit process.

Their European Union Withdrawal Number 2 Bill would give the Government three weeks to seek a compromise that can get through the Commons and allow the UK to leave the EU on March 29 as planned.

If that failed, the Liaison Committee  made up of senior backbenchers who chair Commons committees  would be given the job of coming up with its own compromise deal, which the Government would be legally required to implement if approved by MPs.

However, Liaison Committee chairman Sarah Wollaston poured cold water on the proposal, saying backbenchers constitutionally cannot take over conducting a complex international negotiation.Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has said he finds it infuriating that social media firms do not do more to block under-13s from their sites.

The father-of-three said the new world of social media made the process of growing up and getting comfortable with oneself harder than in the past.

He has asked the chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, to draw up new guidance for children on using social media.

In an interview with Grazia magazine, the father to two sons and a daughter, all under the age of 13, said his own children were not allowed on social media.

He said: This is one of the hardest times to be growing up.

Its a very hard time to be a parent, too, because of the amount of pressures that impact on young people.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has said he finds it infuriating that social media companies do not do more to block under-13s (PA)

He added: Everybody goes through a period of becoming comfortable with themselves; thats part of growing up. It was hard in the old world of simple communications, but in this new world its harder still.

Asked whether his children were active on social media yet, Mr Hancock said: No. My daughter is the eldest, shes 12.

Social media companies say their products shouldnt be used by under-13s and it infuriates me that they make it very easy for under-13s to use them and dont do anything to stop them, leaving it all down to parents.

He said he worried about the pressures on young women, saying girls were too often in despair looking at pictures they see online and thinking, Why dont I look like that?, even though many of these pictures are staged  its not just somebody on a normal day in their normal setting.

Mr Hancock also spoke about postnatal depression and the need for greater support for new mothers.

He said: Giving birth should be one of the most wonderful days of your life.

But we all know that is often not the case.

Depression immediately after birth is well documented, but it needs to be much more part of the standard support that the NHS gives to mothers.

PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) can manifest itself several years later.

Weve got to make sure that we recognise it and treat it appropriately.

Talking about the births of his own children, Mr Hancock said: The experiences were very different

I really do understand what it feels like when things dont go right, and I understand the pressures that are put on and how difficult it can be.

Twitter said its services are not directed at children and may not be used by under-13s.

A spokeswoman added: At Twitter our main priority is to serve and improve the health of the public conversation.

This means surfacing more quality, credible content, building new policies and safety tools, and investing in more proactive technology to tackle issues which detract from the health of the conversation.

In 2018, we made more than 70 changes to make the service healthier and safer.

We will continue to build on this momentum in 2019 with renewed energy and a singular focus on protecting the customers we serve.

Facebook declined to comment. Its policy says under-13s should not sign up to Facebook and users are asked to provide a date of birth.The Congress in the last couple of months has started attacking the government saying that the institutions in the country are under attack.

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said democracy is Indias greatest strength and must be defended at any cost, as he cited an incident when an Afghan lawmaker had told him that arguments that take place in Indian Parliament, are carried out with guns in that country. In a Facebook post he recalled that how a delegation of legislators visiting from Afghanistan were sitting in the visitors gallery in parliament.

Mr Gandhi said, And, I was thinking, these MPs have come from abroad and look what we are doing: We are shouting and screaming and yelling. At least when they are here why cant this place be in order? He further added that later the Afghan lawmakers visited him in his office and he told them that he was sorry that they were sitting in the visitors gallery and the lawmakers were not having a nice debate and sort of arguing.

And, then, one of the MPs started crying! I was a bit surprised. I asked her what happened?. You know, Mr. Gandhi, she said, in my country the arguments that you have in this building, your Parliament, are carried out with guns.

Congress president further added, Our democracy is our greatest strength. We must defend it at any cost.

The Congress in the last couple of months has started attacking the government saying that the institutions in the country are under attack.

As the general elections are approaching Mr. Gandhi has become very active on Facebook and twitter. Earlier the social media was the bastion of the BJP but now the Congress and its leadership has increased its digital footprintScotland Yards murder investigation unit has lost a quarter of its officers and staff over the past decade, the Press Association has found.

Last year there were 315 fewer police and civilians working in the Metropolitan Polices homicide and major crime command (HMCC) than in 2008, figures released under freedom of information laws reveal.

(PA Graphics)

The units overall strength decreased by 26% over the 10-year period, while the number of major investigation teams (MITs) dropped from 26 to 18.

By 2018 there were half the number of officers and other staff working within those specialist teams than a decade earlier, data from Britains largest police force shows.

Scotland Yard said its HMCC includes murder detectives as well as specialist operations, such as Winter Key  its child sex abuse probe  and investigations into alleged electoral fraud and the Grenfell Tower fire.

(PA Graphics)

Six weeks after the force was first asked to explain the figures, a spokeswoman said: The Metropolitan Police Service frequently adjusts resources to respond to violence in London.

However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan blamed a shortfall in police funding, which has seen the overall number of police officers drop below 30,000 for the first time in 15 years.

This is the stark reality of years of damaging government cuts that have seen the Met having to make colossal savings of 850 million, a spokesman said.

The revelations come amid a rising tide of violence in the capital with the number of homicides reaching 128 in 2018  according to PA analysis  the highest level in a calendar year this decade.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has highlighted the link between an increase in violence and a decrease in officer numbers (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

London has seen another bloody start to 2019, with six murder probes launched so far, including one into the death of 14-year-old Jaden Moodie.

The youngster was rammed off a moped and repeatedly stabbed in east London last week in what detectives believe was a targeted attack.

PA analysed figures originally obtained by the Murder Map website  which tracks London homicides  showing the strength of the Met Polices HMCC, or its predecessors, in terms of officer and staff numbers. The numbers given were not whole and have been rounded up or down accordingly.

The data shows the total strength of the Metropolitan Polices homicide and major crime command (HMCC) dropped from 1208 in 2008 to 893 in 2018  a 26% decrease.

The number of HMCC officers dropped from 850 to 715  a dip of nearly 16%  over the period, while the number of other staff members fell from 358 to 177  a 50% plunge.

In 2008, the Met had 717 police officers and 168 other staff working across 26 MITs.

But last year there were 402 officers  43% fewer  and just 36 other staff  a 78% reduction working across 18 MITs, which represents a 50% overall decrease in MIT strength, according to the data.

Scotland Yards HMCC dropped to its lowest staffing levels across the period in 2017, when there were just 590 officers and 168 other staff, making a total strength of 758.

However, a boost in officer numbers to 715 and civilian staff members to 177 last year, saw an increase in total HMCC strength to 893  a percentage increase of almost 18% from the previous year and a return to its highest level since 2014.

(PA Graphics)

Figures released separately in December by the Mayors office show the overall strength of the Met police went from 31,460 on October 31 2008 to 29,654 on the same date last year  a decrease of 5.7%.

A spokesman for the Mayor said: This is the stark reality of years of damaging government cuts that have seen the Met having to make colossal savings of 850 million, which has resulted in officer numbers falling below 30,000 for the first time in 15 years.

While even the Home Office admits there is a link between the increase in violence and a decrease in officer numbers, its fallen on deaf ears with ministers failing to reverse the cuts which could see the number of police officers fall still further by 2022.

The Met was first asked for comment on the figures at the end of November and the following month explained the delay in replying was due to doubts over the accuracy of the forces own data.

(PA Graphics)

Scotland Yard said last week: The Metropolitan Police Service frequently adjusts resources to respond to violence in London.

The remit of the Homicide and Major Crime Command (HMCC) incorporates murder detectives as well as a number of specialist operations including the Mets special enquiry team, operation Winter Key and enquiries into election fraud.

HMCC staff figures also reflect those working on the Grenfell Tower fire investigation.

According to Home Office figures, there were 21,331 fewer police officers in England and Wales as of March last year compared with the same point in 2010 and police funding fell by 19% in real terms since over the same period.

While most police force funding comes directly from central government, around 30% is drawn from council tax through the policing precept levy.

The Home Office said decisions about frontline policing and the deployment of resources in London are a matter for Met Commissioner Cressida Dick and the Mayor of London.

The Police Funding Settlement provides the most substantial police funding increase since 2010 and will help police forces to meet the financial pressures they face next year, while also providing additional money for recruitment and neighbourhood policing, counter-terrorism, and fighting serious and organised crime, a spokeswoman said.

Met police funding will increase by 172m next year if the Mayor of London increases council tax precept by 2 a month for a typical (Band D) household.

The Mayors spokesman added: Sadiq is doing everything he can by leading a long-term public-health approach to tackling the complex causes of violence, alongside funding youth projects for thousands of young Londoners and raising a further 95m from council tax to invest in the Met, but it will not fill the huge hole in funding left by government cuts.MOSCOW (AP) - The brother of a former U.S. Marine with multiple citizenships says Irish government representatives have visited Paul Whelan at the Russian prison where he is being held on spying charges.

David Whelan said in a Wednesday statement that diplomatic staff members from Ireland reported that conditions were good in the Moscow prison where his brother is detained. The statement says U.S. officials are expected to visit Thursday.

Whelan was detained on Dec. 28 and has been charged with spying, which carries a potential sentence of 20 years if he's convicted. Russian officials have not released details of the allegations against him.

Whelan, who was living in Michigan and working as global security director for a U.S. company, also holds British and Canadian citizenship.

The U.S. ambassador saw him on Jan. 2.WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general sent White House lawyers a memo arguing that the president could not have obstructed justice by firing ex-FBI Director James Comey, describing a critical prong of the special counsel's Russia investigation as "fatally misconceived," he told the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a letter Monday.

The development, revealed the night before William Barr's confirmation hearing, raises questions about Barr's communications with Trump's attorneys ahead of his nomination and is likely to prompt questions about his ability to impartially oversee special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Democrats were already seeking to question Barr about the memo, which he sent, unsolicited, to the Justice Department in June.

Barr sent the letter Monday to Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, detailing that he sent the memo to White House lawyer Emmet Flood, Solicitor General Noel Francisco and Pat Cipollone, who is now White House counsel. Barr also discussed the contents of the memo with Trump's attorneys, Jay Sekulow and Jane and Martin Raskin, he said in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

"The memorandum did not suggest that a President can never obstruct justice," Barr wrote. "Quite the contrary, it expressed my belief that a President, just like anyone else, can obstruct justice if he or she engages in wrongful actions that impair the availability of evidence."

Barr sent the memo while he was in private practice and months before he was selected by Trump for the top Justice Department job. On Tuesday, Barr will seek to assure lawmakers that the memo was narrowly focused on a single theory of obstruction that media reports suggested Mueller might be considering, according to a copy of his prepared remarks provided by the Justice Department.

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2019, photo, President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, William Barr, meets with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Capitol Hill in Washington. As he did almost 30 years ago, Barr is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to make the case he's qualified to serve as attorney general. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Barr is expected to tell senators he wrote it himself as a former attorney general "who has often weighed in on legal issues of public importance."

As part of his testimony, Barr is also expected to tell the senators that Trump didn't seek any assurances or promises before nominating him.

In the memo, Barr argues that it could be disastrous for the presidency and the Justice Department if Mueller concludes that actions the president is legally permitted to take - including firing an FBI director or granting a pardon - could constitute obstruction because of a subjective determination that they were done with corrupt intent.

Barr acknowledged a president can commit obstruction of justice by destroying evidence or tampering with witnesses. But, he said, he wasn't aware of any accusation like that in Mueller's investigation.

Barr, who previously served as attorney general in the early 1990s, had contemplated writing an op-ed before he penned the memo, which he sent to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he said in Monday's letter.

Barr insisted in his letter to Graham that the memo on Mueller's investigation was "not to influence public opinion on the issue" and instead he wanted lawyers involved in the case to "make sure that all of the lawyers involved carefully considered the potential implications of the theory."

He also provided or discussed the memo with at least nine other people, including Abbe Lowell, an attorney who represents Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law, as well as George Terwilliger, who was Barr's deputy attorney general in the 1990s, he said.

Barr's role overseeing the Russia probe may be especially important since Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and has overseen his day-to-day work, expects to leave the Justice Department soon after Barr is confirmed.

CNN first reported that Barr sent the memo to White House officials.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.CHICAGO (AP) - Prosecutors are recommending that the former Chicago police officer convicted in the 2014 shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald be sentenced to at least 18 years in prison and a defense attorney is urging the judge allow the officer to be released on probation.

In documents filed this week in anticipation of Friday's sentencing of Jason Van Dyke, the arguments display widely divergent interpretations of the state's complex sentencing formula, a reflection of the struggle that legal experts have had in trying to determine the sentence the white ex-officer might be facing since a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in October.

The jurors also convicted the 40-year-old Van Dyke of 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm - one for each shot that hit the 17-year-old McDonald. They opted for a conviction of second-degree murder rather the first-degree murder, which had been available to them. A first-degree murder conviction would have carried a maximum sentence of life and - factoring in enhancements for having used a gun - a mandatory minimum of 45 years in prison.

The punishment for second-degree murder is no less than four years behind bars but no more than 20 years. Each count of aggravated battery carries a mandatory minimum of six years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. If Van Dyke had to serve six years for each of the 16 counts - and do so one sentence after another - that would add up to 96 years.

In his brief filed Monday, Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon argues that Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan could potentially sentence Van Dyke to 96 years if he finds that all 16 bullets that struck McDonald on the night of Oct. 20, 2014, caused "serious bodily injury." But the prosecutor says that even if he agrees with the defense that "at least two of the shots fired by the defendant were fatal," the minimum sentence should be 18 years.

"Any count for which this Court makes a finding of severe bodily injury is subject to a mandatory consecutive sentence," wrote McMahon, meaning that if Gaughan determines six shots severely injured McDonald then those minimum six-year sentences must be served back to back.

FILE - in this Dec. 14, 2018, file photo, former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke, left, appears for a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, in Chicago. Attorneys in the case of the former Chicago police officer convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the 2014 shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald are making their final arguments to a judge who will impose the sentence the week of Jan. 14, 2019. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)

Defense attorney Dan Herbert argues that if the judge sentences Van Dyke, who has been in custody since his conviction, on the second-degree murder charge then he should put Van Dyke on probation. But, Herbert said, that if he chooses to sentence the former officer for aggravated battery then he should impose the minimum sentence. Herbert doesn't say in his filings what that sentence is, but the minimum sentence for that charge is six years in prison.

Herbert's nearly 300 pages of filings mostly focus on the feelings of Van Dyke's family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. The more than 100 letters that the defense submitted in the filings included ones written by Van Dyke's two young daughters, and his wife, Tiffany.

One daughter wrote that on the day of the verdict "my heart ripped out of my chest."

"I have no appetite, I do not sleep at night due to nightmares and crying because I wonder if my dad has pillows or blankets or has eaten before going to bed," she added. "If I do sleep, it is because I cry myself to sleep, wondering why this world is backwards." She expressed condolences to the McDonald family, but added: "Bring my dad home. Please."

Tiffany Van Dyke, in her letter, told the judge her husband was "convicted by the court of public opinion a long time ago, way before the trial."

Herbert also noted Van Dyke had no criminal record prior to his conviction at trial and wasn't likely to commit any such offense again. The defense documents argue that other factors that make leniency the best option include Van Dyke's belief that he was acting in self-defense.

At trial, Herbert repeatedly tried to pin much of the blame on McDonald, a strategy that fell flat on the jury. In the filings, he made some of the same arguments.

"Although the jury decided Jason acted unreasonably, Mr. McDonald is not blameless in the incident," he said in the filings, adding that McDonald was on a "PCP-fueled crime spree" that included the slashing of a patrol car's tire.

Prosecutors displayed dashcam video at trial that showed Van Dyke opening fire as McDonald walks away holding a folded knife. The teen crumples to the ground after the first shot or two, barely moving. But the officer continues shooting more than a dozen shots into his body for another roughly 10 seconds.CHICAGO (AP) - A judge on Monday imposed an 84-year prison sentence on a Chicago man who fatally shot a 15-year-old honor student a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration festivities.

Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford handed down the punishment to 24-year-old Micheail Ward five months after Ward was convicted of murder and aggravated battery in the killing of Hadiya Pendleton.

"I am upset that I'm the one that's going down for a murder that I didn't commit," said Ward, asserting his innocence in court Monday. "All y'all had to do was take time to investigate it. . Y'all would have seen what happened."

Ford, a former prosecutor, said it was Ward's own words - both at his sentencing and in a videotaped statement to police after his 2013 arrest - that sealed his fate.

"What you have noticed in his remarks was a complete absence of empathy," said Ford, standing at the bench as he delivered his remarks often in a raised voice.

The defense contended detectives manipulated Ward into making a false statement. His lawyers told jurors that Ward was wrong about key facts about the shooting, which they said proved he was innocent.

Micheail Ward listens during his sentencing hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on January, 14, 2019 in Chicago. Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the slaying of Hadiya Pendleton. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford imposed an 84-year prison sentence on Ward who fatally shot Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student, a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration festivities. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Pendleton became a symbol of Chicago's gang violence when she was caught in the crossfire of a gang feud she had nothing to do with. Obama spoke of her death during his 2013 State of the Union address, and then-first lady Michelle Obama attended her funeral.

Last year, a jury concluded Ward, who was 18 at the time, was guilty of firing the fatal shot that struck Pendleton in the back. A separate jury found the man accused of driving the getaway car, Kenneth Williams, guilty of first-degree murder as well. Ward and Williams also were convicted of aggravated battery for the wounding of two others.

On Monday, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Brian Holmes called Ward "a sociopath," noting Ward was on probation in January 2013 when the shooting occurred. He added that Ward "is the face of senseless gun violence in Chicago."

Pendleton's mother and brother gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing.

"Hadiya is serving a death sentence . and the whole family is doing life as a result of her death," Cleopatra Cowley said.

Nathaniel Pendleton Jr. said he still regrets not being able to come to his sister's aid, although he was not with her at the time of the shooting.

"I still to this day have not been able to forgive myself, and sometimes I don't think I ever will," he said.

Micheail Ward speaks during his sentencing hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on January, 14, 2019 in Chicago. Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the slaying of Hadiya Pendleton. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford imposed an 84-year prison sentence on Ward who fatally shot Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration festivities. five months after Ward was convicted of murder and aggravated battery in the killing of Pendleton. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Defense attorney Julie Koehler, left, speaks at the side of Micheail Ward during the sentencing of Ward at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on Monday, January, 14, 2019 in Chicago. Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the slaying of Hadiya Pendleton. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford imposed an 84-year prison sentence on Ward who fatally shot Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration festivities. five months after Ward was convicted of murder and aggravated battery in the killing of Pendleton. (Jose M. Osorio/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Prosecuting attorney Brian Holmes holds a photograph of Hadiya Pendleton as he speaks at the sentencing of Micheail Ward at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on January, 14, 2019 in Chicago. Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the slaying of Hadiya Pendleton. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford imposed an 84-year prison sentence on Ward who fatally shot Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration festivities. five months after Ward was convicted of murder and aggravated battery in the killing of Pendleton. (Jose M. Osorio/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Cleopatra Cowley and Nathaniel Pendleton Sr., parents of Hadiya Pendleton, listen during the sentencing hearing of Micheail Ward at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on January, 14, 2019 in Chicago. Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the slaying of Hadiya Pendleton. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford imposed an 84-year prison sentence on Ward who fatally shot Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration festivities. five months after Ward was convicted of murder and aggravated battery in the killing of Pendleton. (Jose M. Osorio/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday he's "glad to be out of the swamp" after taking a job at a private investment company in the wake of his resignation and amid unresolved ethics investigations into his actions while in President Donald Trump's Cabinet.

North Carolina-based Artillery One said Monday that Zinke had been hired as its managing director to pursue "investing opportunities" in energy, financial technology and cybersecurity. Company chief executive Daniel Cannon declined to identify any of the firm's clients or any investment projects in which it has been involved.

Zinke told The Associated Press he had "joined a winning team" following his previous service as a Navy SEAL, a Republican state lawmaker and Montana's sole member the U.S. House of Representatives. There has been speculation Zinke would run for Montana governor, although he said recently he won't be seeking public office in the next election cycle.

"I am glad to be out of the swamp and free from the chains of office," Zinke said in a text message.

Cannon and Zinke declined to give further details on the terms of his new employment.

After spending almost two years leading an agency that oversees 500 million acres of public lands, Zinke announced his resignation from the Interior Department last month and left the post on Jan. 2. He's denied any wrongdoing amid investigations into his private business dealings, a decision to block a tribal casino and other matters.

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018, file photo, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke speaks after an order withdrawing federal protections for countless waterways and wetland was signed, at EPA headquarters in Washington. Former Interior Secretary Zinke has gotten a job with a private investment company after leaving the Trump administration amid unresolved ethics investigations. North Carolina-based Artillery One said Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, that Zinke has been hired as managing director and will pursue investing opportunities in energy, financial technology and cybersecurity. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Zinke's tenure in President Donald Trump's Cabinet was marked by a shift toward policies more favorable to the oil and gas industry. Artillery One cited his "expertise in the energy and technology sectors" as a reason for his hiring.

Democrats in Congress have said they plan to hold hearings in coming months examining Zinke's time at Interior, including his recommendation to reduce the size of some national monuments.

Artillery One said in its announcement that Zinke would be based in Montana and California but travel extensively abroad and follow President Donald Trump's agenda of promoting economic development.

Zinke officially started with the Highlands, North Carolina, company on Jan. 12, Cannon said in an email.North Carolina's flagship public university plans to remove the pedestal where a now-toppled Confederate statue once stood on a main campus quad, its chancellor said Monday.

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt also announced she will step down at the end of the school year. Folt's surprise order to put the pedestal in storage drew an angry response from the leader of the board overseeing the state's public universities, but he stopped short of saying he would seek to stop the removal.

Folt said she was concerned about safety at the site that continues to draw protesters for and against the statue known as "Silent Sam," but she gave no timetable for taking away the massive pedestal and bronze memorial plaques. The items would go into storage while their fate is decided.

"The presence of the remaining parts of the monument on campus poses a continuing threat both to the personal safety and well-being of our community and to our ability to provide a stable, productive educational environment," Folt said. "No one learns at their best when they feel unsafe."

The statewide Board of Governors has given itself until mid-March to come up with a plan for the fate of the statue, which also been stored since it was toppled last August by protesters who say it was a racist symbol.

Board of Governors Chairman Harry Smith issued a statement saying Folt's announcement hadn't altered the panel's timeline for deciding what to do with the statue.

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2018, file photo, police stand guard after the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam was toppled by protesters on campus at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. The chancellor of North Carolina's flagship public university said Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, the school will remove the pedestal where the Confederate statue stood until protesters tore it down. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

"We are incredibly disappointed at this intentional action," he said of Folt's plan to remove the pedestal. "It lacks transparency and it undermines and insults the Board's goal to operate with class and dignity."

As the public face of the university, Folt had been criticized both by those who wanted the statue gone for good, and those who said state law required it to be restored to where it had stood in McCorkle Place since 1913. The announcement of her departure comes weeks after the rejection of a plan, which Folt helped craft, to build a new $5 million history center on campus to house Silent Sam. Folt's announcement also comes shortly after the departure of the president of the statewide university system, Margaret Spellings, who had also frequently drawn protesters' barbs.

The Board of Governors rejected that plan in December and announced it would go "back to the drawing board." Folt acknowledged in December that the plan to build the history center "didn't satisfy anyone."

Folt, who came to UNC in 2013 from Dartmouth College, said Monday she was proud of work she'd overseen on the Campaign for Carolina fundraising drive that raised more than $2 billion as of last summer, or about half of its ambitious goal. "I've decided that this is the right time for me to pass the leadership of our outstanding university, with all its momentum, to the next chancellor," she wrote Monday.

But Folt's tenure also saw UNC sued by a transgender employee over the state's so-called bathroom bill, as well as the Silent Sam debate growing more heated after a deadly white nationalist rally in Virginia in 2017.

Some of the Chapel Hill campus trustees issued a statement saying they supported Folt's decision to remove the pedestal and applauding her service.

"We thank Chancellor Folt for working tirelessly to elevate our University each and every day to serve the people of North Carolina and beyond," said the statement signed by three trustees and issued by the university.

Board chairman Haywood Cochrane, whose name wasn't on the statement, didn't respond to a message seeking comment.

"Silent Sam" was toppled in August by protesters who decried its origins, including a racist speech by a former Confederate when it was dedicated.

In early December, Folt and the Chapel Hill campus trustees proposed a site for the new history center about a mile from where the statue previously stood, saying they had to balance safety concerns with a strict 2015 state historical law on Confederate monuments. At the time, Folt and several trustees said they would prefer moving the statue off campus entirely, but were restricted by the monuments law that allows relocation only in narrow circumstances.

On Monday night, Frank Powell, spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans' North Carolina chapter, said he believes removing the pedestal would violate the 2015 law.

"The law is the law, whether you like it or not," he said by phone, adding that the university has "already succumbed to mob rule" by allowing the statue to be toppled.

___

Associated Press writers Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest and Tom Foreman Jr. in Winston-Salem contributed to this report.

___

Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/JonathanLDrewNEWPORT, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire toddler, barefoot and clad only in a nightgown, was found dead early Monday in bitter cold weather just feet from her front door after she managed to get out of her house and couldn't get back in.

Police in the small town of Newport said they received several 911 calls around 7:10 a.m. about an unresponsive child who was not breathing. When they arrived at the two-story residence, they pronounced the girl dead. A preliminary investigation found the child, identified by family as Sofia Van Schoick, had left the house on her own and "was not able to regain entry," said authorities.

Police Chief James Burroughs said they took the temperature at the scene, and it was 8 degrees below zero. Later, Burroughs said the child died as a result of "exposure to the elements and hypothermia which are consistent with the autopsy results."

"I don't believe it was too difficult for the child to get out," Burroughs said, adding that her death appears to be accidental.

The toddler's grandfather, Lindsay Van Schoick, said the family is still trying to understand what happened.

"It's rough," he said. "It was a terrible accident, a terrible accident. She (his daughter) is doing horrible. She is doing terrible. She just lost one of her children."

This undated family photo provided by Lindsay Van Schoick shows his granddaughter Sofia Van Schoick, who was found dead outside her house in sub-zero weather early Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Newport, N.H. She was 2-years-old. (Courtesy of Lindsay Van Schoick via AP)

Van Schoick, who was at the Newport home, said the family had just moved into the apartment and his granddaughter may not have known her way around. He also said the front door leading outside was easy to open and the family had not had time to put deadbolts on the entrance.

"I don't think she made it up the stairs. They found her at the bottom of the stairs," he said. "There are things we will never know. We'll never know what happened."

Burroughs said the accident remained under investigation by the police and the Sullivan County Attorney's Office and that it had been referred to the state Division for Children, Youth and Families, as is routine in cases like this. Among the things that will be looked at are how the child got out of the house and whether there were proper safeguards to prevent it, he said.

"Certainly there are things parents can do to protect their children better and prevent people coming or going from your residence," he said. "Those safeguards that seem common and obvious to some are not always that way for others. Accidents happen where either you forget to put locks in or chains on your doors or dead bolts to prevent this from happening."

WMUR-TV reported a woman and her boyfriend who lived next door heard cries around 4 a.m. Monday but didn't see anything. They went back to bed and the woman later found the girl at the bottom of the stairs leading to the child's apartment.

"I was coming out of my kitchen and looked out the window. I saw a woman standing on the porch, a gentleman in the driveway and what I thought as a doll laying facedown next to the stairs," said Charlotte Caron, who lived in the same house as the woman and her boyfriend. "All of a sudden I heard a scream. I saw a second woman come out of the house, grab the child and go back inside."

The toddler's grandfather, who lost a son five years ago, said the death of a girl he described as "very intelligent, precocious, very stubborn and adamant" has hit the family hard.

"She was a very special kid," he said.

Alan Ayotte, a neighbor of the family who lived in the same house, said he had met them briefly and they "seemed to be fine, decent people." He never heard anything overnight and only learned of the accident when emergency officials arrived early Monday.

"It's just unbelievable that something happened like that," he said. "It's too bad that someone couldn't have prevented it."WASHINGTON (AP) - As he did almost 30 years ago, William Barr is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to make the case he's qualified to serve as attorney general.

Barr served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 and has been nominated by President Donald Trump to do the job again. His confirmation hearing Tuesday has multiple story lines worth watching.

The 68-year-old nominee aims to show Republicans he's sufficiently supportive of Trump's tough-on-crime and hardline immigration agenda while assuring skeptical Democrats that special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation will finish without interference or interruption.

The panel he'll face is led by a new Republican chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, known for a rapid-fire questioning style. It also includes at least three Democrats seen as potential presidential contenders - Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota - for whom the hearing could be an opportunity to raise their profiles.

Unless there's a major surprise, Barr is expected to win confirmation likely by next month - not only because Republicans control the Senate but also because some Democrats are eager to move on from Matthew Whitaker, the controversial acting attorney general.

Some things to watch:

Attorney General nominee William Barr arrives to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. Barr will face questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about his relationship with Trump, his views on executive powers and whether he can fairly oversee the special counsel's Russia investigation. Barr served as attorney general under George H.W. Bush. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

THE SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION:

The hearing will unquestionably be dominated by talk of Barr's oversight of Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Barr will tell the committee that he believes Mueller should be permitted to conclude his investigation, and that he thinks Congress and the public should be able to see the results of Mueller's work.

Those statements, released ahead of the hearing, were aimed at pre-empting some of the most significant questions Barr will face from Democrats.

Barr's oversight is especially significant since Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and who has overseen his day-to-day work, is expected to step down soon after Barr is confirmed. And Barr's own comments about the Mueller investigation have attracted scrutiny, including an unsolicited memo he sent the Justice Department last year criticizing the special counsel's inquiry into whether Trump had sought to obstruct justice.

Barr says the memo was narrowly focused on a single theory of obstruction and didn't touch the broader questions surrounding Russian election interference.

He revealed in a letter disclosed Monday that he had also sent the memo to White House lawyers and lawyers for Trump.

In his statement, Barr called Mueller a friend he's known personally and professionally for 30 years.

PRESIDENTIAL POWER:

Democrats will almost certainly grill Barr on the expansive view of presidential power he's displayed at the Justice Department and in the years since.

That philosophy is freshly relevant now that Barr would be working for a president who appears to relish the power of the office and who has taken unilateral actions, including firing FBI director James Comey, that have come under scrutiny.

As deputy attorney general, Barr advised then-President George H.W. Bush that he did not need congressional approval to attack Iraq. Earlier, when he led the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, he wrote opinions that allowed the U.S. government to invade Panama and arrest its dictator, Manuel Noriega, as well as to capture suspects without the consent of their host nations.

As attorney general in 1992, he endorsed Bush's pardons of Reagan administration officials in the Iran-Contra scandal.

Barr has discussed those decisions in depth in the past but may be pressed on them again, especially in the context of the Mueller investigation.

TOUGH-ON-CRIME POLICIES:

Barr pushed tough-on-crime policies as attorney general. But he will seek to assure lawmakers that he supports a recent bill that overhauls federal sentencing rules.

During his first stint as attorney general, Barr advocated building more prisons, making penalties more severe and swift and using laws to keep criminals behind bars longer.

Now, Barr will tell lawmakers that he supports the First Step Act, a sweeping criminal justice overhaul. Trump has touted the law as a bipartisan effort to address concerns that too many Americans were imprisoned for nonviolent crimes as a result of the drug war. Barr opposed a 2015 bill that contained many of the same key elements as the First Step Act.

His prepared remarks show Barr will tell lawmakers that he would "diligently implement" the First Step Act. The measure "recognizes the progress we have made over the past three decades," he says.

Still, Barr says the Justice Department must "keep up the pressure" on chronic, violent criminals. Advocates fear Barr's views have not significantly changed since the early 1990s.

IMMIGRATION:

Barr says he'll continue to prioritize immigration enforcement and says the government must be able to hold and remove people who illegally enter the U.S.

Barr's comments reflect similar thinking to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who drew heavy criticism from immigration activists after defending the Trump administration's policy separating families during a crackdown on those entering the U.S. illegally.

Barr will tell senators that the Justice Department cannot allow people to flout America's legal system by "crashing in through the back door."

AN INDEPENDENT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT:

Barr faces a tough task in asserting the Justice Department's independence, and defending the lawyers who work there, while also serving a president who demands loyalty.

Barr insisted Monday that the president never sought any promises, commitments or assurances from him before naming him attorney general.

Trump fired Comey months after asking him for loyalty, forced out Sessions over recusing from the Russia investigation and has repeatedly claimed political bias in federal law enforcement.

It remains to be seen how Barr will respond if and when Trump lashes out at the FBI and Justice Department. But his statement does describe Justice Department employees as "dedicated professionals" and takes care to note that law, not politics, holds sway inside the Justice Department.

Attorney General nominee William Barr grabs the nose of his grandson Liam as he arrives to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. Barr will face questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about his relationship with Trump, his views on executive powers and whether he can fairly oversee the special counsel's Russia investigation. Barr served as attorney general under George H.W. Bush. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

William Barr, President Trump's pick to be the next attorney general, is welcomed to testify at his confirmation hearing by new Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Attorney General nominee William Barr, right, shakes hands with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, as he arrives before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. Barr will face questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about his relationship with Trump, his views on executive powers and whether he can fairly oversee the special counsel's Russia investigation. Barr served as attorney general under George H.W. Bush. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)NEW YORK (AP) - A hedge fund-backed bid to buy Gannett Co., the publisher of USA Today and several other major dailies, is renewing fears of consolidation and job losses - as well as a decline in the quantity and quality of news coverage - in the already battered newspaper industry.

MNG Enterprises, better known as Digital First Media, offered $1.36 billion on Monday for Gannett, saying in a letter that it can run the company more profitably via tight cost controls and consolidation of operations such as printing and administration.

Gannett said its board will review the proposal.

Investors gave the deal a vote of confidence, immediately pushing Gannett stock up more than 20 percent to almost $12, the amount Digital First is offering.

The proposed deal is the latest indication newspapers aren't done suffering from the punishing effects of the internet. Over the past decade, U.S. papers have struggled as giants like Google and Facebook siphoned off readers and advertising dollars.

Many publications have already made dramatic cuts in their newsroom staffs and scaled back coverage. Even then, acquirers still often swoop in and make even deeper cuts. In July , for example, Tribune Publishing, then known as Tronc, cut half of the New York Daily News' newsroom staff, including the editor in chief.

FILE - In this July 14, 2010, file photo, the Gannett Co.headquarters sign stands in McLean, Va. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that MNG Enterprises, better known as Digital First Media, is preparing to bid for newspaper publisher Gannett Co. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Digital First has a reputation for especially ruthless cost-cutting.

The takeover bid is "very bad news for anybody who works for a Gannett paper or reads a Gannett paper," said Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University in Boston. "Gannett is a publicly traded company, of course, and it runs its properties pretty lean, but nevertheless they have a reputation for offering a certain degree of quality."

"Digital First is really the most avaricious of the newspaper chains these days," and is "unique in the degree to which it is willing to cut" costs and jobs, Kennedy said.

Digital First is one of the biggest U.S. newspaper chains, with about 200 papers and other publications, including The Denver Post and the Boston Herald. Its biggest shareholder is Alden Global Capital, a New York hedge fund that invests in distressed companies.

Gannett publishes more than 100 papers around the country, including USA Today; the Detroit Free Press; The Record in New Jersey; The Tennessean in Nashville; the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; the El Paso Times; The Des Moines Register; and the Arizona Republic.

Overall, estimated U.S. daily newspaper circulation, print and digital combined, fell 11 percent to 31 million in 2017, according to the Pew Research Center. As recently as 2000, weekday subscriptions totaled 55.8 million.

USA Today's daily circulation was 3.1 million in 2017, down from 3.6 million in 2016, a count that includes both print and digital readers.

Gannett has faced declining profits for years. Its annual profit fell 97 percent to $6.9 million between 2013 and 2017, although the company spun off part of its business during that period. In November, it cut its 2018 profit and revenue forecast . Its CEO, Robert Dickey, announced plans to step down by May.

That's despite several years of buying media companies and slashing costs. Gannett has substantially increased its digital ad revenue, and its journalism has won critical acclaim, including three Pulitzer Prizes last year.

Analysts said Digital First is seizing on Gannett's weakness by making the offer now.

Digital First faced an outcry from employees about cutbacks at other papers it has bought. In April, the Denver Post ran an editorial headlined "As vultures circle, The Denver Post must be saved." It called on Alden Global Capital to sell the paper after it cut 30 more positions in the newsroom. Then in May , three top figures at the Post, including its former owner, resigned amid budget and staff cuts.

Some fear a takeover of Gannett would cause a decline in quality journalism at a time of political turmoil and increasing antagonism toward the media.

"If Digital First acquires Gannett it will be good for their business but bad for everyone else, including employees that work at Gannett papers and the local communities that those newsrooms serve," said Victor Pickard, communications professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

The move would "hurt our democratic society at a time when we need more journalists, not fewer. DFM has a well-deserved reputation for being 'vulture capitalists' because they bleed these already-suffering papers dry and pick over their bones for profits."

Gannett's would-be buyer pushed back at the notion that its sole motive is financial.

"MNG has extensive operational experience and a successful track record in the newspaper industry, enabling us to run newspapers profitably and sustainably so that they can continue to serve their local communities," said Paul Caminiti, a spokesman for MNG.

Gannett could reject the Digital First offer, but as the industry contracts, it is likely to face consolidation of some sort.

Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst at Harvard's Nieman Lab, suggested it might consider a combination with a rival newspaper company such as Tribune Publishing. (Gannett tried but failed to acquire Tribune in 2016.) That would mean cost-cutting as well, but perhaps not as severe as what Digital First might undertake.

"From a journalistic point of view, they want to maintain the quality of the newsroom as much as they can, even though both companies would cut dramatically," Doctor said.

___

AP Technology Writer Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.PM said conduct of Kerala's govt on Sabarimala issue would go down in history as one of 'most shameful behaviours by any party and govt'.

Yechury alleged the RSS and the BJP were violating law in Kerala and had turned Sabarimala into 'Ayodhya of South India' by polarising people on religious grounds. (Photo: File)

Bhopal: CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the party-led government in Kerala over the Sabarimala row and claimed his statements amounted to "contempt of court".

Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Kollam on Tuesday, PM Modi had said the conduct of Kerala's CPM-led LDF government on the Sabarimala issue would go down in the history as one of the "most shameful behaviours by any party and government".

PM Modi had also said the Congress and Communists were talking about gender justice in the Sabarimala issue but their actions were "just opposite".

Yechury condemned PM Modi for his remarks.

"He charged the elected government in Kerala with not paying attention to public sentiments. The issue was that the Supreme Court has ordered that women (of all ages) be given equal rights as far as entry in Sabarimala temple is concerned," he told reporters.

"No elected government has any other option but to implement an SC order. Now the prime minister of the country is saying why the Supreme Court's order was implemented," he said.

Yechury said the prime minister had taken oath of the Constitution, which said the apex court's orders have to be implemented, especially by the elected governments.

"We believe the PM's speech amounted to contempt of court. Now the Supreme Court has to take cognisance about this, but this doesn't look possible," he said.

The veteran Communist termed PM Modi as a "demolition man", saying he has "demolished institutions and economy of the country".

Yechury alleged the RSS and the BJP were violating law in Kerala and had turned Sabarimala into "Ayodhya of South India" by polarising people on religious grounds.

The CPM leader ruled out any national-level pre-poll alliance with the Congress and favoured state-specific tie-ups to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He said "an anti-BJP, secular and democratic alliance" is possible after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Those against Modi ji are facing legal action," Yechury said when asked about the chargesheet filed against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 JNU sedition case.ATLANTA (AP) - The sentencing hearing for a former high-ranking Atlanta city official was dramatically cut short Monday when she collapsed to the floor as the judge sentenced her to prison.

Katrina Taylor-Parks, 49, pleaded guilty in August to conspiring to accept bribes while she was former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed's deputy chief of staff. Federal prosecutors say Parks accepted thousands of dollars from a vendor in exchange for helping him secure city contract work.

She was the sixth person charged and the fifth to plead guilty in a federal investigation into corruption at City Hall that U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak said remains ongoing.

Parks, who was standing to receive her sentence from U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, collapsed immediately after he ordered her to spend a year and nine months in prison and to pay $15,000 in restitution. She shook as she lay on the floor saying she couldn't breathe, and U.S. marshals cleared the courtroom.

Medical personnel arrived to help her, and she was taken from the federal courthouse in downtown Atlanta by ambulance.

The judge was not able to finish imposing the sentence, and lawyers for Parks and for the government said the sentence wasn't finalized and will be completed later.

Roughly 30 people had packed the courtroom to show their support for Parks, and four addressed the judge. They told him of her kindness, her devotion to the city and her community and the difference she made mentoring young people.

One of her attorneys, Jay Strongwater, told the judge that Parks is the main caregiver for her elderly mother, who suffers from dementia. She was a devoted public servant, aside for the crimes that landed her in court, had shown great remorse and aided the government's investigation, Strongwater said.

He asked that she be allowed to serve her sentence on home confinement, followed by a period of supervision with strict conditions.

"I recognize my lack of judgment and take full responsibility for those actions," Parks told the judge in an emotional statement as she asked for his mercy.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Davis said the case was a difficult one. He cited Parks' otherwise exemplary and law-abiding life but said that had to be weighed against her severe criminal conduct.

"Ms. Parks' conduct shatters the very delicate trust between the city of Atlanta and its citizens," Davis said.

Prosecutors have said that beginning in 2011 Parks met multiple times with a city vendor and accepted bribes from him in exchange for using her position to help him win city work. Over a period of more than 18 months, Parks traded her powerful influence over city contracts for approximately $15,000 in money, trips and gifts, including a Louis Vuitton handbag, a trip to Chicago and a cruise to Mexico, Davis said.

In interviews with the FBI in November 2017 and February of last year, Parks falsely said she had never taken money from the vendor, prosecutors have said.

The year and nine months in prison that the government had recommended actually showed great leniency and took into account her cooperation, Davis said.

He noted that, since May, she had provided information to the FBI, the IRS and the U.S. attorney's office during 16 in-person meetings and four phone calls. She also made 11 recordings for the FBI and authorized agents to download information from two cellphones, Davis said.

Jones said he was impressed by the number of her supporters and the good things they said about her. But he said he couldn't overlook the seriousness of her crimes and was especially troubled by evidence that suggested she pressured city employees to do things that weren't right. He also noted that she had lied to the FBI about her relationship with the vendor until agents presented her with evidence.

Four other people have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison as a result of the Atlanta corruption investigation. They include the city's former chief procurement officer, two construction contractors and a man who tried to intimidate one of the construction contractors to keep him from talking to federal investigators.

Former city director of human services and political consultant Mitzi Bickers is accused of soliciting and accepting payments to help steer lucrative city contracts to two construction contractors and their companies. She has pleaded not guilty.LOS ANGELES (AP) - A California state appeals court justice was accused Monday of repeatedly groping a colleague's breasts, suggesting they have an affair and telling a police officer who served as his driver that he wanted to have sex with her in his chambers.

The Commission on Judicial Performance charged Justice Jeffrey W. Johnson of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles with nine counts of misconduct for allegations that date back 15 years to his time as a federal magistrate judge, when he allegedly asked a court clerk if she had a breast enlargement and whether he could touch them.

An attorney for Johnson said he denies the allegations, passed a lie detector test about the most serious accusations and plans to present evidence from other colleagues and court employees in his defense.

"Justice Johnson remains committed to the process even in the face of irresponsible and unsubstantiated emails sent by a judicial officer to thousands of court personnel containing erroneous information," attorney Paul Meyer said in a statement. He didn't elaborate about the emails or respond to questions for more information.

Sixteen women named in the complaint either experienced inappropriate comments or behavior by Johnson or were berated or belittled by him, according to the charges. Some of the women were lawyers who worked for the court, one was a county prosecutor and three were fellow appellate justices.

Johnson, a former federal prosecutor, could be removed from the bench or censured if the commission finds he engaged in conduct alleged in several counts to be "unwelcome, undignified, discourteous, and offensive, and that would reasonably be perceived as sexual harassment or as bias or prejudice based on gender."

The complaint details behavior that escalated with Justice Victoria Chaney after she phoned to congratulate him on his appointment following their nominations to the court in 2009 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He responded by telling her he didn't realize she was so beautiful, according to the complaint.

In 2010, while discussing a case in chambers, Johnson allegedly told Chaney that he wanted to have an affair with her and that they were "perfect together."

After she said she presided over a difficult hearing, Johnson said he should kiss Chaney and squeeze her breasts to make her feel better, according the complaint. He then squeezed one of her breasts.

At a court holiday party he pressed against her and said: "It can't be sexual harassment because we're both on the same level," according to the complaint.

The complaint said Johnson proposed sex three times to California Highway Patrol officer Tatiana Sauquillo, who provided security and served as his driver for work functions.

He allegedly told Sauquillo he wanted her to pull over so they could have sex in the vehicle and then said he wanted to get drinks and have sex in his chambers. On another instance, he told her he wanted to see her out of uniform and graphically described a sex act he wanted to perform.

Sauquillo did not report the allegations to superiors at the time, but she requested a transfer, according to attorney Lisa Bloom, who said she may file a lawsuit on her behalf.

"No one is above the law and that should especially be true of an appellate justice," Bloom said. "Yet here's another case of somebody in a position of power being accused by a large group of women of preying on them. It's very disturbing."

Sauquillo was contacted last year and agreed to speak with investigators after Chaney filed a complaint against Johnson, Bloom said.

Chaney would not comment on the case and referred questions to her lawyer, who was out of the country and didn't immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment.

The Associated Press typically does not name the victims of alleged sexual abuse, but Chaney and Sauquillo agreed to be named.

One of the charges said Johnson demeaned his office by appearing to be publicly drunk at several occasions, including the reception for a wedding that he officiated for a former fellow federal prosecutor. When Johnson was asked to leave restaurant, he allegedly yelled at a staff member.WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the government shutdown (all times local):

8:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump has rejected a short-term legislative fix for the partial government shutdown, declaring he will "never ever back down."

Trump rejected a suggestion to reopen the government for several weeks while negotiations would continue with Democrats over his demands for $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The president also edged further away from the idea of trying to declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress.

No cracks were apparent in the president's deadlock with lawmakers after a weekend with no negotiations at all. His rejection of the short-term option proposed by Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham removed one path forward, and little else is in sight.

__

President Donald Trump speaks at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 100th Annual Convention, Monday Jan. 14, 2019, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

2:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is vowing to continue to fight for border wall funding during a speech in New Orleans.

Trump spoke at a farm convention Monday, declaring: "When it comes to keeping the American people safe, I will never, ever back down."

Trump spent much of his remarks justifying his position, insisting that a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is needed on security and humanitarian grounds.

Trump says he asked Congress for a "steel barrier" because we "need strength."

Trump is locked in an impasse with congressional Democrats. He has demanded $5.7 billion in wall funding. Democrats, who oppose the wall as immoral and wasteful, have called on him to reopen the government while border negotiations continue.

___

12:40 a.m.

Congress returns to Washington for its first full week of business since control of the House reverted to Democrats, but lawmakers will face with the same lingering question: When will the partial government shutdown end?

Sen. Lindsay Graham says he's offered President Donald Trump a possible solution, though it may just be wishful thinking.

The South Carolina Republican is encouraging Trump to reopen government for several weeks to continue negotiating with Democrats over a border wall. Graham says if there's no deal at the end of that time, Trump should take the more dramatic step of declaring a national emergency to build it.

But Trump wants a deal first, and Democrats want government reopened first.

The partial government shutdown is on its 24th day without an end in sight.

President Donald Trump attends a roundtable discussion on border security with local leaders, Friday Jan. 11, 2019, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks to reporters after signing a House-passed a bill requiring that all government workers receive retroactive pay after the partial shutdown ends, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. She is joined by, from left, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md., and Rep. Don Beyer D-Va. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)MURRAY, Utah (AP) - The Latest on a shooting at a Utah mall that wounded two people (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

Officials with a Utah mall where two people were wounded Sunday in a gang-related shooting are acknowledging that a false fire alarm that went off seconds before the shooting created confusion.

Brookfield Properties spokeswoman Lindsay Kahn said Monday in a statement that two messages were played inside the Fashion Place mall in a suburb of Salt Lake City in short succession. The first message said the original alarm was false, but a second message after the shooting told people evacuate or take shelter.

Kahn said it was an unfortunate coincidence and apologized.

Chicago-based Brookfield owns Fashion Place mall. Kahn says the company is reviewing security measures, but declined to disclose details.

Murray Police Officer Kenny Bass said earlier Monday that the alarm has been malfunctioning for days.

___

1:50 p.m.

A Salt Lake City suburban mall where two people were wounded Sunday in a gang-related shooting has reopened and was busy Monday with shoppers who say they aren't concerned about their safety.

Sean Sasso stopped by the Fashion Place mall in the suburb of Murray to do some quick shopping before going to work as a pharmacy technician. He had heard about the shooting, but says it didn't deter him because he doesn't want to live in fear.

Tim and Connie Schieving went to the mall as they do each morning to walk and get exercise and say they felt extra safe with additional police presence.

Police say the shooting that happened just outside the mall near the entrance was gang related, and happened after about a dozen people belonging to rival gangs crossed paths inside the mall.

____

10:45 a.m.

Utah police say they have made two arrests connected to the suburban Sal Lake City Mall shooting that wounded two people.

Police said Monday they arrested two 19-year-old men but were unsure whether those men had been gunmen.

Authorities say the shooting was gang related, and happened after about a dozen people belonging to rival gangs crossed paths inside the mall in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.

Murray Police Officer Kenny Bass says an argument spilled outside the mall, turned physical and that both groups fired shots.

He says a fire alarm that sent shoppers running for the exits went off by accident, the result of a prior malfunction.

One victim, a woman, has been released from the hospital. A man remains hospitalized in critical condition.

__

8:15 a.m.

One of two victims wounded in a Utah mall shooting is out of the hospital as authorities continue to search for the assailants.

Police in Murray, a suburb south of Salt Lake City, say a woman in her early 20s was treated and released just hours after the shooting broke out Sunday afternoon.

A man, also in his early 20s, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Police believe the shooting may have been gang related and are looking for three suspects.

Authorities say they were described as wearing dark pants and light-colored sweatshirts or hoodies.

The gunfire erupted around 1:30 p.m. at Fashion Place Mall, sending panicked shoppers fleeing. Employees and customers in some stores hid inside backrooms.

It wasn't immediately clear Monday if the shopping center would be open.SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Latest on utility PG&E seeking bankruptcy protection (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

California Gov. Newsom says "safety, reliability and affordability" are his main concerns as he addresses the likely bankruptcy of the state's largest utility.

Newsom sought to assure the public Monday that Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s potential bankruptcy won't result in power shut-offs. Unlike the utility's 2001 bankruptcy amid California's energy crisis, the utility is now facing bankruptcy due to massive liabilities from deadly wildfires.

The Democratic governor says protecting victims of the wildfires and ratepayers is a top priority for his new administration but he hasn't decided on any action. He says staving off the bankruptcy filing is ideal but it may not be possible.

He says PG&E has not been a "trusted player" in the past.

Pacific Gas & Electric vehicles are parked at the PG&E Oakland Service Center, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement today follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

__

12:25 p.m.

A California state senator says bankruptcy proceedings by PG&E would raise bills for utilities customers and could stop wildfire victims from getting all the money they're owed.

Sen. Bill Dodd, who chaired a special committee last year focusing on wildfire costs and prevention, said Monday that creditors are the priority in bankruptcy proceedings.

Pacific Gas & Electric announced Monday it would file for bankruptcy protection because it faces tens of billions of dollars in potential damages from deadly and destructive wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

Dodd said lawmakers and the governor's office are looking for ways to ensure wildfire victims are reimbursed.

One option legislators considered last year was creating some type of pooled insurance fund that could "backstop" expenses.

___

11:50 a.m.

A utilities expert says a bankruptcy filing will help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. take on the many wildfire lawsuits it faces.

Hugh Wynne, with the investment research firm Sovereign Research, said Monday bankruptcy will allow PG&E to consolidate all the suits before a single, bankruptcy judge. That will allow the company to avoid jury trials that could result in damages it can't pay.

Frank Pitre, an attorney for hundreds of wildfire victims, said a bankruptcy filing will put lawsuits pending against the company on hold and in limbo. He said PG&E should have consulted with victims and insurance carriers before announcing its plans.

The company is filing for bankruptcy.

___

11:15 a.m.

Pacific Gas & Electric says it could be liable for more than $30 billion in property losses and other costs associated with wildfires in California last year and in 2017.

The company included the figure in a filing on Sunday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. PG&E told the SEC the company's board of directors had determined filing for bankruptcy was appropriate.

As of Friday, PG&E said it was facing roughly 50 lawsuits stemming from a wildfire in November that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed at least 86 people. It was facing another 700 or so lawsuits stemming from wildfires in Northern California in 2017.

The cause of the Paradise fire is under investigation, but investigators are looking into the possibility it was sparked by a PG&E power line that malfunctioned.

___

8:10 a.m.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he'll work to make sure consumers have access to safe and affordable power and that fire victims are treated fairly after PG&E announced plans to file for bankruptcy.

Pacific Gas & Electric announced Monday it plans to file petitions to reorganize under Chapter 11 on or about Jan. 29.

The utility has already been blamed by state fire investigators for wildfires that broke out in October 2017.

It also faces lawsuits from victims of last year's Northern California fire that killed at least 86 people. It was the deadliest wildfire in recent U.S. history.

No cause has been determined, but investigators are looking into the possibility it was sparked by a malfunctioned line.

Late Sunday, the utility said that chief executive Geisha Williams had resigned and that John Simon will serve as interim chief executive.

___

2:05 a.m.

Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection.

The announcement Monday follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive a day earlier.

PG&E said Monday that it's given the required 15-day advance notice that it plans to file for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company has already been blamed by state fire investigators for wildfires that broke out in October 2017.

The company says will be able to gain access to capital and resources it needs to continue providing service to customers as it restructures.

Late Sunday, PG&E Corp. said that CEO Geisha Williams resigned, and that John Simon will serve as interim chief executive.

___

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com

FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2010, file photo, Geisha Williams, right, then-senior vice president of energy delivery for Pacific Gas & Electric, speaks to hundreds of displaced San Bruno residents that jammed a town hall meeting at St. Roberts Catholic Church in San Bruno, Calif. PG&E said Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, that CEO Williams was stepping down and that John Simon, the company's general counsel, would serve as interim CEO until a replacement is found. (AP photo/Tony Avelar, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2010, file photo, then-Pacific Gas and Electric President Chris Johns, left, and then-vice president of energy delivery Geisha Williams, right, address questions during a news conference in response to a gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif. PG&E said Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, that CEO Williams was stepping down and that John Simon, the company's general counsel, would serve as interim CEO until a replacement is found. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

A security guard stands near an entrance to a Pacific Gas and Electric Company building in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E said it plans to file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A security guard stands behind barricades near an entrance to a Pacific Gas and Electric Company building in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E said it plans to file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A pedestrian walks toward the entrance to a Pacific Gas and Electric Company building in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E said it plans to file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2017 file photo, a Pacific Gas & Electric crew work on replacing poles in Glen Ellen, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

The logo for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. PG&E lost half its value after the troubled California utility, which faces huge liabilities over the state's deadly wildfires, said it would file for bankruptcy protection. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - An armed man who entered a UPS processing facility Monday morning and held two women hostage for several hours was shot and killed by police as he left the building with the women, authorities said.

Several officers fired at William Owens, 39, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, the state Attorney General's Office said in a news release that did not detail the situation or explain why the suspect was shot.

Owens had entered the business at about 8:45 a.m. and fired shots, which did not strike anyone, before taking the women to a room and barricading himself inside with them, authorities said. Officials believe that Owens had a prior relationship with one of the hostages, Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore said.

The women escaped without serious injuries after the standoff in Logan Township, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Philadelphia, Fiore said.

"Multiple members of law enforcement fired at the man, who was armed with a handgun. He was pronounced dead at the scene," the news release said.

Earlier in the day, Fiore said the suspect had been taken to a hospital after being shot but that his condition was not known.

A New Jersey State Police helicopter arrives on scene as officials respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)

"I heard one of my fellow employees say, 'Run, he's got a gun,' then I heard the little pop of the gun, I guess, and we all ran and law enforcement took over," employee Allen Anthony Dowling said.

Police evacuated the building and blocked access to the busy industrial park, and nearby schools were put on a modified lockdown.

Hostage negotiators talked to the suspect by phone as he held the women captive. Television news footage showed officers crouched behind a vehicle behind the building's loading dock at the time.

Shortly before noon, as Fiore held a news conference at a township building about 8 miles (12 kilometers) away, a short burst of gunfire was heard at the scene. Fiore later said he didn't know how many shots police fired or whether the gunman fired any shots.

"There was an intervention," FIore said. "He did not surrender."

Police trained in hostage situations, he said, "would make a determination as to whether or not it's appropriate to intervene, using force at any point in time."

Gail Wright, a woman at the scene who described herself as the suspect's cousin, described him as "a good guy."

"He must have felt forced, otherwise, he wouldn't have done this," she said.

In addition to UPS, other major companies including Amazon and U.S. Foods have operations in the area, Mayor Frank Minor said. The township has about 6,500 residents, but some 18,000 people are in the area each workday, he said.

___

Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report.

Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore gives an update on the police standoff at the UPS facility in Logan Township, Gloucester County, Monday, Dec. 14, 2019. (Tim Hawk/NJ Advance Media via AP)

A New Jersey State Police helicopter prepares to land as officials respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)

A police roadblock is set up as officials respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)

REMOVES REFERENCE TO HELICOPTER - New Jersey State Police respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)

Officials respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)

Officials respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)

Officials respond to reports of an active shooter at a UPS facility Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 in Logan Township, N.J. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general (all times local):

3:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general will tell senators "it is vitally important" that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his Russia investigation.

William Barr also says he believes Congress and the public should learn the results, according to remarks prepared for his confirmation hearing.

Barr will testify Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In prepared testimony released Monday, Barr says Trump never sought any promises, assurances or commitments before selecting him to be the country's chief law enforcement officer.

Attorney General nominee William Barr, center, arrives to meet with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

He describes Mueller, a former Justice Department colleague, as a friend he has known personally and professionally for 30 years.

__

10:12 a.m.

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general will tell senators that Trump didn't seek any assurances or promises before nominating him.

That's according to William Barr's prepared remarks, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of his confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Trump had complained that his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, did not protect him from the Russia investigation. Lawmakers want assurances that Barr will be impartial and allow special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation to continue.

Barr said Trump "sought no assurances, promises, or commitments from me of any kind, either express or implied, and I have not given him any", other than a promise to run the department with integrity.

__

10:10 a.m.

The president's pick for attorney general will continue to prioritize immigration enforcement and says the government must be able to hold and remove people who illegally enter the U.S.

That's according to a copy of William Barr's prepared remarks for his confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The remarks were obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

Barr's comments on immigration show similar thinking to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had a hardline immigration policy.

Barr will tell senators the Justice Department cannot allow people to flout America's legal system by "crashing in through the back door."

Sessions drew heavy criticism from immigration activists after defending the Trump administration's policy separating families during a crackdown on those entering the U.S. illegally.

__

10:03 a.m.

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general will tell senators at his confirmation hearing "it is vitally important" that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his Russia investigation.

That's according to a transcript of William Barr's prepared remarks obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

Barr is to face the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. He will face questions about his views on Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign.

Democrats have raised concerns about comments Barr has made about Mueller's probe, including an unsolicited memo he sent the Justice Department last year criticizing Mueller's inquiry into whether Trump sought to obstruct justice.

Barr will say he's known Mueller for decades, respects him and believes he should be allowed to complete his work.

Attorney General nominee William Barr departs after a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)MURRAY, Utah (AP) - A shooting at a suburban Salt Lake City mall that sent hundreds of panicked shoppers fleeing started as an argument between rival gang members inside the mall and later erupted in gunfire outside, leaving two people wounded, police said Monday.

Two 19-year-old men were arrested on suspicion of attempted aggravated murder, but investigators are not yet sure if either of them fired the shots that hit the victims, who were also involved in the fight, said Kenny Bass, a police spokesman in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.

Shots were fired by the both sides, and those injured were believed to be people with the gangs. No bystanders were hit or injured, Bass said.

Compounding the pandemonium, a fire alarm at the Fashion Place mall that had been malfunctioning for days went off inside the mall, sending people running for exits, Bass said.

Shoppers reported hearing the alarm after the shooting started about 1:30 p.m. and evacuation orders over a loudspeaker, while employees said they hunkered down in stockrooms and waited.

The first alarm was inadvertent and happened seconds before the shooting from the food court, triggering a subsequent message on the loudspeaker that it was false, said Lindsay Kahn, spokeswoman for Chicago-based Brookfield Properties, which owns the mall. After the shooting, a second message was played telling people to evacuate or take shelter, Kahn said in a statement.

Shoppers with their hands raised are evacuated from Fashion Place mall in Murray, Utah, after a shooting on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

"We recognize this created confusion and was truly an unfortunate coincidence," Kahn said.

Kahn said the company is reviewing security measures, but declined to disclose details.

Mauricio Caballero heard the gunfire from the B'Hood clothing cart where he works and ran to find a friend before racing out of the mall. He said it was the third time in a month the fire alarm sounded randomly, but Caballero said he thinks the alarm helped people who did not hear the gunfire get to safety quickly

"The universe is taking care of us," said Caballero, 21.

Investigators are still looking for others involved in the dispute and trying to locate more witnesses, Bass said.

The members of the rival gangs crossed paths by chance in the mall and their argument turned physical after it went outside, Bass said.

One of the two victims, a woman in her early 20s, was treated and released hours after the shooting broke out, Bass said.

A man, also in his early 20s, remained hospitalized Monday in critical condition.

The suspects were identified as Jesus J. Payan-Mendoza and Jorge Crecencio-Gonzalez. No attorney was listed in court records for either man.

Fashion Place is a popular shopping center in the heart of the Salt Lake City metro area. It was open Monday, with an increased police presence.

Shopper Sean Sasso stopped by the mall to before going to work as a pharmacy technician, saying he had heard about the shooting.

"I'm not going to live my life in fear and not come to the mall because there was a shooting yesterday," Sasso said.

Corey Robison took his three young children to get breakfast and walk around the mall while his wife went to a doctor's appointment nearby.

"I feel like it's unlikely to happen ever again," said Robison, a graphic designer from California who has lived in Utah for three years.

A 2007 shooting at a different Salt Lake City mall killed five people and wounded four others. The 18-year-old gunman was killed in a shootout with police.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

___

This version corrects that the suspects were arrested on suspicion of attempted aggravated murder, not suspicion of aggravated murder.

People evacuate with their hands aloft after a shooting at the Fashion Place mall in Murray, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

Emergency responders set up a command area outside Dillard's at Fashion Place mall after reports of a shooting in Murray, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

A law enforcement officer directs people outside the Fashion Place mall after a shooting in Murray, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

A man and woman embrace as police investigate a shooting at the Fashion Place mall in Murray, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (Silas Walker/The Deseret News via AP)

Police escort employees from Dillard's out of the Fashion Place mall after a shooting in Murray, Utah, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

This undated photo released by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office shows Jorge Crecencio-Gonzalez. Utah police have arrested two people, Crecencio-Gonzalez and Jesus J. Payan-Mendoza, both 19, in connection with a suburban Salt Lake City mall shooting that sent hundreds of panicked shoppers into the streets. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office via AP)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The nation's largest utility said Monday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it faces at least $30 billion in potential damages from lawsuits over the catastrophic wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018 that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The move by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., expected by the end of the month, would be the biggest bankruptcy by a utility in U.S. history, legal experts said.

It would allow PG&E to hold off creditors and continue providing electricity and natural gas without interruption to its 16 million customers in Northern and central California while it tries to put its finances in order.

The filing would not make the lawsuits disappear, but would result in all wildfire claims being consolidated into a single proceeding before a bankruptcy judge, not a jury. That could shield the company from excessive jury verdicts and buy time by putting a hold on the claims.

Chapter 11 reorganization represents "the only viable option to address the company's responsibilities to its stakeholders," Richard Kelly, chairman of PG&E's board of directors, said in a statement.

"The Chapter 11 process allows us to work with these many constituents in one court-supervised forum to comprehensively address our potential liabilities and to implement appropriate changes."

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2018 file photo, with a downed power utility pole in the foreground, Eric England, right, searches through a friend's vehicle after the wildfire burned through Paradise, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

State officials are investigating whether the utility's equipment sparked the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, a November Northern California blaze that killed at least 86 people and burned down 15,000 homes.

State investigators have also blamed PG&E power lines for some fires in October 2017. Authorities are also looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people in Santa Rosa last year.

California law requires utilities to pay damages for wildfires if their equipment caused the blazes - even if the utilities weren't negligent through, say, inadequate maintenance.

PG&E, which is the nation's largest utility by revenue and is based in San Francisco, said it is giving the required 15 days' notice that it plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

It said it will continue working with regulators and stakeholders to consider how it can safely provide energy "in an environment that continues to be challenged by climate change."

The announcement follows the resignation of chief executive Geisha Williams a day earlier. She leaves with a $2.5 million severance payout, a spokesman told the Mercury News of San Jose.

In a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the liabilities it faces from 2017 and 2018 wildfires could exceed $30 billion, not including punitive damages, fines and penalties.

The largest bankruptcy filing on record by a utility was Energy Future Holdings Corp. in 2014, which had $49.7 billion in liabilities in today's dollars, according to an analysis by Kevin Kelly, director of publications at S&P Global.

Veteran New York bankruptcy lawyer H. Jeffrey Schwartz said PG&E's bankruptcy should prove to be the biggest yet, since it had about $50 billion in liabilities at the end of 2017. That does not include claims from 2018 wildfires.

He said the utility has no other way of getting out from under the mountain of legal claims.

"The liability is too great. It's too many claims, the aggregate amount is too great, and it looks at first blush to be indefensible because PG&E knew of this risk and didn't clear the line areas as it should have," Schwartz said.

He said he expects shareholders to bear the brunt of the restructuring. Bankruptcy court has no say over the rates utility customers pay; those are decided by state regulators and politicians.

As for the lawsuits, PG&E will negotiate with the plaintiffs and its other creditors a reorganization plan based on how much the utility is able to pay, said Hugh Wynne of Sovereign Research, an investment research firm.

"You avoid a situation where some jury in California thinks PG&E is responsible for this fire, so we should hit them up for all these damages and let them sort out how they pay for it," Wynne said.

A bankruptcy also would allow PG&E to raise cash by selling assets - such as its gas business and hydropower plants - more easily, he said.

PG&E spent millions in an 11th-hour lobbying effort at the end of the California legislative session in August in a failed attempt to change the law to reduce its liability in wildfires.

Before last year's disastrous fire in Northern California's Butte County, PG&E's stock stood at $47.80. But in early Monday trading it tumbled $8.48 to $9.11, its lowest level in more than 16 years. Wall Street last week slashed PG&E's credit rating to junk status.

PG&E also filed for Chapter 11 in 2001 amid rising electricity prices during California's energy crisis.

California's new governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, told reporters that "safety, reliability and affordability" are his top concerns, alongside protecting wildfire victims and ratepayers, in confronting the potential bankruptcy. He sought to assure the public that this potential bankruptcy won't result in power shutoffs.

He said addressing the pending bankruptcy, and potentially avoiding it, is a top priority for his new administration, but he hasn't settled on what actions to take. He said the state has "no choice" but to work collaboratively with the utility even though it has not been a "trusted player" in the past.

The Natural Resources Defense Council warned that bankruptcy could threaten billions in funding for PG&E's clean energy initiatives, which are key to California's environmental goals. PG&E is the state's largest investor in energy efficiency and electric vehicle infrastructure, said the NRDC's Ralph Cavanagh.

"California needs healthy utilities with access to capital to be able to meet its environmental goals and policies. It's essential," said Travis Miller, a strategist at Morningstar Inc.

___

This version corrects the name of Natural Resources Defense Council.

___

Bussewitz reported from New York.

In this Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017 file photo, PG & E electrical crews work on restoring power to a residence damaged by wildfires in Glen Ellen, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2017 file photo, a Pacific Gas & Electric worker replaces power poles destroyed by wildfires in Glen Ellen, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, file)

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2017 file photo, a Pacific Gas & Electric crew work on replacing poles in Glen Ellen, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

The logo for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. PG&E lost half its value after the troubled California utility, which faces huge liabilities over the state's deadly wildfires, said it would file for bankruptcy protection. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2018 file photo, Pacific Gas & Electric crews work to restore power lines in Paradise, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE - This Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, file aerial photo shows the remains of residences leveled by the wildfire in Paradise, Calif. Facing potentially colossal liabilities over deadly California wildfires, PG&E will file for bankruptcy protection. The announcement Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, follows the resignation of the power company's chief executive. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2010, file photo, Geisha Williams, right, then-senior vice president of energy delivery for Pacific Gas & Electric, speaks to hundreds of displaced San Bruno residents that jammed a town hall meeting at St. Roberts Catholic Church in San Bruno, Calif. PG&E said Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, that CEO Williams was stepping down and that John Simon, the company's general counsel, would serve as interim CEO until a replacement is found. (AP photo/Tony Avelar, File)TORONTO (AP) - A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of his drug smuggling case, while another Canadian man has been denied diplomatic immunity, ratcheting up the tensions following Canada's arrest of a top Chinese technology executive last month.

The Liaoning provincial court in northeastern China announced the death sentence for Robert Lloyd Schellenberg on Monday, reversing a 15-year prison term from a November 2018 sentencing. Schellenberg first went on trial in 2016.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strongly condemned Monday's proceeding, suggesting that China was using its judicial system to pressure Canada over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

In his strongest comments yet, Trudeau said "all countries around the world" should be concerned that Beijing is acting arbitrarily with its justice system.

"It is of extreme concern to us as a government, as it should be to all our international friends and allies, that China has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply a death penalty," Trudeau said.

Canada later updated its travel advisory for China urging Canadians to "exercise a high degree of caution due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws."

In this image taken from a video footage run by China's CCTV, Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg attends his retrial at the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in Dalian, northeastern China's Liaoning province on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. A Chinese court sentenced the Canadian man to death Monday in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case that is likely to escalate tensions between the countries over the arrest of a top Chinese technology executive. (CCTV via AP)

Further escalating the diplomatic rift between the two countries, a Chinese spokeswoman said earlier Monday that Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat taken into custody in apparent retaliation for Meng's arrest, was not eligible for diplomatic immunity as Trudeau has maintained.

A senior Canadian government official said Chinese officials have been questioning Kovrig about his diplomatic work in China, which is a major reason why Trudeau is asserting diplomatic immunity. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the case, spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kovrig, a Northeast Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group think tank, was on a leave of absence from the Canadian government at the time of his arrest last month.

Schellenberg was detained more than four years ago and initially sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2016. But within weeks of Meng's Dec. 1 arrest, an appeals court suddenly reversed that decision, saying the sentence was too lenient, and scheduled Monday's retrial with just four days' notice.

The court gave no indication that the death penalty could be commuted, but observers said Schellenberg's fate is likely to be drawn into diplomatic negotiations over China's demand for the release of Meng.

"Playing hostage politics, China rushes the retrial of a Canadian suspect and sentences him to death in a fairly transparent attempt to pressure Canada to free the Huawei CFO," Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said in a tweet.

The Chinese media began publicizing Schellenberg's case after Canada's detention of Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, at the request of the United States, which wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about the company's business dealings in Iran.

Days after Meng's arrest, Kovrig and Canadian businessman Michael Spavor were detained on vague national security allegations. Meng is out on bail in Canada awaiting extradition proceedings that begin next month.

Schellenberg's lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo, said prosecutors had not introduced new evidence to justify a heavier sentence during the one-day trial, during which Schellenberg again maintained his innocence. He said his client now has 10 days to appeal.

"This is a very unique case," Zhang told The Associated Press. He said the swiftness of the proceedings was unusual but declined to comment on whether it was related to Meng's arrest.

The court said it found that Schellenberg was involved in an international drug-smuggling operation and was recruited to help smuggle more than 220 kilograms (485 pounds) of methamphetamine from a warehouse in the Chinese city of Dalian to Australia. A Chinese man convicted of involvement in the same operation was earlier given a suspended death sentence.

Fifty people, including Canadian diplomats and foreign and domestic media, attended Monday's trial, the court said in an online statement.

Earlier Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said authorities had determined Kovrig was not entitled to diplomatic immunity, rejecting a complaint from Trudeau that China was not respecting longstanding practices regarding immunity.

Hua told reporters that Kovrig is no longer a diplomat and entered China on an ordinary passport and business visa.

"According to the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations and international law, he is not entitled to diplomatic immunity," Hua said at a daily briefing. "I suggest that the relevant Canadian person carefully study the Vienna Convention ... before commenting on the cases, or they would only expose themselves to ridicule with such specious remarks."

A former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, said interrogating Kovrig about his time as a diplomat in China would violate Vienna Convention protections of residual diplomatic immunity that mean a country is not allowed to question someone on the work they did when they were a diplomat.

"It's difficult not to see a link" between the case and Canada's arrest of Meng, Saint-Jacques said.

Hua said the allegation that China arbitrarily detained Canadian citizens is "totally groundless."

Canada has embarked on a campaign with allies to win the release of Kovrig and Spavor. The United States, Britain, European Union and Australia have issued statements in support. Trudeau called U.S. President Donald Trump about their case last week and the White House called the arrests "unlawful."

Last week, Poland arrested a Huawei director and one of its own former cybersecurity experts and charged them with spying for China. The move came amid a U.S. campaign to exert pressure on its allies not to use Huawei, the world's biggest maker of telecommunications network equipment, over data security concerns.

The arrests raised concerns over the safety of Poland's nationals in China, although Hua brushed off such worries, emphasizing China's desire for the "sound and steady" development of relations with Poland.

"As long as the foreign citizens in China abide by Chinese laws and regulations, they are welcomed and their safety and freedom are guaranteed," Hua said.

___

Wang reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show that Schellenberg was sentenced in November 2018 following a trial that began in 2016.

In this image taken from a video footage run by China's CCTV, Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg attends his retrial at the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in Dalian, northeastern China's Liaoning province on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. A Chinese court sentenced the Canadian man to death Monday in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case that is likely to escalate tensions between the countries over the arrest of a top Chinese technology executive. (CCTV via AP)

In this image taken from a video footage run by China's CCTV, Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg attends his retrial at the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in Dalian, northeastern China's Liaoning province on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. A Chinese court sentenced the Canadian man to death Monday in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case that is likely to escalate tensions between the countries over the arrest of a top Chinese technology executive. (CCTV via AP)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the media in Ottawa, Ontario on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. A Chinese court sentenced Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian man to death Monday in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case. Trudeau said he is extremely concerned that China chose to "arbitrarily" apply the death penalty to a Canadian citizen. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the media in Ottawa, Ontario on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. A Chinese court sentenced Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian man to death Monday in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case. Trudeau said he is extremely concerned that China chose to "arbitrarily" apply the death penalty to a Canadian citizen. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)The BJP also shifted all its Karnataka MLAs to a resort near Gurgaon to ensure all of them stay together.

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing political crisis in Karnataka, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said there is no threat to the states coalition government. At a press conference here, he said there was no crisis for the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) government, which was stable and strong... and will continue to be so. The BJP was trying to destabilise the government, Mr Kharge alleged. Earlier this week, two Independent MLAs had withdrawn support from the government. Mr Kharge further alleged that there was a tradition in the BJP of trading in MLAs. He said that last year, after the Assembly elections in Karnataka, the BJP went ahead and Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa formed the government, but it could not prove its majority in the Assembly and Mr Yeddyurappa had to resign. He said: All our 118 MLAs are with us. There is a lot of pressure being applied on them by the top leadership of the BJP, but our MLAs will not budge. He added that all Congress and JD(S) MLAs would meet Friday, and the Congress legislature party would meet to demonstrate that all the MLAs were still in the alliance and there had been no desertion.

Sensing trouble in the state earlier this week, the AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Mr K.C. Venugopal, was rushed by the party to control the situation in the state. The Congress has alleged that all possible means were being used by the BJP to destablise non-BJP governments in different states.

The BJP also shifted all its Karnataka MLAs to a resort near Gurgaon to ensure all of them stay together. The BJP has claimed Mr Kumaraswamys JD(S) was trying to poach its legislators, a charge denied by the JD(S) patriarch, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump pointed to farmers Monday as winners from the administration's proposed rollback of federal protections for wetlands and waterways across the country, describing farmers crying in gratitude when he ordered the change.

But under long-standing federal law and rules, farmers and farmland already are exempt from most of the regulatory hurdles on behalf of wetlands that the Trump administration is targeting. Because of that, environmental groups long have argued that builders, oil and gas drillers and other industry owners would be the big winners if the government adopts the pending rollback, making it easier to fill in bogs, creeks and streams for plowing, drilling, mining or building.

Government numbers released last month support that argument.

Real estate developers and those in other business sectors take out substantially more permits than farmers for projects impinging on wetlands, creeks and streams, and they stand to reap the biggest regulatory and financial relief from the Trump administration's rollback of wetlands protections.

Speaking to the American Farm Bureau Federation in New Orleans, Trump told farmers the federal protections for waterways and wetlands were "one of the most ridiculous" regulations.

"It was a total kill on you and other businesses," Trump said. He claimed farmers and builders alike wept in gratitude when he signed an executive order in 2017, as one of the first official acts of his presidency, directing a rewrite of the wetlands protections.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, file photo, acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler speaks in Lebanon, Tenn. Wheeler and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue met with farmers about a new Trump administration proposal to redefine "waters of the United States." Trump often points to farmers as among the biggest winners from the administration's proposed rollback of federal protections for wetlands and waterways across the country. But under longstanding federal law and rules, farmers and farm land already are exempt from most of the regulatory hurdles on behalf of wetlands that the Trump administration is targeting. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

"We're going to keep federal regulators out of your stock tanks, your drainage ditches, your puddles and your ponds," Trump told the cheering farmers Monday.

Opponents contend Trump and his administration put farmers front and center as beneficiaries of the proposed rollback because of the strong regard Americans historically hold for farming.

"The administration understands good optics in surrounding themselves with farmers," said Geoff Gisler, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. "Surrounding themselves with folks that would represent the industries that actually benefit would not be as good an optic."

Backers "have been really happy to have farmers be the face of it," said Kenneth Kopocis, the Environmental Protection Agency's deputy assistant administrator for water under the Obama administration. But the building industry, oil and gas and others with lower profiles in the campaign "are going to be some of the big beneficiaries."

The more than 300-page financial analysis the administration released last month when it formally proposed the rollback appears to starkly quantify that disparity. Of 248,688 federal permits issued from 2011 to 2015 for work that would deposit dirt or other fill into protected wetlands, streams and shorelines, the federal government on average required home builders and other developers to do some kind of mitigation - pay to restore a wetland elsewhere, generally - an average of 990 times a year, nationwide, according to the government's analysis.

In all, other industries and agriculture obtained an average of 3,163 such wetlands permits with some kind of extra payment or other mitigation strings attached each year.

Farmers represented just eight of those on average in a year, according to the administration's figures.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which administers the wetlands protections with the EPA, and the National Association of Home Builders confirmed Friday that developers and other industries, not farmers, have felt the biggest impact from the federal wetlands protections and would get most of the financial breaks under the rollback.

"The residential construction industry does pull more wetlands permits than farmers do," Liz Thompson, spokeswoman for the National Association of Home Builders, said in an email.

The Trump administration's pending rollback of wetlands protections "could be a benefit to builders who will see some relief in terms of cost and time. That said, builders will still be regulated and will still be the industry that pulls the largest number of 404 permits which are very costly," Thompson wrote, referring to the section of the Clean Water Act dealing with the regulatory enforcement and permits.

The administration's proposal greatly narrows what kind of wetlands and streams fall under federal protection. If it is formally adopted after a public comment period, it would change how the federal government enforces the landmark 1972 Clean Water Act and scale back a 2015 Obama administration rule on what waterways are protected. Environmental groups say millions of miles of streams and wetlands would lose protection.

Trump signed an order in February 2017 directing the rollback. With farmers as well as homebuilders by his side, Trump called the waterways protections then in force a "massive power grab" targeting "nearly every puddle or every ditch on a farmer's land."

The farm bloc has been one of the most loyal to Trump, despite farmers' complaints that the administration has favored oil and gas producers over corn ethanol farmers, and their worries over a trade war with China.

Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler surrounded himself with farm bureau representatives and farm-state Congress members in signing the rollback proposal last month.

In Tennessee, Wheeler, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and farm industry leaders from Washington stood in front of tractors and U.S. flags last month to urge farmers to campaign for the rollback.

"The EPA has done its job. Now all of us in this room have to help to get this over the finish line," Zippy Duvall, head of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told the Tennessee farm crowd then.

Farmers who support the rollback call the federal protections of wetlands and creeks a burden, and they insist farmers know best how to protect their property.

Environmental groups, public-health organizations and others say it's impossible to keep the country's downstream lakes, rivers and water supplies clean unless upstream waters are also regulated federally. The targeted regulations also protect wildlife and their habitats.

The Clean Water Act permits deal with work that would dump dirt or fill into a wetland or waterway. Breaks for farmers long have been written into the law, so that a farmer doesn't need permits for ordinary ongoing farming that, for instance, sends some soil running off into a wetland.

The American Farm Bureau Federation - one of the most active promoters of the scaling back of the Clean Water Act's reach - says the 2015 Obama version of the rule could force farmers to pursue costly wetlands permits and mitigation for routine plowing and other farm work.

"It's just really a nightmare for farmers to have to navigate," said Don Parrish, the senior director of regulatory relations at the agriculture trade group. "It can cost them the use of the land, generally they have to stop using their land" if they run afoul of it.

"If you could see me, I'd be laughing" at that claim, Kopocis, the lead Obama water official behind the 2015 rule, said by phone Sunday. "Every single exemption or exclusion that agriculture had" was preserved in the Obama administration's 2015 work on the wetlands rule, he said.

In an email, Cindy Barger, an Army Corps of Engineers official involved in the proposed regulatory change, confirmed that the rules targeted by the Trump administration had kept the regulatory relief for farmers.

Compared to other industries, as wetlands protections currently stand, "the agricultural industry has less economic exposure because of the permit exemptions," Barger said. The gain for farmers would be the Trump administration's attempt to streamline definition of protected wetlands, meaning farmers wouldn't have to consult experts to know if an area is protected, she said.

___

John Flesher contributed from Traverse City, Michigan.Trump declares he'll 'never back down' in shutdown fight

WASHINGTON (AP) - With the government mired in shutdown week four, President Donald Trump rejected a short-term legislative fix and dug in for more combat Monday, declaring he would "never ever back down."

Trump rejected a suggestion to reopen the government for several weeks while negotiations would continue with Democrats over his demands for $5.7 billion for a long, impregnable wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The president also edged further away from the idea of trying to declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress.

"I'm not looking to call a national emergency," Trump said. "This is so simple we shouldn't have to."

No cracks were apparent in the president's deadlock with lawmakers after a weekend with no negotiations at all. His rejection of the short-term option proposed by Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham removed one path forward, and little else was in sight. Congressional Republicans were watching Trump for a signal for how to move next, and Democrats have not budged from their refusal to fund the wall and their demand that he reopen government before border talks resume.

The White House has been considering reaching out to rank-and-file Democrats rather than dealing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to try and chip away at Democratic opposition to the wall. A White House official said plans were in the works to call freshman representatives, especially those who initially did not support Pelosi's bid for the speakership.

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Kidnapping suspect targeted girl after seeing her get on bus

BARRON, Wis. (AP) - A Wisconsin man accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months made up his mind to take her when he spotted the teenager getting on a school bus near her home, authorities said Monday.

Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, told detectives that "he knew that was the girl he was going to take," and he made two aborted trips to her family's home before finally carrying out an attack in which he fatally shot Jayme's mother in front of her, according to a criminal complaint filed hours before Patterson's first court appearance.

Prosecutors charged him with kidnapping Jayme and killing her parents Oct. 15 near Barron, about 90 miles northeast of Minneapolis. He was also charged with armed robbery.

Investigators believe Patterson hid Jayme in a remote cabin before she escaped on Thursday. Police have said the two did not know each other.

Patterson sat expressionless during the court appearance, which he made via video feed from the county jail. He spoke only to acknowledge that his name and address were correct on paperwork and that he agreed to waive a speedy preliminary hearing. The judge set bail at $5 million.

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Trump's AG nominee: Mueller should be allowed to finish work

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general will tell senators "it is vitally important" that special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his Russia investigation, and said he believes Congress and the public should learn the results, according to remarks prepared for his confirmation hearing.

William Barr also insisted in testimony he'll deliver Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Trump never sought any promises, assurances or commitments before selecting him to be the country's chief law enforcement officer.

In releasing written testimony ahead of his hearing, the Justice Department moved to pre-empt the most significant questions Barr is likely to face from Democrats on the panel - including whether he can oversee without bias or interference the final stages of Mueller's probe into potential ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, and whether he will permit the findings to be made public.

"I believe it is in the best interest of everyone - the President, Congress, and, most importantly, the American people - that this matter be resolved by allowing the Special Counsel to complete his work," Barr said.

He described Mueller, a former Justice Department colleague, as a friend he has known personally and professionally for 30 years. Mueller headed the department's criminal division while Barr served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993.

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Man who took 2 women hostage at UPS facility is dead

LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - An armed man who entered a UPS processing facility Monday morning and held two women hostage for several hours was shot and killed by police as he left the building with the women, authorities said.

Several officers fired at William Owens, 39, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, the state Attorney General's Office said in a news release that did not detail the situation or explain why the suspect was shot.

Owens had entered the business at about 8:45 a.m. and fired shots, which did not strike anyone, before taking the women to a room and barricading himself inside with them, authorities said. Officials believe that Owens had a prior relationship with one of the hostages, Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore said.

The women escaped without serious injuries after the standoff in Logan Township, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Philadelphia, Fiore said.

"Multiple members of law enforcement fired at the man, who was armed with a handgun. He was pronounced dead at the scene," the news release said.

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GOP Rep. King loses committee posts over racial remarks

WASHINGTON (AP) - Veteran Republican Rep. Steve King will be blocked from committee assignments for the next two years after lamenting that white supremacy and white nationalism have become offensive terms.

King, in his ninth term representing Iowa, will not be given committee assignments in the Congress that began this month, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday night. King served on the Agriculture, Small Business and Judiciary committees in the last Congress, and he chaired Judiciary's subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

McCarthy, R-Calif., called King's remarks "beneath the dignity of the Party of Lincoln and the United States of America."

King's comments "call into question whether he will treat all Americans equally, without regard for race and ethnicity," McCarthy said, adding: "House Republicans are clear: We are all in this together, as fellow citizens equal before God and the law."

The action by the GOP steering committee came after King and McCarthy met Monday to discuss the remarks on white supremacy, the latest in a years-long pattern of racially insensitive remarks by King.

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Witnesses: Men in police garb massacred civilians in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - When a police truck carrying men in uniform pulled into an impoverished neighborhood in the Haitian capital, residents thought it was an official operation.

Maybe police were finally trying to head off a war between the gangs that run protection rackets in the market next to the sprawling collection of cinderblock shacks and low-rise public housing.

Then the men opened fire. Joined by local gang members clad in black, they went house to house with long guns and machetes, pulling unarmed people into the narrow alleys and killing them with single shots or machete blows, witnesses told The Associated Press.

"When I saw them I thought they were providing security but then I realized they were shooting at the population," said 55-year-old resident Marie-Lourdes Corestan. "They were shooting, and I was running to save my life."

Witnesses, a human-rights group and a Catholic charity that collected bodies after the Nov. 13 massacre told The Associated Press that at least 21 men were slain over a 24-hour period in the La Saline neighborhood.

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'Miracle' flight survivors mark decade of thankfulness

NEW YORK (AP) - It's been 10 years, but there isn't anything Tripp Harris doesn't remember about the cold January day he cheated death on US Airways flight 1549.

The jolt when the plane collided with a flock of geese and the engines stopped moments after takeoff from New York City's LaGuardia Airport. The smoke filling the cabin. The electric, burning smell. The panic from the people around him. The calm, steady tone of Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger telling everyone to brace for impact as he steered the Airbus A320-214 into the frigid waters of the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009.

And, of course, he knows the happy ending of the "Miracle on the Hudson": All 155 people aboard survived.

Harris has also never forgotten what that day taught him about what really mattered: his wife and then-2-year-old son.

"Everything that I could think about was the things I was going to miss," said Harris, 47, of Charlotte, North Carolina, where the flight was headed. "That fundamentally shifted my priorities."

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Utility seeks bankruptcy protection over California fires

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The nation's largest utility said Monday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it faces at least $30 billion in potential damages from lawsuits over the catastrophic wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018 that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The move by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., expected by the end of the month, would be the biggest bankruptcy by a utility in U.S. history, legal experts said.

It would allow PG&E to hold off creditors and continue providing electricity and natural gas without interruption to its 16 million customers in Northern and central California while it tries to put its finances in order.

The filing would not make the lawsuits disappear, but would result in all wildfire claims being consolidated into a single proceeding before a bankruptcy judge, not a jury. That could shield the company from excessive jury verdicts and buy time by putting a hold on the claims.

Chapter 11 reorganization represents "the only viable option to address the company's responsibilities to its stakeholders," Richard Kelly, chairman of PG&E's board of directors, said in a statement.

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UK leader in frantic final push to win Brexit deal backing

LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May made a frantic last push Monday to swing lawmakers' support behind her seemingly doomed Brexit deal, warning that its defeat risked scuttling the U.K.'s departure from the European Union and "betraying the vote of the British people."

May claimed to have gotten reassurances with "legal force" on key issues from the EU, and said history books would judge Parliament harshly if lawmakers did not back Britain's orderly exit from the EU when they vote on the agreement Tuesday.

"Over these next 24 hours, give this deal a second look," May implored skeptical lawmakers in the House of Commons.

"With just 74 days to go until (Brexit day) the 29th of March, the consequences of voting against this deal tomorrow are becoming ever clearer," she said.

May said rejecting her deal would lead either to a reversal of Brexit - overturning voters' decision in a 2016 referendum - or to Britain leaving the bloc without a deal, a course that would damage the country's economy, security and unity.

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Jimmy Fallon: Puerto Rican episode a 'love letter' to island

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jimmy Fallon said a "Tonight Show" episode taped in Puerto Rico with "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is a love letter to the island still in hurricane-recovery mode.

"It's a real celebration of Puerto Rico," Fallon told The Associated Press of Tuesday's episode of the NBC late-night show. "It's not a pity party, it's a party party."

The show aims to boost tourism and let viewers know about other ways to help in the rebuilding, Fallon said. In return, the host promised, they'll get a "full-on variety show."

"It's one of the best shows, if not the best show, we've ever done. It's amazing," he said.

The inspiration to take New York-based "Tonight" to the island came from Miranda, who is of Puerto Rican heritage and told Fallon last year of his plan to stage an island run of "Hamilton," which opened Friday in San Juan.BARRON, Wis. (AP) - A Wisconsin man accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months made up his mind to take her when he spotted the teenager getting on a school bus near her home, authorities said Monday.

Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, told detectives that "he knew that was the girl he was going to take," and he made two aborted trips to her family's home before finally carrying out an attack in which he fatally shot Jayme's mother in front of her, according to a criminal complaint filed hours before Patterson's first court appearance.

Prosecutors charged him with kidnapping Jayme and killing her parents Oct. 15 near Barron, about 90 miles northeast of Minneapolis. He was also charged with armed robbery.

Investigators believe Patterson hid Jayme in a remote cabin before she escaped on Thursday. Police have said the two did not know each other.

Patterson sat expressionless during the court appearance, which he made via video feed from the county jail. He spoke only to acknowledge that his name and address were correct on paperwork and that he agreed to waive a speedy preliminary hearing. The judge set bail at $5 million.

Patterson went to the home twice intending to kidnap Jayme, but broke off one attempt because too many cars were in the driveway and called off another because the house was too active, the complaint said.

In this image made from a pool video by KSTP-TV, Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, who is accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months, makes his initial court appearance Monday, Jan 14, 2019, via video feed from the Barron County jail during his bond hearing in Barron, Wis. Judge James Babler set his bail at $5 million. (KSTP-TV via AP, Pool)

On the night she was abducted, Jayme told police, she was asleep in her room when the family dog started barking. She woke her parents as a car came up the driveway.

She and her mother, Denise, hid in the bathroom, clutching one another in the bathtub with the shower curtain pulled shut. Her father, James, went to the front door. They heard a gunshot, and Jayme knew that James had just been killed, according to the complaint.

Denise Closs started to call 911. Patterson broke down the bathroom door. Jayme said he was dressed in black, wearing a face mask and gloves and carrying a shotgun, the complaint said.

Patterson told her mother to hang up and ordered her to tape Jayme's mouth shut. He told detectives that Denise Closs struggled with the tape so he wrapped the tape himself around Jayme's mouth and head. He then taped her hands behind her back and taped her ankles together before pulling her out of the bathtub and shooting her mother in the head.

He dragged Jayme outside, nearly slipping in blood pooled on the floor. He threw her in the trunk and drove off, pausing to yield to three squad cars speeding toward the house with flashing lights, the complaint said.

Patterson took her to a cabin that he said was his, ordered her into a bedroom and told her to take off her clothes and get dressed in his sister's pajamas. He then threw her clothes into a fireplace in the cabin's basement, according to the complaint.

Whenever he had friends over, he made clear that no one could know she was there or "bad things could happen to her," so she had to hide under the bed. He sealed her under the bed with tote boxes and weights so she could not crawl out, according to the complaint. She had to stay under the bed whenever he left the house, sometimes going for hours without food, water or bathroom breaks.

When his father visited, Patterson told investigators, he turned up the radio in the bedroom to cover any noise she might make.

He said he assumed he had gotten away with the slayings and kidnappings after two weeks went by. He told detectives that on the night of the kidnapping he put stolen license plates on his car and removed an anti-kidnapping release cord from his trunk. He also shaved his head so he would not leave any hair behind and chose his father's Mossberg shotgun because he thought it was a common model that would be hard to trace.

Patterson, who has no criminal history in Wisconsin, was described by people who knew him as a quiet and good student who participated in quiz bowl in high school. He wrote in his high school yearbook of wanting to join the Marines. On Monday, a spokeswoman for the Marines said Patterson lasted just a little more than month in the corps before washing out in October 2015.

Patterson told detectives he worked at the Saputo Cheese Factory near Almena for just two days before quitting. The company did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

His defense attorneys, Charles Glynn and Richard Jones, said they believe Patterson can get a fair trial, but they are not sure where.

"It's been an emotional time for this community and a difficult time for this community. We don't take that lightly. But we have a job to do in protecting our client," Jones said.

Patterson's relatives, including his father, Patrick, declined to comment after the hearing.

After Jayme's disappearance, police collected more than 3,500 tips, but no hard leads emerged.

Then on Thursday, a woman walking her dog spotted Jayme along a road near Gordon, a town about an hour's drive north of Barron. The woman said the girl begged her for help, saying Patterson had been hiding her in a nearby cabin and that she had escaped when he left her alone.

Neighbors called 911, and officers arrested Patterson within minutes.

The New York Post published photos of the cabin Monday. The images showed a shabby living area with a couch, refrigerator, an old television set and an unfinished ceiling. Exterior photographs show a lean-to loaded with firewood, a three-car garage and an empty box of adult female diapers in a trash can. A sign over the cabin's front door reads "Patterson's Retreat."

Authorities have not said whether Jayme was sexually assaulted. The complaint does not charge Patterson with any form of sexual assault. The narrative in the document does not say what Patterson did with her.

Prosecutors said they expect to release more information on the case before Patterson's next hearing on Feb. 6 and that additional charges could be brought in the county where Jayme was held. They gave no details.

Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright declined to say any more about Patterson's motive after the hearing. But he praised Jayme for surviving.

"She's 13 years old, and if you read the criminal complaint, you can see the amount of control that he was exerting over her. And at some point, she found it within herself at 13 years old to say, 'I'm going to get myself out of this situation.' I think it's incredible."

___

Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report.

___

For the latest updates on the story: https://bit.ly/2D9VEkM

___

For more stories on Jayme's abduction and her parents' deaths: https://apnews.com/JaymeCloss

___

Richmond reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1

Jake Thomas Patterson makes his first appearance on video before Judge James Babler at the Barron County Justice Center in Barron, Wis., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

Jake Thomas Patterson makes his first appearance on video before Judge James Babler at the Barron County Justice Center in Barron, Wis., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Patterson, a Wisconsin man accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months, made up his mind to take her when he spotted the teenager getting on a school bus, authorities said Monday. (Adam Wesley/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

Judge James Babler listens to the defense attorney Charles Glynn at the initial court appearance for Jake Thomas Patterson at the Barron County Justice Center in Barron, Wis., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Patterson, a Wisconsin man accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months, made up his mind to take her when he spotted the teenager getting on a school bus, authorities said Monday. (Adam Wesley/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright listens during the initial court appearance for Jake Thomas Patterson at the Barron County Justice Center in Barron, Wis., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Patterson, a Wisconsin man accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months, made up his mind to take her when he spotted the teenager getting on a school bus, authorities said Monday. (Adam Wesley/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

Jake Thomas Patterson makes his first appearance on video before Judge James Babler at the Barron County Justice Center in Barron, Wis., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Patterson, a Wisconsin man accused of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and holding her captive for three months, made up his mind to take her when he spotted the teenager getting on a school bus, authorities said Monday. (Adam Wesley/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)Last year, Ethiopia's Oromo people celebrated the return of the formerly banned Oromo Liberation Front after it signed a peace deal with the government

Ethiopia has deployed soldiers against an armed faction of a recently-legalised opposition group that is robbing banks and attacking residents in the country's remote west, the government said Wednesday.

The violence in Oromia, Ethiopia's largest region, comes after separate ethnic clashes in the east temporarily shut the country's main fuel supply route, causing severe petrol shortages in the capital this week.

The unrest across Africa's second most-populous country is the latest challenge faced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has won Ethiopians over with dramatic reforms since taking office last year, even as ethnic violence surged.

Those changes included welcoming home banned groups like the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which returned to Ethiopia after signing a peace deal last August.

But last month, the group accused the government of breaching the agreement, and on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Abiy said the military had been sent to Oromia's Kellem Wollega zone to stop a faction responsible for rapes, looting banks and blocking roads.

"Government has been patient for a very long time, trying to facilitate the different ideas," Billene Seyoum told journalists. "Those skirmishes are as a result of not heeding the call for peace."

Authorities have detained 835 armed OLF members involved in the unrest, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.

Meanwhile, a separate outbreak of ethnic conflict between the Afar and Somali peoples of eastern Ethiopia led to the closure of the trade route to Djibouti, whose Red Sea ports import most of Ethiopia's petroleum products.

Such ethnic clashes have become increasingly common since Abiy's inauguration last April, and 1.4 million Ethiopians fled their homes last year, one of the world's highest numbers.

The road closures caused blocks-long fuel queues to appear in the capital and largest city Addis Ababa, but Billene said representatives of the two ethnicities had reached an agreement.

"The road has been opened as well," she said.Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett speaks during at the North American International Auto Show January 14, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan

Automakers Ford and Volkswagen on Monday called off a joint appearance at the Detroit auto show set for the following day during which they were widely expected to announce an alliance.

The two car giants have been in discussions over a partnership to develop self-driving and electric technologies. But a source close to the talks told AFP that they had so far only produced a deal over commercial vehicles.

A highly-anticipated announcement at the US's premiere auto show in the Motor City was called off late Monday, and the two sides planned a conference call with reporters instead.

"We don't have enough details yet to go out in front of more than 500 journalists, so we decided to call it off," Ford spokesman Mark Truby told AFP.

Earlier in the day, Ford Chairman Bill Ford had told reporters that discussions were going well but that they would have "more to say later this week."

Both Ford and Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess appeared optimistic about a potential partnership.

"Volkswagen is a really big car company worldwide... but we are not as big in small commercial vehicles," Diess told the Detroit Free Press newspaper.

"So we decided to join forces there. And we will become very, very competitive together in this segment -- which consists of small commercial vans and small and midsize pickup trucks."

A potential Ford-VW alliance would follow in the footsteps of others formed in the auto industry -- including Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi, and Honda's alliance with General Motors to develop autonomous technologies.Ivanka Trump, pictured at the CEO Innovation Summit in Washington, in December 2018, will not be the US candidate to lead the World Bank, the White House said

President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka will help the United States choose its candidate to lead the World Bank but she will not be the one, the White House said on Monday.

Jim Yong Kim abruptly announced last week that he would cut short his tenure as president of the Washington-based global development lender more than three years before his second term was to end.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney "have asked Ivanka Trump to help manage the US nomination process as she's worked closely with the World Bank's leadership for the past two years," said Jessica Ditto, the White House Deputy Director of Communications.

However, Ditto said reports that Ivanka Trump "is under consideration are false."

London's The Financial Times reported on Friday that both Ivanka Trump and Washington's former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley were among possible US candidates to replace Kim.

Other names being floated include Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass and Mark Green, head of the US Agency for International Development, the newspaper reported.

Through an unwritten post-war agreement with Europe, the World Bank has always been led by an American while a European has always been in charge of the IMF.

However, that is likely to face a serious challenge both because President Trump has shown little interest in, if not antagonism to the Bank, and has upended the traditional alliances that make the agreement possible.

Developing nations also have been increasing the pressure on the institutions to name a leader from an emerging market country.

Ivanka Trump in 2017 was the driving force behind a $1 billion, Saudi-supported World Bank fund to promote entrepreneurship by women.

The World Bank Board said on Thursday it would start accepting nominations for a new leader early next month and name a replacement for Kim by mid-April.United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has been forced to postpone a planned visit to Myanmar, at the request of the government

Myanmar has postponed a planned visit by the UN refugee chief to Rakhine state following renewed fighting between security forces and insurgents, a spokesman said Monday.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was due to visit last week but Myanmar authorities scrapped the trip to Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were driven out in a military crackdown that started in 2017.

The troubled western state has seen fighting flare again in recent weeks, this time between security forces and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group calling for more autonomy for the state's Rakhine Buddhist population.

Thirteen police officers were killed by AA militants in January 4 attacks on police posts near the Bangladeshi border.

"Based on assessment of Myanmar authorities of the security situation in Rakhine, the visit has been postponed," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic.

Britain is expected to raise the issue at the UN Security Council later this week, according to diplomats.

The decision to delay Grandi's trip and uncertainty surrounding a separate planned visit by the UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to Myanmar is fueling concerns that authorities are backtracking on their commitments to address the Rohingya refugee crisis.

"They have done nothing at all and didn't particularly want that to be exposed," said a Security Council diplomat of the decision to postpone Grandi's visit.

Myanmar's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for information.

Britain in December circulated a draft Security Council resolution on Myanmar that would have set a deadline for authorities to roll out a strategy for addressing the Rohingya crisis.

China, backed by Russia, however raised strong objections and refused to take part in negotiations, suggesting it was ready to use its veto at the council to block the measure.

Myanmar's violent military campaign in 2017 forced more than 720,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, with refugees bringing accounts of murder, rape and arson.

Britain, France, the United States and UN chief Antonio Guterres have described the campaign as ethnic cleansing while UN investigators have called for top generals to be investigated for genocide.

Rohingya in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have suffered decades of persecution and are denied citizenship rights.

Myanmar has denied that it has singled out the Rohingya and described its army operations as a campaign to root out terrorists.Analysts doubt that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)fighters have severed ties with Al-Qaeda and the group is considered a "terrorist organisation" by the US embassy in Damascus

The jihadist group now controlling Idlib province in northwest Syria claims to have broken with Al-Qaeda, but analysts say that despite several rebrandings there's no sign it has changed its stripes.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) sealed its hold on Idlib last week after signing a ceasefire with what was left of rival factions in the region.

Over time, HTS has changed both names and leaders, and statements posted on the internet suggest it had severed ties with Al-Qaeda, the Sunni Islamist terror group founded by Osama bin Laden.

But many experts dismiss such claims as smoke and mirrors, saying the organisation is simply attempting to muddy the waters and confuse intelligence agencies.

Jabhat al-Nusra, the rebel faction which gave birth to HTS, announced in July 2016 it had broken with Al-Qaeda.

But this was just "rebranding while maintaining a secret pledge of allegiance," said Hassan Hassan, who specialises in jihadist movements at the Washington-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

"Throughout its numerous iterations, HTS has not altered its ideology and is still widely thought to maintain links with Al-Qaeda," the US-based Soufan think tank said Monday.

"HTS maintained links with Al-Qaeda's loyalists in northern Syria and even allocated areas and resources for its supposed rivals," Hassan said for his part.

A number of jihadist groups in Idlib still officially pay allegiance to Al-Qaeda, led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, since Bin Laden's death.

These include Hurras al-Deen, a faction comprising a few thousand jihadists including Syrians and foreign veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The group also includes members of the Turkestan Islamic Party, a jihadist group dominated by Uighur fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor.

Hurras al-Deen fought alongside HTS when it took control of Idlib from other rebel groups backed by Turkey.

- 'Staged' separation -

HTS claims more than 25,000 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

For Jean-Pierre Filiu, a professor at the Sciences Po university in Paris, "Al-Qaeda remains a centralised organisation, with a strong top-to-bottom line of command."

"There are a number of indications suggesting that HTS has only staged its 'break' from Al-Qaeda," Filiu said.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) claims more than 25,000 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and they have sealed their hold on Idlib

"That's one of the main reasons Turkey failed in Idlib, as it had hoped the so-called 'Syrian' faction of HTS would help neutralise the jihadist elements," he added.

Jabhat Al-Nusra might have sought to distance itself from Al-Qaeda since an association would put its fighters in the cross-hairs for US airstrikes.

"While HTS proclaims that it is an independent entity not affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the organisation grew out of Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, following a series of strategic rebrandings," the Soufan think tank also said.

"Throughout its numerous iterations, HTS has not altered its ideology and is still widely thought to maintain links with Al-Qaeda," said the research and advisory group, set up by former FBI anti-jihadist agent Ali Soufan.

HTS has extended its administrative hold on Idlib under its so-called "Salvation Government" after years of cultivating grass-roots ties with local residents.

On Monday, Syria's National Coalition, the leading exiled opposition group, branded the HTS a "terrorist organisation," a designation applied by the US embassy in Damascus since May 2017.

"The core of HTS is Nusra, a designated terrorist organisation. This designation applies regardless of what name it uses or what groups merge into it," the embassy said in a tweet at the time.She spent the new year picking up old habits.

And Alexa Curtin, the daughter of former Real Housewives of Orange County's Lynne, spent the night in jail after being arrested for drug possession, according to The Blast.

The 26-year-old reality star was booked into the Orange County Jail on Jan. 5 for possession of Xanax and drug paraphernalia, and was released after posting bond the following day.

Trouble: Alexa Curtin, the daughter of former Real Housewives of Orange County's Lynne, spent the night in an Orange County jail after being arrested for drug possession, according to The Blast; seen on Facebook

Prosecutors charged Curtin with two misdemeanor drug charges after Irvine Police Department caught her with drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Curtin reportedly listed her occupation as 'unemployed' when booked into jail.

Authorities responded to a call for a suspicious vehicle in August where they found the actress and a female friend, and later arrested Curtin after discovering warrants from court cases she failed to attend.

She plead not guilty to multiple criminal cases: possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia, vandalism, petty theft and driving under the influence of a drug.

Booked: The 26-year-old reality star was booked into the Orange County Jail on Jan. 5 for possession of Xanax and drug paraphernalia, and was released after posting bond the following day; seen on Instagram

Problem: Prosecutors charged Curtin with two misdemeanor drug charges after Irvine Police Department caught her with drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance; seen on Instagram

Curtin posted a $5,000 bond with a hearing set for October in which she was ordered to appear.

The Blast reported in February that a Newport Beach Police officer approached Alexa when she was in a car with another woman in September 2017, and found 'multiple straws and a piece of foil with residue'.

The residue was later tested positive for heroin, according to the site, and she was officially charged on February 23 with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance/paraphernalia.

Page Six reported a hearing had been scheduled for Alexa on March 28, according to an Orange County court docket obtained by the site.

She was later charged for driving under the influence of a drug dating back from June 2017.

Fame: Alexa and her sister Raquel were regularly featured on Real Housewives of Orange County in 2008-2010

Mom: Lynne Curtin had a main role on the hit reality show for two seasons before appearing as a guest and later leaving the program; seen in 2016

Alexa also had an outstanding warrant for her arrest after she allegedly keyed her boyfriend's car, according to The Blast.

Last year Alexa was awarded $2.25 million in damages - in addition to the legal fees - after she claimed she was raped by sheriff's deputy Nicholas Caropino, 38, in April 2014.

Alexa Curtin is the daughter of Real Housewife of Orange County star Lynne Curtin and appeared regularly in the Bravo reality series herself alongside big sister Raquel.

Lynne left the show in season five, and soon after departing the series, she filed for divorce from her husband.Call The Midwife's Jessica Raine has revealed she is expecting her first child with her husband of three-years Tom Goodman Hill.

The actress, 36, debuted her blooming baby bump at BBC's Baptiste premiere on Thursday night, taking to the stage in a figure-hugging navy dress.

Ahead of the screening, Jessica answered questions on how she juggled pregnancy with filming the series, saying she channelled her emotions to help portray her character Genevieve.

Pregnant: Call The Midwife's Jessica Raine has revealed she is expecting her first child with her husband of three-years Tom Goodman Hill

Jessica told The Mirror: 'I was a bit tired but the worrying thing for production was there was a car race and stunt and I neglected to tell them I was pregnant when I took the job.

'I broke the news and everyone was amazing, we had to work out how to do a car chase without me being in any danger.

'Also my character is quite hard and being pregnant is quite emotional so it worked well, I was interested most in food on this job so my shirts get bigger as the series goes on.'

Bumping along: Jessica will reportedly give birth in the next month or so (pictured with husband Tom in July last year)

Jessica is expected to give birth in the next month or so, the publication reports.

MailOnline has contacted Jessica's representatives for comment.

The duo had a turbulent start to their relationship, with their love story reminiscent of a storyline from their hit TV dramas.

The pair first met in 2010 when they co-starred in Earthquakes at the National Theatre in which Tom played a troubled husband going through a mid-life crisis as his marriage falls apart, and she was the young seductress trying to lure him away from his wife.

Hard-working: The actress, 36, debuted her blooming baby bump at BBC's Baptiste premiere and answered questions on how she juggled pregnancy with filming the series

Starring role: The actress is best known for playing midwife Jenny Lee in the first three series of BBC One drama Call the Midwife (pictured with Helen George)

Just months later, the actor shocked friends and family by walking out on his wife and two teenage children so he could start a relationship with Jessica, 14 years his junior.

Tom walked out on his wife, set designer Kerry Bradley, in 2010, just days before a surprise party he was organising to celebrate her 40th birthday.

They had been in a relationship for 20 years and married for five with two sons.

Tom and Jessica moved in together in 2013, and subsequently got married in 2015.

In the series Baptiste will take on a new case, which will see him team up with a man called Edward - played by Tom Hollander - who is looking for his missing niece, a prostitute in Amsterdam.

Fans had their last glimpse of Baptiste as he was set to undergo an operation on a brain tumour at the end of The Missing in 2016.Sonowal reiterated that people have made him chief minister with a lot of trusts and he will not betray their trust.

Guwahati: Breaking his long silence over the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Bill, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday called on All-Assam Student Union (AASU) and intellectuals to suggest measures to protect the indigenous people of Assam.

Bogged down by criticism for not opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Mr Sonowal reiterated that people have made him chief minister with a lot of trusts and he will not betray their trust.

The Narendra Modi government has taken a practical step to implement Clause VI of the Assam Accord and formed a committee to suggest measures to protect the identity of the indigenous people. No government had taken steps for its implementation although the accord was signed in 1985, he said.

The Clause VI will ensure reservation of seats in the state Assembly, elected bodies and government jobs for indigenous people. This is a golden opportunity for us to protect the identity of the indigenous communities and hence I appeal the AASU to take a bold step and give suggestions on this, he added.

It is significant that a day before the controversial Citizenship Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on January 8, the Centre had proposed a nine-member panel headed by a former IAS officer, M.P. Bezbar-uah, to suggest measures within six months to implement the Clause VI.

However, Mr Bezbaruah refused to head the panel in view of strong protests in Assam against the Citizenship Bill.

Mr Bezbarauah, a former bureaucrat, wrote to the ministry that most of the public representatives in the committee have decided to pull out after the Centre passed the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha. And since the Bill was passed, there has been a series of protests in Assam. Mr Bezbaruah said that he supports the public opinion and hence cannot be part of the committee.

Earlier, noted educationist Mukunda Rajbangshi had also expressed his reluctance to be part of committee.

Former president of the Assam Sahitya Sabha Nagen Saikia, and Rongbong Terang, too, has announced that he will pull out. AASU was the first to withdraw from the committee.

The committee was notified on January 7 last and it was to have senior Guwahati-based journalist D.N. Bezbaruah, litterateurs Nagen Saikia and Rongbong Terang, educationist Mukunda Rajbong-shi, retired IAS officer Subash Das, Assams advocate general R.B. Gohain and a representative of AASU as members.

The Central government was to have been represented by joint secretary (Northeast) in the MHA, Satyendra Garg.

Expressing his concern over the resignation from the high-powrer committee, Mr Sonowal said that none of the previous state governments had implemented or tried to implement the clause VI. However, now everyone is trying to disrupt the present government. He also reminded the All Assam Students Union (AASU) that he respects the organisation as he also comes from the same platform.

The AASU is in the forefront of agitation against the citizenship amendment bill and accusing Mr Sonowal of betraying the peoples mandate by supporting citizenship amendment bill, which seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, by providing citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It will allow those entering India till December 31, 2014 to be eligible for citizenship and thus pushes the cut-off date from March 24, 1971, as agreed under Assam Accord. The bill categorically excludes Muslims.Three years ago, Iggy Azalea said she had 'no connection' to Australia after relocating to Miami as a teenager.

But there's one thing the 28-year-old rapper misses about her home country - and it's not the idyllic weather, sandy beaches or native wildlife.

The Fancy star revealed on Twitter on Thursday that her favourite thing about Australia is the 'sausage sizzles' available at hardware store, Bunnings Warehouse.

Scroll down to video

That's not very Fancy! Iggy Azalea has revealed the 'only' thing she misses about living in Australia - after declaring she has 'no connection to her home country'

'People have been asking me for years what I miss about Australia and the truth is I only miss Bunnings Warehouse sausage sizzles,' she tweeted.

A 'sausage sizzle' refers to a barbecue stall, typically set up on weekends outside a large store like Bunnings Warehouse, which sells sausages served in white bread.

The money raised usually goes to charity or a local community group.

How surprising! Iggy tweeted on Thursday that her favourite thing about Australia is the 'sausage sizzles' available at hardware store, Bunnings Warehouse

'My home is in America': Iggy, whose real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, was born in Sydney before moving to Miami to pursue her rap career at 16

Iggy, whose real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, was born in Sydney before moving to Miami to pursue her rap career at 16.

After living in Florida for several years, Iggy now resides permanently in Los Angeles.

In the past, she has been less than complimentary about her home country.

In September 2018, Iggy said she wouldn't be touring Down Under because it's too hard to turn a profit there.

Responding to a fan on Twitter, she wrote: 'It's a hard one to profit from honestly, it's far, and would have to be part of a bigger group of shows in Asia etc etc.'

'There is no home connection': In the past, Iggy has been less than complimentary about her home country

Speaking to the Herald Sun in January 2016, Iggy indicated she was happy to no longer be living in Australia.

'I mean, to be honest with you, my home is in America,' she said.

'It's great to come back [to Australia] and visit my grandparents, but there is no home connection.'

However, in a conversation with a Twitter user that same month, Iggy confirmed she was still an Australian citizen.Viewers of The One Show had to do a double-take on Thursday, after the programme accidentally aired Mike Tyson's foul-mouthed tweet.

During a segment about how a picture of an egg has become Instagram's most-liked post, the boxer's tweet, which read 'Stop sending me this s**t' flashed-up on screen.

Fans of the BBC One primetime show took to Twitter to describe their disbelief, telling bosses they were 'shocked and stunned' by the epic blunder.

Oops: Viewers of The One Show had to do a double-take on Thursday, after the programme accidentally aired Mike Tyson's foul-mouthed tweet

In the clip, Matthew Allwright explained how a simple picture of a brown egg first started garnering attention on January 1, with it later going viral, racking up 47 million likes and counting.

As footage aired of the extensive newspaper coverage and social media reaction to Instagram's most-liked picture, Mike's naughty tweet flashed-up on screen, with the swearword plain for all the see.

Picking up on the awkward mishap, one viewer wrote: '@BBCTheOneShow did you mean to show this on @BBCOne #primetimetv #theoneshow #oneshow #naughtyswear'.

Awkward: During a segment about how a picture of an egg has become Instagram's most-liked post, the boxer's tweet, which read 'Stop sending me this s**t' flashed-up on screen

Rude: As footage aired of the extensive newspaper coverage and social media reaction to Instagram's most-liked picture, Mike's naughty tweet flashed-up on screen

Blunder: Picking up on the awkward mishap, one viewer wrote: '@BBCTheOneShow did you mean to show this on @BBCOne #primetimetv #theoneshow #oneshow #naughtyswear'

Another typed: 'Shocked, stunned, horrifically traumatised...swearing. In print. On #TheOneShow. The BBC, going downhill, etc. Outrageous.'

'Had to do a double take and rewind.. thought I read that right,' a third chimed, while another fan added: 'Didn't want to proof check your video?'

The account @world_record_egg, which now has the tagline 'Official world record holders of the most liked picture on Instagram,' has only posted one picture of a single brown egg.

Embarrassing: Matt Baker and Alex Jones brushed off the awkward mishap

Clucking away: In the clip, Matthew Allwright explained how a simple picture of a brown egg went viral, with him trying to recreate the trend with Gladys the chicken

'Lets set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this,' reads the caption.

The record they were trying to break was set by Kylie in early 2018, when she posted the first picture of her daughter Stormi.

But the egg quickly surpassed the 18.1 million 'likes' required to steal the crown from the makeup mogul.

Popular: The account @world_record_egg, which now has the tagline 'Official world record holders of the most liked picture on Instagram,'

On Sunday evening, Egg Gang went from 14 million likes to 18 million in under three hours.

And on Thursday it had reached 47 million likes- with the number continuing to climb.

The egg first started garnering attention soon after an image of it was posted on Instagram on January 1. The account @world_record_egg, which now has the tagline 'Official world record holders of the most liked picture on Instagram,' has only posted one picture of a single brown egg.They are set to finally have their wedding ceremony in March after making it official at a Manhattan courthouse in September.

And seemingly with planning already underway bride-to-be Hailey Baldwin was spotted at an event designer in Los Angeles without fiance Justin Bieber on Thursday.

The 22-year-old model was spotted toting the couple's cute puppy Oscar as she was welcomed into the Revelry Event Design offices.

Planning underway! Hailey Baldwin is pictured out in Los Angeles on Thursday heading to a meeting at Revelry Event Design ahead of her March 1 wedding to Justin Bieber. She took pup Oscar with her

The company were responsible for creating John Legend's 40th birthday, a Casino Royale theme, last week as well as Kris Jenner's Whovill-inspired Christmas Eve party which cost $500,000.

The Revelry website boasts a stunning showcase of grand and elaborately designed events on their website.

Hailey wore a maroon coat over a black hoodie and some PVC leggings with some cherry red Dr. Martens.

Her pink tinted locks were tied up in a bun and she accessorized with some gold hoop earrings.

So much to decide: The 22-year-old model was seen walking into the building with one of the designers

Welcoming: The duo seemed like firm friends as they chatted during the meeting

Out of town: The event design company are based far from Beverly Hills in east Los Angeles

According to TMZ, Justin is keen to have a religious wedding this time, and the couple have chosen March 1, the pop star's 25th birthday.

It's been reported that the couple have sent out three different Save The Date cards but they are sticking with March 1 as their wedding date.

They will hold the wedding in Los Angeles inviting their friends and family from the East Coast and Canada.

A source told US Weekly: 'They are still in the middle of deciding whether or not they want a big or small wedding.

Adding: 'They would love a small wedding, but they have so many people that they want there and they know once they start planning, it could become bigger.'

Magical: They also designed Kris Jenner's Whoville inspired Christmas Eve party

Dripping in glamour: The company recently designed John Legend's Casino Royale theme 40th birthday

Is this what their wedding will look like? Revelry have a stunning showcase of grand and elaborately designed previous events on their website

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have reportedly been invited. Hailey's BFF Kendall Jenner is also on the guest list and rumor has it she may be bridesmaid.

The couple got engaged while they were in the Bahamas in July.

The Sorry hitmaker presented the Tommy Hilfiger model with a massive, oval-cut diamond ring.

The couple's relationship moved super fast, as they rekindled their romance only in May 2018 after briefly dating back in 2015 and 2016.

It's happening: The couple (seen on Tuesday) are determined to stick with March 1 after two previous Save The Dates were sent to their family and friendsTop Chef's Fatima Ali got the gift of good friends when her fellow season 15 stars traveled to be at her side in LA this week.

The 29-year-old chef has been struggling with declining health since she announced her terminal cancer diagnosis late last year.

So her Top Chef family flocked to Southern California to be with Fatima in her time of need.

At her side: Top Chef's season 15 contestants traveled far and wide to be with fellow competitor Fatima Ali in California this week. The chef has been dealing with declining health since her diagnosis of terminal cancer in fall 2018

Chefs Joe Flamm, Adrienne Cheatham, Tyler Anderson, Bruce Kalman, Tanya Holland, Claudette Wilkins, Carrie Baird, Rogelio Garcia, Chris Scott, Tu David Phu, Joe Sasto, Melissa Perfit, and Laura Cole traveled from far and wide to be there.

'We all came together, flew in from as far as Alaska, to see this beautiful lady, and got to have some laughs with her. We love you so very much,' chef Bruce Kalman wrote with one Instagram of his travels.

The Bravo gang gathered to show that they were 'Season 15 strong' in a group photo of their travels reposted by nearly everyone. Fatima was not in the photo, however.

'A bittersweet reunion. Our dear @cheffati is the glue...we are bonded forever now,' chef Tanya Holland wrote.

Echoing her message, Melissa Perfit shared: 'So bittersweet to see all these amazing friends come together to see our sweet @cheffati . Its impossible to explain how we all feel. You are so amazing. We love you so much.

Some of the chefs even brought along their offspring to cheer Fati up.

Chef Joe Flamm shared a photo of Ali holding his little one Luka, captioning the heartbreaking post with a simple: 'Today was a good day. #TeamFati.'

Chef Joe Flamm shared a photo of Ali holding his little one Luka, captioning the heartbreaking post with a simple: 'Today was a good day. #TeamFati'

Bitter progress: Fatima Ali, 29, posted a photo to Instagram in which she revealed that she was getting sicker after having bravely fought her cancer

It's been a tough time for Fatima Ali, who has been receiving chemotherapy treatments for over a year.

Last week, the 29-year-old Top Chef star posted a photo to Instagram in which she revealed that she was getting sicker after having bravely fought her cancer.

The celebrity chef revealed back in October that doctors estimated she had only a year left to live.

In her photo, Fatima appears from the neck up with a soft smile on her face.

'I know it's been ages since I posted and most may have figured out why,' she wrote in the caption. 'I'm sick and unfortunately I'm getting sicker. Right now all I need are prayers; prayers that are simple.'

Staying strong: Padma Lakshmi, 48, has visited Fatima periodically, including after her initially surgery in January 2018; pictured in January with Fatima after her surgery

The Chopped winner seemed to be addressing a higher power and asking for forgiveness.

'I hope, because a wish is putting on too much responsibility on the other, that you will somehow find forgiveness in your big heart for whenever I must have hurt you.

'I thank you a million times over for when you have given me joy. Ill try to keep everyone updated the best that I possibly can.'

After her latest post, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, 48, wrote 'I'm coming Boo! Hold on tight.' The TV star has visited Fatima periodically, including after her initial surgery in January 2018.

Brutal diagnosis: Fatima was first diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in 2017. It's fairly rare cancer that affects bones and the tissue surrounding them; still from season 15 of Top Chef in 2017

Fatima was first diagnosed in 2017 with Ewing's sarcoma, a fairly rare cancer that affects bones and the tissues surrounding them.

She underwent aggressive rounds of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove the cancer in January of 2018.

Fatima was initially given the all clear by doctors following her treatment and surgery, but she received bad news in October, when tests revealed the cancer had returned worse than ever.

Trying to stay optimistic: The Top Chef season 15 star published a moving essay in October revealing that her cancer was now terminal, with doctors expecting her to only live about a year, with or without further chemotherapy treatments; still from Top Chef season 15 in 2017

In October, the Top Chef season 15 star published a moving essay revealing that her cancer was now terminal, after having returned in her hip and left femur.

Doctors expected her to only live about a year, with or without further chemotherapy treatments.

'I was looking forward to being 30, flirty, and thriving. Guess I have to step it up on the flirting. I have no time to lose,' she wrote.

The master cook is now trying to spend her final days sampling the best cuisines from new restaurants around the world. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help pay for travel and food costs, which has already raised over $96,000.Traditionally, honeymoons are a chance for the newlyweds to grab some alone time together.

But Gwyneth Paltrow invited along her ex-husband Chris Martin and his new love Dakota Johnson to join her and new husband Brad Falchuk on their trip to the Maldives.

Reflecting on what she has dubbed her 'familymoon', she shared a picture of her ex-love and new husband while talking to Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn as they filled in for Ellen DeGeneres on her show.

Gwyneth laughed: 'Yupp, thats my two husbands. Theyre friends.'

Opening up: Gwyneth Paltrow labels Chris Martin and Brad Falchuk 'my two husbands' as she reflects on 'familymoon' with her ex and his new love Dakota Johnson while on the Ellen DeGeneres show with stand-in hosts Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson

Close: Gwyneth said her ex and her new love 'are friends'

It was Kate, who like Gwyneth has a blended family, who brought up the familymoon.

'It was a different kind of honeymoon?' she asked Gwyneth.

The Goop founder smiled and then listed who joined her on the trip.

'My new husband, myself and his two children and my two children, and a family that we travel with a lot and their five children, and my ex-husband.'

The picture was then displayed, to which Goldie and Kate nodded approvingly, telling Gwyneth: 'cute husbands.'

Sweet: Kate chatted about her newborn daughter, Rani Rose, and checked in with Ellen herself, who was 'babysitting'

Kate, who has three children by three different men, sympathized with Gwyneth's modern-day lifestyle.

'It's all about the kids isn't it,' she said. 'And when you can really learn to put aside every single thing, all the pain because there is pain obviously... It's really healing.'

Goldie appluaded her daughter and Gwyneth on putting the wishes of their children first.

The duo also shared pictures of Kate's youngest child, her daughter Rani Rose.

Guest stars: Thursday saw Hollywood mother-daughter duo Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson kick off their guest host duties on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Dress to impress: The Hawn/Hudsons started their first show by surprising a group of people on a Warner Bros studio tour with front row tickets to the taping

All in the family: On bringing Oliver out into the studio, the siblings shared embarrassing stories about their mother

Talking about the three-month-old's birth, Kate revealed her mother got 'a little too close to the action'.

'I ended up getting a walking epidural, and then during the actual pushing, it was [quick]. The doctor was amazing. But mom, once againshe was right in there.'

Getting up from her seat, 73-year-old Hawn reenacted the moment she met little Rani.

'[The doctor] was sort of like this, leaning down, doing the thing. And I'm trying to get in on him to try to look over his shoulder,' she said. 'Now I see the head and I'm going, "Oh! There's the head." Then it went back, and he said, "Goldie, if you get any closer, you're going to fall in."'They celebrated Chicago West's first birthday just days ago.

But Kim Kardashian hasn't stopped making her youngest child feel extra special.

The 38-year-old reality star took to her Instagram Story on Thursday to share adorable snaps of her one-year-old baby girl.

Precious: Kim Kardashian took to her Instagram Story on Thursday to share adorable snaps of her one-year-old baby girl Chicago West

Chill: The 38-year-old reality star was quite active on social media

Kim shared two videos of Chicago with filters as the child looked happy to see the animations on her face.

In one snap, the child could be seen with a red lipstick filter and leopard patterned horns.

In another she could be seen with small pink ears and a tiny unicorn horn.

Sweet: In one snap, the child could be seen with a red lipstick filter and leopard patterned horns

Magical: In another she could be seen with small pink ears and a tiny unicorn horn

Just us: The youngest Kardashian-West baby looked at her mother

The posts came after Kim shared a video of a facial treatment she was receiving from plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Diamond.

This comes days after Kim shared snaps of herself stepping into the studio for a fitting and glam test on Tuesday.

The beauty took to social media to flaunt her plump pout while displaying an array of different colored wigs.

Pain is beauty: The posts came after Kim shared a video of a facial treatment she was receiving from plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Diamond

Maintenance: Kim had a translucent gel on her face

Kim flaunted her incredibly toned and bronzed abs in the video.

She wore a revealing crop top that flashed her ample cleavage with a pair of tights from the Yeezy range.

The KKW Beauty star's glam featured a clear complexion with a light sweep of blush and a lash extensions.

Working mom: Kim flashed her ample cleavage, abs and plump pout during a colorful fitting in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Fitness paying off! Kim flaunted her incredibly toned and bronzed abs in the video

Gorgeous: Kim added a pop of color with a slight blue shadow in her inner tear ducts completed her look with her nude shade matte lip

Kim added a pop of color with a slight blue shadow in her inner tear ducts completed her look with her nude shade matte lip.

The reality star also shared videos of herself trying on pink, blue and blonde hued long wigs.

'Playing with fun hair today,' Kim told her 125 million followers on her Instagram Stories.

'I have a really cute shoot coming up. I can't wait for you guys to see it. What do you guys think it's for?' she questioned her fans.

Kim's posts come after she shaded a tender shot of her youngest daughter Chicago on the social media earlier in the day in honor of her first birthday.

'Happy Birthday to my pretty girl Chi!!! The sweetest baby in the whole world! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!'

So many choices! 'Playing with fun hair today,' Kim told her 125 million followers on her Instagram Stories

Chi, as her family affectionately calls her, looked darling while laying down on a knitted blanket wearing a white linen dress and gazing up at her mom adoringly.

Grandma Kris Jenner also announced her love on Instagram, posting a pretty photo of the little one lying on her belly in a pink wrap.

It was captioned: 'Happy birthday to our beautiful angel Chicago!! You are my precious ray of sunshine and I love you so very much....'

'You put a smile on everyones face the moment you crawl into any room and you bring such joy and happiness into our lives!!! I love you Chi Chi #love #family #happybirthdaychi.'

Kim and Kanye - who are also parents to North, five, and Saint, three, - welcomed their baby girl via a surrogate last year.

Birthday girl! Kim's posts come after she shaded a tender shot of her youngest daughter Chicago on the social media earlier in the day in honor of her first birthday

Bundle of joy: Grandma Kris Jenner also announced her love on Instagram, posting a pretty photo of the little one lying on her belly in a pink wrap

While Chicago is currently the baby of the family, that won't be the case for long.

The celebrity brood is currently expecting a fourth child, a boy, via surrogate.

After the baby news was reported earlier this month, Kim personally confirmed things on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Monday.

Kim and Kanye are said to be 'thrilled it [surrogacy] has worked out' for a second time, with Kim particularly happy to have her 'perfect' combination of 'two boys and two girls'.

A source told E! News: 'The surrogate is well into the pregnancy. She is due in May and everything looks good.

baby joy! After the baby news was reported earlier this month, Kim personally confirmed that she was expecting her fourth child via surrogate on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Monday

Baby makes six! Kim and Kanye are said to be 'thrilled it [surrogacy] has worked out' for a second time, with Kim particularly happy to have her 'perfect' combination of 'two boys and two girls'

'Kim and Kanye have known for awhile and are very excited. They had one male embryo left and are thrilled it has worked out. Kim always wanted four kids and having two boys and two girls feels perfect.'

According to TMZ, Kim and Kanye are using a new surrogate and not the woman who carried their daughter Chicago.

Their first surrogate was unable to carry a second baby for the couple as she gave birth to her own child on Christmas Eve.

Kim and Kanye are said to have just recently started to share the news of the pregnancy with family and friends, with the reality star currently planning a baby shower to celebrate.The stars of this season's Celebrity Big Brother were announced to much fanfare on Sunday.

And though viewers are already trying to predict enemies and alliances, it looks like the dozen celebs will all be starting off with the same footing, at least salary-wise.

All 12 of the famed figures will get a smooth $100k for simply participating, according to TMZ.

On equal ground: Celebrity Big Brother is paying all of their talent the same $100k starting salaries, according to TMZ

And the winner stands to take home even more, with a $250k prize waiting at the end.

CBS likely made the move to quell any initial drama between the stars.

Though generous, CBB USA cast members reported salary is far lower than that of their UK counterparts.

Heidi and Spencer Pratt are said to have earned $700k for their 2013 turn on the show, while Kim Kardashian's ex Ray J was paid a full $1million for his time on the show.

From the White House to the CBB house: Many were surprised to learn Anthony Scaramucci would be joining the fun

Variety: Above contestants Ryan Lochte and Dinah Lohan are pictured

Sweet deal: Songwriter/Real Housewife Of Atlanta Kandi Burruss (above in December 2018) will be joining the cast

Significant difference: CBB UK participants were given more generous salaries. TMZ reported that Heidi and Spencer Pratt (above in 2018 with their son) earned $700k for their appearance in 2013

This season is sure to be a wild ride, with stars Anthony Scaramucci, Dina Lohan, Joey Lawrence, Jonathan Bennett, Kandi Burruss, Kato Kaelin, Lolo Jones, Natalie Eva Marie, Ricky Williams, Ryan Lochte, Tamar Braxton and Tom Green all coming together under one roof.

According to TMZ's insider, the production went the extra mile to keep the cast's identities secret from each other.

The show reportedly kept the dozen in separate hotel rooms for four days leading up to their first night in the home, which was this Wednesday.

Grand tour: Host Julie Chen (above) gave fans a tour of the CBB house on Wednesday

Be our guest! The eclectically designed New York living space was decorated with retro influences, according to the show's Instagram

Retro flair: 'This #BBCeleb season, the celebrity houseguests will be living all things NYC, but with a twist! Its the Big Apple from the 1930s and 40s, updated with modern flare,' explained a caption of the space

Host Julie Chen gave fans a tour of the CBB house on Wednesday.

The eclectically designed New York living space was decorated with retro influences, according to the show's Instagram.

'This #BBCeleb season, the celebrity houseguests will be living all things NYC, but with a twist! Its the Big Apple from the 1930s and 40s, updated with modern flare,' explained a caption of the space.

Celebrity Big Brother will premiere with a two-night extravaganza starting Monday January 21 at 8pm on CBS.The Bad Boys are back for the third installment of the popular buddy cop franchise.

Will Smith was spotted on the set of Bad Boys For Life in Atlanta for the second time this week after the flick began filming on Tuesday.

The 50-year-old actor is teaming up with co-star Martin Lawrence, 53, to reboot the popular series 25 years after Bad Boys 2.

He's back! Will Smith donned a bold look on the set of Bad Boys For Life in Atlanta on Thursday as filming for the long awaited sequel to his popular buddy cop franchise with Martin Lawrence gets underway

Smith, who is reprising his role of Detective Mike Lowrey, was without his partner on Thursday while he shot a restaurant scene.

The actor rocked an iridescent color changing purple and blue suit befitting the film's Miami setting.

Impeccably tailored, the bold ensemble was paired with a simple black button-up shirt and a pair of sunglasses.

Between takes, a helpful hair and makeup artist stepped in to make sure the star was looking his best.

Dapper! In his role as Detective Mike Lowrey, Smith rocked a tailored purple and blue iridescent suit while filming a scene at a restaurant

Fans were thrilled earlier in the week when the first images of Lawrence, 53, and Smith filming for the long awaited were released.

DJ Khaled scored a coveted role in the action packed sequel, Variety reported on Wednesday.

The upcoming flick will also welcome stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig to the cast.

Newcomer: DJ Khaled has joined the cast in addition to Vanessa Hudgens, Variety reported on Wednesday

'The story revolves around a modern, highly specialized police unit that collides with the old school Bad Boys (Smith and Lawrence) when a new threat emerges in Miami,' the outlet reported.

Lawrence sent social media into a tizzy in November when he took to social media with a video and selfie with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air star.

'Cant wait to hit the ground runnin! Blessed to be a part of such a great film with my brotha,' he wrote in the caption.

Old vs New: The plot of the film will see the Bad Boys butting heads with a 'highly specialized' modern police unit

The Martin star has kept fans abreast of the goings on behind the scenes this week as he shared an image of the 'Boys' getting some 'weapons training.'

He captioned the shot: 'In Atlanta goin over weapons training with the team! Trigger Mike is ready to ride!'

And, it seems the star's got to take a walk down memory lane together and watch the first two Bad Boys films together.

'In Atlanta goin over weapons training with the team! Trigger Mike is ready to ride,' Lawrence wrote in the caption of this image on Instagram this week

'Had the chance to watch Bad Boys 1 & 2 with my boy @willsmith before we start shooting this week,' Lawrence captured an image of the duo posing together.

Adding: 'So many good memories on that screen and so many more to come!'

The original Bad Boys, which helped launch the film careers of TV stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in 1995, grossed $141.4 million worldwide on just a $19 million budget.

Throwback! Martin posted a shot arm-in-arm with Smith after the actors got to watch Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2 together this week

Transformers director Michael Bay helped the successful feature and marked his directorial debut.

Bay returned to take the helm on the 2003 sequel Bad Boys II, which earned $273.4 million worldwide from a much larger $130 million budget.

Sony is trying to compete with Disney by bringing back franchises from their vault, with varying degrees of success.

Big hit! Bad Boys debuted to massive commercial success in 1995 and was followed up by a hit sequel in 2003

While Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a huge hit last year with $962 million worldwide (from a $90 million budget), the studio's Ghostbusters reboot took in $221.9 million worldwide, from a $144 million budget.

The studio also has reboots of Men in Black and Charlie's Angels in the works, with a 21 Jump Street spin-off with female detectives also in development.

It will be a while before fans can enjoy the third installment in the franchise as Bad Boys For Life is slated for release in exactly a year, January 17 2020.She made a name for herself in the music industry before crossing over into the world of beauty.

And Rihanna seems to be ready to take her fashion line to the next level by launching a luxury house with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, according to WWD.

The 30-year-old entrepreneur- whose Fenty Beauty line is produced under Kendo Brands- has been in 'secret discussions' with the company, just days after Rihanna was spotted around town sporting Fenty sunglasess  a possible nod to an unreleased accessory line.

Beauty: Rihanna seems to be ready to take her fashion line to the next level by launching a luxury house with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, according to WWDl; seen on Instagram

'LVMH has already handpicked a clutch of employees from within, including some from Louis Vuitton and Celine, to work on the project in tandem with Rihanna and some of her key associates,' sources said.

The partnership would be LVMH's first house 'from scratch' in more than three decades, having last launched Christian Lacroix in 1987.

Details about the launch have yet to be learned with officials declining to comment.

Fans went into a frenzy earlier in the week after Rihanna was spotted in New York wearing sunglasses with 'Fenty' written across the top.

Jack of all trades: The 30-year-old entrepreneur has been in 'secret discussions' with the company, just days after Rihanna was spotted around town sporting Fenty sunglasess  a possible nod to an unreleased accessory line; seen on Monday

New venture? Fans went into a frenzy earlier in the week after Rihanna was spotted in New York wearing sunglasses with 'Fenty' written across the top; seen on Tuesday

She was later seen in a similar pair of red lenses as she left a late night meeting in the city.

Rihanna - real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty - has dabbled in the clothing industry and launched an affordable lingerie line last year, Savage x Fenty.

Her makeup line has been a formidable force in the industry since its launch in 2017, selling more than $100 million just weeks after coming onto the market.

The brand is known for its inclusive range of foundations and boasts highlighters, lipsticks and concealers for every face type.

Bright future: She was later seen in a similar pair of red lenses as she left a late night meeting in the city; seen on Tuesday

Never straying too far from her first love, the Don't Stop The Music songstress announced to her fans that the new year will bring new music.

She wrote on social media: 'Simultaneously doing lingerie, makeup, film, amongst a couple other things that I enjoy.'

Rihanna then let her following in on the upcoming album, writing: 'When the music is ready, you won't have to ask for it. But it's coming.'

The album she puts out next will be her ninth studio record - her most recent one, Anti, was released in 2016 and featured such songs as Work and Kiss It Better.

She only confirmed that she was dating Saudi billionaire Hassan Jameel in Vogue over this past summer, although they have been together for about two years now.She swore 'she wouldn't jump on the bandwagon' for the 10 Year Challenge that's sweeping social media currently.

Yet Billie Faiers couldn't resist on Thursday - taking to Instagram to upload a shot of her, her sister Sam and their pal Ferne McCann from a decade ago.

Looking very different, before they went on to TOWIE fame, the girls are evidently pictured on holiday, posing in front of a nightclub sporting very deep tans, silly hats and looking baby-faced.

Then and now: Billie Faiers couldn't resist jumping on the 10 Year Challenge bandwagon, taking to Instagram to upload a shot of her, her sister Sam and their pal Ferne McCann from a decade ago

To compare and contrast, Billie, 29, uploaded a shot of her and the girls taken more recently.

Sam and Ferne are both now 28 - but the trio were in their late teens in 2009, seen posing with a fourth friend.

Billie captioned the snap: 'Ok I said I wasnt going to jump on the #10yearchallenge band wagon... but this one was too good not to post... the ultimate #glowup Besties forever!'

The girls look unrecognisable compared to today - where fame and fortune has seen them glam up.

10 years ago: Looking very different, before they went on to TOWIE fame, the girls are evidently pictured abroad, posing in front of a nightclub sporting very deep tans, silly hats and looking baby-faced

Compare and contrast: Billie, 29, uploaded a shot of her and the girls taken more recently

Ferne in particular looks very different, having recently undergone a fitness overhaul.

Releasing a DVD this year called Fit As Ferne, the mother-of-one rarely goes anywhere today without flaunting her toned abs and lean limbs.

She too uploaded a 10 Year Challenge snap, showcasing her at a party in 2009 vs a sporty snap of her today.

All three of the ladies are now mums - with Sam and Billie welcoming a son and daughter each in recent years.

Fit and Ferne: Ferne in particular looks very different, having recently undergone a fitness overhaul. She too uploaded a 10 Year Challenge snap, showcasing her at a party in 2009 vs a sporty snap of her today

Lifestyle overhaul: Releasing a DVD this year called Fit As Ferne, the mother-of-one rarely goes anywhere today without flaunting her toned abs and lean limbs

What a difference a decade makes: All three of the ladies are now mums - with Sam and Billie welcoming a son and daughter each in recent years

Billie is set to marry her fiancee Greg Shepherd this year, booked in for a wedding in the Maldives, while Sam will act as maid of honour.

The ladies were recently documented on Billie and Sam's series, The Mummy Diaries, enjoying Billie's hen do abroad - a far cry from the trip they took in the 10 Year Challenge throwback.

Ferne's show - First Time Mum - returns to screens next week. It charts her life as a single mother, with baby Sunday, born in 2017.

Sunday's father, Arthur Collins, is no longer on the scene, instead serving time in jail for an acid attack carried out while Ferne and he were dating.This came after Health Minister informed that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free health care in just first 100 days of the scheme.

'...Its great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far,' Bill Gates said. (Photo: File | AP)

New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has congratulated the Indian government for the successful completion of the first 100 days of the healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat from its launch.

Taking to Twitter, Bill Gates said:

Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. Its great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far. @PMOIndia https://t.co/AHHktUt95z  Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 17, 2019

The response from Bil Gates came after Union Health Minister J P Nadda informed that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free health care in just first 100 days of the scheme and the number is rising rapidly.

"In just first 100 days of Ayushman Bharat, 6,85,000 beneficiaries availed free health care and the number is rising rapidly," Nadda tweeted.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on January 3 praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the health minister for their visionary leadership which helped around seven lakh people avail benefits of the healthcare scheme.

In a tweet, Ghebreyesus said:

In its first 100 days, #India's ambitious #AyushmanBharat scheme has provided free care for almost 700,000 people. I applaud Prime Minister @narendramodi and Health Minister @JPNadda for their visionary leadership for #HealthForAll. https://t.co/IAxUvIODNU  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 3, 2019

On January 1, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed the government's flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat a "game changer" in healthcare and said that on an average 5,000 claims are being settled every day since its rollout on September 23, 2018.

The scheme, which was launched by PM Modi from Ranchi in Jharkhand on September 23, aims to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually to more than 10.74 crore poor families or 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers.

The world's largest ambitious health care scheme PMJAY will cover medical and hospitalisation expenses for almost all secondary care and most tertiary care procedures.

The PMJAY has defined 1,350 medical packages covering surgery, medical and daycare treatments including medicines, diagnostics and transport.Tesla boss, Elon Musk has quoted 1 billion dollars to build a commuter tunnel under Australia's Blue Mountains, which divide Sydney from the country's vast western interior.

Elon Musk, co-founder and chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., speaks during an unveiling event for the Boring Co. Hawthorne test tunnel in Hawthorne, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. [Photo: Pool via AP/Robyn Beck]

The renowned tech innovator was responding via Twitter to a query by New South Wales (NSW) member of parliament Jeremy Buckingham, who described Sydney as choking with traffic and asked how much it would cost to build a 50-km underground tunnel.

"About 15 million dollars per kilometre for a two way high speed transit," Musk responded.

"So probably around 750 million dollars plus maybe 50 million dollars per station."

Musk did not specify if he was referring to US dollars.

Musk's Boring Company is currently testing similar tunnel systems to ease congestion in Los Angeles, with a prototype stretch being completed late last year.

Rather than being open to conventional traffic flow, the Boring Company tunnels utilise specialised carriages which can transport people or vehicles at high speeds.

Buckingham said that the transport loop would be the envy of the world, and greatly benefit regional cities.

"You could live out in the beautiful western region of NSW, enjoy the lifestyle, clean air and national parks while commuting into jobs centres of Penrith and western Sydney," he said.

"The infrastructure plan takes the pressure off traffic congestion and resources in Sydney, while providing a lifeline for our regions."South Africa: Merger of departments gains traction

By Mish Molakeng

Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, has urged senior staff members of both the Department of Communications and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services to speedily work towards concluding the configuration of the two departments.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the decision to combine the two departments in November last year. He had said the move was aimed at ensuring there is better alignment and coordination on matters that are critical to the future of the economy in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Addressing the Executive Committee of the two departments, as well as the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS), in Pretoria on Wednesday, Ndabeni-Abrahams and Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana said combining these two departments was aimed at building a capable 4th Industrial Revolution staff complement that will be responsive to the constantly evolving ICT sector.

Working groups, consisting of Deputy Directors General and Chief Directors from both departments, have been established to facilitate the conclusion of the merger with timelines, targets and clear objectives.

The working groups will also embark on a skills matching exercise.

The two departments have less than three months to put a comprehensive master merger plan together, and a possible model that can be used by other departments who could also face a similar merger in the future.

The Minister and Deputy Minister have both committed to working closely with organised labour, entities under the portfolio and staff to ensure the transition is seamless and does not result in job losses.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) are looking forward to being part of forming a new department.

Khaya Xaba, Nehawus national spokesperson, said: As Nehawu, we welcome the undertaking made by Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams to work with organised labour. We are ready to support the exercise of combining the two departments. More importantly for us as a union, we were encouraged by the Ministers commitment that there will no job losses in this process.

Ivan Fredericks, General Manager of PSA, said the union welcomes the spirit of working together from the Minister and Deputy Minister.

Ndabeni-Abrahams and Kekana, together with senior staff members, spent considerable time in December attending consultative meetings with entities in their portfolio.

We had meetings with all the entities in our portfolio. This was part of a due diligence exercise that was necessary. Furthermore, this exercise has helped us as shareholders in these respective entities to identify their challenges and strengths and what we will need to build a capable 4th Industrial Revolution army of dedicated and responsible employees, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The entities of government that fall within department include Broadband Infraco, the Post Office, Sentech, ICASA, MDDA, FPB, Brand SA, SABC, SITA, USAASA, DOTZDNA and NEMISA.

The Minister reiterated the commitment to strengthening and creating an enabling environment for the ICT sector in the country.

In order for the ICT sector to effectively play its leading role in economic and social development, it is critical for us as a department to create a policy and regulatory framework that supports e- development and the digital economy, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.Jordan Banjo has revealed his girlfriend Naomi Courts, is pregnant with their SECOND baby, just eight months after birth of son Cassius.

The Greatest Dancer host, 26, shared the happy news on Instagram on Thursday, with a sweet picture of him and his adorable son holding the baby scan.

He captioned the image with the words: 'CASSIUS IS GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER.

The Greatest Moment: Jordan Banjo revealed on Instagram on Thursday, his girlfriend Naomi is expecting their second child, eight months after the birth of son Cassius, (pictured)

Love: Jordan and Naomi met in Essex in 2013 and started dating in 2015, (pictured in March). He said: 'Cant wait for the rest of the crazy adventure of our little family getting that bit bigger'

'Genuinely never felt more blessed, last year having Cassius was the best thing thats ever happened to me and @naomiella21.

'Being a dad is genuinely the best job in the world and now were going to be mummy and daddy to another little bubba later this year!

'@naomiella21 Im so proud of you and the amazing mum/partner you are. Cant wait for the rest of this year and the crazy adventure of our little family getting that bit bigger!'

Making memories: Naomi pictured at her baby shower while pregnant with Cassius last year with her man by her side - they welcomed their first baby back in May

Jordan and Naomi's welcomed their first child back in May.

The dancer, famous for winning Britain's Got Talent with his troupe in 2009, announced the arrival of Cassius, two days after his birth.

Jordan declared himself 'the luckiest man there is' as he shared the happy news on Instagram, along with a first picture of the tiny newborn.

New arrival: The Diversity dancer took to Instagram to share the news of the birth of Cassius last year, two days after his birth

He explained at the time: 'Myself and @naomiella21 havent shared this straight away because we wanted to take some time to appreciate and enjoy the beautiful moment that we had as a family.

'On the 07.05.2018 at 12:29am our beautiful son was born! Words cannot describe the feeling of seeing your future come into this world.

'Im so proud of mum & baby, both are doing absolutely amazing and @naomiella21 you are a super woman.

Special moment: The dancer carrying his baby home in his first Instagram since the birth

Devoted dad: Jordan had said he was 'nervous' about the lifestyle changes that fatherhood would bring but he loves his role as parent

'If I didnt know it before, I do now, I am the luckiest man there is. Welcome to the world Cassius Ashley Banjo.'

Their son's middle name is a tribute to Jordan's brother and Diversity dance mate Ashley, who is also expecting a baby with wife Francesca.

The first picture Jordan posted after the birth was a black and white snapshot of the moment he carried his son out of the hospital to the car.

A second picture, shared by Naomi featured the precious moment that Cassius arrived home with the family.

Cradled by muscular Jordan, the newborn looked tiny by comparison as they shared a father-son bonding moment.

He previously OK! magazine: 'It took a bit of time for me to get excited about becoming a dad because it's going to be a huge lifestyle change. Right now my greatest responsibility is making sure my phone is charged!'

Naomi conquered, saying: 'We always said we wanted kids together, we just didn't think it would happen this soon. We're over the moon, though!'

The couple met in Sugar Hut in Essex in 2013 and started dating two years later. They say marriage is 'in the future' but not for now.

Jordan featured on the 2016 series of jungle reality show I'm A Celebrity, and confessed afterwards that distance definitely made the heart grow fonder.

He explained: 'That show gives you a lot of time to think about things and it made me realise Naomi is the girl I want to marry.'She has a picture-perfect figure which she shows off on social media.

And Kendall Rae Knight looked wonderful in white when she graced the Mexico beach with her appearance on Thursday, in Tulum.

The Love Island bombshell, 26, drew attention to her ample bust with her push-up halterneck bikini top while she lapped up the tropical heat.

Abs-olutely ravishing! Love Island's Kendall Rae Knight displayed her sun-kissed lean figure in a white bikini as she holidayed in Mexico on Thursday

Tanning in Tulum's blowtorch temperatures of 18 degrees, the reality star exposed as much skin as possible to the sun by peeling off the straps of her bikini.

Slipping the straps off her shoulders meant Kendall struggled to contain her assets in her swimwear as she readjusted the two-piece while she went for a swim.

The model tamed her long brunette tresses into a basic French plait to keep herself cool during her beach days.

Looking lovely! Tanning in Tulum's blowtorch temperatures of 18 degrees, the reality star exposed as much skin as possible to the sun by peeling off the straps of her bikini

Fashion faux pas: Slipping the straps off her shoulders meant Kendall struggled to contain her assets in her swimwear as she readjusted the two-piece while she went for a swim

Amazing abs! The reality star looked wonderful in white when she graced the Mexico beach with her appearance

Bust-ing out: The Love Island bombshell, 26, drew attention to her ample bust with her push-up halterneck bikini top while she lapped up the tropical heat

Kendall boasted of a gorgeous sun-kissed skin and no tan lines after just a few days of relaxation under the blistering rays of the Mexican sunshine.

Later on the sunbed, the brunette stunner retied her halterneck bikini to ensure it held her ample assets in place.

While the islander spent a lot of the day larking about on her own, she also enjoyed some quality time with her female pal whom she is holidaying with.

Sizzling: Later on the sunbed, the brunette stunner retied her halterneck bikini to ensure it held her ample assets in place

Glamorous image: The model tamed her long brunette tresses into a basic French plait to keep herself cool during her beach days

Wow: Kendall boasted of a gorgeous sun-kissed skin and no tan lines after just a few days of relaxation under the blistering rays of the Mexican sunshine

Sensational style: Kendall proved she knew how to make the most of her holiday as she strolled across the heated sand

Kendall's outing comes after drip feeding her social media account with sun-soaked bikini-clad photographs since she made her arrival in the sunny country.

And the reality star courted attention once again when she shared a slew of bikini-clad snaps from the Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancun, by Karisma on Tuesday.

The Love Island bombshell showcased her phenomenal toned figure in a white crocheted bikini as she posed against the backdrop of the sea.

Hot to trot: The model looked breathtaking when she wandered across the sand against the backdrop of the glorious sea

A saucy keyhole design in the bikini offered a further look at Kendall's ample cleavage when she enjoyed the sun-soaked day.

As a model, it's no wonder the reality star later stunned in her second lot of swimwear for her time on the beach.

Kendall documented her incredible figure in a canary yellow bikini with a sultry mirror selfie which she later shared with her 862k followers on Instagram.

Good pals: While the islander spent a lot of the day larking about on her own, she also enjoyed some quality time with her female pal whom she is holidaying with

The singleton showed off the results of her secret nose job by sharing close-ups of her face on her social media and she kept her image glamorous with heavy make-up.

'Baby got bronzeddd,' she captioned the white bikini picture. 'Out here just tryna skip winter.' Kendall wrote alongside the yellow bikini snap.

Kendall returned to our screens once again when she was reunited with a slew of Love Island stars for the televised Reunion.

Good company: The singleton also toted her phone as she chatted away to her pal

Looking sensational! Love Island's Kendall Rae Knight wowed in a white crocheted bikini before she slipped into a yellow two-piece during tropical getaway on Tuesday

Saucy: Kendall documented her incredible figure in a canary yellow bikini with a sultry mirror selfie which she later shared with her 862k followers on Instagram

'Tryna skip winter!' As a model, it's no wonder the reality star later stunned in her second lot of swimwear for her time on the beach

She was the talk of social media after she enjoyed an unlikely flirtation and locked lips with Eyal Booker on the show.

The dark-haired beauty was the first star to be eliminated from the Mallorcan villa over the summer when Adam Collard dumped her to chase Rosie Williams.

Kendall hit it off with former Love Island winner Kem Cetinay on After Sun and they were spotted sharing a kiss but the flirtation didn't come to fruition.

Abs-olutely amazing: The bombshell has been drip feeding her social media account with sun-soaked bikini-clad photographs since she made her arrival in the sunny countryShe finally admitted she had undergone a breast augmentation after years of speculation on Wednesday.

And the following day, Home and Away star, Ada Nicodemou stood loud and proud as she stepped out in a cleavage-baring swimsuit in the Maldives.

The 41-year-old flaunted her surgically-enhanced assets in a skimpy black bikini as she enjoyed a 'floating breakfast' in an infinity pool at Club Med Finolhu Villas on Thursday.

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Loud and proud! Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou, 41, (pictured) flaunted her surgically-enhanced assets in a skimpy black bikini during Maldives getaway after admitting to getting a boob job

'Our floating breakfast,' the brunette stunner captioned the image.

In a separate shot shared to her Instagram story on Thursday, the Sydney-born actress continued to let her chest do the talking in the busty bikini.

The mother-of-one also shared a photograph of her businessman beau, Adam Rigby, who she has been dating since 2016, posing shirtless in the pool.

Taking the plunge! In a separate shot shared to her Instagram story on Thursday, the Sydney-born actress continued to let her chest do the talking in the busty bikini

Breakfast with a view! The mother-of-one also shared a photograph of her businessman beau, Adam Rigby, who she has been dating since 2016, posing shirtless in the pool

The smitten pair have been soaking up the sun in the tropical nation over the past week.

On Wednesday, Ada revealed she had undergone a boob job and Botox injections.

She made the admission while responding to an Instagram troll who implied she was 'fake'.

Hot mama! Ada showed off her surgically-enhanced assets while on holiday in the Maldives this week

'I don't use fillers and I rarely use Botox and the only surgery that I've done [that] is 'fake' is breast augmentation, which I have every right to do,' she wrote.

The actress went on to condemn body shaming and cyber bullying.

'I appreciate that [everyone] has a right to an opinion,' she wrote.

'Think before you post next time': The mother-of-one made the admission while responding to an Instagram troll who implied she was 'fake'

'But have you stopped to think what example this gives to other girls and young women about body shaming and tearing down other women?

'This is where cyber bullying begins... Maybe think before you post next time.'

Ada told Daily Mail Australia last year that she was not opposed to cosmetic surgery on principle.

'I have no judgement': Last year, Ada told Daily Mail Australia that she was not opposed to cosmetic surgery on principle. Pictured on holiday in the Maldives earlier this week

'Everyone should do whatever makes them feel good,' she said when asked about Botox. 'I have no judgement on it whatsoever.'

In July last year, Ada underwent a body transformation with Who magazine, losing a total of five kilograms.

The actress dropped down to 47kg by following an eight-week exercise plan, which focused on strength training, including push-ups and sit-ups.She became Britain's oldest mother of quadruplets after giving birth to three girls and a boy by c-section having conceived the babies using 7,000 of IVF.

And Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were in their element when they got to cuddle two of 50-year-old Tracey Britten's four children on Thursday's This Morning.

However, despite going into meltdown over the sweet scenes, some show watchers spotted that one of the baby's headband had slipped over her eyes as they joked she was doing the 'Bird Box challenge'.

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Laughter: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield got to cuddle two of 50-year-old Tracey Britten's four children on Thursday's This Morning before trying laughing yoga (pictured)

Taking to Twitter, viewers were quick to point out the hilarious wardrobe mishap as they demanded someone fix the headwear.

One person said: 'The little child doing the bird box challenge on @thismorning @ITV #Birdbox #ThisMorning.'

A different user put: 'This baby seen #birdbox #ThisMorning.'

Oops: However some show watchers spotted that one of the baby's headband had slipped over her eyes as they joked she was doing the 'Bird Box challenge'

'Bird Box challenge': The Bird Box Challenge stems from the Netflix's movie Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, where she is forced to make a dangerous trip with her kids while blindfolded

Another show watcher commented: '@#thismorning can't believe one of the quads did birdbox with hairband.'

While a different account added: '#ThisMorning one baby doing the bird box challenge.'

The Bird Box Challenge stems from the Netflix original movie called Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, where her character is forced to make a dangerous journey with her children while blindfolded, so as not to lay eyes on a monster that if seen, causes people to kill themselves.

During her interview, 50-year-old grandmother Tracey revealed that her new partner wanted children, but she already had three kids and wasn't keen on having more.

Amused viewers: Taking to Twitter, viewers were quick to point out the hilarious wardrobe mishap as they demanded someone fix the headband

Hilarious: One person said: 'The little child doing the bird box challenge on @thismorning @ITV #Birdbox #ThisMorning.'

However, she joked that when she turned 50 she had a 'midlife crisis' she thought 'why not' and used money left for her from her late mother, who always wanted one of her daughters to have twins, to have IVF in Cyprus.

Tracey was advised to get rid of two of the babies, as it was a risk, she said: 'By this time, we had got into us we're having four. It wasn't such a shock... it was more of a shock to get rid of two. '

The mother-of-seven gave birth to twin girls, another baby girl and a boy in October via caesarean section at 31 weeks, they were all reunited at Christmas after the babies were rushed to intensive care.

Maternal: Holly and Phil were left in their element looking after two of the quadruplets, with Holly, who is a mother-of-three, walking around the set to comfort one of the babies

Hysterical: Later on during the show, Holly and Phil tried laughing yoga with a laughing expert which ended with hilarious results

Holly and Phil were left in their element looking after two of the quadruplets, with Holly, who is a mother-of-three, walking around the set to comfort one of the babies who eventually fell asleep.

While Phil joked that his baby he was looking after had a dirty nappy, he said: 'Im sorry to inform you, but when this chat finishes, you have a dirty nappy to clean!'

Later on during the show, Holly and Phil tried laughing yoga with a laughing expert which ended with hilarious results.

Holly admitted she was left feeling 'dizzy' over the exercise, as they had to do several activities including forcing themselves to laugh hysterically.She has been dating her beau Matthew Mawhinney since last summer.

And Tina Stinnes proved she is still just as smitten with her boyfriend as they locked lips during a romantic break to Antigua on Wednesday.

The Love Island star, 23, looked sensational in a mix and match animal print two-piece, which boasted thong-style bikini bottoms.

Steamy: Tina Stinnes proved she is still just as smitten with her boyfriend as they locked lips during a romantic break to Antigua on Wednesday

Tina showcased her sizzling figure as she leaned in to plant a smooch on her beau's lips, wrapping her arms around his next in a passionate embrace.

Displaying a glowing tan, Tina flaunted her peachy posterior in the steamy snap, which she posted on Instagram to her 258,000 followers.

She added a caption reading: 'Give us a kiss then.'

Sexy: Tina, who shot to fame on Love Island's second season in 2016, proved she still has her sexy island style as she lived it up with Matthew, the son of politician Baroness Scotland

Tina, who shot to fame on Love Island's second season in 2016, proved she still has her sexy island style as she lived it up with Matthew, the son of politician Baroness Scotland.

Tina looked stunning as she shared a host of snaps from her holiday with her boyfriend, after going public in June last year.

Getting up close and personal, she wowed in a leopard print bikini while Matthew planted a tender kiss on her cheek in a sweet display.

Loved-up! Tina looked stunning as she shared a host of snaps from her holiday with her boyfriend, after going public in June last year

In June, insiders revealed the couple were 'all over each other' as they debuted their romance at the PrettyLittleThing x Maya Jama launch party.

Tina told The Sun of her romance: 'We've been going out for a while. It's going really well. So far, so good.'

The reality television star confessed she was the first to break the ice when they met as she said 'hello' to him at the bar while he was chatting to one of her friends.

Public debut: In June, insiders revealed the couple were 'all over each other' as they debuted their romance at the PrettyLittleThing x Maya Jama launch party

Sources also dished to the newspaper at the time: 'They were all over each other.'

Matthew is the son of Patricia Scotland - who was the Attorney General under then Prime Minister Gordon Brown between 2007 and 2010.

Proving himself to be even further connected, Matthew's dad is Richard Mawhinney, a barrister who is the brother of former Tory chairman Brian.

Her hunky boyfriend's Instagram feed, which is now private, was littered with images of his lavish life, including snaps meeting former US President Bill Clinton, at a lavish party at St Jamess Palace, at Buckingham Palace and St Jamess Palace.He always plays the perfect gentleman in his films.

And Pierce Brosnan proved he's just as charming off-screen as he walked arm-in-arm with his mother Mary Smith for a spot of lunch in Sloane Square, Chelsea, on Wednesday.

The Mamma Mia! star, 65, looked dapper in a pair of dark trousers with a navy blue fitted coat over the top.

Family: Pierce Brosnan proved he's just as charming off-screen as he walked arm-in-arm with his mother Mary Smith for a spot of lunch in Sloane Square, Chelsea, on Wednesday

Pierce completed his stylish ensemble with a navy blue fedora hat and a matching coloured neck scarf.

Preparing for the unpredictable English weather, he carried an umbrella and wore a pair of black leather gloves.

Meanwhile, his 85-year-old mother matched her son in a navy blue padded jacket, which she teamed with a patterned neck scarf and beige trousers.

Stylish: The Mamma Mia! star, 65, looked dapper in a pair of dark trousers with a navy blue fitted coat over the top

Pierce has had quite the week and on Tuesday he appeared thrilled as he bumped into his pals Amanda Seyfried, 33, and Hugh Jackman, 50, while casually sitting in Geneva airport.

Sharing a snap of the three sitting together, the Irish actor captioned it with: 'So there I am sitting in the airport lounge at Genva airport and who should walk into my day but Amanda and Hugh ...love you both and all the work that you do safe travels.'

It comes with even more hilarity as Pierce plays one of Amanda's possible on-screen fathers in Mamma Mia!

'Who should walk into my day?' Pierce appeared thrilled as he bumped into his pals Amanda Seyfried, 33, and Hugh Jackman, 50, while casually sitting in an airport

Icon: As one of Hollywood's most beautiful actors, Pierce is most famous for his hunky portrayal of MI6 agent from 1995-2002 (pictured in 2002)

As one of Hollywood's most beautiful actors, Pierce is most famous for his hunky portrayal of MI6 agent from 1995-2002.

He starred in films GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

With Daniel Craig set to commence filming on the as-yet unnamed Bond 25 film, Pierce recently spoke about the latest generation of the franchise.

Candid: The actor recently said Daniel Craig's brooding portrayal had to be more serious because the franchise was forced to reinvent the character as 'more muscular' and solemn (L-R)

He told The Rake magazine: 'There had to be humour, I felt. It is different now. They had strong competition and they haven't reinvented it but given it a much more muscular, dynamic twist.

'When I played him you have to let the audience in that this is a fantastic joke  this man, jumping off a motorcycle and catching up a plane, is completely preposterous. But for me you had to let them in.

'That's what I was brought up with. Sean (Connery) did it, Roger (Moore) did it par excellence.'

Meanwhile, on the personal front, Pierce has been happily married to Keely Shaye Smith since 2001.She is famed for her sizzling curves.

And Ashley James was sure to show off all her best assets during her recent trip to Tanzania, as she was seen frolicking on the shores.

The 31-year-old former Made In Chelsea star wowed in a strapless two-piece which displayed not only her perky assets but also her peachy posterior.

Hot stuff: Ashley James was sure to show off all her best assets during her recent trip to Tanzania, as she was seen frolicking on the shores

Ashley and her flatmate Charlotte De Carle were clearly having the time of their lives as they hit the shores for their sun-drenched dip in the water.

The blonde beauty struggled to contain her assets in the strapless two-piece while she pulled the bottoms high on her hips to display her perky derriere.

She went make-up free on the shores while factoring in a pair of stylish sunglasses to ensure she wrapped her chic style into her beach look.

Her blonde tresses skimmed her shoulders in length while falling from a centre parting with beachy waves worked through for a surfer chick vibe.

Ashley has been travelling with her best friend Charlotte after booking a last minute trip over the festive period. The pair were treated to first class travelling experience after securing an upgrade on the way back to London.

Hot stuff: The stunning star made the most of her frame in the stunning swimwear

Sizzling: The 31-year-old former Made In Chelsea star wowed in a strapless two-piece which displayed not only her perky assets but also her peachy posterior

The girls shared snaps of themselves sipping on champagne and enjoying VIP treatment before heading home - where Ashley revealed her delight at being reunited with her beloved kittens.

Ashley has been delighting her Instagram followers with her beach pictures for the last few weeks.

In a recent snap, Ashley was flaunting her amazing figure in the black and white striped bikini with pink floral detailing, while her blonde bobbed tresses were styled into effortless beach waves.

Abs-solutely fab! Charlotte was not to be outdone in the sexy style stakes as she opted for a sporty yellow bikini designed by Calvin Klein

Here come the girls! The duo looked stunning as they strutted across the sand

Check me out! She looked sensational as she showed off her sun-kissed complexion

Flight home: Ashley and Charlotte were treated to a VIP experience on their fight home

This came just days after Ashley took to social media to rubbish conventional notions of what it means to be 'beach body ready' in her latest candid post, shared on Saturday.

While many believe the term implies having to work hard to obtain a toned figure when they don their swimsuit, Ashley shared her thoughts on the term with an Instagram post in a bikini while on vacation in Tanzania.

She wrote: 'How to be beach body ready: have a body, put on a bikini, go to the beach.' The Made In Chelsea star sported an orange bikini in the snap and showed off the sun-kissed glow she has developed while on holiday.

Sitting comfortable, Ashley seemed determined to show her natural side rather than the pinched and preened looks often displayed on social media.

Hot stuff: While many believe the term implies having to work hard to obtain a toned figure when they don their swimsuit, Ashley shared her thoughts on the term with an Instagram post in a bikini while on vacation in Tanzania

Here come the girls! Charlotte and Ashley both showed off their stunning framesThey famously dubbed their separation as 'consciously uncoupling'.

But following their split five years ago, Gwyneth Paltrow has claimed that she and her ex Chris Martin were 'always meant to be together' and have their children, during an interview with ES magazine.

The 46-year-old actress and food writer said that she felt a family unit could be 'reinvented', meaning that the effects of a couple's divorce doesn't have to be devastating for them or the rest of the family.

Sweet: Gwyneth Paltrow has claimed that she and her ex Chris Martin were 'always meant to be together' and have their children

She told the magazine: 'It doesn't have to be the end of your relationship with somebody. I think Chris and I were meant to be together and have our kids. But our relationship is much better like this: friends and co-parents and family.'

Gwyneth, who shares her children Apple, 14, and Moses, 12 with Chris, admitted that they had been separated for a year before they publicly announced their divorce.

Before making the announcement to the media, Gwyneth asked some of her pals who have divorced parents what they remember from that time when they first split.

She said that there was this resounding theme: 'It was really hard because for the first two years my parents didn't speak.' 'It was awful for a while,' or 'My parents hated each other'.

'And I thought, "I would really love to skip that part." Those kids felt they were constantly betraying one parent by being with the other.'

Still friends: The 46-year-old actress and food writer said that she felt a family unit could be 'reinvented', meaning that the effects of a couple's divorce doesn't have to be devastating for them or the rest of the family

Gwyneth wed American Horror Story producer Brad Falchuk in September last year, but the couple have no plans to start a family of their own.

Quizzed whether she wants more kids, the star scoffed: 'Good lord, no. I'm too old.

'It's great that women are able to have babies late into their forties, but... I mean, pfffff. I don't think I could be up all night. I wouldn't survive.'

The Shakespeare in Love star insists she's having a 'great experience' raising a teenage daughter and though Apple has a 'naughty' side, she's not too worried.

'I'm looking at [Apple] through the lens of, "This is what she is supposed to be doing". If you look at it like that, then you don't freak out. You don't judge them.

'You don't shame them. You try to keep them on track and have good conversations. So far, so good,' she explained.

Family unit: Gwyneth, who shares her children Apple, 14, and Moses, 12 with Chris, admitted that they had been separated for a year before they publicly announced their divorce

As well as managing her family, Gwyneth also runs successful lifestyle website Goop, which has previously made the headlines for selling a golden vibrator and golden handcuffs.

The mother-of-two, who is now married to American television writer Brad Falchuk, said that the website purposely sells these products in order to push controversial questions.

She said: 'We do that on purpose,' [she admits]. 'Any time you write or talk about women's sexual health, there's a furore.

'And so we love to poke the bear a little bit. I was always punk rock, always pushing boundaries.'

The Iron Man star said that she believes the UK can be more receptive to these sorts of products and questions, adding: 'But what's interesting is how far London has come in a lot of respects. People are really moving forward, even more so than in New York City.'

Mother of two: The Shakespeare in Love star insists she's having a 'great experience' raising a teenage daughter and though Apple has a 'naughty' side, she's not too worried

Gwyneth's film debut was High in 1989, meaning that she has spent three decades in the industry building on her illustrious career.

However she stressed the importance of staying grounded amongst the 'insidious' fame, which can be very dangerous when you are young, she said.

She said she believes that you become a good person by life's challenges, but when you're famous all of those obstacles are taken away for you.

She said: ''All of a sudden you're not waiting in a queue, and you are getting special treatment, and people are telling you what you want to hear.

'I didn't realise but apparently I was becoming a bit of an a**hole and Dad set me straight. And I'm very grateful for it now.'

The full interview appears in this weeks edition of ES Magazine, Thursday 17th January 2019.He recently mastered the role of the iconic Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in Loving Pablo alongside his beautiful wife Penelope Cruz.

And Javier Bardem pulled off another quirky role as he wore prosthetic feet while filming upcoming US drama Molly in Brooklyn's downtown area on Wednesday.

The Spanish actor, 49, donned swollen fake feet on set after he shot a bloody accident scene with his co-star and on-screen daughter Elle Fanning.

On the move: Javier Bardem wore swollen prosthetic feet on set of upcoming drama Molly after he filmed a gory scene with Elle Fanning in Brooklyn

Pictured: The Spanish actor, 49, donned swollen fake feet on set after he shot a bloody accident scene with his co-star and on-screen daughter Elle Fanning

In the earlier scene, Javier was left covered in blood after he fell head first out of a yellow cab and Elle was quick to rush to his aid.

Molly documents a turbulent 24 hours for a daughter struggling to help her father (Bardem) deal with the challenges of his chaotic mental state.

Penelope Cruz's husband played the troubled character well as he looked downcast while being escorted by a uniform-clad police officer.

Capturing one of the father's episodes in a dramatic sequence, Javier was seen wandering through the streets of Brooklyn in a check PJ's and a furry bathrobe.

Downcast: Penelope Cruz's husband played the troubled character well as he looked downcast while being escorted by a uniform-clad police officer

The upcoming film Molly does not yet have a publicly announced release date, but it does have an amazing line-up including Salma Hayek, Chris Rock and Laura Linney.

It is being written and directed by Sally Potter, who became a sensation in 1992 when she adapted Virginia Woolf's Orlando into a film starring Tilda Swinton.

Sally's films include The Man Who Cried, a period drama starring Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett, and Rage, starring Judi Dench and Jude Law.

Storytelling: Molly documents a turbulent 24 hours for a daughter struggling to help her father (Bardem) deal with the challenges of his chaotic mental state

What's going on? Capturing one of the father's episodes in a dramatic sequence, Javier was seen wandering through the streets of Brooklyn in a check PJ's and a furry bathrobe

Javier's latest film role comes as his wife dropped the bombshell of why she doesn't want to act opposite her husband 'that often'.

She told Marie Claire: 'Obviously we cant choose parts just for logistical reasons, like "Oh lets work together because its easier". No.

'In fact, its not something we want to do that often, partly out of desire to protect what we have.'They recently sent Jack and Dani: Life After Love Island fans into meltdown after sharing a very awkward snog in front of their daughter.

And Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas put on a loved-up display once again as they attended the Cirque Du Soleil: TOTEM, held at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday night.

The EastEnders actor, 41, and his stunning wife, 42, appeared in good spirits as they posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Smitten: Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas put on a loved-up display once again as they attended the Cirque Du Soleil: TOTEM, held at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday night

Danny looked dapper in a grey polo neck jumper with a pair of matching coloured washed out skinny jeans.

The soap star completed his look with a lighter grey and white chequered blazer with brown leather brogues.

Meanwhile, Joanne cut a very glamorous figure in black leather-look skinny jeans with a cropped fitted grey fur-looking jacket.

Loved-up: The EastEnders actor, 41, and his stunning wife, 42, appeared in good spirits as they posed up a storm on the red carpet

Stylish: Danny looked dapper in a grey polo neck jumper with a pair of matching coloured washed out skinny jeans

She completed her look with a pair of black ankle boots with a buckle and a small Louis Vuitton clutch bag.

The mother-of-three styled her blonde locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-up, which included sparkly silver eye shadow.

Their appearance comes after the loved-up couple, who tied the knot in 2016 after being together for more than 20 years after meeting at school aged 14, left their daughter Dani cringing with embarrassment on her show Life After Love.

Dapper: The soap star completed his look with a lighter grey and white chequered blazer with brown leather brogues

Yummy mummy: Meanwhile, Joanne cut a very glamorous figure in black leather-look skinny jeans with a cropped fitted grey fur-looking jacket

Danny and Joanne shared a rather intimate display of affection in front of the reality star as she prepared for a new photo-shoot.

Dani, 22, was seen readying herself for an InTheStyle collection when her famous father and mum appeared during the opening episode.

And while chatting about her launch party, the loved-up couple couldn't help but keep their hands off one another, prompting a mortified Dani to sigh: 'These two are always tonguing in front of me.'

Danny praised the star's 'clobber' while Joanne insisted on bringing sandwiches and sausages rolls to her clothes launch - despite the fact it was in a swanky London club.

PDA: Their appearance comes after the loved-up couple, who tied the knot in 2016 after being together for more than 20 years, left their daughter Dani cringing with embarrassmentApang, who left the BJP, had re-joined the BJP in 2014.

Guwahati: Former chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh Gegong Apang on Tuesday resigned from the primary membership of the BJP saying it was no longer following the principles of the late Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He was the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for 23 years. He had switched over to the BJP with all the Congress legislators in 2003. Mr Apang, who left the BJP, had re-joined the BJP in 2014.

In his resignation letter to BJP president Amit Shah, he wrote, I am disappointed to see that the present day BJP is no longer following the principles of the late Vajpayeeji.

The party is now a platform to seek power, it serves a leadership which hates decentralisation or democratic decision making and no longer believes (in the values) the party was founded for, he added.

Mr Apang said that the BJP did not get the peoples mandate but the BJP leadership used every dirty trick in the trade and installed the late Kalikho Pul as chief minister. Despite an adverse Supreme Court ruling, a BJP government was reinstalled.

Also a proper investigation was not done in Mr Puls suicide, said Mr Apang.

He said that during the state-level executive committee meeting held on November 10 and 11 at Pasighat, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav did not allow many members and office-bearers to place their views.

The decision to put Mr Pema Khandus name as chief minister before the election is neither the norm nor the tradition that a cadre-based party like BJP had followed. The BJP in the past has always asked the views of legislature and party members and then decided on leadership issues. Such undemocratic practices are not for the parties that grew under the leadership of Mr Advani, Mr Vajpayee, Mr B.S. Shekawat, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, Ms Rajmata Scindia and Mr Sikandar Bakhl, he added.

From issues like grass-root delivery of government schemes to matters like Naga peace talks, Chakma-Hajong issue, amendments of Citizenship Bill, telecommunications and real time digital connectivity to peaceful and cordial relation with neighbours like Bangladesh, Myanmar and China, both the party and the Modi government are not addressing the real issues, he said.

Mr Apang appealed to Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remember the teachings of Vajpayee about Raj Dharma and then he said history will judge them.She launched her plus-size fashion line Rebel Wilson x Angels in 2017.

And Rebel Wilson has been doing some self-promotion with her designs, revealing that her character in the new film, Isn't It Romantic, wears pieces from the collection.

The Pitch Perfect actress, 38, made the admission while sharing an Instagram snap of herself holding a tan suede biker jacket from her line on the set of the movie.

Product placement! Rebel Wilson has revealed her character in her new movie Isn't It Romantic wears clothes from her own plus-size fashion line

She captioned the shot: 'Fun fact: in my character Natalies HUGE closet in ISNT IT ROMANTIC I filled it mainly with @rebelwilsonxangels clothing!'

Rebel added: 'You can check out whats instores and online now at cool places like Dillards, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, AdditionElle, Dia&Co and so many more and coming soon to Australia to David Jones and Myer x'.

Rebel previously admitted she'd never envisaged one day having a fashion collection.

'I've had to create my own plays, television roles, and movie projects in order to play the parts I've wanted,' she told InStyle in 2017 while discussing her debut collection.

Businesswoman: She launched her plus-size fashion line Rebel Wilson x Angels in 2017

'It's what I've always done as an actress, but I never thought as a teenager that I'd someday have a fashion line,' she explained.

The Australian actress has been keeping busy on the set of Isn't It Romantic and recently shared a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the highly-anticipated blockbuster.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Wilson shared a photo of herself and co-star Liam Hemsworth posing in front of a green screen arm-in-arm.

'This was literally four in the morning!' Rebel Wilson shared a candid behind-the-scenes snap of herself and Isn't It Romantic co-star Liam Hemsworth on Wednesday

'This was literally 4am in the morning!' she captioned the candid image, presumably referencing her arduous film schedule.

The blonde bombshell looked glamorous in a cleavage-baring crimson gown, while Liam looked slick in a black suit and tie.

On Wednesday, the Australian actress shared another behind-the-scenes throwback snap featuring her co-stars.

Best friends forever! Rebel flaunted her cleavage next to glamorous Priyanka Chopra in another behind-the-scenes photo on Wednesday

This time, the bubbly blonde was seen posing on the streets of New York City with Liam and Priyanka Chopra.

In the caption, Rebel also paid tribute to the film's director Todd Strauss-Schulson.

'That's our fab director far right so give him some love,' she wrote.

Rebel is sure to amuse cinema-goers when Isn't It Romance premieres on Valentine's Day.

Don't miss it! Rebel is sure to amuse cinema-goers when Isn't It Romance premieres on Valentine's Day

The movie is considered quite progressive by Hollywood standards because it features a plus-size female lead

Rebel, 38, stars as Natalie, a woman who grew up idolising the 1990 film Pretty Woman, only to be told by her mother she is 'no Julia Roberts'.

After almost completely giving up on ever finding love, Natalie decides she needs to put herself out there more.

Blimey! Rebel features in some rather steamy scenes with fellow Australian Liam

But when she's mugged on the NYC subway system, she runs into a pole while trying to escape her attacker, and knocks herself out.

When she finally comes to, she notices 'someone has put a beauty filter across New York City'.

Suddenly, Natalie finds herself living in one of the romantic comedies she grew up watching - and it isn't long before she attracts an impossibly handsome suitor.Her ex-husband Geoff Huegill recently announced they were separated.

But on Thursday, Sara Huegill took to Instagram to reveal she was feeling 'GRATEFUL' despite her turbulent past few months.

The publicist, 35, appeared incredibly thin in another upload as she revealed she was ready to make a fresh start in 2019.

Mirror, mirror: Sara Huegill shared a mirror selfie on Thursday, where she appears incredibly slim

Sara first shared a drawing of a yellow love heart, presumably drawn by one of her daughters with her former Olympic swimmer beau, Geoff.

Posing in what appeared to be a disabled toilet cubicle, Sara cropped out her face, and left her decolletage on show in a mirror selfie.

Her slender arms and trim legs were on display as she captioned the photo with a black heart emoji and the hashtag 'newyearnewgoals'.

Have a heart: Sara is making a fresh start. The 35-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, revealing she was feeling 'GRATEFUL'

It's been a tumultuous few months for Sara and her family, but she is clearly determined to move on with her life.

In May 2018, Sara was charged with stealing a pair of pants from an upmarket boutique in News South Wales' Byron Bay.

According to a report by News.com.au, police alleged Sara was caught with the pants stuffed into her handbag after being followed out onto the street by the store's manager.

Split: Sara and Geoff Huegill ended their seven-year marriage in December. Seen here in November 2012

But in August 2018, she had the charges dropped on mental health grounds.

Her lawyer issued a statement claiming she had been suffering with anxiety and depression, as reported by News.com.au.

And in December, it was revealed Sara and Geoff had decided to end their seven-year marriage.

The way they were: The former couple are parents to two young daughters, Gigi, five, and Mila, three

'We continue to remain friends': The couple, who share two young children, announced they had 'amicably' ended their marriage in a statement released via Geoff's Instagram (above)

'Its with a heavy heart that after 13 years together Sara and I have made the decision to amicably separate,' the 39-year-old former Olympic swimmer wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post.

'We continue to remain friends as our focus will always be about providing a positive, loving and beautiful future for our girl.'

The former couple are parents to two young daughters, Gigi, five, and Mila, three.

Fresh start: It's been a tumultuous few months for Sara and her family, but she is clearly determined to move on with her lifeShe revealed she was having 'pinch me' moment when she saw herself on a enormous billboard in Times Square for her Express X Olivia Culpo fashion collection.

And Olivia Culpo's professional wins continued on Wednesday when the beauty launched the collaboration while in New York City.

Stepping out to meet some fans, the 26-year-old braved the chilly New York City weather in a pair of shorts.

Braving the NYC chill: Olivia Culpo braves the freezing cold in a pair of shorts during the launch of her new collaboration with Express

Olivia hopped on the neon trend in a statement orange long blazer and matching pumps.

She teamed the look with a black top and matching pair of shorts that drew attention to her long lean legs.

The former Miss Universe had her brunette hair styled into voluminous waves and her glam kept luminous to match the look.

Chic: Stepping out to meet some fans, the 26-year-old braved the chilly New York City weather in a pair of shorts

Beauty queen: Olivia hopped on the neon trend in a statement orange long blazer and matching pumps

Beautiful: The former Miss Universe had her brunette hair styled into voluminous waves and her glam kept luminous to match the look

Olivia's makeup consisted of rosy burnt orange cheeks with a bold shadow of the same color, lash extensions and a plump nude glossy pout.

The beauty began the day over a celebratory breakfast to launch the collection, with Victoria's Secret model Devin Windsor also there to support her friend.

Olivia opted for her Striped Boyfriend Blazer that she cinched in at the waist, retailing for $138.00.

Boss lady vibes: The beauty began the day over a celebratory breakfast to launch the collection, with Victoria's Secret model Devin Windsor also there to support her friend

New range:Olivia opted for her Striped Boyfriend Blazer that she cinched in at the waist, retailing for $138.00

Fashion-forward: She paired the look with $70 faux leather bike shorts and some knee high lace-up boots

She paired the look with $70 faux leather bike shorts and some knee high lace-up boots.

The foodie also shared a shot wearing the ensemble on her Instagram page for her 3.6 million followers.

'Fridge empty... still got the juice thoooo,' she captioned, before encouraging fans to shop her ensemble.

Fashionista: Olivia's boots reached ip to her knees and featured a block heel for some added height

Opening up: Olivia spoke to the crowd about her new line during the breakfast in the morning

New look: The foodie also shared a shot wearing the ensemble on her Instagram page for her 3.6 million followers

Olivia's brunette tresses were styled back into a slick low ponytail and her makeup was kept luminous and bronzed.

The Rhode Island native's collection has something for everyone with sizes from 00-18.

The price point of the range is priced between $34.90 and $138.She recently released the hit tune Thank U, Next.

And on Wednesday, Ariana Grande shared a sultry snap of herself in lingerie for her teaser of her upcoming song 7 Rings.

The 25-year-old dropped fans' jaws as she flashed skin in the countdown to her upcoming video 7 Rings.

Wow: Ariana Grande rocked skimpy lingerie as she counted down the final days to her new release 7 Rings

In one shot, the Thank U, Next stunner leans over a table, empty glass in hand, eyes closed, head down, hair in a high pony.

The strap of her La Perla lacy pink bra meanwhile sits provocatively off her shoulder.

A countdown clock revealed there was less than 48 hours until the song's release on Friday.

The song was inspired by Ariana going to a jewelry shop and buying seven engagement rings for her pals after she split from fiance Pete Davidson in October, TMZ reported.

Wow: The 25-year-old dropped fans' jaws as she flashed skin in the countdown to her upcoming video 7 Rings

Coming soon: A countdown clock revealed there was less than 48 hours until the song's release on Friday

A song and music video aren't Ariana's only new addition this week; on Sunday she unveiled an adorable new tattoo of the Pokemon Eevee.

Tagging her tattoo artist in the snap, she wrote: 'I've wanted this for so long. thank you sm.'

Explaining her motivations behind the tattoo, the brunette beauty admitted to a fan she'd spent 15 hours playing Pokemon's Let's Go Eevee on the Nintendo Switch.

She wrote: 'honestly. yesterday i had a day off and i played pokemon lets go eevee for fifteen hours. honestly.' (sic).Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou has finally confirmed she had a breast augmentation.

After years of speculation, the 41-year-old revealed on Wednesday that she's had a boob job and undergone Botox injections.

The mother-of-one made the admission while responding to an Instagram troll who implied she was 'fake'.

'I had a breast augmentation, which I had every right to do': Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou has finally admitted getting a boob job. Pictured left: in late 2001, and right: on January 2, 2019

'I don't use fillers and I rarely use Botox and the only surgery that I've done [that] is "fake" is breast augmentation, which I have every right to do,' she wrote.

The Sydney-born actress went on to condemn body shaming and cyber bullying.

'I appreciate that [everyone] has a right to an opinion,' she wrote.

Hot mama! Ada showed off her surgically-enhanced assets while on holiday in the Maldives this week

'Think before you post next time': The mother-of-one made the admission while responding to an Instagram troll who implied she was 'fake'

'But have you stopped to think what example this gives to other girls and young women about body shaming and tearing down other women?

'This is where cyber bullying begins... Maybe think before you post next time.'

Last year, Ada told Daily Mail Australia that she was not opposed to cosmetic surgery on principle.

'I have no judgement': Ada told Daily Mail Australia that she was not opposed to cosmetic surgery on principle last year. Pictured on holiday in the Maldives

'Everyone should do whatever makes them feel good,' she said when asked about Botox. 'I have no judgement on it whatsoever.'

In July last year, Ada underwent a body transformation with Who magazine, losing a total of five kilograms.

The actress dropped down to 47kg by following an eight-week exercise plan, which focused on strength training, including push-ups and sit-ups.Javier Bardem was a bloody mess on Wednesday while filming Molly with Elle Fanning in New York City.

The 49-year-old Oscar-winning actor had fake blood streaming down his forehead after falling face first while exiting a cab.

Fanning, 20, cried out for help and held him on the pavement.

Nasty spill: Javier Bardem and Elle Fanning were spotted filming a scene for their upcoming drama Molly on Wednesday in New York City

The actress was costumed in a long-sleeved green top and dark grey coat while filming in Brooklyn.

Bardem wore a buttoned up brown dress shirt and black coat with grey trousers for the scene.

The upcoming film also features Salma Hayek, Chris Rock and Laura Linney.

The drama follows title character Molly, played by Fanning, for 24 hours as she grapples with the challenges of dealing with her father's chaotic mental state.

Man down: Javier in the scene took a spill and Elle rushed over to help him

The stars: Elle followed Javier as they arrived on the set in Brooklyn

Father figure: Javier portrays Leo while Elle plays his daughter and title character Molly

No harm: The Spanish actor smiled with fake blood streaking his forehead

Bardem portrays her father in the film being directed by English filmmaker Sally Potter, 69, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

Potter became a sensation in 1992 when she adapted Virginia Woolf's Orlando into a film starring Tilda Swinton, 58.

Her other films include The Man Who Cried, a period drama starring Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett, and Rage starring Judi Dench and Jude Law.

Long trip: Javier appeared to get tangled up with a seatbelt as he exited the cab

Sidewalk spill: The actor landed sideways on the sidewalk

Tender moment: Elle held the actor on the ground after he stumbled

Fanning is the younger sister of fellow actress Dakota, 24, and made her film debut in 2001 as the younger version of her sister's character in the drama I Am Sam.

She had her breakout performance starring in the 2011 sci-fi drama Super 8.

The Los Angeles resident also can be seen later this year in the romantic drama All The Bright Places that will be released on Netflix.

Dramatic moment: The actress looked up as Javier reached out to her

Close up: Elle and Javier were captured close-up on the sidewalkHe has been hungry for parenting advice as he prepares to become a first-time father.

And Andy Cohen could not believe his ears as he learned about Nicole Kidman's 'genius' tip for travelling with children.

Actress Connie Britton, 51, revealed on Radio Andy the trick is to only allow a child access to an iPad on board an airplane.

'The best piece of advice that I ever got on traveling with a kid': Actress Connie Britton, 51, revealed on Radio Andy the trick is to only allow a child access to an iPad on board an airplane

Connie explained Nicole is very strict about the amount of technology she exposes her children to in general.

Therefore, flights are certain to be smooth and quiet once iPads are turned into a special occasion.

The Nashville actress explained Nicole has the art down to a 'science'.

'The best piece of advice that I ever got on traveling with a kid was from Nicole Kidman,' she explained, adding Nicole is used to travelling all over the world with homes in Tennessee and Australia.

'We have it down to a science': The trick is to completely restrict a child access to their iPad, unless they're on board a plane (Kidman pictured on January 13, 2019)

'They fly private,' Andy interjected.

'Sometimes, yes, but not all the time,' Connie explained. 'Regardless, it's still a long plane ride.... Cause I was like, "the travelling is tricky." She said, "We have it down to a science."'

'They have an iPad they only are allowed to use on board a plane,' Connie said. 'Now, trust me, when you have your kid, you're going to realize everybody's kids have iPads all the time.'

Did they bring the iPads? Kidman and her husband Keith Urban with their daughters, Faith and Sunday, at the Sydney airport in 2017

Connie has even adopted Nicole's tip with her own son, seven-year-old Eyob.

'Literally, he sits down on his seat. He's like, "Mom, can I look at my iPad?" I'm like "yeah." He's on his iPad - we don't speak! We don't speak the entire plane ride. It's really, best advice I've ever gotten.'

Andy announced last month he is expecting his first child via surrogate.

The host revealed the child's gender - a boy - while co-hosting CNN's New Year's Eve special with Anderson Cooper.One was Mandy Moore's real life boyfriend and the other plays her husband on This Is Us.

And it appears as though Wilmer Valderrama, 38, and Milo Ventimiglia, 41, have more than just the 34-year-old actress in common, stepping out for a bro date in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The actors both dressed casually for the outing and according to onlookers, spent two hours chatting over lunch.

More than Mandy in common! Mandy Moore's former on-and-off screen lovers Milo Ventimiglia and Wilmer Valderrama enjoyed a bro lunch date in Los Angeles while wearing matching pants on Tuesday

Milo was spotted in a buttoned up denim jacket with a pair of black pants that were cuffed at the ankles.

He kept comfortable in a pair of combat books and had his facial hair and hair styled back off of his face.

Wilmer opted for a monochrome checkered top while opting for the same trousers.

Casual: Milo was spotted in a buttoned up denim jacket with a pair of black pants that were cuffed at the ankles

Meeting the fans: Wilmer accessorised his look with a pair of glasses and appeared delighted when approached by some female fans

He accessorised his look with a pair of glasses and appeared delighted when approached by some female fans.

Both actors are good friends of Mandy's and attended her wedding to her beau Taylor Goldsmith late last year.

That 70's Show star Wilmer and Mandy previously dated for two years between 2000-2002 and have remained close ever since.

Friendly exes: The That 70's Show star and Mandy previously dated for two years between 2000-2002 and have remained close ever since (pictured in 2004)

Co-stars: Milo, who was at Mandy's recent real-life wedding, currently plays the late Jack Pearson, the late husband of Mandy's character, Rebecca, on their show This Is Us

Wilmer has also claimed since then that he took her virginity - which Mandy has denied.

Milo currently plays the late Jack Pearson, the late husband of Mandy's character, Rebecca.

Speaking to Us Weekly last month, the Gilmore Girls alum gushed over his co-star and her nuptials to Taylor.

'As long as I've known Mandy, I've known Taylor, her now-husband,' he said.

'He's such a great guy and the two of them complement each other so well. So knowing that they tied the knot and we were there to celebrate it was really fun.'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan played up her authentic fifties retro vibe in a film noir-style promo Wednesday for her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live this weekend.

In the minute-long b&w teaser, the 28-year-old Emmy winner dons a detective's khaki trench coat and wanders around the 30 Rock set of the NBC sketch show.

'I had seen it many times before, but here I was at SNL where it all went down,' the Wisconsin-born stunner said in voiceover.

This weekend! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan played up her authentic fifties retro vibe in a film noir-style promo Wednesday for her hosting gig on SNL

'Something was different. Where was the cast? It all felt a little too dead.'

SNL castmember Kenan Thompson then popped in to ask why Rachel was there 'on a Sunday' and then cryptically mentioned a mythical day of the week called 'Fruesday.'

On Tuesday, Brosnahan said her episode was 'going to be great' and excitedly shared a snap of the stage, which was her 'home through Saturday night!'

'Here I was': In the minute-long b&w teaser, the 28-year-old Emmy winner dons a detective's khaki trench coat and wanders around the 30 Rock set of the NBC sketch show

The Wisconsin-born stunner said in voiceover: 'Something was different. Where was the cast? It all felt a little too dead'

Mystery: SNL castmember Kenan Thompson (R) then popped in to ask why Rachel was there 'on a Sunday' and then mentioned a mythical day of the week called 'Fruesday'

The NYU Tisch grad will be joined by musical guest Greta Van Fleet this Saturday when the 44th season resumes following the holiday break.

Fans can likely expect Alec Baldwin to return as President Donald Trump and perhaps SNL castmember Beck Bennett will get shirtless, yet again, as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Broadway thespian knows a thing or two about period pieces having rocketed to A-list status for her role as fifties stand-up comedian Miriam 'Midge' Maisel in the Amazon Video hit.

BTS: On Tuesday, Brosnahan said her episode was 'going to be great' and excitedly shared a snap of the stage, which was her 'home through Saturday night!'

'Blessing your timeline': The niece of Kate Spade starred in a video 'message' that was posted to Twitter by the official Saturday Night Live account

Iconic: She was seen on the show's main stage in New York City, where hosts traditionally deliver their opening monologues

Feeling the theme: Rachel made guns with her hands in a kooky nod to the genre she parodied

'Starting 2019 on a marvelous note!' The NYU Tisch grad will be joined by musical guest Greta Van Fleet this Saturday when the 44th season resumes following the holiday break

Super-size it: Fans can likely expect Alec Baldwin to return as President Donald Trump (pictured Monday) and perhaps SNL castmember Beck Bennett will get shirtless, yet again, as Russian President Vladimir Putin

After winning the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award, Rachel will next compete for the best actress in a comedy series trophy at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards airing January 27 on TNT/TBS.

Brosnahan will have to face off against her Marvelous Mrs. Maisel castmate Alex Borstein as well as GLOW's Alison Brie and Grace and Frankie duo Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin.

On the personal front, the House of Cards alum wed The Magicians star Jason Ralph last year after having collaborated onscreen in the 2014 rom-com I'm Obsessed with You and the WGN series Manhattan in 2015.

Fifties stand-up comedian: The Broadway thespian knows a thing or two about period pieces having rocketed to A-list status for her role as Miriam 'Midge' Maisel in the Amazon Video hit

Airing January 27 on TNT/TBS! After winning the Critics' Choice Award and the Golden Globe, Rachel will next compete for the best actress in a comedy series trophy at the SAG AwardsCoronation Street star Faye Brookes and long-time beau Gareth Gates are reportedly engaged, according to The Sun.

A source told the publication that the couple are set to wed four months after their brief split, and they are already planning a lavish engagement bash in Manchester's Gotham Hotel with many of her co-stars in attendance.

It came after Gareth and Faye had split in September after six years together, but reconciled just a month later.

Getting married! Coronation Street star Faye Brookes and long-time beau Gareth Gates are reportedly engaged, according to The Sun

The source claimed: 'Faye and Gareth are over the moon.

'They'd been together a long time and the split was a bit of a blip, but they've totally got over it and now they want to plan their future as a couple.

'There will be lots of Faye's co-stars and other famous faces alongside their friends and family - everyone will be delighted for them.'

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Gareth Gates and Faye Brookes for further comment.

Tying the knot: A source told the publication that the couple are set to wed four months after their brief split, and they are already planning a lavish engagement bash

This came just two days after the pair were seen heading out on a romantic date night together, stepping out for a cosy dinner in Manchester.

Faye and Gareth have originally parted ways in September - but sparked reconciliation rumours just a month later when they celebrated Halloween together.

And Gareth proved they were were very much back on when he shared a loved-up shot with Faye to his Instagram Stories, showing the brunette bombshell wrapping her arms around him.

They also looked cosy last month at Faye's mother Inger Barber's surprise 60th birthday party at Manchester's Abode Hotel.

Reunited: Faye and Gareth have originally parted ways in September - but sparked reconciliation rumours just a month later

It comes after it was reported that Faye pulled out of a planned appearance on I'm A Celebrity as she was 'too heartbroken' following her split with Gareth.

The Sun claimed Faye decided she was too hurt to jet Down Under for the ITV reality show, after she and Gareth reportedly split due to his 'controlling' behaviour.

Gareth and Faye were reportedly unable to weather the storm of volatile arguments about the actress hitting the town with her Corrie co-stars, according to the publication.

Gareth has daughter Missy with his ex-wife Suzanne Mole, who he married in 2008 and split from four years later before falling for Faye.Bindu and Kanaka Durga told SC that their life is in danger as Durga was later allegedly assaulted by her relatives.

Bindu Ammini, 40, a law lecturer at Keralas Kannur University and Kanaka Durga, 39, a civil servant told the top court that their life is in danger. (Photo: AFP | File)

New Delhi: Two women who made history by becoming the first to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala have approached the Supreme Court seeking 24X7 security.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising listed the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices L N Rao and S K Kaul.

Bindu Ammini, 40, a law lecturer at Keralas Kannur University and Kanaka Durga, 39, a civil servant told the top court that their life is in danger as Durga was later allegedly assaulted by her relatives. She is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district.

The court will hear the case on Friday.

Despite the Supreme Court's historic ruling on September 28 last year, permitting women in the 10-50 age group, no children or young women in the 'barred' group had been able to offer prayers at the shrine following frenzied protests by devotees and right-wing outfits.

Kanaka Durga and Bindu Amminis entry into the temple had led to massive violence in Kerala which had led to the arrests of at least 3,000 people.The #10YearChallenge has been sweeping across the Internet over the past week.

And with thousands of Australians jumping on the bandwagon, it seems the country has finally declared its own 'winner'.

On Wednesday, convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, 40, shared a photo to Instagram of herself in Bali's Kerobokan Prison in the mid 2000s.

'Been a rough trot. Better now. #10YearChallenge,' she wrote in the caption.

'It's been a rough trot!' Convicted drug trafficker Schapelle Corby has been declared the 'winner' of the #10YearChallenge after sharing this post to Instagram

In the decade-old photo, Schapelle stared sadly at the camera from behind bars.

She contrasted this with a more recent picture, which showed her posing happily at a beach in Queensland and enjoying her newfound freedom.

The former beauty student was released from prison in 2014 after serving almost a decade behind bars for attempting to smuggle 4.2 kilograms of marijuana into Bali.

What a difference a decade makes! Schapelle was released from prison in 2014 after serving almost a decade behind bars for attempting to smuggle 4.2 kilograms of marijuana into Bali. Pictured left in 2006, and right in 2017

She was eventually deported back to Australia in 2017 after spending three years on parole.

Schapelle's followers were thrilled by her throwback post, sharing various comments declaring she had 'won' the #10YearChallenge.

'Love your sense of humour, Schapelle!' one fan commented.

Freedom! Schapelle was released from Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison in 2014. She was eventually deported back to Australia in 2017 after spending three years on parole

While Schapelle may have 'won' the #10YearChallenge in Australia, Caitlyn Jenner is the clear 'winner' for U.S. social media users.

On Tuesday, the 69-year-old shared a photo of herself from 2009 - years before she underwent gender reassignment surgery.

Caitlyn juxtaposed the photo of herself as Bruce with a more recent picture, which showed her sporting a confident smile.

'Now THAT is a #10YearChallenge. Be authentic to yourself,' she wrote in the caption.I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! returned for its fifth season over the weekend.

And while contestants are supposed to be roughing it in the South African jungle, one former star has admitted that some are are allowed secret luxuries in the camp.

Keira Maguire told WHO magazine on Thursday that contestants from her season in 2017 were given protein bars and cigarettes, and even offered limited contact with the outside world.

Are they really roughing it? Former I'm A Celebrity star Keira Maguire (pictured) has revealed the 'secret luxuries' contestants are allowed in the South African jungle

Keira said contestants were permitted to go to a special area of the campsite in order to smoke cigarettes, and some stars were also allowed to smuggle in makeup.

The former Bachelor star added that the competitors could also have contact with their families back in Australia, but only in emergency situations.

'If anyone had a situation at home that came up while we were in there, then they were allowed to talk to a producer who would call home for them and relay messages back,' she explained.

Outspoken: Keira said contestants were permitted to go to a special area of the campsite in order to smoke cigarettes, and some stars were also allowed to smuggle in makeup

And while Keira claimed food rationing was very strict, contestants could indulge in a protein bar before challenges in order to get an extra hit of energy.

Never one to shy away from making explosive comments, she further alleged that some top-tier celebrities received 'special treatment' during their time in the jungle.

'There are certainly some names in there treated better than others, and that's usually Channel 10's own talent,' she claimed.

Back on screens: The latest season of I'm A Celebrity has debuted to impressive ratings and strong social media buzz. Pictured: The show's hosts Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.

Meanwhile, the latest season of I'm A Celebrity has debuted to impressive ratings and strong social media buzz.

Sunday's premiere episode was the most-watched program of the night, with 1.09 million viewers tuning in.

Among the stars competing on the new season are former Gogglebox duo Angie Kent and Yvie Jones, Love Island's Justin Lacko, and controversial ex-politicians Jacqui Lambie and Sam Dastyari.

New season! Among the celebrities competing on the new season are Love Island's Justin Lacko (left) and Gogglebox star Angie Kent (right)Chris Hemsworth is currently filming scenes for his new Netflix film Dhaka in both India and Thailand.

And on Wednesday, the Australian star shared incredible underwater footage of himself swimming inside a water tank on the set of the highly-anticipated action thriller.

In a video shared to the actor's Instagram account, the muscular hunk was seen splashing around with the film's director, Sam Hargrave.

Watch out Aquaman! Chris Hemsworth (left) got wet and wild as he swims inside a tank with director Sam Hargrave (right) while filming new Netflix movie Dhakha and shared incredible underwater footage to Instagram on Wednesday

'Day 29...little tank work!' the actor explained in a piece-to-camera before excitedly exclaiming: 'Yeow!'

Seconds later, the 35-year-old Avengers star was seen showing off his swimming prowess as he immersed his entire body under the water.

The well-built actor, clad in a singlet top, continued to wow fans as he was seen opening his eyes under the water in a close-up shot.

Talented! The well-built actor, clad in a singlet top, continued to wow fans as he was seen opening his eyes under the water i a close-up shot

Aquaman 2.0? Soon after, the Hollywood star flashed his followers the 'shaka sign' hand gesture, which is also regularly used by Aquaman, Jason Momoa (pictured)

Soon after, the Hollywood star flashed his followers the 'shaka sign' hand gesture, which is also regularly used by Aquaman star, Jason Momoa.

'Shooting through India, Thailand, indoors, outdoors, underwater. Sam Hargrave has us covered,' Chris captioned the clip.

Last month, Chris was captured unleashing his fury at Bangkok's infamous bad traffic while filming Dhaka in Thailand.

In a video shared by Major Cineplex Group in December last year, traffic can be seen moving slowly on a road as the camera slowly pans left, before Chris is filmed with his head in his hand.

Channelling his inner Hulk? Chris Hemsworth unleashed his frustration at Bangkok's infamous bad traffic while filming his new movie in Thailand last month

'How good is the traffic in Bangkok boys,' the man behind the camera jokes.

An anxious-looking Chris, who is dressed for the humidity in a grey muscle T-shirt and a camouflage shorts, yells out 'Shut up! I hate traffic,' while their other companion screams.

Bangkok is ranked as the 12th most traffic congested cities in the world, according to the Bangkok Post.

Snail's pace: 'How good is the traffic in Bangkok boys,' the man behind the camera joked as he showed a glimpse of the slow moving parade (left), while their other companion screamed in frustration (right)

Latest offering: Chris's new film Dhakha is centred on a weary mercenary named Tyler Rake (played by the Aussie star) who is hired to save the son of a businessman

Chris's new film Dhakha is centred on a weary mercenary named Tyler Rake (played by the Aussie star) who is hired to save the son of a businessman.

Filming for the Netflix project has taken the former Home And Away star to locations such as India, Thailand and Indonesia.

Also starring in the action thriller is Stranger Things star, David Harbour.Australian TV news personalities have been known to raise eyebrows in the past for their inadvertently risque attire.

And now, another reporter has fallen victim to the infamous 'penis jacket'.

Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Today reporter Lara Vella sporting a cardigan with a phallic outline while appearing on the breakfast show earlier this month.

It's back... AGAIN! Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Today reporter Lara Vella (pictured) wearing jacket with a phallic outline during breakfast show broadcast earlier this month

The jacket's accidentally racy neckline was reminiscent of similar previously incidents where Australian newsreaders have been dressed in poorly-thought out ensembles by their network's wardrobe department.

Last week, the 'penis jacket' also made an appearance, when it was worn by Channel Nine's Brisbane anchor Samantha Heathwood on Wednesday.

An eagle-eyed viewer spotted the phallic shape on the 36-year-old's outfit and took to social media to mock the fashion faux pas.

'Should we pretend to see a rocket ship?' Eagle-eyed viewers mock Channel Nine newsreader for wearing a jacket with phallic outline... after Channel Ten's Natarsha Belling wore it

It quickly gained traction on platforms like Reddit and Facebook with users posting comments and tagging their friends in the hilarious post.

One joked: 'Should we pretend to see a rocket ship?'

'Guarantee neither will wear that outfit again once they realise,' another commented.

Awkward: This is not the first time the green jacket, by Australian designer Scanlan Theodore, has ruffled feathers. Back in 2010 Channel Ten's Natarsha Belling also wore the same 'penis jacket'

Not the first time: Other newsreaders have previously been caught up the in the fashion faux pas including former Channel Seven newsreader Melissa Doyle (left) and Channel Nine's Eva Milic (right)

This is not the first time a jacket on TV has ruffled feathers.

Back in 2016, Ten Eyewitness newsreader Natarsha Belling wore a similar article of clothing while reading a weekend bulletin.

The image was shared on social media where it quickly went viral.

Other newsreaders have previously been caught up the same fashion faux pas.

Among them are former Channel Seven newsreader Melissa Doyle, Channel Nine's Eva Milic back in 2014 and ABC's Leigh Sales in 2010.Ford is expanding its line-up of electric vehicles, starting with its beloved F-Series pickup trucks.

At the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference, company execs revealed a plan for an all-electric version of the F-150  which was initially pegged to be hybridized by 2020.

Now, it appears Ford will be churning out two new models, though the firm has not revealed any additional details as of yet.

Scroll down for video

At the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference, company execs revealed a plan for an all-electric version of the F-150  which was initially pegged to be hybridized by 2020. File photo

The announcement follows the news that Volkswagen and Ford are forming a global alliance to develop commercial vans and medium-sized pickups together while exploring broader cooperation on future battery-powered and autonomous vehicles and services.

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and Ford CEO Jim Hackett said on Tuesday that the first jointly developed vehicles could hit the market as early as 2022 and that the linkup would offer efficiencies that would mean stronger profits starting in 2023.

Ford Motor Co., based in Dearborn, Michigan, would make the medium-sized pickups, one of its strengths, as well as larger vans.

Volkswagen would develop and build a small van for crowded cities. Cooperation on development lets carmakers spread their costs over more vehicles, lowering their costs per vehicle.

The two companies also said they would look into possibly cooperating on electric and autonomous cars and were willing to consider additional projects, but without taking shares in each other.

The deal is the latest in a string of alliances across the industry as carmakers face the need to keep up with new technologies and invest billions in research and development.

Ford Motor Co. President and CEO, Jim Hackett, left, meets with Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen AG, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit

They are under pressure from governments in key markets such as the European Union and China to come up with electric vehicles so they can meet tougher pollution limits.

And they are racing with tech companies such as Waymo and Uber to develop autonomous vehicles and to find ways to offer temporary use of an auto as a service through smartphone apps.

At the same time, a slowing global economy is putting pressure on profits and underlining the need to control costs.

WHEN WILL FORD LAUNCH A DRIVERLESS CAR? Ford expects to release a 'fully autonomous vehicle' by 2021. The company said in August 2017 that its vehicle would come without a steering wheel or pedals. Executives said that this would bring bigger benefits to passengers, unlike GM's Super Cruise or Tesla's Autopilot that are semi-autonomous drive-assist systems requiring drivers to sometimes take control of the vehicle. Ford said their car would be first offered as a ride-service option but would be available to purchase approximately 10 years later. In December 2017, Ford said it was studying a system to use drones to help guide driverless vehicles, including on off-road adventures, company officials said. A drone launched from an autonomous vehicle would help guide it by mapping the surrounding area beyond what the car's sensors can detect. Vehicle passengers can control the drone using the car's 'infotainment' or navigation system. Advertisement

Ford last week announced a shake-up of its European operations that will mean dropping less profitable vehicle lines.

Hackett said the alliance 'will not only drive significant efficiencies and help both companies improve their fitness, but also gives us the opportunity to collaborate on shaping the next era of mobility.'

He said in a conference call with reporters that the rush of new technologies is broad and 'moving at the speed of light.'Amazon investors are turning up the heat on CEO Jeff Bezos with a new letter demanding he stop selling the company's controversial facial recognition technology to police.

The shareholder proposal calls for Amazon to stop offering the product, called Rekognition, to government agencies until it undergoes a civil and human rights review.

It follow similar criticisms voiced by 450 Amazon employees, as well as civil liberties groups and members of Congress, over the past several months.

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Amazon investors are turning up the heat on the internet giant with a new letter demanding it stop selling its controversial facial recognition technology to police

'Rekognition contradicts Amazon's opposition to facilitating surveillance,' the letter states.

'...Shareholders have little evidence our company is effectively restricting the use of Rekognition to protect privacy and civil rights.

'...Resolved, shareholders request that the Board of Directors prohibit sales of facial recognition technology to government agencies unless the Board concludes, after an evaluation using independent evidence, that the technology does not cause or contribute to actual or potential violations of civil and human rights,' it continues.

Amazon reportedly received the shareholder proposal on December 19th and it's slated to go up for a vote at the company's annual shareholder meeting in Spring 2019.

Dailymail.com has reached out to Amazon for comment.

The FBI is believed to be testing the controversial facial recognition technology, while Amazon was found to be selling the service to law enforcement agencies in the city of Orlando and Washington County, Oregon.

It's also believed to have proposed the technology to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud division, also counts the Department of Defense and the CIA as its customers.

The document goes on to cite several arguments for why the technology could spiral out of control and potentially infringe upon US citizens' human rights.

Additionally, it makes the case that Amazon is deploying the technology without regard for these concerns, pointing to an incident in July 2018 where Amazon executive Teresa Carlson was asked whether Amazon has 'drawn any red lines, any standards, guidelines, on what you will and you will not do in terms of defense work.'

Carlson reportedly said in response: 'We have not drawn any lines there...We are unwaveringly in support of our law enforcement, defense and intelligence community.'

The shareholder proposal, filed Thursday, calls for Amazon to stop offering the product, called Rekognition, to government agencies until it undergoes a civil and human rights review

The resolution was organized by non-profit Open MIC and filed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, a member of the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment, among others.

All parties involved with the proposal oversee a whopping $1.32 billion in assets under management, according to Open MIC.

'It's a familiar pattern: a leading tech company marketing what it has hailed as breakthrough technology without understanding or assessing the many real and potential harms of that product,' Michael Conner, executive director of Open MIC, said in a statement.

'Sales of Rekognition to government represent considerable risk for the company and investors.

Amazon shareholders are calling for CEO Jeff Bezos to stop selling Rekognition to government agencies, such as local law enforcement, the FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement

HOW DOES AMAZON'S CONTROVERSIAL RECKOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WORK? Amazon Rekognition gives software applications the power to detect objects, scenes and faces within images. It was built with computer vision, which lets AI programs analyse still and video images. AI systems rely on artificial neural networks, which try to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn. They can be trained to recognise patterns in information - including speech, text data, or visual images. Rekognition uses deep learning neural network models to analyse billions of images daily. Updates since it was created even allow the technology to guess a person's age. In November 2017, its creators announced that Rekognition can now detect and recognise text in images, perform real-time face recognition across tens of millions of faces and detect up to 100 faces in challenging crowded photos. Advertisement

'That's why it's imperative those sales be halted immediately,' he added.

The tech giant has repeatedly drawn the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other privacy advocates over the tool.

First released in 2016, Amazon has since been selling it on the cheap to several police departments around the US, listing the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon as one of several customers.

The ACLU and other organizations are now calling on Amazon to stop marketing the product to law enforcement, saying they could use the technology to 'easily build a system to automate the identification and tracking of anyone'.

Police appear to be using Rekognition to check photographs of unidentified suspects against a database of mug shots from the county jail.

Amazon offers the tech to law enforcement for just $6 (4.50) to $12 (9) a month. So far, it counts the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon and the city of Orlando as customers

But privacy advocates have been concerned about expanding the use of facial recognition to body cameras worn by officers or safety and traffic cameras that monitor public areas, allowing police to identify and track people in real time.

Amazon offers the technology to law enforcement for just $6 (4.50) to $12 (9) a month.

Deputies in Oregon had been using Rekognition about 20 times per day - for example, to identify burglary suspects in store surveillance footage.

In September, the agency adopted policies governing its use, noting that officers in the field can use real-time face recognition to identify suspects who are unwilling or unable to provide their own ID, or if someone's life is in danger.A crumbling periodic table uncovered during a laboratory clear-out is believed to be the oldest in the world.

The teaching chart dating from around 1885 was discovered in the chemistry department at University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Work has been undertaken to authenticate and preserve the large, fragile chart after it was found among old equipment in 2014.

A periodic table (pictured) uncovered during a laboratory clear-out is believed to be the oldest in the world. The teaching chart dating from around 1885 was discovered in the chemistry department at St Andrews University

Dmitri Mendeleev made his famous disclosure on periodicity in 1869, and the University of St Andrews chart bears an inscription identifying a scientific printer who operated in Vienna between 1875 and 1888.

Professor Eric Scerri from the University of California has dated the table to between 1879 and 1886.

Gallium and scandium, discovered in 1875 and 1879 respectively, are present but germanium, discovered in 1886, is not.

The university said no earlier lecture chart of the table appears to exist.

Dmitri Mendeleev (pictured) made his famous disclosure on periodicity in 1869, and the University of St Andrews chart bears an inscription identifying a scientific printer who operated in Vienna between 1875 and 1888

Professor Eric Scerri from the University of California has dated the St Andrews version of the table (pictured) to between 1879 and 1886

Professor David O'Hagan, former head of chemistry at St Andrews, said: 'The discovery of the world's oldest classroom periodic table at the University of St Andrews is remarkable.

'The table will be available for research and display at the university and we have a number of events planned in 2019, which has been designated international year of the periodic table by the United Nations, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the table's creation by Dmitri Mendeleev.'

The university was awarded a funding grant from the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust for the conservation of the chart.

A full-size facsimile is now on display in the school of chemistry, while the original periodic table is being kept in climate-controlled conditions.The 10-year challenge meme may seem harmless, but a new report claims users' selfies could be ammunition for far more nefarious purposes.

Millions of internet users have participated in the meme, where they upload a photo of themselves from 2009 and a snapshot of themselves from this year.

Some have since claimed that users' selfies could unknowingly be used as part of a dataset for Facebook's facial recognition algorithm to learn age progression and age recognition, according to Wired.

Some have claimed that photos uploaded for the #10yearchallenge could be used to help Facebook train its facial recognition algorithms to learn age progression and age recognition

The report argues that photos uploaded with the #10yearchallenge would make it easy for a facial recognition algorithm to study a set of before-and-after photos.

In the best case scenario, this data could be used to help find missing children, using an age progression algorithm, Wired noted.

It could also be used for ad targeting, or more dystopian purposes, such as being supplied to law enforcement or insurance companies.

Facebook denied that it played any role in the meme.

'This is a user-generated meme that went viral on its own,' a Facebook spokesperson told Wired.

'Facebook did not start this trend, and the meme uses photos that already exist on Facebook.

'Facebook gains nothing from this meme (besides reminding us of the questionable fashion trends of 2009). As a reminder, Facebook users can choose to turn facial recognition on or off at any time,' the company added.

The report argues that photos uploaded with the #10yearchallenge would make it easy for a facial recognition algorithm to study a set of before-and-after photos, a new report claims

In a tweet posted late Wednesday, Facebook added: 'The 10 year challenge is a user-generated meme that started on its own, without our involvement. Its evidence of the fun people have on Facebook, and thats it.'

BuzzFeed reporter Ryan Broderick noted on Twitter that similar meme challenges have popped up on the internet over the years.

In every case, the 10-year challenge meme 'organically' resurfaced after a few users posted now-and-then photos of themselves, which later went viral.

He cited the #2008vs2018 and #2006vs2016 memes that have been popular recently.

Others, including social media experts, argue that there's reason to be suspicious, however.

'It presented Facebook with a terrified opportunity to learn, to train their systems to better recognize small changes,' Amy Webb, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business, told CBS News.

HOW DOES FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WORK? Facial recognition software works by matching real time images to a previous photograph of a person. Each face has approximately 80 unique nodal points across the eyes, nose, cheeks and mouth which distinguish one person from another. A digital video camera measures the distance between various points on the human face, such as the width of the nose, depth of the eye sockets, distance between the eyes and shape of the jawline. A different smart surveillance system (pictured) can scan 2 billion faces within seconds has been revealed in China. The system connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets. The military is working on applying a similar version of this with AI to track people across the country This produces a unique numerical code that can then be linked with a matching code gleaned from a previous photograph. A facial recognition system used by officials in China connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets. Experts believe that facial recognition technology will soon overtake fingerprint technology as the most effective way to identify people. Advertisement

It comes after Facebook has been rocked by a string of privacy scandals in the past year that have resulted in users' diminished trust in the platform.

That's likely what has contributed to some users' speculation around the meme.

Fellow Silicon Valley giant Amazon has also faced backlash about its intent with its facial recognition software, Rekognition.

Human rights groups have repeatedly called for the company to stop selling the service to law enforcement agencies, alongside similar demands from employees.Ronald Reagan took the arms race into space in 1983 in a prime time speech to the nation from the Oval Office which unveiled his Strategic Defense Initiative.

The U.S., he said, was asking 'the scientific community who gave us nuclear weapons to turn their great talents to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete', by detecting and shooting them down in space.

It was either a genuine plan which would spend billions in the cause of making the U.S. safe from the threat of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), or it was a plan to spend billions on the impossible to force the Soviets to do the same, knowing that they could not afford it.

Into the stars: Ronald Reagan addressed the nation in March 1983 about the Strategic Defense Initiative, with charts and drawings to show how he planned to neutralize Soviet missiles by satellite

Could it have worked? This was an Air Force artist's impression from 1984 which showed a laser, powered by a satellite-carried nuclear reactor striking a target warhead. Other satellites would detect the fired missile

Either way, by 1990, the Soviet Union was gone, but there were no lasers in space ready to shoot down its missiles.

Reagan's address spoke about the SDI but the day after he did it, Ted Kennedy dismissed it as 'reckless Star Wars schemes' and the name stuck, to the president's annoyance - even if the Hollywood-inspired name meant the SDI was now stuck in the world's consciousness.

As months went past after Reagan's speech, a series of hi-tech weapons were proposed by the military and development began.

They were straight from the pages of science fiction.

There were particle-beam weapons which would vaporize rockets and their warheads; nuclear space weapons, which would fight atomic weapons with atomic weapons; an X-ray laser; and hypervelocity railguns on the ground which would fire projectiles into space.

A network of satellites would sense the firing of ICBMs and set off an automatic system to shoot down the incoming nuclear weapons.

One laser-armed satellite could kill dozens of warheads at once, and the Soviet Union's most potent weapon would be dead in the water.

Peace at last: Ronald Reagan's Star Wars helped bankrupt the Soviet Union. Whether he knew it was a shell game is speculated about

Thousands of scientists were commissioned to work on it and the next year came a dramatic test which appeared to show the idea worked, as one Minuteman missile was fired and taken down, in space by another Minuteman.

The 1984 test seemed like a brilliant moment for the U.S.; proof that the Soviet threat could be neutralized - even if its veracity was almost instantly questioned.

In Moscow there were real believers who saw their military threat to the U.S. facing annihilation. Some of the Soviet general staff believed that Star Wars would allow the U.S. to strike first without fear, ending the Mutually Assured Destruction theory which had kept the peace from the 1950s on.

Others saw it as an attempt to catch up with their own efforts to have weapons in space, which began in the 1970s, but the effect was the same, with the communist state deciding to spend massively on its military.

That expansion was a disaster for the Soviets, who were already teetering economically and their new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who had taken control in 1985, was to be its last.

The economic cost of keeping up with Star Wars - and Reagan's other weapons programs - was not the only reason for the Soviet Union's collapse, but it was one of the most significant, historians broadly agree.

In 1991, the Evil Empire collapsed, ushering in a new world order free of the threat of destruction by Soviet missiles.

Star Wars had succeeded in its aim of disabling the Soviet threat.

Whether or not that was the sole intention of the plan remains a matter of debate.

In 1993 the New York Times reported that four ex-Reagan officials had anonymously claimed that the 1984 triumph of a real-life missile test in space was basically faked.

'We rigged the rest,' one said. Both missiles had beacons so the interceptor could meet its target, so the Star Wars bosses were guaranteed a hit.

The claim was not proven by a Congressional inquiry but by 1993, SDI was on its way out; the Soviet threat was gone.

The bill by then had reached an estimated $30 billion, and one Democratic senator, Dale Bumpers, from Arkansas, stood before a blank chart and told his colleagues: 'Weve spent $30 billion since 1983 and this is what weve got for it. Nothing.'

Whether Reagan was a knowing overseer of a shell game or as convinced as his Soviet enemies that it was true remains a guessing game, with conspiracy theorists favoring the former, and history recording that the effect was the same.At a vegan-friendly arts centre in Hastings today, Jeremy Corbyn said Labour is open to discussions on Brexit.

But he wasnt going to talk to Theresa May about it. Nope. Not until she agreed to agree with him.

You could call it the Michel Barnier approach to negotiations. Brussels refused to discuss Brexit with Mrs May until she accepted its timetable. Hes a quick learner, our Jeremy.

Mr Corbyn was on ripely wriggly form at this brief speech, peering over his spectacles, squinting, screwing up his face and playing hard to get.

For months he had pushed Mrs May to include the Opposition in talks. Now that she had agreed to do that, he had consulted his diary and found he was having his hair done that night.

Jeremy Corbyn delivering a speech in Hastings, East Sussex, just days after he called a vote of no confidence in Theresa May's government

Odysseuss Penelope undid her knitting every night in order to preserve her virtue. Mr Corbyn just wants to avoid having to make a decision on Brexit. Hence his scornful the offer of talks is simply a stunt.

Hastings is the unsafe seat of Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd. Mr Corbyn took a few swipes at her, accusing her of cruelty to old age pensioners. Mr Corbyn himself is 69.

Around him sat a throng of party activists, some of them very much two-pudding types.

They clapped enthusiastically when he kept saying he had been clearvery clearwe are clear on his Brexit position.

When politicians say they have been clear, they have usually been as obscure as the windows of a municipal urinal.

He insisted he would not talk to Mrs May until she agreed to rule out a no-deal Brexit. Silly sausage. Plenty of voters think No Deal could be terrific yet the elite refuses to contemplate it.

Brussels refused to discuss Brexit with Theresa May until she accepted its timetable. Corbyn also said he would not hold talks with Mrs May until she agreed to agree with him

He criticised the spending of public money on No Deal preparations, arguing that it could be better used on social care, housing, etc. No one asked what he thought of handing the EU 39 billion of our jimmies.

Should Brexit be delayed? That may well be the case, he murmured, eyes narrowed. What about a second referendum?

Its an option, he said, stroking his chin. A Remainer in the audience had a wonderful idea: the ballot paper on a second referendum should contain only a choice between Remaining options.

This was presumably a joke but no one laughed at her suggestion. They just nodded and turned, mutely, to the bearded old sage in their midst.

A similar, dazed quality was evident at a London event an hour or so earlier when a little knot of richly-attired Tory Remainers gathered in a modernist hotel basement to promote the idea of a second referendum.

Youve enjoyed the Brexit experience so much that youre gagging for more? Lets do it all over again!

After some pretty filthy continental-strength coffee, the meeting was opened by Phillip Lee, MP for Bracknell, lugubrious to the point of funereal.

He kept saying lets be straight but then went and spoilt it slightly by claiming this is not a campaign to overturn Brexit. Oh come off it!

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking at St Mary's in the Castle during a visit to Hastings in East Sussex

Heidi Allen, that shouty MP from Cambridgeshire, sau-ntered up to say okay, so this is not easy, cos no one actually wants a second referendum.

A cross between Cleopatra and David Brent, Ms Allen said she knew nothing about politics but she did know about business and she regarded voters as customers who had to be offered a product.

She was against the tribal nature of politics  an odd thing to say at a specifically Tory event  and felt her fellow Conservative MPs should say to hell with their associations (i.e. their local party activists).

She said she wanted to be a minister. Then she said she disliked Ukip and concluded: We want our party back. Confused? I certainly was.

Dominic Grieve (Con, Beaconsfield), in a glorious 1950s suit once owned by his father Percy (who was also a Tory MP), slipped out early.

A weekend European jolly for him. But maybe dim Heidi had just given him a headache.Britain was on general election alert last night after Whitehall chiefs were ordered to draw up contingency plans for a snap poll.

Amid the fragile situation in Westminster, Britains top civil servant told Government departmental heads to be ready in case an election is needed to break the Brexit deadlock.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill met senior mandarins this week to discuss preparations in case Theresa May decides to go to the country.

Today, it also emerged that official guidance has now been drawn up on the possible timeline for a second Brexit referendum.

A document, apparently presented at cross-party Brexit talks, suggested that another referendum would take 15 months to arrange and hold.

Downing Street has repeatedly insisted the next general election will not take place until 2022, as mandated by the Fixed Terms Parliament Act.

Theresa May makes a statement following winning a confidence vote, after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal, outside 10 Downing Street yesterday

Only this week, the Prime Minister told MPs that holding a ballot now would be the worst thing we could do, with some Tories fearing that the party would lose seats to Labour, handing the keys to Number 10 to Jeremy Corbyn.

But Cabinet ministers have held conversations about how an election may now be the only way to move forward, with one warning a poll is on the way.

Despite the failure of its attempt to oust the Government this week, Labour has also not ruled out the possibility of repeatedly tabling no-confidence motions in a bid to topple Mrs May.

But an election might receive a weary reaction from voters. When Mrs May called the 2017 snap election, the news elicited the immortal response from one voter, Brenda from Bristol: Youre joking! Not another one!

As the aftershocks of the Brexit deal defeat continued:

Labour leader Mr Corbyn faced a fresh backlash as he ordered Labour MPs to snub cross-party talks to break the impasse;

Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill met senior mandarins this week to discuss preparations in case Theresa May called a general election

Chancellor Philip Hammond came under fire from Eurosceptic Tory MPs after saying that the threat of leaving without a deal could be taken off the table;

A Tory MP claimed the Prime Minister faces a mass walk-out of ministers unless she agrees to give Parliament control over Brexit;

It was announced that Mrs May will publish a new Brexit plan on Monday with a full debate and key vote scheduled for January 29.

German business chiefs have warned that a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for their country.

Civil servants across Whitehall have been ordered to prepare for the possibility that an election could be called.

The Daily Mail has learnt that officials have begun exercises looking at what needs to happen if there is a vote, such as rushing through final pieces of legislation before Parliament is dissolved.

Some Tories fear that the party would lose seats to Labour is another General Election was called, handing the keys to Number 10 to Jeremy Corbyn

Sir Mark, who was appointed Cabinet Secretary in October, held a meeting with permanent secretaries from across Whitehall this week to talk about how they needed to be ready in the event of all scenarios.

And on Wednesday Former Tory party leader William Hague told City of London figures that he believed the Brexit crisis may lead to a snap general election.

Labour has launched a fundraising drive to prepare for the possibility of a poll and in an email to supporters this week said the party was on a snap election footing.

And the Tories have begun selecting candidates in dozens of seats, although sources insisted this was part of the normal process.

An election could be triggered if rebel Tory MPs and the Democratic Unionist Party choose the nuclear option and  in alliance with opposition parties  collapse the Government by voting it down under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

Alternatively, the Prime Minister could decide there is no way forward on Brexit with the current parliamentary arithmetic and ask MPs to bring about a fresh vote.

If an election is called, it is likely that the two-year Article 50 process for leaving the EU would have to be extended beyond March 29.

Civil servants across Whitehall have been ordered to prepare for the possibility that an election could be called

Last night, a Cabinet Office spokesman said: The Cabinet Secretary frequently meets with permanent secretaries to discuss a wide range of issues.

Today Mrs May  who has repeatedly ruled out ever staging a second referendum  shared civil service advice on the issue during talks with opposition MPs.

The revelation is the first acknowledgement that Government officials have carried out work on how a second vote might be held.

But the projected timetable, which suggests it would take 15 months to arrange and hold a second referendum, sparked anger amongst some campaigners.

Downing Street confirmed that officials had prepared a short paper on how a second referendum might work, in anticipation of it being raised by opposition MPs.

A spokesman for the PM insisted the document did not suggest Mrs May was planning for  or even considering  a second referendum.

Corbyn faced a fresh backlash as he ordered Labour MPs to snub cross-party talks with Mrs May to break the impasse

One source said the one-sheet paper had taken officials no more than a couple of hours to produce.

The document set out the potential timetable for a second referendum, including seven months to pass the necessary legislation, 12 weeks for the Electoral Commission to test the question and 16 weeks for the campaign.

Mrs May faces a mass walk-out of ministers unless she agrees to give Parliament control over Brexit, an MP has claimed.

Nick Boles said up to 20 middle-ranking and junior ministers are ready to resign if the Prime Minister tells them to oppose an amendment empowering the Commons to drive the agenda.

By TIM SCULTHORPE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

William Hague (file) has predicted chaos over Brexit could force a general election within weeks amid a stalemate in Parliament

William Hague has predicted chaos over Brexit could force a general election within weeks amid a stalemate in Parliament.

The former Tory leader made the claim in a briefing for businessmen in the City of London in the aftermath of the crushing defeat for Theresa May's Brexit plans.

Lord Hague correctly predicted the last snap election in 2017 and warned the chances of another are currently being 'underplayed'.

Calling a snap election is one idea being considered by some Cabinet ministers in the aftermath of the record-breaking 432 to 202 defeat on Tuesday night.

In a briefing with Citigroup clients yesterday, Lord Hague said 'the media are underplaying the chances of a general election in the coming weeks', one person at the meeting told the Financial Times.

A minister told the paper: 'William is right: chaos will eventually lead to a general election.'

Calling an election would mean giving into demands from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn there needs to be another vote.

Mrs May would need to get the support of two thirds of MPs to call an election again - the same process she used in April 2017.

Many in Westminster think a snap election would produce a similarly ambiguous response as last time, when Mrs May lost the Tory majority.

The PM herself warned MPs yesterday there was a risk no party would get a majority and an election would do nothing more than deepen the chaos facing the country.

Mrs May has spent today meeting Opposition MPs to try and find a way forward after Tuesday's humiliation.

The PM and her Cabinet have been holding a frantic round of cross-party meetings after she held out an olive branch following a failed Labour bid to oust her.

Calling an election would mean giving into demands from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today in Hastings) there needs to be another vote

Tory Eurosceptics including David Davis, DUP leader Arlene Foster, and Green MP Caroline Lucas were among the key players spotted out and about in Whitehall today as efforts to forge consensus are ramped up.

However, Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon have caused fury by flatly rejecting the overture, insisting they will not talk until the government rules out leaving the EU without a deal. Mrs May has said the option must stay on the table, and dismissed calls to delay the exit date from March.

But it has emerged she could face a major uprising within government over a bid by Tory MP Nick Boles to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Boles is tabling an amendment that would empower backbenchers to push through legislation extending the Article 50 process by nine months - effectively avoiding a cliff edge.

He told the Evening Standard that around 20 ministers are ready to resign if Chief Whip Julian Smith tries to order them to oppose the amendment, which would be considered alongside Mrs May's 'Plan B' on January 29.

A number of Cabinet members are also said to have vowed that they will not oppose the mechanism. Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested he supported the idea in a conference call with business leaders this week.Boris Johnson will today call for tax cuts and immigration controls as he launches a thinly-veiled pitch for the Tory leadership.

Setting out his vision for the country after Brexit, the former foreign secretary will appeal to traditional conservative voters with an eye-catching pledge to introduce 'no new taxes'.

But in a major speech, he will also argue that the referendum result was about more than restoring democracy  and exposed a 'worrying' gap between London and the rest of the UK.

Boris Johnson will tomorrow call for tax cuts and immigration controls as he launches a thinly-veiled pitch for the Tory leadership

Speaking at the JCB headquarters in Staffordshire, Mr Johnson will say Brexit is an opportunity to unite the country.

Echoing Theresa May's attacks on crony capitalism, he will condemn overpaid business executives and firms who have hired migrants and failed to invest in British workers.

He is the latest contender for the Tory leadership to set out a wide-ranging vision for the future, following a speech by fellow Eurosceptic Dominic Raab on Monday.

Many Tory MPs also saw Environment Secretary Michael Gove's barnstorming speech attacking Jeremy Corbyn in the Commons on Wednesday as a sign of leadership intent.

Mr Johnson will urge ministers to focus on the 'issues that drove Brexit', and argue the Leave vote was 'triggered by a feeling that in some way the people of this country have been drifting too far apart'.

Mr Johnson has been mired in endless reports about his new relationship with former Tory aide Carrie Symonds (they are pictured at a Conservative fundraiser last year)

'If you look at the distribution of the Brexit vote, it is clear that people felt that gap in attainments and prospects and that they wanted something done,' he will say.

'If we are to bring our nation together, that means investing in great public services and safer streets, better hospitals, better transport links and better housing.'

In a two-pronged assault on executives, he will point to the 'huge expansion' in the gap between bosses and the average worker and accuse them of using unlimited migration to hold down wages.

On tax, he will say: '(We must..) create the most favourable tax environment with no new taxes and no increases in rates and no one rich or poor to pay more than 50 per cent of their income in tax  not because we want to create a tax haven for the rich but because that it is the way to stimulate the income we need to pay for this national programme of cohesion.'

Calling for the UK to become the 'most favourable tax environment', he will argue that it will generate revenue to pay out for a 'national programme of cohesion' including investment in public services.

'We all know about boardroom pay and the huge expansion in the last 25 years of the gap between the remuneration of FTSE 100 CEOs and the average workers in their firms,' he will say.

'We know one of the ways big corporations have held wages down is that they have had access to unlimited pools of labour from other countries.

Echoing Theresa May's attacks on crony capitalism, Mr Johnson will condemn overpaid business executives and firms who have hired migrants and failed to invest in British workers Theresa May is pictured

'Now I am a free market capitalist and a passionate believer in the benefits of migration  but there must be a balance, and if an influx of labour is being used not only to prevent investment in capital equipment but also in the skills and prospects of young people, then we need to think carefully about how we control immigration.

'Because if we want the people of Britain to have a pay rise, as I do, then we can't expect to do it by simply controlling immigration, we have to address all the causes of the productivity gap that has so massively expanded.'

He will add: 'I don't mean the gap between the UK, France, Germany and Italy, though we are behind our main competitors, the most worrying gap is between London, the most productive part of the whole European economy and other regions in the UK.'Court records obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that Chris Hansen has been in financial trouble for some time.

The host of Crime Watch Daily owes $57,931.72 to American Express, $126,356.35 to TD Bank, over $15,000 to Ally Financial and $1,078,164.73 to US Bank Trust according to complaints filed in Connecticut courts over the past three years.

On top of all this, Hansen owes over $250,000 in back taxes and was recently arrested for allegedly writing $13,000 wort of bad checks.

And making matters worse, TMZ is now reporting that Hansen has been evicted from his New York City apartment.

This is all happening as the former Dateline host is in the process of divorcing his wife Mary Jo.

Out: Chris Hansen is being evicted from his NYC apartment according to TMZ (left in 2011, right on Monday)

Owes: The host of Crime Watch Daily owes $57,931.72 to American Express (above)

More money, more problems: He also owes $126,356.35 to TD Bank and over $15,000 to Ally Financial

Hansen was arrested in Stamford, Connecticut on Monday after a police investigation found that he had written $13,000 worth of bad checks to pay for marketing materials.

The former To Catch a Predator hosted was charged with issuing a bad check and released on his own recognizance.

Hansen, 59, is accused of writing two bad checks to vendor who produced 355 mugs, 288 T-shirts and 650 vinyl decals for the host back in 2017.

He had delayed payment for the order and in April wrote the checks that ultimately did not clear.

It has been more than a decade since Hansen's show went off the air after a three-year run.

It was cancelled after an assistant district attorney in Texas, committed suicide after exchanging photos with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old boy.

When Conradt did not show up to meet the boy, the camera rew chose to travel to him home

He killed himself as the crew entered the residence.

NBC later settled a lawsuit filed against the network by the attorney's sister.Yesterday Britain was awestruck by the bravery of the off-duty SAS soldier in jeans, flak jacket and balaclava whod grabbed his Colt Canada assault rifle, pistol and combat knife from his car while on an errand in Nairobi, and run into danger to help victims of the Al Shabaab terrorist attack in the Kenyan capital.

He saved lives, storming buildings, dragging people to safety amid the carnage of the devastating attack. And he fired off rounds at the fanatics, undoubtedly killing a number of them.

Truly, a hero emerged from this tragedy. But as a former member of the Parachute Regiment, South African special forces and 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, I was not surprised by his behaviour. For he has been trained both mentally and physically to kill with ruthless efficiency.

The off-duty Special Forces warrior, wearing combat gear over casual jeans and a purple shirt, was seen entering the complex in Nairobi and then emerging with terrified survivors

The SAS hero was also seen rescuing civilians from inside the hotel complex while members of the Kenyan security forces fired at the terrorists

The British special forces soldier carries a casualty out of the building with help from a member of the security forces

When I was in the South African special forces in Mozambique, we were ambushed by guerrillas. As I was trying to shoot one of them while he ran between trees, another shot me in the thigh. I fired a round into him and killed him, then checked my leg.

It was difficult to stand, so I gave myself a shot of local anaesthetic  before all hell broke loose. The guerrillas main force was sending in mortars and we had to get out of there fast. I ended up being chased through the bush with a bullet hole in my leg and a 70lb pack on my back  for two days  before being evacuated.

But then, those of us who have undergone the gruelling SAS selection have been put through hell already. We are used to painful, unnerving, physically exhausting situations. We have all encountered life-threatening danger.

Selection lasts five months. There are two initial courses every year for those who volunteer  a winter course or a summer one, with timed marches day after day in exposed situations with ever heavier packs.

They are conducted at the edge of human endurance. One of them is 40 miles long, has to be completed without stopping within a certain time, while carrying a 60lb rucksack, full rifle and your own water.

Only one in ten members of the British Armed Forces get through. It is not for the faint-hearted and is potentially lethal. Its claimed the lives of candidates whove either frozen to death during winter courses or died in the blistering heat of summer.

Of course these are tragedies. But this is not the Girl Guides  its our finest fighting men trying to get into the SAS.

In 1981 two candidates died during the selection test. According to Regiment legend, the commanding officer summoned Warrant Officer Lofty Wiseman who ran the course.

What are we supposed to say about this Lofty? There are question in the Commons.

The British SAS soldier was reportedly in Nairobi to train Kenyan Special Forces when five Islamist terrorists attacked a luxury hotel complex in the city

The British special forces soldier enters the building in Nairobi, Kenya, carrying his modified colt Canada rifle

The unnamed soldier helped rescue civilians and reportedly helped storm the complex

Lofty responded: The way I see it, sir, is that its natures way of telling them theyve failed. Army humour is dark. SAS humour is pitch black.

Training does not stop after selection. Its constant. Theres the Killing House, where as a member of the SAS Anti-Terrorist team our Nairobi hero will really have honed the skills that saved so many lives. Its where training for close combat is developed and the three words Speed, Aggression, Surprise  or SAS  are drummed into recruits.

Its where hostage scenarios are played out with live ammunition. The building at the SAS HQ in Hereford has sliding walls  specially adapted to absorb the bullets  allowing training in any size or shape of room. There is no standard SAS man, they come in all shapes and sizes, from many different backgrounds. Many like me, came from poor backgrounds and dysfunctional families. I was born in the slums of Glasgow, my father was a low-level gangster and I was a hooligan from the age of five.

I left school at 16, and failed my first Army medical examination due to borderline malnutrition before joining up aged only 17.

I served first in the Parachute Regiment then South African special forces before passing SAS selection and joining The Regiment.

On the SAS Anti-Terrorist team I became the demonstration pistol shot and could take a 9mm Browning from a holster and put 18 rounds into a two-inch target in less than three-and-a-half seconds.

Like every other member of the SAS, I was a perfectly designed, highly disciplined killing machine.

Sometimes, though, discipline and skill isnt enough in the confusion of combat  as I found to my cost on one occasion with the South African special forces. Within seconds of being dropped off from our helicopter on a mission, we saw a group of armed men running out of the early morning sun towards us.

Photos from the scenes yesterday show the off-duty Special Forces warrior with combat gear over a casual jeans and purple shirt storming the building and rescuing civilians. He used a modified colt Canada rifle and carried a Glock 9mm side weapon as well as a knife for hand-to-hand combat

I immediately opened fire and hit the lead man three times: once in the elbow, once in the side and once in the leg.

He spun round as he fell. The bullet in the ribs went straight through him. I could see his arm was splintered and bloody beyond repair. Then, as he fell to the floor, his hat dropped from his head to reveal blond hair. He was one of our own side and had been mistakenly been in the wrong place.

We had been briefed that anyone running along a track before us could be regarded as an enemy. Fortunately he survived, and as I helped attend to his injuries afterwards and placed him on the helicopter, I apologised. His reply was simple and brief: Its just the fortunes of war.

The point is that you have to make split-second decisions. The Nairobi SAS man is out there to help train Kenyan security forces  a vital job and one that undoubtedly helped those security forces bring the attack to a swift conclusion. Yet SAS personnel on training teams are not authorised to engage in direct military operations. The fact that this lone SAS hero ignored the standard training directives will come as little surprise to anyone who ever served in the SAS, and it is highly likely his superiors will ignore his breach of standard operating procedures.

SAS personnel are trained to be ready to rock and roll at a moments notice.

In the Eighties, a military coup took place in the Gambia. Neighbouring Senegal was sending in an armed force to return the president to power and put out an emergency request for a small SAS team to advise.

I was on the Anti-Terrorist team at the time. The Regiments second-in-command rushed in and picked three men at random to join him in the mission.

They deployed to the Gambia and while there the presidents wife was taken hostage by the rebels. The SAS arranged for a note to be smuggled to her telling her to pretend she was ill and request a hospital visit. They then launched a rescue mission when she attended the hospital.

Security forces help civilians flee the scene as cars burn behind, at a hotel complex in Nairobi

People take cover as they follow a police officer to evacuate the upscale hotel and office complex in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi

Kenyan security forces walk from the scene shortly before President Kenyatta announced that the attack was over and all terrorists killed

Kenyan security officers search for attackers during an ongoing gunfire and explosions in Nairobi on Tuesday

SAS men faced with a combat situation, especially an imminent terrorist attack, react without thinking, either of their own safety or the consequences of their actions.

This continues even after they leave the SAS. In 1997 Will Scully, a former member of G Squadron SAS was in Sierra Leone on a training mission when a coup took place. Besieged in a hotel were more than 1,000 expats from many nations. Outside, rebels, joined by crazed bushmen, engaged in an orgy of rape, looting and murder.

Scully made his way to the roof of a nearby building and watched as rebels butchered a man, cutting out his heart.

Scullys training took over. He took up a machine gun and, alone and unaided, fought off continuing attacks by more than 250 rebels for nearly eight hours, until he was relieved by Nigerian regular forces. He was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal.

The SAS hero from the Nairobi siege reacted in the same way, without fear for himself, knowing only that he was there, people were in danger and he had the training and the skills to do something about it.

Like all SAS men, with the fighting over, the hostages saved and the terrorist threat eliminated, he will quietly fade into the background, going back to his training team. Until some day we need him and his Regiment again.A self-proclaimed 'paedophile hunter' who confronted suspected child molesters and made a series of citizen's arrests has revealed why he became a vigilante.

Richard Paul Warner, 42, says he felt compelled to help police by posing as a child online to speak with men before luring them to meet, because he was sexually abused as a 12-year-old boy.

The Adelaide man was charged with assault and using the internet to cause offence by identifying a sex offender when he uploaded videos of himself making the citizen's arrests.

Scroll down for video

Richard Paul Warner, 42, (pictured) allegedly posed as a little boy to speak with men online before luring them to meetings, where he filmed himself making citizen's arrests

His lawyer Michael Woods told the court that would be 'an absolute travesty of justice if the person who catches the paedophile gets a similar sentence to the paedophile'

Although the assault charge has since been dropped, Warner still faces up to three years in jail.

His lawyer Michael Woods told the court that would be 'an absolute travesty of justice if the person who catches the paedophile gets a similar sentence to the paedophile,' the ABC reported.

Mr Woods added that Warner wasn't being a 'vigilante' but was only trying to gather evidence against suspects for police, all of which he handed over to officers.

'His motives were not that of a vigilante, his motives were clearly designed to detect serious offending [and] film that offending as evidence for the police,' Mr Woods said.

The father-of-one ran a Youtube channel titled 'Adelaide Pedo Hunter' (above)

The amateur vigilante (left and right) was charged with assault and using the internet to cause offence by identifying a sex offender by uploading videos of himself making citizen's arrests

'He didn't hand out vigilante justice, he didn't take them round the corner and beat them up or anything a vigilante would do, he just simply provided that material to police as evidence of the offending that had taken place.'

However, Commonwealth prosecutor Rachel Wang said vigilante justice could 'undermine the vital role of the judiciary'.

'I'll leave my final media statement [until] everything's final and concluded and wait to see what's said next week,' Warner said outside court.

'I'm looking forward to it being over.'

Warner will be sentenced next week.

'His motives were not that of a vigilante, his motives were clearly designed to detect serious offending [and] film that offending as evidence for the police,' lawyer Michael Woods (right) said

The father-of-one ran a YouTube channel titled 'Adelaide Pedo Hunter', where he shared videos of himself arresting alleged child sex groomers.

Police did charge one person caught in Warner's online campaign with sex offences.

South Australian law bans the publication of the identity of people charged with a sexual offence until they plead guilty or are committed to stand trial.

During the first sting, Warner allegedly grabbed an alleged paedophile's shirt as he performed a citizen's arrest.Admirers of Michelle Obama are honoring the former first lady for her 55th birthday.

Her biggest admirer, husband Barack Obama, took to Instagram and Twitter Thursday to send a touching message to his wife of 26 years.

'I knew it way back then and I'm absolutely convinced of it today - you're one of a kind, @MichelleObama,' he wrote. 'Happy Birthday!'

The former POTUS shared a throwback photo of the young couple along with the sweet message, sparking a wave of well wishes from A-listers and old friends.

Barack Obama shared a throwback photo of him and his wife for Michelle Obama's 55th birthday Thursday

Beyonce posted a photo of a young Michelle Obama, writing 'BOW DOWN' in all capital letters

Michelle took to Instagram sharing a snap of of flowers with the caption: 'Thank you all so much for the birthday loveI love you all right back!

'Feeling so incredibly thankful for my South Side roots, my soul-affirming partner and daughters, and every unimaginable twist and turn over these 55 years. Cant wait to see what becomes of the next one!'

Among those wishing Michelle a happy birthday is Beyonce, who posted a childhood photo of the former FLOTUS with 'BOW DOWN' written in all caps.

Writer Shonda Rhimes sent a tweet, saying: 'Happy birthday @michellobama. To many more years of friendship!'

Rhimes, who is the creator of hit shows Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal, also shared a photo of the pair together at a Conference for Women event. Both women grew up in Chicago.

Congresswoman Kamala Harris also wished the former FLOTUS well for her 55th birthday.

'Happy birthday, @MichelleObama!' the California Democratic Rep tweeted, along with a picture of the two of them. 'Thank you for being a tireless advocate for our nation's youth and an inspiration to so many across the country.'

Michelle took to Instagram sharing a snap of of flowers with the caption: 'Thank you all so much for the birthday loveI love you all right back!'

California Democratic Congresswoman Kamala Harris joined in wishing the former FLOTUS well on her birthday

Writer and fellow Chicago-native Shonda Rhimes wished her long-time friend a happy birthday

Chef and TV host Rachel Ray posted a photo of Michelle's memoir Becoming, which the former FLOTUS is promoting on a massive book tour

TV host and chef Rachel Ray tweeted to Michelle Thursday as well, posting a photo of the former FLOTUS's memoir cover Becoming.

'Happy Birthday to a friend, mentor, & one of the most dynamic voices,' she said. 'Thank you for all you do for humanity. I hope you have the most glorious of days. We love you, @MichelleObama!'

It's not clear exactly how Michelle is celebrating her birthday this year as she's remained quiet on social media throughout the day.

However, it may well be spent relaxing as she's in the midst of a huge book tour to promote her memoir Becoming, which has sold over 3million copies.A detective who appeared in Making A Murderer has told how the Netflix documentary series has ruined his life, claiming he now gets death threats and has to be so vigilant he cannot even go out for dinner with his wife.

Andrew Colborn was one of several Manitowoc County cops whose testimony at the murder trial of Steven Avery was included in the blockbuster series.

In December, he sued Netflix claiming it had defamed him by splicing scenes from the court case to make it appear as though he had framed Avery for the murder of Teresa Halbach.

He is seeking unspecified damages and the case is ongoing.

On Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter published recent complaints he had made about the effect the series has had.

Manitowoc Detective Andrew Colborn is shown testifying at Steven Avery's 2007 murder trial. He is suing Netflix, claiming it deliberately defamed him and ruined his life with its series

He claims that Netflix's 'distorted' version of the truth has turned an entire nation against him unfairly and that he now has a safe room in his home because he and his family live in a permanent state of fear.

'Barb and I  have always strived to lead a quiet and private life.

'[Making a Murderer] destroyed that for both of us and for our family...I live in a constant state of vigilance very similar to combat or constantly being on duty as a law enforcement officer,' he wrote in an email, referring to his wife Barbara.

They have had to move homes since the series aired in 2015.

Colborn's allegations include claims that Netflix deliberately edited his testimony from the murder trial, swapping his answers to questions with others, to make him appear guilty of corruption.

The central thesis of the documentary series is that Avery, a junkyard owner who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, was framed for Teresa's murder by a group of conspiratorial cops and prosecutors who were humiliated when he got out of jail the first time.

Steven Avery is still in prison on a murder charge. He spent 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit then was arrested for murder two years after suing the county of Manitowic for $36million

Avery is accused of murdering Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old photographer who visited his home

The series also suggests that Avery being locked up for Teresa's murder would also conveniently disqualify his $36million lawsuit against the county for his first conviction.

Avery is still behind bars for Halbach's murder and the second series of Making A Murderer was released last year.

Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, is also in jail on murder charges. He is shown in 2007 during the trial when he was 16

He is still filing appeals, as is his nephew, Brendan, who was also jailed for Teresa's killing.

Since the series became a world wide phenomenon, its supposed villains - namely the cops involved and prosecutor Ken Kratz - have come out swinging.

They say Netflix deliberately omitted evidence and key pieces of testimony to support the narrative that Avery was framed.

Colborn's lawsuit is centered around a specific scene in episode five of the first installment of the 'Making a Murderer' series, where Colborn is testifying about a phone call he made to police dispatch regarding the vehicle that belonged to Halbach, which was later discovered on Avery's property.

As it's shown in the documentary, Colborn asks dispatch on a recorded call to run a license plate number which comes back as belonging to Halbach, who had already been identified as a missing person at that point. When Colborn gets that information, he immediately can be heard saying, 'Ninety-nine Toyota?' which is the year and make of the car belonging to Halbach that was found on Avery's property.

In the film, Avery's then-lawyer Dean Strang asks Colborn about the call while he's on the stand, and implies the way he responded to the dispatcher made it seem as though he was looking at Halbach's car, which wasn't said to have been discovered on Avery's land until two days after that call.

Colborn's lawsuit disputes how that scene was portrayed in the show, stating that Strang's insinuation was objected to, and that objection was sustained in court at that time.

The lawsuit also states that Colborn's affirmative response to Strang in that moment is not factually accurate, and that him saying 'Yes' was actually taken from a later question related to running routine license plate checks.

'Their manipulation of this crucial line of testimony falsely conveyed to viewers that plaintiff located Halbachs SUV somewhere other than at the salvage yard days earlier and likely assisted other law enforcement officers plant it there at a later time,' the suit reads.

'The impression is false and gave to viewers the exact opposite impression of what plaintiff was asked and how he responded at trial.'

Netflix did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Thursday afternoon.The mother of a 12-year-old boy has pleaded with a judge to jail her son for stealing sweets and loose change from a school classroom that he broke into.

The boy was among a group of youths who stole loose change, sweets and a soft drink when they broke into Rangeway Primary School in Geraldton, north of Perth, at around 7.30pm on December 12 last year.

'He doesn't want to listen to me. He constantly swears at me, disrespects me, says he hates my face,' the mother told the magistrate.

'Do you want me to lock him up?' Magistrate Chris Miocevich asked her.

'It might get the message across,' she replied.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy has pleaded with a judge to jail her son for stealing sweets and loose change from a classroom in Rangeway Primary School (pictured)

Police caught the youths nearby after an alarm was activated in the school premises that night.

CCTV footage of the incident was also captured.

The 12-year-old boy appeared in front of the Geraldton Children's Court this week and pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and stealing.

The boy also pleaded guilty to stealing a $300 watch in ActiveWest Stadium earlier on the same day, according to the West Australian.

The boy was initially placed on curfew after being charged, but his mother told the court that boy did not follow it.

'He thinks he's the boss,' she said.

'He thinks he can just ride off and do what he likes'.

The 12-year-old boy appeared in front of the Geraldton Children's Court (pictured) this week and pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and stealing

The boy was among a group of youths who stole loose change, sweets and a soft drink when they broke into a school (stock image)

'The doctors say he has ADHD, but he refuses to take his medication. Ive got four other kids in care, and I cant get them back because of his attitude'.

Defence counsel Veronica Randall defended her client by saying he had a 'limited record'.

Mr Miocevich renewed the boy's bail and curfew.

The boy's curfew requires him to stay at home from 7pm to 7am.

He will be sentenced on April 9.George Robinson, 62, died on Tuesday night in a Jackson, Mississippi hospital

Police in Mississippi have been accused of causing fatal injuries during the arrest of a man on misdemeanor charges.

George Robinson, 62, died on Tuesday night in a Jackson hospital, two days after he was arrested and released by police during the manhunt for suspects in the shooting death of a pastor.

Witnesses, who declined to be named, told WAPT-TV that they saw police hit Robinson on the head and body slam him while making the arrest.

Robinson was charged with a misdemeanor and then released at the scene pending a court date, in what is known as a 'field arrest'. The exact nature of the charge is unclear.

Robinson's family said that he died at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on Tuesday night. They claim that doctors say he died of head trauma.

Police were searching for the killers of a pastor (crime scene above) when they encountered Robinson and arrested him for an unspecified misdemeanor, releasing him on the spot

The coroner will determine a cause of death as part of the investigation.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba responded to the allegations with a statement issued by his office Wednesday.

'The City of Jackson has been made aware of the death of a citizen after a field release arrest made by JPD,' the statement said.

'While no one has come forward and no complaint has been made at this time, we believe that the circumstances are serious enough to warrant a thorough investigation,' the mayor continued.

Police Chief James Davis said at a press conference that the officers involved were part of the department's K-9 unit, which was searching for the killers.

'Due to being transparent, we want the people to know that we're here and we're concerned about this and we're going to do a thorough investigation,' Police Chief James Davis said

Davis declined to say how many officers were involved or release their names. He said he was not aware of prior citations against the officers.

'Due to being transparent, we want the people to know that we're here and we're concerned about this and we're going to do a thorough investigation,' Davis said.

'Once we complete the investigation, we will let you know of the findings.'

Robinson's police encounter came as cops were hunting for the killers who shot Pastor Anthony Longino, 62, as he opened the church doors for worship.

Longino was found dead just outside of New Bethany Missionary Baptist Church around 8am on Sunday.

Robinson's police encounter came as cops were hunting for the killers who shot Pastor Anthony Longino, 62, (above) as he opened the church doors for worship

Suspects Marquez 'Dog Pound' Hamilton (left) and Bernard Randall (right) were later arrested and charged with capital murder in the death of Pastor Longino

Suspects Marquez 'Dog Pound' Hamilton and Bernard Randall were later arrested and charged with capital murder.

The accused killers allegedly told police that robbery was the motive.

In 2018, homicides in Jackson spiked to their highest level since the crack epidemic of the 1990s.

There were 84 homicides total for the year, or 78 not including three officer-involved shootings and three justifiable homicides.Disgraced: Lauren Coyle-Mitchell, 36, a former elementary school teacher from New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2015

A former elementary school teacher from New Jersey has admitted to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student more than three years ago.

Lauren Coyle-Mitchell, 36, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Her firefighter husband attended the hearing in Hackensack.

In 2015, Coyle-Mitchell was teaching second grade at the Dr. Lena Edwards Academic Charter School in Jersey City when prosecutors said she performed oral sex at her home in Lyndhurst on the eighth-grader.

Under Coyle-Mitchells plea agreement, she will be sentenced to five years in state prison, followed by parole supervision for the rest of her life.

Coyle-Mitchell also will have to register as a sex offender, give up her teaching license and never seek public employment, reported NorthJersey.com.

Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 2.

Coyle-Mitchell was teaching second grade at the Dr. Lena Edwards Academic Charter School in Jersey City when prosecutors said she performed oral sex on an eighth-grader

Following her arrest, Coyle-Mitchell took to social media to try and clear her name

According to her indictment, Coyle-Mitchell performed oral sex on the girl at least once between October 1, 2014 and June 15, 2015. The two also allegedly had explicit conversations via text and email.

She was arrested in June 2015 after staff at the school observed what they considered to be inappropriate behavior between Coyle-Mitchell and the female student during a class trip to Washington DC.

Under Coyle-Mitchells plea agreement, she will be sentenced to five years in state prison, followed by parole supervision for the rest of her life

But the married teacher was arrested again just a month later on contempt of court charges after she allegedly violated her bail conditions and contacted the victim.

Prosecutors said the girl received two telephone calls from a restricted number, as well as a one-word text message in which the sender used Mitchell's 'pet name' for the girl.

Investigators then discovered Mitchell had researched how to restrict her number while making a phone call and had downloaded an application that would allow her to do so.

The girl did not answer either of the phone calls or the text message.

Coyle-Mitchell's attorney argued at the time that she was merely a mentor to the eighth-grader and said she was suffering from an anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said Mitchell had a 'moment of poor judgement' when she attempted to contact the girl after her arrest and being placed on leave at the school.

Last May, the State Board of Examiners suspended Coyle-Mitchells teaching certificates, reported NJ.com.This is the first picture of two-year-old Julen (pictured with his family), who has been trapped down a well for four days

Rescuers have called in the excavators as they prepare to dig two tunnels in a bid to save a two-year-old boy who fell down a 350-foot well in Spain.

Julen Rosello has been trapped in the shaft since Sunday when he fell in during a family meal in the countryside north of Malaga.

A bid to free Julen by digging a horizontal hole from a nearby hillside failed when it hit heavy stone, which engineers could not break through without endangering him.

Engineers will begin drilling the two vertical tunnels on Friday after they have had time to install a platform for the heavy machinery.

The leading engineer in the search, Angel Garcia, said creating an alternative access point involved days of digging work and technical surveying of terrains that normally would take months.

He warned the work was 'extremely difficult' and could be hampered by rain that is forecast for coming days.

Maria Gamez, the Spanish government's representative in the Malaga province, vowed the search would continue until the boy is saved.

'We are not going to stop even one minute,' Ms Gamez said.

'Nobody in the rescue team is putting in doubt that we will bring him out, and we all remain confident that he will be alive.'

No vocal contact has been made with Julen.

Scroll down for video.

A bulldozer moves into place as engineers prepare to dig two new tunnels at the site in the countryside north of Malaga

Rescuers are for now unable to get to where they believe the child is as a layer of earth, sand and stones believed to have been dragged down by Julen when he fell have blocked the well.

The toddler is believed to be underneath and the discovery of several strands of his hair by rescuers appears to confirm that theory.

But no one knows if Julen is still alive.

Mr Garcia said there was ventilation in at least the upper half of the well. 'Beyond the blockage there may be some or not,' he added.

We're dead, but with the hope an angel will help us get him out alive,' Julen's father Jose said yesterday. 'It feels like it's lasted for months.'

The rescue operation is unprecedented in Spain given how difficult it is.

This photo posted by local firefighters show the small 15in-wide hole Julen fell down on Sunday afternoon

Among the nine companies taking part in operations is Stockholm Precision Tools AB, a Swedish company that in 2010 contributed to the spectacular rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped 69 days underground.

This race-against-time recalls several other high-profile cases in the 1980s.

Alfredo Rampi, an Italian boy, was found dead in a well near Rome in 1981 while Jessica McClure, an 18-month-old girl, was rescued alive from a well in Texas in October 1987 after more than two days inside.The killer crocodile that ate a worker at an Indonesian Pearl Farm death was being kept illegally, it has been revealed.

Deasy Tuwo, 44, is thought to have been dragged into an enclosure by the 17ft-long crocodile named Merry during feeding time on Friday morning.

The crocodile, which has been relocated to a conservation site, is thought to have bitten off her arm and most of her abdomen.

Tragedy: Deasy Tuwo, 44, is believed to have been throwing meat into the enclosure at the research facility in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, when the crocodile attacked

It is believed that the 700kg crocodile was being kept illegally at the research facility in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, the BBC reported.

Hendriks Rundengan from the North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) said officials had tried to visit the facility several times in the past to remove the crocodile but had not been allowed in.

'We've come here a few times but the fences are always locked,' he said in an interview on Wednesday.

The crocodile, called Merry (pictured), was found with Ms Tuwo's remains still in its jaws at the research facility in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Merry, was found with Ms Tuwo's remains still in its jaws at the research facility in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Officials believe Merry the crocodile stood on its hind legs and jumped up the 8ft wall to drag her into the pool, although some reports say that she fell in.

Horrified staff at the facility, named CV Yosiki Laboratory, made the grim discovery later that morning, when they noticed a 'strange shape' in the water.

They then saw the crocodile laying on the ground with Ms Tuwo's savaged body in its jaws.

The reptile, who is fed fresh chicken, tuna and meat every day, has been known to attack other crocodiles in the past, but no fears had been raised it may attack humans.

Rescue workers battled to retrieve Ms Tuwo's body from the crocodile, which thrashed violently every time they tried to fish the corpse from the water.

Merry was captured on Monday in the city of Tomohon and was pictured strapped to a flat-bed truck to be taken for medical tests to confirm that he had eaten the body parts.

Friends describe Ms Tuwo, the lead scientist at the laboratory, as a 'quiet person' who loved animals.

Ms Tuwo's colleague Erling Rumengan described the horrific moment they discovered her body.

He said: 'We were curious when we looked at the crocodile pool, there was a floating object, it was Deasy's body.

'We were afraid to touch it and we immediately report the incident at the Tombariri police station.

'It's possible the crocodile jumped from the side. Maybe it's because the crocodile was still full, it didn't finish eating her body.'

Merry the crocodile is at a wildlife rescue center in Bitung district where tests will be carried out on its stomach.

Predator: Merry, a 17ft long crocodile is thought to have stood on its hind legs and jumped up and grabbed her

According to AFP, authorities believe Ms Tuwo's body parts may still be inside the 4.4m-long crocodile.

Police said they were trying to trace the owner of the crocodile after the incident. He is believed to be a Japanese businessman who opened the research facility. They said he was not at the centre at the time of the incident.

Raswin Sirait, Tomohon Police Chief, said: 'We are still looking for the owner of the crocodile, besides that we have coordinated with the authorities in the area.

'I believe the owner must acknowledge this horrible incident. But we have neither seen him nor know where he is.

'We also need to know if he is legally permitted to own crocodiles and other expensive aquatics in his company. If there is no permit, he will be detained.'

Feeding time: Ms Tuwo would have been standing on the other side of this 8ft wall to feed the crocodile fresh meat

Merry the crocodile was found with Ms Tuwo's remains still in its jaws on Friday morning

Caught: Rescue workers are pictured on Monday, having captured Merry the crocodile to send him off to have his stomach inspected

Police are now trying to track down a Japanese national who owns both the farm and the crocodile.

The Indonesian archipelago is home to several species of crocodile that regularly attack and kill humans, AFP reports.

In April 2016, a Russian tourist was killed by a crocodile on the Raja Ampat islands, a popular diving site in the east of the archipelago, it says.

Worldwide, crocodiles are estimated to kill about 1,000 humans per year, many more than sharks.

Crocodiles do not necessarily set out to hunt humans, but they are opportunistic killers.

In Africa alone, there are several hundred crocodile attacks on humans per year, between a third to half of which are fatal, depending on the species.A top UK hedge fund manager who donated generously to the Vote Leave campaign in 2016 has warned of a 'revolution' if Brexit does not go ahead.

Staunch Brexiteer Crispin Odey, 60, was responding to comments he made last week saying Brexit 'ain't going to happen' due to the 'current configuration of parliament'.

He has now clarified his position saying this was a misunderstanding and that he was not referring to the long-term political outlook, but rather the short-term.

Flamboyant fund manager Crispin Odey has previously given hundreds of thousands to campaigns backing Britains separation from the European Union

Speaking to the Financial News, he said: 'All I was saying, which maybe was misquoted, was that it was very obvious, given the constitution of parliament, that we werent going to get a Brexit.'

The flamboyant fund manager has previously given hundreds of thousands to campaigns backing Britains separation from the European Union including Global Britain and the Democracy Movement.

He added: 'In the long-term, usually what the people want, the people get. Otherwise theres a revolution.'

Odey is also a longstanding supporter of fellow Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, funding the Conservative MPs Election campaign in 2015.

In 2007, he also helped Rees-Mogg set up an investment firm of his own, Somerset Capital Management, which has virtually no investments in the UK, but large holdings in Russia.

While in October last year he announced he would financially back Boris Johnson should he decide to run for No 10 if Theresa May is toppled over her Brexit policy.

He told The Mail on Sunday: 'I think Boris would be excellent once he became leader. We all know his weaknesses. But his strengths derive from those weaknesses. He makes quick decisions.

Theresa May is pictured looking dejected as the scale of her defeat by 230 votes becomes apparent in the Commons on Tuesday night. She is now inviting other parties for talks after surviving a vote of no confidence last night

Boris Johnson (pictured among MPs voting against the deal, far left) said he did not 'rejoice' in the massive defeat suffered by Theresa May, but demanded that she ditches the Irish border backstop and takes a 'fresh approach'

Odey's latest comments come after a tumultuous week in Westminster, with Theresa May's Brexit deal defeated by a large margin in the Commons on Tuesday.

It was followed swiftly by Jeremy Corbyn launching a vote of no confidence in her government - which she survived by with 325 votes to 306 last night.

Mrs May is now inviting other parties for talks to see if there is a way out of the current Brexit deadlock.

But Mr Corbyn has refused to sit down for the talks despite the crisis rocking the country unless Mrs May ruled out a no deal Brexit.This is the dramatic moment a hero Florida police officer hauled a 'suicidal woman about to jump from a bridge' to safety in front of shocked motorists.

Eyewitnesses watched on in horror as the woman dangled her legs over the I95 in Miami on Thursday before being pulled down by a cop.

The video shows what appears to be a female on the verge of jumping while another officer attempts to distract her.

Another cop stands by ready to drag her to safety before swooping in and pulling her off the railings, sending her legs into the air.

Two more officers then rush to help the woman as the blue lights of their squad car flashes nearby.

In the video the woman can be seen sitting on the edge of the railings above the I95, left. A police officer approaches her from behind while a colleague appears to distract her, right

The brave police officer then quickly pulls the woman to safety as shocked onlookers watch on from their cars below during the morning rush hour

This video was taken on the southbound lanes of I-95 at the Ives Dairy Road Overpass by onlooker Matthew Mariani.

Jimmy Powers, who was in the car with Matthew, said: 'We have never seen anything like this before and were in shock as it was happening.

'It's one of those 'in the moments' where you just get silent and don't really know what to say to one another.

'As you can see and hear from the video we didn't say a word and all you hear is the radio.

'It all happened so fast. The traffic slowed down and then we looked up and witnessed this.

'It's like something you see in the movies or on TV. It was amazing to see how great those officers were and can only imagine what they went through.'

The footage shows two other police officers then rush to the woman's aid

Mariani added: 'We've never seen anything like this. [It was] just a regular Thursday morning commute turned upside down.

'At first, no one knew what was going on because there was not an accident or cars blocking the road.

'We only caught the end of the incident but we were one of the first cars on scene.

'After looking up we witnessed what we thought was going to be a horrifying tragedy turn to the harrowing rescue. That made this experience one we will never forget.

'All I can say is God bless the brave officers for saving a life today.'

If you or anyone you know needs to talk, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and the Trans Lifeline is available at 1-877-565-8860.Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis has hit back at her ex Thomas Ravenel in their ongoing custody battle, alleging that he once threw a party and encouraged guests to take magic mushrooms.

Dennis, 27, is demanding that the father of her two children testify under oath about his alleged drug use, according to court documents obtained by The Blast.

She also wants the 56-year-old to produce evidence to support his claims made earlier this month that she has abused drugs.

He claimed in court documents that she had bought prescription medication from the show's producers and that she abused drugs and alcohol during both of her pregnancies.

Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis has hit back at her ex Thomas Ravenel in their ongoing custody battle over their two children (pictured above over the holidays)

In retaliation, Dennis asked: 'What date was it when you threw a party in your home downtown with illegal drugs present and you informed fellow party participants while standing in the bathroom that mushrooms don't show up on drug screens?'

She also questions in the court documents whether Ravenel has ever been evaluated for having bipolar disorder and asked him to provide a full list of the women who have accused him of sexual assault or harassment.

In his response, Ravenel asked the court for a protective order and refused to fulfill many of the requests Dennis made.

He said the information that Dennis has requested is only an attempt to 'annoy, embarrass, oppress or create an unburden' for him.

Dennis, 27, is demanding that Ravenel, 56, testify under oath about his alleged drug use. She claims he once threw a party and encouraged guests to take mushrooms

Dennis has previously used sexual assault allegations from two separate women against Ravenel to help bolster her effort to get custody of the children.

She filed court documents in December that raised claims he had paid one of the alleged victims $200,000 for her silence.

Dennis argued in the filing that since their custody agreement was put in place in 2017, 'many new things have come to light'.

Ravenel was arrested in September after former nanny Dawn Ledwell claimed she was in his Charleston, South Carolina home in January 2015 when he allegedly took off her pants and fondled her.

He now awaits trial over those charges. Ledwell also filed a lawsuit against him.

Ravenel was subsequently dropped from the show, as well as Bravo and it's parent companies.

He was arrested in 2007 less than a year into his term as South Carolina treasurer after he bought cocaine for himself and his friends. The real estate developer pleaded guilty and spent 10 months in prison.

In 2014, Ravenel pleaded guilty to driving under the influence on Long Island, New York, resulting in his license being suspended for six months.Cops have released the disturbing pro-Nazi memorabilia found in the home of Walter Stolper, 73, after he was arrested in July 2018

A Santa Hitler mug, a knife with a Nazi emblem, and a SS flag are just a few of the shocking items found in the home of Miami man who tried to burn down his condo to 'kill all the Jews', according to police.

Walter Stolper, 73, was arrested in July 2018 after he tried to burn down his former Miami Beach condo when he was evicted.

The alarm was raised after a witness saw him bringing plastic containers with gas to the apartment, exclaiming he was 'going to burn down the building with all the f***ing Jews', according to his arrest report.

Cops thwarted his plan and found he doused the condo's chute starting from the 15th floor with gasoline and poured it down the hallway.

He was charged with attempted murder and attempted arson for his fiery plot. He's pleaded not guilty.

He was arrested for attempting to burn down his Miami beach condo after he was evicted and was found to have poured gasoline down the apartment's chute. Pictured above in the condo's surveillance camera pushing a shopping cart full of gasoline

Cops will share images of the disturbing pro-Nazi items he had in his home such as the eagle Nazi emblem pictured above the door

Cops found this mug depicting Hitler with a Santa hat and the phrase Merry Christmas

This SS flag, which is a Nazi symbol derived from Schutzstaffel (SS) of Nazi Germany and is paraded by neo-Nazi's today, was also found in Stolper's home. The SS led the police state of Nazi Germany

The pro-Nazi items photographed by police in his home will be used as key evidence against him during a hearing next month, according to the Miami Herald.

Cops also found a copy of Adolf HItler's autobiography Mein Kampf, a framed Nazi eagle logo, what seems to be a Nazi calendar and another mug of a smiling Nazi holding a young girl and a printed oath to Hitler himself.

Prosecutors will also use the condo's surveillance video of Stolper walking the halls with a shopping cart full of gasoline as evidence against him.

Cops also recovered 26 containers of gasoline, potassium nitrate and sulfur in a storage room Stolper rented after they were called to the scene.

Inside his apartment he had two electric fans he purchased to boost the flames, as well as swastikas and Nazi books.

This mug with an oath proclaiming allegiance to Hitler as also found in his home

He hung this framed eagle Nazi emblem in his Miami Beach apartment as well

He has a bond hearing scheduled for February 7 where the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office will ask a judge to keep Stolper in jail before his trial begins.

Prosecutors believe he acted with prejudice towards Jewish people and added a 'hate-crime' enhancement against him. That means if convicted he'll face even more severe punishment, according to the Herald.

If convicted, he spend the rest of his life behind bars.

His lawyer argues that Stolper has been diagnosed with early onset of dementia but has been found competent to proceed with the trial. He is currently in jail.

Police believe he made his burning plans after he was triggered by an eviction notice and became angry towards his Jewish neighbors

Police found a storage unit connected to Stolpher that held 28 containers of gasoline, sulfur powder, and potassium nitrate, the evidence pictured above

They also found sulfur powder and potassium nitrate, pictured above, in his storage room that would have been used to start a raging fire

The lawyer hasn't commented on the newly released photos of his Nazi memorabilia.

After he was jailed, police tweeted of Stolper's arrest.

'His motivation appears to be triggered by an upcoming eviction and anger towards Jewish neighbors,' Miami Beach police tweeted.

The arrest led to praise by the Anti-Defamation League.

'We commend the Miami Beach Police Department, led by Chief Daniel J. Oates, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for taking this tip seriously, and for the swift investigation which undoubtedly thwarted a potential mass-casualty event,' Sheri Zvi, ADL Florida regional director, said in a statement.

'Based on available public information about the incident, we urge the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office to take a hard look at reclassifying and prosecuting this incident as a hate crime,' she added.President Trump cancelled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's government-funded trip abroad on Thursday as he slapped back at her for a request that he postpone his State of the Union address.

Pelosi has been scheduled to visit Brussels and Afghanistan with other lawmakers.

They were seen waiting on a bus outside the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon when White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a letter from the president informing Pelosi that he was grounding her.

Democratic legislators were left circling the U.S. Capitol amid a mad scramble to confirm details of Trump's decision to halt their military aircraft.

The president said in his note to Pelosi that he was remanding her plane 'due to the shutdown'  a throwback to her request a day before that he delay his State of the Union speech until after the government reopens.

A White House official insisted that the president was not exacting revenge on the Democratic leader, however, for calling on him to deliver his speech to Congress at a later date or from the White House.

It came off as retaliatory, nonetheless, and Trump ally Lindsey Graham said both party leaders ought to knock it off.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill did not comment on the politics surrounding Trump's request but noted in tweets that the trip to Afghanistan 'included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest' that the House speaker planned to fill with NATO and U.S. military meetings.

'The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines,' Hammill said.

President Trump cancelled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's government-funded trip abroad on Wednesday as he slapped back at her for a request that he postpone his State of the Union address

Pelosi has been scheduled to visit Brussels and Afghanistan alongside other with other lawmakers, who were on a bus preparing to leave for the trip

Lawmakers were seen waiting on a bus outside the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon when White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted the president's letter

Hammill pointed out that Trump traveled to Iraq on Christmas Day amid the shutdown to visit the troops. A delegation of congressional Republicans was also allowed to travel abroad, he argued.

Other Democrats were quick to make the same point and to light Trump up for allowing members of his administration to use a military aircraft to fly to Davos, Switzerland.

They were scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum next week, but the president called off the trip as they came under heavy scrutiny for the bad optics.

'Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has canceled his Delegations trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,' Sanders said in an early evening statement.

All congressional delegation trips have been called off, the White House confirmed, until the shutdown ceases.

A White House official told DailyMail.com on Thursday afternoon that Trump sent the letter to Pelosi informing her that he was calling off her trip before Sanders distributed it.

It was not clear how much of a head start the president gave the House speaker, although the official said that Trump took 'immediate action' to keep her from leaving on a military jet.

'We want to keep her in Washington,' Sanders told reporters gathered outside her office. 'If she leaves, she guarantees that the second round of paychecks to 800,000 federal workers won't go out. The deadline to make that deal is midnight on Tuesday. She wasn't scheduled to be back until Wednesday. The president wants her here to negotiate.'

Pelosi had already called off a congressional recess amid the government shutdown, and the House was due to reconvene on Tuesday of next week. Monday is a federal holiday.

Regardless, Trump informed her in a letter that he was taking the extraordinary step of postponing her trip, which he referred to as an excursion.

'Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.

'In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown,' he said.

He added, 'Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.

'I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!'

Hammill clarified in tweets that Pelosi was never planning to travel to Egypt. Her trip was to Afghanistan by way of Brussels on a military aircraft.

Flying to Afghanistan commercially is possible via Istanbul and Dubai from Washington, D.C. But it wouldn't be safe for Pelosi to go there, now, Democratic lawmakers argued.

'We keep trips by government officials to war zones secret for a reason. Trumps action to publicize @SpeakerPelosis trip literally puts the safety of members of Congress and their staff at risk,' Rep. Val Demings said in a tweet.

A White House official declined to comment on the security aspect of the trip.

House Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff told DailyMail.com and other reporters as he left Pelosi's office during the fiasco that he could not comment on the speaker's travel plans.

'I think the president's decision to disclose a trip that the speaker is making to a war zone is completely and utterly irresponsible in every way,' he offered.

On CNN, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he was surprised that Pelosi, who had been spotted vacationing in Hawaii over Christmas break, was planning to leave the country while parts of the government were shut down.

'I couldn't imagine she would even think about going,' he said. 'I'm just shocked she'd even think that she would leave the country? Why would you leave the country with government shut down and you're Speaker of the House?' the lawmaker whose party just lost control of the upper chamber said.

Schiff that Trump's last-minute cancellation of lawmakers' trip was 'completely inappropriate,' especially in light of reported plans for the U.S. to withdrawal troops from Afghanistan.

'The president's concern about a war zone apparently doesn't apply to a delegation of the administration going to Davos the following week,' he argued. 'We got confirmation that is still planned. So, this is obviously an action directed at the speaker. And we think as far as we can tell this has never happened in the annals of history.'

His criticism came before the White House announced the Davos trip was off.

Schiff was among the lawmakers seen climbing down from a bus at the U.S. Capitol. The lawmaker subsequently told reporters: 'The last two years have been nothing but odd.'

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said that both Trump and Pelosi are acting childish.

'One sophomoric response does not deserve another. Speaker Pelosis threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political. President Trump denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate,' the South Carolina senator said in a statement.

Graham is working on a bipartisan plan to reopen the government for three weeks while the dispute with Trump over a border barrier continues. He speaks to the president frequently.

'I am glad the Speaker wants to meet our troops and hear from our commanders and allies. I am very disappointed shes playing politics with the State of the Union,' he added. 'I wish our political leadership could find the same desire to work for common goals as those who serve our nation in uniform and other capacities.'

The White House has not formally responded to Pelosi's request that Trump postpone his joint address to Congress on Jan. 29 until after the government reopens.

'We'll keep you posted. Nothing's changed on that front,' Sanders said Thursday.

In a campaign fundraising email after he cancelled Pelosi's trip, the president claimed that 'Democrats have illegitimately disinvited me from making my scheduled and VERY important State of the Union Address,' as he asked for contributions.

'Nancy Pelosi asked me to reschedule the State of the Union Address given the security concerns regarding the government shutdown. What about the REAL security concerns at our Southern Border? What about the REAL security concerns of American Citizens and their loved ones?' he demanded to know.

Pelosi did not rescind her invitation to him to deliver remarks to Congress this month in the House chamber, although that is how it was widely interpreted, including by her second-in command, Steny Hoyer.

A senior White House official called the request 'petty' in an email to DailyMail.com on Wednesday.

Trump subsequently called off Pelosi's congressional delegation trip, known as a CoDel, in a letter to the speaker on Thursday.

An official who briefed reporters after insisted, 'It's not a response to that.'

Lawmakers in both political parties begged to differ.

Republicans and Democrats continued to exchange rhetorical fire on Thursday over border security and whether or not the Secret Service can handle the January 29 event, given that officers and agents are working without pay.

Pelosi cited security in her request that President Trump postpone the event during the partial government shutdown.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted her agency is up to the task.

House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer fired back that with the Secret Service lacking shutdown-furloughed support staff, Congress shouldn't take any chances.

Hoyer had already mangled his party's messaging by appearing to say on CNN that the annual spectacle had already been called off.

He said that as long as the federal government is in the midst of a partial shutdown, Trump won't be welcome to deliver the speech to a Joint Session of Congress as scheduled.

He told DailyMail.com after the CNN interview that Pelosi's refusal 'to plan business as usual' applied 'when the government of the country is partially shut down.'

Pelosi wrote to Trump on Wednesday, asking him to delay his speech but not formally disinviting him.

A Hoyer spokesperson said in an email that 'Mr. Hoyer had not read Speaker Pelosis letter and mischaracterized it' on CNN.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) formally requested that Donald Trump delay his annual Capitol HIll speech, in a letter she sent the president on Wednesday, sparking a furious tug of war over the speech

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer misspoke on CNN and said the State of the Union Address had been cancelled  only to say minutes later that it was being called off only as long as the government is partially shut down

Hoyer's spokesperson told DailyMail.com that Hoyer 'mischaracterized' Pelosi's letter on the air

Pelosi tweeted the letter she sent the White House, which politely asked Trump to reconsider the address she had invited him to give because of security concerns

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen pushed back against Pelosi, saying U.S. Secret Service is more than capable and 'fully prepared' to secure the annual speech

Hoyer had appeared to misinterpret Pelosi's meaning in saying on the air that she wouldn't allow Trump to insist on keeping the January 29 date rather than rescheduling.

'No,' he said. 'Our response will be, Mr. President, if you want to open up the government, the Senate has seven bills that it can use.'

Pelosi, a California Democrat, cited 'security concerns' amid the government shutdown that has lasted longer than any other federal closure in history.

She asked him to wait to speak to a Joint Session of Congress until the dispute that limits the functionality of the Department of Homeland Security has been resolved.

She wrote in her letter that no president has ever delivered a State of the Union speech in the midst of a shutdown.

'This requires hundreds of people working on the logistics and on the security of it,' she told reporters at the Capitol. 'Most of those people are either furloughed or are victims of the president's shutdown.'

Pelosi had already invited Trumpto address the House and Senate, per tradition, on Jan. 29  a date that the White House accepted  when she took office on Jan. 3.

Republicans noted in the aftermath that the government was shut down at the time of the invitation.

Trump took a slap at Pelsoi in a Thursday speech before he sent the letter as he claimed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is 'groveling,' but the House leader is refusing appeals to end to the government shutdown, because she's beholden to the radical left.

He said in a national security speech that Pelosi will not let lawmakers work with him to come to a border security solution.

'The party has been hijacked by the open borders fringe within the party, the radical left, becoming the radical Democrats,' he said. 'Hopefully Democrat lawmakers will step forward to do what is right for our country, and what's right for our country is border security at the strongest level.'

President Trump claimed Wednesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is 'groveling,' but fellow Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is refusing appeals to end to the government shutdown, because she's beholden to the radical left

He added: 'Stop human hijacking, stop drugs, stop gangs, stop criminals. That's what we're gonna do. That was my pledge, and that's what we're going to do.'

Until then, the federal government will remain shutdown because congressional Democrats refuse to approve border security, he said.

'We're going to have border security. It's going to be tight. It's going to be strong. We're going to let people into our country gladly, but they're going to come in legally,' he contended.

The president brought up the situation at the southern border during a speech on his Missile Defense Review at the Pentagon.

'I would like to briefly address another matter of critical national security, the humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border,' he said leading into his daily pitch for a border wall. 'Without a strong border, America's defenseless, vulnerable and unprotected.'

He thanked the military for 'helping us out during the big caravan period' as he made reference to another group of Central American migrants that has reportedly formed.

'Thousands and thousands of people. We don't know where they're from, who they are, nothing,' he asserted. 'We need strong borders. We need strong barriers and walls. Nothing else is going to work. Everyone knows it. Everybody's saying it now. Just a question of time.'

'While many Democrats in the House and the Senate would like to make a deal, Speaker Pelosi will not let them negotiate,' Trump said of the status of the shutdown

Yesterday, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, Hoyer, admitted that walls 'obviously' work sometimes and that the barrier is not 'immoral' on its face. Rep. Katie Hill, a California Democrat, has also said a physical barrier like Trump wants could be effective.

'While many Democrats in the House and the Senate would like to make a deal, Speaker Pelosi will not let them negotiate,' Trump said of the status of the shutdown. 'The part has been hijacked by the open borders fringe.'

Trump said earlier in a tweet that had no apparent connection to any news story, but appeared to be about immigration: 'The Left has become totally unhinged. They no longer care what is Right for our Countrty!'

The president misspelled the word 'country' in the message. He did not send out a corrected version of the tweet.

He went on to bash Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, in a tweet for 'groveling' for another meeting at the White House.

Trump walked out of their last one and hasn't spoke to the party leader since.

Schumer offered to come back to the table as he spoke to reporters on Tuesday, if Trump will have him.

'Ill meet with him anytime he wants. As you know, the last I spoke with him was when he walked out, threw a temper tantrum and walked out, so we havent heard from him since then.'

Trump said earlier in a tweet that had no apparent connection to any news story, but appeared to be about immigration: 'The Left has become totally unhinged. They no longer care what is Right for our Countrty!'

Schumer's office did not have a comment on the president's tweet. The senator has not commented, either, on the CoDel cancellations.

The argument over military-supported trips is part of a broader fight the president is waging right now against Democrats who will not give him the $5.7 billion he's demanding for his border wall.

He has overseen a partial government shutdown for nearly a month over their refusal to approve the funds.Undercover agents with the New York Police Department infiltrated the Black Lives Matter movement to track protesters' activity while calling them 'idiots' and 'ninjas' in internal emails.

More than 700 emails between officers detail how the department kept tabs on activists taking to the streets nearly every day for a period from November 2014 to January 2015 to protest the decisions not to indict the cops in the killings of Michael Brown Jr and Eric Garner.

The email chains allowed the NYPD to collect information and photos of protesters sent in by undercover agents and civilian sources planted within the Black Lives Matter movement, which made it easier for law enforcement officials to control the various events.

The firm that sued for access to the emails, M.J. Williams Law, issued a statement this week accusing the NYPD of harboring 'animosity' toward the activists because the movement is critical of the department and policing in general.

The New York Police Department infiltrated the Black Lives Matter movement with undercover officers so it could to track protesters' activity amid almost-daily demonstrations from November 2014 to January 2015, according to more than 700 emails released this week

In one email thread from the night of December 5, 2015, unidentified officers refer to protesters as 'ninjas' and 'idiots', as seen in the excerpts above

In one email thread from the night of December 5, 2015, an unidentified officer undercover at a protest writes: 'Ninjas spotted at foley.'

Another officer responds: 'We were talking about people with swords and masks earlier. Are you serious about that?'

The undercover officer replies: 'Not sure about serious. What do you consider a ninja?'

About two hours later, an officer checks in from a different protest, saying: 'Team 5 undercover states one group is on Charles street and other group is proceeding northbound on the west side highway.'

After midnight came and went, a frustrated agent reported: 'Still idiots up in Times Square.'

An email sent later on says of the civilian informants: 'Realistically, if our sources r not gonna have anything significant to contribute tonight, cut em loose. I still got [Organized Crime Control Bureau] team.'

NYPD Commissioner James ONeill defended the emails on Thursday, claiming that the operation was all done by the book.

'Im not really gonna go into what technology we have and we dont have, but we do not interfere with the constitutionally protected activities,' he told WNYC.

'Were looking to building trust with all 8.6 million New Yorkers. That wouldnt be the way to do it.'

The surveillance operation took place as New York City was rocked by widespread demonstrations by Black Lives Matter activists protesting the decisions not to indict the cops in the killings of Michael Brown Jr and Eric Garner

The email chains (several seen above) allowed the NYPD to collect information and photos of protesters sent in by undercover agents and civilian sources planted within the Black Lives Matter movement, which made it easier for law enforcement officials to control the crowds

The cache of emails was made public this week through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request by M.J. Williams Law.

The firm wrote in a press statement Thursday: 'The FOIL request itself was a follow-up to the disclosure of 75 similar communications ... about NYPDs use of undercover officers to surveil these protests.

'The new FOIL release reveals a much larger, citywide operation that appears to have involved civilian informants.'

'According to the NYPD and the disclosed emails, NYPD deployed multiple teams of NYPD undercover officers (including from its Organized Crime Control Bureau or OCCB), NYPD "handlers", and civilian sources or informants to surveil the protests and protesters.

'The NYPD surveillance operation took particular interest in uniformed cop watchers, present to record NYPD's policing of the protests. NYPD's interest in cop watchers, and in the protests themselves, appears to be motivated by NYPD's animosity towards organized activity critical of policing generally and specifically of NYPD.'

The emails indicate that the surveillance operation was overseen by several of the NYPD's highest-ranking officials.

Among those whose names were not redacted are Chief of Intelligence Thomas Galati, now-retired Deputy Inspector Roberto Rios, Deputy Chief Matthew Whelan and Inspector William Viscardi.

The latter three were affiliated with the Intelligence Bureaus Criminal Intelligence Section.

The full list of 700 emails can be seen below:Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic Party, wants to see a 'younger, newer candidate' be the 2020 presidential nominee.

'I think it's time that young people took over the party,' Dean, 70, told CNN Thursday morning.

A slew of names have been joined the race for the Democratic nomination and several more are contemplating running.

Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic Party, wants to see a 'younger, newer candidate' be the 2020 presidential nominee

Possible contenders former Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (right) are in Dean's age group

They vary in age from the 77-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders to 76-year-old Michael Bloomberg to the 52-year-old Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and 46-year-old Beto O'Rourke.

Dean, who served as Democratic National Committee chairman from 2005-2009, argued it was the younger generation that returned Democrats to power in the 2018 election, particularly in the House of Representatives.

Democratic lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, and Abby Finkenauer, 30, became the youngest members ever elected.

Voters ages 18 to 29 made up 13 percent of the overall electorate in 2018, according to exit polls from ABC News, up from 11 percent in 2014.

Dean credited youth and diversity for the Democratic surge.

'We gained a third of our legislative seat losses back in 2018 and a lot of it was done by things that people run for something in collective pack, color change, indivisible, voter Latino. These are outside groups that are incredibly good on social media and I need to see more of that happening. So I'm interested in a younger, newer candidate but I'm going to support whoever we nominate,' he noted.

Dean, who ran for president himself in 2004 but failed to win the nomination, said it was time to 'turn the page on my generation' when it comes to candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden, 76.

'That's his personal choice,' he said of talk Biden may run again.

'I already said what I had to say about turning the page on my generation. But, you know, Joe Biden is a good guy, people like Joe Biden a lot. He's run before and hasn't been able to win. Maybe he will this time, I don't know. I mean, I'm really not going to take sides in this. There are no candidates with one exception that I really don't think should be president,' he said.

He said his exception was Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard, 37.

'I don't think she knows what she's doing and she's not qualified,' he said, citing her meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and statements she made about gay people in her youth.

'I don't know what she thinks she's doing,' Dean said.

Gabbard worked for her father's anti-gay organization in the early 2000s - a group that likened same-sex marriage to incest, pedophilia, and bestiality.



Mike Gabbard, a prominent anti-gay activist in Hawaii who now serves in the state Senate, established The Alliance for Traditional Marriage, which supported gay conversion therapy and referred to homosexuality as 'unhealthy, abnormal behavior that should not be promoted or accepted in society.'

She has apologized for her work and now supports gay rights.Lights around the Dome of the Rock catch the snowflakes as they descend from the freezing air swirling around the Israeli capital

Snow covered Jerusalem in a rare flurry which swept across the Holy Land last night, including at the Dome of the Rock and Western Wall.

Citizens of Jerusalem flocked to the streets to enjoy the rare sighting, with some even grabbing hold of their toboggans.

After a stormy Wednesday afternoon, hail and snow began to descend when nightfall came.

Lights surrounding the Dome of the Rock lit up a beautiful shower of snowflakes swirling around its golden top as snow began to fill the square by the Western Wall.

Video captured snow falling around the ancient holy sites for the first time in years.

Jerusalem braced for the snow storm, as police prepared to shut down major highways and many local schools and universities said they would close early.

Snowfall can been in the lights around the Dome of the Rock in the background as it begins to settle in the square near the Western Wall

Snowflakes fall beside the Western Wall as excited citizens head out to brace the strange weather

High desert winds swept through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, carrying sand and dust, while snow was already falling in Israel's mountainous north, where torrential rain and hail stranded some cars and turned streets into rivers of mud.

In Gaza, fishermen returned to port and docked their boats to protect against the stormy sea.

But the children of Jerusalem were expected in school as usual on Thursday morning as the snow failed to stick and had turned to slush, the Jerusalem Post reported.

A car windscreen near the Western Wall can be seen covered in snow as Wednesday's rainstorm turned into hail and snow

A Palestinian man clears a street from slushy snow in the West Bank city of Hebron near to Jerusalem on Thursday morning

Palestinian men clear the unusual snow from their street in Hebron, not far south of Jerusalem

The Hermon Resort at Golan Heights - Israel's only ski resort - enjoyed a fabulous dump bringing them another 15 inches of fresh powder

The only ski resort in Israel - the Hermon Resort at Golan Heights - was overjoyed with the dump and told the Times of Israel they had 15 inches in 24 hours.

The Israel Electric Company told the paper that Wednesday night broke a megawatt record as citizens went for their thermostats in the frigid conditions.

The average temperature for January in Israel is just over 19C, not nearly cold enough to accommodate snow.Two Instagram stars have told how they were duped by a scammer who impersonated Wendi Murdoch and convinced them to fly to Indonesia to take photographs for a fictitious photo project.

Henry Wu and his girlfriend Zornitsa Shahanska spent $7,500 on flights and 'fees' on the fake project after receiving an email from the con artist pretending to be Rupert Murdoch's ex-wife.

Wu, 41, is from San Francisco and Mory is Bulgarian. They have a combined Instagram following of 160,000, run blogs and are professional photographers.

The email detailed a project that would 'capture the essence of China' in communities in Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Despite several 'red flags', it was only once they had given more than $2,000 in 'fees' to their driver which they though they needed in order to take photographs publicly that they learned it had all been a scam.

Wu, who says he has since heard of others being subjected to similar scams in the region, described the ordeal on their website, This Life of Travel.

Henry Wu and his girlfriend Zornitsa Shahanska, two Instagram stars who live in San Francisco, were conned

The scam artist sent the pair an email pretending to be Wendi Deng Murdoch, the ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch (shown together in 2013)

In an interview on Thursday, he told DailyMail.com that they believed the email was genuine after researching Mudoch and learning about her passion for art.

'I was aware of who she was beforehand, but mostly on a general scale. We definitely did some research on her after the initial call and saw that she heavily involved in art and philanthropy, so it added to the authenticity a bit for us,' he said.

The convincing initial email came from the address me@wendimurdoch.com and mentioned Pilar Guzman, a contributor to Conde Nast Traveler which the pair had recently worked for.

It complimented their photographs and asked if they were available for a phone call to discuss the project.

Around a week later, Wu and Mory, who have 160,000 combined fans on their travel- focused Instagram pages, spoke to the scammer on the phone.

Describing their accent in a blog post on their website on Thursday, Wu wrote: 'When she got on the line, she introduced herself with an interesting accent that was a mix of Asian, British, and East Coast drawl.

'(If any of you have seen Crazy Rich Asians, she sounded very similar to the character that Michelle Yeoh played.)'

The email that was originally sent to Wu is shown. It was sent on November 15 and the pair traveled to Jakarta in December

The non-disclosure agreement the pair were sent by the scammer is pictured

The pair were told to pay 'photography permit fee's which totaled $2,300. Above is the 'receipt' they were given

The scammer asked if they would travel to a handful of locations, take photographs and then submit them for an exhibition. Convinced they were speaking to the real person, the pair were thrilled.

The driver who the pair say was in on the scam. They gave him the permit 'fees' and never saw the money again

Murdoch is known internationally as a persuasive businesswoman and art enthusiast.

They were not suspicious that she did not want them to take photographs in China and thought there were others working on the project simultaneously around the world.

The project was supposed to highlight Chinese culture outside of China - specifically Chinese communities that sprouted up in SE Asia. We were thinking the locations would be in Malaysia or Thailand, which had a larger Chinese community and more photogenic areas - but she convinced us to go to Jakarta, which did have a Chinese community as well.

'As photographers and content creators, we've definitely been asked to photograph things that weren't the most deal - so it wasn't that far fetched. We imagined that she had sent other photographers to other locations and she needed coverage in Jakarta,' he explained to DailyMail.com.

When her 'assistant' later told them to front the money for their own flights - the next day - to Jakarta instead of China, they were dubious but not entirely discouraged.

'After a couple more calls negotiating budget and timelines - we agreed on a price that was higher and a timeline that was later than she initially offered.

'She also said that we would have to book our own tickets to Jakarta since she was taking care of all the internal flights via private jet and hotels....

Wu snapped this photograph of the driver's registration when he became suspicious. He was later told off by 'Wendi's assistant' who said it was racist

One of the photographs the pair took at a Chinese temple in Jakarta is shown. There, they met a German photographer who said he was there for a similar project with Murdoch

'Zory and I spent some time discussing whether or not we should be fronting such a large amount up front with a new client we had never actually met. (Last minute airline tickets were $2,200 USD each).

'But all I could think of was the grandeur and high profile connections that 'Wendi' would be able to open up for us if the project was successful.

'We also had done other projects in the past (albeit with bigger companies) where we had to front travel costs first and then be reimbursed at project conclusion, so this wasn't entirely asking too much,' he wrote on his website.

After signing an NDA they sent over despite it containing numerous red flags such as the name of a lawyer who did not appear to exists online and the fact that Murdoch's website had only been active for a few weeks, the pair dove and bought their flights.

They arrived in Jakarta where they were met by a local, 'in-on-the-scam' driver who they were told they had to give a photography 'permit' fee to.

'Wendi's' assistant, a man who called himself Aaron on the phone, had told them previously that the fees - $1,100 USD - were par for the course in the 'corrupt' country.

'He gave us a silly looking piece of paper with an official seal on it. We had some warning bells going off in our heads but Wendi's assistant Aaron did tell us we'd be handing the money over to the driver,' Wu wrote.

Henry and Zory both worked in Silicon Valley before becoming full time influencers and content creators. They told DailyMail.com they were excited about the prospect of boosting their profiles by working with a well-known businesswoman

He took a photograph of the driver and of his license plate and was later told by Wendi's 'assistant' that it was racist to have done so.

In total, over the course of three days, they spent $2,300 on the 'fees'.

Eager to fulfill their end of the deal despite their suspicions, the couple set out on their first day in Jakarta to take photographs.

Their fears were increased, however, when they got talking to a German photographer at a Chinese temple who told them he too was working for Wendi Murdoch on a similar project.

They returned to their hotel - which had been paid for - but asked the concierge to call ahead to the others where they were told they would be staying to check if they had also been paid. None had.

The other shoe finally dropped when he asked a friend who lived locally if he had heard of such a scam happening before.

To his horror, the friend sent him a link to a Hollywood Reporter article which detailed near identical schemes where the fraudsters had impersonated Hollywood producers.

Wu immediately started securing his bank accounts and their online information. '

'I immediately started securing all my bank accounts and added extra levels of security to the credit score companies in case they tried to do some identity theft on us.

Once they realized they had been scammed, the pair fled to Kuala Lumpur where they took this picture

'I also did some extra security steps like changing my email/social media passwords and monitoring all network traffic from my laptop, just in case they had added keystroke loggers to my laptop somehow.

'Then we booked our flights out of Jakarta immediately to Kuala Lumpur, since our return flight was actually out of Bangkok a couple weeks later.

'Our friend would have let us stay with him, but we just wanted to get out of Jakarta as we didn't know to what extent who was involved locally (hotel staff, local police, etc).

'We only were able to relax the moment we passed through immigration in Kuala Lumpur,' he told DailyMail.com.

The couple has not reported their ordeal to police in either the US or in Indonesia.

Instead, they have handed over all their information to a private investigator firm which they said was already investigating the scam.

Neither of the pair has heard from Murdoch and DailyMail.com's inquiries to her office went unanswered on Thursday.

Now, Wu and Shahanska are warning other social media stars not to fall for similarly attractive offers of work from celebrities or companies without fully vetting them.The Wisconsin man suspected of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents applied for a job online the same day that Jayme escaped.

Despite his resume containing inaccuracies about his work experience, Jake Patterson, 21, called himself an 'honest guy' in his job application for a night shift position at Saratoga Liquor Co in Superior, Wisconsin.

The company said Thursday they received the application to work at Saratoga's warehouse midday on January 10, the same day Jayme escaped from Patterson's remote home where he held her captive for three months.

Deputies arrested him minutes later and according to a criminal complaint, Patterson told investigators that he broke into Jayme's house in the middle of the night, gunned down her parents and made off with the teen.

Jake Patterson, 21, applied for a job online the same day Jayme Closs escaped from his rural Wisconsin home, where she was held captive for three months

Jayme (center with family after her escape) was finally able to break free from the Patterson's makeshift lair on January 10, and now is in the care of her relatives

On the resume Patterson submitted in his application, he describes himself as an 'honest and hardworking guy. Not much work experience but I show up to work and am a quick learner.'

Patterson is charged with kidnapping Jayme Closs, 13, and murdering her parents

Company officials said they wouldn't have hired him due to his lack of experience.

The 21-year-old graduated from Northwood High School in Minong in the spring of 2015.

His activities between then and the day he was arrested have largely not been made public, including his employment and how he supported himself.

He had been living in the home in Gordon, Wisconsin, where he kept Jayme captive.

Patterson notes he worked as a 'laborer' from April 2018 to November 2018, but Saratoga officials redacted the employer's name in the provided resume.

He states he served in the U.S. Marines for nine months from April 2017 to December 2017.

Marine spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock has told the Associated Press that Patterson did serve, but only for about five weeks in the fall of 2015.

Carlock said his early discharge indicated the 'character of his service was incongruent with Marine Corps' expectations and standards.'

Patterson also stated he was a 'production worker' from October 2016 to January 2017, specializing in packaging screens.

His employer has been redacted. He goes on to say he graduated from high school in 2016, even though he actually graduated in 2015.

The image above shows the home in rural Wisconsin where Jake Patterson allegedly held 13-year-old Jayme Closs prisoner for nearly three months

Patterson, who is charged with kidnapping Jayme and murdering her parents, was a loner, as seen in a high school group photo obtained by DailyMail.com. Patterson is circled at the right

Patterson's defense attorneys haven't responded to an email request to confirm the resume.

Patterson worked for little more than a day in 2016 at the Jennie-O turkey plant in Barron where Jayme's parents worked. Investigators have said he did not know them.

He also worked for two days at a cheese factory near Almena, Wisconsin, just west of Barron.

Patterson told investigators on his way to work there in October when he spotted Jayme getting on a school bus and decided he wanted to kidnap her.

He faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, both punishable by life in prison, one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary.

He's due back in court February for a preliminary hearing.Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday made her first public appearance since a bicycle crash that broke her pelvis and her hip socket.

She spoke to a gathering in Washington hosted by the Gallup Organization, telling an audience that America's young people shouldn't be so sheltered, and should learn to take more 'calculated and interesting risks.'

DeVos made her remarks at Gallup's 'Lemonade Day' from a wheelchair.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (left) re-emerged from her convalescence in a wheelchair on Thursday after breaking her pelvis and a hip socket in a bicycle crash

DeVos, pictured before the accident in December, described her physical pain after surgery while also encouraging parents to let their kids take more risks

'Generally speaking, younger people have grown up in a more protective environment,' she protested.

'We've heard lots about helicopter parenting,' she added, 'and making sure that nobody gets hurt doing something and we don't take too many risks so we don't fail.'

'I think it's a general aura of safety and security over taking calculated and interesting risks around things.'

DeVos spoke at the 'Lemonade Day' entrepreneurship event in Washington, D.C., hosted by The Gallup Organization

DeVos underwent surgery this month and rested at home for at least a week with no public events.

She typically splits her time between Washington and her home state of Michigan.

On Thursday DeVos called her injury 'very painful.'

'But it will heal. I just have to stay off of it for quite a few weeks, so Im getting around with other means.'Prison escapee David Sweat has blasted Ben Stiller, claiming the actor-director's Golden Globe-nominated drama about his Shawshank Redemption-like break-out is full of lies.

'It would be my suggestion that you stick to comedies and movies, Mr. Stiller, before you really ruin people's lives with false Docu Series, or get better fact checkers!' the convicted cop killer wrote in a letter, exclusively obtained by DailyMailTV.

Sweat is particularly peeved about scenes where he is shown calling prison worker Joyce 'Tilly' Mitchell 'Mommy' while having sex with her.

'You made it really messed up,' Sweat wrote in the two-page letter. 'You have me calling her Mommy! As if I had some weird phycological (sic) disorder or physical fantasy that when I'm sleeping with a woman, I'm imagining that I'm sleeping with my mother.

'WTF! That is so messed up and an illegal defimation (sic).'

David Sweat (pictured in 2015) has penned an angry letter to Ben Stiller expressing his anger over the 'fictitious' portrayal of the convict in Showtime's Escape at Dannemora

In a two-page letter obtained exclusively by DailyMailTV, Sweat slams Stiller's 'fictitious' portrayal of the convict's 2015 prison escape which he says will make his attempts to prove himself innocent 'a thousand times harder'

Sweat is also particularly peeved about the show's depiction of his relationship with prison worker Joyce Mitchell - who he claims he's never had sex with. The letter confirms that he met personally with Stiller to help get facts straight for the seven-part series

Sweat, 38, is currently in Auburn Correctional Facility serving a life sentence without possibility of parole for the July 4, 2002 murder of sheriff's officer Kevin Tarsia in his hometown of Binghamton, New York.

He claims he did not kill 36-year-old Tarsia but pled guilty to avoid the death penalty, not knowing that within a few years the state would abolish executions.

Sweat and fellow convicted murderer Richard Matt escaped from the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, on June 6, 2015, after tunneling through heating ducts and sewers, using tools smuggled into the lock-up by Mitchell.

Their escape led to a $23 million hunt fugitive involving hundreds of cops and prison guards through thickly wooded upstate New York countryside.

After nearly three weeks on the run, Matt was shot and killed by police the day after his 49th birthday.

Two days later Sweat was shot and recaptured close to the Canadian border. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo likened the escape to the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption.

Stiller directed the highly-acclaimed Showtime series Escape at Dannemora based on the escape.

It was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Critics' Choice Award. Patricia Arquette, who plays Mitchell, won best actress awards in both cases.

In his letter, Sweat  prisoner number 03B2297  confirms that he met personally with Stiller to help get facts straight for the seven-part series.

In Stiller's series, Paul Dano (pictured right in the show) plays Sweat, who is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole for the July 4, 2002 murder of sheriff's officer Kevin Tarsia in his hometown of Binghamton, New York

Scenes show Sweat's character calling prison worker Joyce Mitchell, 'Mommy' while having sex with her. He has denied having a 'physical' relationship with her

He said he has not seen the show as he is in solitary confinement without access to a television but has heard from others about the show.

'Dear Mr. Stiller, I was appalled to hear how your series portraied (sic) certain events,' he opened his letter, which is dated the day after Christmas.

'I don't know if this was your doing or your writers' continued interest in to creating their own fictitious story as they had originally intended to do and you initially refused.'

Sweat complains that his depiction on the show will make his attempts to prove himself innocent more difficult as attorneys may not want to take up his case.

'I never killed anyone, tried to or even had the intent to do so and it's my intent to prove that I'm innocent, which is now going to be a thousand times harder for me to get a lawyer to do so!' he wrote.

He tells Stiller the portrayal of Tarsia's murder 'was not only fictitious, they don't even match the police reports or evidence.'

'I can only imagine how Mr. Tarsia's family feels about what you portraied (sic),' he continues. 'You made his death seem a hundred times more agoniesing (sic) than that of what was in police reports and evidence.'

Sweat told Stiller he had a duty to show the truth on his show. 'A false portrayal is not only a disservice to everyone involved and their families but to all of those who watch it and are led to believe it is true,' he wrote.

Mitchell (pictured in court in 2015) 44, has also denied having sex with Sweat and also branded Stiller a 'son-of-a-b**ch liar' over his series

Patricia Arquette, who plays Mitchell, won best actress awards at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice awards

Mitchell, 44, has also denied having sex with Sweat. 'Ben Stiller is a son-of-a-bitch liar just like the rest of the world,' she told the New York Post in a behind-bars interview in December.

'He doesn't care about the truth. All he cares about is making millions off me. He's an idiot,' she added. Stiller responded by saying the mini-series was never meant to be a documentary.

'We did have to create scenes based on us inferring what we believed to be the truth,' he said.

David Sweats Prison Odyssey: The escape led to a $23 million hunt fugitive involving hundreds of cops and prison guards through thickly wooded upstate New York countryside

Sweat says Mitchell and Matt did in fact have sex, his fiancee Fran Malanik told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. But, he claims, he was never intimate with her himself.

Mitchell, was the prison tailor shop supervisor in Clinton and both Sweat and Matt worked under her. She was convicted of smuggling tools into the prison to help Sweat and Matt escape.

She was supposed to be their getaway driver when they emerged from the sewers but she got cold feet at the last moment and admitted herself to the hospital for panic attacks, leaving the inmates to fend for themselves.

Mitchell is currently serving a seven-year sentence in Bedford Hills Prison and will be eligible for parole in June.

Sweat ends his letter with a challenge to Stiller. 'Here's a question for you, Mr. Stiller,' he writes. 'Now what happens when I prove I'm innocent and that I didn't kill anyone?

'I'll leave you with that thought and hope that the series didn't completely ruin my chances of finding a lawyer because they were led to believe what you portrayed (sic) was true!'

Sweat and fellow convicted murderer Richard Matt (right) escaped from the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, on June 6, 2015, after tunneling through heating ducts and sewers, using tools smuggled into the lock-up by Mitchell

Matt was shot and killed by police the day after his 49th birthday. Two days later Sweat (pictured) was shot and recaptured close to the Canadian border

In Stiller's series, Paul Dano plays Sweat, while Oscar-winner Benicio del Toro plays Matt. Malanik told DailyMail.com she believes Dano 'did a truly excellent job,' but the series is seriously flawed.

She said Stiller and cast members grilled Sweat about the facts then ignored them when making the series. 'Why would they even bother visiting him?' she asked. 'The series is 50% true and 50% false.'

Sweat is currently in his fifth maximum-security New York prison. He was initially sent to Clinton, then after his capture was moved to Five Points Correctional Facility in the Finger Lakes region. Then he went to the notoriously tough Attica Correctional Facility  where he went on a hunger strike, claiming guards were threatening to poison his food.

He was then moved to Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo in May and transferred to Auburn last month.

Malanik, a divorced mother with one daughter, who now works as a caregiver, claims at least two of those transfers  from Five Points to Attica and from Wende to Auburn  were designed to make her visits more difficult.

Malanik, 46, became fascinated with Sweat during his time on the run. She started writing to him after his recapture and first met him in April 2016. She was banned from visiting him for 60 days last year after guards accused her of fondling him. She claims that as a nurse, she was checking him after he cofmplained of a lump on his groin.

Mitchell, was the prison tailor shop supervisor in Clinton and both Sweat and Matt worked under her. She was convicted of smuggling tools into the prison to help Sweat and Matt escape

She moved from her home on Long Island, New York, to the Finger Lakes town of Ovid, within walking distance of Five Points. Last year she relocated to Buffalo to make visits to Wende easier, but each time he was transferred within weeks.

Auburn is a two-hour drive from Buffalo  but less than 45 minutes from her previous home in Ovid.

'I was on a visit in Wende and a guard looked at my ID and said 'Have you moved?' Three weeks later they moved him to Auburn,' she said.

'Wherever I move to, they are going to move him away from,' she said.

DailyMail.com reached out to Stiller's representatives but they did not immediately respond.



The healthcare center where a woman in a vegetative state gave birth has been ordered to hand over control to an independent management team by regulators.

Hacienda HealthCare officials have been told to relinquish control to an outside party after the comatose patient shocked staff there by having a baby in December.

In a statement, Hacienda's board of directors says it is taking the matter under advisement after its CEO Bill Timmons already resigned in the wake of the scandal.

It comes as the family of the 29-year-old victim say the center in Phoenix, Arizona, still has not apologized after the 112 pound woman, described as 'incapacitated' and 'unable to make any decisions or give consent due to her disability' gave birth.

Hacienda HealthCare, pictured, has been ordered to relinquish control to an outside party after a woman in a vegetative state was raped and gave birth there

Attorney John Micheaels, representing the Native American woman and her family, said they have not said sorry either publicly or privately.

In a statement they said hope an outside review of the facility where she lived will lead to changes 'necessary to prevent further abuse and neglect of its patients'.

They emphasised their disappointment that they 'chose not to express any remorse or apology'.

Her parents called the assault an 'inexcusable failure to protect and safeguard their vulnerable daughter', who has been in a vegetative state since the age three.

Spokesman for Hacienda HealthCare David Leibowitz told AZ Central: 'If we haven't addressed in a public way the family of the victim, that was out of respect for the sensitive situation they find themselves in.

'There isn't an employee at Hacienda who isn't absolutely devastated by this. I'm not even sure the words 'I'm sorry' begin to cover it.'

Police are investigating the incident and the provider's CEO has already resigned.

The chief executive officer of Hacienda HealthCare Bill Timmons, left, has already resigned in the wake of the scandal. San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Terry Rambler, right, said he hopes 'justice will be served'

Phoenix police, pictured at the Hacienda HealthCare center, obtained a search warrant to retrieve DNA from male employees

San Carlos Apache officials confirmed the victim was an enrolled member of the tribe

San Carlos Apache officials confirmed the woman was an enrolled member of the tribe, whose reservation is in southeastern Arizona about 134 miles east of Phoenix.

Tribal chairman Terry Rambler said: 'When you have a loved one committed to palliative care, when they are most vulnerable and dependent upon others, you trust their caretakers. Sadly, one of her caretakers was not to be trusted and took advantage of her. It is my hope that justice will be served.'

Investigators are collecting DNA from Hacienda's male employees and others who may have had contact with the woman in an effort to identify a suspect.

Hacienda, meanwhile, has hired a former Phoenix county attorney to lead a separate probe of patient-security.

The facility serves infants, children and young adults who are 'medically fragile' or have developmental disabilities, according to its website.Jacob Stockdale (pictured in his September mugshot a year after shooting himself in the head) on Thursday entered an insanity plea for shooting dead his mother and brother in 2017

A member of an Ohio family band that was featured on the show Wife Swap nine years ago has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing his mother and brother.

Jacob Stockdale, 26, is charged with murder in the fatal shootings of 54-year-old Kathryn Stockdale and 21-year-old James Stockdale.

The Christian musician turned the gun on himself after the killings, but survived.

On Thursday, Stockdale entered the insanity plea in Stark County Court and suggested that he might not be competent to stand trial, reported TMZ.

Stockdale's defense attorney asked a judge to appoint a doctor to conduct a mental health evaluation to determine whether he was legally sane at the time of the June 2017 slayings.

A previous evaluation found Stockdale competent.

The Stockdale family appeared in an episode of the ABC reality TV series in 2008.

Jacob shot dead his 21-year-old brother Jason (left) and his 54-year-old mother Kathryn (right) last June then turned the gun on himself but survived

Stockdale has spent the last year undergoing rehabilitation and medical treatment for his brain and head injuries resulting from the self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In September, after recovering, Stockdale was charged with the murders.

Last month, a grand jury had decided not to apply the death penalty in his case. Stockdale remains in custody.

At the time that he appeared on Wife Swap, Jacob was just a teenager.

His family was memorable because of their strict Christian faith and because they had formed a band together.

He is one of four but two of his brothers and his father were not at home when he opened fire last year.

Neighbors said they heard between 10 and 12 shots between at the family's 150-year-old farm.

The family was memorable because they had strict religious beliefs and had also formed a bluegrass band. Jacob is shown center and his brother Jason is next to him on the right. Their other two brothers were not at home at the time of the attack. Their father is shown, far right.

Jacob (right) is shown on the show with his mother and brother when he was 16

Jacob is pictured in a photograph taken before the shooting. His lawyer said last year that he is 'ongoing medical needs'. A motive has not been suggested by the prosecution

After the killings last year, Laurie Tonkovic, who looked after him on the show after trading places with Kathryn, said his strict upbringing caused him to 'snap'.

'When I switched the rules and I was going to let them have fun, let them have a television and video games, and experience life a little bit, [Jacob] ran outside crying.

'And when I went out after him, I asked him what was wrong, and he said that his mom and dad would tell him that he would "burn in hell."

'God gives you free will. Free will, they didnt have.

'They werent allowed to make choices. I think it just caught up to him,' she told TMZ.

Police arrived at the family home last year after receiving a 911 call from someone who hung up.

As they approached the property, they heard a gunshot. They then found Jacob lying inside in the doorway with a single gunshot wound to his head.

He was taken to the hospital and has been recovering ever since with the support of his father and two remaining brothers.William Hague (file) has predicted chaos over Brexit could force a general election within weeks amid a stalemate in Parliament

William Hague has predicted chaos over Brexit could force a general election within weeks amid a stalemate in Parliament.

The former Tory leader made the claim in a briefing for businessmen in the City of London in the aftermath of the crushing defeat for Theresa May's Brexit plans.

Lord Hague correctly predicted the last snap election in 2017 and warned the chances of another are currently being 'underplayed'.

Calling a snap election is one idea being considered by some Cabinet ministers in the aftermath of the record-breaking 432 to 202 defeat on Tuesday night.

In a briefing with Citigroup clients yesterday, Lord Hague said 'the media are underplaying the chances of a general election in the coming weeks', one person at the meeting told the Financial Times.

A minister told the paper: 'William is right: chaos will eventually lead to a general election.'

Calling an election would mean giving into demands from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn there needs to be another vote.

Mrs May would need to get the support of two thirds of MPs to call an election again - the same process she used in April 2017.

Many in Westminster think a snap election would produce a similarly ambiguous response as last time, when Mrs May lost the Tory majority.

The PM herself warned MPs yesterday there was a risk no party would get a majority and an election would do nothing more than deepen the chaos facing the country.

The former Tory leader made the claim in a briefing for businessmen in the City of London in the aftermath of the crushing defeat for Theresa May's (pictured last night in Downing Street) Brexit plans

Mrs May has spent today meeting Opposition MPs to try and find a way forward after Tuesday's humiliation.

The PM and her Cabinet have been holding a frantic round of cross-party meetings after she held out an olive branch following a failed Labour bid to oust her.

Tory Eurosceptics including David Davis, DUP leader Arlene Foster, and Green MP Caroline Lucas were among the key players spotted out and about in Whitehall today as efforts to forge consensus are ramped up.

However, Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon have caused fury by flatly rejecting the overture, insisting they will not talk until the government rules out leaving the EU without a deal. Mrs May has said the option must stay on the table, and dismissed calls to delay the exit date from March.

Calling an election would mean giving into demands from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today in Hastings) there needs to be another vote

But it has emerged she could face a major uprising within government over a bid by Tory MP Nick Boles to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Boles is tabling an amendment that would empower backbenchers to push through legislation extending the Article 50 process by nine months - effectively avoiding a cliff edge.

He told the Evening Standard that around 20 ministers are ready to resign if Chief Whip Julian Smith tries to order them to oppose the amendment, which would be considered alongside Mrs May's 'Plan B' on January 29.

A number of Cabinet members are also said to have vowed that they will not oppose the mechanism. Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested he supported the idea in a conference call with business leaders this week.A female pedestrian in eastern China has become the first person in the country to be handed a 'smartphone zombie fine' for looking at her handset while crossing the road.

The woman, identified by her surname Hu, was fined 10 yuan (1.15) by police in Wenzhou, Zhejiang on Monday morning for violating a new regulation that banned 'activities affecting other vehicles or pedestrians'.

It was the first ticket issued in the Chinese city since the 'Civilised Behaviour Promotion Regulations' took effect on January 1, according to Wenzhou Traffic Police. And according to Xinhua News Agency, the ticket was the first of its kind in China.

Ms Hu (pictured) was caught by the traffic police of Wenzhou in eastern China on Monday

CCTV footage released by the police shows Ms Hu crossing the road while using her phone

The incident has been widely discussed on social media, where net users applauded the move and even called for a heavier fine.

Video footage released by Wenzhou Traffic Police on Wednesday shows the officer stopping the woman after spotting her glued to her smartphone while crossing the road.

'Do you know what you did wrong?' the officer, identified as Gao Quantan, was heard asking.

'Um... was I walking too slowly?' asked the embarrassed woman.

'No! You were distracted and looking at your phone!' the officer scolded before issuing her the ticket.

'On January 14, Wenzhou Traffic Police have issued the city's first ticket for "head-down folks",' the authority announced on Weibo on Wednesday.

'We would like to remind members of the public to obey traffic regulations and pay attention to your safety while crossing the road,' the police added.

Besides banning distracted pedestrians tapping on their phones, the new traffic rules outlined other road violations including littering, spitting, failing to clean dog's droppings and parking shared bikes improperly.

She was given a penalty notice (right) which stated a fined of 10 yuan (1.15) by the police (left) for violating a new regulation that banned 'activities affecting other vehicles or pedestrians'

Many web users in China supported the new regulations, but said the punishment for the 'zombie pedestrian' was too light.

One Weibo user said: '[She] should have been fined more, otherwise she wouldn't remember it; and if she doesn't remember it, accidents may happen in the future.'

Another user suggested that the penalty should be 1,000 yuan (115), which is 10 times of the fine handed to Ms Hu.

However, some commentators failed to understand the reason for the fine.

One typical comment read: 'Why was she fined? If I am not running the red light, and I am not disturbing other pedestrians, all I am doing is to look at my phone, what is the ground for issuing me the fine?'

Traffic police in Chengde, China, have rolled out special ground traffic lights in the city

The signals are designed for passionate phone users who prefer to stare at their screens while crossing the road. Each set has 16 LED lights installed in the ground in front of zebra lines

Wenzhou is not the first Chinese city to tackle the country's cell phone addiction problem.

Authorities in Xi'an, Shaanxi province created a pedestrian lane designated for those who prefer keeping their eyes glued to the screen.

About a metre (3.3 feet) wide, words painted on the lane read 'designated pedestrian lane for the "head-down folks"', referring to the Chinese nickname for smartphone addicts.

Last November, the northern city of Chengde unveiled traffic lights which were built into the ground. The idea was that the 'zombie pedestrians' would be able to see the signals even with their eyes looking down.

People in China spend an average of three hours a day on their smartphones, ranking the second in the world after the Brazilians in terms of the time used to check their handsets, according to China Daily.

A total of 29 per cent of people aged between 25 and 34 in a survey said they check their phones more than 50 times every day, according to a separate China Daily report.

In the UK, 43 per cent of young people have walked into someone or something while checking their mobile phone, according to a survey in 2015.A Chinese drug lord known as the 'godfather of crystal meth' was executed today.

Once a Communist official, Cai Dongjia was the former chief of Boshe village in Guangdong Province.

He used his political power to make crystal meth, also known as methamphetamine, and provide protection to local drug dealers, according to Xinhua News Agency.

During Dongjia's six-year tenure, Boshe grew to be China's infamous 'village of drugs' and produced a third of the country's crystal meth supply at one point.

Scroll down for video

A picture released by China's Nanfang Legal Newspaper shows Cai Dongjia during a trial in December, 2015, in Foshan. He has been sentenced to death by the Guangdong High Court

The picture shows some of the suspects caught during a drug bust in December 2013. Around 3,000 armed officers, speedboats and helicopters were deployed during the raid of Boshe

Dongjia was sentenced to death last August at the age of 55 after being caught in 2013 during the largest drug raid in China's history.

The news of his execution comes less than a week after a Canadian citizen, 36-year-old Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, was sentenced to death by a Chinese court for drug smuggling.

Schellenberg's capital sentence has reignited the political tensions between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a Chinese executive in Vancouver last December. It has also brought the international attention on the death penalty in today's China.

Foshan Intermediate Court executed Cai today after receiving an order from China's Supreme People's Court, according to an online statement by the Foshan court.

Police cars are seen during a raid where three tonnes of crystal meth were seized at Boshe village, Lufeng, Guangdong province, December 29, 2013. It is China's largest drug bust

Boshe, the village Cai used to run, is small.

It occupies 133 acres and is less than a third of the size of London's Hyde Park.

However the village once had as many as 77 drug factories, all backed by corrupt Dongjia, who was the Communist Party secretary and chief of Boshe.

All of Boshe's residents share the same ancestors and are surnamed Cai, making it more convenient for them to form a close-knit drug ring.

It is said that hundreds of Boshe residents - from children to pensioners - participated in producing, selling and transporting crystal meth from their homes.

These illegal factories were guarded by AK47-wielding residents, some as young as 18, who were extremely hostile towards outsiders, according to a report on China Central Television Station.

The infamous village was busted on December 29, 2013, after Guangdong police deployed 3,000 armed officers, speedboats and helicopters in a raid - the largest drug bust China has seen so far.

Paramilitary policemen carry seized crystal meth at Boshe village, Lufeng, Guangdong province, December 29, 2013. Cai Dongjia and 181 other suspects were arrested in the raid

According to Guangdong police, Dongjia and 181 other suspects were caught during the raid, and officers confiscated nearly three tonnes of crystal meth, 260 kilograms (573 pounds) of ketamine and 23 tonnes of raw material used to make drugs.

Police also shut down a factory which produced dynamite.

Dongjia was sentenced to death by Foshan Intermediate Court in first instance in 2016, together with two accomplices. All of the three later appealed against the decision to a higher court.

On August 7 last year, the Guangdong High People's Court dismissed their appeals and kept the original ruling.

The high court said Cai Dongjia and his accomplices, Cai Guangchuang and Cai Zhaogui, had been making crystal meth in Boshe since 2011.

Cai Dongjia's execution comes less than a week after a Canadian citizen, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg (pictured), was sentenced to death by a Chinese court for drug smuggling

Dongjia and Guangchuang produced 180 kilograms of crystal meth with the help of other people; while Zhaogui ganged up with the others to produce 150 kilograms (397 pounds) of crystal meth before selling them, the court said.

After Guangchuang and Zhaogui were arrested, Dongjia also tried to bribe the police in order to save the two, the court added.

Dongjia was found guilty of making and trading drugs as well as harbouring criminals. He was given a death sentence as a final judgement from the high court.

Guangchuang and Zhaogui were each given a suspended death sentence with a two-year probation for making and trading drugs.Heavy snow from a series of deadly California storms caused an empty private jet to pop a wheelie.

Employees of Truckee Tahoe Airport returned to work on Wednesday to find the Citation X jet had performed the impressive stunt overnight after a foot-and-a-half of snow blanketed the region.

Photos showed the snow - dubbed 'Sierra cement' for its thick and heavy texture - weighing down the jet's tail and rear engines, causing its nose to lift off the ground into a stationary wheelie.

Heavy snow from a series of deadly California storms caused a private jet (pictured) to pop a wheelie on Wednesday

Photos showed the snow weighing down the Citation X's tail and rear engines, causing its nose to lift off the ground into a stationary wheelie

Mark Lamb, the aviation and community services manager at the airport, said the aircraft's massive engines in the rear 'tend to be a little tail heavy anyway' and made it easier for the snow to weigh it down

Lamb said the citation would have normally been moved from the Truckee airport during inclement weather, but this particular jet was down for maintenance

'Morning after 16'+ of heavy #SierraCement at elevation 5,901' in Truckee Tahoe. A Citation X tail-dragging,' the Truckee Tahoe Airport said in a Facebook post.

Mark Lamb, the aviation and community services manager at the airport, told Reno Gazette Journal that the aircraft's massive engines in the rear 'tend to be a little tail heavy anyway' and made it easier for the snow to weigh it down.

Lamb said the citation would have normally been moved from the Truckee airport during inclement weather, but this particular jet was down for maintenance.

The airport also has new hangars, but the jet is too big to fit inside them.

On Thursday, the series of Pacific Ocean storms that have pounded California with rain and snow, prompted officials to put communities on alert for mudslides and flooding.

Runoff flowed from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada foothills and from Central Coast counties to Los Angeles and the inland region to the east.

Blizzard conditions blanketed the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada with snow while high surf rolled ashore along the coast.

Concern was high in communities near burn scars of recent wildfires.

A blizzard warning was issued earlier this week for the Sierra from Wednesday night through Thursday morning

On Thursday, the series of Pacific Ocean storms that have pounded California with rain and snow, prompted officials to put communities on alert for mudslides and flooding

At least five deaths have been reported during the week of stormy weather. This weather forecast shows pats of California that will receive between 1-2 inches and 2-3 inches of rain on Thursday

Blizzard conditions blanketed the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada with snow while high surf rolled ashore along the coast

The Santa Barbara County community of Montecito that was devastated by a deadly debris flow a year ago received 1.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, but had so far avoided a repeat of the disaster.

A flash flood watch was in effect for the area burned by the wildfire that obliterated the Northern California town of Paradise in November.

Areas under evacuation orders included parts of fire-scarred Malibu, where all public schools were closed. Several vital canyon roads in the area were closed due to rock fall danger.

At least five deaths have been reported during the week of stormy weather.

Three people, including a one-year-old girl, were killed Tuesday when a car went out of control during heavy rain in El Dorado County, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wednesday saw toppled trees, snarled roads and downed power lines all around Northern California, sometimes with deadly consequences.

A homeless man who may have been trying to shelter under some trees near an Oakland freeway was killed when the tree toppled and he was crushed by a 30-foot-long branch, authorities said.

The man may have been 'just trying to stay dry,' California Highway Patrol Officer Herman Baza said. 'Unfortunately, that protection was deadly.'

In Napa County, one person died when a car went out of control on a wet roadway and hit another vehicle, the California Highway Patrol said.

Tens of thousands of people were without electricity in Pacific Gas & Electric utility areas, including more than 15,000 in San Jose late Wednesday night.

Runoff flowed from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada foothills and from Central Coast counties to Los Angeles and the inland region to the east

The blizzard warning (Mammoth Lakes, California) in the Sierra Nevada was less fierce than expected but hundreds of homes in fire-scarred California areas remained under evacuation orders as more rain was expected

In Southern California, fog on a mountain highway triggered a 19-vehicle crash (pictured)

Thirty-five people (truck drivers) were evaluated for injuries after the pileup on Interstate 15 in Cajon Pass, but most declined to be taken to hospitals, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said

The weather service issued a high surf warning for San Francisco County through Friday, with 30-foot breakers along the coast of the North Bay, Monterey Bay and Big Sur.

Weather concerns also kept a stretch of scenic Highway 1 in Big Sur closed.

San Francisco saw only an inch of rain but Venado in Sonoma County got 5 inches over 24 hours.

Rain and winds forced the cancellation of more than 140 flights at San Francisco International Airport.

In Southern California, fog on a mountain highway triggered a 19-vehicle crash. Thirty-five people were evaluated for injuries after the pileup on Interstate 15 in Cajon Pass, but most declined to be taken to hospitals, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

In areas recently scarred by wildfires, authorities feared small rivers and creeks would flood their banks and cause massive mudslides, further damaging communities struggling to recover from a historically bad fire season.

The blazes stripped hillsides of trees and other vegetation that stabilize soil and prevent mudslides, putting at risk thousands of people living in foothill and canyon areas devastated by wildfires.

The hillsides were holding but people in burn areas were urged to remain alert.

In Malibu, a boulder crashed into a car, injuring the driver.The BBC's first female Deputy Director has quit her 435,000 a year job a year after a gender pay row engulfed the corporation.

Anne Bulford, who rejoined the BBC as managing director of finance and operations in 2013, has said she will step down this spring.

She was appointed to the number two job in 2016 having worked for the corporation from 1993 to 1999.

And has announced she intends to pursue a portfolio of non-executive roles.

She said: 'It's been an honour to be the first woman deputy director general of the BBC and I'm proud of what we've achieved since 2013.

'The BBC is an amazing organisation, with so many talented people. I feel I'm leaving the BBC in a stronger position and I'd like to thank Tony, my colleagues and especially all my teams for their contribution and hard work.'

BBC Deputy DG Anne Bulford has announced her resignation from the 435,000 role

Her departure comes after early in 2018 a number of the BBC's leading male presenters had agreed to have their pay cut in the wake of a pay row.

The broadcaster said Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell, John Humphrys, Nick Robinson and Huw Edwards would take reduced wages.

Humphrys, who presents the Radio 4 Today programme with Robinson, earned between 600,000 and 650,000 and BBC News presenter Edwards earned 550,000-599,999.

In her role as DDG Ms Bulford was responsible for all the finance, HR, legal, risk and technology functions of the corporation, managing its strategy, marketing and audience activities, as well as serving on the board of Children in Need.

The corporation's Director General, Tony Hall, who his outgoing second-in-command thanked in her statement, said: Anne has been an inspirational leader. She has brought real insight and determination in bringing change to the BBC.

'Her achievements at the BBC are many - she has ensured the BBC continues to innovate and deliver hugely popular services to the public.

'She has vastly improved the BBC's efficiency to industry leading levels. She has led a transformation in the BBC's working practices.

Ms Bulford answering questions in front of the Education and Culture Committee at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on the subject of the BBC Charter Renewal

BBC Salary Cap Ms Bulford impressive 435,000-a-year package is considerably greater than the figure suggested by the Culture Secretary for a salary cap on BBC stars - and indeed the figure proposed by the corporation itself. Following an outcry over massive pay inequality between male and female stars, the BBC proposed last January a 320,000 cap on its news presenters salaries. The limit would also apply to editors and correspondents. It came after the Culture Secretary suggested a cap of 150,000 which he said would bring the corporation in line with the rest of the public sector. Around the same time an internal audit found a 6.3 per cent discrepancy between average male and female earnings at the national broadcaster. Advertisement

'Anne leaves the BBC a stronger organisation than the one she joined six years ago. She has been a first class colleague and an absolute pleasure to work with. I wish her every success for the future.'

According to the BBC's website, Ms Bulford joined the BBC as Managing Director, Finance and Operations in June 2013.

In June 2016 it was announced that she would take up the role of Deputy Director General with responsibility at board level for key functions including Finance, Engineering, HR, Workplace, Legal and Business Assurance, and Marketing and Audiences.

Before joining the BBC, she worked as Chief Operating Officer, Channel 4, following a period as interim Chief Executive. She joined Channel 4 as Group Finance Director in June 2005.

From 2002 to 2005, Ms Bulford was Director of Finance & Business Affairs at the Royal Opera House. In her time there she served as chair of Ofcom's Audit Committee.

She is currently a Trustee of Motor Neurone Disease Association and also of the Conservatoire for Dance & Drama.

Ms Bulford's tenure in charge of, among other things, legal matters and HR has been a rocky one at times. In 2017 and 2018 BBC executives at New Broadcasting House, pictured, were rocked by an unfolding scandal over gender pay inequality

News of the departure of the BBC's first-ever female second in command after a relatively brief tenure - a woman who was tipped by many to take over from Tony Hall - will reopen the issue of pay and gender equality at the BBC.

It emerged last year that a number of the BBC's leading male presenters had agreed to have their pay cut in the wake of the 2017 row over pay inequality.

The broadcaster said Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell, John Humphrys, Nick Robinson and Huw Edwards would take reduced wages.

Figures released in 2017 showed Vine was one of the corporation's highest paid stars, earning 700,000-749,999; Humphrys, who presents the Radio 4 Today programme with Robinson, earned between 600,000 and 650,000 and BBC News presenter Edwards earned 550,000-599,999.

Chris Evans, left, earned more than 2m from the BBC in 2017, 1.6m of which was for his gig at Radio 2. His show is now presented by Zoe Ball, right, who became the BBC's highest paid female star, on a 1.2m a year contract

Jon Sopel, BBC's North America editor, has also accepted a pay cut. The figures released last year showed he earned between 200,000-249,999, while his female counterpart on the China desk earned 135,000-a-year.

Radio 2's Chris Evans topped the 2017 list on more than 2 million, while the highest paid woman was Claudia Winkleman on between 450,000 and 499,999.

Late last year upon taking over Evans' Radio 3 breakfast show presenting slot, Zoe Ball became the BBC's highest paid woman after being handed a 1.2million a year salary to host the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, according to reports.Meagan Hunter, 35, a former server at a Chili's Grill & Bar location in Phoenix, Arizona, claims that she was passed over for a promotion because she didn't dress 'gender appropriate'. She is pictured wearing a similar outfit to the one she wore to her interview

A former server at a Chili's Grill & Bar in Arizona has accused the restaurant of passing her over for a promotion because she didn't dress 'gender appropriately'.

Meagan Hunter, 35, had been waiting tables at a Chili's in Phoenix for two years when a manager position opened up in May 2018.

'I saw myself with a long-term career at Chilis,' Hunter told Yahoo Lifestyle. 'I worked hard, I loved the company, and my co-workers were my family.'

Hunter, who has a nine-year-old son, applied and attended her interview wearing a button-down shirt and slacks, a typical outfit for company managers.

When the restaurant's general manager later asked to speak with her outside, Hunter said: 'He told me the district operator said my clothes were baggy and I was inappropriately dressed for an interview.'

After seven weeks passed, Hunter said the manager informed her: 'They want to offer you the job, but theyre really concerned about what youre going to wear,' once again commenting on her attire not being 'gender appropriate'.

'I said: "Does that mean I should have my breasts hanging out to succeed in your company?" and he backtracked and said: "No, not in those words,"' Hunter claimed.

She asked him if she could wear a chef's coat outfit like his, and he responded: "No, thats for boys."'

The day after that confrontation occurred, Hunter quit her server job.

She said that her old coworkers later told her the manager said he passed her over for a bartending position that she'd also applied for because he 'didn't want a gay girl behind the bar' and that she wouldn't attract the 'right kind' of customers.

Hunter and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday, their first step in bringing a discrimination case against Chili's.

'When employers punish workers for who they are and what they look like, they lose valuable people like Meagan,' the ACLU wrote in a blog post.

'Thats not only wrong and bad for business  its also against the law.'

ACLU spokesperson Steve Kilar said: 'In order to bring a discrimination case against a company, you first file with the EEOC. Once we have a "Right to Sue" letter, we can go ahead with a lawsuit.'

Hunter is now working at a First Watch restaurant, but says her new gig pays less and she has found herself having to work harder to prove her worth as a new employee.

'It's been a difficult time,' she said. When all this happened with Chilis, I was in the process of buying a home for me and my nine-year-old son.'

A Chili's spokesperson responded to Hunter's complaint by saying: 'Meagan Hunter was not denied a promotion at Chilis, but instead she was identified as a high potential Team Member and offered the opportunity to be promoted into our Certified Shift Leader program to take the next step on her career journey. Feedback was given to her about our manager dress code guidelines, which apply to all managers regardless of gender identification or sexuality, but absolutely no mention was made of any need to conform to gender-specific clothing'

Hunter, the mother of a nine-year-old boy, quit her job seven months later after a restaurant general manager allegedly told her they wanted to give her the job but were concerned about the way she dressed. The ex-employee and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday, their first step in bringing a discrimination case against the fast-casual food chain

A Chilis spokesperson told Yahoo: 'At Chilis, we invite our Team Members and Guests to come as they are because our restaurants are a place where they can be themselves.

'Let us be clear  we do not tolerate any discriminatory behavior in our restaurants. Thats why we were alarmed by these allegations and why we knew we had to set the record straight on behalf of all of our ChiliHeads.

'Meagan Hunter was not denied a promotion at Chilis, but instead she was identified as a high potential Team Member and offered the opportunity to be promoted into our Certified Shift Leader program to take the next step on her career journey.

'Feedback was given to her about our manager dress code guidelines, which apply to all managers regardless of gender identification or sexuality, but absolutely no mention was made of any need to conform to gender-specific clothing.

'We will not and do not tolerate discriminatory behavior at Chilis. We stand committed to the tens of thousands of ChiliHeads from all walks of life who represent what we stand for each day. To all of our Guests, fans, former and current Team Members  we love you just as you are, and we intend to show that every single day.'This is the moment a British tourist on a road trip with his family in Austria filmed a truck tentatively making its way through a giant snowdrift around 13-feet high.

Anthony Gibbon, from Carmarthenshire in southwest Wales, captured the remarkable scene on Monday January 14 at the ski resort of Ischgl in western Austria.

Father-of-two Mr Gibbon said that snowfall had collected near a row of parked trucks that had to carve out a route through the giant snowdrifts.

The roof of the lorry is all that can be seen, left, as the vehicle pushes through the snow, right

Mr Gibbon said: 'I was shocked because we had to leave [where we were staying] and as you could see it was an impossible mission.

'[My two] kids, on the other hand, were laughing and enjoying the snow.'

Gibbon later added: 'Since the snow was huge, we had to exit from behind where people who work at that [truck] depot were cleaning snow and they cleared a path for us.

'When we got out we had to wait for the road to be cleared fully so we waited there for two hours and that is when I recorded this video.'

Father-of-two Mr Gibbon said his family had to leave their ski resort because of the snow fall

Video footage shows a truck truck trying to clear a path in the deep snow while five other large vehicles sit in the distance of the clip.

Some snow falls from the top of the newly-made path as the truck attempts to turn around in the snow.

Local media have reported that the extreme weather conditions have affected locals and tourists in the area with up to 17,000 people cut off from the outside world.

Severe snowstorms have covered parts of central Europe in a huge blanket of snow over the last week.A top ranking Chicago cop ordered on-duty officers to drive his child from school to the police station in a squad car then babysit the kid for hours at a time.

The supervisor told low ranking colleagues it was a secret 'community policing study' and that they were part of the test case for around year, according to a report.

Chicago's government watchdog recommended that the cop face possible firing but the city's police department gave him a seven-day suspension.

The officer, identified by The Chicago Tribune as Grand Central District Cmdr. Anthony Escamilla, is said to have asked on-duty officers to pick up his child from outside the district's boundaries.

They then had to bring the child to the police station most Wednesdays between September 2017 and at least July 2018.

The officer, identified Grand Central District Cmdr. Anthony Escamilla, pictured, is said to have ordered on-duty officers to drive his child from school to the police station

Inspector General Joseph Ferguson's office said the lower-ranking supervisor and the other officers then had to baby-sit the child after as many as three were sent to look after the child on a 30 minute drive.

The supervisor is then said to have used a police car to drive the child to its mom's home at the end of the day.

According to the report one cop claimed to have hung up the phone on a domestic-violence victim because the child needed attention.

Another said he would take the child to the car wash to keep it occupied, the watchdog said.

The report said: 'The police officers' transportation and monitoring of the child clearly impeded their ability to execute their official duties.

'The time officers spent traveling to a school outside their assigned district and then transporting the child back to the district on a weekly basis was time those officers could not devote to completing their official assignments.'

Escamilla, left, has been identified locally as the top ranking cop who was given a seven day suspension. A report by the office of Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, right, said officers also had to baby-sit the child

It went on: 'The officers, understandably, had concerns that they would be blamed if something happened to the Supervisor's child while the child was in their care.

'The Supervisor's actions also placed subordinates in the difficult position of having to choose whether to disobey a directive from a superior or engage in non-police business while on-duty.'

The city's Office of Inspector General (IG) wrote in a report: 'A high-ranking Chicago Police Department (CPD) supervisor directed on-duty CPD officers to chauffeur the supervisor's child from school to a district police station in a CPD vehicle on a weekly basis, for approximately one year, in addition to monitoring the supervisor's child for recurring two to three-hour periods while on duty.

'This violated CPD rules by improperly diverting resources away from the community and creating additional stress for officers, which ultimately had a detrimental impact on their morale.

'The supervisor also disingenuously claimed that the use of CPD officers to transport and oversee the child was appropriate because the officers were unknowingly participating in a community policing study the supervisor was conducting involving children, for which the supervisor's child was the 'test case'.'

They added: 'IG recommended that CPD discipline the supervisor, up to and including discharge. In response, CPD suspended the supervisor for seven days.'

Officers were told to bring the child to Grand Central District station, pictured, the report says

A Chicago police spokesman told DailyMail.com: 'The Chicago Police Department concurred with aspects of the independent investigation of the Inspector General and issued the member a one week suspension (seven days) consistent with departmental guidelines.'

The city's Office of Inspector General said they had no further comment.

DailyMail.com has contacted Escamilla for comment.A Hawaii congressman has apologized for saying he feels like 'an Asian trapped in a white body'.

Representative Ed Case, 66, made the remarks Tuesday night at a reception celebrating Asian-American and Pacific Islander members of Congress in Washington DC.

National Journal fellow Nicholas Wu was present at the event and tweeted about the Democratic Rep's comments, which were met with backlash by the Asian community claiming Hawaii-born Case was whitewashing their culture.

Case apologized for his comments Wednesday, saying: 'I regret if my specific remarks to the national API [Asian and Pacific Islander] community on my full absorption of their concerns caused any offense.'

Hawaii Democratic Rep Ed Case (pictured right being sworn in to Congress, with his wife Audrey Nakamura Case, center, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, left,) said he felt like 'an Asian trapped in a white body'

He made the remarks Tuesday at an event for Asian-American and Pacific Islander members of Congress, which was tweeted by National Journal fellow Nicholas Wu

Case, 66, apologized to the API community for his comments Wednesday

'Like so many others from Hawaii who treasure our multicultural heritage, I have absorbed and live the values of our many cultures,' Case said in his apology to the Washington Post.

'They and not my specific ethnicity are who I am, and I believe that this makes me an effective advocate on national issues affecting our API community,' he added.

Case's spokesperson Nestor Garcia said the congressman was only commenting 'on what his Japanese-American wife sometimes says about him'.

The Democratic congressman represents Honolulu and parts of Oahu, which has a mostly Asian population.

Some on social media have likened Case's comments to Rachel Dolezal, the former head of the NAACP who posed as a black woman when she was actually white.

Twitter account Angry Asian Man tweeted its disdain over the comments

One Twitter user made the point that Case, being a white man, defeated many Asian American and Pacific Islanders to win his seat

Entrepreneur Frederick Joseph likened Case to Rachel Dolezal, the former head of the NAACP who posed as black but was actually a white woman

Twitter users compared Case's remarks to Hollywood whitewashing Asian characters, by casting Scarlett Johansson as an Asian role in the film Ghost in the Shell

Others online have noted the recent controversy over white actresses playing Asian characters in films.

The 2017 fantasy drama Ghost in the Shell showed Scarlett Johansson playing Japanese character Major Motoku Kusanagi.

The director the 2015 romantic film Aloha had to apologize for casting Emma Stone as Allison Ng, a character of Hawaiian and Asian heritage.

Case served in Congress from 2002 to 2007 and ran unsuccessfully for the Senate and House in the years since he left Congress.

He retired from politics in 2013 to become an executive for a Hawaii-based hotel chain.

Last year he beat out a slew of Democrats, many of whom were Asian-American, to win the 1st District seat and return to the House this year.A homeless couple who have been living in their car for two months while searching for housing fear they will die in the vehicle as temperatures are set to plummet.

Tina and Winston Reid, both 54, moved into the Mercedes after a landlord sold the home they were renting and then a sewage problem drove them from a caravan.

The pair - who both rely on benefits - are worried they will freeze in the car but say they can't afford to waste petrol on heating.

Winston and Tina Reid, pictured, were made homeless after their landlord sold the house they were living in and their caravan developed a sewerage problem forcing them into their car

The Essex couple, pictured, have been living in their Mercedes E Class saloon since being forced to move out of their caravan in Thurrock

The couple, both aged 54, have packed everything they could carry into the back of their car

The news comes as the Met Office issued warnings today of snow showers, with strong winds and icy conditions across much of the UK.

Their situation has become so desperate that Mrs Reid said she has tried to take her own life.

She said: 'I'm on Employment Support Allowance and my husband is on Universal Credit, and we have to use that money to stay in rooms for a night where we can, just to get out of the cold.

'We have both been to A&E recently - I was there because I tried to take my own life, I couldn't take it any more.

'My husband was there because of his back, it's painful being in the car.'

The couple had been living in a caravan in Thurrock, Essex before the sewage problem drove them away, making them homeless.

Mrs Reid said: 'Thurrock Council told us they were unable to find housing for us as we haven't been living there long enough.

'My daughter, who is 33, lived in the caravan next to us with her three children who were 13, five, and three months old at the time.

'They had the sewerage problem too, but as she has children she was rehomed in Thurrock.'

She added: 'The stench was horrible, we couldn't wash or shower or go to the toilet.

'We were going over to Sainsbury's just to wash, change our clothes and brush our teeth. After three months I couldn't take it any more.'

Since then they have been living out of Mr Reid'sMercedes in Mersea, Essex, where his wife's parents live.

With the cold weather coming, they are worried they may die in the car if they do not find housing soon.

While living in the caravan, Mrs Reid had spent about a year trying to bid for housing in Mersea but without success.

The couple ended up driving to Mersea so Mrs Reid could be closer to her parents.

She said: 'My dad has dementia and my mum uses a walking stick - they live in a one-bed flat so there is no room for us there.

'Colchester Council said they would assist me in finding private housing. I have called around 40 houses but they won't take us as we don't have a guarantor and they ask for so much money upfront.

'I've even been looking at studio flats, or single rooms.'

Mrs Reid has been sleeping in the back of the Mercedes, while her husband takes the front seat.

The couple drive around to supermarkets and public car parks around the island, where they will stay for the night.

Mrs Reid has never worked due to ill health, but Mr Reid was a bricklayer before the ordeal happened.

Mrs Reid is worried he may never be able to work again due to his deteriorating condition.

She added: 'We go to Beacon House in Colchester sometimes and they have done so much for us. Winston is 55 this year and when you reach 55 you're entitled to sheltered housing.

'However his birthday is in May and we could be dead by then. I'm worried we are going to die here.'

A spokesman for Colchester Borough Homes said all cases are dealt with under the relevant legislation but it could take up to two years for some people to get a home.

He said: 'It is difficult to determine the length of time an applicant will have to wait for specific property types to become available, as applicants are able to decide this by bidding on properties.

'In general, most applicants wait in excess of 18 to 24 months.'Andy Serkis has brought back his spoof of Theresa May as Gollum in a new video mocking the Prime Minister over her failed Brexit plan.

The Lord of the Rings star reprised his most famous character in a skit that parodies the Queen 1975 song Bohemian Rhapsody.

The video also mocks Brexiters Jacob Rees-Mogg, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, as well as former Prime Minister David Cameron, who called for the EU referendum.

The British actor, known for his motion-capture work playing CGI characters, donned a Tory-blue jacket, grey wig and lipstick for the sketch.

The latest video comes a month after Serkis first spoofed the Prime Minister as she prepared to present her withdrawal plans to the House of Commons.

Scroll down for video

LATEST LEAK FROM 10 DOWNING ST... Oh dear My precioussss... Was that the right deal ? Or was it just fantasy?... Open your eyes and see... Posted by Andy Serkis on Wednesday, 16 January 2019

The Lord of the Rings star reprised his most famous character in a skit that parodies the Queen 1975 song Bohemian Rhapsody

Serkis won a host of awards for his portrayal of Gollum (pictured), a cowering, deformed creature with a split personality who obsesses over his 'precious' ring

Posting the new clip to his Twitter page, the 54-year-old wrote: 'The latest leak from 10 Downing Street. Oh dear, My precioussss...'

He then sings: 'Was that the right deal or was that just fantasy? Are we stuck in the Union, no article 50?

'Open your eyes, did you notice the lies or see? I'm just Theresa, I need your sympathy because I'm in the dark, still don't know who's friends or foe?

'Any way the vote goes, doesn't really matter to me.'

'David, I just switched to Leave. Undermined all that I said, the people's vote will put that to bed.

'David, I was sure we'd won, but now that's changed I'm Brexit all the way.

Posting the new clip to his Twitter page, the 54-year-old wrote: 'The latest leak from 10 Downing Street. Oh dear, My precioussss...'

Many of the social media users to comment on the video praised the actor for his comical turn as Mrs May

'Boris! Ohhh! Didn't mean to make you cry, if I'm not back for Question Time tomorrow, carry on, carry on, as if no one really matters.

'Too late, the people's votes has come, sends shivers down my spine, Juncker's delaying all the time.

'Goodbye everybody, I've got to go, got to leave you all behind with Michael Gove.

'Boris! Ohhhh! I don't want to lie, sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.'

Serkis won a host of awards for his portrayal of Gollum, a cowering, deformed creature with a split personality who obsesses over his 'precious' ring.

The video, which was produced by a company which has previously made films for the Labour Party, ends by calling for a People's Vote on Brexit.A serial trophy hunter who smirks with corpses of endangered animals has paid $100,000 (78,000) to kill an extremely rare species of goat for the fourth time.

American John Amistoso, 64 - who made his money transforming a mom and pop store into a multi-million dollar appliance empire - travelled to Pakistan last week to hunt his fourth markhor, the country's national animal.

Fewer than 6,000 of the beasts, also known as 'screw horn goats', exist in the wild and most live among the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

John Amistoso poses with a critically endangered Kashmir Markhor in Pakistan in March 2017

Mr Amistoso, who owns 11 Freds Appliance Inc. stores in Idaho, Washington state, and Montana, is thought to have gunned down the markhor last Saturday in the Bunji area of northern Pakistan.

He was given license to kill by Pakistani officials, who issued permits for hunters to shoot four markhors.

The government auctioned hunting permits for the rare animals in October.

The US trophy hunter is seen with a 'screw horned' Suleiman Markhor in January 2017

Bidding started at $100,000 for a markhor, $8,000 for a blue sheep and $720 (560) for an ibex, local reports suggest.

Money raised from the hunts are channeled back into the community and mountain region where the animals are hunted.

It's the fourth time the American has travelled to the mountainous region to hunt the rare animal.

Two posts on a page called Grand Slam Club showed Mr Amistonso posing with the bodies of Suleiman and Kashmir - two other subspecies of markhor - in January and March of 2017.

He was also pictured posing with the corpse of a screw horn goat after a hunt in 2013.

Grand Slam describes itself 'an organisation of hunter/conservationists dedicated to improving and perpetuating wild sheep and goat populations worldwide'.

Mr Amistoso is listed on the site as 'a life member'.

One outraged user on Facebook said: 'People are SICK and more twisted than the beautiful goat's horns.

Mr Amistonso (pictured with a kill in 2013) is listed as a 'life member' on a hunter-conservation page that organises the expensive hunts

Jon Wilson wrote: 'I love how hunters call themselves conservationists, and say that they kill animals to save them. You cannot make it up.

'The truth is they just enjoy killing things, and are willing to pay a lot of money to do so.'

Another said: 'Just be honest about your blood lust and stop pretending to care about conservation.'

Marty Yarbrough replied: 'They're a bunch of losers who think killing defenseless animals makes them bigger man.'

Elisia Peters commented: 'Who in their right mind would kill an animal for the sport?! You people are crazy sickos.'

On its website, Fred's Appliances is described as 'Eastern Washington's, Northern Idaho's, and Western Montana's largest appliance dealer'Police in Tennessee have made a whopping airport drug bust, hauling in 160 pounds of marijuana.

Trung N. Tieu, 40, of Philadelphia and Tihn Van Tran, 56, of Murphy, Texas were arrested on Tuesday night at Nashville International Airport and charged with felony drug possession.

Police say that the two men were on a layover from Oakland, California to Jacksonville, Florida when Metro Nashville police K-9, Boston, alerted them to four pieces of checked luggage.

The luggage was disguised with the 'strong odor of air freshener', a police affidavit said, but officers noticed vacuum-seal bags sticking out from the zippers.

Police found dozens of vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana (above) in four oversize suitcases at Nashville International Airport on Tuesday night

Trung N. Tieu, 40, of Philadelphia and Tihn Van Tran, 56, of Murphy, Texas were arrested. Tieu is being held on an ICE detainer and Tran was released with no charges

The name tags on the bags led officers to the suspects, Tieu and Tran.

The two men were brought into the airport's DEA office, where they agreed to let officers look inside the bags, police said.

Inside the luggage, police found dozens of bags of marijuana, totaling 159.5 pounds.

While police were interviewing the two men, they noted that both had two cell phones 'that rang constantly,' according to the arrest affidavit.

Metro Nashville police K-9 Boston (above) alerted officers to the drugs

The Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk's Office confirmed that Tran and Tieu are both facing charges of felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Tieu is being held in the Davidson County jail and is not eligible for bond due to an ICE detainer.

Detainers are placed on aliens arrested on criminal charges whom ICE possesses probable cause to believe are removable from the U.S.

Tieu was due in court on Thursday morning. It is unclear whether he has an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Jail records show that Tran was released on bond on Wednesday. His attorney, Dave Kieley, declined to comment when reached by DailyMail.comPresident Donald Trump will get to appoint four justices to the Supreme Court, his former White House counselor Steve Bannon surmised Wednesday night.

His bold prediction was likely based on the health of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and his theory Clarence Thomas will retire so a Republican president can replace him.

Bannon described his thesis to attendees at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, two people there relayed to Politico.

Former White House counselor Steve Bannon speculated President Trump could get two more Supreme Court picks

Justice Clarence Thomas has served 26 years and is the longest serving justice

Trump already has two appointments to the high court under his belt: Neil Gorsuch, who replaced deceased Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016 and the controversial Brett Kavanaugh appointment, whom he picked to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Thomas, who is 70, was appointed by George W. Bush and went through a grueling, controversial confirmation process where he was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill.

He's served 26 years on the high court and is its longest serving judge.

Ginsburg, in December, underwent surgery to remove cancerous nodules from her left lung. She missed the first three weeks of oral arguments. The court announced her recovery is 'on track' but there is no word on when she'll return to the bench and she canceled two talks she was scheduled to give in Los Angeles and New York.

'I said I will do this job as long as I can do it full steam,' Ginsburg said last month.

Four is not the record but is a larger number of nominations than most presidents receive. Trump's predecessors Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton got two picks each. Ronald Reagan did get four.

The record is held by George Washington, who appointed the original court of 11 judges.

William Taft had the next highest at six while Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower got to appoint five.

President Trump has already had two additions to the Supreme Court

Bannon, in his remarks to attendees, also said Trump will be on the ballot in 2020 - the president has already said he's running for re-election - but the former Trump counselor said should the president not run for some reason, slate with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley at the top of the ticket with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be a winner.

He also said he's a fan of freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Politico report, noting he admires the grit of the liberal sensation.

And he predicted a growing economic war with China that will involve more than just trade disputes.The failings of a hospital's 'complacent' maternity unit led to the 'avoidable' death of baby boy four days after his badly-managed birth, a coroner had found.

Parents Justin and Alison Clark, of Surbiton, Surrey, slammed the chaotic handling of their son Sebastian's birth at Kingston Hospital, south-west London following today's ruling.

Coroner Sean Cummings said there was 'group and collective failings' and said staff were 'complacent' after Sebastian contracted an infection.

He is urging the Royal College of Obstetricians to review whether cervical sweeps after labour starts should be avoided across the UK after hearing about the tragic case.

Justin and Alison Clark with baby Sebastian. A coroner has found failings by a south-west London hospital contributed to the tragedy

The inquest heard Mrs Clark suffered a spontaneous rupture of her membranes on March 6, 2017 and sought help from medical staff.

A midwife then performed cervical stretch and sweep, despite the trust having since accepted that such actions should be avoided during labour because of the risk of infection.

The 'sweep', a procedure that widens the cervix to encourage natural birth, can 'activate' naturally-occurring bacteria such as B Strep and E-Coli in the cervix and lead to infection, the coroner was told.

Describing his wife's labour, Mr Clark said: 'We were advised there were no signs of infection. We asked whether we needed a caesarean and we were told we didn't need one.

'Later that evening Alison had another sweep. The baby's heart rate was fluctuating and we questioned if we needed a caesarean.

'Alison was 6cm dilated and she needed to be 10cm dilated before she could start pushing. We asked about a caesarean again as the heart rate had increased but we were told again it was not medically needed.'

Sebastian was eventually delivered by forceps, but immediately taken away to the neo-natal unit as he had suffered catastrophic brain damage.

The couple, pictured with the youngster after his life support was switched off, today hit out at the hospital's 'multiple failings, complacent management and lack of fundamental care'

The coroner said: 'I cannot find that there were systematic or structural failings on the part of the trust.

'But I do find that there were a number of lamentable individual errors.'

He added: 'I do find that there was inadequate leadership in terms of managing Mrs Clark and her infection and the effect that was having on the baby.

Mrs Clark was only told of how hospital's failings two weeks after the death and no one was available to discuss it with her

The coroner continued: 'All the staff members recognised at some point that something was wrong but there was complacency and an assumption that management knew about it.

'The Registrar has admitted it was very busy and she was distracted causing her to lose her helicopter view.

'I am not signalling the registrar out as there was a group and collective failing through the developing emergency until it was too late.

'I find that Sebastian Clark died from multiple organ failure, acute choriomnionitis and hypoxia. He suffered a catastrophic brain injury.'

Sebastian did not breathe for 26 minutes after he was born as staff failed to follow procedure, West London Coroner's Court was told.

Mrs Clark told the inquest she had blamed herself for her son's death.

Prior to receiving a letter from the hospital two weeks after the tragedy, she had no idea that he had not died of natural causes.

In the letter a maternity risk nurse apologised for 'letting her down' and when Mrs Clark called to question it she was only able to leave a message.

A coroner has called for extra guidance to go out nationwide after criticising staff at Kingston Hospital (pictured)

Tim Deeming, who represented the family during the inquest, said today: 'Whilst Justin and Alison are relieved that the inquest is over, they are understandably devastated as his death has shattered their lives.

'Sebby was a completely healthy little boy up until the delivery and the multiple failings, complacent management and lack of fundamental care caused his death.

'It was entirely avoidable and, as the Coroner heard today, the hospital did not intervene early enough.'

Mrs Clark subsequently gave birth to healthy twin baby boys last May, the inquest heard.Police hunting for a kidnapping fugitive found a note saying 'I'm not here' just moments before they found him hiding in a nearby dresser.

Jesse Pack, 40, was captured on Sunday night after he was found hiding in a dresser inside a home in Bunnell, Florida.

Pack, who had a warrant out for his arrest for kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, wrote a note scrawled on a mattress before officers raided his home.

Jesse Pack, 40, was captured on Sunday night after he left an 'I'm not here' note for police inside his home in Bunnell, Florida

'I know my warrant is active. I'm not here. I'm finishing a job and turning myself into the Volusia Branch Jail! Jesse Pack,' the note read.

Pack had a warrant out for his arrest for kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

When officers arrived at his home at about 9.30pm, a female answered the door and told them Pack wasn't home.

They found the mattress with the note written on it by the front door.

The woman told officers they could search the home and they found Pack hiding in a small wooden dresser in a bedroom.

He was found in the fetal position with a pillow.

Police said he was found with a cigarette pack that contained a glass pipe with a burnt residue.

Pack said he decided to hide when he heard his dogs barking and assumed officers were there to execute his arrest warrant.

'Ready or not, here we come,' Sheriff Rick Staly said.

Police found Pack hidingin the fetal position in a small wooden dresser in a bedroom after leaving his note near the front door

'This guy clearly thought he could hide from our deputies but this is not the first 'cat and mouse' game a fugitive has tried to play. We won't stop until we find you.

'Great job by our team and now Pack can face his charges in Volusia County and Flagler County.'

Pack was arrested on his kidnapping and assault charges.

He has now also been charged with resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pack was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where he is being held on a $1,000 bond.Bill Gates may be one of the richest men in the world, but he'll have to wait in line for a burger just like the rest of us.

The burger-loving billionaire was spotted waiting in a line at Dick's Drive-In in Seattle over the weekend, to the delight of fellow customers.

The American business magnate with a fortune of $95.5 billion was seen wearing a red sweater, gray pants and black sneakers as he waited with his hands in his pockets for his burger order on Sunday.

The meal would have cost the billionaire just $7.68 thanks to the drive-in's cheap prices where a deluxe burger costs $3.40, fries $1.90, and a large Coke $2.38.

The casual photo of the billionaire was posted on Facebook on Tuesday by a former Microsoft employee Mike Galos.

Billionaire Bill Gates, 63, was spotted in line at Dick's Drive-In burger joint in Seattle on Sunday

'THIS is how real rich people behave!' The photo of the billionaire waiting in line for his burger over the weekend has gone viral after it was posted in a Microsoft alumni group page

The photo was snapped in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle on Sunday evening by a Microsoft alum who posted the picture to a closed alumni board page.

'When you're worth about $100,000,000,000, run the largest charity in the history of the world and stand in line for a burger, fries and Coke at Dick's like the rest of us...' Galos captioned the photo which instantly went viral.

'THIS is how real rich people behave unlike the gold toilet seat wannabe poser in the White House,' he added, throwing a punch at President Donald Trump.

The picture has racked up 15,000 likes and 12,000 shares.

Galos said Gates is incredibly humble when it comes to his massive fortune and celebrity status.

'Bill's not big on attention but is generally friendly and understands he's a bit of a celebrity...I've chatted with him at parties before but on the street or in a restaurant I don't know him well enough to go over and say hi,' he said.

He's known to be a fan of Dick's, a burger chain in Seattle, Washington as well as a regular customer of Burgermaster in Bellevue

In 2011 he once said: 'I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there's a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that. But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. Dick's has not raised their prices enough'

Gates pictured above at Burgermaster, one of his favorite burger joints

Dining at Dick's Drive-In was a change for the Microsoft founder who is known to be a die-hard fan and loyal customer of Burgermaster in Bellevue.

Fans doted on seeing the billionaire's casual appearance at the fast-food chain.

'Nobody seems to notice him...he fits right in,' one Facebook user wrote.

'He's my kind of guy!' another added.

'Yo Bill! A deluxe and a chocolate shake?' another added.

'I know he's a sucker for a good, greasy tech-fuel burger,' one fan wrote.

Even though his fortune allows the tech giant to dine anywhere he'd like, Gates says that at a certain point it's all the same.

'I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there's a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that,' Gates said in 2011 during an appearance at the University of Washington.

'But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. Dick's has not raised their prices enough,' he added.A pensioner who claimed he had been 'cheated' out of 600 by a furniture retailer has gone viral after staging a one-man protest outside the store.

The unknown 70-year-old claims the firm delivered a half-leather, half-synthetic sofa despite paying extra for an all-leather material.

In protest at the alleged gaffe, he stood outside the firm's store in Longwell Green retail park in Bristol with a placard reading 'DFS cheated me of 600 (ask me how)'.

Among those to ask the OAP 'how' was Lee Kelly, who posted a picture of the protester and his story to social media.

The resulting furore forced DFS to back down and refund the disputed 600, although they questioned Lee's version of the dispute.

A pensioner who claimed he had been 'cheated' out of 600 by a furniture retailer has gone viral after staging a one-man protest outside the store

Among those to ask the OAP 'how' was Lee Kelly, who posted a picture of the protester and his story to social media (pictured)

Lee posted on Saturday: 'He chose a brown leather sofa and it wasn't all leather only the working surfaces ie, seat and top of arms, so he wanted the sofa to be completely leather and agreed to pay an extra 600.

'When the sofa was delivered and in the house, he then realised It was only half leather and faux leather, he had paid the 600 extra and still didn't get a full leather sofa. Also the seat has sagged in 1 Week.

'DFS have offered him 300 back and have told him "you've got what you paid for".'

Lee added: 'The guy is 70 years of age and has said he doesn't want to be doing this at his age, his wife is worried he will get in trouble and watches from M&S.

'Please could everyone share this across social media in a hope that someone from DFS sees this and refunds his money, not only that but replaces the sofa for a full leather sofa as it was first sold to him.'

The post received over 19,000 likes and 11,000 comments from Facebook users who were outraged with the furniture retailer.

The unknown man claims the firm delivered a half-leather, half-synthetic sofa despite paying extra for an all-leather material

Speaking today, Lee confirmed that he has been in contact with the man involved and says the issue has been resolved.

He said: 'DFS have given him the full 600 and taken the old couch back so the customer is happy it's been resolved.

'I just thought it was a bit unfair so decided to do something about it.' DFS confirmed on their Facebook page on Sunday that the issue had been dealt with.

A statement said: 'We've been made aware of an issue this weekend regarding one of our customers and a leather sofa that he was unhappy with.

'We'd like to thank everyone who has brought this to our attention. We've spoken to the customer concerned, and are pleased to say that the issue has now been resolved. Thanks.'

A spokeswoman for DFS said: 'We are extremely sorry that the customer in question was dissatisfied with his order, and that he felt the product he received didn't meet his expectations.

'We take any such issue very seriously, and having spoken with the customer, have resolved the issue to his satisfaction.

'The Facebook post related to this issue wasn't written by the customer, but by a passer-by who didn't have full sight of the details of the issue.

'The customer in question did receive a 100% leather sofa, but was raising an issue from a misunderstanding of what the leather upgrade he purchased entailed.

'We regret that the customer felt the need to go to these lengths, and for any misunderstanding caused, and for that we have apologised profusely.'Jeremy Corbyn could be hit by up to a dozen frontbench resignations if Labour back a second referendum on Brexit.

A string of junior shadow ministers are opposed to the idea of a second vote amid fears of a vicious backlash in leave-voting constituencies.

It comes as Corbyn and Prime Minister Theresa May bid to pull Westminster from the Brexit quagmire engulfing both major parties.

Jeremy Corbyn could be hit by up to a dozen frontbench resignations if Labour back a second referendum on Brexit. A string of junior shadow ministers are opposed to the idea of a second vote amid fears of a vicious backlash in leave-voting constituencies

One junior shadow minister told the Guardian: 'I would be in a really difficult position if we backed a second referendum.

'I would have little choice but to stand down if I was to have any hope of retaining my seat and representing my constituents.'

Another said: 'I would feel deeply uncomfortable about going into a people's vote at this stage. Given all the commitments that we made in the general election, we have to carry them out.

'This concept of blocking Brexit is wrong and would break a link with millions of our traditional voters who expect us to keep our word,'

Gloria De Piero, the shadow justice minister said she was not in favour of a second referendum.

While MP for Manchester Central Lucy Powell said that with no agreed Brexit deal in place, it was unclear what options would be offered on a second referendum.

She then went on to criticise referendums as a bad way of tackling complex issues.

Yesterday Corbyn ordered his MPs not to take part in Theresa May's desperate effort to win votes for her Brexit deal as the stalemate in Westminster deepened.

Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell (left) said that with no agreed Brexit deal in place, it was unclear what options would be offered on a second referendum. Gloria De Piero (right), the shadow justice minister said she was not in favour of a second referendum

The Labour leader has refused to meet the Prime Minister in the aftermath of Tuesday night's devastating vote unless she rules out ever allowing a no deal Brexit to happen.

But Labour moderates Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn immediately defied Jeremy Corbyn to hold talks with the Government while urging the PM to rule out a no deal Brexit .

The Labour MPs met with Theresa May's de-facto deputy David Lidington for the cross-party discussions called by the PM to find a way through the crisis.

Emerging from the talks in Whitehall this afternoon, they urged her to abandon her negotiating red lines to come up with a plan which can win Labour support.

But their presence at the meeting exposes deep splits in the Labour Party as Mr Corbyn emailed his MPs today to order them not to hold talks with No10.

The Labour leader has refused the PM's offer to take part in the talks - branding the offer a 'stunt' in order to run down the clock on the Brexit negotiations.

The message came after senior Labour backbenchers Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper (pictured) - both leading moderates - went to the Cabinet Office for talks

Speaking after the talks Mr Benn, chairman of the Brexit select committee, said: 'The government has to rule out no deal. That's the first step.

'Secondly, the Prime Minister needs to change her red lines.'

Ms Cooper, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: 'The most important thing now is that the Government actually listens and it doesn't just think that a defeat that was that huge can simply be dismissed.'

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured at a hospital in Hastings today) has emailed all of his MPs to tell not to attend Brexit talks with the Government until she takes the threat of no deal off the table

The Labour leader sent out a message to his MPs telling them to back his snub of the PM's offer for talks

The pair went along to the talks despite being told explicitly not to by their party leader.

In an email to all his MPs today, Mr Corbyn wrote: 'I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain for engagement with the Government until 'no deal' is taken off the table.'

The pair said they had attended the meeting in their capacity as the heads of their respective select committees.

A smiling John Mann, a Leave-supporting Labour MP and long-term critic of Mr Corbyn, was spotted coming out of the Cabinet Office in Whitehall at around 12.20pm, an hour after the leader's speech.

Meanwhile, other Labour MPs have slammed their leader for refusing to sit down for the talks at a time of national crisis.

Labour MP Mike Gapes tweeted: 'Apparently Corbyn is prepared to hold talks with Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad and Iran without preconditions. But not with the UK Prime Minister. Why?'

Mrs May is holding cross-party talks after her Brexit deal was overwhelmingly defeated in the Commons on Tuesday night.

A staggering 432 MPs voted against it and just 202 back her plan. The 230 vote loss was the biggest defeat ever inflicted on a British Prime Minister.

Tony Blair slams Jeremy Corbyn for snubbing the PM's offer of Brexit talks Tony Blair (pictured today in London) accused Jeremy Corbyn of trying to dodge the thorny issue of Brexit Tony Blair today joined condemnation of Jeremy Corbyn for refusing to hold Brexit talks with the PM. Mr Blair said it was wrong for the Opposition leader to snub a meeting with the premier at a 'moment of national crisis'. The Labour former PM accused Mr Corbyn of deliberately avoiding engagement on Brexit. 'If, in a moment of national crisis, the Prime Minister asks the Leader of the Opposition to come and talk, of course he should,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He added: 'At some point he is going to have to make his position clear,' he said. 'It is quite hard to read the runes sometimes in Labour policy right now, but, as I understand, our position is that if the no confidence motion fails, as it has, then there is an overwhelming majority for supporting putting this back to the people.' Advertisement

Speaking in Hastings today, Mr Corbyn doubled down on his demand that the PM take any chance of a no deal Brexit off the table before he would be prepared to speak with her.

And in a letter to the PM, he said that she must abandon her Brexit deal and start from scratch.

Addressing a press conference in the Tory marginal constituency of Hastings, he said: 'Last night's offer for talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt - not a serious attempt to to engage with that the new reality that's needed.

'No sooner had she said the words in Parliament than the government confirmed that she would not take no deal off the table.

'With no deal still on the table, the prime minister would enter into phoney talks just to run down the clock and try to blackmail MPs to vote through her botched deal on a second attempt by threatening the country with the chaos of no deal if they resist a second time.'

He risked infuriating his Remain-backing MPs by refusing to immediately endorse a second referendum.

Instead he said Labour wants a general election - and indicated that Labour will table more votes of no confidence in the Government as he doges making a choice on a second public vote.

Although he repeated Labour party policy that 'all options' are on the table.

On holding more no confidence votes, he said: 'We will come back on it again if necessary because we are determined...to give people the choice about who their MP should be.

'In the meantime all options are on the table, we are serious about finding a way through.

'If the government remains intransigent...and the country is facing the potential disaster of no deal then our duty will be to look at the options set out in our conference motion - including that of a public vote.'

And in a letter to the PM, he told her she must ditch her EU Withdrawal Agreement and draw up a new exit plan.

He wrote: 'Labour is open to meaningful discussions. But following the decisive rejection of the government's deal by MPs on Tuesday, those cannot be on the basis of your existing red lines.

'It is clear that no tweaks or further assurances are going to win support for the government's Brexit deal in Parliament.

'We have set out an alternative framework for a better deal: based upon a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union; a strong Single Market deal; and guarantees that there can be no race to the bottom on rights and standards.

'That is the consistent position that Labour has outlined over the past year.

Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street last night) has offered to hold Brexit talks with the Labour leader - but he has sparked fury by snubbing her offer

'I am disappointed that there have already been several briefings in which you continue to rule out a customs union.

'A new customs union is part of a solution favoured by most businesses and trade unions, and one that I believe could command a majority of the House of Commons.'

Mr Corbyn has faced a storm of criticism from MPs - including Labour backbenchers - for refusing the PM's offer of talks.

And this morning Tony Blair also attacked his decision, saying it is wrong to make the snub at a 'moment of national crisis'.

The Labour former PM accused Mr Corbyn of deliberately avoiding engagement on Brexit.

'If, in a moment of national crisis, the Prime Minister asks the Leader of the Opposition to come and talk, of course he should,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He added: 'At some point he is going to have to make his position clear.

'It is quite hard to read the runes sometimes in Labour policy right now, but, as I understand, our position is that if the no confidence motion fails, as it has, then there is an overwhelming majority for supporting putting this back to the people.'Matthew Biano, 21, (pictured) has been charged with theft of a firearm and engaging in organized crime in connection to the November 14 heist

A suspected methamphetamine addict has been accused of stealing 200 guns from his grandparents' home in Texas last fall.

Matthew Biano, 21, has been charged with theft of a firearm and engaging in organized crime in connection to the November 14 heist at his familys residence in the 400 block of Bluebonnet Trail in Deer Park.

Court documents state that Biano's grandmother said her grandson is addicted to meth and blamed him for stealing her and her husbands collection of firearms valued at $20,000.

It is not clear why the Texas couple had so many weapons.

Three other accomplices have been arrested over the past three months and charged in connection to the theft, including Zackary Hoppe, Kaci Walker and Derek Hall.

A fifth suspect, 20-year-old Morgan Sproles, had a warrant issued for her arrest but was killed in an unrelated shooting in Houston in early December.

Walker, a 23-year-old mother-of-two, was arrested on December 5 on a count of possession of a controlled substance and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Two weeks later, police picked up Hoppe, 39, and also charged him with possession of a controlled substance.

Hall, 36, was arrested on January 4 on a count of fraudulent use of identifying information and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Biano's grandmother and her husband (pictured together) reportedly told police the 21-year-old is a meth addict and blamed him for the break-in and theft

Biano and his accomplices are accused of stealing 200 guns from his family's home in Bluebonnet Train in Deer Park (pictured) on November 14, 2018

During an interview with police, Biano reportedly admitted to breaking into a locked bedroom inside his grandparents home that housed their cache of guns and stealing the weapons.

He said Hall and Walker took part in the heist - a claim both suspects later corroborated.

The trio then loaded the stolen weapons into a car and drove to a hotel on Airport Boulevard, where some of the guns were sold, while others were traded for drugs, the court papers obtained by KPRC stated.

According to the documents, Sproles helped sell the guns.

During a police interview before her death, the 20-year-old allegedly admitted to knowing that the weapons were stolen.

( L to R) Zackary Hoppe, Kaci Walker, Matthew Biano and Derek Hall have been charged in connection to a Texas gun heist targeting Biano's grandparents

Walker, a 23-year-old mother-of-two (left), was arrested on a count of possession of a controlled substance and engaging in organized criminal activity. Hall, 36 (right), was arrested for fraudulent use of identifying information and engaging in organized criminal activity

Another suspect, 20-year-old Morgan Sproles (pictured), had a warrant issued for her arrest but was killed in an unrelated shooting in Houston in early December

When Hoppe was pulled over by cops earlier this month for a minor vehicular infraction, they found a half-dozen of the stolen guns hidden under the hood of his car. A search of the vehicle also yielded crystal meth, leading to the drug possession charge.

When questioned by police, Hoppe allegedly said he drove Biano, Walker and Hall to the hotel after the gun theft, and helped sell some of the guns.

Biano is being held in jail on bonds totaling $25,000. He is due back in court on January 24.Dramatic footage shows the moment a man was shot dead by police after he opened fire on them as they responded to a report he had assaulted his girlfriend.

Wayne Falana Jr, 35, was killed in a shootout with Clearwater police in Florida on December 26 after he shot at them.

Four officers were cleared by a Pinellas-Pasco State Attorneys Office report which was released Wednesday and revealed new details about the incident, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Wayne Falana Junior, 35, (left) was killed in a shootout with Clearwater police in Florida on December 26. His girlfriend Annie Vann (right) fled the scene

Falana is seen running out onto the street where he shot at officers who then fired back at him

Officers said Falana opened fire with an M-11 9 mm (pictured) and fired 13 rounds during the incident

The report describes the events that occurred when officers arrived at an address at 1438 Gulf to Bay Boulevard, which Falana was using as a recording studio.

Police were contacted by the family of Falana's girlfriend via Facebook and told that that he had beaten her and that she feared for her life.

Officers spent 30 minutes trying to find Annie Vann in the apartment complex, Police Chief Dan Slaughter said.

Accorting to a prosecutors' report Falana had told her: 'Call the police. I aint scared.

'Im going to go. Youre going to go. Im ready to die, everybodys going to die'.

The officers found her, then stood outside the back door of the apartment, trying to coax the woman to come outside. A video later released by police showed Falana opening fire on officers from inside the building.

Officers took cover while Falana ran to the front of the apartment where officers spotted him through a window, the report said.

Officers (pictured) scrambled for cover while Falana fired multiple rounds at them from the door of his apartment

Smoke can be seen billowing from the door after Falana fired several shots at officers and hit a fire extinguisher

Seconds later Falana began shooting at officers through the glass door. The officers took cover behind their police cars and began firing back.

He then ran onto Gulf to Bay Boulevard, exchanging more gunfire with officers.

Falana then fell to the ground, still moving and disobeying officers to remain still. The officers continued firing, the report said. He died at the scene from 16 bullet wounds.

Officers Michael Spitaleri, Robert Main, Zachery Senter and Steven Buis were placed on administrative leave while the State Attorney investigated the shooting. They will return to duty this weekend.

Falana (pictured) is seen running to the road from his apartment and was still armed

Four officers are seen shooting at him and continue after he refused to listen to their orders and continued shooting

Falana in the far left distance falls to the ground after cops fire multiple shots at him

Cops then surround Falana, whose death was ruled as justifiable homicide this week

Sgt. Thomas Dawe, 41, had eight bullet holes in his pants, the report said, but somehow managed to escape injury.

Officer Robert Main said he felt a bullet jet right past his head and neck. He paused to pat the area to make sure he hadnt been hit.

The report ruled Falanas death to be justifiable homicide. Police Chief Dan Slaughter claimed it was one of the worst shooting incidents that he has seen in his 26 years serving the city.

Police were called to the scene at 1438 Gulf to Bay Boulevard

He told the Tampa Bay Times: 'I cant think of too many shootings weve had in Clearwater that have involved the exchange of multiple rounds like this.

'I dont think you can get any closer to losing an officer than you did on Dec. 26'.

Falana used three guns and fired 13 rounds during the incident, the report said. One had jammed and one was found near his body on the street.

According to state records, he had a criminal history that included charges of possession of cocaine and marijuana and resisting arrest without violence, according to state records.

'He wasnt supposed to be living there, he wasnt supposed to be selling marijuana, he wasnt supposed to be doing a lot of things. And he wasnt supposed to be in possession of a gun. Hes not a good man'.

The chief said his officers were very fortunate to escape injury or worse during the incident. He added: 'It was Christmas time. Its a blessing they werent hurt'.A passenger who jumped from the 11th floor balcony of a ship ended up being kicked off the cruise and banned from Royal Caribbean liners for life.

Nick Naydev, 27, from Vancouver, Washington, was travelling on the Symphony of the Seas with a group of friends when they filmed the 120ft jump while in the Bahamas.

A short video shared on Instagram shows Nick preparing to leap off the balcony, smiling and looking down at one of his friends who is holding the camera.

Nick Naydev, 27, climbs onto his 11th floor balcony, left, as his friends stand around him before jumping of the cruise ship, right, while it is docked in Nassau, the Bahamas

After a couple of seconds standing on the railings the daredevil jumps and falls towards the bright blue water as his friends nervously laugh.

In another clip of their prank, Nick is seen swimming in the water as his friends exclaim 'oh my gosh,' clearly relieved and surprised that their pal actually jumped.

Responding to the comments of his now viral video Nick said he was 'still drunk from the previous night' when he decided to jump.

He said: 'When I sobered up my back started hurting pretty bad. Could barely walk for 3 days and could barely sleep from the pain.'

Nick was later picked up by a small boat and told to 'get my stuff and leave the ship.'

In the comments he also said it cost him '$200 to fly back to Miami' after the stunt.

Luckily for the group the police in Nassau 'thought the situation was amusing and did not file legal actions.'

Nick's arms and legs swing as he falls towards the water and his friends laugh from the balcony

In a second clip Nick is seen swimming in the water after making the jump from the balcony

In another video his friend Konstantin Kryachun showed the group of men being spoken too by officials and escorted from the cruise liner.

He also revealed that they weren't thinking about the cruise company's response, but were focused on getting a good video.

He said: 'He's jumped from those kind of heights before, and we didn't really care about the consequences with the cruise company. We just wanted to get a video of it and make it go viral.'

However Nick said he was 'astonished' at how quickly the video has gone viral and added that he hopes he doesn't 'inspire anyone to try this.'

He said: 'My idea was this would be a good laugh for my friends and I would just swim back to shore and continue my vacation.'

On the same day he shared the jumping video, Nick posted a picture of him and Konstantin standing on the beach in Nassau, with a cruise liner in the distance.

In the caption he wrote: 'What a start to 2019 (This is my cameraman)' and commented 'lol thats our ship leaving without' [us].

Nick shared this picture of him, right, and Konstantin, left, on a beach with the caption 'what a start to 2019 (This is my cameraman)' and and commented 'lol thats our ship leaving without' us

Nick, pictured in Las Vegas in May, and his friends were made to leave the cruise ship after the incident and had to pay for their own flights home to the U.S.

Nick's Facebook profile explains how he's Bulgarian but was born in Germany before moving to the U.S. when he was three years old.

The cruise ship stunt is not the first time the daredevil has launched into the water or tried an extreme sport with him having previously shared several videos showing him on a jet ski, snowboarding and jumping from a height into the Columbia River.

The video has now been viewed more than 85,000 times but many people think the men were 'idiots' to jump from such a height.

One person wrote: 'What a stupid idiot! Now he's banned for life on the cruise line.'

Another said: 'U could have died. Next time u do something this idiotic. Please think of your parents.'

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: 'This was stupid and reckless behaviour and he and his companions have been banned from ever sailing with us again. We are exploring legal action.'Felix Beck has been jailed for a sex attack on a younger student at Edinburgh University

A Champagne-loving university student has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and then criticising her 'performance' in texts.

Felix Beck fancied himself as Edinburgh University's 'maddest fresher', with a student website describing him as having a 'bottle of Moet in each hand' and 'daddy's credit card' in his pocket.

But the 22-year-old collapsed in tears in the dock of Aberdeen's High Court today as he was handcuffed and led away to start a lengthy jail term.

He met a younger female student on Tinder before going back to her halls of residence, the court had heard.

The victim said she was inexperienced sexually and asked Beck to 'take control' before performing a sex act on him.

But Beck then turned nasty, grabbing her round the neck and digging his fingers in, the court heard.

The victim said she did not ask him to bite her on the thighs and he did not ask if he could bite her between her legs.

She told the trial: 'When he took his hand off my neck I told him I didn't like that. He didn't say anything.'

Party-loving Beck was described as the university's 'maddest fresher'. There is no suggestion the woman he is pictured with is linked to the case

In a message after the attack, he told her he 'wouldn't have become aggressive if she hadn't given him a s*** blowjob', the court heard.

The victim was left bruised and bleeding and now suffers from PTSD, the court heard.

Beck, of Edinburgh, claimed the woman told him she wanted to be spanked during the encounter and asked if he would like to choke her. But a jury found him guilty of sexual assault.

He was cleared of two other separate rapes but was jailed for three years and put on the sex offenders register for life.

Beck was jailed for three years today

Judge Lord Uist said: 'You come from a comfortable, indeed privileged background, and are in the fourth year of your studies.

'You have only yourself to blame for the situation in which you now find yourself which arises out of the lifestyle you were leading and your sense of sexual entitlement and arrogance.

'The way you treated your victim both during and after your violent attack was callous and disgraceful.

'I must have regard to your background but also to the consequences for your victim and the public interest in the protection of women and punishment of sexual crime.

'The crime was a grave one but not mitigated by any behaviour on your part and merits a custodial sentence.'Nordic countries are desperate for babies amid fears falling birth rates could see an end to the region's generous welfare state model.

The Nordic regions have long been a bastion of strong fertility rates on an old continent that is rapidly getting older.

But they are now experiencing a decline that threatens their cherished welfare model, which is funded by taxpayers.

Falling birth rates across the Nordic countries could mean an end to its welfare plan

Norway's Prime Minister, Erna Solberg (pictured above) said the region needs more children

Norway's Prime Minister, Erna Solberg issued a desperate plea to citizens and said 'Norway needs more children', as she raised concerns over the amount of children being born.

'Norway needs more children! I don't think I need to tell anyone how this is done.

'In the coming decades, we will encounter problems with this model,' Prime Minister Erna Solberg warned Norwegians in her New Year's speech.

'There will be fewer young people to bear the increasingly heavy burden of the welfare state.'

In Norway, Finland and Iceland, birth rates dropped to historic lows in 2017, with 1.49 to 1.71 children born per woman. Just a few years earlier, their birth rates hovered close to the 2.1 level required for their populations to remain stable.

'In all of the Nordic countries, birth rates started dropping in the years after the 2008 financial crisis,' University of Oslo sociologist Trude Lappegard told AFP.

'The crisis is over now but it's still falling.'

From Copenhagen to the North Cape, from Helsinki to Reykjavik, demographics across the Nordics reveal two things: there are fewer large families, and women are waiting longer before having their first child.

Finnish municipalities have already decided to loosen their purse strings to encourage locals to get busy under the covers (file image)

There's no single explanation, but financial uncertainty and a sharp rise in housing costs are seen as likely factors.

In the long term, this means there will be fewer people of working age to pay taxes that fund the generous state welfare systems.

These systems pay for, among other things, lengthy parental leaves, which in Sweden can last up to 480 days.

Experts present differing diagnoses and prescriptions to remedy the situation.

In Norway, one economist concerned about the effect the slowing demographics will have on economic growth has suggested giving women 500,000 kroner (42,000) in pension savings for each child born.

Another has suggested that, on the contrary, women in Norway who reach the age of 50 without having had a child should be paid one million kroner, since children also cost society a lot.

The Nordic region already boasts a wealth of family-friendly initiatives, such as flexible working hours, a vast network of affordable daycares and generous parental leave systems

Finnish municipalities have already decided to loosen their purse strings to encourage locals to get busy under the covers.

The town of Miehikkala, home to 2,000 people, is offering 10,000 for each baby born and raised in the municipality.

'The number of childless individuals is growing rapidly, and the number of women having three or more children is going down. This kind of fall is unheard of in modern times in Finland,' said Anna Rotkirch, a family sociologist at the umbrella organisation Finnish Family Federation.

In Denmark, Copenhagen has meanwhile turned its attention to men, who are in less of a hurry to become parents than women, with a campaign aimed at raising awareness about how sperm quality declines with age.

The Nordic region already boasts a wealth of family-friendly initiatives, such as flexible working hours, a vast network of affordable daycares and generous parental leave systems.

But when all that is still not enough to encourage people to have more children, immigration can be a lifeline - or a threat, depending on the point of view.

Sweden may have a falling birth rate, but it still comes in second in the EU behind France with 1.85 children born per woman in 2016.

That is largely due to Sweden's decades-long history of immigration: immigrant women tend to have more children than the average Swede.

With 2.6 children per woman in recent years, the town of Aneby in southern Sweden has one of the highest rates in the country, a phenomenon attributed to the fact that it opened its doors to immigrants two decades ago.

'Aneby welcomed around 225 Eritreans in the early 1990s and just after that (it took in) refugees from the Balkans. 1994 was a demographic record for the town,' local official Ola Gustafsson told AFP.

But population growth among minorities has also fuelled fears.

A former justice minister in Norway, Per-Willy Amundsen of the populist far-right, made headlines when he called for family allowances to be reduced after a third child.

His stated goal was to stop Somalis who, he said, had a higher 'birth production' rate than 'ethnic Norwegians'.A 50-stone Thai man has been rescued from his wooden home for emergency treatment after becoming housebound following two-decades of overeating.

Thongchai Jamjang, 26, began gaining weight when he was just eight-years-old in Prachuap Khiri Khan, southern Thailand.

His mother reportedly didn't think there was a problem until he began suffering breathing problems last month and suddenly lost his appetite.

His mother did not think there was a problem until Thongchai began suffering breathing problems last month and suddenly lost his appetite. Health workers finally intervened yesterday

Thongchai Jamjang, 26, was rescued from his beach-side home in Thailand after he became housebound due to his weight

Health workers finally intervened yesterday and found Thongchai naked on a mattress at his beach-side home.

Firemen and neighbours carried Thongchai from his home, first into a boat and then into a pick-up truck. He was too big to wear any clothes and had to be covered with a blanket.

Thongchai has now been admitted to hospital where medics hope to stabilise his health before attempting to fit a gastric band.

Rescue worker Phukit Phokawat said the man was in a 'severe health crisis'.

He said: 'He obviously had breathing difficulty, making his blood oxygen shockingly low. All we could do was give him oxygen while waiting for him to get to the hospital.'

At 50-stone, Thongchai is battling a 'severe health crisis' and has difficulty breathing, a rescue worker said

Relatives said that with the house being next to the sea, Thongchai had always had easy access to an abundant supply of seafood arriving from fishing vessels.

He would eat plates of shrimp, prawns and fish as well as with sugar-laden Thai desserts.

After finally asking for help, four rescuers arrived on the scene but they were not able to carry him. They performed a checkup and waited for more backup from Pranburi hospital to move Thongchai.

Thongchai has now been admitted to hospital where medics hope to stabilise his health before attempting to fit a gastric band

Thirty officers and neighbours eventually gathered at the home to carry the man in his mattress out of his house through a narrow bamboo bridge.

He was carefully pulled with a handmade wooden ladder to a rescue boat and eventually reached the hospital a couple of hours later.

Thongchai's mother Pratum Jamjang said that her son had been dealing with obesity since he was eight years old.

She decided to take Thongchai to a local hospital in 2012 when his weight reached 230 kilograms, but he refused treatment.

Pratum said: 'A doctor told him to have stomach surgery, making it smaller to make him eat less. But he is too afraid, so he denied the treatment and went back home.'

Pratum said never thought her son's weight would cause health problems until last month when she noticed that he started to have a breathing problem and loss of appetite.

She added: 'His health was getting worse so I decided called the rescue volunteer unit and ask for help.'Louis CK performed at the San Jose Improv in California on Wednesday night to a sold-out audience. He is pictured in 2016. No photos have been allowed at his shows since he was caught up in the #MeToo scandal

A male protester was reportedly punched in the face outside Louis CK's California show on Wednesday night, allegedly by an audience member who made their way into the building after launching the attack.

Around 30 protesters had descended on CK's show in San Jose to try to stop him from returning to the stage.

The 51-year-old, whose real name is Louis Szekely, was one of the most prominent villains of the #MeToo movement after it emerged he had masturbated in front of female comics for years.

He apologized for his behavior and vowed to take a 'step back' from the limelight at the end of 2017, but has been quietly performing at stand-up shows again since August.

On Wednesday, he performed at the San Jose Improv to a sold-out performance and made light of the scandal.

'I like to jerk off, and I dont like being alone,' he told the crowd.

He also tried to laugh off the criticism he received for mocking the survivors of the Parkland school shooting, a joke which he was skewered for last year, saying: 'If you ever need people to forget that you jerked off, what you do is you make a joke about kids that got shot.'

If you ever need people to forget that you jerked off, what you do is you make a joke about kids that got shot.'

CK also invoked 9/11 to try to win laughs.

'I got on a plane once. And this couple comes up to me as were boarding. Theres an empty seat next to me, and this woman says to me, "Would you mind moving so my husband and I can sit together?"

'And hes behind her and hes like [motions  no]. I didnt know what to do. I dont wanna upset him. But I dont wanna sit with his f****** wife. So I just got off the plane.

'And then the plane took off. And it hit the World Trade Center,' he said.

No photographs were allowed at the show.

According to The Daily Beast, audience members had to put their phones in sealed cases that could only be unlocked in the lobby in order to stop people taking photos and videos.

Activists from the Enough is Enough Voter Project were outraged that CK had been given a spot and descended on the venue with megaphones and signs to share their fury.

Their group was mostly made up of women but a second, smaller group which had just two protesters in it, included the man who was reportedly punched.

Thirty protesters from Enough is Enough, a voter movement, descended on the San Jose Improv to fight his performance. The man who was reportedly punched has not been pictured or named

The protesters were angry that CK had been given a slot when a year ago, he was exposed for masturbating in front of female comedians

The comedian was not pictured at the event. He is performing again on Thursday night

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the alleged victim, who has not been named, was hit as she shouted into a bullhorn.

His alleged attacker was also male. He is said to have entered the club afterwards.

Officers from the San Jose Police Department told DailyMail.com on Thursday that they were not aware of any such incident.

CK's shows since he returned to the stage have been filled with controversial content including jokes about the survivors of the Parkland school shooting and sexually explicit, racist barbs jibes directed at Asians.

The comedian found himself at the heart of the #MeToo movement in November 2017 when five women spoke out about how he had masturbated in front of them.

All were actresses or comedians themselves and the women said they felt they had no choice but to go along with his lewd behavior because they thought he could further - or damage - their careers.

He apologized unreservedly afterwards despite still maintaining support from his fans and some people in Hollywood.

Among those who spoke out in favor of him but later walked-back her claims was Sarah Silverman.

He will perform again at the San Jose Improv on Thursday night. No other shows have yet been announced on his website.

Victims: Julia Wolov (left) and Dana Goodman (right) were among women to speak out against the comedianA heartbroken father has recalled the moment he found out his daughter had died while bushwalking on a remote mountain.

Felicity Shadbolt, 36, disappeared on Sunday after going for a run on Mount Nameless, near Tom Price in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

The mother-of-two's body was found about 7pm on Wednesday just 500m from a caravan park after a frantic search by dozens of volunteers in 46C heat.

Heartbroken father David Dick (right) has recalled the moment he found out his daughter Felicity Shadbolt, 36, (left) had died while bushwalking on a remote mountain

Mr Dick, 64, said he hadn't seen much of Ms Shadbolt since she (right) and her husband Drew (left) moved to the outback mining town three years ago

An hour later her father David Dick, at his house in Ms Shadbolt's hometown of Shepparton in Victoria's Goulburn Valley, got a call from his older daughter Jennifer he'll never forget.

'I was just getting in to bed when the phone rang and it was Jen saying they found her and... it wasn't good,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It took so long to find her that we realised after two or three days that it didn't look good and were resigned to it ending terribly.

'But when I got the call I was just numb.'

Their last contact was when he wished her a Merry Christmas as she and her seven-year-old twin daughters played on the beach with friends in Exmouth, WA (pictured Ms Shadbolt marrying her husband Drew in October 2009)

Mr Dick walked Ms Shadbolt down the aisle at her wedding in October 2009

Father and daughter pose with Francis Shadbolt, a relative of the groom Drew Shadbolt

Mr Dick, a former dairy farmer, said the whole family was struggling with not knowing how Ms Shadbolt died, alone at the foot of the mountain

Mr Dick, 64, said he hadn't seen much of Ms Shadbolt since she and her husband Drew moved to the outback mining town three years ago.

Their last contact was when he wished her a Merry Christmas as she and her seven-year-old twin daughters played on the beach with friends in Exmouth, WA.

'She sent a lovely text back with a photo of her and the twins, which I'll keep forever,' Mr Dick said.

The former dairy farmer said the whole family was struggling with not knowing how Ms Shadbolt died, alone at the foot of the mountain.

There were fears she succumbed to heatstroke in scorching temperatures, but police have also refused to rule out foul play as homicide detectives fly in to investigate.

Ms Shadbolt (pictured with her twin girls Macie and Harper) regularly ran the numerous trails around Mount Nameless, knowing them well

Felicity Shadbolt, 36, disappeared on Sunday after going for a run on Mount Nameless, near Tom Price in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The mother-of-two's body was found about 7pm on Wednesday just 500m from a caravan park after a frantic search by dozens of volunteers in 46C heat

Three weeks before she disappeared, Ms Shadbolt spent Christmas in Exmouth, WA, with her daughters, now both aged seven

'We're in the dark about what happened to her, it could be days or longer until we find out,' he said.

'She's incredibly fit and had two litres of water with her so it's hard to tell what happened.'

Ms Shadbolt regularly ran the numerous trails around Mount Nameless, knowing them well, and was in such good shape she competed in Tough Mudder and Spartan races.

Mr Dick said he was 'hanging in there' and leaning on good friends, but planned to go back to work on Friday as he needed to stay busy.

'If I stay home I'll just be sitting around with just my cat stewing about it all day and there's nothing worse, I'd go mad,' he said.

The former dairy farmer said the whole family was struggling with not knowing how Ms Shadbolt (pictured) died, alone at the foot of the mountain

Ms Shadbolt regularly ran the numerous trails around Mount Nameless, knowing them well, and was in such good shape she competed in Tough Mudder and Spartan races (pictured)

Felicity Shadbolt, 36, disappeared on Sunday after going for a run on Mount Nameless, near Tom Price in Western Australia's Pilbara region

About 35 people had been involved in a ground search including police, SES and members of the local community in the early hours of Tuesday

'At work I can concentrate on something else, take my mind off it, and cope better.'

Jennifer flew to Tom Price from her home in Howlong, near Albury, during the search along with Mr Dick's ex-wife and Ms Shadbolt's mother Barbara.

They described to him how dozens of locals volunteers to help police and the SES look for Ms Shadbolt, one of whom eventually found her.

'The whole town went out to look for her and I'm just so thankful. Especially since I imagine the scene is pretty devastating in that heat, it would be pretty ugly,' he said.

'People have been great here [in Shepparton] too, I've lived in this town nearly all my life and the support has been unbelievable.'

Eight years before her disappearance, Ms Shadbolt miraculously had given birth to twin girls 10 weeks early

Mr Dick said police told the family Ms Shadbolt's body would be transported to Port Headland then to Perth for a post-mortem.

Ms Shadbolt sent her husband a text about 12.50pm on Sunday saying she's be home in 20 minutes. She never made it.

The main track to the summit of Mount Nameless for a breathtaking view of the landscape and Rio Tinto iron ore mine is 4.5km and takes three hours.

Her car was found parked in a car park at the base of the mountain soon after her disappearance, but she was nowhere to be found.

Friends and family send condolences to her husband Drew (right) who she married in October 2009

Ms Shadbolt with her two daughters at the beach in Exmouth at Christmas where they holidayed with close friends

Police said she was wearing an Apple watch for her run, but it was not connected to the internet and so couldn't be used to trace her movements.

Eight years before her disappearance, Ms Shadbolt miraculously had given birth to twin girls 10 weeks early.

Ms Shadbolt moved with her family to become a senior site manager at recruitment and labour hire firm WorkPac.

Friends and family flooded social media with tributes, along with best wishes for her husband and children, after earlier pleading for her to come home.An author and his real estate agent wife are said to have been murdered by their 'reclusive' son who then turned the gun on himself.

Lorraine and Robert Ficken were found with gunshot wounds on Tuesday afternoon in their $700, 000 home in Sammamish, Washington, along with son Matthew.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office said Microsoft worker Matthew died of a shotgun wound to the head and his death was ruled a suicide.

The couple had split amicably ten years ago but still lived together with their son, The Seattle Times reports.

A weapon was found at the home and police are now investigating the motives for the murders.

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Real estate agent Lorraine Ficken, left, was found dead alongside her husband Robert. The couple are said to have been killed by their own son, Matthew, right

Lorraine and Robert Ficken were found with gunshot wounds in their home, pictured in Sammamish, Washington, along with son Matthew who is thought to have killed them both before turning the gun on himself

Police, pictured outside the home following the murder suicide, said relatives asked for them to carry out a welfare check on the family

Neighbor Jennifer Eiken told Kiro 7: '(Lorraine Ficken's) son was very kind of reclusive. I knew he had a great job working for Microsoft. He worked from home.

'She was the sweetest woman in the world. Just so sweet.'

Lorraine, 68, had sold homes since 1992. Her husband Robert was a well known local historian and author who wrote books about Washington.

Police said relatives asked for them to check on the family but said there were no recent calls to them from the home before the murder suicide.

Lorraine's brother-in-law, John Mance, told The Seattle Times: 'Lorraine was a very accomplished Realtor. She was pretty upbeat. She liked to laugh a lot.

'You would never meet a family of sisters that could be closer. They're all helpful and outgoing. The sisterhood bond, I've never seen anything like it.'

Managing broker Marilyn Green said her colleague was 'was one of the nicest people we've ever known'.

She said of Lorraine in a statement: 'She was one of our top producers, and served her clients without fault. We have been hearing from so many clients who are in tears over this tragedy. It is a huge loss for so many and Lorraine will be greatly missed.'

Robert was a 'gifted historian' who had written several books and had earned a doctoral degree from the University of Washington

Lorraine had been planning to retire and had bought a home to live near her eldest sister in Sherwood.

Robert, 72, as described as a 'gifted historian' who had earned a doctoral degree from the University of Washington.

He co-wrote Washington: A Centennial History with Charles LeWarne, who said: 'I just had tremendous respect for him. He was very quiet but not reserved. He was very confident, very astute. It was really an honor to work with him.'The bullet-riddled body of a Canadian gold miner has been discovered in Burkina Faso the day after he was kidnapped at gunpoint by suspected Islamist militants.

Kirk Woodman, who was from Halifax and believed to be in his 50s, went missing from a mining camp in the north of the country on Tuesday night.

Officials said the badly wounded body of a white man was discovered 62 miles away on Wednesday and taken to hospital, where it was identified as Mr Woodman.

Kirk Woodman, from Halifax and believed to be in his 50s, was kidnapped at gunpoint from a mining camp in northern Burkina Faso on Tuesday night before his body was found Wednesday

His son, Matt, confirmed his death, saying: 'Kirk was a loving and hardworking husband, father, son and brother.

'Not a day will go by that he won't be missed. Our family would like to thank everyone for the love and support we've received, but we ask for privacy while we grieve during this difficult time.'

The country's foreign minister, Alpha Barry, said it was with great emotion and sorrow that the government learned of Woodman's death.

'The government of Burkina condemns with the utmost energy this cowardly assassination and reassures that an investigation is opened and all the measures will be taken to find and punish the guilty,' he said.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland added: 'This is a terrible crime and Canada is absolutely committed to working with the authorities in Burkina Faso to bring those responsible to justice.

'Our first thought is with his family and friends who received really dreadful news.'

Woodman is the second Canadian to go missing in Burkina Faso in recent weeks, according to Burkina Faso Security Minister Clement Sawadogo.

Quebec resident Edith Blais, 34, and her Italian friend Luca Tacchetto were travelling by car in the southwest when all communication with their families abruptly ended on December 15.

He is the second Canadian to go missing in the country in recent weeks, after Edith Blais, 34, (right) disappeared alongside Italian friend Luca Tacchetto (left) on December 15

Burkina Faso declared a state of emergency a little over two weeks ago after an ambush attack by an al-Qaeda umbrella group killed ten gendarmes (file image)

Sawadogo referred to their disappearance as a kidnapping.

Mr Woodman graduated from Acadia University, in Nova Scotia, in 1985 and spent 30 years working in the mining exploration and development industry.

For the last 15 years he has been exploring for gold in the West Africa region as vice president for exploration at Progress Minerals, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A total of 255 people have been killed in Burkina Faso by militants linked to both al-Qaeda and ISIS since, but al-Qaeda was the more active presence last year.

In March the terrorist group Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al-Qaeda umbrella group, launched an attack near the capital Ouagadougou which killed eight members of the security forces.

In the most recent attack ten gendarmes were gunned to death in December after being ambushed by militants as they responded to a school fire.

That attack prompted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to declare a state of emergency across the northern provinces, where Mr Woodman went missing.

Burkina Faso is part of a five-nation security alliance - which includes Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger - known as the G5 Sahel who have committed to wiping out extremist groups in the region, including the likes of Boko Haram.Two winter storms are marching across the U.S. and are expected to dump snow on the Midwest and Northeast before a polar vortex brings bone-chilling cold to 200 million across the county.

The first storm will arrive in the Northeast overnight Thursday, with one to three inches of snow expected in New York City, while the second 'blockbuster' storm could dump up to seven inches on Sunday.

'Freezing rain, heavy snow, and heavy rain are expected in association with the storm system through the central and eastern U.S. over the next few days,' the National Weather Service said of the second storm in a flash bulletin on Thursday.

'The second of two storms this week will be a blockbuster in terms of impact from dangerous blizzard conditions,' said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, calling the first storm a 'nuisance storm'.

In satellite the images from Thursday afternoon, the first 'nuisance storm' is seen approaching the East Coast, while the bigger 'blockbuster' storm rolls east from California

This map shows the expected snow accumulation in inches over the coming weekend

A winter storm watch is in effect for much of New England and upstate New York

Strong winds may accompany the snow in the Midwest, potentially leading to blizzard conditions in some areas.

'Heavy snow will begin by Friday evening over the central plains and then progress eastward by the weekend,' the NWS advised. 'Some thunderstorms will also be possible across the Gulf Coast region.'

Forecasts call for as much as 40 inches of snow in parts of northern New England, with 30 inches likely in parts of central and northern New York state.

The one-two punch of storms has the potential to severely snarl travel over the long weekend for Martin Luther King Jr Day.

Those with flight plans are warned to expect major delays and possibly some cancellations this weekend at the major Northeast hubs, including Boston-Logan, Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Dulles and Reagan National airports

Last year, nearly 8 million people flew between Friday and Monday of the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday.

The storm system set to hit the Northeast over the weekend could bring feet of snow in places

Some areas could see ice covering, making roads slick and travel dangerous this weekend

Following the second storm system, a blast of arctic air is expected to plunge south from Canada across the Plains and Midwest on Saturday, hitting the East Coast on Sunday.

Temperatures could drop some 15 to 25 degrees below normal due to the polar vortex, according to the NWS.

On Sunday, the low temperature is forecast at eight degrees in New York City, with wind chills reaching a bone-chilling minus-20.

Sunday's lows are forecast at 9 degrees in Chicago, minus-3 in Cincinnati, 7 in Boston, 10 in Washington DC and 20 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On Thursday morning, California was receiving the brunt of a severe winter storm, and very heavy snow is expected to continue for the Sierra Nevada and also the mountains of northern California.

Blizzard warnings were in effect through Thursday morning for the highest elevations, with snowfall amounts in excess of three feet expected.

In addition to the heavy snow, heavy rain will also fall across the lower elevations, with most of it happening through Thursday evening.

Caltrans reported a storm total of 37 inches of snow in Kingvale since Tuesday.

In California, jackknifed tractor-trailer creates chaos near Truckee as the storm hit Wednesday

In California, eastbound I-80 traffic came to a halt on Wednesday night at Kingvale and Castle Peak a due to a jackknifed tractor-trailer as the area saw blizzard conditions

Crews work to remove a pickup truck that spun out on 1-80 in California on Thursday

A work crew removes branches from a tree on Mission Street in San Francisco on Thursday. Heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled much of California Thursday

The storm halted traffic on Interstate 80 through the Sierra Nevada overnight on Wednesday, with 44 inches of snow forecast on Donner Summit.

Heavy snow from the storm also caused an empty private jet to pop a wheelie.

Employees of Truckee Tahoe Airport returned to work on Wednesday to find the Citation X jet had performed the impressive stunt overnight after a foot-and-a-half of snow blanketed the region.

Photos showed the snow - dubbed 'Sierra cement' for its thick and heavy texture - weighing down the jet's tail and rear engines, causing its nose to lift off the ground into a stationary wheelie.

Heavy snow from a series of deadly California storms caused a private jet (pictured) to pop a wheelie on Wednesday

Photos showed the snow weighing down the Citation X's tail and rear engines, causing its nose to lift off the ground into a stationary wheelie

'Morning after 16'+ of heavy #SierraCement at elevation 5,901' in Truckee Tahoe. A Citation X tail-dragging,' the Truckee Tahoe Airport said in a Facebook post.

Mark Lamb, the aviation and community services manager at the airport, told Reno Gazette Journal that the aircraft's massive engines in the rear 'tend to be a little tail heavy anyway' and made it easier for the snow to weigh it down.

A moderate risk of rainfall has been issued for a small area in southern California, particularly where the burn scars exist in the Los Angeles region.

Precipitation will begin to wind down by Thursday night and into Friday morning as the frontal system progresses farther inland across the Intermountain West.Officials in Colorado have begun searching a waste management facility just over 40 miles southeast of the home of missing mom Kelsey Berreth.

Authorities are currently looking for possible remains at the Midway Landfill near the town of Wigwam, one month after charging her fiancee Patrick Frazee with her murder.

'The Colorado Bureau of Investigation contacted Waste Management of Colorado regarding a potential search at Midway Landfill and we are cooperating fully,' said a Waste Management spokesperson when asked for comment.

ABC News was the first to report this new development.

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New site: The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is now looking at the Midway Landfill (above) in their ongoing search to find the remains of Kelsey Berreth

Map: A Waste Management spokesperson confirmed that officials were searching the area, a little over 40 miles southeast of Berreth's home

A friend of Frazee whose granddaughter was a frequent playmate of the accused killer's daughter Kaylee told CNN that Frazee and Berreth had split back on New Year's Day in 2018, just three months after the couple welcomed daughter Kaylee.

That contradicts comments made by Berreth's aunt suggesting that her niece had broken up with Frazee on November 22, the day she was last seen in public.

Authorities have since charged Frazee with first-degree murder despite the fact that Berreth's body and remains have yet to be found.

The defendant and his legal team were unable to see the arrest document until late last month, a full 10 days after Frazee was taken into custody.

At the same time, a woman from Idaho has reportedly become a person of interest in the investigation.

Two individuals who have worked with that Idaho woman, Krystal Lee, say that she and Frazee had been in a romantic relationship for months.

The 32-year-old nurse is believed to have possibly disposed of Berreth's phone in Idaho in the days after she was last seen alive.

DailyMail.com spoke with two people who know Lee professionally, and they both said that they had been told that Frazee was having an affair with the woman.

Lee was divorced from her husband a few years back, they explained, and had met Frazee at a rodeo.

It has been almost a month since police charged Patrick Frazee with the murder of Berreth despite no evidence of a body or her remains

Neither of those individuals knew exactly when the relationship started, but they believed it could have been as early as 2016 - prior to the birth of Frazee's daughter with Berreth.

One of the the people DailyMail.com spoke with also said that Lee was in Colorado around Thanksgiving.

That would explain how Frazee was able to get the cell phone to Idaho while never leaving the state.

It was reported last month that police in Idaho had discovered information pertaining to the missing mom's cell phone.

The Twin Falls Police Department revealed that officers from the force played a role in the investigation by obtaining search warrants and examining evidence in the case.

Berreth's cell phone pinged off a tower in Gooding, Idaho, on November 25, three days after she went missing and around the same time her employer received a text stating that she would not be in for work that week. The location it pinged is about 800 miles from where Berreth was last seen.

The affair revelation comes three days after Patrick Frazee was formally indicted on murder charges in the case, though no additional arrests have been made in the month since he was taken into custody.

The complaint that was filed in the case did state however that Frazee had plotted the murder of Berreth with at least one other individual in the three months before she went missing.

And while authorities have yet to discover a body or any of Berreth's remains at this time, prosecutors said that there investigation has yielded enough evidence to suggest the two ways in which the 29-year-old mother was killed by her fiance.

Three men, little lady: Berreth poses with a belt buckle, some friends and baby Kaylee last year

Custody of the 15-month-old baby was granted to the parents of Berreth after officials announced that they believed the missing mom, 29, was dead.

That same day her fiance, Frazee, was charged with her murder.

The custody ruling was only a temporary one however, after Sheila Frazee filed a motion declaring she wanted parental rights to the infant.

A Temporary Emergency Custody Order was made by the Teller County Department of Human Services on December 27 that placed Kaylee in the temporary physical custody of her maternal grandparents while granting legal custody to TCDHS.

A follow-up hearing earlier this month was continued to February, and the Berreths will retain custody of Kaylee until that time, though the girl's legal guardian remains the state.

Sheila has remained a staunch defender of her son through this all, despite not speaking publicly once.

The mother-of-three is at all of her son's hearings, filed the custody motion and for the past 20 years has lived alone with Frazee on her 35-acre ranch.

She was also detained when her son was arrested, but never charged or accused of being involved in the death of Berreth.

Frazee had been plotting the murder for close to three months, according to court documents.

The three counts of Solicitation to Commit Murder in the First Degree all state that 'between and including September l, 2018 and November 1,2018, Patrick Frazee unlawfully and feloniously commanded, induced, entreated, or otherwise attempted to persuade another person to commit the felony of murder in the first degree.'

That would have been just a few months after Berreth purchased a home in Woodland Park for her and infant daughter Kaylee.

She spent $184,900 on a two-bedroom property about 15 miles away from the ranch where Frazee lived with his mother despite the fact that the two were engaged.

That home is where authorities believe Berreth was murdered on or around November 22.

Berreth was last seen at a Safeway store in Woodland Park on Thanksgiving.MPs holding Brexit talks with the Government today have been warned that it would take a year to hold another EU referendum.

Officials in the Cabinet Office have drawn up an A4 page of advice detailing what they think would be the timescales of holding another vote.

The advice was shown to MPs across the political divide who held talks with Theresa May and her ministers today as No10 tries to break the brexit deadlock.

It comes as it was revealed that MPs will not vote on a Brexit plan for another fortnight - a week later than expected.

The announcement comes amid accusations that Mrs May is running down the clock on the crunch negotiations.

Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom today revealed the Commons will get to vote on the Government's proposed Brexit 'next steps' on January 29.

That will be two weeks after Mrs May 's Brexit blueprint was rejected by a staggering 230 votes - the biggest defeat ever inflected on a British Prime Minister.

The revelation comes as the PM faces furious accusations from Labour that she is 'running down the clock' on negotiations to 'blackmail' MPs into backing her deal at the last minute.

Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom (pictured todayin the Commons) revealed the Commons will get to vote on the Government's proposed Brexit 'next steps' on January 29

Mrs May has denied the claim, and is holding meetings with political opponents as she scrambles to draw up a Brexit plan which can command the support of MPs.

Commons leader Mrs Leadsom told MPs: 'A statement and a motion on the Government's next steps under section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act will be tabled on Monday.

Lidington and Gove pitch in for charm offensive on Brexit plan Whitehall was buzzing with politicians heading to and from Brexit talks today. Theresa May has put her effective deputy David Lidington in charge of coordinating the cross-party efforts. But Environment Secretary Michael Gove - a key figure in the Leave campaign - is also playing a critical role. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson could use his strong links with the DUP to try and win over the government's allies. Mrs May is hosting MPs in Downing Street, while other meetings are taking place in the Cabinet Office on Whitehall. The buildings are connected. Advertisement

'A full day's debate on the motion will take place on Tuesday January 29, subject to the agreement of the House.'

The Government will use the January 29 debate to outline what it plans to do next in the Brexit talks in a motion - exactly two months before Brexit day.

Crucially, the motion can be amended by MPs, who will use it to try to shape Brexit - for example by calling for a second referendum, a softer Norway-style exit, or an extension of Article 50.

The news of the looming Commons clash comes as Mrs May desperately scrambles to try to come up with a Brexit Plan B.

The PM has spent the past 24 hours holding meetings with MPs from rival factions across the Commons - including the leaders of the SNP, Greens, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru.

But Jeremy Corbyn has snubbed her invitation - demanding that she rules out a no deal Brexit before he will even sit down with her.

This morning the PM hosted hardline Brexiteers from inside her own party - including Steve Baker, David Davis and Iain Duncan-Smith for discussions at No10 as she tries to strike a compromise.

Speaking outside Number 10 late last night, Mrs May said: 'I understand that to people getting on with their lives, away from Westminster, the events of the past 24 hours will have been unsettling.

'Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and also address the other important issues they care about.

'But the deal which I have worked to agree with the European Union was rejected by MPs, and by a large margin. I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people's instruction to leave the EU. And I intend to do so.'

Tory Brexiteers including (left to right) Owen Paterson, Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, Mark Francois and Steve Baker were in Whitehall for meetings today as wrangling continued

In a Downing Street speech last night, Theresa May held out an alive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her

But Mr Corbyn underlined his intentions by delivering a Brexit speech in the marginal constituency of Hastings this morning.

'Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that is needed,' he said.

He added: 'I say to the Prime Minister again: I am quite happy to talk but the starting point for any talks about Brexit must be that the threat of a disastrous no-deal outcome is ruled out, taken off the table, and we can talk about the future of the plans that we will put forward and the future relationship with Europe.'

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable accused Mr Corbyn of saying 'political games', saying the party's 11 MPs would not support Labour if it calls another confidence vote.

'Since he appears to be determined to play party political games rather than acting on the wishes of his own members and MPs, he will no longer be able to rely on our support for further no confidence motions,' he said.

'I believe other parties are taking the same view. It's time Mr Corbyn got off the fence and made his position plain.'House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer admitted Wednesday evening that border walls are not inherently 'immoral' and 'work in some places' to keep out threats.

He insisted in a Fox News interview that the debate over the president's border barrier was not about 'morality' and condemned the president for comments about illegal immigration that Democrats believe are 'racist.'

'Obviously, they work some places,' Hoyer admitted. 'But the president wanted to first build a wall apparently 1,954 miles of -- and he changed that very substantially.'

Hoyer told 'Special Report' host Bret Baier: 'A wall is -- that protects people is not immoral. I think the issue is whether it works.'

He has also scolded fellow Democrats for refusing the president's request this week to discuss the government shutdown, saying they should always accept an invitation to the White House.

House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer admitted Wednesday evening that border walls are not inherently 'immoral' and 'work in some places' to keep out threats

His comments Wednesday on the wall were a break with party boss Nancy Pelosi, who claimed the border wall is an 'immorality' and the barrier would be 'ineffective' at protecting the nation against threats.

They were also a sign that some Democrats, including those in leadership, are open to Trump's demand that a physical barrier be built along parts of the border.

It's his desire to build it along the entire U.S.-Mexico boundary, and his derogatory remarks about illegal immigrants, that is causing the intense clash, Hoyer indicated.

The Maryland Democrat told Baier the 'debate ought to be not on morality or racism' and the two parties need to come to a consensus on border security.

'I will say that were not pleased with some rhetoric that has come about dealing with those -- coming across the border,' he said, treading lightly, 'and we think some of the rhetoric was in fact racist. We think some of that rhetoric was to inflame and was not based upon facts.'

Hoyer told Baier that Democrats 'dont think the wall will work as well' as other defensive strategies.

'Having said that, were prepared to work with the president to make sure our borders are secure. And thats the important point,' he said.

Appearing on the network on Tuesday, he advocated for consensus-building talks with the White House.

'My advice to members is that if the president invites you and want to talk, you ought to go down,' he said.

He said Wednesday that Democrats are prepared to compromise, if Trump is too.

'There are all sorts of alternatives that we could pursue, I think, to come up with a consensus solution to achieve the objective I think we all want to achieve, and that is a secure and safe border for our country and for our citizens,' he told Baier.

Pressure is mounting on President Trump to continue his border security fight with Democrats after the government has reopened.

A bipartisan group of senators is working behind the scenes to convince Trump to climb down from his position that on a physical barrier. He is refusing to give his blessing to any bill funding closed agencies that does not include a sizable allocation of money for his border wall.

Three Republicans and one Democrat are part of a 'gang' that has formed in the Senate that aims to persuade Trump to reopen the government for three weeks while the conversation with Congress plods along.

A group of moderate Democrats that met with Trump today for talks that the White House called 'constructive' in a readout of the meeting are also pushing the president to end the shutdown.

The White House has so far resisted their requests  and a senior administration official told DailyMail.com that it expects moderates to crack, particularly after having heard from their constituents over the holiday break.

Pressure is mounting on President Trump to continue his border security fight with Democrats after the government has reopened

At least one Democratic member, Katie Hill of California, has said this week that she'd be willing to give Trump some money for his border barrier.

'For many of us, there's not really doubt that some kind of physical barrier is necessary,' she told Fox News in a Saturday interview.

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee have joined forces with Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware in penning a draft letter to Trump urging him to end the shutdown for three weeks, allowing furloughed federal employees to come back to work.

'We respectfully request that you join us in supporting a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) of three weeks to give Congress time to develop and vote on a broad bipartisan agreement that addresses your request. We commit to working to advance legislation that can pass the Senate with substantial bipartisan support,' they said in a draft letter to Trump that was provided to DailyMail.com

The letter as currently written states: 'During those three weeks, we will make our best efforts following regular order in the appropriate committees and mark up bipartisan legislation relating to your request. This would include debating and voting on investments on the Southern border that are necessary, effective and appropriate to accomplish that goal.

'We are eager to continue our work on this initiative and look forward to your response,' it concludes.

Trump has already rejected Graham's proposition on Monday, but the senator has been busy since then recruiting allies in the U.S. Senate.

The White House has went its own way, however, hosting moderate Democrats it believes it can break in the Situation Room this afternoon with the president.

A group that calls itself the 'Problem Solvers Caucus' met with Trump on Wednesday afternoon in private.

They said in a statement as the meeting began: 'Over the last weeks, we have been listening to our constituents and speaking with our fellow Members of Congress  in both parties and in both chambers.

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rob Portman (picgured) of Ohio and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee have joined forces with Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware in penning a draft letter to Trump urging him to end the shutdown for three weeks, allowing furloughed federal employees to come back to work

'There is a strong agreement across the aisle and around the country: We must reopen the government. Our security, safety, and economy have been compromised, and millions of families are suffering,' they wrote.

Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, congressional Democrats Thomas Suozzi, Vincente Gonzalez, Anthony Brindisi, Dean Phillips, Max Rose and Abigail Spanberger, they were the first rank and file Democrats to come to the White House to listen to Trump's pitch.

They too urged Trump to reopen the government so that talks can continue without the shadow of a shutdown.

'There is also a strong agreement that if we reopen the government, the possibility exists to work together and find common ground to tackle some of our country's toughest problems and fix them,' they said.

'But that conversation can only begin in earnest once the government is reopened. We accepted the White House's invitation to meet today to convey that message.'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders crowed after the meeting of congressional moderates that the ad hoc 'problem solvers caucus' comprised of members who Trump hopes can be difference-makers.

'The President and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus. They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants. We look forward to more conversations like this,' Sanders said in a statement.

Another group of Democrats turned Trump down for lunch at the White House on Tuesday.



Rep. Abigail Spanberger became one of the first rank and file Democrats to come to the White House to listen to Trump's pitch on Wednesday

Trump invited legislators he believed he could woo to the White House for talks  and targeted their party leaders  in an attempt to divide the Democratic Party.

The plot didn't work. A White House statement chastising Democrats for refusing to come to the lunch table to discuss border security revealed that only Republican lawmakers attended.

'Today, the President offered both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White House. Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend,' press secretary Sarah Sanders said. 'The President looks forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government.'

Trump invited five Democrats to the meeting, according to The Hill. He would need close to 20, and every single Republican in the House, to end the impasse.

A partial shutdown has been effect over Democrats' refusal to provide the funds since the early hours of Dec. 22. Some 780,000 federal workers are not receiving paychecks right now. Those who have been deemed 'essential' are working without pay, while others are on furlough.The number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits jumped in the first two weeks of the shutdown, topping 10,000 during the week of January 5.

The Labor Department said Thursday that is double the number of federal workers who sought aid in the previous week.

Typically fewer than a thousand former federal employees apply for jobless benefits each week.

Federal employees who aren't working during the partial government shutdown are eligible to claim unemployment aid, while those working without pay are not, the Labor Department has said. Yet even those sent home will have to repay the unemployment aid if they receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

In the first two weeks of the shutdown, the number of furloughed federal workers seeking unemployment benefits doubled (pictured are protesters at a rally by government workers to end the shutdown)

Jobless claims fall, but more federal workers seek aid as government shutdown drags on into the 27th day

The number of Americans overall who sought unemployment benefits last week declined 3,000 to 213,000, the government said.

That figure doesn't include federal beneficiaries, who are tracked in a separate category.

Applications by federal workers are reported with a one-week delay.

More furloughed federal workers could apply for unemployment benefits in the weeks ahead.

The Labor Department will release data for the week ending January 12, the third week of the shutdown, next week.

Trump dismissed a top Republican senator's suggestion to reopen the federal government temporarily and try to reach a deal to fund his proposed border wall

The shutdown that began December 22 caused roughly 420,000 federal employees to work without pay.

Another 380,000 are not at work and not being paid. Those numbers have shifted a bit in recent days as the IRS and some other agencies have called more employees back to work.

Applications rose last week in states with a large number of federal contractors, many of whom are also working without pay.

In Washington D.C., unemployment claims rose to 2,158 from 1,190, while in Virginia they jumped to 5,966 from 3,497 and in Maryland to 4,949 from 4,467.

The overall data suggests the job market remains healthy, with few layoffs. Employers added a strong 312,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stood at a very low 3.9 per cent.Army Reservists will be on stand-by from February 10 to deal with the fallout from a no deal Brexit, ministers confirmed today.

The part-time soldiers will be about 10 per cent of the 3,500 strong force announced by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson before Christmas.

The announcement prompted claim ministers are preparing for 'civil unrest' by deliberately shaking up Britain's political order by refusing to rule out allowing a chaotic no deal Brexit.

Troops will be used to tackle 'potential immediate impacts' from a no deal Brexit that could damage the 'welfare, health and security of UK citizens and economic stability of the UK'.

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster confirmed the call up in a written statement to Parliament today.

Army Reservists will be on stand-by from February 10 to deal with the fallout from a no deal Brexit, ministers confirmed today

SNP MP Peter Grant slammed the Government getting Britain into a situation it needed troops on standby in case of 'civil unrest'

Labour MP Ian Murray, who supports the anti-Brexit Best for Britain campaign, said: 'It is extraordinary that we could have soldiers forced to respond to chaos at our ports and airports, managing traffic queued for miles on the motorways, and helping police officers keep public order in the event of major shortages.

'It will rightly anger the British public that our dedicated Armed Forces personnel could be called upon to fix the Prime Minister's mess. We were promised sunny Brexit uplands and now we have troops on the streets.'

'A 'no deal' scenario should be ruled out immediately by the Prime Minister, to avoid this chaos. There is absolutely no parliamentary support for this.

'She should take her deal to the public, and agree to a people's vote which includes the option of remaining in the EU and avoiding the need for soldiers on the streets.'

SNP MP Peter Grant, tweeted: 'What responsible government would deliberately create a situation where they had to put military reservists on standby to prevent civil unrest?'

Mr Lancaster told MPs the reservists could be used to reinforce regular units, in liaison officer roles, providing specialist skills and reinforcing regional points of command to ensure they stay open 24 hours a day.

The move is the latest part of no deal contingency planning which has also seen advice to citizens to prepare themselves and their families.

The part-time soldiers will be about 10 per cent of the 3,500 strong force announced by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson before Christmas

The Department for Transport has arranged contracts worth millions of pounds for additional ferry capacity in case the main Dover-Calais route breaks down.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was ridiculed for handing a 13.8million contract to Seaborne Freight, a new firm which owns no ships and has never run a cross- Channel route before.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has chartered a flight to bring in emergency medical supplies for the NHS and boasted he is the world's biggest fridge customer to ensure drugs can be stockpiled.Rahel Asfaha (leaving Southwark Crown Court on January 1) was convicted of eight offences of fraud by abuse of position, worth 181,872

Seven housing benefit assessors who stole more than 1million from three London councils are facing jail.

Lambeth, Kingston, and Barking and Dagenham Councils were cheated out of 1,025,912 in the decade-long fraud which ran between 2006 and 2016.

Menelik Cowan, 37, and six other council workers paid the cash into bank accounts opened with false passports.

Cowan, his then girlfriend Natasha Francis, 38, his brother Hugh Small, 39, Cassandra Johnson, 38, Jessica Bartley, 35, Rahel Asfaha, 36, and Alexander Williams, 39, were working for the local authorities at the time.

One defendant processed claims amounting to more than 240,000.

Jurors at Southwark Crown Court convicted the seven of various charges of fraud and money laundering after a trial lasting more than three months.

Gareth Munday, prosecuting, revealed how the assessors put through a vast number of false claims using fake identities.

The defendants all worked in the local authorities of Lambeth, Kingston and Barking and Dagenham creating false housing benefit claims and sending the funds to accounts they controlled.

Menelik Cowan (left) and Hugh Small (right) leaving the court

Jessica Bartley, left, and Derek Williams, right, leaving Southwark Crown Court. Bartley was convicted of one offence of fraud by abuse of position worth 71,600. Williams, 58, was convicted of money laundering worth 14,168.03

SEVEN WORKERS DEFRAUDED PUBLIC OUT OF MORE THAN 1MILLION Menelik Cowan, who worked for Lambeth Council and lived in Enfield, was convicted of five charges of fraud by abuse of position after trial. He admitted one charge of fraud by abuse of position and one of possession of false identity documents with intent. The value of his offending was 286,918.92. Alexander Williams, from Brixton, was convicted of fraud by abuse of position worth 240,345, while working for Barking and Dagenham Council. Rahel Asfaha, from Poplar, east London, was convicted of eight offences of fraud by abuse of position, worth 181,872. She worked for Lambeth Council and Barking and Dagenham Council. Hugh Small, from Fulham, who worked for Kingston Council, admitted money laundering but was convicted of a further offence of fraud by abuse of position after trial. The value of his offending is 112,983. Natasha Francis, from Walworth, who worked for Lambeth Council, admitted a money laundering offence was convicted of being concerned in a money laundering arrangement worth 2,868. Cassandra Johnson, from Brixton, was convicted of three offences of fraud by abuse of position worth 106,834 while working for Lambeth Council. Jessica Bartley, from Stockewell, who worked for Lambeth Council, was convicted of one offence of fraud by abuse of position worth 71,600. Donna Francis, 57, from Brixton, was convicted of money laundering worth 8,323.43 and Derrick Williams, 58, also from Brixton, was convicted of money laundering worth 14,168.03. Advertisement

The defendants would identify appropriate properties, collecting details for false claims and creating appointments for the fraudsters at the council.

They also approved false claims and used their systems to ensure council letters weren't sent to the properties to reveal their fraud.

Money was sent into accounts controlled by money launderers Bashiru Tahiru and Elaine Agyemang, who left the country before they could be charged.

The pair took their cut and diverted cash back to the council workers, and others including Alexander Williams' uncle Derrick Williams and Donna Francis.

The prosecutor said police discovered text messages between Cowan and Tahiru discussing the council's claimant processing system.

Cowan, who worked for Lambeth Council, had texted Tahiru: 'Make them work for sixteen hours per week, earning between 60 and 70 pounds per week.

'Make them text me when they get to the office and get them to go to reception.'

Normally claimants are given a ticket when they attend the housing benefits office and a number is called out when it is their turn.

In the texts, Cowan instructs Tahiru's fake claimant to ignore the ticket and to, 'tell them to stay seated until I text them.'

Cowan would then lead the fake claimant to a booth to carry out the assessment himself.

The prosecutor said Agyemang and Tahiru were paying Cowan around 500 a week at one point.

When Cowan's home was searched, police found a number of documents including a tenancy agreement relating to another scam.

Ben Reid, from the CPS, said: 'These defendants were trusted with public money - but abused the systems to satisfy their own greed.

Donna Francis, 57, from Brixton, was convicted of money laundering worth 8,323.43

Menelik Cowan, left, and Jessica Bartley, right. Cowan, who worked for Lambeth Council, was convicted of five charges of fraud by abuse of position after trial. The value of his offending was 286,918.92

'Their criminal network was large and complex. The CPS played an integral role in the successful prosecution of this case.

'We were engaged with the investigators from an early stage and we are thankful that the hard work by all involved has paid off and justice has now been done.'

The defendants all denied fraud but were convicted by a jury after a three month trial at Southwark Crown Court.

They will be sentenced on 18 March 2019 at Southwark Crown Court.The head of the World Health Organization has ordered an internal investigation into allegations the U.N. health agency is rife with racism, sexism and corruption.

A series of anonymous emails containing the explosive charges were sent to top managers last year.

The emails, addressed to WHO directors and obtained by the Associated Press, slammed the 'systematic racial discrimination' against African staffers at the agency.

They went on to allege further instances of wrongdoing, including claims that some of the money intended to fight Ebola in Congo was misspent.

The WHO chief has ordered an internal investigation into allegations of sexism, racism and corruption inside the U.N. health agency

Last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staff he had instructed the head of WHO's office of internal oversight to look into the charges. He confirmed that directive to the AP on Thursday.

Critics, however, doubt that WHO can effectively investigate itself and have called for the probe to be made public.

The first email, which was sent last April, said there was 'systematic racial discrimination against Africans at WHO' and that African staffers were being 'abused, sworn at (and) shown contempt to' by their Geneva-based colleagues.

Two further emails alleged that senior officials were 'attempting to stifle' investigations into such problems, and highlighted the allegedly misspent Ebola funds.

The last email, sent in December, labeled the behavior of a senior doctor helping to lead the response against Ebola as 'unacceptable, unprofessional and racist,' citing a November incident at a meeting where the doctor reportedly 'humiliated, disgraced and belittled' a subordinate from the Middle East.

A series of anonymous emails outlining the allegations was sent to WHO bosses last year, including the claim that money meant for tackling Ebola was misspent

Tedros - a former health minister of Ethiopia and WHO's first African director-general - said investigators looking into the charges 'have all my support' and that he would provide more resources if necessary.

'To those that are giving us feedback, thank you,' he told a meeting of WHO's country representatives in Nairobi last month. 'We will do everything to correct (it) if there are problems.'

But Tedros refuted claims that WHO's hiring policies are skewed, arguing that his top management team was more geographically diverse and gender-balanced than any other U.N. organization after adopting measures to be more inclusive.

'There is change already happening,' he said during the December staff meeting, according to an audio recording provided to the AP.

WHO's in-house investigation into misconduct comes after other U.N. agencies have been rocked by harassment complaints.

Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that investigators looking into the charges have his 'full support'

At UNAIDS, chief Michel Sidibe agreed to step down after an independent report concluded in December that his 'defective leadership' had created a toxic working environment, with staffers asserting there was rampant sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power.

The author of the anonymous WHO emails also charged there were 'crooked recruitment and selection' processes that were 'tantamount to fraud, corruption and abuse of authority.'

In the latest anonymous message, the author singled out the supposedly flawed hiring process of a senior director in WHO's emergencies department, suggesting that might have led to mistakes being made by incompetent officials involved in efforts to stop Ebola in Congo.

Some staffers feared that funds donated to stem the spread of the deadly virus 'have not been used judiciously,' the email said, warning such blunders could undermine WHO's credibility.

'A plane was hired to transport three vehicles from the warehouse in Dubai at the cost of $1 million. Why would WHO ship vehicles from Dubai? We would appreciate the rationale when jeeps in DRC (Congo) can be purchased at $80,000 per vehicle,' the email said, claiming that 'corruption stories about logisticians and procurement in WHO's (Geneva emergencies department) are legendary.'

David Webb, director of WHO's office of internal oversight, told staffers that Tedros had asked him 'to conduct an appropriate investigation' into the issues raised in the emails. Webb said he and his team would scrutinize those accusations, in addition to the approximately 150 other claims that have been reported to his office this year.

'My team is trying their best to go to DRC (Congo), to go to where the allegations are with an effort to find the facts,' he said.

The revelations about the alleged wrongdoing were likely to prompt discussions next week at WHO's executive board meeting at its Geneva headquarters.

Webb said the investigation would be conducted independently even though it would be done by WHO staffers.

The author of the anonymous WHO emails also charged there were 'crooked recruitment and selection' processes that were 'tantamount to fraud, corruption and abuse of authority'

Critics outside the organization felt that was not enough.

'That's the same office that botched the initial investigation at UNAIDS,' said Edward Flaherty, a lawyer who represents Martina Brostrom, the UNAIDS whistleblower whose sexual harassment allegations ultimately triggered Sidibe's resignation. 'Having an internal investigation at WHO is as good as doing nothing.'

Oyewale Tomori, a Nigerian virologist who previously worked at WHO and now serves on several of its advisory groups, wasn't surprised by the emails' claims of racism, sexism and corruption.

'After what I've seen at WHO, I have no doubt that everything in those emails is true,' he said, although he had no evidence to prove the specific claims.

Tomori said he and his African colleagues had often been subjected to 'slights that turned to slurs, embarrassing humiliations and rudeness that escalated to abuse' from fellow WHO staffers.

He predicted that without an independent investigation, more complaints would continue to spill out.

'People have known about these problems for a long time,' he said. 'But nobody wants to talk because they're afraid.'Robert Cronin, 33, fathered a child with an 11-year-old girl

A 33-year-old man claims he never had sex with the 11-year-old girl who gave birth to his child.

Robert Cronin says the young girl, who was known to him, became pregnant with his child after she came in contact with an article of clothing he had used to masturbate.

Cronin, who lives in upstate New York with his fiancee and five children, has been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and felony predatory sexual assault against a child younger than 13.

Though he is not denying the DNA evidence that proves he is the father of the child, Cronin claims he never physically abused the girl.

Police say the 11-year-old is known to Cronin, but did not disclose their relationship.

He claims he never physically abused the girl, but does not deny the DNA test proving that he is the father

Cronin lives in upstate New York with his fiancee (left) and their five children

The girl gave birth recently and she and the baby are being safely cared for in Child Protective Services, police said.

Niskayuna Deputy Police Chief Michael Stevens told the Times Union that police and Schenectady County Child Protective Services were tipped off to the case through a child abuse hotline two months ago.

Police said in a felony complaint that between February and March of 2018, Cronin raped and impregnated the girl.

'When I found out [she was pregnant], everything around me just collapsed because I knew what this would lead to,' Cronin told WRGB in an interview from Schenectady County Jail, where he's being held without bond.

Cronin claims the girl became pregnant when she came into contact with an article of clothing he had used while masturbating

He's been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and felony predatory sexual assault against a child younger than 13

'I don't want to be known for a crime I didn't commit,' he said.

Cronin said he understands that people will find it difficult to grasp his reasoning for the girl's pregnancy.

He also said that the Niskayuna Police who arrested him are lacking scientific knowledge.

Authorities say Cronin has no prior criminal history.The mayor and mayor pro-tem of a Texas city have both resigned after they were accused of misusing funds to pay more than $1,000 for tickets to see Michelle Obama.

Forest Hill mayor Lyndia Thomas and mayor pro-tem Beckie Duncan Hayes quit on Wednesday before they could be ousted by their fellow council members.

Thomas and Hayes were both reimbursed for two $545 tickets to see the former First Lady in Dallas as part of her national 'Becoming' book tour.

They submitted the expense and it was approved by the Forest Hill city manager.

Mayor Lyndia Thomas (right) and mayor pro-tem Beckie Duncan Hayes (left) from Forest Hill, Texas quit on Wednesday after being accused of misusing funds to buy two $545 tickets to see Michelle Obama

Hayes, who bought the two tickets, received a reimbursement check from the city's public relations fund.

But she later paid the money back after coming under fire from a citizen's audit committee who had decided to check how officials spent taxpayer funds.

The committee flagged the $1091.92 check and claimed it was a misuse of funds.

Other council members agreed with the citizen's audit committee and planned a meeting to oust Thomas and Hayes.

The pair, who maintain they have done nothing wrong, resigned before the meeting.

Thomas and Hayes were both reimbursed for two $545 tickets to see the former First Lady in Dallas as part of her national 'Becoming' book tour

'I will not leave my fate in the hands of other individuals,' Hayes told WWFA following her resignation.

Michelle Obama came under fire from some of her fans last year over the exorbitant ticket prices for her book tour

'I am a woman of integrity, and the allegations, they have no substance. They are false.'

Thomas said they were not trying to hide anything and believes they were targeted for political reasons.

'We don't get a salary, but we are entitled to be reimbursed for our expenses,' Thomas said.

'We are not trying to hide anything.'

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama came under fire from some of her fans last year over the exorbitant ticket prices for her book tour.

Tickets started at $29.50 but most of those were snapped up within minutes of them going on sale.

The only ones that were left ranged in price from $500 to $6,000.

Obama also shattered the record for the biggest contract ever for a debut book.

She and husband Barack Obama were paid $60 million for their post-White House memoirs after an intense bidding war that was ultimately won by Penguin Random House.More than 4,000 words have been collected in a new 'Yorkshire Dictionary' for the first time ever.

The document was the brainchild of historian Dr George Redmonds - who collected many of the words from sources including diaries, letters, court records and early tax rolls.

Unusual words for the Yorkshire region include 'fettle', meaning to 'put in order', 'day gate' meaning 'sunset' and 'sackless', meaning 'innocent of wrong intent'.

Dr George Redmonds spent more than 60 years collecting words for his dictionary of Yorkshire dialect. He had previously worked on the Dictionary of Yorkshire Surnames

Dr George Redmonds spent more than 60 years collating Yorkshire dialect words from a variety of sources such as diaries, letters, court records and even tax rolls - including this Visitation Court Book

Dr Redmonds wrote the unusual words onto post cards along with their definitions

Unfortunately, the academic died in August 2018 before his final work was published

Dr Redmonds worked tirelessly on turning his shorthand notes - some of which were decades old and held in shoe boxes - into the dictionary in an almost two year process before he passed away in August 2018, aged 82.

Terms in the new dictionary include 'Ginnel or Snicket' for an alleyway', 'Bray' to hit someone' and 'Brass' for money.

Ms Medcalf, project archivist at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, at the University of York, said Dr Redmonds spent more than 60 years collecting words on little postcards.

She said: 'When we discovered his collection it was decided it was really too important to just stay in shoeboxes in his office.

'It is a lifetimes work and has taken around two years to turn from physical documents to our website.

'It is important because it has information about the different parts of Yorkshire.

'You can't look back in history and understand it without understanding the language those people would have used.'

Ms Medcalf said she had already had feedback on users of the website.

She added: 'Everybody uses language and we have had contact from the public who thanked us for solving the mystery of where certain words come from.

Yorkshire dialect Wrangwise - In an incorrect way, wrongly Ginnel or Snicket - an alleyway Ale-draper - A seller of ale Laking - to play Day gate - sunset Jannock - fair or genuine Bray - to hit someone or something Brass - money Fettle - to put in order Beast Leech - a man practised in the healing of cattle, a 'vet' or 'cow doctor' Addle - To earn. Affeer - To affeer was to fix the amount of a fine or an amercement, and the word was much used in manor court proceedings. Sackless - Innocent of wrong intent, secure from accusation. Source: https://yorkshiredictionary.york.ac.uk/ Advertisement

'There is often a debate with phrases such as ginnel and snicket and this is part of it.

'Others have said the dictionary has allowed them to relive a word from their youth or which their mother used to use.

'We hope the dictionary provides a framework for other regions to develop their own dictionary projects, as it would be really interesting to build a complete picture of the movement of old words and language around the UK.

'Perhaps we could even see a revival of some of the phrases!'

The dictionary features words that were in use between about 1100 to 1800.

Among the entries are quishing, a term for cushion, and rackan crook, a hook for hanging pots and pans over a fire.

Barnsley-born famous poet Ian McMillan, who helped launch the dictionary, said: 'Sometimes Yorkshire words can just fly in the air, or end up on the edge of your ear, and the great job they've done with this dictionary is make it real, so these things are not ephemeral anymore.

'If you don't record these words then they'll go.

'Once the things that these words were about - mining, cotton, farming - start to change, and sometimes disappear, then the words will go too.'

To visit the website, go to https://yorkshiredictionary.york.ac.uk/

A hard copy version of the dictionary will be published towards the end of 2019.A 55-year-old traffic police officer has died after working for 24 hours without rest in central China.

Officer Jiang Ruihua suffered a sudden brain haemorrhage and was found collapsed in his office by his co-worker on Wednesday morning. He was later pronounced dead in hospital in Chongqing.

The case, which has been widely discussed on Chinese social media, prompted calls for better labour regulations to address the increasing number of deaths due to overworking.

Officer Jiang Ruihua (pictured) suffered a sudden brain haemorrhage and was found collapsed in his office on Wednesday morning. He was later pronounced dead in hospital in Chongqing

Officer Jiang had been working without a break in the 24 hours leading up to his death

Officer Jiang had been working without a break in the 24 hours leading up to his death, according to China News.

One of colleagues, Dai Jun, told reporters he opened Jiang's office door to check on him at about 6:40am as Jiang had missed the start of his shift. Dai found him unconscious on the ground in his uniform and alerted emergency services.

Jiang joined the police force in February 1986 and was twice awarded the 'best traffic officer', according to Chongqing Daily.

Jiang joined the police force in February 1986 and was twice awarded 'best traffic officer'

The Chongqing Police Department posted an obituary of officer Jiang on its Weibo account

'After working for 24 hours straight, officer Jiang Ruihua was about to step out of his office and direct traffic during the morning rush hour when he suffered a brain haemorrhage and collapsed,' the Chongqing police department announced in an obituary on Weibo.

'Despite efforts to save him he was pronounced dead in hospital. He was 55 years old. Rest in Peace, comrade,' the statement added.

'An officer has died due to overworking. There is nothing to be proud of. The police department is responsible for the man's death,' one user commented.

'Instead of promoting the so-called "hardworking" behaviour, why aren't you addressing the issue?' another said.

'Please set laws to protect the rights of our police officers,' one said. 'No one should not be working for 24 hours straight.'

About 600,000 Chinese die from working too hard every year, according to China Daily.

The deaths could be attributed to fierce competition that has forced people to work punishingly long hours for income and promotion, according to CCTV.

Dr Zhao lies in the hospital in Shanxi, China, as her mother says goodbye to her

About 600,000 Chinese die from working too hard every year, according to China Daily

At the same time, the lack of legal protection has often put employees' health at risk.

Working hours must not exceed eight hours per day and 44 hours per week, as the Labour Law stipulates, but in many companies, those who do not put in overtime are seen as lazy.

In December 2017, a 43-year-old doctor, Zhao Bianxiang, from Shanxi province died of a stroke after working for 18 hours non-stop at a hospital.

A colleague of Dr Zhao told reporters that she started working at 6pm on December 28, and finished seeing outpatients at around midnight before starting checking the hospital wards. She had not had any breaks and passed out at noon the next day.A City analyst resigned after her boss told her that he 'knew more about sex' than she did before boasting: 'I can teach you a lot of things,' a tribunal was told.

Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, claims she was unfairly dismissed after batting off unwanted advances from 50-year-old Frederic Michel-Verdier, an executive director at IFM Investors.

The employment tribunal heard Miss Abildgaard, an associate, left the Australian fund management firm just a month after Mr Michel-Verdier told her: 'If I was 20 years younger, I would have been all over you' at a nightclub in Madrid.

He then stood 'inappropriately and intimidatingly' close to her and said: 'You do not understand, I'm so much older than you. I know more about sex. I can teach you a lot of things.'

Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, arriving at court today. She says her former boss harassed her at a work party in Madrid

Mr Michel-Verdier is also said to have messaged her his hotel room number so 'we could have some fun' on the same night in March last year, which was organised to celebrate the closing of a deal.

Miss Abildgaard, originally from Denmark, was said to have sought medical treatment for stress and anxiety after the incident.

Employment Judge Graeme Hodgson laid out the claims of harassment, unfair dismissal and victimisation Miss Abildgaard was making against her former employer at Kingsway Employment Tribunal today.

In addition to the comments and text messages on the night at the club in Spain, Miss Abildgaard also alleges she was the victim of harassment when Mr Michel-Verdier tried to call her twice in the early hours of March 17.

On March 19, Miss Abildgaard said she was approached by her boss at work and he said to her: 'Good night out Friday, I was so drunk I missed my flight out on Saturday.'

He is also said to have sent her a message on April 11 after her resignation saying: 'Good luck for your new endeavour (now we can meet).'

Miss Abildgaard, pictured here arriving at court earlier this week, left the Australian fund management firm just a month after she claims Mr Michel-Verdier told her: 'If I was 20 years younger, I would have been all over you' at a nightclub in Madrid

The claim of unfair dismissal relates to 'the first respondent failing to take reasonable steps to stop the second respondent carrying out the acts of harassment identified'.

It also relates to 'the first respondent failing to respond to acts of alleged harassment by the second respondent'.

The hearing had to be briefly adjourned to discuss whether the claim of victimisation would proceed at this tribunal as it is currently the subject of a civil claim.

Executive director, 50-year-old Frederic Michel-Verdier, pictured arriving at court today, denies the accusations

Employment Judge Graeme Hodgson said the victimisation claim relates to IFM Investments making an 'unjustified and aggressive threat to approach her new employer'. The hearing continues.

In a statement issued previously IFM Investments said: 'IFM Investors takes allegations of workplace misconduct extremely seriously and recognises the impact any such incidents can have on employees involved.

'This matter was investigated immediately upon IFM Investors being made aware of the complaint in April last year and management action was taken in accordance with our policies and procedures.'A daycare owner has been charged with neglect after a young boy was found drunk while in her care.

Doris Ott, 50, who ran a daycare center from her Maryland home, was charged last month after the boy was found 'pale and limp' in her care in April last year.

Ott had called the infant boy's mother around 4pm to say that he had fallen out of his chair and she couldn't wake him up.

Doris Ott, 50, has been arrested and charged after a young boy was found so drunk at her home daycare center (pictured) that he passed out and went 'limp and pale'

The mother rushed her son to hospital where a doctor was able to smell alcohol on the boy's breath, the Frederick News-Post reports.

Tests revealed the boy's blood alcohol content was .203, roughly three times the drink-drive limit for an adult in Maryland.

Medics said the alcohol content was likely higher, and had come down before they were able to test him. The boy made a full recovery.

Ott said she was the only person looking after the boy on the day in question, but denied giving him alcohol, saying that she wasn't drinking.

Officers found several bottles of seltzer spiked with alcohol in the downstairs fridge, opposite the daycare, but Ott said it would be impossible for the boy to get hold of one and drink it without her knowing.

Her licence was suspended last year, and on December 29 she was charged with neglect of a minor and reckless endangerment.

Ott denies all of the charges against her, but has provided no alternative explanation of how the child became drunk.

Her attorney said: 'Mrs. Ott ran a successful daycare facility in the Walkersville community for 18 years.

'She provided a safe environment in her own home, caring deeply for every child entrusted to her care.

'She has a whole community that stands with her. Mrs. Ott is completely innocent and has been cooperative from the start.

'Charging Mrs. Ott was wrong. We look forward to attacking this in court.'No Australians were killed in the Islamic terror attack at a hotel in Nairobi on Tuesday, despite local media reporting otherwise.

Esylovians Meli told The Standard her partner, 36, had flown to Nairobi from Australia to see her and had stayed at the hotel at her request so the two could see each other more easily.

'I regret making him change his mind. He could be alive now if I had not put my foot down on having him stay at Dusit D2,' she told the publication.

But a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said on Friday morning said no Australians had been killed.

'The Australian High Commission in Nairobi has confirmed that an individual reported by some media as an Australian victim of the attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex was not an Australian citizen,' the said.

'The High Commission continues to seek further information from local authorities to confirm whether any Australians were affected by the attack.'

Esylovians Meli (pictured) told The Standard her partner, 36, had flown to Nairobi from Australia to see her and had stayed at the hotel at her request so the two could see each other more easily

21 people have so far been confirmed dead following the attack by Islamist group Al Shabaab, and another 19 are still missing according to the Kenya Red Cross.

The attackers rained terror on the hotel and exchanged gunfire with Kenyan security forces for 19 hours before the terrifying ordeal was brought to a close on Wednesday.

All five were 'eliminated', according to Kenyan officials.

American businessman Jason Spindler, 40, and British father Luke Potter, who worked for a charity, were also killed in the attack.

Friends reported online that Spindler was having lunch at the hotel when the attack began.

Jason Spindler, 40, (left) was killed at the Dusit hotel as well as British father-of-one, Luke Potter (right)

21 people have so far been confirmed dead following the attack by Islamist group Al Shabaab, and another 19 are still missing according to the Kenya Red Cross (pictured civilians flee the scene of the attack on the upscale hotel complex)

The attack started at around 3pm local time, when the four gunmen threw bombs at cars parked outside the hotel before walking into the lobby, where the suicide bomber blew himself up.

Authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen believed to be holed up inside.

About eight hours after the siege began, Interior Minister Fred Matian'i said all of the buildings affected by the attack had been secured and that security forces were mopping up.

'I would like to reiterate that the situation is under control and the country is safe,' he said.

However, more gunfire was heard about an hour later, Kenyan broadcaster NTV reported. Reports at about 2.00am local time also said people remained trapped.

A woman, who gave her name only as Nelly, said: 'I have spoken to my brother just now and we are exchanging text messages.

'He is in there and he has told me they are hiding with over 10 other people. Why is the government saying they have rescued them?'

21 people have so far been confirmed dead following the attack by Islamist group Al Shabaab, and another 19 are still missing according to the Kenya Red Cross (pictured man is evacuated from the scene of an explosion)

Two hours later, there was more gunfire as rescuers tried to evacuate around 50 survivors.

Survivors of the attack have shared the horrific tales of what went on inside the hotel complex when the gunmen stormed the building.

Reuben Kimani, a barista working at the hotel, said he recognised at least one of the attackers, having served him coffee in the run-up to the assault.

A security guard helps two women to flee from the Nairobi hotel (left) while others escape through a window before climbing down a ladder

'I knew one of them because he had a big scar on one of his hands,' he said. 'I saw them. They shot six of my friends, four didn't die but two succumbed.'

He said the attackers yelled out 'why are you killing our brothers and sisters in Somalia?' before opening fire.

Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based al-Qaeda affiliate, said the attack was a response to the 'witless remarks' of U.S. President Donald Trump, and his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.China on Wednesday hit back at a Canadian official's accusations of China over sentencing a Canadian drug smuggler to death, saying the case must be handled in accordance with Chinese law since it happened in China.

This photograph taken and released by the Intermediate Peoples' Court of Dalian on January 14, 2019 shows Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg (C) during his retrial on drug trafficking charges in the court in Dalian in China's northeast Liaoning province. [File photo: Handout/AFP]

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked for comments on Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland's remarks accusing the death sentence handed down to Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian national convicted of smuggling over 222 kg of methamphetamines, as "inhumane and inappropriate."

"If the death penalty is inhumane and inappropriate, is it humane and appropriate to let more people lose their lives to drugs?" Hua said. "Even the Canadian people believe that smuggling over 222 kg of methamphetamines is a very serious crime."

Recalling the Chinese people's painful memories of drug use after the First Opium War (1840-1842), she stressed that "China will not allow any drug smugglers from any country to harm the lives of Chinese people."

"The case occurs in China, it must be handled in accordance with Chinese law," she added.

The sentence by the Chinese judicial organ is just, and Canadian officials' relevant remarks are obviously "arbitrary", Hua said, expressing the hope that "the Canadian side would respect the rule of law and China's judicial sovereignty."

Schellenberg was sentenced to death on charges of drug smuggling on Monday by the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in northeast China's Liaoning Province. According to reports, Schellenberg was sentenced for possession of and trafficking drugs in 2003 and in 2012 respectively in Canada.A female teacher who had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl has been banned from teaching for life.

Suzanne Harrison was a geography teacher at a school in Colchester, Essex, between November 2004 and July 2006.

Between 2005 and 2010 Harrison, now 46, became and remained a close friend of Pupil A's family, a disciplinary panel heard.

In January 2006 while Ms Harrison was minding Pupil A and her sister at her own home a sexual encounter took place between the teacher and the teenage pupil.

Suzanne Harrison (pictured) was a geography teacher at a school in Colchester, Essex, between November 2004 and July 2006

The Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA), said: 'A sexual relationship between Ms Harrison and Pupil A continued for approximately four years thereafter.

'In October 2009, Ms Harrison introduced Pupil A to Ms Harrison's then partner, Person B, who then began a relationship with Pupil A.

'In time Pupil A disclosed the fact of her past relationship with Ms Harrison to Person B.'

The girl's mother and Harrison's ex partner then told police in the summer of 2011 what she had done.

Harrison was arrested and quit her job in July 2011 - and the next month at Ipswich Crown Court admitted four offences of sexual activity with a child and while in a position of trust.

TRA chairman Alison Robb-Webb said: 'The panel noted that the behaviour involved in committing the offence involved the most severe breach of boundaries, not only as a teacher, but also a friend of Pupil A's family.

'Whilst there is no evidence of an effect on the wellbeing of the pupil, Pupil A was brought into a sexual relationship at an age where by law and for her own protection that relationship was criminalised. Ms Harrison's actions involved a double abuse of trust.'

The panel, which met on January 4, this year, said her actions were deliberate.

They also said she had a previous good history and parents, pupils and colleagues spoke warmly of her dedication and skill as a teacher.

But they ruled: 'The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a finding of sexual misconduct.'

Decision maker Dawn Dandy acting for the Secretary of State said that Harrison should be banned from teaching for life.

Harrison admitted the offences at Ipswich Crown Court in September 2011 and the judge detained her in a psychiatric hospital.

The court was told the teacher swapped numbers with her victim at the girl's 15th birthday party.

And the judge was told that during a walk in the park Harrison told the teenager 'don't tell anybody about this.'David Thomas (pictured) denies lying in wait and murdering his wife of 50 years

A husband accused of murdering his wife of 50 years after she left him for an old school friend said he battered her over the head when she came after him with a knife.

David Thomas, 74, lay in wait for Sheila, 69, after promising her he would be out when she stopped by to collect some belongings from their former home in Herne Hill, south London, it is claimed.

After demanding she tell him where she was now living, Mr Thomas hit her with a walking stick and allegedly stabbed her on July 24 last year.

Thomas told the Old Bailey jury he was in the house when his wife turned up, but she pushed him away when he tried to kiss her on the cheek in the hallway.

'I loved her very much. I wanted her back,' he told the court. 'Then she started punching me. We were arguing. I think I said to her: "Why don't you tell me where you are living."

'I was worried about her. She was going on about her sex life. We had been in separate beds for a long time.'

Jurors heard Mrs Thomas (pictured, left) was murdered by her husband after he lay in wait to exact his revenge for her leaving him to be with Victor Cassar (right)

Thomas said he knew his wife had been unfaithful several times, adding: 'She kept on about this sex business. I think I called her a whore.'

Thomas claimed his wife then told him two of his three daughters where not his, adding: 'I can't really explain how that made me feel.'

He said his wife then dashed into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. 'I ran up the stairs and she chased after me,' he said. It was at this point he grabbed the shillelagh (Irish walking stick).

'I hit her with it. I struck her head,' he said. 'I was in a daze. I may remember something, but I can't say. I can't explain it.'

When Mrs Thomas returned to the home to collect belongings he allegedly killed her

Mr Thomas claimed he can recall nothing more until the police arrived after a neighbour called the emergency services.

The broken walking stick was found in a bin together with his wife's glasses.

Asked how they got there he said: 'I don't remember. Obviously I must have put them there.'

Mr Thomas denied that he had been lying in wait for his wife so that he could 'seek revenge'.

The couple married in 1966, but Sheila claimed that life with Thomas had 'been hell' and described having felt unhappy in the relationship for the past four decades.

She called an end to it at the end of June last year after beginning an affair with Victor Cassar, also 74, an old friend she reunited with months earlier on Facebook.

Mr Thomas, of Herne Hill, southeast London, denies murder. The trial continues.A jubilant Jacob Rees-Mogg hosted a champagne party to toast Theresa May's historic Brexit defeat on Tuesday night.

Ex-Brexit Secretary David Davis and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson were among more than 30 MPs invited to Rees-Mogg's six-bedroom, grade-II listed home, which is a five-minute walk from Parliament.

Guests were greeted with a flute of fizz at the door. Leading Brexiteers including Labour MP Kate Hoey and the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith also attended.

The gathering was held less than two hours after members of the European Research Group  which Mr Rees-Mogg chairs  helped to reject the Prime Minister's deal by a record-breaking majority of 230.

More than 30 MPs invited to Jacob Rees-Mogg's six-bedroom, grade-II listed home, which is a five-minute walk from Parliament (Mr Rees-Mogg is pictured welcoming guests on Tuesday)

Boris Johnson arrived at the party on a bicycle with the lights turned off and his head bowed

The party occasionally spilled out on to the street, onlookers said. When asked to identify what they were drinking, one said: 'Champagne, of course.'

And while Mr Rees-Mogg and the former Welsh secretary Sir John Redwood denied the event was a celebration, the veteran Brexiter Sir Bill Cash did not. 'It was a party and a celebration,' he said.

Brexiters are famously difficult to please, and one source reportedly said: 'It was organised at the last minute so there were no canapes or nibbles,' adding, 'but his wife was a wonderful host.'

Mr Johnson arrived at the party on a bicycle with the lights turned off and his head bowed, according to onlookers.

He left after an hour, saying to a waiting journalist that he had not had a drink at the event.

Former Tory minister Mark Francois told the BBC the mood at the gathering was positive after the vote.

But a May Loyalist branded the gathering ill-judged and 'not what any true Tory wants to see  a champagne celebration of a dark dark day for the Conservatives, toasting the PM's pain.' No wonder Boris was so coy about what he was drinking.

Tory MP John Redwood, a veteran of the Tory wars over Europe in the 1990s, was among the senior Brexiteers at Tuesday's party

Sir Bill Cash, the chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, was among the guests at the party

In the aftermath of her defeat, Mrs May is fighting to find a cross-party Brexit plan while Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of 'playing politics' by snubbing her offer of talks.

The Prime Minister held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her, urging them to come to the table and help break the Parliamentary deadlock.

She has already met the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru, and will see the sole Green MP, Caroline Lucas this morning.

Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington is co-ordinating the drive to hammer out a solution, while Environment Secretary and Leave campaign veteran Michael Gove is also expected to play a key role.

In a Downing Street speech last night, Theresa May held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her

But Mr Corbyn caused fury by flatly rejecting the overture, insisting that he would not talk until the government rules out leaving the EU without a deal.

Mrs May has said the option must stay on the table, and has also raised questions about how much scope there is for compromise by repeating her view that the UK must leave on schedule in March and cannot be in a customs union.

Allies of the Labour leader boasted today that his tactics mean Mrs May will have to split the Tory party if she wants to get a Brexit package through the Commons.

Tory and Opposition MPs pointed out that Mr Corbyn was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without any preconditions - insisting his only aim was to seize power whatever the consequences for the country.

Tony Blair also waded in this morning by saying 'of course' Mr Corbyn should accept the premier's invitation at a 'moment of crisis'.An Indonesian woman burned her husband alive after he refused to give her the passcode to his mobile phone.

Dedi Purnama, 26, had been working to repair the roof tiles on the couple's home when his wife Ilham Cahyani, 25, asked for his password.

He refused, sparking an argument during which he hit her before she poured petrol on him and set him on fire.

Mr Purnama died two days after the incident in the East Lombok Regency of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara.

Burned alive: Dedi Purnama, 26, died two days after his wife, 25, poured petrol on him and set him on fire during a fight about his mobile phone in their home in Indonesian

East Lombok Police Chief Made Yogi said the initial verbal argument between the couple had escalated when Mr Purnama climbed down from the roof and hit his wife.

Cahyani reportedly grabbed a petrol can and poured the flammable liquid over her husband before setting him aflame using a lighter.

A witness identified as Oji told reporters he had run over to the couple's house after spotting the flames and helped put them out.

Mr Purnama, shown during the aftermath of the attack, hit his wife when their argument escalated, after which she grabbed a petrol can

Tragic: Mr Purnama was rushed to hospital and died two days after the incident

Mr Purnama was rushed to the Keruak Health Centre and underwent treatment for two days for the horrific burns he sustained.

Photos show large parts of the 26-year-old's upper body severely burnt as he lies on a mattress.

Mr Purnama died after two days hospital.

Cahyani has been arrested and reportedly remains in custody at East Lombok Regional Police Station, although it is unclear if she has been charged.

The investigation is ongoing.A Major has become the first female fighter jet pilot to test the new F-35 stealth fighter.

Maj. Rachael Winiecki made history in December when she successfully completed an F-35 Lightning II test mission at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

'I am grateful for the women who have broken barriers previously, they built the path,' Winiecki said in a statement.

Rachael Winiecki (pictured ahead of the mission) made history in December when she successfully completed an F-35 Lightning II test flight

'I look forward to the day when sorties like this are a regular occurrence.'

Winiecki said she used her experiences conducting A-10 missions, such as close-air support, combat search-and-rescue and forward air controller, while testing the F-35.

This ensures the jet's air-to-ground capabilities also get thoroughly tested, and not just when it's airborne.

Winiecki admitted that aviation was a predominantly male field, but said she was glad to see the number of women signing up increase.

'I may be the first female developmental test pilot (in the F-35), but (pilots) are just one small part of the test enterprise,' she added.

Winiecki successfully tested the stealth fighter jet at Edwards Air Force Base in California (pictured)

The pilot wanted to share credit with the other females working at the Air Force flight test center.

She thanked test directors, test conductors, discipline engineers and flight test engineers at the 461st FLTS, in addition to those serving in engineering, maintenance and support functions.

Brig. Gen. E. John Teichert, commander of the 412th Test Wing, which conducts all aircraft testing for the Air Force, told CNN: 'Maj. Winiecki's accomplishments are exactly why we continue to be at the center of the aerospace testing universe. Breaking barriers is what we do.'Michael,42, and David Johnson-Zaragoza,54, with adopted son Chance,3, and twins Braden Parker and Elizabeth Quinn

A gay couple became the proud parents of twins after finding a surrogate - on Facebook.

Michael and David Johnson-Zaragoza avoided surrogacy agencies' high fees by finding Gennifer Christianson on the social network.

The married couple, of Long Beach, California, USA, were overjoyed when Gennifer gave birth to their son Braden Parker and daughter Elizabeth Quinn, now five-months-old, in September 2018.

Michael, 42, and David, 54, covered the bar manager's medical costs and gave her $30,000 compensation for carrying their babies.

Including medical bills and legal fees, the surrogacy cost the couple around $100,000.

Gennifer, 31, a mother-of-one from Fargo, North Dakota, was inspired to become a surrogate when she became broody but didn't want to raise another child.

She even began rescuing and rehoming animals as a way to fulfill her maternal urges.

Michael, a navy ER nurse, and David, a pharmaceutical sales account manager, now consider the surrogate a part of their family.

Gennifer Christianson,31, and her partner Mitch,31, with Michael (far left) at the birth of the twins

Surrogate twins Braden and Ellie pictured in matching Halloween outfits after their birth in September 2018

Michael said: 'We send her pictures all the time, we do Facetime, we do random phone calls.

'We see her as more of an aunt.

'As the kids grow up, they'll know her as the woman who helped us bring them into the world.'

Gennifer added: 'I began adopting all these animals because I felt broody.

'But being a surrogate and making that dream come true for another couple made me feel like I had served a purpose.'

Michael and David, who have an adopted son Chance, three, tied the knot in June 2017 after meeting on dating site OKCupid a year earlier.

They wed in a romantic ceremony at Santa Monica Airport with the venue inspired by Michael's love of flying.

The couple were already searching for a surrogate on Facebook.

Michael and David with their son Chance (left) Michael with the twins on a day out (right)

The couple's three-year-old adopted son Chance poses with Braden and Ellie after they were brought home

Michael said: 'I had always wanted to be a father and we agreed that surrogacy would be the right fit for us.

'Friends who had done it referred us to a couple of Facebook surrogacy groups and we went through five surrogate options before we ended up with Gennifer.

'We'd find one but then a medical issue would come up or a family issue or they would change their minds. It was a very emotional time.'

The couple had already chosen an egg donor through a private agency but continued looking for a surrogate on Facebook.

Michael said: 'Surrogacy agencies can charge up to $30,000. The process is expensive enough. I thought: 'I can do this myself'.

'We wrote a Facebook post explaining what we were looking for and got about 60 responses.

'We sent out a standard set of questions first and if they didn't respond to us, we knew they weren't really interested. We whittled it down to 20 applicants.

Chance playing with brother Braden after the child was brought home from the hospital

The couple managed to find their surrogate after posting a series of criteria on Facebook which were widely shared

'We sat down and Facetimed with each one of them to make sure that they fitted with us.

'We wanted someone that we could talk to for the next nine months and beyond.'

The couple finally drew up a shortlist of six potential surrogates, including Gennifer, and submitted their records to a fertility clinic which would decide the best match.

Michael said: 'The doctors came back with the results and the best one was Gennifer.

'We liked her from the first moment we met her.

'She was fun, she communicated with us very well and she came across as very friendly.'

Gennifer, mom of Violet, eight, had become interested in surrogacy after she suddenly became broody.

She said: 'I come from a very large family and having babies is what we are good at.

'I started adopting all these animals when I got together with my partner Mitch, 31, an inspector at a grain company.

Gennifer flew to California in September, 2017, to meet the couple in person for the first time.

After whittling down the list of applicants to 20 names, the couple chose Gennifer to be their surrogate. Pictured at the first embryo transfer

Pictured from left to right: Mitch Christianson,31, Violet,8, Gennifer Chistianson,31, Michael,42, , and David Johnson-Zaragoza,54, with Chance,3

In December, she returned to California for the embryo transfer.

The egg donor had donated 17 eggs which were mixed with sperm from Michael and David.

The couple ended up with four viable embryos.

Sadly the first embryo transfer did not take and the final two embryos, both made of Michael's sperm, were transferred into Gennifer's womb in January, 2018.

A couple of weeks later, doctors confirmed that Gennifer was pregnant and, at her six-week scan, that she was carrying twins.

Michael said: 'We were excited and scared at the same time.

'We had wanted twins but we knew it was going to be more work.

Throughout the pregnancy, the trio stayed in regular contact.

Michael said: 'We spoke almost every day. We were always asking how she was.

'We got sent the sonograms and Gennifer would send us heartbeats.'

Towards the end of the pregnancy, she began to feel the strain of carrying twins.

Michael, a navy ER nurse, and David, a pharmaceutical sales account manager, now consider the surrogate a part of their family

Gennifer Christainson,31, with partner Mitch,31, and their daughter Violet,8, during the pregnancy

The twins were due to be induced on September 28, but in the early hours of September 16, Gennifer's water broke.

The couple got on the first available flight but by the time they landed, the twins had already been born.

They rushed to Samford Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota, where they met their son Braden Parker, 5lb, 5oz, and daughter Ellie Quinn, 5lb, 11oz.

David said: 'It was just an overwhelming, joyous occasion.'

Gennifer added: 'I am always going to be in David and Michael's lives.

'I may be a surrogate again but it would have to be for the right family at the right time.

'I don't want to make babies for just anybody.'

Michael and David share their parenthood journey on their YouTube channel 2 Baby Daddies.Jeremy Corbyn got the date of the PM's historic Brexit defeat wrong - as he made a stuttering pitch for Number Ten today.

The Labour leader went to the Tory marginal seat of Hastings to try to turn the screw on Theresa May by pouring scorn on her Brexit plan and making his own bid for power.

But he fumbled over his words and struggled to turn the pages of his speech as he gave his speech on Brexit this morning.

Opening his address with a blunder, he said: 'Yesterday the Prime Minister suffered the most devastating defeat in parliament on the most important issue facing our country.

'The central policy of her government has been decisively rejected.'

The historic vote - the most important taken by Parliament since the Second World War - was in fact on Tuesday.

Mrs May's blueprint was overwhelmingly rejected as 432 MPs voted against it and just 202 back her plan. It was the biggest defeat ever inflicted on a British Prime Minister.

Mr Corbyn blundered through his speech as he repeated his call for another election as he repeated his vow to get into No10.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in Hastings today) got the date of the historic Brexit defeat wrong - as he made a stuttering pitch for Number Ten today

He stuttered and fumbled his way through the words written in front of him - visibly pausing as he turned the pages.

Tony Blair slams Jeremy Corbyn for snubbing the PM's offer of Brexit talks Tony Blair (pictured today in London) accused Jeremy Corbyn of trying to dodge the thorny issue of Brexit Tony Blair today joined condemnation of Jeremy Corbyn for refusing to hold Brexit talks with the PM. Mr Blair said it was wrong for the Opposition leader to snub a meeting with the premier at a 'moment of national crisis'. The Labour former PM accused Mr Corbyn of deliberately avoiding engagement on Brexit. 'If, in a moment of national crisis, the Prime Minister asks the Leader of the Opposition to come and talk, of course he should,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He added: 'At some point he is going to have to make his position clear,' he said. 'It is quite hard to read the runes sometimes in Labour policy right now, but, as I understand, our position is that if the no confidence motion fails, as it has, then there is an overwhelming majority for supporting putting this back to the people.' Advertisement

Mr Corbyn has been slammed for snubbing an invite to sit down with the Prime Minister for talks to come up with a new plan for Brexit.

Mrs May offered the olive branch last night after she survived a confidence vote tabled by the Labour leader in his bid to oust her.

But Mr Corbyn rebuffed the offer - despite the Brexit crisis looming over the country.

MPs have queued up to condemn his choice - pointing out that he has sat down with members of the IRA and Hamas but refused to sit down for talks with the PM at a moment of national crisis for the country.

But speaking this morning, Mr Corbyn stuck to his guns - insisting that he would not talk with the PM until she radically changes her strategy.

He said: 'Last night's offer for talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt - not a serious attempt to to engage with that the new reality that's needed.

'No sooner had she said the words in Parliament than the government confirmed that she would not take no deal off the table.

'With no deal still on the table, the prime minister would enter into phoney talks just to run down the clock and try to blackmail MPs to vote through her botched deal on a second attempt by threatening the country with the chaos of no deal if they resist a second time.'

He risked infuriating his Remain-backing MPs by refusing to immediately endorse a second referendum.

Instead he said Labour wants a general election - and indicated that Labour will table more votes of no confidence in the Government as he doges making a choice on a second public vote.

Although he repeated Labour party policy that 'all options' are on the table.

On holding more no confidence votes, he said: 'We will come back on it again if necessary because we are determined...to give people the choice about who their MP should be.

'In the meantime all options are on the table, we are serious about finding a way through.

Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street last night) has offered to hold Brexit talks with the Labour leader - but he has sparked fury by snubbing her offer

'If the government remains intransigent...and the country is facing the potential disaster of no deal then our duty will be to look at the options set out in our conference motion - including that of a public vote.'

Mr Corbyn has faced a storm of criticism from MPs - including Labour backbenchers - for refusing the PM's offer of talks.

And this morning Tony Blair also attacked his decision, saying it is wrong to make the snub at a 'moment of national crisis'.

The Labour former PM accused Mr Corbyn of deliberately avoiding engagement on Brexit.

'If, in a moment of national crisis, the Prime Minister asks the Leader of the Opposition to come and talk, of course he should,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He added: 'At some point he is going to have to make his position clear,' he said. 'It is quite hard to read the runes sometimes in Labour policy right now, but, as I understand, our position is that if the no confidence motion fails, as it has, then there is an overwhelming majority for supporting putting this back to the people.'Three vigilantes lured a convicted child killer to a flat and stabbed him 150 times after he moved into their quiet Welsh village, a court has heard.

Darren Evesham, 47, David Osbourne, 51 and Ieuan Harley, 23, allegedly stabbed their new neighbour David Gaut to death after he was released from a 33 year jail term.

Gaut, 54, had previously been jailed for murdering a 17-month-old boy, Newport Crown Court heard

He had moved into a flat next door to Osbourne in the village of New Tredegar, Gwent after being released from prison, prosecutors said today.

David Osborne (left), Ieuan Harley (centre) and Darran Evesham (right) at their trial today

Osbourne (left) and Harley (right) are among three men accused of killing David Gaut

The three men allegedly lured Gaut into Osborne's flat where they brutally murdered him, before dragging his dead body back next door and trying to clean up the crime scene.

Gaut was stabbed more than 150 times with knives and a screwdriver before having his fingernails ripped out and his neck suffered severe cuts after his death, the court heard.

Osborne had discovered Gaut's past on the internet and Harley said: 'I want to chop him up and put him down the plughole,' the jury were told.

Gaut had served 33 years in jail for murdering Chi Ming Shek in the 1980s

Ben Douglas-Jones QC, prosecuting, told the jury: 'The prosecution says that Osborne triggered the murder by luring the deceased over to his house in the context of knowing that he was someone who had killed a child and that Mr Harley was so incensed by that that he wanted to cut him up and put him down the plughole.

'The three men were associating closely at a time when Mr Harley was becoming increasingly agitated and aggressive about Mr Gaut living at 1 Long Row.'

The main aggressor was Harley, which is why his clothing was covered in Mr Gaut's blood and why his hand print was in the deceased's blood on the side of the bath, the court heard.

'By the moment Mr Gaut was invited over to 1 Long Row - at the latest - all three men intended to kill or at least do really serious harm to Mr Gaut,' Mr Douglas-Jones said.

'All three participated in the murder - in that each of them, at a minimum, assisted or encouraged the commission of the crime.

'Each of them, by assisting in the stabbing, acted with the intention of causing really serious harm at least.'

Pictures from the scene show police investigating after Gaut was found dead

The barrister warned the jury the trial could evoke 'strong emotive feelings'.

'The murder was brutal and involved gratuitous violence,' he said.

'The deceased committed a vile offence himself. He did, however, serve over 32 years in prison.

'It is no part of your function or ours now to judge him. He was judged. He was sentenced.

'A murder carried out to punish someone is as much a murder as a murder carried out for no reason.'

The court heard that on the afternoon of August 4, Gwent Police received a 999 call from a man called Michael Lewis reporting a conversation he had allegedly overheard the previous night between the three defendants.

Gaut had been jailed for murdering a 17-month-old boy but was freed to moved into a flat next door to Osborne in the village of New Tredegar, Gwent

Police went to Mr Gaut's flat and discovered his body, and a murder inquiry was launched.

Mr Lewis later told police he had been drinking with the three defendants in a local pub on the night of August 3 and they all returned to Osborne's flat together.

After thinking Mr Lewis was asleep in a chair, they allegedly began discussing how they had murdered Mr Gaut because he killed a child and also talked of cleaning up afterwards.

Scientific examinations recovered evidence linking the defendants to the murder scene, the court heard.

Harley's fingerprints were found in Mr Gaut's blood inside Osborne's flat. The clothing recovered from the riverbank was also stained with Mr Gaut's blood and traces of Harley's DNA was found on them as well.

Evesham, Osbourne and Harley, all of New Tredegar, Gwent, deny murder. The trial continues.A team of workers have upgraded the railway tracks of a major train station in China in just six hours thanks to their eye-opening efficiency.

More than 1,000 workers removed the old tracks and laid new ones overnight at Xi'an Train Station, and no trains were cancelled for the huge renovation mission.

In order to minimise the impact of the railway upgrade on passengers, workers started out on the task at midnight and finished the work at around 6am.

More than 1,000 Chinese workers started to change the railway tracks in Xi'an at midnight

They finished the task in just six hours and the first train (pictured) left the station on time

The first train pulled out of the station on schedule at 6.21am on the new railroad.

The revamp took place during the early hours on Tuesday, reported state broadcaster China Central Television Station, which also released a time-lapse video of the project.

In addition to the impressive manpower, directors of the project enlisted around 20 diggers, 500 handheld tools and a tamping machine - used to pack the track ballast - to help with the construction, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Workers also adjusted the traffic signals and a series of traffic monitoring equipment.

Xi'an Train Station is one of the busiest transport hubs in north-western China and handles an average of 60,000 passengers daily.

It is situated in the centre of Xi'an, which is the capital of Shaanxi Province and has around nine million residents.

The speedy work took place at Xi'an Train Station, a major traffic hub in north-western China

The train station in the city centre handles an average of 60,000 passengers daily (file photo)

The upgrade was carried out just before the Chinese New Year, the most important festival in China when millions of people travel across the country to see their families.

Yang Zhaoyang, a project lead, told Xinhua that upgrading the tracks was the first step of a large-scale renovation project to expand Xi'an Train Station.

He described the upgrade as 'a surgical operation on the heart of railway networks'.

The entire project is expected to complete before the Chinese New Year which falls on February 5 this year.

It aims to improve the capacity and efficiency of the train station during the upcoming Chinese New Year travel rush, which has been billed as the largest annual human migration in the world.

Chinese railway workers are known for their speedy work. Last January, a new train station in south-eastern China's Fujian Province shot to fame after 1,500 Chinese workers built its railway in nine hours.A driver who crashed into an Aboriginal woman's car has left a racist note saying they're not sorry because the owner displayed an indigenous sticker.

The woman's granddaughter found the disgusting letter on her car, which was parked at Chermside shopping centre in Brisbane this week.

A photo of the handwritten note was posted to Twitter on Thursday afternoon, along with details of where it was found and the accompanying caption: 'No. Words.'

A driver who crashed into an Aboriginal woman's car has left a racist note (pictured) saying they're not sorry because the owner displayed an indigenous sticker

In the note, the driver admitted to crashing into the young woman's vehicle but launched a racist tirade against her for displaying an Aboriginal sticker.

'I'm writting (sic) this note because I hit your car!' the driver wrote.

'You have an Aboriginal sticker on your car so the government probs paid for it out of my taxes.

'Happy Australia Day. I'm not sorry as well,' the message stated.

A message that later appeared on imgur stated the Aboriginal grandmother was battling terminal cancer and deeply affected by the driver's behaviour.

'My Grandma has terminal cancer and this was left on her car today near Chermside shopping centre complex,' the message stated.

'She's worked all her life and adopted kids from all cultures.

'She's a proud Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara woman and ashamed this treatment is still happening to her even after being part of the Stolen Generation.

The young woman found the disgusting letter on her grandmother's car, which was parked at Chermside shopping centre (pictured) in Brisbane this week

'Please stop picking on old ladies One Nation supporters!'

Many Twitter users were quick to share their thoughts about the photo on social media and hit back at the note's author.

'What a spiteful note. Some people are truly disgusting,' one person wrote.

'There are some low scum in this world. Its hard to imagine where their hate comes from but there is a vast amount of it,' another person said.

A third person wrote: 'What absolute trash they are to have left this note. Wouldve been so awful to come back to. Hope they doing OK.'

Many Twitter users were quick to share their thoughts about the photo on social media (pictured) and hit back at the note's author

While the author of the note remains a mystery, one Twitter user reiterated how the driver's cowardly actions aren't a reflection of most Australians.

'My son scratched a car in the supermarket car park. He waited in 41C heat to tell the car owner hed scratched her car,' the person said.

'He was so upset that she had to calm him down. There are good people in the world.'

Another person added: 'My young son did the same when wind blew his door into her car.... and he bought the elderly lady chocolates, wen she told him it was ok.'

Some Twitter users encouraged the owner to contact Chermside shopping centre, which has CCTV footage and number plate recognition at its entrance and exit.Controversial senator Derryn Hinch has sparked public outrage after he tweeted information about the horrific murder of an Israeli student in Melbourne.

Social media went into meltdown after the former media broadcaster posted an insensitive tweet about Aiia Maasarwe, the young woman murdered in a 'horrific, horrendous' attack in Bundoora in the city's north on Wednesday morning.

The tweet makes graphic and serious allegations about Ms Maasarwe's killer while comparing the case to that of Jill Meagher, a journalist who was raped and murdered in an inner Melbourne suburb in 2012.

Scroll down for video

Derryn Hinch stands by his views, despite was slammed on social media on Thursday night

'Jesus wept. Shades of Jill Meagher,' Senator Hinch tweeted.

'Im hearing the rapist-murderer of that stalked innocent Israeli student is a known sex offender who tried to burn... evidence.

'What has this town become?' he ended the tweet.

People were quick to slam the federal Senator as insensitive, disrespectful, appalling and inappropriate.

The controversial tweet posted by Senator Hinch on Thursday night

'Your willingness to exploit any situation is breathtakingly disgraceful. Shame on you Hinch,' one tweeted.

Another added: 'Think of her family Derryn! You may 'want people to know' but they might not want us to know the details of what happened to their girl. It's beyond horrible but your blatant disregard of their feelings makes it even worse. Shame!'

Another accused Senator Hinch of using the tragedy to try and make a political point.

Aiia Maasarwe (pictured) has been identified as the young woman whose body was found outside a Melbourne shopping centre on Wednesday

'Sure we can all just rise above politics when a horrific and tragic event like another murder of a young woman occurs?,' they tweeted.

Many called on Senator Hinch to delete the tweet.

'Aiia Maasarwe's family deserves better than this. If you have any respect for Aiia please delete this tweet and apologise to those who loved her,' one woman commented.

Senator Hinch tweeted that Aiia Maasarwe's death had 'shades of Jill Meagher' (pictured)

No arrests have yet been made over the death of Ms Maasarwe, whose partially naked body was found by window washers in scrub near the Polaris shopping centre in Bundoora at 7am on Wednesday.

Ms Maasarwe had been studying Chinese and English at Shanghai University, but moved to Melbourne six months ago to study at La Trobe University.

The 21-year-old Arab Israeli student was so scared of the walk from the tram stop to her student accommodation she would call one of her sisters while walking to feel safer, a family member told The Australian.

Police believe a t-shirt and cap found near where her body was discovered belonging to her killer.

Police are investigating whether she was raped, but would not describe her injuries other than saying that the attack shortly after midnight was utterly brutal.

The controversial senator responded to the online criticism with this response (pictured)

Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said it was believed to be a 'random attack'.

'This was a horrendous, horrific attack inflicted on a completely innocent young woman who was a visitor to our city,' he said.

Detectives are scouring a list of known sex offenders as they hunt the killer of the young Israeli woman.

Senator Hinch has previously been in hot water with the legal system on numerous occasions for contempt of court.

He spent 50 days in prison in 2014 for breaching a suppression order by revealing details of the criminal history of Ms Meagher's killer Adrian Ernest Bayley.

Many people called on Senator Hinch to delete the tweet and show respect to Aiia Maasarwe's (pictured) grieving family

He was given the option of a fine instead, which he chose not to pay 'on principle'.

Senator Hinch has since responded to Thursday night's backlash and made no apologies for the earlier tweet, which remained online.

'To all the do-gooder Tweeters attacking me for telling the gruesome truth about the Bundoora rape/ murder. This brute is still out there. My tweet was for the memory of Jill Meagher and Eurydice Dixon,' Mr Hinch later tweeted.

His later tweet sparked a war of words with departing federal senator David Leyonhjelm.

'Except you voted against giving women like these the means to protect themselves. Do you have any principles at all,' Senator Leyonhjelm posted.Finland has moved to change its laws on sexual assault and automatically classify sex with a child and sex without consent as rape.

The new legislation would increase the maximum sentence for statutory rape - sexual activity with a minor - and introduce new punishments for forced rape of a child.

It would also enshrine the need for consent ahead of sexual intercourse in law, following neighbouring Sweden where this was introduced last year.

Finland is set to change its rape laws to ensure that sex with a child under 16 is always classified as rape, as well as introduce consent legislation

The proposed changes came about amid anger at Finland's response to sexual assaults, after a court ruled that an adult who had sex with a ten-year-old was not guilty of rape, and recent outrage at a string of migrant men arrested over alleged sexual abuse of girls.

Finnish police told AFP they received 1,400 reports of sexual offences against children in 2018.

In around 25 percent of these cases, the suspect was of a foreign background - considerably higher than the proportion of foreign-born people in the population at large, which is around seven percent.

Finnish lawmakers also agreed to urgently introduce tougher measures against foreign-born criminals, such as revoking citizenship from convicted sexual offenders with a foreign background.

Police in the capital Helsinki said on Saturday they had detained three men of foreign background on suspicion of multiple counts of aggravated child sexual assault and child rape.

Allegations: Police suspect 16 foreign-born men of rape or other sexual abuses of adolescent girls aged between ten and 15 in Oulu, northern Finland

Two of the men were later released, while police indicated they expect to formally charge the third man this week.

In recent weeks a series of similar arrests have been made in Oulu, a Finnish town some 124 miles south of the Arctic Circle.

Oulu police said on Friday they had arrested three new suspects in relation to four investigations of alleged rape and sexual abuse of girls under 15.

In December police in the town arrested at least nine suspects, all of whom had arrived in Finland as refugees or asylum seekers, for suspected sexual offences against children.

Police also warned girls and their parents to beware of sexual offenders looking to lure victims on social media.

The cases, many of which are alleged to have occurred during last summer, have sparked outrage in Finland, just three months ahead of legislative elections in April.

Never forget: Candles burn outside a shopping centre, in memory of sex crimes committed against minors, in Oulu, Finland, today

'It is unacceptable that some people who have sought, and even received, asylum from us have brought evil here and created insecurity,' President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement released on Saturday.

After a parliamentary discussion on Tuesday, Centre Party MP Antti Kaikkonen told Finnish news agency STT that lawmakers had reached a 'shared understanding' that new, urgent measures in response to the crimes will be implemented during this parliamentary term.

'Nationals of Iraq, Afghanistan and Estonia are the largest foreign-background groups by number (in these statistics),' Pekka Heikkinen from the Finnish National Police Board said.

However, the highest year this century for reports of sexual offences against children was in 2011, before the arrival in Finland of a record 30,000 migrants during the migration surge of 2015-16.

Then, almost 1,700 reports were made to police, with foreign-born suspects in seven percent of cases.Pamela Smart has admitted feeling responsible for her husband Greggory's murder for the first time in a new interview - but still denies plotting his murder.

Smart, who was jailed for life in 1991 after her teen lover Billy Flynn and his friends shot Greggory dead at their marital home a year earlier, says she is now ready to accept her part of the blame for his death.

But she maintains that it was Flynn's decision alone to kill Greggory after she made an ill-advised remark about how they couldn't be together while he was around.

'For many years, it was the whole worlds fault - not mine. I think on some level, in my brain, I didnt want it to be my fault,' she said.

Pamela Smart (left in 2015) has admitted for the first time that she feel a sense of responsibility for husband Greggory's murder in 1990, but still denies plotting to kill him - saying that was the work of her then-teen lover, Billy Flynn (pictured right in 2015)

Smart was sentenced to life in 1991 for encouraging Flynn to murder Greggory (right) and helping him plan the murder, including staging it to look like a robbery

Speaking to the Washington Post, she added: '[Now] I do feel responsible for my husbands death. . . . When I think about it, I say that all of this is my fault.

'Had I not made that initial, horrible decision [to have an affair] nothing would have happened.'

But she refutes Flynn's claims, made at her trial, that she paid him and his friends $500 each to kill Greggory and make it look like a burglary - including leaving a door unlocked so they could get into the house.

Flynn (pictured during the trial) testified that Smart had plotted the crime, including leaving a door unlocked so he could get into her house to carry it out

Speaking from jail, Smart also revealed that she gave her wedding ring to her mother shortly after she was locked up, and that she still wants to keep it.

'Why wouldnt I? I mean, Im still married,' she said.

Smart spoke out amid a fresh legal bid to have her whole-life term reduced, saying she fears dying of old age behind bars.

The sentence rankles with her - and many of her campaigners, including some of America's most prominent feminists - because Flynn was freed on parole in 2015.

Patrick 'Pete' Randall, who restrained Gregg while Flynn shot him in the head, was freed the same year, while accomplices Vance Lattime Jr and Raymond Fowler have also walked from jail years earlier.

Smart's lack of guilt and remorse over Gregg's death has been a point of contention during her previous appeals, including during the release of a documentary last year.

In the three-part film, called Pamela Smart: An American Murder Mystery, Smart gave a defiant interview when she said: 'I want the world to know that my incarceration is unjust, my trial was unfair and Im being held in prison for a crime I didnt commit.'

At the time Paul Maggiotto, who prosecuted Smart, said that any appeal would be dead in the water provided she failed to accept responsibility for her actions.

He told Fox News: 'Part of the requirement for being eligible for a potential pardon is to accept responsibility for what youve done and to admit that youve destroyed the lives of three other people when you did this, as well as having your husband killed.

Smart's sentence has proved controversial because she remains in jail despite Flynn and Patrick Randall (left at trial, right at appeal in 2015) - who committed the murder - being freed

'Accept responsibility and move forward from there.'

Associate Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin, who will consider any request for clemency that Smart makes, was equally scathing of her.

'[Smart has blamed] the news media, the witnesses, the trial judge and the prosecutors...

'Her attempts to blame others for her incarceration are a reflection of not only her guilt, but her inability to be rehabilitated,' he said.

According to the version of events presented at the trial, Smart seduced Flynn when he was enrolled in a self-esteem course she volunteered to teach at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, where she was the media services director.

She took his virginity while they watched the raunchy film 9 1/2 Weeks and soon she was sending him photos of herself posing seductively in lingerie.

Seeing an opportunity to get rid of her husband and be able to play the victim, she told Flynn the only way they could be together is if Gregg was dead.

Paul Maggiotto, the prosecutor at Smart's trial, has previously said that any clemency bid she launches will be destined for failure unless she can accept responsibility for her crime

Smart claimed she would lose her house, money and even their dog Halen in a divorce and that killing him was a better option.

She also stood to collect a $140,000 life insurance payout.

But Smart's legal team now dispute aspects of this version of events, including that Flynn was a virgin.

Instead, they say she was the one who was inexperienced in love - having only had one serious boyfriend before getting married.

Since being incarcerated, Smart has earned two masters degrees, one in science and one in literature, and is now working towards a doctorate.

She is also a grievance representative and HIV-prevention counselor for fellow inmates, and wants to work in HIV prevention for the UN if she is released.

The one thing she doesn't want to do is die behind bars.

'I would rather be put to death than die in here of old age,' she said.France activated its no deal Brexit contingency plans today in response to MPs crushing Theresa May's deal.

French PM Edouard Philippe said events in London meant Britain crashing out in 71 days was now 'less and less unlikely'.

Officials will spend 40million (50mn euros) adding contingency measures to ports and airports - likely to take account of British travellers soon having to go through full immigration controls and goods having to undergo customs checks.

Five pieces of legislation aim to ensure that the rights of French citizens and businesses dealing with the British are protected, along with key industrial sectors including fishing.

Mr Philippe said he wanted to ensure that the threats to trade, security and employment were all minimised if an ally based just 20 miles away goes it alone without a deal.

The move comes as EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned the actions of MPs had created a climate of mistrust as the clock ticked down to exit day.

French PM Edouard Philippe (pictured in Paris today) said events in London meant Britain crashing out in 71 days was now 'less and less unlikely'

French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured on Tuesday) has been among leading voices against compromise in the Brexit talks

France has triggered contingency plans to avoid chaos at the UK-France border (pictured)

Speaking after a ministerial meeting called to discuss the British parliament's rejection of the divorce deal negotiated with the EU, Mr Philippe said: 'I have taken the decision to activate the plan for a no-deal Brexit or hard Brexit as it is sometimes called.'

He added: 'What's certain is that the scenario of a no-deal Brexit is less and less unlikely.

'That's why... I have decided to trigger the plan for a no-deal Brexit.'

Mr Philippe said: These five bills will allow us to have a legal framework that meets the challenges of a Brexit without agreement.

The plan includes legislative measures and legal measures aimed at ensuring that there is no interruption of rights, and that the rights of our fellow citizens or our businesses are protected effectively.

Mr Philippe was speaking after a cabinet meeting held at Matignon, his official residence in central Paris.

The legislation, which has been developed since April last year, is expected to be rubber stamped by both houses of the Paris parliament before it becomes law in time for exit day on March 29.

Mrs May's deal was smashed in the biggest ever defeat in Parliament on Tuesday night as MPs rejected almost two years of talks by a 230-vote margin.

On Tuesday, Mr Macron said the British people were conned into supporting Brexit by fake news and other lies and it was now impossible to implement something that does not exist.

Mr Macron made the hugely provocative comments during a live TV debate on the day Mrs Mays EU exit plan was rejected by the House of Commons.

Mr Macron said the British were now being told make do with this and the result of it all, the people were lied to, and what they chose is not possible.

In the end, good luck to the representatives of the country who want to implement something that does not exist, he added.

He believes a no deal is possible, but would bet that Britain ends up renegotiating a deal with Europe, while extending the March 29 deadline.

Michel Barnier, who is in Portugal for talks today (pictured), said: 'If there is no deal there will be contingency measures

Mr Barnier, who is in Portugal for talks today, said: 'If there is no deal there will be contingency measures.

'But that will be very difficult and will not be done in a climate of confidence. The best guarantee is reaching an agreement.'

Barnier repeated comments that it is now up to Britain to decide how to proceed, adding: 'Brexit is a situation where everyone loses.'

In the aftermath of her defeat, Mrs May is fighting to find a cross-party Brexit plan while Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of 'playing politics' by snubbing her offer of talks.

The Prime Minister held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her, urging them to come to the table and help break the Parliamentary deadlock.

She has already met the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru, and will see the sole Green MP, Caroline Lucas this morning.

In a Downing Street speech last night, Theresa May held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her

Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington is co-ordinating the drive to hammer out a solution, while Environment Secretary and Leave campaign veteran Michael Gove is also expected to play a key role.

But Mr Corbyn caused fury by flatly rejecting the overture, insisting that he would not talk until the government rules out leaving the EU without a deal.

Mrs May has said the option must stay on the table, and has also raised questions about how much scope there is for compromise by repeating her view that the UK must leave on schedule in March and cannot be in a customs union.

Allies of the Labour leader boasted today that his tactics mean Mrs May will have to split the Tory party if she wants to get a Brexit package through the Commons.

Tory and Opposition MPs pointed out that Mr Corbyn was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without any preconditions - insisting his only aim was to seize power whatever the consequences for the country.

Tony Blair also waded in this morning by saying 'of course' Mr Corbyn should accept the premier's invitation at a 'moment of crisis'.Jeffrey Tanner Libby, 21, (pictured) had just been dumped by text when he grabbed a litre of Bacardi and attacked BA cabin crew and staff

A Texan student who single-handedly diverted a transatlantic jet after downing a litre of Bacardi and attacking British Airways staff and passengers has been jailed for six months.

Jeffrey Tanner Libby, 21, had just been dumped by text and started drinking heavily when the flight back to Dallas hit turbulence shortly after leaving London Heathrow on December 17 last year.

Libby, a Texas Christian University student, spat at people, assaulted a BA air hostess and bit the hand of a passenger who tried to restrain him on the packed flight.

As the fracas ensued the pilot was forced to turn back to London and the Boeing 777 jettisoned 20 tonnes of fuel costing the airline hundreds of thousands of pounds before landing.

Hundreds of innocent passengers were also delayed as they tried to get home to the US for Christmas.

The trouble began when Libby began to punch and kick the seat of a passenger in front of him, which he believed was being moved backwards into him.

Members of the aircrew then came to Libby to ask him to calm down and his drunken behaviour was caught on camera by shocked passengers.

Libby, from Dallas, Texas, admitted three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of drunkenness on an aircraft and was jailed for six months at Isleworth Crown Court.

Olu Phillips, prosecuting, told Isleworth Crown Court: He was speaking increasingly loudly and swearing. He reached across the aisle to a female passenger, grabbing her by the arm and squeezing it.

She is the victim of the first assault. Members of the crew then came over to him'.

Passengers and air crew battle detain drunken Libby who grabbed, spat at and bit people on board

Libby began to spit and bite at crew members and passengers as they attempted to restrain him.

One passenger, Stephen Mumford, attempted to restrain Libby by holding the Texans head.

One of his fingers slid into Libbys mouth and the journalism student bit him.

Libby, a student at Texas Christian University, then squeezed the arm of Samantha Jackson, a BA air hostess, as she attempted to restrain him with Mr Mumford.

The pilot made the decision to turn the plane back to London with eight hours of journey time to Dallas left.

The Boeing 777 was forced to jettison 20 tonnes of fuel costing the airline hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Michael Wolkind, QC, defending, said Libby had recently been dumped by his girlfriend of one year via text message.

He was flying home early from a trip to London to receive treatment for a skin condition.

Libbys parents sat in the public gallery and sobbed loudly throughout the proceedings.

The BA pilot considered the behaviour by Libby (pictured) so dangerous he had to turn his plane around as it crossed the Atlantic costing more than 100,000 in fuel

The son appeared via videolink from Wormwood Scrubs where he has attended alcoholics anonymous.

Mr Wolkind said if given a suspended sentence Libby would attend a course at the Texas Adult and Teen Challenge.

But Judge Robin Johnson said Libby had to go to jail for six months.

He said: Whether you were drunk when you boarded the plane or you became drunk doesnt matter.

Nearly 200 passengers were severely inconvenienced the week before Christmas.

On top of that those who behave in a drunk fashion not only are they dangerous, they frighten a lot of people.

Against your personal mitigation it is my duty to state unequivocally that this behaviour can not be tolerated.

You assaulted a woman for no reason at all.

Libby, from Dallas, Texas, admitted three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of drunkenness on an aircraft.

A British Airways spokesman said the sort of behaviour the man exhibited would 'never be tolerated' and that customers should never 'suffer from any sort of abuse.'Police are hunting a man after a teenager claims she was sexually assaulted on a train.

British Transport Police have today released CCTV photos of a passenger they want to speak to after the girl said she was assaulted on a train travelling from Birmingham to Shrewsbury.

The man, who boarded the train at Birmingham New Street, is alleged to have inappropriately touched the girl in the vestibule area of the train.

The girl said she was assaulted on a train travelling from Birmingham to Shrewsbury

The incident happened between 5.25pm and 5.40pm on January 2.

A BTP spokesman said 'A man is reported to have boarded a train at Birmingham New Street.

'He is then reported to have inappropriately touched the girl in the vestibule area of the train.

'He left the train at Wolverhampton station and headed in the direction of Wolverhampton city centre.

'Officers believe the man shown in these CCTV images may have information which could help their investigation.

'Anyone who recognises the man, or who has more information about the incident, is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference number 404 of 02/01/18.

'Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.'Plans for a 20bn new nuclear power station have been suspended, delivering a huge blow to the industry.

Japanese firm Hitachi announced it was not continuing with work already under way at Wylfa on Anglesey in North Wales.

This announcement follows an earlier decision by fellow Japanese company Toshiba to abandon plans for a nuclear power station in Cumbria

In today's announcement, Hitachi said it had made 'strong progress' on the project, but had not been able to reach agreement on financing and associated commercial arrangements.

But Hitachi's fund-raising efforts have been deadlocked at home while its request for additional investment from the British government has been shelved with London consumed by Brexit.

Japanese firm Hitachi has suspended plans for a muliti-billion pound nuclear power station in Anglesey, north Wales, claiming they failed to reach agreement on financing and associated commercial arrangements for the Wylfa project

The British government signed an agreement with Hitachi for the Wyfla power station in Tregele, Anglesey on October 23, 2013

Some 9,000 people were expected to work on the construction of the two nuclear reactors planned for the site.

However, according to the BBC, rising construction costs were part of the reason to suspend their plans.

A Number 10 spokesman said any deal between the company and the Government would have to provide good value for money for the taxpayer and the consumer.

However, despite the major setback, Downing Street insisted nuclear power was still part of the government's energy policy.

Former Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones speaking ahead of the decision claimed the deal was placed in jeopardy by the Government's preoccupation with Brexit and the inability to handle any other policy.

Former Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Energy Ed Davey said: Japanese businesses have warned about Brexits economic consequences since the 2016 referendum, so this latest setback to the Conservatives energy policy is not a surprise.

The UK will face an energy crunch in the next decade and fall behind on climate change targets if the Government continues to sit on its hands.

He claimed the Government should look towards new technology, renewables and tidal lagoons instead of nuclear power.

The power plant was due to be operational in the mid 2020s. The company claimed they will lose around 2.1bn in expenses and a further 2.1bn in 'extraordinary losses' by today's decision.

Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Hitachi's nuclear business, Horizon Nuclear Power, said: 'We have made very strong progress on all aspects of the project's development, including the UK design of our tried and tested reactor, supply chain development and especially the building of a very capable organisation of talented and committed people.

'We have been in close discussions with the UK Government, in co-operation with the government of Japan, on the financing and associated commercial arrangements for our project for some years now. I am very sorry to say that, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, we've not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned.'

Hitachi said it will also suspend work on another site, in Oldbury in Gloucestershire, 'until a solution can be found'.

'In the meantime, we will take steps to reduce our presence but keep the option to resume development in future,' said Mr Hawthorne.

Hitachi's president Toshiaki Higashihara, pictured today in Tokyo, had earlier expressed major concern about Britain's decision to leave the European Union

'We will begin consultation on the implications immediately with our staff who have shown extraordinary talent, resilience and determination to take this complex and exciting project to this stage.

'We will also engage closely with the many international and UK-based stakeholders who have strongly supported the project's development, especially our lead host community of Anglesey in Wales, represented by the Isle of Anglesey County Council and Welsh Government, and the key representatives around Oldbury.'

A Business Department spokesman said: 'As the Business Secretary set out in June, any deal needs to represent value for money and be the right one for UK consumers and taxpayers.

'Despite extensive negotiations and hard work by all sides, the Government and Hitachi are unable to reach agreement to proceed at this stage.

'This Government is committed to the nuclear sector, giving the go-ahead to the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C, investing 200 million through our recent sector, which includes millions for advanced nuclear technologies.

'We are also reviewing alternative funding models for future nuclear projects and will update on these findings in summer 2019.'

Hitachi's move follows a decision by Toshiba not to go ahead with a nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria.

Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: 'Hitachi's announcement, coming so soon after the Moorside fiasco, raises the very real prospect of a UK energy crisis.

Last year, Toshiba decided against proceeding with a proposed nuclear power station in Moorside, Cumbria after it ran into several difficulties

'As coal is taken out of the equation in the next few years and the existing nuclear fleet reaches the end of its natural life after 50 years, decisions are already long overdue for construction to be completed in time and not leave the country at risk of power cuts or reliant on imported electricity, much of it from unreliable regimes.

'While the Government has had its head up its proverbial backside over Brexit, vital matters like guaranteeing the country's future energy supply appear to have gone by the wayside.'

Both Greenpeace and CND welcomed today's decision.

Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK, said: 'Hitachi's confirmation that no solution has been found for its UK nuclear programme tells you all you need to know about the economics of nuclear power.

'In the meantime renewable energy costs, especially offshore wind and solar, have plunged dramatically, while new smart technologies including storage have arrived on the scene.

'A clever move now would be for the Government to accept that the nuclear bet didn't pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy.'

Sara Medi Jones, acting general secretary of CND, said: 'Today's decision is good news because it opens the door to investment in the renewable technologies of the future, and to leave behind dirty and dangerous nuclear power.

'Hitachi's decision proves once again that there isn't an economic case for new nuclear, certainly not when renewables like offshore wind are cheaper sources of energy.'

Anglesey council leader, councillor Llinos Medi, expressed her 'profound disappointment and concern' over the decision.

However, she hoped agreement could be reached between Hitachi, and the Governments of Japan and the UK, to enable the project to proceed.

Cllr Medi said : 'I am in regular contact with Duncan Hawthorne, the Horizon chief executive. The council continues to work closely with the Welsh Government Minister, Ken Skates, in pressing the case with the UK Government forthis delay to be overcome so we can secure much needed well-paid jobs and business opportunities for years to come.

'Despite this, my main concern is the immediate impact on local men and women whose employment is at risk as a consequence of this suspension, especially those at the Wylfa Newydd site in North Anglesey.'

Major projects and economic development portfolio holder, Cllr Carwyn Jones, added : 'Wylfa remains the UK's best site for new nuclear build and we remain a willing host community. These are critical factors, which have been acknowledged by senior Hitachi executives during face-to-face meetings.

'As a council, we will leave no stone unturned in working with Horizon, their Hitachi parent company and both the UK and Welsh Governments to secure at the earliest opportunity positive and satisfactory outcomes for all concerned. We remain firmly committed to a new development at Wylfa.'

Business Secretary Greg Clark has told MPs that the Government was willing to provide a 'significant and generous package' of support to the Japanese firm to continue work on its nuclear power station in North Wales.

Mr Clark, speaking in the Commons, revealed the Government was willing to take a one-third equity stake in the project and was ready to provide all of the required debt financing to see the project completed.

He said: 'I hope the House would agree that this is a significant and generous package of potential support that goes beyond what any Government has been willing to consider in the past.

'Despite this potential investment and strong support from the government of Japan, Hitachi have reached the view that project still posed too great a commercial challenge.'

Craig Hatch Managing Director, Surveying & Asset Management at consultancy firm WYG said: 'Hitachi has announced it is suspending investment at Wylfa, which follows Toshibas withdrawal from the Moorside project in Cumbria. Nuclear power station projects are a critical element to ensuring the provision of a secure energy supply within the UK. These projects would have had significant socio economic benefits for the respective regions, something which both north Wales and west Cumbria desperately need.

'Naturally, Brexit has commanded much of the governments attention as of late and whilst a sentiment of support for nuclear new builds has been expressed, there is currently no cohesive plan within the current UK energy policy.

'If the UK loses out on Wylfa and Moorside the impact will be detrimental, not only to the respective local economies, but also to the UKs industrial strategy that relies on secure and affordable domestic energy supplies.

'The status quo needs to change and action is needed to keep these projects alive and in the pipeline  particularly at a time when energy demand looks set to increase.'Advertisement

For most it would bring back terrible memories of the scene from Jaws when the immortal line 'you're going to need a bigger boat' was uttered.

But when a team of divers spotted the largest great white shark on the planet they only hesitated to grab their cameras before they jumped into the sea.

The enormous predator named Deep Blue is up to 50 years old, weights 2.5 tons and measures 20ft long.

It was drawn to the water around Hawaii for what one diver described as an 'all you can eat buffet' - to feed on a dead sperm whale.

Deep Blue was last spotted in Mexico in 2013 where it was fitted with a tracker which is how divers were able to identify it this time.

Conservation photographer Juan Oliphant was one of the divers who took the plunge along with with marine biologist Ocean Ramsey

Ocean Ramsey swimming with Deep Blue in photos shot by Juan Oliphant after it was spotted in the water off Oahu on Sunday by Kimberly Jeffries. Deep Blue became an icon several years ago during Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, through her remarkable size and age. She is 20 feet long and thought to be 50 years old. Pictures show the pair getting remarkably close to the deadly animal

It's likely that Deep Blue grew so big simply because of her age. Before being spotted in Hawaii, the great white was caught on video in July 2018 near Guadalupe Island, off the west coast of Mexico. It was spotted feeding on the carcass of a whale

Divers could identify her as 'Deep Blue' thanks to a tag she was implanted with when she appeared off the coast of Mexico two decades ago.

Deep Blue is thought to be around 20ft long according to scientists who have previously encountered the predator, around the same height as a fully-grown giraffe

Remarkable photos shot by Oliphant show him and Ramsey swimming right next to the enormous predator.

Posting on Instagram shortly after the swim, Oliphant wrote: 'Face to face with the worlds largest great white ever recorded 'Deep Blue' with @oceanramsey.

'I'm still in shock that we spent almost the whole day with this amazing animal in my backyard.

'I hope my conservation images like this help people to question their perceptions and realize the beauty, and importance of sharks and I hope that they inspire the kind of compassion and connection we need to have with nature and sharks, to help protect them and coexist alongside them.'

Another diver who swam with Deep Blue. Kimberly Jeffries, wrote: 'If you asked me a few days ago what the most amazing thing I've ever seen in Hawaiian waters the answer probably would be pretty different.

'If you asked me yesterday the answer would be freediving with Deep Blue, a great white, the largest ever documented, who was last seen in 2013 in Mexico.

'If you asked me right now, it would be freediving with, interacting with and photographing not one but multiple, different great whites AND Deep Blue.'

Great White Breakfast Posted by Kimberly Jeffries on Wednesday, 16 January 2019

Video shot by the photographer Kimberly Jeffries and posted on Facebook shows a different great white feeding on the dead sperm whale before Deep Blue arrived.

A shark believed to be 'Deep Blue' was last spotted in footage captured by shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla off Mexico's Guadalupe Island in 2013

Padilla's remarkable footage from 2013 shows the stealthy predator lurking in the deep while attempting to catch prey

Footage of Deep Blue was also captured back in 2013 by shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla off Mexico's Guadalupe Island.

Great white sharks: Feared predators of the deep Great white sharks have such a strong sense of smell that they can detect a colony of seals two miles away

Great whites give birth to up to ten 'pups' but mothers will eat them if they don't swim off fast enough

They swim at up to 37mph at full pelt and burst out of the water from below their prey

They attack 5-10 humans every year but usually just take a 'sample bite' out of curiosity before swimming off

Great whites can live to up to 70 years old

They are colored white underneath to make them harder to see from below with sunlight shining down

They have several rows of teeth that can number into the thousands

As their teeth fall out they are replaced by razor sharp teeth in the row behind Advertisement

The video shows the enormous apex predator swimming near researchers in steel cages, with one bold enough to be swimming outside the protection of the protective metal bars.

The massive predator was also featured back in 2014 in a Shark Week documentary, when researchers tagged the gigantic fish.

Great whites, the largest predatory fish on earth, typically grow to 15 feet in length, with some, like Deep Blue, exceeding 20 feet in length and weighing up to 5,000 pounds, according to National Geographic.

German tourist Michael Maier also described filming the predator during a 2014 trip to Mexico.

Mr Maier, 48, said: 'Deep Blue is a very large female shark and she is known to be found in Mexico. When we entered the water we had to wait because there was nothing to see.

'All of a sudden out of the deep blue, there she came. We realised almost immediately that she was very big.

'She was very calm and not at all nervous and was circling us. She was very interested and was looking at us.

'During the circles we realised just how big she was - she must have been something like seven metres long. Everything was very well prepared. The whole team felt safe.

'We had a very long beautiful dive with her and we were all very much enthusiastic about the encounter.'

George Burgess, director emeritus of the International Shark Attack File at Florida Museum of Natural History, told ABC News: 'It's a very big white shark, obviously.

'One of the largest that has ever been seen in the water. She's a big girl.'

The shark got her name from Discovery Channel diver Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, who swam with the creature as part of a Shark Week documentary.A mother said she felt 'helpless and vulnerable' after a council worker shamed her in the middle of a packed waiting room when she asked where she could breastfeed her son.

Soraya Zaccaria was waiting for her appointment at a Southwark Council service point on Walworth Road in the south London borough when 22-month-old Cailean, who is allergic to cow's milk, began crying.

The packed waiting room had no available seats so the mother-of-three asked a male employee where she could breastfeed her crying toddler - but says she was told off by him.

The 41-old said: 'He shouted, 'you can't breastfeed here, not in front of people!'

Soraya Zaccaria (pictured with her son) was waiting for her appointment at a Southwark Council service point when 22-month-old Cailean, who is allergic to cow's milk, began crying

'He got close to my face while I was holding my crying son.

'Cailean has a cow's milk allergy which is why I still have to breast feed him.

'I felt vulnerable and shamed, feeling shamed was the worst part.'

The stay-at-home mother resorted to trying to find a bench outside, but on a bitter December day, it was too cold.

However she said the argument with the man resumed when she returned inside the council building, on December 11.

Ms Zaccaria said she felt 'helpless and vulnerable' after a council worker shamed her in the middle of a packed waiting room

She added: 'I went back in, asked how to make a complaint and asked for the manager.

'He said there was no reason for me to make a complaint.'

But then member of the public jumped to her defence.

She said: 'A woman came over to us and told him that by law I was allowed to breastfeed, it's under the 2010 Equality Act.

'He began arguing with her and another council worker called me over and said he was being unacceptable and that I could breastfeed.

The council service point in Walworth Road where the mother says she was told off for asking where she could breastfeed her son

'I have breast fed at bus stops and gas stations and no one even blinked.

'This is my third child and it has never happened before.'

The Italian born mother added: 'It was embarrassing.

'I have been racially abused before and while this isn't the same, it still brought similar feelings of helplessness and shame.'

Ms Zaccaria was visiting the council offices to drop off some forms because her eldest son had just turned 18.

As soon as Ms Zaccaria, who lives with her partner and her three sons in Southwark, south London, returned home she made an online complaint and contacted her MP, Neil Coyle.

Southwark Council recently joined a 'breastfeeding welcome' scheme, aimed at encouraging businesses to make mothers feel more welcome.

Ms Zaccaria added said she regularly visits a breastfeeding cafe which is run by the council.

She said: 'I think all council workers should be aware of the Equality Act and should have some sort of training.

'There are posters up saying you have to be respectful to workers but it works both ways.'

Councillor Evelyn Akoto, cabinet member for community safety and public health said the member of staff 'has been spoken to' and the incident 'does not represent council policy.'

She said: 'This is utterly unacceptable, as a mother of a young child myself, I totally understand the upset that this may have caused Ms Zaccaria, and for that I am sincerely sorry.

'Soon after this incident occurred I understand that Ms Zaccaria met with our service point manager who directly apologised for this incident and assured her that we are working to ensure that this doesn't happen again to other customers.

'I understand that the security guard in question has also been spoken to about how to handle this type of enquiry in the future.

'I want to reiterate that I am sincerely sorry that this happened.

'This incident does not represent council policy and we have spoken to staff to remind them that the mothers are, of course, welcome to breastfeed in all council buildings.'A victim of 'upskirting' who had the law changed after being humiliated at a festival has spoken out about the moment she decided to fight back against being sexually harassed.

Gina Martin, 27, was waiting to watch The Killers at Hyde Park in summer 2017 when a group of men began trying to chat her up.

After she declined their advances, one of the men took a photo up her skirt and sent it to his friends, she told Lorraine on ITV.

Outraged Miss Martin from Northwich in Cheshire grabbed the man's phone and confronted him before she alerted police - only to be told there was nothing that could be done about it.

Gina Martin, 27, was the victim of upskirting but was stunned when she found out it was not a criminal offence

Speaking on Lorraine, she said: 'One brushed up against me I thought nothing of it.

'Then one man was in front of me and I saw his phone. He had this very well taken photo of a girl's crotch and genitals - and I realised it was me.

'So I grabbed the phone.

Gina Martin (pictured), 27, has long campaigned for a change in the law to make upskirting a criminal act - having been a victim of such behaviour herself

The issue was thrust into the spotlight by 27-year-old Gina Martin, who launched a petition to make upskirting a sexual offence after realising someone took a photo up her skirt at a music festival in Hyde Park in 2017 when she took a selfie (pictured right). The alleged perpetrators are obscured in black and ringed

'I think it was too many times we brushed it off. In uni things happen guys smack your ar** and shout out the car. And I kept brushing it off. And then I was bored of thinking this is part of life. I wanted to take it further.'

Eighteen months later, after her campaigning, 'upskirting' has become a criminal offence after the Voyeurism Bill was passed.

On Wednesday, the Bill was approved in the House of Lords and is now only awaiting the formality of Royal Assent. It will see offenders face up to two years in jail.

Gina spent 18 months campaigning with lawyer Ryan Whelan after her initial petition got 50,000 signatures.

Miss Martin said she was stunned by the amount of women it is happening to still.

She said: 'Thats why its so important. Im glad it happened to me and not a younger girl because I could do something about it.

'This is happening to kids and women and teachers. Its happening now.'

According to figures from February 2018, there were 78 incidents of upskirting reported in the last two years and 11 suspects were charged.

It has been an offence in Scotland since 2010.

Now, Miss Martin says she 'cannot rule out' a career in politics.

She said: 'Before I was too scared. Im not going to rule it out.'A retired bomb sniffer dog was given an emotional goodbye by veterinary staff and K-9 unit as they formed a guard of honour for him.

Robson the German Shepherd's service included supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, as well as special assignments protecting the president in Europe.

Robbie, as he was also known, and his K-9 handler David Simpson were both medically retired from the Air Force in 2014 after seven years working together, and was adopted by David and his family in Florida.

But after David died in 2017, Robbie's age began to catch up with him rapidly and his health deteriorated to the point where vets decided he needed to be put down.

When the time came, devoted staff at All Creatures Animal Clinic in Lakeland, Florida, helped organise an emotional guard of honor befitting of his military service.

With the Lakeland Police Department K-9 Unit in attendance, and veterinary staff forming a guard of honour, Robbie made one final walk off.

Erin Simpson, David's widow, said: 'Robson was never more than three feet from David.

'After David's death, he was our family dog - playing with the kids and our little dog Thor.

Robson the German Shepherd's service included supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn

'He was very loving, but also a very stoic dog. All Creatures and Lakeland K9 Police were able to honor him in a way that allows everybody to see his sacrifice and work that he did.

'That he was a great dog, war hero, best friend and pet.'

Linda Gordon, from All Creatures Animal Clinic, who cared for Robbie in his later years, added: 'We all loved him - he was sweet and loved attention.

'We are beyond honored to have done anything for Robbie and his family.

'We wish we could have done more as part of the send-off, and would have if we had any prior notice.

With the Lakeland Police Department K-9 Unit in attendance, and veterinary staff forming a guard of honor, Robbie made one final walk off

'Everyone flexed, took shorter lunches, moved things around to do what we could for Robbie and the family once they received the news.'

The idea for the emotional walk off came to Erin after she recalled being involved in a final call for a service dog while the family were stationed in Germany.

And after receiving the devastating news that there was nothing more that could be done to aid Robbie's medical issues related to old age, a charity called Tails of Hope helped quickly organise the send-off.

Erin added: 'We are so glad he was able to be honored, and didn't want his light to go out without people seeing him off.

'When it all went through and we watched the video back, we all got very emotional and also very proud.

'It was incredibly uplifting to have so many people see the video and thank him for service, knowing he won't be forgotten and did great things.'This is the touching moment an army officer is surprised by his wife after she was deployed in Iraq for eight months in the fight against ISIS.

Second lieutenant Jordan Pruitt was in the midst of classroom training when he got the unexpected visit.

He was studying as part of his Doctorate of Physical Therapy programme when his wife second lieutenant Jamie Douglas, a Medical Platoon Leader, walked in to surprise him.

The video shows lieutenant Jordan Pruitt spring up out of his seat and bolt over to his wife who had been in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the fight against ISIS.

The classroom burst into rapturous applause for the young couple as Pruitt tears up and hugs his wife tightly.

The video was shot in the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

The classroom burst into rapturous applause for the young couple as Pruitt tears up

Jamie Douglas is a Medical Platoon Leader and Squadron Medical Officer stationed at Fort Hood, Texas but hadn't seen her husband for eight months.

A training centre spokesperson sent out their thanks to the couple and all soldiers and their families on Facebook.

They said: 'We thank this dual-military couple and all Soldiers and Military Families for their service and sacrifice.'

Jordan Pruitt sprung up out of his seat and bolted over to his wife who had been in Iraq

Reacting to the video on Facebook, Paula Romano Marsh said: 'Thank you both for your service.. great reunion for you both!!'

Lucia Perez said: 'This was beautiful but I have something I my eyes.'

'He played this moment in his mind everyday..' said Rochelle Stewart Leon.



A record-breaking heatwave baking Australia has become so strong roads have started to melt.

27 places in New South Wales and the ACT sweltered in record maximum temperatures on Thursday - with the thermostat moving above 45 degrees in the west of NSW by midday.

Even in Sydney's Penrith temperatures broke the 42-degree mark, contrasting a much cooler 29 degrees in the city.

A record-breaking heatwave baking Australia has become so strong roads have started to melt (pictured Oxley Highway near Wanchope where the hot weather started to melt strips of bitumen)

Motorists were warned of the deteriorating surface (pictured) on Thursday as an image posted online showed the tar beginning to melt

The hot weather on the Oxley Highway near Wauchope, meanwhile, proved too much for the road's bitumen surface.

Motorists were warned of the deteriorating surface on Thursday as images posted online showed the tar beginning to melt.

Walcha Council, which covers the far south-eastern corner of the New England region, told The Macleay Argus they would use a water cart to cool the road down.

Dozens of fires are burning in the state, while NSW Rescue and Fire Service have put in place 13 fire bans across eastern areas.

Firefighters were battling eight fires in remote areas of the Kosciuszko National Park on Thursday afternoon.

Multiple blazes 30km north-west of Eden on the state's southern coast were detected by the NSW RFS later in the day.

Meanwhile, Sydney train users are being warned their journeys could be disrupted as the network experiences delays as temperatures rise.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Diana Eadie said 'severe to extreme heatwave temperatures are expected to persist across most of the country'

Records were also broken in Victoria, with Mangalore north of Melbourne reaching 44.8 degrees.

The majority of the state is forecast to exceed 41C until Friday.

There will be some relief this weekend as temperatures take a slight dip, but this won't last for long and the temperature is predicted to start rising again by Monday.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Diana Eadie said 'severe to extreme heatwave temperatures are expected to persist across most of the country.'Eva Braun never had sex with Hitler because of a rare gynaecological condition that would have made it unbearably painful, evidence suggests.

The Fuhrer's wife is likely to have suffered from Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, according to Thomas Lundmark, who has completed a biography of Braun's life.

The rare condition occurs when an unborn baby fails to fully develop a reproductive system, leaving them with little or no uterus, and a vaginal canal that can be short, narrow or totally missing.

Adults with untreated MRKH say it makes sex agonising, and many seek surgical intervention  including, Professor Lundmark believes, Eva Braun.

Eva Braun never had sex with Hitler because of a rare gynaecological condition that would have made it unbearably painful, evidence suggests. She is pictured with the Nazi leader

Author Thomas Lundmark says evidence - including written documents (pictured) - he has gathered points to the conclusion that The Fuhrer's wife is likely to have suffered from Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. Pictured: A message from Braun to her gynaecologist Dr Gustav Scholten on personalised stationery

One key piece of evidence is a calendar kept by the wife of Dr Gustav Scholten  a prominent Nazi gynaecologist working at Munich's Klinik Rechts der Isar. It contains a note (above) about a phone call from Hitler's residence thanking Dr Scholten for operating on Braun

'There's really no question about it,' he said.

One key piece of evidence is a calendar kept by the wife of Dr Gustav Scholten  a prominent Nazi gynaecologist working at Munich's Klinik Rechts der Isar.

On the calendar, Mrs Scholten describes a call from Hitler's residence, the Berghof, writing: 'Telephone call Berghof. Trip to Italy from Fuehrer. Thanks for operation Eva Braun.'

Dr Scholten was killed in a car accident in August 1944, but Professor Lundmark was able to track down the surgeon's son, Gerhard, who has since died too.

Gerhard recalled being on Eva Braun's ward at the hospital and also confirmed that his mother had enjoyed an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy, courtesy of Hitler.

'I talked to the son and he told me that he was in the hospital and Eva's room was filled with flowers like a flower shop,' said Professor Lundmark.

'He was actually there visiting his aunt and his aunt was saying 'all she [Eva] does is complain the whole day and say how much pain she's in.'

The reason for the operation is confirmed in an interview with Eva's mother, Fanny, conducted by the Turkish-American journalist Nerin Gun, who published a biography of Braun in 1968.

Adults with untreated Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome say it makes sex agonising, and many seek surgical intervention  including, Professor Lundmark believes, Eva Braun (pictured)

'She was operated on for a narrow vagina,' said Professor Lundmark.

'So I started asking around what the heck could this be? And I ended up talking to a surgeon at the Munster University Hospital, one of the most prestigious hospitals in Germany. He said: "What you're describing is MRKH". One in 5,000 girls have this condition.'

That Eva Braun knew Dr Scholten well is undeniable. Professor Lundmark has photographed a note written by Braun on her personalised stationery, promising the surgeon an invite to her house.

Gerhard Scholten also recalled how Eva consolled him shortly after the death of his father and took him swimming in the Konigssee  a mountain lake close to the Berghof.

Hitler himself, in his last will and testament (pictured), suggests a platonic relationship when he credits Braun for 'many years of faithful friendship'

The testimony of others who knew Braun personally sheds further light on the nature of her relationship with the Nazi kingpin.

During a trip to Rome, Eva confessed to her translator, the Nazi diplomat Eugen Dollmann, that she had no physical intimacy with Hitler.

According to Dollmann's memoir, she said: 'Mission, mission, mission is all he knows. the very idea of physical contact would mean contamination of his mission.

'Many times watching the sun rise together he has confessed to me that he can only love Germany.

'The youth of Germany, who look up to him as an example, shouldn't have to be disappointed by sordid love stories, for then they would lose trust in the cause.'

In Professor Lundmark's view, there's no cause to doubt Dollmann's testimony  especially since it makes for a less salacious story.

'Dollmann had no reason to make this stuff up,' he said.

He also cites Hitler's personal physician, Dr Karl Brandt, and two of his secretaries, Gertraud Junge and Christa Schroeder, who dismissed any notion that there was a sexual relationship with Braun.

The Berghof's caretaker, Herbert Dohring, said the same on camera. 'There is no evidence,' Dohring said.

'We - my wife - could not find anything at all, nor could the chambermaids, no one, not even the servants could ever find anything.

The reality of Hitler's relationship with Eva Braun, Professor Lundmark thinks, is that she offered him shield against speculation about his personal life

'My wife was always so curious  she would inspect the laundry when Hitler had left. Nothing, nothing, nothing.'

Even Hitler himself, in his last will and testament, suggests a platonic relationship when he credits Braun for 'many years of faithful friendship'.

The only mention he makes of love is of love for his people.

Professor Lundmark said: 'There's no person close to Eva who contended that they had a romantic relationship, not even her parents.

'She never told anybody that, that there's any record of. So the likelihood of them having any intimacy is basically nil.'

Nor could the professor find any suggestion of Braun having any former lovers.

WHAT IS MAYER ROKITANSKY KUSTER HAUSER? Rokitansky Syndrome, or MRKH (Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser), is a congenital abnormality characterised by the absence of the vagina, womb and cervix. Women suffering from the condition will have normally functioning ovaries, so will experience the normal signs of puberty  but will not have periods or be able to conceive. The external genatalia are completely normal which is why MRKH isnt usually discovered until women are in their teenage years. Rokitansky Syndrome, or MRKH (Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser), is a congenital abnormality characterised by the absence of the vagina, womb and cervix Many women are able to create a vaginal canal using dilation treatment, which uses cylinder shaped dilators of different sizes to stretch the muscles. However, if this is unsuccessful then surgery will be used to stretch the vaginal canal. Following treatment women are able to have intercourse and can have their eggs removed and fertilised to be used in surrogacy. However, those without ovaries won't ever be able to have children because they don't produce any eggs. It affects one in 5,000 live female births, according to an 1985 article in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine. Source: Centre for Disorders of Reproductive Development & Adolescent Advertisement

'What you would expect is that maybe she had a boyfriend or a teenage heart-throb or something like this,' he said.

'You'd expect that someone would come out of the woodwork at some point and say 'oh yeah, well, I had a thing with Eva Braun'.

'But there's nobody out there.'

He added: 'She never went out with a man, even Hitler, unescorted.'

The reality of Hitler's relationship with Eva Braun, Professor Lundmark thinks, is that she offered him shield against speculation about his personal life.

'She literally lived for Hitler,' he said, 'and he used her.'

Professor Lundmark's book Eva Braun: Her Life and Times: 1912-1945 is available on Amazon.Tony Blair today joined condemnation of Jeremy Corbyn for refusing to hold Brexit talks with the PM.

Mr Blair said it was wrong for the Opposition leader to snub a meeting with the premier at a 'moment of national crisis'.

Theresa May held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her, urging them to come to the table and help break the Parliamentary deadlock.

But Mr Corbyn immediately rejected the invitation, saying he would not participate unless Mrs May ruled out a no-deal departure from the bloc in March.

Allies of the Labour leader gloated today that his tactics mean Mrs May will have to split the Tory party if she wants to get a Brexit package through the Commons.

However, Tory and Opposition MPs pointed out that Mr Corbyn was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without any preconditions - insisting his only aim was to seize power whatever the consequences for the country.

Tony Blair (pictured left today) has joined condemnation of Jeremy Corbyn (pictured right leaving his London home) for refusing to hold Brexit talks with the PM

Mr Corbyn - who underline his intentions by delivering a Brexit speech in the marginal constituency of Hastings this morning - saw his latest bid to force an election spectacularly backfire in the Commons last night.

A no-confidence motion tabled by Labour was defeated by 325 votes to 306 - with the victory margin of 19 significantly larger than Mrs May's effective majority of 13.

Mrs May's position was secured by the DUP and Tory Brexiteers coming back into the fold despite dealing her a vicious humiliation by defeating her EU deal the night before.

Labour former PM Mr Blair accused Mr Corbyn of deliberately avoiding engagement on Brexit.

'If, in a moment of national crisis, the Prime Minister asks the Leader of the Opposition to come and talk, of course he should,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The former prime minister and Labour leader, who backs a second referendum, said Mr Corbyn needed to clarify his stance.

'At some point he is going to have to make his position clear,' he said. 'It is quite hard to read the runes sometimes in Labour policy right now, but, as I understand, our position is that if the no confidence motion fails, as it has, then there is an overwhelming majority for supporting putting this back to the people.'

Mr Blair, who said he believed an extension the Article 50 withdrawal process was now almost 'inevitable', also criticised Mrs May's consultation.

'When I hear her sometimes talk about consultation, the next moment she lays down a load of red lines that makes that consultation pretty nugatory,' he said.

MPs lashed the Labour leader - accusing him of sitting down with terrorists but rebuffing the leader of the United Kingdom at a time of national crisis.

In 1984, Corbyn invited Linda Quigley and Gerard McLoughlin for tea in Parliament - both were convicted of IRA terrorism.

In an address outside 10 Downing Street last night (pictured), Theresa May held out an olive branch to political rivals after surviving a Labour bid to oust her

Labour MP Mike Gapes, who backs a second referendum, underlined the depth of splits in Mr Corbyn's own ranks by lambasting him today.

'Apparently Corbyn is prepared to hold talks with Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad and Iran without preconditions. But not with the UK Prime Minister. Why?' he tweeted.

Tory MP James Heappey retorted: 'Jeremy Corbyn has sat down with terrorists around the world apparently in pursuit of and always without preconditions.

'But will he sit down with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to tackle biggest constitutional challenge of our time without preconditions? Errr, no.'

Labour MP Chris Leslie also attacked him, telling MailOnline: 'Every opportunity to influence Brexit policy ought to be taken - surely we should be taking the chance to see the Prime Minister, even if all we get is time to persuade her of the merits of a People's Vote?'

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner boasted that Mrs May would have to risk splitting the Conservative Party to break the parliamentary deadlock.

'If she wants to negotiate with all parties in Parliament, and if she wants to do that in good faith, she has to say 'ok, I'm not sticking to every single one of the red lines that I've established',' he told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

'We are saying let's do this in the best interests of the British people, in the way that every industry, every trade union, every manufacturing association - and even some people in her own Cabinet - are saying is the sensible way forward.

'Take no deal out of the equation and let's get down to doing a solid deal.'A brave young woman who was locked in her boyfriend's home for four days during which time he beat her so badly she temporarily lost the sight in one eye has learned the vile thug had previously been imprisoned for attacking a partner.

Jack Marney, 23, from Maidstone in Kent, 'went psycho' and attacked Roseanne Sparkes, 21, smashing her head into a wall then running at her and punching her in the face, knocking her out and splitting her eye open.

Miss Sparkes is now sharing horrifying images of her injuries as a warning to others to look out for warning signs in their partners - and to leave if they are ever violent.

The pair were introduced by a mutual friend in December 2017 and initially the 21-year-old believed Marney to be a gentleman who abhorred violence to women - he even said he had served time in jail for attacking a paedophile.

Roseanne is sharing her story to help other women trapped in controlling or abusive relationships. She had to give up her job due to the anxiety and depression brought on by the attack

But once they started dating he quickly changed - she said her new partner would not even allow her to shut the door when she had a bath.

Six weeks after meeting, a row escalated at his home in Maidstone. She said Marney locked the door, took her phone and car keys and kept her in his flat for four days.

On the second day, Marney launched a vicious attack: pulling her hair, pushing her and punching her in the face.

She was beaten so badly she had a cut above her eyebrow, bruises all over her body and swelling and bleeding behind her left eye, which reportedly left her blind for two weeks.

She explained: 'Things hadn't really gone wrong until that morning. There was a text on his phone from a girl and I'd threatened to leave. I said I was going to leave and wouldn't put up with it.

'Then he went psycho.

Jack Marney was sentenced to two years, two months in prison for the attack, at Maidstone Crown Court last October

Nineteen months before this most recent conviction Jack Marney was sentenced to 16 months in prison for violent offences against another woman

'He started shouting. Then he locked the door and said "you aren't going nowhere".

She described the horror of the attack itself.

'He pinned me up by my throat, smashing my head on the wall by my hair, then dragging me back as I went to go out the door.

'Then when I was in the bedroom he ran at me, punching me in the eye, which knocked me out and slit my eye open.

'He kept shouting "I'm not going back to prison for you".

'I thought I wasn't getting out of there alive.'

A year on from the attack, Miss Sparkes still fears she will be scarred for life mentally and physically. She still has a scar above her eyebrow but is thankful to have her eyesight back after initially being blinded by Marney.

She said: 'At the time I had a gash above my eyebrow, bleeding and swelling behind the eye, a big black eye, bruising to my neck, chin, legs and hands.

'In the two days after the attack, I was kept in the flat.

'The door was constantly locked, he had my car keys and my phone. If my mum was to ring he'd just message her back pretending to be me.

Roseanne Sparkes, 21, pictured after the violent attack, believed Jack Marney, 23, to be a gentleman in December 2017 after the pair were introduced by a mutual friend.

He beat her so badly he left her bruised and bleeding. He had previously done time for attacking a partner. Neck bruises show where thug Marney held her by the throat

'I was covered in bruises and couldn't see anything for two weeks. I'd lost all of my vision and worried it wouldn't come back.

'When I went to the hospital they said there was a chance it might not come back, but it gradually did in little bits.'

She said that, in hindsight, subtle signs were there from the beginning that something wasn't right with her relationship with Marney, but she only picked up on them after the attack.

Now she is urging other woman who feel they're being controlled to get out as soon as they can - saying no-one deserves to be 'treated like objects'.

She explained: 'I met Jack through a mutual friend. I was only with him a month and a half.

'There were small things that happened from the beginning, like I'd have to have a bath with the door open. He had a lock behind his door to keep it open.

'But nothing else suggested he was the way he was.

'The friend who introduced us had just come out of an abusive relationship.

'Jack would say to her "I can't believe he did it to you. If anyone does that, they're not a man". He basically said everything I wanted to hear.

'I knew he'd just come out of prison but he told me he beat up a paedophile.

'As it turns out he'd [been violent towards] his ex-partner.

Marney hit his partner so hard he cut her above the eye. Roseanne Sparkes still has a scar

Roseanne was covered in bruises and defensive wounds following the prolonged attack and imprisonment in Marney's flat

'I would tell any women whose partners are showing controlling behaviour to run - get out of the relationship as soon as they can.

'No one deserves to be mentally or physically abused. We're worth more than being treated like objects.'

After four days of being trapped in Marney's flat, his sister visited with her partner and they helped Miss Sparkes escape.

Marney had reportedly warned her to stay in the kitchen away from his family to hide her injuries, but when his sister saw her bruises, she forced him to let her go.

She said said: 'On the fourth day, his sister and brother-in-law came round the flat and he was having a go at me in the kitchen and telling me not to go into the front room.

'She told Jack he needed to let me go and her husband held him down so I could run.

'I got in touch with his probation officer and I went to her.

Clare's Law: how you can ask police if your partner is an abuser The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) is often called Clares Law after the landmark case that led to it. Clares Law gives any member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them. A member of the public can also make enquiries into the partner of a close friend or family member. To apply you must go to a police station in person, and discuss your concerns and situation with a police officer or staff member. Police and partner agencies will then carry out a range of checks. If these reveal a record of abusive offences, or suggest a risk of violence or abuse, they will consider sharing this information. The disclosure will usually be made in person, to the person at risk, at a time and place agreed in advance to be safe. SOURCE: MPS Advertisement

'It wasn't until I got out the hospital that his ex got in contact with me to say don't go back.

'I went to meet her and I saw all the pictures and reports of what he'd done.

'He'd spent nine months in prison and he'd been out only a [matter of months] when he did that to me.

'I had to give up my job because I suffer with bad anxiety and depression as a result of the attack.

'I think trusting people now is difficult. I can't sleep because of nightmares and it's a lot of pressure mentally.

'But I've got my new partner Louis now and he's completely different.

'After all that, I've finally found some happiness.'

After attacking Miss Sparkes, Marney pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 26 months imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court in 15 October 2018.

He was also ordered to pay a 170 victim surcharge and given a restraining order preventing him from contacting Roseanne.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that in March 2017, Marney was sentenced to a total of 16 months for various offences of violence against a woman.

The national 24-hour Domestic Violence freephone helpline number is 0808 2000 247. The service is run in partnership between Women's Aid and Refuge.Millions of UK motorists wanting to drive in the EU will need to arrange extra documentation in the event of a no-deal Brexit, insurers have warned.

Holidaymakers and businesses intending to use their vehicles on the continent, or anyone crossing the Irish border by road, have been advised they will need a 'Green Card' if the UK crashes out of the EU on March 29.

Private motorists and companies have been recommended to contact their providers around a month before they plan to travel to get one - or risk breaking the law.

British motorists heading to Europe after a no-deal Brexit have been warned to seek a 'Green Card' from their car insurance companies to show they have appropriate cover when travelling in any EU or EEA member state

Under EU rules, British drivers can travel across the continent without additional documentation proving they have insurance cover. There is no guarantee a similar scheme will be in place in the event of Britain crashing out of the EU in March without a deal

The same rules apply to European Economic Area (EEA) motorists travelling to the UK.

Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said: 'As it looks increasingly possible that a "no-deal" Brexit may happen, we want all insurance customers to know the facts about what this means for them.

'If you live in Northern Ireland and drive to the Republic of Ireland, or if you plan to drive your vehicle to mainland Europe after a no-deal Brexit, you will need a Green Card to prove you are insured.

'You should contact your insurer before you travel in order to get one. This advice applies to businesses as well as individuals.'

An agreement between UK and European insurance authorities was struck in May 2018 to waive the need for Green Cards in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

However the agreement has not yet been ratified by the European Commission.

There is currently a Green Card-free circulation area covering the EEA and Andorra, Serbia and Switzerland.

Systematic border checks of the document as proof of third-party motor insurance have been abolished in the area.

British drivers will need Green Cards to show they have insurance if they wish to drive within the EU or the EEA area as well as Switzerland, Andorra and Serbia if there is a no deal Brexit

However, in the event of no-deal this would cease to apply for UK drivers.

The Department of Transport (DfT) issued guidance to motorists and insurers in September.

It said that the cards would be issued free of charge, although insurers may increase their administrations fees to reflect the cost of providing them.

Commercial operators with fleet insurance were advised they will need a card for each vehicle.

For countries that require separate trailer insurance, a separate Green Card may be required for the trailer.

Without a Green Card, motorists would have to be covered by third-party insurance bought in the country they are driving in.

Without it drivers may not be able to drive and could also be fined.

The ABI said it is against the UK leaving the EU without a deal, with Mr Evans warning such an outcome would be 'bad for the economy and bad for our customers'.

'We continue to hope these arrangements are never needed and urge the Government, UK Parliament and EU27 to agree an orderly way forward,' he said.A fraudster who stole more than 1million after posing as a professor and doctor in order to set up more than 100 bank accounts under false names has been jailed.

Anastasios Sotiropoulos, 58, made bogus online applications over five years and took out loans despite bank staff having never met him in person.

Sotiropoulos along with fellow fraudster Dionysios Tsekleris, 42, splashed out on expensive cars, art, antiques, flights and luxury hotels, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Martin Ivory said Sotiropoulos used the title of doctor or professor in applications for fake accounts to 'add extra gravitas' towards them.

Anastasios Sotiropoulos, 58, (left) and Dionysios Tsekleris (right) carried out their campaign of fraud while living together

Santander, Virgin Money and MBNA are all believed to have to given him accounts, the court heard. Fake companies were also set up in order to obtain credit.

The frauds were carried out mostly while Sotiropoulos was living with Tsekleris in Waterden near Walsingham, Norfolk.

The pair carried on their life of crime by adopting false ID's and moving to Humshaugh, Northumberland.

Police were contacted in August 2017 by staff at MBNA Bank who were concerned about different accounts held in different names which appeared to be run by one person.

Following a police investigation, Sotiropoulos was found to have used 80 fake names, addresses, company names and different date of birth combinations to swindle more than 1million from banks and other creditors.

Norfolk and Suffolk Cyber and Serious Crime Unit, supported by Northumbria Police, carreid otu a raid on the home Sotiropoulos shared with Tsekleris on August 2 last year.

While they were not at home, police found fake IDs, blank plastic cards, forged bank statements, blank wage slips, mobile phones and equipment used to produce fake documents.

They were tracked down to Chollerford, Northumberland, where they were arrested.

Mr Ivory said Sotiropoulos was found to have 7,800 in cash and a bag containing fake documents.

He also had an elaborate 'fraud kit' which included documents and equipment hidden in a storage unit in Gateshead.

Mr Ivory said: 'It was a complex fraudulent scheme which has professional hallmarks.'

In court, both admitted their roles in fraud and that money had been used to maintain their lavish lifestyles.

The pair were jailed following a hearing at Norwich Crown Court (stock image)

Sotiropoulos was jailed for four years and nine months after he admitted seven charges of fraud between 2013 and last August, and one count of money laundering.

Tsekleris, 42, was jailed for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering.

Jailing the pair, judge Katharine Moore said the pair were guilty of a 'cynical' course of dishonesty.

She told Sotiropoulos: 'You applied to various institutions using assorted names and addresses, You obtained in excess of 1m from various banks and institutions.'

Ayanna Nelson, defending Sotiropoulos said that he was a highly educated man with a number of health issues who bitterly regretted his actions.

Rachel Darby, defending Tsekleris, said he was aware of the criminal activity but had no idea of the scale of it.

She said he played a lesser role and planned to return to Greece.

A confiscation hearing will be held at a later date.

Ian Addison, a fraud investigator and financial intelligence officer from the Norfolk and Suffolk Cyber and Serious Crime Team, said: 'This was a lengthy and complex case which required us to use all our investigation techniques in order to secure evidence and trace both Sotiropoulos and Tsekleris who had gone to great lengths to try and hide their true location.

'This investigation demonstrates our commitment to bringing offenders to justice.'Brussels has signalled that Brexit can be delayed for nine months - as Theresa May holds cross-party talks to come up with a Plan B after her blueprint was defeated.

EU officials are looking at plans to extend Article 50 until 2020 to give extra time for talks as Westminster remains in a bitter deadlock.

Europe's two big power brokers, Germany and France, have both indicated they would be willing to extend the talks.

The plan has also been put forward by Tory rebel MP Nick Boles, who is tabling a bill to delay Brexit until the end of the year.

But the bid is expected to be met with resistance from No10 as the PM has repeatedly pledged that she wants to deliver Brexit by 29 March this year.

And her commitment to sticking to the Brexit date was repeated by Downing Street officials yesterday.

The plan could hit the buffers as fresh elections to the European Parliament are being held in May, and Britain is not due to take part in them or send any MEPs to Parliament's next session, which kicks off on July 2.

EU officials are looking at plans to extend Article 50 until 2020 to give Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street last night) extra time for talks as Westminster remains in a bitter deadlock

However, legal advice commissioned by the EU and seen by The Times newspaper, said talks could still be extended beyond these dates.

Peter Altmaier said: 'The European Union should allow for additional time in order to achieve a clear position by the British parliament and people.

'I would see this as a reasonable request.'

Nathalie Loiseau, France's Europe minister, said that a delay to Brexit was feasible. 'It is not up to us Europeans to tell the British what to do,' she told French radio.

'What we can tell them is hurry up because March 29 is soon.' EU sources said that officials were working on a legally watertight way to extend British membership.

'There is work going on to see how Article 50 can be extended beyond the European elections,' a source close to the talks said.

'Any extension can only be a one-off so after the defeat it looks sensible to go for a longer period.

'EU legislation could allow for current British MEPs to remain in post without elections, with the composition of the European parliament remaining on the same basis as in 2014, but the sources said such an extension would be 'messy'.

Mrs May is fighting to find a cross-party Brexit plan today as she scrambles to find a Plan B which can command enough support among Britain's bitterly divided MPs.

But her plea for unity and compromise was immediately snubbed by Jeremy Corbyn who refused to sit down for talks with the PM until she took the threat of a no deal Brexit off the table.

The Prime Minister held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her, urging them to come to the table and help break the Parliamentary deadlock.

She has already met the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru, and will see the sole Green MP, Caroline Lucas this morning.

Mr Corbyn (pictured right leaving his London home today) caused fury by flatly rejecting the overture, insisting that he would not talk until the government rules out leaving the EU without a deal. Tony Blair (pictured left) said the Labour leader should talk to the PM at a time of 'crisis'

But Mr Corbyn caused fury by flatly rejecting the overture, insisting that he would not talk until the government rules out leaving the EU without a deal.

Allies of the Labour leader boasted today that his tactics mean Mrs May will have to split the Tory party if she wants to get a Brexit package through the Commons.

But Tory and Opposition MPs pointed out that Mr Corbyn was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without any preconditions - insisting his only aim was to seize power whatever the consequences for the country.

Tony Blair also waded in this morning by saying 'of course' Mr Corbyn should accept the premier's invitation at a 'moment of crisis'.

As No10 launches the charm offensive, the PM's own Cabinet remains divided between two blocs.

The first, led by Amber Rudd and David Gauke, are pushing for her to go for a softer Brexit which would keep the UK tied to an EU customs union - a policy which could win over Labour MPs.

But a second group, including Andrea Leadsom, Liz Truss and Liam Fox, have insisted Britain must leave the customs union and want no deal preparations ramped up.Tourists on a crowded holiday jet heading for Russia 'neutralised' a drunk passenger by tying him up with sticky tape and belts.

They acted after the crew were unable too subdue the man - and the pilot made it clear he was ready to make an emergency landing to hand the 'hooligan' over to police in China or Mongolia.

The passenger - aged 26 and reportedly recently released from prison in Thailand - 'swore and attacked' travellers seated near him on the A320 flight from Bangkok.

Passengers used tape and belts to 'neutralise' the drunk man, pictured, in the plane's galley

Video shows the man tied with tape and belts on the floor of the aircraft's galley.

Dozens of people, including a man holding a baby, can be seen standing in the aisle and passing belts down the plane towards the galley.

Passengers 'neutralised' him after stewardesses were unable to calm him - and he was tied on the floor for some four hours until the plane reached Russia.

A male passenger 'hit the hooligan several times and with the help of other tourists tied him up', said Colonel Irina Volk, spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry.

'Witnesses confirmed that the captain had warned passengers that they might need to land in China or Mongolia because of this hooligan'.

The shocking incident was on a packed alcohol-free flight from Bangkok to Russia's third largest city Novosibirsk, operated by S7, part of the same One World alliance as British Airways and American Airlines.

Dozens of concerned passengers stand in the aisle, left, and men give their belts, right, to try and restrain the 'hooligan' on board the Bangkok to Novosibirsk flight

Some 158 people were on board including babies and young children. Male passengers gave up their belts to secure the 'hooligan'.

The abusive passenger had been drinking whisky from a bottle he carried on board - and started 'offensive and threatening behaviour' three hours into the seven hour 45 minute flight, according to witnesses.

Passenger Pavel Makarov posted: 'I spotted him at the beginning of the fight  with a half empty whisky bottle and behaving strangely.'

Four hours into the flight, the captain intervened, he said.

'There were three ways out under international aviation rules - one, the hooligan calms down.

'Two, we continue flying and give the guy away to police on arrival and three, the plane lands in China or Mongolia and we sort it out on the ground.'

But he said: 'The abuser got more and more wild and finally passengers neutralised him. They tied him with sticky tape and belts.'

Colonel Irina Volk, spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry, pictured, said a male passenger 'hit the hooligan several times and with the help of other tourists tied him up'

The incident was on a packed flight from Bangkok operated by S7 which is part of the same One World alliance as British Airways and American Airlines (file picture)

The man was 'hurt a bit' and was given medical attention while tied up.

After landing in Novosibirsk, the man was taken away by transport police.

A spokesperson for S7 - Russia's second largest airline after Aeroflot - said: 'The passenger behaved in inadequate way during the flight. He was drinking alcohol, disturbed other passengers and did not react to orders from the crew.

'For the sake of security, stewardesses have called the hooligan to the galley in the rear of the plane and tried to calm him down.

'But he began to wave his arms, to threaten and abuse the crew and passengers.

'Passengers subdued and tied him up but he continued his inappropriate behaviour.

'During the rest of the flight he was closely watched by one of the stewards and a doctor - one of the passengers. As a result of this incident, there were no delays.

'On arrival to Novosibirsk the hooligan was given away to airport police department where he was charged with hooliganism.'

It is understood the man was later fined.A man who brutally attacked two innocent passengers and left them with serious facial injuries on separate bus journeys, is faced with fresh allegations of another two alleged assaults.

Brett James French attended Pine Rivers Magistrates Court, in the Shire of Pine Rivers, 20km north of Brisbane, earlier today, and is believed to be responsible for four alleged attacks during September to December last year.

French was originally arrested, after police made an appeal for public information, and allowed out on bail earlier this week.

French appeared in Pine Rivers Magistrates Court (pictured) where Acting Magistrate Jason Schubert said he couldn't guarantee public safety if he was released

But just a few days later Queensland cops arrested him again over a further two alleged incidents, and he has subsequently been refused bail.

He was refused bail on the basis his alleged attacks were not 'isolated incidents' and he persisted in targeting 'vulnerable members of the community'.

Police prosecutor Shannon Bryce said: 'This is persistent conduct over a number of months where the defendant has targeted vulnerable members of the community and assaulted them.

'This is not an isolated incident but a series of similar offences being committed and inflicted upon the community,' he added.

Acting Magistrate Jason Schubert refused French bail, noting that he couldnt ensure the safety of the public if French was released, according to The Courier Mail.

He also added that French could face imprisonment for the alleged unprovoked attacks and adjourned the case until February 4.

The 39-year-old has already been charged two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Brett James French (pictured) attended Pine Rivers Magistrates Court, in the Shire of Pine Rivers 20km north of Brisbane earlier today

French allegedly punched a 40-year-old man on board a bus in an unprovoked attack in December last year, before he targeted an innocent 18-year-old female passenger just three days later.

But after further investigation, police allege hes responsible for another two unprovoked attacks.

Police allege French assaulted a 16-year-old boy and a 65-year-old woman in two separate incidents.

At the time of the initially reported incidents, officials released footage and images of the suspect, now named as French.

The police shared the footage, which shows the man entering Anaconda Everton Park on South Pine Road on January 4, in a bid to appeal to witnesses.

French (pictured) was refused bail on the basis his alleged attacks were not 'isolated incidents' and he persisted in targeting 'vulnerable members of the community

Police shared the footage, which shows French (pictured) entering Anaconda Everton Park on South Pine Road on January 4

He appears to be Caucasian with a shaved head and was wearing a red polo shirt during both of the incidents.

Other images show him wearing black tracksuit bottoms bearing three white stripes and a red hoodie.

The original footage, which was captured by public transport CCTV, shows two separate incidents just days apart in which the man is seen to assault two passengers in Brisbane's northeast suburbs.

The woman is said to have suffered serious facial injuries.

In a separate incident three days earlier, the man was captured punching a 40-year-old man in the face before fleeing at the Maundrell Terrace stop in Chermside West.Advertisement

Jeremy Corbyn ordered his MPs not to take part in Theresa May's desperate effort to win votes for her Brexit deal today as the stalemate in Westminster deepened.

The Labour leader has refused to meet the Prime Minister in the aftermath of Tuesday night's devastating vote unless she rules out ever allowing a no deal Brexit to happen.

Mrs May wrote to the Labour leader tonight to say she was 'disappointed' at his stance - reminding him he has repeatedly insisted 'dialogue in politics' is crucial. Mr Corbyn has been repeatedly criticised for meeting with extremists on the grounds of peace talks.

She warned him ruling out no deal was an 'impossible condition' because the law meant Britain would leave the EU on March 29. Signing the deal is the only way to avoid a no deal exit short of betraying the referendum result, she said.

Mrs May and senior ministers have scrambled to hold a round of cross-party meetings today in a frantic effort to find a way forward after the landslide defeat of the deal. The PM finally extended an olive branch to other parties after winning a confidence vote last night.

But despite the renewed effort to find a consensus, it emerged today Mrs May faces the prospect of a slew of resignations as Remainer rebels fight to block a no deal ever happening.

Ex-Tory minister Nick Boles is tabling an amendment that would empower backbenchers to push through legislation extending the Article 50 process by nine months - effectively avoiding a cliff edge.

He told the Evening Standard that around 20 ministers are ready to resign if Chief Whip Julian Smith tries to order them to oppose the amendment, which would be considered alongside Mrs May's 'Plan B' on January 29.

A number of Cabinet members are also said to have vowed that they will not oppose the mechanism. Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested he supported the idea in a conference call with business leaders this week.

Senior Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper have both been in Downing Street for talks today in defiance of Mr Corbyn's orders. Both demanded Mrs May remove the threat of No Deal.

Others in No 10 today included Tory Eurosceptics including David Davis, DUP leader Arlene Foster, and Green MP Caroline Lucas.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today campaigning in Hastings) ordered his MPs not to take part in Theresa May's desperate effort to win votes for her Brexit deal today as the stalemate in Westminster deepened

Senior Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper (pictured) have both been in Downing Street for talks today in defiance of Mr Corbyn's orders. Both demanded Mrs May remove the threat of No Deal.

Tory Brexiteers including (left to right) Owen Paterson, Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, Mark Francois and Steve Baker were in Whitehall for meetings today as wrangling continued

Tory 1922 committee chairman Graham Brady (left) and Caroline Lucas were also in Downing Street as the talks rumble on

In a Downing Street speech last night, Theresa May held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her

In his letter to Labour MPs (pictured), Mr Corbyn said: 'I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain for engagement with the Government until 'no deal' is taken off the table'.

In response (pictured) Mrs May said his stance was 'disappointing' and reminded him he has always promoted 'dialogue in politics'

In his letter to Labour MPs, Mr Corbyn said: 'I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain for engagement with the Government until 'no deal' is taken off the table.

'I thank you for your support.'

After Mr Corbyn's orders appeared, Mrs May wrote to the Labour leader. She said: 'As politicians, we have a responsibility to not to simply say what we want but also to explain how we can achieve it.

'I recognise that you would want to put forward your own proposals and I would be happy to discuss them with you.

'You have always believed in the importance of dialogue in politics. Do you really believe that, as well as declining to meet for talks yourself, it is right to ask your MPs not to seek a solution with the Government?

'My door remains open to a meeting without preconditions so that we, as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition can talk and see if we can begin to find a way forward for our country on Brexit.

Speaking outside the Cabinet Office following a meeting with David Lidington, Mr Benn said: 'The government has to rule out no deal. That's the first step.

'Secondly, the Prime Minister needs to change her red lines.'

Ms Cooper said: 'The most important thing now is that the Government actually listens and it doesn't just think that a defeat that was that huge can simply be dismissed.'

The pair said they had attended the meeting in their capacity as chairpersons of cross parliamentary committees after Jeremy Corbyn barred Labour MPs from engaging with the government while no deal is still an option.

Mr Boles told the Evening Standard: 'A large single-digit-number of Cabinet ministers have told me they will not vote against the amendment.

'A larger number of up to 20 ministers outside Cabinet say they will resign if they are whipped to vote against the amendment.'

He added: 'If anything this is gathering greater momentum across the House.'

Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington is co-ordinating the drive to hammer out a solution, while Environment Secretary and Leave campaign veteran Michael Gove is playing a key role.

Lidington and Gove pitch in for charm offensive on Brexit plan Whitehall was buzzing with politicians heading to and from Brexit talks today. Theresa May has put her effective deputy David Lidington in charge of coordinating the cross-party efforts. But Environment Secretary Michael Gove - a key figure in the Leave campaign - is also playing a critical role. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson could use his strong links with the DUP to try and win over the government's allies. Mrs May is hosting MPs in Downing Street, while other meetings are taking place in the Cabinet Office on Whitehall. The buildings are connected. Advertisement

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn used a speech in Hastings to dismiss the cross-party overtures as a 'stunt' and brand Mrs May 'incompetent' - although he also managed to get the day of the Brexit deal vote wrong and at one point left a long pause mid-sentence as he struggled to turn a page.

Allies of the Labour leader boasted that his tactics mean Mrs May will have to split the Tory party if she wants to get a Brexit package through the Commons.

Tory and Opposition MPs pointed out that Mr Corbyn was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without any preconditions - insisting his only aim was to seize power whatever the consequences for the country.

Tony Blair also waded in this morning by saying 'of course' Mr Corbyn should accept the premier's invitation at a 'moment of crisis'.

Despite the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford meeting the premier last night, Mrs Sturgeon today pulled her party out of the talks, claiming she would not be 'complicit in more time wasting'.

Mr Corbyn saw his latest bid to force an election spectacularly backfire in the Commons last night.

A no-confidence motion tabled by Labour was defeated by 325 votes to 306 - with the victory margin of 19 significantly larger than Mrs May's effective majority of 13.

The PM's position was secured by the DUP and Tory Brexiteers coming back into the fold despite dealing her a vicious humiliation by defeating her EU deal the night before.

Speaking outside Number 10 late last night, Mrs May said: 'I understand that to people getting on with their lives, away from Westminster, the events of the past 24 hours will have been unsettling.

'Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and also address the other important issues they care about.

'But the deal which I have worked to agree with the European Union was rejected by MPs, and by a large margin. I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people's instruction to leave the EU. And I intend to do so.'

But Mr Corbyn underlined his intentions by delivering a Brexit speech in the marginal constituency of Hastings this morning.

'Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that is needed,' he said.

He added: 'I say to the Prime Minister again: I am quite happy to talk but the starting point for any talks about Brexit must be that the threat of a disastrous no-deal outcome is ruled out, taken off the table, and we can talk about the future of the plans that we will put forward and the future relationship with Europe.'

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable accused Mr Corbyn of saying 'political games', saying the party's 11 MPs would not support Labour if it calls another confidence vote.

'Since he appears to be determined to play party political games rather than acting on the wishes of his own members and MPs, he will no longer be able to rely on our support for further no confidence motions,' he said.

'I believe other parties are taking the same view. It's time Mr Corbyn got off the fence and made his position plain.'

Ms Lucas said she believed the PM was in 'listening mode' and revealed that their meeting overran by about 15 minutes, saying that was a good sign.

'I still remain really concerned that this reaching out across parliament is happening far too late and I'm not convinced she's willing to loosen any of the red lines she's set herself,' she said.

Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) suggested he supported the idea in a conference call with business leaders this week. Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper (right) were also spotted near Downing Street today

DUP leader Arlene Foster (right) and her deputy Nigel Dodds (left) said their main concern was still the Irish border backstop

Tory MP Nick Boles (left) has put forward a plan that could allow backbenchers to remove the no-deal cliff edge. Nicola Sturgeon (right) has withdrawn the SNP from cross-party talks

'She still thinks it's going to be possible to tweak this deal sufficiently to get the 230 MPs that voted against it to swing behind it - I remain pretty sceptical about that.'

DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met the PM along with her deputy Nigel Dodds earlier, said the Irish backstop was still her party's biggest concern in the Brexit negotiation.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street she said: 'We are optimistic. We want to see a Withdrawal Agreement that works for the whole of the United Kingdom and one that works for the European Union.

'The way to do that is to deal with the backstop.'

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs they will debate the Government's proposed Brexit 'next steps' on January 29. It had initially be thought that the votes would be on Monday, or later in the week.

She said: 'A statement and a motion on the Government's next steps under Section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act will be tabled on Monday.

'A full day's debate on the motion will take place on Tuesday January 29, subject to the agreement of the House.'

Immediately after her victory in the confidence vote was declared last night, Mrs May invited the other party leaders to join talks.

But in an extraordinary snub Mr Corbyn immediately refused, saying he would only join discussions if Mrs May ruled out no deal.

Tory and Labour MPs voiced anger that the veteran left-winger was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without conditions, but would not meet the leader of the UK to resolve the biggest crisis facing the country.

Mrs May tried to rally her divided MPs yesterday as she faced yet another battle for her political life with a confidence vote

Environment Secretary Michael Gove (left) and Cabinet Office minister David Lidington (right) are said to be coordinating the charm offensive today

In her Downing Street statement last night, Mrs May said she had held 'constructive' meetings with the leaders of the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru.

'I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open,' she added.

The PM's official spokesman insisted the talks were a genuine attempt to find common ground.

'We expect people to come with their own views and ideas,' he said. 'Clearly there are areas where we are not going to agree. The proposal is to find areas of a consensus and and a way forward.'

But the spokesman made clear Mrs May's views on a second referendum  that it would betray the 2016 vote and was wrong  was unchanged.

He said the Government remained committed to Britain leaving on time on March 29.

Asked if there were any areas where Mrs May was prepared to make concessions, the spokesman pointed to a commitment made before Tuesday's vote to match EU standards on workers' rights and environmental protection.

MPs lashed the Labour leader - accusing him of sitting down with terrorists but rebuffing the leader of the United Kingdom at a time of national crisis.

In 1984, Corbyn invited Linda Quigley and Gerard McLoughlin for tea in Parliament - both were convicted of IRA terrorism.

Tory MP James Heappey retorted: 'Jeremy Corbyn has sat down with terrorists around the world apparently in pursuit of and always without preconditions.

'But will he sit down with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to tackle biggest constitutional challenge of our time without preconditions? Errr, no.'

Labour MP Chris Leslie also attacked him, telling MailOnline: 'Every opportunity to influence Brexit policy ought to be taken - surely we should be taking the chance to see the Prime Minister, even if all we get is time to persuade her of the merits of a People's Vote?'

Tory minister Guy Opperman told CNN: 'I'd like Labour to stop playing politics, get round the table, and identify specifically what in the withdrawal agreement and the political agreement they manifestly disagree with, because until they spell out their position  and the other parties, but the main one is Labour  we don't know where the common ground it.'Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among four Democrats to march through congress and demand Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hold a vote to reopen the government.

The 29-year-old progressive visited the Senate majority office, the Senate cloakroom, the Senate floor, and McConnell's personal office trying to hunt the Republican down and deliver a letter insisting he tabled the vote.

'He seems to be running away from us,' said New York lawmaker Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest female member of Congress in history, as she paced through the Capitol.

From left: Jahana Hayes, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Lauren Underwood and Katie Hill march through congress looking for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Ocasio-Cortez started the hashtag #WheresMitch as she visited his office in the Capitol but couldn't find him

The Democrats were hoping to deliver a letter demanding he hold a vote to reopen the government

The Bronx-born progressive later started the hashtag #WheresMitch as they struggled to find McConnell.

She was joined by freshman congresswomen Reps. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, Lauren Underwood of Illinois and Katie Hill of California.

Ocasio-Cortez made it very clear that House Democrats blame McConnell for the shutdown.

She said his refusal to consider several bills passed by the House could have solved the problem long ago.

The New York lawmaker visits McConnells office - but the elusive Republican was not in

She told her followers on Instagram: 'We're going to pay Mitch McConnell a visit'

'We have several Republican senators who have agreed to vote to reopen the government  it's literally Mitch McConnell at this point, this is Mitch McConnell's problem,' Ocasio-Cortez said as she broadcasted to her Instagram followers on Tuesday night.

Outspoken Ocasio-Cortez accused McConnell of keeping the government closed to please Trump and his supporters, in order to get himself reelected in 2020.

House Democrats and a several Republicans passed two spending bills last week that would trigger a reopening of the government.

But McConnell has refused to bring them before the Senate, even though Democrats 'have secured enough Republican votes in the Senate to reopen government,' Ocasio-Cortez claimed on Wednesday.

The letter - signed by 30 Democratic House freshmen - accuses McConnell of 'holding public servants hostage'.

The partial government shutdown is in its fourth week with no end in sight, with Trump still demanding $5.7 billion to build a wall along the Mexican border that he says is needed on humanitarian and security grounds.

McConnell has refused to table a vote to reopen the government unless he's sure Trump (together) will sign it

Some 800,000 federal workers have went unpaid for a month. Yesterday, President Trump signed a bill guaranteeing they would get back pay for wages lost during the partial shutdown.

The White House announced Trump signed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 on Wednesday behind closed doors.

The legislation signing was shut off to the media and the President made no formal statement.

McConnell has said he won't bring a bill - to reopen the government - to the Senate floor unless the president will sign it.

'We're all behind the president,' McConnell said last week after Trump visited Republican senators at the Capitol. 'We think this border security issue is extremely important to the country.'

It comes after Ocasio-Cortez joined the House Financial Services Committee to help regulate Wall Street.

Yesterday, the president signed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 which guarantees federal workers will be paid back wages lost due to the shutdown

Progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she had koined the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday

The Bronx-born lawmaker said she was excited to begin scrutinizing the financial sector

She is expected to increase scrutiny of big banks, lending and the financial sector when she takes up her new role.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has previously called for a 70 per cent top tax rate and for the biggest banks to be broken up.

The progressive confirmed her placement in a tweet on Tuesday night and vowed to inspect the student loan crisis and examine private prisons.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has 2.4 million twitter followers and has the most social media reactions of any Democrat

The news of her appointment comes after it was revealed the Latino Democrat has more power on Twitter than any of her party members- including former President Barack Obama.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has generated more interactions - retweets plus likes - on the social media site than party leaders Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

She is second only to the president, Axios found, when it measured the Twitter star power of several politicians.A sick passenger on a Russian plane stood up and relieved himself in the aircraft's aisle during a flight.

A video shows the man standing after lowering his trousers and underwear in full view of other travellers.

It appears that the man is urinating on to a pile of paper towels laid out on the aisle of the plane.

The footage emerged today in Russian media but details weren't given on which flight the incident took place.

'Yet another drunk creature on board a plane,' read the caption.

'We can only sympathise with the passengers forced to witness it.'

Footage emerged today in Russian media but details weren't given on which flight the incident took place

The shocking case is reported to be under investigation.

In another case revealed today, a hooligan was detained in Russia after being subdued by passengers on a holiday flight from Bangkok to Novosibirsk.

The 26-year-old male, who was arrested upon arrival at Novosibirsk, had reportedly been drinking whiskey.

The shocking case is reported to be under investigation in Russia after being broadcast

He became rowdy in the third hour of the flight and the flight captain gave three options in accordance with international air legislation.

The captain reportedly said that if the man didn't calm himself down, the plane would have to land in either China or Mongolia.

Another option was for him to be restrained and handed over to authorities upon arrival at the Siberian city.

Passengers and crew detained the man, tying him up with scotch tape, with some travellers even handing over their belts.

Upon arrival he was taken to airport police, 'where an administrative protocol was drawn up against him,' according to RG.ru.A Saudi teenager granted asylum in Canada is continuing to celebrate her freedom and new home - sharing pictures of red wine and a rolled up cigarette.

Rahaf Mohammed, who has renounced her last name al-Qunun after her family disowned her, captured global attention last week after she barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Bangkok.

The 18-year-old did so in a bid to avoid being sent home to her family, saying she feared for her life. Her family has denied abuse.

After being handed over to the UN refugee agency and resettled to Canada, she has spent her first week in her new home enjoying things that were previously forbidden to her in her conservative homeland.

Earlier this week, she shared a snap of her breakfast as she tried Canadian-style bacon for the first time.

Now, she has shared images of red wine and a lit cigarette as she continues to celebrate her freedom and new home. It is not known if the cigarette was marijuana which is legal to smoke in Canada from the age of either 18 or 19 depending on the rules in individual provinces.

A Saudi teenager granted asylum in Canada is continuing to celebrate her freedom and new home - sharing pictures of red wine (left) and a rolled up cigarette (right)

Rahaf Mohammed (pictured), who has renounced her last name al-Qunun after her family disowned her, captured global attention last week after she barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Bangkok

A new life: Rahaf Mohammed, 18, posted a picture of her breakfast accompanied with bacon and heart-emojis and a Canadian flag, and a cup of Starbucks coffee

She captioned the image in Arabic - with words translating as 'evaporate and evaporate' - and noted the temperature is a chilly -8C (17F).

She also shared a picture of a glass of red wine, a drink she also enjoyed on the flight to Toronto over the weekend.

Earlier, she posted a video while out walking a dog, captioned: 'Feeling free'.

On Tuesday, she shared a picture on Snapchat of her breakfast of Canadian-style bacon and eggs captioned 'Omg bacon' with heart emojis and the Canada flag.

She also shared a picture of her morning coffee from Starbucks, with her knee-length grey wool dress that show off her bare legs also visible in the snap.

Ms Mohammed captured global attention last week after she barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Bangkok to avoid being sent home to her family.. Her family has denied abuse.

New life: The knee-length dress the teenager wore is far from the covering outfits women are required to wear in Saudi Arabia

Since arriving in Toronto over the weekend, Ms Mohammed has been settling into her new life - including getting winter clothes and phone service.

Meanwhile, the refugee agency helping her settle in Toronto revealed it has hired a security guard amid threats to her safety.

Mario Calla, the executive director of Costi Immigrant Services, which has been contracted by the Canadian government to help Ms Mohammed, said she has received multiple threats online on Tuesday.

Mr Calla said he has hired a security guard to ensure 'she is never alone,' adding that the agency is taking the threats seriously.

'She sees these threats. She has left Islam and she basically has broken away from her family, and that scares her,' he added.

The agency is helping her settle in temporary housing and apply for a health card.

Ms Mohammed, who has renounced her last name al-Qunun, speaks at the COSTI Corvetti Education Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on Tuesday

The brave 18-year-old said she wants to help other women flee Saudi Arabia as it's revealed she'll have round-the-clock security

Ms Mohammed, accompanied by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, right, and Saba Abbas, general counsellor of COSTI refugee service agency, left, arrives in Toronto, Ontario, on Saturday

In a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Mohammed thanked the Canadian and Thai governments as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

'I am one of the lucky ones,' she said in a statement read on her behalf by a settlement worker.

'I know there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not do anything to change their reality.'

Ms Mohammed arrived in Canada over the weekend after a week in limbo in Bangkok.

She fled her family while visiting Kuwait and flew to Bangkok, with the intention of flying on to Australia to seek asylum last week.

But after she was denied entry into Thailand, she barricaded herself in a hotel room to avoid deportation and began tweeting - quickly amassing a huge following.

New style: Ms Mohammed has begun adapting to life in Canada after being granted asylum, with a photo showing her all bundled up in a winter jacket and woolly hat

Before: The teenager, pictured with her 12-year-old sister, said it had upset her that her family had announced they had disowned her 'simply because I wanted to escape their abuse'

From her personal Twitter account, Ms Mohammed thanked everyone for their support, saying she had never 'dreamed of this love'

Thai authorities eventually allowed her to enter the country and the UN refugee agency began to seek a home for her.

She said that when she learned she had been granted asylum in Canada, the 'stress I felt over the last week melted away.'

Ms Mohammed also said in her press conference that she wants to work in support of freedom for women around the world.

'Today and for years to come, I will work in support of freedom for women around the world,' she said.

'The same freedom I experienced on the first day I arrived in Canada.'

But she added that her first priority is to learn English.

She said she wants to be independent, travel and make her own decisions on education, on a career and who she will marry.

'I had no say in any of this. Today I can proudly say that I am capable of making all those decisions,' she said.

Her plight has drawn attention to Saudi Arabia's strict social rules, including a requirement that women have the permission of a male 'guardian' to travel.

She said that women in Saudi Arabia 'can't be independent and they need the approval of their male guardian for everything.

'Any woman who thinks of escaping, or escapes, will be at risk of persecution.'

Canada is now the new home for Saudi refugee Ms Mohammed, after the country responded to a request by the UNHCRA fisherman feared to have fallen from a fishing boat only to be found asleep on board the vessel 12 hours later sparked a search effort costing a rescue organisation $250,000.

Steve Gallagher, 45, was last seen by his skipper Peter Rockliff off the coast of Noosa in southern Queensland in the early hours of Wednesday morning before Mr Rockliff turned away to look at his computer.

Two helicopters were called into action by dawn after the crew raised the alarm, and launched a sixteen vehicle search rescue operation.

Scroll down for video

A fisherman feared to have fallen from a fishing boat only to be found asleep on board the vessel 12 hours later sparked a search effort costing a rescue organisation $250,000 (pictured his skipper who eventually found him)

Rescuers combed the waters where the 45-year-old was feared to have gone overboard - about 215 kilometers from the mainland - to no avail.

It was only when Mr Rockliff noticed a handle on a floor compartment had been moved that the experienced crab fisherman was found.

'I came up the back to get some ice out of the esky and I saw the handle wasn't how I left it because I'd already looked down there,' he told ABC News.

Mr Gallagher had been sleeping under a pile of ropes in the compartment, the skipper said.

Relieved to have found his experienced colleague alive, Mr Rockliff was also angered by the expensive search that had been wasted.

'When I asked him what the **** are you doing he goes I don't know. I don't know what I'm hiding from,' he told Channel 7.

The 45-year-old fisherman was noticed missing at 2.30am on Wednesday from the rear deck of the boat, located seven nautical miles from Double Island Point

He told the publication he had been searching for the crew member with his 14-year-old son, who had been on his first trip out on the boat.

RACQ LifeFlight said their part of the rescue operation cost a quarter of a million dollars alone.

After Mr Gallagher was found at just before 4pm, he was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital by paramedics.

A hospital spokesman said he was being treated for a 'medical condition'.

Relieved to have found his experienced colleague alive, Mr Rockliff was also angered by the expensive search that had been wasted (pictured Double Island Point - the nearest mainland to where the man went missing)

A Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the man was taken to the hospital for mental health reasons.

The search was co-ordinated between Queensland Police and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) - who said all the aircraft bar one were paid for by the government department.

AMSA and Queensland Police said they would not be revealing any further costs caused by the operation.Hans-Joachim Marseille, a feared and envied pilot, talks to colleagues in North Africa

Jealousy and competition drove German military to their deaths after high ranking officers riled them up by frequently listing the successes of ace fighter pilots, according to new research.

Regular bulletins played to both armed forces and civilians heaped praise on notable feats to prompt men in the military to try to better themselves.

A team at the universities of Chicago, Southern Denmark and Zurich found incredible case studies after unearthing evidence of the bulletins.

As a result of the rallying technique, the death rate rose by up to 50 per cent.

One case study which emerged revealed at the Battle of Britain a pilot named Werner Molders was asked to go back to Germany for meetings but he demanded if he was to return, his chief rival, Adolf Galland, must be grounded.

Among the pilots mentioned in the regular bulletins was a German man who was feared by enemy troops.

Fighter pilot Hans-Joachim Marseille is reported to have brought down ten aircraft in one day.

He was an unruly young flyer who made no lasting impression at the Battle of Britain, aged 20.

Hans-Joachim Marseille (left) died aged 22 after becoming one of the most feared pilots in North Africa. Adolf Galland (right) was also notorious

However, he was moved to Africa in 1941 where he stunned soldiers on both sides behind a Messerschmitt's cockpit.

He is reported to have claimed 17 victories over enemy pilots in one day.

In September 1942 his aircraft suffered a mechanical failure and he died.

The culture of competition in the Luftwaffe was actually counterproductive, according to new research.

While during the battle their kill rate rose from an average of 0.8 aircraft shot down a month to 1.2, the death rate was 2.7 per cent.

Among the group singled out for praise the rate was 4 per cent.

It was also revealed average flyers took risks which often led to their deaths.

'While all of them aim to score more, some  the more average pilots  get themselves killed, and the very best pilots mainly react by increasing their scores,' the researchers claim in their report.

'High-powered incentives  in the form of public recognition  may backfire precisely because concerns about relative standing can induce too much risk-taking.

'One clear analogy is bonuses in financial institutions, where the desire to be the 'best' trader or loan officer can lead to catastrophic losses.'A family have been left devastated after callous donappers stole their pet pooch and subjected her to a torrent of abuse.

Elizabeth Meredith said the family dog was taken from their home in Stafford Heights, a northern suburb of Brisbane, only to be returned 24 hours later with blue paint sprayed on her fur and clumps of her hair cut out.

The bizarre incident occurred late on Tuesday morning, when Ms Meredith said she noticed the beloved border collie, named Dakota, had stopped barking and she went down to check on her.

The beloved border collie (pictured), named Dakota, was taken from the family home in Brisbane

Dakota (pictured) was returned with blue paint sprayed on her fur and clumps of hair missing

When I went downstairs, the rope we use to tie the back gate with was gone and the metal in front of the gate was bent and there was no Dakota, Ms Meredith told the Brisbane Times.

The 21-year-old explained that Dakota had a habit of barking excessively and thought the incessant noise might've been the reason why someone wouldve abducted her.

But no less than 24 hours later, Ms Meredith was alerted to Dakotas safety after a passerby found her tied up in the street and took her into a local veterinary surgery.

Referring to the condition the lovable pet was found in, Ms Meredith explained she had been coloured 'bright blue' and had 'chunks of fur missing'.

I was very, very shocked, she means the world to me. She is a lovely tender dog, she wouldn't hurt a fly, she said.

Thankfully, Dakota is now home and out of harm's way, but Ms Meredith noted shes still suffering from the traumatic experience.

She has been really quiet, she is still scared and shook up about what has happened, Ms Meredith told the publication.

She warned other pet owners to keep an eye on their dogs, and to always make time to check on them.

Brisbane police have been alerted to the incident.Two people are assisting police after a weapon was found in an abandoned car at Sydney's Domestic Airport.

Officers acted on late Thursday afternoon, after they were called to an abandoned car near the Qantas Domestic Terminal.

A police operation has led to the arrest of two people at Sydney's Domestic Airport (stock photo)

The Daily Telegraph reported a parking officer saw a gun inside a red Hyundai rental hatchback, parked on the side of a road that loops past the Qantas terminal.

The vehicle's hazard lights were flashing and the car was abandoned at the time.

The hatchback has been seized for forensic investigation.

One person was taken to Mascot Police Station, while the Australian Federal Police handled the other one.

NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia two people were assisting with inquiries and that the operation is not thought to be terror-related.

The AFP have since handed the matter over to NSW Police.

More to comeAnother Saudi woman has turned to social media for protection from her father, just days after Canada granted refuge to Rahaf Mohammed, the 18-year-old who fled her family.

Identified only as Nojoud al-Mandeel, she took to Twitter this week to accuse her father of physical abuse and claims she fled her home by jumping from her bedroom window into a neighbour's swimming pool.

A video posted by Ms Al-Mandeel, allegedly filmed from her window before she made her escape, shows the risk taken by making such a jump.

Escaping: Nojoud al-Mandeel posted this video of her neighbour's pool on Twitter, claiming she had jumped into it to escape her abusive father. The text in Arabic reads: ''I dont wanna go back home so there wont be a violation of privacy'

Ms Al-Mandeel appears to have turned to social media this Monday, when she set up a Twitter account. She has not revealed her face, nor her exact whereabouts in Saudi Arabia, and has only made her pleas for help on Twitter in Arabic.

She posted an audio clip in which she alleges her father had beaten and burnt her 'over something trivial'.

'Don't tell me to report to police,' she said, explaining that in a previous attempt, police just had her father sign a pledge saying he would not beat her again.

After her story gained some traction online, she was promised attention by a protection hotline in Saudi Arabia for domestic abuse victims. Prosecutors also reportedly began looking into her allegations of abuse, according to Saudi news sites.

She was placed in a domestic abuse shelter, but on Tuesday complained on Twitter about the shelter's restrictions over her movements.

While their circumstances are different, the claims of abuse by Ms al-Mandeel and Ms Mohammed mirror those of other Saudi runaways who have used social media to publicize their escapes.

Rahaf Mohammed, 18, who has renounced her last name al-Qunun, speaks at a press conference in Toronto, Ontario, on Tuesday after being granted asylum in Canada

New life: The knee-length dress the teenager wore during the press conference this week is far from the covering outfits women are required to wear in Saudi Arabia

Before: The teenager, pictured with her 12-year-old sister, said it had upset her that her family had announced they had disowned her 'simply because I wanted to escape their abuse'

There has been speculation that Ms Mohammed's successful getaway will inspire others to copy her, however, powerful deterrents remain in place.

If caught, runaways face possible death at the hands of relatives for purportedly shaming the family.

Saudi women fleeing their families challenge a system that grants men guardianship over women's lives. This guardianship system starts in the home, where women must obey fathers, husbands and brothers. Outside the home, it is applied to citizens, often referred to as sons and daughters by Saudi rulers who demand obedience.

Hala Aldosari, a Saudi scholar and activist, said the male guardianship system replicates the ruling family's model of governance, which demands full obedience to the king, who holds absolute power in decision-making.

'This is why the state is keen to maintain the authority of male citizens over women to ensure their allegiance,' she said, adding that this 'hierarchical system of domination' necessitates 'keeping women in line.'

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who's introduced social reforms loosening restrictions on women, told The Atlantic that doing away with guardianship laws has to be done in a way that does not harm families and the culture. He said abolishing these laws would create problems for families that don't want to give freedom to their daughters.

The 18-year-old was detained in Thailand following her arrival in the country. She is pictured having barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in a bid to avoid deportation

Ms Mohammed, accompanied by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, right, and Saba Abbas, general counsellor of COSTI refugee service agency, left, arrives in Toronto, Ontario, on Saturday

New style: Ms Mohammed has begun adapting to life in Canada after being granted asylum, with a photo showing her all bundled up in a winter jacket and woolly hat

The issue of guardianship is extremely sensitive in the kingdom, where conservative families view what they consider the protection of women as a man's duty.

More than a dozen women's rights activists have been detained, many since May, after they campaigned against the guardianship system. Some had also wanted to create alternative shelters for women runaways.

Regardless of their age, women in Saudi Arabia must have the consent of a male relative to obtain a passport, travel or marry. In the past, a travel permit was a paper document issued by the Interior Ministry and signed by a male relative.

Today, Saudi men download a government mobile app that notifies them of a woman's travel. Through the app, men can grant or deny a woman permission to travel. Some young women who have fled the country had managed to access their father's phone, change the setting and disable its notifications.

In a statement read to reporters in Canada on Tuesday, al-Qunun said she wants to be independent, travel and make her own decisions.

'I am one of the lucky ones,' she said. 'I know there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not change their reality.'

That's especially true for women from conservative tribal families, like al-Qunun's.

Ms Mohammed, one of ten children, posted online that her father, Mohammed Mutliq al-Qunun, is the governor of the city of al-Sulaimi in the hilly hinterland of Ha'il - a province where nearly all women cover their face in black veils and wear loose black robes, or abayas, in public.

The family belongs to the influential Shammar tribe, which extends to Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. Her father has considerable clout as a prominent town official and member of a powerful tribe.

Ms Mohammed, who has renounced her last name al-Qunun after her family disowned her, barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Thailand last week to avoid deportation.

She said she was abused by a brother and locked in her room for months for cutting her hair short. She said she would have been killed if sent back to her family.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said doing away with guardianship laws would create problems for families that don't want to give freedom to their daughters

Different life: Women wait in line to ride go carts at a road safety event for female drivers launched at the Riyadh Park Mall in Saudi Arabia

According to government statistics, at least 577 Saudi women tried to flee their homes inside the country in 2015, though the actual number is likely higher. There are no statistics on attempted or successful escapes abroad.

Shahad al-Mohaimeed, 19, who fled abuse and an ultraconservative family in Saudi Arabia two years ago, said fear is a powerful deterrent.

'When a Saudi girl decides to flee, it means she's decided to put her life on the line and take a very, very risky step,' said al-Mohaimeed, who now lives in Sweden.

Ms Mohammeds plight on social media drew international attention, helping her short-circuit the typically complex path to asylum. A little more than a week after fleeing Saudi Arabia, she was in Canada, building a new life, posting pictures of wine, bacon and donning a dress above the knees.

Al-Mohaimeed said Twitter is where Saudi women can share stories and be heard. She and two other Saudi women took over al-Qunun's Twitter account, writing messages on her behalf during the height of her pleas last week to avoid deportation.

'I was not born in this world to serve a man,' al-Mohaimeed said. 'I was born in this world to fulfill my dreams, achieve my dreams, grow, learn and be independent - to taste life as I hold it in my hands.'A swarm of bees created a buzz at a busy tram stop after nesting in a smart guide machine - causing delays and shocking commuters.

The bees descended on the electronic information device at Stop 112 on Lygon Street, in Carlton, in the heart of Melbourne CBD on Thursday morning.

The screen can be seen completely covered in the flying insects in a photo shared by Public Transport Victoria.

Hundreds of bees congregated on the electronic information device (pictured) at Stop 112 on Lygon Street, in Carlton, in the heart of Melbourne CB on Thursday morning

Passengers who frequently use the device were unable to check for tram updates and Yarra Trams were forced to avoid the area due to the swarm, Yahoo7 reported.

'Route 1 & 6 trams will not service Stop 112 Lygon St heading towards the City due to bees,' Yarra Trams tweeted.

'Passengers may walk 6 minutes / 450 metres to Stop 1 Melbourne University to connect with trams towards the City.'

The disruption lasted for about an hour before trams were back on schedule.

The bees were also moved on by a bee keeper and relocated to a more appropriate area, where they could build a new home for themselves.

'Route 1 & 6 trams are again servicing Stop 112 Lygon St following the earlier disruption,' Yarra Trams tweeted.

One Twitter user suggested the insects might have been confused by one of city's trams (pictured) that was decorated with bees

'Thank you for your patience and have a bee-autiful day.'

The post garnered plenty of buzz on social media and some Twitter users couldn't resist from sharing their thoughts - with the occasional bee pun.

'Sounds like a hive of activity,' one person wrote.

'Hope nobody is allergic to them,' another person said.

A third person even suggested the insects might have been confused by one of city's trams that was decorated with bees.

'Confusing for the bees tbh,' the user tweeted.A study has found for the seventh year in a row that most undocumented aliens in the United States are visa overstays who do not come through the southern border.

The Center for Migration Studies, a New York-based research institute, said that from 2016-2017, visa overstayers made up 62 per cent of newly undocumented migrants.

The remainder - 38 per cent - entered the country through a border, NPR reported.

The results of the study come as the partial shutdown of the federal government drags into its 27th day with neither Trump nor Democratic congressional leaders showing signs of bending on the topic that triggered it - funding for the wall Trump promised to build along the border with Mexico.

The Center for Migration Studies, a New York-based research institute, said that from 2016-2017, visa overstayers made up 62 per cent of newly undocumented migrants. Terminal Four at JFK Airport in New York is seen in the above stock image

It is clear from our research that persons who overstay their visas add to the U.S. undocumented population at a higher rate than border crossers, said Donald Kerwin, the executive director of the think tank.

This is not a blip, but a trend which has become the norm.

As these numbers indicate, construction of hundreds of more miles of border wall would not address the challenge of irregular migration into our country, far from it.

According to the study, the undocumented population from Mexico dropped by nearly 400,000 in 2017.

Since 2010, the number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico has fallen by a total of 1.3 million, the study found.

We have made tremendous progress since the year 2000 in reducing undocumented immigration into this country, the study's author, CMS senior fellow Robert Warren, told NPR.

Warren says the drop in the number of illegal immigrants can be attributed to efforts by the Bush and Obama administrations in increasing the number of Border Patrol agents.

The study found that of all undocumented migrants in the U.S., less than half are from Mexico - the first time it has dropped below 50 per cent.

Nonetheless, Mexicans account for the most visa overstays in 2016.

There are about twice the number [of undocumented migrants from Mexico than] from India, China, and Venezuela, the study found.

In 2017, the number of undocumented Venezuelans increased from 60,000 in 2013 to 145,000 in 2017.

Virtually all of them came to the U.S. through airports, not the border, and are thus considered visa overstays.

As these numbers indicate, construction of hundreds of more miles of border wall would not address the challenge of irregular migration into our country, far from it, said Donald Kerwin, the executive director of the think tank. A border fence in Tijuana, Mexico is seen above

Venezuela has been plagued by a severe economic crisis in recent months.

Since more than one half of all US undocumented residents arrive by air, visa-issuing posts have become the real frontline deterrent to undocumented migration, the study concludes.

This report suggests that more attention and resources should be given to that crucial mission of the US Department of State.Photos have emerged of horrific injuries inflicted upon a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor by a fellow public transit passenger in Canada who was said to have been known to be dangerous by the driver.

Hanka Fogelman was attacked while riding in shared public transportation designated for people with mental and physical disabilities and mobility issues on November 11, she told authorities in Montreal.

Debbie Rona, the daughter of Fogelman, said her mother suffered a broken nose and lacerations on her face, which had turned 'black and blue' following the incident, as seen in shocking photos of the aftermath.

Now, for the past two months, Fogelman has been experiencing 'PTSD and flashbacks' from the alleged attack and 'doesn't understand how this young man could have attacked her in such a violent way,' Rona told Fox News.

The man involved in the alleged attack has a mental disability, Montreal police Insp. Andre Durocher told the CBC, adding that the man would not face charges.

Photos have emerged of horrific injuries inflicted upon Hanka Fogelman, 92 (pictured), a Holocaust survivor who was attacked by a man while using public transit for people with disabilities in Canada

Fogelman said that when the driver picked her up, she was warned her to keep away from the man who was already seated in the back seat of the car, where she would be joining him.

'The driver knew that he was aggressive  said not to talk to him,' Fogelman told the investigative unit with CBC News, called Go Public.

'[He said] he's aggressive. He's a little dangerous.'

Fogelman had no choice but to get in the backseat, however, because another woman was already seated up front, the CBC reported.

Fogelman suffered suffered a broken nose and lacerations on her face, which had turned 'black and blue,' according to her daughter

Fogelman has been experiencing 'PTSD and flashbacks' from the attack

After that warning, Fogelman told police the started hitting and punching her.

'The blood started coming out from my nose. I didn't know what to do,' she said.

Fogelman got in the vehicle with the man after she had called for a ride from Societe de transport de Montreal (STM), which is a public transportation system with a paratransit sector available for people with disabilities.

An internal STM report obtained by CBC News from Rona revealed that the driver stated, 'the two hadn't even spoken to each other before this happened. The young man had been writing quietly on a piece of paper, when he suddenly hit the client seated to his right, without any apparent reason.'

Montreal police could not immediately be reached for additional comment.

On the day the attack is said to have occurred, Fogelman was trying to go and visit one of her daughters.Grieving loved ones of a 14-year-old boy shot dead by an Arizona cop while carrying an airsoft gun are demanding answers from police who failed to inform the family the teen was killed until several hours later.

Police in Tempe said officers witnessed suspect Antonio Gonzalez burglarizing a vehicle near 48th Street and Baseline Road Tuesday around 2:30pm.

One of the officers responding to the burglary approached Gonzalez, who then fled on foot carrying what the cop believed was handgun, as well as stolen items from the vehicle.

Police said at some point, the teen turned toward officers, when the cop 'perceived a threat and fired his service weapon, striking the suspect.'

Scroll down for video

Antonio Gonzalez, 14, (pictured) was shot dead by an Arizona cop on Tuesday

The burglary suspect was carrying an airsoft gun, which the cop mistook for a handgun. At some point, the teen turned toward officers, when the cop 'perceived a threat and fired his service weapon, striking the suspect'

His distraught family later spoke to ABC 15 Arizona, and said Gonzalez had been walking home from a friend's house Tuesday afternoon, but never returned.

That's when the family called Tempe police to report him missing.

It wasn't until hours later that six officers arrived to their home with the horrific news.

Gonzalez's brother, Jason Gonzalez, told ABC 15: 'At first they were just like, "it was your brother... he got shot."'

Jason Gonzalez said he immediately broke down in tears and continuously asked the officers, 'who shot him?'

The late teen's distraught family spoke to ABC 15 Arizona. Brother Jason Gonzalez is pictured during the interview

Jason Gonzalez said he immediately broke down in tears after he was informed of the news, and continuously asked officers, 'who shot him?'

He added: 'After about 20 minutes... they didn't really want to tell me... until one of them was like, "one of our officers shot him."'

The teen's mother is demanding answers as to why officers failed to take other measures before opening fire and killing her son.

The family said they did not believe Gonzalez owned any fake guns.

The incident is being investigated by the police department in conjunction with the Maricopa County Attorneys Office.

The shooting and events leading up to it were captured on the cop's body cam, but have not been released.Convicted Bali Nine drug smuggler Renae Lawrence has pleaded guilty to taking part in a 2005 high-speed stolen car chase with police.

Lawyer Drew Hamilton formally entered the pleas on the 41-year-old's behalf at Newcastle Local Court on Thursday afternoon.

He said she would not be fighting the police case against her.

Renae Lawrence (pictured) pleaded guilty to a high-speed stolen car chase with police in 2005

'My client (Lawrence) is most anxious to have the matter resolved,' Mr Hamilton told the court earlier.

A sentence hearing is set down for February 1.

Lawrence, who was not required to attend court on Thursday, has been suffering from anxiety and depression since her return to Australia in November last year, according to court documents, following her release from a Bali prison where she spent 13 years for drug smuggling.

Lawrence handed herself in to Waratah police station after arriving back in Australia from Bali to answer outstanding warrants over the high-speed chase.

She had been facing charges of car theft, driving unlicensed, exceeding the speed limit by 40km/h and failing to stop for police before she travelled to Bali in April 2005.

Police alleged she stole a white Ford Laser hatch at Enfield at about 4am on March 26, 2005, and was driving at 130km/h in a 90km/h zone at Mooney Mooney before her arrest.

Lawrence was caught at Bali airport in April 2005 with 2.7kg of heroin strapped to her body and jailed for 20 years. She served 13 years after being granted sentence reductions.

The two ringleaders in the smuggling plan, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed in 2015.A brave firefighter's four-wheel-drive was brazenly stolen by a machete-wielding man as he battled a blaze.

The 2003 Nissan Patrol was nabbed from near Wellesley in south-west Western Australia on Thursday morning.

The vehicle's owner is believed to be a firefighter who was responding to a nearby out-of-control fire.

A brave firefighter's 2003 Nissan Patrol drive has been brazenly stolen as he battled a blaze (stock image)

The fire started before 8am in a pine plantation and became a wild blaze burning in and around the area bound by Wellesley Road, Pleasure Road and Wellington Road

Senior Sgt Mark Smith described the theft as a 'low act'.

'The people who do this type of thing are parasites,' he told the Harvey-Waroona Reporter.

'They've preyed on the people who are out there trying to make us safe.'

A man used a 'bladed weapon' to threaten firefighters as they fought the fire before stealing the vehicle and fleeing the scene.

Authorities have since located the vehicle, which was abandoned on South Western Highway in Waterloo.

Continuing their investigation, police found a man of interest at nearby Bubury Hospital after he admitted himself.

The man is known to police and remains in hospital under police guard, but hasn't been charged.

The 2003 Nissan Patrol was nabbed from near Wellesley in south-west Western Australia on Thursday morning

The fire started before 8am in a pine plantation and became a wild blaze burning in and around the area bound by Wellesley Road, Pleasure Road and Wellington Road.

A bushfire advice has since been issued for people in the surrounding area as there were warnings of smoke in the area, but the blaze didn't pose any immediate danger.

Firefighters are continuing to battle the out-of-control blaze, as it has already burnt through more than 20 hectares of land.The government has now been shutdown for 25 days, which means TSA employees have been working without a paycheck for almost four whole weeks.

So the workers at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York are expressing their feelings - or maybe just trying to cheer themselves up - with some music.

And their selections of Kanye West, Beastie Boys, and an expletive Travis Scott song have definitely caught the attention of travelers.

'They are currently blasting an uncensored sicko mode at JFK,' one user noted, referring to the Scott song.

Travelers have noticed some interesting music selections by TSA workers at John F Kennedy International Airport during the government shutdown

'JFK is playing sicko mode we're living in a simulation,' another added.

'TSA has officially stopped giving a f**k. SICKO MODE (dirty version) is playing on the speakers at JFK lmfaoo,' yet another traveler noticed.

One traveler was at JFK around 6.30am when they noticed that Kanye West's song Lift Yourself was playing over the loudspeakers.

The song is more commonly referred to as West's 'poop song', as it is mostly made up of the lyrics 'Poop-diddy / whoop-scoop Poop / poop Scoop-diddy-whoop'

Many travelers noticed when TSA employees put on an uncensored version of Travis Scott's song Sicko Mode

'I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone,' the traveler tweeted.

Rap and Hip Hop music seemed to be the tunes of choice for the morning shift workers.

'JFK airport blasting Ludacris at 5.45am is a vibe,' one traveler tweeted.

Some TSA employees wanted their music to match the time, blasting the Beastie Boys 'No Sleep Til Brooklyn' at 10.30pm one night.

Other federal workers decided to have the music match their feelings.

'The extremely weird feeling when the airport PA is blasting Paramore's Misery Business like it's a super hot 2007 Friday night at old JFK,' one traveler wrote.

Some TSA employees wanted their music to match the time, blasting the Beastie Boys 'No Sleep Til Brooklyn' at 10.30pm one night

Other federal workers decided to have the music match their feelings when they selected a song called 'Misery Business'

Rap and Hip Hop music seemed to be the music of choice for the morning shift workers

A Port Authority of New York spokesman told Business Insider that TSA employees are allowed to choose the music at some terminals.

Airline employees are given the opportunity to choose music at other terminals.

Meanwhile, food banks have popped up in Chicago, Tampa, and Phoenix to help TSA employees who are continuing to work without pay during the government shutdown.

The help comes amid ongoing reports of airport delays across the country as TSA employees continue to call in sick so they can look for alternative ways to pay their bills.

But TSA officials say the rate of airport screeners missing work during the partial government shutdown has stabilized just days before a three-day holiday weekend that is likely to bring bigger airport crowds.

The Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday that 6.1 percent of its airport screeners missed work Tuesday.

There have been ongoing reports of airport delays across the country as TSA employees continue to call in sick so they can look for alternative ways to pay their bills

That's nearly double the absentee rate on the same day last year, but the second-straight decline after the sick-out rate surged to 7.7 percent Sunday.

A TSA official said screeners this week should have received $500 bonuses and, for some, an extra day's pay, for working over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

TSA could be facing a test by Friday of its ability to process airport crowds with fewer workers. Last year, nearly 8 million people flew between Friday and Monday of the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday.

While that is less than the 9 million who flew around the Memorial Day holiday, it is busier than most January weekends.Declaring that space is the new warfighting domain, President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed the U.S. will develop an unrivaled missile defense system to protect against advanced hypersonic and cruise missile threats from competitors and adversaries.

Trump said in a Pentagon speech that the U.S. will do what it takes 'to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place.'

The outlook had echos of President Ronald Reagan's famed Strategic Defense Initiative, which critics derided as 'Star Wars.'

Reagan's vision was to have orbiting laser beam stations that could track missiles in mid-air and destroy them before they re-entered the earth's atmosphere.

That was at the time considered a significant upgrade from earlier strategies involving ground- and sea-based missiles, fired to intercept other missiles.

Laser beams travel at the speed of light  186,000 miles per second. The best missile technology has produced vehicles that can travel at three times the speed of sound, but lasers are 80 times as quick.

Pentagon speech: President Donald Trump spoke to military and civilian commanders in a rare visit to the Department of Defense to outline his vision of a missile defense system based in space

Flashback: President Ronald Reagan spoke to the nation in 1983 about his 'Strategic Defense Initiative,' which detractors mocked 'Star Wars'

Military audience: Members of branches of the Armed Forces were present to hear Trump speak about the need for a missile defense system on Thursday

It works: A test launch of the U.S. land-based Aegis missile defense testing system, that later intercepted an intermediate range ballistic missile, from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai in Hawaii last December

Missile warning: Trump is to order a stepped up space-based missile defense program to counter threats including Iran, led by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran released footage of a rocket carrying a Payam satellite being launched at Imam Khomeini Space Center. The U.S. sees the rockets as using missile technology

The president's speech to an appreciative military audience coincided with the release of a 108-page report emphasizes the need for a 'comprehensive approach to missile defense against rogue state and regional missile threats' and calls for the development of new technologies to its system in the future.

An official told Politico on Thursday that the Pentagon was considering a 'space-based layer of sensors ... to help get early warning [and] tracking.'

The new strategy makes clear that its plan for a more aggressive space-based missile defense system is aimed at protecting against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and countering advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

The retooled missile defense strategy declares that '[w]hile a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant.'

Trump did not mention Russia, China or North Korea in his roughly 20-minute speech. He said last June after his summit with Kim Jong-un that the hermit kingdom no longer endangered the United States.

The new review is the first since 2010, and it concludes that to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defense technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

Trump also pledged that the U.S. is '100 per cent' behind NATO, just days after a news report suggested he had repeatedly discussed pulling America out of the alliance entirely.

Reagan showed support for the Strategic Defense Initiative with a bumper sticker reading 'SDI could ruin a nuclear bomb's whole day'

The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons

This 1980s artist's rendering shows an interceptor (top right) under development for the U.S. Army's 'High Endoatmospheric Defense Interceptor,' a key element of SDI; it was depicted destroying missiles firedon land and from a submarine

It worked: On September 6, 1985 the first 'laser lethality test' was conducted for SDI on the High Energy Laser System Test Facility at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico; It took a high-intensity laser beam just a few seconds to destroy this Titan I booster rocket missile body even though the target wasn't loaded with any fuel

Part of Reagan's vision was a fleet of orbiting satellites with laser beams aboard, ready to track and zap missiles before they could re-enter the earth's atmosphere on their way down to their targets

'We're going to be with NATO 100 per cent,' he said, while demanding that more of them place a stronger priority on military defense in their governments' budgets.

'As I told the countries, "You have to step up and you have to pay",' Trump said.

'We are protecting many, many, wealthy, wealthy, wealthy, countries,' he said. 'One country they said has an unsustainable cash flow. In other words they make so much money they don't know what to do with it. I said, "Send it our way. We're protecting you. Send it our way".'

Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, who also spoke on Thursday, said competitors such as Russia and China are aggressively pursuing new misilles that are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat.

Specifically, the U.S. is looking at putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles when they are launched, according to a senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday.

The U.S. sees space as a critical area for advanced, next-generation capabilities to stay ahead of the threats, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the review before it was released.

New frontier: Trump said in a Pentagon speech that the U.S. will do what it takes 'to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place.'

War in space: Trump used his Pentagon speech to tell members of the armed forces that the U.S. would not be beaten in space

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the U.S. can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

Congress, which ordered this review, already has directed the Pentagon to push harder on this 'boost-phase' approach, but officials want to study the feasibility of the idea and explore ways it could be done.

Missing from the Pentagon's new strategy is any mention a new military branch, which Trump has promised to name the U.S. Space Force.

The new strategy is aimed at better defending the U.S. against potential adversaries, such as Russia and China, who have been developing and fielding a much more expansive range of advanced offensive missiles that could threaten America and its allies.

The threat is not only coming from traditional cruise and ballistic missiles, but also from hypersonic weapons.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims can't be intercepted.

One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp maneuvers to avoid being detected by missile defense systems.

'Developments in hypersonic propulsion will revolutionize warfare by providing the ability to strike targets more quickly, at greater distances, and with greater firepower,' Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Congress last year.

'China is also developing increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles in an attempt to counter ballistic missile defense systems.'

Current U.S. missile defense weapons are based on land and aboard ships. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have both emphasized space-based capabilities as the next step of missile defense.

New Russian threat: Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims can't be intercepted. One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp maneuvers to avoid being detected by missile defense systems.

Propaganda victory: Vladimir Putin watched in the control center as his Avangard hypersonic strategic missile was launched

Senior administration officials earlier signaled their interest in developing and deploying more effective means of detecting and tracking missiles with a constellation of satellites in space that can, for example, use advanced sensors to follow the full path of a hostile missile so that an anti-missile weapon can be directed into its flight path.

Any expansion of the scope and cost of missile defenses would compete with other defense priorities, including the billions of extra dollars the Trump administration has committed to spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons.

An expansion also would have important implications for American diplomacy, given long-standing Russian hostility to even the most rudimentary U.S. missile defenses and China's worry that longer-range U.S. missile defenses in Asia could undermine Chinese national security.

Asked about the implications for Trump's efforts to improve relations with Russia and strike better trade relations with China, the administration official said that the U.S. defense capabilities are purely defensive and that the U.S. has been very upfront with Moscow and Beijing about its missile defense posture.

The release of the strategy was postponed last year for unexplained reasons, though it came as Trump was trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

While the U.S. continues to pursue peace with North Korea, Pyongyang has made threats of nuclear missile attacks against the U.S. and its allies in the past and has worked to improve its ballistic missile technology.

It is still considered a serious threat to America. Iran, meanwhile, has continued to develop more sophisticated ballistic missiles, increasing their numbers and their capabilities.A high-ranking police officer has put aside his usual duties to make sure an injured sheep was taken back to safety.

The Senior Constable from Bourke, a town in the north-west of New South Wales, was conducting a search warrant when he noticed the sheep struggling to walk on a wounded leg, in the sweltering heat.

Concerned for the animals well-being, the unnamed officer decided to take matters into his own hands and drive the sheep - playfully nicknamed Baaarbara - to a local holding pen.

A Senior Constable (pictured) from Bourke decided to put his usual duties aside to take care of the sheep

As an officer of the law, its no surprise he ensured the sheep was securely transported to her destination, and made sure she had her seat belt strapped on.

New South Wales Police Force's official Twitter page shared the adorable image of the officer and the farm animal in the cruiser, earlier today.

In the sweet selfie the officer poses with his arm around the sheep, who is sitting obediently in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.

Alongside an explanation of how the officer came to have Baaarbara in his cruiser, the Twitter post read: As you can see, Baaarbara has her seat belt on too. Safety first!

Social media users were thrilled by the quick-thinking cops actions, and flocked to Twitter to praise him.

Social media users (pictured) were thrilled with the officer's decision to look after the sheep

New South Wales Police Force official Twitter page shared an image of the sheep and explained the officer was taking her to a local holding pen

One user enthused: She looks like shes smiling. Thats beautiful.

Another added: Hero! What a team!

While a third joked: Ewe guys [are] the Best.

Shortly after sharing the image of the sheep, who had suffered a heat-related ailment, the police page retweeted a warning from Sydney Water, urging members of the public to look after animals in the blistering heat.

Make sure your pets have plenty of water to drink and keep it cool by placing the water bowl in the shade, the tweet read.

The caution comes as the state is set for another scorching few days, with forecasters warning the majority of New South Wales can expect to exceed 41C until Friday.Taiwan held live-fire exercises along its east coast Thursday amid renewed threats from China to bring the island under its control by force if deemed necessary.

Artillery and assault helicopters fired at targets off the west coast city of Taichung, while French-made Mirage fighter jets took off amid rainy conditions from the air base at Hsinchu to the north.

The drills are Taiwan's first since Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 2 reasserted Beijing's willingness to use military force to bring self-ruling Taiwan under Chinese control.

The drills also follow a new Pentagon report laying out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

M60A3 tanks fire during an anti-invasion drill in Taichung, Taiwan on Thursday. The drills are Taiwan's first since Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 2 reasserted Beijing's willingness to use military force to bring self-ruling Taiwan under Chinese control

The drills also follow a new Pentagon report laying out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan

Taiwan's independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen has made national defense a priority while refusing China's demand that she recognise Taiwan as a part of China.

That has led to Beijing ratcheting up economic, military and diplomatic pressure on the island of 23 million.

In a meeting with U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson in Beijing on Tuesday, China's Chief of Staff Li Zuocheng issued a warning against foreign forces coming to Taiwan's assistance. The U.S. is Taiwan's chief source of military hardware and is legally bound to respond to threats against its security.

Taiwan's independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen has made national defense a priority while refusing China's demand that she recognise Taiwan as a part of China

Taiwan's AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter fires during a military exercises in Taichung

M110A2 self-propelled howitzers fire during a military exercises. Taiwan's military has conducted the live-fire drill to show its determination to defend itself from Chinese threats

Taiwan's independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen has made national defense a priority while refusing China's demand that she recognise Taiwan as a part of China

China's military will 'pay any price' to ensure China's sovereignty, Li told Richardson at their Tuesday meeting. China considers Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949, as an integral part of Chinese territory.

Beijing has said it will not hesitate to use force if Taipei formally declares independence, or in the case of external intervention - including by the United States.

'China must and will be united... which is an inevitable requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people in the new era,' Xi said in a January 2 speech commemorating the 40th anniversary of a message sent to Taiwan in 1979.

'We make no promise to give up the use of military force and reserve the option of taking all necessary means' against Taiwanese separatist activities and 'outside forces' that interfere with reunification, he said.

A rocket is fired from a Thunderbolt 2000 multi-rocket launcher during the military exercise

An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter fires during an anti-invasion drill. China's Chief of Staff Li Zuocheng on Tuesday issued a warning against foreign forces coming to Taiwan's assistance

Taiwan's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter (left) fires during a military exercises in Taichung. A Taiwanese soldier takes a position (right) during one of the military exercises

U.S.-China relations have become increasingly frayed on the military and economic fronts over the past year.

President Donald Trump imposed tariff increases of up to 25 percent on US$250 billion of Chinese imports over complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Xi responded by imposing penalties on $110 billion of American goods.

And last year the Pentagon disinvited China to a major, multinational Pacific exercise, citing Beijing's militarisation of man-made islands in the South China Sea.

Last October, tens of thousands of Taiwan independence campaigners took to the streets in the first large-scale protest calling for an outright independence vote since the island first became a democracy more than 20 years ago.

Soldiers sit on an M60A3 tank for a group photograph after an anti-invasion drill. China considers Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949, as an integral part of China

Taiwan army soldiers pose for photos on an US-made M60-A3 tank after a life-fire exercise

Taiwan army launch LT-2000 rockets during the drill. China's military will 'pay any price' to ensure China's sovereignty, China's Chief of Staff Li Zuocheng said

But some in Taiwan say worsening relations with Beijing have harmed business, as cuts to pensions and a reduction in public holidays compound frustrations over a stagnant economy where salaries have not kept up with the rise in cost of living.

Last year, Taiwan's ruling party suffered a massive defeat in mid-term polls, causing Tsai to resign as leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, while the main opposition Kuomintang, which oversaw an unprecedented thaw with Beijing before Tsai took office in 2016, made gains.

Beijing has adopted a multi-pronged approach to diminish Taiwan's presence on the international stage in recent years, including blocking it from global forums and poaching its dwindling number of official diplomatic allies.A 24-year-old paedophile who raped a teenage girl and sexually assaulted another when he was 17 was today jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Matthew Kelly, from Christchurch, New Zealand, is already in jail with a five-year sentence after forcing a woman to perform a sex act on a baby and send him a video.

Christchurch District Court today heard how his rape victim, who was 13 or 14 at the time of the attack seven years ago, was so scarred that she carved the word 'whore' on to her leg.

His other victim, who he kissed and touched on the breast, was 12 years old.

Matthew Kelly, from Christchurch, New Zealand, is already in jail with a five-year sentence after forcing a woman to perform a sex act on a baby and send him a video (file picture)

Kelly met the girls through a church which cannot be named, reported Stuff.

He tried to touch the older girl and said he would harm her family if she told anyone. One day, he grabbed her after church and raped her in a park.

The girl told court she used to be an 'open, happy, and self-assured' person but after the rape tried to take her own life and self-harmed.

She said: 'He stole some of the most important years of my life from me, and I will never get them back'.

Prosecutors said the victims will never get over the trauma they have been through.

Kelly's defence lawyer, Josh Lucas, said the judge should take into account that Kelly was young at the time and had been abused and bullied himself as a child.

He said: 'Crushing sentences have a devastating effect, especially on young people.'

He said rehabilitation treatment could 'open his eyes' to the damage he had caused.

Passing sentence, Judge Jane Farish noted a psychological report which said that Kelly had a 'chronic sexual pre-occupation,' showed no remorse or empathy to his victims and had a tendency to manipulate and lie.

Until today, Kelly's name and previous sentence was suppressed in New Zealand.A nudist resort near San Francisco is reopening its doors for the first time in three years after a wildfire left it in charred ruins.

Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, California is now accepting visitors who pay $25 for day passes from Monday through Thursday and $35 on Friday.

The resort will resume operations on Saturday, according to the SF Gate.

In September 2015, the Valley Fire which started in Lake County quickly spread and destroyed more than 76,000 acres in Northern California, killing four people and destroying almost 2,000 buildings.

It took firefighters about a month to fully contain the wildfire, which caused at least $921million in insured property damage.

Burned out remains of the popular nudist destination, Harbin Hot Springs, is seen after the Valley Fire roared through the area near Middletown, California on September 14, 2015

The same heart-shaped pool is seen above after its refurbishment

The resort spent the past three years rebuilding its pools and facilities. The above image shows a pool after it was rehabilitated

At the time, the Valley Fire was the third most destructive fire in California history.

Harbin Hot Springs is just a 30 minutes drive from Napa Valley, part of which was affected by the fire.

The wildfire burned through hundreds of thousands of trees and 95 per cent of the resorts structures, according to SF Gate.

The resort lost workshop spaces, guest cottages, massage studios, a wooden temple, and residences that housed more than 50 people.

Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, California is now accepting visitors who pay $25 for day passes from Monday through Thursday and $35 on Friday

The six spring-fed pools - including the hot, warm, cold, and the heart-shaped one - have been rebuilt and resurfaced. The resort also boasts a pool dedicated to watsu, a special form of water massage that is unique to Harbin

The file photo above shows guests at the resort relaxing by the side of a pool. Clothing is optional at the resort

The resort lost workshop spaces, guest cottages, massage studios, a wooden temple, and residences that housed more than 50 people. The charred remains of one of the structures is seen above

Structures that were built at the beginning of the last century were reduced to ash.

But the resort immediately began to rebuild.

The six spring-fed pools - including the hot, warm, cold, and the heart-shaped one - have been rebuilt and resurfaced.

The resort also boasts a pool dedicated to watsu, a special form of water massage that is unique to Harbin.

There is also a sundeck, sauna, sitting areas, shade structures, and concrete decking.

The reconstruction is not finished, however. The resort will soon unveil refurbished guest cottages and a tent site.

By the summer, the resort will offer domes for overnight guests. The domes will also include yoga, dances, and classes.

I don't have words, says Eric Richardson, a managing director for Harbin.

In September 2015, the Valley Fire destroyed more than 76,000 acres in Northern California, killing four people and destroying almost 2,000 buildings. The image above from September 2015 shows a home in Seigler Springs, California engulfed in flames

I think a stone has been lifted from many of our hearts. It's a pretty tremendous day for us.

I haven't been in the pools in three and a half years. I can't wait to go in. I've been waiting to go in the whole time.

Richardson says that the resort has introduced a reservation system online, which is different from the first-come, first-serve arrangement that was in place before the fire.

The new system is intended to test the capacity that the resort can hold, according to Richardson.

The people who come this weekend will see us in a long phase of recovery, says Richardson.

They'll see our reforestation in a long phase of recovery. It's a unique experience to witness a community rebuild itself.A popular gay club that told a photographer to only take pictures of 'hot boys' and drag queens has been forced to apologise.

Poof Doof, in Melbourne, banned pictures of girls, 'boys with bad skin', 'messy boys' and 'skinny boys in burgundy t-shirts and chinos'.

The leaked brief sparked outrage after it listed muscled men as a priority but ruled out 'indi boys' unless they were 'breathtakingly good looking'.

Muscled men, drag queens, and 'hot boys' as a were listed as a priority, while women and 'skinny boys' were banned (file image)

The photographer's brief (pictured) for gay nightclub Poof Doof in Melbourne was released this week

The pictures were featured on the club's social media pages to promote the South Yarra venue.

The full photographer's brief was leaked online and said: 'If you want to lick their faces because they look so delicious, take a photo.

'Poof Doof is a gay club for homos. No-one is here to see girls. Ever.

'Photos are not to be taken of skinny boys in burgundy t-shirts and chinos. There is nothing interesting or cool about them.'

Social media users were furious when the embarrassing document was shared online.

'For a community that prides itself on inclusion this is horrible to see. Whether used or not. I'm happy to never visit this club again,' one person said.

'If you want to lick their faces because they look so delicious, take a photo,' the brief said

The club claimed the document surfaced after a photographer was terminated last week. The club is now working to create a new policy following the publish backlash this week

'Wow. I am shocked and disgusted at this,' another person said.

A spokeswoman for the club said the document was old and no longer in use.

'We are absolutely devastated that it has caused pain and upset to a community we love so much,' she said.

'We have apologised for this and are now focusing on finding ways to better understand the concerns of our community to help them.'

The club claimed the document surfaced after a photographer was terminated last week.

The club is now working to create a new policy following the publish backlash this week.

'We have taken your feedback very seriously and if you want to be involved in helping us write it, you can. We honestly appreciate your input on how we can improve, so much so that we want more of it.'A woman will remain behind bars after being accused of killing her sheep farmer partner using a drug for animals and other sedatives mixed in a blender.

Natasha Beth Darcy is charged with murdering Mathew Dunbar, 42, who was found dead on August 2 in 2017 on his property 'Pandora' on the outskirts of Walcha, which sits halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.

Darcy, who appeared via video link, wiped away tears on Thursday as Justice Stephen Campbell refused her bail in the NSW Supreme Court.

Natasha Darcy (pictured) is accused of drugging her farmer partner and then gassing him to death

Natasha Darcy (pictured right) with former farmer husband Mathew Dubar - Ms Darcy claims Mr Dunbar committed suicide

Mr Dunbar's body was found by Darcy in the early hours of the morning with a plastic bag taped to his head with a tube inside which was attached to a helium tank, the court heard.

The Crown alleges Darcy murdered Mr Dunbar and made it appear he had committed suicide, but the defence provided evidence of the farmer's mental health issues including his anti-depressant prescription.

'The circumstances of death seem to me he had ingested a cocktail of sedatives drugs before retiring,' Justice Campbell said.

'The inhalation of the helium caused his death.'

Internet searches made on both Mr Dunbar's and Darcy's phones were read in court.

Justice Campbell told the court 'Does helium show up in an autopsy' was searched on Mr Dunbar's phone on the night of his death.

He also read internet searches made before that night on Darcy's phone including 'suicide bag', 'euthanasia device' and 'helium filled exit bag'.

Natasha Darcy (pictured) is also accused of Googling 'suicide bag', 'euthanasia device' and 'helium filled exit bag' on her phone before the alleged murder

'The applicant says she and the deceased used one or the other's device to make internet searches and that's a matter a jury can consider,' Justice Campbell said.

Further inquires showed the cocktail of sedative drugs ingested by Mr Dunbar, including those used on animals, had been mixed in a NutriBullet, the court heard.

The court heard Darcy was the beneficiary of Mr Dunbar's estate which included his valuable farming property.

In the months leading to his death Mr Dunbar had been prescribed the anti-depressant Zoloft for which symptoms include thoughts of suicide and self-harm, the defence said.

The court heard Mr Dunbar had been greatly affected following the death of a close friend to suicide that year.

The couple celebrating Christmas in happier times. Mr Dunbar had been prescribed the anti-depressant Zoloft for which symptoms include thoughts of suicide and self-harm, the defence said

The court was told two months before his death, Mr Dunbar was placed in a mental health facility after he had taken a gun and threatened suicide.

Justice Campbell in his bail decision said he could not ignore Darcy's previous record such as lighting a house on fire in 2012 and her 2015 jail term.

In 2015, she was convicted for using her previous partner's credit card, making false representations to police and attempting to convince her partner to change his evidence.

'This applicant has a tendency to fabricate evidence and effectively come up and enact very elaborate schemes to support her own innocence,' the Crown said.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyondblue 1300 224 636Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani sought to clean up televised comments from Wednesday night that invited new speculation on possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia  saying he has 'no knowledge' of any such conduct.

Giuliani issued a statement Thursday following his appearance on CNN, where he refused to take a firm stance that no campaign collusion happened  despite his own and President Trump's firm earlier denials on the subject.

'I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign,' Giuliani told the network. 'I said the President of the United States.'

But on Thursday, Giuliani said although he only represents Trump, he has no knowledge of the 'thousands of people' who worked on Trump's election effort.

Rudy Giuliani claimed on CNN that he 'never said there was no collusion' between between Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign and Russia - only that Trump was not involved

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'To clarify my comments during the Cuomo interview last evening because they have been misinterpreted I issue the following statement: I represent only President Trump not the Trump campaign,' Giuliani said in a statement provided to DailyMail.com.

'There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form. Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign. The only knowledge I have in this regard i the collusion of the Clinton campaign with Russia which has so far been ignored,' he added, attacking Trump's 2016 rival.

His cleanup comes hours after Giuliani claimed he 'never said there was no collusion' between Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign and Russia - only that Trump himself was not involved.

Speaking to CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday, the former New York mayor said he did not know if others involved in the campaign had worked with Russia.

'I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign,' Giuliani said. 'I said the President of the United States.'

'There is not a single bit of evidence the President of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC.'

The explosive comments raised speculation that Trump's lawyer could be trying to get out ahead of some new development in the Mueller probe and stake out a new defensive position.

It comes days after it was revealed that former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort passed campaign poll information during the campaign to Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian who Mueller's filings have said is connected to a Russian intelligence agency.

Despite his claims, Giuliani has actually stated that that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia multiple times.

In May, Giuliani told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia because it did not use the information it received during a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

'They never used it. They rejected it,' Giuliani declared. 'If there was collusion with the Russians, they would have used it.'

During another Fox News appearance that same month, Giuliani said that 'Russian collusion is total fake news'.

A day before Giuliani's comments on CNN, Trump insisted he 'never worked for Russia' following two bombshell reports.

'It's a disgrace that you even ask that question,' he told reporters on the White House's South Lawn on Tuesday. 'It's all a big fat hoax.'

Speaking to CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday, the former New York mayor said he did not know if others involved in the campaign had worked with Russia

'I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign,' Giuliani said. 'I said the President of the United States'

In the first report, The New York Times said the FBI opened an investigation into whether Trump was acting on Russia's behalf soon after he became president.

Trump's behavior in the days around Comey's May 2017 firing as FBI director, specifically two instances in which he seemed to tie Comey's ousting to the Russia investigation, helped trigger the counter-intelligence part of the investigation, according to the newspaper.

The president responded to the report during an interview broadcast on the Fox News Channel after host Jeanine Pirro, who is also a personal friend of Trump, asked whether he is currently or has ever worked for Russia.

'I think it's the most insulting thing I've ever been asked,' Trump said. 'I think it's the most insulting article I've ever had written, and if you read the article you'll see that they found absolutely nothing.'

Trump never answered Ms Pirro's question directly, but went on to claim that no president has taken a harder stance against Russia than he has.

'If you ask the folks in Russia, I've been tougher on Russia than anybody else, any otherprobably any other president, period, but certainly the last three or four presidents,' he said.

A day before Giuliani's comments, Trump insisted he 'never worked for Russia' following two bombshell reports

Meanwhile, The Washington Post detailed what it said were the unusual lengths taken by Trump to hide the contents of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both men's comments come as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation looms large in the background, punctuated by guilty pleas, convictions and indictments of former Trump associates.

These include his former national security advisor Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort and Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

Manafort has admitted to sharing polling data with a Russian during the 2016 presidential race, according to a court filing inadvertently made public by his lawyers. CNN reported that the intended recipients were two pro-Russia Ukrainian oligarchs.

But on Wednesday, Giuliani suggested that was 'not collusion'.

'Polling data is given to everybody,' he told CNN.

The overall investigation is looking into Russian election interference and whether Trump's campaign co-ordinated with the Russians, as well as possible obstruction of justice by Trump himself.Michael Cohen is reportedly reconsidering plans to give testimony before Congress next month because he is worried that his former boss, President Donald Trump, could put his family in danger.

Cohen is scheduled to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on February 7.

But there was less certainty on Wednesday that Cohen, Trumps former lawyer and fixer, would go through with his testimony, sources close to Cohen told ABC News.

Cohen is afraid that if he testifies, his former boss will continue to attack him on Twitter and on television by lobbing unsubstantiated allegations against his relatives.

Michael Cohen (seen above with his wife and two children last month in New York) is reportedly reconsidering plans to give testimony before Congress next month because he is worried that his former boss, President Donald Trump, could put his family in danger

Cohen is afraid that if he testifies, his former boss, Trump (above), will continue to attack him on Twitter and on television by lobbing unsubstantiated allegations against his relatives

Friends of Cohen say he is concerned that the Presidents escalating rhetoric could motivate one of his supporters to target him or his family.

Cohens close associates are reportedly urging him to reconsider his appearance on Capitol Hill, ABC News is reporting.

Trump on Saturday called for the press to investigate Cohen's father-in-law.

Speaking to Judge Jeanine Pirro on Fox News Saturday, Trump claimed Cohen is telling the FBI false stories about the president to reduce his sentence.

Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison for his role in making illegal hush-money payments to two women to help Trump in 2016 in violation of campaign laws, and for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia.

Cohen once said he would take a bullet for Trump, who called his former close confidante a Rat on Twitter in mid-December.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said he hoped to schedule a closed-door hearing with Cohen later to discuss the Russia probe.

'In order to get his sentence reduced, he says, ''I'll give you some information on the president.'' Well, there is no information,' Trump said of Cohen on Saturday.

'He should give information maybe on his father-in-law, because that's the one that people want to look at.'

This is not the first time Trump has attempted to shift the focus to Cohen's father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, who reportedly loaned $20million to a Chicago cab company operator mentioned in the the FBI warrants used to raid Cohen's home and office.

Despite Trump's statements, there has been no indication from authorities that Shusterman was ever the subject of an investigation.

Speaking to Judge Jeanine Pirro on Fox News Saturday, Trump claimed Cohen is telling the FBI false stories about the president to reduce his sentence

'I guess he didn't want to talk about his father-in-law  he's trying to get his sentence reduced. So it's pretty sad. It's weak and it's very sad to watch a thing like that,' Trump said.

Pirro then asked Cohen's father-in-law's name, to which Trump responded: 'I don't know, but you'll find out, and you'll look into it because nobody knows what's going on over there.'

During Saturday's phone interview, Trump called Cohen an 'already proven liar'.

'He's in trouble on some loans and fraud and taxi cabs and stuff that I know nothing about,' Trump said of Cohen.

Last month, Trump also brought up Fima Shusterman during a Twitter tirade bashing Cohen.

'Michael Cohen asks judge for no Prison Time,' Trump vented on Twitter December 3 morning, following his return from a trip to Argentina.

'You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term?' The president asked.

'He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself, and get...his wife and father-in-law (who has the money?) off Scott Free. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence,' the president added.

Just a week later, Trump tore into his former lawyer in a Fox News interview, claiming Cohen misled prosecutors to keep his family out of jail.

The president brought up Cohen's father-in-law as well as his former fixer's Ukraine-born wife, Laura, saying both could be implicated in crimes and that Cohen 'made a deal' to keep them out of jail.

Trump referenced Cohen's father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, on Twitter last month

Cohen's father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, reportedly loaned $20million to a Chicago cab company operator

'His father-in-law, I thought is the guy that was the primary focus. Well, what did he do? Did he make a deal to keep his father-in law out? Did he make a deal to keep his wife  Maybe I'm wrong, but supposedly ... did he make a deal to keep his wife out of trouble?' the president asked.

Trump's comments to Fox News suggesting criminal behavior by the relatives of someone appearing as a witness before Congress angered Democrats.

'The integrity of our process to serve as an independent check on the Executive Branch must be respected by everyone, including the President,' House Rep. Elijah Cummings, the new chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement released Sunday.

The statement was co-signed by Schiff and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairmen of the House Intelligence and Houses Judiciary Committees.

'Our nations laws prohibit efforts to discourage, intimidate, or otherwise pressure a witness not to provide testimony to Congress.

'The President should make no statement or take any action to obstruct Congress independent oversight and investigative efforts, including by seeking to discourage any witness from testifying in response to a duly authorized request from Congress,' the statement said.More than a million Britons flocked to New York in 2018 as the Big Apple enjoyed a record-breaking year for tourism.

The city welcomed 65.2 million tourists last year, according to new figures from travel organization NYC & Company.

Of them, 51.6 million were Americans and 13.5 million were tourists from abroad - compared to 13.1 overseas visitors in 2017.

Britons topped the list of overseas visitors, with 1.24 million, followed by China (1.1 million), Canada (1 million), Brazil (920,000) and France (807,000).

New York ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world for foreign tourists in 2018 with 13.5 million overseas visitors

New York ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world for foreign tourists, according to Mastercard's annual Global Destination Cities list published in September, based on a projected 13.1 million visitors.

Bangkok topped that list, ahead of London, Paris, Dubai and Singapore.

The US's financial capital, where tourism employs over 390,000 people, hopes to break records again in 2019 with a predicted 67 million visitors.

One event expected to draw people in is June's Gay Pride, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, emblematic in the fight for LGBT rights.Twin girls miraculously born 10 weeks early will grow up without their mother, who was found dead after going missing on a bushwalk.

Felicity Shadbolt, 36, disappeared on Sunday after going for a run on Mount Nameless, near Tom Price in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

Eight years earlier she became pregnant a year after marrying her husband Drew and soon discovered she was carrying twin girls.

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Felicity Shadbolt, 36, (pictured with her twin girls Macie and Harper) was found dead on Wednesday night after disappearing from a bushwalk on Sunday

The twins were born 10 weeks early in 2011, four weeks after doctors predicted one of them was too small to make it

However, on May 6, 2011, when she was 26 weeks along, doctors told her one of them was too small to survive through the weekend.

The couple refused to give up and the unborn child hung on for four weeks as they fought to give her a chance to live.

'It was the hardest four weeks of our lives,' Ms Shadbolt, known as Flik, said in a tribute video to her 'miracle' twins.

'Only a handful of people would know our daily amount of pain and tears as we prayed that we would get to keep both our babies.

'You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.'

Ms Shadbolt became pregnant a year after marrying her husband Drew and soon discovered she was carrying twin girls

Ms Shadbolt smiles while showing off her baby bump before the pregnancy complications arose

The couple refused to give up and the unborn child hung on for four weeks as they fought to give her a chance to live - and they both survived

At 3.41pm on June 2, 2011, at 30 weeks pregnant, they decided to deliver the twins at Women's Mercy Hospital in Melbourne and hope they would both survive.

Macie Willot Shadbolt was born at 11.59pm, weighing 1.7kg, and two minutes later her sister Harper Reese Shadbolt entered the world weighing just 736g.

The couple were not able to see their babies for 14 hours as they were rushed to intensive care. Despite being born so early they had no long-term health issues.

Ms Shadbolt had the words 'miracles happen to ones that believe' tattooed on her forearm, along with the girls' names.

Macie stayed in hospital for 70 days and Harper for 90 before they were ready to come home to regional Victoria.

Macie Willot Shadbolt was born at 11.59pm, weighing 1.7kg

Two minutes later her sister Harper Reese Shadbolt entered the world weighing just 736g

Despite being born so early they had no long-term health issues

The couple were not able to see their babies for 14 hours as they were rushed to intensive care

Ms Shadbolt later used her twins' survival story to encourage other parents facing premature births.

'Premmie bubbas may be small but they have so much fight!' she wrote on a Facebook group in 2012.

Three weeks before she disappeared, Ms Shadbolt spent Christmas in Exmouth, WA, with her daughters, now both aged seven.

They were joined by a close friend who was a bridesmaid at her October 2009 wedding, and posted photos of them playing at the beach.

Ms Shadbolt left her home in Tom Price about 11.30am on Sunday and sent a text about 12.50pm saying she would be 'home in 20 minutes'.

She never made it.

Ms Shadbolt had the words 'miracles happens to ones that believe' tattooed on her forearm, along with the girls' names

Macie stayed in hospital for 70 days and Harper for 90 before they were ready to come home to regional Victoria

Macie stayed in hospital for 70 days and Harper for 90 before they were ready to come home to regional Victoria

A huge search was mounted when she didn't return home that day and about 7pm on Wednesday her body was discovered near Tom Price Caravan Park.

Temperatures had soared to 46C in the area, leading to fears Ms Shadbolt had suffered heatstroke.

However, police earlier on Wednesday before her body was found said they couldn't rule out foul play.

Ms Shadbolt regularly ran the numerous trails around the remote mountain and knew them well. She carried a CamelBak hydration pack with water for her trek.

Three weeks before she disappeared, Ms Shadbolt spent Christmas in Exmouth, WA, with her daughters, now both aged seven

Ms Shadbolt with her two daughters at the beach in Exmouth at Christmas where they holidayed with close friends

Friends and family send condolences to her husband Drew (right) who she married in October 2009

The main track to the summit for a breathtaking view of the landscape and Rio Tinto iron ore mine is 4.5km and takes three hours.

Her car was found parked in a car park at the base of the mountain soon after her disappearance, but she was nowhere to be found.

Police said she was wearing an Apple watch for her run, but it was not connected to the internet and so couldn't be used to trace her movements.

Ms Shadbolt moved from regional Victoria almost three years ago and was a senior site manager at recruitment firm WorkPac.

Friends and family flooded social media with tributes to the recruitment officer, along with best wishes for her husband and children.

The tributes were preceded by desperate pleas for Ms Shadbolt to come home and promises to find her, as the search continued.

About 35 people had been involved in a ground search including police, SES and members of the local community in the early hours of Tuesday

Ms Shadbolt, 36, failed to return from a walk on Mount Nameless in the Pilbara outback, Western AustraliaPublic Health England (PHE) issued advice in its new winter guidance document that would perhaps be better suited to people living in a tropical country.

The organisation was accused of 'treating Brits like idiots' by critics after telling the public to keep their heating on in the document published on its website yesterday.

It states the obvious by saying: 'Our top tip is to heat the home, or the parts you're using, to at least 18C.'

Public Health England (PHE) is 'treating Brits like idiots' by telling them to keep their heating on in their new winter guidance document, according to critics.

It also says 'moving around' and 'wiggling your toes and fingers' can help.

PHE has previously suggested wearing lots of clothes and consuming hot food and drinks.

Speaking to The Sun Matt Kilcoyne, of think tank Adam Smith Institute, said: 'We're so glad that taxpayers hand over 4.5billion a year for such expert advice.

'If it wasn't for the nannying quangocrats I might have donned my bikini and sat in the fridge in order to keep warm.'

He added 'We really don't need publicly-funded agencies to treat Britons like idiots.'

The TaxPayers' Alliance also said: 'Thank goodness for Public Health England otherwise everyone would forget to put on a jumper and switch on their heating.'

It's not the first time that PHE has been slammed for sending out patronising advice to the public about heating their homes.

In winter 2017 officials told people they could stay safe in icy weather by wrapping up warm and turning the heating on.

The 'patronising' tips were issued by 157,500-a-year Public Health England boss Paul Cosford.Zoe Ball should be earning the same 1.6m salary the BBC paid her Radio 2 Breakfast predecessor Chris Evans, says her father Johnny.

Johnny Ball, a former children's TV presenter, said the BBC had secured a bargain - they are reportedly paying the 48-year-old 400,000 less than Mr Evans, 52.

Miss Ball's show debuted on Monday after Evans stepped down from his 13 year stint on the show after he took over from the inimitable Sir Terry Wogan.

'There should be parity. In this day and age women do have an immense amount of say in all walks of life.' Ball's father Johnny, 80, told the Mirror.

Zoe Ball, 48, outside Wogan House in London after her first morning hosting the BBC 2 Breakfast Show on Monday

Chris Evans (left) was paid a 1.6m salary when he was hosting Radio 2's Breakfast Show, Johnny Ball (right) says that his daughter deserves parity

He told the paper his daughter was superb value for money, saying that if some people thought her salary was too great they should complain to the BBC.

The BBC has faced a raft of criticism for its male dominated salaries.

The heavy-hitters for 2017-18 were Gary Lineker (1.75m), Chris Evans (1.6m) and Graham Norton (600,000).

The highest paid woman for that year was Claudia Winkleman (370,000) who placed 13th in the male dominated list.

Miss Ball became Radio 2's first female weekday breakfast show host on Monday.

Miss Ball poses for a selfie with a fan outside BBC's Wogan House after her first breakfast show

She began her debut show with Aretha Franklin's 'Respct.'

Miss Ball greeted fans outside BBC's Wogan House after the show and was praised afterwards by BBC's Director General Tony Hall.

She also told listeners she had received a kind message of support from the former host, Mr Evans.Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under fire after saying she will 'run train on the progressive agenda', using a slang phrase many define as a group of men performing sexual acts on a woman in rapid succession.

Ocasio-Cortez, 29, was talking to the Washington Post about how frequently she is covered by conservative media news outlets when she used the phrase.

Now, in an ironic turn of events, right-wing media is once again up in arms about something Ocasio-Cortez has said.

Ocasio-Cortez was specifically discussing a fake nude photo of her that circulated on right-wing media when the phrase came up.

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under fire after saying she will 'run train on the progressive agenda', using a slang phrase many define as a group of men performing sexual acts on a woman in rapid succession

The photo, which was initially posted on Reddit, showed a woman's feet propped up against a bathtub. Some claimed they could see Ocasio-Cortez's naked body in the reflection of the faucet.

But the picture was quickly debunked after porn star Sydney Leathers took ownership for the photo.

'You can tell that they're getting into hysterics because now you're getting into my actual body, which is definitely crossing a level,' Ocasio-Cortez said of the photo.

'They're out of all their artillery. The nude is supposed to be like the bazooka. Dude, you're all out of bullets, you're all out of bombs, you're all out of this stuff. What have you got left?'

'I'm six days into the term, and you already used all your ammo. So enjoy being exhausted for the next two years while we run train on the progressive agenda.'

Right-wing pundits quickly caught wind of Ocasio-Cortez's interview, and blasted her for using the crude phrase.

There are actually two definitions to 'run train' on Urban Dictionary, with the 'top definition' being 'to "gangbang" a girl with several friends'

'Alex from the Bronx should probably know what "run train" means and why this is hilariously terrible,' tweeted Ben Shapiro, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller.

Shapiro appeared to be referencing a long-running claim by the right that Ocasio-Cortez cannot call herself a native of the Bronx because she attended high school in an affluent New York suburb.

Ocasio-Cortez, who shared that very fact on her own campaign website, has dismissed the claims that she lied about her working class background and noted that going to public school in Yorktown informed her opinions on income inequality.

There are actually two definitions to 'run train' on Urban Dictionary, with the 'top definition' being 'to "gangbang" a girl with several friends'.

The second definition reads: 'To call your friends to preform various unforgivable acts of a sexual nature on one female in rapid succession.'

But it appears the phrase is also used among gamers, with one definition - written in 2009 - explaining that it means to "'do work" on players in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

But it appears the phrase is also used among gamers, with one definition - written in 2009 - explaining that it means to "'do work" on players in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by shooting them in the face while dual wielding ranger shotguns.'

Another definition, written in 2011, claims it means to 'do work on multiple people in a game or anything that has competition. IT IS NOT ANYTHING SEXUAL.'

Ocasio-Cortez has yet to comment on the newest controversy and whether she was aware of one of the phrase's definitions.

But just hours before the Twitter fury began, Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to respond to Paul Krugman about all the 'attention' she has been getting in the media.

Krugman, a Nobel laureate, tweeted that while Ocasio-Cortez's 'shocking rise makes a good story' he believed she was getting all the attention in a pool of 'lots of impressive freshman'.

Right-wing pundits quickly caught wind of Ocasio-Cortez's interview, and blasted her for using the crude phrase

'I'm uneasy about it too,' Ocasio-Cortez responded on Wednesday. 'It's stressful and scary, but it's also out of my control.

'I could've sat there quietly as the far right tore me to shreds (they were guaranteed to do so the moment a woman like me won my primary), or I could fight back+not let them.'

'I chose to define myself instead of allowing them to take that away from me. And that's why they're mad.

'The best thing I can do is try to focus that attention on the most urgent issues of our time: climate change, good gov, jobs, wages, justice.'The seemingly random murder of Israeli student Aya Masarwe shares shocking similarities to that of Eurydice Dixon.

It has been revealed today that Ms Masarwe, 21, had been on her way home from a comedy show in North Melbourne when she was abducted and murdered in parkland near Bundoora shopping centre.

The murder of Ms Dixon at Carlton Norths Princes Park in June sent shockwaves across the country.

Eurydice Dixon had performed at a comedy show before she was stalked, raped and murdered

Israeli student Aya Masarwe had attended a comedy show before she was stalked and murdered

Ms Dixon - who was just a year older than Ms Masarwe - had been performing at a comedy show in Melbourne when she decided to walk home from Flinders Street Station.

Jaymes Todd followed her for some 5km across the city before attacking her as she crossed through parkland.

Like Ms Dixon, police believe Ms Masarwe may have been followed as she boarded the 86 tram from the city at around 11pm on Tuesday.

She was on her phone talking to her sister when her killer struck in Bundoora after getting off the tram.

While Ms Masarwe's body was found near the shopping centre, a secondary crime scene was established in heavy bushland in Bundoora Park last night.

Police are investigating whether Ms Masarwe was sexually assaulted before being murdered.

Jill Meagher was walking home in 2012 when she was raped and murdered on Hope Street

Her attack also shares chilling similarity to the brutal murder of Jill Meagher, who was raped and murdered while walking home in Brunswick in 2012.

Ms Meagher was just 29 when serial sex offender Adrian Ernest Bayley chased her down Sydney Rd.

Like Ms Masarwe, Ms Meagher had been on her phone when Bayley approached.

In November, Todd, 19, a former hospitality student from Broadmeadows, pleaded guilty to the murder, rape, attempted rape and sexual assault of Ms Dixon.

Dixon had been oblivious that she was being followed by Todd, who kept his distance as he stalked her across the city.

Jaymes Todd (right) following his arrest over the rape and murder of Eurydice Dixon

Adrian Bayley was convicted of the rape and murder of Jill Meagher. He received a 35-year minimum sentence

Like Bayley did to Ms Meagher, Todd strangled the life out of his victim.

It remains unclear exactly how Ms Masarwe was murdered, but police said it was obvious she had been assaulted.

Ms Dixon's murder sparked a national outpouring of grief with a vigil at the park where she died attracting more than 5000 people.

Her killer is yet to be sentenced.One of Australia's most intelligent men has shared some advice on which skills schoolchildren need in order to clinch a lucrative career later in life.

Dr Alan Finkel, Australia's Chief Scientist, said the key to kick-starting a first-rate career was by studying challenging subjects alongside a part-time job at McDonald's.

He said a solid academic background coupled with essential life skills was critical for ensuring a high-flying career path.

(File picture) Dr Finkel said that life skills and a strong academic background would help students achieve a good career

Dr Alan Finkel (pictured), Australia's Chief Scientist, said English and maths were important subjects to study

The 65-year-old explained that English and maths were crucial subjects of study when it came to ensuring the employment 'door of opportunity' stays open.

'Mastery of language is crucial to succeeding in whatever you do  whether it's writing a report to advise the government on electricity markets or a job application,' Dr Finkel told Cosmos magazine.

'Your ability to 'win friends and influence people' will only be as good as your language skills. The best way to hone them is to read a lot, and read some more. Novels, histories, science-fiction  it doesn't matter, just read!'

He added that maths is the language of science and business based jobs, and emphasised the importance of having a solid understanding of the subject when it came to pursuing a career in the medicine, engineering or economic fields.

Reiterating the significance of a strong academic background, he told the publication: 'Every time you drop an enabling subject  bang! A door of opportunity slams shut.'

(File picture) Dr Alan Finkel said a job at McDonald's would help children learn life skills

The 65-year-old warned that every time a student drops an 'enabling subject' the 'door of opportunity slams shut'

The former Chancellor of Monash University, in Melbourne, also added that life skills such as resilience, clear thinking and collaboration were of value, and can be achieved by working a part time job at a fast food chain such as McDonald's or volunteering.

However, he noted life skills weren't of much use unless accompanied by strong academic results.

'They are useless unless you study demanding subjects through which you can practise these skills,' Dr Finkel told the publication.

(File picture) Dr Finkel said a solid understanding of maths was essential when pursuing a career in the medicine, engineering or economic fields

'There is no substitute for raw knowledge, even in the age of internet search. After all, there is no use learning to collaborate if you don't have anything distinctive to contribute,' he added.

But while he advised studying well-regarded subjects such as maths and sciences was highly advantageous, he acknowledged that which subjects students chose wouldn't dictate their career paths for the rest of their lives.

The neuroscientist, engineer and entrepreneur said it was 'critical' to ensure initial tertiary studies were done really well, but once established in the workforce, it was easy enough to switch from one job to another.A feisty Welsh pensioner whose hilarious TV interview on Brexit went viral has said he will be the 'talk of the bowls club' as he revealed he feared the confrontation could turn into a brawl.

Staunch Remainer Gwilym Ballinger, 73, was being interviewed for the BBC alongside a Leave voter on the streets of Pontyclun, near Pontypridd in Wales.

The discussion quickly turned into what the BBC later described as a 'Brexit ding dong' after they published it online as both men from the village argued their very different points of view.

Grandfather Mr Ballinger said Brexiteers from the South Wales Valleys were 'like turkeys voting for Christmas'.

But the Brexiteer shot back: 'Don't call people from the Valleys turkeys. I'm a Valley boy'.

The extraordinary live TV bust up was sparked when an staunch Remainer Gwilym Ballinger said Brexiteers were just like 'Turkeys voting for Christmas'

A Brexiteer (left) was outraged by the comparison by Mr Ballinger (right in red) and was offended because he is from the Valleys

He added there should be 'no fear' of quitting the EU without a deal on March 29 because 'this country fought a world war - we raised from the ashes - we don't need Europe'.

Mr Ballinger told MailOnline he would be the 'talk of the bowls club' after the row went

Father-of-two Mr Ballinger told MailOnline: 'The idea crossed my mind that it could turn into a proper scrap but I'm a bit too old for that.

'To me it was just a chat, I was putting my opinion across.

'I was making an analogy with the turkeys voting for Christmas but he took it the wrong way.

'My view is that I'm amazed that Welsh people voted for Brexit because the valleys in particular have been in receipt of a lot of EU cash over the years - more than they have put in.'

Retired civil servant Mr Ballinger was on his morning walk around Pontyclun when he was stopped by BBC reporter Nick Servini.

His stormy encounter with the Brexiteer was broadcast by BBC Wales but soon went viral on social media.

The warring pair have been compared to Brenda from Bristol, a 75-year-old who became an unexpected celebrity in 2017.

Mr Ballinger said he was saying that the voters were 'like turkeys' - not actual turkeys

The Leaver took exception to the slight on Valley boys who decided it would be best if Britain left the EU

BBC Wales published the video online and admitted it was a serious 'Brexit ding-dong'

She exclaimed on live TV: 'Oh no, not another one' when told Theresa May was calling a snap election - summing up most of the country's reaction.

Proud Welshman Mr Ballinger said: 'I don't know the fellow but a pal of mine called me to say he's a retired National Coal Board worker who lives in the village.

'I've had lots of calls, my mates and my sons' mates have been on the phone.

'They were quite amused by the reaction, so am I but that's the world we live in now I suppose.'

Prostate cancer survivor Mr Ballinger, who lives in a bungalow in the village with wife Oenwen, says he stands by every word of the TV interview.

Brenda from Bristol, 75, who became an unexpected celebrity in 2017 when she exclaimed: 'Oh no, not another one' when told Theresa May was calling a snap election

He said: 'I voted to remain but I didn't do that for me, I was thinking of my five grandchildren, it's their future, not mine.

'I can't for the life of me see why you would put yourself in a position where your standards of living will drop.'

Cardiff City fan Mr Ballinger revealed he didn't shake hands with the Brexiteer who muscled in on the BBC interview.

He added: 'I was in the middle of telling the BBC journalist that we are totally bereft of any political leadership in this country when this other guy chipped in.

'It has made me briefly famous and I will be the talk of the bowls club when I go down there next.'Clive Palmer's election campaign is barraging millions of Australian voters with spam messages pledging to end unsolicited political texts.

The leader of the United Australia Party has sent multiple automated messages to the mobile phones of annoyed Australians since last week.

'When elected, United Australia Party will ban unsolicited political text messages which Labor & Liberal have allowed,' one of the ironic text messages read.

The leader of the United Australia Party has sent multiple automated messages to the mobile phones of annoyed Australians since last week

'When elected, United Australia Party will ban unsolicited political text messages which Labor & Liberal have allowed,' one of the ironic text messages read

The billionaire has vowed he won't stop the perfectly legal text messages in a bid to get elected to the Queensland seat of Herbert.

'We'll be running text messages as we get closer to the election because it's a way of stimulating debate in our democracy,' Mr Palmer told reporters on Monday

According to the Australian Communication and Media Authority, 'Australians can be contacted by phone, email, SMS in the lead up to elections to seek views and influence your vote.'

'Messages from political parties, independent members of parliament (phone calls only), government bodies and registered charities are exempt from most spam and telemarketing rules,' the website read.

The billionaire has vowed he won't stop the perfectly legal text messages in a bid to get elected to the Queensland seat of Herbert

Mr Palmer also said there is a lot of money to be spent for all his billboard, TV, radio advertising.

'There's no limit to how much we will contribute, I've put no limit on it.'

Social media users have expressed their anger over the several texts, asking how Mr Palmer got their number, while others responded to his text.

'How did I get a text message from the Clive Palmer party? and the authorisation page is v v broken (sic),' one person tweeted with an image of the text the received.

'Attention Clive Palmer and party Do not ever send me a text of your propaganda, you have no permission to access my private number, ever! This is intrusive to my private matters, safety and security (sic),' another wrote.

'Appropriate response I feel #clivepalmer,' one person wrote with the screenshot of him responding 'get f*****,' to Mr Palmer's text.

'Im sick of Clive Palmer and his United Australia Party. I don't want to be receiving unsolicited messages from his party or any political party really,' another tweet read.

'Is Clive Palmer an idiot or just trolling? Just received an unsolicited SMS from him which says: "When elected, UAP will ban unsolicited political text messages which ALP & Libs/Nat have allowed",' someone else tweeted.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the United Australia Party for comment.A popular and eccentric hippy who refused to wear shoes for 50 years and kept one mummified little finger on his mantelpiece and the other in his pocket has died at 73.

Pete 'The Feet' McKenzie became something of a legend in Moseley village, Birmingham and locals have paid tribute to the 'lovely gent' who stopped wearing footwear in the 1960s because they made his feet sweat.

A telephone exchange engineer from Cumbria who moved to Moseley in the 60s, Pete passed away in his sleep last night.

He was a well-known figure in several local pubs and took advantage of his popularity by creating his own twin-foot logo, which he used on merchandise including stickers and cigarette lighter covers.

Pete even went barefoot when he married wife Jennifer in 1970 and, speaking in 2014, said that neither his daughter or granddaughters had ever seen him in shoes.

Pete 'The Feet' McKenzie has died at 73 after being a regular fixture in Moseley village, Birmingham for 50 years

He said: 'I dont like shoes, or in fact anything on my feet.

'Even when I got married, I didnt wear shoes - and that was in a church.

'My wife has maybe seen me wearing shoes once or twice, but my daughter hasnt and my granddaughters definitely havent.

'They just dont suit me, they dont suit my feet. Ever since taking my shoes off permanently, Ive been called called Pete the Feet. I wont put the buggers back on until the day I die.'

He added: 'In the sixties it wasnt uncommon to see people not wearing shoes around Moseley, it was very hippy place back then.

'I find my notoriety a bit silly, I dont think people should be so bothered - I find it amusing really.

'I do get nasty comments but it doesnt bother me. Sometimes Ill go to the pub and they say sorry I cant serve you, you havent got shoes on.

The hippy was popular in pubs in the area because he never wore shoes, having given them up in the 60s because they made his feet sweat

He even got married barefoot to his wife Jennifer in 1970. He claimed that his daughter and granddaughters had never seen him in shoes

'One time I was told that staff couldnt serve me because they sold food, but as I was being taken out there was woman with a dog, feeding it at the table.

'Ive been into pubs where theres dog muck on the floor in the pub, and they say Ill bring dirt in. Its their fault, not mine.'

In recent years, he would be seen on a customised mobility scooter which had PTF1 on the licence plate.

He has been a local celebrity for years with Birmingham band Katlama writing a song about him and The Bulls Head pub in Moseley having a painting of him on the wall.

Local artist Rose Fraser even won prizes for her portrait of Pete.

Several pubs have mementos of Pete, pictured here in 1969. Speaking in 2014 about shoes, he said: 'They just dont suit me, they dont suit my feet'

Pete, pictured in 1981, also once said: 'I wont put the buggers back on until the day I die'

After the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) joined forces with the charity Changing Faces for a portrait competition, she won both a Changing Faces Commission Prize and the Maguire Jackson People's Choice Prize.

Rose tweeted: 'A few years ago I had the honour of meeting a very special gentleman from Moseley.

'He was one of the most interesting people I've ever met and it was an honour to paint him. A true legend, Pete the Feet thank you for your stories, Rest In Peace.'

And tributes flooded in after news of death became public.

Tom Carroll said: 'The mighty Pete the Feet has died. True Moseley legend.

'Pete is the person who helped to make Moseley the kind of place it is today.'

Writer and stand up poet Rachel Sambrooks tweeted: 'Remembering Pete the Feet who was a legend from my teen days, serving him at the Traf (now Pat Kav) he was a lovely gent.

'I had to serve him in a special pint glass with feet on (it was a bit larger than a pint, genius) and he always remembered me even 20 years on.'

He has been celebrated by several local artists, including a song by a Birmingham band and an award-winning portrait

Speaking about his fame, Pete said: 'I find my notoriety a bit silly, I dont think people should be so bothered - I find it amusing really'

Local Jane said: 'Moseley legend Pete The Feet passed away last night, in his sleep. Absolute gent, shoeless throughout the 25-plus years I'd had the pleasure of meeting him.'

She added: 'Nothing will ever replace the joy of running into Pete The Feet in the street, and if you were lucky, scoring one of his handmade, signature lighter covers.'

Ali Jones tweeted: 'Pete the Feet was a lovely man and a legend in the Moseley area. Always had time for a smile and a chat. RIP Pete. Moseley wont be the same without you mate.'

Now living in London, Keith Marsden, the recently retired award-winning licensee of the Prince of Wales pub in Moseley, which is now run by his son Joe, said: 'Everybody knew Pete, he was a great character.'

Tara Sparkes, publican at the Patrick Kavanagh pub which was restored in 2017, told BirminghamLive: 'Pete made some decorative leather straps for us about three years ago to replace some he'd made previously.

'I don't know if someone told him years ago he could not come in with bare feet, but I'd have let him in.

'I used to see him about and he was a character.'

Friends and pub regulars from Moseley have paid tribute to the beloved hippy, who died in his sleep

One well-wisher tweeted: 'Pete the Feet was a lovely man and a legend in the Moseley area. Always had time for a smile and a chat. RIP Pete. Moseley wont be the same without you mate'

A duty manager at the Elizabeth of York JD Wetherspoon pub on St Mary's Row had only just started work at the pub and had not met Pete.

But he said: 'Some of our regulars here knew him and they've put a tribute photograph up to him behind the bar.'

In 2003, Pete told the Sunday Mercury: 'I could get through a pair of leather shoes in three months.

'Back in the 1960s you could do what you wanted, so I took my shoes off - and I couldn't be bothered to put them back on.

'I'm not going to do it now just so that I can get into a pub. I've travelled all around the world over the years without wearing any shoes and I've never had any hassle in any other country.

'I first came to Moseley in the 1960s. As soon as I arrived, I met my wife Jen and knew it was the place where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.'The film censorship watchdog is to crack down on rape scenes, amid fears they are damaging childhood innocence.

The British Board of Film Classification said that attitudes to depictions of sexual violence have changed in recent years and audiences now want them dealt with more strictly.

Both adults and teenagers felt that sexual violence should have more restrictive age ratings following concerns over the pornification of society.

From the end of next month, any film featuring sexual violence will be handed an age rating of at least 15, instead of 12 or 12A.

The Duchess (2008) featured a scene in which Kiera Knightley's character is pinned down by her husband, played by Ralph Fiennes, with rape implied

And the BBFC will hand out even tougher ratings  18 and R18  to films where the sexual violence is especially prolonged or graphic.

It has decided to take action after a survey of 10,000 parents, teachers and teenagers found a growing concern over films that normalise sexual violence and make viewers feel vulnerable.

According to the report, published yesterday, sexualisation and sexual references were spontaneously mentioned [as] key issues, tapping into deeper concerns about the loss of childhood innocence and general pornification of society.

Films that could be affected by the ruling include the 2008 Keira Knightley movie The Duchess.

It was given a 12A rating, despite including a scene in which Miss Knightleys character, the Duchess, was pinned down on a bed by her husband, played by Ralph Fiennes, with rape implied.

BBFC head of compliance Craig Lapper said there had been a general shift in public attitudes to scenes where sex and violence mix, but that the Me Too movement had had an intensifying effect.

The BBFC also said that age classifications should apply to programmes on streaming services, in the same way as they do to films on DVDs and in cinemas.

At present, Netflix and Amazon ask the BBFC to rate some of their content on a voluntary basis, but they have no legal requirement to do so.A former drug user has revealed the chilling conversation he had with notorious serial rapist Robert John Fardon behind bars.

The fellow inmate claims Fardon shared details about what he wants to do to women and kids while the pair were processed at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre at Wacol, in Brisbane, in 1994.

The revelation comes after the child rapist was released back into the community this week.

Notorious child rapist Robert John Fardon (pictured) has been released into the community

The 70-year-old's (pictured) restrictions, including limitations on where he can live would be lifted

As the pair sat for five hours waiting to enter the prison, Fardon shared the gruesome details of his crimes, the recovering drug user told the Courier Mail.

'He wouldn't shut up about what he was going to do to women and kids when he got out. I couldn't help but to ask why.

'He said he had needs and couldn't help acting on those needs. I called him sick and all the other names that describe a mutt like him, but he tried to insist he was just like a drug addict.'

Last Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Helen Bowskill decided the 70-year-old's restrictions, including limitations on where he can live, would be lifted.

The decision was delivered in a closed court at the time and was suppressed from the media in order to make Fardon's transition into everyday life easier, Justice Bowskill said.

The order was made public on Wednesday morning.

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said Fardon, 70, had not reoffended or breached supervision orders since his release from prison five years ago and police would not apply for electronic tracking.

He is now free to live wherever he chooses, and is also not subject to electronic monitoring, curfews or mandatory counselling

Fardon is no longer classed as a dangerous prisoner and has moved out of the state-sponsored housing where he has been living since his release from prison in 2013.

He was first convicted in 1967, then aged 18, for sexual abuse offences against a 10-year-old girl, and went on to commit a string of crimes against women and girls.

In 2003, he became the first person to be jailed in Queensland indefinitely under new laws targeting repeat sex offenders but was later released on a supervision order.

The state government made a case to the Brisbane Supreme Court in November to extend Fardon's classification as a dangerous prisoner.

Its argument was in contrast to three psychiatrists, who said he posed a low risk of carrying out more crimes and should not stay under the state's watch.

Fardon's release means he is now automatically placed under new child sex offender laws that were passed in September.

Authorities will know if he changes his appearance, including if he gets a tattoo.

There are no grounds for an appeal against the court's decision.

Fardon will not be automatically required to wear an electronic monitoring device, but police can apply to the court for specific orders which come with a device.A mother-of-two found dead three days after she went missing on a bushwalk sent a text message saying she'd be home soon - but never arrived.

Felicity Shadbolt disappeared on Sunday after going for a run on Mount Nameless in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

The 36-year-old left her home in nearby Tom Price about 11.30am and sent a text about 12.50pm saying she would be 'home in 20 minutes'.

She never made it.

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Felicity Shadbolt (pictured), 36, had been missing since Sunday on 11.30am after she went on a walk in the Pilbara outback

Three weeks before she disappeared, Ms Shadbolt spent Christmas in Exmouth with her family, playing on the beach with her twin seven-year-old daughters

A huge search was mounted when she didn't return home that day and about 7pm on Wednesday her body was discovered near Tom Price Caravan Park.

Temperatures had soared to 46C in the area, leading to fears Ms Shadbolt - affectionately known as Flick - had suffered heatstroke.

However, police earlier on Wednesday before her body was found said they couldn't rule out foul play.

Three weeks before she disappeared, Ms Shadbolt spent Christmas in Exmouth with her twin seven-year-old daughters.

They were joined by a close friend who was a bridesmaid at her October 2009 wedding, and posted photos of them playing at the beach.

Friends and family send condolences to her husband Drew (right) who she married in October 2009

Friends and family flooded social media with tributes to the recruitment officer, along with best wishes for her husband and children

Ms Shadbolt regularly ran the numerous trails around the remote mountain and knew them well. She carried a CamelBak hydration pack with water for her trek.

The fit mother was in good shape and participated in Spartan challenges with other exercise enthusiast friends.

The main track to the summit for a breathtaking view of the landscape and Rio Tinto iron ore mine is 4.5km and takes three hours.

Her car was found parked in a car park at the base of the mountain soon after her disappearance, but she was nowhere to be found.

Police said she was wearing an Apple watch for her run, but it was not connected to the internet and so couldn't be used to trace her movements.

Ms Shadbolt moved from regional Victoria almost three years ago and was a senior site manager at recruitment firm WorkPac.

Ms Shadbolt with her two daughters at the beach in Exmouth at Christmas where they holidayed with close friends

Ms Shadbolt (pictured at her 2009 wedding with her mother) was a keen runner who knew the tracks well

Friends and family flooded social media with tributes to the recruitment officer, along with best wishes for her husband and children.

'Words simply cannot express the sadness we are all feeling at this time. Such a beautiful, kind hearted soul Flik we love you so much,' one wrote.

'I'm so sad to wake up to this horrible news. My heart goes out to drew, the girls and all of her other family and friends. I'm lost for words. We are going to miss you so so much,' another wrote.

'Its so surreal that youre gone Aunty Flik. Everyone loves you, and we will all miss you so much, still cant imagine the pain your 2 girls will be going through, one that will last a lifetime,' a third said.

About 35 people had been involved in a ground search including police, SES and members of the local community in the early hours of Tuesday

Ms Shadbolt, 36, failed to return from a walk on Mount Nameless in the Pilbara outback, Western Australia

Ms Shadbolt (pictured left with a friend) was fear to have suffered heatstroke, but police said they couldn't rule out foul play

The tributes were preceded by desperate pleas for Ms Shadbolt to come home and promises to find her, as the search continued.

During the search on Wednesday, Pilbara District Police Inspector Ray Thompson said: 'We have horses on site today as of the first thing this morning - it's going to be a very challenging day, so we've started at first light.'

The search was temporarily called off on Monday due to storms in the area, which brought wind, rain and lightning and posed safety concerns.

Infrared technology was used during the search in the evening by an Australian Maritime Safety Authority aircraft.A 60-year-old dishwasher has been awarded $21.5 million in damages by a federal jury in a lawsuit against Hilton hotels over continuously scheduling the religious woman to work on Sundays, before ultimately firing her.

But Jean Marie Pierre, who worked at the Miami Conrad, won't be seeing anywhere near that amount of money, because punitive damages, which are meant to teach defendants a lesson rather than being based on actual harm suffered, are capped at $300,000 in federal court where her case went to trial.

'The jury was not aware of the cap,' Marc Brumer, Pierres Miami-based lawyer, said. 'They thought that they punished Hilton hotel with $21 million [in damages].'

Pierre will likely end up with something much closer to $500,000 when all is said and done, from her 2017 lawsuit against Virginia-based Park Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Worldwide) for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

She was awarded damages by the jury on Tuesday.

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Ex-Hilton hotel dishwasher and missionary Jean Marie Pierre, 60 (pictured), has been awarded $21.5m by a federal jury on Tuesday in a lawsuit with the chain over working on Sundays

'I love God,' the Haiti-born, devout Christian missionary said. 'No, I can't do Sundays, because Sunday I honor God.'

Pierre had worked at the Hilton property for nearly a decade, according to Brumer, with her religions needs accommodated for much of that time.

But something changed, and after Pierre missed six Sundays she was scheduled to work in order to attend services at the Bethel Baptist Church in northeastern Miami-Dade County, she was let go from the company in March of 2016, NBC6 reported.

Pierre (center) had worked at the Hilton property for nearly a decade, according to her lawyer Marc Brumer (right), with her religions needs accommodated for much of that time

But something changed, and after Pierre missed six Sundays she was scheduled to work in order to attend services at the Bethel Baptist Church (pictured) in northeastern Miami-Dade County, she was let go from the company in March of 2016

'They accommodated her for seven years, and they easily could've accommodated her, but instead of doing that, they set her up for absenteeism and threw her out,' Brumer said.

'She's a soldier of Christ. She was doing this for all the other people, all the other workers who are being discriminated against.'

When Pierre took the job at the Miami Conrad in 2006, she said she told management Sundays were off limits for her due to her religious beliefs.

When the hotel began scheduling her to work her holy day in 2009, she said she told the company she would have to leave, at which point the hotel accommodated her until 2015.

Late in 2015 is when the Conrad again started scheduling her to work on Sundays, and after taking issue with that change, Pierre was fired a few months later for alleged misconduct, negligence and 'unexcused absences,' according to the lawsuit.

Hilton argued in court that the company had no knowledge that the longtime employee is a member of a Catholic missionary group that helps the poor, or why she consistently required having Sundays off from work at the Miami Conrad (pictured). But according to Brumer, 'There were letters in [her personnel] file and her pastor went down there'

Hilton argued in court that the company had no knowledge that the longtime employee is a member of a Catholic missionary group that helps the poor, or why she consistently required having Sundays off.

But according to Brumer, 'There were letters in [her personnel] file and her pastor went down there.'

The Hilton corporate team provided the following statement in response to the award, entered by the US District Court in Miami:

'We were very disappointed by the jury's verdict & don't believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law. During Ms. Pierre's ten years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal & religious commitments.'

Federal law requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for religious practices.

Out of the $21.5 million the jury technically awarded Pierre, she'll take home about $500,000 from an award that will be whittled down to just under $1 million, Brumer estimated.

From the $21 million that was intended as punitive damages, the maximum amount she can get is $300,000 per the federal court limit.

She was also awarded $500,000 for emotional distress and $35,000 in lost wages. After legal fees are subtracted, the estimated $835,000 award will be a lot closer to half a million once it hits Pierre's bank account.

But Brumer said his client's case 'was not about money,' anyway.

'This was about sending a message to other corporations, whether big or small, whatever size you are,' he said.

'If you're gonna take the blood and sweat of your workers, you better accommodate them, or let them at least believe in their religious beliefs, not a preference, but a belief.'

The hotel company said it plans to appeal the award.This is the shocking moment a suicide bomber blows himself up in the Kenyan terror attack that killed 21 people.

Harrowing CCTV, released to local media, shows the attacker walking calmly in front of what is believed to be the terrace of a restaurant in the complex.

At least two people are seen passing the assailant, one of them appearing to turn his head to take a close look at him.

Scroll down for video

This is the shocking moment a suicide bomber blows himself up in the Kenyan terror attack that killed 21 people. Harrowing CCTV, released to local media, shows the attacker walking calmly in front of what is believed to be the terrace of a restaurant in the complex

At least two people are seen passing the assailant, one of them appearing to turn his head to take a close look at him. The assailant stands still in front of the covered terrace for almost a minute, before he blows himself up

The assailant stands still in front of the covered terrace for almost a minute, before he blows himself up.

Soon after, panicked guests and workers are seen running past the scene of the explosion.

The Al-Shabab extremist group, which is based in Somalia and allied with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the brazen attack, which claimed the lives of 21 people, plus the five militants killed.

Kenyan police said the attack began with an explosion outside the complex, followed by a suicide blast inside, before armed assailants arrived and opened fire.

Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaeda, claimed it was behind the attack at the DusitD2 complex, situated in Nairobi's well-to-do Westlands neighbourhood, popular with many foreign expatriates.

Soon after, panicked guests and workers are seen running past the scene of the explosion. The Al-Shabab extremist group, which is based in Somalia and allied with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the brazen attack, which claimed the lives of 21 people, plus the five militants killed

Kenyan police said the attack began with an explosion outside the complex, followed by a suicide blast inside, before armed assailants arrived and opened fire

As well as the Thai-owned luxury hotel DusitD2, the complex is home to offices of several international companies including Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Pernod Ricard, Dow Chemical and SAP, as well as the Thai-owned luxury hotel DusitD2.

Kenya's Citizen TV aired security camera footage that showed at least four heavily armed men in dark-coloured, paramilitary-style gear.

Officials later confirmed that five terrorists had been involved in the attack and killed.

Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaeda, claimed it was behind the attack at the DusitD2 complex, situated in Nairobi's well-to-do Westlands neighbourhood, popular with many foreign expatriates

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it since 2011. Tuesday's violence came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people

Al-Shabaab's 2013 attack at the nearby Westgate Mall in Nairobi that killed 67 people, this one appeared aimed at wealthy Kenyans and foreigners. It came a day after a magistrate ruled that three men must stand trial in connection with the Westgate Mall siege.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it since 2011. Tuesday's violence came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.

The group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya. In the deadliest attack, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an assault on Kenya's Garissa University in 2015 that killed 147 people, mostly students.Joze Smit, who also goes by the name of Joza Smit and Joseph Smit, is wanted for crimes he is said to have committed in his home country

Australian police are hunting down a 'dangerous' Slovenian accused of child sex offences after he was last seen in Melbourne.

Joze Smit, who also goes by the name of Joza Smit and Joseph Smit, is wanted for crimes he is said to have committed in his home country.

He is believed to have been living in Australia since 2000, when his visa expired, and an Extradition Arrest Warrant was issued by Interpol in July 2017.

He was last seen in October 2018 in Essendon in Melbourne, and is known to frequent businesses near Mount Alexander Road and Lincoln Road.

Australian Federal Police have issued a new E-fit of Smit in the hope someone will recognise him.

Officers urged people not to approach Smit as he is considered dangerous.

He is described as being about 5ft 7ins tall and being of a stocky build. He is white, has balding dark hair and has brown eyes.

Any information should be provided immediately to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be provided anonymously.Silicon Valley companies are spending considerable amounts of money to protect their executives, with Facebook paying $7million to keep Mark Zuckerberg safe.

Facebook spent $7.3million for the CEO's security in 2017, Wired reports. 2018's total security spending for the exec is expected to reach $10million.

Zuckerberg security detail cost just $2.6million in 2013, the same amount Facebook spent to protect chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg in 2018.

Other tech giants are a little more frugal when it comes to keeping their head honchos safe.

Facebook spent $7.3million for Zuckerberg's security in 2017. 2018's total security spending for the exec is expected to reach $10million

Apple spent $310,000 on security for CEO Tim Cook, according to their most recently filed proxy statement that was filed earlier this month.

Amazon spent approximately $1.6million on protection for Jeff Bezos, a similar figure Oracle spent for Larry Ellison, according to documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Alphabet, the parent company for Google, spent roughly $600,000 to protect CEO Sundar Pichai. They spent an additional $300,00 on security for former executive chair Eric Schmidt.

Zuckerberg security detail cost just $2.6million in 2013, the same amount Facebook spent to protect chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg in 2018

Intel spent $1.2million on detail for former CEO Brian Krzanich in 2017.

For Facebook, an SEC filing details how a committee from the board authorized 'overall security program' for Zuckerberg 'to address safety concerns due to specific threats to his safety.'

Included in the filing were details pertaining to the security established at Zuckerberg's homes and the cost of maintaining them. 'We believe that the costs of this overall security program are appropriate and necessary,' the company said in the filing.

The 2018 increase is believed to be a result of Zuckerberg's controversial image tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, data breaches and testimony he gave to Congress.

According to Arnette Heintze, who runs a security consultancy called Hillard Heintze, the Facebook boss is probably the priciest person being protected in Silicon Valley.

Facebook spent $7.3million for the CEO's security in 2017. Other tech giants are a little more frugal when it comes to keeping their head honchos safe

'I'd put that $10 million among the top five highest in the country. And from what I've read in the media about Facebook, that seems to be an appropriate level of expense,' added the CEO of the Chicago-based company.

Heintze added: 'When Zuckerberg was going up before Congress, I can imagine the increased threats. If you have 2 billion users and just 1 percent of those get mad, you could be getting a lot of correspondence.

'The people responsible for protection have to evaluate that; they literally have to make an assessment on every known statement. They can't take the chance.'

Heintze had worked in the US Secret Service for more than 20 years before going into the private sector, a common trait among many in the industry.

Amazon spent approximately $1.6million on protection for Jeff Bezos

Oracle spent $1.6million on Larry Ellison

Through Beverly Hills security firms World Protection Group and 001, Kent Moyer can protect a plethora of executives and billionaires. Moyer advises his clients to use LLCs when acquiring large assets and to not use their real names on social media.

He also tells them to use encrypted apps to send texts and to register social media accounts to throwaway email addresses.

'There are times where clients send me a text, and I say, I don't want to text you using regular texting,' Moyer added.

'We don't believe in our clients using regular phones. We set up anonymous phones; mine are in Faraday bags.' His firm also recommends using VPNs to obscure a device's location and using search engines that don't track users.

Most executives aren't fans of their nagging personnel, according to Heintze.

'I can assure you that there is no executive in America that wants people hanging around them,' she said. It's an intrusion. It's an inconvenience, but it's a necessary inconvenience for people that have real threats.'This pom-pom jumper was selling on the Boohoo website as faux-fur but found to contain fur from a Chinese rabbit farm

Shops have been warned they face legal action including heavy fines if they continue to sell fake fur that actually comes from animals.

The Advertising Standards Authority has issued an enforcement notice requiring stores to make greater checks to ensure faux clothing such as coats and hats are true to the description.

Earlier this month, fashion chain Boohoo was found to be misleading shoppers with pom-poms on a jumper that were wrongly described as faux fur.

The fur is believed to have come from a Chinese rabbit farm. The company told MPs it had wrongly placed confidence in checking processes and had since reinforced them.

Investigations by campaign group Humane Society International found other leading retailers selling faux fur products that actually came from raccoons, dogs, mink, foxes and even cats.

Most of the firms involved have policies promising not to sell real fur, but the evidence suggests thorough checks are not being carried out.

Now the Committee of Advertising Practice, which is part of the ASA, has issued the enforcement notice.

Companies that fail to comply by February 11 could face a ban on placing advertisements on Google and Facebook.

They could also be referred to trading standards for legal action, which could lead to heavy fines.

The advertising watchdog said retailers should take a strict approach to checking the supply chain and the accuracy of claims before putting products on sale.

A pom-pom headband selling on the Amazon website by Zacharia Jewellers also broke the rules

It said sellers should not assume that the low cost of the product from a supplier is a good indicator it does not contain animal fur. This is because fur from animals is not necessarily more expensive.

Fur farms were banned in the UK in 2003 amid animal cruelty concerns but it is legal to sell products from fur farms in other countries.

China is the worlds largest fur exporter. Foxes, mink, rabbits, dogs, cats, and other animals are kept in outdoor wire cages in all weathers.

Undercover investigators have found some animals are still alive when they are skinned.

The ASA said retailers should test products to ensure they are not real fur and drop any suppliers that use it.

ASA chief executive Guy Parker said: Consumers shouldnt be misled into buying a faux fur product in good conscience only for it to turn out to be made from a real animal. Thats not just misleading, it can also be deeply upsetting.

Claire Bass, of Humane Society International, said: Fur is a product of animal suffering that most British consumers want nothing to do with. They have the right to be confident that when they buy faux fur they are not being duped.Hasher Jallal Taheb of Cumming was arrested in a sting Wednesday

Authorities in Georgia arrested a man Wednesday they say was planning to attack the White House.

An FBI agent's affidavit says 21-year-old Hasher Jallal Taheb of Cumming was arrested in a sting Wednesday after he traded his car for weapons.

He's charged with attempting to damage or destroy a building owned by the U.S. using fire or an explosive.

U.S. Attorney Byung J. 'BJay' Pak says Taheb planned to use an improvised explosive device and anti-tank rocket. The affidavit says Taheb planned to die in the attack.

The affidavit says local law enforcement contacted the FBI in March after getting a tip from a member of the community.

The tipster said Taheb had become radicalized, changed his name and planned to travel abroad.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Taheb had an attorney who could comment.

Target: Donald Trump, seen at the White House Monday, was not named in the FBI documents, but his official residence was

Taheb allegedly planned to use an improvised explosive device and anti-tank rocket

The FBI special agent in charge of the Atlanta Field Office, Chris Hacker, said the investigation had taken a year.

'The investigation is continuing, but at this stage it is believed Taheb was acting on his own,' he said.

His other targets 'of opportunity' were the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and an unnnamed but specific synagogue in Washington D.C., WSBTV reported.

The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reported that Taheb had put his car up for sale in August intending to travel for 'hijra', an Islamic term for emigration used by ISIS to encourage its followers to move to its former territory in Iraq and Syria.

Hasher was unable to travel because he did not have a passport.

An FBI agent answered the ad and started the sting which ended in his arrest.mond Edmunds has been charged with 31 historic sex and other offences

The jailed murderer and serial rapist dubbed 'Mr Stinky' has been charged with historic criminal offences stretching back to 1971.

Cold case detectives from Victoria Police's sexual crimes squad charged Raymond Edmunds, 74, on Tuesday with 31 historic offences relating to 11 alleged attacks against women in a number of Melbourne suburbs between 1971 and 1984.

Some of the charges include eight counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm, false imprisonment and abduction of a female by force.

Serial rapist and murderer Raymond Edmunds (pictured) has been charged with a raft of historic criminal offences dating back to 1971

Raymond Edmunds killed teenagers Abina Madill and Garry Heywood (pictured left) in 1966

Edmunds is already serving a life sentence after he was convicted of the murders of teenagers Abina Madill and Garry Heywood as well the rape of Ms Madill.

Ms Madill, 16, and Mr Heywood, 18, vanished from a rock and roll dance at Shepparton on February 10 in 1966  with their bodies discovered 16 days later at Murchison East.

Edmunds was dubbed 'Mr Stinky' because of his offensive body odour, which is believed to have been caused by a mixture of milk, manure and chemicals from his work as a sharecropping farmer.

Steve Wilson, the Sexual Crimes Squad detective Inspector, said the historical charges pinned against Edmunds was a case of police tenacity being rewarded.

'We won't give up and it doesn't matter how many years go past, these crimes can always be solved,' he told the Herald Sun.

'I want victims to feel heartened that we are charging someone this week over incidents that occurred as much as 47 years ago.

'It is never too late for you to speak to police, to come forward and tell your story or make a report.'

Raymond Edmunds (pictured) has been charged with historic criminal offences stretching back to 1971

The tenacity of the Victorian Police Force and DNA improvements resulted in Raymond Edmunds being charged this week with historical sex offences (stock image)

Old school fingerprints and DNA method testing proved Edmunds' undoing.

Prints for an indecent exposure charge in 1985 matched DNA found at a number of scenes from unsolved historic sex crimes.

Investigating police continued to patiently build their case, eventually leading to Edmunds' latest raft of charges.

He will appear via video link at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday.A rabid otter suspected of attacking several people, including one woman who is now unable to walk after she was bitten and scratched on her ankles, was shot dead last week by authorities in suburban Orlando, it was reported on Tuesday.

An officer with the Maitland Police Department put the sick animal down last week near Lake Lily, according to WOFL-TV.

Officers said the animal was behaving unusually. His shaking and seizing indicated he was not well, according to police.

The Orange County Animal Services confirmed on Saturday that the dead otter was indeed infected with rabies.

Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and can be fatal to warm-blooded animals and people.

The animal was killed just days after Ann-Christine Langselius, a resident of Maitland, was attacked by an otter while she walking her Goldendoodle at Lake Lily Park, according to Orlando Sentinel.

Ann-Christine Langselius, a resident of Maitland, was attacked by an otter while she walking her Goldendoodle at Lake Lily Park just outside of Orlando on January 7

'It didnt let go,' she recalled. 'It bit me in the Achilles tendon really badly so it hung on for a long time

Langselius, who moved to the United States from her native Sweden, said that on January 7, she stood in the middle of a bridge at the park (above). She then noticed an otter climb on one end, run toward her, and bite down on her leg

Days after the attack, police in Maitland euthanized an otter which was spotted in a residential backyard nearby, though it is not known if it was the same otter that attacked Langselius and others

Langselius, who moved to the United States from her native Sweden a year-and-a-half ago, said that on January 7, she stood in the middle of a bridge at the park.

She then noticed an otter climb on one end, run toward her, and bite on her leg.

Ive never seen an animal behave like this so I kind of guessed it was ill when it went for me, Langselius said.

But the scariest part was that it didnt let go. It bit me in the Achilles tendon really badly so it hung on for a long time.

She insists that she did nothing to provoke the otter.

I didnt disturb it or go near it, she said.

It hung on for about 25 yards while I was running with it.

Langselius was bitten numerous times on her left leg. The otter also scratched her other calf.

After the attack, the otter ran off. The next day, another person reported being attacked by an otter at an apartment complex a half-mile away.

Langselius and the other victims, who have not been named, were taken to the emergency room for treatment. They were given post exposure vaccinations, according to authorities.

Two days later, an otter was spotted in the backyard of a resident who lives on the shoreline of Lake Maitland.

Police said the otter appeared lethargic and was seizing and shaking violently as it slowly crawled toward a drainage ditch.

An officer who responded to the scene decided to euthanize the otter by shooting it twice.

He then took the otter to get tested for rabies, the presence of which was confirmed.

There is no confirmation, however, that the otter which was shot was the same animal that attacked Langselius and other locals.

The attacks prompted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency that regulates animal-related resources, to warn locals about getting too close to otters

In the emergency room, Langselius was administered immune globulin, an antibody designed to help eliminate bacteria and viruses.

Langselius was also given a series of antibiotics treatments.

She must undergo more treatment over the course of the next four weeks due to her possible exposure to rabies.

The attacks prompted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency that regulates animal-related resources, to warn locals about getting too close to otters.

The commission posted notices in the area warning people to keep a distance and use a stick if necessary to deter otters from approaching them.

CAUTION: Aggressive Otter Reported in Area, read the notice.

The river otter is a member of the weasel family. The animal typically weighs between 15 and 30 pounds.

River otters are mostly found in freshwater bodies in Florida as well as other parts of North America, including the Eastern seaboard, most of Canada, southern Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest.

The species has seen a dramatic decline in population due to loss of habitat, particularly since the European colonization of North America which began in the late 15th century.

Any Florida residents who witness unusual behavior from a river otter such as approaching pets or acting aggressively are asked to contact the FWC at 888-404-3922.A security officer guarding the doors to the players' only section at the Australian Open didn't recognise Maria Sharapova as she made her way inside.

Sharapova was flanked by two men - who were both wearing their all access lanyards - when she made her way in through the double doors.

Dressed in a grey sweater and her hair tied up in a ponytail, Sharapova, currently ranked 30, attempted to walk straight past the female security guard without showing any ID.

The former world No. 1 came out on top in her first round match against Harriet Dart beating her 6-0 6-0

Its unclear if the woman didn't recognise the famous star or was simply following protocol.

Sharapova greeted a friend and then took a few steps back to flash her accreditation, which she was holding in her hand.

The former world no. 1 had been in ominous form at the season's opening Grand Slam event, trouncing Harriet Dart 6-0 6-0 in the opening round and then sweeping past Rebecca Peterson 6-2, 6-1.

The Russian will face a more challenging task in the third round when she takes on third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.

A security guard manning the doors to the player's only section at the Australian Open didn't recognise Maria Sharapova as she made her way insideJersey has become the first place in the British Isles to outlaw smacking.

Parents and guardians will no longer have the legal right to physically discipline their children after its assembly voted to repeal the law which allowed smacking if it was reasonable.

The ban on corporal punishment sees Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, join 53 other countries that have outlawed it. Scotland is expected to introduce a ban later this year.

The ban on corporal punishment sees Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, join 53 other countries that have outlawed it (pictured stock image)

The law change was passed by a 38-3 majority in Jerseys parliament.

It was proposed by Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, who said: Violence breeds violence. Let us demonstrate that Jersey is forward thinking and progressive. Let us listen to the voice of children.

But Jersey senator Sarah Ferguson said the ban was a descent into a nanny state.

Katherine McGovern, from NSPCC Jersey, said: Wed recommend that a public education campaign is developed to ensure parents understand the change and support is made available to change parenting styles.A federal inspector general has concluded that an agency 'ignored the Constitution' when it decided not to evaluate whether President Trump's election might cause a 'breach' of a long-term lease with the government for his luxury hotel in Washington.

The Trump Organization had signed a long-term lease with the government's General Services Administration for operation of the president's luxury hotel in Washington, D.C.

Trump staged press events at the hotel during the campaign and regularly plugged it on the campaign trail.

ALL CLEAR! 'The GSA and its lawyers 'recognized that the President's business interest in the lease raised issues under the Foreign Emoluments and Presidential Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution that might cause a breach, but decided not to address those issues,' according to the agency's inspector general

But his election in 2016 should have caused a new evaluation of whether the lease was in violation of the Constitution's 'Emoluments Clause.'

The clause states that 'no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.'

Government lawyers knew it was a potential issue, but 'decided not to act,' the IG found in a report released Wednesday.

The historic building was constructed between 1892 and 1899 and sits just blocks from the White House.

'Following the 2016 election, it was necessary for GSA to consider whether President-elect Trump's business interest in the [Old Post Office] lease might cause a breach of the lease upon his becoming President, the IG concluded.

As a candidate, Donald Trump plugged the hotel, and had kind words for GSA officials

The inspector general found the agency that has a lease with the Trump Organization 'ignored' the Constitution

The IG's report contains multiple redactions

The GSA and its lawyers 'recognized that the President's business interest in the lease raised issues under the Foreign Emoluments and Presidential Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution that might cause a breach, but decided not to address those issues.'

The hotel lease ultimately drew a court challenge which continues to work its way through the legal system. Reporting on the hotel's operation has revealed that various foreign governments and diplomats have booked rooms at the hotel during Trump's presidency. The Trump Organization says its returns to the Treasury profits from Foreign government sources.

'The report also found that the decision to exclude the emoluments issues from GSA's consideration of the lease was improper because GSA, like all government agencies, has an obligation to uphold and enforce the Constitution, and because the lease, itself, requires that consideration,' the IG wrote.

The report is headlined: 'GSA Inspector General Evaluation of Old Post Office Building Lease Finds Agency Improperly Ignored Constitution.'

The government missed an opportunity for an 'early resolution' and helped invite the court challenge due to its 'unwillingness' to deal with the constitutional issue.

'GSA's unwillingness to address the constitutional issues affected its analysis of Section 37.19 of the lease, a provision addressing participation by elected officials. This analysis led to GSA's conclusion that Tenant's business structure satisfied the terms and conditions of the lease. As a result, GSA foreclosed an early resolution of these issues and the uncertainty over the lease remains unresolved,' according to the report.

Government lawyers now admit the error. According to the report: 'The GSA Office of General Counsel recognized that the President's business interest in the lease raised issues under the U.S. Constitution that might cause a breach of the lease, yet chose not to address those issues,' said Inspector General Carol F. Ochoa.

'As a result, GSA foreclosed an opportunity for an early resolution of these issues and instead certified compliance with a lease that is under a constitutional cloud.'

The full IG report includes redactions.

One passage references two GSA officials, and says the 'stated that they had little involvement with the Administrator's office about the position OGC took on the lease and no involvement from the Presidential Transition Team. Segal said he had at least one meeting about the lease with Administrator Roth,' with a portion blacked out.

When the IG interviewed GSA's lawyers about what happened, the 'told us that he did not consider the Emoluments Clauses in his analysis because they were not included within the 'four corners of the lease.'

Government lawyers met with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who with an executive now run the Trump Organization, weeks after Trump took office.

Government lawyers 'met with Tenant representatives Donald J. Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and counsel on January 31, 2017, to discuss Tenant's new organizational structure.' One of them 'told us that during the January 31, 2017, meeting, he strongly encouraged the President's divesture from Tenant.'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by, from left, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Trump, Tiffany Trump, Melania Trump, and Ivanka Trump, holds up a ribbon during the grand opening ceremony of the Trump International Hotel- Old Post Office in Washington, DC on Wednesday October 26, 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day around the corner and 58 percent of Americans saying increased diversity makes the U.S. a better place  while only 9 percent say it makes the U.S. worse  the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2019s States with the Most Racial Progress.

To measure Americas progress in harmonizing racial groups, WalletHub measured the gaps between black and white citizens across 22 key indicators of equality and integration in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The data sets range from median annual income to standardized test scores to voter turnout.

The report examined only the differences between black and white citizens in light of the recent Black Lives Matter movement and the upcoming holiday honoring Dr. King.

New Mexico was rated first overall due to the following individual rankings:

 1st in gap in percentage of adults with at least a high-school diploma.

 1st in gap in percentage of adults with at least a bachelors degree.

 2nd in median annual income gap.

 3rd in poverty rate gap.

 5th in unemployment rate gap.

 6th in standardized test scores gap.

 12th in homeownership rate gap.

 16th in labor force participation rate gap.

Joining New Mexico in the top five were West Virginia, Hawaii, Kentucky and Texas. Comprising the bottom five were the District of Columbia, Wisconsin, Maine, Iowa and Minnesota.

The full report can be viewed online at wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-and-least-racial-progress/18428.A grandmother who went missing from an Outback home more than two weeks ago has been found dead.

A member of the public found a body police believe belongs to Marilyn Grubb, 64, on an isolated dirt track about 50km north of Broken Hill on Wednesday.

The grandmother mysteriously disappeared from a property near the mining town in far west New South Wales on December 30, sparking a massive search effort.

Marilyn Grubb (pictured), 64, disappeared from her home near Broken Hill on December 30 last year, and on Wednesday, New South Wales Police are said to have located her body

Ms Grubb's children - Annie Marie Grubb, Beth Ashton and Luke Grubb - remained determined throughout the search

The 64-year-old was last seen leaving a property on the Menindee Road, about 50km from Broken Hill, on December 30

Formal identification is yet to take place with a post mortem due to be carried out and a report prepared for the coroner.

'At this stage it does not appear there are any suspicious circumstances,' a Police statement said.

Investigations are ongoing and the Police thanked members of the public and the media for helping with the search.

The Facebook group set up by Ms Grubb's three children  Annie Marie Grubb, Beth Ashton and Luke Grubb  shared the news from NSW Police last night in a heart-breaking post.

'Despite all our effort, our hearts break  thank you to everyone for looking and searching,' it read.

The body, believed to be that of Ms Grubb, was found by a member of the public on an isolated dirt track about 50km north of Broken Hill, next to a parked car

The Facebook group set up by Ms Grubb's family - which includes 13 grandchildren - shared the news from NSW Police last night in a heart-breaking post

Marilyn Grubb was last seen in the New South Wales far west and despite an extensive air and land search operation, there was no trace of the 64-year-old until this week.

On January 15, Police officially called off the active search, the Barrier Daily Truth reported, but Ms Grubb's family had vowed to keep looking until they found answers.

Ms Grubb was last seen leaving a property on the Menindee Road, about 50km from Broken Hill, on December 30.

Ms Grubb's family remained determined throughout the search and launched the Facebook group 'Help find Marilyn Grubb' to raise awareness.

They also established a GoFundMe page to help with the search effort, and the family hired a local helicopter service.The couple who called 911 after a neighbor brought Jayme Closs to their doorstep believes the $50,000 reward should go to the 13-year-old.

Kristin and Peter Kasinkas were the first to call police after Jayme escaped from Jake Patterson's cabin and ran into Jeanne Nutter on the street, begging her for help.

Authorities are still questioning what to do with the reward - which was offered for information in Jayme's disappearance.

But Peter believes the answer is simple. Jayme should get the reward because 'she got herself out', he told the Associated Press.

Kristin and Peter Kasinkas, the couple who called 911 after a neighbor brought Jayme Closs to their doorstep, believe the $50,000 reward should go to the 13-year-old

Authorities are still questioning what to do with the reward - which was offered for information in Jayme's disappearance

Jayme escaped Patterson's cabin on Thursday after pushing herself out from under a bed, putting on a pair of his shoes and running out into the street, according to a criminal complaint detailed Monday.

She encountered Nutter, a retired Child Protective Services worker, who brought her to the Kasinskas' home and waited for police.

Authorities have since released the 911 audio, revealing the first moments in which law enforcement began to understand just what happened to Jayme.

'Hi. I have a young lady at my house right now, and she said her name is Jayme Closs,' Kristin Kasinkas can be heard telling the dispatcher.

'Ok, have you seen her photo ma'am?' they ask.

'Yes. It is her. I 100 percent think it is her,' Kristin replied.

Nutter later came on the phone and told the dispatcher of how Jayme ran up to her while she was walking her dog.

But Peter believes the answer is simple. Jayme should get the reward because 'she got herself out', he said

Kristin and Peter Kasinkas were the first to call police after Jayme escaped from Jake Patterson's cabin and ran into Jeanne Nutter (pictured) on the street, begging her for help

'She was walking toward me, crying, saying "You got to help me, you got to help me,"' Nutter told the dispatcher.

'So I didn't want to go into my cabin because it's too close to Patterson's house.'

'And she said her name is Jayme Closs?' the dispatcher asked.

'Yep. And when I walked into this house, they recognized her immediately,' Nutter responded.

'And she said, "I am Jayme Closs?"' the dispatcher asked again.

'Yes. She said, "He killed my parents. I want to go home. Help me,"' Nutter replied.

'She didn't know where she was. When I saw her, she was saying, "Where am I? Where am I?" I said, "You're in Wisconsin."'

'Okay. What do you think of her medical condition right now?' the dispatcher asked.

'I think shock and cold,' Nutter said. 'And shock.'

Patterson allegedly blasted through Jayme's home in Barron, Wisconsin in October, first killing her father before shooting her mother dead before her eyes.

He then forced Jayme into his car and drove her to his cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin, about 70 miles away - where he held her for 88 horrific days.

Jayme Closs's aunt Jennifer Smith (pictured together) said the family has 'no desire for any contact' with killer and abductor Jake Patterson's father Patrick

Patrick Patterson (pictured) said he wished to pass along a note that he wrote to Jayme and her family, saying they are in his thoughts. 'All I care about right now is Jayme's family. I want to get them a note,' Patterson said

A week after Jayme first disappeared, the FBI hadn't received any solid leads and offered $25,000 for information.

Jennie O-Turkey Store, where Jayme's parents had both worked for years, then doubled the reward.

Milwaukee FBI spokesman Leonard Peace said Tuesday that the reward remains under review. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said the reward is being discussed with the FBI and will be determined at a later date.

Meanwhile, Jayme's family is making it clear they have 'no desire for any contact' with Patterson's father, who told the press he wrote a note he wants to give them.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Jayme's aunt Jennifer Smith responded to the wish allegedly expressed by Patrick Patterson after he attended his son's first appearance at Barron County Circuit Court.

'I have no desire to have any contact with that family at the moment,' Smith said. 'I don't really know how to respond to that or how to react.

'I'm not looking at social media or anything like that and I haven't heard anything about a note.'

Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, confessed Thursday to shooting Denise and James Closs in their home on October 15 and kidnapping their 13-year-old daughter Jayme

'Right now all I'm focusing on is looking after Jayme. That's all that matters, just having her home and looking after her.'

Patrick Patterson visited the Barron County Justice Center on Tuesday to reach out to the Closs family.

'All I care about right now is Jayme's family. I want to get them a note,' Patterson told CNN on Tuesday.

He shook with emotion and was on the verge of tears as he dodged reporters and said: 'I'm sorry, I can't talk'.

Patrick didn't reveal the details of the letter but assured he wanted the best for the Closs family.

The father was visibly emotional during his son's arraignment on Monday, hanging his head and openly weeping as a judge read the charges against his Patterson, who appeared via video conference.

Patrick was so distressed he sunk his head into the shoulder of his son next to him.

Patterson was charged with intentional homicide, kidnapping, and armed burglary. He is being held on $5million bail and is due back in court next month.

The 13-year-old Wisconsin girl suddenly disappeared on October 15 but was found on Thursday when she managed to escape the home where she was being held captive for nearly three months and begged a stranger for help. Pictured above with her aunt Sue Allard after she was found

The Closs family has been receptive to Patterson's remorse and concern.

'I don't blame him. You can't blame the parents. A guy becomes 21 years old, and sometimes it's not how he was raised or anything,' Robert Naiberg, Jayme's grandfather, told the Associated Press.

Jake Patterson had no prior criminal history and no connection to the Closs family.

He confessed to cops that he decided that Jayme was 'the girl he was going to take' after a chance sighting of her getting on the school bus when it stopped in front of him as he drove to work.

Patrick Patterson is pictured holding hands with his son Erik while leaving the Barron County Justice Center on Monday

Jake Patterson is pictured above with his mother Deborah (center) and his sister Katie (left)

Patterson claimed he had 'no idea' who Jayme was and didn't even know her name until after he grabbed her.

He kept her in a space under his twin-sized bed and concealed her from view. She tried to escape at least twice, leading Jake to throw a tantrum, hitting the wall and screaming to make her fearful to try to leave again.

Jayme is now recovering the traumatic abduction and is returning to her former life.

She is staying with Smith in Barron. Her grandfather Naiberg says Jayme will permanently live with her aunt, who is her mother's sister.

'She doesn't want to talk to anybody. Jennifer is bringing her out of her shell slowly,' Naiberg said.

He wants her to eventually return to school but said it's not clear when that can happen.The luckiest numbers and newsagents that can't stop winning have been revealed ahead of tonight's much-anticipated Powerball draw - with a life-changing $100million up for grabs.

Punters have been eagerly awaiting Thursday night's draw ever since the prize jackpotted for the eight time in a row last week.

The prize is the equal highest it has ever been in the 23-year history of Powerball, and if just one person takes home the $100million it will set a record for the biggest lottery win in Australian history.

Experts have crunched the data and discovered the luckiest - and unluckiest - numbers which give gamblers the best chance to win.

Scroll down for video

The luckiest numbers and newsagents to avoid ahead of tonight's much-anticipated Powerball draw - with a life-changing $100million up for grabs

According to Powerball's official tally of number frequencies, the most common number is 32, which has been drawn 13 times since April 2018.

The number one has only been drawn four times.

The luckiest set of numbers are 7, 9, 17, 24, 25, 29, 32 and 34, which have all been drawn at least 10 times according to the statistics.

Meanwhile the numbers to avoid are one, 10, 11, 12, 16, 21, 26, and 27. All have been drawn only four or five times in the same span.

The luckiest numbers in the separate Powerball draw are three, 13 and 19, which have all been drawn four times.

Six, eight and 10 have only been drawn once, making them the unluckiest.

The current record-holding winners are grandparents from Hervey Bay in Queensland who won $70million in January 2016.

Lottery officials are urging Aussies to get their tickets quick with long queues expected.

Alternatively, tickets can be purchased online or through the Oz Lotteries app.

According to Powerball's official tally of number frequencies the most common number is 32, which has been drawn 13 times since April 2018

It's expected that up to one-in-three Australian adults will buy a ticket for the $100million draw.

A suburb in Western Australia with a very apt name has been dubbed the luckiest in the country after a series of lottery prize winners bought their tickets there.

Success, south of Perth, cemented its position as the official lottery hotspot after it was revealed a father-of-three pocketed $439,800 after driving more than 20km to buy tickets from two of its newsagents.

Robyn McDermott, who owns both of the stores where the winning tickets were sold, told Daily Mail Australia with a name like 'Success', the suburb is delivering exactly what was intended.

'I've said this all along: 'When living and operating a business in an area called Success, what else could you be but successful?'' Ms McDermott said.A manhunt is currently underway for an infamous criminal who once took part in Australia's most notorious jailbreak.

Brendan Berichon, who was an accomplice of the Postcard Bandit Brenden Abbott and is wanted on domestic violence charges, was spotted drinking from a hose in the backyard of a house at Pacific Pines on the Gold Coast hinterland this week.

However Berichon fled the scene before police could apprehend him.

Police officers told The Gold Coast Bulletin that Berichon is 'a dangerous man' and finding him is currently a top priority for the district.

Scroll down for video

Brendan Berichon, now in his late 30's, fled into bushland on the Gold Coast hinterland near Pacific Pines this week, where bushfires have been raging for several days

Berichon rose to infamy when he was just a teenager, after he assisted the notorious Postcard Bandit Brenden Abbott in his second prison escape in 1997

Berichon rose to infamy when he was just a teenager, after he assisted the notorious Postcard Bandit Brenden Abbott in his second prison escape in 1997.

Abbott earned his unusual nickname after sending postcards seeking media coverage while he was on the run.

Abbott was eventually caught in a Darwin laundromat and for two days Berichon claimed the title of Australia's most wanted man

Abbott (pictured) earned his unusual nickname after sending postcards seeking media coverage while he was on the run

During the 1997 breakout from Sir Daivd Longland Correctional Centre at Wacol, Berichon shot at prison guards and was later found guilty of two counts of attempted murder.

Berichon became a long time associate and 'apprentice' of Abbott, 56, who stole millions of dollars during his career as a bank robber.

While on the run with Abbott in the 1990s Berichon was labelled an 'extremely dangerous criminal' by police.

Abbott was eventually caught in a Darwin laundromat and for two days Berichon claimed the title of Australia's most wanted man.

Berichon was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the escape.

Abbott is currently still serving a 23-year-sentence for the jailbreak and a number of bank heists around Australia.

Queensland Police urge residents to remain calm, and said if members of the public were to see him they should contact police.Hopes for the housing market have hit a 20-year low, a study has found, after sales slowed to a crawl.

And surveyors across the country expect the slump to continue as buyers are put off by Brexit uncertainty, research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has found.

Rics recorded a difference of 28 percentage points between the number of surveyors who believe sales volumes will continue to fall and those who expect them to go up  the biggest gap since records began in 1998.

It means property professionals in every region except the North West do not expect the market to recover in the near future.

Rics member estate agents expect sales to fall over the next three months in every region of Britain, with the exception of the North West where a small majority tip a rise

In December, a majority of surveyors reported declining house prices for the fourth month in a row.

However, Rics added that it appeared to be Brexit uncertainty that was denting confidence, as expectations were better beyond spring.

The report said: 'The twelve-month outlook is a little more upbeat, suggesting that some of the near-term pessimism is linked to the lack of clarity around what form of departure the UK might make from the EU in March.'

The Rics report polls its member estate agents around the UK and is seen as a key barometer for the housing market.

The picture painted by December's report was far gloomier than simply a slow festive month.

Rics reported that new buyer inquiries fell for the fifth month in a row, while there was also less properties coming onto the market, continuing a trend that has lasted six months.

House prices are forecast to fall in all regions by Rics member estate agents, apart from the North West, where positive sentiment remains strong

If house prices do fall across all regions except for the North West, as forecast, then it will reverse the upward trend seen in some parts of the UK property market recently.

While Rics members reported falling prices in markets in London, the South East and West, East Anglia and the North over the past three months, those in the North West, Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland said prices were on the rise.

However, many said the future looked less bright for their local markets.

Tim Hughes, of estate agents Bartlams, in Wolverhampton, said: The market appears to be slowing down in terms of the numbers of buyers coming forward and the number of potential vendors. We feel that we can only put this uncertainty down to Brexit.'

This echoed the views of London agents, who have already seen a marked slowdown triggered by Brexit and high prices.

Jeremy Leaf, of Leaf & Co, in north London, said: 'Political uncertainty, particularly Brexit, seems to be weighing heavily on our buyers at present resulting in price softening and lengthening transaction times. We remain in a price sensitive, needs driven market.'

House prices have been suffering in London and the South East, with estate agents reporting falling sale prices, but the Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber and North West have fared better

The Rics report came as separate figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that house prices across Britain rose by just 2.8 per cent in the year to November, with the average property valued at 231,000.

Simon Rubinsohn, Rics chief economist, said: It is hardly a surprise, with ongoing uncertainty about the path to Brexit dominating the news agenda, that even allowing for the normal patterns around the Christmas holidays, buyer interest in purchasing property in December was subdued.

This is also very clearly reflected in a worsening trend in near-term sales expectations. Last month the Bank of England warned that demand was falling and the supply of new homes was also low.

Surveyors across the country expect the slump to continue as buyers are put off by Brexit uncertainty, research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has found. Stock picture shows terraced homes in London

Official figures from the ONS yesterday showed house prices rising in all UK regions except for London over the past year

Overall property inflation is tailing off, however, the ONS figures showed, with house prices starting to stall

Extra stamp duty on more expensive homes is also thought to have stalled sales, by making it harder for families to move up the property ladder and out of cheaper, smaller homes usually snapped up by first-time buyers.

Data from the Land Registry shows a collapse in the number of transactions.

There were 59,691 sales in England in September  down by almost a quarter from the same month in 2017. In London, the number fell 22 per cent to 6,438.

The capital  for decades a centre of red-hot growth  was the only region to experience an outright fall in property prices in the year to November, with a 0.7 per cent drop to an average 473,000.

The West Midlands was the fastest-growing region for prices, with the average propertys value up 4.6 per cent at 197,000.

East Midlands homes were the next best performers, with growth of 4.4 per cent and an average value of 192,000.

In England the average value rose by 2.6 per cent to 247,000.

Wales saw growth of 5.5 per cent to 161,000; Scottish prices rose 2.9 per cent to 151,000; and Northern Ireland prices were up 4.8 per cent at 135,000.

Kevin Roberts, of Legal & General Mortgage Club, said some buyers and sellers were taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the property market.Actor Ernie Hudson has confirmed the three surviving Ghostbusters from the original 1984 blockbuster are ready to strap on their proton packs and hit the silver screen once again.

Sony Pictures revealed on Tuesday that a third installment of the famous film franchise is in the works and will start shooting this summer.

Jason Reitman, whose father Ivan directed the first two hit movies, sent fans into a frenzy on Wednesday after tweeting a teaser trailer saying: 'Everybody can relax, I found the car. #GB20.'

The short clip did not reveal the cast and details of the film's production has been shrouded in mystery until now.

Hudson, who played ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore, revealed to DailyMailTV that he and co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray are on board with the project.

They're back! Ernie Hudson, who played Winston (second from left) has confirmed the surviving members of the original Ghostbusters cast will return for the new film

Hudson, 73, (pictured as Winston in the 1984 film) told DailyMailTV: 'Ivan Reitman is there and everybody is in. Now whether the studio will do it, I'm the guy who sits by the phone and waits for the call'

A showbiz source also disclosed that Aykroyd - who played paranormal scientist Ray Stantz - is the driving force behind the new movie.

The source said Aykroyd has completed a script treatment and the project is currently with Sony Pictures.

'Sony have the premise and idea, but obviously for them it is a gamble after the disaster of the female reboot,' the source said.

'At the moment it is touch and go about the future, but Dan really wants the Busters to be remembered in style for the old fans and a new generation.'

Hudson, who spoke as he attended For Your Consideration NAACP Image Awards Screening in Beverly Hills, tells DailyMailTV that a new film could still work without cast mate Harold Ramis, famous as Egon, who tragically passed away in 2014.

'We miss Harold, because Harold was really the glue that I think held everybody together,' he said.

'He was always my go-to point and anything that was a little bit weird, or whatever, Harold was the guy who would sort of say, "Ernie, just" and explain the world to me.

'And I miss him, but his spirit is there. But Ivan Reitman is there and everybody is in. Now whether the studio will do it, I'm the guy who sits by the phone and waits for the call. So if they call, I'll answer. If not, I've got other stuff that I'm doing.'

It's understood Sony Pictures has 'concerns' following the 2016 female Ghostbusters reboot, which was deemed a commercial flop.

However, Hudson reckons Aykroyd's plans will bring the original gang back to modern day New York.

I ain't afraid of no ghost: The new film will be the first not to feature Harold Ramis, who played the brains of the group Egon (far right) after he tragically passed in 2014

Fans of the 80s blockbuster were sent into a frenzy after Sony released a teaser trailer for the third film on Tuesday

Jason Reitman, whose father Ivan directed the first two hit movies, sent fans into a frenzy on Wednesday after tweeting a teaser trailer saying: 'Everybody can relax, I found the car. #GB20'

Hudson admits that the Melissa McCarthy led movie did not capture the original 'vibe or feeling' of the first two films in the 1980s.

This year is the 35th anniversary of the original film, which Hudson admits is re-igniting old school fans.

He said Murray and Aykroyd have much to offer still for fans.

'I think we do. We've grown, we've learned and a lot of really new young talent that I'm sure they'd bring in to it. So it would be a lot of fun. I think it would only deepen. And we'll miss Harold.'

Hudson refused to go all out to bash the female reboot, but admitted it was not what fans hoped for.

'Well I love the ladies who were a part of that movie. I'm a fan of all theirs. I think they did a wonderful job. I don't quite think it was there's a vibe or feeling that Ghostbusters has; it was a little bit different.

'It was uniquely theirs, which I guess it should have been, but I wanted to see something sort of extended from... This was a reboot.

'I would like to have seen a movie that takes place 30 years into the future, which is where we are. So I loved it, I think they did a wonderful job, I enjoyed the movie, but I'd like to see us bring the real Ghostbusters, whatever that means.

A source revealed 'Sony have the premise and idea' but believe it is a gamble after the 2016 female reboot starring Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon, which was considered a commercial flop

A showbiz source also disclosed that Aykroyd - who played paranormal scientist Ray Stantz - is the driving force behind the new movie

'No disrespect to Paul Feig and I enjoyed working with him, but I just think it was different.'

He added that the 35th anniversary of Ghostbusters would be a great time for a return and loves how fans celebrate daily.

'Thirty five years, the fans for Ghostbusters are the most amazing fans, because this is not something that the studio really set up. This is something that the fans embraced.

'I mean guys make their jumpsuits, and they turn their cars into Ectomobiles, and they tattoo us on their bodies, and I'm just overwhelmed and humbled by it. So 35th year and there's talk of other possibilities happening, which I would love, but we'll see. But it's great to have been a part of that franchise.'

Ghostbusters failed to earn significant profits from its $229m revenue, after a production budget of $150m and huge marketing fees.

The 1984 first run banked almost $300m on a $30m fee, however, while the 1989 sequel turned in a healthy $215m with a $40m cost.

Hudson is loving life in the new TV series, The Family Business, which is based on The New York Times best-selling author Carl Weber's most popular family crime drama series.

He says playing patriarch L.C. Duncan was a challenging role.

'I don't see him as dark as much as he has to do it his way. I trust people will step up, he doesn't trust that. And that brings out the worst in people sometimes.

'Family Business is popular and the response is amazing and I do have concerns that we are portraying things that I would not try.

'This is a man who doesn't have faith beyond his own abilities to make things happen.It is helpful to see that, and I wanted to do the show because of the family dynamic

'The thing that is most dangerous in the world is how do we keep the family unit together in a healthy way. He makes some bad choices. And sometimes we can learn from the bad choices people make.'An Australian tourist locked up in Thailand has gone silent on social media after sending a flurry of frantic texts, provoking fears for her safety.

Claire Johnson, 46, was due back in Sydney from Thailand on January 8 but has reportedly overstayed her Thai visa by one day, and has since been locked up in immigration detention.

Her friend, Juliet Potter, received a series of texts asking for help on Monday night and is the one who raised the alarm following the mother-of-two's unusual social media silence.

Claire Johnson, 46, was due back in Sydney on January 8, but a week later contacted a friend to tell her she was 'so scared' and locked up in immigration detention

Juliet Potter said she had been told by a friend that Ms Johnson may have accidentally overstayed her Thai visa by one day

'I'm extremely concerned for her  God knows where she is and who she's with. There's just no detail on where she is,' Ms Potter told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'Shes a very attractive woman and I am concerned for her.'

Ms Johnson recently divorced from her husband and travelled overseas for work for a year and was due back to live in Ms Potter's flat.

'I was excited to have my friend back  but looks like that's not happening any time soon.'

According to the publication, Ms Johnson was asked to pay a fine to the police and book another plane ticket to leave the country.

Another friend of Ms Johnson's paid the 3000 Baht fine ($A130) and bought her a ticket to return back to Sydney on Saturday 12.

Despite paying the fine and having another ticket, it is believed Ms Johnson still hasn't left the detention centre.

There are grave fears for Australian tourist Claire Johnson (pictured), who sent frantic text messages from a Thailand detention centre after 'some pretty serious stuff went down'

'They are taking my phone... Have to go,' Ms Johnson wrote to friend, Juliet Potter

Ms Johnson's friends first raised concerns when, on the day she was due to fly home, she posted on Facebook: 'All grand adventures end with a big bang'.

When one asked what was wrong, Ms Johnson said she would not be boarding her plane home and the situation was 'serious'.

'Some pretty serious stuff went down. I'm flying in Saturday talk to you next week x,' she responded.

'It's not good! Now waiting for the plot twist and happy ending!' Ms Johnson wrote.

Ms Johnson's friends first raised concerns when, on the day she was due to fly home, she posted on Facebook: 'All grand adventures end with a big bang'

'She needs help... She apparently had to pay somebody,' Ms Potter said of Ms Johnson (pictured)

In a string of panic-stiken text messages to friend Juliet Potter (pictured), Ms Johnson begged for help and said she was 'so scared... get media involved'

On Monday night, in a string of panic-stricken text messages to Ms Potter, the mother-of-two begged for help and said she was 'so scared... get media involved.'

'They are taking my phone... Have to go,' Ms Johnson wrote to Ms Potter.

Ms Potter told Daily Mail Australia her friend was terrified and had no idea why she had been detained.

'She needs help... She apparently had to pay somebody,' Ms Potter said.

'She called me and asked me to wire her some money. She said something about wanting to buy a blanket in the jail - you must have to buy a pillow and a blanket.'

In a message to another friend, Ms Johnson (pictured) said she was 'panicking' as she was taken into custody

In a message to another friend, Ms Johnson said she was 'panicking' as she was taken into custody.

'They said the detention centre is not like a jail. I am praying he is right,' she wrote.

'Now I know what it feels like to be a prisoner. They won't even let me go to the toilet by myself.'

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian woman detained in Thailand.

'For privacy reasons we are unable to provide further details,' the department told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

Ms Potter claimed the department wasn't doing enough to help her friend, who she hasn't heard from since the text message exchange.

'I don't think they are [providing assistance]. Otherwise she would never had reached out to me - and she's still over there, she's not home,' she said.

Ms Johnson describes herself on Facebook as a 'international medical tourism promoter, photographer, freelance journalist, world traveller.'



China said on Wednesday it was 'not worried in the slightest' by mounting international concern over the death sentence handed to a Canadian for drug smuggling.

Monday's sentence for Robert Schellenberg for smuggling 222 kg (489 lbs) of methamphetamines prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of 'arbitrarily' applying the death penalty.

Trudeau has called several world leaders in recent days to share concerns about the case of Schellenberg and two Canadians that Beijing detained last month after a senior Chinese executive was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. arrest warrant.

In this image taken from a video footage run by China's CCTV, Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, attends his retrial at the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in Dalian, northeastern China's Liaoning province on Monday. He was sentenced to death in the retrial

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called several world leaders in recent days to share concerns about the case of Schellenberg and two Canadians that Beijing detained last month after Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. arrest warrant

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Canada's 'so-called allies could be counted on ten fingers' and did not represent the views of the wider international community.

'I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest,' Hua said of the mounting outcry, adding that a majority of Chinese supported severe punishment for drug crimes.

Schellenberg's sentence has further strained relations between China and Canada, already aggravated by the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, on a U.S. extradition request.

Asked about Hua's remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that the 28-nation European Union had offered its backing to Ottawa.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that the 28-nation European Union had offered its backing to Ottawa over Schellenberg's case (file photo)

'We're very pleased to have this support from the EU which ..., like Canada, believes in the rule of law,' she told reporters as Trudeau's cabinet prepared to meet in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

For the second day in a row, however, she stressed that Canada and China enjoyed a broad and deep relationship.

Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Tuesday and 'expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals', the State Department said.

Days after Meng's arrest, China detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering state security. One of the men, Michael Kovrig, is a diplomat on leave without pay from Canada's embassy in Beijing.

John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to China, told reporters the standoff would not be settled quickly and vowed to enlist the help of foreign allies - especially the United States - and the business community.

'I think we have to engage the senior Chinese leaders and persuade them that what they are doing is not good for China's image in the world, it's not good for the image of corporate China,' he said on the sidelines of the retreat.

'It's difficult, it won't happen tomorrow.'

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg (centre), 36, was sentenced to death on Monday by the Dalian Intermediate People's Court. He was arrested in 2014 on suspicion of smuggling crystal meth

Trudeau complained last week that China was not respecting Kovrig's diplomatic immunity. A source directly familiar with the case said Canada was unhappy because Chinese officials were questioning Kovrig about his work when stationed at the embassy.

The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper.

McCallum said Kovrig and the other Canadian were being questioned up to four hours a day, had no access to lawyers and were only allowed one consular visit a month.

China has not linked any of the three Canadians' cases to Meng's arrest, but has warned of severe consequences if she was not immediately released.

The Global Times, a state-run tabloid with a nationalistic bent, said China 'cannot be weak at this time'.

'Canada does not have any special cards that can allow Chinese law to bow its head to it,' the newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday, adding that Canada's protests would have no effect.

Tensions have escalated between China and Canada since Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of tech giant Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver on December 1. Ms Meng, pictured arriving at a parole office in Vancouver on December 12, is fighting extradition to the U.S

Michael Kovrig (left), an adviser with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based non-governmental organisation and Michael Spavor (centre), who is frequently consulted on matters linked to North Korea, and Sarah McIver (right), a teacher, are among the 13 Canadian citizens detained in China since Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou's arrest on Dec 1 in Vancouver

Freeland said on Tuesday that Ottawa had formally applied for clemency for Schellenberg.

When asked if China typically listened to this type of request, Hua said the judiciary was not subject to 'interference from administrative organs'.

'You ask whether China is willing to listen to the Canadian side's request, but I don't know if Canada's leaders or politicians have seriously listened to China's solemn position,' Hua said.

Schellenberg had appealed against an original 15-year prison sentence issued in November, but the court in Liaoning province sided with prosecutors who argued at a retrial that the punishment was too light.An estimated 10,000 buildings in three Australian states have been labelled ' fire traps' by concerned firefighters.

The buildings are believed to contain highly flammable cladding, which was a significant factor in the London Grenfell Tower inferno, which killed 72 people in 2017.

Representatives from Queensland's Fire and Emergency Services, Fire and Rescue NSW and Victoria's Metropolitan Fire Brigade told The Australian they had access to databases showing buildings with the dangerous cladding.

Firefighters in Australia are keen to avoid a potential repeat of the Grenfell Tower tragedy (pictured) in 2017, which claimed 72 lives

Highly flammable cladding in numerous apartment buildings (pictured) was said to have been a significant factor in the London inferno of 2017

QFES has recently established a special 'cladding unit' to identify at-risk properties.

They also conduct regular audits and allocate 'risk levels' to ascertain the required number of firefighters in an emergency.

A state government report from April of 2018 showed up to 12,000 buildings in Queensland may have used highly flammable cladding, with almost 900 buildings marked for a more detailed investigation.

One of those buildings was Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, which has since removed the flammable cladding.

Fire and Rescue NSW opted for a similar approach to their Queensland counterparts.

A spokeswoman stated the state fire department had thoroughly assessed more than 2470 buildings in the past 18 months.

Firefighters in Australia have identified up to 10,000 buildings across three eastern states as 'fire traps'

The aftermath of an apartment following the Grenfell Tower Inferno in London back in 2017 (pictured) - firefighters are fearful of a similar disaster in Australia

'Our local fire crews also undertake pre-incident plans, which enable firefighters to gather information about the buildings,' she said.

'This is crucial to operational readiness and means we can be most effective if a fire does occur.'

A Victorian audit found up to 1400 buildings with potentially unsafe cladding.A man has been charged with supplying the drugs that police believe may have killed a festival goer.

Alex Ross-King, 19, died after being rushed from FOMO Music Festival in Parramatta to Westmead Hospital on Saturday with her family by her side.

Two men, aged 20 and 23, were arrested at a home on New South Wales' Central Coast on Wednesday morning and taken to Gosford Police Station.

The younger of the pair is believed to have indirectly supplied the capsules which landed in the hands of Ms Ross-King, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A man has been charged with supplying the drugs that police believe may have killed Alex Ross-King (pictured) at FOMO music festival

Two men, aged 20 and 23, were arrested at a home on New South Wales' Central Coast on Wednesday morning and taken to Gosford Police Station

During the search, officers allegedly found and seized 26 MDMA capsules, methylamphetamine, $1275 cash, and several mobile phones.

The younger man was charged with supplying a small prohibited drug while the elder is accused of supplying between an indictable and commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

They were both granted conditional bail to appear at Gosford Local Court on February 5.

The younger of the two arrested men is believed to have indirectly supplied the capsules which landed in the hands of 19-year-old Ms Ross-King

The younger man was charged with supplying a small prohibited drug while the elder is accused of supplying between a indictable and commercial quantity of a prohibited drug

Days before the arrest, friends of Ms Ross-King revealed that in her last seconds of life, she could tell 'something had gone wrong'.

The young woman went to the festival's medical tent feeling unwell, only moments before she collapsed, Nine News reported.

Her friends believe it was a mixture of drugs and extreme heat that killed her.

She had been dancing in the blistering 35C sun with a crowd of more than 11,000 other people.

Days before the arrest friends of Ms Ross-King revealed that in her last seconds of life, she could tell 'something had gone wrong'

More than a third of the 146 people searched by police for drugs were found with illicit substances in their possession.

'Everywhere I looked people were on drugs and drinking a lot of alcohol so its scary that it could be one of my friends next,' one festival-goer said.

Ms Ross-King was the fifth person to die from suspected drug overdose at New South Wales music festivals in the past four months.Advertisement

A new migrant caravan began snaking its way towards the US on Wednesday after 150 Salvadorans hit the road in search of a better life abroad.

The group was pictured walking along a highway in El Salvador's capital of San Salvador as it makes its way towards a much larger caravan of at least 1,700 Hondurans, which has already crossed into Guatemala.

The Hondurans made the crossing at the Agua Caliente border point on Wednesday, around 80 miles ahead of the Salvadoran caravan, after many of them were granted 90-day visas by the Guatemalan government.

Donald Trump has previously threatened to cut aid to Guatemala - which received $257million in 2017 - if it does not do more to stop the migrant caravans.

At least 150 Salvadoran migrants departed in a group for the United States on Wednesday, and were pictured walking along a highway in San Salvador on Wednesday morning

The migrants organized themselves using social media and were hoping to link up with a much larger group of Hondurans who are around 80 miles ahead of them, having crossed in Guatemala

Those travelling in the new caravan said they were fleeing gang violence and hoping to find more work further north

Liduvina Margarin, vice minister for Salvadorans abroad, addressed the group before they left and warned them that the road would be dangerous, and many who left in previous caravans had already returned

The caravan makes its way along the highway in San Salvador, hoping to reach the Agua Caliente border crossing between Honduras and Guatemala, where the first caravan is located

Donald Trump has said the US will refuse to let in anyone who arrives at the southern border illegally, but those walking in the caravan said they had to try, because there was no life for them back home

The caravan departs San Salvador, the first stage in a more-than 1,000 mile journey north across Guatemala and Mexico

Speaking about their reasons for leaving, those in the El Salvador caravan cited violence and a lack of work as their main reasons for going.

'I can't stay. I'm leaving because the gangs have threatened me - either I join them, or they'll kill me,' said Adonay Hernandez, 22, who was carrying just $20 in his pocket but was confident he will make it to relatives in North Carolina. 'God is my shield,' he said.

Others hoped to find a better life in Mexico, where they have options for applying for refuge and work permits.

'I know that in Mexico they are helping us,' said Franklin Martinez, a 34-year-old traveling with his partner and their 2-year-old daughter.

'We are going to ask for refuge and we are going to stay and work. After we have saved enough, perhaps we will go to the United States, but our goal is to make it to Mexico.'

Liduvina Margarin, vice minister for Salvadorans abroad, met with the migrants before they left a downtown plaza to warn them about the dangers of the northward route. She told them that more than half the Salvadorans who left in caravans have returned to the country.

On Wednesday morning, between 900 and 1,000 Hondurans gathered at the country's border with Guatemala

Several hundred Honduran migrants already entered Guatemala on Tuesday

Honduran migrants, who are part of a new 'migrant caravan', wait in the grass

Honduran migrants wait in Agua Caliente

'Our duty is to say to you that you are never going to be better off than in your homeland, in your communities of origin,' Margarin said.

Ahead of them, the Honduran group were said to be travelling with 325 children or youths under 18 in the caravan. Around 100 people from El Salvador had already joined them.

Miria Zelaya, who left the Honduran city of Colon and was traveling with 12 relatives, said she did not know what sort of work she hopes to find in the United States but was not dismayed by tougher immigration policies under President Donald Trump.

'That does not discourage me,' Zelaya said. 'The need is greater.'

Migrants leaving Central America's Northern Triangle nations of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala routinely cite widespread poverty, lack of opportunity and rampant gang violence as their motivation.

Hector Alvarado, a 25-year-old announcer, said he had been shut out of job opportunities for belonging to the political opposition and felt forced to leave to find work.

He learned about the caravan on Facebook, said goodbye to relatives and hit the road. 'My loved ones have already cried over of my leaving,' Alvarado said. 'Now I have to press on.'

The latest trek north comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has been working to convince the American public that there is a crisis at the southern border to justify construction of his long-promised border wall.

El Salvador is grappling with a wave of crime and violence

In 2018, the country's murder rate stood at 50.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest levels in the world, according to the United Nations

Trump's demand for billions of dollars to that end has resulted in a standoff with Congress that has forced a partial government shutdown.

The fate that awaits the migrants at the Mexico-U.S. border is uncertain. Previous caravans that were seized upon last year by Trump in the run-up to the 2018 midterm election have quietly dwindled, with many having gone home to Central America or put down roots in Mexico.

Many others - nearly half, according to U.S. Border Patrol arrest records - have sought to enter the U.S. illegally.

About 6,000 Central Americans reached Tijuana in November amid conflict on both sides of the border over their presence in the Mexican city across from San Diego.

As of earlier this week, fewer than 700 remained at a former outdoor concert venue in Tijuana that the Mexican government set up as a shelter to house them.

Mexico has issued humanitarian visas to about 2,900 migrants from last fall's caravan, many of whom are now working legally there with visas.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday that Mexico has been monitoring the latest caravan closely.

He said the best option is for Central American governments to persuade their citizens to stay. Those who don't will be allowed to enter Mexico in an orderly fashion and presented with options, and their human rights will be respected, Lopez Obrador added.A speeding tractor-trailer skidded off a snow-slicked road Wednesday and crashed into a restaurant in a small Utah town, flattening the establishment and injuring three people, authorities said.

The truck was traveling too fast for conditions at about 6.30am when it went off a state highway that runs through the town of Wellington and struck the Los Jilbertos restaurant.

State troopers rescued the restaurant owner's wife, who was trapped in the wreckage and suffered what were described as minor injuries.

This drone photo released by the Utah Highway Patrol shows Los Jilbertos restaurant that was hit by truck in Wellington, Utah on Wednesday

A tractor-trailer rig flattened the business and injured three people including the owner

Los Jilbertos restaurant is pictured before the crash occurred

Also taken to Castleview Hospital for treatment of 'varying injuries' were the restaurant owner and the truck driver, said Highway Patrol Sergeant Nicholas Street.

A tweet from the Utah Highway Patrol said they were 'doing okay...considering'.

The venue was open for business at the time however no customers were inside the restaurant when the truck hit.

'When Troopers arrived on scene the male owner was standing outside the collapsed building. He advised his wife was trapped inside,' a Utah Public Safety statement read.

'They called out to the female subject who advised she was uninjured. Officers entered the collapsed building, extracting the female subject.'

State troopers rescued the restaurant owner's wife, who was trapped inside the wreckage and suffered minor injuries

Images showed the semi-trailer's cab lodged into a corner of the building and the trailer jack-knifed

Also taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries were the restaurant owner, who was outside when rescuers arrived, and the truck driver

Images of the wreck showed the restaurant's snow-covered roof torn off and leaning on top of the collapsed restaurant, the semi-trailer's cab lodged into a corner of the building and the trailer jack-knifed.

The restaurant is just off the highway, State Route 6 and the local police department declared it 'a total loss'.

A GoFundMe account was established to help the family as it was their sole source of income.

The crash knocked out electrical and gas service to part of Wellington, a community of about 1,600 residents about two hours southeast of Salt Lake City, as Rocky Mountain Power and Domian Energy assessed the damage.

Wellington Fire Department, Price Fire Department, the Carbon County Sheriff's Department, Carbon County Ambulance, Price City Police, and UDOT was also on the scene.

Utah authorities say a tractor-trailer rig crashed into Los Jilbertos restaurant, flattening the business and injuring three people

No customers were inside the restaurant when the truck hit it. The crash knocked out electrical and gas service to part of the community of about 1,600 residents and closed the town's elementary school. Traffic was diverted while companies assessed the damage

The power outage closed the town's Wellington Elementary school. Students who made it to school would provided with buses home and parents were invited to collect their children as long as they avoided a section of Main Street.

Traffic on SR-6 in Wellington was diverted around the scene and one lane was closed because of the eastbound collision.

No arrests had been made Wednesday.

On the same day Troopers investigated 132 crashes on Utah's roadways as more snow was due.Raids on various Ku Klux Klan groups across Germany have revealed a haul of more than a hundred weapons including guns, swords and machetes as members are accused of 'glorifying Nazism'.

German authorities conducted raids in several parts of the country on suspected members of a far-right group calling itself the National Socialist Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Deutschland.

Prosecutors and regional police in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said more than one hundred weapons, including air guns, swords, machetes and knives, were seized in Wednesday's raids on 12 properties. They also found membership lists.

Weapons and Ku Klux Klan objects which were impounded by the German Police

Seventeen people were targeted but there was no word of any arrests.

Twelve buildings were raided and searched by police who also confiscated KKK certificates, membership lists, t-shirts and other symbols. Computers and mobile phones were also seized for further investigations.

Authorities say about 40 people are under investigation. The group's members are suspected of glorifying Nazism and, in some cases, of harboring 'violent fantasies.'

Investigator Ulrich Heffner (pictured above) said that the group manifests itself in a glorification of national-socialism

Investigators say they have found no evidence of links to other Ku Klux Klan groups. They say the group recruited members partly online and was financed by monthly fees.

The police said they first learned about the German hate group through chat protocols from an impounded mobile phone in a different investigation.

Seventeen suspects ranging in age between 17 to 59 years old, of whom three are female, are currently being investigated, although none of them have yet been arrested.

Picture above shows a Ku Klux Klan ceremony. Over 100 weapons were seized by German police in eight federal states

Investigator Ulrich Heffner explained that the German Federal Police 'simply has the suspicion that they wanted to arm themselves' and 'perhaps were planning something in one form or the other'.

He said: 'The members are united in their right-wing mentality, which manifests itself among other things in a glorification of national-socialism.'

The KKK was originally founded in the Southern US states in the late 1860s.

The group advocates white supremacy, nationalism and anti-immigration policies.

Members are infamous for dressing up in white gowns with conical hats and torching crosses to intimidate opponents.Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, 27, (pictured) was held for three days for possible deportation before federal authorities learned that he was a U.S. citizen born in Michigan, lawyers said Wednesday

A Marine veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder was held for three days for possible deportation before federal authorities learned that he was a U.S. citizen born in Michigan, lawyers said Wednesday.

Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, 27, lives in the Grand Rapids area. He was released on Dec. 17 from a detention center in Calhoun County after personal records were provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

'Why did they think he was a noncitizen? Did they get him confused with someone else? Who knows,' ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman said.

'This is an individual who's incredibly vulnerable with a mental illness.'

ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls in Detroit said he couldn't respond to media inquiries because of the partial government shutdown.

Ramos-Gomez was in the Kent County jail after being accused of trespassing and damaging a fire alarm at a Grand Rapids hospital on Nov. 21.

Ramos-Gomez, a Marine veteran suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, lives in the Grand Rapids area

Ramos-Gomez was a lance corporal in the Marines and received awards for service in Afghanistan

Ramos-Gomez (left) was in the Kent County jail after being accused of trespassing and damaging a fire alarm at a Grand Rapids hospital on Nov. 21

The ACLU said he pleaded guilty and was supposed to be released on Dec. 14 while awaiting a sentence.

But ICE contacted the jail and requested that Ramos-Gomez be held for pickup.

Kent County Undersheriff Chuck DeWitt said ICE, like other law enforcement agencies, has access to fingerprint records.

'Once he was released from our custody, he was under the domain of ICE. Where they take him is their process,' DeWitt said. 'Our procedures were followed.'

ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman called Ramos-Gomez' treatment 'appalling'

DeWitt said he didn't know whether Ramos-Gomez protested when immigration officers picked him up.

Ramos-Gomez was driven 70 miles to a detention center in Battle Creek.

He was released after three days, after lawyer Richard Kessler contacted ICE on behalf of the man's family.

Aukerman said Ramos-Gomez' treatment was 'appalling.'

Ramos-Gomez is receiving mental-health care and wasn't available for an interview Wednesday.

He was a lance corporal in the Marines and received awards for service in Afghanistan.

The ACLU said his PTSD had a role in the disturbance at the hospital.

Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young defended her department, saying officers don't have authority to verify why ICE wants to detain someone.

Nonetheless, she called it a 'very unfortunate situation' for Ramos-Gomez.

'We believe this case underscores the need for immigration policy reform,' the sheriff said.The tranquility of quiet country village in the heart of the England has been rocked after Nazi propaganda and racist pamphlets were discovered in a phone-box library.

Villager Bobby Tate was left in shock when he opened the door of the telephone-kiosk book depot, to discover Hitlers Mein Kampf staring at him from the centre of the bookshelf.

And he was flabbergasted to see essays championing white power, anti- Semitism and the American Nazi party nestled amongst popular paperback thrillers by John Grisham and Tony Parsons.

Now residents of East Winch, Norfolk  a small village outside Kings Lynn - are beginning to wonder if a Nazi supporter is living in their midst.

I asked myself, am I living in a Nazi village? Mr Tate, a mental health worker, told MailOnline.

The tranquility of quiet country village in the heart of the England has been rocked after Nazi propaganda and racist pamphlets were discovered in a phone-box library

Villager Bobby Tate was left in shock when he opened the door of the telephone-kiosk book depot, to discover Hitlers Mein Kampf staring at him from the centre of the bookshelf

The East Winch book depot appears to have been overtaken by readers with an unhealthy interest in Nazi ideology and race studies

East Winch is a tiny village just off the A47 Lynn Road. There are only a couple of hundred people who live here. We dont even have a pub!

Phone-box libraries are a distinct feature of life in rural Norfolk. The telephone kiosks have become a popular way for residents to share reading material with their neighbours.

But the East Winch book depot appears to have been overtaken by readers with an unhealthy interest in Nazi ideology and race studies.

Mixed among a horde of holiday-reading paperbacks, such The Assassin by John Grisham and The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons, are a collection of highly controversial books and political essays championing white supremacy and Nazi ideology.

There is even a DVD of Stalingrad, the Hollywood depiction of the collapse of Nazi war-machine in Soviet Russia.

Bobby Tate told MailOnline: There are a few of these phone boxes in Norfolk. They are used to exchange books and are like an unofficial library.

I have driven past it hundreds of times. So, I was walking past it so I decided to have a look.

I opened the door and one of the first books I saw was Mein Kampf [by Adolf Hitler].

I thought ok this is a historical book, it might have been put there by someone who is interested in history.

Then I looked at the other books and I soon realized there were other books about Nazi books  books about the so-called Jewish conspiracy, about race and IQ and about Aryans.

I was shocked!

Now residents of East Winch, Norfolk  a small village outside Kings Lynn - are beginning to wonder if a Nazi supporter is living in their midst

Telephone kiosks in Norfolk have become a popular way for residents to share reading material with their neighbours. But the East Winch book depot appears to have been overtaken by readers with an unhealthy interest in Nazi ideology and race studies

Mr Tate said: I opened the door and one of the first books I saw was Mein Kampf [by Adolf Hitler]. Then I looked at the other books and I soon realized there were other books about the so-called Jewish conspiracy, about race and IQ and about Aryans. I was shocked!

Among others are The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated anti-Semitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination; and White Power, the political pamphlet by American Nazi Party founder Lincoln Rockwell

The controversial books include: Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitlers thesis of the Jewish peril and his blue-print for a National Socialist Germany.

Among others are The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated anti-Semitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination; and White Power, the political pamphlet by American Nazi Party founder Lincoln Rockwell.

Other race-obsessed texts on display are: The March of the Titans, a history of the white race by former British National Party activist Arthur Kemp, which is popular with far-right activists; The Inequality of Human Races, by Joseph Arthur, a 19th century essay that argues that civilization would collapse if different races mixed and is considered the first example of scientific racism.

Mr Tate also found The Invention of the Jewish People by Shlomo Sand, a professor at Tel Aviv University, who argues that a nation-race of Jews never existed; The Origin of the Aryans, by Isaac Taylor.

The collection was rounded off by The Holocaust Industry, by Norman Finkelstein in which the author argues that the American Jewish establishment exploits the memory of the Nazi holocaust for political and financial gain and to further the interests of Israel.Advertisement

Twenty-five years ago this week, a hidden fault under Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley neighborhoods unleashed a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that killed dozens, shattered buildings, broke water mains and ignited fires.

The ground shook horizontally and vertically for up to 10 seconds, most strongly in an area 30 miles in diameter around the city's Northridge neighborhood, according to the public-private partnership Earthquake Country Alliance. It was felt as far away as Las Vegas.

Among vivid images from the January 17, 1994, quake were scenes of vehicles stranded high on an elevated section of freeway with the road fallen away in front and behind, and the wrecked motorcycle of a police officer who plunged to his death off the end of a broken overpass while rushing to work in the early morning darkness.

At 4:31 a.m. that day, a hidden fault lurking under the city's San Fernando Valley neighborhoods unleashed the magnitude earthquake that shattered buildings, broke water mains and ignited fires.

Gas from a ruptured supply line burns as water from a broken water main floods Balboa Boulevard in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1994

California State Route 118 in Simi Valley, Calif., is seen collapsed during the Northridge earthquake on Jan. 17, 1994

Bricks and debris surrounding a building housing Ara's Pastry on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, following the Northridge earthquake is seen on Jan. 17, 1994

A portion of the Bullock's department store in Los Angeles' Northridge Fashion Center that collapsed in the Northridge earthquake is seen on Jan. 17, 1994

The Northridge Meadows apartment complex in which 16 people died when the upper floors collapsed onto the so-called soft story ground floor is seen on Feb. 16, 1994

Lillian Zurita shows the proper way to 'drop, cover and hold on' in Ms. Irvin's second-grade class during an earthquake drill known as the Great Shakeout at Rosemont Elementary School near downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 17, 2013

The so-called blind thrust fault - one with no surface features to reveal its presence - caused a block of earth to move upward. Most of the energy was released toward mountains that line the northern side of the valley, but there was more than enough energy sent in other directions to cause devastation.

The ground shook horizontally and vertically for up to 10 seconds, most strongly in an area 30 miles in diameter around LA's Northridge neighborhood, according to the public-private partnership Earthquake Country Alliance. It was felt as far away as Las Vegas.

The state said at least 57 died in the earthquake, though a study issued the following year put the death toll at 72, including heart attacks. About 9,000 were injured.

The greatest concentration of deaths occurred at the Northridge Meadows, a 163-unit apartment complex where 16 people were killed when it collapsed onto the parking area below, crushing first-floor apartments.

The catastrophe at Northridge Meadows revealed a particular seismic hazard due to so-called soft-story construction in which a building's ground level has large open areas for purposes such as parking spots or shop windows.

The widespread damage to buildings, freeways and infrastructure made the Northridge quake the costliest U.S. disaster at the time.

According to Earthquake Country Alliance, 82,000 residential and commercial units and 5,400 mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, nine parking structures toppled, nine hospitals were evacuated due to structural or other problems, seven key freeway bridges collapsed, and hundreds more were damaged.

California State Route 118 in Simi Valley, Calif., collapsed during the Northridge earthquake

Interstate 10, the Santa Monica Freeway, split and collapsed over La Cienega Boulevard following the Northridge quake in the predawn hours in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1994

Los Angeles Emergency Management Coordinator and Public Information Officer Hans Christian Ipsen walks next to friction pendulum bearings which support the Los Angeles city Emergency Operations Center, which would allow the building to roll rather than fall down on Jan. 14, 2014

Some 200 steel-frame high-rises sustained cracked welds.

Vivid images from the quake included scenes of vehicles stranded high on an elevated section of freeway with the road fallen away in front and behind, and the wrecked motorcycle of a police officer who plunged to his death off the end of a broken overpass while rushing to work in the early morning darkness.

The California Department of Transportation, which had already retrofitted many of the bridges that ended up being damaged, would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to further strengthen numerous bridges identified as being at risk.

The damage to hospitals led the state to require strengthening of those buildings.

Since Northridge there has been a push toward progress - sometimes frustratingly slow - on everything from making buildings safer to increasing society's overall ability to deal with seismic threats.

In 2008, an annual earthquake drill known as the Great ShakeOut began in Southern California to teach the basic safety technique of 'drop, cover and hold on.'

Initially based on a scenario of a magnitude 7.8 quake on the southern end of the mighty San Andreas fault, the drill has since spread across the United States and around the world.

In 2015, Los Angeles enacted a mandatory retrofit ordinance aimed at preventing loss of life in major earthquakes at the city's most vulnerable buildings.

California State University, Northridge students walking past a parking structure at the Los Angeles campus that collapsed in the Jan. 17 earthquake in this Feb. 14, 1994 photo

A computer-generated graphic displayed at a news conference at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

It covered about 13,500 'soft-story' buildings like Northridge Meadows and some 1,500 buildings with 'non-ductile reinforced concrete' construction.

The ordinance, however, allowed a process spanning seven years for retrofitting of soft-story buildings and 25 years for non-ductile reinforced concrete buildings.

Last year, the U.S. Geological Survey announced its fledgling West Coast earthquake early warning system was ready for broad use by businesses, utilities, transportation systems and schools after years of development and testing of prototypes.

The system detects the start of an earthquake and sends alerts that can give warnings ranging from several seconds to a minute before shaking arrives, depending on distance from the epicenter.

That can be enough time to slow trains, stop industrial processes and allow students to scramble under desks.

This month, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a mobile app that uses the early warning system to alert Los Angeles County residents when there is an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 or greater. Other mobile apps are in development.

Also this month, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. released a guide aimed at helping businesses minimize disruptions from major earthquakes, taking advantage of information technologies such as the digital cloud to keep a company working even if its physical systems are destroyed or inaccessible.A warning on the future of advertising from a major investment bank sent ITV's shares into the red.

Adrien de Saint Hilaire at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said the fall in the number of viewers watching traditional TV channels, combined with the loss of advertising that this will bring, made broadcasters like ITV look vulnerable.

The likes of ITV are also having to spend increasing amounts of money to develop their online products  such as on-demand service ITV Hub  in the race to catch up with rivals including Netflix and Sky's Now TV.

Saint Hilaire added that TV watching is declining by 8 per cent every year among the younger generation which was brought up surrounded by modern technology.

These individuals will, by 2020, represent around 50 per cent of the workforce and be the direct target audience of advertising.

ITV slumped 5.9 per cent, or 8.15p, to 129.1p as Bank of America recommended investors reduce their stakes in the company. Making up for some of ITV's losses on the FTSE 100, technology company Sage Group climbed 5.4 per cent, or 32p, to 625p.

It raked in 465m in revenue for the three months to December 31, a 7.6 per cent increase on the same time a year before.

Sage, which makes accounting software for businesses, has desperately been trying to improve its products and move from one-off sales to subscriptions to pull more money through the door.

The shake-up saw chief executive Stephen Kelly abruptly depart last August. Steve Hare, Sage's finance head, replaced him in November.

Shortly after he took up the role, Hare dropped the firm's medium-term revenue growth target of 10 per cent. In the last three months of 2018, only Sage's North American division delivered revenue growth above 10 per cent. The UK and Ireland's revenue growth was 5.9 per centc, which Sage said indicated 'strong signs of recovery'.

The Footsie ended the day down 0.4 per cent, or 27.76 points, at 6,834.92 points. John Wood Group, which helps oil and gas businesses to build their rigs, weighed on the index as it slid 4.7 per cent, or 26.4p, to 541.2p following a downgrade from a broker.

Shares in takeaway business Just Eat rocketed as US investor The Capital Group Companies, one of the world's oldest investment firms, ramped its stake up from 5.1 per cent to 10 per cent.

The deal occurred on Tuesday and, taking Just Eat's closing share price that day, would have cost Capital Group around 209m. Shares in Just Eat climbed 5 per cent, or 31.4p, to 663p yesterday.

Super Noodle and Paxo owner Premier Foods also crept higher as investors chewed over its update for the 13 weeks ending December 29.

Sales of its Mr Kipling products were up 5 per cent, which helped investors stomach a 2.2 per cent decline in group sales as a warehousing and distribution reshuffle hit sales of unbranded sweet treats.

Change was afoot elsewhere at Premier as finance head Alastair Murray was appointed temporary replacement for outgoing boss Gavin Darby until a permanent successor is found.

Premier added it was still in talks with potential buyers for its Ambrosia custard and rice pudding brand. Shares climbed 2.8 per cent, or 1p, to 35p.

Homeware manufacturer Portmeirion, owner of the Royal Worcester and Pimpernel brands, jumped 6 per cent, or 60p, to 1060p as it said 2018 revenue would be ahead of expectations, at a minimum of 89.2m. Sales in the UK, US and South Korea were credited with driving the strong performance, and the home fragrance business did particularly well.Animal print skirts and faux sheepskin coats helped Primark shine in the High Street's Christmas gloom.

Sales at the bargain chain, which is owned by Associated British Foods and sells its products online, climbed 1 per cent in the UK in the 16 weeks to January 5.

The figures were a relief for investors following an earlier warning that trading had been tough in November.

Wearing it well: Sales at Primark climbed 1 per cent in the UK in the 16 weeks to January 5

ABF posted a 1 per cent rise in revenues, sending shares up 7 per cent, or 152p, to 2330p.

Sales across all of ABF's divisions grew apart from in sugar, where they fell 14 per cent as the business continued to suffer from the impact of lower prices across the EU.

ABF is one of Britain's biggest food producers with brands such as Ovaltine, Ryvita, Twinings and Jordans.

It also owns major sugar, agriculture and ingredients businesses. Primark accounts for around half of ABF's annual revenues and profits. Sales at its grocery business rose 2 per cent, while agriculture was up 5 per cent and ingredients up 1 per cent.

John Bason, finance director, said sales of leopard print clothing and so-called 'teddy' jackets, were a hit with Primark's customers.

The retailer's Christmas success comes as High Street firms battle to attract customers through their doors.

THE 1 SHOPPING CENTRE A shopping centre in Scotland owned by investment giant Columbia Threadneedle has been put up for auction  starting at just 1. The Postings in Kirkcaldy has 21 stores but more than half sit empty. It was bought by Columbia Threadneedle more than 15 years ago for a reported 4.2m but is said to be more expensive to run than it is profitable. The firm is selling the centre as a development opportunity likely to involve demolishing and building the site from scratch. But one source suggested crippling business rates and the cost of demolition meant the purchase was too risky.

Stores including Debenhams, Marks & Spencer and Mothercare are all facing falling sales as they struggle to remain relevant.

Sophie Lund-Yates, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Growth may be slightly slower than we've seen in recent updates, but the fact is positive sales growth is a feat many stores simply aren't managing at the moment.

'All-in-all, Primark's in a position some of its rivals can only dream of.'Campaigners and businesses are demanding a guarantee that new homes across the country will get decent broadband.

After the Mail revealed one in eight new properties are getting sub-standard internet speeds, calls are growing for the Government to introduce laws more quickly that will ensure families get a good connection.

Frustrated: Kevin Pratley and his family have been plagued by slow internet speeds

'ONLY ONE OF US AT A TIME CAN USE THE INTERNET' Engineer Kevin Pratley says the broadband in his home is so poor it cannot be used by more than one person at a time. The 54-year-old and his family moved into their 185,000 three-bedroom detached house, built by Persimmon, in 2012. But they have been plagued by slow internet speeds ever since and have yet to be told when they can get an upgrade. Mr Pratley, who is married to Lisa, 43, said his ten-year-old daughter, Katie, needs to go online to do homework. He often works from home for Jaguar Land Rover as well. But he and his daughter must take turns to use the internet or it becomes too slow to use. Mr Pratley said: 'We also try to download programmes on the TV but just give up because it is impossible. 'Persimmon said we needed to contact Openreach, and they said fibre isn't available in our area yet,' he said. 'The sooner someone fixes it the better but at the moment it seems like everyone is dragging their feet.'

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned broadband was a basic requirement and that a lack of action could hurt Britain's economy.

Consumer group Which? and the Countryside Alliance also rounded on penny-pinching developers, saying it was unacceptable for families paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to be lumbered with homes that had poor connections.

Ministers have vowed to pass laws that will guarantee every new home is equipped with good broadband  but no legislation has been proposed.

Felicity Burch, the CBI's director of innovation, said: 'All new properties must have full fibre or other gigabit cables installed when they're built, and new laws must give permission to firms to install connections in existing homes for private tenants.'

Mike Cherry, chairman of the FSB, said a lack of decent broadband was holding back firms in rural areas particularly.

He added: 'As it stands, the UK lags behind several European nations to provide a fully operating fibre optic service, which means businesses and those who work from home are being left behind, further hampering the economy.'

Alex Neill, managing director of home services at Which?, said: 'A decent broadband connection is a modern essential for most households so it is unacceptable that some property developers do not seem to be treating connectivity as a priority.'

And Sarah Lee, head of policy at the Countryside Alliance, said: 'Communities in rural areas are often treated as second-class citizens when it comes to broadband connectivity. It is unacceptable in this modern age that developers are failing to include this essential service when they build new homes.'

On Tuesday, the Mail revealed thousands of properties continue to be built that cannot even receive download speeds of 10 megabits per second, which the Government says should be a minimum. And even though ministers have proposed all new homes should get fibre optic connections  the best available  around four in ten homes are still built without these. A Government spokesman this week vowed to tackle the problem but was unable to say when new laws would be brought forward.

He said: 'We've recently consulted on making full fibre mandatory for new homes and will outline next steps in due course.'Netflix last night revealed profits of more than 103m for the end of 2018  taking its full year haul to more than 930m.

The video streaming giant also added a record 8.8m paying subscribers, beating its forecast of 7.6m and taking the global total to 148.2m.

For the first time, the US company also detailed viewing figures for its shows, which include hits such as The Crown and House of Cards.

Royal performance: Olivia Colman will star alongside Tobias Menzies in The Crown

Netflix claimed its share of TV-viewing time in the US was 10 per cent  or around 100m hours a day.

It said suspense thriller Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, had been watched by 80m households in its first four weeks.

However shares fell by as much as 5 per cent after its revenues came in below analyst estimates, with the company reporting revenue of 3.23 billion compared to an expected 3.24 billion.

The firm, led by boss Reed Hastings, is facing a pivotal year as America's biggest media companies try to steal its lead.

It has reaped huge success and glitzy awards with its original shows but it is now preparing to battle new services being launched by well-resourced rivals.

Setting the pace: Netflix is led by boss Reed Hastings

Disney and Warner will debut their own streaming services this year, with Apple also thought to be readying its own competitor.

And NBCUniversal, whose parent company Comcast bought British broadcaster Sky last year, said last week it would launch a streaming service in 2020.

The moves will pit Netflix up against some of the oldest media brands in the US. Disney, founded 95 years ago, boasts the Star Wars and Marvel superhero franchises, while Warner owns premium cable service HBO, featuring dramas True Detective and Westworld, as well as the DC superhero franchise.

At the same time, it is also fighting off growing competition from Amazon's Prime Video service and others such as Hulu.

Analysts say Netflix has a head start over its competitors. It also hiked prices in the US last week to boost its spending power.

But some of its most popular shows are licensed from rivals that are now entering the streaming market, with analysts saying these are likely to start disappearing from its service.

For example, American sitcom Friends, which it reportedly paid up to 62m to keep for 2019, is owned by Warner.

As part of efforts to bolster its own content warchest, Netflix has been producing its own content and buying up the rights to shows around the world to boost its international audience.

It is also banking on drawing more subscribers with the return of some of its most popular in-house titles in 2019, with new seasons of The Crown and Stranger Things on the way.

The third season of The Crown will star Olivia Colman  who is tipped to win an Oscar in February  as a younger Queen Elizabeth II and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.Revived hopes of a softer Brexit, following Theresa May's failure to push through her deal for leaving the EU through the House of Commons, helped.

Investors feared that the economy could slow if the UK suddenly cut ties with the continent, and this has weighed on companies like Bovis since, theoretically, fewer people would buy houses.

But it said the UK housing market 'remains strong, with demand for new homes supported by attractive mortgage finance and Government initiatives'.

The same optimism caused Metro Bank to soar, as the lender's shares lifted 10.1 per cent, or 188p, to 2056p.

Bovis Homes said it was on course to beat analysts' profit predictions of 166m in its 2018 results, which are due at the end of February

Bovis said uncertainty surrounding Britain's departure from the EU slowed sales of larger homes, however. For 2018, it built 3,759 homes, 3 per cent up on the previous year.

The average selling price rose to 273,000 from 272,400.

Greg Fitzgerald, the chief executive, said: 'The significant improvement across all areas is expected to deliver a record year of profits.'

Bovis was up 3.8 per cent, or 35.4p, to 962.2p, Persimmon climbed 5.4 per cent, or 119p, to 2320p, Taylor Wimpey rose 5.6 per cent, or 8.75p, to 164p and Barratt Developments edged up 3.9 per cent, or 19.5p, to 518p.

Education company Pearson hasn't yet turned over a new leaf with investors, as shares fell following an update on 2018.

Although it said profits would be in the region of 540million to 545million, at the central point of previous guidance, this was driven by higher cost savings rather than improved performance. Revenue was down 1 per cent.

Stock Watch - Van Elle Ground engineering business Van Elle was on shaky foundations as it announced results for the six months to the end of October. The Nottinghamshire firm, which also builds the infrastructure for rail networks and has worked on stations such as East Croydon, said profit sank 53.6 per cent to 2.6million. A quiet start to the financial year pushed revenue down by 18.4 per cent to 42.9million, though new boss Mark Cutler has already begun to cut costs. Shares sank 18.2 per cent, or 14.5p, to 65p.

The textbook seller has desperately been trying to break into the digital education market, as demand for books has declined.

Digital products now account for 55 per cent of US course materials sales, up from 50 per cent in 2017, though growth has not been fast enough to offset the decline in sales.

George Salmon, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said there was good news in that digital products were increasing in popularity.

But he added that its shift 'from far-reaching media conglomerate into digital education specialist is a risky one, and Pearson is nearer the start than the finish line'. Shares fell 6 per cent, or 58.4p, to 918.2p.

Despite the housebuilders' gains, Pearson dragged the FTSE 100 down by 0.5 per cent, or 32.34 points, to 6862.68.

Bread and cake manufacturer Finsbury Food Group was also left feeling flat as it released a trading update for the latter half of 2018.

The maker of Disney-branded cakes, Thorntons baked goods and Weight Watchers snacks plummeted 10.5 per cent, or 9.8p, to 83.2p, after revenue slipped 3.5 per cent to 152.3million.

Drinkers propped up The City Pub Group, as total revenue leapt by 22 per cent to 45.6million in the 52 weeks to December 30.

The majority of the 1.6 per cent like-for-like growth was driven by increased sales, the South of England chain added, since price increases only kicked in at the end of 2018.

It owns and runs 44 pubs, and shares fizzed up by 5.1 per cent, or 10p ,to 207p.

Over-50s insurance and travel specialist Saga declined, as it warned competition in the insurance sector was tough. Shares dipped 1.7 per cent, or 1.7p, to 101.5p.Marks & Spencer must axe even more stores than the 100 already planned to revive its fortunes, it said last night.

The move is likely to affect thousands of jobs at the company, which has around 1,000 stores and 81,000 staff.

A transformation plan under chairman Archie Norman and chief executive Steve Rowe aims to move more sales online.

Marks & Spencer bosses have admitted they must axe even more stores than the 100 already planned to revive its fortunes

A spokesman said: 'We have been very clear that our store closure programme is going to be more than 100 stores. We are delivering the UK's biggest retail transformation plan which includes us modernising and updating our store estate.'

Analysts at Shore Capital, the M&S house broker, said the retailer had no choice after dismal sales over Christmas.

Clive Black, head of research at Shore Capital, said: 'We concur with management that radical change is necessary, knowing that the closures have not been undertaken lightly. We would still not be surprised to see a more substantial closure programme.

'The change programme is challenging, and predicated upon a poor financial performance for many years.'

Rowe has blamed M&S's massive business rates bill for heaping further pressure on the firm and forcing it to close swathes of stores.

Seb James, chief executive of Boots, joined the chorus of criticism of business rates, telling the Mail: 'We are not on a level playing field.

'People have dismissed it as whining but now we really are seeing retailers go to the wall.'

Greetings card and stationery retailer Paperchase is understood to have appointed KPMG to advise on a major overhaul of its store portfolio.

It has 2,000 staff and 130 stores in the UK, and 30 internationally.

Rates have hammered traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers which are struggling to compete with an onslaught from online firms such as Amazon.Running Boots is not a job for the faint-hearted. The chain of chemists is right up there with Marks & Spencer as one of the best-loved shops on the British high street, which is going through one of the toughest times in living memory.

Most of us  more than eight out of ten  dash there for everything from cold remedies to corn patches, as well as more indulgent items like lipsticks and bath potions.

Its No7 anti-ageing serums, which have been advertised by 55-year-old ballerina Alessandra Ferri (pictured below), have acquired cult status among British women and are catching on in the US and China.

Revamp plan: New Boots boss Seb James wants to appeal to 'cool new brands' by opening 31 beauty halls this spring and revamping four big stores

But not even a national institution like Boots can rest on its laurels, which is where Seb James comes in. The genial 52-year-old made his name at Dixons Carphone.

'With Boots I am in this incredibly privileged position at this extraordinary British icon with 170 years of history,' he says, in his first major interview since taking up his new role in September.

Although Boots is a British stalwart, it is just one part of a huge 50billion international pharmacy group, Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Its shares are listed in the US and its kingpin is Stefano Pessina, a septuagenarian Italian billionaire, who took it over in 2006 with private equity backing, and went on to merge it with the Walgreens chain in the US in 2014 in a 16billion deal.

'One of the things that attracted me to this job is that I have been a Stefano groupie for about a dozen years,' adds chief executive James, who says Boots is not one business but three.

He says there is a 'get better' business, in other words the pharmacy, medicines, and first aid; a 'live better' arm selling vitamins, supplements and holistic remedies and a 'look better' business  for make-up and creams.

'Goodness knows I need all the help I can get in that department,' he jokes.

'We have been a supermarket for all these things. So there were some quite uncomfortable juxtapositions. You might have had expensive cosmetics next to incontinence pads.'

He wants to make the three businesses work better together, and to reinvent Boots' beauty halls.

The plan is to appeal to 'cool new brands' by opening 31 beauty halls this spring and revamping four big stores, along with one totally new opening in London in the summer.

The new store 'will be in a cool part of London and it will be a flagship for what we want to do in beauty,' he says.

Top seller: Boots No7 anti-ageing serum

Rather than just ladies in white coats providing makeovers, it will have a YouTube studio so people can post videos of their makeovers on social media.

'We will have one very beautiful central space with make-up artists to do makeovers and where people can take selfies.

'There will be magic mirrors,' he says, referring to digital technology that allows women to see what particular lipsticks and eyeshadows would look like on their face, so they don't have to bother applying and wiping off several shades to discover what suits them.

He is an admirer of Sephora, the French beauty store chain owned by luxury goods company LVMH.

'It is exciting, I am a bloke and I can't get out of there without spending money. In the wellness business, people want it to be more holistic, to walk in and feel better already.

With pharmacy, they want reassurance they are going to be fine. That's about speed and advice. We want to make the consultation spaces more like going to the doctor.

'We are launching a new digital pharmacy experience which will be quicker and slicker. There will be places where you pick up your prescriptions very quickly, so that will be a reason to choose us.'

James has picked a tricky time to take the helm. In the most recent full financial year to the end of August, Boots made a profit of nearly 500million before tax.

But in the quarter to the end of November, UK pharmacy sales were down 3.5 per cent and retail sales overall down 2.6 per cent. It described market conditions here as 'weak'.

So how concerned is he about online competition from the likes of Amazon, which, quite legally, pays much lower business rates?

'We have an effective tax rate of 55 per cent because of rates and corporation tax.

'We are not on a level playing field. People have dismissed it as whining but we are seeing retailers go to the wall.

I have a grudging respect for Amazon. The trick for Boots is to identify what we have got that Amazon hasn't.

'We have this incredible network of 2,500 stores, so 70 per cent of customers are picking up their goods in shops. While they are in the shop we can talk to them about their health and their wellness.

Boots No7 anti-ageing serums, which have been advertised by 55-year-old ballerina Alessandra Ferri have acquired cult status among British women

'Our other big advantage we have is a very high degree of trust. Our retail brand is very powerful, particularly for women. We have a much more intimate relationship with our customers.'

He believes Boots can take pressure off the NHS. It already has done nearly 750,000 flu jabs this year and could do more on vaccinations.

There will be more doctors' surgeries. 'In Brighton there is a surgery in a Boots branch. We will do more where we have space.'

He doesn't want to say how much he will spend on stores, but concedes it will be 'quite a lot. More of our capital is going to be devoted to transformation.'

James himself started out as a management consultant, before setting up a DVD company Silverscreen in 2003, but it went under three years later, due to the arrival of online streaming.

He lost a chunk of his own money, and, with a young family to support  he and wife Anna have four children  it was a brutal lesson.

'I was really very bad at it,' he says. 'To the extent that I am good at anything at all, it is trying to understand things that are really complicated and to see the three or four things that really matter in a business as big as Boots.

'Everyone should fail once, because you learn such a lot. With all leadership, whether it is in business or politics, the real hazard is vanity.'

As well as running Boots, he is on the board of insurer Direct Line and the charity Save the Children. 'It has had a torrid year,' he says, referring to the allegations that the charity failed to investigate sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour by staff.

Apart from that, he spends time with his children. 'Having four kids is very full on. One has just gone to uni and is roaming Oxford like Hemingway.'

James made his name transforming Dixons, which was, when he arrived in 2008 as development director, a chain of scruffy shops.

He smartened up the stores and made sure sometimes sullen staff became enthusiastic and helpful.

He segued into the top job in 2012 and oversaw a 3.2billion merger with Carphone Warehouse.

Recently, his old company has been feeling chill winds, falling, after James left, to a 440million loss in the first half of its financial year.

Some might wonder why James bothers with the hard work at all. He is the third son of Lord Northbourne, and a friend of David Cameron since they were at Eton and Oxford.

He bats away, politely but firmly, all questions about the former prime minister and how he might feel now about the consequences of Brexit.

But the two share an easy charm that doesn't quite disguise the ambition and sharp intellect beneath.

James, a Remainer, believes there 'probably won't be a catastrophic exit. I can't believe we won't find some kind of solution.'

He sees retail as an engine for social mobility. 'It is one of the few careers where you can start on the shop floor and end up as chief executive, as my boss Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance did. He started as a Saturday boy. That is an amazing benefit for society.'The owner of stricken cafe chain Patisserie Valerie has admitted its accounting scandal is worse than previously thought.

In a strongly worded statement, Patisserie Holdings spoke of the devastating effects of a fraud that involved 'significant manipulation' of its books, including thousands of false entries.

Initial findings from a probe into the scandal reveal cash flow and profitability have been overstated.

Accounting scandal: Patisserie Holdings spoke of the devastating effects of a fraud that involved 'significant manipulation' of its books, including thousands of false entries

The chain is now pleading with lenders for a further extension to loan arrangements.

Patisserie Valerie, headed by entrepreneur Luke Johnson, has overhauled its management after a 40million black hole was discovered on its books and former finance boss Chris Marsh was arrested on suspicion of fraud.

Its chief executive, Paul May, has also been replaced amid a string of senior appointments.

Meanwhile, former auditor Grant Thornton is being investigated by the Financial Reporting Council.

Patisserie Holdings has hired RSM as auditors, but said there were likely to be major delays to the restatement of previous accounts and its full-year results.

It has also called in KPMG for advice. A spokesman said: 'The work carried out by the company's forensic accountants has revealed that the mis-statement of its accounts was extensive, involving very significant manipulation of the balance sheet and profit and loss accounts.

'Among other manipulations, this involved thousands of false entries into the ledgers.

'It will take some time before a reliable trading outlook can be completed while the above workstreams progress.

'The company has hired KPMG to assist it in a review of all options in order to recover from the devastating effects of the fraud, and to preserve value for its stakeholders.'The boss of Reckitt Benckiser could trouser 30million after leaving  on top of the 86million he was paid while in charge.

Rakesh Kapoor, one of the FTSE 100's best-paid chief executives, will retire by the end of 2019 after 32 years at the company, including more than eight in charge.

The 60-year-old was hailed for a 90 per cent surge in shares during his time at the top and for masterminding a major overhaul of the business, which is behind brands such as Dettol, Cillit Bang and Durex.

Rakesh Kapoor, one of the FTSE 100's best-paid chief executives, will retire by the end of 2019 after 32 years at the company, including more than eight in charge

But Kapoor also leaves after a period of slow sales growth, several business disasters and rows over fat cat pay.

During the past three years the firm has been hit by disruption at its Dutch factory, product failures, an exodus of bosses, a cyber-attack costing 100million and a scandal in South Korea that saw one of Reckitt's disinfectants blamed for the deaths of children.

Kapoor's huge payouts have also sparked investor anger, with nearly a quarter of shareholders opposing his 25.5million package in 2015 at a company meeting.

Between 2011 and 2017 he pocketed 85.7million in pay, bonuses and perks.

His pay for 2018 has yet to be revealed and he will continue to be paid until he leaves this year  landing him another large cheque.

He could also be handed 490,000 Reckitt shares, which are worth 30million at current prices, depending on performance.

That would take his pay since becoming chief executive to a staggering 116million, not including his earnings in 2018 and 2019.

Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, said: 'Current levels of executive pay are generally considered to be excessive, but even by those standards the payouts at Reckitt have been extraordinarily brazen.

'There's no real basis for thinking the company's performance would have been any different had they paid a less outlandish amount.'

Kapoor yesterday sought to set out his legacy at Reckitt, highlighting a 13billion takeover of Mead Johnson two years ago and moves to divide it into two divisions, one for health and another for hygiene and household goods.

However, his bid to add Pfizer's consumer health business to Reckitt's portfolio failed.

Kapoor said: '2020 will herald a new decade and I believe now is a good time for new leadership to take this great company through the next phase of outperformance. I will remain fully focused on driving the business until a successor is in place.'

Kapoor had his pay cut twice in the past two years due to performance and investor anger over his 25.5million payout.

He could get another 900,000 share options, in addition to the 490,000 linked to performance, although those are worthless at the current share price due to exercise costs.

His departure comes amid turmoil in the consumer goods industry, with rivals Unilever, Campbell Soup and Pepsico naming new bosses in the past six months.

Reckitt is seeking a successor and will look at inside and outside candidates, with hygiene division president Rob de Groot a contender.

Chris Sinclair, Reckitt's chairman, said: 'Under Rakesh, Reckitt has been transformed from a household cleaning business to a world leader in consumer health and hygiene. He has been both the visionary and the architect behind this strategic portfolio transformation.'

Shares in Reckitt dipped by 4.2 per cent yesterday.

Liberum analyst Robert Waldschmidt said: 'We expect Kapoor's departure could signal the start of plans to formally split the businesses into two separate entities.'

Analysts at Jefferies said: 'The announcement compounds our sense of unease around Reckitt, a feeling that the success model is finding its limits and that the loss of Pfizer has been a mortal blow.'Blackrock were duped by spoof letter

Blackrock fell victim to an elaborate hoax after a spoof letter was sent to media outlets purporting to be from the firm's mucho intenso boss, Larry Fink.

It warned companies to take more action over climate change or risk being dropped by the sprawling investment giant.

No word yet on who's behind the hack. Crusty climate change campaigners remain high on the list of suspects.

Re M&S, they've hired Britvic corporate affairs director Victoria McKenzie-Gould as new communications chief.

She is well-versed in the art of slick communications. She was Tony Blair's deputy chief of staff for a time, if that's any guide.

Like all wise investors, Wall Street hotshot Steve Eisman knows who to consult on the big issues of the day.

He tells Radio 4 that not a single person in the UK had a clue what was going to happen over Brexit. 'Not even the London taxi drivers I've spoken to seem to know,' he remarks incredulously.

Hedge funder and perpetual prophet of doom Crispin Odey, whose fund gained 53pc last year after three years of misery, reckons the stock market is heading (quelle surprise) for an almighty crash.

He informs Bloomberg darkly: 'I had my recession. Now it's your turn.' Delightful fellow, no?

Conservative MP Gillian Keegan expressed concern at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday at the rejection of Theresa May's Brexit bill.

She said: 'Businesses up and down the country were very disappointed with last night's results  with the possible exception of Wetherspoons.'

No possibles about it, Gillian. Wetherspoon's Euro-hating boss Tim Martin was on BBC Breakfast yesterday. The mulleted rascal was cock-a-hoop.HISTORY

LORDS OF THE DESERT

by James Barr (Simon & Schuster 20, 416pp)

Conventional wisdom has it that Soviet Russia swiftly became Britains most deadly enemy after 1945, while our great ally was the United States.

This version of history, according to James Barrs magnificently researched new book, is in urgent need of reassessment. He demonstrates that the U.S. was just as determined, if not more so, to destroy Britains global power and influence as Joseph Stalins Russia.

The United States wanted to establish itself as the new global hegemon  which meant subverting Britain at every turn and, as this book shows, it was prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to do so.

James Barr explores records of attempts to destroy Britain's global power in a new history book which shares an account of Churchill (pictured) misjudging U.S. relations

So the poor old Brits had an official enemy in the shape of Russia and  much more insidious  an unofficial enemy in the U.S.

This process culminated in Britains total humiliation when the United States pulled the plug on Britains failed attempt to seize back the Suez Canal in 1956.

Five years earlier the U.S. had sabotaged a carefully-planned attempt by MI6 to take control of Iranian oil production  a move which sent the message round the Arab world that British influence was doomed.

American contempt for Britain started even before World War II was over, with a disastrous visit to Egypt in 1942 by Wendell L Willkie, the Republican opponent to Franklin D Roosevelt for the Presidency two years earlier.

Willkie arrived in Cairo full of admiration for the British. Then he had dinner with a senior British official and was filled with horror: What I got was Rudyard Kipling, untainted even with the liberalism of Cecil Rhodes, he recorded.

These men, executing policies made in London, had no idea the world was changing. And Willkie had no doubt that Winston Churchill was to blame.

His hostility was increased by a disastrous mix-up when Churchill paid a brief visit to Washington after the United States joined the war in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

Willkie wanted to meet Churchill to establish his credentials as an international statesman, ahead of the 1944 presidential elections.

Churchill, in turn, was eager to meet Willkie, then the favourite for the Presidency. So he rang up Willkie to arrange a clandestine meeting.

Unfortunately the switchboard operator put him through to the wrong number.

I am so glad to speak to you, gushed Churchill.

Whom do you think you are speaking to? came the reply.

LORDS OF THE DESERT by James Barr (Simon & Schuster 20, 416pp)

To Wendell Willkie, am I not?

No, came the answer. You are speaking to the President . . . Franklin Roosevelt.

The President then banned Churchill from meeting Willkie, who was mortally offended when the event was cancelled.

This was just one of a series of mishaps and misunderstandings which set the tone for Britains post-war relationship with the U.S.

At bottom, both countries were determined to get access to oil, already known to exist in vast qualities on the Arabian peninsula.

In a sneaky move, the U.S. tried to hire Wilfred Thesiger, the famous British explorer, to guide them in finding oil reserves. Thesiger stayed loyal to the British: he was in fact hard at work on their behalf, at one stage carrying out oil exploration under fake cover for an organisation called the Anti-Locust unit.

This is a splendid book. It demonstrates the early perspicuity of a young Tory researcher called Enoch Powell who sought out Anthony Eden (then a highly regarded former foreign secretary) shortly after the war to give him advice.

I want to tell you that in the Middle East our great enemies are the Americans, the young Powell told the elder statesman.

Eden looked at him as if he was mad. But Powell had the last laugh. Eden was later to reflect: I had no idea what he meant. I do now.BOOK OF THE WEEK

THE WHITE DARKNESS: ONE MAN'S PERILOUS QUEST TO CROSS ANTARCTICA IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SHACKLETON

by David Grann (Simon & Schuster 12.99, 160pp)

The atrocious storm came out of nowhere. The temperature was -22 degrees, and frigid winds whipped up ice that stung the eyes like bits of glass.

Henry Worsley immediately decided that his team needed to set up their tent to escape the storm. But moments after they unpacked the tent, the wind nearly hurled it into the white oblivion.

Had that happened, it would have been lost for ever, and without that thin layer of nylon fabric sheltering them from the storms fury, they would surely have died.

Once they had grappled the tent to the ground, fastened it down with ice screws and huddled inside, the wind intensified to 50 miles per hour. It was, said Worsley, as if the elements were furious that we were there.

David Grann recounts Henry Worsley's (pictured) fatal 2015 adventure to the Antarctic in a gripping new book

This was on an expedition in 2008  and so Lt Col Henry Worsley, whose final fatal trip in 2015 is recounted in this gripping book, knew all about the Antarctic, and it didnt diminish his enthusiasm for it one bit: a 10,000ft peak called Mount Terror; a live volcano, spewing black, acrid smoke into an icy sky; temperatures that can drop to almost -90c; a chain of frozen mountains whose only passes are glaciers riddled with dreadful crevasses, large enough to swallow a man whole . . .

The terrible beauty of the frozen continent has lured explorers back again and again, and one such explorer was Henry Worsley.

He had served with the SAS and, like any Special Forces soldier, he knew that what counts is strength of mind and will, not sheer fitness.

He was also man enough to feel no embarrassment at his love of needlework: one delightful fact that emerges from David Granns short but superbly written book is that Worsley taught lace-making to prisoners.

He was also a sculptor, a fierce boxer, a collector of rare books and maps and fossils . . .

But his greatest ambition was to follow in the footsteps of Ernest Shackleton across Antarctica while raising money for wounded soldiers.

A distant relative of Frank Worsley, who had been captain of Shackletons ship Endeavour, he aimed to cross the entire continent, aged 55, solo and unaided, in just ten brief weeks or so. It was, said another explorer, an almost inhuman challenge.

He arrived on October 30, 2015, at Punta Arenas in southern Chile, for a flight to Antarctica, but the weather was ominous: a terrible storm blew up, despite it being the Antarctic summer, and when he finally set off he was two weeks delayed.

The clock was ticking, and he would need to be out of Antarctica before the winter set in once again in February.

The first day he trekked for eight hours, pulling a 330lb sled, and in the evening rang home via satellite phone, tired but full of enthusiasm. His next obstacle was the Transantarctic Mountains, one of the longest but least-known mountain ranges on earth.

Henry (pictured left in 2008) who served in the SAS, attempted to cross Antarctic alone to raise money for wounded soldiers

To traverse them, he had to don crampons and climb an immense icy slope several hundred feet high, pulling his sled laden with food, fuel and equipment. He found he simply couldnt do it, so had to carry items up one by one.

Later he almost fell down a crevasse, disguised under a thin surface of snow, and only just managed to haul himself out.

When he peered into the chasm, he suddenly felt very alone, vulnerable and scared. It reminded him, he said philosophically, just who is in control around here. Trespassers will be punished.

He was now burning 6,000-8,000 calories a day, and as it is nearly impossible to take this much in, he was losing weight fast. During the day he subsisted on protein bars, but biting into one that was frozen solid, he broke off a front tooth.

He shrugged and pushed on  often fantasising about the fattiest, stodgiest food he could think of: Fish pie, double cream, steak and chips, more chips, rice pudding, Dairy Milk and pizza . . .

He found he had to stop every minute to get his breath. There was endless bad weather, the dreaded white darkness of a dense, icy murk, where he could see no further than the end of his own skis, and there was a soul-destroying loneliness.

He began to confess to his private diary: I just cant go on . . . despairing, then gritted his teeth in toughest plucky-Brit fashion, and pushed on. On Christmas Day he unwrapped a mince pie and Christmas cake his family had given him, and soon afterwards passed by the South Pole.

Henry (pictured with Will Glow and Henry Adams) flew to Chile on day 70 of his journey and later died from a series of health complications including kidney and liver failure

He received constant messages of love and support from his family, his teenage daughter, Alicia, messaging him: I am thinking of you constantly, and love you more than ever.

He said these were like a warm hand in the small of my back, lifting me when I am down.

Yet however strong his will and mind, his body was breaking down. He was well over halfway through his epic journey, but he had lost 40lb and his legs were stick-thin.

For the first time, his calls home sounded not just exhausted but sad, his wife, Joanna, noted with increasing anxiety. In his diary, he wrote in fragments. So breathless . . . I am fading . . . And another: Very desperate . . . slipping away . . . stomach . . .

He had walked nearly 800 nautical miles in 70 days, and had just 30 tantalising miles to go  but he could no longer move. Indeed, lying in his tent on day 70, he no longer had the energy to boil water.

His son, Max, told him he would always see him as a true polar warrior, but you just need to pull out and come home.

At last he made the call for the most expensive taxi ride in the world, and was airlifted back to Punta Arenas. Instead of glory, said his wife happily, he chose us.

THE WHITE DARKNESS: ONE MAN'S PERILOUS QUEST TO CROSS ANTARCTICA IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SHACKLETON by David Grann (Simon & Schuster 12.99, 160pp)

Alas, the cruellest continent had a final sting. The stomach ache that had troubled him for weeks turned out to be bacterial peritonitis, a dangerous infection that required immediate surgery. His adventure had taken a terrible toll on his entire body, including his immune system.

Joanna flew immediately to Santiago, capital of Chile, where she received another message saying his liver had failed. Waiting anxiously for the connecting plane down to Punta Arenas, she then heard that his kidneys had failed. Finally, the British Ambassador to Chile, Fiona Clouder, came in person. Holding Joannas hand, she told her that Henry had died.

She was facing her own Antarctica, says Grann heart-rendingly. So were her children.

Its dreadfully sad  Worsley so nearly made it  but sadness is far from the whole story. Worsley had immense courage, a lovable, almost boyish sense of adventure, and his family felt huge pride in him, as did the British nation. If Im even half the man Dad turned out be, said Max, Id be so pleased.

Henry Worsley was posthumously awarded the Polar Medal, whose previous recipients include both Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Two years after Henrys death, Joanna, Max and Alicia returned to South Georgia, where Shackleton is interred. And in light snowfall, they buried a small wooden box containing Henry Worsleys ashes.A Utah girl is finally going home after spending the first three years of her life in a hospital in Ohio.

Zariah Donovan was born prematurely at just 23 weeks, six days gestation in September 2015.

During her time in the NICU, she developed such a serious lung disease that doctors told her parents, Shawn Donovan and Vilayvone Thipsouvan, that she had a zero percent chance of survival.

Zariah was took weak to go home and no medical center near the family could provide the care that she needed.

The family learned of a specialized program at Nationwide Children's Hospital - 1,700 miles away - and agreed to admit her.

After years spent in physical, occupational and speech therapy, Zariah's lungs finally grew strong enough and she was cleared to go home.

Zariah Donovan, three, is finally going home to Utah. She has spent most of her life at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Pictured, left and right: Zariah at Nationwide in December 2018

She was born in September 2015 at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City weighing just one pound and six ounces. Pictured: Zariah when she was born

Staying at the hospital in Ohio for the past three made the difference between life and death for Zariah, but it meant the family has been split-up for most of their youngest daughter's life.

Donovan quit his job and moved to Ohio to be near her, while Thispouvian stayed behind in Sandy, Utah, with their older daughter Raven, now four.

'Not being able to see them for basically three years is just super hard,' Thipsouvan told KSL.

'There's part of me that's so terrified that [Zariah is] going to forget me.'

It's been a long and emotional journey for the couple, who didn't think their daughter would live to see her first birthday.

When Zariah was born at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, she weighed just one pound and six ounces.

According to a GoFundMe page, Zariah was given no more than a 15 percent chance of survival because she was so underdeveloped.

Doctors told her parents, she was at a high risk of facing life-long physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy and vision problems.

Zariah had open-heart surgery at three weeks old and had 12 blood transfusions, multiple bouts of pneumonia and even a case of sepsis.

In April 2016, at seven months old, Zariah was diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a form of chronic lung disease that mainly affects premature babies.

At three weeks old, Zariah had open-heart surgery and, at seven months old, she developed a form of chronic lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Pictured, left to right: Raven Donovan, dad Shawn Donovan, Zariah Donovan and mom Vilayvone Thipsouvan in April 2017

BPD is caused by lung damage from mechanical ventilator and long-term oxygen support. Doctors said it was the worst case they had ever seen and gave her a zero percent chance of survival. Pictured: Zariah with her father in December 2018, left, and with a nurse in January 2019, right

The condition is caused by lung damage from a mechanical ventilator and receiving high levels of oxygen for a long period of time.

'Lung tissue growth, the great portion of it happens in the third trimester and she never made it to there,' Thispouvian told KSL.

Doctors said it was the worst case of BPD they had ever seen and her chance of survival fell to zero percent.

No hospital in Utah was able to provide the care she needed, but Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, had a specialized BPD program and agreed to admit Zariah.

At Nationwide, Zariah went through extensive physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy.

Thispouvian told the news station that despite not being there in-person for much of her daughter's treatment, she got to witness many firsts.

'She started taking steps forward,' Thispouvian said.

'Then the therapist was even more excited because she was like: "This is the first time that she's ever taken steps forward", and I was like: "Yes!"'

Slowly but surely her condition improved and her lungs improved.

Finally, on Tuesday, after 1,221 days in the NICU - three years and four months - Zariah was discharged from Nationwide.

Zariah (left and right) was transferred to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, which has a special BPD program. She also underwent extensive physical, speech and occupational therapy

In November 2016, she was cleared to go home and flew home to Utah on Tuesday. Pictured: Zariah with her father at Nationwide

She was transferred to the PICU at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

The family needs to set up home hospital environment - including scheduled visits from nurses, a home ventilator and a deep clean so no allergens irritate or inflame her lungs.

Once their home is approved by medical staff, Zariah will be allowed to go home, according to the GoFundMe page.

'She's a miracle and a fighter,' Thispouvian told KSL. 'And we're home, we're home.'

A GoFundMe page was set up to help cover Zariah's medical bills and medical equipment for the family's home.

So far, more than $20,600 has been raised out of a $30,000 goal.Being surrounded by the scent of a burger or pizza for two minutes is enough to banish your cravings for junk food, new research claims.

Smelling the aroma for less than 30 seconds will tantalize you and drive you to give in to temptation.

But 90 seconds more will satisfy your senses, according to a new study on humans who were exposed to the scent of strawberries, apples, biscuits and pizza to see how it impacted their cravings.

Experts say the findings suggest air freshener manufacturers could develop food scented ones to curb people urges to indulge in fatty and sugary foods in a bid to beat the obesity epidemic.

Smelling pizza for 30 seconds will tantalize you and drive you to give in to temptation. But 90 seconds more will satisfy your senses, a study by the University of Florida found

Appetizing aromas that waft from takeaway restaurants and fish and chip shops have the power to satisfy the belly - if it lasts long enough.

That is because the brain doesn't necessarily differentiate the source of sensory pleasure, say scientists.

Lead author Professor Dipayan Biswas explained: 'Ambient scent can be a powerful tool to resist cravings for indulgent foods.'

It could be the key to combating the worldwide obesity epidemic because banning or taxing fatty and sugary treats are unlikely to work.

The University of Florida marketing expert said: 'In fact, subtle sensory stimuli like scents can be more effective in influencing children's and adults' food choices than restrictive policies.'

The findings published in the Journal of Marketing Research may lead to food scented air fresheners and room sprays encouraging people to eat more healthily.

In the study Dr Biswas and colleagues exposed participants to the scent of either a healthy strawberries or apples or biscuits or pizza.

Those who sniffed the unhealthy options for less than 30 seconds were more likely to want them.

But if it lasted more than two minutes they stopped finding them desirable, and instead craved the fruit.

The experiments involved dozens of US teenagers in a middle school cafeteria and a supermarket, with the results backed up in the lab.

Previous research has shown just a whiff of fried food from a burger or pizza bar is enough to make us buy one.

But Dr Biswas said putting yourself through 120 seconds of the torment may actually help you to say no - and shift the pounds.

He said one manufacturer is the US is already making cupcake-scented and cookie-scented air fresheners.

Dr Biswas said: 'Several companies are selling different types of cookie-scented room sprays.

'If the findings of our research hold in non store, non cafeteria and non lab settings, such as in homes, then using cookie-scented air fresheners or scented candles could possibly nudge healthier choices at home.

'Clearly, additional research in home settings is needed to explore this in greater depth.'

He said marketers are increasingly using ambient scent as a strategic tool to differentiate from the competition, attract customers, stimulate sales, influence mood and create an overall pleasant and memorable shopping experience.

They are often infused in retail stores, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and cafeterias, airplanes and stadiums.

Dr Biswas said: 'While managers have traditionally focused on ambient sensory factors related to visual and auditory cues, there is a growing trend toward focusing on olfactory cues as a strategic element in retail atmospherics.

'For example, Samsung pumps the scent of honeydew melons into its flagship store in New York.

'Although managers use different types of ambient scents, food-related ambient scents are especially common.

'In a recent trend, restaurants are adding artificial ambient scents of foods that may not even be on their menus.

'For instance, Chicago-based Alinea restaurant uses burning cinnamon sticks and branches of fresh rosemary as an ambient scent; Cleveland-based Vita Urbana uses the smell of burned bay leaves and heated cilantro as an ambient scent, even though the chef does not put cilantro into the dishes.'

He added: 'Given the prominence of ambient scent as a marketing tool and the popularity of food-related ambient scents in the marketplace, this research examines the influence of food-related ambient scents on consumers' product choices.'The flu outbreak gripping Britain killed 26 more people last week and is starting to take hold in hospitals, officials figures revealed today.

Public Health England, which compiles reports on flu activity in the UK each week, says the death toll now sits at 68.

The new data shows cases of flu have risen again since last week, with jumps of up to 40 per cent across the home nations. Wales is currently being hit the hardest.

Health bosses warn this winter's influenza outbreak is now in motion and is expected to pile pressure on an already-stretched NHS.

Rates of the common illness have more than doubled in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during the first two weeks of January.

New data from Public Health England (PHE) shows that GP consultations for flu-like illness rose from 14.8 to 19.2 per 100,000 people over the last week

Figures released today by PHE showed the number of people GPs and hospitals seeing patients with a flu-like illness jumped by a third in a single week.

There are now an average of 21 people per every 100,000 seeing a GP in Britain for symptoms resembling flu.

However, the figures are down on the same week last year, when there were 53.1 per 100,000 in England  England currently has a rate of 19.2 per 100,000.

This suggests flu is having a 'moderate impact on hospital admissions, and a high impact on intensive care units and high dependency unit admissions', PHE said.

Throughout the last week there were 237 admissions to intensive care or high dependency units for flu.

The figure is higher than in the same week in the previous five years, with the death toll for week three also the highest.

A total of 26 people died, up from 17 in the same week last year, believed to have been one of the deadliest flu outbreaks since the 1970s.

In Wales, which is seeing the most people diagnosed with the illness, there are what PHE calls 'moderate' levels of the virus  with 20.4 cases per 100,000 people.

Levels are still low in England and Northern Ireland, and below the threshold for concern in Scotland, where flu is more common.

PHE said the rises are 'typical for this time of year' but added that influenza is 'starting to have a greater impact'.

HOW DOES THIS FLU OUTBREAK COMPARE TO THOSE IN THE PAST SIX YEARS? CONFIRMED DEATHS IN INTENSIVE CARE YEAR 2018-19 2017-18 2016-17 2015-16 2014-15 2013-14 WEEK 03 26 17 11 6 8 1 OVERALL 68 120 45 19 51 5 ADMISSIONS TO INTENSIVE CARE YEAR 2018-19 2017-18 2016-17 2015-16 2014-15 2013-14 WEEK 03 237 198 82 59 85 21 OVERALL 932 952 456 296 541 103 Advertisement

Richard Pebody, head of flu at PHE, said: 'In the last week, there have been small increases to both hospital and intensive care admission rates, meaning flu is starting to have a greater impact. These rises are typical for this time of year.

'We are currently seeing mainly A(H1N1)pdm09 circulating, which is well matched to the strains in this year's flu vaccines.

'Previous flu seasons suggest this strain particularly affects children, pregnant women, and adults with long-term conditions.

'So if you're eligible, it's not too late to get your free jab to protect yourself and vulnerable people around you.'

Other figures released today revealed, although performing better than last year, NHS hospitals are struggling to cope with the pressures of winter.

Hospitals set up diversions to send ambulances elsewhere on 38 occasions last week as A&E departments became overwhelmed.

And one in eight people taken to A&E in an ambulance was forced to wait at least half an hour before being handed over because hospitals were too busy.

And 19 out of 20 overnight hospital beds in the entire country were full  higher than the 'safe operating level' and the busiest they have been all winter.

The data also showed 4,000 beds were shut during last week because of norovirus or diarrhoea and vomiting bugs, the highest toll yet this winter.

An average of 94.7 per cent of beds were full overnight last week, higher than the NHS target of 92 per cent.

The Royal College of Surgeons warns figures above 85 per cent increase the risk of infection for patients and makes it harder for the NHS to operate safely.

An NHS spokesman said: 'NHS staff continue to pull out all the stops with flu and norovirus cases continuing to rise as expected in January.

'Thanks to closer working between hospitals, local health groups and councils, fewer people are spending long periods in hospital compared with this time last year.

'With temperatures set to drop, it's more important than ever that people help staff provide care to the most seriously ill, by getting the free flu jab if you're eligible, and by using the NHS 111 service as the first port of call for non-emergencies.'

Dame Donna Kinnair, acting chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: 'With bed occupancy averaging 95 per cent, these figures show we're right back to where we started after a brief lull over Christmas.

'These figures show that hospitals are only just keeping their heads above water, and we have not yet faced a serious cold snap of outbreak of flu that could send the system into meltdown.'

Director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said: 'The figures this week show that the winter is making an impact, but trusts are coping, with staff working tirelessly for their patients.

'Falling temperatures and rising cases of flu and norovirus are adding to already exceptionally high demand for NHS emergency care.

'Bed occupancy has risen to 94.7 per cent from last week, and trusts are telling us that people arriving at hospital are sicker, requiring more complex care.

'Despite high bed occupancy, trusts have not yet opened the number of extra beds that they did last year.

'The efforts to reduce the number of patients staying over 21 days mean beds can be used more efficiently, allowing patients to return home or into community care when appropriate.'Anti-vaxxers have been named one of the top threats to global health in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The anti-vaccine movement joined air pollution and climate change, HIV, and a worldwide influenza pandemic on the list released on Monday.

'Vaccine hesitancy', as the WHO calls it, 'threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.'

The organization added in its statement: 'Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease - it currently prevents [two to three] million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.'

Anti-vaxxers were named one of the top threats to global health in 2019 in a list released on Monday by the World Health Organization (file image)

A report released last year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the number of unvaccinated children up to 35 months old increased four-fold between 2001 and 2015.

There are several reasons why people are reluctant or refused to be immunized despite readily available vaccines.

A vaccine advisory group to the WHO listed some of the reasons as complacency, difficulty accessing vaccines and lack of confidence.

There are 18 US states that allow non-medical vaccine exemptions due to 'conscientious objector' or 'philosophical/personal beliefs'.

A survey from May 2018 found that support for vaccinations among Americans has fallen 10 percent in the last 10 years.

About 70 percent said common vaccines, such as for polio and measles, are 'very important', found the poll from Research America and the American Society for Microbiology.

This is down from 80 percent who gave the same answer in November 2008.

According to the CDC, more than 90 percent of children under age three have been vaccinated for polio, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Hepatitis B and chicken pox.

And more than 80 percent have received Haemophilus influenzae, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and pneumococcal infection vaccines.

However, mounting distrust has led some parents to not immunize their children, in turn leading to outbreaks of diseases not seen in years, such as measles, whooping cough and mumps.

Some anti-vaxxers avoid shots as a protest against big pharmaceutical companies, but some say vaccines are made from unnatural and unsafe chemicals and that they would rather take their chances on their kids getting treated if or when they get sick.

Others argue that vaccines overload a child's immune system or that natural immunity is better.

Then, of course, there is the argument that vaccines are linked to autism, a claim that has been debunked by scientists.

Experts say that, as diseases have become less common, people don't remember a time from before vaccines were commonplace.

'There are infections we haven't seen in years or we can't remember the last time we saw them,' Dr Michael Angarone, an assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told DailyMail.com in an interview last year.

'So they ask: "Why should I vaccinate myself or my child if the disease is not around?" Well, then we'll start seeing more cases of measles, mumps, and polio again.'

According to the WHO, measles - a highly contagious but easily preventable disease - has seen a 30 percent increase in cases around the world.

Between September 2017 and August 2018, WHO reported more than 41,000 cases with 40 deaths in EU member states.

And, according to the CDC, 349 cases of measles were reported in 26 US states and Washington, DC.

It is the second-greatest number since measles was considered eradicated in the US in 2000.

The WHO said that, this year, it plans to ramp up efforts to eliminate cervical cancer by making the HPV vaccine more widely available and as well as providing more vaccines within Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The two central Asian countries were the only nations in 2018 where cases of wild poliovirus were confirmed - largely due to poor sanitation and low levels of vaccination coverage.A mother-of-three and former Mrs Virginia claimed doctors misdiagnosed her 'breast implant illness' that left her suicidal due to agonizing pain.

Brandi Pope, 38, from Virginia, had silicone implants to replace her problematic saline implants in 2009.

In the following years, her health spiraled, beginning with shortness of breath and muscle pain and leading to nausea and chest pain.

She had various medical procedures, including ovarian cyst removal, with doctors diagnosing her with gastroparesis and PCOS.

But with constant pain and anxiety, she began to feel a burden to her husband and guilt for being unable to get out of bed to care for her young children.

She has returned to full health since having her breast implants removed in 2017, taking her from a 34D to a 32B, on the advice of a friend.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Brandi Pope, 38, from Virginia, had her silicone breast implants removed, taking her from a 34D to a 32B, believing that they were causing her years of illness

Mrs Pope said her health spiralled, beginning with shortness of breath and muscle pain and leading to nausea and chest pain. Pictured, before having her implants removed

Mrs Pope, who won Mrs Virginia in 2011, said: 'I had everything from shortness of breath, muscle and joint pain, chest pains and chronic reflux to being diagnosed with

'I had colonoscopies, ovarian cyst removal, many blood tests, five endoscopies and carpal tunnel testing due to constant numbness in my hands, all because of the implants.

'I had anxiety, constant pain and nausea. I started to have suicidal thoughts because my health had gotten so bad.

'Explanting [the removing of the implants] was almost like a rebirth for me.'

The freelance hairdresser and makeup artist saw numerous different specialists about the strange symptoms she was experiencing.

But throughout the many procedures, not a single doctor considered that the issue might have been her breast implants, Mrs Pope alleges.

In 2011 she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, and in 2016, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

But Mrs Pope still had no reason for why her body was in such decline.

The countless unexplained symptoms crippled the mother who began having suicidal thoughts due to her ill health.

Mrs Pope convinced herself that her husband and three children would be better off without her as a burden upon them.



Formerly a swimsuit model, Mrs Pope first underwent a breast augmentation in 2004 after two pregnancies and gaining seven stone left her hating her breasts.

Despite originally only wanting a breast lift, doctors insisted on Mrs Pope having implants for volume so she had saline implants put in too.

The freelance hairdresser and makeup artist first underwent a breast augmentation in 2004 after two pregnancies and gaining (and losing) seven stone left her hating her breasts. Pictured, after her weight loss and before her implants

Mrs Pope, pictured on the left before her 'explant' and on the right, after, was left suicidal and bed-ridden due to the agonising pain she was feeling

Mrs Pope had her implants removed after a friend advised her to. Since, she said she feels like she has been 'reborn' as her health has improved

Mrs Pope said: 'I was a fit 24-year-old who just wanted that area to look "normal" again.

'Two pregnancies with a combined weight gain of over 7st 14lb left me with, what I call, empty tube socks.

'I originally wanted a lift and the doctor told me I wouldn't be happy if I didn't get implants for volume. I trusted him and went through with it.

'When I had my augmentation, they did a lift to remove the skin and put implants in, so I ended up with the same size [staying at 34C],' Mrs Pope said.

However, the saline implants caused persistent issues through the years and in 2009 Mrs Pope had them swapped for silicone implants instead after her third baby.

Mrs Pope said: 'I never liked my first set because I had issues with capsular contracture, rippling and the implants not settling. It was a mess and they never felt "real" - relatively speaking.

'Initially I felt great and I was happy to have the girls where they used to be. But it didn't take long before I became more self-conscious than before.

'I didn't ever want them to bring attention to me. I never wanted people to question me about getting implants.

'After my revision in 2009 the doctor went with a bigger implant to fill out the loose skin from having my third baby and I went to a 34D.'

After her breast enhancement, Mrs Pope was glad to have them looking how they had done years prior.

But her health started to show negative signs a year later.

Mrs Pope, who won the title of Mrs Virginia in 2011, was diagnosed with gastroparesis in 2011, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in 2016, having ovarian cysts removed

Mrs Pope said she felt like a burden to her husband and three children. She was so ill she often was unable to care for them, she said

IS BREAST IMPLANT ILLNESS REAL? Neither the NHS or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledge a single condition called breast implant illness. They do, however, provide long lists of potential  and publicly known  side effects of having breast implants. Implants are not designed to last a lifetime, the FDA says, and the longer a woman has the implants in her body the higher the risk of complications occurring. Complications occur in around one per cent of all patients and can happen at any time after the surgery. As well as changes to the appearance and feel of the breast some potential side effects include pain, infection, swelling or irritation, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes or bruising. Reported symptoms of BII include fatigue, chest pain, hair loss and headaches chills, light sensitivity, chronic pain, anxiety, brain fog, sleep disturbances and depression. The NHS urges any women suffering side effects to contact the clinic where they had the implants put in, and to report it through an official Yellow Card Scheme, to add to information on the safety of implants. Source: FDA and NHS Advertisement

She said: 'The hardest part of breast implant illness was not being able to care for my own kids when I was in the deepest darkest moments of my illness.

'Those times when I was convinced that my husband and kids would be so much better off without the burden of my health will be etched in my mind forever.

'There were times when I couldn't even get out of bed because of the pain, so my oldest daughter would have to care for her siblings and fix dinner for them. I felt such guilt and shame for that.

'Every day I would wake up and pray that I could make it through another day for the sake of my family. The closer I got to my explant the more I could feel the life being sucked out of me. Every day was a struggle to get through.'

In 2017, a friend told Mrs Pope about someone she knew who'd had her implants removed and found out they had been making her sick for years.

'Breast implant illness' is not a recognised condition, however side effects can occur after a breast augmentation.

Mrs Pope said: 'A friend reached out to me after watching me suffer with debilitating sickness and told me about her friend who had her implants removed because she was sick, and she got better. It planted a seed in me and I began to research.

Mrs Pope's implants after they were removed in 2017, seven years after they were implanted

Mrs Pope, pictured now, is sharing her story to warn other women

'I knew then that I had to explant. I had such peace that this was going to be my path to healing after all these years.

'I had been so sick for so long, I was ready to do whatever it took to find relief. For me, explanting was a no brainer as it was a life or death decision.'

On October 30, 2017 Mrs Pope had her implants removed in a decision which she believes saved her life.

Since her explant, Mrs Pope is now a 32B and 'feels reborn' as her life has returned to healthy and normal.

She said: 'I was seeing so many specialists that I lost count. I had so many procedures and surgeries that I felt like a human pin cushion.

'Not once did a doctor tell me it could be my implants causing me to be sick. None of them could give me answers as to why I was so young and living such a healthy lifestyle, yet my health continued to decline.'

Mrs Pope had a complete capsulectomy - the removal of scar tissue - and a lift after her explant.

She said: 'Sharing my story on Instagram opened up a door of opportunity to help so many women. Just when I thought I was alone, I realised that there is an entire community of women suffering and they need hope from a survivor to keep them going.

'I want to prove to doctors that the sickness isn't in our heads.'

You can follow Brandi's recovery by visiting @theglambelle.The number of times hospitals turned ambulances away from their A&E departments soared last week to its highest level this winter.

Accident and emergency performance figures this week show the NHS is feeling the strain, as snow falls across Britain and temperatures plunge to -4C.

One in eight people taken to A&E in an ambulance were forced to wait at least half an hour before being handed over because hospitals were too busy.

And 19 out of 20 overnight hospital beds in the entire country are full  higher than the 'safe operating level' and the busiest they have been all winter.

The data also showed 4,000 beds were shut during last week because of norovirus or diarrhoea and vomiting bugs, the highest toll yet this winter.

The number of people waiting for more than half an hour with ambulance crews before being let into A&E has hit its highest level since the first week of this year's winter figures in December (week one on the graph is the week beginning December 3)

Weekly statistics for January 7 to January 13 show that, despite hospitals managing the crisis better than last year, they are still cracking under the pressures of winter.

Hospitals set up diverts to send ambulances away 38 times last week  up from 17 the week before and a 500 per cent increase from just six in the same week last year.

Only two weeks in 2017/18  dubbed the 'worst winter ever' for the NHS  had more diversions.

And once they arrived at A&E, 12,326 patients had to wait 30 minutes or more before they could be seen by staff. Of those, 2,769 waited more than an hour.

An NHS spokesperson said ambulance crews wait with their patients in a side room in A&E, rather than in the back of an ambulance.

However, patients have, in the past, been known to spend the time in an ambulance while waiting for space inside casualty units to become available.

The percentage of people waiting for half an hour or more is at its highest since figures began in early December  12.5 per cent.

Waiting times have also risen as the total number of patients arriving by ambulances has dropped, suggesting hospitals are clogged up.



STAFF AND CASH SHORTAGES ADD TO NHS PRESSURES Higher numbers of people visit doctors and hospitals in the winter, making staff busier, but too few staff and funding gaps make it even more difficult for hospitals to run smoothly. There were more than 100,000 empty job posts in September 2018 and analysts feared the situation would only get worse. NHS trusts across England were also 814 million in deficit at the end of June, a shocking quarterly report also revealed. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said trusts  which run local services and spend money  'are doing all they can'. Commenting on the figures, he added: 'However hard they run, they don't seem able to outpace the increase in demand. 'Trusts tell us they are most worried about the workforce shortages they face, and it's a real concern that these figures have shown such a big increase in vacancy levels. 'It's worrying this problem is getting worse rather than better.' Advertisement

'These figures show we're right back to where we started after a brief lull over Christmas,' said the Royal College of Nursing's chief executive, Dame Donna Kinnair.

'Hospitals are only just keeping their heads above water, and we have not yet faced a serious cold snap or outbreak of flu that could send the system into meltdown.

'The public is right to wonder if the NHS has got through this winter on good fortune.

'The only way to insulate the health service from seasonal demands is to address once and for all the chronic workforce crisis which leaves the NHS with almost 41,000 nursing vacancies.'

The Labour Party's Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth added: 'This is an NHS which remains under considerable strain this winter after years of Tory underfunding, chronic staff shortages and wider health and social care cuts.

'While the Tory Government is left reeling and distracted from its Brexit shambles, patients are paying the price.'

Only one in 20 overnight beds  5.3 per cent  in NHS hospitals are free for new patients.

The Royal College of Surgeons recommends 85 per cent of beds are kept available to maintain safe standards, whereas the NHS's official target is 92 per cent.

But last week's figure is nearing the highs of 95.2 per cent seen in last year's crisis.

One trust  Weston Area Health Trust, which runs the General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare  was 100 per cent full all week.

Nearly 95 per cent of all hospital beds in England were full last week  higher than both the NHS's own target of 92 per cent and the 85 per cent recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons (week one on the graph is the week beginning December 3)

Inpatient cases of norovirus and vomiting bugs were last week at their highest so far this winter.

A total of 4,318 hospital beds were closed because of the highly contagious illnesses, with 915 of those beds empty and going to waste.

An NHS spokesperson said: 'NHS staff continue to pull out all the stops with flu and norovirus cases continuing to rise as expected in January.

'Thanks to closer working between hospitals, local health groups and councils, fewer people are spending long periods in hospital compared with this time last year.

'With temperatures set to drop, its more important than ever that people help doctors, nurses, paramedics and other frontline staff provide care to the most seriously ill, by getting the free flu jab if youre eligible, and by using the NHS 111 service as the first port of call for non-emergencies.'A teenager who could die from a strong smell because of a rare condition has had her life turned around by a specially-trained dog.

Martina Baker, 15, had to stay indoors in her window-less bedroom because of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).

Allergic to 'almost everything', including heat, cleaning products, perfumes and cooking oils, even a whiff could send her into anaphylactic shock.

The teenager, from Maine, must wear a mask outdoors, and has lost friends and missed school because of her condition.

Now, Martina has a highly-trained dog called Caiomhe, pronounced Queeva, who alerts her to possible dangers before they happen.

After two and a half years of misery of going to hospital three times a week, Martina is able to see a movie at the theatre again, safe with her dog by her side.

Martina Baker, 15, has a highly-trained dog called Caiomhe (pronounced Queeva) who alerts her when she is about to suffer an allergic reaction to a rare disorder

Martina, pictured with her mother, Loretta Morse Leighton, 48, must wear a mask if she goes outdoors, spending most of her time in her 'sealed' bedroom

Martina was diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) after her reactions to 'almost everything' baffled doctors for around two and a half years. Before getting Caiomhe, she would be in the hospital up to three times a week with anaphylactic shock

Martina, with Caiomhe, has lost friends and missed time at school due to her condition

Until two and a half years ago, Martina was a completely healthy child.

But she suddenly became plagued with mystifying symptoms that doctors were unable to find a cause for.

She said: 'I wasn't allergic to anything before, then one day I woke up with hives all over my body.

'I had to go to the hospital because I had an anaphylactic reaction. My throat started swelling up with hives. They treated me with an EpiPen.'

WHAT IS MAST CELL ACTIVATION DISORDER? Mast cell activation disorder is the umbrella term for a spectrum of diseases caused by the inappropriate activation or build-up of mast cells in the body's tissues. Mast cells are produced in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system and help fight infection. When mast cells detect an allergen, they release histamine and other chemicals into the bloodstream. Histamine makes the blood vessels expand and the surrounding skin itchy and swollen. Mast cells sometimes mistake harmless substances, such as pollen, for infectious germs, and trigger the process of swelling. This can cause the skin to become red, swollen and itchy, and it can also create a build-up of mucus in the airways, which become narrower. People with the condition have an increased risk of having a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Symptoms include itchy skin or a raised, red skin rash, feeling light-headed or faint and swelling of the throat, mouth and tongue which can lead to breathing difficulties. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Martina's mother, Loretta Morse Leighton, 48, a family therapist, said: 'The hives would flare up all the time. She'd go into anaphylactic shock and we'd to have to rush her to the ER about three times a week.

'We never knew what was triggering it really.

'Last summer a skunk sprayed off outside Martina's bedroom window, she went into anaphylactic shock and had to be rushed to A&E.

'Afterwards she had to go and live with a friend for almost two weeks while we had her bedroom windows and door completely sealed up. It was awful.'

The teenager is also highly allergic to marijuana smoke, which poses a problem in her home state, where it is legal for recreational use.

Martina often wears a mask when she goes outside and the family still has to be very careful in their own home.

Mrs Leighton cleans with vinegar instead of bleach, and has stopped using all detergents on sheets and clothing.

They must practice 'odourless cooking' -presumably because the smell can set Martina off - and spend a lot of time grilling outside, even in winter.

Martina is extremely sensitive to warmth, so her bedroom isn't heated at all, even during the freezing Maine winters.

'We took her to see a specialist in every major discipline, everything from cardiologists to psychologists,' Mrs Leighton said.

Martina eventually saw an immunologist in Massachusetts, Dr Jonathan Bayuk, who correctly diagnosed her with MCAS.

Martina first started to break out in hives and her throat would swell, needing treatment with an EpiPen. Pictured, her face suffering from a reaction.

Allergic heat, water, cleaning products perfumes and cooking oils, even a whiff could send Martina into anaphylactic shock

Martina, pictured before her condition started to show symptoms, was a healthy child

Martina feels more safe to leave her house now that she has been given a service dog, which cost $10,000. Pictured, with her sister, Arianna Baker, 13, mother, and father, Herbert Leighton, 51

MCAS, named in 2007, is a relatively new diagnosis. It is an umbrella term for a spectrum of diseases caused by the inappropriate activation or build-up of mast cells in the body's tissues.

When mast cells detect an allergen, they release histamine and other chemicals into the bloodstream, making blood vessels expand and the surrounding skin itchy and swollen.

Last year, Mrs Leighton discovered that a service dog might help her daughter, and they were able to get one after raising $10,000 (7,800).

Martina said: 'Caiomhe has changed my life. I feel so much safer with her around. I am able to have a social life again.

'I lost a lot of friends after I developed MCAS. It's hard for people to handle, for them to watch me collapse and have to take my EpiPen and be rushed to hospital all the time.

'It could be very lonely at times, but Caiomhe is always beside me protecting me, she's a best friend for sure.

'She makes me feel less alone, she even checks up on me in the middle of the night.'

Service dog Caiomhe can sniff out when Martina is having a reaction before Martina realises it herself, because she can smell the release of histamine from her body

Mrs Leighton described Caiomhe as her daughters 'guardian angel'

Martina takes mast cell stabilizing drugs to control her illness. MCAS is an umbrella term for a spectrum of diseases caused by the inappropriate activation or build-up of mast cells

Thanks to Caiomhe and regular mast cell stabilizing drugs, Martina's anaphylactic episodes have reduced from three times a week to once every four to six weeks.

Caiomhe was trained by Jamie Robinson, 66, a specialist in Tucson, Arizona - one of the only people in the world to train dogs to assist MCAS patients.

Mrs Robinson trained Caiomhe to identify a long list of smells that are life-threatening triggers for Martina.

'A dog's nose is about 100,000 times better than a human nose and just about every biochemical process in our bodies is indicated with a change in scent,' said Mrs Robinson, who runs her own service dog business called Access to Service Corp.

Mrs Robinson had Martina send her pieces of clothing she had worn so Caiomhe could get used to her scent, including when she was in anaphylactic shock because, to a dog, that scent is different.

Caiomhe can now sniff out when Martina is having a reaction before Martina realises it herself, because she can smell the release of histamine from her body.

Martina and three-year-old Caiomhe were first united on January 5 and have been inseparable ever since.

Mrs Leighton said: 'Martina has endured a lot of staring, pointing and rude remarks. People do not understand, it's very difficult for her but she's stayed extremely strong, I'm so proud of her.

'I feel that Caiomhe was destined to be my daughter's guardian angel.'A toddler who was born with backwards legs can finally walk after having life-changing surgery.

Victoria Komada, of Norwich, was born with the one-in-a-million birth defect tibial bilateral hemimelia, which caused her to have a missing shinbone in her right leg and a shortened one in her left limb.

Her desperate parents Marzena and Dariusz Komada sought the help of eight specialists, who all said amputation was their daughter's only option.

But they eventually found a reconstruction limb specialist in Florida, who implanted a metal frame that gradually coaxed the bones in Victoria's left leg into place. But the severity of the condition in her right limb meant it had to be amputated.

A year on, Victoria, who wears a prosthetic, took her first steps in a pink, sparkly shoe.

Scroll down for video

Victoria Komada was born with the one-in-a-million birth defect tibial bilateral hemimelia, which caused her to be born with legs bent inwards at right angles below her knees

Her parents sought out a medic who specialised in limb reconstruction. She had to have her right limb amputated due to the shinbone being missing, however, it was shortened in her left leg. Victoria is pictured walking for the first time after surgery to coax her bones into position

Her parents Marzena and Dariusz Komada (pictured with the youngster) hope she will have a normal childhood. They refused to allow her legs to be amputated as a newborn, insisting she would do better with the limbs intact. They then desperately sought surgeons who could help

Mr and Mrs Komada moved to the UK from their native Poland 14 years ago and were expecting a baby shortly after.

The pregnancy went smoothly, with no signs anything was wrong until Victoria was born.

Speaking of seeing her daughter for the first time, Mrs Komada said: 'The nurse, she came to me and she said: 'I'm going to give you your daughter in a minute because she's got problems with her legs.'

'I said, 'what problem with her legs?' and she said 'nothing don't worry'.

An orthopaedic surgeon diagnosed Victoria with tibial bilateral hemimelia, which occurs when the shinbone is either short or missing, causing the legs to be bent and twisted.

The medic recommended Victoria have both her legs amputated but the new parents refused to let her go under the knife.

'For me she needs her own legs, not amputate and prosthetic legs,' Mr Komada said. 'And I said "no I will not agree to amputate legs, no, no, no".

Pictured before surgery with her legs bent, Victoria remained cheerful throughout the ordeal

Refusing to let her deformity hold her back, she even learned to walk on her knees pre-surgery

Victoria is pictured after having her left leg operated on. Florida-based limb reconstruction specialist Dr Dror Paley fitted a cylindrical metal frame - called a fixator - into Victoria's leg, which gradually coaxed her bones into place and helped lengthen the limb

Mr and Mrs Komada took it upon themselves to find a doctor who could help their daughter, only to discover all advised she undergo amputation.

But online research led them to the orthopedic surgeon Dr Dror Paley, who specialises in limb lengthening and reconstruction.

After carrying out a series of scans on Victoria's legs, Dr Paley was confident he could help the youngster, but it would take a year before the treatment was over.

WHAT IS TIBIAL HEMIMELIA? Tibial hemimelia covers a spectrum of deformities caused by a shortened or absent shinbone, known as the tibia. The fibula - bone on the outside of the tibia - is usually unaffected. Tibial hemimelia often causes foot deformities, with some sufferers having extra toes. The knees may also be twisted inwards. The birth defect affects one-in-a-million births. In 30 per cent of births, both legs are deformed. Most cases cannot be explained. Severe incidences are often spotted during an ultrasound while the mother is pregnant. Mild cases may become clear as the child grows. Most patients require surgery, with the success depending on how much of the bone is missing and if the surrounding muscles are affected. Procedures aim to length the leg by coaxing the bones back into place. But in cases where the tibia is completely missing, amputation may be required. A prosthetic can then be fitted. Source: Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America and Steps charity Advertisement

Although thrilled to have found Dr Paley, the couple then had to raise more than 300,000 for the surgery.

A fundraising page helped them gather 190,000, with Dr Paley agreeing to carry out the procedure for that sum.

The medic set about fitting a cylindrical metal frame - called a fixator - into Victoria's left leg, which coaxed her bones into place.

'On Victoria's right side we [had] to amputate the leg,' Dr Paley said.

'And the reason is on the right side, where the tibia is completely missing, the quadriceps muscles mostly missing - the functional result's not going to be great.'

Although the procedure to implant a fixator in Victoria's left leg was a success, the youngster then had to endure an uncomfortable recovery.

'After surgery was really hard time for us,' said Mr Komada. 'She was crying through the pain. She couldn't not sleep at night. But after a week she start to feel better.'

Two months later, Victoria's leg healed and the fixator was gradually stretching her limb into shape. She was then fitted with a prosthetic on her right side and took her first steps not long after.

'I've been waiting so long for that moment,' Mr Komada said. 'She's happy now, but later on she's going to be very happy. She's not going to feel as different.'

The couple hope their daughter will have a normal childhood like any other youngster.

'She's a normal kid, she's like clever, she's happy always,' Mrs Komada said. 'I just want her to have a normal life and I know she's going to have a normal life because she's a strong girl.'

Victoria features on Body Bizarre, which is on Saturdays at 10pm on TLC UK.

Victoria is pictured walking out of hospital after having a prosthetic fitted for her right limbA company claims to be selling a box of tissues that have already been sneezed on by poorly people for 62.

Vaev says on its website that it asks sick people to put their germs on its tissues before they are then packaged and sold.

But buying tissues that have already been sneezed would not help you avoid getting a cold this winter, experts have warned.

Dr Sarah Jarvis told The Sun that she would 'certainly' never recommend anyone exposes themselves to cold and flu viruses on purpose.

Instead of smelling of lavender or being a strange colour, these are pre-used and already 'carry a human sneeze'

Vaev, which claims to be based in Los Angeles, does not have a registered address or any documents available online that prove it is real.

But it does have hundreds of followers across its accounts on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and a series of professional marketing pictures.

Vaev, apparently founded by an Oliver Neissen, admits to having no doctors on board to justify its concept, claiming it is just 'a wellness brand'.

And no trials have been conducted to see if the strange method works.

The tissues, priced at $79.99 (62.10), are listed as out of stock on Vaev's website. It is unclear if anyone has ever bought any.

Mr Neissen claims many 'open-minded' customers have 'embraced' the idea, while others have approached the concept with much more caution.

One blogger claims she was sent a box of the tissues. In an article for The Sun, she branded the idea 'disgusting' - and slammed the 'ridiculous' price.

But MailOnline received an email this morning from a man called Austyn, from an account supposedly belonging to a Jennifer Willey, who was quoted by the website.

The tissues, priced at $79.99 (62.10), are currently out of stock on Vaev's website. The firm lists them as its only product (stock)

In it, he said he was profusely sorry for misrepresenting his identity  but offered no further explanation as to who he really is, or whether he has anything to do with Vaev.

According to The Sun, Mr Neissen apparently told them: 'The product is a generic tissue that you might find at a store.'

He added the tissues are then treated with a 'hydrolayer', which he claims is a human sneeze from a person who is 'sick'.

Mr Neissen, who claims to have launched the firm in Denmark, said Vaev has a 'rotation of people who get sick for the production of this product'.

He continued: 'The rotation guarantees that we always have at least one person sick/available to help make more.

'That is how the process works. It's natural, and we're not burdened by any murky science.'

Vaev claims its tissues are engineered to contain and absorb colloid build-up, salts, antiseptic enzymes, immunoglobulins and glycoproteins.

It alleges the tissues are treated with 'organic ingredients' and helps to keep 'your immune system feeling like your immune system'.

Mr Neissen, who reportedly had the idea for the tissues in 2015, claims the product is 'safer' than needles - believed to be a reference to a flu jab.

And Vaev's motto on its website reads: 'We believe that when flu season comes around, you should be able to get sick on your terms.'

Mr Neissen described Gwyneth Paltrow, who is regularly called out for bizarre health claims on her Goop website, as being a 'visionary' in the same interview.Tens of thousands of embryos are stuck in limbo in fertility clinics, leftovers from pregnancy attempts and broken dreams of parenthood.

Some are outright abandoned by people who quit paying storage fees and can't be found. In other cases, couples can't agree on what to do with them.

In some clinics, as many 18 percent of embryos remain in freezers for several years with no owner to claim them.

Staff have begun asking many of the couples with extra embryos to donate them for research, but many - who agreed to do so at first - said their feelings changed after they used some to have children.

An estimated 1.4 million frozen embryos are in storage, with five to seven percent believed to be abandoned. Pictured: Kimberly Malm removes a container with frozen embryos and sperm at a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Florida, in October 2018

This is exactly what happened with Jenny Sammis, of Arlington, Virginia, and her husband when they first made their embryos 15 years ago.

'I have these two gorgeous, smart people who came from this process,' she told The Associated Press.

'These embryos are all like seeds that could become potential people. That reality to me was all abstract when they were in the freezer.'

A few years ago, medical groups developed sample consent forms clinics could use for new patients, spelling out what could happen to unused embryos. But that hasn't resolved what to do with ones made long ago.

'It's a real dilemma for these clinics,' said Rich Vaughn, a Los Angeles attorney and former head of the American Bar Association's assisted reproduction committee.

'We don't quite know what to do with them and everyone's afraid to act' for fear they'll be sued if people surface decades later and want their embryos.

The number is growing as more couples try in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and because of changes in how the procedure is done.

Originally, eggs and sperm were mixed in a lab and multiple fresh embryos were transferred to a womb, hoping at least one would lead to pregnancy.

Now, couples usually freeze many embryos, test for health problems and transfer the most viable one at a time to avoid multiple births - which often means leftovers once the desired family is complete.

How many embryos are in storage isn't known - centers don't have to report these numbers.

The situation has been made high-profile by actress Sofia Vergara and her ex-fiance Nick Loeb (pictured, April 2013) as they continue to fight over frozen embryos they made while still a couple

One study estimated there were 1.4 million in the US. Other researchers think five to seven percent are abandoned, though it's as high as 18 percent at some clinics.

Some define abandonment as a year of no contact or storage payments after reasonable efforts to find the owners. Others draw the line at five years.

'It has vexed our field' from the start, said Dr Mark Sauer, a fertility specialist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who is on the ethics committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

It also has vexed couples, many of whom never expected so many leftovers.

Sammis said she can't get herself to sign the paperwork allowing the fertility clinic staff to practice IVF on her nearly dozen extras.

She said a friend who couldn't decide what to do with leftovers moved and 'didn't give the fertility center her forwarding address...That was her way of dealing with it.'

Dr Andrea Braverman, a health psychologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said it's not an easy choice deciding what to do with leftover embryos.

A study of 131 couples in Canada found that one-third had not returned for frozen embryos after five years.

Another study found that up to 70 percent of couples delayed a decision for at least five years.

'This is a fluid decision. It is not a one-and-done,' Dr Braverman said.

Dr Craig Sweet, who runs a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Florida, knows the problem well. About 18 percent, or 300, of his clinic's frozen embryos are abandoned, some for up to 25 years.

Staff have begun asking many of the couples with extra embryos to donate them for research, but many - who agreed to do so at first - said their feelings changed after they used some to have children. Pictured: Containers holding frozen embryos and sperm at a fertility clinic in Fort Myers in October 2018

'Things happen. Life happens, divorce happens, depression, financial changes' - many things can lead a couple to disagree about using embryos, Dr Sweet said.

It's become even more-high profile as actress Sofia Vergara and her ex-fiance Nick Loeb continue to fight over frozen embryos they made while still a couple.

A court ruled that Vergara could not be forced to procreate against her wish and denied Loeb use of the embryos after the couple split.

States may try to rewrite legal precedents. Last April, Arizona's governor Doug Ducey signed legislation allowing one member of a divorced couple to use embryos created during a marriage even if the ex-spouse doesn't want a child.

In 2005, Dr Sweet started Embryo Donation International to provide embryos to couples willing to use them to have children.

He accepts embryos from 62 facilities in North America and has more than 400 available; 50 to 60 were used in 2017, he said.

'It just didn't make sense to us that people were discarding perfectly normal, useful embryos,' Dr Sweet said.

The number is growing as more couples try IVF and because of changes in how it's done. The old way was to mix eggs and sperm in the lab and transfer multiple fresh embryos to a womb, hoping at least one would lead to pregnancy. Now, couples usually freeze many embryos, test for health problems and transfer the most viable one at a time to avoid multiple births. That often means leftovers once the desired family is complete.

How many embryos are in storage isn't known - centers don't have to report that. One study estimated there were 1.4 million in the U.S. Researchers think 5 to 7 percent are abandoned, though it's as high as 18 percent at some clinics. Some define that as a year of no contact or storage payments after reasonable efforts to find the owners; others draw the line at five years. Some clinics search social media and hire investigators to find owners when abandonment is suspected.

"It has vexed our field" from the start, said Dr. Mark Sauer, a fertility specialist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School who is on the ethics committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

It also has vexed couples, many of whom never expected so many leftovers. Sara Raber of New York's Long Island had five extras after conceiving two children.

"Your goal in the beginning is just to get pregnant," so making a lot of embryos seems necessary because you don't know how many tries it will take, she said. But disposing of extras brings a finality to family building that's different for IVF couples than it is for those who conceived naturally.

"You're making a conscious decision not to have a baby anymore," said her husband, Howard Raber. "That's what makes it hard."

Even after the Rabers agreed to donate theirs to research, which usually means to a fertility clinic to let staff practice IVF, the paperwork sat on her desk for months, Sarah Raber said.

In Arlington, Virginia, Sammis is having a similar struggle. "I get to the point of signing the papers and I just can't deal with it," she said.

Sammis said a friend who couldn't decide what to do with her embryos moved away and "didn't give the fertility center her forwarding address ... That was her way of dealing with it."

When couples have abandoned embryos, "it was largely because they did not want to be responsible for making a very difficult decision. They would rather let the program do it," Sauer said.

Andrea Braverman, a health psychologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said it's not an easy choice. A study of 131 couples in Canada found that one third had not returned for frozen embryos after five years. Another study found that up to 70 percent of couples delayed a decision for at least five years and many changed their minds about what they thought they'd do after they had IVF.

"This is a fluid decision. It is not a one-and-done," Braverman said.

Dr. Craig Sweet, who runs a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Florida, knows the problem well. About 18 percent, or 300, of his clinic's frozen embryos are abandoned, some for 25 years. A study he did found that couples were more likely to abandon embryos if they had stored them a long time, had a low education level, already had many children or owed the clinic money.

One of his patients with more than a dozen leftover embryos forged her husband's signature on forms giving permission to use them because she wanted more children and he did not. The plan fell apart when the clinic insisted on seeing him personally.

"Things happen. Life happens, divorce happens, depression, financial changes" - many things can lead a couple to disagree about using embryos, Sweet said.

The courts view an embryo as something between person and property, said Susan Crockin, a reproductive law expert at Georgetown University. When it's in the lab as opposed to being in a womb, "people have equal rights to it" and most courts will not allow one member of a couple to use an embryo over the other's objection, she said.

The actress Sofia Vergara and her ex-fiance Nick Loeb fought over frozen embryos they made, but a court said Vergara could not be forced to procreate against her wish and denied Loeb use of the embryos after the couple split.

States may try to rewrite legal precedents. Last April, Arizona's governor signed legislation allowing one member of a divorced couple to use embryos created during a marriage even if the ex-spouse doesn't want a child.

Clinics try to avoid being in the middle.

"What we tell couples is that if you're divorced, nobody gets to transfer the embryos until we get something from a court" that says who has control of them, said Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr., scientific director of Reproductive Medicine Associates, one of the nation's largest clinics with centers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.

In 2005, Sweet began requiring patients to agree not to destroy unused embryos. He also started Embryo Donation International to provide embryos to couples willing to use them to have children. He accepts embryos from 62 facilities in North America and has more than 400 available; 50 to 60 were used in 2017, he said.

"It just didn't make sense to us that people were discarding perfectly normal, useful embryos," he said.

His IVF coordinator, Rebecca Ruano, had 18 leftover embryos after the birth of her twins, and agreed to donate the extras to people unable to have children. "I was not willing to destroy or donate them to science. We worked too hard for them," she said.

Frozen embryos remain viable for decades as far as anyone knows. Last year, the National Embryo Donation Center in Tennessee reported a birth using an embryo that had been frozen for 24 years.

Sweet supplied a Chicago woman an embryo that had been frozen for 17 years and made one request:

"When the baby is born," he said, "I want you to see if you can register the kid to vote."

___

Follow Marilynn Marchione: @MMarchioneAP

___

The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

In this Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 photo, containers holding frozen embryos and sperm are stored in liquid nitrogen at a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Fla. Tens of thousands of embryos remain frozen in fertility clinics around the United States, in limbo or abandoned by couples who can't agree or have walked away from deciding what to do with leftovers from pregnancy attempts. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)The condition, referred to as the 'Celtic Curse', can double the risk of arthritis

Scientists at Exeter University found it quadruples the risk of liver disease

But the genetic fault which causes build up of iron in the blood is much worse

Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain are at risk of a 'stealth disease' caused by a common genetic mutation, researchers have warned.

Haemochromatosis, which leads to a build-up of iron in the blood, was previously thought to be a minor problem causing low-level health risk.

But scientists at Exeter University found the genetic mutation, carried by 250,000 in the UK, is far more dangerous than thought.

Long-distance runner Ruth Jones, (left) experienced aches and pains before she was diagnosed with haemochromatosis, while Andy McLennan (right) had to quit drinking

LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER KNEW THE ACHES AND PAINS SHE HAD WERE SIGNS OF SOMETHING MORE THAN NATURAL AGEING Long-distance runner Ruth Jones knew the aches and pains she was experiencing went beyond the signs of natural ageing, yet it took nine months of tests before she was finally diagnosed with haemochromatosis. The mother-of-two from Stamford, Lincolnshire runs up to 70 miles a week and was seeking an explanation for her plummeting energy levels and slower speeds. 'I was feeling exhausted all the time. I was finding running much harder, for no obvious reason. It went well beyond what other runners experience as part of getting older,' she said. Long-distance runner Ruth Jones was diagnosed with haemochromatosis after suffering from fatigue following exercise (University of Exeter/PA). The 38-year-old athletics writer first visited a doctor with symptoms of extreme tiredness and aching in September 2017 but was only diagnosed in May last year after a 'catalogue of errors'. 'It seems to be a theme across the country. There just isnt enough knowledge about the condition in the medical profession. I had to suggest that my doctor should consider it as an option,' she said. Even once finally diagnosed via a genetic test, Mrs Jones found a lack of knowledge among hospital staff on how she should be treated. 'The first time I had the venesection treatment it was a total disaster. The hospital wasnt set up to deal with the treatment properly and staff didnt know how best to prepare me for the bloodletting, she said. 'I didnt know I had to drink litres of water beforehand, rest and eat more than usual. Id been for a run that morning and I ended up collapsing in a corridor afterwards.' After her collapse, she insisted on transferring to a specialist consultant and is now treated at The Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, which has a dedicated unit. Her iron levels are finally dropping. 'After a few treatments, I noticed the aches in my joints alleviating. I just felt more with it and alive,' she said. 'Its so important that understanding increases in the medical profession  people with haemochromatosis need diagnosis and treatment as early as possible, so they can go on living their life without potentially serious health complications.' Mrs Joness husband Brian is now undergoing testing to see if he too has haemochromatosis, which would help indicate whether their daughters, aged 10 and 13, carry the gene or have the condition. Advertisement

Studies published in the British Medical Journal and Journals of Gerontology reveal haemochromatosis quadruples the risk of liver disease and doubles the risk of arthritis and frailty.

It also causes higher risk of diabetes and chronic pain.

The researchers found that in men, who are at twice the risk of women, 1.6 per cent of all hip replacements and 5.8 per cent of all liver cancers were down to haemochromatosis.

Crucially, however, there is a simple treatment if the condition is properly diagnosed.

Simply removing blood allows iron levels to drop to safe levels.

At first doctors take a pint every week - but once iron levels have stabilised patients only need to give blood four times a year, and their blood can even be used by hospitals to help other patients in transfusions and operations.

What is haemochromatosis? Haemochromatosis is an inherited condition in which iron levels in the body slowly build up over many years. This build-up of iron, known as iron overload, can cause unpleasant symptoms. If it isn't treated, this can damage parts of the body such as the liver, joints, pancreas and heart. Haemochromatosis most often affects people of white northern European background and is particularly common in countries where lots of people have a Celtic background, such as Ireland, Scotland and Wales, hence its nickname of the 'Celtic curse'. The genetic mutation that causes the condition is carried by 250,000 in the UK and around 1million in the US. Symptoms include fatigue, weight loss and joint pain. However, the condition can also cause erectile dysfunction in men and irregular periods in women. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Professor David Melzer, of the University of Exeter, said: 'The haemochromatosis mutations were thought to only rarely cause health problems.

'We've shown that hereditary haemochromatosis is actually a much more common and stealth disease, including in older people.

'We now need to test ways of screening and diagnosing haemochromatosis earlier.

'It's exciting to think that better care might prevent so much unnecessary disease.'

Haemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder in the Western world, and is particularly associated with those of Celtic descent.

In Ireland and parts of the UK where as many as one in eight carry the genetic mutation, it is known as the 'Celtic curse'.

The condition is caused when people have two particular faulty genes.

If both parents are carriers the condition can be passed on to their children.

The researchers analysed data from 2,890 people with the two genetic mutations, nearly ten times more than in the previous largest study.

Of that group, one in five men and one in 10 women with the mutations developed additional diseases, compared to those without mutations.

The average age of those studied was 63, and the data suggested that even more disease developed at older ages.

Women have partial protection from the onset of genetic haemochromatosis until later in life because they lose iron through menstruation and having children, although some younger women do develop the disease.

Co-author Dr Luke Pilling said: 'We found that diagnosis of haemochromatosis is often delayed or missed.

'That's not surprising as symptoms such as joint pains and tiredness are frequently mistaken as signs of ageing.

'Yet it is likely that these potentially deadly health risks could be treated and avoided, transforming lives, especially at older ages.'More teenagers and children kill themselves in states where more people own guns, a new report reveals.

In fact, for every 10 percent higher rate of gun ownership in a given state, the rate of youth suicides goes up by nearly 27 percent, according to the new Boston University study.

In Alaska, 59.8 percent of households have guns, and the rate of suicide among teenagers and children is the highest in the nation - 15.2 per every 100,000 people between 10 and 19.

By comparison, New Jersey had the lowest rate of suicides, which accounted for just 2.6 out of every 100,000 people, and only 11.4 percent of families own guns.

Although state gun ownership and suicide rates did not align in perfect order, gun ownership rates predicted suicides more closely than any other factor, the researchers found.

Teen and child suicide rates between 2005 and 2015 were highest (dark blue) in states where gun ownership was also highest (number in white), a map of data from the new study shows

Mental illness, violence and especially suicide have all been on a steady rise in the US for years now.

Although gun ownership has remained fairly stable in the US in the last two decades, the number of children being injured or killed by them has increased.

Since 1999, over 26000 kids and teenagers have been killed by guns - whether in accidents, weapons turned on them or turned on themselves.

After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, student protests reached a fever-pitch. Teenagers from the school, and then around the country, held signs high that said 'Protect Kids, Not Guns.'

And sometimes those kids need most to be protected from themselves and guns.

Yet Americans have dug their heels in further, and hung on to their guns, as they have the right to do in every state in the US.

One of the top risk factors for suicide is mere risk factors is mere access to lethal means, particularly guns, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In 2016, nearly 6,600 youth and young adults, teens and adolescents between 10 and 24 killed themselves, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Between 2005 and 2015, youth suicides increased overall, but rates vary widely from state to state, with children in New Jersey faring best and those in Alaska suffering the highest rates of suicide.

'Suicide is a multifactorial problem, there's no one factor that causes it,' says senior study author Dr Michael Siegel, and Boston University epidemiologist.

'But what's striking about our study is the degree to which youth suicide rates were predicted by the proportion of gun ownership in the state.

'Gun ownership alone accounts for 55 percent of variation in youth suicide across the country.'

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is the first of its kind, establishing the shockingly close link between gun ownership and teen and adolescent suicide at the state level.

The comprehensive research looked at a broad range of other factors - including socioeconomic class, race, gender and far more - to see if these state-to-state differences could explain the variation in suicide rates.

Collectively, their factors accounted for all but eight percent of the differences - an unusual feat when trying to analyze something as complex as suicide.

But nothing even came close to predicting suicide as clearly as gun ownership did.

In fact, even a previous suicide attempt - historically thought to be the most prominent risk factor - predicted a death by suicide with as much certainty as living in a state where firearms are readily available in a majority of households.

Reducing access to lethal means - especially guns - is one of the World Health Organization's (WHO) focuses for suicide prevention, which it endorses with a 'strong' recommendation.

The organization other prevention groups are perhaps most outspoken, however, about mental health issues.

'It's difficult because you have to tackle a lot of different risk factors, including depression, bullying, and cyber-bullying,' says Dr Siegel.

'But the message here for public health groups is that we can't ignore gun ownership and just focus on other risk factors.

'We can't tackle suicide without also tackling the issue of access to guns.'

And other research suggests that doing so would curb the rate of suicide among adults, too, although the relationship between youth suicide and gun ownership is far stronger.

Dr Siegel is realistic, though, about what access to guns might look like in a country with a strong hunting culture and a right to bear arms protected by the Second Amendment.

'If there was a way to lower the household prevalence of guns, that would likely improve the suicide rate,' he says.

'I'm not saying to focus on [getting rid of guns] - people have a right to them, and we're not going to take them away, but we should educate gun owners about safe storage.'A father from Blackpool bizarrely developed a 'Scouse twang' after recovering from a coma.

Nick Lovell, 36, was left paralysed from head-to-toe four years ago, after being struck by sudden 'strange feeling' in his feet.

Doctors discovered he was suffering from two rare disorders - Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis and Guillain Barre syndrome.

Mr Lovell, who was at one point unable to move anything but his mouth, had to learn to talk again during two years recovering in hospital.

His tongue was allegedly left 'weakened' by a tracheostomy, a tube inserted into his windpipe to help him breathe. He claims this has given him the unusual accent.

Nick Lovell developed a Scouse accent while recovering from a coma caused by two serious nervous system disorders - Bickerstaff Brainstem Encephalitis and Guillain Barre Syndrome

The devoted Blackpool fan has been jokingly teased by his friends, who have even bought him a mug saying 'Liverpool's No.1 fan'.

But Mr Lovell is accepting of his new accent, considering the other challenges he has had to face since his life was turned upside down.

Mr Lovell claims he went to bed one night with a strange feeling in his feet and the following day he found it difficult to move.

He was initially left totally paralysed and unable to do anything other than offer the first flickering of a smile - despite being aware of was going on around him.

WOMAN DEVELOPS SUDDEN NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION THAT GIVES HER A FRENCH ACCENT Over the course of 48 hours, Ellen Spencer, the farmer's daughter from Indianapolis went from sounding like the Midwestern girl she is to speaking with an international blend of accents. Some words the 56-year-old says sound French, others German. In May 2009, Ms Spencer was doing her graphic design work on her computer when her chin suddenly went numb. The feeling  or lack thereof  spread upward on one side of her face. Soon, Ms Spencer couldnt feel her lips, chin or nostrils, as if she'd gotten a lidocaine shot. The next day, she went to the hospital where she got no answers. Ms Spencer's numbness continued to shift to different areas of her body, and she developed a migraine, and, at the hospital, the staff was as confused as she was. Ms Spencer did her own research, found information on foreign accent syndrome (FAS) and brought it to neurologists, but they had never heard of the condition. Advertisement

It is not clear at what point he fell into a coma.

Mr Lovell told The Blackpool Gazette: 'I remember coming round and, mentally, I was able to do everything.

'The message goes from your brain to your arm to scratch an itch, but there's no response  that felt a bit strange.'

Doctors diagnosed him with Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis, a rare condition whereby the nervous system is inflamed and limbs are weakened.

It is often misdiagnosed, therefore treatment is delayed, and there have been few controlled trials looking into the condition.

He was also diagnosed with Guillain Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that causes the body to spontaneously attack its own nerves.

Mr Lovell spent two years recovering in hospital. It is unsure if he spent the entire time there, or just periods. For a few months, he needed a tracheostomy, a tube inserted into the windpipe through the neck, to enable him to breathe.

Tracheostomies are usually put in place if a patient has suffered a brain or spinal injury or a medical episode such as a stroke, which leaves them unable to breathe unaided.

He was transferred to the Royal Preston for rehabilitation after having his tracheostomy taken out. This can often require helping patients learn how to talk again.

Speech requires a steady flow of air reaching the vocal cords from the lungs. This is interrupted in patients fitted with a tracheostomy.

But Mr Lovell claims he developed his Liverpudlian twang due to a weakened tongue, allegedly caused by the temporary tracheostomy.

He said: 'My tongue and vocal cords were paralysed and when I got my voice back, for some reason, I had a Scouse twang.

'I had Liverpool-supporting friends who bought me a mug saying "Liverpool's No.1 fan".'

For patients unable to breathe unaided, the tracheostomy tube can be attached to a machine (ventilator) that supplies oxygen.

The NHS says patients can find it difficult to speak if they have been fitted with a permanent tracheostomy.Viewers of Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start were left in hysterics over the chef's pronunciation of quesadilla in Wednesday night's episode.

The Michelin-starred chef, 45, joined Becky Thomas and husband Mark alongside their three children, twins Charlie, Jack and sister Holly to help them improve their home cooking routine.

Admitting that Holly was solely responsible for the family's meals Salisbury-born Tom developed some recipes that could get the whole family involved in the kitchen.

One of the meals he put forward was smoky chicken quesadillas and while a hit with the family viewers were left unimpressed with the cook's pronunciation.

Tom Kerridge was mocked by viewers during last night's episode of his Fresh Start show on BBC Two for his mispronunciation of a Mexican dish

Tom pronounced the Mexican dish as 'kwes-a-dee-ya' rather than 'kay-sa-dee-ya' much to the amusement of viewers who took to Twitter to mock the chef.

One wrote: 'The way Tom Kerridge pronounces "quesadilla" offends me'

Another equally amused viewer added: 'Qwesadilla? Somebody needs a fresh start.'

While a third wrote: 'What in God's name is a QWESADILLA? Sack the producer.'

The chef shared his recipe for smoky chicken quesadillas which he pronounced as 'kwes-a-dee-ya' rather than 'kay-sa-dee-ya'

Viewers took to Twitter to poke fun of the Salisbury-born chef's pronunciation of the the dish

The chef described the tortilla based dish as a fajita but 'just a bit more fun' during the third episode of his cookery series.

The Thomas family are among the eight families featured on the BBC Two programme, which aims to help reluctant cooks overhaul their eating habits for good.

Mother Becky was sick of doing the brunt of the cooking and wanted Mark to do his share.

The chef described the tortilla based dish as a fajita but 'just a bit more fun' during the third episode of his cookery series.

The Michelin-starred chef, 45, joined Becky Thomas and husband Mark alongside their three children, twins Charlie, Jack and sister Holly (pictured together) in the third episode of the show

After learning how to make a butternut squash pasta bake as well as puff pastry sausage rolls Mark's cooking prowess has improved greatly.

Becky says: 'Mark's helping out a lot more in the kitchen and I thought that would be brilliant and I would get a break all the time but actually we found we enjoy when we're cooking together.'

Tom's six-step plan for transforming family eating habits is nearing the half way stage in the series.

Tom believes that whatever our age or experience, we will have a healthier relationship with food if we do some cooking.

Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start airs at 8pm on Wednesday nights on BBC Two - catch up now on iPlayerGetting married marks a commitment to share everything about yourself with your loved one  for better and for worse.

And most of us, by the time we walk up the aisle, like to think we can be fairly confident we know everything important there is to know about our partner, and they about us.

But what if you had a secret so big you couldnt bear to share it, even with the love of your life?

Here, we talk to five women who didnt tell their husbands their biggest secrets  from bankruptcy to plastic surgery jobs  until after theyd tied the knot. So what did their other halves have to say?

EX-HUSBANDS DEATHS CAUSED MY ANXIETY

Jackie Walker, 50, with her sons and third husband David, 48, on their wedding day with her three sons - she told him a few months later she suffered from anxiety after two of her exes died

Beautician Jackie Walker, 50, is married to David, 48, an electrician. They live in Leeds. Jackie says:

I began suffering from panic attacks eight years ago. I had split from my second husband in 2010, and two years later, sadly, he committed suicide.

Five months later, my first husband, the father of my three children, also died  from natural causes. Afterwards, I had a nervous breakdown.

I couldnt bear to be home alone. I had this awful sensation of being unable to breathe, as though I was drowning.

I couldnt watch TV or even make a cup of tea and had to keep the windows and doors open. I tried to fix the problem by walking the dog or seeing friends, but nothing helped.

My GP prescribed anti-depressants. But eventually, I decided to come off them and overhaul my life. I was determined to conquer the panic attacks, and so I learned to meditate.

When I met David, he was so calming to be around, completely different to my former husbands.

He proposed three months after our first date. When he got down on one knee in a restaurant, I didnt think to explain my mental health issues. I couldnt ruin the moment by telling him that my previous husbands had both died a year earlier.

We married in 2014. It was a wonderful day. But a year later I decided to tell him about my panic attacks and that I suffered from them because my exes had died. I had no choice  not knowing meant David couldnt understand when I was having down days.

Now hes very supportive, although there was a youre the black widow joke at one point in an attempt to lighten the mood!

I still get panic attacks, but I recognise them now. Mentally and emotionally, Im in a much better place to deal with them, too.

Having told David makes everything easier. Hes very reassuring and gives me the support I need.

David says: When I found out about Jackies anxiety attacks I took it in my stride. I wasnt shocked that she hadnt told me her two former husbands were dead; I just wanted to help her. She meditates when she has an episode and this helps her control them.

If Id known about her mental health issues, I would still have gone into the relationship. I have no regrets.

I SENSE FAIRIES AND DEAD LOVED ONES

Spiritual PR company owner and Reiki master Sarah Lloyd, 42, is married to Karl, 40, a CAD draughtsman. They live in Farnborough, Hampshire, with their daughters Lucy, five, and Amy, three. Sarah says:

I became aware I had psychic abilities aged six. I felt a constant presence  like there was someone in the room with me.

My gift meant I never fitted in. I always knew when something was wrong with one of my friends  Id get this feeling. But I was teased for being weird, so I tried to suppress my gift. And, eventually, it went away altogether.

Karl and I met in 2009 at a mutual friends wedding, and married in 2014. We were clear from the outset about not hiding things from each other. But as my gift was firmly off, I didnt think to mention it.

Sarah Lloyd, 42, after her marriage to Karl, 40 - Sarah was initially too frightened to tell him she saw angels

When my younger daughter was born a year later I was exhausted. At my lowest point, I was surviving on three hours sleep.

One night, an angel appeared and wrapped me in his wings. I was scared and intrigued. It was like the real me was coming through again but there was still some blockage.

By 2016, Id gone back to work at a large technology firm and was taking antidepressants to cope. I knew the absence of my gift was the reason my life wasnt going the way Id envisaged, so I saw an energy healer who helped me see another path.

It was as though she had turned a light on inside me.

In 2017, I booked a retreat in Glastonbury to tune my skills and decided to reveal my secret to Karl.

At first he was astounded, and asked what on earth was going on. I confessed this was my calling, but Id been too frightened to tell him. After the initial shock wore off, he took it well.

The retreat marked a turning point for me. I could share things I knew wouldnt be laughed at, such as seeing Archangel Michael standing over me with a flaming sword, or picking up the scent of a dead loved one.

Afterwards, I left my corporate job. Im now an energy worker and use my gift in my PR business.

Today, I hone my abilities through daily meditation. I connect with fairies in the woods nearby and call in my guides every evening to help clear negative energy. I cant imagine ever burying my abilities again. Im finally my true self and Ive never been happier.

Karl says: When we first met, Sarah never truly seemed content; she was clearly searching for fulfilment.

At the time, I suspected there was more going on than met the eye, although I couldnt understand why she felt the need to visit psychics.

When she told me the truth about her abilities, though, I was surprised.

I think I handled it well  by then, I knew Sarah well enough to know she was somewhat quirky. If anything, this explained a lot.

Today Im happy that Sarahs happy. In her old job she was stressed and dissatisfied. Being her true self means she has more time and patience for the family. Im extremely proud of her  it takes huge courage to do what she has done.

I HID MY TWO NOSE JOBS FOR 11 YEARS

Architect Farnaz Ebrahimi, 36, is married to Darius, 38, a car bodyworker. They live in North London with their sons, Nicholas, two, and four-month-old Alexander. Farnaz says:

I was born with a large Roman nose that dominated my face. As a child, Id spend hours applying make-up in an attempt to make it appear smaller. I had incredibly low self-esteem; just glancing at my profile would get me down.

At 17, I decided to have a nose job. However, because my body was still developing, the surgeon was very cautious, and the nose he gave me just wasnt small enough.

Farnaz Ebrahimi, 36, before surgery (left) and after the procedure as a radiant bride (right), she says 'I've easily spent 5,000 on my face'

At 19, I underwent a second procedure. Ive easily spent 5,000 on my face. It was incredibly painful, but my face was transformed and finally I blossomed. By the time I met Darius, when I was 21, I was a confident, outgoing woman. I never told him about the procedures  it just didnt come up. When we got married in 2007, I didnt even think to mention it.

A few years later, we were visiting my older sister when she took out her wedding album. And there I was in the photographs with my pre-surgery nose.

When Darius saw the pictures, he was utterly confused  he insisted it couldnt be me. Thats when I told him.

To say he wasnt happy that Id kept it secret for 11 years was an understatement. He screamed at me in front of my family and stormed out of the house. My sister and I then had a huge row.

Darius and I didnt speak for almost three weeks. He was fuming and felt hed been duped.

Though I understood why he was annoyed, I was really hurt at how shocked and angry he was. It was such a difficult time, I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy. I thought I might have lost him.

It makes me think that had Darius met me before I had my nose job, he wouldnt have fallen in love with me.

Farnaz with Darius, 38, on their wedding day, he said he was 'shocked' to see what she looked like as a teenager

Darius says: My wife is an attractive woman, but when I saw those teenage photos, I was shocked to discover how different her face was.

It took a while to come to terms with her decision not to tell me. You cant help but wonder what else you dont know about. I would have preferred to know. When I first met her, my reaction was: Wow, shes gorgeous! I even told my parents Id found the mother of my children.

Its too early to tell whether our children have inherited her large nose. Ill admit I worry about it; when our sons were born, the first thing I did was peer at their faces to see whose nose they have.

Everyone thinks Im being awful, but its important to me. At least we have sons  having a large nose is much worse for a girl.

I HAD TO ADMIT ID HAD THREE TERMINATIONS

Early years practitioner Mimi Petrova, 38, is married to Alex, 33, a painter. They have a twoyear-old son, Martin, and they live in Ilford, Essex. Mimi says:

Throughout my 20s, I had no intention of settling down, and went from one relationship to another. But when I met Alex in 2012, I knew he was The One.

Weve never been curious about each others relationship history. We were looking to our future, not our past.

Mimi Petrova, 38, and Alex, 33, he was 'hurt' after she told him about three pregnancy terminations

Thats why I didnt mention the three abortions I had aged 21, 23 and 28. Each of the pregnancies was an accident. On two occasions we didnt use protection and on the third the condom split.

Looking back, I was young and naive. Ironically, I was studying childcare. But I wasnt ready for a child of my own, financially or emotionally, and the guys werent serious either. Alex and I got married in 2013, and I knew he wanted a family. He was so looking forward to us becoming parents that I didnt want to put him off by revealing my past.

I walked down the aisle with zero regrets. There was no need to tell Alex  or so I thought.

Then we tried for a baby for a year. But nothing happened. As each month passed, I became more and more frightened by my past actions.

Our GP suggested we undergo medical tests and thats when I knew I had to confess.

I cooked a meal and after wed drunk the best part of a bottle of wine, I told Alex the truth. I knew it was a risk; that if I couldnt give him a family it was likely to be a deal-breaker. He was stunned, but supported me. Id worried that hed be angry or judgmental, but he wasnt.

Then, luckily, the medical team reassured him there was no reason I shouldnt get pregnant. A year later I found out I was expecting. Now, its something we never talk about. But sometimes I wonder whether wed still be together if I hadnt fallen pregnant.

Alex says: Mimi is a really together person, so its hard to imagine her not being careful when it comes to contraception.

I understand why she didnt tell me about the abortions  people do make mistakes. None of us is perfect. Her previous pregnancies happened when she was still in full-time education and enjoying life. Bringing a child into the world with no means to support it isnt a good idea.

Thats why I didnt want to dwell on why we hadnt discussed it before, although I was hurt at first that shed hidden it from me.

Now weve got our son and we hope to have more children.

LOAN TROUBLES LEFT ME BANKRUPT

Nursing assistant Hayley Garbutt, 51, is married to Maurice, 53, an engineer. She has three children and they live in Hunmanby, North Yorkshire. Hayley says:

During my first marriage, my husband and I were juggling two businesses  a stationery shop and an after-school club. We also had two kids and a mortgage to pay. It was a struggle.

By the time the 2008 recession hit, it was clear both businesses were failing. We closed the after-school club so I could find paid work. In the end, I took on three jobs, working 70 hours a week while my husband ran the shop.

Hayley Garbutt, 51, on her wedding day to Maurice, 53, in 2014, he said looking back 'all the signs were there' - she had no credit cards and a pay-as-you-go phone

I agreed to be a guarantor for a 38,000 loan. Meanwhile, the money I earned was paying the mortgage, the loan repayments and running our home.

A year later, our marriage was at breaking point and, to cut a long story short, I had no option but to declare myself bankrupt.

I started dating Maurice, an old school friend, the following year. He thought it was odd that I had left my marriage without a penny to my name, and did grill me about it. But I simply said the bank had taken everything when the business failed, and that was that.

Maurice only found out the truth after we married in 2014.

As soon as we were man and wife, he wanted to put my name on the house deeds. I didnt want the bankruptcy to impact on him  I feared it could affect his credit rating  so I told him not to and explained why.

He was more than surprised; cross is the word that sums it up. Just thinking about it now makes me feel ill.

Today, Maurice is keen for me to share responsibility for our money. He trusts me, but I dont trust myself. The experience scared me so much I dont want any form of debt in my name.

Maurice says: When Hayley and I started seeing each other, I noticed she had a pay-as-you-go phone and didnt have any credit cards either. Looking back, all the signs were there.

Its a horrible situation for her to have found herself in and I understand why she didnt tell me.

But I wish I had known from the start, if only because I could have helped her financially. I firmly believe that couples shouldnt have secrets from one another.A woman has revealed the anger she felt after she was told she couldn't dine alone a the bar at the swanky Manhattan restaurant Nello because she was mistaken for a high-class call girl.

As a creative exec at the international strategic branding firm Finch & Partners, Clementine Crawford, 36, splits her time between London and New York, staying in the same hotel and frequenting the same high-end Italian eatery on Madison Avenue whenever she is in the Big Apple.

In her essay, 'The Night I Was Mistaken for a Call Girl,' Clementine detailed the recent hostility she faced as an unaccompanied woman at the Upper East Side restaurant, where she has been dining for years.

Stunned: Clementine Crawford, 36, was shocked to learn that she was confused for a high-end call girl after being told she could no longer dine alone at the bar of a New York restaurant

Although she didn't name the restaurant in her piece, she later confirmed to the New York Post that it was Nello, which is known for its $275 white truffle pasta.

Clementine explained that she prefers to eat alone at the bar, but when she slipped into her favorite seat at Nello on her most recent trip, she was told she could no longer sit there.

'A waiter approached  a familiar face, but oddly hesitant on this occasion. He advised  with evident embarrassment  that I was no longer permitted to eat at my usual spot and that I must now sit down at a table. Confused, but tired, I obliged,' she recalled in her essay for the website Drugstore Culture.

Clementine said the same thing happened when she returned to the haunt a few days later. When she asked what was going on, she was told 'nobody was able to eat at the bar.'

However, after she was moved to a table, she watched a man walk in and seat himself at the bar, where he enjoyed a dirty martini, a full pasta dinner, and later a limoncello to top off his meal.

Habit: As a creative exec at the strategic branding firm Finch & Partners, Clementine splits her time between London and New York and eats at Nello whenever she is in the Big Apple

Say what? Clementine said that during her most recent visit, she was told no one could eat at the bar, despite witnessing a single man having a full pasta dinner there

'Why, I wondered, was I suddenly being treated so frostily? Surely, in America of all places, the customer was still king  or, in this case, queen? After further interrogation, it transpired that the owner had ordered a crackdown on hookers: the free-range escorts who roamed the Upper East Side, hunting prey in his establishment,' she wrote.

'But hang on: did this mean they thought that I was an escort? Or could be mistaken for one? At first, I was incensed. Not because I am judgmental about the worlds oldest profession, but because this treatment struck me as outright discrimination.

'They had classified me, marginalized me, relegated me to the corner by the loos simply because I was an unaccompanied woman.'

Clementine admitted that she was surprised to find herself 'secretly thrilled' by the mistake at first because it was inadvertently a compliment to her appearance.

'Jesus, I thought, I must look expensive. Like sex worth buying,' she said. 'Like one of those groomed women who has time to do Pilates during the day, blow-dry her hair for hours, effortlessly wear a Cavalli catalog (in London, Celine) and don a Cartier cuff.'

Gender bias: Clementine, pictured with Chris Brown in 2017, was outraged that the restaurant marginalized her simply because she was an unaccompanied woman

When that fleeting thought passed, her anger returned and she asked to speak with the owner. She reminded him that she was a regular at the restaurant, noting that 'it was a brave thing to do, to eat out on ones own.'

According to Clementine, the owner was dismissive and unwilling to budge on his new gender-biased rule.

'He told me that he could run his business as he pleased, and that I was no longer welcome to eat at the bar, only at a table,' she recalled.

'Things escalated quickly into an explosive argument. I told him what I thought of him in no uncertain terms and departed into the night with a heavy heart.'

Clementine said the experience made her realized that sexism 'still silently seethes,' and she believes the subtle everyday indignities that women face are being overshadowed by the emphasis on the #MeToo movement.

'A single hashtag campaign hasnt reversed, and wont reverse, our fortunes,' she wrote.

'To simplify all sexual politics to six letters alone is no more than a sanctimonious charade and ignores the everyday encounters that, in aggregate, make the difference between an equal life and a life in which a woman enjoying a meal on her own is effectively branded an escort.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Nello for comment.There was still snow on the ground when Ivanka Trump left her Washington, D.C. home on Thursday morning, but that didn't stop her from showing off her bare legs in a midi skirt.

The 37-year-old first daughter donned a demure herringbone skirt suit as she headed to the U.S. State Department gathering of all U.S. ambassadors who are stationed abroad to discuss the importance of empowering women in their host countries.

Despite the near-freezing weather, Ivanka opted to hold on to her winter coat as she stepped out of the bottom gate of her home and walked the short distance to the Secret Service SUV that was parked at the curb.

Off to work! Ivanka Trump, 37, was seen leaving the front gate of her Washington, D.C. home on Thursday morning, walking past snow on the ground as she walked to her car

Outfit of the day: The first daughter donned a demure herringbone suit featuring a midi skirt

The White House senior adviser wore a delicate black top underneath her suit coat, which cinched at the waist with a large black belt.

Ivanka's modest midi-skirt fell just a few inches below her knees and swayed as she walked out of her home with a smile on her face at about 9:10 a.m.

She topped off the look with a pair of delicate drop earrings and classic black suede pumps that matched her belt.

Along with her black wool coat, Ivanka also carried a large black leather bag in her right hand as she left home for the day.

Although she typically wears her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders or pulled back at the nape of her neck, she tried out a new hairstyle on Thursday.

Added touch: The White House senior adviser's long blonde hair was pulled half up, highlighting the pearl drop earrings that hung from her ears

Showing off her look: Despite the near-freezing weather, she shunned hosiery and opted to hold on to her coat as she made her way to the Secret Service vehicle parked at the curb

Accessories: The White House senior adviser wore a delicate black top underneath her suit coat, which cinched at the waist with a large black belt

The mother-of-three's hair was pulled half up, highlighting the pearls that hung from her ears.

She sported smokey eye makeup to complement her dark suit and a natural pink lip, which has been known to favor.

Ivanka was smiling and appeared to be in good spirits as she headed to work on Thursday during the fourth week of the partial government shutdown.

Although she is known to smile at the photographers waiting outside her door, she has recently taken to leaving her home straight from her garage.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday Ivanka was seen sitting the backseat of a Secret Service vehicle while on her way to work in the morning. She left straight from her garage on Friday as well.

It's unclear if the first daughter wanted to avoid being seen or was simply trying to stay out of the cold.

Meeting: Ivanka was headed to the U.S. State Department gathering of U.S. ambassadors who are stationed abroad to discuss the importance of empowering women in their host countries

Big role: Earlier this week, it was revealed that Ivanka wil be leading the charge to find World Bank President Jim Yong Kim's replacement

Incognito: In recent weeks, Ivanka, pictured on Friday, has taken to leaving her home straight from her garage in a Secret Service vehicle

Just a few hours before she left for the day, her husband, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, was seen walking out of their front gate in a sharp navy suit and purple tie.

Like his wife, Jared, 38, also flashed a smile as he made his way to the Secret Service vehicle parked outside of their home around 7:30 a.m.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Ivanka will not be running the World Bank, after reports that the first daughter was under consideration for the job.

However, she will be leading the charge to find World Bank President Jim Yong Kim's replacement after he announced last week he would be stepping down in February.

'Secretary Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mulvaney have asked Ivanka Trump to help manage the U.S. nomination process as shes worked closely with the World Banks leadership for the past two years  however, reports that she is under consideration are false,' said White House Deputy Director of Communications Jessica Ditto in a statement.

Other possible candidates mentioned are David Malpass, a Treasury Department official; former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley; and Mark Green, head of the US Agency for International Development, the Financial Times reported.

Early bird: Just a few hours before Ivanka left for the day, her husband, Jared Kushner, was seen walking out of their front gate at about 7:30 a.m.

In good spirits: Like his wife, Jared, 38, also flashed a smile as he stepped out of their home in a sharp navy suit and purple tie

Winter wonderland: Over the weekend, Ivanka Trump took to Instagram Stories to share a photo of herself posing on a snow-covered road

Covered: She also posted a snapshot of the snow piling up on her kids' outdoor playhouse

It's not the first time Ivanka has been considered for a promotion in her father's administration.

She was reportedly under consideration to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She also sat in for President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Hamburg in July 2017, which lead to widespread condemnation.

Nomination to the World Bank job would also have likely caused an uproar.

The U.S. president does not have final say on who acts as head of the mega lender, which provides cash all over the world for capitol projects and works to eliminate poverty.

The bank's board of governors must confirm a new president but the American pick usually gets the nod. Kim was nominated by President Obama.

Ivanka has worked with bank officials as part of her efforts to empower women globally.

Over the weekend, as snow barreled down on D.C., she took to Instagram Stories to share a photo of the snow piling up on her kids' outdoor playhouse as well as a snapshot of herself posing on a snow-covered road.A hilarious BBC subtitle error saw Michael Gove warn against having 'Batman' for Prime Minister.

Last night during a speech to Parliament about the no confidence vote, Environment secretary Gove said: 'No allies, no deterrent, no army, no way this country can ever allow that man to be our Prime Minister.'

But the automated BBC subtitles rather unfortunately changed 'that man' to 'Batman'.

A hilarious BBC subtitle error saw Michael Gove warn against having 'Batman' for Prime Minister during his closing speech in the debate on the no confidence motion

Eagle eyed viewers who spotted the error quickly took to social media to mock the mistake.

One said: 'Michael Gove thinks he can stop one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world who is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands from becoming PM. Good luck #batman4pm.'

Another commented: 'Brexit shambles? In our darkest hour, we need the Dark Knight... #BatmanforPM.'

Eagle eyed viewers who spotted the error quickly took to social media to mock the mistake

Another said: 'Batman for Prime Minister! He's the Prime Minister we need, but not the one we deserve #Batman4PM.'

And another added: 'I'm up for #Batman4PM... even if his dancing is not much better than the current occupant of No. 10.'

One said: 'Michael Gove thinks he can stop one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world who is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands from becoming PM. Good luck #batman4pm'

On Wednesday night Mr Gove made the closing speech in the debate on the no confidence motion in the Government which was narrowly defeated.

The London Evening Standard pointed out that this is not the first time the BBC has had a subtitles blunder since switching to an automated system which electronically converts speaker's sentences into text.

Last year, the subtitles read that Mr Corbyn 'admired Prince Harry and Hezbollah' as he congratulated Meghan and Harry on their engagement.From couture gowns to diamond earrings and countless pairs of designer heels, the Duchess of Sussex rarely wears an outfit more than once.

And yet again Meghan looked stunning last night  in a sparkling 3,400 floor-length dress by Roland Mouret teamed with a bracelet that belonged to Princess Diana and a black Givenchy clutch  as she joined Prince Harry at the Royal Albert Hall for the premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Totem.

But a lot of hard work  and money  goes into becoming a royal style icon; in 2018 alone, the Duchess, wore new clothing worth an estimated 400,000.

Now MailOnline can reveal the secrets behind Meghan's royal wardrobe, how she pays for it  and the people who helped to build it, including her secret weapon, stylist BFF Jessica Mulroney.

The Duchess of Sussex looked stunning last night wearing a sparkling 3,400 floor-length dress by Roland Mouret teamed with a bracelet that belonged to Princess Diana and a black clutch - and now MailOnline can reveal the secrets behind Meghan's designer wardrobe

THE MONEY

One of the biggest questions is how the Duchess pays for her fabulous wardrobe.

Before marrying Harry Meghan, who amassed a 3.8 million fortune as an actress in Suits, paid for clothes herself and received 'gifts' from brands who wanted her to wear their items.

Now that she's a duchess, like all British royals, she is prevented by royal protocol from accepting freebies.

Luckily, since entering into The Firm, she doesn't have to worry about how she pays for her extensive wardrobe money as her husband is worth an estimated 30 million.

The Duke of Sussex and Prince William are believed to have each inherited a trust of around 10 million from the estate of their late mother Princess Diana, as stated by royal expert Marlene Koenig.

Since he was 25, Harry is said to have received 321,313 per year in dividends from investment profits from his mother's estate, according to Forbes.

The royal debut: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announce their engagement at Kensginton Palace in November 2018. Harry is believed to pick up part of the cost of her wardrobe

In addition to this, the Duke is reported to have shared with his brother around 14 million from the late Queen Mother.

She reportedly put the bulk of her estimated 70 million fortune into a trust fund for her great-grandchildren in 1994 of which Harry and William will have received around 7 million each.

Harry also earned between 32,000 and 45,000 annually during his ten-year career in the Army, it is claimed. Although he is estimated to be worth 30 million, it is unclear how the remainder of his wealth is made up.

Harry and Meghan also have the cost of their work-related activities, including some clothing, covered by the Prince of Wales. They share an estimated 3.5 million of his official household budget, funded by the Duchy of Cornwall private estate.

The couple have been living in Nottingham Cottage - part of Kensington Palace - where they currently reside when in London.

They have also rented a 2.5 million, four bedroom property nestled in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside.

Later this year they will move into Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate, a beautiful Grade II-listed home that is having a 3 million renovation.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said the costs of any substantial building work would be covered by the Sovereign Grant, which is ultimately funded by the taxpayer.

Decorative work inside the cottage is expected to be paid for by Harry and Meghan, whose wedding cost the public purse 3.4million.

With her impeccable taste, Meghan has reportedly hired the top designer of the Soho House clubs to decorate because she wants the cottage to look like the chain of private members' clubs.

Kensington Palace declined to comment on their living costs, but said that clothing is paid for 'privately'.

THE FASHION FAIRY GODMOTHER

Meghan's close friend and 'unofficial' stylist Jessica Mulroney (she is not on the palace payroll but 'advises' the duchess on what to wear and joined her on her recent Australian tour) is the mastermind behind some of her most iconic looks.

It is thanks to Montreal-born Mulroney that the duchess regularly wears pieces from little-known Canadian designers, from Sentaler to Aritzia.

Many of these labels are closely linked to Mulroney's work as a brand ambassador, such as House of Nonie and Judith & Charles - some of whom have publicly thanked the stylist for her help in securing the ultimate royal stamp of approval and subsequent sales boom.

One such label is luxury jewellery brand Birks, who previously hired the fashion guru as their 'style expert' and were introduced to Meghan by Mulroney herself.

Thanks to Montreal-born Mulroney (pictured with Meghan in Toronto, March 2016) the Duchess of Sussex regularly wears pieces from little-known Canadian designers, from Sentaler to Aritzia

The two ladies enjoy a close friendship as well as a working relationship, and Mulroney even travelled to Sydney for Meghan's first major overseas tour in October.

According to royal commentator Omid Scobie, Mulroney 'quietly flew into London' last July to help Meghan with final preparations for her Dublin tour, as well as helping her pick outfits for a string of upcoming high-profile engagements such as Prince Louis' christening.

Amanda Dishaw, editorial director of royal fashion site Meghans Mirror, told MailOnline that much of the duchess' pregnancy wardrobe - including her 170 Hatch 'Eliza' dress - is believed to have been purchased from Toronto maternity boutique Ani + Wren, which the two women used to frequent together when Mulroney was expecting daughter Ivy.

'I think Meghan really trusts Jessica,' she said. 'Jessica has a really good eye for fashion and that's why we're seeing a lot of Canadian designers popping up on Meghan.'

Much of the duchess' pregnancy wardrobe is believed to have been purchased from Toronto maternity boutique Ani + Wren, which the two women (pictured in Toronto in November 2015) used to frequent together when Mulroney was expecting her daughter Ivy

Jessica Mulroney reportedly 'quietly flew into London' last July to help Meghan with final preparations for her Dublin tour, as well as helping her pick outfits for a string of upcoming high-profile engagements including a Commonwealth reception in London (pictured)

TRANSATLANTIC STYLING TEAM

While there is no doubt as to Mulroney's influence on Meghan's style, the duchess is also believed to have a small team of staff helping to coordinate her closet from Kensington Palace.

Dishaw told MailOnline she has personally seen copies of itemised invoices from designers and high street stores addressed to the Palace - and she believes outfits are planned 'three to four months in advance' for high-profile royal events.

It is thought that the Palace team are tasked with sourcing pieces from smaller British brands, while Mulroney is given free reign with US and Canadian labels.

'There's definitely a Palace team who would be looking for British fashion, looking for things from high street British shops to be incorporated into her wardrobe,' said Dishaw. 'And there's definitely Jessica Mulroney doing shopping for her.

'I think it's really interesting that she's choosing to continue to wear Canadian brands. We have seen some smaller British brands get some love [...] but I'm quite surprised that she hasn't switched to wearing some Hobbs or some Reiss or some high street brands.'

THE MEGHAN EFFECT

Whenever the Duchess wears an item of clothing, the impact to the brand is incredible, with the item usually selling out within hours of her appearance.

The now iconic LINE coat worn by Meghan at the photo call to announce her engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017 is one such example.

According to Maclean's, LINE's PR chief Natasha Koifman received a call from Mulroney on the morning of the engagement to say the coat had been chosen for the photos that were to be beamed around the world - causing it to sell out instantly.

The royal debut: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announce their engagement at Kensginton Palace in November 2018. It later emerged that Meghan's LINE coat, which instantly sold out following the photo call, was recommended to her by her stylist best friend Jessica Mulroney

Old favourite: California label Frank & Eileen gifted Meghan with a linen shirt during her showbiz days which she went on to wear on Fraser Island, Australia last year (pictured)

Meghan has been known to wear pieces 'gifted' to her before becoming a royal - such as these 90 velvet slippers from Birdies sent to her when she was working as an actress, which she wore during the Pacific tour (pictured in Rotorua, New Zealand with Harry in October)

Freebies and gifts are strictly banned in the royal family, and there is no suggestion that Meghan has accepted fashion freebies since moving into the Palace.

But Meghan has been known to wear pieces 'gifted' to her before becoming a royal - such as the 90 velvet slippers from Birdies sent to her when she was working as an actress.

Similarly, California label Frank & Eileen sent Meghan with a linen shirt during her showbiz days which she went on to wear on Fraser Island last year.

ONE-WEAR POLICY

The Duchess is yet to recycle a dress from her ever expanding royal wardrobe, instead freshening up her look with several different versions of staple pieces.

Indeed, almost every item she wears for public engagements is brand new - and on more than one occasion she has even forgotten to remove the wrapping.

The 475 Strathberry tote that Meghan debuted in Ireland still had its plastic casing attached (the Duchess is pictured with Prince Harry at Dublin airport in July 2018)

A close-up of Meghan's 475 Strathberry tote which eagle-eyed royal watchers spotted still had its plastic casing on (pictured at Dublin airport in July 2018)

Oops! Proving that her wardrobe is box-fresh, the Duchess of Sussex forgot to remove the label from her 380 customised Self Portrait dress worn in Tonga in October 2018

A 475 Strathberry tote bag debuted in Dublin still had its plastic casing attached, while a 380 customised Self Portrait dress worn in Tonga had the label hanging from the hem following a mid-flight outfit change en route from Fiji.

But far from gathering dust at the back of Meghan's wardrobe, some of these items are ultimately donated to charity, she revealed last week.

The Duchess revealed she had donated one of her handbags - from a collection worth an estimated 40,000 - to women's charity Smart Works in London.

LAST-MINUTE ALTERATIONS

When Meghan wore a THEIA couture gown in Tonga in October, the label's creative director revealed he had been contacted by an unnamed stylist just a fortnight earlier - and given a mere two days to complete it.

The Duchess of Sussex stuns in a THEIA couture gown at Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on 25 October 2018. The dress was ordered by stylist Jessica Mulroney and made in just two days - before being sent back for last-minute alterations to accommodate Meghan's growing baby bump

Although last-minute alterations had to be made due to Meghan's baby bump - forcing Irish designer Don O'Neill to put preparations for his bridal show on ice - the dress had to be rushed to the palace with just days to spare.

Similarly, Mulroney was tasked with creating a last-minute wardrobe ahead of Meghan's move to Britain that included her 'engagement outfit' according to John Muscat, president of LINE - who only found out it had been chosen on the morning of the royal wedding announcement.

The $799 CAD (584.02) white coat was an instant sellout thanks to the royal bride's endorsement.

Who is Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney? The Duchess of Sussex's close friend, unofficial wedding planner, and long-distance stylist is one of the most well-connected women in Canada. She is married to Ben Mulroney, the oldest son of the former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and the couple live in Toronto with their three children; twins Brian and John, and their little girl, Ivy. Listing herself as an expert in brand strategy and PR on her very active Instagram feed, Jessica is also a wedding planner and the founder of the Shoebox Project, a charity initiative that distributes shoeboxes full of gifts to women in need. Canadian stylist Jessica reportedly took Meghan under her wing when the former Suits star was living in Toronto to film Suits Support: Jessica, seen helping her flower girl daughter Ivy up the steps of St George's Chapel along with the Duchess of Cambridge at Meghan and Harry's wedding in May, is open about her family life on social media, and regularly remarks on juggling her busy career with raising three young children The McGill University graduate was recently named among the 50 most influential people in Canada by the luxury lifestyle magazine Bay Street Bull, and counts multiple television personalities and female entrepreneurs among her close friends. She is understood to have taken Meghan under her wing when the then actress was living in Toronto while starring in suits. The pair are so close Ivy was a flower girl at the royal wedding in May, while Brian and John were page boys given the special task of holding the bride's train as she walked down the aisle in St George's Chapel, at Windsor Castle. AdvertisementDr Pimple Popper returns tonight in a typically stomach-churning episode, which sees her drain a spot 'the size of an avocado'.

Dr Sandra Lee, who is known for performing rather gruesome procedures that she documents online and in her reality series, admits it may be the largest cyst she has ever seen in a new episode of her show, which airs at 9pm on TLC.

Appearing on the show, American exotic dancer Yamileth, 22, shows the dermatologist a large itchy bump on her collarbone, which she says first popped up when she was just 10.

Revealing that it has prevented her from pursuing her dreams of becoming a backing dancer and saw her bullied at school, she said: 'It has really affected me and my studies.

Yamileth, from the US, appeared on Dr Pimple Popper with a large itchy cyst on her collarbone, which has prevented her from pursuing her dreams of becoming a backing dancer

In stomach-churning scenes set to air tonight, even Dr Lee is surprised by how much puss oozes out of the 'avocado-sized lump', which Yamileth first noticed aged just 10

Dermatologist and professional pimple popper Dr Sandra Lee says of Yamileth's cyst: 'I've never seen anything like this. It's like chives'

'I couldn't concentrate because people bombarded me with comments, so I got a job and that's how I got into exotic dancing.'

In a shocking clip, Dr Lee slices into the cyst before it releases a stream of thick, yellow puss.

'I've never seen anything like this,' exclaims the pimple popper, as it continues to ooze out. 'It's like chives.'

Over the years, Yamileth admits she felt too self-conscious and nervous to go to her auditions.

'When I was about ten years old I remember I was rubbing this area and it felt like a little ball,' she explained in an emotional scene.

'As I grew older it got bigger and bigger. To me it looks like a medium-sized avocado. It's exhausting trying to hide this lump. I just want to be able to ride my bike without wearing a scarf or pulling my hair to the front.'

Yamileth has made a career out of exotic dancing, a temporary pursuit until she gets the lump removed.

'When I was in high school I did get bullied,' she explained. 'Kids would pick on me. This kid would say 'argh that's nasty. That's disgusting.'

Yamileth is seen visiting the clinic in the hope that Dr Lee can help remove the eyesore so that she can gain the confidence she needs to move forward with her life - but the scenes aren't for the squeamish.

Before: In emotional scenes, Yamileth explains how she got bullied: 'This kid would say 'argh that's nasty. That's disgusting'

After: Yamileth's avocado-sized lump has been replaced with a tiny scar which Dr Lee believes will heel over quickly

Yamileth was thrilled when she looked in the mirror and thanked Dr Lee for changing her life and making her feel 'unstoppable'

Describing the procedure as 'pretty fun,' Dr Pimple Popper then went on to describe the spot as having the 'texture of mash potato.'

Despite the queasy viewing, Yamileth is delighted with the results.

'When I looked in the mirror for the first time I saw a new person in me with a new confidence,' she said, following the procedure.

'You've changed my life. The cyst stopped me from becoming a backing dancer but now it's removed I feel like I can do whatever I want. I feel unstoppable.'

And that's not only the stomach-churning moment which will have viewers on the edge of their seats.

Matt, from Colorado, was born with a condition called neurofibromatosis that causes tumors of different sizes and shapes to grow all over his body.

He revealed he's been bullied since he was a young boy and the tumors have caused him excruciating pain.

Matt, from Colardo, was born with a condition called neurofibromatosis that causes tumors of different sizes and shapes to grow all over his body

Dr Lee explains Matt's condition can be dangerous as there are bumps that could occur that could be cancerous or life-threatening- serious condition

'When I had to go to school I had to deal with speech impediments due to my neurofibromatosis, too,' he explained. 'I was constantly being bullied and pushed around.'

'People were saying 'oh look at this bubble neck. I don't want him, he's gross.' For me it was humiliation.'

As a local courier, he told Dr Lee how the skin condition impacted on his deliveries.

'I have to make these adjustments because of tumours that can grow,' he explained in tonight's episode.

'I can't use my right side as easily as I can my left side. Its like a rock stuck in my side and it hurts.'

Matt visits the surgery in the hope Dr Lee will be able to take some of his pain away so that he can go about his everyday life with less discomfort.

After explaining how the condition can sometimes be dangerous as there some bumps could be cancerous or life-threatening, Dr Lee sets to work.

A local courier, Matt says his condition prevents him from doing his job properly: 'I can't use my right side as easily as I can my left side. Its like a rock stuck in my side and it hurts'

Speaking of the lump she removed from Matt's abdomen, Dr lee said: 'I've never seen anything like this growth

'I'm excited to show this to you,' she exclaimed, before holding up a tumour she'd just removed.

'I've never seen anything like this. It looks like a petrified piece of macaroni.'

But while most of the lumps that she removed were very mobile and moved independent of his body, one on his back seemed to be stuck to deeper structures and looked 'a little like a starfish.'

While she was worried at first it might have been an aggressive growth that could be malignant or life-threatening, the results thankfully came back all-clear.

'Right now I just feel full of happiness,' Matt said after seeing the final results. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking away my pain. It means everything to me.

Dr Pimple Popper airs on Thursday nights at 9pm exclusively on TLCRacing legend Sir Jackie Stewart has revealed how he's transformed his idyllic Swiss home to make life for his wife Helen, who has dementia, safer and more comfortable.

The Scottish racing star, 79, who won 99 Grands Prix during his illustrious driving career has described Lady Stewart's battle with the devastating illness as the 'biggest challenge of my life'.

Stewart has also invested 2million into academic fellowships in a bid to help scientists find a cure for the cruel disease, which 225,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with every year.

Sir Jackie Stewart, 79, pictured with his wife Lady Helen, 77, at Wimbledon in 2016. Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia five years ago and Stewart has described her illness as the 'biggest challenge of my life'

The couple pictured during Stewart's heydey as a racing driver; the Scot won 99 Grands Prix during his stellar career on the track

Privilege: The family have worked hard to lead a charmed life with a successful business following Sir Jackie's racing career. Pictured: Jackie and Helen with sons Paul and Mark, in their swimming pool, in 1973

Speaking to the Telegraph, Sir Jackie described how he's taken a pro-active approach to Lady Helen's illness.

He said: 'I cant sit there, as I do with my wife, watching the degradation that dementia creates, without doing something.'

Helen was first diagnosed five years ago after she couldn't remember how a car accident happened in the grounds of the couple's lavish Chiltern Hills estate.

How common is dementia? Some 225,000 people will develop dementia this year  thats one every three minutes Advertisement

Lady Stewart's short-term memory and mobility are impaired by the condition and day-to-day tasks are a struggle, with the 77-year-old frequently awake throughout the night.

Now based full-time in Geneva, Lady Helen is cared for around the clock by a team of eight neuroscience nurses and the four-storey house the couple share on the banks of Lake Geneva has been kitted out with state-of-the-art sensors to ensure Helen doesn't stumble when she's awake at night.

Stewart with Lady Helen after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1969. Sir Jackie has invested 2million into academic fellowships to try and find a cure for dementia

Lady Helen has a team of specialist nurses attending to her in the couple's home on Lake Geneva and Stewart ensures his wife has dinner with close family members twice a week

The racing legend also keeps his wife's social life going, ensuring she dines twice a week with family members.

In 2016, Stewart described how Lady Helen's illness first took hold. He said: 'My wife was the original pit lane girl, my professional stopwatch  timing my laps to the millisecond.

'Her razor-sharp mind was one of the things I fell in love with, and its her mind that is vanishing. Her short-term memory is shot.

He continued: 'Somehow I knew there was a problem when Helen stopped putting on her watch. It sounds silly but she put on the same watch every day, and all of a sudden she didnt.

'When she went to check the time and the watch wasnt there, she would think shed lost it or that it had fallen off.

At first I thought she was being forgetful, but then she started to forget lots of little things that turned into bigger things.'The British actor playing Prince Charles in The Crown has described how he got into character as the future king - which involved learning to move like a 'tortoise'.

The Durrells star Josh O'Connor, 28, will play a young Charles in the upcoming third series of the hit Netflix drama this year and has been busy perfecting his dialect and posture.

The third series, which hits screens later this year, covers 1964-1970, when Charles was between the ages of 16 and 22  and as part of his research OConnor closely studied the young prince's body language from archive footage.

He told The Times: 'If you watch footage of the young Charles, theres this thing  when he turns, he doesnt turn with his body, he turns with his neck first, in a weird sort of Justin Timberlake-esque dance move.

The Durrells star Josh O'Connor, 28, recreates Princes Charles' 1969 investiture ceremony opposite Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II in the upcoming third series of The Crown

The Prince of Wales with his mother the Queen at his 1969 investiture ceremony. The third series, which hits screens this year, covers 1964-1970, when Charles was between 16 and 22

'I like to think of Charles at the moment as a sort of tortoise, because he puts his neck out. Its not even that hes particularly slow, its more this idea of inquisitive head first.'

O'Connor, who shot to fame in God's Own Country, also described his joy at shooting scenes in stately homes up and down the country, joking: 'I feel like I'm on Antiques Roadshow a lot of the time.'

Olivia Colman will play Queen Elizabeth II with Helena Bonham as Princess Margaret in series three of the hit drama, which will see the cast reenact pivotal royal moments over the past 50 years.

These include Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles (Emerald Fennell) flirting at a polo match in 1975, and the future king's investiture ceremony in 1969.

O'Connor, 28, currently stars in the new BBC adaptation of Les Miserables but is best known for his performance in 2017 film God's Own Country, a gay romance set in Yorkshire.

O'Connor as Prince Charles, filming at Caernarfon Castle in Wales. The third series, which hits screens this year, covers 1964-1970, when Charles was between the ages of 16 and 22

The rising star reenacting Charles' investiture ceremony as the Prince of Wales in 1969. As part of his research OConnor studied the young prince's body language from archive footage

The Cheltenham-born actor won a British Independent Film Award for his role as sheep farmer Johnny, who falls in love with a Romanian migrant worker.

Quoted on a post on the show's official Twitter profile O'Connor said: 'I am thrilled to be joining The Firm for the next instalment of The Crown.

'Seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Wales' life and our national story and I'm excited to be bringing to life the man in the midst of it all.'

He added: 'I'm very aware it's a formidably talented family to be joining, but reliably informed I have the ears for the part and will fit right in.'

Claire Foy, centre, and Matt Smith, right, in a scene from the first series of Netflix's historical drama, The Crown. Series three is set for a 2019 release according to producers

The new Prince Charles! Cheltenham-born Josh O'Connor, 28, is known for his performance in 2017 film God's Own Country, a gay romance set in Yorkshire and will play the Prince of Wales

Joshn O'Connor, right, won a British Independent Film Award for his role as sheep farmer Johnny, who falls in love with a Romanian migrant worker in God's Own Country (pictured)

Actress Marion Bailey has also been confirmed for the part of the Queen Mother in the next instalment of the drama created by film writer Peter Morgan.

Bailey, 67, is known for her appearances in her partner Mike Leigh's movies including Meantime, All Or Nothing and Vera Drake.

Bailey was also quoted in a tweet on the programme's profile saying: 'Wonderful to be joining The Crown.

'It's a brilliant show and we have a tough act to follow but what a gift to be playing the fascinating and greatly loved Queen Mother.'

British actor Josh O'Connor will play a young Prince Charles (pictured in Wales in July 1969, aged 20) during some of the most 'turbulent years of his life'

'Seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Wales' life, O'Connor said (Charles pictured in 1978, three years before Princess Diana)

She added: 'Thrilled to be on board and working with such a top-notch team.'

O'Connor and Bailey join a cast that is already set to include Olivia Colman, who has taken over from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, previously played by Bafta winner Vanessa Kirby.

The cast has been changed in keeping with the ageing of the characters.

The first series portrayed the earlier days of the Queen's reign and the second covered the period from 1956 until 1963.

It recently picked up 13 Emmy nominations, among them a nod in the coveted outstanding drama series category.Yemen talks continue in Amman for second day Negotiations focus on prisoners exchange

(ANSA) - AMMAN, JANUARY 17 - Yemen peace talks negotiators continued in Amman on Thursday for the second consecutive day on hope of finding a breakthrough regarding prisoners exchange and implementation confidence building agenda, diplomatic sources said.



The Amman meetings were held behind closed doors as negotiators and UN officials brokering the deal refused to divulge information about proceedings.



Negotiators hope to build on the Sweden peace agreement last year in order to allow for resumption of humanitarian aid, prisoners exchange and set up a road map for possible political solution to the crisis that devastated Yemen. Yemen has descended into a humanitarian crisis in light of fierce fighting between Iran backed militia of Ansar Allah and Saudi backed government. Millions have been displaced as fighting spread across the country, causing famine and spread of water borne diseases. The Sweden meeting last year was the first to bring the two sides under one roof, as they agreed on confidence building measures including freeing of thousands of prisoners and allowing aid delivery to stranded civilians. But a recent fighting in Hudeida port and attacks against government loyalists complicated matters, leaving the peace talks on the brink.



ANSAHolly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield couldn't keep their eyes off four little bundles of joy as Britain's oldest mother of quadruplets visited This Morning earlier today.

Mother-of-seven Tracey Britten, from London, gave birth in October and has since settled into her new life, but many critics claimed she was too old to become a parent again.

While she discussed the moment she was called a 'foreigner' and told she 'shouldn't be allowed to have kids here,' Holly was also rather busy with her handfuls.

'I'm just going to take her for a walk around the sofa if that's OK?' said the presenter, as the baby she was cradling started crying. 'Just a little mini walk.'

While Holly, who described the little ones as an 'amazing gift,' continued to rock the baby she was cradling back and forth until she settled, the cuteness overload didn't go amiss with the viewers either.

'Every time @Schofe is on my TV he's either cuddling a kitten, puppy or little baby,' wrote one, while another added: 'Watching This Morning is making me soooo broody.'

Tracey Britten became Britain's oldest mother of quadruplets at the age of 51. She appeared on This Morning earlier to discuss the publish backlash she received after announcing her pregnancy

Holly wasn't the only one who cooed over the quadruplets - as one viewer claimed it was making her 'so broody'

Describing her hectic life since the new arrivals, Tracey, who also has three grown up children, said:

'They day times are alright it's the nighttime. They don't cry a lot but they just stay awake and whinge.

'I'd never regret it but at nighttime when I've not slept I think "oh my god". The other night I was lucky if I got an hour's sleep.'

Tracey gave birth to the four quadruplets at 31 weeks via c-section - and viewers took to social media to praise the busy mum

Phillip cuddled Fredrica in this morning's show, who Tracey said was the 'troublemaker' - despite behaving perfectly well during her air-time

And despite the previous negativity, viewers took to social media to commend the busy mother, whose babies were delivered at 31 weeks via C-section.

'Good luck to the new mummy of four - let's get rid of the judgmental society we live in and wish them all well,' wrote one, while someone else penned: 'Beautiful babies. take no notice of vicious people. They will have miserable lives to go with their personalities.'

Another added: 'Age is only a number and not the makings of a wonderful mum,' while one advised her to 'take no notice of vicious people.'

The new mum-of-four was commended for bringing up her quadruplets, with one person advising her to 'take no notice of vicious people'

Tracey had her first three children with her first husband but they split up in 2003. She then went on to meet the father of her quadruplets, in 2005 and they married in 2012 - and having children was something they discussed very early on.

'He wanted kids but I already had three,' Tracey told Holly and Phillip earlier today. 'I wasn't as keen as he was. But as soon as I got to fifty, I don't know if I had a midlife crisis but I just thought I might as well go for it.'

After Tracey's mother passed away, she was left some inheritance money which she decided to put towards IVF treatment. She started doing injections herself at home - and then went to Cyprus.

'I had one lot of IVF,' explained Tracey. 'My mother has always wanted twins. I thought what a better way to spend the money she left me than to give it a shot.'

After carrying out extensive research and visiting some clinics in London, Tracey hoped that visiting Cyprus, where they implant up to four embryos, would give her a better chance of having at least one, as they implanted up to four embryos.



Tracey had her first three children with her first husband but they split up in 2003. She then went on to meet the father of her quadruplets in 2005

Describing the moment she told her daughter the news when she was around six weeks gone, Tracey said: 'We all got teary-eyed, hugged and everything else.'

'I took my daughter and daughter-in-law for lunch one afternoon,' said Tracey, describing the moment she told the news to her loved ones. 'I was about six weeks pregnant. I told them and we all got teary-eyed, hugged and everything else.'

It was only when her daughter suggested she go for an early scan as she looked fairly big, that Tracey discovered the news.

'The sonographer saw two at first and then paused,' said Tracey. 'She said hold on a minute, there's twins...no, there's three. I got my breath a minute, she put the fan on and told us there was four.'

Holly explained that the practicality of carrying quadruplets to term and all four arriving safely is a million in one chance - and Tracey was advised to possibly continue with just two.

'But by this time we'd got used to the idea we were having four,' said Tracey. 'It was more of a shock of thinking to get rid of two.'

Now, her quadruplets are happy and healthy - and viewers have taken to social media to praise how adorable they all are.

'Can I come in and do some baby hugs please. How adorable are the quads?' wrote one, while someone else said: 'I don't usually praise @thismorning but that was cuteness overload. Them babies, how adorable!'The Jack Russell terrier photographed cuddling with the Duchess of Sussex yesterday has quickly become the most popular dog at the animal shelter, the charity has revealed.

Meghan, 37, was particularly taken by one-year-old Minnie during the visit to The Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green, north west London, and spent a few moments snuggling with the dog after scooping it up into her arms.

Minnie was placed with the charity last month when her previous family was no longer able to care for her and she went up for adoption yesterday.

Within minutes photos of the Duchess and Minnie were shared online - and phone calls regarding the dog starting streaming as the 'Meghan effect' took hold.

The Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green, northwest London, has been inundated with calls about one-year-old Minnie after she was pictured being cuddled by the Duchess of Sussex

Self-confessed animal lover Meghan, 37, told staff she wanted to take the 'shy' pooch home but has too much on her hands with a baby on the way in late April or May

A spokesperson for the charity said: 'We've had phone calls and emails ever since yesterday afternoon so she's gaining a lot of interest. I would guess up to one hundred.

'The profile going out on the media has definitely helped raise awareness of us - she's currently our most popular dog.'

Former actress Meghan had two rescue dogs, a beagle named Guy and a Labrador-shepherd mix called Bogart, when she lived in Toronto.

Now Minnie, who has been at the shelter since December and was put up for adoption yesterday, is Mayhew's most popular dog

While Guy came with Meghan when she moved to the UK - and has since been spotted riding with the Queen - Bogart was too old to travel and had to stay behind with friends.

Meghan, who is six months pregnant, was very taken by Minnie but said she couldn't introduce another dog to the family with a baby on the way.

'The Duchess commented that while she'd love to take her home, she's got a lot on her hands with the new baby coming soon,' a Mayhew spokesperson said.

'While she loved her unfortunately she can't take her herself.'

Meghan, pictured arriving at the shelter yesterday, has taken over as the royal patron for Mayhew

However Mayhew staff are looking to find Minnie a forever home, describing her as 'very sweet'.

'She's also a bit shy and nervous when you first meet her,' a spokesperson said. 'She's very sweet and cuddly as you can tell from all the pictures yesterday.

'She very much enjoyed hugs with the Duchess - so she's looking for a new home where the owner can dedicate their time to her and really look after her and train her.'

The Duchess of Sussex was last week announced as the patron of Mayhew.

On her visit yesterday the royal met the hard-working staff who help dogs and cats find forever homes, as well as some of their four-legged friends.

Meghan later joined husband Prince Harry for a Cirque du Soleil performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.A young mother has revealed how she was wracked with fear that her baby would die every time he had a runny nose - after she was struck down by post-natal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Amy Hill, 30, from Stafford, was diagnosed with OCD following the birth of her second child last year.

The OCD got so bad that Amy had to move out of her home for several weeks, which she shared with husband Jamie and her two children Millie, aged four, and nine-month-old Alfie.

Unlike the 'baby blues' which causes depression after pregnancy, sufferers will often play out worst case scenarios in their heads leaving them unable to sleep or eat.

But after moving away from her two children and staying with her parents, the 30 year-old sought professional help and is now hoping to help others struck down by the little-known condition.

Amy Hill, with her oldest child Millie, was struck down by post-natal OCD, following the birth of her second child last year.

Amy, with husband Jamie, daughter Millie (left) aged 4 and new baby Alfie, who is now 9 months old

Amy, who has worked as a nurse on a children's intensive care unit for eight years, said: 'Most people have heard of postnatal depression, but no one talks about post-natal anxiety or OCD.

'I for one had never heard of these debilitating mental health illnesses or how common they actually are.'

The anxiety began just a month after baby Alfie was born and Amy said she was scared to admit to the thoughts in her head.

'For me it all began when my baby was four-weeks-old and he had a slight runny nose,' she said.

Behind the smiles: Amy (left) was suffering from catastrophic thoughts that her new baby would die. Pictured with husband Jamie and Millie (top centre) aged four.

'In my mind, it could go from having a runny nose, to getting a chest infection, to needing hospital, to needing intensive care and eventually my baby dying.

'The anxiety and panic were unbearable. I never slept that night with worry. His runny nose was never more than that, but this was just the beginning of my intrusive thoughts.

'For days I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I barely functioned. I was so scared of what was going on in my head and scared to tell people in case they thought I was some crazy monster.'

Amy chose to live between her mum and mother-in-law's houses on alternate weeks. While each of them would take a turn to look after the Millie, aged four, and nine-month-old Alfie, while she was unwell and her husband was at work.

'I felt so ashamed and embarrassed of what was happening and that I wasn't managing or happy like other mums,' she said. 'I thought if I spoke about it they would want me locked up.

'Instead I started to Google some of my symptoms and was surprised to find that what was happening to me was an illness and I wasn't the only person to suffer with it.

What is postnatal OCD? Unlike postnatal depression, women who suffer from postnatal OCD women will play our worst case scenarios in their heads over and over until they are so anxious that they can't eat or sleep.

The debilitating anxiety is thought to affect between two and four per cent of all new mothers.

Symptoms may include excessive washing of children's clothes or bottles, constant checking on your baby when they sleep or constant mental review of daily tasks to reassurance yourself that you or no one else has harmed the baby.

Seek professional help if you or someone you know may be suffering from pre or postnatal OCD. Advertisement

'I plucked up the courage to go the doctors. But telling my husband was one of the hardest things I had to do, but this is where my recovery began.

'I had started on anti-depressants and started to see the perinatal mental health team who have been amazing. Regular meetings with the mental health nurse have been essential alongside CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and having the support of all the amazing people in my life.'

Now Amy is back with her family and has set up a support group for other women battling the disorder as she continues her own recovery.

She has launched the Sunflower Family Support Group and if successful she hopes to eventually expand the idea and offer groups in other parts of the country.

'Due to what I've been through I realised that there was a shortfall in our local area of support for parents who suffer from perinatal mental health illnesses,' she added, 'so I set up this group to reach out to anyone who has or is suffering from a perinatal mental health illness.'



Meghan Markle may be six months pregnant, but that didn't stop her from flaunting her bare legs and stylish dark red toenail polish as she continued to flout royal style etiquette at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Totem.

To watch the charity performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London with Prince Harry, 34, on Wednesday evening, the 37-year-old Duchess of Sussex paired her $5,595 Roland Mouret gown with $398 strappy stiletto sandals by Stuart Weitzman that revealed both her pedicure and the scar running down her left foot.

It appeared as though the heel-loving mother-to-be was suffering from a bunion on her opposite foot, and it has been speculated that her mysterious scar is from bunion removal surgery.

Going bare: Meghan Markle, 37, stepped out without hosiery to attend the premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Totem at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday with Prince Harry

Heel woes: The royal donned $398 stiletto sandals by Stuart Weitzman that revealed what appeared to be a bunion on her right foot and a mysterious scar on her left

Painful? The pregnant royal braved towering heels, which also left her toe clenching at times

Meghan dazzled in her glittering floor-length that featured a slit in the front that exposed her bare legs. Despite it being mid-January, she shunned hosiery and opted for delicate sandals instead of close-toed heels.

The picture of elegance, the royal accessorized the showstopping number with a bracelet that belonged to Princess Diana and a black satin clutch bag by go-to designer Givenchy.

It marks the third time in a week the royal has gone bare-legged at an official appearance, even though royal convention suggests women should wear hosiery in public.

While there is no formal style rule book, the Queen has made it clear that there is an unwritten protocol that dictates what royal women should wear  and when.

Bucking the tradition: The Duchess of Sussex flouted royal style etiquette with her bare legs. Unspoken royal protocol dictates women should wear hosiery to public engagements

Pedicure: The slit in her gown showed off her deep red toenail polish, which was slightly chipped on one toe

Stunning: Meghan, who is six months pregnant, dazzled in her sparkling floor-length gown

Possible explanation: It has been speculated that the scar on her left foot is from bunion removal surgery

Her Majesty is held in such universal respect that even the most unconventional members of 'The Firm' have generally adhered to her fashion guidelines, which favor discretion over vulgarity and practicality over glamour.

The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Countess of Wessex are never seen without sheer stockings and closed-toe shoes, and even fashion-conscious Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie often comply.

Meanwhile, Meghan's sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge's legs often have the tell-tale sheen of a pair of nude tights.

Not only did the Duchess of Sussex shun hosiery, but she also flashed deep burgundy toenails when royal style etiquette favors demure nude nail shades.

Added touches: Meghan accessories her dazzling gown with a black satin clutch by Givenchy and a bracelet that once belonged to Princess Diana

Happy husband: Prince Harry, who was dressed in a suit, beamed as he led his radiant wife towards their seats inside the Royal Albert Hall

Meet and greet: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted by representatives from Cirque du Soleil and the prince's charity, Sentebale

The dark polish, which complemented her midnight blue gown, was slightly chipped, suggesting it may have been from a previous pedicure.

What is a bunion? A bunion is a swelling on the side of the joint where the big toe meets the foot. It commonly develops as a result of wearing ill-fitting shoes or those which cramp the feet. High heels, which push the weight of the body on to the front of the foot, or extreme points that squeeze the toes together are major offenders. The shoe rubs against the joint, thickening skin and tissues which gradually swell up into a bunion. Women tend to develop bunions more often than men because of the shoes they wear, and because their ligaments are softer. A normal foot will have the big toe in line with the long bone leading up to it. However, many people inherit a foot deformity called Hallux vagus, in which the big toe is angled inwards, causing the joint at the base of the big toe to stick out slightly. This increases the risk of bunions. Those with jobs involving stress on the feet, such as dancers, waitresses and athletes, face a higher risk. Surgery is the only way to totally remove a bunion. The growth is removed and the bones are realigned. Recovery can take up to six weeks and involves wearing special supports. Advertisement

Meghan made waves when she sported opaque dark nail polish to match her dress last month during her surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards to honor Givenchys designer, Clare Waight Keller.

Meghan's love of sky-high heels has also been well-documented, but it seems as though she may be paying the price for the sake of fashion.

After an eagle-eyed royal blogger noted what looked like a scar on Meghan's left foot in October, podiatrist Robert Duff told DailyMail.com that the mark may have been from a bunion removal.

'On the right foot, there appears to be a bunion and some exostosis, or bony growth,' he said.

'Wearing heels excessively can definitely lead to the development of bunions. This may be the cause in Meghans case.

'On the inside of her left foot, there is a potential scar which may be from a bunion removal but its difficult to say for sure without a closer look.'

Both Meghan and Harry appeared to be in good spirits at Wednesday night's performance, which was organized in aid of Sentebale, the prince's charity that supports children and young people affected by HIV in southern Africa.

The couple met representatives from the charity and Cirque du Soleil, including performers, before taking their seats as guests of honor.

The event came just hours after Meghan made her first appearance of the day, visiting an animal welfare charity in north London.

Hard to miss: Speculation that Meghan suffered from bunions swirled after she went barefoot in Rotorua, New Zealand in October

Mysterious mark: Meghan has what looks like a scar running down the side of her left foot, which could be a result of previous bunion removal surgery

Looking back: Meghan appeared to have a large bunion on her left foot in 2013 (left) and 2010 (right)

The royal once again chose not to wear tights when she met volunteers and beneficiaries at The Mayhew Animal Home in London to learn more about the charity's work.

Meghan left her legs bare as she stepped out in a $32 H&M dress and $2,577 Armani coat with a pair of sheer stockings, despite the chilly winter weather.

During her visit, Meghan saw first-hand a number of projects run by the charity, designed to improve the lives of animals and people and to better communities in London and internationally.

The Duchess, who is six months pregnant, also opted for no tights when she visited the headquarters of Smart Works in London last week.

Meghan's decision not to conform has previously been described as a small but significant act of style rebellion.

Celebrity stylist Rochelle White noted it could also be seen as a way to maintain a sense of her own personal style, even as so much has had to change to fit in with royal expectations.

Doing her own thing: Meghan shunned tights earlier in the day when she met volunteers and beneficiaries at The Mayhew Animal Home in London, despite the chilly weather

Becoming a habit: The Duchess, who is six months pregnant, also opted for no tights when she visited the headquarters of Smart Works in London last week

Start of it all: Meghan signaled her non-traditional approach early, shunning tights when she joined Prince Harry, 34, in a photocall to announce their engagement in November 2017

Breaking the rules: Meghan, pictured left in London and center in Dublin in July, and right in London in April, has shunned traditional tights on a number of official outings in all seasons

'I think its her trying to stay true to who she is and her personal style,' Rochelle said. 'Some people - whether they are in the public eye or not  just might not like tights and that's okay.'

The stylist also pointed out Meghan's radiant skin means she can still look polished without wearing tights.

'She has amazing skin, which I think helps when wearing the no tight look,' Rochelle said. 'I think this helps with her overall look and with legs and skin as good at that, who needs tights.'

Mother-to-be Meghan signaled her non-traditional approach early, shunning tights when she joined Prince Harry, 34, in a Kensington Palace photo call to announce their engagement in November 2017.

While she has donned sheer tights on many occasions since, they have by no means become a typical part of her wardrobe.

Instead, Meghan chooses to flash her toned and polished legs beneath her skirts and dresses  even those that are daringly short by royal standards.

Among the most notable bare leg ensembles have been the canary yellow Brandon Maxwell shift dress she wore to the Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception in London in July last year and the floaty green Self Portrait number she donned for an Invictus Games event in London in April 2018.With a following of 94,000 on Instagram and a six-pack to make Poldark proud, blue-blooded beefcake Arthur Chatto is king of the social media royals.

Grandson of the late Princess Margaret, and 25th in line to the throne, he has an action-man lifestyle which involves scaling mountains, diving through ice in Greenland and spending plenty of time in the gym.

He is also keen on exercising his selfie finger  and has posted pictures of himself trekking topless and exercising in his pants. But he's far from the only social media toff.

While some, such as Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice, hide their accounts, others openly share their pictures. So here's ALISON BOSHOFF's guide to Aristogram!

Shooting and selfies: Lady Eliza Manners, 21

7,989 followers

BLUE BLOOD? Eliza and her sisters Violet and Alice are daughters of the Duke of Rutland. Home is Belvoir Castle, on a 15,000-acre Leicestershire estate. Eliza's mother Emma lives in a separate wing with her boyfriend  she left the Duke after he had an affair.

CAREER SO FAR: Chiefly known for partying and for having a tattoo in honour of one of Belvoir's staff, Eliza studied acting in New York but is now on a business course in Newcastle. Named one of Tatler's 'English Roses' last year and on the cover of its swimsuit issue.

INSTAGRAM STYLE: Selfies, belfies (cheeky bottom selfies) and plenty of innuendo. The aristo game is only given away by pictures of her father in tweeds, and lots of shooting parties. 'Nothing better than a good bang on Christmas Eve,' she wrote.

Lady Eliza Manners, 21, pictured on a shooting trip shortly before Christmas in 2017 (left) and in another snap in August last year (right)

Eliza, who has almost 8,000 followers, pictured during a ski trip last year (left) and in a New Year's snap earlier this month (right)

A royal action man: Arthur Chatto, 19

133,800 followers

BLUE BLOOD? Grandson of Princess Margaret, his artist mother Lady Sarah is the Queen's only niece. Father Daniel is the son of actor Thomas Chatto and his theatrical agent wife Ros. Ros was the long-term mistress of Robin Fox, of the Fox acting dynasty.

CAREER SO FAR: Arthur, who has just started at Edinburgh University, is considering a military career. His social media shows that at Eton he was a member of the Combined Cadet Force.

INSTAGRAM STYLE: Pictures in just his white Calvin Klein trunks caused a sensation last year. Also seen ascending a peak in the Alps, diving in the Arctic and climbing Snowdonia. He has also posted pics with student girlfriend Lizzie Friend.

Arthur Chatto trekking in the Scottish Highlands. He is the grandson of Princess Margaret ad his his artist mother Lady Sarah is the Queen's only niece

Arthur on the beach in September last year (left) and in a topless snap in July 2017 (right)

Pink-haired party queen: Lady Mary Charteris, 31

58,500 followers

BLUE BLOOD? Father Jamie is the 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March. Her mother Catherine is a Guinness and used to work for Andy Warhol. The family estate is in Stanway, Gloucestershire.

CAREER SO FAR: After school at the all-girls Francis Holland, Lady Mary was scouted by fashion muse Isabella Blow, a family friend. Since 2012 she has been married to musician Robbie Furze and joined his band, The Big Pink. She also DJs.

INSTAGRAM STYLE: Famous friends and flesh. Actress Jaime Winstone, model Cara Delevingne and radio's Nick Grimshaw feature in party after party. She is close to guitarist Jamie Hince, and reputedly made his then-wife Kate Moss so jealous at a party that Moss pushed her into a swimming pool.

Lady Mary Charteris, 31, in the water during a December holiday (left) and in Jamaica in November last year (right)

Mary Charteris with a phone that carries her initials, in a picture posted earlier this month

Beauty posing in her bra: Lady Amelia Windsor, 23

76,200 followers

BLUE BLOOD? You bet  she is 38th in line to the throne. Her father is the Earl of St Andrews, elder son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Mum is Catholic divorcee and Cambridge historian Sylvana Tomaselli.

CAREER SO FAR: Since leaving Edinburgh with a degree in modern languages, Lady Amelia has become a fashion sensation. Tatler call her 'the most beautiful member of the Royal Family'.

INSTAGRAM STYLE: As 'Mel Windsor' she posts pictures of nights at Glastonbury and days on beaches. Last year she posted a pic from Souldrop, a Bedfordshire festival, sporting a pink bra top and yellow dungarees.

Lady Amelia Windsor, who is 38th in line to the throne, pictured at a Bedfordshire festival in July last year (left) and with friends in December last year (right)

Lady Amelia, whose father is the Early of St Andrews, poses for a picture on the beach

Artfully fashionable: Flora Ogilvy, 24

5,593 followers

BLUE BLOOD? Blonde Flora is 52nd in line to the throne. Her father is James Ogilvy, eldest child of Sir Angus Ogilvy and Princess Alexandra  the Queen's cousin.

CAREER SO FAR: She was an extra on Downton Abbey in 2013, but now devotes herself to art. After a History of Art degree and stints at Sotheby's and Christie's she founded Arteviste, which hosts supper clubs selling contemporary art.

INSTAGRAM STYLE: Art galleries and festivals. Like many Insta-stars, there is a commercial element. She says: 'I have a contract with Dolce & Gabbana who have dressed me, which allowed them to be involved in art and me be exposed in another light.'

Flora Ogilvy, who is 52nd in line to the throne, pictured left in London in May last year and right at the White Cube art gallery last July

Flora, right, with friends at a gallery in London last September in a picture shared on Instagram

Posh and Poldark: Gabriella Wilde, 29

105,000 followers

BLUE BLOOD? The Poldark actress's mum is Vanessa Hubbard, a model and niece of the Duke of Norfolk. Father is John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe.

Cressida Bonas is a half-sister. The extended family is close  Cressie calls Gabriella her best friend.

CAREER SO FAR: Modelling from the age of 14 before deciding she wanted to act. She was cast in TV's Three Musketeers opposite Orlando Bloom in 2011 before landing her Poldark role as heiress Caroline Penvenen. She is married to posh musician Alan Pownall. They have boys Sasha and Shiloh.

INSTAGRAM STYLE: Pictures of her family at home in Somerset mixed with Dior Couture shows in Paris.

Gabriella Wilde in a red dress at the opening night of the Venice Film Festival last yearOn the whole, it is men who comment on the way I speak. If women ever say anything, its to tell me that their boyfriend, brother, father or male colleague loves the sound of my voice.

Im the vocal equivalent of a beautiful photograph of the Maldives, seductive and enticing, but a pipe dream.

Back in the old days, one of my dating rules was never to go out with a man who spoke lasciviously about my dulcet tones. It made me suspicious that they might be after something terribly exotic which I wouldnt be able to provide.

So it tickled me to discover my voice was referenced in a recent dating study from the University of Sussex which found that men find a lower tone more attractive.

Mariella Frostrup's voice was referenced in a recent study which discovered men find a lower tone more attractive, she shared how the huskiness of her voice has impacted her career and personal life

When I speak, it apparently conjures up nights of hard drinking, chain smoking and old-fashioned debauchery.

The reality, especially these days, is Im in bed as early as possible, with an eye mask on to block out the light.

But my voice has long had this glamorous, independent life all of its own. Its been described  variously  as the sexiest in the world, famously husky and honey-on-gravel. But I cant say that the way I talk reflects what Im really like. Its just an accident of genetics.

To what do I attribute this fluke of nature? Well, actually, Ive never bothered to find out.

My voice has been both a blessing and a curse from childhood, though not quite for the reasons youd think. I was certainly bullied for the way in which I spoke when growing up in Seventies rural Ireland. But the teasing was more about my Norwegian accent than my gravelly tones. I was certainly not renowned as the husky-voiced eight- year-old of Kilmacanogue!

The first time the huskiness became a topic of conversation was when I made my debut appearance on television in the mid-Eighties. The reaction to what was, to me, simply my voice came as a bemusing surprise.

All I knew was that, like many, I loathed the sound and tone of my own voice when I called up my answering machine to pick up messages.

Yet the first review of music show Big World Cafe  the programme I presented on Channel 4 in 1989  focused more on my voice than on my words.

And it was after this that my voice took on a life of its own for a while. I suppose the zenith of my voices popularity was being lampooned as a Spitting Image Puppet, with vast red lips, fine blonde hair, a silver evening dress and  of course  an insanely gravelly voice. (It was a man who provided this, because no woman could emulate my late night-sounding vocal range.)

Mariella (pictured) revealed despite the compliments she has received for her voice, her husband doesn't like the sound of it

Im amused that science suggests how we speak is supposed to represent how we look. Im sure people are often disappointed on meeting me. A study at Nottingham Trent University showed the majority of us can accurately match how someone looks with how they sound.

But I beg to differ. In my experience, those who have the most seductive voices only too often disappoint hugely in person (this may, of course, be the case with me). They sound youthful and vibrant, but on meeting I often rethink my first impressions!

Another downside is that a distinctive voice is hard to conceal. On many an occasion Ive got in a black cab and the driver has said, without even looking at my face: So, youre that Mariella Frostrup then? I would be  for any number of reasons, but that one in particular  an absolutely appalling spy.

Does my husband like the sound of my voice? Of course not. What husband stops and listens, as though to a nightingales song or the sweet sound of children singing, to their wife moaning about how busy they are? I am the person harassing the children to eat their breakfast and worrying about logistics and school timetables.

Why do we hate the sound of our own voice? Hate your own voice? On a recording you dont hear low frequencies that occur when sound travels through our bones, so it sounds higher than were used to Advertisement

As for the children. Well, theyre teenagers and as Im their mother, Im just white noise, the crackling sound of an untuned radio interspersed with the word no. Im not a husky voice, Im just interrupting their adolescent frequency.

But I can hardly complain about a feature which has been responsible for a bit of income. My voice has been quite commercially viable, though not necessarily the path to untold riches.

To date, it has had a starring role as the voice of Johnny Englishs car in Johnny English Reborn. But then Rowan Atkinson swapped my car and that was the end of me.

I also do voiceovers. The problem is that although my voice is distinctive, its the only one I have. Im no actor. So I can only do those infrequently; once you have a big advertisement thats it. They dont want you purring about toothpaste on another radio station.

Perhaps its important at this point to say that I dont put it on for performances, and talk in a strong Irish brogue the rest of the time. Neither have I had any vocal training.

Surgeon David Howe told Mariella (pictured) the huskiness of her voice is likely related to how she naturally articulates and controls her vocal cords

I am aware there are masses of impersonators out there. Although of course I can recognise my own voice talking about, for example, No7 Lift and Luminate or Walkers Baked Crisps, sometimes people will say: Oooh, I heard you talking about laxatives or feminine hygiene, and its one of the many would-be-mes.

I dont necessarily come off best here, by the way. The difference between me and these actresses is that they can change their voices and do hundreds of marvellously lucrative adverts.

I cant even do a convincing Northern accent. Sometimes, first thing in the morning, I simply dont speak at all.

I have wondered whether my huskiness is caused by a sinister underlying throat condition which will flare up at some point and cause early retirement or untimely death.

I asked consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon David Howe at Spire Parkway Hospital, Solihull, whether this might be the case, and thankfully he thinks not. The way in which we speak is a physical process, he says. The vocal cords are two folds of tissue forming a slit in the larynx, the structure of muscle and cartilage at the top of the trachea, or windpipe.

As we breathe in, air is trapped beneath this slit. As we breathe out, the edges vibrate to produce the voice. Ideally, the vocal cords are smooth, in order to produce a pleasant sound.

Mariella (pictured) claims you can't be over 50 and have anything alluring about you including your voice

My huskiness is, he says, likely to be related to how I naturally articulate and control my vocal cords. You may also have slightly thicker vocal cords than the average female, he suggests. And the voice ages too. As the vocal cords thin a little, female voices become deeper and weaker.

Other reasons for huskiness can be polyps, smoking or acid reflux. At early stages a smokers voice can be a little sexy, like yours, he says.

Ten years ago, I was deemed to be only one-third of the perfect voice in a survey conducted by Post Office Telecoms.

They came up with an actual formula  the perfect female voice, they said, would be spoken at 164 words a minute, at low frequency and with falling intonation, with the conclusion that the ideal female voice mixes my tones with those of Dame Judi Dench and Honor Blackman. (The perfect male voice, apparently, was judged to be an Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon hybrid.)

In recent years, the furore has died down somewhat. Once I reached the benchmark age of 50 I instantly lost all sexual appeal, as is the way of the world. You cant be 50-plus and have anything alluring about you  even your voice.

And so its no surprise, as I have learnt to my slight sadness, that it can also droop, in just the same way as other parts of the body.

But the voice is not ready for retirement yet, and neither am I.

Mariella Frostrup presents Open Book on BBC Radio 4 on Sundays at 4pmA millennial who left school at 16 to start her own business after years of being bullied is celebrating turning over 1million  and her firm is now so successful, she's hired her mother.

Straight-A student, Liv Conlon, from Bothwell, Glasgow, now 20, admits teachers called her 'crazy' and tried to persuade her to go to university when she told them she was dropping out before her final year to launch an interior design company.

But the young entrepreneur, who made 5,000 from her first business importing goods from China and selling them online at 13, was confident about being her own boss, and started ThePropertyStagers, which furnishes empty homes, with no financial backing.

The business made 30,000 in its first year, and turned over 1million in its second, when Liv was just 19. She now furnishes more than 300 properties a year, and has hired a team of 10 people  including her mother Ali, 52, with whom she's very close, and her brother Jack, 22.

With her income, single Liv has bought and renovated her own one-bedroom flat, which has now doubled in value to 100,000  all without the help of the Bank Of Mum And Dad.

And she believes being bullied every day at school for four years made her more determined to succeed.

Straight-A student, Liv Conlon, from Bothwell, Glasgow, now 20, admits teachers called her 'crazy' and tried to persuade her to go to university when she told them she was dropping out before her final year to launch an interior design company. Pictured: Liv launching her first business of selling nail foils at age 13

Liv was confident about being her own boss, and started ThePropertyStagers, which furnishes empty homes, with no financial backing. Seen: Liv accepting an award in Las Vegas for her acceptance into the International Hall Of Fame at Legacy Education Alliance

She said: 'I've always known from a very young age that I wanted to have my own business because I don't take direction very well.

'When I was at school I always wanted to leave, I never wanted to be there. I just wanted to be in charge of my own life.

'I was very competitive at school, so I was always top of the class, so I guess people are threatened by that, which just brought people to dislike me.

'In my second to last year I decided to move school because after four years [of being bullied] I'd had enough of it. I decided that I didn't want these negative people in my life who made me feel terrible every day.

'It made me more determined. Everyone who's ever doubted my ability or capability or challenged that have completely put a fire in my stomach to go on and be better.'

The business made 30,000 in its first year, and turned over 1million in its second, when Liv was just 19. She now furnishes more than 300 properties a year, and has hired a team of 10 people  including her mother Ali, 52,. Seen: Liv & Ali enjoying a New Year Stroll in California

The idea for ThePropertyStagers came about after Liv asked to furnish a property her mother, who ran a successful training business, had been struggling to sell for three months. Seen: The property that sparked the idea

The idea for ThePropertyStagers came about after Liv asked to furnish a property her mother, who ran a successful training business, had been struggling to sell for three months.

They knew about property stagers, but were unable to find an affordable company, so Liv, who was living at home at the time, decided to do it herself.

After Liv decorated the home's interior with furniture and accessories, it sold within three days, for above the asking price  and the buyer even paid extra for everything in the property too.

Liv, who left school before her final year with five Higher A grades, realised there was a gap in the market, and so the idea for ThePropertyStagers was born.

Liv, who works seven days a week and has just won a business award, revealed she first generated clients at local networking events. Pictured: Liv winning ASB Young Business Woman Scotland in Dundee 2018

She said: 'It was a pretty scary thing to do. I really could have gone on to do anything I wanted at university, so when I put to the school that I wanted to leave before my final year, they called me into the careers office and sat me down and said 'are you crazy, why are you leaving school when you have the opportunity to do anything you want?'.'

Liv, who works seven days a week and has just won a business award, revealed she first generated clients at local networking events, but admits because she was so young, she wasn't taken seriously.

She admitted that 'people probably doubted my ability', adding: 'It was quite a challenging environment to go into as the property industry is pretty much male-dominated.

The young entrepreneur, who made 5,000 from her first business importing goods from China and selling them online at 13. Liv sending off her first ever sale in business, a set of nail foils aged 13

Liv's first paid job was staging a one-bedroom flat in Glasgow, which she kitted out with all the Ikea furniture she could fit into the back of her Vauxhall Corsa. Pictued: The Mini That Staged 100s of Properties: The car that Liv staged 100s of properties with when first starting her business

'It was 50-year-old men, and I was coming in at the time with blonde, long curly hair and I actually looked 16. To start with my age worked against me.

'A few people probably doubted my ability until I started to get a bit more successful and build up a reputation.'

However, by explaining to potential clients how they could generate more money by selling properties that were 'staged' with cushions, throws and furniture, Liv managed to secure her first client.

She said: 'I started the business with absolutely no start-up funds.

'I went out to networking events which were free, and spoke to people and I was obviously looking to get business.

'From there, I was paid by the client for the installation, and then I would use that money to buy all furniture for that property  so the first couple of jobs, I never really made much money because I had to buy the stuff with the money I was charging them.

Liv, who believes millennials are taught to 'dim our light and not shine so bright', admits it's been a 'long, hard journey', and working 18-hour days and six or seven days a week has been the norm. ThePropertyStagers team London Leg of Charity event '100 Homes'

Liv picking up the LEA Best Product Award 2018, presented by Roger Black & Steve Backley

'The more installations I got to do, I could recycle the furniture, so that's when it started to become profitable.'

Liv's first paid job was staging a one-bedroom flat in Glasgow, which she kitted out with all the Ikea furniture she could fit into the back of her Vauxhall Corsa.

After going it alone, Liv began to see the business start to take off when she became more active on social media.

She said: 'I used to be a person who posted [on Facebook] only once a year. When I started to post photos of the business, it started to become a lot more successful - people started to know the name and know what I was trying to do.'

Her company became so busy, that Liv was generating enough income to employ her mother as her operations manager. At the time, Ali had her own successful customer service company for the motor industry, which she'd started 15 years ago, but she jumped at the chance to work with her daughter.

Liv admits she earns more than both her mother and her brother  who works for her as a stager  and she has the final say on decisions.

Liv admits she earns more than both her mother and her brother  who works for her as a stager  and she has the final say on decisions. Olivia & her brother Jack who works with TPS as children

Liv said while growing up, she would often attend business events with Ali  who even took her to a conference in LA when she was just 15  and was encouraged to listen to audio books by business gurus and motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins. Liv & Mum Ali in California next to the Lone Cyprus

Liv said while growing up, she would often attend business events with Ali  who even took her to a conference in LA when she was just 15  and was encouraged to listen to audio books by business gurus and motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins.

Liv said of being her mother's boss: 'We've got a very unique relationship  we spend most hours of every day together.'

However, Ali admits that many people jump to the conclusion that it's her business  and that Liv works for her.

Ali said: 'I have to tell them that Olivia actually gave me a job. But it shows you how ageist people can be.

'I'm very proud that she got so busy. My business was quite successful but it's been a dream of mine to work with her so it was an ideal opportunity to do it.'

The duo admit that working together as mother and daughter isn't for everyone.

Pictured: ThePropertyStagers team London Leg of Charity event '100 Homes'

Ali admits that many people jump to the conclusion that it's her business  and that Liv works for her. Seen: Liv & mum Ali in Spain

Ali, who separated from Liv and Jack's father three years ago after 25 years of marriage, confessed: 'It's never come to blows  and we've never left the day not speaking to each other, but obviously there have been some tough days.

'I think sometimes you say things to each other that you might not say to others because you're family.

'You can be very honest with each other and you're not always diplomatic.

'But when push comes to shove, Olivia will make the decisions.'

Even though ThePropertyStagers is now enjoying financial success, it hasn't all been plain sailing.

In the early days, Liv admits she sometimes felt as though she was winging it  and would go to great lengths to save money.

Liv said: 'I used to hire a man in a van to pick up furniture.

'There was a sofa I forgot to tell him about, so he was going to charge me 40 to pick it up. I was appalled at that so said I would do it myself.

Ali, right, who separated from Liv and Jack's father three years ago after 25 years of marriage. Seen: Liv and Ali in San Francisco

Even though the business is now a huge success, Liv is still very careful with her income. She doesn't splash her cash on designer clothes and handbags. Liv filming her STV Summit advert, in support of Scottish Entrepreneurship

'I drove a three-and-a-half hour round trip to fit these sofas in the back of my car, I couldn't get in the car, spent two hours trying to stuff them in, then I had to carry them up four flights of stairs, all for 40. I must have spent hundreds of pounds trying to get them there.

'But that's the stubborn person in me trying to save money when I was just a one-man-band.'

Even though the business is now a huge success, Liv is still very careful with her income. She doesn't splash her cash on designer clothes and handbags  instead, she reinvests it back into the business, although she does enjoy 'the odd margarita'.

Liv, who believes millennials are taught to 'dim our light and not shine so bright', admits it's been a 'long, hard journey', and working 18-hour days and six or seven days a week has been the norm.

Although as she's 'not a party girl', Liv doesn't feel as though she's missed out on socialising, she does believe running her own business has meant she's had to grow up fast.

Pictured: Liv being interviewed at BBC Radio London on her charity initiative '100 Homes'

Seen: Liv at Primary school with her brother Jack, who now works for TPS

Seen: Liv picking up the LEA Best Product Award 2018, presented by Roger Black, Iain Edwards CEO Of LEA & Steve Backley

Pictured: Liv recognised as an industry leader speaking at the UK Home Staging Association

She said: 'I missed out on being young with fewer worries  I could have a lot less worries at this stage [of my life] such as paying staff, and keeping everything going.

'Running a business, you have quite a lot of responsibilities for other people's lives as well.'

Her work-life balance has taken its toll on her personal life, though. Liv split with her boyfriend and admits being with someone as determined to succeed as her would take 'a certain level of person'.

'When you're young and you've had the success so young, it's challenging to be with someone and them accept that work is very important to you,' she said.

Over Christmas, Liv spearheaded the #100HomeChristmasMakeover in Glasgow  making over the homes of 100 families who are living in temporary accommodation.

She said it's taking part in initiatives like this that make her feel 'most fulfilled'.

ThePropertyStagers team at the Glasgow Leg of Charity Initiative 100 Homes

Something that is close to her heart, is becoming a motivational spokesperson for other young people, to show them that going to university isn't the only route available after school. Seen: Liv & Business Partner/Mum

If all it went wrong tomorrow, Liv says she would start up another business. Liv winning the local 'Young Apprentice' at age 15

Speaking about her plans for 2019, Liv said: 'We've got massive plans for ThePropertyStagers, and one of those is to double the turnover this year, which is a big challenge. Another plan is to franchise part of the business.'

But something that is close to her heart, is becoming a motivational spokesperson for other young people, to show them that going to university isn't the only route available after school.

She said: 'My main mission is to really inspire young people to start business and be entrepreneurial.

'There's this real thing about if you're doing well at school you should be a lawyer or a doctor.

Seen: Liv's vision board, with goals to turn over 40K in 2019 but hit 1mil in 2018

Pictured- the Desk Where it Started: The desk where Liv grew her 1m company

'A lot of people I went to school with who had similar grades to me went on to do university courses because their parents wanted them to.

'I'd love to educate parents and schools that there are other options than going to university. It's still an option. But you can make a success at starting a business at a young age.'

And if all it went wrong tomorrow, Liv says she would start up another business.

She added: 'I've got the mind-set that I've made money once, so I could come up with a new idea, if it did all fail tomorrow, I'm sure I'd find a way to do something else.'

ThePropertyStagers charges 795 + VAT for a sales package, and 3,995 + VAT for a full package.A tabby cat who enjoys hanging around the Harvard Law buildings has attracted fans online after one professor shared an adorable snap of the furry creature.

Professor Annette Gordon-Reed shared with followers on Twitter Tuesday the moment she met Harvard's neighborhood cat while at the law school in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

'Well, heres something you dont see everyday: a cat wandering the halls of Harvard Law School,' she wrote in the tweet.

On the prowl: Harvard's resident cat named Remy was shared on Twitter Tuesday after a professor discovered the animal walking through the law school

Excited: Professor Annette Gordon-Reed shared a picture of the stray cat while he was wandering around Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cuddly: After the professor shared the picture, others responded with their own images of Remy around the campus

Purrfect! One person said they often see the tabby cat taking a catnap in the law library

Adorable: Another person said it makes her day whenever she sees the cat around campus

'Im used to seeing my colleagues various golden retrievers,' Gordon-Reed continued. 'This is the 1st Ive seen of the cat. Im told he is a neighborhood cat who comes by from time to time.'

People loved the picture of Remy walking through that halls and it has been liked more than 15,000 times since Gordon-Reed posted it on Tuesday.

Harvard students and staff responded to the tweet to provide more context about the stray cat. .

One person explained the cat's name was Remy and he sometimes visited other buildings on the campus, including the law library.

'It makes my day when he comes to visit us in the law library,' a woman named Jennifer Allison wrote.

Hilarious: People jokingly named the cat after prominent people in law after the picture was shared online

Clever: One of the names people came up with was Purrgood Marshall after former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall

Theme: Another person called the cat Sonia Soto-meow after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Cutie: Harvard University joined in the wholesome Twitter thread by sharing other pictures of Remy on its own account

On the move: The university called Remy a 'Harvard resident cat' because he is always found on and around the campus

Catnap: Based on the reactions from professors and students, it appears the cat has found a welcoming home for himself in Cambridge

Another person revealed how the cat even has a Facebook account where people can share encounters they have with Remy.

The Twitter thread about Remy grew more wholesome as people joked about potential law names they could give the cat since he seemed to be attracted to the career field.

One person jokingly named him 'Clawrence Meowrrow' while another person called him 'Purrgood Marshall'.

The pun-focused names kept pouring in and included 'Sonia Soto-meow' and 'Atticats Finch'.

Harvard University joined in on the fun with its own Twitter account where it shared adorable pictures of Remy around campus.

Based on the reactions from professors and students, it appears the cat has found a welcoming home for himself in Cambridge.PrettyLittleThing has been subject to a backlash from customers of late because of clothes that look nothing like the garments advertised online, and the complaints continued this week with no fewer than four in 48 hours.

Twitter user @SophiaCK from the US took the retailer to task over a plus-size jacket which was ridiculously over-sized in a series of hilarious tweets.

Meanwhile two shoppers from the UK and Ireland hit out at the retailer when jumpers they ordered arrived with sleeves so long they reached their knees.

And Megan Leese from Glasgow called on the retailer to re-evaluate its sizing after a size four dress she ordered was more like a tent when she put it on, and barely covered her breasts.

The coat that looked three sizes too big

Twitter user @SophiaCK from the US took the retailer to task over a plus-size jacket which was ridiculously over-sized in a series of hilarious tweets. She is the latest in a string of shoppers to have been left disappointed with the clothes they received from PrettyLittleThing

She shopper ordered an oversized 60 red coat expecting expecting a statement piece for winter. But the garment she received was so large it left her drowning in fabric, pictured

Writing another hilarious post, Sophia said she just wanted to 'talk' to the designer so see what they were thinking when they designed the item

Twitter user @SophiaCK ordered an oversized 60 red coat expecting expecting a statement piece for winter. But when she received the garment it appeared to be at least three times too big, drowning her in fabric.

She shared a hilarious side-by-side comparison of herself in the coat alongside the model in the coat with the tweet: 'The very rare occasion when the plus size item you ordered online is way bigger than expected,' later adding: 'Who wore it better?'

And the responses were just as witty, with one person writing, 'Great way to sneak snacks into the cinema,' while another jokingly added: 'Don't you dare send this rare piece of haute couture back.'

Sophie later followed up with two more photos, adding a funny tweet: 'Who was the designer who thinks fat people's bodies are just expanded out from thin peoples in a way that would make this collar and these sleeves make sense. I just want to talk.'

Twitter users were quick to offer their playful takes on the jacket, with one saying it could be a re-purposed Elmo costume

Twitter users were quick to suggest playful takes on the jacket.

'I feel like they just repurposed those Elmo costumes from amusement parks,' wrote one, while someone else penned, 'It also looks like it could be used as a robe/towel .'

Another added: 'Girl that looks cozy as hell though! I want to zip it up and snuggle in there with you!' while one more commented: 'Those sleeves! You could get an entire chicken in one of those pockets, should you need to.'

The mini dress that fell below the knees

Megan Leese, from Glasgow, asked the retailer to 'reevaluate' what a size four was after an oversized asymmetric blazer dress arrived and was so big it past her knees

The 30 dress that was advertised online is very different to how it appeared on Megan

Megan is one of many shoppers to hit out at the fashion giant for poorly sized clothing

Shopper Megan Leese, from Glasgow, asked the retailer to 'reevaluate' its sizes after a mini blazer dress bought in her regular size 4 fell well below her knees and barely covered her breasts.

The advert of the 50 dress online is shown as just skimming the model's thighs, with a V-neck that shows just a glimpse of cleavage.

Air hostess Megan also ordered a second item - a pair of 20 houndstooth trousers - which were similarly oversized.

Indeed the trousers were so long they came up far past the models chest, despite being advertised as being snug around the model's waist online.

Megan also ordered a monochrome dog tooth wide leg trouser, that were so big they reached her chest

The trousers, advertised for 20, are shown online as snug around the model's waist and draping down to her feet - nothing like they appeared on arrival

The jumpers with sleeves down to the knees

Two shoppers have been recently caught out when they ordered jumpers with sleeves so long they stretched down to their knees.

Lauren Tomlinson, 20, shared an image online of herself in the 20 stone loose knit oversized jumper from the online retail giant in a size small.

A picture advertising the garment online shows the loose-fit number still clinging to the model's body, with the sleeves stopping at her wrists.

However, Lauren from Cambridge found the jumper fit very differently, as she was completely engulfed by the beige number.

Lauren Tomlinson, 20, asked PrettyLittleThing 'who's arms are that long' as she shared an image online of herself in the 20 oversized jumper from the online retail giant in a size small

An image advertising the jumper online shows it as a snug fit on the model with sleeves stopping at the wrists

Lauren took to social media to describe her experience with the retailer and insisted she ordered the same size as the model, but it completely engulfed her

Posting a side-by-side picture with the image online, she wrote: '@OfficialPLT are you having a laugh? Small Oversized same size as the model. Who has that long arms?'

A second shopper had a similar experience.

Carla Ryan, 21, from Dublin ,accused the brand of 'scamming' after she bought a 28 (24.80) pink oversized colourblock jumper.

PrettyLittleThing's website shows a model looking cosy in the pastel-coloured garment paired with purple trousers.

But on arrival Carla discovered the sleeves of the knit completely enveloped her, and while the body of the jumper stopped at her waist, the sleeves went past her knees.

Carla Ryan, 21, from Dublin accused the brand of 'scamming' after she bought a 28 jumper from the retailer

PrettyLittleThing's website shows a model looking cosy in the pastel-coloured garment paired with purple trousers

Referencing the many times PrettyLittleThing has experienced sizing fails, she wrote 'OfficialPLT scamming us all again'

'@OfficialPLT scamming us all again' she wrote as she shared side-by-side images of the model and herself.

The item's description reads: 'Can't decide on a colour? No problem, rock this colourblock jumper and wear them all. Featuring a pink, blue and lilac knitted fabric in an oversized style. Team this with more pastels for a totally on-trend look that will get you noticed.

PrettyLittleThing has reached out to both Lauren and Carla, and Femail have contacted all three parties for further comment.Canadian actress Shay Mitchell has finally revealed the brand behind the stunning pink dress she wore during a recent press meet for hit Netflix show, You.

And Australian fans are thrilled to discover that the chic pink mini is designed by none other than Australian designer Rebecca Vallance.

Posting to her Instagram story, the 31-year-old brunette beauty shared photos of her dancing in the Love Mini Dress from Rebecca Vallance - and it's now on sale for just AUD $377.40 (originally $629) after briefly selling out overnight.





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American actress Shay Mitchell has finally revealed the brand behind the stunning pink dress she wore during a recent press meet for hit Netflix show, You

And Australian fans are thrilled to discover that the chic pink mini is designed by none other than Australian designer Rebecca Vallance

'The Love Mini Dress in pink carnation is flirty, playful yet feminine,' it reads on the website.

'With bust and waist panelling to contour the form, simply highlight the hue with contrasting accessories.'

It also features an A-line silhouette, sculptured shoulder bow detail, long sleeve design, a contrast metal zip fastening and it is mini in length.

Although the character Peach she plays in the show leaves a lot to be desired, everyone is obsessed with Shay's real life persona and follow her every move

Due to the increase in demand the brand has now restocked the dress, which is now almost half its original price of $629

Shay, whose mother is Filipino, is currently in the Philippines along with her co-star Penn Badgley to promote the show.

Rebecca Vallance has shared a photo of the gorgeous star wearing the dress to their own Instagram account.

This isn't the first time that Shay has supported the designer as previously she wore Rebecca Vallance's Strapless Tie-Waist Jumpsuit for a photo shoot styled by Bruno Lima.(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JANUARY 17 - A speech held by the leader of the Tunisian General Union of Workers (UGTT), Noureddine Taboubi, on Thursday ended with a warning to the government.



He was speaking in front of thousands of union members in Mohamed Ali Square in the capital, where the union has long had its headquarters. The speech was in staunch support of workers and against those in power and orders from the IMF and included a pledge to continue to fight if the government were not to agree to the proposed wage hikes. Many anti-government slogans were chanted as was the word "degage" (''leave'') against the prime minister amid a sea of national flags alongside a few Palestinian ones. Slogans were also heard against the leader of the islamic party Ennhadha, Rached Ghannouchi. Since midnight a general strike has been in place in Tunisia against called by UGTT to demand higher salaries for state employees.tor, public transport, airports, ports, railways, state radio and television stations and schools and universities all took part. The government said that minimum essential services would be guaranteed in some sectors. Public transport is paralyzed and almost all flights to and from the international Tunis-Carthage airport have been cancelled. The union leader reiterated to the press the desire to continue to fight for workers' rights. ''The current options are to raise the tone of the protest and continue the fight,'' Taboubi told journalists after his speech. It is not clear whether a compromise can be reached with the government and how the situation may evolve over the coming days.



The two sides continue to trade accusations over the failure of talks in recent days. While the union says the government is to blame, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed on Wednesday evening said on television that instead the government had put forth effort to avoid the strike. On Saturday, the union will hold a meeting of its board of directors to decide what do do based on the outcome of the day's initiative. The prime minister warned that the strike would be very costly, especially in light of the precarious economic situation the country is already in. (ANSAmed).

Fans of the legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve will be able to get their hands on some of her most iconic looks during an auction next month.

The Belle de Jour star, 75, is selling more than 300 items by the designer Yves Saint Laurent, who was a close friend for several decades.

Yves Saint Laurent and Catherine crossed paths when she asked the designer to create an evening dress for her after being invited to meet the Queen in 1965.

Now Catherine has decided to sell off the pieces created between the 1960s and his last show in 2002 after moving out of her home in Normandy.

This includes a short beaded YSL dress worn by Catherine when she met Alfred Hitchcock in 1969 with Philippe Noiret and Francois Truffaut.

Legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve, pictured with Yves Saint Laurent at the 20-year celebration of the YSL fashion house at the Lido in Paris in 1982, is selling off several of her Yves Saint Laurent items

Catherine wore this printed silk gazar suit to the 1993 Golden Globes (left), at which her movie Indochine picked up the best foreign film award. It is set to sell for 900-1,400

Also being auctioned off is this short beaded YSL dress (priced at 2,700-4,500) worn by Catherine when she met Alfred Hitchcock in 1969 with Philippe Noiret and Francois Truffaut. Hitchcock was set to direct The Short Night with Catherine in the lead female role

She decided to sell her wardrobe, including this gold metallic velvet draped evening dress worn to the 2000 Oscars (left), after moving out of her home in Normandy, France. It is estimated at 1,800-2,700

Hitchcock was set to direct the movie The Short Night with Catherine playing the wife of a double agent who falls in love with the CIA agent sent to kill him.

Other notable items include the gold velvet draped evening dress Catherine wore to the 2000 Oscar ceremony, and the printed gazar ensemble she wore while receiving the Golden Globe for the best foreign film in January 1993.

She said: 'A long white crepe dress with a panel of red embroidery was the start of a long professional collaboration and friendship.

'His consummate gravitas during the fittings together with his shy charm outside the atelier made all the years we shared so enchanting - our silent complicity, our crazy laughter and our melancholy brought us together.

'I was only 20 years old and I had the privilege of being given access to this world of luxury, to train my eye and my taste by his side. He dressed me several times in films and I think that Belle de Jour in particular owes a great deal to him.

Speaking of YSL, she said: 'His consummate gravitas during the fittings together with his shy charm outside the atelier made all the years we shared so enchanting - our silent complicity, our crazy laughter and our melancholy brought us together.' Pictured: Evening ensemble from the 1994-95 fall/winter haute couture collection, 900-1,400

Among the items being auctioned off is this black velvet and zibeline jacket, worn by the actress at the 1997-98 fall/winter haute couture show (left)

This chiffon blouse, scarf and taffeta skirt ensemble from the 1977-78 fall/winter haute couture collection is estimated at 2,700-4,500

'Now, I am leaving my house in Normandy where I kept this wardrobe - not without a certain sadness - these are the creations of such a talented man who only designed clothes to beautify women.'

Nearly 120 items owned by Catherine Deneuve will be sold during a live auction at Christie's France on January 24, 2019.

The remainder will be available through an online sale between January 23 and 30.

Francois de Ricqles, the President of Christies France, said: 'We are honoured to have been entrusted with the sale of Catherine Deneuves wardrobe.

'This auction is particularly dear to our hearts, having organized the legendary Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Berge sale at the Grand Palais ten years ago.

'It is a pleasure to offer these pieces which bear witness to a love story and a friendship between a most talented French actress and the most illustrious designer of all times.'

Nearly 120 items owned by Catherine will be sold during a live auction at Christie's France on January 24, 2019. Pictured: pigeon blue chiffon evening dress worn at the 1997 Cannes film festival

Left: dress from 1992 spring/summer, set to sell for 540-720. Right: leopard print velvet dress with belt from 1992-93 fall/winter collection, estimated 900-1,400Brexact figures: Any number mentioned during a Brexit argument. Itll cost us AT LEAST 950 billion, which is 625,000 for every man, woman and child in the country, and  no, dont argue thats based on figures supplied by the ILA (Institute of Long Addition).

Brexaggeration: Prophecy delivered in an omniscient manner in the third hour of any Brexit discussion. If we leave/dont leave the EU, then dont blame me when were forced to eat Spam for the rest of our lives, and our children are sent up the chimneys and the only thing to watch on TV is repeats of Eldorado.

Brexample: Conclusive evidence derived from private knowledge. Let me give you just one brexample. Someone I used to know once met someone who said that someone had told him that over 10,000 economic migrants are turning up in East Sussex every single day, wearing bowler hats and carrying umbrellas. And thats just Bexhill!

Confused by Brexit? Here's CRAIG BROWN's complete guide that will help you navigate the Euro maze

Brexasperation: Default mood of protesters in bobble-hats and anoraks waving Union Jacks outside the Palace of Westminster.

Brexcavate: To dig deep, in search of obscure facts about the EU. You may not know this, Andrew, but the Germans have long held exclusive cabbage-farming rights to the Pennines. So much for your beloved Common Agricultural Policy!

Brexcentric: Archly offbeat expounder of brexaggerated views (See Brexaggeration). It greatly pleases me to remind you that both my nanny and my teddy bear remains as firmly committed to No Deal as am I.

Brexclamation: Shrill interjection whenever interviewer wants to move on. If youll just LET ME FINISH, Andrew!

Brexclusion Zone: Special edict to ensure that Iain Duncan Smith and Anna Soubry are heard on radio and TV no more than 33 times per day.

Brexercise bike: Machine that allows anyone to repeat the same opinion over and over again, without getting anywhere.

Brexhaustion: State of feeling worn-out and drained as a result of talking about Brexit for more than three hours at a stretch. He simply wouldnt understand my point about the backstop issue, no matter how often I told him! And now you wonder why Im Brexhausted!

Brexhume: To dig up old quotes made by an interviewee in order to embarrass him on air. Back in 2004, you said, and I quote, that you would never, I repeat, NEVER, sanction an opt-out to the fruit and vegetables clause in the Maastricht agreement. So why did you change your mind?

Brexpansionism: Taking the debate to every corner of the country with the aim of soliciting the brexpert opinion (see Brexpert) of every single inhabitant of the UK on the likely consequences of a no-deal Brexit within the period of the next ten to 15 years. And here in Grumbling-on-Sea, Im finding out what ordinary voters REALLY think.

Brexpense account: Money advanced to a Brexplainer (see Brexplainer) by a party or pressure group for the purpose of banging on about Brexit on local radio phone-ins day and night, at home and abroad.

Brexpert: Anyone in a pub or on a street-corner who is approached by a camera crew for his or her opinion on the latest developments in the complex EU withdrawal negotiations. At the end of the day its a total disgrace and Im not having any of it and I dont care what anyone says. Thank you, and now back to the studio.

Brexpire: To die of boredom while watching, participating in, or hosting BBC Question Time.

Brexplainer: Someone who understands everything about Brexit apart from the other persons point of view. I can see you havent the first idea about world trade. So allow me to Brexplain...

Brexpletive: Oath or swearword issued after 2 hours 26 minutes spent debating the pros and cons of the World Trade Organisation.

Brexterminate! Brexterminate!: Command issued by members of the Dalek community during heated discussions about Britains position in Europe.

Brextramarital sex: Interruption to conjugal relations when a new opinion on Brexit suddenly enters the head of one or both partners.

Brextractor fan: Device designed to remove any lingering odours of heated and re-heated opinions from a hall, chamber or studio. What with Esther McVey, Owen Jones and Rod Liddle on the panel, the TV studio was reaching boiling point, so we had to switch on the Brextractor fan.Make no mistake. Jeremy Corbyn may have told the Commons last night that the prospect of No Deal is a catastrophe and would lead to chaos.

But I am convinced that those were merely weasel words designed for public consumption, whereas the truth is that the Labour leader secretly yearns for no deal. He sees the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU with No Deal as a godsend.

It offers him the opportunity to destroy the democratic political system that has served this country so well for centuries.

Make no mistake. Jeremy Corbyn may have told the Commons last night that the prospect of No Deal is a catastrophe and would lead to chaos. But I am convinced that those were merely weasel words designed for public consumption, whereas the truth is that the Labour leader secretly yearns for no deal. He sees the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU with No Deal as a godsend

He and his comrades believe they could sweep to power and replace it with the kind of full-blooded socialist revolution, along the lines of the one that Vladimir Lenin inspired in the Soviet Union, that has long been their dream.

The reason I say this and believe that Mr Corbyn was speaking last night with forked tongue is because of what I learned during a private conversation with someone with very close links with Mr Corbyns inner circle.

Until Tony Blair stepped down as Labour leader in 2007, I was proud to be a member of the party.

I chaired my local branch and worked at the Commons as an adviser to a former Labour Cabinet Minister.

Despite having left the party some time ago, I still have many friends in it, including some with strong contacts with Jeremy Corbyns team, and I meet up with them from time to time.

It was at one such meeting, attended by a senior Labour figure with access to Mr Corbyns acolytes, that I discovered the thinking behind the Labour leaders whole approach to Brexit.

Chaos is exactly what he wants. And a No-Deal Brexit would be the swiftest way to achieve that. To Mr Corbyn and his fellow socialists and Marxists who run todays Labour Party, chaos is the pre-requisite to achieving revolution.

As well as doing everything he can in Parliament to bring about the fall of the May Government, all his energies are directed at trying to bring about his lifelong wish for a social revolution. Mr Corbyn, his director of communications Seumas Milne, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and their allies are now convinced they are on the brink of achieving it.

The reason I say this and believe that Mr Corbyn was speaking last night with forked tongue is because of what I learned during a private conversation with someone with very close links with Mr Corbyns inner circle

Crucially, therefore, they are playing a game which they hope will end with Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal  regardless of all the catastrophic damage that he last night warned it would cause the country.

Indeed, they are revelling in the idea of post-Brexit havoc, for which they would then put all the blame on the Tories. This explains why Labours parliamentary tactics have appeared so confusing.

True, like him, Corbyns supporters say in public that they fear a No Deal would be a disaster. But such concern is two-faced because they would be perfectly happy if it happens  if they cant have a general election instead.

The economic downturn, social unrest, medicine and food shortages and street protests widely predicted after a No-Deal Brexit all fit perfectly into their Leninist prescription for revolution.

For Corbynistas, this offers a once-in-a-lifetime moment. The Soviet leader believed that a revolution only happens when a number of factors come together and when four key conditions are met. First, a country facing a serious crisis sees its ruling class no longer able to govern and it splits into different factions.

Ultimately, all this explains why Mr Corbyn is reluctant to offer any plausible alternative to Mrs Mays deal. It also explains his visceral antipathy to the idea of a second referendum

Second, Lenin said that the middle class had to start losing faith in the prevailing political system. This is where Labours wish for No-Deal chaos fits in. If the Government cannot secure basic foods for people and there are queues outside shops and even riots on the streets, the opportunity opens for revolution.

Third, the working class has to realise that it must challenge and fight existing political structures as the only way of guaranteeing survival. This is the classic blueprint of revolutionary socialism that John McDonnell and his ilk have preached all their adult lives. In 2010, for example, he described rioting students as the best of our movement. The following year he criticised a jail sentence given to a student who had thrown a fire extinguisher from a roof during those riots, almost hitting a police officer. Actually, hes not the criminal, said Mr McDonnell. We have got to encourage direct action in any form it can possibly take.

Lenins fourth pre-condition was the presence of a Marxist leadership of the workers movement. This is precisely what is offered by Labour under Jeremy Corbyn. As Mr McDonnell has put it, street action is real democracy. He has said: You cant change the world through the parliamentary system. This view was stressed in a foreword he wrote to a pamphlet by a Trotskyite group called Permanent Revolution. He supported what were described as timely proposals which included demands for a militant movement to carry out a revolution and overthrow the Government.

The document also advocated for the working class to be armed and for the Army and police to be replaced. Indeed, Mr McDonnell and his fellow comrades have never made a secret of the fact that they see membership of the Labour Party as a tactic to advance revolutionary socialism.

Ultimately, all this explains why Mr Corbyn is reluctant to offer any plausible alternative to Mrs Mays deal. It also explains his visceral antipathy to the idea of a second referendum.

Although he claims he wants those in the partys grassroots  the majority of whom are clamouring for a second vote on EU membership  to decide Labour policy, this would not necessarily get rid of the Tory Government or secure a Leninist revolution.

For hundreds of years, the greatest strength of this countrys democracy has been that, even in wartime or during periods of strife such as the 1978-9 Winter of Discontent, Parliament has been a bulwark against chaos.

However, considering MPs behaviour over recent months, that bulwark can no longer be relied upon. Its removal offers Mr Corbyn an opportunity hes been craving ever since becoming an MP in 1983. Not for nothing has he described Lenins mentor Karl Marx as a great economist or why Mr McDonnell says Das Kapital is his favourite book.@ChescoCourtNews on Twitter

Michael P. Rellahan has been a staff reporter and editor at the Daily Local News since 1982. He has covered all kinds of news over the years but is now assigned to report on court and legal news, as well as Chester County government news and politics.Police are looking for this man, exiting a fire escape from a building on West State Street in Kennett Square, in connection with giving a person drugs, resulting in their death. This is surveillance footage from a nearby camera.Dutch reporter expelled from Turkey as 'security threat' Ans Boersma's press permit had just been renewed

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, JANUARY 17 - Dutch reporter Ans Boersma, the Turkey correspondent for Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad, was expelled from Turkey on Thursday morning and put on a Turkish police flight from Istanbul to Amsterdam.



The journalist, whose press permit had just been renewed, was stopped on Wednesday afternoon without receiving any formal document explaining why.



Officials allegedly told Boersma that she represents a threat to Turkey's national security.



Boersma was stopped while she was at the Bakirkoy immigration office in Istanbul to renew her stay permit, after having received in recent days an annual renewal of her press permit from the relevant government office. She was held overnight without being able to retrieve any personal belongings from her home.



On Thursday morning she was placed on a flight from Ataturk airport with an expulsion order that bans her from returning to the country for six years.



She was assisted by a Turkish attorney and officials from the Dutch consulate in Istanbul.



"And then suddenly you're on a plane back to the Netherlands.



Declared an undesired person in Turkey," she tweeted on Thursday morning.



The case puts the spotlight back on limits to press freedom in Turkey, where according to the Turkish initiative Platform for Independent Journalism (P24), there are at least 162 local journalists currently being detained.



The episode could produce new tensions between Turkey and the Netherlands, following the normalisation of relations in recent months.



The normalisation had put an end to the breakdown that followed a diplomatic incident in 2017, which was set off when the Netherlands denied Turkish ministers permission for rallies in the Netherlands on behalf of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.



Erdogan subsequently accused the Netherlands of "Nazi practices".(ANSAmed).



The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.KINGSTON, N.Y.  The legalization of marijuana in New York state is a virtual certainty, but until it is final, arrests for possession of smalANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 17 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled for tomorrow in the Euro-Mediterranean area: BELGRADE - Visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin.



VALLETTA - EU, High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini participates in Dialogue on Western Mediterranean.



(also 18/1). CAIRO - EU, visit by Commissioner Neven Mimica to prepare the presidency of the African Union and discuss regional issues (also 18/1). (ANSAmed).



The Daily American

For years the Greater Johnstown School District denied requests for public records that passed through administrative offices on a bi-weekly basis.

In response to inquiries from Our Town, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has released more than 1,000 pages of payroll and invoice documents in relation to the districts 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant for afterschool programming. Grant programming was subcontracted to the Cambria County Child Development Corp., a nonprofit that employed relatives of school officials and a former school board president.Angela Riegel, a Right-to-Know officer for the department, said the state has been receiving mandatory regular reports from BriAnna Perry, a fiscal clerk with the school districts central administration staff.

Johnstown activists John DeBartola and Joseph Taranto, who went through legal battles with the school district for this information, said they felt vindicated by the findings.

{{tncms-inline content="<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had so many roadblocks, so many people who either criticized us or called us crazy,&rdquo; DeBartola said.</p>" id="77e979f9-3fad-4bdb-95e4-4a7294da86ba" style-type="quote" title="Crazy" type="relcontent"}}

Taranto added: We knew these documents were in existence  we knew these people were being paid. This is something that was already a known thing.

Being that its on paper and proven makes it that much better, but the community knew about this.

Employment inquiries regarding school districts subcontractors date back to 2015, when DeBartola and Taranto began filing Right-to-Know requests. In 2016 the district eventually hired Jarad Handelman of the Elliott Greenleaf law firm in Harrisburg to handle the Office of Open Records appeals.

Former interim Superintendent Mike Vuckovich gave a public presentation later that same year indicating that the district spent approximately $97,000 in taxpayer money defending these appeals.

In Right-to-Know requests dated Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Our Town asked the school district for records of payments to the Cambria County Child Development Corp. and Greater Johnstown Community YMCA, and also for records of payments to those employed at these entities by virtue of the schools funding.

The district provided records of disbursements to the nonprofits, but denied payroll information.

The District does not maintain the requested lists and therefore your request is DENIED, wrote Frank Frontino, the districts former Right-to-Know officer and interim superintendent.

Please note in multiple RTKL requests previously submitted by other individuals, the District has denied similar requests, and the OOR has sustained the Districts action on appeal, this request seeks information that is specific to third party vendors who provide staffing for the programs listed. As such, the district has no public records that reflect specific payments to individuals not employed by the District.

But Eric Levis, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, gave Our Town a conflicting account of the districts role in oversight of these programs in a subsequent email.

Check with the school district to confirm that these groups are subcontractors, Levis wrote. Then the paperwork would reside with them (the school district).

Our Town asked Frontino and Superintendent Amy Arcurio why the Right-to-Know requests were denied in light of the fact that the sought-after documents were in possession of Perry and the districts central administration office.

Arcurio forwarded the following reply: To be clear, the Department of Education did not make any determination regarding access to information. They simply turned over information that you sought accordingly. Once again, the District does not maintain a list of individuals employed through the Corp. and payments they receive; however the District does receive and maintain bi-weekly invoices from the Corp that has this information contained in it for only that two (2) week period. Not to belabor the point, but in the RTKs which were received, the District can only respond to the specific request(s) which are made and is unable to presume or speculate as to what the requestor is seeking. For this reason, the District responded accordingly.

A voicemail was also left at the office of Vuckovich, who now works as superintendent of Indiana Area School District.

He did not return the phone call.

Weve had so many roadblocks, so many people who either criticized us or called us crazy, DeBartola said.Rick Jervis and Bart Jansen and Alan Gomez and Tom Vanden Brook

The Daily American

WASHINGTON  As the government shutdown stretched toward a month, the security and immigration controls that President Donald Trump says he's fighting to improve are instead starting to fracture as a result of the impasse.

In all, an estimated 800,000 federal employees from nine shuttered federal agencies, many charged with border and nationalsecurity, have been furloughed or are working without pay. Lines at some airports lengthened as Transportation Security Administration agents failed to show for work. More than four in five Coast Guard employees stands watch without pay.

Nine in 10 of the60,000 employees at Customs and Border Patrol must report to work, checking passportsand manning the existing pieces of border wall.But they're not being paid. Immigration courts, as of Tuesday,had postponed more than 40,000 hearings, including many of the deportation cases Trump is trying to speed up.

Meanwhile, the impasseover Trumps demand for $5.7 billion for a wall at the border and the Democrats refusal to fund it showedno sign of resolution in the longest-ever shutdown.From the high seas andairport terminals todesert border crossings and immigration courtrooms, concerns about security and those responsible for maintaining it continued to mount.

Border security could snap, all at once, in a matter of weeks without a resolution,said Robert Pape, political science professor and director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats.

Illegal border crossings have plummetedsince 2006 due to increased manpower at agencies such as the Coast Guard, TSA and Border Patrol. Success will turn to crisis in weeks if the shutdown continues and pay for those personnel is withheld. Pape's warning from more than 10 years ago that terrorists could infiltrate the border could come to pass.

"We will go in reverse with the bordersecurity we have obtained since 2006 under Republican and Democratic administrations," Pape said.

Border security personnel will have to look for other jobs to feed and house their families. Credit cards will be maxed out.Theywill have to walk off their jobs.

"Its going to happen all at once," Pape predicted. "Tens of thousands of people."

Workers strained on the job and at home

For now, more than 44,000 of the Coast Guard's 50,000 employees must continue working without pay. Crews continued their missions, including the detention of 66 migrants trying to illegally enter Puerto Rico, according to the service.

Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant, posted a Facebook message Sunday urging them to persevere despite the hardship.

While our Coast Guard workforce is deployed, there are loved ones at home reviewing family finances, researching how to get support, and weighing childcare options  they are holding down the fort, Schultz said. Please know that we are doing everything we can to support and advocate for you while your loved one stands the watch. You have not, and will not, be forgotten.

Terminal B atGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston remained closed through Wednesday. There aren't enough blue-shirted Transportation Security Administration agents to staff them. Concourse G at Miami International Airport was closed throughout the weekend because there weren't enough TSA agents to man the security checkpoint there. In Atlanta on Jan. 2, a gun slipped through screening, although the TSA denied the breach was related tothe shutdown. Elsewhere, airport managers urged passengers to allow for more time to pass through screening.

The strain is showing up at agents' homes, too.

"I talked to a waitress in Bangor this morning whose husband works for TSA," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, tweeted Tuesday. "They literally had to get a loan to pay their mortgage for this month. That's just wrong."

Although TSA officials acknowledged longer-than-normal lines at some airports, the vast majority of airline passengers, 97 percent, passed through security screening in less than 15 minutes on Tuesday, according to the agency. Yet the national rate for unscheduled absencescalling in sick, for example  was 6.1 percent Tuesday compared with 3.7 percent on the same day a year ago.

Cairo D'Almeida, president of the union for TSA workers in Seattle, said Tuesday his members have turned tofood banks and checking on eligibility for welfare as they continue to screen airport passengers without pay. He encouraged them to report to work, but said many will have to start looking for other jobs soon.

"Some of them won't have a choice," D'Ameida said.

Late Monday, the Pentagon announced that deployments of active-duty troops would continue at the southern border through September. There are about 2,300 active-duty troops at the border as part of the initial deployment Trump ordered in October to support Customs and Border Patrol agents.

'Immigration court ... shut down over immigration'

In the lobby of the San Antonio Immigration Courts building, migrants from Central America and Mexico mingled, processing the news that their court case was canceled due to a closed government.A notice taped next to the elevator said the third-floor courtrooms were closed until further notice and cases will be reset for a further date after funding assumes.

If I had known this, I would have never left my house, said Vianey Torres, 37, of Honduras, who traveled from Austin for her second asylum hearing. A friend drove her three hours through heavy traffic to try to make the early-morning hearing.

I dont have a car, I dont drive, I dont have a job, Torres said. Thankfully, I have friends.

Trumps demand for a border wall has spurned an unforeseen side effect: More than 90 percent of cases in immigration court are now indefinitely on hold, according to Ashley Tabaddor, one of the hundreds of furloughed immigration court judges and the president of the National Association of Immigration Judges.

The irony is not lost on us that the immigration court is being shut down over immigration, said Tabaddor, speaking in her role as president of the association.

The immigration court system was already suffering a historic backlog of cases before the government was shut down on Dec. 22. There are now more than 800,000 cases in line where immigrants are trying to fight off deportation, win asylum, and adjust their status, up from 542,000 just two years ago, according to the TRAC Immigration Project at Syracuse University.

The average national wait time for a case to be heard is nearly two years, up from 10 months in 1998, according to TRAC.

The Justice Department, which oversees all immigration judges, decided that it will only handle immigration cases during the shutdown where the defendant is being detained  less than 10 percent of all cases. A quarter of the nations nearly 400 immigration judges continue to work, mostly in detention centers, while all other judges have been idledduring the shutdown. Thousands of hearings a day are being skipped. And with such a massive backlog, Tabaddor said it could be years before those cases are rescheduled.

In San Antonio, which has some of the nations longest wait times, the shutdown is making a bad situation much worse, said Linda Brandmiller, a San Antonio immigration attorney.

Brandmiller said the shutdown will further entangle an immigration court system in San Antonio that was already struggling under 26,000 backlog cases.

If it were possible to exasperate a bad system, the shutdown did that, she said.

Jeremy McKinney, an immigration attorney in Greensboro, N.C., said the government shutdown has complicated cases for his clients and made life incredibly difficult for immigrants facing hearings.

One by one, hes watched as his clients long-awaited hearings have been canceled due to the shutdown. They will likely be rescheduled for months or years down the road, meaning key witnesses will disappear, evidence will grow stale, and their ability to win asylum or adjust their status will diminish, McKinney said.

And with only one immigration court covering both the Carolinas, he said immigrants are traveling up to seven hours to Charlotte only to find out that immigration court is closed.

If you have someone living in Raleigh, N.C., that person is driving about three hours to get there, he said. If that person lives in Charleston, S.C., theyre driving four hours.

But, like Brandmiller, McKinney, treasurer of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said theres an unexpected bright side to the shutdown: Immigrants facing deportation hearings are getting reprieves that may last for months or years.

There are some people who are perfectly OK with this, McKinney said. Im sure this administration is not thrilled to hear that, but the shutdown is actually providing a little breathing room for them.

Late Wednesday, there was suggestion of a solution. And the shutdown clock continued to click.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Security, immigration controls fraying as impasse over Trump's wall stretches into its fourth weekLOVINA EICHER

The Daily American

We finally have real winter weather. Snow! Cold! Wind! Needless to say it feels good to be inside a warm cozy house this morning with the outside temperature at 23 F.

Daughter Lovina, 14, just left for school. Son Benjamin left for his job at the RV factory around 4:30 a.m. and the rest of the family is at home. My husband Joe will return to work on Jan. 14, after being off work for three weeks.

Yesterday we spent the day at C.S. Motts Childrens Hospital in Ann Arbor. Son Kevin, 13, had surgery (heel lengthening because of his muscular dystrophy) on his left foot. His foot and leg are in a cast up to his knee. Once again we are thankful for the great work of Dr. Caird and staff. She is such a great person! We thank God for His protecting hand.

Now we hope God grants Kevin the patience to endure the recovery time. He will be in this cast for six to eight weeks and is not allowed to put any weight on it. With his muscular dystrophy, he isnt able to balance crutches, so he will be in a wheelchair. After this left foot is healed, he will have the same surgery done on his right foot. That surgery is scheduled for March.

We do not have any bedrooms on the first floor except the master bedroom so we set up a bed for Kevin in a corner of our living room. He is still asleep this morning so the pain level must not be too bad at this point. I imagine once the numbness wears off he will have more pain. Dr. Caird explained to us that with this kind of surgery the muscles are really stretched tight and most of the pain comes from muscle spasms and not from the incision.

Son Joseph, 16, went along to the hospital for Kevins surgery. Joe and I were glad he did as not only did he keep Kevin from getting too depressed, he also helped get Kevin in and out of the van.

Our Amish driver friend Beth took us at 4 a.m. for the two-and-a-half hour trip to the hospital. Kevin was Dr. Cairds first surgery patient of the day so we had to be there early.

Joseph doesnt have a job right now but I am so glad for his help with Kevin here at home. I know he is eager to get back to work because helping me doesnt earn money for him. He has saved me so many steps. With the girls handicap in going up and down the stairs, tasks such as bringing up dry laundry from the basement and taking the folded clothes up to the childrens bedrooms is hard for them. Joseph can do all the carrying up and down the steps for me and run other errands.

In a few weeks I will have surgery so I will be laid up as well for a while. This will be a trial for me as I have a hard time following doctors orders, but I need to be patient if I want to heal.

Jan. 6, we hosted our Christmas gathering with my sisters Verena and Susan and Emma, Jacob and family. We were a total of 16 when the four of us sisters made the move to Michigan in 2004. We now have a total of 27 when we get together. This year instead of exchanging names we each brought a gift. We played Swap Bingo which went pretty well and everyone seemed happy with the gift they ended up with.

(See LOVINA, A7)

After that I had wrapped a gift for everyone to open taking turns with big oven mitts. They had to throw dice until they had a 1 and then put on the oven mitts and try to tear the wrapping off to open the gift! Sometimes a person would not even have the mitts on when the next person grabbed the mitts. To their surprise though when they opened the first box there was another box wrapped and another so they had to unwrap until they saw the gift.

Son-in-law Mose was the winner. The last box was especially hard to open because I used some wide clear tape to close the box. We also played Bingo until everyone had a small gift from Joe and me.

Brunch was a haystack breakfast which consisted of biscuits, scrambled eggs, hash browns, meat (bacon, smokies, ham), tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, salsa, cheese sauce and all topped off with sausage gravy. Also fruit and dip and apple cinnamon cake, chocolate milk, white milk, orange juice, V-8 juice and coffee.

I had a turkey roasting in the oven to serve with all the snacks we had, before everyone left for home. We ate out in the heated pole barn as I have a kitchen area out there. This way the house stayed clean for our gathering Sunday morning. As always, we had fun spoiling Abigail, Jennifer and baby Timothy.

Gods blessings to all!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 cups chopped mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups water

1/2 cup flour

2 cups light cream or milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms and onions together in butter until tender. Combine 2/3 of mixture with water. Simmer 20 minutes. Saute remaining mushroom and onion mixture with flour for several minutes. Slowly add milk and cook until thickened. Gently add to the simmering water mix and heat through.

(Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, The Essential Amish Cookbook, is available from the publisher, Herald Press, 800-245-7894. Readers can write to Eicher at P.O. Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.)(ANSA) - Savona, January 17 - Italian police on Thursday arrested 12 people for importing stolen luxury cars from Lithuania to Italy.

The cars were originally stolen in Germany and Belgium and taken to Lithuania where the gang issued new fake papers for them, police said.

Porsches and Lexuses were being sold for 30,000 euros.

Send us your pets!

If chosen, your pet will be featured in the Wednesday Life section and you will be mailed a Daily Journal T-shirt.

Submit your petIn May 2014, Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in a landslide election victory. Modi's campaign was built around the slogan of "Minimum Government, Maximum Governance" and the promise of "achhe din," or good times. The expectation was that his decisive mandate would enable Modi to sweep away the remnants of India's socialist past, eliminate corruption, strengthen weak institutions and place India on a high-growth trajectory.

After a victory lap playing statesman in major foreign capitals, Modi got down to business in 2015 by trying to reform a draconian land acquisition law that had stymied economic development. But the attempt was halfhearted and soon abandoned when Rahul Gandhi, leader of the country's main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, managed to deliver a knockout blow by successfully painting the policy as pro-business and anti-poor. A chastened Modi quickly retreated from other politically contentious structural reforms such as burdensome labor laws that hamstring industry and hamper job creation.

Modi did manage to accomplish some important technocratic reforms, such as a new bankruptcy law, a monetary policy framework, and a goods and services tax (GST). With the notable exception of the monetary policy framework, the GST, with its welter of different rates and cumbersome administration, has seen little if any of the benefits of a unified national market, with revenue falling short of expectation. Similarly, the bankruptcy law bogged down by poor implementation and insufficient regulatory capacity is also yet to bear much fruit.

Far from jettisoning the remnants of central planning, Modi imposed price controls on medical devices to benefit a handful of manufacturers in his home state of Gujarat and hiked import tariffs across a range of products, reversing a quarter century of trade liberalization - thus marking a return to India's failed import substitution and command-and-control era.

In 2014, Modi spoke to the aspirations of young Indians with the promise of plentiful good jobs. Four years later, when challenged on his poor job creation record, his cavalier response was that even selling Indian street food - a highly precarious, low-productivity and low-wage occupation - was also employment.

Despite the promise of minimum government, Modi all but abandoned the privatization of state-owned enterprises, and, if anything, the government is more bloated and intrusive than ever, making for a virtual alphabet soup of government schemes, and with no diminution in routine corruption that average Indians face everyday.

Not surprisingly, Modi has not managed to lift the Indian economy above its 7 percent growth rate, the minimum it would grow given the economy's fundamentals, no matter who was in power.

Modi staked his considerable personal political capital when he dramatically announced the immediate voiding of 86 percent of the nation's currency stock by value on national television on Nov. 8, 2016. The surprise move, known as "demonetization" - which caught even ministers and senior officials off guard - was billed as an attempt to curb "black money," but its main effects were to cripple cash-based supply chains and credit relationships, damaging small- and medium-size enterprises, which are yet to fully recover. It did nothing to extinguish black money, nor did it lead to a less cash-based economy or increased tax compliance and collection due to greater formalization.

The largest monetary policy experiment in modern history was based on reckless voodoo economics, inspired by the BJP's Hindu right-wing cultural base, and ultimately failed to achieve any of its objectives.

Modi also introduced policies that had no rationale other than to placate this Hindu base. His government's draconian cattle trade rules - done without any stakeholder consultation - not only crippled the industry and destroyed livelihoods but also emboldened Hindu right-wing extremists, who were given a free pass to engage in violent vigilantism and hooliganism in the name of cow protection. So severe has been the impact of his government's obsession with cattle protection that there is now a problem of stray cattle roaming around destroying crops and further harming farmers.

The promise of good governance increasingly seemed like a cruel joke in the face of Modi's reckless adventurism.

But reality is now catching up. With a tough reelection battle looming and recent state election losses, Modi is using the time-tested method of an old-fashioned populist spending binge. With the recent ouster of central bank chief Urjit Patel, who refused to bend to Modi's wishes, and his replacement by a loyal bureaucrat, the spigots of loose money have all but been opened.

Almost five years later, was the Indian public sold a bill of goods? Modi's record suggests that his lofty slogans in 2014 were part of a slick and sophisticated exercise in public relations, but no genuine conviction or plan of action lay behind it. Modi's major tangible accomplishment is avoiding a big corruption scam of the type that hobbled his predecessor.

That apart, Modi squandered a decisive mandate, and voters will soon decide whether he and his government deserve a second term in office.

- - -

Subramanya is an economist and researcher based in Mumbai.In the past six years, police in Connecticut have killed 24 people.

Though the number may be statistically insignificant considering the thousands of contacts with the public police have every day, to the friends and families of those killed it surely is too many.

Though all deaths for which reviews are completed were deemed justified, the investigations have taken so long that facts do not surface for a year or more. The result is a blanket of silence around the incident. The public is in the dark and the police officers lives are in limbo.

An analysis by Hearst Connecticut Media showed that for the fatal police shootings since 2013 more than 14 months, on average, elapsed before investigators released their final report to the public.

Granted, the investigations by a states attorneys office involve multiple layers of evidence, from eye witness accounts to reviews of body cam and police cruiser videos, but the reviews should be conducted as a top priority. Public accountability and police credibility are at stake.

Surprisingly, data on fatalities caused by police is not readily available to the public. Police are required to file a use of force report with the state after deploying a stun gun, but not when firing a gun with bullets that results in death.

The General Assembly can  and should  fix the disparity this legislative session. Require police departments to file the use of deadly force reports for non-Taser situations to a central repository, such as the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project at Central Connecticut State University, where traffic stops by police already are collected.

An independent examination of the data can uncover characteristics, such as whether the rates of death for one racial group are disproportionate, or patterns, such as police officers years of service.

Awareness of the patterns can lead to solutions, such as increased training, revised protocols or racial sensitivity instruction.

Connecticut should take lessons from the conflicts and suspicions seen elsewhere in the country.

The 2014 death of Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed 18-year-old black man, by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked national protests and a focus on the use of deadly force by police. More protests followed the shooting death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark in Sacramento, who was unarmed and holding a cell phone in his grandmothers backyard when police fired 20 rounds at him.

In 2013 Connecticut had nine fatal police shootings. The numbers have gone up and down since then, and include the high profile shooting of 15-year-old Jayson Negron in Bridgeport in 2017. Two fatal shootings by police occurred in 2018, including 45-year-old Paul Arbitelle in Danbury, who police say had a knife.

An examination of data would not second-guess the decisions made by police in heated, quick-acting situations. It is not a matter of the police versus the public. Rather, an impartial look at data for trends or patterns would be better for everyone.BRIDGEPORT  A woman, who claims she works with the poor and mentally ill is facing 12 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to helping her husband stab a neighbor to death.

Martha Galati, 41, of Freemont Street, pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine to the reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter as she was about to go to trial for murder.

Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin said he would sentence Galati to 12 years in prison, followed by probation when she is sentenced April 5.

A plea made under the Alford Doctrine means Galati doesnt admit her guilt but concedes she could be found guilty of the crime if she went to trial. The judge then found her guilty.

Senior Assistant States Attorney Marc Durso told the judge that Galati and her husband, Jeremy Burke, stabbed 50-year-old Carlos Ribot 14 times in the victims apartment in the Fairbridge Commons on April 30, 2017.

The prosecutor said Galati and Burke, who also lived in the apartment building and had a previous dispute with Ribot, burst into Ribots apartment and in front of the victims girlfriend began beating Ribot with a flashlight.

Police said Burke then yelled to Galati to get him a knife. She came back with a paring knife and he yelled at her to get him a bigger one, police said.

Police said Burke began stabbing Ribot and then asked Galati if she wanted him to kill Ribot, police said.

Durso said when officers arrived Burke was sitting on top of Ribot who was lying in a pool of blood. He said Galati had blood on her pants and her forehead. Durso said the witness told police Galati had also stabbed the victim.

During the brief hearing, Galati told the judge that she works as a case manager for the mentally ill in Danbury.

I have also done humanitarian work mostly in the Dominican Republic, she calmly told the judge.

Her lawyer, Francis OReilly, declined comment as he left the Fairfield County Courthouse.

Galatis husband is awaiting trial on murder charges.BRIDGEPORT - When two local women tossed out their male roommate because of his gang activities police said they didnt expect he would come back with friends.

Police said they arrested three members of the MSB gang after they broke into the victims home and assaulted them.

They said the gang members almost made it too easy, posting video of the attack on Facebook.

George P.J. Christie, 28, Isiah Caramel Dalite Boyd,20, and Tenasia Lovely Nay Hearst, 26, were all charged with home invasion, second-degree robbery and second-degree assault.

Christie was being held in lieu of $300,000 bond while the two other defendants were being held in lieu of $250,000 bond each.

Police said the two victims told them Christie had been their roommate, but they had kicked him out of the apartment because of his gang activities.

The two women had been asleep when several people broke into the apartment and dragged them out of bed, police said. Two of the assailants began beating and stomping the two women while a third recorded it.

Police said Christie later posted the video of the attack on his Facebook page.

They said Boyd admitted taking part in the attack.

If I want to be down Ive got to go along with the big dogs, police said Boyd told them.BRIDGEPORT  The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken charge of the citys internal criminal probe into illicit scrap metal sales and other allegations against the Public Facilities Department made in an anonymous letter.

We have been instructed to back off, Police Chief Armando Perez told Hearst Connecticut Media Thursday afternoon. They have it.

Perez and Mayor Joe Ganim confirmed the FBIs involvement, rumored for weeks, after Hearst reported that federal agents visited the downtown government center Thursday morning. One source claimed to have witnessed the agents in the public facilities office, while others said they heard about the visit from alarmed municipal workers.

Ganim, whose first administration in the 1990s was toppled by a federal corruption probe, emphasized he and his staff are fully cooperating with the FBI.

Everyone has an obligation to cooperate with law enforcement, said the mayor, who was re-elected in 2015 after appealing to Bridgeport voters for a second chance. There is no gray area here.

Ganim also said, If theres public money missing, its got to be acted on by law enforcement.

Perez said he did not know who the FBI agents interviewed Thursday, but he, too, had heard they were at Public Facilities.

The massive department oversees the maintenance of roads, city buildings, sidewalks, vehicle fleets and parks, along with trash hauling and recycling operations. Public Facilities has been run since 2016 by John Ricci, a veteran public servant who has helped advise Ganims mayoral campaigns and the mayors failed 2018 bid for governor.

It was not a surprise they were in the building, the police chief noted of the FBI agents. The chief said he, at Ganims request, had gotten the bureau involved last fall.

Side sales

Hearst first reported in early November on the anonymous letter to the City Council accusing public facilities of maintaining a secret petty cash fund for off-the-books scrap metal sales to Bridgeport-based P.C. Metals. The letter writer alleged revenues of over $25,000 over two years.

Profits from the sale of municipal property are supposed to be deposited with the Finance Department. And excess scrap metal is normally collected at the Bridgeport dump to be sold by the city to Sims of New Haven.

The letter writer also alleged that Public Facilities has improperly awarded large, no-bid contracts for different projects, including the ongoing construction of a new municipal garage.

Ricci acknowledged in a November interview the existence of the scrap metal petty cash fund. But he told Hearst that only around $5,500 had been raised over two years, and that the money was spent on staff morale  birthday cakes, meals, event tickets and donations to various causes  and on small equipment purchases.

But documents obtained by Hearst in December corroborated the anonymous letter and showed over $35,500 worth of cash-for-scrap transactions between municipal workers and P.C. Metals. It is unclear where those profits went.

Thursday was the first time Perez told Hearst that he had called in the FBI. In November, he confirmed that his departments Office of Internal Affairs, which typically investigates cops, had opened a criminal probe into the scrap metal and other anonymous charges. And the City Attorneys and Labor Relations offices had also been looking into the allegations from the anonymous letter.

In the meantime, Finance Director Kenneth Flatto took control of Public Facilities petty cash account, and Ganim and Ricci ordered all city staff to properly dispose of excess scrap metal at the transfer station.

Criticism of mayor

Ganim has sought to distance himself from the Public Facilities controversy. He was convicted in 2003 of running a pay-to-play operation in City Hall and served seven years in federal prison before 2015s improbable political comeback. The mayor is up for re-election this year and may face challenges from fellow Democrats state Sen. Marilyn Moore and state Rep. Charlie Stallworth.

In mid-December, the mayor stated his administration may have inherited past practices that are unacceptable. On Thursday Ganim said the anonymous allegations against public facilities were certainly nothing I knew about.

Stallworth, who campaigned for Ganim in 2015 and briefly worked for the administration, recently complained that were it not for Riccis political connections  he is also close with Democratic Town Chairman Mario Testa  the Public Facilities director would have been terminated by now.

Ganim said Thursday that no action has so far been taken against any city employees because the investigations have not reached any conclusions.

Moore, reacting Thursday to the news about the FBIs involvement, took aim at Ganims criminal history.

If the FBI is investigating Bridgeport, it has to be rooted in fact, she said. They are busy people and must have something solid theyre working on. What is going on in the city? Are we back to where we were in the past? ... It reflects on (Ganims) leadership.

It is also possible the FBIs involvement may not lead to the kind of smoking gun that Ganims critics are looking for.

The Chief States Attorney and local police investigated a similar scrap metal controversy involving Stamfords vehicle maintenance operations in 2010 and 2011. That probe found that for years, Stamford municipal workers sold small quantities of scrap metal for cash, and used the proceeds  no more than $3,000 annually  for morale-boosting purposes like annual Christmas parties.

The investigation found no evidence that either the employees or the supervisors kept any of the cash for themselves (and) ... this practice has been the norm in Stamford for at least 35 years. But three city employees were temporarily suspended without pay, and Stamford tightened its scrap metal procedures.HARTFORD  Surrounded by federal workers who cannot collect unemployment because they have returned to work, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called Thursday for an end to the practice.

An increasing number of furloughed federal employees have been called back to work and they will lose unemployment benefits, Blumenthal said at a press conference at the Legislative Office Building.

This is unfair, unjust and unacceptable, Blumenthal said.

Workers who have been called back to work without compensation, Blumenthal said, can be paid, should be paid, just like furlough workers that are at home.

Blumenthal and the other members of the Connecticut delegation on Thursday, the 27th day of the partial federal shutdown, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta urging the agency to take immediate steps to extend unemployment compensation to federal employees in Connecticut who are working without pay.

The letter noted that the workers are just about to miss their second full paycheck.

In Connecticut, there are approximately 1,500 federal employees who are either furloughed or working without pay, the delegations letter said. Many of these employees have expressed how they are unable to pay their bills and how this financial stress is affecting their personal and professional lives, the delegation wrote in the letter to Acosta.

One of those workers is Bryan Krampovitis, an air traffic controller at Bradley International Airport.

Krampovitis said at Blumenthals press conference that many of his fellow Bradley workers are starting to talk about taking side jobs such as Uber or Lyft drivers. He said talking about second jobs is concerning because their total focus should be on passenger and airport security.

Krampovitis said he, too, is feeling the pinch, stating that he lives in West Haven and his commute is costing him $15 to $20 a day in gas and $250 a week in childcare costs.

Paul Feragne, a transportation security officer at Bradley, said the airport workers needed politicians help because, he said, workers emails and phone calls to the Labor Department requesting assistance have been ignored.

The Connecticut delegation, in their letter, pressed the Labor Department to provide guidance to states like Connecticut on how to provide unemployment compensation benefits to federal employees working without pay, waive the work search requirement for furloughed employees and those working without pay who are paid unemployment compensation, and to authorize states to provide lenient procedures for those employees to repay those benefits upon return to paid work.

In the letter, the delegation also reiterated support for existing requests to aid federal workers during the federal shutdown, including Gov. Ned Lamonts efforts to change Connecticuts unemployment compensation laws.

Lawyers with Connecticuts Labor Department determined that the state could lose millions of dollars in federal funds if the commissioner waives the work search requirement for federal workers who are not being paid but are technically still employed.

Blumenthal also praised Lamont for a program the governor announced Tuesday. Connecticut has teamed up with Webster Bank to guarantee no-interest loans to federal workers impacted by the shutdown.

Lamont said Webster Bank will offer the no-interest loans and the state of Connecticut would back-stop this.

John R. Ciulla, president and CEO of Webster Bank, said they are pleased to provide interest-free loans to these workers.

Were really happy to do it, Ciulla said. Its simply the right thing to do.

Ciulla said hes confident other banks will participate and the details of how to get the loans will soon be made available.

The details of the loan program are still being worked out and it could cost up to $5 million per month, but its unclear how much each worker would receive.

I want to thank the governor for his inventive and very important way of helping federal workers, Blumenthal said.

This could be a model (program) for the country, the senator continued. It is enormously helpful in providing a financial bridge and a source of comfort to those who face mortgages and people living paycheck to paycheck.

Lamont is also encouraging municipalities to delay collecting property taxes from affected employees.

Several municipal leaders have been approached by federal workers who live in their towns, or groups representing them, asking officials to provide food assistance or extend tax payment deadlines, to assist the workers and their families.

The shutdown, which entered its 27th day Thursday and is the longest in the countrys history, shows no signs of ending soon as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over granting Trump more than $5 billion for a wall or steel barrier on the southern border.

Trump insists the wall is needed for national security while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called it immoral, leading to the standoff.They are newly registered lobbyists, a trio employed by the ACLUs Smart Justice campaign to push a new governor and General Assembly further along the path of criminal-justice reform. Two have advanced degrees. One calls himself a natural networker. All three have done time in Connecticut prisons.

We launched with the idea that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. said Sandy LoMonico, 38, who was hired by the ACLU in Connecticut in late 2017 as its first criminal justice organizer.

She recruited 37-year-old Gus Marks-Hamilton and 56-year-old Anderson Curtis, who had been active in the reform movement, as field organizers. After spending much of 2018 organizing and pushing gubernatorial candidates to publish platforms on criminal justice, they are focusing on lobbying at the State Capitol.

Weve been up there for about a week, and a lot of the people you see there are professional lobbyists, Marks-Hamilton said. They are people who havent had the life experience that weve had. And so when we talk to legislators we are giving them a perspective that theyre not going to see from a lot of the other people you would normally see at the State Capitol.

They believe they played a role in sparking the interest of Gov. Ned Lamont in the reform movement. Lamont acknowledges beginning his campaign a year ago knowing little about criminal-justice issues, but he responded to their challenge by publishing a detailed platform in the final weeks of the campaign.

Curtis was at Hartford City Hall in December when Lamont received his transition committees recommendations on criminal justice reform and spoke about what he had learned in a year of campaigning. Lamont committed himself to continuing and building on the progress made by the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

To hear Ned Lamont talk about criminal-justice reform  Its the right thing to do, Its the smart thing to do, to hear the words mass incarceration coming out of his mouth  was very fulfilling, Curtis said. It was like a signal that we made a difference.

LoMonico, who says she spent time incarcerated as a juvenile and adult, graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2016 with masters degrees in social work and public health. Marks-Hamilton left prison in 2013 and graduated with a masters in social work from UConn in 2017. Curtis got an associates degree in addiction counseling from Gateway Community College after going free 11 years ago.

Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, the new co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the first non-lawyer to lead the panel, said the Smart Justice campaign clearly played a role in the education of the new governor and can have a similar impact on legislators.

I think its incredible, Winfield said. When you are talking about justice-impacted individuals, you should be talking to justice-impacted individuals.

Smart Justice is a national campaign to end racial disparities in the justice system and cut the prison population by half, reversing an era of mass incarceration that paradoxically began after crime spiked in the U.S. through the 1960s and 1970s and continued long after the crime rate began to abate.

Connecticut was part of that trend, boosting its inmate population by more than 300 percent  and its correction budget to more than $600 million. The inmate census has fallen dramatically during the recently concluded Malloy administration from a high of 18,000 in the mid 1990s to 13,000.

We had a little bit of an advantage being in Connecticut, and we want to keep that momentum going, LoMonico said.

According to a 2018 report by the Prison Policy Initiative, the state now has the tenth lowest incarceration rate in the U.S., but still higher than any other state in New England and New York and New Jersey. Racial disparities in the prison system fell significantly during the Malloy administration, but the ACLU says the state was still was among the 10 worst when it came to disproportionately imprisoning black and Latino adults.

Smart Justice is trying to find out why.

It wants the data tools to examine the system at the front end, looking for greater transparency in the decisions prosecutors make. They are proposing a bill requiring the gathering and reporting of aggregate data about charges, diversionary programs, plea deals, bail requests and sentencing recommendations.

Connecticut has made strides in the collection of criminal-justice data with the creation of the Criminal Justice Information System, but state prosecutors still lack a computerizing case-management system that would ease the collection and analysis of data.

Chief States Attorney Kevin Kane was unfamiliar with the specifics of the Smart Justice proposal, which has not yet been submitted as a bill, but he said he agrees with the need for a system that provides greater transparency.

The general principle, I think, is a good one, Kane said.

The ability to deliver the requested data will turn on the completion of a computerized case-management system for the states 13 judicial districts, each led by largely autonomous states attorneys appointed by a Criminal Justice Commission.

Its taken a long time, but I think we really are close to being able to do it, he said.

Anderson said the goal of the Smart Justice proposal is to analyze and understand how the system works.

Were not attacking anybody, he said.The parent company of KeyBank is acquiring the online lending business of Laurel Road Bank, which was founded more than a decade ago as a community bank serving Darien and the Rowayton section of Norwalk before building a $4 billion student loan platform under new ownership.

Laurel Roads three southwestern Connecticut branches in Darien, Rowayton and Fairfield are not included in the transaction, with the company not providing immediate details on whether they would continue as a stand-alone bank branches serving their communities under common ownership.

The companies did not publish financial terms of the deal immediately on Wednesday evening. As of September, Laurel Road held deposits of $515 million, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., about 1 percent of total deposits in Fairfield County. The company lost $3.6 million in the third quarter of 2018, reporting bank equity capital of $67 million at the close of September.

Laurel Road has focused its graduate student lending on medical and dentistry students, accounting for 70 cents of every dollar in loans the firm has originated, with another 20 percent of its loans going to law and business students.

This target client base is extremely attractive  an average age of 33, average FICOs of 760 and income of approximately $185,000, said KeyCorp CEO Beth Mooney in a Thursday conference call. Laurel Road ... has been proactively expanding its product set to build broad-based relationships with these targeted clients and prospects  in the last year alone, the team has developed and launched personal and secured loans, mortgage and deposits, all delivered digitally.

KeyBank had $268 million deposits across seven Fairfield County branches as of June, with the Cleveland-based bank having branches in Norwalk and Fairfield but not Darien. The company earned $459 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, a 150 percent improvement from the year before and contributing to a $1.8 billion profit for the full year.

About 140 Laurel Road employees will join KeyBank and parent company KeyCorp, with Laurel Road reporting having about 185 jobs on a full-time equivalent basis as of September to the FDIC.

Opening in April 2006 as Darien Rowayton Bank and adopting its new moniker a year ago, Laurel Road established a separate corporate office in New York City under CEO Gary Lieberman, who had acquired a controlling stake in 2009.

At the time, some of DRBs original shareholders complained they were unfairly prevented from accruing the expected value of their investments.

In Laurel Roads most recent exam under the auspices of the Community Reinvestment Act, the FDIC stated the bank needs to improve its record in making loans across income brackets, a downgrade from the satisfactory grade it received in 2011, while noting federal regulators had received no complaints from Laurel Road borrowers.

Under Lieberman, Laurel Road pivoted to building a student loan business backed by online deposits, then expanded last year into online mortgage lending. A former managing director at Bear Stearns, Lieberman separately runs West Side Advisors in New York City which invests in mortgage-backed securities and student loan investments.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulmanSome people only walk this earth for a short time. Their departure reminds us that angels are watching over us. Last week, Aggie Reed rejoined her heavenly family and gained her wings. Agnes Lee "Aggie" Wilson-Reed passed away unexpectedly in Cookeville on June 11, 2021, at the age of 83. AgTo enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how.Parilee King, 93 of Corsicana passed away Monday morning, June 14, 2021 at Legacy West. She was born November 11, 1927. Visitation will be Friday, June 18th from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. at Griffin-Roughton Funeral Home Chapel with funeral service following at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemet80%

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This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-04-17, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.Last week this column led on the unfolding drama wracking the Scottish National Party after Alex Salmond mounted a successful legal challenge against the Scottish Government led by his party.

The court upheld the former First Ministers complaint that an official inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct, levelled against him by two female civil servants, was unfairly skewed against him. Lord Pentland ruled that it had been procedurally unfair and tainted by apparent bias.

Now Nicola Sturgeon, Salmonds successor, finds herself having to handle not one, not two, but three investigations into issues surrounding the botched inquiry, conduct amidst a deepening rift between her supporters and those of her predecessor.

First, the First Minister has acquiesced to demands from opposition parties that she submit herself for investigation over whether or not she has breached the Ministerial Code. Second, MSPs at Holyrood are to hold their own inquiry into the Scottish Governments handling of the investigation of complaints against Salmond. Third, the Information Commissioners Office have passed a complaint from Salmond about the initial leak of the Scottish Government inquiry to their criminal investigations desk.

Add in the Scottish Governments own inquiry into how it so mishandled the investigation into Salmond, and the oft-overshadowed Police Scotland investigation into the original allegations against the former First Minister, and you have a total of five.

The root of the scandal is the fact that Sturgeon held a series of off-the-record meetings with Salmond, without officials present, after the allegations had been lodged against him and whilst the investigation was underway, in what opposition parties have called an astounding lapse in judgement. Fresh evidence suggests that the role of Liz Lloyd, Sturgeons chief of staff, will shortly be in the spotlight too.

Another issue, and the one which caused the inquiry against Salmond to be ruled unlawful, is that one of the investigating officers had counselling both of the complainants, a clear conflict of interest. The subsequent court defeat cost Scottish taxpayers 500,000, and as the relevant appointment was made by Leslie Evans, Scotlands top civil servant, there is mounting pressure on her to step aside.

Meanwhile relations between the two leading Nationalist politicians of their generation are getting worse by the day. First Salmonds supporters warned of a conspiracy against him and claimed that Lloyd tried to use the allegations to dissuade him from standing for election.

Sturgeon, for her part, has accused her former mentor of waging a smear campaign against her. Exasperation with Salmond amongst her supporters has been mounting since he lost his Gordon seat at the 2017 general election, after which he took a controversial talk show slot on RT which was widely considered to bring him  and by association, the Nationalist cause  into disrepute.

Jim Sillars, the former SNP deputy leader, has warned that the party is paying the price for allowing cults of personality to build up around both Salmond and Sturgeon during their times as first minister. The result is that the Nationalists, who usually operate with phalanx-like discipline and total command from the centre, are losing cohesion at just the moment when another opportunity to revive their push for independence might (only might) have been possible.Stewart Jackson was MP for Peterborough 2005-17 and Chief of Staff to David Davis 2017-18.

As expected, Jeremy Corbyns No Confidence motion tabled yesterday served to unify and focus the Conservative Party on the existential danger, not just to our party but to the whole country, of a red in tooth and claw Labour government. In that sense, it rather backfired.

Perversely, it has ramped up the pressure on Corbyn to enunciate a clearer position in response to the defeat of the Prime Ministers unlamented Withdrawal Agreement, between the Europhile majority of his party pressing for extension or revocation of Article 50, a Norway model soft Brexit, or a second referendum, and the millions of Labour voters who supported Brexit. I cannot see that Corbyn will move much, because he still commands the trust and support of the Labour membership and influential figures like Len McCluskey and because he believes that the EU is a plutocratic capitalist cartel dedicated to neoliberalism and doing the bidding of rapacious multinationals  a view hes held since about 1983.

Labours introspection has bought the Prime Minister some breathing space. Although as a result of John Bercows decision to disregard Commons precedent and rip up the rule book to allow the Remain ultras like Dominic Grieve to circumscribe the Governments room for manoeuvre in last weeks business motion, she has only four more days to outline what her Plan B might be.

My own view is that her tenure is strictly time limited, but my instinct is that she probably has one more pivotal Commons vote left before the pressure from the 1922 Committee and the Cabinet for her to step aside and let another leader take over will become insurmountable.

Shes been lucky, too, this week with her Remain opponents. Remain true believers are as fractious and impatient as anyone else  witness the spat between Nick Boles and Grieve over which (wrecking) Bill to present in the Commons  Boless quirky EU Referendum (No2) Bill or Grieves second referendum Bill? Its a microcosm of the fight between the Norway crowd and the Peoples Vote (sic) supporters. Neither has or likely will have a majority in the House of Commons, and Boless effort seems to have blown up on the tarmac via a big raspberry from the Liaison Committee. Nevertheless, the aim of most of their advocates is to delay and then kill Brexit.

For all that, Theresa May would be wise to avoid jumping out of the frying pan of a calamitous Commons defeat into the fire of a full-blown Tory civil war. The lack of a clear policy position after Tuesdays vote appears to have emboldened some of the Cabinet to disregard even further collective responsibility. They now argue  both in code (reaching out to other parties) and explicitly  for a deal with Labour, involving reneging on our explicit 2017 General Election manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union. Indeed, to the contrary, some ministers are wholeheartedly embracing the idea of one. This was always the position of people like Greg Clark and Philip Hammond, but they now feel they have license to sell this unappetising prospect in plain sight.

Pivoting towards the Customs Union would be a very bad idea for a number of reasons. Labour have no coherent Brexit policy and the customs union demand is only the least worst part of an incredible smorgasbord of opportunistic waffle. The Opposition really isnt interested in anything but precipitating division and open warfare in our party, and certainly not in developing a coherent and pluralistic policy which can pass the Commons. Secondly, a customs union as a discrete policy is a terrible idea, as consistently and eloquently argued by Greg Hands  primarily because it would undermine a key rationale by Leave voters for supporting Brexit, the aim of allowing the UK to strike new, lucrative global trade deals after our exit from the EU.

Most acutely, Conservative MPs should understand the peril of shredding a policy which the Prime Minister has publicly endorsed over 30 times, when faced with a Party membership and wider electorate warming to No Deal/WTO and still irked by the debacle of Chequers and the Withdrawal Agreement. A Party faithful willing to believe that we can still strike a Canada Plus style deal with the EU. And why wouldnt they? This week David Davis, Dominic Raab, Arlene Foster and Peter Lilley launched A Better Deal, which offers a reasonable alternative strategy for the Prime Minister when she returns to Brussels in a few days time. Together with enhanced No Deal planning, it is at least as good as any other course of action, not least because it was the basis of the Prime Ministers policy outlined at Lancaster House, Florence and Mansion House and at last years General Election.

Fully conceding on the Customs Union would be such an egregious capitulation that it would endanger our local government candidates in May, and were we foolish enough to extend Article 50 to necessitate by Treaty obligation participation in the EU Parliament elections (as Boless bill demands), it would invite a populist upsurge of unprecedented severity.

Conservative Associations are much less deferential, more activist, and frankly more Eurosceptic now, and theyd scarcely wear such a retreat from our solemn promises. MPs who supported it would struggle to justify their decision. Remember, recent polling shows that peoples attachment to getting Brexit comfortably outstrips their attachment to even the best and most diligent local MP, and to political parties generally.

Finally, its as well to consider Scotland as a terrifying morality tale. In 2010, Labour polled 42 per cent there and took 41 seats  most of them won very handily. Just five years later, motivated by bitter disappointment in the wake of a fractious and unpleasant referendum campaign and a feeling that the Establishment had cheated them of their dreams of self-government and independence, a significant bulk of their hitherto most loyal voters turned on their own party, leaving that party with just one seat and less than a quarter of the votes.

Couldnt happen again? Dont bet on it.

If May takes the path of least resistance by adopting the Customs Union post-Brexit to get any deal through the Commons, she risks not just a terrible party schism but electoral Armageddon.Ben Roback is Head of Trade and International Policy at Cicero Group.

As British politics sinks further into a self-enforced abyss of disagreement with no end in sight, it is worth remembering that we are not alone in navigating choppy waters.

The US Government is in its third week of a partial shutdown that it brought entirely on itself.

The shutdown is now entering Day 27, and crucially there is little indication of a cooling of tensions that could provide a light at the end of the tunnel. Its implications are octopus-like, reaching simultaneously into complex areas of public policy and peoples everyday lives.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are either being furloughed or working without pay, bringing pain to households in commuter towns in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia. Around the country, a lack of airport security personnel means screening takes hours when it should take minutes (scarily, in three weeks, Atlanta airport is expecting over 100,00 passengers coming into town for the Super Bowl).

The longest government shutdown in history shows no sign of ending any time soon. Americans employed by the government and tourists hoping to visit national parks are losing out at the sharp end of the shutdown  but does its continuation in fact suit both parties?

Playing the blame game

Both the White House and Congressional Democrats have been keen to continually lament the shutdown, scathing about its impact on Main Street American jobs and the macroeconomic impact. The longer the shutdown goes on, the more both sides are proven correct  yesterday the New York Times wrote:

The partial government shutdown is inflicting far greater damage on the United States economy than previously estimated, the White House acknowledged on Tuesday, as President Trumps economists doubled projections of how much economic growth is being lost each week the standoff with Democrats continues.

For the President, this brings a significant risk. Donald Trump has prided his tenure so far on the economic impacts he has delivered  a bullish stock market and wholesale tax reform for companies and individuals. Tumbling economic forecasts suddenly undermine that narrative, which will be one of the central features of his 2020 re-election campaign.

It represents a likely battle taking place between the economic and immigration advisers in the Presidents inner circle. After all, the shutdown is only entering its 26th day because of the White Houses insistence that fiscal provisions to keep the Government open contain over $5 billion in government funding to build a wall on the US/Mexico border.

With absolutely no surprise whatsoever, Democrats are refusing to acquiesce  immigration became one of their top priorities as an increasingly diverse electorate become ever more important to their electoral coalition. In previous congressional cycles, the focus had been on securing a long-term solution for the so-called dreamers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy. Notable attempts failed under President Obama in 2014. Since Trump made chants of BUILD! THE! WALL! a central feature of his election campaigns, that focus has sharply shifted to the issue of the wall.

So, who is to blame? The President has sought to shift blame towards the Democrats, whom he continues to describe as obstructionist. Following a televised address to the nation last week, three polls showed that strategy is failing to land:

A Quinnipiac University poll (here) found that 56 per cent of voters held Trump and congressional Republicans responsible for the shutdown whereas only 36 per cent said they thought congressional Democrats were responsible.

A CNN/SSRS poll (here) found that 55 per cent of Americans blamed the President for the shutdown, compared to 32 per cent who blamed the Democrats. Interestingly, the poll also found that a majority (56 per cent) opposed the deal whilst only 39 per cent supported it.

A CBS News/YouGov poll (here) found that 47 per cent of Americans blamed Mr Trump most for the shutdown, compared to 30 per cent who cited Democrats. However, 20 per cent allocated blame equally on both parties, suggesting neither is gaining as a result of the current malaise. Worryingly for the GOP, these criticisms are held acutely amongst suburban voters  whose votes will be crucial for Republicans in states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia in 2020.

Immigration shaping up to be the biggest wedge issue in 2020

As we enter the lame duck period, so much of what happens in US politics will be viewed through the lens of the 2020 general election. The proof? Since Christmas, three Democrats have launched their early campaigns for the presidency and a fourth appears imminent. On the left, the pressure from the grass roots will be to hold an aggressive line in staunch opposition to the wall. There will be absolutely no political reward whatsoever for riding to the rescue of a President that has buried himself in a bunker. And so:

Elizabeth Warren, who was the first to launch her campaign for 2020, has tweeted: 24 days into the #TrumpShutdown and over 800,000 federal employees have already missed 1 paycheck. How many more before Republicans stop crushing working families and re-open the government? Time to end this.

Tulsi Gabbard has tweeted: Today an estimated 800,000 federal employees will miss their first paychecks of the year. Families are suffering. Our country is less safe. The impact of this shutdown is real.

Kirsten Gilibrand has tweeted: The emergency at our border is the cruel treatment of children who are still detained. Its the asylum seekers being shut out. Its @realDonaldTrumps dehumanizing attacks on immigrants in need. We need to end the shutdown and get back to solving real problems families face.

For the President, the strategy of keeping the government shut down unless Democrats vote to fund his border wall doesnt seem to be working. According to FiveThirtyEights presidential approval tracker, since the shutdown began the presidents aggregate approval rating has fallen from 42.2 per cent to 40.8 per cent.

No end in sight

The 2018 midterm elections saw the Republicans and Democrats trade on the currency of anger and fear in the American public. Those two sentiments have continued into the 116th Congress and there is no sign it will end any time soon. For that reason, it is hard to forecast a sudden change in sentiment from the White House or Congressional Democrats, one of which would be needed to bring about an end to the shutdown.Looks like Microsoft has upped its game on deploying the September-October-November-December 2018 Update for Windows 10, with forced upgrades on the menu.

Yesterday evening, Microsoft updated the status of Win10 1809 to say:

Current status of Windows, version 1809, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server, version 1809 Windows 10, Version 1809 Rollout Status as of January 16, 2019 We are now starting our phased rollout to users via Windows Update, initially offering the update to devices we believe will have the best update experience based on our next generation machine learning model.

Fully available for advanced users who manually select Check for updates via Windows Update.

At the same time, however, the official Win10 Release Information page says that Win10 Version 1809 is Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted)  which means that Microsoft has not yet determined that Win10 1809 is suitable for deployment in businesses.

No doubt you recall Win10 1809s truly abysmal history  yanked for deleting data, then blocked for interfering with all sorts of hardware and software, and taken back to the woodshed, er, workshop repeatedly for retooling.

Now, it seems, Microsoft is going to start forcing the upgrade, particularly on Windows 10 Home users, and on Pro users who havent learned how to turn it off. Starting today, it isnt sufficient to avoid clicking Check for updates. Youre now on notice that you have to actively block Version 1809, or youre going to get it.

Im sure that the next generation machine learning model will do a much better job of picking targets.

It looks like the timings linked to a resolved bug in Cisco AMP. Per Gunter Born:

The background for the announcement on the Windows 10 Update History page is probably the cicumstance that Microsoft and Morphisec announced that they solved the issue with the Morphisec Protector as of January 15, 2019. Software created with older versions of the Morphisec Software Development Kit (SDK) (e.g. Cisco AMP for terminals) caused problems. This protection software may have caused trouble saving documents via Save As in Microsoft Office applications.

To be fair, though, Win10 1809 is the first version of Windows 10 thats gone through a thorough testing process. The. First. Version. In three and a half years.

Right now, theres a cumulative update for 1809, KB 4476976, going through testing in the Insider Preview Ring. Presumably Microsoft has determined that the cumulative update isnt dire enough to warrant holding back on pushed Win10 1809 upgrades.

With a little luck, we may be witnessing the beginning of a much improved relationship between Microsoft and its, uh, customers. For now, though, if you dont want version 1809 and its marginal feature improvements  a clipboard that works almost as well as decade-old third party add-ons, a new screenshooter with markup, a slightly better disk-cloud arbitrator  the old blocking method still works.

Grab a box of popcorn and join us on the AskWoody Lounge.The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission formReaching its 26th day, the government shutdown has affected federal employees, college students and now Penn State as an institution.

With thousands of federal employees being furloughed across the country, basic tasks that help Penn State run effectively have been hindered by the shutdown.

In an announcement made today, Penn State leaders have prepared a set of plans to account for both short-term and long-term outcomes of the shutdown.

With grant applications, expenses and reimbursements unable to be processed, Penn State Vice President and Provost Nick Jones said the university is preparing to alter workflow systems to decrease the effects of the shutdown.

Jones said he understands the concerns of the Penn State community and those who rely on federal agencies for funding, research or work.

The university is connecting with other schools through the Association of American Universities to better understand the shutdowns effects on major research within Penn State.

According to the report, Penn State receives around $400 million dollars of its research funding from federal agencies including NASA and the Department of Homeland Security.

Without the ability to process or renew these grants, obtaining money for critical research and the salaries of research-support staff has become difficult.

If the shutdown continues, the university will be forced to assess the decrease in revenue from federal money, Jones said.

The Office of Government and Community Relations is working with Penn States congressional delegation to help the university understand the effects of the shutdowns length.

In addition, Damon Sims, the vice president of Student Affairs, sent all students an informational email regarding the shutdown on Jan.10.

The email provided students with resources to gather information and support if the government shutdown affects their educational experience.

Resources Sims referenced included Student Care and Advocacy, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Penn State Crisis Line.

Jones said he plans to work together with university officials to lessen the disruption being caused by the shutdown for students and employees.

According to the report, graduate students and faculty members are asked to contact their college or unit leader with any questions regarding the impact of the shutdown. In addition, anyone who receives stop work orders should forward the information to the Office of Sponsored Programs.

The university will share more information on the plans to deal with the economic impact of the shutdown as it becomes available, Jones said.With around a month left until THON Weekend 2019, 16 Penn State organizations are gearing up to perform for the second-annual THON Showcase at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17.

The event, sponsored by First National Bank, will feature performances from THON committees and THON-related organizations to raise more awareness about THON  a year-long campaign that raises funds for Four Diamonds at Penn State Childrens Hospital. First National Bank will donate $100 for every account opened at the THON Showcase, according to a press release.

Tickets are $8, and $5.25 of each ticket will be donated to THON. According to the press release, the money can be credited to any organization or IDC.

Last year, the THON Showcase opened its doors to THON-related organizations and commonwealth campuses. For the first time, Penn State Beaver is expected to perform at the event.

Caysie Moody, a THON media relations captain, said THON is excited to include an organization from a commonwealth campus.

[Commonwealth campuses] are so important for fundraising and important for getting in touch with THON families, Moody (senior- biobehavioral health) said. Every group involved with the Penn State community who helps the THON community is super important to us. We love having them be included in any way we can.

RELATED

THON launches TEENetwork initiative to provide support for Four Diamonds teens Penn State THON is known by many as a philanthropy For The Kids. Starting this year, thoug

After the 16 acts perform, UPUA President Cody Heaton, executive director of Penn State Homecoming Isabella Webster, and Four Diamonds teen Anees Ayaz will pick four finalists. The finalists will participate in a Q&A regarding their experience/love of the cause. The finalists will then perform once again where the judges will select the winners.

First place will win $2500, a performance during THON weekend and a trip to the Hershey Fashion Show at Penn States Childrens Hospital.

Second place will win $1750 and a performance during THON Weekend; third place will win $1250 and a performance during THON Weekend; and fourth place winners will receive $750.

Moody said the THON Showcase is the last big event to celebrate THON before THON weekend in February.

This is just another time where we have families taking time out of their day to come and speak to us and then some kids come and perform, Moody said. We all just love to be there to watch them and enjoy [the showcase] with them.

Organizations that will perform at the showcase include:

Tapestry Dance Company

Preston Hoopes for Dancer Relations Captain Committee

Apollo

Megan McPaul and Kyle Mullen, performing with Irish step dance group Rince Na Leon

Sigma Delta Tau/Kappa Sigma

Vole, the Penn State Ballet Club

Shakay Simpson and Manny Williams for Kyleigh Grahams COMM Committee

Penn State Law Benefitting THON

Penn State Beaver

Eva Blankenhorn and Joe Wong for Hospitality Captain Committee

Whiplash Dance Company

Phi Chi Theta

FOTO

RAM Squad

Gabby Morales and Sophia Perez for Emily Johnsons R&R Committee

The Singing LionsOn Jan. 16, the University Park Undergraduate Association unanimously passed Resolution 8-13 in an effort to assist Penn State students searching for off-campus housing.

In accordance with the approval, UPUA will launch Living Off Campus  a website that will serve as Penn States classified advertisement system for off-campus housing.

Last semester, UPUA passed a resolution to create the website, which will launch next week.

Students will be able to filter through a wide range of different things Tyler Akers, the student life chair, said of the website. From how far away from campus [the apartment] is, how many bedroomsdifferent utilities offered in the apartment.

The website will also allow students to sell textbooks and furniture. Students who are interested in off-campus housing can also access insight and mentorship.

In an order of new business, UPUA also confirmed five new at-large representatives at the meeting. UPUA unanimously confirmed Erin Boas, Bryan Culler, Alex Moon and Bailey Spates. Harrison Weidner was approved by a vote of 28-1.

The at-large representatives were sworn in with Kyle Munro, the Earth and Mineral Sciences representative, and Summer Rosendahl, the Health and Human Development representative.

UPUA received a record number of 36 applications for the at-large representative positions. Nineteen of the 36 applicants were interviewed.

The recent approval of the community representative seats was also brought up during the meeting, as Chief Justice Jonathon Kinney provided an update on the situation.

The Judicial Board is continuing to move forward with the process of approving and recommending to the assembly those organizations which have applied for the community seats Kinney said.

Vice President Laura McKinney expressed her gratitude for all those who helped at the table for Student Poverty Awareness Week, commending the amount of toiletry kits that were made.

Later this week, McKinney will meet with Penn State's Health Promotion and Wellness department to discuss the newly instituted tobacco-free policy at Penn State.The next president of the United States may have already begun his or her campaign for the prestigious position.

According to ballotpedia.org, a total of six politicians have announced they either plan to run for the presidency in 2020 or have formed an exploratory committee  a group created to aid potential candidates in making the decision of whether to run for office.

Democrats who have filed to run for office include John Delaney, Richard Ojeda, Tulsi Gabbard, Julian Castro and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren announced she had formed an exploratory committee on the last day of 2018. However, she has not yet said whether or not she will run in the election.

All candidates will face President Donald Trump, who filed to run for re-election on Jan. 20, 2017. At this time, no other Republicans have announced plans to run for office.

Michael Berkman, professor and director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, said he believes President Trumps lack of an expansive base support will hurt his chances of being re-elected.

We dont know yet if he will be seriously challenged by anyone within his own party, Berkman said. That can be very damaging to an incumbent president.

Mark Major, associate teaching professor of political science at Penn State, shared Berkmans sentiments.

He has so many scandals looming over his administration, including ones that border on treason, Major said via email. With Democrats as the House majority, the next two years will be a state of paralysis for his agenda.

Reagan McCarthy, president of the College Republicans, said that although there are rumors circulating about possible GOP challengers for the 2020 election  such as Former Ambassador Nikki Haley or Senator Jeff Flake  none of them are viable candidates to face President Trump.

I dont think that a lack of a GOP challenger will change the [political] landscape too drastically, McCarthy (senior-political science) said. The Democrats will more than likely nominate a far-left candidate who does not resonate with the average American voter, which will not bode well for their chances at the White House in 2020.

McCarthy had advice for the Republican Party in terms of how to keep its position in the future.

Republicans need to make the case for compassionate conservatism to groups that were traditionally receptive of them, like college educated women and those who live in suburbs, McCarthy said. Republicans also need to begin to make the case to marginalized communities as to how lower taxes, free markets, and constitutionalism will be beneficial to them.

Kelsey Denny, secretary of the College Democrats, said she believes the reason so few Republicans have decided to run for the office is because President Trump is their partys incumbent.

It would be utterly absurd for a GOP member to primary their own president, Denny (junior-political science and global and international studies) said.

However, Denny said the biggest threat to President Trumps re-election is himself.

[President Trump] creates his own demolition, Denny said.

Denny said the best way for Democrats to impact the 2020 election in their favor is to advocate for progressive candidates with a wide range of beliefs.

As long as our candidates continue to be honest, transparent and willing to fight for what is good  three things [President] Trump has failed at we will be fine for 2020, Denny said.

Whatever the future holds, it is apparent the 2020 Presidential Election, though still over a year from now, is already heating up.Whether using pads, tampons or the ever-growing, popular menstrual cup, women who have periods need to be prepared to face the unavoidable visit of Mother Nature every month.

And, for when nature knocks unexpectedly, the University Park Undergraduate Association has solutions.

Starting this semester, UPUA and the menstrual company Aunt Flow have partnered to bring free pads and tampons to bathrooms in the HUB-Robeson Center.

Boxes of free pads and tampons can currently be found in the womens, gender-neutral and family bathrooms in the HUB. These boxes will remain in the bathrooms until the end of the current UPUA term in March.

Aunt Flow, a menstrual company started by Claire Coder, donates one pad or tampon for every 10 that are sold. Currently, the company has donated 350,000 products, according to its website.

After elections for a new UPUA president and vice president are decided, the new administration can vote to continue the partnership with Aunt Flow.

UPUA vice president Laura McKinney has spearheaded the project since its conception. She said the inspiration behind starting this campaign was eliminating the cost barriers of expensive products.

Providing menstrual products as a whole is such an essential thing, especially on a college campus when the cost of almost everything is exponentially higher, McKinney (junior-broadcast journalism) said.

To put this into perspective, the Huffington Post calculated the average costs women might spend on their periods during their lifetime.

For tampons, the average lifetime cost is $1,773. Panty liners/pads can exceed costs of around $443 throughout a womans lifetime.

For YuNa Choi, a freshman representative for UPUA, interest in helping this initiative sparked from her passion for female empowerment.

After joining UPUA and seeing this as one of the initiatives, I instantly knew that I wanted to help out, Choi (freshman-international politics and economics) said. I'm so happy about the change that we're making on campus.

Though the initiative is still recently new, both Choi and McKinney said feedback has been positive.

At the Gender Equity Center, Programming Coordinator Jennifer Pencek said its important students have access to products they need  including sanitary products such as pads and tampons.

Even if financial ability is not the leading cause of not having a pad or tampon when needed, I think many people have been in situations where they need one of the items and just don't have one on them, Pencek said.

Previously, McKinney said UPUA tested out a pilot program last semester providing free pads and tampons for just a few weeks. After much success came from that trial run, she said Aunt Flow reached out to UPUA to partner together providing pads and tampons for a longer period of time.

Moving forward, McKinney said she hopes future UPUA administrations aim to grow the initiative by placing more boxes in other high-traffic areas.

It was something that I personally wanted so badly for the student body, McKinney said. To know that people like Aunt Flow and companies like [that], believed in not only myself but UPUA as a whole was great.SHOWS

February 22, 2021 10.00 am

Bazaar Corporate Radar

Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar.President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled the first overhaul of American missile defense doctrine in nearly a decade at the Pentagon. Known as the missile defense review, the unclassified report, which was expected last year, is believed to have been delayed because of sensitivities about how to frame threats posed by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, according to several defense officials. The 108-page report emphasizes the need for a "comprehensive approach to missile defense against rogue state and regional missile threats" and calls for the development of new technologies to its system in the future. "Our goal is simple, to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, anytime, anyplace," Trump said. The initiatives outlined in the missile defense review must receive backing from Congress in order to proceed. On the heels of the report, Russian defense official Viktor Bondarev said the new U.S. missile strategy would increase global tension, Reuters reported, citing Interfax news agency.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a meeting in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Brendan Smialowski | AFP |Getty Images

The latest revelation comes as a crucial nuclear weapons treaty between the world's two greatest nuclear powers hangs in the balance. In October, Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, Treaty, an agreement that eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons from U.S. and Russian arsenals. Russia, Trump says, has violated the arms agreement by building and fielding the banned weapons "for many years." On behalf of the administration, national security advisor John Bolton flew to Moscow to personally deliver the decision to the Kremlin. Earlier this week, the U.S. rejected a Russian offer to save the Cold War-era treaty that has kept nuclear-tipped missiles off the European continent for the last 30 years. The U.S. is on track to withdraw from the INF Treaty next month. Trump's speech at the Pentagon marked his first public comments since four Americans  two service members and two civilians who worked for the DoD  were killed in northern Syria in a suicide bombing for which the radical militant group ISIS took responsibility. Trump expressed his "deepest condolences to the families of the brave American heroes who laid down their lives yesterday in selfless service to our nation" in the speech. The president also took time at the beginning of his remarks to address the ongoing clash over border security funding that has resulted in the longest government shutdown on record. "We need strong borders. We need strong barriers and walls. Nothing else is going to work," Trump said. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Vice President Mike Pence both stressed the need to enhance America's missile defense systems in remarks preceding Trump. "Our nation does not seek adversaries, but we will not ignore them either," Shanahan said. The report delves into new technologies being developed by a number of the world's biggest military regimes. A summary of the document notes that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's missile systems have given the isolated state "the capability to strike U.S. territories, including Guam, U.S. forces abroad, and allies in the Pacific Ocean."

A sailor looks on from the stern of the US Navy's USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) guided missile destroyer during a joint port visit with the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) aircraft carrier (not seen) in Hong Kong on November 21, 2018. Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump reaches back for first lady Melania Trump as they board Air Force One upon departure from West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., March 3, 2018.

The first lady is expected to be in Florida for the holiday weekend at her family's private Mar-a-Lago resort, according to NBC, which reported that the president is set to stay in Washington.

While Pelosi was practically grounded by Trump's actions, the president's wife headed to Joint Base Andrews for her own trip on a military aircraft, NBC said.

President Trump cited the ongoing government shutdown as his reason for postponing Pelosi's travel plans, shortly before she and her team were scheduled to depart on a military plane.

First Lady Melania Trump flew to Florida on a government jet Thursday for a weekend vacation, hours after President Donald Trump dramatically postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip with other members of Congress to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan, NBC confirmed, citing a law enforcement source.

An Air Force bus intended to be used by members of Congress sits outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019.

CNN said the flight to Palm Beach was previously scheduled.

The flight was officially designated EXEC1F, a call-sign known to be used when members of a president's family are aboard a military plane. The jet was a Boeing C32-A, which is the same kind of plane used to transport the president, the first lady, the vice president and the secretary of state.

Tweet

Neither the first lady's spokeswoman nor the White House responded to requests for comment from CNBC.

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President Trump's abrupt move to postpone Pelosi's travel overseas came a day after the California Democrat urged Trump in a letter to either reschedule his upcoming State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress or deliver it in writing.

Pelosi cited potential security concerns related to the partial shutdown. She was scheduled with other members to visit NATO commanders in Brussels and troops in Afghanistan over the next several days.

Pelosi and several other members of Congress were about to depart the Capitol on a bus to drive to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to fly to Europe when the White House announced the postponement.

A White House official told NBC News that all congressional delegations overseas that would have used federally funded military aircraft have been grounded by Trump until the shutdown ends.

Late Thursday, the White House also canceled its delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week. It had originally planned on sending a five-person delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over," Trump wrote in in his letter to Pelosi. "Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative."

Trump's letter, which was made public in a tweet by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, did not mention Pelosi's call for him to postpone the State of the Union address, which the president has not otherwise commented on. But his letter was seen as a retaliation for her suggestion.

A White House official said Trump "took immediate action" on Thursday after learning Pelosi was planning to take the trip.

Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, in a series of tweets, wrote that the congressional delegation's trip to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest.

"In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key allies  to affirm the United States' ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance," Hammill wrote.

He added that the weekend trip to Afghanistan did not include a stop in Egypt, as Trump had suggested in his letter.Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:

Morgan Stanley  Morgan Stanley reported quarterly profit of 80 cents per share, missing the 89 cents a share consensus estimate. Revenue was also below forecasts, with CEO James Gorman saying the firm's results were impacted by the volatile global market environment.

Electronic Arts  Jefferies downgraded the video game publisher's stock to "neutral" from "buy," saying it sees a risk to earnings with a slate of unproven games coming to market in 2019.

Salesforce.com  The enterprise software company's stock was rated "overweight" in new coverage at Stephens, which thinks Salesforce has a competitive advantage in a large and fast-growing market.

Becton Dickinson  The medical products maker reported adjusted preliminary first quarter profit of $2.70 per share, 9 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also topped forecasts, driven by better-than-expected performance across all three of its business units

Alcoa  Alcoa reported adjusted quarterly profit of 66 cents per share, beating forecasts by 16 cents a share. The aluminum producer's revenue was essentially in line with forecasts. Alcoa also said it expects a supply surplus in 2019, driven by Chinese production.

CSX  CSX beat estimates by 2 cents a share, with quarterly profit of $1.01 per share. The railroad operator's revenue was in line with Wall Street projections, however CSX shares fell after it forecast slower revenue growth for 2019.

Cars.com  Cars.com announced it was reviewing various strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value, including a possible sale of the online auto marketplace operator.

Gannett  The USA Today publisher remains on watch after a late-day surge Wednesday, coming after a Wall Street Journal report that Tribune Publishing had recently tried to revive merger talks between the two. Sources told the Journal that Tribune remains interested and that Gannett may be more receptive in light of the recent takeover bid from MNG Enterprises.

PG&E  The debt rating of PG&E's Pacific Gas & Electric unit was cut by Standard and Poor's for the third time this month, after the utility missed interest payments on some of its debt.

Sprint  Sprint is the latest mobile network operator to say it will stop giving real-time location data on its customers to data middlemen. T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T and done the same earlier this month.

Apple  Apple plans to cut back on hiring for some divisions following a slowdown in iPhone sales, according to a Bloomberg report.

Goldman Sachs  Goldman removed "eight digits" worth of dollars from the bonus pool of its fixed income division in the last week of 2018, according to a Wall Street Journal report.Singapore's exports recorded their worst decline in more than two years in December as shipments of electronics and pharmaceuticals plunged, official data showed on Thursday.

The unexpected decline comes despite ongoing trade talks between the United States and China to defuse trade tensions. Many economists expect the dispute to hurt trade-dependent Singapore in months to come.

Non-oil domestic exports in December fell 8.5 percent from a year earlier, data from the trade agency Enterprise Singapore showed, slowing further from a revised 2.8 percent decline the month before.

The outcome was well below a 1.5 percent increase predicted by economists in a Reuters poll and the worst performance since October 2016, when exports declined 14 percent year-on-year.

"This could show that U.S.-China trade talks have become a ruse, falling in line with disappointing China trade data," Selena Ling, head of treasury research and strategy at OCBC, told Reuters. "There is a likelihood that (export fall) will continue into the first quarter."Edward Lampert speaks during a news conference to announce the merger of Kmart and Sears in New York, Nov. 17, 2004.

Sears' unsecured creditors filed an objection Thursday afternoon to Chairman Eddie Lampert's deal to save the company through his hedge fund, ESL Investments, requesting a public hearing to air its grievances.

In documents filed with the Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court, the committee said it has uncovered facts that demonstrate Sears' downfall was "precipitated by years of misconduct by Lampert, ESL, and others against Sears and its creditors," in addition to the broader challenges facing the retail industry.

"This is a matter of significant public interest and should be heard entirely in open court," the committee wrote.

A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1 at the bankruptcy court in White Plains, New York, at which the bankruptcy judge overseeing the case, Judge Robert Drain, will assess the merits of any objections.

Lampert reached a deal with Sears early Wednesday morning to acquire 425 Sears stores and other assets for about $5.2 billion. Sears' other brands include its Home Services business and Kenmore and DieHard brands.

Lampert, Sears' biggest creditor, has been under fire from the company's unsecured creditors since it filed for bankruptcy in October. The group has said there may be claims against Lampert for deals the company did while he was Sears' CEO and largest shareholder. Those deals include Sears' spinoff of Lands' End in 2014 and transactions with Seritage Growth Properties, a real estate investment trust Lampert created through some Sears properties a year later.

"Sears's downfall is nothing short of tragic," the committee wrote in the documents.

"After taking control of Sears in 2005, ESL  acting at all times at founder and namesake Lampert's direction  engaged in serial asset stripping, taking Sears's best assets out of the enterprise to shield them from the claims of other creditors and maximize ESL's investments (in Sears and other entities) in anticipation of these inevitable bankruptcy proceedings."

As part of the deal struck earlier this week, Lampert paid $35 million for the right to help fund his bid by forgiving debt owed to him through a "credit bid," people familiar with the situation have told CNBC. The deal, though, did not address potential litigation the unsecured creditors have threatened they may file over deals Lampert did during his tenure as Sears' CEO and largest shareholder.

On Thursday, the unsecured creditors group, calling ESL's bid to save Sears "nothing but the final fulfillment of a years-long scheme," said it is seeking standing to prosecute a number of claims against Lampert and ESL.

Among the claims it is lodging against Lampert, the group cited both the Lands' End and Seritage transactions. It is also demanding the "recovery of all ill-gotten gains and compensation for the damages incurred" under Lampert's leadership.

The group cast doubt on Lampert's ability to revive the company, saying ESL has "failed to set forth a business plan that offers any viable go-forward path."

ESL has said it is buying only Sears' profitable stores, but, as a whole, the company hasn't turned a profit since 2010. It is also facing robust competition from Walmart, Target and Amazon.

"The company will continue to be hobbled by the same untenable problems, given that its efforts to resuscitate performance by shrinking has mainly been unsuccessful," wrote Moody's department store analyst Christina Boni earlier this week.

According to the documents filed Thursday, Sears closed more than 3,500 stores while under Lampert's direction. It filed for bankruptcy with roughly 700 stores, but has since whittled that footprint down closer to 400 through several rounds of store closures.

Sears has until Jan. 29 to respond to any objections to its deal with Lampert.

ESL has previously stressed that all actions taken by Sears while under Lampert's tenure were approved by the company's board.

In part of a statement delivered to CNBC through an ESL spokesperson on Thursday, the company said:

"Over the past several months, we have provided countless pages of documents to the Creditors' Committee and held numerous discussions with their advisors. We have cooperated fully with their review and remain confident that the processes we followed are unimpeachable. We reject any assertion to the contrary and will vigorously contest any effort to assert claims against ESL, its principals or affiliates concerning these transactions."

WATCH: Sears was the Amazon of the 1930s. Here's where the retailer is todayEdward Lampert speaks during a news conference to announce the merger of Kmart and Sears in New York, Nov. 17, 2004.

The largest remaining question pertaining to the deal is Sears' unsecured creditors, which are opposed to the bid, people familiar with situation have said.

Subject to court approval, ESL will acquire substantially all of Sears' remaining assets, which includes 425 stores, for about $5.2 billion. Sears' other brands include its Home Services business and Kenmore and DieHard brands.

"We are pleased to have reached a deal that would provide a path for Sears to emerge from the Chapter 11 process," the board's restructuring committee said in a press release.

Sears said Thursday that Chairman Eddie Lampert's hedge fund, ESL Investments, is the winning bidder in the company's bankruptcy auction, keeping the company alive.

ESL and the company's unsecured creditors have struck a deal in which Lampert paid $35 million for the right to help fund his bid by forgiving debt owed to him through a "credit bid," people familiar with the situation tell CNBC. The deal, though, did not address potential litigation the unsecured creditors have threatened they may lodge over deals Lampert did during his tenure as Sears' CEO and largest shareholder.

The unsecured creditors have said there may be claims against Lampert for deals that include Sears' spinoff of Lands' End in 2014 and transactions with Seritage Growth Properties, a real estate investment trust Lampert created through some Sears' properties a year later.

Sears' unsecured creditors have eight days to formally object to ESL's bid. Sears will then have two business days to issue a response.

The bankruptcy judge overseeing the case, Judge Robert Drain, will need to assess the merits of any objections at a hearing set for Feb. 1 at the Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court in White Plains. Pending Drain's approval, a deal will close on or about Feb. 8.

Drain has so far shown a propensity to keeping Sears alive. After disagreements between Sears and ESL in an auction for the retailer earlier this week left the two in a stalemate, Drain encouraged the parties to resume talks. Ultimately, Sears and ESL were able to come to a resolution in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

ESL's offer has been the only one that would keep Sears alive and preserve thousands of jobs. Its final offer for Sears will preserve 45,000 jobs.

"ESL has been steadfast in its commitment to Sears because we believe that its emergence from Chapter 11 as a going concern is the best path for the company, its associates and the many communities touched by Sears and Kmart stores," a spokesperson for ESL said in a statement Thursday morning.

WATCH: Sears was the Amazon of the 1930sRudy Giuliani, the lawyer of President Donald Trump, said he's never categorically stated that Trump's campaign did not collude with Russia  a dramatic shift away from the president's repeated claim of "no collusion."

Giuliani delivered that comment Wednesday on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time." He also said that Trump didn't collude with Russia himself and that the president didn't commit a crime.

Cuomo Prime Time on Twitter: "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign... I have not. I said the President of the United States," Pres. Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani tells Chris Cuomo.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign. I have no idea," he said. "I said the president of the United States  there is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you could commit here: Conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC."

Giuliani was referring to the hacking into the Democratic National Committee's servers, which was allegedly conducted by Russian operatives. The incident, and others, has been investigated by Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller for possible Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

On Thursday, Giuliani sent a statement attempting to "clarify" his remarks on CNN. "I represent only President Trump not the Trump campaign. There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form. Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign," Giuliani said.

Giuliani's comments on Wednesday seeking to distance Trump from the rest of his campaign officials differed from the president's stance. Trump has repeatedly said  on Twitter and in public  that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Trump on Twitter: Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!

Trump on Twitter: "Democrats can't find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey's testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion." @FoxNews That's because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,...

But it's not the first time that Giuliani has moved away from Trump's denial of any collusion. Last year, the lawyer said in an interview on "Fox & Friends" that "collusion is not a crime."

Mueller has charged 12 Russian intelligence officers related to the DNC hack. The special counsel has also accused former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort of lying about sharing polling data with an alleged Russian spy during the 2016 election.

When CNN's Chris Cuomo asked whether Manafort sharing polling data is considered collusion, Giuliani replied that "polling data is given to everybody" before attempting to discount the accuracy of such statistics. The lawyer later added that Trump didn't know about the alleged distribution of the polling data until it was covered in the news.A file photo showing a Libyan oil worker from the Libyan National oil and gas company checks an oil pipelines at the Zawiya oil installation in Zawiya, Libya. Mahmud Turkia | AFP | Getty Images

OPEC slashed production in December, delivering a bullish signal to the market one month before the producer group officially began a fresh round of output cuts. Last month, OPEC struck a deal with Russia and nine other nations to keep 1.2 million barrels per day off the market starting in January. The so-called OPEC+ alliance is trying to prevent another price-crushing oil glut. The cost of crude collapsed in the final quarter of 2018, stirring memories of the punishing 2014-2016 downturn. The 14-nation OPEC got a jump on the agreement in December. Oil supplies from OPEC nations plunged by 751,000 barrels per day to nearly 31.6 million bpd, according to independent figures cited by OPEC in its monthly report. Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was the driving force behind the headline decline. The kingdom's output plunged by 468,000 bpd to just over 10.5 million bpd last month, independent figures show. Data supplied directly by Riyadh show a 450,000 bpd drop to slightly more than 10.6 million bpd.

When OPEC announced the deal, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al Falih initially said his country's output would fall to 10.7 million bpd in December from a record high 11.1 million bpd in November. The Saudis are targeting another drop to 10.2 million bpd this month, Falih has said. The pullback in OPEC production was deepened by supply disruptions in Libya and Iran. Output in Libya fell by 172,000 bpd to 928,000 bpd in December, after a group of armed protesters and aggrieved workers took over the country's largest oil field. In Iran, production dropped by another 159,000 bpd to just under 2.8 million bpd, as the nation enters a second month under wide-ranging U.S. sanctions. The Islamic Republic has gone from being OPEC's third biggest producer to its fifth largest, falling behind the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait in December. Iraq saw the biggest jump in production in the final month of the year. It's output rose 88,000 bpd to just over 4.7 million bpd. At that level, Baghdad would need to cut about 200,000 bpd in January to meet its quota under the supply cut agreement. Iraq, OPEC's second largest producer, regularly pumped above its quota throughout the group's last round of supply cuts. December marks OPEC's first monthly report since Qatar left the organization amid an ongoing blockade against the Gulf nation by neighbors including Saudi Arabia and UAE. Excluding Qatar, OPEC forecasts demand for the group's oil will average 30.8 million bpd in 2019, about 900,000 bpd lower than last year. Demand for OPEC's oil fell by about 1.2 million bpd last year, the group says.

OPEC+ collaboration is 'essential'President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen on Thursday said he tried to rig online polls  including one conducted by CNBC  "at the direction and for the sole benefit of" Trump when he was thinking about making a run for the White House.

"I truly regret my blind loyalty to a man who doesn't deserve it," Cohen said in a tweet copping to the electronic chicanery to have Trump's name rank higher in online polls than it otherwise would have.

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Cohen's admission came shortly after The Wall Street Journal published a story detailing how he retained an information technology company to manipulate a 2014 CNBC online poll identifying the nation's top 100 business leaders to bolster Trump's chances of making that list.

That effort failed. And Trump himself fumed in 2014 on Twitter about his absence from CNBC's poll results.

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A second similar effort related to rig a Drudge Report poll of potential Republican candidates worked, according to the Journal. Trump placed fifth in that poll, conducted in February 2015, before he announced his candidacy for the White House.

The Journal reported that a man named John Gauger, owner of RedFinch Solutions and chief information officer of Liberty University in Virginia, was given more than $12,000 by Cohen in 2015 for having helped rig online polls to boost Trump's ranking in them. The Journal's article cites Gauger as a source for its report.

CNBC in an article last August noted that Cohen in January 2017 reported a $50,000 expense to the Trump Organization for a payment Cohen made in 2016 to help Trump. The payment was for work that prosecutors said Cohen "solicited from a technology company during and in connection with the campaign."

Gauger was quoted by the Journal on Thursday as saying that he was never paid more than $13,000 by Cohen despite being owed more for his work. But Cohen still asked for and received "a $50,000 reimbursement from Mr. Trump and his company for the work by RedFinch," the Journal reported, citing government documents and a person familiar with the matter.This frame grab from video provided by Hawar News, ANHA, the news agency for the semi-autonomous Kurdish areas in Syria, shows a damaged restaurant where an explosion occurred, in Manbij, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019.

Wednesday's attack on U.S. forces in Syria has stoked fresh criticism over President Donald Trump's claim that the so-called Islamic State has been defeated renewed debate over his decision to withdraw all troops from the war-torn country.

Around 1 p.m. local time, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a popular area of downtown Manbij, a northern Syrian city that's been controlled by U.S.-supported Kurdish militias since it was wrested from ISIS in 2016.

Four Americans were killed  two service members, a civilian Pentagon official and a U.S. contractor  and three more injured, U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement, reportedly marking the largest single loss of American life since the counter-ISIS campaign began. Nineteen people are believed to have died in total, including civilians and local coalition partners, according to monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

ISIS quickly claimed responsibility. While the group has not so far offered physical evidence to support the claim, critics have been quick to link the attack to President Donald Trump's decision last month to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria.

"Trump's order was reckless and driven far more by domestic political concerns than it was by facts on the ground," Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said on Twitter Wednesday.

Trump defended the troop pullout plans on the premise that ISIS had been defeated. The decision triggered rebukes from numerous lawmakers and security experts, who warned of the extremist group's resurgence and lamented what was seen as an abandonment of local partners.

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"Sometimes reality catches up quickly with wishful thinking and political spin," Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., told CNBC on Wednesday. "Historians will likely file Trump's tweets announcing the ISIS defeat and U.S. Syria pullout alongside Bush's 2003 'Mission Accomplished' speech and Obama's 2011 withdrawal from Iraq."Prime Minister Theresa May. Photonews | Photonews | Getty Images

Nobody seems to really want it, but everyone argues the U.K. needs to be ready for it: A no-deal Brexit  the possibility that the U.K.'s departure from the European Union on March 29 is abrupt. Stephen Barclay, the U.K.'s Brexit secretary, said earlier this month: "A responsible government needs to ensure that we are ready for that default option." A no-deal Brexit would mean that the UK would leave the EU without a transition period and without any big agreement over their future relationship. But pay no huge sums of money and wouldn't be tied to the EU for an indefinite amount of time. During an interview to Sky News, he added that the government is "increasing communications" with pharmaceutical companies and European citizens living in the U.K. But what else is the U.K. government doing? And is it enough? "We have contracts in place for 5,000 (fridges) - and these are big, industrial refrigeration units," Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC this month. He added that the government spent "just over 10 million" with these items. Hancock has also charted aeroplane space to ensure that vital medical supplies will be flown into the U.K. from the Netherlands in the event of a no-deal Brexit.



The government began an information campaign this year on radios, social media and billboards, telling citizens and businesses how to access documents on what to do in the event of a no-deal.



There are 3,500 armed forces staff standing ready to support the government with its contingency plans. No ministry has made a request for armed forces but, if needed, 3,500 are prepared for that.



The government has allocated about 4.2 billion since 2016 to prepare for Brexit.

The government has also sent more than to 140,000 letters and emails to businesses with information on what they should do to prepare for no-deal scenario. The tax authority is sending information packs to businesses setting out what changes there could be at the border.



Consumers have been advised to familiarise themselves with credit card use in Europe in the event of a no-deal. The changes are not significantly different to the current rules.



The Ministry for Transport issued in September information that it would allow European airlines to fly in the U.K. in the event of a no-deal.



The Home Office is using 480 million to employ more Border Force officers, to implement a scheme that will allow current EU citizens living in the U.K. to stay, as well as other security matters.



There's also been a live rehearsal of an emergency traffic system that will be put in place to prevent congestion in Dover, the biggest entry port for EU goods, in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Is it enough?

These are some of the big steps being taken by the U.K. government. However, analysts have told CNBC that these are unlikely to help contain much of the economic impact in case of an abrupt exit from the European Union. "The government is probably not ready to prevent the economic impact of a no-deal," Danielle Haralambous, U.K. analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), told CNBC on Monday over the phone. Leaving the European Union abruptly could bring higher trade tariffs and thus further costs to businesses on both sides of the Channel; as well as delays to food and pharmaceutical deliveries. There would also be questions about flights regulation, movement of people, and so on.Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has narrowly won a confidence vote on Wednesday night, averting a snap elections. However, the stability of his government could be at risk.

Tsipras' government won the vote with 151 lawmakers, out of 300, supporting him. The Greek government was thrown into this uncertainty after its coalition partner resigned last week over a naming deal with Macedonia.

But the political situation is still fragile for Tsipras, whose party has only 145 seats in the Greek parliament  making him leader of a minority government.

"It's highly likely" that there will be an early election in Greece, Mujtaba Rahman, managing director at Eurasia Group told CNBC on Thursday.

Tsipras' mandate ends in September, but the fact that he now heads a minority government has raised questions about whether he will be able to survive the leadership until then.

"This will make completing the current parliamentary term in office a near-impossible job," Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of Teneo Intelligence said in a note.

"However, Tsipras will have the advantage of determining the timing of the next vote and approve legislation he deems to be 'vital'," Piccoli also said.Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks onstage during the annual Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, May 8, 2018.

Fossil is selling $40 million of smartwatch technology to Google, the company announced Thursday.

Shares of Fossil jumped about 8 percent on the news.

Fossil is one of the primary brands that continues to build smartwatches that run Google's Wear OS software, which competes with the Apple Watch but has struggled to gain mass adoption among consumers. But Fossil said that smartwatches are its fastest-growing category.

"The addition of Fossil Group's technology and team to Google demonstrates our commitment to the wearables industry by enabling a diverse portfolio of smartwatches and supporting the ever-evolving needs of the vitality-seeking, on-the-go consumer," said Stacey Burr, vice president of product management, Wear OS by Google.

Fossil said the transaction is expected to close in January.The presidency of Donald Trump has indirectly helped the real estate market in South Florida, Miami property magnate Gil Dezer told CNBC on Thursday.

Dezer, who runs his billionaire family's real estate empire, said prices of his firm's Trump-branded properties in Florida have been pumped up by the president's popularity there.

"We shouldn't forget that Florida was the swing state and so there are a lot of Trump supporters there in Florida," the president of Dezer Development said in a "Squawk Box" interview with CNBC's Robert Frank.

Trump won Florida in the 2016 presidential election.

Dezer's positive assessment of the Trump name on Florida real estate stands in contrast to reports of how buildings bearing the president's name are falling out of favor in liberal New York.

"Our market is geared toward South Americans as well," Dezer added. "And the South Americans are tremendous Trump supporters. They love it. And so prices have sustained and continued to go up in the market."

Meanwhile, all the negative attention around Russia's interference in the 2016 election and the investigation into possible Trump campaign ties has discouraged wealthy Russians from investing as much as they have been in Florida, Dezer admitted.

"But we still have the local New York Russians  the Brighton Beach Russians, if you will  that are definitely coming down and having their second homes in Florida," Dezer said.

One of the reasons New Yorkers are buying up Florida real estate is the tax advantage of establishing residency in the no-income-tax state that's only gotten sweeter since the Trump changes in the tax law, Dezer said.

The tax reform package championed by the president and Republicans in 2017 aimed to cut taxes for middle-income earners, but it's expected to actually increase taxes on wealthier Americans living in high-tax states on the coasts.

"New York has always been a tremendous feeder market for South Florida, especially Miami. And today there is kind of an incentive," he said. "A business owner making $1 million a year will actually be saving enough money in taxes to support a $2 million mortgage on a condo in Miami."

Dezer Development  founded in 1970 by Michael Dezer, Gil Dezer's father  owns 22 buildings in New York and 11 in Florida.GE Renewable Energy has signed an agreement with Future Wind to install the first Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine prototype in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam, the Netherlands, this summer.



While it has been designed for offshore environments, GE Renewable Energy said Wednesday that the prototype would be installed onshore in order to "facilitate access for testing." The deal also includes five years of testing as well as a 15-year full service operation and maintenance agreement.



The initial phase of operations will enable the business to collect data required to get a Type Certificate, which it described as a "key step in commercializing the product in 2021."



Details of the Haliade-X 12 MW turbine were announced in 2018. The scale of the turbine is considerable. It will stand 260 meters tall and have a capacity of 12 megawatts (MW) as well as 107-meter-long blades. At the time, GE Renewable Energy said it would be the world's largest and most powerful offshore turbine.



"As we rapidly progress on assembling the Haliade-X prototype, this announcement is a critical step forward for GE and our customers," John Lavelle, VP and CEO of Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy, said Wednesday. "The port of Rotterdam has been a real partner and provides all the necessary conditions to test the Haliade-X in the most drastic weather conditions."



GE is investing $400 million in the development of the Haliade-X turbine. Future Wind is a joint venture between SIF Holding Netherlands and Pondera Development.



Europe is a major player when it comes to offshore wind. In September 2018, the world's largest operational offshore wind farm, located in the Irish Sea, officially opened. The Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm has a total capacity of 659 megawatts and is capable of powering nearly 600,000 homes in the U.K, according to Danish energy business Orsted.

Produce Grower George Fetzer/Valley View Farm in Newtown, NJat the Farm Service Agency office, newly reopened for 3 days for limited services, in Hackettstown, NJ. Contessa Brewer | CNBC

Tens of thousands of furloughed federal workers have been recalled in the midst of the longest shutdown in U.S. history  in some cases, by expanding the definition of essential services. After 27 days of a partial federal government shutdown, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue ordered 2,500 employees on Wednesday to open half the Farm Service Agency offices around the country. It would be a three-day window with limited services available. The FSA provides crop insurance and serves as a lender of last resort for farmers on the brink of going belly up.

Produce grower George Fetzer showed up at the agency Thursday in an effort to keep his Valley View Farms afloat. "The weather last year wiped me out. I lost all my pumpkins, all my fall crops. I lost $40,000 in retail and for small guy like me, I can't afford that. All I wanted to do was get a loan to pay my bills off." Fetzer expected to close on his loan in December. But the shutdown prevented him from getting the final paperwork. He was hoping to close this week, but he had no luck. "I can't get my money because they don't have the funding," he told CNBC outside an FSA office in Hackettstown, New Jersey.

More furloughed workers return

Nationwide other agencies are also bringing back furloughed employees. Thirty-six hundred aviation safety inspectors for the Federal Aviation Administration have been recalled to their jobs. The Federal Drug Administration is bringing back 400 inspectors to check high risk foods, medicine and medical devices. And the Internal Revenue Service will bring half its workforce, or 46,000 employees, to help issue tax refunds. None of these workers will be paid. Air traffic controllers and others have sued the Trump administration over mandatory work without pay. A U.S. district judge this week declined to rule on the issue and declined to give employees the right to sit out if they choose. In the meantime, other federal agencies are beginning to run out of money. The federal court system - including the Supreme Court- can only sustain funded operations through January 25th, according to a post on the administrative courts website. Civilian businesses are beginning to see an impact from the government shutdown.Britain exiting the European Union without trade deals in place could see tensions rise between the E.U.'s Republic of Ireland and the U.K.'s Northern Ireland, according to former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton.

"It will put the Good Friday agreement at risk," Bruton told CNBC on Thursday, referring to the 1998 agreement that implemented a free border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.

Under U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit agreement, which failed to obtain sufficient parliamentary approval this week, a clause known as the Irish backstop would have ensured an open frontier between those two territories. But since that framework is no longer on the table, customs checks will be implemented between the Irish neighbors when Britain leaves the E.U. on March 29  unless May and British lawmakers delay that deadline or decide on an alternative withdrawal strategy.

Trade barriers between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland "will mean psychological and political isolation," warned Bruton, who was the Irish premier from 1994 to 1997, and E.U. ambassador to the United States from 2004 to 2009.

"I think a lot of people in Britain don't understand the importance of maintaining an open border in Ireland," he said. "We've created peace on the basis that the nationalist community of Northern Ireland would not be isolated from the rest of Ireland by there being an open border, and that the unionist community would not be isolated from Britain by there being free exchange between Britain and northern Ireland."Aly Song | Reuters

On Jan. 11, Sophie Alpert, a Facebook engineering manager who ran a major open-source project called React, made an announcement on Twitter: "today's my last day at Facebook." In the tweet, which got 3,600 likes and elicited 247 comments, Alpert said she was leaving to join a start-up called Humu. But she neglected to tell her more than 41,000 followers the reason for her abrupt departure. tweet Four days earlier, Alpert, who identifies as transgender, provided that reason in an internal post viewed by CNBC. Alpert wrote on Workplace, Facebook's internal social network, that she'd been harassed by her colleagues after criticizing the lack of diversity at the company. Among other things, she said she'd been attacked on Blind, an anonymous workplace app. "Facebook is good for many people, but it's not the right place for me right now," Alpert wrote. "I want to spend my time at a place willing to push further on diversity and inclusion. One where it's not OK to write on Workplace that white privilege doesn't exist. One where if I call out that our board has too many white men, I don't get harassed by other employees on Blind with transphobic messages saying I should be fired."

Facebook's diversity problem has been overshadowed in the past year by the bigger crises at the company related to user privacy and securing the platform against manipulation by foreign actors. With the stock down more than 15 percent in the last 12 months, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has his hands full dealing with concerned users, advertisers, investors and lawmakers. Amid the turmoil, Facebook is also facing a mass exodus of talent, from the departures of the founders of Instagram and WhatsApp to security chief Alex Stamos. As Alpert's case illustrates, at least some of it relates to core cultural issues. In November, Mark Luckie, an African-American manager who'd recently left Facebook, accused the company of having "a black people problem," and said that, "in some buildings, there are more 'Black Lives Matter' posters than there are actual black people." Facebook, like most of its Silicon Valley peers, is mostly male and very white. Of the company's more than 30,000 employees, 36 percent were women, as of last year's diversity report, up from 31 percent in 2014. Women occupied 22 percent of tech roles last year, an increase from 15 percent four years earlier. Black employees, meanwhile, made up only 4 percent of the company in 2018, with those in technical and leadership roles having even less representation. Facebook said the number of employees who identify as "LGBQA+ or Trans+" rose for a third straight year to 8 percent. The company also said it has "employee affinity groups" across the globe for LGBTQ and trans employees. Alpert did not respond to requests for comment. Anthony Harrison, a spokesman for Facebook, said in a statement to CNBC that the company doesn't tolerate harassment and has "clear policies about how people should communicate with and treat each other at Facebook." Harrison also provided a comment specifically about Alpert. "Sophie is very aware of how serious we took her concerns given she spent significant time with members of our human resources team who worked in earnest to address the issues on Blind," he said. "Because the comments in question were made anonymously there we weren't able to find out who posted them."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a joint hearing of the Commerce and Judiciary Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 10, 2018, about the use of Facebook data to target American voters in the 2016 election. Alex Brandon | AP

Making some changes

Alpert's post resonated with some of her colleagues. "It's sad to know that we still have to fight those battles against discrimination and bullying within our own walls, and even sadder to know that this situation is making great talent leave," one employee wrote in a comment. Another wrote a post saying, "Really sad to see such a talented engineer and leader leave Facebook due to harassment and bullying. How do we stop this from happening?" A human resources employee at the company responded in the thread, saying she would reach out to Alpert to "be sure we've reviewed all your concerns."A shopper looks at items on sale inside of a JC Penney store in New York. Lucas Jackson | Reuters

Department store chains aren't giving the retail industry much to cheer about coming out of the holiday season. Instead, it's been a lot of doom and gloom to kick off 2019. Macy's, J.C. Penney, Nordstrom and Kohl's each have given Wall Street a glimpse of holiday sales. And even Nordstrom, often declared a top performer in the space, struggled to draw shoppers to its full-price stores during November and December. Some called out a longer-than-anticipated drop-off in traffic between Black Friday and Christmas. And some said they've now been left with more inventory than normal and will have to use steeper promotions to get rid of merchandise. That means even more pressure on profits. The fear now is that if these companies weren't able to perform when the consumer environment was arguably the strongest it's been in a while in the U.S., 2019 could be even worse. An ongoing partial federal government shutdown (the longest in history), cooling global growth and a trade war with China are just a few things that could begin to impact how much shoppers are willing to spend.

"When you hear three weeks ago that this was the best consumer environment ever, you go: 'Wait a minute. What changed overnight?'" said Stacey Widlitz, president of SW Retail Advisors. Macy's in particular  with more than 690 stores across the U.S., including Bloomingdale's  has served as a sort of barometer for its peers. When the company said it didn't sell as much women's sportswear, sleepwear, fashion jewelry and cosmetics during the holidays as executives had hoped, Macy's shares had their worst day ever, cratering nearly 18 percent. It brought many retail stocks down with it too. Macy's stock is now down 6 percent over the past 12 months, a much more modest decline than J.C. Penney, which has tumbled more than 65 percent over the same period, to hover right around $1.30. Nordstrom shares are down about 11 percent over that time period, while regional department store chain Dillard's stock is down 8 percent over the past year. Speaking at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York this past week, Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette made no mention of the retailer's dismal performance this past holiday season. Instead, his panel session was focused on Macy's bringing new tech and pop-up marketplaces to its stores. But some analysts have said these efforts aren't really moving the needle. "Now, as we are positioned in 2019, if Macy's is leading with the downside, when is the shoe going to drop at Target, as good as they are?" Widlitz said. "Are they next?" Target's holiday sales were more upbeat than most, and the company says it's still on track to make 2018 its best year for same-store sales growth since 2005. Unlike most of the department store operators, Target has found success in launching in-house brands for apparel and home goods that amass somewhat cultlike followings. And though its food business isn't on par with Walmart's, it still serves as a traffic driver to Target stores. A company like J.C. Penney, on the other hand, is struggling to give shoppers a reason to go there when they could shop directly from a brand like Nike's website. Its stores are outdated, unsold inventory is piling up and merchandising isn't resonating with millennials, a key demographic that should be on all retailers' radars. Some analysts are wondering if it could be the next major retailer to head down the same path of now bankrupt Bon-Ton and Sears. J.C. Penney's stock hit a low of 92 cents on Dec. 27. "The 2018 liquidation of Bon-Ton offers a salutary lesson regarding the market's growing impatience with troubled companies that have underinvested and executed well below better capitalized peers," Moody's analyst Christina Boni said. "The market's growing impatience will be putting a brighter spotlight on struggling companies like J.C. Penney during 2019. ... J.C. Penney has been a significant laggard."

More store closures

Department store chains altogether trimmed their square footage by 13 percent in 2018, according to Moody's. And the firm expects that category to shrink further this year. With the fate of Sears' hundreds of remaining stores still uncertain, J.C. Penney has already said it's evaluating its real estate and will provide more details about additional store closures when it reports earnings next month. It's already planning to close three locations in 2019.As thousands of rich and powerful leaders head to Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) next week, the organization's founder has urged international heads of state to come up with an "inclusive" approach to globalization.

The main theme of this year's WEF meeting is "Globalization 4.0: Shaping a New Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution."

The forum is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 22, and end on Friday, January 25.

Ahead of the annual gathering of business, political and cultural leaders, Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the Geneva-based WEF, told reporters in Davos: "We have to define a new approach to globalization which is more inclusive."

"Globalization produces winners and losers and there are many more winners in the last 24, 25, 30 years  but now we have to look after the losers, after those who have been left behind," Schwab said Tuesday.The Charging Bull near Wall Street is pictured in New York.

Global stocks are likely to rise in the near term and investors should be selling into that strength, according to Credit Suisse strategists.

Reduced corporate profit expectations, tightening financial conditions due to Federal Reserve actions and elevated levels of corporate debt are three of the principal factors conspiring to limit market upside, the bank said in a research note. Weakness in China and an overall inability for central banks to respond also are compounding the challenge.

To be sure, Credit Suisse does not see conditions ripe for a bear market and is in fact forecasting a further boost in equities on top of the solid rally that has kicked off 2019.

But it anticipates that the market obstacles will make further increases tough to come by.

"We stick to the year-end targets ... which currently point to around 5% upside for the key global markets, but advise selling developed markets into the rally rather than continuing to build positions," analyst Andrew Garthwaite and others said in the report.

On the positive side, Garthwaite said a recession is unlikely, valuations are attractive particularly outside the U.S., and central bank pauses in rate hikes, like the one the market expects from the Fed, typically coincide with market gains.

The slowdown in corporate earnings, after a year in which U.S. companies posted 20 percent gains, is one obstacle. This year is likely to see that earnings pace domestically drop to 6.9 percent, according to FactSet.

"Global earnings revisions are now negative and correlate very closely to moves in equities," Garthwaite wrote. "At this level, they are now consistent with falling equities over the next year."This photo taken on January 14, 2019 shows the Dalian Intermediate People's Court before the retrial of Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg on drug trafficking charges, in Dalian, China's northeast Liaoning province.

China said on Wednesday it was "not worried in the slightest" by mounting international concern over the death sentence handed to a Canadian for drug smuggling.

Monday's sentence for Robert Schellenberg for smuggling 222 kg (489 lbs) of methamphetamines prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of "arbitrarily" applying the death penalty.

The United Nations said it opposed capital punishment apart from exceptional circumstances, and Australia's acting foreign minister Simon Birmingham said he was "deeply concerned" by the case.

Trudeau has called several world leaders in recent days to share concerns about the case of Schellenberg and two Canadians that Beijing detained last month after a senior Chinese executive was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. arrest warrant.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Canada's "so-called allies could be counted on ten fingers" and did not represent the views of the wider international community.

"I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest," Hua said of the mounting outcry, adding that a majority of Chinese supported severe punishment for drug crimes.

Schellenberg's sentence has further strained relations between China and Canada, already aggravated by the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, on a U.S. extradition request.

Asked about Hua's remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that the 28-nation European Union had offered its backing to Ottawa.

"We're very pleased to have this support from the EU which ..., like Canada, believes in the rule of law," she told reporters ahead of a three-day meeting of Trudeau's cabinet in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

"Canada is clear about our principles and our position and we're also clear that it is a broad and deep relationship (with China)," she added.Vic Gundotra has stepped down from his role as CEO of AliveCor for personal reasons, the executive told CNBC.

"I'm leaving the company in a position of strength," he said.

"We all love Vic," said David Albert, the company's founder and chief medical officer. "We sold hundreds of thousands of devices and continue to gain more traction, so all I can say is he did a great job."

AliveCor is best known for its Kardia watch band, which includes a tiny electrocardiogram ("ECG") sensor to look for a condition known as atrial fibrillation, a leading cause of strokes. The band tucks neatly into an Apple Watch.

In December, Apple announced it had incorporated its own electrocardiogram into the watch, which many purported would be a big threat to AliveCor. But AliveCor recently experienced a "record high in sales," Gundotra told CNBC, as well as "best month and best quarter" in its history. Gundotra said revenue doubled each year since 2015, when he joined as CEO.

In September, it announced that it would expand beyond that to new areas that leverage artificial intelligence in medicine, including a new test to diagnose high potassium levels without requiring any blood.

Gundotra told CNBC in September that Apple raised the profile of atrial fibrillation, which many people had never heard of before the company talked about it on stage.

"I'm thrilled," Gundotra said then. "We have a lot less explaining to do."

Gundotra joined AliveCor after rising through the ranks of Google where he served as a senior vice president in charge of Google+, the company's social network, as well as other products.

Gundotra has been public about the fact that his wife is sick with cancer. He will remain on the board, which is expected to announce a replacement from within AliveCor's ranks in the coming weeks. The company has raised more than $40 million from investors including Qualcomm and the Mayo Clinic."The general consensus in these buildings is that Trump doesn't care if old people die," Greene said.

If he has to pay more for his rent, Greene said, he and his wife will need to cut back on what they eat. Even though his wife has osteoporosis and kidney disease, they'll also have to walk a half a mile to Walmart instead of paying a neighbor in their building $5 to drive them.

"We literally have no idea what's going to happen," Greene said, adding that he and wife live off around $1,500 a month.

He pays $460 a month for the apartment, and the rest of his $940 rent is normally covered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Due to the stalemate in Washington, D.C., however, his landlord informed tenants that she hasn't received the government funds.

A number of government-funded rental assistance programs are in jeopardy as the longest shutdown in U.S. history wears on. A red screen on HUD's website explains that the agency is closed until further notice.

"Nearly 700 property owners who have HUD contracts to operate housing affordable to the lowest income seniors and people with disabilities have seen those contracts expire," said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "These contract suspensions put the homes of nearly 70,000 low-income renters at risk, with more contracts expiring every day."

Organizations that administer the HUD funding "are now scrambling to calm down landlords so they don't begin eviction proceedings," said Adrianne Todman, CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

One landlord in Arkansas has already sent a letter to tenants, explaining that they are now responsible for the portion of their rent previously subsidized by the government.

"For most of these tenants, the absence of subsidy means they'll be facing a doubling or tripling of their normal rent payment," said Douglas Rice, a senior policy analyst at The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Tweet

HUD works with private landlords to subsidize some 1.4 million low-income households, according to the center. If the shutdown continues into March, many more of these tenants could be impacted.

Greene relies on a so-called Section 202 voucher, a subsidy program for low-income seniors. There are 400,000 households covered under the program; and nearly a fifth are older than 85, according to Linda Couch, vice president of housing policy at LeadingAge.

The shutdown's effects on affordable housing could be felt long after Washington resumes operations, experts say, since it will make it harder than it already is to get landlords to participate in government assistance programs, Todman said. "This has demonstrated to potential and existing landlords that sometimes the money is not a sure thing," she said.

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Hugh Cobb, who manages some 30 properties in Texas funded by HUD vouchers, said he might not receive the government subsidies for the units in February. "The hope dwindles each day," he said.

If the money doesn't come, Cobb said, he and other property managers might have to delay their mortgage payments "in an effort to keep the properties operating and caring for the residents."

Greg Brown, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Apartment Association, said he's heard from a member who was in the process of adding three new properties to the HUD system but is now stuck waiting.

"Projects that are already out there might not be receiving their funds," Brown said, "and then you have new units that could be coming on board that are now on hold. Those are affordable units that are not available."

He continued, "As the shutdown goes on, the problem becomes bigger and bigger."

More from Personal Finance

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What you should know about your 2018 tax return

These are the retirement destinations with the best weatherA worker waits as a shipping container is unloaded from the Hapag-Lloyd Holding AG Prague Express cargo ship onto a truck at the Cia Siderurgica Nacional SA (CSN) Sepetiba Tecon terminal inside the Port of Itaguai in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Investors should consider buying three sophisticated exchange-traded funds that track emerging markets, short-duration U.S. bonds and merger arbitrage for sustained gains amid a volatile market, according to an investor who specializes in ETFs.

John Davi, founder and chief investment officer of Astoria Portfolio Advisors, included the WisdomTree Emerging Markets ETF (EMMF), the JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (JPST) and the IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) among his "10 ETFs for 2019."

These ETFs should help investors' portfolios generate gains as well as hedge against the high levels of volatility that are likely to remain throughout 2019, Davi said.

"There's an inverse correlation between liquidity and volatility. With less liquidity in the system, we should have more volatility. That's why we like diversifying our portfolio," he added.

Last year marked the end of a market environment in which volatility was low and equities rose relentlessly. The S&P 500 posted 64 moves of at least 1 percent in 2018, eight times that of the year before. Of those 64 moves, 10 came in December as investors fretted over tighter monetary policy and fear that a recession may be looming.

"In December, stocks were priced for a recession," Davi said. "I don't think we're in a recession so I'm attracted to stocks, particularly in emerging markets. They have among the highest earnings growth rates and among the lowest P/E ratios globally. That's an attractive risk-reward scenario, in my view."

Emerging market stocks were hit hard last year as higher rates from the Federal Reserve, an ongoing trade war between China and the U.S., and a series of other geopolitical events depressed them.

Investors should also look at short-duration U.S. bonds as a good source of income given how flat the so-called yield curve has gotten. The spread, or difference, between the U.S. 2-year note and its 10-year counterpart is around 17 basis points, down from more than 90 basis points a year ago. The JPST fund gives investors exposure to short-term bonds.

That spread has gotten tighter as the Fed continues to raise rates and pare down its massive balance sheet. But given the worries about slowing economic growth, investors have been buying into the longer-term securities.

"With the yield curve flat, I think per unit of risk, short-duration bond funds like JPST make sense. You're not being compensated to go up the curve," Davi said.

He also said investors can get upside exposure to the market with "significantly less volatility" by buying the MNA ETF. The fund uses a merger arbitrage strategy that is long takeover targets and short global stock indexes. Merger arbitrage is a strategy often used by hedge funds that involves buying and selling stocks of two merging companies.

"Intuitively, it makes a lot of sense," Davi said. "It's a way to extract risk premia in the market without taking a complete market directional bet. There's a hedging component to it."

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.Every year, influential leaders from across the globe descend upon the snowy Swiss town of Davos to present their thoughts on the current state of global affairs. Yet that's not the only topic that ends up for discussion. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has given leading figures an opportunity to pass on some of the lessons they've learned in life and throughout their careers. 2019 is expected to be no different. With comments out of the summit expected to make headlines in the coming week, CNBC Make It looks at remarks made at previous gatherings in Davos  and how some people's advice continues to hold resonance.

Bringing about change

Malala Yousafzai gestures while talking during a session at the Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting on January 25, 2018 in Davos, eastern Switzerland FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP | Getty Images

"Often, we think that you have to become a prime minister or president or a CEO to be the change-maker  no, you don't. You can bring change at any point, at any age you want." "So change is possible and do not limit yourself, do not stop yourself, just because you are young."  Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate said during a conversation about her life experiences in 2018.

The power of diversity

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Drew Angerer | Getty Images

"Diversity isn't just sound, social policy. Diversity is the engine of invention  it generates creativity that enriches the world." "We can embrace diversity and the new ideas that spring from it, while simultaneously fostering a shared identity and shared values in safe, stable communities that work."  Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada said in a speech on "The Canadian Opportunity" in 2016.

Don't make the same mistake twice

Stephanie McMahon Mireya Acierto | FilmMagic | Getty Images

"You make a lot of mistakes along the way but that's OK. It's OK to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. (My father and CEO) Vince has an expression: 'It's OK to make mistakes, but never make the same mistake twice.'"  Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of WWE told CNBC at Davos in 2018.

Keep on discovering

Alain Dehaze, chief executive officer of Adecco SA, in London, U.K. Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"Travel the world, discover the world, because in this future world, we will need different people with different languages and knowledge. The best way to really take a language is to live it in another country, but also to learn all (about) the other cultures. In this global world, it will be more and more important to have this sensibility for other cultures." "Be prepared to learn for your whole life, because that's the way it is. Knowledge is now accessible everywhere, at any (place), at any time but also at any age."  Alain Dehaze, chief executive officer of Adecco speaking on a panel about education's future in 2016.

Take action

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attends the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 28, 2016. Jason Merritt | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

"I think that if you keep quiet when you look at an atrocity, then you're doing a greater injustice to that atrocity."  Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Academy and Emmy award-winning filmmaker when discussing how her work in 2017 as vehicles to initiate difficult conversations.

Personal development

Nico Rosberg of Germany Steve Etherington | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

"Failure and setbacks are gifts in a certain way for all of us, because if we didn't have them, we would stay ourselves for the rest of our lives. We wouldn't improve. We wouldn't strive for getting better, for avoiding that suffering in the future." "So it's really about understanding that difficult times, losses, failures, mistakes, are not always bad things. Actually, they can set you off and help you personally develop and become even better."  Nico Rosberg, retired F1 racing champion said during a conversation in 2017.

Show empathy as a leader

Sinead Burke speaks on stage during #BoFVOICES on November 30, 2017 in Oxfordshire, England. Samir Hussein/Getty Images for The Business of Fashion | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

"Lead with empathy: It's a quality that we undervalue as a society, but often one of the biggest challenges in regards to crisis or conflict is that we rarely understand the existence or the experience in another (person's) shoes. Often, times are so busy, that we don't take a moment to step back and see how it affects those with less privilege or power than we do. So, I'd ask (world leaders) to lead with empathy."  Sinead Burke, academic, writer, and advocate for disability and design said in 2018, during a conversation on fostering inclusivity and what leaders should adopt.

Collaborate for the better

Jemal Countess | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

"If we came together amassing our collective knowledge, our energy, our hearts, our souls, our assets. Joining forces with the ordinary heroes across this planet, for the singular purpose to create light and peace  in every corner of the world. I believe it is possible. I know it's possible."  Forest Whitaker, actor and UNESCO special envoy for peace and reconciliation, said when discussing humanitarian work at the 23rd Annual Crystal Awards in Davos.

Set boundaries

Arianna Huffington David Orrell | CNBC

"Make sure to never charge your phone by your bed. There has to be a clear demarcation line between your day life and your nightlife  when you're going to disconnect from the world and really, deeply recharge. Now that takes discipline, because let's face it, we are all addicted to our devices, we are all addicted to being 'always on'."  Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, told CNBC in 2017 when discussing health and wellbeing.

Defining leadershipChinese workers at a cloth factory in Huaibei, China. Jie Zhao | Corbis | Getty Images

Beijing is working hard to stop a slowing Chinese economy from hitting its workforce. In the last several weeks authorities have made a flurry of announcements, including tax cuts, monetary policy loosening and plans to support public spending. The push comes as economic data points to sagging domestic growth and the U.S. looks set to keep up the pressure on trade. Amid that environment, worries of widespread job losses won't help the already gloomy sentiment that's giving consumers a second thought on spending. The overarching worry for China's leaders is that unemployment could lead to social unrest, and deeper questioning of the Communist Party's claim to having a handle on the best interests of the country. Already, the economy is widely expected to slow from around 6.5 percent growth to just above 6 percent. "We think the biggest risk in the near term is rising unemployment around the Lunar New Year," Haibin Zhu, chief China economist and head of China equity strategy, J.P. Morgan, said in a Monday report. Job losses in Chinese manufacturing accelerated in mid-2018 after the U.S. imposed tariffs

Note: Employment in large industrial enterprises, three-month moving average. December excluded for data anomalies. Source: Gavekal Dragonomics China's biggest holiday, celebrating the Lunar New Year, falls on the first full week of February. Businesses are typically closed for one or two weeks as employees travel home to visit their families. For at least one factory in the export-heavy region of Guangdong, scattered posts on Chinese social media said that the closure began in early December and work isn't expected to resume until March. In a country infamous for heavy censorship, it's not clear whether that early closure is indicative of a broader trend. But surveys point to growing job losses in the industrial sector, especially in the wake of last year's U.S. tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods. Gavekal Dragonomics' China Consumer Analyst Ernan Cui pointed out in a Jan. 9 report that an official survey covering 374,000 large industrial firms shows total employment declined by about 2.8 million people in the 12 months through November.

We haven't seen this degree of jobs weakness since the (stock) market panic of Q1 2016. Leland Miller CEO, China Beige Book

Separately, UBS estimated total potential job losses in export-related sectors from the trade war could reach 1.5 million. The firm's survey in November found that 23 percent of 125 Chinese respondents in manufacturing have already laid off employees due to the negative effect of U.S.-China trade tensions. Some 34 percent planned to lay off employees in the next six months, and 18 percent had cut wages, the report said. The survey of chief financial officers covered a variety of private firms, state-owned enterprises and foreign-related ventures with significant export business or supply to exporters. The job losses don't appear to be relegated to just the manufacturing sector. "We haven't seen this degree of jobs weakness since the (stock) market panic of Q1 2016," Leland Miller, chief executive officer of China Beige Book, said in an email. The firm publishes a quarterly review of the Chinese economy based on a survey of more than 3,300 Chinese firms. "In Q4 employment growth weakened across every major sector, with the 'new economy'  retail and services  seeing the most substantial deterioration," Miller said. "To call it broad-based is an understatement: job growth slowed in every region we track except the Northeast."

How China got here

One of the key areas of pain is in privately run, as opposed to state-operated, companies. The private sector contributed to more than 90 percent of new jobs in 2017 and accounts for more than 60 percent of economic growth, according to a state media report last year. But in the fourth quarter, Miller said, hiring by private firms saw the greatest slowdown from the prior quarter that the Beige Book has ever recorded. Private enterprises have struggled in the last two years as Beijing cracked down on their primary means of financing, the so-called shadow banking system. The giant state-owned banks prefer to lend only to state-owned enterprises, which are considered safer borrowers than private firms; China lacks a standard system for companies to prove they can pay back their loans. After signs the shadow banking crackdown likely went too far, too fast, Chinese authorities tried to cut lending rates and encouraged banks to lend to small and medium-sized enterprises. The government is also increasing job training programs in regions where trade tensions are having a greater impact, Meng Wei, spokeswoman for the National Reform and Development Commission said at a press conference in late October. She noted that U.S.-China trade tensions have caused some uncertainty in the labor market, and that the government has made stability in employment a priority. The commission is the state's economic planning agency. It's unclear when and whether those initiatives will have a material effect. The latest round of government stimulus compares with similar efforts around the stock market drop and economic slowdown during 2015 and 2016. "But the situation is arguably worse this time, as the service-sector employers that previously absorbed many laid-off workers are now being squeezed by tighter regulations," Gavekal's Cui said in her report. "Government officials are trying to adjust and soften policies to help employment, but the outlook for household income and consumer spending in China in 2019 is clearly worsening." She did add, though, in an interview with CNBC that she doesn't expect the labor market to worsen much from this point given the latest policy announcements  although trade tensions remain an uncertainty. Manufacturing also accounts for about 20 percent of the urban job market, Cui said, which means the industry's challenges do not necessarily reflect the broader labor market.Mount Fuji and buildings in the Shinjuku district are reflected on a table at an observation deck in Tokyo, Japan, on December 24, 2013.

The concept of "Asia ex-Japan" has been around for decades, but some experts say the approach of viewing Japan as a separate class from the rest of the region is starting to lose relevance.

The "Asia ex-Japan" approach traces its roots back to the 1980s and 1990s when the country was the most dominant player in Asia, and the size of its economy and stock market towered way above its neighbors.

Many investment banks and research houses still organize their strategy and coverage based on that concept. That's despite the fact that China surpassed Japan as the region's largest economy in 2010  and now stands at more than twice as large  and Chinese stock markets have similarly grown in importance.

But some see the sands shifting under the edifice.

"We see over time with China getting more and more meaningful that the whole region would be looked at as one (Asia Pacific) region," Jim McCafferty, who heads Asia ex-Japan research at Japanese investment bank Nomura, told CNBC last week.

"In our forecast China will be bigger than Japan by 2023," Hong Kong-based McCafferty said, referring to Nomura's expectation for China and Hong Kong's combined weighting for equities in the MSCI AC Asia Pacific Index. "So at that point in time we think investors will really look at Asia as one holistic geography."

According to figures provided by Nomura, as of May 30 last year, China and Hong Kong had a total weighting in the index of 23.7 percent while Japan was at 38.7 percent. In 2023, Nomura expects China and Hong Kong will rise to 43.4 percent, while Japan will slip to 29.5 percent.

McCafferty and others said that a kind of silo effect has taken hold whereby analysts, for example in South Korea, would focus on their own companies such as Hyundai and Kia without considering how they related to Japanese competitors or fit into the broader regional and global context.

"I think that as economies develop then the country and region becomes less important and the sector becomes more important," Jesse Lentchner, co-CEO for Asia Pacific for financial services firm BTIG, said on Wednesday.

With China's rise, it is easy to forget how dominant Japan once was in the region.

Throughout much of the latter half of the 20th Century, Japanese economists and officials frequently expressed a "flying geese" worldview wherein their country flew in the lead position of the "V," guiding other Asian countries' development.

But Asian countries have made strides in catching up and are converging with Japan in interesting ways, such that they are even beginning to face challenges that Japan's economy has long confronted due to its head start.

"I think everyone is turning Japanese slowly, one way or the other," Trinh Nguyen, senior economist at French investment bank Natixis, said on Tuesday, citing countries including China, South Korea, Singapore and even Thailand that already are increasingly grappling with Japan-style issues such as slowing growth and aging populations.Thanks to the record-setting government shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are being asked to work without pay or to stay home, and they're feeling the effects: So far, each has missed more than $5,000 in wages on average, the New York Times reports. For many cash-strapped workers, it's "an emergency situation," says personal finance expert Suze Orman. That's why she gives them the green light to consider breaking one of her key money rules and borrowing from a retirement account. On a special episode of her podcast "Women and Money" for federal employees, Orman suggests they consider taking out a loan from their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)  a retirement account for government workers, similar to a 401(k) or 403(b)  if they can't cover their expenses, even though she ordinarily says retirement savings should be sacrosanct. "This will be the first time in the history of my entire career that I am telling anyone to even consider this," she says, "but if you don't have the money to pay your bills  if you don't have any way to feed your children  then you might want to consider taking a loan from your retirement account.  And when and hopefully you do get your back pay, you then can pay it back." Orman usually says that taking a loan from your 401(k) to pay off debt is the "biggest mistake you will ever make"  that's because you could owe taxes and penalties if you don't repay the loan on time, and you could lose out on future earnings that would have accrued on the borrowed money, had it been left in your account. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, tells CNBC that the group has heard from hundreds of frantic federal employees. "They're scared," he says. "They don't know how they're going to put food on the table." And the partial government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, could continue to drag on for "months or even years," President Donald Trump said last week, or until he gets the funding for his proposed border wall. "When you're being held hostage by the U.S. government, you need to know your options," Orman said in an interview with MONEY.

If you don't have the money to pay your bills  if you don't have any way to feed your children  then you might want to consider taking a loan from your retirement account. Suze Orman

Before you dip into your retirement savings, though, it's better to max out your credit cards, Orman says on her podcast. And as soon as the government reopens and you start receiving your regular paycheck, you want to get rid of the balance you've accumulated as fast as possible. "Do not fall into the trap of, 'Oh, I only have to send in $10,'" says Orman. She's referring to the fact that most credit cards only require you to make a minimum payment each month, which is typically a fixed amount, often $20 to $25, or a percentage of your balance, usually 1 to 3 percent. "You are always to pay more than the minimum payment due." Another last-resort option is to withdraw any money you may have in a Roth IRA. "You can take out any money you originally put into a Roth IRA without taxes or penalties regardless of how old you are or how long that money has been in there," she says on her podcast. For example, if you have $25,000 in a Roth IRA account  $15,000 of which you contributed and $10,000 that you've earned over time  you can take out your original contributions (the $15,000) without owing taxes and penalties. You just can't touch the gains (the $10,000) until age 59 . You can also withdraw money from your traditional IRA as long as you replace it within 60 days, Orman says: "If you don't replace it, however, anything that you withdrew, assuming that you're under the age of 59 , you will have to pay taxes and a penalty on it."

So if you're a federal employee not receiving a paycheck and cannot pay your bills, here are the options to consider, in order: Max out your credit card, but commit to paying off your balance in full as soon as you get your back pay and start receiving your regular paycheck again. Withdraw money from your Roth IRA if you have one. You can take out the original contributions you made without owing taxes and penalties. Take a loan from your TSP. Remember, taking a loan from your retirement account is different than withdrawing from it. If you choose to cash out all or part of your retirement account, you'll owe both state and federal taxes, as well as a 10 percent penalty for withdrawing before you reach age 59 .

How to take a loan from your TSP retirement account

If you're eligible to take out a loan from your TSP account, you don't have to pay taxes or a penalty. Instead, you take money directly out of your balance and develop a plan to pay yourself back. The repayment plan for a TSP includes the amount you took out, plus interest, and has a term of one to five years. To be eligible for a TSP loan, you must have at least $1,000 of your own contributions and earnings in your TSP account (agency contributions and earnings cannot be borrowed). You'll be charged a loan fee of $50 for administrative expenses and must repay your loan with interest. "The interest rate on your TSP loan is the G Fund rate at the time your loan application is processed," the TSP site notes. "This rate is fixed for the life of the loan." Orman also notes that older workers have more flexibility when it comes to retirement account withdrawals. A rule known as "Rule of 55" says that if you leave your job in the year that you turn 55, you can access any money that you have in a TSP, a 401(k) or 403(b) without owing the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. "If you're 54 and you're thinking, 'I'm out of here,' and you want to quit, no matter when you turn 55, as long as it's in 2019, you can access any of your money," Orman says. But, she notes, this rule does not apply to IRAs.

How to handle your money in an emergencyTraders work during the Pivotal Software Inc. initial public offering (IPO) on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Friday, April 20, 2018.

U.S. equity markets have taken a battering in recent months amid trade war tensions, fears of an economic slowdown and Fed rate hikes  not to mention ongoing political uncertainty with the U.S. government shutdown.

David Kostin, chief U.S. equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, told CNBC Wednesday where he would recommend investing amid the current uncertainty.

"From a strategy perspective we want to focus on companies and industries that are less economically sensitive," he told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche in London.

"So, the idea is that if the economy accelerates or re-accelerates, or deteriorates, what are some industries that have more stable characteristics? So look at the software industry in the U.S.  in 50 years, there has been only four quarters  out of 200 quarters  of negative real spending on software in the U.S. So, if you're looking for a stable business that is the nature of that business," he said.

"That's why some of the software companies where there's more of a recurring revenue stream is an attribute that we're looking for in this environment," he said, speaking from Goldman Sachs' global strategy conference.

Government policy and Fed rate hiking policy are the biggest risks in the immediate term, Kostin said, but he said equity valuations look "reasonably attractive."

He said software companies were "shifting more and more of their business revenue mix towards recurring revenues  (so) that's an area to focus on," he said.

A recurring revenue model is based on ongoing regular payments for a service or a product as opposed to one-time payment. More and more software companies are moving towards this model in order to ensure stability of profit streams.

A number of software companies rely on revenue from recurring services like cloud subscriptions.The Fourth Industrial Revolution will take center stage at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting next week in Davos, Switzerland. The concept, a theme of Davos this year, refers to how a combination of technologies are changing the way we live, work and interact. Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the Geneva-based WEF, published a book in 2016 titled "The Fourth Industrial Revolution" and coined the term at the Davos meeting that year. Schwab argued a technological revolution is underway "that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres." Simply put, the Fourth Industrial Revolution refers to how technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and the internet of things are merging with humans' physical lives. Think of voice-activated assistants, facial ID recognition or digital health-care sensors. Schwab argued these technological changes are drastically altering how individuals, companies and governments operate, ultimately leading to a societal transformation similar to previous industrial revolutions.

The first three industrial revolutions

Zvika Krieger, the head of technology policy and partnerships at WEF, told CNBC on Tuesday there is a common theme among each of the industrial revolutions: the invention of a specific technology that changed society fundamentally. The First Industrial Revolution started in Britain around 1760. It was powered by a major invention: the steam engine. The steam engine enabled new manufacturing processes, leading to the creation of factories. The Second Industrial Revolution came roughly one century later and was characterized by mass production in new industries like steel, oil and electricity. The light bulb, telephone and internal combustion engine were some of the key inventions of this era. The inventions of the semiconductor, personal computer and the internet marked the Third Industrial Revolution starting in the 1960s. This is also referred to as the "Digital Revolution." Krieger said the Fourth Industrial Revolution is different from the third for two reasons: the gap between the digital, physical and biological worlds is shrinking, and technology is changing faster than ever.

Telephone vs. 'Pokemon Go'

For evidence of how quickly technological change is spreading, Krieger pointed to the adoption of the telephone. It took 75 years for 100 million people to get access to the telephone; the gaming app "Pokemon Go" hooked that many users in less than one month in 2016.

Pokemon Go app on an iPhone, Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2016. Toru Hanai | Reuters

Companies in industries from retail to transportation to banking are vying to incorporate new technologies like augmented reality, 3D printing and artificial intelligence into their operations. A 2017 study by the European Patent Office found the number of patents filed related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution increased a growth rate of 54 percent in the past three years. "Technology, and specifically digital technology, is so intertwined with many businesses, as well as our social and economic lives, that trying to separate 'tech' from 'non-tech' is becoming increasingly redundant," said David Stubbs, head of client investment strategy for EMEA at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, in an email to CNBC.

Left behind

Companies, governments and individuals are struggling to keep up with the fast pace of technological change. Krieger, who served as the U.S. State Department's first-ever representative to Silicon Valley from 2016 to 2017, said technology is often missing from policymakers' "toolkits." As a result, he said, companies are left filling a void trying to understand how to implement  and regulate  advancements like A.I. "There's an absolute hunger for concrete things companies can do," Krieger said.The Nissan IMs electric sports sedan at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Paul Eisenstein/CNBC

While most of the products debuting at this year's North American International Auto Show give a glimpse of what will be coming to showrooms before the end of the year, Japanese automaker Nissan and its luxury Infiniti brand, are looking a bit further into the future with a pair of radical battery-electric vehicle concepts. The Nissan IMs and Infiniti QX Inspiration, unveiled in Detroit this week, don't just hint at the broad plans the two marques have to electrify their lineups. The models imagine what Nissan's North American CEO described as a "complete reinterpretation" of how tomorrow's zero-emissions vehicles will be designed and engineered. Among other things, that will allow them to create vastly more roomy interiors by all but eliminating the traditional engine compartment.

"Our strategy with electric vehicles isn't if it will happen, but when it will happen," Nissan North America CEO Denis Le Vot said as he lifted the covers on the IMs concept vehicle during a news conference at the show. Nissan was the first major automaker to launch a high-volume battery-electric vehicle and, since the Leaf hatchback came to market in 2011, it has become the world's best-selling BEV. It has been losing momentum, however, as competitors like the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt EV have come to market. To kick-start sales, the automaker last week announced it will increase the range of the Leaf by about 50 percent, to 226 miles.

2019 Nissan Leaf Photo: Paul Eisenstein

But the Leaf also will be getting company in the coming years. Le Vot also announced in Detroit that Nissan will have eight all-electric models in its global fleet by 2022. Alliance partners Renault and Mitsubishi are bringing out four more. The Japanese maker alone is forecasting it will see about 1 million BEVs annually by mid-decade. While the Nissan brand will continue to market conventionally powered gas and diesel models for the foreseeable future, the Infiniti division is planning an even more aggressive transformation, said Christian Meunier, the recently named CEO of the Infiniti brand, which is based in Hong Kong. Starting in 2021, all products will be electrified, he said in an interview. In the case of Infiniti, that will mean both battery-electric vehicles and what are known as serial plug-in hybrids. These have range-extending gas engines on board, but if they fire up they only serve as generators, sending power to the electric motors that actually drive the wheels. "It will take about two to three years" to phase out conventional drivetrains, Meunier estimated. Infiniti suffered an embarrassing moment at the auto show on Monday, when its QX Inspiration concept initially failed to roll out onto the stage, as planned, due to a problem with its electric drivetrain. Despite that setback, Meunier called the prototype "the embodiment of our future in the form a striking electric crossover." The QX Inspiration is loaded with upscale features, including a marble center console and a Japanese redwood roof liner. But like the less exotically finished Nissan IMs, what really matters is the actual layout of the vehicle.

The Infiniti QX Inspiration at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Paul Eisenstein/CNBC

Indeed, both concepts place their battery packs, motors and other key drivetrain components under their load floors. That means there is virtually nothing left that would require a conventional engine compartment. So, both IMs and QX Inspiration adopt a very "cab-forward" design, as global Nissan corporate design director Alfonso Albaisa calls it. That recaptures much of the area that normally would be under the hood, yielding the equivalent of a full-size interior in a compact car's footprint. "We think this is a unique opportunity to improve the ergonomics of our vehicles," said Karim Habib, Infiniti's design chief. Meunier noted that Infiniti and Nissan will consolidate the prototype platforms used for the IMs and QX Inspiration concepts by the time production versions come to market, reducing development costs and increasing efficiencies. Both concepts also feature fully autonomous driving capabilities, though motorists can drive manually if they prefer. In fully driverless mode, however, Habib and Albaisa noted vehicles could be transformed into mobile living rooms or offices, with steering wheels retracting and seats being allowed to swivel so occupants can face one another. How soon fully autonomous technology will be ready for production is a matter of debate, but the push to electrification  and with it a major shift in auto design  is already underway. Jaguar adopted a more cab-forward approach with the new I-Pace battery SUV it launched for the 2019 model year, and other brands are expected to follow.Clinton, IA (52732)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered strong thunderstorms. Storms may produce large hail and strong winds. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.Leading Investment Banker Steven J. Mastrovich Joins Clifford Chance in New York

Clifford Chance today announced that Steven J. Mastrovich has joined the Firm in New York. A former managing director of three major investment banks, Mastrovich is a highly regarded senior executive in the real estate capital markets space.

Mastrovich adds an important strategic dimension to the Firm's market-leading REIT, real estate, hospitality, private equity, fintech and specialty finance practices. He will be supporting clients in private capital raising, joint venture and capital formation, enterprise reorganizations, complex transactions and in developing next step strategies to support enterprise growth and success. Mastrovich is well-versed on the impact of demographics and technology on real estate and can be an extremely valuable resource to clients looking to navigate through the important changes occurring in these areas.

"Steve's qualifications and longstanding relationships with leading global capital providers, real estate lenders and developers, public REITs and their boards are a distinct value-add for our clients," said Jay Bernstein, who chairs the Firms US REIT and Specialty Finance Groups. "His experience as an investment banker on complex transactions combines extensive market knowledge with strong negotiating skills and a decidedly hands-on approach, making him a highly effective advisor and a strong addition to our Clifford Chance team. I am delighted to welcome him to the Firm."

Mastrovich brings significant international and cross-border business and advisory experience, having held senior investment banking and asset management positions at JPMorgan, UBS and HSBC. Prior to joining the Firm, he was managing director and head of Real Estate, UBS Investment Bank  Private Funds Group, with global responsibility for the real estate private capital markets business. In one landmark deal, he sourced, negotiated and structured a joint venture for UBS Wealth Management clients with Fortress, Softbank and L&L Holdings on a US$2.5 billion development in Manhattan's Times Square, called TSX Broadway.

Previously, Mastrovich served for 14 years as managing director and head of Private Capital Markets, JPMorgan Investment Bank  Global Real Estate and Lodging Investment Banking Group (REALIB) and at JPMorgan Asset Management  Global Real Assets, where he was responsible for the build-out of the non-US Real Assets business and worked extensively with non-US clients and investors on cross-border investments, fund creation, tax planning, regulatory and structuring. Before that, he was a managing director and head of Specialized Investments for HSBC Investment Banking and Markets and, earlier, worked for 18 years as a commercial real estate and tax lawyer in private practice, most recently with Squire Patton Boggs.

"Adding Steve provides clients with a powerful combination of investment banking and legal experience," said Americas Regional Managing Partner Evan Cohen. "This is an exciting development, not just for our clients but for our Firm."

"I am thrilled to join a preeminent global law firm and work with clients and colleagues from around the world on cutting-edge projects," said Mastrovich. "I worked closely with CC lawyers during my 20 years in banking and have an appreciation for the depth and breadth of our practice areas and the Firm's unrivaled ability to offer creative advice to help clients grow their companies. I'm very excited to be a part of an organization that champions cultural diversity and cross-border business."As Debbie Goldsmiths 12-year-old son, Shai, watched the heckling at the June 13 session of the Knesset during the swearing in of Naftali Bennett as prime minister, he told his mother the behavior among the politicians was worse than the kids in school.Rotunda Rumblings

Bump in the road: The Ohio Department of Transportation has run out of money for new road/highway projects, as the $1.5 billion generated from Ohio Turnpike bonds has been used up. As cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer writes, state officials now must decide whether to find an alternative source of cash  and many groups say the solution is a gas tax hike.

Sign of the times: New highway signs welcoming people to Ohio and thanking them for visiting are not popular among Ohioans commenting on the internet. As cleveland.coms Laura Hancock explains, TourismOhio is behind the change of border signs.

Dispatch from the dispensary: Cleveland.coms Robin Goist talked to the first patient at The Forest Sandusky dispensary to legally purchase medical marijuana Wednesday morning. Ynez Henningsen is an Air Force veteran and has multiple sclerosis. And, as an employee of the Forests parent company, Henningsen is enthusiastic to work with other veterans who need cannabis.

High sales: Unsurprisingly, representatives from some of Ohios medical marijuana dispensaries told Hancock they did well on their first day, with long lines. However, none reported running out of product, as some had expected. They also said prices are expected to come down in coming months.

Is this seat taken? Former Gov. John Kasich may have let his newfound stardom as a CNN contributor go to his head, according to author and comedian Julie Klausner. She tweeted an amusing account Wednesday,complete with photo, about Kasich taking her seat on an Alaska Airlines flight to San Francisco instead of moving from first class to a reassigned premium seat. In one tweet, invoking a Kasich book called Stand for Something, Klausner complained, He would not stand! He sat in my seat! Chris Schrimpf, a Kasich spokesman, told Capitol Letter: There was confusion about seating, the airline had given a pilot the Governors seat and then chaos ensued. Hes sorry someone lost a seat.

Leadership change: Ohio House Democrats are holding leadership elections next Wednesday, but it appears that their new team is already lined up, according to multiple sources: Emilia Sykes of Akron as minority leader, Kristin Boggs of Columbus as assistant minority leader, Kent Smith of Euclid as minority whip, and Paula Hicks-Hudson of Toledo as assistant minority whip. If this is how the election ends up, House Dems leadership will include three women -- two of whom (Sykes and Hicks-Hudson) are black, and one of whom (Hicks-Hudson) is a first-term lawmaker.

Trouble brewing: The federal government shutdown has ramifications for an industry you might not expect: brewers. As cleveland.coms Marc Bona explains, The reason for the shutdowns effect on the world of suds is simple: Beers being brewed in Ohio and distributed outside the state require federal approval.

Jeans back on the scene: Ex-U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt tells the Cincinnati Enquirers Jason Williams that shes looking to jump back into politics, filing to run for her old Ohio House seat thats being vacated after next year by term-limited state Rep. John Becker. The Republican from suburban Cincinnati says she got the itch to return to politics after she began advocating for people wrongfully convicted of crimes.

Gonzalez banks committee seat: Newly seated U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River will be a member of the House Financial Services Committee, his office announced on Wednesday. The committees top Republican, North Carolinas Patrick McHenry, said Gonzalezs impressive background in the private sector will allow him to provide critical input and expertise to the committee. Gonzalez himself said the assignment will help his goals of bringing jobs and small businesses to Northeast Ohio.

Thats not all: Gonzalez has also been named vice chair in charge of outreach for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOPs campaign arm, according to a release.

Does Sherrod need sex appeal? We didnt make that up. Thats the actual question raised by Vanity Fairs Tina Nguyen, who isnt sold on U.S. Sen. Sherrod Browns chances to win the White House in 2020. While comparing him to a value stock (solid fundamentals, priced well below his flashier peers), Nguyen notes his younger, diverse competitors make Brown look decidedly white and male, points out he has little campaign infrastructure, and  perhaps worst of all for the hip, image-conscious magazine  lacks the unpredictability and pizzazz that win social-media mindshare.

Just say no: Democrats including Toledo U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur told President Donald Trump Wednesday that he cant take money from communities recovering from natural disasters and use it to build a border wall. Cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton has details.

Full Disclosure

Five things we learned from the May 15 ethics disclosure statement of state Sen. Stephen Huffman, a Republican from Tipp City.

1. Besides his legislative salary of $67,844, Huffman in 2017 earned money as a physician from Keystone Peer Review, Curley Adjustment, Community Care Health, Ohio Medical Transport, the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, CompManagement Health Systems, 3-hab, Drynachan, Medical Consultant Network, Sheakley Unicomp, and AllMed Healthcare, among others. From most of those sources, he earned from $1,000 to $9,999 each.

2. He had investments in 2017 with Schwab, the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and Genesis Drilling Program VI.

3. In addition to his personal residence, he owns three properties on the same street in Lakewood.

4. The Ohio House reimbursed him $2,353 in 2017 for mileage.

5. He reported receiving gifts worth at least $75 from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University.

On The Move

Mike Dittoe, a former Ohio House GOP chief of staff who managed U.S. Rep. Troy Baldersons 2018 primary campaign, has become a partner at High Bridge Consulting, an Ohio-based political consulting and PR firm, according to a release.

Blaine Kelly announced he is stepping down as communications director for the Ohio Republican Party to become a policy adviser for state Auditor Keith Fabers office.

The Ohio Conservative Energy Forum has hired Aaron Dauterman as the organizations field director.

Straight From The Source

I dedicated years to the legalization of medical marijuana in Ohio and this is not what I envisioned for people with chronic illnesses. We are more than four months behind schedule, product is incredibly limited and there is still so much work to do until patients have full and continuous access to the medicine they need.

- Ohio Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, in a statement Wednesday about the opening of the states first four medical marijuana dispensaries.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.In Minnesota, an independent state police licensing board has the authority to review police licenses and discipline police officers throughout the state for violating standards of professional conduct. That includes, as of last year, certain misdemeanor convictions for assault, domestic assault or drunken driving.

In Arizona, the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Board has the power, after an administrative law judge ruling, to revoke a police officer's certification to work for such infractions as sexting, drug use while on duty or driving under the influence.

But in Ohio it's a different matter. The Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission, housed in the attorney general's office, primarily oversees police training and other law enforcement training requirements.

Virtually all power to discipline police officers rests in the individual police departments -- where it's subject to collective-bargaining limitations, including, often, a requirement to go to binding arbitration over impasses regarding discipline. And arbitrators, who work, and get paid, at the pleasure of both sides, can and have reinstated officers fired for excessive force, assaults, domestic violence, sexting and other infractions.

A recent example is Euclid police officer Michael Amiott, who was fired after being caught on video in August 2017 punching a black motorist and slamming his head into the ground. Last October, an arbitrator reinstated him -- with back pay. Amiott, who is white, is now being investigated by federal authorities for a possible hate crime.

The gap in Ohio law also means that police officers fired by one department can still work elsewhere -- as happened with Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann, who fired the shots that killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. Loehmann was not indicted in that shooting but was fired by the city of Cleveland in 2017 for lying on his job application. Last year, he briefly found part-time employment in the Bellaire, Ohio police department in southeast Ohio's Belmont County but withdrew from the job after protests mounted.

The only ironclad police-disciplinary exception under Ohio law is for felony convictions, which require a police officer to step down and which render him or her ineligible to serve anywhere in the state.

A cleveland.com investigation of Cleveland police arbitration records found these troubling examples, among others:

*A 12-year Cleveland police detective fired for sexting and other misconduct after he sent thousands of sexually explicit messages to crime victims and sought sexual relationships with them was reinstated by an arbitrator in 2013.

*An 11-year Cleveland police officer fired after stabbing her boyfriend (a registered sex offender) while she was drunk and who then attempted suicide was reinstated by an arbitrator in 2014. She had been charged with a felony in the assault but pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

Creating a state oversight process for police certification and discipline wouldn't usurp local authority on most police discipline but rather would ensure independent oversight of certain types of misconduct, in concert with local law enforcement.

Nor would it automatically ensure appropriate discipline. A Minneapolis Star Tribune investigation of Minnesota's Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board found that "hundreds of officers have been convicted of serious offenses in the past 20 years without facing any sort of licensing review or discipline by the state board." The board -- whose 15 members were all current or former law enforcement officials appointed by the governor, according to the Star Tribune -- upgraded its practices after the paper's investigation.

Creation of a similar POST board in Ohio would mark an important start in trying to create a more credible oversight and disciplinary process for police misconduct in Ohio. Ohio Lawmakers should look into practices elsewhere and consider creating such a board -- and new Gov. Mike DeWine, the state's former attorney general, and new state Attorney General Dave Yost should press for such a reform.

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

* Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com.WASHINGTON, D.C. - Working in a federal prison is hard enough without the added stress of not knowing when youll be paid.

Corrections officers at Northeast Ohios Elkton Federal Correctional Institution have worked their regular shifts for nearly a month without pay because of a border wall funding standoff between President Donald Trump and Congress that has shut down some parts of the federal government. Workers deemed critical to public safety - like federal prison and Transportation Security Administration employees are still on the job despite not getting paid, a situation that Elkton employee union president Joe Mayle likens to modern day slavery.

Because theyve got no cash, Mayle says he and his wife are putting all their purchases on credit cards in hopes that the shutdown will end before their bills come due. If he misses another paycheck during the shutdown, he says theyll have to call creditors to seek forbearance.

There is not much we can do except call them and say, 'This is what is happening, can you please keep my lights on, can you still pick up my trash? ' says Mayle, of Kensington, who is among more than 6,000 Ohio workers affected by the shutdown.

Ohio federal workers unhappy over pay missed in shutdown

Mayle says the 320 workers in his union make $35,000 to $40,000 a year, and many live paycheck to paycheck. As the head of AFGE Local 607, he says hes heard numerous tales of woe from colleagues who are already having trouble paying their medical bills, their mortgages, and car payments because of a dispute between politicians that seems far removed from their lives. Regardless of their political beliefs, Mayle says workers at the prison think its wrong to not pay people who are working and want their paychecks issued immediately.

I am at a loss for words, says Mayle. I never thought I would see the day when anyone in this country would treat other citizens this way that are not only law-abiding, but are doing the community a service. It is more than a slap in the face, it is disgusting. If people are working they deserve a paycheck, period.

If he misses another paycheck, Elkton corrections officer Kenneth Pittman of East Liverpool Township says he and his wife will have to decide which bills must be paid immediately and which can be put off. He says getting another job isnt an option for many federal employees because employers wont want to hire someone who will return to another job when the shutdown is over.

We dont know when they are finally going to make up their minds over what they are going to do, Pittman, the unions vice president, says of the politicians whose dithering caused the disruption. I dont have the luxury to care about anything else. If I am coming to work, pay me for the hours I work. I shouldnt have to call my creditors and beg them to forgive me. I want to be able to take care of my family. I am working. I need to be paid for the hours I work."

Some Ohio members of Congress pledge to forgo pay during shutdown

Aaron Bankston, who heads the AFGEs union for Ohio TSA workers, says hes already called the banks that hold his mortgage and car notes to get forbearance because of the shutdown. The Hopkins International Airport security screener says some of his creditors have been willing to work with him, and others havent.

I dont have enough money to pay the ones that need to be paid and will probably have to go deeper in debt to do that, says Bankston. He predicts the federal workers like him will be in even worse shape if they have to miss another paycheck next week, and anticipates businesses that rely on spending by federal workers will also be affected.

I am having a rough time, personally, and hearing the stories of the other people in my union is something that weighs on me as well," says Bankston. "You want to be able to help them but you cant, because we are all in the same boat. We need the politicians to come together and work this out to open the government back up and get us paid.

Paul Novak of Olmsted Township, an AFGE member who works as an Environmental Protection Agency geologist, says he had enough money to pay bills after missing much of his last paycheck but has updated his resume and is scanning Help Wanted ads in hopes of getting a part-time job to help pay his bills until the shutdown ends.

For some folks, it is going to be a crisis situation, says Novak I hope everyone can sit down and come to an agreement soon so we government workers can get back to doing our jobs and protecting the public.

Bill Gentry of North Olmsted, who heads the union at Oberlins Air Traffic Control Center, says many newly hired air traffic controllers have little savings and are financially stressed because of the shutdown. Many of his members have been passing out leaflets at Hopkins International Airport that urge airline passengers to call their legislators about ending the shutdown.

Stouffers offers free meal to furloughed federal workers in Cleveland as government shutdown continues

Everyone is calling their creditors, Gentry reports. Most have told us we can miss one or two payments on debts without penalties, but they will eventually start. Some people who have been furloughed are taking second jobs. Even people who dont need it are taking out loans because none of us can see any end to this.

U.S. Coast Guard member Cole Morgan of Lakewood posted a notice on Facebook that said hell be accepting donations of food and household goods at the towns library at 2:30 pm. on Friday for Coast Guard families who are having trouble making ends meet during the shutdown.

This shutdown, with the petty infighting and finger pointing from both sides of the aisle is shameful, Morgan declared in another Facebook post. 800,000 Americans have been declared as political pawns, bargaining chips for two sides posturing and attempting to ensure reelection. A friend of mine just said they should be ashamed of themselves. I agree. But, theyd have to have souls to feel shame.WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump cannot take money that Congress designated for communities recovering from natural disasters and use it to build a border wall, top Democrats including Toledos Marcy Kaptur told Trump in a Wednesday letter.

The letter from senior Democrats on the House Transportation and Appropriations committees responds to reports that Trump has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to find unspent disaster relief money in its budget that Trump could use for a border wall if he signs a national emergency declaration to start building without Congress' approval. The wall is at the heart of a dispute with Congress that has led to the ongoing government shutdown.

The law that Trump says hed invoke to redirect the money doesnt apply because the wall project does not necessitate the actions of the Department of Defense in its military capacity, the letter says. It also says it would be the height of irresponsibility to take the roughly $14 billion at issue away from Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and California communities that were harmed by recent natural disasters, leaving these communities at continued vulnerability to future disasters, and future loss of life.

We believe that any suggestion that you could use this statutory authority for this purpose is misinformed," says the letter from Kaptur, Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey of New York, Transportation Committee Chair Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Transportation Committee member Grace Napolitano of California.

Trump told reporters on Monday that he is not looking to call a national emergency over the wall hed like to build, although he has the absolute legal right to call it.

Im not looking to do that because this is too simple, Trump said. The Democrats should say, We want border security. We have to build a wall, otherwise you cant have border security. And we should get on with our lives.COLUMBUS, Ohio  Three of Ohio four medical marijuana dispensaries reported ending Wednesday, the first day of legal sales, with product remaining on the shelves.

Store representatives said the lines were long, but people for the most part were happy to wait for medicine they hoped would help them. Some customers complained about prices, which will likely go down in coming months as more supply comes to the market.

I was thanking them as they were leaving, and thanking them for being patient for the lines, said Michael Petrella, owner of Ohio Valley Natural Relief in Wintersville, near Steubenville. And they said, No, thank you. We appreciate you bringing this to the Ohio Valley.

Ohio Valley Natural Relief was the only dispensary not to put a limit on how much people could purchase. The other three dispensaries have limits ranging from 0.1 of an ounce to 2 ounces.

Despite the lack of sales limits at Ohio Valley Natural Relief, no one maxed out an entire 90-day purchase.

The four dispensaries in Ohio  two in Wintersville, one in Canton and one in Sandusky  were selling their product for around $40 to $60 for a whole day unit of marijuana, a tenth of an ounce under state law, making an entire 90-day supply pricey.

At Cresco Labs CY+ Dispensary in Wintersville, the first day of sales was expected to end with about 130 patients, said Jason Erkes, a spokesman.

We still have product left," he said. When I left we were getting another delivery in tonight. I dont think well have any product shortages.

Brandon Lynaugh of The Forest Sandusky in Sandusky said the first customer was in line at 4 a.m.

We pretty much had a line of 30 to 40 people at any given time throughout the morning, he said.

The store will evaluate whether customers must be limited to 1 ounce of product each day in the beginning days of business, Lynaugh said, adding that he anticipated the limit will soon be lifted.

The Botanist in Canton didnt return a message at the end of the business day Wednesday about its business.

Online and on Twitter, some complained about the prices being too high, which would make it difficult to obtain medicine.

Just to let everyone know. I was told its gonna be like $60 for one day supply one person wrote on a cannabis website. Thats right $60 for 2.5 g. Thats insane. I say everyone ban (sic) together and dont pay these crazy prices. Make them lower prices. Yes, it will suck (continuing) to do the Mich. Drive.

Lynaugh of the Forest Sandusky said that the Forests parent company, Standard Wellness, has a cultivation facility about 40 minutes away in Sandusky County and the first harvest is tentatively scheduled by the end of February. The company also received a provisional processor license to extract THC from marijuana and use it in edibles, oils, lotions and other products. It hopes it can get a certificate of operation from the state later in the year.

Lynaugh said the advantage of controlling different portions of the medical marijuana business is that itll keep costs down.

Since were vertically integrated and can control all the elements of the supply chain, the plan is to be competitive on the price," he said. "Theres an acknowledgement on day 1 prices might be higher than people expected. But we had a line out the door all day long.

He said that in other states, medical marijuana has cost more in the beginning but went down as time went on.

People may also be disappointed because regulated, legal medical marijuana is often more expensive than product purchased off the street. But Lynaugh noted that legal marijuana is guaranteed to be pure and the amount of pesticides are regulated by the state.

We did have a couple patients wondering about the pricing, asking if it was going to change," said Petrella of Ohio Valley Natural Relief. As more cultivators enter the market, the prices will change. As the patient population goes up the price will start to go down as well."CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A winter weather system is rolling into Northeast Ohio Thursday afternoon, but dont panic just yet. The weekend system bringing up to a dozen inches of snow and bitter cold temperatures is still days away.

This is like the appetizer to the main course," said Mike Griffin, lead forecaster of the National Weather Service in Cleveland. The main course is Winter Storm Harper, which Griffin said will be the worst storm to hit Cleveland in about a decade.

A light blanket of snow, with some pockets of moderate snow, will descend upon the Cleveland area through Thursdays afternoon rush hour, Griffin said. Its no big deal for January in Northeast Ohio - one to two inches of snow with reduced visibility and slippery roads.

Friday is expected to be cold and cloudy, but quiet, so take advantage of that by running all errands necessary to hunker down for the weekend, Griffin said.

The weather system bringing Winter Storm Harper started moving across the west coast Thursday, Griffin said. It will move east across the country and is expected to reach Northeast Ohio on Saturday.

When the snow starts around 7 a.m. Saturday, it will be moderate. It will ramp up throughout the day, with the heaviest snow coming down Saturday afternoon into the evening.

NWS said travel on Saturday through Sunday morning will be almost impossible, and they are cautioning people to stay inside. If you have to go somewhere, bring supplies in case of an emergency.

Heavy snow will come down from the sky, and at times, will feel like it is blowing in from every direction. Winds will gust to about 25 to 35 mph, causing blizzard-like conditions with intense whiteouts, Griffin said.

From Saturdays system alone, NWS is forecasting the Cleveland area to receive 10 to 12 inches of snow.

The last time Cleveland got 10 or more inches of snow in one day was Feb. 4, 2009, Griffin said.

If we get 11 inches, that will be the 7th heaviest snowfall ever recorded in Cleveland, which were forecasting that to happen, Griffin said. It could be number six or seven.

Thisll be a storm we havent seen in like a decade, roughly," Griffin said.

Room for dessert?

If you did not have enough with your main meal on Saturday and Saturday night, wait, theres more! We have a tasty dessert and coffee to round out the long weekend, Griffin said.

As Winter Storm Harper moves east toward New England - which will get hit even harder than Ohio - Arctic air will spill over the Great Lakes, which are typically frozen by this time of year.

Our lakes are not frozen, Griffin said. They are wide open.

That means lake-effect snow.

While the snow from Winter Storm Harper is still blowing around, a lake-effect event will develop Sunday afternoon through Monday.

Its too early to predict which areas will get hit the hardest by that lake effect snow, Griffin said.CLEVELAND, Ohio  Corrections officers at the Cuyahoga County Jail earned less than jail guards in every other large county in the state of Ohio in 2018, according to state records.

The starting wage for corrections officers in Cuyahoga County in 2018 was $15.31. Compare that to Franklin County, where the deputies that staff its jail in Columbus started at $24.17 an hour. In Cincinnati in Hamilton County, corrections officers started at $17.31, according to data compiled by cleveland.com from Ohios State Employment Relations Board.

Of Ohios top 20 or so largest counties by population, Cuyahoga ranked the second-lowest. Only in Mahoning County is it lower, where corrections officers started at $14.68 in 2018.

Cooks at the Cuyahoga County Jail had a higher starting wage than corrections officers at $15.50 an hour.

The Cuyahoga County jail has been chronically understaffed in recent years, and the understaffing results in some inmates being locked in their cells for most or all of the day, and often, many days in a row.

The number of guards authorized to staff the jail is 677, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, though the county says only 615 positions are approved and budgeted for. There are 581 guards currently on the countys payroll.

So why does Cuyahoga County  home to one of the largest county jail populations in the state  pay its corrections officers a lower rate than other places?

The county says that the pay rates are the product of the collective bargaining process, and pay rates are agreed upon by the union.

The union that negotiates wages for corrections officers, the Ohio Patrolmens Benevolent Association, declined to comment for this story.

The current contract for corrections officers was approved by the county and union in 2017. They will be negotiating the next contract throughout 2019.

An arbitrator mediated disputes over pieces of the 2017 contract during the last round of negotiations  that included a dispute over wages, when both the county and union couldnt reach an agreement. The arbitrator concluded that the county should incrementally increase pay over multiple contracts to address the wage gap in a way that also stays within [the countys] fiscal means, county Human Resources Director Ed Morales said.

Wages are not why you accept this job for the most part, Morales told cleveland.com. We offer a stable position with a decent wage and excellent insurance and pension benefits, and thats the reason people take this job.

Hundreds of applicants do respond to the countys job postings that advertise the $15.31 starting rate up front, spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said.

She notes that quite a bit of overtime is available to the officers once they are hired which adds to their total annual pay. But corrections officers frequently take issue with this practice, because they are often forced to work overtime when other officers call off. At least two officers who refused to work forced overtime in 2018 currently face discipline for doing so, according documents obtained by cleveland.com.

Madigan also said that the county pays for officers state peace officer certification, which is a practice that some, but not all agencies do. Longevity pay, which is a lump sum given after a certain number of years on the job, is also available for those at the Cuyahoga County Jail, Madigan said.

She noted that some Ohio counties, including Franklin and Summit, staff their jails with sheriffs deputies instead of corrections officers. Though their duties are largely the same while overseeing jail inmates, deputies have more responsibilities than corrections officers because they can be assigned to positions outside the jail, such as traffic enforcement or investigative work.

Budish and former Jail Director Ken Mills said in September that finding candidates to be corrections officers job could be difficult. And with a high turnover rate, it is difficult to retain the guards the county does hire.

We dont have any reason to believe that just increasing wages is going to be the answer to our turnover rate, Morales said.

Local reporting and scholarly articles estimate the average turnover rate for corrections officers in the U.S. to be around 20 percent, but that number varies greatly by jurisdiction and is dependent on pay, stress, work environment and a host of other factors.

Over the past three years or so, the county has aggressively tried to fill vacant positions by reaching out to public safety programs at local schools and colleges, and seeking potential candidates through the Veterans Administration, Budish and Mills said.

Those aggressive recruiting efforts yielded 10 additional officers over a three-year span when accounting for resignations, retirements and other staff departures.

Its a very difficult environment in which to work and it is hard to retain people and we are continuing to work on retention efforts, Madigan said.

Madigan said that of the 461 applicants who responded to three corrections officer job postings in 2018, 390 were qualified.

The successful job postings are showing that people are applying for that job at that wage, Madigan said.

But starting rates in other highly-populated Ohio counties in 2018 outranked Cuyahoga Countys wages too, not just in Columbus and Cincinnati.

In Akron, Summit County deputies started at $17.01 an hour. In Dayton, Montgomery County corrections officers made $21.

Lucas County corrections officers in Toledo make the closest to Cuyahoga County guards among Ohios six largest counties. They started at $15.54, 23 cents an hour more than Cuyahoga.

Officers hoping to work in corrections for a longer term are often paid lower hourly wages in Cuyahoga County than other large counties. After five years on the job, officers in Cuyahoga made $22.67 an hour in 2018. In Hamilton County, they made about two dollars more than that.

In Cuyahogas neighbor to the south, Summit, the rate in 2018 was $28.71. In Franklin, it was $40.46.

One instance in which Cuyahoga County appears in line with other large counties is the pay rate for some members of the command staff who oversee corrections officers. Sergeants in Cuyahoga County in 2017 started at $30.69 (2018 data wasnt available), which is similar to the rates in Lucas and Hamilton counties.

Montgomery County sergeants made significantly more at $37.17 an hour. Franklin County sergeants made $46.31, more than 50 percent higher than Cuyahoga.

In the wake of seven inmate deaths between June and October at the Cuyahoga County Jail, County Executive Armond Budish asked the U.S. Marshals Service to review the facility. An eighth inmate died in December after the marshals review.

The marshals found that an insufficient number of corrections officers in the jail leads to forced lockdowns, even when inmates have done nothing wrong to warrant being locked down.

Red-zoning, as the lockdowns are called, means inmates have less access to dayrooms, showers, phone calls and a chance to stretch their legs. Four of the deaths last year were suicides, and at least 55 more inmates attempted suicide.

The lockdowns were just one of a host of inhumane conditions at the county jail identified by the marshals. Corrections officers who have spoken to cleveland.com on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation say those poor conditions and a toxic environment make it hard to do their job, and officers get burnt out.

Interim jail director George Taylor has attributed the lockdowns not to understaffing, but to corrections officers calling off sick on their assigned work days.

Budishs administration and jail administrators before him frequently blame sick calls as the reason why the jail needs to be locked down.

The corrections officers union has said that officers must watch multiple pods  and at times up to 100 or 200 people  at the same time. If officers are forced to work overtime, they say they get more burned out, call off sick, and thereby force other officers to work overtime in a seemingly endless cycle.

Budish said in September that if the county can continue hiring at a steady rate, and no roadblocks pop up, the jail could be on track to be fully staffed by spring.CLEVELAND, Ohio  If craft beers are your thing, you live in the right place. Local breweries are all around you. Whether you live downtown, on the east side, west side or south near Akron, you have lots of brew joint to choose from.

Were kicking off 2019 Clevelands Best contests with Northeast Ohios Best Brewery. The contest started on Wednesday when we put out our first call for your nominations. We have already had more than 35 breweries nominated. Make sure your choice is included by filling out the quick and easy nomination form, which is below.

Which Northeast Ohio brewery do you think is the best? If you go out to watch a game, have people in from out of town, or just need a cold beer after work, tell us where you go for for that local flavor.

Nominate your favorite craft brewery between now and Jan. 20 at noon. The brewery must have at least one brick and mortar location within our seven-county coverage area of Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Lake, Geauga, Portage and Summit counties.

We want to hear from you. Again, all you have to do is fill out this fast nomination form.

How the contest will work:

Nominations will be accepted until Jan. 20 at noon.

Readers will then vote in an online poll to determine the finalists. You will be able to vote in the poll hourly from Jan. 22 until Jan. 29 at 9 a.m.

The finalists will be visited by Clevelands Best reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez, as well as cleveland.coms judging panel.

The panel of beer experts will do the taste tests during two weeks in February to determine the winner and the final standings.

Youre invited to join us on our pub crawls, but please bring a designated driver. Well publish our schedule of visits on Feb. 4.

The winner will be announced in a surprise Facebook Live broadcast on Feb. 26 on cleveland.coms Facebook page.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Parma man and his mother were arrested Wednesday after authorities tracked down a 16-year-old Iowa girl who had been reported missing earlier this month.

Steven Davis, 21, and his mother Laurie Metot, 49, are each being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on interfering with custody charges, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office announced Thursday. Each are being held on a $50,000 bond.

The girls grandparents, who had custody of her, reported her missing after they discovered a handwritten note on Jan. 4 in which the girl said she was leaving for California, prosecutors said.

Iowa authorities reached out to the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on Tuesday and told them they suspected the girl was in Parma, prosecutors said. The release did not say why the girl was in Parma or what her connection to Davis and Metot was.

Agents on the task force, Parma police and the U.S. Secret Service found the girl and arrested Davis and Metot the next day, prosecutors said.

The girl has been returned to her family, prosecutors said.

To comment on this story, please visit Thursdays crime and courts comments page.(Image source from: Twitter.com/JanaSenaParty)

Will Janasena Take The Advantage In AP?:- Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan is busy touring across Andhra Pradesh and he is focused on the politics. With TDP joining hands with Congress and being badly rejected by the Telangana people, there are talks that this would have an impact in the AP politics. But Chandra Babu believes that his development will fetch positive results during the upcoming polls in AP. On the otherside, YSRCP Chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy met TRS Working President KTR saying that he would support Federal Front in the upcoming Parliament elections.

Pawan Kalyan already announced that he would not join hands with any political party and TDP, YSCRP alliances would benefit Janasena. Pawan Kalyan can even slam these political parties for joining hands with parties like Congress and TRS who are responsible for the state bifurcation. Janasena leaders are all set to attack TDP and YSRCP which will sure get extra mileage for Janasena. Pawan Kalyan is holding talks with crucial leaders and is preparing about election campaign and other activities in the coming days.CLEVELAND, Ohio  A grand jury indicted a man on terrorism charges Wednesday, following his arrest last year on suspicion that he plotted to park a van full of explosives near a downtown Cleveland park where spectators planned to watch 4th of July fireworks.

Demetrius Pitts, 49, is charged with attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida. The FBI said Pitts corresponded with an undercover agent and scoped out an area to park a van full of explosives near Voinovich Park on Independence day.

He also liked this location because it was near a U.S. Coast Guard station, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Celebrezze Federal Building, according to federal prosecutors.

Pitts also goes by Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salah ad-Deem Osama Waleed, authorities said. He previously lived in Cincinnati and Philadelphia and who was living at a Maple Heights rehabilitation facility at the time of his arrest.

Grand jury indictments are generally supposed to be filed within a month of a persons arrest on federal charges. However, defendants can grant extensions to that deadline, and Pitts did so. Prosecutors and Pitts federal public defender indicated in July that they had some discussions though did not say what the discussions entailed.

Pitts also underwent a competency evaluation, and a federal magistrate judge deemed him competent to stand trial. He also tried to fire his court-appointed federal public defender Charles Fleming, though he withdrew that request on Monday.

Fleming did not immediately respond to a voicemail left Thursday.

Pitts has criminal convictions stretching back to 1989, including for robbery, domestic violence and theft.

The statements the FBI said Pitts made about violent attacks or an allegiance to al-Qaida were mostly to agents or confidential informants, according to court filings. An informant gave Pitts a bus pass to travel downtown and scope out potential targets, as well as a cellphone he later used to text an undercover agent, authorities said.

He told an undercover agent that he wanted to destroy the government," and had expressed a desire to kill Americans, according to federal prosecutors.

Then-FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Anthony declined to say during a news conference announcing Pitts arrest whether the suspect had access to, or was capable of making, an explosive. Pitts had the desire and intent to conduct the attack, Anthony said.

Pitts' case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursdays crime and courts comments section.This week marks 25 years since a deadly earthquake struck Southern Californias densely populated San Fernando Valley.

The state said at least 57 died in the magnitude 6.7 Northridge quake, but a study issued the following year put the death toll at 72, including heart attacks.

About 9,000 people were injured, and the damage costs were estimated at $25 billion.

On this anniversary, The Associated Press is making available this story from Jan. 17, 1994, the day of the earthquake. The toll of dead and injured was not fully known when it first appeared.

Severe Quake Hits Southern California

A violent earthquake struck Southern California before dawn today, turning freeways into rubble, collapsing buildings with a savage power and igniting fires that sent swirls of smoke across the hazy, battered city. At least 24 people died.

The quake, centered in the San Fernando Valley, buckled overpasses on three freeways, trapping motorists in tons of concrete rubble. It severed Interstate 5, Californias main north-south highway, and Interstate 10, the nations busiest freeway.

This place was moving like a jackhammer was going at it, said Richard Goodis of Sherman Oaks, an affluent San Fernando Valley suburb. Our bedroom wall tore away. I was looking at the ceiling one moment, then I was looking at the sky. I thought we were dead.

The quake derailed a freight train carrying hazardous material and briefly closed several airports, including Los Angeles International. Power and telephone service were lost throughout Southern California.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and California Gov. Pete Wilson declared states of emergency, and President Clinton said he expected to issue a federal disaster declaration later in the day.

Wilson called out the National Guard. In addition, fire rescue teams responded from as far away as San Francisco.

The quake struck at 4:31 a.m., and measured a preliminary 6.6 on the Richter scale, said Kate Hutton, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Although not as strong as some quakes in recent years, it was unusually destructive because of its location in a populous area.

A swarm of aftershocks, some as strong as 5 on the Richter scale, jostled the region throughout the morning, and seismologists said they could continue for several days.

The dead, according to hospital and police reports, were:

 Fourteen people crushed to death in an apartment building in Northridge.

 Five people who died of quake-related heart attacks, three at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and two at Holy Cross Medical Center in Sylmar.

 Two people who died when a hillside home collapsed in Sherman Oaks.

 One woman who broke her neck when she slipped and struck a crib at her home in Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County.

 A Los Angeles police officer whose motorcycle sailed off a severed freeway overpass, falling nearly 25 feet to the road below.

 A person who fell from a sixth-floor window at a downtown hotel.

Referring to the ruins of the Northridge apartment building, fire Capt. Steve Bascom said: Weve got a three-story apartment thats now a two-story.  Weve got people were pulling out all the time.

The building, half a block from California State University, Northridge, housed mostly college students. An identical building next to it buckled, but didnt collapse. Hundreds of people watched firefighters search the rubble.

The entire building shifted north about six feet, said fire Battalion Chief Bob De Feo. A third-floor resident, Eric Pearson, told Cable News Network that he felt a huge jolt that lifted the building off its foundation, moved it over and slammed it down.

In a dramatic and dangerous rescue nearby, searchers spent hours digging through the wreckage of a parking garage at the Northridge Fashion Center before pulling out a 35-year-old street sweeper alive. The quake had turned the multi-story garage into a 20-foot-high pancake of concrete, and transformed the malls Bullocks department store into a gnarled pile of concrete and steel.

Richard Andrews, Californias emergency services director, said the early hour and the Martin Luther King holiday reduced the number of people exposed to injury in the quake.

That was easy to forget in the chaos at the Sylmar hospital, which was swamped by more than 250 new patients. The hospitals disaster coordinator, Mark Wallerstein, told those without serious injury to go elsewhere.

We have no power, no laboratory, no X-rays, no pharmacy and almost no food, Wallerstein told them. He later said the hospital was operating on emergency power.

In Los Angeles, Cedars Sinai was receiving a tidal wave of walking wounded, hospital spokesman Ron Wise said.

Three other hospitals, Holy Cross, Panorama City and Sepulveda, were forced to evacuate patients because of quake damage.

Sylmar, the epicenter of a devastating earthquake in 1971 that killed 65, was blanketed by a black haze of smoke. From the air, at least 30 to 40 homes could be seen burning.

Nearby in Granada Hills, water from broken water mains raged through the streets. In one of the weirdest effects of the quake, fireballs from ruptured gas mains exploded in the midst of the floods.

Residents formed lines, filling buckets with water from a swimming pool and tossing the water onto their homes, hoping to prevent the spread of fire.

Elsewhere, motorists driving north from Los Angeles on the Golden State Freeway saw fires raging out of control on both sides of the road, red balls of flame exploding 30 feet in the air.

Fires also were reported in Sherman Oaks and elsewhere in the region.

Throughout Los Angeles, the sound of burglar alarms, car alarms and emergency sirens blended into a constant wail.

Six people were arrested in downtown Los Angeles for looting, and an undetermined number of others were arrested in the San Fernando Valley.

Riordan said there had been major damage from the quake, but insisted that the city had the situation under control.

Perhaps the most dramatic damage from the quake was the freeway destruction, which threatened to cripple the regions transportation system.

On the Santa Monica Freeway, Interstate 10, which ferries hundreds of thousands of commuters between the west side of Los Angeles and downtown every day, an overpass at Fairfax Avenue buckled like a wave, dropping to about six feet from street level.

That freeway will be closed for quite a while, Riordan said.

But far more horrific was the collapse of a four-level intersection of Interstates 5 and 14, known as the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways. Cars could be seen crushed beneath the collapsed intersection; huge slabs of steel-reinforced concrete were splayed at crazy angles.

The collapse was not far from the scene of a similar disaster in 1971.

A portion of state Route 118, the Simi Valley Freeway, also collapsed.

The quake derailed a 64-car freight train, which leaked sulphuric acid from one of its tankers between the communities of Chatsworth and Northridge, Southern Pacific Railroad spokesman Jack Martin said. Hazardous materials crews were cleaning up the spill.

The city Department of Water and Power urged residents to boil drinking water contaminated by broken mains. At mid-day, at least 625,000 customers were without power in Central and Southern California, said Southern California Edison.

Because of the interdependence of Western power grids, brief power outages caused by the quake were reported as far north as Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

The epicenter of todays quake was Northridge, according to Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology. Northridge is a college community in the valley 20 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The San Fernando Valley is a suburban expanse that spreads for 50 miles north of downtown. Most of it is within the city of Los Angeles.

U.S. Geological Survey spokesman Robert Wesson said of the quake: Its not the Big One we hear about so often. The real impact of this earthquake is because it has occurred in a metropolitan area.

He added that he was surprised by the damage to the freeways because freeway construction standards were improved  and freeways upgraded  after the 1971 quake.

The quake was felt at least as far away as San Diego, 125 miles to the south, and Las Vegas, 275 miles to the east.

It lasted for 30 seconds or more, and several aftershocks followed within minutes. In homes throughout the area, dishes fell off shelves, fixtures swayed and furniture slid across floors.

In the San Fernando Valley community of Studio City, Jan Klunder said his apartment looks like its been ransacked. The toll included a china cabinet that fell onto his dining room table, pictures that tumbled off walls, a television that smashed onto the floor, a refrigerator that overturned, spewing its contents onto the floor, and kitchen cabinets that disgorged still more food.

The Federal Aviation Administration closed Los Angeles International Airport for about two hours as a precaution.

In Washington, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was setting up a regional operating center in Southern California to provide assistance to state and local officials.

Todays earthquake followed about 12 quakes near Santa Monica, the strongest of which was 3.7. Hutton said she didnt know whether those quakes were linked to todays.

The last big earthquake to hit the area was on June 28, 1992. The Landers quake, east of Los Angeles, measured 7.5 on the Richter scale and was followed a few hours later by a magnitude 6.6 quake in the Big Bear area.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Insured losses from major natural catastrophes in 2018 totaled roughly $71.5 billion, only slightly more than the annual average since 2011 but the third-highest total during the eight-year period, according to the Summary of Natural Catastrophe Events 2018 report, published today by Willis Re, the reinsurance division of Willis Towers Watson, a global advisory, broking and solutions company.

The average is driven upwards by peak annual losses of $120 billion in 2011 and $143 billion in 2017. In contrast to these previous peak years, where one or two natural disasters contributed a large percentage of the total insured loss, no such major event or events account for a large proportion of the 2018 losses. Instead, the total arises from a series of smaller and medium-sized loss events.

Insured losses from natural catastrophes since 2011, $ USD billion 2011 120 2012 60 2013 35 2014 33 2015 23 2016 39.5 2017 143 2018 71.5 Average 65.6

*Willis Re estimates, presented in USD at 1 December exchange rates for the year reported

The largest single insured loss was the Camp Fire, which will cost re/insurers between $6.0 and $10.75 billion, pushing the likely combined losses from the Carr, Mendocino, Camp, and Woolsey wildfires to about $15-17 billion. The insured loss range for Hurricane Michael is $6.0 to $10.0 billion; Typhoon Jebi in Japan delivered an estimate of $8.5 billion of insured losses. The largest European loss was winter storm Friederike, with insured losses of about $2.0 billion. No single major insured loss from natural disasters occurred in Latin-America or the Caribbean.

Karl Jones, managing director and head of International Catastrophe Analytics at Willis Re, said 2018 was an unusual year.

The industry experienced a large number of mid-sized natural catastrophes. Three events  the Camp Fire, Typhoon Jebi, and Hurricane Michael  have all reached at least the high single digit billions in insured losses, but only the Camp Fire seems likely to exceed the level of $10 billion< said Jones. However, a large number of smaller, billion-dollar losses, principally storms, has added up to make 2018 a costly catastrophe year. With the exception of the major California wildfires, these losses are well within modelled expectations.

The re/insurance industry absorbed more than $200 billion worth of natural catastrophe losses over a two-year period, said Vaughn Jensen, executive vice president and head of North America Catastrophe Analytics at Willis Re.

It has been a significant test for both traditional and ILS capacity but overall the sectors capitalisation remains strong. The distribution of smaller catastrophes in 2018 has given retrocessionaires and excess of loss reinsurers some breathing spaces, with the clear exception of aggregate covers as well as accounts with a concentration of exposure in California, Jensen said. The frequency of catastrophe losses over the last two years continues to result in many primary insurers rethinking their strategy around retention levels. Several sustained storms may also lead to reconsideration of hours clauses by cedants and reinsurers. On the back of this unusual catastrophe experience, we expect to see further reinsurance program adjustments as the year progresses.

Source: Willis ReSenate Republicans on Tuesday signaled their intent to make lowering high auto insurance premiums a top priority in the two-year session, proposing legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy what is now mandatory unlimited medical coverage.

The bill is the first to be introduced by GOP senators who control the chamber, an indication that it is important for the majority. The measure lacks many specifics, which Republicans said is meant to show they are open to examining every area of the no-fault law that is driving up rates.

I think as we heard last year loud and clear from citizens throughout Michigan, we need to lower the cost of auto insurance. We need to make sure that we make rates more affordable for the driving public, said the sponsor, Republican Sen. Aric Nesbitt of Lawton.

For years, efforts to curtail Michigans high auto insurance premiums have resulted in legislative stalemates, with some of the states biggest political spenders and lobbyists  hospitals, insurers, business groups, plaintiffs attorneys, health providers and insurance agents  lining up on various sides. In the last session, the GOP-led Senate passed a bill that would have made changes such as letting older drivers avoid paying most of a mandatory fee that covers unlimited medical benefits. The Republican-controlled House, meanwhile, defeated separate legislation  with Democrats and a number of GOP lawmakers voting no.

Michigan, the only state to require unlimited lifetime coverage for medical expenses resulting from auto crashes, allows health providers to bill car insurers much more for care than health insurers pay. A $192 annual per-vehicle fee also is assessed to reimburse car insurers for expenses surpassing $555,000 for the catastrophically injured.

The new legislation says in-state drivers pay car insurance rates that are on average 83 percent higher than the national average. It states Republicans intent to let motorists age 63 and older with Medicare or other lifetime health care benefits not pay personal injury protection fees. Younger drivers could choose a lower amount of personal injury protection coverage, and health providers could be restricted from billing auto insurers more for medical services.

Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield has pledged to tackle auto insurance costs, too. On Monday, he appointed a chairman of a special committee tasked with addressing the issue.

Groups on opposite sides of the debate  the insurance industry and Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council  welcomed legislative leaders commitment to making changes to the car insurance system.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Two Wisconsin wedding barns owners planned to file a lawsuit Tuesday against Gov. Tony Evers administration, seeking to ensure that private parties held at such venues dont need to obtain liquor licenses.

The lawsuit being filed Tuesday in Dunn County Circuit Court comes after the future of wedding barns was thrown into question by former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel.

He issued an informal legal opinion in November, 10 days after he lost re-election, saying that private events held in public spaces require liquor licenses. State law prohibits owners of public places allowing liquor without a license, but the law does not define what a public place is.

Attorneys for the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, or WILL, said Tuesday the lawsuit they are filing seeks a ruling that privately owned property holding events where alcohol is not sold do not need liquor licenses.

Alternatively, they are asking the court to declare the law an unconstitutional violation of due process rights and therefore void.

We think the law is pretty clear that wedding barns dont need liquor licenses, said WILL attorney Anthony LoCoco. A private venue on private property hosting private events is not a public place under Wisconsin law. It is unfortunate that special interest groups have muddied the waters to such an extent that our clients have a real risk of being harmed by the confusion over state law.

The state Department of Revenue has for years said entities like wedding barns that rent out the space for private events do not need to obtain a liquor license. Department spokeswoman Patty Mayers did not immediately return a message Tuesday seeking comment about the lawsuit.

Evers spokeswoman, Melissa Baldauff, said incoming Revenue Secretary Peter Barca and the governor were still learning more about this issue. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Brad Kaul, a Democrat who defeated Schimel and would defend the state in the lawsuit, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Last session, Republicans in the state Legislature proposed a bill that would have required liquor licenses in those situations. The measure won support from the powerful Tavern League of Wisconsin and wineries, but it died in the Senate after WILL said it was so broad it could end tailgating before sporting events.

Republican state Rep. Rob Swearingen asked Schimel in November for his interpretation of the law. Swearingen is chairman of a special joint legislative committee studying alcohol enforcement, a former Tavern League president and runs the Al-Gen Dinner Club in Rhinelander.

The lawsuit was filed by WILL on behalf of Farmview Event Barn in Berlin and The Weddin Barn in Menomonie. It argues that uncertainty over the law casts a dark shadow over the businesses, putting them at risk of facing criminal penalties for operating without a license.

They would also have to significantly alter their businesses if forced to purchase a $10,000 liquor license and take on other related expenses, the lawsuit said. Some wedding barns would have to go out of business if they are unable to obtain the required license, WILL attorneys said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed banning stretch limousines from the states roads as part of a safety crackdown on large for-hire passenger vehicles following the deadliest U.S. transportation accident in nearly a decade.

Twenty people were killed in October after a stretch Ford Excursion sport utility vehicle lost control, barreled through a stop sign and slammed into a parked SUV in Schoharie, New York.

As part of his 2020 budget proposal, Cuomo included a dozen reforms to state rules in response to the crash, including the ban on so-called remanufactured limousines, or vehicles that begin life as a normal car or SUV before being modified by specialty shops to be as long as 30 feet. He also proposed giving state regulators more powers to keep unsafe vehicles off the road, according to a statement released by his office.

This crash was a horrific tragedy that shocked this state to its very core, Cuomo said. We are advancing reforms that will give aggressive new powers that will allow authorities to take dangerous vehicles off the roads without delay, hold unscrupulous businesses accountable and increase public safety in every corner of New York.

The Democratic governor, elected to a third term in November, will be working with a Democratic majority in both houses of the Legislature for the first time. While this wont guarantee that hell be able to enact all of his proposals, he made a point during his State of the State speech on Tuesday of mentioning that control of the state Senate had changed hands.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.For the last 15 years, I have written mostly about other peoples children, often because the system has failed them in some horrible way. I have profiled students with severe disabilities who sit idly at home, unable to find even a public school that will admit them. I have reported on the suffering of children beaten at the hands of school staffers, and teachers armed with wooden paddles. And I have documented the stories of babies whove died avoidable deaths from gun violence or horrific abuse and neglect.

But early last summer, when the news organization ProPublica released recordings of young immigrant children wailing for their parents inside a government holding center, I couldnt bring myself to listen. Whenever the news came up on NPR, I muted the volume; whenever stories about the separated children appeared in my Twitter feed, I scrolled on.

Ive been told the news and recordings were horrific and unforgettable. But the separation and detention of families crossing the border without papers did not represent some kind of new low so disturbing that I couldnt bear witness to the pain. We live in a country, after all, that routinely ripped apart black families under slavery, and forcibly sent thousands of Native American children to boarding schools in the 19th and 20th centuries, a calculated effort to strip them of their culture and family ties. Throughout our history, we have denied the sanctity of families of color again and again.

Nor do I think it was the immediacy of the newsthe way in which technology and social media allowed us to hear the childrens anguish in near real timethat overwhelmed me. Ive thought back on my reaction to those recordings several times over the last several months, as terrifying news about children has continued to flow out of Yemen, the US-Mexico border, and other parts of the world. The main reason I couldnt bring myself to listen is that I was a relatively new mother of a baby girl. She was six months on the day the recordings were published. With an infant relying on me for the entirety of her emotional and physical well-being, I grasped more intuitively what was at stake for those stolen babies and their families. Listening to the recordings felt reckless and pointless. My heart was already broken.

A few years ago, when the Education Writers Association asked me to write a guide to the standards and ethics of interviewing children, I began by quoting the maxim: first, do no harm. It would never have occurred to me thenand nor would it have been all that useful to many of my colleaguesto also advise: report and write with a parents love. But over the last few months Ive been thinking a lot about what it meant for me to report on children while childless for so many years, and about the challenges of empathizing with people and groups whose experiences we cant begin to comprehend because they are so distinct from our own.

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I believe empathy is distinct from compassion. Empathy carries compassions open-hearted good will a step further: its the kind of sorrow that occurs when you absorb a portion of anothers pain and fear and own it as a part of your human story. I almost always felt compassion for the children and families whose stories I told; but I rarely felt empathy, partly because my personal experience with children and child-rearing was so limited.

Education journalists rightly talk a lot about childrens privacy and the importance of not publishing information that might embarrass or (as the maxim goes) inflict harm. Many good journalists I know shy away from writing about kids because they fear the murkier and more sensitive ethics of the beat. I continue to believe that when reporting on young people, journalists should, for instance, exercise more latitude in reviewing and discussing the potential consequences of a storys content in advance of publication; they should also be more flexible with children than adults about concealing identities when the situation warrants.

Empathy carries compassions open-hearted good will a step further: its the kind of sorrow that occurs when you absorb a portion of anothers pain and fear and own it as a part of your human story.

Still, I have long prided myself on featuring kids in my reporting; one of the stated missions of the education reporting fellowship that I oversee at the Columbia Journalism School is to elevate the voices of students and teachers in our work. Yet when I began rereading old stories through my new lens as a parent, what struck me was how oftenwhen it came to my writing about childrenI wanted more. More details. More depth. More of them talking about their lives and feelings.

In the spring of 2014, for instance, I reported for The Nation and the Hechinger Report about the persistence of corporal punishment in southern schools serving predominantly black students. The story did incorporate several student voices; it quoted four pre-teens and teens (Jacoby, Curtis, Kameisha, and Steven) before quoting the first adult (former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who had called for less punitive approaches to school discipline in a recent press conference). Then 16-year-old Curtis remembered getting whopped in school by Big Daddytwo paddles wrapped together and used on students bottoms and hands. Getting hit makes you feel like nothing, Curtis told me.

I look back now and wonder why I didnt carry any of the students stories further, probing more deeply into how tough-love discipline (or just plain tough discipline) affected their schoolwork, relationship with teachers, or attitude toward community and self. I interviewed at least two college students who surely could have reflected more, even if the younger students struggled. The piece quoted nine different adults on all sides of the issue, each with valuable insights. But I now wish that I had condensed and paraphrased several of them to make room for more from the kids.

Having a child didnt change my opinion of paddlings merits (or lack thereof) or my desire to write about the issue in a sensitive and contextualized way. But it made me imagine the unimaginable: someone hitting my daughter, hard, and the ways that could wound her both physically and emotionally. That, in turn, made me crave more detail and insight from those brave students I featured about both their resiliencyand the paddles lasting scars.

I crave more detail and insight from those brave students I featured about both their resiliencyand the paddles lasting scars.

In the corporal punishment piece, and several others, I also wish that I had more explicitly documented the high stakes of schoolssocietys, reallyfailures for children and their parents. Several times while writing about strict discipline policies, parents told me they had to take off from work because administrators called them to come get their children at school. That registered as problematic with me at the time. But now Im more quick to wonder why theres been so little attention to the ways that schools no excuses policies, including routinely bringing in parents whenever their child breaks a rule or fining them for their kids truancy, can jeopardize mothers jobs and the economic stability of entire families.

Some of the omissions in the corporal punishment piece were seemingly small but significant (at least to my contemporary eye). For instance, one young teacher who worked in Mississippi through Teach for America told me that she felt pressured by older colleagues to hit unruly students. She succumbed twice, the first time striking a younger student who constantly jumped out of her seat and made rude, taunting comments to classmates. During my reread, the vagueness of the word younger jumped out at me. Young for the grade? Younger than those she normally taught? How young exactly?

My piece went into considerable detail on the physicality of the paddles, quoting one employee handbook that called for them to be up to 30 inches long, half an inch thick, and two to three inches wide. But it contained very little detail on the physicality of the victims. Having a child of my own, Im reminded every day many times over of kids small size and vulnerability. And I wonder now why the piece didnt in the most literal of terms capture the lopsided power dynamic that struck to the heart of the story. It might have been less a piece on how the paddles use continues to divide adults, and more an expose of how it continues to traumatize (mostly) black children.

Some of the best education journalists arent mothers, wrote US News & World Report reporter Lauren Camera in a recent column for the education magazine Phi Delta Kappan, on balancing journalism with parenting. I agree. Personal insight is just one component of what makes someone a good reporter. Lauren herself reported on education brilliantly for years before she had children. And at times, perhaps, the feelings of a parent can be so raw, so overwhelming that they lead to a (hopefully fleeting) paralysis that doesnt serve the cause of journalism very well. I wont even go into the professional drawbacks that accrue from constant sleep deprivation. . .

But my professional reckoning over the last year (my daughter turned one in December) has made me more aware of the immense difficulty of truly empathizing when we lack shared experiences. This doesnt mean middle-class people cant ever write sensitively about poor people, that men should have no role in covering #MeToo, or that the childless among us cant report passionately on kids. It would be counterproductivenot to mention unrealisticto limit ourselves to reporting solely on people from our own gender, racial, and ethnic group, socioeconomic class, and general life situation.

Yet I have come to see the limits of good intentions and researchand even attentive listeningin promoting true understanding. We all have biases. We also have empathic blind spots, people we cant relate to on an emotional level simply because their experience is too distinct from our own. Im more suspicious of people who claim they can empathize with almost anyone, more skeptical of universal empathy as a worthwhile goal.

I have come to see the limits of good intentions and researchand even attentive listeningin promoting true understanding.

So consider this another argument for more diversity in newsrooms: for vastly increased numbers of reporters, editors, and producers who bring an intuitive understanding to the lives and experiences of black and brown communities, low-income communities, immigrant communities, and many other groupsbecause those experiences are their own.

But for all of us who care about covering people from different backgrounds than ourselveswith as much kindness, nuance, and depth as possiblethis is not a call to abandon that effort. Theres a value in trying to empathize, as long as we dont overestimate our capacity to connect. Viewing the education beat from a more maternal lens has been an important reminder to remain humble, and to remember that even after Ive reported long and hard, and listened well, I know so little of what I dont knowand quite possibly never will.

Becoming a parent probably wont upend my approach to the education beat, but I think it will change the way some future stories are framed. And I hope it will lead to more work that is definedand not just supplementedby the voices and experiences of children.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Sarah Carr is the editor of the Teacher Project, an education reporting fellowship at Columbia Journalism School, and the author of Hope Against Hope, which tells the story of the New Orleans schools.Aunohita Mojumdar first encountered Himal Southasian when a writer for the magazine criticized Mojumdar for failing to ask a single relevant question in an early 2001 interview with the foreign minister of Bhutan. While working at the Times of India, Mojumdar considered herself a hard-bitten, critical journalist. She had even gotten into trouble with the Indian government for her reporting on Kashmir, an area of territorial conflict between India and Pakistan. But when it came to Bhutan, Mojumdar had fallen into the sort of cliched reporting that Himala feisty, Kathmandu-based regional magazinedefined itself by avoiding.

Mojumdar approached Bhutan like a cute, quaint Dragon Kingdom, she recalls. When Himal called her out, I was very embarrassed, but some part of me also felt that they were right.

Nearly two decades later, Mojumdar has gone from a subject of Himals critical reporting to its biggest advocate. As Himals editor in chief, she has traversed the subcontinent and moved to Colombo, Sri Lanka, to lead an uphill battle for the small, gutsy magazines revival.

In 2016, after Mojumdar had been at the magazine for five years, Himal founding Editor Kanak Dixit was arrested, an incident heralded by human rights groups as a sign of the declining state of free expression in Nepal. In the months after, Himal collapsed under bureaucratic pressure. Documents seized from government offices made it impossible to access grant money to run the publication. Visas for its non-Nepali staff were delayed. Payments to outside contributors were held up. It was a slow, silent, insidious kind of media controlnot blatant enough to garner international condemnation as a press attack, but effective enough to leave the publication completely starved of resources.

From the archives: Resisting press censorship in Nepal

We were never investigated, we were never questioned, and no permission was ever refused to us, Mojumdar remembers. We were just left hanging for a year.

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At the end of 2016, with a grant stuck in indefinite bureaucratic limbo and a zeroed out bank account, Mojumdar had to close Himals doors in Kathmandu. Founded on the premise of telling stories from a regional perspective, Himal was suddenly forced to reckon with the restrictions of the very nation-state it was made to transcend.

WHEN I ASK DIXIT, who started Himal in 1988 from New York and moved it to Nepal in 1990, how he feels about the magazines recent relocation across the Indian subcontinent, he quickly interrupts me. To begin, dont call it the Indian subcontinent, call it the subcontinent. That is exactly what we are trying to do: subvert the narrative from a journalistic platform.

Historically, India referred to the people of the Indus river, not a boundaried country. The historical term India got hijacked by the nation-state, Dixit says.

Himal has made a dogged effort to report on South Asia outside of the limiting and relatively new framework of the nation-state. Were trying correct a historical wrong by reconnecting people from Balochistan in the far west to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and even Burma in the east, says Dixit. From Tibet or at least the Himalayan region to Sri Lanka. We are giving back their history, an interconnected history, which has been now cut apart by the nation-state boundaries.

Over its 30 years in operation, Himal has been ahead of the curve, reporting on issues like the Rohingya crisis, Taliban, and militarization of South Asia before they reached the mainstream press. The publication is an alternative to one-dimensional international coverage where, as Shiran Illanperuma, a new senior assistant editor at Himal, puts it, Sri Lanka is a civil war, Nepal is the Maoists, Afghanistan is the US invasion, and Pakistan is terrorism.

In Himal, no place is reduced to a single issue, relegated to fluffy travel writing, or rendered a mere pawn in another countrys geopolitical struggle. Reporting on the plastic surgery industry in Afghanistan, the control of the media in the 2018 Maldivian election, the orientalization of Sri Lankan tea advertising, and civil service exams in Bhutan, the magazine upends narratives and steers clear of tropes.

Mojumdar first found a home at Himal as a freelancer with a penchant for off-the-beaten-path reporting. One of two Indian journalists based in Kabul in the mid 2000s, she remembers the Indian media calling her to inquire about the latest bombing or to ask for another story about Pakistans role in the conflict. But Mojumdar was interested in what was happening behind the sceneshow banks can be established without communication systems, how telephone lines are constructed in places with land mines, why the maternal mortality rate was killing more than the violence.

Himal gave me the space and platform to write about the country without the nation-state narrative driven by a countrys interests, she says. After Himal closed its doors, she devoted a year and a half to recreating that space in a new city.

Even though I may be a citizen of Nepal, my coverage of India should not be overlayed by Nepali nationalism.

THE MONTHS AFTER HIMAL CLOSED were filled with tedious administrative work, bureaucratic gymnastics, and sorting through the results of feasibility studies conducted around India and Sri Lanka. Despite working for long stretches without pay, Mojumdar pushed on. I knew there was nobody else who was going to do it, so I kind of felt honor-bound to do it, she says.

Eventually, Mojumdar started splitting her time between her home in Kathmandu and hotels in Colombo, the magazines new home. Just four years ago, a magazine like Himal seeking refuge in Sri Lanka would have been unthinkable; to Mojumdar, Colombo was a good, albeit unexpected, fit.

During former president Mahinda Rajapaksas time in office from 2005 to 2015, 17 journalists were killed, and many more were abducted and tortured. Several, fearing for their lives, went into voluntary exile from which some still have not returned. But when the government changed in 2015, the new coalition government under President Sirisena promised a freer press environment. While the traumas of the previous administration live on in self-censorship and underdeveloped press establishments, Himal is at least one token of the new governments promise.

Himal resumed publishing in March of 2018. In a breezy office, tucked away from the congested streets of Colombos residential Wellawatte neighborhood, the small team puts out three longform digital pieces a week for an international audience. Imbued with that same old attitude and gutsiness, one piece criticizing the international coverage of the March violence outside of Kandy, Sri Lanka, begins, If truth is the first casualty of war, then nuance is a frequent casualty of international reporting.

In the entryway of their new office, there is a mural of the cartoon The New Yorkers Ed Koren made for Himal. You can either laze about, or you can read Himal, it says next to a lounging, furry creature.

With its boundary-breaking reportage and a style guide full of idiosyncrasies, Himal, at times, feels more like a philosophy than a magazine. In Himals vocabulary, the region is Southasia not South Asia. The former is an entity unto itself, whereas the latter is geographic space defined only by its relation to the rest of the continent. To Himal, I was not an American journalist based in Colombo, but simply a Colombo-based journalist. They do not name writers by nationality. Even though I may be a citizen of Nepal, my coverage of India should not be overlayed by Nepali nationalism, likewise Pakistani coverage of Bangladesh should not be overlayed by Pakistani nationalism, Dixit explains.

Hanging on the wall across from the Himal cartoon in the new office is the visual equivalent of these perspective-altering editorial quirks. Dixits right side up map depicts South Asia flipped, south-side up, with Sri Lanka at the top.

HIMALS PAN-REGIONAL CONTENT may not be affected by location, but the magazines continued existence is. In Sri Lanka, press freedom is still precarious. Just a few weeks ago, the nation emerged from months of political turmoil after the President of Sri Lanka unexpectedly appointed former president Rajapaksa as prime minister and ousted the duly-appointed premier Wickremesinghe. The presidents move was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and Rajapaksa ultimately stepped down, but in the wake of the turmoil, threats to the media increased and re-instilled an all-too-familiar feeling of fear in the Sri Lankan press.

Himals rebirth in Colombo might have been a sign of improving press conditions in Sri Lanka. However, it is a sign of deteriorating free expression across South Asia that this publication has nowhere else to go. For now, Mojumdar and her team are keen on seizing what she calls a window of opportunity, even if it is one that could shut quickly.

From one angle, it may seem Himal has been pushed to the figurative and literal last frontier, to a country on the edge of the earth. But, on Dixits right-side up map, Sri Lanka looks more like where the world begins.

ICYMI: Media industry turmoil continues as the sharks start to circle

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Kelsey Ables is currently based in New York writing about tech, art, and media at Artsy. She was formerly an editorial assistant for CJR. Follow her on Twitter @ables_kelsey.(Image source from: Twitter.com/KTRTRS)

KTR Meets YS Jagan On Federal Front Row:- TRS Working President KTR announced that he would be meeting YSRCP Chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy to join hands with him over the Federal Front row that is planned against BJP and Congress. The meeting took place yesterday in Lotus Pond, YS Jagan's residence. The meeting went on for 90 minutes and the duo addressed the media post meeting. Jagan clarified that he believes the stand taken by KCR that the regional parties can make impact in the national politics.

"With 25 MPs in Andhra Pradesh and 17 in Telangana, we can make a strong impact at the Centre. I am glad KCR garu is forming Federal Front and will see how YSRCP can contribute for this alliance" said YS Jagan after the meeting.

"KCR garu is making huge efforts for qualitative changes in national politics to keep an end for domination of BJP and Congress. KCR will soon go to AP and will discuss about Federal Front. We earlier announced our voice for supporting Andhra Pradesh" said KTR.

This is sure a big move from TRS and YSRCP in the coming days. We have to wait and see how TDP and AP Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu reacts on this alliance.Proof of settlement funds requirement increases for Express Entry candidates IRCC advises Express Entry candidates to ensure their profiles reflect annual adjustments

Proof of settlement funds requirement increases for Express Entry candidates IRCC advises Express Entry candidates to ensure their profiles reflect annual adjustments

Proof of settlement funds requirement increases for Express Entry candidates IRCC advises Express Entry candidates to ensure their profiles reflect annual adjustments CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

The Government of Canada has introduced a slight increase to its settlement funds requirement and is urging Express Entry candidates to ensure their profiles reflect the change. The increase raises the required minimum settlement funds by just over 1.5 per cent for each family level.

For a single person arriving unaccompanied in Canada, this translates to an increase from $12,474 to $12,669.

All Federal Skilled Worker Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Class candidates must show proof of funds, which are required to ensure the principal applicant and her/his accompanying family members have the means to support themselves financially upon landing in Canada as permanent residents.

Canadian Experience Class candidates who are working in Canada on an eligible work permit are exempt from having to prove they have the minimum settlement funds.

However, Canadian Experience Class candidates invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Worker Class will have to show proof of funds.

The increases for 2019 are as follows:

Number of family members 2018 amount

(in Canadian dollars) 2019 amount Increase 1 $12,474 $12,669 $195 2 $15,530 $15,772 $242 3 $19,092 $19,390 $298 4 $23,181 $23,542 $361 5 $26,291 $26,701 $410 6 $29,652 $30,114 $462 7 $33,013 $33,528 $515 Each additional family member $3,361 $3,414 $53

Family members include a spouse or partner, dependent children and the dependent children of a spouse or partner. IRCC considers a dependent child to be any family member under the age of 22.

Family members who are not accompanying the principal applicant to Canada must also be included.

Update your Express Entry profile

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) notes that, while small, the changes can affect a candidates eligibility if their available settlement funds now fall below the adjusted threshold.

For this reason, Express Entry candidates who are required to show proof of funds should ensure their Express Entry profile is updated to show they possess the adjusted proof of funds they require.

IRCC also encouraged exempt candidates to update their proof of funds, noting that, by doing so, the Express Entry system may find that they are eligible for more than one program.

You dont always know ahead of time which program you will be invited under, IRCC says.

Acceptable funds

The funds must be readily available when a candidate applies for permanent residence and when a permanent resident visa is issued. The principal applicant will also have to prove to an immigration officer that they have the required amount and access to it upon landing in Canada.

The funds cannot be borrowed and equity on real estate cannot be counted as proof.

If accompanied by a spouse or partner, money held in a joint account can be counted towards the settlement funds requirement. Money held in an account under a spouses name can also be counted if the applicant can prove they have access to those funds.

Official letters must be obtained from the banks or financial institutions where the money is kept.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

 2019 CICNews All Rights ReservedCanadas goal of 1 million new permanent residents turning heads worldwide International media are taking notice of Canada's 'friendly stance' towards immigration

Canadas goal of 1 million new permanent residents turning heads worldwide International media are taking notice of Canada's 'friendly stance' towards immigration

Canadas goal of admitting more than a million new permanent residents by the end of 2021 is gaining new attention internationally.

Recent reports by the BBC, CNN and others have highlighted how the three-year target is setting Canada apart on the global stage. As CNN reported, Canadas friendly stance towards new residents comes as many other Western nations, including the United States, are adopting more restrictive immigration policies.

A New York Times opinion piece took it further, arguing the U.S. should be following Canadas example and increasing immigration for the sake of its economic health.

This rationale lies at the heart of Canadas drive to raise its immigration levels. In his departments annual report to Parliament last fall, Canadas Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, said, growing immigration levels, particularly in the Economic Class, will help us sustain our labour force, support economic growth and spur innovation.

Under Canadas latest three-year immigration levels plan, total immigration is expected to reach 350,000 new permanent residents in the year 2021. This represents an immigration level of nearly one per cent of Canadas population, which the Conference Board of Canada says must be reached by 2030 to ensure modest population and economic growth.

Nearly 60 per cent of all new permanent residents expected this year are slated to arrive through economic immigration programs. Of these, four programs  the three Federal High Skilled programs managed by Canadas Express Entry system and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)  are expected to account for nearly 75 per cent of all economic admissions.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

Among Canadas economic immigration programs, the three Express Entry-managed programs  the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class  have the highest target of 2019 at 81,400 new admissions.

Introduced in 2015, Canadas Express Entry system is tailored to favour immigration candidates who are young, highly educated, proficient in English or French and have skilled work experience. These are considered the ingredients for achieving success in Canada and maximizing a newcomers contribution to the Canadian economy.

Government figures for January to October 2018 show software engineers and designers, information systems analysts and consultants, and computer programmers and interactive media developers leading the list of professionals invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry in 2018.

NOC Top 10 Invited Occupations 2018 ITAs (as of Oct. 2018) % of ITAs 2173 Software Engineers and designers 3,918 7% 2171 Information systems analysts and consultants 3,523 6% 2174 Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers 2,301 4% 1111 Financial auditor and accountants 1,581 3% 1241 Administrative assistants 1,455 3% 1123 Professional Occupations in Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations 1,375 2% 1112 Financial and Investment Analysts 1,283 2% 4011 University professors and lecturers 1,265 2% 1122 Professional occupations in business management consulting 1,223 2% 0124 Advertising, marketing and public relations managers 1,138 2%

One of the reasons the Government of Canada introduced the Express Entry system was to expedite the processing of permanent resident applications for skilled workers. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says it is achieving its goal of a six-month processing time in 80 per cent of cases.

Canadas PNP is also slated to continue its impressive growth. The program works to spread the benefits of immigration among participating provinces and territories by allowing them to nominate economic immigration candidates for permanent residence.

The PNP has evolved from 233 new permanent resident admissions in 1996 to a target of 55,000 in 2018. Its 2019 target is 61,000, which will grow to 67,800 in 2020 and 71,300 in 2021.

Heres how Canadas PNP nomination allocation for 2018 was distributed across participating provinces and territories. Note that Quebec does not participate in the PNP so has no allocation.

Family reunification and refugees

Canadas three-year plan also calls for increases under its family and refugee and protected person immigration programs, which combined account for around 40 per cent of Canadas overall immigration targets over the next three years.

The federal government calls family reunification a central pillar of Canadas immigration program that contributes to the economic, social and cultural prosperity of all Canadians.

Family sponsorship programs for spouses/common-law partners and children as well as parents and grandparents have a target of 88,500 in 2019 and 91,000 in both 2020 and 2021.

One of the draws of obtaining Canadian permanent residence is the ability to potentially sponsor additional family members for permanent residence in the future.

Canada will also maintain its commitments to refugees and vulnerable persons, despite an influx of asylum seekers in the last two years that has strained the governments resources.

In its annual report, IRCC noted the unprecedented levels of global displacement in 2017 and said its three-year plan will accommodate more refugees looking to start new lives.

To this end, Canada has set an overall admissions target for refugees and protected person of 46,450 for 2019, which will grow to 51,700 in 2021.

While many Western nations are moving to reduce immigration, Canada is going in the opposite direction, said David Cohen, senior partner at the Campbell Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal.

This is good news for both Canadians and anyone who is hoping to make Canada their home because this countrys future depends on immigration.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

 2019 CICNews All Rights ReservedWhen Mohammed El-Shenawy isnt rendered speechless by the sudden news that the federal government shutdown has put a halt to his postdoctoral work at NASAs Johnson Space Center, two phrases repeatedly tumble from his lips: He is surprised and he is scared.

Surprised because at the beginning of the shutdown that started Dec. 22, he was told his work would not impacted by the budgetary impasse in Washington, D.C.

Surprised because he received an email Wednesday saying his funding, and therefore his paycheck, would run dry Friday.

And scared because he has a 1-year-old son at home and a wife who isnt working.

I dont know, El-Shenawy, 34, told the Houston Chronicle Thursday. I dont have a plan or a good idea of how I will survive this.

El-Shenawy is one of four postdoctoral fellows at the Houston center who learned this week that they will go without pay starting Friday as the federal government shutdown stretches into day 27. The other three Johnson fellows could not be reached for comment.

The fellows  203 of them at space agency centers nationwide  are just the latest to feel the stress of the shutdown on their pocketbooks. About 94 percent of the 3,055 federal employees at the Houston center have been out of work since the government was shuttered as President Donald Trump held firm on his demand that Congress fund a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Johnson is home to the nations astronaut corps, where human space flight research and training take place. It also is home to the International Space Stations mission operations and the Orion program. About 200 federal employees still working at Johnson are there primarily to ensure the astronauts aboard the International Space Station remain safe. Those employees are not getting paid.

NASAs postdoctoral program offers one- to-three year fellowships to individuals who then conduct research of national importance and make significant contributions to NASAs scientific efforts, according to the space agencys postdoctoral program website.

El-Shenawy is in the second year of his fellowship, where his work focuses on Martian carbonates and the potential of water on Mars. He can work on some journal articles from home when the money dries up Friday, he said, but the majority of his work has to be in a lab. He wont have access to that until the shutdown ends.

I came down here because of NASA, said El-Shenawy, who moved to Houston after completing his doctorate in Canada.. I have nothing to do. I dont have any work. I cant complete my science.

News of the postdoctoral fellows fate spread like wildfire across social media Wednesday, with many people offering assistance where they could.

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, a research scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, for example, started a GoFundMe page that had raised nearly $10,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

These people help understand our planets climate, unveil the wonders of other planets, help us search for life beyond Earth, and probe myriad mysteries throughout our universe, Domagal-Goldman wrote on the GoFundMe. They won their fellowships through a competitive peer-review process where only (approximately) 10% of the applicants get funding.

For these individuals, the situation is dire, he said.

This is an emergency for these folks, both financially and professionally, he wrote. A lack of funding for them will push them to find other jobs, and could lead to a significant brain drain for the United States space sciences community.

El-Shenawy and his wife will be able to scrape by until the end of January, he said. But if the shutdown lasts longer than that, he said he has no idea what theyll do.

Its crazy  who knows for how long it will last, he said. I dont know  I dont know.

Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.The new year was only five hours old when Timothy Collins, a 42-year-old gas station clerk, was fatally shot in an armed robbery on San Antonio's Northwest Side. His killer remains at large.

And since that moment, there has been a near constant stream of violent crime across San Antonio and surrounding communities.

In the first two weeks of the year, the city has experienced five homicides. Officers fatally shot two suspects. Police have investigated the fake kidnapping of King Jay Davila, who was later found buried in a black backpack in an empty West Side lot, and a shooting inside a luxury, gated community in far Northwest Bexar County that left a woman and two girls dead.

It's weighed heaviest on the San Antonio Police Department, whose jurisdiction covers most of the cases.

"We had plenty of help," said San Antonio Police Lt. Jesse Salame, "but I'd be lying if I told you that all of us weren't exhausted after that. Having worked those investigations before, you can go from a typical day but next thing you know you haven't been home in three or four days."

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Such a seemingly inexplicable spike in crime isn't unheard of in law enforcement circles. Salame said there's an understanding that crime comes in waves, and trends, such as the decrease in violent crime last year, can be upended in the span of a few days.

"It was a pretty wild start to the new year, for us at least," he said. "We had seen such a decline in violent crime over the last couple years, especially last year, that we were sort of expecting something to happen. Crime is cyclical. There are certain things you can do, but no one expects a guy walking down a street firing off a gun during the daytime when everyone is out and about."

Salame was referring to Samuel Garcia, 39, who authorities said began indiscriminately shooting at people at about 8:45 a.m. Jan. 3 on the South Side near Harlandale High School. Officers in the area swarmed him and exchanged gunfire, killing him. One officer was injured in the shootout when a bullet pierced his front windshield, sending glass shards into his eye.

Less than 24 hours earlier, an officer fatally shot Arron Lambert at about 2:15 p.m. along an access road of Loop 410 near Interstate 35. Lambert was caught removing a license plate from a stolen Cadillac XTS and resisted arrest, officials said. During the struggle, Lambert snatched a stun gun from an officer and deployed it, police said. Another officer opened fire on Lambert as he appeared to reach for a knife in his pocket, authorities said.

For more on the two officer-involved shootings, go to our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com.

With those two investigations pending, a new massive case hit the department on Jan. 4, when Christopher Davila called police to report his infant son, King Jay, had been kidnapped. A full scale search began for the boy, over several days Davila's story fell apart. Police later arrested Davila and two of his family members for allegedly staging the kidnapping to cover up King Jay's death. The father led police to the boy's body just under a week after reporting the kidnapping.

RELATED: Court records expose how family allegedly covered up San Antonio baby's death with staged kidnapping

Salame said the King Jay investigation required the most manpower and resources to investigate, by far. Now that the body has been recovered, a more painstaking, but less frantic, task begins.

"The real hard part now is preparing all the reports and sending over the strongest possible case to the district attorney's office," he said. "We gotta go back and take a weeks worth of work, type it up and review it looking to see if there's any other evidence or any other individuals that had knowledge" of King Jay's death, he said.

To read more about how police unraveled the case, go to ExpressNews.com.

In addition to those investigations, the SAPD homicide unit opened five cases within the first two weeks of 2019. Hezekiah Jaeden Williams, 19, was shot in the head at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 5 in the 7800 block of Mesquite Farm. Scott Treiber was gunned down at about 12:50 a.m. Jan. 7 in the 8000 block of West Military Drive. And the body of Edward Beltran, 36, was found abandoned in a ditch at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 8 in the 10300 block of Moursund Boulevard. Those followed Collins' killing.

Finally, what was initially ruled an accidental death on Jan. 13 has since been found to be a homicide, according to Salame, though no information on the killing was immediately available.

Outside of San Antonio proper, Bexar County deputies continue to investigate the triple shooting at a luxurious gated community in far Northwest Bexar County that left 16-year-old Alexa Montez, an unidentified 10-year-old, and 37-year-old Nichol Olsen dead. The three victims were discovered at about 9 a.m. in their home in the 11300 block of Anaqua Springs in Northwest Bexar County.

RELATED: Death of woman in luxury San Antonio-area home ruled suicide, officials release IDs of 2 victims

The medical examiner has since ruled the girls' deaths homicides and said Olsen died by suicide. But Sheriff Javier Salazar on Monday said the investigation continues, despite the medical examiner's ruling.

"One of the greatest fears is that law enforcement is not going to cover all bases, because, well, it's been ruled a suicide and we're going to move onto the next case. And that is not what's occurring here," Salazar said. "I can assure the public that this case remains very much an open investigation."

Only two weeks into 2019, it's impossible to make any meaningful assessment of crime rates this year in comparison to previous years. But 2018 represented the continuation of a downward trend in violent crime in San Antonio, with homicides, robbery and aggravated assault totals expected to fall below those of 2017. That trend could continue in 2019, but, Salame noted, it's not off to a good start.

"Sometimes it seems like people know when we're busy, and that's when they want to go commit crimes, but we get it done. That's the bottom line," he said. "No matter what happens, we're prepared."

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdownsTwo women accused of aiding in the attempted cover-up of an 8-month-old boys death last week have been assaulted by inmates, authorities confirmed.

Angie Torres, 45, was assaulted on Jan. 9 by three inmates while in the bathroom of the general population unit, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.

Torres was initially arrested Jan. 7 and charged with aggravated robbery in a separate case. When she was arrested, police said she was the woman seen in security camera footage taking a vehicle that was reportedly carrying King Jay Davila, who was reported abducted Jan. 4.

Police later said that King Jay was not inside the vehicle, and that his father, Christopher Davila, grandmother Beatrice Sampayo and Torres, Davilas cousin, staged the incident to hide his death the day before.

RELATED: SAPD chief: Tale of kidnapped infant 'made up to cover foul play'

Officials said that Torres rejected protective custody when she signed a letter putting her into the general population.

After the incident, authorities said Torres signed a second letter moving her into protective custody.

The three inmates who assaulted her were placed under emergency management intensive supervision and relocated to lockdown, authorities said. The sheriffs office did not comment on the extent of Torres injuries.

No charges have been filed against the inmates, who were not identified Thursday, as the incident is still being investigated, officials said.

In a separate incident on Jan. 11, a female inmate admitted to spitting on Sampayo, 64, as they passed one another, the sheriffs office said.

Sampayo was being escorted from her cell in the infirmary, where she is being kept because of a medical condition, officials said. Sampayo told investigators that she did not want to press charges.

RELATED: 5 inconsistencies that led San Antonio police to cracking King Jay Davila case

The sheriffs office said that Sampayo had signed a letter seeking protective custody after she was arrested on Jan. 10.

Both Torres and Sampayo are being held on chargers of tampering with evidence in relation to King Jays case.

The arrests of Sampayo, Davila and Torres came amid a week of rapid updates as detectives quickly worked through what Chief William McManus called a maze of lies.

It began when Davila reported his son and vehicle missing Jan. 4 at a gas station in the 300 block of Enrique Barrera Parkway.

Davila left his Dodge Dart running and unlocked with an empty car seat in in the back, investigators said.

Sampayo then dropped off Torres, who walked up to the car and drove away while Christopher Davila walked inside the gas station, police said.

From there, Torres took it to a neighborhood near Rodriguez Park and was seen walking away from the Dart, holding the car seat on security camera footage.

Hours after he was arrested on Jan. 10, Christopher Davila led police to the field where he said he buried the infants body in a backpack, police said.

Davila is also in protective custody at the jail with bail set at $1.2 million. His charges include injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission, a 1st-degree felony, along with felon in possession of a firearm, drug possession and tampering with evidence.

In the last update from McManus on Friday, he hinted that they do not believe Davilas account of how King James died.

Davila told investigators that he was playing video games in his room as King Jay was in a car seat next to him on the bed. The car seat fell from the bed, and King Jay landed on the floor face-first, Davilas arrest warrant affidavit states. Davila said King Jay may have hit his head on a dresser on the way down, as well.

SAPD has placed a hold on the release of King Jays autopsy results. On Wednesday, a police spokeswoman could not say why or when the hold on the results wouldbe lifted.Real estate heir Robert Durst has already admitted to dismembering his former Galveston County neighbor Morris Black, but a jury never found him guilty of fatally shooting the man during a 2003 trial.

Fifteen years later, a judge has allowed prosecutors in Los Angeles County to rehash the evidence during an upcoming trial in Los Angeles Superior Court, where Durst has been charged with killing his friend, Susan Berman, in 2000. Prosecutors are also looking to tie him to his wife's disappearance in 1982, court records show.

RELATED: Dramatic video recreation of how Robert Durst says Morris Black died revealed in court filing

Superior Court Judge Mark Windham made the decision during a hearing on Tuesday in response to a 27-page motion claiming Durst is responsible for all three deaths.

His Houston-based defense attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said the ruling could mean they're "going to have to try the Galveston case all over again."

"These Hollywood prosecutors are very critical of our hometown Galveston prosecutors, and they think they could have done a better job," he told Chron.com on Thursday. "That flies in the face of fundamental fairness...and the fact that 12 jurors unanimously said hes not guilty."

DeGuerin said he wasn't sure whether he would challenge the ruling ahead of the Sept. 3 trial.

Despite the fact that Durst has only been officially charged in one killing, motions filed by Los Angeles County prosecutors paint a detailed narrative accusing Durst of killing his wife Kathie in 1982 and engaging in a violent cover-up scheme years later.

The documents claim he killed his wife in their New York home "after years of exerting power and control" over her. He then enlisted his best friend, Susan Berman, to help cover up the crime, the documents say.

Nearly 20 years after Kathie's disappearance, in 1999, New York authorities re-opened the investigating into her disappearance. Durst learned that the local press planned to publicize the update, so he fled to to a low-rent studio apartment in Galveston, where he posed as an elderly mute woman with a fake name, prosecutors say.

From there, prosecutors say he began his "master plan" to cover up his wife's killing. Fearing Berman would disclose his involvement in Kathie's death, prosecutors say he made the 650-mile journey to her home and shot her in the back of the head at point-blank range.

Months later, in Sept. 2001,prosecutors say he tied the last loose end when he shot and killed the only person who knew his true identity in Galveston, his close friend and neighbor Morris Black.

"Defendant's crimes throughout 2000-2001 were the manifestations of his same common design and plan to escape detection for his involvement in the death of his missing wife Kathie," court documents say.

In a 2003 trial in Galveston County, Durst admitted to dismembering the man and dumping his body into Galveston Bay, but his defense team claimed it wasn't related to Morris' death. They said Morris was accidentally killed in a struggle over a gun and described the dismemberment as a postmortem decision. A 12-member Galveston County jury acquitted him of the killing.

According to the Associated Press, Judge Windham said he would allow the evidence in Black's killing because "the events seem to be intertwined." He said jurors would have to decide whether Berman and Black's killing were part of an effort to dodge New York authorities.

His wife's body has never been found.

For Durst's defense team, the admission of the old evidence "dirties up the case," DeGuerin said.

"What happened in Galveston to Morris Black has nothing whatsoever to do with whether Bob Durst killed Susan Berman," he said. "Bob didn't kill Susan and he doesn't know who did, but if they start piling on all kinds of crap, then the jury is going to say 'Well this is all too much ... and we're going to convict.'"

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.For the first time since the November election, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday sat down with the head of the firefighters union and said he is willing to negotiate a plan to phase in raises mandated by the voter-approved charter amendment that requires the city to pay firefighters the same as police of equal rank and seniority.

Seated across a wide conference room table from Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton, Turner said, "We are not the federal government. We cannot engage in deficit spending. Our books must balance at the end of the fiscal year. And so, if you all are willing to work with me, as the mayor of the city of Houston, to spread the cost of Proposition B out over an extended period of time, then I am more than willing to sit down and work with you ... to work out the details."

The offer to negotiate a way to implement the raises over time rather than being forced to implement the full raises  which Turner has said would cost the city an additional $100 million a year  was a sharp turnaround for the mayor.

For months leading up to the election, Lancton had said the union did not expect to receive raises overnight. He repeated the point after voters approved the pay parity measure on Nov. 6, calling for Turner to negotiate a new contract with the firefighters to supersede the charter amendment. Turner repeatedly rejected the idea, saying it was up to a judge to determine whether that would be legal.

On Wednesday, however, it was Lancton and union attorney Troy Blakeney who would not commit to implementing Proposition B over a matter of time, suggesting Turner was asking them to agree to something that was too vague. Blakeney also indicated that serious contract negotiations should take place behind closed doors, not in front of TV cameras.

Instead, both sides appeared to lay the groundwork for future discussions. Early in the meeting, Blakeney affirmed the unions desire to meet with Turner and his administration to develop something that might work, he said.

"If the city wants to move forward, either through mediation or either through collective bargaining, then I would recommend we do so, Blakeney told Turner. We didn't come today to do anything but listen. It is your job as mayor, and Chief (Samuel) Pena's job as fire chief, to put together a proposal and submit it to us. It's not our job to tell you how to run the city or the fire department.

In addition to leaving opening the door to negotiation, Wednesdays meeting appeared, for the day at least, to lower the temperature of the debate. Throughout the fire unions campaign for Prop B, Lancton and his rank and file colleagues repeatedly blasted Turner, calling him vindictive and dishonest in his dealings with firefighters.

The unions relationship with Turner cratered during his first year in office, which the mayor spent pushing through a pension reform package that will cut future benefits from retirees, including firefighters.

It only worsened when contract negotiations between the two sides fell apart and the fire union sued the city. The Prop B referendum pushed the two sides even further apart.

Turner spent months actively campaigning against the measure, arguing it would amount to a 25 percent raise for firefighters and cost $100 million more a year. The city, he said repeatedly, would be forced to lay off as many as 1,000 employees, including hundreds of firefighters if the charter amendment passed. Lancton and the union accused him of using scare tactics and said layoffs would not be needed.

After the election, the Houston Police Officers Union obtained a temporary restraining order on the charter amendment, but a state district judge later threw out the order and denied a further attempt by the city to block Proposition B. Turner then said his administration would begin to implement the raises, though he said it would take months to do so.

The fire union sought a court order Tuesday aiming to force the city to begin giving out the pay raises, which Lancton said was necessary because Turner had yet to give a firm date by which the city would abide by the voter-backed amendment.

For much of the meeting Wednesday, Turner and Blakeney hit on familiar points. From the mayors perspective, Proposition B came without a funding source, leaving the city in $100 million hole, on top of an ongoing budget shortfall of at least $92 million in each of the next five years. To the firefighters, voters made a clear decision in November, passing Prop B by 18 percentage points, and the city should begin mailing out larger paychecks to the already under-compensated firefighters.

Left unanswered were numerous core questions that will define any upcoming negotiations. Turner has not said how long he wants to spread out the pay raises, for instance. Also unclear was the impact of the firefighters legal request Tuesday for a court order forcing the city to begin paying the firefighters more. The meeting finished on a positive note, but neither side moved to set dates for negotiations or settled the method by which the city and union will attempt to hammer out a new contract.

"The reality is, you have nearly 300,000 voters that supported not only Proposition B, but the firefighters, and since that time there has been no substantive discussion or dialogue about implementation or any other path, Lancton said after the meeting. Our position has always been there are two ways to move forward: One is to follow the law and implement Proposition B. The other one was to implement through a contract. That hasnt changed.

Ultimately, the meeting appeared to be the start of a protracted negotiation process, though neither side would commit to much of anything Wednesday.

It's obviously a start of something, Blakeney said. Maybe the start and finish on the same day. But it's certainly a start.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

twitter.com/jaspschererA Houston man told jurors Wednesday that he set two of his housemates on fire in 2016 because he had received subliminal messages that they were behind imagined threats to his life and to his family in Virginia.

Curtis Holliman testified he thought he and his family were in grave danger because of defense attorney Kirby Taylors contacts with Houston-area police officers. Holliman had moved in with the attorney and his adult son Dexter Taylor, who died due to extensive burns after he was doused with gasoline and set afire.

I asked both of them if they were behind the threats, threats on my family, threats against me, and they both laughed, Holliman said. In the moment, I lost it. Something came over me. It was if my mind just went blank.

Earlier, Holliman, 35, told the jury that in 2016 he had been emailing with then-President Barack Obama in the days before he allegedly set the well-known Houston attorney and his adult son on fire.

The mind-bending claim was just one of many that Holliman testified to as his defense teams strategy emerged: They are expected to argue he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

I was hallucinating. I was paranoid. Im seeing shadow people everywhere, Holliman said on the stand. After doing some research online, I thought that I was the Messiah. That I was Jesus.

On Thursday, prosecutors will have the chance to cross-examine Holliman and are expected to call a mental health expert to dispute the controversial defense.

Holliman faces life in prison if convicted of using an accelerant to douse Dexter Taylor and then using a barbecue lighter to ignite his clothes. Kirby Taylor survived the attack and recovered after receiving burns over 30 percent of his body.

If Holliman and his defense team can convince the jury that he did not know his actions were wrong, he may be able to secure a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, a rarity in Harris County.

Holliman, who Kirby Taylor had defended on a drug charge, told the jury that after his housemates laughed at his questions he remembers leaping up the stairs, filled with adrenaline.

I got the gas and went downstairs and threw it, he said. In my right mind, I would never do something like that.

Holliman testified that he doused both men with the accelerant and pulled out a barbecue lighter.

When I threw the gas, Kirby ran towards the door and I lit him on the back, he told the jury. He turned and ran toward Dexter and Dexter ignited.

Earlier in the day, jurors saw graphic photos of Dexter Taylor after he was pronounced dead at Memorial Hermann Hospital. He had third-degree burns over 100 percent of his body and was covered head-to-toe in gauze wrapping.

Most of the jurors shook their heads and lowered their eyes after seeing Dexter Taylors burned face, his teeth and nostrils covered in soot.

Taylor, the attorney, testified that neither he nor his son laughed and that his son simply smiled after Holliman confronted them with his wild-eyed accusations.

Taylor also disputed Hollimans assertion that they were living together in a dating relationship. He said they were friends from church and he was trying to help the younger man get on his feet after he got out of jail.

Holliman testified that on the day he allegedly set the fire, he had been living with the attorney in a romantic relationship for almost eight years. The two met at a church event and Taylor had counseled him in a drug case a decade ago.

Holliman also told jurors that he knows he was being delusional, but, on questioning from his attorney Skip Cornelius, he seems to still believe some of those delusions, including that his family is in danger.

Now, its not as bad, he said of his mental health.

Two mental health experts are expected to testify Thursday as the murder trial continues.

One will testify at the request of the Hollimans defense team and the other has been called by prosecutors Jennifer Meriwether and Kristina Roberts.

In clear cut insanity cases, those in which both experts agree that someone is insane, the Harris County District Attorneys Office generally agrees to a deal for the person to go a state hospital.

In the case against Holliman, a jury of six women and six men, - one of whom is black like Holliman - will have to weigh his mental state at the time of Dexter Kirbys death.

The trial in state District Judge Kelli Johnsons court is expected to last about a week.Two teenagers are probably regretting calling the police when a group of men robbed them of their weed Wednesday.

Deputies said Reed Henry, 18, and Jeremy Galladora, 17, were trying to sell marijuana to a few men in the 9300 block of Spring Cypress Road.A 9-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed while playing with a gun Wednesday afternoon at a northwest Houston apartment, according to police.

The child and his cousin, also 9, found the gun inside an apartment in the 4000 block of West 34th St., said Lt. Larry Crowson. The cousin was handling the weapon when it fired.Church Gunfire Part of Intimidation Campaign Against Iraq's Assyrians

Two recent incidents of gunfire outside churches in northern Iraq reflect a broader campaign of "intimidation" against Christians in the country, it has been claimed.

Men claiming to be part of a wedding party fired their automatic weapons into the air for 30 minutes outside St George's Syrian Catholic Church in the town of Bartella (AINA 2018-11-30).

Local authorities failed to respond to the illegal incident which happened on 1st December 2018.

Meanwhile, a similar shooting incident took place outside a Syriac Catholic church in nearby Qaraqosh one week later.

The perpetrators identified themselves as members of the Popular Mobilisation Units, an Iran-backed paramilitary group which played a major role in the liberation of the Nineveh Plains from Islamic State (IS) extremists.

They also belong to the Shabak, a Shi'a Muslim ethnic group in Iraq which has been accused of infringing onto Christian villages through unlawful land purchases.

Middle East Concern (MEC), a Christian charity which promotes the freedoms of Christians throughout the region, said authorities had done nothing in response to the shootings.

A statement read: "To date, there have been no efforts to investigate these incidents, bring the perpetrators to justice or to protect the Christian community and church buildings in Bartella and Qaraqosh.

"Christians in Iraq strongly experience this as intimidation aimed at increasing their feelings of vulnerability and fear."

"The ancestral villages, where believers have been living since the early days of Christianity, are an important part of Iraqi Christians sense of identity.

"Recognising this, the Iraqi constitution prohibits changing land ownership if it will change the demographics of an area."

Efforts have intensified since last year to help Christian families resettle in the Nineveh Plains after IS was driven out of the region. Forty-per-cent have sinced returned.

MEC urged believers to pray for Iraqi Christians "to stand strong and be bold, in facing continued intimidations and threats".AUSTIN  Oil and gas executives. A Walmart heiress. The owner of the Houston Rockets. Those are just a few of the people who rushed to give money to then-presumptive Speaker Dennis Bonnen in the weeks after he announced hed clinched the top post.

Bonnen, a bank executive and Republican, raised $4.1 million between July and December. Just under $4 million flooded in from interest groups ranging from beer distributors to communications companies and wealthy executives in the weeks after he declared in November that he had the votes to win the speakership. He was elected unanimously this month. In July, he reported having $707,000 on hand.

Bonnen raised a little less than Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who runs the Texas Senate. Patrick, who ran opposed in the general election, picked up $4.89 million.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The rush was on to raise money  lawmakers are banned from fundraising during the Legislative session that runs through Memorial Day. The political war chests can be used to dole out campaign contributions to candidates they want to support in future elections.

Heres a breakdown of the Legislative leaders biggest campaign donors who gave more than $50,000:

HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS BONNEN

- Border Health PAC gave $100,000. The political action committee donates to candidates who support physicians on the border. The PAC cut two checks, including one for $75,000 during Thanksgiving weekend.

- Charles C. Butt, the CEO of H-E-B grocery store chain, gave $75,000 and covered a $2,100 event bill after Bonnen declared victory in the speakers race. Butt also gifted Bonnen $10,000 before Bonnen had secured the speakership. Butt is a longtime public education advocate and lawmakers expect to focus on reforming how the state funds schools this year.

- A&M PAC, which operates on behalf of the the Texas A&M University System, contributed $50,000.

- Executives from Hunt Consolidated Inc. collectively gave $75,000. Hunt Consolidated is privately owned and is home to a collection of companies involved in oil and gas, real estate, investments, ranching and infrastructure. Woody Hunt, executive chairman of the Dallas-based company, gave $50,000 while Senior Chairman Ray Lee Hunt gave $25,000.

- Tilman J. Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets, gave $50,000. Also the owner of Landrys Restaurants, he covered an event for Bonnen totaling $5,250 for a total contribution of 55,250.

- AT&T Inc. Texas PAC gave $52,000  $2,000 of which came in before Bonnen announced his bid for speaker. AT&T employs 38 registered lobbyists to influence Texas policy.

- Alice L. Walton, the wealthy heiress of Walmart family, gave Bonnen $50,000. She is the richest woman in Texas, according to Forbes.

- Paul L. Foster, a University of Texas System regent and an executive at Western Refining Company, gave $50,000.

- Friends of UT Southwestern Medical Center, also known as FOMCPAC, gave $50,000.

- Dallas billionaire H. Ross Perot Jr., who founded real estate development company Hillwood Development Corp., gave $50,000. He also contibuted to Patrick.

- John Nau III, Silver Eagle Distributors executive in Houston, gave $50,000. Nau serves as Gov. Greg Abbotts campaign treasurer. Silver Eagle is the nations largest Anheuser-Busch distributor.

LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK

Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, has also been raising big money going into the legislative session. Seven different donors have given Patricks Texans for Dan Patrick account at least $50,000 each since Oct. 30.

- The top donor was Darwin Deason, owner of Deason Capital Services LLC of Dallas, who sent Patrick a $150,000 donation in early November. Deason is a billionaire tech entrepreneur who created Affiliated Computer Service before selling it for billions to Xerox.

- Kelcy Warren,who is a partner with Energy Transfer Partner of Dallas, gave Patrick $100,000. Energy Transfer Partner is natural gas and propane pipeline transport company.

- Ryan Texas PAC of Dallas also donated $100,000 to Patricks account in early December. Ryan Texas is a tax consultant firm.

- H. Ross Perot, the son of the one-time presidential candidate from Dallas, gave $75,000 to Patrick in late October. Perot, who also gave to Bonnen, is the chairman of a global real estate development company called Hillwood.

- Cary Patterson, the founding partner of the Texarkana law firm Nix Patterson LLP, gave $50,000 in early November.

- Steve Ledwell, VP of Ledwell and Sons of Texarkana, a truck manufacturing company, gave $50,000 in early November.

- Another $50,000 came from FOMCPAC of Dallas. That is the Friends of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. That donation came the first week of December.Iraqi Assyrian Border Villages Bear the Brunt of Turkish Air Strikes

A church in the Assyrian village of Araden. ( MEE/Kainoa Little) The village of Araden sits amidst gorgeous countryside not far from the main tourist attractions of Iraq's Kurdish region. Stunning mountains dot the landscape, while the city of Amedi overlooks green valleys, and there are remnants of an old vacation home used by the former president Saddam Hussein close by.

In Araden, which is largely Christian, churches are surrounded by lush forests and fields. However, Araden and other villages near the Iraqi-Turkish border face regular air strikes from Turkey, which is targeting positions held by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

According to the Erbil-based Kurdish media outlet Rudaw, in the past year, Turkish jets have bombed Amedi district 98 times, and at least 12 people have been killed.

The armed Kurdish group has fought a guerrilla war in Turkey since 1984, and the PKK has long made its base in the mountainous border between Turkey and northern Iraq, which is controlled by the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Mohammad Salih lost his son, Dilovan Mohammad Salih, to such an air strike on 15 November, when Dilovan was tending to his honey bees in the mountains above the village. He has no hope that the bombs will stop in the future.

"Kurdistan can't stop the Turkish bombs," said the older Salih, using the Kurdish nationalist name for the region, holding a picture of his late child.

"Turkey is a big country. Kurdistan is small."

Salih says his son was not a member of the PKK, nor a supporter. He said he was in the Peshmerga, the official military unit of the KRG.

This was not the last time Turkey struck apparent PKK targets in Iraq. On 13 December, Turkish jets hit a refugee camp in Makhmour, which, unlike Araden, is deep in territory controlled by Baghdad.

Turkey believes the PKK has a presence in the camp. Ankara will not stop what it sees as essential operations for its security, and is currently threatening to invade Kurdish-inhabited parts of neighbouring Syria in an effort to fight the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG).

However, people in Araden and the nearby villages in the Kurdistan region of Iraq's border area are already suffering because of the Turkey-PKK conflict.

The PKK seeks autonomy for predominantly Kurdish regions in southeast Turkey, and uses violent tactics to achieve this. Turkey attributed a bomb attack that killed seven Turkish soldiers in October to the PKK.

The group has a large presence along the mountainous border between southeast Turkey and the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, and Turkey's air force frequently targets them there, despite recent Iraqi opposition. Iraq condemned the attack in Makhmour, and summoned Turkey's ambassador over it.

However, Turkey continued to bomb northern Iraq shortly after this, and regularly bombed the PKK in KRG territory and the Sinjar region throughout 2018. Most of the attacks were in areas close to the Turkish border, like the one that killed Salih's son.

The Makhmour attack, on the other hand, took place 165km into Iraqi territory. Some villages in the Duhok province have reportedly been evacuated due to the dangers of the bombings.

The attacks have disrupted life in villages near the Iraq-Turkey border. Salih says he supports neither the PKK nor Turkey's presence in the area, and that the Turkish jets in the sky have rendered it unsafe to go to parts of Araden closer to the mountains.

"It's dangerous," he said. "There are always airplanes."

'Bullying'

Many villagers are fed up with the situation. Salwan Hirmiz owns a small convenience store in the centre of Araden. He says the strikes have made farming difficult.

"They're bullying Iraqi and Kurdish lands," he said from his shop near a church in the town.

"Farmers can't go to the mountain. They're scared."

Locals are quick to point out Turkey's military presence in the area. Turkey maintains a military base in Bamerne, which is just west of Araden, according to Rudaw. MEE observed a base with what looked like an airstrip in the town. At the time of publication, the KRG had not responded to MEE requests to confirm the site's use.

Turkey, which launched Operation Tigris Shield - a ground incursion into Iraq against the PKK - on 10 March last year, had 11 military bases in northern Iraq as of June 2018, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

This is not to say the area is a warzone, though. Amedi, the largest locale near Araden, is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area, bringing in people from across the KRG and Iraq in the spring and summer.

The conflict does not affect daily life in the city, according to one shopkeeper.

"They don't hit the town, only the mountains," Muhammad Ahmed told MEE.

However, Ahmed said he wanted both Turkey and the PKK to leave the area, and said he felt powerless in the face of the bombs.

"I don't like it because it's my land and I can't stop them," he said from his store in central Amedi.

A lot of people in the area are not supporters of the PKK. The Duhok province the villages lie in is a stronghold for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is the largest party in the KRG.

The KDP has traditionally enjoyed close economic ties with Turkey, and has actually fought the PKK in the past.

Araden's Assyrian Christian population suffers from a Turkey-PKK conflict that does not involve them, and other Assyrian villages in Iraq have been caught up in the fighting as well.

Immediately following the 15 November bombing, some on social media accused the KRG of being neither strong nor fast enough in condemning the attack, although the Peshmerga did condemn the Turkish air strike a few days later. And in March, the KRG also officially expressed concern over Turkish air strikes in its territory.

Sarkawt Shams, a member of the Iraqi parliament from the New Generation party, says the KRG can only do so much, but should come out stronger against Turkey's air strikes nonetheless.

"The KRG is limited, but it can condemn it at least," Shams told MEE. "The KRG has been silent and it is shameful for KRG leadership."

Baghdad 'silent'

The federal Iraqi government strongly condemned the Makhmour bombing, but the camp is recognised by Baghdad as federal and not part of the KRG. Villages like Araden in Duhok province, on the other hand, where many of the air strikes have taken place, are recognised by Baghdad as KRG territories.

Shams thinks Iraq has likewise been slow to condemn Turkey's actions overall, and says this is the first time the country summoned the ambassador over the issue.

"Baghdad is also responsible for keeping silent or ignoring the strikes as if the Kurdistan region is not part of Iraq," he said.

Some Iraqi politicians are similarly angered by the Turkish attacks in Iraqi territory. Ali al-Bayati from the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights says Turkey should work with Iraq to fight the PKK, and not bomb the country unilaterally.

"If Turkey wants a real solution in the case of the PKK, they should cooperate with the Iraqi side," he told MEE. "Imagine if Iraqi forces launched some attacks or military interventions in Turkish lands, what would be the response?"

From the Turkish government's point of view, the air strikes are a matter of national security. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, as well as by the United States and European Union.

More than 1,100 Turkish security services members have been killed in the Turkey-PKK conflict since peace talks broke down in 2015, according to the International Crisis Group, which updated their statistics on 11 January.

Since 2015, more than 460 civilians and more than 2,400 PKK fighters have also been killed, according to the group.

Iraq's President Barham Salih, a Kurd from the city of Sulaimaniyah, met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 3 January.

The two discussed the PKK issue, but it is not clear what, if anything, will come out of the meeting.

Regardless of what happens to Turkey-Iraq ties in 2019, the damage is already done.

"He was born there and killed there," Salih said of his son.

"He left behind four kids who are now living without a dad."Novelist Sherrilyn Kenyon had been feeling inexplicably sick. Then, she said learned she had high levels of poison in her system.

Kenyon, a prolific and award-winning fantasy author known for her best-selling "Dark-Hunter" novels, has accused her husband, Lawrence Kenyon II, and his assistant, Kerrie Ann Plump, of poisoning her. A sheriff's department in Tennessee is looking into the claim, the Tennessean reported.

The Tennessean reported lab results from a sample of Kenyon's hair showed high levels of tin, lithium, barium, platinum and thorium were found in her system. Kenyon told the Tennessean she believes she was poisoned over a three-year period.

RELATED: Novelist who wrote about 'How to Murder Your Husband' charged with murdering her husband

The lawsuit filed by Kenyon alleges her husband and Plump  a woman who was originally hired to tutor their child  fed Kenyon tainted food, causing her trouble with breathing, nausea and hair loss, among other symptoms.

Kenyon claims her husband was trying to kill her to gain access to her estate, according to the lawsuit. The two are in the process of divorcing.

Kenyon II has responded to the claims through his lawyer, Sean Aiello. In a statement to the Guardian, Aiello said: "There can be no question that Sherrilyn Kenyon is a brilliant fiction writer, but it is apparent that she has irreparably blurred the line between fiction and reality."

Kenyon II's statement confirmed no charges had yet been charged against him by local authorities, the Guardian reported.

Kenyon II's statement continued: "These astonishing and unsubstantiated allegations may stand as her best fantasy creation yet. When Lawrence Kenyon filed for divorce a year ago, he wanted nothing more from his wife other than an amicable divorce. He is saddened that the stress of these proceedings has brought out the worst in such a talented writer."

ALSO: Famous author known for fabricating parts of memoir wins Bad Sex in Fiction Award

In an impassioned newsletter to her fans, Kenyon went into more detail about her allegations. The situation came to her attention in March, she wrote. Since then, her symptoms and health have "dramatically improved."

"Please be patient with me as I fight one of the hardest battles of my life against these monstrous liars who are trying their best to tear down my career and to take the things that do not belong to them," she wrote. "....I really didn't think I'd be here today. I honestly thought by now we'd be planning my funeral."

"I'm glad we're not," she continued. "In spite of the fact that I no longer believe in happy endings, I'm still trying desperately to believe that good will triumph over such dark evil."ALBANY  New York has a free tuition plan for students at State University of New York campuses. But the program, known as the Excelsior Scholarship, is limited to students from families with incomes of up to $125,000. A relatively small number of private colleges are also participating.

To broaden college access and affordability, lawmakers have in the past pushed for a pre-paid plan that would let families lock in tuition for their kids by paying in advance. The idea received a boost recently when a study from the Rockefeller Institute concluded that a state-sponsored prepaid tuition plan for public colleges and universities could expand access to SUNY and the City University of New York for tens of thousands of students "while creating a new pathway around student debt.

One of the best strategies of dealing with student loan debt is to avoid it in the first place, added the report, which was issued earlier this month.

Like most states, New York has a college savings or "529" plan that allows families to put funds aside tax-free toward tuition. That plan has proved popular.

Launched in 1997, the states 529 College Savings Programs main account  known as the Direct Plan  was worth more than $22.6 billion, and has paid out more than $1.2 billion, according to a 2017 report from the state Comptrollers office.

Those plans could be augmented by a pre-paid program which allows families to lock in a tuition rate for their children.

So far, 11 states have added pre-paid components to their 529 savings plans, according to the Rockefeller Institute study.

More for you News SUNY officials, union debate how to pay for professor raises

Those include a plan in Massachusetts that lets savers lock in half of their future tuition: If tuition was, say, $10,000 today, a $5,000 Tuition Certificate would be guaranteed to cover 50 percent of tuition  no matter how much the tuition cost increases in the future.

Florida, which has the nations largest pre-paid, plan lets parents lock in tuition at a state school from a childs birth. At the current rate, families that paid $186.28 per month from the child's arrival would cover tuition and fees for 120 credits, enough to earn a bachelors degree.

Rockland County Democratic state Sen. David Carlucci sponsored a bill earlier in the year to create such a program, but it didnt make it out of the chamber's Education Committee.

Long Island GOP Sen. Ken LaValle, the outgoing chairman of the Senate's Higher Education committee, introduced a similar measure. Queens Democrat Toby Stavisky will assume the committee chair's post when the new Democratic majority takes office in January.

In the Assembly, Syracuse Democrat William Magnarelli has proposed a similar measure.

The bill will likely come up again, especially as college debt becomes an ever-larger economic issue for many families.

A November report by the Brookings Institution found that parents accumulating six-figure loans for their children are making up a record share of borrowers for college loans.

Also in November, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said student loan debt had reached crisis proportions, tripling since 2007 and growing by $500 billion since 2013.

DeVos noted that since 2010 the growth has been driven by the amounts being borrowed: 70 percent of the student loan debt increase stems from individuals borrowing in larger sums, while 30 percent is due to an increase in the population of student loan borrowers.

Not everyone is convinced that pre-paid programs are the answer. The New York Public Interest Research Group believes more financial aid is needed.

Its unclear what schools overall think of pre-payment plans.

SUNY has consistently worked to help students gain access to a quality education without burdensome debt, and we look forward to continuing this important work in 2019, SUNY spokeswoman Holly Liapis said.

And the state Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities hasnt polled its members on the idea. It would be up to the individual institutions, said spokeswoman Emily Morgese.

One potential challenge the schools might be contemplating: If costs go up faster than expected, schools might face a financial gap if a lot of families have locked in their tuition rates.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTUA frantic phone call from a human trafficking victim in Houston to her mother in Fort Worth might have been the call that saved her life, police said.

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.

The 20-year-old woman, who's also from Fort Worth, moved to Houston with a friend on Dec. 21 to look for a job, according to Houston Police Department Vice Division Commander James Dale.

The pair stayed together in Houston for a few days but couldn't find any work. The holiday season might have played a role in their inability to find jobs, Dale said. The woman's friend gave up and drove back home to Fort Worth, leaving the 20-year-old alone in the country's fourth largest city.

Police say she was living alone in a hotel in the city's westside when she met Kevin Winston.

Winston, 25, walked up to the woman at the hotel pool and started talking to her. She told him that she was looking for work, and Winston seemed like a godsend when he told her he knew someone who was hiring, Dale said.

On top of the job prospect, Winston bought the woman new clothes and other items, even offering to pay her hotel bill in full. The whole time, he was grooming her to work for him as a prostitute, Dale said.

"He told her all the things she wanted to hear," Dale said.

About three days after their first meeting, Winston made his first move by asking her to become his prostitute, according to Dale. The woman resisted immediately. That's when he allegedly beat her into submission and forced her to become a prostitute, Dale said.

During one encounter with a john on Dec. 27, the woman was able to get hold of his cell phone and call her mother in Fort Worth. She told her mother that she was being forced into prostitution and being held against her will but was unable to give her an exact location. That frantic and short phone call worried her mother, who filed a missing person report with the Fort Worth Police Department immediately.

Police say the woman was almost returned home safely after a Texas police officer pulled over a vehicle she was in, but that officer actually wound up taking her off the missing person registry and sending her off. Dale declined to name the location of the traffic stop or the agency that pulled the car over.

The officer identified the woman as a passenger in the car and noticed she was listed as a missing person when he ran her identification through several databases, as most officers do during a traffic stop, Dale said.

"At the time, the officer though that everything was OK and that it wasn't a trafficking situation," Dale said.

The woman told the officer she was OK, Dale said, so the missing person report was taken down. Dale said while the traffic stop was not the brightest moment for law enforcement, he said any officer would have acted the same way.

That wasn't enough for the woman's mother, who instead went to Houston to search for her daughter on her own. For weeks, the mother went around town trying to find her, to no avail. It wasn't until 3 p.m. Tuesday that the mother called the Houston Police Department to ask for help, Dale said.

With just the phone number provided by the mother, vice detectives were able to track down the woman's photo on a website promoting her as a prostitute. That's when an undercover officer organized a meetup pretending to be a john, Dale said.

Winston and two other suspects  Martina Chambers, 20, and Mikia Collins, 19  drove off from the hotel as the undercover officer showed up. Marked police officers were able to find the three and pulled them over, ultimately taking them into custody on a plethora of human trafficking, and prostitution-related felony charges. By the time those three were in custody, the woman had been rescued by police.

"She immediately broke down sobbing," Dale said of the moments police barged into the room. "She was extremely emotional and thankful that police officers were there. We were able to reunite her with her mom."

The timing of the sting was perfect, since the three suspects were planning on taking the woman to New York early Wednesday morning  likely to be sold to another pimp, Dale said. Winston and Chambers were both charged with felony aggravated promotion of prostitution, compelling prostitution and trafficking of a person, while Collins was charged with compelling prostitution and trafficking of a person.

Collins and Chambers appeared to be former prostitutes belonging to Winston who worked their way up in their ring, Dale said. By the time they were arrested Tuesday, Dale said the two women were engaging in active recruitment of other women to become Winston's prostitutes.

"Eventually, (these women) get beat down, manipulated, and really, kind of brainwashed by the trafficker (into doing more nefarious things)," Dale said.

The investigation is far from over. The victim told police that there might have been at least one other pimp who trafficked her and more victims just like her inside Winston's ring.

Anyone with information about human trafficking in Houston is urged to call HPD's Vice Division's Human Trafficking Unit at 713-308-8600.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text messageTexas Child Protective Services previously visited the northwest Houston apartment where police said a 9-year-old boy was accidentally shot by his cousin on Wednesday, the fifth Houston-area child to die by gunfire in the last three weeks.

The boy, whose identity has not been released, and his cousin, also 9, were playing with a gun in the afternoon before it discharged inside an apartment in the 4000 block of West 34th Street, police said. The child had at least one gunshot wound to the arm and chest.

Neighbor Robert Capelo said he arrived home and heard a boy screaming from the back balcony of the apartment.

He was just crying and going off, Capelo said Thursday, noting that the two boys usually got home from school in the afternoon and played together.

Its unclear whether the wounded boy, his cousin or both live at the residence. CPS last had contact with the family currently at that address back in February 2018 and another time in 2014, a Texas Department of Family Protective Services spokeswoman confirmed. CPS declined to specify the reason for either instance, citing confidentiality rules.

The firearm was legally purchased, police said.

The Harris County District Attorneys Office will determine whether an adult will face criminal charges of making a firearm accessible to a child.

A Deer Park couple was charged with the misdemeanor in March after authorities said their 14-year-old son shot and killed a 14-year-old girl with a handgun left out on the family's kitchen counter. The boy was charged with criminally negligent homicide.

The father, Charles Roessler, pleaded no contest in October and received probation. The case against the mother, Kathy Roessler, is pending.

The fatal shooting Wednesday was the most recent of at least five deaths due to gunfire in the last three weeks.

Three children, including a baby, were found shot to death at a Texas City apartment on Jan. 3. The man who police believed responsible turned himself in. He was the biological father of one of the girls, 2-month-old Ashanti Mehmood. Hes also accused of killing the girls mothers other two children, Prince Larry Brown, almost 2; and Angela Pilot, 5.

And 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes died on Dec. 30 in northeast Harris County after she was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near a Walmart. After a manhunt involving support from celebrities and Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, spurred in part by speculation that the shooting was race-related, authorities determined that the incident was allegedly a case of mistaken identity.

The accused shooters believed they were confronting people they fought with hours earlier, prosecutors said.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

twitter.com/sam_kettThe members of the Montgomery County Search & Rescue organization now have four more tools in their toolbox to assist with local rescue and recovery operations.

The all-volunteer group was awarded a grant through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. With the grant, the organization purchased four FLIR (forward looking infrared) mobile units to use in searches.

Members of Montgomery County Search & Rescue and local Firehouse Subs franchise owner Nancy Nixon gathered at Nixons Conroe Firehouse Subs Wednesday morning to celebrate the purchase of the units.

The MOCSAR works with local law enforcement agencies to help in various situations such as lost or missing persons, drowning victims, hiking accidents, swift water and wilderness rescue.

Eighty to 90 percent of the call outs are during the night so we have to run night operations, said Montgomery County Search & Rescue President Steve Degner. (The FLIR units) are heat-seeking devices. So if a victim is hurt and not able to reach out to us and let us know they are there, with this we are able to see them. This is something weve wanted for years, but could not afford it.

The units cost roughly $500 each and can take photos and short videos.

Degner explained this grant will allow each ground team to be self-sufficient and enable them to cover more ground in a shorter period of time, thereby increasing searcher safety by providing increased visibility under difficult search conditions.

These high-end units can pinpoint victims by using thermal imaging technology, Degner said. This will help during night operations, under foggy conditions, when the victim may be covered by debris, or even during flooded conditions when a person may be trapped in a vehicle or high in a tree.

The FLIR units also alert searchers to possible dangerous conditions like live wires, downed transformers, animals and certain chemicals that lay out a heat source.

Nancy Nixon owns Firehouse Subs stores in Conroe, Spring and Huntsville. She also has a fire responder background.

Coming from a first responder background, I understand the need for proper working equipment and any assistance we get from Firehouse Subs is awesome, Nixon said.

The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Firehouse Subs co-founders Chris Sorenson and Robin Sorenson, firefighter brothers who founded Firehouse Subs, participated in recovery efforts from Katrina. Out of their effort to want to do more the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born.

To help the effort, patrons of the restaurant can round up your cash or credit purchase to the nearest dollar at the counter, feed a donation canister near the register, purchase Firehouse Subs empty pickle buckets for all kinds of creative uses or donate during Public Safety Month in October.

Locally, Nixons franchises have bought AED units for the HEARTS Veterans Museum in Huntsville, the Walker County Sheriffs Office and Huntsville Police Department. Through a Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant, the Huntsville Fire Department was awarded $13,000 of water rescue equipment.

For more information about the grants visit www.firehousesubsfoundation.org. For more on Firehouse Subs, visit www.firehousesubs.com.

For more information about Montgomery County Search & Rescue visit www.mocscar.org.The Cy-Fair ISD board of trustees will begin 2019 with discuss rezoning attendance boundaries for elementary schools, district-wide academic performance and proposed bond purchases during their first regular meeting of the spring semester tonight.

During their Jan. 17 regular meeting, the CFISD board of trustees will discuss the possible restructuring of attendance boundaries for the 2019-2020 school year.

A committee of CFISD administrative staff proposed several ideas to the board of trustees about possible boundary modifications. Kristi Giron, director of general administration and member of the District Boundary Committee, presented the possible modifications during a work session meeting on Jan. 14.

The committee proposed the district reduce the attendance boundaries for Post Elementary School in order to reduce the potential over-attendance and distribute students to other CFISD schools like Lee and Gleason elementary schools. Specifically, the committee would like to include Stonehaven Apartments in the Lee attendance boundary.

Academic performance

The board will also hold a public hearing for the districts Texas Academic Performance Report for the 2017-2018 school year. The district did not receive an accountability rating due to Harvey Provision 2018, which enabled the district to not be rated due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

It was determined that CFISD met the requirements for Special Education Determination and the 2018 Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test, which determines qualification for enlistment in the armed forces.

Bond purchases

The board will also discuss potential purchases using bond funds, including the purchase of 16-acre tract of land in Parkland Village, a Bridgeland property, a traffic signal at Spring Cypress Road and renovations to Labay Middle School, according to the official agenda.

The CFISD Board of Trustees hold a meeting on the third Thursday of every month. For more information, visit the CFISD website.

chevall.pryce@chron.comThe Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has arrested 24 men on suspicion of seeking sex with minors, including one man being charged with sexual assault of a child.

The three-month long sting is part of the task force's ongoing investigations to thwart the online solicitation of minors, which is a second-degree felony offense. The task force arrested at least 61 people in similar investigative operations in 2018, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office Child Exploitation Division.

"Protecting the children of Montgomery County is always my top priority," Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon said in a statement. "The task force is committed to keeping our children safe and we will continue to aggressively pursue those that seek to victimize our children through the internet."

Ligon pointed to the number of arrests and charges made in 2018 as a warning to would-be offenders.

"We will not tolerate sexual exploitation of our children," he said in a statement.

From Oct. 8 through Dec. 20, investigators posing online and through mobile phone as children younger than 17 determined the adult suspects they were communicating with were soliciting them for sex. Most of the men arrested were from either Montgomery County or Harris County. A couple was from Liberty County and one was from Walker County.

Montgomery County: 39 felony DWI arrests, 26 felony sex crimes arrests in Dec.

Cody Wayne Dean, 30, of Spring, was arrested Nov. 28 was accused of soliciting sex from who he thought was a 14-year-old. During questioning, he admitted during a polygraph test to having sex with a female family member when he was 18 years old, county officials said. Investigators say they confirmed the family member was underage at the time and charged Dean with sexual assault of a child, according to court records.

Thomas Earl Massey, 46, of Conroe, was arrested Oct. 24 on charges of soliciting sex from a minor. Massey has previously served a 10-year sentence on a robbery charge, according to court records.

Massey also has two convictions for causing bodily injury to a family member and a conviction for evading arrest with a vehicle, public records show.

Christian Andrew Turcios, 22, of Katy, was arrested Nov. 7 on suspicion of soliciting sex from a minor. Turcios received two additional felony charges for assaulting a public servant and evading arrest with a vehicle while an officer attempted to arrest him during the sting. Turcios is accused of dragging the arresting officer with his vehicle as he tried to flee, filing documents show.

NOVEMBER ROUNDUP: 33 arrested on sex-related felony charges in Montgomery County

Juan M. Gone, alias Juan Gone, Jr, 37, of Houston, was arrested Dec. 18 on suspicion of soliciting sex from a minor. He is accused of sending a photo of his penis to whom he thought was a minor, according to court records.

Ramiro Emilio Sanchez, 21, of South Houston, was arrested Nov. 2 on suspicion of soliciting sex from a minor.

Jeffrey Daniel Hunter, 58, of Willis, was arrested Dec. 20, and charged with soliciting sex from a minor under 14, according to court records.

In other cases:

Abdalrazak Akram-Yosef Hamdan, 22, of Houston, was arrested Oct. 4. Earl Stanley Boutte, 41, of Conroe was arrested Oct. 8. Reginald Dchien Sampson, 26, of Conroe, Jimmie Daniel Merchant, 27, Huntsville, and Fernando Fernandez-Guzman, also known as Fernandez Guzman Fernandez, 22, of Willis, were arrested Oct. 23.

Tyrone David Broussard, 44, of Willis, was arrested Oct. 24. Omar Hermann, 34, of Houston, was arrested Oct. 26. Richard Alex Tamez, 26, of Houston, was arrested Nov. 27. Marco Silviano Vasquez, 22, of Tomball, Kayode Emmanuel Olaniyi, 40, of Humble, and Hector Enrique Gonzalez, 22, of Porter, were arrested Nov. 28. Jose Alfredo Avila Jr, 28, of Houston, and Kyle Taylor Mack, 29, of Houston, were arrested Nov. 29.

Paul Ramon Rodriguez, 23, of Conroe, was arrested Dec. 4. Roberto Orocio Lopez, 23, of Houston, was arrested Dec. 18. Paul Ryan Young, 24, of Humble, Max Leon Furrey III, 44, of Cleveland, and Carmelo Garcia-Cantoran, 33, of Cleveland, were arrested Dec. 19.

Anyone with information on these or other possible similar cases should call the county task force's tip line at 936-760-6910, authorities said

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztxIt was a bit of a surreal feeling for 2018 Fair Queen KelleyAnne Roland at Monday nights 2019 Montgomery County Fair Queen Press Party.

She knew exactly what each one of the 17 young ladies vying for the title of 2019 Fair Queen was going through having gone through the process herself a year before.

Its unbelievable for me to think that exactly a year ago, I was sitting in this room just like you girls, filled with anticipation, excitement and nervousness, Roland said as she addressed those hoping to follow in her footsteps.

She assured them that they were braver than they thought, more talented than they knew and capable of anything they could imagine.

BEAUTY QUEENS: Here are your Miss Katy and Bay Area pageant contestants

She said shes been blessed with many friendships on her journey as 2018 Fair Queen and shed be walking away with many great memories that would be with her throughout her life.

I hope that each of you - win or lose - will walk away with the same experience that I did, Roland said.

On Monday night, the 17 young ladies vying for 2019 Fair Queen were formally introduced as queen candidates as the fair approaches.

The 2019 Queen Candidates include:

Emma Baskin  Oak Ridge High School, sponsored by BMB Fencing

Kayla Coffman  New Caney High School, sponsored by Texas Land Clearing Inc.

Lacey Dechow  St. Pius X, sponsored by Keystone Concrete

Shelby Denton  Splendora High School, sponsored by the Hoppes Family

Claire Folwell  The Woodlands College Park High School-Harmony Complete Care LLC

Kayla Hadash  Conroe High School, Conroe Pediatrics Dentistry

Abigail Harmon  Oak Ridge High School, Woodlands 242 Self Storage

Kelsey Hegemeyer  Montgomery High School, Jayco Construction

Caroline Henson  Oak Ridge High School, Cavenders Boot City

Grace Hoegemeyer  Willis High School, Fullerton Orthodontics

Bayleigh Norman  Montgomery High School-Graceys Commercial Cleaning Services

Melanie Norris  Caney Creek High School-M&B Cattle Company

Ashlyn Real  Conroe High School-Flip Flop Bling

Bailey Rodriguez  Lake Creek High School-Animal Hospital of Montgomery

Allison Schroeder  Oak Ridge High School-Haus of Smoke BBQ

Christina Vincent  Montgomery High School-P-6 Farms

Marie Yanchak  Magnolia High School-The Walling Family

The teens began the process in October by submitting applications. In November, an informational meeting with their parents and fair organizers took place, in December there was planning for the upcoming Go Texan Parade and the annual Press Party is held each January.

They will participate in the Go Texan Parade in downtown Conroe on Feb. 16.

Then, on Saturday, March 30, the teens will have breakfast with the judges, give their speeches and the 2019 Fair Queen will be crowned during the rodeo that night.

For Roland, the crowning has been one of the most memorable and exciting parts of being the fair queen.

She relayed the excitement of being with the rest of the girls as they rode out on the trucks in the arena and the shock and surprise of hearing her named called as all of her family cheered her on.

Shes also come to realize how many girls look up to the fair queen and the importance of being a good role model for them.

This is one of the special things we do in our fair, said Montgomery County Fair President Todd Green as he addressed the candidates on Monday evening. Having a daughter who has been through this process, the benefit is really what you put into it. It will, in my opinion, be something that is beneficial for you for years to come.

The 2019 Montgomery County Fair is set for March 29 through April 7 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds at 9201 Airport Road in Conroe.

For more information about the fair, visit the website or call 936-760-3631.A resident allegedly left a dog behind after moving out of an apartment, prompting a Harris County Precinct 5 Constables Office deputy to assist an officer with Houston Animal Control in rescuing the animal in west Houston.

According to the Constables Office, Precinct 5 Deputy Shane Rooney and City of Houston Animal Control Officer Randy Farmer in action Tuesday, Jan. 15, answering reports of animal cruelty, neglect and abuse reported to the Harris County Animal Cruelty Taskforce.

The task force was called in when this dog was left behind in an apartment vacated by its owner in the 3500 block of Walnut Bend. This is a fairly routine call, as we find numerous pets abandoned in residences all across Harris County on a daily basis.

DOG-GONE AMAZING: How a Houston area vet is helping paralyzed dogs across the country

The dog was taken to the BARC Animal Shelter for a medical evaluation while his legal custody process plays out in the courts. According to a news release, if the court awards custody to BARC, then he will be put up for adoption.

Meanwhile, Constable Ted Heaps Animal Crimes Unit will conduct a criminal investigation to determine whether this case will be submitted to the Harris County District Attorneys Office for criminal charges.

Abandoning an animal is a Class A misdemeanor with a penalty of up to 1 year in prison and up to a a $4,000 fine.

This case was part of the Harris County Animal Cruelty Taskforce, which has seen tremendous results as it nears its one year anniversary. Anyone who suspects animal abuse, neglect, hoarding or torture, is asked to report it at www.927PAWS.org or 832-927-PAWS.

rkent@hcnonline.com3 1 of 3 Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Investigators with Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heaps office are reaching out to the public in the hopes of identifying a pair of burglars.

According to the constables office, the burglars were caught on video about 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in a home in the 1400 block of Evening Cloud Court.A Katy area activist group is inviting those interested to join them Saturday at this years Womens March in Downtown Houston.

Indivisible Katy Huddle, a Katy area group that branched off from the Indivisible progressive movement, was founded two years ago following the 2016 election where President Donald Trump beat then candidate Hillary Clinton.303 Memorial City Way; memorialcity.com

Smallfoot

A yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as "humans" really do exist. 7 p.m. Friday

14 PEWS

800 Aurora Street; memorialcity.com

My Mind Is Free

The premiere reading of Sam Halls play created out of the testimonies of human traffickers and the trafficked. 7:30 p.m. Friday

HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

5555 Hermann Park Drive; hmns.org

Pandas 3D

In Sichuan, China, a researcher forms a bond with a panda that is about to experience nature for the first time. Multiple screenings daily.

Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation

Exploration of the contribution of volcanoes to the wildlife ecosystems, their impact on humans and the world we live in. Multiple screenings daily.

Walking with Dinosaurs 3D

Young pachyrhinosaurs grow up and establish themselves in the prehistoric world. Multiple screenings daily.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

1001 Bissonnet; mfah.org

3 Faces

A popular Iranian actress and her friend, search for a young girl in northwestern Iran, after seeing a video of her asking for help to leave her conservative family. 7 p.m. Friday

Looking for Oum Kulthum

An ambitious artist in her late 40s is caught between the opportunity to advance her career outside of Iran and the difficult decision of leaving her family and country behind. 6 p.m. Saturday

Pig

A blacklisted Iranian director wonders why a serial killer isn't after him. 8 p.m. Saturday

A Man of Integrity

A goldfish farmer in a small Iranian village faces financial ruin when his river-sourced water supply is cut off. 5 p.m. Sunday

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

An intimate portrait of two young men in rural Alabama. Noon Monday

Life & Nothing More

Stressed by her job at a diner, single mother Regina struggles to raise her two children in northern Florida. 2 p.m. Monday

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA

2707 Commercial Center, Katy; drafthouse.com/houston

Razorback

A vicious wild boar terrorizes the Australian outback. 9 p.m. Friday

Babe

A a pig raised by sheepdogs, learns to herd sheep with a little help from Farmer Hoggett. 10 a.m. Saturday

American Psycho

A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies. 7:30 p.m. Saturday

The Rules of Attraction

The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate. 10 p.m. Saturday

Gone with the Wind

A manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods. Noon Sunday

La Chienne

Married to a cantankerous widow, Maurice Legrand's passion is painting. When he falls in love with the attractive Lulu, he doesn't suspect that she'll take advantage of his gullibility and bring about a disaster. 3:45 p.m. Sunday

The Maltese Falcon

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette. 6 p.m. Sunday

Body Melt

Residents of Homesville are being used unknowingly as test experiments for a new 'Body Drug' that causes rapid body decomposition and death. 9 p.m. Sunday

RICE CINEMA

6100 Main; film.rice.edu

Happy Birthday, Marsha!

A fictional short film that imagines transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the hours leading to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. 7 p.m. Sunday

This Is Home: A Refugee Story

Four Syrian families struggling to find their way in America. 7 p.m. Wednesday

RIVER OAKS THEATRE

2009 W. Gray; landmarktheatres.com

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

A town's Sheriff and regular patron of a historical whorehouse fights to keep it running when a television reporter targets it as the Devil's playhouse. Midnight Friday and Saturday

DISCOVERY GREEN

1500 McKinney; discoverygreen.com

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. 7 p.m. Thursday

AURORA PICTURE SHOW

2442 Bartlett; aurorapictureshow.org

Sundance ShortsAlmost 17 months after Hurricane Harvey, many Houstonians are still dealing with the effects of the storm financially, emotionally and physically. Northwest Assistance Ministries is looking to help.

NAM has over $1 million in remaining funds earmarked for Hurricane Harvey relief.

NAM, a local nonprofit providing a range of services in the northwest Houston area, is inviting community members still grappling with Harveys aftermath, regardless of insurance or income status, to contact the organization for a step forward in their recovery process. NAM works to aid citizens with any issues, including mental and physical health, even if NAM can not do so within their organization directly.

Since the storm, NAM has aided 14,447 people with disaster relief as of Dec. 2018, and serves 100 households each month with in-house aid or by connecting them with another entity, according to organization officials.

Brian Carr, chief advancement officer for NAM, said the nonprofit has more than $1 million in funds available for Hurricane Harvey relief, with more funds to be gained throughout 2019 as needed. NAM, along with other nonprofits, received the funds from the Greater Houston Community Foundation following Hurricane Harvey.

If you think about families who experience the disaster from Harvey and you have conversations with them, you always hear them say, and this, and this, and it kind of piles on, Carr said. It's a snowballing effect. We're filling in these gaps so they stop saying the 'and.' They can concentrate on keeping their families healthy, making sure they still get medical care.

Jennifer Herrera, relief project director, said NAM is currently helping clients with both direct and indirect causes of the storm, including paying bills.

We have this other population that may be around middle class or the working poor, she said. You make too much money to qualify for any assistance, but you didn't make enough money to cover the $50,000 worth of damages to your home. They wipe out their life savings or college funds for their kids. They've exhausted all of their credit cards and so now they're still needing repairs. They're still living in their damaged homes and they're under a lot of strain financially.

NAM can aid clients with bill payments, temporary housing, and fully rebuilding their house by collaborating with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together.

I may help pay for the hotel stay while the repairs are happening for three months and Samaritan's Purse is rebuilding the home, Herrera said. We partner to be able to leverage that funding to go farther to help the family dig deeper. Whether it's the hotel stay or to get to the tail end those repairs, we'll furnish it or put in all the appliances so when they move in, it feels like home.

NAM has aided families in recovering from health issues following the storm, including paying for extermination fees for a family in recovery. Herrera said many children have also been affected by Harvey and need to be helped.

We had a child in the children's clinic who was having recurring asthma issues, Herrera said. The doctors downstairs realized their house had been impacted by Harvey. They still didn't have baseboards and there was a lot of debris on the outside of the house, so there were a lot of roaches.

Mental health and confidence are also a focus of NAM as they reach out to the community, Herrera said. NAM also provides counseling for clients who are working through traumatic experiences. The counselors aid throughout the recovery process for each member of the family and follow up with confidential therapy sessions.

Every person that comes in to ask about disaster relief services is not only given an application, but given a quick assessment on signs and symptoms that may be telling that there's something going on emotionally and we're able to make referrals, Herrera said.

Overall, Carr and Hererra said they want citizens needing help, no matter their predisposition or level of need, to approach the center and get care. Not only does NAM have plenty of help to offer, they said, but also more to learn for when help is needed in the future.

At the end of the day, the hope is that however the word gets out, that people are finding the courage to come and get the help they need, Hererra said. Sometimes neighbors do need neighbors. Those are the opportunities that we have to use that kind of leadership from the pulpit to be able to let people know that there's resources here and that they can get those without any kind of judgment.

NAM is also hosting a legal clinic at the Harrell Family Opportunity Center on Jan. 26, at 8 a.m. The clinic will have Houston lawyers providing free legal advice on topics including FEMA appeals, mortgages and insurance.

chevall.pryce@chron.comIts no secret that Clevelands population is growing at a rapid pace.

With a lot more residential and commercial development coming into the town, one area that will be affected is Cleveland ISD.

Cleveland Mayor Otis Cohn said he expects that a new school bond could be proposed in the near future during the Cleveland City Council meeting on Jan. 15 at City Hall.

Cohn said he has held meetings with Cleveland ISD superintendent Darrell Myers, who announced his retirement this week, about what actions needed to be taken in the future.

I know most of the citizens in Cleveland dont want to hear about another school bond coming up, said Cohn while addressing the public. But the way the school district is growing the need for that is going to be inevitable.

Cohn said that a future projected cost for school bond could be upwards of 250 million dollars.

Thats a lot, but considering that, according to projections Cleveland will become a 6A school district next year were behind in our facilities, Cohn said. I will mention the growth that I see coming. I think that the tax base of the city is going to increase because of industrial and commercial development. That will take some of the burden off the taxpayers and possibly allow us to retire some of these bonds early. I would urge everybody to really take that into consideration when that comes up for a vote. Even though its a lot money ... I dont see any other way around it.

This year, enrollment again grew by more than 800 students, causing the district to nearly double in size from the roughly 3,800 students enrolled when Myers first arrived to more than 6,500.

Elections on the horizon

Cleveland City Manager Kelly McDonald announced at the meeting that applications for place on City of Cleveland General Election Ballot will be accepted starting on Jan. 16 and will run through Feb. 15. You may pick up applications at the front desk or go online at clevelandtexas.com to find more information. The citys general election is scheduled for May 4.

The three positions that are opened are City Council 1, City Council 2 and the Mayor position.

Cohn plans to run for another term as mayor.

marcus.gutierrez@chron.com







Get the book on John Summers HERE. This is a story of evil and profound injustice in the legal community. Explore demonic minds in the legal community that include judges.

There are moments when behaviours of certain individuals tend to undermine the basic principle of humanity. However, when such behaviour is displayed by someone who is supposed to know better, then eyebrows should be raised.

Dezrin Carby-Samuels and her son, Raymond have have both had to deal with countless abuse on their basic human rights and just when everyone thought that justice will be served, John E. Summers stepped in with his callous disregard for the desires of Dezrin and her enforced isolation by his client.



John E. Summers, a Bell Baker lawyer has gone to the extent of preparing a fraudulent affidavit and using other deceptive methods to deny Dezrin and Raymond the chance to even see each other since 12 June 2015.



The evil being perpetrated by John Summers clearly shows that people who are supposed to know better with regards to the application of the laws of the land can even stoop so low as to use lies and apparent fraud to commit apparent crimes against humanity. If nothing at all, John Summers should have realized that Dezrin Carby-Samuels is an aged elderly woman who deserves nothing less than respect and reverence from society.

There is one thing that John Summers callous disregard for the rights of Dezrin further proves and that is the fact that there really is a very big difference between being human and a human being. This goes to show that one can be a human being alright and still behave in a way that is alien to humans who embrace empathy for each other. For a lawyer to be able to fabricate lies against an elderly woman and her son is simply a slap right in the face of the law enforcement and our humanity..

Even though on the 11th of February, 2016, Justice Patrick Smiths Superior Court of Ontario made a ruling that Raymond should be allowed to pay daily visits to his sick and bedridden mother. However, John Summers in collaboration with Dezrins husband, Horace and daughter, Marcella have used dubious ways and means to prevent Raymond from seeing his sick mother. They even went to the extent of fraudulently tagging Raymond as not being sound mentally.

When a lawyer, in his right senses, decides to deceive the court in order to frustrate an elderly woman like Dezrin Carby-Samuels, then it is about time that well-meaning humans team up to support a petition for the disbarment of John Summers from further pracitising law in the Province on Ontario.Offerpad, a real estate company that buys homes directly from consumers and then turns around and sells them, launched in Houston this week.

The company joins Opendoor and other so-called iBuyers that are challenging the traditional models of buying and selling homes.

These companies charge sellers fees of as much as 10 percent of the purchase price, instead of the typical 6 percent commission, and sellers can choose their closing dates -- from as soon as five days to as many as three months.

While some agents argue that sellers may not get top dollar for their properties if they go through an iBuyer, the companies argue otherwise.

LISTEN: Houston Chronicle reporters visit an iBuyer house

If sellers can close quickly, they say, they can save hundreds or thousands of dollars by avoiding a month or more of mortgage payments.

San Francisco-based Opendoor began buying homes in Houston last summer. The company now has 103 properties for sale in the Houston area, according to its smartphone app.

Traditional real estate companies are also getting into the iBuying business. Coldwell Banker's parent company recently launched a program in Dallas and Atlanta that gives some sellers the option of receiving cash offers from the agency when they list their properties with it. Keller Williams is also testing an iBuyer program.

Not all homes are iBuyer candidates. These companies typically avoid buying from distressed homeowners or acquiring properties that need extensive renovations.

RELATED: Homebuyers, sellers confused by role of real estate agents, report says

Phoenix-based Offerpad generally targets homes built after 1960 with values of no more than $600,000. The company uses national, state and local sales and price trends to determine its offers, refining them based on the recommendations of a team of experts in each local market. The company has opened an office in The Woodlands.

"In Houston, we began receiving home offer requests weeks ago, so we foresee huge success there," the company's Texas regional market director, Trent Capps, said in a statement.

The company was founded in 2015 and operates in 11 markets, including Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Orlando, Fla. It plans to enter the San Antonio market soon.WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON  Pressure is mounting on the Interior Department to halt its plans to continue oil and gas leasing during a partial government shutdown now almost four weeks long.

House Democrats on Wednesday told the Interior Department to stop plans to bring back furloughed staff for an offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March. Thursday, environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council, urged Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to stop all oil and gas lease sales.

"The administration cares only about the impacts on its favorite industry and not its workers, their families, and ordinary Americans," said a letter from the House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and other Democrats. "If you refuse, we insist you that you come to Capitol Hill this week for a detailed briefing providing the legal justification for what appears to be a violation of the Antideficiency Act."

OIL SHUTDOWN: Shutdown leaves oil and gas unscathed, but for how long?

A spokesman for the Interior Department said officials there are "happy to meet with the Committee, as appropriate."

"We are confident that we are fully meeting our legal obligations," the spokesman said "We care about our employees, parks, public lands, and border security."

The call for action comes as the oil and gas industry has been allowed to operate relatively unfettered by a government shutdown that has upended industries from air travel to farming to defense contracting. Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management made plans to bring employees back for an offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March. The Bureau of Land Management, meanwhile, continues to issue drilling permits for federal lands  something the Obama administration did not do during the 2013 shutdown.

"American companies who operate in the offshore invest hundreds of millions of dollars in projects and need certainty to see these projects through," said Mallori Miller, senior director of government relations at the Independent Petroleum Association of America. "Preventing business as usual from continuing over a political fight that has nothing to do with our industry doesn't help anyone."

But continuing to allow new oil and gas leasing to continue could constitute a breach of federal law limiting government activity during a shutdown, the environmental groups maintain.

"Due to the partial government shutdown, the Bureau of Land Management lacks the necessary funds and staff to fully comply with applicable legal requirements, which include mandatory environmental reviews and 30-day public comment and protest periods," a letter from the group said.Disney Cruise Line is expected to nearly double its Galveston cruises over the first five years of a new agreement with the Port of Galveston.

The Port of Galveston said Thursday that it has finalized a new agreement with Disney Cruise Line, extending its existing relationship and outlining plans for Disney to continue sharing a cruise terminal. It can bring ships equal to or larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder class of vessel. Disney has orders on the books for three new cruise ships.SpaceX, the commercial space company of billionaire Elon Musk, is working in South Texas to develop and test an early prototype of the vehicle designed to take people to the moon and Mars.

The Starship vehicle, with a test version recently assembled at Boca Chica beach near Brownsville, could one day carry space travelers atop a powerful rocket. The Starship integrated with the Super Heavy Rocket, previously called BFR, is expected to be more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that NASA used to propel astronauts to the moon.

The assembly of the test Starship is reinvigorating the Greater Brownsville community after long delays and roadblocks. SpaceX first announced its Gulf Coast launch facility in 2014, but then years went by with little to no activity. People can now see the vehicle while driving along the beach, stopping to gawk and take pictures.

At HoustonChronicle.com: SpaceX success gives Texans reason to cheer

Gilberto Salinas, who spent three years negotiating with SpaceX to build the Boca Chica beach launch facility, took his family to see the test vehicle on Sunday.

"When this company gets to Mars," he said, "we will be able to come back and say, 'Well, we were there when it all started.'"

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002. He started with big ambitions and, six years later, launched the Falcon 1 rocket that became the first privately developed, liquid-fuel rocket to reach Earth's orbit. The company's growth has continued since then, winning work with NASA to bring cargo and, one day, astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX selected Boca Chica for a commercial launch site due to its proximity to the equator and distance from populated areas.

SpaceX used a local company to help manage the manufacturing process associated with assembling the test vehicle, said Mario Lozoya, executive director and CEO of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp., one of the organizations that provided incentive money to help attract SpaceX.

Lozoya believes tests and launches will take place this year, which could provide data for future versions of the Starship.

To the moon: SpaceX names first private passenger to fly around the moon

"For people from the immediate area around Brownsville and the border region," he said, "to see front-end technology in our backyard is really exciting."

Construction of the Boca Chica launch site had previously been delayed as SpaceX discovered the ground was unstable. The company trucked in 310,000 cubic yards of soil, enough to cover a football field that's 13 to 14 stories tall, which was put on top of the sand and left to settle and compress before construction.

Unexpected incidents with SpaceX operations outside of Texas, including an anomaly during a flight to the International Space Station in 2015, also forced the company to put its Boca Chica launch site plans on the back burner. The problem temporarily grounded SpaceX operations and demanded the company's attention.

But work slowly ramped up. Last year, SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy  billed as the world's most powerful operational rocket  from Kennedy Space Center, sending a Tesla sports car into space during the test launch. Musk then floated the idea of testing an even more powerful vehicle in South Texas.

Starship is not the first SpaceX test vehicle to be in Texas. In McGregor, where SpaceX tests all of its rocket engines, the "Grasshopper" reusable rocket prototype was used to perfect the guidance, navigation and control systems for landing a rocket booster vertically. The prototype's namesake comes from its large, insect-like landing gear. The Grasshopper started with hops of only a matter of inches, but ultimately it flew half a mile into the air.

At HoustonChronicle.com: SpaceX engineers put rocket engines through their paces

In a statement, SpaceX said it's developing the Starship test vehicle in Texas "to streamline operations." The decision won't affect its current manufacturing, design and launch operations in Hawthorne and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

In a Tweet, Musk said the test vehicle, or "test hopper," at Boca Chica beach is at its full diameter of 30 feet, but it's not at full height. It's designed to do suborbital tests. SpaceX expects to complete its first orbital prototype around June.

In a separate Tweet, Musk said he will provide a full technical presentation of Starship "after the test vehicle we're building in Texas flies, so hopefully March/April."

It's the kind of news that Lozoya said can help counter a barrage of negativity brought onto border communities by the border wall and immigration debates.

"Something like this kind of mitigates that narrative to more of a positive narrative," he said.Authorities have released the mugshots of individuals who allegedly participated in the Webb County Jail riot.

Joaquin Morales, 37, was the first inmate to have been charged in the Dec. 11 riot that left two correctional officers and two inmates injured. Twenty-four more inmates are expected to face charges of arson, engaging in organized criminal activity, criminal mischief, assault on a public servant, inciting a riot and escape, according to authorities.

READ ALSO: WCSO: 4 men, including 3 alleged Mexican Mafia members, arrested as part of 'Operation GOTCHA'

The Sheriff's Office was not immediately available to provide an update on the incident.

Mexican Mafia gang members incited the riot at around 4:40 a.m. when guards searched a cell on the suspicion that they had contraband, the Sheriff's Office said. Immediately upon entering the cell, two correctional officers were assaulted by the inmates.

"Inmates started a fire using an electronic device, putting at risk the lives of the entire jail population as well as staff members," according to the Sheriff's Office. "After several minutes and several verbal warnings, the Sheriff's Office Special Operations and Response Team was activated to take control of the situation."

RELATED: WCSO: Mexican Mafia failed in its attempt to send message

Within three minutes of being activated, the team used a flash-bang grenade as a warning. However, inmates continued with their destructive behavior, the Sheriff's Office said.

They destroyed a window, camera equipment, beds and tables. At that time, non-lethal weapons were used to take control of the situation. Property damage was estimated at $29,000, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The officers who were assaulted were cleared of injuries by a Sheriff Office's medical unit. Two inmates were taken to the Laredo Medical Center with minor injuries.

Laredo Morning Times reporter Maria Salas contributed to this report.This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

If you ever get a call from someone claiming to be a customer service agent at your bank, pump the brakes before answering any questions  even if they have the right caller ID. Using caller ID spoofing, scammers can make it look like theyre calling from your banks phone number.

Heres the tipoff that it might be a scam: Banks typically dont call you asking for personal information.

How to shut down a scam before it starts

One of the easiest ways to spot a scammer is that they reach out to you versus you contacting them, says Richard Crone, a payments expert and CEO of Crone Consulting, LLC.

The best way to protect yourself is to say, No worries, let me call you right back, and then you call the official bank number yourself, Crone said. Never answer any questions from a random call from anybody. There may be a call from someone legitimate, but more often than not, its nefarious.

A legitimate representative from your bank will never take issue with you hanging up and calling the number on the back of your debit or credit card.

Crone says you can be even more secure by refusing to answer the call, text or direct message in the first place.

If you run into a case of caller ID spoofing, report the activity to the Federal Communications Commission. Once a scammer makes contact, they can distribute and sell your number in the criminal underworld, Crone said.

When something doesnt feel right

In one recent case, a number that appeared to be Wells Fargo called a customer, Cabel Sasser, and the customer service agent told him that his account had been compromised. Sasser, an entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon, was told that he needed to replace his card and change his debit card PIN by typing the old one into his phones keypad. The agent had several accurate details from Sassers account, including the last four numbers of his Social Security number, but something didnt feel right, he told USA TODAY.

Sasser said that he hung up and called the official Wells Fargo customer service number on the back of his card. It turned out his card hadnt been compromised. As Sasser recounted the story on Twitter, he said, I was just four key presses away from having all of my cash drained by someone at an ATM.

Keep your banking information safe

So, if phone calls and texts seemingly from your bank are suspicious, how can you know if your bank account has been compromised? Here are a few tips:

Use your mobile bank app. The best way for banks to reach out is through their official mobile app, Crone said. Apps have multiple authentication systems, logins and biometrics like Touch ID or face recognition. Thats your safety deposit box for interactions with your bank. Its the safest way to communicate; you can be assured that its them, and they can be assured that its you.

Set alerts for unauthorized account usage. When you enroll in your banks account alert system, youll be notified whenever a fishy transaction is made. Many banks also allow you to freeze the card so that it cant be used unless you unfreeze it through the app or online.

Keep a password lock on your phone and on your banking app. If you lose your phone, multiple passwords will help keep your information safe in case the phone is unlocked.

Dont use public Wi-Fi to check your bank accounts. Public Wi-Fi networks are more vulnerable to security risks, so use only a secure Wi-Fi connection to look at your bank accounts. If you must look at your accounts in public, your phones internet connection via cellular data is more secure than a public Wi-Fi network.

Beware of shoulder surfers. If you use only passwords  as opposed to biometrics  to keep your phone secure, make sure no one nearby is snooping over your shoulder to watch you enter your phone or banking app passwords. If that person steals your phone, theyll have easy access to your money.

Change passwords frequently. How frequently? As often as you can endure it, Crone said. A strong password is complex, hard to guess and easy to remember. Consider making your passwords phrase-based  like a full sentence  and avoid using real words that can be found in a dictionary. Make it a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. If it gets difficult to keep track of, a password manager can help you maintain a record of your passwords across different sites and logins.

As scammers become more advanced, good security practices and vigilance are more important than ever for keeping your money safe. So rethink answering that call from your bank, and get well-acquainted with your mobile app.

Chanelle Bessette is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: cbessette@nerdwallet.com.

The article How to Stop Scammers Who Sound Just Like Your Bank originally appeared on NerdWallet.(Bloomberg) -- Shes always been a spitfire in her music but American rapper Cardi B has come after U.S. President Donald Trump over the longest-ever federal government shutdown.

In a video posted to her official Instagram account Wednesday, the Bodak Yellow star told her 39.7 million followers that she empathized with government workers being forced to return to work without pay.

"I just wanted to remind you, because its been a little bit over three weeks," Cardi said. "Our country is a hellhole right now...I feel like we need to take some action."

Just hours after her post, the video has racked up over six million views and attracted close to two million likes.

The performer is the latest to join the chorus of celebrities slamming a partial government shutdown that has entered its 26th day without any signs of an end from the White House or Congress.

Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, also defended former President Barack Obamas administration over a 17-day shutdown in October 2013, saying the standoff was over wider access to affordable healthcare.

The former VH1 reality TV stars profanity-laced rant attracted support from Captain America star Chris Evans and drew comments from New York Senator Chuck Schumer as well as Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz.

Cardi B has previously made known her interest in politics.

"I love government. Im obsessed with presidents. Im obsessed to know how the system works," she said in an interview with GQ magazine in April last year.

To contact the reporters on this story: Melissa Cheok in Singapore at mcheok2@bloomberg.net;Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.net;Natnicha Chuwiruch in Bangkok at nchuwiruch@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Niluksi Koswanage at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net, Sebastian Tong

2019 Bloomberg L.P.Oh my God, what is that? The weird and wonderful world of Peter Petrou

Over 45 years, Peter Petrou has made his name as a dealer of fascinating, eclectic objects from an array of world cultures and historical periods. Alastair Smart spoke to him ahead of 150 of these objects being offered on 30 January in London

Peter Petrou: Tales of the Unexpected is on view at King Street, London, until 29 January

Petrou trained initially as a lawyer but soon found that the collecting bug was too much for him. In 1974, he opened a gallery in Paris, before returning home to London and opening a space in Notting Hill in the 1980s. Where I differed from my peers, he says, is that most of them were specialists in a given field of art, antiquities or whatever, whereas I was a generalist, interested in anything and everything  and that has shaped my entire career. I just did my own thing and bought objects that appealed to me. These were of little wider interest back then. However, over time, because of the nature of what we were offering, the gallery began to attract slightly out-of-the ordinary locals: from rock stars and Greek shipping magnates to [the painter] Lucian Freud. Nowadays, Petrou counts the worlds major museums among his clients and has become a fixture at leading international fairs. He also hosts two exhibitions a year at his gallery, and Tales of the Unexpected is conceived as a slightly larger version of one of those  with a 10-day, pre-sale public view beginning on January 14. Objects are being offered at a range of price points, from 300 to 100,000.





My hope for this sale is that it allows people to take home an unexpected piece of history with them  Peter Petrou

Does Petrou have an idea of how many works he has bought and sold in the past 45 years? Not really, he replies. Lets just say mountains. Over the millennia, many weird and wonderful objects have been created, and my hope for this sale is that it allows people to take home an unexpected piece of history with them.

Peter Petrou in conversation with jewellery designer Jessica McCormack at Christies Lates: At Home in London, 14 January 2019

Here, Petrou shares his thoughts on five of his favourite works in the sale.

1. A royal ivory-inlaid Indian cabinet from 17th-century Goa

Peter Petrou: This remarkable, ivory-inlaid cabinet was made in 17th-century Goa for the then Queen of Portugal, Maria de Gloria II [Goa at that time was a Portuguese colony]. Its so elaborately decorated one could pick out any number of features for comment, but what really intrigues me are the caryatid figures around the middle, whose faces were carved from extremely precious, solid ivory. Its said this work was done by Chinese craftsmen working in Goa at the time. What we have in this cabinet, then, is a collision of cultures  European, Indian and Chinese, which is exactly the sort of rich heritage I like as a dealer.

2. An early 19th-century trophy made from the sabres of Coldstream Guards who fell at Waterloo

PP: Although it looks like a huge palm leaf, this object is actually a decorative trophy made from 76 radiating sabre blades. They once belonged to British soldiers who fell at the Battle of Waterloo [in 1815] and were picked up in its aftermath, before being repurposed. It hung for many years in the officers mess of the Coldstream Guards in London, simultaneously a celebration of the victory over Napoleon and a memorial to the dead soldiers.

3. A rare, surviving lead ingot from the Roman occupation of Britain



PP: During the Roman occupation of Britain, the mining of lead ore was common. After being smelted, it was turned into lead itself, which was put to widespread use across the empire  for water pipes, among other things. This is a rare, surviving lead ingot from that time. It presumably fell off the back of a donkey during transportation 2,000 years ago, and was only discovered in a river in the Peak District in 2009.

4. A silver South American incense burner in the form of Simon Bolivar

PP: In the early 19th century Simon Bolivar  aka El Libertador  was the liberator of many South American countries from Spanish rule. Hes still considered a hero in those countries today. Here he can be seen on horseback, adorning a rare, silver incense burner  I say rare because, despite Bolivars fame, it was usually models of animals, not humans, which appeared on figural incense burners in South America. In fact, Ive never seen another with Bolivar on it before.

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5. A commemorative Fijian tapa with abstract patterning

Theresa May says Asia Bibi's safety is British Government's 'primary concern'

Theresa May has said she will not be drawn into sharing specific details of the UK Government's involvement in Asia Bibi's bid for asylum.

The Prime Minister was pressed on the matter by MP for Gillingham and Rainham, Rehman Chishti, during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

Mr Chishti told the Prime Minister that if the UK asked a third country to take in the Christian Pakistani woman, 'that would mean shifting our moral responsibility to another country and that can't be right'.

Bibi recently gained her freedom after years in prison on blasphemy charges but remains in hiding due to the continued threat to her life from Muslim hardliners.

Her lawyer fled the country immediately after her acquittal at the end of October and her two daughters have reportedly been sent out of the country for their safety, while her husband lives with her in hiding.

The family has appealed to the UK and other Western countries to grant asylum but so far, no official offer has been made.

Mr Chishti asked Mrs May whether Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt's review into Christian persecution would change the Government's position on Bibi's bid for asylum.

The MP, who resigned as Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party over the Government's treatment of Bibi, said the UK should make an offer of asylum 'so she can choose which safe destination she wants to go to'.

Mrs May responded to his question in the Commons on Wednesday by saying that the safety of Bibi was the UK Government's 'primary concern'.

'Our primary concern is for the safety and wellbeing of Asia Bibi and her family and obviously the UK High Commissioner in Islamabad is keeping me and the Government up to date with developments,' she said.

'We have been in contact with international partners about our shared desire to see a swift and positive resolution in this case, and a number of countries are in discussion about a possible alternative destination for Asia Bibi once the legal process is complete,' she said.

'I'm not going to comment on the details of that because we do not want to compromise Asia Bibi's long-term safety.'

She added that Pakistan's Foreign Minister had given assurances that Bibi would remain under government protection until the legal process had concluded and that Prime Minister Imran Khan supported the Supreme Court and had promised to uphold the rule of law.

She concluded: 'What matters is ensuring that we are providing for the safety and wellbeing of Asia Bibi and her family.'

It is not the first time Mrs May has faced questions in Parliament about Britain's handling of Bibi's case.

Soon after her release from prison and as pressure mounted on Britain to take her in, the Prime Minister denied accusations that she had blocked an offer of asylum out of concern that it would stoke tensions with Muslims at home.

She said at the time: 'We could approach this in two ways. We could go out there and say something, just to show that the UK is doing that, or we could ask what is right for Asia Bibi.

'We are working with others in the international community and with the Pakistani Government to ensure that our prime aimthe safety and security of Asia Bibi and her familyis provided for.'Gillette's opinion-splitting 'We Believe' advert is 'hypocritical', says church minister

Gillette's new advert on toxic masculinity is 'hypocritical', even if it does raise some important issues, says the former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland.

The 'We Believe' advert went viral after being launched by Gillette this week and has since been viewed 16 million times.

The advert is 1 minute 49 seconds long and offers the brand's vision for manhood in light of the #MeToo movement. It includes a noticeable change to its famous slogan, from 'the best a man can get' to 'the best men can be'.

It has been blasted by some, including Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan who called it 'man-hating' and 'absurd virtue-signalling PC guff'.

Bernice King, the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, welcomed the ad, saying that it 'isn't anti-male' but rather 'pro-humanity'.

The Rev David Robertson weighed in on the debate on his blog, writing that the advert was in many ways 'excellent'.

'There is a view of masculinity which is harmful and needs to be challenged. I think that the advert does that well. It's far too easy to dismiss it as 'woke' advertising, virtue signalling and toxic anti-masculinity,' he said.

'The themes of misogyny, bullying and sexual misconduct are serious and should not be lightly dismissed. In fact they should not be dismissed at all.'

Despite this, he said Gillette was 'hypocritical' as its parent company Proctor and Gamble has in the past faced accusations of profiting from child labor and animal testing.

'They exploit people and then exploit our emotions in order to make money,' he said.

'The fact that they are now exploiting the MeToo movement should not be a cause of celebration. Greed is more of a problem in society than "toxic masculinity".'

He was critical of the label 'toxic masculinity', referring to new guidelines from the American Psychological Association describing 'traditional masculinity' as 'harmful' to men and boys.

'The trend at the moment in Woke society is to claim that "toxic masculinity" is really the major cause of all our woes,' he said.

He continued: 'The trouble is that a society which emasculates its men will end up being replaced by a society that doesn't.

'This does not mean that real men need to grow beards, paint themselves in woad and go out to fight. It does mean that we are to recognise and celebrate both masculinity and femininity.''McJesus' sculpture leads to violent protests in Israel

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A piece of art depicting Ronald McDonald nailed to a cross  imitating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ  has sparked violent protests in Israel, with hundreds calling for the sculpture's removal.

Last week, hundreds of Arab Christians gathered to protest the sculpture, titled "McJesus," displayed at the Haifa Museum of Art in the northern city of Haifa, The Independent reports.

Israeli police say rioters hurled a firebomb at the museum and threw stones, wounding three police officers. Footage from the protest showed clashes between protesters and police as authorities used tear gas and stun grenades to clear the demonstrators. According to police, a few hundred demonstrators tried to forcibly enter the Haifa Museum of Art during the protest.

The depiction of a crucified Ronald McDonald was sculpted by Finnish artist Janei Leinonen and is part of the museum's "Sacred Goods" exhibit. The museum's website explains that the exhibit, which also features Barbie doll renditions of a bloodied Jesus and the Virgin Mary, focuses on the responses of contemporary artists to issues of religion and faith in the contemporary global reality and has been on display since August.

The protests, sparked by visitors sharing photos of the exhibit on social media, came after a firebomb was thrown at the museum overnight Thursday. Earlier in the week, Church representatives brought their grievances to the district court on Monday demanding the display's removal.

Israel's Culture Minister, Miri Regev, wrote to the director general of Haifa Museum saying she had received many complaints of serious offense caused to the Christian communitys feelings because of the artwork.

Regev said, contempt for symbols sacred to religions and many believers around the world as an act of artistic protest is illegitimate and cannot be displayed in a cultural institution supported by state funds.

Haifa Museum refused to remove the exhibit, however, saying that doing so would infringe on freedom of expression. Instead, Director Nissim Tal agreed to put a sign warning of potentially offensive content at the entrance to the exhibit.

"This is the maximum that we can do," Tal said. If we take the art down, the next day well have politicians demanding we take other things down and well end up only with colorful pictures of flowers in the museum.

"We will be defending freedom of speech, freedom of art, and freedom of culture, and will not take it down," he added.

Tal told reporters the artist behind "McJesus" is a Christian who created the piece to highlight the fact that "we are slaves and have a new God instead of the old God."

"We pray for McDonald's and the other companies," he said.

But Christians have vowed to continue protesting until the artwork is removed: This is very offensive and I cannot consider this art, Haifa artist and devout Christian Amir Ballan said. We will continue through peaceful rallies and candle vigils.  We wont be quiet until we reach a solution.

An Arab Christian protestor told Walla! news that the government was not addressing the Arab Christian community's complaints because of their minority status in Israel.

If they put up [a sculpture of] Hitler with a Torah scroll they would immediately respond, he said.

"We need to understand that freedom of expression is interpreted in different ways in different societies," said Wadie Abu Nassar, an adviser to church leaders. "If this work was directed against non-Christians, the world would be turned upside down."Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Seth Godin is a blogger, author, speaker and  to use a term with which I am not entirely comfortable  guru. People hang on his every word. So, what did Seth Godin say Tuesday?

Weve been doing it for a long time. The Gods must be crazy. The easiest way for a human to deal with a complex system (an AI that plays Scrabble, the traffic, the weather) is to imagine that theres a little man inside, someone a lot like us, pulling the levers, getting annoyed, becoming frustrated, seeking retribution or offering a prize. If that works, keep doing it. But it might be even more helpful to remember that theres no homunculus, no narrative, no revenge. Merely a complex system, one we can understand a bit better if we test and measure and examine it closely.

Lets look closely at Godins Asserting Anthropomorphism post. (emphasis added)

Weve been doing it for a long time.

Who exactly are we and what exactly is it weve been doing? The we is intended to be comprehensive of everyone, over all cultures, over all time who does not (we find out later) see reality through the lens of scientism, where the universe is impersonal, devoid of the possibility of the supernatural  including God.

According to Godin, what weve been doing is asserting anthropomorphism. It is not necessarily an anti-biblical word, but Godin certainly means it to be pejorative. Anthropomorphism is the projection of human characteristics onto God or gods. It is also one of the ways limited people have available to describe the attributes of One who is wholly other.

So, when the writers of the Bible describe God as snorting mad like a bull over egregious injustice  and they describe Gods nostrils as flaring  they are using an anthropomorphic literary tool. They are not saying God is a bull nor that God, who is Spirit, has an actual nose as we understand the term. However, God clearly has the ability to smell because God finds the aroma of some sacrifices more pleasing than others. We are like God in this way, not the other way around. But Im getting ahead of myself. Lets continue to unpack Godins post.

The Gods must be crazy.

Interesting that Godin chooses to capitalize God and then suggest God is plural and yet assert the definitive nature of God through use of the only definite article available in the English language: the. Seth Godin is a smart guy. He communicates, in writing, for a living. We can assume that everything he writes, he writes with intentionality for the purpose of communicating specific ideas and views. Godin writes with an economy of words. He has no throwaway words or punctuation. We can assume that the scare quotes, the definite article, the pluralization and the capitalization are all there for a reason.

So, what might those reasons be? In capitalizing God, Godin captures theists in the wide net of those whose worldview he dismisses as anthropomorphism. Those who believe in God, capital G, believe in a God with knowable specificity  not in a pantheon of gods. But when Godin makes the big G God plural, Godin equates those who believe in a God, One God (monotheists) with those who believe in gods of unknown number (polytheists, pantheists, etc). In one sentence, Godin finds a way to offend and dismiss the claims of all traditionally religious people at once.

Godin accomplishes something else in this vocalization of this imagined and projected internal voice. He asserts the authority of the individual over God. It is the human being who here judges the judgement and character of God. Godin passes this off as anthropomorphism  asserting that the gods are crazy, just like us. But it is actually the most basic form of idolatry  that of the creature over the Creator. It is an inversion and perversion of reality.

Godin continues:

The easiest way for a human to deal with a complex system (an AI that plays Scrabble, the traffic, the weather) is to imagine that theres a little man inside, someone a lot like us, pulling the levers, getting annoyed, becoming frustrated, seeking retribution or offering a prize.

Lets take this apart phrase by phrase.

Godin acknowledges the complexity of the system called life. He also acknowledges the universal reality that people are trying to make sense of the world. From technology (AI that plays Scrabble), to relationships (traffic), to natural phenomena (weather), people are looking for an organizing, integrating principle. However, Godin suggests that those who believe in an integrating reality that makes sense of otherwise disparate facts and experiences, is necessarily the product of the human imagination. He also says thats the easy way out.

Here Godin offers a straw man  little man inside, someone a lot like us, etc  in place of the substantial reality of the God who is, the God who speaks, the God who came, the One, holy God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, holy God.

The gods to whom Godin refers (pulling levers, getting annoyed, frustrated, seeking retribution or offering a prize) are not the true and living God. They are lesser gods of Greek mythology who continue to appear in superhero myths and animistic religions. But with them, Godin dismisses God 

who is not pulling levers but made human beings like Himself in the full freedom of the will, with moral agency and creative ability  fully free to live under His sovereignty or in opposition to it;

who does not get annoyed but who does pour out righteous wrath against Sin  but does so upon His own Son, the Savior, Jesus the Christ;

who does not grow frustrated but continues to pursue human beings with grace upon grace;

who does not seek retribution but gives Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, in an act of restorative, redemptive self sacrifice; and

who does not offer a prize but does invite everyone into eternal fellowship with Himself, as His child, in His Kingdom, forevermore.

If the God of the Bible were an assertion of anthropomorphism as Godin suggests then wouldnt God, as Godin states, be someone a lot like us? Literally nothing could be further from the truth of reality. The God of the Bible is not like us  although we are like Him (imago dei).

Ask yourself: if we were to imagine a God in our own image would He be like the God revealed in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible? Yes and no. Yes, in that we are relational, moral, hopeful, justice-seeking, and loving. But the God of the Bible has an eternal perspective, an ever-redemptive pursuing and forgiving love, an abundance of grace, an deep reservoir of mercy, a global and intimately personal concern and Hes wholly perfect  holy. In these ways, we are not substantively like Him.

So, we deal with the complex system of life by accepting the reality revealed by the creator of the system, the giver and sustainer of life, who offers continual counsel by the indwelling presence of His own Holy Spirit.

To which Godin says:

If that works, keep doing it.

Wow. In very short course, Godin brushes aside every believer of every theistic faith with one dismissive sweep of the hand. What then does he offer as an alternative? In a word: nihilism. Godin says:

But it might be even more helpful to remember that theres no homunculus, no narrative, no revenge.

Look at the words he chooses: might be, more helpful, remember, and then a litany of that which (he says)are not. Its a negative assertion, not a positive proposition of how to make sense of the word. He calls believers of every ilk nonsense but offers what instead of belief? Non belief. Thats not an answer, thats a bottomless void.

And as we look into the void, what would Seth Godin have us remember?

Memory and calling things to mind suggest we once knew them. This gets us to a conversation about epistemology  how we know what we know. I might assert here that I know many things through revelation which Godin seems not to know. He can know them, but at present he is only open to receiving that which he can apprehend through rational sensory input. Hes missing much and yet feels obliged to dismiss what others remember  what we know to be true. He asserts:

theres no homunculus, no narrative, no revenge

By no homunulus he means there is no internal mini-me but he dismisses as well the possibility of the internal guidance of the Holy Spirit. There is then no godly moral compass, counselor in perplexity, companion in joy or suffering. All there is, in Godins worldview, is the self. Alone. How and for whom is that more helpful?

He also asserts there is no narrative  by this he means no meta-narrative. No overarching story. No eternal struggle between so-called Good and so-called Evil. No echatological redemptive narrative (Christian, Jewish, Islamic worldview), no cyclical narrative (Eastern religious worldview) and no progressive narrative (Humanistic worldviews). Where were headed is nowhere on no timeline with no hope-filled vision of the future. Again, how and for whom is that more helpful?

Finally, Godin dismisses the hope of ultimate justice. When he says there is no revenge he may have in mind ideas about vengeful, capricious gods but here Godin also robs the oppressed of the hope of God making all things right even when so much is wrong here and now. Again, how might this be, in Godins words, more helpful?

Godin concludes by describing his nihilistic understanding of cosmological reality as:

Merely a complex system, one we can understand a bit better if we test and measure and examine it closely.

Where is the hope in that? Godins rational exercise of testing, measuring and close examination offer no hope of comprehensive meaning but only a bit better understanding of what he acknowledges is a complex system. How did the system of stars and universes and people and relationships and AI and traffic and weather come to be? Systems dont just spontaneously emerge and organize themselves  especially with the kind of complexity and beauty we observe in the feather pattern of your average peacock.

Ultimately what Godin has to offer in his dismissal of God is nothing but simple rationalism.

How then might the Christian respond?

Mr. Godin, as a Christian, I do not assert anthropomorphism, but I accept imago deism and the incarnation of God in human flesh as the climax of the redemptive narrative of all of history.

When Godin easily dismisses ultimate truth by suggesting it is all a contrivance of the human imagination, we offer the possibility that our experience of the living God is authentic, real, substantial, tested, measured and closely examined.

One more thing, how do you respond to Godins assertion that accepting what the Bible says  and living accordingly  is easy? I wonder if he as has tested, measured and closely examined the truth claims and the way the Gospel makes sense of everything else.

Far from Godins little man inside, someone a lot like us, pulling the levers, getting annoyed, becoming frustrated, seeking retribution or offering a prize, God is greater than any mans imagining. He is not like us, but we are like Him  and more and more so every moment when we cooperate with His Holy Spirit with whom we are endowed. By the Spirits work, we are increasingly conformed to the image of the God who made us and with whom we will live in redeemed relationship forevermore.

And yes, weve been doing it a long time. Actually, since the very beginning of time.

But the it weve doing is not anthropomorphism, its the reality of real life in the real presence of and in real relationship with the real and living God who is there and has spoken. Not idols of our own imaginings  internal or external  but the one true and living God.

One thing Godin gets right: each of us and all of us should test and measure and closely examine the claims of the Bible. We should examine the reality of who God is, what God has communicated, and how then we must live in relationship to God, ourselves, others and the world in which He has sent us to live as expressions of the Gospel of His grace. That is the narrative Godin denies.

Where does Godins answer leave us? Nihilism. Nowhere. With no meaning. No future. No hope. While he rightly dismisses anthropomorphism, he fails to accept the reality of God, in whose image we are made, in whose grace we are redeemed and to whose glory we live, now and forevermore.

Oh, and yes, it helps. But more than that, its true Truth.

Originally posted at ReconnectWithCarmen.com.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

2018s headlines have been dominated by immigration-related stories of family separation  and 2019 is likely to see many more families kept apart.

Last summer saw non-stop coverage of the zero tolerance policy implemented by the Trump administration along the U.S.-Mexico border. In response to widespread outcry, the president rescinded the policy that separated children from their parents on June 20. But even though this particular policy has been revoked, another policy change has been separating families with less fanfare.

The number of refugees resettled to the U.S. has declined precipitously: In 2016, more than 96,000 individuals were resettled to the U.S. to rebuild their lives; in 2018, fewer than 23,000 arrived  a decline of more than 75 percent. Although this policy is not specifically designed to keep families apart, that is inevitably what it winds up doing.

Many refugees are coming to join family who are already in the U.S. In recent years, more than 60 percent of the refugee resettlement cases that World Relief has received have been family reunification cases. When the total number of refugees admitted declines so starkly, its not just refugees themselves who are affected: Its also their U.S.-based family members, whose hopes of reunification are deferred, if not dashed entirely.

My friend Peiman is one example. He and his parents were chosen for resettlement because, as non-Muslims, they faced persecution in Iran. While grateful for the safety, religious freedom and opportunities he has in the U.S., Peiman is worried about his relatives. They left Iran after being preliminarily approved for resettlement by the U.S. government but, having been denied entry without any specific reason given, are in legal limbo in Austria.

If they are returned to Iran, the dangers they face could be even more grave than when they initially left. But their odds of making it to their family in the U.S. are slim: just nine religious minorities from Iran were allowed to resettle in the U.S. in 2018, compared to more than 3,700 in 2016.

Painful though this is, the most significant family separation policy could be still to come. U.S. law has long restricted those likely to be primarily dependent upon public benefits  known as public charges  from immigrating to the country. This doesnt affect many would-be immigrants, since most immigrants do not initially qualify for means-tested public benefits programs. A U.S. citizen relative can generally establish their immigrant relatives eligibility by legally committing to be financially responsible for their immigrant family member.

In October, however, the Department of Homeland Security proposed new rules to redefine who will be excluded as a public charge. The proposal would grant bureaucrats broad discretion to deny immigrant visa petitions based on the mere suspicion that the would-be immigrant might someday qualify for public benefits. If the proposed rule is finalized, officers will be instructed to consider a variety of factors when issuing visas. Under these proposed rules, about seven in ten individuals granted green cards in the last five years would have at least one negative factor that might lead them to be denied at an officers discretion.

A couple my coauthor and I profiled in our book, Welcoming the Stranger, serves as an example. Alison, a U.S. citizen, is a public school teacher in Illinois. Her petition for her husband, Francisco, was approved in 2017, and he was granted a green card. At that time, her income was about $50,000, but Franciscos work as a pastor was on a volunteer basis, since his denomination could not pay him until he received work authorization. This put the couple and their twin sons well below the income threshold that would put them in the clear under the proposed guidelines.

Francisco is now contributing in a plethora of ways as a pastor and a father to two special-needs children. Neither he nor anyone else in his family receives public benefits, and theyre paying their fair share of taxes. But had this rule been in place in 2017, Franciscos application to reside lawfully with his wife and kids could have been denied. By one estimate, as many as 200,000 spouses might be denied annually, forcing families into the impossible choice of living apart or leaving the U.S. altogether. Family separation could expand well beyond anything that made headlines in 2018.

Many prominent evangelical leaders  who have long championed family values  are speaking out against the proposed public charge rule, as they did against the zero tolerance policy and the decline of the refugee resettlement program. In the words of a recent statement of the Evangelical Immigration Table: Policies that separate or bar the reunification of families are deeply troubling. We believe that all government policy  including immigration policy  should promote the strength and unity of families wherever possible.

Coming away from family gatherings during the holidays, Im praying that the new year brings a shift in immigration policies that will more quickly reunite families, rather than ripping them apart.

Matthew Soerens is the U.S. Director of Church Mobilization for World Relief.University lets people use bathrooms 'they deem they need to use,' opens 23 'all-gender' facilities

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A public university in Ohio is letting people use whatever bathroom facility they deem they need to use in order to create a more inclusive environment and has also converted nearly two dozen restrooms into all-gender bathrooms.

Wright State University in Dayton has granted universal access, allowing individuals to use the restroom that corresponds to their sex, gender identity, and/or gender expression in order to comply with the universitys discrimination policy and its interpretation of Title IX law.

The university's Office of LGBTQA Affairs lays out protections for trans-identified people in a web page titled Trans at Wright State.

On the page, the office states that the university strives to support and value all members of the campus community. To that end, it says that providing safe, accessible, and convenient restroom facilities is one aspect of creating an inclusive environment.

The university also notes that some people experience difficulty, inconvenience, and a lack of safety when trying to use a gender-specific bathroom. It also states that transgender individuals can be subject to harassment or violence when using mens or womens restrooms.

We allow people to use the restroom facility they deem they need to use, the webpage explains.

According to an online resource from the pro-LGBT organization GLESN that was linked to by the university website, gender expression is defined as the multiple ways (e.g., behaviors, dress) in which a person may choose to communicate gender to oneself and/or to others.

The Christian Post reached out to Wright State for clarification on its universal access policy. A response is pending.

The university website also explains that 23 restrooms in different buildings across the campus were converted to all-gender bathrooms as part of the universitys All-Gender Restroom Expansion Project. The bathrooms were all converted by Dec. 19.

In some instances, a designated all-gender restroom may contain multiple stalls, the webpage reads. For those who do not wish to use an all-gender single stall or all-gender multi-stall restroom, there will be gendered restrooms located in every building.

The campus-wide project was spearheaded by a joint committee of students, faculty and staff. The project was supported through a resolution unanimously approved by the Wright State Student Government Association.

This project plan has been an opportunity for Wright State University to further our mission and vision of centering diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Wright State University community, Chief Diversity Officer Matthew L. Boaz wrote in a letter to the campus community. By providing greater access to restroom facilities, we strive to create safer and more accessible spaces for people with children of a different gender, people with disabilities who need assistance in the restroom from someone of a different gender, and people who identify as transgender and nonbinary.

Not everyone in the Wright State community is happy with the all-gender bathrooms.

A Wright State dance team member took to Twitter to complain about the gender-neutral bathrooms.

Cant even use the bathroom because all the bathrooms at wright state are gender neutral now and theres men and urinals in all the bathrooms, she wrote, adding the hashtag #ihavetopee.

The school responded by stating that not all bathrooms were all-gender and instructed the student to go up or down a flight of stairs to the next restroom if she is not comfortable in the all-gender bathroom.

Well they are the main bathrooms on the floor everyone uses :)) thank you though, the student wrote in a response to the school. Everyone finds it awkward and inconvenient! Ill go find the next closest next time!

While LGBT activists have pushed school districts and colleges across the nation to embrace policies that grant bathroom and locker room access on the basis of gender identity, social conservatives have voiced concern that such policies violate the privacy rights of others, especially women and girls.

Family Research Council released a report in 2017, listing 21 incidents of men assaulting or violating women's privacy in public bathrooms and warning that transgender-friendly policies do increase the risk of such crimes.

"It is important to note that the concern is not that transgendered individuals are more likely to be sexual predators, but rather that sexual predators could exploit such laws by posing as transgendered in order to gain access to women and girls," FRC stated.

The Trans at Wright State web page also recommends that university community members refer to each other by preferred names and pronouns. The web page details some examples of transgender pronouns that include ze and hir.

Not using a students correct name and pronouns can make the student feel disrespected, can potentially out this student to their peers, and can create a classroom environment that could be very difficult for them to thrive in, the university resource reads.SC city ordinance preventing churches from occupying new properties, worshiping: lawsuit

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The city of Gaffney, South Carolina, voted 3-2 earlier this week to keep what a conservative law group calls an illegal provision that is preventing some churches from worshiping.

At the center of the dispute are Innov8tion Church and Mission of Grace in Gaffney, which filed a lawsuit through the American Center for Law and Justice, arguing that a provision in the city zoning ordinance prevents them from occupying new properties and holding worship services.

As the Gaffney Zoning Ordinance of 2017 explains, any fraternal, political, or civic organization can choose to relocate to the Central Commercial zoning district, but churches and other religious organizations are not allowed the same right.

The ACLJ wrote a letter to city officials in November 2018 informing them that the ordinance violates federal law, namely the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

RLUIPA, enacted in 2000, states that "the right to build, buy or rent space is an indispensable adjunct of the core First Amendment right to assemble for religious purposes."

"Churches in general, and new, small, or unfamiliar churches in particular, are frequently discriminated against on the face of zoning codes and also in the highly individualized and discretionary processes of land use regulation, the Act warns. Zoning codes frequently exclude churches in places where they permit theatres, meeting halls, and other places where large groups of people assemble for secular purposes.

Following the Citys Planning Commission's 3-2 vote this week to keep the ordinance, the request for amendment of the ordinance is set to be heard on Feb. 4, with the ACLJ team in attendance.

It is Innov8tion Church and Mission of Graces hope that this matter can be resolved amicably. We respectfully request that the City Council closely review the challenged provision of the zoning ordinance and take the necessary steps to ensure the ordinance is amended to remove the provision prohibiting religious organizations occupancy of commercial and storefront buildings in the CC district, the ACLJ wrote in its letter in November.

This matter is an urgent one for Innov8ton Church and Mission of Grace.

The ACLJ has long battled controversial city ordinance rulings, including one in the city of Englewood in New Jersey that initially barred pro-life activists from being closer than eight feet from the entrance of abortion clinics.

A federal judge struck down the buffer zone ordinance in November 2017, leading the ACLJ to declare a "big pro-life free speech victory."

"We at the ACLJ are certainly pleased that our efforts to secure the necessary breathing space for pro-life free speech in Englewood have come to fruition in this case," the law group celebrated at the time.Horrific details of Jayme Closs' kidnapping revealed as suspect Jake T. Patterson is charged

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In court documents released on Monday, Wisconsin investigators detailed the four minutes of murder and mayhem endured by 13-year-old kidnapping survivor Jayme Closs as she was captured by 21-year-old suspect Jake Thomas Patterson.

Patterson was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping, and one count of armed burglary on Monday. He did not enter a plea during his short court appearance but investigators say he confessed to the crimes and explained how he planned and abducted a teenager he did not know. He also decided to eliminate anyone who would dare stand in his way of taking her, a report in The New York Times said.

Jayme was kidnapped from her Barron, Wisconsin, home on Oct. 15, 2018, where her parents were murdered but Patterson reportedly told authorities that he had planned to take her earlier.

Patterson told investigators that a week before he kidnapped Jayme, he drove to her home to take her but changed his plan because there were all kinds of cars in the driveway. He went back again a day or two later but changed his mind again when he saw lights on inside Jaymes home and people walking around.

Jayme told investigators that on Oct. 15 she went to see why her dog was barking when she saw a vehicle coming up her driveway. Patterson emerged and shot and killed her father at the door while she and her mother ran to hide in the bathroom.

Her mother was holding her in a bear hug when Patterson fired at the doorknob and pushed his way inside. He ordered her mother to put tape over her mouth but she could not do it so Patterson did it himself and bound her before fatally shooting her mother. Patterson then dragged Jayme to the trunk of his car and left for his home. All of this reportedly happened in a span of about four minutes.

In the next 88 days until her escape last Thursday, Jayme told investigators she was held against her will inside Pattersons cabin. He would force her to hide under his twin-size bed whenever he had guests over or when he left. There were instances when she had no food, water, or access to a toilet for up to 12 hours she recalled.

On the day she escaped, Patterson told her he would be gone for a few hours. She forced her way from under the bed and took a pair of mens shoes and ran to a nearby road asking for help.

A woman who was walking her dog who helped the teenager recalled her saying, Im Jayme Closs. I dont know where I am. And then: Please help  I want to go home.

Brian Wright, Barron County's district attorney, called Jaymes escape incredible.

You can see the amount of control that he was exerting over her, and at some point she found it within herself at 13 years old to say, Im going to get myself out, he said on Monday.

Patterson is being held on $5 million bail.

Jaymes supporters, who have been sharing updates from her family on the Facebook page Healing for Jayme Closs about her recovery, shared smiling photos of the teenager with her family as details of her ordeal were made public.

So as much of a gut wrenching day as today was with reading the criminal complaint, we thought we would share this beautiful smile. This shows how strong Jayme is and that no matter what she went through, with all her family and friends' love and support, she will make it through. She is #Jaymazing and we love her! the group said.

Some parents in Barron are now worried about allowing their children to walk alone to school or wait alone for the school bus as Patterson reportedly became fixated with the teenager last fall.

Investigators say he just knew that was the girl he was going to take, when he saw her boarding a school bus and he set his plan to take her after that.

Ill be taking my child to school, Amy Christensen, the manager of Skippys Pub in downtown Barron, told the NY Times of her young daughter. Ive been holding her close every night.Christian school founder sued for $150K donation after he is arrested for touching children, failing to build new school

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A man who donated $150,000 to the founder of a Christian school in Kansas has filed a lawsuit to get his money back after the founder failed to build the school and got arrested for unlawful touching of underage children.

The Kansas City Star reported last August that Dennis Creason, 48, the co-founder of the Oaklawn Christian School in Shawnee, was charged in Johnson County District Court with nine counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child between January 2015 and August 2018.

Joseph Layne, according to a recent Star report, filed a lawsuit against Oakland Christian School, Creason, and his wife Robin who are the founders of the school, in a bid to get back his donation.

It was noted that Layne was a member of an unnamed church when Dennis Creason asked him in June 2017 to donate money to help construct a new building for the school. Layne agreed to help and donated $150,000.

Information shared online said Creason and his wife started the school in their home while they were members of Life Mission Church, a megachurch in Olathe, Kansas, where Creason and his wife are reported as founding members.

When The Christian Post reached out to the church on Wednesday, however, Marlene Abbey, operations director at Life Mission, said she was unable to confirm Creasons relationship with the church. Another employee who did not give her name said the Creasons had attended the church in the beginning but she could not recall the last time that she saw the couple. She also said Life Church had no affiliation with the school and described it as a private venture of the Creasons.

A document on the couples history states, "When Life Church was growing and building, Dennis and Robin started a school in their home, Oaklawn Christian Montessori School. Dennis also got Montessori training. They continued to pray and work with the Lord, and He miraculously provided them a home on adjoining property, financial means to maintain and enlarge the school, bus needs, committed parents of students, and children to teach. Someday, they hope to build themselves a log home on the school property.

While they may face overwhelming challenges, they know that Jesus is always greater. Whether God directs the opening of more schools or downsizing, Dennis and Robin seek to teach these children at a young age the full truth of God. Having learned that the spiritual gift of tongues is a form of fighting the enemy, Robin expands upon this goal, I feel it is very important to equip the children in ways to fight the enemy with the sword. We teach them to stand upon Gods Word.'"

In March 2018, Creason reportedly told members of the unidentified church that the school spent $75,000 of the donation to purchase lumber for the new building. Layne alleges in the lawsuit that no lumber was delivered.

Creasons arrest last August doomed the new school from getting off the ground so Layne is suing to get his money back plus interest and attorneys fees.Evangelical group offers proposal to end gov't shutdown in letters to Trump, Congress

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An evangelical group that seeks to promote immigration reform has called upon President Donald Trump and Congress to end the government shutdown through what it described as a Bipartisan Immigration Compromise.

For the past few weeks, the federal government has been on a partial shutdown since Dec. 22 due to the failure of the president and Congress to agree on a budget. The main issue has been funding for the southern border wall that Trump promised to build for security purposes but Democrats oppose.

The Evangelical Immigration Table sent an open letter to President Trump and members of Congress on Monday urging them to hammer out a compromise that would give both sides something they want. Both secure the border and provide a path to citizenship for those in the nation who meet certain requirements, EIT proposed.

The Scriptures both instruct a respect for the rule of law  which is diminished when immigration laws are violated without consequence  and mandate our concern for the wellbeing of vulnerable immigrants and their families, many of whom are longstanding members of local churches throughout the United States, stated the letter.

The letter referenced the Tables six principles on immigration reform, namely that such a reform Respects the God-given dignity of every person, Protects the unity of the immediate family, Respects the rule of law, Guarantees secure national borders, Ensures fairness to taxpayers, and Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents.

Such a compromise would require both sides to accept provisions that may not be universally popular with their most fervent supporters, but it would resolve a longstanding problem and should also allow our federal government to re-open, continued the letter.

Signees of the letter included Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; World Relief President Scott Arbeiter; Shirley V. Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Hyepin Im, president & CEO of Faith and Community Empowerment; Jo Anne Lyon, ambassador and general superintendent emerita of the Wesleyan Church; Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; Edgar Sandoval, president of World Vision U.S.; and the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Earlier this month, Rodriguez released a similar statement calling upon members of Congress to pass a budget that will fund the wall and give us DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals].

DACA was an Obama administration-era program that gave legal status to unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors.

We can and we must seize upon one of the great debates of our time, and chisel from the hard stone of division just the sort of compromise which has built the foundations of our national unity so many times before, Rodriguez stated.Democratic National Committee drops partnership with Womens March

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(JNS) The Democratic National Committee has dropped its partnership in the Womens March over anti-Semitism concerns, according to a Democratic source.

This development comes amid accusations of anti-Semitism within the movements leadership, causing many organizations to drop their support of the this years march, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19. There have been calls for firms to back out.

In recent weeks, a number of progressive groups that have withdrawn their support of the march, which was launched in 2017 in protest of the election of President Donald Trump, including, but are not limited to, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Human Rights Campaign, Greenpeace, Childrens Firearm Safety Alliance, Coalition Against Gun Violence and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.

Moreover, local marches, such as in Chicago and New Orleans, have been cancelled.

Jewish organizations such as the Jewish Democratic Committee of America applauded the groups that have scrapped their affiliation with this years Womens March.

JDCA supports the objectives of the Womens March and stands with sister marches across the country this weekend, its executive director, Halie Soifer, told JNS. At the same time, we welcome the DNC, SPLC, Emilys List and other organizations decision to not sponsor and participate in the Womens March and take a principled stand against anti-Semitism.

Womens March co-leader Tamika Mallory denied any anti-Semitic accusations, including her support of National of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has an extensive history of making anti-Jewish remarks such as Im anti-termite and that Hitler was a very great man.

Mallory said in a Monday appearance on ABCs The View that we did not make those remarks. What I will say to you is that I dont agree with many of Minister Farrakhans statements.

In response to host Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, asking her if she condemns Farrakhans statements, Mallory said: To be very clear, its not my language. Its not the way that I speak; its not how I organize. And I think it is very clear over the 20 years of my own personal activism, my own personal track record, who I am, and I should never be judged through the lens of a man.

Originally posted at JNS.org.

Cauchari Drilling and Corporate Update

Brisbane, Jan 17, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Argentine-focused lithium exploration and project development company Lake Resources NL ( ASX:LKE ) has progressed drilling at Lake's 100% owned Cauchari Lithium Brine Project (see Figure 1 in link below).- Drilling ongoing at Lake's Cauchari Lithium Brine Project adjacent to major projects.- High fluid pressures experienced downhole are very encouraging but have made drilling progress challenging - third hole is now underway with adjusted drilling method- Drilling has extended brine conditions encountered in the adjacent brine producing basin extends into LKE's leases- New York based consultants RB Milestone engaged to broaden access to North American market.Cauchari DrillingDrilling has encountered high fluid pressures downhole, which are encouraging, but to date have prevented the hole reaching the targeted horizons, so that representative brine samples have not yet been able to be taken. Nevertheless, it is encouraging that drilling has encountered brine within sandy horizons, demonstrating that the large Cauchari brine-producing basin extends itself well into the company's leases.Drill hole #3 is now underway and is currently at 140 metres depth (see Figure 3 in link below). The diamond drill rig that attempted to drill the second hole has been removed and adjusted drilling methods are being reviewed.High grade third party drill results continue to be reported close to the lease boundary, including 611mg/L lithium with high flow rates from a deeper sand unit reported by Orocobre/Advantage Lithium (see Note below) (see Figures 2,3 in link below). This is also very encouraging for Lake.Lake's Managing Director Stephen Promnitz said: "While drilling has been frustratingly slow at Cauchari, the upside is that the challenging downhole conditions show that the large, adjoining producing brine basin extends into our leases. Our focus is on getting to the targeted horizons and sampling them as quickly as possible."Engagement of US-Based Consulting Firm RB Milestone GroupLake has also engaged US based consultants, RB Milestone Group LLC ("RBMG"), in North America to broaden access to a wider investor audience. This initialises an enhanced program for Lake whereby RBMG will provide strategic planning, market intelligence and research initiatives, as well as business referrals related to business development and general corporate opportunities. The program allows Lake to reach a wider audience of financial and strategic professionals across the United States and Canada. These services will help Lake communicate its corporate characteristics to applicable investment and media outlets in that region.Corporate activity continues unabated in the lithium brine sector in Argentina with a C$111 million cash offer for LSC Lithium ( CVE:LSC ) from an oil and gas operator PlusPetrol.About RB Milestone Group LLC ("RBMG")RBMG is a US-based consulting firm with offices in Stamford, Connecticut and New York City. RBMG specializes in assisting small and venture-stage companies with enhancing corporate strategy, business development, market intelligence and research. RBMG partners with clients internationally and across a wide range of industry segments, but with a strong focus on the battery metals space. Staff specialists have diverse sector knowledge centered on capital markets. RBMG is not a registered investment advisor or broker-dealer, does not raise capital, and does not receive transaction-based fees. For more information on RBMG, please visit: www.rbmilestone.com. In the purview of Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 and in the interest of full disclosure, RBMG encourages the reader to view RBMG's full disclaimer by visiting: www.rbmilestone.com/disclaimer.html.Note: Drill results released by Orocobre ( ASX:ORE ) from their market releases on the ASX on 18 April 2018, 29 June 2018, 19 Sept 2018 and 10 Jan 2019.To view figures, please visit:About Lake Resources NL

Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising clean, direct extraction technology for the development of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project, as well as three other lithium brine projects in Argentina. The projects are in a prime location within the Lithium Triangle, where 40% of the world's lithium is produced at the lowest cost.



This method will enable Lake Resources to be an efficient, responsibly-sourced, environmentally friendly and cost competitive supplier of high-purity lithium, which is readily scalable, and in demand from Tier 1 electric vehicle makers and battery makers.6 in 10 Americans want Roe v. Wade changed to allow abortion restrictions: poll

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More than six in 10 Americans say they want the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade to be reinterpreted to allow additional restrictions on abortion, a new survey has found.

A new survey of over 1,066 adults aged 18 and older conducted last week and released on Tuesday asked participants what they would want to happen if the Supreme Court one day reconsiders the 1973 ruling, a possibility that some abortion advocates fear with the slight conservative majority of the bench.

The question posed is one of the newest questions asked of respondents to an 11th-annual Marist Institute for Public Opinion poll conducted for the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus on abortion rights.

The survey found that 30 percent of respondents say they would like to see abortion kept legal without restriction, while 49 percent said they would like states to be allowed to make certain restrictions and 16 percent said they think abortion should be made entirely illegal.

We ended up finding that almost two-thirds, 65 percent, would like the court to reinterpret Roe, revisit that decision in a way that would functionally overturn it, Knights of Columbus Vice President Andrew Walther told reporters in a press call on Tuesday.

Walther notes the data indicates that nearly half of respondents favor a legal landscape similar to the days before the Roe v. Wade decision when states could decide abortion restrictions for themselves or favor tighter abortion restrictions.

So you have 65 percent that is looking for something very much different for Roe v. Wade, he stressed.

Walther added that most polling on Roe v. Wade only asks binary questions about whether a respondent supports the 1973 Supreme Court decision without doing much to go into detail about the individual views on how the ruling should be changed or upheld.

It is a different set of answers when you ask [just] the brand name, Walther explained. What we have found both with the [question on abortion restrictions]  and now with this question with the Supreme Court, when you ask people what they think, the answers you get taking away the labels [of pro-choice and pro-life] are really interesting in terms of policy prescriptions or desire for jurisprudence that would be very different from what a snapshot-label-type question would give you.

In previous Marist/Knights of Columbus surveys, respondents have been asked where they stand on a six-point spectrum when it comes to the issue of abortion.

Just 15 percent of adults say they believe abortion should be available to a woman at any point during the pregnancy, a position more in line with that of 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the abortion industry. Only 9 percent of respondents said they think abortion should be legal during the first six months of pregnancy.

As the U.S. is one of seven countries in the world that allows abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, 27 percent said they think abortion should only be allowed during the first three months of pregnancy while 28 percent said that abortion should only be legal in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

Ten percent said abortion should be legal only to save the life of the mother and another 10 percent said abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance.

Knights of Columbus and Marist maintain that the data indicates that 75 percent of respondents feel that abortion should at the very least be limited to the first three months of pregnancy.

When it comes to respondents who identified as pro-choice, 25 percent said they support abortion at any point in the pregnancy and 14 percent said they support abortion during the first six months.

Forty-two percent of self-identified pro-choice respondents said they think abortion should be legal only in the first three months of pregnancy while 17 percent said they think abortion should be legal only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

What this study has shown and we have shown over the past decade, is that it would be helpful for us to step back from the campaigning in the public square and have a serious discussion about what Americans policy preferences are on the issue of abortion, Marist poll Director Barbara Carvalho told reporters. Yes, this weekend you have the March for Life and the Womens March and it is being characterized as one side versus the other side. What I am hoping we provide through this research it is not just about being on one side or the other side.

Walther and Carvalho were asked about data compiled by Gallup, which has found that about six out of 10 Americans broadly support abortion rights in the first trimester.

I think it is important to understand that the legal situation as it is now is not a strict three-month limit, Walther said. What you have is 75 percent support substantial restrictions. The Washington Post Fact Checker has confirmed that the U.S. is one of only seven countries that allows abortion after 20 weeks. We allow late-term abortions in a way that only six other countries allow it, including North Korea, Vietnam, and China.

The survey also found that 75 percent of respondents oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions in other countries, while 54 percent oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to fund a womans abortion.

Sixty-two percent of respondents oppose aborting babies diagnosed in utero as having Down syndrome.

The survey also found that 59 percent of respondents say they support banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy except to save the life of a mother, while 32 percent said they oppose such a rule.

The survey, which was conducted on Jan. 8 through Jan. 10, contained a 3.7-percentage-point margin of error.

Last year, the abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights argued in a report that if Roe was overturned, then 22 states would likely ban abortion in response.

But Pro-Life Action League Executive Director Eric J. Scheidler, told CP last July that claims like 22 states immediately banning abortion are exaggerated "fear mongering."

"At most, only a couple of states with extremely conservative legislatures might even attempt something like a total ban on abortion," Scheidler told CP.

"[It's] far more likely that states would seek to further restrict abortion, in line with the view of most Americans, with measures like banning late-term abortion and holding abortion facilities to the highest health and safety standards," he said.

He added that the Supreme Court could uphold greater restrictions on abortion than we've seen so far, such as the bans on abortion after 20 weeks that have been passed in some states.This country was removed from Christian persecution list; now it's a 'model' for religious tolerance

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Open Doors USA released on Wednesday its annual list of top 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted. Two countries were taken off the list and two were put on this year.

Bahrain, a tiny Muslim-majority nation in the Persian Gulf, earned its way off the 2019 World Watch List after being ranked in previous editions because of religious freedom and human rights concerns.

In previous editions, the leading international Christian persecution watchdog called out the relatively religiously tolerant kingdom of Bahrain for placing inhibitions on the freedom to assembly, prohibitions against Christians proselytizing and restrictions to religious expression.

In a press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Open Doors USA CEO David Curry had nothing but praise for Bahrain and stated that the country now represents the hope for change that drives the purpose of the World Watch List.

There is action to be taken. There are things that governments can do  our government here in the United States and elsewhere  to defend the core beliefs of freedom of conscience and religious expression, Curry told the crowd gathered at the Heritage Foundation Capitol Hill office. There are signs of hope. Bahrain, you might notice, has dropped out of the top 50 of the World Watch List.

I want to commend them, he added. Thank you to the royal leaders and the royal family of Bahrain and the government there for what they have done in the last several years. I think it could be a model within that region for how it could be done.

In Bahrain, Curry said, there are Christians, Jews and Hindus and people of various other faiths worshiping more freely than ever before.

It is improving their entire society, he explained.

Johnnie Moore, a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who has traveled to Bahrain in the last couple of years, told The Christian Post that the removal of Bahrain from the World Watch List is a sign that Bahrain is getting the credit they are due.

In terms of Bahraini culture, they have led the way in this area for centuries, Moore, a religious freedom advocate and an evangelical communications executive, explained. There is a 200-year-old Hindu temple in Bahrain. As you walk up to that temple, they are selling Hindu gods on the streets in this Arab Muslim country. It is an extraordinary thing.

Moore added that the country is home to the oldest synagogue in the region and is also home to thriving Coptic, Catholic and evangelical and Anglican churches as well as a thriving Buddhist community.

When you look at the Bahraini culture, it has always been a culture that has welcomed the other throughout the centuries. It is part of their DNA, Moore stressed.

He noted that the removal of Bahrain from the list reflects that they are doing a better job of telling their story of tolerance.

When asked by The Christian Post what steps the Bahraini government has taken to be removed from the World Watch List, Curry explained that the Bahrain royal family has done a better job of including all minority groups in discussions in the public square.

All of the countries here on the list have minority religions within them but they are often pushed to the side and they are not included in these conversations. I think the first thing has been that they have been talking with these Christian leaders and others, Jewish leaders, and trying to protect the space for people to worship, Curry said. I think what Bahrain has done is they have created a safe place for people to worship and that is critically important.

At the first-ever State Department Ministerial on Religious Freedom last July in Washington, a Bahraini official announced the creation of an ambassador-at-large position for peaceful coexistence and religious freedom within its ministry of foreign affairs.

In July 2017, Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa authored and signed The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration. The declaration calls for an end to religious extremism and greater religious tolerance in the Middle East and other places around the globe.

In 2018, the king established the King Hamad World Centre for Peaceful Co-Existence. The center is housed in a large building in the center of the capital city, Manama.

In 2008, Bahrain became the first Arab nation to assign a Jew to serve as an ambassador to the United States.

Bahrain is modeling for the region that you can have both, Moore said. You can be a distinctly majority-Muslim country in the gulf and be an entirely welcoming society that doesnt see the freedom of worship or belief as a threat but rather an asset.

Even on the gender equality front, progress is being made in Bahrain. In December, a woman for the first time became head of the Bahraini parliament.

Bahrain is, however, still listed as a Tier 2 country of concern for religious freedom by USCIRF.

Another nation that was dropped from the World Watch List in 2019 is the East African nation of Djibouti, which was ranked last year as the 50th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution while Bahrain ranked 48th.

Newly added to the World Watch List in 2019 are the Russian Federation (41) and Morocco (35). Though they were not on the 2018 list, they had made the list in previous years.

Christians in parts of Russia dominated by Islam report the highest level of persecution, an Open Doors fact sheet on Russia explains. Additionally, an increase in state control has resulted in more tight controls for any Christian denomination seen as non-Russian, which means evangelical churches are often regarded with suspicion. The government continues to pass more restrictive legislation on religious freedom.

Moore told CP that evangelicals and other non-Orthodox believers like Jehovah's Witnesses continue to face incomprehensible marginalization and persecution from the government in Russia as a law passed in 2016 has restricted evangelism and missionary activities.

What does surprise me is that a country whose Christians were so horrifically persecuted for so long over the last century that their memories would fail them now when they have more freedom of worship now than they did in the Soviet Era, Moore said. It feels like certain leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church are ... in collusion with the government in suppressing certain other groups.Senate resolution rebukes Democrats for violating Constitution's 'no religious test'

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The U.S. Senate passed a resolution rebuking two Democrat Senators for their critical questioning of a judicial nominee's Knights of Columbus membership.

Senators approved without objection on Wednesday Senate Resolution 19, which was introduced by Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

The resolution stated that disqualifying a nominee to Federal office on the basis of membership in the Knights of Columbus violates the Constitution of the United States.

More specifically, the resolution says that Article VI, clause 3, was violated, which reads, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

 the Knights have a proud tradition of standing against the forces of prejudice and oppression, such as the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Germany, continued S.R. 19.

 the Knights are founded on the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism [and] in 2017, the Knights made more than $185,000.000 in charitable contributions and volunteered more than 75,600,000 service hours.

In a Wednesday evening speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Sasse explained that he introduced the resolution on behalf of fellow Nebraskan Brian Buescher, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. District Judge for the District of Nebraska.

Senators Kamala Harris of California and Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii sent him written questions expressing concern over Bueschers membership with the Knights due to the Catholic organizations socially conservative views.

Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed a womans right to choose when you joined the organization? Sen. Kamala asked. Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed marriage equality when you joined the organization?

The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions. For example, it was reportedly one of the top contributors to Californias Proposition 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage, inquired Hirono. If confirmed, do you intend to end your membership with this organization to avoid any appearance of bias?

This is nuts, stated Sasse. We're talking about the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world being called an extremist organization and a nominee for the federal bench being asked if he would resign from this organization so that he could serve without the appearance of bias.

This is the same kind of garbage that was thrown at a member of this body, John F. Kennedy, 60 years ago when he was campaigning for the presidency.

Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who is running for president, also denounced the treatment of Buescher in an opinion column published earlier this month by The Hill.

While I oppose the nomination of Brian Buescher to the U.S. District Court in Nebraska, I stand strongly against those who are fomenting religious bigotry, citing as disqualifiers Bueschers Catholicism and his affiliation with the Knights of Columbus, wrote Gabbard.

The party that worked so hard to convince people that Catholics and Knights of Columbus like Al Smith and John F. Kennedy could be both good Catholics and good public servants shows an alarming disregard of its own history in making such attacks today.Os Guinness: evangelical critics of Trump are 'dead wrong,' 'havent analyzed the situation rightly'

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Evangelical critics of President Donald Trump and his supporters are dead wrong in their prioritizing of concerns, according to British author and social critic Os Guinness.

Conservative Christian radio host and author Eric Metaxas interviewed Guinness on Metaxas podcast that aired on Tuesday, partly in regards to Guinness newest book, Last Call for Liberty: How America's Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat.

During the interview, Metaxas bemoaned the backlash he received from fellow Christians over his support for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

I was vilified and since have been vilified as everything under the sun. Even my fellow Christians, or I should say, especially many of my fellow Christians, have said things I would have thought them incapable ever of saying, said Metaxas.

You have many people who are professing evangelical Christians, serious Catholic Christians, who are as anti-Trump as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. That, to me, is the darkest of this, because I would think that the church would understand that the unborn and a number of other things are vitally important. Something has changed.

Guinness said he agreed with Metaxas on his assessment, saying that he believed anti-Trump evangelicals and Catholics havent analyzed the situation rightly.

Theyve become obsessed with Trump, and theyve failed to see that hes not the cause of the problem, hes the consequence, the symptom, Guinness responded.

While theyre being obsessed with him, the real problems are developing underneath. And Trump wont be forever. So he serves out two full terms and finishes in whatever way. Then you would still have the problem.

Labeling many of the evangelical and Catholic critics friends of both himself and Metaxas, Guinness went on to state that he felt they were dead wrong about their focus on Trump.

Metaxas then added that he found it horrifying that many of these evangelical critics of Trump were demonizing supporters of the president, arguing that their statements prevent civil discourse.

They think that everyone who is a sane person must be viciously against Trump. If youre not that, then youre not part of the crowd anymore. And so, you cant even talk to those people, continued Metaxas.

Guinness believed that Christians needed to adopt a better analysis of whats gone wrong in the United States and to respond to it in a much more Christian way than attacking Trump supporters.

Better public discourse can emerge if Americans would get it out of just the obsession with Trump to better think about pressing issues, like whether to build a wall on the southern border, Guinness added.

You think of the wall and the fact that heres a position which so many of the leading Democrats supported themselves, for the right reasons, not that long ago, said Guinness. Now because Trumps in favor of it, they cant possibly admit anything like that. Well, this is an insanity for the nation.

Released last October by InterVarsity Press Books, Guinness Last Call for Liberty focuses on his concern about the recent decline in political civility.

Our society's conflicts are rooted in two rival views of freedom, one embodied in 1776 and the ideals of the American Revolution, and the other in 1789 and the ideals of the French Revolution. Once again America has become a house divided, and Americans must make up their minds as to which freedom to follow, reads the books Amazon description.

[Guinness] calls for a national conversation on the nature of freedom, and poses key questions for concerned citizens to consider as we face a critical chapter in the American story. He offers readers a checklist by which they can assess the character and consequences of the freedoms they are choosing.

Metaxas recently garnered controversy for his interview last week with controversial right-wing figure Milo Yiannopolis, with Andrew Egger of The Bulwark joking that it proves we live in the worst possible timeline.

Whats interesting is how quickly it becomes clear that Metaxasalthough he has apparently read and enjoyed Diabolicalseems to be blissfully unaware of most of the more revolting moments in the Milo oeuvre, wrote Egger.

In a sense, though, Metaxas has done a real service by hosting Milo: He made clear that the political corruption of the modern evangelical movement is in its very late stages. Metaxas is for Trump. Milo is for Trump. So Metaxas assumes that he should be for Milo, too.Ohio's new Gov. Mike DeWine swears on 9 Bibles during oath-of-office ceremony

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As President Donald Trump made headlines in January 2017 for swearing on two Bibles during his oath of office, Ohio's new Catholic conservative Gov. Mike DeWine took it to another level on Monday.

The former U.S. senator and state attorney general swore on a stack of nine Bibles during his official swearing-in ceremony that took place on his farm at midnight Monday morning.

DeWines decision, however, was not meant to seven-up the president but rather to honor his children and members of his family that came before him.

According to a press release from the governors office, the nine Bibles include:

DeWine's late daughter Becky DeWines childhood Bible

DeWines great-grandmother Gertrude Budds Bible

DeWines grandmother Ruth Perkins Liddles New Testament that was given to her by her father over 100 years ago

DeWines grandfather Albert Liddles New Testament, which was issued to him by the U.S. Navy while serving during World War I

DeWines Aunt Elizabeth Ann Mickey DeWine Harwoods Bible, which was given to her by her grandmother

A New Testament that the DeWines acquired many years ago in Jerusalem

A study Bible given to DeWine by the former chaplain of the U.S. Senate Lloyd Ogilvie

A Bible that belonged to DeWines mother, Jean DeWine.

A Bible that DeWine was given by his wife, Fran, on their 10th wedding anniversary

Taking over the reins of the state from outgoing Republican Gov. John Kasich, DeWines oath was administered by his very own son, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine. Meanwhile, DeWines wife, Fran, held all nine Bibles.

During a short ceremony this morning at my home in Cedarville, I took the oath of office to become the 70th Governor of #Ohio, DeWine wrote on Twitter. I was honored that my son @PatDeWine administered the oath as I placed my hand atop nine family bibles held by my wife, First Lady @FranDeWine.A spokesperson for DeWine told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the governor and first lady wanted there to be Bibles representing each of their eight children.

Immediately after taking the oath of office on Monday morning, DeWine issued six executive orders.

At the public swearing-in ceremony that took place in Columbus later that day, DeWine only took the oath while swearing on just two Bibles.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted took his oath of office at Riverside United Methodist Church in the suburbs of Columbus while swearing on a family Bible, according to DeWines office.

DeWine was endorsed during the 2018 gubernatorial election by the evangelical social conservative advocacy group Family Research Council. He has served in both the House and Senate.

As attorney general of Ohio, DeWine fought to defend Ohios ban on same-sex marriage in the wake of a federal court ruling against the state law in 2014. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of a national right to same-sex marriage in 2015.

In the Senate, his sponsorship of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and the Federal Marriage Amendment are evidence of his dedication to the principles of federalism and first amendment freedoms, FRC President Tony Perkins said in a statement. Having helped lead a multi-state amicus brief on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Hobby Lobby, and having supported Ohios constitutional marriage amendment all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell, its clear that he recognizes that religious freedom is a sacred right, and that healthy families are the bedrock of society.Mario Lopez calls wife's pregnancy 'a miracle' after thinking baby No. 3 wasn't part of 'Gods plan'

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Actor Mario Lopez says he was just about to give up hope of having another child until his wife, Courtney, revealed over the holidays that she's pregnant.

In an interview with People magazine, Lopez, 45, revealed that they had been trying to conceive a child and started to accept the possibility that a third child wasn't to be.

If it didnt happen, it wasnt meant to be. Not part of Gods plan. We have one of each, the "Extra" host, told People about his thoughts before finding out the good news.

But it got in there! It snuck in, toward the end, so a bit of a Christmas miracle, he said.

The Lopezes' two children, Dominic Nico Luciano, 5, and Gia Francesca, 8, disagree on whether they want a baby sister or a baby brother. Gia wants a baby sister and Nico wants a baby brother.

Weve waited for all the kids, [so] its going to be a surprise. Were pretty old school, you know, it being the tie-breaker, Lopez said of waiting to find out the miracle babys sex. It doesnt matter, to be honest, as long as its healthy. Were just very excited. The gender reveal will be when its born!

In his Instagram announcement, the loving father proclaimed that he is so blessed to be having another child.

Lopez has been pretty vocal in Hollywood about his faith in God. In March of 2018, the Saved By the Bell star celebrated being baptized in Israel.

"We are at the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ. I'm about to get baptized," Lopez wrote on social media. "It's a beautiful day. There's a really cool Catholic priest that's gonna do me the honors. And there's a sermon going on right now. So I'm going to join these fine folks and then, bam! It's on!"

In a second video, Lopez was standing in the Jordan singing the Christian hymn, "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." He is then asked by two priests if he believes in Jesus Christ and "intends to serve Him" for the rest of his life.

"Yes, I do," Lopez said.LifeWay Christian Stores to close some locations amid declining sales

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LifeWay Christian Store, the chain known for its Christian books, gifts and Bibles, will close some of its locations due to "an accelerated rate of erosion," the company's president has announced.

In an email sent to employees, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer said the company had prayed that our investments in and commitments to the LifeWay stores would prove fruitful, but that just has not been the case, the Baptist Press first reported on Wednesday.

To the contrary, we not only continue to see an erosion in the brick-and-mortar channel, we have seen an accelerated rate of erosion in recent months. It was our hope that greater traffic would result in greater sales, and that with our expense reductions and product cost savings, we would be able to offset sales declines. That hope has not been realized with the declines we have seen since September.

"In simple terms, a strategic shift is required for moving more and more of our resources to a dynamic digital strategy," Rainer wrote. "We will be transitioning many of those resources from our LifeWay stores to digital channels. The good news is that we will be better prepared to meet the future. The challenging news is that some of our stores will have to close."

Carol Pipes, director of communications for LifeWay, told The Christian Post that the company is moving into a new era with a strategic focus on a dynamic digital strategy that will prepare us for the future and allow us to better serve our customers.

LifeWay is taking steps to meet customer demand for digital shopping experiences and to expand our reach globally, she said. As LifeWay expands its digital channels, the organization anticipates a smaller footprint in brick-and-mortar stores.

Like other retailers, LifeWay continues to evaluate the size of its retail footprint, she added. We continually make adjustments to our strategy as the market changes and to meet the needs of our customers.

LifeWay, a nonprofit organization founded in 1891, owns and operates more than 170 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as the Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina.

LifeWays website says the company is one of the world's largest providers of Christian resources, offering Bibles, Bible studies, church music, church supplies, and digital services.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and operated by the Southern Baptist Convention, LifeWay is passionate about sharing the Gospel and providing biblically sound resources that exalt our Savior and encourage His followers," according to Rainer.

The Baptist Press notes that the last time LifeWay's sales exceeded its total operating expenses was 2009. Since then, total operating expenses exceeded sales each year, although total assets increased over the same period.

Due to the inability to compete with internet retail giants like Amazon, click ordering, and price competition, several prominent Christian bookstores have been forced to close in recent years.

In 2017, Family Christian Stores announced it was shutting its doors due to "changing consumer behavior and declining sales." The company, which employed more than 3,000 people in more than 240 stores across 36 states, had served as "the world's largest retailer of Christian-themed merchandise for more than 85 years.

A year earlier, Send The Light Distribution, a Tennessee-based distributor of Christian products, announced it would be going out of business. The company, which remained in operation for 42 years, shipped Bibles, Christian books and other Christian literature to over 10,000 stores across the United States.

In an August 2018 statement announcing his plans to retire from LifeWay, Rainer said he believed the company is poised for a great future with a new leader.

To be certain, LifeWay will have its challenges, he wrote. LifeWay is a ministry funded by a business model. It does not receive any outside funds. It has to compete with the behemoths like Amazon and Walmart. The next president will lead an organization poised for a great future, but it will be a future with challenges. Such is the nature of how this organization lives and works.James MacDonald to take 'indefinite sabbatical' amid scrutiny; elders plan 'peacemaking' process

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Harvest Bible Chapel's longtime pastor James MacDonald is stepping away from ministry and leadership responsibilities for an "indefinite sabbatical" as the church elders initiate a "peacemaking process" amid recent scrutiny of the Chicago-area megachurch.

In an email message sent to HBC members that was posted on the church website Wednesday, the elders said that they had tried to address criticisms coming from outside for the past several years but such efforts have not been adequate as it pertains to their own failures. The Executive Committee of elders privately met Monday which "led to the decision to be part of a peacemaking process that seeks both reconciliation and change where needed."

The latest development has come about following an investigative report from Julie Roys, formerly of Moody Radio, in the December issue of World magazine. In the article, Roys detailed how the church, under MacDonald's leadership, had moved around ministry entities in order to redirect funds for suspicious purposes and also reported on an alleged culture of fear and intimidation where MacDonald was allowed to treat people abusively.

The church will be partnering with two ministries "that specialize in helping churches resolve issues in God-honoring ways" patterned after Ken Sande's book The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, the elders' statement read.

The Christian Post reached out to HBC for comment, inquiring further about how this peacemaking process will transpire and was referred to the Wednesday statement.

MacDonald, who started HBC over 30 years ago with a group of 18 people, will be taking an "indefinite sabbatical" from preaching and leadership at the Chicago location, the elders explained, and he has recused himself from taking part in the peacemaking process but may preach occasionally at the HBC location in Naples, Florida, through some of the winter months.

MacDonald explained in an addendum to the email from the elders that he has battled cycles of injustice, hurt, anger, and fear which have wounded others without cause.

"I am grieved that people I love have been hurt by me in ways they felt they could not express to me directly and have not been able to resolve. I blame only myself for this and want to devote my entire energy to understanding and addressing these recurring patterns," he said.

Prior to publication of the World article, the church sued Roys as well as two former members, along with their wives, who had been blogging critically of MacDonald since 2012 on a site called The Elephant's Debt. The church alleged both Roys and the Elephant's Debt bloggers had broken the law and had spread misinformation about them. HBC ultimately scrapped the lawsuit earlier this month after a judge denied the church two motions in order to keep documents subpoenaed in the case private.

Roys responded on her blog Wednesday that she is skeptical about the most recent announcement.

"Given all thats occurred, including a baseless lawsuit for which Harvest has still not apologized, whats required now is not a 'peacemaking process,' but confession, repentance, and resignations. There can be no true peace without it," Roys said.

Roys previously maintained in a separate post that the church not only told lies about her and the Elephant's Debt bloggers but that they knew what they said was false.

The Elephant's Debt bloggers, Scott Bryant and Ryan Mahoney, were also not moved by HBC's and MacDonald's latest words.

"If MacDoanlds confession is to be taken seriously  and seen as anything other than an attempt to manage public image  it must be complete and accompanied, at a minimum, by public acts of repentance," they said, referencing a previous blog, an open letter they authored demanding that the pastor apologize publicly and reimburse them for costs they incurred as a result of the lawsuit.

"In the absence of that, it is difficult to read this as anything but yet another attempt to spin a story."Christian dishwasher fired by hotel because she refused to work Sundays awarded $21M

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A devout Christian dishwasher and mother of six who was fired by the Conrad Hotel in Miami, Florida, for refusing to work on Sundays was awarded $21 million in punitive damages by a federal jury Monday after she sued for the violation of her religious rights.

I love God. No, I cant [work on] Sunday because Sunday, I honor God, Haitian immigrant Marie Jean Pierre, 60, said in an interview with NBC 6 South Florida on Wednesday.

The jury found that the Conrad Hotel retaliated against Pierre when they fired her for being unable to work on Sundays even though they were aware of her involvement with the Soldiers of Christ Church that prevented her from working on Sundays, the Miami Herald reported.

Pierre worked at the hotel from 2006 to 2016 but it wasnt until 2015 that her boss, kitchen manager George Colon, decided she would have to work on Sundays anyway. Her co-workers traded shifts with Pierre to accommodate her religious observance but Colon demanded that she show up for her assigned shifts, and when she refused Pierre was fired on March 31, 2016.

The hotel alleged she was dismissed for misconduct, negligence and unexcused absences, according to the lawsuit.

Pierre responded by suing the Conrad, managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in May 2017. The Conrad Hotel is also part of the Hilton collection.

Defendant retaliated against Plaintiff by, among other things, creating a hostile work environment for Plaintiff, reprimanding Plaintiff for her religious beliefs, and terminating Plaintiff, Pierres lawsuit said.

Pierres lawyer, Marc Brumer, told NBC that the hotel argued in court that it was unaware Pierre was a missionary, and never knew why she always wanted Sundays off.

Pierre alleged that in 2009, the hotel had scheduled her to work on Sundays and she informed them that if they did she would have to resign. To persuade her not to leave, however, the hotel accommodated her request until 2015.

After hearing the case, a federal jury in Miami ordered Conrad Hotel to pay Pierre $36,000 for lost wages, $500,000 for emotional anguish, and $21 million in punitive damages, the Herald said.

Although there is a cap on punitive damage awards in federal court, Brumer told NBC that he expects Pierre will receive at least $500,000.

"I asked for $50 million, knowing that I was capped at $300,000," Brumer told NBC News. "I didn't do this for money. I did this to right the wrongs."

A spokeswoman for Hilton told NBC that the group was "very disappointed by the jury's verdict, and don't believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law."

"During Ms. Pierre's 10 years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments, she said. "We intend to appeal, and demonstrate that the Conrad Miami was and remains a welcoming place for all guests and employees."He then listed several reasons why Christian movies as a whole are terrible, starting with the accusation that they are not made by artists, but by propagandists.

Christian movies are more akin to propaganda than art, because they begin with wanting to communicate some Christian theme  the power of prayer, the power of believing, the power of something  and then the story is crafted around that message. This is true even when the story is something based on a real-life incident. Delving into the depths of human character and motivation is subservient to getting the message across. This is why so much of the dialogue in Christian movies violates the classic writing proverb, Show, don't tell, wrote Wilson, who is also managing editor of For The Church and director of the Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church.

He clarified that he is not questioning the skills of the cameramen and others working on the faith-based movie sets, but he believes these are "people who don't really know what the job ought to be."

Famous authors C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, he pointed out, "just weren't writing for the Christian market, because that market does not want art that [communicates] truth but art that is being used by a message. And there's a difference. It is the difference between art and propaganda."

In his second argument, he said that Christian movies often suffer from Christian sentimentalism.

Characters in Christian movies don't often sound like people in real life. They sound like Christians imagine (or desire) real life to be. This is why the Christian protagonists are always earnest, even when they don't have all the answers, and why the non-Christian antagonists always sound like the one-dimensional memes Christians tilt against in their Facebook streams, Wilson argued.

Third, he positioned that Christian movies look to portray narrative tidiness instead of nuance.

He used an example from his own writing career when he was trying to get a novel published but an interested publisher told him:

"We can't publish this if the sheriff has his arm blown off in the firefight at the end."

Wilson explained that the scene in question was not gory or indulgent. But it was a narrative choice I made to make the stakes real and high. A good guy can get hurt in real life. Well, my big mistake was mistaking the world of Christian fiction for real life. In the world of Christian fiction  at least, for that publisher  good guys don't get hurt.

Wilson also spoke out against platitudes in Christian movies.

Every prayer sounds scripted. Every dramatic moment sounds cliched. The pastors sound like the phrases on motivational posters. Christians speak to non-Christians in gotcha wisdom, delivering Jesusy fortune-cookie bon mots to souls apparently just a few well-turned phrases away from conversion. The theology of Christian movies can be scribbled on the back of a napkin, he said.

It's Christian bookstore coffee mug-level philosophy. It's Christian T-shirt-level aphorizing.

Finally, he warned that even the best Christian movie will never be cool.

The gospel always sounds offensive to the world. Maybe Christian movies that articulate faith content clearly are destined to be laughed out of the theater, regardless of the excellence of their cinematic context, if only because the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, he pointed out.

What if there isn't a way to make the gospel sound cool? That's something worth pondering for Christian moviegoers and Christian movie-makers alike, he advised.

In any event, if your movie's gonna get laughed at for being Christian, maybe at least make sure it's because of the cross and not because it's corny.

Christian media producer and author Phil Cooke told The Christian Post on Wednesday that he completely understands Wilsons frustrations when it comes to movies made by Christians.

Theres no question that many Christian filmmakers mean well, and have great motives. But the truth is that any compelling story should balance on the verge of going either direction. Most Christian films have the feeling that the end is already decided, and its always positive, Cooke offered.

I understand the desire to share our faith, and position it in the best possible light. But the truth is, that makes an inauthentic and unbelievable story that doesnt resonate with audiences.

He argued that filmmakers need to be able to understand what makes a good story before thinking about the Christian implications.

The bottom line is that if we cant draw people into the film based on a powerful and compelling story, then all the good intentions in the world wont help, he told CP.

As an example, Cooke offered the use of profanity in movies.

My feeling is fairly simple and its all based on the character. One of the greatest criticisms of media created by Christians is that its simply not believable. You cant have an outlaw biker, a member of the Mafia, or a drug addict using nice, family safe words. The truth is that they use profanity on a regular basis, so to not allow that in a movie at some level, is to cheapen the character and undermine the believability of your story, he said.

So my rule is we dont use profanity in a gratuitous way, but when necessary, to help express the nature of the character in his or her present state. To be convincing, it has to be real, authentic, and believable. To do otherwise is to create a fake character, and that does nothing for the presentation of the Gospel.

Looking at the bottom line, Cooke said that unless we show how deep the sin, we cant show how great the salvation.

That doesnt give us a license to use profanity, sexuality, or violence all the time, but it does create the need to show real people, real characters, and real situations, he clarified.

Cooke reflected: When Christian audiences stop being so offended when they see authentic behavior on film, and we have Christian filmmakers with the guts to tell those stories in a compelling way, then well start impacting the culture.

Earlier, film reviewer and teacher Andrew Barber also warned about what he views as problems in Christian filmmaking.

Barber wrote in a Gospel Coalition article in 2014 that many times, Christian films come out as inherently dishonest.

Over the last few years, many church-funded films have featured explicit evangelism encounters. They usually come near the climax of the movie and feature one character explaining to another how he/she is a sinner and needs Jesus, the result of which is usually conversion. Everyone knows this scene is aimed at non-Christians in the audience; its the altar-call sequence of the film and frequently features explicit preaching, he wrote.

The problem is the sense of bait-and-switch. We are saying, on the one hand, Hey, we know you love art; here is our art over here! and then P.S. Now that we have you in the theater, we would like to convert you. While the scenes can be powerful in presentation, they are more akin to interventions than filmmaking.Jan 17, 2019 | By Thomas

The technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) practice at Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has reveals its latest digital trends for 2019 in its annual UK technology, media and telecoms (TMT) report.

5G enters the mainstream in 2019

2019 will see the first mass-market generation of 5G-enabled handsets go on sale. Deloitte predicts that around 20 handset vendors will launch 5G-ready handsets in 2019, with the first available in Q2. Approximately one million 5G-enabled handsets will be shipped by the years end, out of a projected 1.5 billion smartphone handsets which will be sold in total in 2019. In the UK, 5G shipments will number around 50,000.

3D printing: Growth accelerates again, but remains niche

The business advisory firm predicts that sales related to 3D printing by large public companies will surpass 2.1bn in 2019 and 2.4bn in 2020, growing by 12.5% year-on-year, more than double its growth rate compared to just a few years ago.

It said this growth will be driven by faster printing speeds, larger printing volume and, crucially, an increase in the number of materials able to be printed. Metal is expected to overtake plastics and represent more than half of all 3D printing within the next two years. The list of possible 3D-printable materials has more than doubled in the last five years, which (along with other improvements) has led to a rebound in the industry's growth potential.

Paul Lee, global head of research for technology, media and telecoms at Deloitte, comments: In 2019, 3D printing will finally start to make its mark. Companies across multiple industries are using the technology for more than just rapid prototyping. 3D printers today are capable of printing a greater variety of materials, which mainly means more metal printing and less plastic printing. Plastic is fine for prototypes and certain final parts, but the trillion-dollar metal-parts fabrication market is the more important market for 3D printers to address.

Bionic prosthetic limbs for children for instance, which are usually costly, particularly due to the need to replace these frequently as children grows, have been revolutionised by the introduction of 3D printing and can now be produced for a mere 20.

Smart speakers

Deloitte also predicts that smart speakers - internet-connected speakers with integrated digital assistants - will be the fastest-growing connected device in 2019, with 164 million units to be sold globally, up from 98 million in 2018. The smart speaker market is expected to grow by 63% year-on-year to 5.6bn in revenue, with a global installed base of a quarter of a billion by the end of 2019.

Lee comments: Smart speaker adoption has seen phenomenal growth in recent years. With improvements continuing to be made, demand for smart speakers could be in the many billions of units, possibly even higher than for smartphones. In the future, smart speakers have the potential to be installed in every room in a house, hotel, office, school and even beside every hospital bed.

Significantly, smart speakers have, literally, a world of opportunity for growth in non-English-speaking countries. So far, the vast majority of these devices have been sold to markets with English as the primary language. As linguistic software improves, demand will continue to soar, particularly if these speakers appeal to customers speaking Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese.

We expect smart speakers to be the seventh most-used consumer device this year, and it may take some years before this technologys true impact is felt. Mass adoption has yet to happen, voice recognition accuracy has plenty of scope for improvement, and there are still relatively few apps available.

Radio: Revenue, reach, and resilience

Radio, the 99-year old traditional medium, will maintain its hold on UK media consumption, with 47 million people listening to radio weekly or more often. Global radio revenues are forecast to increase modestly to 31.6 billion, still many multiples of emerging media formats such as eSports, whose revenues are likely to be 40 times smaller.

Globally, Deloitte predicts that nearly three billion people will listen to radio weekly in 2019, and that total radio revenue will reach 31.6bn ($40bn), a one per cent increase from 2018.

Lee comments: Radio advertising is underestimated, with many unaware of the influence it holds for brands. As traditional media and television viewing figures continue to struggle, listening figures for radio are holding steady. Radio will continue to play an integral role in advertising campaigns for years to come. In a world where digital changes everything, radio may be the exception.

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Chick-fil-A opens Sunday to fulfill birthday wish of boy with autism, cerebral palsy

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A Chick-fil-A in Alabama fulfilled the birthday wish of a 14-year-old boy with autism and cerebral palsy by opening on Sunday  a day the restaurant is normally closed  so the teen could work the drive-thru.

For his birthday, Elijah Sprague had one wish: He wanted to work the drive-thru at the local Chick-fil-A.

Though Chick-fil-A is typically closed on Sundays, manager Walt Gilstrap, uncle to Elijah, and owner Mr. Glen opened the doors and drive-thru window so Elijahs birthday wish could come true, WKRG reports. Elijah passed out cookies to about 40 cars through the drive-thru window before participants went inside the store to finish celebrating the teens birthday with a cookie cake.

Rene Sprague, Elijahs mother, reflected on the special day in a Facebook post: The way people love this kid amazes me, she wrote. It has truly changed the way I live my life. Loving people with your whole heart, [judgments] aside and with no anticipation of rewards. Thank you to every single person that loves our Elijah.

When the story was first reported by local news outlets, she wrote: When the Lords restaurant opens for your birthday party, it makes the news.

Elijah was born 18 weeks premature and has limited speech, Rene Sprague told CBS News. Sprague, a nurse who worked at the NICU where Elijah was treated as a newborn, adopted Elijah with her husband when he was 6 months old. While they were told he would only live about a year, he has far exceeded his life expectancy.

"This is super special to us," Sprague said. "Elijah's not going to graduate like our other kids. He's not going to get married or have kids. So this is just a really cool experience to us for him to have this level of attention ... it's neat for people to recognize he's a really cool kid."

She hopes Elijah's story can help inspire others with special needs. "The community needs to realize this is a really special population of kids," she said. "They do have special needs, but they have so much to offer."

Chick-fil-A has been closed on Sundays since 1946, a practice established by the fast food chains Christian founder Truett Cathy to allow employees a day of rest and worship. His son, Dan Cathy, continues the practice today.

While Chick-fil-A believes employees should have Sundays off to "strengthen communities, both close to home and throughout the cities its restaurants serve, locations sometimes make exceptions when their communities are in need, notes the restaurant website.

In the wake of the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando in 2016, team members at Chick-fil-A Lee Vista volunteered on Sunday to feed first responders and blood donors.

Additionally, on Christmas Day in 2015, after tornadoes ripped through Rowlett and Garland, Texas, team members at several restaurants spent their Sunday preparing and distributing free food to first responders and families whose homes were destroyed by tornadoes.

Trudy Cathy White, the only daughter of Truett Cathy and his wife, Jeanette, recently explained that her family doesnt operate as if theyre in the chicken business. Rather, they view themselves as being in the people business.

We want to involve ourselves in the lives of others, she told The Gospel Herald. Our purpose is to glorify God and be a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A. Our priority in the business world is to glorify God in how we steward what He gives us and our influence on others.

White explained that throughout her father's life, he exemplified Jesus' words in Acts 20:35  "It is more blessed to give than to receive"  and Proverbs 22:1: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

My dad really instilled in his kids the idea of learning how to be generous, she said. "That's why we're all about serving our customers and taking care of their needs. We try to create an environment that focuses on generous giving. We try to honor God with all that we have, and serving others well is a great way to do that.'Star Wars' actor to produce South African thriller 'God is Good' about gangster-turned-pastor

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John Boyega, who's best known for playing Finn in the "Star Wars" films "The Last Jedi" and "The Force Awakens," is now executive producing a South African crime-thriller called God Is Good.

The film was shot in Cape Towns Cape Flats and follows a reformed gangster-turned-pastor and a volatile detective who cross paths after an act of brutal violence sets them on a collision course with a heinous gang lieutenant, the synopsis reads, according to Deadline. Producers are said to have compared the movie to Prisoners and City of God, and are in the process of selecting cast members.

God Is Good will be produced by former Sony International producer Josephine Rose under the U.K. production banner, Bandit Country and is being written and directed by first-time filmmaker Willem Grobler.

Im thrilled to be teaming [up] once again with Josephine Rose on such a powerful and important story that explores themes of fathers and fatherhood, toxic masculinity, race and faith in a community that has become trapped in an unending cycle of violence and racial oppression, and where sometimes it seems for men that violence is the only way of achieving power," Boyega told Deadline. "Willem has written a superb screenplay and we are looking forward to working with him to realize the vision behind it."

In conjunction with the film's release, Boyega is also reportedly launching UpperRoom Records, a record label that will produce the films soundtrack.

While attending a screening of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" at the IMAX Cinemas in Lekki, Nigeria, on Dec. 26, 2017, Boyega revealed to those in attendance that he was raised as a Christian.

According to the Nigerian publication Konbini, the actor grew up watching mostly "Mount Zion movies," a streaming service for Christian films.

God Is Good is set for a spring release, and Boyega is now shooting "Star Wars IX."Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren shares 3 ways Christians can improve their mental health

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God wants His children to be healthy in every area of their lives  emotionally, spiritually, and physically  says Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren who lists three ways people can safeguard their mental health.

In a devotional posted earlier this month, Warren, who's also the author of the book Purpose Driven Church, said that in order to be mentally healthy, one must focus their mind on the right things, adding: Your mind is your greatest asset and the greatest battleground.

The pastor then shared three things Christians should focus on to increase their mental health, the first being Jesus.

Youve heard the saying, You become what you think about most, he said. If you want to become more like Jesus, you have to fill your thoughts with him.

Second, he advised Christians to think about others, pointing to Philippians 2:4, Dont just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing (TLB).

Do you realize how countercultural that is? he asked. Our world teaches you to think about yourself and nobody else. But Jesus was countercultural, and when you think about Him, youll more naturally think of others.

Finally, the pastor recommended thinking about eternity, citing 1 Corinthians 2:9: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

When you start focusing on truths like that, all of your problems seem inferior compared to the glory, the joy, and the pleasure of the things awaiting us in eternity, he said. Ask God to help you make the choice every day to feed on Gods Word, free your mind of destructive thoughts, and fill your mind with Jesus, others, and eternity. Then youll have won the battle.

Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, who in 2013 lost their 27-year-old son Matthew to suicide, frequently address the importance of mental health and regularly organize conferences on the issue, urging more Christian engagement.

Recently, Rick Warren encouraged Christians to view mental illness like any medical illness: "If a bird has a broken wing, you could say just believe you could fly, but it isn't going to fly," he said. "If your neurons aren't working right, then you go get help, and actually mental, physical spiritual and relational illness often all go together. You got to [work on] all four."

"If my heart isn't working, and I take a pill, nobody thinks anything of it. [Same with the liver]. But if my brain doesn't work right and I take a pill, I'm supposed to be ashamed of that? What's wrong with that?" the pastor continued.

In 2017, Kay Warren revealed that she had a prophetic vision of churchgoers not long after her son's death.

"In my mind's eye, I pictured the Worship Center at Saddleback full of people who are living with a mental illness  depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, an eating disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia  or any other mental illness that was making life challenging," Warren described at the time.

"Everyone in the room was reaching out to God without having to pretend that life felt OK  some people were crying, others wrapped themselves around a large wooden cross, some were praying, some were offering hugs to others  but all felt safe to bring their pain and their sorrow to God," she added.

"Then I saw laughter  the kind of laughter that comes when others walking a similar life-path talk about the shared, common ups as well as downs, the moments of absurdity and humor in living with a mental illness. In my vision, hope began to rise."Church pays off lunch debt for entire school district, more than 200 students get better meals

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More than 200 students will now have access to more substantial lunches in the Royse City Independent School District in Texas, after the congregation of the Royse City First United Methodist Church paid off thousands of dollars in lunch debt that had prevented them from getting access to hot meals.

"If the church does not impact the community the church is in, then the church isn't doing its job," Royse City UMC Pastor Chris Everson told NBC 5 in a recent interview. "With us having the opportunity to make an impact, then we are doing what Christ has called us to do to  serve the least of these."

Everson explained that his 200-member church has a tradition of donating their Christmas Eve offerings to charity. In 2017, the church split the offerings between a nonprofit and a nearby elementary school to help students get out of lunch debt.

According to Everson, when a student in the district is $25 or more past due in lunch payments, that student no longer gets a hot meal from the school. They will still however receive a turkey or ham sandwich, a piece of fruit and milk. Adi Bryant, Royse City ISD's chief communications officer also told the network that 40 percent of the district's approximately 6,000 students receive free or reduced price lunches as part of the National School Lunch Program.

"It really broke my heart to see there were students who were trying to learn, students who were trying to get through the day," Everson said. "Knowing the school did what they could to provide for them, but you need more than just a sandwich and a carton of milk to make it through the rest of the school day."

Recognizing the difficulties some families have in securing lunch for their children, Everson said he approached his church in 2018 and asked if they could help the entire school district in 2018 and they agreed.

The church raised more than $10,000 for the cause and gave the money to the school district last near Christmas. The donation paid off debts for students who were $20 or more behind in payments that represented 226 families totaling around $6,000. The remainder of the donation will go toward assisting other students in the future.

"We didn't have to cry out and ask for this help, they saw that families needed support and they stepped in and did it," Bryant said of the churchs quiet donation which the district chose to announce on Monday.

She further explained that she believes the churchs donation has taken a bit of burden off the families who were in debt.

"I think it takes a little bit of the burden off of them when you feel behind on something and someone takes that away," Bryant explained. "You have a fresh start and it's a wonderful feeling.

"This is for any students' family who may have fallen behind on their meal accounts and it could happen to anybody," Bryant said.Worst 50 places for Christians ranked in 2019 World Watch List: India in top 10 for first time Christian Post Contributor | 17 January, 2019 by Stoyan Zaimov

Open Doors USA has published its 2019 World Watch List of the top 50 countries in the world where Christians face the most extreme persecution for their faith.

While many of the top 10 countries listed this year were also on 2018's list, a significant addition was India, due to the rise in Hindu radical attacks on Christians.

"The world's two most highly populated countries rise on the World Watch List. For the first time since the start of the World Watch List, India has entered the top 10. Additionally, China jumped 16 spots, from 43 to 27," the persecution watchdog group observed.

"Each of these countries is home to more than a billion people, so these trends are distressing. Hindu nationalists in India continue to attack Christians with what seems like no consequences, and in China, the increased power of the government and the rule of Xi Jinping continue to make open worship difficult in some parts of the country," it added.

Looking at the numbers, 245 million Christians in the top 50 countries in the World Watch List are expected to face high levels of persecution in the coming year, which is an increase from the 215 million projected last year.

As many as 4,136 Christians were murdered last year because of their faith, while 1,266 churches or Christian buildings were attacked.

North Korea was listed at the very top of the World Watch List for the 17th-consecutive year, with Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, and India rounding up the top 10.

Among some of the main trends, Open Doors observed what it called the "shocking reality of persecution against women."

"In many places, they experience a 'double persecution'  one for being a Christian and one for being a woman. Even in the most restricted circumstances, gender-specific persecution is a key means of destroying the minority Christian community. This kind of persecution is difficult to assess because it is complex, violent and hidden  in many cultures where women are specifically targeted, it is difficult if not impossible to report accurate numbers," the watchdog group writes.

It also noted that seven out of the top 10 World Watch List countries suffer from Islamic oppression, which is the main cause of persecution. It explained that this poses great challenges for millions of Christians who were born into Muslim families but converted and face heavy discrimination for deciding to follow Jesus Christ.

Continue reading about Christians facing persecution on The Christian Post.New poll shows millennials will change position on Roe when given the facts CP Op-Ed Contributor | 17 January, 2019 by Julie Roys

Pro-choice advocates consistently forward the narrative that the majority of the American public does not want to overturn Roe v. Wade. And to some degree, surveys and polls agree. For example, a 2018 poll reported in Vox found that 67-percent of Americans would not like to see Roe overturned, and only 29-percent would.

However, a survey released Monday shows that support for Roe v. Wade is based largely on ignorance. When educated about the realities of abortion, opposition to the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion rises sharply.

The survey conducted by Students for Life of America's Institute for Pro-Life Advancement found that 40-percent of millennials (those in their 20s and 30s) totally support Roe, and only 12-percent totally oppose. Many (48-percent) are either unsure or neutral about the issue.

However, after being informed that Roe allows for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, opposition to Roe jumped to 51-percent and support fell to 35-percent. Additionally, when millennials were told that abortion could be used as a form of contraception, or when a mother doesn't like the sex of the baby, opposition rose to 54-percent.

This is a crucial finding, showing how key education is to overturning the abhorrent court decision that has led to the slaughter of more than 60-million babies. As I have engaged in discussions about abortion with friends and colleagues, I am always amazed at how few know the truth. For example, most believe it's illegal to abort babies in the third trimester, but it's not

As former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson can attest, "Late-term abortions are legal in the U.S. and do take place through the entire third trimester, including through the ninth month of pregnancy. . . (A) late-term abortion can be provided for any reason, as long as the abortionist checks a box on her chart stating it was affecting her 'life or health.' No documentation of proof is required."

Similarly, I've found very few Americans know what's involved in an actual abortion. Few know, for example, that a second trimester abortion involves dismembering a baby in the womb and removing it piece by piece. Few realize that this grisly procedure is done at all, let alone that's it's done without any anesthesia. We treat our dogs better in this country.

A few years ago, I posted live animation of the most popular abortion procedures to my website. Even though they're just animated videos, they're powerful. Every citizen of this country should watch these. If they did, I'm sure opposition to overturning Roe would evaporate.

This week, hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates will gather in D.C. for the March for Life. And as we do, or simply support the cause by posting to social media and watching the live coverage, we need to remember that education and advocacy matter. As more and more Americans hear the truth, they adopt pro-life convictions and understand Roe as a license to murder.

Continue reading about Roe v. Wade on The Christian Post.Nebraska principal who banned all things Christmas resigns Christian Post Contributor | 17 January, 2019 by Samuel Smith

A Nebraska elementary school principal who sent an internal memo to teachers warning them not to use any Christmas-related messaging and activities in the classroom in December has resigned.

Jennifer Sinclair, the principal at Manchester Elementary School in Elkhorn, has agreed to step down as school principal following her placement on administrative leave last month after she issued the guidance to teachers.

The internal memo outlined several holiday-related displays, objects, and activities that teachers were banned from using, handing out or assigning during the Christmas season.

Sinclair's memo, which she signed as the "the (Unintentional) Grinch who stole Christmas," listed many things that teachers should stay away from including the use of Christmas-related clip art on worksheets, placing Christmas trees in the classrooms, using Christmas-related books and singing Christmas carols with students.

The memo also warned teachers not to give candy canes to students. Sinclair claimed in the document that candy canes are shaped in a "J for Jesus" and that the red is for the "blood of Christ" and "white is a symbol of his resurrection."

On Monday, the Elkhorn Public School Board unanimously accepted Sinclair's resignation letter, according to an international social conservative legal group that opposed Sinclair's memo.

"Due to the level of attention that Sinclair's memo received, Sinclair and the district stand united that it is in the best interest of Manchester Elementary that she not resume the principal position," Elkhorn Public Schools Superintendent Bary Habrock wrote in the email that was sent to parents and staff.

According to The Omaha World-Herald, Habrock said that Sinclair stepped down with a "heavy heart and sadness."

"The district ... would like to thank her for the high level of professionalism during this publicly difficult time," Habrock wrote in the letter. "We support Sinclair as a leader and educator."

Read more from "Nebraska principal who banned all things Christmas resigns" on The Christian Post.Assessor: 'I lowered your taxes' (assessors actually don't set tax rates, but they are going down this year)Jan 16, 2019 | By Cameron

In March of 2013, I interviewed Easton LaChappelle about his first foray into 3D printed prosthetics; his original prototype employed a Nintendo Power Glove. Now, six years later, his company Unlimited Tomorrow is showing off one of the worlds most advanced prosthetic arms at CES 2019. The feature-packed 3D printed arm is currently available for $10,000 with plans to reduce the cost to $5,000 within a year.

$10k may sound like a lot, but a typical prosthetic with motorized motion can cost up to $100,000. And many of those models dont come with the features of the Unlimited Tomorrow arm, such as:

Skin tone matching

Muscle sensors

Adaptive grip

Force feedback

AI control system

Wireless charging

Individual finger control

3-4 day battery life

Images credit: Martin Fuentes / Dailymail

It also weighs only 1.5 pounds, a fifth of the weight of similar prosthetics. Ella Scarchilli handles the marketing of Arrow Electronics, a supply partner of Unlimited Tomorrow who shared a CES booth with them. She explains the advanced sensor and motion system, We have advanced muscle sensors that are within the socket. You can flex your muscle and it reads that and turns it into an action for your fingers. And artificial intelligence monitors the sensors to improve accuracy over time.

We just put an AI control system within it, so that if you're doing the same movements a lot daily  like drinking coffee, writing, etc  it's going to automatically realize those movements and store it, Scarchilli states. Then, it's going to automatically do it.

The team constantly seeks out feedback from users to incorporate into later versions, as Scarchilli relates, We go straight to the consumer because we care what they want  its their arm, its not the new iPhone XS Max.

Zoe is one of those consumers and she wrote a three-page letter full of ideas for upgrades, some of which made it into the CES display model. That's exactly what we want, because at the end of the day, we're not amputees and we don't know, Scarchilli says. She wanted more movement in her wrist because it was very stiff, so the motors were transferred into the hand so she could move more. She wanted nails that you can interchange between short and long, so these are magnetized so you can take them off and on  you can even get them painted, with UV and gel.

Unlimited Tomorrow just completed an Indiegogo campaign where they provided 100 prosthetic arms to 100 amputees. 3D printing is driving increased accessibility to high-end tech, but its people like Easton and Ella that are making it happen. We have really great technology, she adds, but we're for the people.

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The world is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest member of the royal family. Prince Harry and Meghan Markles first baby will make an appearance in a few short months. But it appears the youngest son of Princess Diana is not taking well to his new role. Indeed, many of those close to the price have stated theyre worried.

The issue begins just a few short days after the prince and his bride announced they were expecting. It was about this time that rumors arose stating Prince Harry was temperamental, constantly on guard, and beyond anxious to protect his wife and unborn child. But is this normal first-time father anxiety, or is it something more? Is Prince Harry under too much stress protecting Meghan Markle?

Its normal for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to have some anxiety

Ask any parent and they will tell you its one of the most frightening (and rewarding) experiences ever. Those first-time parent jitters can range from mild to mind-blowing, depending on a persons temperament and situation. It can only be assumed that it is even more alarming for a royal.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not just be having a baby. They will be having a baby the world wants to watch grow up, who will need to be schooled in all the proper ways to be royal, and who has a greater potential of being threatened than other children.

Prince Harry allegedly blames himself for his mothers death

The death of Princess Diana, the beloved peoples princess was a tragedy the world will never forget. Undoubtedly, that weight rests heavily on the shoulders of her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. But Prince Harry may feel the burden more than others.

Although Harry was only 13 years old when his mother died in that tragic car accident, friends have stated he believes the aggressive media attention she dealt with ultimately led to her death.

The prince has claimed to have felt powerless to help his mother, and places at least some of the blame on himself. Prince Harry fears the same situation could happen to his new wife, and is frightened Meghan might suffer the same mistreatment by the media.

An issue in Fiji made matters worse

Although Prince Harry has continually been a bit on edge since the big baby announcement, things spiraled out of control after an issue in Fiji concerning Meghan Markle. Although exact details were not disclosed, it has been said there was a concern with crowd control. A former security officer stated the situation was chaotic.

Prince Harry was not in attendance when the event occurred, but dealing with other matters of state. Since the Fiji incident, he has not strayed far from his beloved and almost appears to be acting as her personal bodyguard in some images.

Meghan Markle isnt entirely cooperating

One of the biggest things adding to Prince Harrys stress is that his new wife does not cooperate as much as hed like. While the rest of the royal family is used to having bodyguards everywhere, the Duchess of Sussex is not. Markle was raised as an American, in a fairly typical fashion.

Markle wants to be one of the people instead of separated as the royal family has traditionally been for centuries. She dislikes having bodyguards and has already lost one less than a year after hiring. Prince Harry has expressed displeasure at the way his wife wishes to live her life. In her defense, Markle is trying to live her life as a Royal  no matter how constraining she feels it is.Tennessee Governor-elect Bill Lee on Thursday announced the appointment of Penny Schwinn to lead the Tennessee Department of Education.

Penny leads with students at the forefront and I believe her experience is exactly what we need to continue improving on the gains we have made in the past few years, said Governor-elect Lee. As a former teacher and seasoned administrator, she will help make Tennessee a leader in the nation on education.

Ms. Schwinn currently serves as the chief deputy commissioner of education at the Texas Education Agency. In this role, she pursued a series of reforms including the transformation of a failing state assessment program. She also implemented the expansion of statewide externships and pathway development for improving students career readiness upon graduation.

Additionally, Ms. Schwinn oversaw the development of open-source instructional materials to empower teachers with high-quality resources for teaching. Prior to serving in the Texas Education Agency, Ms. Schwinn was the chief accountability and performance officer for the Delaware Department of Education where she led efforts to conduct a testing audit, which led to nearly a 20 percent decrease in student testing time.

A former teacher, Ms. Schwinn taught with Teach for America (TFA) from 2004-2007 with work in Baltimore City Public Schools and Los Angeles. She is also the founder of Capitol Collegiate Academy, a charter school that serves low-income students in South Sacramento.

Officials with Professional Educators of Tennessee said, "Education is the key to our economy. Professional Educators of Tennessee looks forward to continued collaboration with the Lee administration to strengthen our states education system. Teachers must feel valued and students must be the priority. We have met with Penny Schwinn and look forward to getting to know her better and to collaborate together on public education. Schwinn shares Governor-elect Bill Lees commitment to support teachers, reduce our testing burden, and improve the working environment, including more competitive compensation. We can change the trajectory of education for children and families when we support quality education and those on the frontlines. It will take all of us together, and we need Commissioner Schwinn to be successful in her new role. We would also like to thank Lyle Ailshie for serving as interim commissioner and hope that he will continue serving the state at the Department of Education."On Saturday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host a self-reliance devotional at 3067 Ooltewah Ringgold Road, Ooltewah. This devotional will kick off a series of practical courses with spiritual benefits.

At the devotional, participants will form into small groups where they will be paired with a facilitator. Each self-reliance group will focus on one of four topics  employment, education, small business, or personal finances.

Groups typically meet once a week for 12 weeks. Course materials may be accessed at https://www.lds.org/self- reliance/manuals-and-videos? lang=eng . Manuals and videos may also be downloaded from this website.

As the Church states, Self-reliance does not mean that we can accomplish or obtain anything we want. But, through the power of Christ, and through our own effort, we can work for the spiritual and practical needs of life, and become more self-reliant.

As one participant put it, Everything around us has a spiritual meaning, from our jobs, our education, to our life and family (Vanessa Morales, USA). This is why self-reliance groups are so impactful. To read stories of self-reliance, please visit https://www.lds.org/ self-reliance/stories?lang=eng

Self-reliance services offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are free. To become part of a self-reliance group, please attend on Jan. 26. As the Church states, You can have a better life, and God will help you.Special Agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were part of a multi-agency arrest round-up in Franklin County this week that resulted in the arrest of 12 people on a variety of drug-related charges.

On Jan. 7, the Franklin County Grand Jury returned indictments charging multiple people with a variety of charges stemming from incidents from 2017 through 2018.

This week, TBI agents joined law enforcement officers with the Middle Tennessee Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, the Winchester Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriffs Department in locating and arresting 12 of those people.

Among the individuals who were arrested and charged as a result of the indictments:

*Brandon Joe Padget (DOB 02/21/1996), Winchester: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, one count Possession of Schedule II with Intent.

*Jason Ray Clark (DOB 04/10/1981), Winchester: One count Sale of Schedule II, one count of Possession of Schedule II, two counts of Possession of Schedule II with Intent, two counts of Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, two counts of Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II.

*Steve Wayne Francis (DOB 09/09/1957), Decherd: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule IV, one count Possession of Schedule IV.

*Jason R. Hunt (DOB 12/27/1982), Decherd: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, one count Possession of Schedule II with Intent.

*Justin Ray George (DOB 06/28/1984), Decherd. Two counts Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule III, two counts Possession of Schedule III.

*Mary Jane Yates (DOB 11/09/1990), Estill Springs: One count Possession of Schedule III, one count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule III.

*Timothy Campbell (DOB 04/13/1989), Winchester: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sale of Schedule II, one count Possession of Schedule II.

*Ruth A. Crain (DOB 11/21/1960), Winchester: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule IV, one count Simple Possession, one count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, one count Simple Possession/ Casual Exchange.

*Chadwick Michael Baker (DOB 07/26/1983), Belvidere: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, one count Possession of Schedule II with Intent.

*Adam Gifford (DOB 10/10/1991), Belvidere: Two counts Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, two counts Possession of Schedule II.

*Matthew Christopher Roden (DOB 07/31/1979), Estill Springs: One count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, one count Possession with Intent Schedule II, one count Manufacture/ Delivery/ Sell of Schedule II, one count Possession of Schedule II with Intent.

*Laquisha Reshawn Calleja (DOB 11/05/1981), Tullahoma. One count Sale or Delivery of Schedule II, one count Possession of Schedule II with Intent.

These individuals were booked into the Franklin County Jail. Additional arrests are expected.Federal officials said they made 126 arrests and seized seven guns and a large amount of illegal drugs during Operation Triple Beam in Hamilton County.

David G. Jolley, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, said OTB was a systematic and sustained collaborative enforcement operation specifically focused on reducing violent gang crime. The three-month-long enforcement effort targeted known street gangs and associates.

Led by the United States Marshals Service (USMS), Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force, OTB included multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies including the Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriffs Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).



During OTB, the USMS, along with their task force partners seized multiple guns, a variety of narcotics including amphetamine, and closed 130 warrants. These 126 arrests represent violent offenders and criminal gang members in our community wanted for charges including murder, robbery, rape, aggravated assault, and assorted drug charges, it was stated.



Officials said, "In 2010, the USMS identified gangs as a priority within its violent crime reduction strategy and made a commitment to reinvigorate its gang enforcement efforts. As a result, OTB was created with an emphasis on three main areas: fugitive investigations; targeted firearm and drug investigations (the tools of the trade for gang members); and proactive street investigations and patrols. Communities are made safer by this unique cooperative relationship with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to locate and apprehend the criminals most responsible for crime and violence in those communities. Since 2010, the USMS has led more than 50 counter-gang operations across the country, which have yielded over 8,000 arrests and the seizure of more than 1,800 illegal firearms."

U.S. Attorney Overbey said, The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee fully supports Operation Triple Beam and the efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service, in cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, to remove these violent criminals from the streets and help make the neighborhoods a safer place to live for the citizens of this district. OTB Chattanooga Highlights

 Seven guns seized

 126 arrests / 130 warrants cleared  1.526kg of heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and marijuana were seized from multiple locations. OTB Chattanooga Notable Arrests

Subject: Antonio Clements

Charges: *Gang Member  Gangster Disciple* Possession of Marijuana for Resale, Theft of Property, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony. On October 31, 2018, the OTB Task Force developed information that Clements was staying at a local address. Clements was observed at the residence, and was taken into custody. A search warrant was issued for the residence since information was developed that guns and drugs were possibly inside. A Taurus .357 was located inside the residence along with an unspecified amount of pills. Clements was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking.

Subject: Maurice Davis

Charges: Four counts of rape of a child. Maurice Davis was indicted on four counts of rape of a child. The alleged incidents involved a child between the ages of four and twelve. Davis has an extensive criminal record, including a charge of attempted first-degree murder in 2008. He received a suspended eight-year prison sentence in that case.



On November 18, 2018, the OTB Task Force converged at a 28th Street address in an attempt to locate Maurice Davis on the above indictments. He was observed entering the residence. He was taken into custody and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking. Subject: Keontae Bush

Charges: Attempted First Degree Murder, Domestic Assault, Reckless Endangerment, and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.

Keontae Bush was facing charges after his ex-girlfriend said he fired a gun at her and then ran her off the road on Interstate 75.

On December 11, 2018, the OTB Task Force along with Chattanooga Police Department Fugitive Investigators, developed information that Bush was at the residence of his childs mother. He was located inside the residence, and taken into custody. He was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking.

Subjects: Two Juveniles

Charges: Escape  Bradley County, Tennessee  Carjacking  Chattanooga On November 2, 2018, two minors escaped the Bradley County Juvenile Detention Center by climbing a fence. On November 5, 2018, the OTB Task Force received information from the Bradley County Sheriffs Office that both escapees were possibly in Chattanooga at a hotel near Hamilton Place Mall. The OTB Task Force worked through the night attempting to locate the juveniles. At approximately 6:00 a.m. on November 6, 2018, an armed carjacking occurred at a local motel. A 13-year-old victim was getting belongings out of a vehicle when he was approached by two young men. The 13-year-old was forced to give the two gunmen the keys to the car. Information developed that the car was located off Exit 328 in Dalton, Georgia. The OTB Task Force along with the Chattanooga Police Department Fugitive Unit went to the area and located the vehicle at a gas station. The Whitfield County Sheriffs Office was contacted, and responded. Both suspects were taken into custody on the parking lot of the gas station without incident. They were transported to the Whitfield County Juvenile Detention Center. The identity of the two subjects has been withheld due to their age.

Subject: Dominique Collins

Charges: Attempted First Degree Murder, Violation of Supervised Release  Crack Cocaine

A local man got into an argument with a Circle K employee who stated she was going to call someone. Police said she called her son (Collins) as the man called police. The man said he was outside waiting for police to arrive when a white SUV pulled up. He said Collins asked him a question, then pulled out a pistol and shot him in the chest. The man picked Collins from a photo lineup and Collins was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Top 10 Most Wanted list.

On November 28, 2018, the OTB Task Force developed information that Collins was in the Lynchburg, Virginia area. On November 30, 2018, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Lynchburg Police Department went to Langhorne Road, Lynchburg, Virginia. Task force members knocked and announced upon arrival. Collins exited the rear of the residence and jumped from the second story balcony. Collins was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit. He was transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.



Subjects: Dwight Turner Jr.



Charges: Two Counts of Vehicular Homicide, Aggravated Assault



Dwight Turner Jr. is a suspect involved in a traffic crash in which two people were killed on January 3, 2019. Through investigation, the Chattanooga Police Departments Traffic Unit determined Turner was the driver of the Dodge Ram that struck a Chrysler TWC at 1400 South Holtzclaw Avenue. In addition to two people being killed, another person was critically injured as a result of the crash.



On January 14, 2019, the OTB Task Force developed information that Turner was staying at an address in Austell, GA. On January 15, 2019, the South East Regional Task Force arrested Turner in Austell, GA.



OTB Participating Agencies



Chattanooga Police Department

Hamilton County Sheriffs Office

ATF

Interim Commissioner Dr. Lyle Ailshie announced today that 76.1 percent of the states public high school class of 201953,478 studentsparticipated in the departments third ACT Senior Retake opportunity in October 2018, the states highest participation rate on record. Of those seniors who retook the ACT in 2018, more than 50 percent increased their composite score from their junior year score, a 10.2 percent point increase from 2017. Also, the average ACT composite score increased by 0.5 points for students who took the ACT during their junior year and through the ACT Senior Retake in 2018.



Additionally, 3,825 seniors raised their composite score to a 21 or higher, allowing them to access more than $61 million in HOPE Scholarship funds that provide each student up to $16,000 to help pay for college in Tennessee. This number is up from 2,333 students in 2017.



Officials said, "The 2018 ACT retake also resulted in more students hitting the ACT college-readiness benchmarks across-the-board in each of the four tested subject areas: math, English, science, and reading. Meeting college-readiness benchmarks allows students to enroll directly into credit-bearing postsecondary coursework, avoiding remedial classes that take additional time and money and may make them less likely to graduate college. Scores earned from the 2018 ACT Senior Retake opportunity will save Tennessee students up to $11.4 million in remedial course costs.



"Todays results also highlight the efforts of local districts to ensure that the students whom research indicates will most benefit from a retaketypically those who were lower-performingtook advantage of this free opportunity."

Twenty-eight hundred more students who scored below 17 on the junior day test participated in the 2018 retake compared to the 2017 retake. These students represented 34.9 percent of retake students compared to 31.2 percent in 2017. On average, these students earned a retake score that was 0.7 points higher than their original score, compared to an average 0.3 point growth for students who had previously earned a score of 25 or higher.



Today is a proud day for Tennessee as thousands more public school students are eligible to receive HOPE scholarship funds, while more students can also enroll directly into credit-bearing postsecondary coursework, Ailshie said. We want students to graduate from high school with the ability to access whatever opportunity they choose to pursue, and too often low ACT scores create a frustrating barrier for them. The ACT retake allows another opportunity for our students to show what they know and earn the credit and scholarships that will set them on a path to success. I am grateful for the educators who have supported and taught our students along the way, enabling them to achieve success on college-readiness exams such as the ACT. 





Additionally, 88.2 percent of districts with a high school saw an increase in the percent of students earning a score of 21 or higher for students who took the ACT during their junior year and on the Senior Retake Day. Alvin C. York Institute, Perry County, Oneida Special School District, Lake County, and Moore County had the highest percentage point increase in the number of students who earned a score of 21 or higher on the Senior Retake Day.



Thirty-two districts had participation rates of 85 percent or higher with four districts in the state achieving an average participation rate of at least 95 percent of seniors who participated in both the junior state testing and the senior retake. Those four districts are Pickett County, McKenzie Special School District, Huntingdon Special School District, and West Carroll Special School District.



To learn more about the departments college-readiness exam initiatives, visit the departments website or contact Jerre Maynor, director of student readiness and pathways, at Jerre.Maynor@tn.gov.Bruce Williams, legendary lawyer, World War II fighter pilot, and Willamette undergraduate and law school alumnus passed away on Dec. 17, 2018, at the age of 99. Williams was described as a real-life Atticus Finch, mesmerizing in the courtroom, and one of the most ethical and fair attorneys in the region.

Williams earned a bachelors degree at Willamette in 1940, then enlisted in the navy where he served as a flying ace during World War II. His heroism earned him the Navy Cross and four Distinguished Flying Crosses. After the war, Williams returned to Willamette to earn his law degree in 1948.

He had a long career in the law including a thriving firm with classmate and eventual Ninth Circuit Judge Otto Skopil.

Mr. Williams was beloved in the local bar, and was an enormous influence to generations of Oregon lawyers, says Curtis Bridgeman, Dean and Roderick & Carol Wendt Chair in Business Law. He was a legend in his own time and remains an inspiration for for future generations of law students.

Read Williams full obituary in the Statesman Journal.

Willamette profiled Williams in the 2014 edition of The Lawyer.

About Willamette University College of Law

As the first law school in the Pacific Northwest, Willamette University College of Law boasts an innovative program designed to prepare leaders in government, private practice, and business with the lawyering skills needed in the 21st Century. Willamette Laws small class sizes foster an interactive learning environment among our diverse student population with a thriving externship and clinical program, ample practical skills courses, and a new Business Lawyering Institute. With a one student at a time placement approach, our students are given individualized development plans and tools for success in today's legal job market. In recent years, outside industry watchers such as Moodys and The National Jurist Magazine have recognized Willamette Law for its positive job placement results. Willamette lawyers are the best dealmakers, problem solvers, community leaders, and change-makers in the most innovative and exciting region in the country. Our location  nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley and across the street from the Oregon State Capitol, Supreme Court and many state agencies  is an advantage that cannot be matched anywhere in the region.Exports help Saudi cement sales rise 7% in December

17 January 2019

Cement and clinker sales in Saudi Arabia rose 7.2 per cent YoY to 4.37Mt (including exports) in December 2018 compared to 4.08Mt in the previous year, reports Aljazira Capital.



Clinker inventory increased 18.8 per cent YoY and 0.8 per cent MoM to 42.34Mt last month, but cement dispatches were down 10 per cent YoY.



The plant utilisation rate in the Saudi cement sector fell to 54.1 per cent in December, compared to 62.4 per cent in the same period last year. Hail and Southern Cement recorded the highest YoY increase in sales of 32.3 and 24.7 per cent, respectively. However, Northern Cement showed the highest decline of 51.4 per cent YoY, followed by City Cement dropping 26.8 per cent YoY.



Tabuk Cement is in talks with Bangladesh's government to export clinker to the Asian country. The company's clinker inventory stands at 1.2Mt having recently exported 6950t of clinker to Yemen.

Published underPlease log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading.Suspect wanted in burglary of restaurant identified, ID of second suspect still unknownNot standing in a room.Sanchez was the home of the Salamia family The agricultural area of Puebla was threatened by...Contact: Emily Staub, (404) 420-5126; Emily.Staub@CarterCenter.org

Carter Center, partners go all out to solve infections in animals

En francais

ATLANTA  Just 28 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported in 2018, down slightly from 30 cases reported in 2017. When The Carter Center assumed leadership of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program in 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million human cases annually in 21 countries in Africa and Asia.

Of the many diseases that plague humankind, only one, smallpox, has ever been eradicated. Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, who was a key participant in the smallpox campaign and architect of the international Guinea worm eradication campaign and now is the Carter Centers special adviser for Guinea worm eradication, calls disease eradication the holy grail of public health. Guinea worm, polio, and yaws are the only diseases currently targeted for eradication by World Health Assembly resolutions.

During 2018, 17 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported in Chad, 10 in South Sudan, and one in Angola. None were reported in Ethiopia, where there had been 15 cases in 2017; nor were any human cases reported in Mali, where none have been reported since 2015. (Normally a lack of cases over such a long stretch would mean a country had interrupted transmission of the disease; however, Mali is still considered endemic, partly because of a few infections in domestic dogs and cats and because large areas are inaccessible to health workers due to insecurity.)

Each of these cases is a human being with a family and a life, said Adam Weiss, who was named director of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program in 2018 after nearly 15 years working with the program in four endemic countries. These arent just numbers, these are people. This is why tens of thousands of volunteers, technical advisers, and staff are working in thousands of villages to find and contain the last cases of this miserable disease and show people how to wipe it out once and for all.

All 2018 figures are provisional until officially confirmed in March 2019.

Although the centuries-long story of Guinea worm disease is gradually coming to an end, the progress took a couple of turns in 2018: While human cases continue to dwindle, Guinea worm infections in animals continue to be reported; South Sudan detected new cases in May during enhanced surveillance activities after going 21 months with no cases reported; and a single, isolated case appeared in Angola, a country that had never reported a case before.

Country details:

Chad: Chad reported 17 human cases in 2018, compared to 15 the previous year. Most animal infections have been found in Chad, where 1,040 dogs and 25 cats were affected in 2018; the number of reported animal infections there has remained relatively steady since 2016 following a near doubling of villages under surveillance.

In Chad, Guinea worm disease appears to be transmitted to dogs, cats, and humans mainly by eating raw fish entrails and/or other inadequately cooked aquatic animals such as frogs, rather than via drinking contaminated water as in most other countries. To combat this unusual transmission pattern, Chads Guinea Worm Eradication Program is emphasizing treatment of bodies of water with ABATE larvicide (donated by BASF), burial of discarded fish guts to prevent dogs from eating them and tethering infected dogs until their worms have fully emerged.

South Sudan: The 10 cases reported in South Sudan occurred among an isolated group of nomadic herders who responded to a cash reward offer promoted by the national program in newly pacified areas where insecurity had previously limited access. The discovery, which prompted a rapid response from the Federal Ministry of Health and The Carter Center, underscores the importance of ongoing surveillance and cash rewards for reporting and containing possible human cases and animal infections. South Sudans program responded to more than 29,000 rumors or reports of Guinea worms in 2018 and investigated 99 percent of them within 24 hours.

South Sudan has had only one animal infection, a domestic dog that was reported in 2015. Political and ethnic violence remains a major challenge to South Sudans national program.

Ethiopia: After an isolated outbreak in 2017, the Ethiopian national program intensified interventions, including stringent surveillance, greater promotion of cash rewards, rapid response to rumors of infections, and aggressive treatment of potentially contaminated water sources, resulting in zero human cases in 2018. Ethiopia reported infections in 11 dogs, five cats, and one baboon, all in one remote district in the southwest.

Mali: The Mali Guinea Worm Eradication Program has not reported any human cases for 37 consecutive months; it reduced its number of cases from 16,024 in 1991 to zero in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Malis achievements are tempered by two challenges to completely interrupting the disease, namely: constraints to surveillance because of continued insecurity in parts of the country, and recent detection of Guinea worm infections in 18 dogs and two cats. Mali needs to eliminate the remaining infections in animals to ensure continued disease elimination in humans.

Angola: The government of Angola, The Carter Center, the World Health Organization, and their partners are working hard to understand how an 8-year-old girl in southern Angola acquired a Guinea worm despite living more than 1,000 miles from the nearest known case and in a country where Guinea worm had never been detected before.

Kenya: In 2018, the World Health Organization certified the elimination of Guinea worm disease in Kenya. The last reported indigenous case there was in 1994. The WHO has now certified a total of 199 countries as free of the disease.

What the remaining Guinea worm-endemic communities have in common is that they are difficult to reach and often appear in conflict areas or among remote, marginalized populations. We are working to solve the scientific riddle of the animal infections; the other side of the challenge, human violence, is unnecessary and avoidable, said Dr. Dean Sienko, Carter Center vice president for health programs and a retired U.S. Army major general.

Hopkins, a veteran of several disease elimination campaigns during his four-decade public health career, expressed confidence in the ultimate success of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program.

While the final cases of any disease eradication campaign are the most challenging and most expensive, together we  the respective ministries of health, The Carter Center, and our partners  have successfully addressed unexpected developments throughout this 38-year eradication campaign, he said, and we will resolve these latest issues as well.

Robust research efforts are underway to help understand the peculiar patterns of transmission among people and animals in Chad, Ethiopia, and Mali, and to seek additional tools for combating the infection.

About Guinea worm disease

Considered a neglected tropical disease, Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) is usually contracted when people consume water contaminated with tiny crustaceans (copepods) that carry Guinea worm larvae. The larvae mature and mate inside the patients body. The male worm dies. After about a year, a meter-long female worm emerges slowly through a painful blister in the skin. Contact with water stimulates the emerging worm to release its larvae into the water and start the process all over again. Guinea worm disease incapacitates people for weeks or months, reducing individuals ability to care for themselves, work, grow food for their families, or attend school.

Without a vaccine or medicine, the ancient parasitic disease is being wiped out mainly through community-based interventions to educate people and change their behavior, such as teaching them to filter all drinking water and preventing contamination by keeping patients from entering water sources.

Roles

The Carter Center has led the international Guinea Worm Eradication Program since 1986 and works closely with national programs, the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and many other partners. The Carter Center provides technical and financial assistance to national Guinea worm eradication programs to help interrupt transmission of the disease. When transmission is interrupted, the Center provides continued assistance in surveillance and helps countries prepare for official evaluation by the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication (ICCDE) and certification by the WHO. The CDC provides technical assistance and verifies that worm specimens truly are Guinea worms.

The presence of Guinea worm disease in an area usually indicates abject poverty, including lack of safe drinking water; UNICEF mainly assists countries by helping governments provide safe sources of drinking water to priority areas identified by the national Guinea worm eradication programs. The WHO is the only organization that can officially certify the elimination or eradication of any disease.

For a disease to be declared eradicated, every country in the world must be certified free of human and animal infection, even those where transmission has never taken place. To date, 199 countries have been certified; only seven have not.

Partnerships

Many generous foundations, corporations, governments, and individuals have made the Carter Center's work to eradicate Guinea worm disease possible, including major support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID); Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) - United Kingdom; the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development; and the Federal Republic of Germany. Major support from the United Arab Emirates began with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and has continued under Sheikh Khalifa and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. The DuPont Corporation and Precision Fabrics Group donated nylon filter cloth early in the campaign; Vestergaard's LifeStraw donated pipe and household cloth filters in recent years. ABATE larvicide (temephos) has been donated for many years by BASF. Key implementing partners include the ministries of health in endemic countries, The Carter Center, WHO, CDC, and UNICEF.

Translation

Le nombre de cas de ver de Guinee descend a 28 cas dans le monde ; lEthiopie et le Mali ne signalent aucun cas chez les humains

###

"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.After sending rival Uber Technologies Inc. packing from Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets, homegrown ride-hailing firm Grab Pte. has set itself a stiffer target. It wants to be a regional super-app.

Think of it as a digital conglomerate that hooks customers for one thing, only to promise them value for several others, sort of like a Netflix Inc. subscription that also tracks your blood pressure and orders a pizza as you watch Scarface. Thanks to the path set by Chinas wildly successful Alipay and WeChat Pay, getting the consumer finance angle right has become a must for Asias wannabe super-apps.

The challenge before Grab co-founder Anthony Tan is simple: Can he do finance better and faster than Go-Jek Indonesia PT, the rival spawned by his Harvard University classmate Nadiem Makarim?

Its too early for answers, though when it comes to being a super-app Go-Jek has been ahead in its home market of Indonesia, as my colleague Shuli Ren noted in November. It also recently snagged DBS Group Holdings Ltd., Southeast Asias largest bank, as a partner. One thing is certain, though: Business lines like food delivery, over which Grab and Go-Jek are fighting tooth and nail, are a natural extension of the transportation DNA common to both firms. Finance is a different animal.

People have their own reasons for wanting to go from one place to another. How to get there, and how much to spend, are separate decisions. But if transport is built around consumer pull, most finance works on push. People have to be told what they should do with their money. Whom they need to do it with  and at what cost  is often inseparable from that discussion.

Take insurance, which is where Grab is making a splashy foray. Using Chinese partner ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co.s technology, Grab will open up its app as a platform for insurers to sell policies minus agents and brokers. The first provider to sign up is Chubb Ltd., which will offer Grabs Singapore drivers protection against loss of income from illness or accidents.

This is still flying close to Grabs core transport proposition. The real test of the firms fintech chops will come when it can sell insurance to riders  especially around events that have nothing to do with them going from A to B.

The insurance market in Southeast Asias six large markets by premiums is $100 billion annuallya figure thats expected to double as penetration increases in countries like Indonesia. This is the distribution opportunity Grab is after.

The big prize, though, will be cross-border remittances. Grab has the requisite licenses from Singapore and the Philippines. A product will be out in the first half of this year, says Reuben Lai, head of Grab Financial. Now, Filipino workers in Singapore arent Grabs usual ride-hailing customers. Will they find the remittance commissions low enough to junk Western Union Co.?

Grab is basically a transport service, but the fact that its drivers take cash from customers and credit them the excess fare digitally makes it almost like a no-frills bank for those who have never had an account.

Making the most of this surrogate ATM network is key. If Grab can make a dent in insurance, Singapore businesses like NTUC Income, a workers cooperative that leads online searches for everything from travel assurance to domestic helpers medical insurance, would be on notice to innovate.*

Singapore is a great testing ground for fintech because the city-state wants to cut flab in traditional industries by increasing competition. A homegrown disrupter (Anthony Tan and his co-founder Tan Hooi Ling are Malaysians, but they couldnt have dislodged Uber without winning Singapore) might just be the answer. However, two of themGrab and Go-Jekmay be one regional super-app too many for Southeast Asia. And thats why Grab cant afford to flunk its finance test.

* NTUC Income is already underwriting risks associated with ride-hailing. Its new service Droplet promises to reimburse up to 60 percent of surge fares on Grab if it rains.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), a Govt. of India-owned Oil and Gas company has invited online applications from eligible Indian citizens for recruiting experienced non-executive personnel to the posts of Junior Engineering Assistant-IV (Fire & Safety) and Junior Technical Assistant - IV (Materials) at its Gujarat Refinery unit in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The online application process towards IOCL Recruitment For Non-Executive Personnel will start from 07 January 2019 and close on 27 January 2019.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Recruitment Of Experienced Non-Executive Personnel Organisation Indian Oil Corporation Limited Educational Qualification NFSC Course/Diploma Experience 1 year experience in the specified area. Skills Required Desirable Job Location Vadodara, Gujarat Salary Scale Rs.11,900/- Rs. 32,000/- Industry Oil Application Start Date January 7, 2019 Application End Date January 27, 2019

Age Criteria And Fee

Interested candidates applying for the post of Junior Engineering Assistants and Junior Technical Assistants IOCL Recruitment For Non-Executive Personnel must have attained 18 years of age as on 31 December 2018 and not exceeded 26 years, with an IOL-specified relaxation for SC/ST and OBC candidates.

Candidates are also required to pay a prescribed fee of Rs. 150/- (Gen/OBC) towards the processing of application through SBI e-collect mode only.

Also Read: CISF Head Constable Recruitment 2019: 429 Vacancies; Apply Before 20 February 2019

Vacancy Details

Post Name No. Of Vacancies Junior Engineering Assistant-IV (Fire & Safety) 3 Junior Technical Assistant - IV (Materials) 3 Total 6

Education Criteria And Experience

Junior Engineering Assistant-IV (Fire & Safety) - Candidates applying for this post must have passed Matric and completed a Sub-Officers' course from the National Fire Service College (NFSC) in Nagpur or an equivalent course from any recognized Institute with a Heavy Vehicle Driving License (HVDL).

The candidates must have at least 1 year experience in Fire and Safety set-up involving handling of fire water networks, firefighting equipment, related communication systems, emergency handling, operation of fire tenders, firefighting, etc. at a Petroleum Refinery/ Gas Processing Industry/Power Plants/Fertilizers or any other large industrial establishments.

Junior Technical Assistant - IV (Materials) - Candidates applying for this post must possess a 3-year Diploma in Electrical/Mechanical/Instrumentation Engineering from a recognized University/Institute with at least 45% for PWD candidates against reserved positions.

He/she must have at least 1 year experience in Materials Department (Stores, Purchase & Inventory management) in any large industrial establishment and must possess computer proficiency.

Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates will be done based on a written test followed by Skill/Proficiency/Physical Test (SPPT) of qualifying nature.

Candidates selected to the non-executive posts through IOCL Recruitment For Non-Executive Personnel will be paid an emolument in the scale of Rs.11,900/- Rs. 32,000/- per month.

Also Read: TNPSC Recruitment 2019: 580 Assist. Agriculture Officer Vacancies; Earn Up To 65,000 Per Month

How To Apply

To 'APPLY' click here

For payment procedure click here

For detailed notification about IOCL Recruitment For Non-Executive Personnel click hereOur Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

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A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content.Here you'll find our latest collection of Caledonian-Record reports on the coronavirus outbreak and local response, from the beginning of April. Our January, February and March stories are here: https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/our-coronavirus-coverage/collection_5885178c-692e-11e(Bloomberg)  In a move that signals an increasingly aggressive stance by the U.S. against Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., federal authorities in Seattle are investigating the Chinese technology giant for allegedly stealing trade secrets from U.S. partner companies like T-Mobile US Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

The probe is tied to civil suits filed against Huawei, the second-largest maker of smartphones worldwide, including a case in which a federal jury in Seattle in 2017 found Huawei liable for the theft of T-Mobiles robotic technology, said the people, who asked not to be named because the information isnt public.

The investigation is at an advanced stage and an indictment could come soon, one of the people said. It was reported earlier Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal.

Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys office in Seattle, declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for T-Mobile and a spokesman for Huawei.

Huawei has been under increasing pressure in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere amid growing concerns that Beijing could use the companys equipment for spying, something Huawei executives have denied. U.S. President Donald Trumps administration has been pushing European allies to block Huawei from telecom networks amid a wider dispute over trade with China. Last week, a company employee was arrested in Poland.

The company is also mired in a U.S. criminal case alleging that its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, conspired to defraud banks into unwittingly clearing transactions linked to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Meng, the daughter of the companys founder, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 and released on bail four weeks ago. She is awaiting extradition hearings to the U.S. while living under restrictions in her million-dollar Vancouver home.

The U.S. investigation includes allegations that Huawei stole information from T-Mobile, a U.S. partner, when one of its engineers visited its Bellevue, Washington, lab to see a diagnostic robot called Tappy, which simulated a phone users use, according to one person familiar with the matter.

In its 2014 suit, T-Mobile alleged a Huawei engineer slipped one of the robots into his laptop bag during the visit and left with it.

The jury sided with T-Mobile in 2017, saying the theft resulted in Huawei making hundreds of millions of dollars from T-Mobiles technology. It found that Huawei misappropriated T-Mobiles trade secrets and breached a supply contract between the two companies, saying T-Mobile should get $4.8 million in damages.

T-Mobile also claimed it wasnt Huaweis first victim, alleging that the Chinese technology giant also stole source code and other trade secrets from other companies.

In 2012, congressional committees and other U.S. government entities criticized Huaweis pattern of disregard for the intellectual property rights of other entities and companies in the U.S.

Contact editor Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys together with Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen today launched the search for Irelands Best Young Entrepreneurs (IBYE) 2019.

Now in its 5th year, the competition, which has an investment fund of 2 million, is open to people between the ages of 18 and 35 with an innovative business idea, new start-up or established business. The closing date to enter this years competition is Friday 15th March 2019.

IBYE is a nationwide competition, run across three categories: Best Business Idea, Best Start-Up Business and Best Established Business. As part of the IBYE process, up to 450 young entrepreneurs will be invited by the LEOs to attend free regional Entrepreneur Bootcamps later in the year to help them develop their businesses and new venture ideas.

With an IBYE investment fund of 50,000 each, every LEO will award up to six investments to three category winners and three runners-up at county level. The local winners in the Best Start-Up and Best Established Business categories at county level will receive investments of up to 15,000 each and the two runners-up will each receive up to 5,000.

The Best Business Idea winner at county level will receive an investment of up to 7,000 and the runner-up will receive up to 3,000 of investment. These winners at county level will progress to Regional Finals during the summer with the national IBYE finals taking place on 15th September 2019.

Speaking today, Chair of network of Local Enterprise Offices, Oisin Geoghegan said, "Taking part in IBYE 2019 will help Irelands young entrepreneurs move their businesses to the next level with the support of their Local Enterprise Office, whatever stage their business is at - idea, start up or an established business. Other business supports, such as management training, networking and one-to-one mentoring are also at the heart of IBYE - so there is something for all young entrepreneurs, available right on their doorsteps through the network of our 31 LEO offices."

Source: www.businessworld.ieThe Irish financial system can cope with a hard Brexit - and the "most significant" firms are already implementing their contingency plans, Irish Central Bank Deputy Governor Ed Sibley said on Thursday.

Ireland is seen as the European Union member state most vulnerable to the threat of an unruly exit by Britain, from the implications for its currently seamless border with the British province of Northern Ireland to the tightly intertwined trade with its nearest neighbour.

"I am satisfied that from a financial stability perspective, these cliff-edge risks are now manageable," Sibley said in a speech.

"This is not to say that a hard Brexit will not be bumpy for the economy and for the financial system. Indeed, some level of market disruption would be inevitable," he added.

But he said the financial system could withstand such turmoil.

"The Irish banking system is considerably more resilient than it was, and the most significant firms operating in Ireland across all sectors have, in line with our requirements, prepared and are executing contingency plans for a hard Brexit."

Sibley added that the risks to Irish consumers from Britain crashing out of the EU in March without a deal are mitigated to the greatest extent possible, but that the central bank was conscious of some remaining risks to the detriment of consumers.

These include the closely connected Irish and British insurance markets that Sibley said had required the central bank and government to draft legislation to protect insurance customers in the event of a no deal Brexit.

While he said the vast majority of Britain- or Gibraltar-based firms have taken appropriate action to ensure they can continue to provide service to Irish consumers, the draft legislation provides for a temporary run-off regime allowing those without appropriate plans to service existing contracts for three years.

The legislation will not allow these firms to write new business, including the renewal of existing policies, and Sibley cautioned that even with the mitigation, the supply of niche insurance products may reduce or end altogether, given the potential increased costs and frictions.

Separately on Thursday, the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) told road users that their vehicles will need a Green Card to cross the border into Northern Ireland or travel to Britain if it leaves the EU without a deal or some kind of transitional arrangement.

Currently all Irish vehicles can travel seamlessly through Northern Ireland, but MIBI warned motorists that they should contact their insurer or insurance broker one month in advance to ensure they receive the documentation in enough time if the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU on March 29 remains. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ieIndia's new foreign investment restrictions for its e-commerce sector, which includes giants such as Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-owned Flipkart, could reduce online sales by $46 billion by 2022, according to a draft analysis from global consultants PwC seen by Reuters.

Under the changes, e-commerce firms in India will from Feb 1 not be able to sell products via companies in which they have an equity interest or push sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms.

Announced in December, just months before a general election due by May this year, the rules were seen as an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to appease millions of small traders and shopkeepers, who form a key voter base and say their businesses have been threatened by global online retailers.

Industry sources told Reuters the policy would delay or derail some investment plans and push companies such as Amazon and Flipkart to create new, more complex business structures.

In a private analysis PwC conducted based on estimates provided by the industry and using publicly available information, it forecast that online retail sales growth, tax collections and job creation would be severely hit if companies changed their business models to comply with the new policy.

The draft analysis has not been made public. PwC India, in response to Reuters' questions, said it "does not endorse any of these assumptions or conclusions, nor have we conducted any independent study on this".

"As a matter of policy, we do not comment on company specific issues," PwC said.

The analysis produced by PwC showed that the gross-merchandise value of goods sold online could reduce by $800 million from expectations in the current fiscal year that ends in March, a document seen by Reuters showed. Then, the sales would dip drastically below previous forecasts, lopping off $45.2 billion in the next three years, the data showed.

To be sure, sales would still be growing, but at a less robust rate than envisaged before the policy change.

Online retailers often use gross merchandise value, or GMV, based on monthly online sales as a measurement of performance, as they typically make revenue from the commissions they get from sellers.

The analysis also said that by March 2022 the Indian policy could lead to the creation of 1.1 million fewer jobs than may have been previously expected and lead to a reduction in taxes collected of $6 billion.

Amazon and Flipkart have both sought an extension of the Feb 1 deadline, but a source at India's commerce ministry told Reuters the government was unlikely to agree.

Amazon said in a statement it remains "committed to be compliant to all local laws" but has asked the government for a an extension of four months.

Flipkart has sought a six-month extension, a source said. Though the company did not respond to Reuters questions, it told India's Economic Times newspaper that it believed "an extension is appropriate" to ensure that all elements of the policy were clarified.

POLICY SETBACK

The e-commerce investment policy is the latest flashpoint between India and US multinationals. US companies have in the past two years protested against a wide array of regulations - from policies calling on tech companies to store more data locally to those capping prices of imported medical devices.

Morgan Stanley had estimated, before the latest government move, that India's e-commerce market would grow 30 percent a year to $200 billion in the 10 years up to 2027. With rising use of the Internet and smartphones in India, online retailers have doled out discounts to lure people to shop online for everything from basic groceries to large electronic devices.

The new policy, which followed intense lobbying by groups representing millions of India's small traders and shopkeepers, was aimed to prevent such deep discounting by big online retailers.

Trader groups had alleged that online firms used their control over inventory from their affiliates, and through exclusive sales agreements, to create an unfair marketplace that allowed them to sell some products at lower prices. Such arrangements would be barred under the new policy.

A second official at India's commerce ministry said on Wednesday "there may not be any relaxations" in the policy. "We have already done whatever was required," the official said.

BIG INVESTMENTS

Amazon has committed to investing $5.5 billion in India, while Walmart last year spent $16 billion to acquire Flipkart.

"After one of the biggest foreign investments by Walmart, the government has again blindsided foreign investors," said Pratibha Jain, a partner at law firm Nishith Desai Associates, which advises e-commerce companies, adding that such policy moves made India "a difficult place to do business".

India's commerce minister, Suresh Prabhu, has said the e-commerce policy was "very clear", though the government was open to hearing views of companies.

"We would like to assure all foreign investors and domestic investors we will have a stable, clear policy," Prabhu told ET Now news channel last week.

The Confederation of All India Traders on Wednesday said it would fight "tooth and nail" if the government made any changes to the e-commerce policy under pressure from U.S. companies.

"If they want to exit the country they should do it as soon as possible," said the group's secretary general, Praveen Khandelwal, adding they planned to hold meetings with the commerce minister to ensure the new policy was not "compromised".

Also read: Amazon launches Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and TV control for Rs 3,999By Sudip Kar-GuptaPARIS (Reuters) - French bank Societe Generale said its fourth-quarter results would be affected by tough market conditions and the impact of some asset sales, as lenders around the world grapple with financial market volatility.Shares in SocGen fell sharply, hitting the stock prices of French rivals such as BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole, as analysts said SocGen's warning augured badly for European banks which have lagged their Wall Street peers.SocGen, whose traditional strength is in stocks and equity derivatives, said it expected a drop in revenues of around 20 percent ...Posted 1/17/19

The Springfield District 9 meeting of the Cherokee of Arkansas and Missouri Tribe will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield.We would like to have By Jorn PoltzMUNICH (Reuters) - Siemens will not make further concessions to save a rail merger deal with France's Alstom even after European competition authorities demanded further concessions, sources familiar with the matter said. Siemens is ready to walk away from the tie-up which was announced in Sept. 2017, a source familiar with the matter said."If the Commission refuses, then we cannot do the deal," this source said, "Then this topic is over."Siemens has already offered to license parts of its high speed train business and sell parts of its signaling operations to meet the concerns ...(Reuters) - State Bank of India said on Thursday lenders of Jet Airways Ltd were considering a restructuring plan for the debt-laden carrier.Jet said on Wednesday a resolution plan, currently being discussed with stakeholders, contemplates options on the debt-equity mix, proportion of equity infusion by stakeholders and change in the airline's board. (Reporting by Tanvi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)TOKYO/PARIS (Reuters) - Renault executives and French government officials were planning to meet Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa in Japan on Thursday, Japanese media said, as the automakers consider their partnership in the wake of alliance Chairman Carlos Ghosn's arrest.Ghosn, arrested and detained in Tokyo since Nov. 19, has been indicted in Japan on charges of under-reporting his salary for eight years through March 2018, and temporarily transferring personal investment losses to Nissan Motor during the global financial crisis.Nissan ousted him as chairman following his arrest, with Mitsubishi ...The University of Oxford said on Thursday it has stopped accepting funding from China's Huawei Technologies, the leading global supplier of telecoms network equipment, after scrutiny over the company's relationship with China's government. "Oxford University decided on January 8 this year that it will not pursue new funding opportunities with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or its related group companies at present," the university said in a statement. ALSO READ: A trade secrets theft probe may give more weight to US case against Huawei "The ...(Reuters) - Leslie Moonves, who resigned under pressure as CEO of CBS Corp, is challenging the company's decision to deprive him of $120 million in severance pay, according to a regulatory filing on Thursday.Moonves resigned amid a wave of allegations of sexual assault and harassment last September.In December, CBS denied Moonves of a $120 million severance package following a board review of the findings of an investigation into his behavior and the CBS culture conducted by two law firms hired by the CBS board."On January 16, 2019, Mr. Moonves notified the Company of his election to demand ...By Tanvi Mehta and Aditi ShahBENGALURU/MUMBAI (Reuters) - State Bank of India (SBI) said on Thursday lenders to Jet Airways Ltd are considering a plan to resolve the airline's debt issues, amid a swirl of media reports indicating the carrier's main shareholders are yet to resolve differences.Jet's chairman, Naresh Goyal, said in a letter to the SBI chairman he is willing to invest 7 billion rupees ($98.48 million) in the airline and pledge all his shares but wants to retain a 25 percent stake in the carrier he founded, TV channels reported on Thursday.Goyal's offer came after Jet's 24 percent ...By Nina Chestney and Makiko YamazakiLONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Hitachi Ltd decided on Thursday to freeze a 3 trillion yen ($28 billion) nuclear power project in Britain, dealing a blow to UK plans for the replacement of ageing plants.Hitachi's UK unit Horizon Nuclear Power failed to find private investors for its plan to build a plant in Anglesey, Wales, which was expected to provide about 6 percent of Britain's electricity."We've made the decision to freeze the project from the economic standpoint as a private company," Hitachi said, adding that it had booked a write-down of 300 ...By Makiko Yamazaki and Nina ChestneyTOKYO/LONDON (Reuters) - Japan's Hitachi Ltd decided on Thursday to freeze a 3 trillion yen ($28 billion) nuclear power project in Wales as Britain scrabbles for a way to exit the European Union, dealing a blow to UK plans for the replacement of ageing plants.The suspension comes as Hitachi's Horizon Nuclear Power failed to find private investors for its plans to build a plant in Anglesey, which was expected to provide about 6 percent of Britain's electricity."We've made the decision to freeze the project from the economic standpoint as a private company," ...By Geert De ClercqPARIS (Reuters) - Hitachi's decision to freeze its $28 billion (22 billion) nuclear power project in Britain strengthens the hand of France's EDF and its Chinese partner in talks with the government on how to finance new reactors.Funding new nuclear plants has become critical as Hitachi became the second Japanese firm to say its British nuclear power project had hit the buffers over financing. The two projects would have covered about 13 percent of Britain's power needs.EDF and its partner China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) want to use a financing model under ...An array of crises will keep several world leaders away from the annual World Economic Forum in Davos next week, which takes place against a backdrop of deepening gloom over the global economic and political outlook. Anxieties over trade disputes, fractious international relations, Brexit and a growth slowdown that some fear could tip the world economy into recession are set to dominate the January 22-25 Alpine meeting. The WEF's own Global Risks Report set the tone this week with a stark warning of looming economic headwinds, in part because of geopolitical tensions among ...By Belen CarrenoMADRID (Reuters) - The ECB has expressed concerns over reports that Spanish bank BBVA hired a former police chief in 2004 to spy on a would-be buyer and some of its officials have discussed it with the bank, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.Another source briefed about the case confirmed that top European Central Bank officials were concerned and monitoring the situation, and wanted BBVA to be fully transparent and take any necessary measures.Last week, online media Elconfidencial.com and Moncloa.com, said that BBVA had hired ex-police chief Jose Manuel ...(Reuters) - NetJets, the luxury plane unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has extended its contract with its pilots union by three years, avoiding the type of bitter labor dispute that it had with the union earlier this decade.The tentative contract with the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, which represents 2,500 pilots, boosts pay, changes the compensation structure, and expires in 2026.NetJets and the union said in a joint statement on Thursday that the accord followed six weeks of talks, which the Columbus, Ohio-based company began though the pilots' 2015 ...The CPI(M) on Thursday accused the government of "targeting dissenters" and demanded that the case against Dalit activist Anand Teltumbde to be dropped.

This comes days after Teltumbde, an IIM alumnus accused in the Bhima-Koregaon conspiracy case, launched a signature campaign petitioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have the charges quashed against him after the Supreme Court turned down his plea on Monday.

"The vicious targeting by the Modi government and BJP State governments of intellectuals and activists, who support the cause of Dalit and oppressed communities, is intensifying. This is confirmed from the treatment meted out to noted intellectual Anand Teltumbde in the Bhima-Koregaon case...Such attacks on those critical of its policies/activities and dissenting voices has happened earlier under the calumnious category of 'urban naxals'," a statement from the Polit Bureau said.

It also criticised the booking of intellectual Hiren Gogoi in Assam on charges of sedition for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to quash the Pune police's FIR against Teltumbde in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima violence and for his alleged Maoist links.

The apex court also refused to interfere with the ongoing investigation in the case. However, it extended the interim protection from arrest granted to him by the Bombay High Court by four weeks. It said Teltumbde could seek regular bail from the competent trial court in the meantime.

"The CPI(M) condemns such harassment of public intellectuals and activists, the latest being Anand Teltumbde and demands that the false case against him be withdrawn," the statement said.

Last year, several other rights activists were arrested in a multi-state swoop on the charge of being involved in a Maoist conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other allegations.

The Elgar Parishad event at Shaniwarwada in Pune was held on December 31, 2017.

Several activists had allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the event, leading to to the violence, the police had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)It is "very difficult" to say whether an alliance with Congress will happen or not for upcoming Lok Sabha elections, senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said Thursday, and added that his party is able to defeat the BJP in Delhi.

Rai, who heads AAP's Delhi unit, said his party has speeded up preparations on all the seven Lok Sabha seats, and announced formation of four frontal organisations for other backward castes (OBCs), resident welfare associations (RWAs), doctors and rural areas.

"It is very difficult to say whether the alliance will happen or not. In the given situation, AAP can defeat BJP in Delhi and Congress is way behind (in the contest)," he said at a press conference.

Commenting on the newly appointed president of Delhi Congress Sheila Dikshit, Rai said she was given farewell by the people "after ruling for 15 years" and bringing her back indicated that the party had limited choice for leadership.

"The recent developments indicate that the Congress has not only lost its ground in Delhi but is also leaderless," Rai said.

Both Congress and AAP have been sharply attacking one another amid speculations over the possibility of an alliance, which they have yet to accept or deny formally.

Rai earlier said that political affairs committee of AAP will take a call on the issue of alliance, after considering views of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab units of the party.

In case of Congress, the alliance issue will be decided by a committee headed by senior leader A K Antony.

Rai said voters in Delhi want MPs who can cooperate with the Delhi government in developing the city, unlike current BJP MPs who create "hurdles" in it.

"I am assured, BJP will loose all the seven seats in Delhi and AAP is readying for it."



People in the country want respite from "dictatorship of Modi-Shah" combine. In the emerging situation, people in different states will either vote for the BJP or go for those parties who could defeat it, he added.

In the run up to upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the AAP is strengthening organisation by forming frontal organisations. So far, 22 frontal organisations have been formed.

The newly formed OBC wing of AAP will be headed by Vijender Yadav while O P Singh will be its secretary. Rural wing will be headed by Sundar Tanwar.

Ajay Jain will be president of RWA wing and doctors wing will be headed by Ravi Shankar Dubey. The frontal organisations will take out a "Vikas Yatra" next month to highlight achievements of the Kejriwal government, Rai said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An unidentified vehicle knocked down three persons sitting on a footpath in north Kolkata, killing one person and seriously injuring the two others early Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred on a footpath along Bhupen Bose Avenue in the northern part of the city around 12.30 am.

When the three were taken to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Uttam Das (40) was declared brought dead, police said.

The two others -- Bapi Dolui (45) and Biswanath Ghosh (50) -- were undergoing treatment at the hospital, he added.

Nobody was arrested in this connection as the offending vehicle managed to flee from the spot.

Police officers were trying to spot the vehicle by examining CCTV footages from the locality, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In his address at the first session of the new state assembly, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh Thursday accused the former BJP government of getting distracted from more important issues as it tried to find flaws with the Congress-led regime before it.

The customary address in which the government of the day lays out its agenda was married by disruptions by Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief Hanuman Beniwal who climbed on to a platform near the assembly secretary's desk.

Speaking for the recently elected Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot, the governor said economic growth rate dropped during Vasundhara Raje government's term.

"The former government got distracted over useless issues like finding flaws of its previous government, Kalyan Singh said.

As a result of which the annual average economic growth rate, which was 8.16 per cent in 2009-10 to 2013-14 reduced to 7.19 per cent in 2014-15 to 2017-18. The average increase in per capita income was 14.95 per cent from 2009-10 to 2013-14 but it reduced to 9.68 per cent during 2014-15 to 2017-18," he said in his address, which was tabled in the House.

Similarly, the growth rate in the agriculture sector which was 4.19 per cent in 2008-09 increased to 8.94 per cent in 2013-14," he said.

But with the wrong policies of the Vasundhara Raje government, which followed, the growth rate in the sector dropped to 3.95 per cent in 2017-18, according to the address.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP, now the main opposition in the state, on the Congress government's charge.

The governor also targeted the previous Raje government on rising debt.

The total debt and liabilities on the state in 2013-14 was Rs 1.29 lakh crore. This is estimated to be Rs 3.08 lakh crore in 2018-19 due to financial mismanagement and the short-sighted vision of the former government," he said.

Singh said the fiscal deficit was over 3 per cent during the tenure of the former government.

The governor also highlighted the priorities of the new state government for the next 100 days.

He said the government dedicated its first decision on coming to power to the farmers, waiving their short-term loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken from all nationalised banks, scheduled banks and regional rural banks.

The governor said the state government will work towards making farmers economically empowered.

It will create employment in the animal husbandry and dairy sector, constitute a farmers' commission and tackle problems related to cow shelters, he said.

The government will also work on an integrated scheme for urban and industrial development in areas near the Barmer refinery.

He said over the next five years, the state government will strengthen panchayati raj institutions and create more jobs under the rural employment generation law MGNREGA.

In the education sector, the government will review opening schools closed during the previous BJP government's term, encourage Sanskrit education, develop skills in youths through technical and professional education and establish a nodal centre in Jaipur for industrial training and placement.

The government also promised to provide quality healthcare, including the implementation of a free medicines scheme that was introduced during the earlier Congress term.

As Kalyan Singh began his address, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief Hanuman Beniwal and two other MLAs from his party rushed into the well of the House, disrupting the speech.

Beniwal also climbed on to a platform near the assembly secretary's desk, continuing to interrupt the speech.

After reading out a few lines, the governor tabled the address and left the House, following protocol.

When the sitting resumed later, RLTP MLAs again disrupted the proceedings. This time several BJP MLAs also rushed into the well of the House, countering them with slogans.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned foreign businesses Wednesday to steer clear of formerly private properties seized by Cuba -- and said he was considering allowing lawsuits over such assets in US courts.

Pompeo said he was reviewing whether to move forward on a section of a 1996 law that would allow Cuban exiles to sue both private companies and Cuba itself for profiting on properties nationalized after Fidel Castro's 1959 communist revolution.

US administrations have systematically used their authority to delay implementation of the measure every six months -- but Pompeo said he was issuing a suspension for only 45 days. Pompeo said in a statement that US President Donald Trump's administration would conduct a "careful review" over the period, which will begin on February 1.

The administration will look at "efforts to expedite a transition to democracy in Cuba and include factors such as the Cuban regime's brutal oppression of human rights and fundamental freedoms and its indefensible support for increasingly authoritarian and corrupt regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua," he said.

"We call upon the international community to strengthen efforts to hold the Cuban government accountable for 60 years of repression of its people," he added.

"We encourage any person doing business in Cuba to reconsider whether they are trafficking in confiscated property and abetting this dictatorship."



The warning was another sharp reversal from the policies of former president Barack Obama, who normalized relations with Cuba and said decades of US policy to overthrow the communist leadership had failed.

Even before Obama's reconciliation drive, successive US administrations determined that allowing lawsuits over property would jeopardize key relationships as European allies and Canada have invested widely in Cuba.

The European Union lodged protests and complained to the World Trade Organization after the 1996 passage of the Helms-Burton law, also known as the Libertad Act, which authorized the property lawsuits in US courts as one part of an expansion of the existing US embargo on Cuba.

The law was spearheaded by far-right Republican senator Jesse Helms and congressman Dan Burton after Cuba in 1996 shot down two aircraft flown by exiled Cuban activists.

The US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, which supports American business in the Caribbean island, said Pompeo's move was calculated to "create uncertainty and, thus, anxiety." The 45-day suspension "presents a likelihood of an ominous commercial, economic and political landscape" for Cuba, the European Union and all WTO members, said the council's president, John Kavulich.

In a speech to anti-Castro Cuban exiles in Miami after taking office in 2017, Trump called Obama's policies "terrible and misguided" and declared: "We now hold the cards." While not reversing all of Obama's sanctions relief, Trump kept in place previous restrictions on US citizens' travel and business dealings in Cuba.

Pompeo earlier presented Cuba with an open letter to demand that it explain the detention of eight people considered by Washington to be political prisoners.

Trump has shown himself willing to move ahead with actions that cause controversy on the world stage. He earlier ended years of White House waivers on congressional action and moved the US embassy in Israel from Jerusalem.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Authorities in the US state of Georgia have arrested a 21-year-old man who sought to buy explosives and an anti-tank rocket for a "jihad" suicide attack on the White House planned for Thursday.

Byung Pak, the US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, announced the arrest of Hasher Taheb of Cumming, Georgia late Wednesday after a monthslong FBI investigation sparked by a tip from the local community "that Taheb had become radicalized."



According to the indictment, Taheb tried to recruit an informant and an undercover FBI agent into a plan to attack the White House and other targets in Washington, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and an unnamed synagogue.

Wanting to fulfil his "duty" to conduct jihad and expecting to become a "martyr," Taheb originally hoped to travel to Islamic State-held territory in the Middle East, he told the FBI source, the indictment said.

But because he had lost his passport, Taheb told the informant it would be better to launch attacks inside the United States.

On December 7, 2018, he met the undercover agent and revealed a hand-drawn diagram of the White House West Wing, where the president's office is located.

In the subsequent weeks, Taheb detailed what weapons he wanted to acquire for the plot, and assigned the FBI agent to obtain them: semi-automatic weapons, grenades and an AT-4 shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapon.

His plan was for the trio to jointly launch the attack on what he referred to as "game day," eventually pinpointed as January 17.

"Specifically, he described his plan to use the AT-4 to blow a hole in the White House so that the group could enter," the indictment said.

Taheb advised the source "that jihad was the best deed in Islam and the peak of Islam," the indictment said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad Thursday held talks with Pakistan's Foreign Secretary here after extensive discussions in Kabul as part of his efforts to arrange the first-ever direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Khalilzad has held three round of talks with the Afghan Taliban in order to reach a settlement that would allow the US to withdraw its army and end a 17-year-old war America's longest.

This is Khalilzad's fifth trip to the region. He would call on the Foreign Minister on Friday 18 January.

The Foreign Office (FO) here said that Khalilzad held delegation level talks with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua in Islamabad on developments in the Afghan reconciliation process.

Ambassador Khalilzad was accompanied by an interagency delegation representing Departments of Defence, State and National Security Council. Foreign Secretary Janjua was assisted by senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, the FO said in a statement.

He briefed the Pakistan side on his recent engagements in the region and lauded Islamabad's efforts in facilitating direct talks between the Taliban and the US in Abu Dhabi last month, it said.

The Foreign Secretary reiterated Pakistan's commitment to facilitate Afghan reconciliation process to realise the shared goal of peace and stability in the region. They agreed that taking the Afghan peace process forward remained a shared responsibility.

The both sides agreed that ultimately an intra-Afghan dialogue would be vital to agree upon the contours of a future Afghan polity where Afghanistan becomes a stable and prosperous country and at peace with its neighbours, the statement said.

Khalilad arrived in Pakistan after extensive talks in Kabul as part of his efforts to arrange first ever direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, it said.

According to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's office, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani thanked Prime Minister Khan for facilitating the ongoing efforts for reconciliation in his country.

Ghani made a telephone call to Khan and discussed efforts for peace in Afghanistan, said a statement issued by Khan's office.

President Ghani expressed his "gratitude for Pakistan's sincere facilitation of these efforts" initiated by Khalilzad, it said.

President Ghani invited Khan to visit Afghanistan at his earliest convenience and the Prime Minister reciprocated by inviting Ghani to visit Pakistan.

Both leaders also agreed to remain engaged and create an environment for resolving all outstanding issues, it said.

According to US diplomatic officials in Pakistan, Khalilzad will be in Islamabad for one to four days. Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan two days later than expected.

Khalilzad is expected to meet Pakistan's civilian and military leaders during his stay and that he will ask Pakistan to help convince the Afghan Taliban to come back to the negotiation table, said Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal.

"Pakistan has also maintained we want an Afghan-led Afghan-owned solution to imbroglio," Faisal said.

The envoy's four-nation trip is expected to end on January 21.

Khalilzad will be accompanied by Deputy Assistant to the US president Lisa Curtis, who is considered as an expert on Afghan affairs, diplomatic sources said.

The US State Department said last week that Khalilzad was visiting India, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan from January 8 to seek the settlement of the Afghan problem.

He has already visited India and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on January 10.

The US official was in Beijing this weekend and held talks with senior Chinese officials.

The Afghan peace initiative has been moving at a snail's pace due to refusal of the Taliban to sit for talks with the Afghan government officials.

According to officials, the US delegation will seek Pakistan's assistance for arranging talks between Kabul and Taliban to end more than 17-year-old conflict.

Pakistan has been playing a crucial role in the process and last year released senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar from imprisonment, who is reportedly in Qatar.

Baradar was deputy to the late Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. He was arrested from Karachi in a joint Pakistan-US operation after reports that he was independently trying to conclude a deal with Afghan government.

India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. It sent two former diplomats in "non official" capacity to a conference on Afghan peace process in Moscow in November which was attended by a high-level Taliban delegation.

The conference organised by Russia was attended by representatives of Afghanistan as well as from several other countries including the US, Pakistan and China.

India has been maintaining a policy of not engaging with the Taliban and pressing for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace initiative to bring peace and stability in the war-ravaged country.

Khalilzad visited Pakistan in October before flying to Doha, Qatar where he reportedly held talks with the Taliban representatives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police have pulled out the body of a 50-year-old woman from the funeral pyre at a village here and booked the husband and four others suspecting a foul play behind her death.

The incident took place at Godhna village in the district Wednesday evening, police said.

Police reached the spot on the basis of information received from a villager and pulled out the body from the funeral pyre that had already been lit, allegedly by the woman's in-laws, Station House Officer Amardeep Lal said.

The woman's brother lodged a complaint, alleging that her in-laws had killed her and were secretly trying to cremate the body in order to destroy evidence, he said.

The body was sent for post-mortem and five people, including the woman's husband, identified as Vijaypal, were booked, the SHO said, adding that all the accused have gone absconding.

The complainant alleged that the in-laws used to harass the woman and she was killed over domestic dispute.

A case has been registered and efforts are on to nab the accused, the SHO said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa has expressed hope that the reform of the Security Council would gain traction this year, saying without a strong political will, progress will be difficult.

Espinosa, Ecuador's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was in June elected president of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, becoming only the fourth female president of the organisation in its 73-year history.

For long, India has been calling for the reform of the UN Security Council along with Brazil, Germany and Japan. The four countries support each others' bids for the permanent seats in the top UN body.

On the long-pending reform of the UNSC, Espinosa said it is very much a member states-driven process.

The "positive side of the story" is that the reform of the three key areas of the United Nations - management, peace and security and development system - commenced at the start of this year, she told PTI.

"This is really due to the commitment of the member states that we were able to agree on a budget and it is happening on the ground so it's a great opportunity to do business better in the organisation," Espinosa said.

"My hope is that the process would gain traction and we will have some progress during this year... it's not that I don't have the responsibility to lead the process but it's out there in the hands of the member states. I will be following, guiding and leading but the truth is that it's in the hands of the member states themselves," she said.

Espinosa noted that there is a strong public opinion across the world that people are waiting for concrete results in the Security Council reform process after 10 years of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations.

"We are working on an agenda and timeline for meetings, let's hope that the conversations and the negotiations really have progress this year.

"Now it is about time that we come up with something meaningful but it's not up to me but up to the member states and I'll be pushing for this," she said.

Espinosa previously said the UNSC reform process has been going on for 25 years and the Inter-Governmental Negotiations was created 10 years ago, recalling that she was present as her country's ambassador when the resolution was adopted.

Some movement has taken place over the last decade and member states have a lot of information available to move the process forward, she said.

"We have a lot of material to draw from. There has been lot of progress and big wealth of information in these 10 years and we have to acknowledge that.

"(The reform process) requires very strong political decisions and political will, without that it's going to be difficult to have a progress," Espinosa said.

India has been at the forefront of efforts to push for Security Council reforms, maintaining that it rightly deserves a permanent seat at a reformed and expanded council.

India has asserted that the UN needs to be adapted to the contemporary needs of the 21st century and for this reforming the Security Council is critical.

A majority of members feel that the reform should include expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to enhance its legitimacy, effectiveness and representativeness.

The General Assembly President emphasised that revitalising the UN to "strengthen a multilateral rule-based world order" tops her list of priorities for the year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister Maneka Gandhi Thursday called up senior officials of the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College & Hospital here and asked them to immediately suspend the two nursing students who were held for allegedly killing 16 puppies, a hospital official said.

The Union Women and Child Development minister, who telephoned the senior (NRS) official this afternoon, also told that she would "ensure that the license of Hospital's Nursing wing" was cancelled unless the duo were suspended, he said.

"Mrs Gandhi called up and spoke to a senior official of our hospital and talked about the matter," the official confirmed.

The Union minister is also an animal rights activist.

On whether the Union minister set up any deadline for the suspension of the two nursing students, the official said, "There was no deadline provided to us for the suspension of the two girls. We are looking into the matter. We cannot anything more into it."



Two nursing students Moutusi Mondal and Soma Burman



were arrested by Kolkata Police after carcasses of 16 puppies were found in plastic bags in front of a hostel at the state-run NRS last Sunday.

Preliminary reports had said the puppies were beaten to death.

Meanwhile, an altercation broke out between NRS Hospital authorities and students of Nursing Training during a meeting at the hospital premises which was followed by pushing and shoving, police said.

"The meeting got disrupted after students turned unruly and an altercation broke out. It was followed by pushing and shoving resulting in the disruption of the meeting and our policemen posted there intervened," he said.

"The Nursing Super was shifted to the Hospital quarters while the Super and deputy Super were taken outside in official car by the police personnel present there. Situation is under control at the moment," he said.

Animal lovers were seen shouting slogans and waving placards outside the chief judicial magistrate court at Sealdah in the city, where the two were produced, demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United Nations General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa will meet Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and other top leaders of the country Friday, her spokesperson has said.

"Espinosa will be in Islamabad, Pakistan, on the first working day of her official trip to the country (Friday)," spokesperson Monica Villella Grayly said Thursday.

The UNGA chief will have bilateral meetings with PM Khan,President Arif Alvi and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, she said.

The Pakistan president will host a dinner reception for Espinosa, Grayly told reporters at a conference held at the UN headquarters in New York.

Espinosa will continue on her visit meeting with the UN team in the Pakistan, including the leaders of all UN agencies in the country, her spokesperson said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Britain has put military reservists on standby for permanent service in the event the country leaves the European Union without a divorce agreement to smooth the way.

A cliff-edge "no-deal" Brexit on March 29 could bring gridlock at ports and disruption to the supply of goods because of the sudden need for customs checks and other measures.

Armed Forces Minister Mark Lancaster says an order has been made allowing reservists to be called up for a year of permanent service as part of "contingency planning for a no-deal EU exit scenario." The Ministry of Defense has said 3,500 soldiers will be available to help if needed after a no-deal Brexit.

Opposition politicians condemned the move. Labour lawmaker Ian Murray said it was "staggering that soldiers are being put on standby because of the risk of a constitutional crisis of the government's own making."



Germany's parliament has approved legislation regulating a putative transition period following Britain's departure from the European Union, a bill described as obsolete by an opposition lawmaker.

Lawmakers passed legislation Thursday under which Britain would essentially still be treated as an EU member during the nearly two-year transition foreseen by the withdrawal agreement that the British Parliament rejected this week. It's unclear whether and to what extent that deal can be salvaged.

Alexander Lambsdorff of the opposition Free Democrats said that the legislation "is completely obsolete. We are voting on a bill that will never take effect." But Florian Hahn, a lawmaker with Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right bloc, said authorities want to continue preparing for all eventualities and it's a signal that Germany wants to pursue the deal.

The leader of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru has said it was "good to talk" to Prime Minister Theresa May about the Brexit deadlock.

Party leader Adam Price said Thursday after meeting with May that the discussions focused on what he called "the surest way" to break the stalemate: a so-called "people's vote" on Brexit.

Price said that "we had a fairly lengthy discussion about that and we set out some of the criteria which could be adopted. We are available to continue those discussions." He also said it is "essential" that May take the no-deal option off the table.

The prime minister is meeting with various opposition parties as she seeks a consensus in Parliament on how to proceed. She has thus far ruled out a second referendum.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British Prime Minister Theresa May will miss next week's annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos to focus on Brexit negotiations, sending ministers in her place, Downing Street said on Thursday.

"She will not be going to Davos. She will be focussed on matters here," May's spokeswoman said, adding that "there will be government ministers attending.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British Prime Minister Theresa May was consulting opposition parties and other lawmakers Thursday in a battle to get Brexit back on track after surviving a no-confidence vote, talks that were branded a "stunt" by the main opposition leader.

Across the Channel, European Union countries were stepping up preparations for a disorderly British exit on March 29 after the U.K. Parliament rejected May's Brexit withdrawal deal. EU nations were spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the possibility that Britain will leave the bloc without an agreement to smooth the way.

British lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal Tuesday, handing the prime minister the worst parliamentary defeat in modern British history.

The drubbing was followed by a no-confidence vote demanded by the opposition. May's minority Conservative government survived it on Wednesday night with backing from its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party.

The government confirmed that May will meet a Monday deadline to publish a Brexit Plan B, and that lawmakers will have a full day to debate it and, crucially, amend it on Jan 29.

May met Thursday with representatives from several of Parliament's feuding Brexit factions: Northern Ireland's compromise-rejecting Democratic Unionists, Euroskeptic "hard Brexit"-backing Conservatives, those urging Britain to hold a second EU membership referendum and supporters of a close economic relationship with the EU.

May claimed to be listening, but with such a wide range of views on Britain's future, she can't please all of them.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he wouldn't meet with May until she took a no-deal Brexit "off the table."



"To get a deal that can command a majority in Parliament, Theresa May has to ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future," Corbyn said during a speech to supporters in the English seaside town of Hastings.

"Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that's needed." Green Party lawmaker Caroline Lucas, who met with May on Thursday morning, said the prime minister was "in a fantasy world" if she thought her Brexit deal could be transformed by Monday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two persons, including a woman, were Thursday arrested here for allegedly cheating 161 job aspirants to the tune of Rs 80 lakh, by promising them employment in Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd, police said.

The accused along with two others, who are absconding, had under the pretext of getting jobs in L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd collected Rs 80 lakhs from as many as 161 job seekers, they said.

After collecting the money, the accused created fake appointment orders and despatched it to candidates through a bogus email id.

The candidates realised that they were duped by the accused only after they approached the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities with the appointment letters, they added.

Subsequently, the victims lodged a police complaint, based on which the duo was arrested.

The concessionaire L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited is building the Hyderabad Metro Rail project across three corridors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The two-day national convention of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha will begin from January 19 in Nagpur.

Nearly 5,000 workers, including 250 from Rajasthan, will take part in the convention across the country, BJP MP Satyanarayan Jatia told reporters at a press conference here.

Information related to the work done by the Centre for the welfare of scheduled castes will be provided to participants in the convention, he said.

He exuded confidence that the BJP will once again form the government at the Centre by taking along all communities.

"The Congress is continuously heading towards downfall so it is doing alliance that does not even match its ideology," Jatia said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least two traffic personnel were injured Thursday in a grenade attack by militants on a security picket at Zero Bridge in the city, police said.

"Militants hurled a grenade at a security forces' picket near Zero Bridge on Rajbagh side. At least two cops were hurt in the attack," a police official said.

He said security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the attackers.

The attack took place less than 100 metres from the National Conference headquarters and the local office of the All India Radio.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed that America would develop a unrivaled and unmatched missile defence system and invest in a space-based missile defense layer to protect itself from emerging threats, including sophisticated "hypersonic" weapons.

Trump's remarks came as he unveiled the first overhaul of American missile defense doctrine in nearly a decade at the Pentagon.

Known as the missile defense review, the unclassified report, which was expected last year, is believed to have been delayed because of sensitivities about how to frame threats posed by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, according to several defense officials.

The 108-page report emphasizes the need for a "comprehensive approach to missile defense against rogue state and regional missile threats," and calls for the development of new technologies to its system in the future.

"Our goal is simple. To ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, anytime, anyplace. As we all know, the best way to keep America safe is to keep America strong and that's what we're doing. Stronger than ever," Trump said.

The United States, he said, must be certain that our defensive capabilities are unrivaled and unmatched anywhere in the world.

Noting that all over foreign adversaries, competitors and rogue regimes are steadily enhancing their missile arsenals, he said these countries are increasing their lethal strike capabilities and they're focused on developing long range missiles that could reach targets within the United States.

Announcing the results of what he described as most effective cutting-edge missile defense systems, Trump said the new strategy calls for six major changes in missile defense policy. Among others, the review calls for 20 new ground based interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska and new radars and sensors to immediately detect foreign missiles launched against the US.

"We are committed to establishing a missile defense program that can shield every city in the United States and we will never negotiate away our right to do this," he said.

Trump said his administration will will focus on developing new technologies.

Noting that it is not enough to merely keep pace with the adversaries, he asserted that the US must outpace them at every single term.

"We must pursue the advanced technology and research to guarantee that the United States is always several steps ahead of those who would do us harm, he said.

Asserting that the US will protect the American people from all types of missile attacks, he said in the past, the United States lacked a comprehensive strategy for missile defense that extended beyond ballistic missiles.

"Under our plan that will change. The US will now adjust its posture to also defend against any missile strikes, including cruse and hypersonic missiles. We are, by the way very advanced also on hypersonic technology and we will always be at the forefront of everything," he said.

Recognising that space is a new war fighting domain, he said the space is force leading the way.

Trump said his upcoming budget will invest in a space-based missile defense layer.

"It's new technology. It's ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defense and obviously of our offense, he said.

"The system will be monitored. And we will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers or even from powers that make a mistake. It won't happen, regardless of the missile type or geographic origins of the attack. We will ensure that enemy missiles fine to know sanctuary on earth or in the skies above. This is the direction that I'm heading, Trump said.

"We have some very bad players out there and we're a good player. But we can be far worse than anybody if need be, said the US President.

His remarks comes as a crucial nuclear weapons treaty between the US and Russia hangs in the balance. In October, Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, Treaty, an agreement that eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons from U.S. and Russian arsenals.

Russia, Trump says, has violated the arms agreement by building and fielding the banned weapons "for many years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Trump administration will roll out a new strategy Thursday for a more aggressive space-based missile defence system to protect against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and counter advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China.

Details about the administration's Missile Defence Review the first compiled since 2010 are expected to be released during President Donald Trump's visit to the Pentagon with top members of his administration.

The new review concludes that in order to adequately protect America, the Pentagon must expand defence technologies in space and use those systems to more quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

Recognising the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponisation of space, the strategy pushes for studies.

No testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

Specifically, the US is looking at putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles when they are launched, according to a senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday.

The US sees space as a critical area for advanced, next-generation capabilities to stay ahead of the threats, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the review before it was released.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the US can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

Congress, which ordered this review, already has directed the Pentagon to push harder on this "boost-phase" approach, but officials want to study the feasibility of the idea and explore ways it could be done.

The new strategy is aimed at better defending the US against potential adversaries, such as Russia and China, who have been developing and fielding a much more expansive range of advanced offensive missiles that could threaten America and its allies.

The threat is not only coming from traditional cruise and ballistic missiles, but also from hypersonic weapons.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new strategic weapons he claims can't be intercepted.

One is a hypersonic glide vehicle, which could fly 20 times faster than the speed of sound and make sharp maneuvers to avoid being detected by missile defence systems.

"Developments in hypersonic propulsion will revolutionise warfare by providing the ability to strike targets more quickly, at greater distances, and with greater firepower," Lt. Gen Robert Ashley, director of the Defence Intelligence Agency, told Congress last year.

"China is also developing increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles in an attempt to counter ballistic missile defence systems."



Current US missile defence weapons are based on land and aboard ships.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have both emphasized space-based capabilities as the next step of missile defence.

Senior administration officials earlier signalled their interest in developing and deploying more effective means of detecting and tracking missiles with a constellation of satellites in space that can, for example, use advanced sensors to follow the full path of a hostile missile so that an anti-missile weapon can be directed into its flight path.

Any expansion of the scope and cost of missile defences would compete with other defence priorities, including the billions of extra dollars the Trump administration has committed to spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons.

An expansion also would have important implications for American diplomacy, given long-standing Russian hostility to even the most rudimentary US missile defences and China's worry that longer-range US missile defences in Asia could undermine Chinese national security.

Asked about the implications for Trump's efforts to improve relations with Russia and strike better trade relations with China, the administration official said that the US defence capabilities are purely defensive and that the US has been very upfront with Moscow and Beijing about its missile defence posture.

The release of the strategy was postponed last year for unexplained reasons, though it came as Trump was trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

While the US continues to pursue peace with North Korea, Pyongyang has made threats of nuclear missile attacks against the US and its allies in the past and has worked to improve its ballistic missile technology.

It is still considered a serious threat to America.

Iran, meanwhile, has continued to develop more sophisticated ballistic missiles, increasing their numbers and their capabilities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid growing concerns over the Chinese military buildup along the eastern flank of the country, the government has ordered moving a strategic ITBP command from its current base in by over 960 km to the border of in and Kashmir, official sources said Thursday.

The North West (NW) frontier of the (ITBP), tasked to guard the 3,488-km long Sino- border in peace times, is headed by an Inspector General (IG) of police-rank officer, which is equivalent to a Major General rank in the

The frontier, according to documents accessed by PTI, has been ordered to move 'lock, stock, and barrel' by March-end and will have to be operationalised at the new location from April 1.

The district in the mountains of and is the base for the 14 Corps of the that is headed by a Lt General-rank officer and the new shift will allow a better interaction between the two forces "for strategic and defence planning", official sources said.

The Army, which carved out a separate Corps in after and following the Kargil intrusion in 1999, has been demanding operational control over the ITBP, a proposal rejected by the government time and again.

Having the ITBP and the at the same operational location will resolve these issues as well, the sources said.

ITBP Director General (DG) S S Deswal confirmed the move to the news agency, saying the new frontier will be moved from to Leh and will be made operational from April this year.

"We have to be on the border and that is why the frontier is being sent to the forward area," the DG said.

The Union home ministry had first mooted the proposal for this strategic move in 2015 but it did not materialise owing to some "administrative reasons".

As per the blueprint of deployment approved by the government for the ITBP, the Leh frontier of the border guarding force will have three sectors that will be based in Leh, and and each of these will be headed by a Deputy IG-rank officer.

The ITBP, at present, has about half a dozen battalions deployed along the Chinese border that runs along and official sources said once the frontier starts operating from its new base in Leh, it will oversee the induction of more battalions that the force is inducting to enhance its presence on this icy, blizzard-prone mountainous border.

The ITBP has recently inducted a mechanised column of vehicles and communication equipment and all the weapons, artillery and combat paraphernalia will now be moved to Leh, that has both road and air connectivity.

The force also has sanctions to create and refurbish 40 Border Out Posts (BoPs) in these icy heights of Ladakh, where personnel have to face hostile weather as the mercury slips to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius and the altitude ranges from 8,000-14,000 feet.

Modern 'composite' BoPs, which have weather control mechanism and facilities for better drinking water and rest and recuperation, are also being created for the ITBP troops in this region.

Leh, till now, had an ITBP sector establishment headed by a DIG-rank officer. The about-90,000-strong force not only guards the scenic Pangong lake in this area but also the upper reaches of the Himalayan mountain ranges that run across

As a part of its efforts to strengthen the military muscle along the border, the government had similarly moved the North East (NE) frontier of the ITBP from Shillong in to Itanagar in in 2016.

Both the and the Leh regions have seen frequent incidents of incursions, standoffs and few instances of physical pushing and shoving between the troops of the Chinese PLA and the ITBP and the Army personnel over the last few years.

The 73 day-long military standoff between and in Doklam (Sikkim) in 2017 is a grim reminder of these instances.

Sources, however, added that 2018 saw an about 60 per cent decline in these incidents all along the eastern border front that the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and share with China.A car bomb attack on a police cadet training academy killed 10 people and wounded 65 on Thursday in Bogota, making it the worst such incident in the Colombian capital in 16 years.

The defense ministry said the "terrorist act" was carried out using a vehicle packed with 80 kilograms (around 175 pounds) of explosives.

"All Colombians reject terrorism and we're united in fighting it," President Ivan Duque tweeted.

Vowing to bring those responsible to justice, Duque added: "COLOMBIA is sad but will not bow to violence." The bomber -- believed to have been killed in the attack -- struck at the General Francisco de Paula Santander



Officer's School in the south of Bogota during a promotion ceremony for cadets.

No group has claimed responsibility, but public prosecutor Nestor Humberto Martinez named suspect Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez as the "material author of this abominable crime."



Martinez said Rojas Rodriguez entered the school compound at 9:30 am (1430 GMT) driving a grey 1993Nissan Patrol truck, but gave no details about the explosion.

He said the truck underwent an inspection in July in the Arauco department on the border with Venezuela -- a traditional stronghold of ELN Marxist guerrillas.

The defense ministry said an investigation had been opened "to find those responsible for this terrorist act." Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno said one of the dead was an Ecuadoran cadet, while a second suffered light injuries.

"The brutal act of terrorism in Bogota took the life of a compatriot," Moreno said on Twitter.

"My sincerest thoughts go to the family, friends and companions of Erika Chico." Fanny Contreras, the Colombian armed forces' health inspector, told local radio that the truck "entered (the school compound) suddenly, almost hitting the police and then there was the explosion."



Carol Oviedo said her brother Jonathan, a cadet, told her on the phone he had been injured, before the connection was cut.

"In two years since he joined the police, he's never had to face a situation like this," she said.

Like other families, she was lingering in the vicinity of the academy hoping to hear some

United States assistant secretary of state in charge of Latin America, Kimberly Breier condemned the attack and said: "Our condolences and sympathies go to the victims and family members of those killed."



The US embassy in Bogota offered its "help in investigating this reprehensible attack."



Rosalba Jimenez, 62, was opening her confectionary store near the school when the bomb went off.

"When we turned to look at the school the sky was grey with smoke. People were running, sirens... horrible, horrible, it seemed like the end of the world," Jimenez told AFP.

Authorities sealed off the area to the press and increased security service patrols in the south of the city, AFP reporters noted.

Right-wing Duque, who assumed power in August, has peddled a tough line against Marxist rebels and drug traffickers in the largest cocaine producer in the world.

Peace talks with ELN guerrillas -- who in the past have claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on police -- stalled before Duque replaced Juan Manuel Santos as president, and have not been restarted.

Duque has made several demands, including the release of all hostages, as prerequisites to kick-starting the peace process, but the ELN has dismissed those as unacceptable.

After the 2016 peace accord signed by Santos and FARC guerrillas, turning the former rebels into a political party, the ELN is considered the last active rebel group in a country that has suffered more than half a century of conflict.

That cycle of violence has also involved paramilitaries, drug traffickers and other Marxist rebels, including FARC dissidents.

A year ago, six police died and 40 were injured in an attack on a police station in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla that was claimed by the ELN.

In February 2017, the ELN claimed responsibility for an attack on a police patrol in the Macarena neighborhood of Bogota that left one officer dead and several seriously wounded.

In June, three people -- including a Frenchwoman -- were killed and nine others wounded in an attack on a Bogota shopping mall that authorities blamed on a fringe left-wing group called the Revolutionary People's Movement (MRP).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nearly 1,200 experts from India and abroad will deliberate on issues related to water at a convention to be held in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh from Friday.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Madhya Pradesh's Public Health Engineering Minister Sukhdev Panse would inaugurate the three-day convention, being organised by the Indian Water Works Association (IWWA), an organiser told reporters here on Wednesday.

Experts would present papers and discuss issues related to drinking water, sewage disposal, water audit and optimal designing of sewage network, and also make recommendations on these subjects, he said.

"The event's theme is 'Water Sector Infrastructure; Evolution and Development'," another organiser said.

Delegates from the US, Japan, Korea and Singapore and nearly 200 students from top institutes, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), would attend the convention, he added.

IWWA is a voluntary body of professionals concerned and connected with water supply for municipal, industrial, agricultural uses and treatment and disposal of waste water, according to its website.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Netflix, Hotstar and a clutch of other streaming services have voluntarily signed a self-regulatory code vowing they would not show content that disrespects the national emblem or flag, promotes terrorism or outrages religious sentiments of any community.

The self-regulatory Code of Best Practices -- whose other signatories include Voot, Zee5, Arre, SonyLIV, ALT Balaji, Jio Digital Life and Eros Now -- has been signed under the aegis of industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

Amazon Prime, however, has not signed up for the voluntary pact.

"We provide customers with compelling content they love and creators a forum to create unique and passionate stories. While we are assessing the situation, we believe that the current laws are adequate to fulfill this mission," a company spokesperson told PTI.

IMAI said the code has been in the works for over a year.

"The Code... establishes guiding principles for Online Curated Content (OCC) Providers to conduct themselves in a responsible and transparent manner and at the same time ensures that consumer interests are protected," IAMAI said in a statement.

Under the code, the players will ensure that they do not deliberately and maliciously make available any content which disrespects the national emblem or national flag; or shows a child engaged in real or simulated sexual activities.

Also prohibited is content which outrages religious sentiments of any class, section or community; which promotes or encourages terrorism; and content that has been banned for distribution by online video service under law or by any court.

"This effort brings together the key pillars of protecting interests of consumers in viewing content of their choice and defending creative freedom. This shall ensure that all signatories to the code agree to adhere to uniform principles and guidelines contained in this code, in letter and spirit," said the code.

The signatories, it said, will adopt the best practices to ensure a clear and transparent disclosure system informing viewers about the nature of content and advise viewer discretion so consumers are informed about the content that they are accessing.

This would be done by classifying content into distinct categories like general/universal viewing, content requiring parental guidance and content which is solely meant for age-appropriate audiences.

The nine players have also pledged to display a content descriptor or guidance message informing viewers about nature of the content, particularly around age-inappropriate content for minors.

The code also involves a strong complaint redressal mechanism.

"All signatories ... agree to internally appoint/institute, as part of their operational systems, a dedicated person, team or department to receive and address any consumer related concerns and complaints in relation to content of the respective providers," reads the code.

Such a department will "act as the single point of contact for receiving all complaints from users; and examine the complaints in accordance with the principles in this code and accordingly advise other departments/internal stakeholders within the relevant OCC Provider," it said, adding that complaints will have to be acknowledged within three working days of receipt.

In case of violation of the code, the department concerned after holding discussions will have to communicate to the aggrieved person within 30 days the precautionary measures taken to address the complaint.

"Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India may forward any complaint to the Department of respective OCC providers," it added.

Some industry watchers have, however, raised concerns over the self-regulation code.

Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist, said the code is restrictive and will "hamper creative freedom".

"Web streaming has been at the forefront of pushing boundaries. By voluntarily choosing to put restrictions on creative speech these platforms are confirming to demands of nanny or prude environment which is not in line with younger generation, who do not find it offensive," Pahwa said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Standards of morality in a society changes with time, the Supreme Court said Thursday while setting aside certain provisions of a 2016 Maharashtra law which restricted licensing and functioning of dance bars in the state.

The top court, which paved the way for grant of licences and re-opening of dance bars in Maharashtra, said the state can neither exercise "social control" with its own "notion of morality" nor take exception to staging dance performances per se.

"It needs to be borne in mind that there may be certain activities which the society perceives as immoral per se. It may include gambling (though that is also becoming a debatable issue now), prostitution etc. It is also to be noted that standards of morality in a society change with the passage of time," said a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan.

The top court quashed several provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurant and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016, including installation of CCTV cameras in dance bars, saying it was "totally inappropriate and amounts to invasion of privacy".

The court said a particular activity, which was treated as immoral few decades ago, may not be so now as societal norms keep changing with time.

"Social change is of two types, continuous or evolutionary and discontinuous or revolutionary. The most common form of change is continuous. This day-to-day incremental change is a subtle, but dynamic, factor in social analysis," the bench said.

The court said it cannot be denied that dance performances, in dignified forms, are socially acceptable and nobody takes exceptions to it.

It said since obscenity is treated as immoral, therefore obscene dance performance may not be acceptable and the state can pass a law prohibiting such dances.

However, it observed that "a practice which may not be immoral by societal standards cannot be thrusted upon the society as immoral by the state with its own notion of morality and thereby exercise social control".

"It appears from the history of legislative amendments made from time to time that the respondents (Maharashtra and others) have somehow developed the notion that such performances in the dance bars do not have moralistic basis," the court said in its judgement.

It said that many conditions stipulated for obtaining the licence were virtually impossible to perform.

"It is this reason that not a single establishment has been issued licence under the impugned Act even when it was passed in the year 2014. In fact, after the amendment in Maharashtra Police Act in 2005, no licences have been granted for dance bars," the bench said.

The court said though the 2016 Act appeared to be regulatory in nature, the real consequences and effect was to prohibit such dance bars.

"The state, thereby, is aiming to achieve something indirectly which it could not do directly. Such a situation is beyond comprehension and cannot be countenanced," the court said.

"We have quashed those provisions of the Act and the Rules which we have found as unreasonable and unconstitutional. We hope that applications for grant of licence shall now be considered more objectively and with open mind so that there is no complete ban on staging dance performances at designated places prescribed in the Act," it said.

The court delivered the verdict on petitions filed by association of various hotel owners and bar owners, R R Patil Foundation and Bhartiya Bargirls Union, challenging certain provisions of the 2016 Act and the Rules.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Thursday called upon people to follow reason and not emotion to build a strong Assam and urged AASU, AGP and intelligentsia to cooperate in implementation of Clause 6 of the historic Assam Accord.

Sonowal was speaking at the state-level Silpi Divas celebration here in Darrang district.

"A section of vested interests is hell bound to create disturbance in Assam by spreading misinformation that 1.90 crore Bangladeshis will get citizenship as an outcome of the Citizenship Amendment Bill," he said.

"I, being the son of the soil, will under no circumstances allow my government to harm the interests of the indigenous people of the state," Sonowal said.

He urged the AASU, the Asom Gana Parishad, artist community and intelligentsia to wholeheartedly extend cooperation in the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Clause 6 seeks to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

A six-year agitation by the AASU demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord by the Rajiv Gandhi government and the AASU on August 15, 1985.

"In today's age of science and technology, the people of Assam should be motivated by reason and rationality instead of being guided by sheer emotions. Emotions do not always help in forging a strong society. I urge the people to use their rational bent of mind and analyse the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill thoroughly," he said.

Sonowal said steps have been taken by the Centre to provide constitutional safeguards for the indigenous people and ST status was granted to six communities of the state to permanently secure the locals' interests.

"Based on the national policy, the Citizenship Amendment Bill was drafted and Home Minister Rajnath Singh elaborately explained its salient features in Parliament," Sonowal said.

Stressing out that constitutional safeguards would act as an invincible shield to secure interests of the indigenous people, Sonowal said in states like Mizoram no one, except the locals, could enjoy land and political rights due to existing constitutional privileges.

He also claimed that as a result of sincere efforts of the central and state governments, sealing of Indo-Bangladesh border would be complete soon.

He said the major push given by the present dispensation in expeditious updation of the NRC would also help in identifying the genuine and the illegal citizens.

Noting that the Congress government had unilaterally imposed IMDT Act on the people of Assam, the chief minister said the present central government was working in a transparent manner, with the setting up of the Joint Parliamentary Committee for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill being a case in point.

He also came down heavily on the Congress and the Left forces, saying had they supported the six-year-long Assam Movement from 1979, "then 850 precious lives of youths of the state would not have been lost".

Silpi Divas commemorates the death anniversary of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, a songwriter, poet, writer and maker of Assam's first film in 1935.

Sonowal said the cultural icon of Assam had put the state on a robust platform with his life-long dedication and strengthened the edifice of cultural landscape with his unparallel contributions.

He said Agarwala's creations had given a new identity and dimension to Assamese culture in the world and that the young generation guided by his principles and philosophy needed to work for strengthening the thread of unity and taking Assam forward.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday appointed a Presidential Commission to investigate allegations of corruption said to have taken place when his government was in office, a move seen as another attempt to sully the name of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The five-member Commission of Inquiry, to be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Upali Abeyratn, will investigate allegations of corruption that took place between January 15, 2015 to December 31, 2018, Sirisena's office said.

Sirisena became the president in January 2015 after defeating Mahinda Rajapaksa. He formed the government with the support of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP).

The duo's government of national unity introduced many key reforms in their pledge to establish democratic good governance opposed to the authoritarian regime of Rajapaksa.

However, Sirisena and Wickremesinghe's relationship soured and the president ditched the prime minsiter to align with Rajapaksa. Sirisena in late October installed Rajapaksa as the prime minister by sacking Wickremesinghe, in an action widely described as a constitutional coup.

Sirisena from time to time accused Wickremesinghe of corruption and appointed a probe into an alleged scam on the issuance of Central Bank of Sri Lanka's bond issues.

The bank was headed by Wickremesinghe's close friend Arjuna Mahendran. His son-in-law's primary dealer firm of the central bank was charged with wrong doings in the bond issues with Mahendran's inside information.

Thursday's appointment of a panel to probe alleged corruption since 2015 is being seen as another attempt to sully the name of Wickremesinghe in the presidential stakes.

Wickremesinghe's UNP has gone on record saying they would not back Sirisena's reappointment and would field their own candidate at the next presidential election.

Sirisena expects Rajapaksa's new political party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to back him in the presidential race given the party's good performance in 2018 local council election. The SLPP defeated both Sirisena's and Wickremesinghe's parties in the election in a complete sweep of local councils.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Singapore's Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, S Iswaran congratulated Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on his re-election and expressed confidence that economic relations between Telangana and the city state would improve further under his leadership.

"Under your leadership, Telangana has achieved a stellar annual revenue growth rate of 17.17 per cent.

Singapore companies have also recognised Telangana's favourable investment climate," a release from Rao's office Thursday quoted the Singapore Minister as having said in a congratulatory letter.

"During your tenure, DBS (Development Bank of Singapore) built its largest technology hub outside its Singapore headquarters in Hyderabad and Ascendas-Singapore continued to expand its footprint within the state," the minister said.

Iswaran said he was confident that, under Rao's leadership,economic relations between Singapore and Telangana would strengthen further and more Singapore-based companies would find opportunities to participate in Telangana's economic development.

He wished Rao a continued success in his second term as Chief Minister.

The Minister looks forward to continuing working with CM KCR to strengthen ties between Telangana and Singapore, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spanish brand in beauty and derma care Sesderma Thursday said it will set up Dr Serrano clinics in India.

The company, which is present in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary has been operational in the country since 2014, will open the first clinic in the Capital offering cosmetic procedures based on nanotechnology.

"Through the launch of Dr Serrano Clinics across the length and breadth of Indian landscape, we aim to deliver the best aesthetic solutions to the people," Sesdarma Laboratories Founder and MD Gabriel Serrano Sanmiguel told reporters here.

The company, which sells around 140 products in the country, plans to set up a manufacturing facility in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) later this year.

Currently, it brings in products from Spain-based plant.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Oxford, Conn.  January 17th, 2019  AeroShell, the leading Piston Engine Oil supplier, has designated 4 distributors that will support the efforts of The D-Day Squadron to bring a large group of C-47s and DC-3s across the Atlantic Ocean to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy.

The distributors will discount AeroShell Oil 120 and W120 in drums, AeroShell Oil W120 in cases of 35 Liter bottles, as well as Smoke Oil. While each distributor has a focus within a geographic region, all are highly skilled at drop shipping product across North America.

While supporting the warbird community for years through groups such as the Commemorative Air Force, we wanted to highlight a new focus on a very important event for not only the aviation and military history communities, but one that represents also one of the last, best chances to pay tribute to the remaining members of the WW2 generation, stated Jon Stoy, Account Manager, General Aviation Lubricants for AeroShell. This is why it makes complete sense to extend our support to the D-Day Squadron and why we are honored to be able to support such an important event.

By offering support, AeroShell is making a significant contribution that will enable the aircraft of the D-Day Squadron to complete the Blue Spruce route used to move aircraft to European front-line service during WW2. After completing the route and landing at Duxford Airfield in the United Kingdom, the squadron will join its European counterpart Daks over Normandy. This will be the kickoff of events at Duxford from June 2nd-5th 2019, leading to the combined aerial armada crossing the English Channel on the 5th of June. Upon landing at Caen-Carpiquet Airport in Normandy, France, additional commemorations honoring the Greatest Generation and other activities will take place from June 5th-9th.

AeroShell has a long history of supporting the aviation and the warbird community, explained Moreno Aguiari, Executive Director of the D-Day Squadron. Ive worked with one of their distributors, Blazing Aviation, through the Tunison Foundation, the core organization behind the D-Day Squadron. This company works to have product staged ahead at locations throughout the year to ensure we have the oil we need to support our flights with Placid Lassie. That makes this a great contribution for AeroShell and its distributors to support the mission of the D-Day Squadron. All of the participating airplanes will be thirsty for good oil and AeroShell provides the best product for our engines. I am glad the company is supporting our flight to Normandy and helping us honor the men and women that made such a sacrifice so many years ago.

Be sure to keep up with the latest news as additional leaders in aviation join the D-Day Squadron mission to honor the few remaining D-Day participants and salute the historic effort that defined their generation.

About the D-Day Squadron

The D-Day Squadron is the part of the Tunison Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In June 2019, the D-Day Squadron will lead an American fleet of historic, restored C-47 World War II military aircraft in Daks Over Normandy, a flyover of more than 30 international aircraft to drop 250 paratroopers over the original 1944 drop zones in Normandy commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The event will honor the citizen soldiers of the War, whose bravery led the Allies to the liberation of France, and then to an end of the devastating War in Europe. The Squadrons education program takes the compelling story of the citizen soldier to audiences at airshows and events off the flight line to honor these brave Americans and ensure their memory and significance is appreciated for generations to come. The groups efforts are funded through the generous tax-deductible contribution of their supporters. Learn more at DDaySquadron.org.

About AeroShell

AeroShell provides the aviation industry with a portfolio of world class lubricants and associated services. Through parent division Shell Aviation, which has one of the worlds most extensive fueling networks, supported by a strong supply chain based on Shells own refineries. AeroShell offers a comprehensive range of quality lubricants which have been proven around the world to protect the whole aircraft; oils for the engines, fluids for hydraulic mechanisms and greases for the airframe and gearing mechanisms. Shell Aviation is acknowledged as one of the worlds leading providers of aviation technical services and is a consistent winner of the Best Technical and Operational Performer Armbrust Award.Sebi Thursday refused to revoke ban on two brokers Ficus Securities and Ficus Commodities as well as their six former and present directors from securities markets after the regulator found them responsible for misuse of client funds.

Ficus Securities Pvt Ltd (FSPL) is a stock broker and Ficus Commodities Pvt Ltd (FCPL) is a commodity derivatives broker.

Among the six individuals, Vinod Kumar Bansal and Surender Singh are present directors of FSPL while Neena Bansal was its past director.

In the case of FCPL, Surender Singh is its present director, while Poonam Rajbhar, Tripta Kapoor and Shabnam John were its former directors.

Sebi, through a interim order in March 2018, had restrained both brokers and seven directors from accessing the securities markets "till further directions" and had directed them not to dispose of the assets without regulator's prior permission.

In a fresh order passed Thursday, the regulator said except Prashant Kumar Nayak, the present director of FCPL, all the entities "have not been able to make out a case for contradicting the findings of the interim order which would warrant revocation of the interim order".

Accordingly, Sebi confirmed the directions issued via interim order against all the entities, except Nayak, and revoked the ban imposed on him.

In August 2017, the National Stock Exchange had forwarded an inspection report of FSPL to the markets regulator, which had made several adverse observations, including misuse of clients' funds and securities.

The regulator had observed that there were huge fund transfers between FSPL and FCPL which prima facie did not relate to trading.

Besides, the regulator found that funds belonging to investors were transferred from FSPL to FCPL.

Following this, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had passed the interim order.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Commenting on the Supreme Court verdict paving the way for reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena said Thursday that the government failed to make the law regulating dance bars foolproof.

Senior Sena leader Anil Parab said it was unfortunate that the apex court did not uphold the Bombay High Court's ruling, as the objective behind the 2016 law was noble.

Sena is a partner in the BJP-led government in the state.

"Why did the SC make amendments to provisions of the law? Was it because these provisions were unconstitutional or because we (the state government) did not present our side effectively?" asked Parab, a member of the state legislative council.

When the dance bar bill was placed before the state legislature, the Sena had made it clear that it should stand judicial scrutiny, Parab said.

"Not making the bill foolproof is a failure of the government," he added.

Interestingly, while Parab found fault with the government, Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe slammed Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik for his claim that there was a nexus between the government and the dance bar owners.

Representatives of all the parties were present when the draft of the bill was being prepared, she said.

"Three meetings were conducted and (NCP leaders) Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde were present. How can the NCP now make such absurd allegations when they were part of the law-making process?" she asked.

Malik, NCP's national spokesperson, had alleged that "a nexus of BJP leaders, the chief minister and bar owners' association" was responsible for the government losing the case in the Supreme Court.

Stating that there can be a regulation but not a total prohibition, the Supreme Court Thursday set aside certain provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on dance bars.

The court quashed some provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, such as mandatory installation of CCTV cameras.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Stating that there can be "regulations" but not "total prohibition", the Supreme Court on Thursday paved the way for the reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and functioning.

Clearing the path for licences allowing dance bars to operate, an apex court bench headed by Justice A K Sikri permitted them to be located a kilometre away from religious places and educational institutions.

The court allowed tips to performers but disallowed showering of currency on them.

The apex court quashed the provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, like the mandatory installations of CCTV cameras in the dance bars saying they violated privacy.

The bench, however, upheld the provision restricting the timing of operation of dance bars from 6 pm to 11.30 pm.

"From 2005 till date, not a single person has been given licence (for dance bars). It cannot be done. There can be regulations but it cannot amount to total prohibition," the bench said while pronouncing the judgement.

The apex court said the provision which mandated that dance bars should be located one kilometre away from religious places and educations institutions is "unconstitutional".

It also quashed the provision of the 2016 law which mandated that there must be a partition between bar rooms and the dance floor.

In August last year, the court reserved its verdict on the pleas of hotel and restaurant owners challenging the 2016 Maharashtra law.

Earlier, the petitioners told the bench that the state government tried to circumvent a previous order of the apex court by bringing in the new 2016 law on conditions for operation of dance bars.

Hotel and restaurant owners argued that the state government adopted an attitude that it will not permit operations of dance bars irrespective of orders passed by the apex court.

On January 11, 2017, the apex court directed the Maharashtra government to expeditiously decide the pending applications for licences to open dance bars under the old rules and the directions issued by the court from time to time.

The Maharashtra government, in an affidavit filed before the court, defended the operation of a new law meant to regulate licensing and functioning of dance bars in the state.

"It was observed that such dances were derogatory to the dignity of women and were likely to deprave, corrupt or injure public morality," the state government said.

"It was also brought to the notice of the state government that the places where such dances were staged were used as places for immoral activities and also as a place for solicitation for the purpose of prostitution," it said.

The state government said prevention of obscenity in public places is a part of public policy in India and was reflected in provision of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016 gives effect to such Public Policy," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court Thursday expressed its displeasure over the Centre not disbursing funds uniformly among the state governments for development and upgradation of infrastructure in subordinate judiciary.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the the Centre to ensure that the funds should be distributed uniformly in accordance with its policy decision under which a scheme has been envisaged that the union and the state government would share the funds in the ratio of 60:40 for development of infrastructure facilities for judiciary.

The bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and S K Kaul, passed the order after senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said the Centre was not distributing the fund uniformly to all states and gave example of Bihar which received Rs 204.03 crore in last four years, while Odisha did not receive any fund in last five years under the scheme.

When the senior advocate along with advocates Sneha Kalita and Avnish Pandey, was making the submission, the bench said there was a need for an order to ensure that the scheme is implemented uniformly in all states.

Since Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was present in the courtroom, the bench asked him "to make sure that there is a uniform disbursal of funds".

The bench told the solicitor general to personally look into the matter as to why the difference existed regarding funding to various state governments which is affecting the administration of justice due to lack of infrastructure.

Mehta assured the bench that he will look into the matter with Hansaria and take necessary action.

Hansaria also apprised the bench that there was a huge shortage of residential accommodation in the states, and while most of the states reimburse full rent to the judicial officers in case of non availability of government accommodation, Bihar and Odisha only reimburse 10 to 20 per cent of basic pay towards rent.

Taking note of the issue, the bench directed the high courts of Patna and Odisha to do the needful.

The apex court on Thursday was perusing the reports relating to Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Bihar and Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Odisha.

The top court was informed that state governments and concerned high courts have expedited with filling of vacancies and infrastructure activities only after its December 5, 2018 order.

The apex court on its own had taken note of over 5,000 vacancies for judicial officers across the country and had directed all the 24 high courts and 36 states and UTs to apprise it of remedial measures.

It is also monitoring the steps taken for developing the infrastructure in subordinate judiciary.

The top court had appointed senior advocates Shyam Divan, K V Vishwanathan, Vijay Hansaria and lawyer Gaurav Agrawal as amicus curiae and asked them to assist it in dealing with the case.

Divan would deal with the vacancies and the processes needed to fill them up in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and the Northeast states.

While Vishwanathan would assist the top court in dealing with the vacancies in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Kerala, Hansaria would deal with Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Odisha, Patna and Punjab and Haryana.

Agrawal would render assistance to the top court in dealing with the issue of vacancies in states of Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Saudi Arabian national has been apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly carrying a live bullet in his bag, an official said Thursday.

A S Wunaymir T was going through the security checks at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday evening when a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan detected a "bullet-like object" in his luggage, the official said.

"A live bullet round was recovered from Wunaymir's bag. He was handed over to the police as he could not produce valid documents for carrying the ammunition," he said.

The man was supposed to take a flight to Riyadh via Muscat. A case has been filed against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A heavily-armed man seen working with Kenyan forces and helping victims during the Nairobi attack this week was a member of Britain's special forces, British media reported on Thursday, citing officials.

"Without this British special forces soldier, many more lives would have been lost," the Daily Mirror quoted a senior British military source as saying.

"His selfless action will be remembered by those he rescued and privately celebrated and acknowledged by his colleagues," the military source said.

The paper said the man was part of a small "liaison" team embedded with Kenyan special forces.

Former special forces soldier Chris Ryan was quoted in the paper as saying the man was "out shopping" when the attack started. The Times said he is a "long-serving member" of Britain's elite SAS (Special Air Service).

Pictures of the man, who wore jeans, a purple jumper and a balaclava, showed him rescuing survivors. He was wearing body armour, holding an assault rifle and carrying a pistol.

The British government does not comment on special forces. Five gunmen with the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group Al-Shabaab attacked the DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi on Tuesday, killing 21 people.

Kenya on Wednesday said the attack was over and all five assailants were dead.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Russian state-run firm has offered to invest $2 billion in cash-strapped Pakistan's water and power sectors on a government-to-government basis, a media report said Thursday.

Representatives of Inter RAO Engineering, one of the largest Russian public energy companies having joint ventures with European companies like Siemens, met the Water and Power Development Authority officials in November and offered to invest $2 billion, The Express Tribune reported.

The firm also expressed interest in investing in the 800 MW Mohmand Dam project, the report said.

However, it has not received a response from

The proposed dam is located on the Swat river about five km upstream of Munda Head Works in Mohmand Agency in the country's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Russian officials also met Minister for Power Omar Ayub and expressed interest to invest in the Jamshoro Power Plant, the report said.

In another proposal, the firm asked Pakistani authorities to club five small hydropower projects to execute in initial phase if the government is not ready to award big projects.

The Russian firm is ready to invest in some key water and power sector projects, including the 7,100 megawatt (MW) Buji, 52 MW Nauseri, 2,800 MW Yulbo, 2,200 MW Tangus and 800 MW Mohmand dam projects.

The firm, which is building a dam in Afghanistan on the Kabul river, is also ready to provide technical support and financing for these Pakistani projects. The total cost of the projects has been estimated at Rs 318 billion.

It wants a deal on a government-to-government basis between and

and have already signed a governmental agreement to build the north-south LNG pipeline. The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an offshore gas pipeline project.

Cash-strapped Pakistan is negotiating a $8 billion bailout package from the Monetary Fund (IMF) to overcome a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country'sRajasthan's Hanumangarh district administration Thursday began a probe into allegations that two RTI applicants were sent envelopes containing condoms in response to their queries, an official said.

RTI applicants Vikas Chaudhary and Manohar Lal, residents of Chani Badi in Bhadra tehsil of the district, had sought information related to development work done there in 2001.

After their second appeal, the Rajasthan Information Commission had directed the gram panchayat to provide information to the applicants. They had received two separate envelopes.

The inquiry was initiated after a video purportedly showing applicants finding condoms inside RTI envelopes had gone viral.

"RTI applicants have reiterated their allegations during investigation and gram sevak had submitted in written that he did not put any objectionable material in any RTI envelope and information was provided to the applicants against the application they had filed," SDM Bhadra Raj Kumar Kaswa said.

He said the Hanumangarh district collector has sought a factual report in the matter from the Zila Parishad CEO and the block development officer.

Sarpanch of Chani Badi panchayat Pushpa Bansal has lodged a complaint at Bhirani police station in the matter, stating it to be a conspiracy.

Hanumangarh Zila Parishad CEO Navneet Kumar said he has received information related to the matter and it is being investigated, adding that it could be the outcome of rivalry between two groups in the village.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Thursday remembered University of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula on his death anniversary, saying he was a voice for unity of the opressed and efforts should be continued to make universities more inclusive.

"The institutional murder of Rohith three years ago should not be forgotten. Rohith was vocal, articulate and a voice for unity of the oppressed. His absence is felt by all those who defied Hindutva.

"We've to do better to make our universities less hostile & more inclusive," Owaisi tweeted.

Vemula, a PhD scholar at the university, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a hostel room on the campus on January 17, 2016 as he was reportedly upset over the disciplinary action taken against him by the university.

The death had triggered a huge political storm with opposition parties launching a massive attack on the BJP and varsity administration of being anti-Dalit.

However, raising questions on Vemula's Dalit status, a commission constituted by the HRD ministry after the scholar's death, had said that the material on record did not establish the caste of the deceased and attributed his suicide to personal reasons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Armed robbers struck at private bank in the Bihar capital in broad daylight on Thursday and decamped with more than Rs seven lakh in cash after holding employees and customers hostage at gunpoint, police said.

The incident took place in Rajiv Nagar police station area where the miscreants looted the money from Bandhan Bank, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Garima Malik told reporters.

"The robbers who entered the bank and took employees and customers at gunpoint were said to be four in number. An equal number was said to be outside the building while those inside collected the cash," she said.

"We have set up a special committee to crack this case headed by an Additional Superintendent of Police. The guilty would be behind the bars soon," she claimed.

The incident came less than 48 hours after as many as four ATMs in the city were cut through by unidentified persons who also stole a total sum of about Rs 35 lakh stored inside the automatic transaction machines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2019. Read them in this 11th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Contributed by Chao Cheng-Shorland, Co-founder & CEO, ShelterZoom

Blockchain's Big Leap

Most of the noise around blockchain is generated by bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. While the crypto markets are certainly newsworthy, they tend to overshadow blockchain's many other use cases. Blockchain's security, transparency and efficiency innovations in particular have applications to businesses and consumers alike.



Massive industries such as financial services, supply chain and real estate will continue to assess and implement blockchain applications as they move away from the "traditional" way of doing things and their legacy technology. And consumers will gradually start using blockchain applications -- even if they aren't aware it's blockchain -- as the service providers they interact with most start building on this technology. All of this bodes well for blockchain's future.



Here's what I see ahead in 2019:



The slow pace blockchain spending in previous years will change in 2019. Due to the growing consensus of blockchain's potential impact in major areas of business - and proof of development - more corporate leaders and entrepreneurs will venture into building their business models on blockchain. As reported by PwC, on an individual basis, most firms have spent less than $500,000 on blockchain. However, a solid 11 percent of the survey's respondents have spent more than $10 million.

Blockchain is offering not just the technology to build on, but also a reduction and streamlining of operations that incorporates speed and accuracy. Because of this, more companies will allocate additional funds to blockchain in the next few years. International Data Corporation expects annual blockchain spending to reach almost $12 billion by 2022. Further, we predict that more projects will build their business models on blockchain and a "snowball effect" will ensue.

Governments will continue to take notice of the advantages that blockchain is offering. Although many governments are skeptical of the applications of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, several countries, such as Estonia, are now incorporating blockchain applications into their official operations.

A major change in the medium of currency exchange - from coins, notes and payment cards to digital currency - is possible in the near future. Although the replacement of money as we think of it today by technology still causes significant apprehension for most people, the ability to transfer value from one person to another is a proven cryptocurrency use case.



4. COMPANIES WILL COME UP WITH NEW SOLUTIONS FOR LEGAL DIGITAL CONTRACTS BEYOND EXISTING SMART CONTRACTS



In 2019, the smart contract function is expected to explode in popularity by not only administering the execution of agreements between parties, but also implementing other aspects of legal contracts, such as resolving contractual dispute settlements by forming a legal digital contract that is fully binding between the parties.

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About the Author

Chao Cheng-Shorland is the co-founder and CEO of ShelterZoom Corp. Chao is a highly experienced enterprise architect and an Australian entrepreneur. She has been featured in many publications such as Where Women Work, CCN, Inman News, REAL Trends, Elite Agent Magazine and The Registry. Chao was one of the recipients of the Chief Executive Women program in 2014. In 2016, she established her own Enterprise Architecture and Invention consulting business, iFuture Services. In 2017, she co-founded ShelterZoom Corp. with Allen Alishahi. Under their joint leadership, ShelterZoom has delivered one of the most innovative real estate platforms to the market.A former Singaporean religious teacher and his student have been placed under restriction orders for promoting extremism and undermining Singapore's secular laws by advocating "armed jihad" against "infidels", the Home Ministry has said.

Murad Mohd Said, 46, has been placed under Restriction Orders (ROs) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for spreading exclusivist and extremist teachings that promote violence, making him the first person who was once accredited as a religious teacher to be issued with an order under the ISA.

He taught that it was compulsory to kill apostates, defined broadly to include non-believers, Sufis, Shites and Muslims who have renounced Islam or disregarded texts and rulings from the Quran and Sunnah, Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

A person issued with an RO has to adhere to several conditions and restrictions such as refraining from travelling out of Singapore or from changing address and employment.

Said also taught that Muslims were allowed to defend themselves by waging "armed jihad" against "infidels who persecuted them", it said.

Murad also encouraged his students to withdraw from Singapore's secular society, disregard secular laws, and adhere to the rulings of Shariah law instead, the ministry said.

His student Razali Abas, a 56-year-old technician, met him in 2012 and started attending his classes.

Abas, was arrested in September last year and placed on an RO in October.

Abas was placed under a RO to "prevent him from continuing his downward spiral into extremism", the statement said.

Over time, Abas became convinced that it was legitimate to kill those he felt were oppressors of Islam, it said



He began to seek out individuals with militant-looking profiles on Facebook, seeing them as "heroes" who were making sacrifices he could not make himself, the statement said.

It said their posts also reinforced their belief in armed violence and his admiration and support for terrorist groups such as the al Qaeda.

The statement added that Murad's binary "us versus them" worldview and violent teachings, which he propagated to his students and followers, could have led them to develop extremist views, as well as lead to inter and intra-faith tensions.

His statements on the primacy of Shariah law over secular laws also undermine Singapore's secular nation-state system, the ministry said.

Murad is no longer accredited as a freelance religious teacher by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).

Last May, the MUIS cancelled Murad's accreditation for propagating segregationist ideologies. However, Murad continued to propagate his radical views online.

It is mandatory for Islamic religious teachers to be accredited, according to the statement.

While Murad was issued an RO on December 5, Abas was placed under the order last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)/ -- Torry Harris Business Solutions (THBS), a global leader in integration, full life-cycle API management and digital transformation, announced that they have been named a 'Strong Performer' in The Forrester Wave: API Management Solutions, Q4 2018. Forrester says, "Overall, the reference customers provided by Torry Harris Business Solutions are very satisfied with both vendor and product."



Forrester, in its Wave report notes that:



"Torry Harris Business Solutions is a full-fledged systems integrator that treats its API management solution as a versioned, supported product. This provides a strong combination of broad out-of-the-box product features and innovative API strategy and delivery skills." "Its product strategy is driven by a vision for platform business models and disruptive ecosystems. This, in turn, is exemplified by a corollary product, Digit Market (not part of this evaluation), which wraps the API management core with additional marketplace capabilities." "Torry Harris productizes multiple other elements useful to an API platform, such as API testing tools, a repository, build tools, documentation authoring, and API business strategy planning." According to Shuba Sridhar, Vice President - Strategic Initiatives, Torry Harris Business Solutions, "Digital Transformation is about automated integration. Done right, APIs & API Management are a means to succeed with automated integration. Glad that THBS has been recognized in the API Management space. Automating integration has been the core focus area of the company for more than two decades!"A complimentary copy of The Forrester Wave: API Management Solutions can be downloaded HERE.

About THBS



Torry Harris Business Solutions is a multinational provider of business, technology and IT consulting services. It specializes in the areas of Integration, Platform Services, Full life-cycle API Management and Digital Transformation Services. THBS has been appraised at level 5 of the CMMI Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI Level 5). The company has been assessed and certified for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 & ISO 26001. THBS is also compliant with Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). The company has its offshore development centres in Bangalore & Gurgaon (India). It has offices in Bristol (UK), New Jersey (USA), Dubai (UAE), Dublin (Ireland), Munich (Germany), Paris (France) and Vienna (Austria).

Visit https://www.thbs.com/ to know more about the company, its services & products.

Source: Torry Harris Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLTP) chief Hanuman Beniwal Thursday tried to disrupt Governor Kalyan Singh's address to the Rajasthan Assembly, vociferously raising the demand for procurement of moong beans from framers.

Beniwal raised the issue as soon as the house assembled. Even as he continued raising the demand, the governor began his address.

Singh congratulated the newly elected MLAs and carried on with the address, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal requested him to table the speech.

The governor continued addressing the House for some more time, but he tabled the speech after reading a few lines.

Beniwal criticised the governor for ignoring the parliamentary affairs minister's request which invited sharp reaction from Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and others.

The governor left the House after tabling the speech.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Scientists, using data from the Cassini spacecraft, have found evidence of methane rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.

The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in Titan's northern hemisphere, according to the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

"The whole Titan community has been looking forward to seeing clouds and rains on Titan's north pole, indicating the start of the northern summer, but despite what the climate models had predicted, we weren't even seeing any clouds," said Rajani Dhingra, a doctoral student at the University of Idaho in Russia.

"People called it the curious case of missing clouds," Dhingra said.

The researchers identified a reflective feature near Titan's north pole on an image taken on June 7, 2016, by Cassini's near-infrared instrument, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer.

The reflective feature covered about 46,332 square miles and did not appear on images from previous and subsequent Cassini passes.

Analyses of the short-term reflective feature suggested it likely resulted from sunlight reflecting off a wet surface. The study attributes the reflection to a methane rainfall event, followed by a probable period of evaporation.

"It's like looking at a sunlit wet sidewalk," Dhingra said.

This reflective surface represents the first observations of summer rainfall on the moon's northern hemisphere.

If compared to Earth's yearly cycle of four seasons, a season on Titan lasts seven Earth years.

Cassini arrived at Titan during the southern summer and observed clouds and rainfall in the southern hemisphere, researchers said.

Climate models of Titan predicted similar weather would occur in the northern hemisphere in the years leading up to the northern summer solstice in 2017, they said.

However, by 2016, the expected cloud cover in the northern hemisphere had not appeared. This observation may help scientists gain a more complete understanding of Titan's seasons.

"We want our model predictions to match our observations. This rainfall detection proves Cassini's climate follows the theoretical climate models we know of," Dhingra said.

Additional analyses suggest the methane rain fell across a relatively pebble-like surface, she said.

A rougher surface generates an amorphous pattern as the liquid settles in crevasses and gullies, while liquid falling on a smooth surface would puddle in a relatively circular pattern.

Dhingra is using the wet sidewalk effect to search for additional rain events on Titan as part of her research.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Rajasthan cabinet on Thursday approved two amendments bills to do away with the condition of minimum educational qualification for contesting local body elections.

The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and the Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, will be introduced in the Assembly during the present session, a statement said.

The education criteria was introduced by the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in 2015. It requires a candidate to pass Class X for contesting municipal, zila parishad or panchayat samiti elections. A candidate contesting for the post of a sarpanch is required to have passed Class VIII or Class V in tribal-reserved areas.

The cabinet also decided to ask the state public service commission to extend the date of the RAS main examination.

In a meeting held at the chief minister's residence, it was also decided that the examinations should be conducted in time and in an organised manner in future. All hurdles should be removed in a systematic manner to ensure aspirants are not affected, a government statement said.

The decision came in wake of the agitation by the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) aspirants, demanding the government to extend the exam.

State cabinet minister Parsadi Lal Meena told reporters that many issues, including key legislations like farm-loan waiver and removing educational norms in local body and panchayat elections, were discussed in the meeting.

Party leaders said the cabinet also discussed issues related to water, electricity and schemes for the unemployed youths. However, the issue of 10-per cent reservation for "economically weaker" section in the general category was not discussed in this meeting, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Rajasthan cabinet on Thursday decided to ask the state public service commission to extend the date of the RAS main examination.

In a meeting held at the chief minister's residence, it was also decided that the examinations should be conducted in time and in an organised manner in future. All hurdles should be removed in a systematic manner to ensure aspirants are not affected, a government statement said.

The decision came in wake of the agitation by the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) aspirants, demanding the government to extend the exam.

State cabinet minister Parsadi Lal Meena told reporters that many issues, including key legislations like farm-loan waiver and removing educational norms in local body and panchayat elections, were discussed in the meeting.

Party leaders said the cabinet also discussed issues related to water, electricity and schemes for the unemployed youths. However, the issue of 10-per cent reservation for "economically weaker" section in the general category was not discussed in this meeting, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Navy tableau at the Republic Day celebrations here will showcase models of the state-of-the-art assets such as MiG-29K multi-role fighter aircraft, a Kolkata-class ship and a Kalvari-class submarine, officials said Thursday.

Besides, a 144-strong marching contingent fronted by a naval officer and three sub lieutenants will also walk down the Rajpath on the occasion.

"The marching contingent of 144 young sailors will be led by Lt Cdr Pankaj Kumar Yadav, with Sub Lt Chetan Shivansh Randev, Sub Lt Ravleen Kaur and Sub Lt Sushant Sadashiv Patil as platoon commanders," a senior official of the Navy said.

Lt Cdr Yadav said, it is heartening to lead a group of fresh sailor inductees.

"Many of these sailors have been inducted recently after finishing their training at INS Chilka (Sailor Training Establishment). And everyone has worked very hard for the parade. We used to come and rehearse for hours, starting at 3 AM on Rajpath," he told PTI.

The brass band of the Indian Navy led by Vincent Johnson, Master Chief Petty Officer (Musician) II, will play the Navy song tune 'Jai Bharti', he said.

The Navy tableau's theme is 'Indian Navy - Mission Deployed and Combat Ready', will proudly illustrate the combat potential of the multi-dimensional Indian Navy of the 21st century, the official said.

Models of the state-of-the-art assets, such as MiG-29K multi-role fighter aircraft, Rukmani satellite, Boeing P8I maritime patrol aircraft, a Kolkata-class ship and a Kalvari-class submarine, the Navy said.

"The Navy's efforts in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations during Operation Madad at Kerala would also be showcased wherein a Dhruv helicopter would be seen conducting rescue from a roof-top. The Navy has been at the forefront of such activities and reacts quickly to such natural disasters to provide succour to the affected population," the Navy said in a statement.

A contingent of Navy Children School, Delhi has been also selected to participate in the 70th Republic Day Parade at Rajpath to display their cultural activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 45-year-old senior official of a private company has been booked for allegedly molesting a woman colleague here, a police official said Thursday.

The 35-year-old woman, employed with the Bengaluru- based company which also has its office in Mumbai, alleged that the accused, working as head of operations at the same firm, called her to a restaurant in suburban Bandra on January 4 to discuss some official work, he said.

The woman, a resident of suburban Chembur, reached the place around 3.30 pm that day. The accused, who arrived there in his car from Andheri area, told the woman that they could have a discussion in his vehicle, he said.

When the woman sat in his car, the man allegedly passed obscene remarks at her, touched her inappropriately and also abused her, the official said.

The woman then complained to the company's Human Resource department, he said.

Later, the woman was on leave for a few days and on returning, she complained to the Bandra police on January 9, the official said.

Based on her complaint, offences were registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), he said.

No arrest has been made so far, the official said, adding that efforts were on to trace the accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for stability in the Balkans during a pageantry-filled visit to Serbia, a key Moscow ally.

After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Putin said he would back efforts to maintain calm in the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilising the Balkans through efforts to boost NATO membership.

"Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous," Putin told reporters at a joint conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Although Serbia and all of its neighbours aspire to join the European Union, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Russia, its historical "Orthodox big brother" whose people also share Slavic origins.

The affection for Moscow is fanned by its unyielding support on the emotive issue of Kosovo, a former Serbian province that broke away in a 1998-99 guerilla war.

Serbia has never accepted the split and Russia similarly rejects it, wielding its veto power at the United Nations to thwart Kosovo's dreams of joining.

Vucic expressed gratitude for Russia's backing on Kosovo and presented Putin with a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed, a shepherd dog from the region, during the visit.

Meanwhile, Putin awarded his counterpart with a Russian state honour.

The Russian president's visit was celebrated on the streets by tens of thousands of Serbs who marched through the capital in a parade supporting the two leaders.

"Welcome honoured President Putin, dear friend," read one of many billboards around the city bearing a mix of Russian and Serbian flags.

The parade culminated at the massive Saint Sava church, one of Orthodox Christianity's largest houses of worship, where more than 120,000 people gathered, according to police.

Serbian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Irinej welcomed Putin as church bells rang out.

Inside the church, whose decoration is partly financed by Russia, the leaders lit candles and symbolically laid pieces of tile in a mosaic.

"Thank you for the friendship," Putin told the crowd outside the church in Serbian at the end of his visit.

In return for Moscow's support on the Kosovo issue, Belgrade has refused to join international trade sanctions imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Graffiti saying "Kosovo is Serbia, Crimea is Russia" can sometimes be spotted on Serbian streets.

Putin's stop-over comes as long-running EU-sponsored talks to normalise ties between Serbia and Kosovo have taken a dip, and appear to be going nowhere fast.

Speaking during the visit, Vucic said that "Without Russia... it is clear that there will be no solution" over Kosovo.

Kosovo's biggest backer is the US.

Putin is "Serbia's salvation," said retired general Mitar Petkic, who had camped for hours in front of the Saint Sava church to welcome the Russian leader.

"The EU is falling apart, by the time we join it won't exist anymore," the 66-year-old told AFP.

But the warm embrace does not mask what Russia considers recent setbacks in the Balkans, where the West has increased its influence.

Moscow was unable to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO in 2017, a goal which Macedonia is also moving towards after ratifying a name change deal to end a decades-long dispute with Greece.

If Macedonia succeeds, seven countries bordering Serbia -- which does not aspire to join -- will be in the NATO sphere. Only neighbouring Bosnia will also not be a member, due to the veto of its Serb population.

The relationship between Serbia and Russia is "more an emotional than a rational" one, explained Serbian economic analyst Biljana Stepanovic.

According to a 2017 Serbian government survey, a quarter of the population believe Russia and the EU were the country's joint top donors for development aid.

In reality, 75 percent of donations came from the EU or its member states, while Russia did not make the top nine.

The West also outpaces Russia in terms of direct investment and trade.

Moscow does, however, have some stake in the region.

Serbia imports two-thirds of its natural gas and crude oil from Russia, while Russian giant Gazprom owns the Serbian oil company NIS.

"Energy is the key area of Russia-Serbia cooperation," Putin told reporters.

He said Gazprom planned to increase its gas deliveries to the Balkans country by 2020.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Puducherry Deputy Speaker V P Sivakolundhu's official car was attacked with stones by unidentified people on Thursday night, sources said.

There was no one in the vehicle when the incident occurred, the sources said.

The deputy speaker had parked the vehicle at Ananda Nagar in Lawspet and went to attend a private function. An unidentified gang of persons pelted the vehicle with stones and fled the scene. The rear glass of the vehicle was smashed, the sources said.

A case has been registered and the police are investigating the matter, sources close to the deputy speaker told PTI.

Meanwhile, a car of Congress legislator Vijayaveny was pelted with stones near her house by unidentified persons on Wednesday. The car was parked near the house, police said.

A case had been registered and an investigation was on, the police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) party Thursday criticised the Mizoram Assembly's General Purpose Committee (GPC) for its decision to increase the funds for purchasing vehicles for elected legislators, a statement here said.

The GPC, which held a meeting recently, decided to increase the funds from Rs eight lakh to Rs 10 lakh per vehicle.

The PRISM said that additional expenditure to the tune of Rs 80 lakh to be borne from the state exchequer was not justified.

A plethora of benefits and facilities provided to the 40 legislators at the expense of the general public are detrimental to the development of the people and the state, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump has postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan, citing the government shutdown, the longest-ever in US history.

Trump's move came Thursday a day after Pelosi urged him to reschedule his annual State of the Union address slated for January 29, citing security concerns triggered by the shutdown that has entered its 27th day.

"Due to the shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over," Trump said in a letter to Pelosi, a copy of which was released to the press.

The president also said postponing this "public relations event" was totally appropriate.

The shutdown has rendered over 800,000 federal employees without work, crippling the functioning of several key wings of the government including Security and State department.

In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that, Trump said.

The shutdown is a result of the bitter political divided over border security issue as the Democrats who now enjoy majority in the House have refused to approve a legislation approving USD 5.7 billion in federal funding to construct a wall across the US-Mexico border.

"I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the strong border security movement to end the shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative, Trump said.

He said, I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!



Trump's letter to Pelosi came soon after the House Speaker told reporters at the US Capitol that the president has been mum on for more than 24 hours on the issue of rescheduling his annual State of the Union address.

We haven't heard. It was a very silent more than 24 hours, to your question that you ask me every time I step out of the office, have you heard? No, we haven't heard yet. Pelosi said taking a dig at the president.

In her letter, Pelosi had also told Trump Wednesday that the US Secret Service was designated as the lead federal agency responsible for coordinating, planning, exercising and implementing security for National Special Security Events by Public Law 106-544, December 19, 2000.

"However, both the US Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security have not been funded for 26 days now - with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs," she said.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th," Pelosi said.

In a tweet Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, however, said the Department of Homeland Security and the secret services were "fully prepared to "support and secure" the State of the Union.

"The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union. We thank the Service for their mission focus and dedication and for all they do each day to secure our homeland," Nielsen had said on Twitter.

President Trump insists that building a wall is the only solution to protect the nation from a large flow of illegal immigrants and drug smuggling. The Democrats are opposed to any such funding. After Trump walked out of a meeting at the White House last week, Democrats have refused to come to the negotiation table.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday inaugurated a global trade show in Gandhinagar, organised as part of the ninth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019.

After inaugurating the trade show, Modi visited a few pavilions and saw some of the products kept on display.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show is being held on around two lakh sq mt area of an exhibition ground in the state capital. Around 25 industrial and business sectors are showcasing their products at the event.

The trade show will continue till January 22 and will be open for general public on the last two days (January 21 and 22).

For the first time, the government has organised buyer-seller and reserve buyer-seller meet as part of the trade show, where manufacturers, mainly from the MSME sector, are displaying their products.

Around 1,500 overseas and domestic buyers are expected to visit the trade show, which aims to benefit MSMEs (micro, small & medium enterprises) from Gujarat. Sixteen pavilions are displaying products in as many categories.

For the first time, there is a separate pavilion showcasing products from the African countries.

On Friday, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar.

No delegation from Pakistan would be attending the event, which was initiated in 2003 by Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The partially burnt body of an unidentified middle-aged woman has been found in jungles off the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, police said Thursday.

The body was found Wednesday after which an offence under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) was registered against unidentified persons, they said.

A police team was on patrolling duty when it was alerted about the body laying in jungles in Bhayander Khind area, they said.

It has been sent for a post-mortem, the police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Parag Milk Foods Ltd will supply 10,000 litres of premium fresh cow milk per day in the Delhi-NCR market directly to customers by airlifting the product from its dairy farm near Pune, a top company official said Thursday.

Parag Milk, which posted Rs 1,950 crore turnover last fiscal, has three plants in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana with a total processing capacity of 2.9 million litres per day. It sells milk and other dairy products under different brands including 'Gowardhan', 'Go', and 'Pride of Cows'.

In April last year, Parag Milk acquired Danone's manufacturing facility in Sonepat to expand its footprint in the north and northeast India. In August, it commenced commercial operations of this plant and launched the pouched cow milk in Delhi-NCR.

"We are now launching our premium milk brand 'Pride of Cows' in the Delhi-NCR market. We will sell this cow milk at Rs 120 per litre. Initially, we will supply 10,000 litres per day and in the next six months, this will increase to 20,000 litres per day," Parag Milk Foods Chairman Devendra Shah told reporters here.

The company is already selling an average of 34,000 litres of this premium cow milk directly to customers in Mumbai, Pune and Surat, he added.

The price of this premium cow milk is higher than Mumbai and Pune markets where it is selling at Rs 95 per litre because of logistics cost.

"Pride of Cows is a farm-to-home milk concept catered to the consumers who believe in leading a healthy lifestyle and consuming natural and unadulterated products," Shah said, adding the milk under this brand is sourced from its state-of-art dairy farm 'Bhagyalaxmi Dairy' consisting of about 3,000 Holstein Freisan cows.

This farm is equipped with the latest global technology for feeding, milking and processing of fresh milk.

"The company's revenues from 'Pride of Cows' brand has grown at a CAGR of 28 per cent over FY'13-18 and it will continue to grow at this pace. NCR is the largest milk market of the country valued at around Rs 11,000 crore and with Pride of Cows, we are going one-step further in strengthening our presence in cow's milk in the region," Shah said.

Akshali Shah, Senior VP (strategy - sales and marketing), said, "As the direct consumption of fresh milk has increased, consumers have become mindful of the source of the milk they consume and the nutrient content, which has led them to invest more in premium milk...With an abundance of such consumers in Delhi NCR, we have spotted a huge opportunity for expansion in the region."



"We will continue to maintain the exclusivity of the brand through a by-invitation' based model," she added.

Parag Milk sells ghee, dahi, paneer under 'Gowardhan' brand, while products like cheese, UHT milk, chaas, lassi, yoghurt under brand name 'Go'. It also offers dairy based beverages and whey protein.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday ordered the government to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the country's anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case'.

As many as 172 suspects were placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendations of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the apex court. A person cannot fly abroad if his name is placed on the ECL.

The Supreme Court, in a detailed judgement, ordered the government to remove the names of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the ECL.

It, however, referred the report and material collected by the JIT in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case' to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Dawn reported.

The JIT probe focused on "32 fake accounts" which were allegedly used to give massive financial benefits to former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and several others.

"Removing of the names will not prevent (the) NAB to probe and in case sufficient material is found connecting these individuals with cognisable offences, it will not be precluded from making an appropriate request to the federal government to place their names on (the) ECL again or take any appropriate action provided by law," according to the judgement authored by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan.

The apex court in its earlier instructions asked the government to delete names of Bilawal and Shah from the ECL but the Cabinet waited for the detailed judgment.

After the judgement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government will decide whether it should implement the court orders or file a review petition.

Justice Ahsan was part of the three-judge bench that last year took a suo-motu cognisance after it emerged that several big names were involved in money laundering through fake accounts.

Currently, a Karachi court is hearing the case against Zardari and Talpur for alleged money laundering.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, who tried to cultivate the image of being the "people's judge" and known for his judicial activism, retired on Thursday.

The outgoing chief justice passed several landmark judgements during his tenure as top judge including one which disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017 in a corruption case and the verdict in the blasphemy case against Christian woman Asia Bibi.

Justice Nisar was sworn in as the top judge on December 31, 2016. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa will take over the reins of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday when he will be administered the oath by President Arif Alvi.

Justice Nisar has been a judge of the apex court since Feb 18, 2010. Before that he was a judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

A full court reference in honour of the retiring Chief Justice Nisar was held in the Supreme Court. I was attended by all Supreme Court judges with the exception of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as well as Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Anwar Mansoor, retired senior judges as well as senior journalists, among others.

Addressing the gathering, Justice Nisar said the top court has passed many landmark verdicts.

He said he tried to solve the issues plaguing sectors of health and education, both of which are rights granted to citizens by the Constitution.

"The job of judges is extremely difficult. Corruption within the judiciary is the murder of justice. I worked within the code of conduct for judges and it is my honour to have served the nation," he said.

Addressing the full court reference, chief justice-designate Khosa said Chief Justice Nisar faced many constitutional, societal and political challenges during his tenure and headed the judiciary in "very difficult circumstances".

Outlining his plan for his upcoming tenure as top judge, Justice Khosa said that he will ensure the quick dispensation of justice.

Referring to Justice Nisar's efforts to raise donations to build the Diamer-Bhasha dams, Justice Khosa said that he too he wanted to build a dam. "I will build a dam against fake cases, against pending cases," he said.

"Currently there are 1.9 million cases pending in courts. Three thousand judges cannot dispense of so many cases," Justice Khosa noted.

He said the power to take suo motu notices will be used sparingly.

Speaking on the role of other courts, he said: "The trial of a civilian in a military court is considered wrong across the world. It is said that military courts take less time to issue verdicts. Civilian courts should try to resolve cases in a short period of time. High courts should exercise powers within their jurisdiction."



He said the army and intelligence agencies should not interfere in civilian matters.

Among Chief Justice Nisar's retirement plans are to open a "free legal clinic".

"I will offer free legal assistance to the oppressed, poor and helpless people at my free legal clinic," he said earlier in the day, after adjourning a hearing of his last case.

Justice Nisar will be remembered for populism and stretching the concept of judicial activism to its last limits. He took at least 43 suo motu actions on issues ranging from water shortages, health issues, exorbitant school fee and encroachments.

He even organised seminars on how to control population which he termed as dangerous for the country.

He used media efficiently and his aides would send tickers and messages to journalists on the pattern of political leaders.

Justice Nisar took keen interest in disputes of popular nature. For example, he led a campaign to build dams to store water and set up special accounts to collect donations.

His drive against encroachment was applauded as thousands of acres of land illegally grabbed by land mafia was vacated due to his efforts.

He was shrewd enough to know the limits of his power in country where military was a powerful institution and tried to avoid doing things which might have annoyed the army.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)/ -- RoboChamps, chhapai.com, RoboGenie and Chitkara University, in joint collaboration hosted International School Awards, the world's largest conference and award show from December 21-24, 2018, in Dubai. The event witnessed participation from 500 representatives from educational institutions of 20 countries. A total of 180 schools and educators took home the awards in various categories, which received over 12,000 nominations.

A first-of-its-kind event on a global scale, International School Awards served as a platform to brainstorm and recognize excellence, and transformational approaches in the landscape. The attendees comprised of educators, industry dignitaries, eminent speakers, educational leaders and senior officials from the Ministries of different countries. The agenda of the event also revolved around addressing the 'Current & Future Trends in the Education Sector - the need for reforms and the adoption of new standards, and the impact of digital education', with exclusive Speaker Sessions of education leaders and the brightest minds in the education landscape.

The event commenced with the traditional lamp lighting ceremony by Dr Attullah Wahidyar, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Education, Afghanistan; Rajesh Batra, Founder, chhapai.com; and Akshay Ahuja, Co-founder, RoboChamps.

The ceremony was followed by thought-provoking sessions on various topics including, 'Future of Classrooms', 'Equity Not Equality', 'Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Education', 'Thinking', 'Business of Education', 'Create Intellectual Einstein', 'Holistic Idea for Education', among others. There was also an interesting panel discussion on 'Transformation in Education: Vision 2030', where Government Ministries from multiple countries discusses rhetoric issues and paradigms required for policy reform and the adoption of new standards.

A number of distinguished speakers including Maurice de Hond, Founder of SteveJobs Schools, Netherlands; Rohan Roberts, Innovation Leader, GEMS Education, Dubai; Vinny Garg, CEO, Nazakat, Inc. Virginia, USA; Dr. Attaullah Wahidyar, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Education; were some of the distinguished speakers at the global event.

The education event also provided a fantastic social networking opportunity with like-minded institutions and individuals to discuss the merits of technology and the future of classrooms; plus the challenges and emerging trends to institute innovative ideas & approaches to embrace the digital transformation impacting education.

Speaking during the event, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor Dr. Madhu Chitkara, said, "We feel very proud that Chitkara University alumni Akshay Ahuja, Co-founder of RoboChamps India and RoboGenie, co-hosted the world's largest education conference and award show, with us. Nothing gives us more pleasure than seeing our own student succeed."



Calling the show a celebration of the commendable contribution of the torchbearers of education, Dr. Chitkara added, "The Education Conference & Award Show was holistic and promising as it witnessed ground breaking conversations between like-minded institutions and individuals on 'Current & Future Trends in the Education Sector'. The event was enlightening and will go a long way in bringing an international dimension to teaching and learning."



The organisers launched a 'Coffee Table Book' to document and showcase the memorable moments from the event. An entertaining performance powered by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai, enthralled the audience in the evening. The event concluded with the presentation of awards.

Visit http://www.isadubai.com for more information.

About Chitkara University:



In the year 2002, Chitkara Educational Trust established its Punjab campus 30km from Chandigarh, on the Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway. In the year 2010, Chitkara University was established by the Punjab State Legislature under 'The Chitkara University Act'. Chitkara University, the best university in Punjab is a government-recognized university with the right to confer degrees as per the Sections 2(f) and 22(1) of the UGC Act, 1956.

Chitkara University has been founded by Dr. Ashok Chitkara and Dr. Madhu Chitkara who have been passionate teachers for more than 40 years now. Chitkara Education brings with it a reputation that has been earned through years of serving the career - needs of the student community. It is a reputation for excellence and innovation among coveted employers for preparing graduates who have the knowledge and skills they need for success in their workplace.

Chitkara University graduates go on to great careers, as they have their hands-on the responsive teaching methodology. Students from around the county are attracted to Chitkara University because of their commitment to teaching excellence, because they conduct research that makes a difference, because of their industry partnerships and because of their tailored courses. This difference has been acknowledged by students, parent, alumni, government, and industry since the inception of the university.

Within a decade, most of Chitkara University academic programs are ranked among the top 50 programs in the country which speaks volumes about their string academic heritage, highly committed faculty, extensive industry collaborations, great international connections, and state of the art campus facilities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said the mega opposition rally being hosted by the Trinamool Congress here on January 19 would sound the "death knell" for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls and regional parties would be the deciding factor.

She also claimed that the BJP's seat count in the general election will not cross more than 125.

The number of seats that the state parties will win will be much more than the BJP's, she further claimed.

"The federal parties, that is the regional parties, will be the deciding factor after the elections," she told newsmen here.

"The rally will sound the death knell for BJP ... Obviously they (BJP) will not cross more than 125 seats," she said in reply to a question.

"Every political party has a vision ... This will be a grand alliance of people," Banerjee said about the rally.

She visited the Brigade Parade grounds here, the venue of the rally, to check the arrangements.

Asked whether the rally would be like the one she held in 1993 against the then ruling Left Front in the West Bengal, Banerjee said, "I was then a leader of the state Youth Congress. But now there will various opposition leaders who will be attending the rally.

"I don't want to say anything, let them (opposition leaders) say. I want to hear them. Everything will be based on consensus," she added.

Banerjee said the rally would start from 12 noon.

"Several leaders will attend and everybody will speak more or less. They will address the nation."



Asked to comment on BSP supremo Mayawati not attending the rally, she said the party's senior leader Satish Chandra Mishra will be here. "This is a big thing for us."



Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Abhishek Manu Singhvi will attend the programme, she said.

"I have come here to look at the security arrangements as so many former and present chief ministers, former prime minister and several important leaders will be attending the rally. We are all waiting for them," she said.

Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal, H Kumaraswamy, N Chandrababu Naidu, former prime minister H D Devegowda, former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, DMK's M K Stalin, besides dissident BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha are among those likely to attend the mega rally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The opposition Congress and the BJP Thursday came down heavily on Odisha's BJD government and accused the state of misusing the State Disaster and Contingency Fund (SDCF).

In its bid to fund the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, the state government has withdrawn Rs 734.66 crore from the SDCF.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of BJP came down heavily on the state government for announcing KALIA scheme without making budgetary provision for this.

"This is unfortunate to divert money from the SDCF," Pradhan said.

On the other hand, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said that the state government should not withdraw money from SDCF for any purpose other than disaster or emergency.

"For the first time in the history of state administration the government has withdrawn money from SDCF for other purpose," the OPCC president said.

Alleging that the government violated all previous rules, Patnaik said, "This shows how the state government is utilising the system to regain power."



Stating that KALIA is one such scheme announced without funds allocation, the Congress leader alleged that the government has been trying to deposit Rs 5,000 in every farmer's account to garner vote.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been preparing to handover the financial assistance to beneficiaries of KALIA scheme at a meeting in Puri on January 25.

"A farmers meet will be held for distribution of assistance to KALI beneficiaries on January 25," the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty said.

"More than 60 lakh farmers have so far applied for the KALIA scheme," he added.

Agriculture secretary Sourabh Garg said the money provided by the state government will be credited to the bank account of the beneficiaries.

In the first phase, about 12 to 14 lakh beneficiaries will be provided financial assistance and the final list of the beneficiaries will be announced on January 22, he added.

The scheme was launched on January 5 to help small and marginal farmers, agricultural households, vulnerable agricultural households, landless agriculture labourers and sharecroppers.

The Rs 10,180 crore KALIA scheme also have provision of insurance for cultivators and landless agriculture labourers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress and NCP slammed the BJP-led Maharashtra government Thursday after the Supreme Court quashed certain restrictions on dance bars, claiming the government's "nexus" with bar owners weakened its case.

The two parties alleged that the Devendra Fadnavis government deliberately took a soft stand on the issue in the apex court, a charge the BJP denied.

The Supreme Court on Thursday paved the way for reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and functioning.

"It is the nexus of BJP leaders, the chief minister and bar owners' association which has led to the order," NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik alleged.

"We will go to the people with this issue and we will again ban dance bars after our party comes to power," he said.

Malik alleged that meetings were held between Fadnavis and bar owners' association at the latter's official residence 'Varsha', leading to "weakening" of the government's position before the apex court. The party, however, did not specify when the meeting took place.

Senior NCP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde asked the government to take immediate legal steps to ensure that dance bars do not resume operating.

State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant too accused the government of colluding with dance bar owners.

"We would like to ask what is the nexus between the government and dance bar owners. The BJP should also answer how much funds it has received for elections," Sawant said.

Fadnavis, when in opposition, was vocal against dance bars, he said.

"The BJP should now tell if it wants to ruin the lives of young men and women by allowing dance bars to reopen," the Congress leader said.

State Congress chief Ashok Chavan said the government conspired to facilitate reopening of dance bars "through the backdoor".

The BJP-led government failed to present its case effectively, he said, asking how much "funds" has the government collected.

Dance bar owners had contributed to the chief minister's relief fund in 2016 which made their proximity to the government evident, he claimed.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the former home minister R R Patil took the decision to ban dance bars as part of social commitment, but the BJP government was not serious in enforcing it.

State BJP chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari rejected the allegation that the government was hands in glove with dance bar owners.

"Grant of conditional permission to allow young women to dance in bars is Supreme Court's decision. The state government did make efforts and cited several instances in support of the law to ban dance bars. We have to respect the court's decision now," he said.

"The Congress, NCP and some Left organisations seem to have no respect for the court's judgement and are making false allegations," Bhandari added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Thursday questioned Army officials boasting about the number of militants killed in the state last year, saying it would have been a "great year" if no youth had joined militancy.

"I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed & no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldn't be treated as a cause for celebration," Omar wrote on Twitter.

He was responding to the remarks of Northern Army Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh in which he reportedly said that 2018 has been a great year for the security forces as more than 250 terrorists were killed, 54 were caught alive and four surrendered to the forces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The government has deferred for the second time the deadline for submission of bids in the auction of 25 and gas fields that hold resources worth an estimated Rs 1 lakh crore, upstream regulator DGH said.

The second round of Discovered Small Fields (DSF) auction opened in August, and December 18 was the original deadline for submission of bids. This was deferred by a month to January 18 and now, it has again been deferred without intimating a new deadline.

"The last date of bid submission for Discovered Small Field Round-II is extended. The revised date will be intimated later," the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) said on its website.

In 2016, the government brought in a new DSF policy wherein 'idle' small discovered fields of state-owned and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and India Ltd (OIL) were taken away from them and auctioned to private players on liberalised terms including marketing and pricing freedom and lower taxes.

and OIL say they have not been able to develop the fields due to their small size, and the current capped prices are making their development unviable. Private companies will, however, get full pricing and marketing freedom.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had last month told Parliament that had spent Rs 12,826 crore and OIL another Rs 224.27 crore on the 115 oil and gas discoveries that were taken away from them by the government for auctioning to private companies under DSF bid rounds.

Under the DSF bid round-I in 2017, 67 discoveries, mostly of ONGC, were auctioned, while in the second round, another 48 finds are being auctioned.

and OIL are not compensated for the amount they had spent on discoveries of these oil and gas reserves. Unlike state-owned firms, the private players are allowed pricing and marketing freedom to make these discoveries viable. The two state-owned firms have previously stated that they could not produce from the discoveries as they are uneconomically at current cap prices.

The 67 discoveries under the DSF bid round-I are estimated to have in place reserves of 86 million tonne of oil and gas equivalent. In DSF-II, the 48 discoveries of ONGC and OIL offered for bid are estimated to have in place reserves of 163.08 million tonne of oil and gas equivalent.

When the DSF bid round-II was launched in August 2018, Pradhan had said the fields hold resources worth Rs 1 lakh crore. Some of these resources would translate into higher revenue for the government by way of increased royalty paid on production, taxes and profit petroleum.

He had expected the government getting as much as Rs 45,000 crore in royalty, taxes and profit petroleum over the life of the fields.

In DSF-II, 59 discoveries have been clubbed into 25 contract areas spread over 3,042 square km and eight sedimentary basins. The fields are being offered in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kutch and Cambay shallow waters, Mumbai offshore, Assam and Tripura, Mahanadi shallow water, Andhra Pradesh onland and KG offshore.

In the DSF round-I, Rs 34,600 crore of resources were bid out. A total of 134 bids were received for 34 blocks out of 46 on offer.

The government is expecting a revenue of Rs 9,000 crore from the fields bid out in DSF-I, with first oil expected in 2020.

DGH officials said the main features of DSF-II include a single licence for exploitation of both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon, prior technical experience not a pre-qualification criterion, no upfront signature bonus and full pricing and marketing freedom. Royalty rates have been reduced to 7.5 per cent from 10 per cent for offshore blocks.

(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.)Normal life was affected in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Thursday due to a dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by a local outfit, seeking justice and compensation for a tribal girl who recently delivered a baby at a state-run school hostel in Daringbadi.

Shops, business establishments, banks, offices and educational institutions remained shut across the district as the bandh supporters held demonstrations at various places, a police officer said.

Vehicles stayed off the roads in the district headquarters town of Phulbani as the activists of Kandhamal Suraksha Abhiyan staged a a blockade, he said.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Basant Sahu said adequate arrangements were made to ensure that no untoward incident takes place in Kandhamal during the bandh.

The 14-year-old student of the Sevashram High School in Daringbadi had last week delivered a girl, who died two days after its birth.

Police have arrested a third-year college student - a resident of Takalmaha village - for allegedly raping the teenager.

The Odisha government has suspended the school's headmistress, Radharani Dalei, and three assistant superintendents of the institution in connection with the incident.

The 12-hour shutdown on Thursday received supported from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which sought the resignation of state ST and SC Development Minister Ramesh Majhi and Women and Child Development Minister Prafulla Samal over the incident.

They also demanded adequate compensation for the family of the victim, immediate transfer of officials including the collector and a judicial probe into the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Noida Police arrested a 24-year-old man on Thursday for allegedly stalking a woman on social media platforms, officials said.

A complaint was filed against Rajat Shrivastava at the Sector 20 police station on Wednesday, in which the woman's brother also claimed that the accuse would often chase her with a motive to harass her, the officials said.

The accused, who works in the accounts section of a private company here, was known to the woman for several years. However, the woman, a resident of Sector 15, had severed ties with him a few years ago over personal issues and asked him not to approach her anymore, they said.

"Rajat was stalking the woman on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He had threatened to post some of their pictures on social media without her approval," Station House Officer Manoj Kumar Pant said, citing the FIR.

Working on the complaint, a team was constituted to track down the accused and searches were conducted. Rajat, a resident of Sector 71, was arrested Thursday from near the Sab Mall in Sector 27, Pant said.

He has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 354D (stalking in person and on internet), 504 (insult to provoke of breach of peace), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), the police said.

He has also been booked under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which deals with computer-related offences, the police said.

Pant said the mobile phone and SIM card used by the accused in the crime have been seized and he would be produced in a local court later in the day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) Thursday said the government will ensure no violations take place in dance bars after the Supreme Court paved the way for their reopening in the state.

Stating that there can be "regulations" but not "total prohibition", the Supreme Court Thursday paved the way for the reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and functioning.

MSCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said the apex court verdict does not mean dance bars will operate without any restrictions.

"Permission will be issued to dance bars within the framework of law. Besides, the state government will ensure that no voilations take place in dance bars," Rahatkar said in a statement.

Senior BJP leader Prem Shukla said the Maharashtra government will take appropriate decision on the issue after consulting legal experts.

"The then (Congress-NCP led) government had taken the decision to ban dance bars to safeguard social fabric. Now that the Supreme Court has given fresh guidelines, the Maharashtra government will take appropriate decision after consulting legal experts," Shukla said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The NIA Thursday handed over copies of electronic and documentary evidence to pro-Pakistani separatist and Dukhtaran-e-Millat head Aasiya Andrabi in a case against her for allegedly waging war against the country.

The National Investigating Agency (NIA) supplied the documents, flied along with the charge sheet, to Andrabi and her two associates -- Sofi Fehmeeda and Naheeda Nasreen -- on the court's directions.

The agency also informed special judge Rakesh Syal that a report from Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh was awaited and would be handed over to her later.

The accused were produced before the court. The three are currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.

The court has now put up the matter for further hearing on March 5 for scrutiny of documents.

The three were arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in April and the case was later transferred to the NIA in July.

According to the NIA, Andrabi, Fehmeeda and Nasreen were using various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and TV channels, including some in Pakistan, to spread "insurrectionary imputations and hateful messages and speeches against India".

It had said the Dukhtaran-E-Millat, a banned terrorist organisation, through Andrabi and others openly advocates secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India and its merger with Pakistan through violent means.

The agency had said the organisation was engaged in anti-India activities and had been inciting the general populace of Kashmir for an armed rebellion against the Government of India with aid and assistance of terrorist organisations based in Pakistan.

According to the NIA, the investigation has established that Andrabi, as the chief of Dukhtaran-E-Millat, used social media and other platforms to abet waging of war against the Government of India.

"She is spreading seditious and insurrectionary imputations against the Government of India. She is promoting ill-will and enmity between different communities in India on religious grounds.

"Investigation has also established that she has close contacts with designated global terrorist Hafeez Mohammad Saeed who is the head of Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Lashkar-e-Taiba, internationally designated terrorist organizations that are based in Pakistan," it had alleged.

The NIA had levelled similar charges against Fehmeeda, personal secretary to Andrabi, and Dukhtaran-E-Millat's general secretary Nasreen.

They have collected funds to carry out terrorist activities of Dukhtaran-E-Millat and have used public platforms to incite Kashmiri youths to rise in armed rebellion against the government with the objective of securing cessation of Kashmir from India and its merger with Pakistan, it had alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Thursday slammed German auto major Volkswagen for not depositing Rs 100 crore in accordance with its November 16, 2018 order and directed it to submit the amount within 24 hours.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel took strong exception to the non-compliance of its order by the automobile giant and asked it to give an undertaking that it will submit the amount by 5 PM Friday.

"Why have you not complied with our order when there is no stay. We will not give you any further time," the bench, also comprising Justice S P Wangdi, said while asking Volkswagen to submit an affidavit of compliance after deposit.

The tribunal deferred the matter for hearing after it was informed that the Supreme Court is also seized of the issue.

On November 16 last year, the tribunal had said that the use of 'cheat device' by Volkswagen in diesel cars in India leads to inference of environmental damage and had asked the German auto major to deposit an interim amount of Rs 100 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Netherlands said Thursday it is signing 10 MoUs at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit starting Friday with focus on sectors like smart city and waste management, healthcare and agricultural cooperation.

The European country is being represented by a delegation, which has more than 100 members, at the three-day business conclave being held at Gandhinagar.

The delegation, led by Netherlands' Minister of Finance for Taxation and Customs, Menno Snel, consists of representatives from 45 companies, three trade associations and government agencies.

"We met Chief Minister Mr (Vijay) Rupani...We have 45 companies, out of which 10 are signing MoUs. Our delegations have been growing.

Lots of MoUs are on strategic cooperation," Snel told reporters here Thursday.

Out of 10 MoUs, five were signed Thursday and the rest will be inked during the summit, he said.

The MoUs deal with mobility management, waste-to- energy conversion, delivery system in diagnostics, saline farming, and protected cultivation of horticultural crops.

A Dutch company, Pal-V, which makes flying cars, is also participating in the summit.

Pal-V plans to deliver its first vehicles, which will have seating capacity for two persons, to customers in Europe by 2019 or early 2020.

"We think India has a good opportunity for our client base...we are planning discussions about some regulations for India as well as governmental use.

"We are also looking to develop in the Indian market," said the company's CEO, Robert Dingemanse.

"We are having discussions at governmental and private sector-level for cooperation to develop markets and investigate possibilities to supply parts (from here) to our company," he said.

As part of the Smart City project, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation will sign an MoU with Dutch company ARS T and TT with an aim to explore potential collaboration based on technical expertise and vast experience of the company in traffic and transport area.

Netherlands' AWECT will sign an MoU with the VMC to set up a high-efficient waste and energy plant in Vadodara.

Dutch company Philips will sign an MoU with the state government in healthcare delivery system with the company willing to set up a radiology and cardiology centres in every district for Gujarat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nepalis have stashed Rs 35.8 billion in Swiss banks, violating the country's law which bars them from transferring funds abroad, according to an investigation carried out by the Centre for Investigative Journalism.

The report 'Nepal-leaks 2019: Illegal Wealth watch', released Wednesday night, also claimed that 55 Nepalis have invested in offshore companies, taking advantage of the country's secretive tax regimes and breaching the law which bars investment in foreign countries.

The report is based on an analysis of over 3,000 financial and court documents and interviews with 70 individuals.

Questions have been raised about the source of their investment since they have invested in offshore companies including lesser known British Virgin Islands , says the report.

Those who invested money in foreign countries include politicians to high-flying businessman-some of whom are non-resident Nepalis-to doctors and hoteliers.

The investors include renowned businessmen and industrialists Upendra Mahato, Chandra Dhakal, Rajendra Bajgai and Minu Shah Chhibar.

Majority of the investments were made in businesses registered in the British Virgin Islands, one of the most notorious tax havens in the Caribbean.

The report also revealed how a lot of these investors used their offshore companies to funnel money back into the country under the guise of Foreign Direct Investment.

According to the report, Nepalis have parked Rs 35.8 billion in Swiss banks, violating the country's law, which bars Nepalis from transferring funds abroad.

Nepali account-holders have earned interest of around Rs 774.1 million from the funds they deposited in Swiss banks. Interestingly, the Nepalese started depositing money in the Swiss Bank in 1996, when the decade-long Maoist insurgency began.

The total amount of money deposited by Nepalis in Swiss Bank amounts to 460.8 million Swiss Franc equivalent to Rs 52 billion. Even now, Nepalese have Rs 35.8 billion in the Swiss Bank, adds the report.

Between 1996when the Maoist insurgency startedand 2006when the peace agreement was signedthe amount of money deposited by Nepalis in Swiss banks more than doubled from Rs 1.2 billon to Rs 2.7 billion.

The report has named Minu Shah as the individual with the highest savings among Nepali account holders. Shah, who was married to an Indian national, made deposit of USD 23 million equivalent to Rs.2.62 billion in the Swiss Bank account.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The 15th Finance Commission (FC) has endorsed the view of 'North East Vision 2020' document that says the region needs more funds to catch up with the rest of the country, the panel's chairman N K Singh said Thursday.

A 15-member team of the commission, headed by Singh, on Thursday received a memorandum from the state government and held a meeting with the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

"We endorse the view recorded in the document of the North East Region Vision 2020 that the region needs ample funds to catch up with the rest of the country. We will consider the view while recommending funds," Singh said.

He said that the commission shares the vision of chief minister and governor of Tripura to make it a model state.

The FC team had arrived yesterday and held deliberations with different stakeholders.

"The new leadership of Tripura is committed to make it a fair contributor in development of the nation. Tripuras growth trajectory is sound, he said.

A statement from the state government said that it has made a strong pitch for increased devolution to set up better infrastructure, especially in health, IT, power, education, tourism, disaster mitigation and other sectors.

The government has laid importance on four points including access to Chittagong port in neighbouring Bangladesh to make Tripura a maritime hub for NE India, improve road connectivity to boost tourism, capitalize on Tripuras comparative factor advantages in skilled manpower and agro-related industries and granting a host of specific projects aimed to fulfil aspirations of the states tribal communities.

However, when asked about plans of revising the tax base for erstwhile special category states in NE India, Singh said that he feels all northeastern states will have to become more reliant on their own resources in future.

Singh said that the state government during the last ten months has taken very important initiatives for development and laid importance in several important areas concerning the economy of Tripura.

"Finance Commission fully shares the vision of the government and chief minister to make Tripura a model state at the end of the government's tenure. I think they have an HRD plan to improve the overall HRD sector in the state. The chief minister also said the health sector in Tripura has a huge opportunity not only in health services here but to set up health institutes where a lot of people from Bangladesh can receive benefits," he said.

Singh said he finds it important to improve Land and air connectivity which is necessary to give further boost to tourism.

Singh also said the commission had a very detailed discussion yesterday with three tier panchayats and district parishads.

Singh said the commission received a memorandum from Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), who explained their plans and informed about different projects.

The TTAADC constitutes two thirds of the state's territory and is home to the tribals, who constitute a third of the states population.

Singh said the commission would submit a report to the government at the end of this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Reiterating his support for the Citizenship Bill, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Thursday said "Naxals" and "Left" are using intimidation while opposing the Bill.

"Well aware that Naxals/Left use character assassin & intimidation as tactics. It won't alter my views that #Assam must accept #CitizenshipAmendmentBill," Sarma tweeted.

"They want us to be slaves of a particular civilisation. However in this civilisational fight we must win. Assam & India must win," the senior BJP leader said.

Sarma had on January 6 stoked a controversy by saying that Assam will surrender to the "philosophy of Jinnah" and 17 Assembly seats "that elect Assamese people will go Jinnah way" if the Citizenship Bill is not passed.

A day later, he told PTI that Hindus in the state will become minority within five years if the Bill is not passed and "that will be advantageous to those elements who want Assam to be another Kashmir".

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any document.

Massive protests were held across the state and other parts of the Northeast over the Bill.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Naval commander Abhilash Tomy was left incapacitated in a sail boat after it was hit by a massive storm in the choppy waters of the Indian Ocean, but even the rough seas could not drown his will to survive against the odds.

Tomy, 39, the "only Asian" to participate in the prestigious Golden Globe Race 2018 -- a 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation of the globe -- that kicked off from Les Sables-d'Olonne, a seaside town in France in July, was rescued from his location late September by French vessel 'Osiris'.

A pilot in the Navy, he shared his experiences and challenges faced during the gruelling contest at a media interaction held at the Kota House here on Thursday.

"After being rescued by 'Osiris', which incidentally is named after the (Egyptian) god of afterlife, I was sent for treatment at a hospital in Amsterdam Island (in southern Indian Ocean). And, a few days later, INS Satpura arrived and evacuated me," he said.

"In India, I underwent a surgery at the Army's R&R Hopsital and realised, had suffered multiple fracture in my spine, and I am still recuperating. And, though there is a feeling of disappointment that I couldn't complete it, I am raring to go back to the seas, once I am deemed fully fit," Tomy told reporters.

The naval officer had circumnavigated the globe in 2012-13, and was a special invitee at the race, which commemorates 50 years of the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race 1968-69.

"He was the only Asian to participate in the event," a senior official of the Navy said.

Survival was doubly challenging for Tomy and other sailors, as the commemorative race had disallowed use of any modern equipment manufactured after 1968, in a bid to authentically recreate the race held half-a-century ago.

Participants used celestial charts, sextant, compass, old HAM radio sets and other analogue devices dating pre-1968.

Asked if at any point of time, he lost hope of survival, Tomy said, "Navy teaches us the will to survive, and at no point, I ever felt that I won't be rescued. In fact, I just kept a blank mind and bid my time, but it was severely tough as odds were stacked up against me."



He was sailing in 'Thuriya', a replica of British sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's original winner 'Suhaili' in 1969.

'Thuriya' name comes from the Mandukya Upanishad and refers to the fourth state of consciousness.

"The storm hit my boat, about 2800 nautical miles from the coast of India, and it was literally the middle of nowhere, the back of beyond in the Indian Ocean. The wind speed was around 140 kmph, it was the Roaring Forties, and my boat got de-masted and then knocked down again," he said.

The naval commander said he was feeling a shooting pain in the back and realised he couldn't walk, "so, I lay myself down in the boat, and tried surviving in the rough seas for a couple of days, until rescue arrived".

Asked if he had food and water supplies, Tomy said, as per the rule packaged water bottles were not allowed, "so I survived on canned food and iced tea".

"But, I did not lose hope at any point of my time, and my regimen at Navy and prior training also came in handy," he said.

Tomy said his wife and parents lent a great support in recovery phase, and they say, "I could go back to the seas, once he is totally fit".

"The race was played by old rules and many contestants dropped out as they were unable to deal with solitude. I got married in April and left for Europe a few months later. We could only use satellite phone for contacting organisers and in emergency situations. So, it was difficult contacting her. And, I returned to her 20 kgs lighter in weight. But, she was proud of me," he added.

Asked if use of pre-1968 instruments was a challenge and how he dealt with it, the office said, it was a "different experience".

"With old classical instruments, I was able to connect to the sea much better. The experience made me a better sailor," he asserted.

Asked about the prior training, he said, "I did training in celestial navigation, a course in medicare in Bombay, and a survival course, but it's the will to survive that Navy teaches that keeps us going."



So, what are the future plans for this adventurous man, he said, "As of now, I am being assigned light work, as I am still recuperating. I will be part of the Ocean Sailing Node in Goa.""The next Golden Globe Race is slated to be held in 2022. I had completed almost 40 per cent of the 2018 race, I would like to take a shot again and go back to the seas," he said.

"Eighteen participants from fourteen countries took part in the race. The race is still on and expected to end soon. There are five contestants left and 72-year-old Jean Luc, a Frenchman, is currently leading the race," Tomy said.

The route of the race, starting from Les Sables d'Olonne, goes south till Cape of Good Hope, and continues eastward in the southern hemisphere to pass the international dateline, and Cape of Horn to north in the Atlantic Ocean for the final leg.

He was aiming to complete the race in 311 days, one day less than Sir Johntson's timing. "But, the stormy experience was total 'paisa vasool' (totally worth it)," he said with a smile.

Asked about the funding of the race, he said, "I had some corporate sponsors" and he was thankful to the Navy for allowing me to participate in the grand event.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Navy divers Thursday found the body of one of the 15 miners who got trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district over a month ago, officials said.

The Navy divers detected the body using "underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicles) at a depth of approximately 160 feet and 210 feet" inside the rat-hole mine, a Navy spokesperson said on Twitter and attached video grabs of the operation.

The body has been pulled up to the mouth of the 370 feet-deep rat-hole mine and would be extricated under the supervision of doctors, the officials said.

A team of doctors has been rushed to the site to advise the rescuers on how to pull the body out safely, they added.

The arduous multi-agency search and rescue operation -- perhaps India's longest -- had begun after the workers became trapped in the illegal mine on December 13 due to flooding.

Several agencies including Navy, NDRF, Air Force are involved in the rescue operation.

According to the five miners who had made it alive, one of the workers could have accidentally punctured the walls of possibly another nearby abandoned and flooded mine.

In the Khloo-Ryngksan area, where the ill-fated mine is located on the western side of a small hillock, the Lytein river crisscrosses the valley for over 2 km.

Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills F M Dopth said there are at least 80-100 flooded and abandoned mines in the area.

The Supreme Court had rapped the Meghalaya government over the slow progress of the search operation and inaction against illegal miners.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Navy divers have found a body in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district and spotted some skeletons in the area, weeks after a multi-agency search operation was launched to rescue 15 trapped miners, officials and sources said Thursday.

Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said in New Delhi that the Navy divers detected the body using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at a depth of approximately 160 feet and 210 feet inside the rat hole mine on Wednesday night.

The body, which is yet to be identified, has been pulled upto the 'mouth' of the mine and is being retrieved under the supervision of a team of doctors, he said.

The 15 miners were trapped in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills district since December 13 after water from a nearby river gushed in.

Sources said the Navy divers on Thursday also spotted through the ROV a number of skeletons inside one of the rat-hole mines and are waiting for the state administration's directive on the future course of action.

They said it was not clear if the skeletons seen through high-resolution cameras on board the ROV were of the missing miners.

The Navy Spokesperson said the body will be taken out of the mine under the supervision of doctors.

"Our divers are trying by hit and trial in uncharted mines. We've established that the miners were in the area. It has been a very complicated operation. We will continue our operation," said Capt Sharma said.

On skeletons being seen by the Navy team, the sources said the water inside the mines has high Sulphur content which can decompose the bodies very fast.

"Skeletons were seen by the ROV. We do not know whether the skeletons are the of trapped miners. Forensics experts are expected to tell the rescuers about the next step," said a source.

The 15 miners had gone for mining on December 13. They were trapped after water from a nearby river flooded the rat-hole mine.

Days later, several agencies including the Navy, NDRF, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, Odisha fire service were deployed to rescue the miners. The Navy divers had joined the search operation on December 30.

The rescuers were struggling to pump out water from the the mines.

The Supreme Court on January 3 expressed strong dissatisfaction over the rescue efforts to trace the trapped miners and told the state government to bring them out dead or alive.

In the Khloo-Ryngksan area, where the ill-fated mine is located on the western side of a small hillock, the Lytein river criss crosses the valley for over 2 km.

Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills F M Dopth said the area has at least 80-100 flooded and abandoned mines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Navy divers have found a body of one of the 15 trapped miners and also spotted several skeletons in the flooded rat-hole coal mines in Meghalaya East Jaintia Hills district, weeks after a multi-agency search operation was launched to rescue them, officials and sources said Thursday.

The Naval personnel spotted the decomposed body of one of the miners



about 200 ft along the horizontally dug small hole and managed to pull it about half way to the bottom of the shaft, operation spokesperson R Susngi told PTI.

But the body, which is yet to be identified, could not be extracted out of the shaft due to apprehension that further moving it could result in its disintegration.

As the operation continued on the 36th day, sources said the Navy divers on Thursday also spotted through a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) a number of skeletons inside one of the rat-hole mines and are waiting for the state administration's directive on the future course of action. They said it was not clear if the skeletons were of the missing miners.

Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said in New Delhi that the Navy divers detected the body using an ROV at a depth of approximately 160 ft to 210 ft inside the rat hole mine on Wednesday night.

A team of doctors visited the spot to advise rescuers on how to bring the decomposed body safely out of the main shaft. They suggested the rescuers not to further move the body or it will disintegrate, officials said.

The body has been pulled up to the 'mouth' of the mine and is being retrieved under the supervision of a team of doctors, Sharma said.

The 15 miners were trapped in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills district since December 13 after water from a nearby river gushed in. The rescue efforts picked up days later when several agencies were roped in as the rescuers were struggling to pump out water from the the mines.

"Our divers are trying by hit and trial in uncharted mines. We've established that the miners were in the area. It has been a very complicated operation. We will continue our operation," Capt Sharma said.

On skeletons being seen by the Navy team, the sources said the water inside the mines has high sulphur content which can decompose the bodies very fast.

"Skeletons were seen by the ROV. We do not know whether the skeletons are the of trapped miners. Forensics experts are expected to tell the rescuers about the next step," said a source.

The operation to search and rescue the trapped miners remained India's longest and an arduous one involving several national agencies including the Indian Navy, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Air Force The Navy divers had joined the search operation on December 30.

The Deputy Commissioner has asked the family members of the miners from nearby Lumthari village and from Assam's Chirang district to identify the body.

After the process of identification through the video prepared by the Navy divers of the decomposed body, efforts would be made Friday to bring it out of the shaft under supervision of the doctors, the sources said.

The Supreme Court on January 3 expressed strong dissatisfaction over the rescue efforts to trace the trapped miners and told the state government to bring them out dead or alive.

In the Khloo-Ryngksan area, where the mine is located on the western side of a small hillock, the Lytein river criss-crosses the valley for over 2 km.

Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills F M Dopth said the area has at least 80-100 flooded and abandoned mines.

Meanwhile, de-watering in the nearby abandoned mines continued on Thursday with nearly 50 lakh litres of water pumped out, Susngi said.

Coal India Ltd and Odisha Fire Service ran their pumps for nearby 20 hours even as the Chennai-based team from Plenys operated their ROV besides carrying out sonar detection of the shaft and found more rat holes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US awaits concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons that threaten America and other countries in the region, Vice President Mike Pence has said.

Pence's statement comes during his address to the global chief of mission conference on Wednesday and gains significance as the White House is preparing another summit between President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two leaders have recently exchanged letters.

Kim and Trump held a historic meeting in Singapore on June 12 last year where they issued a vague goal for the "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur.

Pence said that the US awaits North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons.

"While the president has started a promising dialogue with Chairman Kim, we still await concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle the nuclear weapons that threaten our people and our allies in the region," Pence said.

In his address, Pence also said that Russia seeks to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century.

"Unlike the Soviet Union and its many client states, no shared ideology or objective unites our competitors and adversaries except this one. They seek to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century," he said.

"Truthfully, it is a pact surrounding what they perceive to be a common enemy, but the truth is the US will rise to that challenge, we will stand with our allies and we will advance our values and our principles in the world," Pence added.

Targeting Iran, Pence said that President Trump is standing up to the Iranian regime which is making the west Asian nation change its ways.

"And as we stand today, Iran is now under unprecedented pressure to change its ways," he said.

"The message that the disastrous nuclear deal benefited the very mullahs who oppressed their people. And even as we've striven mightily to protect our most important interests, we've also fought hard. We've also fought hard not only to stand up to those who would challenge us but to advance American values on the world stage," Pence said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar has alleged covert attempts are being made to stall educational opportunities available to students from the SC, ST and OBC communities.

He hit out at the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine and the opposition Congress-NCP alliance, calling both of them "opportunists".

Ambedkar said attempts are being made to curtail educational opportunities available to Dalit, tribal and OBC students by certain forces to remain in power.

"In case, these underprivileged categories of the society are brought to the mainstream, the easy way to get power will be hampered," he said.

Ambedkar was addressing a public rally at the Samata Maidan here in eastern Maharashtra Wednesday evening.

While training his gun at both the ruling BJP-Sena Alliance and the Opposition front of Congress and NCP, Ambedkar said.

"Both of them (BJP-Sena and Congress-NCP combines) are opportunists. They speak about Gandhian ideologies, but never follow them," the Dalit leader said.

Ambedkar also criticised farm activists Kishore Tiwari and Raju Shetti, saying they keep changing their stand on issues related to farmers for personal gains.

The Centre has imported sugar at a cheaper rate and this has adversely affected cane-growers in the country, he said.

At the rally, Ambedkar sought support from people in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the new political front headed by him.

The Dalit leader has floated the 'Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi' in partnership with AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi.

"It is the need of the hour to vote for change which can be ensured only by the bahujan front," he said.

On the occasion, Ambedkar announced that Pravin Pawar will his political fron't candidate from the Washim-Yavatmal Lok Sabha seat.

Owaisi was scheduled to attend the rally but he did not turn up.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The mortal remains of BSF Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad, who was killed in a sniper shot in Jammu and Kashmir, was brought to his residence in Howrah on Thursday.

Amid chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vinay Prasad Amar Rahe", Prasad's friends and relatives paid their last respects to the martyr, whose body arrived in a coffin wrapped in Tricolour.

Senior officers of Border Security Force(BSF), South Bengal Frontier, also laid wreaths on the coffin as a mark of tribute to the soldier.

On Tuesday, the troops were carrying out border domination along the International Border, when snipers of Pakistan Rangers opened fire at them around 10.50am in Hiranagar-Samba sector of Kathua.

Prasad was critically injured in a sniper shot and was evacuated to the Military Hospital at Satwari (Jammu), where he succumbed to injuries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Mizoram government has banned import of pigs and piglets to prevent outbreak of a disease that has cost the lives of thousands of swines in the state.

The Mizoram government has instructed deputy commissioners of all the eight districts to issue prohibitory orders banning the import from other countries to stop, Animal Husbandry and veterinary Minister Dr K Beichhua said Thursday.

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has cost the lives of over 10,000 swines in Mizoram since 2013 and it is believed that it happened due to import of pigs and piglets from Myanmar where the disease was known to be prevalent, officials said.

Beichhua said the ban of import of pigs from other countries was the only way to prevent outbreak of the PRRS in the state.

The PRRS is a disease affecting domestic pigs. The symptoms include reproductive failure, pneumonia and increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infection, the sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Islamic militants on Thursday kidnapped a Christian man traveling in a communal taxi in the turbulent north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula, according to security officials, an incident that raises the specter of renewed attacks on minority Christians in the region after a two-year lull.

The officials did not identify the man, but said police pursued the kidnappers into the desert to which they fled after the incident, killing one of them and wounding two others in a firefight, but could not free the hostage.

Two policemen were also wounded in the firefight, said the officials.

There was no word on whether any of the other passengers traveling in the taxi, a minibus, were harmed, suggesting that the kidnapping of the Christian man could have been planned.

The attack took place about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of el-Arish, northern Sinai's largest city, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

A spate of attacks on Christians in northern Sinai in late 2016 and early 2017 forced nearly 300 families to flee their homes there and find refuge elsewhere in Egypt. Those killed included a cleric, workers, a doctor and a merchant. The last Christian to be killed in Sinai was in January 2018, when militants gunned him down as he walked on the street in el-Arish.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)co-founder Thursday congratulated the government for the achievements made by the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme in its first 100 days.

Prime Minister thanked Gates, saying the scheme stems out of the government's commitment to provide top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor.

"Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. It's great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far," Gates tweeted, tagging the prime minister's office.

The government had recently said that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free healthcare in the first 100 days of the scheme.

In reply, Modi thanked Gates for his appreciation, saying Ayushman Bharat "stems out of our commitment to provide top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor".

The prime minister said, the first 100 days have been remarkable. "Large number of people benefited and lot more will in the coming days".



The prime minister had in September last year rolled out the scheme.

The insurance scheme aims to provide an annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

The programme will benefit about 100 million poor households and has been described by the government as the world's largest healthcare scheme.

(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.)Tech giant Microsoft Thursday batted for cross-border data flows but asserted that the same needs to be protected through suitable international measures and standards both legal and technical.

Microsoft India Group Head and Assistant General Counsel Corporate, External and Legal Affairs Keshav Dhakad said India's IT sector companies, tech startups and developers may need access to data not just within the country but also beyond geopolitical borders to build robust solutions and algorithms - predicating the need for a regime that supports cross-border data flows.

"At the same time, it is important to protect these flows through appropriate international measures and standards both legal and technical," he pointed out.

Dhakad added that local laws will also need to be interoperable with global standards or contracts that protect personal data regardless of its location.

Data processing companies, he said, would have to ensure that the personal data they process is managed according to a high level of data protection, regardless of the location to which the data is transferred and provide citizens recourse to the law in case of a breach of trust.

"Responding proactively or reactively to cybersecurity issues calls for protocols based on globalised and not localised data. And restricting cross-border data flows can only impede effective and timely response," Dhakad noted.

He further said: "A mature, balanced and progressive legal framework for data protection that will be agreed upon and adopted by all is the need of the hour".

Dhakad pointed out that the definition of what may constitute 'sensitive personal data' (like financial and information, religious or political beliefs etc) should be aligned to international norms.

He suggested that instead of blanket restrictions, restrictions on the processing of personal data should correspond to the context in which the data is processed.

Citing an example, he said that an employee's name in an organisation's internal directory would typically not be considered sensitive and would require less privacy protection than when it appears on a list related to credit ratings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A woman filed a sexual harassment complaint against T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar at a local police station, only to retract it hours later, police said Thursday.

Bhushan Kumar rubbished the allegations.

In a letter to the senior police inspector at the Oshiwara police station, where she had filed the complaint Wednesday, the woman said she had approached the police against Bhushan Kumar 'out of frustration and depression' and that her allegations against him were 'malicious'.

"I had no such intention to malign his reputation and shall not make any false statement and allegation against him in future," her letter read.

The original complaint against Bhushan Kumar which she submitted at the police station Wednesday was hand-written, while Thursday's letter informing that she was withdrawing the complaint was neatly typed, a police official said.

The woman had Wednesday claimed Bhushan Kumar sexually exploited her under the pretext of helping her to get work in his company, a senior police official said.

Bhushan Kumar told PTI that the charges against him were 'bogus'.

The woman also asked 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' producer and Bhushan Kumar's uncle Krishan Kumar to withdraw an extortion complaint he filed against her at the Amboli police station in suburban Mumbai on January 14.

A statement by T-Series said Krishan Kumar had filed a complaint against the woman at Amboli police station as she was "for quite a while" threatening him to extort money from him.

The woman had threatened Krishan Kumar that if she did not get the money, she will file a false complaint of sexual assault against him and also drag his nephew Bhushan Kumar in it, the statement said.

Last year, an anonymous Twitter user had accused Kumar of propositioning her on the pretext of signing a three-movie contract with his production house.

She had detailed how Bhushan Kumar wanted to sign her for a three-film deal and make her a superstar as he saw a lot of 'potential' in her.

Bhushan Kumar had denied the allegations, saying the tweet was used as a tool to malign his reputation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Paris Jackson has rubbished the reports of seeking treatment for her health, saying the media is "exaggerating".

The 20-year-old model, daughter of pop star Michael Jackson, said she is on a hiatus from social media and is in pink of health.

"The media is exaggerating per usual... Yes I've taken a break from work and social media and my phone because it can be too much sometimes, and everyone deserves a break, but I am happy and healthy and feeling better than ever!" Jackson wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

She said she and rumoured beau, musician Gabriel Glenn will soon share "some new music".

"Hope you guys' new year started out with lots of love and light and all the things. I'll be back soon!" Jackson added.

Her denial comes after reports claimed that Jackson had checked in to a treatment facility for her emotional health.

In 2017, Jackson had opened up about a time when she was engaged in self-harm and attempted suicide.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 20-year-old man was killed after being hit by a celebratory gunshot fired at the wedding of a district panchayat member's son in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said Thursday.

The man, identified as Suraj Kumar, was critically injured in the firing at the wedding ceremony in Kachchighari village Wednesday evening, they said.

According to Shamli ASP Ajay Pratap Singh, the injured was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries Thursday.

A case has been registered and the matter is being probed, the ASP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday paid tribute to former chief minister of the state Jyoti Basu on his eighth death anniversary.

Basu, the longest serving chief minister of West Bengal, passed away on January 17, 2010.

Basu had served as the chief minister of the state from 1977 to 2000.

"Remembering Jyoti Basu, former chief minister of Bangla, on his death anniversary," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle.

Born on July 8, 1914, Basu had led the Marxists to power for five consecutive times in West Bengal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh Thursday indicated announcement of major measures in the coming weeks to address farm distress across the country, a move that will come ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The agriculture ministry has prepared a cabinet note on "addressing income deficit syndrome of small and marginal farmers" proposing various steps, including a financial package and interest waiver for timely crop loan repayers, according to sources.

A draft note has been finalised after several meetings with officials of Prime Minister's Office, the Niti Aayog, agriculture and finance ministries, the sources added.

Asked if the government is ready with a big farm package, Singh said: "When it will be announced, everyone will get to know. ...Every year before or during the budget, we have announced something new for farmers. Definitely, there will be something for farmers this time too."



The speciality of the NDA government has been that it has announced something new every year for the farming community in the last four-and-half years, he told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, who was also present, refused to provide details saying that the ministry was not directly involved in the matter.

Earlier speaking at the silver jubilee celebration of the Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), Singh said the prime minister has been personally monitoring all agriculture schemes.

"As a result, many schemes are benefiting the farming community. However, some (Opposition parties) still question. ...Sloganeering alone will not benefit farmers," he said, highlighting the enhanced budget allocated for the farm sector in the last four-and-half years.

Asserting that the agriculture sector has always been a priority for the government, Singh said the government is fully committed towards working for farmers' welfare.

"We are moving forward with full confidence. By December end, every farm field will get water and power," he added.

It may be noted that the central government has taken farmers' issues seriously after the ruling BJP was defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the recent state polls, where rural distress was a key factor.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Owners of three bonded warehouses and wine retail vendors Thursday challenged the prolonged dry days declared by the Mizo National Front (MNF) government and submitted a petition in the Aizawl Bench of the Gauhati High Court.

One of the petitioners, Francis Sailo, said the petition was admitted by the high court and the next hearing has been fixed on Tuesday next week, when an interim order is expected.

The high court instructed the state government, through the government advocates, to produce the minutes of the meeting of council of ministers held on December 18 last year and on January 10, on Tuesday.

The owners of the bonded warehouses and wine shop vendors said that they were losing huge amount of money due to the dry days imposed by the state government from December 21 to January 14, which was extended to March 15.

The petitioners said that at least Rs 40 crore worth liquor were in the bonded warehouses and godowns of the liquor shops, while around 100 liquor carrying trucks were still coming from outside the state.

If the state government decided to impose a prohibition again, it should at least give time for legal disposal of the liquor stock and prepare an exit protocol, Sailo said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)State Bank of India (SBI) Thursday said lenders are considering a resolution plan for Jet Airways to ensure long-term viability of the debt-laden company.

The SBI statement comes a day after the crisis-hit airline said discussions were "progressing well" with stakeholders on a comprehensive resolution plan that also contemplates equity infusion and consequent changes in its board of directors.

There are rising concerns over financial health of Jet Airways, whose shares have also taken a beating at stock exchanges.

We would like to state that lenders are considering a restructuring plan under the RBI framework for resolution of stressed assets that would ensure a long-term viability of the company," SBI said in a statement.

It said the restructuring plan for the cash-strapped airline would need approval from boards of lenders.

"Any such plan would be subject to approval of boards of the lenders and subject to adherence and clearance, if required, from the RBI and/or Sebi (takeover code, ICDR regulations.) and Ministry of Civil Aviation and in compliance with all regulatory prescriptions," the statement said.

Shares of the airline are trading 4.24 per cent lower at Rs 259.50 apiece on BSE.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court's verdict paving the way for the reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra has evoked a mixed reaction from the legal fraternity with some hailing it and others calling it a setback for the state government.

Stating that there can be "regulations" but not "total prohibition", the apex court Thursday cleared the path for the reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra by setting aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licencing and functioning.

A section of lawyers welcomed the judgement and said the SC has drawn a balance between the rights of citizens and duty of the state to govern, while the others said the government's law imposing restrictions on the licencing and functioning of dance bars should have been upheld in totality.

Senior lawyers opined the apex court has taken a balanced approach towards the issue and ensured the rights of both the government and citizens are not curtailed.

Retired Bombay High Court Judge F I Rebello, who had in 2006 struck down the ban imposed by the government on operation of dance bars, said the SC has rightly quashed the unreasonable restrictions imposed on such outlets.

"The government has been trying since long to not implement the judgement (given by him as HC judge).

"It keeps coming up with new and archaic restrictions which stifle a person's freedom to carry out a profession of his choice within the ambit of law," Justice Rebello told PTI.

It is very unfortunate for the government to keep interfering with a citizen's right to conduct his business, the retired judge maintained.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, who had appeared for an association representing bar dancers when the matter was being heard in the HC, welcomed the ruling.

"It is a good judgment...especially for the bar owners. It is high time people are given the freedom to carry out their business legitimately," Grover said.

Senior lawyer and former Maharashtra Advocate General Srihari Aney said the Supreme Court has taken a "pragmatic and balanced" view on the issue.

"The order makes a lot of sense. There is a need to govern but not to control. Banning dance bars in totality is one thing but saying they can function with so many restrictions is another," Aney said.

"Regulations have to be practical and workable. There is a very thin line between what is moral and what is not. When people confuse between the two, then it leads to chaos," Aney said.

The former advocate general said making it mandatory to install CCTVs inside dance bars (as per the 2016 law) was an intrusion into a person's right to privacy.

Advocate Uday Warunjikar, however, felt the apex court should have upheld all the provisions of the 2016 law.

"It is a major setback to the government. The apex court ought to have considered the social impact of the legislation," Warunjikar said.

He said the provision making CCTVs mandatory inside dance bars should not have been quashed.

"If CCTV inside a dance bar infringes upon a person's right to privacy, then CCTVs installed in all public places will have to be removed," Warunjikar maintained.

Another advocate, Aditya Pratap, said the SC should have considered the constitutional objectives the government had sought to achieve through these provisions.

"While the Supreme Court's decision may be backed by cogent legal reasoning, it marks a step backward from the mandate prescribed under the Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36-51).

"These Articles mandate the state to enhance public morals and inhibit the sale and consumption of intoxicants and protect the dignity of women," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF Thursday decided to organise a Kerala March which would pass through the 140 constituencies of the state to highlight 'failures' of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the front partners ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Left Democratic Front convener Vijayaraghavan said they would organise a march from both north and southern ends of the state.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan would lead the march from Thiruvananthapuram and CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran from the north. Both the rallies would culminate at Thrissur on March 2, he said.

Vijayaraghavan said the aim of the march is to bring down the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.

The date of the march is yet to be finalised.

Opposition United Democratic Front spearheaded by the Congress party Thursday also held a meeting of their front partners.

The UDF meet witnessed demands of more seats by the alliance partners including Kerala Congress (M) and Kerala Congress (Jacob).

Of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, 12 were won by the UDF and the remaining 8 by LDF in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Two of the seats are lying vacant-- Wayanad and Kottayam.

The Wayanad seat fell vacant with the death of Congress MP M I Shanavas.

However, the Kottayam constituency became vacant when the lone MP of Kerala Congress(B), Jose K Mani, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha last year.

KC(B) has now staked claim for the Idukki seat too, which was also sought by the KC(Jacob) group.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a UDF partner, has got two seats in Parliament.

"This was the first meeting before the elections. It's not time to decide about asking for more seats," IUML leader and MP P K Kunhalikutty told reporters after the meeting.

The LDF had included four more parties into the Front last year including the Kerala Congress (B) led by R Balakrishna Pillai.

Marxist veteran V S Achuthanandan was not present in the LDF meet and sources close to CPI-M said he was unhappy with the inclusion of Pillai's party into the Front.

Achuthanandan was instrumental in getting Pillai convicted of corruption charges.

The UDF meet has decided not to consider the letter of Poonjar MLA and former Kerala Congress leader P C George to join the Front.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Activities in all judicial courts in Mayurbhanj district were paralysed Thursday as lawyers took out a procession here demanding establishment of a permanent Bench of Orissa High Court in North Odisha.

The Mayurbhanj District Bar Association has called for a three-day agitation demanding establishment of permanent Bench of the High Court in North Odisha.

Mayurbhnaj District Bar Association, president, Prabir Basa criticised Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for not recommending to the Centre for establishment of permanent Bench of High Court in North Odisha.

The chief minister had recently written a letter to the Centre recommending establishment of permanent Bench of High Court in Western and Southern Odisha. He had not mentioned about north Odisha, Basa said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ahead of the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting here Friday, more party MLAs allegedly under the BJP's radar for desertion returned home, giving the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government hopes of averting a crisis.

As Congress stepped up its efforts to quell dissidence, BJP state chief B S Yeddyurappa arrived here, asserting his party was not involved in any operation to topple the government.

He said his party MLAs were also flying back from Gurugram, where they are staying for the past few days.

Slamming the BJP for making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy accused it of keeping the saffron party's MLAs in "confinement" at Gurugram.

Grappling with the political turmoil triggered by reports of the BJP luring Congress MLAs to take a fresh shot at government formation, Kumaraswamy rejected its charge that he was trying to poach their lawmakers.

Friday's CLP meet is expected to be a show of strength for the Congress, in a counter to BJP's alleged toppling bid which the ruling coalition has said has turned out to be a "flop".

In a notice issued to Congress MLAs, CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah warned that absence of MLAs at Friday's meeting would be viewed "seriously".

"I would like to bring to your notice that your absence will be viewed seriously and it will be considered that you have voluntarily decided to leave the primary membership of the Indian National Congress," he said and added that action would be initiated under the Anti-Defection Law.

Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, Siddaramaiah claimed that all the party MLAs would attend the CLP meeting.

Asked if disgruntled MLAs coming back into the party fold would be made ministers, Siddaramaiah said, "We have not told anyone that we will make them minister or any other thing. There is no disgruntlement in the Congress."



In a breather to the Congress, a few more MLAs who had allegedly gone incommunicado and were on the poachinglist of BJP surfaced, declaring allegiance to the party.

Yellapur MLA Shivram Hebbar who met KPCC chief Dinesh Gunduu Rao Thursday said he had gone to Andaman and Nicobar Islands with family, as per the plan made about a month ago.

Terming the timing as "coincidence", he said "I'm a worker of the Congress. I have got elected from the party, and there is no question of getting sold for any reasons."



Another Congress MLA J N Ganesh from Kampli termed reports that he had planned to switch to BJP as a "creation" and "false".

"I only want development of my constituency, allurement for money, horse trading are all very petty things to do.I even feel ashamed to talk about it," he added.

Congress MLA from Ballari B Nagendra said he was in Mumbai for personal reasons, business and other things.

"I keep going to Mumbai..so that doesn't show that I'm in touch with some one.I'm not disgruntled... not going (to BJP)," he said in response to a question.

Nagendra, however, expressed doubt about attending the CLP meeting tomorrow, citing a court hearing.

Speaking to reporters here, Kumaraswamy said Yeddyurappa making repeated claims that Congress-JD(S) leaders, especially the Chief Minister, were luring his party MLAs, was "surprising" for him.

"They are making all kinds of futile attempts (to destabilise the government).

Who is taking the lead and working (to lure MLAs)?" he said.

"...today I want to ask Yeddyurappa and his friends, how long have you been staying at a hotel in Gurugram, for what sake have you kept MLAs in confinement?" Kumaraswamy asked.

Accusing the BJP of "doing everything" to poach MLAs with allurements, he said, "but now you are blaming us, if you feel that people will accept whatever you say, you are wrong.

People will give answer to BJP leaders at the right time."



On his part, Yeddyurappa said, "No one from BJP has indulged in any kind of operation or luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs.

We had gathered all our MLAs at one place and were discussing preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the last two-three days. Today all are coming back."



"Why do they have to fear if we gather our MLAs, I don't understand.Internal fight within Congress and JD(S) is going out of control, to cover up their internal squabbles, they should not blame BJP," he added.

"If your MLAs have gone to Mumbai or Delhi, what do we have to do with it? It is -Congress-JD(S)- your duty to keep your legislators intact. No one is in touch with us..I'm telling you," Yeddyurapa said.

"Who are they to ask where we are going? You try to keep your MLAs intact, why are you blaming us?" Yeddyurappa said, adding that "how many will come (for the CLP) will be known, their true colours will come out tomorrow."



Political turmoil has hit Karnataka since Monday amid reports that the BJP was allegedly making a renewed bid to dislodge the seven month-old coalition government.

Both the ruling coalition and BJP have been levelling charges of horse trading against each other.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ram Nath Kovind Thursday offered prayers along with his wife at the Sangam here, becoming the first president after Rajendra Prasad to visit a Kumbh Mela.

The president also inaugurated the three-day 'Gandhian Resurgence Summit' at the Parmarth Niketan camp, where he said he was lucky to make the trip.

"This is the first visit by a president to the Kumbh since the visit of then president Rajendra Prasad in 1953," Rashtrapati Bhavan's Twitter account posted later.

The Kumbh is an important part of India's spiritual and cultural heritage, it quoted Kovind as saying.

Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind reached the Bamrauli airport on a special plane of the Indian Air Force around 9:30 am. They were welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several cabinet ministers, officials said.

Kovind said it was a happy coincidence that along with the Kumbh, the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi also falls this year.

The president and his wife participated in 'Ganga pujan' in the Sangam area along with the governor, chief minister, his deputy Keshva Prasad Maurya and Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh among others.

The president was at the Sangam area for about half-an-hour.

Sangam refers to the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

President Kovind along with his family members came here last year too during the 'Magh Mela'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Senior AIADMK leader M Thambidurai Thursday said the allegations made by two accused in the Kodanad estate break-in case, reportedly linking Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami to the incident was nothing but a "drama scripted by some enemies."



On January 11, a former magazine editor Samuel Mathew had released a 16-minute video clip in Delhi, alleging that Palaniswami had links to a break-in at Kodanad estate bungalow (it was used by late Jayalalithaa as her camp office) in 2017.

Two of the accused persons, V K Sayan, and Valayar Manoj, were reportedly seen making purported remarks linking the chief minister to the April 2017 break-in in the video. On Monday, they were brought from Delhi by police in a private flight and whisked away for further interrogation.

"There is no truth in it. It is a drama scripted by some enemies," Thambidurai told reporters here after garlanding the statue of AIADMK founder late M G Ramachandran on his 102nd birth anniversary.

The Congress-DMK combine would not succeed in its attempt to tarnish the image of the chief minister, he said.

The DMK had urged Governor Banwarilal Purohit to direct Chief Minister K Palaniswami to resign from his post to ensure a free and fair probe into the matter.

The main opposition party had demanded a probe by a Special Investigation Team, comprising officers of the rank of Inspector General of Police and further investigation into the "mysterious death" of alleged key conspirator Kanagaraj.

Palaniswami, refuting the allegations, had said that those who were unable to take on AIADMK politically were resorting to such cheap acts and asserted that a probe would expose their identity.

Claiming that his party was in a position to win all the 40 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry), Thambidurai said the DMK-Congress combine's attempt to stop this victory would not succeed.

On the DMK's public outreach programme, he said M K Stalin was holding grama sabha meetings with an eye on panchayat polls and claimed that the party would not win either Lok Sabha or assembly polls.

Asked why Stalin decided to attend the opposition rally convened by Trinamool Congress in Kolkata on January 19, Thambidurai said it could be because the DMK wanted to be part of the government to be formed after the general elections.

Terming as "ridiculous" the remarks of RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy that the AIADMK should ally with the BJP to help it gain foothold in the state, the AIADMK MP said, "When we are trying to strengthen our party, there is no chance of it carrying BJP on its shoulder."



He, however, said the decision on the alliance would be taken at the time of elections by the party coordinator and his deputy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Accusing the BJP of indulging in horse-trading of MLAs, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal Thursday asserted that the coalition government with JDS in Karnataka would complete its full term.

"...Once again, this party, the ruling party of India, has been exposed before the people of Karnataka and the country. Their dirty horse-trading games have been established in Karnataka," he told PTI here when asked for his comments on the political turmoil in Karnataka.

"We are very sure that nothing will happen to the Congress-JD(S) government. It will continue for the full term. I am very much sure," he said.

BJP Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa has said no member of his party was involved in any operation to topple the coalition government in the state.

To a query on reports about discontent among Congress MLAs in neighbouring state of Telangana, Venugopal said no MLA would quit the party.

"This is the way BJP is trying to poach our MLAs. They are offering crores and crores of rupees, everything is in the public domain now...," he alleged.

"Why did they (BJP) move 104 MLAs to a resort in Haryana? What is the purpose? Everybody knows that with 104 MLAs, they cannot form a government," he said.

According to sources, Karnataka BJP MLAs who are cooped up in a resort in Haryana will take a call on returning to the state after the Congress legislature party meeting on Friday.

On the question of stability of the coalition government, the Congress leader said nothing would happen to the ruling dispensation.

"Day before yesterday, I told the media (that) nothing is going to happen. This is going to be a nightmare for BJP...," Venugopal said.

The coalition government in Karnataka suffered the first major setback when two MLAs, an Independent and a member of the Karnataka Pragnyavantara Janata Paksha, Tuesday withdrew support to the government.

There was no immediate threat to the government with the withdrawal of support but speculation was rife that many other disgruntled Congress MLAs could follow suit by resigning from the Assembly, though the party has maintained that its flock is intact.

In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress has 79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides the Speaker.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Security has been reinforced in Haryana ahead of the pronouncement of quantum of sentence for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others convicted in the murder of journalist Ramchander Chhatrapati.

A special court in Panchkula will pronounce the quantum of sentence through video conference on Thursday.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Panchkula and Sirsa -- headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect headed by self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh -- and other parts of Haryana to maintain law and order situation, officials said.

Security has also been stepped up outside the Panchkula court complex with Haryana police putting up barricades on roads leading to the court.

The convicts -- Ram Rahim and three others -- will appear through video conference when the quantum of punishment will be pronounced.

The court had Wednesday accepted the Haryana government's plea seeking appearance of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head through video conference during the pronouncement of quantum of sentence in the journalist murder case.

The state government had said the movement of the Dera chief could lead to a law and order situation. The 51-year-old Sirsa-based sect head is currently serving a 20-year-prison term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping two of his women followers.

The three other convicts -- Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal -- are lodged in Ambala jail.

On January 11, Special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted Ram Rahim and three others in the 2002 journalist murder case.

Ram Rahim and the three others had appeared through video conference when the court convicted them.

All the four were convicted under section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal were also convicted under the Arms Act.

The minimum punishment under section 302 is life imprisonment and the maximum is death sentence.

The family of the slain journalist had demanded capital punishment for the guilty.

The journalist was shot dead outside his house in October 2002 in Haryana's Sirsa after his newspaper published a letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by Ram Rahim.

Ram Rahim was named as the main conspirator in the case.

Chhatrapati's family had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003, seeking transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was later handed over to the CBI which filed the charge sheet in July2007.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jharkhand government Thursday announced a bonus of Rs 150 per quintal on paddy, over the Centres minimum support price of Rs 1,750 for Kharif crops for 2018-19.

The Centre has already announced a minimum support price of Rs 1,750 per quintal of paddy.

A total Rs 52 crore has been approved by the Cabinet, presided by Chief Minister Raghubar Das, in this connection, an official release said here.

The state Cabinet also approved the MoU between the statement government and the Airports Authority of India for the development of the airport at East Singhbhums Dhalbhumgarh and other airports in the state.

The Cabinet also approved a joint venture to run them, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Terming the critics of the Modi dispensation as 'compulsive contrarians', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday accused them of manufacturing falsehood and subverting democracy by weakening a sovereign elected government.

Jaitley, who is in the US for a medicial check-up, in a Facebook post said while free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of a democracy but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not.

Attacking those who believed that "this government could do no good", the minister said nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the compulsive contrarians.

"The compulsive contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them," said the blog titled 'The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic'.

Citing the tirade mounted by political parties on a host of issues including 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections, the Rafale jet deal, Jaitley said the compulsive contrarians believe that every act of the Narendra Modi-led government must be opposed.

He also listed out other key issues concerning Justice Loya case, the CBI issue, RBI debate, judicial activism while highlighting how the critics have launched a crusade against the government.

Without naming the Congress or other opposition parties, Jaitley said "there are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule. Some who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left obviously found the NDA government wholly unacceptable. Hence emerged a new class of compulsive contrarians, who run perpetual propaganda".

They picked holes in every proposal that empowered people or strengthened country, be it 10 per cent reservation for the poor, Aadhaar, Demonetisation, GST, CBI issues, RBI and government relation, Rafale fighter aircraft, or no issues in Supreme Court or Judge Loya case, the minister said.

"These actions reveal the mindset of the compulsive contrarians. Weakening a sovereign elected government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy," he wrote.

The senior BJP leader questioned, "Didn't left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement?"



Referring to the controversy over untimely death of Justice Loya, Jaitley said that every fact alleged in the public space by the compulsive contrarians was "manufactured". "The Judge died a natural death due to a cardiac stroke," he said.

Accusing critics of concocting falsehood in the Rafale jet deal, the minister said, "This is a deal where Prime Minister Modi should be credited with saving thousands of crores of the country."



On the issue of infighting in the CBI and the subsequent transfer of its chief, Jaitley said it is the duty of the sovereign government to ensure the cleaning-up of each of the investigative agencies and the government was only concerned with their accountability and integrity. "The contrarians chose to side with the questionable."He said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge as a petitioner in the CBI chief's case before the Supreme Court should have recused himself from sitting on the committee, which took a decision regarding the transfer of CBI chief.

Referring to the press conference by the four judges of the Supreme Court last year, Jaitley said it has done "more damage to India's judicial institutions than many would have envisaged. It brought judges into public gaze as factionalised and battling for their own turf space".

On the recent rift with the Reserve Bank, he said there have been many instances when the government has differed with the Reserve Bank.

"The government in recent months have strongly felt that certain sectors of the economy needed credit and liquidity support. Squeezing out both would eventually hurt this sector as also hurt growth," the finance minister noted.

Every stakeholder in the market was in agreement with the government position but the contrarians deflected the credit and liquidity issue to the issue of autonomy, he said, adding that the government after all was only addressing the autonomous RBI and asking it to resolve the issues which lay in its domain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man, suspected to be a drug peddler, was arrested and seven kilograms of poppy was seized from his possession in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district Thursday, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team intercepted the man, identified as Mansoor of south Kashmir, and seized the poppy from him, they said.

A case has been registered, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A religious teacher and another person were placed under restriction order (RO) by Singapore authorities for extremist teachings that promote violence, according to a Ministry of Home Affairs statement.

Murad Mohd Said, 46, has been placed on a RO under the Internal Security Act for spreading exclusivist and extremist teachings that promote violence, the statement issued Wednesday stated.

He taught that it was compulsory to kill apostates, defined broadly to include non-believers, Sufis, Shi'ites, and Muslims who have renounced Islam or disregarded texts and rulings from the Quran and Sunnah, it said.

The statement said a person issued a RO has to adhere several conditions and restrictions such as not allowed to travel out of Singapore and change address and employment.

Said also taught that Muslims were allowed to defend themselves by waging armed jihad against infidels who persecuted them, it said.

Murad also encouraged his students to withdraw from Singapore's secular society, disregard secular laws, and adhere to the rulings of Syariah law instead, the ministry said said.

His student Razali Abas, a 56-year-old technician, met him in 2012 and started attending his classes. Abas was placed under a RO to prevent him from continuing his downward spiral into extremism, the statement said.

Over time, Abas became convinced that it was legitimate to kill those he felt were oppressors of Islam, it said



He began to seek out individuals with militant-looking profiles on Facebook, seeing them as heroes who were making sacrifices he could not make himself, according to the statement..

It said their posts also reinforced his belief in armed violence and his admiration and support for terrorist groups such as the Al Qaeda.

The statement added that Murad's binary us versus them worldview and violent teachings, which he propagated to his students and followers, could have led them to develop extremist views, as well as lead to inter- and intra-faith tensions.

His statements on the primacy of Syariah law over secular laws also undermine Singapore's secular nation-state system, the ministry said



Murad is no longer accredited as a freelance religious teacher by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis). It is mandatory for Islamic religious teachers to be accredited under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme since January 2017, according to the statement.

While Murad was issued an RO on December 5, Abas was placed under the order in October last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian-American Democratic lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthy has been appointed as a member of a Congressional committee on intelligence, becoming the first South Asian to serve in the powerful body tasked to strengthen America's national security.

Krishnamoorthy, 45, who represents Illinois's 8th congressional district in the House, was chosen along with Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York and Peter Welch of Vermont as the four new Democratic members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) for the 116th Congress.

The HPSCI is tasked with overseeing the activities and budget of the 17 intelligence agencies of the US.

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi appointed Krishnamoorthi Wednesday.

Pelosi said: "Our new members of the Intelligence Committee bring exceptional judgment, expertise and determination to our mission to honour that oath and, guided by the strong, principled leadership of Chairman Adam Schiff, will restore the long tradition of bipartisanship and integrity of this critical committee.

"We look forward to the many contributions these new members will bring to Democrats' work to strengthen America's national security and defend our democracy".

Krishnamoorthi, after Pelosi announced his appointment, said: "It is very humbling to be chosen to serve on the Intelligence Committee in this Congress, and I am ready to join with my colleagues in preserving the safety and security of our nation".

"The intelligence challenges and international threats facing our country today are vast, ranging from terrorism to cyberwarfare to investigating Russia's previous and continuing attempts to sabotage our democracy.

"I am honoured that the Speaker and Caucus have placed their trust in me and the contributions I'll make to the Committee. When I took the oath of office, I swore to protect and defend the Constitution from all threats, foreign and domestic, and I know that the work we do under the leadership of Chairman Adam Schiff will fulfil that solemn duty," Krishnamoorthi said.

Born into a Tamil-speaking family in New Delhi, his family moved to Buffalo, New York when he was three months old.

Krishnamoorthi attended Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He also attended Harvard Law School.

Early this week, Pelosi appointed Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal to the House Education and Labour Committee.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan on Thursday described its relationship with India as "difficult" and said New Delhi lacked clarity in its policy on ties with Islamabad which is slowing down progress on resolving bilateral issues.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan's letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in September 2018 laid down a clear roadmap for starting negotiations with India but it agreed to it one day and reneged the next day.

India has made it clear to Pakistan that cross-border terrorism and talks cannot go hand-in-hand.

He also accused India of lacking clarity in policy on Pakistan.

"If there is lack of clarity, confusion or haze in policy, it is on the Indian side and only they can shed light on it."



He also said India's vague policy was clear when it sent ministers for the opening ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor and claimed next day that the visit was personal.

"We have a clear policy, as articulated by the Prime Minister's letter. We cannot have a clearer policy on India than the one we have now.

"Work continues actively on the Kartarpur Corridor on the Pakistan side. The construction of the bridge over the Ravi River is underway. The topographical and hydrological surveys have been completed, he said.

He alleged that an official of the Pakistan High Commission was detained by Indian authorities on baseless charges and forced to sign a note.

To a question that India was not giving visas to showbiz people from Pakistan, he said, "there is no such bar from our side" and Pakistan was providing visas to Indian nationals who wanted to participate in cultural and religious activities in Pakistan.

He also claimed that there was lack of progress on proposals to India about exchange of prisoners who are less than 17 or older than 65 years and visit of the Joint Judicial Commission because India was not willing to engage with Pakistan.

All these issues needed to be resolved through diplomatic channels based on the agreement between both countries, Faisal said.

"Had India replied positively to our offer for negotiations, these issues could have been resolved. We have a difficult relationship with India. There is very slow progress on these issues. Our efforts are ongoing, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India has no role in Afghanistan, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said Thursday, asserting that Islamabad played a key role in arranging direct talks between the Taliban and the US to find a peaceful solution to the longstanding Afghan problem.

Speaking at the weekly briefing, Mohammad Faisal said Pakistan always maintained that the solution to the conflict in Afghanistan lies in an Afghan-led and Afghan owned peace process.

"In pursuance of that (policy), we have facilitated direct talks between the US and the Taliban," he said.

He said Pakistan was convinced that an intra-Afghan dialogue will lead to peace and stability in the war-torn country.

"In our view, intra-Afghan dialogue is crucial for success and sustainability of peace process in Afghanistan. Pakistan will continue to support and facilitate Afghan peace process in good faith and as part of a shared responsibility," he said.

Responding to a question on India's role in the country, Faisal said "India has no role in Afghanistan".

Faisal's remarks contradict Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's earlier statement in which he acknowledged that India had stakes in Afghanistan and its cooperation was necessary for the peace process.

"Some meetings have taken place (among key stakeholders) for establishment of peace in Afghanistan. India also has stakes in Afghanistan and its cooperation will also be needed," Qureshi said last month.

India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and has committed aid worth USD 3 billion to the war-ravaged country.

Faisal said Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Qatar on an official invitation on January 21 and will meet the Amir and Prime Minister of Qatar.

"Issues of mutual interest will be discussed during the visit. The Prime Minister will discuss the import of manpower by Qatar from Pakistan," he said.

Faisal said President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espionosa will visit Pakistan from January 18 to 22, which is her first to any country in the Asia-Pacific region after her election.

During her visit, Espionosa will call on the President and the Prime Minister. The Foreign Minister will also hold a meeting with the visiting dignitary, he said.

Faisal said Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Pakistan next month and the dates were being worked out. He said both sides were busy to finalise agreements to be signed during his trip.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian incense stick exporters can now soon start shipping the product to European markets, including Italy, after putting appropriate labelling on the goods.

The exports of these sticks to Europe were earlier facing issues after Italian customs authorities seized consignments, alleging that the product contains harmful chemicals beyond a permissible limit.

The issue was immediately taken up by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu with Italian authorities for its resolution as it is a labour-intensive cottage industry.

"Thanks to a concerted effort of our embassy and competent authorities in Rome, the complex issue concerning the exports of incense sticks from India to Italy is finally resolved," Italian Ambassador to India Lorenzo Angeloni has said in his letter to Prabhu.

As Italy is a member of the European Union, restrictions on imports of these sticks from India apply to all the member countries.

Alerts concerning Indian incense sticks have been removed by the the European Union's Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) database, the Ambassador has said.

RAPEX is a rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products that permits the member countries to exchange information on those goods posing a risk to health and safety of consumers and measures taken to do away with that risk.

Following this removal, "it will be possible for Indian agarbatti (incense stick) manufacturers to export incense sticks to the EU (including Italy) upon condition that appropriate labelling is applied," he has said.

"Label should discourage the frequent use of the product while recommending proper ventilation of the room in which combustion takes place," he has added.

The Italian ministry of economic development will finalise in the coming days the necessary administrative procedures, in particular informing the border and finance police about the measures in order to avoid new seizures of the consignments, the letter said.

According to the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), India annually exports these sticks worth about Rs 450 crore to Europe.

EPCH Executive Director Rakesh Kumar said this is a welcome move that the issues have been resolved as our products are safe for use.

Largest export destinations for the product include the US, EU, the UK, Latin America and Japan.

However, the country is facing tough competition from nations such as China and Vietnam because they use modern machinery, Kumar said.

During April-November 2018, the exports of these sticks stood at USD 66.11 million.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Passengers returning from the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on board the Tata Jat Express were robbed Thursday by armed men near Delhi.

This is the second such incident to have taken place on board a train today while nearing the national capital. Earlier, passengers of the Jammu-Delhi Duronto were robbed.

The second incident happened before 2 am between Badli and Holambi Kalan, railways said.

"The train was attended by RPF and GRP at Sonipat station at 01:55 hrs, where passenger of S-8, Ramnath Maurya, reported loot of Rs 1,000 and small injury in left hand. He has been provided preliminary treatment at Panipat.

"He told that he will lodge FIR at destination station. The train was not escorted by the RPF. The matter is being thoroughly investigated," the railways said.

Passengers alleged that mobile phones, jewellery and cash were looted from them at gunpoint.

In the earlier incident, a passenger wrote descriptive details on the railways' complaints portal, alleging how they were robbed at knife point but could not find any help.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar Thursday said the IITs, IISERs and universities in the country will mentor schools located close their campuses to ensure that students do not lag behind in mathematics and science subjects.

Highlighting the importance of subjects like science, mathematics, engineering and technology in the 21st century, he said it is vital to foster research tendency among students right from the primary schools.

"Maths can be taught in an entertaining way. For the students to study and understand maths and science properly, not very big equipment, but simple ideas are required. Hence, primary school teachers play a big role," Javadekar told reporters here.

"We have decided today- the Modi government has also decided- that IITs, IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science and Research), large and good universities will mentor 10-15 nearby schools and ensure that students in those schools are given proper training in science and maths so they do not lag behind (in these subjects)," he said.

Javadekar was speaking on the sidelines of inauguration of exhibitions- one on futuristic technology and another by the American Museum of Natural History on the future of space exploration, at the Science City as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

The minister said right pedagogy is required to cultivate the interest of primary school students in these two subjects.

"Study shows that once students lag behind in maths or science, the gap increases and they fall behind further. Therefore, it is important how you explain science and mathematics to them," he said.

According to him, the Modi government has taken many steps to promote the culture of innovation in the country by setting up innovation and incubation centres, allowing start-ups to run even from hostel rooms, launching IMPRINT India initiative, offering Rs 1 lakh per month to the PM Research Fellows, among others.

He said over 100 research projects are currently going on in Indian institutes and universities, and the government has so far set up 2,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and will establish another 3,000 such facilities across the country.

He said participation in Smart India Hackathon has grown from 40,000 to 1.5 lakh in three years.

"On the basis of all this, I am sure our investment in research will grow, and an environment of science, engineering, technology, mathematics, research and attitude of innovation will start in schools...We are encouraging the tendency (among students) to explore solutions to the society's problems," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India Thursday said it will increase prices of its vehicles by up to Rs 10,000 from next month in order to partially offset the impact of increase in commodity prices and

The company will hike price of its premium SUV CR-V by Rs 10,000 and other models by up to Rs 7,000 from February, India Ltd (HCIL) said in a statement.

"There has been a huge pressure on costs owing to commodity prices and and we had been trying to hold this increase for as long as possible. However, we are now compelled to pass on a part of the increased costs to customers effective February 1," HCIL Senior Vice President and Director Sales and Marketing Rajesh Goel said.

The company currently sells a range of products in the country from hatchback Brio to premium sedan Accord Hybrid.

Earlier, during the month, Maruti Suzuki India had announced price hike for its select models by up to Rs 10,000.

Besides MSI, automakers like Toyota Kirloskar Motor and utility vehicle maker Isuzu Motors India had also announced plans to hike prices of their respective models from January this year.The Union Health Ministry has banned80 more fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs which include antibiotics, painkillers, medicines used for treating fungal and bacterial infections, hypertension and anxiety, officials said Thursday.

A notification was issued by the government, stating that the ban has come into force since January 11, they said.

With this, the total number of banned FDCs now stand at 405. Another 325 drugs were banned in September last year.

The latter, however, remain available on account of the legal challenge mounted by affected pharma firms, the officials said.

A fixed-dose combination contains two or more drugs combined in a fixed ratio of doses, available as a single dose.

"Eighty new FDCs have been banned under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940), which prohibits the manufacture, sale and distribution of these drugs," a senior Health Ministry official said.

According to the notification, some of the drugs that have been banned include antibiotics like Cefglobe OZ, Taxim -OZ, drugs used for treating bacterial and fungal infections like Orflaz kitand Vaginobact, hypertension drugs like Telipril H and Loram H and anti anxiety drug Resta (combination of Paracetamol+ Alprazolam).

These drugs were banned on the recommendation of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which examined the rationality and safety of these FDCs.

These FDCs are among over 294 drugs that were banned in 2007, but the pharma companies approached court, sources said.

Later, the matter reached the Supreme Court, which send it to the DTAB to examine their efficacy, they said.

On December 15, 2017, the DTAB submitted its recommendations and the apex court accepted their suggestions and recommended that certain FDCs, out of 294 FDCs, are not rational and are required to be prohibited or withdrawn, sources said.

In September last year, the Health Ministry banned 325 FDCs, out of which the Supreme Court allowed the sale of three drugs, including Saridon. The ban on the other FDCs was challenged, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In an unusual case, the Bombay High Court Thursday refused to quash an FIR for rape even though the 'victim' stated she had a consensual relationship with the accused.

The accused, currently 19 years old, is in judicial custody. He had moved the court seeking to quash the First Information Report.

A bench of justices B P Dharmadhikari and Revati Mohite-Dere, however, noted that the accused was not yet of legally marriageable age.

The FIR can be quashed only after the accused turns 21, the judges said, posting the matter for final hearing.

The accused's lawyer pointed out that the woman, in her statement to the magistrate, had said that their relationship was consensual and hence there was no offence made out even prima facie.

To which the bench said, "We still can not quash the FIR. We can keep the matter pending, post it for final hearing and hear the arguments on merit then."



In the meantime, the accused can approach the trial court for bail, the bench said.

The accused, in his petition filed through advocate Shankar Katkar, claimed he and the victim, both 19 years old and residents of Raigad district, were in love.

In December 2018, when they had gone out, a colleague of the woman spotted them and informed her mother.

Before the woman returned home, her mother had registered a case of kidnapping against the accused. The woman's parents later got the police to add the charge of rape under Section 376 of the IPC to the FIR, the petition claimed.

Subsequently, the two families met and agreed to end the case as the couple wished to marry.

The woman, through her lawyers Manisha Deokar and Prashant Hagare, told the bench that the relationship was consensual.

However, the boy's age posed a problem after the state's counsel F R Shaikh pointed out that for a man the legal age of marriage is 21.

His lawyer told the bench that he was also ready to submit an undertaking that he would marry the girl.

The high court said such undertaking did not have any significance. "What will we do with the undertaking now when this marriage will not be deemed legal since he hasn't reached the legally permissible age yet?" the bench said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bombay High Court Thursday granted bail to Dhananjay Desai, an accused in a case related to the killing of IT professional Mohsin Shaikh in Pune in 2014.

According to police, Shaikh was killed by three men after they were "provoked" by an inflammatory speech delivered by Desai.

Justice Sadhana Jadhav granted bail to Desai against a bail bond and surety of Rs 50,000.

His lawyer Abhijeet Desai said a detailed order giving reasons for the grant of bail will be available Monday.

As per the prosecution, on June 2, 2014, Desai-led Hindu Rashtra Sena had organised a meeting in Hadaspar area of Pune following the circulation of morphed pictures of King Shivaji, former Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and some Hindu deities.

The police alleged that Desai had given a provocative speech instigating the audience at the meeting. Afterwards, some of the attendees had gine on a rampage.

Three of them spotted two men on a motorbike, one of them spotting a beard, and attacked them. The victims, Mohsin and Riyaz, were both IT professionals.

Riyaz managed to escape but Mohsin died in the attack. Desai was subsequently arrested.

He had sought bail arguing that he had no role to play in the incident and was not even present at the spot.

In January 2017, another bench of the high court had granted bail to prime accused Vijay Gambhire, Ajay Lalge and Ganesh Yadav, observing that the killing wasn't a pre-meditated one and the accused had been provoked in the name of religion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Militants carried out a grenade attack on a security picket at Zero Bridge in the city on Thursday, leaving at least three traffic policemen injured, police said.

The attack took place less than 100 metres from the National Conference headquarters and the local office of All India Radio.

"Militants hurled a grenade at a security forces picket near Zero Bridge on Rajbagh side. At least three personnel were hurt in the attack," a police official said.

The injured including an Assistant Sub Inspector of the traffic police, the official said.

He said security forces have cordoned off the area and a manhunt has been launched to nab the attackers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday survived a confidence vote after a row over a landmark name deal with Macedonia sunk his four-year coalition.

A total of 151 lawmakers supported Tsipras' government out of 299 present, including several independent MPs, the official count showed.

"Parliament today gave a vote of confidence to stability (and) the effort to regain the country's international credibility," Tsipras told reporters after the vote.

"To a government which has already changed Greece and will continue until the completion of its constitutionally-mandated term," he said.

Despite the victory, the subsequent fate of Tsipras' government -- and whether he will complete his four-year term which ends in September -- is far from certain.

The PM now faces an immediate challenge to also push through parliament the controversial name deal with neighbouring Macedonia, which has sparked protests in both countries.

In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, the 44-year-old leftist leader insisted his government "has another nine months and very important tasks to carry out," pointing to elections in October.

Among his goals are a revision of the constitution, a minimum wage increase and the completion of a property deal with the church that was recently blocked by senior bishops.

"We do not seek (the support of) 151 lawmakers just to complete our term, but in order to carry out specific political initiatives," government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Open TV on Wednesday.

Yet many Greeks think the elections could take place earlier than October and may even be called to coincide with European and local elections in May, if not sooner.

Another protest will be held in Athens on Sunday against the agreement with Skopje to rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia.

Main opposition leader Kyriakos Misotakis of the New Democracy conservatives called Tsipras a "fortune-hunter" and "cheap demagogue" who had built a career on lies.

"You took power with lies, managed it with lies, and will leave it will lies," Mitsotakis said during the confidence vote debate.

"You've dealt enough damage to the country... you see your end approaching," Mitsotakis, who leads Tsipras in opinion polls, told leftist MPs.

The name-change deal aims to resolve a 27-year diplomatic dispute, but it broke up Tsipras' coalition with the nationalist ANEL party at the weekend, ending their four-year partnership.

Macedonian lawmakers last week approved the deal, but it will only come into effect if it is also backed by the Greek parliament.

Athens has not given a date for the vote on the Macedonia deal, but Tsipras recently said it would be before the end of January.

The European Union and NATO have hailed the agreement which would lift Greek objections to Macedonia joining both organisations.

The proposal faces resistance in Greece because of what critics see as the implied claims to Greek land and cultural heritage.

For most Greeks, Macedonia is the name of their history-rich northern province made famous by Alexander the Great's conquests.

In many cities in northern Greece, posters were put up overnight to urge local lawmakers to vote against the deal. A number of MPs also said they had received anonymous threats.

Police made several arrests over the poster incident, and are investigating the threats.

ANEL chief Panos Kammenos, Tsipras' former coalition partner, on Wednesday said the name deal should be put to a referendum.

Much will depend on the stance of small pro-EU party To Potami, whose position hardened this week after Tsipras poached one of their lawmakers.

"You may have found 151 lawmakers for the confidence vote but you will not find 151 to back the (Macedonia) deal," the party's parliamentary spokesman Panos Amyras told the government on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav Thursday termed the proposed 'Grand Alliance' of the opposition parties as a "non-starter".

"The maha gat bandhan (grand alliance) has fallen flat. It is a non-starter. Delhi and Odisha chief Ministers said they have nothing to do with Congress. The two big political parties in Uttar Pradesh said Congress no entry," he told a press conference here.

"There is utter chaos and confusion in the name of grand alliance, Yet efforts are on by them to create an illusion in the minds of the people that through a kind of a grand alliance they can defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

The BJP general secretary said "We have vision, have the capacity to give a stable government. On the other hand the opposition has no vision, or the capacity and commitment to give a stable government."



Madhav claimed that the BJP will come back with a greater majority together with NDA allies will form another strong and stable government to take forward the development agenda of Modi's vision for new India.

"Look at our opposition on the other hand. There is no opposition. ... no leader in the country to match Modi's leadership, popularity, his vision. Their alliance is without any visions, programmes, without any ideas or ideologies. They have only a single point agenda stop Modi," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration on Thursday booked five land mafias, who illegally sold land plots to gullible buyers along the flood-prone banks of Yamuna river, under the stringent Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act.

Those booked have been identified as Vijay Pal, Satya Kumar Singh and Sushil Dubey, all three of Delhi, besides Harveer Singh of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Pratosh Kumar Bhati of Dibai, Bulandshahr, the administration said.

District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh, based on a report by Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna, pressed the charges under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986 against them, an official statement said.

"These land mafias had illegally alloted plots along the bank of the Yamuna river in flood-prone regions to the poor people luring them with cheap property rates," it said.

"Their actions have been deemed dangerous for life and property of the common man, and led to a situation of panic and fear among locals which is why nobody is coming forward to testify against them," it added.

The administration has booked at least eight land mafias in last 40 days under the stringent Act, which provides special provisions for the prevention of, and for coping with, gangsters and anti-social activities and for connected matters.

Since April 2017, the administration has invoked the Gangsters Act against more than 600 anti-social elements including drug and liquor mafias, rogue builders.

"The district administration is committed to ensuring continuous strict action against people of criminal nature. Therefore, similar action will be taken in future against the mafia and criminals under the Gangsters Act and the Goonda Act besides considering their expulsion from the district," Singh was quoted as saying in the statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid speculation that the BJP-led central government may introduce an income support scheme, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday said food surpluses have caused both food prices and farmers' income to plunge, posing a policy challenge.

Speaking a fortnight ahead of the Budget, he underlined that there have been precedents of interim budgets containing major policy announcements to tackle an urgent situation.

"Our farmers have increased productivity and we have moved into a surplus area. Management of the surplus is constituting a challenge for us for the last several years.... The prices have fallen," Jaitley said.

The finance minister, currently undergoing treatment in New York, was speaking through video conferencing at CNBC-TV18's Indian Business Leadership Awards here.

The fall in food prices in the last few months indicated the poor income farmers are making, he said.

"Situations like calamity, drought, stress...(spending to tackle them) can't be considered as populist expenditure," he said, exuding confidence that markets can distinguish between a populist measure and something driven by a compelling situation.

Stating that the government has notched up success in many areas but is also facing challenges, he said some of them need urgent action.

"Some of those challenges really can't afford to wait. Therefore, obviously, there will be a necessity to address some of them. It has happened in the past. Therefore, we intend working within the parameters of the conventions that exist," he said.

Jaitley, however, refrained from shedding more light on the government's plans ahead of the Budget.

The government has been moving on "a glide path" on the fiscal consolidation front, unless some "unsual situation" demanded something, he said.

It can be noted that as per the data available till November, the government has already breached its budgeted fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent. Economists have raised fear that the government may announce populist measures ahead of elections, which may lead to a higher fiscal deficit.

On the RBI, Jaitley said the government and the central bank have always had consultations despite some differences that played out recently.

The government raising its concerns should not be construed as a breach of RBI's autonomy, as in a consultative process one has to express oneself freely and frankly, the finance minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Following is the timeline of the



developments leading to Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on dance bars in Maharashtra.

Stating that there can be "regulations" but not "total prohibition", the Court paved the way for reopening of dance bars in the state by setting aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and functioning.

August 15, 2005: Maharashtra government imposes ban on operation of dance bars. The ban does not include dancing in three star-plus hotels and clubs.

2005: The ban is challenged in the Bombay High Court by bar owners and dancers associations.

April 12, 2006: The Bombay High Court revokes the ban after noting that it was discriminatory and in violation of law.

2006: Maharashtra government appeals against the HC order in Supreme Court. The apex court admits the petition.

July 2013: The SC upholds HC order revoking the ban.

2014: Maharashtra government, instead of implementing the SC orders, amends section 33 (A) of the Maharashtra Police Act by which it prohibited dancing of any type in all bars, hotels and restaurants across the hospitality industry.

2014: The Indian Hotels and Restaurants Owners Association approaches SC challenging the amendment.

October 2015 and March 2016: SC strikes down the amendment prohibiting dancing of any type in all bars, hotels and restaurants.

2016: Maharashtra government enacts a new law, the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, which imposes restrictions and provisions on licensing and functioning of dance bars.

2016: The new law is challenged in SC by several associations.

August 2018: SC concludes hearing in the matter and reserves its judgement.

January 17, 2019: SC paves way for reopening of dance bars and sets aside several restrictions and provisions of the 2016 Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP on Thursday reacted furiously to Congress MP B K Hariprasad's controversial 'swine flu' dig at BJP president Amit Shah, saying that flu is curable but "mental illness" of the opposition party's leaders is difficult to treat.

Demanding that the Congress should sack Hariprasad and tender a public apology for these "abhorrent" remarks, the BJP claimed that the opposition party's "silence" over these comments show that all such "toxic" views have the sanction of its leadership.

In Bengaluru, Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha member of the Congress, had mocked the health condition of Shah, saying he contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

"The kind of ugly and indecent comments Congress MP B K Hariprasad have made about BJP president Amit Shah's health show the standards of the Congress. Flu is curable but it is difficult to cure Congress leaders' mental illness," Union minister Piyush Goyal said.

Apart from Goyal several union ministers, including Rajyavardhan Rathore, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and BJP leaders reacted sharply to Hariprasad's remarks.

"This is a completely abhorrent and ugly statement. They don't even have the basic decency as to how to react to a person's illness," Naqvi said.

Expressing his sadness over "cheap statements", Rathore said he was not surprised to see Congress leaders completely abandon decency and dignity. Such comments also show the frustration of the Congress leadership, he added.

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said Hariprasad's comments show the "moral degeneration" of the Congress, its complete "bankruptcy" of thoughts and "lack of moral values".

"The fact that the Congress leadership is silent on Hariprasad comments clearly establishes all such toxic comments have sanction of the leadership. And if they want to really disapprove of his remarks, Rahul Gandhi should sack Hariprasad and should make him apologise publicly to Amit Shah," Rao added.

Another party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain described Hariprasad's remarks as "shameful", saying this is the real face of the Congress.

Noting that Shah had himself informed people about his illness, Hussain said the Congress leader's comments would hurt people across the country.

Shah was diagnosed with swine flu and admitted to the AIIMS Wednesday. Later, he informed people about his illness in a tweet.

The party on Thursday said that he is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Election Commission on Thursday directed the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) to ask the city police to investigate the "fake news" of Lok Sabha poll schedule being circulated on social media.

The CEO has also been asked to seek action against unnamed persons and entities under relevant laws to prevent rumour-mongering, official sources said here.

The fake has been circulating on social media networks like Facebook and WhatsApp for the past one week.

The office of the CEO Thursday issued a letter to the Delhi Police, asking it to investigate the matter and take "immediate necessary action".

"It is brought to your kind notice that fake related to the schedule of general election 2019, has been found in circulation



on various social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp etc." the letter reads.

The Delhi CEO office said the publication of such "fake news" is causing severe confusion to the public, thereby creating "public nuisance and mischief".

"Accordingly, I am directed to request you to investigate the matter and take immediate necessary actions against unnamed persons and entities under relevant laws," it said.

The action taken in this regard "may be informed to the undersigned for perusal of CEO, Delhi and onwards submission to the Election Commission," the letter, written by a senior official, said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Dutch journalist based in Turkey was deported from the country on Thursday, a day after she was arrested, on suspicion of links to terrorism, Turkish officials said.

The officials said Ans Boersma's deportation was not related to her journalistic activity but that Ankara had received a tip-off from the Dutch police that she had links to a terror group.

Boersma, a freelance journalist based in Istanbul who has contributed articles to the financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, had announced she had been expelled.

"I got arrested yesterday (Wednesday), got deported this morning. Flying out now," she said in a messaging group for foreign journalists in Turkey.

Fahrettin Altun, communications director at the Turkish presidency, confirmed her expulsion but said it "was in no way related to her journalistic activities during her stay in Turkey."



"The Turkish authorities have recently received intelligence from the Dutch police that Ms Boersma had links to a designated terrorist organisation and a request for information about her movements in and out of Turkey," he said.

It was not immediately clear to which terror group the journalist had alleged links.

A number of groups including the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Islamic State have carried out a spate of attacks in Turkey in recent years.

"Due to the seriousness of the threat, we work closely with our friends and allies, including the Netherlands, and rely on their insights to identify and neutralise threats against Turkish and European security," Altun said.

Until now, the Turkish authorities, with help from their international partners, have blacklisted tens of thousands of individuals with links to terrorist organisations as part of an ongoing effort to combat extremism, he noted.

Another Turkish official, who wished to remain anonymous, said Boersma's press credentials were valid until January 31, 2019.

Human rights defenders have raised concerns over a clampdown on freedom of expression in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with dozens of journalists and civil society activists put behind bars.

Turkey is ranked 157th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

In December, a Turkish court ordered the release from jail of an Austrian student and journalist charged with being a member of a terror group.

Max Zirngast, who writes for the far-left German-language magazine Re:volt, had been formally arrested by an Ankara court in September.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi University teachers held a protest march from the Ramlila Ground to Parliament Street on Thursday, demanding the absorption of ad-hoc teachers in the varsity.

The protesters marched till Jantar Mantar, where they were stopped by the police and later detained.

"The Supreme Court (had) in July set down a 200-point roster and we are agitating for its restoration. HRD Minister Prakash Javdekar had said that they will file a special litigation plea (SLP). He also said that the SLP might take ages and they will bring an ordinance to undo the decision of the Supreme Court," said Bhupender Chaudhary, former treasurer of the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA).

"After the Madhya Pradesh election, they have changed their position. They lost MP on the basis of reservation and they have brought the 10-per cent (reservation) for economically-weaker sections and they do not want to restore the 200-point roster for the SC/ST/OBC. They believe that it will eliminate the upper caste if they will do it," Chaudhary added.

Rityusha from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College said their demand was to restore the 200-point roster. "We are asking for absorption and regularisation of permanent jobs. The government made a massive contractualisation since last evening after the academic council meeting happened. The way we are demanding, they are going in to the opposition direction."



The varsity's academic council had on Wednesday passed a provision to have 10-per cent of permanent positions as contractual appointments, a move that was met with opposition by some members.

As many as 5,000 ad-hoc teachers teaching in the university for so many years and they are equally qualified, they should get a chance to become the regular teachers, Saima from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bombay High Court Thursday told the CBI and the Maharashtra CID not to completely rely on the revelations made in the Gauri Lankesh case and conduct an independent probe into the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Left leader Govind Pansare.

A bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and M S Karnik asked both the probe agencies to make a "sincere effort" towards tracing the absconding accused in Pansare and Dabholkar cases.

The directions came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state CID submitted its progress report before the bench.

The bench noted that the SIT had said, among other things, that it was questioning those arrested by the authorities in Karnataka in the murder case of journalist Gauri Lankesh, to help trace the absconding accused in Pansare case.

The bench noted that on the previous hearings too, both the CBI and the SIT had submitted that they were questioning the accused in Lankesh case to get information on the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare respectively.

"You are questioning the accused in another case in Karnataka...but the report (SIT's progress report) doesn't reveal what the actual measures you are taking to arrest the absconding accused," the bench said.

"You cannot rely completely on the revelations made by the accused in another case. How long will this go on? You have to conduct an independent probe, gather some independent material, especially since these crimes in Maharashtra (killings of Pansare and Dabholkar) took place before the crime in Karnataka," the bench said.

The CBI, however, argued through its counsel Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, that its officers were doing their best to trace the absconding accused.

"It is not as if our officers are not doing anything. They are taking all possible steps and only very capable officers have been chosen to take part in these two operations (CBI's and the CID's)," Singh submitted.

The bench also said that it seemed as if the probe machinery in Karnataka was making much headway, but the agencies in Maharashtra had failed to do so, especially due to bureaucratic hassles and lack of coordination with each other.

"The unfortunate part is that in one state the machinery gets full assistance, while in our state, either the machinery is not working or not getting cooperation," the bench said.

ASG Singh, however, submitted that the probe authorities in Maharashtra worked "better than anyone else."



"Some arrests have been made in both the cases (Pansare and Dabholkar) and we will file a charge sheet soon in the Dabholkar case," Singh said.

The bench has now directed both the CBI and the CID to submit their respective further progress reports by February 6.

Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013 in Pune while on his morning walk. Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries a few days later on February 20.

The CBI and the state CID are probing the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare, respectively. The high court has been hearing a plea filed by the family members of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking a court-monitored probe in both the cases.

As per the probe agencies, some accused persons, including one Sharad Kalaskar, arrested in Lankesh case have revealed that they also had links to the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Aviation regulator DGCA Thursday banned IndiGo and GoAir from operating their A320 neo planes to Port Blair in the wake of problems with their Pratt & Whitney engines.

Against the backdrop of instances of P&W engine problems, including mid-air shutdowns, the watchdog has issued directions with respect to flying these aircraft by the two budget carriers.

IndiGo and GoAir operate A320 neo planes powered by P&W engines.

The regulator has barred the airlines from operating the planes to Port Blair since the nearest landing place in case of any emergency is more than one hour away, according to an official.

In a communication, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said restriction has been "imposed on flight operations to Port Blair with A320 Neo aircraft".

On January 8, the Civil Aviation Ministry reviewed the performance of A320 neo planes with P&W 1100 series engines. During the meeting, it was decided to issue directive in addition to the existing measures related to combustion chambers and No.3 bearing issues for identifying and correcting impending failures of dry face seal.

Among others, the two carriers have been directed to carry out certain inspections of the P&W engines, including weekly inspection of the 3rd stage LPT blade.

For new engines, certain inspection has to be done at the first oil filter change. "For engines that have already has the first oil filter change and are less than the 1,000 FH (Flight Hour) of operation time, perform BSI at next opportunity or A check whichever is earlier," the communication said.

With respect to the engines, the watchdog has also asked the airlines to create awareness among cabin and cockpit crew about "odour/ burning smell/ smoke (even if slightest) during approach phase and positive reporting to cockpit crew for necessary action".

If any odour or smoke is observed in air-conditioning pack air, the cockpit crew need to identify the source of odour by isolating packs one at a time. Also, all such cases in cabin during operation should be recorded for necessary investigation, the DGCA said.

Certain set of components used in aircraft engines are referred to as packs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi's air quality deteriorated further on Thursday to severe category due to reduced wind speed that prevented the dispersion of pollutants even as the CPCB slapped Rs 1 crore fine each on three civic bodies of Delhi.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall air quality index (AQI) in the city was 443, which falls in the severe category.

The CPCB has asked Reliance Industries why a fine of Rs 1 crore should not be slapped on it and prosecution not initiated over non compliance of the National Green Tribunal order on installation of anti-pollution "vapour recovery" systems (VRS) at fuel stations.

The CPCB slapped Rs 1 crore fine each on three civic bodies of the city over open burning, dumping of waste, illegal running of plastic industries in non-conforming residential areas.

In three separate notices to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the CPCB said it was observed that open dumping of garbage contributes over 13 per cent and open garbage burning over 11 per cent in the air pollution incidents in the Delhi-NCR region.

Air samples taken from Delhi and Gurgaon in the last two months showed presence of alarming levels of toxic heavy metals, according to a report titled 'Death in Every Breath' released by NGO Lung Care Foundation.

It analysed results of seven samples taken from New Delhi and Gurgaon.

The air quality was 'severe' till Sunday but increased wind speed of 20 km/hr significantly improved it to the poor category on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the air quality again deteriorated as the wind speed dropped and was recorded in the very poor category.

On Thursday, as many as 31 areas recorded 'severe' air quality and two 'very poor' air quality, the CPCB said.

In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Greater Noida recorded 'severe' air quality while Gurgaon recorded 'very poor' air quality, it said.

The overall PM2.5 level fine particulate matters in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers in Delhi was 345, while the PM10 level was 513, it said.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said air quality index over Delhi touched the "severe" category.

"Both the components of particulate matters viz. PM2.5 and PM10 touched severe level. In all probability, the AQI is expected to go up further within severe range until Friday," the SAFAR said.

Meanwhile, the CPCB also questioned Reliance Industries of why fines should fine not be slapped on it over non-compliance of the NGT order.

In a letter dated January 8, the CPCB said Reliance Industries informed it that installation of VRS stage II at retail outlets selling less than 300 KL/month has been completed but no compliance status was submitted with respect to installation of VRS IB at these stations.

Vapour recovery system 1B is used to control the vapour released during the offloading of fuel at distribution centres. Vapour recovery system Stage 2 is used to control the vapour while the fuel is transferred from holding tanks to vehicles.

"The above status indicates non-compliance of the NGT order and therefore, in view of above, a notice is hereby served to show cause as to why compensation of Rs 1 crore shall not be levied and prosecution not initiated against Reliance Industries for non-compliance of the order," CPCB chairperson S P S Parihar said in the notice.

In December, the CPCB had imposed fine on public sector oil firms -- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

In three separate notices to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the CPCB said an environmental compensation of Rs 1 crore each has to be paid by the three bodies by January 31, failing which prosecution will be initiated in accordance with law.

The CPCB also slapped fines on the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation of Rs 1 lakh over dumping of waste openly.

The report released by NGO Lung Care Foundation said the PM2.5 levels in all the seven samples were above statutory limits.

"The PM2.5 levels ranged from 90.3 ug/m3 to 563.5 ug/m3 and were between 1.5 and 9.4 times higher than standards prescribed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)," the study said.

The levels of manganese in five of the seven samples exceed the US EPA Reference Concentration for exposure to manganese (0.05 ug/m3) and the WHO annual health-based guidelines value of 0.15 ug/m3.

"Levels of lead in six of the seven samples exceed the U.S. EPA 3 -month average for exposure to lead (0.15 ug/m3) and in two samples exceeds the Indian NAAQS Annual and WHO annual health-based guidelines value of 0.05 ug/m3," it said.

Nickel levels in all samples exceed the WHO annual health-based guidelines value of 0.0025 ug/m3, which is based on the risk of cancer associated with long-term exposure to nickel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court on Thursday bid farewell to Justice Sanjiv Khanna after his elevation to the Supreme Court.

Justice Khanna, who will be sworn in on Friday, will have his tenure as the apex court judge till May 14, 2025, and is likely to be the Chief Justice of India for six months as per seniority. Before him, Justice D Y Chandrachud is expected to be the CJI and his term will end on November 10, 2024.

The superannuation of judges of the top court is at the age of 65 years.

Justice Khanna, 58, will take oath as Supreme Court judge along with Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajendra Menon, whose name was earlier recommended for elevation by the apex court collegium and then put on the back burner, congratulated Justice Khanna and observed that he "discharged his duty with utmost honesty and sincerity" and gave "quality judgements".

While Justice Menon expressed his best wishes to Justice Khanna, Delhi Bar Council chairman K C Mittal said there was a feeling among the lawyers that other senior judges and the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court "should have been given their due".

"But destiny nobody can change," Mittal added.

Apart from Justice Menon, Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court Pradeep Nandrajog was also recommended by the collegium in December last year for elevation to the apex court.

Delhi High Court's Justice S Ravindra Bhat, who is senior to Justice Khanna, was recommended for heading the Rajasthan High Court after Justice Nandrajog's elevation.

However, the collegium on January 10 put its earlier recommendations on the back burner and forwarded the names of Justice Khanna and Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari for elevation to the apex court.

Mittal, in his speech, said that these developments indicated that there was a need to "streamline" the collegium system to make it "transparent, accountable and objective".

Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra, who also spoke at the event, welcomed the elevation saying "life has come full circle for the Khanna family".

He said, "In 1977, late Justice Hans Raj Khanna, uncle of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, was overlooked for the post of Chief Justice of India by the then Prime Minister of India during Emergency, for his minority judgement in the highly publicised ADM Jabalpur case wherein he disagreed with the remaining four judges of the bench and ruled that fundamental rights cannot be suspended even during such periods, like the Emergency.

"Being superseded as the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, Justice H R Khanna promptly resigned from the court and now after more than four decades, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, his nephew, because of sheer hardwork, simplicity and intellect is all set to grace the highest office of CJI immediately after Justice D Y Chandrachud's tenure gets over."



Justice Khanna, who spoke last at the event, said his elevation to the apex court has come as a surprise.

Justice Khanna, son of late Justice D R Khanna of the Delhi High Court, also said that his elevation in 2004 to the Delhi High Court came after some delay as his name "went up and down" before he was finally appointed as an additional judge.

Justice Khanna was confirmed as a permanent judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005.

"My elevation to the high court in 2004 was after a long gap of my name going up and down. But I do not have any regrets or feeling about it. I think I joined the bench at the right time," he said.

He also expressed gratitude to Chief Justice Menon for exhibiting extreme calmness and composure in his working of thought and to Justice Bhat for being a pillar of support and guiding him throughout.

"As a judge my philosophy was very simple that judges are keepers of law and the qualities they need for that task are not that of creative law makers.... if a judge takes sides, he uses appearance of impartiality and quite possibly impartiality itself. I have to some extend modified this position and the principle keeping in mind the realities of today.

"What is meant by the words fair, impartial and justice? Their meaning becomes clear when the judiciary resolves a dispute free from improper outside influence, self interest, prejudice or favouritism while applying the rule of law to the facts of the cases treating or effecting all persons equal in the due process," he added.

Justice Khanna said that the judiciary must uphold highest level of integrity in all actions and a critical element in achieving or receiving a fair and impartial justice is judicial independence.

He also highlighted some of the difficulties being faced by the judiciary today, which include delay in disposal of cases.

"Without timely disposal there cannot be optimum utilisation of rule of law... The other question which we must engage our attention to is the high cost of litigation for pursuing a legal remedy or defending a claim.

"Third is we must remove the impression that no one can come to the court and succeed unless there is any element of falsehood introduced in the evidence," he said.

He said that as a judge, he has realised that sometimes there is no office as powerful as the judge an at the same time it is frightful and defenceless.

He mentioned the names of various persons who impressed him, including Justices A K Sikri and Rajinder Sachar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delay in sitting of benches headed by three senior most judges including the Chief Justice of India in the Supreme Court on Thursday set tongues wagging.

Lawyers and litigants were seen rushing to Court number 1, Court number 2 and Court number 4 but they were told that sitting of the benches would be delayed.

While the bench of court number 1, which is headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, sat at 12.15, the benches of court number 2 and 4 headed by justices A K Sikri and N V Ramana assembled at 11.30 AM and 11 AM respectively.

The benches generally assemble at 10.30 am.

Lawyers, litigants and journalists were seen waiting for proceedings to begin, wondering what was the cause for the delay.

"Is there some meeting going on among senior judges," one of them asked.

Justice Sikri then came to the dais along with justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer and said he was unwell and doctor had advised him rest.

"Sorry, I came late. I was advised rest but I decided to come to the court. You people start thinking and rumours go around. The doctor said don't go but I said I will go for at least some time," Justice Sikri told the lawyers, who were anxiously waiting for pronouncement of verdict in Mumbai dance bar case.

To this, Attorney General K K Venugopal, who was present in the court said, "We were all worried."



On other hand, when the bench of CJI Gogoi assembled, senior advocate Indira Jaising who was in the queue to mention a matter for urgent listing tried to say something.

"First let us sit. Then say anything. You have started before even we sat properly," the Chief Justice said to which Jaising apologised.

The CJI then asked Jaising to start her submission on listing of the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)/ -- Datamatics Global Services Ltd. (DGSL), a global IT & BPM company, today announced that it has been recognized by CIO CHOICE 2019 in the Robotic Process Automation category for its product TruBot. CIO CHOICE is a unique platform that recognizes and honours products, services and solutions on the back of stated preferences of CIOs and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) decision makers.

The recognition is bestowed on the basis of pan-India independent voting by CIOs. CIO CHOICE is the largest and only online voting platform, where CIOs determine and choose the products that have earned their vote of confidence. There is a distinguished Advisory Panel, comprising of CIOs from across verticals, that guides the entire process, with KPMG as the Knowledge Partner.

Datamatics is a leading provider of Robotic Process Automation Software. The company's enterprise grade RPA product, TruBot is a versatile, multi-skilled bot that allows business users without any programming knowledge to design a bot at the click of a button. TruBot has over 95 customers globally and has automated more than 800 processes across multiple industries including Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Logistics.

Anoop Mathur, Founder and President, CORE Media, said, "Congratulations Datamatics for being honoured with the CIO CHOICE 2019 trust seal. CIO CHOICE is the ultimate testimony as it is a poll done with CIOs pan-India and that's what finally matters as far as any brand or product goes, as it is the Voice of the Customer. The CIO CHOICE trust seal gives the assurance to enterprise CIOs to confidently engage with the recognised brand for the first time, helping both-ICT brands and CIOs."



Mitul Mehta, SVP & Head, Marketing & Communications, Datamatics Global Services Ltd. said, "Datamatics TruBot is strongly positioned in the RPA space with its matured Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities and vertical specific frameworks. TruBot is highly scalable and allows enterprises to automate their complex processes. We are very happy to be recognized by CIO CHOICE."



About Datamatics Global ServicesDatamatics (BSE: 532528) (NSE: DATAMATICS) provides Intelligent Solutions for data driven businesses to increase productivity and enhance customer experience. The company's portfolio of service offerings spans across Information Technology Services, Business Process Management, Engineering Services and Big Data & Analytics, all powered by Artificial Intelligence. It has established products in Robotics Process Automation, Advanced Analytics, Business Intelligence and Automated Fare Collection. Datamatics services over 500 customers globally across Banking & Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, International Organizations and Media & Publishing. Headquartered in Mumbai, the Company has presence across 4 continents with major delivery centers in the USA, India and Philippines with an employee base of 10,000.

To know more about Datamatics, visit http://www.datamatics.com To know more about Datamatics TruBot, visit https://trubot.datamatics.com/ Safe Harbour



Some of the statements in this update that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include our financial and growth projections as well as statements concerning our plans, strategies, intentions and beliefs concerning our business and the markets in which we operate. These statements are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these statements as circumstances change. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the level of market demand for our services, the highly-competitive market for the types of services that we offer, market conditions that could cause our customers to reduce their spending for our services, our ability to create, acquire and build new businesses and to grow our existing businesses, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, currency fluctuations and market conditions in India and elsewhere around the world, and other risks not specifically mentioned herein but those that are common to industry.

Source: Datamatics Global Services Ltd.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister said Thursday his government has helped create "crores of opportunities" across sectors in the past four-and-a-half years.

The prime minister's remarks assume significance as they come after the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, an independent think tank, recently estimated that 11 million jobs in the country were lost in 2018, with the rural sector being the worst hit.

"Be it tourism, manufacturing or the services sector, crores of opportunities have been created in the last four-and-a-half years," Modi said.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Ahmedabad Shopping Festival, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.

The event, being held on the lines of many international shopping festivals, is witnessing participation from over 15,000 sellers who are offering huge discounts to customers over the next 12 days.

Modi urged the and organisers to make the festival an annual event.

"We generally see organisation of such events along with big business summits in foreign countries only. Organisation of Ahmedabad Shopping Festival along with Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is a commendable effort.

"Businessmen, from street-vendors to shopping malls, to electronics and hotel-restaurant businesses have come here to promote their business," he said.

"I would like to urge Gujarat government, Ahmedabad and friends like Shailesh Patwari (former Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry president) to see if this can be made an annual event and organised during the same time very year," Modi said.

He said events such as this will help small businesses find big markets.

Modi purchased a khadi jacket from the shopping festival.

The prime minister said his government is helping the micro, small and medium enterprises in every possible way and listed initiatives taken by it to provide fillip to this sector.

The move to increase interest subvention to 5 per cent and including merchant exporters in the scheme's ambit is likely to benefit exporters by Rs 600 crore, he said.

Modi said the government has created the GEM (government e-marketplace) portal for smaller enterprises.

The platform has witnessed trade of Rs 16,500 crore till now, the prime minister said.

The country is now moving towards a system where banks will extend credit based only on GST returns, he said, adding efforts are on to streamline the indirect taxation reform.

Modi said his government has been creating conducive environment for businesses.

"In the last four years, more than 100 rules were eased, old laws were scrapped, and transparency has been made a part of our work culture," he said.

This helped India climb up on the ease-of-doing-business ranking, Modi said.

The roll-out of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been a "big step" towards the direction of "honest trade system", he said.

Modi said a slew of decisions made by the and efforts to make GST simpler are steps in that direction.

"We are constantly trying to simplify GST system. We are correcting it using inputs from businesses, customers, and experience," he said.

Modi also inaugurated a statue of ISRO founder Vikram Sarabhai and said instilling scientific temper in more people would be the real tribute to the legendary space scientist./ -- The world is gearing up once again to watch India host the biggest culinary extravaganza for student chefs from 28th January to 2nd February. The fifth edition of the International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) will be held across four cities - Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata - and this time, young chefs from 55 countries will be battling for the crown through a five-day intense competition. The participants and their mentors, coming from some of the world's best culinary and hospitality institutions, will fight for the YCO 2019 winner's title, organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC) London, YCO 2019.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809730/IIHM_Young_Chef_Olympiad_2019.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809728/IIHM_Participating_Countries.jpg )



Preparations for the grand event started months in advance. The official draw held at the University of West London in November 2018, segregated the countries into six groups for the event. A gala opening ceremony at the Dr. Sarvepalli Auditorium Delhi Cantt, in Delhi on 28th January will declare the Olympiad open after which the cook offs will begin from 29th January and a tough battle will ensue over the next three days in Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru.

The best 10 contestants from the first two rounds will go through to the Grand Final of YCO 2019, to be held in Kolkata on 2nd February while the contestants in the next 10 positions, from 11 to 20, will compete for the YCO Plate Trophy on the same day. All the 'cheftestants' will be fighting for a total of 18 titles at this year's YCO.

Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman and Chief Mentor of IIHM and Chairman of the Young Chef Olympiad 2019 Committee, said, "Young Chef Olympiad was conceptualized as a platform for young chefs in training from around the world to interact and showcase their talent. We are overwhelmed by the response from the international community who have come together to make this event a grand success."



A culmination of cultures:



As in previous years, YCO 2019 will again be an experience of world cultures mixing together at one place. The World of International Gastronomy will happen on February 1, 2019 where the participants from every country will present their national dishes. Through this cultural exchange, YCO becomes more than just a competition; it is the melting pot of world cultures.

Stalwart Judges:



Like other years, this year too, YCO 2019 will be a star-studded event with celebrity and stalwart chefs attending as judges. Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is the Mentor and Principal Judge of YCO 2019. He said, "Events like the Young Chef Olympiad provide a platform for budding chefs from across the world to showcase their skills and interact with others in the field - right from fellow students to industry insiders. It can be a stepping stone for a solid career in the F&B Business. IIHM has ensured the standard in terms of talent, attention to detail, organization and output of the competition gets better each year. At YCO, you don't just compete in the kitchen, but also take back valuable lessons on culture, attitude and markets. You learn to compete fairly and strive to be your best."



Prof David Foskett (OBE), the Author of the bestselling book 'Practical Cookery & Theory of Catering' and Emeritus Professor at London School of Hospitality and Tourism, University of London: "This is the greatest competition in the World. The students at IIHM are world-class and have exceptional professional employability skills who are completely involved in organizing and coordinating this World event." Professor Foskett is the Chairman of the Panel of Judges. The distinguished panel of judges will include renowned international chefs such as Chef John Wood, Chef Andreas Muller, Chef Andy Varma, Chef Vincenzo Oliveri, Chef Scott Baechler, Chef Stefan Hogan and Chef Karl Guggenmos. The 'cheftestants' will be judged on their skill as culinary students and also on their ability to manage a food production area with due care to health and safety, good hygiene, ability to follow a recipe, culinary skills, creativity and initiative, presentation, balance and taste.

India's representative:



India's proud representative at YCO 2019, Madhumitha Krishnasamy, is a third-year student at IIHM Bangalore. Madhumitha is a fan of Chef Marco Pierre White and ardently follows popular cookery show Nigella's Kitchen.

About IIHM:



IIHM (International Institute of Hotel Management) is the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India that started its journey in 1994 in Kolkata. 2018 marked the 25th year of IIHM that is part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across eight national and international cities with the associate institute IAM-IHM located in Kolkata, Goa and Guwahati. Students passing out of IIHM are armed with an international degree from the University of West London and equipped with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world. IIHM is dedicated to its pursuit of excellence in teaching and placements. Real time experience is the key to success in hospitality and that makes the institute popular. In recent years, IIHM has been instrumental in organizing the Young Chef Olympiad, a unique idea and initiative inviting young culinary talents from across the world to participate in the biggest cookery reality show of all time.

The institute has bagged several prestigious awards including the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times in 2018 and in 2017. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World's Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA - Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers P.L.) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award bv ASSOCHAM from Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon'ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India. For more information, please visit: www.iihm.ac.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Security forces met considerable success in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 by eliminating several top ultras who were targeting security forces and civilians, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said Thursday.

He said the number of terrorists killed last year in the valley was highest in the past 10 years.

"From the security point of view, 2018 has been a best year for the forces. More than 250 terrorists were killed, nearly 54 arrested and four surrendered," Singh told reporters in Poonch.

He was replying to questions regarding the security situation in the valley in the backdrop of the 'Operation All Out'.

He also said the Army was replying befittingly to Pakistani aggression along the Line of Control (LoC) in the state.

"Our operation has been successful. We have been able to eliminate a number of militants, who were targeting security forces and civilians. We have foiled their designs," he said.

Replying to questions about the continuous ceasefire violations along the LoC and five Pakistan soldiers reportedly being killed in Indian retaliation, Singh said, "The report you (media) said about the killing of five Pakistan soldiers in the last few days, it shows that the Indian Army is giving a befitting reply to every nefarious act of Pakistan."



He said the Army was a step ahead of Pakistan as far as giving a befitting reply is concerned.

About the planting of IEDs along the LoC to target security forces, the official said it "is nothing new".

"For the past several years, they have been planting IEDs in our areas. We take care of it. Sometime the IEDs explode and cause casualties but our endeavour is to remain vigilant along the border," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Thursday suspended Sundergarh legislator Jogesh Singh for anti-party activities, a day after its working president Naba Kishore Das resigned from the party.

"Sundergarh MLA Jogesh Singh has been suspended for repeatedly giving statements against the party to the media and tarnishing image of Congress," OPCC discplinary committee convenor Ananta Sethi said.

Stating that the action has been taken against the Sundergarh MLA with approval of the AICC, Sethi said Singh was served a show-cause notice on Wednesday to reply within 24 hours, but he failed to respond.

Sethi also claimed that the party had expelled Naba Kishore Das from the party before he resigned on Wednesday.

The development comes barely a week before Congress president Rahul Gandhi's scheduled visit to Odisha on January 25.

Meanwhile, Singh said: "I have not indulged in any anti-party activities as alleged. Is it an anti-party activity to praise the chief minister for his good works?"



Citing instances, Singh said many Union Ministers during the UPA regime had openly praised Odisha Chief Minister, but their statements were not considered as anti-party activities.

"Let me make it very clear that Naveen Patnaik is the best chief minister in the country. He has worked for the development of Odisha as well as my constuitency," Singh told reporters adding he has not received any show cause notice from the party.

Asked about his announcment of not to attend Congress president Rahul Gandhi's meeting in Bhubaneswar, Singh said: "I have already fixed certain programmes in my constituency. This apart the marriage of my brother is also fixed on that day. Therefore, it is not possible to attend Gandhi's programme in the state capital."



On the possibility of his joining ruling BJD, Singh said that he has not taken any decision in this regard. "Future will tell what will happen. I cannot predict things."Singh said since the party has placed him under suspension, he would tender resignation from the membership of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.

Earlier, Das has also announced that he will resign from the membership of the Assembly.

Sing, a two-time Congress MLA was seen sharing dais with Naba Kishore Das at a programme in Kinjirkela in Sundergarh district recently.

OPCC Discplinary Committee chairman Hemananda Biswal said: "Odisha Congress had given Das the opportunity to represent the people in the State Assembly for 10-long years but now his decision to leave the party is not fair. However, his withdrawal from the party will not affect the party organisation in western Odisha."



Meanwhile, Prakash Behera, another Congress MLA from Salipur in coastal Cuttack district, has also publicly praised the chief minister and his party. However, no action was initiated against him so far, sources said.

"I have already mentioned that BJD is strong in Odisha for last 20 years and the regional party's position remained same even today," Behera had said on Wednesday giving an indication that he too was willilng to join the BJD headed by Naveen Patnaik.

In a similar development, dalit Congress leader Krushna Chandra Sagaria, who represented Koraput (SC) constituency in the state assembly, had resigned as an MLA in November last year. Sagaria, however, continues to be in the Congress.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress Thursday sought to distance itself from its leader B K Hariprasad's comments on ailing BJP chief Amit Shah, saying the party wished good health to leaders of opposition parties so that they contest elections soon.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said their leader Rahul Gandhi has already wished good health to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and there can be no doubt about the party's intent.

"When the party president has very categorically wished good health to Union minister Arun Jaitley and all the leaders of the BJP, then I think there can be no other question, doubt about the Congress' intent and our good wishes to opposition leaders," she told reporters.

The Congress leader said they might oppose opposition leaders over ideas but would never wish anything bad for them.

"I wish good health to Amit Shah and BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad ji and Arun Jaitley ji and all their other leaders who may be getting treated in a hospital," Chaturvedi said.

She said the Congress wished them good health and speedy recovery so that they come back and contest elections.

When asked about the BJP's attack over Hariprasad's remarks, she said, "It reflects the mindset of BJP leaders who had made remarks about the ill-health of a leader of opposition when her health was not good."



"Whenever an opposition leader was unwell, we would not draw parallels of such mindset that BJP leaders displayed," Chaturvedi said.

Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad Thursday mocked BJP president Amit Shah over his health, saying he contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

"As a few legislators have already come back, Amit Shah is shaken and has got fever. It is not a normal fever. It is swine flu," Hariprasad said in remarks made in Kannada in Bengaluru.

"You should know that if you try to destabilise the Karnataka government, not just swine flu, you will get vomiting and dysentery also," he added.

The remark by Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha MP and Congress general secretary, sparked an angry reaction from the BJP with the party's Karnataka unit calling him a "rogue" and describing his remarks as "shameless" that showed his party's "culture" and his "mental stability".

The BJP also requested Rahul Gandhi to admit Hariprasad to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru for treatment.

Shah is down with swine flu and is admitted in AIIMS and he announced his sickness in a tweet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad Thursday mocked BJP president Amit Shah for his swine flu condition, triggering a tsunami of angry reactions from the BJP which hit back saying flu is curable but "mental illness" of leaders of the opposition party is difficult to treat.

The Congress sought to distance itself from its Rajya Sabha MP Hariprasad, who in Bengaluru said Shah contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said the party could never think of wishing illness to any BJP leader, while drawing attention to its president Rahul Gandhi's wishes for good health to Union minister Arun Jaitley, who is in the US for health check-up.

Speaking at a Congress protest in Bengaluru against the alleged attempt by the BJP to dislodge the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka by luring the ruling coalition MLAs, Hariprasad in Kannada said,"As a few legislators have already come back, Amit Shah is shaken and has got fever. It is not a normal fever. It is swine flu."



He added that "You should know that if you try to destabilise the Karnataka government, not just swine flu, you will get vomiting and dysentery also."



Shah was Wednesday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for swine flu treatment.

Union ministers, BJP leaders in the state and the national capital slammed Hariprasad and used his comments to attack the opposition party and demanded that it sack him and tender a public apology.

"The kind of ugly and indecent comments Congress MP B K Hariprasad have made about BJP president Amit Shah's health show the standards of the Congress. Flu is curable but it is difficult to cure Congress leaders' mental illness," Union minister Piyush Goyal said.

Apart from Goyal several union ministers, including Rajyavardhan Rathore, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, reacted sharply.

Karnataka BJP general secretary Arvind Limbavali blamed the Congress and its "culture" for Hariprasad's comments.

"Congress & it's culture. This Congress MP definitely needs some education & before that he needs to learn some human values. Most importantly he needs to get his mental stability checked. Anyway I hope BK Hariprasad recovers from his mental illness & start behaving civilized," Limbavali said in a tweet.

Asked for the Congress' reaction, Chaturvedi made no direct reference to Hariprasad's comments but said the party wants good health of all BJP leaders who are in hospital be it their chief Shah or union minister Jaitley.

The BJP, however, demanded action against Hariprasad, with its spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao claiming that the Congress leadership's "silence" establishes that all such "toxic" comments have sanction of its leadership.

"And if they want to really disapprove of his remarks, Rahul Gandhi should sack Hariprasad and should make him apologise publicly to Amit Shah," Rao added.

Naqvi described the Congress MP's remarks as completely "abhorrent and ugly" and said its leaders don't even have the basic decency as to how to react to a person's illness.

Expressing his sadness over "cheap statements", Rathore said he was not surprised to see Congress leaders completely abandon decency and dignity. Such comments also show the frustration of the Congress leadership, he added.

Another party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain dubbed the remarks as "shameful" and said this is the real face of the Congress.

The BJP's Karnataka unit called Hariprasad a "rogue" and described his remarks as "shameless" that showed his party's "culture" and his "mental stability".

"Congress MP & AICC General Secretary BK Hariprasad mocking at health condition of Sri @AmitShah ji shows his mental stability," the Karnataka BJP said in a tweet.

"This rogue needs to learn human values & is unfit to live in a civilised society. We request @RahulGandhi to admit him to NIMHANS to get some treatment," it added.

BJP's national media head Anil Baluni on Thursday, Shah is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two.

The Congress has claimed that the BJP attempt to dislodge the coalition government in the state was a "flop", as some MLAs who had allegedly gone incommunicado are supporting it.

Both the Congress-JDS combine and the BJP have been trading charges of horse trading against each other, ever since the political drama unfolded on Monday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The opposition Congress Thursday announced a series of programmes till January 31 across Assam to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Spokesperson Rhituparna Konwar said the BJP-led state and central governments are "imposing" the Bill, which will completely nullify the Assam Accord of 1985.

"This Bill will endanger the very existence of Assamese community. To protest this, we have decided to launch our second series of agitation under 'Jagaao Asom, Bachaao Asom' programme from January 21 to 31," Konwar said in a statement.

As per the programme, all district and block Congress units would light lamps and hold 'Sarba dharma' (all religion) prayer in the evening of January 21 so that the BJP government "gets its wisdom back".

On January 23, 'Sankalp Divas' will be organised coinciding with birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to get inspired by the secular ideology of the freedom fighter to fight the communal Bill, Konwar said.

The following day, a five-hour sit-in will be held, while human chains will be formed on January 30 across the state, he added.

"On the last day, which is January 31, a two-hour torch light procession will be taken out to protest against the Bill.

The Congress has decided to strongly oppose any move to pass the Bill," Konwar informed.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document



Massive protests broke out across the state and other parts of North East after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Silchar on January 4 that the controversial document would be passed as soon as possible in Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress on Thursday alleged National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's son Vivek started a hedge fund in Cayman Islands days after demonetisation and demanded a probe by the Reserve Bank into FDI inflows from the tax haven.

Addressing a press conference here days after a media report highlighted the same issue, Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also asked the RBI to make public details of FDI inflows from Cayman islands since demonetisation, which he claimed were to the tune of Rs 8,300 crore during 2017-18 and equalled total funds flowing into India between 2000 to 2017.

Ramesh, however, did not substantiate his allegations with any documentary evidence.

There was no immediate comment available from either Doval or his son and his company.

CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury also demanded answers from Doval and cited a media report on the issue to allege that the role of the PMO and its top security official was under a "dark shadow".

He said it was the prime minister's responsibility to ensure the NSA's accountability as he was not accountable to Parliament being an un-elected official, and asserted "silence amounts to culpability".

Ramesh alleged that a hedge fund GNY Asia was opened in Cayman Islands on November 21, 2016, 13 days after demonetisation, with Vivek Doval as one of its directors.

The former union minister also alleged that while there are three more directors of GNY, one of them is Don W Ebanks whose name appears in Panama's 'Paradise papers' also referred as 'Panama papers'.

Alleging that "there is certainly a link between demonetisation and FDI inflows from Cayman islands", he said this is a "round tripping of money" and demanded a probe.

"This is not FDI, it is round tripping of demonetised money and has a direct link to black money....

"There should be a probe into the FDI that came into the country from Cayman Islands after demonetisation," he demanded, saying, "GNA owes an explanation to the country".

"What is the role of GNY Asia in FDI inflows. We demand that the Reserve Bank makes public all funds from where money has come into the country from Cayman Islands," Ramesh told reporters.

He said the RBI should publish details of all those who brought in money from Cayman islands.

"There should be complete information on this made available to the public," he said, adding "the RBI should probe the identity of funds who brought in 8300 crore in one year".

"It is not natural that we raised this question. A prime minister of a neighbouring country had to resign after his name appeared in the Panama papers," he said, alleging that the name of a former chief minister's son also appears in these papers.

Ramesh also sought to know what are the relations between Vivek Doval's fund GNY Asia and Zeus Capital, another company in which his brother Shaurya Doval has business interests.

He recalled that Doval should implement what he had advocated eight years ago as part of a panel of BJP on Black money stashed abroad, in which he demanded that there should be strict crackdown on tax havens and such offshore entities.

Cayman Islands are an autonomous British Overseas territory in the western Caribbean Sea, which is considered a tax haven.

In a tweet, Yechury said, "The role of Modi's PMO and its top security official is under a dark shadow. Serious questions of probity and propriety get more weight due to NSA Doval's role in the Rs 59,000 crore Rafale scam, where he was illegally negotiating in Paris with the French."



"Doval, who has grabbed more and more power for himself under Modi, can't be above the rule of law," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two commemorative coins in the denomination of Rs 100 and Rs 5 were released Thursday to mark the 102nd birth anniversary of late Tamil Nadu chief minister and ruling AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran which was celebrated across the state.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam released the coins at a function here while floral tributes were paid to the late matinee idol-turned politician Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR.

As part of birth anniversary celebrations, a 66 feet wide and 52 feet tall "Dr MGR Centenary Arch", constructed across the arterial Kamarajar road, off the famous Marina beach here, was also unveiled.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, who are the co-cordinator and cordinator of the AIADMK, along with ministerial colleagues and other senior party leaders garlanded statues of MGR and his protege J Jayalalithaa at the party headquarters in the city where hundreds of party cadres also gathered.

Sweets were distributed on the occasion.

The commemorative coins were released at a function in the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University complex.

The coins bear the portrait of Ramachandran at the centre along with the inscription 'DR M G Ramachandran Birth Centenary' on the lower periphery.

Accepting a request by the state government, the Centre had last year published the gazette notification for the issue of the coins.

In neighbouring Puducherry, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy led the Union Territory in paying floral tributes to MGR.

Legislators of the ruling Congress also offered tributes.

AIADMK workers led by Puducherry secretary P Purushothaman and party MLAs A Anbalagan, A Baskar and Vayyapuri Manikandan paid floral tributes at a statue of MGR at the party headquarters.

The day was as usual marked by portraits of MGR decorated with flowers being kept at street corners and songs from his movies played at several places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

MGR broke away from DMK in 1972 following differences with the then party chief late M Karunanidhi and floated the AIADMK. He captured power in 1977 and ruled the state for ten years without a break till his death.

Three-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MGR was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1988.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A civilian was injured Thursday when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and resorted to firing and mortar shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said.

Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said the Army is replying befittingly to the Pakistani aggression.

Pakistan troops resorted to firing and mortar shelling on forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Nowshera sector, the officials said.

The ceasefire violation resulted in injuries to a civilian who has been hospitalised, they said.

The year 2018 had witnessed the highest number -- 2936 -- of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

The continuous Pakistani shelling and firing targeting villages has set in fear psychosis among the border dwellers.

Pakistan troops resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in Poonch district of the state for 12 days of this month.

On Monday, Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad was killed in a sniper firing by Pakistani rangers along the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar-Samba sector of Kathua district.

On the same day in another incident, Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.

On Sunday, an Army jawan was injured in ceasefire violation along the LoC in Keri sector of Rajouri.

On Friday, an Army porter was killed when Pakistani troops resorted to firing in Nowshera sector ofRajouri district.

On the same day, an Army Major and a soldier were killed in an IED blast on the LoC in Laam sub-sector of Rajouri.

On Thursday last, Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling in two sectors of Rajouri and Poonch resulting in injuries to an Army Major and a BSF jawan in the Tarkundi forward area of Balakote sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Marvel stars Chris Evans and Tom Holland are among the A-listers who are set to star in Netflix's mid-western gothic "The Devil All the Time".

The two actors previously starred together in "Captain America: Civil War", as Captain America and Spider-man. They most recently appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Avengers: Infinity War".

The new film, to be directed by Antonio Campos, is an official adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock's 2011 novel by the same name. Campos has also co-wrote the script with Paulo Campos.

The story, set in the cursed town of Knockemstiff, Ohio, is described as a "finely woven 'mid-western' gothic tale involving a nefarious cast of characters: a serial killer couple, a faith-testing preacher, and a corrupt local sheriff in a story that is told across two decades.

The film's cast also includes Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, Bill Skarsgard, Eliza Scanlen and Gabriel Ebert, the streaming giant announced in a press release.

The official logline read: "Out of desperation to save his dying wife, Willard Russell turns to prayer which succumbs to sacrifice. This sets protagonist Arvin, Willard's son, on his path from bullied kid to a man who knows when to take action.

Production is set to start next month in Alabama.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker are producing through their Nine Stories banner along with Randall Poster and Max Born. Annie Marter and Jacob Jaffke are executive producing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A popular Chinese actress from Taiwan removed her post promoting "controversial Indian spiritual courses" after authorities warned the public that some of the spiritual schools are "mired in sexual assault cases", a state media report said Thursday.

Annie Yi, 49, whose Chinese name is Yi Nengjing, removed the post after warnings from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and China Anti-Cult Association (CACA) led to a heated exchange among Chinese netizens on the popular social media account Sina Weibo, Global Times reported.

Annie, who lives in Taiwan but is popular in China, has over 1.78 crore followers on Weibo.

She posted a message on Weibo on Monday, promoting lessons of Indian spiritual teachers 'Amma and Sri Bhagavan', founders of the 'Oneness University' in Chennai.

The actress deleted her post promoting "controversial Indian spiritual courses", after heated exchanges on Chinese social media over suspected religious cult, the report said.

The post sparked heated discussions on Weibo after the CACA referred to a case of a so-called Indian religious master named Singh who was reportedly arrested for imprisoning and raping nearly 200 female believers in December 2017.

Sri Bhagavan is reportedly popular among several people in China and many of them visit his spiritual centre in India.

There was no immediate reaction from the university, the Global Times said.

Annie, meanwhile, defended herself on the social media, saying she promoted the Indian spiritual lessons because she understands more about family and parents after attending similar lessons.

She denied being involved in selling the lesson or knowing that the lesson could be against the Chinese law.

The ruling Communist Party of China has been cracking down on spiritual and cult-based organisations since 1999 after the Falun Gang movement, a Chinese religious spiritual practice combining meditation exercises, became immensely popular with millions taking part in it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China will launch 90 earth observation satellites for an Argentinian company which, according to a Chinese space official, will be a landmark achievement for the country in the international space market.

China has been using its space rockets to put satellites of several countries including Pakistan.

China Great Wall Industry Corp, the international arm of State-owned space conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, said on Wednesday that it recently signed a multiple launch services agreement with Satellogic, a private Argentinian company specialising in Earth-observation satellites.

According to the contract, Great Wall will use multiple Long March 6 missions to deploy 90 of Satellogic's small, remote-sensing satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province.

The Chinese firm is planning the first launch this year to deliver 13 Satellogic satellites to low-Earth orbit, state-run China Daily said, citing a statement of the firm.

After the company's satellites are in orbit, they will form an Earth observation satellite constellation capable of imaging the entire world with a 1-meter resolution on a weekly basis, the statement said.

That is expected to dramatically reduce the cost of high-frequency geospatial analytics, it said.

Gao Ruofei, executive vice-president of Great Wall, said that Satellogic's constellation "will introduce a new era of affordable Earth observation, just as the Long March 6 will open new opportunities for the global space industry".

Though financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Fu Zhiheng, vice-president of Great Wall, told China Daily that the deal is at the level of hundreds of millions of US dollars. That makes it one of the largest contracts China has obtained in the international space market in the past several years.

It is also the first time that China will launch such a large number of satellites for a foreign client, Fu said, adding Great Wall will continue to promote the Long March 6 in the international market.

Zhang Weidong, the Long March 6's chief designer at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, claimed that the Chinese rocket has a shorter preparation time, higher efficiency, better reliability and stronger satellite compatibility than its foreign competitors.

The 29.3-metre rocket is capable of placing about 1 metric ton of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit 700 kms above the ground.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China minced no words on Thursday as it rejected an accusation by Canada's foreign minister that its detentions of Canadians pose a threat to all countries.

"I think your foreign minister may be in a hurry, and can't help speaking without thinking," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in response to a question from a Canadian journalist.

"What threat has China posed to Canada?" She said Canada instead poses a threat to Chinese by detaining a Chinese citizen for "no reason."



She was referring to the arrest of Chinese telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada at the request of the United States.

"It is understandable that Canada is a little worried, but we hope it will avoid speaking freely without thinking because its reputation and image would be badly damaged by such behaviors," Hua said.

"And such remarks cannot help settle the issue, either." Meng's arrest while she was transiting Vancouver airport on December 1 created a diplomatic rift that has continued to grow.

Meng is the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei and the daughter of its founder. She is wanted by the US in relation to an investigation into Iran sanctions violations.

China detained two Canadians shortly after her arrest in what Western analysts see as an attempt to pressure Canada to release her.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said earlier this week that China's "arbitrary detentions of Canadians ... represent a way of behaving which is a threat to all countries." China also sentenced another Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, to death on Monday in a sudden retrial of his drug-smuggling case.

The US State Department called the death sentence "politically motivated." A statement from deputy spokesman Robert Palladino on Wednesday said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Freeland spoke Tuesday and "expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals."



Canada has embarked on a campaign with allies to win the release of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor, who were detained 10 days after Meng's arrest. They were arrested on vague allegations of "engaging in activities that endanger the national security" of China.

Freeland said the detained Canadians will be at the top of her agenda when she visits Davos for the World Economic Forum next week.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two persons were beaten to death while another was seriously injured when a mob caught them while they were allegedly trying burgle two houses in Bihar's Nalanda district, police said Thursday.

Ajay Kumar (32), Mohd Saddam (28) and Santu Kumar broke locks of two empty houses at Mali Tola village but were caught by locals before they could decamp. The incident happened Wednesday night, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Hilsa, Mohd Muttafiq Ahmed, said.

The villagers thrashed them with sticks, roads, bricks, killing Ajay instantly. Saddam succumbed to injuries on way to a hospital in Patna and Santu was undergoing treatment, Ahmed said.

Further investigations are on, the SDPO said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 35-year-old Canadian woman was allegedly molested by an employee of a city-based five-star hotel during her stay there, a police official said Thursday.

Sumit Rao (32), a staff member of the hotel located in Juhu area, has been arrested in connection with the alleged incident that took place on January 5, he said.

The woman, a Candian national who works for an event management firm and often visits India, in her complaint alleged that while she was staying at the hotel, the man came to her room and molested her on the pretext of taking a selfie with her, the official said.

According to police, the woman brought the matter to the hotel management's notice and then lodged a complaint at the Santacruz police station here on Monday.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 354 (d) (stalking), he said.

A probe was underway into the case, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With an aim to end child labour in the city, a special campaign 'Child Labour Free Jaipur' (CLFJ) will be launched on Friday.

"The campaign has been prepared by taking support from multiple stakeholders and this novel initiative will help in putting an end to child labour in Jaipur," said Karan Malik, programme manager of The British Asian Trust, part of the CLFJ campaign.

Government organisations, the Juvenile Justice Committee, the Child Welfare Committee, district child labour task force and non-government organisations (NGOs) have collaborated for the initiative.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Online education start-up BYJU'S Thursday said it has acquired US-based Osmo for USD 120 million (nearly Rs 850 crore).

Osmo provides a playful learning system, bringing physical toys into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence.

Osmo will continue as a standalone brand since BYJU'S taps the company's physical-to-digital technology and content to expand and enhance its current offering, BYJU'S said in a statement.

"This new acquisition will bolster team BYJU'S' international plans...With the integration of Osmo, BYJU'S will also look to offer a unique, customised, engaging and fun learning solution for younger kids," it added.

Osmo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder Pramod Sharma and his core team will continue to remain at Osmo's helm.

"We were captivated by Osmo's physical-to-digital approach to learning and fun from our first introduction," Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO of BYJU'S, said.

He added that the company's vision is to make learning fun and engaging across age groups, across geographies.

"Together with Osmo, we have the critical elements needed to build out an unprecedented library of engaging and entertaining educational content for a global pre-K-12 student audience. We are excited by what we are planning to launch in the coming months," he said.

BYJU's, which has recently raised USD 540 million (about Rs 3,865 crore) from Naspers and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), said it has been growing at 100 per cent for the past three years, and is on target to triple its revenue to Rs 1,400 crore this year.

"BYJU'S has aggressive plans for international market expansion and will continue to make big investments in technology that will help to further personalise learning for students," it added.

Launched in 2015, BYJU'S offers personalised learning programmes for school students in grades 4-12 in India. It has 30 million students cumulatively learning from the app and over 2 million annual paid subscriptions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Budget Session of Assam Assembly will be held from January 28 to February 26, a government release said here on Thursday.

The Budget session would start with the address by the Governor.

Other main government business sessions, including debates on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor's Address will be held from January 30 to February one, the release said.

The release said on February 4 the government business will include Voting on Supplementary Demand for grants for 2018-2019 and Introduction, Consideration and Passing of the Assam Appropriation Bill 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee planning a big anti-BJP show on Saturday here, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has drafted its senior leader Satish Mishra for the mega opposition rally to be hosted by Trinamool Congress.

Besides the host, the rally is also expected to see leaders of Congress, TDP, SP, RJD, JD(S), NCP, DMK, National Conference and Aam Admi Party (AAP) among others sharing the dias to give a clarion call to oust the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) coalition government at the Centre in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"The rally will sound the death knell for BJP," Banerjee told reporters here while visiting the Brigade Parade grounds to check arrangements for the January 19 rally.

A senior TMC leader said it is a big achievement that all opposition parties will be on one platform ahead of the general elections, making it a defining moment in Indian

The party leaders said the BSP has confirmed its participation. Though BSP chief Mayawati will not come for the rally, the party's senior leader Satish Chandra Mishra would attend the rally, they added.

The meeting will also be attended by SP's Akhilesh Yadav and RLD's Ajit Singh and Jayant Chaudhury.

With the BSP confirming its attendance, almost all major opposition parties the Congress, the NCP, the National Conference, the SP, the AAP, the DMK, the JD(S), and the TDP would participate in the rally, a TMC leader said.

Among those to be present at the rally include Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal and Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and DMK's M K Stalin and many other important leaders will also be present.

The TMC said the rally will see participation of non-BJP parties from "Kashmir to Kanyakumari".

However, the Left parties, led by the CPI(M), have decided not to attend the rally.

Congress will be represented by senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge, but Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will not be present.

The TMC said the January 19 "rally of all rallies" will sound the "death knell" for the BJP government at the Centre and "pave the way for a much-needed change for the better of our great nation."



The Trinamool Congress also said it will break all records in terms of people attending the rally at the Brigade Parade grounds.

"This time you will witness that all the previous records at Brigade Grounds will be broken and will remain a unbreakable record for next several decades," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.

The iconic ground has hosted several important political rallies of Kolkata, including the 1977 victory rally convened by the Left Front after it came to power that year.

In 1984, just after the chief ministers conclave, under the leadership of the then Left stalwarts Jyoti Basu and Harkrishan Singh Surjeet, a mega opposition rally was convened here and was attended by several top leaders like N T Rama Rao, Farooq Abdullah and Ramkrishna Hedge.

In 1998, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls that time, the CPI(M) had convened a opposition rally at Brigade grounds, which was attended by whose's who of Indian

For the Saturday rally, altogether five stages will be set up at venue. The main stage will have Banerjee and top leaders of various opposition parties.

Two other stages have been built on the right hand side of the main stage which will have senior TMC leaders, MPs, MLAs and ministers. The intellectuals will be seated at two other stages on the left hand side of the main stage.

There will be 200 LED screens across the venue and Kolkata police has decided to use drones to monitor the security arrangements.

Thousands of Kolkata police personel will be deputed in an around the venue to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Today, Doyen of the diplomatic corps in Moscow, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation Polad Bulbuloglu with the assistance of the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation held a meeting of the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors accredited to the Russian Federation with President of the Russian Academy of Arts, People's Artist of the USSR Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli, dedicated to his 85th birthday.An umbrella organisation of the thousands of Bru refugees living in Tripura has appealed to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora to set up polling stations for the Lok Sabha election in their relief camps.

Many of the refugees could not vote during the election to the Mizoram assembly held on November 28 last as polling stations for them was erected 70 kilometres away near the state border, the organisation said in a letter to Arora.

Around 35,000 Bru refugees living in six relief camps at Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura district are originally from Mizoram.

Elderly and ailing people, pregnant women and even many able-bodied persons could not vote as they had to travel 70 km by vehicles to reach Kanhmun village to vote, leading to low poll percentage at those temporary polling stations, MBDPF president A Sawibunga, vice-president R Laldawngliana and general secretary Bruno Msha said in the letter.

The state election department had set up 15 temporary polling stations at Mizoram-Tripura border village of Kanhmun to facilitate over 12,000 Bru voters lodged in the relief camps to cast their votes.

The letter submitted to Arora in Delhi on Tuesday also claimed that the Bru voters were provided lunch at the polling stations only after casting their votes, leaving many of them extremely hungry while standing in the queue to exercise their franchise.

The MBDPF also claimed that no revision of voters' lists have been conducted in the relief camps.

They appealed to Arora to give directions to the state election department to expedite conduct of electoral roll revision in the relief camps.

The Mizoram election department had conducted revision of voters lists of Bru refugees in their camps before the repatriation last year, despite opposition from the civil societies.

However, enlistment forms duly filled in by inmates of the relief camps were stolen at the election office of Mizoram's Mamit district on August 23, two days before the month-long repatriation of Bru families from Tripura to Mizoram was to start from August 25.

However, out of 5,000 odd refugee families, only 150 members of 42 families returned to Mizoram during the exercise.

Thousands of Bru refugees from Mizoram fled to Tripura during an ethnic violence in 1997. The clashes broke out after a forest official was killed by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants.

The Centre, in association with the governments of Mizoram and Tripura, was repatriating the displaced Brus in phases.

Though several Bru families have returned to Mizoram over the years, many refused to leave Tripura citing security reasons and inadequate package.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British Prime Minister Theresa May has called on MPs to "put self-interest aside" and "work constructively together" towards Brexit after surviving a no confidence vote and averting a general election.

The prime minister won by 325 votes to 306 - a majority of 19- on Wednesday, a day after her government suffered a historic parliamentary defeat over her Brexit divorce deal with the European Union.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after the voting, May said the government has won the confidence of Parliament.This now gives "us all the opportunity to focus on finding a way forward on Brexit", she said.

"Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and also address the other important issues they care about," the Conservative leader said.

This is now the time to put "self-interest aside", May said



"Now MPs have made clear what they don't want, we must all work constructively together to set out what parliament does want."



"That's why I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together to find a way forward. One that both delivers on the referendum and can command the support of Parliament. This is now the time to put self-interest aside," she said.

The prime minister said she believes it was her duty to deliver on the British people's instruction to leave the European Union. "And I intend to do so," May said in the televised interview after the winning the vote of no confidence..

Earlier, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn argued that May's "zombie" administration had lost the right to govern during a six hour debate on his motion.

His party has not ruled out tabling further no-confidence motions.

After her victory, May told MPs that she would "continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum and leave the European Union".

She invited leaders of all parties to have individual meetings with her on the way ahead for Brexit, starting tonight, but called on them to approach them with a "constructive spirit".

"We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House," she added.

During her address form 10 Downing, the prime minister said she has held "constructive" meetings and will be meeting MPs along with senior government officials in the coming days.

May also reiterated a promise to return to the Commons on Monday to give MPs another vote on her plans.

"The House has put its confidence in this government," she said in the House of Commons.

"I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver Brexit and ensure that this House retains the confidence of the British people."



The Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May's minority government, also voted to keep her administration in power despite their strong opposition to the Brexit deal.

May's divorce deal to leave the EU was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs on Tuesday, triggering a no-confidence motion against her government and leaving the country with no plans for Brexit on March 29.

The PM's bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between London and Brussels, was rejected by 432 votes to 202 - a majority of 230, the biggest defeat ever suffered by a British premier in modern history.

Within minutes after the defeat, the biggest for a sitting British government in history, opposition leader Corbyn's Labour party moved a motion of no-confidence against the May government to be held on Wednesday.

Britain is set to exit the 28-member European Union, which it joined in 1973, on March 29. With just over two months to go until the scheduled departure, Britain is still undecide on what to do.

May, 62, has spent two years negotiating the divorce plan aimed at bringing about an orderly Brexit and setting up a 21- month transition period to negotiate a free-trade deal with Brussels.

Her deal included both the withdrawal agreement on the terms on which the UK leaves the EU and a political declaration for the future relationship.

May had survived a no-confidence vote by her own Conservative Party in December.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A teenage boy died Thursday morning after allegedly falling off a moving bus in the south -eastern part of the city, a senior police officer said.

Around 7.30am, Akshay Kumar (14) apparently lost balance and fell off the bus when it was passing through Gobinda Chandra Khatik Road near Grace Ling Liang English School in Topsia Police Station area, he said.

"The boy was rushed to Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. We have initiated an investigation into the matter," the officer added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India has developed a border management technology where it can virtually enter inside the houses across the border of Pakistan, Union Minister for State for Space Jitendra Singh said Thursday.

Speaking at the launch of a programme called UNNATI, an initiative of the Indian Space Research Organisation, Singh said, "I was amazed the other day that we have actually started a technology the integrated comprehensive border management - which is a pioneer project started in the international border of Pakistan.

You can virtually enter inside the house of a person living across the border. So such minute precision has been made by the camera."



Singh said space technology has entered every household.

In this context, the minister said recently in a programme veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan asked him whether space technology can be used to locate nearest toilet.

Singh said "Amitabh Bachchan asked me the question that sometimes he gets stuck up in the traffic jams and he... the question he was trying to ask was can ISRO or space technology help us locate where would be the next toilet.I said why not."



The union minister, signifying the importance of space technology, said most ignorant people go in for the space assistance to track the address and access it during traffic jams.

He said space technology is used in infrastructure works, construction of roads, intersection of Railway network, manning of railway lines and disaster management.

UNNATI (UNispace Nanosatellite Assembly and Training by ISRO) is a capacity building programme on nanosatellite development.

It provides opportunities to the participants from developing countries to strengthen their capabilities in assembling, integrating and testing of nanosatellites, ISRO said in a statement.

UNNATI programme is planned for three years in three batches and will target to benefit 90 delegates from 45 countries, the space agency said.

Each batch will be for 8-week duration and will comprise theoretical course work on nanosatellite definition, utility, laws governing their impact on space debris, design drivers, reliability and quality assurance and hands-on training on assembly, integration and testing of nanosatellites.

The first batch of the programme started Thursday with 30 participants from 17 countries.

In his address, ISRO chief K Sivan said the intention is to see that technology benefits the neighbouring countries and learn the lessons India learnt while building the satellites.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP youth wing chief, Poonam Mahajan, Thursday interacted with over 50 lakh young voters spread across 200 towns through video- conference in what the organisation claimed to be the largest-ever youth outreach programme done by a political party using technology.

In a statement, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) said the interaction also marked the launch of its campaign, "VijayLakshya2019" (aiming victory in 2019), for the BJP's win in the Lok Sabha polls and the re-election of Narendra Modi as prime minister.

Mahajan, who was present in Tawang near the China border, said it is the "magnificent efforts" of Modi that have ensured the communication with 50 lakh youths from different and remote parts of the country at a single point of time.

"This is the largest-ever youth outreach programme done by any political party through the use of technology. Over 20 locations were identified for two-way interactions and over 180 locations were identified for one-way interaction," the BJYM said.

Locations included Leh, Wagah, Kutch, Jaisalmer, Darjeeling, Kanyakumari, Bastar, and Loktak Islands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The West Bengal BJP unit Thursday submitted a letter to the state



government, giving details about their 'Save Democracy Rally' in the state.

BJP's state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar went to the West Bengal secretariat and submitted the letter which mentioned about holding four yatras in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party requested the state government to consider the programme with "utmost expedition" under the guidelines of the Supreme Court.

The BJP said the yatras would be "a political endeavour of connecting with the people in a peaceful manner. It will not sponsor or subscribe any communal message or insinuations".

The state BJP unit also described that the four yatras would be aiming "to connect people towards strengthening the democratic as well as secular system and practices of our nation, of which the state is a significant part".

"All kinds of law of the land and regulations will be maintained and a close coordination with the local administration will be maintained for mutual cooperation," the party's letter mentioned.

"Sensitivity of people from different caste, creed and religion will be adhered in an exemplary manner," the letter added.

The BJP also urged a meeting between the state government authorities with them in case of any required discussions.

The proposed 'Rath Yatras' of the BJP in West Bengal were put on hold by the Supreme Court Tuesday, which asked the party to seek a fresh approval from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state by submitting a revised proposal.

The apex court, however, allowed the West Bengal unit of the BJP to continue with its proposed public rallies and meetings under its 'Ganatantra Bachao Yatra'.

The court asked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state to consider the fresh, revised proposal of the saffron party, keeping in mind the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution.

The top court said the state government should respond to the revised proposal of the BJP with "utmost expedition", keeping in mind that with the commencement of the CBSE and other board examinations, the use of loudspeakers might be banned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa Thursday said no member of his party was involved in any operation to topple the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.

With the ongoing power tusslebetween the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition and BJP inKarnataka intensifying, both sides have been trading charges of trying to poach each other's MLAs.

"The BJP has nothing do with ruling coalition MLAs who are in Mumbai," the former Chief Minister said and accused the Congress and JD(S) of trying to shift the blame on his party tocover up their 'failures and inability' to keep their flocktogether.

"No one from the BJP has indulged in any kind of operation or luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs.

We had gathered all our MLAs atone place and were discussing about the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the last two-three days. Todayall are coming back," Yeddyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters here, he hit out at the Congress leaders, saying they talk about the Constitution, but everyone was aware of how they played with it since 1960.

"Why do they have to fear if we gather our MLAs, I don't understand. Internal fight within Congress and JD(S) is going out of control... to cover up their internal squabbles, they should not blame the BJP," he added.

Yeddyurappa, who was in New Delhi and Gurugram along with 104 BJP MLAs for the last few days, returned to the city to visit the ailing 111-year-old prominent seer Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga mutt in Tumakuru district.

Reacting to Congress-JD(S) leaders' claims that some BJP MLAs were in touch with them, Yeddyurappa said, "We are together.

You (Congress-JD(S) have said four to five MLAs are in your contact. Call them. Let me see.

If your MLAs have gone to Mumbai or Delhi, what do we have to do with it? It is -Congress-JD(S)- your duty to keep your legislators intact.

No one is in touch with us...I'mtelling you,"he added.

The Leader of Opposition in the assembly also questioned as to who the leaders of Congress-JD(S) combine were to question his party about camping in Gurugram.

"Who are they to ask where we are going? You try tokeep your MLAs intact, why are you blaming us? Tomorrow they (Congress) have called their legislature party meeting. how many will come it will be known, their true colours will come out tomorrow."



"Without understanding that your MLAs are dissatisfied and disgruntled, don't unnecessarily put blame on BJP," Yeddyurppa said.

Pointing out that during S M Krishna's chief ministership, Maharashtra MLAs were kept at a resort in Mysuru, and recently Gujarat MLAs were put up in a resort in Bengaluru, Yeddyurappa questioned as to "where did Congress' democracy go then?"



Hitting out at Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Yeddyurappa said despite being taught a lesson by the people ofChamundeshwari constituency, he had notlearnt anything.

Siddaramaiah lost the Chamundeshwari assembly seat in the May polls, though he won from Badami.

Lashing out at the BJP and calling it "shameless" for allegedly luring ruling coalition MLAs, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday had said that Yeddyurappa has grown old, but has no wisdom.

Yeddyurappa also targeted former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and called him "a political opportunist".

"...all his fights and principles are only limited to secure his and his family's political interests.People of the state are well aware of Deve Gowda's use and throw policy," hesaid.

Targeting Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Yeddyurappa said 156 taluks were in the grip of drought, but the chief minister and his ministers are not working effectively.

"What are you doing? Who is travelling- Chief Ministers and Ministers- What steps have you taken when farmers are in distress?" he questioned.

"In such a grave situation, without doing your duty, you are trying to shift the blame on BJP. You will not gain anything from it," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rajasthan BJP vice president Gyan Dev Ahuja Thursday compared Congress president Rahul Gandhi with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, suggesting that the Congress empire was coming to an end.

He said the Congress president is the last emperor of the Congress sultanate, just like Aurangzeb.

Like Aurangzeb who was the last emperor of the Mughal sultanate, Rahul Gandhi is the last emperor of this sultanate. The end of the Congress is certain, he told reporters here.

Contrary to what the BJP leader said, Aurangzeb who died in 1707, was not the last of his dynasty.

The last Mughal ruler was Bahadur Shah Zafar, who died in 1862. But Aurangzeb is often seen as the last of the prominent Mughal kings as the empire began disintegrating after him.

Gyan Dev Ahuja also questioned Congress president's claim of being a janeu dhari (a Hindu who wears the sacred thread), saying his party should name the priest who conducted the ceremony for it.

In the past, Ahuja has courted controversy by likening cow smugglers as terrorists. He said Thursday the concern for cows displayed in the Congress is nothing more than a sham.

He claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party will win the by-election for the Ramgarh assembly seat, where polling was called off due to the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.

The Congress won 99 of the remaining 199 Rajasthan assembly seats where elections were held last month.

The bypoll for Ramgarh will take place on January 28.

In the last assembly, Ahuja was an MLA from Ramgarh.

He announced himself as an independent candidate for the December elections as well after the party denied him the ticket. He later withdrew his nomination.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP general secretary Ram Madhav appealed to the Asom Gana Parishad on Thursday to reconsider its decision to snap ties with the party over the contentious citizenship bill last week.

Madhav, who is also the incharge of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Northeast, sought to allay apprehensions regarding the bill, saying it was not only for Assam or the Northeast, but for the entire country.

Among those opposing the bill, there are some who are genuinely concerned "whom we respect", but there are also some who are opposing only for their "political interests", Madhav said at a press conference here.

There are others like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), who are opposing the bill to "disturb" peace and create unrest, he added.

The AGP had on January 7 pulled out of the BJP-led coalition government in Assam, after its "last-ditch attempt" to convince the Centre to withdraw the proposed legislation failed.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three AGP ministers had resigned from the Assam cabinet the next day.

"We appeal them (AGP) to reconsider their decision to leave the alliance as we went together to the people before the elections and also fought the assembly polls together.

"That is why Chief Minister Sabananda Sonowal has not forwarded the three AGP ministers' resignation letters to the governor for acceptance as the mandate of the people was for an alliance. We respect the people's mandate and appeal the AGP to reconsider its decision," Madhav said.

On some of the state BJP legislators coming out publicly against the bill, Madhav said, "They have a genuine concern. They will go to Delhi and we will explain to them to allay their apprehensions".

The civil society, student unions and regional political parties are protesting against the bill in northeastern states, fearing that their identities would be affected.

"A situation has been created in Assam by creating a fear psychosis to stall the work of the high-level committee set up by the Centre to go into Clause 6 of Assam Accord.

"We understand that under such circumstances it is normal to be concerned. I assure that all measures will be taken so that the identity of Assam is not affected," he said.

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, 1985, envisages constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

"There is no need for the uncalled for concerns among the people as legislative and administrative measures are being taken to protect the identity, language and culture of Assam and the other northeastern states," the BJP leader asserted.

"I want to remove the lie that is being spread... I am confident that after telling the truth to the people, they will understand our standpoint," he said.

"The government will keep in view its obligation to the refugees, the minorities of erstwhile Pakistan, as well as the interests of the people of Assam and the northeast region... That is why I appeal to those spreading misinformation to stop it," Madhav said.

The chief minister of Assam and its neighbouring northeastern states are under oath to protect the interests of the people, he said. "No problems will come their way."



"The government will also see to it that no obstruction comes in the way of the law that is being framed (on the Citizenship Bill)," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Thursday shared tips for door-to-door campaign with a select group of 1,100 volunteers from Harayana and asked them to help the party create history in the state.

The Haryana unit of the party during its intensive campaign over the past two weeks met thousands of people, out of which 1,100 were selected as active campaigners for door-to-door contact programme for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said an AAP leader.

"The campaigners are being trained to nudge people in Haryana to think about government services in the state under BJP rule and compare it with achievements of the AAP government in Delhi in the fields of health, education, supply of water and electricity, among others," said the party leader.

"The people of Delhi had created history by giving 67 seats out of 70 Assembly constituencies to the AAP in 2015. Its now turn of Haryana to repeat the history," Kejriwal told the volunteers at his residence.

Attending the meeting, AAP's Haryana convener Naveen Jaihind said after the training the volunteers will be equal to scores of workers of any other political parties.

The AAP has intensified its campaign in Haryana where it is contesting all the 10 Lok Sabha seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ukraine's Naftogaz succeeded in arresting more than $2.6 billion of Gazprom foreign assets, chief executive of Naftogaz Andrei Kobolev said.

Kobolev added that hearings will be held in Switzerland, Britain and the Netherlands, noting that Gazprom's assess in these countries were already been arrested.

According to him, the amount of assets arrested by Naftogaz exceeds the Russian company's total debt to the Ukrainian one.

The executive vice-president of NewTech Services, professor of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Valery Bessel, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the arrest of assets by Naftogaz will not affect Gazproms business contacts with European companies. "As for the arrest of assets, they can be returned, because Gazprom has the right to appeal," he said.

One also should not expect a complete rupture of Gazproms business contacts with Naftogaz. "We have a joint gas transmission system. Moreover, not only Ukrainian business made money on pumping Russian gas through Ukraine, but the Russian business as well. Now the only problem is that these pipelines are old, and repairing them is more expensive than building Nord Stream 2. Therefore, Gazprom is building alternative routes," Valery Bessel pointed out.

Deputy director of energy policy of the Institute of Energy and Finances, Alexey Belogoriev, agreed with Bessel. "This situation has no effect on relations with Europe. Risks are associated only with part of the arbitration decision on the supply agreement, because it allows the take-or-pay rule to be revised, but these concerns will not affect prices. Only a further escalation of the situation around the transit through Ukraine can cause a problem for Europe, if it is not possible to conclude a contract with Naftogaz for 2020 in time. As the contractual obligations of both parties expire on December 31 of this year, Gazprom agreed about holding a bilateral meeting with Naftagaz, brokered by the European Commission," he said.

On February 28, 2018, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce satisfied Naftogazs motion to get reimbursed for undelivered gas for transit worth $4.63 bln against Gazprom. Meanwhile, the court confirmed the debt of the Ukrainian company to Gazprom for the gas supplied in 2013-2014 amounting to $2 bln. This brings Gazproms debt to Naftogaz according to results of the two arbitration proceedings in Stockholm to $2.56 bln.

The Ukrainian gas company announced a court-ordered forced collection of funds through the arrest of Gazproms assets in Switzerland, Britain and the Netherlands in the summer. The Court of Appeal in Sweden upheld Gazproms appeal, ruling to suspend the enforcement of the companys assets seizure by Naftogaz, which in its turn vowed that it would continue its efforts to freeze the Russian gas companys assets.

Early this year, Naftogaz of Ukraine filed a new claim in the amount of $12 bln against Russian gas holding Gazprom due to a potential impairment of the Ukrainian gas transport system (GTS).Dairy major Amul has slapped a legal notice on Google India over the search engine allegedly earning revenues from fake websites carrying its trademark.

It asked Google to "cease and desist" from displaying fake and fraudulent websites.

A spokesperson for Google said it is investigating the issue.

According to the legal notice served at the search engine's Bengaluru office, the company said it has found that unknown persons have created fake websites and e-mails in the name of Amul.

"Since March 2018, our client has received numerous complaints from members of public regarding the said fake and fraudulent websites/domain names, as the said fake and fraudulent websites induce people to deposit money into their bank account," the legal notice said.

Many of them are issuing fake job letters and forms for getting Amul franchise and thereby "making unlawful gains by duping people".

According to Amul, this unauthorised use of trademark and creation of fake website/documents was in violation of several laws, including the Trade Mark Act, Copyright Act and IT Act.

Amul alleged that the Google Ads platform is allowing such miscreants to use its paid promotion services repeatedly without any background checks and in the process earning revenues from the click-based advertising on their page.

In the legal notice, Amul asked Google "to immediately cease and desist from displaying the search result of such fake/fraudulent websites".

Google should not allow its platform to be used from committing illegalities and offences, Amul said.

"Failure to comply with the aforementioned condition within seven days from the receipt of this notice shall constraint our client to escalate this issue using all available means," it added.

The dairy company also enclosed a list of fake websites in its legal notice.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP president Amit Shah, who has been admitted to AIIMS for treatment of swine flu, is doing well and will be discharged in a day or two, the party said Thursday.

Shah had informed people about his illness Wednesday in a tweet.

"National President of BJP, Amit Shah ji, is doing well. He will be discharged in a day or two. Thanks everyone for your good wishes!" the party's media head and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said.

A team of doctors is monitoring his condition under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, the hospital said.

Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey visited AIIMS Thursday morning to enquire about Shah's health.

Later in the day, Union ministers JP Nadda and Anupriya Patel, Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari and other leaders visited him.

According to AIIMS sources, the BJP leader was admitted following complaints of chest congestion and breathing issues. He was admitted in the old private ward.

Union minister Piyush Goyal and other BJP leaders visited AIIMS on Wednesday night.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ruskin Bond, whose supernatural stories have been made into a web series, says he always feels that ghosts are not out to scare or harm people and one gets frightened by them because they are not like us.

The 84-year-old writer says he is not someone who dabbles in the supernatural a great deal but has grown up reading books on ghosts. Works of the early writers of ghost stories such as MR James and Algernon Blackwood have always interested him.

Bond's stories have been adapted for films but for the first time his works are being made into a web series.

The first episode of "Parchayee: Ghost Stories by Ruskin Bond" premiered on ZEE5 on January 15 and the subsequent stories will unfold till June.

Bond has always been inspired by Indian folktales.

"In our folklore, there are various types of ghosts. There's the 'pret', the 'bhoot' and the 'pishach'. And they very often live in Peepul and other kinds of trees. Some years back, an old lady from a village near Agra would tell me stories about 'pret' and village ghosts. These stories would have elements of reincarnation. Religious beliefs too would make it into these stories," he says.

"The ghosts that we otherwise read about in literature, Western ghosts or British ghosts, who the British brought to India and left behind in our hill stations and dak bungalows, they are what you'd call revenants. Someone from the dead reappearing physically, but not quite physically," he goes on to add.

Somehow, the ghosts in Bond's stories are usually not very scary.

"I have always felt that the ghosts are not out to scare us or harm us. They are revisiting old haunts or places that were connected with them. Maybe, for some particular reasons or maybe simply because they are wandering around," Bond told PTI.

But people do get frightened by them because they are not like us, he says.

"They can pass through walls. They don't depend on transport like we do. They are supernatural beings, so we the living feel a bit uneasy about them."



Bond also says that it is not entirely a conscious choice on his part not to make ghosts very scary.

"Occasionally, I have a frightening ghost. Because the reader demands them too. People sometimes read ghost stories to get scared. Don't they? It's a safe fear, in a way. At the back of your head, you know it's not really happening.

"You want to be scared but you don't want it to lead to anything disastrous. That's why, kids like ghost stories. They like the idea of being scared but at the back of their mind it's just a story. They don't believe in it completely," he says.

Bond was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, and grew up in Jamnagar, Dehradun, New Delhi and Shimla. As a young man, he spent four years in the Channel Islands and London. He returned to India in 1955. He now lives in Landour, Mussoorie, with his adopted family.

Asked whether his place of residence provides the perfect setting for supernatural stories, he says, "You could say that. Hill stations were more or less British creations. After some of them - usually the more interesting members of the community - had died or had done something, dramatic legends and stories would be heard about them reappearing. This is very much the British type of ghost."



"But if you go out into the villages in the hills or remote areas, the local people also have very strong supernatural beliefs, beliefs in spirits. They believe certain places are haunted. Even rocks are considered haunted. There is a belief that a certain type of individual can turn into a leopard. That again is more Indian. Whereas the obvious sort of ghost that you get in the West is again the sort you would find a colonial connection with," he says.

Though Bond never thinks particularly about writing for the screen as nobody ever asked him, but the idea is there at the back of the mind.

"I always felt that some of the stories that I had written would adapt well to the screen".

"I had never thought of my ghost stories being done as a series. I thought maybe the odd one might get filmed but hadn't realised they could make a complete series. A Kolkata-based company called Allcap Communications approached me with the idea.

"They discussed with me and developed 12 stories for the screen and took them to the producers of the show, Banijay Asia and Opus Communications. That's how this series happened," he says.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Alia Bhatt has come out in support of her mother Soni Razdan's film "No Fathers in Kashmir", which is has been stuck over certification issues, saying the movie is about compassion and the CBFC should lift the "ban" on it.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), however, has denied having imposed a ban on the movie, saying that it is "unfortunate" that "unwarranted pressure" is being put by spreading "misinformation of a ban".

The board said any of CBFC banning the film is "completely false" and all "responsible" people should take account.

The film has been stuck with the CBFC for over six months and has been offered an 'A' certificate. Its makers have challenged the board's decision and demanded a 'U/A' certification, according to media reports.

Bhatt's comments came Thursday after actor Swara Bhaskar came out in support of "No Fathers in Kashmir" director Ashvin Kumar.

Was soo looking forward to mom's @nofathers_movie#nofathersinkashmir!! @Soni_Razdan @ashvinkumar & team worked super hard for this honest teens love story in Kashmir.," Bhatt tweeted.

"Really hope the CBFC would #lifttheban. It's a film about empathy & compassionlet's give love a chance, she said on Twitter.

The media reports claimed that the CBFC has given an 'A' certificate to "No Fathers in Kashmir" and the makers think it is a completely inappropriate decision.

The makers have challenged censor board's decision and appealed to a higher authority, the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), to look into the matter, according to the reports.

Regional Officer CBFC Mumbai Tushar Karmarkar said, "We are disappointed with the misinformation being spread about the film 'No fathers in Kashmir'. Any of CBFC banning this film is completely false. And all responsible people should take account of that."



"We want to again clarify that filmmakers of 'No fathers in Kashmir' have already been offered an adult certificate and the reasons thereof have clearly been communicated to them," he told PTI.

"It's unfortunate that unwarranted pressure is being put by spreading misinformation of a ban'. CBFC will continue to do its work in a fair and transparent manner without succumbing to misguided pressure tactics," Karmarkar said.

Reportedly, fresh cuts were again demanded in the film and Kumar has been running between the CBFC and the FCAT to get an 'U/A' certificate for his film as he thinks that his film deserves a wider audience.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Billionaire Gautam Adani-run Adani Group will partner German chemical giant BASF to foray into the petrochemicals sector with a Rs 16,000 crore factory at Mundra in Gujarat.

Besides investing in the chemical factory, BASF will also invest in wind and solar power plant at the site to meet the electricity requirement of the unit, the two companies said in a statement.

BASF will hold a majority controlling stake in the new venture. It will, however, hold a minority interest in the power venture.

BASF SE and Adani Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the eve of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 "to evaluate a major joint investment in the acrylics value chain", they said.

This would be BASF's largest investment in India to date, it said without giving details.

A feasibility study will be completed by the end of 2019.

"According to the MoU, BASF and Adani want to establish a joint venture with an investment totaling about Euro 2 billion (about Rs 16,000 crore), in which BASF will hold the majority," it said.

The companies did not give details of the joint venture.

The potential investment comprises the development, construction and operation of production plants including propane dehydrogenation (PDH), oxo C4 complex (butanols and 2-ethyl hexanol), glacial acrylic acid (GAA), butyl acrylate (BA) and potentially other downstream products.

"The products are predominantly for the Indian market to serve a wide range of local industries, including construction, automotive and coatings, whose growing demand is currently supplied via imports, thus supporting the 'Make in India' initiative," the statement said.

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Adani Group is one of India's largest integrated infrastructure conglomerates with interests in resources (coal mining and trading), logistics (ports, logistics, shipping and rail), energy (renewable and thermal power generation, transmission and distribution), agro (commodities, edible oil, food products, cold storage and grain silos), real estate, public transport infrastructure, consumer finance and defence sectors.

Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, said, "India continues to be a very large importer of petrochemicals given the rapid expansion of the middle class, and this leads to a significant outflow of precious foreign exchange. Our partnership with BASF is a big step forward in enabling our country's 'Make in India' program, as this partnership will allow us to produce in Mundra several of the chemicals along the C3 chemical value chain that we are currently importing."



Mundra's infrastructure is ideally suited to enable chemicals production, and Adani Group's ability to deliver renewable power makes this a unique partnership on several fronts, he said.

"BASF's intention to invest in a major new site for the acrylics value chain in India clearly demonstrates our strong and long-term commitment to our Indian customers.

"Together with the Adani Group, we would have the opportunity to provide our customers with high-quality chemicals and support them in growing their business. With our production powered by renewable energy, we would be able to minimize our impact on the environment," said Martin Brudermller, chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE.

In line with BASF's carbon neutral growth strategy, the chemical site in Mundra would be the company's first CO2-neutral production site.

The companies have developed an overall plan including new technologies and the supply of the site with 100 per cent renewable energy. "Therefore, in addition to the investment outlined in this MoU, BASF plans to co-invest as a minority partner in wind and solar park," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi government has refused exemption to the Lokayukta office from installing GPS-enabled tracking system on its official vehicles, saying there was no justification for doing so, sources said Thursday.

The AAP government, in August last year, had ordered installation of GPS-enabled tracking devices in all its vehicles and those belonging to civic bodies and autonomous institutions, to prevent their "misuse".

"In his note, dated January 9, General Administration Department minister Gopal Rai said there was no justification for proposal of the department for exemption in case of office of Lokayukta," a government source said.

Meanwhile, in a notice, the office of Lokayukta has asked the ruling AAP legislators, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to give their replies on a complaint that they are not furnishing their assets and liabilities details before the competent authority.

Delhi Vidhan Sabha Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said there was no law under which it was compulsory for the MLAs to furnish these details.

"There is no such law under which it is compulsory for MLAs to give details of their assets and liability. It (proposed legislation) is still under consideration of the Union Law Ministry. There is no such provision in the law," Goel told PTI.

Sources said that a legal opinion will be sought on the matter by the Delhi Assembly.

The issue was raised by an advocate and RTI activist Vivek Garg, who on January 9, filed a complaint with the office of Lokayukta, alleging that details of assets and liabilities were not being filed by the AAP MLAs for three consecutive financial years.

"The Lokayukta has sought a reply from the AAP MLAs and asked them to submit returns with the office if filed by them. The matter has been fixed for next hearing on January 28," Garg said.

AAP MLA from Chandni Chowk Alka Lamba, who received notice of Lokayukta, alleged BJP's hand behind the complaint before the Lokayukta.

"BJP leaders in the past also tried to frame us in fake cases. One more case has been lodged with the Lokayukta by them after failing to harm(us) in four years. The complaint was made on January 9, the notice was marked on January 10 and it was dispatched on January 11. I got it on January 16," Lamba tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 53-year-old motorcyclist was killed when a car hit him in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj area Thursday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Narinder Kumar, a resident of Uttam Nagar. He used to work with an export company, they added.

Officials of the Vasant Kunj (South) police station rushed to the spot after they were informed about the accident at 1 pm at NH-8, police said.

On reaching the site, police found Kumar in a critical condition and took him to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead, Devender Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) said.

Thirty-year-old woman, who was driving the car, has been apprehended, he said.

The medical examination of the woman has been conducted to verify if she was drunk at the time of accident, Arya added.

Further investigation is underway, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Four people have been arrested here for allegedly circulating fake currency notes, police said Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, Arjun, Badloo, Janki and Ram Kumar were arrested from a market on Sunday and fake notes worth 1.54-lakh rupees were seized, said Superintendent of Police (City) Shlok Kumar.

The four confessed to circulating fake currency to hawkers and vendors in weekly markets. They used to purchase the fake currency after paying 30-per cent value of the total amount to a person named Vijay Kumar of Haryana, the SP said.

The fake notes may be printed in India or in Pakistan. Police are trying to arrest the main culprit who supplied the fake notes to the accused, the SP added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As many as 30 gold bars worth Rs 56 lakh were found hidden behind mirrors of three toilets in a plane at Delhi airport, officials said Thursday.

Based on inputs, security personnel rummaged the plane after it arrived in Delhi from Bengaluru on Tuesday, officials said.

"During rummaging, 30 pieces of gold bars weighing 1.7 kgs, wrapped with black and brown colour adhesive tapes hidden behind the mirror in the space between mirror and wall in all the three toilets of the aircraft (one toilet on front side and two toilets on the rear side of the aircraft) were recovered," a statement issued by the customs department said.

The gold bars, which have been seized, have been valued at Rs 56.26 lakh, it said.

The investigation so far could not identify any claimant of these recovered gold bars which bear the mark "Dubai/UAE", the statement said.

The aircraft, before coming to Delhi from Bengaluru, was used in international sector from Dubai to Bengaluru and then Bengaluru to Colombo, Colombo to Chennai and Chennai to Pune, the customs department said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 25-year-old private security guard of a school in Swaroop Nagar here allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan on its premises on Thursday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Sham Singh, they added.

Police were informed about the incident on Thursday morning, following which they rushed to the spot Gaurav Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer-north Delhi), said.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot, he added.

A post-mortem will be conducted, the police said, adding necessary proceedings have been initiated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Armenian government dismissed two provincial governors at today's meeting.

Vhe Galumyan was dismissed as governor of Tavush province and Karen Sarukhanyan - as governor of Shirak province, ARKA reported.

Both governors quit their governor positions for activity in the new National Assembly  they elected in the December 9 poll as MPs through My Step blocs list.Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), which is spearheading the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Thursday claimed that around 20 lakh Hindu Bangladeshis would become Indians if the controversial Bill is passed.

Addressing a press conference, KMSS Adviser Akhil Gogoi slammed the BJP-led government for its attempt to get the Bill passed despite widespread protests across the North East.

"The BJP and Himanta Biswa Sarma is saying that only eight lakh Hindu Bangladeshis, who are already staying here, will get citizenship. But our assessment is that 20 lakh people are present in Assam at this moment and they will get citizenship as soon as the Bill is passed," he added.

Elaborating on his claim, the prominent RTI activist said that a report of former Assam Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha had mentioned that over one crore people have entered India.

"When I met former Assam Assembly Deputy Speaker Dilip Kumar Paul, who is from BJP, he said around 15-20 lakh Hindu Bangladeshis are in Assam. Himanta Biswa Sarma himself had said that out of the 40 lakh excluded from the complete draft of NRC (National Register of Citizens), 22 lakh were Hindus.

"Saugata Roy had said in Parliament that 28 lakh Hindu Bengalis are excluded from NRC. So, these different figures by various sources clearly say that around 20 lakh Hindus from Bangladesh are living in Assam, not eight lakh as claimed by BJP," Gogoi said.

He further claimed that as per Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, there are around 1.7 crore Hindus, which is 10.7 per cent of that country's total population.

"If the Bill is passed, this will pave the ways for these 1.7 crore people in Bangladesh to come to Assam and get Indian nationality as there is no cut-off date in the Bill.

So, there is a possibility that a total of 1.9 crore people are likely to get Indian citizenship in coming years," Gogoi said.

He claimed that if that happens, the entire demography of Assam will change irreparably.

Gogoi accused the BJP-led government for garnering votes in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls by bringing in three sensitive issues one after another.

"Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Committee on Clause-6 of Assam Accord and another committee on ST status were brought at this time only for polarising the society on communal lines for the votes. That is why we all should resist it.

"We will shed out blood, but will not allow the Bill to pass. We will do everything possible to stop it," he said.

The Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

A large section of people and organisations in the northeast have opposed the bill saying it would nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for deportation of illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.

Massive protests broke out across the state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Silchar on January 4 that the legislation would be passed as soon as possible in Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 10 people were killed by "terrorists" in northeastern Mali, including members of an armed group and civilians, a government official said on Wednesday.

The attack took place around 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Menaka in an area which has been badly hit by jihadist violence that claimed several hundred lives in 2018, most of them civilians of Touareg or Fulani ethnicity.

"At least 10 (people), fighters for the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and civilians were killed on Tuesday... by armed men," the government official told AFP adding that "terrorists" were the suspected culprits.

In a statement the MSA, part of a Touareg rebellion movement in the north, condemned the attacks.

"At the end of the clashes, the assailants summarily executed around 20 people, including the elderly," it said.

The attackers "arrived on motorbikes... attacking an (MSA security) post," added a local elected representative, giving a death toll of "at least 10".

In August, a panel of experts said in a report to the UN Security Council that inter-communal conflicts in the region were exacerbating existing tensions resulting from clashes between jihadists groups and international and Malian forces.

France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency that took control of large parts of the troubled north in 2012, but large swathes of the country remain out of the government's control, despite a 2015 peace accord designed to isolate Islamist extremists.

Since then, attacks have extended to central and southern regions of Mali and over the borders into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP MLAs who are cooped up in a resort in Haryana will take a call on returning to the state after the Congress legislature party meeting on Friday, according to sources.

State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar are among a dozen legislators who have gone back to Bengaluru to see a prominent Lingayat seer, Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur, who has taken ill, they said.

The sources said that at present, about 75 BJP MLAs including Shobha Karandlaje are in the Gurgaon resort and will stay put till top party leaders give their nod to return to

The BJP will "wait and watch" for the outcome of the Congress legislature party meeting scheduled Friday to demonstrate unity among the party MLAs, they added.

"Congress Legislature Party meeting presided by CLP leader Siddaramaiah is scheduled for 3:30 pm on January 18 at the Conference Hall of Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat)," Siddaramaiah's office had said in a statement on Wednesday.

The meeting assumes significance following attempts by the Congress to reach out to its disgruntled MLAs, who are allegedly ready to jump ship to the BJP side.

According to Congress sources, few ministers from the party have even offered to step down in the larger interest and to keep the coalition intact. The party leadership is also looking into the option, they added.

There are reports that a few of the MLAs have gone incommunicado, with at least three to five of them camped in Mumbai along with a couple of BJP leaders

A political crisis is brewing in Karnataka, where two Independent MLAs Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old ministry amid trading of poaching charges by the ruling coalition and BJP.

ALSO READ: No Cong MLA will quit; clear picture in Karnataka by tomorrow: Venugopal

Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda had said on Tuesday that the BJP would stake claim to power in if the Congress-JDS coalition government falls.

Chief Minister H D however reiterated he enjoyed the support of 120 MLAs and alleged that Yeddyurappa was making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government.

In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides Speaker.Former Union Ministers Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha -- all of whom had served in late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet but have been bitterly opposed to the present Narendra Modi regime -- will be part of the January 19 Brigade Rally convened by Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here, which would be attended by a host of opposition leaders.

Trinamool sources said all three have confirmed that they would participate in the rally expected to provide a contour of the coming together of opposition parties to combat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Former Union Finance and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha had resigned from the BJP last year and even launched a countrywide campaign against the present government and his old party.

Patnasahib MP and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha -- a BJP rebel, who misses no opportunity to take a dig at Modi -- will also be present at the Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday.

The actor-politician's relations with the BJP are said to be on the brink, and some party leaders have suggested he should quit the party instead of "damaging" it from inside.

An eminent journalist, Shourie, who had served as a World Bank economist for some time and held the office of the Minister of Disinvestment, Communication and Information Technology in the government of India under Vajpayee, will also be at Banerjee's rally.

Banerjee had called on all three leaders during her trip to Delhi.

Besides, Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha would also be present on the stage alongside the TMC supremo.

DMK President M.K. Stalin, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh and Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav would also be among the political leaders at the rally.

Though Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has decided to stay away, she has deputed senior leader Satish Chandra Mishra, sources said.

Banerjee has already announced that former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Karnataka counterpart H.D. Kumaraswamy, as also political heavyweights like Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav would address the rally.

While Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are giving the rally a miss, the party would be represented by leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Banerjee said she had invited the Left parties, including CPI-M leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, but was yet to receive any confirmation.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah have also confirmed their participation.

--IANS

ssp/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The partial shutdown of the US federal government has had a serious impact on the country's space agency NASA and development work on most future space missions has been slowed or suspended.

However, NASA has not been totally grounded by the partial government shutdown that began on December 22, after last-minute negotiations in Congress failed to end a budget standoff.

Over 95 per cent of the space agency's employees have been furloughed. As a result, various research projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope has been put on hold, the Space.com reported on Wednesday.

Hubble suffered a mechanical problem that only furloughed NASA employees could repair.

Many workers also gathered outside the Johnson Space Center in Houston to protest the shutdown and its deleterious effects on their lives and the nation's space programmes.

The Telescope facilities that have so far remained open during the shutdown will soon run out of money and cease operations.

This includes the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), a federally funded organization that operates the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the Green Bank Telescope and the Very Large Array (VLA), the report noted.

The partial shutdown become the longest on record after January 12, overtaking the previous record of the 21-day impasse in 1995-96 under then President Bill Clinton.

President Donald Trump and the Congress have been at loggerheads over his demand to include in the budget $5.7 billion funding for building a border wall along the Mexico border. Democratic leaders have rejected his call.

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), also called the "flying telescope" has also ceased operations since the shutdown.

The telescope, which is mounted to the fuselage of a Boeing 747 aircraft, has not flown since the shutdown began, the report said.

However, despite the shutdown some "excepted" employees remained at work, assisting astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and other space missions, the report said.

Last week, astronauts aboard the ISS conducted a range of scientific experiments and public-outreach work. They engaged in an orbital Q&A with school kids and answered a variety of questions, from the nature of the research performed aboard the ISS to the type of training astronauts receive to whether your ears pop in space.

On January 13, a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule departed the orbiting lab for Earth, eventually splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The robotic Dragon brought down important scientific research and hardware for examination here on terra firma.

Other active space missions includes NASA probes OSIRIS-REx and New Horizons spacecraft that continue to gather data in Earth orbit and the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and beyond, the report said.

--IANS

rt/in

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Greek Parliament late on Wednesday renewed its support for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, a leftist, after he asked for a vote of confidence when his coalition with the nationalists broke up on January 13 following a spat over the agreement reached with neighbouring Macedonia to rename that country.

The vote ended with 151 votes in favour of the government after two days of debate in which the leader of the leftist Syriza party defended the Prespa agreement with Macedonia as a stabilizer of the region and stressed the need to complete his mandate to promote his social agenda after the end of the financial aid programs by the European Union (EU).

"The government is asking for a vote of confidence to continue its efforts. We want a greater reduction of unemployment, increase the minimum wage, complete the reform of the Constitution. This is the work that lies ahead," said Tsipras, closing the debate and stressing that the purpose of this request is to have the full backing of the parliamentarians to continue this work.

After this accolade, Tsipras intends to hold on as prime minister until October, to complete those plans and try to make amends with the Greek people before the elections, after Greece suffered financial distress by the cuts imposed by the country's creditors under his leadership, Efe reported.

Although Tsipras could have won the confidence vote with half plus one of the votes in favour of the deputies present (with a minimum of 120), he set himself the objective of obtaining the absolute majority and announced that, if he did not achieve it, he would call early elections.

Having passed this test, the Hellenic Parliament will soon have to ratify the Prespa agreement, which will open the doors of NATO and accession negotiations in the EU to the now renamed Northern Macedonia.

Precisely the term "Northern Macedonia" was the trigger that led Tsipras to ask this question of confidence, after his partner, Panos Kammenos, left his post as defence minister on January 13 and broke up the coalition that had governed Greece since January 2015 disagreeing with the new name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

--IANS

vc

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Taiwan on Thursday strongly condemned Beijing's demand made on multinational companies to refer to the East Asian island nation as a part of China.

In a statement, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that Taiwan "strongly condemns the Chinese authorities for their recent outrageous demand on 66 multinational companies to change their designation for Taiwan to 'Taiwan, China'."

"These firms - which were among the world's top 500 companies in 2017 including Apple, Nike, Amazon and Siemens - were named in The Blue Book on the Cyber Rule of Law in China 2018 as having identified Taiwan as such rather than by 'Taiwan, China', and were threatened with penalty in accordance with the law," the strongly-worded statement said.

A total of 66 international firms were singled out for "misidentifying" Taiwan on their websites, in an annual report on cyber rule of law in China published this week by the Social Science Academic Press in Beijing.

The report, which covered 500 top transnational companies based in 32 countries, including the US, Japan and Germany, also named 53 firms for "misidentifying" Hong Kong, the city's South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

China's 2018 Annual Report on Cyber Rule of Law called for the relevant authorities to punish the companies by either removing their licences or suspending their operations on the mainland if they refused to correct their mistakes.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry statement said that Beijing's move comes "following its coercion on airlines and multinational companies in early 2018".

"MOFA strongly condemns China for its outrageous demands and urges China to refrain from further actions to avoid harming the feelings of the Taiwanese people and the amicable development of cross-strait relations," it stated.

It said China's moves to impose its executive and judicial jurisdiction as well as political ideology on foreign companies "not only expose its malicious intent in using political tactics to interfere with private enterprises, but also violate the spirit of free international commerce".

"MOFA once again calls on the international community not to remain silent and accommodating in order to prevent the Chinese government from intensifying its intimidations," the statement said."MOFA also calls on related countries to take stock of China's bullying measures and take necessary steps to assist these companies refuse China's unreasonable demands."

Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with most countries in the world because of big power China's claims over it.

The island nation has the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) here in India in the form of an embassy.

China's Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese War.

While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the Republic of China (RoC) was established on mainland China in 1912 after the fall of the dynasty.

Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945, the RoC took control of Taiwan.

However, the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the RoC's loss of the mainland to the Communists, and the flight of the RoC government to Taiwan in 1949.

Although the RoC continued to claim to be the legitimate government of China, its effective jurisdiction had, since the loss of Hainan in 1950, been limited to Taiwan and several small islands, with the main island making up 99 per cent of its territory.

As a founding member of the UN, the RoC represented China at the world body until 1971, when it lost its seat to the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry's statement comes weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping's statement that Taiwan should reject independence by terming it a "dead end" and embrace "peaceful reunification" with China.

Xi made the remarks at a gathering in Beijing at the beginning of this year to mark the 40th anniversary of the issuing of the "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" - which seeks peaceful reunification under the principle of "one country, two systems".

While Taiwan is self-governed and de-facto independent, it has never formally declared independence from the mainland.

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province and Xi's comments were in line with China's long-standing policy towards reunification.

Calling both sides a part of the same Chinese family, Xi said: "Reunification is the historical trend and the right path, Taiwan independence is ... a dead end."

Thursday's statement by the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry further reiterated that "the Chinese government should face the fact of the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and that Taiwan is absolutely not a province of the People's Republic of China, nor is it subject to the jurisdiction of the Chinese government".

"Any attempts to suppress and belittle Taiwan will only cause antipathy among Taiwanese people and undermine cross-strait relations as well as regional peace and stability," it said.

--IANS

ab/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Raising the stakes in the US government shutdown standoff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has blocked President Donald Trump from delivering the highly symbolic annual State of the Union address to the joint session of Congress even as a group of centrist Democrat and Republican lawmakers met him to find a way out of the impasse.

In a letter to Trump on Wednesday, Pelosi cited the shutdown as the reason for not holding the ceremonial address on January 29.

She asserted that it would not be possible to provide the required "special security" needed for the event because the employees of the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security have not been paid for 25 days.

Trump could instead send a written message as was the custom till 1913, or wait for the government to reopen and schedule a new date, Pelosi suggested.

However, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen countered that her "Department and the Secret Service were fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union".

If Trump is not invited to deliver the address, he will likely make a televised address to the nation. But Trump will be deprived of pomp and splendour that he craves.

The US government is limping along with all but the vital services shut down for the 27th day on Thursday because of the standoff over funding for a wall along the southern border that Trump was to build to keep out illegal immigrants and smugglers.

The Democrats in Congress have refused to sanction in the budget the $5.6 billion that is required for the wall and Trump is adamant he would not approve a budget without the allocation. Therefore, the country is without a budget to to fund all but the essential government services.

The wall has assumed mythical proportions in US For Trump, it is to be his monumental legacy to the nation and a redemption of a grandiose promise to his supporters.

It has become equally important to the Democrats for the same reasons -- it embodies all they hate in him and denying it would cut him down to size making him lose face before the nation, especially his base, and the world.

As if to underscore point about risks to presidential security that Pelosi mentioned, authorities announced the arrest of a man in Georgia state who was planning to blow up the White House.

Hasher Taheb, 21, was arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force that includes the Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation, after he had disclosed his plans to undercover agents, federal prosecutor Byung Pak said.

While the majority of federal government workers are on furlough, or temporary layoff, those in essential services like law enforcement, air traffic control, airport security and border control are required to work even though they will not be paid till the shutdown ends.

A group known as the Problem Solvers Caucus, that is made up of seven members from each of the two political parties, met Trump in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday, but could not persuade him to compromise.

They proposed Trump to reopen the government temporarily while they discuss a more permanent solution to his demand for the border wall.

While the proposal made no headway, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called it "constructive".

A bipartisan group of senators have drafted a similar plan to temporarily open the government and negotiate, which they plan to send to Trump.

Trump has threatened that he could keep the shutdown going for months, if not years. His opposition to the proposal for temporarily opening the government may be based on his fears that he could lose the momentum created by his brinkmanship.

In what has become a war of symbols, Democrats have opened a new front against Trump over his alleged links to Russia introducing legislation in the Senate to override administration move to lift sanctions against companies connected to Oleg Deripaska, said to be an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The measure was however, defeated despite getting the support of 11 Republican senators as it fell short of the required 60 votes.

The Democrats plan to introduce on Thursday an identical legislation in the House, which they control.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the sanctions on the companies was lifted after Deripaska's ownership was diluted to protect other countries depend on the aluminium producers.

He was put under sanctions along with other business-people close to Putin in retaliation for alleged Russian meddling in 2016 US presidential elections.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkey deported a journalist Johanna Cornelia Boersma working for the largest Dutch financial newspaper, Het Financieele Dagblad, after it received information from Dutch police that she had links to a designated terrorist organization, Turkey's presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun said.

Dutch national police declined to comment. All Dutch authorities referred calls on the matter to the national prosecutors office where spokespeople were not immediately available.

Turkish officials initially said that Boersmas deportation was not linked to her work as a journalist.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office then issued a statement that Turkish authorities had received Dutch police intelligence saying Boersma "had links to a designated terrorist organization (as well as) a request for information about her movements in and out of Turkey," Reuters reported.

Boersma, 31, began working as a correspondent in Turkey in 2017 and had previously been a journalism teacher.BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday said some concerns over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 are genuine, and that will meet dissenting MLAs and other party leaders to convince them about the government's intentions.

The BJP leader said there has been a sustained disinformation campaign in northeastern states over the Bill, stressing the BJP was committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

"Some opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is genuine, but there is also a section, including the Ulfa, who wants to create trouble and disturb the existing peace in the state due to political reasons," said the senior BJP leader.

He appealed to the members of the high-powered committee formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and play a proactive role in ensuring its implementation.

Clause 6 of the accord suggests that the government has to enact constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

"For over 30 years the Clause 6, which is the soul of Assam Accord, remained unimplemented. Our dedication and commitment is absolute. So we appeal to the four members who had resigned from the committee to take active role in the committee and solve the problem," Madhav said.

The BJP government wants to implement the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord in letter and spirit, he added.

Explaining of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, Madhav said that during the Partition, the people of Assam remained safe due to the leadership of Gopinath Bordoloi.

"However, many of them were not lucky enough and became a victim of the Partition. These people have nowhere to go, but India. So India will have to accept them," said Madhav.

"However, a sustained disinformation campaign was launched in the region to disturb peace, combined with political reasons, which have led to problems in Assam and Manipur," he added.

Asked about the opposition to the Citizenship (Amandment) Biull from some BJP leaders and partner of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the senior BJP leader said he will meet people's representatives.

"I am going to meet the MLAs and other party leaders. I will try to convince them about the government's intention. We will also persuade the NEDA members on the Bill," said Madhav.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Singapore's minister-in-charge of trade relations, S. Iswaran, has congratulated Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on his successful re-election as the Chief Minister.

In a congratulatory letter, he described Rao's success in the recent elections as a testament to his outstanding accomplishments in his first term in office.

"Under your leadership, Telangana has achieved a stellar annual revenue growth rate of 17.17%. Singapore companies have also recognised Telangana's favourable investment climate," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office on Thursday quoted from the letter.

"During your tenure, DBS (Development Bank of Singapore) built its largest technology hub outside its Singapore headquarters in Hyderabad and Ascendas-Singapore continued to expand its footprint within the state," said the statement.

Iswaran was confident that under KCR's leadership, economic relations between Singapore and Telangana will strengthen further and more Singapore companies will find opportunities to participate in Telangana's economic development.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Doves symbolising peace and prosperity were released and Tibetan native drum-dance presented, as the three-day Sikkim Red Panda Winter Carnival 2019, showcasing the state's unique culture and talent, got off to a grand opening here on Thursday.

State Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Ugen T. Gyatso inaugurated the festival at the M.G. Marg by beating the Chabrung, a traditional musical drum.

The Red Panda Winter Carnival is an annual feature of the state tourism and civil aviation department that endeavours to celebrate the Sikkimese way of life and showcase its unique culture, cuisine and the unbounded talent.

The carnival serves as an opportunity to unwind and appreciate the goodness around and indulge in celebration and has over the years evolved into one of the most popular annual events not only for Sikkim but for neighbouring states and even countries.

The present edition of the event would see participation of delegates from Bhutan, Nepal, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, and Kalimpong, who would be leading their teams to showcase their culture, tradition, handicraft and handlooms.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered all schools across the country that charge more than 5,000 Pakistani rupees per month to reduce their fees by 20 per cent, media reports said on Thursday.

The apex court had issued an interim order on December 13, 2018, in a case pertaining to reduction of private school fees, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Thursday's court proceedings, the detailed verdict was released that upheld all points laid out in that interim judgement.

The detailed judgement also underscored that the fee reduction would not affect scholarships and other facilities provided by schools, adding that school owners would also not cut the salaries of teachers.

The court has directed all the parents and students to submit 20 per cent less in fees, and disciplinary action would be taken against those parents who failed to comply with the top court's order.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav on Thursday appealed to the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders to return to the BJP-led alliance.

The regional political party, which contested the 2016 assembly polls along with BJP and BPF, had snapped ties with the saffron party on January 7 after differences cropped up with the saffron party over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The three ministers of the AGP tendered their resignations to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on January 10. The Chief Minister's Office is however, yet to forward the resignations to Assam Governor.

"We have contested the polls 2016 as an alliance, so I appeal to them to come back to the alliance. There are concerns over the Bill, but we can allay the fears by talking to them. This is perhaps the reason why Assam Chief Minister is yet to forward their resignation to the Governor," said Ram Madhav, who was in Guwahati on Thursday.

Ram Madhav's statement assumes significance as Assam and some other states in the North-East have been witnessing protests over the Citizenship Bill. Some of the BJP legislators of Assam are unhappy as four BJP MLAs and Speaker of the Assam assembly Hitendra Nath Goswami have expressed their apprehensions over the Bill.

"We are talking to our allies in the North-East and will ensure that the Bill does not dilute indigenous people's identity," said Madhav.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conard Sangma is expected to lead a delegation from the state to New Delhi and meet Prime Narendra Modi and Home minister Rajnath Singh and express state's reservations on the Bill.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has already met the Prime Minister and expressed peoples' objection to the Bill.

Nagaland, where BJP is a partner of the ruling coalition, has asked the Centre to review the move while Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has made it clear that the state government will not support the Bill until the Centre includes a clause to protect the indigenous people.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Professor S.M. Rahamatullah, Dean, Satellite Campuses and Professor, Department of Public Administration, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) was Thursday appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Sri Krishnadeveraya University (SKU), Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan in his capacity as the Chancellor of the University appointed Rahamatullah as the Vice-Chancellor of SKU for a term of three years.

Rahamatullah joined MANUU as Professor, Public Administration on March 1, 2007. He served in different capacities including Registrar and Dean, according to a statement from MANUU.

Dr. Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. M.A. Sikandar, Registrar and teaching fraternity expressed happiness over his appointment and described it as an honour for Urdu University.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova advanced into the third round of the Australian Open after beating unseeded American Madison Brengle, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 in a rain-delayed match on Thursday.

Pliskova started a set down on the scoreboard against Brengle, who is ranked 89th in the world, after a delayed beginning to Day 4, reports Efe news.

But the 7th ranked Czech came back and claimed 12 out of 13 games to seal her spot in the third round of the tournament for a fifth straight year.

Pliskova, who has registered seven victories in a row since the beginning of the year after her conquest in Brisbane, will now face Italian Camila Giorgi in the next round.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Japan's Naomi Osaka downed Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the Australian Open here on Thursday.

Zidansek put up a fight and after the match, Osaka indicated there was room for improvement, reports Efe news.

"I served pretty well - I got broken twice, but she was a really great opponent," Osaka said.

"I'll try to play better next time."

The reigning US Open champion and world No.4 will meet Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei (seeded 28th to Osaka's 4th) in round three for the third time at the event, after Hsieh beat Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-4.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The NIA on Thursday raided five places in Uttar Pradesh and two in Punjab in its probe into a new Islamic State (IS)-inspired module Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam and detained four men, officials said.

The National Investigation Agency teams launched simultaneous searches at seven locations, including Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Hapur and Amroha and Punjab's Ludhiana, early in the day, a senior NIA official told IANS.

One of those arrested is a Maulvi from Ludhiana.

The fresh searches came five days after the counter-terror probe agency arrested a suspect from Hapur for being affiliated with the global terror outfit.

NIA officials on Thursday detained 50-year-old Mohammad Habib, a resident of Kaloli village in Bulandshahr district. The general store owner has spent over 25 years in Saudi Arabia and was likely to be brought to the NIA office in Delhi for questioning, according to an informed source.

The source also said that it has detained one Gufran from Amroha's Banskhedi village, one from Ludhiana and another from Uttar Pradesh.

From Ludhiana, one Maulvi was detained from a mosque following the raids. Sources said he has been identified as Mohammed Owais. He was detained after a raid at the Madhini mosque on Rahon road early in the day.

Owais hails from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, and has been working in Ludhiana for the past few months. The sources said that raids were conducted in Ludhiana and Amritsar in Punjab.

He said that the agency has carried out searches at two villages in Hapur district after getting a tip off from the arrested arms supplier Naeem of Meerut, who was arrested on January 4.

The raids that were still underway and were being conducted with the aid of the state police, kicked off after the anti-terror agency got leads from those arrested earlier following interrogations.

The agency is also looking into the role of a foreign mastermind behind the new module.

The action comes in the wake of a case the NIA registered on December 20 under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

It had on January 11, arrested Muhammad Absar from Hapur district.

The initial arrests though had come late last year on December 26, when 10 members, including mastermind Mufti Mohammad Suhail of the new module, were arrested from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh after conducting searches at 17 places.

The arrested men were allegedly planning to attack some political personalities, security establishments as well as crowded places in Delhi and the National Capital Region, the agency said.

The NIA had also seized 25 kg of explosive material, including potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, sulphur, sugar material paste, mobile phone circuits, batteries, 51 pipes, remote control car triggering switch, wireless digital doorbell for remote switch, steel containers, electric wires, knife, sword, IS-related literature and Rs 7.5 lakh in cash.

Besides, a country-made rocket launcher, 12 pistols, 112 alarm clocks, 100 mobile phones, 135 SIM cards, several laptops and various electronic gadgets, besides 150 rounds of ammunition.

The NIA had ever since been carrying out follow-up searches in Uttar Pradesh to identify more suspects of the new IS module.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Thursday that the 10 per cent reservation for the economically weak sections among the general categories would usher in social equality and remove mutual distrust among various communities.

He said that capacity of seats in all educational institutions would be increased by 10 per cent to ensure that the students of other categories were not adversely affected by the new 10 per cent reservation.

The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering after inaugurating an ultra-modern super-specialty public sector hospital set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

Modi said it was the "strong political will" of the BJP government that made it possible to implement the decision to provide 10 per cent reservation on economic criteria.

"The need for quotas to the economically weak sections among the general category was being felt for long but no government had showed the political will and the courage to take it to its logical conclusion of amending the Constitution to give effect to the move. It is the strong political will of my government that made it possible," Modi asserted.

He announced that the 10 per cent reservation would be made effective from the current academic year itself and the students belonging to the economically weak category in some 900 universities and 40,000 colleges across the county would benefit from it.

Modi stated that the 10 per cent reservation was over and above the 49 per cent existing reservation benefits to the weaker sections of the society. He said he was confident that it would remove the mistrust and disputes which cropped up frequently between various communities in the country and create social equality.

"The BJP has always remained committed to bringing around social equality and the measure is yet another milestone in my government's declared policy of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'," he said.

The Prime Minister landed in Gujarat on Thursday to inaugurate the three-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russian sovereign wealth fund (RDIF) said it would significantly boost its investments deals with Saudi Arabia in 2019.

The funds CEO Kirill Dmitriev led a delegation of more than 20 Russian business figures to the Kingdom to discuss new projects.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih met Dmitriev in Riyadh and expressed his happiness on the progress they made in the talks and the cooperation between the two countries.

"Its not only commercial cooperation, but we are also working on scientific research, and we have opened a research center in Moscow University," Arab News cite dAl-Falih as saying.

The minister said the Russian delegation will also meet officials from Saudi Basic Industries Corporation SABIC and mining company Maaden among other companies during their three day visit to the Kingdom.

Al-Falih added that the Russian side has started a rubber plant project in Al-Jubail with Total and Novomet.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund added in the statement that the delegation discussed projects in oil refining, petrochemical, gas chemical and oilfield services sectors.The families of the trapped miners inside an illegal 370-ft flooded coal mine in Meghalaya on Thursday said they want the "dead bodies" of the miners to be taken out as per the Supreme Court order even as Navy divers captured pictures of a body inside the flooded mine.

The Indian Navy divers on Wednesday used an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) at a depth of about 160 feet in a rat-hole mine at Ksan village in East Jaintia Hills district, with pictures of a body which was pulled up to the mouth of the mine.

"The body will be extracted under the supervision of doctors," said a Navy spokesperson in a tweet.

"The rescuers showed us video footages of a dead body stuck inside a coal mine in a computer (underwater ROV). We don't know whose body it is. We want the government to follow the Supreme Court order to get the bodies out of that coal mine," said Malik Ali, brother of Munirul Islam, who is among those trapped inside the mine.

"We want his body back so that we can give him a decent burial," Ali told IANS over phone.

The body has been detected 32 days after the miners got trapped inside the mine on December 13 as water gushed in.

Five miners managed to escape and alerted the people about the tragedy at Ksan village, about 130 km from Shillong. Rescue efforts are on to salvage the remaining 14 miners.

Pressmeky Dkhar, the uncle of the two brothers, Dimonme and Melambok, said over phone: "We were told that a body was spotted inside the mine. They are trying to retrieve it. We want the body."

With the body showing signs of decomposition, the district authorities sought the consent of the family members of the trapped miners to furnish their views by Friday on whether the body could be taken out from the mine.

"Deputy Commissioner F.M. Dopth invited the family members from Lumthari village and two from Assam's Chirang district to view the video footages," said Rescue spokesperson Reginald Susngi.

"As per expert opinion, the body could be retrived only after it is disintegrated. The body has been pulled up to 100 feet from 210 feet. Many body parts have already started falling apart," Susngi stated.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer had expressed dissatisfaction with the rescue operation and ordered : "No matter whether they (trapped persons) are all dead, some alive, few dead or all alive, they should have been taken out by now. We pray to God that they all are alive."

The Meghalaya government has roped in several central agencies including a team from Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute and Chennai-based Planys Technologies in the rescue operation.

Coal India Limited, Odisha firefighters, Kirloskar Brothers Limited are dewatering the abandoned coal mine shafts and the main shaft where the miners are trapped.

(Raymond Kharmujai can be contacted at rrkharmujai@gmail.com)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian Naval divers have captured pictures of a body inside a 370-feet flooded coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, where 15 miners have remained trapped since December, an official said on Thursday.

"One body detected by Indian Navy divers using an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) at a depth of approx 160 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine," the Navy spokesperson said in a tweet.

The body has been pulled up to the mouth of the mine and will be the extracted out under the supervision of doctors.

The body has been detected 32 days after the miners were trapped inside the mine on December 13 due to water gushing inside the mine.

Five miners managed to escape and alert people about the tragedy at Ksan village, about 130 km from Shillong.

Rescue efforts are on to salvage the remaining 14 miners.o

The Meghalaya government has roped in several central agencies including a team from Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute and Chennai-based Planys Technologies in the rescue operation.

Coal India Limited, Odisha firefighters, Kirloskar Brothers Limited are dewatering the abandoned coal mine shafts and the main shaft where the miners are trapped.

Coal mine accidents that have been rampant in the mountainous state for their unscientific "rat hole mining" habits even after a National Green Tribunal imposed an interim ban April 2014.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kim Yong-chol, North Korea's lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the US, is expected to arrive in Washington on Thursday, according to informed sources.

After his arrival on Thursday, Kim Yong-chol is likely to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US special representative to North Korea Steve Biegun on Friday, CNN quoted informed sources as saying on Wednesday.

It remains unclear if he will visit the White House.

The dates for meetings between North Korea's top negotiator and US officials in Washington have only been confirmed to CNN by the US side.

A source familiar with US-North Korea denuclearization talks told CNN that the meetings will happen "by this weekend". No firm details have been publicly announced yet.

"A lot of positive things are happening. He (Trump) and Chairman Kim (Jong-un) have established a good relationship, and conversations between the United States and North Korea continue," a White House spokesperson told CNN.

"We are working to make progress on our goal of achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, and the President looks forward to meeting Chairman Kim again at their second summit at a place and time yet to be determined."

The location and the date of the second summit are expected to be discussed during the meeting in Washington.

Kim Yong-chol last came to the US in June 2018.

He visited New York and met Pompeo before travelling to Washington, where he delivered a letter from Kim Jong-un to Trump in the Oval Office.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was jealous of Andhra Pradesh and hence was behind the proposed Federal Front of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.

Reacting to the meeting of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders with YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to discuss the proposed front, Naidu said that "jealous people were coming together under a conspiracy against Andhra Pradesh".

During a teleconference with leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), he said Modi was jealous of his state as it was making rapid progress.

According to TDP sources, the TDP chief said Modi was afraid that the southern state might overtake Gujarat in development.

He alleged that TRS President Chandrashekhar Rao was also against Andhra Pradesh's development and afraid of his own inefficiency while Jaganmohan Reddy was scared that he might have to go to jail in corruption cases.

Claiming that KCR's Federal Front was not getting a response from any party, he said this was the reason his son K.T. Rama Rao met Jagan in a hurry.

"With this meeting the nexus between them is exposed," said Naidu, who was trying to play anchor to an anti-BJP front at the national level.

Naidu also remarked that the three parties were attacking Andhra Pradesh like vultures. He alleged that they were trying to create a rift among various communities and castes in his state.

The TDP chief alleged that the Federal Front was aimed at implementing the Bharatiya Janata Party's agenda. He said the BJP was trying to ensure that the parties against it do not unite.

"It wants to create confusion among people. It wants to split anti-BJP votes," he said.

KCR's son Rama Rao, who is also the Working President of the TRS, met Jagan in Hyderabad on Wednesday to discuss the Federal Front proposed as an alternative to both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

KCR plans to visit Andhra Pradesh soon for further talks with Jagan, whose YSR Congress is the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A special CBI court in Panchkula on Thursday sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to life imprisonment in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.

The court also sentenced his three close aides, Krishan Lal, Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh, who were also found guilty of the murder of Chhatrapati in 2002, to life imprisonment.

Ram Rahim's life imprisonment will begin after the completion of the 20-year jail term in the rape cases for which he was convicted earlier.

CBI counsel H.P.S. Verma told media that Ram Rahim will have to remain in prison for life following Thursday's judgment.

Ram Rahim and the three others were convicted by the CBI court on January 11. All the four were convicted under Section 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The judgement came over 16 years after the murder of the journalist.

"The punishment is satisfactory. We had to fight a lot to get him punished," Anshul Chhatrapati, son of the slain journalist told media after the sentencing.

Ram Rahim is already lodged in Sunaria jail near Rohtak after his conviction on August 25, 2017 for the rape of two women disciples. He was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in the case.

The judgement was delivered by judge Jagdeep Singh. The same judge had earlier convicted Ram Rahim in the rape case of two female disciples on August 25, 2017 and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on Ram Rahim and others. Ram Rahim and the three others were convicted by the CBI court on January 11.

All the four were convicted under Section 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The judgment came over 16 years after the murder of the journalist.

Arguments of lawyers of the CBI, Chhatrapati's family and the sect chief were held for over two hours. The sentencing came over two hours after that. The counsel for Ram Rahim pleaded for a lesser sentence, citing the social work being done by the sect.

Ram Rahim appeared before the court through video conferencing from the Sunaria Jail near Rohtak where he is lodged. The other three convicts appeared through video-conferencing from the Ambala jail.

Sources said Ram Rahim, 51, looked pale as he appeared before the court. Chhatrapati's son Anshul had demanded capital punishment for the disgraced self-styled godman.

Chhatrapati, who edited a newspaper in Sirsa, was shot five times on October 24, 2002. He died later that year on November 21 in a hospital in New Delhi.

He had published the letter of a 'sadhvi' (female disciple) of the sect, in which she had highlighted her sexual exploitation by the sect chief, in his local vernacular newspaper 'Poora Sach'.

The publication of the letter and other stories carried by Chhatrapati, which were critical of the activities of the sect and its chief, had upset Ram Rahim who asked his close aides to eliminate the journalist.

Security was heightened in parts of Haryana and Punjab ahead of the sentencing. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court complex in Panchkula's Sector 1, adjoining Chandigarh, was a virtual fortress on Thursday with strict checking of all people and vehicles coming to the area.

Anti-riot police was present in strength outside the court complex. The local administration imposed Section 144 Cr.PC in the area to prevent the assembly of five or more people.

The area around the Sunaria Jail near Rohtak, where Ram Rahim is lodged, was completely sealed by security personnel. Security was tightened in Haryana's Sirsa town, around 260 km from here, where the sect's headquarters is located.

Haryana Police personnel and three companies of paramilitary forces were statioed around the sect campus. The Punjab Police had also taken preventive security measures in the neighbouring state as the sect has lakhs of followers in Bathinda, Mansa, Moga and Sangrur.

Ram Rahim's conviction on August 25, 2017, had led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured. The court on Wednesday allowed authorities in Haryana to produce the disgraced sect chief and three others before it through video-conferencing for their sentencing.

Ram Rahim, who was patronized by political leaders and parties of Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to shift votes of his followers, is now lodged in jail following his conviction on two counts of rape of his female disciples.

The sect chief is also linked to the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh (in July 2002). The matter is being heard by the CBI court.

Ranjit Singh, who was believed to be privy to wrongdoing in the sect headquarters, was shot dead in July 2003.

The sect chief suspected that Ranjit Singh was responsible for complaints of sexual exploitation of female disciples inside the sect campus coming out in the public.

--IANS

js/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday said that lenders to the financially stressed Jet Airways are in talks for a restructuring plan to ensure long term viability of the airline.

The state owned bank is part of the group of lenders to the airline and its statement comes after the airline on Wednesday said that a resolution plan to infuse capital and reduce debt was under active consideration.

"SBI would like to state that lenders are considering a restructuring plan under the RBI framework for resolution of stressed assets that would ensure a long term viability of the company," a spokesperson with the bank said.

Any such plan would be subject to the approval of the boards of the lenders and subject to clearance from the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, if required.

"We have seen some media reports on certain issues concerning a resolution plan for Jet Airways. This includes speculative reports on pricing relating to any possible investment in the company," the spokesperson added.

Jet Airways on January 1 reported a delay in paying interest and instalments due to banks, following which rating agency ICRA downgraded both the short and long term credit facilities of the airline.

The company's scrip at the BSE at 3.41 p.m. was Rs 282.10, higher by Rs 11.10 or 4.10 per cent from the previous close.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Madison Keys of the United States on Thursday beat Russia's Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

In humid conditions, 17th seed Keys defeated World No. 89 Potapova in straight sets, reports Efe news.

"It's really humid out here, my shirt's soaking wet, so I'm glad I got it done in two sets today," Keys said in her on-court interview after the match.

She is set to play 12th seed Elise Mertens of Belgium in the next round, after the Belgian defeated Russia's Margarita Gasparyan 6-1, 7-5 on Thursday.

Keys acknowledged that Mertens was a tough opponent, although she beat the Belgian in their only previous meeting, in the 2017 US Open, where the American went on to play in the final.

"That's a tough match. We've played once before and it was a really close match. And she has obviously done very well this year," Keys said.

The American lost to the German Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals in last year's edition of the tournament.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Kerala High Court on Thursday disqualified Left-backed Independent MLA Karat Razak for his defamatory campaign against the IUML's M.A. Razak during the May 2016 Assembly polls.

The single bench Judge, however, granted a month's time for the legislator to appeal as it stayed the verdict.

Justice Abraham Mathew ruled that Karat Razak would be able to take part in all Assembly proceedings, but could not vote nor collect his allowances as a member.

The petition against the Independent MLA was filed by K.P. Mohammed, a voter in the Koduvally assembly constituency in Kozhikode district.

According to Mohammed's counsel, during the 2016 election campaign, a 20 minute video was widely circulated in the constituency by Karat Razak against his Indian Union Muslim League opponent.

The court held it was in violation of the Representation of People's Act and comes under "corrupt practice" and disqualified Karat Razak.

Karat Razak, who is himself a former IUML member, had defeated M.A. Razak by a margin of 573 votes. Karat Razak was backed by the CPI-M-led LDF.

Karat Razak told the media that he would move the Supreme Court against the verdict.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Buoyed by the return of its "prodigal" MLAs and failure of "Operation Lotus" against the JD(S)-Congress coalition, Karnataka's ruling Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting here on Friday is expected to be a show of strength, capping the political drama of the last few days.

The meeting of Congress MLAs takes place after some half-a-dozen party MLAs, sulking over not being inducted into the government, returned expressing allegiance to the Congress even as nearly 100 BJP MLAs sequestered in a Gurugram hotel, near Delhi, are set to leave their camp on Friday.

"The legislators who will not attend the CLP meeting on Friday may be disqualified by the party. The meet will be a show of strength," Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice President B.K. Chandrashekar told IANS here.

The meeting has been onvened by CLP leader Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha at 3.30 p.m. "The meeting will take stock of all the political happenings over the last week. Legislators might also be asked to refrain from speaking against each other in the public," Chandrashekar said.

The budget that will be presented by the coalition government in February will also be part of the discussions at the CLP meet.

Earlier this week, Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar's remarks that the opposition BJP was indulging in horse trading by offering money to about four Congress legislators in Mumbai, set off high-octane political activity in the southern state.

While the BJP denied the poaching allegations, it lodged its legislators, who were in Delhi over the past week for a party meet with national leadership, at a private resort in Gurugram, Haryana. The party in turn claimed that the JD-S and Congress coalition was attempting to poach its legislators.

Amid the exchange of horse trading charges by the three major parties in the state, two legislators withdrew their support to the coalition government on Tuesday. They were R. Shankar of Karnataka Pragnavantha Janata Party from Ranebennur Assembly segment in Haveri district and H.Nagesh, an Independent from Mulbagal constituency in Kolar district.

The coalition partners, however, continued to maintain that the government was stable and that they had the support of all their legislators.

"No attempt to destabilise the coalition government will be effective as we have the support of all our legislators," Congress leader and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said.

In the 225-member Legislative Assembly, including one nominated member, the Congress has 80 legislators, JD-S 37, and the BJP 104, while one Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA continues to support the coalition after one Independent Nagesh and the KPJP legislator Shankar withdrew their support.

The coalition government thereby has 118 legislators on its side, while BJP has 104.

The BJP was "taking advantage" of the legislators who were not offered a place in the ministry, Parameshwara said.

"Whenever there is a cabinet reshuffle, there will naturally be disappointment among those legislators who were not offered a ministry. BJP was trying to take advantage of that but failed," he asserted.

Among the two legislators who withdrew their support to the government, Shankar, who was a former Forests Minister in Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's cabinet, was dropped from the ministry during a reshuffle and expansion on December 22 last year.A

"There is a possibility that the legislators who were not given cabinet posts, be offered ministries, with 4-5 current Ministers ready to give up their positions," Chandrashekar told IANS.

Through the CLP meet, the party aims to renew confidence among its legislators to keep the coalition intact, he said.A

"The party might also shift the focus to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections (in April-May) by entrusting the leaders with campaigning responsibilities," the state unit Congress vice president added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao said many Congress MLAs out of Bengaluru on holiday or for Sankaranti and they were threatened by the BJP with the use of agencies and blackmailing tactics but it did not succeed.

BJP leader and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa countered the Congress allegations and his suggestion to the Congress would be that it was their responsibility to keep the flock to gether.

"Keeping your MLAs together is not my responsibility. If they were not happy and were in Bengaluru or Mumbai or any other place, we are not responsible for that," he said.

He said his party of 104 MLAs is in tact and charged the Congress with trying to poach BJP MLAs.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jharkhand opposition parties on Thursday decided to give final shape to their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections by the end of January.

The decision was reached at following an opposition meeting called by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Executive President Hemant Soren at his residence to decide the strategy to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the polls.

The meeting was attended by the leaders of JMM, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) and the left parties.

"The alliance will take shape by January 31. We have agreed to throw the BJP government from the Centre and the state," Baulal Marandi, former Chief Minister and JVM-P President, told reporters.

After the meeting, Hemant Soren said: "The alliance for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will be announced both in Jharkhand and New Delhi."

The political parties attending the meeting also decided to come up with the list of seats they would like to contest by January 30, so that a seat sharing formula could be worked out.

The parties concerned with hold another round of talks on seat sharing once their lists are ready. The final decision will be taken in the next meeting scheduled for January 30.

The RJD has announced to contest the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Jharkhand under the leadership of Hemant Soren.

"Hemanat Soren is the leader and face of the opposition parties. We will fight the elections under the leadership of Hemant Soren," said Annapurna Devi, the state RJD chief.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russian lawmakers voted against sending a delegation to the Council of Europe (CoE) and to not resume funding of the body.

"As a result of the lengthy anti-Russian campaign, the activities of Russia in the Council of Europe were actually suspended along the parliamentary line, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe itself, violating the basis of parliamentarism, found itself in a deep systemic crisis," the lawmakers said in a statement published on the Duma website.

In April 2014, the Russian delegation to PACE was stripped of key rights, including the right to vote and take part in the assemblys governing bodies, following the developments in Ukraine and Crimeas reunification with Russia.Terming the January 19 public meeting of opposition leaders here as "united India rally", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said it will sound the death knell of BJP in the 2019 general election.

Banerjee predicted that the saffron outfit, which is currently in power at the Centre, will not get more than 125 seats in the coming polls.

The Trinamool Congress chief, who has been a strong advocate of a federal front, said regional parties will play a big role in the Lok Sabha election.

"This rally will be a united India rally. So many heavyweight leaders, including chief ministers of a number of states, a former prime minister, ex-chief ministers and party chiefs will be attending the rally. This will be a historic rally," Banerjee said after inspecting the preparations at the sprawling Brigade Parade Ground.

"All the leaders are coming. It is a battle against the BJP in 2019 elections. Every political party will convey its message. Obviously the death knell of BJP will be sounded from here. The process has already started," she said.

When asked whether the strength of all the opposition parties combined will be enough to gain more Lok Sabha seats than Congress and BJP, Banerjee said, "I do not know how many seats Congress will get in 2019. It will depend upon the election. But BJP will not get more than 125 seats. So, the rest of the parties will play a vital role. The federal parties, the state-based parties will be a big factor this time."

The mega-event, also dubbed as 'anti-BJP rally', is being seen as a step towards unifying the opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and is also expected to elevate Banerjee as one of the prime opposition faces.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, NCP President Sharad Pawar, DMK President M.K. Stalin, BSP's Satish Misra and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah will arrive in the city on Friday to attend the meeting.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and a few others will reach Kolkata on Saturday morning, the day of the rally, Banerjee said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The iconic Moto Razr phone is set to make a comeback as Lenovo Group Inc. has collaborated with American telecommunications giant Verizon Communications Inc. to begin selling the new Razr devices in the US, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

The phone would begin selling in the US as soon as February. However, the device is still being tested and the timing of its unveiling could change.

"The once-popular flip phone is being revived as a smartphone with a foldable screen and a starting price of roughly $1,500, according to people familiar with the matter," the report added late on Wednesday.

It is not known whether the device would be launched in India.

The original Moto Razr was a thin flip phone and a status symbol for many before the advent of iPhones and Android flagships. The Motorola Razr V3 was the first phone released in the Razr series and was introduced in 2004.

Motorola has been trying to resurrect the Razr brand since quite some time.

In 2011 and 2012, Motorola had teamed up with Verizon for a series of "Droid RAZR" devices, which tried to cash in on the goodwill of Razr devices, albeit without any of the flip phone design that was part of the original charm, according to The Verge.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday approved 24 industrial proposals for new and existing units, involving an investment of Rs 1,047 crore and generating employment for over 1,900 people.

The proposals got the nod at the fifth meeting of the state single window clearances and monitoring authority, chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, here.

The new proposals include those by Alcobrew Distilleries India Pvt Ltd, FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals India Ltd and cement-maker Nohra Dhar, while the existing units comprise Luminous Power Tech Pvt Ltd, Beta Drugs Ltd, Mankind Pharma Ltd and TVS Motor Company Ltd, a government statement said.

The state government is eyeing an investment of Rs 80,000 crore by wooing investors mainly in healthcare and wellness, tourism, hydropower, fruit processing and health sectors.

It will be holding a mega investors summit in Dharamsala in June with participation from foreign investors.

--IANS

vg/mag/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Top-seed Romanian Simona Halep and Venus Williams of the United States set up a third round clash at the Australian Open after beating American Sofia Kenin and France's Alize Kornet respectively in their second round matches here on Thursday.

World No. 1 Halep overcame a spirited challenge from Kenin - who won the second set in a tie-breaker and even broke Halep's service in the third - to register a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 win in two hours and 31 minutes, reports Efe news.

"I have no idea how I won this tonight. It was a very tough one, she's an amazing player," Halep said in her on-court interview after the match.

Williams also dropped a set and had to work hard to get past Cornet with a scoreline of 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

The American acknowledged Halep's calibre ahead of the high-profile clash, set to take place on Saturday.

"She's very consistent on the court and in her results. So throughout the year, she's playing at a really high level. That's what keeps her ranking up," Williams said in a post-match interview.

Halep, the runner-up in Melbourne last year after losing to Dane Caroline Wozniacki, has a 2-3 record against Williams, although the Romanian has won the last two meetings between the two.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spelling a ray of hope for the beleaguered Reid & Taylor group employees, a Gujarat-based investor CFM Asset Reconstruction Pvt Ltd (CFMARPL) on Thursday deposited an amount of Rs 2 crore as partial Earnest Money Deposit to participate in the resolution process before the NCLT, Mumbai.

However, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Bench declined CFMARPL CEO S.V. Shah's plea to be permitted as a joint applicant with the Employees' Association and the previous defaulter SPGP Holdings of Hong Kong, and directed him to participate as an independent bidder in the resolution process.

Asking CMFARPL to participate on its own, NCLT Judge B.P. Mohan told Shah that it can be his "internal arrangement" with the Employees' Association, as he is not dependent on investments from SPGP Holdings with which there has been a bad experience.

NCLT Judge V. Nallansenapathy also directed the Resolution Professional (RP) to provide all relevant data to the proposed new investor after he signed the non-disclosure agreement and permitted the CMFARPL a fortnight to "make an honest attempt to complete the due diligence on a war-footing".

Placing the matter for further hearing on January 31, the NCLT ruled: "Parties concerned on behalf of investors, financial creditors and the RP were present. In compliance with the order passed on January 15, 2019 by this bench, Shah (CFMARPL) deposited a DD of Rs 2 crore to show his bona fides.

"Further a deposit of Rs 3 crore at the time of submission of resolution application is required to be submitted by the investor. Shah (CFMARPL) sought four weeks' time to complete the diligence and submit a resolution plan."

It also noted that the SPGP Group had failed to deposit any money to prove its credentials, but if Shah wanted to rely on it (SPGP Holdings) for investments, it would be his personal issue, but as far as the NCLT bench is concerned, he should come on his own.

At the previous hearing on January 15, the CFMARPL had said it has a net worth of over Rs 100 crore besides managing assets of around Rs 1,200 crore.

Incidentally, the Hong Kong-based SPGP Holdings, which had claimed a net worth of Rs 70 crore, was later calculated by the RP to be around Rs 7 crore only.

Last December, the creditors' committee had moved the NCLT for liquidation of the Reid & Taylor as no credible investors were ready to submit a resolution plan for the debt-hit big fashion brand.

However, the Employees' Association, backed by SPGP Holdings, had requested the NCLT for an opportunity to help bail out the company by submitting a resolution plan, but it failed to materialise, paving the way for CFMARPL.

--IANS

qn/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The partial US government shutdown has put sensitive departments at a significant hacking risk, cyber security experts have warned.

Accroding to a report in Fortune late Wednesday, the federal freeze has put the US at a significant risk for both short and long-term cyberattacks.

"We have laid out the welcome mat to any and all nefarious actors," Mike O'Malley, Vice President of strategy at cloud defence firm Radware, was quoted as saying on CBS News.

According to the experts, hacking can have serious impact on the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and other intelligence agences that hold sensitive information.

Corporate data breaches impacted more than 1 billion Americans in 2018, said the report.

--IANS

na/ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP on Thursday said that Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has given approval for six lane NH 709-B of 155 km connecting Baghpat, Shyamli, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Geeta Colony and Khajuri Khas in Delhi at an estimated cost Rs 4,405 crore.

Speaking at a press conference here, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said, "After winning the 2014 elections, my constituenct faced the problem of heavy traffic."

"I informed Gadkariji about this problem and today it is a matter of great joy that in reply, he has approved six lanes NH-709 B of 155 km connecting Baghpat, Shyamli, Saharanpur, Geeta Colony and Khajuri Khas at a cost of Rs 4,405 crore."

Tiwari, who also represents the North-East constituency of Delhi in Lok Sabha, said the foundation of the National Highway would be laid on January 26.

He also said that the work of the project will be complemeted within 20 months.

Tiwari said the road project will give relief to over 55 lakh people of the national capital.

"The project has a 19-km elevated corridor, of which 14.75 km will come under Delhi," he said.

Gadkari in his letter to the BJP MP said that Akshardham-Geeta Colony-Khajuri Khas-Delhi/UP Border-Shamli-Shahranpur road will be implemenbted on a priority.

Gadkari also said the project has been divided in four packages -- 14.75 km long Akshardham-Geeta Colony-Shahstri-Park-Khajuri Khas-Delhi/UP Border with an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore.

The second package includes the 16.57 km-long stretch between Delhi/UP Border-Mandola-EPE Extension at an estimated cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

THe third package of 61.4 km from EPE Junction to start of bypass of Shamli bypass worth Rs 725 crore and fourth package of 62.7 km long from Shamli bypass to Shahranpur bypass at an estimated coast of Rs 780 crore.

Gadkari said bids for the first two packages falling in Delhi would be invited by next week.

--IANS

aks/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The first session of the newly-elected Telangana Assembly began on Thursday with the legislators taking oath.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was the first to take oath as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) as the session was chaired by pro-tem Speaker Mumtaz Ahmed Khan of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President, who was re-elected from Gajwel constituency in the December election, took oath immediately after the session began. After him, other MLAs took oath in alphabetical order.

Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, the senior most member of the Assembly, on Wednesday took oath as the pro-tem Speaker.

Bharatiya Janata Party's lone MLA Raja Singh has already announced that he will not take oath from Mumtaz Khan as his party was against Hindus.

Before the beginning of the session, KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, and all MLAs of the TRS paid tributes at the Telangana Martyrs' memorial in front of the Assembly building.

The schedule of election to the Speaker will be announced later in the day and the nomination process would commence. The Speaker's election would take place on Friday.

KCR has appealed to the opposition to cooperate in the unanimous election of the Speaker.

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan will address the House on January 19. The next day the House will introduce the motion of thanks to the Governor's address and adopt the same.

KCR, who led the TRS to a landslide victory, took oath as the Chief Minister for a second term on December 13. Mohammad Mehmood Ali, a member of the Legislative Council, was the only minister to take oath along with the TRS chief.

KCR is likely to expand his cabinet later in January.

TRS bagged 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly.

In December, the government also named Elvis Stephenson as the MLA from the Anglo-Indian community. He also took oath as MLA on Thursday.

--IANS

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(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.)Social networking giant Facebook on Thursday killed over 300 fake Pages and accounts linked to Russia that it said was "engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour", almost two years after the US presidential election.

The social media giant removed 364 Pages and accounts as part of a network that originated in Russia and operated in the Baltics, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern European countries.

"The two operations we found originated in Russia, and one was active in a variety of countries while the other was specific to Ukraine.

"Despite their misrepresentations of their identities, we found that these Pages and accounts were linked to employees of Sputnik, a news agency based in Moscow, and that some of the Pages frequently posted about topics like anti-NATO sentiment, protest movements, and anti-corruption," Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Cybersecurity Policy, Facebook, wrote in a blog post.

About $135,000 were spent in ads, and paid for in euros, roubles and dollars, over a time span from October 2013 to now.

Around 790,000 accounts followed one or more of these Pages (now taken down) on the social media platform.

"We're taking down these Pages and accounts based on their behaviour, not the content they post. In these cases, the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves," Gleicher added.

The pages hosted about 190 events, with the most recent scheduled for January 2019, and about 1,200 people expressing interest in them.

We cannot confirm whether any of these events actually occurred, the company added.

Separately, the social networking giant removed another 107 pages, groups and accounts as well as 41 Instagram accounts that were designed to look like they were operating from Ukraine, but were in fact part of a network that originated in Russia.

The individuals handling these accounts primarily represented themselves as Ukrainian and they operated a variety of fake accounts while sharing local Ukrainian news stories on topics ranging from weather, protests, NATO to health conditions at schools.

"We identified some technical overlap with Russia-based activity we saw prior to the US midterm elections, including behaviour that shared characteristics with previous Internet Research Agency (IRA) activity," the company said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Based on a CBI case in connection with its ongoing investigation into illegal sand mining, the ED on Thursday registered a case of money laundering to probe the role of bureaucrats and politicians in Uttar Pradesh.

A senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) official told IANS that the agency filed a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against some bureaucrats and politicians mentioned in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR.

The development comes days after the CBI registered a case on January 2 against 11 people, including some known and unknown public servants and others, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI has named IAS officer B. Chandrakala, a former Hamirpur District Magistrate, miner Adil Khan, geologist/mining officer Moinuddin, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ramesh Kumar Mishra, his brother Dinesh Kumar Mishra, Ram Ashray Prajapati - a former clerk in the Mining Department in Hamirpur, Sanajy Dikshit who contested the 2017 Assembly polls on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, his father Satyadeo Dikshit and Ram Avtar Singh - a former clerk in the Mining Department.

According to the CBI officials, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh granted lease of mines to 14 people in 2013 in Hamirpur district against the Allahabad High Court orders which had ratified the e-tender policy.

On January 7, the CBI released a list of 22 leases cleared by Akhilesh Yadav, who was also the Mining Minister during the period, and Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, who succeeded Yadav as the Mining Minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an official visit to Serbia today. At talks in Belgrade, Putin will discuss with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic the current condition and further prospects for developing bilateral trade and economic relations.

The presidents will also exchange opinions on pressing regional issues, as well as discuss the possibility of extending the Turkish Stream gas pipeline into Serbia and the situation around Kosovo.

Around 20 bilateral documents are expected to be signed after the meeting.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that work on coordinating those documents continues, TASS reported.

During his visit, Putin will also meet with current chairman and Serb member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik.An Election Commission (EC) team arrived in Bihar's capital Patna on Thursday on a two-day visit to review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, an official said.

"An EC team of 11 members, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, arrived here. It will review preparations for the upcoming polls and interact with leaders of political parties in the state," officials of the State Election Commission said.

The team will also meet Bihar Chief Electoral Officer and nodal officers of the state police and Central forces, Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar and Director General of Police K.S. Dwivedi.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday for the high-profile three-day "Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019", pictures of Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel went missing from all posters and banners across the state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.

Posters, publicity material and invites related to the main event Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, besides Gujarat Global Trade Show, Ahmedabad Shopping Festival and a modern state-of-the-art Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital, which the Prime Minister is set to inaugurate on Thursday and Friday, do not have Nitin Patel's pictures.

Besides the posters with pictures of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, there were names of Ahmedabad Mayor Bijal Patel, Industries and Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja on the invites of various events, but that of Nitin Patel.

Governor O.P. Kohli, Rupani and Bijal Patel welcomed the Prime Minister at the Ahmedabad airport as he landed on Thursday. Other state ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including state party President Jitubhai Vaghani were also present. Nitin Patel was missing here as well.

However, he was spotted with the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister later at various events in the afternoon.

Nitin Patel, meanwhile, told reporters that it does not make any difference to him. "It does not matter to me at all that my picture is not there. I am not at all upset with it," he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister added: "According to the Supreme Court's guidelines, there can be only two pictures on the publicity materials of the government's official events."

It is the media which raising such issues out of nothing, he said.

It may be recalled that the Deputy Chief Minister, who is learnt to be at loggerheads with Rupani, had kicked up a storm when he was denied the Finance Ministry in the cabinet reshuffle that took place earlier this year.

It was only on the intervention of BJP President Amit Shah that Nitin Patel was given the Finance portfolio, which he held earlier, too.

Earlier, Nitin Patel, who is the senior-most Minister, was tipped for the post when Rupani was made the Chief Minister after his predecessor Anandiben Patel had stepped down in 2016.

Nitin Patel was not only prepared to be the Chief Minister but had already started giving interviews to TV channels.

However, he was dropped at the 11th hour at the behest of Shah.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates on Thursday a host of high-profile events as part of the three-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, pictures of Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel went missing from all posters and banners across the state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.

Posters, publicity material and invites related to the main event Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Gujarat Global Trade Show, Ahmedabad Shopping Festival and the modern state-of-the-art Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital, which the Prime Minister is set to inaugurate on Thursday and Friday do not have Nitin Patel's pictures.

There are pictures of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Ahmedabad Mayor Bijal Patel, Industries and Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja. But not of Nitin Patel.

Governor O.P. Kohli, Rupani and Ahmedabad Mayor Bijal Patel welcomed the Prime Minister at the Ahmedabad airport when he landed on Thursday.

This is besides other ministers and BJP leaders, including state party president Jitubhai Vaghani. Nitin Patel was missing here, too.

It may be recalled that the Deputy Chief Minister, who is learnt to be at loggerheads with Rupani, had kicked up a storm when he was denied the finance ministry in the cabinet reshuffle that took place earlier this year.

It was only on the intervention of Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah that Nitin Patel was given the finance portfolio, which he held earlier, too.

Earlier, Nitin Patel, who is the senior-most minister, was pipped to the post when Rupani was made the Chief Minister after his predecessor Anandiben Patel had stepped down in 2016.

Nitin Patel was not only prepared to be the Chief Minister but had already started giving interviews to TV channels.

However, he was dropped at the 11th hour at the behest of Shah.

The Deputy Chief Minister could not be reached despite attempts.

--IANS

desai/in/vsc/ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court on Thursday said it will record statement of complainant and Bhartiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Babbar on January 21 in a criminal defamation complaint against Congress Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal was hearing a criminal defamation complaint against Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor for his comment that Prime Minister Modi is "a scorpion seated on a Shiv-ling".

Babbar has filed the complaint alleging that Tharoor made the statement with mala fide intention, which not only denigrates the Hindu deity but is also defamatory.

Babbar requested the court to initiate proceeding against Tharoor under Section 499/500 (defamation) of Indian Penal Code.

Tharoor, while speaking at Bangalore Literature Festival on October 28, said: "Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shiv-ling. You cannot remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a 'chappal' (slipper) either."

Tharoor has quoted it recalling what an RSS member had told a journalist in 2012.

Babbar said he was hurt by the comment as the statement is not only baseless but is also misleading and defamatory. He also told the court that he treats Modi as an inspiration, and has the highest regards for the Prime Minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) on Thursday suspended its Sundargarh MLA Jogesh Singh for anti-party activities.

The PCC suspended Singh following the approval of All India Congress Committee (AICC).

The PCC disciplinary committee headed by former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal had recommended the suspension of Singh for anti-parties activities.

Disciplinary committee convenor Ananta Sethi said the Sundargarh MLA has been suspended for repeatedly making statements in media against the party.

Jogesh Singh had been praising Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik since last couple of months for carrying out developmental works in the state.

"I am not involved in any anti-party activities. They have suspended me without any reason. Earlier, UPA ministers had lauded the Chief Minister. Now, I have praised Naveen Patnaik for his good works as he has bagged the best administrator award in the country," said Singh reacting to the suspension.

He said he will resign from the membership of Odisha Assembly soon.

However, he did not say if he would join any party.

On Wednesday, Congress MLA from Jharsuguda and state working president Naba Kishore Das had resigned from the party to join the ruling Biju Janata Dal.

Odisha will face general and assembly elections in the next few months simultaneously.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Alleging links between National Security Advisor Ajit Dovals son Vivek opening a hedge fund in the Cayman Islands soon after 2016 demonetisation and the huge spike in inflow of FDI into India from the territory, the Congress on Thursday demanded the RBI to make public the source of funds received from the tax haven.

Citing data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that between 2000 and 2017, India received Rs 8,300 crore FDI from Cayman Islands but post demonetisation, India received an equivalent amount from there in one year alone.

"Within 13 days of Prime Minister Modi announcing demonetisation, Vivek Doval on November 21, 2016, opened a hedge fund called 'GNY Asia' in Cayman Islands, which, according to a report of the BJP's 2011 committee, is a known tax haven," Ramesh told the media here.

"This unnatural increase in FDI inflow and Vivek Doval's hedge fund raise serious suspicion of round tripping. The RBI must clarify the role of GNY Asia in this. We, therefore, demand it to publicise all details of the FDI received from Cayman Islands in the last year," said the former Union Minister.

Ramesh raised suspicion of Vivek Doval's hedge fund being involved in funneling out money and then bringing them back to India post demonetisation.

"Modi government claims they are fighting against black money and that they will not let companies use tax havens like Cayman Islands to launder money. But there is concrete proof that members of their government are involved in doing the same, especially after demonetisation," he said.

He also alleged links between GNY Asia and Zeus Strategic Management Advisors Pvt Ltd, another company in Cayman Islands which is headed by Doval's another son Shaurya Doval.

"NSA Ajit Doval and his sons not just need to clarify about their companies' role in the FDI inflow but also answer about Don W. Ebanks, a director in Vivek's company and whose name was also found in Panama Papers," said Ramesh.

The Congress leader referred to the BJP's 2011 committee on "Indian Black Money Abroad: Secret Banks and Tax Havens" of which Ajit Doval was a member and reminded about the recommendations by the committee that included publicising details of funds coming from foreign tax havens.

"Since Doval as member of the committee had made the recommendations about tax havens, isn't it prudent that the source of funds received from Cayman Islands are published?" said Ramesh stressing on the need for a probe into the entire issue.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a hard-hitting attack on opposition parties, specially the Congress and the Left, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday said that a new class of "compulsive contrarians" has emerged after Narendra Modi government came to power and they indulge in "falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction" even if it is against the interest of the country.

In a Facebook post, the senior BJP leader, who is in the US for medical treatment, said that the right to campaign for stifling funds to the economy in the name of autonomy, justifying corruption in the name of institutional independence, attacking judges when the verdict is not favourable, manufacturing facts as in the case of Judge Loya's death and the Rafale deal were indicative of the mindset of the compulsive contrarians.

"Free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of a democracy but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not," he said.

Jaitley talked about the press conference by four Supreme Court judges last year and said "it has done more damage to India's judicial institutions than many would have envisaged."

He accused compulsive contrarians of adopting double standards. "They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade," he said.

On Justice Loya case, he said that every fact alleged in public space by the compulsive contrarians was "manufactured" and the judge died a natural death due to a cardiac arrest.

"The campaign went for months altogether. The Compulsive Contrarians included a retired Judge of the Supreme Court and a former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. They had no hesitation in allowing themselves to support falsehood without factual verification."

Jaitley said a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court dismissed every claim made in the case and the judgement was delivered on behalf of the Bench by Justice Dhananjaya Chandrachud.

"He was criticised on the social media. What if the same had been delivered by Chief Justice Dipak Misra? Another vicious campaign of calumny would have been launched against him by the Compulsive Contrarians."

Jaitley said the contrarians have launched an attack on the selection committee headed by the Prime Minister which transferred the CBI Chief.

He asked if the norm to give two year fixed tenure to CBI chief had improved its functioning.

Referring to Supreme Court Judge A. K. Sikri, who was nominated by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi as his nominee in the selection panel meeting, Jaitely said the member of the Committee "was attacked for a non-existent conflict of interest and the person who had a real conflict of interest and should have refrained from attending the meeting became the accuser."

He said Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was a campaigner for the ousted CBI chief and could not have sat in judgment over his innocence or guilt in the Committee.

"His was a text book case of bias. Any honourable man should have recused himself. His dissent as a biased man is non-est. Yet the conflicted man accuses one of the most honourable Judges of a conflict of interest," he said.

Referring to the press conference by four judges of the Supreme Court last year, Jaitley said it brought judges into public gaze as "factionalized and battling for their own turf space."

He said there are a set of extra-adventurist lawyers practising in the highest Court, as in every other courts whose strategy is to over-awe the court. "They threaten to walk out of cases, they make public comments on judges, use media to intimidate the Court.

"Having involved themselves in an ugly public conduct, judges find themselves unable to exercise jurisdiction to stop such conduct by others," he said adding that former Chief Justice Dipak Misra was "attacked" by the compulsive contrarians.

"A precedent has now been legitimised. His successors will find it difficult to escape similar treatment. The threat to the independence of judiciary can also come from the public pressures that these Contrarians exert on Judges."

Jaitley said that "collegium proceedings and conversations in the past two years have been faithfully reported in one particular newspaper (a Compulsive Contrarian), thereby underscoring the nexus."

On RBI, Jaitley said the government in recent months has strongly felt that certain sectors of the economy needed credit and liquidity support.

"Every stakeholder in the market was in agreement with the Government position but the contrarians deflected the credit and liquidity issue to the issue of autonomy. After all the Government was only addressing the autonomous RBI and asking it to resolve the issues which lay in its domain."

Jaitley said the purchase of Rafale combat jets was another case of "concocted falsehood" and pricing, the process, and the offset aspects were upheld by the Supreme Court.

"The Contrarians were proved to be liars," he said.

"Nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigour, not by the compulsive contrarians. Didn't left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement? Weakening a sovereign elected government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy," he said.

He said the contrarians had picked holes in the proposal to give 10 per cent reservation in education and public jobs to the poor, propagation of Aadhaar and questions were raised over surgical strikes.

Jaitley said there are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule and some, who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left, obviously found the Modi government wholly unacceptable.

"Hence emerged a new class of compulsive contrarians. The contrarians believed that this government could do no good. Every act of it must be opposed."

--IANS

ps-bns/vsc/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China on Thursday urged the US not to politicise a business case amid reports that the US Department of Justice was investigating Chinese company Huawei for allegedly stealing trade secrets from its American partner.

Politicising this business case and using national mechanisms to persecute Chinese enterprises does not correspond with fair play rules and also goes against the laws, Efe news quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying as saying.

Hua was responding to media reports saying that the US prosecutors may press criminal charges against the Chinese telecom giant.

In an exclusive report, the Wall Street Journal cited sources close to the matter as saying that the theft allegations were related to a robot device used by telecom firm T-Mobile -- Huawei's trade partner in the US -- to test its smartphones.

The Chinese spokesperson said Huawei and T-Mobile had settled the dispute "through legal ways".

"We are concerned about the investigation and we doubt the true motives behind it," Hua said, adding that Chinese companies overseas followed market rules and international law.

"We hope the US can create a fair, competitive environment for the Chinese enterprises' operations in the US," she said.

The reported investigation comes in the backdrop of a diplomatic row between the US and China that was aggravated after Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the behest of Washington.

Meng has been accused of committing fraud by violating US sanctions on Iran.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China's top economic official will travel to the US later this month to hold talks with the US as the world's two largest economies engage in parleys to end the bruising trade war before the March 1 truce deadline.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced on Thursday that Vice Premier and top trade negotiator Liu He will visit the US on Jan 30-31 to hold talks with US trade representative Robert Lighthizer to iron out their trade differences.

Liu's visit comes after junior-level talks between the two sides in Beijing last week, meant to prepare the groundwork for the crucial negotiations later this month.

Beijing and Washington are in truce until March 1 in their biggest trade war triggered by the US President Donald Trump over the alleged sordid business practices by China.

Both sides are engaged in hectic talks to find a solution before the March 1 deadline after which Washington's planned levies on $200 billion of Chinese goods will kick in.

Both sides have said the talks are going well.

Last year, both sides slapped tariffs worth millions on each other's goods.

Trump accuses China of arm-twisting American companies to transfer technology to their Chinese counterparts and ballooning trade deficit.

Beijing denies these charges and accuses Washington of containing it.

The bruising trade dispute has hurt the already flagging Chinese economy which grew at 6.5 per cent in the third quarter, slowest since 2009.

Its total exports fell to $221.25 billion in December, down 1.4 per cent from November, and 4.4 per cent from the same month in 2017.

(Gaurav Sharma can be contacted at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com)

--IANS

gsh/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amidst the ongoing US government shutdown, rapper Cardi B has slammed President Donald Trump for forcing people to return to work.

The "I like it" hitmaker posted an Instagram video on Wednesday to express concern about people who are suffering due to the shutdown, reports variety.com

"Trump is now ordering federal workers to go back to work without getting paid... Our country is in a hellhole right now. All for a f***ing wall. We really need to take this serious," she said.

Cardi added: "This is crazy and I really feel bad for these people that gotta go to f***ing work to not get motherf***ing paid."

The government closed on December 22, 2018 in the wake of Trump's decision for funding for a proposed billion dollar southern border wall.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)U.S. Vice President Mike Pence claimed hours after a bloody attack in Syria on U.S. forces that Washington will never allow ISIS to reestablish their caliphate.

"President Trump and I condemn the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen. We honor their memory and we will never forget their service and sacrifice," Pence wrote.

"We have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities," the U.S. Vice President stressed. "As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, after news of the attack had spread, Pence had claimed in a Washington, D.C. at the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference that ISIS had been defeated, Daily Mail reported.In the first attack by a senior Congress leader on the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said that it does not "spell stability" and the Congress will spring a surprise in the state in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

"Let them come together. They keep on coming together and departing and coming together. I mean they are not stable, they don't spell stability. Let's see," Dikshit told IANS in an interview here.

Dikshit, 80, a three-term Delhi Chief Minister, was responding to a question about the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party forging an alliance for contesting the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state and keeping the Congress out of the grand alliance. Dikshit was named the Delhi Congress chief on Jan 10.

Dikshit, who was projected by Congress as the chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh before it stuck an alliance with Samajwadi Party for the 2017 assembly polls, also said prospects of BJP under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were weak.

Dikshit's remarks indicate that Congress leaders are likely to target the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in their campaign in Uttar Pradesh though their main opponent will be the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Congress has decided to contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state but has kept the doors open for secular parties willing to defeat the BJP.

Party leaders are expected to tell the electorate in Uttar Pradesh that Congress is the only party that can oust the Narendra Modi government and defeat the BJP. They will also emphasise that the election was not to choose a Chief Minister but the country's Prime Minister.

The Congress could win only two seats in Uttar Pradesh in the last Lok Sabha elections but it had won 21 in 2009 when it formed the second United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.

Dikshit said she will campaign for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh if asked to but will focus more on Delhi as there is a lot of work of work to be done.

She favoured party president Rahul Gandhi being projected as prime ministerial candidate by the Congress.

"Let the party decide that. We want, I want personally and most of us want it. But it has to be decided by the entire party," she said.

With prime ministership a contentious issue among non-BJP parties, Gandhi has himself said that it will be decided after the elections and the first task is to defeat the Narendra Modi government.

Asked about the possibility of a pan-India grand alliance, Dikshit said people have been working on it but it has not come through yet.

"Let's see, they are working on it. It hasn't come through as yet. As far as Congress is concerned, let's see what happens," she said.

Opposition leaders have indicated that there was little possibility of a pan-Inda grand alliance shaping up before the Lok Sabha polls and there will be state-specific alliances to defeat the BJP.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Punjab court on Thursday granted bail to a British national in a terror funding case.

The court in Faridkot granted bail as the Punjab Police failed to complete its investigation into the charges against Jagtar Singh Johal and another person, Taljit Singh, and submit its chargesheet within the stipulated period of 90 days.

Johal, 32, was arrested by the Punjab Police in November 2017 following accusations that he was involved in terror funding in the state.

The police claimed that Johal and others were behind the killings of Hindu leaders in Punjab in recent years and were providing funding for the same.

Taljit Singh is a resident of Glasgow, Scotland.

Johal's arrest led to a lot of controversy in the UK and Canada with several leaders of Indian-origin demanding his release.

Johal's arrest came soon after he got married here.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP on Thursday hit out at Congress after its senior leader B.K. Hariprasad mocked the health condition of BJP President Amit Shah and dared Rahul Gandhi to oust him as General Secretary of the party.

BJP Spokesperson G.V.L. Narsimha Rao said if the Congress leader, who is General Secretary at AICC, is not sacked or he did not tender public apology, it would be evident that his comments had full support of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

"The Congress always has two faces. On one side is Rahul Gandhi and on the other, you have people like Hariprasad with toxic comments. Their behaviour is widely known to the people," he said.

He said silence of the Congress leadership clearly establishes that all such comments have the sanction of the Congress leadership.

"If they really want to disapprove of his remarks, Rahul Gandhi must sack him or ask him to publicly apologize.

Hariprasad has said that Amit Shah has got a fever due to panic as some MLAs (of the Congress from Karnataka) have returned, alluding to the political crisis in the state.

"If he topples the Congress-JD(S) government, then he will have vomitting and loose motions. That is why he got swine fever," Hariprasad said, referring to the ongoing drama in Karnataka

Rao said the comment showed the moral degeneration of the Congress, complete bankruptcy of thoughts and the lack of moral values in the party.

Shah (54) was admitted to AIIMS on Wednesday owing to swine flu infection.

--IANS

bns/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 30-year-old woman was on Thursday arrested for killing a man after her speeding car hit his bike on National Highway-8 near Mahipalpur area of south Delhi, police said.

The police said the accident occurred around 1.30 p.m when a passerby informed the local police about it, which led to a traffic jam on the stretch from Delhi to Gurgaon side.

"A police team reached the spot and found the bike of the deceased, identified as Narinder Kumar,53, and a car belonging to the accused woman, Neha," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Devender Arya.

"A resident of Uttam Nagar, Narinder was taken to a hospital, but he was declared brought dead. Neha who was at the wheel, also got some injuries to her hand. She was later arrested," Arya said.

--IANS

sp/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid heightened tension on the Line of Control (LoC), the Northern Army Commander on Thursday visited forward positions in Poonch district.

Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said, "Lt General Ranbir Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command, accompanied by the White Knight Corps Commander, Lt general Paramjit Singh visited forward posts of Poonch Sector to review the operational preparedness and the prevailing security situation.

"During the visit to the sector, the Army Commander was briefed by the commanders on the ground about the current operational situation, prevailing security dynamics and the preparedness of the formations in dealing with the same.

"The Army Commander was also briefed on the actions being taken to ensure a robust counter-infiltration and counter-terrorist grid to enable continued peace and stability in the region.

"The Army Commander interacted with the soldiers and complimented them for their unwavering dedication to duty.

Tension has been prevailing along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts due to frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

--IANS

sq/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As actress Soni Razdan awaits the censor board's green signal for her film "No Fathers In Kashmir", her daughter and actress Alia Bhatt has come out in support of the film.

Alia on Thursday took to social media and urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to lift the 'ban' on the film.

"Was so looking forward to mom's 'No Fathers In Kashmir'... The team worked super hard for this honest teens love story in Kashmir. Really hope the CBFC would lift the ban. It's a film about empathy and compassion. Let's give love a chance," she wrote.

The film is directed by Ashvin Kumar, who has been struggling to get a U/A certificate for it.

In December 2018, Ashvin had said the CBFC after an inordinate delay of nearly 90 days and of giving him no clarity on what it was finding objectionable in the film, came up with a list of cuts that he and his team objected to as "the cuts proposed were based neither on reality nor on law".

He even went to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) for relief, but they returned it to the CBFC as the latter did not give us a legally-mandated hearing.

Earlier, actress Swara Bhaskar and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor too came forward in support of the film.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday telephoned Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss the ongoing international efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

During the call, Ghani "expressed his gratitude for Pakistan's sincere facilitation of these efforts" that were initiated by the US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, the Dawn newspaper quoted an official statement as saying.

Khan assured Ghani that Pakistan was making "sincere efforts for a negotiated settlement" of the Afghan conflict through an inclusive peace process "as part of shared responsibility".

Ghani also invited Khan to visit Afghanistan and the Pakistan Prime Minister reciprocated the gesture.

"Both leaders also agreed to remain engaged and create an environment for resolving all outstanding issues," the statement said.

--IANS

mag/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Thursday to discuss with the senior civil and military leadership the latest efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country.

The US envoy was initially scheduled to arrive in the federal capital on Tuesday. However, the visit was rescheduled after Khalilzad was said to be engaged in meetings in Kabul, Geo News reported.

He was expected to discuss the Afghan peace process, talks with the Taliban and the US Army's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Express Tribune cited the US diplomatic officials in Pakistan as saying that Khalilzad was likely to push Pakistani officials to ensure the Afghan Taliban's involvement in the peace process.

They said senior US State Department official Lisa Curtis will also be part of all the meetings, according to the daily.

Khalilzad, who met Taliban representatives last month in Abu Dhabi, is leading an inter-agency delegation to India, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan from January 8-21 to "facilitate a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan".

His trip comes after the US President signalled that he would bring home half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan as he grows increasingly impatient over America's longest-ever war.

Trump had also criticized India earlier, saying that it is not doing enough for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

In response, New Delhi had said that it does not send troops abroad except under a specific UN mandate.

--IANS

soni/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nine people have been arrested in Kenya following an attack on a luxury hotel compound in the capital Nairobi that left at least 21 dead.

All five militants who stormed the DusitD2 hotel and business complex on Tuesday have been killed, officials said, and a major hunt was under way to find those who helped organise it, the BBC reported.

Somalia-based Islamist group al-Shabab has said it was behind the attack.

Kenya's Red Cross said everyone who was missing has now been accounted for.

The Kenyan media reported that the wife of one of the suspected attackers, Ali Salim Gichunge, was arrested in Kiambu county, just north of Nairobi.

The police also said that they had identified Gichunge, also known as Farouk, through the car used in the attack.

Neighbours told The Standard newspaper that he and his wife had moved in to their home in October. The couple were secretive, they said, and had put the contents of their home up for sale before the attack, saying they were "moving out of Nairobi this week".

"We wish to inform that six other bodies were found at the scene and one police officer succumbed to his injuries," Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet had told the media late on Wednesday.

Twenty-eight people were admitted to hospitals and "five terrorists were eliminated", Efe news quoted Boinnet as saying.

The victims comprise 16 Kenyans, one Briton, one American, and three people of African descent who have not yet been identified, said Boinnet.

The Kenyan Red Cross has said that their psychosocial teams had reached out to 341 people with more expected to receive counselling through a hotline and at Chiromo mortuary.

The Somali jihadi group al-Shabaab, which joined Al Qaeda's international network in 2012, claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was "a response" to US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Nairobi had not seen any such attack since September 2013, when in an operation similar to Tuesday's, at least four al-Shabaab terrorists stormed the Westgate Mall not far from the 14 Riverside complex that is frequented by foreigners and Kenyans.

In the Westgate attack, 67 people died during the four days the terrorists remained holed up in the building.

The worst terrorist attack in Kenya was the 1998 bombing at the US embassy in Nairobi which left more than 200 dead and thousands wounded.

--IANS

in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Honduran government has announced that they have detained 354 migrants who wanted to leave the country and travel to the US in a caravan.

Honduran authorities have denied the departure of 126 adults and 228 minors between Tuesday and Wednesday "for not carrying valid documents", Efe news quoted the Task Force on Migrant Assistance as saying on Wednesday.

All were detained in Agua Caliente and El Florido, both border crossings between Honduras and Guatemala.

Many of the children travelled alone and others "did not carry the parental authorization signed by one of their parents, an unavoidable requirement to cross the border", according to official information.

The Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) and the Task Force on Migrant Assistance continue to "guard" at border points with Guatemala to "ensure the personal integrity of the Honduran people who undertake the trip to the United States in an irregular mobilization of migrants", the statement added.

The caravan, which was started via social networks, began its journey on Monday despite calls by various sectors to avoid migrating in this way because of the risks involved.

More than 700 Hondurans of the caravan have already crossed into Guatemalan territory, while hundreds more are waiting to cross the Agua Caliente border, according to Efe.

The statement highlighted that 138 Hondurans, including 69 minors, have returned to their country "safely and voluntarily" from Guatemala to Agua Caliente.

The civil protection agency and the Task Force on Migrant Assistance indicated that they will expand "their presence" at the border to Guatemala, in order to "ensure the lives of the most vulnerable people" who quit the journey and wish to return to their country.

Thousands of Central American migrants started a caravan in October 2018 and 11 of them, all Hondurans, died in their attempt to reach the US, whilst more than 7,000 returned to their country frustrated, according to official figures.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has opened an investigation into the gas explosion in Tbilisi, which killed four people on 16 January .

The explosion, which took place on the fourth floor of a newly-built nine-storey residential building in Didi Digomi district of Tbilisi, also injured eight others.

The investigation will look into violations of safety procedures, Agedna.ge reported.

Initial testimonies gathered by police from witnesses show that a gas leak may have caused the explosion in the residential building.

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze declared January 17 a day of mourning in the country.Three policemen were injured in a grenade explosion here on Thursday, authorities said.

The incident took place near Zero Bridge in Rajbagh when militants hurled the grenade at a police party passing by the area.

According to the police, the injured comprised an Assistant Sub-Inspector and two constables.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Larsen & Toubro Infotech rose 1.27% to Rs 1,790.60 at 10:49 IST on BSE after the company acquired Ruletronics, a pure-play Pega consulting and implementation company with offices in the UK, USA, and India.

The announcement was made during market hours today, 17 January 2019.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 102.76 points, or 0.28%, to 36,424.05

On the BSE, so far 4,492 shares were traded in the counter, compared with average daily volumes of 12,000 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 1,794.90 and a low of Rs 1,768.90 so far during the day.

Ruletronics enables businesses to transform and evolve digitally by providing innovative BPM and CRM solutions leveraging Pega Platform. The company offers unique product based offerings for Disability Claims management, KYC Bulk Remediation, and Insurance Sales & Service applications.

The acquisition will strengthen Larsen & Toubro Infotech's rapidly growing digital business with a suite of capabilities in Pega implementation space around establishing BPM Roadmap & Strategy, Customer Services, RPA and Decisioning

Larsen & Toubro Infotech is a global technology consulting and digital solutions company.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Headline indices of the Japan share market closed mixed after reversing earlier gains on Thursday, 17 January 2019, as investors' continued withdrawing profit off the table after yen firmness against greenback amid lingering worries about the global economy and trade war tensions. Topix managed to hold gains amid speculation that at next week's policy meeting the Bank of Japan could consider changing the composition of its exchange-traded fund (ETF) purchases with heavier emphasis on Topix relative to the Nikkei. Total 25 out of 33 subindexes of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's were in positive territory, with shares in Pulp & Paper, Securities & Commodities Futures, Other Financial Business, Insurance, and Electric Power & Gas issues being notable gainers, while Rubber Products, Fishery, Agriculture & Forestry, and Marine Transportation issues were notable losers. At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei index declined 40.48 points, or 0.2%, at 20,402.27.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 5.43 points, or 0.35%, to 1,543.20.

Shares in banks and other financial firms climbed on tracking gains in their US counterparts. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group rose 0.9%, Mitsubishi UJF Financial Group gained 0.8% and Shinsei Bank added 1%. Nomura Holdings rose 4% and Daiwa Securities Group climbed 1.2%.

Shares in iron and steel issue advanced, supported by recent gains in iron ore prices. Kobe Steel advanced 2% and Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Mining added 1.2%.

Automakers sagged after a Republican senator told reporters that US President Donald Trump is "inclined" to move ahead with tariffs on imported vehicles. Toyota Motor Corp declined 0.8% and Honda Motor Co dipped 0.1%, while Nissan Motor Co ended with a modest gain of 0.1%.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)FICCI says reviving investment cycle will also boost consumption and support growth

FICCI urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 January 2019 to consider cutting the repo rate and CRR to enable lowering of lending rates by banks. FICCI delegation led by Sandip Somany, President, FICCI, congratulated RBI Governor, Shaktikanta Dasfor calling the meeting of the industry chambers to discuss the current economic scenario.

Sandip Somany said that reduction in the repo rate and CRR would help in reviving the investment cycle in the country and will also boost consumption and support growth. "The need of the hour is to have an accommodative monetary policy, focusing on growth. The objectives of the Monetary Policy committee should not be restricted to only price stability but also to consider growth and exchange rate stability," he added.

Some of the other important issues discussed at the meeting included NBFC's liquidity concerns, measures required to streamline and boost MSME financing and steps needed to push export-led growth.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu has called for introduction of structural changes through policy interventions to bring in a positive bias towards agriculture and make it resilient, sustainable and profitable.

Inaugurating Agri-Vision 2019, a two-day conference on 'Envisioning Agro Solutions for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture' at Hyderabad, he stressed the need for a concerted action from all stakeholders to find comprehensive, long-term solutions to the multiple challenges faced by the agriculture sector. Short-term measures like loan waiver would provide temporary relief and would not be beneficial to the farmer in the long run.

Expressing his concern over the tendency of farmers to leave agriculture, the vice President said that lack of favourable terms of trade, the vagaries of monsoon, technology not reaching farmers in time and absence of proper marketing system were some of the reasons for agrarian problems.

Pointing out that declining productivity, diminishing and degrading natural resources, rapidly growing demand for food, stagnating farm incomes, fragmented land holdings and unprecedented climate change were some of the major challenges confronting Indian agriculture, he said traditional farming would not be beneficial and the farmer needs to diversify into allied activities to ensure sustained income.

Observing that the growth of the agriculture sector was critically important for inclusive growth, Naidu said that empowering the sector would not only reduce poverty but also helps in improving the livelihoods of lakhs of people connected to this vital sector. Agriculture sector accounts for 18 per cent of India's GDP and provides employment to 50 per cent of the workforce of the country, he added.

The Vice President emphasized the need to accord top priority to farmer-oriented marketing, providing adequate cold storage facilities and refrigerator vans, focusing on food processing through value addition, extending timely and affordable credit to farmers and ensuring that innovations and technologies reach the farmers.

Naidu urged researchers and farm experts to come out with solutions to the multi-dimensional problems faced by the farming sector.

He called for united efforts by governments, scientific community, Krishi Vigyana Kendras and farmers to realize the ambitious goal of doubling farmers' income by 2022. He also suggested that students pursuing agri courses must spend at least six months with farmers to have a first hand understanding of the problems faced by the latter.

Observing that the use of digital technologies was essential to tackle climate change and make farming environmentally relevant and sustainable, he said digital technologies could help in countering vagaries in farming and optimizing the resources. He said that it was necessary to adopt the latest technologies from seeds to post harvest management to marketing and to improve productivity on par with the other leading nations. He also emphasized the need for India to have its own home-grown food security as the country cannot depend on imported food security.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 352.1, up 1.4% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 25.12% in last one year as compared to a 0.73% gain in NIFTY and a 2% gain in the Nifty Energy index.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 352.1, up 1.4% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.05% on the day, quoting at 10895.85. The Sensex is at 36336.15, up 0.04%. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has dropped around 0.33% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has dropped around 0.78% in last one month and is currently quoting at 14242.6, up 0.22% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 18.8 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 43.44 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark January futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 351.85, up 1.46% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 25.12% in last one year as compared to a 0.73% gain in NIFTY and a 2% gain in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 9.05 based on TTM earnings ending September 18.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Governor of Maharashtra CH. Vidyasagar Rao has said that the aviation sector is going to be the growth engine for future progress and development. He was speaking at the valedictory session of the first Global Aviation Summit 2019 in Mumbai. The global aviation industry is ushering in an era of rapid expansion. The International Civil Aviation Organization has predicted a 100 percent increase in global air travel by the year 2030, he added.

"The Ministry of Civil Aviation anticipates that in the next two decades, air passenger traffic in India will grow to 1.12 billion passengers per year from the current 187 million passengers. Needless to say, this will open up tremendous opportunities for investment in infrastructure development and upgradation in the years to come. The industry will also require a large pool of skilled manpower", the Governor said.

He also said that the Civil Aviation Sector as an important catalyst in achieving the Prime Minister's vision of doubling the income of farmers.

He cited the example of a single cargo flight which was started between Kabul and Mumbai; the flight, which carried apples from Kabul to Mumbai and transported back tomatoes, helped farmers and retailers belonging to both countries. He suggested that there are many such routes which need to be explored.

"Tourism and aviation industries can complement each other and create numerous opportunities for employment and income generation for our people" he said. The Governor also emphasised the need to intensify the search for alternative fuels and shift from jet fuel to bio fuels in coming years, as this will help reduce aviation emissions.

Addressing the session, Civil Aviation Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu appealed to the stakeholders to take it as a collective responsibility to fulfill the ambition of everybody to fly. He said that the "Vision 2040" document articulates a vision for India, but taking into account the global and integrated nature of the aviation sector, it could also be a vision for all. He further said that given the rising trend in global trade, Air Cago Policy is going to be an important driver of future growth. Referring to drone policy, the Minister said that policymaking all issues can be sorted out and that the absence of policy is a greater evil.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Shri Jayant Sinha said that the Global Aviation Summit sought to set a roadmap for continuation of the growth the aviation sector achieved during the last four years. He stated that India will very shortly be among the top three aviation markets in the world. He expressed the need to transform the aviation sector by manufacturing aircraft, drones and other technologies in the country.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Upskirting, the practice of taking secret photographs under a woman's skirt, is all set to be a criminal offence in England and Wales where offenders will face up to two years in jail.

The legislation was passed by the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK Parliament on Tuesday and is now awaiting royal assent, CNN reported.

The anti-upskirting law came into being after a 26-year-old woman Gina Martin had started an online campaign, stating that she was a victim of upskirting at a music festival some 18 months ago.

Martin, who hails from Liverpool, was attending the function in London's Hyde Park when a man inappropriately rubbed against her while his friend lurked nearby.

After the House of Lords passed the new legislation, Martin took to her Twitter handle, saying that she was "over the moon."

"After becoming a victim and recognising the gap in the law, I.. partnered with Ryan Whelan, of Gibson Dunn and began 18 months of exhaustive, emotional and life-changing work. I always thought was (impenetrable), but with the right help and the willpower you can do it!" she wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Apart from the two-year jail term for perpetrators, the most serious offenders of upskirting would be named on a register for sex offenders.

The online campaign was carried forward by Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who first introduced the legislation in the Parliament.

However in June last year, the measure faced a brief obstacle after some concerns were raised by Conservative Party MP Christopher Chope, prompting cries of "shame" from other parliamentarians, as per the report.

Ultimately, the legislation got the backing from the UK government after Prime Minister Theresa May expressed discontent over the progress of making upskirting a criminal offence.

Scotland already has an anti-upskirting law in its place since 2010. Other countries and territories have similar legislations, making the practice illegal in several US and Australian states and in India and New Zealand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Films that have scenes of rape or other forms of sexual violence can only be watched by viewers who are at least 15 years old in the UK now.

The British film rating system has been updated to prevent such sexually explicit scenes from being viewable to youngsters below a 15 rating.

According to a report published in The Hollywood Reporter, the British Board of Film Classification published new guidelines on Thursday following a public consultation that showed people felt a "heightened sense of anxiety" when it comes to depictions of real-world scenarios and changing attitudes towards sexual threat and violence over the past five years.

The new guidelines say that no film containing depictions of rape or strong sexual violence would be given a rating below a 15, rather than a 12. The BBFC said it also wanted its ratings to appear on all streaming services.

Among those films that would have been impacted by the update are 2008's Keira Knightley-starring period drama 'The Duchess', classified as a 12 at the time despite containing a rape scene.

According to the BBFC website, public consultation - involving more than 10,000 people - showed that young people and parents want to see an increase in classification guidance, particularly around online content, as well as more consistency across all platforms, with 97 per cent of people saying they benefit from age ratings being in place. 91 per cent of people (and 95 per cent of teenagers) want consistent age ratings that they recognise from the cinema and DVD to apply to content accessed through streaming services.

David Austin, Chief Executive Officer at the BBFC, took to their website and said, "Over the last five years the way we consume film and video has changed beyond all recognition. That's why it's so important that there is consistency between what people watch on and offline. The research shows that parents and teenagers want us to give them the information and guidance that they need to view what's right for them."

The new guidelines will come into force on Feb. 28, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS), the pioneer institution of international importance in sustainability research, provided a platform to like-minded researchers, experts, academicians, policy-makers and corporate leaders by hosting the "2ndInternational Conference on Business, Economics and Sustainable Development (ICBESD-2019)" to discuss issues and challenges facing businesses and economies to meet the goal of sustainable development through new and innovative solutions, without compromising on growth, profitability, and competitiveness.

The conference was organized in collaboration with the Government of India Rooftop Solar Technical Assistance Program supported by The World Bank. The conference comprised three panel discussions on emerging themes of health finance, circular economy, and solar rooftop systems and 16 parallel paper presentation sessions with eminent academicians, corporate leaders and policy-makers chairing the sessions on various themes relating to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The conference was inaugurated by Mr. Gopal Krishna Gupta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. Dr. Leena Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, TERI SAS and Chief Patron, ICBESD-2019 delivered the welcome address along with conference Chair, Prof. Manipadma Datta and Conference Patron, Prof Prakash.

Introducing the conference to the audience Dr. Leena Srivastava, VC, TERI SAS said, "Industry-Academia partnerships need to go beyond the rhetoric to a mutually beneficial long term engagement to design systemic solutions - particularly on issues of sustainability that are making not just businesses vulnerable but entire societies too! Our effort at the TERI School of Advanced Studies is to lead that change through an inter-disciplinary perspective. Through this conference, as a first step, the aim is to provide an impetus to researchers across sectors to evaluate and ensure the preparedness of businesses and the economies for achieving the SDGs."

Inaugurating the conference, Gopal Krishna Gupta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India said, "There are many opportunities available for researchers and students to join the government to achieve the goal of sustainable development and climate change. Such a goal needs systematic persuasion and collaboration. This conference provides a platform to likeminded collaborators to deliberate on the issue that is of outmost importance today."

Prof. Manipadma Datta, Conference Chair and Professor at TERI SAS informed that an overwhelming 150 papers has been received under various themes in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. He added, "We believe that ICBESD provides a very suitable platform to researchers, academicians, and corporates committed to the cause of sustainable development. We hope that through this annual conference of stakeholders at TERI SAS, knowledge is disseminated about unique, relevant and useful means and methods to make businesses and economies sustainable in the true sense."

The conference was kept in line with the SDGs with key sessions on the following themes:

Circular Economy

Health Finance

Solar Rooftop Systems

Solar Rooftop Policies

Climate Change

Economics of Sustainable Development

Banking and Finance for Sustainability

Corporate Governance, CSR and Ethics

Creating Shared Value

Sustainable Development Goals and India's Preparedness

Infrastructure and Sustainable Development

Marketing and Sustainability

Sustainable Strategies

Sustainable Human Resource Development

Sustainability Reporting

The conference witnessed the presence of eminent national and international institutes like Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, IIT, NIFM, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Rajiv Gandhi University, Symbiosis Institute of International Business, IGNOU, JNU, AMITY International School, Jamia Millia Islamia and many more.

Overall the conference was a unique platform for faculty, researchers, students, corporate leaders and other stakeholders to deliberate on the emerging horizons and the road ahead to create a systemic change to meet the mammoth challenge of sustainable development.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two Iranian citizens have tried to send the clothes soaked with opium from Armenia to Canada, the press service of Armenia's State Revenue Committee (SRC) reported.

On January 10, the SRC officers at capital city Yerevans Zvartnots International Airport inspected the 25-kg parcel with clothes inside, which were being sent from Armenia to Canada on behalf of an Iranian citizen. But the inspection revealed that the thick felts inside the clothes were soaked with opium.

On January 11, the SRC officers detained the Iranian citizen who was sending the aforesaid parcel to Canada at Agarak border checkpoint. Another Iranian national involved in the incident was detained nearby Zvartnots airport, News.am reported.

The SRC has filed a criminal case, an investigation is underway.The government on Thursday "curtailed" with immediate effect the tenure of Special Director of CBI Rakesh Asthana and three other officers of the investigative agency.

The action by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) came a day after Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, moved an application in the Delhi High Court seeking some corrections in the recent judgement.

The Delhi High Court had January 11 dismissed a plea filed by Asthana, seeking quashing of an FIR against him in a bribery case.

The single judge bench of the High Court refused to grant interim protection to him but Justice Najmi Waziri asked the CBI to maintain the status quo for two weeks.

The High Court had directed the CBI to conclude investigation against Asthana within 10 weeks.

According to a government order, the ACC also "curtailed" the tenure of CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar Sharma, a 1987-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, CBI DIG Manish Kumar Sinha, a 2000-batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, and SP Jayant J Naiknavare, a 2004-batch IPS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Thursday gave go-ahead to the re-opening of dance bars in Mumbai, stating that there cannot be "a total prohibition" on dance bars in India's commerce capital.

Noting that no license has been granted by the Maharashtra government since 2005, the Supreme Court reiterated that there may be some regulations but that should not amount to "a total prohibition."

The apex court also relaxed the stringent conditions set by the state government for getting a license for running dance bars, but upheld the time of five and a half hours for dance performances.

In its verdict, the apex court also set aside the conditions of the state government of "putting up CCTV cameras in bars and giving licenses to the people of good character" terming these as "vague."

Allowing orchestra and tips, the apex court, however, stated that showering of cash and coins is not allowed inside the bars.

Quashing the rule that segregates dancing stage from the bar area where drinks are served, the Supreme Court in its verdict also struck down a condition by which dance bars were supposed to be one kilometer away from educational and religious places.

The Supreme Court, however, upheld a rule of Maharashtra government according to which working women should have a contract so that she could not be exploited, but quashed the rule of monthly salary for bar dancers.

The Dance Bar Regulation Bill, which was unanimously passed by the Assembly on April 13, 2017, among other things, prohibits serving liquor in performance areas and mandates that the premises must shut by 11.30 pm.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin will participate in the meeting of the opposition parties called by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee in Kolkata on January 19.

On December 10, the Opposition parties held a crucial meeting in Delhi on the eve of Parliament's Winter Session and counting of votes for Assembly elections in five states, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed to remain unaffected.

The BJP has maintained confidence by saying that despite the Opposition meet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is again going to retain the post with a clear majority in the upcoming 2019 General Elections.

The previous meeting was called by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, aimed at bringing all Opposition parties under a single umbrella to take on the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A large number of Sindhi activists carried out an anti-Pakistan protest march on the 115th birth anniversary of GM Syed, the founder of Sindhudesh movement, in his hometown, Sann.

The activists from Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) demanded freedom of the Sindh province from Pakistani occupation, the abolition of human rights abuses in Sindh and religious fundamentalism.

Raising slogans against the Pakistan Army, the activists accused them of abducting and killing Sindhi human rights activists and scholars.

Activists claim that a heavy contingent of Pakistani security forces besieged the outskirts of Sann and established checkpoints to harass and restrain Syed's followers from entering the town for two days.

Several arrests were made and dozens of leaders and activists from different cities were abducted in order to stop the political gatherings of various Sindhi nationalist parties to be held on the eve of Syed's birthday.

The banners and flags of Sindhudesh movement were removed from Sann and many surrounding villages and towns were raided to harass the political activists to restrain their activities prior to the celebrations.

However, masses reacted in sheer defiance and came out to commemorate the celebrations of Sayed's birth anniversary. Major political caravans, led by different political parties, were searched and stopped by Pakistan Rangers, the ISI and the Army at the Jamshoro Toll Plaza and Qazi Ahmed- Aamri Bridge to keep them from entering Sann.

However, the caravans were forced to be released later, owing to the growing number of Jeay Sindh activists gathering from all over Sindh.

Hundreds of JSMM activists, led by party's senior leadership, rallied from the outskirts of Sann town and paid a memorial visit to the mausoleums of GM Syed and martyred JSMM leaders Muzafar Bhutto, Rooplo Cholyani, Muneer Cholyani, Afzal Panhwer and Anees Soomro.

The activists laid floral wreaths and recited the national anthem of Sindhudesh. The families of missing and martyred JSMM activists also participated in the rally and political gathering of JSMM.

The political gathering was presided over by exiled JSMM chairman Shafi Burfat via a written message. The JSMM chairman venerated Sayed in his speech and highlighted the ongoing brutal operation of the Pakistani forces in Sindh including imprisonments, enforced disappearances, state torture in secret detention centres and killings of Sindhi political activists.

He condemned the Pakistani designs of radicalizing secular Sindhi society by establishing a web of religious schools, patronised by the Pakistani military, forced exodus of Sindhi Hindus, forced conversions and marriages of Sindhi Hindu girls, economic exploitation and political subjugation of Sindh.

He scathed the idea of the engineered democratic rule in Pakistan and the role of Sindhi feudal class as puppets of the military establishment. He censured Pakistani military establishment for patronising religious extremism and terrorism and sponsoring it across borders in India and Afghanistan.

"Pakistan is the womb and vector of Islamic extremism. Its unnatural existence is a serious threat to peace. This irresponsible and fragile theocratic state is developing nuclear arsenals which are no less dangerous than the North Korean nukes and will eventually lead to the destruction of the one day. The should take serious notice of the Pakistani sponsorship of Global Jihadism and persecution/genocide of secular Sindhi, Baloch, and Pashtun people," he added.

"Pakistan is fooling China by dragging it into its strategic design for the makeup of Greater Punjabistan by promising China of the fulfillment of its long-sought strategic military aggression in the Indian Ocean. The project of CPEC is the veil of this nefarious bilateral design. China must understand the dynamics of political conflict between Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun, PoK occupied nations against imperialist Punjab and must not partner in Punjab's crimes and subjugation against these nations" he said.

He condemned the abduction and enforced disappearance of JSMM's vice chairman, Ramesh Kumar and his two brothers along with dozens of other JSMM activists.

He appealed to the Sindhi nation to demonstrate unity and act responsibly to stand for their freedom from this "filthy theocratic state".

"All Sindhi and Urdu speaking people of Sindh must unite under the banner of shared modern Sindhi identity and strive for the freedom of Sindh from the theocratic fascist imperialist unnatural state of Pakistan," he said.

He also appealed to the UNO, the international community, especially USA, Germany, France, UK, and India to demolish Pakistan for the sake of humanity, regional security and global peace.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A new study now finds a team of researchers discovering the interaction between an Ebola virus protein and a protein in human cells that may be an important key to unlocking the pathway of replication of the killer disease in human hosts.

Scientists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute were part of a nationwide collaborative with scientists at Gladstone Institutes, UC San Francisco and Georgia State University for a recent that was published in the journal Cell.

Researchers across the world are trying to pinpoint potential drug targets to stop Ebola virus disease from spreading. It is a hemorrhagic fever that killed 382 people in the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018.

Thousands of people have died from Ebola since an outbreak erupted in West Africa four years ago.

Texas Biomed Staff Scientist Olena Shtanko, Ph.D., describes this new work as a "turning point for understanding how replication of Ebola virus is modulated."

Her role in the project was to validate and test whether the interaction between an Ebola virus protein called VP 30 and a host (human) protein called RBBP6 had involvement in the life cycle of the virus.

Dr. Shtanko worked on this project while in the lab of Dr. Robert Davey, a former Texas Biomed Scientist, now at Boston University.

Earlier research by scientists in California used a protein interaction map to narrow down host and virus protein interactions and then using a yeast system and an artificial proxy virus system proved the theory of this particular protein-protein interaction.

However, scientists needed to use replicating virus and human immune cells to test the clinical significance of the finding.

Speaking about it, Shtanko stressed, "The interaction is important if you can show functional significance of what it does to the virus in cells that have clinical relevance."

Shtanko added, "If you can figure out the mechanism within these cells, then you can potentially manipulate it and stop the disease progression."

By over- and under-expressing the RBBP6, Shtanko was able to test what impact the protein had on the growth of Ebola virus in the macrophages. Shtanko said the results were striking.

When the host protein was under-expressed, the viral replication went up exponentially. She found similar results when working with vascular cells, which are also key to Ebola virus replication in an infected patient.

The study was also an example of the Institute's new team science environment; whereby, researchers capitalize not only on the resources available at Texas Biomed but the expertise of its cross-functional teams to produce beneficial results.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has arrested a Saudi Arabian for allegedly carrying a live bullet in his bag at the Delhi airport, stated an official statement released on Thursday.

During the regular security checks at the airport on Wednesday, a CISF soldier detected a "live bullet of 6.35 mm" from the luggage of Alotaibi Salman Wuhaymir T.

Salman was supposed to take an Oman Air Flight to Riyadh via Muscat. However, when he was being interrogated, he failed to produce a valid document regarding a live bullet, following which, Salman was handed over to Delhi airport police.

An FIR has been register against Salman under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)New Delhi [India], Jan 17 (ANI): At a time when critics are questioning the operational capabilities of the Rafale combat aircraft, top IAF sources said the range of the French-origin aircraft is 2.5 more than that of the Russian Sukhoi-30.

"The operational capabilities of the Sukhoi-30 in terms of capability and range are far superior than that of the MiG-29 while the range of the Rafale is 2.5 times that of the Su-30MKI in the same role," top IAF sources told ANI here.

The sources were asked about criticism that the Air Force should have bought more Sukhoi-30s rather than getting 36 Rafale combat aircraft for meeting its requirement of multi-role combat jets.

"The Sukhoi-30, MiG-29 and Mirage-2000 are not MMRCA... None of these meet the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements of the Indian Air Force specified for MMRCA in 2007 for its requirements of 126 combat jets," the sources said.

Explaining the combat capability and the range of the Rafale in comparison with the Sukhoi-30s, the sources said the Air Force has flown the Russian planes across the length and breadth of the country in one go and the range of Rafale is 2.5 times more than the Sukhoi.

During the Exercise Gaganshakti, the Air Force had carried out long-range sorties of the Sukhoi-30 which lasted for more than nine hours.

The sources said the Meteor missiles to be equipped on the Rafale combat aircraft was very capable missile with a range of more than 150 kilometers and has been integrated on the Gripen and the Eurofighter combat jet.

The Narendra Modi government signed a deal for 36 Rafale combat aircraft in September 2016 for over Rs 60,000 crore.

The Congress has been questioning the deal and the award of offsets contract to Anil Ambani-led Reliance but the governments of India, France and Dassault Aviation have defended the deal saying there was no wrongdoing in the procurement.

The government has stated in Parliament that the procurement was done to meet the emergency requirement of the Indian Air Force as the number of combat aircraft squadrons is dwindling.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday offered prayers on the banks of River Ganga during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik were present on the occasion. President Kovind also met select saints and seers.

During his one-day stay, President Kovind will unveil the statue of Maharishi Bhardwaj and take part in several other programmes.

The President will participate in Vishwa Shanti Yagya at Parmarth Niketan in Arail and inaugurate the two-day Gandhian Resurgence Summit on the occasion of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi's 150 birth anniversary. The summit is being organised by the Parmarath Niketan, the Harijan Sevak Sangh and the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance.

The 55-day long Kumbh Mela, which began on Tuesday, will end on March 4. It is the largest human congregation in the world, with over 130 million pilgrims expected to participate in the event with the belief that taking a dip in the holy water of Ganges River will pave the way for their salvation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan troops again on Thursday violated ceasefire in Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian security forces are retaliating Pakistan army's ceasefire, police said.

India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan High Commission official and lodged a strong protest at the unprovoked ceasefire violations (CFV) in Naushera and Sunderbani sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

Two Army personnel were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion that took place near the LoC in Naushera and Sunderbani sectors on January 11. An Army officer and a soldier, who got grievously injured, succumbed to their injuries in a hospital while undergoing treatment.

"Our strong concerns were shared at continued unprovoked firing and ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the International Boundary," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed Volkswagen to pay the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Rs 100 crore by Friday for violating emission norms or face punitive action.

The NGT said non-compliance can lead to the arrest of the company's India head and seizure of property. The money has to be deposited with the CPCB by 5 pm on January 18.

Reacting to the order, Volkswagen Group India Spokesperson said the company "will comply with the order of Honourable Green Tribunal (NGT) and deposit the money, as directed."

At the same time, the spokesperson said: "The Volkswagen Group reiterates that all cars from the Group are compliant with the emission norms in India. The order of the Honourable NGT is already under challenge before the Honourable Supreme Court."

Recently, a four-member panel appointed by the NGT penalised Volkswagen approximately Rs 171 crore for violating emission norms.

Earlier, the company had unsuccessfully challenged in the Supreme Court a previous NGT directive, which asked it to cough up Rs 100 crores for emission violations.

A four-member committee constituted by NGT had recommended a fine of Rs 171.34 crore on Volkswagen for excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. The Committee in its report had estimated that Volkswagen cars allegedly released 48.678 tonnes of NOx in 2016 in the Capital Area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen held a "constructive" meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Damascus to discuss a political settlement of the crisis in the country.

"We had constructive meetings and we agreed that we would continue to have close contact in the future. Absolutely," the AP cited Pedersen as saying.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Muallem stressed that the settlement plan for Syria must include the withdrawal of illegal foreign troops from the country.

"Muallem expressed Syrias readiness to cooperate with Pedersen for his successful mission in ensuring an intra-Syrian dialogue to reach a political settlement that in the interests of Syria, among other things, would lead to the defeat of terrorism and the end of the illegal foreign presence in Syria", the ministerial statement read.The Green Tribunal on Thursday directed Volkswagen to pay the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Rs 100 crore by Friday for violating emission norms or face punitive action.

The NGT said non-compliance can lead to the arrest of the company's India head and seizure of property. The money has to be deposited with the CPCB by 5 pm on January 18.

Recently, a four-member panel appointed by the NGT penalised Volkswagen approximately Rs 171 crore for violating emission norms.

Earlier, the company had unsuccessfully challenged in the Supreme Court a previous NGT directive, which asked it to cough up Rs 100 crores for emission violations.

A four-member committee constituted by NGT had recommended a fine of Rs 171.34 crore on Volkswagen for excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. The Committee in its report had estimated that Volkswagen cars allegedly released 48.678 tonnes of NOx in 2016 in the Capital Area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Seems like even the Royals have awkward encounters. Meghan Markle recently visited an animal welfare organisation and was called a 'fat lady'. However, the Duchess of Sussex's reply to it was perfect.

The Duchess of Sussex on Wednesday paid a visit to staff, volunteers and beneficiaries at one of her four new patronages, Mayhew, an animal welfare organisation that works towards improving the lives of dogs, cats and people locally and internationally, reported E! Online.

The royal donned a chic monochromatic look consisting of a cashmere coat layered over a maternity beige knit dress coupled with nude heels and a beige tote.

Meghan met with volunteers and those impacted by Mayhew's work, however, one bold compliment caught her attention.

One woman named McEachrom said, "What a lovely lady you are. May God bless you."

"And you're a fat lady!" added McEachrom, referring to the Duchess of Sussex's growing baby bump. Meghan responded with a big laugh, "I'll take it!"

McEachrom also predicted the gender of Meghan and Prince Harry, reported People

"Glad to see you so well. You'll soon be having a little baby boy!" McEachrom said.

"Oh, you think it's going to be a boy? It's a surprise. We don't know what we're having. I ask everyone what they think, and everyone has a very strong opinion about it," Meghan said.

During her visit, Meghan, who herself is an animal lover, saw a number of projects run by the charity to improve the lives of animals and people and to help communities both in London and internationally. Meghan even got to hold one of the rescue's pups.

Interestingly, before moving to London, Meghan had two rescue pups at her home in Toronto. Harry and Meghan have also gotten their own dog together.

The royal couple, who got married at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel on May 19 and are expecting their first child in 2019, gave an update on Meghan's pregnancy and revealed that she was six months pregnant and due at the end of April or early May.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)It seems that Margot Robbie, who is currently busy promoting her latest movie 'Mary Queen of Scots', is not ready to get pregnant yet. The actress said she gets "really annoyed" whenever she is asked about her pregnancy status.

In the movie, the 28-year-old plays the role of Queen Elizabeth I, who never produced an heir.

Because of this, the biggest question on people's minds these days is when Margot plans to have babies, the actress said, reported E! Online.

Robbie wants people to stop asking this question altogether, regardless if that person is a celebrity or not.

"It made me really angry," Robbie said of strangers asking about her pregnancy status.

She added, "How dare some old guy dictate what I can and can't do when it comes to motherhood or my own body?"

'Mary Queen of Scots' also stars Saoirse Ronan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested one man in Ludhiana in connection with the ISIS-inspired terror module case.

The arrested man, identified as Mohammad Ovesh Pasha was a 'maulvi' at a mosque located in Meharbaan village on Ludhiana-Chandigarh road.

The searches were carried out by the NIA today at seven places in western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in connection with the investigation of the recently busted ISIS-inspired terror module.

The raid on the mosque was conducted on Wednesday night by a team of NIA along with the Punjab Police. The arrested man is suspected to be part of the ISIS module, busted in Uttar Pradesh recently. He had come to Ludhiana seven months ago and earlier studied in a 'Madarsa' in UP, where he allegedly got in touch with ISIS operatives.

Though the NIA denied any arrests, Ludhiana Police confirmed the arrest. Police said that the arrested man was booked under Sections of the UAP Act, Sections 120-A, 121-B and 122 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 4/5 of the Explosives Act.

On December 26 last year, the NIA had busted an ISIS-inspired terror module, targeting important personalities including politicians and vital installations, by raiding 17 locations in Delhi and UP and had held 10 persons from whom cash, mobile phones, SIM cards, arms and ammunition including a rocket launcher were recovered.

NIA had identified Mufti Mohammad Suhail alias Hazrath, son of Hafiz Ahmad, a native of Amroha, as the mastermind of the module.

"Vital installations, important places, important personalities, and crowded places were on their targets. The level of preparation suggests that they planned to do an attack at the earliest. They were focusing on remote control bombs as well as Fidayeen attack," NIA IG Alok Mittal had said.

Searches had been conducted at 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with a new ISIS-styled terror module 'Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam' which was in an advanced stage of carrying out a series of blasts. Searches have been conducted in Delhi's Seelampur and UP's Amroha, Hapur, Meerut, and Lucknow.

Large quantities of explosive material, weapons, and ammunition including a country made rocket launcher have been recovered during searches. Rs 7.5 lakh cash was recovered during the raids along with nearly 100 mobile phones, 135 SIM cards, laptops, and memory chips.

"After initial interrogation of 16 suspects, we have decided to arrest 10 accused. The current information suggests the entire planning was largely self-funded. Some accused have stolen gold from their homes and purchased alarm clock, explosive instruments, and other materials," Mittal had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Japan's Hitachi Ltd on Thursday announced that it was halting the work on a 15 billion pound nuclear power project in North Wales after the two governments failed to reach an agreement of the financial term of the project.

A statement issued by Hitachi read, "The decision was made from the viewpoint of Hitachi's economic rationality as a private enterprise," reported New York Times.

A spokesman for Hitachi's British venture Horizon Nuclear Project, Ben Russell stated that discussions with the British and Japanese governments will continue, however, the staff working on the project, currently around 300 people, will be reduced to a minimum.

The Japanese firm will also suspend planning work on the second project in England's Oldbury.

Hitachi stated that the company has planned to take a write-off of 300 billion yen, or USD 2.75 billion, on the projects.

According to the New York Times, Hitachi's decision to suspend work on the power project is a blow to the British government, which is depending on the nuclear installation to help meet the country's electric power needs in the coming decades.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Asserting that BJP should now come in terms with its defeat, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka is stable and safe.

"What's happening in Karnataka is wrong. Our government is stable and safe. BJP is trying to play the same game in Karnataka which it had played in other states. BJP had lost the election and it should accept the defeat with humility. Except for two independent MLAs all others are with the government," said Tharoor.

He also distanced himself from a comment made by Congress parliamentarian BK Hariprasad on Amit Shah's health condition and said, "It is not fine to talk badly about anyone's ailment. In my heart, I will only say that may God bless him with good health at the earliest and then we will continue fighting on the political front. We are only against BJP ideology and we wish best of health to their leaders."

On the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 14, Tharoor said: "I retweeted something which had many details of the award, among which was also the fact that this award hasn't been given to anyone ever before. Secondly, the award is related to some Aligarh based organization, the website of which was deleted a day later. Under any circumstance, it doesn't befit the stature of the Prime Minister to accept such an award. This Philip Kotler, on whose name this award is instated, is a marketing professor."

"Apart from this presidential award he had given sponsorship award to many sponsors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name is being used for a commercial venture. It's bad that our Prime Minister's name is being used in such kind of racket. It would be better if the Prime Minister returns the award saying that he wasn't aware of these things before accepting it," Tharoor added.

The Award focuses on the triple-bottom-line of 'people, profit and planet'. It will be offered annually to the leader of a nation, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Wednesday opined that it was time for new leadership at Renault, saying that its jailed chairman Carlos Ghosn should be replaced as soon as possible.

"We want a meeting of the Renault executive board in the next few days. We're asking for new long-term leadership," Le Maire was quoted by CNN saying.

The French government own 15 per cent of Renault. It previously supported the French automobile manufacturer's decision to allow Ghosn to continue serving his post while awaiting a trial.

On January 11, the 64-year-old Renault boss was indicted for the second time since he was arrested on November 19 last year on charges of financial misconduct.

Ghosn has been charged by Japanese prosecutors for temporarily transferring personal investment losses to Nissan and understating his income between 2010 and 2018, CNN reported.

Last December, Ghosn was re-arrested after new allegations surfaced on aggravated breach of trust, where the 64-year-old Brazilian-French businessman made Nissan shoulder $16.6 million in personal investment losses.

Ghosn is chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the automotive collaboration of France's Groupe Renault, Japan's Nissan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors. He is also the Chairman and CEO of Renault. Ghosn was fired as the chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors following his arrest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Scores of foreigners from across the world on Thursday thronged Madurai to witness famous bull-taming sport 'Jallikattu'.

Tamil Nadu Minister RB Udhayakumar told media that the state administration has made all the requisite arrangements for the safety of foreigners and locals. "Everybody is welcome here. We have made all the arrangements pertaining to the safety and security of the foreigners as well as the locals. This event is going to be big," he said.

The Supreme Court in 2014 banned Jallikattu after a plea filed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and Peta but the state government insisted Jallikattu was a crucial part of its culture and identity.

The ban was later lifted in January 2017 with an amendment to the law after massive protests along the Marina beach in Chennai.

More than a thousand bulls are participating in the event this time. During this festival, people decorate their bulls with marigolds that are later released from pens and men try to grab their horns to win a cash prize.

Geetika, a local who came to see Jallikattu, expressed happiness saying: "We are waiting here since midnight. People of Tamil Nadu want this festival to happen every year. We don't want this culture to end".

In the mega event, more than 40 tamers along with the spectators sustained injuries. In order to provide first aid, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has set up several medical camps.

"We have a proper medical team here. The ITBP medical officers will provide first aid to the injured. We will also take them to the nearby hospital if the need arises," said Dr Praveen, medical officer of ITBP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress party's youth wing is planning to hoist the Flag at the Lal Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar area as part of its Yuva Kranti Yatra, highlighting the failure of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government across the country.

The Yuva Kranti Yatra started on December 16 from Kanyakumari and is expected to reach New Delhi on January 30 where a big event has been planned. Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Keshav Chandra Yadav and Vice President Srinivas BV are leading the Yatra which is scheduled to reach Srinagar on January 19.

IYC spokesperson Amrish Ranjan Pandey told ANI that the party is planning to hoist the Flag at the Lal Chowk.

Pandey said, "we are not going to have Biryani in Pakistan we are going to show to anti-India forces that youth stands with the spirit of India."

"Our Yatra started from Kanyakumari and has almost travelled nine thousand kilometres from Tamila Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal. It will enter Jammu and Kashmir through Punjab," he added.

"Through flag hoisting, we want to show that Kashmir is an integral part of India and youth stands with the sentiment whereas some of the political parties and their leaders are trying to showcase that youth in Kashmir has deviated from the idea of India which is not true," Pandey said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Accusing BJP president Amit Shah of kidnapping Congress legislators, Congress party's Member of Parliament BK Hariprasad on Thursday mocked at Shah's illness while asking him to slow down.

Speaking to ANI, Hariprasad said, "Bogus Chanakya tried thrice and failed. They are daydreaming. Amit Shah has kidnapped four Congress MLAs and their family members will file a habeas corpus. That's why Amit Shah is suffering from swine flu so he should calm down."

Levying strong charges against BJP, he also accused the party of indulging in corruption in Rafale deal and said that the money from the deal is being used to disturb the Karnataka government.

"In Rafale, they (BJP) got Rs 30,000 crore. With that, they are trying to destabilise Karnataka government and it is a desperate attempt to divert the minds of people from Rafale issue. Even if they bring Rs 1 lakh crore it's not possible for them to destabilise Karnataka government."

Hariprasad's comment invoked a sharp reaction from BJP leaders and Union Minister Piyush Goyal lambasted Hariprasad for his statement and termed it unfair and insensitive.

"The kind of filthy and senseless statement that Congress MP BK Hariprasad has made on BJP President Amit Shah's health, it reflects the level of the Congress, there is a treatment for flu but it is difficult to treat the mental illness of Congress leaders," Goyal tweeted.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) informed that party president Amit Shah is doing well and will soon be discharged from the All India Institutes of Medical Science (AIIMS) where he is currently undergoing treatment for swine flu.

Shah was diagnosed with swine flu on Wednesday and is being treated under the supervision of AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a revision of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina that ended the Bosnian War.

"The Dayton Agreement should be revisited, as it didn't generate a solution for Bosnia and Herzegovina's future," he said yesterday during a news conference with visiting Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

According to the Turkish leader, the United Nations should take "a stronger step" in a possible revision of the international Dayton Accords.

"There are serious problems for Bosnia and Herzegovina as there's an eight-month term presidency and there isn't any proper army. We hope Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs will be live in solidarity," Anadolu Agency cited him as saying.

In November 1995, Bosniaks stopped the war and signed the Dayton Agreement, bringing peace to the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two entities - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. The accord, initiated at Wright-Patterson U.S. Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio, on Nov. 21, 1995, ended a brutal civil war in Bosnia that resulted in around 100,000 deaths over three-and-a-half years.The compulsion of killing terrorists should not be treated as a cause of celebration, asserted Conference (NC) vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah while reacting sharply to a statement made by Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh earlier in the day.

Lt Gen Singh, while addressing a press conference, presented the statistics of army operations from the past year and said, "2018 has been a great year for the security forces, more than 250 terrorists were killed, 54 were caught alive, and four surrendered to the forces."

Reacting to the statement, Omar expressed his dissent and tweeted, "I beg to differ, a great year would be one in which no young man would join militancy, no terrorists would be killed and no security personnel would lose their lives in encounters. The compulsion of killing militants/terrorists shouldn't be treated as a cause for celebration."

During his media briefing, Lt Gen Singh had also asserted that the Indian Army is always prepared to give a befitting reply to Pakistan.

Responding to a question about recent assaults, he said: "In the last few days, five Pakistanis were killed, it shows that Indian Army is always ready to give them a befitting reply."

Earlier in the day, Pakistan troops had again violated ceasefire in Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian security forces fiercely retaliated Pakistan army's ceasefire.

On Wednesday, India summoned Pakistan High Commission official and lodged a strong protest at the unprovoked ceasefire violations in Naushera and Sunderbani sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered 8 First Information Reports (FIRs) in connection with alleged abuse of children in shelter homes across Bihar.

Among those booked includes Munger Boys' Children Home, run by 'Panaah'. The action comes after the Supreme Court asked the premier investigating agency to share details about the shelter homes in Bihar.

The maximum numbers of these shelter homes are for boys. The preliminary enquiry conducted by Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) revealed that the women staffers of these shelter homes asked the boys to send lewd messages to other women.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) had claimed in its report that the boys in the shelter home were forced to work for the Superintendent whose residential quarters were in the same premises.

On Wednesday, the CBI registered FIR against director of Samaj Samiti Boys' Children Home in Bhagalpur and DORD Children Home in Gaya, for allegedly physically and mentally assaulting the inmates.

This comes after the infamous Muzaffarpur shelter home case, in which CBI registers two separate FIR over shelter home abuses in Bihar.

In the Muzaffarpur case, over 40 minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted over a period of time in the shelter home which was run by Thakur's state-funded non-governmental organisation (NGO). Thakur is allegedly the mastermind of the incidents.

In 2018, Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) had uncovered the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal in Bihar.

As many as 11 employees including Thakur were arrested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday 'clarified' it has not imposed any band on Oscar-nominated director Ashvin Kumar's 'No Father in Kashmir.'

Earlier in the day, Alia Bhatt, whose mother Soni Razdan stars in the film, had taken to social media to urge the CBFC to 'lift the ban'.

She tweeted, "Was soo looking forward to mom's @nofathers_movie #nofathersinkashmir!! @Soni_Razdan @ashvinkumar & team worked super hard for this honest teens love story in Kashmir. Really hope the CBFC would #lifttheban. It's a film about empathy & compassion.. let's give love a chance!"

However, according to Tushar Karmarkar, Regional Officer, CBFC, Mumbai, the news of the ban is "completely false."

"We are disappointed with the misinformation being spread about the film 'No fathers in Kashmir'. Any news of CBFC banning this film is completely false. And all responsible people should take account of that," he said.

Karmarkar further stated that the "filmmakers of 'No fathers in Kashmir' have already been offered an adult certificate, and the reasons thereof have clearly been communicated to them. It's unfortunate that unwarranted pressure is being put by spreading misinformation of a 'ban'."

The film, a love story of two 16-year-olds who are individually searching for their missing father, stars Razdan, Anshuman Jha and Kulbulshan Kharbanda.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday criticised Union Minister and former Punjab State BJP President Vijay Sampla saying he is trying to scuttle the dreams of the Sikh community by unnecessarily complicating the process of travel and darshan at the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara.

Captain Amarinder said that instead of finding ways of facilitating the Sikh pilgrims, the Central Government, especially responsible elected representatives such as Sampla, were constantly putting hurdles in the way of the realisation of their dream to visit the historic Gurdwara, which they had seen being fulfilled with the decision to open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

The Chief Minister added that the statement of Vijay Sampla rejecting the possibility of Passport waiver and making visa mandatory for the poor and illiterate pilgrims crossing the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor had shown that neither the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) nor its ally SAD were interested in facilitating the devotees by making travel hassle-free.

"Sampla's claim that all Punjabis had Passports was highly irresponsible and wrong, and showed how misinformed and disconnected from the masses the Minister was," he added.

Lambasting Sampla for rejecting his proposal out of hand, without even studying the possibility for Passport and Visa waiver for the pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, the Chief Minister said while the BJP, on one hand, was trying to take credit for the opening of the Corridor it was at the same time doing its best to put hurdles in the way of its smooth operationalisation.

"The BJP-SAD's efforts to stymy the efforts of the Punjab government were evident in the Centre's various acts relating to the Corridor Project, including the recent statement of Vijay Sampla on behalf of the BJP-led Union Government, which was now coming out with various excuses and impediments to hassle-free travel by Sikh pilgrims," said the Chief Minister.

"While even Passport waiver was not an impossibility, the visa requirement could definitely be done away with for devotees crossing the Corridor by allowing travel to Kartarpur Sahib on a Travel Permit, which was meant only for limited movement to the Gurdwara Sahib for paying obeisance," Captain Amarinder pointed out.

He added that a Travel Permit could suffice to regulate entry and exit through the Corridor, with any official document, like the Aadhar card (which has biometric details of the citizens), as identification proof for those seeking to travel through the Corridor.

The Chief Minister said Sampla's statement was reflective of the BJP's anti-minority attitude and the Modi government's continued attempts to sideline the country's minorities to further its politically motivated agenda.

"While hostilities with Pakistan could not be ignored, as he himself had been consistently maintaining even after the decision to open the Corridor, the Centre needed to ensure that the historic Corridor does not end up as a defunct idea, which would cause untold disappointment to the Sikh community based in India as also all over the world. This required some special efforts on the part of the union government to find ways of realising the Kartarpur Sahib dream of the Sikhs by making it travel friendly," said the Chief Minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Malkit Sidhu, the mother of Jaswinder Sidhu, a victim of honour killing, and her uncle Surjit Badesha, would be extradited to India by January 25 to face the trial.

The decision comes after Malkit and Badesha, who allegedly plotted the crime, failed to file an appeal with the Supreme Court of Canada till January 10.

"Canada is now in a position to fulfill the extradition request from India regarding Ms Sidhu and Mr Badesha. Appropriate arrangements will be made for their safe transfer to India," the federal Department of Justice told CBC on Wednesday (local time).

The pair allegedly planned Jaswinder's gruesome murder, when she married a poor rickshaw driver against their wishes in India.

She was found dead in a canal in Punjab, with her throat slit, when an armed group of people attacked the couple during their trip to the country in 2000.

Canadian authorities had ordered for Malkit and Surjit's extradition in 2017, but a last-minute application by the defence lawyers had halted the process.

The application was later rejected in December last year by the British Columbia Court of Appeal, leading to the impending extradition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Ishwar Khandre on Thursday accused Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to destabilise the state government.

Khandre also accused BJP of horse trading, saying: "They (BJP) did not have a mandate from people, still they formed the government. It was a slap on the face of BJP leadership and despite that, they want to indulge in operation 'Lotus'."

Terming all allegations against Congress as baseless, he said that the party is constantly in touch with its MLAs.

This comes a day after BJP state unit chief and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa alleged that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was indulging in horse-trading by offering money and ministerial posts to his MLAs.

BJP MLAs from Karnataka who have camped themselves in Gurugram since Monday evening said that they were here to make strategies for the coming Lok Sabha polls and had not run away fearing poaching by the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance.

The charges of horse-trading were triggered after three Karnataka Congress MLAs visited Mumbai earlier on Monday, reportedly along with some BJP MLAs. This was followed by the Congress' allegation that the BJP was trying to poach the ruling party's MLAs to destabilise the government in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa has refuted these charges, saying that his party had nothing to do with the three Congress lawmakers' Mumbai visit, and accused the Congress-JD(S) alliance of making a poaching bid.

Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has also accused Yeddyurappa of fabricating stories, adding that there was no need for the Congress-JD(S) alliance to poach on any party's lawmakers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Mandsaur Municipal Corporation President, Prahlad Bandhwar, was shot dead in Nai Abaadi, Mandsaur on Thursday.

He was shot by a bullet near the Central Bank at Nai Abadi area here. He died on the spot.

Last week, a BJP leader named Baiju Prasad Gupta was also shot dead in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. As per information, the incident occurred while the victim was sitting at his medical facility. An individual came and asked him about some medicine before shooting him. Gupta was shifted to a hospital but could not be saved.

Further details are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has congratulated the Indian government for the successful completion of the first 100 days of the healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat from its launch.

"Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. It's great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far. @PMOIndia", Bill Gates tweeted.

The response from Gates came after Union Health Minister JP Nadda informed that 685000 beneficiaries have availed free health care in just first 100 days of the scheme and the number is rising rapidly.

"In just first 100 days of #AyushmanBharat, 685000 beneficiaries availed free health care & the number is rising rapidly," Nadda tweeted.

Similarly, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on January 3 praised Prime Minister Modi and the Health Minister for their visionary leadership which helped around seven lakh people avail benefits of the healthcare scheme.

"In its first 100 days, #India's ambitious #AyushmanBharat scheme has provided free care for almost 700,000 people. I applaud Prime Minister @narendramodi and Health Minister @JPNadda for their visionary leadership for #HealthForAll (sic)," Ghebreyesus tweeted.

On January 1, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed the government's flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat a "game changer" in healthcare and said on an average 5,000 claims is being settled every day since its rollout on September 23, 2018.

The scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ranchi in Jharkhand on September 23, aims to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually to more than 10.74 crore poor families or 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers.

The world's largest ambitious health care scheme PM-JAY will cover medical and hospitalisation expenses for almost all secondary care and most tertiary care procedures. PM-JAY has defined 1,350 medical packages covering surgery, medical and daycare treatments including medicines, diagnostics and transport.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man suspected to be a thief was allegedly brutally beaten to death by a group of people here who also roughed up four other persons.

The gruesome incident occurred late Wednesday night in Nalanda with the alleged thieves being kicked in the face and beaten with sticks. Two people managed to escape and the remaining three were rushed to the nearby medical centre after two hours of being beaten up. They are said to be in a critical condition.

A video shows one of the injured lying in bed with broken arms and legs with black marks of injuries on his body.

Local police said they are investigating the matter and searching for those involved in the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India's first crematorium for cows will soon be built in Bhopal, informed Mayor Alok Sharma on Thursday.

Bhopal Municipal Corporation is now looking for a piece of land for the construction of the crematorium.

Meanwhile, Animal Husbandry Minister Lakhan Singh has also directed officials to commence a drive to clear the city off stray cattle.

He has also warned the officials that the management of stray cows should be done with full sympathy. This move by the corporation is expected to bring some relief to the commuters who often become a victim of stray cows causing road accidents.

Moreover, for the safety of the animal, temporary cowsheds (gaushalas) will also be set up in villages, highways, panchayats and municipalities across the region.

In the Congress election manifesto for Madhya Pradesh, an increase in grants for cow welfare and better facilities for stray cows had also featured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) actively cooperates with Azerbaijan, head of the agency Eleonora Mitrofanova said, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza.

"Our cooperation with Azerbaijan is very active and very comfortable, we are engaged in mutually respectful dialogue," she said.

The head of Rossotrudnichestvo stressed that the agency would like to expand its activities in Azerbaijan.

"This year, our second center will start its work in Ganja. Now we are coordinating the remaining organizational issues with the Azerbaijani side," Eleonora Mitrofanova explained.

Earlier, Eleonora Mitrofanova said that working with the younger generation and establishing good relations in the post-Soviet space are the key tasks of Rossotrudnichestvo. "I say the post-Soviet space, and not just the CIS countries, since these are our neighbors, our closest circle ... First of all, it's a place where we need to form a belt of good-neighborliness and security," she explained.The four nuns, transferred out of Kerala for apparently supporting a nun who was allegedly raped by a bishop, on Thursday expressed fear for their safety.

Sister Anupama, one of the four who have been supporting a public protest against the bishop, said their transfer was an attempt to "destabilise" them emotionally.

The four nuns had been asked by the Missionaries of Jesus congregation to leave the Kuravilangad convent in Kerala and rejoin their communities in places like Bihar, Kerala and Punjab. The nuns however have chosen to stay with the survivor nun.

"The transfer is an attempt to split us (the nuns) and destabilize us emotionally. There is no guarantee that people who aren't protecting us here will give us protection at other places like Bihar or Punjab," she told reporters here.

A Kerala-based outfit 'The Kerala Catholic Reformation Movement (KCRM)' , which is supporting the nuns, claimed a "hidden agenda" behind the transfer orders.

"There is a hidden agenda against the transfer of the nuns who waged a protest against Bishop Franco Mulackal. It is a sexual war with the primary intention to destroy the unity among them and thereby seclude the sisters," Indulekha Joseph, a spokesperson and a member of KCRM said.

Joseph also said the nuns should be given protection and transferring them to distant lands would pose a serious threat to them.

"There is a serious threat to their life they might not be not be killed directly but they can tortured mentally in such a way that they will be forced to commit suicide," she said.

T B Mini of the Democratic Women's Association said the transfer was " a criminal activity" and amounted to a violation of the bail granted to the bishop.

"This amounts to threatening and influencing the witness. It is a criminal activity church and others who are protecting the accused are trying to force the witnesses to withdraw from the case it is inhuman also. Protection has to be given against these kind of activities by the church also. The High Court has to interfere in these matter because the accused is actually threatening and influencing the witness," Mini said.

A nun has accused Bishop Mulakkal of raping her multiple times between 2014 and 2016.

The bishop has been denying the allegations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday took a dig at the Opposition saying that a new class of Compulsive Contrarians, including the Left and dynastic politicians, has emerged to create perpetual propaganda against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

"There are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule. Some who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left obviously found the new government wholly unacceptable. Hence emerged a new class of Compulsive Contrarians," the Union Minister stated in his blog on Facebook.

Jaitley opined that these Contrarians believe that the Centre could do no good and every act of the government must be opposed. "They picked holes in the proposal to give 10 per cent reservation in education and public jobs to the poor, demonetisation, Aadhaar, surgical strikes," he said.

"Steps taken against black money were described as Tax Terrorism and successful surgical strikes conducted by the Army were questioned either as a routine or as a dubious process," he added.

"Compulsive Contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade," he further said in his blog.

The 66-year-old Union Minister also touched upon the issue of Rafale and accused Rahul Gandhi-led Congress for compromising on security by delaying the deal for over a decade.

"The purchase of Rafale Combat Aircraft is yet another case of concocted falsehood by the Compulsive Contrarians. This is a deal where Prime Minister Modi should be credited with saving thousands of crores of the country," he wrote in his blog.

The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal. The fighter jet is a twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, which security analysts believe can be a 'game-changer' for India's defence system.

Jaitley also slammed the Opposition for attacking the Centre on removal of CBI director Alok Verma and tarnishing the image of investigating agency.

In his blog, Jaitley stated, "Anyone with even a nodding acquaintance of the state-of-affairs in Lutyen's Delhi would know that a few individuals in our investigative agencies had over the last few years become a law unto themselves. Whispers of what was going on were not uncommon. It is the duty of the sovereign government to ensure the cleaning-up of each of the investigative agencies. The Government was only concerned with their accountability and integrity. The Contrarians chose to side with the questionable. Autonomy is always a great sounding idea. In the absence of accountability, an investigating agency can become a monstrosity. Let any informed person honestly ask himself a question - post the two year fixed tenure functioning following the judgment in Vineet Narain's case and the statutory amendments that followed, has the quality of the Heads of the Central investigative agencies improved or deteriorated? Two views may be difficult as an answer."

Further venting anger on the Centre, the minister said: "Today the Contrarians have launched an attack on the Committee headed by the Prime Minister which transferred the CBI Chief. The only question before the Committee was whether there was any material available as a ground to transfer the CBI head? Prima facie, the CVC Report did constitute adequate and relevant material. The Committee is not an appellate forum against the CVC findings. If the same had to be challenged, it can only be challenged in Court. The Committee could not have ignored the CVC report."

"The nominated Judge - Member of the Committee was attacked for a non-existent conflict of interest and the person who had a real conflict of interest and should have refrained from attending the meeting became the accuser. The leader of the largest single party in the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was a petitioner before the Supreme Court claiming that the CBI Chief was an honest man and had been wrongly removed for mala-fide reasons and through a faulty process. Having been a campaigner for the ousted chief, he obviously could not have sat in judgment over his innocence or guilt in the Committee. His was a text book case of bias. Any honorable man should have recused himself. His dissent as a biased man is non-est. Yet the conflicted man accuses one of the most honorable Judges of a conflict of interest," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asked US President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address set to be held on January 29, amid the partial government shutdown that has entered its record 26th day.

In a letter to Trump, Pelosi said that since the Secret Service is responsible for ensuring security and the agency has not been funded due to the shutdown, the address should be deferred to a later date.

Furthermore, the Democrat Senator from California suggested that the US President could deliver his comments for the State of the Union in writing, The Hill reported.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after the government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th," Pelosi said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, said that her department and the Secret Service are fully prepared to secure the State of the Union Address.

"The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union. We thank the Service for their mission focus and dedication and for all they do each day to secure our homeland," Nielsen tweeted.

The ongoing government shutdown is the longest in the history of the US.

On Tuesday, the latest funding bill initiated by the Democrats to reopen the government through February 1 failed to obtain the two-thirds majority in the House. The bill, which went down 237-187, was brought to the floor in an aim to pressurise the Republicans to back away from Trump's demand for the funding of the wall on the US-Mexico border.

The shutdown was triggered on December 22 last year by a lack of consensus between Democratic lawmakers and the US President on the $5.7 billion funding for the wall on the border with Mexico which was one of Trump's electoral promises.

There is still no hope in sight for the end of the current shutdown. An estimated 800,000 federal workers have been adversely affected by the lapse in funding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)June 05, 2021, Saturday

Consumer confidence has dipped to a new low as the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on lives and ...A severe sandstorm on Wednesday struck several parts of Egypt, including capital Cairo, leaving five people dead.

The inclement weather claimed the life of a person and injured two others when a building partially collapsed in the northeastern part of Port Said province, Anadolu News Agency reported, quoting local media.

Furthermore, four people reportedly died after a bus turned turtle due to strong winds in the northern part of Kafr al-Sheikh province.

Authorities have shut down four of Egypt's main seaports due to the sandstorm and several roadways have been closed indefinitely till further notice.

The country's meteorological agency has forecast "several days" of gusty winds, which could disrupt maritime navigation in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced bills on Wednesday that would ban the sale of US chips or other components to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, ZTE Corp or other Chinese telecommunications companies that violate US sanctions or export control laws. The proposed law was introduced shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported federal prosecutors were investigating allegations that Huawei stole trade secrets from T-Mobile US Inc and other US businesses. The Journal said that an indictment could be coming soon on allegations that Huawei stole T-Mobile technology, called ...on Wednesday pledged $500 million for loans and grants aimed at ramping up construction of affordable housing in the Puget Sound area of state where the US technology giant has its home.

"In recent years, our region hasn't built enough housing for the people who live here," executives Amy Hood and Brad Smith said in a blog post.

"We are committing $500 million as a company to advance affordable housing solutions."

was only a few years old when it moved from New Mexico to the area city of Bellevue in 1979, and now has its headquarters in nearby Redmond.

Since 2011, job growth in the region has been 21 per cent while housing construction growth has trailed at 13 per cent.

A gap in available housing has caused housing prices to nearly double in the past eight years, making the greater area the sixth most expensive region in the US, according to Hood and Smith.

"The gap between job growth and housing growth has been even greater in the suburban cities around than in Seattle itself," the blog post said.

"This is a big problem. And it's a problem that is continuing to get worse."

The $500 million will be used to "help kick-start new solutions" to the housing crisis, according to the executives.

Microsoft planned to make $225 million available at below-market rates to subsidise preservation and construction of middle-income housing, initially targeting six cities east of Seattle and Lake

"Median income in the region hasn't kept pace with rising housing costs, increasingly making it impossible for lower- and middle-income workers to afford to live close to where they work," Hood and Smith said.

"Teachers, nurses, first responders and many in key roles at nonprofits, businesses and tech now begin and end their workdays with long commutes."

ALSO READ: Microsoft rides past Apple as most valuable US company with $753-bn m-cap

A total of $250 million will be made available at market rates for low-income housing development, while $25 million will be devoted to philanthropic grants aimed at addressing homelessness, according to Microsoft.

"With these and similar investments, it's possible to lend money, accelerate progress, be repaid and then lend this money again," Hood and Smith said.

"Our goal is to move as quickly as possible with targeted investments that will have an outsized impact."

Microsoft is one of State's largest employers.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a small country that is about to get even smaller. I know that this simple statement of fact will nevertheless infuriate many English people  and I do mean English people, not Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish.

Last week, at Indias Raisina Dialogue, the Spanish foreign minister said that there were two types of countries in Europe: countries that are small and countries that do not know that they are small. Aside from the English, no Europeans in the audience were upset at this plain-speaking. Not even the ...Turkey is counting on the U.S. to provide it with the technology behind the Patriot missile system before a deal can be reached, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

"For us, the timing of the delivery of the systems is important. We purchased the S-400, but we still need more similar systems," the Turkish foreign minister said.

"Our criteria are also joint production and technology transfer," Sputnik cited him as saying.

A U.S. team wrapped up two days-worth of talks with its Turkish counterparts yesterday. Earlier, Turkish media reported that the U.S. team would look at "express specific concerns" about Turkey's purchase of the S-400s from Russia and how this would affect the "flight safety of F-35 aircraft."An unlimited number of highly-skilled Indian workers will be able to migrate to the UK under new proposals that could come into effect in 2021, with a senior British minister on Wednesday saying that in the new system the country will be open to the best and brightest from India.

The UK also wants to ink a pact with India similar to the one New Delhi has with France, treating each others academic degrees as equivalent for higher studies and jobs, sources said. The post-Brexit visas and immigration strategy, set out in an immigration White Paper, was tabled in the House ...Its Wednesday morning. Theresa Mays career is over, as a glance at the morning papers will confirm. Her Brexit deal, the product of two-and-a-half years of agonizing negotiation, has been rejected by a margin of 230 votes, in the worst defeat in British history. No Deal  No Hope  No Clue  No Confidence, declares the Mirror. The Sun photoshops her face onto the body of a dodo. Now its Wednesday afternoon. Hey! Shes back! The Labour Party is making a bid to dissolve the government. Leaping to Mrs. Mays ...Former boss will stay behind bars in Japan for the foreseeable future after a Tokyo court quashed his appeal for bail as he faces charges on three counts of financial misconduct.

Since his stunning arrest on November 19 the auto tycoon has languished in a Tokyo detention centre, facing questioning over allegations he under-reported his salary and tried to shift personal losses on to the company.

The court had previously refused to release the 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian businessman on the grounds that he could present a flight risk and destroy evidence.

Last week he was formally charged on two of the counts and his request for bail was denied. Even his own lawyer has admitted he is likely to be kept behind bars until a trial -- which could take six months.

His legal team said they would now appeal to the Supreme Court. The appeal -- and its rejection -- came as the French government called for him to be replaced at the head of Renault, the only one of the three he used to head that has retained him.

Japanese firms and Mitsubishi Motors jettisoned him as boss almost immediately after his arrest, but Renault was more cautious and appointed an interim leader while Ghosn fought the charges.

With the latest rejection he faces at least a two-month period in pre-trial detention. This can be extended almost automatically by one month at a time. His wife Carole has appealed to rights group Human Rights Watch over his detention, saying he was being held in "harsh" conditions and subjected to round-the-clock interrogations in an attempt to extract a confession.

Ghosn has been seen only once in public since his detention, in a dramatic court appearance.

He had clearly lost a lot of weight but seemed otherwise in good health. He passionately proclaimed his innocence and his love for Nissan, a company he is widely credited with saving from the brink of bankruptcy.

"I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations," Ghosn told a packed courtroom.Once again, the worlds investors are turning their worried gaze toward China. And for good reason. Economic growth in the third quarter sank to 6.5 per cent, the slowest pace since the depths of the global financial crisis in 2009.

Car purchases fell last year for the first time in more than two decades. Apples warning in early January that iPhone sales in China were sagging alerted the world to how a slowing Middle Kingdom would drag down global growth and corporate profits. But the locals figured that out a while ago. Even after a recent uptick, the stock market in Shanghai ...Germany's Siemens and France's Alstom agreed in 2017 to merge their rail assets, hoping to create a European industrial champion. But the EU's competition authority has doubts about the deal and could turn it down, despite the companies offering to take steps to clinch it. Siemens said on Thursday it was not prepared to make further concessions, meaning the merger's fate now likely rests in the hands of the European Commission, whose 28 commissioners are themselves split on the issue. The Commission has not commented publicly on its deliberations, beyond saying it ...Donald Trump wants to pull US troops out of Syria as quickly as possible. Well, its Wednesday, so thats what the president wants now.

Tomorrow, who knows, maybe hell insist that Syria pay for the pullout. Maybe Trump will decide to hold a summit with Bashar al-Assad after deciding that the Syrian leaders not such a bad guy after all, since he also doesnt like the Islamic State and owes his position to Russian support. Maybe Trump will team up with Turkey to build a wall around Syria because if we stop them over there, we wont fight ...Just 24 hours after suffering a historic defeat in parliament over her Brexit deal, the prime minister has survived a vote of no confidence in her government  thanks to the support of her backbench MPs. Up until this point, these same backbench MPs have been all too willing to vote against her and her Brexit deal.

The result was expected, given that a Conservative rebellion would have likely resulted in a general election that might have gone very badly for the party. Ousting the prime minister is less appealing when, instead of offering the potential for career advancement, ...The European Union has expressed its regret at the rejection of the Brexit withdrawal agreement by the UK parliament. It also recognises there is not a sufficient majority in the UK parliament for a Brexit solution.

As Guy Verhofstadt, Brexit coordinator for the European parliament, put it: The UK parliament has said what it doesnt want. Now is the time to find out what UK parliamentarians want. While the outcome of the vote is no surprise to the EU, one might be able to hear a slight exasperation in the voice of Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, ...Whats going to happen with Brexit? A second referendum? A disorderly hard exit? A new offer from the European Union that isnt as offensive as the deal that just got rejected? God knows, and even He may be uncertain. Part of the problem is that there dont seem to be many rational actors out there. Much has been written about the fantasies of many Brexiteers; I dont have anything to add to all that. But we should also note the fantasies of the Eurocrats, who have behaved at every step of this process as if Britain were Greece, and could be bullied into ...A passenger bus has crashed in the Turkish province of Amasya, killing 2 people and injuring more than 35 others.

All the victims are citizens of Turkey.

According to the Turkish media reports, the wounded have been taken to the city hospital, and it is not ruled out that the death toll may increase.

The accident was reportedly caused by the loss of control of the vehicle.Finish this article for as low as $1 when you purchase a day pass. Just click the sign up button to purchase. If you are already a subscriber, just click log in to continue reading.The of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on of Maharashtra for deficiencies in regulatory compliance.

According to the RBI, the fine was imposed by an order dated January 4, 2019 "for non-compliance with 'Master Directions on Frauds-Classification and Reporting' dated July 1, 2016, and 'Master Direction on Know Your Customer' dated February 25, 2016 issued by RBI".

"This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the with its customers," the apex bank said in a statement on Wednesday.Communist Party of India (CPI) on Thursday rejected the rumours about Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) not supporting former JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar's candidature from Begusarai Lok Sabha seat.

As per CPI, the party is in touch with supremo and will soon be meeting him in Ranchi Jail where both the parties are expected to discuss the current political situation of Bihar and seat-sharing arrangements.

According to sources, the Left parties are bargaining hard with to finalise three seats for them which include CPI's Kanhaiya Kumar from Begusarai and CPI-M's (Communist Party of India-Marxist) Ram Dev Verma from Ujiarpur as a Mahagathabandhan candidate.

Ram Dev Verma is a four-time MLA from Bibhutipur Assembly seat.

The Delhi Police on Monday had filed a chargesheet in a Delhi court against Kanhaiya Kumar and others alleging he was leading a procession and supporting seditious slogans that were raised in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on February 9, 2016.

Following this development, sources said, the was now in two minds about pitting Kanhaiya as a Mahagathbandhan candidate from Begusarai seat and feel that controversy may impact their chances of winning this seat.A satellite will be launched by the (ISRO) exclusively for the to help it further strengthen its frontiers with and among others, according to an official statement issued Thursday.

The move is part of recommendations made by a task force on the use of space technology in improving border management which have been accepted by Home Minister Rajnath Singh



To execute the project in a time bound manner, a short, medium and long-term plan has been proposed for implementation in five years in close coordination with the and the Defence Ministry.

"Major recommendations of the report are to build capacity in border guarding forces to use space resources for security, operational planning and border infrastructure development," the statement issued by the said.

In short term, immediate needs of border guarding forces will be met by procurement of high resolution imagery and hiring of bandwidth for communications, it said.



"In mid-term, one satellite is being launched by the for exclusive use of the MHA," the statement said.

Over the long term, the MHA will develop ground segment and network infrastructure to share satellite resources by user agencies, develop a central archival facility for storing various imagery resources and dissemination of the same to user agencies, it said.

"Deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces in remote areas will be also coordinated by satellite communications. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-based GPS will provide navigation facilities for operational parties in high altitude, remote and difficult borders and Naxal areas," the said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has been designated as lead agency for implementation of ground segment and network infrastructure, including establishment of archival facility, it said.

India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

With the assistance of the Department of Space, the Ministry of Home Affairs would implement the project, the statement said.

"This project will strengthen island and border security and facilitate development of infrastructure in border/island areas," it said.

The Home Minister has approved report of the task force created by the MHA to identify areas for use of space technology in improving border management, the statement said.



ALSO READ: Isro to set up Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru for manned missions

The task force headed by Joint Secretary (Border Management), having members from the BSF, the Department of Space and BM division of the Home Ministry, consulted all stakeholders including border guarding forces, the ISRO, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the Ministry of Defence to finalise the report.

Island development, border security, communication and navigation, Geographic Information System (GIS) and operations planning system, and border infrastructure development are the areas identified for use of space technology, it added.Defence Minister on Wednesday approved the provision of providing legal advice and support to war widows and ex-servicemen.

"Defence Minister has approved a proposal to provide legal advice and support to veterans and war-widows," spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said.

The decision was taken by the Minister in a meeting attended by the top hierarchy of and Chairman of the Tribunal Justice Virender Singh.

"This is expected to greatly help these two sections of the fraternity," Anand said.

The spokesperson said the existing framework of the Kendriya Sainik Board and Zila Sainik Boards will assist this endeavour of the ministry.Chief Minister N has said that the BJP-led government in the state would not support the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill unless there was a provision for protecting the indigenous people of the

Singh also stressed that his government would want President's assent to People's (Protection) Bill, 2018 before passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The People's (Protection) Bill, passed unanimously by the Assembly last July, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meiteis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951.

The rest, categorised as "non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law.

"Unless there is a provision for protecting the indigenous people of Manipur as well as the other states, the state government would not support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill," the chief minister said after inaugurating several development projects in Chandel district on Wednesday.

He had earlier sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking President's nod for Manipur Peoples' (Protection) Bill.

"The stand of the Manipur government is very clear. Before the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the President should give his assent to the Manipur People's Bill," he asserted.

ALSO READ: SC to hear plea against Citizenship Bill only after Rajya Sabha clears it

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha last week, provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

Protests against the have rocked the entire region, with several indigenous organisations raising voice against the legislation, citing threat to their identity and culture.Azerbaijan's low-cost airline Buta Airways will launch direct flights to Russia's Astrakhan starting from May 16, 2019, the press service of Buta Airways said.

Astrakhan will be its fifth destination in Russia.

Flights will be carried out twice a week  on Mondays and Thursdays. The minimum fare for Baku-Astrakhan flight (IATA:ASF) like for other destinations of the Airline, will cost 29 euros (one way).

Being a low-cost airline, minimum fare Budget of Buta Airways offers additional services such as carriage of baggage, hand luggage, hot onboard meals, check-in at the airport, as well as seat selection in the airplane on a paid basis, Trend reported.

Buta Airways is the first low-cost airline in Azerbaijan, a structural subdivision of the CJSC Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL). The Airline is based in Baku, at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The airline is already operating regular flights from Baku to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Mineralnye Vody.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday came down heavily on Volkswagen (VW) India for failing to deposit the Rs 100-crore fine it had imposed on the carmaker last year and asked the company to deposit the same by 5 pm on Friday.

If the company fails to deposit the said amount with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) by Friday, the NGT said it would order the arrest of the carmakers country managing director (MD) and order seizure of its properties in India. The risk of the carmakers MD being arrested and its properties in the country being seized will ...A day after Jet Airways foreign partner Etihad Airways told lenders that promoter Naresh Goyal must not keep more than a 22 per cent stake and that he should have no role in running the airline, the man at the centre of the controversy has hit back.

Jet founder Goyal, in a letter dated January 16, has told State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar that he was willing to infuse Rs 700 crore and also pledge all his shares in the company provided he can have at least 25 per cent stake in the airline. Goyal currently controls 51 per cent while Etihad holds 24 per cent in ...Dear Reader,

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Digital EditorYesterday Baku hosted a conference titled Security Problems in Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet Area. It was organized by the Topchibashi Center. Vestnik Kavkaza talked to Hussein Bakji, the head of the foreign relations department of the Middle East Technical University of Turkey, the Deputy Director of the Foreign Policy Institute, about Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkeys contribution to security of the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Middle East regions.

- How do you assess Azerbaijan and Turkeys role in the security of the macroregion?

- First of all, Turkey and Azerbaijan play a global role in economic security. Projects implemented by the nations involve more than 60 countries. Especially, I would like to highlight the Silk Road Project from China to Europe. The countries have such high-level relations in the energy sphere that nobody could think about it 20-25 years ago. Moreover, our economic ties are improving year by year. SOCAR is one of major foreign investors in Turkeys economy. Its investments in Turkish projects reached $17 billion. Im sure that the ties will improve in many spheres. Its important to say that the process is taking place not so much due to mutual dependence as Azerbaijan and Turkeys desire to support each other.

- What do you think about Russia-Turkey relations?

- Relations with Russia are extremely important for Turkey in economy, energy, tourism, and other spheres. From the 1990s to 2015, our relations could have been called a honey moon. Then, we faced the crisis after shooting a Russian battle-plane down. However, today, our contacts have been restored. Cooperation with Russia is global as it covers the Caucasus and the Middle Asia. I should say that our relations with Russia influence Turkeys contacts with many countries, from Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan. It means Ankara will do its best to prevent new crises.

Purchasing Russia S-400 missile defense systems was a highly important event for Turkey. As NATO withdrew its Patriot Air Defense Systems, Turkey was short of weapons protecting its air space. We needed missile defense and we had a right for protecting our territories and decided to choose the best available option in the market. So Ankara purchased Russian air defense systems. Of course, there can be no legally binding military union between Turkey and Russia. We speak about cooperation only as Turkey wont leave NATO.

- What are Turkeys views on the U.S. current strict policy?

- Presidency of Donald Trump turned out to be unpredictable. There is no any ideological approach in his policy toward Turkey, which we have seen before. Today Turkey has to be careful. Moreover, we realize our priorities: the U.S. is far away; Russia is our neighbor in the Caucasus and the Black Sea. Im sure under Recep Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, Turkey and Russia will have no problems in bilateral relations. Today Russia is a peacemaker in Syria and Turkey in fact communicate with Damascus through Russia. I think in the near future, leaders of Turkey, Russia, and the U.S. will meet to discuss the situation in Syria and Iran.

- What are prospects of the third military operation of Turkey in Syria?

- Unless the U.S. and Russia give go-ahead, Turkey wont intrude Syria again. Probably, it will use air space which is controlled by Russia, like it was in Idlib and Afrin. However, to send ground troops, Turkey needs consent of Putin and Trump. So, Turkey will continue its power balance policy in the region.Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors Corp said on Wednesday they will recall about 168,000 US vehicles at risk of fuel leaks, after recalling them in 2017 for engine fire risks, and will offer software upgrades for 3.7 million vehicles. A high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged or improperly installed as part of an engine replacement during the prior recall, and that installation could increase the risk of fire, the companies said. The Korean automakers said the software update aims to protect the vehicles from internal damage, and they will also offer new extended ...President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon ordered to give space to almost two thousand businessmen engaged in production and not to pester them with any inspections until January 1, 2021. The Tajik presidential press service published a special commentary to Rahmons decree, clarifying that "a moratorium is being declared on all types of inspections of activities of business entities in the areas of production of Tajikistan."

All the experts contacted by Vestnik Kavkaza said that this measure was timely, forced and unexpected, taking into account the Tajik leader's conservative nature. But Rahmon realized that it can wait no longer, there needs to be major changes in the business environment, entrepreneurs need more freedom in their activities, because the backlog of the Tajik economy from those of its neighbors was felt almost daily and the chasm was widening.

According to one of the experts, the decree openly states that a moratorium on inspections is being introduced as state support for entrepreneurship in the areas of production, job creation, an improvement of the investment climate and facilitation of export-import operations. It is fair to say that Emomali Rahmon in his public speeches often spoke negatively about the incredible number of various controllers and their inspections. But before the decree on the moratorium was issued on January 15, nothing was done in this area, so the president's criticism was perceived by businessmen as deliberate, and therefore ineffective.

For Tajik entrepreneurs, the existence of 28 controlling structures was a hell of a test in the context of a semi-paralyzed economy. Another inspection arrived faster than first inspection left. As the businessman from Khujand said on condition of anonymity, inspections hampered the enterprise's work, while the inspectors pursued a single goal - to get a piece of the object being checked. "Foreigners simply began to fold their activities - one wants something, second wants something, then the third. It was alien to them, and many of them did not want to get used to this," the source said, expressing hope that the presidential decree will be strictly implemented, which will provide an opportunity to take a breath and work normally. "In this case, the authorities, seeing how progressive the new approach is, can extend the moratorium beyond 2021," an entrepreneur from Khujand hopes.

Rahmons relaxing the rules is especially timely in the view of statistics and concise conclusions of World Bank experts. In the medium term, they predict a low level of foreign investment and an increase in capital outflows from Tajikistan, while calling the business environment unfavorable for business. The World Bank reports constantly state that the pace of economic reforms is far from the target, which widens the gap between the country's economy and economies of other states in the region. And this also pushes entrepreneurs to withdraw capital, or even the entire business from Tajikistan to neighboring countries at least. Probably, the fact that even Uzbekistan has become more attractive than Tajikistan in terms of doing business can be particularly offensive for the Tajik authorities, and yet, unlike Tajikistan, Uzbekistan has long been a much more closed country.

According to the latest World Bank report, Doing Business 2019, over the past year Tajikistan's business environment position has worsened in 7 out of 10 sub-categories, it ranked 126th, strongly lagging behind its neighbors - Kazakhstan (28th), Kyrgyzstan (70th), Uzbekistan (76th).

An expert on Tajikistan, Andrei Zakhvatov, commenting on Rahmons decision, told Vestnik Kavkazka that "without any doubt, Emomali Rakhmon's decree banning any inspections of business activities for two years, even if not all those engaged in production, but only 1930 companies included in registry, will significantly improve business activity in Tajikistan." "Money, like people, strive to where they are treated well. Therefore, it is possible that the guarantees provided by the Tajik authorities to local manufacturers will be attractive to foreign investors, which will necessarily affect the growth in the number of joint ventures and the volume of products for domestic use and export," Zahvatov believes.

But the main purpose of the decree, according to him, should be considered from a wider perspective. In December 2016, a National Development Strategy until 2030 was adopted in Tajikistan. "The total amount of the Strategy's financial resources is $118.1 billion, including $54.7 billion of private sector investments, $56.1 billion of budget funds and $7.3 billion of development partners' resources. The numbers are considerable - the average annual expenditures for the implementation of programs until 2030 exceed $8 billion, which is more than 3.5 times more than the total volume of the 2018 state budget of Tajikistan," Zakhvatov said.

There is plenty of free money in the global financial system, but Tajikistan needs ideas and projects to attract them. The republic has already begun to look for internal and external financial resources. At the same time, Emomali Rahmon, who has made many trips to Qatar, Jordan, India, Saudi Arabia, and met with the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Uzbekistan, has been highly active over the past two years. According to Zakhvatov, all the embassies of Tajikistan in rich European countries are also searching for potential investors. Therefore, Rahmons "not to interfere" decree can be considered as part of quite reasonable measures, which may be followed by others."Last years presidential election marked a number of historic firsts and lasts for Georgia. The nation got its first woman president, first foreign-born president and the last directly elected president. That list is continuing to grow, as Zourabichvili has announced that she is declining her official salary.

Eurasianet reports in its article Georgias free president that the French-born Zourabichvili said that she will instead support herself financially through her French retirement income. I now receive a pension from France and it is perfectly enough for me, she said. A descendant of Georgian emigres, Zourabichvili worked for the French foreign office before returning to her ancestral homeland. She renounced her French citizenship last year to become eligible for the Georgian presidency, but she is still entitled to her retirement income in France.

Zourabichvili has not specified the size of her French pension but local news outlets surmise that it is comparable to what her Georgian salary would be: 6,900 lari a month (just under $2,600).

Reactions to her decision were mixed. Some Georgians dont mind having a president for free, while others say they wish they actually had a free president: Detractors chargethat Zourabichvili is little but a minion of Georgias richest man and effective leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Following her announcement about her salary, one running joke was that the Georgian presidents office has become a retirement home for French officials. Critics argued that being financially reliant on a foreign government raises questions about her loyalty to the state she is supposed to serve. Some joked online that she would soon be seen burning cars in Paris along with the gilet jaune protesters who have been agitating for, among other things, pension reform.

Zourabichvilis supporters, however, welcomed the decision as an act of selflessness. Zourabichvili said that her salary will go toward a new fund meant to underwrite important matters and that she hopes to inspire additional private donations to the fund.

Zourabichvili, in fact, has very little cash at her disposal to spend on any initiatives. The Georgian government abolished a $1.9 million presidential fund and made drastic cuts in the funding of the presidential administration. The presidential office also was controversially moved from a grand, cliff-top palace to a humbler downtown building.

The government, dominated by the Georgian Dream party, argued that the cuts reflect the pared-down, largely ceremonial powers of the president. Opposition groups counter that the reduction in powers and funding, combined with the lack of the presidents personal independence from the governing party and its billionaire chief Ivanishvili, renders the presidency a mere decoration.

Granted, Georgias shift away from once larger-than-life presidents with larger-than-life powers did not begin with Zourabichvili. Her predecessor, Giorgi Margvelashvili, already had little more than a ceremonial role. Still, he had a sizeable budget to work with and maintained a critical distance from all political groups and figures, including his erstwhile ally, Ivanishvili.

Compared with her predecessor Zourabichvili entered a smaller office in every sense, with her legitimacy challenged by political opponents who claim that Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream stole the presidential election to install a loyal figure in office.

Zourabichvili has lately provided still more fodder for those speculations, by displaying reluctance to weigh in on an ongoing rift in the ruling party over the appointment of supreme justices that has pitted Ivanishvili against some key members of his own party. Im not going to cross a line that defines the presidents purview, she told reporterswhen asked to comment about the dispute.

She did not elaborate on the types of projects she will try to support through her new fund, but her earlier spending could serve as an indication. She used some money left over from the now-defunct presidential fund to sponsor the publication of two books and a magazine, and to buy a clarinet to lend to a talented young musician.Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

The Feds slow-going cleanse of the toxic Gowanus Canal is now stuck in the muck yet again thanks to the longest government shutdown in American history.

Environmental Protection Agency leaders gained momentum in their years-in-the-making scrub last November, when they finally wrapped a pilot program to remove some of the toxic black mayonnaise from a portion of the canals floor, and seal the bottom to prevent more chemicals from seeping in.

That job  which finished six months after its April 2018 deadline  left a portion of Brooklyns Nautical Purgatory cleaner than it has been in more than a century, the Agencys project manager Christos Tsiamis said at the time.

But now, Tsiamis and the rest of his crew are off the clock and without a paycheck thanks to President Trumps refusal to reopen the federal government after its record 27-day closure.

The Feds cant get back to work in the canal until the commander-in-chief decides to put the American people above his beloved wall at the United StatesMexico border, according to the head of the local Gowanus Community Advisory Group, who said the shutdown left his organization rudderless, too, because it operates under a contract with the federal environmental agency.

Its not a good situation for anybody, its ridiculous, said Doug Sarno. Theres no one working on the EPA side, they are just not allowed to. I cant work while the government is shutdown.

And unless Trump and Congress reach an agreement to reopen the government in the coming days, neither Sarno nor anyone from the Environmental Protection Agency will attend the Advisory Groups Jan. 22 meeting, where leaders of the citys Department of Environmental Protection are expected to present designs for a giant, controversial tunnel to collect storm-water runoff that they recently proposed building instead of two long in-the-works sewage tanks.

No one will be at the January meeting unless the government opens up, Sarno said. I cant go to the meeting.

But the Superfund sites clean-up, which kicked off back in 2016, hasnt entirely ground to a halt  yet.

The canals two biggest polluters responsible for funding the cleanse  the city and utility company National Grid  are still doing their part to move it forward. But if the government does not reopen, those parties will eventually hit a proverbial wall the next time they seek federal approval for their work, Sarno said.

They are doing all they can but at some point EPA has to review, and come into the process, he said.

A rep for the environmental agency did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment, instead sending an automatic reply citing the shutdown for his absence.

Out of the office for the duration of the government shutdown, read the e-mail from Elias Rodriguez. Messages will not be checked. We will address your message when the office reopens.

Reps for National Grid and the city said both parties are currently continuing their work on the cleanse."A bartender from the Bronx has been able to create a litmus test around climate and economic policy for every 2020 Democrat," said Waleed Shahid, who was one of Ocasio-Cortez's early campaign advisers and is now communications director for Justice Democrats, a liberal activist group. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives in Washington for orientation for new members of Congress. Credit:AP Far beyond policy, she has emerged as a potent symbol for a diversifying Democratic Party: a young woman of colour who is giving as good as she gets in a political system that has rarely rewarded people who look like her. Her mastery of social media has allowed her to connect with audiences who might otherwise be alienated from Washington. Still, her unexpectedly outsize profile could bring perils. Her threats to knock out more moderate Democrats in future primaries in particular seem to have rankled. Some whisper her tweet-first, ask-questions-later mentality reminds them of President Donald Trump. And while she has attracted considerable attention, policymaking in Congress remains a long, slow grind dominated by insiders. Pelosi, for instance, declined to grant the new climate change committee some of the powers that Ocasio-Cortez had demanded at the sit-in.

Many Republicans are downright giddy at the notion that a self-described democratic socialist is driving Democratic policy discussions. Congressional Republicans saw up close the dangers of having the more staunchly right-wing elements of the Tea Party come to define their tenure in the House majority. "Whether Democrats like it or not, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is now the face of their party," said Steven Cheung, a former communications adviser in the Trump White House. Yet Republicans face their own risks if their attacks on her are perceived as sexist or condescending. "Over 200 members voted for Nancy Pelosi today, yet the GOP only booed one: me," she wrote on Twitter on January 3. "Don't hate me cause you ain't me, fellas." It has already been retweeted nearly 50,000 times.

Supporters and rivals alike agree that she has upended the traditional rules of engagement on Capitol Hill with a Millennial's intuitive sense of what sells online - all before she has hung anything on her barren office walls or even found a permanent place to live. In an interview, Ocasio-Cortez rejected "the general notion of, 'Oh, you're here and need to be quiet and keep your head down'". "For me, especially as a member who won her seat via a primary election against another Democrat, my constituency was telling me the exact opposite thing," she said. Republicans, she said, fundamentally misunderstand her: "They think I'm just a Tea Party mirror. It's an easy and convenient way to frame something. But I don't think it's the same." Still, she has fully embraced the radical label - especially if it means pulling the Democratic Party to the left. "I think that it only has ever been radicals that have changed this country," she told 60 Minutes.

It has all come in a rush: By the end of her full first day as a congresswoman, Ocasio-Cortez had overtaken Pelosi's following on Twitter. Her initials and Twitter handle, @AOC, have become shorthand for the phenomenon that is the talk of Capitol Hill. She had a full 60 Minutes segment devoted to her on her first Sunday as a congresswoman. She was the first politician that MSNBC turned to after Trump's first Oval Office address for analysis on what was Rachel Maddow's most-watched show ever. And she has become a viral internet sensation many times over, including one video of her dancing outside her office that has topped 22 million views across the globe. She's a draw on the right as much as the left: Fox News spent more than two hours covering her first five days in Congress, according to a tally by Media Matters, the liberal media watchdog group. MSNBC spent 52 minutes and CNN 96 minutes talking about her in that span. In a recent Instagram chat - live from her kitchen with several thousand fans watching - Ocasio-Cortez outlined her strategy to "shape the national narrative" while chopping vegetables for an Instant Pot recipe. "In Trump's America," she explained, "I'm not a big fan of bipartisanship."

On the environment, she said that her goal was to move the boundaries of debate far enough to the left that a carbon tax would look like the moderate option, compared to "wildly ambitious" direct government intervention imagined in the Green New Deal. Perhaps Ocasio-Cortez's most talked-about idea has been that people she called "the tippy tops" - those earning above $US10 million ($14 million) - should pay a 70 per cent rate on income above that threshold. The remark set off days of debate among economists and pundits, on the right and the left, about tax rates unseen in America in decades but common during the post-World War II era. "I've been trying to open up this rhetorical space for many, many years," said Stephanie Kelton, a former chief economist for Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee. "They used to talk about the Oprah effect," said Kelton, now a professor at Stony Brook University. "I think it's the Ocasio effect at this point." Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and federal housing secretary who is running for president, was shown the clip of Ocasio-Cortez's tax comment during an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos - and then went even further than her.

"As you know, George, there was a time in this country where the top marginal tax rate was over 90 per cent," Castro explained. "Even during Reagan's era in the 1980s it was around 50 per cent." Ocasio-Cortez was still glowing about it days later. "It's so incredible to see," she said in the interview. "First we had Elizabeth Warren come out and talk about a Green New Deal. Next we have Julian Castro defending marginal tax rates and he basically is saying we've had 90 per cent-plus in the past. It's totally changing the conversation." She has had some stumbles, including sparring with fact checkers after The Washington Post gave her "four Pinocchios" for a false claim about Pentagon spending. "I think that there's a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right," she said on 60 Minutes. She added she seeks to correct and acknowledge her mistakes as she makes them, unlike Trump.

The arc of Ocasio-Cortez's ascent is well known: A former bartender and organiser for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, she shocked the political world by ousting Joseph Crowley, who had been in line to succeed Pelosi as Democratic leader. It was the biggest primary defeat for a Democrat in 2018. In the days after that primary victory, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, a likely presidential candidate in 2020, became the first senator to join Ocasio-Cortez in her call to "abolish ICE," the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. "She absolutely does have the ability to put issues on the map," said Pramila Jayapal, a Seattle-area Democrat and a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "It's not that there haven't been champions of these issues before. But when you've got 2.1 million Twitter followers and a press that will cover anything you say, it's a huge opportunity for us." The sheer brightness of her star has evoked more than a few eye rolls among House institutionalists. Most colleagues do not know quite what to make of her just yet. "I love Alexandria Ocasio. I saw her in her 60 Minutes interview. I thought she was great," said Adriano Espaillat, a 64-year-old Democrat from a neighbouring district that includes part of the Bronx. "She is like one of our daughters. You know, she could be my daughter, one of anybody's children. She's an adult, obviously. But you know I love her. She's sharp, has a great smile, intelligent, is liberal, progressive. I think she has great ideas, bold ideas."

For all her focus on what she called "outside-inside" organising, Ocasio-Cortez does seek power inside the Capitol. She raised her hand for a slot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, though no freshmen got a seat on that panel. She has since secured the backing of the New York delegation for a spot on the Financial Services Committee, which would be a notable perch for a politician who has railed against the grip of money in politics generally, and Wall Street in particular. But when it comes to navigating internal House dynamics, her decision to support an effort by Justice Democrats to recruit Democratic primary challengers in 2020 - virtually unheard-of in the cordial Capitol corridors - has left colleagues unnerved and less than trusting. She did push back against a report in Politico that she was recruiting a challenger to Hakeem Jeffries, the highest-ranking New York Democrat in House leadership.New York: The US government will lift sanctions against companies linked to a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin after a Senate push to keep them in place failed to attract enough Republican votes.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, on right, and US President Donald Trump, who was suspected by FBI of acting on behalf of Russia. Credit:Bloomberg

Eleven Republican senators crossed the floor on Wednesday local time to back a Democratic motion to maintain sanctions against three companies linked to billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

But the motion fell just short of the 60 votes needed to take effect, with 57 senators voting in favour and 42 against.

If the motion had been successful, it would have dealt an embarrassing blow to the Trump administration which announced it was lifting the sanctions last month.The affidavit says local law enforcement contacted the FBI in March after getting a tip from a member of the community. The tipster said Taheb had become radicalized, changed his name and planned to travel abroad.

US Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak says Taheb planned to use an improvised explosive device and anti-tank rocket. The affidavit says Taheb planned to die in the attack.

An FBI agent's affidavit says 21-year-old Hasher Jallal Taheb of Cumming, Georgia, was arrested in a sting Wednesday after he traded his car for weapons. He's charged with attempting to damage or destroy a building owned by the US using fire or an explosive.

A local law enforcement agency contacted the FBI in March after getting a tip from someone who said Taheb had become radicalized, changed his name and planned to travel abroad, according to an FBI agent's affidavit filed in court.

The affidavit says Taheb told a confidential FBI source in October that he planned to travel abroad for "hijra", which the agent wrote refers to traveling to territory controlled by the Islamic State. Because he didn't have a passport, he couldn't travel abroad and told the FBI source that he wanted to carry out an attack in the US against the White House and the Statue of Liberty.

He met with the undercover agent and the FBI source multiple times last month and was also in frequent contact using an encrypted messaging application, the affidavit says.

During one meeting with the agent and the source, Taheb "advised that if they were to go to another country, they would be one of many, but if they stayed in the United States, they could do more damage", the affidavit says. Taheb "explained that jihad was an obligation, that he wanted to do as much damage as possible, and that he expected to be a 'martyr,' meaning he expected to die during the attack".

At another meeting, he showed the undercover agent a hand-drawn diagram of the ground floor of the West Wing of the White House and detailed a plan for attack, the affidavit says. He asked the undercover agent to obtain the weapons and explosives needed to carry out the attack, and they discussed selling or exchanging their cars to pay for them.New Orleans: A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television has been arrested by the FBI during a visit to the US, the broadcaster reported Wednesday, and her son said she was being held in a prison, apparently as a material witness.

American-born news anchor Marzieh Hashemi, right, smiles as she stands with her son in Tehran, Iran. Credit:Press TV

Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for the network's English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son, Hussein Hashemi.

The FBI said in an email that it had no comment on the arrest of the woman who was born Melanie Franklin of New Orleans and has worked for Iran's state television network for 25 years. She lives about half the time in Colorado, where her children live, and half the time in Iran, according to a brother.

"We still have no idea what's going on. My siblings and I also have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. We don't know what this is about or how it's unfolding," said Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado who was interviewed by phone from Washington.Jakarta: An Australian woman who overstayed her visa by more than 100 days is now due to be released from detention and deported by Thai authorities to Australia on Friday evening, a day later than expected.

Claire Amelia Johnson, 46, was born in Sydney but most recently lived on the Gold Coast. Thailand's immigration chief, Surachate Hakparn, had said Ms Johnson was due to leave Bangkok Thursday night on a Qantas flight scheduled to arrive in Sydney on Friday morning.

But she did not take that flight and instead is now due to depart at 6.30pm Friday evening and arrive in Sydney at 7.50am on Saturday on Thai Airways flight TG475.

Thai police Colonel Thatchapong Sarawanangkul, the chief of the Immigration Detention Centre where Ms Johnson is beging held, said on Friday morning that Ms Johnson had chosen to stay in detention for one extra day.

"I dont know why she didnt fly [Thursday evening]. We said when do you want to fly? She had to buy her own ticket, she has [now] bought her ticket. She is still in the detention centre, waiting for the bus to take her to the airport [later on Friday]," he said.After Jason Spindler graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000, he moved to New York to work as an investment banker on Wall Street.

Then, 9/11 happened.

This undated photo provided by I-DEV international shows Jason Spindler in Nairobi, Kenya. DEV International Credit:I-DEV International

That morning, as thousands of people fled from the collapsing World Trade Centre in downtown Manhattan, Spindler did the opposite: he ran straight into the rubble and began pulling people out, his college roommate Kevin Yu told The Washington Post.

"That's exactly the kind of person he is," Yu said. "When we hear explosions of gunfire, a lot of people immediately jump away. His instinct is quite the opposite - he jumps straight at it."Bamako: Gunmen on motorbikes have killed more than 30 Tuareg civilians this week in northern Mali, where clashes over land and scarce water are common, an official said on Wednesday.

The violence compounds an already dire security situation in the desert region used by jihadist groups to launch attacks in Mali and across West Africa.

The identity of the assailants was unknown, but disputes between the nomadic Tuareg and herder Fulani ethnic groups have killed several hundred and displaced thousands over the past year.

Tuareg Malian soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, northern Mali. Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over its north in 2012. Credit:AP

Menaka town mayor Nanout Kotia said 34 Tuareg were killed in two nearby villages on Tuesday.No criminals were convicted under the Palaszczuk government's consorting laws last financial year, despite hundreds of warnings being issued.

Five people were charged with habitual consorting in 2017-18, the Queensland Public Interest Monitor revealed, but all charges were still before the courts.

There were no convictions under the Queensland government's consorting laws in 2017-18. Credit:Paul Harris

There were also 423 pre-emptive verified warnings issued statewide, 156 retrospective verified warnings and 129 consorting preventative directions.

Labor's serious and organised crime legislation, passed in 2016, banned outlaw motorcycle club members from wearing their club colours in public places and made it illegal for a person to habitually consort with two or more convicted offenders after being warned by police not to do so.Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan plan to introduce a common visa. The new visa, dubbed the Silk Visa is in the final stages of preparation and will enable foreigners with a valid visa from either country to travel in both countries. The Diplomat in the article Can a Silk Visa Boost Tourism in Central Asia? writes that the idea behind the creation of the common visa was put forward last summer by Dariga Nazarbayeva, the daughter of the president of Kazakhstan and also the chairwoman of the Kazakh Senates Committee on Foreign Relations, Defense, and Security.

Calling it the Asian Schengen, she emphasized that the common visa would increase trust between the governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and boost the tourism potential of both countries. In June 2018, Nazarbayeva said, For tourists from Europe and Southeast Asia, Central Asia is not geographically near. When they come to the region, they want to see all the countries and all the sights in one trip. Therefore, there is a need to create a common visa.

In December 2018, the first deputy chairman of the State Committee for Tourism of Uzbekistan, Ulugbek Kasymhodzhaev, said that the Silk Visa project had passed all approvals in the departments of the two states and only technical details and equipment remained to be discussed. Presumably, the visa will be launched in February 2019. Kasymhodzhaev also noted that the authorities of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan had expressed interest in joining the common visa project. At the same time, Kazakhstan is interested in extending an invitation to Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The new Silk Visa is part of a broader trend in the region. Over the last several years, Central Asian countries have significantly liberalized their visa regimes with the rest of the world to attract more tourists. Since 2017, citizens of 45 countries, including member-states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union, have been able to travel to Kazakhstan visa-free for 30 days. As a result, in 2017 alone, Kazakhstan saw almost an 18 percent increase in tourists, achieving a record of 5.8 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of the year. Low numbers of tourists, as evidenced by a mere 200,000 in 2014, similarly encouraged the government of Tajikistan to reconsider its visa regime. In part by shifting from paper to online visa applications, Tajikistan was able to attract 900,000 tourists in the first six months of 2018.

Following Karimovs death in 2016, Uzbekistan, under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, also became much more open to the rest of the world. In February 2018, the Uzbek government adopted a visa-free regime with seven new countries, including Israel, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, and Japan. Later that same year, Tashkent introduced an electronic visa system and put in place simplified visa procedures for citizens of 39 other countries. Consequently, the number of tourists rose from 2.2 million in the first nine months of 2016 to 4.4 million in the same period in 2018. In January 2019, Mirziyoyev announced that citizens of 45 countries (excluding the United States, China, India, and others) will not need a visa to travel to Uzbekistan.

In contrast to its neighbors in the region, Turkmenistan lags behind in this regard. The country remains closed to citizens of other Central Asian states, let alone Americans or Europeans. As a result, tourism in Turkmenistan remains a largely undeveloped sector with fewer than 10,000 tourists visiting every year.

In 2017, the direct contribution of tourism to the combined GDP of Central Asian countries was $3.4 billion, which accounted for approximately 2 percent of the total GDP. Therefore, there is much room for the tourism industry to expand, which would bring more cash and more jobs to the countries and their economies.

According to a recent TripAdvisor survey, 47 percent of travelers responded that a single visa regime in Central Asia would increase their willingness to travel to the region. From this perspective, the Silk Visa is a laudable step in the right direction.

However, visas are not the only the obstacle for the development of tourism in the region. Connectivity and security are also serious impediments. Central Asian countries are far from being well connected in terms of train or air routes. In fact, there are more frequent flights between Central Asian countries and Russia, China, and Turkey than between neighboring countries in the region. Regular flights between Tashkent and Dushanbe resumed only in April 2017 after almost 25 years, and Astana was connected to Dushanbe by air only in December 2018. However, in both cases, connections remain limited with only one flight per week. Flights from Bishkek to Tashkent, Dushanbe, and Astana are fewer than three per week. From a security perspective, Central Asias geographical proximity to Afghanistan raise safety concerns for visitors. Moreover, flashes of violence in Kazakhstan, such as the Aktobe and Almaty attacks in 2016, and the murder of four tourists last summer in Tajikistan have further exacerbated the perception of Central Asia as a dangerous tourist destination. Therefore, if the governments of Central Asia are serious about developing tourism in the region, they would be smart not only to expand visa-free regimes but also to invest more heavily in connectivity and security.Clive Palmer has vowed to plunge an extraordinary $50 million into his controversial federal election campaign, in a cash splash that could outstrip Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten but potentially fail to secure a single seat in Parliament for his fledgling United Australia Party.

The billionaire mining magnate is bombarding voters with television advertisements and text messages ahead of an election due by May, and has until now refused to say how much of his personal fortune will bankroll what could become one of the most expensive political campaigns in Australian history.

But a spokesman for Mr Palmer told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the United Australia Party, which plans to stand candidates in all 151 lower house seats, would spend "in excess of $50 million" and if more was required "it will be employed".

"There is no defined budget but it will certainly be more than the Liberals and Labor," the spokesman said.Western Australian university graduates are lagging behind their eastern states counterparts in securing full-time jobs.

The Australian Education Departments 2018 Graduate Outcome Survey results saw the national average for graduates obtaining full-time employment within four months of graduation at 72.9 per cent.

But, with the exception of the University of Notre Dame at 78.7 per cent, all WA universities scored lower.

WA graduates were the slowest in the market to get jobs right away but rebounded within three years. Credit:Max Mason Hubers MMH

The University of Western Australia had the lowest rate at 55.4 per cent of graduates immediately securing full-time employment. Next was ECU which stood at 57.8 per cent.A former award-winning Perth winemaker has appealed his rape conviction, claiming he had been assaulted while behind bars.

The young girl was working on a winery owned by Peter Raymond Costa. Credit:Erin Jonasson

Peter Raymond Costa appeared in the WA Supreme Court last month, appealing against his six-year conviction for raping a young Japanese farmhand while she worked for him in 2015.

The court was told Costa, 59, had a barbecue with the 24-year-old woman and another farmhand at his house while his wife was away.

After finishing two bottles of wine between them, the young woman said she became uncomfortable with Costa, and reminded him he was a married man.A man who sparked a siege in Perth's southern suburbs after barricading himself inside a house armed with a knife has been taken to hospital for assessment.

Part of a street in Perth's southern suburbs has been shut down. Credit:Jason South

A police operation was sparked in the early hours of the morning in Shelley, causing a section of Majorie Avenue to be closed.

The man was taken into custody about 6am and and will be rushed to hospital for an assessment.A woman has died in her home after fire engulfed a house in Melbournes north.

The blaze destroyed the front room of the house on Maybury Drive in Mill Park just before 5am on Thursday, police said.

A woman has died following a house fire in Mill Park. Credit:Nine News

It's understood the woman, who was aged in her 50s and is believed to be wheelchair-bound, was unable to escape the house.

She was the only person inside the house at the time.Residents in a town north of Melbourne are buying up bottled water, because the water from their taps has turned brown.

The township of Avenel is sweltering through one of its hottest and driest Januaries on record, but its water supply has been contaminated.

Although residents have been assured the murky, brown water is safe to drink, residents including Leigh Eeles are now relying on bottled water.

The water quality isnt what we expected, Mr Eeles said.

It was similar to what river water looks like  Goulburn Valley Water said its fine, it wont cause you any issues to drink it or shower in it, but were not drinking the water. Weve got bottled water instead.He said police were desperate for members of the public to provide any information and that tips from those in the community would solve the murder. "Someone in the community knows about this. Someone has gone home on Tuesday night, or in the early hours of Wednesday morning, maybe with blood on them, missing items of clothing. Somebody knows about this," he said. Police have released images of a black cap and a T-shirt found within 100 metres of the scene. Inspector Stamper said Ms Maasarwe's sister, who lives overseas, may have heard the voice of her sibling's killer over a FaceTime phone call. Ms Maasarwe's sister was talking to the La Trobe University business student until the "phone fell", then heard a voice, or voices, on the other end of the line.

"She was actually involved in a conversation with her sister overseas at the time the attack took place. Sadly her sister was talking to her and she appeared to fall to the ground and then she couldn't contact her," he said. "Pretty much she heard the sound of the fall to the ground, some voices ... at 10 past midnight on Wednesday night." The next morning, police received a report from her sister, who was concerned about Ms Maasarwe's welfare, almost exactly the same time her body was found by window washers in bushes outside the Polaris Shopping Centre in Bundoora, in Melbourne's north, at 7am. An unprecedented number of homicide detectives were investigating the scene on Wednesday and Thursday, with dozens of officers performing line searches in surrounding scrubland.

Loading Police patrols are saturating the Bundoora area until the offender is found, said Acting Superintendent Tony Ryan from the North West Metro division. "This is a very distressing matter, very distressing to the victims, the community and of course very distressing to the police," he said. "That was the comment made to me by most of the young constables at the scene." Detective Inspector Stamper said he was confident the offender would be caught quickly. "I think the answer is in the community. Someone knows something about this and we need them to be accountable for actually delivering this person to us ... so we can get them off the street," he said.

On Tuesday night, Ms Massarwe was driven by friends from The Comics Lounge in North Melbourne to the CBD, where she caught the Route 86 tram from Bourke Street about 10.50pm. Detectives have released CCTV images of the young student leaving the comedy club late in the evening. She left the tram at the Plenty Road stop near Main Drive, Bundoora about 12.10am. Ms Maasarwe's body was found by window washers in a grass area near Polaris shopping centre on Main Drive. Inspector Stamper said she was only about 1 kilometre from her home when she was attacked. He said "every available resource" was being poured into the investigation.

Ms Maasarwe's father arrived from Israel on Thursday morning to identify the body. "We have a grieving family who had to fly halfway across the world under the most horrific circumstances and we want to be able to give them some answers," Inspector Stamper said. On Thursday afternoon the Israeli embassy expressed its condolences to Ms Maasarwe's family. "We express our heartfelt condolences to Aiia's family and stand ready to support them

during this time as our consul works to return her body home to Israel for burial," it said in a statement. A La Trobe University spokeswoman said the community was "shocked and saddened by this appalling crime".

"The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is of paramount importance and we are providing every possible support following this tragic incident. We are encouraging all students and staff to use our range of safety and wellbeing services, including counselling." On Thursday afternoon Heidelberg Heights teen Stella Tzevakos visited the Polaris shopping centre with her mother Dimi. Stella Tzevakos said she was fearful that a killer was on the run in the area. Credit:Justin McManus Feeling too unsafe to visit the area on her own, the 19-year-old said knowing a killer remained on the loose was terrifying. I dont want to go out alone anytime soon, you dont feel safe here anymore and its just tragic, she said.Victorian state schools are set to share $751.8 million of Commonwealth funding over five months as the Morrison government attempts to neutralise a bitter stoush over education funding ahead of the federal election.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said he wanted to ensure Victorian students were not disadvantaged while he continued to push for a longer-term school funding deal.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In December, after a tense stand-off, Victoria and the Commonwealth reached a one-month deal that paved the way for Catholic and independent schools to receive $1.7 billion in federal funding.

This equated to about 50 per cent of their 2019 federal funding.That search area has since been cordoned off. 'Is Australia safe?' Ms Maasarwe had been studying Chinese and English at Shanghai University, and had spent the past six months in Melbourne on a study abroad program at La Trobe University. Her uncle Rame Maasarwe, who lives in America, said his nephews called him from Israel to tell him what had happened. "I cant believe that something like this has happened in Australia. Its not safe there in Australia? In Melbourne? Its not safe?" he asked. "We think America is dangerous, not Australia."

He said his niece was a positive, adventurous young woman, who loved to travel. "Shes positive, she likes to have fun, shes a very friendly person you know. Shes a good sister," he said. "I was very proud of her, she was a very good person, a very loving person. "She liked to discover new things, see new places. She travelled all over the world." Aiia Maasarwe (left) was an Israeli student studying English in Melbourne. It is believed she was sexually assaulted and killed after getting off a tram in Bundoora. Credit:Facebook Ms Maasarwe was originally from Baqa al-Gharbiyye, a predominantly Arab city in the Haifa district in northern Israel, but had been living with one of her sisters in China, while studying there, before coming to Melbourne.

She had completed a tandem skydive along the Great Ocean Road in December and visited local sites including the Shrine of Remembrance in September and the Grampians just a few weeks ago. Aiia Maasarwe's family are shocked she was killed in a country the considered safe. Credit:Instagram Another of Ms Maasarwe's uncles, Abed Katane, told Israeli newspaper Haaretz the family was in shock. "It's the kind of thing you never expect," he said. "She was an excellent student, full of life, and was in a country that was not dangerous at all, to say the least. And despite that, we get this incredibly painful news." Mr Katane said Ms Maasarwe's father was on his way to Australia to formally identify his daughter's body, and was in contact with the Israeli Embassy in Canberra, which would help arrange for her body to be sent to Israel for burial.

One of her La Trobe University classmates, who requested not to be named, said Ms Maasarwe had been at a comedy show in North Melbourne on Tuesday night. He said Aiia had asked him and some other students if they wanted to go to the comedy venue with her, but he said he couldn't go. Aiia Maasarwe visited the Grampians National Park in Victoria's west in the first week of January. Credit:Instagram "She is the kindest girl. Im so shocked. Some people couldnt sleep last night, including me," he said.

He said Ms Maasarwe had been in Australia for about six months and lived in a small apartment near the university. Loading She was part of a WhatsApp group with a number of friends from the English course and when she did not reply to messages they became nervous. "I found out yesterday evening," her classmate said. "In that moment we all, all the students, we couldnt accept it. We didnt believe it. You know, she was an exceptional student." He remembered Ms Maasarwe as a positive person who lived life to the full.

"She enjoys her life, she can do everything, shes a positive person. She is happy every day, she is so kind," he said. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The investigation: 'The woman has been assaulted' Tradesmen and another passer-by found Ms Maasarwe unresponsive, behind bushes near the entrance to a car park at Polaris shopping centre about 7am on Wednesday. The location is not far from the intersection of Plenty Road and Main Drive, and just metres from a tram stop.

It is believed she was unconscious but breathing when she was found. Homicide Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said police had not ruled out the possibility Ms Maasarwe had been sexually assaulted. "It's apparent, or it seems that the woman has been assaulted," he said. She was wearing sandals and her clothing appeared to be in disarray when she was found.

Massive resources have been thrown at the investigation. Dozens of detectives and SES volunteers were at the scene on Wednesday combing the area, including drains and gutters, for evidence. Investigators are expected to focus on CCTV footage from a BP service station on Plenty Road, security cameras outside the shopping centre, and any vision from the No. 86 trams travelling from the city to Bundoora between 11pm and 1am. Just after 6pm on Wednesday, a group of about 30 detectives and SES personnel did a line search of the area between the tram stop, and the bushes where Ms Maasarwe was found. A secondary crime scene was established in heavy bushland in Bundoora Park about 7.30pm. 'Everyone had the right to get home safely'

Bundoora residents and workers at the shopping centre laid flowers at the scene of the attack on Thursday morning. Colleagues Claire Cursio and Becky Blenner walked down to the grassy stretch outside the shopping centre with flowers in hand. Kylie Fitzgerald, Clair Cursio and Becky Blenner who work at the shopping centre laid flowers at the scene. Credit:Paul Jeffers "I just wanted to show my support," Ms Blenner said. Monique Hanley said the news had shaken the entire area, prompting her to visit the site to pay her respects.

"Bundoora is a safe place, lots of young people live here," she said. Ms Hanley left two notes at the scene, as well as a bunch of roses. One note reads: "Everyone had the right to get home safely." The other says: "My heart aches that you were not safe in our community. You are loved - Bundoora family." Monique Hanley laid flowers and a note where Ms Maasarwe's body was found. Credit:Paul Jeffers La Trobe University spokeswoman Claire Bowers said the academic community and student were shaken by the death.Trains have resumed after they were suspended between Northgate and Shorncliffe stations in Brisbanes north on Thursday afternoon.

Just before 2.30pm, Queensland Rail told commuters the problem had been resolved.

Earlier, a QR spokesman said electricians were on-site to fix an overhead power line issue affecting that segment of the Shorncliffe line.

Commuters were warned to expect delays up to 45 minutes when Queensland Rail announced the suspension about 1.40pm on Thursday.

Customers can expect delays until our crews can rectify the issue. We are online and available to assist with your enquiries, the spokesman said.Azerbaijan saw several important events in 2018both domestic and external and sometimes interlinked. And a major takeaway from contextualizing the past year has been Bakus cautious optimization of its existing balanced foreign policy. Jamestown Foundation reports in its article A Year in Review: Azerbaijan Optimizes Its Balanced Foreign Policy in 2018 that the events of 2018 suggest that Azerbaijans strict adherence to a balanced foreign policy has been growing slightly but noticeably flexible.

Politically, 2018 started with the surprising announcement of snap presidential elections to be held in March, almost concurrently with those in Russia and Armenia. The decision was justified as an effort to proactively address potential external risks and threats to Azerbaijans domestic political process (see EDM, February 14, 2018). Further developments gave some legitimacy to this argument. First, in light of the so-called Velvet Revolution in Armenia that spring, it was prudent to maintain political stability in Azerbaijan. Second, a series of violent incidents rocked the second largest Azerbaijani city of Ganja, which is located close to the Karabakh conflict zone and the routes of the strategic BakuTbilisiCeyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) for natural gas. These incidents were formally treated by law enforcement authorities as terrorism, with the suspects involved reportedly found to have foreign links (Kavkazskiy Uzel, July 6, 2018).

Following the presidential elections, a number of Azerbaijani ministers and top officials were replaced with relatively younger individuals. Russian expert Sergey Markedov regards this government reshuffle as emblematic of an uneasy phase of elite change in the country (Sputnik News, January 9, 2019). But it would probably be more accurate to describe this phenomenon as a relative rejuvenation of the elite than a true change. The purpose of the new appointments and personnel reorganizations has been to improve the functioning of the government and to bolster the effective implementation of the states policies and tasks, according to President Ilham Aliyev. In a recent address, the Azerbaijani leader also announced structural government reforms to follow the personnel changes, and he termed the existing structure as outdated (President.az, January 11, 2019).

Economically, the year 2018 saw the inauguration of quite a few significant transnational projects designed to amplify the countrys economic strength and, therefore, political weight internationally. First, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) project was launched as part of the Southern Gas Corridor to deliver natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe. Second, Azerbaijans state oil firm SOCAR activated the multi-billion dollar Star oil refinery in Turkey. Third, Azerbaijan opened the Baku International Sea Trade Port Complex on the Caspian Sea as part of the EastWest Transport Corridor (EWTC) from China to Europe. The NorthSouth Transport Corridor to connect India to Europe via Azerbaijan is also currently under development (see EDM, April 24, 2017 and November 9, 2017; RFE/RL, May 10, 2018; Azernews, May 14, 2018).

Yet, the transnational nature and scale of these projects are also inflating the various geopolitical interests affecting Azerbaijan. And this context helps to explain the Azerbaijani presidents statement that external, not domestic risks are more likely to threaten peace in the country (Azertag, December 26, 2018).

On the international arena, Baku remains committed to maintaining robust cooperation with the Transatlantic community (see EDM September 18, 2018; President.az, September 6, 2018). Indeed, some additional progress was reported last year in relations with the European Union. Specifically, Baku and Brussels agreed to four strategic partnership priorities for further cooperation. This can be regarded as a compromise after the failure to reach an Association Agreement in 2015. Controversial themes such as the EUs position on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, human rights and democratization issues are not prioritized in the partnership priorities document (see EDM, March 24, 2017; Eeas.europa.eu, July 11, 2018).

Meanwhile, Russia has pursued its own active official and public diplomacy with Azerbaijan. Bilateral relations seem to be warming significantly, with the two countries presidents having met six times in 2018, including two official reciprocal visits (see EDM September 18, October 24, 2018). Bilateral economic and commercial ties are also tightening. A ten-fold increase in transit volumes to and from Russia via Azerbaijan last year is just one case in point (Abc.az, December 26, 2018).

Relations with Iran also progressed during 2018. Notably, Baku and Tehran agreed on joint development of disputed offshore energy fields in the Caspian Sea, and a number of joint economic and commercial projects are being implemented (see EDM April 5, 2018). But at the same time, Azerbaijan managed to maintain its partnership with Israel, notably in the sphere of arms purchases (see EDM, June 14, 19, 2018).

Last year, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan signed a treaty on the legal status of the Caspian Sea (see EDM, September 12, 26, 2018). Though serious issues such as delimitation of the seafloor, disputed offshore energy fields and the construction of subsea pipelines remain yet to be resolved, the treaty satisfied Russian and Iranian interests by preventing third-party militaries from being allowed to access the sea (The Russia File, September 5, 2018).

Finally, the settlement of the Karabakh conflict with Armenia remains Azerbaijans top priority. Baku does not want to see a quiet status quo, but a quiet status quo is unfortunately what I think the new Armenian leadership wants, South Caucasus analyst Thomas de Wall says (Caucasus Watch, January 11, 2019). At the moment, Azerbaijan is practicing strategic patience toward Armenia and its revolutionary leader, Nikol Pashinyan (Azertag, December 22, 26, 2018). And there has been a noticeable thaw in the rhetoric. Moreover, Azerbaijan has started replacing army units with border troops along its official state border with Armenia (Report.az, December 14, 2018). Violent incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces stationed on the contact line around Karabakh have also significantly dropped in recent months, with no serious violations of the ceasefire recorded. Additionally, the two sides established formal communications channels to prevent future armed incidents (Armenpress.am, November 6, 2018).

Azerbaijans approach contributes to a more relaxed domestic environment for the new Armenian government either to succeed or to fail. And from Bakus perspective, either outcome is likely to contribute to reshaping Armenias attitude and perception of the Karabakh conflict and its consequences (see EDM June 14, 2018; Creergeneva.org October 14, 2018). At the same time, more active bilateral talks should limit third parties abilities to manipulate the conflict and related hostility between the two neighboring nations. As such, this is a particularly notable element of Azerbaijans optimization of its traditional balanced foreign policy, which is being shaped by the new circumstances and emerging realities in the region and beyond.Brisbane City Council has decided not to shift Chermside's famous big boot to its original home at Paddington.

Two Brisbane historical societies had agreed the big boot, now on Gympie Road at Chermside, should be returned to the inner-west.

Brisbane's Big Boot, Chermside and Districts Historical Society archivist Beverley Isdale. Credit:Tony Moore

The fibreglass boot was built to honour the Morris Boot Factory, built in 1930, on the corner of Caxton and Hale streets at Paddington.

It was built in 1976, after Nambour's Big Pineapple (1971), but pre-dated Gayndah's Big Orange (1977) and Emerald's Big Easel (1999) in a state which has developed a flurry of big things.A Brisbane McDonald's worker who broke her leg climbing down from having a smoke on the restaurant's roof before her shift has won an appeal granting her the right to worker's compensation.

Mardep Sarkaria, who broke her right leg when she fell from a ladder after smoking a cigarette on the Richlands McDonald's roof 10 minutes before her shift, won Industrial Court of Queensland battle for worker's compensation this week.

A McDonald's worker who broke her leg climbing down from having a smoke on the restaurant's roof before her shift has won an appeal granting her the right to worker's compensation. Credit:Michele Mossop

Justice Glenn Martin ruled in Ms Sarkaria's favour after her compensation claim was initially rejected by WorkCover Queensland in February 2017.

In accordance with the restaurant's policy, Ms Sarkaria arrived at the McDonald's 10 minutes before her shift started at 9pm on November 1, 2016.Loading I thought it was a car accident or something like that nearby. I went out the back to see what was happening and our shed was glowing orange. It was scary to see. Mr Baker ran out of the shed, took his pants off and jumped into the childrens wading pool near the shed. That was the best thing he could have done, she said. There was skin peeling. He was white. He was in shock and he just kept apologising to everybody.

He has said he was blown back and felt trapped and he couldnt see properly, but he managed to get out quite quickly. Mrs Barker said everything happened so quickly. There were people who came from everywhere, our neighbours and of course emergency services. There was just so much going on, she said. It is a bit of a blur now. Mr Barker was loaded into the ambulance in a critical condition, and was intubated inside the van.

Mrs Barker said she was not exactly sure what caused the explosion. He was transferring oxygen to another tank to use one of his tools, some of them run on oxygen, and it ignited somehow, she said. David Barker swings his daughter on the beach prior to the gas explosion that left him fighting for life. Credit:Carrie Barker. We dont know if there was a little bit of gas in the bottle ... I am not 100 per cent sure what happened. When the electrician came the next day, he saw a power pack nearby and the cord had melted so he was wondering if maybe that was faulty and ignited it, Mrs Barker said.

I dont think anyone will know exactly what happened, including him. Police conducted initial investigations and deemed the incident non-suspicious. The father of three spent six days in the intensive care unit before being moved on to the ward at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. A social worker sat down with his three children to prepare them for seeing their father lying intubated in a hospital bed with serious burns. It was confronting, Mrs Barker said.

Probably the waiting was the worst. We knew he would wake up. He is a fighter. He was talking as soon as they extubated him. Ever since I heard him talk I have been able to sleep a bit better because we know he is going to be OK. When he woke up he was motivated. He was saying he was going to fight this and get out of hospital as soon as he could for the kids' sake. As his pain medication was slowly lightened and occupational therapists got him up and moving he was starting to feel the extent of his injuries, Mrs Barker said. He has burns down his arms, on his hands, his feet and legs. They have grafted some skin from other parts of his body as well so that will take time to heal as well," she said.

He is up and down, the first day he was really positive and chatty and in a really great mood. He was so glad when the kids came in to see him. Mr Barker, who works as a storepeson, will be in hospital for a few more months. He will be off work for at least six months but it will be two to three years of therapy and recovery, his wife said. Along with the stress about David getting better, we had the financial stress as well because he works and I take care of the kids. Instantly we had no income. He is always active so it will be hard for him to be inactive for so long.The ongoing landscaping work at Brisbane's Anzac Square will be completed by the end of the January, months behind schedule.

A multi-stage state and council project to restore and upgrade the park, budgeted at a total of $21.98 million, was announced in 2014.

Brisbane's Anzac Square is still being restored in January, despite initial plans to have it completed by November last year. Credit:Lucy Stone/Brisbane Times

Landscaping work was expected to be completed in time for Remembrance Day last year.

But poor weather forced the council to delay the final stages, meaning the central Brisbane park was not ready for memorial services in November, disappointing those planning to recognise the Centenary of Armistice at the square.The NSW environment watchdog has launched an investigation into revelations a coal waste product sold by AGL to "various markets" has tested positive for elevated levels of toxic substances including chromium, cadmium and copper.

It comes as environmentalists and unions expressed "alarm" at the energy giant's announcement on Thursday that it would indefinitely suspend sales of the coal ash from its Bayswater and Liddell power stations in the Hunter Valley as a precaution.

Bayswater Power Station in the Hunter Valley, one of the sources of the coal ash. Credit:Nick Moir

Coal ash is the residue that remains after coal is burned to generate electricity.

The waste product is either disposed of at on-site dams or sold and reused, mainly as road base or in concrete products.Australia's peak body for physicians have called on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to introduce pill testing trials at NSW festivals, telling her there is sufficient evidence to support the intervention.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians have written to Ms Berejiklian - and her state and territory counterparts - imploring her to reconsider her hardline stance against pill testing.

Central Coast teenager Alex Ross-King died after consuming an unknown substance at the FOMO Festival in Parramatta. Credit:Facebook

The intervention comes as the family of 19-year-old Alex Ross-King mourn the Central Coast teenager who died of a suspected fatal dose of an illicit drug at the FOMO Festival in Parramatta last weekend.

"In light of the six deaths at festivals in Australia since last September, we urge you to follow the lead of the ACT government in consulting with medical experts to establish pill testing trials in your state or territory, the RACPs open letter to premiers and chief ministers reads.The number of people charged in relation to a bizarre fatal stabbing in a Bossley Park hair salon last week has now risen to four, including two brothers.

Police and ambulance were called to Classico Hair Studio at lunchtime last Friday when 18-year-old Fredon Botrus allegedly ran inside and stabbed 20-year-old Alfredo Isho who was having a haircut.

The victim was found collapsed on the pavement outside the salon when paramedics arrived. Credit:Top Notch Video

Witnesses said he arrived on a motorbike, and kept his helmet on as he allegedly stabbed Mr Isho in what police said was a "targeted" attack.

Mr Isho staggered onto the street, where a NSW Ambulance spokesman said he was found lying on the footpath in cardiac arrest.Megan Mulquiney

A scribbled note in a magazine could lead to vital information in one of Canberras oldest missing person cases.

Police are trying to locate the person who wrote the name "Inge Quitt" under a photo of Megan Mulquiney in a copy of the September 2018 edition of The Australian Womens Weekly.

The person has also underlined a number of words in the magazine, which was left at Clare Holland House, the lakeside hospice run by Calvary Hospital.

Police have spoken to Mrs Quitt, a well-known seamstress and former Queanbeyan resident, and do not believe she wrote her own name or was in any way involved in Megan's disappearance.One day in March 2014, the woman sent a blank text message - an agreed distress signal - to her new partner, a NSW police constable. She also called triple 0 but did not speak when the call was answered. She sent another blank message to her partner, and ignored the call he made to her phone. At some stage she had turned her mind to the scene of the crime she would allege happened. She knocked over a peg basket, ripped a condom packet, unbuttoned her jeans and bumped her own head. She lay on the tiled floor and waited.

The couple's relationship had ended when in February 2014 the woman's ex partner started a court case to sell their Bonner home. The next day the womans mother put a caveat over the house, and the day after that the woman complained to police of domestic violence. Her ex partner was arrested in uniform and in front of his colleagues at his job as a corrections officer at the Alexander Maconochie Centre. He was given bail though the court imposed strict conditions.

When police arrived they heard a woman groan. The woman, who was a NSW police administrative worker, told the officer her ex had come to the house, made her kneel on the ground outside and hit her head on a retaining wall. She claimed not to remember how she got inside, but as prosecutors would later argue she was planting the seeds that would eventually lead to her alleging her ex had raped her. Because her jeans were undone police sent her to hospital for assessment for a sexual assault. Later that night when police returned to the house, she drip fed officers more of the story. He had actually hit her head twice on the retaining wall. He had come in and grabbed her and yelled how he was not "f--king going to jail" because of her. She had blacked out and then crawled inside.

The victim, who had that morning been sleeping in the granny flat at his parent's house, was arrested again in front of his family and charged with assaulting the woman. This time he was refused bail, and because of his job was sent to Goulburn SuperMax prison where he was confined to a cell 23 hours a day on charges he did not commit and in constant fear the other inmates would discover who he was and kill him.

The woman staged a fake crime scene that included a condom wrapper.

As more "memories" came back to the woman she gave another statement. She knocked the peg basket at the victim as he approached. He had grabbed her throat with one hand and held a brick in his other. He dragged her to the retaining wall. He pulled down her jeans and threw a condom packet at her. He raped her while she struggled. Later testing showed there was strong support that DNA on the condom wrapper came from the woman, while the victim's DNA was excluded. It was also excluded from forensic swabs.

The woman turned her attention to the man's family. She told police a man had run her off the road and used a knife to attack her. She said he had a car like her ex partner's father. Police found a steak knife at the scene but it matched the ones at her house, and regardless the allegations were inconsistent with her injuries. She pointed the finger at her ex partner's family as suspects in more crimes. She alleged they had broken into her home and stolen her iPad. Police found the iPad wrapped in a dishtowel and in a plastic bag on the grass verge at the ex partner's family home. She denied going there that day but the GPS on her car - installed by police to protect her - said otherwise. These stories raised police suspicions and caused them to reassess the rape claim and later charge the woman with making fake allegations.A homeless man has faced the ACT Magistrates Court after a member of the public reported him to police for allegedly having sex at the city skate park in September last year.

Carl Murphy, 38, was charged with performing an act of indecency without consent and with indecent exposure.

Mr Murphy's defence lawyer Tom Taylor indicated his client would plead guilty to the lesser charge of indecent exposure but would fight the more serious act of indecency charge.

The incident occurred on a busy Friday night just before 6pm at the skate park on Cooyong Street. A woman, cycling home from work, called the police saying she had witnessed a man and woman having sex but held fears the woman was unconscious.

The officers reported when they arrived at the skate park they located Mr Murphy and the woman having sex. The woman was conscious and the alleged intercourse was consensual.Welcome Guest! You are here: Home  India

School enrollment at record high, but numeracy, literacy standards remain sub-par: Study

The ASER survey is a nationwide household survey, covering 596 districts in rural India

[The results for arithmetic ability show a similar picture: Just 28% of grade V students are able to do division, compared with 37% in 2008. (Photo: UNICEF/UNI14632/Vishwanathan)]

Mumbai: No more than 2.8% of children are out of school in India, the first time the figure has fallen below 3%, bringing the total school enrollment to a record 97.2%.

The proportion of girls out of school has also declined, from 6% in 2010 to 4% in 2018. The number of states where the figure is higher than 5% has dropped to four major states, compared to nine states eight years ago, IndiaSpend reported citing Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2018.

The achievements are attributed to the Right To Education Act 2009 (RTE) legislation, which mandated free and compulsory education for six- to 14-year-olds and is credited with reducing inequalities in access between states and beefed up infrastructure in government schools, the report said.

Such improvements, however, mask latent issues in the countrys rural school network, where numeracy and literacy standards remain sub-par and in many instances lower than standards recorded 10 years ago in 2008.

The ASER survey is a nationwide household survey, covering 596 districts in rural India. A total of 354,944 households and 546,527 children between ages three and 16 were surveyed to evaluate learning outcomes.

After five years of schooling, at age 10-11 years, just over half (51%) of students in India can read a grade II level text (appropriate for seven- to eight-year-olds). This figure is lower than in 2008, when 56% of grade V students could read a grade II level text.

The results for arithmetic ability show a similar picture: Just 28% of grade V students are able to do division, compared with 37% in 2008.

Learning outcomes witnessed a decline following the push towards univeralization after the RTE came into force in 2010, the report noted. One explanation given is that the exercise to ensure every child was enrolled meant children that had dropped out, or were never enrolled in from the beginning were brought back in to schools and lowered average learning levels in government schools.

But while there have been improvements across numeracy and literacy indicators since 2010, levels remain below those seen a decade ago and significant disparities in learning outcomes across the nations states persist. For example, while over three-quarters of students in grade V in Kerala can read a grade II text, significantly higher than the national average (51%), the proportion drops to no more than 34% in Jharkhand.

Poor performance in school-based reading and math tests also signals future problems in adulthood, as the lack of foundational skills impedes childrens ability to carry out basic life tasks. Under a third of 14- to 16-year-olds (29.3%) were able to calculate the 10% discount applied to a T-shirt costing Rs 300.

The fact that we are seeing some improvement in learning outcomes now is a welcome change, the report said. But, first of all, the positive change is slow and uncertain. It has to be understood that we are struggling even with basic literacy and numeracy.

This means that not only are we not creating a sufficiently literate population, but that most of our population is functionally illiterate, said the report. We are far from becoming an educated nation.

ASER said Indian classrooms are filled with students grouped together by age-group, rather than attainment, a situation which has not altered over the past ten years. For example, 12% of children in grade III could not even recognise letters of the alphabet, while 27% are able to read an entire grade II-level text.

Multi-grade classes, where children with varying levels of ability are mixed together, can leave struggling students behind, as teachers following the grade-level textbook reach only the top of the class, the report said.

Improvements to the pupil-teacher ratio could help tackle varying abilities in classrooms, as more resources help reach a larger number of children and address specific learning challenges.

The percentage of schools complying with the RTE-mandated pupil-teacher ratio--of 30:1 for primary schools and 35:1 for upper primary schools--has almost doubled since 2010, rising from 38.9% to 76.2% in 2018.

For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App .

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.Five people have been taken to hospital after a fire gutted a Duffy home on Thursday, as temperatures soared towards 40 degrees in the nation's capital.

The roof of the Tantangara Street home collapsed amid the blaze, which started in the kitchen.

The fire also caused major structural damage to the rear of the property.

A kitchen fire gutted a Duffy home on Thursday Credit:ACT Emergency Services Agency

ACT Fire & Rescue crews, including multiple pumpers, commanders and a HAZMAT vehicle, were called to the Weston Creek address just before 11.30am.Three Coombs homes were broken into on Wednesday afternoon between 1.50pm and 9.45pm.

In at least one of the incidents, the residents were at home when the burglary occurred but were unaware of the intrusion.

The thieves appeared to be targeting power tools and other portable devices.

Police attending the scene advised one of the affected residents that an arrest had been made in relation to these three incidents, but ACT Policing would not confirm this.

Police said investigations were ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.Canberra Hospital's medical imaging department's budget has blown out by almost $10 million since 2014, driven by staffing shortages.

Government data shows costs within the troubled department have been steadily increasing with the blame being put on covering the leave of specialists and buying medical supplies.

Canberra Hospital's medical imaging department has come under increased budget pressure Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Last financial year the medical imaging department was $4,278.081 over budget, spending $40,078,143.

In 2016-17 the department was $2,303,909 over budget, spending 38,224,334.The territory government will manage all ACT government workers' compensation claims from March 1 when it becomes a self-insurer.

It means federal workplace insurer Comcare will no longer be involved in liability decisions or the management of compensation claims for ACT government public servants.

The ACT government will be a self-insurer from March 1. Credit:Michel O Sullivan

The application for self-insurance was approved in November in a move the government says will give it greater influence over how services are delivered.

It's a step back from the ACT's plan to ditch Comcare completely in 2015, which would have required its own legislative framework.What a success Grant Kings tenure as Business Council of Australia president has been.

Corporate tax cuts for big businesses are further away than ever, the energy policy pushed by the lobby group is in tatters, and that's all before the outcome of royal commissions into the financial services industry and the aged care sector.

Grant King and Jennifer Westacott. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit:

So no doubt the BCAs members will be pleased to hear that King will stick around for even longer than first anticipated, having already pushed retirement from November last year to early this year.

Now we hear no change at the top is likely until after Prime Minister Scott Morrisons planned May election, and perhaps as late as June (and we are reminded by BCA insiders that King's term could technically extend until November).But more than a tabloid story, the divorce also threatens to expose the private dealings of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the art world. David Mugrabi, 47, is the scion of a powerful art-dealing family that is reportedly worth $US5 billion ($7 billion) and owns some 1,000 works by Warhol, making it the world's largest private holding. Loading And now Libbie Mugrabi, 39, who has two children, 9 and 11, with her estranged husband, wants her share. There is no prenuptial agreement. But before she can ask for a number in the divorce settlement, her lawyers say, they need to evaluate her husband's net worth, which involves exposing the Mugrabi family's sophisticated structure of asset ownership by offshore corporations. Such revelations would offer a rare window into how art-world titans like the Mugrabis shield their finances from public scrutiny. "We were a team," Libbie Mugrabi said of her marriage. "We were partners at home and in business, with kids, everything. So whatever is the right thing, if that's a little amount or a big amount, that's what I want."

Scraping by on $US200,000 Five months after that fateful morning in the Hamptons, Libbie Mugrabi came to lunch at the Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side, dressed like a sliver of night sky. Her long dark hair, which she has styled every day, tumbled over a Saint Laurent jacket, Azzedine Alaia shirt and Wolford leggings, all jet black. Her left wrist sparkled with diamond and silver bracelets, while her Dolce & Gabbana kitten heels and eyeglasses were bedazzled with crystals. Libbie Mugrabi's expensive tastes have emerged as a central issue in the divorce. She scoffed at tabloid reports that she is scraping by on $US25,000 a month in support payments. The actual amount, she said, is $US200,000 a month, although that is less than the $US3 million a year that she was accustomed to spending, on things like flowers ($US400 a week) and household staff ($US450,000 a year). And looking good isn't cheap, either. "I spend more than six figures a year on fashion," she said. "Whatever designer I'm into at the moment, I would say I'm one of their larger customers." Current favourites include Dior, Tom Ford, the Row and Saint Laurent.

She became accustomed to luxury at an early age, having grown up the daughter of a prosperous plastic surgeon named Charles Scher. "We grew up very wealthy," said Libbie Mugrabi, noting that they lived "between" Oakhurst, New Jersey, and Palm Beach, Florida. Fate brought the Mugrabi and Scher families together in 2001, when both were staying at the St. Regis hotel in Aspen, Colorado. Libbie Mugrabi said she noticed her husband's more flamboyant brother, Alberto, first, but it was David who got her number. She had just turned 22 and had recently graduated from the New York Restaurant School; he was 30 and working in finance. Libbie Mugrabi described her courtship as a relatively modest period, when her future husband lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Trump Tower. "He wasn't the type of man that wanted to spoil me until after we got married," she said. In her telling, David Mugrabi casually proposed to her at the apartment in 2004, after his mother was nudging him on the phone about wanting to throw an engagement party. "He didn't have a ring, but I said, 'You don't need a ring to propose'," Libbie Mugrabi said. So he popped the question (she said yes) and called his mother right back. "His mother said, 'I'm throwing you a party tomorrow'." The five-carat diamond ring would come later.

The couple wed in 2005 at an extravagant ceremony at the Pierre hotel that featured orchids dripping from the ceilings and a performance by Ishtar, the Arab-Israeli chanteuse. Libbie Mugrabi wore a custom white-lace gown by Victorio y Lucchino, which required her to visit its atelier in Seville, Spain, for fittings. "It was way over even what I wanted," she said. "I knew about 30 people at my wedding. It had about 500 or 600." Guests included a who's who of art-world machers, including Peter Brant, the paper magnate, and his wife, Stephanie Seymour; Aby Rosen, the real estate developer; Larry Gagosian, the high-powered gallery owner; and Steven Cohen, the financier who last year bought a prized Roy Lichtenstein painting from Agnes Gund for $US165 million. The newly wed Libbie Mugrabi quickly learned her role in the family empire. "I just copied his mother, and she told me what to do," she said. "She's like, 'Well, you just do the home part with the entertaining. The way we run our business is mostly through the home, because we don't have a gallery.'"

For more than a decade, the couple enjoyed the perks of a billionaire lifestyle. Mugrabi says she spends about $US200,000 a year on fashion alone. Credit:Heather Sten/The New York Times "Every summer we went to Sardinia, to Italy, to Portofino," Libbie Mugrabi said. "We went on lots of different yachts. Aspen. Miami. We went to St. Barts three times minimum, a year." The couple sometimes flew commercial, other times on her father-in-law's private jet, a Gulfstream V acquired from casino magnate Steve Wynn. On the global art-fair circuit  a blur of FIACs, Friezes and Art Basels  they favored suites at Claridge's in London and the Plaza Athenee in Paris. Libbie Mugrabi recalled one gathering at the Venice Biennale, early in the relationship.

"We went on Paul Allen's yacht, and everybody was wearing big ballgowns," she said, referring to Allen's 414-foot-long yacht, Octopus. "I was a young girl and I remember thinking, 'This is intense.'" Cornering the Warhols David Mugrabi and his lawyers declined several requests for an interview for this article, but the unfolding divorce opens a window into an elite tier of the art market, where multimillion-dollar transactions are done not out of blue-chip galleries or art fairs, but at extravagant dinner parties and stately country houses. Clients include billionaire industrialists and members of Middle Eastern royal families, who prefer to keep details of their acquisitions private. "The Mugrabis are important to the upper register of the market, and the auction houses," said Linda Yablonsky, an art reviewer and writer. "They have these highflying private clients, but most of it takes place behind closed doors. This corner of the art market is the most opaque thing in the world."

The Mugrabis' art-world ascent began with David's father, Jose, who emigrated to Colombia from Jerusalem in 1955 and made a fortune in textiles. After moving to the United States in the 1980s, Jose shifted his attention to the art market. His first purchase was a Renoir landscape, bought in 1982 for $US121,000 on the advice of Jeffrey Deitch, who was then an art consultant for Citibank, before becoming an influential contemporary art dealer. Jose Mugrabi quickly made a name for himself as a deep-pocketed art buyer. In 1988, he paid almost $US4 million for Warhol's "Marilyn Monroe (Twenty Times)" a record for Warhol at the time  one of the artist's original silk-screen treatments of the movie icon. He later justified the expenditure by saying, "I felt like I was buying a piece of America." (Six works on loan by the Mugrabis are hanging in the Whitney Museum of American Art, for "Andy Warhol  From A to B and Back Again.") The Mugrabis also started acquiring works by Damien Hirst, Prince, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons. In 2013, Jose Mugrabi set a record for the most expensive work by a living artist, when he paid $US58.4 million for Koons'"Balloon Dog (Orange)" at Christie's.

The family has become so influential in setting global prices that The Times of London once described them as controlling "the art world equivalent of the Dow." "We're market makers," Alberto Mugrabi, the elder son, told The New York Times Magazine in 2009. "You can't have an impact buying one or two pictures per artist. We're not buying art like Ron Lauder  just to put it on a wall. We want inventory." Until now, the machinery behind those dealings has been largely kept out of view. But if Libbie Mugrabi's divorce lawyers have their way, it will soon be exposed in court. A $US10 Million Skinny-Dip For much of their 13-year marriage, Libbie Mugrabi said, they were "the perfect couple" and enjoyed their prestige on the social circuit.

"I go every year to the hat luncheon," she said referring to an annual fundraiser for the Central Park Conservancy, "as well as a bunch of things at Lincoln Center and the Guggenheim." The couple also had been meticulously renovating the East 82nd Street town house they lived in, pouring millions to turn the seven-storey home into a private museum to display the Mugrabi collection. (The home was once owned by Jocelyn Wildenstein, the wife of another prominent art dealer, whose 1998 divorce also brought unwelcome attention to her in-laws' financial dealings.) The Mugrabi's are believed to own about 1000 Andy Warhol pieces. Credit:AP Libbie Mugrabi said she began suspecting there might be another woman this past summer, when her husband was unreachable for several days in June while she shuttled between vacations in Sardinia and London. "He definitely was not acting like a married man," she said.

Events came to a head at the fateful dinner party, at the Mugrabis' 7,000-square-foot mansion, nestled in the woods between Sag Harbor and Water Mill. After the skinny-dipping incident, Libbie Mugrabi said, she offered to walk away from her husband in exchange for $US10 million. "But that was a one-week offer," she said. "It wasn't forever." Later that week, when Libbie Mugrabi left the Hamptons house to consult a divorce lawyer, she said, moving trucks arranged by her husband arrived to remove the most valuable art. "He took a bunch of Basquiats, he took multiple Warhols, he took about a dozen KAWS paintings out of the house. Two huge George Condos," she said. "I would say he took at least $US200 million in art." Libbie Mugrabi believes that her husband was trying to hide the assets from a potentially expensive divorce. Needing money to finance a legal battle, she looked no further than the diamond on her finger.

"The same thing that got me into this marriage is going to get me out," she said. "So I sold my ring" for $US100,000, she said "and retained a divorce lawyer". Loading Mugrabi vs. Mugrabi On a drizzly afternoon in November, David and Libbie Mugrabi, each with a platoon of lawyers, faced off inside the New York City Civil Court building in lower Manhattan. Before the hearing started inside the dingy sixth-floor courtroom, David Mugrabi crossed his arms and glared at his wife. Her lawyer Kevin McDonough asked a court officer to make him "stop giving my client the death stare".

David Mugrabi replied: "I was just admiring your tie". The hearing was intended to determine how much money David Mugrabi must give his wife each month as the divorce progresses. McDonough emphasised the Mugrabi family's wealth, calling them "the 1 per cent of the 1 per cent" and saying that David Mugrabi's "after-tax cash flow" was $US5 million a year. Another $US10 million, he said, was deposited each month into a corporate bank account under David Mugrabi's control. In response, David Mugrabi's lawyer Lois Liberman burst out laughing. She countered that his income was only $US150,000 a month, after paying $US200,000 a month in spousal and child support. "One of the major issues of why the marriage disintegrated was Mrs. Mugrabi's profligate spending," Liberman said, adding that Libbie Mugrabi would drop "$US10,000 in the blink of an eye" on daily trips to Valentino, Chanel and other boutiques.

"Nobody can talk about this woman starving," Liberman added. 'Where's the money?' Ken Jewell, a matrimonial lawyer in Manhattan who is not involved with this case, said that under New York state law, a person in Libbie Mugrabi's position can expect to claim half the income the couple earned during their marriage. And while Libbie Mugrabi does not likely have a right to the wealth David Mugrabi brought into the relationship, she could have a significant claim on the family's art business, and potentially the art. "The goal here is to prove the extent of Libbie Mugrabi's contributions to the couple's business and how the money is held," Jewell said. "If you can prove the money exists, then there is a claim. Then the question becomes: Where's the money?"Australian oil and gas giant Woodside remains confident it can hit an output target of 100 million barrels of oil equivalent next year, despite a potentially lower-than-expected production forecast for 2019.

Woodside on Thursday revealed its sales revenue for the December quarter had surged 43 per cent to $1.4 billion, while output had climbed 10 per cent to 24.1 million barrels of oil equivalent, bringing the 2018 yearly total to 91.4 million barrels.

Woodside's Karratha gas plant. Credit:Aaron Bunch

The result was driven by higher prices and the strong performance of liquefied natural gas (LNG) assets, the company said, including its part-owned Wheatstone project off the coast of Western Australia, which exceeded expectations, and its Pluto LNG plant near Karratha, which achieved 99.7 per cent reliability.

Our sales revenue is the highest it's been in four years, chief financial officer Sherry Duhe said. Were very pleased with the results.Loading "We lost more money holding out with wages and delayed timelines. It's four years of my life I'm not going to get back." He had to twice mortgage his house and borrow from his parents to keep up with payments but says the damage has been more than financial. "I dont sleep now. Most of my nights are tossing and turning, getting up at 4am, sleeping for two hours a day. Worried about the amount of money our investors and my family put into this." Ian Exaudi says this is a familiar story. In the last year and a half, he guesses around 20 Appster clients have sought out his services.

"We jokingly call it 'white knight' work, where we try to save the job," says Exaudi, managing director of app company, Creative Intersection. Exaudi says stretched timelines and "buggy apps" are a telltale sign of outsourcing. Mark McDonald and Josiah Humphrey started Appster when they were teenagers. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald. "If you take the operational parts of your business and outsource it, the back and forth communication of what we're trying to achieve becomes difficult because you can't be in the same room, you can't get the subtleties of what the client is asking for," he says. In some cases, Appster clients say they were completely unaware of who was building their work.

Matsuu is a Polish company that was enlisted to create apps for Appster's clients and says it was legally restricted from divulging its role. "We were forbidden to get in touch with the media as well as to have any contact with customers," says Matsuu director of business development Adam Golanski. They simply paid everything in advance to Appster and had no more money Matsuu's Adam Golanski But since Appster announced liquidation in December, the agreement has been loosened so that Matsuu can contact clients. "We quickly discovered that none of them can give us any money we are entitled to. They simply paid everything in advance to Appster and had no more money," says Golanski.

"And we couldn't deliver it to Appster, because they didn't pay us anything but a modest initial payment. This company was in overdue with the payment of a great deal of money." Cost-cutting Around the same time that Appster co-founders Mark McDonald and Josiah Humphrey were listed on the Forbes Under 30 Rich List, auditors warned there was "material uncertainty" about their company's ability to continue as a going concern. Financial statements filed with the corporate regulator show the company incurred a net loss of $2.2 million during the year ending in March 2016, and as of that date, the company's liabilities exceeded its total assets by $3.7 million. Neither responded to requests for comment for this article.

A former senior employee who requested anonymity had expressed concern about their business model from day one. "When I first met Mark and Josiah, I assumed that someone must have been funding them. I asked them, 'if you need more money, where do you get it from?' "Josiah said 'if we need more money, we just increase sales'. He looked at me like I was stupid." In early 2016, the company needed to boost sales.

"So to do that we needed to hire more people. We grew too fast which meant we had to compromise on the staff we were hiring. More mistakes started to come in," says the former employee. The pressure on the business produced a change in approach with its Indian employees where, to save on rent, the office moved from an open plan work space in Gurgaon, the Silicon Valley of India, to a "work from home" model. This caused the Indian workforce to decrease by a third. "That model was never going to work. In India, they don't have a nice little desk with a plant on it. They have bad wifi and a kitchen table at mum's house," said a former Indian manager. Indian employees say their biggest grievance was the lack of communication. One employee said they faced a "deluge of lies" from the company.

In October, employees were told the "dry spell for sales had ended" and were assured their jobs were secure. "We were told that the company is doing much better since moving to work from home model," says one Indian employee, who also requested anonymity. Notice of dismissal email sent to over 150 Appster employees in India. But on December 6, the staff's access to their project management tools and Google Drive was cut. Employees were sent an email from Humphrey explaining the company had been put into administration "despite the hard work of many Appsterfarians" and promised to set up group calls to answer questions.

The email signed off with: "We are incredibly, incredibly sorry :(" The following day, email accounts were shut down and further communication ceased. The former Appster employees are now finding it difficult to secure work with 180 people entering the job market at once. We are incredibly, incredibly sorry :( Letter to staff In the lead up to Appster's collapse the company's founders embarked on a number of new ventures. In Australia, three new companies were registered. Humphrey was leading Appster's venture into blockchain. The 26-year-old, say former staff, attended fewer meetings with Appster America, saying he was travelling to international blockchain events.TCN News Hyderabad:

Several Dalit organisations in Hyderabad have given a call for  Chalo HCU to protest against the demolition of the Velivada this month at the orders of University VC Podile Apparao.

Velivada which is a term for a Dalit ghetto, was raised by the late Phd scholar Rohit Vemula and his friends Dontha Prashanth, Vijay Pedapudi, Seshu Chemudugunta and Velpula Sunkanna on January 4, 2016, to protest against the HCU administration as they boycotted the scholars from entering the hostels in the University campus.

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And after a few days of making the velivada, Rohit Vemula, was found hanging in a hostel room on January 17, 2016.

Ever since, the students of HCU commemorate Velivada day on January 4 and Rohith Shahadath Din on January 17. But this year, the portraits of revered leaders like Dr Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule and others, removed from Velivada at the instructions of the VC. Earlier in 2016, when it was set up the Velivada structure was removed in the night but the students set it up again.

And now this year the same thing has happened. Agitated Dalit activists demand a FIR to be registered against the VC.

Various Dalit organisations have condemned this act and have expressed their solidarity with the students of HCU who are demanding justice for Rohit Vemula. To express their solidarity these organizations have all joined with the students to protest against the destruction of the Velivada and the harassment of Dalit students by the Vice Chancellor.Want to praise someone or get something off your chest? Darts and Pats is the place to do it.The Peace Corps Prep Program is an extension of JMU and the Peace Corps' partnership. JMU produced multiple students who went on to serve in the Peace Corps last year, who are pictured above.Several suspected gas explosions caused a fire to break out in France this morning.

Video from the scene shows several explosions at the Claude Bernard University in Lyon.

Important incendie sur la campus de la Doua au Nord de Lyon pic.twitter.com/XkMiGOPc9D  Florent Derue  (@florentderue) January 17, 2019

The fire on the roof terrace of the Mendel Building led to the university evacuating students, mainly from the science library.

The university tweeted to confirm three people received minor injuries and the fire is now "under control".

Point situation #IncendieMendel : A ce stade, il y a 3 blesses legers.

Interdiction d'acces pour les batiments Deambulatoire, Mendel, Berthollet, Omega. Les autres batiments peuvent etre re-integres. Le feu est sous controle.  Universite Lyon 1 (@UnivLyon1) January 17, 2019

Emergency services will remain on the scene for the day.

The university added there were "no chemical safety problems".The Matka Nordic Travel Fair, the largest travel industry show in northern Europe, opened yesterday (January 16) with its hugely successful Workshop Day.



The B2B as well as B2C expo, which has drawn more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 80 countries, will run till January 20 at the Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki, Finland.



More than 60,000 consumers and 20,000 travel industry professionals are expected to attend the event over the five days of the show.



Nearly 290 buyers from 35 countries, 189 supplier companies from 26 countries and a total of nearly 6,000 meetings were held during the Workshop Day.

The fair has hidden treasures as its main theme, highlighting some of the new interesting, unique destinations across the world, especially in the Nordic region. It also has sustainable travel as another key focus.



The fair is an impressive start to the travel year and a unique opportunity to get acquainted with Finland and the whole world under one roof, the organisers Messukeskus Expo said.



The Finnish travel industry has boomed in the past few years with major players focusing strongly on quality, efficiency and innovation to offer the best experience to both business and leisure travellers, they said.



The expo is easy to navigate and we offer a compact facility that is modern and has the latest technology, said Anni Vepsalainen, CEO of Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre.



Due to its compact nature, Matka makes it possible to see the whole event and all its exhibitors and destinations during one day."



While numbers are important, we are focusing now more on quality of visitors, she added.



Some of the interesting keynote topics that will be discussed at the expo include: Can tourism save the world?; Modern Sales Playbook  How modern sales professional sells successfully in 2020; and Tourism as a force of good  why sustainability is a key driver for TUI.



Meanwhile, a survey released by the Matka Nordic Travel Fair has found that Finnish travellers are particularly interested in relaxing, experiencing local culture and everyday life.



When travelling, Finns are responsible and follow instructions and respect customs of the destination, it said. They also find local shops more interesting than large shopping centres, it said.



Messukeskus Expo organises more than 100 trade and consumer shows as well as over 2,000 meetings and congresses a year. This year The Finnish Fair Corporation (owner of Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre) celebrates its 100th anniversary. - TradeArabia News ServiceAbu Dhabi Power Corporation (ADPC) has entered into a strategic partnership with Mubadala Investment Company and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Masdar, during a signing ceremony held at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019.



The strategic partnership supports the UAEs efforts to grow the power and water sector, while supporting Abu Dhabis long-term sustainable development objectives, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



Mubadalas contribution as an experienced investor in utilities illustrates its support to the future development of power and water generation in Abu Dhabi.



The partnership follows the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and chairman of the Supreme Committee for Abu Dhabis Water and Electricity Sector, which held its meeting recently at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.



The strategic partnership includes key projects related to water desalination with a production capacity of over 400 million gallons per day, and renewable energy over 5 GW of electricity in the form of solar and over 2GW of conventional power generation over the next five years. The projects are expected to commence tendering during the first half of 2019 by the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation.



Mubadala and Masdar have existing capabilities and expertise in the energy sector. They have numerous local and international assets and facilities in power generation: more than 8 GW in conventional electricity generation and over 4 GW in renewable energy. Masdars presence in renewable energy spans more than 25 countries.



Commenting on the new partnership, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and chairman of Masdar, said, "Masdar is pleased to enter into this strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Power Corporation to help realise the next phase in the development of Abu Dhabis power and water sector, including its continued adoption of commercially viable renewable energy.



"This agreement is aimed at leveraging the latest technology and innovation for the efficient delivery of Abu Dhabis energy needs. Combining the experience and expertise in conventional power and water solutions of Mubadala with Masdars leadership in renewable energy and clean technologies illustrates our shared commitment to the continued modernization of a cost-efficient, technologically-advanced and environmentally-sustainable power and water sector for the benefit of the people of Abu Dhabi."



Saif Alhajeri, chairman of Abu Dhabi Power, said, "Abu Dhabi Power Corporation aims to support Abu Dhabis pioneering status in the energy sector and its key developmental pillars for a more advanced and sustainable future. The strategic partnership with Mubadala and Masdar will notably support these efforts by benefiting from their wealth of local and international experience and bringing many key sustainable projects to fruition."



He added, "Through the continual support and guidance of the UAEs wise leadership, we will continue to identify areas of development that can effectively drive future growth and sustainability."



For his part, Awaidha Al Marar, chairman of the Department of Energy, said, "The agreement is an important step towards strengthening the sustainability of traditional and renewable resources and is a testament to the agility of the energy sector in Abu Dhabi and its ability to adapt in line with the vision and strategy of our wise leadership."



"The agreement will help introduce the business community in the UAE and abroad to the wide range of investment opportunities that the sector presents through increased reliance on new technology, efficiency optimisation and the utilisation of scientific research to diversify energy resources."



Al Marar added, "The unification of efforts by three leading sector companies is a reflection of integration steps, and we look forward to executing the agreement to achieve desired outcomes through energy security for future generations."



Khaled Al Qubaisi, CEO of Aerospace, Renewables and ICT at Mubadala, said, "With the UAEs efforts to ensure the sustainable use of its resources and to diversify its economy, it is critical to ensure that key infrastructure is in place to meet the demands of the Emirates now and in the future. Our strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Power will see us leverage our existing capabilities in delivering major domestic and international utilities projects.



In doing so, we can make a difference to a sustainable future through efficient, cost effective and world-class power and water services. Our gratitude goes to the Government for continuing to support innovations that enhance the quality of life for the community and we look forward to working with our partners to realize an ambitious shared vision."A bill that would establish Bible study courses in North Dakota public schools has already attracted the ire of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The bill would alter the states high school curriculum guidelines , requiring every high school to offer as an elective a half-unit of Bible studyeither Old Testament, New Testament, or a combination. It would also allow high schools to replace a half-unit of social studies with Bible studies.

The bill has yet to move out of the state Senates education committee. But the ACLU of North Dakota pointed out that the proposal appears to fall afoul of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion.

To withstand constitutional requirements, Bible curriculum in public schools must be neutral and non-devotional, and classes cannot be used to promote one particular religion, the ACLU wrote on its blog. Attempting to implement a Bible curriculum like this is very likely to expose a school district to litigation.

The key U.S. Supreme Court case the ACLU is referring to here is the 1963 Abington School District v. Schepp ruling. The court held that students couldnt be required to recite prayers or engage in devotional study in public schools, but religious texts could be included in the curriculum when taught objectively as part of a secular program of education.

Sen. Aaron McWilliams, a republican who co-sponsored the North Dakota bill, told the Grand Forks Herald that he would offer an amendment to allow schools the flexibilty to offer the course or not.

Other states that have sought to introduce secular biblical studies have found it tricky to find the right balance between secular and religious study. Kentucky, which approved Bible literacy legislation in 2017, soon ran afoul of the ACLU there, after the organization found through open-records requests that many of the assignments were more suited to Sunday school than to a public school classroom.

And Texas has gotten perilously close to the line with a history state standard that requires Moses and Judeo-Christian thought to be taught as an influence on the Founding Fathers, something many historians dispute. The state has allowed schools to offer biblical literature since 2007, and one of the state school board members has repeatedly argued that the words separation of Church and state dont appear in the Constitution.South Africa: SADC meeting casts spotlight on DRC

This story has been published on: 2019-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

As the annual World Economic Forum meeting draws closer, Team South Africa has met to chart the path for South Africas strategy at Davos, Switzerland. The meeting, which kicks off on 22 to 26 January 2019, brings together more than 3 000 leaders from business, government, civil society, academia, arts and culture and media, as well as ... See moreA woman in her mid-60s has died after a single vehicle crash in County Leitrim.

It happened just after midday on the Castlecara Road, in Carrick on Shannon.

The woman was driving the car when it went off the road.

The body of the woman's been taken to University Hospital Sligo, where a post-mortem will take place.

The road is currently closed and local diversions are in place.

Garda forensic collision investigators are due to examine the scene at first light tomorrow morning.

Investigating Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.Dilapidated and unsuitable premises, the use of physical restraint and failure to give staff up-to-date training are just some of the issues identified in inspection reports of four mental health facilities.

The Mental Health Commission (MHC) has published inspection reports for four mental health facilities in Dublin, Donegal and Roscommon. While three out of the four centres showed areas of improvements, 34 areas of non-compliance were identified by inspectors - 19 of which had a high-risk rating.

The Department of Psychiatry (DOP) in Letterkenny is an acute in-patient service. While there was a significant improvement in compliance in 2018 (49% in 2017 to 63% in 2018), the centre was non-compliant in 12 areas - 10 of those which had a high-risk rating.

In relation to the use of physical restraint, inspectors found that the registered medical practitioner did not complete a physical examination of the resident within three hours after the start of an episode of physical restraint. One resident was not informed of the reasons for, duration of, and circumstances leading to discontinuation of physical restraint. The reasons for not informing them were not documented.

In one case, the residents next of kin was not informed about the physical restraint and the reasons for not informing them were not documented.

The condition of the premises was also severely criticised by inspectors.

The approved centre was not kept in a good state of repair externally. There was no programme of maintenance in relation to the outdoor areas, including the gardens and garden furniture. Staff brought in their own personal lawnmower to cut the grass.

"There was a programme for painting and cleaning, and a cleaning schedule was implemented. Not all damage to property had been reported to the maintenance department for repair," said the report.

Other areas of non-compliance noted were around individual care plans, the transfer of residents, the documenting of general health assessments, risk management procedures and the training of staff.

The suitability of the premises was also an issue raised in the inspection of O'Casey Rooms, Fairview Community Unit in Phibsborough in Dublin.

The inspectors found it "unsuitable premises for both rehabilitation and the care of elderly residents". One of the conditions of its registration is that it implements a plan to close the unit and the MHC has prohibited any direct admission or transfers of residents to the approved centre, with the exception of current residents that are transferred back to it following treatment elsewhere.

Concerns around risk management procedures, staffing and individual care plans were also raised by inspectors.

The 44-bed Ashlin Centre located in the grounds of Beaumont Hospital which provides inpatient services for the North Dublin Mental Health Service was non-compliant in six areas and three of those had a high-risk rating.

Inspectors found that the clinical files of two patients who were treated as being unable to consent to receive treatment. In both cases, there was no documented evidence that the responsible consultant psychiatrist had undertaken a capacity assessment or equivalent. This matter was resolved during the course of the inspection.

The Department of Psychiatry at Roscommon University Hospital was praised for showing "a very significant improvement" from its inspection in 2017 but had a high-risk rating in relation to the areas of premises and staffing.The brave teenager who rescued his nephew from a blaze that killed ten people was extremely lucky to survive. John Keith Connors had a tiny window of opportunity to enter the burning mobile home and rescue Tom Connors (4) at a halting site in Carrickmines, Co Dublin on October 10 2015.

He grabbed the child seconds before a flashover scenario occurred as a chip pan of burning oil boiled over creating an inferno that engulfed the entire dwelling.

Chartered fire safety engineer David OConnor told Dublin Coroner's Court that the timeframe within which anyone could be rescued from the burning unit very small.

David OConnor. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The flashover scenario created temperatures of between 500 and 600 degrees celsius in the unit, with hot gases, smoke and carbon monoxide. It was a very small time frame available to do that intervention.

It was extremely lucky they could do it at that time, another minute and they would not have been able to survive the conditions, Mr OConnor said.

The mobile, a former Portacabin that had been used as a security shed, was significantly more vulnerable to fire than a modern house, the court heard.

The exterior of the dwelling was made of metal lining from the which the heat could not discharge, Mr OConnor said. He said a 38mm layer of polystyrene in the walls would have increased the burn temperature of the fire.

This became the equivalent of the articulated truck on fire, he said.

If it was timber, the timber would have failed and the heat escaped. But this type of construction made for a significant fire event.

The fire spread to another mobile located less than one metre away.

The dwellings were the responsibility of the occupants, Mr OConnor told the court.

He noted that under Department of Environment Guidelines for Traveller Accommodation (1998) there should have been at at least six metres between dwellings on the site.

The guidelines note that 'temporary' sites providing Traveller accommodation should not exceed periods of more than five years. The Glenamuck Halting Site had been established as emergency temporary accommodation by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council in 2008. It was technically exempt from guidelines and regulations because it was an emergency provision, the court heard.

Safety guidance issued in the wake of the fire, on December 2, 2015, complied by the National Directorate for Emergency Management advise the provision of escape windows and where a minimum distance of six metres between units is unavailable, a firewall should be installed.

Dublin Fire Brigades Acting Chief Fire Officer Denis Keeley agreed mobile homes and caravans carry particular fire risks.

The fabric of the units by nature are more vulnerable to fire spread and fire growth, he said.

The jury heard the chip pan that caused the fire was sitting on a hot plate powered on to the highest setting.

The cooker was relatively new and there were no electrical faults detected, the inquest heard. There was no isolator switch for the cooker installed in the kitchen.

Asked by the coroner if this was the definite cause of the fire, Mr Collins replied it was.

In our belief this definitely caused the fire, he said.

Mr Collins investigated the cooker after the fire on behalf of Gardai.

The rear hot plate was full on. All that was left was the spindle. The position of the spindle indicated the cooker had been turned on to the full position, he said.

CCTV footage revealed the fire started at 4.15am. Dublin Coroners Court heard that within minutes, the inferno had spread through the entire unit. Emergency services arrived at 4.34am. The second mobile home caught fire between 4.34am and 4.38am.

Thomas Connors (27), his wife Sylvia (30) and their sons Jimmy (five) and Christy (three) were recovered from the main bedroom of the mobile home after the fire. Willie Lynch (25), his pregnant partner Tara Gilbert (27) and their two daughters Jodie (nine) and Kelsey (four)were recovered from a second, smaller bedroom. Jimmy Lynch (39) a brother of Willie Lynch, was removed from the kitchen area, near the seat of the fire. Baby Mary Connors (six months) daughter of Thomas and Sylvia Connors, was pronounced dead in hospital.

An inquest into all ten deaths continues on Monday with pathology evidence from Deputy State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.A woman who has learned her foetus has a fatal foetal abnormality has been denied an abortion, according to two TDs.

Ruth Coppinger and Brid Smith told the Dail they had been contacted by the woman, who says this is not what she voted for in last year's abortion referendum.

The Tanaiste Simon Coveney said the case was a matter for doctors and that the law is very clear.

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger described the allegations:

She said: "I've been contacted by a woman who has a fatal foetal abnormality that has been certified by two consultants, and now it appears that the board of the Coombe Hospital is refusing her constitutional right that we all voted for to have an abortion at a time that she chooses.

"Instead, they have told her that she must wait another four weeks to see if there is a spontaneous miscarriage."

Update: The board of the Coombe Hospital in Dublin has 'no role whatsoever' in approving an abortion - according to a statement from the hospital.

They added that they cannot comment on individual cases but said the board has no role in decisions on terminations of pregnancy.

Meanwhile, the Abortion Rights Campaign have issued a statement condemning what they call an abject failure of the legislation and the health service.

This is a complete contravention of the spirit of the legislation, international human rights standards and basic decency," said spokesperson Linda Kavanagh.

This case shows that simply changing the law was not enough. Abortion must be realistically accessible as and when it is needed, and health services should respect the pregnant person and their choice at all times.

"We are appalled that the Board of the Coombe has taken it upon themselves to deny this woman an abortion she is legally entitled to, particularly in such a heartbreaking situation. We are grateful to this woman for coming forward and hope that she will soon receive the care she needs here in Ireland.A retired surgeon has gone on trial accused of indecently assaulting seven boys under his care between the early 70s and 90s.

Michael Shine (86) of Ballsbridge, Dublin has pleaded not guilty to the thirteen charges allegedly committed during medical examinations at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth and at two private clinics in Drogheda.

The charges were allegedly committed during medical examinations at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. File photo

The complainants were variously aged between 11 and 15 when Mr Shine js alleged to have fondled or touched their genitals.

Opening the prosecution case at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Cathleen Noctor SC told a jury of nine men and three women that it was up to the prosecution to prove the alleged charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Summarising the evidence expected before the jury, she said the first complainant was aged 11 in 1971 when he was hospitalised for surgery.

Ms Noctor said that while attending at Mr Shine's clinic on Laurence St in Drogheda, the surgeon examined the boy's wound. Mr Shine is then alleged to have taken the boy's trousers and underwear down and massaged his testicles and rubbed his penis.

Ms Noctor said that during another check-up, Mr Shine fondled the boy's testicles and stroked his penis.

She said a second complainant will allege that in a follow-up appointment after knee surgery, Mr Shine rubbed his genitals and stroked his penis. This offence allegedly took place in 1972 when the boy was 14.

A third complainant will allege four counts of indecent assault on dates in 1973 and 1974, the court heard. This witness had attended at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital with stomach cramps.

He will say that while being examined by Mr Shine, the doctor rubbed his penis and testicles, counsel said. He will also allege that Mr Shine assaulted him a number of times during post-operative follow-up appointments.

A fourth witness will testify that he underwent surgery on his testicle when he was aged 13 in 1975. Ms Noctor told the jury that this man will say that during a follow-up check-up, Mr Shine masturbated him.

She said that it is alleged that Mr Shine attempted to masturbate another teenage boy during an examination following surgery on his testicle.

A sixth complainant was aged 15 in 1988 when he attended twice with the defendant following surgery on his finger. Counsel said that allegedly during both of these check-ups, Mr Shine put his hand down the boy's trousers and fondled his testicles.

The final complainant attended at the Drogheda hospital some time in 1992 with a laceration on his penis foreskin. Ms Noctor said he will allege that during an examination, Mr Shine pulled his foreskin back and forth until he got an erection.

The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan.The protection to not testify against one's spouse extends only to married couples and not civil partnerships or other forms of relationship, according to the Court of Appeal.

The case concerns a Circuit Court ruling on whether two women could be compelled to give evidence against their partners, with whom they were in ongoing relationships but were not married at the time.

Both men, who were persons of interest in relation to a murder in Co Tipperary, had been charged with a single count of attempting to pervert the course of justice in 2012. The effective evidence against them, as alleged, was to be found in statements made by their partners, which were sought to be admitted under 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Generally, spouses cannot be compelled to give evidence against their partners as it forces them to choose between giving truthful evidence - thereby jeopardising their relationship - and giving unreliable evidence.

At trial, defence lawyers successfully challenged the admissibility of the evidence on the basis that the women were in ongoing relationships with the accused and, as such, they couldn't be compelled to testify against them.

It was submitted that although the women were not spouses within the meaning of the Criminal Evidence Act 1992, they were in ongoing relationships and should be regarded as same. The mens details cannot be published as they were acquitted by direction of the trial judge.

The trial judge said he made his ruling essentially due to the "changing landscape" and the fact that "non-marital relationships are recognised across such a broad sphere now in our law and in public life.

The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully appealed the men's acquittals today under Section 23 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2010. The appeal was originally moved with prejudice or with a view to obtaining a retrial. However, the men had since happily married their partners, according to one of their barristers, and a retrial can not now arise. The case was thus advanced "without prejudice" on a point of law.

Definition of 'spouse'

The Court of Appeal heard that there would have been no doubt about what the word spouse meant in 1992, but since then, it had not been defined.

Counsel for the DPP, Anthony Salmon SC, submitted that if the Circuit Court Judge's ruling was to be repeated in other trial courts "as is inevitable, it would have consequences for very many prosecutions.

Mr Sammon said the Oireachtas had numerous opportunities to extend the definition to include girlfriends, cohabitees and civil partners but had not done so.

Counsel for one of the acquitted men, Philip Sheahan SC, said it was "absurd" to think that spousal protection did not extend beyond the definition of the nuclear family in 1992.

Counsel for the other acquitted man, Paddy McCarthy SC, said there was one definition of marriage in 1992 but weve come a long distance since then.

Giving judgment today, President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said there was "absolutely no doubt" that the reference to "spouse" in the Criminal Evidence Act 1992 meant "only a married spouse".

"At this remove, there may be an argument for extending the privilege to those in informal, long-term relationships or "drawing a distinction" between marriage, civil partnerships and other relationships, the judge said.

However, these were arguments for the legislature and not the courts, Mr Justice Birmingham said, referring to whether the Criminal Evidence Act 1992 required amending.

As things stand, he said there was no other relationship, apart from a spousal relationship established by marriage, that was amenable to non-compellability".

He said it was significant that the Oireachtas, in the context of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, did not amend the Criminal Evidence Act 1992. The 2010 Act was "extremely detailed" and the list of acts it amended runs to "almost three pages". It was so comprehensive, it seemed "inherently improbable" that the 1992 Criminal Evidence Act was inadvertently overlooked.Some 400,000 people in Ireland today are adult children from alcohol-impacted families, according to a lobby group, while HSE figures show roughly 200,000 young children are likely experiencing the harm associated with living with parental alcohol misuse.

Alcohol Action has launched Silent Voices, a new initiative to raise awareness of the experience of growing up in Ireland with parental alcohol misuse.

Carol Fawsitt, chair of Alcohol Action Ireland, experienced parental alcohol misuse as a child and said the problem and its negative impacts on children is something that rarely gets an airing or acknowledgement in Irish society.

Many of us  from all walks of life  have grown up under a shadow of alcohol misuse, Ms Fawsitt said.

The harms and negative impacts of growing up under this shadow can manifest themselves in different ways, but especially at a time of life change, such as a family bereavement, redundancy or pregnancy.

Its my experience that life change with a backdrop of parental alcohol misuse can take its toll, and services  such as counselling  often dont recognise the link between parental alcohol misuse and trauma in adult children, she said.

Dr Sharon Lambert from the Department of Applied Psychology at University College Cork said studies have shown that living with a parent who abuses substances can have an adverse impact on a childs later-life physical and mental health.

Misusing alcohol may result in a parent not being able to provide the emotional or physical care required for young children, Dr Lambert said.

The worry or anxiety experienced by a child in this situation may result in behavioural or emotional issues, the cause for which teachers and care-givers are unable to identify and therefore may dismiss as bad behaviour rather than recognise that a child is struggling.

"Well-informed education and healthcare professionals are vital to buffer the impact of parental problem drinking on children, she said.

Alcohol Action Ireland said it plans to engage with existing services providers to secure supports for those who have lived, or are living, with parental alcohol misuse, and to stimulate a conversation in families, workplaces and among friends on the issue.

It will be gathering anonymised stories from people who have grown up with parental alcohol misuse, and publishing these accounts on alcoholireland.ie/silent-voices/shared-voices

CASE STUDY

Emilie Pine

Emilie Pine, the critically acclaimed author of the award-winning Notes to Self: Essays has contributed her account of her fathers problem with alcohol to the Silent Voices campaign. This is an extract:

When my sister and I were growing up, we knew that we couldnt rely on dad. He could be great fun, and very generous, but he wasnt good at looking after us: making sure we had dinner, or had done our homework, or any of the boring, essential things that parents do for their children. As a teenager, I realised that I couldnt have a conversation with him after 7pm if I wanted him to remember it the next day. He shouted insults at us if we asked anything of him. His drinking was an ever-present part of our life, but we never really talked about it.

After my dad regained his health, I decided I was sick of the silence. I wrote a long piece about being the daughter of an alcoholic. I showed the draft to my dad before I published it. He told me that he was surprised I had been hurt by his drinking.

"He said that he didnt have any idea my sister and I would be upset by it. I was shocked that he couldnt see what it had done to us as children, and to our family. But then I realised that addicts have to build a ten-feet-deep wall of insulation around themselves. They shut us out. And then I realised something else  in trying to protect myself from the pain of alcoholism, I had built the same wall around myself. Im still trying to take that wall down.

"Now that my dad isnt drinking he has a much better quality of life. He laughs again, in a way that he hadnt done for years. He gets to spend time with his grandson. We talk about the important and the unimportant things. He remembers these conversations the next day. These are the small events that make life good, and that were not possible before."Brian Crowley has announced that he will not run in the next European elections due to ill health.

At a press conference in the Rochestown Park Hotel this afternoon, he announced that he will not be contesting the European elections this May.

He said his health will not allow him to give the people of Ireland South the campaign that they deserved and he feels he cannot give the campaign to seek re-election the commitment it needs.

Mr Crowley said that he will be returning to work in Brussels and Strasbourg in the coming months, but will not be putting himself forward for selection for Fianna Fail or running in the election in May.

Mr Crowley, who has admitted that he spent the past three and a half years in a hospital bed, said that he had been honest with people prior to the last election about his health difficulties.

I never tried to hide the difficulties that might arise, he told RTEs News at One.

I promised people that I would make an announcement about my health and why I have been absent from the parliament.

He explained that he had undergone 30 surgeries in the past three-and-a-half years. He said: Each time they tried something and it failed, they had to try again. I never planned on being out for so long.

Mr Crowley said he does not intend to stand again, but does not know what he will do. I am retiring fully from public life. I will be a private citizen, he said.

When asked about the nature of his ill health, Mr Crowley said that the wounds and injuries he had were ulcer like and were like a cut that wont heal up.

Because of his paralysis, following an accident when he was 16, there is less blood flow and muscle tone which makes it harder to heal, he said.

He said he felt he had done a good job as an MEP despite his hospitalisation as he was able to put down amendments and questions remotely and his office was able to deal with inquiries and organise visits for delegations.

As for the future, he said he is optimistic and joked that hed like the job of Southern Correspondent for RTE. I have nothing in mind. I will help whoever comes into the job.

Something will always come up, something will always happen.

Fianna Fail Leader Micheal Martin paid tribute to his long career of public service.

Deputy Martin said: Brians life has been one of service to his community and to the country. His personal story has also acted as an inspiration to many people as he refused to allow his disability, following an accident at 16 years of age, to hold him back from his vocation of public representation, in any way.

Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds recognized in Brian a person of great dedication, talent and charisma, and appointed him to Seanad Eireann in 1993. Shortly thereafter, in 1994, Brian sought a mandate for the European Parliament and has been returned there ever since, enjoying extraordinary support from the Irish people.

Brian was dedicated and dogged in serving the people that voted for him in great numbers. He approached all issues with great enthusiasm and detail. He was a passionate advocate for opening up the European institutions to the people and throughout his career he encouraged and welcomed people from all walks of life to visit Brussels and Strasbourg so that they could see how the EU parliament works.

In recent years, Brians health has suffered and I understand that his decision to retire will not have been an easy one, but I also know that Brian is a person of great resilience and great faith and I wish him the very best as he works to achieve a full recovery to good health.

Deirdre Clune, MEP for Ireland South, praised Mr Crowley's "significant contribution to European and national politics".

She said: "I wish him well and as a relatively young man, I know he has much yet to contribute. He is someone who is hugely involved in community life, especially in his home town of Bandon and the West Cork area and I am sure that he will continue to be involved.

"Brian has been a very popular member of the European Parliament and his presence was greatly missed in recent times by those who had built friendships with him over twenty years.

"He proved to be a tremendous vote-getter over the years. In 2014, during my first European election, Brian secured an incredible 180,000 first preferences. His electoral success is rivalled only by that of our President Michael D. Higgins.

"I know that the last number of years have been difficult for Brian and his family due to his ill health and I hope that they can look forward to some better times."A group of Limerick councillors have signed up to a voluntary ban on posters for the next local elections.

Councillors in the Newcastle West Municipal District believe there is no need for 'mugshots on poles' in the elections next May.Emirates SkyCargo has announced that it will be opening a new trade lane to South America with the start of freighter services to Bogota, Colombia.

The Colombian capital will be served by a once weekly freighter service starting January 16.

Emirates SkyCargo will be operating its Boeing 777 freighter aircraft to Bogota. The aircraft has an overall cargo capacity of over 100 tonnes and has wide main deck doors allowing for the transportation of large and outsized cargo.

Bogota will become Emirates SkyCargos sixth cargo destination in South America and its third dedicated cargo destination in the continent. Flight EK 9930 will arrive in Bogota at 22.00 hours local time on Wednesday and will depart from the city at 00.05 hours local time on Thursday morning.

Emirates SkyCargo will be working jointly with Avianca for the freighter service out of Bogota. The Latin American carrier will commercialise the capacity of the Boeing 777 freighter on its return leg from Bogota to Maastricht to move cargo booked by its customers. Emirates SkyCargo and Avianca are working on developing a deeper partnership where Emirates SkyCargo will assist Avianca for transporting cargo from Latin America across its well-developed network in the Middle East, Africa and Asia region while Avianca will help Emirates SkyCargo strengthen its reach in the South American market, the company said.

"We welcome Bogota to our global network of over 40 scheduled weekly freighter destinations. South America is one of our main focus regions and we believe that there is a lot of potential for further growth in demand for air cargo capacity in this region," said Hiran Perera, Emirates senior vice president, Cargo Planning & Freighters.

"We are also delighted to be working with Avianca for this freighter service and we look forward to strengthening our partnership to facilitate more trade between customers in South America and the rest of the world," he added.

In South America, Emirates SkyCargo currently transports cargo on its passenger and freighter services to and from Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Viracopos and Quito.Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs and Digital Development, Sean Canney has said Gardai should concentrate on other illegal activities rather than focussing on early morning checkpoints to detect drink driving.

There needs to be a balance, he told Newstalk Breakfast.

Mr Canney said: Joe Public is feeling persecuted. The ordinary person going to work is being pulled in. It is a challenge getting to work with the traffic as it is without having garda checkpoints. It is annoying.

People feel they are being trodden upon, he added.

Mr Canney was adamant that he did not condone drink driving, saying: I do not support anyone who gets behind the wheel with drink taken, but there has been a huge increase in the number of checkpoints in the mornings.

He said there needs to be more balance and that Gardai need to step up prevention and detection for other crimes such as illegal dumping and drugs. He called for more Gardai to be on duty outside schools to stop drug dealing.

There is a huge problem with illegal dumping, it seems to be going undetected. People are saying the Gardai need to keep a balance on what they are doing.

The Minister of State said that Gardai have been racking up the amount of checkpoints they have in the mornings which is having an impact on people trying to go about their daily lives at a time of day when theyre trying to bring their children to school.

I dont know anyone who would drive their children to school while drunk.

"There needs to be a concentration on other illegal activities," he said.

When asked if he blamed Minister for Transport Shane Ross for this escalation in Garda activity, Mr Canney said: Shane Ross is not the Minister responsible, it is the Gardai.

He said action is needed on all fronts, adding: Id like to see Gardai on the beat preventing rather than detecting.Complications arising from an accident MEP Brian Crowley suffered in 1980 were responsible for keeping him in a hospital bed for the last three years.

As a teenager he fell off a roof and was paralysed from the hips down.

At a press conference yesterday announcing his decision not to seek re-election to the European Parliament, he spoke publicly for the first time of how illness had dogged him.

"As a result (of the accident) I had problems with muscle tone, circulation and bone density. One of the risks is that the skin becomes more fragile. If the skin breaks down it's harder to cure."

The Ireland South MEP said that he had to endure more than 30 surgical procedures under general anaesthetic, which included cleaning out wounds, skin grafts and muscle replacement.

He said he often hoped after each procedure that he'd be able to get out of hospital.

I went into hospital under the impression I would recover in a month or two. I always thought that the next surgery would work. Unfortunately it didn't.

"I still have one single open wound which is helped by dressings. My health is very good except for that," he said.

However, Mr Crowley said he simply wasn't up to campaigning for a European seat any more, as on such campaigns he often put in 16-hour days and would drive himself everywhere.

He said he had wanted to attend EU meetings and it "hurt" him that he couldn't.

"People elected me to be their representative and I tried to do my best for them. I've been able to deal with constituents' problems, arrange delegation visits to Europe. I was also putting down amendments to reports," he added.

Prior to being hospitalised, he had one of the best attendance records in Brussels and Strasbourg.

He maintained he was entitled to get a full salary from the EU, as he continued to work from his hospital bed.

I abided by the rules. Every month the EU was sent a sick note. My consultants also gave regular reports to the (EU) Parliament's medical services.

It breaks my heart to leave a job I absolutely love. No one received more support, in sickness and in health, than me from my constituents over the past 25 years. It has been a privilege and a joy to serve such wonderful people.

He said during his time in hospital he received hundreds of get well cards, mass cards and calls from concerned constituents, whom he wanted to thank.

Many people who suffer long-term illness have to work remotely using modern technology and you can now do it very successfully, he said.

Mr Crowley said he was disappointed at being expelled from the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party because he left the EU grouping it was allied to as that grouping wasn't prepared to renew contracts for some of its Irish office staff.

I was disappointed at being expelled from my party without being given an opportunity to explain why I had to leave the ALDE Group, as I was in hospital at the time. Moving to a new EU Group (ERC) wasnt easy for me but I was able to secure new employment contracts for the Irish workers involved. I dont regret putting people before party, whatever the consequences," he said.

However, he said he continues to work with Fianna Fail grassroots members and FF parliamentary party members. "My style was always to get on with things, get on with people. I am still a proud member of the Fianna Fail party, he said.Green cards should be given to people driving across the border to confirm they have valid motor insurance in both jurisdictions if a no-deal Brexit hits Ireland.

The Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland said the industry was prepared to issue cards should a hard border return between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

This week Transport Minister Shane Ross could not say if Brexit will affect existing motor rules.

However, the MIBI's chief executive David Fitzgerald said yesterday options - including potential "green cards" for drivers - need to be considered to resolve the crisis.

"This is to help members of the public who bring their motor vehicles to Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK to be prepared should a no deal Brexit occur. The green card is necessary to provide proof of insurance cover," Mr Fitzgerald said.

He said the motor insurance industry has been "preparing for this possibility for months", and that "by the end of this week over 400,000 green card forms" have already been drawn up.

If there are no further developments and a hard Brexit is still a possibility, then insurance companies and insurance brokers will begin issuing green cards to affected policyholders in March.

"At that point anyone who is planning on driving their motor vehicle in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK is advised to contact their insurer or broker one month in advance of their expected travel date," he said.Gardai in Carlow are appealing for information on the whereabouts a man missing from the town.

34-year-old Rory Gahan was last seen on Tullow Street on December 27.Gardai in Co. Cork are appealing for help to find a man missing from the area.

56-year-old Peter Oliver was last seen in the Skibbereen area on Monday, December 14, last year.An Egyptian crew member who would often work 20 hours a day on a floating factory off Irelands coastline here has been awarded just under 40,000 in compensation

In the case, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has ordered a fishing boat owner/operator here to pay 39,766 to the migrant worker for various breaches of employment legislation.

The crewman has succeeded in his claim under a number of headings and the WRC has ordered the fishing boat owner to pay the man 13,707 for the underpayment of wages.

The WRC has also ordered the fishing boat owner to pay the man 10,000 compensation for breach of weekly rest periods; 10,000 for working excessive hours; 5,000 for breach of daily rest and breaks; 483.41 for outstanding annual leave and 575.64 for public holidays.

Inspectors from the WRC had inspected the boat and the crewmans working conditions on April 27, 2017 and the WRC inspectors were satisfied that everything was in order.

However, the man alleged at the WRC that in advance of being interviewed by the inspectors in April 2017, he and his work colleagues were told to say that everything was fine and that they got their rest breaks.

The man also pointed out that he does not speak English and when he spoke to the WRC Inspector there was no translator. His answers were given through a work colleague who translated for him.

The crewman said that his fishing boat could be best be described as a floating factory and would be at sea for many days at a time.

The fishing boat was primarily based out of Howth but also at different times was also based out of Dunmore East, Castletownbere and Ros A Mhil.

Describing his working day on the fishing boat that fished for prawns, the crewman said that along with a small crew he was involved in putting out the nets; bringing in the nets; killing the prawns; sorting the prawns into gender and size; placing them in the deep freeze to be freeze blasted and in the cold room to be stored.

The man stated that it was frequently the case that by the time that he was finished processing the prawns, the next catch was ready to be brought in and processed.

The work was described as arduous, difficult and at times dangerous.

The workers evidence was that he often worked 20 hours a day.

The man documented that on one fishing trip out of Howth, he spent six days at sea where there was 21.32 hours fishing per day.

The worker claimed that he worked 3,924 hours in the period under review and he should have been paid 36,297 but was only paid 24,754.

Ken Fleming of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF) took the case on behalf of the Egyptian man and said that it was as a fantastic day for the ITWF.

He said: It makes our work completely worthwhile and gives me the energy to continue with it. It is a fair award and the man is entitled to every penny of it as it is what he is entitled to.

Mr Fleming said: I would hope that the 39,766 award will set the bar for future awards.

Mr Fleming said that he is personally dealing with a number of other cases - in the early two figures - before the WRC concerning migrant crewmen on fishing boats.

Mr Fleming said that he hoped the award would encourage other workers in the fishing industry to come forward.

Mr Fleming said that the worker is delighted with the award. He said that the man no longer works in the fishing industry here and now works here in the catering industry.

It is open to the fishing boat operator to appeal the ruling to the Labour Court.The DUP leader says she has had a "useful" meeting with the British Prime Minister.

Theresa May has been holding talks with other parties to try to find a way forward on Brexit.A Dublin-based Spanish waiter killed his partner and two Irish born children in a murder-suicide in Poland just days before Christmas.

Two Dublin schools have expressed their shock at the news.

Victor Marin Del Sol's three children spent a year in schools in Rathfarnham before they moved to Poland with their mother.

The Irish Independent reports that he flew to Poland to spend time with them just before Christmas.

He killed his partner, Ewelina Szwarc, and his sons - Oskar (9) and Christian (7) - while his daughter Maria Victoria managed to escape.

The principal of Scoil Naomh Padraig told the paper that they will be remembered as "lovely, happy children". Christian and Maria Victoria attended the school and Principal Grace O'Neill said: "We will remember them in our prayers."

Oskar was a pupil at Ballyroan Boys School in Rathfarnham and the school's principal, Des Morris, said: "Oskar was a lovely child. He was a nice boy. He spoke Polish and Spanish and had little English, but he was developing well in the language and integrating well.

"It is shocking and sad."

Polish police are continuing their investigation.A man has gone missing from his home in Dublin.

Gardai in Rathmines have appealed for help to find 21-year-old Joe OBoyle who was last seen on Mayor Street, Dublin 1 on Tuesday afternoon.

He is described as around five foot 11 inches tall, of medium build with short black hair and blue eyes. When last seen he was wearing a red skiing coat with white trim and a pair of beige chinos, he was carrying a grey Superdry backpack.

Officers have said that Joe currently lives in Darty, Dublin 6, but is originally from Celbridge in Co Kildare.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Rathmines Garda Station 01-6667000 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.The High Court has ruled that 13,850 seized from a convicted drug dealer following a high-speed car chase in Dublin last year is the proceeds of crime.

The Criminal Assets Bureau made the application in respect of cash it said was the proceeds of crime which was recovered by Gardai after members searched Paul Morgan, an English national, on February 15, 2018 last.

The orders under section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act were made by Ms Justice Carmel Stewart on Thursday.

CAB said Morgan, with several addresses in Liverpool, was arrested after a car he was driving was observed by members of the Gardai driving in a suspicious manner in the Finglas area of Dublin 11.

Gardai pursued the car, which it is claimed engaged in dangerous manoeuvres.

After what was described as a high-speed chase had ended, and the vehicles came to a stop. Garda had to force open the door of Morgan's car.

Morgan was then searched and just over 13,000 was found in a bag in his jacket.

Just over 800 in cash was also found in Morgan's sock after he was subsequently searched at Finglas Garda Station.

The court heard that at the time Morgan denied to Gardai the money was his and told Gardai that it was "not my problem".

CAB said that Morgan was involved in the illegal drugs trade.

He had several previous convictions including one in 2007 when he received a 12-year prison sentence for his role in transporting approximately 3m of heroin into Ireland.

CAB said that Morgan, who is aged in his late 30s, also associated with well-known criminals in this jurisdiction.

CAB said Morgan had no known source of legitimate income in either Ireland or the UK that would account for the cash.

Following the seizure CAB secured freezing orders from the High Court in respect of the cash.

The matter returned before the High Court when CAB sought to have the money deemed the proceeds of crime.

Morgan was served with details of CAB's application at various addresses in Liverpool including Hathersage Road, Huyton, Walton and Everton Road, but did not contest CAB's claim nor did he attend court.

In her ruling deeming the cash the proceeds of crime, the Judge said she was also satisfied that every effort possible had been made by CAB to notify Morgan about the application in respect of the cash.Discount clothing retailer Primark has said it saw good trading levels in its Irish operations over the first quarter of its financial year, which included the Christmas selling season.

The Dublin-based business trades here as Penneys and is ultimately owned by diversified UK business group Associated British Foods (ABF).

In the three months to the first week of January, Primark grew sales by 4% on a year-on-year basis.

Helped by its low price policy, Primark saw a strong Christmas on the wavering UK high street. Overall eurozone-based revenues were up 5%, year-on-year, with particularly strong growth evident in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy; although trading was soft in Germany which is proving a difficult market for the Dublin-headquartered retailer.

In addition, a Primark spokesperson said: "We are pleased with the trading of the Penneys business across the Republic of Ireland this year."

Primark's last store opening in the Republic was two years ago and no new openings are on the agenda. The retailer - which recently resumed trading in Belfast after a catastrophic store fire in August - is targeting the US and eastern Europe for more growth. It is due to open in Slovenia this year, but a planned opening in New Jersey has been delayed.

Nevertheless, Primark said it saw a strong sales performance in the US in the first quarter, driven by its Brooklyn store.

Overall, Primark's first quarter sales boost was driven by new store openings and increased selling space; with sales modestly down on a like-for-like basis.

On a group basis, ABF - which straddles grocery, retail, sugar, ingredients and agriculture - saw revenue rise 2%, year-on-year, in the quarter.

Primark was the best performing division, with the sugar business the worst with a 14% year-on-year revenue slump.The price of crude oil tumbled on world markets on a report that US production surged and fuel inventories climbed, but signs that Opecs plan to drain a global glut is taking hold eased the losses.

Prices fell as much as 1.6% in New York after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said American oil drillers pumped 11.9 million barrels a day last week and gasoline stockpiles soared.

Yet the same report showed Saudi Arabia slashing crude shipments to American refiners and prices recouped much of the loss later in the session. Fluctuating equity markets added to the volatility.

Gasoline continues to build at a staggering rate and thats weighing on prices, Nick Holmes, a director at Kansas money manager Tortoise, said in an interview.

Whether Opec can offset the US surge is absolutely critical to where we go in the next few weeks, he said.

West Texas Intermediate for February delivery was down 32 cents to $51.79 a barrel in New York, after earlier slipping to $51.26 following the EIAs weekly report.

The global benchmark, Brent for March settlement advanced 2 cents to $60.66 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange, after falling 1%.

The price of crude in the US has stayed above $50 a barrel for a week, holding on to a gain earlier this year.

The recent momentum has been spurred by improving trade relations between the US and China, as well as the start of 1.2 million barrels a day of pledged output curbs by Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other major producers.

Still, prices remain more than 30% below their early October high point.

Saudi Arabias energy minister said he was sure the plan will return global supplies to normal averages and increase confidence in the market.

BloombergAnn Summers revenues at its Irish retail stores rose 15% last year but still posted an operating loss.

New accounts show that revenues at Ann Summers Retail Ltd increased to 3.46m in the 53 weeks to the end of June.

It had an operating loss of 702,522, down sharply from the previous year.

Separate accounts for Ann Summers Ireland Ltd, its party plan business, show it earned a pre-tax profit of 48,914 last year.

Group chief executive Jacqueline Gold said in the accounts it continues to invest in its Irish and UK operations, including in computer systems and new-look stores all of which are part of a long-term strategy to grow our business.

After paying interest charges of 73,718, the Irish retail business posted a pre-tax loss of 776,240, down 28% from the loss of over 1m in fiscal 2017.

We continued to roll out our store refurbishment programme both in the UK and Ireland and our two new flagship stores in Blanchardstown and Dublin continue to outperform the rest of the estate, Ms Gold said.

It opened in Blanchardstown in 2017 and on Dublins Henry Street in 2016.

So whilst we know we face further challenging times ahead, with our new brand purpose and vision for the future. the re-branding work we are doing is already impacting everything we do as a brand and how we communicate with our customers, Ms Gold said.

Staff numbers increased from 44 to 46, and staff costs rose to 852,728.OTTAWA - The Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a man who argued he was fending off an attempted sexual assault when he stabbed his new neighbour 37 times.

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OTTAWA - The Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a man who argued he was fending off an attempted sexual assault when he stabbed his new neighbour 37 times.

Nicholas Rasberry of Calgary was sentenced to seven years in prison after a judge convicted him of manslaughter in the death of school teacher Craig Kelloway in May 2013.

Canada's top court on Thursday dismissed a request to hear arguments against the conviction.

The three-member Alberta Court of Appeal had earlier rejected Rasberry's bid to overturn both the conviction and the sentence, which it deemed fit and appropriate.

The defence had argued that the court should have accepted Rasberry's claim that he was acting in self-defence.

Rasberry, 35, was originally charged with second-degree murder. The judge rejected the self-defence argument, but did find that there was provocation and convicted Rasberry of manslaughter.

He and Kelloway had just met in May 2013 and had got together for a barbecue, along with Rasberry's wife and Kelloway's girlfriend.

Rasberry admitted at his trial that he had stabbed Kelloway after they had spent time drinking  first at Kelloway's home and then continuing at Rasberry's place just two doors down.

Rasberry said Kelloway, who was originally from Glace Bay, N.S., had threatened to sexually assault him and his wife.

Kelloway was stabbed 23 times and slashed 14 times with three different knives. The first two knives broke off and the third was bent.

The Appeal Court said Kelloway was wounded in his front, back and side and would have been unable to defend himself from the attack.

 By Bill Graveland in Calgary. Follow @BillGraveland on TwitterMONTREAL - A Montreal-area woman who carried on an intense, inappropriate relationship with a young girl despite numerous efforts to get her to stop will avoid further jail time.

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Virginia Genevrier, 40, leaves court after being sentenced in Montreal on Thursday, January 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sidhartha Banerjee

MONTREAL - A Montreal-area woman who carried on an intense, inappropriate relationship with a young girl despite numerous efforts to get her to stop will avoid further jail time.

Virginia Genevrier, 40, was sentenced Thursday after previously pleading guilty to one count of transmitting sexually explicit material to a minor and two counts of breaching a peace bond.

"How could a woman of this age, married and a mother, develop over time a special relationship to that point with an adolescent who was 12 years old at the time?" Quebec court Judge Helene Morin asked as she handed down a sentence in a case she described as "unique."

The judge noted that efforts by the girl's school, her family, the police and the judiciary all failed to stop Genevrier's behaviour. "The accused interfered in a totally inappropriate way in the life of this girl, and this is what must be denounced," she said.

Genevrier was found to have had a relationship with a girl, now 16, whom she met while working as a lunch monitor at her daughter's Montreal-area elementary school. Over time, the relationship intensified to the point where the girl had developed romantic feelings for Genevrier, whose daughter was a classmate.

Genevrier started exchanging Facebook messages with the girl, who confided in her about troubles at home.

The girls mother asked Genevrier to stop contacting her daughter after stumbling on love messages between the two. When that failed, Genevrier was arrested in 2015 and made to sign a peace bond with a list of strict conditions.

She lost her school job that year, but the interaction continued. The girl would write to Genevrier telling her, "You are the woman of my life," "I love you" and "Do you want to marry me?" The victim even gave a ring to Genevrier, who had the September 2017 expiration date of the second peace bond tattooed on her upper body.

The judge described the written exchanges between the two as expressions of mutual love without any sexual connotation, comparing it to discussions between lovestruck adults. "On reading some of the messages, you wonder sometimes who was adolescent and who was the adult," Morin said.

The only sexual exchange uncovered between the two led to the criminal charge: Video of Genevrier in the shower in erotic poses dated December 2017 were discovered on the girl's tablet. Genevrier claimed she was unaware the girl had recorded her during a video phone call.

Genevrier told the court she's no longer the same person and recognizes the impact of her actions on her husband and daughter.

The court heard Genevrier, a native of France who moved to Quebec with her husband in 2003, had a difficult childhood marked by violence and an alcoholic mother and saw some of herself in the victim. She was determined to make sure the young girl's adolescence didn't turn out like her own.

"There was a part of me that was rational  I was married, a mother  and another part who was the rebel adolescent who wanted to help her," Genevrier told a sexologist in a report quoted by the judge. Despite her actions, Genevrier professed to love only her husband.

Morin sentenced her to six months on the charge of transmitting explicit material, the minimum sentence under the law. Because she has already spent 4 1/2 months in custody, that sentence is considered served.

She was also given a 20-month sentence to be served in the community on two counts of breaching conditions of a peace bond, along with two years probation and 240 hours of community service. Genevrier must register as a sex offender and can't contact the victim for five years. She cannot work in a setting where children under age 16 are present.

"Understand if you miss a condition, you are incarcerated, and that is for the entire 20-month sentence," Morin warned Genevrier, who declined to comment outside the court.SHERBROOKE, Que. - Quebec Premier Francois Legault laid out a shopping list of demands Thursday that he expects party leaders to address as they woo voters in his province during the coming federal election campaign.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Quebec Premier Francois Legault in Sherbrooke, Que. on Thursday, January 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

SHERBROOKE, Que. - Quebec Premier Francois Legault laid out a shopping list of demands Thursday that he expects party leaders to address as they woo voters in his province during the coming federal election campaign.

"I won't support any federal party," Legault said after a private meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of a federal cabinet retreat.

"But I will be clear with our demands and I hope that most of these demands will be accepted by as many parties as possible."

Quebec promises to be a crucial battleground in the run-up to the Oct. 21 vote. Trudeau's Liberals hope to make gains in the province to make up for expected losses elsewhere. They see potential in rural ridings where the NDP managed to hang on in 2015 as the so-called orange wave that swept Quebec in 2011 dissipated.

The Conservatives have similar hopes, cashing in on the dwindling fortunes of the once-mighty Bloc Quebecois. They've also been building links to Legault's Coalition Avenir Quebec, a right-leaning party with a nationalist bent.

In laying out his laundry list of demands, Legault is evidently hoping to trigger a bidding war for Quebecers' votes.

He wants the federal government to:

 Give Quebec $300 million to compensate for the costs incurred dealing with the influx of thousands of asylum seekers crossing into Quebec from the United States at unofficial border crossings.

 Fund public transit projects in Montreal and Quebec City.

 Agree to a single federal and provincial income tax return, managed by the Quebec government.

 Give Quebec more power over the selection of immigrants to the province. That includes Legault's plan to reduce the province's annual intake by some 20 per cent and to impose a "values test" on applicants.

 Compensation for dairy farmers, who will be hurt by a new North American free trade agreement that gives American producers slightly more access to Canada's supply managed market.

Legault presented that list to Trudeau on Thursday but said there will likely be more demands to come. He'll also have a list of things he doesn't want any federal party to advocate, including the prospect of an oil pipeline from Alberta to eastern Canada. Legault reiterated Thursday that in his view, there is no social acceptance for such a project in Quebec.

On that score, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is already offside in his support of reviving the defunct Energy East pipeline proposal. However, Legault noted Thursday that Scheer is onside with the idea of a single tax return.

In the days before the cabinet retreat, Trudeau's ministers were scattered all over Quebec, making announcements and making the federal Liberals' presence felt.

Since Legault's government was elected in October, Trudeau has gone out of his way to find areas of common ground and to play down differences, some of which are huge. Thursday was no different, with Legault saying Trudeau did not shut the door on any of his demands.

However, Trudeau has in the past questioned the need for a single tax return and has rejected the idea of a values test for immigrants.

On Thursday, Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne argued that allowing Quebec to administer a single tax return would throw some 5,000 public servants out of work at federal tax data centres  one of the largest of which is in Shawinigan, in Champagne's riding.

The Trudeau government is also evidently hoping to dissuade Legault from his determination to reduce immigration levels by stressing the province's acute labour shortages.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he and other federal ministers will be meeting with their Quebec counterparts in two weeks to discuss Legault's plan to reduce immigration. But he said that discussion will have to be "in the context of a broader discussion around labour shortages and ... around asylum seekers and the appropriate compensation that the government of Quebec requires."

In Drummondville earlier this week, LeBlanc said he met with businesspeople who told him "they're literally refusing contracts and not accepting sales because they do not have enough employees to properly complete the contract.

"So you can imagine the multiplier effect of that over time on the economic growth in Quebec, which frankly is something that is very important for the whole country," LeBlanc said.

Later Thursday, at the end of the second day of the retreat, the government announced the creation of an advisory panel that will recommend more things the government can do to reduce Canada's carbon emissions while helping companies cash in on the transition to clean energy.

The panel is co-chaired by Quebec environmentalist Steven Guilbeault and Tamara Vrooman, a former deputy finance minister in British Columbia who now heads Vancity, which bills itself as the country's largest community credit union. It has not yet been decided whether the panel's recommendations, which are due in May, will be made public.HALIFAX - Canadian officials are condemning the killers of a Halifax mining executive praised as a much-loved family man and highly talented geologist with a knack for spotting producing mines.

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HALIFAX - Canadian officials are condemning the killers of a Halifax mining executive praised as a much-loved family man and highly talented geologist with a knack for spotting producing mines.

Kirk Woodman, who worked for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead Wednesday in Burkina Faso's Oudalan province.

Kirk Woodman is seen in this undated handout photo from his Linkedin page. Canadian officials are condemning the killers of a Canadian mining company executive whose bullet-riddled body has been found in Burkina Faso. Kirk Woodman, a Halifax man who worked for Vancouver-based Progress Minerals Inc., was found dead Wednesday in Oudalan province, an official with the west African country's Ministry of Security said Thursday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Linkedin *MANDATORY CREDIT*

He had been shot multiple times, Jean Paul Badoum, an official with the west African country's Ministry of Security, said from the capital Ouagadougou.

The geologist had been kidnapped a day earlier by gunmen as he worked on a gold mining project, but officials have not yet identified the kidnappers, Badoum said.

Woodman was vice-president of exploration for Progress Minerals, according to his LinkedIn page.

"Kirk was a loving and hardworking husband, father, son and brother," Woodman's family said in a statement.

"Not a day will go by that he won't be missed. Our family would like to thank everyone for the love and support we've received, but we ask for privacy while we grieve during this difficult time."

David Duncan, a veteran exploration geologist and friend of Woodman, said he had the ability to tell whether a good prospect could become a producing mine, and was part of a wider community of Nova Scotia-trained geologists who helped find mines around the globe.

Although based in Halifax, he had worked in Africa for decades.

"He was very passionate about the work that he was doing there," Acadia University professor Sandra Barr said in an email late Wednesday.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Sherbrooke, Que., Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called Woodman's killing a "terrible crime."

"Canada is absolutely committed to working with the authorities in Burkina Faso to bring those responsible to justice. And I think our first thought today is with his family, with his friends who have received some really dreadful news."

Badoum said no group had taken responsibility for the kidnapping.

The security ministry said Woodman's body was found alone 100 kilometres from the site where he worked for Progress Minerals.

Woodman was kidnapped Tuesday night during a raid on a mining site in Tiabongou, about 20 kilometres from Mansila in Yagha province.

The prefect of the rural commune of Sebba in that province, Felix Ouedraogo, said the body of a white man riddled with bullets was transferred to a hospital in Dori by defence and security services.

Burkina Faso's minister of foreign affairs, Alpha Barry, said the government "condemns with the utmost energy this cowardly assassination" and will do what it can to find and punish the killers.

In a statement, Progress Minerals said it was "heartbroken" by the loss.

"Kirk was an incredibly accomplished and highly respected geologist with a career spanning over 30 years, with 20 years spent in West Africa. More importantly, Kirk was a kind person, a dedicated father and husband and considered a friend by all who knew him," said CEO Adam Spencer.

Werner Claessens, a geologist who worked with Woodman in Burkina Faso, said his friend had a deep concern for the people who lived in poor communities near where the mines operated.

He said in the days before the kidnapping Woodman had participated in exploratory drilling for rock samples, including an additional well that was used to create a water well for a small community.

"It was a gift for the village. These communities often don't have access to water," Claessens said.

"You have on the one hand these criminal acts, and on the other this social initiative. Life can be hard," he said.

Duncan said he worked with Woodman on projects in Nova Scotia and overseas for more than four decades.

The pair worked for Etruscan Resources of Halifax on some of the first gold mines in Niger and then Burkina Faso  as part of a close-knit group of Canadian geologists who were pioneering the development of mines in western Africa.

After Duncan left in 2005, Woodman stayed on at Etruscan and firms that purchased its properties as their original discoveries were developed into operating gold properties.

"We were the up front guys, the go-in-first guys to see if there was anything there worthwhile," said Duncan, recalling how they worked together on the Youga gold mine in Burkina Faso in the early 2000s.

He said working as an exploration geologist in western Africa always had its dangers, ranging from the risk of traffic accidents to contracting diseases such as malaria, but Duncan said in recent years the risk increased with the rise of Islamic militancy.

"It's a terrible thing, a terrible thing. We understood since the Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler was kidnapped in Niger that part of the world had changed ... with the introduction of Islamic fundamentalists into that part of the world," he said.

"It's gotten to be a much harder place... We were never worried about being kidnapped. Today, it's a different world."

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said many Haligonians knew and admired Woodman.

"The criminal death of Kirk Woodman in Burkina Faso is a tragedy beyond words," he said in a tweet.

The news comes soon after a 34-year-old Quebec tourist and her travelling companion were reported missing in the west African nation.

Sherbrooke native Edith Blais and her Italian friend Luca Tacchetto were travelling by car in southwestern Burkina Faso when all communication with their families abruptly ended Dec. 15.

A statement by Security Minister Clement Sawadogo referred to the disappearance of Blais and Tacchetto as a kidnapping.

West Africa's Sahel region has seen a number of abductions of foreigners in recent years by extremists linked to al-Qaida or the Islamic State organization.

Burkina Faso recently declared a state of emergency in the region as attacks by Islamic extremists increased, especially along the border with Niger and Mali.

Sawadogo said foreigners should use extreme caution when travelling in dangerous areas of the country.

 With files from Keith Doucette, Aly Thomson and The Associated PressSHERBROOKE, Que. - Newly appointed Justice Minister David Lametti says he's interested in hearing proposals aimed at ensuring grievously ill Canadians aren't forced to end their lives prematurely rather than risk losing the mental capacity required to receive medical assistance to die.

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David Lametti is sworn in as Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada at a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

SHERBROOKE, Que. - Newly appointed Justice Minister David Lametti says he's interested in hearing proposals aimed at ensuring grievously ill Canadians aren't forced to end their lives prematurely rather than risk losing the mental capacity required to receive medical assistance to die.

Lametti, who was named to the Justice portfolio on Monday, won't promise to change Canada's two-and-a-half-year-old law on assisted dying.

But he's open to hearing what Dying with Dignity Canada suggests so other Canadians won't suffer the same fate as Audrey Parker.

Parker is the Halifax woman who last fall made a very public plea for changes to the law.

Parker had terminal breast cancer. She been assessed and approved for a medically assisted death, having given her consent and met all the other requirements spelled out in the law.

However, because the cancer had spread to her brain, she feared she could lose the ability to give her consent again immediately prior to receiving the service, as required by the law. Consequently, she ended her life, with medical help, sooner than she wanted.

Shanaaz Gokool, president of Dying with Dignity Canada, has said there are many other Canadians in the same position as Parker. Some cut out pain medication to avoid losing mental capacity; others wait too long and wind up being denied assisted death, even though they'd previously qualified.

Her organization plans to start a campaign next month, pressuring the government to amend the law so that people who've been approved for assisted death can sign a declaration ensuring they'll still receive the service if they lose mental competence before it is carried out.

Gokool believes such an amendment could be done easily and quickly, before Parliament breaks in June, triggering the unofficial start of the federal election campaign.

"I'm interested," Lametti said in a brief interview outside his first cabinet meeting, when asked about Dying with Dignity's idea. "I'm interested in watching what happens and what is proposed but I won't commit the government to doing anything more than that."

Simply by not slamming the door, Lametti is taking a different stance from his predecessor at Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould. She flatly rejected Parker's plea last fall, contending that the law as it is strikes the right balance and saying the government "is not considering changing something" in it.

Lametti's appointment has raised hope among those who believe the law, which stipulates that a person's natural death must be "reasonably foreseeable," is too restrictive. The former law professor was one of just four Liberal MPs who voted against it in 2016, arguing that it could be unconstitutional.

Lametti said the law, which must be reviewed after five years, was intended to be "the beginning of a dialogue" on the issue, including between the government and the courts.

"We're watching the court cases, we're watching what other people say, we're watching the impact on the ground, as I think any good government does, but in particular for this piece of legislation because that's what we promised we would do when we passed it," he said. "We saw it very much as a process."

The law is currently facing two constitutional challenges, one in Quebec and the other in British Columbia, from Canadians with degenerative diseases who contend the foreseeable-death requirement unfairly excludes them.

Asked if he'd consider referring the law directly to the Supreme Court of Canada, so that sick people won't have to spend years challenging the law in a series of courts cases and appeals, Lametti said the decision was made when the bill was introduced to not seek the top court's advice.

"I think it's still too early to do that," he added.SHERBROOKE, Que. - Finance Minister Bill Morneau painted a rosy picture of Canada's economic future Wednesday, despite diplomatic and political upheavals around the world that could disrupt global trade and impede growth just as this country prepares to head to the polls in October.

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Finance Minister Bill Morneau jokes with Infrastructure and Communities Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne as he arrives for a cabinet meeting in Sherbrooke, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

SHERBROOKE, Que. - Finance Minister Bill Morneau painted a rosy picture of Canada's economic future Wednesday, despite diplomatic and political upheavals around the world that could disrupt global trade and impede growth just as this country prepares to head to the polls in October.

Morneau's upbeat assessment came as he arrived for the start of a three-day cabinet retreat  the first meeting of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet since he conducted a small shuffle earlier this week.

The retreat is taking place against a backdrop of chaos engulfing the British government as it tries to extricate the United Kingdom from the European Union and escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and China.

"We're watching closely what's going on in the United Kingdom. It's obviously an enormous challenge for the Conservative government there," Morneau said.

"We don't see this as something that's directly problematic for the Canadian economy, but obviously it's something that's difficult for the global economy."

Canada, which has a free trade deal with the EU, will work to continue a "very strong trading relationship" with the U.K. when  or if  it exits the European Union, he added.

With respect to the Chinese economic powerhouse, Morneau acknowledged that Canadians are increasingly reluctant to pursue business and trade opportunities in China since that country detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on national security grounds and sentenced to death another Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, who was convicted of drug trafficking.

Those developments have come in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest last month of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, at the behest of the Americans who want her extradited to face fraud charges related to American sanctions on Iran. President Donald Trump has lent credence to China's contention that the arrest was politically motivated, part of a larger U.S.-China trade war.

"Obviously, we're in a difficult diplomatic moment," Morneau said.

"Our ongoing goal, of course, is to have long-term economic relationships around the world that ensure that people can have good jobs here in Canada."

Canada has also felt economic impact from its diplomatic dispute with Saudi Arabia, triggered when Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a tweet demanding the immediate release of human rights activists, including Samar Badawi, the sister of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi.

The desert kingdom retaliated by kicking out Canada's envoy, demanding all Saudi students in Canada return home, suspending flights to Canada and barring new trade agreements.

On Wednesday, Trudeau met privately with Raif Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, who asked him to grant her husband Canadian citizenship, apparently hoping that might help secure his release from a Saudi prison.

But some experts fear Canada's decision last week to accept runaway Saudi teenager Rahaf al-Qunun as a refugee will only further enrage the Saudis and cause more negative repercussions.

Morneau acknowledged "there are certainly headwinds with global trade tensions." But he shrugged off predictions that the world may be teetering on the edge of another global recession.

The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development are all forecasting "positive global growth expectations," he said. And in Canada, private sector economists "are all looking toward a period of sustained growth."

"So we're not actually looking right now with any expectation of difficult times."

Morneau said the government always needs to be "worried about being resilient in the face of potential challenges." But with the strongest jobs numbers in four decades, he said Canada is well positioned on that score.

Ministers got a briefing about some of the world trouble spots Wednesday evening from six of Canada's envoys, including Janice Charette, the high commissioner to the U.K.; John McCallum, ambassador to China, and David MacNaughton, ambassador to the U.S.

On Brexit, Charette said Canada wants to see a strong U.K., a strong E.U. "and a strong and constructive relationship between the two parties." Both sides will have to show "flexibility and patience" to reach an agreement for an orderly British exit from the E.U., she said.

However, should the U.K. leave the European Union with no agreement, she said discussions have already begun with British authorities about how to achieve a "seamless transition" in which Canadian businesses continue to receive preferential access to the British market.

While Brexit and China are the crises du jour that threaten economic stability, MacNaughton drew attention to an ongoing trade irritant with the United States: punishing tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel which have remained in place despite Canada, the U.S. and Mexico reaching a deal on a new North American free trade deal.

MacNaughton said he continues to remind American officials, legislators and business leaders at every opportunity that the tariffs are "illegal" and "unjustified" and that the Trump administration's justification for the tariffs on national security grounds is "absurd."OTTAWA - Canada's arrest of a senior Huawei executive was the "backstabbing" of a friend, Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye said Thursday, and he warned of repercussions if the federal government bars her telecom company from building a Canadian 5G network.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks with the media during a news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday December 12, 2018. China rebuffed the latest broadside from Canada over its detention of Canadian citizens, rejecting the assertion that China's behaviour poses a threat to all nations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Canada's arrest of a senior Huawei executive was the "backstabbing" of a friend, Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye said Thursday, and he warned of repercussions if the federal government bars her telecom company from building a Canadian 5G network.

"In China, we have a saying that a good friend would die for his friend with a shield from ... knife attacks of another friend," said Lu, speaking through an interpreter in a wide-ranging press conference with Canadian journalists at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa.

"But in this case we feel that it is completely the opposite  it's considered as backstabbing."

Lu also called Canada's arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou "politically motivated."

The Chinese envoy made the comments in his first media event since the RCMP arrested Meng in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, plunging Canada-China relations to a new low.

In the days that followed Meng's arrest, China detained Michael Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, on vague allegations of "engaging in activities that endanger the national security."

Western analysts believe their arrests are an attempt by Beijing to pressure Canada to release Meng, whose company has been accused of being an agent of Chinese intelligence.

Lu said he hopes Canada does not follow three of its Five Eyes intelligence-sharing allies  the U.S., Australia and New Zealand  in banning Huawei from building a 5G network in their countries. The Trudeau government still hasn't decided whether it will ban Huawei or not.

"If the Canadian government bans Huawei from the 5G network ... then as to what kind of repercussions there will be I am not sure," he said. "But I believe there will be repercussions."

Chinese Ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye meets with media at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ottawa on Thursday, January 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Lu said economic relations between the two counties can be repaired and the current impasse could be resolved through negotiations, but he defended the arrests of the two Canadians in China and criticized Canada's arrest of Meng. He said she has never broken any Canadian laws.

He also warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to back off from his efforts to recruit additional international support in Canada's feud with China.

Lu said it would be a bad idea for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland to follow through on her plan to use next week's World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland to press that case.

"If Canada has the sincerity of resolving these issues, then Canada will not do such things. We hope Canada thinks twice before making any actions," said Lu. "China will not be isolated in the international community and will not waver in our position simply because of the objection of another country."

He added that the international community is not simply composed of a few Western countries  and insisted China has a lot of friends across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

China also sentenced another Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, to death on Monday in a sudden retrial of his drug-smuggling case. He was originally sentenced in 2016 to a 15-year term, but the court delivered the new sentence after reconsidering his case.

Freeland, who has called Schellenberg's death sentence "inhumane," was asked later Thursday whether Canada would heed Lu's advice and refrain from courting more international support in Davos.

"We will continue to work hard for these three Canadians and we will continue to make very clear that the arbitrary detentions of Mr. Kovrig and of Mr. Spavor are wrong and that ... (they) should be released immediately," she said at a cabinet retreat in Sherbrooke, Que.

"That is something that Canada has been saying for some time and we're going to continue to work hard on this case."

John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to Beijing, has said that Spavor and Kovrig are being interrogated by authorities for up to four hours a day.

McCallum is scheduled to appear before an all-party parliamentary committee for an hour Friday morning to field questions from MPs about the situation. The meeting will take place behind closed doors.

Lu also said he has had phone conversations with Freeland, but he suggested Trudeau himself has been reluctant to speak personally with the Chinese government.

"We need to use bilateral channels," he said. "We should restrain ourselves from resorting to microphone diplomacy."

But the heated rhetoric continued as a former Liberal justice minister accused China of using "hostage diplomacy" against the three Canadians.

Irwin Cotler, the founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, took China to task for characterizing Canada's arrest of Meng as "vile, unconscionable and evil."

"These words define and describe China's hostage diplomacy ever since  including its detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and the arbitrarily cruel death sentence of Robert Schellenberg," Cotler said in an email to The Canadian Press.

Other Canadians have felt the heat from the Canada-China dispute as well.

Last week, Montrealer Ti-Anna Wang arrived in southern China where her father, Wang Bingzhang  considered the father of China's ill-fated international pro-democracy movement  has been jailed since Chinese agents snatched him in Vietnam in 2002 and hauled him back to the People's Republic. Despite having been granted a visa for the trip, Wang wasn't allowed into the country. She and her baby daughter were turned back to South Korea.

On Wednesday, as she and her family were changing flights in Beijing on their return trip to Canada, Wang said half a dozen Chinese agents boarded her flight, took her and her daughter into custody again, and separated them from her husband.

Two hours later they were forced onto a different flight and sent back to South Korea once more. Wang's family have had to rebook their travel back to Montreal on a new flight from South Korea that takes them through the United States.

"It was a shocking, terrifying and senseless ordeal with no purpose but to bully, punish and intimidate me and my family," Wang said in an email from South Korea.VANCOUVER - Family members of a 12-year-old British Columbia girl murdered in 1978 cried, hugged and thanked jurors who found a man guilty of first-degree murder Thursday.

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VANCOUVER - Family members of a 12-year-old British Columbia girl murdered in 1978 cried, hugged and thanked jurors who found a man guilty of first-degree murder Thursday.

Garry Handlen, 71, told undercover police during a sting in Minden, Ont., that he abducted Monica Jack while she was riding her bike, sexually assaulted and strangled her, but his defence team said the confession was coerced.

A photo of Garry Taylor Handlen is displayed during a news conference in Surrey, B.C., on December 1, 2014. The man accused of killing a 12-year-old British Columbia girl more than 40 years ago has been found guilty of first-degree murder. A B.C. Supreme Court jury began deliberating the fate of Garry Handlen on Tuesday after an 11-week trial. Twelve-year-old Monica Jack disappeared in May 1978 while riding her bike along a highway in Merritt, B.C., and her remains were found 17 years later. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

As sheriffs led him out of B.C. Supreme Court, Handlen turned to face a woman who yelled: "And that goes for ... trying to kill me!"

The woman, whose name is under a publication ban following a trial in 1979 where Handlen was convicted of sexually assaulting her, wept too as she supported Jack's family.

Jack's mother, Madeline Lanaro, said she would not immediately comment on the verdict. The family will return to court for a sentencing hearing on Jan. 28 and provide victim impact statements.

Jurors began deliberating Handlen's fate on Tuesday after an 11-week trial that heard tearful testimony from Lanaro, who last saw her daughter riding her new bike on May 6, 1978.

The trial heard Handlen confessed during a so-called Mr. Big operation, saying he'd grabbed Jack from a highway pullout in Merritt.

A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

In a hidden-camera video shown in court, Handlen told the crime boss of the fictitious Mr. Big operation that he grabbed Jack, threw her bike in a lake, forced the girl into the bathroom of his camper and drove up a rough hill where he killed her.

Jack's skull and some bones were found in the area 17 years later.

Her mother told the trial she was driving her old Mustang home with her other children when she saw her daughter on the highway and that the girl waved at them.

"I honked and the kids yelled out, 'Do you want a ride? And she said 'No.' "

The woman who Handlen sexually assaulted said outside court that police called her in December 2014 to say he'd been charged with the first-degree murder of Jack.

"Then everything came back," she said. "The last four years have been hell, very difficult. I haven't been able to hold down a job."

Handlen was arrested and charged after a nine-month undercover operation involving a fictitious crime group that hired Handlen to do legal and illegal jobs such as loan sharking, the trial heard.

Handlen was paid almost $12,000 by the gang that promised him a middle-management job as he was gaining favour with the boss, who told him in the video that police had DNA linking him to Jack's murder but the crime could be pinned on someone else if he provided enough details.

"The bottom line is, they got people that saw you and they got your DNA. That's not good, Garry," the crime boss tells him in a hotel room, in video shown to the jury.

Handlen was also told he would have to travel to British Columbia's Interior with other members of the group to point out the spot where he said he'd abducted Jack so an ailing man taking the fall for him would have that information.

Handlen told the supposed crime boss that he picked up an Indigenous girl and sexually assaulted her, then repeated at least half a dozen separate times that he strangled her before tossing her body behind a log and leaving the area.

"It's a weight off my shoulder now, I've told you. So I'm not the only one that knows now," he tells the crime boss in the video.

The boss tells him he could continue working for the group to repay the debt.

"I'm indebted for life now," Handlen says, before repeatedly thanking him.

Handlen's defence lawyers told the jury their client was set up by the RCMP with inducements that had him believing he'd get his dream of a new truck and continue being part of a group he called a band of brothers.

However, the Crown said Handlen had no motivation to confess to a crime he didn't commit and felt relief at having unburdened himself from a secret he'd carried for 36 years.

Outside court, Crown spokeswoman Alisha Adams praised the three prosecutors who worked on the case for four years, adding they showed great perseverance through a difficult case.

 Follow @CamilleBains1 on Twitter.HALIFAX - The high-profile case of a British sailor accused in an alleged gang rape at a Halifax-area military base has been adjourned until Friday.

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Darren Smalley, left, a British sailor charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm, heads from Supreme Court in Halifax on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. The high-profile case of a British sailor accused in a gang rape at a Halifax-area military base has been adjourned until Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - The high-profile case of a British sailor accused in an alleged gang rape at a Halifax-area military base has been adjourned until Friday.

Justice Patrick Duncan was scheduled to deliver his verdict in Darren Smalley's case Thursday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, but he set the matter over until Friday to accommodate "court scheduling issues."

"I thank you for making the adjustments to accommodate us," Duncan told Crown and defence lawyers. "I apologize for any inconvenience to you, and to you Mr. Smalley, as well. I understand the pressures that exist in the circumstances."

Smalley is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and participating in a sexual assault involving one or more people in barracks at 12 Wing Shearwater on April 10, 2015.

The complainant testified at his trial last fall that she went to sleep next to a sailor, and later awoke face down and naked as at least three men sexually assaulted her.

Smalley was part of a Royal Navy hockey team that was in Halifax to compete in a tournament.

He was one of four British sailors originally charged.

Charges against Simon Radford were stayed early during the trial because he was being treated in hospital for an infection.

The Crown has said it will make a decision on whether to reinstitute the charges against Radford before the expiry of the stay of proceedings this October, and the verdict in Smalley's case may impact that decision.

Charges against the other two men, Craig Stoner and Joshua Finbow, were dropped.

Several days into a preliminary inquiry in April 2016, charges were dropped against Stoner, while charges against Finbow were withdrawn in December 2017.

The Crown said the prospect of convicting Finbow became unrealistic after Duncan deemed his police statement inadmissible at trial.

Smalley did not testify at the judge-only trial.

Follow (at)AlyThomson on Twitter.OTTAWA - "We are extremely concerned as should be all countries around the world that China is choosing to act arbitrarily whether it is in application of its own justice system to its own citizens and people around the world or whether it's in its choice to not respect long-standing practices and principles in regard to diplomatic immunity."  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Jan. 14, 2019)

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In this file image made from a video taken on March 28, 2018, Michael Kovrig, an adviser with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based non-governmental organization, speaks during an interview in Hong Kong.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

OTTAWA - "We are extremely concerned as should be all countries around the world that China is choosing to act arbitrarily whether it is in application of its own justice system to its own citizens and people around the world or whether it's in its choice to not respect long-standing practices and principles in regard to diplomatic immunity."  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Jan. 14, 2019)

****

It is the oldest rule in global relations: Don't jail another country's diplomats.

But when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused China of "not respecting long-standing practices and principles" about diplomatic immunity over its decision to detain Michael Kovrig  a diplomat on leave from Global Affairs Canada  the Chinese accused Trudeau of being ignorant about the international convention.

Who is right?

Spoiler alert: The Canadian Press Baloney Meter is a dispassionate examination of political statements culminating in a ranking of accuracy on a scale of "no baloney" to "full of baloney" (complete methodology below).

This one earns a rating of "some baloney," because there is truth to Trudeau's statement  but there are more details needed. Here's why.

The facts

On Dec. 10, Chinese authorities arrested Kovrig on suspicions of "endangering national security," but have not provided any further details. The arrest came just over a week after Canadian officials arrested Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou after an extradition request from the United States  an arrest that has angered China.

Kovrig is an employee of Global Affairs Canada, but was in China working for the International Crisis Group during a leave of absence from the department. He worked as a Canadian diplomat in China between 2014 and 2016.

A spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry said on Jan. 14 that Kovrig used "an ordinary passport and a business visa" to visit China, according to an English transcript on the ministry's website.

"He doesn't enjoy immunity in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and international law," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

The Vienna Convention is an international agreement that outlines how a host government is to treat diplomats and foreign envoys. Global Affairs Canada's website says the convention protects diplomats and their families from "any form of arrest or detention" and only allows a diplomat to be expelled "in the absence of a waiver of immunity."

The point is to prevent a country from using its justice system in retaliation for any issue.

The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday the Chinese had asked Kovrig questions about his activities while a diplomat.

The experts

The full thrust of diplomatic immunity only covers the time foreign officers are registered and recognized by host countries, said Gilles Rivard, head of the Retired Heads of Mission Association. Someone on leave from the department, which Kovrig is, wouldn't be eligible, said Rivard, a former ambassador and senior foreign affairs official.

"You cannot work for an organization and be covered at the same time, unless you have a very special status that I've never seen before," he said.

Immunity also covers actions even after a diplomat leaves their posting, meaning current and former diplomats can't be investigated for any activities they undertook while they were a diplomat, said Janice Stein, a professor and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. An ex-diplomat can be deported for their past actions as a diplomat, she said, but not put in jail.

Section 39 of the Vienna Convention prohibits a diplomat from being questioned about or held for something they did while a diplomat even after their posting comes to a close, said Gar Pardy, a former head of consular affairs. That means the Chinese can't question Kovrig about what he did when was a diplomat, Pardy said.

"He had immunity and they cannot question him about his duties," Pardy said.

Immunity is only withdrawn in the very rare circumstance that a "sending country" agrees to a request from the host country, said Ben Rowswell, a former ambassador to Venezuela.

Unless there is additional information the Liberals have about Kovrig's diplomatic status or his case, the prime minister may be overstating the case for diplomatic immunity, said David Carment, a professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.

The verdict

Kovrig wouldn't have diplomatic immunity during his leave from Global Affairs Canada, but experts say his time as a diplomat in China would still be covered, which is why Trudeau's comments have "some baloney." Experts say the prime minister likely knows more than he's letting on, but those important details  and others from the Chinese government  are necessary to fully understand the breadth of Trudeau's allegation.

Methodology

The Baloney Meter is a project of The Canadian Press that examines the level of accuracy in statements made by politicians. Each claim is researched and assigned a rating based on the following scale:

No baloney  the statement is completely accurate

A little baloney the statement is mostly accurate but more information is required

Some baloney  the statement is partly accurate but important details are missing

A lot of baloney  the statement is mostly inaccurate but contains elements of truth

Full of baloney  the statement is completely inaccurateResearchers from Brandon University are looking for rural business leaders to tell them about their experience hiring recent immigrants to Canada.

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Researchers from Brandon University are looking for rural business leaders to tell them about their experience hiring recent immigrants to Canada.

The online survey conducted by the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University, is looking for responses from companies on why they chose to hire newcomers and insight regarding their experiences in doing so.

Mikal Akimowicz

Mikael Akimowicz, the lead researcher on the project, said 10 per cent of people living in Manitoba rural areas are newcomers to Canada and finding employment is one of the most important parts of integrating them into the community.

"Finding a job is a critical step in the integration process. Our study will highlight (the processes of hiring newcomers)."

In Alberta, 11 per cent of the rural population is made up of immigrants and in Saskatchewan, it is six per cent.

Rural areas are defined as being outside of populations centres greater than 100,000 people.

According to Economic Development Brandon, the city took in 7,493 new immigrants between 2007 and 2017. The 2016 census found that a total of 227,465 immigrants live in Manitoba.

The study is specifically looking for input from small- and medium-sized businesses with one to 499 employees, as they are more common in rural areas.

Sherine Salmon, a researcher working on the project, said there has been lots of research done on employees motivations for working in rural areas, but little from businesses on why they hire in the first place. She said they plan to look at how economic benefits of hiring and social values play into the process.

Hiring newcomers could also be a solution to help small towns with declining and aging populations, she said. Along with aiding in these challenges, newcomers pose their own, often requiring assistance in finding a job and a place to live.

"Newcomers can revitalize rural communities by bringing new ideas (and) new perspectives," Salmon said. "There is the potential for economic growth and that is at the condition of course that there is access to the job market and finding jobs."

Akimowicz said from talking to rural business owners they have found that many are eager to recruit new workers, but it can be difficult to match new immigrants skills with job requirements. It is also sometimes difficult for immigrants to find relevant information about resources they can use to find employment.

The results of the survey will be shared with the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations and other settlement organization in the province.

Akimowicz said they have received approximately 100 responses to date, and that the more responses to the online survey the better, as it will produce more reliable information by the time the study closes on Jan. 31.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_Chief Murray Clearsky of Waywayseecappo First Nation doesnt think the recent federal cabinet shuffle will have an impact on Manitoba First Nations relationship with the federal government.

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Chief Murray Clearsky of Waywayseecappo First Nation doesnt think the recent federal cabinet shuffle will have an impact on Manitoba First Nations relationship with the federal government.

Jody Wilson-Raybould, the former minister of justice, was the first Indigenous woman to hold the position, which was seen as a step toward reconciliation and giving Indigenous legal issues greater priority. On Monday, however, she assumed the role of minister of Veterans Affairs in a pre-election cabinet shuffle Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Waywayseecappo Chief Murray Clearsky. (File)

Clearsky said he believes Wilson-Raybould was under pressure because of the recent arrests of Indigenous protesters in British Columbia, her home province.

In a statement posted on her website, Wilson-Raybould said one of her main motivations for first seeking office was to work on reconciliation. She said she will continue to work on shifting the government toward more constructive relationships with Indigenous peoples in Canada, but there is still much work to be done.

Jennifer Bone, chief of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, declined to comment on the story. Michael McKay, chief of the Rolling River First Nation, also did not respond to a request for comment.

The new justice minister, Montreal MP David Lametti, is not Indigenous, but Clearsky said this wont have an impact on his relationship with Canadas First Nations.

The shuffle had other impacts on Indigenous issues at a federal level as well. Jane Philpott, previously minister of Indigenous services, was moved to president of the Treasury Board.

Clearsky said he believes Philpott will be a "great asset" to Treasury Board.

"When we request funding it comes from Treasury board  she was well liked by a lot of First Nations. She got to understand our way of life. Its a completely different world off reserve (than it is) on reserve."

Clearsky said he is most concerned with legislation to get Indigenous organizations to care for Indigenous children who would otherwise be taken into care by Manitoba Child and Family Services.

This sentiment was echoed in a press release by Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Association of Manitoba Chiefs, who called on the new minister of Indigenous services to make it a priority.

"It is my hope thatminister Seamus OReganwill honour that relationship by pushing forward on our various initiatives, particularly regarding child and family Manitoba-specific federal legislation," he said.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_Submit your letter to the editor for publication in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Letters should be no more than 300 words and must include the writer's first and last name (no initials), home address and daytime phone number.

SubmitThe sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.

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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Doctors Pumped 5 L Of Alcohol To Save The Patient Pulse oi-Syeda Farah Noor

Have you ever imagined that injecting alcohol can save the life of an individual? Well, this is a real case of a man being saved after he was injected with 15 cans of beer!

Apparently, the medics had to transfuse five litres of beer into the man's stomach to prevent him from dying of alcohol poisoning.

Check out the details about this bizarre case of how this man was saved with 5 litres of alcohol...

The Incident Happened In Vietnam According to the reports, the incident happened in Vietnam, and the man was treated at a General Hospital in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Tri. The doctors administered 15 cans of beer to the 48-year-old man to save his life! Most Read: This Model Got 25 Surgeries Done In 9 Years & There Is No Stopping Her! The Medics Revealed A patient named Nguyen Van Nhat is a 48-year-old man who had a blood methanol level 1,119 times higher than average when he was rushed to the hospital. He was injected with 15 cans of alcohol to save his life. The Reason Why Doctors Used 15 Cans Of Alcohol According to the doctors, alcohol contains ethanol and methanol. When it is consumed by the human, the liver breaks down the ethanol first. Since the patient's methanol level was constantly rising, the medics had to give him more beer to slow down the liver's processing of methanol. Most Read: 50 Live Maggots Were Removed From A Pensioner's Face The Mans State Apparently, the man had become unconscious when the methanol in his body had oxidised to formaldehyde, and as a result, it turned into formic acid. With this bizarre treatment on, the man was discharged from the hospital 3 weeks later! Most Read: WTF! A 3-Foot-Long Phone Charging Cable Was Removed From A Man's Penis What do you think of this case? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Story first published: Thursday, January 17, 2019, 17:45 [IST]VANCLEAVE, Mississippi -- Four suspects are in custody, charged with a total of eight counts of residential and commercial burglary.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said deputies from the George County Sheriff's Department took brothers Mike Bennett and Mark Bennett, both 58, into custody Wednesday.

The two Bennetts are each charged with two counts of residential burglary and two counts of commercial burglary. Ezell said the crimes occurred on Oct. 26, 2018 and Jan. 7 of this year, both involving the same victim. The stolen items have been recovered.

Total bond for each of the two men was set at $150,000.

In addition, two women have been charged with the same crimes. Larissa Boyce, 36, and Janet Goff, both of Vancleave, have also been taken into custody, with the same $150,000 bond set for each. Goff is additionally charged with uttering forgery for cashing the victim's checks at a Vancleave bank.

Additional charges could be forthcoming. Ezell said 13 more burglaries in the Vancleave community since Dec. 1 are still under investigation, including auto, commercial and residential burglaries.

Anyone with information on these crimes is asked to call the Jackson County Sheriff's Office at 228-769-3063 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.SIGN UP TO GET BLACKLISTED NEWS DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Enter your email address:



When you study the world's most iconic work from recent times, you see patterns that may give you a direction of where everything is headed - at least in the short term. However, the world is extremely complex currently, and nothing is clearly defined, especially in the long term...Cybersecurity threats will keep getting worse in 2019.

Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN

The year 2018 not only (yet again) shocked the world by highlighting systemic cybersecurity issues. Multiple governments adopted new rules and laws, which are making a global impact now and will echo for years to come,



Still, 2019 can bring some hope for the future  but only if governments and corporations understand the importance of digital privacy and security.

Identity theft, phishing scams, and personal data loss will hit a new high

From Facebook and Google to Quora and Marriott, last years data breaches have affected more than one billion people around the globe. Add that to the existing pool of leaked data, and hackers will have an invaluable resource for tailoring a phishing scam or taking over your Facebook or Netflix account. Without a doubt, it will be used in 2019.



Some governments will lean towards higher data security standards

The GDPR in the EU established a new set of game rules by regulating the way corporations protect the data of their customers. It is still early to tell whether the new regulations have made a positive impact, but they have brought a shift towards more responsible use of private data.



In 2019, some non-EU countries will likely follow the example and introduce a similar set of laws for data protection as well. This year, all eyes will be on the US, where California has set a high bar by passing the Consumer Privacy Act. However, it is still unclear if other states will follow. We really hope they do!



Use of encrypted communications will face new challenges

In December 2018, Australia passed the Assistance and Access (A&A) bill, also known as anti-encryption law  all despite an uproar within the society. The bill requires tech companies to create backdoor access to the encrypted communications of their users. It would be used by law enforcement agencies to intercept and read the content of the private messages.



Despite the opposition to the law, similar ideas have been floated in multiple countries including the US. Having in mind the everlasting itch to spy on their citizens, it wouldnt be a shocking surprise if other members of the 14-eyes countries would follow this example in 2019.



Tech companies will look for new ways to win the trust of their potential customers

A lot of data has been stolen this year. Despite the companies size and significance, despite the self-proclaimed best security practices, despite the risk of being fined under the GDPR. Its no surprise that ensuring customers trust will become more critical than ever. Companies will learn (although slowly) from their mistakes and invest in penetration testing, security audits, AI, and implementing zero-trust policies to prove that they are making an effort to protect their clients.



Cloud security will become a bigger issue

As people change locations and devices, cloud computing becomes inevitable both for private users and corporations. At the same time, it becomes a bigger security problem. GoDaddy, Los Angeles 211 center, Viacom, and just recently the United Nations had their data records harvested from cloud storage. The biggest issue is still simple configuration errors and user neglect.

Its not an easy task to remember a week in 2018 without a major data leak or security breach. Passwords were leaking, new sophisticated malware attacks were spreading, data was breached, and governments around the world once again overturned privacy rules.NordVPNs digital privacy expert, Daniel Markuson says that 2019 will keep getting worse.Based on the outcomes from 2018, Markuson lists five significant trends that will shape cybersecurity and digital privacy in 2019:Nevertheless, as we can expect more leaks and breaches here, new cloud security measures and services will come out in 2019.Corinium Global Intelligence announced that it will be hosting an all-encompassing event, Customer 360 Africa 2019, that will cover all aspects of the entire customer experience journey. It has recruited a wide range of industry leaders set to share their experience and knowledge with attending delegates.

The event will bring together 45+ passionate customer-centric professionals over three days of interactive knowledge sharing. Attending delegates will be privy to over 30 case studies, six panel discussions and three keynote speakers. These sessions will cover topics such as; how does one prepare for the customer centric revolution, what does the role of CCO look like in SA, GDPR & POPIAs impact on delivering exceptional customer experience, how does one define the value of insights, unlocking the power of CX through employee engagement, the importance of Voice of the Employee, how data and AI are used to optimise customer experience, UX and the online frictionless experience and much more.Companies already participating include; MultiChoice, Hollard Insurance, African Bank, FNB Wealth & Investments, ABSA, Comair, Uber, Old Mutual, Alexander Forbes, Pepsi Co., Wesbank, King Price Insurance, Kenya Airways, AIG SA, Sasol, Ubank, Nedbank, University of the Witwatersrand, Joshua Knight, Edcon, Discovery Health, Telesure, Direct Axis, SA Taxi, Orin Hanrahan, Airports Company of South Africa, Momentum Digital, Netflorist, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Hippo.co.za.The event also features a separately bookable dinner workshop that will cover AI, IoT, Analytics, Blockchain and Cloud and the role they play in creating a human-centred customer experience. There will also be a pre-event masterclass day with two separately bookable workshops on Customer Journey Mapping and Design Thinking.This event is for everyone who is involved in the customer journey. This event will investigate ways in which organisations are currently succeeding within their entire customer experience through the presentation of actual case studies. This will provide you with a 360 degree view of your client and assist you with everything from deciding what to implement, implementation all the way through measurement. It will assist you to future proof your business in todays competitive CX battleground. For more information, please visit http://www.customer360africa.com Corinium is the worlds largest community designed to inspire and support the emerging C-Suite executives focused on Data, Analytics, Customer and Digital Innovation. We're excited by the incredible pace of innovation and disruption in todays digital landscape. Thats why we produce conferences, private events and timely content that connect you to whats next and help you to lead your company into this new paradigm. For more information, please visit: https://www.coriniumintelligence.com/ To learn more about this exciting gathering, please contactJacqui ESilvaCorinium Global IntelligenceOffice: 079 196 6300The global womens health and sexual and reproductive health rights organization steps up collaboration with India on issues relating to family planning and sexual, reproductive, and maternal health.

Traci L . Baird, President and CEO of EngenderHealtha global womens health and sexual and reproductive rights organizationmet with H.D Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister of Karnataka and Sivananda S. Patil, Health Minister of Karnataka, to discuss areas of collaboration and support intended to strengthen the State Governments priorities on family planning.

The meetings were held as part of Bairds 4-day visit to India, one of the first countries in EngenderHealths global portfolio that she has visited since joining the organization just over three months ago. Prior to visiting Karnataka, Baird met with senior officials in the Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the national capital.

The Chief Minister spoke about his governments committement to social and economic development, and thanked Baird for the support EngenderHealth was providing to the state in the area of family planning.

The Health Minister acknowledged the technical expertise EngenderHealth brought into the partnership, and greatly appreciated the support provided to enhance the capacity of the government health personnel to scale quality post-partum family planning services.

EngenderHealth supports the Government of Karnataka in the effort to strengthen family planning services in 14 hard-to-reach districts, where performance of family planning services is lower than the state average. The project, supported by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to promote a range of contraceptive methods, in particular postpartum and post-abortion family planning methods. One of the mandates of the project is to roll out the delivery of newly introduced injectable contraceptive methodAntarain public health facilities in Karnataka. In addition, the project is building capacities of the Accredited Social Health Activiststhe frontline health workers at the village levelto counsel and provide information to young couples on family planning.

Baird said At EngenderHealth, we know that sexual and reproductive health and rights are necessary for all people, particularly women and girls, to achieve gender equality and reach their full potentials. As an organization, we envision a world where all people can exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights and choices as full participants in society.

We are pleased to work with the Governments of India and Karnataka in our shared mission to improve access to reproductive health and family information and services. I am impressed and inspired by the political commitment and leadership shown by the Karnataka Governments in this endeavor and to the empowerment of women and girls.In a study published online January 15, 2019, in the journal Cell Reports, Stowers Institute for Medical Research scientists from the laboratory of Linheng Li, Ph.D., and collaborators investigated how blood cells, despite being sensitive to DNA damage, manage to repopulate blood cells after chemotherapy or injury has depleted their numbers.

New research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research has identified the backup for an important biological system - the hematopoietic system, whose adult stem cells constantly replenish the body's blood supply.

Blood-forming adult stem cells reside deep in the bone marrow and are responsible for regenerating the body's blood supply including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In a study published online January 15, 2019, in the journal Cell Reports, Stowers Institute for Medical Research scientists from the laboratory of Linheng Li, Ph.D., and collaborators investigated how these cells, despite being sensitive to DNA damage, manage to repopulate blood cells after chemotherapy or injury has depleted their numbers.

The finding provides evidence that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) consist of different functional populations of cells, including "primed" cells, which are ready at a moment's notice to be activated to produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and "reserve" cells, which come into play when there has been damage to the first-line stem cells.

"Under severe stress - radiation or chemotherapy that injures blood cells, including primed hematopoietic stem cells - that's when reserve cells kick in," says Linheng Li, Ph.D., an Investigator at the Stowers Institute and senior author of the study.

Reserve HSCs could hold the key to understanding how blood cells repopulate after severe injury depletes the bone marrow that produces blood cells. This concept may provide an insight for understanding treatment-resistant leukemia cells. The study appears online January 15, 2019, in the journal Cell Reports.

Every second, two million new blood cells are churned out by the amazing, regenerative HSCs that reside in the core of most bones. Only a fraction of these cells actively move through the cell cycle at any given time; the rest lie in an inactive or quiescent state, which was once believed to protect them from harm. However, several studies have shown that the majority of these quiescent HSCs are sensitive to DNA damage from chemotherapy.

Over a decade ago, Li suggested that a special population of HSCs that are resistant to damage might still reside in the bone marrow, hidden in some unexplored niche. In this study, Meng Zhao, Ph.D. (now a faculty member at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China), Fang Tao, Ph.D., Zhenrui Li, Ph.D. (now a fellow at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital), Aparna Venkatraman, Ph.D., and Xi C. He, M.D., undertook a series of experiments using a mouse model to prove that these cells exist.

A key experiment utilized a cell surface marker to isolate reserve and primed HSCs. The researchers transplanted reserve HSCs or primed HSCs into recipient animals. After the engraftments were established, they treated recipient mice with the chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). While the primed HSCs reflected by their derived blood cells began to decline after treatment, the reserve HSCs' derivatives were unscathed. "In effect, we showed that hematopoietic stem cells have functionally distinct subpopulations - one that acts under normal conditions, and the other that acts under times of stress," says Li.

Next, the researchers examined bone and marrow from transplanted mice, labeling the reserve cells with fluorescent tags and studying them microscopically to pinpoint their location in the bone marrow. With Sarah Smith, Ph.D., from the Stowers Microscopy Center, they spotted the fluorescently labeled cells lurking in a specialized niche along the inside surface of the bone, adjacent to a population of cells known as N-cadherin+ bone-lining cells, which was reported by the Li team in 2003 as the first niche identified to support HSCs. In the current study, Tao and colleagues found that these N-cadherin+ bone-lining cells are mesenchymal or skeletal stem cells with the potential to produce bone, cartilage, and fat. Therefore, N-cadherin may be used as a marker to isolate skeletal stem cells and may have potential uses in bone and cartilage regenerative medicine.

These N-cadherin+ bone-lining cells appear to protect the reserve cells from injury by feeding them survival factors like the aptly named stem cell factor and others. When the researchers depleted these support cells, the reserve cells were no longer able to survive chemotherapy treatment.

"Interestingly, we found that N-cadherin+ cells lining the bone are also resistant to chemotherapy, while stromal cells in the central marrow are sensitive to chemotherapy, which allows N-cadherin+ cells to better support the reserve stem cells," said Tao, who, along with Zhao, is co-first author on the study.

Other coauthors include Jay Unruh, Ph.D., Shiyuan Chen, Christina Ward, Pengxu Qian, Ph.D., John M. Perry, Ph.D., Heather Marshall, Ph.D., and Jinxi Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

The work was supported by funding from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research to L.L. and a grant to the University of Kansas Cancer Center from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number P30CA168524. Additional support included National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0103403, 2018YFA0107203) to M.Z.; Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India overseas associateship to A.V.; and the National Institutes of Health award numbers R01AR059088 and R01DE018713 to J.W.

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.Its a fundamental, common sense rule of journalism: Hard news reporters dont cover their friends. Its just too difficult to be loyal to the truth when the truth makes a friend look like a jerk, or a crook. The same rule holds for commentators. Can they really give thoughtful, unfiltered opinions about a friend who, to use one easy example, is President of the United States? No, they cant. So anything hyped as an exclusive interview involving Donald Trump and Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Judge Jeanine Pirro or the entire staff of Fox & Friends, isnt really an interview. Its more like a make-out session. Unlike hard news journalists, commentators have more leeway; they are, of course, entitled to their opinions. But being in the opinion business doesnt give a commentator license to morph into a PR man or woman on behalf of a friend, especially when the friend sits in the Oval Office. Youd think the people who run a business like the Fox News Channel would know this. If they do, they dont care. Liberals, Im sure, would cheer every word you just read. But theres another fundamental, common sense rule of journalism that the Left either doesnt grasp or doesnt care to grasp: Just as people in the news business cant cover someone theyve fallen head over heels for  neither can they fairly cover someone they viscerally detest. Lets start with an easy target, the poster boy for biased journalism, Jim Acosta, CNNs senior White House correspondent. In that capacity, hes a hard news reporter whos supposed to keep his opinions to himself. But its obvious that Acosta is incapable of doing that. He loathes the president and hes determined to make a name for himself by showing anyone watching how much he loathes the man who calls CNN fake news.



So before the presidents recent immigration speech from the Oval Office, Acosta asked Mr. Trumps senior advisor, Kellyanne Conway, on camera, this loaded question: Can you promise that the president will tell the truth tonight? Will he tell the truth? And after the speech Acosta was just as snarky, telling the CNN audience: I think that address probably should have come with a surgeon generals warning  it was hazardous to the truth. Its a safe bet that Acosta came up with that line before the president ever opened his mouth. You do that when youre in the smart-ass business. Would Acosta ask President Obamas press secretary if Mr. Obama was going to tell the truth in an upcoming speech  even after Mr. Obama told a whopper to the American people, promising lower insurance premiums and guaranteeing we could keep our doctors and our health care plans under his ironically-named Affordable Care Act? I dont think so, either. Let me detour for a brief personal note. In 1996, when as a CBS News correspondent I had had enough of liberal bias at CBS and at other mainstream news organizations, I took on my colleagues in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Who at CNN, I wonder, is going to take on Jim Acosta? Whos going to tell CNN chief Jeff Zucker that what Acosta does isnt tough journalism; it isnt even analysis. Its nothing more than Trump bashing commentary masquerading as straight news reporting (which, by the way, is just what Jeff Zucker, who is desperate to boost his networks pathetic ratings, wants). CNN, of course, isnt alone. We have the New York Times, a once proud newspaper that now, on a daily basis, shows us how hatred for the president motivates their journalism. Take the page one News Analysis piece by Peter Baker. So it has come to this, he writes in the lead paragraph. The president of the United States was asked over the weekend whether he is a Russian agent. And he refused to directly answer. Theres no mistaking the implication in that last sentence  that maybe, just maybe, the president really is a Russian mole. But the next paragraph explains that Mr. Trump found the question too insulting for any kind of direct answer. So why would a page one editor allow such a toxic line to get into the supposed newspaper of record? Because, starting at the top, a large percentage of the men and women at the Times just plain cant stand the president, thats why! Hes not sophisticated. Hes crude. Hes not well read. Hes not one of them! Just one day later, another Times front-page story puts the president once again in the crosshairs. Heres the headline: At Inauguration, Spending Money At A Record Pace. And the sub headline: $10,000 Just on Makeup.



This scoop appeared on page one two years after the inauguration. And who cares how much they spent on makeup? Its as if the Times has a quota: Every day on page one there has to be at least one and preferably two or three stories that bash the president that the newspaper of record finds unfit for office. And then there are the opinion pages of the Times where the wise men and women reside, the gods who on a daily basis tell us that American democracy is on life support because of a president who they believe must be impeached for the sake of the country. They constantly tell us how uncivil he is, how his name-calling lacks dignity. Fair enough. But then they go and run a Paul Krugman column under the headline, Donald Trump And His Team of Morons. Morons? I thought the Times was against incivility and name-calling, that such behavior offended the sensibilities of decent people. In 2016, the same Paul Krugman wrote in the Times that thanks to Trumps election,   we are very probably looking at a global recession, with no end in sight. So whos the moron here? The people who run the New York Times have been in a funk ever since the impossible happened on Election Night. Relentlessly going after the president on page one and on their opinion pages is a way to show their liberal customers how sorry they are. Mea culpa, fellow Trump-hating progressives. We screwed up by allowing this idiot to become president; we didnt grasp the anger, frustration and hatred of his many deplorable voters. But we will redeem ourselves. We will attack him relentlessly in every section of the newspaper until he leaves office, voluntarily, or better yet, involuntarily. There ought to be a sign in big bold letters at the door of every newsroom in America: You cant report on or give honest opinions about the friends you love  or the enemies you hate. We wont let you do that here in this newsroom. Its unprofessional. And there ought to be another sign in big bold letters on the entrance to the Oval Office: Mr. President, please stop handing out ammunition to journalists who hate you  and stop doing interviews with TV sycophants who love you. Its humiliating  to them and to you.The conservative group Media Research Center has released its annual analysis of the three nightly network news programs. MRC says that coverage of President Trump on those three broadcasts was 90 percent negative for the year 2018. Paging Claude Rains? Im shocked, shocked, gambling is going on at Ricks Cafe! Alert Americans know that the media fix was in from the beginning. Donald Trump, who the national media believes is a vulgarian, was never supposed to be president. And after he was elected, the press took the voters' repudiation of their liberal political views personally. The President, himself, did nothing to court the media, which always wants its collective butt kissed. Quite the opposite. Using Twitter as a six-gun, Mr. Trump fires away at the press, branding many outlets fake news. Now its vendetta time. So with another presidential election less than two years away, the national media has pretty much partnered up with the Democrats to get Trump out. I mean the Dems could run El Chapo and MSNBC would endorse him. Never before in American history has there been an alliance like this - powerful media corporations operating in concert with a political party to accomplish an electoral goal. All Americans should be concerned - even those who despise the President. Lets take the massive Comcast corporation, for example. It owns the National Broadcasting Company, NBC. On its roster is NBC News which runs The Today Show, The NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, and CNBC. All of those vehicles are skeptical of Donald Trump, and one of them, MSNBC, is in business to destroy him. Comcast also owns Saturday Night Live, a program that marginalizes Mr. Trump using Trump-hater Alec Baldwin. There has never been anything like this in the history of broadcasting. Then theres print. Liberal Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post and the Uber-left Sulzberger family controls The New York Times. Both papers compete furiously to see who can damage Mr. Trump more. All reporters and columnists working for the papers well understand the prevailing wisdom of those who sign their paychecks. The Democrats also understand that wisdom and take full advantage of it. The party knows that no benefit of the doubt will be given to the Trump administration while democrat policies will generally be praised. When a radical-leftist like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can become an overnight media star, you know the tipping point has been reached. The gigantic Disney corporation owns ABC News which trots out former Clinton Chief-of-Staff George Stephanopoulos as its marquee anchor.



Newsflash: George is not a fan of Donald. CBS features late night talk show guy Stephen Colbert who now uses his program as a safe space for democrats to make political announcements and hold bake-offs if need be. Well be right back with Steny Hoyers impression of Mike Pence! The unspoken alliance between the nations most powerful media companies and a political party is flat out dangerous not only to accurate information flow, but also to democracy itself. When one political point of view dominates, it wins. Not 90 percent of the time - 100 percent. Right, Fidel?Brexit will definitely harm Great Britain: It cannot happen, without the people being asked about the Deal!

A democracy thrives of the possibility and need of people changing their mind. The British people now have a clear idea of what Brexit would look like  they should now be able to vote on it!

I am a Brit (29) and remember the life-changing day of the referendum as if it were yesterday. Back then, in 2016, Prime Minister David Cameron felt pressured by his parties euroskeptic right-wing to hold a referendum on the question: Should Great Britain remain in the EU or not?



The government, which was pro-EU back then, didn't feel it needed to start a campaign to keep Britain in the EU. They were sure the people would want the same. But they didn't count in the unpleasant strategist Dominic Cummings. He saw this referendum as his calling. He started a huge campaign, based on lies, that was going to tell the British: The EU is bad for you!

Funnily enough Cummings himself wasn't supportive of this idea, at first. For him it was pure revenge to the establishment. David Cameron once named him a career psychopath, when Cummings was the special adviser to then Education Secretary Michael Gove. Cameron was sure to prevent Cummings from getting any high paid job in government.

The Brexit campaign was Cummings PR-masterpiece, that worked out extremely well for him. He has vanished from the Brexit-scene, the British are now left with his mess.

Lesen Sie auch Commentary on the Brexit deal rejection What a Brexshit! At what point has a country really gone politically broke? Answer: when, with respect to what is by far the most important political...

Prime Minister Cameron looked a little lost, when he had to conceive the narrow defeat (48:52 percent) and tried to declare that it was non-binding. He stood down and also vanished from the stage. The jubilant populists such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove proclaimed: The people don't want the EU anymore!



The reality was though: The people did want the EU! The problem was, that they had just witnessed a referendum in Scotland, which went the way they wanted  they saw no need in voting in a non-binding referendum.



AND: British citizens living in the EU were stripped of their right to take part! A true scandal. To portray what the consequences might be for me, a Brit living in the EU: I was born here, yet might have to apply for residency here and might be deported, if Brexit goes through.

Auch Interessant



It has now been two-and-a-half years since the referendum. The result: An absolute Brexit-Mess lies in front of us. Great Britain has lost its face. In front of the EU and the global community.

Added to this: The British don't want to leave the EU! The latest poll by YouGov showed us, that 56 percent (!) would vote to stay in the EU, when asked in a referendum. A clear statement.

Brexit was built on lies

Another fact is, that the whole Brexit-campaign was, as stated earlier in this text, based on pure and simple lies. Several institutes and think-tanks have been warning in the past weeks: Great Britain will be a lot worse off without the EU! The GDP will go down by eight percent.

The basis for talks with EU was in shambles before it even startet. Why? Well, because the delegations leader for Britain is Prime Minister Theresa May, who campaigned staunchly for Remain. Her cabinet is more involved in trench-warfare, than in finding a solution to this mess. She doesn't look like she knows it herself.



Naturally the EU will never let a member state leave and thrive on doing so. This would only cause a snowball effect on other unsure members. So it is quite obvious why the deal that Brussels dictated to May would be unacceptable for the British and was therefore quite rightly voted down in a devastating fashion by parliament.



The only way out of this mess therefore is a referendum!



The government and parliament have not managed to produce a good Brexit for the people. A no-deal Brexit would be suicide for this once so proud nation. The people have seen what would happen after Brexit and have realised they have been lied to. They must get the chance to voice their opinion.

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By the way: Brexiteers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg actually voiced their support for a second referendum, once a deal had been made with Brussels. The oldest working democracy should therefore use this basic tool of democracy to save itself!

The EU-members Denmark and Ireland actually have exercised this on two EU-treaties  and in both cases achieved an opposite result! Both democracies are still stable. People can change their mind.Activists shout slogans during a rally outside parliament against a planned revision to Indonesias criminal code that would criminalize unmarried and gay sex, in Jakarta, Feb. 12, 2018.

In its annual report out Thursday, Human Rights Watch painted a negative picture of the climate in the Philippines, Bangladesh and Thailand but credited Malaysias new government for moving to fulfill electoral promises of cleaning up the nations rights record.

As he unveiled the watchdogs World Report 2019 that reflects on the state of human rights last year, HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth offered some hope for the future. The big news from 2018 was not continuing authoritarian trends but the growing opposition against them, he said.

The same populists who spread hatred and intolerance are fueling a resistance that keeps winning battles, Roth said in launching the report. Victory isnt assured but the successes of the past year suggest that the abuses of authoritarian rule are prompting a powerful human rights counterattack.

The 674-page report took a harsh stance against Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs, launched shortly after he took office in June 2016. It cited Philippine drug enforcement figures that nearly 5,000 drug users had died in police operations as of the end of September 2018, while police presented their own figures listing nearly 23,000 deaths since the war began. The police said these were classified as homicides under investigation.

Human Rights Watch also took the Philippines to task for having the fastest-growing AIDS epidemic in Asia  pointing out that the number of new cases jumped from 4,400 in 2010 to 12,000 in 2017, the last year figures were available.

More than 80 percent of new infections were among men and transgender women who have sex with men. An estimated 68,000 Filipinos are HIV-positive.

Another Southeast Asian nation, Indonesia, was cited for an AIDS outbreak.

Indonesian authorities continued to fail to up hold basic rights of LGBT people, fueling a spike in the countrys HIV epidemic. Police arbitrary and unlawful raids on private LGBT gatherings, assisted by militant Islamists, has effectively derailed public health outreach efforts to vulnerable populations, the report stated.

HIV rates among men who have sex with men have consequently increased five-fold since 2007 from 5 percent to 25 percent.

The report credited Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration for taking small steps to protect the rights of some of the nations most vulnerable people  but also pointed out the president had not lived up to all of his promises since taking power in 2014.

In April 2018, Jokowi announced that he would ban marriages involving children but has yet to provide a timetable for the new law to be enacted.

Last year, he also pleaded for religious tolerance in his State of the Nation address, but his administration has failed to translate his rhetorical support for human rights into meaningful policies, the report said.

There is little sign that Jokowi is willing to extend the necessary political capital to make human rights a meaningful component of his campaign for re-election in 2019, HRW said.

On Thursday, Jokowi debated former President Prabowo Subianto on human rights issues in the first of five televised debates leading up to the presidential election on April 17.

Election reactions

HRWs report also focused on two nations that held general elections in 2018, praising Malaysia for ousting their corrupt leaders.

But it challenged Bangladeshs government for lodging politically motivated trumped-up cases against thousands of opposition supporters, and violated international standards on freedom of speech by cracking down on media and civil society, leading up to the December vote that saw the ruling Awami League and its allies swamp the competition.

In Malaysia, then-Prime Minister Najib Razak intensified suppression of freedom speech prior to the May vote.

In March, the government passed the Anti-Fake News law, broad legislation imposing up to seven years in prison for anyone who maliciously spreads fake news, deliberately defined vaguely to allow maximum discretion for the government to target critics, the report said.

Meanwhile, a coalition led by Mahathir Mohamad ran on an election manifesto that promised to abolish oppressive laws, ensure accountability for police abuses, improve the situation for refugees, ratify international human rights treaties and make the nations human rights record respected by the world, the report said.

By the end of the year, the new government had begun to take steps to fulfill some of those promises, it said, adding that freedom of speech had improved dramatically under Prime Minister Mahathirs government.

With regard to Bangladesh, the report pointed to the 107-day detention of acclaimed photojournalist Shahidul Alam after he criticized human rights violations in a television interview and on Facebook. Alam had been commenting on student-led street protests in Dhaka after two of their fellow students had been struck and killed by a speeding bus.

In September, the Bangladesh government passed the Digital Security Act to monitor electronic communications in an effort to address abusive provisions in the Information and Communication Technology Act. HRW said the act actually contained new sections criminalizing free speech.

Human rights groups remained under pressure, due to restrictions on accessing foreign funding. Journalists reported threats and intimidation to prevent any criticism of the government, HRW said.

Junta issues

In Thailand, the report challenged the junta-led government for delaying lifting severe restrictions on free expression, association and assembly, despite announcing a national election in February 2019.

It said authorities had routinely enforced censorship while threatening media outlets; disrupted academic seminars and public discussion about human rights and democracy; and arrested at least 130 pro-democracy activists on illegal assembly charges.

In addition, pledges to protect human rights defenders have not been fulfilled.

The killings of more than 30 human rights defenders and civil society activists since 2001 remained unresolved. Military cover-up and shoddy police work hampered the efforts to prosecute soldiers who shot dead teenage ethnic Lahu activist Chaiyaphum Pasae in March 2017 in Chiang Mai province.Officials move the corpse of Stevenus Ronal Batau after he was identified at a health clinic in Parigi Moutong, Central Sulawesi, Dec. 31, 2018.

It was a grisly find that Indonesian villagers stumbled upon  a head wrapped in a cloth placed on a bridge in Parigi Moutong, Central Sulawesi on Dec. 30, just before 2018 ended.

When police went to retrieve the mutilated body of the hapless victim, later identified as Stevanus Ronal Batau, gunshots from the surrounding hills broke out, wounding two officers.

Police believe remnants of the pro-Islamic State Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) based in nearby Poso were behind Bataus killing and the attack on police personnel.

The incident was a worrying sign of the persistence of a group Indonesia has spent years trying to root out  and it could draw fresh militants to the remote, mountainous region, analysts say.

The sadistic killing was a deliberate attempt to show that they still exist. The act of placing the victims head on the bridge was a bait to draw police out there so they could shoot them, retired Inspector-General of Indonesian Police Benny Mamoto told BenarNews.

Such conditions will motivate other extremists to gather in Poso because it is proven that right until this moment, the police and military are unable to overcome the situation there, said Mamoto, now vice director of Strategic and Global Studies at University of Indonesia (UI).

In the interview conducted via text message from Jakarta, Mamoto urged the government to maintain its security operation in the region.

If the threat is not eliminated, there is a big possibility that the location will become a base for IS since the fall of Marawi, he said. Extremists from other countries will train and consolidate themselves in Poso where they will plan attacks that will be carried out in several targeted countries.

In 2017, pro-Islamic State militants took over Marawi city on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines and laid siege to the city for five months before government forces regained control.

At least 1,200 people, mostly militants, were killed, and much of the city was decimated. It was the most serious assault by IS in Southeast Asia, and unsettled governments across the region.

Return of foreign fighters?

A former militant who fought in Poso echoed Mamotos warning.

In Southeast Asia, the most suitable places for Islamic State to transplant their fighting zone is either Mindanao in southern Philippines or Poso, Ali Fauzi Manzi, a former bomb-maker for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), al-Qaedas Southeast Asian affiliate, told BenarNews during a recent visit to Kuala Lumpur.

Islamic State is currently looking for an alternative to Iraq and Syria where they have lost their territories, he said.

If this (violence) is allowed to continue, it could draw foreign fighters to return to Poso to give support to that group, said Ali, who fought in Poso around 1998. From the outside, foreign fighters will look at Poso and think that MIT is getting stronger by the day, not weaker.

Police spokesman for Central Sulawesi Hery Murwono told BenarNews the current situation in Poso was normal.

It is peaceful here. It is just that we are having operations against MIT, Murwono said.

Indonesia has mounted a joint police-military operation in the mountains of Poso since 2015  and recently extended it another 90 days.

MIT was led by Santoso, alias Abu Wardah, who was killed in July 2016 by Operation Tinombala to hunt down the militants.

Santoso operated out of the surrounding mountains in Poso and conducted para-military training for militants, drawing recruits from within and outside the country including at least six Uyghurs.

Two months after his death, his successor Mohamad Basri also was captured. That same year, authorities announced they had reduced MITs ranks from an estimated 40 people to fewer than 10.

The death of Santoso and the capture of his deputy significantly weakened the group until the recent brutal killing brought them back into the spotlight.

Santoso was the first Indonesian militant to publicly pledge allegiance to IS. During his leadership, at least three farmers in the same district in Parigi Moutong were beheaded in 2015  many of them non-Muslims from other parts of Indonesia.

There are many non-Muslim farmers from Bali who are staying in that area who were killed by MIT when the militants stumbled upon them. Not only non-Muslims, but also Muslims whom they deemed as infidels for not sharing their ideology were also killed. It was dangerous out there, Ali said, describing MIT tactics under Santosos leadership.

New Recruits

His replacement, Ali Kalora, is seen as an uninspiring leader, Ali said.

Ali was made MIT leader because the group has no other choice, he said.

He also has limited experience, according to Robi Sugara, a counter-terrorism analyst at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University.

[H]e only has knowledge of how to wage guerrilla warfare in the mountains. This group will become dangerous if it is helped by terror groups from Java island, Sugara said.

But in announcing the latest extension of Operation Tinombala, Murwono, the local police spokesman, said the MIT now had 14 members, including three new people from Banten, West Java, and one from Makassar, in South Sulawesi.

A local human rights activists expressed frustration at the news.

The increase in the number of MIT followers shows that Operation Timonbala has missed the mark for the umpteenth time, Mohammad Afandi, executive director of the Central Sulawesi Institute for Development of Human Rights Studies, told BenarNews earlier this month.

Im not blaming any party. But do we want to let this go on? The group grows, the operation continues, theres no resolution. How long will this go on?

A rather long time, according to Mamoto, who worked with Indonesias anti-terror squad Densus 88 following the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2003 Marriot Hotel bombing, and the 2004 Australian embassy bombing  all carried out by Jemaah Islamiyah, whose remnants later fled to Poso.

The security apparatus can handle this but it needs to be an all-out effort , which will take a rather long time, as well requiring consistency in the operations, Mamoto said.

Keisyah Aprilia in Jakarta contributed to this report.Problems still exist between Arlene Foster (pictured) and Theresa May as well as between Mrs Foster and Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill

The comedian Shazia Mirza was asked a few years ago to imagine what the world would be like if women were in charge. She didn't hesitate. "We'd get things done quicker and we would solve a lot of problems by chatting," she said.

This idea that society would be a better place if it was run by women has always been a tempting one. Nor is that very surprising, considering the chaos which thousands of years of rule by men has brought in its wake.

It's fair to say, though, that the stand-up comic's comments have not aged well. Those who argue that men should step aside and give the so-called "second sex" a shot at running the country have, after all, got their way in recent times.

The Prime Minister is a woman. The leader of the DUP, and former First Minister, is a woman. The two people who are, in name at least, in charge of Sinn Fein are both women. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is a woman. Scotland is led by a woman, too.

According to the utopian fantasy, these matriarchal figures should have come together by now and "chatted" their way to a bright new future, free from stalemate and strife.

Instead, the political landscape has rarely looked more fractious, or divided, and the prospects of that changing anytime soon are right up there with Shergar's chances of winning this year's Grand National.

The cause is easy enough to identify: Brexit has lobbed a grenade into the heart of the body politic and it turns out - shock, horror - that being a woman doesn't offer any obvious solution to the questions raised by the 2016 referendum result. A change of chromosones doesn't change the facts.

The simmering pot has finally come to the boil, as Theresa May, having delayed her date with destiny before Christmas, lost Tuesday's House of Commons vote on her dog's dinner of a deal with the EU by a crushing margin.

She may have survived the no confidence vote tabled by Labour's Jeremy Corbyn yesterday, but that has only bought her a little more time.

She still needs to magic up something from nothing and is heading back to Brussels for further talks, banking on more concessions to get an amended version of her deal across the line in the House of Commons.

If there's one glimmer of light in all this, it's that DUP leader Arlene Foster has reportedly indicated that she's ready to try and fix her own broken relationship with the Prime Minister, with senior sources in Westminster describing previous bitter clashes between the two women as "water under the bridge".

The worry is that, platitudes aside, history has not set a good precedent in that regard. It's been all of two years since the relationship between the DUP and its former partner in the Northern Ireland Executive broke down and Mrs Foster and Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill remain as far apart as ever. Sometimes, there can be too much rough water flowing under that proverbial bridge.

The one thing Mrs Foster and Mrs May have in their favour is that the differences between them ought to be nowhere near as great as between Mrs Foster and Michelle O'Neill.

Arlene Foster and Theresa May are both on the Right, politically, and both are unionists, who purport to prioritise the interests of the UK as a whole.

If they can't reach agreement, what hope is there for a meeting of minds with the rest, with whom they don't even share those values?

What complicates matters is that neither woman is particularly good at making friends, politically speaking. They seem better at getting other people's backs up rather than winning them round.

Watching Mrs May try to forge any kind of consensus is excruciatingly awkward, while Mrs Foster's rictus grin when forced to deal with those who aren't fully on her side often seems forced.

"Arlene has a temper, a fierce temper," one MLA was quoted as saying when she became party leader back in 2015. "It's a spasm of rage she can't control." It's no accident that neither women enjoys the unconditional loyalty of her party.

More seriously, signalling a willingness to let bygones be bygones won't make the issues still causing friction between Arlene Foster and Theresa May to suddenly vanish.

Mrs Foster's criticism of the Prime Minister over her handling of EU negotiations has been blistering in recent months, with the Englishwoman's abject failure to stand up to Brussels over those parts of the Withdrawal Agreement which are most onerous to unionists causing the biggest bone of contention.

"I don't think she even asked to get rid of the backstop," the DUP leader remarked contemptuously just a couple of days ago.

That this strategy has failed spectacularly can no longer be denied by Downing Street. The backstop is hated by all sides in parliament. At the very least, Theresa May must now ask Brussels either to tear up that part of the agreement, or, more likely, put a legally enforceable limit on the length of time the UK will be trapped into a customs union.

It's by no means certain that Europe will agree to such a demand. Indeed, all the indications are that they're not budging. Even if they did, there's no guarantee that this would be enough to satisfy the DUP.

It has certainly rowed back lately on its support for the hardest of Brexits. Interviews with Arlene Foster and her deputy, Nigel Dodds, in the past few days clearly suggest that, should the backstop issue be resolved satisfactorily, they might well back the Prime Minister.

At the same time, the DUP has aligned itself very closely with the Brexiteer wing of the Tory party, for whom the backstop is merely one of a range of objectionable conditions in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Which faction gets the upper hand in Westminster is bound to determine the DUP's future approach. Right now, Arlene Foster may allegedly be holding out an olive branch to Theresa May, but only because she's the one clinging on in No 10 and this new willingness to set differences aside could quickly fall apart when, as seems most likely, the PM returns to the Commons with nothing to show for her efforts.

It's hard to be optimistic in the long-term, when the DUP has been so consistent in its enthusiasm for Brexit despite all the warnings that it brings a united Ireland one step closer.

There is a roaring deluge of water yet to flow under that particular bridge and whether the bridge is still standing afterwards is anybody's guess.'While alcohol-related deaths represent less than 2% of the total deaths in any one year, the bare statistics mask a deeply worrying underlying problem which affects many times greater numbers of people' (stock photo)

It is alarming that the number of alcohol-related deaths in Northern Ireland continues to rise each year - and the 303 total in 2017 was 70% higher than in 2001 when records began.

Each of those deaths - there have been 3,939 since 2001 - was a tragedy for the families involved, especially since many of them could have been avoided.

While alcohol-related deaths represent less than 2% of the total deaths in any one year, the bare statistics mask a deeply worrying underlying problem which affects many times greater numbers of people.

There is an undeniable drinking culture in the province. There is hardly a significant event in life that is not celebrated with large quantities of drink, including births, christenings, birthdays, marriages and even deaths.

While there has been significant investment in public health campaigns warning of the dangers of drinking too much, there are also mixed messages about drinking.

Working mums, for example, talk about wine o'clock, that time of the evening when meals are over, children are in bed and they can relax with a glass, or more, of their favourite tipple.

How often do we hear men boasting about how many pints they drank on a night out, or how many they intend to sink at some celebration or other?

Drinking can be seen as glamorous, yet we shun those who become alcoholics. No one sets out to be an alcoholic, and the grip of that addiction is as vice-like as any other drug.

Often, those who feel that they cannot live without a drink are the last to admit that they have a problem.

Society does not make it easy for them to admit their problem or seek help for it. Like so many other areas of healthcare, the services available to help drink addicts are woefully inadequate. Support for the families of alcoholics is even more sparse.

Our attitude to drink and the damage it causes - for example, fatalities caused by drunk drivers are not included in alcohol-related deaths - needs to be the subject of a serious public debate.

But like so many other areas of everyday life, the absence of a functioning administration at Stormont hinders progress in tackling the problem.

Scotland has introduced minimum pricing for alcohol, yet we have not yet begun to properly discuss such a move.

How many more people will die before we take action to change our drinking culture?When the DUP fought the 2017 Westminster election, it could not in its wildest dreams have hoped to be in the staggeringly powerful position it currently occupies.

The party's 10 MPs last night saved the Prime Minister. Had they supported Jeremy Corbyn's motion of no confidence, Theresa May and the Tories would have gone down by a single vote.

As Arlene Foster was swamped by camera crews in College Green, opposite Parliament, it appeared - last night anyway - that she, and not Mrs May, was the most influential woman in the UK.

The two women held a meeting yesterday which the DUP described as "useful". But the key to the future relationship between their parties will depend on what path the Prime Minister now takes as her Brexit plans lies in tatters.

The choice is clear. She can reach out to Labour and the Opposition parties by opting for a softer Brexit involving customs union membership or she can try to reach a compromise with the DUP and European Research Group (ERG) MPs.

Clearly, the former option is the route that some Cabinet members and senior Remain Tory MPs would like her to follow.

But it would be absolutely disastrous for the Conservative Party. The resignation of a range of ministers and dozens of Brexiteer MPs would surely follow.

Mrs May's loyalty and love for her party makes it highly unlikely she would choose any course of action that would result in such a historic split.

But if she did seek to build such a cross-party coalition, it would be potentially disastrous for the DUP. The party is savvy enough to know that no matter how high it is now riding, there are still pitfalls a plenty in the current political landscape.

The DUP's opening position is that the backstop be binned but Mrs Foster has indicated that a time-limited backstop which doesn't undermine the Union could be acceptable.

But critics believe there is zero chance of Brussels agreeing to such a proposal, and that is why Mrs May will ultimately be forced to seek a coalition with Opposition Remainers. The only other solution for the Prime Minister is to take the initiative and herself call a snap election as a way of breaking the deadlock.

Yet that too involves massive risks. The last time she threw the political pack of cards in the air in an attempt to strengthen her position was in April 2017. And we all know how that ended.Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the debate on the government no-confidence motion in the House of Commons yesterday

During much of the 20th century, the two dominant political parties in Great Britain were the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. It seemed, to many people, that this would always be the case, with two fairly cohesive and stable parties, but all that has changed and we are now in uncharted waters.

Of course, we should have remembered that, in the 19th century, it was the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party that dominated the political landscape. That was until the Liberal Party was torn asunder over the issue of Home Rule for Ireland.

Many Liberals broke away to become Liberal Unionists. Eventually, they were absorbed into the Conservative and Unionist Party.

The decision by William Gladstone to support Home Rule divided the mighty Liberal Party in a way he never intended. Today, in a similar way, a handful of key decisions are destabilising the two main political parties, with the potential to divide, or destroy, one or both.

There is more uncertainty about the political future than there has been in a very long time, and there is a possibility that we will see a radical reshaping of British politics.

When David Cameron called a referendum on membership of the European Union, he hoped that this would settle the issue in the way that he wanted. He assumed, arrogantly and erroneously, that the country would naturally back his call to remain in the EU.

However, he had misread the mood across the United Kingdom, especially the strength of opposition to the European project of greater integration.

As confirmed globalists, politicians like Cameron and George Osborne were simply unable to understand how passionately Brexiteers felt about the EU. They were not going to allow themselves to be bullied by the promoters of Project Fear, and 17.4 million people voted Leave.

Cameron was totally unprepared for the defeat, and the morning after the referendum, shocked, humiliated and emotional, he announced his resignation.

Yesterday, Cameron said that he did not regret calling the referendum, but as I watched the interview I wasnt convinced.

Theresa May was elected as his successor and, after a poor performance in the General Election in June 2017, ended up as a Prime Minister who was totally reliant on 10 DUP votes to stay in power.

That is why I could not understand her decision to sign up to the EU backstop.

It first appeared in the draft withdrawal agreement in November 2017, and for me it was a head-scratching moment.

Did she not understand what she was agreeing to? Did she not realise that this would be anathema to the DUP, on whom she relied, and anathema to many of her own MPs?

Cameron did not understand the people, and May and her advisers did not understand the DUP.

That is a significant part of the background to the current impasse at Westminster.

Meanwhile, Labour is also in disarray over Brexit. The divisions within the party have received less scrutiny than the divisions within the Conservatives, but they will certainly be exposed in the wake of the rejection of Mays deal.

Many traditional working-class Labour voters, especially in the north of England, are strongly Eurosceptic and voted Leave, whereas most Labour MPs backed Remain. That divide has been complicated by the growing dominance of the Momentum movement within Labour.

Under the previous and largely ineffectual leader, Ed Milliband, the party adopted a radical rule change whereby voting within the party was extended to registered supporters, who eventually signed up in their thousands to vote for Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

At the time, I wondered whether I had missed something, or whether they were really throwing the door wide open for far-Left entryism.

In fact, I hadnt missed anything. That was another head-scratching moment, and it has placed the far-Left Momentum movement in the ascendancy.

Those newer and often younger members are generally Remainers, and that is why Corbyn spends as much time as possible equivocating about the EU.

Both the Conservative and Labour parties are in a sorry state, riven by divisions and containing many Remainers determined to become Reversers and subvert the will of the 17.4 million people who voted Leave.Taiwan has engaged in live-fire military exercises along its east coast, amid renewed threats from China to bring the island under its control by force.

Artillery and assault helicopters fired at targets off the west coast city of Taichung, while French-made Mirage fighter jets took off from the air base at Hsinchu to the north.

The drills are Taiwans first since Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 2 reasserted Beijings willingness to use military force to bring self-ruling Taiwan under Chinese control.

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They also follow a new Pentagon report expressing US concerns about Chinas growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

Taiwans independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen has made national defence a priority while refusing Chinas demand that she recognise Taiwan as a part of China. That has led to Beijing ratcheting up economic, military and diplomatic pressure on the island of 23 million.

In a meeting with US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinas Chief of Staff Li Zuocheng issued a warning against foreign forces coming to Taiwans assistance. The US is Taiwans chief source of military hardware and is legally bound to respond to threats against its security.

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Chinas military will pay any price to ensure Chinas sovereignty, Mr Li told Mr Richardson at their meeting. China considers Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949, as an integral part of Chinese territory.

US-China relations have become increasingly frayed on the military and economic fronts over the past year.

President Donald Trump imposed tariff increases of up to 25% on 250 billion dollars (195 billion) of Chinese imports over complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Mr Xi responded by imposing penalties on 110 billion dollars (86 billion) of American goods.Authorities in Austria have cleared the roads to reach dozens of Catholic nuns whose Alpine monastery has been cut off from the world for days because of heavy snowfall.

But the nuns are staying put at the cloister, saying that they have enough food and fuel.

The Marienparadies cloister, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Salzburg, is home to 30 nuns and one priest.

Expand Close There has been heavy snowfall in parts of Europe (Amel Emric/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Public broadcaster ORF quoted the prioress, Sister Laure-Marie, saying that the nuns had considered leaving but since the sun returned and the road will be clear again soon, we are very, very grateful were allowed to remain with God.

Manfred Brugger, the mayor of nearby St Veit im Pongau, said later that the road had been cleared and the nuns were staying, the Austria Press Agency reported.

The nuns are in good spirits, he said.

It is important for them that they have a connection to us in the valley.

Heavy snow has caused problems and fatalities in numerous European countries in recent weeks.

In Norway, rescuers have recovered two more bodies after four skiers were swept away in an avalanche in the northern part of the country more than two weeks ago.

Expand Close Rescue workers in the Tamok valley, near the northern city of Tromsoe (Rune Stoltz Bertinussen/NTB Scanpix) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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The bodies were flown by helicopter down to a valley, where they will be transported to the city of Tromsoe in a hearse.

The first body was recovered on Wednesday.

Police tweeted that the search for the last victim was continuing.The French National Assembly during the questions to the government in Paris (Francois Mori/AP)

European Union nations are spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the increasingly likely possibility that Britain will leave the bloc on March 29 without a plan.

A no-deal Brexit would shake up the rest of the continent in ways that many Europeans have not even fathomed.

France is spending 50 million euros (44 million) to beef up security at airports and the Eurotunnel and hiring hundreds of extra customs officers.

Portugal is opening special airport lanes for British travellers, the nations main source of tourists.

Germany is fast-tracking a debate on solving bureaucratic problems if there is no Brexit deal.

Governments from the Netherlands to Romania and the Czech Republic are preparing rules for British citizens to live and work in their countries once they no longer enjoy EU residency rights  and expecting that Britain is doing the same for their citizens.

Britain, which would face by far the biggest disruption, has devoted thousands of civil servants and several billion pounds on measures to mitigate the worst effect  although officials can only speculate about what will actually happen on March 30 if Brexit happens without a deal.

After the British Parliament overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit divorce deal this week, other European governments are now bracing for chaos too.

We strongly believe Britain will leave with no exit deal, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, unveiling a raft of emergency measures to cope with that prospect.

Under these conditions, our responsibility  is to ensure that our country is ready, that the interests of our citizens are preserved and defended, he said.

The French government will hire nearly 600 extra customs officers and veterinary inspectors and invest in new infrastructure at airports and ports, all to be in working order by March 30.

Special security measures will be put in place for the tunnel beneath the English Channel.

The company that operates the Eurotunnel says a quarter of all UK-EU trade passes through the tunnel, which could be a major chokepoint in a no-deal Brexit.

Frances emergency decrees will allow British workers and retirees living in France to continue staying there for a year after March 29  but only if the British Government agrees to do the same for French citizens in the UK.

The decrees will temporarily let British companies transport goods in France, and allow certain British insurance and other financial activities to continue in France despite Britains loss of access to the EU financial market.

aThe compromise reached after 18 months is the best compromise. It is the result of constructive work and attitude, which we will maintain until the end: calm, unity, dialogue and transparency. It is now for the UK to clarify how it wishes to proceed"@MichelBarnier #Brexit pic.twitter.com/VFEtEH9TKe  European Commission  (@EU_Commission) January 16, 2019

The exceptional transfer of military equipment between the two countries will also be allowed.

In Berlin, German politicians debated a bill that aims to solve bureaucratic issues arising from Brexit.

We want to keep the damage  and there will certainly be damage from Britains departure  as small as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

Thats why we will of course do everything to find an orderly solution, but we are also prepared if there is no orderly solution.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said 80% of British tourists arrive at airports in Faro, the Algarve and Funchal in the Madeira Islands, where dedicated lines for them will help prevent delays.

Romanian leaders have sought to reassure the estimated half a million Romanians living in Britain that they will not be left in the lurch  but have not provided specifics.

Romania currently holds the EUs rotating presidency.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are working on legislation to deal with the short term rights of British citizens in a no-deal Brexit, while the Dutch will let British citizens living in the country remain for 15 months and offer them the chance to apply for residency permits.

In Britain, the Government has begun to recruit hundreds of extra customs officers and border staff and has passed laws to help cross-border trade continue to flow, such as permits for long-distance truckers.

Britain says EU citizens will be able to stay temporarily despite a no-deal Brexit.

A high-level EU official is now touring all the capitals of the blocs 27 nations other than Britain to assess Brexit preparations and provide help where it is needed, EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.

The EU has produced 88 notices how specific sectors should deal with possible Brexit emergencies.

Were not taking any chances, said Mr Schinas.Tributes have been paid to a young rider who died following an accident involving a horse.

Iain Jardine Racing said that team member Natasha Galpin, 22, died following a tragic accident at the grass gallops on Tuesday when a horse suffered a ruptured artery.

She was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where she died on Wednesday.

The horse also died following the incident at the Hetland Hill Stables, Carrutherstown in Dumfries and Galloway.

Natasha was an experienced and valued, full-time member of Team IJRIain Jardine Racing

In a statement issued through the National Trainers Federation, Iain Jardine Racing said: Our main priority throughout has been Natasha and the rest of our staff, who are distraught at the loss of a colleague and friend but have been extremely supportive of each other.

As a team here, we are doing our best to get through and cope with this devastating situation.

Natasha was an experienced and valued full-time member of Team IJR. She was an accomplished event rider and ran her own livery yard. She worked alongside her boyfriend Olyn.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Natashas parents and sisters at this very sad time and we hope you will join us in respecting their privacy.

We are so shocked and sorry to hear the awful news about Natasha Galpin, work rider for @jardineracing.

Our deepest condolences and thoughts go to her family, friends and all the team at the yard.  Scottish Racing (@ScottishRacing) January 16, 2019

Police said the Procurator Fiscal has been told about the incident.

Members of the racing community have sent messages of support to the yard.

Scottish Racing tweeted: We are so shocked and sorry to hear the awful news about Natasha Galpin, work rider for @jardineracing.

Our deepest condolences and thoughts go to her family, friends and all the team at the yard.

Nick Rust, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: I know I speak for everyone at the BHA when I say we are truly shocked and devastated about this tragic news.

While such incidents are extremely rare there is an element of risk every time a rider sits on any horse and as such we must never take for granted the bravery and commitment of our workforce.

Our sport relies on their dedication in providing first-class care for our horses and we are grateful to them all.

Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of Natasha Galpin and the yard of Iain Jardine.

We will work with the authorities and provide support to the yard at this difficult time.The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has repeated its warning that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided because it would be catastrophic for agriculture.

Following Tuesday night's historic vote against Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement in Westminster, UFU president Ivor Ferguson said an orderly exit from the EU was "absolutely essential".

Mr Ferguson added: "The defeat of the Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement did not come as a surprise, given the public position of many MPs across all parties over the last few weeks.

"However, the scale of the defeat has sent a clear signal. Regardless of this very significant development, our position remains that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided. The UFU respects the referendum result and that the UK will leave the EU. However, leaving with no deal would have catastrophic consequences for family farm businesses in Northern Ireland.

"It means high tariffs on our exports, creating an effective trade embargo on export of animals and animal-based products, and the possibility of lower-standard imports flooding the UK market, crippling the industry and rendering our farmers uncompetitive.

"March 29 is fast approaching and no deal is the default outcome. It is absolutely essential that urgent progress is made to avoid this and secure an orderly exit from the EU.

"We expect lots of activity in the next few days. Securing cross-party parliamentary consensus on an alternative plan now appears to be a possible way forward. Indications are that the majority of MPs want to avoid a no-deal scenario. This is their opportunity to deliver."

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Livestock and Meat Commission (NI) said he remained hopeful that UK and EU politicians could reach an agreement on the way forward.

Ian Stevenson stressed a no-deal scenario "would be a devastating blow to the Northern Ireland red meat industry".

"Uncertainty is the most challenging aspect of the Brexit process for businesses. Tuesday's developments have done little to ease this uncertainty," he added.

"Clarity is required urgently on the future EU-UK relationship, allowing businesses to make informed decisions about their future investment and development plans."A longstanding member of the UK Cabinet has effectively ruled out holding a second European referendum  saying while the Prime Minister is willing to discuss anything in talks with other parties, the discussions would not be a cover for trying to stop Brexit.

David Mundell also said calls to take a no-deal brexit off the table  as demanded by Labours Jeremy Corbyn  were the wrong starting point, adding that he did not believe the European Union would extend the timetable for the Article 50 talks.

The Scottish Secretary spoke out after Mrs May saw her proposed Withdrawal Agreement defeated by a record margin in the House of Commons, before going on to survive a vote of no confidence.

Mr Mundell, who has been in the Cabinet since the Tories came to power in 2010, admitted he had not anticipated the scale of the defeat the Government suffered on Tuesday night.

Immediately after Wednesday nights no confidence vote, Mrs May announced she would invite party leaders in the Commons and other MPs for talks, in a bid to find a deal that could command the support of Parliament.

But SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said those discussions must include extending Article 50, ruling out a no-deal Brexit and the possibility of staging a so-called Peoples Vote.

Mr Blackford told BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme: We will accept our responsibility to engage positively in talks but it has to be on the basis that there is a positive engagement.

Ive written to the Prime Minister overnight and said that what has to happen is there has to be an agreement that we can have discussions about extending Article 50, about taking no deal off the table, and about having a Peoples Vote.

Mr Blackford continued: I actually think on the basis of where we are a Peoples Vote is the right way to go, I think on the basis of the paralysis in Parliament we ought to put that back to the people.

Im not saying that is a position the Prime Minister would support but if she is serious about engagement, if she is serious about trying to find a way through this, she has at least got to have that discussion about these options.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: So everything is not on the table. PMs offer of talks is a promise to listen, but only if we all agree with her. The SNP wont be complicit in more time wasting.

So everything is not on the table. PMas offer of talks is a promise to listen, but only if we all agree with her. @theSNP wonat be complicit in more time wasting. Rule out no deal, be prepared to extend Art 50 and agree to at least consider another referendum - then weall talk. https://t.co/6ZRtoEfqxT  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 17, 2019

But Mr Mundell stressed the aim of discussions would be to get a deal through Parliament so we can have an orderly exit from the EU.

The Tory MP, also speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, conceded that after the scale of Tuesday nights defeat the Government could not just bring back exactly the same proposal.

He stated: I had not anticipated the scale of the defeat, it means that there will have to be changes.

But he also said the talks had to take place on the basis of getting to a deal, not getting to a point of stopping Brexit.

Speaking about the Prime Minister, Mr Mundell said: Shes not going down a route to stop Brexit, she is willing to discuss anything people want to put on the table to get us to a point where we can get a majority in Parliament to support a deal to allow an orderly Brexit.

Everything is up for discussion but what isnt going to be an outcome is arrangements that seek to stop Brexit, which I believe the Peoples Vote is designed to do.

Not only that it would be extremely divisive in our country. Weve had a Peoples Vote, people voted across the United Kingdom and a United Kingdom-wide vote to leave the EU, and we are respecting the result of that and seeking to deliver Brexit, but an orderly Brexit.

Thats what discussions are about. Of course people can raise any issues that they want, but the discussions are not a cover for trying to stop Brexit.

Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis has also insisted that the Government did not believe a Peoples Vote was the right way to go.

Mr Lewis also said ministers were determined the UK should be able to have an independent trade policy after leaving Europe  adding this ruled out any suggestion of remaining in the customs union.Nigel Dodds and fellow DUP MPs (from left) Jim Shannon, Gregory Campbell, David Simpson, Emma Pengelly, Gavin Robinson, Ian Paisley and Sammy Wilson speak to the media outside Westminster.

Tory grandee - and the most senior member of the House of Commons Ken Clarke - has been told to reflect on his words after he accused the Prime Minister of pandering to "the sectarian Protestant" DUP.

MP Gregory Campbell said the party in "standing up for the national interests of this country and working to get the best deal for all is the very antithesis of sectarianism".

He said the MP would be better served working to find solutions to the current Brexit impasse than swiping at other parties.

"That would be a more fitting tribute and better accolade for the Father of the House," said Mr Campbell.

Speaking on Sky News the Conservative MP and Father of the House said the Prime Minister was spending "all her time on party management, trying to keep hardline Brexiteers and this sectarian Protestant party in Ireland onside".

He also said the party's objections to the backstop were "unbelievably silly".

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said Mr Clarke was "out of touch" highlighting how 118 of his own colleagues as well as others right across the Commons voted down the withdrawal agreement.

"He is in a club of one," he told the BBC.

"Ken is a decent chap and I like Ken Clarke and he had been around a long time.. he was the only Conservative MP to vote against the triggering of Article 50. And last night we basically allowed Ken Clarke and the Conservative party to stay in power as a result of our votes."

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East Londonderry MP Campbell added: "This week members from his own Party and across the House stood side by side with the DUP to vote against the Withdrawal Agreement because it did not act in the best interests of the United Kingdom."

"Ken Clarke, very unfortunately for him, finds himself increasingly out of step with the vast majority in his own party as well as the country.

"Instead of swiping at other parties, Mr Clarke would be better served in working to find solutions, with members across the House of Commons during this crucial time to get the best deal for the United Kingdom, that would be a more fitting tribute and better accolade for the Father of the House.

The DUP voted against Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement on Tuesday, despite a confidence and supply agreement between the two parties. They and a majority of MPs are opposed to the deal because of the backstop, intended to prevent a hard border in Ireland.

However, the DUP's votes were crucial in saving the Government from collapse on Wednesday. Mrs May will now bring her Brexit 'Plan B' to the House of Commons on Monday, ahead of another vote on January 29.

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Ken Clarke said that a widespread cross-party agreement was necessary to limit the damage of Brexit to the UK.

He said that the Prime Minister was holding up an agreement with her attempts to appease the DUP.

Mr Clarke voted in favour of Mrs May's Brexit withdrawal agreement.

"She's still going back to the DUP trying to satisfy their unbelievably silly points on the Irish backstop," the Tory grandee said.

Mr Clarke said that Mrs May would have to turn to Labour and the Liberal Democrats to get support for a deal.

"She spends all her time on party management, trying to keep hardline Brexiteers and this sectarian Protestant party in Ireland onside," he said.

"Some of them she won't."Electronics giant Philips is to close its Glemsford factory and transfer its operations to the Netherlands, putting 430 jobs at risk and dealing a major blow to Brexit Britain.

Philips said that it is proposing to close the site near Sudbury in Suffolk, which makes baby bottles, in 2020 and to transfer the majority of its operations to a manufacturing factory in Drachten, the Netherlands.

The decision comes just months after the companys chief executive Frans van Houten expressed his concerns about Britain maintaining frictionless trade following Brexit.

He said in November that the UK as a manufacturing hub for the world would be at risk without a customs union as a minimum.

If that were not to happen we would need to rethink our manufacturing footprint, Mr van Houten said at the time.

The UK is an important market for us, and we will continue to invest in our commercial organisation and innovation programmes in the countryNeil Mesher, Philips

The Glemsford site manufactures products for export outside the UK, which is now in jeopardy as Theresa May looks to extricate the UK from the EU single market.

Philips also said the UK factory closure is part of plans to reduce its global industrial footprint from 50 sites to 30.

Staff are now in redundancy consultation.

I recognise that our proposed plan will have a profound impact on our colleagues working at the Glemsford site, and our manufacturing presence in the UK, said Neil Mesher, chief executive of Philips UK & Ireland.

We have announced the proposal after careful consideration, and over the next period, we will work closely with the impacted colleagues on next steps.

Philips has a long, established history of serving customers within the UK, and we remain committed to them. The UK is an important market for us, and we will continue to invest in our commercial organisation and innovation programmes in the country.Doctors should be encouraging patients with mental health conditions to get back into work rather than just thinking about the sickness, a former health minister has said.

Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb said a change of mindset was required with mental health and GPs needed to focus on recovery through work.

Mr Lamb, who served as a health minister in the coalition government, was supported by Labour MP Luciana Berger who said it was staggering that so few people with mental health conditions were in work.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Lamb praised the individual placement and support programme, which helps people with mental health conditions to gain and keep paid employment, and welcomed the 8.5 million of Government funding announced last year for a randomised control trial to target people in primary care.

He said: Meaningful work, where you gain a sense of dignity and self respect is really important.

We are undertaking with Government support 8.5 million for a randomised control trial applying a really strong evidence approach which is called individual placement and support where you give people intensive support to get them ready for employment but get them then into a proper job and then support them in that job.

Were looking at how you can apply that in primary care so that you capture people earlier, you get them access to someone who can train them and support them for employment, you change the mindset of GPs so that theyre not just thinking about the sickness of their patient but how they can help them recover and get back into work.

I do think we have to be very careful about honing down on one simple measure of supporting mental health in the workplaceJackie Doyle-Price, health minister

Ms Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree), who has previously served as Labours mental health spokesman, shared her shock that just 3% of people with mental health conditions in Merseyside were in work.

She said: It is a staggering fact and it should concern us all, we should be doing everything possible to support people with mental ill health conditions into the workplace.

The comments came as MPs debated a backbench Commons motion which stated that the UK was facing a mental health crisis.

Health minister Jackie Doyle-Price said the Government recognised that mental health first aid has a role in the Governments ambitious strategy to transform workplace mental health, but said on its own its not enough.

She said: We wouldnt want to have legislation that essentially became a floor in service in terms of mental health.

Ms Doyle-Price added: I do think we have to be very careful about honing down on one simple measure of supporting mental health in the workplace rather than encouraging a more holistic culture of supporting well-being.Gordon Brown said he had never seen the country more divided as he called for the Government to extend Article 50 by a year to consult people on Brexit and give the public the final say.

The former prime minister said Theresa Mays Brexit stalemate has left Britain more divided than during the three-day week of the 1970s or during the miners strike of the 1980s.

Never have I seen a Parliament so deadlocked and never have I seen the country so divided and never has there been so much mistrust between who governs and the people of this country, he added.

Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Brown suggested having consultations with representative groups across the country to discuss issues such as migration, sovereignty and the NHS and for them to suggest ways to resolve the situation.

Whats clear is that we cannot reunite the country just by another attempted Westminster face-saving fix concocted behind closed doorsGordon Brown

My view is that when Parliament receives the result of that consultation they will find that its necessary to renegotiate with the European Union and perhaps in the end put it to the people in a referendum, he said.

You cannot solve this problem now by small initiatives  by amending this proposal here or there  youve got to look at the big picture.

Were talking about the future of Britain, were talking about the integrity of Britain, were talking about our relationship with the rest of the world and not just Europe.

Whats clear is that we cannot reunite the country just by another attempted Westminster face-saving fix concocted behind closed doors.

We cannot rebuild unity without repairing the breakdown of trust across the country, and we cannot move forward without involving the people as well as the politicians.

The people of Britain must be brought back into this debate.

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Addressing a crowd of about 350 people at a meeting entitled Brexit  What next?, Mr Brown condemned the paralysed and immobilised Parliament in Westminster and said there was rising anger from the public who want to be involved in the decision-making process.

He warned: It is the lethal combination of a deadlocked Parliament, an ever-more divided country and the mounting distrust between Parliament and people that makes me fear for our cohesion.

Mr Brown also backed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns decision to demand the Prime Minister rule out a no-deal Brexit, and said: She should take no deal off the table  its a terrible, catastrophic result to end up with a no deal and end up with businesses at risk, with trade at risk, with the supplies of health service products at risk.

Of course, the reason why she cant say that is because her party is divided, with half of them wanting to have a no-deal option and half not.

She is trying to hold what is basically a very divided party together.

This spat will be forgotten in a day, the most important thing is we get to a position where people looking at this at home at night can think there is a way forward, because at the moment the Government is offering no way forward.

Asked about SNP leader Nicola Sturgeons comment that every day of Brexit deadlock in Westminster increases support for Scottish independence, Mr Brown said: If it is very difficult for Britain to leave the European Union, it is very difficult also for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom.

So I think people will say yes, were frustrated with whats happening in Westminster, but yes, if one country decides to break with another, there are huge implications.

Five times more trade is with England than with the rest of Europe from Scotland and these are big questions about the future of hundreds of thousands of jobs, so I think she should be very careful about what she says

We see the effects  when one country breaks or tries to break away from established relationships.A tweet posted by DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds after the meeting with Mrs May

DUP leader Arlene Foster has described her meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May on the Government's Brexit deal as "a useful discussion".

She said her party would have "further engagements in coming days" with the Government and pledged it would act in the interests of the entire UK.

Mrs Foster and DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds met the Prime Minister at Westminster yesterday.

Speaking after the meeting, she said: "We have had a useful discussion with the Prime Minister.

"These are critical times for the United Kingdom and we have indicated that first and foremost we will act in the national interest.

"Lessons will need to be learned from the vote in Parliament.

"The issue of the backstop needs to be dealt and we will continue to work to that end."

In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, the DUP leader said that Mrs May should use the defeat of her Brexit plan - "the biggest ever of a Prime Minister in parliamentary history" - to go back to Brussels and get a new deal.

"We are not saying that the entirety of the withdrawal agreement has to go," Mrs Foster said.

"There are things in it we support, such as EU citizens' rights and the recognition of professional qualifications.

"Our problem is with the backstop and the Government has been aware of that since the start of this whole process."

Mrs Foster also stressed that while changes had to be made regarding the backstop, her party was prepared to be flexible.

"The DUP wants the backstop to go because it would undermine the Union and place a new border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain," she said.

"If the EU insists that it needs some other sort of backstop, we would certainly look at something sensible, but it must not represent a threat to the Union and it must be time-limited."

The DUP leader voiced her total opposition to the extension of Article 50.

"I see absolutely no point in that," she said.

"All you are doing is pushing the problems down the line and prolonging the whole situation.

"It is far better to take the issues now, address them and work hard to find a settlement."

The DUP leader said that despite her party voting against Mrs May's Brexit deal, it was purely a political disagreement.

"I have considerable empathy and sympathy for the Prime Minister personally," Mrs Foster said.

"As a woman in politics, she has taken a huge amount of criticism and abuse.

"While I disagree with her on policy issues, I have a good relationship with her personally.

"I admire the Prime Minister's resilience and resolve, but she has to start listening.

"She can't keep doing the same thing and time and time again and hoping for a different result.

"Her deal was defeated and she must take on board what has happened and act accordingly."The scene near to the Sandringham Estate where the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road accident (Sam Russell/PA)

The Duke of Edinburghs car crash at the age of 97 has prompted debate around the safe age of drivers.

 What are the rules around older drivers?

When motorists reach the age of 70 in Britain they are required to renew their licence, and must do so every three years thereafter.

There is no driving test or medical examination, and it is down to drivers to declare whether or not they are fit to drive.

Applicants are urged to check with their doctor before applying and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) may make further investigations based on the declaration made.

 What about eyesight?

The only mandatory examination of vision takes place during the practical test, when learners must read a number plate from 20 metres.

Once someone has obtained their licence, it is up to them to tell the DVLA if they have a problem with their eyesight.

Road safety charity Brake has called for a vision test to be required at least every 10 years when drivers renew their licence photocard.

 Is the duke known to be a keen motorist?

Philip is no stranger to the driving seat, and has previously been seen with very famous passengers in a Range Rover.

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He showed former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle the personal touch when he drove them and the Queen to Windsor Castle after the presidential helicopter Marine One had landed close to the monarchs Berkshire home during their visit to the UK in April 2016.

The gesture was akin to picking up guests from the airport, although the journey only lasted a few minutes. Mr Obama looked delighted when he discovered Philip would be driving them.

As the Queen and Mrs Obama sat in the rear seats, the duke looked composed at the wheel of the Range Rover as it made its way around the castles quadrangle and stopped outside the sovereigns entrance.

 Why has Philips crash sparked debate?

The AA said car crashes involving older drivers can sometimes lead to calls for tighter rules or even bans.

But AA president Edmund King aid GP and family advice is more significant than a persons age when it comes to how long someone should keep driving.

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Mr King said: We wish the Duke of Edinburgh well. Many commentators use high-profile car crashes involving elderly drivers as a reason to call for bans or restrictions on older drivers.

If driving restrictions based on age and safety were introduced we would be more likely to restrict young drivers rather than older drivers.

Young, predominantly male, drivers are much more likely to crash within six months of passing their test than older drivers within six months of hanging up their keys.

Older drivers often self-restrict their driving by not driving at night and only driving on familiar roads.

The decision to hang up your keys is a tough one but should be based on personal advice from your GP and family rather than being based on some arbitrary age.

We all age differently and the car is an essential lifeline for many elderly people.

 Are there many people over the age of 90 who still have a driving licence?

Figures from the DVLA in November showed 110,790 people aged 90 or over still held driving licences.

There were 314 licence holders aged at least 100. The oldest were four people who were 107.

 What did the police do after the dukes accident?

As is force policy, officers from Norfolk Police carried out roadside breath tests on the drivers of both vehicles, which proved negative.

They are now investigating the circumstances.

We've released a statement following a collision at #Sandringham earlier today. You can read it here >> https://t.co/gpTkpPU3Q1  Norfolk Police (@NorfolkPolice) January 17, 2019

 What advice is there for older people who do give up their driving licence?

Age UK said such a decision can be difficult but that stopping driving does not have to mean the end of independence or mobility.

The charity said on its website: If youve decided to stop driving, or been advised to by the DVLA, there are many ways you can get around and there may be help with transport costs.

You may feel worried about the costs of giving up driving and having to pay for public transport, but if you add up the amount you spend on car tax, insurance, fuel and maintenance you may find that using alternatives work out to be less expensive than running a car.

Most people find adjusting to life without a car is difficult at first. If youre finding life without a car tough and causing you to feel down, talk to a family member, friend or your GP.Former Chancellor Ken Clarke has launched a scathing attack on the DUP for their role in Brexit.

Speaking on Sky News the long-serving Conservative MP said the Prime Minister was spending "all her time on party management, trying to keep hardline Brexiteers and this sectarian Protestant party in Ireland onside".

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The DUP voted against Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement on Tuesday, despite a confidence and supply agreement between the two parties.

They were opposed to Mrs May's Brexit plan due to the inclusion of the backstop, intended to prevent a hard border in Ireland.

The party say that the backstop would create a trade border in the Irish Sea and could leave Northern Ireland tied to the EU indefinetly.

However, the DUP saved the government from collapse on Wednesday, voting with Mrs May in a vote of no confidence brought by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, to hand her a narrow victory.

Mrs May will now bring her Brexit 'Plan B' to the House of Commons on Monday, ahead of another vote on January 29.

Mr Clarke said that a widespread cross-party agreement was necessary to limit the damage of Brexit to the UK.

He said that the Prime Minister was holding up an agreement with her attempts to appease the DUP.

Mr Clarke voted in favour of Mrs May's Brexit withdrawal agreement.

"She's still going back to the DUP trying to satisfy their unbelievably silly points on the Irish backstop," the Tory grandee said.

Mr Clarke said that Mrs May would have to turn to Labour and the Liberal Democrats to get support for a deal.

"She spends all her time on party management, trying to keep hardline Brexiteers and this sectarian Protestant party in Ireland onside," he said.

"Some of them she won't."

The DUP said Mr Clarke was out of touch and given the overwhelming number of MPs who voted against the withdrawal deal, "in a club of one".Fianna Fail Health Spokesman Dara Calleary raised the costs of the National Childrens Hospital in the Dail on Thursday (Niall Carson/Pa Wire)

The Government has been accused of being asleep at the wheel for allowing the cost of the National Childrens Hospital to spiral out of control.

Fianna Fails Health Spokesman Dara Calleary described the management of the new childrens hospital as a disaster.

The bill for the hospital, which is currently under construction at the St Jamess Hospital site in Dublin, is expected to be at least 1.7 billion euro.

It is due to open its doors in 2022.

This a project that was meant to cost and was budgeted for 650 million euro now may cost two billion euro and may be higher, Mr Calleary said.

The board of the new hospital appeared before the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday to face questions over the soaring costs.

Mr Calleary claimed it was clear that those in charge of the project neither seem to understand the costs or understand where this will end up.

We were told 2040 was the great panacea for all our ills but it's now turned out to be built on a hill of beansFianna Fail Health Spokesman Dara Calleary

He accused the Government of being unable to keep its capital projects on track and on budget one year into its Ireland 2040 plan.

He said the hospital project demonstrated the lack of planning and substance in the long-term plan.

Ireland 2040 is the Governments 20-year planning framework for the country.

It was unveiled with much fanfare in February 2018.

We were told 2040 was the great panacea for all our ills but its now turned out to be built on a hill of beans, he said.

Mr Calleary asked the Tanaiste: Why was the government and the minister in particular so asleep at the wheel while costs went so catastrophically out of control at the National Childrens Hospital.

He also questioned whether other key projects would be delivered on time.

The cost of the hospital is 450 million euro higher than the 983 million euro approved by the Government two years ago.

But it is expected that another 300 million euro will be needed to cover extras before it is completed.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said Ireland 2040 was a long-term plan and that it could not be dismissed over difficulties and challenges in one project.

Dont try to create an impression that a hugely ambitious development plan for the country is somehow not deliverable because there are some challenges and blockages that we need to overcome and that is always going to be the case, Mr Coveney said.

But he admitted the government was not happy with the overspend.A general view of Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin, where a woman has been refused an abortion, the Irish parliament has been told. (Niall Carson/PA)

A Dublin hospital has denied a claim made in the Irish parliament that it refused a woman an abortion.

Irish Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger told Dail Eireann on Thursday that a woman carrying a baby diagnosed with a fatal foetal abnormality had been denied a termination at the Coombe Hospital.

It comes two weeks after abortion became legal in Ireland.

I've just raised the case of a women who was denied a termination for fatal foetal abnormalities despite 2 consultants agreeing. The hospital asking for her to wait 4 weeks, where it's likely she'll miscarry. Woman is considering travel to UK. #repealedthe8th #dubw #legisl8  Ruth Coppinger (@RuthCoppingerSP) January 17, 2019

Ms Coppinger told the Dail: I have been contacted by a woman who has a fatal foetal abnormality that has been certified by two consultants  and now it appears that the board of the Coombe Hospital is refusing her constitutional right, which we all voted for, to have an abortion at a time she chooses.

Instead they have told her that she must wait another four weeks to see if there is a spontaneous miscarriage.

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Ms Coppinger said the woman is considering travelling to Great Britain to get an abortion.

Speaker Sean O Fearghail told Ms Coppinger it was not appropriate to discuss a medical situation in the Dail.

Ms Coppinger insisted: This is about the law.

Ms Coppingers party colleague Brid Smith said the woman had asked for the case to be raised in the Dail.

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A spokesman for the hospital said the claim is untrue.

A statement said that in the context of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 and the latest draft guidelines, the board of guardians and directors of the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital has no role whatsoever in certifying a termination of pregnancy.

It added: Insofar as recent media coverage has stated that the board has had a role in determining whether or not the criteria for certification have been met, those reports are untrue.

Legislation providing for abortions up to 12 weeks without restriction was signed into law in the Republic of Ireland on December 20 by President Michael D Higgins, following a landslide vote in favour of liberalising the countrys laws.

Abortion services were introduced on January 1.DNA was the chief method used to identify the victims of the Carrickmines halting site blaze in Dublin, which reached "intense heat" levels of over 650C.

Devastated family members left the coroner's courtroom in distress during the harrowing evidence at the inquests in the Dublin City Coroner's Court.

Dental records were used to distinguish Connors brothers James (5) and Christy (3) from each other. Their six-month-old sister Mary Connors was identified visually.

Four bodies - Thomas Connors (27), his wife Sylvia (30) and those of sons James and Christy - were recovered from the main bedroom.

Willie Lynch (25), his pregnant partner Tara Gilbert (27), who were visiting the Connors family, were recovered with their daughters Jodie (9) and Kelsey (4) from the second, smaller bedroom.

The body of Jimmy Lynch (39) was removed from the kitchen area, where the fire started.

The bodies were identified according to Interpol body recovery identification protocols, for the first time.

Fireman Ray Martin of Kill Avenue Fire Station told the hearing that once reaching the scene, he was informed that there could be a baby in one of the cabins that was on fire, with "flames from top to bottom".

They attacked the fire at the door and a woman told him: "She's in there, she's on the bed."

He couldn't see any flames but there was a lot of thick smoke and heat as they entered the bedroom and he saw the baby lying on the bed, at the foot of the bed with the duvet turned over her.

He took the baby off the bed and brought her to the door, handing her over to a colleague.

"There was no obvious signs of life," said Mr Martin. There were burn marks on her face and on both forearms," he added.

Garda Shane Curran told the inquest that examination of the scene pointed to the seat of the fire being in the kitchen/living room. The right rear hotplate of the cooker held the remnants of a chip pan which was on the point of being "practically unidentifiable". He described it as a "molten lump of aluminium" with a netted steel basket on top.

Steel melts at a higher temperature than aluminium, which melts at 650C, explained Garda Curran, adding that this suggested the fire had started around that location. He said there was no other obvious ignition sources except for the chip pan.

Garda Curran agreed it was highly likely the nine victims were "almost certainly unconscious" due to poisonous gasses before the fire reached them.

The hearing continues.The DUP's Sammy Wilson says that the only hard border on the island of Ireland was due to the "actions of Republicans".

Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland programme, he said: Ironically the only hard border we ever had in Northern Ireland was a hard border which resulted from the actions of republicans. People who wanted a united Ireland.

"They were the ones who caused army checkpoints to be put in place, army patrols, watchtowers etc."

'It is a bit of a nonsense, frankly, to talk about a hard bordera - DUPas Arlene Foster pic.twitter.com/UQBohB0Dzu  RTA News (@rtenews) January 15, 2019

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His comments follow DUP leader Arlene Foster's claims that there had never been a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

She said it was merely security to prevent terrorist attacks, "and even in those circumstances we weren't able to stop them".

Mrs Foster told an event in London there was never a hard border on the island and how it was upsetting to hear the Prime Minister Theresa May talk of the "borders of the past".

Explaining how while there was border infrastructure during the Troubles, she said that was for "completely different reasons".

"It was for the reasons of security and even then terrorists were able to come and go at their pleasure," she told the BBC.

Calling for the backstop to be binned, she said she believed there were administrative and technology options which could pave the way forward for border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic in order to prevent the need for infrastructure.

"As someone who lived through the Troubles," the DUP leader said, "we never had a hard border."

"There were 20,000 soldiers in Northern Ireland and they could not hermetically seal the border in Northern Ireland

"So it is a bit of a nonsense to talk about a hard border."Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster and deputy Nigel Dodds speak to the press outside Downing street. (Photo by Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

The DUP has said there is a way forward for the Prime Minister to solve the Brexit conundrum and that's to deal with the backstop in a "meaningful and satisfactory way".

DUP leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dodds met with the Prime Minister on Thursday morning. They said there was a way forward for Theresa May but stopped short of saying the backstop should be binned altogether.

They described the meeting as "useful".

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Northern Ireland Affairs select committee chair Andrew Murrison - in a BBC The View interview - has suggested the DUP is more flexible in private than they are in public and they were considering "all sorts of things". It has been mooted the party would accept a time limit to the so-called insurance policy. MP Gavin Robinson said it was one possible option but the primary concern was maintaining the Union of the UK.

Emerging from the meeting at Downing Street, the DUP leader said the issue of the Irish backstop needed to be dealt with in a very clear way if Brexit negotiations are to make progress. She said during the meeting they made a "clear ask" of Mrs May for the backstop to be dealt with.

Asked if Theresa May pledged to go to Brussels and tell EU officials to drop the backstop Nigel Dodds said the Prime Minister was not in a position to offer solutions as she was in "listening mode".

"There were 118 of Conservative MPs who voted against the deal so she has a job of work to do," he told the BBC.

"No doubt she will come back to us on that but not today."

He added: "We want to find a deal, we want to help her out"

The North Belfast MP said the reason why the withdrawal agreement was so resoundingly rejected was down to the "indefinite nature" of the backstop.

"There is no unilateral right for the UK to leave... the backstop is something that will not get through the House of Commons."

It was put to Mr Dodds the DUP are more "flexible" on the backstop privately than they were in public following Dr Murrison's comments.

"There are a range of ways of dealing with the backstop, which prevents it from becoming an all-weather, indefinite trap for the UK," he said.

"The key is - we all agree, well those of us who are sensible - you can't have a situation where it is harder to get out of the backstop than it is to get out of the EU.

"We want to get a deal, we want to try and find a way," he said.

"Let us realise the problem with the Irish backstop is the insistence that we have this solution to avoid a hard border in Ireland.

"The problem is the backstop would trap the UK, trap Northern Ireland... we would be rule takers."A 17-year-old boy appeared at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Thursday charged in connection with a late night double stabbing in the town.

The youth - who cannot be named because of his age - is accused of attempting to murder two women on Sunday night.

He is also charged with two counts of possessing an offensive weapon - a knife - with intent to commit attempted murder on the same date.

Two women were stabbed in the Beresford Avenue area in Coleraine on Sunday, January 13.

At court the youth said he understood the charges.

A police officer said he believed he could connect the accused to the charges.

The officer said the two alleged victims had been approached by three males.

He said one of the males had stabbed the two women "for no apparent reason".

The court heard how one of the alleged victims had suffered a punctured lung with the other receiving four stab wounds.

The officer said that both were making a "reasonable recovery" with one discharged from hospital.

No bail application was made and a defence lawyer said his client denied the offences.

District Judge Liam McNally remanded the accused in custody to the Juvenile Justice Centre.

The youth will reappear in court via video link on Monday February 11.

On Monday, PSNI Inspector David Jennings had said: The women, both aged 22, were attacked while walking close to Beresford Avenue at around 11.25pm on Sunday night.

They were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries that while serious are not believed to be life threatening at present.The hearse makes its way from the family home

Bernie Byrne, widow of Sean Byrne, walks behind the hearse carrying his coffin

The grieving widow of Sean Byrne placed her hand gently on his coffin during Requiem Mass yesterday as it sat in front of her pew.

Bernie Byrne, who bore her sorrow with great dignity, sobbed quietly as one of the final hymns of the hour-long service, The Arms Of The Angels, resonated around the small chapel in Camlough.

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Shortly afterwards there wasn't a sound in the church bar the voice of the deceased's daughter Blinne, heavy with emotion and fighting back tears, as she read out a poem dedicated to her dad, describing him as her superhero.

Keen amateur photographer Mr Byrne (64), a father-of-three and grandfather-of-six, died on Sunday while taking pictures with a friend on Wee Binnian in the Mourne Mountains.

Hundreds packed into the quaint Church of St Malachy, Carrickcruppen, to hear Father Sean Larkin speak of the "deep sorrow and shock" of Mr Byrne's "untimely" death.

Describing him as "a loving husband and father and grandfather, a helpful son and brother, a good friend and neighbour", the priest said "the circumstances of Sean's death in the Mournes make his passing all the more tragic".

He said: "What should have been an enjoyable walk in the mountains in unusually mild conditions ended in tragedy.

"This was indeed a dark day, in a place of great natural beauty."

Fr Larkin gave a special mention to the former senior policeman who, too, lost his life in the mountains on Sunday. "It's fitting that we also keep in mind and in our thoughts and prayers the family of Robbie Robinson, who also died in a separate fall in the Mournes an hour later," he said.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The funeral of south Armagh man Sean Byrne who died in an accident in the Mourne Mountains. Picture: Pacemaker Belfast. PACEMAKER BELFAST 16/01/2019 The funeral of south Armagh man Sean Byrne who died in an accident in the Mourne Mountains Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne from Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne from Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne from Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison PACEMAKER BELFAST 16/01/2019 The funeral of south Armagh man Sean Byrne who died in an accident in the Mourne Mountains Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne from Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne into the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Bernie Byrne, centre, the wife of Sean Byrne walks behind The hearse carrying his coffin from the family home to the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Bernie Byrne, left, the wife of Sean Byrne walks behind The hearse carrying his coffin from the family home to the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison The hearse carrying the coffin of Sean Byrne makes its way from the family home to the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne into the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne into the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Family and friends carry the coffin of Sean Byrne from Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. Pic by Peter Morrison. The hearse carrying the coffin of Sean Byrne makes its way from the family home to the Church of St. Malachy, Carrickcruppen, Camlough. The keen walker died on the Sunday while out walking in the Mourne mountains. Pic by Peter Morrison Sean Byrne from Camlough who died while walking in the Mourne mountains, pictured in a family hand out picture with his wife Bernie and all his grandchildren. Sean Byrne from Camlough who died while walking in the Mourne mountains, pictured in a family hand out picture with his eldest grandson Christopher. / Facebook

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Whatsapp The funeral of south Armagh man Sean Byrne who died in an accident in the Mourne Mountains. Picture: Pacemaker Belfast.

The priest said that Mr Byrne was "first and foremost a family man" who "lived for his family and was always there when anyone needed him".

Mourners were told that "he had an oil business and was well-known and respected in the wider community".

They heard that he had varied interests ranging from photography, volunteering in securing the safety of the homes of the elderly, the Lislea Men's Shed, his Wednesday night quiz group and that he was heavily involved with Craobh Rua hurling club for many years.

The priest spoke of Mr Byrne's "unique and special bond" with his sons and daughter - Padraig, Shane and Blinne - and his grandchildren Christopher, Eireann, Sean og, Liam, Oisin and Eilbhe.

"This extended to all his nieces and nephews," Fr Larkin said.

"He knew the personality of all the children and they loved this very special bond of father, grandfather, uncle or friend.

"He loved all things Irish; Irish culture, the Irish language, Irish games. He was a happy person, enjoyed life, found fulfilment in life."

Music was provided by a young man and woman, both singing and playing guitars, as well as the flute.

One of the Prayers of the Faithful was dedicated to the family of the late Mr Robinson, whose funeral also took place yesterday in Banbridge at 1.30pm, that "they may find the strength to face the future".

Another prayer was said for the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team and all emergency services "for all their efforts every day as they work tirelessly assisting those in the Mourne Mountains and further afield".

At 11am, as the Mass began, there was a procession bringing four symbols representative of Mr Byrne's life to the priest standing at the altar.

They were a camera, representing his "great interest in photography", a hurling stick, a walking pole "for the mountains" and a family photograph.

Fr Martin McKenna was co-celebrant at yesterday's service.

Blinne's poem to her father just before the service ended received rapturous applause.

"There's never a right time to say goodbye, we'll miss you daddy and here is why.

"You taught us so much, to show no fear, to always have fun, face the day with cheer..."

Through tears, she added: "I hope you can hear us, so we can let you know, that you are and will forever be our superhero."

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty was among hundreds of mourners who gathered to say a final farewell to Mr Byrne, who was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.Almost 8,000 crimes were not investigated appropriately over a seven-year period because gardai did not do their job properly, a report has shown.

Some 3,500 children were linked to the crimes that were reported, but not investigated properly by gardai.

The majority of the juvenile offenders were known to police and went on to commit further crimes.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has apologised for the failings, adding that society has been let down.

Questioning by members of the Policing Authority has now commenced. pic.twitter.com/IuskgirkpL  Policing Authority (@PolicingAuthIRL) January 17, 2019

A total of 2,492 victims and 988 business victims were impacted by these crimes, and An Garda Siochana is to write to individuals to apologise for not pursuing the matter.

A helpline has also been set up for members of the public which will be available for the next 14 days.

As part of the wide-scale examination of youth referrals, garda officers were asked for copies of files, notebooks and DPP (Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) directions in relation to the cases.

The number of crimes that were not properly investigated accounted for 5% of all crimes reported from 2010 until 2017.

Some 73% of the crimes related to public order, theft, road traffic offences and criminal damage  as well as 55 serious crimes which included sexual offences, violent disorder, prison breaks, possession of a firearm and threats to kill.

Speaking at the Policing Authority at Dublin Castle, Commissioner Drew Harris said: I want to apologise to more than 3,000 individual and organisational victims that we have let down.

They expected us to pursue crimes committed against them, to fill to the fullest extent possible our responsibilities in terms of investigation, and in their cases we did not do this.

Each and every one of these cases should have been investigated, the public expects that when something is reported it is investigated, I expect the same.

We have let society down by not pursuing these crimes, some of them serious, by young people.

Mr Harris added that the failings were caused by both organisational groups and individuals.

16,788 cases there was no prosecution

4,851 of cases had insufficient evidence

2,659 cases could not be progressed because of the actions of the injured party

497 cases did not progress because the suspect had died or could not be found

There were 383 time delay cases

291 incidents were no crime was committed

262 cases were not in the public interest

40 cases were classed as other

In response to the report, gardai have put a number of measures in place to prevent the failings from happening again.

Gardai have developed divisional and district teams who will be able to visit people directly impacted by the crimes.

Gardai have said that the vast majority of children involved in these crimes had chaotic lives and had a history of re-offending, meaning they had contact with gardai before and after the incident that was not appropriately investigated.

In relation to the 8,000 crimes that were not investigated properly, 96% of these happened between 2010 and 2015.

I want to apologise to those young people we have also let downDrew Harris

The rates of cases that were not progressed significantly reduced from 7% in 2010 to 0.7% in 2017.

Last month, a National Bureau for Child Diversion was established while the number of supervisors at sergeant and inspector ranks were increased last year.

The Youth Referrals System will also be audited for the next three years.

Mr Harris added: I want to apologise to those young people we have also let down. These were the main, vulnerable children who were suspected of committing crimes and who had committed crimes in the past.

We should have done better by them in terms of the intervention that we failed to carry out.

Mr Harris said some officers may have to undergo a disciplinary process.

He added: We have to take into account there will be an individual examination of each of these cases, in particular where members of An Garda Siochana have been concerned what their actions were and indeed a consideration of a discipline process that may then follow by the divisional officer.Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle ONeill says she warned Secretary of State Karen Bradley to listen to the public over Brexit (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

Sinn Feins deputy leader Michelle ONeill has said the public are aghast at the Brexit pantomime at Westminster.

Ms ONeill said she had warned Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley in a frank telephone conversation that she must listen to the fears of the public.

It comes after a dramatic 24 hours at Westminster during which Theresa Mays Withdrawal Agreement was rejected by MPs.

Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in the House of Commons (HouseofCommons/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in the House of Commons (HouseofCommons/PA)

The Prime Minister then narrowly survived a confidence motion put forward by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union in just over two months on March 29.

Ms ONeill said the business community, farmers, and the community and voluntary sector were growing more concerned every day over Brexit.

I had a frank discussion with the British Secretary of State and I told her that her government is clearly still not listening to fears of the public who are aghast at the pantomime currently playing out in the Westminster parliament, she said.

With each passing day, our business community, our farmers, our community and voluntary sector are growing more concerned at where this shambles will ultimately end up. And it is they who will pay the price of a no-deal crash Brexit.

Unfortunately that is where we are likely to end up if Karen Bradleys government pursues a solution by attempting to placate and appease the DUP and the hard Brexiteers.

Ms ONeill added a plea that the backstop remained in any new withdrawal deal agreed between the UK and EU.

It is crucial, now more than ever, that the Dublin Government and the EU27 stand firm on the position that there can be no agreement without a backstop that prevents a hard border in Ireland and protects our peace and political process, she said.A patient in Northern Ireland who passed away had between 6,000 and 10,000 worth of unused medicines in their possession.

The startling revelation came from Richard Pengelly, the top civil servant at the Department of Health, as he called for a debate around the reintroduction of charges for prescriptions in Northern Ireland.

Mr Pengelly, the department's permanent secretary, made the comments at a meeting of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster yesterday.

He was responding to a question from Labour MP Kate Hoey about waste in the health service.

Mr Pengelly said it was difficult for doctors to think about saving money "in the heat of battle" when a patient's health was on the line.

He said it was a "big issue" but there "wasn't an easy answer".

Questioned by Mrs Hoey about horror stories of wasted medicine, Mr Pengelly revealed that such stories were often true.

"My recently retired Chief Pharmaceutical Officer told me a couple of months ago about a colleague of his who is a community pharmacist. A client of his had sadly passed away, but he had to go to the house to remove somewhere in the region of 6-10k in unused medicines," he said.

Mr Pengelly said this medicine could not be put back into the health system for other patients to use, even if unopened.

He said a new e-pharmacy system could help cut wastage, as customers would feel more comfortable ordering only the medicines required.

"Currently, for repeat prescriptions you make contact with your GP, in many cases by telephone or letter. For a lot of people with comorbidities (multiple health issues) they are on a number of different medications," he added.

"It's much easier to ring up and say 'can I have my repeat medication' rather than to say 'I only need that one', some of these drugs are unpronounceable."

Mr Pengelly said that the issue of prescription charges should be revisited.

Health service prescriptions are currently free in Northern Ireland, after charges were abolished in 2010. England is the only part of the UK where prescription charges apply.

"My own view is that sometimes charging isn't about money, it's about influencing behaviour. I think one of the issues is when we receive goods free we don't always appreciate that there is a cost associated with that good," he said.

"I'm not offering a position on prescription charges, but I think there is debate that needs to be had there."

During yesterday's meeting, Mr Pengelly also warned that medicine availability will be an issue in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Responding to a question from Independent Unionist MP Lady Sylvia Hermon, Mr Pengelly joked that he "hadn't bought any fridges".

He said: "The single biggest issue we face is medicines availability. Plans are being laid on a UK basis, the Secretary indicated that he had bought some fridges."

Lady Hermon asked if there were any fridges in Northern Ireland for the stockpiling of medicine. Health Secretary Matt Hancock had said that the UK was the world's largest buyer of fridges, due to stockpiling medicines ahead of Brexit.

Mr Pengelly was also questioned about events at Muckamore Abbey Hospital, where more than 20 staff have been suspended due to concerns surrounding safeguarding procedures at the hospital.

Mr Pengelly told Mrs Hoey that he believed issues at the hospital had been addressed.

"I'm confident that what is happening today has fundamentally changed from the behaviour that has happened," he said.

"I cannot say with complete confidence that we know everything that happened, because I still have colleagues reviewing all the available CCTV evidence.

"I've looked at some of the CCTV evidence and I was shocked and appalled in some cases by what I saw."'Despite White trying to prevent his mother speaking, Judge Magill demanded to know the facts of the previous matter' (stock photo)

A mother was verbally abused by her Co Fermanagh son in court after she revealed he had committed an earlier offence the judge was unaware of.

Nathan White (19) of Drumclay Park, Enniskillen was detected driving without insurance on July 21 last year in Clogher. The R-driver pleaded guilty yesterday at Dungannon Magistrates' Court.

His lawyer asked District Judge Peter Magill to consider a short driving ban in lieu of penalty points, as the standard six points would revoke White's licence for a mandatory six months.

This was agreed and Judge Magill imposed a 100 fine along with a one month ban.

He allowed 16 weeks to discharge the fine but White's mother said: "He'll need longer than that. He's already paying off another fine from a different court."

Despite White trying to prevent his mother speaking, Judge Magill demanded to know the facts of the previous matter.

It transpired White had been fined at the end of November for speeding.

Judge Magill said: "So he has already had a chance? That changes things. I don't see how I can overlook this."

He increased the ban to two months, at which White clenched his fists to his face and told his mother to "f*** away off".

Noting this, Judge Magill said: "You seem somewhat disgruntled. Make sure you don't come back."Drivers may need a green card to cross the Irish border.

Drivers from Northern Ireland may need a special "green card" when travelling to the Republic, insurers have warned.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said that drivers will need a green card if they wish to drive in countries which are part of the European Union following a no-deal Brexit.

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There are approximately 110 million border crossings between Northern Ireland and the Republic each year, the Department for the Economy has said.

A Green Card is an internationally recognised insurance document which provides proof of the minimum compulsory motor insurance cover required by the country visited.

The cards provide a guarantee of insurance for a minimum of 15 days and can remain valid until the expiry date of the motor insurance policy, providing cover for multiple trips.

Currently all motor vehicles with a valid registration travelling within the EU are covered by the terms of the EU Motor Insurance Directive (MID).

The green card will not be needed if an agreement is reached between the EU and UK on Brexit, or if a transitional arrangement is implemented.

A no-deal Brexit is looking increasingly likely, with the UK set to leave the EU on March 29, with no deal currently in place.

Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal deal was overwhelmingly defeated on Tuesday.

The ABI has warned drivers to contact their insurer at least a month before they wish to travel to obtain a green card for proof of insurance. It would likely cost a "small administrative charge".

Anyone planning to take their vehicle to mainland Europe, and freight companies planning to transport goods will also need the green card after March 29. Those travelling without them may be breaking the law.

An agreement was reached between European insurance authorities in May 2018 to waive the need for Green Cards in the event of a no-deal Brexit, however this has not yet been confirmed by the European Commission.

Director General of ABI Huw Evans urged drivers in Northern Ireland to plan ahead.

If you live in Northern Ireland and drive to the Republic of Ireland, or if you plan to drive your vehicle to mainland Europe after a no-deal Brexit, you will need a Green Card to prove you are insured," he said.

"You should contact your insurer before you travel in order to get one. This advice applies to businesses as well as individuals.

It remains the case that Insurers do not want a no deal Brexit; it would be bad for the economy and bad for our customers. We continue to hope these arrangements are never needed and urge the Government, UK Parliament and EU27 to agree an orderly way forward.Donald Harte (right) said Cancer Focus NI helped him support his children through the loss of their mother in 2010 (Michael McHugh/PA)

A Northern Irish cancer charity gave children who lost their mother the skills and resilience to go on, their father has said.

Mother-of-five Anna Harte died in 2010 when her youngest child was aged just three.

Cancer Focus NI is celebrating 50 years of helping families like them, and has launched a major campaign to raise 100,000 for pioneering breast cancer research.

Mrs Hartes widower Donald said: You have to be honest and up front and they will cope, they will cope, that is the one thing I have found out of this process.

It is not a straight road and there will be bumps, but they will cope and they will get out of the other side of it and the fact they have been supported through that by Cancer Focus makes that process quicker and makes them stronger.

We are 50!!!!! 50 years supporting local people affected by cancer.

Have you been helped by us? Or helped us? Share your stories with us a let's celebrate together! @publichealthni @CrescentArts @Translink_NI @MediCare_Group @BelfastLive pic.twitter.com/Fvkv9Zg2Nw  Cancer Focus NI (@CancerFocusNI) January 17, 2019

The trade union official from Craigavon attended the charitys group for the bereaved, planning for the first anniversary, Christmas and birthdays.

He added: It is a great support to know that people have been through it and come out of the other side of it. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it takes a while and is very difficult, but that support was incredible for me.

It allowed me to support my children through that process and made it easier on them.

At the time of their mothers death, his oldest girl was aged 15 and his youngest boy just three.

He said: It is not a process that ends, it is a process that continues and they were given the skills and tools through others experience to do that and that is wonderful.

Debra Rice, 47, from Belfast, was diagnosed with breast cancer caused by a faulty gene in 2015.

She had lost her hair due to chemotherapy.

She said: Once I did not look like myself any more it was very, very hard.

I had eyebrows and eyelashes for the first time in months, it was just a lovely experience and helped boost my confidenceDebra Rice

She was invited to a beauty day with make up artists organised by Cancer Focus NI.

Ms Rice recalled: I had a lovely facial, had my make up done, and did not recognise myself.

I had eyebrows and eyelashes for the first time in months, it was just a lovely experience and helped boost my confidence.

That gave me little tips and tricks for my make-up to progress and put on my make-up and feel normal again, that was a big bonus for me.

A Cancer Focus-funded research project based at Queens University Belfast will study women who have developed cancer in their second breast, and aims to develop a test to identify those who are at greatest risk of developing a second breast cancer.

By testing DNA, it could deliver more personalised medicine and avoid women like her daughter having to undergo preventative surgeries unnecessarily, Ms Rice said.

Ms Rice added: She has a 50/50 chance of inheriting that gene, so for me, anything we can do that is going to benefit her in the long run and anyone like her. I would like to think she will not face the choices that I had to make, that there will be other things available to her.Northern Ireland is yet to feel the full impact of welfare reforms and more people could be forced to use foodbanks when money to ease the impact of changes ends next year, Stormont's spending watchdog has said.

Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) chief Kieran Donnelly spoke out ahead of the cessation of 501m of Fresh Start Agreement funding in March 2020.

The money finances a four-year mitigation package from Northern Ireland's block grant to top-up reductions in benefit payments caused by welfare reforms.

But an NIAO report highlighted that "there is no budget for mitigation expenditure post March 2020".

In addition, the report revealed that 136m of the 213m in mitigation payments allocated for 2016-17 and 2017-18 was not spent - an underspend of 77m.

Annual social security expenditure in Northern Ireland totals 7.3bn, of which 6bn is administered by the Department for Communities (DfC).

The report says the DfC has estimated that implementing reforms will cost more than 0.5bn, and 0.5bn has been set aside to mitigate their impact.

The Government has not allocated any additional money to cover a further 1bn in costs.

Commenting on the effect of welfare reform after March 2020, Comptroller and Auditor General Mr Donnelly said: "Northern Ireland has been insulated from the full impact of welfare reforms by the availability of mitigation schemes and local flexibilities.

"When the mitigation schemes end, there is a risk that we will see the same hardship and increase in the demand for foodbanks, reported elsewhere in the UK.

"The department's current review of mitigations should focus on what actions need to be taken to address this very real risk."

The Government began to roll out welfare reforms in the rest of the UK in 2012. After the Fresh start Agreement in 2016, Northern Ireland followed suit.

Universal Credit replaces a range of benefits, including Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and Housing Benefit.

By June of last year, 12,000 Universal Credit claimants here had been processed. Between July 2019 and March 2023, there will be a "managed migration" of around 300,000 claimants.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working-age claimants.

In total, 128,000 DLA recipients have been reassessed under PIP rules, with 75% qualifying for payments. Some 41,000 new claims for PIP have been received, with 46% qualifying for the new benefit.

The DfC estimates that these reforms in Northern Ireland will save the Government approximately 3bn by 2025/26.

Mr Donnelly said welfare reforms provide "significant challenges" to the DfC due to the large number of claimants, complex benefit regulations and ensuring claimants receive their benefits on time.

He said it is "too early to comment" on whether the DfC is "likely to achieve the savings it has estimated or overall value for money". "Savings from welfare reforms go to HM Treasury directly not Northern Ireland," Mr Donnelly said. "To balance this, it is imperative that robust cross-departmental strategies are in place to boost the local labour market and strengthen the economy to make work pay."

The NIAO report says that many of those consulted found the benefits system "even more complex than it was before welfare reforms were introduced". It added that to date the largest financial losses to claimants have arisen from changes to Tax Credits, Child Benefit and reductions in annual benefit rate uplifts.

It adds that the "difficulties and problems encountered by disabled and low-paid households across Northern Ireland are likely to increase in April 2020 after the current mitigation measures end".

It states: "Current social housing stock remains unsuitable, with many thousands of social tenants under-occupying, and will therefore be subject to reductions in benefits post 2020.

"While the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive exacerbates the position, it is imperative that options are available for ministers to consider when the Assembly returns."

It recommends that the DfC "takes the lead on a programme of research to assess the wider impacts of welfare reforms" in Northern Ireland, as well as a review into the "reasons behind the lower than expected uptake of mitigation payments".

The report also says welfare reforms could pose a "significant financial risk" to the Housing Executive (NIHE), which "has estimated that its arrears will increase by 1.6m in 2018-19 due to the move to Universal Credit".

It added that the NIHE receives over 16.5m in mitigation payments every year, and from March 2020 "will have to collect a minimum of 16.5m of additional rent from its tenants".

A DfC spokesman said: "Decisions on the provision of future mitigation measures from April 2020 will be a matter for an incoming ministers and the Executive. In the meantime, the department will continue to operate and plan on the basis of the existing agreement and legislation.

"In addition, the department is piloting a social supermarket scheme in five areas of Northern Ireland which aims to provide people with a pathway out of poverty by providing access to food and other services like advice, help with budgeting and managing debt, skills and employability training."

When asked the reason for the 77m underspend, the DfC spokesman said reasons included that the "start date for a number of the reforms was later than expected, uptake on the mitigations has been lower than expected, the department has seen a higher number of awards for PIP, which in turn has negated the need for mitigation to be paid for many, and the Cost of Work Allowance has not been introduced".

"None of this underspend has been lost and was returned to the Northern Ireland block grant to be reallocated," they added.

The NIHE said it would continue to collect rents "through our normal processes", adding: "We work with all tenants affected to assist them with any changes in their circumstances".

It that "any reduction in our rental income is likely to mean less investment in our homes", and that it will "work with the DfC to explore the potential impacts on our tenants and on our own rental income".David Clarke was refused bail at Belfast High Court on Thursday.

A man accused of breaking his girlfriend's nose and trying to choke her blamed his own mother for the assault, the High Court has heard.

David Clarke allegedly kicked and punched the woman about the face and body, as well as pulling some of her hair out, in a drink-fuelled attack at his home in Co Down.

Police had to use CS spray after discovering the 23-year-old shirtless and washing himself in the blood-splattered house last November, a judge was told on Thursday.

Prosecution counsel Iryna Kennedy said: "He stated he had blood all over himself, and alleged that his mother had assaulted the injured party."

Clarke, of Kilkeel Road, Annalong, faces charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm, attempted choking, assault on police, criminal damage and resisting police.

He was refused bail to live at an address with his mother.

The court heard the victim was found in a distressed state, suffering from severe facial injuries and wounds to her head.

Blood was detected both inside and outside the property, with Clarke seen at the bathroom sink.

Ms Kennedy said CS spray was then deployed amid attempts to restrain him.

He kicked out and spat in the police car following his arrest, it was claimed.

Clarke's girlfriend made a statement alleging that he had subjected her to a "violent and sustained attack", including an attempt to choke her, hair pulling, kicks and punches.

She sustained a fractured nose and required stitches for lacerations to her eye and lip.

Opposing Clarke's bid to be released from custody to live with his mother, the prosecution argued she was the one he had tried to blame.

Joel Lindsay, defending, said his client claims he only intervened in a fight between the two women.

But refusing bail, Mr Justice Horner described the alleged assault by Clarke as "particularly vicious".

The judge added: "His defence is that he claims his mother committed the offence, but he wants to stay in her house and she apparently wants him to stay there because she has medical issues.

"I think that arrangement in the circumstances is inappropriate."Milltown Cemetery bomber Michael Stone is attempting to go to the Supreme Court in a bid to overturn a ruling that he must remain in jail until 2024.

The notorious loyalist killer has instructed his lawyers to seek permission to appeal the verdict that six years he spent out on licence should not count towards his minimum term of imprisonment.

Earlier this week judges at the High Court in Belfast held that the Department of Justice had wrongly determined Stone is now eligible for possible release on parole.

Their finding came in a legal challenge mounted by the sister of one of Stone's victims.

Deborah McGuinness's brother, Thomas McErlean, was among three mourners murdered in the infamous grenade attack on an IRA funeral at Milltown in west Belfast in March 1988.

Stone, 63, was also the gunman in another three separate killings.

Milkman Patrick Brady was murdered in south Belfast in November 1984, 12 months before joiner Kevin McPolin was shot in the head in Lisburn, Co Antrim.

In May 1987 Dermott Hackett, a bread server, was found dead in his van between Drumquin and Omagh. He had been shot up to 16 times with a submachine gun.

Stone was freed early under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 2000.

Six years later, however, he was returned to jail after attempting to enter Parliament Buildings at Stormont, armed with explosives, knives and an axe, in an attempt to murder Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

He denied it had been a bid to kill the politicians, instead claiming it was an act pf performance art.

In 2013 he was told that he must serve the remainder of a 30-year sentence imposed for waging a sectarian murder campaign.

The ex-UDA man's case had been referred to Parole Commissioners on the basis that he has now served that minimum term.

However, Ms McGuinness claimed the Department unlawfully included the six years he spent out on licence before the attack on Stormont.

Her legal team insisted he should not be considered eligible for release until 2024 - when a full 30 years will have been served in custody.

They argued it was required for a sentence imposed to punish and deter Stone from any future offences.

Backing Ms McGuinness's challenge, the High Court held that he had forfeited the benefits of his exceptional early release when he returned to terrorist crime.

Mr Justice McCloskey said the earliest date Stone might be released on parole licence will be around July 2024.

Returning to court today, the prisoner's lawyers confirmed he is seeking leave to mount an appeal to the Supreme Court in London.

He can only get the required permission if it is established that the challenge raises a point of law of general public importance.

Adjourning the application, Mr Justice McCloskey asked the Department of Justice to disclose how many other parole cases could be affected by the ruling.The Northern Ireland Secretary of State has reiterated her commitment to restoring power sharing in Northern Ireland this year and delivering a prosperous and united Northern Ireland society.

Karen Bradley was in Belfast on Thursday to meet with the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service on Thursday and with all the political parties.

She said she was committed to ensuring power sharing was restored as soon as possible.

"I am updating them on next steps to ensure an orderly exit from the European Union that honours the commitments we have given to the people of Northern Ireland," she said.

"During these turbulent political times, I would like to reiterate to everyone that I remain deeply committed to delivering this Government's vision of a Northern Ireland where politics works, the economy grows and society is more united.

"Restoring devolved, power-sharing government remains a key priority. We have passed legislation to help the parties get back to work as early as possible in 2019 and I will be doing everything I can to make that happen."

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Michelle O'Neill described her conversation with the Secretary of State as "frank".

She said: "I told her that her government is clearly still not listening to fears of the public who are aghast at the pantomime currently playing out in the Westminster parliament.

With each passing day, our business community, our farmers, our community and voluntary sector are growing more concerned at where this shambles will ultimately end up. And it is they who will pay the price of a no-deal crash Brexit."From left: Simon Bullock, church warden; Paul Cooke from Co Kildare, the Rev Alastair Donaldson and Charlie Suphlis, church warden, with the recovered church records

A border church is celebrating the safe return of valuable parish records stolen two months ago and dumped in a bog across the border.

The 'irreplaceable' baptism, death and marriage documents were contained in a safe taken from the Church of Ireland Rectory in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, last November.

They were later discovered abandoned in bogland between counties Offaly and Kildare.

It is thought they may have been there for up to two months.

The robbery took place on Thursday, November 8, at the home of the rector of Kinawley and Holy Trinity Parish Church, the Rev Alastair Donaldson.

While the safe taken contained nothing of monetary value, within it were decades' worth of church administration records.

The theft of the documents sparked a public outcry and led to a cross-community appeal within the village, close to the border with Co Cavan, for their safe return.

Rev Donaldson told the Belfast Telegraph that the documents were of no value to an ordinary person but of huge significance to the parish.

"There was nothing of any monetary value in the safe as we don't keep money on the premises," he said.

"Those who took it probably thought they had struck gold at the time, but when they opened it I'm sure they were disappointed.

"For us it contained irreplaceable and precious information that all the money in the world could not replace.

"People were very upset at the time to think that records of significant events in their family history could be gone forever."

News that the records had been found in bogland over 80 miles away in the Republic reached parishioners on Christmas morning.

They were finally returned to Derrylin in recent days.

Mr Donaldson said it was a "mini-Christmas miracle" when he heard the news that the priceless records had been discovered.

"An initial message was sent to me just before midnight on Christmas Eve night saying that a man had found our records in some bogland along the Offaly/Kildare border," he added.

"We were all sleeping so I didn't get the message until Christmas morning, but it was a lovely and remarkable conclusion to the whole episode.

"At the time of the robbery we were hopeful that the records might come back to us, but we wondered what the chances were.

"I even said that they were probably at the bottom of Lough Erne, but in the end they were a bit further away than that.

"It has been known for miracles to happen on Christmas Day so when I told the congregation at church that morning the records had been found, they nearly fell out of their seats.

"Derrylin certainly had its own mini-Christmas miracle and it also goes to show that wonderful things really can happen."

Paul Cooke from Newbridge in Kildare was the man who discovered the records while out walking his dog a few days before Christmas.

He kept in touch with Rev Donaldson over the festive period and last week made the journey to Derrylin with a friend to return the records to their rightful owners.

The minister explained: "The records were quite far down in the bog when they were found so Paul did very well to get them at all.

"Luckily he had an interest in old records so he knew what to do with them.

"Over the past few weeks, he went the extra mile by drying them out and photocopying them. Given the time between when the records were taken and their discovery, they may have been lying there in the bog in all weather conditions for around eight weeks."

Despite this, Rev Donaldson said most of the records had been fairly well preserved.

"The ink has run on some of the pages making them difficult to read so they may need to be looked at by an expert or pieced together and also possibly rebound," he explained.

"Around 80% of them are legible, but if they had been down there much longer they would have been in a terrible state.

"Up until a few weeks ago, Paul had never heard of Derrylin, but the chance discovery brought us unto his radar. Now it has become a precious place to him and we hope to build on that friendship."Macmillan's Heather Monteverde says the areas of concern must be investigated so they can be properly addressed

Fewer than one in five cancer patients were asked to take part in a clinical trial in 2017, it has been revealed.

The Northern Ireland Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) report has revealed a drop in the number of people asked to participate in a research programme between 2015 and 2017.

It has also highlighted failures in the support and advice offered to cancer patients both in hospital and in the community.

Heather Monteverde from Macmillan Cancer Support said work must be now done to establish the reasons for the areas of concern so that they can be addressed.

However, she said the decrease in the number of patients who felt their primary care providers had done everything to help them could be blamed on the shortage of GPs in Northern Ireland.

"The considerable drop has coincided with the reduction in GPs who are extremely overstretched," she said.

The report also found improvements are required in how potential side effects of cancer treatments are explained to patients, while the number of people able to find someone in hospital to discuss their worries and fears had fallen from 70% to 53%.

The Northern Ireland CPES report examined the experiences of 3,500 people diagnosed with cancer and who were treated in hospital between May and October 2017.

It revealed that the experience of cancer patients has improved as a result of significant investment to increase the number of nurse specialists in Northern Ireland.

Ms Monteverde continued: "In 2015, people were unambiguous in their call for improved access to clinical nurse specialists (CNS) who are an invaluable point of contact for patients, their families and carers.

"Their voice was heard - the Health and Social Care Board committed to expand the CNS workforce with an investment of 11.5m in 60 new posts, 7m of which was provided by Macmillan Cancer Support.

"We know from further analysis of the survey that people who were given the name of a CNS had statistically higher scores on another 47 questions.

"The positive impact of ongoing investment in the CNS workforce is clear from the results and an indication of the importance of listening to patient experience.

"The CNS workforce plan is scheduled to complete in 2021 by which time we would hope to see even greater impact on the experience of people living with cancer."

Ms Monteverde said the improvement in patients' experiences as a result of more specialist nurses demonstrates that areas of concern, such as those relating to GPs and clinical trials, must now be addressed.

The survey was a joint project between health bosses and Macmillan Cancer Support and the results will be used to help shape future services.

Dr Damien Bennett from the Public Health Agency said while the report has identified a large number of positive experiences, there is no room for complacency.

He said: "The survey invited people to share their experiences and views on the care and support they received across various settings.

"The results show that the experience of cancer patients in Northern Ireland is very positive - the average score for overall rating of care is 8.97 out of a maximum of 10.

"However, while scores have improved for 21 questions, there are areas that could be improved including information about side effects, access to people to talk to about worries and fears, and integration across health care teams.

"These are all areas that should be addressed if we want to meet the individual needs and expectations of people living with cancer in Northern Ireland."

Ms Monteverde also said despite the positive results from the report, urgent action must be taken to address waiting times for cancer treatment.

"The fact is that waiting times are unacceptable," she said.The organisers of a Brexit conference have defended not inviting unionist politicians, insisting the event will instead rebalance their misrepresentation of public opinion in Northern Ireland.

The Beyond Brexit gathering in Belfast is the latest initiative by Irelands Future  a collective of Irish citizens living in the region seeking to highlight the potential impact of Brexit on their rights and livelihoods.

Read More

The movement has already sent a number of open letters outlining its concerns to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar signed by a range of prominent figures, including actors, academics, musicians, business leaders, professional athletes, entrepreneurs, lawyers, teachers and doctors.

Among the confirmed speakers at the conference at the Waterfront Hall on Saturday January 26 are Irish Education Minister Joe McHugh, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, Fianna Fails deputy leader Dara Calleary and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

A major conference, aBeyond Brexit: The Future of Irelanda, described as the amost important constitutional gathering in a generationa, will take place in Belfastas Waterfront on Sat 26th January. All are welcome to attend this momentous gathering organised by Irelandas Future pic.twitter.com/LIqeVAelS5  Ireland's Future - TodhchaA na hAireann (@IrelandsFuture) January 17, 2019

At a launch event in Belfast on Thursday, co-organiser Niall Murphy confirmed unionist politicians had not been asked to address the audience.

The Belfast-based solicitor said representatives of civic unionism would be participating in panel discussions and insisted the conference was open for everyone to attend.

There are people of unionist heritage who will be on some of the panels but the reality of the situation is that political unionism has presented an expression in the debate in Westminster which is not representative of how the referendum unfolded here, he said.

We collectively voted to remain in the EU and political unionism has given a definitive expression to promote Brexit.

We think that that is inconsistent with the majority view and we consider that the convention of this conference provides an opportunity to rebalance that inequity.

He added: Political unionism has set its face against rights, against progressive, inclusive politics and has misrepresented the outcome of the referendum. This jurisdiction voted to remain and that is not being appropriately represented.

Expand Close Solictor Niall Murphy accused unionist politicians of misrepresenting Northern Irelands position on Brexit (David Young/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Solictor Niall Murphy accused unionist politicians of misrepresenting Northern Irelands position on Brexit (David Young/PA)

Mr Murphy, who launched the event alongside political commentator Brian Feeney, denied the movement was a front for a pro-united Ireland agenda.

The lawyer, who made clear Irelands Future would not be organising as a political party, said the issue of reunification would likely feature in the conference, but it was not its primary purpose.

The purpose of the conference is to specifically consider and debate what Brexit is imposing on us and for us to have a mature opportunity to respond to that, he said.

That a border poll might feature in part of that response is entirely foreseeable and reasonable.

When the first of three letters to the Taoiseach was published the grouping was referred to as a representation of civic nationalism.

Mr Murphy said they were attempting to move away from that description, claiming the movement had become much broader.

Its responsive to the engagements we have been having, he said.

Going forward this is a conversation which is for all of society. This conversation is open for everybody and we hope and trust that everybody will partake it.

He added: It is a movement for everybody that wants to embrace their EU citizenship via their Irish citizenship.Staff at a north Belfast pharmacy were left shocked after being threatened with a bread knife in an attempted robbery.

It happened in a shop in the Clifton Street area on Thursday at around 5.20pm.

A man entered the pharmacy carrying what appeared to be a bread knife and handed one of the female shop assistants a written note demanding money.

She stepped away from the counter and was able to alert police. The man then fled the shop carrying a number of DVDs and was seen heading on foot towards Henry Place and in the direction of the motorway," Detective Sergeant McPhillips said.

The male is described as having ginger hair and was wearing light grey shorts, a navy Adidas jacket over a grey hoody, with ankle socks and plimsoles. He had his mouth and glasses covered with a scarf.

Although no-one in the shop was physically hurt, staff were left shocked by what happened.

I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened or saw the suspect after he fled the scene, to get in touch with detectives on 101, quoting reference number 912 of 17/1/19.

"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 tally of alcohol-related deaths in Northern Ireland has hit its highest on record.(Dominic Lipinski/PA).

The number of alcohol-related deaths in Northern Ireland has hit the highest level on record.

A total of 303 were attributed to drink, almost 30% more than a decade ago and 70% greater than 2001, when recording began.

Nearly three-quarters of deaths were men and the largest number continued to occur among those aged between 45 and 54.

People living in the most deprived areas were four times more likely to die than the least deprived, 2017 data released on Wednesday by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) showed.

Alex Bunting, director of Addiction NI, said: It is not something that has just happened.

It is a complete lack of strategyAddiction NI's Alex Bunting

If they dont get on and look at health and education and some of the issues we face we will continue to see figures which grow.

He added: It is a complete lack of strategy.

Alcohol-related deaths continue to account for less than 2% of the total registered each year and the health authorities have taken a range of steps to mitigate the harm.

A Health Department statement said: The most recent alcohol-related death statistics are a stark reminder of the tragic impact alcohol misuse has on individuals, families and communities across Northern Ireland.

This Department continues to lead on the implementation of the cross-Departmental strategy to prevent and reduce the harm related to substance misuse in Northern Ireland.

There is a range of services in place that can help and support anyone who thinks they might have an issue with alcohol and/or their families.

Although we have seen reductions in alcohol misuse among young people, more people drinking within guidelines, and less binge drinking, it remains vital that people understand the harm that alcohol can cause, and that those who choose to consume alcohol, drink within the UK Chief Medical Officers low risk guidelines.

Mr Bunting said those aged over 50 were drinking more than ever before.

By that stage someone dependant on alcohol has developed a lot of health-related issues and it has a great impact on their lives.

During the conflict a lot of people coped using alcohol, he observed, adding: Alcohol is a very engrained culture.

We have developed a binge culture, drinking heavily at weekends.

He said it had become part of daily shopping, like bread and milk, due to supermarkets stocking drink.

More women have also been over-indulging in recent times.

@Paul_Mc_Cusker alarmed at rising alcohol related deaths



Read more: https://t.co/YTaGRwGZ6R pic.twitter.com/KIWkeDK8eV  Social Democratic and Labour Party (@SDLPlive) January 16, 2019

SDLP Belfast councillor Paul McCusker said: More must be done to tackle the systemic reasons why people turn to alcohol, be it trauma, aspirational poverty, mental health issues and so on.

It is unacceptable that in 2019, more and more people are dying from alcohol related deaths in a time when the risks of alcohol have never been so well evidenced.

Services available can be accessed at: http://services.drugsandalcoholni.info/Nearly 20,000 households are recorded as homeless, new figures have revealed.

SDLP councillor Paul McCusker, who obtained the statistics from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), said they showed a system that was not fit for purpose.

As of September 30 last year, the NIHE said 19,378 households were on the waiting list and are classified as statutorily homeless.

Mr McCusker said: "These figures show a clear lack of leadership in dealing with the crisis of homelessness.

"The cycle of homelessness is sadly a reality for thousands of families and individuals who see no way out of it and temporary accommodation is now being used as medium stay accommodation as the NIHE find it impossible to move those who are homeless out of hostel provision."

He added that homelessness caused serious disadvantage to children as they grew up.

"Charities work extremely hard to provide support to families and individuals who present homeless each day," the councillor said.

"Currently we have no initiatives that look at prevention and a housing allocation system that is unfair and broken."

Single people were the largest affected group, with 8,534 waiting for accommodation.

Other groups were: 2,724 elderly, 334 large adult (three or more adults), 1,511 large family, 777 small adult (two adults), and 5,489 small family.

In the past six months, for those requiring emergency accommodation, there were 516 placements in a hotel or B&B.

Mr McCusker said the figures also showed 13,505 children were living in households accepted as homeless.

He challenged the NIHE and the Department for Communities (DfC) to show that their current homelessness strategy was working.

"The Northern Ireland Audit Office highlighted the failings from this strategy and we are yet to see any progress from NIHE and the DfC in relation to recommendations made," he said.

"We are failing these children and individuals and their human rights are being withheld, which is an absolute disgrace."

The NIHE said all of the households on the list were entitled to temporary accommodation.

It added: "As the organisation with statutory responsibility for responding to homelessness in Northern Ireland, the Housing Executive funds a range of services through voluntary sector partners to tackle the issue."

In 2018/19 it allocated 36.5m to homeless services, which funds more than 3,000 temporary units and a range of services.

This also includes providers who cater for those who present to NIHE, but were not statutorily homeless.

It noted the Audit Office report referred to the 2012-17 homelessness strategy, with a number of recommendations incorporated into the 2017-22 strategy.

The Department for Communities said a wider response from across all society was needed, with housing being just one of many societal issues that led to homelessness.

"For this reason the department is leading on a cross-departmental action plan to help address the underlying reasons why people may find themselves in a homeless situation," it said.

It added that the delivery of new social housing remained a priority, with money provided to build almost 5,000 homes in the past three years.

Other inititatives to increase the supply of suitable housing include new funding streams for shared ownership, other forms of affordable housing, and releasing more public land for housing.MPs will debate and vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's new Brexit plan on January 29.

Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leasdom made the announcement on Thursday.

Read More

The Conservative MP said that Mrs May will make a statement to MPs about what happens next in the Brexit process on Monday and that she will table a motion.

Mrs Leasdom said that a full day of debate would be held on Tuesday, January 29.

MPs will also propose and vote on amendments to Theresa May's Brexit 'plan B'.

The plan comes amid fears that Ms May will delay any action until Brexit day comes closer to increase pressure on MPs to back her deal or face a no-deal Brexit.

Mrs May is required to present her new Brexit plan to the Commons on Monday, after an amendment was passed by MPs last week.

Her withdrawal agreement was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Mrs May's government narrowly survived a vote of no confidence thanks to support from the DUP.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that the government had survived "for now".

He said if the government goes ahead with a no-deal Brexit his party would look at other options including a people's vote.

Mr Corbyn said that Mrs May's government was a "government in name only" and said the best solution for the UK is a general election.SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has asked Theresa May to promise the people of Northern Ireland that the backstop will not be binned.

In a letter to the Prime Minister following the defeat of her Brexit deal in Parliament, he asked that the Government pledges to "not renege on the implementation of the backstop".

"Following (the) rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement, I am writing to reiterate our strong view that the backstop mechanism must be upheld to protect the interests of the people of Northern Ireland," Mr Eastwood wrote.

The SDLP leader told Mrs May that in June 2016 the local electorate expressed their "clear wish" to remain in the EU.

"Since that time, their voice has either been misrepresented on the benches of Westminster or ignored altogether," he added.

"The majority of people here, including business leaders, the agri-food sector and border communities, are agreed that short of no Brexit at all, the backstop is vital in protecting our interests here. This voice cannot be ignored.

"Despite deadlock in Westminster, the fact remains that there is no way to avoid a hard border in Ireland if Northern Ireland leaves the customs union and single market. That is why a backstop is essential."The competition watchdog has launched an investigation into a merger between two Irish dairy co-operatives that collect milk from around 1,350 farmers in Northern Ireland.

The merger of LacPatrick, in Monaghan, and Lakeland Dairies, which is based in Cavan, was backed by well over 90% of the co-ops' members in meetings held last year.

However, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now announced it is investigating the proposed deal.

The CMA explained that it would consider whether the merger could be expected to result "in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services".

The organisation is calling for any parties with concerns over competition or public interest matters arising from the proposal to contact the watchdog.

The merger would create the second-largest dairy processor on the island, with a milk pool of 1.8bn litres.

Alo Duffy, the chairman of Lakeland, said the merged companies would pay a "sustainable and competitive milk price in line with market conditions".

At meetings in October, 97.24% of Lakeland members voted in favour, while 95.99% of LacPatrick farmers gave the thumbs-up.

The newly merged entity would be known as Lakeland Dairies, with 3,200 suppliers creating a milk pool second in size to Glanbia, which has approximately 2.5 billion litres.

LacPatrick has around 600 Northern Ireland suppliers, and Lakeland some 750.

The merger is the latest shake-up for LacPatrick suppliers.

In 2015, Town of Monaghan Co-op took over Ballyrashane Creamery in Co Antrim, leading to a rebrand as LacPatrick.

In 2017, LacPatrick unveiled a 30m "Brexit-proofing" technology centre for milk powders in Strabane, Co Tyrone.

Lakeland also owns the Pritchitts processing centre in Newtownards.A red brick chimney marks the site of the old laundry

The site of the former Monarch Laundry in south Belfast could soon be turned into an apartment development under plans revealed by its new owners.

Opened in 1906, a red brick chimney is the only reminder of the demolished wash house at the junction of Donegall Road and Monarch Street.

Residents will be asked for their views next week on the proposal to build 53 apartments on what is now largely waste ground overlooking the busy Westlink.

MKB57 Ltd was behind a previous plan for 60 apartments at the location, which was later withdrawn.

The company is a joint venture by Holywood developer William McCreery and Belfast businessman James McElroy.

The site had been previously earmarked for a supermarket after Lidl was granted planning permision in 2001.

However, that venture never materialised.

In 2012 the site went on the market with a price tag of around 750,000.

The updated proposals provide for an apartment scheme ranging between two-and-a-half to five storeys, with 53 parking spaces.

Under the plans, the landmark chimney, which is a scheduled monument, would be retained at the complex

It's understood the site has previously been zoned for residential development.

The plans are currently out for a three-month consultation period.

A public exhibition for locals to peruse the proposals will take place in Donegall Road Methodist Church on January 23 from 2-7pm.Around 20 new jobs are to be created at an IT services company in Lisburn after it was sold to an Irish firm.

ActionPoint said it had paid an undisclosed sum to snap up P2V Systems, a Microsoft Cloud Services company in Lisburn that works with clients in the public and private sectors.

The Irish firm, which has offices in Limerick, Dublin, Cork and Galway, has clients including Munster Rugby, Analog Devices and Johnson and Johnson.

It recently carried out a major project for the Republic's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as its passport office introduced an online system for renewal.

P2V employs around 20 people, and its new owner said it would be creating 20 new jobs focused on IT and sales.

The deal leaves ActionPoint with combined turnover of 18m and a combined workforce expected to reach 100 by the end of the financial year.

Stephen McCann, P2V Systems chief executive, said: "We are delighted by the value this partnership provides to our customers and partners.

"As an established and award-winning Microsoft Solutions provider in Northern Ireland, we are strengthened by this acquisition and look forward to expanding our portfolio of existing services to include custom software development, internet of things and artificial intelligence to best service our customers in Northern Ireland."

Mr McCann is now chief technology office and will work across the UK market for ActionPoint.

ActionPoint chief executive David Jeffreys said the deal would add value for customers.

"Over the past decade, ActionPoint has always had a singular focus: enabling our clients to reach their potential, using the power of technology," he added.

"Our news today expands our reach and allows us to bring our award-winning and world-class services to new markets.

"This acquisition will enhance our all-island approach to the provision to transformative IT services and will further reinforce both our technical capabilities and geographical reach."

Stephen McCann set up P2V Systems in 2008. It has won major awards over the past 10 years, including Microsoft Gold Partner status and has been placed in the top 10 of the Deloitte Fast 50 twice.

It has also received a global Microsoft award for its work with Microsoft Azure and cloud solutions.

The company's headquarters are in Longstone Street in Lisburn, but it also has offices in Dublin and London.

In 2016, P2V announced plans to double its workforce, with the creation of 14 new jobs.

Invest Northern Ireland gave the company an employment grant of 98,100 towards the new positions.

The then Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton, praised the company's expansion.

ActionPoint has been named in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 over the past five years.Angela McGowan of the CBI, Glyn Roberts of Retail NI, Colin Neill of Hospitality Ulster and Aodhan Connolly of the NI Retail Consortium after meeting the DUP at Stormont in November

The head of the CBI in Northern Ireland has said politicians can "make history as leaders" by reaching consensus on a new plan for leaving the EU.

Last night Prime Minister Theresa May remained under pressure over her plans for Brexit despite getting through a House of Commons vote of no-confidence in the Government.

But Angela McGowan, director of the CBI in Northern Ireland, said every business was feeling that a no-deal Brexit was "hurtling closer" following Tuesday night's 230-vote defeat of the draft withdrawal agreement.

Mrs May has until Monday to come up with a Plan B for Brexit, rather than revert to a no-deal exit following the House of Commons' rejection of the plan.

The draft withdrawal agreement had been strongly backed by farmers and business groups in Northern Ireland.

Ms McGowan said: "This is now a time for our politicians to make history as leaders. All MPs need to reflect on the need for compromise and to act at speed to protect the UK's economy.

"No deal would immediately put Northern Irish jobs and businesses at risk and jeopardise years of positive economic development and integration across the island. It must be avoided to protect our all-island economy."

Colin Neill, the head of pub and restaurant trade body Hospitality Ulster, said politicians needed to work together in a spirit of consensus. He added: "Leaving the EU without a deal would damage the sustainability of the hospitality industry and impact on the potential growth of tourism in Northern Ireland.

"We appeal to our elected representatives to work together in a spirit of consensus government to ensure that a no-deal scenario does not happen."

Mark O'Connell, the chief executive of trade advisers OCO Global, said many firms did not want to countenance the scenario of a no-deal Brexit. He also claimed businesses on both sides of the border did not feel their interests were being put first.

"One border-based business even told me he places more faith in the EU to protect NI and ROI economic interests," Mr O'Connell said.

"The aerospace sector in Northern Ireland - represented by ADS - also supported the draft withdrawal agreement. Its chief executive said it was disappointed by the deal's failure.

"Government and Parliament should now work together to build a consensus on our future relationship with the EU, one that can command support in Parliament and approval by our European partners.

"There is limited time remaining, and businesses are carrying out costly contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit.

"Leaving without a deal in March would be the worst possible outcome for our industries. Government must take all necessary steps to avoid this scenario."An artist's impression of the new office development at Ebrington

A developer has said a 10.7m office block proposed for Londonderry can be the catalyst for attracting more foreign direct investment to the city by creating 640 jobs.

The Executive Office has granted 3.5m in grant aid to Heron Bros for the project at the former Ebrington Barracks, which is geared at addressing regional imbalances.

The Draperstown firm has now submitted a planning application for 50,000 sq ft and 30,000 sq ft grade A office buildings, stepped over a number of levels at the gateway to the site in Derry's Waterside.

The business case accompanying the application says while tenants have yet to be secured, the building will be designed for the IT and financial services sector.

It also states the development could eventually generate 17m in wages annually. It follows the 628 digital jobs announced for Derry last year by firms including FinTru, Danske Bank and Alchemy Technology Services.

Heron Bros said a minimum of 120 jobs will be involved in the construction phase, with around 6.8m of work sub-contracted, most of it to firms in the north west. The scheme could also generate around 500,000 in rates for Derry City and Strabane District Council.

A report submitted with the application claimed "failures" in the provision of suitable office space in the city was limiting the potential for attracting foreign direct investment.

"There is a gap in the provision of grade A office space and this proposal is ideally located to capitalise upon this shortfall and to address the failures that currently exist within the Londonderry office market," it said.

"This development represents a massive opportunity to create a grade A office building which is required in order to attract foreign direct investment into a region which is suffering from record levels of unemployment.

"This development can be the catalyst to reinvigorate the economy of Derry and help to position the north west as the destination of choice for large foreign direct inverstment projects and expanding indigenous business."OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Nearly 11 years after their first appearance in the city, the renowned Budweiser Clydesdales are returning to Ocean Springs for a parade and "meet-n-greet" in February.

City officials announced this week the famed horses will be in Ocean Springs on Feb. 10 for a 2 p.m. parade through the downtown area and activities at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center.

The Clydesdales made their first appearance in Ocean Springs in 2011, participating in a St. Patrick's Day Parade through downtown.

"They contacted us," said City Events Coordinator Chic Cody. "They were already scheduled to appear in Biloxi a few days earlier. We had them here in 2011 and we treated them so nicely, they wanted to come back."

Cody said the horses will be "dressed" near the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Front Beach Drive that day and then will parade from the Ocean Springs Yacht Club to the Mary C., where there will be photo opportunities, along with activities for children.

As the Clydesdale "hitch" makes its way down Government Street, it will stop in front of bars and restaurants along the way to deliver beer, providing additional photo opportunities for the public.

The Budweiser Clydesdales were formed in April 1933, when August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III presented their father, August A. Busch Sr., with a six-horse Clydesdale hitch to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition, according to the Anheuser-Busch website.

The Clydesdales began touring the country almost from the outset and continue to make appearances across the U.S. each year.

"Those horses are so beautiful, it doesn't matter if you drink beer or not, they're worth seeing," Cody said.

Cody also said he will contact local car clubs to see if they would provide "lead escort" to the Clydesdales as they make their way through Ocean Springs.

"You don't want to do anything to distract from them," he said, "but at the same time you want to have some sort of escort to lead them. We're going to pull out all the stops and make sure they get treated so well they'll want to come back again."Copyright 2019 Tom Purcell. Tom Purcell, author of Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood, a humorous memoir available at amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist and is nationally syndicated.

exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. For info on using this column in your publication or website, contact Sales@cagle.com or call (805) 969-2829. Send comments to Tom at Tom@TomPurcell.com.The above editorial was published Jan. 10 by The (Sunbury) Daily Item. Its views are its own.Although there has been an uptick in the number of physician assistants in the U.S., hospitals and surgery centers in Illinois are struggling to hire healthcare professionals due to slow licensing approval processing, according to NBC Chicago.

In Illinois, the standard physician assistant's application takes eight to 10 weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. This timeline extends months compared to Wisconsin's eight-day license process.

At the American Center for Spine and Neurosurgery in Libertyville, Ill., administrator Betsy Matthews said the extended processing time affects patient care. The spine center also faces hardships when looking to attract new hires.

"Without that license they can't practice and even without the license they can't obtain any privileges at the hospitals," Ms. Matthews told NBC Chicago.

One physician assistant reportedly waited more than three months before receiving her physician assistant license, controlled substance license and other required documents to practice.

"The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is committed to processing all applications thoroughly and promptly to ensure all practitioners are qualified and safe to practice," Eric Eizinger, IDFPR director of policy and community relations, told NBC Chicago.

The IDFPR is currently understaffed, causing a backlog of applications, according to the Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants. The department staffs depending on processing demands.A second lawsuit was filed against Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System and one of its former physicians after an internal investigation revealed the physician ordered excessive and potentially fatal pain medication doses for at least 27 patients between 2015-18, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Five things to know:

1. William Husel, MD, had worked as an intensive care physician at the system since 2013. Upon learning of the medication incidents, Mount Carmel fired him and sent details of its internal investigation to authorities, Mount Carmel President and CEO Ed Lamb said Jan. 14.

Mount Carmel also placed 20 employees on administrative leave, including pharmacists involved with related patient care and nurses who administered the medication. Only one physician was involved, the health system said.

2. The families of patients involved requested that lifesaving measures be stopped, but the amount of painkillers prescribed was beyond what was needed to provide comfort, according to the health system.

3. David Austin was the second to file a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit this week against Dr. Husel and Mount Carmel after the health system told him 27 people could have received an overdose ordered by Dr. Husel.

Mr. Austin's wife, Bonnie Austin, died at Columbus-based Mount Carmel West Sept. 30, 2018, after Dr. Husel ordered a 600-microgram dose of fentanyl and a large dose of anti-anxiety medication through her IV. Ms. Austin had arrived at the hospital less than five hours earlier after having chest pains and trouble breathing, the lawsuit says.

4. According to the other lawsuit filed Jan. 14 against Mount Carmel, Dr. Husel and others, Dr. Husel prescribed 1,000 micrograms of fentanyl to 79-year-old Janet Kavanaugh on Dec. 11, 2017  18 minutes before she was pronounced dead at Mount Carmel West.

5. In response to the investigation, Mount Carmel officials said they increased education on end-of-life care, implemented an additional protocol to set maximum appropriate painkiller doses in their EMR system and are requiring approval from clinical leadership if any deviation occurs.The Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center nurse who accused the hospital of retaliating against him for speaking out against adding the Facebook founder's name to the facility discussed his position in The San Francisco Examiner.

The name change came after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, MD, donated $75 million to the hospital in 2015.

Sasha Cuttler, PhD, RN, filed complaints with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the California Labor Commissioner's Office Jan. 8. Dr. Cuttler, who has worked at the hospital intermittently since 1987, said the hospital will face greater privacy threats to patient information with its name change.

"I began the protest against Mr. Zuckerberg's name on San Francisco General Hospital because I feared that would make our patients a target for future unethical research," he said. "Advocating for patients and defending their right to privacy is something taught to all nurses. Hospitals both publicly and privately funded need to stand up for ethical care."

In the op-ed, Dr. Cuttler expressed concern over the tension between privacy and self-expression.

"The omnipresence of cellphone cameras means that both hospital staff and patients could inadvertently reveal protected information," he wrote. "Even accidentally allowing identifiable information can lead to fines for hospitals and discipline for hospital staff."

In 2012, Facebook performed an experiment on about 700,000 research subjects without their knowledge or consent, leading patients to be more fearful of their healthcare providers and they information they hold, Dr. Cuttler said.Ten years ago, Ohio's eight children's hospitals developed a plan to improve patient safety  and the hospitals have saved an estimated $173 million, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The initiative, called the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety, now includes a network of over 135 pediatric hospitals in North America.

Hospitals in the network share data and ideas to curb hospital-acquired infections and other patient risks, including allergic reactions to medicine.

From January 2011 to September 2018, the rate of surgical-site infections at member hospitals fell 31.2 percent, from about 3.25 per 100 procedures to 1.72, according to the group.

Additionally, the rate of adverse drug events decreased 63.9 percent over that time, from 0.08 per 1,000 patient days to 0.02. The number of patient falls leading to at least moderate injury dropped 79.5 percent, from 0.11 per 1,000 patient days to 0.019, the group said.

"All of us got into healthcare because we want to make sure we do all we can to improve the lives of children," said Steve Allen, MD, CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide Children's Hospital. "They happen to be very low-frequency events, but preventable harm to even one child is one child too many."Healthcare providers inappropriately prescribe antibiotics 25 percent of the time, according to a study published in The BMJ.

For the study, researchers analyzed 91,738 diagnosis codes for 19.2 million privately insured patients using the 2016 Truven MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database. They developed a classification scheme to determine whether each diagnosis code "sometimes," "always," or "never" justified antibiotics.

In total, researchers identified 15.4 million outpatient antibiotic prescription fills. Of these, 12.8 percent were appropriate and 23.2 percent were inappropriate. Another 35.5 percent were potentially appropriate, and 28.5 percent were not associated with a recent diagnosis code.

Most inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions were prescribed for acute bronchitis, upper respiratory infections and coughing.

"Our findings are striking," lead study author Kao-Ping Chua, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Medical School, told TIME. "On a population level, one out of seven people in the study received at least one inappropriate antibiotic prescription during the year. That's huge if you consider there are 320 million people in America."

More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:



Second lawsuit filed against Ohio health system, physician charged with ordering fatal pain med doses

American College of Physicians publishes ethics manual: 5 notes on genetic testing

How machine learning can reduce tests, improve treatments for ICU patientsPurdue Pharma formed relationships with two Boston-based organizations  Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts University School of Medicine  to boost prescription rates and generate goodwill toward opioids as painkillers, according to a court filing released Jan. 15.

10 things to know about the relationships:

1. Purdue Pharma struck a deal with Massachusetts General in 2001 to establish a pain program. The sponsorship of the pain program was a way to gain sway and boost prescriptions by using one of the most influential medical centers in the country, the court documents, cited by STAT, claim. Purdue Pharma allegedly encouraged physicians to prescribe OxyContin and other opioids at a higher dosage and for longer periods of time.

2. In 2009, Purdue Pharma paid the hospital $3 million to renew its sponsorship of the Massachusetts General Hospital Purdue Pharma pain program. This also gave the Purdue Pharma sales team access to physicians, medical students and residency students.

3. Jane Ballantyne, MD, who was director of the pain center at Massachusetts General Hospital when the Purdue Pharma sponsorship was established, told STAT she thought the deal would be great, and she was excited about working with Purdue Pharma on the shared goal of easing patient pain. But in 2003, Dr. Ballantyne co-authored a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine that raised concerns about the safety and efficacy of opioid painkillers for patients with chronic pain.

"I thought, in my naivete, that Purdue would want to know that as well, that they would want to know [opioids for chronic pain] wasn't working for patients," Dr. Ballantyne told STAT. "But that wasnt their goal at all."

4. At Massachusetts General, the agreement with Purdue Pharma allowed the OxyContin maker to suggest pain management curriculum changes. The drugmaker also was able to appoint a member to the Educational Program Committee, according to the court documents.

5. In 2002, Warren Zapol, MD, Massachusetts General's chief of anesthesia, defended its deal with Purdue Pharma in a letter to the Boston Globe editor, saying that it "in no way allows the company to design medical seminars or materials focused on treating pain" and that Massachusetts General was in control of all of its educational programs.

6. Massachusetts General did not comment to STAT when asked about current ties to Purdue Pharma.

7. Tufts University hired a Purdue Pharma employee in 2011 to serve as an adjunct associate professor, the court documents reveal. In addition, Purdue Pharma-written materials were approved for lectures in 2014, and the company sent staff to Tufts as recently as 2017, according to STAT. Purdue's sales team stationed in the area were congratulated for "penetrating this account."

8. Purdue Pharma's ties to Tufts date to 1980, when the Sackler family, which owns the company, donated funding to establish the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. In 1999 the Sacklers gave money to start the Tufts Masters of Science in Pain Research Education and Policy, STAT reports. Through the master's program, "Purdue got to control research on the treatment of pain coming out of a prominent and respected institution of learning," the filing states.

9. A Tufts spokesperson declined to comment, citing the pending legal process, according to STAT.

10. The ties to medical organizations are just a few of the details emerging from the revised lawsuit from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Read the full STAT report here.Steve Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said he remains "hopeful" the Trump administration will reconsider its proposal to lower drug prices, according to The Hill.

President Donald Trump has made lowering prescription drug costs for Americans one of his top priorities and has released several proposals to accomplish it. In October, the HHS department proposed lowering Medicare drug prices by establishing an international pricing index that would tie the prices Medicare pays to those in other wealthy countries.

The pharmaceutical industry is fighting the international pricing index..

Mr. Ubl told The Hill that he is "heartened" by a "broad coalition of folks that have raised concerns about this model, not only us."

"I remain hopeful that the secretary is open to better alternatives and, again, I think we want to be responsive to their concerns," Mr. Ubl added.

PhRMA has been meeting with the administration and lawmakers to ensure that they are aware of the organization's concerns.Allergan and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe will continue their legal battle in defense of a patent agreement struck in 2017, appealing a lower court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to STAT.

In 2017, Allergan transferred six patents to its best-selling eye medication, Restasis, to the Mohawk tribe in an effort to prevent generic competition from entering the market. At the same time, Allergan was facing a patent challenge from several generic manufacturers, including Mylan, Teva and Akorn. The three generic drugmakers petitioned for what is known as an inter partes review, a separate legal process overseen by a unit of the U.S. Patent Office.

The controversial deal struck with the Mohawk tribe sought to protect the Restasis deal from legal review, as the drugmaker believed the sovereign tribal government had immunity from inter partes review.

Allergan paid the tribe $14 million and agreed to pay another $15 million in annual royalties. The Mohawk tribe then worked to get the challenges dismissed before the patent board.

But the patent board decided that tribal immunity doesn't apply to inter partes review cases in February 2018. In July 2018, the decision was upheld by a federal appeals court, which ruled a Native American tribe can't claim sovereign immunity to sidestep an inter partes review. .

Now, Allergan is asking the Supreme Court to reverse that ruling. In its argument to the Supreme Court, Allergan and the Mohawk tribe argue that the federal appeals court "fundamentally misconstrued" an earlier case that informed their decision.

The Supreme Court may decide not to review the case.

The unusual patent deal immediately caused an uproar by lawmakers and consumers, who called the move a payoff to avoid competition.

Read the full report here.Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., called on Pittsburgh-based Highmark and UPMC to address questions pertaining to how they are preparing patients who will be affected by their impending split, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Four things to know:



1. Starting July 1, approximately 175,000 Highmark Medicare Advantage plan members in the greater Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa., areas will lose in-network access to 11 UPMC hospitals and "most UPMC doctors," according to a UPMC spokesperson cited by the Post-Gazette. The Highmark-UPMC consent decree, struck in 2014, expires June 30.



2. On Jan. 11, Mr. Casey sent a letter to Highmark CEO and President David Holmberg and UPMC CEO Jeffrey Romoff stating that seniors and people with disabilities may still have questions about which physicians and medical facilities will be affected by the change.

"While it would have been best to have these issues resolved ahead of the start of the annual enrollment period on Oct. 15, 2018, that did not occur," Mr. Casey wrote in the letter, obtained by the Post-Gazette. "The ensuing weeks have only added to the confusion Western Pennsylvania Medicare beneficiaries have faced."



3. While the open enrollment period for Medicare Advantage ended Dec. 7, affected beneficiaries can still switch plans between now and March 31 during a national special enrollment period. Still, Mr. Casey asked Mr. Holmberg and Mr. Romoff to request another special enrollment period from CMS once negotiations surrounding its final separation conclude. Mr. Casey requested a response from the executives by Jan. 21.

4. In response to the letter, UPMC spokesperson Paul Wood told the publication that "UPMC supports Sen. Casey's advocacy that CMS designate a special enrollment period for Medicare Advantage enrollees following the June 30, 2019, expiration of the consent decrees." Highmark spokesperson Aaron Billger told the Post-Gazette that "UPMC has acted alone in limiting access for Highmark Medicare Advantage members. We have worked diligently to bring clarity to the market where UPMC has caused confusion."

For the full report, click here.Five health systems in North Carolina agreed to share risk under a new reimbursement model with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

The five health systems are:



Cone Health (Greensboro)

Duke University Health System (Durham)

UNC Health Care (Chapel Hill)

Wake Forest Baptist Health (Winston-Salem)

WakeMed Health & Hospitals (Raleigh)

Under the model, called Blue Premier, payments to physicians and hospitals are tied to the value of services provided. Total payments to the health systems will be based on their collective ability to manage cost of care and quality performance at their systems.



BCBSNC refers to this as a "shared risk" financial model, as the health systems and their ACOs will share in cost savings if they all meet specific cost and quality metrics, and share in losses if they miss the targets.



"The unprecedented commitment from these five large health systems makes Blue Premier one of the most advanced and comprehensive value-based care programs in North Carolina and the nation," BCBS said in a news release.



BCBSNC wants to shift all of its members to Blue Premier value-based care contracts within five years. By early 2020, at least half of its members will have a provider who participates in the shared risk model, the health insurer said.A group of employees with Pittsburgh-based UPMC must pay the health system more than $317,000 after withdrawing a case concerning a wage dispute, according to Penn Live.

Four things to know:



1. Four workers sued UPMC in 2009. In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs accused the health system of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by automatically subtracting a 30-minute lunch break from them. The employees sought class-action status for the lawsuit, and while granted, it was eventually rescinded.



2. During court proceedings, the employees demanded that UPMC provide millions of pages of documentation. UPMC warned doing so would rack up a large expense, according to Penn Live.



3. The four employees voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice to eventually appeal the class-action decertification to the 3rd Circuit court. However, Judge Marjorie O. Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit rejected the decertification challenge after concluding the voluntary dismissal "was an impermissible attempt to create finality for the purposes of appeal." The judge's decision upholds U.S. Western District Judge Cathy Bissoon's decision.



4. As a result, UPMC sought $317,572 in reimbursement for the documents. Judge Bissoon ordered the employees to pay the health system, rejecting their claims that they weren't legally bound to the payment.



For the full report, click here.The former owner and CEO of Long Beach, Calif.-based Pacific Hospital, who is serving a prison sentence for orchestrating a more than $500 million kickback scheme, breached his plea deal with prosecutors, a federal judge said, according to the Press-Telegram.

Four things to know:



1. Michael Drobot was sentenced to more than five years in prison in January 2018 for running a 15-year kickback scheme. On Jan. 14 of this year, U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton ruled Mr. Drobot hasn't held up his part of a plea deal made with prosecutors in February 2014.

2. Mr. Drobot helped prosecute multiple co-defendants in the scheme; however, he didn't pay his full restitution, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally. Mr. Drobot was ordered to sell three cars and give proceeds from the sale to the court. He instead "diverted the proceeds from the sale of [the Aston Martin and the Mercedes-Benz] to bank accounts that he controlled and ultimately used the funds for personal purposes." He also failed to sell his Porsche, according to a ruling by Judge Staton cited by the Press-Telegram.

3. Due to the judge's ruling, Mr. Drobot could now face charges of mail fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice that were tossed as part of the plea agreement. Prosecutors will also work to accelerate the sale of Mr. Drobot's $1 million home to recover the restitution.

4. In June 2018, nine defendants were charged in relation to the government's investigation into kickbacks physicians received for patient referrals for spinal surgeries performed at Pacific Hospital. They are among the dozens of physicians and other medical professionals allegedly involved in the scheme.Jan. 16 marked the beginning of a 19-day trial to determine whether Bozeman (Mont.) Health Deaconess Hospital created a monopoly and prevented a cardiologist from providing services at the facility and in the surrounding area, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports.

Five things to know:

1. Kipp Webb, MD, an interventional cardiologist, worked for Cardiology Consultants of Bozeman from 2009-11. He was awarded privileges to work in the facility's catheterization lab under a contract between the cardiology group and the hospital.

2. Steve Reida, Dr. Webb's attorney, told the jury Jan. 16 that Dr. Webb was pushed out of his job at the cardiology group by other physicians in the Bozeman area. Mr. Reida said Dr. Webb tried to contract directly with the hospital but was prevented from doing so by hospital administration, who reportedly "went after him," the report states.

3. The attorney said Dr. Webb attempted to start his own practice, but the hospital's exclusive contract with Cardiology Consultants of Bozeman created a monopoly in the area. Dr. Webb also tried working with hospitals in other cities in Montana and Idaho, but was unsuccessful because Bozeman Health Deaconess allegedly intentionally interfered with his prospects, according to the report.

4. However, an attorney for the hospital argued that Dr. Webb's work with the hospital was temporary and that his privileges ended after he terminated his contract with the cardiology group. The lawyer argued that Dr. Webb was responsible for all the issues that befell him after leaving the hospital.

"In the end, we believe it's the simple fact that no one really wants to work with him," the hospital's lawyer said during opening arguments, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

5. The trial is expected to last through Feb. 7.

To access the full report, click here.Vinton, Iowa-based Virginia Gay Hospital will join UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids (Iowa) as an affiliate and end its previous agreement with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, according to The Gazette.

The new affiliation is effective May 1, after 16 years of partnership with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

"We feel that with our mission as a rural hospital, UnityPoint Health will help us fulfill that mission," said Mike Riege, Virginia Gay Hospital administrator. "The University of Iowa has always been a good partner, but we think UnityPoint has more to offer us as a rural hospital."North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said Jan. 16 he will allow HCA Healthcare's acquisition of Mission Health to go through without a legal challenge, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.

The announcement came after a consultant hired by Mr. Stein to review Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA's purchase of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission deemed the $1.5 billion sale price "fair," according to WLOS.

Stout reviewed financial statements from Mission and HCA and determined the sale price "is fair, from a financial point of view," according to WLOS, which cited a letter Stout sent to the attorney general.

A spokesperson for Mission told WLOS the board was pleased with the consultant's conclusion.

"The board would never have approved any deal that was not fair or that wasnt in the best interests of our community," the spokesperson told WLOS. "We are pleased that this has been confirmed, and Mission remains optimistic that the transaction with HCA Healthcare will close at the end of the month."

In announcing his decision Jan. 16, Mr. Stein said Dogwood Health Trust, the nonprofit foundation that will get money from a sale, has agreed to changes to its board. Under the changes Mr. Stein negotiated, the board must be "fully and fairly representative of Western North Carolina across all dimensions, including ethnic, gender and geographic dimensions," according to the Asheville Citizen Times, which cited a summary released by the attorney general.

The board must also have no more than five members from any one county by January 2020. By January 2021, the board must have no more than four members from any one county, according to the report.

HCA, one of the nation's largest for-profit hospital operators, currently does not operate any hospitals in North Carolina. Under the proposed transaction, HCA would use Mission Health as its platform for growth and expansion across the state.

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Size of organizations in mergers continues to grow, study finds

Top 10 cities for healthcare M&AOngoing gender equity issues at the Yale School of Medicine have created a cause for concern among students, alumni and staff. However, such issues are not exclusive to Yale, according to The Atlantic.

In recent months, the New Haven, Conn.-based medical school has been plagued by issues of gender equity and sexual misconduct. Tensions were brought to a boiling point in September 2018, when more than 1,000 medical school students, trainees, alumni and faculty signed a letter to the university president voicing their "disgust and disappointment" with the medical school's decision to award Michael Simons, MD, an endowed chair position.

Dr. Simons, a renowned cardiologist, was forced to step down as chief of the medical school's cardiology division in 2013 after a university committee found that he had sexually harassed a colleague. The committee called for Dr. Simons to be permanently removed from his leadership role and barred from holding any others for five years. However, Yale's provost reduced the punishment to an 18-month suspension and allowed Dr. Simons to keep his other two leadership roles. Dr. Simons eventually decided not to return to his position as chief of cardiology.

In the summer of 2018, Yale announced Dr. Simons would be awarded an endowed professorship, despite the university committee's findings five years earlier. While Yale initially held its ground, the university ultimately rescinded Dr. Simons' endowed professorship three months after awarding it "out of concern for the community's well-being."

The controversy surrounding Dr. Simons sparked broader conversations about gender equity and sexual misconduct not only at Yale, but at medical schools nationwide in which students and alumni describe cultures that tolerate discrimination and harassment.

Critics argue that such a culture exists, in part, because of a dearth in female leadership. At Yale, executive leadership reportedly did little to alleviate concerns voiced by the school's women in medicine committee. During a meeting with the women's committee, Robert Alpern, MD, dean of the medical school, reportedly sought to justify the university's decision to award Dr. Simons the endowed professorship, describing the cardiologist as "defenseless," the report states. In December, Dr. Alpern announced he would not seek a fourth term as dean of the medical school, and will retire at the end of his term in 2019.

While advocates at the medical school have proposed a number of strategies to elevate female leaders, the success or failure of such reform efforts ultimately depends on the new dean.

"There needs to be a strong moral compass and a group of leaders who not only say they believe that sexual harassment and gender harassment should not happen, but they actually take action. That has to come from the top," Lynn Fiellin, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Yale, told The Atlantic.

To access the full report, click here.The nearly 5 million patients who receive care at a University of California medical center  including Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco  can enroll in Apple's health records feature to store their health information on their iPhone's Health app, according to a post on the UC IT Blog.

Many patients in the UC hospital system have expressed satisfaction with the iPhone feature. A survey of 132 UC San Diento patients who had activated the feature in 2018 found 90 percent of respondents reported improvements in understanding their own health; sharing health information with caregivers, family or friends; and facilitating conversations with clinicians.

Four ways Apple's health records feature helps patients, as outlined in the blog post:

1. Patients still keep their account in the health system's patient portal, however, connecting it to the iPhone's Health app provides a way to centralize their health information from multiple sources.

2. Patients can access, manage and review their own health data, including medications, vital signs and lab results from within the Health app. If a patient receives care at multiple facilities, the app clearly designates which organization contributed the information.

3. Patients can integrate data from other third-party applications and connect sensors, such as a Fitbit fitness tracker, to monitor additional data. However, this data integration means patients should be proactive about their privacy: "We strongly encourage you to read carefully the privacy and data use policies of each third-party application you choose to allow to have access to your health data on your device," the post cautions.

4. Patients can create an emergency medical identification card in the app so that first responders have access to data on blood type and important medical conditions, even if the phone is locked.

"This is an exciting time for patients to take more control of their own healthcare," the post reads. "And, this is truly in your control  your doctor or UC medical team cannot authorize Apple Health or your phone to pull in or share any of your data  it is up to you!"

To read the complete blog post, click here.Minnesota hospitals have seen more patients struggle to pay their medical bills, according to a report from the Minnesota Hospital Association, which has 142 member hospitals and health systems.

The report examined hospitals' uncompensated care, bad debt expense and community benefits in 2017, the most recent year for which data was available.

Three findings.

1. In 2017, Minnesota hospitals provided $691 million in uncompensated care, up 19.2 percent from the year prior. Uncompensated care includes charity care, which is care provided for free or at a discount to low-income or uninsured patients, as well as bad debt, which is money owed to hospitals that can't be recovered.

2. In 2017, Minnesota hospitals' bad debt expense increased 24.7 percent to $467 million, and charity care costs climbed 9 percent to $224 million. The hospital association said the growth of high-deductible health plans may be contributing to the bad debt growth. They also noted that the state's uninsured rate increased to 6.3 percent in 2017.

3. Minnesota hospitals provided nearly $5.2 billion in community contributions in 2017, up 6.4 percent compared to the year prior. Community contributions include health services to vulnerable or underserved individuals; financial or in-kind support of public health programs; health education screening and prevention services; medical research projects; and physician training initiatives. The hospital association said organizations provide these services via financial assistance, charity care and subsidies.

Access the full report here.

Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 18.

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Intermountain, Regence BCBS partner to end surprise ER billsThe City of Prague (Okla.) filed a lawsuit against the owner of Prague Community Hospital, seeking to have a receiver appointed to immediately assume operational control of the facility, according to The Shawnee News-Star.

"The City Council decided to initiate the lawsuit after the current owners missed payroll and employees reported a concerning lack of supplies and equipment available to treat patients, and in light of the fact that the lease with the City for the hospital property has expired and no efforts had been made to extend it and get caught up on lease payments by the current owners," said Jim Greff, Prague city manager, according to the report.

Prague Community Hospital is one of several hospitals managed by Kansas City, Mo.-based EmpowerHMS, which missed payroll in early December. In an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review on Dec. 26, EmpowerHMS CEO Jorge Perez said Prague Community Hospital is facing the same financial challenges as many other rural hospitals across the nation.

"For the record, every bit of revenue generated by the hospital has gone back into the facility and I have personally invested more money into the facility when there were shortfalls," he said. "At the very best, this would have been the case for any other entity who took it upon themselves to rescue Prague. I knew quite well that turning around the hospital would be a long-term commitment, and I remain vigilante to that objective."

The City of Prague's lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, eviction and injunctive relief and an accounting. The city is also trying to secure a new owner or management company to take over the hospital and help stabilize its finances, according to The Shawnee News-Star.

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CHS expects $900M gain from hospital divestitures in 2019

Tenet shares jump after update from CEO

'It's still the prices, stupid': Researchers update study on what's escalating US healthcare costsU.S. Supreme Court justices heard arguments Jan. 15 in a case to determine whether HHS inappropriately altered methods for calculating Medicare hospital reimbursement, The Epoch Times reported.

At issue in Azar v. Allina Health Services is the federal government's decision to include Medicare Part C enrollees with Medicare Part A enrollees when calculating disproportionate share hospital payments.

The changes, which resulted in lower payments to various hospitals, were made in 2013, and Minneapolis-based Allina subsequently sued the federal government in 2014.

The lawsuit claims that the Medicare hospital reimbursement changes were made without first conducting a formal notice-and-comment rulemaking process.

But HHS argues that this process is not required when instructing Medicare administrative contractors in administering the Medicare program, according to The National Law Review.

HHS filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the case after a District of Columbia appeals court ruled that the federal government went against the Medicare Act when it did not conduct notice-and-comment rulemaking.

The federal government has argued that the D.C. circuit court's ruling conflicted with other appeals courts decisions and that the D.C. circuit's contrary decision "would significantly impair HHS' ability to administer annual Medicare reimbursements through the MACs [Medicare administrative contractors] that act on its behalf."

But the American Hospital Association, one of the healthcare groups supporting Allina's position, argues the federal government is overstating the potential effects of affirming the D.C. circuit court's decision, The Epoch Times reported.

During arguments on Jan. 15, discussions focused on "the meaning of specific words in the Medicare Act and in other statutes, and abstract, highly technical ruminations about administrative law," according to The Epoch Times.

Read more about the arguments on the Supreme Court blog.

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Florida ER lowers bill after $5K charge for 4 stitches

Positive outlook seen for US healthcare stocks this yearDalton, Ga.-based Hamilton Health Care System has recovered most of the $1.2 million it was scammed out of by someone purporting to work for a construction company.

Four things to know:

1. In a Nov. 20 email to hospital management, someone claiming to be the CFO of Brasfield & Gorrie, a construction company that has been working with HHCS, requested the hospital electronically wire payments instead of paying by check.

2. After the person claiming to be the construction company executive provided a voided check from Harris Bank, Steven Bridenstine, director of finance and treasury services at HHCS, wired the account two payments totaling more than $1.2 million.

3. Mr. Bridenstine called the construction company a week after sending the second payment. Company officials said they did not request wired payments, and they never received the funds from HHCS. Mr. Bridenstine immediately reported the alleged wire fraud to local police.

4. HHCS has recovered the bulk of the funds. "Through the efforts of our dedicated Hamilton team, the assistance of the FBI and Dalton Police Department and continued engagement with the applicable banking institutions, $1,157,144.91 of the funds have been successfully recovered," Jeff Myers, president and CEO of Hamilton Health Care System, said in an email to Becker's Hospital Review. The health system will continue to work with the FBI and local authorities to recover the remaining funds.

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'It's still the prices, stupid': Researchers update study on what's escalating US healthcare costsHere are six articles that address unexpected medical bills patients receive, commonly called surprise medical bills.

1. Nevada legislation to address surprise emergency bills could be closer to fruition. Read more here.

2. An Arizona law to protect patients from surprise medical bills took effect Jan. 1. Click here for four things to know.

3. Air ambulance companies that don't disclose prices before providing services and obtain patient permission should only be allowed to collect average market prices at most, three authors, including two physicians, wrote in an opinion piece published by STAT. Read the entire opinion piece here.

4. Representatives from the Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association penned a letter to Congress advocating protection for patients against unexpected gaps in insurance coverage that can result in surprise medical bills. Access the full letter here.

5. Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield are collaborating to address high, unexpected emergency room patient medical bills. Click here for more information about their efforts.

6. A Florida woman told WFTV her husband went to the emergency room for a minor cut and was charged $5,000. Read about the experience here.

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Trump administration working on plan for Medicaid block grant programFour of the top vendors hospitals use to participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program are Allscripts, Cerner, Epic and Meditech, according to 2018 ONC data.

Sixteen hospitals and health systems that posted job listings seeking EHR and IT expertise during the past two weeks:

Editor's note: This is not an exhaustive list. Job listings were compiled from job seeker websites.

Allscripts

1. Crouse Hospital (Syracuse, N.Y.): Seeks a clinical information systems specialist

2. Hendrick Medical Center (Abilene, Texas): Seeks an interface analyst

3. Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio): Seeks an information systems customer support analyst

4. University of Pennsylvania Health System (Philadelphia): Seeks an applications developer

Cerner

1. Christiana Care Health System (Newark, Del.): Seeks a senior programmer analyst

2. LifeBridge Health (Baltimore): Seeks an information systems manager

3. Mon Health Medical Center (Morgantown, W.Va.): Seeks an informaticist

4. Providence Health and Services (Renton, Wash.): Seeks a senior applications analyst

Epic

1. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago: Seeks a senior applications analyst

2. Henry Ford Health System (Detroit): Seeks a senior applications analyst

3. NorthShore University HealthSystem (Evanston, Ill.): Seeks a senior applications specialist

4. Oregon Health & Science University (Portland): Seeks a senior system applications analyst

Meditech

1. Doctors Community Hospital (Lanham, Md.): Seeks an IT applications manager

2. LewisGale Hospital Pulaski (Va.): Seeks a facility information security official

3. Steward Health Care (Dallas): Seeks a nursing informatics manager

4. St. John's Episcopal Hospital (Far Rockaway, N.Y.): Seeks an IT applications and informatics managerChester County, Pa., plans to sue at least two opioid manufacturers, alleging they violated the federal Controlled Substances Act, The Philadelphia Tribune reports.

1. Chester County plans to file the lawsuit against drugmakers Malvern, Pa.-based Endo and Frazer, Pa.-based Cephalon. Additional defendants may be added when the lawsuit is filed next month.

The lawsuit will allege the companies used deceptive marketing to increase opioid sales and deceived physicians and patients about risks associated with the drugs.

2. Weeks prior to the lawsuit announcement Jan. 16, surgery center nurse Beth Perz lost her son Brad Perz, 24, to an opioid overdose. He had been prescribed Percocet for a kidney stone and became addicted to the Endo-manufactured drug.

3. Ms. Perz, who lives and works in Chester County, said she believes physicians regularly overprescribe opioids.

"It's a disgrace," she said at the press conference announcing the lawsuit. "They don't need it  it sits in the cabinet and a 16-, 17-year-old gets a hold of it. And then that's the beginning."

4. Philadelphia; the state of Delaware; three Pennsylvania counties and one New Jersey county have filed lawsuits similar to the one Chester County intends to file. In 2018, more than 100 people in the county fatally overdosed.If theres anything worse than this preventable and divisive government shutdown, it would be a reckless idea by President Donald Trump to use money appropriated for Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters to pay for his border wall. Thats one of the most irresponsible proposals to come out of Washington in a long time, and members of Congress should make it clear to the president that it will not happen  regardless of whatever else happens with this shutdown.

That money was appropriated by Congress to help people through one of the most challenging periods in their lives, people from Texas to Puerto Rico who need help getting back on their feet. Diverting that money to a border wall that no Democrats and even many Republicans dont support should be unthinkable.WASHINGTON  Twenty Texas Republicans broke ranks with President Donald Trump on Thursday in a failing effort to block the administration from lifting sanctions against Russian companies controlled by an ally of Vladimir Putin.

The bipartisan 362-53 House vote came a day after the Democratic-led measure fell three votes short in the Senate. Both Texas U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz opposed a Democratic resolution aimed at companies tied to Putin associate Oleg Deripaska, who has been ensnared in the ongoing investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 presidential elections.

The 20 House Republicans from Texas who opposed the sanctions relief  only three supported it  joined 116 other GOP crossover votes in the House.

The votes came at a fraught time for an administration trying maintain party unity in a government shutdown battle with Democrats over a border wall, while heading off Special Counsel Robert Mueller's expanding investigation of Trump campaign ties to Russia.

Although 11 Senate Republicans had joined the Democrats' rebuke of the administration's sanctions move on Wednesday, the measure failed to clear a 60-vote procedural threshold, thereby rendering the House vote moot.

Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

Some Senate Republicans attributed the large number of GOP defections in the House to the largely symbolic nature of the vote, inoculating rank-and-file Republican lawmakers from the perception of being too close to Russia.

Although the House vote could not undo Trump's sanctions relief, the House and Senate votes together represented the biggest split in Republican ranks in Congress since Trump took office two years ago.

Cruz derides 'political gamesmanship'

Deripaska, who has strong links to the Kremlin, is reported to have lent money and funded consulting work done by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a pro-Putin political party in Ukraine.

Among those voting against the administration's sanctions relief were San Antonio Republican Will Hurd, a former CIA officer, and newly-elected Houston Republican Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL.

"Russia will stop at nothing to erode trust in our democratic institutions and threaten our allies," Hurd said. "We must continue to show Vladimir Putin and other bad actors across the globe that there are consequences for their actions. America cannot tolerate Moscow's aggressive behavior."

Lawmakers backing the administration move argued that it would leave in place sanctions against Deripaska while rewarding three Russian companies, including aluminum companies, for loosening their ties to him. They also cited the support of key European allies in the agreement.

"As Senate Democrats know well, this agreement weakens Deripaska, a very bad actor," Cruz said in a lengthy statement defending his vote. He called the resolution, led by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, "simply political gamesmanship."

Only three Republican House members from Texas stuck with the GOP caucus to uphold the sanctions relief: Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, Brian Babin of Woodville, and Randy Weber, a Friendswood Republican who made headlines in July for a meeting involving alleged Russian spy and gun-rights activist Maria Butina.

Weber said at the time that while Butina was scheduled to take part in a 2015 meeting he had with then-Russian Central Bank Deputy Governor Alexander Torshin, he did not recall whether she actually attended.

For subscribers: Texas Rep. Weber's foray into Russian politics may include meeting with alleged spy Maria Butina

Brady said the administration move would better target U.S. sanctions and is no favor to Putin. "The strongest Russia sanctions are the smart ones," he said. "Adjusting sanctions on companies that help us punish and isolate Russian bad actors like Oleg Deripaska will encourage more companies to cooperate with America to severely hobble Russia."

Supporters of sanctions relief also argued that it would allow aluminum conglomerate Rusal and other Russian companies Deripaska controlled to reenter the market, increasing competition and lowering the price of aluminum products for consumers in the U.S. They maintain that if the companies violate the terms of the agreement with the Treasury Department, the sanctions could be re-imposed.

Former Homeland Security chair McCaul joins Democrats

The House vote came at the end of a 30-day deadline for Congress to block the administration's decision to ease the Russian sanctions, which was announced December 19. Rusal stock shares soared on the news.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Treasury Department said the three Deripaska-controlled companies, Rusal, En+ Group and JSC EuroSibEnergo, had agreed to corporate governance changes that would reduce Deripaska's shareholding stake to below 50 percent, "thereby untangling and protecting these companies from the controlling influence of a Kremlin insider."

The deadline to block a sanctions de-listing was set under bipartisan legislation passed by Congress in 2017 which targeted Russia and confronted Trump with the threat of a veto override.

Critics of the administration move argue that Deripaska's purported divestment is a paper fiction that belies his continued influence with Putin's inner-circle and his operational control of the companies.

"Because we cannot be sure that we have removed the heavy hand of this Russian oligarch, I cannot support the delisting of these sanctioned entities at this point in time," said Texas Republican Michael McCaul.

Much of the opposition was focused on Rusal, one of the largest aluminum producers in the world.

"If only President Trump were as eager to reopen our government as he is to reopen this sanctioned Russian company," said Texas Democrat Lloyd Doggett. "The sanctions law against Russians, enacted over President Trump's objection, was designed to deter Russian aggression against our democracy and beyond  to change Russian misconduct, not to yield right of way."

Doggett, who represents parts of San Antonio and Austin, was one of many Democrats who questioned a tariff exemption for Rusal affiliate Rusal USA granted last July, days after Trump met with Putin in Helsinki. The exemption was later withdrawn, he said.Google Maps

A man crossing the East Freeway service road in Jacinto City was struck by a truck and killed Thursday morning, police said.

Police said it appeared the man had a red light when he crossed at Mercury near the service road about 7:50 a.m. The traffic light on the service road turned green, Jacinto City Police Department Lt. Mark A. Longrigg said.Beaumont's annual parade MLK Day Parade has been postponed due to expected rain over the weekend.

The annual event, which was to have occurred Saturday, will be Feb. 9.

Justice of the Peace Ransom "Duce" Jones, an organizer of the event, said the hard choice to change the date was made out of concern for safety and for allowing everyone to enjoy the day to its fullest.

"I felt it would be a bit much for children, and a parade is to be seen," Jones said. "With the conditions, we didn't think people would come."

Parade-goers will now gather at Lamar Institute of Technology, on the corner of University Drive and East Lavaca, at 10 a.m. Feb. 9 to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The route will end at King Middle School.

Local law enforcement had previous obligations through January, Jones said, so Feb. 9 was the earliest Saturday available for a rescheduled parade. He said organizers consulted the school system and other community partners to find the best solution.

The Beaumont Conventions and Visitors Bureau announced the change this week with a news release posted to its website.

Full directions of the parade route and information about other Beaumont events can be found at beaumontcvb.com.

The National Weather Service Office in Lake Charles, which covers western Louisiana and southeast Texas, is forecasting up to 1 inches of rain between Friday and Wednesday with thunderstorms likely rolling through the area on Saturday.route will end at King Middle School.State regulators have issued a permit that will allow Kansas City Southern Railway Co. to build a rail and marine terminal in Port Arthur for crude oil, gasoline, ethanol and diesel.

During a hearing Tuesday morning in Austin, commissioners with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued Kansas City Southern a permit for a facility along the 7200 block of Texas 87 in Port Arthur.

Located on 200 acres between Texas 87 and Sabine Lake, the facility is expected to include eight storage tanks for heavy crude oil, light, sweet crude, gasoline, ethanol and diesel as well as related infrastructure for loading rail cars and seafaring tankers with those products.

Taschinger column: State's economy still hot but cooling slightly

Kansas City Southern officials declined to comment, but a July 2014 announcement shows that the project has been nearly five years in coming.

Massachusetts energy company Global Partners and Kansas City Southern had originally planned to develop the site into a rail and marine terminal that would receive heavy crude oil from western Canada, but the current plans have added light, sweet crude, gasoline, ethanol and diesel.

State filings show that Global Partners unit Global Companies filed the original permit application with TCEQ in February 2015, but Kansas City Southern took over the project in May 2017.

It is unclear if Kansas City Southern intends to use the facility to supply foreign or domestic markets but the permit is being issued at a time when development by oil and natural gas companies in shale basins across the United States has boosted U.S. exports of crude oil and refined products across the globe.

HARVEY RECOVERY: $4 million restores Beaumont RV and Marina

Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Kansas City Southern Railway was founded in 1887 by Arthur Stilwell, who envisioned a railroad connecting the U.S. and Mexico.

Stilwell later founded Port Arthur in 1895 as a center for shipping and commerce.Michael Kennedy, 24, took the stand and testified at his trial in McDowell County Magistrate Court. For much of the week, he has been tried on two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jessica Daugherty and her son by a previous marriage, Jeremy.Investigators have long wondered if a third person was involved in the brutal murder of property manager Bradley St. Clair, if someone managedOne of Camryn Albert-Kulstads favorite memories of her father, James Kulstad, is when she would sleep over at his house.Contact The Californians Robert Price at 661-395-7399, rprice@bakersfield.com or on Twitter: @stubblebuzz. His column appears on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; the views expressed are his own.President Donald Trump revived his criticism of California on Wednesday, insisting again the state has mismanaged forest management programs and allowed wildfires to rage.Supporters of LGBTQ equality fly Human Rights Campaign flags in front of the Supreme Court during oral arguments for Masterpiece Cakeshop case on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Washington. HRC and coalition supporters rallied against a license to discriminate at the Court.All this week Stanley Roberts is taking a look at drivers who are abusing disabled parking privileges by misusing placards and permits. With over 500 square miles of Phoenix, there are only four people tasked with the job of spotting bad behavior, but maybe you can help.By Narmina Mammadova

The Turkish Pegasus Airlines will launch direct Ankara-Baku flights from March 15, the Turkish media reports on January 17.

The flights will be operated four times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The ticket price begins from $89.99. Tickets are already being sold.

Pegasus aircraft will fly from the Ankara Esenboga Airport to the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.

According to the State Civil Aviation Agency of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, 21 airlines are represented in the countrys market, namely, ATA Airlines, Montenegro Airlines, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Nordwind Airlines, Ikar Airlines, Ir Aero, Al-Naser Airlines, Pobeda Airlines, SalamAir, Komiavaiatrans, Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Wataniya Airways, Mahan Air, Taban Air, Israir, Arkia Israel Airlines, Flynas, Gulf Air, Nordavia Regional Airlines, Pegasus Airlines.

The Heydar Aliyev International Airport, located in Baku, Azerbaijan, is among 14 most beautiful airports in the world, according to the rating made by Curbed, an American real-estate blog network.

Located in the capital of Azerbaijan, the Heydar Aliyev International Airport terminal features giant wooden cocoons designed by Turkish architecture studio Autoban.

The Heydar Aliyev International Airport of the Azerbaijani capital has been listed among the top three unusual airports in the world, according to a Hi-Tech.

The publication notes that the main airport of Azerbaijan, which is one of the largest in the CIS, due to its unusual shape, is often compared to a bird with its wings spread.

In 2017 and 2018 Heydar Aliyev was also named the best airport among airports of Russia and CIS countries for the level of the provided services for the second year in a row and awarded the maximum rating of "5 Stars" according to Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport set a new record for passenger traffic volume - last year it served a total of 4.43 million passengers. This is 9 percent higher than in 2017.

In 2018, base airlines of the Airport - AZAL and Buta Airways carried 1.89 million and 442,000 passengers, respectively.

A total of 3.81 million passengers were carried on international flights and 620,000 passengers on regional flights.

33.4 percent of total number of international passengers accounted for AZAL, 11.6 percent for Buta Airways, 55 percent  international airlines.

In addition to AZAL and Buta Airways carrying out international passenger flights in 2018, the top ten airlines also included Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai, Aeroflot, UIA (International Airlines of Ukraine), Air Arabia, S7 Airlines, Qatar Airways, Utair, Lufthansa and SCAT. In total they served 1.15 million passengers.

The top ten most popular international destinations in 2018 included Istanbul, Moscow, Dubai, Kiev, Sharjah, Tehran, Baghdad, Tbilisi, Doha and Tel Aviv. Some 2.7 million passengers traveled to these destinations.

In total, last year 36 foreign passenger airlines carried out regular flights to Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has ordered to finalize the draft national program for the development of the economic, financial and banking systems for 2019-2025, Trend reports referring to Watan newspaper.

Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Gochmyrat Myradov reported on this project at the working meeting. The president stressed that the continuation of privatization of state property, the creation of favorable conditions for private business should be envisaged in the prepared program.

Turkmenistan gradually passed to the market economy, which was reflected in the Constitution. A number of measures were carried out, namely, the denomination of the national currency.

The country passed to the international accounting standards in 2014. In early 2015, the Central Bank of Turkmenistan set the official exchange rate of the national currency at 3.50 manat per $1, which is still preserved.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has received Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Kunio Mikuriya, Trend reports with reference to the local Altyn Asyr TV channel.

The parties exchanged views on enhancing the partnership.

Our country is interested in studying the experience of the WCO to improve the implementation of control at borders, the Turkmen president said.

The need to protect customs borders in the fight against drug trafficking and cross-border crime was noted.

Turkmenistan, with its modern infrastructure facilities, is becoming an important part of the global trade, transport and logistics systems. In this regard, it was considered expedient to hold joint seminars, exchange experience on customs programs, the development and implementation of automated customs systems, the Turkmenistan State News Agency reported.

At the meeting, the sides noted the importance of the previously adopted agreement on the establishment of the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey international transport corridor (Lapis Lazuli).

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Abdul Kerimkhanov

The economic crisis in Armenia continues despite "velvet revolution" in 2018. Besides the Prime Minister of Armenia, no one in the government expresses interest in attracting investments in the country.

It is still impossible to state that the solution to the problem has become institutional. The solution to the problem of economic challenges and employment lies in the political plane.

New Armenian authorities should necessarily understand that as long as there is no investment at the expense of internal resources, no external investment should be expected.

Without a serious policy in the field of education and science, it is impossible to talk about the creation of a knowledge-intensive economy.

Many students in Armenia simply cannot find work after graduation. The problem of youth employment is one of the most serious challenges for the country. People who destroyed the education system continue to hold posts. It is impossible to resolve the issue of employment only by improving the working conditions of the security forces and the army.

If serious steps are not taken this year to improve the country's social and economic life, the outflow of young specialists will increase. Today, many people console themselves with the fact that soon there will be serious changes. Otherwise, Armenia can be face to face with a problem of emigration of young specialists.

Discontent with the authorities is growing in Armenia. Pressure on the media in Armenia is growing noticeably.

As an oppositionist, Nikol Pashinyan spoke of the need for an institutional opposition, but now, having come to power, he did everything to prevent it from happening. Like the opposition, the media is also an obstacle to the power expansion.

The results of the "velvet revolution" today look at least strange. Remarkable, that the people did not demand the resigns of oligarchs and other magnates, actual reforms instead of paper ones, as a result of which the economy could be taken out of the shadow.

After all, Serzh Sargsyan is not the only one who robbed the country, robbed everyone and brought the people to the present beggar state. Many experts predicted that despite Nikol Pashinyan achieved his election as head of government, no one would allow him to radically change the notorious system. If Pashinyan dares to go against this system, he will simply be expelled from the government, how did it happen with Sargsyan.

Pashinyan is worried that he is identified with Serzh Sargsyan. The poor economic situation, lack of control over the information field, and most importantly, the extinction of revolutionary euphoria are just some of the reasons for the concern of the Armenian Prime Ministers concern.

Pashinyan is nervous that the same technology that he used when he was editor of the newspaper or an opposition activist is now being used against his power both in the street and in the information field. Now he has become the most anti-revolutionary figure.

In a word, with Sargsyan's resignation, the problems of Armenia have not gone away. Pashinyan's "charisma" has faded considerably and the "veterans" of politics and economics from RPA - the "guarantors" of stability and integrity of Armenia as a state, will soon appear once again.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

If Iraq agrees, an agreement for abolishing visa regime between Iran and Iraq for business people may be signed during the Iranian president's visit to Baghdad, Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a meeting in the country's consulate in Iraq's Karbala city, Trend reports via IRNA.

Zarif noted that five years ago Iran offered Iraq to bilaterally and fully cancel the visa regime but Iraq hasn't yet responded positively.

Lately, there have been calls to cancel visa regime between the two countries at least for business people, Zarif said.

If Iraq gives the necessary consent, the agreement may be signed in March during the visit of the Iranian president to Baghdad, he said adding that Iran is ready to cancel the visa regime but it's impossible to do unilaterally.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Narmina Mammadova

TAP AG, the consortium engaged in construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, has requested Albanias Energy Regulatory Entity (ERE) to issue a license for natural gas transmission, monitor.al reports.

Just a few days ago, ERE launched the standard licensing procedure and asked the TAP AG consortium to submit additional documents needed.

The license will be issued for 25 years.

The process of reviewing the application will be carried out in accordance with the "Regulation on procedures and deadlines for issuing, modifying, transferring, renewing and abolishing licenses in the Natural Gas Sector, reads ERE's decision.

Azerbaijan is implementing a large-scale gas project, the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), which provides for the supply of gas from the giant Shah Deniz field to Europe.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. Gas from this field will go via the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline to the Turkish border and further to Europe through the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipelines.

On May 29, Baku hosted the launch ceremony of the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor project, and on June 12, the opening ceremony of TANAP pipeline was held in the Turkish province of Eskisehir with the participation of the presidents of Azerbaijan - Ilham Aliyev, Turkey - Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine - Petro Poroshenko and Serbia - Alexander Vucic.

TAP, along with TANAP, is a part of Southern Gas Corridor project.

The Intergovernmental Agreement on the TAP project was signed by Albania, Italy and Greece in February 2013. The 878-kilometer-long TAP pipeline (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers) haing connected to the TANAP on the Turkish-Greek border, will run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.

TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, has already attracted 1.5 billion euros from the European Investment Bank (EIB), which approved the loan in early February 2018. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

As of 14 November 2018, TAP signed a Letter of Intent, marking the final stages of negotiation of the Maintenance Agreement talks between TAP and Albgaz Sh.a and Snam S.p.a.  a joint venture to act as the maintenance service provider for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline on the territory of Albania.

Approximately 82 percent of the TAP project, including engineering, procurement and construction, was implemented. Since November 2018, Albania started preparations for drilling and piping sources for the microtunel on the 105-kilometer seabed of TAP. Construction of this part of the pipeline will be carried out in 2019 according to the TAP schedule.

Recently, Albanian government has approved the decision on expropriation and temporary use of immovable property affected by the project for construction of dams that prevent river flooding and ensure protection of the TAP in the Berat, Skrapar and Fier regions of the country. Reportedly, property owners will receive full compensation. The mentioned property will be used for a period of one year, reads the decision.

TAP expects to fully complete Greek section in 2019. Recently, TAP AG and DESFA SA which is responsible for the management, operation, maintenance and development of the National Natural Gas System (NNGS) of Greece, have signed an agreement on the maintenance of Greek section (550 km) of the TAP pipeline, extending from Kipoi in Evros close to the Greek-Turkish border, to Ieropigi, Kastoria, on Greeces border with Albania.

In November, TAP and TANAP successfully completed their connection on the banks of the Merich River on the Turkish-Greek border.

The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of doubling it.

TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Turkey will receive two third of the products of SOCAR carbamide plant, which was put into operation on January 16 in the territory of Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park, according to the plants director Khayal Jafarov.

SOCAR carbamide plant is the only large enterprise in the region and two third of its products will be exported to Turkey. Moreover, we plan to start exports to Ukraine and Georgia. The plants products will also be put up on the international exchange, where the operation will be carried out by SOCAR Trading, Jafarov told Reuters.

Regarding the return of the loan received for the construction of the plant, the director noted that this would begin 1.5 years after the start-up of the enterprise, and the plant will begin to bring profit eight years later.

On January 16, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of SOCAR carbamide plant constructed in the territory of Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park.

SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and director of the plant Khayal Jafarov informed the head of state of the work done.

The foundation of the plant was laid by the President of Azerbaijan in December 2011.

Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd. won an international open tender to provide engineering, procurement, construction and pre-commissioning services for the plant.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Abdul Kerimkhanov

Chief of the General Staff of Irans Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri paid an official visit to Baku on January 16 at the invitation of the Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, accompanied by a high-ranking military delegation.

At first, the parties held a one-on-one meeting, after which an expanded meeting was held.

A meeting of both countries' delegations took place at the Ministry of Defense.

Assessing Bagheri visit to Azerbaijan as an indicator of friendly relations between the countries, the Azerbaijani Minister of Defense emphasized the merits of National Leader of the Azerbaijani People Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev in establishing and strengthening mutual trust in these relations.

Speaking about the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov brought to the attention of the guest that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to be a serious threat to stability in the region.

The minister also expressed gratitude to the Iranian side for its efforts aimed at resolving the conflict within the framework of Azerbaijani territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Noting that religious, historical, cultural ties between the two countries are based on good friendly traditions, Bagheri said that, like in many other areas, there is also a wide potential for cooperation between the two countries in the military sphere.

He added that Iran supports the territorial integrity and fair position of Azerbaijan in resolving the conflict and will provide full support to Azerbaijan.

Bagheri said that the purpose of the visit is the expansion of military and defense cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the prospects for the development of cooperation in the military, military-technical, military-medical and military-educational fields, countering terrorism, regional security, organizing mutual visits of expert groups, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

Following the meeting, a protocol was signed.

Bagheris visit is the first visit of a chief of the General Staff of Iran to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Iran are two neighboring countries that have had long-standing relations, and today they continue to improve mutual ties. In this context, the two states have established the Joint Working Group on Military Cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the two counties and Armed Forces Logistics, and its first meeting was held in Baku on October 24.

Azerbaijan and Iran have had fruitful diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. The Armed Forces of the two neighboring countries have many times showed their great skills at various international military exercises.

Today it is obvious that the military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran is of great importance, as it will improve the state of the two countries' Armed Forces, their combat readiness, as well as the security in the region.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) hosted consultations between Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on 16 January in Paris, Trend reports citing a statement issued by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

The Co-Chairs met separately and then jointly with the Ministers. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in these meetings. This was the fourth meeting of the two Ministers.

State Secretary for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne reviewed the outcomes of the talks with the participants. The Co-Chairs were received at the Elysee Palace, where they briefed top diplomatic advisers of President Emmanuel Macron.

The participants expressed to the Ministers their appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the sides to maintain an environment conducive to intensive results-oriented negotiations.

The Ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and agreed upon the necessity of taking concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace.

During the meetings, the Co-Chairs reviewed with the Ministers key principles and parameters for the current phase of the negotiation process.

The Ministers and the Co-Chairs considered next steps toward a possible summit between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in order to give a strong impulse to the dynamic of negotiations.

The Co-Chairs underlined the importance of possible mutually beneficial initiatives designed to fulfill the economic potential of the region.

The Co-Chairs plan to meet the leaders of the two countries in the near future.



The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

An agreement was reached on the continuation of negotiations between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers next month, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend on Jan. 16.

"Views were exchanged during the talks between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, which lasted more than four hours, the ministry said. The importance of establishing further understanding and trust was also emphasized."

During the talks, the sides discussed a number of issues, including the ways to prepare the populations of each of the parties for peace, security and sustainable regional development.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

A meeting with the national composer, UNESCO Peace Artist, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Composers Union Firangiz Alizade was held in Baku.

The event took place at House-Museum of Gara Garayev on January 15, Day. Az reported.

Director of the State Museum of Musical Culture of Azerbaijan, Ph.D. in Art history, Honoured Culture Worker Alla Bayramova told the audience that the house-museum has been running for a little over 3 months, but many events have already taken place within its walls.

And so the first event in 2019 was a meeting with Frangiz Alizade, a student of Gara Garayeva.

The event was attended by the daughter of Gara Garayev Zuleikha Garayeva-Bagirova, a student of Gara Garayev, composer Azer Dadashev, composer Sardar Farajev and other cultural figures.

The works of Firangiz Alizade are included in the treasury of Azerbaijani musical culture, are well known and often performed outside of Azerbaijan.

Today, the works of composer are performed by world-famous musicians.

Her music pieces conquer the listeners of the most prestigious concert halls in many countries and continents.

At the beginning of her speech, Firangiz Alizade shared with the public her memories of Gara Garayev. She was the first to write a book about the composer and published it in three languages: Azerbaijani, Russian, English.

In her speech, Firangiz Alizade also told about her creative activity. The composer noted that she worked in Turkey and then in Germany. By the way, her book was published for the first time in Germany.

Sharing her successes, the composer stressed the importance of the work "Nasimi Passion". The music piece was premiered in Amsterdam.

Over the past years, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw has been implementing a project called Passions, which covers various religions (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism).

The works of famous composers from different religions have already been performed.

Finally, in 2015, the work of Azerbaijani composer was presented to the audience.

The music piece was performed by the Royal Symphony Orchestra, choir and soloists.

Thought her work, Firangiz Alizade presented Eastern philosophical ideas in a synthesis with modern means of musical expression.

The uniqueness of "Nasimi Passion" lies into to the fact that the composer turned to musical instruments characteristic of the Sufi Mejlis.

The musical composition was performed at the national music instruments such as balaban, canon, gosha-naghara and the classical instruments violin, cello and viola, which let the composer to create an amazing synthesis that captured the hearts of the listeners.

With his wonderful performance, the soloist of the German opera house Avez Abdullah, created a fascinating visual image.

At the conclusion of the event, the guests were shown a recording from the premiere.

The music piece was greeted with a storm of applause.

Firangiz Alizade is best known for her works which combine the musical tradition of the Azerbaijani mugham and 20th century Western composition techniques, especially those of Arnold Schonberg and Gara Garayev.

Her works have been performed at festivals in Stockholm, Warsaw, London, Heidelberg, Amsterdam, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Frankfurt, Berlin, Zurich, Bonn and Cologne.

Alizade also enjoys long productive cooperation with Kronos, which has presented her works, including Mugamsayagy, Absheron, and Oasis since 1993.

In 2016, "Dance", an academic work by prominent Azerbaijani composer Firangiz Alizade, was performed in the framework of tour, organized by the world-renowned Kronos Quartet.

In 2017, Azerbaijan's State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater marked the 70th anniversary of prominent composer. Many art and public figures, as well as her admirers attended the event.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Leman Mammadova

Lithuania is ready to develop closer economic relations with Azerbaijan, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said during a meeting with the newly appointed Azerbaijani ambassador Tamerlan Garayev.

During the meeting, the Ambassador presented his credentials to the President of Lithuania, Trend reports referring to the website of the Lithuanian head of state on January 17.

The president and the newly appointed ambassador discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation, student exchange, as well as prospects for the development of closer ties between Azerbaijan and the European Union.

The president and the newly appointed ambassador discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation, student exchange, as well as prospects for the development of closer ties between Azerbaijan and the European Union. The Lithuanian head of state noted that Azerbaijan is an important partner of the old continent across many fields of action.

The EU and Azerbaijan are in the process of negotiating a new agreement, which will further expand their bilateral dialogue.

Dalia Grybauskaite underlined that Lithuania is ready to build up economic contacts with Azerbaijan, especially in information technologies, tourism, food industry, transport, logistics, and other areas.

In 2019, Azerbaijan and Lithuania will celebrate 100 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations - in mid-war period there was a consular section of the Republic of Lithuania in Baku.

The Azerbaijani-Lithuanian Intergovernmental Commission, which has been functioning since 2010, made a considerable contribution to further deepening bilateral relations between the two countries and supported the implementation of many projects in political, economic and humanitarian spheres.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Lithuania amounted to $19.12 million in January-October 2018. At the same time, $1.5 million accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products. The trade turnover between the countries increased by 39 percent compared to the same period of 2017.

In 2017, Azerbaijans trade turnover with Lithuania amounted to almost $26.2 million.

Azerbaijans direct investments to Lithuania amounted to 1.86 million euros in 2017. The funds were directed to real estate, kettle services, as well as professional and academic activities.

The 5th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Lithuania Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation was held in Vilnius in October 2017. At the end of the meeting, the final protocol of the fifth meeting of the intergovernmental commission was signed, according to which the parties agreed to exchange information on holding exhibitions, conferences and business forums, to encourage the participation of Lithuanian specialized companies as investors in industrial parks created in Azerbaijan, including Sumgait chemical industry the park.

During the meeting, the commission signed an agreement on simplifying the visa regime for holders of service passports, as well as an agreement on the exchange of information and mutual administrative assistance between the Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan and the State Tax Inspectorate of Lithuania.

The last three years have been productive in the development of relations between the regions of two countries. In 2014, the Protocol of Intentions "On the Establishment of Twin Relations" was signed between Azerbaijani Shamkir and Lithuanian Siauliai, which became a new stage in bilateral relations. In this regard, further possibilities of cooperation between the Lithuanian city of Druskininkai, which has recreation centers and medical resorts, and the well-known medical centers of Azerbaijan - Naftalan city and the Duzdag complex in Nakhchivan, should be particularly noted.

Lithuania anticipates that with the conclusion of the negotiations on the Common Aviation Area Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan more itineraries emerge and we will witness an increase in the number of Lithuanian tourists visiting Azerbaijan and vice versa.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan and Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania may arrange transfer passenger flow. As per last year passenger flow statistics, there were around 5,510 passengers travelling between Lithuania and Azerbaijan, mainly on Vilnius International Airport  Heydar Aliyev International Airport route.

Lithuania is interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan particularly in transport. Being on the EU border with CEE and the CIS, Lithuania delivers access to huge potential markets. Moreover, with the EUs most Northerly Ice Free Port in Klaipeda this access becomes truly global.

Lithuanian side considers that Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will strengthen cooperation in transport sphere between Azerbaijan and Lithuania.

Lithuania is currently implementing the Viking project. It is a joint project of Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine railways, connecting Baltic and Black sea ports. Additional cargo flows can be attracted by adding Azerbaijan and Georgia to this train route. Therefore, in May 2016, Azerbaijan has signed a protocol on Azerbaijan Railways CJSC's joining the Viking train project. Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line will be very useful to strengthen cooperation between two countries in transport field.

Exchange of experience between Lithuanias Klaipeda Seaport and Azerbaijans Baku Sea Trade Port would also be beneficial for both parties.

Earlier, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Darius Skusevicius stated that the information technology, transport and logistics, furniture, electronic equipment, medicine and food industries could be the most potential to expand bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and Azerbaijan.

He noted Lithuania attaches great importance to the EU Eastern Partnership initiative and are interested in Azerbaijans active participation in implementing its ambitious work plan, 20 Deliverables for 2020.

Lithuania could be a gateway to the EU for Azerbaijan producers, offering attractive conditions for investing in free trade zones, engineering, industrial equipment, automotive, electronics, biotech, clean-tech, ICT, R&D, transportation sectors.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

PASHA Banks share in the system-wide corporate lending reached around 17 percent as of Sept. 30, 2018 (9 percent at end-2016), Standard & Poor's (S&P) said, Trend reports.

S&P Global Ratings today affirmed its 'BB-' long-term and 'B' short-term issuer credit ratings on Azerbaijan-based PASHA Bank. The outlook remains negative.

The affirmation reflects our view that the banks creditworthiness continues to benefit from its solid market position in Azerbaijans corporate lending sector, better-than-peers geographical business diversification, and ongoing capital and funding support from its shareholder, PASHA Holding, S&P said.

We believe these benefits largely offset sustained pressure on the banks capital or potential risks associated with high lending growth, S&P said.

PASHA Bank continued its strategy of high business growth in Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia throughout 2018.

We estimate that the banks loan portfolio increased by about 25 percent last year, with growth in Azerbaijan of close to 32 percent, S&P said. The banks share in the system-wide corporate lending reached around 17 percent as of Sept. 30, 2018 (9 percent at end-2016), which is significant given the highly concentrated Azerbaijani banking sector.

We expect PASHA Bank will continue above-average business growth in Azerbaijan to increase further its market share and business volumes in corporate banking, S&P said.

We also note that overseas business in Turkey and Georgia, which now represent about 25 percent of the banks loan portfolio, increases the geographical diversity of the banks business model and supports its business stability, S&P said. As such, we think that the competitive trends are favorable for PASHA Banks business position and could facilitate improvements in the bank's creditworthiness in the coming 12-18 months.

The banks asset quality remains solid compared with local peers: Over the first half of 2018, the banks nonperforming assets declined by 19.0 million manats to 89.3 million manats, representing 5.7 percent of the loan portfolio versus 7.7 percent at year-end 2017.

The bank also reduced the single-name concentration in its portfolio to 40 percent from 45 percent at year-end 2017, which is now comparable to those of peers in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

We do not expect material impairments of the banks portfolio in Turkey because of its short-term and secured nature, consisting mainly of factoring and trade finance loans, S&P said. However, considering our expectation of elevated lending growth in the highly risky economic environment of Azerbaijan and Turkey, we cant exclude the increase of nonperforming loans and credit losses in 2019-2020.

PASHA Bank has been operating in Azerbaijan since 2007 and is a member of the PASHA Group of Companies, which is a large investment holding operating in the insurance, construction, construction materials production, tourism and other sectors. Kapital Bank, one of the largest banks in the Azerbaijani retail market, also belongs to the PASHA Group of Companies.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Narmina Mammadova

The Azerbaijani state believes that the development of preferential terms makes a significant contribution to the development of the Azerbaijans agricultural sector, thus it continues to take new measures in this sphere.

The Agency for Agricultural Credits and Development has started applying new rules for the sale of agricultural equipment on preferential terms, the Azerbaijans Ministry of Agriculture reports.

At the expense of the agency, the first sale of agricultural equipment on such conditions was carried out in accordance with the new rules approved by the decree of the Azerbaijani President On Improving Leasing Activities in Agriculture and State Support to Agriculture.

The agricultural enterprise purchased equipment with a customs value of 172,000 manats for 68,000 manats, that is, with a 40 percent benefit. The company made a down payment of 20 percent of the sale price. The buyer has paid the remaining amount on the basis of a soft loan taken from an authorized credit institution.

According to the "Procedure for the use of funds of the Agency for Agricultural Loans and Development under the Ministry of Agriculture", the sale of agricultural equipment and breeding animals will now be carried out by the agency. Before the signing of this decree, these issues were dealt with by Agroleasing OJSC.

According to the new rules, agricultural machinery and breeding animals can be purchased on favorable terms and with the use of preferential loans from any supplier or any authorized lending organization.

Earlier in Azerbaijan, the maximum value of a soft loan from the above mentioned State Service was 200,000 manats. The changes also affected microloans, the maximum value of which was 1,000 manats. Now their value has been increased to 5,000 manats.

The grace period for loans is 12-24 months, and the loan repayment period is 2-5 years.

The maximum credit line, which the Agency for Agricultural Credits and Development can open for banks, is 5 million manats.

Agricultural loans from state in Azerbaijan are issued by the newly established Agency for Agricultural Credits and Development (formerly the State Service on Management of Agricultural Projects and Credits).

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Narmina Mammadova

The British Anglo-Asian Mining Plc. company, engaged in the gold, silver and copper extraction in Azerbaijan, increased the gold production in Gadabay by 17 percent to 83,736 in 2018, the company said.

During the reporting period, the company mined 72,798 ounces of gold, 1,645 tons of copper, 210,184 ounces of silver. Gold production increased by 22 percent, silver - by 21.6 percent, while copper production decreased by 17.4 percent.

In the fouth quarter of the year, gold production declined by 17 percent in annual comparison and amounted to 18,209 ounces, silver production increased by 39 percent to 65,822 ounces, copper mining by 5 times, reaching 588 tons.

In 2018, 59,481 ounces of gold ingots were sold, an average of $ 1,265 per ounce. In 2017, 43,496 ounces of gold ingots were sold at an average price of $ 1,265 per ounce.

In 2018, the volume of production from Gadabay deposits was predicted to be 78,000-84,000 ounces in gold equivalent.

Anglo Asian Mining plc, the UK gold, copper and silver producer in Azerbaijan, paid a dividend of $3.4 million to its shareholders in September-December 2018, the companys annual review said.

The dividend of $0.03 per share was paid in November 2018.

As of October 8, 2018, the number of company's ordinary shares totalled 114,392,024 with 43.44 percent owned by 6 shareholders  Reza Vaziri, Governor John Sununu, Limelight industrial developments, Khosrow Zamani, Richard Round, Prof John Monhemius.

Anglo Asian Mining PLC is a gold, copper and silver producer with a broad portfolio of production and exploration assets in Azerbaijan.

Anglo-Asian Mining produces gold in Azerbaijan within the framework of the PSA (Production Sharing) agreement, signed on August 21, 1997. The share of Azerbaijan in the contract is 51 percent, the British company Anglo Asian Mining Plc. - 49 percent. The first gold mining at the Gadabay deposit began in 2009.

Based on the production sharing agreement signed with Azerbaijani government in August 1997, Anglo Asian Mining PLC has the right to develop six fields in south-west of Azerbaijan: Gadabay, Ordubad, Gosha Bulag, Gizil Bulag, Vejnali and Soyutlu.

The extraction of the first gold at the Gadabay deposit began in 2009, the extraction of silver - in 2010.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzHuman Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday commended Armenias new authorities for holding general elections widely recognized as democratic and reviving a criminal investigation into the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan.

International observers found that the December parliamentary vote was conducted with broad public trust, and was free from abuses that marred past elections, including vote buying and pressure on voters, the New York-based watchdog said in a statement attached to its annual report on human rights practices in more than 100 countries.

Ensuring a free and fair vote is an important first step for Armenias new leadership, the statement quoted Giorgi Gogia, HRWs associate Europe and Central Asia director, as saying.

But its only a beginning. The authorities need to use this mandate to push through reforms to address the human rights problems that brought people to the streets, Gogia added in reference to last springs velvet revolution that brought Nikol Pashinian to power.

HRWs World Report 2019 says that Pashinian inherited a country plagued with corruption and myriad human rights problems, including police brutality, domestic violence and discrimination against LGBT people.

In a commendable move, the new authorities made progress in existing investigations into abuses that had been stalled for years, it says, referring, among other things, to the renewed investigation into the deadly breakup of 2008 post-election protests in Yerevan.

The HRW report cites criminal charges brought in July against former President Robert Kocharian and two retired generals accused of illegally using Armenian army units against opposition supporters protesting against alleged fraud in the February 2008 presidential election. The previous investigation was one-sided, with 52 protesters sent to prison, it says.

Kocharian, who was again arrested in December, strongly denies the accusations, saying that they are part of a political vendetta launched by Prime Minister Pashinian. The latter was one of the main speakers at the 2008 protests and spent about two years in prison because of that.

As the authorities deal with past grievances, they should fully respect due process rights for all detainees and ensure independence of the judiciary, said HRW.

The watchdog also urged the authorities in Yerevan to tackle domestic violence and discrimination against LGBT people and ensure quality education for children with disabilities.

The [former] authorities approved an action plan in February to carry out the 2017 domestic violence law, but the [current] government needs to increase the number of shelter spaces for domestic violence survivors, establish state-run shelters, and conduct public awareness campaigns about the issue, said the HRW statement.

The authorities also need to address widespread harassment, discrimination, and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, it added. Political parties and some politicians tried to exploit widespread homophobia and made hateful and derogatory comments during the pre-election period.Forty days after his victory in Armenias snap parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Thursday that he has still not made a final decision on the structure of his new cabinet and will therefore not appoint all of its members for now.

Pashinian was formally reappointed by President Armen Sarkissian as prime minister on Monday. Under the Armenian constitution, he has to name members of his cabinet and ask Sarkisian to appoint them within the next five days.

The premier will then have 20 days to submit the governments five-year policy program to the new Armenian parliament. The programs approval by the National Assembly will amount to a vote of confidence.

By law, the government is deemed formed when two-thirds of its members are appointed, Pashinian said at a meeting of his outgoing cabinet. We will follow that path: two-thirds of the government members will be appointed while the others will not be appointed until we ascertain every detail of the changes in the governments structure.

One thing is clear: the number of ministries will be reduced. We just need to manage this process without shocks and in a maximally smooth and predictable way, he added.

A government bill circulated last month calls for reducing the number of ministries from 17 to 12. It would close the Ministry of Diaspora and merge four other ministries with different agencies. It is not yet clear how many civil servants would be laid off as a result.

The bill sparked street protests in December by hundreds of Diaspora and culture ministry employees fearing a loss of their jobs. They denounced it as hasty and ill-thought-out. Government officials responded that the authorities may still revise the proposed changes.

Pashinian last week reaffirmed his pre-election pledges to downsize the government.

The controversial bill would also abolish the post of first deputy prime minister held by Ararat Mirzoyan, a close Pashinian associate, until he was elected parliament speaker on Monday.

Pashinians two other deputies, Mher Grigorian and Tigran Avinian, were formally reappointed late on Wednesday.A federal judge on Thursday blocked cuts to early voting in Wisconsin that were enacted late last year by the states Republican-controlled legislature during a controversial lame duck session.

The backdrop: The same judge, U.S. District Judge James Peterson, had struck down a similar two-week early voting restriction as unconstitutional in 2016. At the time, Patterson said Republican lawmakers crafted the measures to suppress minority voters and others who traditionally vote Democratic.

Details: A coalition of liberal groups, with the support of former Attorney General Eric Holder, argued in the latest challenge that the Republicans' move was "in direct violation" of Petersons 2016 order, calling the lame-duck session a partisan attempt to retain and regain power.

Slashing early voting would deprive counties the authority to decide when to start. Democratic strongholds like Madison and Milwaukee, unlike other more conservative communities, began early voting six weeks before last year's midterm contests.

But Republicans argued the date that voting starts should be uniform across the state.

Go deeper:Chinese telecom giant Huawei has fired a local sales director arrested in Poland on charges of spying, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Huawei likely recognized that the arrest would intensify Western scrutiny of the company's relationship with the Chinese government, and said in a statement that the employee's "alleged actions have no relation to the company in an attempt to distance itself from the incident. Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada last month for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Go deeper: The new age of hostage diplomacySen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said after leaving a White House meeting yesterday that not only is President Trump "following through with his Syria policy, I really think there will be changes in Afghanistan, as well."

Between the lines: Trump at times has vented frustration and regret that he allowed his national security team to talk him into a plan  which ran against his own instincts  to keep, and even boost, American forces in Afghanistan.

Paul, who wants America to withdraw quickly from foreign wars, told reporters on an evening call that he was "really proud of the president" for arguments he made in the meeting with a small group of senators.

who wants America to withdraw quickly from foreign wars, told reporters on an evening call that he was "really proud of the president" for arguments he made in the meeting with a small group of senators. Paul said Trump mentioned in the meeting how much money the U.S. had been wasting in these foreign wars, especially in Afghanistan.

mentioned in the meeting how much money the U.S. had been wasting in these foreign wars, especially in Afghanistan. He said Trump mentioned "luxury hotels" there  possibly a reference to plans for a swanky hotel reported by NPR in 2016.

A senior administration official told me that when bad news broke about Afghanistan in the wake of that decision, Trump would vent to his generals that it was "your" plan.

What's next? Paul said he didn't want to talk about timelines for withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan  he would leave that to the president.

But he conceded that it sounded like Trump "probably will still be there [Afghanistan] longer than I would like to."

that it sounded like Trump "probably will still be there [Afghanistan] longer than I would like to." Paul was encouraged that Trump seemed to be preparing "to acknowledge success and victory," and not stick to an open-ended commitment.

that Trump seemed to be preparing "to acknowledge success and victory," and not stick to an open-ended commitment. Paul said the deaths of service members affect Trump: "He's not willing to endlessly go on and on and on ... He wants a different future for our country."

According to a source familiar with the meeting, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) argued against Pauls position and told Trump that "the U.S. made big progress, but pulling out too soon" from Syria "will undermine that progress."

Rubio has been making the argument that ISIS "is morphing because of U.S. action from a caliphate to an insurgency," the source added.

the argument that ISIS "is morphing because of U.S. action from a caliphate to an insurgency," the source added. "Insurgencies are blending into populations. They are tough to beat, especially by air power alone."

Go deeper:A fake letter purportedly written Wednesday by the CEO of BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager, said it would require all companies it has a stake in to align their business models with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Driving the news: The Yes Men, an activist group long known for pranks like this, sent the fake letter, which Axios and other media outlets received early this morning. BlackRock said in a tweet a couple hours later: Dont be fooled by imitations.

Reality check: Some outlets, including the Financial Times, wrote on the fake letter before realizing it wasnt real. Axios confirmed it was fake when seeking a comment from BlackRock before publication.

While BlackRock has big investments across the global economy, including major fossil-fuel companies, it cant unilaterally require companies to change their business models in the way the fake letter wrote. That was one clear indication something was amiss.

The Paris deal calls for a significant reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, which likely necessitates a big drop in fossil fuels over the coming decades.

Any requirement for companies to do that would be a big deal for some fossil-fuel producers.

The big picture: BlackRock has been more aggressive urging all companies, and particularly fossil-fuel producers, to more readily acknowledge and disclose the risks climate change and climate regulations pose to their businesses. It's a void they are, almost by default, filling as President Trump retreats the U.S. government from climate policy.

Yes, but: BlackRock still has faced criticism from some environmentalists for not being aggressive enough with fossil-fuel companies. This excerpt from the letter indicates it was an effort to highlight what some see as BlackRock not doing enough itself.

"We see the Paris Agreement as an important framework for long-term sustainability. Despite denouncing the short-term thinking that pervades management, BlackRock's voting record has not aligned sufficiently with our own ideals. That's going to change. Moving forward, we will demand more accountability. We will require all companies we hold stakes in to align their business models with the goals of the Paris Agreement. We have made strides in this direction, but the urgency of the threat demands that we increase our focus."

 Fake BlackRock CEO letter

Flashback: Hoaxes like this come around every now and again. A decade ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was the target of an elaborate hoax  a fake press conference  announcing the business lobby group was supporting climate change legislation (it wasn't). That was also done by Yes Men.

Whats next: A BlackRock spokesperson didnt have an immediate comment other than to note the real letter is coming soon.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to add the organization behind the hoax.Due to a mix-up on my part, I walked into the pilots lounge at the virtual airport an hour prior to the time I was scheduled to fly with a student. I found a magazine I hadnt read and sunk into one of the worn, old recliners, trying to keep quiet so I wouldnt interrupt the instructor and student on the other side of the room. Karver was there, with his instructor, Sandy. Karver is becoming known at the airport for his combination of determination and pragmatismhe went through the private rating in two months, recently finished up a tailwheel checkout and is well along toward his instrument and commercial tickets. On top of that, he has made it clear that when he learns something, he wants to know why its important, otherwise he wants to skip it. That has kept his Sandy on her toes as she works with him.

Karver is in the midst of a checkout in the flight schools Cirrus SR22, a machine that qualifies as a technically advanced airplane (TAA). It has an IFR GPS with moving map, a multi-function display with weather graphics and an integrated autopilot. Karvers goal is to fly professionally, so getting comfortable in a TAA is going to be essential. Hed been flying the schools six-pack configured airplanes because they are less expensive to rent than the glass birds.

The intensity of Karvers comments and questions drew my attention away from the article I was reading. Look, Sandy, Ive got the stick and rudder stuff down. You did that for me when you checked me out in the Citabria. All I need to do with the Cirrus is learn to program the autopilot. This airplane is expensive, I dont have the time to do all the slow flight and stalls and steep turns and unusual attitudesI can do that already. Besides, if something goes wrong when Im hand flying, Ill just activate the autopilot. The airplanes automated, it can fly better than any human can.

I thought Sandy was going to come unglued. She had been a freight dog, retiring after years as a captain on the Boeing 777. If anyone knows automated aircraft, she does. She suddenly got the Ive got to be patient look on her face.

Karver, she started, aircraft automation is designed to protect humans from themselvesand it does a pretty good job. But its not foolproofand fools have long proved themselves to be ingeniously able to screw up foolproof designs. Remember when we started this checkout and you told me that youd looked at accident stats for TAAs versus six-pack airplanes, found out that they the same and wondered why? My answer was that even with extensive automation, a pilot has to know the airplane and its systems cold because ignorance has consequences.

Do you recall the Boeing 777 crash at San Francisco about six years ago where the jet hit the seawall short of the runway?

Im not sure. I hadnt started to learn to fly and dont remember much about it.

Sandy said, Short version, an experienced crew misunderstood the automation on the airplane while flying what should have been a routine visual approach on a nice dayand their hand flying skills werent great. Of course, there were multiple, cascading causes of the accident but, in my opinion, it could have been prevented had the crew been used to hand flying the airplaneand hadnt been so used to relying on automation.

Sandy looked at me. Hey, Rick, get over here.

I complied, sitting down at the table with Karver and Sandy. She continued, Didnt a buddy of yours have an engine shell on the triple-7 he was flying over the middle of the Atlantic a few months ago?

Yes, he did.

Sandy looked at Karver, That one had a happy ending because the crew had been well trained and knew the airplane systems cold, including what the automation would and wouldnt do for them. They turned off the overseas route they were on, descended away from traffic to an altitude they could hold on one engine and flew 90 minutes to a safe landing in Ireland because of good training, their skills, judgement and knowledge.

Know the Systems

Im requiring you to know the systems of this Cirrus inside and out and to be able to hand fly it in any condition as well as to make sure you can make the automation sing. Thats because aviation is a microcosm of machine development for humans. Whenever we design a safer machine, that set of humans clear over on one side of the bell curve where it says damn fools find a way to disable the safety features either by actively taking them off or deciding that the machine is so safe that they can do anything they want and the machine will protect them.

What are you talking about? Karver interjected.

I pulled Rick over here because hes an aviation history geek and worked for a manufacturerhe saw some of the stupid things pilots do first hand. Plus, he writes for Aviation Consumer magazine and every month he has to read 100 accident reports on a type of airplane for their Used Aircraft Guide. If youve got a minute, Id like you to get some background on how pilots have sabotaged safe aircraft design over the years so youll understand why I am adamant about you learning everything you can about the Cirrus before I sign off your TAA endorsement. OK?

Sandy looked at me, Tell Karver what you told me about shoulder harnesses when you worked at Cessna.

Unused Shoulder Harnesses

Cessna made shoulder harnesses standard for the front seats well before the FAA required that they be installed. At first, many pilots and passengers refused to wear them. Surprise, surprise, a lot of people died in fairly minor accidents by smacking their head into the paneljackknifing over the seatbeltwith the shoulder harnesses neatly tucked into their holders.

Cessna offeredas an optiona fairly sophisticated (for the 1970s) inertia-reel shoulder harness that was integrated with the seat belt. They were comfortable and were right up there in the technology world at the time.

I saw foolishness on a level that astounded me when a new Cessna 182RG came back to the factory from a private owner for some reason or another. It had the integrated inertia-reel seatbelt and shoulder harnesses. To my utter disbelief, the owner had cut the shoulder harness off of the seat belt portion of the system. Both shoulder harnesses were retracted back into the reels, leaving only the seat belts. An excellent restraint system had been rendered useless.

Karver looked astonished. How could anybody be so stupid?

Sandy laughed and said, You got me. You want to hear more?

He said, You bet.

Ok, Rick, tell him about your research into Ercoupe and Skymaster crashes.

Safer Airplanes

Before I could say anything, Sandy went on, Karver, you need a little backgroundin the 1920s and 30s the scourge of aviation was a staggeringly high rate of stall/spin accidents. It was so bad that there were competitions to encourage development of a stall-proof airplane. The demand resulted in the Ercoupewhich later became the Aircoupea very cool two-place airplane that had the up-elevator travel limited so that it could not stall. It also had the ailerons and rudders interconnected and operated by turning the yoke. A lot of them were built and if you ever get a chance to fly one, do it, its a lot of fun and astonishingly easy to fly.

The other big killer of pilots was after an engine failure on a twinunless the pilot kept the airplane going fast enough, it was physically impossible to keep the thrust of the engine developing power from turning and rolling the airplane toward the dead engine. That minimum speed is called Vmc. The loss of controlthat usually leads to crashing fatallyis called a Vmc roll.

If the aircrafts engines are lined up with each othercenterline thrustthere is no turning tendency when one quits. It eliminates Vmcmaking the airplane much safer. There were some centerline thrust twins built in the 1930s and 40s, mostly by Dornier. In fact, the Dornier 335 was the fastest piston-engine airplane in World War II.

In the 1960s, Cessna decided to market a centerline thrust twin, the 336 Skymaster, in hopes of starting a line of twins that were safer to operate, because Vmc crashes were still killing a lot of people. The 336 Skymaster had fixed gear and wasnt very fast, so Cessna made the retractable gear, 337 Super Skymaster, which had better performance but still wasnt as fast as most wing-engine twins.

Same Accident Rate

Ok, Ive talked too much, Rick, youve looked at Ercoupe and Skymaster accidents. What happened? Did those airplanes specifically designed to be safe have lower accident rates than their competitors?

Unfortunately, no. While Ercoupes dont have any stall accidents to speak of and Skymasters dont crash because of Vmc loss of control, the accident rate for them is not different than the accident rate for their peers.

Karver looked thoughtful, If you take away the risk for one type of accident, how come the overall accident rate isnt lower for those airplanes?

I looked at him. I think its tied in with what Sandy was talking aboutsafe airplanes attract the full spectrum of pilots for all the reasons anyone buys an airplane, but I think they also attract that end of the bell curve of pilots who consciously or unconsciously rely on the safety built into the airplane to compensate for their poor judgement, unwillingness to keep their skills up or pay what it costs to keep the airplane in good shape.

Youve looked at all of those accident reports. Was there anything in them that pointed to Ercoupe and Skymaster pilots, as you put it, relying on the safety of the airplane? Karver asked.

Have you got time for a few examples?

Go ahead, Karver responded.

OK, but before I go on, please understand that Ive spent a fair amount of time flying Ercoupes and Skymasters and really like them, so I may be biased.

Ercoupe

The last time I looked at the 100 most recent Ercoupe accidents I saw that there were 26 crashes due to engine maintenance issues. Most of those were because maintenance hadnt been performedincluding several that involved original parts that had simply worn out more than 50 years after being installed.

There were seven fuel-contamination accidents that were also maintenance-relatedthe contaminants included foreign material, often rust, that should have been found and removed during routine maintenance. Thats twice the rate of failure to do fuel system maintenance than I normally see when I look at 100 accident reports.

Two Ercoupe owners decided to perform aerobatics in their airplanes and pulled them apart inflight.

There were seven inflight loss of control (LOC) crashes. Even though an Ercoupe wont stall if the pitch controls are rigged correctly, they will set up a very high rate of sink at low airspeeds. If the airplane is in a steep turn, full power is not enough to allow the airplane to maintain altitudethe bank angle has to be reduced dramatically. LOC on an airplane as incredibly easy to fly as an Ercoupe is an indication, to me, of a serious lack in pilot skill or judgement, or both.

Eighteen Ercoupe pilots could not judge their descent toward the runway. Seven didnt make it to the runway; they hit obstructions first. The other 11 didnt arrest the descent and hit so hard that the airplanes suffered structural damage. That rate is about three times higher than I expect to see when looking at accidents of other aircraft types.

Finally, one Ercoupe owner was approached by a father and son who wanted to fly his airplane. Neither had any flight experience. The owner gave them the keys. They were able to make a successful takeoff and climb to about 250 feet before the airplane was observed to descend into the ground. Neither survived.

Good grief, Karver intoned solemnly. OK, what about the Skymaster?

Skymaster

For me, the weirdness started when I read that five pilots intentionally tried to depart with one engine inoperative. Most died. In three of those events, other pilots tried to talk them out of it. One of those involved an airplane that had not had an annual inspection in 10 years. To me, thats a pilot relying on the built-in safety feature of the airplane to overcome his foolishness.

There were six crashes in which one engine failed after takeoff and the pilot took no action to feather the prop on the dead engineas with any piston twin, it wont hold altitude without feathering the prop on the dead engine. The good news is that most survived because the airplane stayed upright during the descent to the forced landingno Vmc roll, so the safe design saved them.

Fifteen of the 100 crashes were fuel-related. Thats twice the rate for tip-tank Cessna 300- and 400-series twins, which have a much more complex fuel system. I think the tip-tank twin Cessnas have a reputation for a complex fuel system so the pilots treat it with respectunlike the Skymaster, which has a reputation for a simple fuel system.

However, in the world of strange accidents, right up there near the top is the owner who stripped out the interior of his Skymaster as part of a refurb project. He departed on the flight to the shop that was going to install the new interior. En route, he ran the mains dry and then realized that in gutting the interior he had removed the fuel selector handles. He was unable to change tanks.

Yikes, was all I heard from Karver.

Nine Skymaster pilots lost control of their airplanes in IMCabout double what I expect to see when I do an accident report review. Five of the 100 accidents involved pilots who had incapacitated themselves with drugs or alcohol. Nine pilots tried unsuccessfully to fly VFR in IMCnearly double the rate I generally see in accidents in other types.

Karver hadnt moved. He blinked a couple of times, turned his head to Sandy and said, OK, Sandy, youve got my attention.

Effective Safety

Sandy looked at him seriously. Karver, I think that the integrated glass cockpit is one of the reasons that the airline and bizjet safety record is as high as it is. I like TAAs, but the safety built in to them is only as effective as the training, judgment and skill of the pilot whose sweaty hand is on the yoke. Were in the midst of what I think is the next step up in making airplanes saferbut, in the general aviation world, I think whether were able to take that step is going to be limited by the willingness of pilots to keep their level of judgment, skill and knowledge so high that they dont have to use the safe design as a crutch to overcome their own shortcomings.

So, are you willing to bury yourself in the Cirrus manual and learn the systems inside and out and spend some time hand flying the airplane?

Karver nodded at her. It looks like Id be a damn fool to do anything else.

Rick Durden is a CFII, holds an ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation and is the author ofThe Thinking Pilots Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing it, Vols. 1 & 2.A friend used to delight in telling a joke about the Georgia State Patrol officer who pulls over a couple of rednecks in a pickup, taps his nightstick on the drivers window then reaches in and pummels the guy for two minutes.

Whyd you do that? complains the driver. The officer explains one should never hesitate in producing license and registration, writes the ticket and instructs the driver to wait. He walks to the other side of the vee-hick-ul and pummels the passenger.

Whyd you do that? whines the passenger. Im just giving you your wish, son. I know you were thinking, I wish he would come over and do that to me.'

You probably have to be from the South to get it, but I thought of it when I was composing this weeks Question of the Week, the lead query being would you fly if there were no airline security at all. Almost half responded that they would. I wonder if those numbers would hold when it came time to actually walk down the jetway.

The context, of course, is that during the current government shutdown, the TSA is functioning, but at reduced efficiency. Pilots love to say the TSA is nothing but security theater, so why not take this opportunity to eliminate it entirely, since it doesnt do anything useful?

Interesting thought experiment. If we did that, it would roll the clock back to about 1968. You may have forgotten this, but between that year and 1972, hijackers took over a commercial airliner about every other week, according to The Skies Belong to Us by Brendan Koerner. No ID required, no metal detectors, hardly any airport security and the concept of sterile airside was unknown. It was another age.

Eventually, the flying public got fed up with the hijackings and the airlines dropped their opposition to pre-boarding securitybad for business, you know. By 1973, passenger screenings were universal in the U.S., if not worldwide.

But, proving that such security really was just theater, the hijackings continued. Oh, no  wait. They declined by more than two-thirds and dropped even more sharply with the additional security in place after the 9/11 attacks. Probably just a coincidence, because theater cant possibly be effective, especially if government is in charge of the casting, just on principle.

The airline threat environment has metastasized into something else entirely since 1968, a fact that came to be noticed on Sept. 12, 2001. The entire worldand especially the developed worldresponded with costly and cumbersome agencies and bureaucracies, hence the TSA we all love to hate, perhaps not without good reason.

Has it been effective? There have been a half-billion U.S. airline flights since 2001 and no hijackings. Passenger screenings are only a part of a multi-pronged approach to commercial airline security, along with ongoing intelligence operations, airport security, hardened cockpit doors and the Federal Flight Deck Officer program that trains armed pilots. The TSA never supported that program, but Congress forced the issue, rightfully, in my view.

And lets not forget the passengers. I dont think a 9/11-style aircraft takeover with box cutters could possibly succeed today. I think the passengers would rapidly seize control of the cabin and the aircraft. Would-be hijackers would be lucky to escape death by beating.

Amuse yourself by contemplating the outcome if a single or multiple malefactors boarded with firearms, which they presumably could do minus any screening at all. If this were a U.S. airliner, youd get to watch the OK Corral at FL330, because as surely as bad guys board with firearms, so do good guys. All in all, that alone prompts me to want to avoid screen-free airline travel, thanks. And that doesnt even get into explosives, which the TSA has seized a few times, too.

While Im on the subject of firearms, something I find utterly baffling is how anyone can go through a TSA screen line without realizing they have a loaded firearm with one in the chamber. Yet, reports The Washington Post, the TSA snatched nearly 4000 firearms in 2017 and more than that in 2018more than 10 a day. A third were loaded with a round chambered. The fine for this can be as much as $13,000 and the most common explanation by the gun owner is I forgot it was there. You forgot?

Any responsible firearm owner will tell you that being responsible means you never forget you have a weapon. (Or that you dont.) You never forget whether the weapon is loaded. You never forget and leave it somewhere unsecured, like on the dining room table with kids in the house. If you do, that is, de facto, not responsible. Im all for people carrying who wish to, but if you cant do it responsibly, Id just as soon the TSA mail it back to your house. Maybe some people who arent those people ought to be allowed to attend FFDO training and be, you know, authorized.

Obviously, under even the slightest scrutiny, the idea of eliminating passenger screening is ludicrous. But that doesnt mean the way the TSA does it shouldnt be overhauled. For instance, we were supposed to stop X-raying shoes five years ago, but its still going on as a result not of risk but of momentum. The entire process remains thing oriented rather than people oriented, which means we continue to roust innocent citizens in search of the odd bomb, gun or knife. A few still slip through, as one did recently when a passenger admitted it on a flight to Tokyo. He had passed through Atlanta, which leads the league in passengers getting caught with heat.

Ironically, those 4000-plus citizens who stumbled into the line were almost certainly just clueless, not threatening, assuming theyd have made the trip without accidentally discharging a weapon and blasting a hole in the overhead. Or worse. Even a trained FFDO found a way to puncture an airplane with an accidental discharge.

TSA-Pre and Global Entry are great programsI participate in bothand the government ought to expend more money expanding them, leaving more time to look for the real threats which, while not absent, are somewhat diminished. Meanwhile, wouldnt it be great if, while were waiting vainly for this to happen, Congress and the executive branch actually got something done.

I know its a plaintive howl in the wind, but its all Ive got.The last scheduled passenger flight of a Boeing 727 was reportedly conducted Jan.12 by Iran Aseman Airlines. The aircraft, a relatively new Boeing 727-200 Advanced (it was built in 1977), flew as EP851 on a domestic flight from Zahedan to Tehran. The low-key final flight marked the end of a remarkable 55-year run for the tri-engine jet that was a state-of-the-art improvement in speed and efficiency when it was introduced in 1962.

Although a few 727s remain in freight and even executive service, most of the 1,831 produced until 1984 were retired by early in this century because theyre noisy and gobble fuel. When the 727 entered service with Eastern Airlines in 1964, it carried as many passengers as four-engine airliners but flew higher and went faster. It became a fixture on domestic routes but was eventually eclipsed by twin-engine short-haul models. Thanks to decades of trade sanctions, Iran hasnt been able to buy new airliners or spare parts for the legacy airliners it operates.20 years ago, the words 'big' and 'Kia' sounded like an oxymoron. But fast forward to 2019 and Kia has premiered their biggest offering yet, excluding their trucks and buses that is. It's called the Telluride and, after it was previewed in Texas, Kia has revealed its full specifications.

Essentially the mechanical twin of the Hyundai Palisade, it's powered by the same engine. For now, the lone option is a 3,8-liter V6, which is good for 291 PS and 355 Nm of torque, identical to the Palisade. It then shifts via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front wheel drive is standard but it can also be paired to all-wheel drive. Speaking of which, the all-wheel drive system comes with differential locks for tougher off-road conditions. Left to its own devices, it sends power to the front wheels most of the time.

There are other neat features in the Telluride. Self-leveling suspension is available to keep a steady ride height when carrying loads. Downhill Brake Control also then aids the big crossover going down steep slopes. As for safety features, it is available with Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist Rear, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Following Assist, Safe Exit Assist, Highway Driving Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, and seven airbags.

As for its design, it remains faithful to the Telluride concept shown a few years back. It has a squared-off look and a boxy profile from bumper to bumper. Giving it a more butch appearance are unpainted claddings on the lower half of the entire of the car. Faux skid plates add to that effect as well.

Inside, there's a 'free-floating' infotainment screen, much like most cars coming out in the market today. Door sills are high and the glass area is wide. Surfaces are mostly flat, in line with the boxy theme of the exterior. Curiously, Kia has chosen to use a two-spoke steering wheel for the large crossover. The audio system can be upgraded to a 10-speaker Harman Kardon unit, plus, there is a wireless smartphone charger and up to six USB ports on board.

With Kia restructuring in the Philippines, there could be a chance that the full-size crossover can be offered here. That being said, there are no definite plans to bring the Kia Telluride outside of North America.While this isnt exactly illegal in the U.K., police recommend against it. As Wales Online notes in light of the most recent incident that also became a viral video, police advise against riding a scooter down dual carriageways that have a speed limit over 50 mph.This means that, if you do it, expect to become a part of the worlds slowest chase, because one police cruiserpursue you until you have exited the motorway. It happened most recently last week, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK, on the A470 motorway.Video of the incident is available at the bottom of the page, with Viral Hog saying that the person who shot it found the scene too hilarious to pass on the chance of immortalizing it for eternity. After all, its not that often that you get to see a police car slowly pursuing a scooter.South Wales Police tells Wales Online that, though apparently hilarious, an incident of this type has the potential to become dangerous. On this particular occasion, they received several calls about the mobility scooter driving down the dual motorway, so they decided it was best if they made sure the driver exited the road as quickly and as safely as possible.Officers located the scooter and its driver on the northbound carriageway between Abercynon and Pentrebach, a spokesperson for the police says. The man was escorted along the carriageway by a police vehicle to the Pentrebach exit in order to ensure his safety and that of other motorists.Because a mobility scooter reaches speeds of only 8 mph, police recommend you avoid using dual carriageways with a speed limit of over 50mph. You must use an amber flashing light for visibility if you use a class 3 invalid carriage on a dual carriageway.According to KSAT , 23-year-old Angelique Delgado is in police custody and is facing charges of theft of a vehicle, burglary and other drug-related charges stemming from an incident that occurred last week.On the day in question, Delgado was at a mans house, having drinks, the report says, citing the police affidavit. At one point, she and the man got into a fight, and she ran away from his home. Thats when she lost her first shoe.The report doesnt say what the fight was about or whether Delgado was fleeing because she was in physical danger. For what is worth, the man has not been charged with any crime.Her next move was to break into the house of one of the mans neighbors. She got inside through an unlocked back door and she stole personal items from the house along with the keys to a 2014 Hyundai Accent parked outside. She drove off in the car, but she left her second shoe inside the house shed just burglarized.To state the obvious again, this is not a modern-day Cinderella story: the shoe left behind didnt help her land a handsome and rich prince, so there is no happy ending here. Police caught Delgado quickly and it emerged that she had a history of drug abuse. As expected, she didnt even bother that much with trying to hide the stolen car.Police said they eventually located the stolen car two houses down from Delgado's residence. Her father told police she had been addicted to drugs and had been using the stolen vehicle, KSAT reports.Elizabeth Parrish is a reporter for The Facts. She can be reached at 979-237-0149.You can see the footage at the bottom of the page, along with the original caption. Chad Mock posted it to his Facebook, but he also alerted the authorities. if it didnt happen in front of me i'd never have believed it, he wrote. the child was ok. the parents came back. paramedics and police checked the child out as well. very lucky.In the video, you can see the door on the car in front opening as it makes a turn to the right and the carseat being thrown out into the street . Theres a child strapped in it, but the toddler doesnt seem distressed. Mankato Police say that the mother drove for another few blocks before she realized what had happened. She appeared on the scene some 15 minutes later and seemed very distressed.According to the police, the child was secured in the carseat correctly, but the carseat hadnt been properly secured to the backseat. That is to say, it had exactly zero efficacy in terms of protecting the child from harm in case of an accident.Police are now investigating how the door of the car came to open, while pursuing child endangerment charges. Paramedics checked on the toddler at the scene and were happy to report no harm. Mock told police that, despite the fall, the child wasnt crying or confused when he rushed to help.As you can see in the video, other motorists were just as shocked about what happened. Ironically, it doesnt seem like the mother was driving at high speed, so its unclear how come she didnt notice the door opening and the carseat slipping out.AWD

The five-seat sibling of the Pilot is marketed towards adventure-oriented customers, the type of people who want their crossover utility vehicle to be adequate on the highway, school run, and off the beaten track. But as opposed to Honda, Kia plans to go one step further.Speaking with Telluride designer Tom Kearns, our friends at Motor Trend were told that Kia is definitely interested in something along those lines, either for a trim level or accessories in the future." Kearns added that he cant really speak in regard to this matter, which means that either the engineers are already working on it or the higher-ups havent given their blessing yet.Kia already showcased some Telluride-based concepts with accessories or one-off modifications for the off-roading lifestyle, so theres no denying that something is happening behind closed doors at the automakers design center in Irvine, California. A lift kit would works wonders in the case of the Telluride, along with chunkier wheels and different settings for traction control and stability control.Prospective buyers hoping to find the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Stinger GT under the hood of the off-road Telluride model are wishful thinking. The eight-seat crossover is underpinned by a front-/all-wheel-drive platform, meaning that the engines layout is transverse instead of longitudinal.The same applies to the 2020 Hyundai Palisade, which shares the 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V6 with 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque along with the active on-demandsystem. Pricing for the yet-to-be-confirmed Telluride for adventure-seeking customers could be in the $35,000s as opposed to $30,000 or thereabouts for the entry-level specification with front-wheel drive.Those who would prefer rear-/all-wheel drive from Hyundai or Kia should wait for... ahem, Genesis Motors to finish development of the GV80 . The mid-size sport utility vehicle will be unveiled by the end of the year along with the next generation of the Sonata mid-size sedan.This week, the America space agency released photos showing the rockets huge liquid hydrogen tank being put upright into Test Stand 4693 at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for a series of tests.As soon as the component  the biggest of the future SLS  got in position, dozens of hydraulic cylinders began pushing and pulling at it in an attempt to mimic the loads and stress the tank will be subject to during launch and flight.The tank sitting upright in Alabama is not the actual one that will be fitted into the SLS, but one structurally identical to the flight version. It is 200 feet tall and has a diameter of 27.6 feet, being capable of storing cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.According to NASA, this disposable tank makes for two-thirds of the core stage and has a storage capacity of 537,000 gallons of hydrogen, kept at temperatures of minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (-253 Celsius).The completed SLS is NASAS response to private companies like SpaceX and their attack on space exploration, including with heavy-lift rockets. It is being assembled with the help of Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Northrop Grumman, and Aerojet Rocketdyne.The rocket will push into outer space NASAs Orion spacecraft , which is being developed at a fast pace. The combo is scheduled to launch with no crew in 2020, only to be followed two years later by crewed missions. The ultimate goal of the SLS-Orion is to take humans to Mars orbit and a later date allow them to land on the Red Planet.Aside for launching humans, the SLS will also send an orbiter towards one of Jupiters moons, Europa, in 2022.Whereas despite government bailouts GMs brand pool dissipated into thin air and Chryslers has been diluted into a car group called FCA, the Blue Oval steadily increased to overtake on the American market even giants like Toyota Unfortunately for Ford, the Blue Oval is not so successful on other markets, including the worlds largest, China, a place where in general German cars are absolute leaders.With that in mind, Ford announced this week its strategy for the next two years, with increased emphasis to be placed on the North American and Chinese markets.On its home continent, Ford plans to launch a huge number of new or refreshed models by 2021. In all, 20 new cars, representing a rejuvenation of 75 percent of the companys lineup of pickup trucks and SUVs, will hit the roads by that time.In Europe, the Blue Oval will dial things down a bit, and it already announced it will slash thousands of jobs there as a means to achieving a 6 percent operating margin. The company will cut from production cues vehicles that bring no money, especially from the multivan segment, will restructure its possessions and will focus more on commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles and imports.As for China, Ford has signaled since last year it wants to improve its image there. For the next two years, the carmaker will rely on new leadership, launch a series of new models previewed in 2018 by the Territory The Chinese market will get 10 new Ford and Lincoln cars this year alone, with a staggering 30 more planned for 2020.We are bolstering our portfolio to capture a healthy share of higher growth and higher profit segments and partnering where appropriate to improve profitability and returns, said in a statement Jim Farley, Ford president of global markets.Im very confident in our plan and our ability to execute.McCullough Robertson has recruited an internationally experienced lawyer from a leading Australian bank.

Wei Lim has joined the independent firms partnership, joining the banking and finance team in Brisbane from ANZ Bank, where he was an associate director in the loan structuring and execution team. Prior to ANZ, he was an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, an associate at MinterEllison in Brisbane, and a senior associate at DLA Piper in Hong Kong.

The added expertise comes as client demand increases, said Kristen Podagiel, McCullough Robertson managing partner.Brisbane and Queensland has been a real success story for Macpherson Kelley with significant growth over the last couple of years in particular. Our reputation for service and delivering outcomes is seeing significant growth in client demand, said Steve Parker, Macpherson Kelley chief executive.

Griffin, who previously had his own firm in Brisbane, and Ainsley and worked at succession and elder law-focussed firm Parsons Law on the Gold Coast, will concentrate on wills and estates.

Our wills and estates team has a strong presence in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales and collaborate to provide effective succession planning strategies across Australia, Parker said.

Cane joins the firms commercial team, moves from Allion Legal, where he has been a partner for more than seven years. Prior to Allion, he was a partner at Holding Redlich, a senior associate at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, a director at PwC, and a partner at Berwin Leighton Paisner in the UK.

We anticipate corporate activity will be a growth area in Australia in coming years, and Jons experience will be a significant asset for our clients seeking to merge or expand their businesses, Parker said.Newman handled project development, power purchase agreement, and due diligence matters, with assistance from partner Tanya Denning; counsels Laura van den Berg and Nerida Cooley; senior associates Dale Gill, Carol Kahler, Harry Stone, and Lillian Yeung; and associates Ivan Biros, Danielle Davidson, Kate Ferguson, Tristan Shepherd, and Michelle Tesch.

Mason led the project financing negotiations, supported by counsel Tim Macmillan. Partner Tony Hill and associate Luke Salem advised on planning and environment issues.

We are particularly proud that (this project) continues our close relationship with Edify Energy, having advised on all of its other market-leading projects, including the portfolio development and financing of a total of five large scale solar farms and the development of an innovative battery storage project, Newman said.

The Darlington Point project solidifies Edify Energys status as Australias leading solar power project developer and asset manager, he said. The companys solar portfolio can generate enough power to supply nearly 3% of all Australian homes.

We have worked with Edify Energy from the very beginning and are very appreciative of the opportunity to support them on their renewables projects that are fundamentally changing the Australian electricity supply market, Newman said.Prior to Ince & Co, he was general counsel for International Container Terminal Services in Manila, handling all legal matters of the company around the world, including PPPs, concessions, transactions, project financing, construction, compliance, and development of ports and terminals in the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

He was also general counsel for Bluewater Energy Services in Amsterdam, legal director for the Asia-Pacific region for TNT based in Amsterdam, and solicitor at Allen & Overy in Singapore, Amsterdam, and New York.

Addleshaw Goddard said that the appointment shows its commitment to its Asia practice, which recently added corporate partner Lance Jiang and legal director Janie Wong in Hong Kong.

Southeast Asia is an exciting market and Ton's proven track record of self-generating business opportunities, coupled with his experience in areas that will see us penetrate new sectors in the region, means we can grow our corporate offering in the region and strengthen links with the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), India, and Africa. Our plans to be a double-digit partner business by FY 2021 are on course and we will continue to look for the right talent to achieve this aim, said Bob Charlton, Addleshaw Goddards Asia regional head.Organizers said they had many requests to bring back the Ironman, as a way for people to feel "normal" again after more than a year of the unsettling pandemic.Of custody and crypto The normally staid world of custody banking is now having to embrace the wild child of global assets: cryptocurrency. And this is happening just as bitcoin, the poster child of cryptocurrency, seesawed from US$30,000 one week to $40,000 the next, shedding then recovering 30% of its value. Some bitcoin bulls are talking of $100,000 by year-endWithout no permanent director and no home in which to display highlights from its 7,700-object collection of American art, the shuttered National Academy of Design (NAD), New York, is extricating some 100 key works from long-term storage to send them on a three-year, eight-venue national tour, beginning next month, under the auspices of the American Federation of Arts.

Get updates about our exciting new future, proclaims the homepage of the long-dormant NAD, which closed its doors to the public on June 1, 2016, at the age of 190, with the stated intention of reopening in a new home.

Two and a half years later, the nature of that exciting future has not yet been revealed and a new home has not yet materialized. Meanwhile, its Fifth Avenue flagship building (a stones throw from the Guggenheim Museum) and one of the NADs two adjoining townhouses have been sold for $25 million each, according to city records in June and December 2018, as reported by CurbedNY. A third adjoining NAD building is still on the market (asking price: $27 million).

SOLD for $25 million: National Academys former Fifth Avenue flagship building, as seen in early November

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

The proceeds from the property sales are being applied to a permanent endowment, which ensures the perpetuity of the institution, as an Academy spokesperson informed me in response to my recent queries.

As CultureGrrl readers may remember (from a story that I broke in 2008), the sales of two important paintings by Frederic Church and Sanford Gifford under the directorship of Carmine Branagan were intended to secure the NADs future. Instead, the Academy remained on shaky ground and incurred the Association of Art Museum Directors censure and ostracism.

Branagan had told me at the time: We had a choice of selling or becoming part of the dustbin of history. That may yet happen, unless an experienced, resourceful administrator comes to the NADs rescue and rights the foundering ship.

When I walked by on Nov. 2, the Fifth Avenue building (as seen above) still sported the red National Academy Museum banners, even though it had changed hands five months before. In its window (on the right, in the above photo) was this construction permit, which detailed some of the extensive renovations being performed:

Removal of interior non load-bearing partitions; interior wall, ceiling, floor finishes, plumbing fixtures, associated millwork and removal of non structural floor slab in cellar

A sense of what has been lost is conveyed in my 2011 CultureGrrl Video, in which architect Jane Stageberg walked me through the then just completed, meticulous renovation of the Academys elegant public spaces. All that work and moneynow down the drain: The refurbishment has been overridden by contractors who are repurposing the building as a single-family residence.

Heres the sorry sight of what the entrance hall looked like when I gazed through its open doors two months ago:

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

The ceiling panels, on which the names of the academicians and years of their inductions are inscribed, were still largely intact. Heres one detail (from a photo I took on an earlier, pre-construction visit):

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

In another photo from the pre-construction days, heres the salon-style hang in what had been the National Academy Museums largest gallery for its permanent collection:

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

In September, Mary Fisher became the NADs interim executive director, replacing Maura Reilly, who had departed without any public announcement:

Mary Fisher, the NADs interim executive director

Photo from National Academys staff directory

When I asked the NAD to explain when and why Reilly had left, its spokesperson would only say: We must respectfully decline to comment at this current time. Reillys LinkedIn profile now describes her as an art consultant. She recently published a book: Curatorial Activism.

Fisher, the interim head, was the Academys director of institutional advancement and, before that, administrative director of the Academys school. She apparently recognizes that she has a learning curve: An NAD spokesperson told me she is concurrently pursuing an MBA that will be focused on her work at the Academy and setting the stage for the strategic plan.

For now, the Academys staff is still working out of the 3 E. 89th St. building, which is still on the market (asking price: $27 million):

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

From the outside, the school still appeared to be functioning when I walked by in November. But, signage notwithstanding, the school had actually been on hiatus since August 2017. The shape and function of the next iteration will unroll with our overarching plan, the NADs spokesperson enigmatically emailed me, adding this:

The staff is in an industrious period of creating a strong administrative base for the organization while continuing to build upon initiatives that further our mission. We are getting the right players in position, empowering and engaging internal committees, and starting the processes necessary for a long-term strategic plan with the National Academician membership.

Putting a good face on a situation thats ambiguous at best, Brian Allen, former director of the New-York Historical Society and the Addison Gallery of American Art, noted approvingly in his recent National Review article that the NAD is going back to its roots as an institution focused on serving its artist-members. (Its museum operations began in 1979.) He also maintained that the school is now on its own and doing fine. (Not exactly.)

For America, the exhibition traveling under the auspices of the American Federation of Arts (AFA), will open Feb. 23 at the Dayton Art Institute. At this writing, the closest it will get to its home base will be the New Britain (CT) Museum of American Art. (Its eighth venue has not yet been determined.)

Jointly curated by Jeremiah William McCarthy, AFAs associate curator, and Diana Thompson, the Academys director of collections and curatorial affairs, the show will feature portraits of selected member artists of the Academy (either a self-portrait or a portrait painted by a colleague), along with each artists diploma workthe work given to the NAD by a newly inducted academician (artist-member).

Heres one of my favorites from the upcoming show:

Thomas Eakins, Self-Portrait, 1902

Image from the National Academys website for the exhibition

For a look at what once was, come join me, once again, for a backward look, via this mournful CultureGrrl Video, taken just before the National Academys galleries were closed to the public. If there were ever an object lesson on why deaccessions are no solution to an art institutions serious underlying problems, this is it:Americans Support People of Faith Serving in Government and as Judges

Results coincide with Religious Liberty Day



Contact: Joe Cullen,

Knights of Columbus,

203-415-9314,

joseph.cullen@kofc.org



WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2019 /Standard Newswire/ -- A new Marist Poll survey finds that Americans overwhelmingly oppose using faith as a factor in appointments to jobs in the federal government. In addition, strong majorities of Americans support protection of religious freedom and think that people of faith should be able to serve as judges and other government appointees.



Click on Image for High Resolution Image



By a margin of more than eight to one (85 percent to 11 percent), Americans say that faith should not be a factor in deciding a person's appointment to a position in the federal government. This includes about three quarters of Republicans (74 percent), and about nine in 10 Democrats (90 percent) and independents (89 percent).



The survey of 1,066 adults was conducted January 8 through January 10, 2019 by The Marist Poll, sponsored and funded in partnership with The Knights of Columbus. The results coincide with the observance today (Jan. 16) of the Federal Government's annual declaration of Religious Liberty Day.



"Americans rightly support religious freedom and reject religious tests for public office," said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. "Article VI of the Constitution, which forbids religion tests, continues to strongly resonate with the overwhelming majority of Americans, who believe that faith should not be a barrier to someone's appointment to public service."



In fact, most Americans support allowing religious people to serve in government appointments and judgeships. By about a forty-point margin, Americans say that they:

Support people for whom religion is important serving as appointees in the federal government (63 percent to 19 percent). This includes about six in 10 Democrats (58 percent) and independents (61 percent) and more than 7 in 10 Republicans (72 percent).

Support people for whom religion is important serving as federal judges (62 percent to 23 percent). This includes about six in 10 Democrats (59 percent) and independents (60 percent) and more than 7 in 10 Republicans (73 percent).

A majority of Americans also support protection of religious freedom in general. By a margin of more than 20 points (55 percent to 33 percent), Americans say freedom of religion should be protected even when it goes against government laws. This includes majorities of Democrats (55 percent), independents (53 percent) and Republicans (59 percent).



Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the contiguous United States were contacted on landline or mobile numbers and interviewed in English by telephone using live interviewers. Mobile and landline telephone numbers were randomly selected based upon a list of telephone exchanges from throughout the nation from Survey Sampling International. Results are statistically significant within 3.7 percentage points.

Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content!in Maintenance Rolls-Royce to develop aviation energy storage technology Rolls-Royce is entering new aviation markets to pioneer sustainable power and as part of that mission we will be developing energy storage systems (ESS) that will enable aircraft to undertake zero emissions flights of over 100

in Airports Abu Dhabi Airports awarded ISAGO registration The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has awarded Munawala Ground Services (Munawala), Abu Dhabi Airports Ground Handling service provider, the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) Registration, marking its

in Business Aviation RoyalJet launches transformation of brand and customer experience RoyalJet, the Abu Dhabi-owned and operated, premium private aviation company has launched its new brand and its customer experience transformation project by revealing its entirely redesigned VIP lounge and itsA Qatari delegation led by the Qatari Minister of Transport, Mr. Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, which also included the chairman of Qatars Civil Aviation Authority, Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al-Subaey and Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker attended the Global Aviation Summit, a two-day event taking place on 15-16 January in Mumbai, India.

Al Baker addressed key leaders of the aviation industry, including senior airline and airport executives as well as government officials and senior dignitaries in a panel discussion titled: Airports of the Future and Building Great Aviation Business. Alongside Al Baker on the panel were key industry influencers, including director general of International Air Transport Association, Alexandre de Juniac and speakers from around the world of aviation.



The panel session focused on the need for development and modernisation of aviation infrastructure in India, as well as identifying financial opportunities by governments globally and introducing new policy innovation that can increase the financial sustainability of low-traffic airports. The panel discussed these challenges, as well as how to build great aviation businesses that meet customer expectations while still delivering return on investment.



Al Baker, said: I am very pleased to be in India once again to be able to participate in this important panel discussion. India has become the fourth largest civil aviation market after the United States, China and Japan, and is a crucial market for Qatar Airways.



With the Indian government planning to invest in developing more than 20 major airports and several smaller airports over the next five years, its a very exciting time for the aviation industry in India, and we look forward to discussing these topics this week in Mumbai.



The Global Aviation Summit was organised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) in collaboration with FICCI to discuss the future of the aviation industry, to identify growth areas and to better understand how technology-driven innovation will change air travel globally.BARCELONA"They can be seen doing what apparently are totally improper actions, such as kicking, punching in the face, or striking people who are sitting on the floor." Francisco Miralles, the judge investigating the police baton charges of Oct 1st in Barcelona, has decided to investigate four new officers for police violence in the city during the referendum vote. Three took part in the actions at Barcelonas Pau Claris secondary school and a fourth officer was at the Mediterranean School [both of which were used as polling stations]. In addition, the judge will again question a deputy inspector already investigated over the incidents at these two schools for further assaults on voters.Trolley is back on track. Trainer Erv Miller just hopes he can stay there.

Trolley, a six-year-old male trotter, has won four of six races since returning from a 13-month absence because of a broken coffin bone. He triumphed by three quarters of a length over Muscle Diamond in last weeks Preferred Handicap at the Meadowlands Racetrack, and, in turn, has been installed as the 5-2 second choice on the morning line for Fridays (Jan. 18) $21,000 Preferred Handicap at the Big M. Meladys Monet, who will bring a three-race win streak to the event, has been tabbed as the 9-5 early favourite.

Fridays 14-race card will begin at 7:15 p.m. (EST).

Trolley is on his way back, I hope, Miller said. If he stays healthy, well see where he can go. I think well see a pretty good horse. He can really go. Hes showed the talent off-and-on and weve just been waiting on him.

For his career, Trolley has won 12 of 26 races and earned $302,959 for owners Michael Anderson, Leland Mathias, Greg Gillis, and Andy Willinger. He started a total of only seven times at ages two and three, but was a two-time winner on the Pennsylvania stakes circuit and runner-up to Southwind Frank in the 2016 Beal Memorial. As a four-year-old, he won six of 13 races and established his career mark of 1:51.4 at the Meadowlands.

He was a real immature horse early, Miller said. He was a big horse  big, strong horse  he just wasnt ready to go young. As he got older, he kept getting better and better. He showed some real talent, so we kept hanging on with him. Hopefully hes going to pay us back for waiting on him.

We tried standing him (at stud) last year. But if he holds up for us, well be glad it didnt work out. Hes sure coming back good so far.

Trolley, driven regularly by Marcus Miller, is a son of Donato Hanover out of Lakeside Bride. He was purchased as a yearling for $30,000 at the 2014 Lexington Selected Sale.

He wasnt a real pricey horse because he was a little oversized for a young horse, Miller said. Hes made money along the way. Its not like hes not been paying his way.

Hes a nice horse to be around. He gets around real good. Hes versatile. He can race from the back or on the front, it doesnt matter which way you race him. Hes a big, strong horse.

Miller will be watching Trolley in the coming weeks to determine how to stake the horse when payments are due in February.

If he stays healthy until staking time until February, well be putting him in some stakes races, Miller said. I think hes a top horse if we get enough races in him and he stays sound. Right now he seems as sound as hes ever been in his life. Hopefully that will keep going. Hopefully were ready to rock along.

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Owner Evan Katz makes a habit of perusing the listings on online auction sites. In fact, he checks them almost daily in the hopes of finding another horse to add to his stable. When Katz came across a listing for Itty Bitty in fall 2016, he found a diamond in the rough.

Then a freshman, the pacing filly by Always A Virgin out of the Warrior For Peace mare Bananih had 15 starts on the Indiana fair circuit for owner, trainer, and driver Charles Conrad. Itty Bitty earned two wins and another eight seconds and thirds, but it was her finishing ability that caught Katzs eye. In her final start for Conrad, Itty Bitty came home in :27.4 at the Fayette County Free Fair in Connersville, Indiana.

She showed some really good fair lines in Indiana with some really good final quarters. If you know the tracks there, anything semi-decent is a real fast last quarter, Katz said. She was always closing. From the top of the stretch to the wire, she was always passing horses. Thats what you have to look for, horses that finish.

Despite her low opening bid, as a regular user Katz knew that the online auctions are generally quiet until the timer reaches the final few minutes. He waited and waited, but there was little activity. When the auction ended, Katz bought the filly for $8,000.

Its pretty much sight unseen. You go by the lines and hope the people are being upfront with you, Katz said. Theres an offer or a starting bid and in the last 10 minutes, usually people really start to bid. There really wasnt a whole lot of action on her.

Im not sure why other people really didnt go after her, he continued. I dont think the guy who had her realized the potential. Shes really a natural. Shes loves to race.

Katz gave Itty Bitty to Billy Parker and sent her to Monticello for her first start subsequent to the auction. They spotted her in a $3,300 overnight for non-winners of a pari-mutuel race October 5, 2016. Itty Bittys rivals proved vastly overmatch as she circled the field and stormed away to an 18-length win. She stopped the clock in 2:00.1 with a :27.3 final quarter.

She just exploded halfway up the backstretch; she was real impressive, she just drew off. Then I realized that she was a little better than I had thought, Katz said.

Shortly after that start, Katz gave Itty Bitty to trainer Andrew Harris, who, along with Bob Darrow, bought an ownership interest in the filly. In 70 starts, Itty Bitty has amassed 17 wins, 11 seconds, and 10 thirds, good for $220,377. Her biggest victory to date came last Friday (January 11) when she captured the $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap at Yonkers Raceway.



Itty Bitty, pictured victorious at Yonkers Raceway on January 11, 2019

After having started from Post 3 with Jason Bartlett in the sulky, Itty Bitty watched as Wishy Washy Girl took command from Post 5 around the opening turn. Bartlett wanted the lead, however, and pulled Itty Bitty entering the backstretch. The pair made the lead in a :27.4 opening quarter and the even-money favourite never looked back.

With Bartlett comfortable in the bike and with a good hold of her, Itty Bitty increased her margin to two and a half lengths past three-quarters. By the time she reached the top of the lane, she increased her advantage to four and a half. Itty Bitty cruised past the finish five and a quarter lengths clear of the field in 1:55.

Katz was quick to praise his team for Itty Bittys unlikely rise to the top.

Andrew does a great job with her, as with all the horses I have with him, Katz said. He deserves a lot of the credit. To keep her sharp, keep her happy. Hes always on top of things. Hes probably the only trainer that talks to me every day and tells me whats going on. [Hes a] very honest guy.

The feedback is always good about her, Katz continued. She always tries. Every race she tries. She reflects the name; shes not very big. She just has a big heart.

Itty Bitty will try to double up in Yonkers distaff feature, as she is set to start from Post 7 in this weeks $44,000 handicap. With Bartlett back in the bike, the pair has been installed as the tepid 5-2 morning line favourite despite the wide assignment.

Itty Bittys competition will include last weeks runner up, Clear Idea, who will be making her second start off of a winter freshening and may be better poised to utilize her characteristic early speed. Shes 3-1 on the morning line for Matt Kakaley. Brazuca will ship in from the Meadowlands off of a third in the Big Ms top class for distaffers on December 28 and has drawn Post 5. Ella Michelle, Culinary Delight, Amateur Hour, and Made Of Jewels As will complete the field.

Ive always had a positive outlook on her. I dont want to get too ahead of myself, but last week she won and he never even popped the plugs and she won in hand, Katz said. I think shell be all right. Shell probably be the favourite, so Im sure shell be in play and well hope for a decent trip. If you take off the gate, youre seventh and where do you go from there?

First post time on Friday is at 6:50 p.m.

(SOA of NY)Posted on: January 17, 2019 3:02 PM

The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has received the inaugural Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation 2019 Merit Award for Excellence in Promoting Religious Tolerance and Peace Building in Northern Nigeria. The award was one of five presented last night (Wednesday) by the Foundation, which was created by the Governors of the 19 northern states of Nigeria to honour the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, KBE, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the former Northern Region.

The award was presented last night during a dinner in Kaduna, on the eve of Dr Idowu-Fearons 70th birthday. The award chairman explained the award to the Secretary General saying: His Grace, who has been variously described as an intellectual inquirer, a philosopher-priest and a teacher of note, is a cleric-scholar, who developed a great passion for the study of Islam from his early years. He has indeed allowed that to dictate his drive to promote religious tolerance and peace that has culminated in his award of today. . .

When His Grace . . . became the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion . . . many feared that he would no more have the time to devote to his inter-faith ventures. Thank God we have all been proved wrong because he has shown through the latest positions and continuing work he has undertaken that he still has a lot of fire in his quavers. For instance he is the current Africa Chairman, Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa; the Co-ordinator, Interfaith Initiative for Peace from 2014 to date; and was recently appointed the Chairman of Kaduna State Peace Commission by the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

The other recipients were Dr Tagwai Sambo, for Excellence in Public Administration and Inter-Communal Harmony in Moroa Chiefdom; Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, for Excellence in Public Service and Administration of Justice in Nigeria; Imam Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, for Excellence in Service to Humanity and Representation of True Message of Love; and Dr Lateef Taiwo Sheikh, for Excellence in Promotion of Human and Healthcare Development in Nigeria.

The Foundation was established to foster the legacy of leadership and good governance bequeathed by Sir Ahmadu Bello for the human and economic development of northern Nigeria, the Foundation said on its website. It was created as an intervention agency that will conceptualise and execute programmes directly, partnering with other non-profit organisations or collaborating with special interests that share the same or similar objectives with it in realising their set goals and objectives which should be within the general framework for economic and human development.

Sir Ahmadu Bello was the first Premier of the Northern Region, and was in post when he was assassinated on 15 January 1966 during a coup. He is remembered for the legacy of exemplary leadership that enabled him to overcome the inherent formidable challenges of mobilising and harmonising the complex ethnic, religious and political diversities of more than 200 ethnic groups inhabiting the vast region, the Foundation says.

Today (Thursday) members of the Kaduna State Peace Commission gathered to celebrate Dr Idowu-Fearons 70th birthday.Tomorrow, a number of different human rights groups and activists will protest in front of Googles headquarters in New York City and San Francisco, that Google shut down its Project Dragonfly search engine that is being developed for China.

The protests will start at 10AM local time.

Googles New York City headquarters is located at 85 10th Ave, while the companys San Francisco office is located at 345 Spear Street. The protests are not heading for Googles main campus in Mountain View, interestingly enough.

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There will be other protests at Google offices and headquarters around the world. Including Argentina, Australia, Chile, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, and the UK.

These are not the only protests from human rights groups aimed at getting Google to protect free speech and human rights on Internet Freedom Day  which so happens to occur on January 18. Those taking part in the protests are going to gather outside of Googles headquarters and offices, with signs that highlight risks of launching Project Dragonfly. There will also be leaflets handed out to Google employees and the public, depicting the risks of this project. these protests will continue until Google executives decide to formally cancel Project Dragonfly.

What exactly is Project Dragonfly?

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Project Dragonfly is a search engine that Google has been working on for several months, that will be available in China. On the outskirts, it doesnt sound like a big issue. But this search engine will be censored, to comply with Chinas censorship laws. That is where human rights groups take offense, and why these protests are breaking out.

Chinas censorship laws are pretty tough, and not a whole lot of content is let inside of China, especially from countries like the US. Google initially left the country in 2010 over its censorship. But it is now looking to get back into the country, realizing how much growth it is losing out on, by not being in China.

Human rights and activists are not the only ones asking Google to stop work on Project Dragonfly. Congress asked Googles CEO, Sundar Pichai about this when he was testifying in front of Congress last month. Pichai stated that there were no plans to bring a search engine to China. There have been some rumors that Pichai had decided to kill the project internally, though that has not been confirmed by anyone at Google yet.

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Google employees, including some that were tasked with working on the project, have also been upset with Google working on a censored search engine for China. This is because it goes against everything that Google stands for. Its motto is dont be evil, and launching a censored search engine isnt quite evil, but it does get rid of the freedom of speech that so many fought for.

Its all about business for Google, as youd expect, its looking to get into the next billion users, and China is the way to get there. But a censored search engine may not be the answer to break through that Great Firewall of China, unfortunately.Texas fashion designer and gadget manufacturer Fossil is selling smartwatch technology to Google in a deal worth $40 million in cash, the companies announced Thursday. The transaction also includes Fossils team behind the unspecified solution which is now set to join Google. The crew in question is part of Fossils Research & Development unit and while the firms didnt specify the size of the group, the selling party said the remaining team is still over 200 people strong.

The watch that was (kind of) promised

Googles purchase adds a lot of credence to the possibility that the company is intending to release a first-party smartwatch in the future, which is something thats been rumored about for many years now. Just under a year ago, those claims emerged as well, having been backed by credible industry sources. Alphabets subsidiary was understood to have been working on three separate smartwatches planned to be released under its Pixel brand alongside the Pixel 3 smartphones and Google Home Hub last October. That didnt come to pass as the product family was delayed for unspecified reasons.

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In late summer, Wear OS head Miles Barr said he doesnt believe Google reached the point whereat it can start thinking about creating a one-size-fits-all watch, suggesting the company isnt interested in niche devices and will only be looking at commercialization opportunities when it believes it can deliver something with a mass appeal factor. While the new development suggests that line of thinking has changed, that isnt necessarily so given how reliable reports previously indicated the firm was already pursuing consumer-grade wearables and Mr. Barr chose his words carefully so as to avoid saying anything of substance on the matter, without directly denying Googles near-term plans.

So many questions

Fossil and Googles newly announced deal has yet to be closed but the two companies expect the transaction will be cleared by the end of the month. The nature of the technology thats now exchanging hands hasnt been disclosed, though the agreement is understood to be exclusive in nature and not even Fossil may be able to use the said solution moving forward without licensing it to Google. The mysterious technology may not necessarily be hardware-dependent either but is described as something with the potential to improve contemporary smartwatches as a whole.

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Fossil has been one of the largest supporters of Googles wearable ambitions ever since the company introduced Android Wear in early 2014 and was also the first to embrace last years rebranding of the smartwatch ecosystem which was meant to attract iPhone users. While originally a fashion company, Fossil is now pointing to wearables as its fastest-growing product category and is planning more major investments in the segment moving forward. Some of the money received from Google as part of todays deal will likely be spent to that end as well.

Fossils wearable portfolio includes 14 brands, many whereof are its own, though the company also designs and manufactures smartwatches for third parties. If the newly acquired technology is something that will benefit Wear OS, its integration could be announced as early as this spring at Googles annual I/O conference which traditionally takes place in May.EU competition authorities, led by Commissioner Margarethe Vestager, are reportedly weighing out yet another fine to issue to Google, this time over its AdSense ad placement product. This information comes from an anonymous insider who spoke to Bloomberg about the situation, saying that the investigation is nearing its end. Supposedly, Vestager is set to announce the fine within the next few weeks.

Background: The investigation into AdSense is seemingly near its end, between this report and an announcement by Vestager back in November. At that time, she said that the AdSense investigation was close to being finished, but a decision on the matter wouldnt be ready until at least the end of 2018. Presumably, the commission has ironed out what offenses are and arent taking place at this point, and are merely working toward figuring out just how big of a fine to levy.

This will be Googles third fine from the EU Competition Commission in a fairly short time. The company was hit with a record-shattering fine equating to over $5 billion USD back in July of 2018, in regards to its practices with requiring Android OEMs to bundle certain Google apps in order to get the Play Store. After that, a fine just over $2 billion was levied over how Google handled online shopping.

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Vestager has been riding Silicon Valley pretty hard lately, though she refutes allegations that shes been focusing disproportionately on US tech companies. Presumably, shes not done with Google just yet, and will likely be picking apart more of the companys behaviors to be sure its acting in a manner that fosters competition.

Impact: These rulings and the resulting fines bring up a big question; with Google being as large and far-reaching as it is, does the company have a responsibility to purposefully offset the fact that its sheer size makes life difficult for small competitors? This moral and quantifiably capitalist quandary is answered by EU authorities with a resounding Yes.

One example of that is the fine over Play Store inclusion. Google worked tirelessly over the past decade or so to build up Android and attract tons of developers, but users and manufacturers were not previously charged for the Play Store. Instead, the only way for them to ship it on their devices was to include other Google apps, enabled by default, that would make the company money.

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Thats not to say that Google does not monetize the Play Store, but the EU is asking Google to provide the fruit of its labor with no strings attached to anybody who asks for it. The company was already doing that with Android as an operating system, but compelling the company to allow an otherwise Google-free device to have Play Store access severely undercuts ad revenue and brand loyalty.

The shopping fine runs along somewhat similar lines, though Googles behavior in that case was arguably a bit less competition-friendly. Essentially, Google was promoting its own shopping results at the top of search queries on its service. That may sound like its not too big a deal, but one has to consider Googles dominance in the field of online searches.

Vestager said at the time of that ruling that it would likely set a precedent for how she approaches future complaints about Google putting its own services, and those of parties that have paid it, above those of others in its search results and other linked services. Essentially, this means that Google is being asked to make a direct effort to divert users attention away from its own products.Germany is looking into the possibility of taking regulatory actions against Huawei and its ambitions to participate in the incoming deployment of the fifth generation of wireless networks in Europes strongest economy, according to a new local report. No firm decisions have yet been made but the majority of decision-makers in Merkels current cabinet are understood to be eager to do something about the Chinese companys operations as political scandals, spying concerns, and other allegations surrounding its business continue to emerge.

Right out of Australias playbook

The currently likeliest scenario is one wherein the German government alters the legislative framework regulating mobile technology rollout efforts in the country in a way that would effectively disqualify Huawei from participating. While its still unclear how that idea was formed in Berlin, it may have been inspired by a move Canberra made last year given how the Australian government opted for whats essentially the same thing over the summer, drawing an angry reaction from the firm and China itself.

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Beijing claimed Australia is intentionally crippling its largest companies based on frivolous accusations and called for a level playing field that would allow everyone to thrive based on merits alone. Many critics found that stance disingenuous and ironically asked China to open its own markets to foreign telecom hardware juggernauts such as Nokia and Ericsson if its primary concern truly comes down to guarding the free-market principles worldwide.

The most radical version of the plan would be changing the German Telecommunications Act, at least in the context of ideas that the regulators are willing to entertain at this point, as per the same report. None of the concerned parties have yet commented on the matter in any capacity.

A regulatory change of heart

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Berlin advocated for a passive approach to 5G regulations and Huawei specifically until late last year. In October, it told the parliament its against the idea of discriminating against any 5G equipment supplier currently in contention to help bring the next generation of wireless connectivity to Germany. It argued the basis for doing so doesnt exist and hence signaled its unconcerned with Huaweis problems with some other Western countries, particularly the United States.

Its unclear what made it change its stance as the only major development regarding Huawei that happened in the meantime is the arrest of its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in early December, though that incident is unrelated to 5G and cybersecurity concerns. Ms. Meng, 46, was apprehended by Canadian authorities after the U.S. Department of Justice charged her of being personally involved into a global banking scheme that defrauded numerous financial institutions with intent to violate trade sanctions placed on Iran.

The CFO is still fighting her extradition request after being released on bail equivalent to $7.5 million by a Vancouver court. The ordeal sparked a diplomatic incident that saw China launch accusations of Canada being a U.S. puppet and claiming egoism and racism are at the heart of Ms. Mengs arrest. While the controversy dealt another hit to Huaweis image, it likely isnt related to Germanys new view of the Chinese firm.

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All (German) roads lead to T-Mobile

Huawei recently experienced another major setback in Germany after wireless giant Deutsche Telekom dropped its 5G equipment as one of the concessions given to U.S. regulators as part of their probe into the proposed merger of its subsidiary T-Mobile and Sprint. Sprints parent SoftBank agreed to do the same so as to accelerate the consolidation review process as the two wireless carriers are still aiming to complete their tie-up in the first half of this year which many analysts previously described as optimistic.

T-Mobile U.S. had issues with Huawei for some time now and even ended up clashing with the Chinese firm in the court of law, having accused it of stealing components and designs of its top-secret touchscreen experience testing robot Tappy. The company won the lawsuit in 2017 but failed to prove the transgression was ordered by Huaweis management, hence being awarded insignificant damages relative to the half a billion dollars it originally demanded.

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The Merkel administration is now saying it takes the issue of 5G security extremely seriously and will be focused on ensuring all critical communications in the country are sufficiently protected. Besides the aforementioned example of Australia, the U.S. already took action against the company by outlawing the use of its wireless equipment on the part of any federal agencies, having even forbidden technologies that are merely associated with Huawei. Canada is now reportedly considering the same, as are Japan and South Korea. In France, wireless carrier Orange announced it wont be relying on Huawei to build its 5G network.

No end to grievances

The U.S. may also soon take things further by forbidding private companies from relying on Huaweis wireless solutions, as one recent report suggested the White House is pondering that move which would be made in the form of an executive order. Washington has been warning allies against equipment from Huawei, ZTE, and other major wireless players in China for about a year now, citing national security concerns. Companies from the worlds second-largest economy repeatedly dismissed those allegations as baseless but the Western intelligence community is mostly in agreement that Chinas communist party could easily leverage the laws it created to compel companies into yielding data on their foreign customers, spying on them, or compromising them via other means, and thats assuming they wouldnt be happy to do so in the first place due to any number of reasons.

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Huaweis grievances in the West hence dont appear to be ending anytime soon and it remains to be seen how the company will be affected if its detained CFO is unable to avoid being extradited. Ms. Meng is by far the most high-profile Huawei executive that found itself in such legal troubles to date; not only is she a C-suite member of the worlds largest telecom equipment maker but shes also one of the three children of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei whos been with the company since its humble beginnings in 1993.Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives are working on a set of bipartisan bills that would block exports of Chinese telecommunications companies that violate sanctions.

These bills would primarily affect Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese telecommunications companies that have violated sanctions and do work on technology in the US. In fact, the US has already begun blocking Huaweis exports of its tech products from an R&D lab in California.

Wisconsin Representative, Mike Gallagher, who is a co-sponsor of the House bill, stated that these two companies are a growing threat to American national security. Also stating that they should face the same punishment that ZTE faced last year, before coming up with a deal with the US government to reopen its business in the US.

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This, of course, would be yet another blow to Huawei and its business in the US. Everyday, something comes out regarding Huawei, and now it looks like their business in the US is essentially dead. Just yesterday, reports surfaced that Huawei was being criminally investigated over stealing trade secrets from US companies, including T-Mobile.

If these bills make it through the House and the Senate and get signed by the President, it could force a ban on Huaweis US-based equipment exports. That would limit Huaweis ability to sell products in other parts of the world. Seeing as it needs to work in the US, even if it is not selling products in the US, due to it working with Google and Microsoft.

This wouldnt be as big of a deal for Huawei as it was for ZTE, seeing as Huawei makes its own chipsets, and ZTE relies heavily on Qualcomm. But it would still have a pretty large effect on Huaweis international business.

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Huawei has continued to deny that it has violated US sanctions and that it is being used by the Chinese government to spy on its customers. But the government still sees Huawei as a threat to national security. Though recent events are not helping Huaweis cause in this matter.

Last week, one of Huaweis executives in Poland was arrested along with a former Polish spy, on espionage charges. This of course, comes about a month after its CFO was arrested in Vancouver over the companys violation of US sanctions. Then this week, there were reports that there are different investigations into Huaweis wrongdoing while working with T-Mobile. All of this is painting Huawei in a pretty negative light, unfortunately.

So far, there are only a handful of Congress members that are on-board with these bills. But that likely wont last long. It may be a while before a vote is set for this bill however, seeing as most of Congress are looking for ways to get the government reopened. Seeing as it has been shutdown for nearly a month now, and theres no end in sight. Thats a much bigger deal for Congress to get taken care of, then attempting to block exports of two of Chinas biggest telecommunications companies.The Google Assistant is Googles own digital voice assistant, and for many people, its one of the best options out there for digital voice assistants. This is largely because Google has its own search engine backing the Assistant, so when you ask it a question, it is more likely to know what you are talking about. Google Assistant is also great for controlling your smart home.

However, since Google opened up the Assistant for use in third-party speakers almost two years ago, there are many Google Assistant-enabled speakers out there, and its hard to tell which one is the best for consumers to pick up. This is the Best Google Assistant speaker that is currently available (note: we only considered smart speakers that were on store shelves at time of publication, not those that will be coming soon.)

Best Google Assistant Speaker: Google Home Max

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When it comes to smart speakers, first-party speakers are usually the best route to go. This is primarily because they do have better microphone setups, so that your speaker can still hear you even when there is a lot of background noise. That is part of the reason for Google Home Max being the absolute best.

Another reason is the sound quality. The Google Home Max is a larger Google Home smart speaker  as indicated by the name  but it also means that we are getting much better sound quality versus something like the JBL LINK 20 or Google Home.

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Speaking of audio, Googles Room EQ is like magic. This will essentially adjust the way the music sounds coming out of the Home Max, depending on where you put it in the room. So if you put it in a corner, itll sound different, versus placing it in the middle of the room. Media EQ will fine-tune the sound coming out, and make each song the Home Max plays, sound even better than it did before. Google does allow you to pair the Google Home Max with another, for a really awesome sounding stereo setup  that is also wireless.

This is a Google Home speaker, so the Google Assistant is included. Allowing you to play music from Google Play Music, Spotify, and much more. It can also be used to control your smart home.

The Google Home Max is not cheap, coming in at $399, but it is worth the price. As an added bonus, Google does give you a 14-day trial of YouTube Music Premium  which can then be extended to 30 days. Giving you a way to check out Googles latest music streaming service. You can pick it up from Best Buy.

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Best Portable Google Assistant Speaker: JBL LINK 20

This is actually one of only two portable Google Assistant-enabled speakers, and both are from JBL. Theres the LINK 10 and 20, with the LINK 20 being a bit better due to its larger size.

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The JBL LINK 20 is a portable speaker with the Google Assistant built-in. It does have far-field microphones built-in, allowing the LINK 20 to actually be able to hear you while you are talking to it. Whether or not there is background noise making it more difficult for it to hear you. Which is a good thing here, especially since some third-party speakers can have trouble hearing you.

Since this is a portable smart speaker, it does not always-listen for the OK Google command. Instead you will need to either keep it plugged in and on for it to be always-listening, or you will need to press the Google Assistant button on the top. JBL did include four LED lights on the front to indicate that the Google Assistant is active, which is a big help. But the experience will be a bit different compared to a non-portable Google Assistant-enabled speaker.

As expected, the JBL LINK 20 also has some really good sound quality. It has JBLs iconic sound signature, which will provide for some really impressive bass, as well as some crisp mids and highs. This is a 360-degree speaker, which will allow you to fill the entire room with sound, and no matter where you are sitting, it will give you the same sound experience.

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The JBL LINK 20 is not the cheapest smart speaker you can buy right now, coming in at $199.95. But like the Google Home Max, it is worth its price. You can purchase it from directly from JBLs website.

Best Budget Google Assistant Speaker: Google Home Mini

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The Google Home Mini is both the smallest and the cheapest Google Assistant smart speaker you can buy, and its actually worth buying. This is a smaller speaker, shaped similar to a hockey puck, but it will allow you to put the Google Assistant in more rooms in your home, so you can use the Assistant for everything.

Google Home Mini does not have the best audio experience, coming from such a small speaker, that should be no surprise. The good thing, however, is the fact that you are able to connect this to another speaker, say a more expensive speaker that outputs much better sound quality. Allowing you to smarten that speaker at the same time. Unfortunately, this has to be done over Bluetooth, so there can be a bit of lag, compared to Amazon Alexa which can do it with a 3.5mm cable.

With the Google Assistant built into the Home Mini, you are going to be able to set alarms, ask Google questions, use it to control your smart home and so much more. The possibilities with the Google Assistant are essentially endless right now. It is a great option to put in your bedroom or bathroom, as it is small and still allows you to play music and such. Speaking of which, Google does provide Home Mini buyers with a 14-day free trial of YouTube Music Premium, and that can be extended to 30 days as well. Similar to the Google Home Max offering.

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The Google Home Mini is typically priced at $49.99, however it is currently still at its Black Friday price of $29.99 at Best Buy and many other retailers.Organized religion has not been kind to the LGBT communities. Traditional Judaism, Christianity and Islam treated sexual and gender diversity as abominations worthy of death or worse.

This did not prevent LGBT people from expressing their spirituality, either within the faith that they were raised in or in other spiritual directions. Queer communities of faith are found all over the world, even in countries that do not welcome us. Some of us worship in mainstream temples, churches and mosques while others have joined or formed spiritual groups with a specifically-LGBT outreach.

The largest LGBT-friendly religious organization in the world is also one of the oldest. The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches was founded by Rev. Troy D. Perry in Los Angeles on October 6, 1968.

According to the web site (MCCChurch.org) the MCC has been at the vanguard of civil and human rights movements and was the first to perform same-gender marriages.

According to historian Fred Fejes, the MCC congregation was often the first visible gay organization formed in a number of cities. It had a rapid growth and by 1977 there were over eighty active congregations across America, making it the largest national gay organization at the time and for decades after.

The Sunshine Cathedral, Fort Lauderdales MCC affiliate (SunshineCathedral.org), is large enough to be considered a megachurch, even by mainstream standards. Founded in 1971 as the Church of the Holy Spirit MCC, the Sunshine Cathedral grew under the leadership of four energetic pastors: Rev. Ted Calloway, Rev. Elder John Gill, Rt. Rev. Grant Lynn Ford and Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins.

Today the Sunshine Cathedral has gone beyond its original outreach, ministering to heterosexuals and non-Christians and serving the community as a whole as a venue for the performing arts.

Though the Sunshine Cathedral MCC is one of our communitys triumphs, its southern sister, Miamis Christ MCC, was not as successful. Christ MCC was founded in 1970, making it one of the first churches outside California.

According to Fejes, by the end of the year it had over two hundred members and served as the hub of a growing, visible community. Under the leadership of Rev. Keith Davis and Rev, Joseph H. Gilbert, Christ MCC supported the then-unsuccessful attempt (1977) to bring sexual minority rights to Miami-Dade County.

Rev. Gilbert, a veteran of the MCC and the gay rights movement, was one of two MCC ministers who honored me by being my friend - the other one being Rev, Grant Lynn Ford. (See Rev. Gilberts biography in LGBTReligiousArchives.org.) Soon after the Miami-Dade debacle Gilbert left Christ MCC over a dispute with the board and briefly ran his own church, Emmaus MCC, on Miami Beach. As for Christ MCC, it managed to exist for two decades until it finally dissolved.

Though Christ MCC is gone, its Jewish stepchild, Congregation Etz Chaim, continues to flourish today. According to historian James T. Sears, the synagogue began its career in 1974 when, through the support and encouragement of Keith Davis, Bob Basker along with B. Jay Freier and his roommate, Phil Wallach, helped form the Etz Chaim - the Tree of Life - congregation.

For many years CEC also went by the name of Metropolitan Community Synagogue in honor of the group that helped give it birth. Like the Sunshine Cathedral, Congregation Etz Chaims outreach goes beyond LGBT Jews, serving spouses, parents, families and friends as well as anyone who feels at home in this community of faith.IRS workers: 'We want to go back to work'Aftershocks  most are within a 60-mile radius of Anchorage  still more in rural Alaska



Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-561-7737Brazil, led by President Jair Bolsonaro, not only refused to recognize the regime, but openly recognized the constitutionally mandated succession of the Venezuelan National Assembly's leader, Juan Guaido. That's who's president to his country. Other nations, such as Paraguay, cut ties to the regime and pulled their envoys. The United States and Canada have come close to recognizing Guaido as Venezuela's president, too, with secretary of state Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton (and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ) openly calling the regime "illegitimate." All eyes are now on whether President Trump will make recognition of Guaido official, which I think he will.

In the wake of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro swearing himself into office after a fraudulent election, the global consensus is that the regime ruling in Caracas is illegitimate. It's so bad that the news accounts call the Maduro regime " isolated ."

At his Jan. 10 inaugural, Maduro was indeed isolated, with just the pitiful support of socialist hellholes Nicaragua, Cuba, and Bolivia. Nobody else could stomach it.

Well, with one sorry exception: the Vatican.

According to an Agencia EFE report published in the Argentine newspaper Clarin, they actually showed the flag for Maduro, giving him that patina of legitimacy as everyone else decent stayed away and now are getting flak for it.

Here's the link to the account, which is Spanish-only, and here's a Google Translate passage with some tweaks and clarifications from me. I haven't seen this published anywhere else:

After the [local bishops from the] church of Venezuela lambasted Nicolas Maduro by calling him "illegitimate and immoral" on the eve of his inauguration, the Vatican sent a representative to the Venezuelan president's [swearing in] on Thursday, in a clear sign of support for the Chavista leader, leaving more than one of them surprised. This Monday, the Holy See came out to give explanations. And it justified the presence of the [Vatican] envoy [by] saying that the institution "aims to promote the common good, protect peace and ensure respect for human dignity." The new (interim) spokesman of the Vatican, Alessandro Gisotti, explained in a note that "the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with the Venezuelan State, its diplomatic activity is aimed at promoting the common good, protecting peace and guaranteeing respect for human dignity." Therefore, the statement adds, "the Holy See has decided to be represented at the inauguration ceremony of the Presidency, by the head of business ad interim of the Apostolic Nunciature of Caracas (George Koovakod)."

This, at this point, is pure Mr. Magoo, and some miserable spin control.

That culpable blindness has pretty well been how the Vatican has done business with Venezuela since Pope Francis took the reins in 2013. Under his leadership, the Vatican tried and failed to negotiate a "peace settlement" with the Maduro regime about three years ago. It was junk diplomacy, then, because it came after Venezuela's opposition had tried to do the same thing in good faith for at least ten years. By then, the protests had grown massive and uncontrollable. Coming in after all that and pretending to be the peacemaker as if nothing had ever happened led to exactly the failure Venezuela's democrats said would happen. This was a totalitarian regime, and it was determined to hold power no matter what.

It was around this time that people were starting to murmur about getting a Pinochet of their own, given the regime's implacability, which the Vatican seemed to think it could march into and turn around. Of course, it failed.

Now the revolution has reached a different stage, and there seems to be a pincer move from both the U.S. and Brazil to oust Maduro by recognizing a new president. It's a delicate, dangerous operation, as the recent arbitrary arrest of Guaido by Cuban agents a couple days ago demonstrated. This, after all, is a revolution, and it's been on "simmer" for about 20 years, but recent events suggest it's begun to move to "boil."

Yet there the Vatican was, standing up and showing the flag for the Chavista status quo, which seems to be a hallmark of Pope Francis's papacy, in defiance of the warnings of the country's own bishops, who have joined the country's democrats.

Look at it this way: can you imagine Pope John Paul II sending in his diplomats to legitimize the military dictatorship of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski while it was in its showdown with Solidarity? Pope John Paul was with the democrats all along, and as they won freedom with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Velvet Revolution, the Vatican in the end played a pivotal role for freedom. Poland, as a matter of fact, is one of the few countries in Europe where Catholicism is still significantly practiced.

No such luck in Venezuela. The battle lines have been drawn, and the first Latin pope and his Vatican bureaucrats have picked the bad guy, the ruling dictatorship, over the suffering people, all in the phony name of preserving peace, something whose potential came and went years ago.

Coming right on the heels of a recent scandal of a Vatican news site "congratulating" the Cuban Castro regime for 60 years of oppression, including oppression of the Catholic Church, one wonders what its real alliances are.

Venezuela is a hellhole regime at war with its own people, and it's eventually going to fall.

It's amazing that the Vatican is choosing to try to prop it up instead of supporting the people  and in defiance of the international community. Siding with Venezuela's democrats ought to be a slam-dunk for them, particularly with the diplomatic cover. All an outsider can ask in the wake of the Holy See's decision is, what do they stand for? At a historic critical juncture, they made their choice, and they chose poorly.

Image credit: Hugoshi via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.Who guards the Google guardians?

Recently, realizing that my 7" and 10" tablets were over five years old and that the Android O.S. was no longer updating, I decide to replace them both. They still work, and I am hoping to donate them, but I won't be using them anymore. Even if I have to recycle them instead, I am done. I decided to buy a Kindle Fire (7th gen  2017) and a Lenovo Chromebook. I realize that the Fire is already two years old, but I'll use it only to access media via my Amazon Prime account. And at $49, it's darned near disposable even on my fixed income. The Chromebook was something I hesitated over, because I don't trust Google. "Don't be evil" and "Do the right thing" are the kind of mottos manipulative schemers say to make themselves look good. I expect them to snoop and "customize" my experience just as they do search results. I installed DuckDuckGo to use in place of Chrome.

Thinking about Google's manipulativeness, and how various social media deplatform people for "hate speech," I started to wonder how long before the Chrome browser acquires data to label my speech hateful. Will the Chromebook cease working? Why not? If people have no right to be on a given social media platform, what's to stop Google from deciding that all their products should be off-limits to "hateful" people? I expect that the hardware will keep working, but maybe the wireless connection will become undependable until it's too much trouble to use the device. Maybe Google will afflict me with so many pop-ups that I drop-kick the device in frustration. There are ways to make a device unappealing without making it entirely nonfunctional. I've worked with computers all my life, it seems, but I would never be able to prove that malicious mischief had been applied to my Chromebook. I get internet access via a modem and router from Mediacom. I'm sure they would deny that anything is wrong with their service. I could take the Chromebook to a cafe with wireless and find that my results are the same, but I expect that Google would also say its O.S. etc. are working properly. They wouldn't consider that a lie, I'm sure, since the built in malice is by design, and so it is proper. Really, what's to stop them? Would Lenovo get involved in defense of its hardware? I kept my old Toshiba laptop. I have a USB drive with Linux on it and can install it on my old hardware, at least until it stops working. It's two years older than the tablets. I have a smartphone that I could create documents on if I have to, and the not too old Fire can also support that. So while I have options to get around being silenced and totally de-accessed, and I'm obscure enough that no one will be looking to abuse me, Google has a wide net it can cast if it chooses to.The number of countries represented in this parliament was 28, but with Great Britain leaving, it will now be 27.

Elections will be held May 23 to May 26 among the 27 countries of the European Union to select 705 members to the European Parliament. These elections happen every five years , and 2019 is one of those years.

In the past, these elections were humdrum affairs. After all, whom could you vote for, Tweedledee or Tweedledum? But not this time. A lot has happened in Europe to change the political environment, and this election could have a profound effect on the European Union itself. As the German newspaper Der Spiegel says:

Right-wing populists have become a feature in the political landscape of almost every European member state, while in Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Denmark, and Finland, they are either part of the government or support the government. They are no longer merely a fringe phenomenon or a passing anomaly. Rather, they are a movement that could continue to grow  and they are doing all they can to position themselves as such.

It's not accurate to call these parties right-wing. Some are; some aren't. They're a diverse group. What they are, however, is Euroskeptics who are united in their anger toward the cosmopolitan elite, the liberal opinion leaders in the media, and overbearing bureaucrats in Brussels. Not surprisingly, the two greatest villains in their eyes are German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Euroskeptics loathe Macron for his call for deeper European integration, which they equate with further loss of their freedom. They chafe from directives pushed on them from Brussels like political correctness; smoking bans; homosexual "marriages"; costly environmental regulations; and, most of all, immigration from the Third World into their countries.

Euroskeptics hope to transform the upcoming European elections into a kind of plebiscite: what kind of Europe do people want? Should the E.U. be a political union with a corresponding dilution of national sovereignty, or should it merely be a free trade bloc where each individual country can chart its own course?

According to Der Spiegel, polls show the Euroskeptics capturing 20 percent of the vote in the May elections. Although this would not be a majority, it could be enough to throw a monkey wrench into the workings of Brussels. When Nigel Farage was a member of the European Parliament, he would harangue his fellow members on the dangers inherent in the E.U. His rants went nowhere, as he was a lone voice crying out. But imagine how effectively such a message would resonate when one fifth of the Parliament is in agreement.

A good performance by the Euroskeptics would be a nightmare scenario for the E.U. It could stop further integration in Europe and actually turn back the clock. Marine Le Pen of France says, "Wild globalization is coming to an end." These are important elections. Keep your eye on them.Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter on January 16, 2019 to President Trump asking him to reschedule his upcoming State of the Union because of security concerns:

Speaker Pelosi's political gambit to link the security of the State of the Union to the government shutdown was immediately spiked by a "can do" tweet sent out by DHS secretary Nielson:

The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union. We thank the Service for their mission focus and dedication and for all they do each day to secure our homeland.

The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union. We thank the Service for their mission focus and dedication and for all they do each day to secure our homeland.  Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) January 16, 2019

Additionally, yesterday, there was pure public buffoonery between Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.), third in line of succession to the presidency, and her Democrat majority leader, Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). After Speaker Pelosi sent the President her letter, Representative Hoyer publicly stated that the State of the Union "is off."

But wait! Congressman Hoyer then admitted that he did not read the letter. He used the saying "Ready...fire...aim" in making his comment.

A representative for Hoyer told INSIDER he had "not read Speaker Pelosi's letter and mischaracterized it" when he told CNN that the State of the Union address "is off."

If the two most powerful leaders in the House of Representative cannot even coordinate a one-page letter, it is no wonder that in discussing "security concerns," both Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer overlooked that they also have a huge leadership role in Capitol Hill security.

To insinuate that security concerns should stop the State of the Union without even consideration of the successful security role of the Capitol Police is a significant oversight. The Capitol Police day-in-and-day-out guard and protect all who are in the Capitol.

DHS, and specifically the Secret Service, have the lead in protecting their principals, but their great and often unheralded (but always successful) addition to a safe and secure event on Capitol Hill is a direct tribute to the courage and professionalism of the Capitol Police. Speaker Pelosi should have known that when she tried to play politics with the shutdown

On July 24, 1998, Capitol Police officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson were killed by a paranoid schizophrenic, Russell Wilson. Wilson survived his being shot by Detective Gibson and is still in a mental institution, having never been brought to trial. For those of us working in the Capitol that day, the debt of gratitude to the fallen officers is incalculable. I was working that day in the Capitol.

As shots rang out, we all were told to barricade oneself in our offices. My Rules Committee office was one floor below the running gun battle. In essence, a "shelter in place" security protocol was enacted because in the "fog" of the moment it wasn't known if it was more than one gunman until the all-clear was passed along.

Days later, we all paid our utmost respect to Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson as their coffins were placed in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. July 24, 1998 was truly a day of unselfish heroism and also great tragedy for the Capitol Police.

Sadly, a few years later, 9/11 changed the course of American history, as our symbols of financial power in New York City and the U.S. Government were targeted by terrorists. The response from the Legislative Branch was to build additional security barriers and create a new, impressive Capitol Visitors Center. Concurrently, the Capitol Police assisted by the District Police pushed out from the Capitol a security zone covering many square blocks of historic homes on Capitol Hill.

So, Madame Speaker, please stop overlooking the Executive-Legislative security partnership supported by your own Police Force when playing politics. It is just petty and wrong.LA PLATA, Md.

(January 17, 2019)Superintendent Kimberly Hill released her proposed fiscal year 2020 budget on Jan. 8. The Superintendent's $391.6 million request prioritizes employee compensation, and also adds funds for the opening of Billingsley Elementary School, mental health supports, an alternative elementary program and school safety enhancements.Hill's budget proposal includes a $21.9 million increase, or 5.9 percent more than fiscal year 2019. State funds are projected to increase about $5 million due in part to continued enrollment increases. The request includes a local contribution increase of $17.9 million. The official 2018-19 student enrollment is 27,108, an increase of 217 students. Last school year, CCPS grew by 501 students."This budget proposal will help ensure that Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students are provided with the educational opportunities they need to succeed. It invests in our teachers and staff as well as the educational and support services programs we need to fulfill our mission and meet our goals," Hill said.There is a $9.5 million reserve for salary and benefit negotiations for the school system's 3,500 staff members. Nearly 81 percent of the school system's fiscal year 2019 budget of $369.6 million went to employee compensation60 percent for salaries and wages and 21 percent for benefits. CCPS negotiates with two employee groups: the Education Association of Charles County (EACC), which represents teachers and other certificated staff; and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents non-certificated or support staff.For every dollar, CCPS spends 67 cents on classroom instruction; 12 cents on maintenance and operation of school facilities; 9 cents on school administration; 8 cents on transportation; 3 cents on central administration and 1 cent on student and community services. The cost per pupil this school year is $13,923.CCPS is opening its 22nd elementary school in September 2019. Hill's proposed budget includes nearly $5 million in operating costs for Billingsley Elementary School. The amount funds a projected enrollment of 677 students and funds a net of about 67 teachers, which assumes transfers of 16 teachers from other schools and an average class size of 25 students.Transportation increases of $2.7 million will replace 36 buses and add six bus routes to accommodate new routes and student needs. The proposal also funds contract changes with the school system's 26 independent bus contractors.Safety enhancements include $378,600 to fund the new safety and security office, including costs for an internal investigator, enhanced background checks and other expenses of the school safety and security office. During the past year, the school system began requiring background checks for volunteers and more checks for substitutes and temporary workers.Funding for mental health supports and a new elementary program address the discipline and mental health needs of some of the school system's youngest students. CCPS is working on the rollout of an alternative elementary program called Fresh Start Academy for students needing to grow socially and emotionally, and who are now causing significant disruption to a school. Students in kindergarten through Grade 2 will receive an instructional program supported with therapeutic and behavior supports. The budget includes $452,200 to provide staffing, including a behavioral specialist, three teachers and support staff.School meal prices will rise for the first time in three years. The budget proposes a five-cent increase in meal prices. Breakfast prices will increase to $1.30 for elementary students and $1.45 for secondary schools. Lunch prices will rise to $2.70 for elementary and $2.95 for secondary.The proposed budget is for fiscal year 2020, which starts July 1, 2019, and ends June 30, 2020. The Board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed budget at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 28, in the boardroom at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The Superintendent's proposed budget and presentation are posted on the school system's website at www.ccboe.com/index.php/budget Key dates in FY 2020 budget process Board of Education Public Hearing6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 28, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building Board work session6 p.m., Jan. 28, Starkey Building Board final approvalTuesday, Feb. 12, Starkey Building Board submits budget to countyFeb. 28 Collective bargainingmid-March Charles County Commissioners' public hearingApril 9, County Government Building, La Plata (time to be announced) Board adopts final budgetJune 11, Starkey BuildingBut New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo just can't seem to figure out why Democrats don't embrace the concept of open borders. After all, what could go wrong?

If you ask most Democrats, they will tell you that they are not in favor of "open borders" - even if some of their proposals would achieve that goal. If they were to go to the voters advocating open borders, they would be slaughtered at the polls.

Imagine not just opposing President Trumps wall but also opposing the nations cruel and expensive immigration and border-security apparatus in its entirety. Imagine radically shifting our stance toward outsiders from one of suspicion to one of warm embrace. Imagine that if you passed a minimal background check, youd be free to live, work, pay taxes and die in the United States. Imagine moving from Nigeria to Nebraska as freely as one might move from Massachusetts to Maine.

Fine - just as long as the people of Nebraska (and the rest of us) are willing to pay the tab for government services the Nigerian would need to survive.

When you see the immigration system up close, youre confronted with its bottomless unfairness. The system assumes that people born outside our borders are less deserving of basic rights than those inside. My native-born American friends did not seem to me to warrant any more dignity than my South African ones; according to this nations founding documents, we were all created equal. Yet by mere accident of geography, some were given freedom, and others were denied it.

This is truly idiotic. Who among those of us who oppose illegal immigration are saying that people elsewhere are "less deserving of basic rights"? That's nuts. The fact that Mr. Manjoo is ignoring is that those "basic rights" cost. This "accident of geography" was created by millions of people who sacrificed everything and many gave their lives. Not in an effort to protect the physical borders of the US, but to protect the spiritual essence of America - our freedoms. It's not a question of basic rights or "dignity."

Is it "unfair" that many billions of people live in countries that do not embrace freedom? Of course it is. But opening the borders to those billions of people who would sell their souls to come to America is shockingly stupid with no realistic basis at all.

When you start to think about it, a system of closed borders begins to feel very much like a system of feudal privilege, said Reece Jones, a professor of geography at the University of Hawaii who argues that Democrats should take up the mantle of open borders. Its the same idea that theres some sort of hereditary rights to privilege based on where you were born.

Well, yeah. And your point? What these people are advocating is not "open borders." It's one world government - the destruction of the nation state. There are, indeed, privileges to be born in the US, France, Germany and any other industrialized, free nation. If there were privileges to be born in Nigeria, Nebraskans would be crowding the Nigerian embassy in Washington begging to be allowed in.

Maybe we should ask the Nigerians if they want open borders too.

The argument by Mr. Manjooo debunks itself. Poor, starving ,uneducated, illiterate people by the millions coming to the US would destroy our society. How can anyone be so stupid as to think otherwise?CIS says SPLC is running an illegal effort to silence those it doesn't agree with by saying they are "racist" and "anti immigrant," thus costing them financial support.

One of the most respected conservative immigration think-tanks, the Center for Immigration Studies, is suing the Southern Poverty Law Center in an effort to stop the organization from labeling it a "hate group."

Washington Times:

The center brought its challenge to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by filing a civil complaint under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act against SPLC President Richard Cohen and Heidi Beirich, who runs the group's Hatewatch blog. Mark Krikorian, the Center for Immigration Studies executive director, says his organization doesn't meet the SPLC's definition of a hate group and the Alabama-based watchdog knows it but persists anyway  which he said was evidence of the racket. "SPLC and its leaders have every right to oppose our work on immigration, but they do not have the right to label us a hate group and suggest we are racists," he said. "The Center for Immigration Studies is fighting back against the SPLC smear campaign and its attempt to stifle debate through intimidation and name-calling."

This is exactly the way to go after this sort of libel. SPLC's calculated efforts to destroy organizations and individuals it disagrees with must be challenged in court and the extremist, partisan group be forced to pay for its efforts.

The Center for Immigration Studies is not the only group to protest the SPLC's profligate use of the hate tag, but it appears to be the first to mount a challenge under RICO, a law that is usually associated with the FBI's anti-mob efforts. The center says the SPLC defines hate groups as organizations whose official statements or activities "attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics." Mr. Krikorian said that doesn't define his group, whose motto is "pro immigrant, low immigration." In practice, he said, that means the center makes the case for "fewer immigrants but a warmer welcome for those admitted." The center says it doesn't think its work amounts to attacks on people but rather attempts to raise policy questions. Beyond that, Mr. Krikorian said, the Supreme Court has held that being an immigrant is not an immutable characteristic, so maligning migrants wouldn't qualify as hate anyway.

The SPLC has already been forced to pay $3.3 million in damages and apologize for calling Muslim leader Maajid Nawaz an "anti-Muslim extremist." Nawaz is a fierce critic of political Islam and terrorism and hardly "anti-Muslim."

As for CIS, SPLC says the center promotes "anti-immigrant" hate by supporting universal E-Verify.

Among other evidence, the SPLC lists in its 8,000-word write-up the center's support for mandatory E-Verify, the federal government's voluntary program to let businesses check the legal status of potential hires. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, spoke glowingly of E-Verify this month, but the SPLC cast the program in a more nefarious light, saying it was a linchpin of the "anti-immigrant movement."

Most intriguing about the use of the RICO statute: The SPLC using the term "hate group" online constitutes wire fraud and conspiracy. Those concepts will almost certainly be tested in court, but if successful, the strategy opens a whole new line of attack against SPLC.

In recent months, SPLC has lost some of its credibility with independent groups, but the media still see them as the primary arbiters of which groups are "racist" and which aren't.

A few more wins in court, and even the press may be forced to change.CIS says that SPLC is running an illegal effort to silence those they don't agree with by saying they are "racist" and "anti immigrant," thus costing them financial support.

One of the most respected conservative immigration think tanks, the Center for Immigration Studies, is suing the Southern Poverty Law Center in an effort to stop the organization from labeling them a "hate group."

Washington Times:

The center brought its challenge to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by filing a civil complaint under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act against SPLC President Richard Cohen and Heidi Beirich, who runs the groups Hatewatch blog. Mark Krikorian, the Center for Immigration Studies executive director, says his organization doesnt meet the SPLCs definition of a hate group and the Alabama-based watchdog knows it but persists anyway  which he said was evidence of the racket. SPLC and its leaders have every right to oppose our work on immigration, but they do not have the right to label us a hate group and suggest we are racists, he said. The Center for Immigration Studies is fighting back against the SPLC smear campaign and its attempt to stifle debate through intimidation and name-calling.

This is exactly the way to go after this sort of libel. SPLC's calculated efforts to destroy organizations and individuals they disagree with must be challenged in court and the extremist, partisan group be forced to pay for their efforts.

The Center for Immigration Studies is not the only group to protest the SPLCs profligate use of the hate tag, but it appears to be the first to mount a challenge under RICO, a law that is usually associated with the FBIs anti-mob efforts. The center says the SPLC defines hate groups as organizations whose official statements or activities attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics. Mr. Krikorian said that doesnt define his group, whose motto is pro immigrant, low immigration. In practice, he said, that means the center makes the case for fewer immigrants but a warmer welcome for those admitted. The center says it doesnt think its work amounts to attacks on people but rather attempts to raise policy questions. Beyond that, Mr. Krikorian said, the Supreme Court has held that being an immigrant is not an immutable characteristic, so maligning migrants wouldnt qualify as hate anyway. The centers work is widely cited in the press, including in The Washington Times. It issues awards for press coverage of immigration, including, in the past, to The Times. Its analysts are regularly called to testify before Congress and have been invited to meet with top security officials in the Obama and Trump administrations. The centers work also is used by independent fact-checkers such as PolitiFact.com, which in 2017 fact-checked the SPLCs hate designation. PolitiFact concluded that most of the evidence was guilt by association.

The SPLC has already been forced to pay $3.3 million in damages and apologize for calling Muslim leader Maajid Nawaz an anti-Muslim extremist. Nawaz is a fierce critic of political Islam and terrorism and hardly "anti-Muslim."

As for CIS, SPLC says that the center promotes "anti-immigrant" hate by supporting universal E-Verify.

Among other evidence, the SPLC lists in its 8,000-word write-up the centers support for mandatory E-Verify, the federal governments voluntary program to let businesses check the legal status of potential hires. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, spoke glowingly of E-Verify this month, but the SPLCcast the program in a more nefarious light, saying it was a linchpin of the anti-immigrant movement.

Most intruiging about the use of the RICO statute, because the SPLC uses the term "hate group" online, it constitutes wire fraud and conspiracy. Those concepts will almost certainly be tested in court, but if successful, it opens a whole new line of attack against SPLC.

In recent months, SPLC has lost some of its credibility with independent groups, but the media still sees them as the primary arbiters of which groups are "racist" and which aren't.

A few more wins in court and even the press may be forced to change.Why Mueller Won't Produce an Impeachment Report

This past week offered some signs that Robert Mueller is finally winding down his cover-up operation with no findings of high crimes or misdemeanors against the president. Considering the damage the political hacks in Obama's law enforcement and intelligence agencies have inflicted on the nation, let's consider the reasons we can hope so and where this sorry saga goes from here. Last Wednesday, Rod Rosenstein announced that as soon as newly appointed attorney general William Barr takes over the reins at DOJ, he will exit stage left. Knowing what we do about Rosenstein's defense of the Spygate conspirators, his willingness to wear a wire to record Trump, and his refusal to cooperate with investigating congressional committees, we can surmise that he's not anxious to explain his actions to the un-recused incoming A.G.

On Friday, the New York Times published a Deep State-sourced article that was headlined as a bombshell implication that Trump was a Russian agent but was really just a thinly veiled apologia for Comey & Company's illicit political surveillance. The report was widely scorned by conservative media as justifying the FBI's attempted coup because Trump was insufficiently committed to a new Cold War with Russia. Then came Jonathan Karl's Sunday revelation on This Week with (Clinton flack) George Stephanopoulos in which Karl quoted sources "interacting with the special counsel" who caution that Mueller's report will be "anti-climatic." This can be interpreted as a leak that Mueller will stop short of attempting to frame Trump for collusion or obstruction. It shouldn't be surprising that Mueller won't "produce" a report that the Democrats and NeverTrumps can use to impeach Trump. Determining whether Trump colluded or obstructed, which was always absurd on its face, was never the purpose of this special counsel. Mueller was brought in by Rosenstein to put the new administration on the defensive and prevent Trump from uncovering the depth and the breadth of the wrongdoing by the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton. In that effort, he has largely succeeded. No one is investigating whether the DNC was in fact hacked or if its emails were leaked internally. The hundreds of millions collected by Clinton foundations from foreign interests while Hillary was secretary of state, and presumed 45th president, is just water under the bridge. Whether Joseph Mifsud, Henry Greenberg, Felix Sader, and others were working for CIA head John Brennan and interacted with the Trump campaign peddling Russia-related pretexts may never be known. These and a hundred other Spygate questions appear destined to go unanswered. The last thing Mueller would want now is further scrutiny of this whole sordid affair that impeachment proceedings could bring. Those proceedings might actually steel the spines of establishment Republicans to defend their party's president and maybe even go on the offense. As a side benefit to Mueller and his band of Democrat prosecutors, they have given the president's opponents plenty of conspiracy fodder to fling against him during his 2020 re-election bid. And with guilty pleas from associates to process crimes (pleas made to avoid financial ruin) and the indictments of shadowy Russians who will never be tried, Mueller has given the opposition media plenty of grist to continue accusing Trump of being an agent of the Kremlin. The lasting harm Obama, Clinton, and the Deep State have done to our political discourse and this president's ability to deliver on his America First agenda is incalculable. Voters sent Trump to Washington to secure our borders, rebalance our disastrous trade agreements, keep us out of foreign wars, and improve relations with nuclear-armed Russia. While putting its own interests above the nation's, the swamp has done everything in its power to sabotage those efforts, and it appears that the swamp creatures may never be held to account. While authors such as Stephen F. Cohen, Gregg Jarrett, and Dan Bongino have published well researched books arguing that we're living through the greatest political scandal of modern times, the final word on how future generations remember this affair will be produced by Hollywood. One can imagine that those movies will take on the breathtakingly dishonest narratives of CNN and MSNBC. It will be critical for conservative film producers to set the record straight. In this case, both the facts and the fiction are strange, indeed. The author hosts Right Now with Jim Daws, a video podcast of news, politics, and culture from an American nationalist perspective. https://twitter.com/RightNowJimDawsThe real estate market has been booming for the last few years. While this is good news for some  particularly wealthy real estate investors and homeowners with stable income-earning opportunities  it's made it even more challenging for impoverished and low-income families to find housing. The real estate boom has essentially poured gasoline onto what was already a glaring problem. with the affordable housing crisis getting worse, millions are wondering if there are any viable solutions around the corner.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition publishes regular reports on the shortage of affordable housing and how it's impacting renters and prospective homeowners. In recent years, the data have been discouraging.

As one report reveals, "[t]he U.S. has a shortage of 7.2 million rental homes affordable and available to extremely low-income renters, whose income is at or below the poverty guideline or 30% of their area median income. Only 35 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households."

Research from other independent groups and coalitions reveals similar results. According to the Monroe Group:

There isn't a single county in the United States that can fill 100 percent of its low-income population's needs for safe and affordable housing.

More than 11 million Americans pay more than half of their salaries on rent. The number of renters in this category has ballooned by 30 percent over the past five years.

To afford a basic two-bedroom apartment in the U.S., renters need to earn an average of $20.30 per hour. Considering that minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour, a renter would need to work 112 hours per week to afford a modest two-bedroom rental.

Clearly, something is broken. Though promises have been made on both sides of the party line, little has been done to solve the issue. Whichever party is out of office likes to pin the blame on the party that's in office. The roles then reverse when a new party seizes control.

Recently, President Donald Trump has caught a lot of flak for his decision to cut funding to some of the affordable housing programs. While there's no doubt he's slashed some of the resources, most conservatives agree with the decision. President Trump isn't anti-affordable housing  he's merely against publicly funded affordable housing (at least to the degree that those on the left prefer).

Four Possible Solutions

Trying to publicly fund affordable housing solutions through taxpayer money hasn't worked over the past couple of decades. It's time for a fresh approach, and the current administration has an opportunity to encourage, facilitate, and even mandate new strategies. Having said that, let's explore some possible solutions:

Encourage Investments in Old Buildings

Everyone wants to talk about lowering rents on existing structures or building new affordable housing. But why are these the only options? Take a look around any city or metro area, and there are boarded up buildings, vacant apartments, or old government buildings that are no longer in use. Finding ways to use these spaces and up-fit them into affordable housing units is far more cost-effective.

Some municipalities around the country are already looking into this  including a few in the D.C. area.

"[One] report suggests more re-imagining of library spaces, fire stations and schools," The Washington Post notes. "In Alexandria, 64 units were created at an old fire station near Potomac Yard; Arlington is considering land near the East Falls Church Metro station."

These revitalization projects will have to make sense to proceed. A half-hearted approach could actually do more harm than good. But in some cities, successful projects like these may alleviate a lot of the pressure.

Normalize Tiny Living Solutions

There seems to be an expectation that everyone deserves a spacious place to live. But in cities that are becoming overcrowded, there simply isn't enough space to provide large apartments and homes for everyone. Normalizing tiny living solutions could go a long way toward maximizing space and creating cost-effective housing.

When presented with the option, most renters would prefer a well designed tiny house with premium features to a cheaply built home with some extra square footage. Local housing boards can encourage tiny living development by funding builders and relaxing zoning restrictions.

Create Tax Incentives for Employers

Employers can often help employees out with housing. Mandating assistance will never work, but incentives could.

State governments would do well to consider incentive programs where employers are rewarded with tax benefits and credits for covering a portion of their employees' rents or mortgages. This would alleviate some of the financial burden from corporations, while giving employees a chance to live in affordable housing that's within a reasonable proximity to their place of work.

Use Funds Responsibly

Public housing handouts do little to encourage individuals to escape their situation and move toward home ownership. In fact, many low-income individuals work hard to stay within a certain income bracket so they can continue to receive free housing. In this sense, these programs discourage people from moving up.

The solution could be to use public housing funds more strategically so that low-income families receive the help they need while simultaneously being prepared for financial independence down the road. Some cities, like Cleveland, have already begun to do this.

"A new six-unit housing development called the Glencove (the building once housed a tavern by the same name) offers artist housing with a slight twist," Patrick Sisson writes for Curbed. "Residents earn bonus equity every month they pay rent, up to $10,000 over the course of 10 years, which can then be used to pay for a down payment on a studio or home. It's a pilot artist-ownership model that pushes renters toward more permanent housing."

Similar programs could be successful in other cities. Incentives like these encourage renters to look beyond today and plan for the future (while getting some much needed assistance).

There's plenty of room for like-minded programs to be reviewed. For example, what would it look like if subsidized housing programs set aside funds each month in designated saving accounts that renters couldn't touch until they were ready to buy a house? A program like this may flop out of the gate, or it could thrive. The more pilot projects there are, the better.

Working Together to Find an Answer

We can all agree that affordable housing is a good thing. You won't meet many Americans who are against safe and modest living conditions for everyone. The problem is that both of the major parties in this country disagree on how. As is normally the case when issues like these arise, party leaders from both sides of the aisle will need to make some concessions, give up some ground, and push through their pride to work together on a solution that's practical for the American people.

In the divisive political arena we're currently operating in, this frankly doesn't look likely. But all it takes is setting egos aside, and progress can be made.Tucker Carlson and the Working Class

With Democrats newly empowered in Washington, the left is sorting out its priorities among pie-in-the-sky socialist dreams of universal health care and more practical policies such as restoring public funding for Planned Parenthood. From the other side, its civil war is a delight to watch, as young blood takes on old for control of the party's soul. The right is also undergoing its own internecine conflict, despite holding two and a half branches of government. The battle has been brewing for some time, gurgling just under the surface of the mainstream depiction of conservatism. The Lexington and Concord moment came from none other than the onetime Fox News host and bow tie aficionado Tucker Carlson, whose recent monologue exposed the divide.

Carlson's controversial monologue questioning the right's idolatry of markets, and his subsequent defenses of manhood and two-parent households, sparked numerous responses, both hand-wringing and agreeable, denunciatory and complimentary. The opponents of it were the ones who yelled loudest. Carlson's critics, besides having cartoonishly callow faith in the virtue of commerce, have the hardest time accepting his most controversial point: that the working class is not totally responsible for its fate. By denying provincial layabouts their total agency, Carlson, some conservatives argue, sounds more like the paternalistic left, with all its scolding know-it-all-ism. David French of National Review complains that "Carlson is advancing a form of victim-politics populism that takes a series of tectonic cultural changes...and turns the negative or challenging aspects of those changes into an angry tale of what they are doing to you." The changes he cites are the civil rights movement, women's rights, the sexual revolution, and the explosion of the tech economy  all large societal restructurings that came about through top-down goading by elites (the civil rights movement, which had a powerful grassroots element to it, is the exception). "Typically, conservatism has argued," Ben Shapiro explains, not without the condescending air of a teacher given an uninformed answer, "that if you live in a free society in which you have not been targeted unfairly, your failures are your own." Shapiro, whose knowledge of historical conservatism seems to run from Marco Rubio to Donald Trump, has forgotten about the litany of conservatives who aren't hyper-individualists, the first being conservatism's intellectual founding father, Edmund Burke. French, Shapiro, et al. do have a point: it's possible to explain away all individual failings by blaming abstract society. The left falls into this trap often, excusing inner-city looting and violence as direct results of collective white supremacy, like a bunch of malevolent waldos directing helpless marionettes to burn down their local CVS. Carlson's interlocutors are concerned that his blaming of callous elites will somehow pathologize bad behavior among those in the precarity. Being told they're not fully at fault for their choices, the lower classes will soon find license to engage in increasing amounts of depravity, casting off the blame to some shadowy them. This woe-is-me pitchfork nihilism, or "victim-politics populism," as French labels it, could encourage the people Carlson seeks to help to not just accept their lot, but embrace it. Maybe, maybe not. If elites are really to blame for their myopic and selfish governing, should we shy away from mentioning it just because a single dad in Akron, Ohio may use it to excuse his guzzling of another Bud Heavy? I think not. The truth is that our elites are to blame for inculcating the social substratum with an empty source of meaning that can't exist without quarterly GDP reports. "One of the biggest lies our leaders tell us that you can separate economics from everything else that matters," Carlson contends, a remark his detractors took to referring exclusively to lawmakers. "America as a whole isn't broken, and the parts that are cannot be fixed by politicians who care," rejoined Kyle Smith, also of National Review. But the problems Carlson describes are generated not solely by politicians. Yes, public policy is involved, but it's broader than that. What Carlson describes isn't about how much you can stuff into your shopping cart and charge on your MasterCard; it's whether or not you feel the need to return your cart to its corral as a courtesy to others. It's about family bonds, social cohesion, and fellow-feeling among Americans. These nebulous-but-very-real ideas are affected not just by lawmakers. They're formed and maintained by cultural leaders who, oftentimes, are more influential than statesmen. Kim Kardashian was successful in persuading the president to commute the sentence of Alice Johnson for a reason. She holds sway precisely because she's of the upper class. It is from this rarefied echelon where we draw our behavioral mores and sense of meaning. What Carlson wants is what non-revolutionary philosophers have wanted since Aristotle: a nobility that takes its duty to the greater public seriously. Instead of separating themselves from the lower and middle classes, which has been occurring economically and socially for some time, our leaders should be concerned about all of our prosperity, not just the performance of their mutual funds. As Richard Weaver wrote, "[w]here men feel that society means station, the highest and the lowest see their endeavors contributing to a common end, and they are in harmony rather than in competition." This is the harmony Carlson indirectly refers to in taking elites to task for their conscious ignoring of the ongoing moral dispossession happening outside their gated communities and 24-hour-surveilled apartment buildings. Culture matters. Moral exemplars matter. Noblesse oblige matters. They shouldn't be disregarded because of an ideological aversion to government action. Society is the balancing of fortunes upon a fulcrum that doesn't slip too far toward either forced collectivism or individual anomie. Carlson understands that. He's urging his fellow conservatives to stop looking at life through the false dichotomy of government versus no government, but, rather, adopt a more nuanced view of social forces. The right is long overdue for that debate. Image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.This is what happens when " live your truth " is the prevailing moral position. No one should be surprised that politicians who support the "right" to kill children in the womb, who championed the legal redefinition of marriage , and who now pretend we can no longer rely on science, or common sense, or even simply our eyes to tell us who is a male and who is a female, would display open animus against people whose faith tells them such positions are immoral, and who live according to the notion that there is such a thing as absolute truth.

Anyone who considers himself a friend of God must have at least great pause when it comes to modern Democrats. Seldom has a major American political party so distanced itself from the notion that, as President John Adams pointed out , "righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people."

If something is immoral, then perhaps it should be illegal. If there is such a thing as absolute truth, then perhaps our laws should reflect that truth. Democrats just can't take the chance that such thinking will prevail. Thus, unless Christians can manage to get themselves elected, our role in our government is increasingly imperiled.

This is especially true of Christians who wish to serve in the Judiciary. Because liberals have long seen the courts as a "super-Legislature" that they can use to enact their perverse agenda, Brett Kavanaugh will be far from the last Christian conservative judge who will draw the ire of Democrats who wish to derail such nominations.

Before Justice Kavanaugh, there were Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, and Amy Coney Barrett and her loud "dogma." Now we have "Sir" Brian C. Buescher of the Knights of Columbus. Democrat senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono recently implied that Judge Buescher's membership in the two million-strong, 136-year-old Catholic service organization makes him unfit for the federal courts.

What really troubled the Senate Democrats is the position of the Knights of Columbus on abortion and marriage. Never mind that such positions are perfectly in line with centuries-old teachings of the Catholic Church and that disqualification on such grounds would bar from public service every Catholic who actually adheres to the Church's teachings. As Matthew Continetti rightly notes:

My concern is the anti-Catholic sentiment manifest in the Democratic Party. Last March, Feinstein demanded to know if Michael Scudder, now confirmed to the Seventh Circuit, worked with his parish "to establish a residential crisis pregnancy center." Last May, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island asked Peter J. Phipps, now confirmed as a district court judge, about the Knights. Last October, Feinstein, Harris, and three other Democrats wanted to know about the relationship between Fourth Circuit nominee Allison Jones Rushing and the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian nonprofit that supports religious liberty. Last November, Feinstein asked Third Circuit nominee Paul Matey, "If confirmed, will you recuse yourself from all cases in which the Knights of Columbus have taken a position?

Right-minded Catholics should thank God that Trump was elected. As Rod Dreher reported, a "new Wikileaks dump from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta's emails reveals that Podesta created a couple of activist groups for the sake of undermining the Catholic bishops and the Church's authority." As Thomas Peters tweeted, "the head of Clinton's campaign has been organizing to fracture a major religion." Or, as Dreher rightly noted:

[A]t the senior level of the Democratic Party's brain trust, a Clinton political operative  a Catholic!  created front groups specifically to undermine the authority of the Catholic bishops, and to separate the bishops from the people, as well as to secretly undermine Catholic teaching to make it more friendly to the Democratic Party's agenda. Podesta ought to be excommunicated.

Continetti notes that Democrats have not limited their religious bigotry to Catholics:

Baptists and Episcopalians are also under scrutiny. In June 2017, Bernie Sanders clashed with Russell Vought, now acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, over a blog post Vought had written regarding Islam that several Muslim groups considered Islamophobic. "I'm a Christian, and I believe in a Christian set of principles based on my faith," Vought said. By the end of the exchange, Sanders said, "I would simply say, Mr. Chairman, that this nominee is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about."

Democrats also opposed Mike Pompeo's nomination as secretary of state because of how his Christian faith informs and impacts his politics. Pompeo  a Presbyterian  has served as a deacon, is open about his faith, and has also indicated that he actually believes what the Bible says about life, sex, and marriage. In November 2017, Sheldon Whitehouse critically questioned federal district court nominee Trevor McFadden  an Anglican  over his church's traditional teachings on marriage and the family.

Along with targeting Christians who believe what the Bible reveals on the significant moral issues of our time, modern Democrats have also targeted Jews and the nation of Israel.

As John Perazzo recently noted, the black left is littered with racists and anti-Semites. These Jew-haters are not mere race pimps and publicity prostitutes a la Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, but are also elected Democrats. As Warren Henry revealed last year, "Democrats are fielding even more anti-Semitic candidates for Congress." They're not just running, but winning.

As Henry points out, Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib  who profanely promised to impeach President Trump  "is representative of the Democratic Party's gradual march beyond the embrace of candidates and officials who criticize Israeli policy or its current government to a much uglier place in politics." Like a growing number of Democrats in Congress, Tlaib supports a "one-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with the "boycott, divestment, sanctions" (BDS) movement.

Henry also notes:

Marc Greendorfer recently revealed:

While BDS has risen in the United States, so has anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitic incidents have spiked from a low point of 751 incidents in 2013 to nearly 2,000 in 2017. It is no coincidence that the spread of a movement that demonizes Jews has had the same effect in the U.S. that similar campaigns had in the last 2,000 years.

The real agenda of BDS is the destruction of Israel. Robert P. George of Princeton warns that leading Democrats will soon altogether turn on Israel. The modern left hates Israel because the existence of a nation called Israel is among the greatest evidence that the God of the Bible is real. They hate God, so they hate Israel.

This is also why the left hates Christianity. Authentic Christianity points people to the truth. As a California church recently declared, "Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still a sin. The culture may change, the Bible does not."

The left's deceit seems to know no bounds, thus we are left debating what was once almost universally accepted. This is what results when a major political party is so often opposed to the truth.

Trevor Grant Thomas

At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.

www.trevorgrantthomas.com

Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America

tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.comThomas Patterson of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy has been analyzing that coverage since Trump declared his candidacy for the presidency in 2015. Patterson found that for much of that year, the number of stories about Trump in the country's most influential newspapers and on its principal newscasts significantly exceeded what his support in polls at the time justified.

Last weekend, the New York Times (America's leading Very Serious Newspaper) published an opinion piece from Frank Bruni in which he cautioned the media to learn from their mistakes in 2016:

And those stories were predominantly positive. "The volume and tone of the coverage helped propel Trump to the top of Republican polls," Patterson wrote in one of his reports about the election. In stark contrast, stories about Hillary Clinton in 2015 were mostly negative. Through the first half of 2016, as Trump racked up victories in the Republican primaries, he commanded much more coverage than any other candidate from either party, and it was evenly balanced between positive and negative appraisals  unlike the coverage of Clinton, which remained mostly negative. Only during their general-election face-off in the latter half of 2016 did Trump and Clinton confront equivalent tides of naysaying[.] ... Regarding their fitness for office, they were treated identically? In retrospect, that's madness.

It is high time for the media to learn some lessons from 2016. But which lesson does Bruni refer to? That the media need to return to their disinterested objectivity in election coverage? Far from it. A close read of the passage above shows that Bruni (and, by extension, the New York Times) thinks the problem was that the media were too objective in 2016. Bruni would have us believe that had news outlets taken an even more partisan approach to covering Trump, Hillary might have won. In short, that's hogwash. I'm not even sure if even Bruni believes it. Either he does, which means he is delusional, or he doesn't, in which case he is using the pages of the Times to advance revisionist history to conceal the real role that "news" organizations like the Times played in Trump's election.

It's time to set the record straight.

When Trump announced his candidacy, virtually no one on the right took it seriously. But the news media did  for strategic reasons, as I will show. Had the news media not given Trump wall-to-wall coverage in the early phases of the campaign, he likely would have been the Wesley Clark or the Herman Cain of the 2016 cycle  an early flavor-of-the-week candidate who quickly faded once the primaries began. Like most in-the-know kingmakers on the right, the left and the media (correctly, at first) believed that Trump was fundamentally unable to win the presidency. And so, the legacy media set to work ensuring that Trump was the Republican nominee. The goal was to guarantee that Hillary would face the weakest candidate possible. That is why, as Bruni noted, "the number of stories about Trump in the country's most influential newspapers and on its principal newscasts significantly exceeded what his support in polls at the time justified." That is why "those stories were predominantly positive." And that is why people on the right were so chagrined by the media's attempt to fix the nomination process  candidates like Rubio and Cruz, who were thought to be good matches for Hillary, couldn't get any traction in the press.

The tone of Trump's coverage changed on a dime once he had secured the nomination. Ever since they managed to turn a neophyte named Barack Obama into a presidential frontrunner after a single great speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, the elite media have recognized the power they have in influencing public opinion and, in turn, determining the outcome of public elections. Beyond that, ever since Obama's 2008 victory, those media outlets have led themselves to believe that it is their obligation to influence our elections. After all  as they show almost daily  they know what's best for us.

By the time of his nomination, the legacy media had built Trump a movement. They had no idea how difficult it would be to dismantle before November. But they tried. Mightily. Does anyone with a brain believe that mainstream news outlets just happened to discover the "pussy-grabbing" tapes three weeks before the election? If you are a rational person, you know that they were aware of those tapes well before the nomination. So why didn't we learn about them in February? Or March? Or April? The answer is obvious, even to hacks like Frank Bruni. The tapes weren't useful to the news media's agenda in April. But they were useful in October  just not useful enough.

Trump won, and in retrospect, it's a damn good thing he did  for a good many reasons, but particularly because it exposed the media's manipulation of the democratic process. The true history that I have outlined above is the real source of the media establishment's incendiary rage against Trump. It's not simply that he is a Republican president (though that would be enough). It's that they're furious that their schemes backfired. They're furious that they themselves (and no one else) deprived themselves of their divine right to choose the course of this nation.

All this explains why people like Frank Bruni are unable or unwilling to draw the proper conclusions regarding their role in 2016. The lesson should be the opposite of the one Bruni draws: the media must return to a disinterested objectivity. But learning that lesson would mean resisting their ability to unduly influence election campaigns. And that would require a recognition that the American people are at least as capable of making political decisions as our enlightened betters in the media. That can't happen. So the only response can be more bias, more vitriol, more selective "fact-checking," more self-righteousness, and more obfuscation.

It is important that people on the right read nonsense like Bruni's essay  it tells us what we are in for in 2020. Bruni is calling for those in the legacy media to work harder than ever at rigging the democratic process in this country. That's the kind of fight we're in for. Time to start preparing for it.

Adam Ellwanger is an associate professor of rhetoric at the University of Houston, Downtown. Contact him at ellwangera@uhd.edu.LA PLATA, Md. (January 17, 2019)Detectives with the Charles County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division and Forensic Science Unit have identified the suspect in a sexual assault that occurred in 1993 in Waldorf. Vincent Wayne Jones, 51, of Tennessee, was arrested by members of the Bartlett County Police Department and the CCSO in September 2018. He waived extradition and was transported to Charles County on September 29. Investigators are looking into the possibility Jones may have assaulted other people, but have not linked him to any cases in the region at this time. Investigators are asking anyone with additional information about Jones to contact them. The 1993 case allegedly occurred as follows:



On August 20, 1993, during the overnight hours, Jones broke into a woman's home in the 1100 block of Heritage Place in Waldorf, Md., where he sexually assaulted her at knife point for several hours. He did not know the victim, and the two had never met. He fled in the victim's car, which was recovered in North Carolina a few days later.



Forensic Specialists processed the house where the assault occurred, as well as the victim's vehicle, and evidence was recovered. A DNA profile was developed from evidence recovered from the victim's vehicle, but it was not linked with a known suspect at that time.



In 2016, a specialist with the CCSO's Forensic Science Unit re-examined the evidence in this case, and an identification was made linking Jones to a fingerprint that was recovered. Detectives pursued additional leads and subsequently obtained a search warrant for Jones' DNA, which was analyzed and linked to the DNA recovered from the crime scene.



After all investigative leads were exhausted, the case was presented to a Charles County Grand Jury who returned an indictment in September charging Jones with rape, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and other related charges.



Investigators pieced together information about Jones:



 He was born and raised in Maryland and moved frequently.



 At some point, he lived on Gittings Court in Waldorf, Md., and went to Thomas Stone High School, but it doesn't appear he graduated from there.



 He was 25-years-old when the rape occurred, but it's not clear where he was living at that time.



Investigators have determined Jones has lived in the following locations:



 Baltimore, MD



 Birmingham, AL



 Chattanooga, TN



 Las Vegas, NV



 Lahaina, HI



 Memphis, TN



 Dallas, TX



 Bartlett, TN



 Tupelo, MS



When Jones was arrested in 2018, he was working as a private contractor for a satellite TV company as an installer. Jones previously worked in construction and listed his occupation as a carpenter. He also worked for a custom cabinet maker.



Due to his arrest, Jones' DNA profile is continuously being searched at the National Level of CODIS. As detectives continue to investigate, they are asking anyone with more information about Jones, including where he's lived and worked, to call Det. B. Buchanan at (301) 609-6477.



Jones is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. A jury trial has been scheduled for March 18, 2019 in the Circuit Court for Charles County. He will be represented by a public defender, according to court records. He is currently being held without bond in the Charles Co. jail. The court case number is C-08-CR-18-000739.We have now entered hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency predicts a range of 13 to 20 named storms. Six to 10 of those could become hurricanes. Although an area of distributed weather in the Bay of Campeche could develop into a tropical depression by the middle of thNEW YORK (AP)  The Associated Press said Tuesday it will no longer run the names of people charged with minor crimes, out of concern that such stories can have a long, damaging afterlife on the internet that can make it hard for individuals to move on with their lives.Lake Charles  Last night at approximately 11:00 p.m. the Calcasieu Parish Sheriffs Office received a call in reference to a man in the roadway near the intersection of Opelousas Street and Ange Street in Lake Charles.Is Kenya containing the threat from al-Shabab?

Nairobi hotel attack, that killed 21 people, raised concerns about security situation in Kenya.North Koreas Secret Money

101 East reveals the shadowy financial operations funding North Koreas economy and fueling its missile ambitions.Putin will support the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilising the Balkans through NATO membership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for stability in the Balkans during his visit to Serbia in a show of support for the countrys populist leader and his pro-Moscow policies.

After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade on Thursday, Putin said he would back efforts to maintain calm in the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilising the Balkans through efforts to boost NATO membership.

Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous, Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Although Serbia and all of its neighbours aspire to join the European Union, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Russia, its historical Orthodox big brother whose people also share Slavic origins.



The affection for Moscow is fanned by its unyielding support on the emotive issue of Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008.



Serbia has never accepted the split and Russia similarly rejects it, wielding its veto power at the United Nations to thwart Kosovos dreams of joining.

In return for Moscows support on the Kosovo issue, Belgrade has refused to join international trade sanctions imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea and has pledged to stay out of NATO.

Graffiti reading Kosovo is Serbia, Crimea is Russia can sometimes be spotted on streets in Serbia.

Relations were further boosted recently after Putin stepped up efforts to restore Moscows influence in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Al Jazeeras Jelena Glusac, reporting from Belgrade, said that Thursdays visit is the third meeting between the two presidents in a year.

Serbia and Russia are long-standing allies. Putin said that Russia has many friends in the Balkans, but Serbia is Russias strategic partner, said Glusac.

He said Russia respects the decision of Serbian authorities about the European future of Serbia and as he said, unlike Western partners, Russia doesnt try to put Serbia in front of an artificial choice  Russia or European Union.

Al Jazeeras correspondent added that Putin said he was surprised by the EUs passive reaction when Kosovo announced in December it was transforming its 4,000-strong Kosovo Security Force into a regular army, especially since Serbs in Kosovo view it as a direct threat to their security.

The Russian presidents visit was celebrated on the streets by tens of thousands of Serbs who marched through the capital.

The parade culminated at the massive St Sava church, one of Orthodox Christianitys largest houses of worship, where more than 120,000 people gathered, according to police.

Regional dominance

Putins visit also comes as thousands held weekly demonstrations against Vucic because of what they see as his autocratic rule.

Vucics critics say the gathering at St Sava was staged to suggest that the Serbian leader has many more supporters than opponents, who have been marching the same route since December to demand free elections and media.

Several liberal Serbian rights groups issued a statement on Thursday protesting the glorification of Vladimir Putins authoritarian regime.

It said that Putins visit indicates that the Serbian rulers are ready to sacrifice human rights and better living standards of citizens because of their patronising stands toward Putins regime.

Ahead of his Belgrade visit, Putin accused the United States and the West of pressuring Balkan countries to join NATO.

Putin told two Serbian pro-government newspapers: The policy of the United States and certain Western countries aimed at fostering their dominance in the region constitutes a major destabilising factor.

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Russias interest in Serbia is tied to its strategic position between East and West.

Of Serbias eight neighbours, five are NATO members and two more are seeking membership; four are in the EU and two more are working towards accession. Serbia remains Moscows only ally in the region.

Unlike NATO, Putin formally does not oppose Serbias EU path and analysts believe that this is because he wants a staunch ally  or perhaps a Trojan horse  within the 28-nation bloc.

Putins stopover comes as long-running EU-sponsored talks to normalise ties between Serbia and Kosovo have taken a dip, and appear to be going nowhere fast.



Speaking during the visit, Vucic said that Without Russia it is clear that there will be no solution over Kosovo.Zimbabwe accused of violent crackdown on protests

Rights groups say the security forces have responded to demonstrators with unprecedented use of excessive force.Yemens Hodeidah truce: UN observers to monitor ceasefire

The ceasefire has been extremely fragile and shaky with numerous violations reported.William Barr, 68, served as attorney general under president George HW Bush in the early 1990s.

The US Senate has confirmed William Barr as attorney general, puttingthe longtime lawyer atop the Justice Department and putting him in charge of overseeing Special Counsel Robert Muellers long-running probe of whether President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.

Trump announced he would nominate Barr, 68, in December 2018, after Jeff Sessions resigned at Trumps request in November.

The Senate voted 54 to 45, largely along party lines. A Justice Department spokeswoman said Barr will be sworn in on Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office of the White House by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Many Democrats opposed Barr out of concern he might not make Muellers findings fully public. But the Senate is controlled by Trumps fellow Republicans, so Barrs confirmation was virtually assured.

Today is a great day for the Department of Justice with the confirmation of William Barr to be the next Attorney General, said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham.

He is a steady hand at a time of turmoil and he will bring much-needed reform to the Department of Justice.

He previously held the position under George HW Bush between 1991 and 1993.

Before that, he briefly served in the CIA in the early 1970s and served as domestic policy staff from 1982 to 1983, while Republican Ronald Reagan was president.

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So, where does Barr stand on some of the most important issues in the United States?

Racism in criminal justice

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Democratic Senator Corey Booker questioned Barr about his past claims that there is no statistical evidence of racial disparity in the US criminal justice system.

Although Barr backtracked on those comments, Booker pointed out that Barr, as attorney general in 1992, signed off on a report titled The Case for More Incarceration.

During a 1992 interview, Barr also said he did not believe the US justice system treats people differently based on their race.

That is, if a black and a white are charged with the same offence, generally they will get the same treatment in the system, and ultimately the same penalty, Barr said at the time.

Decades of studies, however, have generally agreed that African Americans are disproportionately imprisoned in the US.

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At the end of Booker and Barrs exchange this week, the nominee admitted that African Americans are jailed at inflated rates, but suggested that, I think the reduction in crime has [benefit the black community] since 1992, but I think that the heavy drug penalties, especially on crack and other things, have harmed the black community, the incarceration rates.

Freedom of the press

Since coming to office, Trump has launched repeated attacks on the press at large and many journalists, describing media as the enemy of the people.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared willing to put some of Trumps views on the press into practice by suggesting that the Department of Justice would increase its efforts to track down leakers and whistleblowers.

Sessions had also talked of readjusting rules for issuing subpoenas to journalists.

While pressed on the issue of media freedom on Tuesday, Barr did not appear to present a radical break from Sessions or Trump.

If youre confirmed, will the Justice Department jail reporters for doing their jobs? Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar asked.

Barr replied by saying jailing journalists would be a last resort.

I know there are guidelines in place, and I can conceive of situations where, as a last resort, Barr replied, and where a news organisation has run through a red flag or something like that, knows that theyre putting out stuff that will hurt the country, there could be a situation where someone would be held in contempt.

Immigration

Barrs hardline record on immigration differs little from the Trump administrations anti-immigration agenda.

On Tuesday, Barr defended Trumps call for a wall on the US-Mexico border, an issue that led to a partial government shutdown, now in its 26th day.

Barr also condemned sanctuary cities, baselessly claiming that they encouraged migrants to travel to the US.

Arguing that most asylum seekers fail to obtain that status, Barr said it would be better to block them from entering the country at all.

During his tenure as attorney general under George HW Bush, Barr oversaw an effort to strictly enforce immigration restrictions.

If confirmed, Barr could become an important ally for Trump at a time when he seeks to radically decrease immigration and erect a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Barr also expressed his support for Trumps attempts to ban travellers for several Muslim-majority countries.

Mueller probe

If confirmed, Barr would be in charge of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election and any possible collusion between Moscow and Trumps campaign.

Trump frequently criticises the Mueller probe as a witch-hunt and has denied any collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice. Russia has denied US intelligence agencies findings that it interfered in the 2016 election.

During his confirmation hearings, Barr said that on his watch, Bob will be allowed to complete his work.

Democrats worry that Trumps administration may try to undercut the investigation.

Barr said he doesnt believe Mueller would be involved in a witch-hunt, adding that it was unimaginable that the special counsel would do anything in the investigation that would justify reeling it in or shutting it down.

Barr said he agreed with Muellers charge that Russian entities interfered in the election, or at least tried to do so. He said he described Mueller, a longtime friend, as a straight shooter when Trump asked about him.

Mueller is due to submit a final report to the attorney general, prompting concern from some Democrats that the Trump administration will try to quash his findings. Barr said he would not let Trump modify the report and would make public as many of Muellers findings as possible.

William Barr reacts while testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be attorney general of the United States [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

Barr faced tough questions from Democrats about an unsolicited, 19-page memo he wrote last year that called Muellers probe fatally misconceived for examining whether Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey in 2017.

It does raise questions about your willingness to reach conclusions before knowing the facts, and whether you prejudge the Mueller investigation, said Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Committees top Democrat.

Barr said his memo did not question the legitimacy of the probe as a whole, but only expressed concerns that the special counsel might be improperly interpreting one aspect of the law.

I think it was entirely proper, he said of the memo, saying it was not unusual for former Justice Department officials to share their views of legal matters.

He said he had written a similar memo criticising the departments corruption case against Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, which ended in a mistrial in 2017.

Presidential powers

Barrs views of presidential power could be important as prosecutors and Democrats in the House of Representatives, where they hold the majority, intensify investigations of Trumps personal business practices and his presidency.

The nominee said during his hearings that a president does have the power to pardon a family member, but that the power could not be abused.

Yes, he does have the power to pardon a family member, but he would then have to face the fact that he could be held accountable for abusing his power, he said. Or, if it was connected to some act that violates an obstruction statute, it could be an obstruction, Barr added.

According to Martha Kinsella, counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center, Barr has a history of involvement with controversial pardons.

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For example, Barr advised President George HW Bush to pardon six Reagan officials who were involved in the Iran-Contra affair, without consulting the pardon attorney. The pardons impacted Independent Counsel Lawrence Walshs investigation of the Iran-Contra affair, she wrote on her groups website.

During Barrs confirmation hearings, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, also asked Barr what conditions would justify indicting a sitting president.

In my opinion, if a president attempts to intervene in a matter he has a stake in to protect himself, that should first be looked at as a breach of his constitutional duties, Barr said.

You know, for 40 years the position of the executive branch has been you cant indict a sitting president, Barr says. I see no reason to change them.

Barr also pledged to support and uphold the False Claims Act, a law that lets whistleblowers file lawsuits to help the federal government recover losses due to fraud.

I will diligently enforce the False Claims Act, Barr told Republican Senator Charles Grassley, marking a reversal from prior comments he made in which he declared the law was an abomination and unconstitutional.WASHINGTON

(January 16, 2019)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities.No applicable data.No applicable data., is awardedfor cost-plus-incentive fee delivery order 0104 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This order provides for the design, development, documentation, integration, and test of upgrades to the U.S. Reprogramming Laboratory to execute the Mission Data (MD) programming and reprogramming mission for the F-35 Digital Channelized Receiver/Technique Generator and Tuner Insertion Program (DTIP) and non-DTIP configurations. These efforts are in support of Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps operational aircraft, as well as all training aircraft within the continental U.S. with MD products. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (65 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (25 percent); and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2021. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $20,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Air Force ($34,466,727; 50 percent); Navy ($17,233,364; 25 percent), and the Marine Corps ($17,233,363; 25 percent). The, is the contracting activity., is awardedfor cost-plus-fixed-fee modification P00017 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm/cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-16-C-0048). This modification provides for Automated Logistics Environment software maintenance operating systems and obsolescence avoidance in support of the low rate initial production CH-53K aircraft. The work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,026,164 will be obligated at time of award; none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity.More than 1,800 Central Americans continue to make their way through Guatemala in search of better life in the US.

Esquipulas, Guatemala  Isabel Flores and her husband, Eric Laynez, saw fleeing their home in Honduras and going to the United States as their only option.

There is no work in Honduras, Flores told Al Jazeera as she stood outside the Casa de Migrante shelter in Esquipulas, Guatemala after crossing the border earlier in the week. Shes travelling with her husband, Eric Laynez, their three-year-old son, Daniel and one-year-old daughter, Michelle.

Flores said that even if one found work in Honduras, the pay wouldnt be enough to cover rent, food, electricity and other goods. And you ran the risk of continually being robbed by gangs, who threatened to kill individuals who go to the police.

One finds it better to endure rather than risk their lives, she said.

Flores and her family left their home in Saba, Colon, and took a bus to the border town of Ocotepeque, Honduras on Tuesday night. They then walked with hundreds of other Hondurans who set off in a new US-bound caravan, eventually crossing into Guatemala on Wednesday.

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By late Wednesday more than 1,500 Hondurans and 170 Salvadorans had crossed into Guatemala, most on their way to the US border.

Many said they are fleeing rampant poverty and crime.

Honduran migrants and refugees rest outside the Esquipulas Casa de Migrante [Jeff Abbott/Al Jazeera]

Flores had worked in small businesses in the past, including selling ice cream and plastic items. She had been robbed by gangs and feared speaking out against the assailants.

The threat was real. At least 26 people have been killed in gang violence since the beginning of 2019.

They (the government) say Honduras is getting better, but we arent seeing it. Things are getting worse, Flores said. It is difficult in Honduras.

Flores and her husband hoped the situation in Honduras would improve so that they could buy their own house back home with the money they hope to earn in the US.

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One migrates not because they want a life there [in the United States], but because they are looking for a means to build a home in Honduras. I want my own home. I want to go for five years to build my home, she said.

Sitting not far from Flores at the shelter was Maria Salguero. The 18-year-old from Ocotepeque, Honduras joined the caravan in the hope of finding better opportunities in US.

If one doesnt struggle, then they will never advance, she told Al Jazeera as she clutched her backpack to her chest.

Salguero left school in the fifth grade to support her mother and younger siblings.

There was no one to support my mom, so I had to leave school to support the family, she said, adding that she hoped to earn enough in the US to send money to her family back home.

Tightened borders

Most in the new caravan planned on joining the thousands of Central Americans waiting at the US-Mexico border waiting to apply for asylum in the US. The administration of US President Donald Trump has been implementing a smonitoring ystem at the border, limiting the number of asylum cases heard each day. For those who have just left Honduras and El Salvador, it will likely be months before they step foot in the US.

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This, coupled with the tighter immigration measures put in place by Central American governments, has made the journey even tougher for those fleeing.

They did not want to let us pass, Salguero said, referring to Honduran authorities who used tear gas on a group of Hondurans attempting to cross the border.

She had to wait hours without food, water or shelter, she said.

The Guatemalan Migration institute issued a statement upholding the CA-4 agreement of free travel within the region for those who carried proper identification. It said that those without proper documents would be sent back. The institute added that the process was put in place to protect travellers from human rights violations and guarantee their protection from human traffickers.

At the official border crossing, migrants and refugees are given slips of papers by Guatemalan immigration authorities upon crossing the border and must present the documents when leaving.

A group of Honduran migrants and refugees board a bus to the Guatemalan department of Peten [Jeff Abbott/Al Jazeera]

Flores said her family were stopped four times by Honduran authorities as they made their way to the border.

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We feel repressed by our own government, by our own fatherland, we dont feel secure, Flores said. They are not at the side of the poor, or the people. We walked feeling restricted and with fear, she said.

Her husband, Laynez added, they have no respect.

The treat us as criminals for leaving the country. We have the same value as them, but they treat us poorly, he said.

Despite the immediate challenges and the obstacles awaiting them at the US-Mexico border, most migrants and refugees Al Jazeera met in the latest caravan seem undeterred and motivated by the possibility of a better life further north.

We have no future, Laynez said. We are looking for a better life to support our family.Turkish prosecutors reportedly want Enes Kanter extradited; NBA player says theres no evidence against him.

Turkish prosecutors are seeking an arrest warrant for New York Knicks centre Enes Kanter on accusations he is part of a terrorist organisation, according to local news reports.

Chief prosecutors in Istanbul reportedly have prepared an extradition request for Kanter, who responded to stories by Turkeys pro-government Sabah newspaper and state-run Anadolu Agency immediately on Wednesday.

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Turkish Government can NOT present any single piece of evidence of my wrongdoing. I dont even have a parking ticket in the US (True). I have always been a law-abiding resident, Kanter said through his personal Twitter account.

Kanters Turkish passport was revoked in 2017.

He refused to travel to London with the Knicks this week, claiming spies or other Turkish operatives could assassinate him.

Its altogether too risky, Kanter wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Kanter said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan uses Interpol  as a tool to have his critics arrested in other countries.

Sabah and Anadolu said prosecutors are seeking an Interpol Red Notice over alleged ties to Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish opposition figure in self-imposed exile in the United States.

Erdogan blamed Gulen and his supporters for a failed coup in 2016 that killed more than 250 people and has accused Kanter publicly of financially supporting Gulens movement.

Kanter has been an outspoken critic of the Turkish president and backs Gulen, who has lived in the US since 1999.

Critic of Erdogan

A Red Notice is a formal request to locate and arrest an individual facing extradition.

The US would likely comply with the request only in the event there is compelling evidence Kanter committed a crime that could be prosecutable in the US.

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Prior to the failed putsch, Gulens movement had placed supporters within the Turkish state apparatus, particularly the judiciary and police, from where it attacked its opponents.

After the attempted coup, the purge of alleged Gulenists was stepped up, resulting in tens of thousands of people being dismissed from their posts and arrested.

Gulen, who was previously allied to Erdogan, denies involvement in the coup attempt.

International support

As his Knicks teammates travelled to London for a game on Thursday, Kanter met with US Senator Marco Rubio to discuss free speech in Turkey.

Rubio, along with other international figures, tweeted support for Kanter

Enes Kanter cant play basketball with the Knicks in Europe due to death threats from the Turkish government. I met with him yesterday.https://t.co/RbuIH6avK7  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 16, 2019After Pelosi sought to delay the State of the Union, Trump cancels the Democrats foreign trip, citing the shutdown.

US President Donald Trump told House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday that her trip to Belgium, Egypt and Afghanistan had been postponed over the partial government shutdown that has run into its 27th day.

It was not immediately clear what trip Trump was referring to. Politicians often do not publicise foreign trips before they occur for security reasons.

The US House speaker normally uses a military plane for overseas travel and it was on that basis that Trump, as commander-in-chief, appeared to be acting.

Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed, Trump wrote in a letter to the top House Democrat.

We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over, he said, adding that Pelosi could still go on the trip if she flew commercially.

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Trumps letter came a day after Pelosi sought to delay the presidents State of the Union address, scheduled for January 29, due to the shutdown.

The countrys two most powerful leaders appeared to be engaged in a game of constitutional one-upmanship, as negotiations to end the four-week stalemate failed to produce results.

Back-to-work order

More than 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed or required to work without pay since the shutdown began on December 22, after Trump refused to back down on his demand for more than $5bn in funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border. Democrats oppose the border wall, calling it ineffective, immoral and expensive.

On Wednesday, Trump signed legislation that guarantees workers will be paid once the shutdown ends, but many expressed anxiety over being able to pay their bills as the feud in Washington, DC continued.

Cheryl Monroe (right), a Food and Drug Administration employee, and Bertrice Sanders, a Social Security Administration employee, rally to call for an end to the partial government shutdown [Paul Sancya/AP Photo]

On Thursday, the State Department instructed all US diplomats in Washington and elsewhere to return to work next week with pay, saying it had found money for their salaries at least temporarily despite the ongoing government shutdown.

In a notice to staff posted online and sent to employees, the department said it had found money to pay most of its employees beginning on Sunday or Monday for their next pay period. They would not be paid for time worked since the shutdown began in December until the situation was resolved, said the notice, which was signed by William Todd, the deputy undersecretary of state for management.

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It was not immediately clear where the money was found, but the department said it would use existing funds as well as other available fiscal authorities to shift existing balances to restart payroll funding.

Salaries cannot be guaranteed beyond the next pay period, which ends on February 14, if the shutdown did not end by then, the department said. However, it said it would review its balances and available legal authorities to see if other flexibilities may be available.

The department said it was taking the step because it had become clear that the lapse in funding was harming essential diplomatic and national security objectives.

While the department has done its best to address matters essential to achieving US national security and foreign policy objectives during the ongoing lapse, it has become clear as the lapse has continued to historic lengths that we need our full team to address the myriad critical issues requiring U.S. leadership around the globe and to fulfill our commitments to the American people, it said.

It added that the departments leadership was deeply concerned about the financial hardships faced by its employees.

Maybe, he thinks its OK to not pay people

Meanwhile, Pelosi said President Donald Trump has yet to respond to her request that he postpone his State of the Union address until the government was reopened so workers could be paid for providing security for the grand Washington tradition.

We havent heard  very silent, she told reporters on Thursday. Lets get a date when government is open. Lets pay the employees. Maybe he thinks its OK not to pay people who do work. I dont.

The presidents planned January 29 address became a potential casualty of the four-week partial government shutdown after the Democratic leader cited concerns about whether the hobbled government could provide adequate security. Republicans cast Pelosis move as a ploy to deny Trump the stage.

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Trump declined to address the stalemate over the speech on Thursday during a visit to the Pentagon, simply promising that the nation would have powerful, strong border security.

The uncertainty surrounding the annual address also underscored the unraveling of ceremonial norms and niceties in Trumps Washington.

Pelosi reiterated she was more than willing to negotiate money for border security once the government was reopened, but she said Democrats remained opposed to Trumps long-promised wall, one of his signature campaign promises.

Im not for a wall, Pelosi said twice, mouthing the statement a third time for effect.

Pressure on Trump intensified, as lawmakers from both parties scrambled for solutions. The shutdown is already the longest ever.

While Trumps own advisers said the shutdown was proving a greater drag on the economy than expected, Trump showed no signs of backing off a fight that he views as vital for his core supporters.Bomber kills 19 people in Syrian town of Manbij, including four Americans, as Syria pullout plan stirs more controversy.

A senior US senator has questioned President Donald Trumps troop withdrawal announcement from Syria after four Americans were killed in a suicide attack by the armed group ISIL.

Republican Lindsay Graham, a Trump ally, blamed Wednesdays attack in the northern Syrian city of Manbij on the presidents decision to quickly pull US forces out of the war-torn country.

The withdrawal move set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy were fighting, said Graham, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

My concern about the statements made by President Trump  is weve made people were trying to help wonder about us. And as they [ISIL] gets bolder, the people were trying to help get more uncertain. I saw this in Iraq and Im now seeing it in Syria, the senator said.

Were never going to be safe here unless were willing to help people over there who will stand up against radical ideology, Graham added.

At least 19 people, including Syrian civilians and US troops, were killed after a blast struck near a US-led coalition patrol, less than a month after Trump announced the withdrawal.

Two US soldiers, one Pentagon civilian, and one contractor were killed in the attack.

The attack called into question Trumps claim that ISIL has been defeated in Syria  his stated reason for pulling 2,000 US troops from the country.

US Vice President Mike Pence repeated the claim on Wednesday after the attack, saying the ISIL caliphate has crumbled and the armed group has been defeated.

Later in the day, he issued a statement, saying that he and Trump condemn the terrorist attack  and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen.

As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever, said Pence.

A screen grab taken from video shows US troops gathered at the scene of the attack [ANHA/AFP]

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan weighed in on the controversy, saying he didnt expect the attack to affect Trumps pullout decision.

The American forces stationed in Manbij work closely with the Kurdish YPG militia that controls areas of northern Syria near Turkeys border.

Ankara considers the US-backed YPG to be a terrorist group and has threatened to invade the region to scatter the militia.

Tensions have risen between the NATO allies, Turkey and the US, as Trump has demanded that any American troop withdrawal must be accompanied by a pledge from Ankara not to target its YPG allies.

Security Analyst Yusuf Alabarda told Al Jazeera the ISIL attack targetting US forces was likely in response to the American troop withdrawal announcement. He noted the heads of the US and Turkish militaries met on Wednesday in Brussels to organise a security zone in northern Syria after the withdrawal.

It was very bad timing since for two years there hasnt been a suicide attack in the Manbij area. Turkish officials and the Trump administration are very decisive on the troop withdrawal. Both countries leadership wont be manipulated by such kinds of attacks inside Syria, Alabarda said.

These areas  after the turmoil and chaos since the war started  is a safe haven for all kinds of terrorist activities. Any kind of intelligence agency that tries to manipulate the United States decision can create chaos in such style, he added.

No timetable for withdrawal

Trumps withdrawal announcement last month surprised many politicians in Washington as well as Western and Kurdish allies fighting alongside the US against ISIL.

The move prompted US Secretary of Defense James Mattis to resign, and the top US envoy in the anti-ISIL fight, Brett McGurk, to leave his post earlier than expected.

Trumps decision was initially expected to be carried out swiftly, but the timetable became vague in the weeks following his announcement.

Last week, the US military began pulling out equipment from the northeast into neighbouring Iraq. No troops are known to have withdrawn yet.British Prime Minister Theresa May is reaching out to opposition parties and other legislators in a battle to keep Brexit on track after surviving a no-confidence vote.

European Union countries are also debating on how to move forward now that the UK Parliament has rejected Mays Brexit deal with the bloc and with the March 29 exit date looming.

Parliament overwhelmingly rejected the deal on Tuesday night, in a crushing defeat for May. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn immediately called for a no-confidence vote, but Mays government narrowly survived it on Wednesday night.

May invited opposition leaders for talks about how best to avoid leaving the EU without an agreement. But Corbyn has so far declined to meet with May unless she takes the no-deal possibility off the table.

EU countries have generally reacted to the Brexit political crisis unfolding in the UK by putting the onus on the British government and its legislators to decide what they want to do.

Some British legislators want May to call for an extension of negotiations with the EU and postpone the March 29 deadline to leave the bloc, while others are lobbying for a second Brexit referendum. The prime minister has so far rejected those options.

Europe is closely watching the outcome of Theresa Mays Brexit plan [File: Michael Probst/AP]

Frances prime minister is holding a special government meeting on Thursday on how his country will cope with a possible no-deal Brexit.

The French parliament adopted a law on Wednesday allowing emergency measures after March 30 in the event Britain leaves without a deal.

Such measures could aim to reduce problems in cross-border trade and transport, notably through the Eurotunnel beneath the English Channel, and allow British workers and retirees based in France temporary permission to stay until a longer-term deal is worked out.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was expected in Lisbon, Portugal, where he was due to meet local officials and give a news conference on Thursday. Barnier said Wednesday in Strasbourg he was more concerned than ever about the possibility of Britain leaving the EU without an agreement.

If May fails to forge consensus, the worlds fifth largest economy will drop out of the EU on March 29 without a deal or will be forced to halt Brexit, possibly holding a national election or even another referendum.

May has repeatedly refused to countenance another election and has warned that another referendum would be corrosive as it would undermine faith in democracy among the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British peoples instruction to leave the European Union. And I intend to do so, May said outside Downing Street in an attempt to address voters directly.

I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together to find a way forward, May said. This is now the time to put self-interest aside.

As the United Kingdom tumbles towards its biggest political and economic move since World War II, other members of the EU have offered to talk though they can do little until London decides what it wants out of Brexit.

Yet ever since the UK voted by 52-48 percent to leave the EU in June 2016, British politicians have failed to find agreement on how or even whether to leave the EU.

Brexit crisis

In a sign of just how hard Mays task may be, the main opposition leader, Corbyn, refused to hold talks unless a no-deal Brexit was ruled out.

Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the government must remove clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that, he said.

But the further May moves towards softening Brexit, the more she alienates dedicated Brexiteers in her own party who think the threat of a no-deal Brexit is a crucial bargaining chip.

Without a deal, trade with the EU would then default to basic World Trade Organization rules.

Company chiefs are aghast at the political crisis over Brexit and say it has already damaged Britains reputation as Europes pre-eminent destination for foreign investment.

From Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel to Scottish whisky distillers, firms have called for urgent and decisive government action and warned of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit.

If anybody believes that you can just go ahead without some sort of an agreement here, I think that that is reckless, said John Bason, finance chief of Associated British Foods, the food and retail group which has sales of over $20bn.

The UKs food supply generally is dependent on the free flowing-border, Bason said.

Labour wants a permanent customs union with the EU, a close relationship with its single market and greater protections for workers and consumers.

But the chairman of Mays Conservative party, Brandon Lewis, said on Thursday that Britain should not stay in the current customs union because striking international trade deals after Brexit is a priority.

He said senior ministers would meet colleagues from across the House of Commons, Britains lower house of parliament, on Thursday.

The Times newspaper said both remaining in a full customs union with the EU and delaying Brexit through an extension of Article 50 would be discussed at meetings between the government and legislators.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday a delay to Brexit was now inevitable, adding that leaving the EU without a deal would inflict profound economic damage on the UK.Washington is set to withdraw from the 1987 accord that keeps nuclear missiles out of Europe in February as talks fail.

The United States has rejected a Russian offer to save the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty that keeps nuclear missiles out of Europe, setting the stage for Washington to withdraw from the pact next month.

Speaking a day after a meeting in Geneva between Russian and American officials, US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson said on Wednesday Moscow was refusing to allow proper inspection of a new Russian missile system that Washington says breaks the INF accord.

A six-month US withdrawal process will start from February 2.

The treaty, negotiated by then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ratified by the US Senate, eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the worlds two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear attack at short notice.

It bans land-based missiles with a range between 500km and 5,500km.

We werent able to break any new ground yesterday with Russia, Thompson said of the January 15 meeting with Russian foreign ministry officials.

Based on yesterdays discussions and corresponding rhetoric today, we see no indication that Russia would choose compliance.

The US and its NATO allies want Russia to destroy its 9M729 nuclear-capable cruise missile system, which Washington says could allow Russia to strike Europe at short notice, and comply with the INF.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was ready to save the pact but the US had not properly considered its proposals to prevent a new arms race in Europe.

But Thompson said the Russian side only offered a look at the cruise missile system, a so-called static display, which she said would not verify the true range of its warheads.

Russia says the range puts it outside the treaty and the distance they can fly is not as long as Washington alleges, meaning Moscow is fully compliant with the INF Treaty.

NATO meeting

Russia must come back into compliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters news agency after a meeting at NATO in which Thompson briefed allies.

But he said the alliance now needed to be prepared for the collapse of the INF Treaty and that he had asked military authorities to look into the consequences, although he declined to go into details.

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European allies are worried about the deployment of US missiles in Europe, as happened in the 1980s while being caught up in nuclear competition between Moscow and Washington.

This is part of a pattern where Russia is investing in, modernising, exercising and testing nuclear weapons, Stoltenberg told Reuters.

I think the whole idea is for Russia to try to be able to reestablish a sphere of influence where they can try to intimidate and control some of their neighbours.

Russia denies any such strategy and accuses US President Donald Trump of using Moscow as a pretext to quit the INF Treaty.

Trump to unveil new defence plan

Meanwhile, Trump is due to visit the Pentagon on Thursday to unveil a comprehensive review of the countrys anti-missile systems, officials said.

Trump, in 2017, ordered an analysis of US missile defence technologies and how they should be adapted to keep up with changing threats.

In an executive summary of the review provided to Pentagon reporters, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) highlighted areas of concern. Top among these is the push by China and Russia to develop hypersonic missiles.

These weapons fly at many times the speed of sound and can change direction, instead of following a ballistic arc, making them much harder to intercept.

The Pentagon is looking at ways to enhance its ability to track hypersonic missiles, primarily by using existing sensors that are deployed in space.Ankara has emerged as one of Dohas most important trade partners since Saudi-led blockade was imposed in June 2017.

Trade between Qatar and Turkey is estimated to have topped the $2bn mark in 2018, a 54 percent jump compared with the previous year, a Turkish official said.

Speaking at a Turkish trade expo that kicked off in Doha on Wednesday, Deputy Finance Minister Osman Dincbas said Qatar was one of the fastest growing areas of trade for Turkey in 2018, and the $2bn figure was expected to grow.

Since the launch of the Saudi-led boycott of Qatar in June 2017, Ankara has emerged as one of Dohas top trading partners, sending additional troops, food, and other products to shore up the Gulf states needs.

The blockading quartet  including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain  accused Doha of supporting terrorism and siding with Iran, accusations Qatar has categorically denied.

Qatar last year pledged a $15bn package of economic projects, investments and deposits to Turkey that included an up to $3bn currency swap to firm up the countrys battered currency, the lira.

Dincbas said that a portion of the $15bn had so far arrived but declined to specify how much or in what form.

Qatar-Turkey trade volume for the first 10 months of 2018, according to the latest data available, indicates $1.7bn of total trade  higher than the $1.3bn in all of 2017, a Turkish trade official said.

That figure includes goods such as Turkish food and building materials to Qatar and Qatari liquefied natural gas and aluminium to Turkey.

Abu Issa Holdings, one of the largest distributors and retailers of supermarket goods in Qatar, has seen its Turkish brands mushroom to about 25 percent of its portfolio from about 10 percent before the boycott, CEO Ashraf Abu Issa said.

At the expo, Abu Issa showcased Turkish honey and pasta introduced after the boycott that he said have become top sellers in Qatar, replacing Saudi and Emirati brands that once crowded shelves in Doha.

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Others, such as Kingspan, an importer of Turkish insulated panels for warehouses and cold storage, said volume nearly doubled last year.

Abu Issa said he would stick with Turkish brands that have become popular even if the boycott were lifted, despite higher shipping costs.

We will continue with Turkey for sure. They are not a replacement. This should have happened a long time ago. We discovered some amazing products and the quality is superior to what we would get from there, he said, referring to the blockading nations.Deadly suicide assault on US forces demonstrates need for transformed anti-terrorism cooperation, analysts say.

The deadly suicide attack in northern Syria targeting the US forces highlights the urgent need for closer military cooperation with Turkey to secure the restive region, analysts say.

Four Americans were among 19 killed on Wednesday in a bomb blast in the town of Manbij, which is controlled by the American-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia. The assault was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), which US President Donald Trump recently said had been defeated.

The bombing, which came as Washington begins its military withdrawal from Syria, marked the first US casualties in the war-torn country since 2014.

The US and the Turkish officials have been in a war of words over Washingtons backing for the YPG and what will happen to the areas controlled by it in the north of the country after the American pullout.

Kilic Kanat, research director of the SETA Foundation in Washington, said the latest attack shows the need for transformation in the fight against terrorism through better cooperation between the nation-state actors, adding the struggle is not territory-related any more.

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It shows that the US and other countries should move away from territory-based, short-sighted counterterrorism in Syria to intelligence-based, long-term counterterrorism through cooperation at the nation-state level to target financing of terrorism, human trafficking, et cetera, he told Al Jazeera.

Therefore, it should be understood that the YPG does not have the necessary instruments to wage this war in the current situation as the fight against ISIL is not a territory-based struggle any more, he added.

The US withdrawal from Syria was initially expected to be a quick one, but the timetable has become ambiguous and some conditions were set in the weeks after the US presidents announcement, including the safety of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the anti-ISIL force led by the YPG.

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The US-backed SDFs operations played a part in the removal of the ISIL fighters from the vast majority of the territories it captured in Syria and Iraq since 2014 and Washington has defended its alliance with the group through these years.

However, Ankara considers the YPG and its political wing, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the terrorist groups with ties to the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has waged a war in Turkey since the 1980s in demand for autonomy.

The US demand for SDF fighters safety has been a source of tensions between the two NATO allies, which led to Trump threatening Ankara with economic devastation if it hits the SDF fighters.

The Manbij deal

Another strain between the allies is a plan about Manbij, which Ankara says is stalled by Washington.

Turkey has long demanded the SDF fighters to move to the east of the Euphrates River in Syria and leave the control of the town of Manbij to the Turkish army and Turkey-backed opposition forces.

Ankara threatens to carry out a military operation in the area and says a deal has been reached with the US for SDFs withdrawal last year, but Washington has still not fulfilled it.

Turkey has launched two military operations in northern Syria over the last three years that targeted YPG and ISIL.

The Manbij agreement has not been carried out by Washington yet. Furthermore, Washington is acting vague about the withdrawal, changing statements all the time. These things upset Turkey and make officials doubt Washington, Muhittin Ataman, a professor with Turkeys Ankara University, told Al Jazeera.

All these uncertainties make Turkey view the security zone in Syria recently agreed on between the two sides with suspicion as well, he said, adding the recent attack shows the incapabilities of the YPG.

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Washington will have to respect and take action about Turkeys sensitivities if they want to cooperate with Ankara on ISIL and wider issues in the Syrian crisis, Ataman said.

Turkish and American presidents decided to set up a security zone inside Syria on the border with Turkey in a phone conversation earlier this week, one of several that have taken place recently.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would set up the 32-km security zone in northern Syria along the Turkish-Syrian border, without giving any further details about the project.

Kanat said recent telephone conversations between Trump and Erdogan are helping to get over misunderstandings between the two countries.

Multiple voices in Washington make officials in Ankara hard to understand who is talking on behalf of Trump or the administration. So, Turkey tries to take positions in mutual issues, particularly Syria, over direct conversations between Trump and Erdogan, he said.Bipartisan bills seek to ban sales of US chips, parts to Chinese firms violating US sanctions or export control laws.

A bipartisan group of legislators in the United States has introduced bills that would prohibit the sale of US chips or other components to Chinese telecommunications companies that violate Washingtons sanctions or export control laws.

The proposed law was introduced on Wednesday shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that US authorities are in the advanced stages of a criminal probe that could result in an indictment of Chinese technology giant Huawei, the second-largest global smartphone maker and biggest producer of telecommunications equipment.

Citing anonymous sources, the Journal said that an indictment could be coming soon on allegations that Huawei stole Tappy, a T-Mobile technology which mimicked human fingers and was used to test smartphones.

Huawei said in a statement the company and T-Mobile settled their disputes in 2017 following a US jury verdict that found neither damage, unjust enrichment nor willful and malicious conduct by Huawei in T-Mobiles trade secret claim.

Huaweis challenges in US market

On Capitol Hill, the bills introduced by Senator Tom Cotton and Representative Mike Gallagher, both Republicans, along with Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, specifically cite Huawei and ZTE, both of which are viewed with suspicion in the US because of fears that their switches and other gear could be used to spy on US citizens.

Both have also been accused of failing to respect US sanctions on Iran.

Huawei is effectively an intelligence-gathering arm of the Chinese Communist Party whose founder and CEO was an engineer for the Peoples Liberation Army, Cotton wrote in a statement. If Chinese telecom companies like Huawei violate our sanctions or export control laws, they should receive nothing less than the death penalty  which this denial order would provide.

The move is the latest in a long list of actions taken to fight what some in Washington call Chinas cheating through intellectual property theft, illegal corporate subsidies and rules hampering US corporations that want to sell their goods in China.

The proposed law and investigation are two of several challenges that Huawei faces in the US market.

In addition to allegations of sanctions-busting and intellectual property theft, Washington has been pressing allies to refrain from buying Huaweis switches and other gear because of fears they will be used by Beijing for espionage.

Huawei would not share user secrets

Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, denied this week that his company was used by the Chinese government to spy.

In his most direct public response to accusations that his company is controlled by the ruling Communist Party, or is required to facilitate Chinese spying, Ren said on Tuesday that his company would refuse to disclose secrets about its customers and their communication networks.

We would definitely say no to such a request, Ren said in a rare meeting with foreign reporters.

Canada detained Rens daughter, Meng Wanzhou, who is Huaweis chief financial officer, in December at the request of US authorities investigating an alleged scheme to use the global banking system to evade Washingtons sanctions against Iran.

The case of Meng, who has denied wrongdoing and is under house arrest awaiting proceedings, has heightened tensions between the US and China, as well as between Ottawa and Beijing.Information minister says Kenyan forces swift in ending the 20-hour siege that killed at least 21 people.

Kenyan bomb disposal experts searched on Thursday for leftover explosives at the site of the brazen attack on a Nairobi hotel complex that killed 21 people plus five al-Shabab fighters.

The al-Qaeda affiliate said it carried out the attack in the Kenyan capital in response to US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Two people accused of facilitating the attack have been arrested.

The Kenya Red Cross said on Thursday all people had now been accounted for after dozens were reported missing on Wednesday.

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The 20-hour siege at the DusitD2 hotel complex echoed a 2013 assault that killed 67 people at the Westgate mall in the same district.

The Kenyan government said its quick reaction to the assault reflected improvements in its ability to respond to such audacious assaults on civilian targets.

It was much better handled in comparison to the attack on the nearby Westgate Mall, said Joseph Mucheru, the information minister. Police took hours to respond to that attack, leading to reforms.

The speed, the response and the conclusion of this matter was swift, the minister said.

Of the victims, 16 were Kenyan, one was British, one was American and three were of African descent but their nationalities were not yet identified, police said.

On Tuesday, authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen. The president said more than 700 civilians were rescued from the complex during and after the siege.

Tormented night

It was a tormented night for families of those trapped as they waited outside the hotel with sporadic gunfire ringing out, and the rescue of dozens of people at about 3:30am (00:30GMT).

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Mourning relatives and friends gathered at a nearby mortuary on Wednesday. Families who went to the Chiromo morgue were told they could not view bodies until a forensic investigation had been performed, provoking grief and anger.

My sister is not in any of the hospitals and the last time we spoke, she was a bit calm. But suddenly she started crying and shouting and I could hear gunshots and her phone remained on but she wasnt speaking, said a woman who gave her name as Njoki.

We have no doubt her body is here, she said, weeping.

Coordinated attack

CCTV footage broadcast on local media showed four black-clad, heavily armed men entering the complex.

According to Kenyas police chief Joseph Boinnet, the coordinated assault began at 3pm local time (12:00 GMT) on Tuesday with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank, and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby that severely wounded a number of guests.

Hiram Macharia, a marketing executive at LG Electronics, said security officers rescued him and some colleagues from their office two hours after the attack began. But one colleague did not survive.

One of our colleagues went to the top of the building and his body was found there, he said.

A police source told AFP news agency two attackers were shot dead on Wednesday morning after a prolonged attack.

The two have red bandanas tied around their forehead and bullets strapped around their chest with several magazines each, the senior police officer said. Each had an AK-47 which has been secured.

People are evacuated by a member of security forces during the al-Shabab attack in Nairobi [Baz Ratner/Reuters]

The attack at DusitD2 was the first in Nairobi since the Westgate mall attack in 2013.

On April 2, 2015, another al-Shabab attack had killed 148 people at the university in Garissa in eastern Kenya.

The Westgate attack resulted in many upscale establishments and shopping centres in the capital  including the Dusit  putting up security barriers to check cars and pedestrians.

Like the attack at the Westgate mall, this one appeared aimed at wealthy Kenyans and foreigners.

It came a day after a magistrate ruled three men must stand trial in connection with the Westgate mall attack.The Government is moving to the next phase of the proposed development of a biomass gasification plant at Mulifanua.

Public notices put out by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) in recent editions of the Samoa Observer point to the development.

The Ministry, in a public notice titled Planning Notification of Proposed Developments, advised that the Planning and Urban Management Agency has received applications for development consent for four projects.

These include the reclamation at Matautu-tai by Apia Marine Service, a new administration office building (with car-park, and fence) at Tuanaimato by the MNRE, a storage warehouse by Formosa Apia Samoa Limited, and the development of a biomass gasification plant at Mulifanua.

The MNRE has appealed to the public, who have objections to the propose development, to contact their office.

In light of the above, any persons who may be affected by any of the above development applications, may make a submission by way of objection or otherwise to the Agency. The submission must state how the objector would be affected by the granting of development consent, stated the public notice.

The public has until January 31 to make submissions to the Ministry.

The proposed biomass gasification plant at Mulifanua has been on the cards and is a pet project of the Samoan Government, which has in recent years announced its intention to move into renewable energy technology.

It is understood the Mulifanua plant will be used to generate power to support the countrys electricity grid.

The concept of biomass-generated electricity is not new to Samoa. According to the UNDP website, a biogas project in Samoa came out from a regional project called PIGGAREP  Pacific Island Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project.

The project was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the UNDP as implementing agency and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as implementing partner. The project covered eleven Pacific island countries and has provided feasibility studies, training, awareness and renewable energy projects across the Pacific since 2008.

As a follow up of PIGGAREP, Denmark funded renewable energy projects in the Pacific through the Small Island Developing States SIDS DOCK programme, which strived to transform SIDS energy sectors into catalysts for sustainable, economic development. One project that benefitted from the Danish funding was Samoas biogas project.

It is understood the invasive Merrimia vine, which according to the UNDP and the MNRE killed over 60 per cent of Samoas forests, was proposed as the fuel for bioenergy in that project and would have enabled Samoa to produce biogas energy systems through the burning of the vine.Birthday wishes

Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday WishesAl-Qaeda-linked group has carried out more than 20 attacks in Kenya in the past five years.

At least 300 people have been killed in more than 20 attacks that the al-Shabab group has carried out in Kenya in the past five years.

Based in the Horn of Africa, the al-Qaeda-linked group initially concentrated its attacks in Somalia, where it wants to impose a strict version of Islamic law and is fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government.

But since 2011, the armed group has increasingly targeted Kenya.

In 2013, it claimed responsibility for a deadly shopping centre attack in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that killed more than 60 people. In April 2015, an assault on a university in the town of Garissa left at least 147 dead.

And this week, dozens of people were killed when five al-Shabab gunmen attacked a hotel complex in Nairobi.

Why is Kenya a target?

In 2011, following a spate of kidnappings in its coastal region, Kenya sent its troops into neighbouring Somalia to target al-Shabab fighters, whom it blamed for the abductions. Al-Shabab denied involvement in the kidnappings.

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Kenyan troops, backed by Somali soldiers, pushed al-Shabab out of several towns controlled by the group in southern Somalia.

Al-Shabab then started carrying out deadly attacks in Kenya, saying they were in retaliation for Kenyan troops crossing into Somalia.

They invaded the Muslim land of Somalia  its our duty to take revenge, al-Shababs spokesperson Sheikh Ali Dheere told Al Jazeera in 2014 after the group killed 28 people in an attack in Mandera, near the Somali border.

The group has also claimed responsibility for attacks in Djibouti and Uganda  two countries whose troops are part of a United Nations-mandated African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia fighting al-Shabab.

A 2010 twin bombing by the group in Ugandas capital, Kampala, left at least 70 dead. Four years later, a suicide attack at a restaurant in Djibouti killed three people.

Burundi and Ethiopia have also contributed troops to the AU mission in Somalia but have not suffered attacks by the armed group.

Kenya shares a long, porous land border with Somalia. Most of the armed groups attacks happened near this 600km boundary that fighters are able to cross easily.

The communities living in this region have long felt abandoned by the central government in Nairobi, further south.

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I think the reason Kenya is hit more often is because it has greater vulnerabilities  more corruption and unaddressed history of marginalising populations particularly in the northeast and on the coast, Patrick Gathara, a Nairobi-based writer and political cartoonist, told Al Jazeera.

After the collapse of the central government in Somalia, many of al-Shababs top leaders, including current chief Ahmad Omar, have lived in Kenya.

Several other senior figures, including the man suspected of masterminding the Garissa university attack, Mohamed Kuno Dulyadayn, who was killed in a joint raid by Somali and foreign troops, are Kenyan nationals.

And, like many Somalis in Kenya, they had unpleasant experiences at the hands of authorities in Kenya before they joined the armed group.

Kuno has repeatedly spoken of mistreatment family members have suffered in Garissa at the hands of Kenyan security forces. For him and many of the top leaders, it is personal revenge.

Nairobis significance

Until 2015, Kenya had the biggest economy in the region before it was overtaken by Ethiopia.

Two UN agencies  UN-Habitat and the UN Environment Programme  have their headquarters in the Kenyan capital. Several international companies like General Electric, Nestle, Heineken and Mastercard also have a strong presence in the country.

Nairobi hosts international high-value targets that the group can target to send a signal to western countries. Countries like Burundi are less strategic but also you will have to cross multiple borders to reach and hence risky, Abullahi Boru, a Horn of Africa security analyst, told Al Jazeera.

Nairobi is also the African city of choice for international media houses to base their operations. Last year, the BBC opened its largest office outside the UK in Nairobi. Chinas CGTN also has its African headquarters there.

Analysts say the group knows targetting Kenya will bring big media coverage which it can in turn use to bolster its ranks.

Al-Shabab, like many groups of their ilk, are very well attuned to the reality that a huge media attention generates more recruitment opportunities, said Boru.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has promised to bring to justice all those who were behind the Nairobi hotel attack. The announcement might result in tit-for-tat attacks from the armed group.Medan, Indonesia  The two candidates squaring off for Indonesias top seat will face each other for the first time in a televised debate on Thursday as campaigning gathers pace for Aprils election.

President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, is bidding for a second term in office against Prabowo Subianto, a controversial former general with a poor human rights record, in what is almost a rematch of the 2014 campaign.

Controversy is already swirling around the debate, which will be broadcast across local television networks at 7pm Jakarta time (12:00 GMT).

The candidates have been given the questions  focusing on law, human rights, terrorism and corruption  in advance amid concerns that the two men might escape having to address more controversial issues such as human rights abuses in Papua, in the far east of the Indonesian archipelago.

One candidate is an accused perpetrator of human rights violations, while the other one lets impunity flourish under his administration, Veronica Koman, a Jakarta-based Indonesian human rights lawyer, told Al Jazeera.

Analysts hope the debate will help clarify each candidates vision for the country ahead of the April 17 polls and put real campaign issues on the table.

Its all been tit-for-tat trivial stuff so far. Maybe the first debate will introduce some substance, said Ian Wilson, lecturer in politics and security studies and research fellow at the Asia Research Centre, at Australias Murdoch University.

Joko Widodo, left, and running mate Maruf Amin, show the ballot number that will represent them in Aprils election [Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo]

Who are the candidates?

A former furniture salesman and Jakarta governor with a passion for heavy metal music, Jokowi, 57, is affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

In 2014, he became Indonesias first president without links to the military or the political or religious elite.

But while his ordinary man image inspired many Indonesians, some analysts say he has proved less impressive as a leader.

[Hes made] little progress economically, the investment in infrastructure has been fraught with problems and yet to bear fruit, and hes shown himself to be deeply illiberal in many respects, Wilson said.

Baiq Wardhani, a lecturer in politics at Universitas Airlangga in Surabaya, told Al Jazeera that Jokowi has failed to deliver on campaign promises to address human rights violations.

As a candidate, he had pledged to deal with historic abuses, including the anti-Communist purge of 1965; the 1998 riots in Jakarta; and the killings of Muslim protesters in 1989  but has made little progress.

In the contested region of Papua, the poorest in the archipelago, Jokowi has sought to improve infrastructure and connectivity in the hope of boosting the economic wellbeing of residents, but Amnesty International says killings by the security forces continue and have not been addressed.

Meanwhile, minorities, non-Muslims, gay and transgender people have all come under pressure during Jokowis first term. And while he may not have been directly involved, the president has faced criticism he has done little to come to the aid of those who have been implicated in sensitive issues such as high-profile blasphemy cases.

In the most well-known case, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian who is better known as Ahok, was convicted of blasphemy in 2017 and jailed for two years.

In another incident, an ethnic Chinese woman in Medan was found guilty of the same offence for complaining about the volume of speakers at her local mosque. She too was jailed. About 85 percent of Indonesias population is Muslim.

Prabowo Subianto (right) with his running mate Sandiaga Uno at the election commission headquarters in Jakarta last September [Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]

Jokowis rival, 67-year-old Prabowo Subianto, trades on his strongman image and is affiliated with the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).

Prabowo served in the military from 1974 to 1998, before being discharged after he was accused of human rights violations in relation to coordinating riots in 1998 in which more than 1,000 people died, as well as the murders of pro-independence activists in Timor-Leste during the Indonesian occupation from 1975 until 1999.

He has denied the allegations.

Running mates

Jokowis choice for vice president, Maruf Amin, 75, is the head of Indonesias top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

In recent years, Amin has overseen fatwa, a general decree in Islam by a religious authority, on a range of controversial topics including support for female genital mutilation and a call for those caught committing same-sex acts to be sentenced to death. In a 2018 interview, Amin described being LGBT as a violation.

Prabowos vice president running mate is Sandiaga Uno, 49, the former deputy-governor of Jakarta.

A prominent Indonesian businessman, there has been speculation that Uno was chosen for his ability to fund the presidential campaign rather than his political insight, given that hes a relative newcomer on the Indonesian political stage.

What are the main issues?

One of the key issues in the campaign is expected to be the economy, the largest in Southeast Asia.

Growth remained above five percent in 2017 and 2018, and Jokowis attempts to boost the economy through a series of policy packages helped reduce the poverty rate to below 10 percent of the population for the first time.

But the sharp decline in the rupiah  to its lowest level since 1998  stirred memories of the hardship of that years Asian financial crisis, with falling oil prices and declining exports putting pressure on the countrys finances.

Sandiaga [Uno] actually might be able to pull something if they really stick with economic issues. But the problem is that Prabowos camp is very undisciplined this time, and has made a lot of blunders, Yohanes Sulaiman, a political analyst and lecturer at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani in Bandung, said.

On Monday, Prabowo delivered a televised speech at the Jakarta Convention Centre, mapping out his campaign vision. He stuck closely to his strong nationalistic message, focusing primarily on money matters.

We believe we can increase peoples purchasing power, we must stop the flow of money abroad. We must work so that money flows into the Republic of Indonesia, he said.

Jokowi has yet to give a similar speech but he is expected to press home his commitment to infrastructure improvements and the eradication of poverty, developing the themes of his 2014 campaign.

Jokowis policies have often sided with young people and touched the grassroots level, such as the Kartu Indonesia Sehat (Healthy Indonesia Card), Kartu Indonesia Pintar (Smart Indonesia Card), Social Assurance Scheme (BPJS), and others, Wardhani said. The Jokowi government has also built roads outside Java and several toll roads.

Supporters wear Joko Widodo masks at a rally in his support in the city of Bogor in November [Dita Alangkara/AP Photo]

Whats the mood ahead of the vote?

The 2019 election appears to have a very different feel to the polls five years ago.

According to Murdoch Universitys Wilson, Indonesians seemed to have tired of politics.

There isnt the same degree of urgency or intensity that was felt in 2014, he said. (Theres a) sense that its not the same kind of contest. It seems that there is less at stake, or at least thats the perception. Its not a defining moment election in the same way as 2014.

Yohanes Sulaiman, a political analyst and lecturer at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, warned there was a risk that people could be further put off by negative campaign tactics.

It looks to me that people are not as engaged or as excited as they used to be back in 2014, he said.

On Jokowis side, the selection of Maruf has dampened the enthusiasm. On Prabowos side, they are siding with Prabowo not because hes inspiring, but because they (are) all united with their dislike of Jokowi, and thats not really a good way to excite people.Sanaa-based monitor says Houthi rebels are holding dozens of women without trial and often torturing the detainees.

Yemens Houthi rebels are holding dozens of women without trial and often torturing the detainees and blackmailing their families, activists and a human rights lawyer have told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

A Yemeni rights lawyer told the AP on Thursday that the women were rounded up from cafes and parks in the past months.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fears for personal safety, he said families were still searching for their missing daughters.

The allegations were first raised over the weekend by the Yemen Organization for Combating Human Trafficking, based in the capital, Sanaa.

The groups founder, Nabil Fadel, said he had received information from families, former female detainees and other sources that, over the past months, the Houthis had been rounding up women over allegations of prostitution and collaboration with the Saudi-led coalition, which is at war with the rebels.

Fadel said that the arrests started after the Houthi appointment a year ago of Sultan Zabin as head of the Sanaa criminal investigation division.

Zabin promptly launched a crackdown on prostitution and smuggling. Women who had been rounded up in the crackdown and subsequently granted release were sent to secret detentions in villas across the Yemeni capital instead of being set free.

The rebel-run Interior Ministry responded to the allegations on Monday saying they were rumours from the mouthpieces of the mercenaries that are tarnishing the image of security apparatus.

It also denied the existence of secret prisons and illegal and arbitrary detentions and vowed to prosecute those behind the reports.

The leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, had recently warned in televised speeches about a so-called soft war against the Houthis by their enemies, pointing to their corrupt morals and sins.

Smashed in their faces with batons

An AP investigation last month showed that thousands of Yemenis have been imprisoned by the Houthi militia during the four years of Yemens grinding civil war.

Many of them suffered extreme torture, being smashed in their faces with batons, hung from chains by their wrists or genitals for weeks at a time, and scorched with acid.

The revelations about women detainees come as representatives of Yemens warring sides are in Jordan for talks on implementing a prisoners exchange deal agreed to in Sweden last month.

In Sweden, the two sides agreed to confidence-building measures, including an exchange of thousands of prisoners, but the implementation of that has been slow marred by violence.

Yemens war and ensuing economic collapse have unleashed the worlds most urgent humanitarian crisis with more than 22 million people needing some kind of aid to survive.

The conflict erupted in 2014 when the rebels stormed south from their stronghold of Saada and overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa where they overthrew the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The situation escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who accuse the Houthis of being Iranian proxies, formed a coalition that launched a massive air campaign aimed at reinstating Hadis government.

With logistical support from the US, the coalition has carried out more than 18,000 raids on Houthi-held areas in an attempt to reverse their gains.

According to recent estimates, as many as 85,000 children may have died from hunger since the coalitions intervention.Frances contingency plan looks after interests of our citizens, says PM Philippe.

France has put in motion a contingency plan to deal with an eventual hard Brexit, including 50 million euros ($57m) of investments to help ports and airports cope.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told reporters on Thursday that there were strong fears Britain would leave without a deal on March 29.

Whats certain is that the scenario of a no-deal Brexit is less and less unlikely, said Philippe.

In such a situation, the governments responsibility is to make sure the country is ready, that the interests of our citizens are looked after. Thats why Ive decided to trigger the plan for a no-deal Brexit.

Five decrees will be issued in the next three weeks, looking at different aspects of the relationship between the two countries.

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The first decree is expected to cover the rights of British citizens in France, and it allows the continued operation of UK companies in regulated sectors. It also allows British citizens to continue living in the country for 12 months, during which they can apply for authorisation to remain in the country.

The second looks at the increased control measures at ports and airports, and will lighten certain formalities.

The third allows road transport operations in France.

France will also look to ensure the smooth running of financial services that could be jeopardised by Britain losing its financial passport. The final decree guarantees military equipment exchanges between the two countries.

Brexit will be a change but we are determined to maintain the excellent level of cooperation between the two countries, said Philippe.

European concern

Businesses are concerned about potential disruptions in the case of a hard Brexit. But France is not the only country that is on alert.

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Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Ingrid Kaag said that the Netherlands will launch a major information campaign on January 28.

Germany said it will do all it can in the coming days to ensure that a deal is in place for when Britain leaves the European Union.

However, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed that, given the continued parliamentary deadlock in Britain over the terms of Brexit less than three months before the planned withdrawal, Germany would step up preparations for a disorderly Brexit.

Prime Minister Theresa Mays two-year attempt to forge an amicable divorce was crushed by the British parliament on Tuesday in the biggest defeat for a British leader in modern history.Refugees struggle to cope as conditions worsen in Lebanons Arsal, an isolated border town once a stronghold of ISIL.

Arsal, Lebanon  A tyre weighs down the roof of Ahmed Bareeshs tent as a new winter storm hit the Lebanese border town of Arsal in the Bekaa Valley, home to at least 65,000 Syrian refugees.

The plywood-and-tarpaulin structure is one of the 110 makeshift homes that are covered by a blanket of snow in the largely abandoned northeastern town that overlooks Syrias Qalamoun region.

Bareesh fled Syria in 2013, when fighting between armed rebel groups and government forces intensified in his hometown of Homs. He and his wife Rabaa lost their home to a government air raid.

We left with nothing but the clothes on our back, the 30-year-old, who suffers from an undiagnosed medical condition, told Al Jazeera. The father of two is unable to walk without help. He uses a crutch for support.

Ahmed Bareesh fled Syria in 2013, when fighting in his home town of Homs intensified [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Bareesh says he has not been able to seek adequate medical attention. Arsal is a small, isolated border town that not long ago was a stronghold of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The family relied on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) rations to make ends meet, but they recently learned they had been cut off from the service, including disabled Bareesh.

The tall, frail man registered for aid a year earlier in Zahle, a city in the Bekaa Valley.

When we first arrived in 2014, I couldnt register myself because men were not allowed to leave Arsal, he said. The town was under perpetual siege when ISIL dominated the area.

Instead of moving to a less remote region  such as the Bekaa Valley  the family remained in Arsal because their landlord permitted them to stay for free.

But as yet another winter storm batters the camps in the region, aid cuts and living in isolation have made it especially difficult for Bareesh to support his family as they battle freezing temperatures.

Thousands of other refugees in Arsal have the same problem. Military checkpoints surrounding the town have made it extremely difficult for NGOs to visit and for aid to be delivered.

Fighting in recent years and subsequent isolation has also hurt the 40,000 locals who rely on agriculture. Businesses have closed, crops have been lost as farmers could no longer access their land on the outskirts of town.

Arsal was declared ISIL-free in August 2017 [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Still neglected

Arsal has been isolated by the Lebanese armed forces since 2014, when ISIL and other armed groups briefly overran the town. It marked a new phase in Arsals history as the Syrian war spilled over into Lebanon.

For the next few years, ISIL fighters and other armed groups, including Haayet Tahrir al-Sham, used the town and its nearby mountainous border area to set up bases and to attack and kidnap members of the Lebanese army.

Lebanese politicians said ISIL controlled an area of about 300sq km between the two countries, around half of which was on the Lebanese side.

By August 2017, Arsal was declared ISIL-free by both the Lebanese army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah  a Lebanese armed group and political party that has been fighting on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

For the three years that Arsal was contested, ongoing fighting, several suicide bombings and widespread arrests gradually worsened the socioeconomic situation for both Syrian refugees and Arsals local population.

For them, the presence of armed groups in the Sunni area surrounded by predominantly Shia towns has only stigmatised Arsal.

In the eyes of the Lebanese people, as well as the state, the town was a hotbed for terrorism, Arsal Deputy Mayor Rima Krimby told Al Jazeera.

These military checkpoints must go, the 46-year-old politician told Al Jazeera. This is the first step in Arsals road to recovery  it should no longer be considered dangerous, she said.

Arsal Deputy Mayor Rima Krimby [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Ministries have not invested in the remote area, considered to be the last point in Lebanon, Krimby said.

Armed groups came and left and were still neglected, just like before, she said.

Krimby has been working with various ministries in an attempt to revive the economy, which once relied on the production of a local stone extracted from Arsals mountainous terrain.

She has also been endorsing the safe return of refugees to the Qalamoun region. Lebanese leaders have urged one million Syrian refugees to return to their country.

I visited multiple towns on the other side of the border  I accompanied several thousands who chose to return home, she said.

Krimby said border towns have become safe enough for refugees to return to and has urged the UNHCR to extend its operations to the Qalamoun.

Its much better for a Syrian family to have their tent there while they reconstruct than to remain here, she said.

Storm Norma affected more than 22,000 Syrian refugees living in about 574 settlement structures across Lebanon [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Its simply unsafe

But many Syrians refuse to return.

Several metres away from the Bareeshs tarpaulin home, a widow and her five children sit in a freezing-cold tent without access to heat.

A thin rug that separates the ice-covered gravel from a flattened and worn mattress is never completely dry.

The floor will remain damp until winter ends, Khadija al-Qassem said, pointing towards the mattress where they sleep.

Life in Lebanon for al-Qassem has been one of continuous fear and anxiety.

The mother of five lost her husband to an air attack in al-Qusayr, a city in Homs, in 2016.

Anxious about raising her children alone, al-Qassem does not think she will be able to return to Syria anytime soon.

Life in Lebanon for Khadija al-Qassem has been one of continuous fear and anxiety [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Its simply unsafe, she said, tearful. And its also unsafe here. If these tents flood, how will I carry five children to safety on my own, she asked.

Like thousands of other refugees sheltering in Lebanons northeast, families here have been struggling to deal with the aftermath of two consecutive storms in the space of fewer than two weeks.

The first one, Storm Norma, affected more than 22,000 Syrian refugees living in 574 settlement structures across Lebanon, according to the UN figures.

On Sunday evening, a second storm  dubbed Miriam  again brought incessant rain, harsh winds and snowfall.

When I sleep, I dream that the storm will take my kids away  that the water will drag them away, al-Qassem said.

We have absolutely nothing

The sub-zero temperatures have led many in the Arsal camps to beg for help to stay warm.

Mohammed al-Nasser says he only turns on the heat for two hours every night as fuel oil is extremely limited and costly.

We want to save the little fuel we have so that we dont quickly run out, the 39-year-old said. How else can I keep my children warm?

The father of six says the camp has yet to receive fuel oil from the UNHCR.

Mohammed al-Nasser says he only turns on the heating for two hours every night [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Some aid has been distributed as part of an emergency response plan to the storm, Hiba Fares, a spokesperson for the UNHCR in the Bekaa region, told Al Jazeera.

We handed out winter cash assistance in November to some 165,000 families across the Bekaa Valley  these include fuel oil for the winter months, Fares said.

Those not eligible say they have not received these kits at all. Others say the fuel in the kits was simply not enough to make it through two consecutive winter storms.

Those who were provided with fuel after the storm received additional quantities based on certain criteria and on the need, Fares said.

Meanwhile, others in nearby camps have had to move in with families in neighbouring tents.

Fatima Mahmoud said she woke up when her tents wooden frame came crashing down on her and her four-month-old baby.

We were sleeping and suddenly woke up to find ice water on top of us, the 27-year-old said.

At least we had a shelter. Now we have absolutely nothing.The lawsuit was filed after a man invaded a church in Texas and killed 26 people.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected an effort by three major US cities demanding the Pentagon be more vigilant about reporting service members who were disqualified from owning weapons to a national background check system.

By a three-to-zero vote, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals said it lacked jurisdiction to compel the Department of Defense to fix what New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco called a broken system, or to supervise improvements to the Pentagons partial and inconsistent reporting.

The lawsuit was filed seven weeks after former Air Force member Devin Kelley killed 26 people on November 5, 2017 at a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church before killing himself.

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Kelley, 26, was convicted in a 2012 court-martial of assaulting his wife and stepson and should not have been allowed to possess weapons.

But his conviction had not been entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

The cities said the Pentagon had failed to report some 15,000 current or former personnel who could not own guns because of court-martial convictions or dishonourable discharges, and that this undermined their ability to fight violent crime.

Courts cannot step in

Writing for the Richmond, Virginia-based appeals court, Circuit Judge J Harvie Wilkinson praised efforts by cities and towns nationwide to protect the public from violence that is too often committed by people who should not have firearms.

The APA, however, does not permit their efforts to include judicial supervision of the myriad programmatic workings of the federal government, Wilkinson wrote, referring to the federal Administrative Procedure Act.

He said courts couldnt step in despite what the cities viewed as the Pentagons widespread and systemic failure to provide disqualifying conviction records for former personnel.

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The department has admitted as much and is engaged in extensive efforts to increase its compliance, Wilkinson wrote.

A spokesman for New Yorks law department said it was disappointed with the decision, but also pleased with the courts admonishment for the Pentagons lapses.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said his office will evaluate its legal options.

Philadelphias law department declined to comment. The US Department of Justice, which represented the Pentagon, also did not respond to requests for comment.

Wednesdays decision upheld an April 2018 ruling by US District Judge Claude Hilton in Alexandria, Virginia.

In 2017, at least 39,773 people were killed in incidents involving firearms, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That number marked the highest in two decades.

Of that total, around 60 percent were suicides.

Last year, the Gun Violence Archive not-for-profit organisation documented 340 mass shootings across the country.Taipei calls for international support as Beijing intensifies pressure on self-ruled island, which it claims as own.

Taiwan will not bow to Chinese pressure, a presidential spokesperson has said, as the self-ruled island held live-fire military drills aimed at showing its ability to defend itself from Beijings threats.

The developments on Thursday came as China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province, has been pressing companies around the world to change the way they refer to the island amid renewed threats to use force to gain control over it.

As for Chinas related out-of-control actions, we need to remind the international community to face this squarely and to unite efforts to reduce and contain these actions, Alex Huang, the spokesperson for President Tsai Ing-wen, told reporters in Taipei, according to Reuters news agency.

Chinese nationalists fled to Taiwan at the end of the civil war in 1949 when the Communists took control of mainland China, but as the island has transformed into one of the regions most vibrant democracies it has become increasingly assertive of its own identity.

Not merely business

The mainlands Civil Aviation Administration has insisted airlines change the listings on their website to show Taipei as part of China. Some, including British Airways and Singapore Airlines, have complied.

The Global Times, the tabloid of the partys Peoples Daily, reported on Wednesday that 66 companies including Facebook and Nike continue to list Taiwan as independent from China, citing the work of two Chinese government think-tanks.

One of its authors accused the multinationals of undermining Chinas sovereignty by listing the territory separately.

Its not merely a business nor a technical issue for those foreign companies to separate Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao from China on their websites, the Global Times reported Zhi Zhenfeng as saying. It is a matter of principle involving the one-China principle and Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwans military on Thursday conducted live-fire drills [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]

Live-fire drills

Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since independence-leaning Tsai won the presidential elections in 2016.

On January 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping said no one could change the fact that Taiwan was part of China, adding that Beijing would not give up the use of military force as an option to ensure the islands reunification with the mainland.

On Thursday, Taiwan held live-fire military drills, the first since Xis comments some two weeks ago.

Artillery and assault helicopters fired at targets off the west coast city of Taichung, while Mirage fighter jets took off amid rainy conditions from the airbase at Hsinchu to the north.

The exercises also followed a new Pentagon report laying out US concerns about Chinas growing military might, underscoring Washingtons worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.Ottawa rallying allies after Canadian citizens arrest in China in light of top Huawei executives arrest in Canada.

The United States State Department has called the sudden move to award the death sentence to a Canadian man by a Chinese court in a drug trafficking case politically motivated.

In a statement on Wednesday, deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland had spoken the previous day and expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals.

The Chinese court has sentenced Robert Schellenberg to death in a sudden retrial in the drug smuggling case on Monday, after giving him a 15-year jail term in 2016.

Freeland and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been talking to world leaders about Schellenbergs case as well as those of two other Canadians arrested in China in apparent retaliation against the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

Canada had arrested the daughter of Huaweis founder at the request of the US, which wants her extradited to face charges related to the companys business dealings in Iran. Palladino said Mengs case was also discussed.

They noted their continued commitment to Canadas conduct of a fair, unbiased, and transparent legal proceeding, the statement said.

China defiant

Canada has embarked on a campaign with allies to win the release of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor, who were arrested on vague allegations of engaging in activities that endanger the national security of China 10 days after Mengs arrest.

Led by the prime minister, our government has been energetically reaching out to our allies and explaining that the arbitrary detentions of Canadians are not just about Canada  they represent a way of behaving which is a threat to all countries, Freeland said.

She added that the arrested Canadians would be at the top of her agenda when she visits Davos for the World Economic Forum next week.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Beijing isnt worried at all about facing opposition from the international community, according to an English transcript of her remarks that was published on a Chinese government website.

Actually, you can count by the fingers of your hand the few allies of Canada that chose to side with it on this issue, Hua said.

For serious crimes posing great harm to the society like drug smuggling, I believe it is the international consensus that such crimes shall be strictly handled and punished, she added.

Asked about Huas comments, Freeland said: I would just point to the fact that the EU alone, which has issued a statement, is a union of 28 countries.

Unlawful arrests

The United Kingdom, Australia and other countries have also issued statements backing Canada.

The White House, meanwhile, called the arrests unlawful in a statement after Trudeau called Donald Trump last week, but the US president has not talked directly about the arrested Canadians.

Bruce Heyman, a former US ambassador to Canada, said Washington and other allies need to take a stronger public stance supporting Canada.

A statement is a statement, but it only has strength in value if there are consequences for behaviour, Heyman told The Associated Press news agency. A threat to Canadians is a threat to the United States. Thats whats missing here. Thats what you do with allies and your best friend. Canada has always been there for the United States in a time of need.

Heyman argued that a lack of leadership from the Trump administration has empowered countries like China and Canada is suffering the consequences.

We are seeing behaviours around the world by countries who feel that they have a licence to do things because the US is behaving entirely differently, he said. We should be there protecting our allies.Police, who say the boy was robbing a vehicle, mistook the 14-year-olds airsoft gun for a real weapon.

Police in a Phoenix suburb have said that an officer shot dead a 14-year-old boy whose airsoft gun was mistaken as a real firearm during a suspected burglary.

In a press release, the Tempe Police Department said the deadly shooting took place after officers reported a suspect breaking into a car on Tuesday.

When they confronted him, the boy ran away holding what they said appeared to be a handgun, according to the release.

During the chase, police say he turned towards the officers. One officer perceived that as a threat and shot the suspect, who died at a hospital.

Police said on Wednesday that the teen had an airsoft gun in his possession as well as some items taken from the vehicle.

They say the shooting was captured on the officers body camera.

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I want justice

KNXV, the local news affiliate, identified the boy as Antonio Race. The boys family has criticised the Tempe police for using deadly force.

A police officer has a Taser gun, right? Why not shoot a Taser at him, asked Jason Gonzalez, the teens brother, speaking to KNXV.

My brother, I feel like he got scared at the moment, started running, Gonzalez said.

Speaking to KNXV through a translator, the boys mother, Sandra Gonzalez, demanded justice for her sons slaying.

If they want to tarnish my son, they are wrong, she told the local media outlet.

Apart from the fact that they killed him, they want to destroy him. No. I wont allow it. I want justice.

Across the United States, police shot dead at least 995 people in 2018, according to a Washington Post database. However, the number is likely much higher because many departments do not share statistics.American Marzieh Hashemi with Press TV is being held without charge in a Washington jail, her son says.

The son of an American journalist working for Iranian state television said his mother has been imprisoned in the United States for reasons unknown.

Marzieh Hashemi, 59, an anchorwoman for Irans English-language Press TV, was arrested on arrival at St Louis Lambert International Airport on Sunday and transferred by the FBI to a detention facility in Washington, DC, the broadcaster reported on Wednesday.

We still have no idea whats going on, Hossein Hashemi, her elder son, told The Associated Press in a phone interview from Washington. Everyone we ask is very vague and the information is still limited.

He said no charges have been filed against his mother, and he and his siblings were subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury.

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Hossein said his mother was shooting a Black Lives Matter documentary in St Louis, Missouri, and was about to board a flight to Denver when she was apprehended at the airport.

The FBI said in an email it had no comment on her arrest.

Marzieh was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and has worked for Irans state television network for 25 years.

Hossein said his mother, an American citizen, lives in Tehran and comes back to the US usually once a year to see family, often scheduling documentary work somewhere in the country as well.

Its important to note that she is an American citizen, shes a Muslim American citizen, she is an African American, and she has certain particular kinds of views that make it difficult for us not to think in conspiratorial sorts of ways, said Hossein Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado.

US law allows judges to order witnesses to be arrested and held if the government can prove their testimony has extraordinary value for a criminal case, and that they would be a flight risk and unlikely to respond to a subpoena.

Apartheid and racist policy

Marzieh had not been contacted by the FBI before she was arrested and would absolutely have been willing to cooperate with the agency, according to her son.

The family is trying to hire a lawyer, but it has been difficult because she has not been charged with a crime, he said.

Irans state broadcaster held a news conference and launched a hashtag campaign for Marzieh.

We will not spare any legal action to help her, said Paiman Jebeli, deputy chief of Irans state IRIB broadcaster.

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Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state TV that Marziehs arrest indicates the apartheid and racist policy of US President Donald Trumps administration.

We hope that the innocent person will be released without any condition, Ghasemi said.

The incident comes as Iran faces increasing criticism of its own arrests of dual citizens and other people with Western ties.

Last week, Iran confirmed it is holding US Navy veteran Michael R White at a prison, making him the first American known to be held under Trumps administration.

At least four other American citizens are being held in Iran, including Iranian-American Siamak Namazi and his 82-year-old father, Baquer, both serving 10-year sentences on espionage charges.

Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife, Afarin Neyssari, received 27 and 16 years in jail, respectively, while Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang was sentenced to 10 years.Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on January 17, 2019

2019/01/18

At the invitation of President-elect Andry Rajoelina of the Republic of Madagascar, Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC He Wei will attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Andry Rajoelina on January 19 in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo.

Q: According to reports, US Vice President Mike Pence made some unfounded accusations against China at the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference, saying that China has shown a disregard for laws and norms and the days of the United States looking the other way are over. What is your comment?

A: I have seen relevant reports. I was just wondering if there is a term called "state act of libel"? For quite some time, the US has been launching all kinds of unwarranted accusations, smears and attacks against China on the fronts of debt, trade, the South China Sea, international rules, and religious freedom. But facts have made the strongest refute. Even those who see things clearly inside the US have criticized the US actions.

This morning, I saw an article on Bloomberg written by Stephen S. Roach, senior researcher of the Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia. He said that America's charges against China are based on anecdotes and shaky evidence that don't stand up to serious scrutiny. The current US administration would be wise to stop relying on alternative facts. As for international rules, we all see clearly that the US has been so blatant in applying double standards on international rules-choosing to abide by whatever suits its purpose and discarding whatever it finds obstructive. In this regard, the US is the least qualified to point fingers and hurl abuses at China.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the US. Just recently, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave an exclusive interview to the People's Daily. Some of what he said merit thinking and reflection by the US side. State Councilor Wang Yi said that China and the US share more common interests than differences. Contradictions and disputes shall not define the current China-US ties. What is more important is that prejudice and misjudgment shall not dictate the future China-US ties. Only with an open mind and inclusive attitude to view things in a momentum of development can bilateral relations break more grounds for development. State Councilor Wang Yi stressed that the right choice must be made when it comes to matters of strategic mutual trust. China is committed to the path of peaceful development. China will not become the US and China has no intention of replacing the US. There will be competition between the two sides, but such competition needs to be positive and conforms with rules. The two sides should be committed to door-opening instead of barrier-erecting, follow the new concept of mutual benefit and win-win results, and discard the outdated mentality of zero-sum game. No malicious attacks shall be allowed to tarnish China-US ties and poison the social foundation of bilateral relations.

We hope that the relevant people in the US could view China's development in a correct and rational way, stop using the relevant issues to interfere in China's internal affairs and damage China's interests, do more to promote mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US, and work with China to maintain the sound and steady development of China-US relations.

Q: Some US lawmakers have proposed some bill in the hope of blocking the sale of US components to companies like Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese telecommunication companies that violated US sanctions or export control laws. Does China have any response to this?

A: I have seen relevant reports about the so-called bill proposed by several US senators. I wonder what do you think of it? I believe such move of these senators just testifies to their extreme hubris as well as lack of confidence. People around the world all know very well the true intention of the US using every possible state apparatus to suppress and block Chinese high-tech companies. Even some wise persons in the US have pointed out sharply the essence and possible consequence of the relevant move by the US. What the US side is doing is not the normal thing a normal country will do, still less a proper behavior for the number one power in the world. The US has made enough framed-up and wrong cases around the globe, and certain people in the US need to correct their mindset and stop before going too far.

I want to stress once again that the Chinese side is firmly opposed to the abuse of the so-called export control measures and interference in normal international trade and cooperation between businesses by the US. We urge the relevant US lawmakers to stop their unjustifiable suppression of Chinese businesses, stop getting the relevant bill passed and do more to enhance mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US.

Q: According to reports, the US Department of Justice is conducting a criminal probe into Huawei for allegedly theft of trade secrets. Do you think these allegations are warranted and can you make any comments about allegations over Chinese trade secrets theft?

A: Are you referring to the 2014 case between T-Mobile and Huawei? (Journalist nods) Our information is that it was a civil dispute between two enterprises and the parties concerned have properly resolved it through legal means. We are concerned over the reports that the US federal prosecutor is conducting criminal investigation into this case, which is rather abnormal. We particularly doubt it real motives. If the US is so ready in expanding and politicizing ordinary civil cases and arbitrarily using state apparatus to suppress Chinese enterprises, it is completely against the rules for free and fair competition as well as the spirit of the rule of law .

I would like to reiterate that the Chinese government always encourages its enterprises to observe market principles and international rules as well as local laws while seeking economic cooperation overseas. We hope that the US side could also create a level playing field for Chinese enterprises that carry out normal activities in the US.

Q: Yesterday, a senior US administration official said that the US will continue to rely on its nuclear deterrence capabilities to deter potential nuclear attacks from Russia and China because Russia and China have nuclear arsenals of certain scale. I wonder if you have any comments on this?

A: We keep hearing these news recently. On the one hand, the US has been demanding others to cut down on weapons. On the other hand, the US has been strengthening its arsenal of massive destructive power. This actually also reflects the double standards of the US side. We hope that the US, as a military superpower and one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, could work with other permanent members of the Security Council and make positive contributions to world peace and stability.

Q: The National Assembly of Venezuela recently adopted a resolution to invoke the Venezuelan Constitution's Article 233 to form a "transition government" and hold transparent and free elections. It also called on China and other countries to freeze the accounts and assets of the Venezuelan government. What is your comment?

A: President Maduro started his new presidential term from this January 10. Many countries and organizations including China had sent representatives to attend his inauguration ceremony. President Maduro announced a series of measures for state governance including economic recovery which are conducive to the improvement of people's livelihood and the interests of all parties.

China consistently upholds the principle of non-interference in others' internal affairs and supports the Venezuelan people in independently seeking out a path that suits its national conditions. As for who should lead them in this process, all parties shall respect the choice already made by the Venezuelan people. China stands ready to work with all parties to create favorable conditions for the Venezuelan people to peacefully and independently manage their internal affairs through political dialogues.

Q: According to reports, when talking about China-Russia relations at the annual press conference on January 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia has reached a record level in trade with China in 2018, and China and Russia have supported each other in international affairs and within the multilateral framework. China and Russia are friends because they are neighbors that have many common interests. He added that someone should propose signing a peace treaty with Russia to contain China, which arouses deep regret. What's your comment?

A: We highly appreciate Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's positive comments on China-Russia relations. Just as he said at yesterday's annual press conference, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, the China-Russia relations have witnessed unprecedented development with fruitful outcomes across the board in 2018.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia. The history of the development of China-Russia relations over the past 70 years has fully showed that the sustained and steady development of China-Russia relations, in particular the continuous high-standard development in recent years, meets the shared aspiration of the two countries and two peoples, serves the common interests of the people of the two countries, and is also a vital strategic stabilizing factor in maintaining world peace. The China-Russia relationship will neither be affected by the ever-changing international landscape nor changed by any particular incident, still less be weakened by discord sowed by any force. Under the current international circumstances, the new type of state-to-state relationship featuring non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting any third country between China and Russia has set a model and exemplar for the international community and relations between major countries.

The sky is the limit for China-Russia cooperation, and our cooperation can be expanded to any area possible. Taking the opportunity of observing the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, China stands ready to work with Russia to continue to boost the common development and revitalization of the two countries with more tangible cooperation outcomes. We will continue to maintain close strategic communication and coordination, firmly maintain multilateralism and contribute more positive energy to promoting world peace and stability.

Q: Canada has accused the Chinese side of arresting Michael Kovrig for his activities while he was a diplomat, saying this is a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Is China violating Michael Kovrig's diplomatic immunity?

A: This case is being investigated by the relevant department in accordance with the law. I am not in the position to disclose specific details.

I want to stress that our actions fully comply with international laws including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have said many times that Michael Kovrig is not currently a diplomat. He came here on ordinary passport with business visa. He was taken compulsory measures for activities endangering national security by relevant Chinese state security organs in accordance with the law and therefore enjoys no immunity in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other international laws.

Q: There are several reports today saying that one of DPRK's top officials is here in Beijing to travel to Washington. Can you confirm whether he will meet with the Chinese side or not?

A: I have no specific information in this regard.

Q: Canadian officials said that according to their understanding of the law, China has two choices with regard to Michael Kovrig, either it can ask Canada to waive his diplomatic immunity or can deport him to Canada. Does the Chinese government believe that the Canadian understanding of the law is correct and has China asked Canada to waive Michael Kovrig's diplomatic immunity?

A: The Canadian side has been airing their opinion on the individual case too much often recently, and I won't make any specific comment on this issue. I think I have made it very clear just now that this case is being investigated in accordance with the law by relevant Chinese department.

Follow-up: The Canadian Foreign Minister has said that China's actions against Canadian citizens in response to the arrest of Meng Wanzhou over the past few weeks represent a threat to all countries. Do you agree?

A: I'm afraid your Foreign Minister is so worried that she even talked indiscreetly like this. What threat has China posed to Canada? The Canadian side has unjustifiably detained a Chinese citizen transiting in Canada, who has violated no Canadian laws at all as the Canadian side itself has admitted, posing a grave threat to the Chinese citizen. You see that? It is Canada rather than China that has posed a threat. The Canadian side might be worried, but it had better refrain from talking such nonsense. This will severely taint the reputation and image of Canada and is not conducive to the settlement of the issue.

I would like to add that you could actually turn to the Canadian people for their opinions. I noted that many of them have expressed their viewpoints online in the past few days. In sentencing the Canadian drug trafficker to death penalty in accordance with the law, China is in fact helping the Canadians and people of other countries that are threatened by drugs. We are helping them to get rid of an evil, and how could that be a threat after all? Does the Canadian leader believes that it wouldn't be a threat to allow the drug trafficker to have his way at home? Is that what safety means? We need to have a basic judgment of what is right and what is wrong.

The following question was raised after the press conference: In the afternoon of January 15 local time, the Dusit D2 Hotel in the downtown of the Kenyan capital Nairobi came under a terrorist attack, which killed 21 innocent lives and injured more. What is your comment?

A: China firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya. We express our deep condolences to the innocent victims and sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured. As a good friend to Kenya, China will continue to unswervingly support Kenya's efforts to maintain national security and regional stability.

Due to scheduling reasons, the regular press conference of the Foreign Ministry will be adjourned on January 18 (Friday).

During the adjournment, the Spokesperson's Office of the Foreign Ministry will receive your questions via fax and e-mail as usual.Charles Kupperman is the latest addition to the Trump administration with ties to anti-Muslim group, say watchdogs.

Washington, DC  American civil rights groups have condemned the appointment of a new deputy national security advisor who served on the board of an anti-Muslim group for nearly a decade.

US President Donald Trump appointed Charles M Kupperman last week to assist National Security Advisor John Bolton, saying in a press release that Kupperman brings to the role more than four decades of national security policy and programme experience.

Kupperman served on the board of directors for the Center for Security Policy (CSP) between 2001 and 2010, according to tax records.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an Alabama-based hate monitor, designates the CSP as an anti-Muslim hate group, pointing to the groups promotion of conspiracy theories claiming that Muslims have infiltrated the US government and seek to establish Islamic law in the country.

The Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on the Trump administration to revoke Kuppermans appointment.

Once again this is an example of Trump elevating foxes into the hen house, where Islamophobes are well placed to direct our nations national security priorities, Robert McCaw, director of CAIRs government affairs department, told Al Jazeera.

McCaw argued that Kuppermans appointment should absolutely be rescinded and that he has no place in the US government.

In the White House press release, John Bolton was quoted as saying that Kupperman has been an advisor to me for more than 30 years, including during my tenure as National Security Advisor to President Trump.

Charlies extensive expertise in defence, arms control and aerospace will help further President Trumps national security agenda.

Kupperman has held senior positions in defence contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and served in the administration of former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

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During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump called for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the US.

Since coming to office in January 2017, he has issued a slew of executive orders, some of which have been challenged in courts, seeking to bar entry for travellers from several Muslim-majority countries.

In October, during the midterm elections, the Muslim Advocates group released a report documenting 80 instances of political candidates using clear anti-Muslim rhetoric in 2017 and 2018.

Not an accident

At the time of publication, the White House had not replied to Al Jazeeras request for a comment.

Established in 1988, the Washington, DC-based Center for Security Policy is headed by Frank Gaffney Jr, and has promoted the false claim that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the US government and American society at large.

Gaffney, who also served in the Reagan administration, has falsely claimed that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was behind the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, said former President Barack Obama was a covert Muslim, and claimed Hillary Clinton adviser Huma Abedin was a Muslim Brotherhood operative.

Frank Gaffney has built deep ties in the Republican Party [File: Larry Downing/Reuters]

In 2011, Gaffney called on Congress to create an updated version of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was established in 1938 to seek out Americans with communist ties or sympathies. In his version, however, the committee would root out Muslims supposedly seeking to undermine US institutions.

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According to the SPLC, Kupperman is one of several people with ties to the CSP to join the Trump administration.

Others include Kellyanne Conway, whose firm produced a dubious poll for the CSP. It claimed that more than half of American Muslims advocate replacing US law with Islamic law.

Bolton, who appointed Kupperman, also appeared on Gaffneys radio programme often, as did US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the SPLC noted.

Nathan Lean, author of The Islamophobia Industry, said that it is not an accident that people with clear connections to anti-Muslim hate groups are being elevated in the Trump world.

In fact, with John Bolton at the helm of National Security, such an eventuality would be absolutely expected, he told Al Jazeera.

Kuppermans associations with Frank Gaffney are enough to disqualify him from any government post, let alone one in which he is advising a man who is arguably in the presidents ear on a daily basis regarding matters of national security.Viral craze used by social media users to highlight the destruction across several Middle East countries.

The #10YearChallenge and #GlowUpChallenge have gone viral on social media this week, with millions of people sharing current photos next to what they looked like a decade ago.

While most of the craze has been for fun, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram users have also seized on the viral craze to address issues they say are far more important than selfies.

The hashtags have been used to highlight the destruction carried out by Arab governments and foreign powers across several Middle East countries since the Arab Spring in 2011.

Arab nations revolted with mixed results following protests that erupted against autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen.

While Tunisia avoided descending into conflict, the revolts in Libya, Syria and Yemen turned violent and into civil wars with European and Western powers becoming primary actors.

Thousands of images have been shared highlighting the devastation caused by the wars, with several users showing the destruction in Syria since an offensive was launched against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

ANTICONQUISTA, the Communist Party of the Latin American and Caribbean Diaspora, shared a composite image of Libya with the captions saying they were before and after the Imperialist invasion, a reference to the NATO-led military intervention that led to the toppling of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The #10YearChallenge pic ameriKKKa doesn't want you to see. Within the last 10 years in #Libya, slavery, extreme poverty and femicide have plagued the nation. This, after the US & Europe overthrew leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 as part of a direct imperialist invasion. pic.twitter.com/CK4g1fvfLx  ANTICONQUISTA (@ANTICONQUISTA) January 16, 2019

Muniba Mazari, a Goodwill Ambassador at UN Women Pakistan, shared an image of Syria, which has been devastated by eight years of war and led to an estimated 500,000 deaths.

The citizen journalist group, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, shared a collection of images showing the aftermath of the devastating assault on the place often referred to as the de facto capital of ISIL.

Nadwa Dawsari shared an image of the old city of Sanaa, which showed showing the UNESCO World Heritage site before and after a Saudi-UAE coalition air raid.Jamil Khader

Jamil Khader is professor of English and dean of research at Bethlehem University, Palestine. His numerous articles on postcolonial women writers, fa... more ntastic literature and cosmopolitanism have appeared in various national and international journals.Over the last two weeks, the Israeli army has been invading the Palestinian city of Ramallah and conducting a series of military incursions which has almost entirely escaped international attention.

On Saturday, we saw this escalate when they took up position in front of the Ramallah municipality and various high-end establishments. In a scene reminiscent of the Second Intifada, clashes ensued when the shabab (the youth) responded to the invasion with rocks, taking cover behind the dozens of expensive cars lined up in this fancy part of the city. The soldiers reciprocated with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. They also harassed and pushed around journalists, medics and bystanders. There were arrests, ransacking of establishments and dozens of tear gas-related injuries. This demonstration of collective punishment also left a rather bewildered population, with many pondering what the Israeli military was actually doing in Ramallah this time.

The official justification provided by the Israeli army is that they were confiscating private security cameras that would provide footage of the apparent Palestinian assailants. Meanwhile, others have speculated that this could be an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to gain electoral points and show the Israeli public that he means business when it comes to the Palestinians. This justification does not hold up, as the Israeli media has not been reporting on the invasions. And, as usual, the majority of Jewish Israelis have no idea whats going on in Ramallah. The army justification is also flimsy because it would not take them a week to confiscate all the cameras they need from the area. More so, because Israel has the occupied West Bank under intensive drone surveillance.

Whats more likely is that Israel is flexing its muscles in order to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to yield further politically by reminding them that they can literally come into their backyard and do whatever they like. It is also part of a systematic effort to keep Palestinians in a state of uncertainty and siege, something which the Israeli regime has perfected in Gaza.

However, albeit unintentionally, these efforts also remind the Palestinian residents in Ramallah that every time the Israeli army sets foot in areas under the PA control, they do so under the security coordination mechanism. On paper, this coordination between Israel and the PA allows for the sharing of intel on security issues in order to thwart apparent terrorism. In reality, it allows Israel full sovereignty over the West Bank. The Israelis can simply inform the PA when any of its forces come into the West Bank and tell them to make sure they stay behind closed doors. It has also allowed for more sinister scenarios where the PA provides intelligence on the whereabouts of individuals to Israel, such as was the case with the activist Basel al Araj who was assassinated in 2017.

The scene, on Saturday night, of a group of soldiers taking cover in front of the Ramallah Municipality from incoming rocks offered an aesthetic reminder of the security coordination as well as the fact that the PA is not even able to offer the most basic protection to Palestinians. Most of all, however, it demonstrated par excellence the fallacy of Palestinian authority or statehood. The Oslo framework is complicit in this fallacy, while supposedly an apparatus that would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state, it instead divided the West Bank into areas which would prevent Palestinian contiguity and would allow full de facto Israeli military control. Today, what exists in reality is one regime from the river to the sea which maintains an oppressive system of control based on racial segregation.

Complicity also lies in the hands of the international diplomatic community that has unsurprisingly, since the beginning of these latest invasions into Ramallah, not released any statements condemning the Israeli army. However, the invasion of Ramallah should not be exceptionalised. Indeed, dozens of Palestinian villages and towns suffer from Israeli incursions every week. Ramallah, the hub of the Palestinian bourgeoisie and political class, was reminded of something that is a common occurrence for many Palestinians. This was a good, albeit brutal, reminder that the fancy coffee shops and buildings and the expensive cars are all part of a delusional bubble  a bubble that is sure to burst sooner rather than later.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.The controversial outcome of the December 30 election could still mark an opportunity for strengthening DRCs democracy.

The unexpected outcome of the December 30 general election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) baffled even the most seasoned watchers of the country.

If we are to believe the provisional results announced by the Congolese National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) on January 9, opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi decisively won the presidential election with 36.6 percent of the votes. The runner up was Martin Fayulu, the leader of the Lamuka coalition, who scored 34.8 percent. And Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the presidential candidate of Joseph Kabilas ruling Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition, came third with 23.8 percent.

However, the FCC coalition won the senatorial and legislative elections in a landslide. In other words, at least according to the CENI, the Congolese people overwhelmingly rejected Ramazani Shadarys presidential bid, but gave the coalition supporting him a super majority in both the senate and the parliament.

This puzzling result led most reasonable observers of the election to come to the conclusion that Tshisekedis unexpected win was the result of a backroom deal between Tshisekedi and the FCC coalition aiming to help Kabila maintain control over important ministries and the security services with the help of a friendly president in the coming years.

This is not a far-fetched scenario. As stipulated in the constitution, upon leaving the presidency, Joseph Kabila will become a senator for life and preside over the senate. We can also assume that Kabilas coalition will most certainly maintain its control over the military, foreign affairs, homeland security, the budget, and the mining sector. If these assumptions stand, it is a foregone conclusion that the focus of Congolese political power will be shifting from the presidency to the Senate. In this context, it is reasonable to expect the FCC coalition to do anything in its power to prevent a hostile political figure from taking over the presidency.

All this is to say that the results of the 2018 Congolese general elections are murky at best. Even if one believes that Tshisekedi had enough popular support to squarely win the presidential contest, it is hard to comprehend how Kabilas coalition lost the presidency but won the legislative elections in a landslide.

Reports on irregularities surrounding the election process also make it hard for anyone to find the results announced last week by the CENI reliable.

On December 13, for example, 8,000 electronic voting machines were destroyed in a mysterious fire at a guarded warehouse in Congos capital, forcing the electoral commission to postpone the election, which was originally scheduled for December 23. Also, voters in several regions of the Congo, such as Beni, failed to participate due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak and the insecurity posed by armed groups.

Moreover, there have been several reports signalling major irregularities such as discarded ballot boxes, people who were not on the ballot miraculously winning local elections and a number of voting machines running long after the polls were supposed to close. If proven correct, these irregularities could cast further doubts on the electoral outcomes.

In light of all this, many national and international observers disputed the results of the election.

Martin Fayulu, who came second according to the CETU but claims to be the real winner of the presidential race, appealed to the countrys Constitutional Court to cancel the provisional result. He too supports the idea that Tshisekedi was declared the winner of the election only because he made a deal with the TCC coalition.

More importantly, DRCs powerful Catholic Church, which deployed more than 40,000 observers to monitor the elections, said it determined the real winner of the presidential race and strongly suggested that Tshisekedis win is not legitimate.

In a statement released on December 10, the church said that the results of the presidential election published by (the electoral commission) do not match those collected by our observer mission.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) also issued a statement saying the DRC should recount the votes of its contested presidential election.

A recount would provide the necessary reassurance to both winners and losers, the 16-member regional bloc said.

Meanwhile, France and Belgium also challenged the outcome of the presidential election, with Frances foreign minister saying the declared victory of Tshisekedi was not consistent with the results and that his rival Fayulu appeared to have won.

Now, with this many organisations and actors vocally disputing the results of the election, everyone is waiting to see what is going to happen next.

Will Tshisekedi agree to take over the presidency  which, given the circumstances, will be little more than a symbolic role  or will he demand a recount? Could he call another election?

A recount is unlikely to occur and if it does, it is unlikely to produce a different result. And a repeat of the election is equally unlikely as it would cause major difficulties for the Congolese political edifice. So Tshisekedi is most likely to ignore all the controversy surrounding his victory and take over the presidency in the coming days.

So what is Fayulu going to do? How far will he go to reclaim what he calls his stolen victory?

While the opposition leaders game plan is not yet fully clear, it is becoming obvious that his Lamuka coalition will survive to fight another day. The Lamuka coalition appeared to be the biggest loser in the election, however, it is well known that this group is still a major threat to Kabilas FCC coalition and is likely to be a stronger opposition force in parliament than Tshisekedis UDPS.

What will all this mean for the DRCs democracy?

Because Kabila will be in the Senate and his coalition will most likely hold onto important government departments, if things stay as they are, Felix Tshisekedi will be the first President in the Congolese political history since the time of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba to face a serious countervailing power. This is why, even though things are undoubtedly murky and messy, we may be witnessing the genesis of political checks and balances in the Congo. If the current political tripod  the FCC, Lamuka and UDPS  are serious about securing the future of the Congolese democracy, they may transform this problematic situation into an opportunity to start laying down the foundations of a new political equilibrium. Yes, Martin Fayulu will lose; yes, Tshisekedis presidency will be relatively or substantially weak, but if they all play their cards right, down the road, the Congolese people may begin to win.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Several heads of state have pulled out of an Arab economic summit in Beirut this weekend.

Beirut, Lebanon  As Lebanon prepares to host a regional economic summit this weekend, the meeting has been overshadowed by divisions over Syrias future and efforts to contain Iran.

Having previously confirmed their attendance at the Arab Economic and Social Development summit in Beirut, many heads of state are now set to stay away.

The emirs of Qatar and Kuwait will not attend, Egypt is planning to send the prime minister rather than the president, while the Palestinian Authority president has said he will be in New York.

The snubs seem to be a message to Iran, whose allies, including Hezbollah, hold power in Lebanon and support the Syrian government.

Irans allies saw the talks as an opportunity to bring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad back into the Arab fold, eyeing an Arab League foreign minister-level meeting before the summit as a chance to hold a vote on Syrias reinstatement to the regional body.

However, the future of Syria is not due to be on the agenda.

The league has no plans to discuss an invitation to the bodys summit in Tunisia during the upcoming meeting in Lebanon to which Damascus is not invited either, Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki said.

We arent there yet, Rami Khoury, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera. Not all Arab countries want to immediately normalise relations with Syria.

No co nsensus

The Arab League suspended Syrias membership in 2011 and imposed economic sanctions over its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters before the country descended into civil war. Some countries withdrew their ambassadors.

Late last year, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir became the first Arab League leader to visit Syria since the crisis began. In the following weeks, the UAE and Bahrain reopened their embassies in the country, but a consensus among the bloc remains elusive.

Days before the Beirut talks a number of Arab states made their positions clear. Iraq, which did not cut ties with Damascus, said it supports efforts to restore Syrias membership of the Arab League. Qatar, a supporter of Syrias opposition, stressed the reasons for Damascus suspension have not been addressed and there are no encouraging signs to push for normalising ties.

Saudi Arabia has denied it plans to do what its allies  the UAE and Bahrain  did a few weeks ago.

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There was a momentum but it has slowed, Sami Nader, political analyst, told Al Jazeera. US Secretary of State Pompeo told them it is too early to normalise relations and talk about reconstruction before agreeing on the general elements of a political settlement.

Obstacles ahead

Assad, who has survived the seven-year rebellion against his rule, is looking to consolidate his power, end his isolation and attract much-needed funds to rebuild the destroyed country.

But what is believed to be a Russian-led diplomatic push to legitimise the Syrian government is now facing obstacles.

When the Arab League was expected to discuss readmitting Damascus earlier this month, the meeting was postponed.

Egypt, which was leading the diplomatic drive to re-embrace Assads Syria, now says it cannot be readmitted to the Arab League if it doesnt solve the political crisis in line with the UN-led political process.

There are also those who warn against prematurely normalising ties, saying that would only strengthen Assads position when it came to negotiations.

The US is particularly eager to curtail Iranian influence in the region, and sees any move that strengthens Assad as strengthening Iran.

Assads opponents want him to comply with UN resolutions that would require relinquishing some powers.

Its not clear if supporters of Assads return will intensify their efforts before the next Arab League meeting in Tunis in March.

For its part, Iran has publicly welcomed the shift in policy of some Arab countries.

Arab countries returning to Syria was a positive change that signaled the international community recognised Syrias territorial integrity and legitimate government, the foreign ministry said.

However, if the Arab League were to normalise ties with Damascus, it would likely create a new regional order that would not serve Iranian interests. While Gulf Arab financial support could provide a huge boost to Syrias economy, the leaders of those countries would also likely seek more influence in the country.

The return of Arab enemies of Iran to Damascus is seen in this context as some sort of a drawback on the Iranian sacrifices in Syria, Mohanad Hage Ali, Carnegie Middle East Center, analyst told Al Jazeera. The Syrian regime return to the Arab fold means there has to be some sort of policy impact regarding the relationship with Iranians and its alliance with Iran.

Iran has been a staunch ally of the Syrian government throughout the war and there is no indication Assad will break that alliance.

The Arab diplomatic snub of the Beirut meeting is just the beginning of US-led efforts to contain Irans influence in the region.

They are expected to gain momentum in the lead up to the anti-Tehran meeting in Warsaw in February.Facing multiple domestic crises and international isolation, Venezuela has found an unlikely ally in Turkey.

Ankara, Turkey  When Venezuelas industry chief Tareck El Aissami swapped the Caribbean sun for the wintry skies of central Anatolia on Wednesday, he was greeted by bouquet-bearing dignitaries eager to play a role in Turkeys growing gold trade with the Latin American state.

His arrival in the city of Corum was the latest development in a burgeoning gold market that has raised eyebrows among the international community, which largely views Venezuela as a pariah state.

El Aissami, President Nicolas Maduros minister of industries and national production, spent the afternoon at a gold refining plant in the citys industrial zone before leaving by private jet amid tight security.

Since last year, Turkey has been refining and certifying Venezuelan gold after Maduro switched operations from Switzerland over concerns that further sanctions against his country could see it impounded.

Venezuela recently turned to gold in a bid to shore up its depleted foreign currency reserves as the economy implodes and international sanctions restrict the governments ability to raise foreign currency.

Maduro, who was sworn in for a second term a week ago, has become increasingly isolated as the West and Venezuelas neighbours have initiated measures over allegations of corruption, economic mismanagement, election-rigging and human rights abuses during his reign.

On Tuesday, it was reported that US President Donald Trump is considering recognising the head of the opposition-run National Assembly as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Washington is also said to be mulling a full oil embargo and even military intervention.

In this climate, Turkey has emerged as a vital ally for Venezuela on the world stage.

Despite the lack of any obvious bond between Maduros socialist regime and the conservative, free-market administration of Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two nations have forged close ties.

Imdat Oner, a former Turkish diplomat who was stationed in Caracas from 2014 to 2016, says Turkish interests in oil-rich Venezuela are largely commercial.

Aiming to diversify its partners beyond its traditional sphere of influence, the Erdogan government is seeking to achieve an economic foothold in Latin America, he said. Venezuela has been a convenient partner for Turkey to realize its goal to expand the export market in Latin America.

Turkey has become the largest importer of non-monetary gold from Venezuela, receiving $900 million in gold in the first nine months of 2018. Overall, bilateral trade has leapt from $804m over a five-year period from 2013, to $892m between January and May last year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.

Last year, the two countries announced joint ventures in coal and gold exploration and started talks about Turkish investment in Venezuelas beleaguered oil industry, which controls the worlds largest proven reserves.

In the first visit by a Turkish head of state to Venezuela, Erdogan last month oversaw the signing of commercial deals reportedly worth $5.1bn.

Erdogans soulmate

However, ties between the nations are further reinforced by political considerations. Like Maduro, Erdogan has often found himself subjected to Western criticism regarding human rights violations and undemocratic practices.

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Over the summer, Turkey was targeted by US sanctions that contributed to a collapse of the Turkish lira and there are a number of other enduring disputes. Although a long-standing American ally, deteriorating relations have seen Turkey move closer to Russia, a firm backer of the Venezuelan regime.

Turkey feels that both countries face the same international pressure  either military coup attempts or unjustly naming both countries leaders as dictators, said Mehmet Ozkan, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Policy in Washington.

Ozkan, who until last year was the Colombia-based regional director for TIKA, the Turkish aid agency, added: Most of the criticisms of the international system coming from Venezuela are similar to those of Turkey. Ankara considers that they both share a similar destiny as they face similar threats, criticisms and issues in global politics.

The personal relationship between Erdogan and Maduro seems to underpin the growing bilateral trade that encompasses finance, mining, energy, agriculture and defence.

Referring to Maduro as his friend during his December trip, Erdogan railed against sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

Political problems cannot be resolved by punishing an entire nation, Erdogan said, before condemning manipulative attacks from certain countries and acts of sabotage from economic assassins.

Two months earlier, Maduro had visited Istanbul, a stopover that provoked outrage when footage emerged of him dining at a celebrity steakhouse as ordinary Venezuelans starved. It was his fourth visit to Turkey in a year.

Relations between Ankara and Caracas warmed in the wake of the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. When Maduro was targeted by a drone in an apparent assassination attempt last August, Erdogan was quick to call and offer his support.

According to Oner, Erdogan found his soulmate in Maduro. Their like-minded attitudes and personalised diplomacy have paved the way for an increased rapprochement, he said.

These populist and authoritarian leaders are seeking to develop man-to-man relations, rather than relying on institutions, bureaucracies or rules.

Many commentators claim Turkey and Venezuela have become members of an alliance of authoritarian states, including Russia, China and Iran, that have emerged to challenge the West.

In an interview with Russias Sputnik news agency last July, Dogu Perincek, leader of Turkeys leftist-nationalist Patriotic Party, spoke of a solidarity in opposition to US control.

The world has formed a front against American hegemony and pressure whose geography extends from Venezuela to China and Turkey is a key player here, he said.

International suspicion

Oner said the relationship could also be viewed in the context of Turkish brinkmanship with Washington, where Erdogan calculates that his flirtation with the Maduro government acts as leverage.

With this in mind, President Erdogan will likely deepen his ties with the embattled Maduro regime in the near future to gain more concessions from the Trump administration, he said.

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In another sign of warming ties, Turkish Airlines initiated flights to Caracas, via Havana, in 2017 as other carriers shut down their routes.

Turkish food products also make up the bulk of aid packages sold to Venezuelans at a heavy discount  a system that critics say Maduros regime uses to reinforce loyalty from its citizens.

However, it is the gold trade with Turkey that has caught the eye, with US officials claiming some of the proceeds may be being funnelled to Iran, another Maduro backer, in breach of sanctions.

We are tracking large purchases of gold in Turkey these days and were trying to understand why thats happening, Marshall Billingslea, assistant US treasury secretary for terrorist financing, said during a visit to Ankara in July.

The gold trade between Turkey and Venezuela has been likened to the Turkey-Iran exchange in the 2000s when Ankara helped evade US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran sanctions-busting later resulted in a highly embarrassing criminal case in the US that saw a senior official at a Turkish state bank jailed. During the trial, Erdogan was personally implicated in the illicit trade.

Despite the quantities of gold being shipped to Turkey, there are no signs in official trade figures of the refined product being returned to Venezuela, leading to suggestions that a barter system has been set up that includes food aid going from Turkey to Venezuela.

Oner also pointed to an increase in the levels of gold going from Turkey to the United Arab Emirates. These unprecedented spikes raise the question of whether the gold coming from Venezuela is sent to the UAE because of sanctions, Oner said.

The lack of transparency means the global community will remain suspicious of the trade, he added.

A Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Turkey opposed resorting to unilateral sanctions in international relations and maintained that all trade transactions with Venezuela were transparent and conducted in accordance with national and international law.

Meanwhile, Maduros man in Corum was optimistic about the future of his countrys friendship with Turkey.

There will be no doubt that 2019 will be the most productive year for relations between Turkey and Venezuela, El Aissami told a news conference after his visit.With 72 days until Britain quits the EU, the prime minister is under pressure but remains stubborn in face of criticism.

London, UK  Theresa Mays ability to defeat a second motion of confidence amid widespread hostility to her strategy over Britains withdrawal from the European Union is, at one level, a testament to her resilience.

Britains second female prime minister likes to play up the image once painted of her as a bloody difficult woman by Conservative Party grandee Kenneth Clarke  and is said by friends not to worry about being liked.

But there is a fine line between determination, which evokes the iron lady spirit of her predecessor Margaret Thatcher, and obstinacy  something Mays critics often claim has been a key flaw since the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the EU in 2016.

May has stuck myopically to her own interpretation of that vote  passed by 52 percent to 48 percent  as a reflection of her own views on immigration and other issues that now leave Britain facing a hard Brexit, by which it leaves the bloc without a deal at all.

She has failed to forge a consensus both in parliament and the country behind the red lines based on this interpretation that she set as the basis for her exit talks with Brussels.

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University London, believes history will deliver a damning verdict on the way May has pursued Brexit since she became prime minister in 2016.

He said: She didnt take the chance, which she could have taken right back at the beginning, to try and forge some kind of cross-party consensus which reflected the very narrow win by the Leave campaign, but instead interpreted the referendum result as an overwhelming endorsement of a hard Brexit.

The problem for her is that this not something that this parliament wants to contemplate and, of course, its not something that very large numbers of people in the country want to contemplate.

But since she interpreted it like that, since she interpreted peoples reasons for voting in the referendum as taking back control of immigration, she therefore had to leave the European single market and the customs union  and from that everything else has followed.

Although Wednesdays vote of confidence in her government was defeated largely because many Conservative MPs who opposed Mays Brexit strategy despise the prospect of losing power, it revealed the degree to which Brexit has become synonymous with the prime minister herself.

First and foremost she has failed to explain to either the public or MPs how her thinking on Brexit has evolved. Anand Menon, director of The UK in a Changing Europe

The UKs political process gives the executive unique powers to control how parliament does business and, at the same time, Brexit has been such a divisive issue in the UK that alternatives have been difficult to advance  enabling her to set the agenda unopposed.

That changed on Tuesday when MPs overwhelmingly rejected her personal vision both of how the UK should withdraw from the EU and their future relationship.

As a result, Wednesdays subsequent motion of confidence in her government was more than just a procedural inevitability, it was an expression of deep frustration with her self-styled image as a bloody difficult woman.

Professor Anand Menon, director of think-tank The UK in a Changing Europe, said: I think she will go down in history as someone who is obviously resilient, who obviously has a strong sense of duty, but has ultimately been ineffective for a number of reasons: First and foremost, she has failed to explain to either the public or MPs how her thinking on Brexit has evolved.

She has never explained the trade-offs that are inherent to the Brexit process and that has got in the way of her bringing people with her as she has gone on this journey.

A screen shows news about Brexit with British PM Theresa May as a broker watches the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany [Michael Probst/AP Photo]

There is no doubt that Mays premiership has been uniquely challenging as leader of a minority administration, which makes it much harder to get a legislative programme through parliament  but the decisions she has made on Brexit have exacerbated those difficulties.

Maddy Thimont Jack, a researcher at the Institute for Government in London, said: It is difficult to say how history will judge her, but she has had a problem keeping both her own MPs and also other MPs on side.

She has clearly struggled to bring people with her in terms of the decisions she has made and to convince people in the House that the decisions she has made have been the best way forward.

Last-ditch efforts

A key failure has been her reluctance to reach out to the opposition in the national interest.

On Wednesday night, with 72 days to go until the EU divorce, after surviving yet another day in Brexit Britain, she attempted to strike a conciliatory tone after meeting with several opposition members  but crucially not the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn. He said he would only meet if the prospect of a no-deal exit was off the table.

Thimont Jack said: At the moment, she is reaching out now to other parliamentarians, but it might have been worth doing that sooner to actually try and build more of a coalition in favour of what she is doing in the House of Commons, because there have been very few opportunities for parliament to actually vote on what Brexit would look like.

It might have been more sensible to get some consensus behind what she was doing sooner rather than being in a situation of trying to persuade MPs right at the last minute to actually back the deal.

It is this failure to build a consensus that helps to explain why Britons are no closer to predicting the likely outcome of the saga.

The safest bet that is emerging at this late stage of the process is that the UK is likely to need an extension of the March 29 deadline under Article 50, invoked by May when she formally announced the countrys intention to quit the EU.Passenger traffic moving through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports grew by 20.1 percent year-on-year.

Cambodian airports hit the 10 million-passenger milestone on 18 December for the first time, according to parent company VINCI Airports CEO Eric Delobel.

Connectivity and synergies between the three airports have significantly contributed to bringing in more and more passengers to Cambodia, he said.

VINCI Airports, which has run the countrys international airports since 1995, through its subsidiary Cambodia Airports, said passenger traffic doubled over the last five years.

The company reported it has initiated an ambitious investment programme and contributed to the modernisation and expansion of Phnom Penh airports runway to support the increase in passengers.

Cambodia Airports communications and public relations director Khek Norinda affirmed that the attractiveness of Cambodia as a destination for leisure and business was the key driver for air traffic demand.

He noted it is the result of the countrys strategy for route development and for connecting three airports to more destinations.

In its annual report VINCI Airports said there is an upsurge in demand of visitors from China and Thailand, as eight new routes were opened.

Growth was especially brisk in Phnom Penh, with a rise of 27.9 percent, which cleared the 5-million passenger milestone to reach 5.4 million in 2018.

Siem Reap International Airport saw a slimmer 6.4 percent year-on-year increase with passenger traffic reaching 4.48 million. Meanwhile,

Sihanoukville International Airport saw the biggest increase in passenger traffic, with traffic growing 92.6 percent last year to reach 651,000.-The federal government has been shut down nearly a month, and furloughed workers in Alabama are talking about how they are struggling financially since the paychecks stopped coming after Dec. 21.

In Alabama, there are 5,500 employees at federal agencies without funding and subject to the shutdown. About half work for NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, with 95 percent of employees at that agency having been furloughed. Here are a few of their stories:

NASA human resources officer Kerri Davis talks about her furlough at a meeting of furloughed workers in Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 17, 2019.

Kerri Davis, NASA human resources, Huntsville.

I had to call the finance company for my car and have that payment put at the end of my term, because I couldnt make the payment this month.

Insurance is my No. 1 concern right now, because I have a disabled child. Medication, prescriptions, things like that that are necessary, now its like Im really getting nervous about co-pays, doctors appointments, things like that. That stuff is still going on and we have no end in sight at this point.

Once upon a time, a $14 co-pay for a prescription was not a big deal. But when I had to pick up my sons prescription last week, I actually had to pause and think about that. Fourteen dollars, OK, do I have it? And if I have it, do I have to get it right now? Maybe I should wait. Those questions were never an issue before. It was just, OK here you go. Get the prescription.

If it goes on another four weeks, Im really going to be concerned about my rent. I was able to make a payment with that last check. But come February, Ive got to have a whole other conversation, if this is still going on. Thats the one thing thats looming that I havent addressed.

Furloughed NASA engineer Jared Leggett talks about the government shutdown Jan. 17, 2019 in Huntsville, Ala.

Jared Leggett, NASA engineer, Huntsville

Ive been trying to do the best I can. You know, cleaned the house a few times. Take care of some chores. Do some budgeting. Trying to be as prepared as I can, but when you start missing paychecks, theres a not a heck of a lot you can do.

Personally, Im fine. Ive got plenty in savings still. Im single. I dont have that many mandatory expenses. But bills dont stop when the paychecks stop. Youve got to start biting into savings. Ive already done that a little bit.

But Im starting to go a little stir crazy. I really enjoy my work. I feel like Im really doing something for other people. I work at NASA. I work on the Space Launch System (rocket) program. Im a technical engineer. Basically, I make a computer do math every day. Thats my job.

I love my job. I get a lot of meaning from my job. It helps me do a lot of good, and it helps me pay my bills. I would like to be able to get back and do my job. Please.

Caroline Kennedy, mother of two and wife of a furloughed NASA engineer, is shown with her daughter.

Caroline Kennedy, wife of NASA engineer, Huntsville

Its not good. I lost my job in November. We have two small children and they are in full-time daycare. Then the holidays came, and we were struggling for me to find work, and then he was furloughed. Now, neither of us are working.

Were trying to keep two kids in daycare  If we cant pay or we take them out, they lose their spot. We have to keep paying that. Theres a number of things like that.

We contribute to our local economy by going out to eat and things like that as a family and taking our kids to do stuff. Weve completely stopped participating in the local economy. We just cant.

Were cutting out anything thats non-essential. Were not eating healthily like we normally like to do with laots of meats and home-cooked meals and stuff. Were literally trying to eat canned soup and things that are inexpensive.

Logan Kennedy, NASA engineer

I was here in 2013 in the last shutdown and it feels a lot different than that one. It just seems more uncertain. Since Congress and our government in general have just a lot more variables, a lot more unknowns. Its kind of frustrating  feels like it could go on a lot longer.

Were definitely fortunate that we have some savings and a lot of people in the country dont. (But) she lost her job in November, and were a zero-income family. The main idea is to stay at the house and dont spend any money.

Theres only so many cheap or free house projects you can work on. Ive been draining water tanks for my neighbors just to kill some time. Its free so I can do it.

Im worried professionally because we just bought this $150,000 computer right before the shutdown. I dont know if its sitting out in the rain, or what. Its a pretty significant piece of this (lunar) lander that were going to be building and testing. And I dont know where it is and dont have any way to check on where it is. Im the one who signed off on, yes, go buy this. I hope its OK.

NASA test employee David Barnett talks about the government shutdown in Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 17, 2019

David Barnett, Space Launch System test program

Were just trying to make ends meet the best we can. My wife is still working for the school system, so I dont have to worry about benefits. Thats a bonus I can count on. Some folks may not be able to.

Ive just been picking up odd work here and there. A little bit of anything. Ive done house renovation in the past. The major of my experience is in manufacturing. I work on part of the Space Launch System program helping them build hardware to test articles they need to test for structural strength.

If this goes on very much longer, were all going to be hurting. Another three weeks and Im going to have to do a juggling act. With the bills and trying to find more things to do to bring in more money.

Willie Preston

Willie Preston, recreation specialist at the federal prison on Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery

Preston said he had to tap into savings he built up to pay for his childrens college tuition.

Preston, who is also president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 4058  a union that represents Department of Prisons and other federal workers  also had to defer payment to next for his daughters tuition to Southeastern University in Mississippi. If hes not given a paycheck next Friday, his daughter wont be able to register for the spring semester.

Im having to get deferments and defer some of the payments because of the shutdown, he said. Im having to call vendors, call the bill people let them know at this time I just cant pay because Im not receiving pay.

If the recreation specialist misses his next paycheck, hell be faced with tough choices. Preston was able to get a deferment on his car loan for the time being, but his mortgage holder wont be as forgiving, he said.

If I dont get this next paycheck its going to be difficult to pay my mortgage, he said, because it will get to the point where I pay my mortgage and dont eat or eat and dont pay my mortgage. Either get gas to put in my car or pay my mortgage.

Preston, who has worked at the low-security Montgomery prison since 2006, is in middle of 5-year background investigation. To pass the background check, he needs to show that he meets his financial obligations.

Preston said he is concerned about what the shutdowns impacts on his finances will mean for his job security.

Im going to be subject to disciplinary [action] if I dont pay my bills, so its kind of a double standard, he said. Youre telling me to pay my bills but youre not giving me money to pay my bills.

Cayce Clark, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class working in Health Services

Clark recently went to a Baldwin County food pantry with her husband Cody and their two young sons, aged 11 and three and half.

Its been nerve wracking for my family and other families in the Coast Guard, said Clark, 30. You have to think about what to prioritize with two kids, and then on top of that, you have to be ready to do your job.

But thats what I signed up for and the way the Coast Guard community has come together has been incredible, from local command up to Washington DC. And places like this pantry are a life saver for so many people who are in need.

Clark, who is originally from Texas, and her husband were asked by staff to go through their financial outgoings and any additional income they receive. Based on that, volunteers at the pantry can advise whether they might qualify for any state or federal assistance programs.

(AL.com reporters Christopher Harress and Howard Koplowitz contributed to this report)The man accused of shooting a teenager inside the Riverchase Galleria mall on Thanksgiving night was attacked by the teen first, an attorney argued Thursday.

A preliminary hearing for 20-year-old Erron Martez Dequan Brown was held Thursday morning before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell Jr. Following the hearing, the judge bound over the case to a grand jury for possible indictment. He also lowered Browns bond to $60,000. If Brown does post bond, he must be placed on electronic monitoring.

Brown is charged with attempted murder for the Nov. 22 shooting inside the Galleria mall. Brian Wilson, 18, and a 12-year-old bystander were injured in the incident, and 21-year-old Emantic E.J Bradford was fatally shot by Hoover police. The day after the shooting, police said Bradford was likely not the person who fired the shots that injured the other two.

During Thursdays hearing, an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officer and two witnesses testified. Special Agent Pete Acosta first took the stand and testified that his agency received the case on Sunday, about two days after the incident. Acosta said he started interviewing witnesses the following day and was able to identify Brown as the person who shot Wilson.

Acosta testified that witnesses said Wilson first approached Brown, followed by a large group of people. Wilson slapped and punched Brown, Acosta said, and Brown then shot Wilson and fled the scene with two friends. Those two friends talked to police and also testified during the hearing.

Wilson was shot twice with a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson, according to Acosta. He was shot once in the left side of the abdomen and once in the left side of his chest. Of the six shell casings found at the mall, Acosta said two were from a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences determined those shell casings came from a .40 caliber gun found in Browns belongings at the time of his arrest, Acosta testified.

An arrest warrant was obtained on Nov. 28, and the following day Brown was arrested at his uncles house outside of Atlanta. Acosta said the uncle appeared to not have any knowledge about the shooting, and led police to several bags of Browns belongings.

Police found a .40 caliber gun in one of those bags. The gun had been reported stolen earlier in 2018, Acosta testified.

Full coverage of the Galleria shooting

Roosevelt Poole testified he was with Brown and another friend named Eric Parker shopping during Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night. He knew Bradford and Wilson because the men had all gone to high school together.

Poole said at 9:44 p.m., Bradford messaged him on Facebook and asked where Poole and his friends were. Poole responded they were near J.C. Penney, and soon Poole said Bradford, Wilson, and about eight other people showed up. Poole said Bradford walked up to him and shook his hand.

As Poole and Bradford were shaking hands, Poole said he saw Wilson slap and punch Brown several times. Within seconds, Poole said, two shots went off and he ran into the J.C. Penney store with Brown and Parker. The three ran through the store and out to Browns car.

Poole said he didnt see Brown fire a gun. It happened so fast, he said, adding that he didnt know Brown had a gun. Poole also testified that he didnt see anyone else with a weapon, but he did notice something poking out of Bradfords shirt.

When the trio got inside Browns car and were leaving the mall, Poole said Brown started cursing and saying, I think I killed him.

Brown dropped off Parker and then Poole and Brown went to the home they shared, Poole said. The two hung out all weekend and early Sunday morning, when Poole said his home was shot into. He didnt see the people who fired the shots, but he made a police report the next day. The night of that shooting was the last time he saw Brown until he was in custody.

Parker also testified that Wilson, a boxer, slapped and punched Brown seconds before the shooting. He said he didnt see Brown fire, and that he ran when he heard shots.

Parker was the only person during the hearing to say he witnessed Bradford pull a gun that night, but said he didnt see Bradford fire the weapon.

Parker also said Brown was panicked and said I think I killed him, when the group got into Browns white Camaro. Parker said he told Brown to calm down and if he did kill Wilson, it would be in self defense.

Brown, Poole, and Parker hung out during the weekend following the shooting, Parker testified. He said on Saturday the trio watched the Iron Bowl and then partied at a Tuscaloosa club Saturday night. When the group returned to Birmingham and Pooles house was shot at, Parker said Brown was afraid and said he didnt feel safe. Parker testified he didnt know Brown was fleeing to Georgia, and he didnt know who took Brown there.

Both Browns attorney Charles Salvagio and Deputy Attorney General Andrew Arrington made statements to the judge before he issued a ruling. Salvagio asked the judge to dismiss the case, calling it a pure case of self-defense. He also asked for a lower bond.

Arrington said there was probable cause to take the case to a grand jury, noting the matched shell casings and the fact Wilson was shot twice.

Salvagio said after the hearing that if all the evidence is presented to a grand jury, they will not indict Brown on the charge. He just got hit in the head by a boxer, Salvagio said. The argument I will make is in self-defense.

Surveillance video shows Bradford standing over Wilson with a gun and pointing it in several different directions, Salvagio said, before Bradford ran. He also said Bradford was the first person to pull a gun.

ALEA is still investigating the case.A Bessemer man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after authorities say he broke into Center Point area home and then fled into a wooded area behind an elementary school.

The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office announced the arrest of Whitney Williams. He is charged with public intoxication and criminal trespassing, said sheriffs Capt. David Agee.

It began just after 2:30 p.m. when an off-duty police officer called the sheriffs office to report a suspicious suspect trying break into a home near 23rd Terrace N.W. Once the suspect  now identified as Williams  noticed he was spotted, he ran into the woods behind Center Point Elementary School. He appeared to be carrying items with him, Agee said.

The school was placed on lockdown and the school resource deputy saw the suspect exiting the woods. When Williams saw the deputy, he again retreated into the wooded area.

More deputies arrived on the scene and took Williams into custody. Agee said the suspect was intoxicated but did not appear to have any stolen items with him. The suspect was able to hide or discard whatever he was carrying and the homeowner was unable to determine if anything was missing from his property, Agee said. Williams is a known drug user in the area and a suspect in other crimes.

Williams remains in the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $600.Authorities on Wednesday announced the route of the police procession for the Saturday funeral of slain Birmingham police officer Sgt. Wytasha Carter.

Visitation is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 18, from noon until 6 p.m. at Ridouts Trussville Chapel, 1500 Gadsden Highway. The funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 19, at 11 a.m. at Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in the 2100 block of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard. A private burial for family only will take place at a later time.

The procession will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. Lineup starts in the parking lot of the Pinnacle Square Shopping Center at 5000 Pinnacle Square which also is listed in Google Maps as 1600 Gadsden Highway in Trussville.

Carters patrol vehicle will lead the procession.

Any agency that wants to be part of the procession is asked to contact Lt. Lee Taylor at 205-873-3020 or by email at lee.taylor@birminghamal.gov. Sgt. Johnny Williams said the department will make every effort to include any agency that wants to take part.

Any agency that wants to send Honor Guard members to assist with the service is asked to call Sgt. Bryan Shelton at 205-532-3691 or by email at bryan.shelton@birminghamal.gov.

Also Wednesday, Fraternal Order of Police President Sgt. Heath Boackle said donations for Carters family and donations for the wounded officer can be made at any BancorpSouth location under the Fraternal Order of Police Fallen Officers Memorial Fund.

The shooting happened about 2 a.m. Sunday when officers were working a special detail dealing with a rash of car break-ins in that area. An undercover officer spotted at least two suspects who appeared to be trying door handles to see if they were locked in the 900 block of Fifth Avenue North outside the 4 Seasons Bar and Grill. The officer called for backup, and the sergeant arrived.

The officer and the sergeant approached two suspects. "The officers approached one suspect and patted him down where they found what they believed to be a weapon,'' said Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith. They asked him about it, he armed himself and fired upon our officers.

"What I can tell you is it appears our officers were unable to respond,'' the chief said. They were taken completely by surprise. We cant go into great detail because we are still in the infancy stage of the investigation.

Carter, the second officer  who has been on the force just under two years  and a suspect were rushed to UAB Hospitals Trauma Center by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service. Both of them were shot in very critical areas,'' the chief said of the officers.

Carter was pronounced dead at the hospital. Authorities have not released the name of the surviving, but critically-wounded, officer and said Tuesday he continues to recover. He was scheduled to undergo surgery again on Wednesday.

The hospitalized suspect is 31 years old. Authorities have not released his condition. The second suspect, an 18-year-old who was handcuffed, at the scene, was released from the Jefferson County Jail Monday night without being charged with any crime.

Investigators continue their search for one more possible suspect. The probe is ongoing by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys State Bureau of Investigation and any charges brought against a suspect or suspects are expected to be filed by SBI, not Birmingham police.An Alabaster man is charged with aggravated child abuse after police say he placed a young child in a clothes dryer, sometimes even turning it on with the child inside.

Steven Garrett Todhunter, 25, was arrested by Alabaster police on Jan. 12, according to jail and court records. He is also charged with felony domestic violence.

According to charging documents, the accused violence against the child took place between May 1, 2017 and May 1, 2018 and happened on more than one occasion. On numerous occasions Steven G. Todhunter placed the victim in the washing machine or dryer, the warrant state. When the victim was placed in the drying, (the suspect) would close and secure the door with a chair, and sometimes turn the dryer on.

The warrant did not state the age of the victim, but records show he is the father of a 3-year-old.

Aggravated child abuse of a child under the age of 6 is a Class A felony, according to Alabama law. The domestic violence charge is a Class B felony and carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years.

Todhunter also is accused of domestic violence/strangulation. That warrant states that on the same dates, he held a woman against a wall and choked her to the point that she passed out.

Todhunter was released from the Shelby County Jail on Jan. 13 after posting $20,000. He has a court date set for early February.There were the usual platitudes associated with such speeches  Madison County, its commission chair said, is the greatest county in Alabama  but Dale Strong brought a bit of an edge Thursday to his annual state of the county address.

Now in his seventh year as the top county official in Madison County, Strong spoke out on the expected legislative debate on raising the states gas tax.

For the tax itself, Strong offered no objections. But the revenue thats generated in Madison County should remain largely in Madison County.

To ensure transportation needs and infrastructure are maintained at the best possible levels, the vast majority of the $6.1 million in gas tax collected currently from the more than 250 gas stations in this county should return from where its collected, Strong said.

Strongs position is not unusual. Other officials around the state have raised similar concerns.

Strongs advocacy for his home county, though, comes from not only having the states third-largest city in Huntsville and the 10th-largest city in Madison.

The more than 111,000 people who live in unincorporated Madison County  in other words, not included in the Huntsville or Madison population counts  would add up to be the states fifth-largest city.

And with much of the countys legislative delegation in the audience of about 650 business and community leaders for the luncheon at the Von Braun Center, Strong couldnt help but hammer his point on keeping north Alabama tax dollars in north Alabama.

That is a legislative process, Strong said after the speech. My thing is, if a gas tax is passed, I want to advocate on behalf of the people of Madison County. Weve got some infrastructure needs. And I believe the state of Alabama, looking at return on investment, the best bet they can do is invest in Madison County. It will accelerate the revenue for (the state).

Madison County provides the most jobs for 12 north Alabama counties as well as two counties in southern Tennessee, Strong said.

So its not just the people of Madison County traveling our roads, he said. We sure dont want to give up $50 million off the top.

Strong said before legislation is introduced in Montgomery to raise concerns about keeping tax dollars at home.

Dont wait until its passed and then start complaining about it, he said.

Another highlight of Strongs speech focused on the Madison County Services Center that is scheduled to open in 2021 and shift some traffic-heavy services away from the downtown courthouse to a more accessible location with ample parking.

The $15 million, two-story facility will have about 60,000 square feet and be built at Oakwood Avenue and North Memorial Parkway. Offices that will be located in the new facility include tax collector, tax assessor, license department, probate judge and sales tax.

With more than 300 parking spaces, Strong said it will be a more inviting facility than the downtown courthouse with limited parking spaces.

This will be state of the art and very efficient, Strong said. I think we will get a lot of bang for the buck.Tad Cummins, the former teacher who in 2017 prompted Amber Alerts in Alabama and Tennessee by abducting a student, was sentenced today to federal prison.

Cummins was sentenced to 20 years at a hearing today in U.S. District Court in Nashville, the Tennessean reported. The sentence was issued by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger.

Former teacher Tad Cummins was sentenced to prison on Jan. 16, 2019. This photo was released by investigators when Cummins was on the run with a student in 2017.

Last spring, Cummins pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and taking a minor across state lines for sex. He faced a minimum of 10 years in prison. The maximum sentence is life in prison.

Cummins was 50 years old when he was accused of convincing a 15-year-old student to run away with him on March 13, 2017. The case prompted Amber Alerts in Alabama and Tennessee until the teacher and student were found in a secluded California cabin more than a month later. Cummins was taken into federal custody, and the girl was reunited with her family in Columbia, Tennessee.

Cummins was accused of destroying their cellphones to avoid being detected during the nationwide manhunt.

After Cummins and the student went missing, he was fired from his teaching job at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, Tennessee. Prosecutors say it was at the school that Cummins fostered a relationship with the teenager.

The girls family is suing Cummins and the school system.School officials are bracing for the impact of the Interstate 59/20 bridge closure in downtown Birmingham on Jan. 21, and one district has already asked bus drivers to get to their buses earlier.

[Bus drivers] will have a 15-minute earlier start during the first week [of the closure], Birmingham City Schools Communications Officer Adrienne Mitchell told AL.com.

All of Birmingham's school buses are housed at a central facility, just off the interstate in the Woodlawn area.

Even though buses dont travel on the interstate for morning and afternoon routes, she added, Our concern will be with drivers getting to and from the bus routes.

That earlier start doesnt change student pickup times, she said, but it gives bus drivers additional time to get to their buses.

Interstate 59/20 in downtown Birmingham is expected to close to traffic for 14 months beginning Monday night at approximately 9 p.m., according to the Alabama Department of Transportation, but the closure will be phased in, with some ramps closing for good on Friday night.

The roadway is one of the busiest in Alabama, carrying approximately 160,000 vehicles per day.

Mitchell said Superintendent Lisa Herring will send an email to the districts 2,800 employees encouraging them to consider how the closure will impact their arrival time at work and directing them to the closure website where updates and information are given.

The Alabama School of Fine Arts is at ground zero, located just south of the bridge on Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd between 18th and 19th Streets North and has been communicating with students, parents, and faculty for quite a while.

"We've kept everyone in the loop by forwarding all announcements we get from ALDOT and/or other sources," Executive Director Michael Meeks said. ASFA and Birmingham City schools are closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, but will find out Tuesday just what impact the closure will have.

"We are expecting great delays next Tuesday and the rest of the week," Meeks said, "as all of our students are transported by car, other than our 90 dorm students."

While there are no Birmingham city schools located directly on the suggested detours, Mitchell said she expects the bridge closure will have a domino effect on traffic.

"I think we are sitting in the same space as everyone else," she said, "in as much as this first week will be trial and error until everyone has a sense of just how many cars are impacted, and how that will affect alternate routes."

Full coverage of I-59/20 bridge projectA student was arrested Wednesday after allegedly threatening to shoot up a middle school in Mobile.

The unnamed student made the threat against Bernice Causey Middle School in West Mobile in an online post that was spotted by concerned parents Tuesday evening, resulting in a greater police presence at the school throughout the day, according to Mobile Police Department.

The post warned parents not to send their children to school Jan. 16 and that other threats against the school had been copy cats.

This post will be updated as new information becomes available.If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE).A man fleeing from police drowned when he tried to make his getaway by swimming through a rural pond, authorities said.

The incident began just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday when Troy police officers conducted a traffic stop in the 400 block of Trojan Way, said State Bureau of Investigation Lt. Heath Carpenter. During the stop, the driver fled on foot and escaped officers.

Troy police pursued the driver through a rural area and observed him swimming away from the officers in a private pond. Carpenter said the mans swimming became increasingly distressed, and a Troy police officer requested assistance before entering the water in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue him.

The Covington County Dive Team and divers from the Pike County Sheriffs Office searched for several hours before recovering the body of a black male. The body will be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for examination and positive identification.

Troy Police Chief Randall Barr requested that SBI conduct an independent investigation into the pursuit and circumstances surrounding the death. Agents from SBI immediately responded to process the scene, collect evidence and conduct interviews.

When complete, a copy of the investigation will be provided to Pike County District Attorney Tom Anderson for his consideration. Authorities are not releasing additional information at this time.We wanted to change the narrative.

But not like this.

We wanted the incessant exposure of our lingering historical pain, divisiveness, and dysfunction to dissipate. Or even disappear.

But not like this.

The outpouring of love, sympathy, and prayers from across the state and nation for slain Sgt. Wytasha Wyt Carter and the Birmingham Police Department has been a welcomed salve.

From the bouquet of flowers sent by the New York Yankees, of all entitiesa gift may surprise you but having lived in and around the Big Apple for 34 years, knowing how New Yorkers bound together in times of tragedy and, since 9/11, have a heightened affinity for its police and fire servants, I was not surprised at all.

From the vibrant portrait of Carter created by Pennsylvania police officer, artist, and U.S. Army combat veteran Johnny Castro, who creates paintings of heroes killed in the line of duty.

To the tsunami of condolences posted on social media and the actions of police departments throughout the state and nations.

On Tuesday, the Birmingham Police Department received a floral bouquet from the New York Yankees. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the Birmingham Police Department, read the accompanying card.

They all touched our pain like a welcomed elixir and, at least for a grateful moment, showed the world the best of us.

Wytthe first BPD officer to die in the line of duty since June 17, 2004, the 52nd overallrepresented our best.

Or what our best should be.

He was killed, and his BPD colleague critically wounded, early Sunday morning while checking out what should have been a measly misdemeanorpotentially breaking into cars parked near a downtown nightclub.

Now, because at least one suspect armed himself and two officers were shot in vital areas of their body, what should have been a petty crime will likely be prosecuted with the death penalty in play.

Worse, a family that should still be hugging their broad-chested, 44-year-old husband, father, protector and provider is now mired in the depths of unfathomable grief.

As are we.

It seems a lot longer than almost two months; thats how long weve been squinting and sweating beneath the harsh light of judgment and scrutiny, much of it self-imposed and most of it deserved.

The historical strains between Birmingham and some neighbors were tragically exposed on Thanksgiving night by the shooting of 21-year-old African American Emantic E.J Bradford, Jr. by a Hoover policeman at the Riverchase Galleria (were still waiting for folks at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency folks and Alabama Attorney general Steve Marshalls office to tell us what transpired and release the video)and the seismic ripples that followed:

Distrust and demands.

Anger and angst.

Boycotts and belligerence.

And the world saw it all.

Then, in early January, the Board of Directors of the venerable Birmingham Civil Rights Institute pulled an embarrassing clunker: Bowing to external pressures (Ill just leave that right here, this time), it rescinded its decision to honor activist and academic Angela Davis with its annual Fred R. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award. It also canceled its fund-raising gala.

Justifiably and predictably, it sparked wide outrage and ridicule throughout our city and well beyond our borders and even the nations shores, from places that revere and celebrate the, yes, controversial Davis for the vast preponderance of her work in human rights.

In between, the shootings, the killings continued. Birmingham ended the year with 107 homicides, four fewer than in 2017, but too many, way too many, nonetheless.

Too many families mourning. Too many guns still in our streets (despite that BPD says it confiscated 2,200 guns last year).

Too many people still making criminal, life-changing decisions.

Too often, life-ending decisions.

The events that transpired over the last two months, the issues they raised and fissures they exposed, tore us apart. We retreated into our respective corners and nooks and hurled all manner of harsh words at each other.

It got us nowhere.

And to outsiders, we looked like the Birmingham we thought wed left behind.

Or should have.

Sgt Carter, and the BPD officer who still lies critically wounded at the University of Alabama, Birmingham Hospital, made us one.

We all grieved. Were all praying for justice. We all want the senseless shooting to end.

Now.

We all needed to be reminded of that.

But not like this.

Visitation for Sgt. Carter will be Friday, Jan. 18, from noon until 6 p.m. at Ridouts Trussville Chapel, 1500 Gadsden Highway. The funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 19, at 11 a.m. at Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in the 2100 block of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard. A private burial for the family will take place later.

Column corrected o 1/17/19 to reflect Sgt, Carter was first BPD officer to die in the line of duty since 2004, not 2007, as previously stated.

Roy S. Johnsons column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Hit me up at rjohnson@al.com. Follow me at twitter.com/roysj or on Instagram at instagram.com/roysj/After a man opened fire on employees at a Huntsville IHOP restaurant late Wednesday, one of the workers pulled out his own gun and fatally shot the suspect, authorities said.

Roderick Turner, a 25-year-old IHOP customer, and Roy Brown Sr., a 56-year-old employee, were killed at the restaurant on Memorial Parkway, police said.

The deadly situation started when Turner went to pick up a to-go order before 10 p.m. Police said Turner got into a fight with employees because he was apparently upset about the food service. Turner got a gun and started shooting at employees, killing Brown, police said.

Also injured by Turners gunfire was another IHOP employee, who police identified as Browns son. Browns son pulled a gun of his own and fatally shot Turner, said Lt. Michael Johnson. Police said they arent publicly releasing the sons name. Johnson said the man was still hospitalized earlier on Thursday. Police said he is expected to survive.

At this time there does not appear to be any arrests that will be made in this case, Johnson said in a news release, however it will be turned over to a grand jury for review as is customary in similar circumstances.

Madison County Chief Trial Attorney Tim Gann said the Huntsville Police Department hasnt contacted him about the case. When a case is presented to a grand jury, prosecutors show evidence to the jurors, who are asked to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.

Johnson said investigators have reviewed evidence and talked to multiple witnesses.

The restaurant at the corner of Memorial Parkway and Drake Avenue is expected to reopen Friday, an IHOP spokeswoman said. It was closed Thursday as police continued investigating.

IHOP spokeswoman Stephanie Peterson said Thursday that the company is focused on taking care of the customers and team members who were at the restaurant during the gunfire.

This is a heartbreaking situation and our thoughts at this time are with the individuals and the families of those involved, Peterson said in a statement to AL.com. The restaurant team is working closely with and assisting authorities to piece together the events that unfolded.

The windows and doors of the restaurant, at the corner of Drake Avenue, were covered Thursday morning.

Madison County Coroner Tyler Berryhill publicly identified the slain men, whose bodies were taken for autopsy at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences on Thursday.

Three people have died in shootings in Huntsville so far in 2019.

Updated Jan. 17, 2019 at 4:17 p.m.In Washington, D.C., the premise is simple: make a donation and buy a beer for a furloughed federal worker. In Alabama, the offers for help are in more direct ways  food, assistance with childcare, low-interest loans.

The partial government shutdown that started Dec. 22  now the longest in U.S. history  has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers on the job without a check or furloughed at home waiting for the impasse to end. In Alabama, there are 5,500 employees at federal agencies without funding and subject to the shutdown. About half of these work for Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, with 95 percent of NASA employees furloughed.

At Columbia Elementary in Madison, Principal Jamie Hill sent a message to his parents offering the schools assistance.

Columbia Elementary is prepared to work with any families that are impacted by the government layoff, Hill wrote in a message to parents. Some ways we can help are with extended day tuition payments, field trips, lunch accounts, other fees etc. Please do not hesitate to let me know.

Oakwood University in Huntsville is offering the fruit of its farm for government workers who arent being paid. Oakwood Farms is offering free locally grown fruits, vegetables and grains with federal employees this Saturday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

We know its tough for many of our neighbors, Oakwood said in making the announcement.

The Heart of the Valley YMCA is offering financial assistance to Y members who have been furloughed and free admission to non-members who are employed but currently off the job.

We understand that the recent furlough decisions will have an effect on many members of our community, and in response to that, we want to ensure that those affected by the current shutdown can still maintain a healthy lifestyle without financial hardship, said Jerry Courtney, Heart of the Valley YMCA President/CEO.

Y members affected by the government shutdown can request to have their membership dues waived job status. Community members affected by the shutdown may use any Y branch in Huntsville and Madison free of charge  youll just need a drivers license, proof of employment and proof of furlough status.

Heres a look at other ways the community is reaching out to furloughed feds:

AT&T

AT&T is offering flexible payment options for furloughed federal workers. Contact your service provider for information.

Avadian Federal Credit Union

Avadian is offering furlough assistance loans and payment flexibility plans.

Bank of America

Bank of America is offering help through its Client Assistant Program. Call 1-844-219-0690 for information.

Cadence Bank

Cadence Bank is offering zero-percent interest consumer loans for furloughed federal employees impacted by the government shutdown.

Discover Card

Discover is offering assistance for furloughed federal workers at 1-800-DISCOVER.

Feeding the Gulf Coast

Feeding the Gulf Coast has resources for south Alabama residents impacted by the shutdown. Call 1-800-704-FOOD for information.

Food Bank of North Alabama

The food bank has resources to assist those needing help. You can contact the food bank at 256-539-2256.

Huntsville Utilities

Customers who may have difficulty paying their bills due to the shutdown should call Huntsville Utilities at 256-535-1200.

Kelly Services

Kelly Services can place individuals in a variety of short term jobs. Please visit kellyservices.us and enter your zip code to search local positions.

Office of Personnel Management

The Office of Personnel Management has sample letters that furloughed federal workers can use when working with creditors.

Feds, here are sample letters you may use as a guide when working with your creditors during this furlough. If you need legal advice please consult with your personal attorney. https://t.co/t6h6OzALsS  OPM (@USOPM) December 27, 2018

Progress Bank

Progress Bank is offering a furlough loan to help those affected by the partial government shutdown. Loans are up to $5,000 with no payments for 90 days. For more information on how to apply, call 888-513-2288 or visit your local branch.

Redstone Federal Credit Union

Redstone Federal Credit Union is offering members low interest loans during the shutdown. Members affected by the shutdown are able to apply for a 2 percent interest loan of up to $5,000. The first loan payment is delayed for 60 days; members will then have 12 months to repay the loan.

Members may also request to skip payments on certain Redstone loans to free up cash for other expenses. That loan payment can be deferred for one month.

Snelling Staffing Services

Snelling is offering short term, limited time employment opportunities. Visit huntsville.snelling.com to search for positions.

Sprint

Sprint Customer Care is prepared to work with federal government employees seeking short-term payment solutions. Impacted customers should call 1-888-211-4727 or go online to chat with a Care representative. Additional information about Sprint payment options are available Sprint.com.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile customers who are federal employees or federal government account customers can call T-Mobile Customer Care (611 from a T-Mobile device or 1-877-746-0909 from any phone) for assistance offers.

Unemployment

Federal employees off the job due to the ongoing government shutdown can apply for unemployment compensation benefits, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. ADOL said furloughed employees must meet state eligibility requirements for unemployment, with weekly benefit amounts ranging from $45 to $265. Unemployment is available for up to 26 weeks.

United Way of Madison County

United Way of Madison County and Crisis Services of North Alabama have a specialist available weekdays until 5 p.m. and 24/7 by calling 211.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo has a customer assistance line for furloughed workers- 1-800-219-9739. The bank is also waiving and reversing some late fees on credit accounts.

This list will be updated as more assistance become available. If you know of a program offering help to federal workers, send information to lgore@al.com.Furloughed federal workers will receive back pay once the government re-opens.

President Donald Trump signed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act on Wednesday. The act ensures that federal employees  off the job since the partial government shut down on Dec. 22  will be paid for their time off work.

The bill required compensation for government employees for wages lost, work performed or leave used during the lapse of appropriations.

As many as 340,000 government workers are currently on furlough and werent guaranteed back pay until the bill was signed. An additional 500,000 are on the job but without compensation, though their back pay was guaranteed. Neither group will be paid until the government reopens.

Last Friday marked the first time that affected workers did not receive a paycheck.

Operations at the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, State, Interior, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security and Justice, as well as several independent agencies, have ground to a halt during the shutdown as Congress and the White House square off over President Trumps demand for $5 billion to build a wall at the U.S./Mexico border.

The shutdown is the longest in U.S. history.

In Alabama, there are 5,494 employees at agencies without funding and subject to the shutdown, according to data from Governing. About half of these work at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, with some 95 percent of NASA employees furloughed.Jenna King-Shepherd had an abortion nearly a decade ago at a clinic in Birmingham that no longer exists.

I was getting ready to go off to college and my parents really wanted me to get married and live in the hometown I always had been in and be a housewife, King-Shepherd said. I just knew thats not what I needed to do.

So after I found out I was pregnant, even though I didnt really know about abortion, there was never really a doubt in my mind what I needed to do for myself.

Full coverage of the abortion debate in Alabama

Today she would find her options limited. Alabama now has just three abortion clinics that regularly provide care, down from 13 in 2000.

Alabama last fall cemented state opposition to abortion. Voters in November added language to the state Constitution opposing abortion. It is a mostly symbolic move, although it would set the stage for quickly restricting access in Alabama should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. The vote was the latest in a long line of state legislation that has chipped away at access or added new obstacles for Alabama women seeking an abortion.

King-Shepherd grew up in Guntersville in a conservative, religious home. Her parents did not approve of her decision to have an abortion so her sister drove her an hour and a half to Birmingham twice, one for mandatory counseling and again two days later for the procedure.

She bonded with the two other women in the waiting room over their shared experience, but has not since talked about her experience with anyone besides her husband.

Its really sad that more people in Alabama dont talk about [abortion] because women tend to feel alone or that theyre the only ones going through this, she said. One in four women are going to have an abortion for whatever reason, and when I was going through mine, thats not something that I understood.

The National Abortion Federation lists three clinics statewide that regularly provide surgical and medical abortions. They are located in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery.

According to a 2011 study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization focusing on reproductive health, 59 percent of women in Alabama do not have access to a womens clinic in their county.

Those limited options, combined with demanding state hurdles and waiting periods, force some Alabama women to travel long distances or across state lines and take extended time off work, at times pushing the procedure later into pregnancy.

Planned Parenthood tends to attract attention in abortion debates, but the organization only has two clinics in Alabama and none that provide surgical abortions on a regular basis.

Planned Parenthood has two clinics in Alabama, but can only perform abortion based on doctor availability from out of state.Kalamazoo Gazette

Staci Fox, president of Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates, said Birminghams Planned Parenthood abortion services depend on the availability of providers in the area. Doctors are flown in from out of state to perform abortions at the Planned Parenthood clinics in Alabama.

Fox said despite Planned Parenthood Southeasts long-standing relationship with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, she believes doctors at UAB are not allowed to provide abortion services at Planned Parenthood or other abortion clinics around the state.

Theyre afraid of things like funding because here we have a state that wants to amend its state constitution to ban abortion, and UAB gets its funding from the state, Fox said. So UAB makes decisions like not allowing their staff to work for [Planned Parenthood] or other abortion providers to help provide access to womens healthcare.

A spokesperson from UAB said the medical center does not have [such] a policy  official or unofficial.

According to a 2016 study by the Department of Health Care Organization & Policy at UAB, it is difficult for women in Alabama to find an abortion provider in Alabama in a timely manner.

Two-thirds of the women were unable to schedule their abortion 48 hours later owing to work schedules or because appointments were offered only once a week, researchers found, and four women were delayed until their second trimester even though they sought services earlier in pregnancy.

Finding a clinic with openings, getting together enough money to pay for the procedure, which can amount to $600 in some cases, taking off work, and finding transportation all combine to create a nearly insurmountable barrier for many women facing an unwanted pregnancy.

King-Shepherd became pregnant during the summer and did not have to take off work or school. Her sister didnt have to take off work because of her flexible schedule. She was able to pay for the abortion by using the monthly allowance her parents provided. But she said she knows things are not that easy for many women in her situation.

Amanda Reyes, president of the Yellowhammer Fund, helps procure funding, travel and lodging for women seeking abortion care in Alabama.

She most often sees women who live in Montgomery, South Alabama and the Florida panhandle asking for assistance, she said. Those folks have the most problems physically accessing the clinics and thats where do a lot of our help.

Reyes said one case that sticks out to her is a woman whose partner was not supportive of her decision to have an abortion despite the woman being disabled. Reyes and her team helped the woman find transportation, childcare and funds to travel to Atlanta, where clinics provide general anesthesia for patients. She estimates they spent close to $1,500 to help the woman.

Where we are now, its really bad and its been that way for a while, she said. Some of the different elements have changed, but Id say the access landscape in general has not changed. Its still extremely hard for people to access abortion care.

Fox said the lack of access primarily affects poor women and poor women of color.

When you look at our history [of Planned Parenthood] from 1930 to 2018, she said, its not like another provider has stepped up to fill that gap for access to healthcare.

Fox pointed to Alabamas high rates of cervical cancer in the Black Belt as another effect of womens clinics, like Planned Parenthood, closing. She said clinics began closing because of Alabamas political stance on abortion.

In November, 60 percent of Alabamians voted to add Amendment 2 to the state constitution, essentially codifying Alabama as a pro-life state.

Alabama has attempted to institute so-called TRAP laws, or Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, in the past, such as revoking clinic licenses when clinics are within 2000 feet of a school.

Summit Medical Center in Birmingham closed in 2006 after a physicians assistant gave a patient medicine for a medical abortion. Lack of funding caused Huntsvilles Planned Parenthoods closure in 2008. Beacon Womens Center in Montgomery closed in 2010 because of health code violations.

Many others, Fox said, closed because of building code violations and the extra scrutiny abortion clinics are put under by the health department.

King-Shepherd, now a mother of a 2-year-old boy, said she kept her abortion secret until Amendment 2 passed in November. She invited women in her community in Guntersville to come to her house, to talk about the possible repercussions of the amendment. But almost all 25 canceled because they didnt want to be associated with abortion rights, she said. Some said their husbands did not want them go.

A lot of people in the South may choose to think of themselves as good people who are loving and accepting people, especially because of their faith, but when it comes down to pressure and its something that affects you or someone you know and love, its what do you do under those circumstances that dictates who we are.

After the amendment passed, King-Shepherd quit her job at her familys company and started studying for the LSAT so she could apply for law school. She hopes to travel out of state with her family for school and eventually return to Alabama to fight for womens reproductive rights.

I had an abortion and I never regretted it, and that doesnt make me a bad person, King-Shepherd said. I just did whats right for me and I cant imagine what my life would be like had I not had that right.The mayor of Gordon, Alabama, has been convicted of voter fraud and removed from office.

News outlets report Elbert Melton was convicted Wednesday of unlawfully falsifying ballots when he was elected in 2016. He defeated challenger Priscilla Wilson by a 16-vote margin. This conviction strips him of his office. The Gordon Town Council will appoint an interim mayor to serve until an election is held.

Melton was charged in September with absentee ballot fraud and second-degree theft of property. Arrest warrants say he knowingly obtained or exerted unauthorized control over $1,700 that belonged to the town.

Prosecutor Mark Johnson says the judge has released Melton on bond. Melton is set to be sentenced next month on the fraud charge. He still is facing the theft charge.Internationalization, done the right way, pays off for everybody, Airbus CEO Tom Enders said Wednesday at the groundbreaking for a new jet assembly line in Mobile.

With ceremonial shovels gleaming, fireworks bursting and supporters lining up to autograph a steel beam that will become part of the new production facility's structure, the day definitely felt like a payoff. A number of speakers, including Enders himself, recounted Airbus' history in Mobile from the decision to open an engineering center, through the bruising and unsuccessful battle for an Air Force tanker contract, to the 2012 decision to build an assembly line for Airbus' A320 family of jets.

There were people within Airbus who, at the time, questioned the decision to build the engineering center and the Final Assembly Line, Enders said. But six years on, "Nobody in Airbus questions the Final Assembly Line here in Mobile," he said. "Nobody."

Enders and numerous other speakers pictured the addition of a new assembly line for the A220 family of jets as the culmination of a relationship built on what has gone before. Not one mentioned the incentive packages that are helping to make it happen: A combined $8 million over 10 years (plus tax abatements and fee waivers) on the local level, plus a state incentive package worth at least $17 million over 10 years. Airbus has projected that the new assembly line represents a direct investment of more than $200 million and will provide more than 400 jobs.

Airbus has embraced an aggressive timetable. It intends to start building its first made-in-Mobile A220 this year, well before the new assembly line is finished. (That signals strongly that it'll be built at least in part on the current A320 assembly line. But in a session with international reporters, Philippe Balducchi, CEO of the Airbus-Bombardier partnership to build the new jet, declined to reveal specifics of that process.)

The first new A220 from Mobile is due to be delivered in 2020, and representatives of three airlines -- Delta, Moxy and JetBlue -- were on hand Wednesday to say how eagerly they anticipate taking delivery of it. All described the new jet as a design with comforts that will please passengers, paired with economical operation that will benefit airlines.

"I'm looking forward to visiting this facility in coming years to see JetBlue's future taking shape," JetBlue executive Ursula Hurley told the crowd.

Enders, who's being succeeded by Guillaume Faury as CEO of Airbus, said his third groundbreaking in Mobile would be his last. But "it's not necessarily the end of the story," he said.

"In an age of protectionism and nationalism, it's good to be local," he said.

In their turn at the podium, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson embraced the highly speculative notion that when both assembly lines are running at capacity in a few years, Mobile may rank fourth in the world in jetliner production. The claim has been bandied about by numerous state and local officials in recent weeks.

"Mobile is poised to do something that no one even dreamed could happen," said Stimpson, picturing the Port City behind Toulouse, Hamburg and Seattle. "Each one of those cities had nearly a century's head start," said Hudson.

Senators Richard Shelby and Doug Jones, plus U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, expressed congratulations in a video. And Gov. Kay Ivey, freshly inaugurated for what will be her first full term, made clear she didn't see the event as a local affair.

Today the entire state of Alabama takes a great step forward with our friends here at Airbus, Ivey said.A lawsuit filed this week by Birminghams Buffalo Rock against PepsiCo contends that one of the historic underpinnings of the U.S. soft drink industry is in jeopardy.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Jefferson County Circuit Court, names the soft drink company, as well as several other defendants, in a dispute over transshipping - the encroachment of soft drink bottling companies into another bottlers exclusive territory.

The suit seeks more than $1 million in damages, as the company claims lost profits due to independent distributors based in Birmingham, Luverne and Huntsville, along with other unnamed distributors. Its not the first time a soft drink bottler has sued a national company over transshipping.

Tucked into the 115-pages of legal arguments and exhibits filed by Buffalo Rock is a history of soft drinks in the U.S. and Alabama, and how they were able to capture the American imagination.

Soft drinks in America made an estimated $253.7 billion in 2016, and that share, despite the rise of bottled water and other alternatives, is still expected to rise by 5 percent through 2025, according to Grand View Research. But bottlers, such as Buffalo Rock, contend that the big name drinks consumed by Americans would never have gained their popularity were it not for independent operators like the bottling companies.

Pepsi, for example, was invented as Brads Drink in 1893 by a North Carolina pharmacist, Caleb Branham, as a cure for dyspepsia, or indigestion. Thats how it got its later, more well-known name.

Like Coca-Cola, Pepsi has relied historically on a network of independently licensed bottlers to package and distribute the product. As the lawsuit notes, Pepsis business took off during the Great Depression when, with distributors, it lowered the price of its 12-ounce bottle to a nickel, which was the same price Coke charged for a 6.5-ounce bottle. This led to a radio jingle - Twice as much for a nickel, too.

The soft drink companies produced the drink, but bottlers were able to raise the capital and provide labor necessary to distribute it both nationally and globally.

The bottlers buy the drink in concentrate form from the company and add carbonated water, sweetener and other ingredients. They then bottle or can the beverage, and distribute it in a way to ensure it is fresh upon sale. Historically, the bottlers were also tasked with pricing, selling, distributing, promoting, and delivering the soft drinks through bottling rights which gave them specific territories. Supermarkets and general merchandise stores represent the biggest share of the soft drink market, with restaurants next and convenience stores, followed by vending machines.

The business model survives to this day. Buffalo Rocks lawsuit states as much: The historical right of independent bottlers to territorial exclusivity is the foundation of the soft drink industry," it states. Because of the substantial capital investment required to manufacture, sell, and distribute liquid refreshment beverages, it was necessary to grant the bottlers exclusivity in order to persuade them to make such investments.

Buffalo Rock began in 1901 with Sidney Lee, the founder of the wholesale Alabama Grocery Co. He and a Selma chemist, Ashby Coleman, developed Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale. In 1951, Lees grandson, James C. Lee Jr., purchased the Pepsi franchise.

Today, Buffalo Rock currently employs over 2,100 employees, has a 500,000-square-foot Birmingham facility, and sells and distributes through 14 facilities in Alabama, Florida, and West Georgia.

Buffalo Rock says that PepsiCo has the authority and responsibility to prevent transshipping, and in the past fined bottlers whose products were found in another territory. But in 2010, PepsiCo bought up the Pepsi Bottling Group, which accounts for about 80 percent of Pepsi distribution in 43 states and several foreign countries. The move by PepsiCo to control more of its bottling and distribution business is not unique to them, and was done in response to marketplace changes with big box retailers operating nationally, in order to set uniform wholesale prices, among other issues.

Duane Stanford, executive editor of Beverage Digest, a trade publication for the non-alcoholic beverage industry, said by buying up bottlers, Pepsi was able to set prices and control the flow of new products as the soft drink industry changed.

When you have a network of mini-bottlers, you are coordinating with them and having to have several conversations about rolling out innovation, he said. When you own the bottling network, there are less of those conversations, less negotiations you have to make.

Because of this, the suit contends, PepsiCo has little incentive to enforce the territorial rights of companies like Buffalo Rock.

Other national beverage companies, which have out-performed PepsiCo during this time frame, have made substantial changes in their transshipping enforcement programs, while PepsiCo has failed to make meaningful and effective changes, despite promises to do so, the suit says.

Transshipping has been the subject of other lawsuits nationally from soft drink companies' dwindling number of independent bottlers, with one filed in 2017 in North Dakota against PepsiCo.Something is stirring in the Turkish television sector. Over the last two years, a new crop of well-produced, innovative TV series has been appearing on laptops, tablets and telephones across Turkey. Digital streaming services are now transforming the future of Turkish TV.

At the beginning of 2017, residents of Turkeys major cities began noticing advertisements for something called "Masum" ("Innocent"), with the faces of famed actors Haluk Bilginer, Nur Surer and Ali Atay staring out at passersby from posters on bus stops and street intersections. Masum," it turned out, was a new series being streamed on a service called BluTV.

The first episode of "Masum" was available online for free. However, to watch the other episodes of this innovative series, directed by Turkish cineaste Seren Yuce, one had to sign up for a digital membership at a cost of 9.90 Turkish liras ($1.85) per month. Drawn in by the gripping plot  a family saga where nothing is as it seems  and compelling public ads, Masum enticed thousands of Turks to become BluTV subscribers.

At the end of 2018, Turkish TV reached another milestone. On Dec. 14, Netflix launched the first production by a full Turkish cast and crew: Hakan: Muhafiz, known internationally as "The Protector." After the success of other Netflix productions  Ingobernable (Mexico), Dark (Germany) and Sacred Games (India)  Netflix had decided to try its hand at the Turkish market.

At a press conference in Istanbul Dec. 4, Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix vice president of international originals, made a prediction regarding The Protector, saying, We think that audiences all over the world will love this production. We believe that 137 million people in 190 countries will show very positive reactions when they watch this series.

Though reviews of The Protector have been mixed, the show has garnered enough buzz to continue a second season. The suspenseful and fantastical plot, featuring a young man working in the Grand Bazaar fulfilling his destiny to save Istanbul, has made the show popular in Turkey and abroad. It features Cagatay Ulusoy as the shows heartthrob lead.

Between the rather sudden appearance of Masum and the high-profile launch of The Protector, Turkish TV has begun a new chapter. What lies behind the success of this original content available for streaming in Turkey?

Sarp Kalfaoglu, head of drama at BluTV, told Al-Monitor that many viewers are tired of the Turkish cable TV networks. Like the soap operas in the Middle East or Latin America, Turkish series are stuck in the same format. The national channels dont move beyond certain 'safe' topics, he said.

Turkish TV series are notorious for their length and repetition. A popular program such as the detective Arka Sokaklar ("Back Streets") has now reached over 500 episodes, each averaging roughly 126 minutes. Combined with Turkeys lengthy commercial breaks, a show lasts nearly three hours per episode.

Turkish melodramas, like the romantic intrigue "Ask-i Memnu" (Forbidden Love) of the late 2000s, have been exported as far as the Balkans and Latin America, and boosted a general interest in Turkey. Yet young and savvy viewers in Turkey are rejecting cable TV. Some only watch foreign series such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, which are very popular. Many of these shows are illegally streamed on pirate websites.

It is this Turkish viewer  caught between nationally produced shows that are disappointing or intriguing imported shows  that BluTV seeks to reach. The company, part of the Dogan Media Group, has been very successful at sparking interest in their well-funded original series.

BluTVs head of content, Deniz Sasmaz Oflaz, told Al-Monitor that Turkeys young population easily adapts to new technological developments. At first, it is difficult to convince the viewer to take out their credit card and pay to watch a show online, but many have made the switch to the membership system. What makes this worth it for them is the original content, she said.

The site has also acquired popular foreign shows such as The Young Pope and The Handmaids Tale.

The creatively shot detective story Masum was BluTVs first original series. Since then they have released an array of new content-spanning genres. 7Yuz ("7Faces") is an innovative mini-series with seven plots. Tunc Sahin directed four episodes and Umut Aral, Alphan Eseli and Ceylan Ozgun Ozcelik one each. One episode even features celebrated thespian Genco Erkal.

"Sifir Bir - Bir Zamanlar Adana'da" ("Zero One - Once Upon a Time in Adana") is a mafia show. This popular series originally started when young people filmed the gritty reality of their home town. After racking up a large number of followers with two self-published seasons on YouTube, they signed with BluTV to continue professionally.

Another major source of new subscribers for BluTV was "Yasamayanlar" ("The Unliving"), the first serious stab at a Turkish vampire story since the 1970s heyday of Yesilcam, the Turkish Hollywood. Then there is the absurd everyday life comedy "Bartu Ben" ("Im Bartu"). Actor and musician Bartu Kucukcaglayan writes and stars in a raucous self-parody of the Turkish creative industries. With its meta-humor, foul language and true-to-life characters, Bartu Ben is becoming a cult classic.

Besides BluTVs latest production, the atmospheric series "Bozkir" ("Steppe") is reminiscent of True Detective. In addition, BluTV has produced a travel show, a horror show and various documentaries, including a collaboration with the alternative media collective 140journos.

Unsurprisingly, BluTV is not the only company trying to corner this new market. puhutv, part of the Dogus Media Group, has also released original series on its video-on-demand platform. Its journey began in 2017 with "Fi," an adaptation of Azra Kohens popular romance series.

In 2018, puhutv released its first truly noteworthy series: "Sahsiyet" ("Personhood"). Featuring a cast with such luminaries as Haluk Bilginer, Sebnem Bozoklu, Mujde Ar and Humeyra, Sahsiyet made a splash with its riveting plot and stylish mise-en-scene. The screenplay was written by controversial novelist Hakan Gunday.

Can Kilcioglu, an award-winning young director, thinks one reason for the appeal of these new series is how realistic they are, especially compared to cable TV. He told Al-Monitor, When you watch TV its like these people are all living in a utopia. You cant even tell what country the action is taking place in.  The characters are separated from every real-life struggle.  On the internet more three-dimensional projects are possible.

BluTV and puhutv both succeed in their nuanced depiction of Turkish realities. Their series include gay and trans characters, Syrian refugees, portrayals of middle-class office life, smoking, drinking, drugs and sex.

Sasmaz Oflaz insisted that BluTV is not going out of its way to be controversial. She said, If youre trying to portray real life, youll get into such topics either way. They are a part of life. What makes us different is we try to tell a story just like it would happen in reality.

When even cigarettes and alcohol are censored on network TV, let alone more controversial topics, this realness strikes a chord with viewers.

Its not all smooth sailing ahead for BluTV and puhutv, however. In an interview with NTV, Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Isik announced in March 2018 that Turkeys Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) is taking steps to ensure that digital programming would also be subject to its regulations. Isik said that there was some serious outrageousness on the internet, implying that certain content might be censored.

Kalfaoglu from BluTV admits that RTUK oversight is probably inevitable. We might be limited in how things like alcohol, cigarettes and sex can be represented, but we will still keep telling our stories in an original way. In fact, sometimes restrictions can encourage creativity, he noted.

Director Kilcioglu makes a similar point, using the example of Iranian cinema. Asked why certain governments choose to censor media content, he told Al-Monitor, People fear art. Art moves the viewer from being passive to active. Its our responsibility to create active, questioning viewers.

Sasmaz Oflaz said BluTV will not give up. In fact, it is expanding. In addition to BluTV International, which offers English subtitles, BluTV Arabic has launched, providing content to Turkeys neighbors. The next phase will likely be establishing BluTV Latin America.

As for BluTVs Turkish content, Kalfaoglu hinted that the next project will be a show resembling popular cable series, but done cleverly. Think of it like a Turkish 'Big Little Lies.' We will tell the story of a womans struggles, but not from a misogynistic viewpoint. It will be from her own perspective, he said.MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.  The fleet of Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) will begin receiving a number of necessary upgrades under the terms of a $37.2 million contract awarded Jan. 4. General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada will perform the work, which includes the procurement of 60 hardware kits in support of the Light Armored Vehicle Reset Program. The enhancements are designed to extend the service life of the LAV into the 2030s.

Embedded in their original design, LAVs combine speed, maneuverability and firepower to perform a variety of functions, including security, command and control, reconnaissance and assault. The first LAVs were initially fielded in 1983.

The reset effort will focus on five key areas:

 Modernized powerpack to improve reliability, cooling capacity and diagnostics with the added benefit of better fuel economy.

 New drive train which will improve towing capability.

 Steering dampener to improve road feel and usability.

 Digitized drivers instrument panel.

 LAV 25 slip rings  doubling power supply capability to the turret and modernized to handle additional channels for gigabit Ethernet, video and fiber optics.

The Marine Corps is committed to ensuring this platform remains viable into the 2030s, said Steve Myers, LAV program manager.

Active light armored reconnaissance battalions will be the first units to receive the upgraded vehicles, which will become LAV A3s.

The hardware kits will be installed at Marine Corps Depots, with initial operational capability targeted for the second quarter of fiscal 2021.

The contract was awarded through the Army Contracting Command in Warren, Michigan.WASHINGTON  The Donald Trump administration conducted a preliminary internal assessment of its Iran maximum pressure policy this month and determined that it is not working, according to a new report. Such an assessment could drive administration efforts to try to provoke Iran to leave the nuclear deal, possibly by urging a potential inspections crisis at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), some experts said.

So far, there is little evidence that the administration is meeting any of its possible goals, the International Crisis Group writes in the new report, On Thin Ice, on the third anniversary of the Iran nuclear deal.

A preliminary internal assessment by the administration described to Crisis Group purportedly concludes that the U.S. approach has yet to curb Irans behaviour or entice Tehran back to the negotiating table, the ICG report says, citing in a footnote an interview conducted by the group with a senior US administration official this month.

A National Security Council spokesman, asked about the reported US assessment, declined to comment on internal deliberations. The State Department neither confirmed or denied the purported assessment. A department official, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor, The Trump administrations withdrawal from the disastrous Iran deal, the reimposition of tough sanctions and the ongoing maximum pressure campaign have successfully deprived the Iranian regime of millions of barrels and billions of dollars in oil revenue to fuel its terrorist activities. The official added, The courageous and growing protests by the Iranian people objecting to the regimes human rights abuses, corruption and economic mismanagement speak for themselves.

The reported Trump administration assessment that Iran may be able to wait out its maximum pressure campaign may convince administration officials that they need more European buy-in to the policy to succeed, said Ali Vaez, director of the ICG Iran Project and co-author of the report. But Europe is currently trying to entice Iran to stick with the nuclear deal after the US exit last year and reimposition of harsh sanctions on Iran's oil and banking sectors.

If you look at the range of ultimate objectives different people [in the administration] have in mind, from protests that pose an existential threat to the system, to change of behavior, to the Iranians coming back to the negotiating table, none of that is happening, Vaez told Al-Monitor in an interview.

The Iranian economy is in dire straits but not a downward spiral, Vaez said. While the number of protests was higher in 2018 compared to previous years, their scale and scope remain limited.

In short, the policy is not working, he said. An additional source of time pressure felt by the Trump administration is that under the UN Security Council resolution that enshrines the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a conventional arms embargo is supposed to be lifted on Iran in 2020.

Now, the other point, which I think is key, is precisely because of this assessment, Vaez said, adding that the administration seems to me to have come to the conclusion that it needs to basically bring others on board for this campaign of pressure to become effective. And also to stop the UN from lifting the arms embargo in 2020.

If that happens, Iran will be able to bolster its defensive capabilities through purchasing Russian and Chinese conventional weapons. And at that stage, it would be much harder to go after their nuclear program, Vaez said. So that adds pressure on time. But there is no way to stop the UN Security Council from lifting the embargo unless the JCPOA is dead.

With Trump announcing the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, the Trump administration may seek to try to placate regional allies such as Israel by ramping up pressure on Iran at the IAEA, which has consistently reported Irans compliance with the nuclear deal in 13 reports since implementation day three years ago.

One sign the administration may try to pursue that track was a tweet this week by hawkish national security adviser John Bolton, and comments he made in Israel last week.

Report: Iran's secret nuclear archive provides substantial evidence that Iran's declarations to IAEA are incomplete & deliberately false, Bolton tweeted Jan. 14. The President was right to end horrible Iran deal. Pressure on Iran to abandon nuclear ambitions will increase.

During a visit to Israel on Jan. 6 to discuss the US withdrawal from Syria, Bolton said, We have little doubt that Irans leadership is still strategically committed to achieving deliverable nuclear weapons.

I have no idea where Bolton is getting the intelligence to support this claim, Joe Circincione, head of the Ploughshares Fund, which supported the Iran nuclear deal, wrote at Defense One. Even the much-ballyhooed documents stolen from the so-called Atomic Warehouse by Israeli agents only show that Iran had the framework for a nuclear weapons program in place by 2003, but not that they ever did much beyond vague plans. The [US] intelligence community stands by its assessment that Iran abandoned the program in 2003.

Some members of the Trump administration may be trying to provoke some kind of crisis between the IAEA and Iran in order to get Iran to leave the deal, said former US Iran nuclear negotiator Richard Nephew.

Everyone [in the Trump administration] is upset that the Iranians keep being able to cite that the IAEA has said once again they are in full compliance, Nephew, now with Columbia University, told Al-Monitor.

The worst case scenario for them, honestly, is if the pressure campaign  does some damage but doesnt overthrow the regime, and the Iranians dont withdraw from the JCPOA, and so they are then left with Iranian compliance, insubstantial sanctions pressure, and then they have got to answer the question: Now what?

Some members of the Trump administration such as Bolton very much want the Iranians to withdraw, Nephew added. Part of this crew truly wants the crisis.

So probably the objective here,  especially with what Bolton is allegedly doing to prompt an inspection crisis, is to try to put the burden of blame around Irans neck, Vaez said. Basically, if you can't convince others that the JCPOA is dead, try to persuade them that the deal is already defunct as Iran is violating it by denying access to suspect sites.

Any effort by the Trump administration to try to politicize the IAEA inspections process would be deeply troubling, said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association.

The IAEA clearly states that inspectors have had access to all the sites in Iran they have requested to visit, Davenport told Al-Monitor. The IAEA has a process for evaluating information from member states and the agency should examine information provided by Israel, and if it wants inspectors visiting a site, it is important the IAEA take that step.

Maintaining the IAEAs independence is critical for the integrity of the agency, she said. The US and Israel must respect the IAEAs processes for evaluating information and deciding whether or not to act on it. Politicizing the inspections process only damages the IAEAs credibility.Four years ago this month, Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His reign has changed the kingdom profoundly: It is more repressive than ever, more unpredictable than ever and likely less stable than at any time in a half century. The kingdom is in the midst of important and challenging transformations.

Salman was governor of Riyadh province for a half century before his half-brother, King Abdullah, made him crown prince. As the chief of the capital, Salman oversaw its transformation from a remote desert town to a modern city and the centerpiece of the country. He did so with the careful cultivation of the Wahhabi clerical establishment. He also was the policeman of the royal family, most of whose members lived in his jurisdiction.

For a half century before his ascension to the throne the line of succession in the kingdom was predictable and clear: The sons of Ibn Saud would inherit the throne as they aged. The question of succession is the Achilles heel of absolute monarchies.

Salman has twice changed the line of succession without any explanation. Two crown princes have been dismissed to open the door for the kings son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef is under house arrest, quarantined from his own family. Apparently the king and crown prince regard Mohammed bin Nayef as a potential rival for the loyalty of the royal family.

The fate of the former crown prince is emblematic of the repression of the Saudi system under the Salmans. The kingdom has never been a human rights beacon, especially not for women or Shiites. But in the last four years it has become a brutal, repressive dictatorship. Women's rights activists have been detained, tortured and abused by the crown princes henchmen. Hundreds of Saudi business leaders, including royal family members, were detained and shaken down for money and property in 2017; dozens are still in jail. Most famously, journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, apparently at the crown princes direction in Istanbul, although the king has defended his son.

Salman traveled extensively in the first three years of his reign, including lengthy trips to East Asia and annual vacations in Morocco. In 2018, he didnt travel at all. His health may explain why he is not making official trips but does not explain why he didnt make his usual monthlong vacation. Perhaps the king feels the uncertainty in the kingdom over his sons succession does not allow for him to be out of the country. The crown prince is scheduled to visit Pakistan next month.

Salman also shook up his Cabinet recently. The most interesting change is in the Saudi Arabian National Guard, the Praetorian Guard force that protects the monarchy from internal threats. Traditionally this was the sinecure of Salmans predecessor, Abdullah, who was the guard commander for decades. He gave the post to his eldest son, Prince Mitab. Mitab was removed in November 2017 when he was detained in the Ritz-Carlton shakedown.

The king has now made Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, 32, the new minister of Saudi Arabian National Guard Affairs. He was previously deputy governor of Mecca. The prince has no military experience or training, yet neither does the crown prince, who is also minister of defense.

The crown princes signature policy initiative is the disastrous war in Yemen. The war has devastated the Arab worlds poorest country and created the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophe. The Saudis have spent a fortune to defeat the Houthi rebels who are backed by Iran, which spends a pittance.

A fragile UN-brokered truce in the port city of Hodeidah is the first tangible step in years to bring the war to an end. The international community urgently needs to support the UN process and create a robust on-the-ground presence in Yemen to supervise prisoner exchanges, the removal of blockades and the institution of a comprehensive cease-fire.

The kingdom is facing considerable challenges as it tries to diversify its economy, expand the social space, reduce gender discrimination and make a generational change in leadership. The Khashoggi murder has made all of this much harder and added more uncertainty. The king needs to end the Yemen war and ease the repression internally to have a chance at surmounting the challenges.China has gained an advantage in the market for armed drone sales to the Middle East as more stringent export restrictions have held back US sales, a Pentagon intelligence report revealed this week.

The Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagons in-house analysis unit, said that Chinas total arms sales around the world totaled $20 billion between 2012 and 2016, as Beijing seeks to build bridges with countries in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region in its quest for new markets and natural resources.

China is a niche supplier of armed UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] and has sold these systems to several countries in the Middle East, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, said the Defense Intelligence Agency report released Tuesday. China faces little competition for the weapons, the report concludes, because it is not a member of international export control regimes that bind the United States and European arms makers. As a result, while Chinese arms are typically considered to be of lower quality and reliability, they come with fewer political strings attached, such as end-use agreements that prevent the retransfer of weapons.

San Diego-based General Atomics, for example, has not yet been able to sell its armed MQ-9 Reaper drone to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. That sale had been championed by Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who represents the district where the drone is manufactured.

Meanwhile, China has emerged as the primary driver of armed drone sales to the Middle East, even as President Donald Trump has championed reforms to US arms exports. Rejected for a Predator drone sale in 2015, Jordan has purchased two armed Chinese CH-4B Rainbow drones. Iraq and Saudi Arabia have also purchased similar systems.

Its not clear how worried the Pentagon is about the Chinese exports potential impact on the long-reaching US military supply chain to the region. The Chinese drones would be difficult to integrate with US-made command-and-control systems, a report from the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies concluded last year.

It does not look like the import of armed drones from China by countries in the region is driven by the desire to get more tied up in Chinas military supply chain and less dependent on the US, said Aniseh Tabrizi, a fellow at the London institute who authored the report. On the contrary, relying on China for armed drones is seen as a second-best option, not a preferred one.

In any event, Trumps arms sales reforms to date have not removed the strong presumption of denial for selling systems over a weight of 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) that can fly up to 300 kilometers (186 miles), though Defense News reported in April that the US administration sought to put in place rules to allow approval of some of them on a case-by-case basis. Current rules would potentially rule out the sale of a missile-carrying drone, such as the Predator XP denied to Jordan. As such, its not clear whether the White House, which has championed arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries as a major foreign policy accomplishment, will be satisfied with the current rules.

I think you can say, looking forward, there's an open question whether the US transfers to these countries will increase given the Trump administration's desire to combat Chinese involvement in these areas, said Shannon Dick, a research associate at the Washington-based Stimson Center.

Pressure is also increasing as the Pentagon sees China emerging as a major competitor to American interests around the world, including in the Red Sea port city of Djibouti, where two US airmen suffered minor injuries from lasers last year. We now have to be able to look for a China, a Chinese military that is active everywhere, a senior defense official said on Tuesday.

The report comes as traditional US partners in the region have made it clear theyre looking to extend their relationships with China, India and Europe. The White House also faces public fatigue over the US troop commitment to the region as the fights in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have continued into the third year of the Trump administration.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum last year, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, questioned the long-term American role in the region and emphasized that China remained Abu Dhabis largest trade partner.

I think the question for the United States is, you have to define what you want your role to be in the world, said Otaiba, a longtime Washington denizen. Do you want to be engaged or do you want to be disengaged? Do you want to work on strengthening alliances or do you want to withdraw?GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Tension between Hamas and Fatah has been surging, particularly since the latter accused Hamas security services in Gaza of cracking down on Fatah leaders and cadres after the Interior Ministry in Gaza refused to allow Fatah to hold a 54th anniversary celebration in the Gaza Strip.

Fatah spokesman in Gaza Atef Abu Seif said in a press statement Dec. 31, Security services in Gaza have arrested more than 500 Fatah leaders and members since Dec. 30, 2018, against the backdrop of the movements activities for its 54th anniversary, which falls on Jan. 1 of every year.

But on Dec. 31, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Gaza, Iyad al-Bozm, denied that Fatah members had been arrested, saying, Thirty-eight people were summoned in order to maintain order and calm, and they were later released.

On Jan. 2, Hamas accused the security services of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank of arresting over 60 activists and leaders from the movement, but the PA did not comment on the accusations.

On Jan. 4, gunmen broke into the headquarters of the PA-affiliated General Authority for Radio and Television in Gaza City and destroyed its equipment.

On Jan. 5, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry announced in a statement the arrest of five people involved in the attack, all of whom were PA employees whose salaries had been recently cut off.

In early January, local media said the PA had cut off the salaries of a number of its employees in Gaza for supporting dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan.

However, on Jan. 5, the General Authority for Palestinian Radio and Television held Hamas fully responsible for storming the broadcasting facility and destroying its contents.

Given the prevailing tension, the PA withdrew its staff from the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 6. The Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority justified the withdrawal, saying it was a response to Hamas actions that hindered the staffs work.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement Jan. 6 that the PA decision to withdraw its staff from the Rafah crossing falls within Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attempts to gradually separate the Gaza Strip from the homeland.

In November 2017, for the first time in 10 years, the PA took over the Rafah crossing from Hamas after the reconciliation agreement was signed the month before in Cairo. This was the only item in the agreement to be implemented at the time.

Mounir al-Jaghoub, a media official in Fatah, told Al-Monitor, Hamas has crossed all the red lines by arresting hundreds of Fatah cadres in Gaza without any justification, in addition to preventing them from celebrating the movements anniversary.

He blamed Hamas for what is happening in the Gaza Strip, including all the arrests as well as the attack on the headquarters of the General Authority for Radio and Television.

Jaghoub said Fatah contacted Egypt regarding the recent tension in the Palestinian arena to make sure efforts for reconciliation are ongoing in order to end the division, stressing that his movement will not allow any plan to separate the West Bank from the Gaza Strip.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al-Monitor, President Abbas has pushed the Palestinian reconciliation into a very critical stage, especially with the recent decision to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council.

He believes that accusations against Hamas are false allegations to cover up the main crime of punishing Gaza and cutting salaries for many of its people.

Qassem said the movement is always communicating with Egypt regarding reconciliation and keeping it in the loop about all developments. He said Hamas and Egypt also discussed the withdrawal of the PAs staff from the Rafah crossing, and demanded that the movement handle the crossings administration at the present time.

Following the withdrawal of the PA staff from the Rafah crossing, Hamas immediately took over Jan. 6 and Cairo kept it open for only one direction, for those returning from Egypt.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian reconciliation remains stalled despite the great efforts exerted by Egypt and Arab countries in recent years to achieve it. They aim to end the division and the political estrangement between Hamas and Fatah that prevailed in the wake of the armed clashes that took place between members of the Palestinian security services and Hamas militants in June 2007, after which the movement took over the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian writer and political analyst Mustafa al-Sawaf told Al-Monitor that the steps taken by Abbas increased the ever-growing tension between Fatah and Hamas, and represent a prelude to separating Gaza from the West Bank, which would put an end to the Palestinian reconciliation altogether.

Egypt is making an effort to end the division, but it does not want to take a decision that could show that President Abbas does not want reconciliation. On the other hand, it is keeping in touch with Gaza officials normally, Sawaf said.

The Egyptian delegation is regularly visiting the Gaza Strip to discuss and reach an end to the Palestinian division. Most recently, on Jan. 10, it held a meeting with Hamas and another with Ahmed Halas, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, to discuss reconciliation.

Hussam al-Dajani, a professor of political science at Al-Ummah University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Tension between Hamas and Fatah will lead to separating the West Bank from Gaza and destroying the Palestinian state project.

Dajani said that should tensions persist, they will negatively affect Palestinian reconciliation and the division will turn into total separation; he said there must be immediate intervention from Cairo to stop this.

Meanwhile, citizens in the Gaza Strip fear that these differences will take their toll on them, especially as Fatah leaders and close associates of Abbas warn about further punitive measures against Hamas, which could affect every citizen in the Gaza Strip.With reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas having reached an impasse, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the dissolution of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) on Dec. 22 and called for legislative elections to be held within six months. The move also highlights another Palestinian divide in returning the status of East Jerusalem to the spotlight, renewing the struggle with Israel over allowing residents there to vote in Palestinian elections.

On Dec. 24 at the presidential compound in Ramallah, Abbas met with Hanna Nasser, head of the Central Elections Commission (CEC), to discuss the elections. There was no mention of East Jerusalem or the participation of Jerusalemites. On Jan. 4, however, Abbas said, We will not accept the holding of elections if they do not take place in Jerusalem too. Back in 2006, Israel objected to holding elections in Jerusalem, but I stood my ground until the elections were actually held in the city.

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics in May, Palestinians living in East Jerusalem number 332,000. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported in March that they number 435,000. In the recently dissolved PLC, eight deputies represented the city, five from Hamas and three from Fatah.

Amin Maqboul, a member of Fatahs Central Committee, told Al-Monitor, In every [Palestinian] legislative race, Israel announces its rejection of voting in Jerusalem. This was the case in 1996 and 2006 and in the 2005 presidential elections. The Palestinian leadership, however, remains steadfast every time, deploying efforts to galvanize the international community into pressuring Israel to finally yield to their demand to hold elections [there].

The status of East Jerusalem is central to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, an issue notably evident during the 1996 and 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. According to the CEC website, in past elections, Israel circulated false information in a bid to intimidate Jerusalemites and discourage them from voting, and it threatened to deprive voters in East Jerusalem of the services and benefits provided by the Israeli municipality.

Also during previous elections, the Israeli police raided registration centers and apprehended staff for investigation. It also closed some voting-related offices in the city and hung banners prohibiting the use of the premises for voter registration. There were also official Israeli orders to block CEC staff from working in East Jerusalem.

Khaled Abu Arfa, the minister of Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian government elected in 2006, told Al-Monitor, The participation of Jerusalemites is subject to three factors. First, they are not excited to vote or even optimistic that they will be able to do so. Second, the coming days will witness a race among the Israeli parties to try to prevent Jerusalemites from voting in the elections. Third, the Palestinian leadership does not appear to be adamant enough to impose its will on their participation in the elections, as it is feeling weak against Israel.

The Oslo II agreement signed by Israel and the PLO in September 1995 stipulates that Palestinians in East Jerusalem can cast votes in Israeli post offices in East Jerusalem at specified locations. In part at the behest of the Palestinian Authority (PA), previous US administrations, along with the European Union, maintained pressure on Israel to adhere to the agreement, as happened with the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton in 1996 and George W. Bush in 2006.

Ahmad Abu Halabiya, former head of the PLC Jerusalem Committee, told Al-Monitor, Abbas talk about holding legislative elections in Jerusalem is for the sake of the media only and carries no weight. He further charged, Abbas is not really interested in holding elections because he knows that he will not obtain the majority he wants. He just made this statement to threaten and pressure Hamas [into a reconciliation]. So far, no presidential decrees have been issued on the date of the elections and no election laws.

Khalil al-Tufakji, head of the Maps and Survey Department at Orient House, in Jerusalem, told Al-Monitor, Israel will not allow any Palestinian elections in the city under an Israeli right-wing government, where political parties are trying to boost their status for the upcoming elections, especially when it comes to [East] Jerusalem, which they consider [part of] the capital of Israel.

Tufakji expects that Jerusalemites will end up voting in the central West Bank cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh, although they are frustrated with the PA, which is not providing them any benefit. According to him, Abbas's talk of holding elections in East Jerusalem amounts to empty slogans to the city's residents.

Meanwhile, Hamas, which controls Gaza, would like all elections  legislative, presidential and for the Palestinian National Council  to be held simultaneously. The group also opposes conducting legislative elections alone, as it appears that Abbas plans to hold them without the movement's participation. Hamas is joined in its opposition by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Islamic Jihad, which consider the decision illegal and unconstitutional. If Palestinians in the West Bank go to the ballot box while those in Gaza are denied the opportunity, the elections would be viewed as lacking legitimacy.When the state comptroller wrote in 2015 that the government was neglecting the countrys housing crisis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored him. Instead, he took the opportunity to remind Israelis, The greatest challenge in our lives is currently Irans bid to acquire nuclear weapons. He then added a line that won him both derision and immortality: When we talk about the price of housing, about the cost of living, I dont forget life itself for a single moment. In a takeoff on his iconic remark and in reference to the suspicions of corruption against him, one could imagine Netanyahu saying, The leftists are talking about cigars and takeaway meals, but I, as leader of the Likud, never forget life itself. Netanyahu has to ensure that such fear haunts Israel at all times, especially leading up to election day on April 9.

If he wants to keep his seat, Netanyahu must shift the election campaigns focus away from his legal troubles. But what can he do when the stock market is too low, the cost of living too high and the price of housing dropping too slowly? How can he make headlines? No problem: There is always Iran.

Faced with such a danger, how can people bother the supreme commander with minutia while he is saving Israeli lives? According to Netanyahus worldview, only he can rescue his citizens. He never misses an opportunity to remind Israelis of it on every platform, even if he has to ratchet up tensions and damage Israels security interests.

For years, Netanyahu has been holding the keys to the guard post protecting life itself against a bomb that was never made. But after handing over the keys to US President Donald Trump when the United States canceled the nuclear deal, Netanyahu was forced to look for another opportunity. He found it not far from the Iranian nuclear threat in the shape of Iranian missiles deployed in Syria and Lebanon.

On the morning of Jan. 13, at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu announced, We worked with impressive success to block Irans military entrenchment in Syria, adding that the Israeli military had struck Iranian and Hezbollah targets hundreds of times. The latest such attack occurred just in the last 36 hours," he said, when "the air force attacked Iranian warehouses containing Iranian weapons in the Damascus International Airport.

Several hours later, Netanyahu took the opportunity of a farewell ceremony for outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot to say that the Israel Defense Forces had attacked Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria hundreds of times. Our commitment to block Iran in Syria is strong and everyone understands it, including the president of Russia, with whom I am in regular touch. But if everyone understands it, why does he have to talk about it twice a day? Did someone say elections?

It is also hard to fathom why Eizenkot told The New York Times about the Israeli strikes. He is not running for anything on April 9. It can only mean that the dedicated military officer did not want to leave all the glory to Netanyahu.

In the campaign against the missile threat as in the issue of nuclear deterrence, Israel has adhered for years to a policy of ambiguity in the spirit of the biblical quote on the Mossad spy agencys homepage: You shall not mingle with one who divulges secrets, one who gossips or with one who entices with his lips (Mishlei Proverbs, 20:19). Until recently, when reporting on weapon depots in Syria going up in flames, the Israeli media was forced to cite foreign sources including Arab outlets, carefully avoiding directly attributing these incidents to Israeli air force attacks.

A former senior IDF source told Al-Monitor this week that ambiguity was a safeguard against escalation. The rulers of Iran and Syria as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin find it easier to turn a blind eye to anonymous missiles than ignore deadly missile attacks accompanied by crowing from Israel, said the source.

In September 2018, several days after the IDF took credit for 202 attacks against Iranian targets in Syria, missiles were fired from Syria at IDF aircrafts. The fire unintentionally brought down a Russian Ilyushin aircraft, killing all 14 of its passengers. The lesson that should have been learned from this tragedy, which angered President Putin, is that silence is the best policy in the campaign against Iran and its allies. On the other hand, talk about defense issues is a surefire recipe for attracting voters in an election campaign. A clash between these two approaches could result in loss of life, but during election season, which sometimes lasts many months in Israel, bravado and adventurism seem to win.

Netanyahu does not hold a patent on playing the defense card in the election game. On June 7, 1981, several weeks before elections and a few days after he met with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin decided the time was right to send the air force to destroy Iraqs nuclear reactor. The successful military operation turned out to be just as successful politically. Begins Likud narrowly beat the rival Labor, garnering 48 Knesset seats against Labors 47, and held on to power.

Prime Minister Shimon Peres' attempt to portray himself as concerned for life itself took a heavy toll. In January 1996, several months prior to the May elections, Peres, who was also acting as defense minister, ordered the assassination of Yahya Ayyash, the Palestinian bomb maker known as the engineer who was responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis. The killing set off a wave of Palestinian terror attacks that drew voters to the right.

Again, several weeks before the elections, Peres decided to prove that his defense credentials were just as good as those of his assassinated predecessor Yitzhak Rabin and ordered an operation codenamed Grapes of Wrath in south Lebanon. Regretfully, Israeli shells mistakenly hit a building in the village of Kafr Qana, killing 102 Lebanese civilians sheltering inside. The devastating photos from the scene caused tens of thousands of Arab-Israeli voters to withdraw their support for Peres, contributing to Netanyahus narrow victory.

With Netanyahu holding the scepters of prime minister and defense minister and the threat of indictment hanging over his head, it might be wise to get the shelters ready.The head of the National Resilience Party, former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, stepped out of his home on Jan. 14 to address the Druze activists demonstrating outside. He promised them that he would work to amend the controversial nationality law (anchoring the Jewish nature of the State of Israel). Then he went back inside and momentarily resumed his silence. He may have been taken aback by the vicious attacks that right-wing parties, led by the Likud, organized against him. He was lambasted almost as soon as he opened his mouth with claims that by saying what he said (against the nationality law), he had revealed his true colors and exposed himself as a leftist. In the 2019 election, the term leftist, more than ever before, had become synonymous with the betrayal of national values. It doesnt matter if the person in question is a former chief of staff who spent most of his adult life in a combat position in the IDF.

The Likud had been waiting for its chance to paint Gantz as the leftist du jour as soon as he stood out in the polls as the only candidate to challenge Netanyahu when gauged for suitability to serve as prime minister. Furthermore, his military past posed a threat by making him an attractive candidate to the soft right. However, as long as Gantz maintained his silence as part of a strategy to position himself (like late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin) as a centrist with right-wing tendencies, the Likud had a hard time attacking him. But when Gantz met with the Druze demonstrators waiting outside his home in Rosh HaAyin, that was the green light that the right had been waiting for. Knesset members and ministers alike used his remarks to condemn him. Gantz wants to amend the nationality law, they warned. That means hes a leftist.

Gantz did not speak much. He did not repeat campaign slogans. It was obvious that his remarks came from the heart and he really believed in what he said. I will do everything I can to amend the nationality law. We have a blood pact, but more than that, we have a life alliance. We must strengthen the partnership between us, he told the demonstrators.

While some on the left expected Gantz to go all the way and announce that he would overturn this discriminatory law, he is now a full-fledged politician with strategic consultants and electoral constraints. That is why he chose the middle road. Nevertheless, last Monday will long be remembered as the former chief of staffs first baptism by fire in his new political life.

Gantzs decision to speak out on a controversial subject, especially after such a long silence, was not something he just pulled out of a hat, even if the circumstances made it seem like this was a makeshift event. Actually, it was a well-planned media event, intended to allow him to voice his opinion on a major topic. Here was his chance to break his long silence, which was starting to become a subject of ridicule and was wearing away at his poll numbers. In any event, Gantz may not have spoken to the press since Monday, but what he said then turned the nationality law into the litmus test of the current election (with negotiations with the Palestinians becoming less and less relevant over the years, given the diplomatic stalemate and the sense among large swathes of the public that there is no one to talk to).

Gantz and his advisers took a big risk when they decided to open his election campaign by expressing reservations about the nationality law. The polls all show that most of the countrys Jewish population actually supports the law. What this means is that it is not just a banner issue for the right. A large chunk of voters in the political center is content to let the law stand and even connects to it emotionally in some way. A more precise analysis of the polls shows that most people on the center-right support the law, identify with it, and use it to define themselves as patriots and Zionists.

According to an updated poll released Jan. 16 by Channel 12, Gantz stands to win 12 seats, while the Likud will grow stronger and win 32 seats. This is hardly good news for Gantz  the man considered to be Netanyahus main rival in the battle for the prime ministers office. Gantz may have even lost voters from the soft right.

While his public declaration about the nationality law did not propel him forward, it did turn the controversial law into a key issue in this election. Gantzs statement set off a chain reaction, the main result of which was rare unity among the center-left camp over a single banner issue and key matter of principle. He may have come under heavy fire for it, but that is because he is considered to be the greatest threat to Netanyahu.

Having led opposition to the law in the current Knesset, Hatnua Party Chair Tzipi Livni congratulated Gantz for his remarks. She went on to promise that after the election, she would fight to turn the 1948 Declaration of Independence into a Basic Law (Israel has no constitution, but a set of basic laws), which would emphasize those characteristics of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, with full equality for all of its citizens. She even announced that this would be her first task after the election.

But it wasnt just Livni who raised the banner of opposition to the nationality law. Jan. 16 was a blustery winter day when Druze demonstrators showed up outside the homes of Yesh Atid Chair Yair Lapid and Labor Party Chair Avi Gabbay. The two men live close to each other in the well-to-do neighborhoods of northern Tel Aviv. Both men hosted the leaders of the Druze activists in their homes, took photos with them and promised that they would also amend the nationality law. I am ashamed that Israeli citizens, fighters, bereaved parents and IDF disabled veterans should go from house to house to ask for the most basic thing: equality," Lapid told them. The same ritual immediately repeated itself when Gabbay made a commitment to Druze representatives that he would lead the struggle to change the law by adding the word equality to it.

Ever since it was passed in July 2018, the nationality law has raised a public uproar, culminating in a mass demonstration in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Aug. 11, 2018, which drew tens of thousands of protesters. Yet over the past few months, the issue has been pushed to the margins of the public agenda, even though it is a Basic Law, which infringes on the principle of equality and contradicts the Declaration of Independence. This week, the law re-entered the public discourse in a big way. Only time will tell if Gantz made a big mistake by relating to this controversial law as he did. What is certain, however, is that he set the national agenda and connected it to his own worldview while refusing to obfuscate it. Thats called leadership.The recent resignation of Irans minister of health, Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, led to many speculations. Officially, insufficient allocations in the next Iranian year (beginning March 21) was cited as the reason, but commentators also referred to factional infighting within the Hassan Rouhani administration as well as shifting interests as a result of renewed sanctions. One hint emerged when a video was released from the outgoing ministers last meeting with his senior staff, in which he stated that practices such as corrupt deals, importation of low quality products and rent-seeking would clash with his personality. This statement would suggest that Ghazizadehs resignation was the consequence of the shifts in the industry as a result of renewed US sanctions, i.e., the fact that Iran would have to yet again start importing medicine and medical devices from Asian sources. However, there is more to this development than meets the eye. In fact, a closer analysis may indicate how sanctions, rent-seeking and politics overlap in Iran.

Before shedding light on the related statements, three facts need to be considered:

During the last wave of harsh sanctions (2011-2015), Iran had no choice but to import low-quality medicine from Asian exporters. One of the decisions in the Rouhani government was to forbid the importation of such products in 2015, when it was clear that sanctions would be lifted under the nuclear deal. In the intense political debate on these restrictions, Mohammad Piroram, secretary-general of the syndicate of pharmaceutical manufacturers, openly referred to the mafia structure in the industry, especially with regard to imports. Though pharmaceutical exports are not subject to US sanctions, in the past banking limitations severely undermined Western medical exports to Iran. A 2013 study by business consultant Siamak Namazi, who has since been unjustly imprisoned, concluded, Although the Iranian government deserves firm criticism for incompetence in handling the crisis, poor allocation of scarce foreign currency resources and failing to crack down on corrupt practices, the main culprit are the US and European sanctions that regulate financial transactions with Iran. The key power centers in the Iranian pharmaceutical sector are the Ministry of Health and Medical Education; the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare; its subsidiary, the Social Security Organization; the Iran Health Insurance Organization (a subsidiary of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education); and a number of local manufacturing and importing companies, mainly owned by semi-state organizations. The latter group is dominated by the so-called Setad (Execution of Imam Khomeinis Order), which owns the massive conglomerate of domestic producers under the brand Barkat. Some of the leading domestic manufacturers are also owned by the state-owned Bank Melli Iran.

According to Gholamreza Asghari, former head of the Food and Medicine Organization, the countrys pharmaceutical market is worth $20 billion. While quantitatively 96% of the needs are manufactured domestically, the value of the high-end imported products stands at about $2 billion annually. The sector is heavily subsidized on all levels and one can see the competing interests between local manufacturers, importers and exporters and also the potential for rent-seeking through corruption in licensing as well as smuggling  a phenomenon that will rise as a result of renewed US sanctions. One fact about the smuggling of medicine is its two-way nature. In other words, many of the heavily subsidized domestic products are smuggled out of Iran to neighboring countries, while foreign brands are illegally brought into the country.

In 2013, Ghazizadeh was the odd minister in Rouhanis first-term Cabinet. He was the only minister who had no previous political position. In fact, he came from a business and academic background. In the 1990s, he founded the Noor Ophthalmology Complex in Tehran, which made him a wealthy businessman. With this background, he started reforming the health sector, focusing on financial transactions, especially the share of insurance companies in bearing the cost of health care. While this shift earned him popularity, he started making enemies within the countrys complex business networks. His so-called health evolution reform shifted many interests among industry stakeholders.

One of Ghazizadeh's major coups was the relocation of the Iran Health Insurance Organization from the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare to his own ministry. This led to one of the most public ministerial clashes within the Rouhani government, i.e., the clash between Ghazizadeh and former minister of welfare, Ali Rabiei, who was eventually impeached. The former represented the view that the Social Security Organization was too commercial and that the decisions in the health sector should not be driven by commercial calculations. Both former ministers were certainly under pressure by various networks representing diverse interests. The competition between these networks is not always about representing legitimate interests (such as those of local manufacturers), but rather how much financial power is concentrated in one entity and what it means within the political sphere. The shifting of the Iran Health Insurance Organization equaled control over the organization that processes health insurance for half of the countrys population, with the other half mainly covered by the Social Security Organization. At the same time, even after losing the Health Insurance Organization, the Ministry of Welfare remains one of the core power centers as it controls the Social Security Organization  the owner of one of the largest business conglomerates in the country. Ghazizadeh essentially weakened the power of his rival organization and empowered his own ministry.

As such, it is not a surprise that only an insider could be put in charge of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare after Rabieis departure. Against the will of many Rouhani supporters, Mohammad Shariatmadari, who had resigned from the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade after speculations about his impending impeachment, was appointed as the new minister of welfare.

Interestingly, the reaction of Mohammad Nobakht, the vice president and head of the Management and Planning Organization, to Ghazizadehs resignation points to the significance of the above shift. Nobakht stated: At one point, Mr. Rabiei  was the target. They extracted the Iran Health Insurance Organization and moved it to the Ministry of Health.  Such moves dont solve our problems. Also, the appointment of Saeid Namaki (a former planning organization deputy director and a protege of Nobakht) as the new caretaker of the Ministry of Health shows that the network around the Management and Planning Organization has gained the upper hand in the most recent rivalry. In his first public speech, Namaki pointed to the need to continue the reforms in the health sector and to get rid of corrupt practices.

The existence of corruption and malpractice is not disputed, but no one has managed to take effective steps to counter it, because too many power centers are benefiting from these practices themselves. There have been attempts in parliament to carry out investigations on medical imports to determine whether a mafia-like network is involved, but they have never led to any visible legal processes.

One of the notable personnel changes after the departure of Ghazizadeh was the appointment of Iraj Harirchi as the new head of the Food and Medicine Organization. Harirchi has now set the tone in his first speech by stating that the key to resolving the issues in the industry would be to support local manufacturing. This is certainly not the end of this competition between networks to seek illegitimate access to the rents in the pharmaceutical sector. Unfortunately, as external sanctions and the huge differential between official and unofficial exchange rates make the rents more lucrative, one can expect more maneuvering among the corrupt networks, with consequences for political figures.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged for the first time Jan. 13 that Israel has carried out strikes against Iranian and Iranian-backed forces inside Syria. We worked with impressive success to block Irans military entrenchment in Syria, Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. He added that Israel had carried out hundreds of strikes, claiming that it had just recently targeted alleged Iranian warehouses and Iranian targets at the international airport in Damascus and that Israel will continue such strikes as long as an Iranian presence remains in Syria.

Irans response to these attacks has been mostly muted. With the exception of the 2015 strike in Syria that killed Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, alongside Jihad Mughniyah, former Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyahs son, Iran has not divulged much information or visibly reacted to alleged attacks by Israel.

However, Netanyahus recent comments changed things and Iranian military commanders have finally responded. Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responded to Netanyahu's statement. We will protect all of the military and revolutionary advisers and equipment and arms for training and empowering Islamic resistance fighters and support the oppressed people of Syria, Jafari said Jan. 16.

Bahram Ghassemi, spokesman for Irans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented Jan. 14, We do not have a military base in Syria. We have a presence in Syria at the request of the Syrian government for advisory work and combatting terrorism. On Netanyahus claims of hundreds of strikes on Iranian and Iranian-backed forces, Ghassemi said, Whatever they say about Iranian forces is a great lie, and they cannot hide the victories the Syrian army and defense forces and the resistance forces have achieved. This is what has angered the [Israeli] regime. In May 2018, Ghassemi said, As long there is the danger of terrorism and the Syrian government requests it, Iranian and Iranian-backed forces will remain in Syria.

Jafari responded to Ghassemi's words with, If he said, Iran has no military forces in Syria, he means  everyone knows the strength of Iranian military units is such that the presence of one will put fear into them.

Regarding Netanyahus assertion that Israeli will continue to target Iranians, Jafari implied Iran is showing strategic patience. Be certain that we will not take your threats seriously. If we show patience in the face of your actions, know that there is a great wisdom in that. He concluded to Netanyahu, Know that you are playing with the tail of the lion. Fear the day Irans precision missiles land on your head and avenge all the Muslim blood you have spilled in the region.

Meanwhile, Irans Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, while not addressing Netanyahus comments directly, touted Irans intelligence capabilities against Israel on Jan. 17, saying, In various fields with intelligence work, we have defeated this regime, and this work will continue. Irans military chief Abdulrahim Mousavi also addressed Israel, claiming that there is an American and Israeli plot to divide the IRGC and the regular army but that the two parallel Iranian forces will continue to join hands until this plot is defeated.President Donald Trump, visiting the Pentagon to roll out a long-delayed missile defense review, today chastised Iran for attempting to launch a satellite earlier this week and pledged the United States would take a harder line on Iran. Tehrans attempt to put the satellite into orbit failed Tuesday.

Why it matters: In a freewheeling 20-minute speech, the commander in chief took shots at Democrats in Congress and touted his border wall. He also said his plan to extract concessions from Iran through sanctions is gaining ground.

The United States cannot simply build more of the same, Trump said. What weve done with Iran since Ive become president is rather miraculous. I ended the horrible weak nuclear deal.

The president added that the pressure from sanctions would drive Iran to the bargaining table. Its not the same, and it wont be the same. And I do believe they want to talk, he said. Trump also floated talks with Iran in July, but Tehran is highly unlikely to come to the table unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo drops his list of 12 demands, which include that Iran stop ballistic missile development and end support for Shiite proxy groups.

New defenses? The long-awaited review, first expected in 2017, calls on the Gulf Cooperation Council to acquire and deploy missile defense capabilities to provide the basis for a networked, layered defense across the region. Such a shield would include upgraded Saudi Patriot PAC-3 and THAAD batteries, as well as similar systems in Kuwait and Qatar.

Experts told Al-Monitor that those efforts have stalled under the Trump administration, owing largely to the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar. Towards the end of the [Barack] Obama administration, there was talk by the GCC of setting up a joint analysis center, and we did some studies on this, said Frank Rose, a former assistant secretary of State. But unfortunately, given the political situation, that has retarded the ability to go forward on this.

Whats next: The Trump administration now has to figure out how to pay for its missile defense plan, which includes space-based sensors to deal with the emerging capabilities of US rivals China and Russia. Defense officials sidestepped that question at a press conference after the presidents remarks. The Pentagon is supposed to submit its next defense budget, which would fund its missile defenses, by early next month.

Know more: Check out Pentagon correspondent Jack Detschs latest on Saudi Arabia revamping its ballistic missile defenses with US help.

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Jan-16-2019 20:44 TweetFollow @OregonNews Oregon Man Receives 6.5 Years in Prison for Child Porn "Alarming": Michael Miner uploaded child pornography to social media and a cloud-based network.

39-year-old Michael Scott Miner received a six and a half year prison sentence.

(MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore.) - Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that 39-year-old Michael Scott Miner received a six and a half year prison sentence for being in possession of child pornography. During this investigation, law enforcement learned that the defendant used his smartphone to search for, download and duplicate numerous child pornography photos and videos. Michael Miner then uploaded these appalling images to a social media website and onto a cloud-based network, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney BJ Park, who prosecuted this case, said after sentencing. Mr. Miner also organized his child pornography files into specific folders. These pictures and videos depicted infants, toddlers and other children being raped. "The files Mr. Miner had on his electronic devices were particularly alarming; many of the children were recorded crying, trying to get away from their abusers. This investigation began when the Portland Police Bureau receive separate cyber-crimes tips from the two companies that Miner used to upload the images of child pornography. Law enforcement traced the IP address that was used to upload the images to the defendant. Law enforcement learned that in August 2018, Miner was being held in the Clackamas County jail on a failure to register as a sex offender case. Police seized his smartphone from his jail property and interviewed Miner, who admitted that he was sexually attracted to children. On December 13, 2018, Miner appeared before Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Leslie G. Bottomly and pleaded no contest to two counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree. On January 15, 2019, Judge Bottomly sentenced the defendant to 80 months in prison. He was ordered to register as a sex offender. Upon his release from the Oregon Department of Corrections, Miner will be on three years of post-prison supervision. The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office remains committed to prosecuting individuals who manufacture, view, sell, trade or share child pornography. These are very serious cases and there is enormous harm done to the children who are exploited, DDA Park said. We will do everything we can to hold people accountable for this type of behavior. Every time an image or video of child pornography is shared, the person viewing that material is re-victimizing the child. This is a human crime and we are dedicated to protecting children. The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office recognizes the work of the Portland Police Bureau for their dedicated efforts of investigating these child exploitation cases. IF YOU THINK SOMEONE IS IN DANGER OR BEING HURT, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY! If you suspect a child is being abused, report to a DHS Child Welfare screener by contacting 1.855.503.SAFE (7233). Please be ready to provide identifying information and the whereabouts of the child if known. Report Child Sexual Exploitation

Use the CyberTipline to report child sexual exploitation. Reports may be made 24-hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.cybertipline.org or 1-800-843-5678. Source: Multnomah County District Attorney #MCDA #crimesagainstchildren #savethechildren #sickmindshurtchildren #seekhelp #OregonPrison #Prison #Consequences #WrongisWrong _________________________________________

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Articles for January 16, 2019 | Articles for January 17, 2019CAIRO  The Palestinian Authority pulled its staff from the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Jan. 7 over what it called the brutal practices of Hamas, which controls the coastal enclave.

The PA said in a statement, This decision comes in light of the latest developments and the brutal practices of the de facto gangs in our beloved sector and stems from responsibilities toward our beloved people in the Gaza Strip and in an attempt to alleviate the pressure from the blockade. Since we took over the Rafah crossing, Hamas has been hindering our employees there from doing their job. We endured a lot to give our Egyptian brethren a chance to try and end the division.

The statement, which was published on the eve of the PAs withdrawal from the Rafah crossing Jan. 6, read, Hamas insists on perpetuating the division with its practices, the most recent of which being the arrests and abuses of our employees. We have come to realize that our employees presence there is futile.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip took over control of the Rafah crossing following the PAs withdrawal. The handover took place after midnight on Monday, in the presence of an official delegation of the Ministry of Interior. It is unknown whether the crossing will be operational following the change. Egypt had closed the crossing due to the Christmas holidays and festivities and kept it closed after Hamas took over.

Mohammed Hamed, a researcher in international law and foreign relations, believes that the PAs move indicates that the reconciliation effort has taken a very serious and dangerous turn, but does not mean a complete collapse. Hamed told Al-Monitor, The Palestinian reconciliation has faced several impediments before and continues to face obstacles. The PAs decision, however, is a major blow to the reconciliation. This was a loss but there are still other rounds between Hamas and Fatah under Egyptian auspices.

He said that Egypt's mediation to calm tension and end the division will benefit its own security. Aid to the Palestinians goes through the Rafah crossing, which is also a portal for extremists and terrorist elements seeking to carry out operations inside Egypt, particularly in Sinai.

Hamed noted that the PA was supposed to take control of the Gaza Strips crossings, including Rafah, in 2017, under the Egyptian-sponsored Palestinian reconciliation agreement. But it was unable to fully do so.

The faltering reconciliation negotiations between Fatah and Hamas is nothing new. Both factions have been at odds and trading accusations since the beginning of the internal division in mid-2007, following Hamas' unilateral takeover of the Gaza Strip, he added.

Hussein al-Sheikh, Minister of Civil Affairs and a member of Fatahs Central Committee, said in a Jan. 7 interview on al-Ghad TV that the only condition for the staff's return to Rafah is for Hamas leaders to sit at the table and have a serious talk about ending the division.

He went on, Partial solutions are not working and our Egyptian brothers have become aware of this. The PAs findings confirm that Hamas is not ready for [reconciliation] at this moment. When Hamas is ready to make this leap of faith, we will welcome it. But we will no longer agree to have a presence just for show in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Hamas political bureau member Moussa Abu Marzuq said that the PAs decision on Rafah does not bode well. He wrote in a Jan. 6 tweet, The PA has been conducting a media attack via statements by [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas, who is accusing 70% of the people of treason, claiming that Hamas is hijacking Gaza, stirring sedition and massacres. This is in addition to cutting the salaries of the people who are not loyal to Fatah. What is coming is worse, but Gaza will remain steadfast despite the harm.

Khaled Okash, director of the National Center for Security Studies in Egypt, told Al-Monitor via a telephone interview that the reconciliation is a very thorny process given the intricacies of the Palestinian situation and the differences of views of which Egypt was very well aware before signing the reconciliation agreement.

Yet the Egyptian officials have spared no effort to calm the situation, said Okasha. Efforts for reconciliation, however, are still ongoing," he added, stressing that the Egyptian side has contacted several PA officials to try to undo the pullout.

All positive future scenarios are still plausible, he concluded. But Egypt has yet to announce a plan to end the stalemate.CAIRO  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Dec. 23 dismissed Maj. Gen. Mohamed al-Shahat from his post as director of Military Intelligence after three years on the job and appointed Maj. Gen. Khaled Megawer as his successor. Megawer had previously served as deputy director of Military Intelligence, Second Field Army commander and military attache at the Egyptian Embassy in the United States.

Sisi also issued a decree appointing Maj. Gen. Salah Saraya commander of the Western Military Region, charged with securing the Western Desert bordering Libya, which has been experiencing an intense power struggle since mass protests and rebellion led to the overthrow and murder of long-time Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Ali Ahmad, a researcher at the newspaper As-Safir, told Al-Monitor by phone that Sisis recent and unexpected decisions follow the ongoing failure of Egypt's intelligence services to improve security in the Western Desert and other parts of the country. Ahmad said that arms smuggling operations across the Libyan-Egyptian border, reported as on the rise, were the main reason behind the personnel changes.

Islamic extremists appear to be trying to take advantage of the current environment to spread their influence in the Western Desert. Several attacks carried out by them have dealt painful blows to the Egyptian security services. The militant groups, some of which are involved in arms smuggling, oppose the regime and want Sharia imposed in Egypt. Some of them claim affiliation with the Islamic State.

Notable among the attacks carried out by the militants is the Farafra checkpoint ambush, in which 22 border guards were killed by members of an unidentified group on July 19, 2014. According to Ahmad, the worst attack took place in the Bahariya Oasis in October 2017, when gunmen from the previously unknown Ansar al-Islam targeted a police patrol. The Interior Ministry claimed that 16 people were killed and three injured, but several security sources reported that 35 soldiers had died in the operation.

There were several complaints about the failure of the security and military forces to rescue the police patrol or at the least to have prevented avoidable deaths. As a result, morale fell among the Armed Forces, Ahmad said.

According to Ahmad, the attack on the police patrol, which had been in route to raid militant hideouts, was the main reason for the dismissal of Mahmoud Hegazy, a Sisi relative, from the post of chief of staff of the Armed Forces on Oct. 28 and the appointment of Mohamed Farid Hegazy (no relation to Sisi), as his successor. Ahmad criticized an attempted media blackout imposed on reporting related to military staffing in an effort to minimize questions and speculation about the reasons behind personnel changes.

Khaled Okasha, director of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor that Sisis personnel shake-up is aimed at breathing new life into crucial departments by providing them with leadership capable of enabling them to perform their duties more efficiently amid the increasing security challenges facing Egypt in general and in the west in particular.

Okasha noted that the border region with Libya has always been a source of concern as an area prone to conflict. This has especially been the case amid the security chaos plaguing Libya and the presence of active extremist groups  such as the Mourabitoun, Ansar al-Sharia, al-Fateheen and IS  in the area along the Egyptian border in Libya.

The Egyptian government, Okasha said, has come a long way in curbing armed operations by extremists in the Western Desert through operational means. Among the measures taken are the use of Sherpas, French-made armored vehicles, and the establishment two years ago of the Armed Forces Training Institute for improving the Special Forces. He also noted that the security branches had established special crisis management rooms equipped with GPS systems to track police and military patrols.

In addition to the elevation of Megawer, Saraya and Hegazy, Osaka remarked that Sisi had also appointed Rafiq Raafat Arafat and Nasser al-Assi commanders of the Second and Third Field Armies.

Okasha noted that the security forces had successfully conducted several operations in the Western Desert, including one that targeted a camp inside a cave above the Assiut-Sohag road in Assiut governorate on Oct. 15, killing nine men. Egyptian forces also killed 19 extremists in Minya who were believed to have been involved in an attack that targeted a bus of Copts on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel on Nov. 2.Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

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Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.Beresford FFA planted 25 acres of alfalfa on a donated field. The project, which will help teach the students how to manage a common crop in South Dakota, will be funded by a national FFA alumni grant.Guwahati, Jan 17 : More than a month after 15 miners got trapped inside a 370-feet deep flooded coal mine at Ksan area in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district, the Indian Navy divers on Thursday had finally managed to spot several skeletons inside the mine.

A top official said that, the Indian Navy divers have managed to spot few more skeletons in the main shaft.

Earlier, the Navel divers had spotted a miner body at a depth of over 200 feet inside the coal mine.

The Navy divers had spotted the body by using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) at depths of 160 feet to 210 feet.

The extraction process is going on and the body has been pulled up to the mouth of the 370-feet mine.

On the other hand, the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday evening has invited the family members three from Lumthari and two from Assams Chirang district to view the video provided by the ROV that the body has sign of decomposition and all efforts to retrieve the same and as per expert opinion it will lead to a total disintegration.

The body has been pulled up to 100 feet from 210 feet position originally detected from the shaft and many body parts have started to disengage.

Relatives of the some victims had reached at the spot and will furnish their views tomorrow.

On the other hand, the Odisha Fire Services on Thursday had operated their pump from 11 am till 3.30 pm and discharged 405000 litres water from the shaft.

The Coal India Limited also operated their pump from 2 shaft with each pumping of water for 19 hours discharged 4309200 litres water.

The Chennai based Planys Technology had operated their ROV and also carried out a SONAR (Sound Navigation and Raging) mapping of the shaft and detected one rat hole .

The NDRF provided assistance to other agencies with all the resources available.

Meanwhile, a doctor team has reached at the spot.

On the other hand, a meeting between the NDRF, Indian Navy, Odisha Fire Services, Coal India Limited, district administration and the experts is going on at the spot.

15 miners are trapped inside the mine since December 13 and rescue operations are being continued to trace the miners.

Yesterday, the Odisha Fire Services had operated their pump for six and half hours and managed to discharge 5.85 lakh litres water from the main shaft.

On the other hand, the Coal India Limited operated their pumps for 20 hours and discharged 22.68 lakh litres water.The soybean market during the summer growing season oftentimes takes its direction from the weather, and the way this summer is shaping up it Tom Crosby of Crosby's River Valley Dairy is one of 14 dairy-farm members serving on Wisconsin Dairy Task Force 2.0. The group was formed to study the states dairy industry and make recommendations to address short-term and long-term challenges. Crosby serves on two subcommittees  one addressing markets and the other price-volatility and profitability.According to Brabant, Sanofi-Pasteur, the maker of the Stamaril yellow fever vaccine, took years to respond to Brabants attempts to get answers. In contradiction to all of Brabants physicians who insisted the vaccine caused his harrowing descent into madness, Sanofi finally issued a carefully worded statement claiming Brabant went mad on his own, concluding essentially the correlation does not equal causation.

In 2013, Malcolm Brabant went public with his experience following a yellow fever vaccination which he received two years prior. The vaccine and certificate proving Brabant had received it were required for him travel to Cote DIvoire on assignment. Brabant reports that after receiving the dose, he was plunged into a suicidal psychosis consistent with symptoms of vaccine-associated neurotropic disease which is roughly 26 times more common than the more deadly viscerotropic disease.

Was Gore fully assessed of risk/benefit ratio before he took the shot? Its unlikely since no one understands precisely why an estimated .05% of people who receive the yellow fever vaccine develop viscerotropic disease. Whats more, statistics for disease incidence are impossible to gather since the vast majority of wild yellow fever infections are mild and go unreported. Furthermore, as award-winning BBC journalist Malcolm Brabant discovered in 2011, risks are played down in the extreme.

The Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust publicly announced that Dr. Gores death resulted definitively from the vaccination though the precise nature of the adverse event has not been made clear. Dr. Gore reportedly died of total organ failure which could suggest that the live vaccine-strain yellow fever virus reverted to fully infectious, hemorrhagic forma rare effect known as vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease.

In the first case, a five-year-old girl suffered fever, headache and vomiting three days after being given the vaccine. She died after a five day illness.

The Lancet has reported a few more deaths from the yellow fever vaccine around the world, though curiously all among children and none in the over-60 category:

"They will undoubtedly conduct a proper analysis of this case to ensure it was caused by the vaccine rather than an incidental unconnected cause, such as sepsis."

He said the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was the UK body charged with looking into adverse side-effects reported from vaccines.

"This risk has to be balanced against the risk of contracting yellow fever if you are travelling to an infected area - a nasty disease with a high mortality rate."

However, he added: "It seems that people aged over 60 have a three to four-fold increased risk of experiencing these serious effects compared with younger people. However, this estimate is based on very few reported adverse events.

Prof Peter Openshaw, past president of the British Society for Immunology, said the overall risk of serious side-effects from the vaccination remains very low, at about one in every 100,000 of vaccine recipients.

The BBC report distinguished itself from other media reports by including a list of contraindications to the vaccine such as egg allergy. But like every other news source, BBC coverage was quick to authoritatively spin-doctor risks from the vaccine:

As reported by the BBC and other news agencies worldwide, Professor Martin Gore, 67, one of the UKs leading cancer scientists, died within hours of receiving a yellow fever vaccination. Many within Gores professional field paid tribute to their colleague and issued an outpouring of support and condolences.

The corporation was so uninterested in Brabants adverse reaction that even Dr. Heidi Larsonlead researcher for the Gates Foundations Vaccine Confidence Projectcalled the companys response inadequate and suggested that the vaccine formulationwhich has not changed since the 1960sis not only outdated but being given in too large a dose. Interestingly, Larson holds up Sanofi-Pasteurs conduct in this case as an example of the damage corporations do to public confidence in vaccination. Typically the news media only publish Larsons statements that antivaccine advocates damage confidence.

Brabant published a book in 2013 and later made a documentary film titled Malcolm is a Little Unwell about his ordeal and the devastating effects his illness had on his family. The film is available on Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyWxkiG5Oo0

On the surface Brabants claims dont contradict the current party line since Brabant fits the profile of an individual over 60 the only subgroup reported in recent coverage of the death of Martin Gore to be at risk to adverse events from the yellow fever vaccine. But as with most vaccine-related deaths and injuries, only about 1% to 10% of reactions are ever officially recognized. To make matters more complicated, the mediathough forced in high profile cases such as Gores and Brabants to report adverse eventsdoes no service to the public by further spinning risks that have already been spun to death on behalf an industry that is, as Brabant states at the end of his documentary regarding Sanofi, content to accept collateral damage from its profitable products because most people who receive themand therefore most of the collateral are the poorest on the planet.

What the Media Should be Asking and Reporting Regarding the Yellow Fever Vaccine

Brabant suggests that vast numbers of people are being injured by the yellow fever vaccine who are never officially recognized. Whether this is because victims lack access to modern healthcare or because they live in undemocratic regions which mandate vaccines and have no free press is also unknown. Meanwhile, the western world generally boasts a free press but if reports on the death of Martin Gore are any measure, that hypothetical freedom is not being used. The following is an attempt to fill in the information gaps regarding the vaccine for yellow fever.

Yellow fever is the more serious among diseases within the flavivirus class which includes dengue, West Nile and zika, all three of which are arboviruses (mosquito-borne). Risks in regions traditionally unaffected by yellow fever may be increasing due to climate change and globalization.

Most cases of yellow fever are reportedly mild although a small percentage can enter a secondary stage which, according to historical studies, is nearly 7 times as fatal to Caucasians compared to yellow fever mortality rates among non-Caucasians. According to researchers, the discrepancy may be due to differences in ethnic immune-related polymorphisms that could provide resistance among regional ethnic populations with multigenerational exposure to the disease in endemic areas. Further studies determined that those with antibodies to dengue feverwhich is often endemic in the same regions as yellow fever generally show increased resistance to yellow fever.

Abstract: A protective immunity against yellow fever, from cross-reactive dengue antibodies, has been hypothesized as an explanation for the absence of yellow fever in Southern Asia where dengue immunity is almost universal. This study evaluates the association between protective immunity from cross-reactive dengue antibodies with yellow fever infection and severity of the disease. The study population consisted of military personnel of a jungle garrison and its detachments located in the Ecuadorian Amazonian rainforest. The cross-sectional study employed interviews as well as seroepidemiological methods. Humoral immune response to yellow fever, Mayaro, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Oropouche, and dengue 2 infections was assessed by evaluating IgM and IgG specific antibodies. Log-linear regression analysis was used to evaluate age and presence of antibodies, against dengue type 2 virus, as predictors of yellow fever infection or severe disease. During the seroepidemiological survey, presence of dengue antibodies among yellow fever cases were observed in 77.3% cases from the coastal region, where dengue is endemic, 14.3% cases from the Amazon and 16.7 % cases from the Andean region. Dengue cross-reactive antibodies were not significantly associated with yellow fever infection but significantly associated with severity of the disease. The findings of this study suggest that previous exposure to dengue infection may have induced an anamnestic immune response that did not prevent yellow fever infection but greatly reduced the severity of the disease.

In other words, yellow fever is most dangerous to white travelers in tropical and subtropical regions. Human-to-human transmission of the disease is extremely rare since blood-to-blood contact is required. But since yellow fever can be transmitted not only from mosquito to human but also from human to mosquito, several countries have issued yellow fever vaccine mandates in order to travel to and/or from regions where the disease is endemic.

Natural immunity to dengue is not foolproof since there are rare instances of individuals having a more severe response to second and third infections with strains of dengue that differ from primary infections. But this flaw in natural immunity has proved to be worse in terms of response to the dengue vaccine.

A dengue virus vaccine was recently developed not only to prevent first infections, but to avoid severe disease that may occur upon second and third infections. This consequence, called antibody dependent enhancement (ADE), now appears to be caused by the vaccine itself.

After 14 Philippine children died from dengue hemorrhagic fever following vaccination with Sanofi-Pasteurs Dengvaxia, the country suspended the dengue vaccination program.

MANILA (AFP) - The Philippines is investigating if the deaths of 14 children had any link to a dengue vaccine whose use the government has suspended due to health concerns, officials said on Friday (Jan 5).

The country stopped the sale and distribution of Dengvaxia last month after Sanofi, the French manufacturer, warned it could worsen symptoms for people who had not previously been infected with the virus.

Sanofi has maintained the vaccine does not kill people, but did not comment on the health department's new announcement.

The government has assigned an independent panel of experts to review the cases and expects their findings in one or two weeks, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said.

"We asked them the question, number one: what they think is the cause of death, and then second, do they think it is related to the vaccination," Assistant Health Secretary Enrique Domingo told reporters.

More than 800,000 schoolchildren received the vaccine last year in the world's first public dengue immunisation programme.

Though the Philippines halted the Dengvaxia campaign, Brazilwhich has a mandated vaccine schedule for children and a new, proudly undemocratic presidential administration that has made media repression a priority has continued to vaccinate children for dengue which may have unexpectedthough unlikely to be widely reported long term consequences.

For instance, researchers have found that there may be heterologous immunity between zika and denguemeaning that antibodies to one flavivirus may provide at least partial protection against other viruses in the same class. This suggests that far more investigation is needed to see whether a vaccine for any one of these diseases in the flavivirus class could have unforeseen cross-reactive immune consequences for others. In short, more people could start dying from flavivirus infections in the future.

This brings to mind the relatively recent and largely fictionalized zika virus scare stemming from a rise in the number of infants born with microcephaly in regions of Brazil, cases which were later strongly linked to pesticide exposure. Aside from the fraud and poor science used to pre-market a potentially blockbuster zika vaccine, the case highlights another failure in vaccine development: that industry and public health authorities dont consider long-term potential chain reactions from wide vaccination exposure, such as the disruption of formerly natural antibody protection as well as congenital protection of children born to flavivirus-seropositive women.

The same type of disruption is evident in the case of congenitally-derived measles resistance: infants of women in the generations vaccinated for measles no longer benefit from maternal antibody protection in the critical first year of life as did infants of previous generations whose mothers had formed antibodies from exposure to wild measles. The typical antibody response to vaccination wanes and doesnt confer this type of protection.

Spinning the Case for Mandates?

The recent addition of adult mandates to the already mandated childhood vaccine schedule in Argentinawhich has long mandated the yellow fever vaccine for travelers to areas where the disease is endemic has brought a renewed focus to the reasoning behind obligatory vaccination, which is generally based on arguments that vaccines are necessary to create herd immunity or protect others.

But what happens to the argument when this isnt the case?

The logic of mandates is frequently inconsistent. For example, live viral strains in yellow fever vaccines have been known to revert to infectious form which carries an also low but equivalent risk of blood-to-blood or human-to-mosquito transmission of fully-virulent yellow fever. Both facts erode the typical justification for mandates.

Another issue is that viruses dont die on skin contact with people who have antibodies to them or who have been vaccinated against the diseases so the vaccinated and those with natural immunity are not dead end hosts as is frequently claimed. Those vaccinated against yellow fever are known to be viremic (having detectable levels of virus in the blood) for an average of 36 days following injection with the elderly showing a longer duration of viremia. In other words, the vaccine sheds. Also as mentioned above, yellow fever is most common in areas where a larger percentage of native populations are resistant to the disease to varying degrees. This further points to the fact that resistance is not a shield against transmission. Those who are naturally resistant or those who have been successfully vaccinated may initially have lower viremia than someone symptomatically infected but may still contract and carry the diseasealbeit asymptomatically increasing the possibility that mosquitoes may catch the virus from humans which has been observed in the case of the very similarly transmissible dengue virus:

Abstract: Three-quarters of the estimated 390 million dengue virus (DENV) infections each year are clinically inapparent. People with inapparent dengue virus infections are generally considered dead-end hosts for transmission because they do not reach sufficiently high viremia levels to infect mosquitoes. Here, we show that, despite their lower average level of viremia, asymptomatic people can be infectious to mosquitoes. Moreover, at a given level of viremia, DENV-infected people with no detectable symptoms or before the onset of symptoms are significantly more infectious to mosquitoes than people with symptomatic infections. Because DENV viremic people without clinical symptoms may be exposed to more mosquitoes through their undisrupted daily routines than sick people and represent the bulk of DENV infections, our data indicate that they have the potential to contribute significantly more to virus transmission to mosquitoes than previously recognized.

The same concerns have been raised regarding zika transmission since the native populations within regions where the disease is endemic are mostly resistant, yet the transmission cycle between humans and mosquitoes continues at high rates.

As with most vaccine-preventable diseases, reported mortality statistics for wild yellow fever are muddled and obtuse with frequent broad claims that yellow fever kills more than 50% of those who contract it. But the latter figure only refers to the aforementioned small percentageas the World Health Organization and US CDC vaguely word it of those entering the toxic stage of the disease. That small percentage of cases is variously reported to between 5% and 15% of all cases, an estimated half of which may be fatal. This is not to argue that yellow fever is a benign illness. But actual infection and mortality statistics are difficult to generate since milder cases of yellow fever which, if anything, mostly manifest as flu-like symptoms might never be reported in the first place.

To the degree that mortality rates are used to justify vaccine mandates, the official muddling of rates only raises more questions about the relative safety of the yellow fever vaccine. Risks of serious adverse events from the yellow fever vaccine include anaphylaxis (from the egg protein, chicken protein and gelatin in all YF vaccine preparations and the lactose in Stamaril); vaccine associated neurotropic disease (encephalitis); and vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease (when the vaccine strain of yellow fever reverts to infectious form). The latter condition, though relatively rare, is almost always fatal.

Though most news reports on Professor Gores death included mention that individuals over 60 are at higher risk from the yellow fever vaccine, a research review of adverse events from the yellow fever vaccine reports elevated risks among several groups:

Seligman evaluated risk factors for YEL-AVD [vaccine associated viscerotropic disease], and found that there was statistical support for considering risk groups elderly males, women between the ages of 19 and 34, people with a variety of autoimmune diseases, and individuals who have been thymectomized because of thymoma.30

Also as reported in a 2015 review in the scientific journal Vaccines and Immunotherapy, the highest risk of developing vaccine-induced viscerotropic disease was found for children ages 1 to 4.

There have been also been case reports of autoimmune narcolepsy following yellow fever vaccination:

Abstract

Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a rare, but important differential diagnosis for daytime sleepiness and atonic paroxysms in an adolescent. A recent increase in incidence in the pediatric age group probably linked to the use of the Pandemrix influenza vaccine in 2009, has increased awareness that different environmental factors can "trigger" narcolepsy with cataplexy in a genetically susceptible population. Here, we describe the case of a 13-year-old boy with narcolepsy following yellow fever vaccination. He carries the HLA DQB1*0602 haplotype strongly associated with narcolepsy and cataplexy. Polysomnography showed rapid sleep onset with rapid eye movement (REM) latency of 47 min, significant sleep fragmentation and a mean sleep latency of 1.6 min with sleep onset REM in four out of four nap periods. Together with the clinical history, these findings are diagnostic of narcolepsy type 1. The envelope protein E of the yellow fever vaccine strain 17D has significant amino acid sequence overlap with both hypocretin and the hypocretin receptor 2 receptors in protein regions that are predicted to act as epitopes for antibody production. These findings raise the question whether the yellow fever vaccine strain may, through a potential molecular mimicry mechanism, be another infectious trigger for this neuro-immunological disorder.

Its worth repeating that the risk of developing the debilitating though less often fatal vaccine-associated neurotropic disease is many times higher than the risk of vaccine associated viscerotropic disease as the study from Vaccines and Immunotherapy also reports:

The overall rate of neurotropic disease per 100,000 doses in RS was 1.03, higher than expected. In RS [Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil] the highest risk was for the age group from 5 to 9 years, but again confidence intervals for RRR [reporting risk ratio] were wide. Although prognosis of these cases is generally good, there is reason for concern. It should be noted that with the French vaccine, no longer in use, the rate of postvaccinal encephalitis was 34% in children, with few cases in adults,22 and with a neurotropic lot of 17D vaccine, used at the beginning of production of 17D vaccine, the rate was also higher in children from 5 to 14 years than in older adolescents and adults.5 Two well documented cases of neurotropic disease in newborns acquired through breast-feeding on lactating mothers vaccinated against yellow fever were reported in RS.23,24

As Malcolm Brabant found out the hard way, an over 1% rate of vaccine induced encephalitis is a statistically significant risk by all accounts.

The study published in Vaccines and Immunotherapy concludes that, though the yellow fever vaccine remains the best strategy for avoiding yellow fever, individuals should receive the vaccine only after a careful risk/benefit analysis which researchers admit is nearly impossible to undertake because, other than those with known egg allergies, no one understands why some individuals are more prone to vaccine adverse events.

Again, the evidence argues that vaccinationeven for a potentially serious disease like yellow fevershould be left to individual choice since the individual carries all the risk, the vaccine cannot be proven to protect the herd and may even contribute to continuing the cycle of host to host infection.

It also seems clear that, if the public understood the risks, they might rally for updated, safer alternative that Heidi Larson alludes to. It would be hard to say whether science was up to the task of developing a safer vaccine for yellow fever, particularly because, as Ginger Taylor recently argued, the liability-free vaccines produced and distributed in the US and elsewhere carry no incentive to improve safety.

Adriana Gamondes is Contributing Editor to Age of Autism and one of the publications social media administrators.International Advertising Association (IAA) in association with the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) is providing a platform for all advertising and marketing professionals in India to showcase their creativity for a cause during the upcoming International Advertising Association World Congress in Kochi next month. IAA is inviting entries for creating a campaign to drive awareness on Diabetic Retinopathy. This national health initiative is titled EYE4Future and is conceptualised by IAA in partnership with All India Ophthalmological society.

Says Punit Goenka President IAA (India Chapter), The ethos behind the campaign is that IAA has always believed that communication should be a force for good. The India Chapter has an excellent track record of supporting good societal causes.

Adds Dr. S. Natarajan, President Elect of the AIOS, The diabetes pandemic is sweeping across the country. There are 62 million people with diabetes in India and another 77 million people estimated to be pre-diabetic. These and all those who have not yet been diagnosed as diabetic are facing grave risk, including those of Diabetic Retinopathy and hence there is a need to build mass awareness about this issue. I am glad the IAA is supporting this much needed initiative.

The campaign will be judged by an elite jury for creativity and simplicity. IAA will support the winning team to produce the campaign, and invite two members of the team to Kochi. The campaign will be unveiled in the presence of renowned speakers and celebrities at the IAA World Congress on 22nd February 2019. The Last day to send in entries is 28th January, 2019. No extensions.Wind Advisory in Effect for Major Highways in Siskiyou County

A wind advisory is in effect for some major highways in Siskiyou County. Caltrans says big rigs and other high-profile vehicles should avoid northbound I-5 from Weed to Yreka and northbound Highway 97 from Weed to the Oregon border. Highway 299 is also impacted. Roads three miles east from the Trinity County line at Buckhorn are experiencing flooding.

Highway 99 Flooding

Highway 99 just north of Chico and Wilson Landing Road is flooded with several inches of water. CHP officers are on scene to manage traffic.

Tehama County Flooding

There is some flooding in Tehama County at the intersection of Rawson Road and Flores Avenue near Gerber. You can also expect flooding in Vina on Rowles Road and South Avenue. Icy roads in Yreka are also causing hazards.

Blizzard Warning in Effect for Sierra Areas

A rare blizzard warning in the Sierra remains in effect. Conditions worsened overnight. Caltrans says snow falling on I-80 at Donner Summit is expected to become heavier and travel is not advised. Right now, chains are required from Kingvale to Truckee.

Siskiyou County Man Behind Bars for Attempted Murder

The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office says 79-year-old Donald Hannan is behind bars for attempted murder. Deputies say he shot a woman early Wednesday morning on Michele Drive. The victim is expected to be OK.

Woman Faces Possible 12-Year Sentence for Deadly Hit-and-Run

A woman faces more than 12 years behind bars for a deadly hit-and-run in Anderson. Leslie Freiberg pled guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter. Police say she hit and killed James Shryock with her car in July of last year.

Partial Government Shutdown Takes Toll on Wildfire Preparations

The government shutdown is now taking a toll on California wildfire preparations. Firefighting officials are having to cancel training courses from Tennessee to Oregon. Piles of dead trees are left untended in federal forests and controlled burns are not happening. Wildfire managers say the winter months are critical in preparing for the next fire season.

Flash Flood Watch Issued for Camp Fire Burn Scar Areas

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the Camp Fire burn area for Thursday until 4 p.m.OROVILLE, Calif. - Two arrests were made in connection to an overdose incident at Gold Country Casino & Hotel, which sent four to the hospital including a 5-month-old baby.

Jonathan Shade, 24, of Roseville, and Holly Barker, 24, of Paradise, were treated and released from the hospital. Afterward, they were arrested on charges of child endangerment, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Shade was also charged with violation of probation.

The Butte County Sheriff's Office confirmed in the investigation that Shade and Barker are the parents of the 5-month-old located at the scene of the overdose.

Another person was located at the scene and identified as Randy Duong, 24, of Paradise. He was treated and released from the hospital.

Detectives are continuing to investigate where the drugs came from and whether this incident is in any way connected to the recent overdose incident in Chico.UPDATE 12 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019 - Heavy rains led to intense flooding in Red Bluff Wednesday night.

The floods forced 30 homes to evacuate on Aloha Street.

Several homes did flood.

Evacuation orders were lifted around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The Red Bluff Community Center has been open overnight for anyone who was not able to go home.

---

RED BLUFF, Calif. - Red Bluff Police issued evacuation orders for residents along Aloha Street from flooding but later canceled the order after 11:30 p.m.

Several homes are flooded.

They will keep the Red Bluff Community Center open overnight for residents that want to stay there just in case.WENN/Brian To Movie

When asked for an update on the film adaptation of 'Monty Python's Spamalot', original member Eric Idle pours cold water to speculations that the 'Doctor Strange' star is eyed to portray King Arthur.

Jan 17, 2019

AceShowbiz - Benedict Cumberbatch's schedule for the Marvel superhero movies has apparently ruled the actor out of plans to star in the film adaptation of "Monty Python's Spamalot".

Reports emerged last year (18) suggesting Cumberbatch was at the top of studio bosses' list to feature in a "Spamalot" movie, starring as King Arthur, with "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage wanted as his trusty sidekick, Patsy, and funnywoman Tiffany Haddish as the Lady of the Lake.

However, Eric Idle, one of the original members of the classic British comedy troupe, who is writing the film's script, reveals Benedict was unable to commit to the project.

Idle was quizzed for an update on the "Spamalot" film by a Twitter follower, who asked, "Are you really making 'Spamalot' the Movie? Like, with real singing? And, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tiffany Haddish too...?"

"Sadly not Benedict who has to put on tights or something. You know those types of movie (sic)...," Idle replied, hinting at Cumberbatch's superhero role as Doctor Strange. "he was very nice about it. We'll announce the cast when it's done."

The "Spamalot" stage musical, which is based on the 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", debuted on Broadway with Mike Nichols as director in 2005, and it became a smash hit, earning 14 Tony Award nominations, and winning three, including Best Musical.

Apart from Idle's comments on Twitter, no further details about the planned film version have been released, except for the fact that theatre director Casey Nicholaw, who worked as a choreographer on Broadway's "Spamalot", will take charge of the movie.

It had originally been expected to begin production in early 2019, although it's not clear if that timeline is still in place.

Meanwhile, Cumberbatch has signed on to reprise his role as Doctor Strange for a sequel to the 2016 movie of the same name, while he has also featured as the powerful sorcerer in "Thor: Ragnarok", and "Avengers: Infinity War".WENN/Adriana M. Barraza TV

The star/director of the comedy series addresses Samara Weaving's complaint during an appearance on 'Today,' wherein co-star Rosie O'Donnell praises the set for carrying family feel.

Jan 17, 2019

AceShowbiz - Actress/director Frankie Shaw has addressed allegations of misconduct on the set of her TV comedy "SMILF", insisting she is learning from past mistakes.

The show creator and star hit headlines in December (2018) after producers at ABC Studios launched an investigation into her conduct following a complaint raised by actress Samara Weaving, regarding the way Shaw had filmed a sex scene.

According to reports, Weaving took issue with being asked to perform the steamy season two sequence naked, even though she had a no-nudity clause in her contract. She also claimed she had felt uncomfortable with the way Shaw shot a similar scene for the show's first season.

Shaw was cleared of any wrongdoing in the internal investigation, and now she has publicly responded to the allegations, vowing to be more attentive to her castmembers' feelings in future.

"This is my first time doing this job and we moved fast, and I was learning on the go and I'm just really grateful that I can take these lessons of being a more aware and in-tune showrunner moving forward," she told U.S. breakfast show "Today".

"And I will say I am really proud of a lot of the work we did, you know? We had approximately 50 per cent female crew in Boston (where 'SMILF' is filmed). We had almost all women directors... (including) Kerry Washington."

Shaw's co-star Rosie O'Donnell, who was present for the TV interview, also had nothing but good things to say about the set.

"It's a beautiful set, I have to say," she added. "There is a family feel on the set and the great thing about Frankie is she addressed the stuff and the network did, and everybody is OK and here we go."

Im just really grateful that I can take these lessons of being a more aware and attune showrunner moving forward.



Frankie Shaw (@frankieshawisag) addresses misconduct claims on the set of her Showtime show, Smilf pic.twitter.com/TGAFCuSGQ0  Kathie Lee and Hoda (@klgandhoda) January 16, 2019

Weaving has since been granted her request to be released from her contract, and therefore will not feature in another season if it gets picked up for a third run.Guwahati, Jan 16 : Defying the Supreme Court ban, traditional buffalo fight locally called Moh Juj was organised in different parts in central Assams Morigaon district on the first day of Assamese month Magh on Wednesday.

The traditional buffalo fights were organised at Ahatguri, Baidyabari in the central Assam district on the occasion the Bhogali Bihu, biggest post-harvest festival of Assam.

The apex court in 2014 in a case of Animal Welfare Board of India vs A Nagaraja and others passed an order banning all animal fights and races.

Defying the Supreme Court ban, the organisers held the buffalo fight and around 20,000 people had enjoyed 20 pairs of buffalo pitching against each other.

Ahatguri is popularly known as for its buffalo fights and the locals have organised the traditional fights since 1972.

Amal Hazarika, an organiser of Baidyabari buffalo fight competition said that, the competition was organised only support from the local buffalo owners.

We are aware about the Supreme Court order and respect the order. But the buffalo owners and caretakers have demanded to organise the competition. They have decided to organise the competition every year, Hazarika said.WENN Movie

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey confirms that Disney are looking for a new helmer to replace Paul King in the new live-action remake of Carlo Collodi's classic tale.

Jan 17, 2019

AceShowbiz - Paul King has reportedly pulled out of directing the live-action remake of Carlo Collodi's classic tale "Pinocchio (2019)".

The filmmaker stepped in to take charge of the movie after Sam Mendes exited in November, 2017, but according to cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, he too has quit the film - for "family reasons".

Tom Hanks was in talks to portray Pinocchio's carpenter creator Geppetto in the project, but it is unclear if it is moving forward with the Oscar winner.

"I don't think it's a secret anymore, but the film has been cancelled over the holidays, over Christmas," McGarvey told Discussing Film.

"The director basically pulled out of the film for family reasons," he added. "Disney are trying to find a new director, but yeah, I read those reports that Tom Hanks and all those other people, but yeah, they're trying to get it going."

If King had moved forward with the movie, he would have directed from a script co-written by his "Paddington" screenwriter Simon Farnaby.

Meanwhile, the live-action movie is not the only "Pinocchio" project in the works - Guillermo del Toro has teamed up with Netflix bosses to make his animated feature film directing debut on a revamped version of the story about the puppet who wants to be a real boy........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  New Mexico horse racing regulators said Thursday they will comply with a request by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for more information regarding the selection process for the states sixth and final license for a racetrack and casino and the five applicants who are in the running.

The Democratic governor, who took office Jan. 1, made the request for additional research in a letter sent Wednesday to the commission.

Commission Chairman Ray Willis told the crowd gathered for Thursdays meeting in Albuquerque that the panel hired a company last year to conduct an independent review and comparison of the applicants. That work was completed in November and has been used in the commissions ongoing deliberations.

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To satisfy the governors request, Willis said the study will be made public and posted on the commissions website.

The commission remains committed to issuing a sixth racing license and remains committed to making decisions that are in the best interest of the racing industry, Willis said.

He also said the commission is awaiting resolution of a petition filed in district court by one of the companies vying for the license. That company, Hidalgo Downs, is seeking a temporary injunction, saying the commission hasnt done enough to study the issue.

Commissioners first voiced frustration in December after being forced to delay a final decision on the license because of the petition. The Democratic-controlled state attorney generals office had threatened to withdraw as legal counsel on the licensing process if the commission didnt put off picking a winner until the petition had been resolved.

A hearing has yet to be scheduled on the matter, but other groups involved in the selection process have intervened in the case.

Three groups have made separate proposals to build a racino in the Clovis area. There also are proposals for racinos in Tucumcari and the one in Lordsburg proposed by Hidalgo Downs.

Hidalgo Downs filed its petition after a previous feasibility study found that a racino in the southwestern corner of the state would produce significantly less revenues and taxes than the projects proposed for Clovis and Tucumcari.

The states five existing racinos have voiced concerns about adding a sixth venue, saying doing so would hurt their business. In a Nov. 13 letter to the commission, they described New Mexicos racing industry as far from healthy and not in need of additional forces creating additional downward pressures.

Under state compacts with casino-operating Native American tribes, only six racinos are allowed in New Mexico. The five existing establishments are in Hobbs, Ruidoso, Farmington, Albuquerque and Sunland Park.

A review of campaign finance records by the Santa Fe New Mexican showed New Mexicos five racinos and their owners contributed at least $60,000 in political donations to Lujan Grishams campaign.

The newspaper also found that her campaign received more than $25,000 in donations from individuals and companies with ties to one of groups seeking the final license. A company linked to another group also vying for the license made a donation of more than $5,000 late in the campaign........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

PHOENIX  Police in a Phoenix suburb say a burglary suspect shot to death by an officer was a 14-year-old boy carrying a replica gun.

Authorities say officers in the city of Tempe reported a suspect burglarizing a car Tuesday and that he ran away holding what appeared to be a handgun.

During the chase, police say he turned toward the officers. One officer perceived that as a threat and shot the suspect, who died at a hospital.

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Police said Wednesday that the teen had a replica 1911 airsoft gun in his possession, which they determined he had taken from vehicle along with some other items.

They say the shooting was captured on the officers body camera. The police department did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for access to the video.

The name of the teen and the officer who opened fire havent been released.

But the ABC15 Arizona station interviewed a man and a woman identified as the boys brother and mother, who said they wanted police to explain what happened.

The boys brother Jason Gonzalez said, A police officer has a Taser gun right? Why not shoot a Taser at him? He sees a young boy, my brother wouldnt shoot. I know he wouldnt shoot.

Speaking through a Spanish-English interpreter, the teens mother Sandra Gonzalez said: If they want to tarnish my son, they are wrong.

Apart from the fact that they killed him, they want to destroy him, she said. No. I wont allow it, I want justice.

A Facebook page believed to be the teens shows photographs of a baby-faced boy with a peach-fuzz mustache, a few snaps with relatives and friends and a big, green truck. Friends of the family were putting together a GoFundMe page to pay for the teens funeral costs.

The department said it will conduct its investigation in conjunction with the Maricopa County Attorneys office, as is customary in officer-involved shootings.

A self-described socialist group rallied in Tempe to draw attention to the case.

We want to bring an end to the police brutality in Maricopa County and lock up killer cops, said activist Alexia Isais. We are demanding that police be held accountable for the killings they are committing, mostly against unarmed, marginalized people.

A vigil was held Thursday outside the Tempe Police headquarters.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been at least one other police shooting that killed a teen in Maricopa County, Arizonas largest.

Earlier this month, a Phoenix police officer shot and killed a 19-year-old Jacob Michael Harris after surveillance officers reportedly saw him and three others carry out an armed robbery. Police say they were watching the group because they were suspects in several other robberies.

Also this month, an officer in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria shot and wounded a 17-year-old boy after getting a call about a robbery at an auto supply store. Officers said the boy had a gun. He was shot in the shoulder........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

SANTA FE  Two years ago, the chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court said the states court system was on life support due to budget cuts and smothering caseloads.

The courts condition has since improved, new Chief Justice Judith Nakamura told lawmakers during a joint session of the Legislature, even if there are still challenges facing the judicial branch.

I am pleased  and relieved  to report that our courts are beginning to breathe on their own, Nakamura said in her 36-minute State of the Judiciary address on Thursday.

A new computer system has helped ensure the judiciary can pay jurors on time, and vacancy rates in state magistrate courts have dropped by about 10 percent in recent years, Nakamura said.

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We are no longer routinely losing our employees to places like Target and Walmart that, in some communities, paid better than the courts, she said.

However, Nakamura said New Mexicos court system is still too prone to delays and can be confusing for members of the public to navigate.

She also said some pay levels for judges have made it hard for the court system to attract new blood.

In 2017, there were an average of six applicants per judicial vacancy, Nakamura said. That dropped to just over two applicants per vacancy last year.

New Mexico judicial pay is among the nations lowest, as state district judges make $126,186 a year. Supreme Court justices take home slightly more.

Lawyers with experience in the private sector, including law firms, say that judicial salaries keep them from applying to be judges, Nakamura said, adding that the average partner in a New Mexico law firm gets paid 51 percent more than a state Supreme Court justice.

In the midst of an unprecedented revenue windfall, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Legislative Finance Committee both have proposed salary increases for judges in their spending plans for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The governors budget recommendation calls for a 5 percent pay hike for judges, and the LFCs plan calls for a 6 percent increase.

Meanwhile, Nakamura also defended judges from criticism  particularly in the Albuquerque area  over defendants being released before trial.

I promise you, there is not a single judge, not one, who intends to release a dangerous person into the community, she said. We are all New Mexicans, and we, too, want to live in safe communities.

A former longtime Metro Court and District Court judge in Albuquerque, Nakamura was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Susana Martinez in November 2015.

She then won election to the Supreme Court in 2016, becoming the first Republican to be elected to New Mexicos highest court since 1980........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

SANTA FE  A Santa Fe jury could not reach a verdict on one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor for former teacher Gary Gregor.

The trial for Gregor, accused of rubbing his groin in a sexual manner against a second-grade student while he was teaching at Fairview Elementary in Espanola during the 2006-07 school year, began Tuesday in Santa Fe District Court.

The jury began deliberations around noon Wednesday before telling Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer that it could not reach a verdict around 11 a.m. Thursday.

Prosecutors from the New Mexico Attorney General's Office say they'll retry the case.

The alleged victim testified Tuesday that Gregor would keep her in the classroom for recess, where he would lay on the floor with her and rub his penis against her buttocks and thighs.

Gregor was convicted last month on 12 total counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, criminal sexual contact of a minor and kidnapping for sexually assaulting two female students at Fairview during the 2007-08 school year. He faces up to 168 years in prison.

He also faces charges for allegedly abusing students at a Santa Fe elementary school when he taught there before moving on to Espanola Public Schools.

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Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

Santa Fe remains a top location for film.

Thats according to the latest ranking by MovieMaker.

The trade publication released its ranking for the best small cities to live and work as a movie maker.

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The City Different holds onto its ranking at No. 3 for a second year. Savannah, Ga. and New Orleans are ranked ahead of Santa Fe. Rounding out the top five are Pittsburgh, Pa. and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Weve been in the top three for four years in a row now, said Eric Witt, executive director of the Santa Fe Film Office. Between us and Albuquerque getting No. 1, it just validates New Mexicos place as a leader in the industry.

On Wednesday, MovieMaker ranked Albuquerque at No. 1 for big cities. Productions often share both Albuquerque and Santa Fe locations when filming in New Mexico.

New Mexico offers a 25 percent tax rebate to film companies for most direct, in-state expenditures, although long-running television programs are eligible for an additional 5 percent  or 30 percent in all. There is also a $50 million annual cap on what is paid out.

The high-ranking listings come as New Mexico lawmakers are debating whether to raise or lift the cap completely. It is estimated that there will be a $250 million backlog in unpaid rebate money by the end of this fiscal year, on June 30.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says lifting the cap would bring more film business, while many lawmakers wonder whether thats fiscally responsible.

I hope the Legislature takes into account that this is a proven industry in the state, Witt said. In conjunction with Albuquerque, it really shows that New Mexico is first and foremost on the industrys mind when they are looking to find a home for a production.

The list is compiled by looking at each citys film activity  which means number of productions, economic activity generated and shoot durations.

It also looks at infrastructure, which includes health of film commissions and non-profits, number of film schools and visual effects houses.

Lastly, the population and geographical size, as well as the state and local film incentive programs and ease of movement and traffic were considered.

According to MovieMaker, the multiple Emmy wins for Netflixs Godless will only bolster Santa Fes reputation as a go-to locale for thinking Westerns.

Hostiles and the Coen brothers Western anthology, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs were also highlighted in the article.

Witt said production remains high in Santa Fe.

Everybody is looking to see if Roswell will get a second season, he said. Netflixs Rattlesnake wrapped up. Just yesterday we had a show called Bite Club filming an episode here. There was a German documentary team shooting at the Plaza. Were busy and people love being here.

The article also mentions cultural destinations such as the Santa Fe Opera and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, which are matched by the natural architectural beauty of places like Taos Pueblo, a Native American settlement at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains established 1,000 years ago.

You can also visit the San Geronimo Chapel, built in 1619 and destroyed during the Mexican-American War. Perhaps the biggest wonder about Santa Fe is that a cultural treasure like this has a population of only 83,000 souls, the article stated........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

PARIS  One by one, European Union nations are spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the increasingly likely possibility that Britain will leave the bloc on March 29 without a plan.

A no-deal Brexit could shake up the rest of the continent in ways that many Europeans havent yet fathomed, from snarled air traffic to paralyzed ports and millions of workers in legal limbo.

France is spending 50 million euros ($57 million) to beef up security at airports and the Eurotunnel, and hiring hundreds of extra customs officers.

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Portugal is opening special airport lanes for British travelers, the nations main source of tourists. The Netherlands is scouring for qualified veterinarians to carry out new checks on live imports. Germany is fast-tracking a debate on solving bureaucratic problems if there is no Brexit deal.

Governments from Europes Atlantic Coast to the Black Sea are preparing rules for British citizens to live and work in their countries once they no longer enjoy EU residency rights  and hoping that Britain is doing the same for their citizens.

Britain, which would face by far the biggest disruption, has devoted thousands of civil servants and several billion pounds (dollars) on measures to mitigate the worst effect  although officials can only speculate about what will actually happen on March 30 if Brexit happens without a deal.

After the British parliament overwhelmingly rejected British Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit divorce deal this week, other governments are bracing for chaos, too.

We strongly believe Britain will leave with no exit deal, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Thursday, unveiling a raft of emergency measures to cope with that prospect. Under these conditions, our responsibility  is to ensure that our country is ready, that the interests of our citizens are preserved and defended.

The French government will build new infrastructure and hire new staff at airports and ports  and the tunnel beneath the English Channel. The company that operates the Eurotunnel says a quarter of all U.K.-EU trade passes through the tunnel, which could be a major chokepoint in a no-deal Brexit.

Frances emergency decrees will temporarily let British companies transport goods in France, and allow certain British insurance and other financial activities to continue in France despite Britains loss of access to the EU financial market. The exceptional transfer of military equipment between the two countries will also be allowed.

In Berlin, German lawmakers debated a bill Thursday that aims to solve bureaucratic issues arising from Brexit.

We want to keep the damage  and there will certainly be damage from Britains departure  as small as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday. Thats why we will of course do everything to find an orderly solution, but we are also prepared if there is no orderly solution.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Thursday that 80 percent of British tourists arrive at airports in Faro, the Algarve and Funchal in the Madeira Islands, where dedicated lines for them will help prevent delays.

Dutch authorities say they are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. The customs service is hiring some 900 new staff. The food and animal welfare authority is scouring southern and eastern Europe for qualified vets to carry out checks on live imports.

The government has set up an online Brexit counter and checklist for Dutch companies doing business with Britain  some 35,000 of which have no experience of dealing with countries outside the EU single market.

Romanian leaders have sought to reassure the estimated half a million Romanians living in Britain that they wont be left in the lurch  but havent provided specifics. Romania currently holds the EUs rotating presidency.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are working on legislation to deal with the short-term rights of British citizens in a no-deal Brexit, while the Dutch will let British citizens living in the country remain for 15 months and offer them the chance to apply for residency permits.

In Britain, the government announced Thursday its putting military reservists on standby for permanent service in the event the country leaves without a divorce deal. Its also recruiting hundreds of extra customs officers and border staff and has passed laws to help cross-border trade continue to flow, such as permits for long-distance truckers. Many businesses are taking things into their own hands, and stockpiling goods .

Britain says EU citizens will be able to stay temporarily despite a no-deal Brexit.

A high-level EU official is now touring all the capitals of the 27 countries remaining in the bloc, to assess Brexit preparations and provide help where needed, EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Thursday.

The EU has produced 88 notices how specific sectors should deal with possible Brexit emergencies.

Were not taking any chances, said Schinas.

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Jill Lawless in London, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Raf Casert in Brussels, Mike Corder in The Hague, Alison Mutler in Romania and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed.

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Follow APs full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

CLOVIS, N.M.  A man who escaped from a New Mexico jail has been sentenced.

The Eastern New Mexico News reports Judge Drew Tatum on Monday ordered the states recommendation of 16 years in prison and three years suspended for Victor Apodaca.

Apodaca, through an agreement signed late last year, pleaded guilty to each of his two fourth-degree felony charges stemming from a June 15, 2018, escape from the Curry County jail.

Apodaca, with good time credit, could serve only half of those 16 years in custody, but only after completing a 60-year term he recently started in Texas for a June 29, 2017, conviction of two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer.

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Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com

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WASHINGTON  The number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits jumped in the first two weeks of the shutdown, topping 10,000 during the week of Jan. 5.

The Labor Department said Thursday that is double the number of federal workers who sought aid in the previous week. Typically fewer than a thousand former federal employees apply for jobless benefits each week.

Federal employees who arent working during the partial government shutdown are eligible to claim unemployment aid, while those working without pay are not, the Labor Department has said. Yet even those sent home will have to repay the unemployment aid if they receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

The number of Americans overall who sought unemployment benefits last week declined 3,000 to 213,000, the government said. That figure doesnt include federal beneficiaries, who are tracked in a separate category. Applications by federal workers are reported with a one-week delay.

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More furloughed federal workers could apply for unemployment benefits in the weeks ahead. The Labor Department will release data for the week ending Jan. 12, the third week of the shutdown, next week.

The shutdown that began Dec. 22 caused roughly 420,000 federal employees to work without pay. Another 380,000 are not at work and not being paid. Those numbers have shifted a bit in recent days as the IRS and some other agencies have called more employees back to work.

Applications rose last week in states with a large number of federal contractors, many of whom are also working without pay. In Washington D.C., unemployment claims rose to 2,158 from 1,190, while in Virginia they jumped to 5,966 from 3,497 and in Maryland to 4,949 from 4,467.

The overall data suggests the job market remains healthy, with few layoffs. Employers added a strong 312,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stood at a very low 3.9 percent........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Police say a suspect in the homicide of an Albuquerque couple met the husband in the county jail before moving into their home and bludgeoning both of them to death in early December.

Richard Allen Ross, 39, was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment and tampering with evidence in the deaths of John and Debra Embry, both 67.

He was arrested in Oklahoma shortly after the slayings and was transferred to New Mexico in late December on a warrant.

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Officers found the Embrys with their hands and feet bound in their home in the 6200 block of Sweetwater NW, near Montano and Unser, on Dec. 7. The couple had been dead for several days and were not identified by medical investigators for another week due to severe injuries to their heads and partial mummification. Investigators said blunt force trauma caused the deaths.

Ross and John Embry met in October at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where both had been jailed for probation violations. Embry had battered his wife while on probation from past domestic disputes. Ross had left New Mexico while on probation from charges connected to the 2011 murder of James Sharpe.

Sharpe was found June 6, 2011, beaten to death and wrapped in sheets in a southeast Albuquerque motel room that Ross had rented. Ross was arrested a week later in Grants after crashing Sharpes Ford Explorer into a pole and trying to escape on foot.

Ross was eventually acquitted of murder but convicted of tampering with evidence, stealing a vehicle and stealing credit cards.

Rosss family declined to comment to the Journal.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, the probation and parole office had been trying to reach John Embry for more than a week before police went into the home and discovered the bodies.

Police say the bodies were covered in blankets with their hands bound behind their backs and their feet bound, and that bloodstains were throughout the home.

According to the complaint, the Embrys SUV, bank cards, cellphones and a flat-screen television were missing, but police did find Rosss MDC paperwork in a downstairs bedroom.

Detectives found out that Ross and John Embry had met in October while incarcerated in the same unit at MDC. Embry invited Ross, who was from Oklahoma, to stay at the couples home after he was released Nov. 14. Ross spent the next month hanging around the home and running errands with the couple, according to the complaint.

Police say John Embry even told his probation officer about Ross over the phone as the three shopped for tile at a Home Depot store.

The probation and parole office became concerned after John Embry didnt call in on Nov. 30. During the next six days, the office discovered that the Embrys hadnt picked up their mail, paid utilities or showed up to work. Nobody answered the door during multiple visits to the home.

Police say the Embrys were killed over the weekend of Dec. 1.

According to the complaint, Ross ankle bracelet showed he was in the house during the home visit on Dec. 2 but didnt answer the door when the probation officer knocked.

Five hours later, Ross cut off his ankle bracelet at a Smiths grocery store in Edgewood and drove the Embrys SUV to Haskell County, Okla., police say.

He was arrested six days later by the Haskell County Sheriffs Office.

Police say Ross had the couples credit cards, cellphones and SUV, and was wearing shoes with treads that matched prints found in the bloodstains at the Embrys home. They located the missing TV at a pawn shop in Oklahoma, and forensic investigators using a chemical agent found bloodstains on it.

Two APD homicide detectives traveled to Oklahoma to question Ross on Dec. 11. Police say Ross changed his story several times, but it involved the Embrys willingly giving him their SUV, bank cards, phones and TV when he left their home to return to Oklahoma.

Ross requested to speak to an attorney following the interview, a detective wrote.

Ross was extradited and booked into the MDC on Dec. 25.Kathmandu, Nepal: Though the issue of illegal parking of Rs 35.8 billion in Swiss banks by the 55 Nepalese nationals has rocked the country, the government authorities do not seem serious to initiate the investigations with the motive to return back the money in the country.





An in-depth investigation carried out by the Centre for Investigative Journalism in collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists had categorically been exposing the facts of illegal deposit. But no government authorities have shown seriousness, thanks to the indifference of the government to implement the anti money laundering act to control the corruption.





The authorities concerned like Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) and the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) should have taken the issue seriously to investigate the issue.





However, no above mentioned authorities have initiated investigations with the motive to bring results immediately. Likewise, the government has also been pretending to have unheard the issue.





Though the report has not disclosed the names of all the Nepalese, who have deposits in Swiss banks, it was already revealed that Minu Shah and her two sons have deposited highest amount in Swiss banks. According to the report, they had deposited $23.55 million (Rs 2.61 billion) in 2006/2007.





The report has given some hints stating that the savings of Nepalese in Swiss banks started to see a steady rise after 2007, following the end of the Maoist armed insurgency in the country.





It is being suspected that about one dozen business groups would have involved in channeling their illegal wealth abroad by depositing in the Swiss banks.



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Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque Police Department had a busy Wednesday as mayhem broke out across the city.

There were two homicides  one of which sparked an all-day manhunt in the bosque.

An infant died at a county-run substance abuse treatment center.

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A person was shot in the leg in the northeast area. And officers conducted a search for a stolen vehicle suspect off East Central.

Albuquerque is very busy today, and all of our resources are being tied up by these critical incidents, officer Simon Drobik, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, told a morning news conference.

Traffic was snarled for hours at the Central river crossing due to the manhunt in the bosque. Tingley Beach and other parts of the Albuquerque BioPark were put on lockdown, according to police. The nearby Dolores Gonzales Elementary School canceled all after-school programs and bus services because of the search.

Early start

The day became busy for police starting around 7 a.m. when a man called 911 to report that he had strangled his fiancee and was going to kill himself at a home in the area of Gonzales and Bataan SW, near Coors and Central.

Drobik said arriving officers found a woman dead inside the home.

They detained the man, who had stabbed himself in the chest.

The suspect was undergoing surgery Wednesday afternoon; his condition was unknown.

Drobik said police were interviewing family members and had executed a search warrant on the home.

He did not identify the suspect or victim.

All-day search

About an hour later, shortly before 8 a.m., officers were called to a shooting in front of Central Grill and Coffee House on Central near Rio Grande Boulevard and the Old Town community police substation.

Upon arrival, they observed rescue attending to a male who had been shot, Drobik said. Rescue immediately transported the subject to the hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.

Police say there is no known relationship between the victim and the offender, and they were investigating the slaying.

They did not identify the victim.

Drobik said the responding officers saw the suspect, described as wearing all black and armed with a gun, and chased him into the bosque, less than a mile away.

That started an all-day search.

APDs SWAT team, K-9 officers, open space units and the helicopter swarmed the area, scouring the eastern bank of the Rio Grande from the air, ground and water.

At one point, police said they were looking for a white mountain bike with black trim in the area, but they have not said how the bike was connected to the crime or whether it was found.

Shortly before nightfall, Deputy Chief Harold Medina held a news conference to say police had not found the suspect. He said the suspect was seen at the edge of the river and may be wearing muddy clothes.

We had the tactical section commander on scene rather quickly, and they felt comfortable that he was still in the bosque and they had him contained, Medina said. But it is a large area.  There are areas we could possibly have lost line of sight because of trees and the (curvature) of the river. Were confident that hes in there, but there always is that possibility that he did break out of the perimeter.

Police announced they had completed the search around 6:30 p.m. and were still empty-handed. Medina said detectives would use other means to try to identify and capture the suspect.

All lanes of Central were reopened, as was the bosque open space.

Ongoing investigation

Across town, in Southeast Albuquerque, detectives with the Crimes Against Children Unit and investigators with the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department were called to investigate the death of an 11-day-old baby at the Metropolitan Assessment and Treatment Services center.

MATS officials said they couldnt say much about the circumstances surrounding the death, but could say that it involved a mother and her baby who were staying at the Mariposa Residential Program  a six-month residential treatment program.

This morning a mother housed on our campus reported her newborn baby as unresponsive. APD is conducting an investigation, the officials wrote in a statement.

The program provides housing, medical services, case management and drug rehabilitation services to pregnant women and to women who have just given birth.

The baby has not been publicly identified.

At this time, the investigation remains ongoing and charges will possibly be filed at a later time, Drobik wrote in an email.

Lisa Fitting, a CYFD spokeswoman, confirmed the department is also investigating the babys death. However, she could not say who is being investigated or whether any children were taken into CYFD custody as a result of the incident.

One on the run, one shot

There were also some lesser calls throughout the day.

Police shut down an area near Central and Eubank around 12:30 p.m. as they searched for a suspect in a vehicle theft who had fled from officers.

It was unclear whether the suspect was ever found or the search was called off.

Then, around 2 p.m., a person was shot in the leg in Northeast Albuquerque.

Drobik, the APD spokesman, said the shooting happened in the 3200 block of Montgomery, near Interstate 25.

An individual has been shot in the leg, non-life-threatening at this time, he said. We are currently conducting an investigation. Drivers should avoid the area.

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When you receive your paycheck and look at the withholding for federal, state and sometimes city taxes, along with Social Security and Medicare, you probably dont think youre underpaying governments and want them to take more.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio believes that if you have played by what used to be called the rules and are making a decent living, taking care of yourself and your family and not relying on government, your taxes should be increased.

In his State of the City address last week, de Blasio said,  brothers and sisters, theres plenty of money in the world. Theres plenty of money in this city. Its just in the wrong hands. He continued: You havent been paid what you deserve for all the hard work. You havent been given the time you deserve. Youre not living the life you deserve. And here is the cold, hard truth: Its no accident. Its an agenda. He blamed presidential administrations from Reagan to Trump.

The mayor ignores the tax cuts and in some cases spending reductions that have fueled an economic boom, producing more wealth for individuals and more revenue for governments.

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The mayor is not alone in promoting unvarnished liberalism, which the many on the left have tried to mask behind the progressive euphemism. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggests we institute a 70 percent tax rate on the wealthy. Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and HUD secretary, who just announced he is running for president, has resurrected the fair share lingo of past Democrats. In an interview with ABC News, Castro seemed nostalgic for a time when the top marginal tax rate was 90 percent.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has formed a presidential exploratory committee, hasnt said what top tax rate she favors, but she told CNBC last July that Ninety percent sounds pretty shockingly high. Why, because it would stifle incentive? What about Eighty percent? Why not confiscate all private-sector money and let the government decide how much each of us should be allowed to have? Wouldnt pure socialism be a dream come true for the far left?

Its not that higher taxes and more government spending hasnt been tried. Lyndon Johnsons Great Society, a series of U.S. programs charged with totally eliminating poverty and racial injustice in the country, is but one example. Johnson failed to achieve his goal of wiping out poverty because his social programs began in Washington, not in individual hearts and minds.

The Wall Street Journal recently carried a column about Swedens experience with socialism. It was written by Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde, a professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Lee E. Ohanian, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and professor of economics at UCLA.

The authors noted, Until the mid-20th century, Sweden pursued highly competitive market-based policies. By 1970 Sweden achieved the worlds fourth-highest per capita income. Then increasingly radical Social Democratic governments raised taxes, spending and regulation much more than any other Western European country. Economic performance sputtered. By the early 1990s, Swedens per capita income ranking had dropped to 14th. Economic growth from 1970 to the early 1990s was roughly 1 percentage point lower than in Europe and 2 points lower than in the U.S.

In 1991, they write, a market-oriented government assumed power and instituted major reforms. As a result, the country is now richer than all of the major EU countries and is within 15 percent of U.S. per capita GDP. While Sweden still has a larger government than the U.S., its tax code is flatter. The progressivity of the U.S. tax code distorts incentives. Precisely!

Swedens experience with socialism has a lesson for Americans and especially millennials, a majority of whom favor socialism over capitalism, according to a 2016 Harvard University survey. Maybe they should take a closer look at their pay stubs and ask themselves whether they would be OK with handing over more of their net pay to federal, state and local governments that irresponsibly and unnecessarily spend their money on programs that dont work.

E-mail tcaeditors@tribpub.com. (c) 2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

SANTA FE  Gabriel Ramos, a Democrat from Silver City, won appointment to the state Senate on Wednesday, filling the vacancy created by Howie Morales move to lieutenant governor.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made the appointment just a few days after shed asked for more candidates to consider.

The three counties in Morales old district  Grant, Catron and Socorro  had each nominated Ramos.

Lujan Grisham subsequently asked the counties to nominate different candidates because, she said, state law anticipates the governor having a list of names to choose from, not just one person.

But she also said Monday that she wasnt necessarily opposed to appointing Ramos.

He will represent Senate District 28, which covers a chunk of southwestern New Mexico.

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Ramos, an insurance agent, is a former Grant County clerk and commissioner. He is also a former school board member and an ex-member of the town council in Hurley.

He now lives in Silver City.

Im excited to work, Ramos said Wednesday. I think things are going to go very well.

Morales, a Democrat, resigned from the Senate at the end of 2018, just before he was sworn in as lieutenant governor........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

WASHINGTON  Donald Trump is giving an unintentional gift to the burgeoning field of Democratic presidential candidates: He is teaching them how they can win.

Trumps failure as president is that he hasnt forged a governing party that can unite the country, pass legislation and address Americas problems. He has succeeded in creating an insurgency that has toppled the traditional Republican establishment and intimidated GOP members of Congress into stunned, appalled silence. But with the exception of the 2017 tax cut plan in which wealthier people reap the biggest payouts, he has failed utterly to enact significant domestic policies.

The border wall tantrum and government shutdown show how Trump has squandered the opportunity that his populist campaign offered. If he had broadened his coalition  using the art of the deal he touts, but doesnt seem to understand  he would have presented a more formidable and lasting challenge to the Democratic Party.

But Trumps insecure, all-or-nothing politics has prevented the compromises and horse-trading that might resolve festering problems and, forgive the phrase, make America great again. Instead, we have a paralyzed, dysfunctional government that even Trump enthusiasts must know is bad for our national health. Every additional day Trump sulks in the White House, his failure is more obvious.

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The challenge for the Democrats is to avoid Trumps blunder of creating a headline-grabbing insurgency and instead forge a broad governing coalition. That wont be easy; governing is dull, whereas insurgent movements are sexy. They animate the base of true believers and tap the inchoate public anger at the status quo. But insurgencies are self-limiting; they focus inward rather than outward; they are about protesting rather than fixing.

The temptation for Democrats in the age of Trump is to create a mirror image of his dysfunctional party of rage. Democrats can be as entranced as the GOP by the latest bright, shiny object darting across the political sky. They, too, can mistake social media energy for real political power.

The news media always finds new personalities or inflammatory comments irresistible. Thats why Trump has been so successful in manipulating the media. He conducts a daily circus of anti-elitist agitation. He drives wedges into every fissure of racial, gender or cultural division. He plays identity politics while pretending to oppose them.

This months bright, shiny Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Rep. Beto ORourke, among others, are undeniably fun to watch. But do they have the skills, or the desire, to help build the spacious tent in which a governing party must operate? Do they have the self-discipline to avoid quick-hit headlines and forge real alliances?

The midterm elections showed how tired most voters have become of Trumps brand of divisive politics, in which antics to animate the base  the relatively small segment of the electorate that is driven by ideological, racial or cultural convictions  crowd out the process of building coalitions that can pass legislation.

Nancy Pelosi isnt an ideal leader for a party that wants to reclaim working-class voters, but the value of having her as House speaker now is that shes a disciplined, old-fashioned pol who knows how to keep the Democratic caucus focused and aligned. Newcomers such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib  impeach the mother-er  will disrupt Pelosis agenda at their peril.

The Democrat who emerges atop the field will be the person who can convincingly demonstrate how he or she would make the instruments of government work again for the people. That starts with a message and a personality that a healthy majority of Americans can embrace. The ideal Democratic ticket would reach out to the broadest electorate; it would blend youth and experience, male and female, Anglo and Latino, black and white.

But the most important attribute for the Democratic presidential nominee will be an ability to beat Trump. The greatest weakness would be a candidate, backed by an insurgency, that skews the party so far left that it has trouble convincing independent voters in the center that the Democrats can put the country back together. Conservative voters are just as convinced that they face a politics of exclusion as are progressives. The escape is to rebuild a broad, tolerant, diverse middle.

The winning candidate will, almost by definition, create a new political alignment that begins to dissolve the cleavages that are tearing the country apart. What the country needs is a president who can convince most Americans to pull on the oars together again. Otherwise, this boat will remain dead in the water or, worse, keep rocking unsteadily until it eventually capsizes.

Email davidignatius@washpost.com. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

New Mexico Wild Executive Director

As I write, we are now in the longest government shutdown in American history.

A recent study by WalletHub determined that New Mexico has been hit harder by the federal government shutdown than any other state. The shutdown is particularly problematic for the states outdoor recreation economy, which generates $9.9 billion in consumer spending annually and directly employs 99,000 New Mexicans.

New Mexicos public lands are threatened by this shutdown, as is the publics safety. The reduced or absent oversight and law enforcement increases the likelihood of incidences of vandalism, destruction of historic and cultural resources, and harm to fragile ecosystems. New Mexicans are rightly concerned and saddened by this. They are also upset that their access to public lands is being limited. This predictable reaction underscores how much we as New Mexicans value our natural heritage and our public lands.

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Some public lands in New Mexico remain open during the shutdown, yet those that are managed by federal agencies, such as the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are severely understaffed due to employee furloughs, meaning the agencies cannot provide the usual level of service and oversight.

New Mexico Wild is calling on members of the public to help document the federal government shutdowns impact on our public lands and wild places. Individuals are encouraged to post photos and updates on public lands they visit to social media using the hashtag #OpenNMLands. The posts should tag @nmwilderness on Facebook and Instagram, and @nmwild on Twitter. New Mexico Wild will use the images and testimonies submitted to update the public on the conditions of public lands throughout the shutdown. Those who do not use social media may email their photos and stories to news@nmwild.org.

Additionally, we have launched a government shutdown website the public can use as a resource to stay up to date on how the shutdown is affecting New Mexicos public lands. The website will be updated as more information is gathered. The public can go to www.nmwild.org.

Federal employees are dedicated public servants, and they deserve our respect and support. They want to carry on the important work of protecting our public lands, but they are being told not to show up for work. To show our support, we are offering federal government employees who have been furloughed due to the shutdown a free, one-year membership to New Mexico Wild.

And while the public is being prevented from enjoying their public lands, weve learned that the BLM continues to process oil and gas leases on public lands during the shutdown, all while not responding to public records requests. New Mexico Wild believes that this action is illegal and is calling on the Department of Interior to postpone oil and gas lease sales and the issuance of drilling permits until the BLM can conduct legally compliant environmental reviews, and resume regular comment and protest periods.

Meanwhile, a public lands package with nearly unanimous support was reintroduced in the United States Senate on Jan. 8, including eight new wilderness areas totaling 241,067 acres within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in Dona Ana County and two new wilderness areas totaling 21,540 acres within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in Taos County. The 116th Congress should quickly pass the bipartisan lands package and send it to the president.

Reopen the government. Get federal workers back to work. Pay them. Let the public enjoy their public lands. Cease processing of oil and gas leasing unless and until the government reopens. Pass the public lands package. Stop the nonsense.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance or New Mexico Wild is a nonprofit 501(C)(3), independent, homegrown, grassroots, conservation organization dedicated to the protection, restoration and continued respect of New Mexicos wildlands and Wilderness areas........... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

RIO RANCHO, N.M.  The Rio Rancho Governing Body has approved changes allowing for further development of the Unser Pavilion area, but some of the nearby residents are unhappy.

At their meeting Wednesday at City Hall, governing body members unanimously voted for amendments to the Unser Pavilion master plan and zoning.

Councilor Bob Tyler was absent, which allowed Mayor Gregg Hull to vote.

Development Services Director Anthony Caravella said the changes added about 6.4 acres to the Unser Pavilion commercial development at Wellspring Avenue and Unser Boulevard. For land use, he said two acres would be changed from special use-commercial zoning to regular commercial zoning, three acres would go from R-1 low-density single-family housing to commercial and another 1.4 acres would go from R-1 to special use for neighborhood commercial, senior transitional or senior living facilities and town homes.

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The matter came before the governing body in mid-2016 but was sent back to the city planning and zoning board and then became dormant.

Albuquerque attorney Justin Sawyer said he represented 17 homeowners who live near the lot labeled 16A, which would be changed from R-1 to special use. He said the homeowners have opposed zone changes to the lot since 2016, and the developer, Springer 5 Investments, had communicated little with them.

The homeowners sentiment is that the developer is simply attempting to push this through over the objection of those who actually live in the area, Sawyer said.

He said the proposed zone change was illegal spot zoning inconsistent with surrounding land use, done for the discriminatory benefit of Springer 5 and would harm the neighborhood.

They (the developer) have to prove theres a community need for the change in question, Sawyer said, adding that the residents would rebut that claim if it were made.

Springer 5 agent Howard Balmer said the developer initially wanted lot 16A to be rezoned for commercial use, but to accommodate the homeowners, changed the plans to office use and then special use for neighborhood commercial, senior facilities and town homes. He said the development dependent on the changes would include construction of a road from Wellspring to 22nd Avenue to relieve traffic through the neighborhood as people traveled to existing businesses.

Without the zone change, he said, Springer 5 wouldnt be able to afford to build the road and give it to the city.

Jeanie Springer Knight, Springer 5 partner, said the road would cost $550,000. Neighbors had offered to buy the lot, she said, but the amount they offered wasnt enough to cover the cost of the road.

The value of the land would go up sufficiently with the zone change, she said.

Also, Balmer said Springer Knight had agreed to restrict building height for the lot to 35 feet, the same height restriction R-1 has, and add a 15-foot landscape buffer between the residential land and lot 16A.

He said the amendments have been through multiple layers of city approval processes.

So we feel that we have gone above and beyond in trying to accommodate all of the neighbors in the area, as well as the applicant, as well as the city and implement what we believe to be a great plan thats going to add another residential road in the area so it changes the traffic flows and traffic patterns in that area, he said.

Councilor Dave Bency said the city taking 2 years rezone land was punitive.

Its a wonder anybody wants to do business in Rio Rancho, he said.

The governing body approved an amended master plan and two zone-change ordinances for the addition to Unser Pavilion. The ordinances must come back to the governing body for a second vote.

In other business, governing body members:

 Decided not to form an impact fee credit special committee, but to make changes in governing body meetings.

 Voted to rezone an acre of land at 1015 Blacksmith St., north of Northern Boulevard, from R-1 to Industrial and Business Park District.

 Approved second and final readings of amendments to municipal court rules and traffic violation fines.

 Approved a final reading of the repeal of ordinances against vagrancy and panhandling.

 Voted for the final time to refinance water and wastewater system bonds to save $665,000.Victoria Lusk

vlusk@aberdeennews.com

A lot of times, not everything in life goes as planned.

But sometimes dreams still work out.

It was Gods timing.

Thats the take of Revive Day Spa owner Fallon Helm, instructor Tara Mortland and apprentice Ashley Veen.

Veen will graduate as Revives first apprentice Monday. Shes almost always had her eye on earning a cosmetology license. And Revive has had teaching on its agenda for four years or so.

Helm first started pursuing a local Salon Professional Academy franchise in 2015 because she wanted to open a cosmetology school in Aberdeen. She had support from the state cosmetology board, the franchise  including the purchased franchise rights for the entire state  local investors and the community. She had accumulated $800,000 in venture capital.

As a smaller boutique model, the school was projected to cost $600,000. But when bids came in for nearly double that amount, she had to pull the plug.

I couldnt risk the relationships that I had worked so hard to build, she said.

With the idea of starting a cosmetology school no longer an option, Helm had to shift gears. But shes still preparing to celebrate the accomplishments of the newly licensed cosmetologist her program apprenticed.

Veen was persistent about learning from Revive and obtaining her license.

Ashley was very adamant we start whatever we could, Helm said. During that process, we pursued what had been long forgotten  the (state) apprenticeship program.

Differences between the academy and the apprenticeship program are consequential, she said.

We feel better because youre getting real time, real experience, Helm said.

That includes the business behind the salon chair  like tracking profit or loss.

The apprenticeship program is 3,000 hours. Start to finish, it should take 14 months, Helm said.

Veen began July 17, 2017, and her journey has been bumpy at times.

Its always been a dream of mine to complete cosmetology school, she said.

She was at different times accepted to both Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown and the Stewart School in Sioux Falls. But the timing wasnt right, she said.

I always talked to Fallon, like always, and asked her what I can do to become a cosmetologist? Veen said.

When Helm said she planned to open the academy, Veen swore shed be the first student.

She was more than ready.

At that point I was like, I will do whatever it takes, Veen said.

One realization followed another. The first was that the academy wasnt going to work, but the second was that Veen could still do her schooling through Revive.

It was 2016 when Revive learned the state had an apprenticeship program. Mortland began working at the salon and spa a decade ago, and shes always wanted to teach what she knows and does best.

It was a no-brainer, Helm said.

That was especially true since Revive had already developed its own apprentice program  before it even knew the state offered one, Helm said. Mortland used that program to train new employees.

Revives program and curriculum had to be approved by the state board of cosmetology. The business also needed an education room. Mortland had to get licensed as an instructor.

It all ended up working out.

Like Ashley said, its much more than a coincidence. It was Gods timing, Helm said.

News and notes

How the more than $1.8 million the state gets from a $575 million settlement with Wells Fargo is spent will be up to the new attorney general.

According to Timothy Bormann, chief of staff for Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, the money will be used at the discretion of the attorney general for, among other options:

Public education relating to consumer fraud.

The continued funding of enforcement actions.

Reimbursement of any costs incurred by the attorney general in connection with the investigation and settlement.

Purposes intended to enhance law enforcement efforts to prevent and prosecute financial fraud and other unfair or deceptive acts.

And any other lawful purpose.

Wells Fargo reached the settlement to resolve claims it had violated state consumer laws by opening unauthorized accounts and more.

Beadle Auto Group, which previously opened at the former Dollar Loan Center, 119 Sixth Ave. S.W., appears to have closed. All vehicles and the signs on the building are gone. Beadle Auto could not be reached for comment.

Malchows Home Furnishings, 506 S. Main St., was recognized as a Retail Champion at the 2019 South Dakota Retailers annual meeting and awards banquet.

Retail Champions are businesses that are active in their communities and chosen by the association to advocate for retail legislation. The champions met with legislators at the meeting to discuss important issues and will follow those issues through the legislative session.

3,000 hours of training are required.

It should take about 14 months.

Apprentices do not pay for the training, nor are they paid.

The state mandates 40 hours per week.

The student watches the instructor, then completes apprenticeship requirements. Source: Revive Day SpaAberdeen News

The Aberdeen School District is in the process of securing an attorney to handle a civil lawsuit filed against it last month.

The lawsuit involves three sets of parents who claim the rights of their children with disabilities were violated. They claim physical and mental abuse.

The names of the parents and children are not listed in the lawsuit, which was filed Dec. 21 in federal court. The parents are seeking at least $75,000 in damages and are asking for a jury trial.

For now, theres no telling when the trial could be set.

Rory King, the school districts usual attorney, said another lawyer will be hired to handle the case. Once that has happened, he said, a response to the lawsuit will be filed. The district has 60 days from the date the complaint was received to respond.

Then, King said, the attorneys will start the process of collecting documents and testimony from the parties involved.

The lawsuit alleges that the students were abused by staff at May Overby Elementary and, when parents notified members of the administration, nothing was done to address the situation.

Brian Sharp, school board president, deferred comment on the lawsuit to King.

The defendants are Superintendent Becky Guffin, Assistant Superintendent Camille Kaul, former May Overby special education teacher Carrie Weisenburger, Simmons Middle School Principal Colleen Murley, May Overby Principal Michael Neubert and Special Education Director Renae Rausch.

Weisenburger worked at May Overby as a special needs teacher from August 2014 to August 2016.HELENA - Montana State Prison released information Thursday on an inmate who died at a prison infirmary.

State officials say Ronald Alfred Dunn died on Wed., Jan. 16 in the Lewistown Infirmary after an extended illness. He was 76.

Dunn was scheduled for release in August 2019. He was sentenced in Missoula County in 2014 for abuse of an elderly or disabled person.The National Safety Council released a statistic on how people are more likely to die from the opioid epidemic in our country than in car accidents.

Democrat Rep. Kimberly Dudik from Missoula heard that stat loud and clear, and is proposing an act designating October 20th as Montana Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, in order to encourage citizens to safely dispose of unused and unneeded prescription drugs.Ombudsman Titov asks prosecutors to check legality of paralyzed businessmans detention

 RAPSI

12:55 17/01/2019

MOSCOW, January 17 (RAPSI)  Russias business ombudsman Boris Titov has asked the Prosecutor Generals Office to check a legal basis for detention of paralyzed entrepreneur Nikolay Gerasimenko, the ombudsmans press service has told RAPSI.

According to the ombudsman, detained Gerasimenko suffers from a serious illness and is not ambulant.

The businessman was arrested in October. He stands charged with large scale fraud.

Investigators claim that from 2014 to 2017 Gerasimenko acting as a director of the South Regional Building Complex signed contracts on share participation in housing construction worth 78.8 million rubles ($1.2 million) with unnamed individuals but failed to fulfil his obligation on the agreements.

Earlier, the Moscow Regional Court replaced a detention order with a 3-million-ruble bail ($45,000). However, the businessman is still in detention as he has no the required sum.



The government shutdown continues to affect thousands across the nation, many not receiving pay checks to get the necessities for everyday life.

Now families could lose out on their food stamps, or SNAP. But to ensure families have what they need for the month of February, the state is releasing benefits early.

According to the Department of Public Health and Human Services, they will start dispersing those benefits tomorrow. Officials are stressing to the public this is "not anything extra." Once they are distributed tomorrow you will not receive benefits for the month of February. Health officials suggest that recipients should space out purchases instead of buying in the masses. The federal government informed DPHHS that they are allowed to issue benefits until federal funds are no longer available, but it is unclear if or when that will happen.Welcome Guest! You Are Here:The world's longest bridge is under construction in Kuwait, developed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction (Hyundai E&C) and Combined Group Contracting company. When completed, the new bridge, called Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah Causeway, will be the worlds longest landmark bridge in Kuwait this year.

Spanning a total length of 48,53 km (approx. 30 mile), the bridge will include the 36,1-km-long main bridge and the 12,43 km-long Doha Link, another Hyundai E&C project under construction in Kuwait. It is about 7 km longer than Haiwan Bridge (41.58 km) in Qingdao, China.

The the $3 billion project is conceived one of the largest infrastructural projects in the world overtaken by Hyundai E&C and Combined Group Contracting.

The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway will span across Kuwait Bay between Kuwait City and the Subiyah area. The new bridge will reduce the distance between Kuwait City and Subiyah area from 104 km to 36 km; thus, reducing journey time from 70 minutes to less than 20 minutes.

Its main signature cable-stayed bridge with its exquisite arch pylon will rise as a land mark in the middle of the vital navigation route of the Kuwait Bay. The project will also include two artificial islands of 30 hectares; one on the northern side and the other on the southern side of the bridge which will house maintenance and traffic emergency buildings, fueling stations and marina facilities. These islands will also have a visual/aesthetic role as they break the monotony of a long and uniform bridge.

Sheikh Jaber Al Sabah Causeway (SJSC) is developed as a signature infrastructure development project that addresses social, economic, and environmental concerns of the State of Kuwait, is an example of sustainable development.

The developers area also careful about the potantial environmental impacts of the project that may affect the marine animals and its site during construction of the bridge.

"The current SJSC construction line causes minimum marine impact, pollution and disturbance, through an effective buffer between construction site and ecologically rich locations. It is mandatory that all construction work complies with the best industry practices and KEPA regulations. Temporary impacts during construction are minimized through work carried out in compliance to regulations, approved project guidelines, effective construction supervision, and continuous environmental monitoring," stated in a project description.

"Environmental monitoring, a KEPA requirement, is implemented as the next tier of environment protection. Monitoring locations and parameters are based on sensitive receptors and expected degree of impact. Continuous monitoring includes marine water quality monitoring, ambient and meteorological data monitoring, air pollution monitoring, marine water sediment level, and vibration monitoring."

The progress of project construction is transparent to the public, as stated in the project website. "Real time monitoring data is available "online" for stakeholders through an Environment Data Management and Information System (EDMIS) for their verification and suggestions," they added.

Koran construction company Hyundai E&C and Combined Group Contracting Company won the project in 2013 and the project is developed as part of the Kuwait National Development Plan 2035. The bridge is expected to be completed this year.

All images courtesy of Hyundai E&C

> viaSheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah CausewayHuman rights lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu is calling on the President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr Tony Forson to with immediate effect step aside for investigations to be launched into allegations of rape against him.



This comes after a criminal complaint filed by a Canada-based Ghanaian lawyer, Kuukuwa Andam against Mr Forson in Washington D.C. in the U.S.A on the alleged incident which happened in 2012.



Though Mr Forson has through his lawyers, Beyuo & Co denied the allegation; Mr Sosu in an interview with Class FM advice Mr Tony Forson to step aside as President of the GBA until he has been exonerated or otherwise.



Sexual allegations are very serious allegations, and while we wait for this to be investigated, I think it will be in the interest of our senior colleague who is also the President of the Bar to just step aside to allow the investigation to go on and if hes innocent, he can always come back, he said.



Adding that, Beyond stepping aside or resigning there will also be the need for the General Legal Council to conduct some investigation.



However, Ms Andam has narrated her ordeal in a Facebook post.







Below is her full statement on Facebook



How I was raped by Anthony Forson Jnr. (Ghana Bar Association President) & have filed a criminal complaint against him in Washington D.C.



Yesterday, I filed a criminal complaint with the Washington DC Police Department against the current President of the Ghana Bar Association for a rape that occurred in the US in December 2012 and the perpetrator was Anthony Forson Jnr who is currently the President of the Ghana Bar Association. The investigation is pending & if the case is cleared, charges will be filed against him.



I want to be clear just as I stated in my post on Selasi that I DO NOT want or need a pesewa from Tony. I have my own money. Not to boast but I teach several courses at a top-notch university in Canada & just finished managing a major research project. I am a published author & I am regularly invited to participate in paid speaking opportunities due to my activist work. So this is not about money. This is about justice & trying to ensure that the next generation of Gh. female lawyers will never suffer the way that I have suffered.



I met Tony at the last Ghana Bar Association event I attended before travelling to study for my masters at Cornell University. This was almost a year after being raped by Selasi & my heart had hardened. After my bitter experience, I had decided that most married male lawyers in Ghana were going to take advantage of you anyway so it was better to just date them for money. At that time, I needed money for Cornell as my funding only covered my tuition. So when Tony told me he wanted to date me, I agreed. He would send me many messages telling me he loved me. I used to call him 'T-baby.' He knows all these things & can admit them if only he will be honest.



We never had actual sex in Ghana although we were physically intimate (would kiss & touch & do other stuff) and then I left for Cornell. I did any job I could find in Cornell just to survive. I asked a relative for rent & he told me if he gave me the money I wouldn't pay back. That was the day I realized I was on my own. I worked as a cook in a cafeteria & would stand for hours. I worked as a cleaner. I would be so tired I would sleep during lectures. Eventually, I decided to contact Tony for money.



He told me to meet him at a hotel in Washington DC for the rent money. It was close to school exams but I went anyway. Remember that at this time we hadn't actually had sex but I told myself that I would just close my eyes & do it with a condom (because I knew he was sleeping with many women) & then at least I wouldn't have to drop out of school. He told me he would arrange transportation for me.



I lost my laptop in the taxi & arrived at the hotel crying my eyes out. All my lecture notes were on that laptop and losing it meant I would fail the exams. Tony didn't care. By this time, I knew the drill with dating married men. I knew that they claimed to love you but of course, they didn't. You were just a piece of meat so I wasn't shocked at his reaction.



As soon as I settled in, he asked for sex. I had already psyched myself up and so I asked him whether he had a condom. When he said no, I pleaded with him to allow me to at least go get a condom but he pinned me down & raped me. I still remember how it felt to be forcefully penetrated by him. How I felt as if I had left my body & was watching everything happening form the ceiling. I have heard from other rape survivors that this is a common occurrence. At one point I began to wince from pain because I wasn't ready & he had forced himself on me but that didn't stop him. Not even the tears that began to fall out of the corners of my eyes stopped him. Then it was over. And I felt so broken and dirty and ashamed. But it got worse.



After raping me, he refused to talk to me. It was as if he had been filled with some new hatred for me. He told me with disdain that I could take the $400 on the table if I wanted. I almost went mad. I couldn't believe that he had forced himself on me & was not even talking to me. And the money he had given me was even less than the price of the laptop I had lost just to see him. So I had been raped & ended up in debt too. I began to cry my eyes out & text a friend of mine about what had happened. God bless you, dear friend, she knows herself. She advised me to quickly return to Cornell and that she would help me through this. I booked a bus & left & he didn't care what happened to me either way.



As soon as I arrived in my room at the University, I cut off all my hair with a piece of scissors & threw away my nice clothes. I was so tired of being raped & mistreated by men & I wanted to be ugly so that no man would even want to have sex with me again or rape me again. I swallowed several sleeping pills that I had been prescribed by a therapist I had been seeing to deal with the other rape I had suffered previously. Then I called an African professor who was like a father to all of us African students at Cornell to tell him that I had overdosed on sleeping pills and he contacted the Deputy Dean of Cornell Law and some hospital staff to assist me.



For the next few weeks, I would be hospitalized in a mental ward as I broke down. This also began my struggle with binge eating because I would just binge on food anytime memories of my rape by Tony & Selasi came up. I put on so much weight & developed health-related problems because of it. I could not write my exams that term & when I eventually did, I got very poor results due to all this trauma. I was put on anti-depressants which I had to swallow for years because of what Tony did to me. 4 years later in 2016, I would attempt to commit suicide again this time at Queen's University because I still could not get over what Tony did to me.



And yet I continued to be nice to him. I was terrified of losing my visa if I could not pay for my upkeep & he was my only hope. How would I survive winter in the US without an apartment & on the streets? When he contacted me after I was in the mental ward, I just told him I was sick but didn't tell him why. We both pretended that he had not raped me & never spoke about it. I had to keep the act up so I wouldn't offend him.. Soon, he said he was coming to Boston in 2013 & I should meet him & I told him I would and even acted like I was excited. But that was the last time I would communicate with him. I just couldn't bring myself to contact him again after that because of what he had done to me.



I decided not to talk to him for the rest of my life although he would frequently send messages through some other lawyers to me. Seeing him in the news hurt especially when he was appointed as President of the Ghana Bar Association. I could not believe he had ruined my life in this way & now I was forced to see his name/ face in newsletters that were circulated to all Ghanaian lawyers. That also sent me into depression for months.



A few days ago, I sent him a message to tell him how much he had hurt me. That he & I both know he raped me. But the same person who had been chasing me to talk to him now refused to even acknowledge receipt of my email. All I wanted was for him to say sorry & assure me that he would never do this again to someone's daughter again but he did not do this. I forgive him But I have to speak my truth & pursue justice for the sake of younger female lawyers who will come up. I owe them a duty to make sure they never go through even half of the pain I have gone through. What Tony did to me changed my spirit forever. I used to be called 'cute' & 'bubbly.' I became sad, depressed & cynical. I can't even sleep through a complete night anymore. He stole my life & this is not ok.



However, Mr Forsons attorneys, Beyuo & Co., in a published statement, said their client sincerely and emphatically denies that he has committed any such offence, adding that: The allegations are palpably false and in due course, he will be vindicated.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









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Featured VideoBee Breeders Architecture Competitions has announced winners for the Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center architecture competition invited participants to submit designs for an iconic entryway to Latvias Kemeri National Park.

The second in a series of competitions to focus on one of the largest national parks in Europe, participants tasked with creating a unique and functional entranceway to the park that was in keeping with the parks identity and could be constructed out of durable materials.

The jury selected winning designs that had the potential to become landmarks for both the park and for Latvia, such as the first prize winning entry from Jan Tomas Ciesla, Miroslav Kratky, and Iva Potuckova from the Czech Republic. The projects rectangular-bar form effectively creates a simple yet striking entranceway to the park. Its use of natural materials and the varied layout of its vertical facade module five it a natural aesthetic in keeping with its surroundings.

Second and third-place prizes went to teams from Uruguay and France respectively. The Forest Pond project from the Uruguay team of Rodrigo Zagarzazu, Lucia Rehermann, Renzo Bonina, and Christian Flores was chosen for its simple, strong, circular form with a visually permeable facade of timber posts. Sauvineau Florents Scape Architecture project won third prize for its use of a repeatable and constructable module that manages to create an organic, landscape-like form.

Student award went to Aleksandra Kubiak and Marta Buchner from the Warsaw University of Technology and Green award went to Dalya Ortak and Jinsoo Kim from Germany.

See the winning projects below with short jury comments:

1st prize: Jan Tomas Ciesla, Miroslav Kratky, and Iva Potuckova from the Czech Republic

Jury comments:

"This project is perhaps the most effective at establishing a gateway to the Great Kemeri Bog. The rectangular-bar form set perpendicular to the entry drive firmly separates the vehicular entry from the camping grounds and pedestrian network of pathways, and filters visitors through a single access point that also becomes the starting point for the bogs network of wooden boardwalks. The sectional drawing expresses the projects constructability, and the interior images reflect its simple use of natural materials. The varied layout of its vertical facade module gives the otherwise harsh block form a more natural aesthetic that is clearly related to the trees of the surrounding forest."

Read interview with the 1st prize winners

2nd prize: A Forest Pond by Rodrigo Zagarzazu, Lucia Rehermann, Renzo Bonina, Christian Flores from Uruguay

Jury comments:

"The project stood out to the jury for its simple, strong form. The circular visitor centers repetitive and visually permeable facade of timber posts both connects to the surrounding site and encloses a space which monumentalises the relationship of the site with water. The central exterior space offers a quiet meditative area that focuses on the pond and the sky, yet it also has the potential to be used for group events. The walkable roof offers special views of the park. The drawings and images are extremely effective at describing the circular forms minimal disruption to the site. While the buildings central location on the site clearly sets it apart from the parking and within a natural reservation area, the jury would recommend the designer to further consider the buildings access from the car park and drive, as well as its connection to the bog boardwalk."

Read interview with the 2nd prize winners

3rd prize: Scape Architecture by Sauvineau Florent from France

Jury comments:

"The design is commended for its use of a repeatable and constructable module that manages to create an organic, landscape-like form. The project proposes a burned-wood cladding that fortifies it against Latvias variable weather, and interiors of natural wood that connect it well with its forest surroundings. The section drawings and details are especially well-considered for modularity and construction using sustainable materials. The buildings plan form strongly establishes a central gathering space, however the jury questions the vertical pitches and dips and wonders if the geometry might rather relate more strongly to its internal program. The project certainly has the potential to become a park landmark."

Read interview with the 3rd prize winners

BB Green Award: Kemeri Bog Visitor Center by Dalya Ortak, Jinsoo Kim from Germany

Read full interview with BB Green Award winners

BB Student Award: Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center by Aleksandra Kubiak, Marta Buchner from Poland

Read full interview with BB Student Award winners

See Bee Breeders' next competitions and other competitions here.

All images courtesy of Bee Breeders Architecture Competitions

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Q: Does anyone in Iowa do restorations on houses like the DIY show called Texas Move and Flip?

A: We dont know of any business just like theirs; there are plenty of businesses that do home renovations and repairs.

Q: What drugs are considered opioids?

A: Theres a very long list of them. A summary from the National Institute on Drug Abuse: Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine, and many others.

Q: Have tornadoes ever hit Waterloo and Cedar Falls?

A: Yes. The far northern edge of Cedar Falls had damage from the 2008 tornado. There are reports of other tornadoes forming in 1992 and 1976, with little damage. Old Courier articles describe the effects of a May 7, 1964, tornado on Waterloo. The heaviest damage seemed to be in the Schoitz Hospital area; the next days paper had details on an operation underway when the hospital lost power, and the doctors had to continue with generator-powered lights. Historical records before that list tornadoes or cyclones in 1924, 1907, 1900, 1896, 1885 and 1874. Details from these events are often sketchy.

Calls are taken on a special Courier phone line at 234-3566. Questions are answered by Courier staff and staff at the Waterloo Public Library.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0There was applause in the chamber for the governors words, but this Legislature has lately been more interested in erecting barriers to voting, rather than tearing them down. So while we are hopeful, we will be watching to see what progress is made.

Even if successful, this proposal couldnt go before the voters for a few years. Two successive general assemblies (which convene every two years) must approve legislation before it goes to the voters. Thats a long time to wait. We think the governor, who said Tuesday she believes in the power of redemption, ought to strongly consider an executive order restoring voting rights in the interim. A Des Moines Register report earlier this month amply showed there are people who are losing, right now, their right to vote because of the way this prohibition is applied.

Elsewhere, the governors pledge that prosperity belongs to all Iowans is worthy of praise, of course. But we believe the best way to prepare Iowans for future success  to soar, if you will  is to ensure they get a proper education.Frevert contacted Chiles, who in turn offered the gig to the string quartet. They thought it was phenomenal. Their parents will be in the audience, and theyre telling all their friends. What I really love is, its inspiring for these students to do something like this; its different and helps them see the potential for their future as musicians, Chiles explained.

The quartet will join the tribute bands to play Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday, A Day in the Life, Hello Goodbye, Hey Jude, As Tears Go By and Ruby Tuesday.

Chiles describes the music as exceedingly easy for this advanced string quartet.

There are two Beatles fans among quartet members, Taylor Hansen and Willa Eacret. I grew up with my sister listening to the Beatles. My favorite songs are Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby, Hansen said in a press statement. She has been playing violin for 14 years.

Eacret, who has played cello for 11 years, grew up listening to the Beatles thanks to my dad. We played their songs together, me on piano and him on guitar, she said.CEDAR FALLS  The Northeast Iowa Food Bank is partnering with the University of Northern Iowas Service and Leadership Council, and the Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley to host the fourth annual Martin Luther King Day of Service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday in Maucker Union on UNIs campus.

Participants are invited to help package food for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank that will be contributed toward their Backpack Program. The Backpack Program aims to provide meals for the 14,500 children who do not have stable meals over the weekend, with last years total reaching 128,000 backpacks of food.

The event is open to the public. Participants are asked to bring and donate at least one jar of peanut butter. For more information or to sign up for the 2019 National Day of Service, go to www.NortheastIowaFoodBank.org.

Also, the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley is involved in another service project Monday. Elementary age youths and their families are invited to attend a morning of service at Hope City Church, 118 High St., Waterloo. From 10 to 11:30 a.m. participants will take part in a variety of service projects for community agencies.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0Funchess then brought up two recent articles: One was the 2018 report by online financial site 24/7 Wall Street that rated the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metropolitan area as the worst in the United States for African-Americans to live in terms of economic, educational and health disparities. The other was a U.S. News and World report showing Iowa was the No. 1 state in the nation for all people to live in terms of the same conditions, a study the governor touted in her re-election campaign.

That reminds us of the two Americas Dr. King talks about, Funchess said. Were the No. 1 state in the nation, but oh, by the way, Waterloo/Cedar Falls is the worst place in all of the nation for blacks to live. So this is what we hope to reconcile tonight.

The 24/7 Wall Street study nearly kept Robert Welch, who is from Florida, from taking a position as director of student advising at UNIs College of Education.

The article came out a week after I was offered the job here at UNI and, boy, I had a serious conversation with my wife about, Do we really want to move to Waterloo? he said.

Gwenne Berry, UNIs first chief diversity officer, noted it took two years of her college-educated husband searching for employment to no avail to bring her to the same grim conclusion.DES MOINES  The Iowa National Guard must expand its recruiting to create more diversity and meet the unique challenges it faces, its leader says.

Adjutant Gen. Timothy Orr stressed those recruiting efforts Thursday during his annual condition of the guard address at the Iowa Capitol.

Orr said the Guards operational role has increased, and challenges the Guard faces are more complex and demanding than he has witnessed over more than 40 years of military service.

That makes recruiting a key component of Orrs mission, he said, and he hopes those efforts produce a more diverse Guard.

Recruiting and retaining quality individuals is our highest priority. And in doing so, we must broaden the appeal of military service to include people from all across the fabric of our society, Orr said. The strength of our republic depends on willing individuals from every corner of the state, every social, economic and demographic group, and every ethnic background, to step forward and serve alongside their fellow citizens.

Roughly 1 in 10 Iowa National Guard members is a minority, a Guard official said.CEDAR FALLS  Locally-sourced food will be on the menu for the fourth annual dinner hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Local Food Program.

The Local Food Dinner is Feb. 6 at the Diamond Event Center, 5307 Caraway Lane. A social hour, appetizers and cash bar is from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Reservations are due Tuesday.

Were celebrating the past local food season, but also getting excited about the upcoming season, says Jodie Huegerich, RD, Local Food Program manager. Its meant to be an evening of conversation and networking.

Partners in the event are Cedar Falls Food Co-op and Jorgensen Plaza for Well-Being at Western Home.

Anyone interested in learning more about locally-sourced food, local food producers and buyers may attend the dinner. Tickets are $22 per person. The casual event will feature producers and Diamond Event Center chefs Jim Nadeau and Corey Nolta.

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By Michael London



President Donald Trump has been bragging about the billions in tariffs being generated from the tariffs imposed on Chinese and other countries; many times asserting the penalties are being collected directly from the countries they are imposed against via his tweets and public comments. However, Trump has been lying since the imposition of these punitive tariffs.

U.S. importers are paying these increased duties, and ultimately U.S. businesses and consumers pay for them through higher costs say, economists. Phil Levy, a senior fellow on the global economy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a former senior economist for trade for President George W. Bushs Council of Economic Advisers. Says Trump has repeatedly been 

Suggesting this is bringing in lots of new revenue, and all of the burden is falling on the Chinese.

I think thats mostly false.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that more than $13 billion in penalty tariffs on imported goods that have imposed by the Trump administration since December 18. Only $8 billion has been collected on Chinese imports.

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Experts in trade warn however actual collections could lag and be lower because of refunds and other variables. Also, even though billions have been collected; weve been paying farmers as much as $12 billion in aid, being paid to them after China slapped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products.

U.S Companies arent happy about these increased import cost. Ford Motor Co. executives, speaking during the Deutsche Bank Global Automotive Conference in Detroit on Wednesday, said they expect to incur $700 million in duties this year while General Motors Co. said it expects the tariffs on steel and aluminum have already cost the company $1 billion.

Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in his annual state of American business address last week

Let me be very clear: Tariffs are taxes paid by American families and American businesses -- not by foreigners.

More trouble on the trade horizon was reported Wednesday Reuters quoted Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley as saying he expects President Trump frustrated with the lack of progress in trade negotiations with the European Union to impose punitive tariffs as high as 25% on imported vehicles; to get a new trade deal.







Donald Trump on a bad news cycle day is perfectly capable of ordering a nuclear strike on Tehran with no Congressional approval or advisement on several heavily populated Iranian Cities that would kill more than 4 million people in less than 15 minutes.

After a weekend of bad news stories culminating in a series of brutal Sunday morning news shows in which he was repeatedly called by critics, Trump a traitor and Russian Puppet, and he was exposed to the embarrassing revelation that his former lawyer may, in fact, have scores of embarrassing tape recording of the him. President ended the day with an 11:30 PM Twitter rant that showed our repeated warnings here at WallStreetRebel.com the President may be willing to start a war with Iran, in an attempt to mitigate and set to the background the now numerous scandals he and his Administration is facing here in the United States. Trumps Tweet 







According to Reuters, the tweet came in response to Rouhanis speech Sunday in which he said America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars, which left open the possibility of peace between the two countries. Perhaps Rouhanis speech Sunday did as the catalyst for the Presidents 3rd grade rant and threats.

WallStreetRebel.com warns that any conflict between the United States will result in a conflict that will shut down the Strait of Hormuz which at its narrowest, the strait has a width of 29 nautical miles (54 km).

About 20% of the world's petroleum (about 35% of the petroleum traded by sea) passes through the strait, making it a highly significant strategic location for international trade.

A war between the United States and Iran would not be an easy conflict for the United States to win.

First, if the Trump launches a military engagement, NATO is not required and will likely not support the United States. For the U.S. to be able to count on NATO Iran would have to initiate the attack on the United States.

Second, Iran is armed with Chinese anti-aircraft carrier weapons capable of sinking our mightiest weapons in the region. Sinking even one aircraft carrier and U.S. Naval Ships in the strait of Hormuz would instantly catapult the price of oil over $100 a barrel. At a time the U.S. is waging a trade war and risking global economic growth, an instant $30 increase in the price of oil would be disastrous. For one thing, gas prices in the United States would push back towards $5 a gallon.

Third, a war with Iran would force the Chinese, Indians, and Russians to arm and support the Iranians against the United States. Russia would likely use the conflict to move into the Ukraine and possibly the Baltic states, and China would likely blockade.



President Donald Trump dogged by abysmal polling numbers, failures at home and abroad and a special prosecutors investigation jolted the international community of diplomats in Brussels attending the NATO conference on Thursday by his sudden forecast of an unspecified "escalation" between the United States and Iran following his withdrawal from a landmark deal that provided sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Trump said at a news conference in Brussels

"I would say there might be an escalation between the Iranians and us"

"They're treating us with much more respect right now than they did in the past and I know they're having a lot of problems and their economy is collapsing. But I will tell you this, at a certain point, they're going to call me, and they're going to say 'Let's make a deal,' and we'll make a deal.' But they're feeling a lot of pain right now."

Trump's prediction of an escalation came as his administration pressed European nations at a NATO summit to cut off all funding that Iran may use to foment instability in the Middle East and beyond. At the same time Trump insisted that Iran was now treating the U.S. with more respect, but like all of his claims where there's no evidence to support that, and predicted Tehran will seek negotiations as re-imposed sanctions begin to kick in.

Over the opposition of European allies, the president in May pulled out from the 2015 nuclear deal involving Iran, the U.S., and other world powers. Washington's reinstating of economic penalties has worsened Iran's already-hobbled economy.

After the NATO summit ended Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with European officials to make the case for clamping down on Iranian "terrorism and proxy wars." Pompeo said in a tweet before the talks

"We ask our allies and partners to join our economic pressure campaign against Iran's regime,"

"We must cut off all funding the regime uses to fund terrorism and proxy wars. There's no telling when Iran may try to incite terrorism, violence & instability in one of our countries next."

Pompeos tweet was accompanied by a map accusing Iran of sponsoring at least 11 terrorist attacks in Europe since 1978. In another Twitter post, Pompeo said...

"Iran continues to send weapons across the Middle East, in blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Iran's regime wants to start trouble wherever it can. It's our responsibility to stop it."

Other U.S. officials have fanned out around the globe to warn foreign governments to stop buying oil from Iran or face sanctions. Pompeo also has accused Iran of using its embassies to plot terrorist attacks in Europe.

Pompeo said in an interview on Tuesday with Sky News Arabia in Abu Dhabi.

"Just this past week there were Iranians arrested in Europe who were preparing to conduct a terror plot in Paris, France. We have seen this malign behavior in Europe."

Pompeo was referring to the arrest of an Iranian diplomat posted to Vienna who allegedly was involved in the plot to bomb an Iranian opposition group rally in France on June 30. The envoy's arrest in Germany came after a couple with Iranian roots was stopped in Belgium and authorities reported finding powerful explosives in their car.

Iran denies involvement and contends the allegations against its diplomat are intended to damage its relations with the European Union.

The diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, was charged in Germany on Wednesday with activity as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit murder.

He is suspected of contracting a couple in Belgium to attack an annual meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in Villepinte, near Paris, German prosecutors said. He allegedly gave the Antwerp-based couple a device containing 500 grams of the explosive TATP during a meeting in Luxembourg in late June, prosecutors said in a written statement.

Belgian authorities also accuse Assadi of being part of the alleged plot reportedly aimed at setting off explosives at a huge annual rally of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq group, or MEK, in neighboring France. They want him extradited.

The MEK is an exiled Iranian opposition group based near Paris with some members in Albania. The formerly armed group was removed from EU and U.S. terrorism lists several years ago after denouncing violence and getting Western politicians to lobby on its behalf.

We at WallStreetRebel.com think President Trumps faith in bringing on so much economic pressure that the Iranians will succumb to the strength and return to renegotiate is every bit as delusional as his 

 Hope that he has a deal with North Korea to disarm itself of nuclear weapons.

 The Chinese will cave on the trade war, Trump has started and escalated.

 That Mexico will ultimately pay for the border wall.

We are concerned that Trump hasnt the backing from enough countries to enforce a renewed sanction regime on either Iran or North Korea. As a result of his precarious 11 point deficit approval rating and the mid-term elections approaching we cant put it past him to literally provoke a war with Iran in an attempt to look as strong as possible before the votes are counted.

A war with Iran would send oil over $100 a barrel and could serve to knock a few thousand points of the Dow Jones and stock indexes around the world. Be careful!







A potential war may be brewing between the U.S. and Iran, after the Trump Administration is demanded that all countries end imports of Iranian oil by November 4 as part of its new policy of hostility towards Tehran after Washingtons unilateral exit from the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz the critical Gulf passageway in retaliation for Washingtons looming sanctions against Iranian oil exports through which one-fifth of the worlds oil passes in tankers.

This is a threat the US military said would be immediately countered. Which would mean a direct military conflict between Washington and Tehran may be approaching.

On Thursday the commander of Irans elite Revolutionary Guards, whose forces patrol the Strait of Hormuz  said the Guards were ready to put Rouhanis words into action if necessary.

Oil will soon cost $100 per barrel due to supply disruptions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump, Irans OPEC Governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Reuters on Thursday, as he warned expectations that Saudi Arabia and Russia would help bring down prices were in vain.

Iran, OPECs third-largest producer, is facing U.S. sanctions on its oil exports that are prompting some buyers to cut purchases. If Iranian oil becomes a forbidden commodity, again and Irans exports are prevented from having access to the world market, Russia, Saudi Arabia will end up reaping a windfall of hundreds of billions of dollars, especially if Iran and the United States spiral into a naval and military conflict.

Irans Ardebili told Reuters that Trump should expect if it blocks Irans access to the global markets that it would end up as a hostage to Saudi Arabia and Russia, who he said have little-vested interest in bringing down prices. Kazempour said.

The responsibility of paying unnecessarily high prices for oil by all consumers of the whole world, especially in U.S. gas stations, is solely upon your (Trumps) shoulders and the price of over $100 per barrel is yet to come,

The Republican president has lashed out at OPEC in recent weeks. Rising gasoline prices could create a political headache for Trump before November mid-term congressional elections by offsetting Republican claims that his tax cuts and rollbacks of federal regulations have helped boost the U.S. economy.

In a tweet on Saturday, Trump claimed Saudi Arabias King had agreed to increase oil output by up to 2 million barrels, an assertion the White House subsequently walked back.

The King of Saudi Arabia, OPECs biggest member, according to Trump assured him the kingdom can raise oil production if needed, and that the country has 2 million barrels per day of spare capacity that could be deployed to help ease oil prices from falling the output of both Venezuela and Iran.



WallStreetRebel.com (Boca Raton, Florida) The desperate economic conditions in Venezuela have been going from bad to worse even though Venezuela possesses the largest oil reserves in the world, and the price of oil has now climbed towards $70 a barrel. Some argue the reason for the economic decline of the country is tied to its socialist economy. The reality is the country, under both Hugo Chavez and now, his chosen heir Nicolas Maduro has become one of the most corrupt governments in the world.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has changed the countrys Constitution and all but eliminated his political enemies from any role in the country. While Maduro has given long speeches about socialism, he has instead governed like a dictator. As a result, the apparent assassination attempt that took place on Sunday cant have come as a surprise to anyone keeping track of the internal events in Venezuela.

On Saturday, while Maduro was giving a public speech with thousands of his nations military troops watching in parade formation, a yet to be determined number of drones armed with explosives detonated in an attempt to put an end to him, his wife, and a large number of the countys corrupt military and civilian leaders.

The assassination attempt took place on live TV and sent everyone including hundreds of soldiers into a panic. The assassination attempt fell short as Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, looked up at the sky and winced after hearing the sound of an explosion pierce through the air.

The visibly shaken head of state said he saw a flying device that exploded before his eyes. He thought it might be a pyrotechnics display in honor of the event, but then Maduro later said in an impassioned retelling of what occurred that This was an attempt to kill me. And later repeated the claim, Today they attempted to assassinate me.

According to Venezuelan Information Minister, Jorge Rodriguez, the incident took place shortly after 5:30 p.m. as Maduro was celebrating the National Guards 81st anniversary. When the explosions took place, pandemonium ensued, and Bodyguards escorted Maduro out of the event as television footage showed uniformed soldiers standing in formation quickly scattering from the scene.

Maduro, addressing the Venezuelan people after the attack, insisted he saw a flying device explode in front of him during his speech. He went on to assert that his government had already captured some people responsible for the drone attack, whom he referred to as material authors then proceeded to blame the alleged assassination attempt on Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and those on the far-right of Colombia and Venezuelas political spectrums.

Maduro went on to claim that a preliminary investigation showed that the people behind the attack live in Florida, and called on President Donald Trump for help in prosecuting them. According to the Washington Posts translation of Maduros speech following the attempt on his life...

Already, the first investigations show that those intellectually, and financially responsible for this attack live in the United States of North America.

I hope the government of Donald Trump is willing to combat terrorist groups that want to attack presidents of peaceful nations.

However, an anti-Maduro group known as Soldados de Franelas (Soldiers in t-shirts) claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on Twitter.

The group, in a series of tweets, said it planned to fly two drones loaded with C4 to the presidential box, but before it could reach Maduro they were shot down by snipers guarding the Venezuelan strongman.

However, AP reporters were able to interview three fire officials who insisted on speaking only under the condition of anonymity claiming they believe the explosions that took place were not caused by drones but in fact, were caused by a gas tank explosion in a nearby apartment. Supporting their assertion, there is a video of smoke rising from buildings near the speechs venue.

Maduro has good reason to be paranoid; many analysts dont believe his regime will survive in power much longer. His government has routinely accused opposition activists, Columbia and even the U.S. government of plotting attacks to overthrow Maduro. His recent election to a new term in office has been decried by dozens of nations as a fraud and blatant trampling of democracy.Virginia Tech students will have a unique opportunity to participate in a blockchain boot camp on Saturday, Jan. 26, on Virginia Techs Blacksburg campus.

The event will introduce undergraduate and graduate students to blockchain and its place in the 21st century as a secure programming platform with myriad applications.

The morning of the event will be dedicated to the history and evolution of blockchain and the basics of the technology. In the afternoon, students will get hands-on experience using applications on blockchain protocol developed by Block.one, a global leader in blockchain and publisher of the EOSIO blockchain software.

This is a wonderful opportunity for Virginia Tech students to propose and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges, such as secure, trustworthy voting systems, said Kirk Cameron, professor of computer science in the College of Engineering and associate department head for research and engagement. We believe the local availability of Block.one engineering expertise combined with the energy and creativity of Virginia Tech students will lead to novel and important uses of blockchain technology.

In May 2018, Block.one made an initial $3 million commitment to the Department of Computer Science to help students build skills in blockchain. Block.one has offices in Hong Kong, California, and Blacksburg.

As we build the mainstream blockchain infrastructure for communications and commerce, we recognize the importance of working with educational institutions to develop talent and promote blockchain education, said Brendan Blumer, Block.one chief executive officer, in a previous press release. Block.one is proud to collaborate with Virginia Tech as it provides future blockchain engineers with the tools to succeed in the industry.

Virginia Tech alumnus Dan Larimer will contribute knowledge and expertise to the event. Larimer is chief technology officer at Block.one and a specialist in software development and the inventor of the widely adopted Delegated Proof of Stake blockchain consensus mechanism.

Im excited to further engage the Virginia Tech community and introduce blockchain technology to students here in Blacksburg, said Larimer. Blockchain has infinite uses in the commercial, nonprofit, and private sectors from securing social media accounts to tracking supply chains. The boot camp and challenge, I hope, will stoke an interest in those who want to be part of the blockchain revolution.

Space for the blockchain boot camp is limited. Students can register here for the event.



Written by Amy Loeffler





There are many hiking trails to be found all around the world, allowing people to stretch their legs, work their muscles, and feel at one with nature as they roam through beautiful landscapes and admire the stunning views all around them. Adored by nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds for many generations, hiking trails offer wonderful ways to spend some free time, but few trails can compare with the incredible Mountains to Sea Trail.

More ideas near me: Best Day Trips, Free Things to Do

Running for an incredible total of 1,175 miles all the way across North Carolina, this long-distance trail starts off in the Great Smoky Mountains and finishes up at the Outer Banks barrier islands. The trail's westernmost point is Clingman's Dome, one of the Great Smoky Mountains, where it then joins up with the famous Appalachian Trail. Its easternmost point is on a large sand dune in Jockey's Ridge State Park.

The trail, traditionally known as the MST, is part of the North Carolina State Trails Program and is classed as the 'backbone' of the North Carolina trail system, with many other trails spreading out from it along the way, like branches on a tree. Due to its incredible size, the MST is still a work in progress, with countless volunteers spending their own free time and effort in order to plan out and extend the trail, forging a footpath that will be walked and enjoyed by many generations to come.

Experiencing the MST

The beautiful thing about the MST is that, because it is so long and diverse, it can be enjoyed and experienced in many different ways. Naturally, the biggest challenge of all is to walk the entire thing. Its a very big undertaking, but some people do actually pull it off, traveling at their own pace and planning camping stops along the way to break the journey up into small segments. There really is no better way to experience the rich beauty and majesty of North Carolina than walking the MST, but you dont have to hike along the entire thing to enjoy it.

Many people simply stop off at the MST and walk along relatively short sections of it. This can be a great way to simply spend some free time at a weekend or on a special occasion. There are 18 different trail segments along the MST, stretching out through the mountains, the Piedmont region, and the coastal plain/Outer Banks area. The MST passes near many major NC cities like Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Boone, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, Fayetteville, and Wilmington, so it's always relatively easy to access, no matter where you happen to be. All you need to do is pick a spot and head out to enjoy it.

There are many different activities to be enjoyed along the MST aside from simple hiking. Backpacking is very popular here for people who are looking for a more intense expedition and really want to spend a couple of days and nights out on the trail. Kayaking and paddleboarding can be enjoyed at certain segments, like out in the Elkin Valley or on the Neuse River, and road biking can also be enjoyed in areas like Hanging Rock State Park, Eno River State Park, and the Elkin Valley. If you'd like to learn and experience a little agricultural history, try the 'Land of History' route along segment 14B of the MST, and you can even enjoy the trail by horseback in regions like the Beacon Heights and Pilot Mountain State Park.

Helping Out with the Mountains to Sea Trail

The MST is managed and looked after by an association known as the 'Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail'. The Friends work all year long to preserve, enhance, and enrich the trail for all. They work to maintain the trail, as well as positioning themselves along the various segments to act as guides for the many hikers and backpackers who travel along the route.

They also run fundraisers to help support the trail and even get in touch with elected officials at both local and federal levels to try and raise awareness of the MST and underline its importance to North Carolina, and there are many different ways you can help out, with one of the simplest options being to simply donate some money and become a member. Donations can be made online with ease and you can become a member for just $35 (or only $20 for students). Membership comes with various benefits like newsletters, special events, a discount on all MST merchandise, and the good feelings that come from knowing you're supporting a noble cause.

If you'd like to help out with the MST trail in a more active way and pledge your passion and free time to preserve and maintain this wonderful part of North Carolina heritage, there are many different forms of volunteer work you can do. Hundreds of volunteers help out the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail each and every year, and you can get in touch by filling in an online form on the official site or contacting the Friends via 919 825 0297. Here are some different ways you can do volunteer work with the MST:

- Become a Trail Angel to help out with people who hike along the trail, offering accommodation, food, and other services to support long-distance hikers.

- Help out with building, cleaning, and preserving the trail for future generations.

- Help out at festivals and fundraisers, working in booths or participating in events to help raise money and awareness for the MST.

- Help out directly in the Friends of the MST headquarters in Raleigh.

- Run your own fundraisers or awareness events to help people learn more about the MST and pledge their support.Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.While many schools only bring in an outside speaker to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the University of North Georgia (UNG) will be using a different format for its events.

Dr. Robert Robinson, director of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), said five students will compete in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest on the Gainesville Campus on Jan. 30, giving speeches responding to the prompt, "What would Dr. King see as the biggest social justice issue today? How can society address it?" Robinson said this format allows the students to serve as keynote speakers to honor the civil rights icon.

"We're very proud that these students have an opportunity to think about social justice and to convince their peers to be more engaged," Robinson said. "I think Dr. King would be proud of this opportunity for the next generation of orators, because he used his oratorical skills to explain social justice and diversity to the masses. He took a complex issue and made it a moral issue that people could relate to. We hope this generation of students will be able to use their oratorical skills to help America make even further progress."

The seventh annual competition is set for noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 30 in the Robinson Ballroom of the Student Center on UNG's Gainesville Campus. Robinson will serve as keynote speaker of a noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 24 MLK event in the Hoag Great Room on the Dahlonega Campus discussing the same topic, with a question-and-answer scheduled following Robinson's remarks tying the history surrounding King to today's challenges.

Students who reached the list of five finalists for the Gainesville Campus event had to perform a two-minute summary of their speech, submit a written formal outline of it and be judged by the MLK Oratorical Committee to reach the Jan. 30 contest. Prizes will be awarded for first place ($250), second place ($100), third place ($75), fourth place ($50) and fifth place ($25).

The Communication, Media and Journalism (CMJ) department will provide some of the faculty and staff to judge the event. Robinson expressed gratitude for CMJ's consistent support of the event. He looks forward to the chance to honor King's legacy with the contest.

"When we think about MLK, he's a treasure to the whole nation," Robinson said. "He's Georgia's own."

Castiel Dixon, a senior from Buford, Georgia, majoring in literature, looks forward to competing in the contest. He will speak about the struggles of transgender individuals in receiving social justice.

Dixon, who is one of the few transgender students on campus, said King would identify with transgender individuals' struggles of being considered less than because they are different.

Alan Sibert, a junior from Dahlonega, Georgia, majoring in technical theater, said he is honored to be one of the competitors in the MLK Oratorical Contest.

"It gives everybody a chance to think about what Dr. King got accomplished and the progress we've made even since his death. It wouldn't have happened without what he did," Sibert said. "Focusing on that helps us think about what needs to still be done."

Sibert will discuss voter suppression that he says has gone on for years due to "political prejudice."

"If Dr. King were still around, it would be high on his agenda," Sibert said.Anti-government protesters rally in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. Hundreds of protesters are marching again in and around Sudan's capitol Khartoum, the fourth week of unrest that began over the rising price of bread and a failing economy but which now calls for the ouster of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. (AP Photo)

CAIRO (AP)  Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Thursday in cities across Sudan, including the capital, where activists said two people were killed in clashes between police and protesters attempting to reach the presidential palace to demand longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir step down.

The protests, called for by professional and opposition groups, are part of a wave of unrest over a failing economy that has transformed into demands for the resignation of the autocratic al-Bashir, an Islamist who has run the country for nearly 30 years but brought little improvement to his people. The protests first erupted on Dec. 19.

"Day after day, the number of demonstrators is increasing. Today we will gather in the thousands and tomorrow we will reach the millions," said Reem, a 35-year-old receptionist demonstrating in Khartoum. "I will not stop until we achieve the change that gives me a decent life, a job and the salary I deserve."

Mohammed Yousef, a spokesman for the Sudan Association of Professionals, said protesters were prepared to continue to press their grievances while remaining "patient and wise."

"The people of Sudan are known for being particularly determined, stubborn, and for playing the long game. They are not hot-headed, nor do they despair easily," he said.

The government crackdown has been harsh over the past month, with rights advocates reporting the use of excessive force by police and Amnesty International accusing security forces of firing tear gas and live ammunition in and around hospitals. At least 40 people have been killed in the clashes, according to rights groups, but the government has acknowledged only 24 deaths.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called such reports "credible" and "deeply worrying," urging the government to ensure citizens' rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, regardless of their political affiliations, according to Sudan's international treaty commitments.

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"A repressive response can only worsen grievances," she said.

Bachelet said the U.N. would be ready if asked to deploy a team to Sudan to advise authorities "and help ensure they act in accordance with human rights obligations."

At a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on sanctions against Sudan, Western nations expressed concern at the government's response to the protests.

U.S. political coordinator Rodney Hunter urged the government "to respect the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, to release all journalists, political opposition leaders, activists, and any other protestors arbitrarily detained"  and to ensure an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of protesters.

Sudan's U.N. Ambassador Omer Dahab Mohamed responded that the government "is fully committed to giving citizens a space to peacefully  I repeat peacefully  express their views on the political and economic situation of their country."

At the same time, he said, the government is also committed to its constitutional duties under international law "to protect lives and public property against sabotage and arson and all other forms of violence perpetrated by some demonstrators."

Hundreds of demonstrators aged in their 20s and 30s gathered in the back streets around the Nile-side presidential palace, calling for a peaceful uprising and the downfall of al-Bashir, while men in civilian clothing carrying assault rifles  some wearing face masks  blocked the main approaches, activists said.

Videos posted online  the main method to communicate freely in Sudan  showed several marches in the hundreds across the country, with activists claiming nearly 2,000 demonstrators were in central Khartoum and two dozen of its neighborhoods held their own protests. They also circulated photos showing several demonstrators purportedly injured by live fire.

As in previous attempts, police Thursday prevented the protesters from reaching the palace in Khartoum, using tear gas, rubber bullets and firing live ammunition in the air to disperse them. Cat-and-mouse maneuvers later ensued between the police and the protesters, who remained on the streets well after nightfall.

Smaller protests later erupted in residential neighborhoods and the activists reported that the security forces were storming homes to arrest protesters who took refuge there.

A medical committee associated with the protests' organizers said two demonstrators, including a child, died of gunshot wounds. Four others were wounded when hit by live rounds and three more sustained injuries from rubber bullets.

The casualty figures could not immediately be independently confirmed.

Earlier in the day, security forces arrested several journalists near the palace who were reporting on the march, they added, while police fired tear gas to disperse crowds elsewhere in the city's central al-Arabi market area.

Sudan's economy has stagnated for most of al-Bashir's rule, but its recent lows have been dramatic, with surging prices and a plummeting currency that prompted the protests. He has also failed to unite or keep the peace in the religiously and ethnically diverse nation, losing three quarters of Sudan's oil wealth when the mainly animist and Christian south seceded in 2011 following a referendum.

Bashir, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur, has said those seeking to oust him can only do so through elections. He is expected to run for another term in office in elections next year.

___

Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United NationsOn a recent trip to Italy, videographer Eric Bartolo captured the sleepy, early morning streets of Bologna and Ferrara, and some of the landscape surrounding the cities.

Bartolo recorded the misty scenes at street-level and by drone, before adding color grading to the footage.

Bartolo, who lives in Malta, told Storyful of his appreciation for the country. Its not my first time in Italy; I love it  the food, the culture, the people and, of course, the cities and beautiful architecture, he said. Credit: Eric Bartolo via StoryfulBy Luis Jaime Acosta and Nelson Bocanegra

BOGOTA (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded at a police academy in Colombia's capital Bogota on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding over 50 in an attack that prompted fears of a return to the country's violent past.

Authorities said the car broke through checkpoints into the grounds of the General Santander School and exploded, shattering windows of apartments nearby. It was the deadliest attack in Bogota since the government struck a 2016 peace deal with the Marxist FARC rebel group.

President Ivan Duque called the explosion a "crazy terrorist act" against unarmed cadets and said he had ordered police and the military to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

"Colombians have never yielded to terrorism, we have always defeated it. This will not be an exception," he told a news conference at the school in the south of the city.

Investigators had identified the car's driver as Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez, who was among the dead, said Colombian Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez.

He said the vehicle, a gray Nissan Patrol SUV, was carrying 80 kilograms (176 lb) of the high explosive pentolite, which has been used in the past by Colombian guerrillas.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Humberto Martinez said investigators were searching for its "intellectual authors."

The Defence Ministry said in a statement that 10 people were killed and 54 wounded. Nine of the deceased were cadets at the academy, police said.

A police helicopter hovered over the area and family members gathered, many crying as they sought information. Images on social media showed the remains of a vehicle in flames in the parking area, and emergency responders at the scene.

Car bombs were frequent in Colombia during decades of civil war between the state and various leftist rebel groups, as well as in violence involving the Medellin drug cartel led by dead drug lord Pablo Escobar.

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The worst of the war, which killed some 260,000 and left millions displaced, ended when the government reached a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016.

The last major attack was in January 2018 when the biggest rebel group that remains active, the National Liberation Army (ELN), detonated a bomb in the northern port city of Barranquilla, killing five police officers and injuring dozens.

The ELN, made up of some 2,000 fighters and considered a terrorist organization by the United States, has been in talks with the government since February 2017 to end the conflict. Duque, who took office in August, has conditioned peace talks on the ELN suspending hostilities and releasing all hostages.

On Wednesday, the ELN said in a statement it had kidnapped three crewmen of a civil helicopter it "neutralized" last week. In response, Colombia's High Peace Commissioner, Miguel Ceballos, said the ELN "was moving further and further away from the possibility of dialogue."

There was no indication the ELN was behind the attack in Bogota or that the kidnapping was linked.

As violence has receded in recent years, Colombia has taken off as a tourist destination, with more than three million foreign visitors in 2017, up from one million in 2006.

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by Alistair Bell and Rosalba O'Brien)A British man among at least 21 innocent people killed in a militant attack at a luxury hotel complex in Nairobi has been named.

International development charity Gatsby Africa said the organisation was shocked and saddened following the death of its Africa programmes director Luke Potter.

In a statement, the charity said Mr Potter had devoted the last 10 years of his career to helping some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world and had worked for the charity for three-and-a-half years in east Africa.

Luke was instrumental in establishing our forestry programme and team in Kenya, and provided crucial leadership, guidance and support to our Tanzanian forestry programme and our tea programmes in Rwanda and Tanzania, a statement said.

He was deeply committed to his work, to his teams, to Gatsby and to development in Africa. He was our colleague and our friend.

We share the grief of his family, partner, daughter and friends. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with them. 

Mr Potter, 40, who lived in London, was a dual British and South African national.

Another Briton was wounded as gunmen stormed the DusitD2 complex in the Westlands district of the Kenyan capital on Tuesday afternoon, setting off explosions and shooting people.

Announcing the end of the operation to secure the area on Wednesday, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta said: All the terrorists have been eliminated.

Security forces help civilians flee the scene in Nairobi, Kenya (Ben Curtis/AP)

It is understood a member of the SAS was involved in the mission, although the MoD said it does not comment on special forces.

Images showed a heavily-armed man with a military vest and balaclava working with local forces and helping victims leave the complex.

It was reported the lone SAS member was involved in the operation, along with US Navy seals, having been in the country to train Kenyan special forces.

In a video posted on Twitter, the UK High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, confirmed that at least one British national was killed in the attack.

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Our team at the High Commission was working through the night to support the Kenyan authorities as they responded to this attack and offer all the help we can to all the British nationals who may have been caught up in it, he said.

I am very sad to confirm that at least one British national has been killed in the attack.

We are providing our support to his family and friends at this very difficult time and our thoughts are with them.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: We are supporting the family of a British man killed in the recent terrorist attack in Kenya.

We are also supporting a British person who was wounded during the attack and is receiving medical attention.

We stand ready to help any other British people affected.

The San Francisco-based company, I-DEV International, confirmed that American Jason Spindler, the firms co-founder and managing director, was killed, while nine others were safely evacuated from its Nairobi office.

Heavy gunfire was heard through the neighbourhood (Ben Curtis/AP)

London-based firm Adam Smith International said two of its employees were shot dead in a cafe during the attack.

A statement released by the company said Abdalla Dahir, 33, and Feisal Ahmed, 31, who were both Somali-Kenyans, were killed on the terrace of a restaurant in the complex where the firm has an office.

Another 50 staff and consultants were safely evacuated, the statement added.

Special forces were sent into the hotel to flush out the gunmen believed to be holed up inside and the interior ministry said the area had been secured on Tuesday night.

However gunfire and another explosion were later reportedly heard at the scene.

On Wednesday morning the National Police Service said the area remained under an active security operation and ordered people to stay away until it is declared safe.

In a televised address later, Mr Kenyatta said more than 700 people were evacuated during the security operation and urged Kenyans to go back to work without fear, saying the country was safe for citizens and visitors.

The president said he did not know how many attackers were involved.

Al-Shabab  the Somalia-based group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi in which 67 people died  has claimed responsibility for the atrocity.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter: Really tragic news from Kenya  my thoughts are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones in this attack including one British citizen.

UK stands with Kenya at this difficult time. Our team in Nairobi are supporting all Brits affected.

The Kenya Red Cross said it was helping families searching for loved ones missing since the attack began.

The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) has a permanent base in Nanyuki, around 120 miles from Nairobi, with a smaller element in the countrys capital.

The unit consists of around 100 permanent staff and a short tour cohort of 280 personnel, according to the MoD.

Under an agreement with the Kenyan government, up to six infantry battalions per year carry out eight-week exercises in the country, along with Royal Engineer exercises and medical deployments.FILE PHOTO: Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is seen behind him at the transition government building in Brasilia, Brazil November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

By Ricardo Brito and Maria Carolina Marcello

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's supreme court on Thursday ordered Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors to temporarily suspend a probe into suspicious payments made by the former driver of President Jair Bolsonaro's son, whose lawyers requested the injunction.

According to a copy of the ruling by Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux seen by Reuters, Flavio Bolsonaro's lawyers argued that, as a senator-elect, he now enjoys certain legal protections, including that any case involving him should only be decided by the top court.

The case has clouded the first few weeks in office of Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who surged to victory on a promise to end years of political graft, vowing zero tolerance on those close to him found to be corrupt.

It also gives ammunition to critics who note that Bolsonaro and his politician sons have all regularly railed against the immunity from prosecution that politicians enjoy and now invoked by Flavio.

The scandal arose after Brazil's Council for Financial Activities Control (COAF) identified 1.2 million reais (246,425 pounds)

that in 2016-17 flowed through the bank account of Fabricio Queiroz, a longtime driver to former state lawmaker Flavio. Some payments were made to the president's wife, Michelle Bolsonaro.

Flavio Bolsonaro, his father and Queiroz have all said they are innocent of any crime.

Critics were quick to slam the ruling.

"There is no way to agree with this decision, which contradicts the Supreme Court's own precedent," federal prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, who leads Brazil's "Car Wash" graft probe, wrote on Twitter.

Dallagnol added that he expected Fux's decision would soon be overturned by another Supreme Court justice.

NO-SHOWS

Flavio Bolsonaro and Queiroz have repeatedly failed to show up to explain the payments to state prosecutors, with Queiroz citing health problems.

Most recently, Flavio Bolsonaro said last week that he would not meet with prosecutors as planned because he had only been given a few days notice of the appointment. He promised to arrange a new time.

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"As I am not being investigated, I have not yet had access to the records," he wrote on Facebook at the time. "I hereby undertake to schedule a day and time to present the duly substantiated explanations ... so that there is no doubt about my conduct."

Jair Bolsonaro, who took power on Jan. 1, has said the payment to his wife was Queiroz repaying a personal loan.

Flavio Bolsonaro has said that Queiroz gave him a "plausible" explanation, and that the accusations were intended to destabilise the Bolsonaro family.

In a TV interview late last month, Queiroz said the money in his account was from a side-business of buying and selling cars.

"I'm a businessman," he said. "I make money."

According to COAF, some of the payments to Queiroz' bank account were made by other employees on Flavio Bolsonaro's payroll when he served as a state lawmaker, including by Queiroz's own daughter. Many of the deposits were made on or around the same day the employees were paid, COAF found.

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Brad Brooks and Sonya Hepinstall)On Tuesday 15th January 2019, Theresa May put forward her 585-page proposed withdrawal agreement and 26-page declaration on future relations with the EU to a vote in parliament, suffering the greatest defeat in democratic history. In a 432  202 vote, the withdrawal agreement was overwhelmingly rejected, with both Leave and Remain campaigners managing rare collusion in agreement that the proposed deal was not in the interests of the UK.

The BBC noted that among some of the most critiqued aspects for the rejection was controversy surrounding the Northern Irish backstop agreement, proposing a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland: something the UK was reluctant to agree to.

There were also concerns regarding the vagueness of some of the other terms, suggesting that the agreement left too much power in the hands of the EU to enforce terms upon us without the UK having much of a say at all.

What was the lead up to this?

Theresa May triggered Article 50 in March 2017, giving us two years to agree on withdrawal terms with the EU. Despite this, much has been uncertain about what sort of continued relationship we actually want with Europe, and it feels to many people as if little has progressed since then.

In December, May proposed an agreement to parliament but withdrew the vote due to assurances that it would not pass. Since then, May has been criticised for not making sufficient progress in the negotiations, and the document which was presented to parliament this Tuesday bore too great a resemblance to the original proposal to have any more success.

Following this historic defeat, the question remaining on everyones lips is what next? A question very few seem prepared, or even able, to answer. In truth, there are a few possible next steps which could be taken and parliament will need to make a decision on how they wish to proceed in the next few days.

No Deal Brexit

As Article 50 has already been triggered, the UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 with or without a deal.

Without any further progress or another agreement being negotiated and approved then the default position will be for the UK to leave Europe on the agreed date with no deal.

Despite support for a No Deal Brexit [VIDEO] from hard Brexiteers, No Deal is widely considered to be a bad idea due to the uncertainty it would raise for both the UK and EU.

If no deal is reached between the UK and EU, the UK will leave on 29 March and all relationships with the EU will end with no proposal for a continued relationship.

The UK would revert to World Trade Organisation rules on trade and would be required to pay the EUs external tariffs if we needed to trade with them. This would be awful for British businesses and would almost definitely cause the price of goods to increase as the importing costs rise. Our exports could also suffer as we may be required to obtain new EU authorisation and certification to sell our products to European countries.

A commonly cited reason to leave the EU was due to immigration. Although No Deal would allow the UK to set our own immigration and border controls, so too can the UK set restrictions for Brits travelling abroad.

This would be likely to heighten boarder delays as checks become stricter.

The rights of the 1.3 million Britons living in European countries and the 3.7 million Europeans in Britain to remain in their country of residence would be incredibly uncertain and flights to/from EU countries could be grounded until border control changes are confirmed.

Channel 4 notes that this issue of borders will also be incredibly contested in regards to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with pressures for a hard border should no deal be reached agreeing on an alternative. Anyone remotely familiar with the history of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement will be well aware of why this is something government is so desperate to avoid.

Second vote

If its seen that MPs attitude to the proposed agreement is adequately changed following minor adjustments then the Speaker could agree to a second debate. That said, seeing as Mrs May has already bagged herself an additional month on when this proposal was meant to be put to a vote, this seems fairly unlikely in the current climate, particularly

Renegotiation

If minor changes are not enough to sway MPs, May could look to the EU for a complete renegotiation over the agreed Brexit terms. Although this might seem good in theory, it would require all EU states to agree to renegotiation and will almost certainly require an extension to Article 50 as we would be unlikely to be able to construct an entirely new agreement within the next two months after two years of little progress.

Second referendum

Rather than renegotiating terms, the government could choose to post a second referendum to gauge the will of the British public now that more information has come to light on Brexit.

Although hard Brexiteers are unlikely to want this and parliament seems reluctant to put the EU withdrawal to another vote, there is a lot of desire for this as people now have a better understanding of some of the implications of Brexit. Theres also the issues raised in the recent TV drama Brexit: An Uncivil War regarding the legality of some of the Leave campaign which would be interesting to look at in more detail to see whether this sways the vote at all.

That said, another referendum wont be straightforward.

There are laws around referendums and new legislation will need to be written to allow this to happen.

How does a referendum work?

In order to call a referendum, the Electoral Commission must consider and advise on the phrasing of the question, which is then defined in legislation. If/when the legislation is passed, there must be a statutory referendum period before a vote can take place, which would take us far past the deadline of 29 March, even if the process started today.

Even if a second referendum is called, theres no guarantee that the outcome would change, so we may end up in exactly the same position with yet more time past and still no agreement in place. For this reason, the government must have a plan for both a remain or leave vote so they are prepared whatever the outcome.

General election

Although Mrs May doesnt have the power to call a general election by herself, she could ask MPs to vote for one as she did in 2017. This could help her secure a political mandate for her deal or even break the deadlock by allowing the public to put another party in power for a fresh view.

This would also require a request to extend Article 50 as an early general election would require 2/3 MPs to vote in favour, with a minimum of 25 working days following this vote before the election could take place.

Vote of no confidence

Although Theresa May recently survived a Vote of No Confidence from her own party and is immune from a further vote for the next two years, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party triggered a Vote of No Confidence against the government.

The Vote of No Confidence was placed against Theresa Mays government on Wednesday 16 January. Mays government won by just 19 votes: 325 to 306, many of whom voted against her deal less than 24 hours previously.

Should this motion be voted up by a majority of MPs this starts a 14 day countdown to see whether the current government or an alternative government is able to win a Vote of Confidence, otherwise a new general election would be called after 25 working days.

No Brexit

Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice (whom many Brexiteers no longer wish to be bound by), it was found it would be legal for the UK to revoke Article 50 without the need for EU agreement; effectively cancelling Brexit entirely.

Although this might sound like a good scenario for pro Remainers, this actually wouldnt be an ideal situation for the government, as cancelling Brexit without a further public vote calling for this would call the UKs democracy into question, particularly now that we are so far down the path.

So what next?

Although the government has been under pressure to announce their Plan B following the failure of Mays proposed withdrawal agreement, nobody seems willing or able to announce one. Given the narrow survival of the government following the Vote of No Confidence, the only thing we know for sure is that the Conservative / DUP government will remain in power, responsible for deciding what avenues to explore next.

That said, May could still choose to resign and allow another leader to take over, however, based on her recent comments and commitment to the negotiations, it looks unlikely that she will do this. For better or for worse, its yet to be seen. Whatever happens next, were in an interesting stage of British politics, with some of the most important decisions in a generation being made over the next couple of months. Fingers crossed it works out.Cookies op Tweakers

Tweakers is onderdeel van DPG Media en maakt gebruik van cookies, JavaScript en vergelijkbare technologie om je onder andere een optimale gebruikerservaring te bieden. Ook kan Tweakers hierdoor het gedrag van bezoekers vastleggen en analyseren. Door gebruik te maken van deze website, of door op 'Cookies accepteren' te klikken, geef je toestemming voor het gebruik van cookies. Wil je meer informatie over cookies en hoe ze worden gebruikt? Bekijk dan ons cookiebeleid.Shaken Up

By Woody LaBounty

September 2002

My great-grandparents met in the confusion and bewilderment of a refugee camp formed to aid the San Franciscans left homeless by the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. The couple quickly fell in love and by November they married.

Despite meeting in the same condition---bedraggled, dislocated, and facing an uncertain future---the two families had their differences. For years, my snobby great aunt disparagingly noted that her new sister-in-law's family was one of the last to leave the camps.

But being one of the last had its advantages. When refugees departed their temporary home in Camp Richmond (now the freeway and parkland strip that is Park Presidio Boulevard) many carted away a new home.

The San Francisco Relief Corporation had built row upon row of "refugee shacks" in camps from September 1906 into early 1907. These small cabins, just 10' by 14' in some cases, were meant to replace the camp tents before winter set in. Designed by San Francisco Park Superintendent John McLaren (who insisted they all be painted a park-bench green), the Department of Lands and Buildings of the San Francisco Relief Corporation, and the US Army, the shacks were constructed by union carpenters. Each home had California redwood walls, fir floors, and cedar-shingled roofs.

As the camps began to close down in the late summer of 1907, the Relief Corporation sold off the shacks to departing families for $100 or less. Charities even provided free hauling for those who needed it. San Franciscans carted away over 5,000 cabins to empty lots in the city to use as starter homes. Usually two or three were joined together to create a larger residence, and many owners dropped their new domiciles onto the sand hills of the Richmond and Sunset districts.

Saved and Lost

Of the thousands of shacks taken from camps only a handful are certified to be left standing in San Francisco. In the Sunset district you can find seven at two sites and one is San Francisco City Landmark number 171. At 1227 24th Avenue stand three refugee shacks joined together by the real estate developer Sol Getz. Today the home looks in great shape: fresh paint, surrounded by flowers, a country cottage in a big city. Jane Cryan lived here in the early 1980s, and when she discovered that the odd, tiny, run-down home she rented was linked to San Francisco's best known event, she began an exhausting battle to save these "hope chests".

Jane researched their history and surveyed the city for survivors. She lobbied politicians and influential members of society to save the few left. She attempted to educate property owners on the treasures they typically saw as eyesores. She won in some notable cases. San Francisco declared her beat-up red shack a city landmark. Two cottages at 34th Avenue and Geary were accepted by the US Army and saved from demolition. The Army moved them into the Presidio where they sit, restored to their 1906 state.

The advocacy group Jane founded, The Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of San Francisco's Refugee Shacks, also lost its share. Four shacks were destroyed in the Richmond after the owner insisted his buildings were actually built in the 1930s. His assertion was refuted by the 1907 newspapers that fluttered to the ground in the bulldozer's wake.

Bring in the 3-Car Garage

Another loss stares us all in the face. Four shacks, including three rare "Type A"s, are facing demolition on Kirkham Street near the beach. In a way it's surprising they've lasted as long as they have. The shacks, cobbled together to form two separate residences on one lot, have been in terrible shape for years. The paint is peeled, the roofs are rotting, and now they stand vacant with windows boarded. The back cottage didn't even have heat and was reportedly condemned in the early 1970s, but held on to provide a home to renters for 30 additional years.

My friend Diane plays Devil's Advocate with me and asks "How many examples of these shacks does the city need?" The former tenant of the back cottage tells me "there's no bad guy in this story; it's just time for them to go." The Berkeley architect hired to submit the plans for demolition admits he has no knowledge of the historical background of the cottages and doesn't even know who owns them ("I'm working through another representative"); but in reference to a Planning Department letter about the possible historic importance of the shacks, he gave his general opinion:

"I have had dealings with Landmarks Commissions before and I find that they tend to put all things ahead of anything else in the world. If you can get on the National Register that's the most important thing in the world and it doesn't matter what happens to anybody else. And I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't very similar in this case."

Actually, I don't put these shacks ahead of everything else. I really can see the viewpoint of the two brothers who inherited the property from their mother last year. How can two tiny, dilapidated sheds in San Francisco be anything less than an albatross around an owner's neck? No one looking for an investment would buy the lot if the cottages had to stay.

But I keep getting this wrenching tug in my stomach as the eccentric little bungalows and cottages near the beach continue to succumb to huge characterless structures. The funky artists, the surfers, the older hippie couples, and middle-class families are being squeezed out little by little. This is land where enterprising squatters and ingenious homesteaders once made abandoned cable cars into homes. I wonder how long the legacy of "Carville" will survive out here?

Everyone is saddened, but resigned it seems. Neighbors, architects, and preservation groups are prepared for the shacks to disappear. Even Jane Cryan sees it as inevitable:



"It's a terrible loss, but I don't think there's any hope of preventing demolition because of the condition." She admits, however, that her old home on 24th Avenue---the city landmark---once looked as bad as the Kirkham Street houses.



"You know these little guys are just so sturdy."

Read the latest about the Kirkham Street cottages.

Images: 1) Refugee Cottages being constructed in Camp Richmond, 1906. Courtesy of Ron Richardson; 2) 4329 Kirkham Street, September 2002 (WNP photo).

Sources: 1) Hope Chest: The True Story of San Francisco's 1906 Earthquake Refugee Shacks Jane Cryan, privately published 1998.

Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places!NSW Supreme Court judge Lucy McCallum has granted a request to delay defamation proceedings between actor Craig McLachlan, ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and actor Christie Whelan Browne.

The civil trial was due to begin on February 4 but the former Doctor Blake Mysteries star now has a court appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 8 on eight counts of indecent assault and one count each of attempted indecent assault and common law assault.

He denies the allegations.

Stuart Littlemore QC, told the NSW Supreme Court that airing allegations in the defamation trial might prejudice hearings of the criminal charges.

The reality is the entirety of the defence to the civil case is that it is true the applicant is guilty of the indent assaults, Littlemore said.

Defence barrister for all defendants in the defamation case, Tom Blackburn SC, said , There is evidence  that the (criminal) proceedings are unlikely to come up in Victoria for another 18 months.

Then of course this court will have to find another four-week window  and the reality is this case is not going to get on until 2021  which will be about seven years after the events in the Rocky Horror Show occurred.

The media companies and Ms Whelan Browne are seeking to have McLachlan pay their costs of preparing for the trial.

The defendants also seek an order for the defamation proceeding to be dismissed if McLachlan is found guilty of the charges in Victoria.

Source: News Corp, The Age

RelatedUS comedy Trial & Error has been axed after just two seasons.

Season one starred John Lithgow as a professor who is accused of murdering his wife, while a young New York attorney (Nicholas DAgosto) winds up as his defence lawyer.

The cast also included Jayma Mays, Steven Boyer, Sherri Shepherd, and Krysta Rodriguez.

Producers Warner Bros. TV remains open to reviving the true-crime spoof after NBC passed on a third season.

It aired in Australia on Seven.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

RelatedNo violators were found when police in Ho Chi Minh City began a month-long inspection to manage the consumption of alcohol and drugs among car, truck, and bus drivers as well as motorcyclists across the metropolis on Tuesday.

Nearly 500 drivers and motorcyclists were pulled over for drug tests on the first day of the comprehensive inspection running from January 15 to February 15, according to the traffic police division under the municipal police department.

None of the road users tested positive for drugs, officers said on Wednesday.

From Tuesday evening to early Wednesday morning, officers were mobilized to examine drivers along National Highway 1 near the An Lac Roundabout in Binh Tan District and the section of the Hanoi Highway in Phuoc Long B Ward, District 9.

The traffic police units focused on drivers of automobiles, passenger buses, and trailer trucks that were leaving Ho Chi Minh City via these two routes.

A truck driver is given a breath alcohol test. Photo: Tuoi Tre

They were given breath alcohol tests and saliva tests for drugs.

After inspecting a total of 491 road users, officers made reports of 77 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Eleven of the violators were car, truck, and bus drivers while the other were motorcyclists.

About eight other truck drivers were fined for traveling on banned streets. No one tested positive for drugs.

Similar patrols will take between 6:00 pm and 2:00 am on a daily basis throughout the month-long campaign.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Hoi, who led the team of officers on the Hanoi Highway, it is a good sign that no drivers were discovered using stimulants on the first day of the inspection.

A saliva screening test used to check drug users. Photo: Tuoi Tre

However, as information about the comprehensive inspection had been publicized before the campaign started, business ownewrs must have tasked their most competent drivers with steering the vehicles, Hoi said.

At some points during the campaign, officers will focus on examining drivers at the Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District, Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Binh Thanh District, and Cat Lai Port in District 2 by performing clinical urine tests.

The results will be more accurate by then, Lt. Col. Hoi remarked.

Police in Thu Duc District last weekend conducted a small-scale inspection of trailer truck drivers and their assistants in Truong Tho Ward, with seven people testing positive for drugs after undergoing clinical urine tests.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!An expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta has become overcrowded with big trucks after toll collection along the route was temporarily suspended from the beginning of this year, leaving drivers vexed as they just fail to travel at the maximum speed allowed.

Stretching nearly 62 kilometers, the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway is considered a vital route as it links the southern metropolis with Tien Giang Province and the Mekong Delta region in general.

Drivers were previously required to pay a toll to travel on this road, while those who did not want to do so could take a detour on National Highway 1.

Yen Khanh Trade Production and Service Company won the contract to collect the fee from 2013 to 2018.

The five-year deal expired on January 1 and the management of the expressway was transferred to the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN), while the toll collection was put on a temporary halt.

Vehicles travel along the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway on January 15, 2019. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The DRVN would fix and upgrade the toll stations as well as finish a report on how to operate the tollgates in the future. It is unclear when toll collection will be resumed.

About 45,000 to 48,000 vehicles traveled on the expressway every day from January 1 to 14, up 18 to 26 percent compared to the normal volume in previous years, said Nguyen Van Thanh, a DRVN official.

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters on January 10, the route was filled with vehicles, including large trailer trucks that used to take the detour to avoid toll payment.

While the maximum speed is 120km per hour, these trucks could travel at only 60 to 70km per hour, making it difficult for cars and smaller trucks to reach the highest speed.

Some drivers had no choice but to travel on the hard shoulder to pass the snail-paced container trucks.

An automobile travels on the hard shoulder of the expressway. Photo: Tuoi Tre

These large trucks travel very slowly and occupy almost every lane. We are quite upset that they are not fined by traffic police, said Nguyen Minh Hong, a driver of FUTA Bus Lines.

Other passenger bus drivers also complained that their average journey along the expressway has become at least 20 minutes longer.

According to Thanh, the DRVN official, the minimum speed limit has been lowered from 80 to 60km per hour due to the increase in the volume of vehicles on the expressway.

The speed limit, however, does vary in each lane, thus drivers should fully understand the regulations when entering the route.

We will take certain measures to raise awareness of the situation among commuters and coordinate with relevant units to penalize those who violate minimum and maximum speed limits, Thanh elaborated.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Police in Hanoi have brought in for questioning a Chinese flyer accused of stealing money from a fellow passenger on a Vietnam Airlines flight last week, the flag carrier said on Wednesday.

Upon boarding a Hanoi-bound flight from the central city of Da Nang on January 9, the Chinese national, identified as Zuo Lei, left his 25C seat for the 18C one and put his bag into the overhead bin there, according to Tran Anh Truyen, a flight attendant with knowledge of the matter.

Another passenger noticed Zuo then opening a suitcase in the compartment and informed the cabin crew of the suspicious action. The crew then closely monitored the Chinese passengers behavior.

The cabin crew head also arrived at the 18th row of seats and advised passengers to check their luggage again for any property loss.

Zuo took advantage of the moment when other passengers were busy checking in order to try to put an envelope into his cabin bag, but the attempt was caught by the crew head.

As one passenger reported his VND10 million ($430) worth of cash went missing, the cabin crew then found the exact amount of money inside the envelope in question.

With two passengers stepping up as witnesses to the in-flight theft, the Chinese had his passport seized and kept at an empty seat until the plane landed.

Zuo was handed over to police in Hanoi after the plane touched down at the capitals Noi Bai International Airport.

The foreign passenger is likely to be placed either on the watchlist or a blacklist in line with Vietnam Airlines policy, according to the carrier.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A rare turtle weighing over 150 kilograms was found dead after being stuck in a fishing net off Vietnams Phu Quoc Island on Tuesday afternoon.

Local fisherman Ho Ngoc Hay and his crew members were operating in the maritime area near Phu Quoc Island off the southern province of Kien Giang on their fishing boat when they discovered a large turtle caught in their net.

The fishers attempted to set the aquatic creature free but soon realized it had already died.

As it was the first time they had spotted the strange-looking turtle, the fishermen decided to carry it ashore and hand it over to the border guard office on Phu Quoc the same day.

Ha The Phong, director of the management board of the Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area, confirmed on Wednesday that the turtle had been transferred to the agency.

The animal was a leatherback sea turtle, whose scientific name is Dermochelys coriacea, and weighed more than 150 kilograms, Phong continued.

Leatherback is the largest species of sea turtle and is on the verge of extinction, he elaborated.

The body of the animal has been frozen while the marine protected area waits for further directions from higher authorities.

According to an official of the agency, there is a small hole on the back limb of the turtle, indicating that it had possibly been rescued by authorities in the past and a chip might have been planted on it.

The Institute of Oceanography in Nha Trang City, located in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, has suggested that the turtle be brought to the facility for preservation and educational purposes.

Statistics show that Kien Giang has about 10,500 fishing boats, more than any other province and city in the country.

Among them, at least 2,000 boats are equipped with high-capacity engines and large nets to catch fish from the surface to the bottom of the sea.

This practice is considered destructive to marine environments.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A family in Ho Chi Minh City has kept a Tet tradition going by making their own banh tet,' a glutinous rice cake typically eaten during the Lunar New Year holiday in Vietnam, at a time when the delicacy is commercially available in the form of pre-cooked and ready-to-eat food.

Banh tet is made primarily from glutinous rice, which is rolled in banana leaves into a thick, log-like cylindrical shape, with a banana or mung bean-and-pork filling.

The ingredients are then cooked for at least six hours in a wood-fired pot of boiling water, and served by removing the banana leaf and slicing the cake into wheel-shaped servings.

Banh tet made use of readily available ingredients in any Vietnamese home in the past and demonstrates the importance of rice in the Vietnamese culture.

However, as the modern lifestyle takes away most of people's free time, newer generations of Vietnamese who move to live in big cities have given up making their own banh tet at home and choose to buy pre-cooked ones instead.

Traditional Vietnamese banh tet can either have banana or mung bean-and-pork fillings. Photo: Tuoi Tre

But for the family of Nguyen Van Can, who lives in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, preserving this tradition is a way of teaching their children a valuable lesson about kinship and culture.

Each year, Cans relatives from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang have homegrown ingredients sent to him by bus weeks before Tet.

Many of my nephews work in Ho Chi Minh City, so they rarely get the chance to taste a homemade cake, said Cans sister-in-law Duong Thi Tang Co, who lives in Soc Trang.

On a productive morning, Cans family members can finish wrapping 100 rolls of banh tet,' enough to get them through the long holiday, make offerings to their ancestors, and share with neighbors.

With less than three weeks to the 2019 Lunar New Year, which falls on February 5, Cans small house is already filled with the smell of banana leaves and freshly cooked banh tet,' an unmistakable sign that Tet is just around the corner.

Glutinous rice, mung bean and pork are wrapped inside banana leaves. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Black beans are mixed with glutinous rice to make banana-filled banh tet.' Photo: Tuoi Tre

A banh tet is rolled in banana leaves into a thick, log-like cylindrical shape. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A roll of banh tet is tightened using special strings made from trees in the bamboo family. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Just enough force must be applied when tightening a roll of banh tet,' as it greatly influences the taste and texture of the cooked cake. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Rolls of uncooked banh tet.' Photo: Tuoi Tre

Banh tet are typically made and sold in pairs. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Banh tet are cooked in a pot of boiling water over log-fuelled fire. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Long sticks are used to remove cooked banh tet from the steaming hot water. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Cooked banh tet are hung outside to dry and retain their cylindrical shape. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Wheel-shaped slices of cooked banh tet are served. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!While the day Amazon officially enters Vietnam has yet to come, the countrys trade promotion agency will cooperate with the U.S. e-commerce giant to help Vietnamese people expand into new marketplaces and sell to millions of customers.

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and Amazon Global Selling have closed a cooperation plan that will enable Vietnamese enterprises to reach out to more than 300 million customers of Amazon worldwide, the agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced on Tuesday.

Amazon Global Selling is a program that enables merchants to list and sell their products across the world on Amazon's global marketplaces.

Under the agreement, Vietnam's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be given priority to get access to the world market and develop their brands and goods through Amazon.com, according Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency chief Vu Ba Phu.

The two sides also have plans to offer e-commerce training courses for Vietnamese SMEs.

The cooperation was announced during a conference on hi-tech investment and trade promotion jointly held by the Vietnamese agency and Amazon Global Selling at the trade ministrys headquarters in Hanoi on Tuesday.

As chairman of the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai hailed the cooperation as bringing innovation to Vietnams trade promotion scene.

Vietnam is now home to more than 700,000 businesses, of which 98 percent are small and medium-sized enterprises, according to the trade promotion agency.

In addition to traditional trade promotion methods, promoting e-commerce development is extremely necessary for this type of business, Phu said.

According to Bernard Tay, director of Amazon Global Selling in Southeast Asia, Amazon chose Vietnam for its development as the U.S e-commerce giant sees great potential in this market, especially entrepreneurship among young Vietnamese people.

Vietnamese enterprises are known for their top production capabilities and Amazon resources from around the world will help them develop and build brands in the international market, Tay said.

On the other hand, Tay also emphasized that Vietnamese enterprises have to catch up with global trends and improve their foreign language capability and branding ability to take the best advantage of sales on Amazon.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!The Tucson Theatre Announcements List is a monitored e-mail list. Notices from Tucson area theatre companies, filmmakers and others are forwarded to the list members. These notices include auditions, casting calls, openings and other announcements of interest to actors, directors, techies and theatre lovers in our community. This Blog contains an archive of recent posts to the list. For more information go to http://tucsonstage.comThird Cliff House

After the Victorian Cliff House burned down in 1907, Emma Sutro Merritt commissioned the architecture firm of the Reid Brothers to design the next Cliff House. The Reid Brothers' Hotel del Coronado in San Diego was an inspiration to Emma Merritt's father, Adolph Sutro, and he directed his architects to use it as a model for the second Cliff House. Now, ironically, those same architects built on the same site a very understated structure. Neo-classical, born in the "Search for Order" era, the 1909 Cliff House made the setting and the views paramount.

The Cliff House continued as a tourist attraction, as the views and the seal lions basking on Seal Rocks remained, but under a number of lessees it struggled as a profitable restaurant. The simple square form designed by the Reid Brothers received additions in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, as proprietors tinkered with different dining formats and attractions.

Under the ownership of George and Leo Whitney, who bought it in 1937, the Cliff House gained a more carnival personality. Neon signs and bright red paint appeared along with totem poles, Japanese gateways, and a Camera Obscura installed on the terrace inside a building in the shape of box camera. The "World's Largest Gift Shop" was built to the north.

This is the Cliff House many people remember today. The Cliff House service men and women of World War II had a last toast at before shipping out. The Cliff House out-of-town relatives were (and still are) brought to for brunch.

From 1969 to 1973, the old landmark sat closed and neglected. When it reopened, murals of psychedelic ocean waves adorned the roofline. When Playland-at-the-Beach, the amusement zone down the road, closed in 1972, many old-time nickel machines found their way to the Cliff House basement as part of Ed Zelinsky's Musee Mecanique.

In 1977, the entire area was added to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. After close to twenty years of environmental reviews, design assessments, and resource management guidelines, the National Park Service rebuilt the Cliff House in the early 2000s, restoring the 1909 exterior form, and adding a new structure on the north for fine dining.

The name Cliff House has been carried by buildings in different shapes and uses since 1863, and we have likely not seen the last of them. Even the sea lions have left, choosing basking locations inside the bay. One can, however, always depend upon the natural beauty of the site where the surf meets the cliff.

The Cliff House Story, Part One

The Cliff House Story, Part Two

Read Christine Miller's article about Lands End disasters, including the Cliff House fires.

Want more Cliff House? Visit Gary Stark's Cliff House Project

Contribute your own stories about the Cliff House!He also worried that the controversy could lead to the Legislature drafting new laws stripping local control over its immigration policies.

Peard said SB 1487 is being used by the council to tell it what it can and cannot do concerning local politics.

That is the bogeyman that they are raising, Peard said.

The city would lose state funding under SB 1487 only if it conflicts with state law, which Peard maintains the ballot initiative does not.

There is not a lot of case law on SB 1487, he added, noting that even Rankin concedes it is legally unclear where an initiative would fall under the provisions of the 2-year-old state law.

Literally speaking, they are actions of the community, not the city,  Peard noted.

In a footnote to his memo, Rankin said an argument could be made that provisions of SB 1487 might not apply to initiative measures.

Peard added that a court would likely surgically remove provisions of the proposed initiative long before the city would lose state funding.

The memo, released by the city Wednesday, was provided by Rankin as a legal opinion to the Tucson City Council to evaluate the impact of the proposed ballot measure on the city, not in an attempt to influence the outcome of the November election should the proposition go before voters.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The way the city is laid out with the transit system we have, the Birds, the Limes and other independent operators of these companies can actually be an asset if they are good community partners, Cunningham said. I dont want to be the only city in the town that doesnt have this.

Kozachik argued that permit fees arent going to be an issue.

Increasing the fees arent going to corner the market, Kozachik shot back, noting San Francisco had 10 companies vying to operate in the citys program.

He reminded his colleagues that e-scooter companies were poised to come into Tucson without contacting the city and this program is the only way to regulate them.

This whole conversation began not because Bird and Lime announced that they wanted to be good partners with us; it was because we found out that they were hiring, and we were concerned that they were going to dump 1,000  each  of these scooters in our city, Kozachik said. So we sent the message out proactively that they are illegal here.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild wondered whether 2,000 scooters would be too many for the city.

Two thousand scooters seems like way too much for a pilot program, Rothschild said.

He also asked staff about the possibility of using geo-fencing  limiting or disabling the e-scooters based on their GPS location  in an attempt to minimize their use in crowded areas where they would be dangerous to operate.

Contact reporter Joe Ferguson at jferguson@tucson.com or 573-4197. On Twitter: @JoeFerguson

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.A local theater is hosting a screening Thursday, Jan. 17, of an Arizona-made documentary that challenges viewers to confront discrimination and recognize the need for communities to come together and embrace similarities.

You Racist, Sexist, Bigot is a crowdfunded documentary shot in Arizona by filmmakers Pita Juarez and Matty Steinkamp. Despite the movies Arizona roots, the award-winning film features American stories, including that of a young man from Ferguson, Missouri, and an undocumented transgender woman living in a border town.

Pita and I started working on the film almost immediately following the 2016 election, Steinkamp told the Star. We had both been talking about doing some type of film that really focuses on the stories of our communities and we saw during that time that there was a lot of prejudices being put on people of color and people of marginalized communities and intersectional identities, and we really wanted to go out there and paint the more honest picture.

Steinkamp said they set out to share the beautiful side of Arizona and its culture and communities by giving the microphone to their storytellers.The agent also described Aboyte using his false U.S. citizen identity when it came to his marriages.

Aboyte married his first wife in Mexico in 1992 under his real name, the agent wrote. The couple divorced in 2005 and then remarried the same year, using the fraudulent U.S. citizen identity. He then used that identity to obtain immigrant visas for his wife and their children to come to the United States.

Aboyte married his second wife in the United States in 2012, again using the fraudulent U.S. citizen identity. He married the same woman in Mexico in 2017 under his real name.

Propane cocaine

The agent also said Aboyte was convicted, under the Lopez Montano alias, in southern Indiana in 2011 of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Aboyte was behind the wheel of a white truck with a camper when a sheriffs deputy searched the vehicle, according to a sworn affidavit from a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration filed in the Indiana case.

The deputy found 46 pounds of cocaine hidden inside propane tanks in the camper, according to the affidavit.He also worried that the controversy could lead to the Legislature drafting new laws stripping local control over its immigration policies.

Peard said SB 1487 is being used by the council to tell it what it can and cannot do concerning local politics.

That is the bogeyman that they are raising, Peard said.

The city would lose state funding under SB 1487 only if it conflicts with state law, which Peard maintains the ballot initiative does not.

There is not a lot of case law on SB 1487, he added, noting that even Rankin concedes it is legally unclear where an initiative would fall under the provisions of the 2-year-old state law.

Literally speaking, they are actions of the community, not the city,  Peard noted.

In a footnote to his memo, Rankin said an argument could be made that provisions of SB 1487 might not apply to initiative measures.

Peard added that a court would likely surgically remove provisions of the proposed initiative long before the city would lose state funding.

The memo, released by the city Wednesday, was provided by Rankin as a legal opinion to the Tucson City Council to evaluate the impact of the proposed ballot measure on the city, not in an attempt to influence the outcome of the November election should the proposition go before voters.

Contact reporter Joe Ferguson at jferguson@tucson.com or 573-4197. On Twitter: @JoeFerguson

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.A site on Tucsons southeast side is a sort of pedaling paradise  offering cyclists miles of riding options ranging from a paved segment of the Loop trail system to rugged and winding trails for mountain bikers.

Immediately south of a trailhead parking area at South Harrison and East Irvington roads, the Harrison Greenway segment of the Loop offers smooth pavement for road cyclists. And, sprawling east of the Greenway is the rolling desert terrain of the Fantasy Island trails park for mountain bikers.

The Greenway offers connections with other Loop segments including the Pantano River Park segment and the Julian Wash Greenway.

Fantasy Island, which is mostly on State Trust land, attracts mountain bikers with a network of single-track trails winding through terrain bristling with desert vegetation. Among the eye-catching plants are enormous chain-fruit chollas here and there along the trails.

Fantasy Island is one of the oldest and most popular trail systems in Tucson, and until recently (with the addition of McKenzie Ranch trails southeast of Tucson), it was the only mountain-bike-specific system, said Evan Pilling, president of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists.E-commerce platform Paytm has partnered with online food delivery aggregator Zomato to allow its users to order food through the mobile wallet application. The service has been made live in the Delhi-NCR region and will be rolled out in other parts of the country soon.

This follows the trend of aggregators from different markets entering the food delivery segment via partnership or in-house platforms. For example, home-grown cab hailing service Ola has joined hands with Swiggy to offer online food delivery right from its app. On the other hand, Uber floated its own dedicated food delivery app Uber Eats around two years back.

ALSO READ:Paytm Payments Bank restarts account opening process after RBI nod

Paytm is planning to explore its strong presence in Tier-II and Tier-III cities to get a foothold in online food delivery via its partnership with Zomato. Paytm will bring this offering to its customers in these cities who do not use the Zomato application while enabling uptake in a larger user base. The e-wallet platform will use the in-app food delivery option to push its use both online and offline.

"Our association with Zomato is a valuable addition to our platform in bringing the convenience of ordering food online through our app. It is also an important step towards enhancing the overall offerings to our customers. We will continue to invest our efforts in this direction," Paytm senior vice president Renu Satti told The Economic Times.

ALSO READ:Paytm Postpaid launched: Spend up to Rs 60,000, pay next month

Notably, Paytm's parent company, One97 Communications and Zomato have a common investor in Alibaba. The payment platform is also backed by Softbank and Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, along with others. The food delivery platform has Ant Financial, Sequoia Capital and Singapore sovereign fund Temasek.A Tucson woman arrested in the shooting death of her husband was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on one count of second-degree murder involving domestic violence, court records show.

Leticia Freitag, 46, is accused of killing her husband Michael Freitag, 48, at their eastside home on Jan. 6. They have two teenage children, who were both in the house at the time of the shooting, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.

A criminal complaint filed in the case says Freitag told a friend three days prior to the shooting that her husband had threatened to harm her and their children. There were no orders of protection or restraining orders at the time of the shooting.

Freitag has been held in the Pima County jail on a $1 million bond since her Jan. 6 arrest. Her next hearing is set for Jan. 23.

Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223. On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The man who police were searching for in a case of possible child abuse turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, officials say.

David Clark, 35, was arrested on Jan. 16 on suspicion of sexual conduct with a minor, failure to report child abuse, sexual assault, and continuous sexual abuse of a minor, the Sahuarita Police Department said in a news release.

Police had obtained arrest warrants for Clark and his wife Stephanie Clark after a domestic disturbance at a Green Valley home on Jan. 9. That investigation revealed allegations of possible child abuse and domestic violence.

Police arrested Stephanie Clark, 32, on Tuesday. She was booked into the Pima County jail on two counts of child abuse and two counts of failure to report child abuse.

She has since been released, according to a Sahuarita police news release. Clark was being taken to jail Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Contact Star reporter Shaq Davis at 573-4218 or sdavis@tucson.com On Twitter: @ShaqDavis1

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Theres enough blame to go around, said Napier. The Democrats desperately want to win, the president desperately wants to win. But who should win is not the Republicans or the Democrats, but the American people.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot, also a Republican, said he gives kudos to Trump. I would imagine the president is standing tall because hes standing tall for the boots on the ground who are saying this is what we need to adequately do our job, he said. I know that law enforcement appreciate the fact hes standing up and holding Congress accountable.

But for Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada, the lone Democrat among Arizonas border sheriffs, its so ludicrous that everything is hinging on that magical wall, he said. Its completely absurd, reckless and of no common sense. There are places where it would be practical, an option, but will it be the solution? No.

About $1.6 billion was allocated for border barriers in the fiscal 2017 and 2018 federal budgets; this includes projects to replace an old landing-mat fence with a tall steel fence, such as one announced for Yuma in November.Nearly 35,000 sandhill cranes have swooped into the Sulphur Springs Valley near Willcox in an annual migration from mountain states and parts of Canada, the Arizona Game and Fish Department reports.

The largest concentration of the big birds  with wingspans of up to 6 feet and a history dating to the Pleistocene nearly 2 million years ago  is an estimated 25,184 at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal.

An annual crane count, conducted by Game and Fish earlier this month, also found thousands of cranes in the Willcox Playa area, the San Simon Valley, and at a site called Crane Lake. Hundreds of the birds were counted at other locations.

The cranes usually begin arriving in Arizona in mid-September to early October, said department spokesman Mark Hart. They typically begin leaving the area in a return migration in mid-February, but some may remain until the middle of March.

Usually flying out of their roosts at dawn, the cranes feed on grain from farmers fields and return from feeding between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The birds have a distinctive call, often described as a loud, trumpeting sound.

SEE THE CRANESMarana-based International Towers Inc. is looking to accelerate growth in its communications tower business after being acquired by a Montana company.

S&K Technologies Inc., a company owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, announced Thursday that it had acquired International Towers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The new owners plan to keep all of the roughly 140 International Towers local employees and management, said Doug Gratzer, co-founder and president of the local company.

Everyones staying, and were all about growth, said Gratzer, who said he has signed a five-year employment contract with S&K. This is going to give us the ability to grow a lot more quicker.

Gratzer said his partner, International Towers vice president Ed Marue, is also being retained by the new owners. The company was formed in a merger of tower companies owned by Gratzer and Marue in 1997.

S&K Technologies CEO Chad Cottet said in a news release that the acquisition of International Towers opens up new opportunities for the company in the cellular and broadband communications, tower and broadcast infrastructure, and security markets.We hope you have enjoyed your complimentary access for the month.

To continue viewing content on tucson.com, please sign in with your existing account or subscribe.This gap between a rich and poor Europe with open borders inevitably produced a migration crisis. For example, as Matthias Matthijs pointed out in Foreign Affairs, from 2004 to 2014, about 2 million Poles migrated to the UK and Germany and about 2 million Romanians moved to Italy and Spain. These movements put massive strains on the safety nets of destination countries and provoked rising nationalism and nativism. The influx into Europe of more than 1 million refugees in 2015, mostly from the Middle East, must be placed in the context of these already sky-high migrant numbers. And as can be seen almost everywhere, from the United States to Austria, fears of immigration are the rocket fuel for right-wing nationalists, who then discredit the political establishment that they deem responsible for unchecked flows.

The second challenge consuming the European Union has been its currency, the euro. Launched more with politics than economics in mind, the euro has embodied a deep structural flaw: It forces a unified monetary system on 19 countries that continue to have vastly different fiscal systems. So when a recession hits, countries do not have the ability to lower the value of their currency, nor do they get large additional resources from Brussels (as American states do from Washington when they go into recession). The results, as could be seen for years after 2008, were economic stagnation and political revolt.TEN SLEEP  The Ten Sleep School Board adopted their concealed carry rule with a vote of four to one Monday evening, after much discussion with community members, Washakie County Sheriff Steve Rakness and Ten Sleep School attorney Scott Kolpitcke.

Before making a decision, the board and community members heard from Kolpitcke about Wyoming Senate File No. SF0075 and the impact the bill could have on the schools concealed carry rule.

He stated that as SF0075 is written at the moment, it wouldnt impact the rule but that as the bill goes through the legislative process, changes could cause the board to start all over again with the rule.

What the bill looks like between now and the end of the session is anyones guess, Kolpitcke said.

He added that it might be worth considering waiting to see what the Legislature does before adopting the concealed carry rule because if changes are made to the bill which would cause the school to have to change their concealed carry rule, the rule-making process would have to start again.The bill also creates guidance around outlining more specifically who paid for a political advertisement and gives the Secretary of State the flexibility to respond to new and emerging forms of campaign finance.

This bill does a lot of good things, Schon said.

What the bill does not do, however, is address the use of anonymously filed LLCs in Wyoming. While under the new law, those groups would have to report what they spent money on, their origins can still be anonymous and the people working behind the scenes can, in effect, remain in the shadows.

This bill doesnt touch that, Schon said in an interview afterward.

Regardless, the bill does fix a number of glaring issues in Wyomings campaign finance law, which last saw changes several years ago to reflect independent expenditure allowances made under the Citizens United ruling. The bill would not restrict the free speech rights of groups included in the ruling, such as corporations; partnerships; trade unions; professional associations; or civic, fraternal or religious groups, among others.E-Commerce giant Flipkart is all set to kick-off its Republic Day sale from January 20 to January 22. However, Flipkart Plus members can start their shopping early starting 8 pm on January 19. During the sale, Flipkart will be offering discounts on smartphones like Realme 2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S8, Oppo F9, Poco F1, Motorola One Power, Nokia 5.1 Plus, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 XL, Asus Zenfone 5Z, and more. Deals are also available on appliances, laptops and TVs. The Walmart owned company has partnered with SBI to offer 10 per cent instant discount on SBI Credit Cards. Other offers include, Debit Card EMI, No cost EMI on Credit cards, Exchange offer.

Also Read: New WhatsApp bug: Your messages may be exposed to strangers!

During the three-day sale, Flipkart will offer deals every eight hours on TV, mobile phones and laptops. There will also be a Rush Hour discount till 2 am on Januray 20. Flipkart will also offer additional 20% off everyday from 2 pm to 6 pm. Customers can also get 10 per cent off on Rs. 1450 worth shopping and 15 per cent off on shopping worth Rs. 1950, Buy 3 get 10 per cent off and buy 4 get 15 per cent off, up to 75 per cent off on TVs and Appliances, up to 80 per cent off on electronics and accessories.

Among the popular smartphones, Realme 2 Pro will see a flat discount of Rs 1,000 and will be available at Rs 12,990. The Samsung flagship, Galaxy S8 will be available Rs 30,990. Galaxy On6 will be available with Rs 4,500 flat discount during the sale. The Oppo F9 will be available with Rs 4,000 further discount and the popular Poco F1 will be available at Rs 18,999. Other smartphones like Motorola's One Power, Nokia 6.1 Plus and Piel 2 XL will all be up for grabs during the Flipkart's Republic Day Sale.

It is not just Flipkart though, Amazon India too has announced that it will host the 'Amazon Great Indian Sale' from January 20 to 23, 2019. During the sale, customers can expect flat discounts on several products across categories. Buyers can pick Apple, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Honor, Realme or Samsung smartphones at discounted prices. Amazon will also offer discounts on headphones, laptops, smartphone accessories and other devices during the sale. Customers can also get up to Rs 3,000 off on Amazon Devices including Amazon Echo, FireTV Stick and Kindle eReaders.

(Edited By: Udit Verma)

Also Read: Twitter to make big changes! Colour-coded replies, Facebook like updates and more

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Also read: Oppo plans to unveil new smartphone camera with 10x optical zoomBut the issues facing the academy were also tangible ones. Jackson, in the midst of a housing crisis, has very limited amounts of land on which to build, as reflected by an arduous review process. Though attempts were made to work with the school, local planning officials testified Wednesday that the academy could not meet the conditions of final approval after requesting a text amendment to build a larger gymnasium, among other things.

Meanwhile the academy  facing eviction from the church it has called home for the past several years  is racing time, and needs immediate approval in order to break ground in time for the 2019-2020 school year.

Others in the community, however, felt the school was not playing by the same rules as other developers in a highly competitive real estate market with a carefully considered planning process meant to maintain community character and protect the surrounding environment.CHEYENNE  A bill that would have called for a convention of states to amend the Constitution and overturn the controversial Citizens United ruling was killed in committee Wednesday by a narrow 3-2 vote.

Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Wasserburger, R-Gillette, SJ-002 would have added Wyoming to the list of five states that have called for a convention of the states to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, a landmark Supreme Court decision that led to an unprecedented amount of corporate spending influencing federal elections.

No votes included Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, and Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Casper.

The impetus for the bill began with a petition drive from a group called Wyoming Promise, which in late 2018 attempted  and failed, despite gathering more than 26,000 signatures from across the state  to get a question calling for a convention of states passed as a ballot initiative.

Roughly 20 members of the group  which numbers nearly 300 members, according to executive director Ken Chestek  were jammed into a meeting of the Senate Minerals Committee on Wednesday, many wearing buttons calling for Free and Fair Elections in Wyoming.CHEYENNE  Every year since 2013, some state lawmakers have tried  unsuccessfully  to repeal Wyomings death penalty.

Rep. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, thinks the sixth time is the charm.

Last week, the second-term lawmaker and attorney reintroduced a bill that would eliminate the death penalty from Wyomings legal system. Though the legislation is unchanged from a version of the bill that fell six votes short of passing in 2018, Olsen believes the outcome could be different this year.

I think we have the best chance of getting this bill through, said Olsen.

The biggest difference from past versions of the bill begins with the coalition backing it. Whereas past versions of the bill were spearheaded primarily by Democrats like Rep. Charles Pelkey, D-Laramie, Olsen  one of the few Republican co-sponsors of last years version of the bill  has managed to attract not just a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to the bill, but legislators from across the ideological spectrum as well. Current sponsors include not only the House floor leaders for both the minority and majority caucuses, but also Speaker of the House Steve Harshman, R-Casper, as well as Senate Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie.

Behind the scenes, numerous other special interest groups have been lobbying for the bill as well. On Wednesday, a broad coalition of groups including the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, the League of Women Voters of Wyoming and the ACLU of Wyoming released a joint statement decrying capital punishment as a costly and unfair practice that does not enhance public safety or promote justice in Wyoming.

The momentum and desire behind all those groups is just flourishing right now, Olsen said. Theyre coming to me every day, working different legislators and reporting back to me on what theyre doing. I think theres a lot of outreach in the community as well. Theres a lot of momentum.

If the bill becomes law, Wyoming would become just the 20th state to ban capital punishment.

A waste of taxpayer dollars?

Among the reasons that Olsen believes this attempt at a repeal could be successful: The death penalty has cost Wyoming taxpayers millions of dollars over the years, with very little to show for it.

Though housing one inmate is expensive  costing roughly $44,735 annually  the amount of money appropriated to the states capital defense fund each year is nearly 17 times that amount, despite Wyoming only executing one person since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. According to a fiscal note accompanying the bill, it would cost Wyoming approximately $750,000 to sufficiently fund capital punishment activities in 2020, despite the fact no sentenced criminals currently sit on death row.

When there is an inmate on death row, however, the cost to the state to try one case is often astronomical, and litigation can continue for years. Olsen named the example of Dale Wayne Eaton  the states last death row inmate  who had his sentence overturned after years in court for a murder he committed in 1988. This incident later led Gov. Matt Mead to request additional funding for the states capital punishment defense fund, after a Cheyenne judge ruled Eaton could not receive a fair trial in Wyoming due to a lack of litigators in the state with the capacity to appeal a death sentence.

Out of any case youre going to have, (a death penalty case) is going to have the most resources, said Olsen. Its going to have the most lawyers, the most amount of witnesses, the longest jury selection process. All of it is much more in-depth  as it should be  than any other case.

Is the death penalty practical?

Opponents of past repeal attempts have argued that the death penalty is necessary to properly remember victims of heinous crimes or to act as a deterrent to violent criminals. However, proponents of a death penalty repeal have argued that a death penalty does not reduce the murder rate in states that maintain them and that prosecuting death penalty cases are often challenging.

Generally speaking, capital punishment cases are an inefficient form of criminal justice, said Jackson attorney John Robinson, who was a public defender in a Wyoming death penalty case in the late-1990s. Cases can take years to resolve, Robinson said, and often require the full strength of the legal system  taxpayer-funded on both sides  to successfully try those cases.

The reason the process is so complicated is because of all the constitutional safeguards that are in place, said Robinson. In my capital case, every motion began with three words: Death is different. When you propose putting someone to death, it is different.

Others say the death penalty, as written, may not always achieve its intended goal.

Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen said by phone Tuesday that he was not familiar with the bill. Itzen was one of the special prosecutors in 2014 who successfully convicted Nathaniel Castellanos of murder in connection to the shooting death of two people in Cheyenne. Itzen said the primary challenge he faced in trying to convince jurors to sentence Castellanos to death was a legal one. In the penalty phase of the trial, aggravating factors that prosecutors use to show a person deserves death are circumscribed, while mitigating factors are less so.

Jurors declined to send Castellanos to death row. He is now being held in a private Mississippi prison, serving a term of life for each of his three convictions: two for first-degree murder and one for attempted first-degree murder.

Itzen noted capital punishment is rarely used in Wyoming, but said it is warranted in certain cases. He said it was not appropriate for prosecutors to threaten to seek the death penalty in order to extract a plea from a defendant.

The death penalty is not a bargaining chip, Itzen said. If youre gonna threaten a mans life, thats what it is.

The prosecutor said legislators are focused on the wrong issue. Wyomings victims bill of rights allows victims or their family members to address judges prior to sentencing. Because in capital cases a jury decides whether a defendant should face death, family members typically dont have a say until the sentence has already effectively been decided, Itzen said.

Given that Wyoming has only had a handful of capital punishment cases in more than 40 years  with just one execution  Olsen said he believes legislators may come around to the belief that the death penalty is no longer something that is practical and needed in the Cowboy State.

Whether or not that happens, he said Tuesday, will be narrowly decided.

Weve been whipping votes in the House, said Olsen. Its not going to be a resounding victory. If we pass the bill, its barely going to be over the 50 percent hump. There are a plethora of legislators who are stuck in the way that this is the only effective way to curb murders, even when the statistics show its not.

Follow politics reporter Nick Reynolds on Twitter @IAmNickReynolds

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Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Kristin Cline was walking to the snack table at a Super Bowl party when she collapsed.

That was the start of more than a year of struggles with brain tumors. Cline, whose father was a longtime sheriffs deputy in Natrona County and whose aunt works with the Casper Police Department, will likely never be able to pay her medical expenses. But a Casper police organization is trying to raise money to help her financial burden and improve her quality of life.

After her February collapse, Clines boyfriend drove her to Campbell County Memorial Hospital, just minutes from the party. Hospital staff had her flown to Aurora, Colorado, where doctors found a large tumor on her brainstem.

After two successful surgeries, Cline was recovering. She had to learn again how to talk and walk, which she did. She had to return to work by late April to keep her job, which she did. A scan of her brain in May looked good.

Then in June, she lost her vision. A life flight helicopter again flew her to the University of Colorado hospital in Aurora, where doctors identified another tumor. The surgeries continued, and so did the radiation.A Casper man facing a first-degree murder charge asked a judge last month to throw out the case, citing a Wyoming law just a month old at the time of shooting.

Jason T. Johns attorney, Tim Cotton, argues that Wyomings new stand your ground law, which became effective July 1, means his client should not have been charged and the case should be dismissed. The new law has not yet faced a test in court, according to Cottons December filing.

The filing also lays out Cottons understanding of Wesley Willows death in August, when John shot him in a Casper trailer park. Cotton indicates that Willow attempted to assault John and he acted in self-defense by shooting Willow nine times.

District Attorney Dan Itzen told the Star-Tribune on Wednesday afternoon that he had filed a response. Because it had not yet been processed into court computers, it was not available for this story. Itzen characterized his filing in general terms, saying he did not believe John was statutorily entitled to a dismissal hearing on the grounds cited by Cotton.

Cotton declined Wednesday afternoon to comment for this story.In an email Wednesday, Barrasso noted that he had voted to both fund the wall and the rest of the government. He placed blame for the shutdown across the political aisle and said the southern border was a problem that could not be ignored.

If Speaker Pelosi stops playing politics with border security, we could reopen the government right now and get people back to work  including at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and other federal agencies critical to the people of Wyoming, he wrote.

The border wall has found support from Wyomings sole representative in the House. In an email Wednesady, Cheney accused Democrats of locking the government down for political reasons, criticizing members of the opposition party for a recent trip the Puerto Rico for a special showing of the musical Hamilton.

The congresswoman, who has advocated for the wall on Twitter, said members of the other party should stop playing games with the fundamental services and livelihood of our citizens and get back to work.

Necessary services for our tribes and paychecks for federal employees are being held hostage by the Democrats who refuse to negotiate in good faith, Cheney said.

Locked outThe union has some experience in fighting for miner rights and would continue that tradition for the Kemmerer workers, former workers and their dependents, he said at the time.

We are not a bashful bunch of people, Dalpiaz said. Weve dealt with more of these coal bankruptcies in the last 15 years than we want to think about. We will fight this every single step of the way.

***

Michael Duff, a labor law and bankruptcy expert at the University of Wyoming, said the Kemmerer case falls between two legal policies. There is the federal statute that governs employee benefits on the one hand. And then, sometimes in conflict with the first, there is bankruptcy law, which is structured to allow companies an avenue to emerge and continue as a viable entity.

These two policies clash obviously and the question is what leeway does the company have in bankruptcy, he said. A lot of folks feel like the courts are much too employer-friendly in these situations, but what people forget is when a court is operating in that context, their real object is the survival of a company.Top 5 Tourist Attraction in Russia Travel with SiliconIndia

Russia is the world's ninth most populous country with over 144 million people at the end of 2015. Extending across the entirety of northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms.Many of Petersburgers do not consider themselves Russians, but rather as Europeans. They go to Finland every weekend, they give their cafes and hotels Finnish names and distinguish 100 shades of grey in clothes.As well as the Hermitage with its baroque and rococo styles, and Voltaire's library which was bought out by the educated Catherine, the Kunstcamera museum is a must for visitors to St Petersburg.After looking at two-headed dogs and embryos preserved in alcohol, visit the monument of Peter the Great which is surrounded by a fence of champagne bottles. No matter how many times the place is cleared, newlyweds still hang their "trophies" on the fence.Palace Square is at its best at night, whereas the interiors of Saint Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals look better in daylight when rays of light play on the mosaics and paintings. However, the best mosaic collection is in the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood.For a true feeling of the city, make sure you go and see a ballet in Mariinsky Theatre, watch the bridges raise, take a stroll along Nevsky Prospect, and don't forget to go into backstreets, as in Venice. There is a reason why the city is called the "Venice of the North".Moscow is a city of wide avenues and massive Soviet buildings from the Lenin Russian State Library which has 275 km of shelves, to Stalin skyscrapers representing Stalin's Empire style.All tourists, go to see the Kremlin and Red Square first. Having originally been a market and an execution yard, Red Square is now the first port of call for foreign and local tourists alike. Even today, it is the centre of Moscow life, allowing you to plunge into the history of the city quickly and easily.Here you can visit the Mausoleum, the Russian Historical Museum (which formerly housed the Lomonosov State University), and multicoloured Saint Basil's Cathedral, whose architect is said to have had his eyes poked out so that he could not recreate it! TsUM (Central Universal Department Store) is also located here where prices start with three-digit figures.When you go to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, don't forget that this is a Cathedral, so please dress accordingly.You will not be allowed in with bare stomachs and backs. However, if you forget, you can visit Tverskaya Street which is famous for its fashionistas, boutiques and night life.Kazan is officially called "the third capital of Russia".The city turned 1000 years old. Despite its impressive age, the oldest Annunciation Cathedral, Kazan Kremlin, and the core of the old city, the Old Tatar Settlement and iconic buildings of the century before last, are still preserved in the centre of the city.Interestingly, there are also many modern architectural monuments alongside the history. These include the "Frisbee" of the circus as the symbols of Kazan, and the modern Qolsharif Mosque.Architecture lovers can also see how Christianity and Islam coexist in Kazan. The decoration of Orthodox churches contains elements of Asian pomp.Raifsky Bogoroditsky Cathedral has a miracle-working icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, which is kept with special reverence.Fans of Russian Orthodoxy who wish to experience the calm of the Russian faith often go on tours around cities which are famous for their unique monasteries and churches of the 12th to 17th centuries.These cities have rather poetic names: Sergiyev Posad, Alexandrov, Kostroma, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Uglich, Ivanovo, Yaroslavl, Rostov Veliky, Suzdal and Vladimir.Our Golden Ring tour includes visits to Sergiev Posad, Suzdal, Vladimir as well as Moscow, St Petersburg and Novgorod.The oldest and deepest freshwater lake on the planet with unique, untouched flora, fauna and tasty omuls which the locals catch and then cure by smoking.Walking along the area's ecological routes and communicating with the locals who are untouched by civilisation will help you immerse yourself in nature. Tourists can also visit an inhabitable Buryat yurt.Tourists need strong nerves to go on a train journey around Eurasia. Not everyone can spend almost a week in an enclosed space on wheels.Those brave souls who do make the journey are rewarded by seeing 80 cities, the Volga River, Ural Mountains, Baraba steppe with its ominous clouds, Yenisei River, Barguzinsky Mountains, the woods of Siberia, Khekhtsir Range and Lake Baikal.Your journey will leave you with vivid memories, while the constant motion of the train will stay with you for days after.She epitomizes Indian women's chastity and righteousness. When a shadow of doubt was cast on her dignity and femininity, she burnt down an entire town with her tears. And she is none other than the legendary Tamil woman Kannagi of the epic 'Silappathikaram.'



Kannagi's curse, following the injustice meted out to her, apparently burnt the Madurai town to ashes. Later, it is believed that, Kannagi moved to Surulimalai at Thenni in Tamil Nadu, and from there to Kodungallur in Kerala.

Besides the shrines dedicated to Kannagi in Tamil Nadu, Kerala too has a temple  the Mangaladevi temple  for this revered cultural character.

Let's take a walk through the centuries-old temple, situated in the dense forest near Kumily in Idukki district, which opens only for the Chaitrapournami festival in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April-May) every year.

Journey to Mangaladevi

The temple is 13 kms away from Kumily in Idukki district, and one has to board a jeep from Kumily to reach the hilltop shrine, which is located around 4,000 ft above mean sea level. People are allowed to enter the forest area only on Mangaladevi Temples festival day, and there would a sea of humanity for the Chaitrapournami festival. The devotees can visit the temple from 6 am to 4 pm on the festival day. Though there are many jeeps plying on the route, there is a heavy rush of pilgrims.

The forest area, which belongs to the Periyar Tiger Reserve, starts just two km from Kumily. The journey resumed after the routine checking by the forest department officials and police. Travelling through the winding forest path is bit scary. After a while, the jeep stopped on a green hilltop halfway through to the temple. Later, it was a hop from one hilltop to another. There was a nip in the air as the jeep started to scale the heights of hills. The 45-minute drive to the shrine was dotted with panoramic views of the Periyar River and the Thekkady Lake.

At temple's doorsteps

One has to walk for a while, after alighting from the vehicle, to reach the temple. The pristine forest welcomes each and every devotee to the sanctum of divinity on the lap of Mother Nature, and the Mangaladevi Temple reflects a heavenly blend of history and fable.

The temple had been built following the architecture of a bygone era whereby big square granite stones are meticulously arranged to form the structure of the shrine.

The temple is located on a hilltop, a bit away from the forest area. There are four temple structures made of stones with two entry points but one entrance gate is covered in shrubs, wild vegetation and trees. The 'nada panthal' is on the northern side of the temple.

Many portions of the temple are in a state of dilapidation. The four square pillars, each standing 10 feet tall, can take your breath away. The poojas are conducted only in two temple complexes, and one is dedicated to Mangaladevi and the other, which is the biggest, has Shiva as the main deity. The Shiva idol is kept inside a stone. The shrine of Alageshwari is very small and the fourth one is unusable.

The sanctum sanctorum of the Mangaladevi shrine is entirely different from other temples. This hilltop holy place has a one-room sanctum sanctorum without any nada panthal or entrance tower as found in Dravidian temple architecture. The devotees can offer prayers by coming quite near to the idol but there are granite steps which separate the idol from pilgrims.

The Kannagi idol is made of silver and is brought from Kambam in Thenni district in Tamil Nadu for poojas on Chaitrapournami day.

Ancient temple on dispute land

There are some distinctive features to the rituals of the Mangaladevi temple. This might be the only temple that follows the religious customs of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is interesting to note that a Kerala priest conducts the poojas of the Shiva shrine, and Tamilians perform poojas at the adjacent Mangaladevi temple.

Though the temple premises belong to Kerala, there is an ongoing dispute as Tamil Nadu had claimed ownership rights of the hilltop shrine. Pilgrims from Kerala and Tamil Nadu come in droves to the temple on festival day.

The devotees also offer ritualistic offering of porridge (pongala), usually followed in south India, to the deity of the temple.

The history of Mangaladevi temple, assumed to be around 2,000 to 2,500 years old, is still obscure, and there is no solid evidence as to who built the shrine. Legend holds that the temple complexes were built by Senguttuvan Chera after hearing the Kannagi story as told by Illango Adigal in his epic poem 'Silapathikaram.'

Everyone visiting the temple has a question on how the world came to know about this shrine which lied in obscurity deep inside the dense forest.

Devotional worship take a different contour at this shrine. The usual paraphernalia of a temple festival are missing here. There is no elephant or procession. People congregate in large numbers as the temple is opened only once in a year. Here nature sings paeans for the goddess and the devotees return with a content inner self.

Who was Kannagi

Kannagi is the wife of Kovalan, a businessman from Poompuhar. Kovalan incurs heavy losses in his business ventures after his association with dancer Madhavi, and later moves to Madurai along with his wife Kannagi hoping for a turnaround. Kovalan tries to sell his wife's anklet, but the goldsmith takes it to the king and makes him believe that the anklet belonged to the queen that was stolen recently. The king immediately orders the beheading of Kovalan. Following this, Kannagi proves her husbands innocence by stating that her anklet had emeralds in it, and the queen anklet was made with pearls. Hearing this, the king and queen die on the throne.

Later, Kannagi sets Madurai on fire as she is unable to come to grips with the personal tragedy and the injustice meted out to her.

How to reach

The Mangaladevi temple is located 13 kms from Kumily in Idukki district. The temple opens only once in a year, and this year's Chaitrapournami festival falls on May 10. Many jeep services are available from Kumily to take pilgrims to the temple on the festival day.

Those who wish to offer pongala at the temple should carry requisite materials while visiting the shrine. Keep in mind that plastics are not allowed.Facebook brings stricter ad rules ahead of 2019 elections

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Facebook brings stricter ad rules ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections



News from Facebook is that it would extend some of its political advertising rules and tools for curbing election interference to India, Nigeria, Ukraine and the European Union before significant votes in the next few months.As the largest social media service in nearly every big country, Facebook since 2016 has become a means for politicians and their adversaries to distribute fake news and other propaganda. In India, which votes in May, Facebook will place electoral ads in a searchable online library starting from next month, said Rob Leathern, a director at the company.



New FDI rules for e-comm could reduce online sales by $46 billion by 2022: PwC



India's new foreign investment restrictions for its e-commerce sector, which includes giants such as Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-owned Flipkart, could reduce online sales by $46 billion by 2022, according to a draft analysis from global consultants PwC . Under the changes, e-commerce firms in India will from Feb 1 not be able to sell products via companies in which they have an equity interest or push sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms. The policy would delay or derail some investment plans and push companies such as Amazon and Flipkart to create new, more complex business structures



13 central universities coming up! Cabinet approves Rs 3,600 crore for project



The Union Cabinet on Wednesday granted approval to an expenditure of over Rs 3,600 crore for setting up of 13 new central universities within the next 36 months. While one university each is to be set up in 11 states, Jammu and Kashmir will get two new central varsities.



Netflix, home-grown rival Hotstar to censor content in India



Netflix Inc and home-grown rival Hotstar plan to adopt self-regulation guidelines for content streamed on their platforms in India in an effort to prevent potential government censorship. If you remember, Netflix, was drawn into a legal battle last year after a complaint that its first Indian original series "Sacred Games" insulted Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi. A draft of an unofficial code that will be adopted by Netflix, Hotstar and other local players



H-1B workers are vulnerable to abuse, 'frequently' placed in poor working conditions: US think-tank



H-1B workers are "frequently" placed in poor working conditions and "vulnerable to abuse", a US think-tank claimed Thursday, seeking reforms such as substantial increase in wages.In a report, the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council also sought safeguards like providing fair working conditions, and greater employment rights for those working under the visa programme. The report comes days after US President Donald Trump said he is soon coming out with reforms that will give H-1B visa holders certainty to stay in America and an easy pathway to citizenship.



PM-headed panel to meet on Jan 24 to appoint new CBI Director: Sources



A high-powered Selection Committee is likely to meet on January 24 to appoint the new CBI Director. Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads the committee, in which the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are the other members. The post has been lying vacant ever since the government removed Alok Verma and appointed him as Director General Fire Service. IPS officer M Nageswara Rao was named the interim director of the CBI



Govt eases process to seek tax exemption on angel fund investments for startups



The government has eased the procedure for seeking income tax exemption by startups on investments from angel funds and prescribed a 45-day deadline for a decision on such applications. The move comes against the backdrop of various startup founders claiming that they have received notices from the I-T department to pay taxes on angel funds raised by them. Entrepreneurs have raised concerns over these tax notices.



UK will be open to best and brightest from India under new immigration strategy: Minister



An unlimited number of highly-skilled Indian workers will be able to migrate to the UK under new proposals that could come into effect in 2021, with a senior British minister on Wednesday saying that in the new system the country will be open to the "best and brightest" from India. The UK also wants to ink a pact with India similar to the one New Delhi has with France, treating each other's academic degrees as equivalent for higher studies and jobs, sources said.

















Queen Elizabeth II's 97-year-old husband Prince Philip emerged unscathed after a vehicle he was driving was involved in a traffic accident that injured two people on Thursday, according to Buckingham Palace and police.

A palace spokeswoman told AFP that the duke was driving near the monarch's Sandringham Estate when the crash occurred but declined to confirm that it overturned in the incident.

"The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road traffic accident with another vehicle this afternoon," the palace said in a statement.

"The Duke was not injured. The accident took place close to the Sandringham Estate. Local police attended the scene."

The spokeswoman said he saw a doctor "as a precaution" who confirmed he was not hurt.

Prince Philip emerged unscathed from the accident in which two people were injured /  POOL/AFP/File

Norfolk Police said in an update Thursday night that, in accordance with policy in collisions, it breathalysed both drivers.

"We can confirm both drivers were breath tested and provided negative readings," the force added.

It said officers were called to the estate shortly before 3:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) "after a Landrover and Kia were involved in a collision".

"The male driver of the Landrover was uninjured," it added.

"The female driver of the Kia suffered cuts while the female passenger sustained an arm injury, both requiring hospital treatment".

They were later discharged from a local hospital, police said.

The BBC reported that Prince Philip's vehicle flipped on its side after pulling out of a Sandringham driveway onto a main road and colliding with the other car.

Eyewitnesses told the British broadcaster they helped the duke out of the vehicle and he was conscious "but very, very shocked and shaken".

An image from the accident scene published by a local radio station showed two cars by the side of the road, one on its side with a smashed windscreen and another a few yards away in bushes.

The Press Association reported a passenger in the duke's vehicle was likely his close protection officer.

- carriage driving -

The royal couple spend most of the winter at the residence in Norfolk, an English county northeast of London, which continues to operate as a sporting estate.

Philip, known for his forthright manner and off-colour jokes, formally retired from public life in 2017.

He has been seen behind the wheel on numerous occasions over the decade, including with world leaders and dignitaries as his passengers.

In 2016, alongside the Queen he drove former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle around Windsor Castle in a Range Rover after they landed nearby in the presidential helicopter.

Meanwhile the duke continued to compete in demanding carriage driving competitions into his 80s, and has previously pulled muscles in his back while driving his horse-drawn carriage.

After announcing his retirement, Philip described in an interview how he took up carriage driving when he gave up polo aged 50, helping to establish it as a sport in subsequent years.

Born a prince of Greece and Denmark, he married then princess Elizabeth on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London.

On their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, she said of him: "He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years."France's rights chief called Thursday for the government to suspend use of riot guns which have reportedly injured dozens of people during the "yellow vest" protests over the past two months.

French police are equipped with so-called defence ball launchers (LBDs) that shoot 40-millimetre (1.6-inch) rubber and foam rounds that are used in riot-control operations.

Known as Flash Balls, the guns are designed not to penetrate the skin while still packing enough power to stop individuals from advancing /  AFP/File

Often called Flash Balls after the name of one producer of such weapons, they are designed to not penetrate the skin while still packing enough power to stop individuals from advancing.

But such "less lethal" weapons have been blamed for several serious injuries in recent years, including protesters who have lost an eye after being hit by the rounds in the head.

On Saturday in the southwestern city of Bordeaux a volunteer firefighter participating in a yellow vest demonstration was struck in the temple, putting him in a coma from which he has yet to awaken.

"Let's remove the hazardous risks of these weapons by suspending their use," Jacques Toubon, head of France's independent human rights authority, said at a press conference in Paris.

Toubon said the government should focus on "preventing rather than treating" injuries from the use of riot guns during the protests.

Twelve of the 25 complaints lodged with Toubon's office since the protests erupted have involved flash ball injuries.

Use of the weapons has infuriated many anti-government protesters who accuse the police of unnecessary violence that has exacerbated tensions since the demonstrations began in November.

The rallies have often degenerated into pitched battles with officers as well as vandalism including torched cars and looted shops.

Police and government officials have defended the use of LBDs while refusing to say how many people may have been injured by the weapons, which officers are not supposed to aim at a person's head.

According to the Disarm collective and independent journalist David Dufresne, nearly 100 people have been seriously injured since the yellow vest protests began, most of them with flash balls, including around 15 who have lost an eye.

"We're being attacked with glass bottles, cinder blocks, acid and bolts. An LBD is a 'firearm' that scares people. If they took them away from us, no officer will want to work during the protests," a police source told AFP.

Last month the European Court of Human Rights rejected a request by a French lawyer seeking a temporary ban on their use.

Some 3,000 people have been hurt in yellow vest-related violence, including 1,000 policemen, according to authorities.

And 10 people have died, most of them killed in traffic accidents, including road blockades, linked to the protests.This will make you want to check (and check again) that your child car seat is safely installed.

A driver in Minnesota got the shock of his life when he saw a toddler, still strapped in a car seat, tumble out of the back of a moving car.

If it didnt happen in front of me Id never have believed it, the driver, Chad Cheddar Mock wrote on Facebook, sharing a video of the incident that happened just before noon on Monday in the city of Mankato, Minn.

Police responded to the report around 11:45 a.m., according to Fox 9.

The Mankato Department of Public Safety said in a press release Tuesday that the child, a 2-year-old whose name and gender werent revealed, was not injured. Police also say the childs mother was driving the vehicle at the time.

Mock told Fox 9 a woman later came back to get the child.

The child was OK, Mock wrote on Facebook. The parents came back. Paramedics and police checked the child out as well. Very lucky.The UN Security Council unanimously approved Wednesday the deployment to Yemen of up to 75 monitors in a new mission to shore up a fragile ceasefire and oversee a pullback of forces from the flashpoint port of Hodeida.

The observer mission was agreed during talks last month in Sweden between the Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels and an advance team is already on the ground in the rebel-held city.

The unarmed monitors will be sent to Hodeida city and port as well as to the ports of Saleef and Ras Issa for an initial period of six months.

The port of Hodeida is the entry point for the bulk of Yemen's supplies of imported goods and humanitarian aid, providing a lifeline to millions on the brink of starvation.

The UN says a ceasefire that went into force on December 18 in Hodeida has been generally holding despite some clashes, but there have been delays in the redeployment of rebel and government forces from the city.

The Huthis control most of Hodeida, while government forces are deployed on its southern and eastern outskirts.

The resolution calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to "expeditiously" deploy the United Nations Mission to support the Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA), led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert.

Guterres has described the mission as a "nimble presence" that will report on violations in Hodeida, which for months was the front line in the war after pro-government forces launched an offensive to capture it in June.

Since the Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the government in March 2015, the conflict has unleashed what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

- Access to food warehouses -

Nearly 10 million people in Yemen are on the brink of famine, according to UN aid officials, while 80 percent of the population -- 24 million people -- are in dire need of humanitarian aid.

The United Nations separately announced that the warring sides had agreed to allow aid agencies to reach the Red Sea Mills food warehouses in Hodeida, which hold enough food to feed 3.5 million people for a month.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Cammaert will propose a plan to the Huthis and the government to allow aid convoys to go to the warehouses and pick up the 51,000 metric tonnes of food commodities.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre described diplomatic gains made in Yemen with the Stockholm agreement as "fragile" and stressed the importance of moving toward ending the war.

"The goal is to build on the current momentum, to make it irreversible and bring the full weight of the Security Council behind the process," said Delattre ahead of the vote.

UN envoy Martin Griffiths has told the council that a follow-up round of talks that were to be held later this month was pushed back to February, diplomats said.

International Crisis Group expert Dan Schneiderman said the resolution was "a step in the right direction" and singled out US support for the measure as a sign that the administration sees value in the new peace process.

"Lowering the temperature in and around Hodeida is critical for making broader peace talks accessible," said Schneiderman, a former US national security council director for Yemen.The body of the man who had been missing for ten days was found last night in the north of the country, on the German border.

The body of the 25-year-old man, Ntwari Sailor - who was first reported missing on 7 January in Namur, was discovered on Wednesday 16 January in Bivels, just outside of Vianden, on the Luxembourg/German border.

His body was found at the edge of a footpath.

The Luxembourg court has immediately taken over the case and requested an autopsy to determine the cause of his death, they have so far offered little information.

The Belgian media report that the young man, who had a home in Namur, lived in the small Luxembourgish town of Bivels with his parents.

More details to follow.SUMMER SPECIAL!!! - Sign up at 20% OFF for Full Access to all of the online content and E-Editions on the www.thewordlink.com website here!

(The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement)The Supreme Court relaxed some laws for dance bars in Maharashtra that were 'banned' in 2005 after the government sought to "prevent immoral activities, trafficking of women and to ensure the safety of women in general". On Thursday, the apex court said that there can be regulations but not total prohibition on dance bars in the state. "From 2005 till date, not a single person has been given licence (for dance bars). It cannot be done. There can be regulations but it cannot amount to total prohibition," the bench said while pronouncing the judgement.

The Supreme Court set aside some provisions of a 2016 law that imposed restrictions on their licensing and functioning. The apex court bench headed by Justice AK Sikri, however, laid down some riders. For instance, tips to performers are allowed but showering them with money is not. The apex court also quashed some provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, including mandatory installations of CCTV cameras. The bench said that such a move violated privacy.

Additionally, the court said that the rule that a dance bar must be located at least 1 km away from religious places and educational institutions is unconstitutional. It also quashed the law that said that there must be a partition between bar rooms and dance floor.

The bench, however, upheld the provision restricting the timing of operation of dance bars from 6 pm to 11:30 pm.

The battle between the state government and such establishments is pretty long-drawn. It all started in 2005 when the government decided to ban dance bars, leading to the shutdown of as many as 700 dance bars across Maharashtra. The fight was then taken to the Bombay High Court that ruled that such a law violated right to equality and right to practice any profession. The next step in the case was Supreme Court that also upheld the Bombay High Court's verdict.

After that the state government amended the Section 33A of the Maharashtra Police Act in 2014 to impose a total ban on dance bars. The government argued that dance bars were obscene and acted as a pick-up point for innocent girls. Additionally, a bill that was passed in the Assembly prohibited the sale of liquor in areas where performances took place.

Following this, a PIL was filed by the Indian Hotel and Restaurants Association along with other organisations that pled the apex court to declare the amended 33A as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court noted that the state government re-enacted a similar legislation despite the earlier one being struck down.

On January 11, 2017, the apex court directed the Maharashtra government to expeditiously decide the pending applications for licences to open dance bars under the old rules and the directions issued by the court from time to time.

(Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya; with PTI inputs)

Also read: Bill Gates lauds Ayushman Bharat Scheme, congratulates Narendra Modi govt for successful executionIm honored to be selected as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Graham said. I will do my best to continue down the path charted by Sen. (Charles) Grassley of having a fair and vibrant committee process. The confirmation of conservative judges will be one of my top priorities as chairman.

In addition, I will also continue to seek common ground on the major issue facings our nation. I look forward to working with Sen. (Diane) Feinstein and all my colleagues to make this new Congress successful.

Toward that end, Graham is out front in trying to move Washington toward a solution to the present impasse over border security that has resulted in a partial shutdown of the federal government.

He has advised Trump to reopen the government for several weeks to continue negotiating with Democrats over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border barrier before the president takes the more drastic step of declaring a national emergency.

"Before he pulls the plug on the legislative option, and I think we're almost there, I would urge him to open up the government for a short period of time, like three weeks, before he pulls the plug, see if we can get a deal," Graham said Sunday. "If we can't at the end of three weeks, all bets are off."And yet, for all the talk of Alison Spanberger and the "Badass Caucus," of how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib "aren't going to take no for an answer," of grand plans for a Green New Deal and Medicare for All, there remains the inescapable reality of power. Democrats don't really have it. Indeed, they have even less than the last time Pelosi became speaker.

Yes, they can fire their subpoena cannon at the White House. They can interrogate cabinet officials, subpoena Jared and Ivanka, leak scoops to reporters, maybe force a cabinet official or two to resign, if any are left.

When Mueller delivers his findings, they could begin impeachment proceedings. But impeachment, like progressive legislation, won't get far. A decade ago the House could pass bills and hope that Harry Reid would persuade his Democratic Senate majority to support them. All Pelosi had to worry about was President Bush's veto. Now, Pelosi has to deal with Mitch McConnell's Republican Senate even before her policies reach Donald Trump.

She's in the same situation as John Boehner, who became speaker after the Tea Party election in 2010. No one envied Boehner.Finally, though some off-payroll folks may agree that border security needs tightening and may even support some sort of new barrier, the pertinent question hasn't been properly posed: Would you still support the wall if it meant that you'd indefinitely be unemployed or continue working for no pay? Do I hear a, You betcha? Didn't think so.

Trump's imperviousness to others' misfortunes is by now legendary. What other president would toss rolls of paper towels to hurricane victims? But then, narcissists see only their own suffering, always someone else's fault, and empathy is for schmucks.

The wall, meanwhile, is subterfuge for his personal fulfillment. Once envisioned as a massive concrete wall with a "big, beautiful door" -- perhaps a monument to the Trump brand -- it lately has morphed into a hodgepodge of found objects: metal slats here, some cyclone fencing there, here a bit of steel -- and over there, maybe, a bit of Papier-mache.

The specter of the hyped-up, Central American caravan that kept hysterics busy with images of terrorists, rapists and body snatchers seemed to vaporize after the midterm elections. Now that 2020 is up for grabs, The Wall Must Go Up.American Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers are assisting a Neeses family whose Walsh Road home was damaged by a fire early Wednesday morning.

The Bolentown and Pine Hill fire departments responded to the blaze.

The Red Cross is helping one adult and one child by providing financial assistance for food, clothing and other essentials, and comfort kits containing personal hygiene items.

Individuals wanting to assist with Red Cross efforts can donate by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. Information about volunteer opportunities is available at the same website.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Dr. Susan Richardson, the USC professor who found the HaloSan and her team of students, will be there as well standing with Virginia Tech in unity, Berry said. We will have Flint, Michigan champion advocate LeeAnne Walters present.

She said activists from around the country have indicated they will attend the rally as well.

Also, food trucks will be offering food and coffee to citizens for free, and sorority groups will be providing blankets to citizens, Berry said.

"We will have a mass water distribution the same day by a national disaster relief agency from New Jersey that will bring over 5,000 cases of water" starting at 3:30 p.m. following the march, she said.

Berry said Denmark Citizens for Safe Water has been distributing free bottled water to citizens and personally delivering it to the elderly and disabled since the end of 2018. Other organizations and companies, such as Walmart and the law firms involved in the lawsuits, have helped with the bottled water distribution, she said.CAYCE  SCANA Corp. and its subsidiaries, which are becoming Dominion Energy, paid $226.4 million in taxes to counties for property assessed in South Carolina in 2018.

The taxes that we pay on the companys power stations, electric lines, substations, real estate and other assets in our service territory are essential funds for counties throughout South Carolina, said Iris Griffin, vice president, financial management and integration for the Southeast Energy Group, the new business segment with Dominion Energy. By providing monetary support for schools, law enforcement agencies, fire departments and other critical public services, the positive economic impact is seen throughout the communities we serve.This editorial appeared in the Jan. 14, 2019, edition of the (Champaign) News-Gazette:

Three cheers for efforts to end self-interested patronage politics in Illinois. Nonetheless, those familiar with politics here can only watch with amusement at the recent legislative zeal to bring reform to the Illinois Tollway Authority.

It seems that legislators were shocked by recent newspaper reports of political cronyism in this highly political agency, including the appointment of those with Republican political connections to top administrative jobs there, as well as reports of no-bid contracts to businesses with political connections.

So in the last hours of the old General Assembly, legislators passed a bill allowing Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who took office today, to replace the nine-member board with a bipartisan group of his own appointees.

Then, presumably, the new directors will eschew politics and bring upright, honest and sleaze-free business practices to this important agency.The buzz last November was that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways was planning to set up 11 emergency landing airstrips on national highways across the country, starting with one near Dwarka, Gujarat, in order to help with disaster management. But the Modi government is now thinking bigger.

According to The Hindustan Times, the Centre plans to set up 29 such airstrips at strategic locations for emergency landings by fighter aircraft.

The proposed locations include highways and roads near the international borders in states like Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Manipur and West Bengal, as well as Maoist-affected areas.

Read More: SpiceJet plane suffers mid-air engine problem; makes emergency landing in Varanasi

So highways connecting Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are also part of the plan, besides emergency airstrips in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

In 2016, the transport ministry had set up an inter-ministerial joint committee with the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Air Force (IAF) to look into the feasibility of the highway-cum-runway proposal.

"The work of site survey and inspection as well as the planning and bidding of the Emergency Landing Facilities (ELFs) are at different stages. The completion period of work has been kept as eight months," Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh Mandaviya informed Lok Sabha last week.

Out of the 29 proposed stretches, bidding is reportedly underway for airstrips on three highways - from Kharagpur, West Bengal, to Keonjhar in Odisha at a proposed cost of Rs 97.51 crore; from Nellore to Ongole in Andhra Pradesh (Rs 79.84 crore), and from Bijbehara to Chinar Bagh in J&K. Five other proposed stretches in West Bengal, J&K, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are facing delays due to issues related to wildlife and land acquisition.

But quite a few have been scrapped. According to the transport ministry, four proposed projects in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have been deemed "non- feasible" while two of projects in J&K and West Bengal have been kept on hold after "discussions with local IAF units", the daily added.

Currently only one highway-cum-runway strip is operational - on the Lucknow- Agra Expressway in Uttar Pradesh. In 2016, this stretch was used for landing six fighter aircraft for the first time.

Also Read: Govt working on new version of UDAN; 104 airports, heliports to be connected, says Jayant Sinha

IndiGo plane suffers engine failure mid-flight, govt to review incidentSOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. (AP)  Funeral services are set for an Illinois State Police trooper killed when he was struck and killed by a vehicle along Interstate 294 in suburban Chicago during a snowstorm.

The funeral for Trooper Christopher Lambert is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington.

The 34-year-old Lambert was headed home on I-294 near Northbrook when he pulled over and got out of his squad car to respond to a three-vehicle crash. A car then struck him.

State Police Director Leo Schmitz says Lambert positioned his squad car to protect the three cars and "took on the danger himself."

Visitation for Lambert is Thursday at Willow Creek Community Church.

Lambert grew up in Dayton, Ohio. Survivors include his wife, Halley Martin, parents and 1-year-old daughter.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0Sam Smucker, co-chair of the Southern Illinois chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, said he voted in the poll, and shared it with his group to allow members the option to weigh in. Smucker said as far as he knows, all of the members of the local DSA chapter are in Bost's district.

"Rep. Bost is my representative, and I voted in the poll he posted because I wanted to express my opinion," Smucker said.

"I'm surprised Rep. Bost would take down a poll just because he didn't like the response from his constituents," Smucker said. "What's the point of making a poll if he doesn't want to hear from the people of his district?"

Bost's spokesman called the post's removal a nonissue.

"Southern Illinoisans care about actual issues like border security and funding the government, not some phony story about a survey on a campaign Facebook page," he said.

Some constituents commented on posts made by Bosts congressional profile and asked where the poll went. Others responded to these comments, suggesting that it was removed because of out-of-district political groups were trying to hijack the results.CARBONDALE  Victims and advocates are calling on the Catholic Diocese of Belleville, which covers Southern Illinois, to provide a fuller view of the sexual offenders who have served as priests in the Southern Illinois area.

The Dioceses list publicly names 17 priests who are currently removed from ministry after credibly substantiated allegations of the sexual abuse of minors, or serious sexual misconduct with adults.

But David Clohessy and Larry Antonsen, of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, believe names need to be added to that list, starting with nine clerics who worked in downstate Illinois, and have been accused of molesting children in other parts of the state or country, by other factions of the Catholic church.

These are priests who, for the most part, were ordained somewhere else, worked a lot of their career somewhere else, molested somewhere else, but also spent time in Southern Illinois, Clohessy said.

Six of those clergymen worked in the Belleville area: Thomas Meyer, Emil Twardochleb, Michael Charland, Orville Munie, Paul Kabat and James Vincent Fitzgerald.The story sheds light on the state of arts and artists in a melting pot of cultures that is New York. It captures the grueling practice schedules of the musicians and their undying passion for their instruments and determination to make it big. Their hand-to-mouth situation, struggle of being a beginner in the field of music, and their celebration of little things in life despite the difficulties of taking up a lesser trodden path is chronicled beautifully in the documentary.

Apart from music, the movie captures the heartbreaks, cross-cultural friendships, the culture of drinking and partying, heart-to-heart conversations, concerts and celebration of their small successes through each month in the span of an year as they move a few steps closer to their dream lives and careers. It also touches upon issues such as the value of arts in a digital era, the issues of gentrification and the importance of networking, popularity, marketing and other factors that have an important role in success of a musician in the modern world.Authors and publishers are invited to submit books published in 2018 to be considered for a 2019 Devils Kitchen Reading Award.

Winners will receive a $1,000 honorarium and paid accommodations and travel to present at the Devil's Kitchen Literary Festival in Octboer. Sponsored by the English department at SIU Carbondale and Grassroots, SIUs undergraduate magazine, the festival welcomes submissions from a variety of perspectives.

Winners will be selected from three different categories:

One book of poetry (book-length or single-author collection).

One book of fiction (novel, novella or single-author short fiction collection).

One book of prose nonfiction (literary nonfiction, memoir or single-author essay collection).

The student editors of Grassroots will select all of the 2019 award winners, with SIU faculty acting as final judges. 2018 books published independently, or through a university or commercial publicist, are all eligible. Winners must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, not current students or employees at SIU and not published authors with the SIU Press. Additionally, all winners must agree to attend the literary festival.Months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Narendra Modi government has received appreciation from the billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates on the first 100 days of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Gates also congratulated the government for providing healthcare benefits to 6.85 lakh people in such a short span of time.

In his tweet, Gates wrote, "Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. It's great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far. @PMOIndia"

Ayushman Bharat is Narendra Modi government's flagship healthcare scheme that aims to provide medical coverage to over 10 crore poor families.

Gates also has been a staunch supporter of the Modi government's Aadhaar scheme.

In May 2018, Bill Gates, founder of one of the world's biggest tech companies, Microsoft, came out out openly in support of the Aadhaar scheme saying the Aadhaar technology does not pose any privacy issue.

Not only that, he also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fully "embracing" the scheme, which was initiated during the previous UPA regime.

The founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had said his organisation has funded the World Bank to "emulate" the project as it is worth doing so. Bill and Melinda want other countries to also adopt the scheme. "

On January 13 this year, Director General of World Intellectual Property Organisation Francis Gurry praised the Centre's health scheme Ayushman Bharat and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its success.

On January 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed Ayushman Bharat a "game changer" in healthcare and said on an average 5,000 claims are being settled every day since its rollout on September 23, 2018.

The total number of hospitals covered by this scheme is 16,000. More than 50 per cent of the implementing hospitals are in the private sector.

Also read: Ayushman Bharat gets more execution teeth, CEO hopes to iron out pending challenges in 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2018 launched the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana which aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 10.74 crore poor families or over 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers.

In October 2014, the billionaire had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on building more toilets in the country.

"Narendra Modi has India talking about toilets and that's a great thing," Gates said in a tweet which was retweeted by Modi.

On his blog, Gates said, "This is not the kind of issue that most politicians like to talk about. But I would guess that in the short time he has been in office, Prime Minister Modi has done more to raise the awareness of the need for toilets than any other leader since the country gained independence".

Gates further said, "It may seem surprising when you think about all the innovation coming out of India, but 630 million people there defecate in the open because they don't have access to a commode. Worldwide, the number is 2.5 billion people."

Edited by Aseem Thapliyal49 minutes ago

| June 17th | 2021 6:30 AM

Are You Losing Money in the Market Due to One of These Reasons?

Humans have a knack for doing what they know over and over again. For example, you may have the same type of investing strategy you've used for 10 years. But have you ever stopped to consider whether it's actually working for you? Maybe fees have eaten you alive. Maybe you haven't earned as much as you'd like. It's always good to brush up on the good ol' basics.1 hour ago

| June 17th | 2021 6:30 AM

Are You Losing Money in the Market Due to One of These Reasons?

Humans have a knack for doing what they know over and over again. For example, you may have the same type of investing strategy you've used for 10 years. But have you ever stopped to consider whether it's actually working for you? Maybe fees have eaten you alive. Maybe you haven't earned as much as you'd like. It's always good to brush up on the good ol' basics.26th of January is the day the HONOR View20 will be hitting Malaysian markets which is only mere days after its launch in Paris. To celebrate, HONOR will be having their largest roadshow yet at the Ground Floor of High Street in 1 Utama Shopping Center starting from 9.30AM. Early birds will be eligible to receive over RM700 worth of goodies.

The HONOR View20 will be available in two variants which are the 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage (which comes exclusively in the colour Phantom Blue) as well as the 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage (which comes in Midnight Black and Sapphire Blue). No Malaysia price has been released thus far but knowing HONOR, the price may be around the same price of the HONOR View10 or maybe even lower! Maxis is offering a 2 year contract for the HONOR View20 with a RM158 monthly plan starting from only RM1 alongside free gifts over at the Maxis Center in 1 Utamas New Wing.

Goodies are eligible to be claimed by the first 1000 customers who purchase an HONOR View20 from the 26th till the 27th of January. The first 200 customers will receive an HONOR Watch Magic and an HONOR Backpack and the next 800 customers will go home with an HONOR Band 4 and an HONOR Backpack.

If the HONOR View20 doesnt catch your eye, there are plenty other things happening at the HONORs roadshow which will be happening from the 23rd till the 27th of January. The brand new HONOR Magic Watch will be making its debut in the country then.

Besides that, the HONOR 10 Lite will be there as well with tech specs of 3GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage in two colours: Shiny Red and Sapphire Blue. The smartphone will retail for RM799. Purchasing this phone comes with free gifts worth over RM188 which includes an HONOR Band 4 Running, a limited edition HONOR water bottle and a free air purifier.

In addition, HONORs roadshow is filled with fun activities and games with well known celebrity, Michiyo Ho, a chance to win a limited edition HONOR x Moschino Teddy Bear fragrance, a chance to win a variety of HONOR goodies given out by the HONOR 10 Lite ambassador, Theo Zhu and much more. There are also amazing deals and free gifts for other other smartphones in conjunction with the Chinese New Year like the HONOR View10, HONOR Play, HONOR 8X and etc.

Cant make it to 1 Utama on those dates, not to worry as HONOR Experience stores will be giving out a HONOR Band 4 for the first 10 people who purchase the HONOR View20 and a a Band 4 Running for the first 10 people who purchase the HONOR 10 Lite. Will you be heading to One Utama to be one of the first in Malaysia to grab the HONOR View20? For more information you can check out their website or official Facebook page and for more HONOR news, make sure to stay tuned to TechNave.com!Many businesses in Longview, Kelso and Cowlitz County have, year after year, stepped up and donated their time and funds to make this area a better place for families and people who truly need a helping hand.

Not just the holidays, but all year long.

The Ammons family, Link family, Stirling family, Clary family, Sari family, Wilcox and Flegel, and many other businesses donate to support our community.

Thank you from our family for all you do and for having such a big heart.

Happy New Year.

Everett Timmreck

CarrollsHow we connect those communities and get people to have other options to move around other than driving, I think, is going to be really imperative as our older population is growing so large, Jacqui Kamp, a county planner who oversees the Commission on Aging, said in an interview with The Columbian.

A growing number of residents, currently about one in five, are 60 or older. The Commission on Aging is tasked with readying the county for the silver tsunami.

After listening to experts and gathering feedback from the community, the commission on Tuesday submitted findings and recommendations to the Clark County Council, hoping its report will lead to age-friendly transportation decisions.

People need to be able to walk around their neighborhood. They need to be able to walk to a transit stop. Thats the goal, Commissioner Marjorie Ledell said in an interview with The Columbian. What will get people out of cars is the ability for an alternative to get where they want to go when they want to go.

Most people want to age in their homes and need to maintain independence to do so. More than one-third of the countys 65-and-older population has a disability and is more likely to rely on transportation services, the report said.School districts would have to allow students to consume medical marijuana on campus, school buses and at school events if they meet certain requirements under a bill state Rep. Brian Blake introduced this week.

The Aberdeen Democrats previous attempt to pass the legislation cleared the House but stalled in the Senate in 2017.

The inspiration for the bill was an Aberdeen constituent whose daughter has medical problems that make it difficult to attend school, Blake told The Daily News Wednesday. Consuming Cannabidiol (CBD) oil makes it possible for her to attend school, but she needs treatments in the middle of the day.

Under Blakes legislation, parents would be able to bring medical marijuana to school if their child is authorized to use medical marijuana. They would then go into a private room where the child would consume some form of medical marijuana, such as a cookie, and then the parents would leave with the remaining product, Blake said.

The marijuana would not be on display in view of the general public, and smoking or otherwise inhaling the medical marijuana would not be allowed, according to the legislation.

Blake said the topic could be controversial, but this is not a marijuana issue. This is (about) children having access to education.The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress.

Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions.

Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs.If students were marked tardy due to bathroom closures, they can have it excused by going to the office, she said.

Osterloh said he called school officials earlier this week to ask why the bathrooms were closed, and some students took to social media Tuesday to protest the closures.

All of us are using the same bathroom located at the front of the school, so you could imagine the line is incredibly long, and yes we are late to class because of it, posted Megan Angalina Tuesday around 1:40 p.m. The post ends with a simple call to action: Unlock our bathrooms!

Osterloh said the complaints on social media likely spurred the district to reopen its facilities  though his daughter told him Wednesday that the school had only opened one bathroom in each wing while the others remained closed.

Larsen said the closures were done to keep our students safe and keep their well-being as much intact as possible. School officials were waiting to open the restrooms until they had staff members available to monitor them, she said.

We opened them up as much as we could, as soon as we could, Larsen said. We now have people available for monitoring, so thats making a difference.

Federal health officials have called vaping among high school students a health crisis.

Love 3 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 3

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Cowlitz Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning ruled in October the records should be released, but he delayed his own decision to let attorneys appeal the case to the Court of Appeals.

The case pits the publics right to know against the offenders right to privacy. Records of each offender are public, but Hart is seeking the countys databases, which sheriffs offices across the state do not publish for level 1 offenders. Level 1 offenders are considered the least likely to reoffend, and some of them contend that disclosing their names will subject them to harassment, job loss, violence and other calamities.

The appeals court has a number of options. It could uphold Warnings original decision and give Hart the records. It could reverse his decision and find an exemption under the law from releasing the records to Hart. Or it could send the case back to Warning for further consideration.

Hart himself is a controversial figure who has conducted several To Catch a Predator style stings of would-be sex offenders, leading to charges against three men. Judge Warning found in November that Hart is likely to misuse the information in childish, immature, and offensive ways that would likely be harmful to (the registered offenders), but those concerns did not justify withholding public information.The Syrian Democratic Council has rejected the idea of a safe zone in northern Syria, claiming that a Turkish incursion would be an occupation writes Etihad Press.

On Tuesday, the co-president of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), Riad Darar, commented in a press statement on reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump would establish a 20 mile-wide safe zone (32 km) on the northern border of Syria. Darar said that, Turkey cannot have a hand in this zone.

Darar said that the areas which had been discussed was, an area far away from tensions. It is an area which could be free of reasons for tension, and far from militants, and is not under the control of one of the parties of the conflict. He said that, armed extremists must not be permitted to enter and exit from this area.

Darar continued his statement on the Al-Arabiya Net website, saying, If Ankara says it is interested in this, then it should be concerned with protecting its border only from its side, and not by entering into Syrian territory. If its forces entered into this area, then this is an occupation. The safe zone must be protected from both parties by neutral forces. He said that, Ankaras presence in any Syrian area is a continuous threat, and allows extremists to remain, as a result of their cooperation with them.

He added, Therefore, this area needs to be protected because it is teeming with civilians, as it is a safe zone. The SDC co-president downplayed the chance that this safe zone would be established based on a security agreement between Damascus and Ankara (Adna agreement), which allows the Turkish army to enter five kilometers inside Syrian territory to pursue wanted persons. He added that, Turkey is party to the conflict and there is nothing to justify them entering.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.Details about how the proposed safe zone would be established and run have not been proffered by either Turkey or the United States writes Asharq al-Awsat.

A Senior Kurdish official rejected a proposal floated by Turkey controlling a security zone in Kurdish-held territory in northeastern Syria.

Military leaders at the US-led International Coalition have not yet presented us with a plan for establishing a safe zone. Up until this moment it remains nothing more than a phone call discussion between the US, Turkish presidents,Aldar Khalil, a senior political leader at the Syrian Democratic Forces local administrative councils, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Khalil, citing a Trump tweet, added that no timeline has yet been provided on the plan which would lead to building such a zone.

We have sent a direct speech requiring to be detailed on the plans entailing such a zone. If it was under the international coalitions control, then it is welcomed, but if it was run by Turkey, then we will not allow for such a thing to materialize, Khalil said.

Such a territory cannot be arbitrarily run, Khalil added.

ISIS remained in control of Syrian pockets near Turkish borders for two years, and Ankara did not propose establishing such an area at the time, Khalil said, drawing attention to Turkeys inexplicable hatred for Kurdish presence in Syria.

More so, Khalil pointed out that Turkey has nearly turned a blind eye to Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Nusra Front), the Syrian branch of the extremist al-Qaeda organization, controlling the entire province of Idlib.

Khalil reiterated that Turkey is mainly driven to its hatred of the democratic character of Kurds in Syria, who played a major role in combating extremism and terrorism side by side with Washington.

In March last year, Turkey took control of the city of Afrinand before that took over the cities of Jarablus and the Al Baband sought to control Manbaj and northeastern Syria, all in an aim to remove them from the power of the Syrian state and mold them into its own sphere of influence, Khalil said.

Turkish interventions are designed to advance the goal of establishing a connected zone from Syrias Aleppo to Iraqs Mosul, Khalil said.

Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.The attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State, comes after US President Donald Trump declared that the group had been defeated writes ANHA

On Wednesday, a blast hit Sondos Street in the city of Manbij, which was crowded with civilians at the time. According to information provided by the Health Committee in Manbij, 13 people were killed, including three American soldiers and two fighters accompanying them.

The explosion, which was claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS), occurred precisely at 12:38. Video recordings from security cameras in the shops showed the moment of the blast, when there was heavy traffic coinciding with the American patrol passing in the street.

Immediately after the blast, internal security forces hurried to close off the area and take the necessary security measures. Medical teams and doctors also hurried to treat the wounded, while at the same time, American helicopters and patrols near the city headed to the site of the blast.

One of the American helicopters landed in a field near the site of the blast to carry away American soldiers who had been at the scene.

The toll of the blast, according to the Director of the Health Committee, Dr. Ahmed Haito, has reached 13 people, including three American soldiers and two fighters accompanying them. There were also 18 wounded, including soldiers and civilians, with five being described as in a serious condition.

According to Haito, the wounded civilians were transported to Manbij city hospital.

The blast resulted in severe material damage to stores and civilians property.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.Lebanon has been warned by the US, that if it takes part in the reconstruction of Syria, then it could be subject to US sanctions reports Al-Akhbar

Al-Akhbar has obtained a copy of a secret cable sent by the Lebanese embassy in Washington to Beirut, which includes the United States position rejecting that Syria be invited to the economic summit, and threatening Lebanon with economic sanctions if it participates in Syrian reconstruction.

The American message came in response to the Lebanese embassy in Washington requesting its viewpoint on inviting Syria to the summit, which will be held in Beirut on Sunday.

The reply in the cable said, The Lebanon office in the US State Department informed us in writing, after the employee consulted his superiors in the Department about our question, as follows: We urge Lebanon and all member countries of the Arab League to refrain from extending an invitation to Syria. We also urge Lebanon not to take any measures contributing to securing financial resources for the Syrian regime, for example by making investments or sending funding for rebuilding. Any financial or material support for the Assad regime or its backers could be subject to American sanctions.

Despite all the signs of an Arab-Gulf opening toward Syria, it appears that Syria returning to the Arab League will not occur unless there is an American decision.

An official in the Lebanese Foreign Ministry denied that Syria not being invited to the summit was a result of the American decision. This is an Arab issue, and the views of the United States did not enter into it. The official added that, Washingtons view is not binding on us. Many countries have expressed their viewpoints on several issuesthat does not mean that we are obligated to carry them out.

In response to a question about why the Lebanese mission in the United States sought their view on an Arab issue, if they were not concerned with what Washington thought, the official said, The cable may be worded incorrectly. We did not ask our mission in Washington to ask American officials about their position, and its not permissible to do so in the first place.

The second serious point in the cable sent from Washington is the threat to impose sanctions on Lebanon if it participates in Syrias reconstruction. Will Lebanon be subject to American pressure, and miss an opportunity to put its relations with Damascus back on the right track because of its political and economic interests? Open statements from Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil do not suggest he will be an outlet for American views. He said on Friday, We have been suffocated by the war in Syria, and Arab markets have been shut in our face. It is not reasonable for us to suffocate ourselves in a time of peace. We are at the forefront of those calling for Syria to return to the Arab League.

Bassil added, After war there is building. Is it reasonable that we punish ourselves and not participate because there are countries that have prevented us and will impose sanctions if we participate?

Bassil stated this position after his first meeting with the American Under Secretary for Political Affairs, David Hale, saying that, Lebanon is interested in taking part in Syrias reconstruction, and this must be taken into account.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari has said that Iran will remain in Syria and warned Israel against continuing strikes against their forces reports Alsouria Net.

The Iranian Students News Agency quoted a commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, as saying, The Iranian Islamic Republic will keep its military advisers and its revolutionary forces and weapons in Syria.

Jafari described the threats by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the Iranian presence in Syria as a joke and warned that the Israeli government was playing with the lions tail.

He said, You should fear a day when our missiles will be fired and land on your heads.

Iran and Russia have supported the regime of Bashar al-Assad, in the war that has been ongoing for seven years against opposition fighters, and have sent thousands of soldiers to the country.

Israel, whose fears of a long-term military presence for Iran in neighboring Syria are growing, says that it has carried out 200 attacks on Iranian targets in Syria over the past two years.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israeli warplanes carried out an attack against what he called a hiding place for Iranian weapons in Syria, and said that Israel would continue to confront Iranians in Syria unless it quickly withdraws.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.Recent clashes have seen Hayat Tahrir al-Sham secure new areas, which is threatening the ceasefire agreement reports Zaman Al Wasl.

On Tuesday, four rebel factions in the Nour al-Din al-Zinki Movement joined Faylaq al-Rahman in the western countryside of Aleppo, following victories by al-Qaeda-linked militants against Turkish-backed fighters in northern Syria.

The rebel groups refused to leave the Afrin region after a humiliating surrender to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that pushed the al-Zinki group to leave its areas in the western countryside of Aleppo and parts of Idleb.

Earlier this month, members of Tahrir al-Sham took control of Idleb province and the surrounding countryside after forcing rival insurgents to accept a deal for a civil administration run by Tahrir al-Sham in their areas.

The developments threaten to derail a cease-fire in the area reached in September between Turkey and Russia that averted a potentially catastrophic regime army assault on Idleb.

The deal required militant groups to vacate a frontline buffer zone, a move that was never implemented by Tahrir al-Sham militants.

The Syrian regime has repeatedly threatened to launch an offensive to recapture Idleb province, which is packed with 3 million people, including many who were displaced from other parts of the country.

The latest advances by the Tahrir al-Sham, which include many foreign militants, raise questions over the future of the deal.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.



When taking a company across international borders, an understanding of the audience and where to target to help your brand hit the headlines is essential. Even if you dont speak the language, its important to be aware of the relevant media in your country of choice, so that you know where best to target with your upcoming content.From industrial robotics to rundowns of top tradeshows, Products Equipments Industriels is a great one-stop shop for the latest automation updates. With a handy Automatisation tab (thats automation, for all you budding linguists), its website offers a wealth of information on product releases, blog posts and technical articles. Not only is it a great read, but with a print circulation of over 20,000 readers, its certainly worth getting your name into.Branding itself as the first industrial TV magazine, Manufacturing.fr is great for those who want to access the world of video content. Instead of written articles, the website features a vast selection of video interviews that explain new product releases and the latest developments to a companys offering.Each video is produced directly by the publication, but it is worth bearing in mind if your company is exhibiting at any French trade shows and has a new product that youd like to show off.Translated as factory news, LUsine Nouvelle s website features a particularly useful tab dedicated to overseas business. The section of the website reports on case studies from across the globe, so is useful for sharing the success of a specific project or partnership. With a circulation of 46,000 and 1.8 million unique visitors to its website each month, French speakers would be aware of your latest news in no time.So, if youre thinking of expanding your reach to the home of hunch-backed cathedral dwellers and excellent automation magazines, why not say bonjour on +44(0)1785 225416 or email me on courtney@stonejunction.co.uk to ask about assessing your international PR strategy.Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size

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Auburn University international alumna and Fulbright scholar Basima Abdulrahman, who recently founded Iraqs first sustainable architecture consultancy, will co-chair the World Economic Forums 2019 Annual Meeting Jan. 22-25 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

The meeting theme is Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Abdulrahmanone of six young leaders from the World Economic Forums network of Global Shaperswill be among such fellow co-chairs as the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, and CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella. Abdulrahman will share her input on how to best build a global architectural landscape that lifts billions of people out of poverty in a clean, green way. Ultimately, she hopes her position as co-chair and her ideas on sustainable building will highlight the role of youth in setting the tone and vision for the meetings theme.

When I was notified that I was selected as a co-chair, I was humbled by the opportunity, said Abdulrahman. I also felt the massive responsibility it carries and the importance to best echo the voices of youth across the globe.

Abdulrahman graduated from Auburn in 2014 with her masters degree in civil engineering. While a student at Auburn, Abdulrahman developed a passion for sustainable building and a rich knowledge of engineering and has since founded her own company, KESKwhich means green in Kurdish. KESK is Iraqs first sustainable architecture consultancy.

I am passionate about utilizing the natural environment because it is my belief that embracing the world around us empowers people, said Abdulrahman. Not to mention, at this rate we have 12 years to limit the climate change catastrophe, and since buildings emit approximately one third of GHG emissions, designing them to meet sustainability features is one of the key strategies to combating the issue.

A native to Iraq, Abdulrahman is placing high importance on helping her home country make better environmental choices when it comes to architecture. According to her, the economic and financial crisis in Iraq due to the war on terrorism in combination with the drop in oil prices has imposed the need to develop plans for a more conservative use of resources. Through KESK, Abdulrahman hopes to improve the environment and promote social cohesion in the northern region of Erbil, where her company is located.

It is critical to rebuild Iraqi cities to be more sustainable and inclusive through making buildings and infrastructures smart, healthy, environmentally responsible and resource efficient, said Abdulrahman. And while my company, KESK, is the first company in Iraq to specialize in green building, we hope to pave the road for others to go green.

In addition to being selected as a co-chair for the forums annual meeting, Abdulrahman has also spoken at the Women Power Summit, TEDxNishtiman and Global Climate Action Summit and was featured in the Real Leaders magazine as one of the 100 Visionary Leaders for 2018.Aaron Merriman scored the 11,000th win of his driving career while driving Brooklynite in Northfield Parks 10th race on Wednesday (Jan. 16). Brooklynite started from the second tier, brushed boldly and the half to take the lead and never looked back, winning by 5-1/4 lengths in 1:52.

Merriman, 40, keeps a torrid schedule, regularly competing at Northfield Park and The Meadows. However, he also races at various other venues throughout the year.

Merriman is the reigning North American dash champion. In fact, last year he became the first driver in harness racing history to post multiple 1,000-win seasons.

In 2013, Merriman became the youngest inductee into the Northfield Park Wall of Fame. He has won more races at Northfield than any other driver in the tracks history. Last year, he broke the record for the most Northfield wins in a single season, posting 711 scores over the Flying Turns in 2018.

Aarons talents have also been noticed on the national stage. He was just voted harness racings Driver of the Year for 2018 and will officially receive this award at the annual Dan Patch Awards Ceremony in Orlando, Fla. in February.

Merrimans richest win came in a $300,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes Final aboard Palazzo Princess. Aarons fastest win was timed in 1:48.3 aboard Kanaris at Scioto Downs in September 2014.

Merriman remembers his first win as being aboard a pacing mare named Alberts Filly at Raceway Park in Toledo, Ohio. Although there are 11,000 to choose from, Merriman says that he is definitely partial to his first.

It always feels great to win a race. I have had the same elated feeling every time I have been to the winners circle, explained Merriman, but that first one felt especially nice.

Aaron has sat behind countless horses, but one sticks out to him above all others: I will always feel indebted to Midnight Jewel. She made me look good every week and really helped my career blossom.

Merriman started driving at the age of 21 and appreciates the successful 19-year career he has experienced so far; accomplishing the 11,000-win milestone and purse earnings in excess of $72 million.

Ive had a great run for a long time and so many owners and trainers that have helped me, said Merriman. There are a lot of people who work very hard every day to keep racing alive and well and I just feel fortunate to be part of it.

(Northfield Park)Bratislava airport handled record number of passengers in 2018

It also broke other records last year.

Bratislava airport has broken another record. It handled a total of 2,292,712 passengers in 2018, which is the highest annual number of passengers since its establishment in 1951.

In annual terms, the number of passengers increased by 18 percent.

In its whole history, the airport has only reached the 2-million-passenger threshold twice before  in 2007 and 2008, said Jozef Pojedinec, chairman of Bratislava airports board, as quoted in a press release. And now, in 2018, not only have we achieved this threshold again, but with almost 2.3-million passengers, we added a significant surplus to the figure.

Several records in 2018

Read also: Smartwings to launch regular flights from Slovakia to Antalya in Turkey Read more

In addition, the airport achieved several other records in 2018. For example, it reported the longest unbroken series of monthly records in passenger numbers in a row. The highest numbers of passengers were recorded in June, July, August, September and October.

Moreover, it handled the highest ever number of passengers in a single month, amounting to almost 350,000 passengers in July, while it also recorded the strongest vacation season in its history, with more than 1 million vacationers between June and September on both the scheduled and the charter flights.

The airport also beat the 300,000-passengers per month threshold twice in the same year: in July and August. It has never achieved the threshold twice in the same year before. Moreover, there was the largest network of connections, with 49 scheduled routes in the summer season. The airport also reported 12 new scheduled routes launched throughout one year, which is the most in recent history.

Where did people fly the most?

Altogether 30,366 landings and take-offs took place at the airport in 2018, an increase of 11 percent year-on-year.

Read also: A private investor will rent Bratislava airport for 30 years Read more

Most passengers travelled from Bratislava on scheduled routes to London (Stansted and Luton), Dublin, Moscow, Milan and Skopje, or back.

During the summer season, the most passengers took charter flights to Antalya in Turkey, Hurghada in Egypt, Thessaloniki in Greece, Monastir in Tunisia and Bourgas in Bulgaria. The largest carrier remains Ryanair, followed by WizzAir, Smartwings, Pobeda, AirCairo and flydubai.

17. Jan 2019 at 22:00 | Compiled by Spectator staffSlovakia breaks record in car production, but future is electric

This year will be extremely demanding for the car industry in Slovakia.

While Slovakia continues breaking annual records in car production, it should not rest on laurels and instead tackle the challenges the automotive sector faces. These include global ones especially linked with legislation reducing emissions in new cars as well as local ones, including the lag in the production of electric cars.

The results of the past year have turned out very well, which of course we are very glad about, said Alexander Matusek, the president of the Slovak Automotive Industry Association (ZAP), at a press conference on January 10. But one should realise that the automotive industry will face significant changes in the near future. This year will be extremely demanding.

The challenges facing Slovakias automotive industry include, apart from pressure to produce cars with fewer emissions, a shortage of qualified labour, instability and the weak predictability of the business environment, low levels of R&D activities and insufficient development of cooperation between academia and industry, as well as the low level of mobility development on the basis of alternative propulsions and preparations for new forms of mobility.

Read also:

Read also: Alexander Matusek: The automotive industry will undergo revolutionary changes Read more

In 2018, more than 1,080,000 vehicles rolled off the carmakers' production lines in Slovakia, which is the highest figure in the history of the Slovak Republic. In the past few years, Slovakia has remained at the top of the world ranking in the number of cars produced per 1,000 inhabitants. In 2018, it kept its primacy by 198 vehicles, up eight cars year on year.

ZAP estimates that car production will to amount to 1.15 million this year when the brand new Jaguar Land Rover plant in Nitra, which launched production only in late 2018, is expected to contribute to the final number.

Production of individual plants

Jaguar Land Rover launched production in its Nitra plant on October 25. The first model produced at the factory is the Land Rover Discovery, which will, after its production in Great Britain ceases in a few months time, be made exclusively in Nitra. Later, production should be extended with another model, while its identity remains unknown for now. The plant refused to specify the exact number of cars produced in Nitra so far, as well as when it will exactly increase its production to the planned 150,000 cars per year.

The oldest and biggest carmaker in Slovakia, the Slovak arm of the German carmaker Volkswagen, produced more than 400,000 cars in 2018. It will reveal the exact number only in spring, while it produced 361,776 cars in 2017.

The only Kia Motors plant in Europe, Kia Motors Slovakia near Zilina, manufactured 333,000 cars last year. While this is a slight drop of 0.8 percent compared to 2017, its spokesperson Jozef Bace specified for the Dennik N daily that this drop accounts for only two production days and that it was caused by the launch of new models.

Groupe PSA Slovakia in Trnava broke a record when it increased production by 5.1 percent year-to-year and produced 352,007 cars last year.

Going electric

While car plants in Slovakia are rather cautious in indicating their plans for the future, going electric has already becoming a necessity for them in order to remain competitive. For now, Volkswagen Slovakia is the only plant producing pure electric cars in Slovakia. It launched the production of e-Up! back in 2013. Nevertheless, all remaining carmakers have their own electric plans.

17. Jan 2019 at 19:56 | Jana LiptakovaRomanian companies are on the rise in Slovakia

One of the main problems of the Slovak labour market is behind the development.

Romanian companies are increasing in Slovakia, indicates the analysis of the Bisnode consulting company, which mapped the development of the number of companies with Romanian owners in the last six years.

While 620 companies with a Romanian owner were doing business in Slovakia in 2013, according to Bisnodes databases, the number increased to 1,362 companies by the end of 2018. It is a 120 percent growth, the SITA newswire cited the analysis.

Lack of labour force is the reason

Altogether, 742 companies with Romanian owners arose in the last six years. The biggest y-o-y increase was from 2017 to 2018, when Romanian entrepreneurs founded 165 new companies, according to Bisnode data.

While in the end of 2018, Romanians owned 1,362 companies in Slovakia, in 2017, they owned 1,177.

The interest of Romanian entrepreneurs to establish a company in Slovakia is related to the situation in the local labour market struggling with the lack of employees, explained Petra Stepanova, Bisnode analyst, as quoted by SITA.

In the Czech Republic, too

A similar trend is observed in the neighbouring Czech Republic, where the number of companies with Romanian owners increased by 179 percent, demonstrated by the analysis of the years 2014-2018.

In both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the majority of newly-established companies are doing business in the fields of commerce, services, road transport and the construction industry.

17. Jan 2019 at 13:56 | SITA, Compiled by Spectator staffTeachers call on Lubyova to stop misleading in Dankos case

Lying has always been lying, Comenius University's Faculty of Arts wrote in its open letter.

Education Minister Martina Lubyova (SNS nominee) should stop misleading in the case of the alleged plagiarism of Parliament Speaker Andrej Danko (SNS), teachers wrote to the education minister.

Since Tuesday, more than 1,500 teachers from primary schools, high schools and universities  also academics, among others, from Matej Bel University where Danko gained his degree through plagiarism in 2000  signed the petition.

The commission of the Matej Bel University confirmed that Andrej Danko copied 63 out of 72 pages. He broke not only quotation norms but also copyright law. We cannot call the thesis by any other words than plagiarism, teachers wrote in the Declaration of Teachers of Slovakia on the website peticie.com.

Read also: University has confirmed: Parliament's Speaker copied large parts of his thesis Read more

Minister Lubyova said that Danko did not pass the exams with a plagiarised thesis, as the commission did not use the word plagiarism in the report.

Copying is a condemnable fraud on all levels of Slovak schools, they wrote in the appeal initiated by the dissatisfied teachers of Matej Bel University.

We teach our pupils and students that copying other peoples ideas is stealing intellectual property. University teachers call this form of cheating plagiarism, the appeal continues.

Teachers ask Minister Lubyova to stop misleading the public by doubting the values of teachers. They say that they know how to distinguish who is cheating while writing and who works honourably. The denial of the basic concepts degrades the Slovak education system.

Read also: Why is an 18-year-old doctoral dissertation causing an uproar among the public? Read more

The Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava published its own statement on January 16. It reads that despite what we heard in the last days from politicians, there has always applied the rule that we should not lie and cheat.

Many of the voices we heard from political circles in discussions about the doctoral dissertation of Andrej Danko, Speaker of Parliament, attempted to relativise the basic principle of academic work and ethics, in our opinion, the statement reads.

Comenius University weighed in on January 17 with a statement of its leadership and the president of its Academic Senate on the conclusions of the ad hoc commission at Matej Bel University.

"He copied an absolute majority of his work from other authors and did not admit to doing it," the statement reads as quoted by the Sme daily. "Regardless of whether we call this plagiarim or not, it is obvious that Andrej Danko did not respect elementary ethical rules while writing his rigorous thesis, which have been respected on academic grounds for centuries."

By insisting that he proceeded legitimately, Danko is mocking academic principles and defames the work of scholars, wrote the university that granted Danko his master's degree.

17. Jan 2019 at 13:50 | Compiled by Spectator staffSlovakia faces an important vote: How will the country look in the next 12 years?

The quality of the Constitutional Court, the last instance of defence of constitutionality in the country, depends on its 13 judges.

One month from now, nine of the 13 Constitutional Court judges will remove their robes and leave the court.

Before the end of their 12-year-long term in office on February 16, the parliament, along with the president, should choose and appoint nine new judges to replace them. The whole process is not as straightforward as it sounds, and there are a number of obstacles on the way to a new, well-functioning court after February 16.

40 candidates were nominated either by politicians or significant figures in the judiciary field. Parliament needs to elect 18 candidates and President Andrej Kiska will then choose and appoint nine of them.

There is no real obstacle that would prevent parliament from choosing, from 40 candidates, those who meet the moral and professional criteria, Kiska told the press on January 8.

There are several candidates he would gladly appoint, but also those that "I would never appoint", as Kiska said.

There are two main criteria for the future Constitutional Court judges: be professional and moral. These should be determined during public hearings, which the parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee will start on January 23.

Read also: UPDATED: Ex-PM Fico wants to be a Constitutional Court judge Read more

The plenum of the parliament will then start the election on January 29. In the event that they do not manage to elect the required 18 names, they can also only submit 16 to the president, and the Parliament's Speaker should announce a new election immediately, to give the two additional names to the president to choose from, said Lucia Berdisova from the Department of Law Theory and Constitutional Law of Trnava University.

The quality of the Constitutional Court and thus the last level of defence of constitutionality in the country depends most of all on these few people, Berdisova told The Slovak Spectator. If they fail, the defence of constitutionality in its last instance also fails, she added.

Court determines citizens vs. state relations

Kiska should be able to choose nine names from the list. Berdisova paraphrases the Senate of Constitutional Court as explaining that the president must name half of the given names. The plenum did not disprove the statement, however, neither did it give its own opinion.

17. Jan 2019 at 15:57 | Nina Hrabovska FrancelovaSlovak children kidnapped? No!

Thousands have shared the latest hoax on the abduction of children on social media. The police warn that scaremongering is criminal act.

Slovaks have lately panicked on social media over the kidnapping of children, which has turned out to be a hoax. (Source: SME)

Two women and a man driving in a black car have recently been luring children to kidnap them. Or, the black car was swapped with a white van resembling an ambulance.

This fake news has recently taken over Facebook and Instagram users in Slovakia. In addition, many have reached out to the police to check the situation.

"No kidnapping of children, or teenagers, has occurred in the territory of the Slovak Republic," the police posted on Facebook, adding that no child abduction has ever been recorded.

However, some are determined to argue that the hoax is actually true, the police wrote.

Villages in northern Slovakia mentioned

Instagram hoax about children being kidnapped in Toporec (Source: TV JOJ)

The fake news posts include the villages in northern Slovakia, namely Toporec and Podhorany, near Kezmarok (the Presov Region), and Spissky Stvrtok, near Levoca (also the Presov Region), as reported by the Sme daily.

"We have patrols, the police come here," Toporec Mayor Gustav Pompa told the private broadcaster TV JOJ.

They also have CCTV cameras in the village, he added.

"Running away from home, escaping with older partners and parental child abduction are the most common reasons for children going missing," the police stated.

One of the hoaxers found

The police have already found one of the Instagram users sharing the child abduction hoax.

"A woman was worried about her siblings in the first moment and so published the post," the police informed in their Facebook video.

She soon realized that the post was silly and deleted it, but other users had already shared it, the police added.

"We'd like to remind that scaremongering is a criminal act, for which one can spend two years in prison, and even up to eight years under some conditions," the police have warned.

 People watch out for your children... in the vicinity of Ihlany and Toporec a black Octavia with a Spisska Nova Ves (SN) number plate is driving.. they are kidnapping children, aged 10 to 16... they may already have exchanged the car... they are reportedly 3... 2 women and a man... luring children, watch out!! They may also be moving around our place be careful!! And watch out for fake police cars they handcuff people help one another and share this!!  One of the hoaxes about child abduction in Slovakia shared on Instagram

17. Jan 2019 at 14:00 | Compiled by Spectator staffPeter and his wife offered their basement to save a big family

Love your neighbour as yourself is the commandment best illustrated by this story.

Mother of Pavol Krasny with her husband and grandson. (Source: Courtesy of the Embassy of Israel)

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Rescuers: Peter Brezovsky and Anna Brezovska

Rescued: Janka Blumova and her twin daughters Lili Wernerova and Anna Weisova, Anna's and later Lili's husband Arpad Weis

Anna Brezovska (Source: Courtesy of the Embassy of Israel)

Peter Brezovsky (Source: Courtesy of the Embassy of Israel)

Janka Blumova and the Weis family lived in a small town near Piestany, called Vrbove, western Slovakia.

After the persecution of the Jews started, Blumova with her two daughters Lili Werner and Anna Weis, and Anna's husband Arpad, moved to Piestany, where they were not well known.

At that time, Lilis husband was imprisoned in Ilava (where he died), in the north-east of Slovakia. Their daughter Eva was hiding in different hideouts in one of the nearby villages.

Arpad ran a business selling agricultural tools. Therefore, he had many friends among the local people, including Peter Brezovsky.

The whole family met at the Brezovskys'

The big family rented a house opposite the one of the Brezovsky family. In times of danger, they moved into the Brezovsky's basement.

The Brezovsky family provided them with food and even helped them to secretly bury Anna, who died in 1943.

The situation became especially dangerous after the deportations were renewed in September 1944 and when the Furst family (Lili's and Annas sister Margita with her husband Artur and sons Peter and Juraj) also came to hide at the Brezovskys house after they escaped from the Sered work camp in southern Slovakia.

After just one night, Margita decided that they would leave the place due to her husband's noisy snoring. She was afraid that they were endangering all the people hiding.

A split

The following day the family decided to split up for security reasons.

Grandmother Janka, with her son-in-law Artur and her younger grandson Juraj, returned to her house, but the Gestapo arrested them there.

Margita and her older son were caught and arrested, too. The Furst family met together at the Sered camp. Following that, they were deported to different concentration camps.

What happened next?

They all survived, except grandmother Janka, who was killed in Auschwitz.

After the war, widower Arpad married his sister-in-law Lili, and they emigrated to Australia.

Lilis daughter Eva got married and had a daughter, who died at a quite young age.

The Fursts left for Israel in 1950 where Peter changed his name to Samuel and Juraj to Naftali.

17. Jan 2019 at 8:30 | Compiled by Spectator staffKarolina gave her life to save the innocent

The Germans not only put Karolina to death but also Jews she was trying to protect.

Rescuers: Karolina Bullova and her husband Frantisek Bulla

Hidden: Josefina Grohsz and her son Arpad Grosz, his wife Sara (Sarlota) Grosz with their children Juraj and Peter, Arpad Grunberger with his wife Margita Grunbergerova and daughter Verona

The villages and settlements of Donovaly, Polianka, Bully, and Motycky were situated in hard to reach parts of the Stare Hory mountains, near Banska Bystrica, the heart of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP). The densely forested hills became a refuge for partisan units and many Jewish families after the defeat.

On the day of Epiphany, January 6, 1945, Julius Donoval from the village of Motycky found two Jewish families hiding in the woods: the Grosz family from Vrutky, a town near Zilina, with their two sons, 8-year-old Peter and 5-year-old Juraj, alongside the Grunberger family with their 14-year-old daughter Verona.

The Jews were in very bad condition, almost frozen, weakened, famished, and with numerous frostbites. Julius took pity on them and, despite the presence of German troops in the area, decided to help. He put everyone on his horse-drawn sled and brought the families to the village.

Polianka

Since he was already hiding another Jewish family in his house (The Kleins), he took the two families to the nearby village of Polianka, where his sister Karolina lived with her husband Frantisek Bulla, and asked them for help.

The risk was huge, but their compassion was stronger, and Karolina and Frantisek decided to take care of the destitute Jews.

Unfortunately, after only ten days, at dawn on January 16, 1945, a three-member German SS Billeberck patrol unit accidentally encountered Russian partisans during the Singliarka hunt in Polianka. During a shootout, the Russians shot the German soldiers dead, running away into the woods and leaving behind the villagers alongside the hidden Jews.

Within hours the remaining soldiers of the German patrol unit closed all access roads leading to Polianka and the neighbouring village of Bully and started house searches.

The search

On the day when searches began, Karolina woke up earlier than usual. The day before she had gone to her brother's house to get some flour so that she could bake bread for the ten people staying in her house, since her own supplies were plundered by the Germans a few days earlier.

As the shootout between the Russian partisans and the German soldiers had taken place right in front of her house, the Germans searched Karolina's house first. As with many other houses in the village, theirs was searched and looted.

Their neighbour Anton Bulla, watching from his roof, saw the Germans pull Karolina, her husband Frantisek, and all seven members of the Grosz and Grunberger families out of the house to question them.

The slaughter

While Frantisek was sent with some other villagers to take the stolen goods to the nearby village of Korytnica, all of sudden at about 8:30 a.m., the German soldiers brought the Jews back to the house and shot all of them including the children.

Then they covered the bodies with duvets soaked in gasoline, at which point Karolina tried to stop the soldiers from igniting them. The Germans locked her inside the house and set it on fire.

Shocked neighbours could hear the screams of some of the Jews who were still alive as well as Karolina's call for help. They saw her trying to escape from the house by the window and saw the Germans pushing her back with their bayonets.

Karolina was burned alive.

German beasts

During that bloody morning, the Germans found two dozen Jews hiding in six other houses in the villages of Bully and Polianka. They were all shot and burnt in the houses in which they were hiding.

When the Germans left, the villagers put out the fires and buried the burned bodies of the Jews at Hajnikova Luka meadow. The names of many of the Jewish victims were identified after the war when the mass grave was reopened, and the bodies exhumed at their families' request.

The body of Karolina was retrieved by her mother Cecilia Donovalova. Karolina was later buried in a family grave in Motycky together with her sister Anna Chladna (another rescuer awarded the title "Righteous among the Nations").

17. Jan 2019 at 8:30 | Compiled by Spectator staffShe baked bread to keep them full

Because of Zlatica and her husband's determination and courage, 10 Jews survived the war.

Font size: A - | A +

Rescuer: Zlatica Vojtkova

Rescued: Hermina Engelova with her sons Andrej (Mose) and Pavel (Baruch), Hermina's brother-in-law Julius Engel with his wife Klara and sons Pavel and Tibor, Julius and Jozef's sister-in-law Elena Engelova, the Kautniks

Jozef Engel lived with his wife, Hermina, and their two sons, Andrej (born 1931) and Pavel (born 1934), in Bratislava. The family survived the deportations of 1942 due to Jozef's exemption certificate.

In June 1944 however, the authorities ordered women and children to leave the capital. Hermina moved with her two sons to the home of Julius Engel, her brother-in-law. He lived with his family of four in the village of Utekac, central Slovakia.

They were all living there when the Slovak National Uprising broke out in late 1944.

Forester

Utekac was under the control of partisans. The suppression of the uprising resulted in a mass escape of insurgents and Jews to the mountains.

Julius managed to obtain a horse and cart to flee from the village with his extended family. He remembered an acquaintance, Jozef Vojtko, who at the time was the head forester of the local forests in Dobroca, near Cierny Balog, central Slovakia.

Julius knocked on Vojtko's door, but he was not at home. Nevertheless, Vojtko's wife, Zlatica, showed the refugees a shelter in the forest and told them she would send Vojtko to them as soon as he returned home.

Hideouts

A few hours later, Vojtko found the two hidden families, who had been joined by three other people. Vojtko brought some food with him, and hid the refugees temporarily in a shed.

When he returned a few days later, he moved them to a hideout that he had built beneath the ground, masking the entrance so that no one would find it.

Before the winter came, Vojtko had moved the Jews again to a similar yet more spacious bunker higher up in the mountains.

He regularly visited his wards and brought them food, medication, and everything they needed. Zlatica baked bread for them because they did not want to arouse suspicions by purchasing inordinate amounts of baked goods.

Every time Vojtko visited the hideout in winter, it was an ordeal; he had to cover the footsteps he made in the snow so as not to be followed.

Survival

All ten Jews survived. Jozef Engel spent the last few months of the war in Bratislava and, when the war was over, he emigrated with his family to Israel. His brother Julius and his family remained in Slovakia.

The families stayed in touch with the Vojtko family.

The Commission of Yad Vashem recognised Jozef Vojtko on August 20, 1994 and Zlatica Vojtkova on September 26, 2017 as Righteous among the Nations.

17. Jan 2019 at 8:30 | Compiled by Spectator staffThis is the thanks I get? Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Its day 27 of the government shutdown, and a new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll suggests that Trumps base is losing faith. Over the last month, Trumps approval rating has dropped to 39 percent overall, a trend driven by losses in demographics where he is typically strong. Forty-two percent of white suburban men say they approve of the presidents performance, down from 51 percent in December. White men without college degrees have always been more likely to support Trump, but the presidents approval rating declined by six points among this group. Even white Evangelicals, typically Trumps most fervent supporters, are beginning to break away from him. Seventy-three percent approved of Trump in December, but 66 percent said the same in January  and only 58 percent said they would definitely vote for him again in 2020. In 2016, recall, Trump won 81 percent of the white Evangelical vote.

These attitudes may change as primary season moves forward. Trump remains vitriolically anti-immigration, and xenophobia is attractive to his base. Even so, Trump has a lot of ground to recover before he can feel secure about the fate of his reelection campaign. That his numbers dropped so precipitously over the course of one month suggests the shutdown is a contributing factor (though, of course, correlation is not causation). Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, told NPR that he didnt know if the numbers are temporary  tied to the government shutdown  or a broader problem the president is having.

We do know, however, that little else about the first two years of Trumps presidency has dismayed his base. The separation of migrant children from their parents, his border-wall obsession, revelations from the Mueller investigation  it was all fine, even better than fine, to his most dogged supporters. But the president ran on his business prowess. His anti-immigrant prejudice gilded promises of jobs and prosperity (at least, for a deserving few). White Evangelicals, for example, didnt all support Trump because they prioritized ideological control of the U.S. Supreme Court. One 2016 poll from Lifeway Research, a Christian firm, established a demarcation between the views of white Evangelical clergy from those of their parishioners. While both groups backed Trump, clergy were much more likely to say that their votes were motivated by the prospect of conservative Supreme Court nominees. Non-clergy prioritized both the economy and national security over either the Supreme Court and abortion.

Unemployment is currently low, but in other respects, the Trump presidency has been economically disastrous for workers. The government shutdown has now cost the average federal worker $5,000 in pay since it began, according to one analysis by the New York Times. Some federal workers and subcontractors are rationing insulin and crowdfunding their mortgages. The U.S. Coast Guard is serving without pay, too. And shutdowns dont affect the federal workforce in isolation. The owners of one Wichita, Kansas, cafe told the HuffPost that many of their customers are federal workers, and the furlough has drastically reduced their clientele. The average Trump voter may disdain big government as an abstract enemy, but its absence bears consequences they may not have anticipated.

As serious as the shutdown is, it probably isnt the only factor shrinking Trumps base. Instead, it may be more accurate to view his eroding support as evidence of a snowball effect  evidence that not even his most rabid followers can ignore the combined pain of a federal shutdown and a trade war. I voted for him, and hes the one whos doing this, one Trump supporter complained to the Times on January 7. I thought he was going to do good things. Hes not hurting the people he needs to be hurting. Coal jobs have not materialized. Chinas retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods have harmed farmers, and the administrations promised farm aid hasnt reached everyone in need. The Des Moines Register reported in November 2018 that dozens of Iowa farmers  mostly corn growers  received under $25 in tariff assistance. Many soybean farmers have been forced to let crops rot in the fields because of sharp drops in global demand. As Reuters reported last November, the administrations farm aid program compensates farmers for acres harvested rather than acres planted, which prevented some from receiving any assistance.

Maybe the shutdown helped convince Trumps most committed followers of a fact many working poor already understood. Trump isnt working for them  and he never intended to.Imrich and Maria saved two Jewish families

They could not tell their sons and grandfather about them.

Imrich Pocuch and his wife Maria (Source: Courtesy of the Embassy of Israel)

Rescuer: Imrich Pocuch and his wife Maria Pocuchova

Rescued: Oskar Neuman-Horansky, his wife Maria Neumanova-Horanska, their nephew and adopted son Egon Kugler-Horansky and Dezider Brichta, Dezider's wife Melania Brichtova and their son Arpad

The Pocuchs were farmers. According to their daughter, Brigita, they showed compassion to everyone and lent a hand to anyone in need, including Jews.

The Neumans lived in Trnava, western Slovakia. In 1942, they adopted their nephew Egon Kugler after his parents and his brother Leo, who was two years older than Egon, were deported to the camps in Poland.

Due to the danger of possible deportation, the family moved to the village of Smolenice, about 20 km from Trnava, where nobody knew them or recognised them as Jews. During the transition they changed their surname to Horansky, which sounded Slavic. Oskar, the father, continued to practice his profession as a dentist.

The Brichta family also lived in Trnava. In 1942, mother Melania and her son Arpad were deported to Auschwitz. But when they arrived at a transfer station in Zilina, they got off the deportation train and were released thanks to the intervention of Dr Toth, the manager of a big company in Slovakia, in which Dezider held a senior position. They then returned to Trnava.

Smolenice

In late August 1944, after the outbreak of the anti-Fascist uprising in Slovakia and the German occupation of Slovakia, the Brichta family also arrived in Smolenice. They too found a hiding place within the Pocuch family house, along with the Horansky family who had been staying there since 1942.

The older daughter, Maria Pocuchova, already worked in an office, and the second daughter, 16-year-old Brigita, helped her parents in different ways to help save the Jews.

Due to the constant danger, the Pocuchs tried hard to hide the Jews, not only from their neighbours but also from the 85-year-old grandfather and their young sons.

During a period of seven months, the Pocuch family was looking after six people in hiding.

What happened after

Brigita got married and the couple had a son, who passed away, and a daughter, who was named Blanka  after a Jewish girl from Smolenice, who was murdered in the holocaust.

Blanka and her family are living in Scotland.

Egon found out about the murder of his parents and brother only after the war.

The Brichta family and Egon Horansky immigrated to Israel in 1948. Egon changed his given name to Dan and Arpad, who later became a professor, to Abraham.

Professor Brichta and his wife visited Smolenice in 1990. As they did not meet the Pocuch family members, Brichta sent them a letter to thank them for the rescue.

17. Jan 2019 at 8:30 | Compiled by Spectator staffThe gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.Listen to If Then by clicking the arrow on the audio player below, or get the show via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Get More If Then Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to If Then Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page.

On Wednesdays show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss news that PG&E, Californias main power provider, plans to file for bankruptcy due to the billions in liability it faces stemming from last years deadly wildfires. Allegations have been made that PG&Es power lines and equipment aided in the fires, and the company did not adequately address the hazards beforehand. As home to some of the worlds most powerful tech companies, Californias economy last year surpassed the U.K.s, but its clear that this wealth has not trickled down to help Californians suffering the effects of prolonged drought and longer fire seasons hitting more populated areas.

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Theyll also talk about a letter sent this week to Microsoft, Amazon, and Google from more than 85 civil rights and racial justice groups, including the ACLU. The letter demands that these companies stop building face-recognition technology that could be used by the government. Weve seen employees of these companies voice their concern, but what might we expect from outside pressure?

The hosts touch on one of the least discussed themes from last weeks CES conference in Las Vegas: privacy.

Then they welcome back Taylor Lorenz, journalist for the Atlantic. Glaser and Oremus talk to her about what social media might look like in 2019. Forget Facebook for a second. Forget Twitter, Snapchat, even YouTube, which was the focus of our conversation with Lorenz last year. They talk to her about what the kids are up to now, like making dance videos on TikTok, making Instagram eggs go viral, and making friends in the comments sections of social apps.

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21:14 - Interview with Taylor Lorenz.

39:30 - Dont Close My Tabs

Stories discussed on the show:

 Slate: California Could Use PG&Es Failure to Get Wildfire-Prone Areas Off the Grid

 ACLU: Nationwide Coalition of Over 85 Groups Urge Companies Commit Not to Provide Face Surveillance to the Government

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 Slate: Which Smart Speaker Should You Trust Mostand Least?

 The Atlantic: TikTok Is Cringey and Thats Fine

 The Atlantic: How Comments Became the Best Part of Instagram

Dont Close My Tabs:

 Mercury News: Entire East Bay Express Editorial Staff Laid Off on Friday

 New York Times: More Start-Ups Have an Unfamiliar Message for Venture Capitalists: Get Lost

Podcast production by Max Jacobs.

If Then plugs:

You can get updates about whats coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.

If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.When you think about digital privacy (if you think about digital privacy), the section of the Constitution that most immediately comes to mind is probably the Fourth Amendmentyou know, the one that promises that the government needs probable cause and a warrant to arrest you or search your house, papers, and effects (as well as your phones, computers, and hard drives).

But theres also a set of debates centered instead on the Fifth Amendment and when the government can force you to decrypt those seized devices. That was already a messy issue with a lot of disagreement between different courts, but a judge in California issued a ruling last week that makes compelled decryption even trickier to sort out using the Fifth Amendment.

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In a nutshell, the Fifth Amendment (among other things) grants people the right not to be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against themselves. Thats relatively straightforward when youre just answering questions in court. But if youre told to decrypt your iPhone by the government, is that actually a form of testimony covered by the Fifth Amendment?

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The crucial case for understanding when something is covered by the Fifth Amendment dates back to a 1957 Supreme Court ruling revolving around whether a man named Joseph Curcio, who served as the secretary-treasurer of a union, could use his Fifth Amendment privileges to refuse to answer questions about where certain union records and books were located. The Supreme Court ruled that he was permitted to refuse to answer those questions because forcing him to testify orally as to the whereabouts of nonproduced records requires him to disclose the contents of his own mind. He might be compelled to convict himself out of his own mouth. That is contrary to the spirit and letter of the Fifth Amendment.

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The idea that the Fifth Amendment protects the contents of your mind is important when it comes to encryption because, for instance, thats where you store your phone passcode or computer password. Under this reasoning, the government can compel you to turn over the key to your safe, but it cannot force you to reveal the combination because only one of those is the contents of your mind. But when it came to searching and seizing safes, this was never really an issue. Armed with jackhammers, drills, and explosives (or whatever one uses to break into safes), there was no physical safe that the government would be unable to get into once it had acquired a warrant.

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Encryption thrust this contradiction about keys and combinations front and center, however, because law enforcement is unable to decrypt some devices. But while compelling people to turn over passwords and other decryption keys located in their minds has been complicated because of the Fifth Amendment, biometric compelled decryption has generally been relatively straightforward. After all, your fingerprint and your retina are very clearly not the contents of your mind. This distinctionsomething you have versus something you knowhas led people to assume that compelling a suspect to use their fingerprint to unlock their phone was kosher under the Constitution, an assumption a Virginia circuit court judge confirmed in 2014.

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But last week, Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore of the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, issued a ruling denying a search warrant that dealt with both Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and profoundly misunderstand the latter. The warrant request was for digital devices, and in it, law enforcement officers also requested the authority to compel any individual present at the time of the search to press a finger (including a thumb) or utilize other biometric features, such as facial or iris recognition, for the purposes of unlocking the digital devices found in order to permit a search of the contents as authorized by the search warrant.

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Westmore denied the warrant because of that provision, writing in her opinion that utilizing a biometric feature to unlock an electronic device is not akin to submitting to fingerprinting or a DNA swab because in this context, biometric features serve the same purpose of a passcode and if a person cannot be compelled to provide a passcode  a person cannot be compelled to provide ones finger, thumb, iris, face, or other biometric feature to unlock that same device.

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Its a strange moment to worry about Fifth Amendment privileges for compelled decryption; usually thats a fight that comes after a warrant is issued and devices have been seized, not before. (Westmore also argues in her opinion that the biometric request violates the Fourth Amendment because it does not request biometrics from a specific person and the warrant is therefore too broad. Thats a valid reason to deny a warrant, but its odd that she then brings up so many Fifth Amendment issues as well.)

Westmore goes to great pains in her opinion to explain why compelling someone to touch their thumb to their iPhone is different from compelling them to give their fingerprints for old-fashioned purposes. She writes:

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A finger or thumb scan used to unlock a device indicates that the device belongs to a particular individual. In other words, the act concedes that the phone was in the possession and control of the suspect, and authenticates ownership or access to the phone and all of its digital contents. Thus, the act of unlocking a phone with a finger of thumb scan far exceeds the physical evidence created when a suspect submits to fingerprinting to merely compare his fingerprints to existing physical evidence (another fingerprint) found at a crime scene, because there is no comparison or witness corroboration required to confirm a positive match.

But all of her reasoning completely ignores the fundamental idea that what the Fifth Amendment protects is the contents of your mindnot the pattern of your fingertip or anything else about your physical attributes. Just because fingerprints and passwords can both be used for the same purpose when it comes to encryption does not mean that they are both testimony or should both be treated in the same way under the law.

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What the Fifth Amendment protects is the contents of your mindnot the pattern of your fingertip.

And its important to note that, even when it comes to passwords and nonbiometric decryption, theres a huge, very ambiguous loophole in the Fifth Amendment protections for the contents of your mind. Its called the foregone conclusion exception because it allows the government to compel certain types of information from people so long as that information is already a foregone conclusion. In other words, if the government already knows everything about the contents of your encrypted device, then it can sometimes compel you to turn over the decrypted contents on the grounds that youre not providing them with any new informationand if you refuse, you can be held in contempt of court. For instance, in a child pornography case in Pennsylvania, an ex-cop was held in prison for years because he refused to decrypt hard drives even after investigators found that the hashes of files on those drives matched the hashes of known child pornography files, making their contents a foregone conclusion.

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Other courts have been a little less clear on exactly how much the government needs to know about the contents of a digital device to use the foregone conclusion exception. Some say that the contents of the device must be known, while others seem content to compel decryption so long as the ownership of the device and the owners knowledge of the encryption key have been established. For instance, in a Massachusetts case in 2014, a court ordered a man to decrypt his computer because law enforcement officers had already established that the computer belonged to him and that he had the decryption key, so the act of his decrypting its contents would reveal nothing new to the government.

In short, theres already a lot of uncertainty and disagreement about when courts should be able to compel decryption of devicesand Westmores opinion will only make things less clear and more complicated.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.In 2012, Newt Gingrich proposed a space program that would put a colony on the moon by 2021; that same year, startup Mars One announced its hope to get a little civilization up and running on Mars by 2023. More recently, Elon Musk published a paper on making humans a multi-planetary species and has tweeted that he would like a Martian home base by 2028.

One recent practical development in space news puts these plans into sharp perspective: China seems to have just grown the first plant ever on the moon. Its a cotton seed shoot. Its already dead!

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The fact that were not adept at growing a renewable supply of food elsewhere is, of course, not the only issue with extraplanetary colonizationit is wildly expensive, geared toward rich people, and has been rightly criticized by Slate and others as pie-in-the-sky. But the first-ever moon plant is a good metaphor for just how pie-in-the-sky they are. The forefront of life outside of Earth is one teeny sprouty short-lived green thing.

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The shoot is part of a mini-biosphere designed by scientists at Chongqing University in China. It arrived on a probe called Yutu two two weeks ago, and after temperatures dropped a couple days ago, it seems that everything in the canister froze, shutting the ecosystem down sooner than hoped.

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Along with seeds, the scientists lunar terrarium contained fruit fly eggs, water, and air, which together were meant to maintain an independent mini ecological cycle, according to a June news release from the university announcing its plans. The experiment was designed to show how a plant-growing operation could do in low gravity and without the protection of Earths magnetic field. This may serve as a basis for people to build ecological basis on the moon in the future, said Xie Gengxin, who designed the experiment, in the release. Its unclear what kind of insights the team will be able to extract from the now-dead plant, but space-enthusiastic politicians and the Elon Musks of the world would do well to note just how much more work there is to be done before were farming potatoes Mark-Watney-The-Martian-style.

In the meantime, what else will this mission do? According to Gengxin via that news release, inspire national pride and raise environmental awareness in China. Space travel often serves as an avatar of what we wish were possible, a potential solution to our earthly woesbut the reality is that its a branch of scientific research thats hard and grueling and fails easily. On that note, the bitty-ecological-systems camera has not yet provided us with evidence of how those fruit flies fared.Over the past week, the #2009vs2019 meme challenge, alternately known as the #10yearchallenge and #HowHardDidAgeHitYou, has become the latest social media trend ripe for think piece fodder. While the challenge inspired a host of discussions about social media narcissism and gendered norms, author and consultant Kate ONeill put her own spin on the meme in a tweet raising the privacy implications of posting age-separated photos of oneself on Facebook.

Me 10 years ago: probably would have played along with the profile picture aging meme going around on Facebook and Instagram

Me now: ponders how all this data could be mined to train facial recognition algorithms on age progression and age recognition  Kate O'Neill (@kateo) January 12, 2019

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The post generated enough buzz and discussion on Twitter that ONeill expanded it into an article in Wired, in which she argued that Facebook or another data-hungry entity could exploit the meme to train facial recognition algorithms to better handle age-related characteristics and age progression predictions. She noted that the clear labeling of the year in which the pictures were taken, along with the volume of pictures explicitly age-separated by a set amount of time, could be quite valuable to a company like Facebook. In other words, thanks to this meme, theres now a very large data set of carefully curated photos of people from roughly 10 years ago and now, ONeill wrote.

While ONeills perspective seems to have elicited generally favorable reactions on Twitter, some tech journalists and commentators questioned the premise. Writing in New York magazine, Max Read argues, If youre one of the 350 million people or so whos been on Facebook since 2009or if youve uploaded older photos to the platform after joiningthe worlds biggest social network already knows what you look like now, in the past, and probably in the future, too. Indeed, Facebook automatically collects data from pictures that users upload for its facial recognition features. You actually have to opt out of the service to keep this biometric info private. Read further posits that if Facebook were to engineer a meme trend like #2009vs2019, the goal would more likely be to boost its stagnant user engagement numbers, rather than to improve its facial recognition software.

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Facebook has also denied that this challenge was part of a larger scheme:

The 10 year challenge is a user-generated meme that started on its own, without our involvement. Its evidence of the fun people have on Facebook, and thats it.  Facebook (@facebook) January 16, 2019

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To be clear, everyone in this debate agrees that theres no evidence at all that Facebook engineered this meme trend with the goal of harvesting data for its facial recognition software. ONeill writes that her tweet was meant to be semi-sarcastic and that the point of the article was not to specifically accuse Facebook of any impropriety, but rather to raise awareness about the importance of human data and how it can be used. So its best to evaluate ONeills postulate as a thought experiment. Would the #2009vs2019 challenge be particularly useful to Facebooks facial recognition software?

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Most companies that employ facial recognition technology, including Facebook, find it useful for matching images of people with their identities. Quantity is usually more important than age separation in this case. For an entity like Facebook  the more images of a person you can get, the more effectively you can build a profile for them, says Jake Laperruque, who serves as senior counsel at the Constitution Project and does work with facial recognition and privacy. [Facebook] already has a mass database of photos, which is what they really want. He also noted that recent pictures would be more useful.

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The question becomes more complicated if we take as a given that Facebook is developing age recognition and progression technologies. Theoretically, the data extracted from this meme could help such technologies become more sophisticated. Any time you have multiple pictures of an individual in different poses, indoors and outdoors, thats really useful, says Anil Jain, a computer science professor at Michigan State University who studies biometric recognition. But to make the system tolerant to time differences, we also need multiple faces of people at different ages. Jain adds that this would be most useful for identifying other old pictures of a person, as face recognition technologies tend to see a significant dip in performance in trying to match images of people taken more than seven years apart.

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But how much would this actually help in Facebooks case? Hard to say. In truth, we dont really know much about any specific age-related facial recognition initiatives at Facebook. Alexis C. Madrigal writes in the Atlantic, however, Facebook isnt building an age-progression machine-learning system; it almost certainly already has one. The idea, again, is that having people post age-separated photos in this limited meme context really isnt going to augment whats already possible with Facebooks massive trove of user pictures.

We do know that Microsoft developed a site in 2015 that tried to guess the ages of people who submitted photos, though there were reports that it was missing some ages by decades. A startup in the U.K. is also currently piloting a facial recognition system at grocery stores that can supposedly detect whether a customer is old enough to purchase alcohol, but the results of the trial have not been publicized.

While the plausibility of a #2009vs2019 facial recognition scheme is still under debate, the impulse to be wary of biometric data collection is a step in the right direction. Says Laperruque, People are taking the right approach to start wondering about these things when they give companies their data and biometric information, but Facebook has been without permission opting individuals into their facial recognition for many, many years.President Trump on Thursday notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he was postponing her previously undisclosed trip to Europe and the Middle East, ostensibly because of the partial government shutdown. The move appeared to be in retaliation for a letter Pelosi sent to Trump on Wednesday asking him to reschedule the State of the Union address, scheduled for Jan. 29, until after the government has reopened (or to deliver his address in writing), citing the number of currently furloughed workers who would be involved in the planning and security work.

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Trumps letter read, Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.

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Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, he added, that would certainly be your prerogative.

Its unlikely Pelosi would take a commercial flight in lieu of the military transport that had been arranged. According to Politico, Pelosis trip to Afghanistan had been kept secret because of security concerns, and she was set to leave on her trip later Thursday. While in Afghanistan, she was to meet with members of the military, as Trump did when he went to Iraq during the shutdown last month.

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In a statement responding to Trumps announcement, Pelosis office denied that she planned to travel to Egypt. A spokesman explained, The Congressional Delegation to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest. In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key alliesto affirm the United States ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance.

The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation and thanks to our men and women in uniform for their service and dedication, and to obtain critical national security and intelligence briefings from those on the front lines, according to the statement.

Trump has not otherwise responded to Pelosis letter, and according to Politico, the administration believes the government could still conduct a State of the Union address during a shutdown. But it remains unclear if Pelosi would simply cancel the event herself, as it is her role as speaker to invite, or disinvite, the president to give the address. Earlier in the day, Pelosi said she requested the SOTU postponement because she and other Democrats did not want security officials to work the event without pay.

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In response to Trumps statement, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called the decision to postpone Pelosis trip a petty move and unworthy of the president of the United States. Sen. Lindsey Graham took the opportunity to criticize Pelosi without supporting Trumps response: One sophomoric response does not deserve another, he tweeted. Speaker Pelosis threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political.

Other government trips will, it appears, continue as planned. A White House official told NBC News that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will lead a delegation to Davos, Switzerland, next week for the World Economic Forum, as was planned. [Update, 6:27 p.m.: The White House has now canceled that trip.]

The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, is now on its 27th day, with no indication of ending soon.President Donald Trump has reportedly backed off for now from a proposal to invoke emergency powers under federal law or any inherent constitutional authority to build a wall along Americas southern border, even though Congress has refused to accede to this request. Still, Trump is maintaining that he retains the authority to make such a move, and its possible the frenetic commander in chief could change his mind again and whipsaw our nation into crisis the moment he gets impatient or feels slighted. Commentators, meanwhile, have rightly warned just how many federal laws actually do authorize certain kinds of emergency actions by a president. Others have pointed out differences between the current circumstances and other historical moments, such as Trumans seizure of steel mills during the Korean War, or even Lincolns invocation of a national crisis to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.*

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But what is missing in this discussion is sufficient attention to the long-standing, fitful relationship between executive power and the countrys deep-rooted problems of inequality and prejudice. Sure, Lincoln may have cited an emergency to liberate slaves in the seceding states, but many more presidents have claimed crisesreal or manufacturedto target political and ethnic minorities outright, or to impose unequal burdens on them. Just think of the Roosevelt administrations shameful efforts to round up and intern individuals of Japanese ancestry based on vague fears of espionage and racist stereotypes during World War II. Or the George W. Bush administrations expansive theory of executive power after 9/11, which enabled surveillance, detention, and torturethese policies raised concerns that Muslims were being mistreated systematically, too.

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The current fight over the wall is of a piece with previous moves by the Trump administrationsuch as family separation of unauthorized migrants and the Muslim travel banand raises the same specter of expansive state power that can be marshaled against vulnerable political minorities. Like Muslim visitors, refugees and other migrants from Central and South America have been demonized as a group for the actions of a few and generally have little political power of their own to influence the debate so as to protect their own rights. Migrants have been called carriers of disease and potential perpetrators of violent crime by this openly xenophobic president. In retrospect, the description of weary migrants as armies, caravans, and invaders in recent weeks may have been rhetorically priming citizens for such a wild power play all along. And in each of these areas, Congress has not sanctioned the presidents policies, leaving him to insist that he alone has the power to fix things.

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So we shouldnt pretend that the presidents flirtation with emergency power is just about a wall. He and some of his key allies want to accomplish other things, too, acting unilaterally if he must. That includes ensuring that some immigrantsespecially those from places hes dubbed shithole countriesare treated differently from others, enabling the use of lethal force against migrants, separating family members at the border, and even processing asylum claims differently, depending on who the applicants are and where they come from. If we allow him to gin up an emergency on this occasion, it will be easier to do so for all of these other things that affect foreigners and the dispossessed.

Our legal and political tradition has ordinarily held that laws and policies must rest on empirical reality.

The difficulty of attacking this problem frontallyparticularly in the courtscan be seen in the Muslim ban outcome, where five conservative justices deferred to President Trumps judgment that national security required the exclusion of travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries. Existing jurisprudence requires evidence of malicious purpose before equal protection claims can succeed, and on the surface it might seem that building a giant concrete wall doesnt single anybody out. To make matters worse, the courts tend to treat foreigners as though they have fewer constitutional rights than citizens, despite the 14th Amendments promise to protect all persons. Some judges will look the other way when someone cries equal rights violation unless theres a smoking gun. And this is all before we toss in a potential demand for deference to the executive.

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That these challenges would emerge during an actual lawsuit doesnt disturb the fact that extraordinary power has been historically deployed against vulnerable populations and makes life miserable for them. Outside of the courts, we dont have to subscribe to a few judges parsimonious views of what equality demands. Recognizing the link between emergency power abuses and discriminatory action, then, will hopefully cause progressives to redouble political efforts to resist the current charade of Trumps vanity wall.

Yet, theres more: how we might handle such a claim of extraordinary presidential power now would have major spillover effects. It has consequences for not only policies that affect foreigners, but also other policies like Trumps ban on transgender service members, which also rests in part on a strong assertion of presidential prerogative for a blatantly discriminatory action. For an authoritarian populist like Trump, whos already skeptical of human and civil rights, successful assertions of extraordinary authority can be a slippery slope toward broader and more pernicious actions, which is why this needs to be nipped in the bud now.

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Our legal and political tradition has ordinarily held that laws and policies must rest on empirical realitya real need, not a made-up onethat government power always be justified, that we consider the scale of the emergency a president claims relative to the project he wants to undertake, and that we ask if there are other ways of dealing with the problems identified.

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If a president has invoked a law in bad faith, or has made up a crisis out of whole cloth, that should weigh heavily against allowing a policy to proceed. But its crucial to see that its not just up to judges to determine what constitutes an emergency actionrather, we all have a part to play in helping to determine when its reasonable for a president to act on his own.

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That collective judgment will have to be expressed in many different waysby making our views known to our elected officials, by filing and deciding lawsuits if it comes to that, by pushing Congress to vote to override a presidential veto and defund such an effort. But the presidents plan doesnt just raise a concern about deliberative democracy; it also creates an opportunity to stand up for basic human dignity and equality for all.

*Correction, Jan. 18, 2019: An earlier version of this article misstated that Trumans steel mill seizure occurred during World War II. It occurred during the Korean War.Teachers and their supporters picket outside John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, on January 14, 2019. Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

In the four years that Ive been teaching, Ive seen young professional teachers like me just leave the profession because the pay and the conditions are so horrible, said Rachael Kriete, who teaches biology and AP environmental science at Downtown Magnet High School in Los Angeles. I will never be able to own a home in Los Angeles, if Im a teacher. I have had to postpone having kids because the pay is so horrible here.

This week, Kriete joined more than 30,000 other public educators in the Los Angeles United School District on the picket line. On Monday, educators represented by the United Teachers of Los Angeles called the districts first strike in 30 years after negotiations with the LAUSD failed to produce a satisfactory contract. Affecting around 600,000 students, its one of the largest labor actions by teachers since a walkout by West Virginia educators in February set off a wave of teacher protests nationwide. While their contract dispute actually predates the Red for Ed movement, as the walkout wave has come to be known, L.A. teachers have adopted the movements red shirts and use of the #RedforEd hashtag.

Like educators in many other parts of the country, those striking in L.A. cite low pay as an important concern  particularly because their city is such an expensive place to live. However, an intense debate over charter schools distinguishes this action from other entries in the Red for Ed ledger. Educators like Kriete are deeply critical of the school districts favorable stance toward the charter-school movement, and link their overcrowded classrooms and under-resourced campuses to a district preference for charters over traditional public schools.

The strike is thus rooted in a long-running battle over the explosive growth of charter schools in L.A. The state of California enthusiastically bought into the charter-school movement, and has become so associated with charters that its parent trigger law, which allows the parents of students to initiate a process that converts a struggling public school into a charter school, helped inspire a widely panned 2012 film starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, Wont Back Down. Six years after Wont Back Down screened at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Los Angeles now has 138,000 students enrolled in charter schools, the highest number in the country. UTLA now seeks to correct what they see as the citys long-term neglect of its traditional schools. The union is calling for lower class sizes, more support staff like school counselors, librarians, and social workers, and better regulation of the citys charter schools, which have proliferated despite high-profile cases of fraud and poor academic performance. Charter-school educators, it should be noted, have their own complaints. On Tuesday, UTLA announced unionized staff at The Accelerated Schools have declared a strike too  the nations second ever against a charter-school operator  and would join their peers on the picket line.

UTLAs demands put the union sharply at odds with the LAUSD school board, which has been controlled by charter-school operators and advocates for the charter-school movement since 2017. That shift in the boards makeup owes directly to the efforts of wealthy charter-school backers who, according to Governing magazine, spent around $9.4 million to get two new charter-affiliated officials on the board. The districts current superintendent, Austin Beutner, is a former investment banker who briefly served as deputy mayor in 2010, under then-mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  himself a former labor organizer turned charter-school advocate who once accused UTLA of being an unwavering roadblock to reform. As the Washington Post reported at the time of his appointment last July, Beutner has no experience in education or school administration. Like the school board officials who appointed him, however, he does have strong links to the charter-school movement  and that worries UTLA members.

Mark Campbell, who teaches English at Benjamin Franklin High School in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, told New York in an email last Friday that in my 15 years of teaching, I perceive most of us have felt abandoned by our employer. We have been underfunded, underpaid, over-tested. My school currently has no heat for its teachers and 1,500 students. Campbell, who sits on the Labor Committee of the Democratic Socialists of Americas Los Angeles chapter and is involved in his schools union chapter, criticized Beutner for his hedge fund past. He said he believes Beutner and the LAUSD school board have no intention of restoring, working toward a high functioning system of public education.

Beutner has said that the strike is not a referendum on charter schools. But the unions demands for better charter-school regulation and a cap on charter-school growth are related inextricably to its plea for more funding for traditional public education. A 2016 study commissioned by UTLA from MGT of America estimated that charter schools cost LAUSD around $500 million annually and that at the time, the oversight fees paid by charters to the school district did not cover the annual operating budget of the citys charter division. One analysis of that study, produced by the Partnership for Working Americas project In the Public Interest, concluded that traditional public schools faced a net loss of $4,957 in state funds for every student that left to attend a charter school. LAUSD currently has unrestricted financial reserves of nearly $2 billion, but the district and the union remain far apart not just on the charter-school question, but on specific strategies to reduce class size, which would require LAUSD to hire more staff.

We have been bargaining for 20 months and our big sticking points are about basic resources and the quality of the classroom and school experience. Class size is probably at the top of that list, said Gillian Russom, who teaches U.S. history at Roosevelt High School. I know personally I have two U.S. history classes of 40 students right now, and class sizes of over 40 are pretty common in secondary schools in L.A.

Russom, who serves on UTLAs board of directors, added, We have some of the highest class sizes in the nation and we serve 85 percent black and brown students. We serve 80 percent low-income students. Our students need a lot of support to improve their skills. And its just not respectful of me as an educator or of them as students to think that I can give all 40 or 42 or 45 the support they really need. Russom added that in her experience, the students who leave her classroom to attend charter schools are students who tend to be from families where they have a little bit more time and a little bit more resources and it tends to be the higher achieving students. In Los Angeles, severely disabled students are also much more likely to attend traditional public schools, not charters, and traditional schools therefore bear the bulk of the districts special education costs.

UTLA is seeking to remedy the situation by demanding the removal of Section 1.5 from their contract, which caps class sizes at 39 students in most secondary schools and 33 students in most elementary schools. The same section also allows the school district to bypass those caps, and as a result, class sizes often exceed what should be the maximum allowable limit. The districts most recent counter-proposal allocates $130 million to reduce class sizes through the hiring of new teachers and support staff, but suggests replacing Section 1.5 with a clause that revises maximum class-size caps to 46 students in some secondary schools  while still allowing the district to bypass the caps if certain economic trigger conditions are met. Jeff Good, UTLAs executive director, told New York that the union believes the triggers are easy to meet, and would allow the district to once again bypass set class-size caps the way it has for the past two decades. We call it Section 1.5 on steroids, Good said.

Pedro Salcido, LAUSDs director of policy, disputed UTLAs characterization of the districts proposal. Its factually incorrect that we want to raise class sizes, he told New York on Monday. According to Salcido, the districts counter-proposal revises the class-size cap to reflect current class-size averages. It would not raise class sizes, in other words, but keep them as they are  unless economic factors demand otherwise. Salcido says the triggers are open to negotiation.

Look, were willing and ready to negotiate when they are, he said. It takes two to negotiate and were here and ready to do that. But on Wednesday, as teachers walked out for a third day, chances of compromise seemed slim. The district has consistently maintained that its cash reserves are already pledged to other needs, and in a Monday Wall Street Journal editorial that omitted any mention of charter schools, Beutner argued that the districts hands are tied until the state government allocates more funds for the school district.

Teachers, meanwhile, told New York that they dread being away from their students. But theyre prepared to stay on the picket line until they can agree on a contract, and emphasize that theyre fighting for more than better working conditions. Low pay and crowded classrooms dont just harm teachers, after all; they undermine student learning-conditions, too.

The district has spun this to create the public perception that once again, teachers are selfish, teachers are only out for themselves. That this strike is all about money, inconveniencing the families of the students we serve. But it is not, Campbell, the English teacher, added. It is about abandoning this great social leveler. UTLA teachers know the system is not perfect. We deal with it everyday. But there is no possible way, as much as we strive, to turn this situation around if the district will not join us and Beutner has no plans to do so.

Good, UTLAs executive director, told New York on Monday that the strike is a righteous struggle for the future of public education in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, UTLA members and supporters clearly identified the forces they believe theyre struggling against: Tens of thousands of educators took their protest to the headquarters of the California Charter Schools Association. Striking charter educators from The Accelerated Schools joined them.Get More of The Gist Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to The Gist Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page.

The following essay is adapted from an episode of The Gist, a daily podcast about news, culture, and whatever else youre discussing with your family and friends.

Donald Trump knew he was under FBI investigation early on in his presidency, and as soon as he knew about it he let us know about it, tweeting a month and a half after being inaugurated that hed had his wires tapped. He had not. (In fact, a onetime Trump aide named Carter Page had been the subject of a FISA warrant because of his dalliances with Russia. But even before these specific allegations of Russian meddling were made public, Trump and his staffers had spent many news cycles battling interference charges.)

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In July 2016, Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr. contended with questions on the Sunday shows about the Trump campaigns links to Russia. Three days later, Trump weighed in on CBS about Russian involvement.

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I think if I came up with that, theyd say, Oh, its a conspiracy theory, its ridiculous. I mean I have nothing to do with Russia. I dont have any jobs in Russia. Im all over the world but were not involved in Russia, he said.

In October 2016, he dismissed allegations of Russian involvement at a rally in Tampa: I have nothing to do with Russia, folks, OK? Ill give you a written statement.

And days later saw it necessary to assert via Twitter: Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!

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All of this shows the president knew there were serious allegations of Russian involvement during the campaign. Weeks into his presidency he knew there was a federal investigation into campaign associates and Russia. Within his first four months in office he fired James Comey in part over the Russia investigation.

Youve probably read or seen countless arguments that essentially ask: How would the words and actions of Donald Trump be any different if he were indeed a Russian agent? I am here to do the opposite. I ask you to assume, for the time being, that Donald Trump is not a Russian operative, or even a willing beneficiary of Russian operations. Assume that his explanations about Russian involvement in the election (shifting though those explanations are) are centered on this premise: Donald Trump never knowingly worked with the Russians to win the election. With that as the baseline, I contend that Trumps actions and statements are at least as troubling and disqualifying as if he had been conspiring, or yes, colluding, with Russia the whole time.

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Take, for instance, the meeting that Trump took with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office a day after firing James Comey. Yes, a totally innocent and noncolluding Donald Trump decided to welcome two senior Russian officials into the Oval Office and to allow only the Russian state news agency, not American journalists, to document the meeting. Even if Trump deduced that only his wildest enemies could possibly believe that he did anything wrong to get elected, he thought the best way to make this point was to meet with representatives of the very foreign government accused of interfering with U.S. elections. In this meeting he also divulged to the two Russian officials theretofore classified intelligence concerning Israel and ISIS. Maybe he thought, Would a guilty man possibly act this way? The problem is that many observers strongly concluded Yes. That alone is a problem for him.

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Two months later, Trump traveled to the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, for his first ever meeting with Vladimir Putin. The two presidents, who, in our scenario, certainly did not commit a ruse to influence American voters, met out of the earshot or monitoring of U.S. aides. There were actually two meetings in Hamburg between these two honest actors, the second of which went undisclosed for 11 days until it was reported by security consultant Ian Bremmer. During this meeting, as the Washington Post recently reported, Trump seized his translators notes and demanded that other administration officials not be provided details of the meeting.

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Why would a president who did not do anything wrong with regard to the Russians take these steps? I dont mean this sarcastically, or as a rhetorical gambit to lead you to conclude, Ah, there is indeed no other explanation other than collusion. Really, imagine that Trump truly is blameless. And yet he acts furtively, wantonly, and in contravention of established diplomatic practice. One obvious explanation is that he has no knowledge of diplomatic practice. (Ill buy that, by the way.) Another is that he does not believe anyone will find out that he met with Putin a second time and that he did not keep notes or use his own aides. He miscalculates, as evidenced by the fact that Im discussing it here. A third supposition is that Trump must think the importance of a private communication with Putinwhich, again, has nothing to do with collusion, conspiracy, or cover-upoutweighs the perception that the president of the United States is up to something fishy.

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In other words, Trump thought that even if the fact of his meeting were to be discovered and even if its unusual circumstances would cause concern among the public or give ammunition to his critics, none of that was as important as substance of the totally above-board and non-eyebrow raising conversation he had with his Russian counterpart. This is, I will generously say, a spectacular miscalculation.

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On his way back from the G-20, aboard Air Force One, an unbothered, nothing-to-hide president gaveor as per Sarah Huckabee Sanders weighed in, as any father wouldan explanation of his sons Trump Tower meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. This statement, which asserted that campaign matters were not discussed at said meeting, was shown to be misleading at best and a lie at worst. So in our world, the world of the pure POTUS, this is an example of lighting upon a falsehood to explain a set of facts, facts that if disclosed honestly would in no way implicate the president or the campaign  and yet he went with the falsehood instead. In contributing to the Air Force One statement, Trump made one of a few calculations. A.) His misleading explanation would do more to advance his narrative of innocence, because he truly is innocent, than the actual truth would; B.) the misleading version of these innocent events would never be uncovered; or C.) if it were uncovered, it wouldnt look worse than simply offering the accurate version of this innocent meeting.

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In our scenario of an unsullied POTUS, no thought is ever given to the legitimacy of the perception that something odd was going down. Trump doesnt think reasonable people, or even unreasonable people who happen to add up to the majority of the electorate, could come to be concerned with meetings of such an odd sort.

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This is exactly why he signaled his disapproval of a Russian sanctions bill that the Senate would come to pass 982 and the House 4193. The president did not object to this bill out of fealty or obligation to the Russians. He did so because this was his constitutional interpretation, and he didnt care how it looked or who knew it. He struck out against even Republican senators who may one day sit in judgment of him. But that was all outweighed by his assertion of executive powers. Trump does not care how his interactions with Russia or Putin look because Trump knows he is operating from a place that is pure.

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This is also why, when the president met with Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in late 2017, he didnt give any credence to the growing pile of documentary evidence that Putin meddled in U.S. elections. He said he didnt meddle, Trump told reporters at the time. You can only ask so many times. I just asked him again. He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election.

Perhaps its because Trump doesnt have a guilty conscience that he cant conceive of anothers guilt. Though it does seem that Trump has an easy time of seeing the darkness in others, and he has held that out as a virtue in his tools as a negotiator. Or perhaps Trump calculates that a narrative of Putin actually meddling (but Trump not knowing about or being the beneficiary of the meddling) is too complicated for the public to process. In any event, Trump is extremely credulous of Putins explanation, or at least doesnt treat it with the scorn and suspicion he reserves for, say, Alec Baldwins unflattering impressions on Saturday Night Live.

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Cut to Helsinki. Trump has a bona fide summit with his Russian counterpart Putin. Remember, neither has anything on the other, beyond what leverage statecraft and diplomacy can deliver. But by the summer of 2018, the meeting does come amid a backdropreally a clamorof experts across all levels of government having concluded that the Russians did seek to influence the 2016 election.

Pre-summit Trump took to Twitter to bemoan the sorry state of U.S.-Russia relations, which Trump blamed on the Mueller investigation. And the Russians signed off on that.

And then Trumpagain, innocent of intent and act in this scenariostood alongside Putin. Asked about the tone and language used to confront his counterpart about election interference, Trump shared that Putin just said its not Russia. I will say this: I dont see any reason why it would be.

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Why? What would explain such credulity once you have ruled out that the president fears an inculpatory utterance? One explanation could be that he so prizes the norms of diplomatic decorum that he refused to appear confrontational while standing next to anther leader. Remember, this from a man who berated the prime minister of Canada, Americas closest ally, as dishonest and weak. Another explanation is that Trump so fervently knows that he did not benefit from Russian interference that he simply cannot imagine that the Russians interfered. Or perhaps Trump calculates that whatever he says, his supporters will believe it  so why not say there was no wrongdoing rather than wade into gray areas? That might complicate the support of the faithful.

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The White House acknowledged that whatever Trumps calculation in the moment, he should have said something slightly different, because they engaged in the post-hoc pas de deux of insisting that Trump misspoke: I said the word would instead of wouldnt.  Sure.

This quibbling over words did not change the fact that Trump stood shoulder to shoulder with the man casting a shadow over his entire presidency, and essentially embraced him without qualification. The analogy might go something like this: A man is accused by his spouse, children, co-workers, and friends of having an affair. The man then seeks out his alleged mistress and ostentatiously flirts with her at his daughters wedding. Perhaps you could say the man is so convinced of his own rectitude he goes overboard to show he has nothing to hide.

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Or you could conclude the man has foolishly misread the situation.

There are so many other examples of Trump going light on the Russians or missing an obvious opportunity to chastise the Russians for misdeeds. To take just one, his administration did issue real punishments for the Russians attempt to assassinate their former agent in Britain. But Trump never once mentioned the Skripals by name. Instead, France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. issued a joint statement, and any admonishments that did flow came from the State Department. This was an easy chance for a noncolluding president to show that he could stand tough against Russia. Why wouldnt he? Perhaps dedication to the project of improved relations with Russia got in the way. Maybe a total unwillingness to give his political enemies an inch, simply by dignifying the notion that the Russians are bad actors in any realm? One is weak; the other is obstinate. Neither are smart choices.

Perhaps Trump so enjoys tweaking his opponents that he could not help appointing as head of the Department of Justices criminal division a former employee of Alfa-Bank, who was paid to defend the Russian bank against accusations of suspicious contacts with a Trump Organization computer server during the 2016 election. These arent the acts of a guilt-laden man covering his tracks. Perhaps they are the acts of a gleeful provocateur raising the specter of a boogeyman to confuse and frighten his opponents.

Whether its to own the libs, feed his ego, ignore the perceptions, or plow headfirst into the fire, Trump (even our thought experiments innocent Trump) has acted in ways that are inexplicably self-destructive. Are we to conclude from all these examples that Trump must be guilty of being in on the job? I dont think so. There is another explanation. Donald Trump is miscalculating, foolish, incompetent, poorly counseled, impetuous, and unable to read the mood and concerns of the public. That is, frankly very much in keeping what we know about Trump, and in many ways easier to accept than the idea that he is a Russian agent. Trump in the thrall or employ of the Russians argues that he has betrayed his office. Trump as innocent of Russian influencebut acting the way he does anywayargues that he has been betrayed by his own profound inadequacies.

Listen to The Gist for free every day via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.Earlier this week, the Republican House caucus voted unanimously to condemn Iowa Rep. Steve King over comments that hed made to the New York Times about how it shouldnt be considered offensive to be a white supremacist. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who also revoked Kings committee assignments, said the far-right Iowans remarks have no place in America or in the party of Lincoln.

Then, on Wednesday, two representatives from the party of Lincoln met in Congress with a white supremacist to talk about genetics (!):

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Correct me if Im wrong, but is that Chuck C. Johnson walking with Reps. Phil Roe and Andy Harris?



Both waited for him to get through security. pic.twitter.com/ybfdK8Bwqy  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 16, 2019

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Chuck Johnson, as the Daily Beast notes, is an infamous alt-right figure who has helped raise money for the publisher of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer site and written that he doesnt believe the Auschwitz concentration camp, or gas chambers in general, ever existed. Harris and Roe, who represent districts in Maryland and Tennessee, respectively, said in statements that theyd met with Johnson to discuss DNA sequencing research, an astounding subject to have covered with a supporter of neo-Nazism given that, you know, the Nazis used genetic pseudo-science to justify the worst genocide in human history.

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Both Harris and Roe denied being aware of Johnsons history, a dubious claim given that he is a well-known D.C. figure who other Republicans have recently made headlines for associating with. Both also issued statements asserting that they do not hold any white supremacist or anti-Semitic beliefs.

The upshot of this week, at least, is that the Republican caucus now has an abundance of we didnt really mean to come across as pro-Hitler boilerplate language saved in Google Docs for the next time it happens, which will probably be in two or three days. (Incidentally, whatever Chuck Johnson ends up doing that involves increasing the number of sequenced genomes for research, as Roe put it, is probably going to be very bad too.)Listen to Slates The Gist:

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Listen to The Gist via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

On The Gist, Kirsten Gillibrand running for president.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently floated the idea of a 70 percent marginal tax rate on Americas highest earners. Thats bad for millionaires, but is it even that good for everyone else? The New Yorkers Adam Davidson argues it isnt: High taxes wouldnt rake in that much cash, and they might even scare taxpayers out of the country. Still, hes clear-eyed about the dangers of concentrated money and thinks a wealth tax (on the value of what you own, not what you make) is where its really at.

In the Spiel, you should have thought of that.

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Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook.

Email: thegist@slate.com

Twitter: @slategist

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Pierre Bienaime.Mr. Stern 

I understand the message that Slate wants to send its readers. You hate Trump - noted. I also understand that I cannot stop people from writing what they want, if they toss in a few words like allegedly or likely. But I cannot understand the zeal in trying to destroy an individual who has done nothing to deserve this tearing down. Someone who has never had an ethics complaint. Someone who supported his family though a variety of enterprises, some more successful than others, but never sinister or shady. Are you hoping that all future appointees qualifications are to have sat at a desk and pushed paper around for 30 years? Is life experience, both good and bad, somehow disqualifying? Matt is a really good person and is only serving his country. Hes also going to be back in the private sector at some point. It is a small comfort to me that the people who will want to work with him in the future are, lets hope, really unlikely readers of Slate and similar publications. I happen to like things about Slate and Im also not a fire-breathing Republican dragon, so it does distress me somewhat to read these things. I have ignored a lot of it, because it is all innuendo and/or outright BS, but you should know this is just too much. If you have a conscience, I hope you will consider reporting in a more ethical and fair manner than this article demonstrates.

Literally none of the awful things you and your co-author say are true. There is zero evidence that Matt is homophobic and if you knew how the US Attorneys office worked and how multiple law enforcement agencies participated in the McCoy case, you would not print that. Mr. McCoy has for years attempted to spin it this way and it has never taken hold, except perhaps, to the very negatively motivated and gullible. To imply that Matt had visibility and knowledge of $25 million dollars of wrongdoing is preposterous. Would you characterize a sternly worded letter as threatening? [note: obviously, yes, you did, but really?] It was well-documented that Matt is a capable and affable person. He was at the right hand of Sessions for over a year. But sure, imply that he got the current appointment because of something he said over a year prior before he worked for anyone. The particularly on television part  LOL. What does that even mean? Nothing, thats what. It does sound really suspicious if you put it that way AND when you ignore that he simply was well-liked and competent. Its not in this particular article, but the he auditioned for the job on CNN part of the past months reporting has been among the most absurdly and tragically funny part of this whole experience. Who could have imagined this turn of events? No one. Not us, that is for sure. The idea that it was some calculated plan is silly. Work through that sequence maybe, and see if it seems plausible.

It isnt really or shouldnt be that controversial to state that the Mueller investigation should stay within the parameters given. Particularly when that is said more than a year prior as the investigation is just beginning. Why would a person need to recuse oneself for that mild statement? If abundance of caution is the standard, anyone who ever spent 5 minutes contemplating the topic would need to do so. And by all means, assume that a person who speculated on a hypothetical scenario would then put some dark plan into motion, when by all accounts, the investigation is wrapping up and they [sic] eyes of the nation are upon them. Yeah, thats pretty realistic. Oh, and I guess you missed that the Supreme Court decided not to take up the temporary appointment challenge. Most organizations had given up on that angle of attack quite a while ago. Kudos to your perseverance, misguided though it may be. Finally, I dont know how you print that he is lying about the academic All-American thing, while yourself writing all of these untruths. It is truly bizarre. All of that has been explained, if you cared to find out.

About the only thing that I can applaud you for is having the guts to link your email address. I hope youll consider whether the viciousness of your reporting is warranted. Given your apparent mindset, Im sure there are many ways for your [sic] to turn the mental cartwheels to justify this. Because Trump! Its a simplistic ending to any discussion and absolves you of actual journalistic integrity. Because Trump! And integrity! And if he had a conscience himself he wouldnt be there! Thats sarcasm, btw. Matt is a conscientious and thoughtful person of integrity. I feel like I could write your articles for you. Theyre that cliched.

PS this is my work email and phone. Please do not use it in any ill manner. I like my job and I need to continue to earn a living, particularly in light of this shutdown. Thanks!Get More Whistlestop Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to Whistlestop Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page.

Listen to Whistlestop via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode of Whistlestop travels to April 1995 as President Bill Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich battle to define American democracy.

Whistlestop is Slates podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable moments from Americas presidential carnival.

Love Slate podcasts? Listen longer with Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, ad-free versions, exclusive podcasts, and more. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/plus.

Email: whistlestop@slate.com

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research by Brian Rosenwald and Elizabeth Hinson.House Republicans havent been in the minority in eight years. And in a slapstick scene on the House floor Thursday afternoon, the rust showed.

The House was voting on another stopgap bill to reopen the government, this one until Feb. 28. Nearly all House Republicans routinely have voted against House Democratic spending bills over the last two weeks in an effort to stay in lockstep with President Trumps demand for border wall funding. And its important to their messaging that they show unity against the Democratic bills.

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When the bill came up, the Democrat presiding over the House, North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield, called for a voice vote and declared the resolution passed. This is a standard majority move. Whats supposed to happen afterward, though, is for a member who wants a recorded vote to call for a recorded vote. The Republican at the lectern responsible for this task was Kentucky Rep. Brett Guthrie. Either he didnt call for the recorded vote, or Butterfield didnt hear him. (If Guthrie did say something, its certainly not audible on the C-SPAN replay.) Butterfield waited about 30 seconds and then moved on to the next item of business.

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In other words, because no roll call vote was requested, the Democratic bill to reopen the government had just passed without Republicans recording their objection. On paper, that might look like House Republicans had sided with Democrats to defy President Trump and reopen the government without wall funding.

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Some Republicans, realizing the messaging snafu that took place while they were tuned out, stayed in the chamber and tried to convince Butterfield, and Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, that Guthrie totally called for the recorded vote. Butterfield and Hoyer insisted that they didnt hear it. When Republican Whip Steve Scalise offered a series of ideas for redoing the vote, Hoyer noted that most of his members were already at the airport so, eh, sorry.

Things then got noisy. Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican Freedom Caucus member, walked over to the Democratic side, pointing at Butterfield and shouting at him that he heard Guthrie. Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, too, was shouting indiscriminately.

When GOP Rep. Jason Smith screamed at the Democrats, Go back to Puerto Rico!an apparent reference to a Congressional Hispanic Caucus trip to the island last week, where Republicans accused them of partying during the shutdownDemocrats jeered loudly.

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Eventually, Hoyer and Scalise talked privately, and Hoyer left the floor. I saw him about 15 minutes later emerging from Speaker Pelosis office, and he confirmed that hed decided to give Republicans another shot: They would vacate the voice vote and try again next week. House Republican PR failure averted.

Talking to some Republican members after the vote, they  were not so sure that Guthrie had called for the recorded vote after all.

I wear two hearing aids, so Im the worst one to ask, one member told me.

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar said he certainly saw Guthrie standing at the lectern, but didnt hear the objection. There was a lot of commotion, he said as a caveat. He said further that he had heard stories like this about Pelosis bag of tricks, and that Republicans had better wake up when theyre on the floor.

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We were warnedI wasnt here when Pelosi was in the speakership beforethat she is known for this, he said. She is known for quick votes, sending people out, all of a sudden having a [unanimous consent] vote when nobody is around. Shes known for this.

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So plenty of us now are very aware of it, he said, and [this] brings it to a point that were going to have to be on guard. And leadership is going to have to be on guard as well.

North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, the Freedom Caucus chairman, could barely disguise his grin afterward when asked whether he heard Guthrie call for the recorded vote. I think theres a question about that, he said, before saying very diplomatically: I think at this point, I have no reason to question Mr. Butterfields integrity. Lets put it that way.

I asked Meadows if this was an episode of Republicans getting used to life without the gavel.

I think there could be a little bit of that, he said. You just have to understand: You have to ask for votes.Two black men who worked at General Motors until they left their jobs out of fear for their safety have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of allowing violent levels of racism in an Ohio plant, according to a CNN report Thursday.

Marcus Boyd and Derrick Brooks experienced more than a year of constant, overt racial harassment, according to a lawsuit filed by nine black GM employees who allege the company permitted an underlying atmosphere of violent racial hate and bullying at the Toledo Powertrain plant. Some of the allegations from the lawsuit, as described by CNN and in previous reporting by the Detroit Free Press:

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 Graffiti and signs labeled the bathrooms as for whites only.

 Subordinates called the black supervisors boy, monkey, and the N-word.

 White employees called black people in the plant Dan, which, the men later discovered, stood for dumb-ass n.

 A white woman seen being amiable with a black supervisor found the words n lover scrawled on her pizza box.

 Subordinates refused to follow black supervisors directions.

 Workers told black employees to go back to Africa.

 Workers wore Nazi symbols underneath their coveralls.

 Swastikas were painted and scratched onto restroom stalls, along with stick figures with nooses around their necks.

 Black employees found graffiti saying hate blacks and blacks shouldnt be here on bathroom walls.

 White subordinates glared openly at black supervisors.

 Black supervisors were not given the same resources as their white colleagues, such as training.

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According to Brooks, when he reported specific instances of harassment to upper management, he was told to deal with the problems himself. Meanwhile, the abuse was escalating to the point where Brooks and Boyd feared for their lives. At one point, Brooks said he found gun magazines placed on his desk in an apparent threat. Someone once warned employees that one employees daddy was in the Ku Klux Klan. A handwritten message was found warning, You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang (a quotation from the Quentin Tarantino film The Hateful Eight.)

Even as the threats grew violent, upper management appeared not to take the issues seriously, the lawsuit alleges. At one point, a white employee told Boyd, Back in the day, you would have been buried with a shovel. The employee, who admitted to a union official at a disciplinary hearing to making the threat, was let off without any punishment. Boyd was pulled aside and told to let the matter go in order to get along with the other employees, he says.

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In another instance, a subordinate became frustrated over a human resources issue, yelled, and raised a metal clutch as if to strike Boyd. Boyd said in the suit he believes a strike from the object could have been fatal. The employee lost one days salary as punishment.

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The racial tension came to a head when nooses began appearing. According to the lawsuit, five nooses were found in areas where the two black supervisors worked, and each time a new one would appear, Boyd or Brooks would report the incident to GM. According to the black workers in the lawsuit, the first nooses appearance led to meetings in the plant, but the meetings focused only on violence, not intimidation or racial discrimination.

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In what may be the most damning sign of the plants culture, one former union president reported to investigators later that one white supervisor complained people were making too big of a deal about the nooses and that there was never a black person who was lynched that didnt deserve it.

After Boyd heard of a rumor that eight white employees were planning to follow him out of the plant one day and attack him, he left his job, and Brooks also quit soon after.

Employees eventually filed complaints with police and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which found last March after a nine-month investigation that GM had allowed a hostile and racist environment.

GM has disagreed with the portrayal of their own reaction to the allegations and told CNN in a statement that it closed the plant for a day after the first noose appeared to have training for the entire plant. We treat any reported incident with sensitivity and urgency, and are committed to providing an environment that is safe, open and inclusive, the statement said. General Motors is taking this matter seriously and addressing it through the appropriate court process. GM also replaced all ropes in the plant with yellow chains. According to CNN, no one has been fired over the nooses, but GM reports that several people at the plant have been fired during the process of examining harassment and discrimination in its plants.A Georgia man was arrested Wednesday and charged with a terrorist plot to attack the White House, as well as the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Hasher Jallal Taheb had been on the FBIs radar since March, when a member of member of Tahebs Atlanta-area community reported to local authorities that he had become radicalized, changed his name and made plans to travel abroad, according to court documents.

In October, the 21-year-old told an FBI information that he wished to conduct an attack in the United States against targets such as the White House and the Statue of Liberty and last month told an undercover FBI agent that they could do more damage in the U.S. rather than traveling abroad to carry out terrorist acts where they would be one of many. A week later, on Dec. 7th Taheb had a hand-drawn diagram of the White Houses West Wing in a composition notebook when he asked for help getting weapons and explosives from an undercover agent.

A week later, Taheb uploaded a 40-page manifesto to Google Docs, stressing the importance of defensive jihad and began discussing online with undercover agents an imminent attack. Taheb said he wanted to carry out an attack Thursday in D.C. and met with undercover agents in a Buford, Georgia parking lot to exchange his car for three semi-automatic assault rifles, three explosive devices with remote initiation and one AT-4, the document states. When he made the exchange for backpacks full of the weapons and explosives, Taheb was arrested.Listen to the Waves by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

Get More of the Waves Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to the Waves Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page.

Listen to the Waves via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

On this weeks episode of the Waves, Christina, Kristen, and Marcia discuss Surviving R. Kelly, a Lifetime docuseries about the R&B stars alleged abuse of young women. They reflect on the treatment of the victims stories and whether its likely to change the minds of audiencesand industry collaboratorswhove been content to ignore these charges for decades. Then, Anne Helen Petersens BuzzFeed essay on millennial burnout has dominated social media for weeksbut is the experience she describes really a generational one? The hosts unpack the sources of burnout and share their own relationships to the phenomenon. Finally, high-profile victories for Glenn Close and Nancy Pelosi have led some to suggest that a revolution is under way. Women are staying in the workforce into their 60s and 70s and rising to the top of their fields as a result. Is that changing the way we see the demographic, and is it damaging to equate power with productivity?

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In Slate Plus: Is it sexist to cheer for the Bezos divorce?

Other items discussed on the show:

 Our upcoming live show at the Sydney Opera House

 Surviving R. Kelly

 America Made an Unforgivable Pact With R. Kelly, by Willa Paskin in Slate

 After Surviving R. Kelly, #MeToo Has Finally Returned to Black Girls, by Salamishah Tillet and Scheherazade Tillet in the New York Times

 How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, by Anne Helen Petersen in BuzzFeed

 This Is What Black Burnout Feels Like, by Tiana Clark in BuzzFeed

 Heres What Millennial Burnout Is Like for 16 Different People, by Anne Helen Petersen in BuzzFeed

 I Am (an Older) Woman. Hear Me Roar., by Jessica Bennett in the New York Times

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 More Women in Their 60s and 70s Are Having Way Too Much Fun to Retire, by Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times

 Why Everyones 2019 Photos Are So Much More Attractive Than Their 2009 Ones, by Christina Cauterucci in Slate

Recommendations:

 Kristen: Wont You Be My Neighbor?

 Christina: Rachel Zeglers YouTube channel

 Marcia: Rachel Devlins A Girl Stands at the Door: The Generation of Young Women Who Desegregated Americas Schools

This podcast was produced by Cameron Drews, with help from Melissa Kaplan. Our production assistant is Alex Barasch.

Please remember to like our Facebook page. Send your comments or recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. And come to our live show at the Sydney Opera House on March 10!This post is part of Outward, Slates home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture. Read more here.

When it premiered 15 years ago this week, The L Word was a cutting-edge, if confused, lesbian drama that aired on the kind of cable that you have to pay extra for. Its legacy today, a decade out from the 2009 finale, is a magical mix of sex positivity, lesbian visibility, and dear christ, who is the showrunner?-level melodrama. Its cultural brows were delightfully uneven: Think Catherine Opie portraits and Sunny Came Home on an Olivia Cruise. Think Gloria Steinem cameos, Kathleen Hanna name-dropping, and Betty lyrics like fighting, fucking, crying, drinking. It was wonderful, and it was ridiculous. And it was the first and (geez) latest scripted television show to focus exclusively on the lives of two or more lesbians.

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Created by writer/producer Ilene Chaiken (Barb Wire, Empire), The L Word was the early aughts lesbionic answer to Showtimes gay male drama, Queer as Folk. The cast featured a combination of film icons like Jennifer Beals and Pam Grier, alongside all-star indie artists who had written, directed, or starred in small, lesbian projects. The show clearly took itself very seriouslysee its 95-minute pilotand differentiated itself from the jump with an almost entirely female cast and crew, which included several out women. This aforementioned army of lesbian tastemakers came out of the gate strong, with the debut season receiving heaps of media attention and a degree of critical acclaim. But over the course of six seasons, The L Word unapologetically became an almost surreally bizarre Melrose Place with lesbians.

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Look, its no secret the thing went off the rails by the time Xena came in to solve the Who Shot J.R.? murder mystery of Season 6. But this queer sudser ultimately broke ground by giving us more than the classic lesbian-meets-turkey-baster-quest-for-a-baby plotline. It gave us fucking for fuckings sake. And none of this Sex and the City hand-holding lesbian shit. The L Word gave us horny, cheating, masturbating, strap-on packing, libidinous women. No character better exemplified this than Shane McCutcheon (Kate Moennig). This swaggery, andro, hairdressing, slip-of-a-thing lothario (supposedly based on Sally Hershberger, hairdresser to the stars and creator of Meg Ryans shag) loved to fuck women. Shane became the heart and conscience of the show because she was a great, loyal friend, and also because she was the best lay in a three-mile radius. This representation of unabashed female sexuality still feels groundbreaking 15 years later.

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But while the show was interested in exploring the complex relationships within a chosen queer family, it was from a decidedly cisgender, femme, and mostly white perspective.

In the mid-2000s, before the present language was codified, The L Word dabbled, somewhat clumsily, with butch, trans, and gender-nonconforming characters. Ivan (Kelly Lynch) a rockabilly drag king wooed the mostly straight Kit (Grier) until Ivans gender presentation freaked Kit out and derailed the relationship. Daniela Sea arrives in Season 3 as butch bumpkin Moira about whom Chaiken said, Shes our first real butch on the showa fabulously attractive butch, but nonetheless a real butch. Oof. The show quickly shifts the butch storyline to a trans one, and Moira became the first ever series regular to transition on television. The show followed Moiras transition to Max: from taking black-market hormones, to exploring his attraction to men, to becoming pregnant as a trans man, to ultimately getting left by his partner. The show shits and shits on Max, and he is never fully incorporated into the core group. It is sloppy treatment from a program that prided itself on breaking new ground.

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The L Word also miraculously failed in representing nonwhite women. The literal handful of attempts at diversifying its lily-white crew often fizzled out: Though Beals advocated for her character Bette to be written as biracial and have Griers character rewritten as her half-sister, the show dropped Bettes racial identity thread by Season 3. There was Shanes Chicana girlfriend and fan favorite, Carmen (Sarah Shahi), who lasted two seasons before getting left at the altar. Season 4 saw the addition of Army Capt. Tasha Williams (Rose Rollins) who plays foil and unlikely lover to Alice. Tasha is black, but her love story with Alice never dips its toe into the politics of their interracial relationship, keeping the focus on Tashas ripped-from-the-headlines dont ask, dont tell story. And then there is Papi, a lady-killing Latina caricature who comes and goes in 12 episodes and is, oh yes, played by Indian-American actress Janina Gavankar.

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Yet despite all these hiccups, for our money, the show deserves praise on a number of fronts. It featured a bevy of out actors and queer celeb guests the likes of which havent been seen since: Jane Lynch, Holland Taylor, Heather Matarazzo, Toshi Reagon, Tegan and Sara, Billie Jean King, Nona Hendryx, Peaches, and Kate Pierson all co-signed Chaikens lesbian circus. It also employed lesbian directors and female auteurs behind the camera including Kimberly Peirce (Boys Dont Cry), Jamie Babbit (But Im a Cheerleader), Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S.), Rose Troche (Go Fish), Karyn Kusama (Girlfight), Mary Harron (American Psycho), and Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right).

But above all this, beyond its firsts in representation and employment, The L Words greatest gift to us is unquestionably THE CHART. You remember it: In the shows inaugural season, when its resident bisexual journalist, Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), plotted all of the lesbian relationships and one-night stands she knew of, both within her network of friends and beyond, on a white board. Think six-degrees of lesbian sex meets Myspace. Similar to Sex and the Citys New York is the fifth woman, THE CHART became its own character in the L-universe (Chaiken and Showtime even tried to capitalize on THE CHARTs moment by building it into some sort of online platform?). In one relatable gesture, The L Word boiled down the unique, interconnected essence of queer social networks: that whether by dalliance or LTR, by fellow hometown gay or elusive IG followeverybody knows everybody.

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Call us what you will (lesbian pop culture savants? mid-90s message board truthers?), recalling THE CHART got us wondering how it could be applied to real-world Hollywood lesbians and queer women. After all, even given the incestuous nature of small communities, many A-List, tip-of-your-tongue celesbians were conspicuously absent from the six-season run of Ilene Chaikens lesbian hit parade. In honor of The L Words birthday, we thought there was no better way to celebrate the show than by using the Pieszecki method (who allegedly dated, who allegedly fucked) to connect the stars of The L Word to famous queer women, from the 90s gay underground to the lesbian power players of today. Oh baby, gear up because this is gonna take two hands.

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They are all present and accounted for, with show participants marked in yellow: Music icon K.D. Lang finds herself on our chart through her five-year relationship with chart creator and series star Hailey. Fellow dykon, Melissa Etheridge puts herself on The L Word map by way of her marriage to actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, who, ironically, played the crazy ex to Moennigs Shane.

Emmy and Oscar winners? We got em. Ellen Degeneres ex (postAnne Heche), Alexandra Hedison, appeared on The L Word as Dylan Moreland, but Hedison is now married to Oscar winner Jodie Foster (who allegedly had a thing with Kelly McGillis, who maybe had a thing with Whitney Houston). Ellens current wife, Portia de Rossi was not only involved with L Word writer and sometime star, Guinevere Turner, but also with Bond girl Barbara Bachs daughter, Francesca Gregorini. And Gregorini is doubly connected by way of her short-lived relationship with Moennig. Turner, herself, was speculated to be in a relationship with the very private Tracy Chapman, and Chapman was previously in a relationship with Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker who has described their relationship as delicious and lovely and wonderful.

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Comedian Sandra Bernhard appeared on The L Word as a writing teacher to the worlds worst, Jenny Schecter. With Bernhard comes a tidal wave of 90s lesbians and bisexuals: Bernhard has allegedly been linked to Married With Children actress Amanda Bearse, model (and fellow guest star) Patricia Velasquez, and a maybe they did, maybe they didnt thing with Madonna. Madge also allegedly had a relationship with model Jenny Shimizu. Shimizu had a brief relationship with actress Ione Skye and most famously with her Foxfire co-star, Angelina Jolie.

Kristanna Loken had a Season 4 arc that saw her entangled with Moennigs Shane. In real life, Loken becomes The L Words connection to what well call Instagram lesbians. Loken was reportedly linked to Michelle Rodriguez, who allegedly dated Cara Delevingne. Delevingne is what we call a super connector and has been reportedly involved with Annie Clark, Ashley Benson, and Paris Jackson. Clark has also been rumored to be in an on-again, off-again relationship with Carrie Brownstein and out as fuck with Kristen Stewart. Brownstein also guested on The L Word and has been rumored to be in relationships with Taylor Schilling and Abbi Jacobson.

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Whew! From Oscar winners to Grammy winners, from Pulitzer Prize winners to Michelle Rodriguez, you can see The L Word really was the breeding ground for A-list celesbian relationships. But one notable exception slipped through a cutie patootiesized crack during The L Words six season run.

Of course, that cutie patootie is Koosh Ball launcher, Taboo producer, and one and only Betty Rubble, Rosie ODonnell. The stand-up comedian, actress, talk show icon, and mental health advocate is the only high-profile lesbian we couldnt connect to OUR CHART. What would the ladies of The L Word say? What would Shane McCutcheon do? Obviously, lure Rosie to The Planet and get it in. But alas, well have to wait for that rumored reboot (Chaiken, we are technically available. Please hire us!) to see if Ro will close the book on Sarah Schuster, commission a Jodi Lerner original, or come to blows with Lisa the male-identified lesbian. Until then, we remain: talking, laughing, loving, breathing.

Want more Outward? Queer your ears with our monthly podcast!Alex Berenson. Photo: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Alex Berensons book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence, has made a huge splash since its publication last week. Berenson, a journalist and novelist, wrote columns pegged to the book in the New York Times (where he used to work as a reporter) and The Wall Street Journal, and got sympathetic coverage in Mother Jones, The New Yorker (in a piece by Malcolm Gladwell), and other outlets.

This book was always going to get peoples attention. It takes what is, in 2019, a very heterodox approach to the question of pot use. In short, Berenson believes that many of the true costs of marijuana have been hidden from users, partly thanks to well-funded advocates. Most alarmingly, he argues that heavy marijuana use is linked to psychosis and schizophrenia, and therefore that its causing an increase in violence in states where its been legalized. His book is replete with stories of users  those with long histories of mental-health and substance-abuse issues as well as those who were healthy up until a sudden, explosive moment  committing horrific acts while in the throes of psychotic episodes he ascribes to marijuana use.

Many experts have disputed Berensons most important claims. I argued on Intelligencer that the claim of rising murder rates in Alaska, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon as a result of pot legalization is not well-founded. In Reason, Jacob Sullum highlighted research ignored in Berensons book which suggests that if marijuana legalization has a net impact on violence, it could run in the opposite direction. On Twitter, Ziva Cooper, research director of UCLAs Cannabis Research Initiative and a co-author on a major report on marijuana which Berenson cites frequently, argued that he overplayed the pot-schizophrenia link. And the journalist and addiction expert Maia Szalavitz (a New York contributor) wrote a thorough response for Vice.

In a conversation for Intelligencer, I asked Berenson about some of the areas where I thought he raised fair points, but also pressed him on his more controversial claims. This interview has been edited and condensed.

People at, say, a party, dont tend to ask about marijuana potency in the same way theyd monitor their consumption of alcohol. Is fixing that just a matter of changing the social norms around pot use?

I dont know the answer to that. Im not a user. What is clear biologically is that people who use cannabissome of them use a lot of ituse it in a way that would be lethal if it were alcohol, in terms of the dosing. There are people out there who regularly use 100200 milligrams of THC a day. That would be the equivalent of 4080 drinks, which nobody, even a really late-stage alcoholic, could tolerate. So, because pot is not as physically damaging as alcohol, theres a group of people who like to use really high-potency forms of it. I dont think its about them not knowing what theyre getting. I think they know exactly what theyre getting.

[Szalavitz disagrees with this comparison: On that dose of alcohol, even a highly tolerant person would be dead, she writes in an email. But of course, there is no lethal dose of THC and people who take a lot of it do develop extremely high tolerance. You cant measure impairment by dose.]

Im also sympathetic to the idea that pot companies have the same incentives as any profit-making enterprise. How do you reverse the trend of journalists and advocates treating them like allies because theyre seen as being on the right side of a legalization battle?

I think that [they] should go look at the history of tobacco and alcohol companies in the United States. Those companies fight for low taxes, wide availability. You could buy cigarettes out of a vending machine for most of the 20th century. So, the people who run those companies want to make money, and theyre gonna downplay the risks whenever they can. I dont understand how journalists dont realize that.

Photo: Simon & Schuster

Now to the critiques. You make some casual claims about legalization. At one point you write that a certain finding might also be evidence that cannabis was causing more mental illness in Colorado and other high-use states as early as 2007. But one of your books headline arguments is that in Colorado, which legalized in 2014, legalization ticked off a big increase in murder. So how could it be the case that one of the ill-effects started arising seven years ago, but that murder 

Youve clearly read the book very carefully, and kudos. But I dont say that I know that that happened in Colorado in 2007. What is clear is that recreational legalization had several effects: It increases use. That is clear from the Colorado data. [It] lowers prices, it increases availability, it drives up heavy use. And it also does let some people who would not have used at all use. Richard Kirk [who shot his wife in a psychotic state after eating a potent candy edible] is an example of this. He told me  this is his self-reported statement  I never bought at a medical dispensary. I was not gonna go get a medical authorization card. But when retail dispensers opened in Denver in 2014, his back was hurting, he stopped at a retail dispensary, and got himself an edible that made him psychotic. That would not have happened in a non-retail-legal state. Similarly, Joseph Hudek [who had a violent episode on a Delta flight after consuming edibles] was not a resident of Washington State. He wouldnt have been able to get a medical card on his way from Tampa to Seattle to Beijing. He would not have been able to buy in Washington State if recreational sales were not legal.

One study from Rand shows that adolescent pot use dropped a small, but statistically significant amount among eighth graders and 10th graders in Washington following legalization, while no change was observed among 12th graders. Are you open to the idea that theres a little bit of complexity to the effects of legalization?

The data is pretty strong showing that full legalization increases use and increases heavy use. Now, maybe kids 1217 are exempt from that because theyre getting their cannabis from a different source. [In Washington, the legal purchasing age is 21]. Theyre getting it illegally. But overall, it drives up use. Certainly the data from Colorado is clear on that. And the other thing is, my argument is complicated in terms of marijuana causing psychosis and psychosis causing murder. Marijuana doesnt cause psychosis in everybody right away. That is obviously way too simplistic. It is also clear it accelerates the development of severe psychosis in vulnerable people. I dont think that its arguable at this point. You can look at really good data that shows that people who use develop schizophrenia years earlier, on average, than people who dont. Okay? So youre not gonna see an impact necessarily from rising use in the first six months, or year one. Its gonna take a little while.

But youre saying you do see it as soon as legalization hits. Thats your whole argument.

No, no, no. Im saying you see it in 2017. Four years after recreational dispensaries opened in Colorado, you see an increase in crime.

Sure. I dont wanna misquote you here, but my sense of your argument was not that theres legalization and then theres slow ramping up. You say it right here [in the Times op-ed]: Those states have seen sharp increases in murders and aggravated assaults since 2014. You dont say theres a period of buildup and then the murder rate goes up. Or am I misunderstanding?

I compared 2014 to 2017. Thats where the increase comes from. I do not say that the dispensaries open and suddenly blood starts flooding the streets. Thats clearly not true.

It clearly drives violent crime, in some cases. But on a population-level basis, Id say that argument is not proven. Im sure Ill be accused of walking stuff back, but the book says exactly this.  Alex Berenson

To your credit, you acknowledge that youre making sort of an X causes Y, Y causes Z argument with regard to marijuana use and psychosis and murder. But researchers have looked directly at this very question. Jacob Sullums Reason post highlighted about a half-dozen studies that all seem to link legalization to no change or reduction in violent crime. And these studies can factor in different effects pushing in different directions. For example, the impact of breaking up black markets could counteract the psychological impacts you describe.

I included studies in the book that I felt were the best. And those generally looked at individual data for individual users with or without psychosis, and were large and had rate ratios. Those are most of the studies in the book. I think that epidemiological studies are weaker than trying to track the behavior of individual people, and that is not an outlier position in the social sciences.

I know you have problems with these specific studies, but it puts you in a vulnerable position not to have referenced them at all. You could have taken two pages and said, These six studies seem to show the opposite of what Im arguing but theyre bad.

Most of those studies actually, I think, are focused on property crime. Looking at violent crime at a county level is pretty hard, because violent crime is relatively rare. Im not just talking about assault; I specifically define violent crime in the book. Its murders and aggravated assault. [Note: Sullum quotes directly from all the studies in his Reason post, and yes, they all deal with violent crime, though some deal with property crime, too.]

If youll allow me a more nit-picky objection  but one that I think points to broader potential bias: You quote the researcher Marcus Bachhuber, writing, The story that people substitute cannabis for prescription opioids is really common. Ive never seen it harm anyone. Then you harp on the fact that he said never, which you describe as an advocates word. But 22 pages later, you have another doctor, Melanie Rylander, saying, In eleven years of practicing psychiatry, I have yet to convince anyone that marijuana is causing problems for them, which is just another way of saying, Ive never convinced anyone of that. It reads like you didnt have problems with that second expert using similar language because her argument supports your theory.

You know what, thats a fair point. If Bachhubers coming from his personal experience, hes got the right to say what hes seen, just like Melanie Rylander. The bigger point in the Bachhuber section is that journalists accepted his findings and have not even noticed that if you go past 2010, the finding disappears. So, thats the important point.

Wouldnt some of your worries about things like potency be better addressed within a heavily regulated legal-market framework?

I think that thats a nice theory, but unfortunately  and I think Canada is already seeing this a little bit  if you dont let the market supply people with pure THC products or high-potency flower, and thats what people want, then you just wind up with a regulated market and a bigger black market. This is clearly a market where users have preferences. Concentrate sales are way up. If youre gonna have a market where everybody wants to drink Everclear, and nobody is allowed to get it, then youre gonna have a lot of moonshine. People generally dont like super-high-potency alcohol, they have to dilute it. That doesnt seem to be the case with super-high-potency cannabis. People like it. They want to use it.

Last question: What do you think is the biggest counterpoint to your claims?

Id say theres two. One is that we dont know yet whether cannabis is actually driving the violent crime increases in these states. It clearly drives violent crime, in some cases. But on a population-level basis, Id say that argument is not proven. What I say in the book is people on the legalization side need to stop saying incorrectly that legalization will reduce or has reduced violent crime. That is clearly not true. Im sure Ill be accused of walking stuff back here. Im not. The book says exactly this. And then the other thing I think people could criticize, people say, When you bring up this issue, you dont have great policy answers. And I suppose that thats true. I dont have great policy answers. This is a really complicated question. But what I do think is that we need to start being honest about these risks.The night we first kissed, Andrew and I were at a crowded bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The walls were painted maroon, and it was filled with college kids drinking craft beer out of stemmed glasses. Andrew had gotten a babysitter for his 3-year-old daughter, Amaia. It was the first time hed done so since his wife had died several months earlier. We sat on stools, opposite a tall mahogany table, and leaned toward each other. I had driven from Brooklyn, at his encouragement, so that we could talk in person.

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Id met Andrew, his wife, and their daughter for the first time the previous winter, through my then-boyfriend. Amaia had just turned 3 and had arresting blue eyes and the sweetest lilt in her voice. Within minutes of my meeting her, shed climbed into my lap, handed me a copy of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and demanded that I read to her. I was instantly taken with her.

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Andrew and I had gotten to know each other later, over email, after his wife had passed away. I sent Amaia a care package, and Andrew had responded with a thank-you note, which got lost in the mail for two months. By the time I found ita small purple envelope on the floor of my apartment buildingmy boyfriend and I had broken up. I had also recently lost my grandparents, and the correspondence began as meditations on grief and Andrew and Amaias unspeakable loss. Sometimes Id send him book recommendations, or wed talk about how frustratingly nonlinear mourning could be. Gradually, the emails morphed into a daily correspondence. I began to share the difficulties of my day as a social worker, the heartbreak when a client of mine was sentenced to a decade in prison. He talked about his graduate studies and how Amaias delight and excitement about anythinggummy bears, her doll Henry, a pretend cellphonewas a shot of light through his sorrow. I began to check my inbox compulsively. Sometimes Id open his emails and read them backward, starting down at the very bottom, an attempt to mitigate my own disappointment when they came to the end.

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After some months of emailing, I convinced a friend to visit Boston with me. We stayed with her family for the weekend, and I met Andrew and Amaia in Cambridge for lunch. Amaia greeted me at the door. She was exuberant, dressed in red-and-white-striped leggings, with stickers of ice cream cones on her cheeks. Hi Kate! She elongated my name so that it was two syllables and then led me around her apartment like a jovial little real estate agent. Isnt it beautiful? she asked, and she showed me her bedroom. She pointed to the stuffed animals that crowded her bed and then to a picture of her as a toddler, being held by her mother. Wasnt I cute? she asked. She introduced me to her two dogs, whom she picked up lovingly and cradled against her chest. These are my Maltese, she said.

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We ate dumplings on Mass Ave., and Andrew and I tried to thread a conversation beneath Amaias stream-of-consciousness exclamations. There is a girl named Sofia in my class! Isabelas mom has a baby in her belly! I want a cup of water! A different cup! Another straw! That kid is eating chicken and broccoli!

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Later, when it was time for Amaia to nap, I hugged both of them goodbye. The drive back to New York took six hours, long enough for me to analyze every aspect of my interactions with Andrew. There was a moment right before I pulled out of his driveway that he stopped me and said Id forgotten something. It was an empty blue gift bag from CVS that clearly I didnt need. That had to mean something, I asked my friend, right?

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A couple of weeks passed and our communication shifted from email to text to phone calls before bed. I visited again. That was the night we sat at the bar in Cambridge, and I wrapped my fingers around a glass of whiskey. This feels crazy, I said, and I stared at his hands, the silver wedding band he wore on his finger. To start dating long distance while he was still in the early months of navigating his loss and newly single parenthoodit was hard to fathom.

We couldnt deny there was a current between us. Just making eye contact with him made me feel dizzy with affection. Well start slow, he said, and see where it takes us. We walked back to his apartment just before midnight. It was late October and chilly. I snuck my hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

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At the door to his apartment, where the babysitter sat inside watching Netflix, we kissed and I felt it before I thought it: Something big is happening. I took a taxi back to a friends house and collapsed into bed, fully dressed.

I imagined his late wife walking into the apartment, indignant and demanding I leave.

I went back to their apartment the next morning. Andrew had just made French toast and was serving it to Amaia. Do you want to watch me pour my own syrup? she asked. I did! She spilled it all over her plate and onto the table, and laughed. We went to the neighbors house and sat on the porch while Amaia carved pumpkins with their two children. They handed me and Andrew mugs of coffee, and the kids marveled at the slimy insides of the pumpkins, rubbing the seeds between their fingers. Andrew smiled and brushed his hand against my leg. It was an exquisite fall day, brisk and sunny. Leaves scattered on the sidewalk, and I felt a swell of nausea, and then my heart started to beat rapidlyprecursors, I knew, to a surge of panic. I sat quietly and tried to resist, but after a few minutes I politely excused myself and went inside to use the bathroom. I sat on top of the closed toilet seat and took slow, deliberate breaths. Youre fine, youre fine, youre fine. Each time the adrenaline seemed to subside, it spiked again. Eventually, I went back to the porch and told them I had to leave, my plans had changed and I needed to be back in New York by late afternoon.

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The moment I got into my car, the panic abated. I spent the next several hours trying to figure out what had happened. We had a great weekend, I said to my cousin over the phone. I have no idea what I have to feel anxious about. But she laughed, and later it seemed obvious. Andrew and I had only kissed, but I knew that if I wanted to have a relationship with him, with them, my life would have to look radically different. I had just turned 31, and I had never had a boyfriend who had asked much of me. My time was my own: to have dinner with my friends, to stay inside on a sunny afternoon and read, or to go to an overpriced exercise class after work. Andrews life was shaped by play dates and naps and circus class and baking group, by avoiding meltdowns and squeezing in time for a run. And that was just the regular, quotidian stuff, not taking into account the trauma they were contending with or what it meant to care for a child who had just lost her mother.

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But I kept visiting. I felt the thrill of Amaias reaction to whatever I bought for her when I came to see them: stickers that smelled like pizza or cupcakes, glow-in-the-dark temporary tattoos, a plastic trumpet. We walked the dogs around the neighborhood, and Amaia greeted neighbors like she was the mayor making roundsMorning, hope you have a good day! Hows your day going so far? At night, Andrew turned into an emcee and beatboxed so that Amaia could dance. She shrieked with excitement in her footie pajamas and hopped around in circles, twisting and shaking her legs. Later, I sat cross-legged on the rug in her bedroom, while she and her dad curled up in the rocking chair and read a story. The scene was so idyllic my chest felt like it would crack open. And yet there was also the absence of her motherAndrews wife who was simultaneously missing and everywhere.

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She was all over the apartment, her belongings like artifacts of a different life: her coconut-scented shampoo in the shower, her handwriting on the whiteboard calendar in the kitchen, a pair of black leather boots by the front door. There were the wedding photographs throughout the home, one a solemn and beautiful black-and-white portrait, fixed behind the dining room table. On the side of the refrigerator, a picture of Amaia and her mom looking up at the camera with the same impatient and knowing stare, eager to go back to reading.

One night, after Amaia had gone to bed and Andrew was asleep beside me, I lay awake on the futon. Remnants from the day were scattered around the living room: crayons and a superman costume, magnetic tiles strewn on the carpet. My life felt inexplicably full, and I was awash in gratitude. And then I imagined his late wife walking into the apartment, indignant and demanding I leave. Who did I think I was bounding into her home, eating dinner off of her plates, sleeping with her husband, giving her daughter a bath?

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There was an undercurrent of grief in the home, and I was woozy with love. It felt, in moments, perverse and shameful. But it was also true that in the wake of their loss, something else, tiny and fragile, was being nurtured.

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Andrews grief swelled up periodically and kept me at a subtle distance.

For the next several months, I kept my visits to Cambridge short because if I stayed past 36 hours I would panic again. Going to the playground and standing beside Andrew as he pushed Amaia on the swings, I felt blissful until I didnt, until my stomach churned and my thoughts spun. Who was I, and what was I doing with them? When I picked Amaia up from a play date or attended a Seder where her mothers close friend was present, I could only see myself through the friends skeptical eyes. As I blew on a matzah ball, trying to cool it down for her, I feared I was performing motherhood in a way that others would view as fundamentally inauthentic. It felt both naturalI didnt want her to burn her tongueand also manufacturedwasnt that a thing that mothers were supposed to do? Once, at a drugstore, I instinctively bought Amaia a purple electric toothbrush, decorated with little figures. But then I hesitated before giving it to her. I texted Andrew, wondering if it was too maternal a gift. Something as utilitarian as a toothbrush was not something your dads fun friend brings you as a treat.

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I kept visiting, and some of the anxiety subsided. But I also didnt really have to do the hard stuffI could quietly turn away during the meltdowns, sit in the living room and read on my phone, while Andrew was managing a tantrum. On the way home from the park one afternoon, Amaia stopped walking and demanded that her dad get her apple cider, immediately. Immediately! She would not move until she got it. Eventually Andrew picked her up and carried her back to the apartment screaming. He was exhausted and frustrated. I was struck by her new use of the word immediately! I found it adorable, but mostly because it wasnt my problem. Sometimes on the train rides back to Brooklyn, Id feel the palpable relief of having time to myself, catching up on sleep Id missed over the weekend, or just sitting in the quiet.

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A year after wed first started dating, Andrew and Amaia came to visit me. Andrew had plans on his own to see a play that evening. It was my first time doing dinner and bedtime without him. The three of us spent the day walking around Dumbo and rode the carousel several times. By late afternoon, just before Andrew headed into the city, I started to feel queasy. Amaia and I took the train back to my neighborhood, and I was overcome with nausea. I was certain I was going to throw up, and then I was spiraling; how could I care for Amaia if I was sick? Who would make her dinner? How would she get to bed? We got back to the apartment, and I realized we were locked out. Amaia was starving, and I was panicked. We went to the deli across the street, and Amaia slurped a pouch of yogurt, while we waited for a friend to let us in.

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That was a little scary, Amaia said, before getting into bed. You were very brave, I told her and kissed her goodnight. And then I poured myself a glass of whiskey and leaned against the kitchen counter and cried. I was exhausted and defeated, and I wondered if maybe I wasnt cut out to be responsible for a child.

Id spent so much time with friends and their children, marveling at their tiny newborn hands or beatific toddler smiles. Id never questioned my desire to be a parent. For years I felt a magnetic pull toward babies on the street or the subway; my insides lit up at the sight of them. I couldnt imagine loving Amaia more than I did, but I also feared I would continue to fall short, and I worried that my anxiety was fundamentally incompatible with parenthood. What if my panic attacks were trying to alert me to somethingthat maybe this wasnt right?

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But we hurtled forward, and some days I felt myself turning into something like a parent. There was the day Amaia lost her first tooth; I was on the subway when I received a picture of her beautiful, gummy smile. I was elated and breathless looking around the train, wishing there was someone I could show. Or the first time I sat with her as a tantrum subsided, how she held onto me and wept, her hair damp with sweat. How she started requesting me at bedtime, wanting to hear stories from when I was a little girl. There was the time she said, I hope you stay forever, after Id arrived for the weekend, and I felt something inside of me irrevocably expanding.

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I still craved that solitary time on the train ride home, but after an hour of reading or responding to emails, Id find myself just looking at pictures of her or watching videos of her dancing, the way her eyes lit up when the music started.

My relationship with Amaia is still changing every day. But at some point caring for her stopped feeling performative, and just was.

Andrew and I knew that a long-distance relationship wasnt sustainable and early on talked about one of us moving. For many months we were at an impasse, and our relationship felt doomed, but being a graduate student, Andrew had some flexibility, and they decided to spend the summer in Brooklyn.

The first few days of living in the same place were thrilling. There was something so luxurious about the lack of urgency, when urgency had once been a marker of our time together. But we were also in the midst of big transitions. There was Andrews grief, which swelled up periodically and kept me at a subtle distance. Sometimes when I felt his focus drift away, I wondered if he was thinking about his first lifethe one he so lovingly built, only to have it decimated. There were periods, early on, where I waited for him to break up with me. I feared our relationship was merely a balm for his suffering, a distraction from his sadness, which swelled up more acutely around the anniversary of his wifes death. I was mindful about giving him space around that time, and we didnt see each other for several weeks before and afterward. I often felt riddled with anxiety, certain he was going to realize it was too soon.

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And the disruption of Amaias routine was hard; she missed her friends in Cambridge and sitting on her porch, chatting with neighbors down the street, and she channeled her distress in challenging ways. I tried to adjust to being a more full-time caregiver and struggled when I was the recipient of her outrage after I accidentally purchased the white mac n cheese instead of the orange. I also didnt know how painful it would be to drop her at camp in the mornings when she was tearfully pleading with me to stay. Nor was I expecting how excited Id be to see her at the end of each dayso eager that sometimes I snuck out of exercise class a couple of minutes early while everyone else was still stretching. As the summer ended, Andrew and I decided they would stay in Brooklyn for good.

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Most of my friends had become parents in an instanttheir lives shockingly transformed after a birth. But for me, there was no singular moment when I felt myself suddenly embody the parent role. My relationship with Amaia is still changing every day. At some point caring for her stopped feeling performative, and just was. I think often of that Hemingway quote, it happened gradually and then suddenly. There are moments when I feel completely immersed in parenthood, delicately scraping dirt from her toenails or cupping chewed-up, rejected food in my palm. I feel stung when people say things like, Youll understand when you have your own children. But other times, when Im desperately coercing Amaia into finishing her broccoli, or managing a meltdown because she dropped a very special furry pen into a puddle on the sidewalk, Im completely overwhelmed. Some days I feel so exhausted, like Ive been thrust into something Im totally unprepared forif not emotionally, then at least logistically. In these moments, I fear that Amaia is being cheated and I wonder if a biological parentor at the very least a more experienced onewould provide a well of patience or wisdom that I do not.

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But were working through it. Some mornings I bring Amaia to school, and I hesitate for a moment before signing my name on the parent drop-off sheet. I am not her parent, I think often, but Im not not her parent. People often mistake me for Amaias mother, and sometimes she corrects them, sometimes she doesnt. Navigating language is tricky for both of us; terminology can be useful, but labels can also feel burdensome and reductive. Stepmom doesnt feel quite right, but neither does dads girlfriend. I imagine that when Amaia gets older, well have more nuanced and deliberate conversations about my role and also about her mother, who loved her bottomlessly.

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A few weeks ago I picked Amaia up from after-school. She had orange marker smeared on her face and was holding a balloon that she had decorated to look like a cat. Kate! she said. I was at the library today, and I saw a book about a family that is just like ours.

No way! I said. Lets read it together. We hugged, and she handed me the balloon.

At home, I searched various permutations of loss of a parent or parents new partner, but I couldnt find the book. A family like ours. I wondered what she meant by this, or what about it had resonated with her, but maybe it didnt matter. Amaia had already forgotten about it and was dancing around the living room, hopping on one foot and swinging her arms into the air.Many Golden Globes viewers were taken off guard last week when Lady Gagathe assumed Best Actress front-runner since A Star Is Born was just a twinkle in Bradley Coopers eyelost to Glenn Close for The Wife. You might have heard several million Globes watchers cry out at once, The what?

The Wife, after all, was an August release that went mostly unmentioned in most publications year-end coverage, including Slates own. When Closes win was announced, one New Republic writer even congratulated Delta Air Lines for being the only place where you can see The Wife, and while that wasnt technically accurate (you could also see it on, for example, United), it spoke to a larger truth about how few people had seen and could see this movie. So, for the millions of Americans who havent seen The Wife, weve put together this guide.

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WaitGlenn Close could really win for The Wife?

Definitely! Indeed, according to respected prognosticators like Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter and the awards tracker Gold Derby, she just became the new front-runner. Its true that the Best Actress award often crowns promising ingenues: Think Emma Stone for La La Land in 2017, Brie Larson for Room in 2016, and Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook in 2013. But just as often its given to beloved veterans in middling or controversial fare, like Frances McDormand for Three Billboards last year, Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine in 2014, and Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady in 2012. And thats especially true when theyre overdue, as when Julianne Moore won in 2015 for Still Alice. Closes six Oscar nods and zero winsmany of those nominations for films we still remember like Fatal Attraction and The Big Chillwill work in her favor.

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OK, but is she good?

Shes sublime!

Lets take a step back. What is this movie about exactly?

Its an adaptation of Meg Wolitzers novel of the same name. Close plays Joan Castleman, the second wife of a philandering, narcissistic author (played by Jonathan Pryce) on the verge of accepting the Nobel Prize for literature. Shes thrilled for him but disappointed that shes only seen by the world, and maybe even by her children, as his wife. But soon, we get inklings that Joan deserves a lot more credit for his success than letting him know when hes got crumbs in his beard.

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So whats so good about her performance?

The layers! Close makes you feel every year of the nearly four decades the couple has been togetherever since he was her creative writing professoras well as every sediment of pride, rage, resentment, isolation, and co-dependence in their relationship.

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Wow, that sounds great! So I should see it right away?

Probably not.

Huh?

Closes sensational, understated performance is the main reason the movie reached an 84 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not that thats the only thing its got going for it: Its handsome (if unexceptional-looking), and its subject matter fits right in with the #MeToo zeitgeist. (Its not even the only 2018 movie about the reality that many writers wives have played an essential role in their husbands achievements.)

So why shouldnt I see it?

It feels more like an allegorical fable than a nuanced portrait, with Joan and her husband resembling figures in a cautionary tale more than believable characters. Plus, its tone is confusing: Its neither a triumphant crowd-pleaser nor an emotionally complex art-house film. Instead, its something unsatisfying in-between. I could get say more, but Id be getting into spoilers 

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Maybe you should spoil away for those who probably wont see it anyway?

It turns out that Joan was the virtuoso who wrote her husbands novels, and he was mostly happy for the world to fete his genius. She thought she could live with the lie, but during his Nobel acceptance speech, she hits her breaking point.

What if I still want to see it?

The movie is back in more theaters now after its Globes win: It expanded from playing in 10 theaters to playing in 156 the following weekend, so thats good news if you live near a major city and want to see it in on the big screen. But that also means it may be longer before its available for streaming.

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OK, but should Close win?

Sure! Her performance is masterful, and Close has for too long been an underrated (and underscheduled) actress. Ranking performances is always a bit silly, but this one is certainly worthy. Even if Id personally rather give it to Olivia Colman for The Favourite, Id be happy with either of them winning.

Other than Closes performance, is there any other reason to care about this movie?

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Probably! In her Golden Globes speech, Close said that it took 14 years to make this filmshe thinks its because its called The Wife. The IMDb lists more than 200 projects with the word wife in the titleas many as the number of movie and TV show titles with the meaningless descriptor American in thembut Closes larger point about the difficulty of getting cinematic stories about (especially older) women off the ground remains an important one. Hollywood is still relegating actresses to old-fashioned supportive-spouse roles, and The Wife chooses to instead decry the sublimation of female creativity so that men can continue patting one another on the back. Its certainly a relevant story. Too bad its not a better told one.Our oceans broke heat records in 2018 and the consequences are catastrophic

Posted on 17 January 2019 by John Abraham

Last year was the hottest ever measured, continuing an upward trend that is a direct result of manmade greenhouse gas emissions.

The key to the measurements is the oceans. Oceans absorb more than 90% of the heat that results from greenhouse gases, so if you want to measure global warming you really have to measure ocean warming.

There are other ways to measure climate change, but none are as convincing as the oceans. Air temperatures are most commonly reported in the media as evidence of global warming, but the problem with these is they are very erratic. While there is certainly a long-term trend of higher air temperatures, any given year may be warmer or colder than the last.

So oceans are key, and they are telling us a clear story. The last five years were the five hottest on record. The numbers are huge: in 2018 the extra ocean heat compared to a 1981-2010 baseline amounted to 196,700,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules. The current rate of ocean warming is equivalent to five Hiroshima-size atomic bombs exploding every second.

The measurements have been published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences in an article by Lijing Cheng, the lead author, and his colleagues from the Institute for Atmospheric Physics in China. His collaborators, of which I am one, included researchers from around the world. The article charts ocean heat back to the late 1950s, showing a steady increase.

Ocean warming is incontrovertible proof of global warming, and there are real consequences to a warming ocean. Firstly, warmer water expands, and this expansion causes sea levels to rise. Approximately a third of the rise in ocean waters is a result of the heat absorbed by the oceans. Scientists expect about one metre of sea level rise by the end of the century, which would be enough to displace 150 million people worldwide.

Click here to read the restAs many peoples favorite country musician, Dwight Yoakam has made quite the name for himself in music and acting.

The Weekender team decided to go to many sources to unearth facts that may be unknown to even this country stars biggest fans. Did you know....

1. According to www.axs.com, Yoakam graduated from high school in Columbus, Ohio in 1974 and subsequently attended Ohio State University, majoring in psychology. He dropped out of school to pursue music in Nashville.

2. According to www.allmusic.com, Yoakam left Nashville for Los Angeles with his then music partner, guitarist Pete Anderson, when things werent working out for them in Tennessee. The two found themselves playing country venues as well as venues where punk and post-punk bands played. Imagine going to see Dwight Yoakam in a venue where you would usually see bands like The Butthole Surfers, The Dead Kennedys, Los Lobos, X and The Blasters! Many of these bands were influenced by the same artists Yoakam was while growing up.I used to teach in the Denison area. Many communities there were founded in the 1880s. In those days many Germans and Irish immigrated to Iowa to build railroads and farms. I had students who had grandparents who spoke German in their home. This was in the 1980s. That entire area was populated with "somebody else's babies."Legislators were encouraged by the forward-looking nature of Cadys speech in which he told a joint session of the House and Senate with Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials present that the Judicial Branch is embracing the Iowa way of continuous improvement.

It is a plan, with each step taking us forward to the next, with each step as important as the next, he said. Our future can no longer be about taking small steps or standing still. We need to think big and take big steps. Every day, we must seek to achieve what can be imagined.

I have never heard a speech like this in the Iowa Legislature, said Sen. Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids, the ranking Democrat on the Justice Systems budget subcommittee. I dont remember anybody trying to talk as directly about the challenges of future technology and the opportunities that creates. Its something that I think will take a while for legislators to digest. It applies to everything state government is doing.

Worthan agreed there is interest in Cadys technology proposals mainly because of the nature of the state of Iowa. Weve got to be able to bridge the distances between courthouses with something that makes our workforce more efficient, Worthan said.I dont see a lot of problems with the current system, Worthan said. If somebody can point out some problems, they havent yet to me.

Each of Iowas 14 judicial districts has an 11-member nominating commission, and there is a separate commission of 17 members at the state level for nominations to the Iowa Supreme Court and state appeals court.

So far talk of changes has centered on the state commission, but until a bill is filed there are no specifics. A bill filed last year in the Senate would have removed lawyers from the process, replacing them with gubernatorial appointments.

The current system gives the legal industry too much clout, according to some critics  and they believe, too much of it Democratic.

Worthan said it appears to him the lawyers are pretty well evenly divided between Republican and Democrat. It doesnt look like theres a whole lot of political problem there.

However, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said several members of his 32-member GOP caucus have made altering the nomination process for the Supreme Court a priority. That seems to stem from decisions on social issues  same-sex marriage and abortion, for example  that rankled conservatives.Rise like a lion after slumber? Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images

Theresa Mays Brexit deal isnt going anywhere  but neither is her government.

On Tuesday, Parliament voted down the prime ministers plan for withdrawing Britain from the European Union by a historic 230-vote margin. One day later, a slim majority of that same body affirmed their confidence in her government.

These developments have simultaneously left the Conservatives with a firm grip on state power, and the Labour Party with the power to shape Brexits fate. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may be too focused on winning the kind of power he doesnt have to exercise the kind that he does.

To understand all this, you need to appreciate how awkwardly Brexit has polarized the British public. The United Kingdom is sharply divided between remain and leave factions  but the U.K.s two major parties are not. Like their Republican counterparts in the U.S., Mays Tories represent a motley coalition of wealthy, fiscally conservative cosmopolitans, and culturally conservative nationalists. Her partys parliamentary representatives can agree that theyd rather have her as prime minister than risk the election of a socialist like Corbyn. But they are bitterly divided over the most important question facing her government: On Tuesday, more than 100 Tory MPs voted against Mays Brexit agreement. Many of these lawmakers are hard-line Brexiteers, who have no interest in backing any agreement that the European Union would actually accept.

By contrast, Corbyn was able to keep his coalition in line this week. Only three Labour MPs defected on Tuesday to back Mays deal. And that display of unity suggests that Labour could plausibly tip the parliamentary balance in favor of a softer Brexit deal  or a second referendum  by making common cause with moderate Tories who fear a no deal Brexit, and the smaller, pro-remain opposition parties. But that would require Corbyn to take a firmer position on Brexit than the equivocal one hes struck thus far.

And that is something that Corbyn would ostensibly prefer to avoid, as his party is also divided between remain and leave camps. In Labours case, the former faction is much larger than the latter. A recent study suggests that three-quarters of the partys membership back a second referendum, which would allow the British public to choose between staying in the E.U., and accepting Mays (unpopular) deal. Current polling suggests that remainers would win that fight.

And yet Corbyns success in triangulating on Brexit played no small role in his partys strong showing in the 2017 general election, when Labour regained ground in pro-leave, postindustrial areas  and flipped pro-remain Tory strongholds in London  at the same time. Further, many in Corbyns party believe that Labour cannot assemble a governing majority without reclaiming more rural districts, and thus, growing its pro-leave wing.

That strategic consideration, combined with Corbyns ambivalence about the E.U. project as a substantive matter, has led Labour to play a hands-off role in the Brexit process. In purely political terms, allowing the Tories to claim sole ownership of an unpopular Brexit deal  while championing an ill-defined alternative agreement (which can be all things to all constituencies)  might have been Corbyns best play. But that route now looks untenable. The Labour leaders core support comes from young Londoners who despise Brexit and the reactionary xenophobia that fueled it. And after Mays Brexit deal went down in flames, all the smaller opposition parties and major U.K. business interests have echoed the Corbyn bases calls for a second referendum.

Meanwhile, May has invited her parliamentary opposition into negotiations, in hopes of crafting a consensus Brexit agreement. Corbyn has refused to join those talks until the prime minister promises to take a no deal Brexit off the table; as is, if Parliament fails to approve an agreement by March 29, Britain will crash out of the E.U., a development likely to sow chaos throughout the islands economy.

As of this writing, May has refused to make that concession. And her talks appear to be farcical, anyway  the E.U. is unlikely to approve any changes to the existing agreement, save for ones that would bring the U.K. into even closer alignment with Brussels. Thats the last thing Mays intraparty opponents want.

Confused about whats happening in the UK? pic.twitter.com/dn9Nc8TuJd  Steven J. Gibbons (@stevenjgibbons) January 16, 2019

Mays moderate intraparty supporters, however, might be amenable to such an agreement, if the Labour Party committed to supporting it en masse. Corbyn could conceivably assemble a majority behind keeping Britain in the E.U.s single-market  which is to say, a majority for preserving the bulk of the economic advantages that the U.K. derives from E.U. membership, in exchange for honoring the bulk of its existing commitments (including the freedom of movement). He might also be able to rally a majority behind a new referendum.

But its unclear whether he can do either of those things without irrevocably alienating his partys pro-leave faction. And, for the moment, thats a risk that Corbyn appears unwilling to take.Nokesville, Va., formerly Sioux City

Naomi Grace DeLashumtt, 93, of Nokesville, formerly of Sioux City, peacefully joined her husband, Richard, with the heavenly father on Jan. 7, 2019.

Services were held in Nokesville on Jan. 10. Private interment will be held at a later date in Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City.

Naomi was born in Tekamah, Neb., on March 11, 1925. Naomi, a woman ahead of her time. She received a nursing degree in Boise, Idaho in 1946.

She met her future husband, Richard, at a military-sponsored dance in Boise while going to nursing school. They were married on Nov. 17, 1946. They continued their life together in Sioux City, where they had four daughters, Pam, Ava, Cindy and Renee, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Naomi was a long-time registered nurse in many fields, even continuing into her 80s as a transport nurse for elderly nursing home patients.

She was an accomplished knitter, winning many awards, a story teller and a humorist. Her smile lit up the room and made many people smile as well.

Naomi is preceded in death by her husband, Richard; and daughter, Ava.

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty." Naomi is at peace with our Lord and her husband, wearing her red lipstick and singing her beloved hymns of praise.House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy denounced King's comments and said they "call into question whether he will treat all Americans equally, without regard for race and ethnicity."

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

In a rare action, the House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution of disapproval designed to rebuke King. The resolution called for the chamber to reject white nationalism and white supremacy as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.

King has insisted the Times quote has been "completely mischaracterized." The outspoken conservative congressman said he was only wondering aloud: "How did that offensive language get injected into our political dialogue? Who does that, how does it get done, how do they get by with laying labels like this on people?"

Feenstra said the $100,000 haul shows "early financial strength" for his campaign.

"Since launching our campaign, the financial support and encouragement from conservatives across our district and the country has been overwhelming," he said.In addition to the resolution of disapproval approved Tuesday, Democratic leaders noted House Republicans on Monday punished King by denying him committee assignments for the next two years. King had served on the Agriculture, Small Business and Judiciary committees in the last Congress, and he chaired Judiciary's subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

"I think we have spoken, and we have spoken on both sides of the aisle that this is unacceptable rhetoric and behavior." Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Maryland, told the Post Wednesday.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also rejected the idea of censuring King.

I think the action we have taken is stronger and I think at this point we should move on, McCarthy, R-California, said Tuesday on the Ralph Bailey talk radio program.

Left with no committee assignments and diminished clout in his caucus and chamber, a growing chorus of voices have called on King to resign. In separate editorials Wednesday, both The Sioux City Journal, the largest daily newspaper in the 4th District, and the Des Moines Register, the state's largest daily, called on the nine-term congressman to step down so a special election could be held to fill his seat.SIOUX CITY -- Gov. Kim Reynolds will attend festivities next week when Woodbury County becomes the first Iowa county to get ACT Work Ready Communities certification.

The event will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 25 at the Woodbury County Courthouse, at 620 Douglas St.

Reynolds, county officials, Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend and ACT officials are scheduled to participate in the announcement.

Nationwide communities who demonstrate evidence of having a skilled workforce can earn the ACT Work Ready Communities designation. Woodbury County Community & Economic Development Department Director David Gleiser said the ACT framework allows each participating community to measure and improve the skill levels of its workforce through a standardized skills measurement, through the National Career Readiness Certificate.

Its a big deal to be the first county in Iowa to become an ACT Work Ready Community because this certification provides local employers and prospective companies with credible data on the workforce in our county, Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Chairman Keith Radig said.LAKE VIEW, Iowa -- Sac County authorities have identified the 55-year-old man who was shot in the shoulder early Wednesday in rural Lake View.

The Sac County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday Richard Vossberg was shot by an unknown male assailant at his home in the 3100 block of 330th St. Vossberg, who suffered non-life threatening injuries, was taken by ambulance to Loring Hospital in Sac City and later transferred to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.

According to the statement, authorities believe Vossberg was targeted by the assailant.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting the sheriff's office with the ongoing investigation.

Copyright 2018 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Christensen said a 2016 city agreement with Oak Hills Duplexes, which owns rental units in Sergeant Bluff, did not require the company to obtain permits. After reviewing the agreement, Christensen told Lincoln the agreement violated Iowa law because it did not require permits.

Winkel signed the agreement on behalf of the city, and he or Lincoln told Christensen to "leave Oak Hills alone," the lawsuit said.

Christensen said the electrical work performed at the site required 88 state permits, but none were obtained, resulting in "numerous infractions visible from the street endangering the residents and the general public."

Christensen reported the violations to Lincoln after Oak Hills had contacted Christensen to install electrical meters. He was given his notice of termination a week later, the lawsuit said.

A month earlier, Christensen said in the suit, he had inspected the building site of Winkel's son's home and found it did not have silt fences and other erosion control barriers as required by city and state codes. After notifying the contractor of the infraction, Christensen said Lincoln and Winkel told him and others not to concern themselves about it.

Christensen also said Lincoln demoted and stripped him of some of his duties in April 2017 after he had reported an Oak Hills resident's concerns about water standing in the yard.

Copyright 2018 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.A dozen intelligence service agents were sent to prison by a Venezuelan court Wednesday over the brief detention of parliamentary president Juan Guaido, a judicial source said. The Caracas court remanded the agents in pre-trial detention after they were accused of "abuse of functions, illegitimate deprivation of liberty and association to commit a crime." Guaido was heading to a political rally outside the Venezuelan capital on Sunday when his car was stopped on a highway and he was briefly detained by the SEBIN agents. President Nicolas Maduro's government denied any knowledge of the operation and initially claimed that four agents involved had been dismissed. Maduro branded the whole incident a "media circus" and accused the agents of conspiring with Venezuela's opposition. Guaido, meanwhile, responded by mocking Maduro and questioning his control over the state's security agencies. "So Maduro no longer controls the armed forces because the chain of command was broken," said Guaido. "Who is commanding the regime now? If they're already admitting that they don't control the state's security agencies, there's a serious problem at Miraflores," he added, referring to the presidential palace. Guaido has been trying to attract support from the military as he leads the opposition bid to remove Maduro from power and set up a transitional government. But Maduro retains the backing of the military's high command, which last week pledged "absolute loyalty." Guaido has promised an "amnesty" for any military that disavow Maduro and has called for a people's protest next week. The opposition-controlled National Assembly, which he leads, has been left ineffective since the Maduro loyalist-filled Supreme stripped it of all its powers in 2017.Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rudy Giuliani used to insist the Trump campaign had never colluded with Russia. Sure, Russians may have offered to help them in a Trump Tower meeting, but, They never used it, he told Laura Ingraham in 2018. They rejected it. If there was collusion with the Russians, they would have used it. Also, last May, Giuliani told Sean Hannity that Russian collusion is a total fake news  Mueller owes us a report saying the Russian collusion means nothing, it didnt happen. That means the whole investigation was unnecessary.

Last July, Giuliani casually noted that collusion is not a crime. In an interview with CNN tonight, Giuliani backpedalled again: I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign. I have not. I said the president of the United States.

rudy giuliani: "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign! Or between people in the campaign" pic.twitter.com/K8ATLlwKC2  John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) January 17, 2019

So, Giuiliani seems pretty ready to concede that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, while continuing to deny, for the moment, that Trump himself did so.A top North Korean official left for Washington on Thursday, reports said, for talks with his US counterpart ahead of an expected summit between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Yong Chol, Kim's right-hand man and the counterpart to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in denuclearisation talks, was seen getting into a vehicle at Beijing airport after flying in from Pyongyang, pictures showed. Hours later, he left the Chinese capital on a United Airlines flight which is expected to land in Washington at 6:50 pm local time, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, adding that he was accompanied by two North Korean officials. He was expected to meet Pompeo on Friday before paying a courtesy call on Trump, it said, and appeared to be carrying another letter from his leader for the US commander in chief. Kim's trip comes as expectations grow for a second US-North Korean summit after Kim Jong Un last week went to Beijing, long Pyongyang's key ally, for talks with President Xi Jinping. The summit, which observers say will probably be held in either Vietnam or Thailand, is expected despite a lack of progress in denuclearisation negotiations. At their first meeting in Singapore in June the two leaders signed a vaguely worded document in which Kim pledged to work towards "the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". But progress has since stalled with the two sides disagreeing over what that means. Pyongyang is seeking sanctions relief and rejects demands for what it calls its "unilateral" disarmament, while Washington insists that the punitive measures must stay in place until it gives up its nuclear arsenal. Another North Korean official, Choe Son Hui, travelled through Beijing earlier this week en route to Sweden, where she could meet the US special representative on North Korea, Stephen Biegun.Security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters marching toward the presidential palace in Khartoum on January 17, Al Jazeera reported.

The demonstrations, which have been going on for weeks, were sparked by rising prices and calls for President Omar al-Bashir to resign. They began in December and have led to crackdowns, with security forces using tear gas and live ammunition against demonstrators.

Most recently, three protesters were killed in anti-government demonstrations in Omdurman on January 9, the Sudan News Agency reported.

Officials estimated that 24 people had been killed in the protests since December 27; however, an Amnesty International report put that figure at more than 40.

President Omar al-Bashir has been in power since 1989. On January 14, he reiterated that he would not step down, despite the violent protests.

A constitutional amendment proposed this month would allow him to retain his position past the end of his term in 2020. Credit: @Mars7_10 via StoryfulRussian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for stability in the Balkans during a pageantry-filled visit to Serbia, a key Moscow ally. After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Putin said he would back efforts to maintain calm in the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilising the Balkans through efforts to boost NATO membership. "Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous," Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Although Serbia and all of its neighbours aspire to join the European Union, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Russia, its historical "Orthodox big brother" whose people also share Slavic origins. The affection for Moscow is fanned by its unyielding support on the emotive issue of Kosovo, a former Serbian province that broke away in a 1998-99 guerilla war. Serbia has never accepted the split and Russia similarly rejects it, wielding its veto power at the United Nations to thwart Kosovo's dreams of joining. Vucic expressed gratitude for Russia's backing on Kosovo and presented Putin with a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed, a shepherd dog from the region, during the visit. Meanwhile, Putin awarded his counterpart with a Russian state honour. The Russian president's visit was celebrated on the streets by tens of thousands of Serbs who marched through the capital in a parade supporting the two leaders. "Welcome honoured President Putin, dear friend," read one of many billboards around the city bearing a mix of Russian and Serbian flags. The parade culminated at the massive Saint Sava church, one of Orthodox Christianity's largest houses of worship, where more than 120,000 people gathered, according to police. Serbian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Irinej welcomed Putin as church bells rang out. Inside the church, whose decoration is partly financed by Russia, the leaders lit candles and symbolically laid pieces of tile in a mosaic. "Thank you for the friendship," Putin told the crowd outside the church in Serbian at the end of his visit. - 'Serbia's salvation' - In return for Moscow's support on the Kosovo issue, Belgrade has refused to join international trade sanctions imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Graffiti saying "Kosovo is Serbia, Crimea is Russia" can sometimes be spotted on Serbian streets. Putin's stop-over comes as long-running EU-sponsored talks to normalise ties between Serbia and Kosovo have taken a dip, and appear to be going nowhere fast. Speaking during the visit, Vucic said that "Without Russia... it is clear that there will be no solution" over Kosovo. Kosovo's biggest backer is the US. Putin is "Serbia's salvation," said retired general Mitar Petkic, who had camped for hours in front of the Saint Sava church to welcome the Russian leader. "The EU is falling apart, by the time we join it won't exist anymore," the 66-year-old told AFP. But the warm embrace does not mask what Russia considers recent setbacks in the Balkans, where the West has increased its influence. Moscow was unable to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO in 2017, a goal which Macedonia is also moving towards after ratifying a name change deal to end a decades-long dispute with Greece. If Macedonia succeeds, seven countries bordering Serbia -- which does not aspire to join -- will be in the NATO sphere. Only neighbouring Bosnia will also not be a member, due to the veto of its Serb population. - 'Energy, key area' - The relationship between Serbia and Russia is "more an emotional than a rational" one, explained Serbian economic analyst Biljana Stepanovic. According to a 2017 Serbian government survey, a quarter of the population believe Russia and the EU were the country's joint top donors for development aid. In reality, 75 percent of donations came from the EU or its member states, while Russia did not make the top nine. The West also outpaces Russia in terms of direct investment and trade. Moscow does, however, have some stake in the region. Serbia imports two-thirds of its natural gas and crude oil from Russia, while Russian giant Gazprom owns the Serbian oil company NIS. "Energy is the key area of Russia-Serbia cooperation," Putin told reporters. He said Gazprom planned to increase its gas deliveries to the Balkans country by 2020.Thao Thi Van was just two when her mother disappeared during a trip to the market, likely taken by traffickers preying on women from the Hmong hill tribes of northern Vietnam to sell as brides or into brothels in China. Now aged 13 she is still haunted by the fate of her missing mother but has found some solace at a textile cooperative for marginalised women in the region. "I have almost no friends at school because they tease me for having no mother. I envy those kids with a mum," the slight teenager told AFP in tears. "I have fun working here because I can earn some money and no-one teases me," Van said. She's been taken in by the older women she works with at the co-op, where she has earned a reputation as a skilled embroiderer. The collective makes hemp handbags and table runners, coasters and stuffed animals, and the women can earn up to $170 per month, a decent wage in impoverished Ha Giang province. Thousands of Vietnamese women are trafficked or tricked across the border every year and in this remote northern mountainous region of Vietnam, spitting distance from the Chinese border, women and girls frequently vanish from their communities. China's buy-a-bride industry is booming, fuelled by a surplus of 30 million males. Some women go willingly, others are kidnapped or find themselves forced into marriage. The lucky few who escape marriages or sexual slavery in China often face stigma on their return to Vietnam and are shunned by neighbours. Driven to offer such victims a purpose -- and an income -- Vang Thi Mai set up the Lung Tam Linen Cooperative in 2001. "Society may not like them but here they are confident," said Mai, dressed in a traditional pleated indigo hemp skirt and embroidered coat. - Sexism runs deep - The co-op quickly grew and today is a hive of activity that employs more than 130 women, not just trafficking victims but also orphans, single mothers and seniors, who weave, dye and stitch indigo blue and yam orange fabrics from dawn to dusk. With the jobs she is providing, Mai hopes to empower Hmong woman in a culture where sexism runs deep and where most women earn just a few dollars a month as farmers. That poverty is in part what drives the cross-border trade in women and boosting incomes protects potential victims -- and increases their social status. "If women, especially trafficked women, are working in a group together they make themselves stronger by gaining negotiating power, accelerating knowledge and integrating into society," said Nguyen Tien Phong, head of inclusive growth at United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam. This is just the kind of support Mai envisioned when she established the centre, today a popular spot for tourists winding through the mountain-specked province on motorbikes. But Mai has another goal too: to preserve the centuries-old custom of Hmong weaving, a tradition that has faded in many Hmong homes as modernity has crept in. Girls who once learned the time-consuming craft from their mothers and grandmothers are busy these days with school work, or Facebook, or hanging out with friends. Most women in the area have swapped their colourfully embroidered hemp jackets and indigo blue hemp skirts for Made-in-China polyester outfits. "The traditional dignity and the cultural essence of the Hmong in Vietnam has eroded, I need to restore that with old women teaching to skills to younger ones," Mai said. "Here we do things manually to preserve our traditional identity, the pearl of Vietnamese culture."A television version of French novelist Michel Houellebecq's most controversial book is in the pipeline, its backers said Wednesday. "Submission" has divided critics for imagining a near future in which sharia law is imposed in France after a Muslim president is elected. Many saw it as provocative, with the writer -- who once described Islam as "the stupidest religion" -- later admitting that he was "probably Islamophobic". The literary bad boy went into hiding the day it was published in January 2015 after jihadists attacked the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, killing 12 people, including a close friend of the writer. The French film and TV board told AFP that it was helping to fund a series based on the bestseller for the small screen by Guillaume Nicloux. The film-maker directed the 2014 comedy, "The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq", in which the novelist also starred. Nicloux is also working on another project in which the socially awkward writer will act alongside French screen legend Gerard Depardieu. "Submission" sold nearly 800,000 copies in French and more than half a million in Germany alone, confirming Houellebecq's status as the most read modern French writer abroad. Houellebecq's latest novel, "Serotonin", became an instant bestseller after it was published earlier this month. Critics hailed it as prophetic, saying that the ageing enfant terrible had predicted the "yellow vests" protest movement that has shaken the country over the last three months.Retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, who heads a United Nations advance team tasked with monitoring a ceasefire between the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen's Hodeidah, sits with Houthi officials upon his arrival at Sanaa airport, Yemen December 23, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/Files

By Mohammed Ghobari

ADEN (Reuters) - The head of a U.N. mission tasked with overseeing a peace deal in Yemen's Hodeidah port city is safe after an armoured car in his convoy was hit by a bullet, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Both the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement which controls Hodeidah, and the Saudi-led coalition that has massed troops on its outskirts, accused one another of opening fire on the convoy of retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Cammaert and his team were leaving a meeting with representatives of the government of Yemen when the incident occurred.

"As they were leaving one U.N. marked armoured vehicle sustained one round of small arms fire. The team returned to base without further incident. We do not have information as to the source of the fire," Dujarric told reporters in New York.

He said Cammaert appealed for calm and a strengthening of the ceasefire in Hodeidah by the warring parties.

"All the parties in Yemen are responsible for the safety of all U.N. personnel," Dujarric said.

A Yemeni source in the Saudi-led coalition told Reuters the convoy was visiting an area under its control when Houthi fighters opened fire. A statement from a Houthi official sent to Reuters said coalition-backed forces in the eastern suburbs, a flashpoint, had fired on the convoy.

Cammaert arrived in the Red Sea port city on Dec. 22 to head the committee overseeing implementation of a ceasefire and troop withdrawal deal reached at peace talks last month in Sweden between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The ceasefire has largely held but sporadic skirmishes have flared. The United Nations has struggled to implement the withdrawal of forces from both sides.

The truce has averted a full-scale assault on Hodeidah, the entry point for the bulk of Yemen's commercial imports and vital aid supplies. It is a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing severe hunger in the poorest Arabian Peninsula country.

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The U.N. Security Council approved on Wednesday the deployment of up to 75 observers to Hodeidah for six months to monitor implementation of the deal, which was the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts in five years.

The coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the war in 2015 against the Houthis to restore the internationally recognised government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which was ousted from the capital Sanaa in 2014.

The Houthis, who say their revolution is against corruption, control most urban centres while Hadi's government is based in the southern port city of Aden.

U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths has said that substantial progress was needed in Hodeidah before more talks can be held on ending the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Western allies, some of which supply arms and intelligence to the Sunni Muslim coalition, have pressed for an end to the conflict that is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and its foe Shi'ite Muslim Iran.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Aden and Abdulrahman Ansi in Sanaa; additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and James Dalgleish)By George Obulutsa and Baz Ratner NAIROBI (Reuters) - Gunmen blasted their way into a hotel and office complex in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and sending workers diving under desks from an attack claimed by Somali Islamist group al Shabaab. Eight hours after the assault began at Nairobi's upscale 14 Riverside Drive complex, a burst of gunfire was heard in the area, suggesting the situation was not yet under control. Scores of people were still hiding inside the complex, a security source said. A mortuary worker told Reuters around midnight (2100 GMT) that 14 people were killed in the attack. Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i had said at 11 p.m. that all buildings had been secured and scores of people evacuated from the scene. But he did not comment on the attackers' whereabouts and said security forces were still "mopping up". An hour after he spoke, the gunfire rang out. The power in the hotel was out, a Reuters journalist at the scene said. Nairobi is a major expatriate hub, and the compound targeted contained offices of various international companies, in an echo of a deadly 2013 assault on a Nairobi shopping center in the same neighborhood. "The main door of the hotel was blown open and there was a human arm in the street severed from the shoulder," said Serge Medic, the Swiss owner of a security company who ran to the scene to help when he heard of the attack from his taxi driver. Medic, who was armed, entered the building with a policeman and two soldiers, he said, but they came under fire and retreated. An unexploded grenade lay in the lobby, he said. "One man said he saw two armed men with scarves on their head and bandoliers of bullets," Medic told Reuters, as gunfire echoed in the background. Kenya has often been targeted by al Shabaab, who killed 67 people at the Westgate shopping center in 2013 and nearly 150 students at Garissa university in 2015. Al Shabaab says its attacks are revenge for Kenyan troops stationed inside Somalia, which has been riven by civil war since 1991. More than six hours after Tuesday's attack began, many office workers were still holed up inside the complex as officers escorted small groups to safety, some with their hands in their air. Foreign security advisors at the site scrambled to make sure their clients were safe. GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet said the attack began around 3 pm with an explosion targeting cars outside a bank followed by a detonation from a suicide bomber in the hotel lobby. As he spoke, a Reuters reporter on the scene reported heavy gunfire, then an explosion shortly afterwards. CCTV footage showed three attackers dressed in black running across the parking lot at 3:30 p.m. shortly followed by a fourth. At least two of the men were wearing green scarves in the close-up footage. One appeared to be wearing a green belt with grenades in it. At least seven people were killed and 25 wounded, hospital officials and witnesses told Reuters. Two Kenyans in their early 30's working with governance consultants Adam Smith International were among the dead, a family member said. Both had young families, she said. A Spanish national was among the injured, a Spanish diplomat told Reuters. The U.S. Embassy had "actively" offered assistance to local authorities, a State Department official said. "We are working with the Kenyan authorities to determine if there are any U.S. citizens affected," the official said, adding all American diplomats were safe. A woman shot in the leg was carried out of the complex, and three men emerged covered in blood. Some office workers climbed out of windows. Many told Reuters that they had to leave colleagues behind, still huddled under their desks. "There's a grenade in the bathroom," one officer yelled as police rushed out from one building. Geoffrey Otieno, who works at a beauty salon in the complex, said he heard a loud bang from something thrown inside the building, then saw shattered glass. "We hid until we were rescued," he said. Meanwhile, Simon Crump, an Australian who works for an international firm in the complex, barricaded himself inside a spare room with two other people. They waited there for about 2-1/2 hours for help to arrive, their minds racing. Youre hiding under a desk trying to figure out whats going on, and you just dont know, as theres so much misinformation," he said. When soldiers finally reached the group, they instructed them to put their phones away and put their hands in the air as they made their way to safety. INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES Al Shabaab, which wants to overthrow the weak, U.N.-backed Somali government and impose strict Islamic law, quickly said it was responsible. "We are behind the attack in Nairobi. The operation is going on," Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group's military operations spokesman, told Reuters by telephone in Somalia. According to its website, 14 Riverside is home to local offices of international companies including Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Pernod Ricard, Dow Chemical and SAP, as well as the dusitD2 hotel, part of Thai group Dusit Thani. Kenya is a base for hundreds of diplomats, aid workers, businessmen and others operating around east Africa. The Australian embassy is across the road from the compound. "I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives," a woman working in a bank in the complex said, adding she heard two explosions. Kenyan television featured appeals for blood from local hospitals and showed police cordoning off the route to ensure vehicles could move quickly. Red Cross ambulances ferried victims away. Kenyan troops, concentrated in south Somalia, originally went into Somalia to try to create a buffer zone along the border. They are now part of an African Union peacekeeping force. The attack took place as a Kenyan court prepares to sentence four men accused of aiding the Westgate mall attack. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld, David Lewis, John Ndiso, Hereward Holland, Humphrey Malalo and Duncan Miriri in Nairobi, Feisal Omar in Mogadishu; David Brunnstrom in Washington; Joan Faus in Madrid and Martinne Geller in London; writing by Katharine Houreld and Alexandra Zavis; Editing by Robin Pomeroy, Andrew Cawthorne, William Maclean)Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn will stay behind bars in Japan for the foreseeable future after a Tokyo court quashed his appeal for bail as he faces charges on three counts of financial misconduct. Since his stunning arrest on November 19 the auto tycoon has languished in a Tokyo detention centre, facing questioning over allegations he under-reported his salary and tried to shift personal losses on to the company. The court had previously refused to release the 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian businessman on the grounds that he could present a flight risk and destroy evidence. Last week he was formally charged on two of the counts and his request for bail was denied. Even his own lawyer has admitted he is likely to be kept behind bars until a trial -- which could take six months. His legal team said they would now appeal to the Supreme Court. The appeal -- and its rejection -- came as the French government called for him to be replaced at the head of Renault, the only one of the three companies he used to head that has retained him. Japanese firms Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors jettisoned him as boss almost immediately after his arrest, but Renault was more cautious and appointed an interim leader while Ghosn fought the charges. With the latest rejection he faces at least a two-month period in pre-trial detention. This can be extended almost automatically by one month at a time. His wife Carole has appealed to rights group Human Rights Watch over his detention, saying he was being held in "harsh" conditions and subjected to round-the-clock interrogations in an attempt to extract a confession. Ghosn has been seen only once in public since his detention, in a dramatic court appearance. He had clearly lost a lot of weight but seemed otherwise in good health. He passionately proclaimed his innocence and his love for Nissan, a company he is widely credited with saving from the brink of bankruptcy. "I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations," Ghosn told a packed courtroom.The Payam satellite is launched in Iran, January 15, 2019, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) - France on Wednesday condemned a failed Iranian satellite launch that it said used technology applicable to long-range missiles and urged Tehran to stop all ballistic tests which are not in line with U.N. resolutions.

It was the latest in a string of French comments expressing irritation at Iran's ongoing ballistic missile programme despite attempts over the last two years by France and other European powers to open talks on the subject with Iranian authorities.

"The Iranian ballistic programme is a source of concern for the international community and France," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.

Iranian officials said on Tuesday their bid to launch a satellite had failed. President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would be ready for a new satellite launch in a few months.

Iran, which considers its space programme a matter of national pride, has said its space-vehicle launches and missile tests are not violations of U.N. resolutions and would continue.

Western powers are concerned that the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. Iran has repeatedly denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons.

"We call on Iran not to proceed with new ballistic missile tests designed to be able to carry nuclear weapons, including space launchers, and urge Iran to respect its obligations under all U.N. Security Council resolutions," von der Muhll said.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Mark Heinrich)Photo: Pool/Getty Images

Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, Trumps unusual silence on Nancy Pelosis call to reschedule the State of the Union, the GOPs about-face on Steve King, and Democrats deliberations about the next attorney general.

Yesterday morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Donald Trump to reschedule the upcoming State of the Union (or to submit it to Congress in writing), and Rudy Giuliani backed away from denials of collusion with Russia in the Trump campaign. How costly are these developments for Trump and the GOP?

I cant resist saying it again: Pelosi is awesome. She knows how to push the levers of government. She knows how to push Trumps buttons. This is an unbeatable combination. Twenty-four hours after she released her letter declining to play host to the State of the Union, Trump was so flummoxed he still hadnt tweeted about it and his White House still had not responded. Thats because there is no response. Its Pelosis House, and shes under no obligation to let Trump commandeer it as a splashy backdrop for his propaganda. Even if there were a president of her own party in power, it would be ludicrous to stage this event, a superfluous (and tedious) political jamboree under the best of circumstances, during a government shutdown.

As the speaker also said, Trump can submit his speech in writing (ha!) or deliver it from the Oval Office. We know the latter isnt happening because even he has reportedly figured out that his recent prime-time address was a flop and that he cant read from a teleprompter  or at least one that isnt on set at The Apprentice. So maybe hell hold a MAGA rally instead? If so, are the broadcast networks once again going to interrupt their prime-time schedules to air it unedited? Well see if theyve learned a damn thing from their embarrassing enlistment in the White Houses fake news event of two weeks ago.

One more note about Pelosi. As Aaron Blake of the Washington Post has pointed out, the most brilliant passage of her letter to Trump was her reminder that last September Kirstjen Nielsen, in her capacity as secretary of Homeland Security, had officially designated State of the Union Addresses as National Special Security Events (NSSEs), a move requiring the full resources of the Federal Government to be employed when they occur. Those resources arent available during a shutdown. Hoisted by her own petard, Nielsen tried to recoup by tweeting yesterday that Homeland Security and the Secret Service are fully prepared to do the job. Even if Nielsen hadnt previously destroyed her credibility with her litany of lies about the humanitarian crisis at the border, the fact remains that she cant govern by Twitter and her tweet cannot override a policy she herself had set. Checkmate.

As for that other genius, Giuliani, he seems to be yanking back his and Trumps repeated denials of any Russian collusion by Trump or his campaign in anticipation of Mueller dropping a new bombshell in court. Whats fascinating about his latest revisionist version, in which Trumps campaign may well have colluded but Trump himself did not, is that it not only throws Paul Manafort and associates under the bus but also Donald Jr. and Jared.

And let us not forget that there was a third costly development for Trump and the GOP yesterday: the slaughter of four Americans in Syria a couple of hours before Mike Pence publicly repeated his bosss claim that ISIS has been defeated. We are bringing our troops home, Pence said  which was technically true, but left out the detail that they were doing so in body bags.



After decades of support for white supremacy and a reelection victory last year, Iowa congressman Steve King has been removed from his committee assignments by House Republicans and major Iowan newspapers are calling for his resignation. What changed since the midterms?

Whats changed is that the GOP cynically wanted to keep King in place rather than lose his seat in the midterms. That mission was accomplished; King won after having been endorsed by Iowas senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. Now GOP leaders can posture about their abhorrence of racism and throw King to the wolves. (Sort of: He is still in Congress.) Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of this. King has a history of racist statements and of palling around with white nationalists and neo-Nazis that dates back to nearly the turn of the century, yet no Republicans in power ever made any credible effort to drive him out of their party. It has also been widely noted that Trump is guilty of nearly every outrage committed by King. (Asked about Kings latest infractions last week, Trump said I havent been following it  a lie, of course, but doubly so since he has literally followed Kings nativist and racist playbook from the start of his presidential campaign.)

But another, greater hypocrisy is left unmentioned by the Republicans now turning on King: The GOPs racism didnt begin with King or Trump and likely wont end with them either as long as their partys base remains intact. From the moment Barry Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to recruit the old Dixie states to the GOP in his presidential run through Chief Justice John Robertss disembowelment of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, the GOP has been the party of what Richard Nixon codified as the Southern strategy: exploiting racial resentments for political gain. And so, to take one handy example of this denial, the former George W. Bush speechwriter, current NeverTrumper, and Post columnist Michael Gerson wrote a column this week excoriating King, Trump, Jefferson Davis, and Bull Connor  but never mentioned Strom Thurmond, George H. W. Bushs Willie Horton campaign, or Ronald Reagans 1980 campaign speech in favor of states rights in a Mississippi town adjacent to the site where three civil-rights workers had been murdered in 1964. In a similar vein, the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy condemned King by saying, That is not the party of Lincoln  as if this were the first time the GOP had breached that sobriquet. For heavens sake, McCarthys own deputy, Steve Scalise, had to admit four years ago that as a Louisiana state representative he had given a 2002 speech before a convention held by a white-supremacist organization founded by David Duke. (Of course Scalise claimed he had no idea of what group he was speaking to.)

At his confirmation hearing this week, attorney general nominee William Barr testified that he would not end the Mueller investigation prematurely, despite a memo he wrote last year that raised questions about his intentions to interfere. Should Democrats vote to confirm him?



A conventional conservative Republican with a Bushie resume, Barr towers over the grifters and hacks in Trumps cabinet. He has not credibly explained why he wrote an unsolicited memo challenging the Mueller investigations legality, and his blurriness about whether hed release a Mueller report (if there is one) is unacceptable. You are not exactly the creme de la creme of the American bar if the most prominent testimonials to your character include an op-ed (in the Times) written by Kenneth Starr, whose most recent accomplishment was to ignore a culture of rape at Baylor University, which ousted him as its president and chancellor. So as a matter of principle, theres good reason to vote against Barr. But there is no way he will not be confirmed.

That said, what is happening in Muellers investigation and elsewhere is bigger than Barr. Hes too late in the game to stop the legal avalanche that seems likely to rain down on the White House, and perhaps hes not inclined to destroy his reputation by attempting to do so. One way or another Muellers findings will get out. Too many inquiring minds want to know, including in Congress. And meanwhile, thanks to another cunning move by the Pelosi-run House, Michael Cohen will be giving televised public testimony on February 7 before he goes to prison. There will be Mueller-imposed restrictions on what he can talk about, but he has a hell of a story to tell and just the right dems-and-dose voice to tell it in. Its the perfect spinoff to the 20th-anniversary celebration of The Sopranos.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- IdriverPlus, a Beijing-based autonomous driving technology startup, was given the T3 license for autonomous vehicle open road test by Beijing municipal government in recent days, making it the second startup in Beijing that is allowed to test autonomous vehicles on roadsthe first one is Pony.ai, according to local media.

According to data released by www.autoinfo.org.cn before January 5, there were a total of 101 licenses for autonomous vehicle road tests having been issued in China to a total of 32 companies related to self-driving technology, including Internet firms, OEMs and car-sharing platforms, across 14 cities in China.

Out of that, Baidu has obtained over 50 licenses, while most OEMs hold no more than 3 licenses per company. As to the license number for each city, Beijing is the champion with 56 licenses, followed by Chongqing and Shanghai who had gained 11 and 7 licenses respectively.

The first batch of licenses was issued by Shanghai municipal government to SAIC Motor and NIO in last March. Then, such companies as Baidu, NIO, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, BAIC BJEV, Pony ai. and Panda Auto got their ICV road test licenses successively last year.

However, it was a bit late for China to legalize the open road test compared with foreign countries. Nevada became the first U.S. state to approve and regulate rules for self-driving cars on its roadways and granted first license to Google's self-driving project (which is later known as Waymo) as early as 2012. Until July 2017, there was still reports in China saying Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, faced fines after being caught riding a self-driving car.

Several months after Baidu delivering the fine, the formulation of relevant regulations was formally initiated in this country. According to Beijing Innovation Center for Mobility Intelligent's latest data, Beijing has so far released 60 licenses to 8 companies. By the end of November, 2018, the country's capital had opened 44 routes spanning 123km for autonomous vehicle road tests and the tested vehicles had experienced safe driving mileage exceeding 125,600km.

Chongqing is also an important testing spot for its unique complex terrain. Local government announced a regulation for ICV road tests last March and one month later, seven companies including Changan Automobile, Baidu, FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor, GAC Group, Geely, and Foton Auto gained licenses. Earlier this month, NEV hourly car rental platform Panda Auto joined the group which is legalized to execute road tests.

Shanghai launched its ICV road test regulation in March, 2018 as well. From the time being, a total of 7 licenses (5 for PVs and 2 for trucks) have been issued to SAIC Motor, NIO, BMW, TuSimple and Momenta and 37.2-km-long road has been put into operation for self-driving road test.Revenues and profits at Chinas state-owned enterprises hit historic highs last year, even as the countrys private firms fought for their survival amid the slowest period for economic growth in a decade.

Last year, firms owned by the central government booked revenues of 29.1 trillion yuan (about US$4.3 trillion), up 10.1 per cent from 2017, while net profits reached 1.2 trillion yuan, a rise of 15.7 per cent from the previous year, according to figures released by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) on Thursday.

State-owned firms were able to achieve record high revenues and profits because of relatively stable growth in the domestic economy and supporting measures enacted by the government, according to Peng Huagaung, a spokesman for the state asset oversight agency.

State firms also benefited from cost cutting as well as better efficiency and risk management amid the slowdown in economic growth.

The figures are in stark contrast to the performance of Chinas private sector, where many companies are fighting for their lives.

Entrepreneurs are struggling to finance their companies and pay debts due to limited access to credit and the high cost of borrowing when credit is available.

Corporate debt defaults among Chinas private firms hit a record high last year.

Chinas private firms are concentrated in the manufacturing, real estate, retail and wholesale sectors. The non-performing loan ratio for the manufacturing sector stood at 4.2 per cent last year, and at 4.7 per cent for the wholesale and retail sectors, both well above the 1.7 per cent rate for all commercial bank loans, according to estimates from Moodys.

Beijing redoubles efforts to quell fears about state of the Chinese economy as bad news piles up

We expect the debt-servicing capacity of borrowers in cyclical sectors to remain vulnerable to a slowing economy, in particular those exposed to potential spikes in trade frictions with the US, Moodys said in a report this week.

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Chinas banks are more likely to provide funds to state firms than to private companies because of the perception that the debts of state-owned firms are implicitly guaranteed by the government.

However, the advantages that state-owned firms have enjoyed in recent years may be trimmed back in the period ahead, as the government looks to address international trade frictions and to stabilise economic growth.

The United States and European Union  Chinas largest trading partners  have complained about the benefits that state-owned firms enjoy, such as monopolies in certain sectors and lower-cost financing than available to private firms, arguing that the special benefits distort markets to the disadvantage of private firms, whether Chinese or foreign.

The central government, however, insists that state companies must play a vital role in the national economy and answer to the Communist Party.

Beijing has touted the idea of competitive neutrality, under which state-owned and privately owned companies would be able to compete on equal terms through reforms of policies on subsidies, taxes, trade instruments such as tariffs, and other support mechanisms when they unnecessarily distort competition.

Many analysts believe it would be difficult to make meaningful reforms to support competitive neutrality given that state firms are making healthy profits.

Trade war sees Chinas provinces slash growth forecasts for 2019

Meanwhile, Chinas central bank has recently introduced measures aimed at reducing finance costs for private firms.

Chief among them is reducing the amount of reserves that banks must keep at the central bank. The Peoples Bank of China has also stepped up support for private bond financing to increase the availability of funds for smaller firms.

On January 4, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reiterated the governments call for more bank lending to privately owned enterprises, including small and micro enterprises, during a visit to state banks.

Now the policy direction has shifted to helping private firms, said Larry Hu, head of China economics at Macquarie. In the past two to three years, it was all about supporting state firms. They [central government officials] change their policy support every now and then.

Hu said the renewed support for private enterprise should help improve their profit margins.

[The supporting policy] is better than before [when there was no help]. Whether it will solve all the funding problems, I think it will be very difficult, Hu said.

This article Chinas state-owned companies enjoy record profits, even as private sector flounders first appeared on South China Morning Post

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More from South China Morning Post:Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg appears in court for a retrial of his drug smuggling case in Dalian Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg appears in court for a retrial of his drug smuggling case in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, January 14, 2019, in this handout picture received by Reuters January 15, 2019. Intermediate People's Court of Dalian/Handout via REUTERS

By Philip Wen and David Ljunggren

BEIJING/SHERBROOKE, Quebec (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it was "not worried in the slightest" by mounting international concern over the death sentence handed to a Canadian for drug smuggling.

Monday's sentence for Robert Schellenberg for smuggling 222 kg (489 lbs) of methamphetamines prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of "arbitrarily" applying the death penalty.

Trudeau has called several world leaders in recent days to share concerns about the case of Schellenberg and two Canadians that Beijing detained last month after a senior Chinese executive was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. arrest warrant.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Canada's "so-called allies could be counted on ten fingers" and did not represent the views of the wider international community.

"I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest," Hua said of the mounting outcry, adding that a majority of Chinese supported severe punishment for drug crimes.

Schellenberg's sentence has further strained relations between China and Canada, already aggravated by the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, on a U.S. extradition request.

Asked about Hua's remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that the 28-nation European Union had offered its backing to Ottawa.

"We're very pleased to have this support from the EU which ..., like Canada, believes in the rule of law," she told reporters as Trudeau's cabinet prepared to meet in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

For the second day in a row, however, she stressed that Canada and China enjoyed a broad and deep relationship.

Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Tuesday and "expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals", the State Department said.

Story continues

Days after Meng's arrest, China detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering state security. One of the men, Michael Kovrig, is a diplomat on leave without pay from Canada's embassy in Beijing.

John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to China, told reporters the standoff would not be settled quickly and vowed to enlist the help of foreign allies - especially the United States - and the business community.

"I think we have to engage the senior Chinese leaders and persuade them that what they are doing is not good for China's image in the world, it's not good for the image of corporate China," he said on the sidelines of the retreat.

"It's difficult, it won't happen tomorrow."

Trudeau complained last week that China was not respecting Kovrig's diplomatic immunity. A source directly familiar with the case said Canada was unhappy because Chinese officials were questioning Kovrig about his work when stationed at the embassy.

The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper.

McCallum said Kovrig and the other Canadian were being questioned up to four hours a day, had no access to lawyers and were only allowed one consular visit a month.

China has not linked any of the three Canadians' cases to Meng's arrest, but has warned of severe consequences if she was not immediately released.

The Global Times, a state-run tabloid with a nationalistic bent, said China "cannot be weak at this time".

"Canada does not have any special cards that can allow Chinese law to bow its head to it," the newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday, adding that Canada's protests would have no effect.

Freeland said on Tuesday that Ottawa had formally applied for clemency for Schellenberg.

When asked if China typically listened to this type of request, Hua said the judiciary was not subject to "interference from administrative organs".

"You ask whether China is willing to listen to the Canadian side's request, but I don't know if Canada's leaders or politicians have seriously listened to China's solemn position," Hua said.

Schellenberg had appealed against an original 15-year prison sentence issued in November, but the court in Liaoning province sided with prosecutors who argued at a retrial that the punishment was too light.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; editing by Darren Schuettler and James Dalgleish)Jan 17 (Reuters) - China Tower Corporation Ltd:

* SINGAPORE'S GIC SELLS 88.82 MLN SHARES IN CHINA TOWER CORPORATION AT AN AVERAGE PRICE OF HK$1.5457 EACH ON JAN 16 - HKEX FILING

* SINGAPORE'S GIC OWNS 5.96 PERCENT IN CHINA TOWER CORPORATION AFTER THE TRANSACTION FROM 6.15 PERCENT PREVIOUSLY - HKEX FILING Source text: https://bit.ly/2APpVUd Further company coverage: (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom)Bangladesh has banned a film based on a 2016 cafe attack claimed by the Islamic State group that left 22 people dead, saying it would damage the country's reputation. The Film Censor Board denied the theatrical release of "Shonibar Bikele", a decision the movie's director criticised as "unhealthy for artistic expression". The title of the film translates to "Saturday Afternoon" and dramatises the July 2016 attack on an upmarket cafe by Islamist militants who killed 22 of their hostages, including 18 foreigners. The state's censor board said the film -- a Bangladesh-German co-production -- could incite religious fervour in the Muslim-majority nation of 165 million. "The board did not sanction permission for the movie's exhibition, both at home or abroad, as it would disrupt internal security and also tarnish the country's global image," the censor board's vice chairman Nizamul Kabir told AFP on Thursday. Bangladesh has suffered from homegrown extremism for decades, but the Holey Artisan Cafe attack was the worst in years and seen as a major blow to the country's image as a moderate Muslim nation. The government has always denied the five young men who seized the cafe for hours before killing many hostages and dying themselves were linked to the Islamic State group. Director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki criticised the decision to ban his film. "Filmmakers should feel free to take inspiration from any incident that happens around them," the eminent Bangladeshi director said. "They don't tarnish an image. They only interpret events. It's real world actions that can damage an image," he told AFP. He said they would appeal against the decision in the hope of gaining a theatrical release. The mastermind of the cafe attack was killed in a subsequent crackdown on homegrown militancy that has left at least 100 alleged homegrown fighters dead.Several hundred protesters marched in three cities in southern and eastern Afghanistan to call for a ceasefire and an end to the 17-year war Thursday, the latest action of a movement launched in May 2018. In Kandahar, the southern cradle of the Taliban, and in the eastern cities of Khost and Jalalabad, they marched holding placards saying: "No War", "We want ceasefire" and "We want Peace". The peace marches began in May 2018 when a handful of civilians travelled 700 kilometres (430 miles) from Lashkar Gah, in the southern province of Helmand, to end their journey in June in the capital Kabul, joined along the way by hundreds of other marchers. Since then, many others have been organised, including a wheelchair peace march by amputees between the western city of Herat and Kabul in August. "Afghans want an absolute ceasefire as soon as possible. The government had agreed a one-year ceasefire and the Taliban must accept their demand," Bismillah Watandost, a member of the People for Peace Movement, told AFP. "We call on the Taliban to come to the peace talks with the Afghan government and have mercy on the Afghan people. Our men, women, children and widows want peace. We are tired of war," said Haji Farhad, a protestor in Jalalabad. Diplomatic efforts are being stepped up to try to end the long-running conflict. The US envoy in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is currently in Pakistan for talks after a regional tour that took him to China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan. Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Kabul, said in the Afghan capital Wednesday he hopes for fresh talks with the Taliban "very soon", after meetings with them in late 2018 in Doha and Abu Dhabi. The United States is not alone in its diplomatic overtures to the Taliban. Russia and Iran have also held meetings with the militants in recent months and China has also invited them for discussions. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan are participating in the US peace efforts.Source: Glassdoor Economic Research (glassdoor.com/research/). Based on unique online job postings on Glassdoor as of November 10, 2018.

Glassdoor launched its Singapore site with 70,000 job postings and related mobile apps on Wednesday (16 January) as the company begins its expansion in Southeast Asia.

In an interview with Yahoo News Singapore, Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief operating officer, said Singapore is one of the recruiting sites top 10 markets, with people in the Republic visiting Glassdoors main site about 900,000 times monthly.

There are 80,000 reviews and insights for 11,000 companies and this has happened organically with no promotion, Sutherland-Wong said. This suggests to us that the appetite for this kind of data in Singapore is strong.

In conjunction with the launch of the site, Glassdoor also released a research report showing that the number of tech job postings in Singapore outnumber that of the finance industry.

This is consistent with what is seen in the US labour market where there are three times as many tech industry job postings as in the financial industry, Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor said in the report.

While Singapore is considered a financial hub, it has also grown into a tech hub in recent years.

There are 5,806 open tech jobs postings today in Singapore, more than the 4,715 open finance jobs, according to Glassdoor data. Senior-level tech roles can draw an estimated pay of as high as $19,600 per month.

In coming years, Singapore is expected to become one of the worlds top destinations for tech hiring given the countrys highly educated workforce, proximity to large Asian markets, and a pro-tech-investment policy stance , Chamberlain said.

Source: Glassdoor Economic Research. Based on unique online job postings on Glassdoor as of November 10, 2018.

But finance jobs still command higher pay than tech jobs in general. For open finance jobs on Glassdoor, the estimated median base pay is $8,338 per month, compared with $7,253 for open tech jobs.

Among the top 10 tech employers hiring in Singapore are Amazon, Micron, Visa, Grab and Apple. The top finance employers with the most open jobs in Singapore on Glassdoor are Citigroup, OCBC, DBS, JPMorgan Chase and UOB.

Story continues

The outlook for hiring is bright in Singapore, with open job postings rising by 40 per cent to 52,090 on Glassdoor as of November from a year earlier.

Demand for knowledge workers

Christian Sutherland-Wong, chief operating officer of Glassdoor. Photo: Glassdoor

Sutherland-Wong said the high proportion of knowledge workers is key to its market launch in Singapore.

The tight labour market plays to our advantage as well. Having a low unemployment rate and a lot of positions mean employees have a lot of choice and companies are spending a lot of money to recruit the right candidates.

Headquartered in Mill Valley, California, Glassdoor was founded by tech entrepreneurs Robert Hohman, Rich Barton and Tim Besse in 2007, before the official launch in 2008. Barton also started travel website Expedia Inc., and co-founded the real estate marketplace Zillow Group. The company was acquired by Japans Recruit Holdings in May 2018 for US$1.2 billion.

What sets the company apart from other job recruitment websites is that it features companies profiles and allow users to rate and review employers and top managers. It includes information from current and former employees on salaries and work experience, as well as information from the companies themselves.

While Glassdoor is completely free for job seekers, it is not free for employers although they can create a Glassdoor account for free to manage the company profile there. Employers pay to advertise their jobs and promote their brands on Glassdoor through either subscription or on a cost per click basis.

Glassdoor is in 18 markets and has 62 million unique monthly visitors globally with 11 million job listings and 45 million reviews. Traffic from outside the US makes up more than 40 per cent and is growing faster than that in the US, Sutherland-Wong said.

Glassdoor also officially launched its Hong Kong website and mobile apps today. The company is actively considering entering the China market, Sutherland-Wong said.

Singapore survey

Source: Glassdoor

As part of its launch into Singapore, Glassdoor commissioned an online survey among more than 900 employees and job seekers in the market.

About 92 per cent of respondents say job realities tend to differ from expectations set during the interview process. Eighty-six per cent of employees say they wished they had a better understanding of what fair pay is for their position and skillsets both at their company and in their local job market.

Related stories:

MAS to launch US$5 billion fund for private equity, VC investments

Ant Financial plans to open Singapore research centre by March, hire up to 200 engineers to boost SE Asia presence

MAS proposes fintech sandbox with faster approvals "Mens Rea Reform and Its Discontents" | Main | Big symposium on Lockett v. Ohio now published via University of Akron School of Law Constitutional Law Center 

The New York Times this week has this notable editorial about criminal discovery that bore the provocative (and fitting) headline that I have quoted in the title of this post. As practitioners know, these discovery issues can have a profound impact on plea practices and sentencing outcomes. Here are excerpts:

In New York, prosecutors operate within a draconian system that gives them free rein to leave defendants in the dark about aspects of their cases for months or even years. In cases big and small, state law authorizes prosecutors to withhold key evidence from defense lawyers and their clients until the eve or sometimes the day of trial. Prosecutors in New York do not have a legal obligation to turn over in a timely fashion all police reports, witness names, DNA evidence, surveillance footage or anything else from their investigative files.

Though a 1963 Supreme Court decision found that prosecutors have a constitutional duty to turn over anything significant that may exonerate a defendant, that ruling has not been consistently enforced because prosecutors who flout the rule are rarely punished. Advocates for defendants say this entrenched legal structure in New York puts a blindfold over the eyes of defense lawyers and their clients. And it runs up against Americans basic understanding of how fairness is meant to work in the legal system.

By preventing access to even the simplest information about a pending case, prosecutors thumb their noses at the presumption of innocence that is owed to every person accused of a crime. They also run the risk of forcing the accused to make an impossible choice: Plead guilty with little to no information about their case or go to trial and risk an even harsher punishment.

New Yorks law means that cases take longer to resolve, leading to backlogs; that defense lawyers are unable to advise their clients about the charges against them, let alone guide them through an often life-altering process; and that wrongful convictions can occur, in both extreme and not-so-extreme cases.

Most states, including the law-and-order bastion Texas as well as North Carolina and New Jersey, have changed their laws and procedures to allow open and early disclosure of evidence in criminal prosecutions, which has led to fairer outcomes and deterred prosecutorial abuse. Now New York has a chance to join the mainstream on this issue....

Prosecutors defend New Yorks current system not on its merits but with fearmongering, arguing that reforms will leave witnesses and victims at risk. Disclosing the identity of a person with direct knowledge of an incident under investigation, the thinking goes, would hamper the states ability to protect him or her and to fight crime.

But there are sensible ways of dealing with witness safety concerns. The Brooklyn district attorneys office, which has for decades made its evidence files readily available, shows that reform is possible. Likewise, the states that have left the old model behind have seen no need to go back to it. Its time for New York lawmakers to bring the rest of the state in line with this essential notion of justice.The visit EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini is paying to Morocco since Wednesday confirms the depth of the strategic partnership binding the North African country to the European Union as the trip comes after the renewal of the Morocco-EU farm deal, including the Sahara.

During her stay, Mogherini will meet several top Moroccan officials. Talks will focus on bilateral relations in the political, economic, security, and migration fields as well as on latest developments on the regional and international scene.

Speaking to the press after meeting Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy said the adoption of the Morocco-EU agricultural agreement by the European Parliament with an overwhelming majority opens a new chapter in relations between the two parties.

Morocco is strategic partner of the EU for 50 years, she added, noting that the EU and Morocco are making an important forward step in their relations to build a regional partnership, particularly in the Mediterranean region, the Arab world and Africa.

The EU foreign policy chief also expressed the Union readiness to help Morocco speed up socioeconomic development, hailing the importance granted by King Mohammed VI to youth employment and vocational training, two priority areas in the future Morocco-EU cooperation.

Monday, the EU and Morocco signed in Brussels new fisheries agreement including the Sahara despite the hostile lobbying made by the polisario separatists backed by the Algerian regime.

Under the deal, which pledges to promote sustainable fishing, Rabat will receive annually $61.1 million in exchange for authorizing EU vessels to fish in Moroccan waters.

The agreement enhances the benefits and advantages of local Sahara inhabitants and strengthens the multidimensional strategic partnership existing between Morocco and the EU.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved with a large majority, the Morocco-EU farm partnership accord. The texts of both agreements extend European trade preferences to agricultural and fishery products from the southern Moroccan provinces, a major diplomatic victory for Morocco.The government Algeria will conclude its deal with Exxon Mobil Corp and set up a trade joint venture with an international company before the first half of 2019, Sonatrachs Chief Executive Officer said.

Algeria is mulling over luring in international oil companies with tax incentives in a new energy law aimed at stimulating the North African countrys oil and gas industry.

The OPEC member has previously said it wanted a shale gas cooperation with the US major Exxon Mobile. The state energy firm had also said before it was in talks with 14 international companies over a joint venture to trade oil and gas products after agreeing to buy its first overseas refinery.

Potential partners, which have held talks with Sonatrach in recent months, include BP, Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Repsol and Vitol, the worlds biggest independent oil trader.

Oil and gas together account for 95 percent of Algerias export revenues and contribute 60 percent to its annual budget.

The last time Algeria held a tender for oil and gas blocks was in 2014, when, unsurprisingly, interest was weak, with only four out of 31 blocks finding suitors.

Boston Consulting Group was advising Sonatrach on its long-term strategy.

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.British PM Theresa Mays Brexit deal lost by a huge margin on Tuesday, and though her government survived a no-confidence vote, the countrys exit from the EU, which is only 72 days away, is going to like setting out for sail on the high seas with no course.

For May, the 432-202 voting defeat was a litmus test for her government, but it was never going to be easy and the resounding loss came as no surprise to anyone given the solid opposition that has been clear for the past eight months.

In the meantime, the Labour partys Jeremy Corbyn is taking advantage of the moment to forward a motion for a no-confidence vote that could lead to general electionsand hes promised to renegotiate Brexit, though he hasnt promised another public referendum on the issue.

The no-confidence motion is expected to be held Wednesday, January 16th at 1900 GMT, at which timein Corbyns own words, the House of Commons will give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government.

If May survives a no-confidence vote, then shell need a backup plan for a Brexit deal, and shell need to try to negotiate further with Brussels for more concessions.

If May fails get a new deal approved for Brexit, then the exit will be on March 29 with no safety net at all, which would usher in a period of severe economic risk. But a no-deal Brexit is almost a certainty itself now, becauseas May told Parliamentthere is no other viable option and no such alternative deal exists. Related: What Top Financial Analysts Are Saying About Brexit

The past year saw Brexit take the British pound for a wild ride, with Sterling slumping 7 percent in 2018 over the uncertainty. Tuesday evening saw Sterling rise 0.1 percent to $1.289 after the Brexit vote.

But what about the possibility that there will be no Brexit at all?

"The probability of a no deal has diminished while the chances of a delay in Article 50, a second referendum or even, at the margin, no Brexit at all, have all increased. The consequence of those scenarios has encouraged sterling to rally despite the PM suffering the worst parliamentary result in a century," Jeremy Stretch of CIBC Capital Markets, told the BBC.

The BBC also quoted hedge fund manager Crispin Odey as saying last weekend that he expected Brexit to be abandoned entirely and the pound to strengthen. But that wasnt the consensus sentiment ahead of the vote, with many expecting the pound to get further pummeled by a big defeat for May because it ushers in a new phase of uncertainty with a no-confidence vote.

Related; How Advertisers Are Forced Into Politics

The possible reason that the pound pared losses after the vote is because there is now a windowhowever smallfor there to be no Brexit at all. May has said in the past that either her deal goes through, or there will be no Brexit at all, but shell have to win a no-confidence vote on Wednesday to take that any further. And in December, the European Court of Justice ruled that the UK could unilaterally end Brexit plans.

That theory gained further credence on Tuesday night when European Council President Donald Tusk actually suggested cancelling Brexit as the only real solution left.

(Click to enlarge)

By David Craggen for Safehaven.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.comThis is a great opportunity for a president from a large state like Montana to have a conversation with the president from a place like Delaware," he said. "We find out what we have in common with North Carolina is not that different from what were dealing with in Montana, especially when it comes to governmental rules and regulations. Its great to build those relationships. Its exciting to be on the board of an association that has the political clout and respect of the American Farm Bureau Federation.What it means for South Dakotans is that hemp-derived CBD oils that were available in the state until police raids in September at stores that sold the product  including two in Rapid City  is treated like an illegal drug.

What makes this legislation curious is that the 2018 Farm Bill, which received the support of Sens. Thune and Rounds and was signed into law by President Trump, removes hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, declares it an agricultural product and places it under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture.

It is now legal on the federal level to grow industrial hemp and sell, transport and consume hemp-derived products. The legislation is expected to turbocharge the hemp industry, which means millions of dollars are at stake.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, is a leading proponent of hemp, citing the plants many uses, which includes CBD oil that many people claim helps with anxiety, sleeplessness and chronic pain. One opponent who testified Tuesday said hemp-derived CBD oil helped wean her off opioids. There also is no evidence the product is harmful or gets anyone high.

So why is state government seeking to make hemp-derived CBD oils illegal?Wearing highlighter-orange, astronaut-like suits, a group of people huddled inside a gray storage container Wednesday in Rapid City, trying to identify the explosives in the backyard laboratory.

The explosives and lab were fake, but the seriousness with which the team worked was real.

The day-long drill was conducted by the Rapid City Fire Department's hazardous material (HAZMAT) team, and the 82nd Civil Support Team, the HAZMAT unit of the South Dakota National Guard in the backyard of Black Hills Energy's service center on Deadwood Avenue.

The exercise is all about "putting into practice" the groups' HAZMAT training, said Dustin Willett, director of Emergency Management for Rapid City and Pennington County.

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At the staging grounds of the mock HAZMAT scenario were navy blue National Guard vehicles, including a mobile laboratory, command center with a high-definition video focused on the storage container, and a communications car that could securely connect with the president in a real emergency. There was also the RCFD's decontamination tent, where crew members change out of their vapor-tight, chemical protective suits and take off their oxygen tanks.A delegation of Tunisian investors is in Ghana to explore business opportunities from different sectors including Agric-food, information technology, construction and engineering, state-run news agency reported.

According to Deputy Trade Minister, Carlos Ahenkorah, the move will allow Tunisia to manifest its business prospects in Ghana to complement the West-African nations industrialization agenda.

MrAhenkorah urged the Tunisian businesses to take advantage of the wide range of business opportunities in the country and increase their presence.

Speaking at a forum organized by the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, President of the Tunisian trade mission, Bassem Loukil, stated investors are willing to tap into governments Ghana beyond aid agenda.

In his words, Tunisia intends to intensify its economic and trade cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with special emphasis on trade and investment promotion.

Earlier this week, the government of Tunisia has proposed to commence direct daily flights by Air Tunis to Accra to deepen the bilateral air service agreement signed between Tunisia and Ghana.

As a first step, the Tunisian authorities have requested the Ministry of Aviation and its allied agencies to visit Tunisia and meet with Aviation officials to discuss technical issues concerning the proposal.

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.PIERRE | State senators voted Wednesday to commend U.S. Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds for their votes to confirm United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh  but not without heated debate.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 passed the Senate by a vote of 22-13 after nearly 30 minutes of floor debate. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Sen. Troy Heinert, of Mission, called the concurrent resolution a "thank-you card," and criticized the Legislature for passing a resolution that "does absolutely nothing" as the federal government is in the midst of its longest shutdown in history.

"We have so many people in South Dakota that are being affected by this government shutdown," Heinert said following the vote. "The last thing we need to be talking about is the appointment of someone who has been in the job for four months."

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kavanaugh in October after Christine Blasey Ford alleged that he sexually assaulted her at a house party in 1982. Both Ford and Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Republican Sen. Stace Nelson, of Fulton, said the purpose of the resolution was to show gratitude for Thune and Rounds "doing their duty during some very difficult times."Minnesota is one of several states across the country where legislatures are considering whether to legalize recreational marijuana. New Gov. Tim Walz and new Attorney General Keith Ellison support legalization. Some lawmakers plan to introduce bills to would make Minnesota follow the lead of other states where it's now legal. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a plan Tuesday to make his state the 11th. In Illinois, the discussion has shifted from "when" to "how."

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, leader of her chamber's new Democratic majority, has said the House will discuss the issue this session but that it's too early to know the outcome. In the Senate, which Republicans control by just two votes, Majority Leader Paul Gazelka has warned of the potential negative consequences.

Backstrom said chemical addiction and illegal drug use is "by far the largest contributor to crime in our society" and that legalizing marijuana would only aggravate the problem. Fatal crashes involving marijuana use have risen sharply in states that have legalized it, he added.

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Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0A stint as an aerial applicator at Midstate Aviation in Cozad transitioned Rickenbach to fulfilling his long-time dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. He earned additional multi-engine hours in an air ambulance, flying charters in North Dakota and freight in Denver. After earning his airline transport certificate, he was hired by American Eagle Airlines in 1998 to fly the turboprop Saab 340B. In 2001 he was hired by Frontier Airlines, which allowed him to be closer to home; he was awarded a captain position on the Airbus fleet in 2003.

Rickenbach was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005 and turned his attention to educating others on the disease. But he still flew his Cessna 180, along with twin brother Rodd, also a pilot. Rickenbach took his final flight Dec. 10, 2014; he passed away Dec. 23 of that year.

Were pretty proud, said his mother, Sharon Rickenbach about the Hall of Fame recognition. It certainly puts a smile on my heart.

Both Todd and Rodd became interested in flying at a young age thanks to a neighbor who took them up in his plane frequently, and Sharon said there would likely not have been any other opportunities for them to learn about flying had it not been for that. Rodd also pursued a career in aviation, and was intended to be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with his brother.Effects from the federal government shutdown are trickling down to the River Bend Foodbank in Davenport, which distributes food to partner agencies in 23 counties in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

Saturday was the 29th day of the shutdown, the longest in the history of the country.

If the shutdown extends into February, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps, will be affected, said Mike Miller, food bank president and CEO.

While there is a $3 billion benefit reserve fund that had been used to pay SNAP benefits, monthly benefits are about $5 billion, Miller said. That means at some point the Secretary of Agriculture would need to tell states how to reduce February SNAP benefits to stay at less than $3 billion.

For food availability, orders for commodities the food bank buys through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) have been confirmed through February, he said.

TEFAP is primarily an agriculture support program, he said, and gave this example: If the price of corn is low today, the federal government might buy some corn options.

That makes the stock price on corn jump immediately, Miller said. Every farmer selling the corn today gets more return.In their most recent update on the condition of Clinton firefighter Adam Cain, city officials say the 23-year-old is doing better, but still is critical.

Cain sustained serious injuries in a grain-silo explosion at the ADM plant in Clinton on Jan. 5. Fire Lt. Eric Hosette was killed in the blast, and was laid to rest Saturday.

"Firefighter Adam Cain's condition is still critical but a little more stable," City Administrator Matt Brooke wrote in an email update Monday. "Adam is not out of the woods by any means and now has pneumonia (which was expected) and has started on new antibiotics.

"The doctors believe they are seeing improvement in his lungs, as he continues to remain on a ventilator.

"Adam is unable to see any visitors at the time but would ask everyone to continue to keep him in your prayers and also his family."

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Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Rivermont Collegiate will hold a technology fair from 8 a.m. until noon Saturday at the school's Becherer Hall, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf.

Individual students, as well as teams of up to three participants, will demonstrate their projects and answer questions from Western Illinois University student judges. Each entry will receive either a blue or red ribbon.

Some projects will earn an additional purple rosette ribbon. Purple ribbon winners will be invited to attend the ITEC State Technology Fair in April on the Rivermont team.

Several Quad-City business representatives will be on hand to talk to students and families about careers available in their industries. Businesses that will be represented include Arconic, Exelon, Russell, Sears Manufacturing, STEAM on Wheels, Twin State Technical Services and Western Illinois University.

For more information, go to RivermontCollegiate.org/technology-fair/

If the event is postponed because of snow, notices will be posted at RivermontCollegiate.org and the Facebook page facebook.com/rivermontcollegiate.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0When the state begins its Phase II visit of Davenport schools at the end of the month, the district will be the largest in Iowa to receive such a visit; historically, the process has assessed small, rural districts that might not have enough students to sustain themselves.

The requirements we need to look at are the same, said Amy Williamson, chief of the state bureau of school improvement. The scale is different, certainly, because Davenport is so much larger.

From Jan. 29 through Feb. 1, up to 20 state workers will go through documents, conduct interviews, and work with district leadership to study general and special education, treatment of minorities, and district finances. Even though the process is largely reflective of whats happened in other districts  most recently the Farragut and Hamburg districts in 2015  the Davenport visit is unprecedented.

How did we get here?

The state board announced a Phase II visit after meeting with district officials at a Nov. 14 meeting in Des Moines.A Davenport sex offender was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography in January 2018.

Elwyn Lee VanMeter Jr., 62, also was sentenced to five years in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release in a separate case. The two sentences will run back-to-back, for a total of 15 years.

Once he completes his prison sentence, he must serve 10 years of supervised release.

VanMeter pleaded guilty in September to one count of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court, Davenport. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dismissed an additional charge of receiving child pornography.

He was indicted on the child pornography charges in June.

In February 2017, VanMeter was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender. He also was placed on 84 months of supervised release once he completed his prison term.

His supervised release began Jan. 8, 2018, according to court records. The federal indictment states VanMeter received child pornography Jan. 21.

On Feb. 1, a probation officer made an unannounced visit to his home and found images of child pornography on his tablet.Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday asked that Ivory Coasts former president, Laurent Gbagbo, should be kept in custody while they prepare an appeal against his acquittal.

The court should only release Gbagbo and Charles Ble Goude, leader of the pro-Gbagbo militant group Young Patriots who was also acquitted, under strict conditions as they are flight risks, trial lawyer Eric MacDonald said at proceedings on Wednesday.

Trial judges had earlier ordered Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles BleGoude to be immediately freed after clearing them of any role in a wave of post-electoral violence in 2010-2011 that killed 3,000 people.

Gbagbo and BleGoude have been on trial since January 2016 over the bloodshed that gripped the former French colony after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to his bitter rival, and now president, Alassane Ouattara in a presidential vote.

A former university professor turned activist, Gbagbo spent much of the 1980s in exile in France. After returning, he lost the 1990 presidential vote and spent six months in prison in 1992 for his role in student protests.

He came to power in 2000 in a flawed vote that he himself described as calamitous. In the 2010 race, Gbagbo came top in the first round with 38% of the vote before losing to Ouattara in the runoff.

The government said in a statement that the decision to acquit Gbagbo would bolster peace in Ivory Coast.

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.Authorities are looking for a man who walked away from the Davenport Work Release Center.

Nicholas James Oliver Hebdon, 30, failed to report back to the Davenport center as required Thursday morning, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Hebdon is described as being 6-feet, 2-inches tall and weighs 207 pounds.

Hebdon was convicted of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony in Clinton County.

He was admitted to the work release facility on November 15, 2018.

Persons with information on Hebdon's whereabouts should contact local police.

Quad-City Times

Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 3Attorneys or a witness who wants to file a written objection to expanded news media coverage must do so 10 days before trial, he wrote.

Police say the boy tried to fire a loaded .22-caliber pistol at his teacher's face on Aug. 31, but the safety was on. He was charged as a juvenile and, in early December, a judge ruled he will be tried in adult court as a youthful offender. If convicted, he will remain under the supervision of the juvenile court until he turns 18. His case would then transfer to adult court and a judge could determine if he should be imprisoned, released or serve another punishment.

On Wednesday, the boy filed a written plea of not guilty to the charges through his attorney, Melanie Thwing.

His father, Joseph Andrews III, 50, of Davenport, has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after police determined the boy used an illegally owned pistol he got from his father's unlocked cabinet.Calvary Lutheran Church, 2900 Avenue of the Cities, Moline, will host a trivia night Friday, Feb. 1.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the trivia contest will begin at 7 p.m.

Mister Trivia will lead the event. Cost will be $100 per table, for tables up to 10 people. The price includes doublers and mulligans.

The event is part of Calvary Lutherans 100th anniversary celebration. The church officially was organized Nov. 2, 1919.

Money raised at the trivia night will benefit a love gift for the churchs anniversary and to establish a mission church in Genoa, Illinois.

Along with trivia, the event will feature a silent auction. Snacks and soft drinks will available for purchase. Participants also can bring their own refreshments, but no alcoholic beverages.

To reserve a table, call or text Paul Levesque at 309-236-1726 or email levesque5562@att.net. Walk-ins are welcome.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Vibrant Credit Union has set aside $5 million to help members affected by the partial federal government shutdown.

Vibrant is offering interest-free loans to cover paychecks for government employees who bring in their last pay stub, according to a news release.

"We have an obligation to help those in need in our community," said Matt McCombs, Vibrant CEO and president, in the release. "The Rock Island Arsenal is the second largest employer in the Q-C. This government shutdown is hitting close to home. Our neighbors, family and friends are the ones being hurt by this and if we can help make this time a little easier for them, we will."

Qualifications include a credit check, direct deposit and repayment stipulations. Loans must be paid back within 30 days of furlough ending or interest and back interest will accrue.

Vibrant's "payroll loan program" is open to all community members affected by the shutdown, not just existing credit union members, according to the release. The credit union estimates they may help more than 500 families with the $5 million dedicated to the program.

Locally, Vibrant serves the Quad-Cities, Clinton, Geneseo, Dubuque.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0As a result of Larkins tireless work and meticulous craftsmanship, the courthouse was dedicated on March 13, 1897. Grand and majestic, both the exterior and interior of the courthouse were designed and constructed with aesthetics and longevity in mind.

The building was described as 170 feet long with a Bedford limestone exterior. There was a variety of forms  round-topped entrances and windows, circular windows in the triangular pediments, balconies, and bulbous standing-seam metal roofs on domes.

On the inside, offices and courtrooms were constructed around a central rotunda that extended all four stories to the buildings top, where it was crowned by a windowed dome. The floors of the rotunda were small marble tiles on two lower floors and terrazzo on upper ones. Railings around the open area of the rotunda as well as on stairways were ornate cast iron.

Throughout the years, the building has undergone numerous renovations to suit the countys evolving needs. Despite this, the courthouse maintains much of its original character. A great amount of the tile work in the four-story rotunda and on the stairway and building entrances is intact. Intricate railings and original curving wood benches are found in the rotunda and are in good condition.None of the opponents of these animal welfare measures have gotten anywhere in court or in Congress. Its good news for animal welfare statutes that the Supreme Court (for whatever reasons) wont hear challenges to them. But that doesnt mean its the end of the litigation road for advocates for farm animals.

Trivia note: the Supreme Court case was filed in 2017 by then Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, the Republican who beat Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill to become Missouris junior senator. The new attorney general, Eric Schmitt, vowed on Tuesday to keep up the fight for consumers and farmers.

Well, so far its been a losing battle on all fronts. And, Im not sure how many consumers are still clinging to the old, inhumane way of raising egg-laying hens.

Dozens of restaurant chains, grocery store chains and food manufacturers have switched to cage-free suppliers or are in the process of doing so  all in reaction not just to state laws but to those consumers who have made it clear that they care not just about their food, but about the welfare of the animals that provided it.SPRINGFIELD  In case you havent figured it out, some politicians hold the people who elected them in contempt.

Skeptical?

Well, look no further than what state Rep. Lou Lang did last week. Lang, who has served in the General Assembly since 1987 was re-elected Nov. 6 and then resigned last week before his new term would begin.

So why would the Skokie Democrat do this?

The voters wont get to decide who will serve in his seat for the next two years, a party boss will decide. What party boss? That would be the Niles Township Democratic Party chairman  Lou Lang.

Yep, he gets to choose his replacement.

And guess who may be among those seeking the job? Becky Lang.

Thats right, his daughter. The Chicago Sun-Times reported this possibility last week. Becky Lang wouldnt tell the paper what her plans were. Lou Lang said he would encourage her to apply.

And after 32 years in the General Assembly, what are Lou Langs plans? Well, he is joining a lobbying firm.DAVENPORT  Lee Klancher, a prolific author and photographer on farm-equipment history, will be in Davenport on Tuesday, Jan. 22, to discuss the innovation and influence of International Harvester combines.

The Austin, Texas-based author will be among three after-dinner talks on combine development, for the meeting of the Quad City Section of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). It starts at 5 p.m. in the Rogalski Center, St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St.

CEO and founder of Octane Press, Klancher has written several farm-equipment history books, including recent coffee-table books on Farmall tractors and IH combines, both produced for many years in the Quad-Cities.

On Tuesday, Klancher will discuss evolution and design of the Axial-Flow combine, presenting a series of stories and images that illustrate how the technology emerged at the turn of the 20th century and how the IH engineering team developed a game-changing harvester, according to an event release.

Klancher has contributed words and images to more than 30 books as well as dozens of national magazines, including Mens Journal, Draft, and Motorcyclist. He also spent more than a decade as an editor and editorial director at the worlds largest publisher of transportation books.In Mali, gunmen on motorbikes have killed more than 30 Tuareg civilians this week in northern Mali, Reuters reported.

According to the report, the identity of the assailants was unknown, but disputes between the nomadic Tuareg and herder Fulani and displaced thousands over the past year.

In the central-eastern town of Menaka, mayor NanoutKotia told Reuters 34 Tuareg were killed in two nearby villages on Tuesday.

Central Mali is in the grip of two-fold violence  by jihadists and by rival ethnic groups, notably Fulani herders and Dogon farmers fighting over access to land.

Last weeks attack follows the killing of more than 40 Tuareg civilians in the same area in mid-December and the death of 15 Fulani civilians in Malis central Mopti region in the same month.

Fighting between rival Tuareg factions has intensified and threatens to derail a 2015 peace deal meant to end years of conflict in the landlocked West African nation.

The rebel Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) and the pro-government Gatia are locked in a bitter power struggle in the region.

French forces and UN peacekeepers in the country are now working to transfer responsibility to a new regional force, the G-5 Sahel, comprising troops from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Chad.

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.The Davenport Police Department warning residents about a scam making the rounds where telephone callers impersonate employees of the Davenport Police Department.

This scam targets area residents using threats of arrest to get money from victims. The suspects inform victims that they will be arrested unless they pay a large fine, then give instructions on how to pay the fine on prepaid charge cards, according to a post on the Davenport Police Department Facebook page.

The number for the Davenport Police Department may show up on caller ID due to the use of a "spoof app" and suspects use names of Davenport police employees, the Facebook post says.

It is not the Davenport Police Department. The department does not solicit money from anyone over the phone and legal fines cannot be paid on those types of pre-paid charge cards.

Residents should report any calls to the Davenport Police Department at 563-326-7979.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0DAVENPORT  Azubuike African American Council for the Arts will host a free screening of the film Unlikely at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in the Figge Art Museum auditorium, 225 W. 2nd St., followed immediately by a panel discussion.

Unlikely investigates Americas college dropout crisis and the barriers that first-generation, minority and low-income students face in their pursuit of an education and meaningful career. The screening is followed by a panel discussion led by local educators who can offer advice and insight for community members thinking about pursuing higher education, according to an event release.

Unlikely  which premiered at the Napa Valley International Film Festival in November 2018  follows the experiences of five first-generation college students as they confront a higher-education system that is not built around their needs. Set in the cities of Akron, Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles, five individuals failed by the higher-education system fight for a second chance at opportunity, a synopsis says.Mahler could die at any time, and his last symphony would be about death, Bancks said this week. The ninth seems to have a lot of talk about death.

Mahler is definitely the last German symphonist, he said. Mahler was the last of a kind, even people who dont agree on curses  he wrapped up the 19th century. It seems particularly appropriate he would die in such a mythic way.

After Mahler, no well-known German composers undertook symphonies on the same scale, Bancks wrote for the program. Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) seemed poised to continue in Mahlers footsteps (his Gurre-Lieder from 1911 is basically Mahlers Symphony of a Thousand on steroids), but Schoenberg ended up writing just two chamber symphonies, on a much smaller scale, Bancks said.

Many great symphonies followed throughout the century, but from composers outside Germany and Austria like Dmitri Shostakovich, Jean Sibelius, and Americans like Roy Harris  and all indebted to Mahler in some way, Bancks wrote.

One of the reasons Mahlers work has resonated so strongly in the U.S. is that at the time of his death he was in the process of making New York something of a second home, the QCSO program says.About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profileFamily rushes to hospital

Word about Tate was spreading quickly among family members.

Her mother, Daisy Tate, received a call from Tiffanys supervisor, who told her Tiffany had a serious reaction to her medication and that she was going to Froedtert. The supervisor didnt mention anything about a stroke.

Daisy Tate dialed Tiffanys brother, David, who was at his factory job in Waukesha.

She told him to get to the hospital right away.

David and Tiffany were especially close.

The pair were two years apart, and nearly shared the same birthday. The family, including their two older sisters, lived near N. 24th and W. Burleigh streets. As kids, David and Tiffany went to Auer Avenue School and learned to swim at nearby Moody Pool.

Their love of swimming translated into frequent trips to Wisconsin Dells water parks with their own kids.

To friends and family, Tiffany was Tipp, a nickname she picked up as a girl when she would often stand on her tippy toes. It was on her license plate.

Now, Tipp was in trouble. And David Tate had to get to her.

Across town, Alvin Blalock also got word something was wrong. He and Tiffany, his longtime girlfriend, had known each other for more than 10 years and were together for five. The couple planned to get married someday.

Alvin and Tiffany lived in the downstairs unit of a bungalow on Milwaukees near north side, with their newborn son and her 15-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Tiffanys mother lived upstairs.

Blalock was stunned by the news. Tiffany had seemed fine when she left for work. He didnt have much time to think.

Blalock took 8-month-old Alex to stay with his mother and rushed out.

John Diedrich / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Tiffany Tate's brother, David Tate.

John Diedrich / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Tiffany Tate's brother, David Tate.

David Tate was already speeding to Froedtert, 10 anxious miles punctuated by calls to and from other family members.

As David ran through the front door and inquired at the information desk, he was shocked to learn his sister wasnt there.

It didnt make any sense to me, David Tate said in an interview. Damn, she was at Froedtert. She works there. She was right there.

David called one of his sisters co-workers, who told him where Tiffany had been sent. David jumped back in his car and raced to West Allis.

He told his wife and father to meet him there.

Meanwhile, Daisy Tate got another call  this one from West Allis. A nurse said Tiffany had a stroke and was at the hospital.

The news hit Daisy like a bolt. She, herself, had suffered a mild stroke years earlier.

I said, Oh my God. I just broke down, she said. I knew what a stroke was like. I knew.

Trying to get the attention of her granddaughter, who was downstairs, Daisy Tate frantically banged her cane on the wooden floor.

Octayvia Fountain ran up the stairs, but when she heard the news, she couldnt process it. That morning her mom had come to give her kisses, like she did every morning. They were going to go together for school registration later that day. Octayvia would be a sophomore starting at a new high school in a few weeks.

To her, mom was Superwoman.

This cant be happening, she thought. This cant be happening.

John Diedrich / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Tiffany Tate's daughter, Octayvia Fountain (left), and mother, Daisy Tate.

Rare option becomes common

The practice of ambulance diversion has long been under fire.

A 2001 report from the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform found diversions were so widespread they represented a threat to emergency medical readiness, including in the event of a terrorist attack.

In 2004, a study on diversion in Houston attributed several deaths to the practice.

Read more Patients in ambulances still being turned away from hospitals even as some cities end the practice Paramedics grapple with ambulances being turned away from hospitals even as other cities, including Milwaukee, ban the practice of ambulance diversion. Some hospitals turn away ambulances when the patients are more likely to be poor, study finds A study finds private hospitals are more likely to turn away ambulances when a public hospital is on diversion, suggesting hospitals may be diverting for financial reasons.

Read more Patients in ambulances still being turned away from hospitals even as some cities end the practice Paramedics grapple with ambulances being turned away from hospitals even as other cities, including Milwaukee, ban the practice of ambulance diversion. Some hospitals turn away ambulances when the patients are more likely to be poor, study finds A study finds private hospitals are more likely to turn away ambulances when a public hospital is on diversion, suggesting hospitals may be diverting for financial reasons.

Two years later, a report from the non-profit Institute of Medicine  which provides advice on health and medical issues to Congress and the government  concluded diversion should be eliminated except in the most extreme circumstances, such as a mass casualty in a community.

A 2017 study found that African-American patients had an increased chance of dying from heart attacks and strokes as hospitals in largely minority neighborhoods were going on diversion more often than others.

Diversion has been aggressively abused, said Corey Slovis, chair of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University and the medical director for the Nashville Fire Department. There is a diversion scandal, with too many hospitals going on diversion when they could be open.

Study after study has found diversion does not even work.

The reason is simple: Ambulances account for only a fraction of patients arriving in emergency rooms. So, the front door is not really even closed.

Instead, experts say, the focus should be on the back door  getting patients already in the emergency room either discharged or admitted to the hospital.

Picture pouring water into a cup thats full, said Howard Mell, an emergency room doctor and spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians. Once you start spilling, it doesnt matter if you pour a little less or how much you pour, you still have a mess.

You have to solve the back door, and diversion does not do that.

So why not end it?

A 2008 study from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine found hospitals may actually make more money during times of diversion. Thats because there are often higher profits on scheduled surgeries. And those surgeries can wind up canceled when beds are filled by patients coming from the emergency room.

In a statement, the Wisconsin Hospital Association said true diversion is necessary at times for unanticipated, critical situations and in such cases, it is important that hospitals and ambulance crews quickly communicate to divert patients safely.

Hospitals might also turn away ambulances if equipment breaks down or if there is an unexpected problem, such as flooding or electricity being out. In a case several years ago, Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin shut down for several hours because a man with a gun was in the building.

Still, the vast majority of diversions, experts say, are due to overcrowding.

Defenders describe diversion policies as a necessary evil intended to protect patients from long, dangerous waits at a crowded hospital. The key, they acknowledge, is to get the ambulance patient to another less-crowded hospital that has the same capabilities.

Rutgers University Lewis Nelson

Rutgers University Lewis Nelson

The problem: When one hospital closes its doors, it simply spills more water  and sends extra ambulances  onto the next hospital, which may then have to close its doors. Indeed, sometimes hospitals close simply in anticipation of getting more patients.

You really dont want to be brought to a hospital that doesnt think they can do the job properly, said Lewis Nelson, a doctor and chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers Medical School in New Jersey.

On the morning Tate fell ill at the Medical College, seven of the 12 hospitals in Milwaukee County were on diversion for at least part of the day  including Aurora West Allis Medical Center.

Taken together, the hospitals turned away ambulances for a total of 34 hours that day, according to a Journal Sentinel analysis of state data. The data doesnt show how many ambulances were diverted as a result.

Froedtert was on diversion for 690 hours in 2014, the equivalent of nearly 29 days. Yet that only ranked it sixth among Milwaukee hospitals that year. Aurora St. Lukes was highest, with 1,319 diversion hours  the equivalent of nearly 55 days.

When half of the countys hospitals were on diversion at the same time, the EMS director could force them all to open. Between 2014 and 2015, that happened on at least 97 days, state data shows.

It did not happen on Aug. 19. 2014.

Large clot leads to crisis

The ambulance carrying Tate arrived at the West Allis hospital emergency department at 9:23 a.m.

It had been a little more than an hour since Tate first began showing signs of a stroke.

Share your story Have you or someone you know been affected by ambulance diversion?

We want to hear from you.

Tell us more

Share your story Have you or someone you know been affected by ambulance diversion?

We want to hear from you.

Tell us more

Tate had a large clot that had broken off from somewhere in her body, perhaps one of her legs, her medical records show. The clot had moved through her body and become lodged in her carotid artery  a large and vital vessel carrying blood through the neck to the brain.

Tate had experienced problems with veins in her legs for years and she contended with other health problems. Like her mother, she had diabetes. The years on her feet cooking had taken its toll.

Nevertheless, cooking was what she loved.

She learned to cook on childhood trips to Mississippi to see aunts and uncles and cousins. She mastered fried chicken, Chinese rice and homemade egg rolls. She made southern catfish whenever her aunt came up from Alabama.

After graduating from Milwaukee Tech High School, she started as a cook at Whitefish Bay schools and Nicolet High School, then at Potawatomi casino restaurants and finally at Davians, which stationed her at the Medical College.

After a shift, shed head home and cook more there  lately with a spatula in one hand, the newborn on the opposite hip.

Cooking was a way to keep the family together.

Shed call and say, Fatty, you gonna come over for some barbecue? David Tate said. Wed drink some fruit drinks and listen to the blues.

When he arrived at the West Allis hospital, Tate found his sister in an emergency room bed in a hospital gown. Her work uniform  a black polo shirt and khaki pants  was stuffed in a bag nearby.

David Tate, brother of Tiffany Tate, recalls the day of Tate's stroke.

She was disoriented and tapping her hand against her right ear.

A nurse explained to her brother the tapping was because of the stroke and the pressure on her brain.

She said, Theres something in my ear. Theres something in my ear, David Tate said. Thats the last thing I heard her say.

One doctor ordered a clot-busting drug be administered through an IV in her arm, records show. But another doctor ordered that treatment stopped because possible bleeding was detected in her brain.

The policy at West Allis was to transfer all patients having a serious stroke to a hospital capable of a higher level of care, either Froedtert, Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center or St. Marys Hospital, said Matthew Braun, a spokesman for Aurora.

We cant change the fact that she was brought to West Allis, Braun said. The team did the best they could to get her to the highest level of care as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence in these cases.

With Froedtert closed, the closest top-level care was at St. Lukes  five miles away.

The problem: The fire department ambulance that had brought Tate to West Allis was gone. The crews job was to make the hand-off, then get back to Wauwatosa.

A private ambulance was summoned. It arrived 15 minutes later. By this point, Tate had lost consciousness.

As the ambulance was leaving, David Tate, his wife and father rushed to his car to follow. In those moments, the West Allis hospital went on diversion.

They were racing the clock to St. Lukes.

This video by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine shows how a blood clot is removed during a stroke.

Paramedics had to follow orders

In Milwaukee County, ambulance diversions had been commonplace since at least the early 1990s.

Initially, there was little direction provided to paramedics on what to do when a hospital closed, sometimes leaving them to search willy-nilly for an open hospital, said Ronald Pirrallo, who was then the head of Milwaukee Countys Emergency Medical Services department.

Paramedics sometimes found ways around the diversions.

One veteran paramedic said they might drive a patient to the hospital, stop in the parking lot, have the patient sign out against medical advice and point them to the front door of the emergency room.

In other cases, 911 wouldnt be called at all. Instead, patients would have someone drive them to the hospital to ensure treatment.

Pirrallo spearheaded creation of a new policy.

It was designed to improve patient care and avoid overcrowding at any one individual hospital, said Pirrallo, now a professor of emergency medicine at the University of South Carolina.

That policy meant the crew that transported Tate had no discretion.

Joe Schwark was the lead paramedic and commander on the call with Tate. For him, it was likely one of a half-dozen that day. In a year, he had hundreds.

He could not remember the specific call, but knew exactly how it would have played out once he was told that diversion was in effect.

For paramedics, Froedtert is the go-to facility, given its top-level designations in all areas. But unless Tate was bleeding uncontrollably or had a blocked airway, he had to follow orders.

There were bigger players making the rules, he said. You just followed directions even if you didnt generally agree with a lot of this stuff.

Schwark said his most likely route that day would have been to take 87th Street south out of the medical center grounds.

That would have sent them right past the entrance to Froedterts emergency room  close enough to spit on the driveway, Schwark said.

Emergency departments nationwide have been quietly deploying a controversial tactic of turning ambulances away.

Grasping at straws

With possible bleeding in the brain, the next step for Tate was a technique in which doctors use a tiny catheter to try to physically remove the clot.

Froedtert had been able to do this since 2005 and became one of the first hospitals in the country to receive the advanced certification in 2013. St. Lukes had received its designation as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center three months before Tate's stroke.

The ambulance carrying Tiffany Tate, now unconscious, arrived shortly after noon. More than three-and-a-half hours had passed since she first showed signs of having a stroke.

Studies have found the best outcomes when patients receive the treatment inside of three hours, though it has been shown to work up until 24 hours later.

Using the catheter, doctors tried to reach the clot in Tates neck through an artery in her leg. The procedure didnt work.

Family photo Tiffany Tate, right, and her daughter, Octayvia Fountain.

Family photo Tiffany Tate, right, and her daughter, Octayvia Fountain.

By now, Tates family had gathered at St. Lukes. Blalock, her boyfriend, was in the waiting room. So was her brother and his wife, her older sisters, her parents and her daughter.

They tried to grasp how she had deteriorated so quickly. Family members were pacing, asking anyone who came by what was happening.

It was really an emotional time, David Tate said. We just wanted answers, to know that she was going to be alright.

Doctors emerged with bad news: Tates prospects were dim.

Pressure was building in Tates brain from the bleeding. Doctors wanted to try a radical step: Remove part of her skull to relieve the pressure.

Her family thought about the future, about how baby Alex and Octayvia would not have a mother if she died now. How Tiffany Tate had always dreamed of owning a home and had finally made that happen. And how much she loved family, how she held everyone together.

There was so much to live for.

They told the doctors to do whatever they could.

Plan to end diversion had been drafted

On the day Tiffany Tate suffered her stroke, a preliminary plan for ending ambulance diversion in Milwaukee County had already been drafted.

It ran two pages and was the brainchild of Riccardo Colella.

Office of Emergency Management Riccardo Colella

Office of Emergency Management Riccardo Colella

When Colella took over the countys emergency medical services a year earlier, in 2013, he began examining how the diversion policy could be putting patients at risk. He set out to change it.

Colella, trained as an emergency medicine doctor and professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, didnt have the authority to force the issue. Rather, he had to talk, one by one, with all the major health care players in the area, including Aurora, Froedtert, Ascension and Childrens Hospital.

What would it take to end diversion? Not curb it, but end it, he said.

The solution, studies had shown, was not even in the emergency department.

Rather, it came from addressing things that left the emergency room bottlenecked: slow paperwork, rooms not being cleaned quickly enough, the time it took to discharge patients.

For Aurora Health Care, which owns one-third of the hospitals in Milwaukee County, the changes that needed to be made were far-reaching, said Steve Francaviglia, who is in charge of the systems Milwaukee hospitals.

It meant creating a new process where patients would receive their initial diagnosis over video monitors from doctors in another location. That would help get tests ordered quickly.

The X-ray Department was examined to make it move more quickly, as was patient transport. Housekeeping was studied and improvements made to better notify other departments when a room was ready for a new patient. Schedules were tweaked.

Other health care systems made similar changes.

The first thing phased out, in January 2015, was diversions for those who had the most severe cardiac issues, such as needing to be resuscitated. The end of diversions for other stroke and heart attack cases came in March  six months after the day Tiffany Tate suffered her stroke.

All diversions were ended in April 2016.

Milwaukee County hospitals were on diversion for nearly 4,800 hours during a six-month period in 2015. In the same time frame the following year, the figure plummeted to 13 hours, according to a county report.

Colella said there have been no reports of problems with patient care to his office since diversions were ended.

Advocate Aurora Health Steve Francaviglia

Advocate Aurora Health Steve Francaviglia

Nevertheless, ambulance diversion is still happening in other areas around the state including in Waukesha and Racine counties, according to state data. At least 65 hospitals in the state have diverted patients to some degree over the last two years.

That includes some Aurora hospitals outside Milwaukee County. Francaviglia said efforts are underway to end diversion throughout the health care system.

Colella said he was not aware of Tates case until the Journal Sentinel brought it to his attention. But, he said, it illustrated all the problems with the diversion system.

Cases like this, where there are issues with access, was really one of the principles behind changing the policy, he said, adding the aim was to bring people with time-sensitive illness to the closest place that could take care of them."

Bedside vigil kept

For weeks, Tates family and friends kept a vigil at St. Lukes.

The diagnosis was grim. She was being fed through a tube. One of the doctors told David Tate his sister would never get up from the bed.

Still the family wasnt ready to let her go. They directed that she be resuscitated if she had a heart attack or stopped breathing. When more intensive hospital care was not practical, they had her transferred to a long-term care facility and eventually to a nursing home in Glendale.

Frustrated by what happened, David Tate called lawyer after lawyer to see if the family had a case against Froedtert, against the Medical College, against anyone.

In Wisconsin, non-economic awards in any wrongful death cases are capped at $350,000. In medical malpractice cases, the cap is $750,000 for damages such as pain and suffering. The limits were established by the state Legislature and upheld by court decisions.

That means many lawyers are not interested in taking such cases, which are often expensive to prepare. David Tate said he was also told by some of the lawyers that he would never win against Froedtert. It was too big.

More importantly, there was a question of who to sue. It wasnt as if the hospital gave her negligent treatment. Rather the system itself delayed his sisters treatment.

Whats more, a 1993 federal appeals court decision made the prospects of winning a case less likely.

In Chicago, a newborn who lived five blocks from the University of Chicago hospital went into cardiac arrest. The hospital was on diversion and refused to take the child, who later died. The court ruled in favor of the hospital.

It is considered a bedrock case in the area of ambulance diversion and liability, cited by attorneys and judges who face the issue nationwide. It was decided in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Wisconsin.

At the Glendale nursing home, the weeks stretched to months. Every day, visitors came, but Tiffany Tate did not improve. Instead, she got worse.

She died shortly before midnight on Dec. 9  two weeks before her sons first birthday.

Experts say diversion was wrong

Maria Raven

Maria Raven

Several health care experts who reviewed the case for the Journal Sentinel said Tiffany Tate should have been taken to Froedtert, regardless of any diversion policy.

To me, if someone is on the grounds of your hospital, they are yours, said Raven, the emergency room physician and professor in San Francisco. It is really sad. There were so many failures.

Michael Carome, a former top official in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and now medical director of Public Citizen, a public policy group, said the delay in getting Tate to a top-level stroke center diminished her chances of survival.

I would think there is a very high probability that the (delay) reasonably contributed to her adverse outcome given what we know about the golden window to quickly treat an ischemic stroke, Carome said.

The experts said it is impossible to know if Tate would have survived if she had gone straight to Froedtert.

But they were unified in this: She would have had a better chance.

Alvin Blalock, longtime boyfriend of Tiffany Tate, recalls the day of Tate's stroke.

Years of questions

Four years have passed since Tiffany Tates death.

The family has tried to make peace with the case, but frustration has simmered under the surface. When a reporter unearthed the case, David Tate initially did not want to participate. It was still too raw.

He has since decided sharing his sisters story could help end ambulance diversions in other places around the country.

Why are they turning away ambulance patients when people like my sister are having a stroke? David Tate said. Maybe thats why Im here doing this interview today so this doesnt happen to anybody else in the future.

Blalock, Tiffany Tates longtime boyfriend, remembers her cooking and her smile, trips they would take to Lambeau Field, all the good times.

I miss her. I just miss her, he said. She was just gone too soon.

Family photo Tiffany Tate and boyfriend Alvin Blalock.

Their son, Alex, is now 5. He started kindergarten this year.

Alex has questions.

Only thing I got are pictures, Blalock said. Everybody elses mama is around. All I can teach him is with the pictures."

It helps, he said, that Little Al is going to Sunday school now and learning about heaven.

Thats where his mama is, his father tells him.

He tells him that a lot.

Kevin Crowe and Cary Spivak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

We want to hear your story about ambulance diversion The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is investigating the issue of ambulance diversion including the consequences when people don't get timely care from hospitals. We are looking for information from patients, paramedics and other health providers across the country.

This form requires JavaScript to complete. Powered by Screendoor.

How to file a complaint

To file a complaint about care by a hospital, doctor or other provider, go to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services webpage.

How we reported this story

For this article, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter reviewed more than 7,000 pages of medical records covering the care of Tiffany Tate on the day of her stroke and the months that followed. This was done with the consent of Tates family.

Also reviewed: Reports from the Wauwatosa Fire Department, Medical College of Wisconsin Public Safety Department and the Medical Examiners Office, court records and dozens of studies on ambulance diversion, hospital overcrowding, and stroke care.

The Journal Sentinel also analyzed five years of data from a state of Wisconsin system used by hospitals to alert each other of their status. The WI Trac system is voluntary. Not all hospitals participate; those that do sometimes do not send in data about closures. Thus, the findings reveal a minimum amount of time the hospitals are on diversion.A bomb attack in northern town of Manbij killed Wednesday several people including three US forces whose patrol appeared to be the target of the attack amid beginning of pullout, reports say.

The blast claimed by the Islamic State group (ISIS), according reports citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) based in the UK, destroyed a restaurant in Manbji left 16 people dead.

ISIS on its news agency Amaq said one its suicide bombers inflicted losses to the international coalition fighting the terror group since 2014.

A suicide attack carried out with explosives vest hit an international coalition patrol in the city of Manbij, it said.

The coalition in a statement said it lost four US service men who were conducting a routine patrol.

The incident occurred as the U.S begins withdrawing its forces from Syria as announced by President Donald Trump last month.

Vice President who was the first US official from the Trump administration to speak in the wake of the attack maintained the White Houses plans to pull forces out of Syria but added that American forces in stay in the region to ensure ISIS defeat.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference with his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in Ankara increased the death toll to 20 including 5 American service men, Turkish media Daily Sabah reports.

The attack in Manbij might have been meant to affect Trumps decision to pull out from Syria. But as I saw Mr. Trumps decisiveness, I dont think a backward step would follow such a terror attack. Otherwise, it would mean a victory for Daesh, he added using the Islamic name of the terror group.

Manjib and its surroundings are controlled by US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.Twenty years ago, overcrowded hospitals in Massachusetts were turning away ambulances from their emergency departments and sending them elsewhere at an alarming rate, mirroring a nationwide trend.

Massachusetts public health officials repeatedly asked hospitals to reduce the hours they were on whats known as ambulance diversion. Instead, the problem grew worse.

Ten years later, the state was done asking.

In 2009, Massachusetts became the first and only state to ban ambulance diversions.

Since then, other areas have moved to eliminate the practice, but ambulance diversion still occurs in most of the nations largest cities, a review by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found.

Two-thirds of the largest 25 cities allow diversion or practices similar to it, including nine of the top 10. Among those cities: New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego.

Diversion was first employed in the 1980s as a response to overcrowded emergency rooms, where once treated patients could wait for hours  even days  for admission.

The problems reach beyond crowded emergency rooms to bottlenecks throughout hospitals that stall the movement of patients and lead to a lack of available beds.

Numerous studies have found diversion doesnt solve overcrowding and puts patients at risk by delaying care.

Some in the medical field warned ending diversions would result in catastrophic, dangerous crowding.

Emergency departments nationwide have been quietly deploying a controversial tactic of turning ambulances away.

But an August 2014 federal study of the Massachusetts experience found that didnt happen.

Despite fears that the ban would lead to increased emergency room crowding and ambulance delays, the steps hospitals took to improve patient flow in the wake of the ban prevented such problems, said the report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While many cities use ambulance diversions, the practice  and its risk  is not widely known by the public.

Carol Cronin, executive director of the Informed Patient Institute, a Maryland-based non-partisan group, had not heard of ambulance diversion until asked about it by a reporter.

I think it would be important to let the public know that diversion may be happening in their community and what can they do about it, Cronin said. Just a little sunshine might bring some scrutiny to the whole concept.

Milwaukee ends diversion

Milwaukee County implemented a no-diversion policy in April 2016.

Three years earlier, Riccardo Colella, director of Emergency Medical Services, began to work with the areas local health care systems to implement the ban at the 12 hospitals in the county.

The ban was entered into voluntarily. If there are violations, the matter will be referred to a program that seeks to bring about compliance through self-review by the hospital, according to the county. Deliberate and repeated violations can result in punishment, including suspension or revocation of a license depending on the severity.

Milwaukee hospitals were able to eliminate diversions by making their whole operations, not just the emergency departments, more efficient.

The county was moving toward ending diversion in 2014 when 37-year-old Tiffany Tate of Milwaukee suffered a stroke while working in the Medical College of Wisconsin cafeteria. She was about 350 yards from Froedtert Hospitals emergency department and its top-level stroke center, but was not taken there because Froedterts emergency room was on diversion.

It took nearly four hours for Tate to receive the kind of care she would have gotten at Froedtert. She later died.

Family photo Family photo of Tiffany Tate (center), her boyfriend Alvin Blalock (right), their son Alex Blalock now age 5, and Tates older daughter, Octayvia Fountain (left).

Ending diversion differently

In Seattle, the nations 18th largest city, the ban on ambulance diversions started with a 90-day experiment in 2011.

Officials there were concerned that the system was vulnerable to breakdown: If it was having to regularly employ such a drastic step as turning away ambulances for everyday operations, how would it respond to a true emergency?

Like Milwaukee, Seattles ban came about voluntarily, through an agreement with hospital executives at the 18 facilities in the metro area. Seattle hospitals also focused on efficiency changes to avoid the need for diversions.

Share your story Have you or someone you know been affected by ambulance diversion?

We want to hear from you.

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Share your story Have you or someone you know been affected by ambulance diversion?

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Seattle saw a spike in diversions in January 2016, when hospitals were on diversion for 319 hours prompting officials to send a letter to all hospital executives in town, according to a study. The following month, the diversion figure dropped to five hours.

Ambulance diversions were a big problem in Denver and neighboring cities 15 years ago, according to Randy Kuykendall, a state health official.

The situation has improved because of better cooperation and communication among the hospitals, Kuykendall said.

But perhaps the biggest factor in the drop in diversions was more facilities. In Colorado Springs, for instance, there were two hospitals in 2004. Now there are six.

Our diversion problem has just sort of melted away, Kuykendall said.

Problem in Los Angeles

Diversion is still a problem in Los Angeles County where hospitals can  and do divert ambulances regularly.

On average, each hospital in the county is on ambulance diversion about two hours every day, according to a 2017 report. That is down from about six hours per hospital per day in 2005.

Cathy Chidester, director of the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency, said surrounding counties have banned diversion but have not changed their operations. That has resulted in chaos, she said, with patients having long waits or swamping Los Angeles County hospitals.

Chidester said hospitals and officials have discussed making improvements, but nothing concrete has happened.

It might be different if there were a case similar to what happened with Tiffany Tate in Milwaukee County, she said.

Efficiency is talked about all the time here, Chidester said. But without something horrifying happening, like what you had up there, it just reverts to the way it was.Although it is common knowledge that our prison system is in deep crisis, the actual details of what is going on behind prison walls are oft...The new law does a lot.

It allows nine days of early voting, puts the federal and state primaries on the same day  which will save a boatload of money  allows high school students to preregister so they can vote as soon as they turn 18, allows voter registration to transfer anywhere you move in the state and caps the amount of money that limited liability companies can give to political candidates.

These are all common sense actions that make it easier for people to vote. That is democracy.

That campaign finance measure is especially important.

There have been times when we thought we would not live to see this day. Closing the LLC loophole is perhaps the most surprising step forward in campaign finance reform in a generation, and were shocked that it was passed with the support of a governor who has benefited greatly from the loophole.

The Legislature also pushed two other reforms forward to amend the state Constitution.

One will remove the need for an excuse for an absentee ballot and the second will allow same day registration for an election.

State voters would have to pass those resolutions in two consecutive elections for them to become law.They sit on a utility pole on the side of Route 4 in Fort Ann, hardly noticeable to those passing by. But the small cameras are an important enforcement tool for local police, and have played a part in a number of criminal investigations.

The devices, one pointing east, the other west, photograph and log the license plates of every passing vehicle, producing a database that is kept for the Washington County Sheriffs Office.

They are part of a network of cameras around the region and state operated by a number of police departments, using the same technology that has put license plate reader cameras on some police cars to locate stolen vehicles, flag unregistered vehicles or alert police when a vehicle being sought in an investigation passes by. They produce searchable databases that can allow police to retroactively determine whether a vehicle could have been in a specific location at a given time.

The Warren County Sheriffs Office has a set of the cameras on Route 9 in Lake George, and the State Police have them at a number of locations in the region as well. Warren and Washington counties worked together to get federal grant funding for their cameras, with Warren County Undersheriff Shawn Lamouree securing a $20,000 grant to pay for the equipment.Garrow's trail of slayings

In 1973, after abducting two young girls from a Syracuse ice cream stand, Garrow rapes the girls before killing four during a two-week spree.

In 1973:

July 11: Garrow kills high school student, Alicia Hauck, 16, in Syracuse

July 14: Garrow attacks two campers in in Warren County, killing Danny Porter . He abducts Susan Petz, rapes her and eventually kills her.

July 29: Garrow attacks four campers in Hamilton County, killing one.

Aug. 9: Garrow is shot and injured by DEC Conservation Officer Hillary LeBlanc. He was hiding in the woods behind his family home in Mineville.Will Doolittle projects editor Follow Will Doolittle 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. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Tempting as it is, I will not joke in this column about the name of the Most Rev. William Love.

Love is the Episcopalian bishop for the Albany Diocese who recently refused to follow a directive from his superiors to open Episcopal churches to same-sex marriages. Before he was bishop, he was the pastor for St. Marys Church in Lake Luzerne.

Church leaders gave bishops who objected to the directive a way out: They could invite an outside bishop in to provide pastoral support to same-sex couples. Instead, Love wrote a long, angry letter to all the pastors in his diocese, ordering them not to perform same-sex marriages.

Last week, church leaders reprimanded Love and forbade him from penalizing pastors who marry same-sex couples. He could face his own penalties, too. He is the only bishop in the U.S. who refused to comply with the churchs resolution.

Loves eight-page letter spelled out his visceral objection to blessing the union of two men or two women who want to commit to each other for the rest of their lives.

He makes it clear in his letter that homosexuals are going to hell.Highway foreman Keith Lanfear said Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky said the salinity of the brine solution theyve been using is higher than it is supposed to be.

Having a higher percentage is actually detrimental to the product working properly. I havent seen it be very effective, Lanfear said. Were continuing to put it down to see if we can get a better result under different conditions. It really hasnt been overly effective.

Public Works Superintendent Dave Harrington said the village is going to keep tweaking the mixture. The village is not facing any out-of-pocket cost since this project was funded by a grant. He plans to buy a special meter that can test the concentration of brine.

Sharing services

The village of Lake George is continuing its agreement with the town of Bolton to run its wastewater treatment plant, but officials want to get a permanent person in place.European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici has commended the adoption by the European Parliament (EP) by a large majority of the EU-Morocco agricultural agreement which opens a new chapter in the strategic partnership set between Rabat and Brussels.

The EP vote is a culmination of more than two years of intense and productive work between the European and Moroccan authorities, said the European official, affirming that the partnership between Morocco and the EU is now stronger than ever.

He also described Morocco as a key partner of the Union in the region and one of its major friends and allies . The adoption by the European Parliament of the Morocco-EU farming deal is good news for the EU, Morocco, local businesses and the inhabitants of the Sahara, added M. Moscovici, noting that it puts an end to legal uncertainty that is harmful to all.

According to the European Commissioner, the EU preferential tariffs will support the local Sahara economy by promoting exports. We are responding to the will expressed by a large part of the actors and economic circles in the Sahara, he stressed.

Last week, about 900 elected Sahrawi representatives, politicians and civil society militants called on the European Union to extend the fisheries and farm accords with Morocco, underlining the positive impacts of these agreements on the socioeconomic development of the Sahara and its local inhabitants.

The Fisheries Agreement and the Agricultural Agreement concluded between the Kingdom of Morocco and the EU () promote the development of the marine fisheries & agriculture sectors and ensure that this is done with our participation and in keeping with our interests, said the Sahrawi representatives in their petition to the EU.

From our southern provinces, we, the people, need and demand those international agreements that contribute to economic growth and job creation in our regions, underlined the petitioners.

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers."It's not fair that it had to happen this way, but unfortunately I'm glad it did," Moody said. "It shouldn't have taken about three years of me being here for someone to actually notice and have to say that something was wrong."No one was permitted to enter or leave from the front entrance of the building. Parents were told to pick up students on Thole Street with identification."While we will make every effort to make up these days, a waiver will give us flexibility in case we are forced to close for future weather events this school year," Superintendent Aaron Spence said in an email.After any wave election, both parties are going to be looking at those seats that are really close to try to figure out how to win them back or keep them, Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, said over the phone."This bill recognizes that after receiving medically appropriate counseling and information from her physician or health care provider, it is not in the patient's best interest to force her to receive additional non-medical information; wait an unnecessary, state-imposed period of time; or undergo an unnecessary ultrasound procedure if she and her doctor do not believe such actions would add to her ability to make an informed medical decision," she said."When I started, we still were dealing with smoking in the bathrooms, but the good news was that smoking had come down by the time I retired," he said. "Vaping growth is really so explosive ... I think it is (becoming) one of the top problems within school."The entertainers will include Nicole Asensio, Tricia Canilao, Laurence Mossman and JM Quiblat. The foods will tie into the six areas in the Philippines from which Montelibano gets his materials, including his hometown of IloIlo. His 100-piece collection will showoff the beauty and diversity of Filipino garment makers and artisans.He has conducted around the country, including as associate conductor of the Richmond Symphony and resident conductor with the Detroit Symphony and Florida Orchestra. He is the principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and holds the Germeshausen Family and Youth Concert Conductor chair with the Boston Symphony. He has worked as the music director for Omaha since 2005 and will become the symphony's longest-serving director as he continues through its centennial 2020-21 season. He will then become Music Director Emeritus."Attorney General Herring had to oppose significant parts of this proposal that were either underdeveloped, prohibitively expensive, or both," said Michael Kelly, the office of the attorney general's director of communications. "While the General Assembly has limited the tools at his disposal in these proceedings, he is still going to fight for Virginia customers whenever possible."Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Childcare can be expensive, stressful, and annoying to organise, but a University of Otago-led study has found it may also be behind religion's resilience.

Scholars have predicted the demise of religion for a long time, but it is not disappearing as quickly as anticipated.

Following the collaborative study, lead author Dr. John Shaver, of Otago's Religion Programme, believes a contributing factor is that religious people are able to have larger families because they get more help looking after their children than secular people.

"While religion has been declining in New Zealand for decades, our findings point to a countervailing trend, one that is driven by the co-operative breeding dynamics of religious communities.

"Co-operative help to mothers is one of the reasons for our success as a species. In modern environments mothers receive far less help than in our recent past. Less help drives down fertility levels in modern environments. However, religious mothers have more help, and more children than secular mothers," he says.

For the study, just published in journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, researchers analysed data from 12,980 people enrolled in the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS).

Dr. Shaver says the NZAVS, which is led by Professor Chris Sibley, of the University of Auckland, enabled the researchers to access data from a large national sample, whose population is roughly half religious and half secular.

"We found that religious people have more children, and that non-reproductive (those who don't currently have their own children) religious people tend to look after children who are not their own more frequently than non-reproductive secular people.

"Our findings point to why religion is not disappearing as quickly as many have predicted  religious people are able to have more children because they get more help with childcare than secular people.

"We hope that our research draws attention to the impact of a person's religious behaviour on core biological and sociological processes."

Co-author Professor Joseph Bulbulia, of Auckland, says the group's findings are consistent with evidence that religious people generally enjoy greater within-group co-operation, compared to secular groups. It is also the first study to find that co-operation extends to childcare.

"Though we think co-operative parenting explains only part of the puzzle of religious fertility, our result is an important first step for explaining a phenomenon that is vital for predicting the societies of the future," he says.

Another interesting finding from the study, Dr. Shaver says, is that, relative to New Zealanders of European descent, Maori and Pacific Islanders have more children, and people of Asian descent have fewer. Maori and Pacific Islanders also look after children who are not their own more frequently, while Asians engage in lower levels of co-operative childcare.

"Again, at a nationwide scale, this suggests that high fertility and co-operative parenting are broadly co-ordinated. Across all ethnic groups, though, the effect of religion on fertility and co-operative parenting holds," he says.

This is the first of many studies the researchers have planned. In particular they are interested in exploring the extent to which co-operative childcare contributes to child well-being.

Explore further Religious New Zealanders most tolerant of MuslimsSwRI was part of a team that used Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data to study the moon's craters, scaled by size and color-coded by age here, to understand the impact history of the Earth. The lunar surface is dominated by blue craters younger than 290 million years old, which is consistent with those on Earth, indicating that bombardments on both bodies has increased since that time. Credit: NASA/LRO/USGS/University of Toronto

An international team of scientists is challenging our understanding of a part of Earth's history by looking at the Moon, the most complete and accessible chronicle of the asteroid collisions that carved our solar system.

In a study published today in Science, the team shows the number of asteroid impacts on the Moon and Earth increased by two to three times starting around 290 million years ago.

"Our research provides evidence for a dramatic change in the rate of asteroid impacts on both Earth and the Moon that occurred around the end of the Paleozoic era," said lead author Sara Mazrouei, who recently earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto (U of T). "The implication is that since that time we have been in a period of relatively high rate of asteroid impacts that is 2.6 times higher than it was prior to 290 million years ago."

It had been previously assumed that most of Earth's older craters produced by asteroid impacts have been erased by erosion and other geologic processes. But the new research shows otherwise.

"The relative rarity of large craters on Earth older than 290 million years and younger than 650 million years is not because we lost the craters, but because the impact rate during that time was lower than it is now," said Rebecca Ghent, an associate professor in U of T's Department of Earth Sciences and one of the paper's co-authors. "We expect this to be of interest to anyone interested in the impact history of both Earth and the Moon, and the role that it might have played in the history of life on Earth."

Dating the moon's impact craters. Credit: NASA/LRO/University of Southampton/University of Toronto

Scientists have for decades tried to understand the rate that asteroids hit Earth by using radiometric dating of the rocks around them to determine their ages. But because it was believed erosion caused some craters to disappear, it was difficult to find an accurate impact rate and determine whether it had changed over time.

A way to sidestep this problem is to examine the Moon, which is hit by asteroids in the same proportions over time as Earth. But there was no way to determine the ages of lunar craters until NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) started circling the Moon a decade ago and studying its surface.

"The LRO's instruments have allowed scientists to peer back in time at the forces that shaped the Moon," said Noah Petro, an LRO project scientist based at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Using LRO data, the team was able to assemble a list of ages of all lunar craters younger than about a billion years. They did this by using data from LRO's Diviner instrument, a radiometer that measures the heat radiating from the Moon's surface, to monitor the rate of degradation of young craters.

During the lunar night, rocks radiate much more heat than fine-grained soil called regolith. This allows scientists to distinguish rocks from fine particles in thermal images. Ghent had previously used this information to calculate the rate at which large rocks around the Moon's young cratersejected onto the surface during asteroid impactbreak down into soil as a result of a constant rain of tiny meteorites over tens of millions of years. By applying this idea, the team was able to calculate ages for previously un-dated lunar craters.

Credit: SystemSounds

When compared to a similar timeline of Earth's craters, they found the two bodies had recorded the same history of asteroid bombardment.

"It became clear that the reason why Earth has fewer older craters on its most stable regions is because the impact rate was lower up until about 290 million years ago," said William Bottke, an asteroid expert at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado and another of the paper's coauthors. "The answer to Earth's impact rate was staring everyone right in the face."

The reason for the jump in the impact rate is unknown, though the researchers speculate it might be related to large collisions taking place more than 300 million years ago in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Such events can create debris that can reach the inner solar system.

Ghent and her colleagues found strong supporting evidence for their findings through a collaboration with Thomas Gernon, an Earth scientist based at the University of Southampton in England who works on a terrestrial feature called kimberlite pipes. These underground pipes are long-extinct volcanoes that stretch, in a carrot shape, a couple of kilometers below the surface, and are found on some of the least eroded regions of Earth in the same places preserved impact craters are found.

"The Canadian shield hosts some of the best-preserved and best-studied of this terrainand also some of the best-studied large impact craters," said Mazrouei.

Moon's young craters (larger than 10 kms, younger than one billion years old). Credit: Dr. A. Parker, Southwest Research Institute

Gernon showed that kimberlite pipes formed since about 650 million years ago had not experienced much erosion, indicating that the large impact craters younger than this on stable terrains must also be intact.

"This is how we know those craters represent a near-complete record," Ghent said.

While the researchers weren't the first to propose that the rate of asteroid strikes to Earth has fluctuated over the past billion years, they are the first to show it statistically and to quantify the rate.

"The findings may also have implications for the history of life on Earth, which is punctuated by extinction events and rapid evolution of new species," said Ghent. "Though the forces driving these events are complicated and may include other geologic causes, such as large volcanic eruptions, combined with biological factors, asteroid impacts have surely played a role in this ongoing saga.

"The question is whether the predicted change in asteroid impacts can be directly linked to events that occurred long ago on Earth."

The findings are described in the study "Earth and Moon impact flux increased at the end of the Paleozoic", published in Science.

Explore further Lunar craters named in honor of Apollo 8

More information: S. Mazrouei el al., "Earth and Moon impact flux increased at the end of the Paleozoic," Science (2018). S. Mazrouei el al., "Earth and Moon impact flux increased at the end of the Paleozoic,"(2018). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aar4058 C. Koeberl at Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria el al., "When Earth got pummeled," Science (2018). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aav8480 Journal information: SciencePPPL physicist Roscoe White. Credit: Elle Starkman

Like surfers catching ocean waves, particles within the hot, electrically charged state of matter known as plasma can ride waves that oscillate through the plasma during experiments to investigate the production of fusion energy. The oscillations can displace the particles so far that they escape from the doughnut-shaped tokamak that houses the experiments, cooling the plasma and making fusion reactions less efficient. Now a team of physicists led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has devised a faster method to determine how much this interaction between particles and waves contributes to the efficiency loss in tokamaks.

Fusion, the power that drives the sun and stars, is the fusing of light elements in the form of plasmathe hot, charged state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nucleithat generates massive amounts of energy. Scientists around the world are seeking to replicate fusion on Earth for a virtually inexhaustible supply of power to generate electricity.

The method for helping to determine the impact on fusion, published in Physics of Plasmas, depends on how the particles in plasma get caught in the oscillations. Particles trapped in an oscillation can trace an oval-like path known as a resonant structure, whose width is a key factor. Determining the width of that structure is critical. "If you want to know how big an effect the resonance has on the plasma particles, you need to know the resonance width," said Roscoe White, a theoretical physicist at PPPL and lead author of the paper.

By running simulations on powerful PPPL computers, the researchers learned how a type of plasma vibration known as an eigenmode can deform the resonance and change how it affects plasma particles. "Our research stands out because we took account of the eigenmode shape, which hadn't been done before," White said.

The way in which eigenmodes change resonance structures and therefore the behavior of plasma particles matters to scientists because the effect could diminish the efficiency of ITER, the multinational facility being built in France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power. "The modifications of particle distributions by electromagnetic oscillations is an important problem for ITER," White said. "Studying these phenomena allows scientists to predict how strong the effects of the oscillations will be, and then engineer ways to eliminate the waves, prevent particle loss, and maintain fusion efficiency."

The findings could be used to create a reduced computer model with simplified, yet accurate, code that could simulate plasma behavior with fewer calculations and therefore in much less time than current models take. "The best available simulation of a discharge in DIII-D, the tokamak operated in San Diego by General Atomics, can take a supercomputer several months to complete," said Nikolai Gorelenkov, principal research physicist at PPPL and a co-author of the paper. "That's too long. The ultimate goal is to use simulations of particle-wave interactions in plasma quickly enough to predict where and when losses might occur, and then take action to avoid those losses."

The task becomes vastly more difficult with regards to ITER. "A conservative projection for ITER is that simulations will require approximately 1 million times more calculations than are needed for current tokamaks," Gorelenkov said. "It's an unprecedented amount of computation, so we have to find ways to make the simulation easier to finish."

Explore further Team wins major supercomputer time to study the edge of fusion plasmasPresident Donald Trump, his Twitter habit and Twitter in general are not popular with millennials, according to the results of a new national poll released today.

Sixty-two percent of all millennialsAmericans ages 18 to 37surveyed by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion said they disapprove of Trump's job performance and only 37 percent said they view the president favorably. The independent, nonpartisan poll of 1,000 adults, which has a margin of error of 3.4 percent, was conducted prior to the government shutdown.

Of those polled, 54 percent identify themselves as Democrats, 32 percent as Republicans, 12 percent as independents and 2 percent were unsure. Among millennials who identified as Republicans, more than 80 percent said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

A majority of millennials do not approve of Trump's behavior on Twitter. Sixty-eight percent said the president tweets too much, 26 percent said he tweets about the right amount and 6 percent said he doesn't tweet enough. Even among Republicans, 40 percent said they feel the president tweets too much.

"Millennials largely dislike Trump because they so strongly identify with the Democratic party and independent millennials are prone to agree with Democrats on a lot of policy issues. Republican millennials like Trump and like the job he's doing as president, but two-fifths of them want the president to tweet less. It goes to show that even among his staunchest supporters, there's concern about the president's personal approach to the office," said John Cluverius, associate director of the Center for Public Opinion and assistant professor of political science, who oversaw the poll and analyzed the results.

Twitter itself gets a low approval rating from millennials, with only 37 percent saying they view the social media platform favorably. Facebook gets the same low mark, too, with a 37 percent favorability rating.

"I was surprised to see such low favorables for Facebook and Twitter, given that this generation makes up a huge part of the user bases of both platforms. Younger millennials may be switching to platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, but I think this finding reinforces the idea that while lots of people use these services, they don't make people happy," said Cluverius.

The poll also asked millennials for their views on the issues of gun control and immigration.

Sixty percent of millennials expressed support for increasing restrictions on the purchase and carrying of firearms, while 21 percent said the current restrictions are the right amount and 18 percent favor fewer restrictions on guns. A higher percentage of millennials identifying as Democrats and independents voiced support for more restrictions than Republicans surveyed. However, 36 percent of Republicans favor more restrictions vs. 26 percent who said they want fewer.

When it comes to immigration, millennials expressed far less liberal attitudes than on other issues, according to Cluverius. Thirty-five percent of those polled said the United States should let in more people from other countries, 34 percent said the U.S. should let in fewer people from other countries.

The poll also asked millennials for their feelings on potential 2020 presidential candidates: Trump, Joe Biden, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. (The poll was conducted prior to Warren's announcement she is running for president.)

Fifty-four percent polled said they will support whoever the Democratic nominee is, compared to 27 percent who said they will vote for Trump, 10 percent who are undecided and 9 percent who said they will vote for another candidate.

Biden and Sanders are the most well-liked by millennials, with 54 percent who have a favorable impression of Sanders and 51 percent who have a favorable view of Biden. Forty percent said they have a favorable view of Warren and 36 percent of O'Rourke, but results for both also indicated they may have issues with name recognition among millennials; a total of 26 percent said they had never heard of Warren, had no opinion or provided no response and a total of 39 percent had no opinion or provided no response about O'Rourke.

UMass Lowell last polled millennials in the days leading up to the 2016 presidential election and found that nearly a quarter of those surveyed would rather have seen a giant meteor strike the Earth than see either of then-candidates Hilary Clinton or Trump elected president. While that response was not to be taken literally, it illustrated the disenfranchisement felt by millennial voters at the time.

The poll released today found a majority of millennials are skeptical about the federal government's ability to make decisions fairly. Sixty percent said they feel they can trust the federal government to make decisions in a fair way less than half the time, compared to 23 percent who said they trust decisions are made fairly more than half the time and 17 percent who said exactly half the time.

"Two trends are clear across both surveys: Young Americans continue to be skeptical, pessimistic and disillusioned by the state of the country and its future course, and more than any previous generation of young Americans, they identify very strongly with the Democratic party," said Cluverius.

Explore further Majority of millennials don't support health care reformProfessor Reinhart (left) and architecture graduate student Hellen Rose Anyango Awino discuss a class assignment on measuring thermal comfort. Credit: Kelley Travers/MITEI

Developing a perfectly energy-efficient building is relatively easy to doif you don't give the building's occupants any control over their environment. Since nobody wants that kind of building, Professor Christoph Reinhart has focused his career on finding ways to make buildings more energy-efficient while keeping user needs in mind.

"At this point in designing buildings, the biggest uncertainty comes from user behavior," says Reinhart, who heads the Sustainable Design Lab in MIT's Department of Architecture. "Once you understand heat flow, it's a very exact science to see how much heat to add or take from a space."

Trained in physics, Reinhart made the move to architecture because he wanted to apply the scientific concepts he'd learned to make buildings more comfortable and energy-efficient. Today, he is internationally known for his work in what architects call "daylighting"the use of natural light to illuminate building interiorsand urban-level environmental building performance analysis. The design tools that emerged from his lab are used by architects and urban planners in more than 90 countries.

The Sustainable Design Lab's work has also produced two spinoff companies: Mapdwell, which provides individualized cost-benefit analyses for installing solar panels; and Solemma, which provides environmental analysis tools such as DIVA-for-Rhino, a highly optimized daylighting and energy modeling software component. Reinhart is a co-founder and strategic development advisor at Mapdwell, and he is CEO of Solemma.

Through it all, physics has remained a central underpinning. "Everything our lab develops is based on physics first," says Reinhart, who earned master's degrees in physics from Albert Ludwigs Universitat in Freiburg, Germany, and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.

Informing design

A lifelong environmentalist, Reinhart says he was inspired to study architecture in part by the work of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, which built a completely self-sufficient solar house in Freiburg in the early 1990s.

While finishing his master's thesis, Reinhart says, he also read an article that suggested that features such as color can be more important than performance to architects choosing a solar systeman idea that drove him to find ways to empower architects to consider aesthetics and the environmental performance of their designs at the same time. He began this effort by investigating daylighting at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

Light is incredibly important from a design standpointarchitects talk of "painting with light"but there are also significant technical challenges involved in lighting, such as how to manage heat and glare, Reinhart says.

"You need good sky models and you need good rendering tools to model the light. You also need computer science to make it fasterbut that's just the basics," Reinhart says, noting that the next step is to consider how people perceive and use natural light. "This really nuanced way of thinking is what makes daylighting so fun and interesting."

For example, designers typically render buildings with all the blinds open. If they learn that people will keep the blinds down 90 percent of the time with a given design, they are likely to rethink it, Reinhart says, because "nobody wants that."

The daylighting analysis software developed by Reinhart's team in 1998 provides just this kind of information. Known as DAYSIM, it is now used all over the world to model annual daylight availability in and around buildings.

Reinhart has also published textbooks on daylighting: "Daylighting Handbook I: Fundamentals and Designing with the Sun" was published in in 2014, and a second volume, "Daylighting Handbook II: Daylight Simulations and Dynamic Facades," was released last October.

"Daylighting was really my first way into architecture," Reinhart says, noting that he thinks it's wonderful that the field combines "rock solid science" like sky modeling with more subjective questions related to the users' experience, such as: "When is sunlight a liability?" and "When does it add visual interest?"

Teaching and advising

After earning his doctorate in architecture from Technical University in 2001, Reinhart taught briefly at McGill University in Canada before being named an associate professor of architecture at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. In 2009, the student forum there named him faculty member of the year.

In 2012, he joined the faculty at MIT, where he typically supervises seven or eight graduate students, including about three working on their Ph.D.s. Often, he also has students working in his lab through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Several students majoring in computer science have proved particularly helpful, he says.

"It's amazing what MIT students can implement," he says.

Reinhart is also an instructor, of course, notably teaching 4.401/4.464 (Environmental Technologies in Buildings), which focuses on how to assess the energy efficiency of buildings.

"There's nothing more funespecially at an institution like MITthan to teach these concepts," he says.

The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) is now working to make that subject available online via MITx, and the class is expected to be part of a planned graduate certificate in energy, according to Antje Danielson, MITEI's director of education.

City-scale modeling

Meanwhile, Reinhart has scaled his own research up to modeling energy use at the city level. In 2016, he and colleagues unveiled an energy model for Boston that estimates the gas and electricity demands of every building in the cityand his team has since assessed other urban areas.

This work has underscored for him how significant user behavior is to calculating energy use.

"For an individual building you can get a sense of the user behavior, but if you want to model a whole city, that problem explodes on you," Reinhart says, noting that his team uses statistical methods such as Bayesian calibration to determine likely behaviors.

Essentially, they collect data on energy use and train the computer to recognize different scenarios, such as the energy used by different numbers of people and appliances.

"We throw 800 user behaviors at a sample of buildings, and since we know how much energy these buildings actually use, we only keep those behavioral patterns that give us the right energy use," Reinhart says, explaining that repeating the process produces a curve that indicates the buildings' most likely uses. "We don't know exactly where people are, but at the urban level, we get it right."

Determining how energy is being used at this broad scale provides critical information for addressing the needs of the energy system as a whole, Reinhart says. That's why Reinhart is currently working with Exelon Corporation, a major national energy provider, to assess energy use in Chicago. "We can say, let's foster these kinds of upgrades and pretty much guarantee that this is how the energy load throughout a neighborhood or for particular substations will changewhich is just what utilities want to know," he says.

The food-energy-water nexus

Recently, Reinhart has also begun investigating ways to make food production more energy-efficient and sustainable. His lab is developing a software component that can estimate food yields, associated use of energy and water, and the carbon emissions that result for different types of urban farms.

For example, hydroponic container farminga system of growing food without soil inside something like a shipping containeris now being promoted by companies in some cities, including Boston. This system typically uses more electricity than conventional farming does, but that energy use can be more than offset by the reduced need for transportation, Reinhart says. Already, Reinhart's team has shown that rooftop and container farming on available land in Lisbon, Portugal, could theoretically meet the city's total vegetable demand.

This work exploring the nexus between food, energy, and water is just the next level of complexity for Reinhart in a career dedicated to moving the needle on sustainability. Fortunately, he's not alone in his work; he has sent a host of young academics out into the world to work on similar concerns.

Reinhart's former graduate students now work at universities including Cornell, Harvard, Syracuse, and the University of Toronto, and he continues to collaborate with them on projects.

It's like having a growing family, says Reinhart, a father of two. "Students never leave. It's like kids."

Explore further Mapping website tells building owners if going solar is worth the cost of installation

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.Westbury Park as drawn in the Parish Maps project. Credit: University of Exeter

People's love for their local areas could be harnessed to tackle global environmental problems, researchers say.

Parochialism (a focus on a local area) is often viewed negatively, and is sometimes seen as being akin to "nimbyismcharacterised by insularity and selfishness.But researchers from the University of Exeter argue that "positive parochialism" could be a foundation for environmental concern and action.

Their study revisits the Parish Maps project instigated in 1987 by UK arts and environment charity Common Ground, and finds the project offers a "foundation for ecological concern that remains relevant today".

"The Parish Maps project was hugely popular at the time, but has been somewhat overlooked since it ended," said Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, of the University of Exeter.

"It led to a huge upswell in local environmentalism and the creation of thousands of maps across the UK and beyond. We argue that it represents parochialism without the negative connotations many people associate with that word.

"We did not find evidence that parochialism was inevitably negative and inward-looking. It can be those things, but there's no necessary conflict between feeling connected to your local area and feeling connected to the wider world.

Copthorne as drawn in the Parish Maps project. Credit: University of Exeter

"For a long time, the consensus has been that if we want people to think about global issues they need a cosmopolitan world viewbut this may not be the case."Given where we are now in terms of trying to encourage people to make changes to help the environment, 'positive parochialism' offers something that has been overlooked."

The study examined Parish Maps archive materials held at the University of Exeter, and researchers also carried out in-depth interviews with those were involved in the project and who made local maps to examine the legacy of the project.

They argue that Common Ground's vision for Parish Maps represents a "positive parochialism" that "confidently asserts the validity of the parish without retreating towards insularity".

They identify an "unresolved challenge": to harness creative engagement like that used by people who created the Parish Maps to promote interest and engagement with environmental policy and planning.

Professor Devine-Wright added: "Policy making puts a primacy on the rational. Unlike the Parish Maps, it overlooks emotional and creative ways of engaging with the environment."

The co-authors of the paperDr. Jos Smith, of the University of East Anglia, and Dr. Susana Batel, of the University of Lisbon in Portugalwere both at the University of Exeter when the research was carried out.

The paper, published in the journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, is entitled: "'Positive parochialism', local belonging and ecological concerns: Revisiting Common Ground's Parish Maps project."

Explore further Research finds new gene is key to immune response

More information: Patrick Devine-Wright et al, "Positive parochialism", local belonging and ecological concerns: Revisiting Common Ground's Parish Maps project, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (2018). Patrick Devine-Wright et al, "Positive parochialism", local belonging and ecological concerns: Revisiting Common Ground's Parish Maps project,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/tran.12282Hitachi had planned to build a new plant next to the decommissioned Wylfa Nuclear Power Station (pictured)

Hitachi said Thursday it would freeze construction of its stalled nuclear power station in Wales due to financing problems, a blow to Britain's nuclear strategy and a costly decision for the Japanese firm.

Shelving the project at the Wylfa Newydd plant on Anglesey, a small island off the Welsh coast, will cost the Japanese firm 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion), it said.

Hitachi launched the three trillion yen project after acquiring Britain-based Horizon Nuclear Power in 2012.

The British government had reportedly agreed to finance two thirds of the construction cost, with Hitachi as well as Japanese and British investors scheduled to cover the balance.

But Hitachi's fund-raising efforts have been deadlocked at home while its request for additional investment from the British government has been shelved with London consumed by Brexit.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned," Hitachi said.

The Japanese firm added: "As a result, Hitachi has decided to suspend the project at this time... as it is now clear that further time is needed to develop a financial structure" for the project.

It said it had made the decision based on its economic reasoning as a private company.

But in an apparent bid to reassure London of its commitment to the country, Hitachi also said it would "continue to discuss a nuclear power programme with the UK Government" which it hoped would "further contribute to UK energy policy."

Asked about the deal in parliament Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May said London wanted new nuclear plants to contribute to the country's energy mix.

But she stressed: "We must also ensure that the cost of any energy that is provided by nuclear is at a reasonable level for the consumer."

'Unstable environment'

The unwelcome news comes as May is still reeling from a historic defeat over her Brexit deal but Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara told reporters that Britain's EU exit had had "no bearing" on the decision.

Nevertheless, one analyst said Brexit would make it harder to attract long-term investments such as in nuclear plants.

Toshiaki Higashihara said the decision had nothing to do with Brexit

Speaking to AFP ahead of the announcement, John Drzik, president of global risk and digital at US professional services giant Marsh, said that "cross-border investors in infrastructure are looking for stability in the legal, regulatory and political climate."

"If you have more confidence in that, you're more willing to invest. You have less confidence in that, you're going to pull back. It's going to be harder to attract foreign investors into an environment which is considered unstable," Drzik told AFP.

The halting of the project also deals a blow to Japan Inc's attempts to expand its nuclear power businesses overseas after the Fukushima disaster of March 2011 effectively halted demand for new reactors in Japan.

A massive tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 overwhelmed reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

It caused reactor meltdowns, releasing radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

The crisis spurred Japan to strengthen its safety regulations under a new Nuclear Regulation Authority watchdog.

The accident also prompted nuclear power companies overseas to review their projects, a move that increased safety costs.

Toshiba has also been on the ropes after being forced to sell off its troubled US nuclear energy firm Westinghouse, which racked up billions of dollars in losses before being placed under bankruptcy protection.

A Japanese-led consortium including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is also reportedly scrapping a project in Turkey.

The setbacks have dealt a blow to Abe's efforts to help Japan Inc export its infrastructurea key pillar of his business diplomacy.

For its part, the British government has placed nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy, in stark contrast to Europe's biggest economy Germany, which vowed to phase it out in the wake of Fukushima.

British anti-nuclear campaigners and environmentalists have long denounced the government's steadfast commitment to nuclear power, urging it to focus instead on renewable sources like wind and solar to meet Britain's future energy needs.

"A clever move now would be for the government to accept that the nuclear bet didn't pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy," said Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.

Explore further French group to help Japan dismantle nuclear reactors

 2019 AFPScenarios for sediment supply to the western Gulf of Mexico in the Miocene (A) and Pleistocene (B.) Sediment-source area for Miocene is shown in green; Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets and Rocky Mountain glaciers are in blue. Open circles are Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) study sites. Credit: Hessler et al.

The onset of the most recent ice age about 2.6 million years ago changed where the western Gulf of Mexico gets its supply of sediments. The finding adds new insight into how extreme climate change can directly impact fundamental geological processes and how those impacts play out across different environments.

The research found that the same climatic changes that grew glaciers across the northern hemisphere reduced sediment production in southern Mexico while ramping up sediment production along the catchment of the Mississippi River.

The study was previously made available online on October 8, 2018 ahead of final publication in print on Nov.1, 2018, in the journal Geology. Angela Hessler, the director of the Deep Time Institute, led the research. It was co-authored by Jacob Covault, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology; Daniel Stockli, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences; and Andrea Fildani, a scientist at the Equinor Research Center Austin.

The Bureau of Economic Geology is a research unit of the Jackson School.

The Gulf of Mexico has been catching sediments transported by rivers for about 200 million years. The layers of sediments that accumulate on the seafloor record information about the origin of the sediments and the erosive processes that lifted them from the rock. In this study, the scientists examined sediments deposited during the 20-million-year transition from the Miocene to the Pleistocene, when the Earth's climate transitioned from a relatively warm period to an ice age.

"It's an important transition climate-wise," said Hessler. "Climate cycles changed, and it's possible that changed the erodibility and the transport mechanism across North America to be able to shed all this material out toward Mexico."

Based on the composition of the sediments, the researchers were able to determine that the primary supply of sediments during the middle-to-late Miocene came from rivers in southern Mexico. This came as a surprise because of the rivers' relatively small catchmentan area in the tropical highlands of Mexico about 300-by-500-square kilometers, or about the size of Illinois. However, the sediments revealed that what the area lacked in size it made up for with highly erodible conditions, including a wet climate and tectonic activity such as uplifting mountains and volcanoes.

But that environment changed with the global cooling of the Pleistocene. The highlands became dry and arid. And while tectonic activity still continued, the lack of precipitation meant that the fresh bedrock and volcanic debris largely stayed in place. In what is now the United States, large ice sheets started to form and erode rock as they flowed across the continent.

The study found that this extreme climate shift is reflected by a change in sediments. By the mid-Pleistocene, almost all the sediments in the Gulf of Mexico came from the north via the Mississippi River, which collected sediments from waterways across the continent.

The study was able to unpack so much about the age, origin and environment of the sediments because of thorough research methods that examined the mud created by the sediments along with the grains, said Stockli.

"One of the really cool things about this paper is that there haven't been that many studies that actually combine the two records," he said. "People traditionally don't do that much with the muck, but that clay tells us so much about the weathering, and what those conditions are."

The methods used by the scientists included, microscope observations of sand grains, geochemical analyses of trace elements in sediment muds using mass spectrometry, and zircon U-Pb isotope analyses. The sediments themselves came from five core samples that were retrieved from across the Gulf of Mexico by the Deep Sea Drilling Project, the precursor to the International Ocean Discovery Program, about 50 years ago.

Studying how the Earth's climate impacts sediment transport helps researchers understand the connection between climate change and other geological processes. This connection could be an important point to consider when predicting the future impacts of climate change on the rest of the natural world.

"All this information about provenance, and how things interacted at one time or another, or climateit's all contained in this stratigraphic archive," said Covault. "It just takes a couple people to interrogate the heck out of it and put together a really interesting story that has implications beyond the Gulf of Mexico, for other places that might be subjected to climate change."

Explore further Warming rivers make marked contribution to global greenhouse gas levels

More information: Angela M. Hessler et al, Late Cenozoic cooling favored glacial over tectonic controls on sediment supply to the western Gulf of Mexico, Geology (2018). Journal information: Geology Angela M. Hessler et al, Late Cenozoic cooling favored glacial over tectonic controls on sediment supply to the western Gulf of Mexico,(2018). DOI: 10.1130/G45528.1Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Heat index peaking mostly between 102 and 108 this afternoon. * WHERE...Thurston, Boone, Madison and Stanton Counties. * WHEN...From 1 PM to 8 PM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&Fruit fly. Credit: John Tann/Wikipedia

Results, published in Nature Communications, have shown that the nature of the evolutionary forces which act on male fruit flies depend on how many mates a females has.

Over the last 50 years biologists have realised that females in most animal species mate with multiple males in their lifetimes, in contrast to Darwin's Victorian ideas of the monogamous female.

However, it has previously been hard to work out how female promiscuity affects sexual selection: when females mate with more than one male, sexual selection can continue after mating because the sperm of rival males compete for eggs. But if females mate indiscriminately, do male adaptations for enticing choosy females become redundant?

The results of this study show that, in fact, indeed both of these changes occur. When female flies were genetically changed to become more promiscuous, sexual selection simply switched from favouring males who gain more mates (good at enticing) to favouring males who are better at post-mating competition (good at fertilizing). In particular, males were favoured who were good at mating multiple times with the same female.

Dr. Stuart Wigby from the University of Oxford, whose lab hosted the research, said: 'This work gives us new insights into the broad evolutionary principles that explain why males vary so much in nature. For example, why in some species males show spectacular displays or fight to the death for access to females, while in other species males invest in making lots of sperm or in pairing with one or a few females.'

Dr. Juliano Morimoto Borges from Macquarie University, the lead author, said: 'Because the gene we used to change female mating behaviour is very common among insects, our findings may also point to an important mechanism underpinning the evolution of insect reproductive patterns. This might either help in the development of improved ways to control insect pests or disease vectors by altering their reproduction, or at least help us understand the evolutionary consequences of attempting to do so."

The researchers looked at closely-confined small groups, which is a relevant model for many species but is also likely to explain why the males ended up repeatedly mating with the same females rather than seeking new mates. Seeing what happens in larger, more dispersed groups will be an important future step for understanding how promiscuity interacts with ecology to shape sexual selection.

Explore further Male orb-weaving spiders cannibalized by females may be choosy about mating

More information: Juliano Morimoto et al, Sex peptide receptor-regulated polyandry modulates the balance of pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in Drosophila, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Juliano Morimoto et al, Sex peptide receptor-regulated polyandry modulates the balance of pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in Drosophila,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08113-wA Chinese stamp honoring the critically endangered tree was issued in 1992. Credit: Designed by Zeng Xiaolian

Three Chinese fir trees on a nature reserve in Southeastern China are the last of their kind. As their existence is threatened by human disturbance and climate change, researchers are hurrying to learn everything they can about the treewhich might inspire new and more effective ways to treat various cancers.

Chemists in China were initially studying the tree, Abies beshanzuensis, to look for molecules that might be able to treat diabetes and obesity. Using only bark and needles that fell from the trees, in order to not further disturb the small population, researchers found that the tree's makeup wasn't as effective as they'd hoped in treating these diseases.

The tree's healing powers looked grim until Mingji Dai, an organic chemist at Purdue University, started tinkering with some of its molecules in his lab. His team created synthetic versions of two, and then a few analogs, which have minor structural modifications. In collaboration with Zhong-Yin Zhang, a distinguished professor of medicinal chemistry at Purdue, he found that one of the synthetic analogs was a potent and selective inhibitor of SHP2, an increasingly popular target for cancer treatment. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"This is one of the most important anti-cancer targets in the pharmaceutical industry right now, for a wide variety of tumors," Dai said. "A lot of companies are trying to develop drugs that work against SHP2."

Cancer was projected to take more than 600,000 lives in the United States alone in 2018, according to the National Cancer Institute. Targeted therapies help treat cancer by interfering with specific proteins that help tumors grow and spread throughout the body. Unlike many of the molecules used to target SHP2 right now, Dai's (referred to as "compound 30") forms a chemical bond with the SHP2 protein.

"With others, it's a looser binding. Ours forms a covalent bond, which is more secure and long-lasting," Dai said. "But we also wondered whether this type of molecule could interact with other proteins."

With help from chemical biologists at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida, the team went fishingin a pond full of proteins. Using a tagged version of compound 29 (which is just a bit structurally different from compound 30) as bait, they caught POLE3, an enzyme that helps synthesize and repair DNA molecules.

This told the team that POLE3 and compound 29 were interacting, but not much else. Alone, compound 29 had no effect on cancer cells. But they knew this compound was drawn to a target protein involved in DNA synthesis, so they started looking for FDA-approved cancer drugs that target DNA for potential combination therapy. They found Etoposide, a DNA-damaging drug used to treat multiple types of cancer. Together, the results were promising.

"Compound 29 alone doesn't kill cancer, but when you combine it with Etoposide, the drug is much more effective," Dai said. "This could improve some of the cancer drugs used today, and it also tells us something new about the function of POLE3. People weren't targeting this protein for cancer treatment before, but our findings offer a new strategy for killing cancer cells."

Explore further New drugs could also be deployed against lung and pancreatic cancers

More information: Dexter C. Davis et al, Total Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Target Identification of Rare Abies Sesquiterpenoids, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2018). Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society Dexter C. Davis et al, Total Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Target Identification of Rare Abies Sesquiterpenoids,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b07652Sanitary pad washed up on a beach in Ireland. Credit: Dr Dannielle Green, Anglia Ruskin University

New research indicates that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the amount of plastic contained in commonly-used menstrual products.

The study, published in the journal Sustainability, was led by Elizabeth Peberdy of Anglia Ruskin University, who examined levels of awareness and people's attitudes towards the environmental impact of these products.

The study, which used face-to-face focus groups and an online survey of 300 people, found that many participants were shocked at the amount of plastic in commonly-used disposable menstrual products. Almost a third of those surveyed were not aware that tampons contained plastic and 20% of people believed that it is okay to flush tampons.

Tampons are the most commonly used menstrual product in Western Europe and the US, with women using an average of 11,000 during their lifetime. Many disposable products are flushed after use, which can lead to plastics contaminating ocean ecosystems.

Plastic tampon applicators are commonly found on beaches and even inside the stomachs of dead seabirds. They can also play a part in another set of problems. Slowly, with the presence of light, they can break down into smaller fragments. Microplastics, small pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size, are now found in even the most remote marine environments.

The study also found that people who expressed greater awareness of plastic pollution were also far more likely to use organic pads and tampons, menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads, rather than disposable non-organic products.

Lead author Elizabeth Peberdy, who carried out the work as part of her Masters Degree in Sustainability at Anglia Ruskin University, said: "Plastic pollution has become a hot topic and whilst there has been a strong focus on plastic bags and other single use items, I felt the hidden plastic in disposable menstrual products was going under the radar and I wanted to know whether other people were aware of the issue.

"My research showed that many are unaware that tampons often contain plastic, and therefore it is perhaps not surprising that some people think that it is okay to flush these products down the toilet.

"Our study also found a clear link between people's awareness of environmental impacts and their choice of menstrual product. This indicates that it should be possible to create a change in behaviour through education, whether through the school curriculum, public awareness campaigns or better labelling on products.

"It's a complex issue and one that some people feel awkward talking about, but it shouldn't be that way. I hope that this research will go a little way towards raising awareness, even if it's just by sparking a conversation between friends that may not otherwise have happened."

Professor Aled Jones, Director of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University and a co-author on the paper, said: "We are delighted to see yet again the quality of output from our Masters students recognised through the publication of a peer-reviewed journal article.

"This is no small achievement and it is particularly important that taboo subjects such as periods can be tackled through this type of work as plastic waste will not be solved simply by focussing on iconic objects like straws."

More information: Elizabeth Peberdy et al, A Study into Public Awareness of the Environmental Impact of Menstrual Products and Product Choice, Sustainability (2019). Elizabeth Peberdy et al, A Study into Public Awareness of the Environmental Impact of Menstrual Products and Product Choice,(2019). DOI: 10.3390/su11020473Olea capensis macrocarpa. Credit: Abu Shawka

In the world of paleoecology, little has been known about the historical record of ecosystems in the West African highlands, especially with regard to glacial cycles amidst a shifting climate and their effects on species diversity. It has long been a subject of debate whether stability or instability of tropical forests is responsible for the high levels of species richness found there.

One theory holds that stable and species-rich "refugia," or enclaves, of tropical forest survived periods of climatic instability within larger areas of grassland-dominated landscape. Pollen data to support this theory are ambiguous however, as they come mainly from marine core samples that represent a large region of vegetation zones and do not resolve well to a local level. Continental records and genetic data are similarly inconclusive with regard to stability or instability of this ecosystem.

Equatorial mountains, on the other hand, are believed to have been stable moist habitat throughout many glacial episodes, acting as "glacial refugia" to support richly biodiverse montane forests up to the present day. An alternative theory holds that these forests only recently stabilized and became refugia during the Holocene epoch beginning around 20 ka (20,000 years ago).

To better understand the ecological history of Afromontane forests, an international team of researchers examined pollen data from two core samples recovered from Lake Bambili, a system of two high-altitude volcanic crater basins in Cameroon. Lake Bambili, at 2273 meters (~ 7500 feet) above sea level, lies within an Afromontane forest belt which is bounded at its upper limits by an Afro-alpine grassland, and at its lower limits by submontane forests and savannas, which in turn form the transition to tropical rain forests.

The first core sample, B1, retrieved from the upper basin of Lake Bambili, provided a continuous pollen sequence dating back to the beginning of the Holocene. The second core, B2, which lacked tephra horizonslayers of volcanic ashto more accurately confirm its radiocarbon chronology, was correlated with adjacent marine records recovered offshore from Cameroon. This core sequence provided a continuous pollen record dating back 88.9 ka to the Last Interglacial period, and in particular provided a picture of three distinct forest phases separated by phases where grasslands predominated during glacial periods.

The researchers characterize the contraction and expansion of Afromontane forests amidst the temperature backgrounds of Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). Each of the three forest phases was quite distinct in terms of biome composition. The first phase, during MIS 5from 82.6 ka to 72 ka agois characterized by lower-level montane forest and upper-level Afromontane forest. The second forest development phase, a more moderate phase during MIS 3, from 53 to 38 ka, also included lower-level montane forest and upper-level Afromontane forest, but with lower proportions of woody taxa and a more narrow altitudinal range. The third phase, occurring from 10 to 3.3 ka ago, contained lower-level montane forest as well as tropical seasonal forest.

Regarding the glacial intervals, the researchers note that Afro-alpine grasslands dominated for a short period at MIS 5 (~82 ka ago), and for a long period between MIS 4 to MIS 2 from 72 to 15.5 ka ago. They found lowland steppes and desert biomes predominating during the glacial maxima, with a pronounced effect at MIS 2 with "the near-absence of forest elements." The data at MIS 2 represented the driest episode within the 90 ka core record.

Unlike the case in East Africa, there is no record indicating the presence of actual glacier formations in the equatorial West African highlands. In East Africa, glaciers pushed the upper treeline lower. Pollen data do suggest that Afromontane trees in the highlands were in fact more widely distributed at lower altitudes than they are today. As an example of this, they cite the Afromontane tree Olea capensis, which has been able to successfully migrate to lower altitudes during the last glacial maximum only to return to higher altitudes during warmer periods. The record of one species cannot be considered exemplary of the Afromontane biome as a whole, however.

In order to understand the dynamics of the Afromontane forest with regard to expansion/contraction and migration over time, the researchers sought to define its upper and lower limits. The upper limit is hence defined as the proportion of Afro-alpine grasslands in relation to Afromontane forests, whereas the lower limit is defined as the ratio of lower-level montane forest to tropical seasonal forest.

Interestingly, the supposedly stable Afromontane forests proved to be anything but. As Anne-Marie Lezine and her fellow researchers state "The most remarkable result of our study is the ecological instability of the Afromontane forest belts compared with the relative stability of lowland tropical seasonal forest over the past 90 ka." The Afromontane forest at its upper limit proved to be most vulnerable to a changing climate, whereas its lower limit was defined by relatively stable equatorial forests. These findings cast doubt on the widely held view that such tropical lowland forests were indeed unstable and in flux, and only survived amidst pockets of refugia.

Unlike the case of Afromontane forests in East Africa, where long term ecological stability over the past 40 ka is thought to have contributed to its currently high level of biodiversity, vegetation diversity levels in the highlands of Cameroon have proven to be highly variable over time, an observation in line with the instability of Afromontane forests shown here. While minimum levels of diversity tracked the lowest position of the upper Afromontane treeline between 35 and 26 ka, higher than present levels of pollen richness occurred during forest expansion phases.

"The increase in diversity estimates started well before the LGM [Last Glacial Maximum] and accelerated from 20 ka ago onward. The highest diversity was then reached during the Younger Dryas dry event (~12.9 to 11.7 ka ago) (25), during a phase of major ecological disturbance and not during the following early Holocene phase of forest stability at 10 to 9 ka ago."

All of this has led the study authors to conclude "that Afromontane forests of Cameroon are neither 'glacial' nor 'contemporary' refugia. Glacial climates did not lead to forest disappearance but had a major impact on the upper treeline, which shifted dramatically, revealing the sensitivity of the upper montane biomes to climate change."

Explore further Loss of forest intactness increases extinction risk in birds

More information: Anne-Marie Lezine et al. A 90,000-year record of Afromontane forest responses to climate change. Science. 11 Jan 2019: Vol. 363, Issue 6423, pp. 177-181. Journal information: Science Anne-Marie Lezine et al. A 90,000-year record of Afromontane forest responses to climate change.. 11 Jan 2019: Vol. 363, Issue 6423, pp. 177-181. DOI: 10.1126/science.aav6821

 2019 Science X NetworkNorth Korea has mounted a back-door bid to peel Canada away from United States-led efforts to apply maximum pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions until it relinquishes its nuclear weapons.

North Korean officials complained that Ottawa was following Washington and not acting as an independent nation in its relations with their country during a rare visit to Canada, the South China Morning Post has learned.

Canadian media reported earlier this month that a five-member delegation from North Korea quietly met with Canadian officials in September, but details of the North Korean sides perception of Ottawa have not been revealed until now.

Civil society representatives who held a round table with North Korean officials after their discussions with Canadian bureaucrats said they expressed frustration over Canadas support for US efforts to isolate Pyongyang.

As well as upholding UN sanctions against Pyongyang over its illicit nuclear and missile tests, Ottawa maintains its own sanctions and travel restrictions for the country.

They felt that Canada was not acting as an independent nation, but basically following the US line, said Erich Weingartner, the founder of CanKor, a website providing analysis on North Korea.

In fact, they found the Canadian officials not very well aware of the nuclear history of the Korean peninsula. They emphasised that it was initially the US that introduced nuclear weapons into Korea, that therefore US threats to DPRK security must be removed before the DPRK is ready to denuclearise.

Weingartner said the delegation included Ri Yong-pil, North Koreas ambassador to the United Nations, and Kwon Jong-gun, its foreign ministrys director general for North American affairs.

Patti Talbot, head of international outreach at the United Church of Canada, said the North Korean side had complained of a lack of awareness within the Canadian government of US responsibility for the nuclear stand-off.

Story continues

They seemed to indicate that what they encountered was a focus on the North Korean nuclear arms, without the appreciation of the wider context of American arms and American presence, said Talbot, referring to the presence of about 28,500 US troops in South Korea.

I think that on more than one occasion the delegation indicated, certainly verbally, that they are seeking an end to the conflict  that they were seeking peace, and that they were looking for possibilities to move forward in a process toward peace.

Global Affairs Canada, the foreign ministry, did not respond to a request for comment. While the exact substance of the talks with the North Korean delegation remains unclear, the department previously told local media that the dialogue did not change its stance on the need for North Korean denuclearisation.

The revelation of Pyongyangs behind-the-scenes manoeuvring to gain relief from sanctions comes amid expectations that US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could hold their second summit as early as February.

During their first summit in Singapore last year, Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded statement committing Pyongyang to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

But since then, the North has taken few concrete steps toward disarmament as it holds out for corresponding measures from Washington in the form of a relaxation of the Trump administrations maximum pressure sanctions policy.

With the sides at an impasse, South Korean media reported on Wednesday that North Koreas lead nuclear negotiator Kim Yong-chol was expected to travel to the US this week for talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

South Koreas Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on Wednesday that Seoul and Washington were discussing possible incentives to offer the North in return for tangible actions towards denuclearisation.

Meanwhile, the Post reported on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping was anticipated to travel to the North for the first time in April to hold a summit with Kim.

This article North Korea in back-door bid to split Canada from US-led efforts to push denuclearisation first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019.Taiwan has condemned a Beijing effort to pressure foreign companies  including Nike, Apple and Amazon  to list the island as part of China, in what observers said was a fresh attempt to force Taipei to the negotiating table for unification talks.

A total of 66 international firms were singled out for misidentifying Taiwan on their websites, in an annual report on cyber rule of law in China published this week by the Social Science Academic Press in Beijing.

The report, which covered 500 top transnational companies based in 32 countries, including the US, Japan and Germany, also named 53 firms for misidentifying Hong Kong.

The 2018 Annual Report on Cyber Rule of Law called for the relevant authorities to punish the companies by either removing their licences or suspending their operations on the mainland if they refused to correct their mistakes.

The report said the companies had either deliberately violated or were not aware of the one-China principle, which it said was backed by international and domestic law, adding that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China must be protected.

The fresh effort to pressure international companies follows a call by Chinese President Xi Jinping for cross-strait unification talks based on the Hong Kong model of one country, two systems.

Alex Huang, Taiwans presidential spokesman, said on Thursday that Beijings actions could in no way remove Taiwan from the sight of the world.

The island, he said, had forged close links with the international community and was backed by countries which shared its values of democracy and freedom.

Regardless of whether to use one country, two systems to coerce Taiwan, or to resort by political and economic means to pressure international enterprises to change our title, what China has done would not only impact regional stability, but would also make China lose the worlds trust and respect, Huang said.

Story continues

It would also serve to sabotage the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

Huang said the Taiwanese people would not give up their belief in freedom and democracy and bow to pressure from the mainland over its demands.

Washington  which recognises Beijing diplomatically instead of Taipei  came to the aid of its unofficial ally, telling Beijing to stop its coercion and resume a dialogue with Taiwan.

Amanda Mansour, spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan  Washingtons de facto embassy in Taipei  said last week that the US had a deep and abiding interest in cross-strait peace and stability.

Any resolution of cross-strait differences must be peaceful and based on the will of the people on both sides, she said.

Mansours comments followed a similar statement in support of Taiwan on Twitter by Garrett Marquis, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, on Monday.

The latest pressure from Beijing follows a demand, in mid-2018 from Chinese aviation authorities, that 44 international airlines stop referring to Taipei as being located in Taiwan and instead update their websites to say that Taipei was part of China.

This article Nike, Apple, Amazon among top firms named by China for misidentifying Taiwan first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019."Fly By Night" is representing Malaysia at the New York Asian Film Festival.

17 Jan  Zahir Omar's film "Fly By Night" has been chosen to represent Malaysia at the first ever edition of the New York Asian Film Festival's Winter Showcase.

The "Fly By Night" team recently posted on their Twitter account: "From Santa Barbara, we'll go to New York for New York Asian Film Festival 2019 @NYAFF in February. #FlyByNightmovie"

The movie will be making its New York Premiere at the upcoming film festival, after first making its U.S. Premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2019.

One of the scenes in "Fly By Night".

Prior to hitting the U.S., the movie made its World Premiere last year at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival and was also screened at the 13th Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival and the 3rd International Film Festival & Awards Macao.

Starring Sunny Pang, Jack Tan, Bront Palarae and more, "Fly By Night" follows a low-level extortion racket run by taxi drivers who target the well-off passengers they drive from the airport. However, when the youngest driver decides to work with one of their victims to blackmail her cheating lover, things quickly go south.A top Chinese military official on Tuesday called for efforts to strengthen trust between China and the United States, but said Beijing would not tolerate outside interference in Taiwan affairs.

General Li Zuocheng, the PLAs chief of the Joint Staff Department, made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Admiral John Richardson, the US chief of naval operations.

Richardson is in China on a three-day visit that also includes a stop in the eastern city of Nanjing, headquarters of the Peoples Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command.

The two military leaders also had a deep exchange of views over Taiwan and the South China Sea, according to a statement released by the Chinese defence ministry.

Li warned that China would defend its sovereignty at all costs.

The Taiwan issue is a matter of Chinas internal affairs that concerns Chinas core interests and the feelings of the Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait, and China will not allow any outside interference, Li said, according to the statement.

If anyone wants to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will safeguard the national unity at all costs so as to protect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity.

But Li also said military ties were a key component of China-US relations, and called on both sides to improve communication.

The ups and downs experienced during the 40 years since the establishment of Sino-US ties have shown that the mutual interests between China and the US far outweigh the differences, and that cooperation is the best choice for both sides, said Li, who is also a member of the Central Military Commission, the militarys ruling body.

The two militaries should respect each other, strengthen mutual trust and communication, properly manage risks and work to make military exchanges a stabiliser of the Sino-US relationship, he said.

Under US President Donald Trump, Washington has increased its support for self-ruled Taiwan with renewed arms sales and upgraded contact between officials, drawing repeated protests from Beijing.

Story continues

Chinese President Xi Jinping sees reunification with Taiwan as central to his vision of the nations rejuvenation and said in an address this month that Beijing would not promise to abandon the use of force to achieve this.

Relations with the US have also deteriorated over Chinas military build-up in the contested South China Sea, where two warships came close to colliding in September.

During the meeting, the US Navy commander said the United States highly valued a constructive, results-oriented relationship between the two militaries, according to the Chinese statement.

Richardson also expressed willingness to increase high-level military exchanges, strengthen mutual understanding and reduce the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation.

It is Richardsons second visit to China since he became the US Navy chief in 2015. His last visit in 2016 focused on frictions over the South China Sea.

This article China wont tolerate interference in Taiwan, military chief warns US first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019.

More from South China Morning Post:OMV, the operator of the northernmost oil discovery offshore NorwayWisting in the Barents Seacould begin production in 2026, the Senior Vice President of OMVs Norwegian unit, Knut Mauseth, told Reuters on Wednesday, in what could be some relief for Norways oil industry amid current forecasts that production will decline from the mid-2020s in the absence of new major oil discoveries.

Earlier this week, OMV said that the estimated recoverable volumes in the Wisting discovery had increased to 440 million barrels of oil in place, from 350 million barrels previously estimated.

Data from the latest appraisal well and the seismic data acquired have given us a better understanding of the area and the resources. We now see the increased potential of Wisting, Mauseth said in a statement.

Currently, OMV and partners are studying the option to produce oil from the discovery via a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit. The final concept selection is expected in 2020, OMV said.

The development of Wisting will probably need investments of US$4.7 billion-US$5.8 billion (40 billion-50 billion Norwegian crowns), Mauseth told Norwegian industry outlet petro.no on Wednesday.

OMV is the operator with a 25-percent working interest in the production license where the Wisting discovery was made in 2013. The other shareholders are Norways Equinor with 35 percent and Petoro with 20 percent, as well as the Norwegian unit of Japanese petroleum firm Idemitsu with the remaining 20 percent.

Related: Offshore Spending To Overtake Shale In 2019

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, OMVs Mauseth said that production at Wisting could begin in 2026.

According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), production at Wisting is likely, but not yet clarified.

In the Barents Sea, Snhvit and Goliat are currently in production and then comes Equinors Johan Castberg, scheduled for first oil in 2022this will lead to more infrastructure construction in the Barents Sea that could boost exploration in the area, Mauseth told petro.no.

According to the NPDs resource estimate, nearly two-thirds of the undiscovered resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf lie in the Barents Sea. The industry and the oil regulator are concerned that Norway faces a decline in oil production from the mid-2020s unless major new oil discoveries are made.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Libya reopened on Thursday all its oil loading terminals where operations were suspended for nearly a week due to inclement weather, S&P Global Platts reports, quoting a source close to the developments.

Libyas crude oil production and exports have been severely disrupted since early December due to previous port closures courtesy of bad weather as well as security incidents and issues at the countrys largest oil field Sharara, which has been shut in since December 8.

As a result, Libyas crude oil production in December plunged by 172,000 bpd from Novemberto 928,000 bpd from 1.1 million bpd, according to OPECs secondary sources in the cartels Monthly Oil Market Report released today. The drop in Libyas oil production last month was the second steepest decline among OPEC producers after Saudi Arabia, which cut production by 468,000 bpd from November to 10.553 million bpd in December.

Libyas oil ports were closed last Thursday due to bad weather, adding to the existing shut-in at Sharara and further disrupting Libyan oil exports.

The African OPEC member had to suspend port operations in early December, saying the disruption would lead to a 150,000-bpd shut-in because storage tanks at oil terminals were close to full capacity.

Over the past few weeks, Libyas crude oil loadings have been delayed by between four and ten days, trading sources told Platts on Thursday.



Related: Oil Markets Could See Deficit In 2019

Over the past year, Libya has recovered part of its oil production despite a huge port blockade in the summer of 2018 that basically shut in nearly all of its exports for weeks. The biggest oil field Sharara is currently under force majeure due to a blockade by tribesmen and members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard demanding payments to lift the blockade.

Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC) produced an average of 1.107 million bpd in 2018, NOCs chairman Mustafa Sanalla said earlier this month. Total revenues reached US$24.4 billion, the highest since 2013 and a 78-percent annual rise. If the security situation improves, Libya plans to pump 2.1 million bpd of crude oil by 2021, Sanalla said.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:by Mathias Hariyadi

Places of worship, especially non-Islamic ones, are one of the most controversial issues in Indonesia. The dispute began last August. Complaints stem from the lack of permits for the use of residential housing for religious purposes.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  The local Synod of Churches of Indonesia (MPH-PGIW) has condemned the latest "episode of intolerance" against a Protestant community in Medan Labuan, North Sumatra (Sumatera) province.

Three days ago, local Muslims (picture 1) staged a protest that prevented the members of the Bethel Church of Indonesia of Philadelphia (GBI), in Martubung district, from entering a house of prayer.

The authorities claim that the complaint stems from the lack of government permits for the place of worship. Protestant leaders call for changes to the legislation and complain about delays in getting the right papers.

At present, building places of worship, especially by non-Muslims, is one of the most controversial issues in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, and touches the principle of freedom of religion.

The Synod issued a statement yesterday (picture 2) signed by its president, Rev Darwis Manurung, and general secretary, Rev Hotma Hutasoit. The organisation says it is "very concerned" and has called on the police to "investigate the case, to find out the reasons" the incident.

What happened "shows that the right to religious practice is easily hindered, the Synod noted. The fact that the house of prayer has not yet obtained all the papers should not be an obstacle to the maintenance of the social order".

The local office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Medan has excluded the possibility that the motive could be sectarian.

The house used for prayer is owned by Pastor Jans Frasman Saragih and is designed for residential use, said Al Ahyu, head of the local government agency, the day after the protests. Locals did not erect barricades to prevent Christians from praying, but they demonstrated because they did not have the required papers."

The dispute between the two communities began last August with the first public protests. "Two months ago, local residents asked Rev Saragih to stop his services, but he refused, Al Ahyu explained. At the end of November, our Office received the first complaints and sent a letter to the pastor, asking him to stop his activities."

"On 6 December, all the parties met and agreed to allow the use of the house of prayer until the end of the Christmas holidays. The protests last Sunday, 13 January, occurred because the pastor did not respect his commitment, the official added.

Superintendent Tatan, a spokesman for the North Sumatra police, said that incident included "50 demonstrators who were annoyed by the pastor's reluctance" to stop. According to the police, the services disturb the public peace during the weekend.

However, for Eko Kuntadhi, a social media analyst, there is "a link between the protests in Medan and the presidential elections next April".

On his blog, the expert notes that protests have the goal of sparking discontent among conservative Christians against President Joko Widodo, who is running for his second term against Islamist parties.

"Widodo's rivals expect Christians to hold back their support, Kuntadhi says, and accuse the administration of failing to protect minorities".Due to weather and geological conditions in the cold Russian winter, Russia cannot cut its oil production too quickly, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday, reiterating Moscow's commitment to stick to the new OPEC+ deal and to gradually reduce production.

Russia will try to cut its oil production faster, Novak noted.

A few days ago, Khalid al-Falih, the energy minister of Saudi Arabiathe OPEC kingpin and key Russian ally in all OPEC/non-OPEC production policy deals since early 2017said that Russia was moving with the cuts slower than Id like.

Russia has started, slower than Id like, but theyve started, and I am sure as they did as in 2017 theyll catch up and be a positive contributor to re-balancing the market, al-Falih told CNBC on Sunday.

The new OPEC+ deal, under which Russia will be cutting 228,000 bpd, is for a six-month period starting January 1, 2019 with an option to review in April.

Russian oil companies will reduce their production by that amount during the first quarter of 2019, Novak said after the agreement was reached in December.

Novak has said that Russia is planning to reduce its oil production by 50,000 bpd to 60,000 bpd in January as part of the new OPEC+ deal, and will not be cutting its 228,000-bpd share outright at the start of the agreement. Russia has already drafted a timetable for how much oil production it would reduce each month until it reaches its share of the OPEC/non-OPEC production cut, Novak said, reaffirming Moscows position that its reduction would be gradual, just like in the previous agreement between OPEC and the Russia-led non-OPEC partners.

Last Friday, Novak said that Russia had already cut production by some 30,000 bpd compared with Octoberthe baseline for the cutsand still aimed to reach a cut of 50,000 bpd by the end of this month.

Today, Novak told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that he would be meeting with al-Falih at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week to discuss joint projects, cooperation, and the implementation of the OPEC+ deal.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Ever since Tsai Ing-wen was elected as Taiwans president in 2016 as head of the pro-independence ruling party, tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated to multi-decade extremes. Before her election, relations between the two sides had reached a new era of conciliation or, as Beijing would like to call it, reconciliation during the administration of President MaYing-jeou, a Beijing-leaning bureaucratic that seemed prepared to allow the merging of the two sides through economic cooperation.

Now that Tsai has been in office nearly three years, cross-strait relations can arguably be called the worst since 1979 when China stopped firing artillery barrages across the strait at Taiwanese outlaying islands. However, Beijing hasnt been satisfied with just a war of words lately but it is backing up its oft-saber rattling by conducting naval war games close to the Taiwanese coast as well as sending bomber sorties near or even into Taiwanese air space.

This stepped-up tactic of using the stick instead of the carrot fits all too well with Chinese President Xi Jinpings more muscular approach in the Asia-Pacific region. Soon after becoming president in 2012, Xi pledged to not militarize the numerous islands, reefs and formations that it occupied, or in the case of Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines own UN-mandated 200 natural mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), it seized after a tense standoff between Chinese naval and maritime vessels and a less equipped Philippine navy. But in the ensuing years, Beijing has not only broken Xis promise, it has upped the ante to a dangerous level, by enforcing its ill-founded claim to around 90 percent of the South China Sea, based on historical claims, something that other rival claimants can also promulgate, particularly Vietnam which reportedly has ancient maps and documents backing its overlapping South China Sea claims.

Coming full circle

Now, Taiwan is stating that it will not bow to Chinese pressure for international support against what it calls Beijings out-of-control actions, a Taiwanese presidential spokesman said on Thursday, after Beijing urged companies to change the way they refer to the self-ruled island. Alex Huang, the spokesman for the Taiwanese president told reporters in Taipei that as for Chinas related out-of-control actions, we need to remind the international community to face this squarely and to unite efforts to reduce and contain these actions.

The power of words

The Chinese state-run Legal Daily reported on Wednesday, citing a report released by Chinese government think tanks, that U.S. companies including tech heavyweights Apple and Google had erred and wrongly labeled Taiwan and should take immediate action to correct their mistake. This is not the first time that Beijing has lashed out at Western companies over how they refer to Taiwan. Last year, Beijing put considerable pressure on U.S. airlines on how they refer to Taiwan, asking them, actually forcing them, to refer to Taiwan as China Taiwan. Related: Oil May Never Return To The Triple-Digits

According to a Washington Post article in July, American Airlines wiped Taiwan from its website, and United Airlines said it was working to meet Chinas requirements. The kowtow by the American-based airlines came three months after Beijing ordered dozens of foreign airlines to refer to the island (Taiwan) as a Chinese territory or face consequences in the worlds second-largest aviation market. The same week, the Post report added, Chinese users could no longer see the name Taiwan on a map of Asia on the American Airlines website, while China, Japan and the Koreas remained.

Energy markets intersect

While the tit for tat war of words will continue between China and Taiwan, a self-ruled island of less than 30 million people, there is also an energy markets intersect. As Chinas Blue Ocean Navy continues to increase its technological prowess amid Xis increased funding of the Chinese military apparatus, there remains a potential threat to coal, oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to Taiwan. Taiwan's reliance on imported energy sources makes it even more vulnerable to any ill-intents of the Chinese navy should they ever decide to encircle the island, even as a temporary show of force or as part of a naval war game.

According to Taiwanese official statistics, oil, coal, and natural gas made up 48 percent, 29 percent, and 13 percent of Taiwans total primary energy consumption in 2015, respectively, while the remainder was mostly nuclear (7 percent) and smaller amounts of various renewable energy sources. Total energy import dependence was about 98 percent, according to the Taiwanese government.

Despite some analysts that claim this could be a far-fetched scenario, it should be remembered that Chinas air force conducted several island encirclement patrols near Taiwan beginning on April 18, 2018. The drills reportedly featured different types of Chinese warplanes including H-6k bombers, Su-30 and J-11 fighters, and surveillance, alert aircraft, which aimed to test and hone their real combat capabilities. Chinese Air force spokesman Shen Jinke said at the time that China would continue to carry out such patrols, adding that the country has the determination, confidence and capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Upping the ante

Two weeks ago, Xi said he proposed democratic consultations for peaceful development of cross-strait ties but would not renounce force to regain control of the island if needed. A South China Moring Post article said that the Peoples Liberation Army Navy and Air Force are expected to continue patrols around Taiwan, as they have been doing regularly since Taiwans pro-independence president Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016. Related: U.S. Oil Outlook Slammed By Lower Prices

All of this saber-rattling hasnt been lost on Washington or President Trump that approved $330 mn in arms sales to Taiwan in September, provoking a stern rebuke from Beijing. However, that amount is the lowest in recent years, as U.S. policy makers weigh their obligation to help defend Taiwan against provoking Beijing in a delicate cat and mouse game that has been ongoing for years.

At the end of the day, its simply impossible to predict how the U.S.-China row over Taiwan will play out, though there are a plethora of pundits offering various analysis. It also remains to be seen how any ratcheting up of tensions between China and Taiwan, either with or without U.S. intervention, would impact global energy markets, particularly LNG markets in Asia, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of all global LNG demand.

The way forward for Taiwan is fraught with troublesome diplomatic challenges as it continues to lose the remaining few countries that recognize its self-ruled status, while the option of Taiwan pivoting to more reliance on nuclear power, a popular notion until the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, has largely been taken off the table.

By Tim Daiss for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries produced 751,000 bpd less in December than in the previous month in a rush to prop up prices, OPEC said in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report. The cartels total stood at 31.578 million bpd, versus 32.328 million bpd in November, according to data from secondary sources.

Oil prices, however, were slow to react to the decline, with both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate down at the time of writing. Brent crude traded at US$60.22 a barrel, down 1.79 percent, with WTI at US$51.24 a barrel, down by 2.05 percent.

As expected, Saudi Arabia shouldered the bulk of the reduction, pumping 468,000 bpd less in December than November, at 10.553 million bpd. Libya came second from the top in terms of production decline but in its case, this was the result of a production outage at its largest field, Sharara. The North African country booked a production decline of 172,000 bpd.

Irans oil production declined by the third-highest margin in December, by 159,000 bpd, but once again, this was not the result of deliberate effort but of the U.S. sanctions that came into effect in early November, pressuring demand for Iranian crude despite the sanction waivers granted to eight Iranian oil importers.

Analyzing the global oil fundamentals for 2018 and 2019, OPECs analysts said last year global demand gad grown by 1.5 million bpd and this year it would slow down to 1.29 million bpd, to hit 100.08 million bpd at the end of the year. The increase, although more moderate than in 2018, will likely be driven by Asian consumers, with India in the lead, followed by China.

Demand for OPEC oil last year fell by 1.2 million bpd from 2017, the same amount the cartel agreed to cut, together with its non-member partners, to stabilize prices this year. However, the report authors expect demand for OPEC crude this year will be 900,000 bpd lower than last years, at 30.8 million bpd.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:The oil rally of the past two weeks continues, even though in a more tempered manner, on the back of U.S. commercial crude supplies shrinking, Russia starting to implement its OPEC/OPEC+ commitments and China promising to do whatever it takes to avert an economic slowdown.





Beijing duly demonstrated the seriousness of its intentions  following weak December trade data, the Chinese National Bank has injected a record amount of cash into the economy via reverse repo operations, further backing it up with a robust PR drive. As a consequence, the global benchmark Brent traded between 60 and 60.5 USD per barrel on Wednesday afternoon, whilst WTI hovered around 51.5-52 USD per barrel.

1. US Stocks To Stay Around 440 MMbbls

 Having fallen by a modest 1.7 MMbbl in the week to 439.7 MMbbl ending January 04, U.S. commercial crude stocks, as per last week, are expected to experience an insignificant decline or stagnation.

 In doing so, stocks have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks in Cushing, Oklahoma, whilst Gulf Coast stocks have fallen by some 5 MMbbl month-on-month.





 Gasoline stocks are expected to continue their build for the eighth consecutive week, with a further 2.5-3 MMbbl stock build expected in the week ending January 11.





 A further uptake in distillate stocks is also assumed, albeit at a much smaller pace than the 10+ MMbbl week-on-week increases in the last two weeks documentedA week after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term in office, the option of a complete oil embargo against Venezuela has been put back on the table, according to two unnamed sources who spoke to CNN.

The sources also said President Trump was mulling over a declaration that recognizes the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, opposition politician Juan Guaido, as the legitimate president of the country.

While officials from the U.S. administration did not directly confirm the information, CNN quoted the spokesman of the National Security Council, Garrett Marquis, as saying The United States is currently considering all diplomatic, political, and economic tools in its arsenal in response to the usurpation of power by the illegitimate Maduro regime.

The last time more sanctions against Venezuelas government were discussed actively in Washington, a source from the administration said a full oil embargo was not among the options discussed.

The fact is that the greatest sanction on Venezuelan oil and oil production is called Nicolas Maduro, and PDVSAs inefficiencies, the official said, speaking to Reuters. At the end of the day, Nicolas Maduro has taken care of really running PDVSA to the ground, and essentially more and more making it a non-factor.

Interestingly enough, however, despite the steady decline in Venezuelas oil production, daily exports of crude to United States refineries have remained relatively stable. According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration, between May and October 2018, Venezuelan crude exports to the U.S. hovered around half a million barrels daily. While this is substantially lower than the export rate from the late 1990s, its not as low as it was a decade earlier, between 1980 and 1985. And U.S. refiners might need more. Related: U.S.-Qatar Energy Partnership Has Russia On Edge

Late last year, Albertas Premier Rachel Notley ordered a cut of over 300,000 bpd in local crude oil production to prop up prices. It worked so well, now some analysts are worrying there may be a shortage of heavy crude on the way as Saudi Arabia is also cutting production and when it cuts, these analysts said, it cuts mostly its heavy crude production.

However, most refineries on the Gulf Coast, where more than half of the worlds crude is processed, need heavy crude and there are but a few competitive sources they can tap if the supply of heavy crude becomes too tight for comfort, which may well happen if Trump goes ahead with an export embargo.

The idea of an oil embargo, CNN notes, has been previously rejected by the U.S. President because it would lead to a jump in prices at the pump of as much as 15 percent. This is not something Trump seems to be fine with, as evidenced by his reactions to rising prices in the spring and early summer of last year and his urging OPEC to stop cutting production and let prices go lower. Based on this, chances are the U.S. president will stop short of imposing a full oil embargo on Venezuela, especially amid a tightening heavy crude market.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:The often-used phrase becoming all things to all people may work well in many contexts but in the energy patch, particularly with Saudi Arabia, its falling flat. The de facto OPEC leader and worlds largest oil exporter and third largest oil producer has been pledging many things lately, including going long on more gas investment and development both at home and abroad (including increasing investment in the U.S.-liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, as well as expanding its already massive downstream investments globally. The kingdom has also tried to present itself as a more moderate Arab state, but since the October killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, that image has largely been tarnished.

The kingdom has also pledged over the last several years to become one of the top global solar producers by investing some $350 billion in solar infrastructure. Last year, Riyadh said that by 2023 the kingdom can generate 10 percent of its power from solar and wind plants, at a projected cost of $50 billion. And in March, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a $200 billion agreement with Japans SoftBank Group Corp. to build enough solar capacity to triple the kingdoms current electric output. Going long on renewables, particularly solar, is also part of the crown prince's vision to revolutionize the Saudi economy, both in terms of modernization and to pivot away from over-reliance on crude oil.

New plans look good on paper

Saudi Arabia is also planning to tender 11 PV power projects with a combined capacity of 2,225 MW this year, while the kingdom's solar target for 2023 has just been revised up from 5.9 GW to 20 GW, and for 2030 set at 40 GW, The largest project includes the Alfaisalia project, with a capacity of 600 MW, while the Saudi Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO0 intends to tender another four projects with an installed capacity of 300 MW each named Rabigh, Jeddah, Alras and Saad. And the tendering plan for 2019 includes a further six projects: Qurrayat  with a 200 MW capacity; another with the same name but 40 MW; Wadi Adwawser (70 MW); Madinah (50 MW); Rafha (45 MW); and Mahad Dahab (20 MW). Related: Theres No Sugarcoating Canadas Oil Crisis

While this all looks good on paper and gives the media-savvy Saudi PR apparatus plenty of fodder to press the kingdoms desire for a new image and to bring in more FDI, these plans may never materialize, and if they do, it may be a long time coming. To date, virtually no construction on projects has even begun according to media reports in the region. Likewise, Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in December that the Saudis have a "lot of stop and go" efforts in its renewables energy push.

Oil price and impact on solar

Another problem has been the price of oil. When oil prices start to increase, the Saudis pull back their efforts at wind and solar development, while showing more interest when prices are lower.

Related: Global Automakers To Spend $300 Billion On EVs In 10 Years

However, by developing solar power infrastructure the Saudis could eventually free up as much as 300,000 bpd to 1 million bpd of oil for exports (depending on whose data you use) that is currently used for domestic electricity production.

Therein, lies the problem, the price of oil reached four-year highs in early October, then lost much of those gains in the following three months only to recoup some of these loses at the start of the year. With some forecasts calling for $65-$70 oil up to the year 2023, it will lower the incentive for the Saudis to move away from over-reliance on oil export revenue and its solar and renewables development push. Jessica Obeid, a resident fellow at Chatham House said last year that Saudi Arabia has made a lot of splendid plans, but it has yet to execute any of them.

If the future is any indication of the past, the execution of those plans may be a long time coming.

By Tim Daiss for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:i don't want to believe any of this about mariah. i could see all of the allegations against stella being true though.



also, what is the track to becoming a six-figure executive assistant? asking for a me.



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U think mariahs easy to deal with?







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Then why not sue Stella then? and lol @ urinating on her. She's deluded

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She is suing Mariah because Mimi has the money and Stella does not. She is doing nothing more than trying to take advantage of Mariah.



Hope this opportunist gets nothing from Mariah, and instead (and rightfully so) that parasite Stella has to come up with the cash to pay her for "slapping her butt and breasts, urinating on her, tackling her and sitting on her... calling her the n-word and a "fucking Armenian whore," and placing objects under her (presumably saggy) breasts."

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Yikes.



Edited at 2019-01-17 02:30 am (UTC)

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She was getting paid $327,000?? What exactly does an assistant do?

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For Mariah Carey? I'm betting essentially selling your personal freedom.

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You know Mirada Priestly? That.

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it's a 24/7 job and you gotta travel all around the world with that person. that seems like a reasonable amount of money for someone of mariah's fame and workload to be honest.

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Mariah? Probably even wipe her butt 'cause she can't be bothered to do anything

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"Personal activities" - Mariah smoking weed. We all know Mimi loves smoking that ganj.

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why did i think "personal activities" meant masturbating.....?

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many russians don't like armenians so I believe it

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True, especially the women. Going to Russia was hell for me.

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Hello fellow Armenian!

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This is brand new information for me.





Most people I know are still like Armenian? Whats that? 

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$327,000??? how do I become a celeb assistant

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Knowing people, Craigslist, already have a foot in the door.

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How?? Help me...lol

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I meed to do this for a year... hell, six months.

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Sell your soul I guess.

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Then she should sue Stella as well.

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She is, according to the full source. I updated the OP because I forgot to add that part in dddd

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Oh, okay. I was gonna say...

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I wonder if nick is gonna say anything.

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Nick alluded to the blackmail by the assistant in an interview a couple months ago with DJ Vlad. But I don't think he'll say anything else tbh

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Interesting. Yeah, you know Mariah will make sure of that.



That assistant better have proof, theres no winning with a celebrity lawyer.

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she pissed on her? how do you get pissed on by a woman? its kind of hard to get more than a splash on your shoe unless she's squatting on top of you.

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Maybe she was sitting on her and was laughing so hard that she pissed herself, which in turn soaked this Liana woman? Lol I wonder how that happened, as well...

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Holy crud. D:

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Getting paid 327k and still doing Joanna the Scammer shit. Glad Mariah's suing her ass.

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Thank you for Reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.Today well look at Generic Sweden AB (STO:GENI) and reflect on its potential as an investment. Specifically, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.

First of all, well work out how to calculate ROCE. Next, well compare it to others in its industry. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Author Edwin Whiting says to be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since No two businesses are exactly alike.

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets  Current Liabilities)

Or for Generic Sweden:

0.28 = kr4.9m  (kr41m  kr9.1m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.)

Therefore, Generic Sweden has an ROCE of 28%.

See our latest analysis for Generic Sweden

Want to help shape the future of investing tools and platforms? Take the survey and be part of one of the most advanced studies of stock market investors to date.

Does Generic Sweden Have A Good ROCE?

When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. We can see Generic Swedens ROCE is around the 24% average reported by the IT industry. Setting aside the comparison to its industry for a moment, Generic Swedens ROCE in absolute terms currently looks quite high.

As we can see, Generic Sweden currently has an ROCE of 28% compared to its ROCE 3 years ago, which was 10.0%. This makes us think the business might be improving.

Story continues

OM:GENI Last Perf January 15th 19

When considering ROCE, bear in mind that it reflects the past and does not necessarily predict the future. ROCE can be deceptive for cyclical businesses, as returns can look incredible in boom times, and terribly low in downturns. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our free report on analyst forecasts for Generic Sweden.

Generic Swedens Current Liabilities And Their Impact On Its ROCE

Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets.

Generic Sweden has total assets of kr41m and current liabilities of kr9.1m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 22% of its total assets. The fairly low level of current liabilities wont have much impact on the already great ROCE.

What We Can Learn From Generic Swedens ROCE

With low current liabilities and a high ROCE, Generic Sweden could be worthy of further investigation. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20.

I will like Generic Sweden better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.Amman (AFP) - Yemeni government and rebel representatives met in Jordan on Thursday for a second day to thrash out the details of a major prisoner exchange, a UN official said.

The swap, which could involve up to 15,000 detainees from both sides, was agreed in principle as a confidence-building measure ahead of peace talks in Sweden last month.

But the details were left for later as UN mediators focused on brokering breakthrough truce deals for the lifeline port of Hodeida and battleground third city Taez.

The talks in the Jordanian capital Amman come as international donors meet in Berlin to set up a fund to support the fledgling peace process in Yemen.

Representatives of the United Nations, which brokered the swap agreement, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will supervise its implementation, are taking part in the Amman talks.

During a first day of talks on Wednesday, the warring parties met separately with the mediators and submitted lists of prisoners they want to see released.

On Thursday, they were expected to meet face-to-face to hammer out the details of its implementation.

The new meetings come after the UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the deployment of up to 75 monitors to oversee the truce in Hodeida, which has largely held despite delays in an agreed withdrawal of combatants.

- International support fund -

In Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pledged 4.5 millions euros as the opening contribution to the new peace process support fund.

"In Yemen, a humanitarian catastrophe threatens to unfurl if we do not manage to bring this conflict to a definitive end," Maas said.

"The important thing right now is to seize this small but real opportunity and work to ensure that international support for the peace process is as constructive and resilient as possible."

The truce in the largely rebel-held Red Sea port city was the centrepiece of a series of breakthrough agreements brokered by the United Nations in Sweden last month in what is widely seen as the best chance yet of ending Yemen's devastating four-year civil war.

Story continues

But in a sign that much work still needs to be done before formal peace negotiations can begin, UN envoy Martin Griffiths said last week that he had postponed until February a planned second round of talks between the two sides.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle radio on Wednesday, Griffiths said he was guardedly optimistic.

He said he had been pleasantly surprised that the truce had held in Hodeida so far despite the "currently very weak" UN monitoring.

He said he was "keeping his fingers crossed" that would continue while the new observer mission is put in place.

Alistair Burt, the British Foreign Office's minister responsible for Middle East affairs, said both sides had largely complied with the ceasefire in Hodeida.

"The relative calm there reflects the benefit of the Stockholm agreement," he told British legislators on Wednesday.

"There are sporadic incidents... but broadly (the ceasefire) has held."

The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

Human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high.

The war has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.Today we are going to look at Shanghai Electric Group Company Limited (HKG:2727) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires.

First, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Then well compare its ROCE to similar companies. And finally, well look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar.

How Do You Calculate Return On Capital Employed?

Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets  Current Liabilities)

Or for Shanghai Electric Group:

0.032 = CN2.3b  (CN210b  CN116b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.)

Therefore, Shanghai Electric Group has an ROCE of 3.2%.

View our latest analysis for Shanghai Electric Group

Want to help shape the future of investing tools and platforms? Take the survey and be part of one of the most advanced studies of stock market investors to date.

Is Shanghai Electric Groups ROCE Good?

When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. In this analysis, Shanghai Electric Groups ROCE appears meaningfully below the 7.0% average reported by the Electrical industry. This performance is not ideal, as it suggests the company may not be deploying its capital as effectively as some competitors. Putting aside Shanghai Electric Groups performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is poor  considering the risk of owning stocks compared to government bonds. There are potentially more appealing investments elsewhere.

Story continues

Shanghai Electric Groups current ROCE of 3.2% is lower than its ROCE in the past, which was 7.0%, 3 years ago. Therefore we wonder if the company is facing new headwinds.

SEHK:2727 Last Perf January 17th 19

When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Do Shanghai Electric Groups Current Liabilities Skew Its ROCE?

Short term (or current) liabilities, are things like supplier invoices, overdrafts, or tax bills that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets.

Shanghai Electric Group has total liabilities of CN116b and total assets of CN210b. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 55% of its total assets. This is a fairly high level of current liabilities, boosting Shanghai Electric Groups ROCE.

The Bottom Line On Shanghai Electric Groups ROCE

Unfortunately, its ROCE is also pretty low, so we are cautious about the stock. Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Shanghai Electric Group. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.The White House has condemned embattled Republican Representative Steve King for questioning why terms like white supremacy and white nationalist have become offensive.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the comments from Mr King, a politician from Iowa known for a history of controversial remarks over race and immigration were outrageous and inappropriate.

Steve Kings comments were abhorrent, Ms Sanders told reporters outside of the White House.

She then used the scandal involving a Republican congressman to criticise Democrats: The Republican leadership, unlike [the] Democrats, have actually taken action when their members have said outrageous and inappropriate things.

Ms Sanders condemnation follows after several top Republicans condemned Mr Kings remarks, including House Republican Conference chairwoman Liz Cheney, who has called for his resignation.

Mr King has also been stripped of his committee assignments by the House Republican leadership.

White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization? Mr King said during an interview with The New York Times last week.

Mr King, who has a history of contentious remarks disparaging minorities and was elected to a ninth term in November, said that the decision by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to suggest he lose his committee assignments ignores the truth.

Leader McCarthys decision to remove me from committees is a political decision that ignores the truth. . . . Ultimately, I told him, You have to do what you have to do, and I will do what I have to do, Mr King said.

Mr King supported a House vote over a resolution comdemning white nationalism and white supremacy, which referenced Mr King's comments. He did not respond to reporter questions after the vote.Nancy Morrison is dipping into her savings account to buy food and pay for basic household bills as negotiations to end the government shutdown remain at a standstill.

The communications, radar and automation technician at Louisville International Airport has worked three weeks without a paycheck, along with roughly 800,000 other federal workers who arent being paid.

Morrison, of Louisville, has tried repeatedly to contact a man who she believes could help re-open the government: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

But the U.S. Air Force veteran says it's nearly impossible to get through to anyone at his offices. She can't leave a message with anyone in his Washington, D.C. office, and his local office rings until the line hangs up.

"For me personally, its a joke that we cant get a hold of him because he is our senator, and hes holding the reins, too, of the Senate vote," Morrison said.

Morrison is asking a question echoed by many political leaders in Washington, and experts around the county as the shutdown hits day 27: Where's Mitch McConnell?

The question became a trending topic on Twitter thanks to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, who joined a handful of House Democrats scouring the halls of Congress with news cameras asking "Where's Mitch?" She and a group hand-delivered a letter to McConnell's office, demanding a vote to reopen the government.

"Hes not in the cloak room. Hes not in the Capitol. Hes not in the Russel building. Hes not on the floor of the Senate," Ocasio-Cortez said on social media. "And 800,000 people still dont have their paychecks  so #WheresMitch?"

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

McConnell was praised by Republicans and Democrats during President Barack Obamas tenure for cutting deals to escape gridlock. But observers have noted the Kentucky Republican, who once relished that deal-maker role, is keeping his head down during this partial  yet historically long  shutdown.

Story continues

Here's how McConnell explained it to the Courier Journal: In those previous impasses or shutdowns, there was a Democratic White House that took the lead. Obama needed GOP votes that, McConnell said, as minority leader, he was able to deliver as a key negotiator.

More: Security shows signs of strain as impasse over wall stretches into its fourth week

More: Furloughed workers to get back pay once government shutdown is over

McConnell: Democrats should deliver deal

The nearly monthlong shutdown was triggered by Trumps demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats prefer to invest more heavily in ports of entry. The Democratic-led House of Representatives passed a spending bill Jan. 3 that includes $8 million to hire 328 new Customs officers and $225 million to purchase equipment used to screen trucks and vehicles for contraband.

The way McConnell sees it, under President Donald Trump, Democrats Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, and Chuck Schumer, his Senate counterpart, should be the ones delivering a deal.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., listens

"As long as Democrats refuse to come to the table for serious, good-faith negotiations with the White House, they will prolong this partial government shutdown," McConnell told the Courier Journal on Wednesday. "Speaker Pelosi continues to prioritize her opposition to President Trump over the security of our nation's borders and the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are missing paychecks."

Neither Pelosi nor Schumers office responded to a request for comment.

Ben Self, chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said no one accepts McConnells explanation about his absence from the shutdown talks, however.

I think its obvious that Sen. McConnell is afraid of the president at this point, he said.

The question is whether McConnell is taking a reasonable backseat to the president, or if it's his latest effort to avoid friction with the confrontational commander-in-chief, who remains popular in Kentucky.

Managing mulitple political priorities

Democrats want McConnell to let the Senate vote on their compromise proposal, which funds eight of the nine shuttered departments while temporarily funding Homeland security to continue the border security debate.

But he has rejected that offer because Trump doesn't support it.

"If Trump is not willing to sign off on a budget, then its not clear anything McConnell could work out would do much good, said Stephen Voss, a University of Kentucky political science professor. It would only be creating conflict within the Republican Party for nothing.  McConnell cant look as though he is betraying Trumps bargaining position."

Democrats say that is just the latest example of McConnell overlooking Trumps worst tendencies in exchange for filling judicial vacancies with conservatives. The McConnell legacy hinges upon a rightward shift in the courts, which he has made clear is more paramount to him than any other policy achievement.

"It's the only thing we do where there are lifetime appointments," McConnell told the Courier Journal in October. "I love the tax bill and I like what we did on deregulation, but just as soon as the political winds shift you can bet we'll be back at the tax code depending on who is up and who is down at any given moment."

House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, who is Kentuckys lone Democrat in Washington, praised McConnell after the mid-term elections for brokering previous deals to avoid a shutdown. He now believes his fellow Kentuckian is shifting that responsibility to other leaders at the expense of federal workers.

Sen. McConnell is clearly concerned about his re-election, and the re-elections of other Republican senators on the ballot in 2020, Yarmuth said.

McConnell was able to deliver a unanimous short-term spending bill to Trumps desk without the roughly $5.3 billion for the border wall just before Christmas.

Under that proposal, the government would have been kept open until February. But the president changed his mind abruptly because of pressure from conservative activists and prominent media figures to deliver on his campaign promise.

Yarmuth said McConnell doesnt want to take another risk given how unpredictable the president is known to be.

We now have a president who has proven himself incapable of keeping his word, he said. Sen. McConnell is forced to decide between either looking foolish when the president once again publicly undermines him, or weak when he steps back from the important conversations that are happening. In this instance, Sen. McConnell has chosen the latter.

Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, acknowledges the GOP leader is spinning multiple plates amid the shutdown.

The leader understands that everybody has different political needs and demands in their states, Cornyn told the Washington Examiner. But I think (McConnell) believes that its important that we not split our conference by forcing a vote on something that the president will veto.

'No compassion ... from Trump or McConnell'

In recent weeks, McConnell has echoed Trumps warnings about the need for stronger border security, using his Senate floor speeches in the past week to take partisan punches at Democrats for being unwilling to negotiate.

The men and women on the ground have been unambiguous about the crises theyre facing, McConnell said Wednesday. The entry of criminal aliens and gang members into our country. The drugs that go on to infect communities. The ongoing humanitarian crises that are fueled by our governments mixed signals and our inability to enforce our own laws.

McConnell sympathized with federal workers, saying how they will have to stretch every dollar until Democrats lose interest in dead-end political games.

Polling conducted this month shows Americans see this impasse as one between Trump and the Democrats, with little mud getting on Republicans like McConnell.

Fifty-four percent said Trump is most responsible for the shutdown versus 31 percent who blame congressional Democrats. The poll, conducted by the PBS NewsHour and Marist, found just 5 percent fault the GOP on Capitol Hill.

Morrison, the FAA worker, doesnt care about the political math or maneuvering. She has little faith in this shutdown ending soon and she's already thinking about what sacrifices she and her co-workers will have to make next in the coming weeks.

McConnell needs to either convince Trump to sign the compromise legislation or allow a vote to force the presidents hand on what to do next, Morrison said. If Trump vetoes that bill then Congress should try to override that decision.

"Were the ones working without pay and who have mortgages to pay. Its just not right, and theres no compassion coming from Trump or McConnell," Morrison said. "I will keep calling McConnell, because more and more of his senators are going to be hearing from us."

Reporter Billy Kobin contributed to this story. Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Where's Mitch? McConnell keeping his head down during government shutdownLOUISVILLE  Nancy Morrison is dipping into her savings account to buy food and pay for basic household bills as negotiations to end the government shutdown remain at a standstill.

Joined by several other Federal Aviation Administration employees who were recently protesting the closure, the U.S. Air Force veteran from Louisville says she is an essential employee as a communications, radar and automation technician at Louisville International Airport.

That means Morrison has worked three weeks without a paycheck, along with roughly 800,000 other federal workers who arent being paid.

Morrison has tried repeatedly to contact a man who she believes could help re-open the government: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

But she says it's nearly impossible to get through to anyone at his offices. She can't leave a message with anyone in his Washington, D.C. office, and his local office rings until the line hangs up.

Column: McConnell doesn't have the guts to stand up to Trump and end shutdown

"For me personally, its a joke that we cant get a hold of him because he is our senator, and hes holding the reins, too, of the Senate vote," Morrison said.

Morrison is asking a question echoed by many political leaders in Washington, and experts around the county as the shutdown hits day 27: Where's Mitch McConnell?

The question became a trending topic on Twitter thanks to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, who joined a handful of House Democrats scouring the halls of Congress with news cameras asking "Where's Mitch?" She and a group hand-delivered a letter to McConnell's office, demanding a vote to reopen the government.

"Hes not in the cloak room. Hes not in the Capitol. Hes not in the Russel building. Hes not on the floor of the Senate," Ocasio-Cortez said on social media. "And 800,000 people still dont have their paychecks  so #WheresMitch?"

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

McConnell received praise from Republicans and Democrats during President Barack Obamas tenure for cutting major deals to escape gridlock. But observers have noted the Kentucky Republican, who once relished that deal-maker role, is keeping his head down during this partial  yet historically long  shutdown.

Story continues

From McConnnell: Blame shutdown on Democrats and their spite for Trump

Here's how McConnell explained it to the Courier Journal: In those previous impasses or shutdowns, there was a Democratic White House that took the lead. Obama needed GOP votes, which McConnell said, as minority leader, he was able to deliver as a key negotiator.

The way McConnell sees it, under President Donald Trump, Democrats Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, and Chuck Schumer, his Senate counterpart, should be the ones delivering a deal.

"As long as Democrats refuse to come to the table for serious, good-faith negotiations with the White House, they will prolong this partial government shutdown," McConnell told the Courier Journal on Wednesday. "Speaker Pelosi continues to prioritize her opposition to President Trump over the security of our nation's borders and the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are missing paychecks."

Neither Pelosi nor Schumers office responded to a request for comment.

Ben Self, chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said no one accepts McConnells explanation about his absence from the shutdown talks, however.

I think its obvious that Sen. McConnell is afraid of the president at this point, he said.

The question is whether McConnell is taking a reasonable backseat to the president, or if it's his latest effort to avoid friction with the confrontational commander-in-chief, who remains popular in the Bluegrass State.

Read this: Louisville is renaming its airport after Muhammad Ali

Democrats want McConnell to let the Senate vote on their new House majoritys compromise proposal, which funds eight of the nine shuttered departments while temporarily funding homeland security to continue the border security debate.

But he has rejected that offer because Trump has promised not to sign any such proposal.

If Trump is not willing to sign off on a budget, then its not clear anything McConnell could work out would do much good, said Stephen Voss, a University of Kentucky political science professor. It would only be creating conflict within the Republican Party for nothing McConnell cant look as though he is betraying Trumps bargaining position.

Democrats say that is just the latest example of McConnell overlooking Trumps worst tendencies in exchange for filling judicial vacancies with conservatives. The McConnell legacy hinges upon a rightward shift in the courts, which he has made clear is more paramount to him than any other policy achievement.

"It's the only thing we do where there are lifetime appointments," McConnell told the Courier Journal in October. "I love the tax bill and I like what we did on deregulation, but just as soon as the political winds shift you can bet we'll be back at the tax code depending on who is up and who is down at any given moment."

House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, who is Kentuckys lone Democrat in Washington, praised McConnell after the mid-term elections for brokering previous deals to avoid a shutdown. He now believes his fellow Kentuckian is shifting that responsibility to other leaders at the expense of federal workers who are desperately waiting for resolve.

Read this: Obit blaming Trump for hastening woman's death should have published

Sen. McConnell is clearly concerned about his re-election, and the re-elections of other Republican senators on the ballot in 2020, Yarmuth said.

McConnell was able to deliver a unanimous short-term spending bill to Trumps desk without the roughly $5.3 billion for the border wall just before Christmas.

Under that proposal, the government would have been kept open until February. But the president changed his mind abruptly because of pressure from conservative activists and prominent media figures to deliver on his campaign promise.

Yarmuth said McConnell doesnt want to take another risk given how unpredictable the president is known to be.

We now have a president who has proven himself incapable of keeping his word, he said. Sen. McConnell is forced to decide between either looking foolish when the president once again publicly undermines him, or weak when he steps back from the important conversations that are happening. In this instance, Sen. McConnell has chosen the latter.

But Republican adviser Josh Holmes, a former McConnell chief of staff, said it would be foolish to take the Democrats bait. He said there is little indication that there are enough Senate Republicans willing to break with Trump to override a veto.

McConnell, unlike a lot of other leaders, doesnt feel the necessity to play legislative games and political chicanery in order to confuse action for progress, Holmes said.

Holmes also rejected the idea that his old boss is making decisions solely based on politics. He pointed out McConnell's vote for raising the debt ceiling weeks before a tough primary challenge and negotiating the controversial Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, a U.S. plan to purchase toxic financial assets and equity ahead of a close general election.

More headlines: 5 things to know about Louisville's new airport name: Muhammad Ali

Over the course of his career, he has demonstrated time and again his political calculations dont come into consideration when hes dealing with the business of the American people, Holmes said. And I think thats very much the case here.

But even McConnells deputy, Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, acknowledges how the GOP leader is spinning multiple political plates amid the shutdown.

The leader understands that everybody has different political needs and demands in their states, Cornyn told the Washington Examiner. But I think (McConnell) believes that its important that we not split our conference by forcing a vote on something that the president will veto.

In recent weeks, McConnell has mimicked Trumps warnings about the need for stronger border security, using his Senate floor speeches in the past week to take partisan punches at Democrats for being unwilling to negotiate.

The men and women on the ground have been unambiguous about the crises theyre facing, McConnell said in a Wednesday floor speech. The entry of criminal aliens and gang members into our country. The drugs that go on to infect communities. The ongoing humanitarian crises that are fueled by our governments mixed signals and our inability to enforce our own laws.

McConnell sympathized with federal workers, saying how they will have to stretch every dollar until, Democrats lose interest in dead-end political games.

Polling conducted this month shows Americans see this impasse as one between Trump and the Democrats, with little mud getting on congressional Republicans like McConnell.

Fifty-four percent said Trump is most responsible for the shutdown versus 31 percent who blame congressional Democrats. The poll, conducted by the PBS NewsHour and Marist, found just 5 percent fault the GOP on Capitol Hill.

Morrison, the FAA worker, doesnt care about the political math or maneuvering. She has little faith in this shutdown ending soon and she's already thinking about what sacrifices she and her co-workers will have to make next in the coming weeks.

Column: McConnell, stop sitting on your hands. End this government shutdown

Theyre locked in on their power struggle, and its hurting the little guys and worker bees turning the screwdrivers, Morrison said.

The shutdown isn't affecting Trump or any other elected leaders, she said.

McConnell needs to either convince Trump to sign the compromise legislation or allow a vote to force the presidents hand on what to do next, Morrison said. If Trump vetoes that bill then Congress should try to override that decision.

"Were the ones working without pay and who have mortgages to pay. Its just not right, and theres no compassion coming from Trump or McConnell," Morrison said. "I will keep calling McConnell, because more and more of his senators are going to be hearing from us."

Other news: McConnell to Steve King: 'Find another line of work' after racist quote

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Where's Mitch? McConnell keeping his head down during historic shutdownWall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on lower revenues when West Bancorp (WTBA) reports results for the quarter ended December 2018. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 24. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

This holding company for West Bank is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.42 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5%.

Revenues are expected to be $17.43 million, down 0.1% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions Trend

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings Whisper

Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is subject to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Story continues

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for West Bancorp?

For West Bancorp, the Most Accurate Estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that there are no recent analyst views which differ from what have been considered to derive the consensus estimate. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of 0%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.

So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that West Bancorp will beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?

Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that West Bancorp would post earnings of $0.45 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.43, delivering a surprise of -4.44%.

The company has not been able to beat consensus EPS estimates in any of the last four quarters.

Bottom Line

An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

West Bancorp doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.



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West Bancorporation (WTBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.Having trouble finding a Small Cap Blend fund? Well, USAA Small Cap Stock Fund (USCAX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. USCAX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

Zacks categorizes USCAX as Small Cap Blend, which is an area packed with options. Usually targeting stocks with market caps of less than $2 billion, a Small Cap Blend mutual fund lets investors diversify their funds among other kinds of small-cap equities. This can help reduce risk found in companies that have a lower stock market valuation.

History of Fund/Manager

USCAX finds itself in the USAA Group family, based out of San Antonio, TX. The USAA Small Cap Stock Fund made its debut in August of 1999 and USCAX has managed to accumulate roughly $758.06 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 2.79%, and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 5.66%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, USCAX's standard deviation comes in at 15.95%, compared to the category average of 11.5%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.18% compared to the category average of 11.46%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Risk Factors

Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In the most recent bear market, USCAX lost 53.14% and underperformed its peer group by 0.7%. This might suggest that the fund is a worse choice than its peers during a bear market.

Story continues

Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.14, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. With a negative alpha of -5.85, managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Examining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is principally on equities that are traded in the United States.

This fund is currently holding about 86.02% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $2.39 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

Finance Industrial Cyclical Technology Other

With turnover at about 68%, this fund is making fewer trades than comparable funds.

Expenses

As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, USCAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.06% compared to the category average of 1.08%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, USCAX is actually cheaper than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, USAA Small Cap Stock Fund ( USCAX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, USAA Small Cap Stock Fund ( USCAX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Small Cap Blend area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into USCAX too for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.Washington (AFP) - The US State Department said Thursday it had found money to bring back full staff to ensure the smooth running of US foreign policy despite a month-long political impasse that has shut down Washington.

The department sent out orders for all staff to return as of Sunday, the start of the next pay period. With the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday on Monday, staff will effectively be back at work on Tuesday.

Unlike many federal employees such as airport security screeners and Coast Guard members who are working without pay, the State Department said it would pay all of its 75,000 employees using available funds it has located.

An official said it had become clear as the shutdown dragged on that the full departmental workforce was needed to address the "myriad critical issues requiring US leadership around the globe."

"We are also deeply concerned about growing financial hardship and uncertainty affecting department employees whose salaries and well-being are affected by the unprecedented length of the lapse," he added on condition of anonymity.

The State Department said it would still use its resources sparingly and would not immediately pay back salaries to workers that had been furloughed -- or ordered home without pay -- for the first month of the shutdown.

It also said it was unsure whether it could continue paying employees if the shutdown lasted beyond the next month.

As of Thursday, 23 percent of the State Department's directly employed workers overseas and 40 percent of them in the United States have been furloughed.

The shutdown has not affected non-American employees of US embassies, whose pay has already been assured through early March.

The State Department had held off on furloughs of local staff overseas, mindful that many countries have laws that prohibit work without pay -- as well as the potential impact to the US image.

The US government ran out of appropriated funding on December 22 as President Donald Trump demands $5.7 billion to build a wall on the border with Mexico -- a signature promise in 2016 when the mogul ran for president on an anti-immigration platform.

Amid the shutdown, the United States has kept up basic functions overseas such as issuing visas but has been notably absent in some areas, with US embassies for example not updating social media.Washington (AFP) - The United States and Canada on Wednesday promised an "unbiased" legal process for a Chinese executive whose arrest in Vancouver at US request has riled Beijing.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland discussed the arrest Tuesday in a phone call in which they also voiced concern about the "arbitrary detentions" of Canadians in China, the US State Department said.

"They noted their continued commitment to Canada's conduct of a fair, unbiased and transparent legal proceeding and US extradition request with respect to Ms. Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei," a State Department statement said.

Meng was detained last month as she switched planes, on a request by the United States, which says she violated Washington's sanctions on Iran.

Soon afterward, China detained two Canadians, a former diplomat and a businessman, on accusations of endangering national security, moves seen in Ottawa and Washington as retaliatory.

A Chinese court on Monday also sentenced a Canadian man to death for drug trafficking, saying his earlier sentence was too lenient.

Meng -- the daughter of the founder of Huawei, a major Chinese telecom firm -- is free on Can$10 million (US$7.5 million) bail as she awaits a hearing on extradition to the United States.Investors interested in the airline space have not had much to cheer about lately. Headwinds ranging from high costs, capacity woes and weather-related issues have prevented airline stocks from flying high. The dismal price performance of the Zacks Airline industry in a years time bears testimony to the challenges. The industry has shed 26.3% value in the period, making its performance worse than that of the Zacks S&P 500 composite, which has declined 6.6%.

Why Airlines Had a Field Day on Wednesday?

Despite the aforementioned challenges, airline investors heaved a sigh of relief on Jan 16. The catalyst was the impressive Q4 earnings report of one of the airline heavyweights  United Continental Holdings UAL  which was released on Jan 15, after market close. The companys blowout Q4 earnings report and upbeat guidance boosted the entire industry with key players gaining handsomely in the next trading session.

Naturally, the United Continental stock is flying high after its earnings report. The stock gained 6.4% on Jan 16, closing the day at $86.36. Other airline stocks like American Airlines AAL, SkyWest SKYW, JetBlue Airways JBLU and Alaska Air Group ALK also saw their stock prices appreciate to the tune of 2.3%, 1.8%, 1.1% and 1%, respectively. Consequently, the industry tracker  NYSE ARCA Airline Index moved northward, gaining 1.9% on Jan 16.

Why United Continentals Report Excited Investors

The Chicago-based United Continental reported better-than-expected earnings per share and revenues in Q4. Moreover, both metrics improved on a year-over-year basis. Factors like efficient cost management and uptick in airfares drove results.

The companys performance on the unit revenue front was also impressive with passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM: a key measure of unit revenues) increasing 5%. Non-fuel unit costs dipped 0.7% in the final quarter of 2018.

Story continues

The carriers efforts to reward shareholders through buybacks also raise optimism. During Q4 and full-year 2018, United Continental repurchased shares worth $240 million and $1.25 billion, respectively. It is also active on the fleet modernization front. Toward this end, it is replacing outdated planes and adding new ones to its fleet. As an evidence, the carrier finalized an order for 24 additional Boeing 737 MAX jets in December. The planes will bolster the carriers fleet from 2020 onward.

The airline expects to continue its prudent cost-management strategy going forward too. It expects non-fuel unit costs to be flat or better in Q1 and full-year 2019 as well. PRASM in Q1 is expected to be flat or increase up to 3%. Moreover, EPS for full-year 2019 is anticipated in the $10-$12 band, higher than the $9.13 per share reported in full-year 2018.

Will Other Airlines Follow United Continental?

Now, the burning question is whether other earnings reports from the airline industry be as impressive as that of United Continental? While it is impossible to be sure about what awaits the industry in the remainder of Q4, the pointers are certainly encouraging.

It is known to all that costs associated with oil are considered major inputs for any airline company. Airlines have been well served in this regard as oil prices declined nearly 40% in the Q4 period (October-December). In fact, oil prices had displayed an uptrend till early October. However, the commodity displayed a downward trend for the remainder of Q4 on fears of supply glut and economic headwinds. The sharp drop in oil prices is likely to fuel bottom-line growth. Moreover, reduced tax rates, courtesy of the current tax law, should also brighten airlines Q4. Also, robust traffic during the Thanksgiving holiday period should boost Q4 results.

4 Airline Stocks to Buy Now

Driven by the aforesaid factors airlines are expected to fly high in Q4. Based on the buoyancy, we believe that it is prudent to add airline stocks to ones portfolio now. However, with multiple carriers present, the task of selecting the right ones for handsome returns is not an easy one.

This is where the Zacks Rank, which justifies a company's strong fundamentals, can come in really handy. Based on a favorable Zacks Rank (#1 or 2), we have zeroed in on four airline stocks that should be present in ones portfolio for handsome returns.

Spirit Airlines SAVE, headquartered in Miramar, FL, provides low-fare airline services. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). It has outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters. The average positive surprise is 3.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fourth-quarter earnings surged 91% in the past 60 days. The company is expected to report fourth-quarter results on Feb 6. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Alaska Air Group, based in Seattle, WA, together with its partner regional carriers, serves more than 100 cities across North America. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). It has outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters. The average positive surprise is 8.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fourth-quarter earnings increased 65.1% in the past 60 days. The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Jan 24.

Based in Las Vegas, Allegiant Travel Company ALGT is the parent company of Allegiant Air. The company, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, offers air travel both on a stand-alone basis and bundled with hotel rooms, rental cars and other travel-related services. It has outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters. The average positive surprise is 18.7%. The stock has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings being revised 21.9% upward in the last 60 days. The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Jan 30.

American Airlines operates more than 6,700 daily flights to over 330 destinations in more than 50 nations across the globe from its hubs. American Airlines is headquartered in Fort Worth, TX and carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters. The average positive surprise is 2%. The stock has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings being revised 33.7% upward in the last 90 days. The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Jan 24.

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American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU) : Free Stock Analysis Report



SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report



United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchDubai (AFP) - A United Nations team tasked with overseeing a truce in Yemen came under fire but was unharmed in the flashpoint city of Hodeida Thursday, hours after the Security Council approved expanding the mission.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said chief monitor Patrick Cammaert and his team were leaving a meeting with a Yemeni government delegation when they came under fire in the Red Sea city.

He did not identify the party behind the shooting but confirmed retired Dutch general Cammaert and his team were safe.

"As they were leaving, one UN-marked armoured vehicle sustained one round of small arms fire. The team returned to base without further incident," Dujarric said.

The UN monitors arrived in Hodeida -- the entry point for the bulk of Yemen's imports -- on December 23 to oversee a truce agreed by the warring sides last month at talks outside Sweden's capital Stockholm.

The deal has helped ease fighting for the city between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and government forces supported by a Saudi-led alliance.

The UN says the ceasefire has been generally holding despite some clashes, while the rebels and government have accused ease other of repeated violations.

- 'One incident' -

Dujarric downplayed Thursday's shooting as an isolated incident.

"This remains Yemen and this remains Hodeida. This is one incident. One round was fired into one vehicle. We're not over-dramatising this," he told reporters in Geneva.

"We are just taking it as an incident and these things may very well happen."

The shooting came one day after the UN Security Council unanimously approved an extended mission of up to 75 unarmed monitors to shore up the truce.

The new monitors will be sent to Hodeida city and port as well as to the ports of Saleef and Ras Issa for an initial period of six months.

The rebels have been particularly divided in their support for the UN-brokered agreement on the ceasefire and deployment of monitors, with some singling out Cammaert for criticism.

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Rebel representative Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the Huthis rejected the expanded UN mission.

"We will not accept dialogue around increasing the number of international monitors until the problem of Patrick Cammaert is resolved," Bukhaiti told AFP.

"Since his appointment, he has sought to see the Stockholm agreement fail."

Most of Yemen's supplies of imported goods and humanitarian aid comes through the port of Hodeida, providing a lifeline to millions on the brink of starvation.

The Huthis control most of Hodeida, while government forces are deployed on its southern and eastern outskirts.

The Saudi-led alliance also controls Yemen's maritime borders and has imposed a near-total blockade on the Hodeida port.

- Prisoner swap under discussion -

The Hodeida truce was the centrepiece of a series of the breakthroughs in Sweden widely seen as the best chance yet of calming Yemen's devastating four-year civil war.

Among the other key points brokered was a large-scale prisoner swap agreed as a confidence-building measure.

Yemeni government and rebel representatives met in Jordan Thursday to try to thrash out the details of the detainee exchange.

The swap could involve up to 15,000 prisoners from both sides and would be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The talks in the Jordanian capital Amman came as international donors meet in Berlin to set up a fund to support the fledgling peace process in Yemen.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pledged 4.5 millions euros as the opening contribution to the new peace process support fund.

The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

Human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high.

The war has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

burs-ny/delBy Kylie MacLellan and William James LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May won a confidence vote in the British parliament on Wednesday and then appealed to lawmakers from across the political divide to come together to try to break the impasse on a Brexit divorce agreement. Lawmakers voted 325 to 306 that they had confidence in May's government, just 24 hours after handing her European Union withdrawal deal a crushing defeat that left Britain's exit from the bloc in disarray. With the clock ticking down to March 29, the date set in law for Brexit, the United Kingdom is now in the deepest political crisis in half a century as it grapples with how, or even whether, to exit the European project it joined in 1973. After the results of the confidence vote were announced to cheers from her Conservative lawmakers, May said she believed parliament had a duty to find a solution that delivered on the 2016 Brexit referendum result. But with lawmakers (MPs) deadlocked on the way forward, the United Kingdom could face a disorderly "no-deal" Brexit, a delay to Brexit, or even another referendum on membership. "Now MPs have made clear what they dont want, we must all work constructively together to set out what parliament does want," May said in a statement outside her Downing Street office. "Thats why I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together to find a way forward. This is now the time to put self-interest aside." After the confidence vote, May met several party leaders, but the main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, refused to hold talks unless a no-deal Brexit was ruled out. The votes on Tuesday and Wednesday brought into sharp relief the problem May faces; trying to win over pro-EU supporters in her own and other parties without alienating those who keep her in power - for instance, by giving up the "no-deal Brexit" that they see as a crucial bargaining chip. Hardline Conservative Brexit-supporters, who last month made an unsuccessful attempt to oust her as leader, and the Northern Irish party that props up her minority government will not countenance a deal that keeps close ties with the EU. "The confidence and supply arrangement (to support May) of course is built upon delivering Brexit on the basis of our shared priorities," said Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. NO DEAL, NO TALKS However, Corbyn said no positive talks were possible unless a no-deal Brexit was taken off the table. His party wants a permanent customs union with the EU, a close relationship with its single market and greater protections for workers and consumers. May's spokesman said she was not ruling out a no-deal option and that it was government policy to be outside an EU customs union. Critics said this meant May was not budging from the deal that had alienated all sides in parliament. Other opposition parties wrote to Corbyn after the confidence vote to demand he now back a second referendum, which Labour has agreed should be considered if it cannot force an election. However, he and other senior political figures fear that stopping Brexit could alienate the 17.4 million people who voted to leave. Sterling was trading just off two-month highs against the euro after May won the confidence vote, with many investors believing the prospect of a no-deal exit had receded as parliament hardened its stance against it. [GBP/] Companies warned of catastrophic job losses and chaos at ports if there was no deal. Trade with the EU would then default to basic World Trade Organization rules, which many argue would disrupt innumerable manufacturing supply chains relying on rapid, friction-free trade. Ever since Britain voted by 52-48 percent to leave the EU in June 2016, the political class has been debating how to leave the European project forged by France and Germany after the devastation of World War Two. "NO MORE GAMES" Tuesday's crushing defeat appears to have killed off May's two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce in which a status-quo transition period would be followed by Britain operating an independent trade policy alongside close ties to the EU, the world's biggest single market. Other members of the EU, which combined has about six times Britain's economic might, called for discussion but indicated there was little chance of fundamental change to the deal May had negotiated. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that "the time for playing games is now over". For the EU, already reeling from crises over debt and refugees, Brexit may be the biggest blow in its 60-year history, though its 27 other members have shown remarkable unity on the issue. Brexit supporters anticipate some short-term economic pain but say Britain will then thrive if cut loose from what they cast as a doomed experiment in German-dominated unity. Opponents of Brexit say it is folly that will weaken the West, make Britain poorer and torpedo what remains of its post-imperial clout. (Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout, Costas Pitas, William Schomberg, Andy Bruce, Kate Holton, Paul Sandle, and Stephen Addison; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Kevin Liffey)London (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May scrambled to put together a new Brexit strategy after MPs rejected her EU divorce deal, and insisted she could not rule out a potentially damaging "no-deal" split.

The world's fifth-largest economy is in political turmoil and grasping for solutions that could smooth its planned departure from the bloc after 46 years just 10 weeks from now.

Governments across Europe are triggering plans designed to avoid logjams at ports and airports when trade barriers go up should London fail to find a Plan B.

The government held individual talks with MPs from rival parties after narrowly surviving a confidence vote brought on by the crushing defeat over her old deal with Brussels on Tuesday.

But Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition Labour party, called the talks a "stunt" and refused to meet May until she ruled out the possibility of Britain crashing out without any future arrangements in place.

In a written response to him Thursday, the prime minister said it was "impossible" for her to rule out no deal without stopping the process altogether.

"It is not within the government's power to rule out no deal," she wrote.

May will present her new approach to the House of Commons on Monday. MPs will then have a chance to submit amendments before a full debate on January 29 -- exactly two months before Brexit date.

Downing Street on Thursday said May would miss next week's annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, which she was scheduled to attend, to focus on Brexit negotiations.

Meanwhile, leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage urged Leave campaigners to prepare for the event of a second referendum as Britain's deadlock continues.

"I don't want it anymore than you do but I am saying to you we have to face reality," he told a Leave Means Leave rally in London on Thursday night.

"Don't think the other side aren't organised. Don't think the other side aren't prepared. Don't think they haven't raised the money. Don't think they haven't got the teams in place. They have."

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- Terms and conditions -

Opposition MPs are pressing May to abandon the main principles that have guided her Brexit strategy for the past two years.

Corbyn insisted she must "ditch the red lines" that keep Britain from forging closer trade relations with Europe after Brexit.

He specifically mentioned maintaining a customs union with the EU that some businesses favour but May rejects because it limits Britain's ability to strike its own trade deals.

"Theresa May has to ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future," the Labour leader told supporters in the southeastern town of Hastings.

Corbyn has previously accused May of trying to force MPs to back her plan by running down the clock until it is the only alternative to no deal.

British media reported that Corbyn was also asking party members not to engage with May's ministers as they hold separate lower-level talks across party lines.

He warned that Labour intended to hold another confidence vote "if necessary" as part of his bid for a general election that he says would resolve the impasse.

- 'Ball in May's court' -

May's meetings late Wednesday with the pro-EU Liberal Democrat party and the Scottish and Welsh nationalist parties also yielded fresh demands.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is trying to rule out "no-deal" and secure a second referendum for which Brexit would need to be delayed.

"For any discussion between your government and the SNP to be meaningful, these options must be on the table," its parliamentary leader Ian Blackford said in a letter to May released after their meeting.

The Liberal Democrats are specifically seeking a referendum that includes the option of scrapping Brexit and keeping the UK in the EU.

"The government now needs to get serious about making significant changes to their own position," the Liberal Democrats said in a statement Thursday.

"The ball is ultimately in their court."

May hinted on Wednesday that Brexit might be postponed if London rallies around a single set of proposals that it could present to the EU.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier said on Thursday that Brussels would welcome proposals about a "more ambitious economic relationship" from May.

"I remain determined in the name of the European Union to work for an organised withdrawal," Barnier said in Lisbon.

- No stopping Brexit -

The British pound has rallied over the course of the week on expectations of a postponement that keeps Britain from crashing out of the world's largest single market.

May's spokesman on Thursday conceded that EU officials had raised the issue.

But he added that a delay had not been formally discussed "because we do not wish to do it". The UK government maintains that Brexit day is March 29.

EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said EU leaders would only address the question if May decides to ask it.

Nevertheless, several diplomatic sources in Brussels confirmed that informal discussions of a delay had taken place while they wait for her next move.

The prime minister would face intense opposition from Brexit supporters in her Conservative party to any delay -- as she also would if she abandoned any of her key negotiating principles.



Business leaders and investors will be collectively breathing a sigh of relief as an attempt to topple the UK government fell through on Wednesday night, thwarting Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns attempt to hold a general election and gain power.

Corbyn and his radical economic policies are considered to be a massive threat by many in the business and investment community. Some argue privately that Corbyn as prime minister could be a greater risk to their businesses than Brexit.

Corbyn has promoted plans to redistribute up to 10% of company equity to workers and nationalise a range of companies , including private rail firms and Royal Mail ( RMG.L ).

In the wake of the Grenfell fire in London, he called for the government to seize empty homes from the rich to house survivors. He has also called for caps on executive pay for companies that provide services and goods to the government.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) warned last year that his partys policies would crack the foundations of this countrys prosperity.

From renationalisation to dilution of shares, Labour seems determined to impose rules that display a wilful misunderstanding of business, the CBI said in September.

Azad Zangana, a senior European economist at Schroders, said that Corbyns general hostility to the capitalist system. is really where the key opposition comes from, from businesses and business owners.

Corbyn refused an invitation to meet with prime minister Theresa May to discuss Brexit options following the no-confidence vote.

Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the government must remove clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that, he said.

Strategists and economists note that he has worked to block Mays Brexit efforts, but has not offered any clear alternative solutions.

I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open, May said on Wednesday evening after meeting with the leaders of other political parties, according to Reuters.

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Corbyns options

Corbyn, widely considered to be more Eurosceptic than most Labour colleagues, is now expected to pursue one or two main paths. The first is to formally back the second referendum that many in his party are calling for, and the second is to put forward another no-confidence vote in the coming weeks, according to ING economist James Smith.

In the aftermath of Wednesdays failed confidence vote, the Labour leader is now under immense pressure to put his weight behind a second referendum  But so far Corbyn appears reluctant to go down this route, Smith said in a research note.

Corbyn also appears keen to shift attention back to his domestic political agenda, which could be made more complicated given that a second referendum could take several more months to arrange.

A second referendum would lead to further heightened uncertainty, which is also undesirable for businesses and investors, said Smith.

And as things stand now, Corbyn is not expected to prevail in a new no-confidence vote.

While Corbyn may try his luck with another vote of no confidence in the government soon, we would not expect him to have any more success a second time around, said Kallum Pickering, a senior economist at Berenberg bank. We reduce the risk of a Corbyn-led government from 30% to 20%.By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - The partial government shutdown is taking a toll on key safety inspection duties performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture, food safety experts said on Wednesday. Workers in public health laboratories are reporting disruptions in the analysis of DNA from food samples involved in foodborne outbreaks, and have raised concerns about a USDA program that tests agricultural commodities for unsafe levels of pesticides, they said. The shutdown is "putting our nation's food supply at risk," Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, said at a briefing of the House Congressional Food Safety Caucus on Wednesday. Only about a third of the FDA's regular inspections are being carried out, she said. The FDA has furloughed 41 percent of its workforce of more than 17,000 employees, Thomas Gremillion of the Consumer Federation of America told the briefing. About 90 percent of the USDA's 9,500 Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) employees remain on the job but are working without pay, he said. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said on Twitter on Tuesday that he is bringing back 150 food inspectors. Foodborne disease outbreaks are investigated jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA and FSIS, which trace the source of outbreaks back to food producers. The CDC is fully funded and continuing to investigate foodborne disease outbreaks, but "joint efforts to investigate, coordinate and communicate about such outbreaks may be delayed" as a result of the shutdown, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said. He said that trace back and assessment of food production facilities and ongoing lab testing depend on the resources of its partner agencies, which are reduced during a shutdown. Peter Kyriacopoulos, senior director of public policy at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, which represents state and local public health laboratories, said member labs are reporting delays in the analysis of DNA sequences of pathogens taken from sick patients that could be matched with food products, an important part of the trace back process. APHL members have also reported disruptions in the USDA's AMS Pesticide Data Program, which does sampling, testing and reporting of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities in the U.S. food supply that could cause problems for children. He learned on Wednesday that one of the 10 public health laboratories that tests commodities plans to continue to test samples during the shutdown without compensation, Kyriacopoulos told Reuters. He declined to name the lab. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. member states owe nearly $2 billion in peacekeeping funds, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has warned, with the United States responsible for more than a third of that. "Active peacekeeping missions are soon expected to face liquidity gaps due to late payments and increasing arrears," Guterres wrote in a Jan. 11 letter to the 193 member states. "Arrears are nearing $2 billion and are likely to keep growing." Guterres also said that while 152 members had paid in full what they owed for a separate U.N. regular budget in 2018 - a record - more than $528 million was still outstanding. The United States is responsible for 22 percent of the $5.4 billion regular budget for 2018 and 2019 and more than 28 percent of the $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget for the year to June 30. The United States owed $381 million to the regular budget as of Jan. 1 and some $776 million to the peacekeeping budget, U.N. officials said, figures the U.S. mission to the U.N. confirmed. President Donald Trump says Washington is shouldering an unfair burden of the cost of the United Nations and pushed for the world body to reform operations. In December, the U.N. General Assembly agreed what percentage of the regular and peacekeeping budgets each country would pay for the next three years. The U.S. contribution to the regular budget is already limited to 22 percent and Washington unsuccessfully pushed to cap its peacekeeping contribution at 25 percent - as required by U.S. law - instead of more than 28 percent. "The lack of agreement on a 25 percent ceiling will cause the organization to continue to face a three percent shortfall in its peacekeeping budget," Cherith Norman Chalet, the U.S. envoy for U.N. Management and Reform, told the U.N. budget committee Dec. 22. This amounts to some $200 million, diplomats said. The United Nations has 14 peacekeeping operations, half of them in Africa. "Current cash balances cover less than two months of operations, compared to four months last year," Guterres said of peacekeeping finances in his letter. Last year he twice wrote to warn states about the "troubling financial situation". India's U.N. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the $2 billion shortfall was "unsustainable." Some troop contributing countries "are owed amounts equivalent to their annual assessed contributions for 100 years. Some even more," he tweeted on Wednesday. The top contributing countries are Ethiopia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Rwanda. They pay their troops according to their national salary scales and are reimbursed by the U.N. As of July 2018, the U.N. paid $1,428 a month per soldier. The United Nations says its peacekeeping operations cost less than half of 1 percent of world military expenditures. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish)(Corrects name in paragraph 10 of this Jan. 15 story to Liz Cheney.) By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to pass a resolution disapproving statements made by Representative Steve King that were roundly criticized as racist, and King himself voted in favor of it. King, a Republican who represents a conservative district in Iowa, gave a media interview earlier this month in which he questioned why "white supremacy" is considered offensive. The measure, which passed 424 to 1, stopped short of a formal censure. The resolution instead quoted King's remarks and then condemned racism in general. King himself voted in favor of the resolution, which referred to his remarks, because he said his comments were taken out of context and he too condemns white supremacy and racism. "The words are likely what I said, but I want to read them to you the way that I likely said it," King said, who then read them aloud. "There are 13 words that caused this fire storm, but I regret that were in this place." House Democratic leaders did not rule out holding a censure vote at a later date. Only Representative Bobby Rush, a Democrat from Illinois, voted against the measure, and he had called for a formal censure vote to be taken instead. Republicans and Democrats took to the floor to condemn King. "Racial division is a fault line that is ripping our nation apart," said Representative Jim Clyburn, the highest ranking African American in the U.S. House who sponsored the resolution of disapproval. "This body must speak out." Republicans moved on Monday to strip King of his committee assignments in response to his comments. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on King to resign. Liz Cheney, the third most powerful House Republican, echoed McConnell, saying King "should find another line of work. King, who has a history of making statements that critics have condemned as racist, said in a statement that his comments in The New York Times interview were "completely mischaracterized" and the committee's decision was "a political decision that ignores the truth." King was first elected to Congress in 2002 and won re-election in November with just over 50 percent of the vote, sharply lower than the 61.2 percent he polled in 2016. Republican Randy Feenstra, a state lawmaker in Iowa, has already announced his intention to wage a primary campaign against King. (Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Frances Kerry)By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is closely watching Chinese intentions toward Taiwan, concerned that Beijing's growing military prowess may increase the risk it could one day consider bringing the self-ruled island under its control by force, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The senior U.S. defense intelligence official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, did not predict that China's military, known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA), would take such a step but said such a possibility was the top worry as China expands and modernizes its military capabilities. "The biggest concern is that ... they are getting to a point where the PLA leadership may actually tell Xi Jinping that they are confident in their capabilities," the official said, referring to China's president. Pressed on whether the official was referring to Chinese confidence in its capabilities to be able to successfully win a battle with Taiwan, the official said, "Well, specifically that would be the most concerning to me." Taiwan is only one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, including a trade war between the countries, U.S. sanctions on the Chinese military, and China's increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea. However, in meetings with Pentagon leaders, PLA officials have long described Taiwan as China's most sensitive issue. China has repeatedly sent military aircraft and ships to circle the island on drills in the past few years and worked to isolate the island internationally, whittling down its few remaining diplomatic allies. It has also strongly objected to U.S. warship passages through the Taiwan Strait this year, and issued a terse warning about Taiwan after talks in Beijing on Tuesday with the U.S. Navy's top officer, Admiral John Richardson. 'WHATEVER IT TAKES' In the talks, Chinese General Li Zuocheng, chief of Chinas Central Military Commission Joint Staff Department, stressed that Taiwan was "China's internal affairs" and that Beijing would allow "no external interference." "If someone tries to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will do whatever it takes to safeguard national reunification, national sovereignty and territorial integrity," according to an English-language statement http://eng.mod.gov.cn/news/2019-01/15/content_4834575.htm by China's defense ministry on the talks. Washington has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help it defend itself and is the islands main source of arms. The Pentagon says Washington has sold Taiwan more than $15 billion in weaponry since 2010. Xi has stepped up pressure on the democratic island since Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party became president in 2016. On Jan. 2, Xi said in a speech that China reserved the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control but would strive to achieve peaceful "reunification." Still, the U.S. defense intelligence official cautioned against over-reacting, noting Xi could believe he has plenty of time to achieve reunification with Taiwan. The official also cautioned that China's military still faced gaps in its capabilities. "They could order them to go today, but I don't think they're particularly confident in that capability," the official said. Also on Tuesday, the Defense Intelligence Agency released a report describing Taiwan as the "primary driver" for China's military modernization, which it said had made major advances in recent years. U.S. defense officials have become particularly alarmed about China's advances in super-fast "hypersonic" technology, which could allow it to field missiles that are far harder to detect. "The result ... is a PLA on the verge of fielding some of the most modern weapon systems in the world. In some areas, it already leads the world," the report said http://www.dia.mil/News/Articles/Article-View/Article/1732500/defense-intelligence-agency-releases-report-on-china-military-power. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Will Dunham and James Dalgleish)The requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

Back to [RTHK News Homepage]ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish troops and tanks carried out military exercises on the border with Syria on Saturday, state-run media reported, while a monitoring group said a Turkish convoy had crossed the frontier into northern Syria. Turkey's military sent tanks and armored vehicles to the border in the second day of reinforcements near the province of Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. On Friday, a Turkish security source said the Turkish army had been rotating forces in and out of the region, and declined to say whether the latest movement was in preparation for an operation inside Syria itself. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group, said a Turkish convoy had entered Syria. Islamist fighters have tightened their control over the Idlib region following more than a week of fighting with Turkey-backed Syrian rebels. The rise of the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al Sham has raised doubt over the future of a deal agreed in September between Turkey - which has several military observation posts in Idlib - and President Bashar al-Assad's main ally Russia to avert a Syrian government army assault. The agreement requires banned Islamist groups to be expelled from a frontline buffer zone. The escalation in Idlib comes as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw from a separate region of northern and eastern Syria. Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish defense minister, chief of general staff and the intelligence agency head visited border military units and discussed "measures to establish peace and stability in the region," the ministry said in a statement. "We are making every effort to preserve the ceasefire and stability in Idlib, in line with the Sochi agreement. Our close cooperation with Russia continues," Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said. Akar's comments came a day after Russia said it remained committed to the agreement it had struck with Turkey to stabilize a de-escalation zone in Idlib, but said Moscow was worried by an increase in the number of ceasefire violations. (Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Ros Russell)By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy on Thursday that called North Korea an ongoing and "extraordinary threat," seven months after he declared the threat posed by Pyongyang had been eliminated. The plan, which also detailed concerns about the burgeoning capabilities of Iran, Russia and China, called for developing space-based sensors to detect incoming enemy missiles and exploring space-based weapons to shoot down missiles among other steps to shield the United States. The open acknowledgment in the Missile Defense Review of U.S. plans to counter Russian and Chinese technological advances likely will alarm those nations. It marked a departure from the approach taken by Republican Trump's Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, to tamp down concerns by major nuclear powers about expanding U.S. missile defenses. "Our goal is simple: To ensure we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States - anywhere, anytime, anyplace," Trump said at the Pentagon. Trump did not mention the North Korean missile threat in his remarks. But acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan called North Korea's missiles a "significant concern." "While a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant," the report said. For Trump, who is trying to revive efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the report's release came at an awkward moment. Senior North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol was headed for Washington on Thursday for expected talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday and a possible encounter with Trump, a person familiar with the matter said. The talks could lead to an announcement of plans for a second Trump summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their meeting last year in Singapore, the source told Reuters. Trump wrote on Twitter after the June 2018 summit that there is "no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." SPACE-BASED SENSORS The Missile Defense Review recommended studying experimental technologies including space-based weaponry that might be able to shoot down enemy missiles, a throwback to former President Ronald Reagan's 1980s "Star Wars" initiative. It called for investments in space-based sensors that can better detect and track incoming missiles, and perhaps counter super-fast hypersonic technology, an area in which China has made major advances and Russia is actively working. "The U.S. will now adjust its posture to also defend against any missile strikes including cruise and hypersonic missiles," Trump said. The document also pointed to projects by U.S. defense industry giants including Raytheon Co, Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. "We are committed to establishing a missile-defense program that can shield every city in the United States. And we will never negotiate away our right to do this," Trump said. A senior Russian legislator, Viktor Bondarev, said after Trump's announcement that the new U.S. strategy would ramp up global tensions, according to Interfax news agency. The United States previously announced plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, hiking the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska to 64 from 44. Greely, the report said, "has the potential for up to an additional 40 interceptors." The United States is looking at an additional site to host missile interceptors as well. Trump specifically mentioned Iran's capabilities. The report said Iran possesses the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. "Its desire to have a strategic counter to the United States could drive it to field an ICBM," the report said, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. U.S. officials have said American missile defenses are primarily designed to counter attacks from countries with more-limited arsenals like North Korea, which U.S. intelligence officials believe is still advancing its nuclear program despite a halt to missile launches last year. Pentagon officials contend that American missiles defenses are too few to effectively counter a major first-strike on the U.S. homeland by an advanced nuclear power like Russia or China. Washington hopes those countries will instead be deterred from attacks by America's nuclear arsenal. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Mike Stone and Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Polina Ivanova in Moscow; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Will Dunham)Donald Trump has unveiled a revamped US missile defence strategy involving a new layer of space-based sensors to detect and track enemy missiles.

The president announced the results of the review, the first compiled since 2010, during a speech at the Pentagon. He called for an investment into new missile defence technologies and pointed to the development of advanced weapon systems by both China and Russia. In the review, US intelligence agencies also warned Iran and North Koreas missile capabilities present existing threats to US and global security.

The world is changing and were going to change much faster than the rest of the world, the president said. The United States cannot simply build more of the same or make incremental improvements ... We must pursue advanced technology and research to guarantee the United States is several steps ahead of those who wish to do us harm.

Mr Trump outlined six major changes to the current set-up, calling for 20 new ground-based missile detectors, new radars and sensors to detect foreign missiles launched by rogue states and a new system that could potentially shield all major US cities.

Speaking about the possibility of the new space-based layer of the nations defence capability, the president said: Its ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defence and obviously our offence.

The system will be monitored and we will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers, or even powers that make a mistake, Mr Trump continued.

The stronger you are, the less you will need whatever that strength may be, he added.

Pentagon officials have previously said the US has too few resources to counter a first strike on the US homeland by a major nuclear power  with Washington believing deterrence a more worthwhile strategy.

Acting defense secretary Pat Shanahan said competitors such as Russia and China are aggressively pursuing new missiles that are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat.

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The new proposals come on top of previously announced plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, lifting the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska to 64 from 44.

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The new review is likely to stoke tensions with Russia, which views US missile defence advances as a threat.

The chair of Russias upper house defence and security committee, Viktor Bondarev, said that the new US missile defence strategy would ramp up global tensions, Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

China, in turn, has also alarmed the Pentagon with advances in super-fast hypersonic technology, which could allow Beijing to field missiles that are far harder to detect.

In a report earlier this week that singled out the hypersonic threat, the Pentagon warned Chinas military was on the verge of fielding some of the most modern weapon systems in the world.

In some areas, it already leads the world, the report said.

US officials, including under-secretary of defence for research and engineering Michael Griffin, believe a space-based sensor layer could help to detect missiles moving at hypersonic speeds.

However, seemingly recognising the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponisation of space, the strategy pushes for studies. No testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

For Mr Trump, who is trying to revive efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the reports release comes at an awkward moment.

Three North Korean officials, including the top envoy involved in talks with the United States, are booked on a flight to Washington, suggesting possible movement toward a second summit between the president and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to South Korean media.

While a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant, the report said.

The investments come on top of previously announced US plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, hiking the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska, to 64 from 44.

Space, I think, is the key to the next step of missile defense, a senior Trump administration official told reporters ahead of the documents release.

Reuters contributed to this reportWashington (AFP) - President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to boost America's missile defense systems, including by investing in technology to protect against the growing threat of hypersonic weapons and cruise missiles.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Trump unveiled the Missile Defense Review, a long-awaited analysis of the defensive network of US interceptors that are designed to shoot down an incoming ballistic missile.

Top among the concerns highlighted in the review is the speed at which rivals, particularly China and Russia, are pushing ahead with hypersonic missiles, which can thwart traditional defense systems.

"The US will now adjust its posture to defend against any missile strikes including cruise and hypersonic missiles," Trump told the military audience.

"We will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers or even from powers that make a mistake. It won't happen, regardless of the missile type or geographic origins of the attack."

Flying at low altitude and at many times the speed of sound, hypersonics are able to change direction and don't follow a ballistic arc, so are much harder to track and cannot currently be intercepted.

As a result, the Pentagon is urgently looking at ways to enhance its ability to track hypersonic missiles, primarily by using existing sensors that are deployed in space.

"These new technologies produce new threats, and these threats are harder to see, harder to track and harder to defeat," Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said.

"To our competitors: we see what you are doing and we are taking action."

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month boasted of a new hypersonic missile that could fly at about 20,500 miles (33,000 kilometers) per hour and is unstoppable.

While Trump blasted Iran for developing missile technology, he did not mention Russia or North Korea.

Pyongyang has developed a ballistic missile arsenal now capable of hitting the United States.

Story continues

Trump ordered the missile defense review in 2017, amid heightened tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear program -- the first such review of America's ballistic defenses since 2010.

But Trump has since met North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in a bid to end the crisis, and he was expected to welcome a top North Korean official in Washington on Friday.

Still, the review itself stresses that North Korea is "an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant."

- Missiles in space -

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which conducted the review, said it would study the feasibility of creating a space-based interceptor system, in which an orbiting craft of some sort would be equipped with missiles that could destroy an incoming warhead while it was in space.

Another focus for the MDA will be developing ways to knock out a ballistic missile immediately after it has launched.

Currently, ground-based anti-missile technologies focus on intercepting warheads while they are in the "midcourse" phase, flying through space.

By attacking the missiles while they are still in their slow-moving "boost phase" at launch, the MDA could add a new layer of defense for America and its allies.

One way of doing this could be by adding a new type of missile to F-35 stealth fighters patrolling near a suspected launch site, such as in a hypothetical conflict with North Korea, the MDA said.

"Intercepting offensive missiles in their boost phase would increase the likelihood of successfully countering missile threats, complicate an aggressor's attack calculus... and reduce the number of midcourse or terminal active defense interceptors needed to destroy the adversary's remaining offensive missiles," the MDA said.

The MDA is also looking at ways of boosting its "directed energy" -- or laser -- capabilities to take out ballistic missiles.

The review was due to be released last year, but its publication saw repeated delays.President Trump on Thursday postponed Speaker Nancy Pelosis upcoming international trip due to the ongoing government shutdown  the same justification Pelosi provided when asking that the president delay his State of the Union address.

In a letter sent to Pelosis office on Thursday, Trump suggested that her upcoming trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan, which he characterized as a public relations event, should be cancelled so that the speaker could remain in Washington to negotiate a compromise that would end the historically lengthy government shutdown. Staffers and lawmakers were en route to board a military jet and begin the trip on Thursday afternoon when Trump released the letter.

I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven day excursion when the shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving their pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate, Trump wrote. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.

The president did, however, allow that Pelosi might make the previously unannounced congressional trip on a commercial flight, which, he wrote, would certainly be [her] prerogative.

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It had not been previously reported that Pelosi would be traveling to Afghanistan to visit U.S. troops  a stop she will presumably be prevented from making due to Trumps refusal to authorize the use of military aircraft, which is typically provided to the speaker of the House for such congressional trips.

The trip postponement comes just a day after Pelosi, citing security concerns, urged Trump to delay his State of the Union address  currently scheduled for January 29  until the government shutdown concludes. She alternatively suggested that he deliver the address to Congress in writing, as was the uninterrupted custom until 1913, or deliver it from the Oval Office.

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The White House has not responded to Pelosis request and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen issued a statement on Wednesday indicating the relevant agencies were prepared to secure the House chamber for the speech, despite the shutdown.

A number of prominent Republicans, including Minority Whip Steve Scalise, similarly dismissed Pelosis security concerns.

There are no security concerns that have been raised and that has nothing to do with that. Ironically, it seems like shes only concerned about security when its a State of the Union that will expose what this fight is all about, Scalise told reporters Wednesday, referencing the government shutdown, then in its 25th day.

Pelosi, confronted Wednesday night with Nielsens statement contradicting her claims about the lack of security preparedness, told reporters, I dont care what they said.

More from National ReviewPresident Trump and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP, Getty Images)

I thought a lot about John McCain this week. About how McCain, his grave still fresh, would have reacted to the revelation that President Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the notes of his conversations with Vladimir Putin shielded from history, or even his own aides.

I wondered what McCain would have said after his closest friend in the Senate, Lindsey Graham, having already kowtowed to Trump on the planned withdrawal of troops from Syria, attacked the FBI agents whose duty had led them to investigate the president for espionage.

I dont know if McCain would be talking openly about impeachment right now. But I can promise you his head would be exploding, and Im pretty sure hed be looking around for another candidate to back in 2020.

Because McCain was the last of Washingtons towering cold warriors, forged in a world dangerously divided between East and West. And he would have understood intuitively that, for the Russians, Trump isnt merely a strategic asset (witting or unwitting), nor is he just some hapless dupe to exploit.

No, for Putin and his nostalgic nationalists, Trump represents a cosmic payback 30 years in the making. From their perspective, he must seem like the American Gorbachev, dismantling the empire all at once and without firing a shot.

Here in the United States, a generation removed from all that Dr. Strangelove stuff, we seem to have trouble remembering much about the Cold War these days, except to make some throwback movies about it.

Maybe thats because we have no great battlefields to commemorate (aside from the entire Vietnam War), or because weve all moved on to radical Muslims, or because we just dont take a very long view of anything.

In a Washington Post op-ed last week, a writer named Namrata Goswami, making an otherwise cogent case for us to pay attention to Chinas space program, dismissed the U.S.-Soviet space race as being principally about global prestige and simply ticking off boxes. Which is kind of like saying the American Revolution was mostly about tea.

Story continues

In fact, technological superiority during the Cold War  the ability to control every conceivable frontier  seemed essential to resisting global tyranny, even if the goal lay just out of reach. Its easy enough to dismiss that as propaganda now, but for decades leading up to the Reagan era, there was very little partisan disagreement about it.

But then the crushing costs of militarizing the world began to set in, as the great cities in both countries crumbled. And it was Mikhail Gorbachev who stood down first, accepting the economic ruin of Communist doctrine and yielding to democratic movements throughout the Soviet sphere.

To us, naturally, Gorbachev was a peacemaker and a visionary  someone who understood the futility of the cause he had inherited, and who courageously, if cautiously, embraced American ideals of freedom and capitalism. I think of him this way still.

To hardened Communists and Russian expansionists like Putin, however, you can imagine he seemed like something else  namely, a capitulator who sold out the cause of Russian greatness for a Nobel Prize.

It has fallen to Putin, in power now for 20 years, to painstakingly reassemble an absolutist regime and a militarized bloc that creeps ever westward. His dream is to reverse the imbalance of global power he was handed and restore a far-reaching Russian hegemony.

And his patience has been richly rewarded in the ascendancy of President Trump.

Ive said before that I dont think Trump is some kind of Russian agent or formal collaborator (although, I will say, I am starting to wonder if Ive been naive on that point). I dont think hes got some secret plan to build a bunch of casinos in Moscow in exchange for, say, Alaska.

Rather, like a reverse image of Gorbachev, Trump is a political leader who has lost faith in the efficacy of his countrys governing philosophy.

He believes our bedrock commitment to liberty, here and around the world, has left us weak and overextended. That we are too in thrall to a pluralistic ideal, too entangled in global alliances and far-off conflicts, too obsessed with free trade and open borders.

Trump recently praised the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which is tantamount, really, to renouncing the entire basis of the 45-year Cold War. You cant believe America was right to check Soviet expansionism and also believe the incursion into Afghanistan was just fine; Jimmy Carter got that.

Gorbachev allowed the most egregious symbol of Soviet domination, the wall dividing Berlin, to be toppled on his watch. Trump has spoken fondly of the Berlin Wall and held it up as a model for the one  still unrealized  on which he has staked his presidency at this point.

Gorbachev tried to delegitimize despotism. Trump  who exalts the Saudi crown prince and favorably compares the Chinese ruler with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer  envies the simplicity of dictatorship. He gives every appearance of admiring Soviet-style absolutism as much as Gorbachev idealized American democracy.

And just as Gorbachevs liberalization fed the energy of pro-liberty movements all over the world, so too does Trump purposefully fuel the passion of nationalist uprisings in England, France and Germany. He sympathizes with any movement that puts ethnic identity above the building of a civil, tolerant society.

All of this fits nicely into Putins vision for a world where Western alliances unravel, enabling Russia to do its level worst. Maybe his mastery of Trump stems from something sinister, a bit of information in some old KGB file or a business arrangement shrouded in secrecy. No doubt the special counsel has poked around for something like that.

More likely, though, Putin recognizes Trumps weakness for what it is  a secular crisis of faith, much like the one that brought his country to its knees in the 1980s. Trump doesnt think our defense of democratic values really works for America anymore, and in this he has more in common with Putin than he does with his own Cabinet or his military.

Thats probably what the interpreters notes from the Trump-Putin meetings would tell us, if Trump hadnt snatched them up and stuffed them into his underwear, or wherever hes hiding them now.

Trump cant capitulate entirely by himself, however. Its up to his allies in Congress to decide whether theyre OK with handing victory after victory to Putins neo-Soviets, to act as if Americas guiding purpose were to stay in our lane.

I know where McCain would be on that. But the old warrior is buried in our memory now, and so, it seems, is the long war we fought.

_____

Read more from YahooNews:



See our 2018 year-end features >>>Donald Trump has cancelled speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis overseas trip to Brussels and Afghanistan, saying in a letter that he thinks it is best that she stay in Washington to continue discussions to reopen the federal government.

The president announced his decision in a letter to Ms Pelosi on Thursday, just a day after Ms Pelosi sent her own letter asking Mr Trump to either postpone his 2019 State of the Union, or else deliver it in writing because of security concerns posed by the shutdown.

Due to the shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed, Trump wrote in his letter to the Democrat. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over.

In the letter, Mr Trump noted that Ms Pelosi could go ahead with her travels if she books flights through private or public options, but that she would not have access to the US military aircraft that are usually afforded to travelling American dignitaries and officials.

Mr Trump continued: In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the strong border security movement to end the shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.

The US government has been partially shutdown for 27 days, making it the longest lapse in federal funding in US history.

Ms Pelosi had suggested on Wednesday, the president should postpone his State of the Union speech, citing the burden the shutdown has already placed on Secret Service agents who are not being paid but are required to work anyway.

The email exchange between Ms Pelosi and Mr Trump was met with criticism, even from one of the most ardent supporters of Mr Trumps.

Story continues

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has become a key supporter of the presidents, said that Ms Pelosis letter was very irrsponsible and blatantly political. He also said that Mr Trump cancelling the speakers upcoming trip was inappropriate.

Who could be running against Trump in 2020?









21 show all

Who could be running against Trump in 2020?











































1/21 Elizabeth Warren Massachusetts Senator, progressive Democrat and major supporter of regulating Wall Street AP

2/21 Hillary Clinton 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, former Secretary of State, former first lady Getty Images

3/21 Kamala Harris California Senator, renowned prosecutor, introduced to national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony AP

4/21 Bernie Sanders Vermont Senator, 2016 Democratic candidate, longtime independent turned Democrat AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

5/21 Eric Swalwell California congressman MSNBC

6/21 Beto ORourke Texas congressman, 2016 Texas senatorial candidate AFP/Getty

7/21 Joe Biden Former Vice President Reuters

8/21 Kirsten Gillibrand New York Senator Getty Images

9/21 Oprah Winfrey Billionaire philanthropist and media mogul Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

10/21 Michael Bloomberg Former New York mayor, billionaire entrepreneur AFP

11/21 Eric Holder Former attorney general AP

12/21 Cory Booker New Jersey senator Getty images

13/21 Terry McAuliffe Former Virginia governor, worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms AP

14/21 Chris Murphy Connecticut senator, reportedly keeping tabs on major donors AP

15/21 Sherrod Brown Ohio Senator

16/21 Mitch Landrieu New Orleans mayor, has spoken with Obama about future of the Democratic Party AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

17/21 John Kerry - Former secretary of state, has said he is considering a run Getty

18/21 Bob Casey Pennsylvania Senator

19/21 Tom Steyer Billionaire philanthropist, has led anti-Trump impeachment efforts REUTERS/Darren Ornitz

20/21 Julian Castro Texas Congressman, said on MSNBC "I am very likely to run for president. Getty Images

21/21 John Delaney Maryland congressman, first major Democrat to launch a bid for 2020 AP Images

One sophomoric response does not deserve another, Mr Graham said.

A spokesperson said that Ms Pelosi had planned her oveseas trip to Afghanistan in order to visit troops and to get security and US intelligence briefings. Drew Hammill, the deputy chief of staff for Ms Pelosi, disputed on Twitter that the speaker planned on making a stop in Egypt, and elaborated on the purpose of the congressional delegation (CODEL).

The CODEL to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest. In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key alliesto affirm the United States ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance, Mr Hammill wrote. This weekend visit to Afghanistan did not include a stop in Egypt.

He continued: The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines. The President traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by [Representative Lee Zeldin].

Some 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed or forced to work without pay as a result of the shutdown, leading to consirable concern among federal employees that a drawn out shutdown could leave them unable to pay their mortgage, for gas, for childcare, or for other necessities.

The impacts of the shutdown could be seen within weeks after it started on 22 December, with rubbish piling up in American national parks. But, it was just this past week, that the most severe consequence of the shutdown was felt among federal workers after many did not receive a scheduled pay cheque for the first time on Friday.

In addition to the impact on national parks, Transportation and Security Administration agents have reportedly been calling out of work sick at elevated rates, while federal prison workers have been showing up to work without pay in some of Americas most dangerous prisons.

Mr Trump and congressional leadership have met several times in the White House to negotiate an end to the showdown.

The most recent meeting, however, appeared to leave the negotiating parties in a worse state than they where they started after Mr Trump reportedly slammed the Situation Room table and walked out. Reports indicate he did so after Ms Pelosi told him that Democrats would not agree to negotiating with him over the $5.7bn in border wall funding, even if the president agreed to re-opening the government witout immediate wall funding.Donald Trumps personal lawyer has insisted he never said there was no collusion between the presidents campaign team and Russia.

Rudy Giuliani said he had no idea if campaign staffers had been working with the Kremlin ahead of the 2016 election, and only knew that Mr Trump had not.

The remarkable claim came during a CNN interview on Wednesday in which the former New York mayor complained about false reporting of the Robert Muellers Russia investigation.

Mr mayor, false reporting is saying that nobody in the campaign had any contacts with Russia, CNN host Chris Cuomo responded. False reporting is saying that there has been no suggestion of any kind of collusion between the campaign and any Russians.

Mr Giuliani protested: You just misstated my position. I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or people in the campaign.

I have not, I said the president of the United States. There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here  conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC (Democratic National Committee).

Mr Giuliani also wrongly stated that Mr Trump had never claimed there had been no collusion between his campaign team and Moscow.

He said he didnt, he didnt say nobody, the lawyer told Mr Cuomo. As far as he knows thats true.

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Mr Giulianis claims about his own past statements and those of Mr Trump are both false.

The president has repeatedly insisted there was no collusion between his campaign team and Russia, denouncing Mr Muellers probe as a witch hunt.

As recently as 4 January, he wrote on Twitter: no Collusion with Russia, it was the Dems that Colluded. Last month he tweeted: No Smocking Gun...No Collusion.

In March last year, he specifically insisted there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Story continues

Mr Giuliani has also stated there was no Russian collusion. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News in May, he declared: Were now a year and a half, two years into this, no Russian collusion, case over.

Wednesday nights CNN interview came in the wake of allegations that Mr Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort had shared polling data with Ukrainian business partner Konstantin Kilimnik, who is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence.

Mr Muellers office believes that Manafort lied to prosecutors about his discussions with Mr Kilimnik about policy over Ukraine.

Asked by Mr Cuomo if sharing polling data with foreign agents amounted to collusion, Mr Giuliani replied: Not with the president of the United States, not with Donald Trump ... He did not know about it until it was revealed a few weeks ago in an article.New questions have been raised surrounding Donald Trump's pick to become the next attorney general and his views on investigating the Clinton Foundation and a uranium mining company.

William Barr began two days of confirmation hearings on Tuesday to become the next head of the Justice Department, fielding questions from senators about Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian impact on the 2016 election and other legal issues he would oversee if confirmed.

The Republican  who served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993  was confronted with comments he provided to the New York Times in 2017 during his first day of hearings, in which he suggested the Justice Department had more of a legal basis to investigate the Clinton Foundation and a longstanding conspiracy theory surrounding a uranium deal under Hillary Clintons tenure as secretary of state than it did probing Mr Trumps alleged obstruction of justice.

The conspiracy theory alleges that a Russian energy nuclear agency donated to the Clinton Foundation in order to later secure Ms Clinton's approval of its purchase of a uranium mining company - Uranium One.

Mr Barr played off the comments as inconsequential at first, telling senators, "I have no knowledge of Uranium One and adding I didnt particularly think that was necessarily something that should be pursued aggressively."

"The point I was trying to make there was that whatever the standard is for launching an investigation, it should be dealt with evenhandedly," he continued.

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However, the New York Times reporter who interviewed Mr Barr shared his full email response from the 2017 exchange during the hearing, providing more context to Mr Barrs comments. The nominee had suggested in a paragraph that was not included in the initial report that he long believed that the predicate for investigating the uranium deal, as well as the [Clinton] foundation, is far stronger than any basis for investigating so-called collusion.

Story continues

When presented with the full email exchange in real-time, Mr Barr was forced to further explain his remarks.

"I didnt necessarily say that the Clinton Foundation should be criminally investigated," he said. "It was the kind of thing that I think should have been looked at from a tax standpoint and whether it was complying with the foundation rules the way a corporate foundation is."

"I thought that there were some things there that merited some attention," he continued. "But I wasnt thinking of it in terms of a criminal investigation of the foundation."

The theory has been routinely debunked, and several investigations have seen no charges being filed. The Clinton Foundation was forced to admit a shortcoming in its disclosure practices and pledged to correct those mistakes dating between 2009 and 2012.

Mr Barrs apparent attitudes towards the conspiracy theory and his suggestions to probe the Clinton Foundation have caused concern among Democrats and the left, who have questioned how he fairly reached the conclusion the Justice Department had a far stronger basis to investigate those matters than alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Still, Mr Barrs confirmation is a near-guarantee, with Republicans holding a majority in the Senate. On Tuesday, he declined to commit to recusing himself from overseeing the Russia probe, telling senators he wouldnt be bullied by Mr Trump or anyone into making decisions as the next head of the department.If there is ever an official investor hall of fame, Jack Bogle would be a lock as a unanimous first-team ballot winner in the inaugural class. The founder of Vanguard, who died yesterday at the age of 89, has done as much as anyone over the last 50 years to help individual investors invest better.

A man after our own Foolish hearts, Mr. Bogle was long a champion of long-term, low-turnover, low-cost investing.

He was an investing pioneer who created the first index-based mutual fund in 1976 based on a simple premise -- low cost, market-matching investing is far better than most expensive actively managed funds. Cynics on Wall Street laughed at him. Critics doubted him. Some called his experiment "Bogle's Folly." Undeterred, Mr. Bogle launched his index innovation with a mere $11.3 million in assets.

The Vanguard 500 Index Fund now carries more than $400 billion under management and is the anchor of the massive Vanguard fund fleet.

Jack Bogle standing outside The Motley Fool conference room named for him.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

His passion to serve the investor first and foremost led him to create Vanguard as a mutual company owned by fund holders, not stockholders. Today it is one of the largest money management firms in the world, managing more than $5 trillion, most of which is invested in low-cost index funds.

Fool CEO and co-founder Tom Gardner has called Jack "one of our heroes at The Motley Fool." We even have a conference room named after Bogle in our Alexandria, Va., headquarters. Tom shares his thoughts on Jack below.

While we differed with the Father of Indexing about the power of investing in individual US equities over the long-term, we aligned with his vision of a better, more transparent, more honest investing world for everyone.

As William Shakespeare writes in Twelfth Night, "Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere." Jack Bogle's vision, determination, and legacy burn brightly for investors around the globe.

Story continues

We praise him. We salute him. And we thank him.

Fool on,

Andy Cross

TMF Chief Investment Officer

Tom Gardner's note:

Jack Bogle, perhaps more than any individual in human history, has helped the finances of individuals around the world. He delivered index investing into a financial world sorely in need of transparency and fairness. He fought to protect investors everywhere. Jack was a philosopher and a dreamer and a true iconoclast. He had a lover's quarrel with the world, even with his own organization at times. He loved Vanguard and forever wanted it to improve. Jack had an active mind. His wit was sharp. He wrote and gave speeches perpetually. He was a man of the people. He was one of us. A great friend, an honest person, a remarkable human being.

Over the years The Motley Fool has had the privilege to meet and talk with Jack Bogle many times. Below is one of those conversations as well as a love letter. We hope you enjoy them.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.The Eagle Creek wildfire burns near the Beacon Rock Golf Course in North Bonneville, Washington, Sept. 4. A proposed carbon tax might help avoid the worst effects of climate change, but the current administration has shown no desire to cut CO2 emissions. (Photo: Reuters)

Top economists, including Alan Greenspan, have signed a statement expressing their support for a new tax on greenhouse gas emissions that would combat climate change while giving back revenue to taxpaying Americans. But lawmakers would need to act fast to pass it, and even then, more drastic steps would still need to be taken to combat the growing threat.

In a letter published by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, 45 economists said a carbon tax offers the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed that is necessary to fight climate change.

The new tax would affect the price of goods or services that emit carbon, like fossil fuels. Economists said energy bills and gasoline prices would rise at first, but they called on the government to return that tax revenue directly to American citizens.

The majority of American families, including the most vulnerable, will benefit financially by receiving more in carbon dividends than they pay in increased energy prices, the letter said.

Both Republicans and Democrats on the Council of Economic Advisers signed the letter, including Greenspan, Paul Volcker, Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and more than two dozen other economists who have received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Despite the overwhelming support for the plan, its unlikely to be a top priority in the current White House administration, where the issue of climate change has been set aside.

There is no appetite on our side to do a carbon tax, Matthew Rooney, the head of the economic growth initiative at the George W. Bush Institute in Texas, told The Washington Post. Maybe if Mar-a-Lago gets washed away, that will change.

And scientists say that a carbon tax alone would not be enough to cut emissions by 45 percent in 12 years, a necessary reduction that humanity needs to hit if we value the continuation of our species and want to avoid the cataclysmic effects of a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperatures from preindustrial levels.

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Still, the new plan would be a start that would slow climate change and also see money go back in the pockets of U.S. taxpayers.

This is one of the few ideas of economic policy that commands broad, bipartisan support, former Harvard University President and U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers told Bloomberg. Nowadays on economic policy, we dont see much of that.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Cruise giant Carnival is facing a lawsuit from three passengers who claim they were injured when a Carnival ship they were on listed to one side.

Susan and Charles Orgbon, of Georgia, and Alveta Jordan Armstrong, of North Carolina, on Tuesday filed suit in a federal court in Florida alleging Carnival was negligent in its operation of the 2,642-passenger Carnival Sunshine in late October when the vessel tilted sideways soon after departing from Port Canaveral, Fla.

Susan Orgbon suffered an injury to her spine when she was ejected from a chair during the listing, the lawsuit alleges. Charles Orgbon suffered an injury to his wrist as he tried to catch his wife, according to the lawsuit.

Armstrong alleges she injured her left knee in a fall during the incident.

RELATED: Man leaps from Royal Caribbean ship in video stunt

All three of the passengers were in the ship's Sunrise restaurant at the time of the listing, which occurred on Oct. 28.

Widely covered at the time, the tilting incident lasted about a minute and sent dinnerware and items in ship stores flying to the floor. In a letter to passengers the next day, the captain of the vessel blamed the event on a malfunction with an electrical switchboard that impacted the ship's use of its stabilizers.

"There was never any issue with the safe operation of the ship, and our officers quickly intervened to correct the situation," a Carnival spokesperson told USA TODAY at the time.

Carnival on Thursday declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"We have not seen the lawsuit and have no comment," the line said in a brief statement sent to USA TODAY.

In their lawsuit, the three passengers alleging injuries list 20 different ways that Carnival may have been negligent, including failing to supervise its crew, failing to properly train its crew, failing to provide adequate crew and failing to safely operate the vessel.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District for the Southern District of Florida.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Three passengers sue Carnival claiming ship tilt left them injuredBy Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two years after filling the streets of U.S. cities to protest the start of Donald Trump's presidency, women will march again this weekend to try to build political pressure against him ahead of the 2020 elections. The loose movement around the marches has splintered as it enters its third year, and one of the various groups now involved has faced criticism it is anti-Semitic, which it denies. But leaders of the groups say momentum has not slowed, and the rallies will celebrate unprecedented gains for women in congressional and state races in last year's midterm elections. Millions of people took part in the women's marches in Washington and other cities in the United States and abroad on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the Republican president was sworn in. Vanessa Wruble, a co-founder of the original Women's March on Washington who left to start March On, a separate grassroots coalition, said the movement has evolved from being a reaction to Trump's presidency. It was "essentially the resistance movement, and now you see the movement being far more proactive," she said. Women's March, a national nonprofit organization that evolved from the initial Washington march, is using its #WomensWave marches in Washington and elsewhere on Saturday to roll out a 10-part policy platform that includes raising the federal minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights. "Women are just not on the agenda in this current administration," Women's March Chief Operating Officer Rachel Carmona said. March On will kick off an initiative to mobilize women voters by hosting a "March on the Polls 2020" on Saturday in dozens of cities, including Boston and Denver. Dozens of like-minded organizations will host training sessions for activists and prospective candidates. More than 400 women have applied to attend a candidate training session this weekend in Washington hosted by Emily's List, an organization that works to elect women who support abortion rights, said spokeswoman Tonya Williams. Wruble said the 2018 elections showed the movement had "shifted the balance of power" in American politics. More women were elected to the U.S. Congress than ever before and many of the new Democratic women lawmakers cited Trump's presidency among the reasons they decided to run for office. Of course, women are not all united around the same causes. The annual "March for Life" by anti-abortion campaigners, which takes place in Washington on Friday, is a movement of people who broadly embrace Trump and Republicans. GRASS-ROOTS EFFORTS At the outset, March On was bankrolled by leaders covering expenses out of pocket, but it raised a "sizeable" amount of money in 2018 and aims to raise $2 million in 2019, Wruble said. March On distributes funds to local affiliates for on-the-ground planning, provides design assistance for websites and logos and gives access to a public relations firm. In February and March, the group's leaders will meet with affiliates to determine how best to support their efforts over the next election cycle. "This year is really going to be about increasing our tool chest of what we offer to them," said March On's Natalie Sanchez, an organizer of the 2017 Boston Women's March who is also with March Forward Massachusetts, which is leading Saturday's march there. The Women's March now counts national progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Move On among its partners. March On partners include the ACLU, Rock the Vote and Emerge America, which recruits Democratic women to run for office. Women's March's Carmona said she spends 60 hours a week on planning calls, including "chapter" calls with 30 to 45 local organizations. The group did a 10-state tour ahead of last year's congressional elections and is developing a nationwide strategy that would train more local leaders ahead of the 2020 presidential contest, she said. There have been growing pains in a movement that grew out of hundreds of loosely affiliated marches in 2017. In cities such as New York, there will be multiple events on Saturday hosted by different organizations, largely due to calls by some religious leaders to boycott Women's March over criticism that some of its leaders are anti-Semitic. Women's March leader Linda Sarsour issued a statement condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and bigotry. Leaders Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland reiterated on ABC's talk show program "The View" this week that they were committed to a movement that fought all forms of oppression. Leaders of Women's March and March On insist the divisions are not a weakness. "I know there have been controversies this year and rifts and divides and those may or may not affect numbers on particular marches, but I haven't seen that have any effect on the movement's strength over all," Wruble said. Carmona said "there is a role for everyone" no matter which group they join, adding decentralized movements had a kind of power that is "hard to strike at." (Reporting By Amanda Becker; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Frances Kerry)Theresa May said she was disappointed that Labour refused her invitation to discuss Brexit just hours after she saw off a no-confidence vote.

The Prime Minister took to the steps of Downing Street in a late night address in an attempt to reassure the country following 24 hours of high drama in the Commons.

Mrs May and the Government won a vote of no confidence, tabled by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after the Prime Ministers Brexit deal was overwhelmingly rejected by Parliament on Tuesday.

She immediately announced that she would invite party leaders in the Commons and other MPs in for discussions to get a Parliamentary consensus on Brexit.

But she faced an uphill struggle after all the opposition party leaders demanded scrapping the possibility of no-deal as a condition of progress, while Labour refused to even sit down with the PM until the concession was guaranteed.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom has now set the date for MPs to debate the Governments Brexit plan B after the Prime Ministers deal suffered a historic defeat on Tuesday.

Despite opposition parties calling on the Government to take a no-deal Brexit off the table in a bid to work cross-party on a way forward but Mrs Leadsom said that was not possible.

The Cabinet minister told MPs that removing no deal as an option would be an incompetent thing to do.

Theresa May said the door to Labour remained open in Brexit talks (PA)

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Mrs May held talks with Lib-Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, SMP Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Plaid Cymrus Liz Saville-Roberts late on Wednesday, following the no-confidence vote.

Downing Street also refused to rule out no deal, with the Prime Ministers official spokesman saying: Want to leave with a deal but she is determined to deliver on the verdict of the British public and that is to leave the EU on March 29 this year.

Asked by a reporter if he was taking no-deal off the table in response to the opposition leaders demand, the spokesman replied: I am not.

COUNTDOWN TO BREXIT  ANALYSIS FROM YAHOO UK

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In her address to the nation shortly after 10pm on Wednesday, Mrs May said the talks had been constructive, adding: I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open.

Mrs May also aimed remarks at Parliamentarians who voted against her Brexit plan on Tuesday, saying that MPs have made clear what they dont want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want.

She added: It will not be an easy task, but MPs know they have a duty to act in the national interest, reach a consensus and get this done.

The Prime Minister said she was disappointed that Labour had so far not accepted her invite to discuss the Brexit deal (PA)

Mrs May will hold further talks with other groups, including eurosceptics in her own party and the Democratic Unionist Party on Thursday.

They will take place the day after she survived an attempt to oust her as Prime Minister, as MPs rejected Mr Corbyns motion of no confidence in the Government by a margin of 325 to 306.

The Prime Ministers 19-vote victory came less than 24 hours after the crushing defeat of her EU Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons, and clears the way for her to start cross-party talks on a Brexit Plan B.

Jeremy Corbyn said he would only talk with the PM if a no-deal Brexit was ruled out (PA)

Conservative rebels and members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) who consigned the PM to the worst defeat in parliamentary history on Wednesday rallied behind her to see off the threat of a general election.

Welcoming the result, Mrs May invited leaders of opposition parties to meetings.

She pledged to approach the talks in a constructive spirit and urged other parties to do the same, adding: I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver on Brexit and ensure that this House retains the confidence of the British people.

The Government earlier survived a no confidence vote (PA)

But Mr Corbyn responded: Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the Government must remove clearly once and for all the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell later told ITVs Peston that he believed there was currently a parliamentary majority for a permanent customs union with the EU.

Mrs May is now due to set out her alternative plan for EU withdrawal to MPs on January 21.

But she risks losing control of the Brexit process, as she must table a motion which can be amended by MPs.

Mr Corbyn had tried to topple the Government in the hopes of a General Election being called (PA)

They are expected to use the opportunity to secure Commons support for a range of possible outcomes, from ruling out a no-deal departure or opting for Norway-style membership of the single market to a second referendum.

MPs on both the Remain and the Leave wings of the party warned she needed to make major changes to the deal if she is to get it through the Commons.

The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier firmly rejected calls from some Conservative MPs and the DUP to drop the Northern Ireland backstop, intended to ensure there is no hard border with the Republic.

Speaking in Strasbourg he said there would be a favourable response from the EU side if Mrs May was prepared to re-think her negotiating red lines, but added: The backstop which we agreed to with the UK must remain a backstop. It must remain a credible backstop.In the past five trading days, telecom stocks had a roller-coaster ride as optimism over U.S.-China trade negotiations was negated by market uncertainty triggered by a prolonged partial shutdown of the government, and federal investigation of criminal charges against Huawei. The spiraling issue could further derail the bilateral trade talks between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu scheduled later this month.



A flurry of decisive steps from China to ease some bottlenecks in the bilateral trade relations and resumption of trade negotiations seemed to offer respite to the beleaguered sector that bore the brunt of the bitter trade war. However, partial shutdown by various federal agencies, for an all-time record of 26 days and counting, dented market euphoria as unavailability of funds by the FCC affected the speedy deployment of 5G technologies. The shutdown hampered FCCs equipment authorization process, compounding industry fears that the impasse could jeopardize the countrys edge in the upcoming 5G boom.



To add to the woes, the U.S. Justice Department has reportedly decided to pursue a criminal case against leading Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei for alleged trade secret theft. The latest indictment traces its roots to a civil suit filed by T-Mobile US, Inc. in Seattle District Court in 2014, in which it accused Huawei of stealing trade secrets at the behest of R&D team based in China. Although the case was settled with a $4.8 million compensation award to T-Mobile in 2017, it seems that the Trump administration will leave no stone unturned to ban Chinas Huawei and ZTE from the country. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has already introduced bills in this regard.



Meanwhile, the tense undercurrents related to Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou and her probable extradition to the United States continued to haunt both the countries. It remains to be seen how the trial pans out with incriminating documents revealing the suspected ties of Huawei with two obscure companies, using which Meng allegedly deceived international banks into clearing transactions (worth millions of dollars) with Iran despite economic sanctions.



Regarding company-specific news, strategic corporate actions, product launches and technology collaborations took the center stage over the past five trading days.



Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories



1. Over the past few quarters, Ericsson ERIC has been diligently focusing on simplifying and stabilizing its businesses to generate a steady revenue stream and improve margins. Despite some definite improvements across most segments, the company has faced roadblocks in the Digital Services segment within the Business Support System (BSS) area. Ericsson now intends to reshape its BSS strategy and fine tune its business model to stem the losses in order to attain its profitability target for 2020.



Although the company was able to generate lasting efficiency improvement in Digital Services by addressing half of the identified 45 critical and non-strategic projects and implementing strategic cost cuts, it failed to script a complete turnaround. This affected its segment margin and forced management to revert to the tried and tested business model within the BSS division. (Read more: Ericsson to Reshape Digital Services Strategy to Stem Losses)



2. Amid bad press related to alleged misuse of location services data, AT&T Inc. T has decided to altogether cease data sharing activities with third-party vendors from March this year. The company expects the strategic move to prevent customers from being adversely affected in the future.



As AT&Ts name cropped up in the investigation, management stated that fraudulent use of sensitive customer data was against corporate policies, completely ending location aggregator work from second-quarter 2019 onward. (Read more: AT&T to Shelve Third-Party Location Service Data Sharing)



3. In the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's antitrust trial for monopolistic trade practices, QUALCOMM Incorporated QCOM recently tried to defend itself using the intellectual property rights card. As lawyers from both the government and the company put forth their arguments before the U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, the 10- day non-jury trial appears to be in a critical stage.



Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf testified before the court that purchasing a license was necessary for phone manufacturers as merely buying a chip did not cover all its IP rights. Consequently, he urged the judge not to view the licensing agreement, which manufacturers needed to comply with, in isolation, and that the entire security structure was required to make the whole system work. (Read more: Qualcomm Uses 'IP Rights' Card for Defense in FTC Trial)



4. Continuing its rich legacy of developing pioneering products for the various industry verticals, Corning Incorporated GLW has unveiled the industrys first automotive glass solutions that deliver impeccable performance and superior system economics. The products, showcased to the public for the first time in 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, attracted great interest from prospective manufacturers.



In order to tap the huge market potential for connected and immersive driver experience in the cockpit, Corning developed two AutoGrade cover glass solutions for auto interiors  one in 2D and the other in 3D format. Both the product variants are subjected to rigorous quality checks and trial runs for the highest reliability performance. These include industry-approved reliability tests using Corning`s system-level design guidelines to have the perfect blend of authentic feel, superior durability and advanced optics. (Read more: Corning Offers Pioneering Automotive Glass Solutions)



5. Motorola Solutions, Inc. MSI recently announced that it has introduced the Si200 body-worn camera to facilitate agencies in investigation while providing footage of incidents.



Notably, the Si200 body-worn camera captures high-definition video and boasts additional advanced capabilities, helping integration across the public safety workflow. It combines with CommandCentral Vault  Motorolas digital evidence management solution  that enables investigating agencies to manage content from in-field capture to judicial process under an integrated platform. (Read more: Motorola Unveils Si200 Body-Worn Camera for Digital Evidence)



Price Performance



The following table shows the price movement of some of the major telecom stocks over the past week and during the past six months.

Story continues





In the past five trading days, SBA Communications Corporation was the biggest gainer with its share price increasing 4.5% while Sprint Corporation declined the most with its stock losing 3.5%.



Over the past six months, Verizon Communications Inc. has been the best performer with its stock appreciating 10.4% while Harris Corporation declined the most with its shares falling 11.4%.



Over the past six months, the Zacks Telecommunications Services industry has inched up 1.8% while the S&P 500 fell 7.2%.





Whats Next in the Telecom Space?



In addition to continued product launches and deployment of 5G technologies, all eyes will remain glued to how the United States and China continue their negotiations for a long-term solution to the trade war amid the backdrop of Huaweis criminal investigation process.



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Zacks Investment ResearchA suicide bomber who triggered a fiery explosion that killed four U.S. citizens in Syria also reignited debate over President Donald Trump's decision to exit the war-weary country.

Last month, Trump announced the U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn. We have won against ISIS. Trump said. Now its time for our troops to come back home.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has generally been a Trump ally but has not supported plans to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. Hours after Wednesday's attack, for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility, Graham again called on the president to rethink his plans.

I hope the president would look long and hard about where hes headed in Syria, Graham said. I dont know how we can be safe unless we give (U.S. allies in Syria) the space to be safe.

Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday repeated Trump's claims that the Islamic State has been thwarted in Syria, saying the "caliphate has crumbled" and the militant network "has been defeated."

James Piazza, a professor at Penn State, has conducted research tracking how ISIS has increasingly resorted to terrorist attacks as it loses control over population centers, land and resources. The bombing shows that ISIS remains a threat as a "lower-grade insurgency" in Syria, he said.

"The loss of territory really reduced ISIS capacity, and now it and its members are casting about for a way to remain relevant and to still try to affect the political situation," Piazza said. "Its only option now is to conduct terrorist attacks like this."

Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, agrees with Trump that the U.S. had destroyed ISIS  militarily.

If anything, the attack on U.S. forces underlines the rationale to leave  not stay indefinitely," Kazianis told USA TODAY. "ISIS can hide anywhere in the population of Syria, making efforts to stomp them less about a certain number of troops on the group but smart intelligence, air power and local intelligence assets."

Story continues

The attack complicates a messy plan for U.S. withdrawal, a decision Trump's senior advisers disagreed with before offering an evolving timetable for the removal of the troops. The bombing also underscores Pentagon assertions that the Islamic State is still a threat capable of deadly attacks.

The White House said Trump was fully briefed on the bombing and issued a statement that stayed out of the debate.

"Our deepest sympathies and love go out to the families of the brave American heroes who were killed today in Syria," the statement said. "We also pray for the soldiers who were wounded in the attack.

"Our service members and their families have all sacrificed so much for our country."

More: White House scrambles to repair rift with Turkey after Trump's threat

More: American teen accused of fighting for ISIS in Syria

Trumps decision to withdraw was one of the reasons Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cited for stepping down last month. Mattis urged Trump to maintain the U.S. presence to aid Kurdish allies and deter the Syrian and Iranian regimes.

After a series of confusing signals from the Pentagon and the White House, officials announced last week that equipment had been removed from U.S. facilities in Syria and that all troops would withdraw within months.

Two of the dead from Wednesday's bombing in the northern town of Manbiz were U.S. soldiers, and two others were U.S. civilians, military officials said. Manjib is controlled by the U.S.-backed Kurdish People's Defense Units.

The explosion took place in a market wedged along a street thick with cars. Video from the scene shows people gathered on a crowded sidewalk when the fiery blast occurred.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors the conflict in Syria, said the attack killed at least 16 people, including fighters with Syrian Democratic Forces. Those troops have fought alongside Americans in skirmishes with the Islamic State.

Since 2016, four U.S. troops had been killed in Syria before the latest attack, according to Pentagon records. Those troops took part in Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led effort begun in 2014 to combat Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

"Killing ISIS to the last man means we will stay in Syria likely for decades  and perhaps never leave," Kazianis said. "Trying to defeat every single solitary possible threat is a standard of success no nation can afford, even a superpower like the United States.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Tom Vanden Brook and Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Syria suicide bomb that killed four US citizens also reignites debate over US pulling troopsPhoto credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sarah Myers

From Popular Mechanics

At the Pentagon today, President Trump presided over the release of his administrations long-awaited Missile Defense Review, the road map for defending the United States, its overseas bases, and regional allies from long-range missiles launched by rogue states.

The strategy recommends a number of new ideas, including arming F-35s to shoot down missiles, laser-armed drones, and space-based interceptors. That last part may remind you of President Ronald Reagans 1980s-era Strategic Defense Initiative. It seems the movies aren't the only way weren't returning to Star Wars.

What Can and Cannot Be Defended

Let's make one thing clear first: The Pentagon doesn't think it could shoot down a major nuclear assault. The United States relies on nuclear deterrence to address the large and more sophisticated Russian and Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities, the report says. In other words, Mutually Assured Destruction still applies.



Photo credit: U.S. Navy Photo

The improvements and new initiatives suggested in today's report are meant to defend against limited missile attack from rogue states such as North Korea and Iran. Among existing programs, the number of U.S. Navy surface warships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles is set to increase by more than 50 percent. Today, five of the Navys Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and 33 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers are capable of detecting and shooting down ballistic missiles with SM-3 Block IIA interceptors. That number is set to increase to a total of 60 ships by 2023.

The report also notes that the Block IIA interceptor, which can intercept short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, is set to be tested in 2020 against intercontinental ballistic missiles. If it works, it would give the continental United States a secondary layer of protection against incoming missiles.

Photo credit: DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro

The U.S. is also beefing up its existing ICBM killers, the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) missiles. GMD is designed to destroy missile warheads in space by steering a guided "kinetic kill" vehicle into a head-on collision with the incoming nuke. The U.S. currently has 40 GMDs based in Alaska and another four in California, and wants to add an additional 20 by 2023.

Story continues

Fighters vs. Missiles

One of the more interesting concepts in the missile review is to use the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to shoot down missiles shortly after they launch. Targeting missiles during their so-called boost phase is an attractive one, because while they are rising from a launch vehicle or silo, ballistic missiles are slow and easy to shoot down. In the case of multi-warhead missiles, attacking early offers a chance to destroy all of the warheads without having to engage them separately, when theyre whizzing through space at thousands of miles an hour.

According to the review, the F-35 has a capable sensor system that can detect the infrared signature of a boosting missile, and its computers can identify the threatening missiles location. In the future, the F-35 could be equipped with a new or modified interceptor capable of shooting down adversary ballistic missiles in their boost phase and could be surged rapidly to hotspots.

As was the case with Reagan's Star Wars, however, shooting down missiles is easier said than done. Ballistic missiles may be slow at launch, but they accelerate rapidly and the window for intercept is narrow. F-35s would have to fly very close to the launch location, placing them near enemy air defenses. To be close enough to strike in time, fighters must be constantly patrolling over a suspected launch location.

Of Lasers and Satellites

Photo credit: Jim Shryne - Wikimedia Commons

Fighter planes aren't the only boost phase option. The Pentagon wants to explore placing lasers on drones to fry missiles as theyre taking off. This approach would be less risky than placing a manned aircraft over enemy territory, and drones would be able to loiter over a suspected launch area longer.

Aircraft-based lasers dont have a great track record, though. In the 2000s the Pentagon dumped billions into a 747 modified to fire a chemical laser. Missile defense advocates think more modern solid state and fiber lasers fired from higher altitudes could do the trick.



Finally, the big one: space-based missile defense, first proposed in the 1980s under the Strategic Defense Initiative. According to the report, the Pentagon will study development and fielding of a space-based missile intercept layer capable of boost-phase defense. These defenses would be satellites armed with interceptor rockets or, down the road, lasers. Pointed at down at the Earth, they would be alerted by a network of sensors to missile launches and swiftly knock down missiles before those missiles could release their warheads.

This, too, faces many complications. First, the U.S. would need to develop and maintain a constellation of missile-sensing interceptor sats in low Earth orbit. Developing, building, and launching this constellation would be very expensive at a time when the defense budget is expected to remain flat or even drop in the near future , meaning the Department of Defense would need to cut other programs to fund it.

Adversaries could simply build more missiles to overwhelm this expensive system, or develop other weapons such as cruise missiles or hypersonic weapons. And more fundamentally, there's the issue of breaking the informal taboo on militarizing space. It could come back to haunt the U.S. as other countries also deploy orbital weapons.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Missile defense is a difficult problem with low tolerance for failure. In the event of nuclear attack, even a single warhead breaking through ballistic missile defenses could result in the death of millions. While some of these ideas (like using SM-3 interceptors to knock down ICBMs) sound relatively practical, others (such as weapons based in space) have enormous technical and economic problems that remain unsolved more than 30 years and hundreds of billions of dollars after they were initially proposed.

Read the Missile Defense Review here (PDF)

('You Might Also Like',)Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Confidence that the politically sensitive merger of their rail businesses would be waved through by the European Commission was ebbing at both Siemens and Alstom Thursday.

A source at German group Siemens said Brussels had posed "insurmountable" demands for concessions that the groups would not make.

Meanwhile Alstom, maker of France's iconic TGV trains, said there was "no certainty" the companies could mollify the Commission.

Both Paris and Berlin have thrown their weight behind the proposed Siemens-Alstom tie-up, saying the arrival of Chinese giant CRRC on the global market will put European manufacturers in the shade.

It would be "an economic mistake and a political failing", as well as a "negative signal to the peoples of Europe" to block the merger, French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said Wednesday.

If approved, the merger would create a rail behemoth with operations in 60 countries and annual turnover of 15.6 billion euros ($17.8 billion).

Alone, CRRC's annual revenues of 26 billion euros outweigh the three Western heavyweights Bombardier, Siemens and Alstom, each of which brings in around eight billion a year.

It has already snapped up significant contracts in US cities like Boston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, as well as in European nations like Serbia, Macedonia or the Czech Republic.

But the alleged Chinese danger has failed to impress EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

The Financial Times reported Wednesday that she was unmoved by pleas from the two capitals, urging other members of the EU's executive arm to stick to existing antitrust rules.

Like other national authorities, Germany's market watchdog the Bundeskartellamt has warned the Siemens-Alstom deal would create an overly dominant player, and that the concessions offered were "neither suitable nor sufficient", according to press reports earlier this week.

Story continues

- 'Shut out' -

Alstom insisted Thursday that proposed concessions worth four percent of the firms' combined annual revenue "take into account the Commission's concerns while preserving the economic and industrial fundamentals of the transaction".

Siemens and Alstom have offered to sell off some business activities and license other technologies, hoping to allay Commission fears the new combination could dominate the European market for rail signalling and high-speed trains.

But Siemens is adamant it will not give up its next-generation high-speed technology to secure a green light.

From the start, the Munich-based giant agreed to give up its older Velaro trains and offered some concessions on the second-generation Velaro Novo under pressure from Brussels.

The firm then balked at the Commission's demand that it license a collection of patents and technology licenses related to future high-speed rolling stock, bundled together in an entity known as Velaro3G System, the source inside the company said.

"On the one hand, we have the fear of competition from China. On the other, we have to offer a competitor ten years' exclusivity" on the technology, they complained.

If the new entity were to give up the Velaro3G, they would be "completely shut out from high-speed train development in Europe for ten years," the source added.

With until February 18 to deliver a decision on the merger, the European Commission declined to comment Thursday when contacted by AFP.Sarah Ikumu is a 17-year-old singing sensation who made Kenya proud on the popular UK television talent show, Britains Got Talent.

Ikumu, who was only 15 at the time, received the Golden Buzzer when she auditioned for the talent show.

Recalling her experience during the show, Sarah Ikumu says she was hesitant to go for the auditions at first.

My mum and I did not like me go for the auditions because for me, I have never liked competitions, and so it took me some time before I could join, but I did finally, Sarah said.

On how it was like performing in front of well-known harsh judge Simon Cowell, Sarah said: First there was tension, especially because of well-known harsh judge Simon Cowell. I knew he was tough.

She added that she was not thinking about the crowd but mainly about her voice and if it was going to stay all through her performance.

Sarah further said she started performing in public at the age of five years. My first audience was the church, where my father was ministering, and the congregation was amazed by my voice and my courage, she said.

Did she expect to receive the attention she got from Kenyans after the performance?

Even during the auditions, I had only told my friend, cousins and my parents because I did not know I would make people that happy. I was so shocked by the huge comments coming from Kenyans telling me they are proud of me, she said.

Sarah Ikumu is hoping to release her songs this year.No one on Capitol Hill or the White House seems any closer to resolving the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. In an effort to appear busy, however, both sides are resorting to political stunts.

There have already been three failed attempts this week try and break the nearly month-long stalemate. House Democrats brought legislation to the floor that would re-open the government through Feb. 1 to allow negotiations to continue, the White House invited a handful of moderate Democrats to a lunch to discuss a way out and freshman Democrats marched to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells office to demand he work with them on a solution.

None of these efforts were successful, but then it wasnt clear that anyone expected them to, either.

With only six House Republicans breaking with their party, Democrats in the lower chamber failed to get the necessary two-thirds support for their measure to re-open the government. (Normally they would need a simply majority but used a legislative mechanism requiring a higher threshold, which an aide said was the fastest way to get the bill to the floor). Every one of the Democrats invited to the White House declined the invitation. And the freshman Democrats were unable to talk to McConnell, because he was voting on the Senate floor.

The stunts were nothing new in the shutdown, either. House Democrats have been passing pieces of legislation to re-open parts of the government since they officially took back the majority earlier this month, even though they know full well that Trump wont sign anything that does not include his requested $5 billion in border wall funding. Democrats maintain that all of these bills had previously garnered bipartisan support in the Senate and should easily pass, but Republicans are dismissing the efforts as political theater.

The President is correct. In 45 minutes we can get this done. Ive been in every single meeting. Never once have I heard the Democrats make any offer, in any direction, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday morning.

Story continues

But since the last gathering six days ago between the White House and Congressional leadership, in which Trump walked out of the session because he was dissatisfied, there have not been any meetings to test McCarthys prediction.

The White Houses latest invitation to Democratic lawmakers came late Monday afternoon, and was only sent to a handful of them, primarily centrist House lawmakers hailing from districts where the President is popular. Absent from the invite list was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer  the two members of leadership who could actually broker the deal. Staffers found the invitation, which was brief and gave no indication what would be discussed, even more puzzling. (On behalf of President Trump we would like to invite your Member of Congress to attend lunch at the White House tomorrow, the invitation read, explaining that it was a members-only lunch.)

Democratic leadership gave these lawmakers the green-light to attend, but cautioned that Trump could be using them as pawns. We support the notion of continued dialogue, said Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries. [But the question is] is he inviting everyone to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to really try and resolve this problem or to create a photo op so he can project a false sense of bipartisanship?

Ultimately, none of the Democrats accepted the invitation. The only members from the House of Representatives present at the lunch were House Republicans. While there were legitimate scheduling conflicts  Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who was invited, had a committee meeting  sources said lawmakers and staffers ultimately concluded it was a photo opportunity rather than a negotiating tactic.

President Trump wasnt being serious in that invitation and they werent fooled by it, said one Democratic operative who had been in touch with Hill staffers about the developments. The ones he invited are willing to work across the aisle  they want to work with Trump. But this wasnt a serious offer.

Soon enough though, Democrats had their own photo opportunity, when freshman lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Senate for an emergency press conference to demand an end to the shutdown. After convening outside the Capitol, they entered McConnells office, only to be told he couldnt speak with them because he was on the floor voting. Even if he wasnt, however, the idea that freshman Democrats would be able to entice McConnell  a veteran legislator who has purposely stayed above to fray  to come to the negotiating table was highly unlikely.

With no end in sight, the latest move seems to be for Congress to forego its recess next week. McConnell has said the Senate will not adjourn if the government is still shut down, and the House has already scheduled votes.

But it is unclear if even the prospect of missing time at home is enough incentive to reach a deal. Based on this past week, it probably isnt.Reuters

Every week, Mamadou Diagouraga comes to the Muslim section of a cemetery near Paris to stand vigil at the grave of his father, one of the many French Muslims to have died from COVID-19. While France is estimated to have the European Union's largest Muslim population, it does not know how hard that group has been hit: French law forbids the gathering of data based on ethnic or religious affiliations. But evidence collated by Reuters - including statistical data that indirectly captures the impact and testimony from community leaders - indicates the COVID death rate among French Muslims is much higher than in the overall population.Moscow (AFP) - Russia's parliament voted Thursday against sending delegates or paying contributions to the Council of Europe, increasing the risk of ultimate exclusion from the rights body and the European Court of Human Rights.

The lower house of parliament, the State Duma, voted not to send a delegation to the council's parliamentary assembly this year and not to pay contributions of some 30 million euros ($34 million).

The council promotes democracy and the rule of law across Europe and includes Turkey and Ukraine as members.

Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said MPs voted "exclusively in the interests of citizens of our country."

Russia had already suspended part of its funding to the council after it was stripped of its voting rights in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Thursday's vote came as the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly is set to hold a plenary session on Monday in Strasbourg.

"The discussions to find a solution will continue," said Daniel Holtgen, spokesperson for the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Russian lawmakers released a statement saying they do not "see grounds" for sending a delegation or renewing payment of contributions.

After two years of non-payment of contributions -- from June this year -- Russia could be formally excluded from the council by its executive committee or could opt to leave.

Moscow suspended part of its 33 million euro annual contributions to the council in 2017.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the time that payments would only be renewed after the "unconditional total restoration" of its rights.

Council of Europe delegates voted in October to delay action on a proposed rule change that could have restored Russia's voting rights.

If Russia left the 47-member council, it would be the first such departure since the body's creation in 1949 and would mean Russians could no longer take cases to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

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Russia joined the council in 1996, since when the European Court has been flooded with cases from Russia, with activists accusing the country of violating the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court has issued decisions ordering Russia to pay damages and compensation to numerous activists including opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the jailed Pussy Riot punks.

Russian lawmakers said Thursday that Russia's lack of attendance means it has not taken part in choosing more than half the judges at the court, "which brings into question the legitimacy of the ECHR's decisions related to Russia."MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday that it had caught former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who is being held in Russia on spying charges, while he was in the act of carrying out illegal activities in his Moscow hotel room.

Whelan, a former U.S. marine who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained by Russia's Federal Security Service on Dec. 28.

His family say he is innocent and that he was in Moscow to attend a wedding. Whelan faces up to 20 years in jail if found guilty of espionage.

"He was caught red-handed," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday during a news conference.

"He was detained at the moment he was carrying out specific illegal actions in his hotel."

Russian online news portal Rosbalt.ru earlier this month cited an unnamed Russian intelligence source as saying that Whelan had been detained five minutes after receiving a thumb drive containing a list of all the employees of a secret Russian state agency.

The same source was quoted as saying that Whelan had been spying for 10 years using the internet to identify targets from whom he could obtain information and that the employee list he was caught with had long been of interest to U.S. spies.

Lavrov said the investigation into Whelan continued and his detention was not motivated by any desire to try to exchange him for Russian citizens held in the United States.

He said Russia would allow U.S. diplomats to visit Whelan for a second time and that an Irish diplomat was also due to meet him soon.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, Christian Lowe and Maria Tsvetkova; writing by Tom Balmforth and Andrew Osborn; Editing by Jon Boyle)The Daily Beast

South Carolina Department of Corrections Two days before South Carolina death row inmate Brad Sigmon was due to be put to death in the states 109-year-old electric chair, he won a rare reprieve from the states Supreme Court.Fellow prisoner Freddie Owens, who was set to be put to death a week later, was also spared at least temporarily as the court ruled Wednesday that the electrocution deaths would violate the statutory right of inmates to elect the manner of their execution.But just as quicRoyal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL is likely to report fourth-quarter 2018 financial numbers on Jan 23. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 0.5%. Also, Royal Caribbeans earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 10.2%.

What to Expect?

The question lingering in investors minds now is whether Royal Caribbean will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at $1.51, higher than $1.34 registered in the year-ago quarter. Over the past 30 days, the companys earnings estimates have witnessed an upward revision of 1 cent. For revenues, the consensus mark stands at nearly $2,312 million, up 15.3% from the prior-year actual figure.

Lets delve deeper to find out how this global cruise vacation companys top and bottom line will shape up in the to-be-reported quarter.

Factors at Play

We expect Royal Caribbeans fourth-quarter results to be driven by higher passenger ticket revenues, increased leisure demand and solid booking trends coupled with the companys cost-cutting efforts. Meanwhile, the companys sailings in the United States, Europe, Alaska, Baltic and Asia are likely to continue performing well. While its capacity growth should aid in meeting the increased demand, ship innovation and technology investments might lead to higher yields.

Based on the current demand scenario, Royal Caribbean expects Asia-Pacific itineraries, the Caribbean and Europe to constitute a respective 18%, 55% and 12% of 2018 capacity.

Moreover, Royal Caribbean has been undertaking profitability improvement initiatives, which are aimed at generating long-term cost savings since 2014. Under its Double-Double program, the company intends to bring the return on invested capital (ROIC) to double-digit percentages, improve revenue yields, control costs and moderate capacity growth. The company expects 2018 EPS to be $8.75-$8.85, reflecting another year of double-digit growth after 2017.

Story continues

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price and EPS Surprise

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price and EPS Surprise | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Quote

Our Model Suggests a Beat

According to the Zacks model, a company with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) has a good chance of beating estimates if it also has a positive Earnings ESP. Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell) stocks are best avoided, especially if they have a negative Earnings ESP. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Royal Caribbean has an Earnings ESP of +4.41% and a Zacks Rank #3, a combination that suggests that the company is likely to beat estimates.

Stocks to Consider

Here are some stocks that you may also want to consider as our model shows these too have the right combination of elements to deliver a positive earnings surprise:

Cinemark Holdings, Inc. CNK has an Earnings ESP of +10.66% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Brunswick Corporation BC has an Earnings ESP of +3.72% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH has an Earnings ESP of +1.74% and a Zacks Rank of 3.

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchPresident Trump discussed with advisers the possibility of withdrawing from NATO on multiple occasions in 2018, the New York Times reported Monday evening.

Trump, who has ignored convention by heavily criticizing NATO allies and publicly questioning their commitment to the collective defense, repeatedly told advisers that he didnt understand the point of the alliance in the days leading up to the most recent NATO summit in July.

A number of senior advisers, including John Bolton and former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, were successful in convincing Trump of the negative geo-political implications associated with a NATO withdrawal. While Trump heeded his advisers warnings with respect to withdrawal, the president continues to view the alliance through a strictly transactional lens, wherein the U.S. is being forced to pay more than its fair share.

Concern among national security officials regarding Trumps vision for NATO has grown in recent days in the wake of reports that the president tried to keep his conversations with Vladimir Putin secret even from his own advisers, confiscating his interpreters note and instructing him not to share details of the meeting with anyone.

Mattiss retirement has also unsettled his fellow national security officials and Americas NATO allies alike, as the general was viewed as a calming influence in the White House who could communicate the importance of the NATO alliance when necessary.

More from National ReviewWASHINGTON  North Korea's top nuclear negotiator will arrive in Washington later this week for a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a South Korean newspaper and other media outlets reported on Wednesday.

The State Department would not confirm the meeting on Wednesday. But South Koreas Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, reported senior North Korean and U.S. officials were likely to meet this week. And CNN reported that Kim Yong Chol, a high-level North Korean official, would arrive soon in the United States and was expected to meet with Pompeo and Stephen Biegun, the State Department's Special Representative for North Korea.

The rare visit by Kim Yong Chol to Washington could signal progress in arranging a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, experts said.

"Were obviously moving toward a second summit," said Sue Mi Terry, a senior fellow for Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington foreign policy think tank.

The two world leaders first met last year in Singapore, where they signed a vaguely worded agreement promising to work toward full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump and Kim Jong Un have both expressed a desire to hold a second summit, even though foreign policy experts note that Kim Jong Un has taken no affirmative steps toward relinquishing his nuclear arsenal since the Singapore meeting.

Vice President Mike Pence highlighted that lack of progress in a speech on Wednesday to U.S. ambassadors gathered in Washington for a conference.

"While the president has started a promising dialogue with Chairman Kim, we still await concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle nuclear weapons that threaten our people and our allies in the region," Pence told the assembled diplomats.

Sung-Yoon Lee, a Korea expert at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, said Trump will be "coaxed into making more concessions" at a second summit.

Story continues

"All for illusory stunts like being presented with (a) fake weapons inventory list or shutting down an exhausted test site, factory, or reactor, while uranium enrichment and missile production roll on elsewhere," Lee said.

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean official

Trump has stressed that North Korea has not conducted any rocket launches in recent months. He praised the "very good dialogue" with the North Koreans and said the negotiations had avoided a "big fat war" with the nuclear-armed nation.

But Trump has resisted entreaties from the North Koreans to lift economic sanctions on the regime. Those will "remain in full force," Trump told reporters earlier this year, "until we have some very positive proof" of denuclearization.

That is a major flashpoint for Kim Jong Un's regime. In a televised New Year's Day address, he said he was ready to meet again with Trump anytime but delivered a warning not to test North Koreas patience over sanctions, threatening that it may have to find a new way to defend its interests.

Still, the two sides have been negotiating details of a possible second summit for weeks, including the agenda and the location of the meeting.

Terry, the CSIS expert, said Trump should hold out on a second summit until the U.S. at least gets a full inventory of the North Koreans nuclear cache.

"It cannot be a repeat of Singapore because that produced ... just an aspirational statement," she said.

Read more:

North Korea warns US to stop 'meddling' in its affairs with South Korea

Vice President Pence tries to enlist U.S. ambassadors in the shutdown fight, but doesn't mention furlough

New Senate GOP chairman on four foreign policy hot spots - and standing up to Trump

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Report: North Korea's top negotiator to visit US for possible meeting with PompeoNairobi Governor Mike Sonko has implored Nairobi residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious persons to the police following the terrorist attack at 14 Riverside Drive.

Sonko, who was the butt of jokes on social media for his dress code at the Dusit D2 Hotel, further appealed to everyone to submit to security screening by people who are meant to protect us.

In a statement released Wednesday, the county boss also condemned the cowardly attack by terrorists towards innocent people.

Read Sonko statement on terrorist attack below.

************************************************

STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK IN NAIROBI

Nairobi was yesterday once again the scene of another cowardly attack by terrorists.

We at Nairobi City County Government strongly condemn this act of violence towards innocent people. Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims and survivors. The City stands in solidarity with all the people of Nairobi at this difficult time.As power-plant emissions decline in the Northeast, a group of East Coast states is targeting another source of greenhouse gases: cars, trucks and mass transit.



Governors from Virginia to New Jersey jointly committed last month to develop a plan to cap transportation emissions, likely by charging fuel distributors and using the profits to invest in cleaner alternatives.



They have been spurred by a startling statistic: Transportation produces about 40 percent of carbon emissions in the region, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.



The effort isn't unprecedented: California already has a plan to curb transportation emissions, and many East Coast states are members of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Since 2009, the initiative known as "Reggie" has capped the overall carbon dioxide produced by power plants and required plant operators to buy permits for their emissions.



Power plant emissions have fallen by 51 percent in the region since the program began, according to an analysis of RGGI data by the Acadia Center, an environmental nonprofit with offices in five Northeast states. States have used the permit proceeds to weatherize homes and to give consumers rebates on their electric bills. But the region faces significant hurdles in replicating that reduction with transportation emissions.



Brian Murray, the director of the Duke University Energy Initiative who authored a study of RGGI that found it significantly contributed to carbon reductions in New England, said the model makes sense for the transportation sector but may take longer to produce results.



"There's a lot of different ways to achieve lower emissions from electric power. You can go from coal and oil to gas, you can go from all fossils to renewables," Murray said. "Transportation is harder because people have the cars that they have and in the short term, you have to deal with that."



Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, has led the charge on this new effort. He said in a statement that "reducing transportation emissions is imperative to combating the causes of climate change and meeting Massachusetts' aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets."



Now nine states  Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia  plus Washington, D.C., have committed to a "RGGI redux" for transportation. Participants are hopeful that New York and Maine also will join the group.



Although critics say market forces are mostly responsible for the reduction in power plant emissions, environmentalists and the participating states consider RGGI a success.



"The reason RGGI is so popular and so successful is that we're using revenue generated from pollution and investing it back into solving the problem," said Chris Bast, chief deputy director of Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality. "We're going to be spending the next year figuring out how we apply the same concept to transportation problems."



The details remain to be determined, but participating states are expected to charge fuel distributors for carbon emissions, rather than directly charging drivers or gas stations. RGGI similarly targets power companies instead of their customers.



Chris Dempsey, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, a coalition of groups supporting the initiative, said the state could tax diesel more than unleaded gas, which in turn might be taxed more than gas mixed with biofuels, based on how much carbon they produce.



Under any scenario, however, those increased fuel costs would be passed along to consumers, including many who lack viable alternatives to using their car. In California the cap has resulted in a roughly 12 cent increase in the price for a gallon of gas.



States that have signed the agreement, organized by the Georgetown Climate Center, have committed to developing a framework for achieving their goals within a year. With few concrete details at this early stage, potential opposition from the oil industry has been muted.



"We will evaluate any proposal that comes out of this effort with an eye to balancing environmental progress with keeping consumer energy costs low in the region," Kyle Isakower, a vice president with the American Petroleum Institute, an oil industry trade group, said in a statement.Much-Needed Money

Some lawmakers have voiced concerns that the multistate agreement could either slow down ambitious member states eager to make a bigger dent in carbon emissions, or even fall apart if more moderate members decline to participate in a new carbon market.



They are likely to be tempted, however, by the large sums of money the plan could generate.

An analysis from the Acadia Center found that if the states charge $15 a ton of carbon  on par with what California charges both power plants and oil distributors  Massachusetts alone would take in $5.5 billion by 2030.



States might spend that money to repair crumbling roads and bridges, and to boost chronically underfunded public transit systems. Some supporters are eager to spend it on electric-vehicle charging stations, electric trains and buses and other clean-energy alternatives.



Also on the table: rebates for buyers of electric vehicles, investments in companies seeking to build large electric industrial vehicles, and efforts to combat non-transportation emissions, such as modernizing paper mills or installing solar panels. California has used some revenue to build low-income housing near transit hubs.



Proponents say RGGI's success comes in large part from the way its revenue has been invested. For example, Massachusetts largely uses its funds to help people weatherize their homes, decreasing the demand for energy as power plants transition toward cleaner sources.



"Yes, there's a cost imposed" on consumers, said Daniel Gatti, a transportation policy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, which supports the proposal. "But you invest the resources effectively and we can get overall net consumer savings."'A Middling Success'

Critics, however, say power companies reduced their reliance on fossil fuels not because of RGGI's cap but because of lower prices for natural gas.



"There is little evidence to suggest that RGGI has been even marginally effective at reducing carbon dioxide emissions," the Institute for Energy Research, a conservative think tank, wrote in a report.



The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said the impact of RGGI on reducing the global accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere was "arguably negligible."



But its report said the $2.7 billion in revenue raised by the program through 2016 has had some impact on emissions in the region and spurred job growth, calling RGGI "instructive" for policymakers looking to craft a national program.



"RGGI is a middling success," said Massachusetts state Sen. Mike Barrett, a Democrat and Senate chairman of the legislature's joint energy committee, arguing that the program's price for carbon is too low. He's worried a new multistate compact might hold Massachusetts back again.



He's concerned that governors and a small circle of advocates will make policy while state legislators are left on the sidelines. And there are few deadlines in place to make sure discussions keep moving.



Barrett also is concerned that governors from other states, perhaps those with more of an oil industry presence, may balk at the ambitious plans Massachusetts might be willing to embrace.



"Even though the state of awareness everywhere is advancing very nicely," he said of climate change, "you're going to find subtle differences in terms of motivation among citizens."



"There's not a question that Massachusetts is going to have to slow down to accommodate the slowest-moving member of the coalition," he said. "That's the way coalition-building works."



Supporters of the plan acknowledge it's a risk.



"That's my nightmare," said Gatti of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "That some members might make the policy less ambitious and then ultimately not participate."



But Jackson Morris, director for the eastern region of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate and Clean Energy Program, said RGGI is stronger today because of all the state participants.



Though New Jersey left the program under former Republican Gov. Chris Christie, it is expected to rejoin under Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat. Virginia has committed to joining.



"We would not be where we are today in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in progress in the power sector if one or two states had decided to go crazy aggressive over the nine or 10 states that wanted to participate," Jackson said.



" may not be as ambitious or aggressive as it might have been, but now you've got a much larger swath of states participating in a meaningful way. Then you ratchet [the carbon cap] down as states get comfortable and realize the sky isn't going to fall." https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2019/01/16/a-regional-push-to-clean-up-cars-trucks-and-mass-transit



Reporting by Rebecca Beitsch for Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts.



Related Video:Gilmanshin/Shutterstock

Would you like that supersized? Youll never hear a McDonalds employee ask you that question since the fast-food chain took the option to supersize their meals off the menu in 2004. Larger portions seem like something that McDonalds customers would be very on board with, so why did they end up getting rid of it? It all boils down to their menu size. If youre a frequent customer at the golden arches, you know that their menu is constantly changing; new things are being added and various items are removed all the time. Supersized fries and drinks werent making them as much money as they hoped, so they took the option off the menu. However, they do still have these secret menu items available for purchase. "The driving force here was menu simplification," McDonalds spokesman Walt Riker said back in 2004. "The fact of the matter is not very many Supersize fries are sold." Also, it takes the employees longer to prepare bigger portions, slowing down their fast service. Bottom line, if it doesnt make the company more money it isnt worth it. Here are the 10 bestselling McDonald's menu items ever. This change also came as part of the companys "Eat Smart, Be Active" initiative. To keep sales up, the company knew they had to appeal to American consumers who were choosing healthier food options. So, they switched around their menu. Their portions today are still fairly large, so customers arent missing out on much. And if youre ever feeling extra ravenous, just get an extra order of fries. Next, read about the secrets McDonald's employees won't tell you.It says queen as my job code on my pay stubs so any time my family members question whether or not I'm a queen, I say I have a federal document that says I am a queen, Medieval Times Queen Tara Henderson told Yahoo Finance.

Henderson, an actress, has performed in nearly 3,000 shows during her tenure at the Lyndhurst, New Jersey Medieval Times location, and currently plays Queen Dona Maria Isabella.

The first U.S. Medieval Times took place in 1983 in Kissimmee, Florida. In the 35+ years since, Medieval Times claims that more than 60 million guests have attended shows at the 9 castles in the United States and Canada. The narrative of the show evolved over the years. Most recently, in 2017, the show was rewritten to favor a queen over king as the lead for the first time.

Tara Henderson, a queen of Medieval Times, adjusts her crown. (Photo: Yahoo Finance)

Along with donning the crown, another perk of being queen at Medieval Times is horseback riding training.

One of the more thrilling elements of becoming queen was getting to go through that with my queen sisters and learn how to ride a horse, Henderson said.

Outfitting knights, and now the queen, with their loyal steeds at a nationwide scale resulted in Medieval Times becoming the largest breeder of Pure Spanish Horses in America.

I love being able to see and empower kids and adults alike

Medieval Times also happens to be a flexible job.

We are employees of Medieval Times but we are part-time employees, Henderson told Yahoo Finance, and as a working actor, that's one of the best things that I love about this job. I get to perform in this magnificent show, and yet I'm still able to work at other venues.

Compensation varies for performers. Sergio Aguirre, a former knight at the Medieval Times Chicago castle, told Yahoo Finance that a squire tops out at $11/hr, whereas knights start at $13/hr and can eventually make approximately $30/hr.

And for Henderson, the 3,000 performances have yet to take the magic out of it.

I love being able to see and empower kids and adults alike just by taking on this role.

WATCH MORE: 'We need something to eat': Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao describes his journey from poverty to politicsThe Duke of Edinburgh pictured at his final public engagement in August 2017 [Photo: PA]

The Duke of Edinburgh was left shocked and shaken following a road accident while driving close to the Sandringham estate on Thursday afternoon.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed that 97-year-old Prince Philip was driving a Land Rover when the accident involving a Kia happened.

She added: He saw a doctor as a precaution and the doctor confirmed he was not injured.

The Duke has generally enjoyed good health well into his later years but he has had a number of health scares.

MORE: Duke of Edinburgh car crash: Prince Philip not injured after accident on Sandringham Estate

MORE: The Queen and Duke of Edinburghs 71 years of marriage in pictures

In December 2011 he was taken to hospital with chest pains and subsequently received treatment for a blocked coronary artery.

During the Queens diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012, he was hospitalised for a bladder infection and on June 6 2013, Buckingham Palace announced he had been admitted to hospital for an exploratory operation on his abdomen and was expected to stay in the London Clinic for up to two weeks.

Prince Philip was involved in the crash on Thursday afternoon (PA, file pic)

In May 2014, Philip underwent a minor procedure and appeared in public with a bandage on his right hand.

He finally retired from public duties in summer 2017 at the age of 96, after having completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952. But the decision was not made for medical reasons, the duke simply wanted to enjoy more of his leisure time.

Philip now divides his time between the Queens Sandringham estate, Balmoral and Windsor. Although he has missed significant public engagements, such as Trooping the Colour, its believed that he is still very active in his retirement and is reportedly responsible for the running of most of the Queens estates.

In April 2018, he was admitted to the King Edward VII for a planned hip replacement and was discharged the following day.

Just six weeks later he attended his grandson Prince Harrys wedding to Meghan Markle and was also present at granddaughter Princess Eugenies nuptials in October 2018.

Story continues

He was also photographed in the summer driving a carriage, although he has given up competing competitively with the horse-drawn transport.

Philip taking part in the Champagne Laurent-Perrier Meet of the British Driving Society at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2015 [Photo: PA]

But with the Queens consort in his 98th year, there may be calls from some for the duke to give up driving altogether.

Philips eldest son Prince Charles has expressed concerns in the past over his fathers insistence to drive.

In 2014, when the duke was 94, Charles told one member of the public that he was always worried.

So is there an age restriction on driving licences?

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Prince Philip does hold a driving licence.

A spokeswoman from the Palace told Express.co.uk: Prince Philip followed all the usual DVLA practices.

According to Age UKs website: Once you reach the age of 70, your licence expires, but this doesnt automatically mean you have to stop driving. You just need to renew your driving licence if you want to continue. Youll need to renew it every 3 years after that.

It goes on to advise that some medical conditions, such as dementia, Parkinsons or conditions which affect the eyes, should be declared to the DVLA.

Having a medical condition doesnt mean that a person will lose their licence, it may mean they could need help with adjusting or make adaptations to their car.

However, Age UK goes on to explain Unfortunately, the DVLA can also tell you to stop driving, if youre not fit to drive.

Edmund King, AA president, said: Young, predominantly male, drivers are much more likely to crash within six months of passing their test than older drivers within six months of hanging up their keys.

Older drivers often self-restrict their driving by not driving at night and only driving on familiar roads.

The decision to hang up your keys is a tough one but should be based on personal advice from your GP and family, rather than being based on some arbitrary age.

Despite vowing to slow down when he turned 90, Prince Philip has continued to live his life seemingly to the full. Having always been fiercely independent, giving up driving and his active lifestyle may be a struggle for him.



By Axel Bugge and Sergio Goncalves LISBON (Reuters) - Britons living in Portugal will keep their residency rights and tourists won't need a visa even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and Lisbon hopes Britain would offer the same benefits to Portuguese citizens, Economy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira said. Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29 but parliament's rejection this week of Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with Brussels has thrown those plans into chaos and opened up a range of outcomes, from quitting with no agreement on future relations to halting Brexit altogether. "At this moment we do not even know what the United Kingdom wants," Siza Vieira told Reuters in an interview late on Wednesday. "In the absence of an alternative proposal by the United Kingdom, what every (EU) member state is doing is adopting measures that allow them to react to a unilateral circumstance." Even without a Brexit deal, British citizens living in Portugal would retain rights including access to healthcare. "We are ready to do this unilaterally," he said, adding that he hopes Britain will do the same for Portuguese. Separately on Thursday, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said airports in the Algarve and Madeira will open separate customs lanes for British tourists to ease entry after Britain quits the EU. There would also be judicial cooperation with Britain. Britons are the biggest group of tourists to Portugal but their numbers have dipped recently as the pound has fallen against the euro on Brexit concerns. Portugal will launch a promotional campaign in Britain in an attempt to offset this, the economy minister said. Portugal and Britain are the world's oldest allies, forged through a 1386 treaty. A tourist boom has boosted Portugal's economy after its 2010-14 debt crisis and Siza Vieira predicted tourist numbers would continue to rise, albeit at a slower pace. "We...assume that tourism will continue to grow, though probably not at the same rate as in recent years - Portugal was one of the tourist destinations that grew the most in recent years," he said. A record 13 million tourists arrived last year. Siza Vieira said he expected further expansion in investment, a motor for growth in recent years, including attracting companies from third countries which might previously have considered Britain as an EU center. "We are seeing growth in investment with European origin, but also American and from various parts of Asia," he said. State-owned China Three Gorges is bidding for utility EDP, Portugal's biggest company by assets, while other Chinese firms have bought large stakes in electricity grid REN, insurer Fidelidade and bank Millennium bcp. (Reporting by Axel Bugge and Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Catherine Evans/Mark Heinrich)Molly Morgan who was attacked on January 15, 2009 (Met Police)

Metropolitan Police have offered a 20,000 reward to try and catch those responsible for the death of an OAP woman 10 years ago.

Molly Morgan, 81, was attacked as she walked to a library from her home in Harrow.

Thieves snatched her handbag , which contained an empty carrier bag, an extension lead and an umbrella, causing her to fall.

Molly subsequently died of injuries to her head and the left side of her body.

The robbers snatched her bag so roughly that she was knocked over and suffered brain damage and she died that night in hospital, said her daughter Hilary Underwood. No-ones ever been caught.

That night turned my life upside down. Im her only child and we were very close.

Mrs Morgans handbag (Met Police)

She urged anyone with information to come forward.

Please do it because this is something that could bring me peace and closure and justice at last.

Police have been searching for a man wearing grey tracksuit trousers who was seen walking close Molly before the attack.

Two men were seen running from the attack.

Four men were arrested in 2010 but later released.

A police handout of Molly Morgan at the time of the incident (PA)

Det Supt Andy Partridge of the Met Police, said: It has now been ten years since Mrs Morgan was murdered and despite extensive enquiries we have never been able to bring her killers to justice.

Mrs Morgan was an active and highly respected member of her local community and was killed for the worthless contents of her handbag.

Her family miss her dearly and cling to the hope that someone will now do the right thing and come forward as they continue to search for justice.

With the passage of time, people and loyalties change, and those who did not come forward at the time now have an opportunity to help solve this tragic case, search their conscience and do the right thing.

She had lived in the Harrow area for more than 50 years.

Molly had originally trained as an architect but gave up work to become a full-time mother to her daughter.

She was married to William Morgan for more than 40 years. He died in November 1997.Jesse Powell, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken

Jesse Powell, the CEO of a major crypto exchange Kraken, warned users of digital assets to not store funds on trading platforms.

The warning of Powell follows a high profile security breach suffered by Cryptopia, a New Zealand-based crypto exchange known for its listing of a wide range of small market cap tokens.

Why Investors Shouldnt Hold Crypto on Exchanges

Any application or platform connected to the internet by nature is hackable. In essence, centrally operated crypto exchanges are similar to banks in that they hold the private keys and funds of users.

If a hacker gains access into the central servers or internal management system of an exchange, the hacker can steal user funds, private information, and financial data.

As Powell said, a more secure way of storing cryptocurrencies is in a hardware wallet or a non-custodial wallet that allows users to manage their own private keys.

Please do not store more coins on an exchange (including @krakenfx) than you need to actively trade. Use Ledger or Trezor. DEXes are not a panacea  look at the DAO. Open source just means exploits will be discovered sooner (probably not by good guys), he noted.

Some experts have argued that major centralized exchanges can be safer for casual or beginner crypto users because it is possible for new users to mismanage private keys and sensitive data.

ledger

Well regulated cryptocurrency exchanges like Gemini, for example, have insurers in place that are able to reimburse investors in an unlikely event of a security breach or a hacking attack.

In October, Gemini revealed that it obtained insurance coverage from Aon, one of the largest insurance service providers in Europe.

In light of recent hacking attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges, certain markets including South Korea have requested trading platforms to obtain insurance to protect investors and their capital.

Centralized crypto exchanges are still vulnerable to security breaches and it is difficult to have all of the user funds insured by insurance companies.

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The risk in storing crypto in a hardware wallet or a non-custodial wallet is the lack of presence of a company or a representative that could help an investor recoup funds in an event that a private key is lost.

But, the responsibility is fully on the investor to securely manage funds and back up wallets on a regular basis and as long as the wallet is well maintained, there exists no possibility of a security breach.

Cryptopia Situation

The Cryptopia hack, which prompted Kraken CEO Jesse Powell to ask investors to avoid storing funds on an exchange, is currently being investigated by the New Zealand police.

In an official announcement, the New Zealand police said:

A significant value of crypto-currency may be involved and Police are taking this very seriously. We are currently talking to the company to gain a further understanding of what has occurred. A dedicated investigation team is being established in Christchurch including specialist police staff with expertise in this area.

It remains uncertain whether the exchange will be able to reimburse every investor affected by the hack.



The post Please Do Not Store Crypto on Any Exchange, Warns CEO of Major Crypto Exchange Kraken appeared first on CCN.

As a widespread general strike in Zimbabwe entered its third day on Wednesday, a prominent Kenyan -Dr David Wachira- took to social media to update on the situation.

Dr Wachira is a public sector specialist who has been working with the World Bank for over five years. He is best remembered as the Mukorino from Nyahururu who Nairobi Wire introduced to our readers back in June 2017.

Read: Everything About this Young Akorino Professional Who Works for World Bank will Impress You

Dr Wachira on Wednesday (January 16) took to his Instagram account to give a firsthand account of the situation in Zimbabwe.

He confirmed that the Zimbabwean government had shut off access to the internet and social media, making it difficult to get messages out.

I have received several concerned messages on the ongoing situation in Zimbabwe. Since the government has shut down the Internet, telecommunications and social media (including WhatsApp), it has been very difficult to get messages out. Nevertheless, I wanted to assure everyone concerned that I am well and so are my friends and colleagues, wrote Wachira.

He added that the violence that started on Monday has subsided but they were still on lockdown as armed soldiers patrolled streets of major cities.

Currently, the riots and violence that gripped the major cities on Monday, have subsided. Everything is however still on lockdown while some door to door searches by the authorities (mainly targeting young men). Security forces have responded to the protests with live ammunition, rubber bullets and teargas, which theyve fired at protesters and into peoples homes. It has been surreal to hear shots being fired near the house.

Dr David Wachira added that there are severe power outages occasioned by heavy rains and the violence.

Most of us have not had electricity or running water for the past three days, said Wachira, adding, Nevertheless, I am amazed at the resiliency of Zimbabweans and their peaceful approach to such dire challenges. It is a strong and contagious message of hope!



Zimbabweans took to the streets on Monday following the governments announcement of record petrol and diesel price hikes. They are now paying 150% more for fuel.

Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa made the announcement before leaving for Russia on a state visit, leaving citizens stranded and agitated.

On Wednesday, he released a statement from Moscow saying hes deeply saddened by events in Zimbabwe.

He noted that while everyone has a right to express themselves freely, there can be no justification for violence.

According to Amnesty International, eight people have been killed since the protests started on Monday when police and the military opened fire on protestors.(Reuters) - Fitch Ratings said on Thursday power company PG&E Corp's <PCG.N> planned bankruptcy will not at this point hurt the credit quality of California.

The credit ratings agency, however, said the state's wildfires and the inverse condemnation rule will remain a long-term risk for the publicly-owned utilities.

Inverse condemnation is an old California rule that exposes the state's utilities to liabilities from wildfires regardless of their negligence, as long as their equipment is involved.

Earlier in the day, shareholder BlueMountain Capital Management LLC said the U.S. power company's decision to file for bankruptcy was unnecessary.

BlueMountain said nearly two months after the Camp Fire around 18 Wall Street analysts had found the company solvent with a consensus equity valuation of $20 billion.

"At the very least, the board should wait to take its case to shareholders at the upcoming annual meeting," the asset manager said in a letter to PG&E's board. The company's shareholders are scheduled to meet on May 22.

Earlier this week, the biggest U.S. power utility by customers said it was preparing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as soon as this month amid pressure from potentially crushing liabilities linked to California's catastrophic wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

"We expect this (bankruptcy) process will assure access to the financial resources necessary to support the safe and reliable gas and electric services our customers need," the company said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

BlueMountain said the utility should consider asset sales or alternative financing, if needed.

The asset manager held a 0.8 percent stake in PG&E, as of Sept. 30, according to Eikon data from Refinitiv.

PG&E's shares, which have slumped more than 52 percent this week, closed down about 10 percent at $6.36 on Thursday.

(Reporting by Debroop Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Arun Koyyur)Washington (AFP) - Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday urged US diplomats to emphasize that the United States still welcomes legal immigrants, amid unrelenting pressure from President Donald Trump to seal off Mexico with a wall.

"I urge you to assure our allies this administration will continue to stand for legal immigration, even while we address the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border," Pence told 180 US ambassadors and chiefs of mission abroad who were back at the State Department for an annual meeting.

"The United States supports legal immigration. In fact, we celebrate it. And America has a proud record of support for refugees," he said.

Pence's remarks amount to a tacit recognition of the effect on the US image of Trump's tough talk on unauthorized immigrants, whom the US leader accuses of spreading crime, despite statistics that immigrants are less likely to commit offenses than native-born Americans.

The US government has been shut down for nearly a month as Trump demands that Congress provide $5.7 billion to construct a border wall, a key promise from his presidential campaign.

Despite Pence's remarks, the Trump administration has cut down on admission of refugees.

The United States accepted 22,491 refugees in the year through September, according to State Department figures, below the available cap of 45,000 and the lowest level in 40 years, with particular reductions on people from the Middle East.

The Trump administration is lowering the cap further for the current fiscal year to 30,000.

The United States nonetheless welcomes more refugees than any other country, although others including Canada and Australia accept more on a per capita basis.

Legal immigration is subject to laws by Congress, although lawyers say that authorities have ramped up scrutiny of applications since Trump took office.

The United States welcomed 1.1 million new permanent residents in the 2017 fiscal year, the last for which statistics are available, a figure that stayed steady despite Trump's inauguration during the period.Paul Manafort, the convicted former chairman of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, told a business associate in January 2017 he was using middlemen to get people appointed to the Trump administration, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller had been given until Monday by a federal court in Washington to provide evidence of his accusations that Mr Manafort had lied to prosecutors on five subjects, which would put him in breach of a plea agreement under which he was meant to be cooperating with Mr Muellers probe.

The heavily redacted 188-page filing included some new details about Mr Manaforts communications with Trump administration officials, which continued even after he left the campaign in August 2016 due to a scandal over cash payments related to his work for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine.

In January 2017 Mr Manafort told his former business partner Richard Gates he was using intermediaries to get people appointed in the Administration, according to the sworn statement of an FBI agent working for Mr Mueller included in the filing.

Gates, who also served on Trumps presidential transition team, pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI and conspiracy against the United States and agreed to cooperate with Mr Muellers probe.

The filing also touched on Mr Manaforts other alleged lies, including about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a former business partner who Mr Mueller has accused of having Russian intelligence ties. But due to heavy redactions it was unclear if the filing contained any major new revelations.

Last week, Mr Manaforts lawyers in court papers inadvertently disclosed that Mr Manafort had shared polling data related to the Trump 2016 presidential campaign with Kilimnik.

The mistaken disclosure - caused by a formatting error that allowed redacted material to be viewed - triggered new concerns among legal experts and Democratic lawmakers about the extent of Mr Manaforts Russia ties during his time on Trumps campaign, which included three months as chairman.

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Mr Mueller is investigating whether Russian interfered in the election and whether Trump campaign members coordinated with Moscow officials. Mr Trump, who denies any campaign collusion with Russia, says he did not know Mr Manafort shared the data. Russia denies interfering in US elections.

In addition to the polling data revelation, the filing also showed that Mr Mueller believed Mr Manafort lied to prosecutors about his discussions with Kilimnik on a Ukrainian peace plan and a previously undisclosed meeting between Mr Manafort and Kilimnik in Madrid. Mr Manaforts lawyers said any incorrect statements by him were unintentional.

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has said she would review the evidence submitted by Mr Mueller and any reply by Mr Manaforts team before deciding whether a hearing on the matter is necessary.

ReutersLooking to make enough chili for one night's dinner without hauling out a heavy pot, we turned to our trusty skillet. We would use it to make both the chili and the rice, cooking in stages, for a one-pan meal with maximum flavor and minimal fuss.

We started by toasting and simmering the rice, flavoring it with lime zest and juice to brighten it up. We then transferred it to individual serving bowls, which we kept warm in a low oven.

While the rice cooked, we prepared our ingredients for a quick but flavorful chili. We found that treating ground beef with salt and baking soda ensured that it would remain moist and tender, even with a short cooking time. Blooming ground cumin, minced garlic, and chipotle chile powder boosted their potency, which contributed complex flavor to the finished chili.

We also whipped up a simple lime-cilantro crema (made from sour cream, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and salt); when our chili bowls were ready to serve, we topped them with the crema for an authentic finish.

You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. Serve with pickled jalapenos, shredded cheese, and diced avocado.

CHIPOTLE BEEF CHILI BOWLS WITH LIME-CILANTRO CREMA

Servings: 4

Start to finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons grated lime zest plus 3 tablespoons juice (2 limes)

Salt and pepper

1 pound, 90 percent lean ground beef

2 tablespoons plus 2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 onion, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 4 individual serving bowls on rack, and heat oven to 200 F. Whisk sour cream, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss beef with 2 tablespoons water, baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper in bowl until thoroughly combined; let sit for 20 minutes.

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Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until edges begin to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add remaining 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off heat, add remaining 1 teaspoon lime zest and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice and fluff gently with fork to incorporate. Divide cooked rice among warmed bowls, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until just beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add beef mixture, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in cumin, garlic, and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce, beans, corn, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Spoon chili over rice in bowls, sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and serve with lime-cilantro crema.

___

Nutrition information per serving: 565 calories; 137 calories from fat; 15 g fat (6 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 68 mg cholesterol; 1018 mg sodium; 77 g carbohydrate; 13 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 31 g protein.

___

For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Chipotle Beef Chili Bowls in "One-Pan Wonders ."

___

America's Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press.Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme (EPA:FGA), which is in the aerospace & defense business, and is based in France, saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the ENXTPA. As a small cap stock, hardly covered by any analysts, there is generally more of an opportunity for mispricing as there is less activity to push the stock closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity here to buy? Lets take a look at Figeac Aero Societe Anonymes outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme

Want to help shape the future of investing tools and platforms? Take the survey and be part of one of the most advanced studies of stock market investors to date.

Is Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme still cheap?

Great news for investors  Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme is still trading at a fairly cheap price. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Figeac Aero Societe Anonymes ratio of 13.04x is below its peer average of 21.45x, which suggests the stock is undervalued compared to the Aerospace & Defense industry. Another thing to keep in mind is that Figeac Aero Societe Anonymes share price is quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its intrinsic value over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once its there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again.

What does the future of Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme look like?

ENXTPA:FGA Future Profit January 17th 19

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 55% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

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What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Since FGA is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With a positive outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on FGA for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy FGA. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed investment decision.

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters  the fundamentals  before you make a decision on Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme. You can find everything you need to know about Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Figeac Aero Societe Anonyme, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's new pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency told lawmakers on Wednesday he does not believe climate change is a major crisis, and would continue to undo Obama-era emission limits if confirmed. Trump nominated EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler last week to run the agency permanently, seeking a strong advocate for his pro-fossil fuels agenda - a choice that cheered business interests and drawn scorn from environmentalists. "I would not call it the greatest crisis," Wheeler said at his confirmation hearing when asked if he believed the increasingly urgent warnings from scientists about the threats from global warming. Wheeler's confirmation is expected to sail through the Republican-controlled Senate despite Democratic opposition. A Washington insider with years of experience, he has been running the EPA since July when his predecessor Scott Pruitt resigned in a flurry of criticism over his use of resources and staff for personal matters. Democratic lawmakers focused on Wheeler's record at EPA, his past lobbying work for energy companies, and his stance on global warming - casting him as a pro-business extremist not fit to run the nation's top environmental regulator. Democrat Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, asked Wheeler his view of global warming, which scientists say is driven by fossil fuels consumption and is leading to sea level rise, and more frequent flooding, wildfires and extreme weather. Wheeler said he believed global warming is an important issue that needs to be addressed, but that far-reaching federal regulation forcing deep emissions cuts was the wrong approach and more faith should be put in the hands of states and private enterprise. "You are putting up a smokescreen to ensure there is an advancement of Donald Trumps dirty policies," Markey said, in one of the hearing's most heated exchanges. "Thats why it is relevant that you are a former coal industry lobbyist." A federal report written by 13 government agencies late last year said climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century, damaging everything from human health to infrastructure and agricultural production. Trump, who has repeatedly cast doubt on climate change and has indicated his intention to withdraw from a global pact to fight it, dismissed the report after its release, saying "I don't believe it". Wheeler said he had been briefed on the assessment, but was waiting for further briefings from his staff before taking a public position on its findings. RECORD OF ROLLBACKS Wheeler defended his record at EPA, which has been largely defined by moves to undo or weaken Obama-era environmental regulations. He cast the agency's rollbacks as a way to reduce the regulatory burden on business while also protecting air and water quality for Americans. Among his accomplishments, Wheeler last year finalized a proposal to replace Obama-era federal curbs on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants with a new rule placing much of that power in the hands of states. He has also overseen the EPA's gutting of the justification for Obama-era mercury emissions limits, a proposal to reduce the number of waterways under federal protection, and efforts to lower targets for vehicle fuel efficiency. Democrats pressed Wheeler on whether his EPA work was in any way linked to his previous lobbying on behalf of energy companies like underground coal giant Murray Energy, a vocal proponent of reduced environmental and safety regulation. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, held up photos of Wheeler attending meetings between Murray's Chief Executive Robert Murray and Trump administration officials, and asked Wheeler for a full accounting of the number of such meetings he had arranged for the coal company. Wheeler said he would provide a written response. Industry representatives and Republican lawmakers have largely praised Wheeler for his deregulatory stance. "He understands how the regulatory process works and the type of effort that is required to develop effective and legally defensible regulatory reforms," said Jeff Holmstead, a partner at industry-focused law firm Bracewell and a former EPA air administrator. Environmental groups have taken a different view. Activists briefly interrupted Wheeler's testimony on Wednesday shouting "Shut down Wheeler, not the EPA," and several were arrested after demonstrating outside the hearing room. (Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Paul Simao)Senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol arrives at Beijing International Airport heading for Washington (Picture: REUTERS/Jason Lee)

North Korean officials are heading to the US amid suggestions of a second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Kim Yong Chol, said to be North Koreas lead negotiator in talks with the United States, was pictured at Beijing International Airport heading for Washington, where he is expected to meet counterpart Mike Pompeo and other US officials.

The meeting is thought to be a sign that the two countries are finalising plans for a second summit between their leaders.

Following their first summit in Singapore in June, Donald Trump said he had managed to get Kim Jong Un to agree to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, but talks seem to have stalled since then, with critics saying the President had failed to get North Korea to agree any specifics.

According to CNN, Kim Yong Chol is expected to arrive in Washington on Thursday then meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US special representative to North Korea Steve Biegun on Friday.

It is not known if he will visit the White House.

MORE: Indonesian woman, 44, mauled to death by 4.4m-long pet crocodile after falling into its enclosure

MORE: Drink driver, 39, killed partner in passenger seat and smashed into 22 cars after all-day session

A White House spokesperson told CNN: A lot of positive things are happening. He (Trump) and Chairman Kim have established a good relationship, and conversations between the United States and North Korea continue.

We are working to make progress on our goal of achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, and the President looks forward to meeting Chairman Kim again at their second summit at a place and time yet to be determined.While most of the products debuting at this year's North American International Auto Show give a glimpse of what will be coming to showrooms before the end of the year, Japanese automaker Nissan (7201.T-JP) and its luxury Infiniti brand, are looking a bit further into the future with a pair of radical battery-electric vehicle concepts.

The Nissan IMs and Infiniti QX Inspiration, unveiled in Detroit this week, don't just hint at the broad plans the two marques have to electrify their lineups. The models imagine what Nissan's North American CEO described as a "complete reinterpretation" of how tomorrow's zero-emissions vehicles will be designed and engineered. Among other things, that will allow them to create vastly more roomy interiors by all but eliminating the traditional engine compartment.

"Our strategy with electric vehicles isn't if it will happen, but when it will happen," Nissan North America CEO Denis Le Vot said as he lifted the covers on the IMs concept vehicle during a news conference at the show.

Nissan was the first major automaker to launch a high-volume battery-electric vehicle and, since the Leaf hatchback came to market in 2011, it has become the world's best-selling BEV. It has been losing momentum, however, as competitors like the Tesla (TSLA) Model 3 and Chevrolet (GM) Bolt EV have come to market. To kick-start sales, the automaker last week announced it will increase the range of the Leaf by about 50 percent, to 226 miles.

But the Leaf also will be getting company in the coming years. Le Vot also announced in Detroit that Nissan will have eight all-electric models in its global fleet by 2022. Alliance partners Renault and Mitsubishi are bringing out four more. The Japanese maker alone is forecasting it will see about 1 million BEVs annually by mid-decade.

While the Nissan brand will continue to market conventionally powered gas and diesel models for the foreseeable future, the Infiniti division is planning an even more aggressive transformation, said Christian Meunier, the recently named CEO of the Infiniti brand, which is based in Hong Kong.

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Starting in 2021, all products will be electrified, he said in an interview. In the case of Infiniti, that will mean both battery-electric vehicles and what are known as serial plug-in hybrids. These have range-extending gas engines on board, but if they fire up they only serve as generators, sending power to the electric motors that actually drive the wheels.

"It will take about two to three years" to phase out conventional drivetrains, Meunier estimated.

Infiniti suffered an embarrassing moment at the auto show on Monday, when its QX Inspiration concept initially failed to roll out onto the stage, as planned, due to a problem with its electric drivetrain. Despite that setback, Meunier called the prototype "the embodiment of our future in the form a striking electric crossover."

The QX Inspiration is loaded with upscale features, including a marble center console and a Japanese redwood roof liner. But like the less exotically finished Nissan IMs, what really matters is the actual layout of the vehicle.

Indeed, both concepts place their battery packs, motors and other key drivetrain components under their load floors. That means there is virtually nothing left that would require a conventional engine compartment. So, both IMs and QX Inspiration adopt a very "cab-forward" design, as global Nissan corporate design director Alfonso Albaisa calls it. That recaptures much of the area that normally would be under the hood, yielding the equivalent of a full-size interior in a compact car's footprint.

"We think this is a unique opportunity to improve the ergonomics of our vehicles," said Karim Habib, Infiniti's design chief.

Meunier noted that Infiniti and Nissan will consolidate the prototype platforms used for the IMs and QX Inspiration concepts by the time production versions come to market, reducing development costs and increasing efficiencies.

Both concepts also feature fully autonomous driving capabilities, though motorists can drive manually if they prefer. In fully driverless mode, however, Habib and Albaisa noted vehicles could be transformed into mobile living rooms or offices, with steering wheels retracting and seats being allowed to swivel so occupants can face one another.

How soon fully autonomous technology will be ready for production is a matter of debate, but the push to electrification  and with it a major shift in auto design  is already underway. Jaguar (TATAMOTORS-IN) adopted a more cab-forward approach with the new I-Pace battery SUV it launched for the 2019 model year, and other brands are expected to follow.Netflix NFLX has just reported Q4 earnings following the closing bell today, with mixed results that are sending shares down 4% in late trading. Earnings of 30 cents per share beat the Zacks consensus of 24 cents, though revenues came in light of expectations at $4.19 billion, as opposed to the $4.21 billion analyst were looking for.



Overall, 8.8 million new paid subscribers joined Netflix in the quarter  1.53 million in the U.S. and 7.31 million overseas  though this is also light of estimates for 9.4 million net adds. The company projects negative free cash flows for the year as the company continues to invest in new content, which is driving Netflix sales. Guidance for Q1 is lighter than expected on top and bottom lines.



After gaining in stock price 15% since the start of the year, anything less than a full blowout number was likely going to lead to a sell-off in shares during after-market, and this was something less than a blowout number. Yet after initially dropping in the immediate aftermath of the reports release, shares have fought back a bit at this hour (though they are back down 4% currently).



American Express AXP also improved over projections of $1.80 per share in its Q4 reported after the bell, although tax benefits are muddying up this bottom-line result, reportedly $2.32 per share. Revenues missed expectations, however  $10.47 billion was beneath the $10.58 billion in the Zacks consensus  which is what led to another initial 4% sell-off (which has ebbed a bit back to -2.5%). Earnings guidance for fiscal 2019 is stronger, however, to a range of $7.89-8.35 per share; the Zacks consensus had been $7.39 per share.

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Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.On todays episode of Free Lunch, Ryan McQueeney recaps earnings results from industry bellwethers Morgan Stanley, Taiwan Semi, Fastenal, and PPG. Later, he previews the upcoming earnings report of video streaming giant Netflix.

Want more video content from Zacks? Subscribe to Zacks Investment News now!

Free Lunch is presented by Zacks Investment Research. It is streamed live, four times per week, and features breaking news and analysis from Zacks strategists. Free Lunch is available on YouTube, Twitter, and other major streaming platforms.

Wall Street had a handful of bellwether earnings reports to digest on Thursday morning, with companies that serve as indicators for the financial, industrial, and tech sectors all filing quarterly results recently.

Morgan Stanley MS disappointed investors, missing EPS and revenue expectations on the back of poor performances in key segments, including wealth management. Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley chief James Gorman pledged that these quarterly results would not be the new normal for the company.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing TSM also failed to satisfy investors, despite beating estimates on the top and bottom lines. It was the chip giants poor outlook that had people worried, as TSM guided for current-quarter sales of just $7.4 billion, more than $1 billion below Street estimates. This underscored existing sector-wide fears about weak demand for smartphones.

Things were a bit better for industrial and manufacturing bellwethers Fastenal FAST and PPG PPG. Fastenal, a maker of fasteners and other parts for all sorts of equipment, matched EPS estimates and tallied profit growth of 11%. PPG also cruised past earnings per share projections, inspiring a healthy rally in morning trading today.

Now, the attention will turn to Netflix NFLX, which is scheduled to release its latest quarterly earnings results after the bell today. The video streaming company has a solid history of beating EPS figures, but most who follow the stock prefer to hear about subscriber additions and profit margins.

Story continues

The uncertainty of these types of results tend to create volatility ahead of and after Netflixs report, and the stock has indeed seen some wild swings in recent quarters. Moreover, this report feels especially important after the companys recent announcement that it plans to raise prices for its subscription plans.

What should investors expect from Netflix this afternoon? Make sure to check out todays Free Lunch to hear Ryans answer to that very question!

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Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report



PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchDeputy President William Ruto on Wednesday evening led a host of leaders in visiting survivors of the Dusit Hotel terror attack.

In addition to condemning the attack, DP Ruto lauded security agents and medical facilities that offered timely treatment to the victims and saved many lives. He noted that the countrys security apparatus has contained the Tuesday terror attack, adding that the country is ready to resume business as usual.

We will go back to business as a country to run the affairs of our nation, said Dr Ruto.

He also indicated that most of the hospitals treating victims of the Dusit D2 hotel attack have offered to foot the medical bills for victims who do not have medical insurance

Dr Ruto also sent messages of condolences to the families of 21 people who were killed in the Dusit Hotel terror attack.

Deep condolences to families that lost their loved ones in the cowardly, dastardly attack at the 14 Riverside Complex. Quick recovery to the injured. We commend the swift action of police and emergency services that saved many lives. Their bravery and selflessness was exemplary, said Ruto.

At the same time, Dr Ruto called on Kenyans to be vigilant, and work closely with security agencies whenever they spot suspicious characters.

DP Ruto was accompanied by Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen.

Here are the photos.Steve Carell will star in a new Netflix comedy series he co-created called Space Force.

From the creators of The Office, the series will follow a fictional group of men and women tasked with carrying out President Donald Trumps very real order to create a sixth branch of the military known as Space Force.

The series does not have a release date, but is coming soon.

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Greg Daniels, a writer of The Office and Parks and Recreation, co-created the series with Carell and will serve as showrunner and executive producer, Netflix announced Wednesday. Carell and Howard Klein (also from The Office and Parks and Recreation) will be additional executive producers.

Trump ordered the creation of Space Force in summer 2018, and although his demand created a slew of mockery, hes not the first president to consider such an organization. Congress was investigating the creation of a space force as far back as the Cold War; Trump is just the first to suggest the force be comprised into a separate military branch.

The Space Force could cost almost $13 billion in its first five years, according to a memo from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. Although this pricey objective is far off from being finalized, Trump also ordered the creation of a U.S. Space Commandwhich will serve as an authority to organize the militarys efforts in spacelast month.Sebastien Roblin

Security,

The Navys F-35C is over 50 percent more expensive than the land-based F-35A at roughly $150 million per aircraft.

Will the Navy's Own Stealth F-35 Ever Go Into Battle?

This problem is particularly endemic to F-35s of all types, but all aircraft in the navy and marine corps have been suffering from severe readiness problem related to their ageing inventory.

The F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter has weathered years of controversy over cost overruns, delays and performance trade-offs. The Pentagon has steadfastly maintained the types ability to penetrate enemy air defenses and network sensor data through its sophisticated computers will prove worth it. Indeed, by 2018, some of the persistent problems seemed to be abating, per-unit costs have begun to decrease, and the type saw its first combat operations serving with the Israeli Air Force and the U.S. Marines.

(This first appeared last month.)

However, the carrier-based F-35C model has arguably posed some of the biggest technical challenges for the program, and has thus been scheduled last for declaration of Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in 2019. Critics have repeatedly warned that IOC status has basically been declared arbitrarily for all models of the F-35 as a political decision, regardless of persistent technical defects and the fact that testing and evaluation were not yet completeas is usually the case for IOC systems.

Indeed, in December 2018, John Pendleton of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified to Congress that only 15 percent of the Navys F-35Cs were rated fully mission-capable in 2017. You can see these figures in this GAO report, which also implies that the figures remain abysmal in 2018: In June 2018, we reported that the F-35 program had not improved its reliability and maintainability over the past year and continued to fall short on half of its performance targets.

The Navys F-35C is over 50 percent more expensive than the land-based F-35A at roughly $150 million per aircraft. The worlds first naval stealth fighter has dramatically larger bat-like wings to help generate the additional lift necessary to execute a short takeoff from a carrier deck. The F-35C also incorporates an arrestor hook to snag the cable while coming for a landing, reinforced two-wheel nose landing gear designed to better endure the harsh impact, and folding wing tips for easier stowage below deck.

Story continues

The Navy has also tailored the F-35C with larger fuel tanks to makeup for its added weight, as well as compatibility with the services drogue probe-and-drogue refueling-system rather than the boom-type used by the U.S. Air Forcethough reportedly, the probes tips are breaking off worrisomely often. The added weight of these features leaves the F-35C a little more sluggish than its land-based peers, as is typical of naval fighters.

Unlike the land-based F-35A, the F-35Cs do not have an internal 25-millimeter cannon in order to save weight on missions in which it is unlikely to be used. An optional external gun pod is undergoing testing, which has ironically found they perform better than the F-35As internal weapon, which has a tendency to drift shots to the right.

An F-35C performed its first carrier landing on November 3, 2014 on the USS Nimitzmaking for an undeniably striking sight as you can see in this video.

However, the types reinforced nose-landing gear has proven troublesome. In catapult-takeoff tests performed in 2017, pilots experienced severe buffeting due to a vibrating nose-gear strut during launch. This impaired their ability to read cockpit displays and caused them to to report moderate to severe pain in 92 out of 105 catapult shots. However, this problem only reportedly manifested when not carrying a full combat load. Structurally adjustments to address the flaw are not planned to begin until 2019.

However, the F-35Cs greatest problems may be logistical. Pendleton told Congress: It took months, sometimes six months or more to get parts repaired and back out to the fleet.

This is because Lockheed has focused on churning out F-35 airframes as quickly as possible to meet demand, but has not built up adequate reserves of spare parts. This has caused repair capabilities at depots to be six years behind schedule, meaning it took twice the expected amount of time to repair parts.

This problem is particularly endemic to F-35s of all types, but all aircraft in the navy and marine corps have been suffering from severe readiness problem related to their ageing inventory. While Air Force squadrons have maintained readiness rates of 60-70 percent, the Navy and Marine squadrons make do with 40 to 50 percent, and have taken to cannibalizing many ostensibly operational aircraft for necessary spare parts. This means the actual number of combat-capable aircraft in each squadron is lower than the official number. A requirement set by Secretary of Defense James Mattis to boost readiness to 80 percent in 2018 only succeeded in increasing the rate to around 60 percent for the maritime services.

Nonetheless, F-35Cs began flying regular operational tests from the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in August 2018 in preparation for the reception of IOC status in 2019. Operating stealth fighters from carriers poses a number of logistical challenges, such as regular maintenance of radar-absorbent materials, instituting cyber-security for the F-35s ALIS logistics system, and ferrying new replacement parts like the F-35s power module, which is too large to fit inside available transport aircraft and must be slung under helicopters or vertical-lift CV-22B Ospreys instead. However, the Lincolns commander told meda that F-35 operations quickly came to feel routine.

Initially intended to fully replace the navys Super Hornet fighters, the F-35C order has been curtailed in favor of maintaining a mixed force of Lightnings and upgraded Block III Super Hornets. The naval fighters have two rolls: striking targets on land and sea, and defending carrier task forces from attacking bombers and missiles. The Lightnings stealthy radar-cross section is well optimized for the former mission, save for a deficit in range which may force a carrier to approach closer to deadly adversaries equipped with anti-ship missiles. However, the Lightning isnt designed to max-out speed, which is vital for an air defense fighter racing to intercept enemy bombers and missiles before they can strike their targets.

Indeed, as discussed in this article, the F-35s sensors, networked with faster Super Hornets carrying heavier weapons loads, could allow the two types to complement each other. The U.S. Marine Corps will also operate five F-35C squadrons from Navy supercarriers, in addition to their F-35B jump jets which can lift off from smaller amphibious carrier.

Sebastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Read full articleThe US government shutdown is even impacting the heavens. Or, at least those federal workers whose job it is to explore them.

Around 50 furloughed NASA employees have gathered to protest outside the Johnson Space Center in Houston, calling for a return to funding so they can do their jobs and waving around symbolic "Payday" candy bars to send the message that they want their money. Ambitious goals  including efforts to return to the Moon and Mars  are on hold, they said.

While most of the attention surrounding the government shutdown has centered on Donald Trump and congressional Democrats. With Mr Trump's demand for $5.7bn to build his border wall being met with an emphatic "no" by Democrats, some at the Houston demonstration laid blame elsewhere: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Mitch McConnell, the balls in your court, one sign at the protest read, according to The Houston Chronicle.

"Tell McConnell to give us a vote," another sign at Tuesday's protest read.

Sandra Jones, a public affairs official who just graduated from college and was expecting to start her new job working for NASA last week, told The Independent in a phone interview that every day funding is kept from NASA is a missed opportunity to explore space and expand mankind's understanding of the universe.

"Missions are being put on hold. Some projects have some contractor funding that is keeping them going but that is going to be used up soon. Its putting us further and further behind," Ms Jones said. "We have some big goals to return to the moon and to put us on Mars, and its unfortunate that were not able to focus on those missions right now".

Mr McConnell is the Republican leader in the Senate, and has refused to bring forward any legislation that does not include the funds Mr Trump has said he needs to build the barrier on the US-Mexico border.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the House have passed government funding bills that would likely gain bipartisan support should the Senate take them up, even though they do not include border wall funding.

Story continues

The Republican-controlled Senate voted overwhelmingly last year to pass a bill that did not include wall funding, but that measure was rejected by the then-Republican controlled House of Representatives.

Mr McConnell has said that a solution must be negotiated with the president, as he would have veto power to reject funding bills he does not approve.

The 50 or so NASA employees who make up a small portion of the roughly 800,000 federal employees who have been either furloughed or told to work without pay since 22 December expressed exasperation in Houston. For younger workers like Ms Jones, not having a pay cheque can be especially challenging.

"For us, its especially difficult. If youve been working for a while hopefully you have a savings, but I really feel like, for us as young people, its hitting us hard," Ms Jones said. "We just graduated college. We have student loans. Were really not sur show to pay for food and stuff like that".

Government workers impacted by the shutdown did not receive paychecks last week, and it is not clear that leaders in Washington will find a way to overcome the impasse any time soon. That means tight budgets, second jobs, and desperate searches for cash to put food on the table and pay mortgages for federal workers.WASHINGTON (AP)  Rick Gates, a former senior campaign aide to President Donald Trump, will have to wait at least another two months for his sentencing date in the Russia investigation, prosecutors said Tuesday.

In a new court filing, special counsel Robert Mueller's team said they're not ready for Gates' sentencing because he is continuing to cooperate with "several" ongoing investigations. It's unclear if the delay is an indication of the timeline of Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference or a reflection of the status of the other investigations.

Gates has been a key cooperator in Mueller's probe as he works to answer a question that has shadowed the Trump presidency from the start: Did Trump or his associates coordinate with the Kremlin's large-scale effort to sway the election his way?

Aside from the Russia investigation, Gates is involved in probes of foreign lobbying related to his former boss, ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. He is also reportedly involved in a federal investigation of Trump's inaugural committee, where Gates served in a senior role.

The filing adds to conflicting signals about Mueller's endgame in recent weeks. Some signs have indicated he is wrapping sometime soon, including the planned departure in the coming weeks of Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the probe. But a judge also recently extended the service of Mueller's grand jury through at least midsummer and the special counsel's office continues to fight through the appellate courts to compel the testimony of at least one uncooperative witness.

The filing also comes as Trump is directly denying being an agent of the Russian government. The president's comments came after The Washington Post reported that he has hid from top U.S. national security officials the details of his one-on-one interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The New York Times also reported last week that the FBI in 2017 opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump, as the American president, was working on Russia's behalf.

Story continues

The special counsel took over that investigation into Trump's Russia ties in May 2017 and has not yet directly accused Trump, his campaign officials or any other Americans of actively colluding with the Kremlin.

In Gates' case, he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and false statement charges related to Ukrainian lobbying and political consulting he carried out with Manafort. But prosecutors have indicated Gates' cooperation has been wide-ranging, noting last year that his more than 20 meetings with prosecutors weren't confined to his work for Manafort.

Gates, as a top campaign adviser, could provide details about the highest levels of Trump's campaign during key episodes in the presidential election including a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Manafort, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and a Russian attorney that was billed as an opportunity to obtain dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Gates was also a senior official on Trump's inaugural committee, which according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, has also drawn the scrutiny of federal prosecutors in New York. During court testimony last year, Gates also admitted to "possibly" stealing money from the committee. And in a case referred by Mueller, federal prosecutors in Washington have investigated efforts on behalf of Ukrainian interests to circumvent the ban on foreign contributions to the committee.

Gates is also a central figure in another Mueller spin-off investigation led by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. That probe focuses on whether the lobbying firms of Washington insiders Tony Podesta, a prominent Democrat, and Vin Weber, a former GOP congressman, violated federal law by deciding not to register as foreign agents for Ukrainian lobbying directed by Manafort and Gates.

Prosecutors are interested in when Mercury Public Affairs and the Podesta Group knew they were working on behalf of the Ukrainian government, rather than a Brussels-based nonprofit that prosecutors have said served as a cut out for the foreign lobbying work.

The firms have denied any wrongdoing.

___The sleek and highly-popular flip phone that took 2005 by storm could be revived next month with a folding display and price tag twice as high.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the famed Motorola Razr could be revived as soon as February thanks to an exclusive partnership between the phone's maker, Lenovo, and Verizon.

However, smartphone technology has vastly evolved since the phone's prime nearly 15 years ago, and the WSJ's sources claim that the refreshed model will feature a folding display and cost a whopping $1,500 -- $900 more expensive than the price tag of the original back in 2005.

Allegedly, the device is already undergoing final testing and could make an appearance at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain next month beside the likes of Samsung's folding display phone.

Motorola is expected to cap the manufacturing run at 200,000 models. Considering that the classic Razr sold over one hundred million units, the stock of the upcoming version isn't expected to last.Facebook's video product, the Portal, - Facebook

Most Facebook users don't realise how much Facebook knows about them and are uncomfortable with it when they find out, research suggests.

A study by the Pew Research Centre in Washington DC found that 74 per cent of American users did not know about a key privacy page which shows them how Facebook has categorised them based on their data.

When shown this information, 51 per cent of those surveyed said they were "not very comfortable" or "not comfortable at all" with its existence.

The research casts doubt on how well Facebook is fulfilling its self-declared "privacy principles", which include "helping people understand how their data is used" and making sure they "know where [their] privacy controls are and how to adjust them".

"People are generally confused about the system and not necessarily fully aware of how they can shape it," Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at the Pew Centre, told the Telegraph.

"There are still a lot of Facebook users who don't know that this system exists, or don't know the particulars of how it's put into practice. And there are a significant share that are just uncomfortable with the whole idea."

The survey, conducted between September and October last year, sought to understand whether people were aware of the way Facebook assigns its users to categories using algorithms and whether they felt this categorisation was accurate.

In many cases, advertisers target Facebook users based on basic information that they themselves have entered into the site: their age, their gender, their location or the pages that they have "liked".

But Facebook also allows advertisers to target specific "categories" that it assigns to people by analysing their behaviour, such as "commuters", "frequent travellers", "iPhone users" or "close friend of expats",

Story continues

The survey suggests that many people actually over-estimate how much social networks can tell about them. In a separate study, 79 per cent of social media users said it would be "very" or "somewhat easy" for companies to guess their hobbies and interests, whereas only 59 per cent of Facebook users felt that the categories were accurate.

Those who felt the categories were inaccurate were more likely to be uncomfortable with them, suggesting that more people are worried about being misunderstood by Facebook's algorithms than about Facebook knowing too much.

Its record with political labels was slightly better: only half of the survey's respondents were given one, but of those, 73 per cent said it accurately or somewhat accurately described their views.

The survey also investigated Facebook's "multicultural affinity" categories, a controversial set of labels it assigns to people whose Facebook activity "aligns" them with certain ethnic communities.

In 2017 Facebook was forced to restrict the user of such "affinities" after investigations revealed that advertisers could use them to exclude ethnic groups from seeing job adverts or housing adverts.

Only 21 per cent of Pew respondents said they were assigned a multicultural affinity  possibly because there is no category for white people. Of those who did get one, 57 per cent said they considered themselves to be a member of that group, whereas in previous polling 84 per cent of people had said it would be easy for a social network to guess their race.

Mr Rainie told the Telegraph there was a "disconnect" between people's abstract knowledge that social networks could tell who they were and their actual awareness of data collection while using the product.

"People feel somewhat confused by the system," he said. "Life is complicated, it's hard to stay on top of lots of things. This to many people is some of the more complicated stuff in their lives, and it is something they are the least convinced they can influence.

"When people are on their phones or in their apps they're not focused on the technology of it, they're focused on the mechanics of it: interacting with their friends, seeing the content that's showing before them."

He said the research was intended to investigate the role of algorithms in public life, which was often "hard to study" because most of them are secret.

Responding to the research, Rob Goldman, Facebook's vice president of advertisements, sought to cast scrutiny upon rival tech companies, suggesting that their policies might be similarly unknown.

"We welcome conversations about transparency and controls. I couldn't agree more that people need to understand how their ad settings work  we want people to use controls," he said.

"It would have been interesting to learn what fraction of people know about other important settings, like those from other big tech companies or other services, like banking or health apps. I fear that few people know about settings at all."

He lamented that Pew had not asked "how much people value a personalised ad experience" or asked about other parts of Facebook's ad settings which are more widely known to users.

A spokesman for Facebook said that personalised ads created a better experience for users, and that Pew's findings showed the need for "more consumer education" about Facebook's ad settings.

He cited the social network's ad transparency tools, which give users some information about why they are seeing a certain ad, as well as pop-up privacy education booths in six places last year.Photo by Aswin on Unsplash

January 17, 2019

A 2018 Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data found that the share of U.S. children living with an unmarried parent has more than doubled since 1968, jumping from 13% to 32% in 2017. And overall, about one-in-five children, or 21%, are living with a solo mother, and 4% are living with a solo dad.

No matter how common single parenthood may be these days, mothers and fathers raising their kiddos without a partner still face a variety of financial, emotional, and social challenges. A mom of four from Austin, Texas named Maria-Theresa Sigua recently summed these up in what she originally called "The Single Mom's Anthem," which she shared on her blog Maria's Random Rants and on Reddit on Wednesday, January 16.

"Im the one who explained why you left, the one who dealt with their anger, their frustration and tears," Sigua wrote. "I have defended you because its better than telling them to give up on you. And because it hurts less than hating you. I have paid for all their flights to see you, and even some of yours, so you saw them at all. I reminded you to call them on their birthdays, to text them during their bad weeks, and then pretended I didnt. But I am the one who has been there, since day one and every day in between."

She said she's "the full-time mother, the part-time father, their financial advisers, their #1 fans, their Lyft service, their advocates, their therapists, and their life teachers." She "planned all their birthday parties and checked off their Christmas lists," as well as "reemed them when they missed classes, praised them when they got As, and consoled them when they didnt get the grades they thought they deserved."

"Then I helped them look at colleges, filled out their financial aid, and edit their college applications," Sigua shared. "I signed their car notes, reviewed their leases, scheduled all their appointments, taught them how to budget and even cook themselves dinner."

Story continues

She recalls having "had the hard conversations with them, the ones about sex, heartbreak, adulting, and how to care for their mental health," and the fact that she "watched and hurt with them for every single disappointment they have had since you left, and to be honest, even all the years before that."

Sigua explained, "I've taken all of their calls, including the scary ones that come after 2am. I've picked them up, literally and figuratively, when they were lost. I've taught them about love and loyalty, and also what bull shit smells like."

She then addressed her ex: "And while you complain about child support, I creatively find ways to pay the other 90% of their expenses you think you shouldnt have to cover. I am the ride-or-die parent, the real-deal-superwoman-single mom, who has sacrificed much to give them lives that dont lack, despite your absence. So, when you ask me with callousness and undeserved annoyance, 'What the hell do you want,' my simple answer is this- Be a good dad, a better man. Respect the mother of your children. And show some gratitude that while our children may carry your name, they bear all of my heart."

Maria-Theresa Sigua

On her blog, commenters praised Sigua for the piece. One wrote, "Omg Im crying. I am so proud of you and everything you have accomplished. I look up to you and hope I have the strength you have, if and when I am in that situation. Thank you for sharing!" Another said, "Love this and I can relate fully. Thanks for this."

And on Reddit, the emotional rant was met with passionate comments, including one from a "Full-Time Father" who pointed out that this could be "The Single Parent's Anthem." To that, Sigua replied, "I stand corrected, my friend. It is definitely the single parent's anthem."

Sigua tells Parents.com that she's been a single mom since 2013. "I've had a brewing frustration that my three youngest children's father has been less than engaged in staying in the kids' lives on a regular basis, and some years he's spent months out of the picture without even a text," she shares. "I've taught the kids to love him despite these shortcomings and explained them away with, 'Your dad is the best kind of dad he knows how to be, and his arms'and legs'length away parenting style is part reflective of how he was parented.'"

Sigua says her kids have been understanding, loving, and forgiving of their father despite his absence. But recent incidents inspired her to write the anthem. Sigua recalls that her ex had asked her, "What do you want from me?" to which she responded, "Nothing, you don't get it, so it doesn't matter what I really want. So nothing."

"Hours after that call I replayed over and over what I wished I had said," Sigua shares. "And the words burned in my throat until I wrote them down. ... I needed to 'roar' on behalf of myself and every other single parent who has walked this road with me."

She says she also aimed for the piece "to illustrate to her ex and every other parent that parents like him, what it's like for the 'other' parent, the one who is left to carry the burdens and fill the void the absent parent has left."

With hope, as Sigua's anthem continues to go viral, it will send a powerful message to absent parents while reassuring single parents that they are not alone.An American who survived the 9/11 terror attack has been identified as one of at least 14 people killed in the terror attack at 14 Riverside Drive, Nairobi.

Jason Spindler, the global managing director of I-DEV International who was based in the Kenyan capital, was killed in Tuesdays attack according to his family and officials in Kenya.

Spindlers mother Sarah Sandler told NBC News that her son was trying to make a positive change in the third world in emerging markets.

Jonathan Spindler, Jasons brother, announced the familys tragic loss via Facebook.

It is with a heavy heart that I have to report that my brother, Jason Spindler passed away this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi, Kenya. Jason was a survivor of 9/11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell! Jonathans post read. There are no words to describe how our family is feeling but I can sayJason Spindler you are and will always be an amazing son, brother, uncle. Rest in peace  we miss you dearly. Spindlers friend Chris Schroeder remembered him in a Facebook post as one of those rare men who was loved by pretty much anyone he touched in Kenya and around the world. Schroeder said Spindler, chose a life of hope and inclusion. I am grateful to have known and learned from him. The San Francisco-based company I-DEV International confirmed Spindler was killed, and nine others in its Nairobi office safely evacuated. According to colleagues, Spindler was having lunch at the upmarket Dusit D2 hotel complex in Nairobi when the attack happened. I-DEV is based at Metta, a space for entrepreneurs that is located at the 14 Riverside office complex in the Belgravia buildings sixth floor. The Metta Africa head of community, memberships, and operations Essie Mwikali said there were 45 people at the space when the attack happened. Spindler joined the Peace Corps after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and was a graduate of NYU Law and the University of Texas at Austin. He was also the recipient of grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation The Kenya Tech community, friends, and colleagues of Jason Spindler have been sending their condolence messages on Twitter. We have sampled a few:

Really sad to hear of the death of Jason Spindler CEO of I  DEV, a strong player and supporter of the Kenyan Tech Ecosystem. We pray for Gods grace & comfort for the family and team at I-Dev. ??? #RIPJason#14Riverside #KenyaAttack #WeShallOvercome pic.twitter.com/K3kDo8iNoG  Sam Gichuru (@SamGichuru) January 16, 2019

Jason Spindler was one of those rare men who was loved by pretty much anyone be touched in Kenya and around the world. Today he was killed in the terrible al shabab attack in Nairobi. He chose a life of hope and inclusion. I am grateful to have known and learned from him. pic.twitter.com/B4YnxB6bic  Chris Schroeder (@cmschroed) January 16, 2019

We are all safe from @WeAreMettaNBO we had around 45 people at the space Unfortunately we lost one, our dear Jason Spindler, CEO, I-Dev based at Metta.?? We are still trying to recover mentally. Im at home with Family and friends. Will update on the state of Metta in due time.  Ess Mwikali (@essiemwix) January 16, 2019

Thoughts and prayers with the spindler family and the idev team. Jason was incredibly passionate and had a deep love for #Kenya and #africa. It was an honor to know him.  Steven Grin (@sgrin77) January 16, 2019

really heavy heart re death of @Jason_Spindler. A friend of @Wimbart & no doubt a friend of everyone he ever came across. A great guy. Smart, savvy, infectious enthusiasm, passionate & committed to sector he worked in [& thrived in] thoughts with his family & @IDEVNews team ?? https://t.co/dD6CYtpMQM  Jessica Hope (@WimbartHope) January 16, 2019

We are devastated to hear about the loss of @JasonSpindler in Nairobi. A man who was pushing boundaries and driving progress with I-Dev and simply a great guy, with a big smile. Our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. Rest In Peace.  Africa Tech Summits (@AfricaTechSMT) January 16, 2019

We have had the privilege of working closely with @Jason_Spindler team at I-DEV on rural electrification in Kenya.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. https://t.co/LOhnqjHCTz  Avi (@Avi_Jacobson) January 16, 2019

Devastated to learn that Jason passed away yesterday during the attack in Nairobi. My very deepest condolences to family and friends. Jason was an incredible entrepreneur who worked tirelessly to improve the livelihoods of millions of people. You will not be forgotten my friend  Patrick Sieyes (@psieyes) January 16, 2019

Extremely heavy heart today. Jason Spindler will be sorely missed in NBO. Nairobi friends, Im thinking of you x  Christina Goldbaum (@cegoldbaum) January 16, 2019

We have lost heroes like Jason Spindler (i-Dev) including other passionate fellow tech members from Cellulant. The entire KE tech community has been left with a void and we feel it in our hearts. May your souls RIP. Your legacy remains with us. #RiverSideAttack  hildamoraa (@hildamoraa) January 16, 2019

So sad to learn that Jason Spindler @IDEVNews CEO is among the casualties of the tragic #KenyaAttack. Met him once and he really had a big heart to work with local techpreneurs. Fare thee well Jason  Njuguna Githuthu (@martinsnjuguna) January 16, 2019Fr Johns vocation for the missionary life began with an encounter with a PIME priest. From distant Loikaw, he arrived in Africa "ready and willing to accept any destination". His modus operandi is "listen, see, learn" to overcome the impact with such a different reality.

Rome (AsiaNews)  Moved by a desire to pass on the faith in Christ to others, which he had received through the sacrifice of many missionaries, Fr John Phe Thu, a Burmese priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), was driven to travel 12,000 kilometres to proclaim the Gospel in Guinea-Bissau, the West African nation that has been his land of mission since 2011.

The priest was born in 1976 in Mye Ni Kone, Loikaw (Kayah State). Together with Taunggyi (archdiocese), Toungoo, Kengtung, Lashio and Pekhon, it is one of the six dioceses created by PIME missionaries in its 150 years of presence in Myanmar.

In the Asian nation, the Milan-based Institute has gone through some of the most critical moments of its history. The memory of the missionaries is still alive among Catholics but Fr John never thought he would share his priestly experience.

"My vocation was born when, as a teenager, I still did not know where to get information or what to do to become a priest, he said. In the beginning, I wanted to become a diocesan priest because I was not aware of the various priestly figures.

"At 21 I began my religious training in Taunggy, where I met some PIME missionaries, in particular, Fr Adriano Pelosin. By involving us in charitable programmes and initiatives in neighbouring villages, he showed us the meaning of missionary life."

Fr John thus discovered "another model of consecrated life. From the history of the Church in Loikaw, I understood that the faith that I had received was the result of the sacrifice of the many missionaries. This gave birth to my desire to pass it on to others, as they had done.

"Back home, I met my bishop. There were three of us who wanted to join PIME. 'A difficult life awaits you, but if this is your will, go,' he told us. So, we entered the Institutes seminary: two years in Rome and four in Monza. I was ready and willing to accept any destination," Fr John explained.

Ordained priest in 2010, the missionary arrived in Guinea-Bissau in 2011. "The joy of leaving was greater than the fear. Faced with such a different culture, I had to have patience and learn to understand the local population, without judging them. I repeated to myself what my brothers had taught me: listen, see, learn'."

Fr John spent the first three years of his mission in Bambadinca, in the Diocese of Bafata, and another three in the parish of Nossa Senhora de Fatima, in Bissau. On 1 October 2017, he became parish priest in Catio, in the south of the country.

"In Guinea-Bissau, Catholics are used to Western missionaries, Fr John said. "In the beginning it was difficult for them to accept a priest from Asia. Even an African priest is something strange. Often, Catholic families oppose the priesthood of a young man because in their mind only whites can be priests."

"In Catio, where PIME arrived 40 years ago, the work of evangelisation is proceeding slowly. Catholics are a minority, about 15 per cent of the population. Locals are mainly animists, but there are also many Muslims.

Christians are seen as a model for society. The work by the missionaries nurtures the trust they place in the Church. There are many conversions, but it is up to us priests to accompany people on the path of faith.

Last year, we baptised ten young people. Becoming Catholics requires a journey of at least seven years. Catechumens often have to deal with family pressures and the weight of local traditions. There are aspects of this culture that they often cannot abandon.

"For our part, we try to enhance what is positive in these customs. But there are things that, as Christians, we cannot accept. These are issues that we face with every catechumen because the Gospel enters every culture, purifies it and exalts it." (PF)New York (AFP) - Former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto accepted a $100 million bribe from drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a former collaborator told the kingpin's trial.

Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian who is now collaborating with US prosecutors in the Chapo trial, made the statement under examination from defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman.

"Mr. Guzman paid a bribe of $100 million to President Pena Nieto,?" the lawyer asked.

"That is right," Cifuentes responded, although later he said he was not sure of the exact amount.

"The message was that Mr. Guzman didn't have to stay in hiding,?" the lawyer asked.

Cifuentes said yes, that is what Guzman told him.

Cifuentes said he worked with the kingpin from 2007 until being arrested in 2013 and at first even lived with him for two years in the mountains of Mexico's Sinaloa region for two years.

Guzman is accused of smuggling more than 155 tons of cocaine into the United States over a period of 25 years. If convicted, the 61-year-old could spend the rest of his life behind bars in a maximum security US prison.

When the Chapo trial began in November, Lichtman argued that Guzman was the scapegoat of corrupt Mexican governments, turncoat colleagues and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

When the defense made those arguments, Pena Nieto was still president and his office denied the charges. He was replaced in November by the newly elected Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

In Mexico, Francisco Guzman, who was chief of staff to Pena Nieto, on Tuesday rejected the allegations from the Colombian, Cifuentes.

"The statements by the Colombian drug trafficker in New York are false, defamatory and absurd," said Guzman.(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp has lost its rights to the trademark "Big Mac" in a European Union case ruling in favour of Ireland-based fast-food chain Supermac's, a decision from the EU's Spain-based Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) showed.

The judgement, provided to Reuters by Supermac's, revoked McDonald's registration of the trademark, saying that the world's largest fast-food chain had not proven genuine use of it over the five years prior to the case being lodged in 2017.

The EUIPO did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.

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McDonald's was not immediately available to comment on the decision. The decision said the company can still appeal.

With the revocation, Supermac's said it can now expand in the United Kingdom and Europe. The ruling also allows the Irishchain to use the "Big Mac" name on any food items it will sell.

Supermac's said it had never had a product called "Big Mac" and that McDonald's had just used the similarity of the two names to block the Irish chain's expansion.

"Supermac's are delighted with their victory in the trademark application and in revoking the Big Mac trademark which had been in existence since 1996," founder Pat McDonagh told Reuters in an email.

"This is a great victory for business in general and stops bigger companies from "trademark bullying" by not allowing them to hoard trademarks without using them."

(Reporting by Soundarya J in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham)Jean-Claude Juncker has been exchanging text messages with prime minister Theresa May about Brexit. Photo: Getty Images.

When Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker promised recently to stay in touch, it was presumed that meant the prime minister and European commission president would meet in person or speak by phone.

But it has been revealed that the senior politicians, both in their sixties, have in fact been trying to solve the Brexit stalemate by text.

Juncker has been in touch with practically all political leaders since the Brexit deal was defeated in the Commons on Tuesday night, a European commission spokesperson said.

Asked specifically whether he had spoken to May, he added: I can tell you that they havent spoken but they are in contact  they are texting.

Juncker also broke with convention at Christmas by sending his festive greetings to the prime minister by text messages instead of in a card.

READ MORE: Juncker hasnt sent May a Christmas card because the Brexit deal is a better gift

One reason for the unusually short form of communication was put forward by an EU official on Wednesday.

At this stage there is nothing more that the EU can do, they said. We are now waiting to hear from the UK on the intended next steps.

While Juncker waits for a smiley emoji, May is holding face-to-face meetings with opposition parties at Westminster in a bid to find consensus on how to avoid a no-deal scenario.

Newsnight reported that Cabinet ministers in favour of a no-deal Brexit are pushing for a one-year extension to Article 50 in order to give the UK more time to prepare.

Prime minister Theresa May and European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels last month. Photo: Getty

Any request to extend Article 50 requires the unanimous support for all 27 other EU member states.

And a commission spokesperson stressed that the UK government would have to set out the reasons for such an extension.

Negotiations over a closer relationship, a general election or second referendum are seen as the only possible circumstances in which an extension would be granted.

Meanwhile, the EU is pushing ahead with its preparations for a no-deal scenario.

French prime minister Eduoard Philippe has announced he has already implemented the countrys no-deal emergency plan.

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READ MORE: Barnier: EU ready to renegotiate Brexit deal if UK shifts red lines

The commission has also dispatched its deputy secretary general on a tour of member states to coordinate no-deal preparations.

We are taking this very seriously now as the possibility of no-deal Brexit is becoming more possible after Tuesday night, said a spokesperson.

We have prepared a significant package on preparedness work in December and we are now sending the deputy secretary general, who is in charge of this work, to discuss with the member states how this will proceed also combining our own preparations with the ones our member states are enacting.

So, this work which is ongoing and its developing fully. Were not taking any chances.

READ MORE: EU ready for new talks with May after Brexit deal defeat



(Reuters) - Paul Manafort, the convicted former chairman of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, told a business associate in January 2017 he was using middlemen to get people appointed to the Trump administration, according to a court filing on Tuesday. U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller had been given until Monday by a federal court in Washington to provide evidence of his accusations that Manafort had lied to prosecutors on five subjects, which would put Manafort in breach of a plea agreement under which he was meant to be cooperating with Mueller's probe. The heavily redacted 188-page filing included some new details about Manafort's communications with Trump administration officials, which continued even after he left the campaign in August 2016 due to a scandal over cash payments related to his work for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine. In January 2017 Manafort told his former business partner Richard Gates that he was using intermediaries to "get people appointed in the Administration," according to the sworn statement of an FBI agent working for Mueller included in the filing. Gates, who also served on Trump's presidential transition team, pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI and conspiracy against the United States and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's probe. The filing also touched on Manafort's other alleged lies, including about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a former business partner who Mueller has accused of having Russian intelligence ties. But due to heavy redactions it was unclear if the filing contained any major new revelations. Last week, Manafort's lawyers in court papers inadvertently disclosed that Manafort had shared polling data related to the Trump 2016 presidential campaign with Kilimnik. The mistaken disclosure - caused by a formatting error that allowed redacted material to be viewed - triggered new concerns among legal experts and Democratic lawmakers about the extent of Manafort's Russia ties during his time on Trump's campaign, which included three months as chairman. Mueller is investigating whether Russian interfered in the election and whether Trump campaign members coordinated with Moscow officials. Trump, who denies any campaign collusion with Russia, says he did not know Manafort shared the data. Russia denies interfering in U.S. elections. In addition to the polling data revelation, the filing also showed that Mueller believed Manafort lied to prosecutors about his discussions with Kilimnik on a "Ukrainian peace plan" and a previously undisclosed meeting between Manafort and Kilimnik in Madrid. Manafort's lawyers said any incorrect statements by him were unintentional. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has said she would review the evidence submitted by Mueller and any reply by Manafort's team before deciding whether a hearing on the matter is necessary. (Reporting by Nathan Layne and Karen Freifeld in Washington; Editing by James Dalgleish and Rosalba O'Brien)By Steve Gorman and Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Negotiators for 30,000 striking Los Angeles teachers and America's second-largest school district have agreed to return to the bargaining table on Thursday, with Mayor Eric Garcetti acting as mediator, his office said. Wednesday's announcement of the breakthrough capped the third day of a strike that has disrupted classes for nearly 500,000 students as teachers pressed their demands for higher pay, smaller classes and more support staff. Representatives of the two sides - the Los Angeles Unified School District and the United Teachers Los Angeles - have not met since union leaders rejected the LAUSD's latest contract offer last Friday night, setting the stage for district teachers' first strike in 30 years. There was no immediate word from district officials to the overture for mediated talks, first unveiled by union leaders at a Wednesday night news conference. But Garcetti's office confirmed that both sides had agreed to resume face-to-face sessions on Thursday. Union officials said the mayor, who has voiced support for the teachers' cause, had met with the two parties on Wednesday. California's top education official, its superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurmond, "has also been in touch with both parties and offered support," Arlene Inouye, chair of the union's bargaining team, told reporters. Thurmond could help to secure extra funding the district may need to close a deal. LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner has said the teachers' demands would strain the budget too much. Caputo-Pearl said the union was counting on Thurmond and Garcetti to make the case that funding could be found. "California is the richest state in the union," he told reporters. "The money is there for the kids." The teachers, who have been without a contract for nearly a year, walked off the job on Monday. School district officials have kept all 1,200 schools open on a limited basis with a skeleton staff, but attendance has been about a third of normal. RAINY RALLIES Thousands of striking teachers joined in boisterous rallies and pickets across the sprawling school district on Wednesday, although a third day of showers seemed unable to dampen their spirits, or those of parents who turned out in support. Huddled under an umbrella in a downpour, Diana Castillo, a teacher at Harbor City Elementary School, said she discounted assertions by Beutner, a former publisher and investment banker, that the district could not afford the union's demands. "He makes $350,000 a year, has a district car and a driver," she said. "The money's there." At another rally across town, teacher Elizabeth DiMartino said classrooms at her school in the San Fernando Valley had been decrepit for so long that "people think this bare minimum is normal in Los Angeles." She added, "We spend so much of our own money just to make the classrooms look presentable," and cited a lack of on-site nurses and instructors in art, music and physical education. The Los Angeles walkout follows a wave of teachers' strikes last year across the United States over pay and school funding, including work stoppages in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arizona. Those represented battles between teachers' unions and Republican-dominated state governments focused on cutting costs, while the Los Angeles strike is unfolding in a Democratic-controlled state. Denver teachers could vote to strike by Saturday if no deal on a new contract is reached. Beutner said the district had proposed staff increases that would cost $130 million a year - more than county officials have said is available - while the union's demands would cost $800 million. The union wants a pay rise of 6.5 percent, but the district has offered a 6 percent hike with back pay. LAUSD teacher pay now averages $75,000, state figures show. (Reporting by Steve Gorman and Alex Dobuzinskis; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Gina Cherelus in New York and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Peter Cooney and Clarence Fernandez)WASHINGTON  The lone lawmaker who prevented the House of Representatives from unanimously denouncing Rep. Steve King, due to worries that the measure didn't go far enough, saw his censure effort against the Iowa Republican fizzle on Wednesday.

Rep. Bobby Rush, a civil rights leader and Democrat representing Illinois, attempted on Wednesday, the day after the House voted 424 to 1 to condemn King, to bring up a censure resolution over King's comments about white nationalism.

His resolution, which included King's remarks questioning why terms like "white supremacists" were offensive and other controversial comments over the years about immigrants, including his comparison of undocumented people to livestock, was read aloud on the House floor. But the measure was moved to the House Ethics Committee, meaning the committee could examine the measure and lawmakers wouldn't vote on it.

"Representative Steve King of Iowa, by his despicable conduct, has dishonored himself and brought discredit to the House and merits the censure of the House for the same," part of the resolution read.

A censure is the second most serious punishment in the House, just behind being expelled from serving in Congress. A censure is basically a formal and public rebuke meant to embarrass, as the lawmaker being targeted would have to stand on the House floor and listen as the censure was read aloud before his colleagues.

While Rush would have liked the House to take a more aggressive route to punish King, he told USA TODAY that it was probably best so it didn't cause division within the party.

Related: House passes resolution condemning Rep. King over white supremacy comments, with his help

King has a history of controversial remarks: Here are some that riled people up

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa addresses the Republican state convention in Des Moines, Iowa on June 16, 2012.

Rush would have to appeal the decision thus, putting him at odds with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Right now, Rush said, Democrats are concerned with the government shutdown and being "divided over the issue" wouldn't "serve the nation well."

Story continues

But, he said he could bring the censure back for consideration if King has another slip-up.

"I reserve the right to revive my motion if Steve makes one more utterance of bigotry, and racism and misogynism," Rush told USA TODAY. "If he makes one more utterance, then I will revive my motion."

It's unclear whether the House Ethics Committee, which is not known for its speed or aggressiveness, will take up the issue.

On Tuesday, King supported efforts that denounced his rhetoric and said his "white supremacist" comments in a New York Times interview had not come across as he intended.

Opinion: JD Scholten: Here's how I nearly beat Steve King and here's why he keeps winning. So far.

King said he agreed with South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn's resolution, titled "Rejecting White nationalism and White supremacy." The resolution invoked Kings comments and condemned such words as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.

"I regret that we are in this place," King said, adding that he rejects such ideologies. "I agree with every word that you have put in this. It's an honest and a direct resolution put together to address a subject that has been too long before the public dialogue in this country.

"I want to ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, let's vote for this resolution. I'm putting up a yes on the board here," King said.

Contributing: Eliza Collins, Nicole Gaudiano

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The lone Democrat who voted against denouncing Rep. Steve King sees censure effort fizzleLiberty Property Trust LPT is making concerted efforts to grow its industrial portfolio. The company recently announced expansion of its Southern California portfolio with the ground breaking on two new industrial buildings in Ontario and Rialto. The company has also made two acquisitions which helped it expand its portfolio to 5.3 million square feet of industrial space in the region.



Specifically, the new developments, which are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of this year, include developing of 1385 S. Cucamonga Avenue, a 94,911-square-foot industrial building on 4.67 acres of land in Ontario, and 855 W. Valley Blvd., a 401,106-square-foot building on 16.9 acres of land in Rialto.



On the other hand, the acquisitions involved purchase of 520 E. Orange Show Road in San Bernardino, a newly-developed 318,989-square-foot industrial building currently available for lease. Also, the company acquired 15025 Proctor Avenue in City of Industry, a 128,581-square-foot building, which is located close to the 60 Freeway, I-605 and I-10, fully leased and marks the first for the company in the sub-market.



In addition, Liberty is experiencing decent demand for its properties and fully leased 19 Crows Mill Road in Keasbey, NJ. This is mainly a vacant property which the company had acquired in late September of 2018. A long-term 302,500-square-foot lease has been signed by the Gilbert Company for the 25 acre property that is located near Exit 10 of the New Jersey Turnpike, with access to Port Newark/Elizabeth and New York City.



Moreover, the company had acquired a 7 acre site at 357 Wilson Avenue in Newark for redevelopment last August. The site is less than five miles from Port Newark and has an existing building, which the company plans to demolish and replace with a 142,972-square-foot industrial building.



Notably, Liberty has a solid presence in New Jersey, owning and managing more than 7.1 million square feet of industrial space. It has properties along the NJ Turnpike corridor from Southern New Jerseys Pureland Industrial Park and Commodore 295 Business Center (Exit2). Its presence runs up through northern Burlington County (Exit 6); Exit 8A in Cranbury; Exit 10 in Edison and Exit 16W in the Meadowlands.



The expansion of industrial real estate portfolio is a strategic fit for Liberty Property. This is because fundamentals of the industrial market remain solid, backed by growing demand for such properties amid economic recovery, job-market improvements, high-consumer spending and e-commerce boom, which has led to strong rent growth, high occupancy and development opportunities. Therefore, given its premium quality industrial portfolio located in upscale locations, pro-business environment and continued e-commerce demand, Liberty Property is poised to gain.



In addition to Liberty Property, other REITs, including Prologis Inc. PLD, Duke Realty DRE and Terreno Realty Corp. TRNO, are expected to benefit from the same. In fact, per a study by the commercial real estate services firm  CBRE Group CBRE  availability fell for 34 straight quarters to 7.0% for the U.S. industrial market in fourth-quarter 2018, denoting the lowest point since 2000.



Nevertheless, there is rising supply of industrial real estate space and this will partly dampen the robust growth momentum in rents. Also, trade tensions and rate hike add to REITs woes.



Liberty Property currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The companys shares have gained 7.4%, in the past three months, while its industry inched up 1.8%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.





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Zacks Investment ResearchThe death toll in Tuesdays terrorist attack at 14 Riverside Drive in Nairobi has risen to 21 from the initial 14.

Kenyas police chief, Joseph Boinnet, said Wednesday night that six additional bodies were retrieved from the attack site with one police officer succumbing to injuries while undergoing treatment.

The Inspector General of Police, in a press address at 10 pm on Wednesday, said the 21 fatalities include 16 Kenyans, one Briton, one American national and three persons of African descent who are yet to be identified.

He added that 28 persons were wounded during the attack and were admitted to various hospitals in Nairobi.

The Kenya Red Cross said at least 50 people believed to have been in the compound remained unaccounted for on Wednesday, raising the possibility of a higher final death toll.

Reports indicate that Kenyan security forces killed all five attackers who stormed the upmarket hotel complex.

Boinnet also confirmed that two key suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack.

Subsequent investigations by the DCI have yielded arrest of two key suspects believed to have facilitated the attack and are in custody assisting Police with the investigations, he said.

The Somali Al-Shabab terror group, an al-Qaeda affiliate, said it carried out the attack in response to US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.At Purdue Pharmas launch party for OxyContin in 1996, one of the companys owners, Dr. Richard Sackler, told the audience to imagine a series of natural disasters  an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane  before gleefully predicting that the opioid painkiller would generate a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition. Thats according to new court documents filed on Tuesday, January 15th, as part of a lawsuit brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, which accuses the company and its owners of deceiving doctors and patients about OxyContins risks.

The memo implicates eight Sackler family members, as well as nine board members and executives, in directing an aggressive marketing strategy meant to blanket the country with a painkiller they knew was addictive and dangerous, igniting a nationwide opioid crisis that has killed more than 200,000 people since 1996.

Over the next 20 years, the Sacklers made Richards boast come true, lawyers for the Attorney Generals Office wrote in the 274-page memorandum. They created a manmade disaster. Their blizzard of dangerous prescriptions buried children and parents and grandparents across Massachusetts, and the burials continue.

The lawsuit is one of hundreds brought against the Connecticut company, but its the first to name the companys executives, including the Sackler family. According to the New York Times, Purdue Pharma has long portrayed the Sacklers as being uninvolved with the companys day-to-day operations, but Healeys memo makes public, for the first time, the domineering role Richard Sackler played in driving the companys sales strategy. According to the filing, the former Purdue Pharma President  whose father founded the company  instructed sales representatives to urge doctors to prescribe the highest dosage of OxyContin, because it was the most profitable.

Five years later, amidst growing concerns over the dangers associated with OxyContin, Sackler pursued relationships with two of Massachusetts leading academic medical centers, expanding the number of prescribing physicians and generating good publicity within the medical community. According to the lawsuit, Sacklers strategy for addressing criticism of the drugs risks was to deflect blame onto patients who became addicted or overdosed.

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We have to hammer on the abusers in every way possible, Sackler wrote in an February 2001 email outlining his strategy. They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.

According to Healeys lawsuit, the Sacklers have hammered Massachusetts families in every way possible  and the stigma they used as a weapon made the crisis worse.

In response to the latest court filing, Purdue Pharma sent a lengthy statement to Rolling Stone criticizing the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office for their rush to vilify a single manufacturer  rather than doing the hard work of trying to solve a complex public health crisis.

The complaint distorts critical facts and cynically conflates prescription opioid medications with illegal heroin and fentanyl, which are the leading cause of overdose deaths in Massachusetts, the statement continues. The Attorney General has cherry-picked from among tens of millions of emails and other business documents  [and] is littered with biased and inaccurate characterizations of these documents and individual defendants.  Purdue and the individual defendants will aggressively defend against these misleading allegations.It appears that Kyrie Irving is serious when he said the Boston Celtics are going to "run over everybody" this season following their 117-108 win against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, and it sounds like he's ready to be a better leader to make that happen.The government shutdown is in its 25th day, making it the longest in U.S. history, and 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed or forced to work without pay. As the shutdown drudges on, many workers are left scrambling to make ends meat while also providing for their families.

Kraft, however, wants to help those in need with its latest initiative.

The company announced this week that it is opening a pop-up grocery store in Washington D.C. on January 16 to support federal workers impacted by the ongoing government shutdown. 'Kraft Now Pay Later' will be located at 1287 4th Street NE, two blocks from Union Market and will offer staples like Kraft Mac & Cheese, Kraft Natural Cheese, Kraft Singles, Kraft Salad Dressings, Kraft Mayo and Kraft BBQ.

READ MORE: Popular U.S. supermarket, Wegmans, to open its first store in Brooklyn

During the government shutdown, parents should not have to worry about putting dinner on the table because they arent receiving a paycheck, Sergio Eleuterio, head of marketing for Kraft, said in the company's official press release. Kraft stands for families and we want to support the families who have built our brands. This store is one way we can help those affected get the grocery staples they need. And we celebrate all who are doing their part to help.

Federal workers with official government IDs will have access to the grocery store and all of the products at no cost to them. The company's only caveat is for workers to pay it forward by donating to their charity of choice or someone in need once they are able to do so.

Kraft's pop-up shop will remain open until January 20.

For more information on Kraft's latest project and a full list of other supporting locations in D.C. and surrounding areas click here.JOHANNESBURG (AP)  It began with cars exploding and several armed young men, wrapped in ammunition belts, sauntering onto the scene. It was declared over nearly 20 hours later with at least 14 people killed, 700 people evacuated and the Islamic extremist attackers "eliminated." Overnight, scores of frightened people hid in washrooms, offices and elsewhere as gunfire popped and security forces hunted the gunmen. Here's a rough timeline of what occurred in the deadly attack on a luxury hotel complex in Kenya's capital.

___

Tuesday, 3 p.m.

Reports begin to spread of an explosion and gunfire at the Riverside Drive complex, which includes a hotel, shops, restaurants and offices in Nairobi's upscale Westlands neighborhood. Several cars are ablaze in a parking lot as security forces stream in and people run or are carried from the scene. Police quickly call it a terror attack.

___

4:30 p.m.

Plainclothes police with guns drawn hurry from shop to shop to look for trapped civilians and an unknown number of attackers. A black plume of smoke rises from the scene. Sporadic gunfire continues.

___

5 p.m.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab claims responsibility and says its members are still fighting inside. Survivors rushing from the scene, some in tears, report seeing bodies.

___

6 p.m.

Kenya's national police chief says special forces are trying to flush out the attackers and look forward to "bringing the situation to normalcy in the shortest time possible." Kenyans watch the police response closely after officers took hours to respond to a deadly attack on the nearby Westgate Mall in 2013.

___

7 p.m.

A Kenyan police officer among the first responders says "there was no time to count the dead," with bodies seen in restaurants downstairs and in offices upstairs. Gunfire continues.

___

8:30 p.m.

Kenya's national police chief gives the first official details of the attack, saying it began with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank while a suicide bomber blew up in the hotel lobby, severely wounding bystanders. He calls the operation "still ongoing."

Story continues

___

11 p.m.

Kenya's interior minister says all buildings have been secured and security forces are in the final stages of "mopping up." There is still no official toll of dead or wounded.

___

11:30 p.m.

Kenya's Citizen TV airs what it calls surveillance footage that shows four attackers, young men in ammunition bandoliers, splitting up as they calmly walk across an outdoor area of the complex.

___

Wednesday, 1 a.m.

Some family members say loved ones are still trapped inside even after Kenyan authorities called all buildings secure. One woman says her brother is hiding with over 10 other people.

___

2 a.m.

A Kenyan police officer says 15 bodies have been taken to the morgue. Anguished family and friends gather there.

___

4 a.m.

Kenya's interior ministry says "no further threat to the public exists" and that civilians who had been "secured" in one building have been safely evacuated.

___

6:45 a.m.

Another explosion and gunfire are heard, shortly after scores of survivors who had still been holed up in part of the complex are freed. They reunite with relieved friends and family and recount a long night of cowering in hiding places while listening to nearby gunfire.

___

9:00 a.m.

Bursts of gunfire are still heard from the complex.

___

10:30 a.m.

Kenya president says 14 "innocent people" are dead and declares the attack over, saying all the terrorists have been eliminated."

___

3:30 p.m.

A new blast is heard at the complex, 24 hours the attack began. Witnesses say security forces are conducting a painstaking sweep for any explosives the attackers left behind in a final attempt at carnage.NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon is receiving a 5 percent raise, bringing his total 2018 compensation to $31 million, the company said in a filing on Thursday.

In setting the figure, independent members of the JPMorgan board took into account "the firm's strong performance in 2018 and through the cycle" in categories including business results, risk, controls and conduct, customer focus and leadership, the filing said.

JPMorgan reported record net income of $32.5 billion in 2018 and a return on tangible common equity of 17 percent, the filing noted.

JPMorgan is the first major U.S. bank to disclose compensation for 2018 performance.

The package for Dimon, 62, includes an annual base salary of more than $1.5 million and performance-based incentive compensation of $29.5 million. His total compensation a year earlier was $29.5 million.

The bank also disclosed awards of restricted stock units to other top executives indicating their compensation for 2018.

Gordon Smith, co-president and CEO for Consumer & Community Banking, received $22 million, up 10 percent from a year earlier.

Daniel Pinto, co-president and CEO of the Corporate & Investment Bank, received $22 million, up 5 percent.

Mary Erdoes, CEO for Asset & Wealth Management, received $20.5 million, up 5 percent.

Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake received $15 million, up 11 percent.

Doug Petno, CEO for Commercial Banking, received $12.75 million, up 6 percent.

(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Richard Chang)By Ross Kerber (Reuters) - John Bogle, whose family's struggles during the Great Depression led him to pioneer low-cost investing and to found Vanguard Group, now the world's biggest mutual fund firm, died on Wednesday at the age of 89, Vanguard said. Bogle had been in frail health for years, surviving at least six heart attacks and receiving a heart transplant in 1996. The cause of death was cancer, said Bogle's assistant Michael Nolan. Despite ill health, Bogle was a vital presence through his later years as he pressed for reforms in corporate governance and fund administration, mixing sharp rhetoric with a wry sense of humor and establishing a reputation as a curmudgeon in his industry. Still, Bogle, known widely as Jack, kept deep professional friendships and maintained a loyal following through his books and public speaking appearances. Some termed themselves "Bogleheads" and spread online his messages of thrift and investments in low-fee funds. "Jack did more for American investors as a whole than any individual I've known," billionaire Warren Buffett said in a statement. At the 2017 annual meeting of his company Berkshire Hathaway Inc, which Bogle attended, Buffett estimated that by making low-cost index funds so popular for investors, Bogle "put tens and tens and tens of billions of dollars into their pockets." Bogle's life in many ways was the opposite of his great fund industry rival, Edward Johnson III, who inherited control of Fidelity Investments in Boston from his father and promoted star active managers like Peter Lynch. Vanguard, in contrast, promoted its low-cost index funds, products that Fidelity and the rest of the industry came to emulate. "He made himself a centurion to the individual investor, always playing the retail communication" said Charles Ellis, an industry consultant and a former Vanguard funds director. "He had one great message, about lowering fees, and he kept hammering away at it." Bogle was born on May 8, 1929, to a family of modest means in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton University in 1951, working his way through college as a waiter. His economics thesis there earned him a job from an older Princeton alumnus at the Wellington Management Co in Philadelphia. Bogle rose through the ranks and persuaded the company to start offering more mutual funds. He created Vanguard in 1974 after a dispute with others at Wellington, and built its products around a new economic model in which the funds would be run with their own directors and staff rather than to create profits for an external management company. In 1976, Vanguard also introduced the first indexed fund for individual investors. According to the company, it was initially ridiculed as "un-American" but now the Vanguard 500 Index Fund is one of the industry's largest. Vanguard has some $5 trillion in assets under management, the bulk of it in index funds and exchange-traded funds. Bogle gradually gave up the leadership of Vanguard but remained a combative public presence, arguing often that larger fund companies had grown too focused on their own profits rather than serving as stewards of their clients' interests, including pressing corporations for better governance. "The mutual fund industry lost its way because of the triumph of managers' capitalism over owners' capitalism," Bogle wrote in a typically fiery passage in his 2005 book "The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism." (Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by James Dalgleish and Bill Rigby)By Ross Kerber

(Reuters) - John Bogle, whose family's struggles during the Great Depression led him to pioneer low-cost investing and to found Vanguard Group, now the world's biggest mutual fund firm, died on Wednesday at the age of 89, Vanguard said.

Bogle had been in frail health for years, surviving at least six heart attacks and receiving a heart transplant in 1996. The cause of death was cancer, according to Bogle's assistant Michael Nolan.

Despite ill health, Bogle was a vital presence through his later years as he pressed for reforms in corporate governance and fund administration.

He often mixed sharp rhetoric with a wry sense of humor and established a reputation as a curmudgeon in his industry, at times at odds with Vanguard executives who eventually stripped him of much of his power within the organization.

Still Bogle, known widely as Jack, kept deep professional friendships and maintained a loyal following through his books and public speaking appearances. Some termed themselves "Bogleheads" in his honor and spread online his messages of thrift and investments in low-fee funds.

"Jack did more for American investors as a whole than any individual I've known," billionaire Warren Buffett said in a statement.

At the 2017 annual meeting of his company Berkshire Hathaway Inc <BRKa.N>, which Bogle attended, Buffett estimated that by making low-cost index funds so popular for investors, Bogle "put tens and tens and tens of billions of dollars into their pockets."

Bogle's life in many ways was the opposite of his great fund industry rival, Edward "Ned" Johnson III, who inherited control of Fidelity Investments in Boston from his father and employed star active managers like Peter Lynch.

Vanguard, in contrast, promoted low-cost index funds, products that Fidelity and the rest of the industry came to emulate.

"He made himself a centurion to the individual investor," said Charles Ellis, an industry consultant and a former Vanguard funds director. "He had one great message, about lowering fees, and he kept hammering away at it."

Story continues

MODEST BEGINNINGS

Bogle was born on May 8, 1929, to a family of modest means in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton University in 1951, working his way through college as a waiter. His economics thesis there earned him a job from an older Princeton alumnus at the Wellington Management Co in Philadelphia.

Bogle rose through the ranks and persuaded the company to start offering more mutual funds, even as he suffered his first heart attack at the age of 31, in 1960. He had a pacemaker installed in 1967 to treat a condition known as heart arrhythmia.

He created Vanguard in 1974 after a dispute with others at Wellington, and built its products around a new economic model in which the funds would be run by their own directors and staff rather than by an external management company.

In 1976, Vanguard also introduced the first indexed fund for individual investors. According to the company, it was initially ridiculed as "un-American" but now the Vanguard 500 Index Fund <VOO.P> is one of the industry's largest. Vanguard has some $5 trillion in assets under management, the bulk of it in index funds and exchange-traded funds.

Dan Wiener, who runs a newsletter for Vanguard investors, recounted how Bogle once sued him after he disclosed details of Bogle's compensation, and said Bogle could have a thin skin about material that did not "paint Vanguard as a virtuous non-profit."

But Wiener said that when he sent a note wishing Bogle well after a 1996 heart transplant, Bogle responded "in the guise of one of his doctors, who noted that my email had raised his heart rate and that I should refrain from further emails until he was recovered. When I later found out we had a good laugh, at my expense."

Even as Bogle's health declined in his later years he remained a combative public presence, arguing that larger fund companies had grown too focused on their own profit rather than serving as stewards of their clients' interests, including pressing corporations for better governance.

"The mutual fund industry lost its way because of the triumph of managers' capitalism over owners' capitalism," Bogle wrote in a typically fiery passage in his 2005 book "The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism."

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by James Dalgleish and Bill Rigby)John Bogle, the founder of the Vanguard Group who revolutionized investing by inventing the index fund, a product that gave Main Street investors a cheap way to gain broad exposure to the stock market, has died. He was 89.

Often dubbed the "father of index investing," Bogle  a champion of the individual investor  was the driving force behind the shift away from a beat-the-market mentality and high-cost funds run by stock pickers that have reshaped the industry. More than 40 years after its birth, the index fund has led to today's preference for so-called "passive" investing, a strategy that enables investors to buy a diversified basket of stocks with low expenses with a goal of matching the returns of a broad market index like the Standard & Poor's 500.

"Don't look for the needle in the haystack," Bogle would famously say. "Just buy the haystack."

Bogle, who formed Vanguard in 1974 and then founded what is now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund amid ridicule from the Wall Street establishment who referred to the fund as "Bogle's Folly," has been called a "hero" by billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

4/12/07 1:04:30 PM -- Malvern, PA -- Jack Bogle, founder and former chief executive of The Vanguard Group, Inc. and President of the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center. He is photographed in his office at Vanguard Group, Inc. in Malvern, PA. Photo by Eileen Blass, USA TODAY staff ORG XMIT: EB 31612 INDEX 4/12/2007 (Via MerlinFTP Drop)

Jack Bogle made an impact on not only the entire investment industry, but more importantly, on the lives of countless individuals saving for their futures or their childrens futures, Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley said in a statement on Wednesday. He was a tremendously intelligent, driven, and talented visionary whose ideas completely changed the way we invest. We are honored to continue his legacy of giving every investor a fair shake.

"If a statue is ever erected to honor the person who has done the most for American investors, the hands-down choice should be Jack Bogle," Buffett wrote in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in February 2017. "In his early years, Jack was frequently mocked by the investment-management industry," Buffett continued, adding that "he helped millions of investors realize far better returns on their savings than they otherwise would have earned. He is a hero to them and to me."

Story continues

While many derided Bogle and index funds early on, the amount of investor cash funneled into these types of investments has skyrocketed. Vanguard, for example, now manages about $4.9 trillion in global assets and Americans in recent years have been aggressively yanking cash out of so-called "actively managed" funds run by portfolio managers and moving it into index funds.

Paul Samuelson, the late Nobel Prize-winning economist, famously lauded the creation of the index fund as one of the world's greatest inventions.

"I rank this Bogle invention along with the invention of the wheel, the alphabet, Gutenberg printing, and wine and cheese," Samuelson said in a 2005 speech.

Bogle regularly renounced speculation and advised small investors to stay patient and invest for the long term in low-cost funds that best positioned them to take advantage of the profitability and innovation of American companies.

"Time is your friend," Bogle wrote in an essay. "Impulse is your enemy."

The performance of index funds has been superior to most funds run by money managers, due in large part to the fact that they don't carry high costs that cut into returns, such as advisory fees, operating expenses, sales commissions, portfolio trading costs and excess taxes caused by frequent trading. Only 13.4 percent of money mangers who run large company stock funds that invest in growth and value stocks have topped the indexes they are compared to in the 20 years ended in 2017, according to fund tracker Morningstar.

The success of index funds and the reason the indexing revolution is here to stay, Bogle noted in a speech to the CFA Institute in May 2017, is all about the basic math of lower investment costs enabling investors to capture a bigger chunk of the returns the stock market gives them.

"Indexing is not a fad," he said in the speech. "It is not a fashion. It is a fact of life; indeed of elemental arithmetic."

For example, the average expense ratio across the entire fund industry (excluding Vanguard) was 0.62 percent in 2017, which equates to $62 for every $10,000 invested, according to Vanguard's website. Compare that with Vanguard, where the average for all of its mutual funds and ETFs was 0.11 percent , or just $11.

Fortune magazine dubbed Bogle as one of the investment industry's four "Giants of the 20th Century." And Time magazine named him one of the "world's 100 most powerful and influential people."

In times of market stress, Bogle was often a calming influence, advising investors not to get overly worried about short-term dips in their retirement account balances.

"I tell people: Don't peek," he told CNNMoney in early 2017. "Don't open those statements until you retire. When you retire and open that statement, you are going to have so much money, you will probably go into dead faint."

Bogle, who was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on May 8, 1929  just five months before the 1929 stock market crash  studied economics at Princeton University, where in 1951 he "hinted at the idea" of an index fund in his senior year thesis. That paper stressed that funds must operate in "the most efficient, economical, and honest way possible," Bogle recalled in an essay delivered at a Morningstar conference in April 2017

His first job after leaving the Ivy League school in 1951 was at Wellington Management Company.

In 1996, Bogle handed over the reins of Vanguard to John J. Brennan.

Bogle wrote numerous article and books, including "Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Bogle, founder of Vanguard and 'father of index investing,' dies at 89Following the Tuesday terror attack at the upmarket Dusit D2 hotel complex in Nairobi, a concerned mother on Twitter has raised a crucial point about how parents should help their children cope with disasters.

One Charity Lukaya @Mamanursery posted on Twitter that she spent Tuesday evening trying to answer her kids questions about the terror attack. She further shared some useful tips by Save the Children, an international NGO that promotes childrens rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries.

Spent evening trying to answer my kids questions e.g what is a terror attack?..why are they shooting? What have the people done to be shot?..etc, she wrote, adding, If you face a similar situation, the tips below will be of help.

Read the 10 tips to help children cope with disaster below.

*****************************************************************

10 Tips for Helping Children Cope with Disaster

After a disaster, parents, teachers and caregivers look for advice on how to help children cope with the after-effects. These 10 tips from Save the Childrens emergency response experts can ensure that children get the support they need  well after the disaster is over.

Limit TV time.

While its important for adults to stay informed about the disaster, TV images and reports may be confusing and frightening for children. Watching too many reports of the disaster can overwhelm children. Listen to your children.

See what they know  or understand  about the disaster before responding to their questions. Children can experience stress when they dont understand dangerous experiences. Try to identify your childrens fear of disasters. Then, talk to them to help ease their concerns. Give children reassurance.

Let them know that that adults are doing everything they can to protect them. Be sure they know that if an emergency occurs, their safety is your main concern. Children should know theyre being protected. Be alert for significant changes in behavior.

Caregivers should be alert to any significant changes in childrens sleeping patterns, eating habits, and concentration levels. Also watch for wide emotional swings or frequent physical complaints. If any of these actions do happen, they will likely lessen within a short time. If they continue, however, you should seek professional help and counseling for the child. Understand childrens unique needs.

Not every child will experience a disaster in the same way. As children develop, their intellectual, physical and emotional abilities change. Younger children will depend largely on their parents to interpret events. Older children and adolescents will get information from various sources, such as friends and the media. Remember that children of any age can be affected by a disaster. Provide them all with love, understanding and support. Give your children extra time and attention.

Children need attention to know they are safe. Talk, play and, most importantly, listen to them. Find time to engage in special activities with children of all ages. Be a model for your children.

Your children will learn how to deal with these events by seeing how you respond. The amount you tell children about how youre feeling should depend on the age and maturity of the child. You may be able to disclose more to older or more mature children but remember to do so calmly. Watch your own behavior.

Make a point of being sensitive to those impacted by the disaster. This is an opportunity to teach your children that we all need to help each other. Help your children return to a normal routine.

Children usually benefit from routine activities such as set eating times, bedtime, and playing with others. Find out youre your childrens school is will return to normal hours. Ask teachers or counselors how much time will be dedicated to discussing the disaster in an age-appropriate way. Involve children in volunteer work.

Helping others can give children a sense of control and security and promote helping behavior. Include children in volunteer activities (once it is safe to do so). Helping people who are in need can bring about a positive outlook.

Source: Save the Children.They called his quixotic little mutual fund "Bogle's Folly," "a sure path to mediocrity" and even "un-American" after he introduced it in 1976. But Vanguard founder John C. Bogle - who died Wednesday, Jan. 16, at age 89 - had the last laugh.

Vanguard has grown into a $5.3 trillion juggernaut with 16,600 employees worldwide, making it one of the world's largest investment companies. And what has fueled (and continues to fuel) its long-lasting growth is low-cost investing, in general, and the index fund, in particular.

Bogle's many admirers called him "Saint Jack" for his efforts to slash investing costs. His thoughts and investing lessons inspired a popular investment website, Bogleheads.org, which describes itself as offering "investing advice inspired by John Bogle." He authored numerous books, almost all after leaving Vanguard in 1999, and they all made the same basic point: Costs are virtually everything in investing, and index funds are the best way to deliver low costs.

Bogle was fortunate enough to live to see his ideas not just triumph, but become conventional wisdom. At Vanguard, he worked relentlessly for 20 years to cut fund costs. He launched product after product, seemingly unable to find a corner of the market that didn't deserve an index fund.

They grew slowly at first. Until the 2000s, index funds were never the main event. In the 1980s and 1990s, the brilliant, gun-slinging mutual-fund manager was the star. Find the right manager, and you could make a fortune - those were the words that inspired many of us.

Indeed, Vanguard itself has its share of good, actively managed funds; Bogle was instrumental in starting many of them, too. Most notably, he commissioned Wellington Management and Primecap to each mange several Vanguard funds.

A Young Bogle Draws His Plan

The son of a World War I veteran who lost his fortune in the Great Depression, Bogle was a man who always watched his nickels and dimes. Born in 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey, he won a scholarship to the Blair Academy, where he was voted "most likely to succeed" by his classmates. Even then he showed an unusual aptitude with numbers. In later years, a colleague at Vanguard said Bogle could run his finger down a lengthy column of numbers and instantly point out a mistake.

Story continues

He won a scholarship to Princeton University, where he waited on tables to make ends meet. Bogle's senior thesis, penned in 1951, offered a stunningly accurate roadmap of the future course of his life. Everything he did was basically laid out in his thesis.

"Investment companies should be operated in the most efficient, honest, and economical way possible," a young Bogle wrote. "Future growth can be maximized by reducing sales charges and management fees," he posited. "The principal role of the investment company should be to serve its shareholders."

Such thinking was anathema on Wall Street at the time. (Indeed, in many ways, it still is.) Stock brokers charged huge commissions on stock trades. Mutual funds typically imposed large front-end loads, up to 8.5%, and annual fees of well more than 1%.

But Bogle opened the door to another way to run a fund company. By charging dirt-cheap fees, Vanguard's funds gained ground on their rivals. As the low-cost advantage attracted more investment dollars, Vanguard could afford to cut its prices further, continuing the cycle.

What's more, Bogle brought to Vanguard the radical notion that a mutual fund firm should be run like a mutual insurance company. Its customers (investors) should be the owners of the funds; thus, only one set of shareholders could profit from them. Vanguard had no outside shareholders, so it had no incentive to turn a profit and could run its funds "at cost" for shareholders.

"If a statue is ever erected to honor the person who has done the most for American investors, the hands-down choice should be Jack Bogle," Warren Buffett once said. Indeed, a statue of Bogle has stood for years on the Vanguard campus in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

After college, Bogle went to work at Wellington Management, rising through the ranks to become president in 1967. That same year, Bogle made one of his first few major missteps - a merger with an aggressive set of managers in the "Go-Go" 1960s. When the bottom fell out of the market in the early 1970s, the firm's funds crashed, too. Bogle was fired in 1974.

While Wellington ended Bogle's role in investment management of the firm, he was allowed to take many of the administrative and back-office functions with him to the firm he created in September 1974, Vanguard. That made it easy for Bogle to return to the subject of his senior thesis: index funds. On Aug. 31, 1976, he launched First Index Investment Trust, which later was renamed Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFIAX).

Bogle Cheats Death, Again and Again

John Bogle's accomplishments came despite terrible health. He had at least six heart attacks, with the first at age 31. Doctors told him he wouldn't live past age 40. In typical Bogle fashion, he fired his doctors and consulted others.

When he played squash, Bogle first instructed his opponent on how to use a defibrillator, in case Bogle had another cardiac event. In 1980, Bogle collapsed on the court and went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, his opponent that day was a physician, who managed to save him.

In a 2014 speech, Bogle recounted an attack he had while rushing for a train. "I said to the guy who found me, 'Look, I'm fine. This happens to me a lot. Can you just get me to the next train to Paoli?'" It may have been that brand of mental toughness (and a little denial) that enabled Bogle to live so long and accomplish so much.

In 1996, Bogle met with a dozen financial journalists, including me, at a luncheon in Manhattan. By then, Bogle was visibly a very sick man. His long fingers curled in odd directions, his face was pale, the lines on his face were deeper than ever.

"My body is broken," he told us. It was clear that Bogle wanted badly to live and equally clear that running Vanguard gave his life meaning. Yet the reality of his illness had finally persuaded even this incredibly stubborn man to step down as CEO. No one at the luncheon thought Bogle would live very long. No one, that is, except perhaps John Bogle himself.

He was hospitalized for more than three months while he awaited a heart transplant. He received the heart of a 26-year-old man and lived more than two decades longer. He died Jan. 16 of cancer.

Bogle remained on Vanguard's board of directors until December 1999, clashing frequently with other directors, and especially with his hand-picked successor, John Brennan. But after he left the board, he was given a small office building with a couple of assistants. He named it the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center, which still operates today.

Steve Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C., area.

EDITOR'S PICKS



Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington EditorsJeremy Clarkson (Credit: PA)

Jeremy Clarkson has admitted that he stacked it on after he quit smoking.

The ex-Top Gear presenter made the comments at a screening of the first of the new series of The Grand Tour.

Last year, the presenter said that after smoking half a million cigarettes over his life, he didnt miss them.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Speaking last night, he asked the audience attending the screening: Anyone here given up smoking? Anyone else get fat, like unbelievably fat, as a result of it? Its just terrifying.

[Its] horrendous. You could float me over a city to stop a bombing raid.

Clarkson gave up smoking in August of 2017 on doctors orders, after suffering a bout of pneumonia and being admitted to hospital during a family holiday in Majorca.

He also suffered blood poisoning.

In a column for the Sunday Times, a month after giving up, he said: I was told, by everyone, that I had to stop. Immediately.

Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson pictured in Mongolia (Credit: Amazon Prime Video)

I had no choice at the time because the blood poisoning was so bad and I was so racked with the resultant rigors that I couldnt work a cigarette lighter.

So now its been a month. Ive pushed it. Ive got drunk. Ive stayed up late. Ive been to bars with smokers and sat outside in a cloud of their exhalations. And so far I havent cracked.

He addd that he had 96 percent of the lung capacity of a man his age, and could breathe out harder and for longer than a non-smoking 40-year-old.

In short, getting on for three-quarters of a million fags have not harmed me in any way. I have quite literally defied medical science, he added.

The Grand Tour returns to Amazon on January 18.

Read more

Clarkson unleashes sweary Brexit rant

Clarkson denies Grand Tour sexism claims

Ex-Bake Off star Perkins wades into Brexit



An American businessman who died in a terrorist attack on a luxury hotel in Nairobi had missed by only minutes being at his office in the World Trade Center on 9/11, according to his father.

Jason Spindler of Houston was among 21 people killed Tuesday when gunmen attacked the DustitD2 complex in the Kenyan capital, the State Department confirmed Thursday. Five militants died in the assault.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which carried out an attack five years ago on another hotel in Nairobi that killed 67 people, has claimed responsibility for the latest deadly assault.

"These craven attacks are a stark reminder of why the United States remains resolved in our fight to defeat terrorism," Robert Palladino, deputy spokesman at the State Department. said late Wednesday. "We stand with the Kenyan government and people as they confront violent extremism and work to bring the perpetrators to justice."

Spindler, a former Peace Corps volunteer, was the CEO and managing director of I-DEV International, a San Francisco-based strategy and investment firm with an office in Nairobi.

This undated photo provided by I-DEV international shows Jason Spindler in Nairobi, Kenya. DEV International confirmed that Spindler, the company's co-founder and managing director, was killed Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, when gunmen staged a deadly attack on a luxury hotel and shopping complex in Nairobi.

Spindler's father, Joseph, told the Associated Press the Nairobi attack was his son's second encounter with terrorism.

A 2000 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Spindler had been working at a financial firm at the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. On the morning of the 9/11 attack, he was running late that morning, emerging from the subway when the first tower fell, according to the elder Spindler. Jason became covered in dust and debris as he tried to help others, he said.

Kevin Yu, his college roommate, told The Washington Post that Spindler had been so deeply affected by 9/11 that he left investment banking, pursued a law degree at New York University and later moved abroad to concentrate on social entrepreneurship.

It is with a heavy heart that I have to report that my brother Jason Spindler passed away this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi, Kenya," his brother Jonathan wrote on Facebook, according to Reuters. "Jason was a survivor of 9-11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell!

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jason Spindler, U.S. businessman killed in Nairobi terrorist attack, had survived 9/11Legendary actress and political activist Jane Fonda visited Jimmy Kimmel Live!. And while she was there she voiced some of her concerns surrounding the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Fonda said, "We need a wall of every single citizen of the United States, a good wall, that keeps the White House away from the Mueller investigation." Fonda is concerned that President Trump's Attorney General nominee William Barr might not release the results of Mueller's report. Fonda said, "We have every single right to know what the results of that investigation is. And if there's some law that gives someone the right to edit the results, we have to change the law." During Barr's recent confirmation hearing he said in written testimony, "It is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel's work." But there are loopholes that would enable Barr to block or edit what is shared publicly. Which is why Fonda called for all Americans to unite and ensure the truth is revealed, even if they have to build a wall around the White House. Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! for free on Yahoo View.MILAN (Reuters) - A cheaper alternative project for a high-speed rail link between Italy and France "is not on the table", Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in an interview published in the La Stampa newspaper on Thursday. Italy's government asked a commission to carry out a cost-benefit analysis to decide whether to complete the rail link, a project that has divided ruling parties in the country. Conte said the government might evaluate an alternative project "as long as it is solid and doable". The prime minister also commented on Italy's budget, saying that although global growth was not favorable, it was too early to talk about a budget correction. (Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; editing by Darren Schuettler)BERLIN (Reuters) - Iran is harming Europe's efforts to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear accord with actions such as the case of suspected espionage involving a member of the German military, veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said on Thursday. But Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, warned against any move by Europe to join Washington in withdrawing from the agreement, since the accord was intended solely to halt Iran's nuclear program and did not address other behavior in the region or spying. Germany, which together with France has led efforts to keep the agreement in place, expressed grave concern this week to a senior Iranian diplomat about the case of an Afghan-German man who was arrested on Tuesday for suspected espionage. "The foreign ministry addressed the case unmistakably with the manager of the Iranian embassy on Jan. 15 and expressed our grave concern about the suspected intelligence activities," a ministry source said. Ischinger, a former German ambassador in Washington, condemned Iran's actions, but said it was illusory to think that Iran or other governments would curb their espionage activities even if there was a formal agreement covering such actions. "Iran should be smart enough to realize that is shooting itself in the foot because it is harming the political mood surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) ... but that is no reason to rip up the agreement," he said. Iran's actions in Germany and elsewhere were raising political concerns and overshadowing efforts to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive, he said. Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif will be one of more than 100 heads of state and other senior world leaders at this year's Munich Security Conference, to be held in Munich Feb 15-17, Ischinger said. Leaders planning to attend include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and senior officials including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Saudi State Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he added. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Editing by William Maclean)On Thursday, the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier for Apple, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), published its Q4 2018 earnings which has raiseed further concerns over slowing iPhone sales.

According to The Street, the weak results raised even more concerns about the state of iPhone sales, especially after the chipmaker forewarned that its near-term sales would experience its most substantial plunge10 years.

Slowing Smartphone Demand is to Blame, Again

Besides sharply falling global demand for smartphones has also been falling sharply. Coupled with the excess inventory across the supply chain and a slowing global economy, has put much pressure over chip manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics.

Lora Ho, CFO at TSMC said in a statement:

Moving into first quarter 2019, we anticipate our business will be dampened by the overall weakening of the macroeconomic outlook, mobile product seasonality, and high levels of inventory in the semiconductor supply chain.

According to TSMCs chairman, Mark Liu, the decline in premium smartphone demand came a little bit sudden. The companys Q1 2019 expectations mark a sharp 14% decline in revenue  its lowest since 2009.

Unlike TSMC and Apples CEO Tim Cook, local analysts seem to believe that slowing demand for smartphones and ongoing global trading uncertainty are the least-contributing factors for these declines, as CCN recently reported. According to them, demand for non-premium but equally powerful devices has risen sharply.

Apple to Cut Costs with Hiring Reductions

Source: Twitter @tim_cook

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, after an unsuccessful attempt to reach its December quarterly revenue target, Apple has been planning to cut back on hiring for some divisions.

The companys CEO Tim Cook reportedly broke the news to its employees as questions about a hiring freeze were raised during its recent meeting to discuss its revised Q1 2019 targets.

Story continues

Despite that as well as Apples recent struggles and a declining stock price, the company has been adopting aggressive measures to reinforce its presence in the medical sector.

Series 4 Apple Watch with Medicare Plans?

According to a recent, Apple has been in talks with no less than three private Medicare plan providers in hopes to subsidize its Series 4 for adults above the age of 65. So far, no deals have been reported.

This move shouldnt come as a surprise, especially after the recent addition of fall detection and an electrocardiogram to its watch. These features have the potential to save insurers hefty-priced hospital visits, save the lives of the elderly as well as bring revenue to Apple.

Could 5G Smartphones Save The Market?

Some analysts believe that peoples expectations for innovation are very high, and the past few years there has been very little of that, especially when it comes to Apple.

There are few bright spots this year, and 5G smartphones will only become more common next year. High-performance computing will not be able to offset the smartphone slowdown, according to Mark Li, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.

How the market develops over the upcoming years will depend on the outcome of the ongoing US-China trade war as well as various other global economic struggles.



The post iPhone Chipmaker TSMC Forecasts its Biggest Sales Drop in 10 Years appeared first on CCN.

Traffic congestion on a motorway near the Northern Ireland border. Photo: PA

A no-deal Brexit could force British drivers in the EU and Irish drivers in Northern Ireland to carry additional documents, insurers have warned.

The special green insurance cards are internationally recognised and will prove to authorities that a given vehicle has adequate motor insurance cover.

The warning by British and Irish insurers comes in spite of European insurance bodies already agreeing to waive the green card requirement in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as that agreement has not yet been approved by the European Commission.

EU regulations require motorists from outside the bloc to carry these documents as proof of insurance, and British authorities will introduce a similar requirement for those from outside the UK.

The documents typically remain valid for the duration of a given insurance policy.

READ MORE: Ireland steps up no-deal planning amid Westminster chaos

As it looks increasingly possible that a no-deal Brexit may happen, we want all insurance customers to know the facts about what this means for them, said Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British Insurers.

The requirement will prove a thorny issue in Ireland, where motorists routinely drive across the seamless border with Northern Ireland several times a day.

Statistics suggest that the border in Northern Ireland sees approximately 110 million crossings each year.

If you live in Northern Ireland and drive to the Republic of Ireland, or if you plan to drive your vehicle to mainland Europe after a no-deal Brexit, you will need a green card to prove you are insured, Evans said.

READ MORE: What exactly is a no-deal Brexit?

Insurers have advised that drivers should apply for a card at least a month in advance of requiring one. Brokers will begin issuing the documents to policyholders from March, ahead of the UKs withdrawal from the EU on 29 March.

After that point, Irish-registered motorists wishing to drive in the UK, and UK-registered drivers wishing to drive in Ireland and the rest of the EU, should expect to have to carry the document when doing so.

Story continues

Motorists may also be required to carry an international driving permit to drive within each jurisdiction in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with the UK government already planning to offer these documents at post offices from next month.

Neither document will be required if the UK ends up signing a Brexit deal with the EU.

Our hope is that a deal will be agreed between the UK and the EU, meaning there will be no disruption to the motor insurance status quo for those travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and UK, said David Fitzgerald, CEO of the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland.Weve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So well take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Megaport Limited (ASX:MP1).

What Is Insider Buying?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers.

View our latest analysis for Megaport

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The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Megaport

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by Founder & Executive Chairman Bevan Slattery for AU$25m worth of shares, at about AU$3.75 per share. That means that even when the share price was slightly below the current price of AU$3.81, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. While their view may have changed since they sold, this isnt a particularly bullish sign. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price. It is worth noting that this sale was only 20.1% of Bevan Slatterys holding.

Over the last year, we note insiders sold 6.67m shares worth AU$25m. All up, insiders sold more shares in Megaport than they bought, over the last year. They sold for an average price of about AU$3.75. Its not ideal to see that insiders have sold at around the current price. Since insiders sell for many reasons, we wouldnt put too much weight on it. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Story continues

ASX:MP1 Insider Trading January 16th 19

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership of Megaport

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that Megaport insiders own 28% of the company, worth about AU$126m. Weve certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Megaport Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Megaport insider transactions recently certainly doesnt bother us. Its great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back at the last year, we dont gain confidence from the Megaport insiders selling. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Megaport, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

If you would prefer to check out another company  one with potentially superior financials  then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.Georgia and India Finish Study on Free Trade Agreement Expediency

By Tea Mariamidze

Georgia and India are taking further steps to establish a free trade agreement to facilitate access to the markets and boost bilateral business and trade.The sides held a meeting on January 12, where the results of the research on free trade agreement (FTA) expediency were discussed. The study was conducted by the joint working group, set up with the purpose of revealing the possible benefits for both sides, in case the agreement is signed.The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Genadi Arveladze and the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India Bidyut Behari Swain, Head of the official delegation of the Republic of India, Chaired the meeting in Tbilisi.During the meeting the sides signed a document on completion of the research, which reads that in case of the free trade deal, export from Georgia to India will increase in the fields of metallurgical products, medical products, wine and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, processed agricultural products, etc.Import from India is predicted to increase in the field of cement, ores, mineral fuels, plastics, electrical equipment and other products.In the field of services, the study revealed that mutual beneficial trading potential exists in business and professional services, telecommunication, computer, tourism, audio-visual and other sectors.On the basis of the conclusion of the working group, Georgia and India agreed to implement the relevant procedures for the purpose of launching free trade negotiations.If the free trade deal is reached Georgian entrepreneurs will have access to Indias market that boasts a total of 1.3 billion consumers.So far Georgia has free trade deals with Turkey, the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries - Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein - and with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.Georgia also signed a free trade deal with China and Hong Kong.It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Inchcape plc (LON:INCH).

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers.

Check out our latest analysis for Inchcape

Want to help shape the future of investing tools and platforms? Take the survey and be part of one of the most advanced studies of stock market investors to date.

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Inchcape

Chairman of the Board Nigel Stein made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK202k worth of shares at a price of UK7.61 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We generally consider it a positive if insiders have been buying on market, even above the current price.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 30.70k shares worth UK230k. But they sold 22.24k for UK166k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Inchcape insiders. Their average price was about UK7.49. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price of UK5.81 attractive. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Story continues

LSE:INCH Insider Trading January 17th 19

Inchcape is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Are Inchcape Insiders Buying Or Selling?

Over the last three months, weve seen a bit of insider buying at Inchcape. Insiders bought UK6.7k worth of shares in that time. We like it when there are only buyers, and no sellers. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own.

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon its a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Inchcape insiders own about UK43m worth of shares. That equates to 1.9% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Inchcape Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insider purchases have outweighed sales, in the last three months. But the net investment is not enough to encourage us much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we dont see anything to make us think Inchcape insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Inchcape.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.Donald Trump has denied the House Speaker the use of a military aircraft - Barcroft Media

Donald Trump has denied a military aircraft for the most senior Democrat in the House of Representatives shortly before she was due to embark on a series of overseas trips.

The US president hit back at Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, a day after she told him to delay his State of the Union address until after the government shutdown was over.

Mrs Pelosi sent a letter to the president on Wednesday demanding that he either push back the January 29 speech or simply submit a written version of what he wanted to say to Congress.

"Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed," Mr Trump wrote in a retaliatory letter on Thursday.

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"In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I'm sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate."

"We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over."

Mrs Pelosi, a 78-year-old congresswoman from California, has been at loggerheads with Mr Trump, 72, throughout the shutdown, trading barbs and attempting to pin the blame on each others party.

Mrs Pelosi cited security concerns over her calls for Mr Trump to delay his speech, saying that the Secret Service and Homeland Security - which both help keep the event safe  had been partly hamstrung by the lack of funding.

Nancy Pelosi is the most senior figure in the House of Representatives Credit: Reuters

The State of the Union address is one of the most prominent Washington events of the calendar, seeing a president speak to almost every member of the capitals political elite.

Every congressmen and senator is invited to the speech, delivered in the House, as well as Supreme Court judges, members of the presidents cabinet and foreign ambassadors.

Security is extremely tight, with the roads around the US Capitol closed off in the hours before the speech.

Air Force bus meant to transport Speaker of the Pelosi and other members of Congress to flight to Afghanistan sits in front of House of Representatives in Washington Credit: Reuters

Mrs Pelosi wrote in her letter: Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government reopens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has reopened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to Congress on January 29.

Story continues

The move was an apparent attempt to force focus of the shutdown, the longest in US history, back onto Mr Trump while also denying the president a prominent stage from which to chastise Democrats over the impasse.

The president's letter to Mrs Pelosi

Some 800,000 federal government workers are affected, with around half working for free and the other half sent home without pay. A quarter of the government is impacted.

The US president has insisted he will sign no spending bill that would reopen government unless it includes $5.7 billion for construction of his Mexico border wall  a key campaign pledge.

The Democrats, who hold the majority in the House, have refused to give Mr Trump his $5.7 billion and insist they will not talk about immigration reform until the government is back open.

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But while the nation's two most powerful leaders appeared to be engaged in a game of Constitutional one-upmanship, some lawmakers were unimpressed.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham tweeted: "One sophomoric response does not deserve another."Jilmar Ramos-Gomez was born and raised in Grand Rapids, joining the U.S. Marines after high school and becoming a decorated veteran who served in Afghanistan.

But despite his service  and despite being a U.S. citizen  Ramos-Gomez was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials for deportation after he was arrested on trespassing charges, said immigration attorneys. ICE and county officials had confused Ramos-Gomez, 27, with being an immigrant even though he had his U.S. passport and other ID on him at the time of his arrest.

Last month, after Ramos-Gomez was released on bond, ICE officials transported him from Kent County jail to an immigrant detention center in Calhoun County. He was set to be deported, until his mother contacted an attorney to rescue him from jail.

The detention has outraged his family and civil rights attorneys who say it's an example of how immigration and county officials have become overzealous in immigration enforcement. They also say it's an example of racial profiling of Latinos by immigration officials, and police.

Advocates with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center sent a letter Wednesday to Kent County officials asking for documents and information about what exactly happened to the veteran Marine.

"I don't feel good about what they did to my son," Maria Gomez-Velaquez, his mother, told the Free Press during a phone interview. "They were not listening to my son even though he had ID on him. It's not right. My son is from here, he's born here, a United States citizen. He served in the Marines, the military, but they don't care what my son did for his country."

Officials with ICE, Kent County Sheriff, and Calhoun County Sheriff could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Kent County Undersheriff Chuck DeWitt told the Associated Press that ICE had contacted them to hold Ramos-Gomez. "Once he was released from our custody, he was under the domain of ICE. Where they take him is their process," DeWitt said. "Our procedures were followed."

Story continues

Former Marine has PTSD, episodes

Ramos-Gomez served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014 as a tank crewman and lance corporal. He was awarded a a global war on terrorism service medal, national defense service medal, an Afghanistan campaign medal, and a combat action ribbon, among other awards, said the ACLU.

"But when he returned home, he was a shell of his former self, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after what he had seen," according to an ACLU letter to Kent County officials. "His family reports that he is focused on returning for his Marine brothers in Afghanistan."

Ramos-Gomez developed some symptoms of PTSD after his service in Afghanistan and has "episodes where he disappears and when he is found again, he often has no recollection of where he has been," the letter stated.

On Nov. 21, he was arrested after "apparently damaging a fire alarm at Spectrum Health (in Grand Rapids) and trespassing on the heliport," said the letter by his supporters. "The police report shows that Mr. Ramos-Gomez had his passport on him when he was arrested."

He pleaded guilty to trespassing and on Dec. 14, a judge ordered him to be released on a personal bond. His mother, an immigrant from Guatemala, then went to pick him up from the jail.

When she arrived, she was told that ICE had put him on a bus to the immigrant detention center in Calhoun County in Battle Creek, more than an hour away.

More: 'They treated us like we are animals:' ICE drops more migrants at bus station as churches are overloaded

More: ICE dumped hundreds of immigrants in downtown El Paso  apparently by mistake

The mother told them they made a mistake, that her son was a U.S. citizen who had lived in the U.S. his entire life. But moments later, she saw the immigration bus in the parking lot, leaving for Battle Creek with her son inside.

"I felt like I was ready to have a heart attack," said Gomez-Velaquez. "I saw my son going in an immigration van and I don't believe it. I thought it's a joke."

She then contacted an attorney, but since it was a Friday, her son was held there over the weekend.

On Monday, the attorney showed up and convinced them to release Ramos-Gomez after saying he had documents that clearly showed he was a U.S. citizen.

Why detain a U.S. citizen?

Ramos-Gomez's mother wants answers. "What did they do to my son?" she said.

Ramos-Gomez is currently staying at a hospital recuperating from PTSD issues, which his attorneys worry may have been made worse by his experience being detained by immigration officials.

"It is appalling that ICE would be so sloppy and callous and careless that they would target a U.S. citizen, a combat veteran who served his country and try to deport him from the very country he is serving," said Miriam Aukerman, a senior attorney at the ACLU of Michigan. "It is absolutely outrageous."

Hillary Scholten, an attorney with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said this case illustrates problems with what is known as the immigration detainers, in which ICE requests that local jails hold inmates beyond their release date if they are immigrants that officials want to detain and deport.

Immigrant advocates say that system is unconstitutional and leads to abuses. In Wayne County, the sheriff ended the detainer system in 2017 after concerns were raised by civil rights activists.

Aukerman said local "jails should not volunteer resources to work with a deportation machinery that is sloppy, overzealous and makes mistakes with frightening frequency."

In the case of Ramos-Gomez, "he was supposed to be released, but Kent County held him for ICE," said Scholten.

Scholten said that county officials in Kent say that they are merely doing what ICE asked of them, but she said it's unclear how ICE arrived at the conclusion that Ramos-Gomez was an immigrant who should be detained. Who gave the information to ICE?, she asked. Or, she said, did ICE confuse him with another person?

According to a report last year in the Los Angeles Times, the problem of ICE detaining U.S. citizens is widespread, with ICE "agents repeatedly targeting U.S. citizens for deportation by mistake, making wrongful arrests based on incomplete government records, bad data and lax investigations."

More: Feds targeting more worksites crack down on undocumented workers  but not their employers

This case also highlights the issue of Latinos who are U.S. citizens being profiled. The Free Press has reported how citizens who are Latinos are sometimes randomly stopped and interrogated by federal agents.

"It's fair to say it would be extremely unlikely that a Caucasian detainee would end up in immigration proceedings" like Gomez-Ramos, who is Latino, did, said Aukerman.

While the mother of Gomez-Ramos is an immigrant from Guatemala, it's unclear what country ICE wanted to deport Ramos-Gomez to.

The ACLU's letter asks Kent County to provide an explanation of what happened to Gomez-Ramos at their next County Commission meeting on Jan. 24. "Ramos-Gomez, his family, and the public all deserve to know how and why the Sheriffs Department delivered Mr. Ramos-Gomez to ICE," the letter reads.

"Kent County is definitely very much at fault," said Scholten. "They can't just blindly follow what ICE asks them to do."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ICE tried to deport a U.S.-born Marine, and his mom wants to know whyA hotel dishwasher has been awarded $21.5m (16.5m) by a jury which found her former employer violated her religious rights by having her work on Sundays before she was fired.

Marie Jean Pierre had worked for almost six years at the Conrad Miami hotel, when a kitchen manager demanded Pierre she work on Sundays in 2015.

A member of the Soldiers of Christ Church, a Catholic missionary group that helps the poor, the 60-year-old felt unable to do so because of her religious beliefs, her lawsuit claimed.

Park Hotels & Resorts  formerly known as Hilton Worldwide told the US District Court in Miami that they were not informed about this and did not know why she requested Sundays off. They had nonetheless accomodated her request.

The mother of six was initially allowed to switch shifts with coworkers to avoid working on Sundays and sought a letter from her pastor to explain the situation, he lawsuit claimed.

However, she was fired in 2016 Pierre for alleged misconduct, negligence, and unexcused absences.

She launched her lawsuit the following year or violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Under the law, employment discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin is banned.

The jury agreed with Ms Pierre's claim, but although they awarded millions, her lawyer Marc Brumer said the jury was not aware of the cap and the actual amount his client will receive is more likely to be in the range of $500,000 (385,000).

The woman worked at the Conrad Miami until 2016

They thought that they punished Hilton hotel with $21m, he said, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

In addition to the damages awarded, the jury also found Pierre was due $35,000 (27,000) in back wages and $500,000 (385,000) for emotional pain and mental anguish.

However, according to the lawsuit,

A Hilton spokesperson told The Independent in a statement: We were very disappointed by the jurys verdict, and dont believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law. During Ms Pierres 10 years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments.

We intend to appeal, and demonstrate that the Conrad Miami was and remains a welcoming place for all guests and employees.While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE) and why it is important. By way of learning-by-doing, well look at ROE to gain a better understanding of Helvetia Holding AG (VTX:HELN).

Our data shows Helvetia Holding has a return on equity of 7.3% for the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every CHF1 worth of equity in the company, it was able to earn CHF0.073.

Check out our latest analysis for Helvetia Holding

Want to help shape the future of investing tools and platforms? Take the survey and be part of one of the most advanced studies of stock market investors to date.

How Do I Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit  Shareholders Equity

Or for Helvetia Holding:

7.3% = 401.324531  CHF5.7b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2018.)

Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is all the money paid into the company from shareholders, plus any earnings retained. Shareholders equity can be calculated by subtracting the total liabilities of the company from the total assets of the company.

What Does ROE Mean?

Return on Equity measures a companys profitability against the profit it has kept for the business (plus any capital injections). The return is the yearly profit. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, all else equal, investors should like a high ROE. That means ROE can be used to compare two businesses.

Does Helvetia Holding Have A Good ROE?

Arguably the easiest way to assess companys ROE is to compare it with the average in its industry. However, this method is only useful as a rough check, because companies do differ quite a bit within the same industry classification. You can see in the graphic below that Helvetia Holding has an ROE that is fairly close to the average for the Insurance industry (7.1%).

Story continues

SWX:HELN Last Perf January 17th 19

Thats not overly surprising. ROE tells us about the quality of the business, but it does not give us much of an idea if the share price is cheap. I will like Helvetia Holding better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

How Does Debt Impact Return On Equity?

Most companies need money  from somewhere  to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used.

Helvetia Holdings Debt And Its 7.3% ROE

Helvetia Holding has a debt to equity ratio of 0.28, which is far from excessive. Although the ROE isnt overly impressive, the debt load is modest, suggesting the business has potential. Judicious use of debt to improve returns can certainly be a good thing, although it does elevate risk slightly and reduce future optionality.

The Bottom Line On ROE

Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better.

Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, youll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. The rate at which profits are likely to grow, relative to the expectations of profit growth reflected in the current price, must be considered, too. So you might want to check this FREE visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.

Of course Helvetia Holding may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have high ROE and low debt.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.By George Obulutsa and Baz Ratner NAIROBI (Reuters) - Gunmen blasted their way into a hotel and office complex in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people and sending workers diving under desks to escape an attack claimed by Somalia-based Islamist group al Shabaab. More than 12 hours after the assault began at Nairobi's upscale 14 Riverside Drive complex, bursts of gunfire and blasts were heard in the area, undermining government assurances everything was under control. The shots rang out at around 3:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) as a group of around 150 workers was escorted from a building where they had sought refuge. Many more remained inside and some needed first aid for gunshot wounds, a first responder told Reuters. By 1 a.m. local time, 15 bodies had arrived at Chiromo Mortuary and more were expected, an attendant told Reuters. Identification papers indicated that 11 were Kenyan, one was American and one was British, he said. The other two were not carrying documents. A U.S. State Department official confirmed one of the victims was American. "We can confirm that a U.S. citizen was killed in the attack," the official said without giving further details. Kenya's Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i had said at 11 p.m. that all buildings at the scene had been secured and scores of people evacuated. But he did not comment on the attackers' whereabouts and said security forces were still "mopping up". Nairobi is a major hub for expatriates and the compound targeted contained offices of various international companies, in an echo of a deadly 2013 assault on a Nairobi shopping center in the same neighborhood. "The main door of the hotel was blown open and there was a human arm in the street severed from the shoulder," said Serge Medic, the Swiss owner of a security company who ran to the scene to help when he heard of the attack from his taxi driver. Medic, who was armed, entered the building with a policeman and two soldiers, he said, but they came under fire and retreated. An unexploded grenade lay in the lobby, he said. "One man said he saw two armed men with scarves on their head and bandoliers of bullets," Medic told Reuters, as gunfire echoed in the background. Kenya has often been targeted by al Shabaab, who killed 67 people at the Westgate shopping center in 2013 and nearly 150 students at Garissa University in 2015. Al Shabaab says its attacks are revenge for Kenyan troops stationed inside Somalia, which has been riven by civil war since 1991. Earlier in the day, office workers had streamed from the complex, some jumping from windows. Security forces continued to escort small groups to safety into the evening, with some hustled into armored vehicles amid sporadic gunfire. Foreign security advisers at the site scrambled to make sure their clients were safe. GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet said the attack began around 3 p.m. with an explosion targeting cars outside a bank followed by a detonation from a suicide bomber in the hotel lobby. As he spoke, a Reuters reporter on the scene reported heavy gunfire, then an explosion shortly afterwards. Surveillance video showed three attackers dressed in black running across the parking lot at 3:30 p.m. shortly followed by a fourth. At least two of the men were wearing green scarves in the close-up footage. One appeared to be wearing a green belt with grenades on it. Two Kenyans in their early 30s working with governance consultants Adam Smith International were among the dead, a family member said. Both had young families, she said. A Spanish national was among the injured, a Spanish diplomat told Reuters. The U.S. Embassy had offered assistance, a State Department official said, adding all American diplomats were safe. A woman shot in the leg was carried out of the complex, and several men emerged covered in blood. Some office workers climbed out of windows. Many told Reuters they had to leave colleagues behind, still huddled under their desks. "There's a grenade in the bathroom," one officer yelled as police rushed out from one building. Geoffrey Otieno, who works at a beauty salon in the complex, said he heard a loud bang from something thrown inside the building, then saw shattered glass. "We hid until we were rescued," he said. Meanwhile, Simon Crump, an Australian who works for an international firm in the complex, barricaded himself inside a spare room with two other people. They waited there for about 2-1/2 hours for help to arrive, their minds racing. "Youre hiding under a desk trying to figure out whats going on, and you just dont know, as theres so much misinformation," he said. When soldiers finally reached the group, they instructed them to put their phones away and put their hands in the air as they made their way to safety. INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES Al Shabaab, which wants to overthrow the weak, United Nations-backed Somali government and impose strict Islamic law, quickly said it was responsible. "We are behind the attack in Nairobi. The operation is going on," Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group's military operations spokesman, told Reuters by telephone in Somalia. According to its website, 14 Riverside is home to local offices of international companies including Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Pernod Ricard, Dow Chemical and SAP, as well as the dusitD2 hotel, part of Thai group Dusit Thani. Kenya is a base for hundreds of diplomats, aid workers, businessmen and others operating around East Africa. The Australian Embassy is across the road from the compound. "I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives," a woman working in a bank in the complex said, adding she heard two explosions. Kenyan television featured appeals for blood from local hospitals and showed police cordoning off the route to ensure vehicles could move quickly. Red Cross ambulances ferried victims away. Kenyan troops, concentrated in southern Somalia, originally entered the country to try to create a buffer zone along the shared border. They now form part of an African Union peacekeeping force. The attack took place as a Kenyan court prepares to sentence four men accused of aiding the Westgate mall attack. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld, David Lewis, John Ndiso, Hereward Holland, Humphrey Malalo and Duncan Miriri in Nairobi, Feisal Omar in Mogadishu; David Brunnstrom in Washington; Joan Faus in Madrid and Martinne Geller in London; writing by Katharine Houreld and Alexandra Zavis; editing by Robin Pomeroy, Andrew Cawthorne, William Maclean, James Dalgleish and G Crosse)

Abstract: As power consumption of the internet has been growing quickly in recent years, saving energy has be- come an important problem of networking research. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) brings excellent opportunities to improve network performance and reduce energy consumption by flexible centralized control. However, due to budget constraints and technique limitations, ISPs can upgrade only a limited number of conventional switches in backbone networks to SDN devices at one time. In this paper, we propose one heuristic scheme for incrementally deploy SDN switches in hybrid SDNs, the objective of which is to achieve energy saving by rerouting the flows to shut down idle links and switches as many as possible. Our solution can achieve two objectives: 1) maximizing the network control ability with a given SDN switches upgrading budget constraint, and 2) maximizing energy saving by shutting down idle links and switches with deployed SDN switches. The results of evaluations show that our scheme can achieve 95% of the number of flows controlled with only 10% of upgrading cost, and it also can achieve saving more about 10% of the total power consumption when compared to the existing solutions.

Key words: Software-Defined Networking, Switch deployment, Energy saving, Network management.

1 Introduction

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technique is widely used in recent years, and it separates the network control plane from the packet forwarding plane and provides applications with an ab- stracted centralized view of the distributed network state [1]. Mi- crosoft, Google, Amazon and other companies deploy their SDNs and obtain a lot of benefits [2]. At the same time, energy con- sumption from the data centers and ISP networks is increasing fast. With the expansion of network scale, energy consumption is even demonstrated to surpass the equipment cost. The work [3] points out that the ratio of Internet energy consumption accounts for up to 10% of the worldwide energy consumption. Therefore, energy saving is important not only for economical and environmental reasons, but also for the sustainable growth of Internet, due to the challenges imposed by power delivery to and heat removal from giant data centers [4,5]. Besides, SDN switches cannot be deployed at one time due to the funding and technical constraints. So it is a good method to solve the issue of energy saving using the incre- mental deployment of SDN switches.

Generally speaking, the network upgrade is a complex opera- tion. ISPs consider not only the budget constraints but also the normal network operation [6,7]. Thus, it is not practical to up- grade all network devices (e.g., switches and routers) in networks to SDN devices at one time. In the existing work [1,8C10], the au- thors state that the SDN switches and the current Internet can co- exist with each other, and the SDN networks can be incrementally deployed to the Internet. Therefore, ISPs should trade off finan- cial consideration and the network control ability (NCA) to deploy1 SDN switches in existing networks [11]. The hybrid SDNs, which are composed of SDN devices and traditional network equipment, will coexist during a long time [12]. Network operators must be able to incrementally deploy SDN switches in order to control and manage the network more flexibly.

Energy consumed by network devices such as switches is not in proportion to the utilization of its links, which means energy consumption is high compared to the amount of carried traffic in the network. On the whole, energy efficiency of the Internet is very low [13,14]. Generally speaking, turning on a switch consumes most of its power, and getting the utilization of a link from idle to full only consumes an extra 8 percent of power [15]. Although all the nodes are active all the time, it is shown that at most 40% percent of the capacities of links are used [16]. Therefore, we can turn off links and switches that are unnecessary in the network to save energy. Having a global network view, the SDN controller is able to determine the power sates and routing decisions in the net- work. Moreover, the SDN controller can install flow table entries on switches to encapsulate Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) la- bels for each packet to indicate the routing information of forward- ing path. We can achieve the purpose of energy saving by precisely controlling the forwarding path of each flow using SDN controller. Moreover, under the constraints of capital and manpower, the de- ployment of SDN requires an extended period. So we can solve the issue of energy saving using the incremental deployment of SDN switches.

* Corresponding author.

E-mail addresses: jxy14@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn (X. Jia),

jiangy@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn, 1079596796@qq.com, jiangy@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn (Y. Jiang), sgb16@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn (G. Shen).

Our objective is to minimize network energy consumption by deploying SDN switches under the budget constraint. To achieve the efficient energy saving, we are faced with two challenges: 1) given a limited number of SDN switches, how to incrementally de- ploy them to achieve the maximum NCA improvement. 2) Fixed SDN switches deployment location, how to maximize energy sav- ings by rerouting the flows. Because of the distributed control in traditional networks, it is difficult to coordinate between devices. But in SDN networks the SDN controller can precisely control the flow path by encapsulating MPLS labels to packets. In this way, we propose the Exact Path Control (EPC), which is the flow-level explicit path control scheme to turn off links and switches that are unnecessary in the network to save energy. Moreover, the ad- vantage of the flexible segment routing among SDN switches con- tributes to the energy saving. The main contributions of our work can be summarized as follows:

1) We formulate an optimization problem to achieve the max- imum NCA with little upgrading cost. We prove that the problem is NP-hard, and give a heuristic algorithm to solve it with low complexity. Our scheme can achieve the minimum number of SDN switches to achieve the maximum NCA im- provement in a network [17,18].

2) We formulate the question that maximize energy saving with the fixed position of SDN switches deployed. We analyze the complexity of the question. Based on the deployment of SDN switches, we propose EPC to save more energy than other schemes by rerouting the flows.

3) The results of the evaluation show that our scheme can achieve 95% of the number of flows controlled with only 10% upgrading cost, and it also can achieve saving about 10% of the total power consumption when compared to the existing solutions.

The rest of the paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, we discuss some related works. In Section 3, we illustrate the motiva- tion and overview of the paper. Section 4 describes the issue and formulates it as an optimization issue. In Section 5, we prove that the problems are NP-hard, and also present a heuristic scheme to solve the questions. In Section 6, by comparing with the previous algorithms, our scheme can achieve better performance with few footprints. Section 7 concludes the paper.

2 Related Works

Some existing works propose deploying SDN switches to achieve network security, load balancing and traffic scheduling [9,19,20]. Dan Levin et al. [21] deploy SDN switches in enterprise networks using VLANs and switch ports to enable each flow to go through at least one SDN switch. The scheme is limited by the number of VLANs, and has a long path stretch. In [1], the objec- tive of the authors is to develop a SDN deployment scheme that can dynamically manage traffic in a network to accommodate dif- ferent traffic patterns. The solution has high complexity and is not feasible to use in backbone networks. Chu et al. [9] propose an approach to guarantee traffic reachability in the presence of any single link failure. By redirecting traffic on the failed link to SDN switches through pre-configured IP tunnels, the proposed approach can react quickly to the failures. With the help of coordination among SDN switches, it is able to explore multiple backup paths for traffic recovery. However, it increases the controller burden for complex pre-computed and wastes the flow table entries for pre- configured.

There have been a number of works focused on saving energy in traditional networks. The energy saving issues of OSPF protocol is studied in [13], where a novel network-level strategy is proposed to save energy based on a modification of current link-state rout- ing protocols, such as OSPF; according to this strategy, IP routers are able to power off some network links during low traffic pe- riods. But the solution in [13] is only a subset of router Shortest Path Trees (SPTs) that used to select the routing paths. In [4], the IP routers perform the shortest path routing using the distribute OSPF link weight optimization. While the SDN switches perform the multi-path routing with traffic flow splitting by the global SDN controller. They propose the scheme HEATE witch finds the opti- mal setting of OSPF link weight and splitting ratio of SDNs. Thus the traffic flow is aggregated onto partial links and the under uti- lized links can be turned off to save energy. Because [14] describe that after deciding on the values of the weights, a human opera- tor needs to change the IGP configuration on one or more routers, moreover, the scheme HEATE is based on [14] to develop the sys- tem. Thus, HEATE cannot run in the backbone environment.

In [3], the authors propose an energy-aware routing and re- source management model for large-scale networks based on SDN switches deployment. The controller of witch uses pre-established multi-paths (PMPs) and perform routing, admission control based on these paths. PMPs are turned on or off based on traffic conditions to save energy. However, they routing the flows by predefined fixed path that only connect ingress (IRs) with egress routers (ERs). So this path-based energy saving program is not flexible enough. In [22], Semu Tadesse et al. propose an effective way to achieve such a goal is to act on the backhaul network by control- ling the nodes operational state and the allocation of traffic flows. Their scheme, named EMMA, aims to both turn off idle nodes and concentrate traffic on the smallest possible set of links, which in its turn increases the number of idle nodes. In [23], B. Rawat et al. present various security threats that are resolved by SDN and new threats that arise as a result of SDN implementation. They also pro- vide a survey on the different strategies that are implemented to achieve energy efficiency and network security through SDN implementation.

In [24], the authors focus on the hybrid SDN network scenario and discuss about the migration algorithms from the perspective of traffic engineering in an ISP network. It mainly concentrates on searching for an optimized migration sequence of the routers in the traditional IP network to minimize the maximum link utilization. But it does not give a specific SDN switch deployment plan and needs to set the switch ports. We deploy the minimum number of SDN switches within budget and achieve almost all of the flows go through at least one SDN switch. In [11], Chu et al. summarize different types of hybrid SDN networks including topology- based, service-based and class-based hybrid SDN networks. They show a number of use cases in which hybrid models can mitigate the respective limitations of traditional and SDN approaches, pro- viding incentives to (partially) transition to SDN. We propose the flow-based scheme that can control almost all the flows by deploying only a small number of SDN switches.

The main idea in [25] is that the controller first chooses the set of routes that minimizes the number of used network equipments for the current traffic, and then they put SDN nodes in sleep mode by putting them in power save mode which also turns off net- work interfaces. The authors consider a typical dynamic traffic of an operator and adapt the numbers of active and inactive network equipments during the day. They reused the idea in [9] to reroute the flows from any node, with a turned off link, to any other node with a direct path towards the destination which does not include a disabled link. The goal is to avoid waiting for the convergence of legacy routing protocols by using tunnels from a node with a failing link to an SDN node which can reach an alternative OSPF shortest path in one hop. Thus, their scheme need to pre-configure the switch in advance, and also need to set a large number of tun- nels. The authors in [15] consider to find minimum-power network subsets in partially deployed SDNs. The objective of this paper is to develop a scheme that is able to dynamically adjust the active network subsets in the partially deployed SDN to satisfy changing traffic loads, as well as to reduce unnecessary energy consumption. The controller is responsible for all the SDN elements power states, but those non-SDN elements power states cannot be operated by the controller. Therefore, the basic idea of their solution is to shut down as many SDN elements as possible, in the condition that the alive network subset can satisfy the traffic demand, so that they can reduce unnecessary energy consumption. But the power states of non-SDN elements cannot be operated by the controller, the total saving energy in the network only include the power consumption of the SDN elements that can be shutdown.

3 Motivation and Overview

Throughout this paper, we try to solve the challenge of how to incrementally deploy SDNs to achieve energy saving. To achieve the efficient energy saving, we are faced with two questions: 1) given a limited number of SDN switches, how to place them to achieve the maximum NCA improvement? 2) Fixed SDN switches deployment location, how to maximize energy savings by rerouting the flows. We first deploy SDN switches to allow almost all of the flows to go through at least one SDN switch. Then we design the EPC algorithm to achieve energy savings by turning off the idle links and switches.

The latest OpenFlow protocol supports MPLS technology [26], and the Push MPLS header actions can push new MPLS headers onto the packet. The controller can install flow table entries on SDN switches to encapsulate MPLS labels for each packet to indicate the routing information of forwarding path. Therefore, we can achieve accurate path control for each flow by encapsulating MPLS in networks. We propose an energy-aware rerouting model for hybrid SDN networks based on MPLS labels. The key is that we can flexibly change the forwarding path of the flows by encapsulating MPLS tags to indicate the forwarding information, and then we shutdown idle links and switches to achieve energy saving. Moreover, we can aggregate the flow table entries based on the segmented routing between SDN switches. Next we show how to deploy SDN switches and how to precisely control the flow path to achieve energy savings in detail.

3.1 Incrementally deploy SDN switches

We cannot deploy SDN switches for the entire network at one- time limited by resource constraint. The key is how to deploy limited SDN switches to achieve maximum NCA improvement. We assume the NCA is the flows that can be flexibly managed by deploying SDN switches in the network [27]. Through investigation we find that there exist key nodes in the WAN and date center that most of the traffic pass through them [9,19]. We can incrementally upgrade the least key nodes that all the flows must go through to improve NCA. The upgrading cost of a network is the total cost for upgrading conventional switches to SDN switches in the network. For switch vi, its cost depends on many factors, such as ni, the number of forwarding ports in the node, and si, the traffic processing speed in the node [28]. For example in Fig. 1, the SDN switch S1, S2, are the key nodes that all the flows of source- destination pairs must pass through them. We propose the Greedy upgrading algorithm to incrementally deploy SDN switches to improve the NCA. After deploying the SDN switches, the SDN controller collects network information and reroutes the flows to optimize the energy saving in the networks.

3.2 Explicit path control to achieve energy saving

In our scheme, the SDN switches rerouting packets based on multiple MPLS labels which take the forwarding ports of switches. The latest OpenFlow protocol supports MPLS technology [26], the Push MPLS header actions can push new MPLS headers onto the packet. When a new MPLS tag is pushed on an IP packet, it is the outermost MPLS tag, inserted as a shim header immediately before any MPLS tags or immediately before the IP header. SDN switches encapsulate multiple MPLS labels for each packet that indicates the forwarding port numbers of switches on its route. Energy saving requires fine-grained flow scheduling to shutdown switches and links. SDN switch achieves fine-grained flow scheduling by encapsulating the MPLS labels to take the forwarding information. Thus, it can save energy by rerouting the flows to turn off the idle links and switches.

For example, Fig. 2 shows an example of using MPLS labels to achieve energy saving in the network. We assume that there are only two flows in the topology, which are f1 from h1 to h3 and f2 from h2 to h3. The path of the flow f1 is {h1, s1, s2, s3, s4, s7, h3}, while the path of the flow f2 is {h2, s5, s6, s7, h3}. The controller selects switch s2 to install flow entries to reroute the flow f1. When the packets of flow f1 enter the SDN switch s2, they are encapsulated with 3 MPLS labels, {2,2,2}, each number indicates a forwarding port of the switch on its route. The packets pop up one MPLS label as a forwarding port of switch when they pass through the switch. The new path of the flow f1 is {h1, s1, s2, s5, s6, s7, h3}. Thus, we can achieve energy saving by turning off the switches s3, s4 and the links s2  s3, s3  s4, and s4  s7. Moreover, unlike traditional network MPLS, there is no need to maintain path state in forwarding path exc

Fig. 2. An example of using MPLS label to achieve energy saving in the network. The controller configures the rerouting path for the flow h1h3 by installing the flow entries at switches s2.

ept on the ingress node, because packets are now routed based on the list of labels they carry [29].

3.3 Flow table aggregation by segment routing

The papers [7,30] propose the segment routing architecture and they detail the operation mechanism of segment routing in wide area networks and data centers. Segment routing also enables finer control of the routing paths and can be used to route traffic through middle boxes. We break up the routing path into segments in order to reduce the flow table entries and improve the flexibility of rerouting. While implementing energy savings, we can aggregate the flow table entries based on the segmented routing between SDN switches. Therefore, we introduce the flow sets to path aggregation and path ID assignment methods based on the coincidence degree of flows on the forwarding paths.

We reused the flow entries by encapsulating the MPLS labels for the flows of those forwarding paths are overlap. Moreover, we also reused the flow entries to pop up the MPLS labels to indicate the switch port number of the forwarding path for the flows. For example, in Fig. 2 we can install a flow table entry at switch s5 to encapsulate MPLS labels for both flow f1 and flow f2 to indicate the forward information.

4 Problem Formulation

The goal of our issue is to achieve energy saving by incremen- tally deploying SDN switches. Firstly, we maximize the NCA with a given SDN switches upgrading budget constraint. Secondly, we maximize energy saving by shutting down idle links and switches with deployed SDN switches. We assume that the SDN forwarding elements are a subset of the nodes in the network. The rest of the nodes in the network run some standard hop-by-hop routing pro- tocol like OSPF [1,31]. Using the information collected by each SDN switch, the SDN controller is able to peer the entire network and be aware of the workload on each link as well as the traffic vol- ume between different source-destination pairs [9]. Then, we can achieve energy saving by flexibly scheduling the flows to turn off links and switches.

We formulate a network as a graph G= (V,E ), where V is the set of nodes, and E is the set of links. Let F denote the set of traffic flows. We use v_i to represent a node in the network, l_{ij} to represent the link between nodes v_i and v_j. Let C_{ij} denote the capacity of link l_{ij}, andf^k_{ij} (f^k_{ij}\in \mathcal{F}) be the size of the k-th flow on link l_{ij}. Let the source and destination nodes of flow f^k_{ij} be s^k and d^k. We use F_{v_i} to denote the set of flows passing through node v_i. The notations for this paper are listed in Table 1.

4.1 Deploying SDN switch to holding more flows

Typically, the NCA of a network is associated with the number of controlled flows in the network. The SDN switch can flexibly control the flows in the networks. Then we improve the NCA by in- crementally deploying SDN switches. In [9], the authors show that the hybrid SDN network can achieve fast recovery and guarantee reachability from any single link failure if the flows pass through at least one designated SDN switch. In [21,32], the authors show that it becomes possible to operate the most of an enterprise net- work for every source-destination path that includes at least one SDN switch. Therefore, the links and switches can be turn off by flexibly rerouting the flows if they traverse at least one SDN switch in hybrid networks. To quantify the performance of a network, we introduce some definitions below:

6 Simulation

In this section, we evaluate our solution against the baseline scheme in network topologies. The simulation results of the fol- lowing algorithms are compared with each other to evaluate the Algorithm 1. The Heuristic scheme is use Algorithm 1 to update nodes to SDN switches. The scheme Degree-first in [32] is to choose the switch v that has the maximum number of links incident to it- self, and then upgrade the switch. The scheme Random randomly selects nodes to upgrade to SDN switches in the network. In order to verify the effect of energy saving by the Algorithms 2 and 3, we compare the scheme EPC to the scheme PLSP [3] and the scheme EA-FA [4].

6.1 Simulation setup

In our simulation, we use two network topologies the ISP 1755 and the ISP 3967 from the Rocketfuel [37,38]. In networks, there may be no communication between some node pairs. Thus, we consider two cases. In Case 1, each node transmits flows to all other nodes, while in Case 2, only a part of node pairs communi- cate with each other. We can get network topologies and infer the link weights of each edge form Rocketfuel [38]. The traffic matrix is the data set obtained from the TOTEM [39] project and obtained by S. Uhlig [40].

6.2 The flows that can be controlled

We propose the Algorithm 1 to solve the problem that incre- mental deployment SDN switches in hybrid networks. Since the flows between node pairs are dynamically generated, and the size of each flow is also dynamic, we use the average control flow num- ber as the experimental parameter [41]. We use  to indicate the percentage of the controlled flows.

6.2.1. Case 1: flows between all nodes.

Fig. 5 shows the results of the problem Max-NCA in ISP 1755 and ISP 3967. Among the three schemes, Random performs the worst. In Fig. 5(a), Random requires 14% cost to improve 55% of , while Heuristic needs only 2% cost. Heuristic needs only 10% cost to realize 98% of  improvement. The advantage of the heuris- tic is obviously better than the Degree-first when the percentage of upgrading cost is less than 8% in Fig. 5(a) or less than 14% in Fig. 5(b). The performance of the heuristic algorithm is best be- cause it first chooses the core node with maximum flow to up- date. Seen from Fig. 5(b), the results of Heuristic also outperform Random and Degree-first. Comparing Fig. 5(a) with Fig. 5(b), we can conclude that with the extending of the network scale, Heuristics advantage is more apparent than Random and Degree-first.

6.2.2. Case 2: flows between certain node pairs.

We compare these results in two instances that 1/3 node pairs have flows to transmit in Fig. 6, and 2/3 node pairs have flows to transmit in Fig. 7. For the two cases, we randomly generate node pairs 100 times and ran our algorithms 100 times to get the average value on a high-performance computer. In networks, the flows are dynamically generated, so the average value of 100 ex- periments is realistic and persuasive.

From Fig. 6, we can see the minimum percentage of SDN switch cost when fixed the proportion of the control flows. The Fig. 6 shows that, when we want to control 95% of the num- ber of flows, we need to upgrade only about 6% of the nodes to SDN switches. Similar to the results of Fig. 5, the Heuristic algo- rithm in Fig. 6 also outperform Degree-first algorithm and Random algorithm. Compared Fig. 6 to Fig. 7, the Heuristic algorithm can achieve good results whether 1/3 node pairs have flows or 2/3 node pairs have flows. In addition, the Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 show that the results of the algorithms are similar even in different topolo- gies. Moreover, the Heuristic is always better than Degree-first and Random in any case. Therefore, our algorithms are universal and extensive.

Since following the heavy-tailed distribution, the percentage of upgrading cost is relatively large when  is equal to 100%.

6.3 Energy saving ratio using the scheme EPC.

We evaluate our solution EPC against the baseline schemes PLSP and EA-FA in network topologies. PLSP assumes that PLSPs are pre- defined, and ingress (IRs) and egress routers (ERs) are connected with each other by PLSPs. Active paths carry network traffic from IRs to ERs and passive paths stay in sleep mode. If controller wants to use them, it actives them by turning on network elements along the path. The main idea of Pre-established Label Switching Paths PLSP is move the traffic to a fewer number of paths. After adjust- ing the users traffic to reasonable paths, it put idle links and line- cards to sleep.

The scheme EA-FA [4] achieves energy efficiency only by per- forms optimizing traffic splitting ratio in SDN-enabled switches. In [4], they also put forward the scheme HEATE, but HEATE cannot be implemented in the networks. Because after deciding on the values of the weights, the scheme HEATE needs an automated system or a human operator to change the IGP configuration on one or more routers [14]. Fig. 8show energy saving ratio increasing with the de- ployment of SDNs for ISP 1755 and ISP 3967 network, respectively. The definition of energy saving ratio in our study is the ratio of formula (6a) computed by proposed scheme to which computed by traditional OSPF protocol. From Fig. 8, we can see that energy saving ratio of all schemes increase rapidly with the increase of deployed SDN-enabled switches in the network. The reason is that with the increase of SDNs, the central SDN controller can control more traffic flows and globally choose the optimal path for them to maximize energy saving. When the number of deployment SDNs is greater than a threshold, the variation of energy saving ratio be- comes relatively flat. This is because when the deployment of SDNs reaches a threshold, an approximately optimal energy saving flow allocation can be achieved. More SDN-enabled switches deployed into the network will make no obvious enhancement in energy saving. As we can see from the Fig. 8, the energy saving perfor- mance of the EPC always outperforms PLSP and EA-FA. Since EA-FA achieves energy efficiency only by performs traffic splitting ratio in SDN-enabled switches, the energy saving ratio is less than the scheme of PLSP when the number of SDN switches deployment is small. PLSP routing the flows by predefined fixed path that only connect ingress (IRs) with egress routers (ERs). Therefore, with the increasing of SDNs deployment, the energy saving ratio of EA-FA is large than PLSP. Seen from the whole view, EPC can save about 10% of the total power consumption on average when compared to the other solutions.

In this group of simulations, we adjust traffic load by chang- ing the number of flows in the network. As result shown in Fig. 9, with the increase of the traffic load in the network, energy saving ratio of all the algorithms are decrease. This is because larger traf- fic loads means that the forwarding needs more network elements. Thus, elements that can be closed become less. For all the volume of the traffic load, our scheme EPC is better than the other two scheme. When the flow is small, the difference between the differ- ent schemes is relatively large. Large traffic requires more network devices, so the number of links and switches that can be turned off is relatively small. Therefore, the gap of energy saving ratio is relatively small when the traffic load is large.

7 Conclusions and Further Work

In this paper, we propose one heuristic scheme for incremen- tally deploy SDN switches in hybrid SDNs, the objective of which is to achieve energy saving by rerouting the flows to shut down idle links and switches as many as possible. Taking into account the constraints, we propose two general questions: 1) given a lim- ited number of SDN switches, how to place them to achieve the maximum NCA improvement? 2) Fixed SDN switches deployment location, how to maximizing energy savings by rerouting the flows. The hardness of the two questions are proved. Then we propose the heuristic algorithms to solve them. The simulation shows that our scheme can achieve 95% of the number of flows controlled with only about 10% upgrading cost, and it also can achieve saving more about 10% of the total power consumption when compared to the existing solutions. In the next work, we will try to improve the quality of service (QoS) through packet classification or traffic engineering based on the controllable flows.

Acknowledgements

This research is supported in part by the 973 Program of China (No. 2012CB315803), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61402255), and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Pro- gram of Higher Education of China (No. JSGG20150512162853495, No.Shenfagai[2015]986, and JCYJ20150630170146830). The research is also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61625203, the National Key R and D Program of China under Grant 2016YFC0901605, the R and D Program of Shenzhen under Grant JCYJ20170307153157440 and JCYJ20160531174259309.

()Esther Rantzen (Credit: PA)

Esther Rantzen has criticised the controversial new advert from Gillette, accusing it of pitting women and men against each other.

The razor manufacturer has hit headlines for the ad, updating its renowned slogan the best a man can get for the best men can be.

In the light of movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, the clip, released online, criticises the decision to play down bad male behaviour with phrases like boys will be boys, and calls for more responsibility and action.

It also hopes to challenge toxic male stereotypes, and to target behaviour like bullying and sexual harassment.

As a company that encourages men to be their best, we have a responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions of what it means to be a man, said the company in a statement.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

But Childline founder Rantzen said in a letter to The Times that adverts such as Gillettes set men and women against each other and create resentment.

Adding that girls can be equally unpleasant as boys, she says that while its true that in some countries men have created regimes that repress women and use sexual violence against them, but to bring about the changes for the creation of equal societies we need strong, empowered men and women to work together.

In addition to the ad, Gillette has pledged to donate $1 million (around 776,000) per year for the next three years to non-profit organisations that carry out programs which help men become role models.

A spokesperson for the company told CNBC: We expected debate  discussion is necessary. For every negative reaction weve seen many positive reactions, people calling the effort courageous, timely, smart, and much-needed.

At the end of the day, sparking conversation is what matters. This gets people to pay attention to the topic and encourages them to consider taking action to make a difference.

In a rant on Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan showed himself as one of the ads detractors, calling it virtue-signalling PC guff.

Read more

Clarkson unleashes sweary Brexit rant

Chase contestant gets question about her own job wrong

Ex-Bake Off star Perkins wades into Brexit



BERLIN (Reuters) - No vendors should be excluded from Germany's fifth-generation mobile networks if there is no evidence against them, the BDI industry association said, responding to calls to bar China's Huawei Technologies on national security grounds. The Handelsblatt daily reported earlier that the German government was actively considering stricter security requirements and other ways to exclude Huawei from the buildout of 5G mobile networks. U.S. officials warned that Huawei's network equipment may contain "back doors" that could open them up to cyber espionage. The BDI said accusations that Huawei was jeopardizing security needed to be proved. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Douglas Busvine)By Claudia Wyatt

MONTAUT, France (Reuters) - French producers of foie gras, the rich liver delicacy made from force-feeding grain to ducks or geese, have denounced a ban on the product in California, saying they make the creamy pate humanely, following all the rules.

California has formally blocked the sale and production of foie gras (literally "fat liver") since 2012. That ban has now been reinforced after the U.S. Supreme Court declined last week to hear an appeal brought by farmers and chefs. Violators will be fined up to $1,000 if caught selling the product.

In France, which makes around 70 percent of the world's foie gras, farmers and high-end producers see a double-standard, arguing that they treat the animals well, with no harm done to them during the fattening process.

"Everyone can think what they like, but I know I'm proud of what I do," said Julien, a farmer in Montaut, in the southwest of France, one of the main producing regions. He did not give his last name for fear of reprisal from rights' activists.

"I really look after them because, like I said, that's how I make a living. If I don't look after them I don't have any money at the end of the month, I can't pay my bills -- so there's nothing to be gained for me in mistreating the animals."

In California, animal-rights campaigners have picketed high-end restaurants that serve foie gras, denouncing the manufacturing process as an unnecessary cruelty to animals.

The U.S. Animal Legal Defense Fund said the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the appeal by the foie gras industry represented a "death knell" for the product in California and would spare thousands of ducks from "terrible suffering".

The force-feeding, known as "gavage", involves inserting a metal tube into the animals' throats, allowing them to consume far more grain than they would naturally eat and fattening their livers by up to 10 times the normal size.

Story continues

Some decorated chefs, including France's Albert Roux, are opposed to foie gras, no longer serving it in their restaurants, while many supermarket chains also will not stock it.

Fabien Chevalier, the managing director of France's Lafitte Foie Gras, said California was wrong to ban a product he said conformed to global hygiene regulations and was freely traded.

"If we can't sell it in the U.S. we will go elsewhere," he told Reuters. "Today, Asian customers love our product. If we take the example of Japan, it's a developed economy, Japan is the second biggest consumer of foie gras in the world."

In France, foie gras has been recognized as part of the nation's "cultural and gastronomic heritage" since 2006. But several European countries ban its production, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Britain, and there are similar bans in Australia and Argentina.

(Writing by Luke Baker; Editing by Alison Williams)On Thursdays Fox & Friends, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan was discussing all-things border wall and government shutdown when host Steve Doocy asked for his thoughts on Nancy Pelosi and her recent efforts to have President Trump postpone his State of the Union address.

Shes disgusting, Homan said, which was followed by laughter and applause from the live studio audience. She is scared to death that a president is going to speak straight to the American people more than eight minutes, and explain there is a crisis on the border. This isnt just about enforcing the law, this is about saving lives.

Homan, who spoken out against Pelosi in the past, claims the Speaker of the House wants to entice people to come to the country illegally and doesnt want any enforcement on the border, despite her saying otherwise.

If Nancy Pelosi saw what I saw in the 34 years of my career, maybe she would have a different attitude, Homan continued. Because I have stood in back of a tractor-trailer surrounded by 19 dead aliens, including 5-year-old little boy who died in his fathers arms because he suffocated to death.

Homan also called out Pelosi for the reaction she gave alongside Senator Chuck Schumer to President Trumps oval office speech last week on border security, in which she said that migrant families are not a threat to the United States.

Homan pointed to stats from his career in border enforcement that say otherwise.

Let me tell you something, when we came to New York City and Long Island we arrested several hundred MS-13 members, he said. Forty percent of those gang members we arrested entered this country as a part of a family unit.

Fox & Friends airs daily at 6 a.m. on Fox News.

Watch a guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight accuse rappers Ice Cube and Jay-Z of anti-Semitism:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below.Washington (AFP) - Deadlock in Washington reached a new low Thursday as Donald Trump hit his chief Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi with a last-minute cancellation of her plan to take an air force plane to Afghanistan -- citing the four-week-old government shutdown as a motive.

The mess in Washington, where swaths of government workers are not being paid while Congress feuds with the White House, already verged on the surreal. But now it's also getting increasingly personal between the two main antagonists.

In a letter laced with sarcasm and accompanied by his dramatic signature, Trump told House Speaker Pelosi: "I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over."

"I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is appropriate," he wrote.

Rubbing it in, Trump said that Pelosi could still book her own non-government flights.

"Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative," he wrote.

The trip cancellation followed Pelosi's suggestion that Trump postpone his January 29 State of the Union address to Congress, or do it from the White House instead. Although she cited the shutdown's effect on security, she appeared to want to deny the president one of his chief annual moments in the limelight.

The White House denied that the travel blockage was payback, but few bought the argument.

- 'Sophomoric' -

Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill said Trump was mischaracterizing the speaker's trip as some kind of jaunt.

He described it as a "weekend," not a week-long trip and said there was no Egypt stop, while Brussels was necessary to allow the pilot some rest.

"The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines," Hammill tweeted.

Story continues

Lindsey Graham, the Republican leader of the Senate, accused Pelosi of "playing politics with the State of the Union."

But he also hit out at Trump, saying "denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate."

"One sophomoric response does not deserve another," he said.

The government shutdown -- affecting some 800,000 federal employees and many more government contractors -- is due to Trump's refusal to sign off on funding for a host of departments.

This is in retaliation for the Democratic-led House's refusal to approve his US-Mexico border wall project.

The shutdown is leaving an increasingly deep impact across the country, where for almost a month FBI agents, museum workers, Coast Guard personnel and other officials have been either not at work or forced to work for nothing. Regular employees will get back pay eventually, while contractors will not.

The Democrats and the White House blame each other for the impasse, with neither side showing any sign of backing down soon.

Critics of Trump quickly pointed out that he made a trip himself to visit troops in Iraq during the shutdown, while a White House delegation is still booked to fly on official travel to the Davos international forum next week.A federal judge has blocked the Trump administrations attempt to add a citizenship question to the upcoming 2020 census, which opponents argue could scare minority and non-citizens from participating.

US District Judge Jesse Furman ordered a stop to the plans to add the question to the form, unless the government can cure the legal defects laid out in the opinion.

In Mr Furmans opinion, released on Tuesday, the judge states that it is unlikely he will be the last judge to weigh in on the census question. The ruling is likely to be appealed to the US Second Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court has said it is poise up the question on 19 February.

The administration is fighting five other lawsuits in courts across the country filed on behalf of dozens of states.

This ruling is a forceful rebuke of the Trump administrations attempt to weaponize the census for an attack on immigrant communities, Dale Hoe, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Voting Rights Project said in a statement.

The ACLU filed its challenge to the census question alongside the New York Civil Liberties Union, Arnold & Porter, and others on behalf of immigrants rights groups.

The evidence at trial, including from the government's own witness, exposed how adding a citizenship question would wreck the once-in-a-decade count of the nation's population, Mr Hoe continued. The inevitable result would have been  and the administrations clear intent was  to strip federal resources and political representation from those needing it most.

The specific question at issue was: Is this person a citizen of the United States? That question has not been asked in the US census since at least 1950.

The Trump administration has argued that the question would be used to help the Justice Department to better force Voting Rights Act provisions, which protect against discrimination toward racial and language minorities in voting.

Among those other cases challenging the question, a separate trial began this month in California, and another in Maryland is scheduled for 22 January.

It is not clear if plaintiffs challenging the question will be able to depose US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who has overseen the attempt to add the citizenship question to the forms.Family behind OxyContin knowingly deceived public about safety of the opioid drugs, court documents allege originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

New court documents from the Massachusetts attorney general claims to offer proof that the family that owns the company that makes the powerful opioid drug OxyContin was behind years of efforts to deceive doctors and patients about the safety of the drug and increase profits.

The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, made the choices that caused much of the opioid epidemic, according to a court document filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

The Sacklers directed deceptive sales and marketing practices at Purdue Pharma for more than a decade and are responsible for addiction, overdose and death that damaged millions of lives, the documents allege.

(MORE: You are now more likely to die of an opioid overdose than in a car crash)

Purdue Pharma did not immediately respond to ABC News request for comment.

However, in a broader statement, it called the accusations biased and inaccurate characterizations of the company and its executives, and said that it would aggressively defend against these misleading allegations."

In a rush to vilify a single manufacturer whose medicines represent less than two percent of opioid pain prescriptions rather than doing the hard work of trying to solve a complex public health crisis, the complaint distorts critical facts and cynically conflates prescription opioid medications with illegal heroin and fentanyl, the company said.

PHOTO: Bottles of Purdue Pharma L.P. OxyContin medication sit on a pharmacy shelf in Provo, Utah, Aug. 31, 2016. (Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE)

More than 11,000 people in Massachusetts died from opioid-related overdoses in the past decade, and over 100,000 people survived overdoses that were not fatal, but still devastating, the documents say, blaming Purdue and other drug companies. Nationally, opioid-related overdoses killed 72,000 people in 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Several executives at Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty in 2007 to misrepresenting the dangers of OxyContin but the Healeys lawsuit directly implicates members of the Sackler family. The Sacklers werent personally accused of any wrongdoing in that lawsuit.

Story continues

The lawsuit was filed in June last year but the newly filed documents quote Richard Sackler  the son of the companys founder  boasting about a blizzard of prescriptions at an OxyContin launch party, despite warnings from a Food and Drug Administration official and the drugs inventor about the need for controls.

The prescription blizzard will be so deep, dense and white, he said, according to the court documents.

PHOTO: Stock photo of OxyContin pills. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)

Years later, evidence of the growing abuse of OxyContin began to surface, according to the lawsuit. A sales representative for Purdue told a reporter that they were directed to lie about the drug. Another sales rep pleaded with Richard Sackler after attending a community meeting at a local high school in January 2001, where mothers spoke out about their children who had overdosed. And a month after that plea, the documents say, a federal prosecutor reported 59 deaths related to OxyContin in a single state.

In response to the mounting evidence, Richard Sackler advised blaming the addicts.

We have to hammer on the abusers in every way possible, the lawsuit quoted Sackler as writing in an email. They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.

(MORE: One Nation, Overdosed: Snapshots of Americans struggling under the opioid crisis)

From 2007 to 2018, the Sacklers doubled down on pushing for increasing sales, according to the documents, directing sales reps to visit the most prolific prescribers and to encourage them to prescribe more of the highest doses of the drug to gain the most profit. They also allegedly studied unlawful tactics to keep patients on opioids longer.

Richard Sackler even went into the field to promote the drug to doctors with sales reps, a level of micromanagement that led the vice president of sales and marketing to write to the CEO of Purdue.

Anything you can do to reduce the direct contact of Richard into the organization is appreciated, the vice president wrote, according to the documents.

The attached court filing represents the first evidence presented by the attorney general to tie the Sackler family to Purdue Pharmas campaign of deception. There is a hearing on Jan. 25 to eliminate the remaining redactions.

Massachusetts Attorney Gene... by on ScribdLONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers will on Wednesday vote on whether they have confidence in the government, after Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal suffered a heavy defeat in parliament. Here is how the process, which could ultimately trigger a general election, will work: HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK? The opposition Labour Party, backed by other smaller opposition parties, has put forward a motion which states "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will open the debate on the motion at around 1300 GMT. May will also speak in the debate and it will last until 1900 GMT. Lawmakers will then vote on the motion at 1900 GMT, with the result due at around 1915 GMT. There are 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons. May's government needs 318 votes to win the vote, as seven members of the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party do not sit, four speakers do not vote and four lawmakers who help count votes, known as tellers, are not counted. WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GOVERNMENT WINS? The government continues in office. However, there are no restrictions on how soon another confidence vote can be called, so Labour could put forward another no confidence motion at any point. WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GOVERNMENT LOSES? May does not have to resign. A 14-day period is triggered in which any party, including May's Conservatives, can seek to form a government. To do this they would have to win a confidence vote in the House of Commons. If a new government cannot be formed within 14 days, an election is triggered. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF MAY LOSING? May does not have an outright majority in parliament but the DUP, the small Northern Irish party that props up her government, has said it will support the government. So May would only lose if enough of her own Conservative members voted against the government. WHAT ARE LAWMAKERS SAYING ABOUT THE VOTE? Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn: "The most important issue facing us is that government has lost the confidence of this house and this country ... this house can give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government and pass that motion of no confidence"." Pro-EU Conservative lawmaker Justine Greening, who favors holding a second referendum: "We don't want a general election, this is not about party politics." Conservative health minister Matt Hancock: "My party is no mood to hand over the reins to Jeremy Corbyn." DUP lawmaker Sammy Wilson: "We'll vote with the government. We'll vote against the Labour party's confidence motion. We want to see the Conservative government continuing to deliver on Brexit ... We never wanted a change of government, we wanted a change of policy." Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, who leads an influential pro-Brexit group of Conservatives: "I will be supporting the prime minister." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and William James; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)By Richard Lough

PARIS (Reuters) - Germany's Siemens <SIEGn.DE> and France's Alstom <ALSO.PA> agreed in 2017 to merge their rail assets, hoping to create a European industrial champion. But the EU's competition authority has doubts about the deal and could turn it down, despite the companies offering to take steps to clinch it.

Siemens said on Thursday it was not prepared to make further concessions, meaning the merger's fate now likely rests in the hands of the European Commission, whose 28 commissioners are themselves split on the issue.

The Commission has not commented publicly on its deliberations, beyond saying it will take a decision by Feb. 18.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has warned the EU's executive of a grave political error if it rejects the deal.

His outspoken intervention reflects a frustration in Paris and some other European capitals that the EU's competition laws no longer reflect modern-day geopolitical realities, and in particular the threat from China.

WHAT'S THE LATEST?

Sources said Siemens planned no further concessions after it already offered to license parts of its high-speed train business and sell parts of its signaling operations to allay the EU antitrust concerns.

For its part, Alstom said it considered the proposed concessions already on the table "appropriate and adequate" to get the deal approved.

The merger would create the world's second largest rail company, with combined revenues of around 15 billion euros ($17 billion). That is roughly half the size of China's state-owned CRRC Corp Ltd <601766.SS> but twice the size of Canada's Bombardier <BBDb.TO>.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager worries the merger would stifle Europe's rail industry and has voiced doubts that China is likely to be a competitor on European railways in the near future.

WHY IS IT SO POLITICALLY CHARGED?

French President Emmanuel Macron champions a "Europe that protects". That includes protecting citizens from the threat to European jobs from Chinese firms. Europe, he says, needs to create industrial giants, like planemaker Airbus <AIR.PA>, to ensure its firms are not squeezed out of their own market.

Story continues

The Commission bases its judgment on EU competition law - ensuring that consumers have a choice that maintains downward pressure on prices in the European market.

A weakness of the EU is its faith in an international rules-based system, especially when others violate it, French officials say.

By applying its antitrust rules to the letter, the EU may end up benefiting China more than its own economic area, the French argue.

At the same time, officials in Brussels question whether bending competition rules to forge European champions is the best way to rein China in or teach it a lesson.

In a sign of the Commission's splits, the French and German commissioners are speaking up internally about the need to take the Chinese threat into account in deciding whether the Siemens-Alstom merger would hurt competition, European officials say.

Several national regulators have opposed the deal or raised doubts about it, as have unions at the companies, making it hard for the Commission to overlook concerns.

ARE THE EU LAW'S OUTDATED?

France's Le Maire says Europe needs to wake up, branding its competition laws "obsolete".

One German official said the Commission struggled to see beyond the EU market: "They haven't understood the way China works ... (it) is not a market economy. There's this EU bubble thing, they haven't seen the global tectonic shifts."

Vestager says European champions cannot be built by undermining competition, and questions whether using competition policy is the best way to alter China's behavior.

French officials acknowledge the debate is one that will not be resolved before a decision on Siemens-Alstom is due, meaning the deal may end up becoming collateral damage.

AREN'T MACRON AND VESTAGER POLITICAL ALLIES?

With a high profile in Brussels for attacking tax avoidance and monopoly powers among U.S. multinationals, Vestager is widely talked about as a liberal who could win support beyond her party as the next Commission president.

The former Danish economy minister hasn't announced any public bid for the job, but if she does she would likely need the backing of Macron, another liberal, whose party will compete in May's European elections for the first time.

If she ultimately rejects the Siemens-Alstom deal, it might taint her relations with Macron. Even so, French officials acknowledge that she has every reason to want to protect her reputation for applying the EU's rules firmly and fairly, earned via investigations into Google <GOOGL.O> and Apple <APPL.O> over taxes, no matter what the political cost.

WHAT DOES THIS LEAVE THE MERGER?

Tom Pick, a competition expert at law firm Fieldfisher in Brussels, said he had heard no noises from Vestager that suggested she had changed her mind as a result of the concessions offered by the companies.

"From what I see, what they are probably going to say is a prohibition, unless they have decided to market test again and have come to a different view," Pick said.

The Commission will take a decision in a "collegial" manner involving all 28 commissioners, one nominated from each member state. As the commissioner responsible for competition, Vestager has a very strong say but the process of arriving at a collective decision can be opaque.

(Reporting by Richard Lough; additional reporting by Luke Baker in Paris and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels)Rare earths deja vu: Chinese crackdown = higher prices

In a scene awfully familiar to those who follow the rare earths market, China is once again threatening to hatchet production of the valuable minerals used in high-tech, renewable energy and military applications.

Last week it was reported that the Chinese government published new guidelines designed to eliminate illegal mining and encourage more high-end processing. Those sterile words are code for less polluting.

Shutting down illegal rare earth mines is nothing new to the Chinese, who have found that the process of extracting rare earth oxides from ore and refining them into useable products has come at a high price to the environment.

(For more about the poisoned lake and rare earth mining near Baotou, Inner Mongolia, read this excellent story by the BBC.)

Breaking Free from China. "Dependency on one country or source for rare earths is dangerous. Right now the situation is fairly dire in the industry because we are being held captive by the Chinese for these materials." BravoSolution's Paul Martyn

What is news, is the effect that limiting Chinese production will have on rare earth oxide prices; we only need take a look back to know this to be true.

China controls about 90% of the rare earth market so any export restrictions will be felt in countries that buy them, including the United States and Canada. The only REE mine in the United States, Molycorps Mountain Pass, went bankrupt in 2015 - although it is making a comeback, having been purchased by a US-led consortium.

In 2009 China launched a crackdown on illegal REE mining. At the time authorities said the unregulated industry was driving down global prices, making it impossible to cover the huge environmental clean-up costs.

The Chinese government imposed export controls on its rare earths, meaning a 40% drop in exports. Beijing said it had to implement quotas to protect the environment, but critics saw them as naked protectionism.

A year later, an international incident sent rare earth oxide prices into the stratosphere. In September 2010 a Japanese naval vessel interdicted a Chinese fishing boat near the Senkaku Islands, which Japan and China both claim ownership of, and detained the captain. The response hardly seems balanced in retrospect, but the Chinese decided to ban all rare earth exports to Japan, then an industrial powerhouse and Chinas largest REE customer. The rare earths market panicked, and within months, all of the rare earth oxides gained in price.

While the spike in rare earths prices was good for miners like Molycorp and the numerous exploration companies that sprang up in search for them, buyers of products made from rare earths balked and pressured governments to do something about it. The US, European Union and Japan brought a case to the World Trade Organization to try and settle the dispute and get China to lift the restrictions.

In 2015 it did, resulting in a torrent of Chinese rare earth exports into the market and the inevitable collapse in prices.

While rare earth prices have never taken off to the extent they did between 2010 and 2015, intermittent crackdowns by China have seen price rises. We saw it happen in 2013 and in 2017.

Could this latest crackdown be Chinas attempt to manipulate the REE market again? We can almost certainly bet on it. But we have another factor that could play into a rare earth revival, and that is a new high-tech arms race that is developing between the superpowers.

Donald Trumps threat to withdraw from the 1987 INF Treaty with Russia may be the catalyst that starts a new arms race between the United States, Russia and China as each projects military power in defense of spheres of influence outside their borders.

If the US Military deploys missiles to places like Guam and Japan, it would deter China from a first strike against US ships and bases in the region, and also force Beijing into a costly arms race.

Not being party to the INF Treaty would also allow the United States to counter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

Why is this important? Because an arms race requires rare earths - something the US is in very short supply of. Not only that, the United States is wholly dependent on China for the mining and refining of rare earths it needs to expand and modernize its military.

China Is Beating the US in the Rare-Earths Game

The need for a North American rare earths industry, complete with a mine to magnet (as in permanent magnets made from rare earths) supply chain, has never been more crucial - considering the aforementioned arms race and the continuing trade tensions between the US and China.

The first step is finding the elements, and thats where exploration comes in. While the US has some deposits, for example in Alaska and Wyoming, none are yet mineable. Same with Canada.

At Ahead of the Herd, we are focused on finding early-stage companies with the potential for adding shareholder value in growing sectors like rare earth mining.

By Richard (Rick) Mills

www.aheadoftheherd.com

rick@aheadoftheherd.com

If you're interested in learning more about the junior resource and bio-med sectors please come and visit us at www.aheadoftheherd.com

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(Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was ousted in late September when he lost a no-confidence vote in parliament after an inconclusive election, triggering a period of political deadlock that has lasted more than four months. The country has had no government in place since then, and two candidates to lead new administrations have already been voted down by parliament. On Friday it will vote on Lofven's candidacy after his Social Democrats struck a policy deal with the Centre and Liberal parties, and the Left Party said it would abstain, giving the former welder and union leader just enough backing to be elected. Below are key points about the deadlock and its consequences. WHAT SPARKED THE DEADLOCK? The election results on Sept. 9 gave neither of the two political blocs in parliament the majority needed to form a government without the help of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. WHAT ARE THOSE POLITICAL BLOCS? There is a center-right Alliance consisting of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Centre Party and the Liberals. There is also a center-left line-up consisting of the Social Democrats and the Greens, who have ruled in a coalition with the support of the Left Party. All mainstream parties have refused to work with the Sweden Democrats. WHY IS THERE NO GOVERNMENT YET? While the Moderates and Christian Democrats wanted to rule with tacit support from the Sweden Democrats, their Centre and Liberal parties Alliance partners refused to form a minority government reliant on the far-right party for getting legislation through parliament. The Social Democrats, Greens and Left have 144 seats in the 349-member parliament, one more than the center-right Alliance. The Sweden Democrats have 62 seats, giving them the balance of power between the two blocs. In a first vote after the ousting of Lofven, the Centre Party and the Liberals voted down their own bloc's candidate, citing its need for support from the Sweden Democrats. WHY DO MAINSTREAM PARTIES RULE OUT COOPERATING WITH THE SWEDEN DEMOCRATS? The Sweden Democrats - with roots in the white supremacist fringe - want a voice on immigration, welfare and crime policies as the price for supporting a new government and have been threatening to block any new government unless they are given a say in policy. WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES FOR PRIME MINISTER? Lofven's main competitor for the premiership is Moderates leader Ulf Kristersson. Centre Party leader Annie Loof was also at one point given the job of trying to break the deadlock by the speaker of parliament. WHAT KIND OF DEAL WAS MADE BETWEEN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS AND THE TWO ALLIANCE PARTIES? On Jan. 11, Social Democrats leader Lofven with support of the Greens made a deal with two opposition parties, the center-right Centre and Liberal parties. The agreement states that it will exclude the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party from influencing policy-making. WHY DON'T THE CENTER PARTY AND THE LIBERALS WANT THE LEFT PARTY TO HAVE INFLUENCE? The Left Party was for a long time Sweden's Communist Party and has deep leftist roots. The Centre Party and the Liberals have said that any deal they make with the Social Democrats needs to exclude the Left Party. IS THE ALLIANCE STILL ALIVE? The PM candidate for the Alliance, Ulf Kristersson, said after the deal between the Social Democrats, Centre and the Liberals on Jan. 11: "This is a real betrayal of all the voters who voted for an Alliance party in order to get a new government and a new direction in Swedish politics." "If today's decision is carried out, they are breaking up the Alliance at a national level," he added. WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES? In Friday's vote Stefan Lofven will most likely get the support needed to form a coalition with the Greens. If parliament fails to elect him as prime minister, only one more attempt to form a government will be made before a snap election is held. WHY DID THE LEFT PARTY SUPPORT LOFVEN? The Left party is not officially supporting Lofven but will abstain from voting against him on Friday. Although they first refused to support a government that would exclude it from political influence, they later said they would not stop the government, after talks with Lofven. However, they warned that if Lofven's government swings too far to the right they will try to pull the plug on him, suggesting he may struggle to deliver on an agenda that includes tax cuts and labor market reform. WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM A SNAP ELECTION? Recent polls from local Swedish polling companies show there has been no big change in public opinion trends since the election, with the Sweden Democrats polling at their average before the election, making it likely a new parliamentary election would not help resolve the situation. GRAPHIC - Election scenarios: https://tmsnrt.rs/2p45tJh TIMELINE- Swedish political timeline: (Reporting by Tommy Lund, Marta Frackowiak and Jagoda Darlak; Editing by Hugh Lawson)By Aditya Kalra, Sankalp Phartiyal and Aftab Ahmed NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's new foreign investment restrictions for its e-commerce sector, which includes giants such as Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-owned Flipkart, could reduce online sales by $46 billion by 2022, according to a draft analysis from global consultants PwC seen by Reuters. Under the changes, e-commerce firms in India will from Feb. 1 not be able to sell products via companies in which they have an equity interest or push sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms. Announced in December, just months before a general election due by May this year, the rules were seen as an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to appease millions of small traders and shopkeepers, who form a key voter base and say their businesses have been threatened by global online retailers. Industry sources told Reuters the policy would delay or derail some investment plans and push companies such as Amazon and Flipkart to create new, more complex business structures. In a private analysis PwC conducted based on estimates provided by the industry and using publicly available information, it forecast that online retail sales growth, tax collections and job creation would be severely hit if companies changed their business models to comply with the new policy. The draft analysis has not been made public. PwC India, in response to Reuters' questions, said it "does not endorse any of these assumptions or conclusions, nor have we conducted any independent study on this". "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on company specific issues," PwC said. The analysis produced by PwC showed that the gross-merchandise value of goods sold online could reduce by $800 million from expectations in the current fiscal year that ends in March, a document seen by Reuters showed. Then, the sales would dip drastically below previous forecasts, lopping off $45.2 billion in the next three years, the data showed. To be sure, sales would still be growing, but at a less robust rate than envisaged before the policy change. Online retailers often use gross merchandise value, or GMV, based on monthly online sales as a measurement of performance, as they typically make revenue from the commissions they get from sellers. The analysis also said that by March 2022 the Indian policy could lead to the creation of 1.1 million fewer jobs than may have been previously expected and lead to a reduction in taxes collected of $6 billion. Amazon and Flipkart have both sought an extension of the Feb. 1 deadline, but a source at India's commerce ministry told Reuters the government was unlikely to agree. Amazon said in a statement it remains "committed to be compliant to all local laws" but has asked the government for a an extension of four months. Flipkart has sought a six-month extension, a source said. Though the company did not respond to Reuters questions, it told India's Economic Times newspaper that it believed "an extension is appropriate" to ensure that all elements of the policy were clarified. After Reuters' story was published, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) issued a statement saying it disputed PwC's analysis. CAIT has supported tougher scrutiny of large e-commerce players, saying they indulge in predatory pricing that hurts smaller traders. POLICY SETBACK The e-commerce investment policy is the latest flashpoint between India and U.S. multinationals. U.S. companies have in the past two years protested against a wide array of regulations - from policies calling on tech companies to store more data locally to those capping prices of imported medical devices. Morgan Stanley had estimated, before the latest government move, that India's e-commerce market would grow 30 percent a year to $200 billion in the 10 years up to 2027. With rising use of the Internet and smartphones in India, online retailers have doled out discounts to lure people to shop online for everything from basic groceries to large electronic devices. The new policy, which followed intense lobbying by groups representing millions of India's small traders and shopkeepers, was aimed to prevent such deep discounting by big online retailers. Trader groups had alleged that online firms used their control over inventory from their affiliates, and through exclusive sales agreements, to create an unfair marketplace that allowed them to sell some products at lower prices. Such arrangements would be barred under the new policy. A second official at India's commerce ministry said on Wednesday "there may not be any relaxations" in the policy. "We have already done whatever was required," the official said. BIG INVESTMENTS Amazon has committed to investing $5.5 billion in India, while Walmart last year spent $16 billion to acquire Flipkart. "After one of the biggest foreign investments by Walmart, the government has again blindsided foreign investors," said Pratibha Jain, a partner at law firm Nishith Desai Associates, which advises e-commerce companies, adding that such policy moves made India "a difficult place to do business". India's commerce minister, Suresh Prabhu, has said the e-commerce policy was "very clear", though the government was open to hearing views of companies. "We would like to assure all foreign investors and domestic investors we will have a stable, clear policy," Prabhu told ET Now news channel last week. The CAIT on Wednesday said it would fight "tooth and nail" if the government made any changes to the e-commerce policy under pressure from U.S. companies. "If they want to exit the country they should do it as soon as possible," said the group's secretary general, Praveen Khandelwal, adding they planned to hold meetings with the commerce minister to ensure the new policy was not "compromised". (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Sankalp Phartiyal and Aftab Ahmad; Editing by Martin Howell and Alex Richardson)Brussels (AFP) - The EU is to slap sanctions on two suspected Russian agents accused of carrying out a deadly nerve agent attack in the British city of Salisbury, officials told AFP Thursday.

Foreign ministers from the bloc will formally sign off on restrictive measures against nine individuals and one entity at a meeting on Monday, as part of the EU's new sanctions regime aimed at punishing those who use chemical weapons in breach of international treaties.

Several diplomatic sources confirmed to AFP that the nine will include the two men blamed for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city in March last year using the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok.

The two men, who claimed to be tourists but have been identified by the Bellingcat investigative group as decorated agents for Russia's GRU military intelligence called Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga, were hit with sanctions by the US in December.

The EU is to sanction two more Russians as well, along with five Syrians, in the first listings made under the new mechanism, which was introduced in October following the Skripal attack.

"It will be the first time there is a listing related to violations of international obligations under the OPCW and that will involve listing nine persons and one entity," a senior EU official said, adding "they are obviously very naughty people".

The Salisbury attack, the first offensive use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II, caused an international outcry and prompted a mass expulsion of Russian diplomats by Western nations.

The Skripals survived the attack but a woman died in June after her partner picked up a discarded perfume bottle that British investigators believe was used to carry the Novichok.

Moscow denies involvement in the poisoning and has offered numerous and varied alternative explanations and counter-accusations.A 3-year-old cow named Betsy (not pictured) is on the run in Alaska. Run, Betsy, run! (Photo: Peter Cade via Getty Images)

An elusive cow that escaped from a rodeo in Anchorage six months ago has been living her very best cow life in the Alaskan wilderness ever since  despite multiple attempts to capture her.

Betsy, a wily 3-year-old, has dodged all her owners efforts, according to multiple reports. Those efforts include enlisting the local bike community, foot searches in the rain, leaving out barrels of hay and salt blocks for her to find, and even having police try to track her with drones.

Yet its almost like the cow can smell that bull from a mile away, and evades seizure every freakin time.

Im just totally exhausted from looking day in and day out, Frank Koloski, Betsys owner, told The Washington Post on Tuesday. Shes a go-getter, thats for sure.

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Since Betsy fled her pen  and her fate as an animal for kids to ride in junior rodeo events  on Fathers Day, she has been basking in the freedom provided by Far North Bicentennial Park, a 4,000-acre park within the citys limits. But despite the park being filled with rugged forest, she hasnt gone unnoticed.

Koloski, 47, estimates that hes gotten tips from joggers, bikers, cross-country skiers and the Anchorage Police Department claiming to have spotted a mysterious cow on the loose in the park. But whenever Koloski shows up, Betsys tracks are there, but shes nowhere to be found.

Koloski, who refers to Betsy as his ghost in the darkness, does say he has a plan in place once he actually finds her  albeit one that may result in the loss of even more cows.

Koloski told the Post that once he nails down her exact location, he plans to release even more cows. He predicts Betsy will run to the cattle, and when she does, he and some of his rodeo pals will be on hand to help lasso ol Bets back into his possession.

Sure, that could work. Or it could be an udder disaster.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Damascus (AFP) - The new UN envoy to Syria ended his first visit to the war-torn country Thursday, stressing the need for a UN-brokered political solution to the eight-year conflict.

Geir Pedersen, a seasoned Norwegian diplomat, concluded his three-day visit and headed to the Lebanese capital Beirut, a UN source told AFP.

The new envoy on Twitter late Wednesday said he had a "constructive meeting" with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem during his stay in Damascus.

During it, he stressed the need for a "Syrian-led and -owned political solution facilitated by the UN", he added.

Pedersen, who started his new job last week, is the fourth UN envoy to seek a solution to Syria's conflict, after endless rounds of failed UN-brokered peace talks.

In recent years, UN-led efforts have been overshadowed by separate negotiations led by regime allies Russia and Iran, as well as rebel backer Turkey.

After Damascus, Pederson said he was off to meet the Syrian Negotiations Committee, Syria's main opposition group.

But he "agreed to come back to Damascus on a regular basis to discuss commonalities and progress on points of disagreement", he added.

On Tuesday, Muallem expressed Syria's "readiness to cooperate with him... in his mission to facilitate Syrian-Syrian dialogue with the objective of reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis", a foreign ministry statement said.

Pederson takes over from Staffan de Mistura, a Swiss-Italian diplomat who stepped down at the end of last year over "personal reasons".

Officials in the government of President Bashar al-Assad had set the tone for the new envoy's tenure shortly after his appointment was announced in October.

"Syria will cooperate with the new UN envoy Geir Pedersen provided he avoids the methods of his predecessor," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad said.

De Mistura ended his four-year tenure with an abortive push to form a committee tasked with drawing up a post-war constitution.

Story continues

Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since the war started with the repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

With key military backing from Russia, Assad's forces have retaken large parts of Syria from rebels and jihadists, and now control almost two-thirds of the country.

A drive to bring the Syrian regime back into the Arab fold also seems underway, with the United Arab Emirates reopening their embassy in Damascus last month.Jan 15 (Reuters) - Accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman once paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, a former associate testified on Tuesday that he previously told U.S. authorities.

Alex Cifuentes, who has described himself as Guzman's onetime right-hand man, discussed the alleged bribe under cross-examination by one of Guzman's lawyers in Brooklyn federal court. Asked if he told authorities in 2016 that Guzman arranged the bribe, he answered, "That's right."

Cifuentes testified that he had told U.S. prosecutors Pena Nieto reached out to Guzman first, asking for $250 million. Cifuentes told the prosecutors that the bribe was paid in October 2012, when Pena Nieto was president-elect, he testified.

Cifuentes said he told prosecutors at a later meeting, last year, that he was no longer sure of the exact amounts of the bribes, but did not elaborate.

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Cifuentes also said testified that Guzman once told him that he had received a message from Pena Nieto saying that he did not have to live in hiding anymore.

Pena Nieto has previously denied taking bribes from drug traffickers.

Reuters could not immediately reach Pena Nieto for comment. His former spokesman and other former officials did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment.

Pena Nieto was president of Mexico from December 2012 until November 2018. He previously served as governor of the state that includes Mexico City.

Guzman, 61, has been on trial since November. He was extradited to the United States in 2017 to face charges of trafficking cocaine, heroin and other drugs into the country as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

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Captured by Pena Nieto's government in February 2014, Guzman broke out of prison for a second time some 17 months later, escaping through a mile-long tunnel dug right into in his cell.

The jailbreak humiliated the government and battered the president's already damaged credibility, though Pena Nieto personally announced news of the kingpin's third capture when he was again arrested in northwestern Mexico in January 2016.

Story continues

Colombian-born Cifuentes is one of about a dozen witnesses who have so far testified against Guzman after striking deals with U.S. prosecutors, in a trial that has provided a window into the secretive world of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organization.

Other witnesses at the trial have also made accusations of high-level corruption.

Jesus Zambada, another cartel member, testified in November he paid a multimillion dollar bribe to an aide of current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2005. The aide was not named but later Gabriel Regino, an official in Mexico City when Lopez Obrador was mayor, wrote on Twitter that an accusation of bribery had emerged against him in the trial but was false.

Cifuentes earlier on Tuesday had also testified that Guzman asked an associate to pay a $10 million bribe to a general. The witness said the bribe was never paid and Guzman subsequently ordered the associate killed, though the hit was never carried out.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York and David Graham in Mexico City Editing by Tom Brown and Lisa Shumaker)Donald Trump delivers remarks on the missile defense review announcement at the Pentagon in Virginia - UPI / Barcroft Media

Space is the new arena for war, Donald Trump said on Thursday as he announced a major drive to update Americas missile defence system and touted his Space Force proposal.

The US president said that he wants a layer of sensors placed among the stars that can detect missile launches and will demand that the technology is funded in his next budget.

The item was one of a host of improvements the Pentagon is attempting to make to its decades-old missile system, outlined in its new Missile Defence Review.

It drew comparison to Ronald Reagan's costly and ambitious project to create a space-based anti-missile system at the height of the Cold War in the 1980s which was derisively dubbed Star Wars by critics.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Trump explained the new strategy and insisted that now was the time to modernise to keep America safe.

China, whose space programme is run by the Peoples Liberation Army, is launching more rockets into space than any other country these days Credit: AFP

"Our goal is simple: To ensure we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States - anywhere, anytime, anyplace," Mr Trump said.

The review picked out four countries that pose a missile threat to Americans on home soil  North Korea, Iran, Russia and China  and warned that adversaries were rapidly developing their programs.

It said that North Korea posed an extraordinary threat, in contrast to Mr Trumps declaration after meeting its leader Kim Jong-un last year that there is no longer a nuclear threat.

We have some very bad players out there, Mr. Trump said. Were a good player. But we can be far worse than anybody if need be.

Mr Trump named six priorities: Putting the defence of Americans first; developing new technologies; being prepared for all types of missile attacks; recognising space is now in play; removing obstacles to US projects; and demanding burden sharing from allies.

It was his comments on space that especially raised eyebrows. We will recognise that space is a new war-fighting domain, with the Space Force leading the way, Mr Trump said.

Story continues

Space Force is Mr Trumps proposal  seemingly popular with his supporters  for a free-standing military department focussed specifically on space. Currently such issues largely fall under the US Air Force.

The move has faced some opposition in the Pentagon, including from former defence secretary James Mattis, over whether the major reorganisation needed for its creation would being enough benefit.

Mr Trump said that his next budget will invest in a space-based missile defence layer. US officials have suggested a layer of sensors in space would help detect missiles moving at hypersonic speeds.

Its new technology, Mr Trump said. Its ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defence and, obviously, of our offence.

Another area Mr Trump focused on was removing bureaucratic obstacles that limit his administrations ability to develop its missile defence program.

Late last year the Trump administration announced it was pulling America out of 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, which bans ground-launch nuclear missiles up to certain heights.

The treaty has been a key plank of arms control for the last 30 years but the Trump administration argues that Russia has repeatedly violated its terms while other adversaries are not signed up.

Mr Trump said on Thursday: In the past, the United States lacked a comprehensive strategy for missile defense that extended beyond ballistic missiles.

Under our plan, that will change. The US will now adjust its posture to also defend against any missile strikes including cruise and hypersonic missiles."

"We are committed to establishing a missile-defense program that can shield every city in the United States. And we will never negotiate away our right to do this.

Responding to the new strategy, the chair of Russia's upper house defence and security committee, Viktor Bondarev, said it would ramp up global tensions, according to Interfax news agency.This stray Johnston Bull Terrier was found abandoned in Edinburgh with a blade lodged deep in his neck (Picture: PA)

This poor pooch had a lucky escape after being found abandoned with a blade lodged deep in his neck.

The Johnston Bull Terrier was found bleeding heavily from his head by a member of the public in Edinburgh.

The Scottish SPCA was called and took the dog to the vet, where a blade was found in his neck.

Despite the injuries, he survived and is now in a stable condition after undergoing surgery.

Scottish SPCA senior inspector John Toule said: We were alerted to the Johnston Bull Terrier around 8am on January 7.

After taking the dog to a vet, a blade was discovered lodged deep within the dogs neck.

MORE: Indonesian woman mauled to death by pet crocodile after falling into its enclosure

MORE: Motorcyclist dies after hit-and-run crash on M11 motorway near Stansted Airport

Thankfully, he is in a stable condition and responding well to treatment following surgery.

The Scottish SPCA is seeking information about the incident and wants anyone who may know something to contact its confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.If you own shares in China Aerospace International Holdings Limited (HKG:31) then its worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market.

Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said volatility is far from synonymous with risk in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. A stock with a beta below one is either less volatile than the market, or more volatile but not corellated with the overall market. In comparison a stock with a beta of over one tends to be move in a similar direction to the market in the long term, but with greater changes in price.

View our latest analysis for China Aerospace International Holdings

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What does 31s beta value mean to investors?

Zooming in on China Aerospace International Holdings, we see it has a five year beta of 1.16. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market the market. If this beta value holds true in the future, China Aerospace International Holdings shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how China Aerospace International Holdings fares in that regard, below.

Story continues

SEHK:31 Income Statement Export January 17th 19

Could 31s size cause it to be more volatile?

With a market capitalisation of HK$1.5b, China Aerospace International Holdings is a very small company by global standards. It is quite likely to be unknown to most investors. Relatively few investors can influence the price of a smaller company, compared to a large company. This could explain the high beta value, in this case.

What this means for you:

Since China Aerospace International Holdings tends to moves up when the market is going up, and down when its going down, potential investors may wish to reflect on the overall market, when considering the stock. In order to fully understand whether 31 is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as China Aerospace International Holdingss financial health and performance track record. I highly recommend you dive deeper by considering the following:

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 31s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 31s outlook. Past Track Record: Has 31 been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of 31s historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: Its worth checking to see how 31 measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.LISBON (Reuters) - The European Union is open to the possibility of a "more ambitious" Brexit deal than the one rejected by the British parliament, the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said on Thursday. The crushing defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May's deal has forced her to sound out other parties for alternative proposals that they could agree to. It also increased the risk that Britain will quit the EU on March 29 without any deal to cushion the impact. May had expected, after Brexit, to negotiate a wide-ranging free trade agreement for goods with the EU as part of a fully independent British trade policy. The main opposition party, Labour, wants Britain to be in a customs union with the EU, which would rule this out, and others want Britain stay even closer to the EU by staying in its single market, along the lines of Norway's arrangement. "If they (Britain) tell us they want a more ambitious relationship, we are open," Barnier told reporters alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa during a visit to Lisbon. Barnier held out no hope that the agreement reached over the course of two years on the principles that May originally set out could be improved on. Costa said that since this deal had been rejected, "at this moment the next step does not depend on the EU or Barnier" but on Britain. Earlier, Barnier told a Portuguese parliamentary committee that contingency measures adopted to cope in the event of a disorderly "no-deal" Brexit would be implemented in a climate of distrust. "If there is no deal, there will be contingency measures," he said. "But that will be very difficult and will not be done in a climate of confidence. The best guarantee is reaching an agreement." (Reporting By Sergio Goncalves; editing by Andrei Khalip and Kevin Liffey)The shipyard facilities of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Company Ltd. of the Philippines in the Subic Freeport are without doubt world-class. But this is not enough reason for the government to take over the beleaguered unit of Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., which some senators consider a win-win solution. Malacanang should immediately stop entertaining the thought of a state takeover of Hanjin's Subic shipyard. Hanjin Philippines filed a petition with a Subic court for corporate rehabilitation because of a slack in demand for ships. The world economic slowdown led to the collapse of the Hanjin's shipping unit two years ago. The mother company's woes spilled over to the Philippine unit, which is now saddled with over $400 million in outstanding loans from local banks and $900 million in debts owed to South Korea lenders.

The government may have the moral responsibility to keep the jobs of over 3,000 workers of Hanjin Philippines and may find it enticing to run the shipyard facilities in Subic. Taking over the company, however, runs counter to the government privatization policy. The government, at best, can assist the troubled shipbuilder by looking for foreign or local investors that can assume ownership of Hanjin Philippines and make it viable again. Shipbuilding is strategic industry that the Board of Investments must promote, given the archipelagic composition of the Philippines.The private sector is the better candidate to take over Hanjin's operations in Subic. Being accountable to the fortunes and misfortunes of the company, private companies should know which options to take to make Hanjin Philippines profitable and viable. Handing the reins of the shipyard to the government is a bad ideathe state in the past had trouble keeping companies afloat. The government may eventually subsidize the operations of the shipyard if it continues to register losses. That would mean allotting a portion of the national budget to sustain its losing operations. The BoI, instead, should revisit its fiscal incentive system to attract investors in the shipbuilding industry and provide relief to Hanjin Philippines. Local demand can sustain the industry given the country's growing inter-island trade and tourism boom.Assessing Apollo Tyres Limiteds (NSE:APOLLOTYRE) past track record of performance is a valuable exercise for investors. It enables us to reflect on whether the company has met or exceed expectations, which is a great indicator for future performance. Today I will assess APOLLOTYREs recent performance announced on 30 September 2018 and evaluate these figures to its longer term trend and industry movements.

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Were APOLLOTYREs earnings stronger than its past performances and the industry?

APOLLOTYREs trailing twelve-month earnings (from 30 September 2018) of 8.9b has jumped 19% compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has exceeded its 5-year annual growth average of -2.4%, indicating the rate at which APOLLOTYRE is growing has accelerated. How has it been able to do this? Lets take a look at whether it is merely because of an industry uplift, or if Apollo Tyres has seen some company-specific growth.

NSEI:APOLLOTYRE Income Statement Export January 17th 19

In terms of returns from investment, Apollo Tyres has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 8.9% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 5.0% is below the IN Auto Components industry of 7.6%, indicating Apollo Tyress are utilized less efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Apollo Tyress debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 24% to 8.2%.

What does this mean?

Apollo Tyress track record can be a valuable insight into its earnings performance, but it certainly doesnt tell the whole story. While Apollo Tyres has a good historical track record with positive growth and profitability, theres no certainty that this will extrapolate into the future. I suggest you continue to research Apollo Tyres to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at:

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Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for APOLLOTYREs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for APOLLOTYREs outlook. Financial Health: Are APOLLOTYREs operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 30 September 2018. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.WASHINGTON (AP)  Amid increasing tensions with Beijing, the Pentagon has released a new report that lays out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters, a senior defense intelligence official said Tuesday that the key concern is that as China upgrades its military equipment and technology and reforms how it trains and develops troops, it becomes more confident in its ability to wage a regional conflict. And Beijing's leaders have made it clear that reasserting sovereignty over Taiwan is a top priority.

The official added, however, that although China could easily fire missiles at Taiwan, it doesn't yet have the military capability to successfully invade the self-governing island, which split from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide more detail on intelligence findings in the report, which was written by the Defense Intelligence Agency.

A Chinese government spokeswoman said the report "is full of Cold War ideology and zero-sum game thinking" and suggested the U.S. was making excuses to strengthen or develop its own weapons of mass destruction.

"We use rules rather than weapons to safeguard and promote our own interests," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

The report's release Tuesday comes just a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his People's Liberation Army to better prepare for combat. China has warned the U.S. against further upgrading military ties with Taiwan and has threatened to use force against the island to assert its claim of sovereignty. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has taken incremental moves to bolster ties with the island, including renewed arms sales and upgraded contacts between officials.

U.S.-China tensions have become increasingly frayed on the military and economic fronts over the past year. Trump imposed tariff increases of up to 25 percent on $250 billion of Chinese imports over complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Xi responded by imposing penalties on $110 billion of American goods.

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And last year the Pentagon disinvited China to a major, multinational Pacific exercise, citing Beijing's militarization of man-made islands in the South China Sea.

The ongoing rise of China, in fact, has triggered greater U.S. military attention on the Indo-Pacific region over the last several years. And last year's release of the U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasized the importance of great power competition with Russia and China. And it asserted that China's rapidly expanding military and Russia's increasing aggression are threatening America's military advantage around the world.

Just after taking over as the acting defense secretary, Pat Shanahan told his military service leaders on Jan. 2 that their focus should be "China, China, China."

The DIA report talks broadly about the steps China is taking to modernize its military and expand its operations around the globe. The worry, said the defense intelligence official, is that China will reach the point where leaders will decide that using military force for a regional conflict such as Taiwan is more imminent.

"Beijing's longstanding interest to eventually compel Taiwan's reunification with the mainland and deter any attempt by Taiwan to declare independence has served as the primary driver for China's military modernization," the report says. "Beijing's anticipation that foreign forces would intervene in a Taiwan scenario led the PLA to develop a range of systems to deter and deny foreign regional force projection."

Over time, the report said, the PLA is "likely to grow even more technologically advanced, with equipment comparable to that of other modern militaries." That would include advanced fighter aircraft, ships, missile systems and space and cyberspace capabilities.

Cyberthreats from China have long been a major U.S. concern, stretching from massive data breaches and the theft of trade secrets to Beijing's campaign to improve its ability to conduct cyberattacks. The U.S. official said China has been working very hard on developing ways to combine cyberattack capabilities with other kinetic weapons that can be used in combat.

Still, the official said Beijing will face a significant challenge as it tries to bring generational change to its military.

Until now, China has mainly done tightly controlled regional operations and some counterpiracy missions. It will be more difficult, the official said, to create a joint force capable of conducting large, complex combat operations far abroad.

___

Associated Press researcher Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.An explosion on a bustling downtown street killed four Americans during a routine foot patrol inside the Syrian city of Manbij, U.S. military officials said on Wednesday.

The blast claimed the lives of two U.S. servicemembers, one civilian Defense Department employee and one military contractor, according to U.S. Central Command, the military headquarters that oversees all operations in the Middle East. Three other servicemembers were injured.

ISIS militants claimed a suicide bomber was responsible for the attack, which also killed a number of civilians.

Initial reports indicate an explosion caused the casualties, and the incident is under investigation, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The names of the servicemembers killed-in-action are being withheld until 24 hours after their families are notified in accordance with a long-standing Pentagon policy.

The attack marks the deadliest day for American forces operating in Syria since the Obama Administration began deploying U.S. Special Operations commandos in November 2015. Until Wednesday, only four other U.S. service members died there while assisting Syrian rebel forces in the fight against ISIS.

The incident comes less than one month after President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced he would withdraw all American forces from the war-ravaged country.

The deadly blast throws harsh light on the perilous security situation in Syria that continues to have worldwide implications. Although ISIS is no longer in control of any major city in Iraq or Syria, the fighting is not over completely. The U.S.-led military coalition continues to fight the remaining ISIS fighters hiding in cells or holed up in a stretch of desert straddling the Iraq-Syria border.

The suicide attack in Manbij is just the latest hard truth assessment on how the U.S. remains locked in a brutal fight against a formidable enemy, despite the Trump Administrations pronouncements that ISIS reign of terror is all but over.

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We have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities, Vice President Mike Pence said in a statement after claiming the group has been defeated.

U.S. and allied warplanes and artillery pieces launched 575 strikes against the group in Syria between Dec. 30 and Jan. 12. ISIS targets were hit with 469 strikes over the prior two-week period, according to coalition data.

The daily barrage blows up the argument that the U.S. mission against the militant group is done or close to completed. National security officials and analysts have criticized the decision to pull-out as politically motivated, rather than based on the situation on the ground.

Indeed, American interests are still deeply entangled in Syria. Operating from a half-dozen bases in the northeast part of the country, American advisers have steadily built up the Syrian partners by training and arming them.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Dec. 6 that U.S. troops and allies had trained just 20% of 40,000 local forces needed to deter ISIS from making a comeback. With regard to stabilization, we have a long way to go, he said.

American Special Operations forces inside Syria coordinate daily with local opposition fighters called the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of mostly Kurdish and Arab fighters. The Kurds have been critical to the U.S. efforts to coordinate among dozens of armed groups that were trying to overthrow the government of President Bashar Assad, fight ISIS and battle one another all at the same time.

Since the U.S. began launching military operations in mid-2014 in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has lost roughly 99% of its territory, but it still poses a security threat. Not only has the group expanded and established cells around the world, it routinely mounts attacks in both Iraq and Syria. In August, the Pentagon published an inspector general report which said the U.S. military estimates that ISIS has as many as 30,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria. A United Nations report published that same month made a similar assessment.

The explosion on Wednesday occurred at a restaurant in Manbij, a strategic northeastern border town near Turkey that ISIS has used to move fighters and supplies in and out of Syria. It has been held for more than two years by Kurdish forces supported by United States.

Videos posted to social media showed a fireball engulfing a street packed with a crowd of people. Other images showed the aftermath of rubble mixed with blood and a silver helicopter flying overhead. The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said a suicide bomber with an explosive vest carried out the attack.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people were killed, including two members of the U.S.-backed military coalition.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump had been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria.

The U.S. began the process of pulling out last week, when it hauled vehicles and equipment from northeast Syria into neighboring Iraq. No timeline has been publicly discussed as to when the withdrawal of all 2,000 American forces will be completed, but military officials expect it to be out by spring.

When Trump announced his decision to pullout, it sent shockwaves through Washington and the rest of the world. Our boys, our young women, our men, theyre all coming back and theyre coming back now. We won, he said in a video posted on Twitter.

The ensuing chaos led to the high-profile resignations of Defense Secretary James Mattis and Brett McGurk, the State Departments special envoy to the coalition fighting ISIS. The recent decision by the president came as a shock and was a complete reversal of policy that was articulated to us, McGurk wrote in an email to colleagues obtained by the New York Times. It left our coalition partners confused and our fighting partners bewildered.

The Pentagon is currently wrestling with questions on how the pullout can be handled, including whether the American military equipment thats scattered over the military bases in Syria can be pulled out within four months or should be destroyed in-place; what the U.S. can do to help protect its Kurdish partners; and maintain the 79-member international coalition aimed at eradicating ISIS.Another potential problem caused by the government shutdown: a backlog of beer.

That's what led Washington D.C. brewery Atlas Brew Works to file a lawsuit against the federal government this week, saying the shutdown is preventing it from shipping new beers.

On Dec. 20, Atlas Brew Works applied for a new keg label for a beer called The Precious One, an apricot-infused IPA, set to be available in February. It had already received a label approval for the beer in cans.

But because of the shutdown, the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has not been issuing new labels. Stuck in the backlog: five labels from Atlas, including for The Precious One.

More: Government shutdown: How it impacts what you eat from food safety to beer

If Atlas cannot get an approved label, making it legal to ship the beer to Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee, the brewery could lose $15,000 and see its continued existence threatened, because the lack of new approved labels effectively shuts down further production of new beers and the rebranding of existing beers, the brewery wrote in its complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

In the complaint, Atlas charged being prevented from getting new labels is an infringement on its freedom of speech. And even though the government may shut down, the First Amendment never shuts down," the brewery said.

Because the government is not issuing new labels, Atlas cannot legally comply with the law, it says. However, "the right to free speech is not a favor that the government affords Americans when political circumstances allow," the complaint said.

Atlas Brew Works is seeking an injunction to prevent acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker from enforcing labeling laws against the brewery.

The government is expected to file a response Friday. A hearing on the case is scheduled Tuesday.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.



This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC brewery sues government over shutdown, citing lack of labels, speech concernsHere are the companies the Yahoo Finance team is watching for you today.

A big miss at Morgan Stanley. The bank came up short on earnings and revenue last quarter as trading and wealth management both suffered declines. The CEO calls the quarter challenging and says the global environment remains uncertain.

Facebook is cracking down again on fake accounts linked to Russia. The social network says it's uncovered two separate operations, spreading what it calls "inauthentic behavior" across Facebook and Instagram. Also, it's taken down hundreds of pages, accounts and groups linked to the effort.

New details on why CFO Tim Stone is leaving Snap. Bloomberg says Stone went around CEO Evan Spiegel, and asked the board directly for more money. He also asked to take on more duties related to the company's strategy. In a filing, the company denied the exit had anything to do with a management dispute.

The iPhone sales slump at Apple is starting to impact hiring there. Bloomberg says the company plans to pull back on hiring in some divisions. CEO Tim Cook is reportedly still deciding which divisions will be hit. Apple hasn't confirmed any of it.

Cars.com is getting a lot of attention today after saying it's exploring a possible sale. The CEO says the company's delivered 12 months of traffic growth. Still, activist investor Starboard Value is pushing for big changes including a possible sale.The Trump administrations aggressive pursuit of a new space-based missile defense system in a bid to counter existing threats could prove significantly beneficial for the American defense sector.

President Donald Trump is expected to uncover a new strategy that may provide an insight into Americas space control weapons on Jan 17. Given the geopolitical tensions between the United States and countries such as Russia and China that are developing space weapon systems, Pentagons new defense technologies in space could be apt.

Therefore, focusing on equities of a few defense companies could be prudent at present.

Global Pursuit Toward Space Weaponization

An unclassified Defense Intelligence Agency report released on Jan 15 revealed that China is conducting sophisticated satellite operations and could be testing on-orbit dual-use technologies that could be used to pursue space missions.

The report also cited an instance when China destroyed a weather satellite in 2007 using an anti-satellite missile, and therefore, U.S. satellites used for navigation, early warnings and communication might be susceptible to attacks.

Russia and Chinas development of cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons are of alarming nature as well, since U.S. aircraft carriers, airbases etc. could be targets for attacks. Hypersonic missiles are a much more likely threat than nuclear weapons as these could be effective in a conventional fight because of their tactical, long-range and precision-guided systems.

The existing threats from North Korea and Iran make it imperative for space-based interceptors, since these could not only help in identifying incoming enemy missiles but also in destroying them in the first few minutes of flight.

Pentagons Measures to Counter Space Weapons

According to a Bloomberg report, the United States increased missile defense spending by 25% to $9.9 billion in the current fiscal year. The United States is specifically interested in laying out a layer of sensors in space that can easily detect enemy strikes at the moment of launch.

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The need for intelligence gathering to be an automated process in order to counter an attack is what forms the basis of space sensors. Robert Zitz, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at SSL, which is the satellite manufacturing wing of Maxar Technologies, said that the foundation for a space layer would be artificial intelligence along with sensors and satellites.

In a bid to develop space sensors, or missile-warning satellites, Lockheed Martin LMT was equipped with a $2.9 billion contract by the Air Force last year. The company is developing three missile-warning satellites that are due for completion by April 2021. In addition, Northrop Grumman NOC was chosen to develop polar orbit satellites that are expected to be ready by June 2020.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grummans growth estimates that stand at 31.43% and 43.7%, respectively, for the current year beat the Zacks Aerospace - Defense industrys growth estimate of 22.1%. Lockheed Martin carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and Northrop Grumman carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Raytheon RTN is developing a wide range of systems for intelligence gathering that comprise of satellite launch, earth observation, constellation planning and scheduling and various products for space missions.

Raytheons growth estimate of 32.6% beats the Zacks Aerospace  Defense Equipment industrys growth estimate of 15.3%. Raytheon carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Other major players in the segment that are working on related works are General Dynamics GD and Aerojet Rocketdyne AJRD.

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Zacks Investment ResearchCarolyn Tastad has a message for corporate America: We havent made the progress that we need to. Tastad, group president for Procter & Gamble (PG) North America and 30-year veteran with the company, spoke with Yahoo Finances Brian Sozzi at NRF 2019: Retails Big Show, saying that while womens voices were heard in 2018, companies still have a long way to go in terms of closing the gender gap.

How can companies do better? Tastad says there must be intentionality in the strategy that companies employ when looking at employee benefits such as flexible work hours and family leave. She mentions employee offerings such as parenting leave, enabling both partners or spouses, regardless of gender, to participate in bringing up a family.

Tastad hopes companies will more consistently recognize that these types of policies can affect a companys bottom line in a positive way. Tastad says they can actually enable a company to achieve its goals. They bring to life what you need in support in the work environment to make it happen, she says.

For companies to instill change, we need to expand what our definition of what leadership looks like, she says, adding that too often we default to the one-size-fits-all prototype, and thats what has to change.

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3 tips for those retiring in the next 5 yearsWashington (AFP) - The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria destroyed a command center in a mosque in the war-torn country on Thursday, officials said.

The strike is another indication that IS has not been "beaten" in Syria, as Trump claimed last month when he ordered the withdrawal of US forces from the country.

Coalition aircraft "destroyed an ISIS command and control facility in a mosque in Safafiyah," a coalition statement read, using an alternate acronym for IS.

"ISIS continues to violate Law of Armed Conflict and misuse protected structures like hospitals and mosques, which cause a facility to lose its protected status," the statement added.

IS holdouts in Syria are mainly in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

Four Americans, including two US soldiers, were killed Wednesday in a suicide blast claimed by IS in the northern city of Manbij.

It was the deadliest attack against US forces since they first deployed to Syria four years ago."The reaction of the banks is underwhelming." "The reaction of the banks is underwhelming."

By text and email, I asked the presidents of the five local banks that lent a total of $412 million (P21.42 billion), most of it unsecured, to Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (Hanjin) for their comment on the biggest loan default in the history of Philippine banking. Their reaction, if you ask me, is underwhelming. It is as if P21 billion were loose change. I just hope that the banks take the same attitude of liberality when lending to small businesses. The way the banks lend to the small businesses, it is like, to use a Biblical passage, passing through the eye of the needle. It is easier to pass through the eye of the needle than to obtain a loan from the banks. Getting a loan from the banks is, as you should know by now, Heaven. To be sure, the banks are not solely to blame for this setup. The main culprit is the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas whose regulations and policies are stacked against the small businessmen. BSP has invented a monster called Know Your Client. Under KYC, groups of bank staff and officers alternately interview the small businessman, asking, nicely of course, all kinds of inanities to determine first, that the borrower is a human being, second, that he is a good person, and third that he will pay his loans. Because of KYC, the banking industry cannot comply with the legally mandated minimum percentage of their loanable funds to be lent to small businesses. Note that 99 percent of Philippine corporations are small businesses. They are also the biggest employers. What can you conclude from this setup? The economy should be growing faster than it is. And BSP is to blame. If the banks can afford to absorb colossally high loan default like Hanjins P21 billion, then they can afford to lose money lending to small businesses. How much is the average loan of a small businessman? P200,000. How much is the Hanjin default? P21 billion. Thats money that could have gone to 105,000 small borrowers. Now, did the five local banks in Hanjin default conduct KYC? I doubt it. Here are the replies of the five bank executives:President and CEO, RCBC The Philippine banks are exploring all possible legal remedies with the goal of strengthening its security collateral position by gaining possession and/or control of the Subic shipyard, raw material inventories etc. The banks $412-million exposure is covered by the continuing suretyship of Hanjin Korea and, in varying degrees of coverage, assignment of receivables from shipbuilding contracts, chattel mortgage and real estate mortgage. The bankruptcy will affect the profitability of banks somewhat. Hanjin is an isolated issue and as stated by BSP, the industry has strengthened its risk management capabilities. Industry lending growth should continue. No systemic risk to the banking industry anticipated. Banks are better prepared to weather this Hanjin issue due to the industrys improved capitalization vs during the Dewey Dee period, (and) are more profitable. In addition, the $412-million industry exposure represent just 0.24 percent of total industry loans.President and CEO, BDO Unibank, Inc.Our exposure is $54 million. This represents only 0.15 percent of our total loan book. We are more than adequately provided to cover for potential losses. We will be working with the creditor group to maximize recovery from the assets. The value of the assets far exceeds the loans so the challenge is to come to an acceptable rehabilitation agreement that will preserve the going concern. The bankruptcy should have minimal impact on our generations, profit and future operations. The Hanjin bankruptcy should not have a major impact on the banking industry. The industry is much bigger, stronger and better capitalized now than in 2008.President and CEO, Bank of Philippine Islands Philippine banks have approximately $412 million in loan exposure to Hanjin Philippines, some of it collateralized, some of it clean. I believe the amount of exposure is only about 1/4 of 1 percent of the total banking system loans. The Philippine banks have the capital and the loan loss provisions to readily handle this event. In other words, this event does not present a risk to the banking system of the country. Philippine banks today are much larger and much better capitalized than they were 10, 20 or 30 years ago. The banks will work together to craft a solution that preserves value and, hopefully, jobs of the workers in the shipyard. Our loan exposure is $52 million, the smallest of the Philippine banks. Our exposure is partly against receivables, and partly clean. We will probably have a sense of potential recovery rate in a few weeks, after a recovery plan is agreed to.President, Land Bank of the Philippines For now I can only confirm that LandBank has $85-million exposure to Hanjin-Philippines. Well have to address the problem. But the good news is we can recover the assets. The shipyard is worth $1.2 billion and the total exposure of the creditors is less than $400 million. Down the road, we hope to recover our exposure.Chairman, Metrobank Apologies but, respecting the legal process and the consortium, we have not disclosed any specifics related to the loan. I can say that the impact on Metro is minimal. And more so impact on the banking sector. We see this as a one-off and wont have much of an impact on the banking system. [email protected]Marie Jean Pierre, pictured with attorney Marc Brumer, right, refused to work on Sundays. (Photo: NBC 6 Miami)

A devout Christian who put God before her job has won a $21.5 million verdict after her employer, Conrad Miami hotel, fired her for not showing up for six Sunday shifts, NBCs Miami affiliate reports.

Marie Jean Pierre, who worked as a dishwasher at the hotel for a decade, instead spent her Sundays at her church. According to Pierre, her employer was aware that she could not work on Sundays at the time of her hiring, but her schedule began to change in 2015. The Miami Herald reports that kitchen manager George Colon began scheduling her on Sundays. While she was initially able to switch shifts with co-workers, Pierre balked when Colon finally demanded that she herself report for work on Sundays. Her refusal resulted in her termination in March 2016.

I love God, she told NBC 6 Miami. No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honor God.

Charging that her firing was a violation of her civil rights and religious beliefs, Pierre took legal action, filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the Hilton-owned hotel of creating a hostile work environment. She filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in May 2017.

They accommodated her for seven years, and they easily could have accommodated her, but instead of doing that, they set her up for absenteeism and threw her out, her attorney, Marc Brumer, told NBC 6. Shes a soldier of Christ. She was doing this for all the other workers who are being discriminated against.

A former dishwasher at the Conrad Miami sued the hotel for firing her for not working Sundays because it conflicted with her religious beliefs. (Photo: Copyright 2019 Hilton)

While a jury agreed, the substantial sum they awarded her  $21 million in damages, plus $35,000 in back wages and $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish  is mostly symbolic. Due to caps on punitive damages in federal court, Pierre will only receive around $500,000. Still, she and her attorney both insist that her case was about religious freedom, not money.

This was not about money, Bruner told NBC 6. This was about sending a message to other corporations whether big or small. Whatever size you are, if youre going to take the blood and sweat of your workers, you better accommodate them or let them at least believe in their religious beliefs. Not a preference but a belief.

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Hilton, meanwhile, plans to appeal the decision.

We were very disappointed by the jurys verdict, and dont believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law, a statement from the hotel chain reads. During Ms. Pierres 10 years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments. We intend to appeal, and demonstrate that the Conrad Miami was and remains a welcoming place for all guests and employees.

Yahoo Lifestyle has contacted Brumer for comment.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.By Dale Smith OTTAWA (Reuters) - China's envoy to Canada on Thursday warned Ottawa there would be repercussions if it banned technology firm Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] from supplying equipment to Canadian 5G networks, the latest blast in a deepening bilateral dispute. Ambassador Lu Shaye, speaking at a news conference, did not give details. Canada is currently studying the security implications of 5G networks, but unlike some allies has not announced Huawei equipment will be excluded. "If the Canadian government does ban Huawei from participating in the 5G network, then as for what kind of repercussion there will be, Im not sure, but I believe there will be repercussions," Lu said through an interpreter, urging Ottawa to "make a wise decision on this issue". Relations between China and Canada turned frosty last month after Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, on a U.S. extradition request. China subsequently detained two Canadian citizens, and this month a court retried a Canadian man who previously had been found guilty of drug smuggling, and sentenced him to death. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Beijing of arbitrarily using the death penalty and called world leaders to solicit their support. Lu said when Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland went to the World Economic Forum in Davos next week she should avoid "microphone diplomacy" and not try to rally support. "If Canada has a sincerity of resolving these issues, then Canada will not do such things. We hope Canada thinks twice before making any actions," he said. In response, Freeland said Canada had no intention of changing its approach. "We will continue to speak every day with our allies about this situation," she told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet retreat in Sherbrooke, Quebec. She declined to give details about the review into 5G technology. A Canadian source directly familiar with the case said the study would not be released in the immediate future. Huawei has a relatively small Canadian operation, employing just shy of 1,000 people. But the company said early this year it had become the 25th largest research and development funder in Canada, thanks to partnerships with local universities. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced bills that would ban the sale of U.S. chips or other components to Huawei, ZTE Corp <000063.SZ> or other Chinese firms that violate U.S. sanctions or export control laws. (Additional reporting by David Ljunggren; writing by David Ljunggren; editing by Sonya Hepinstall, Leslie Adler and Tom Brown)Unruly British family kicked out of New Zealand

A British family has been asked to leave New Zealand after they were reported for shoplifting, littering, threatening residents and causing chaos, an immigration official said.

The family were involved in a series of incidents in Auckland, New Zealands largest city, and Hamilton over the past week.

One member of the group, which includes children, told reporters earlier this week they would cut short their trip and return home because they felt unwelcome in New Zealand.

Snow and ice warnings are in force in parts of the UK as the arctic blast freezing the nation continues.

The Met Office has issued an ice warning for the majority of England and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.

This ice warning also reaches up into southern Scotland, while a further warning of snow and ice has been issued for the rest of Scotland including Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.

Temperatures have dropped this week after a mild start to January, with a low of -3.4C recorded in Cumbria overnight.

Jeremy Corbyn has urged his MPs not to engage with the Government over Brexit until no deal is officially taken off the table.

He move came after at least three prominent backbenchers took up an offer of talks with ministers.

Theresa May called for cross-party discussions to break the Brexit deadlock after her deal was defeated in the House of Commons by a historic margin.

A grandmother has discovered a light bulb bought by her parents from a Woolworths store in 1943 still works more than 75 years later.

Valerie Beaney from Headcorn, Kent, had lasted switched on the 40-watt bulb 10 years ago.

Ms Beaneys sister Elaine was born under its light and her dad Jack painted it dark blue to hide it from wardens during a Second World War curfew.The dark clouds of Brooklyns L Train shutdown have parted, and some residents are finding themselves in an unexpected, incredible financial position. According to a new report from real estate listings site StreetEasy, residents who signed or re-signed leases in the past year likely saved a collected $26.5 million.

Since April, 2016, while the shutdown was still looming over the neighborhoods in North Brooklyn, rents dropped about 1.5 percent. In 2018, about 20,000 new listings were on the market between Williamsburg and Greenpoint. In the rest of Brooklyn, prices rose about 3.3 percent, according to StreetEasy, since April, 2016. That means that those who signed leases in these neighborhoods in the past year, as prices dropped, got to have their cake and eat it too, since they wont be dealing with the transportation dilemmas the lower prices were meant to reflect when they signed.

The original reasoning for the L train shutdown, the decaying subway tunnel transporting New Yorkers between 14th Street in Manhattan and North Brooklyn, was changed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's push to only closing it during nights and weekends instead of shutting the train down entirely .

The study also doesnt include those who may have signed longer leases, who would have saved even more than this projection.

While those who didnt flee neighborhoods off the L during the past few years won big in the end, those looking to come to Brooklyn could potentially be hit harder than expected. As prices dropped, developers and building owners were forced to make concessions such as lowering prices to bring people in. Now that the L train is likely to not be shut down, those who operated at a loss may come back that much stricter to try and recuperate some of those lost earnings.

From the beginning of 2018, gearing up in the summertime, many tenants paying rent that were about to renew, they had the leverage to bargain and get relatively good deals and get some concessions, compared to a couple years prior because of the inconvenience of transportation, says Miki Naftali, developer and founder of the Naftali Group. We felt pressure on pricing in our Williamsburg properties. Landlords saw the same thing. We had to compromise and give some concessions to keep tenants in our buildings.

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Those willing to go back to Brooklyn now should buy quickly, though, as StreetEasy predicts that prices will climb back up to pre-shutdown figures within the next few weeks only. According to Naftali, Theres also a lot of new product that came to the marketparticularly on the waterfront; Domino [Sugar Factory], for example. With these changes, the product will be received very well and help push the price up again.

The shutdown seems to have been avoided for the time being, though the past few years have brought it to New Yorkers attentions that the city potentially could shut down a subway line in the future for repairs, despite how it may affect residents. The scare has caused a shift in the real estate market, where people have begun moving back toward centrally located parts of Manhattan near several subway or transit lines, as opposed to outer boroughs where rent may be a bit more affordable, but there is a dependency on one transit line. The study shows that as of October 2018, rents were growing faster in downtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side than in Brooklyn and Queens. StreetEasy warns, though, that if the MTA find less invasive ways of fixing the subways problems, those spikes in demand could even out as residents move back out toward the outer boroughs more affordable rents.

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Sign up for the AD PRO newsletter for all the design news you need to knowPrime Minister Theresa May's government faced a no confidence vote on Wednesday after the crushing defeat of her Brexit divorce deal by parliament left Britain's exit from the European Union in disarray just 10 weeks before it is due to leave.

Lawmakers voted 432-202 against her deal, the worst defeat in modern British history, triggering political chaos that could lead to a disorderly exit from the EU or even to a reversal of the 2016 decision to leave.

With the clock ticking down to March 29, the date set in law for Brexit, the United Kingdom is now in the deepest political crisis in half a century as it grapples with how, or even whether, to exit the European project it joined in 1973.

After the first British parliamentary defeat of a treaty since 1864, opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called a vote of no confidence in May's government, to be held at 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

The small Northern Irish DUP party which props up May's minority government and refused to back the deal said it would stand behind May in the no-confidence vote. Pro-Brexit Conservatives also said they would support her.

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"I have no doubt that the prime minister will win that and then she can focus on trying to thrash out something with the EU and parliamentarians," James Cleverly, a lawmaker and deputy chairman of the Conservative party, told Reuters.

"My fear is that parliament could lose its head and put the whole Brexit process at risk, which I think would be a catastrophic error," said Cleverly who supports Brexit.

Germany, the most powerful member of the EU, called for new talks between Britain and the bloc, whose leaders warned of the dire consequences of a no-deal Brexit that business leaders fear will sow chaos through supply chains across Europe and beyond.

Labour's finance minister-in-waiting, John McDonnell, said May could eventually get a deal through parliament if she negotiated a compromise with his party.

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NEW DEAL?

That still leaves Brexit up in the air. May's humiliating loss appeared to catastrophically undermine her two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit.

Sterling jumped by more than a cent against the U.S. dollar on news of May's defeat on Tuesday and was holding close to that level on Wednesday.

Ever since Britain voted by 52-48 percent to leave the EU in a referendum in June 2016, the political class has been debating how to leave the European project forged by France and Germany after the devastation of World War Two.

While the country is divided over EU membership, most agree the world's fifth largest economy is at a crossroads and its choices over Brexit will shape the prosperity of future generations for years to come.

Other members of the EU, which combined has about six times the economic might of the United Kingdom, called for discussion but indicated there was little chance of fundamental change to the deal May had negotiated.

Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said there was not much time left to find a Brexit solution and that "the time for playing games is now over."

He told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk there needed to be new talks between Britain and the EU, adding that in the end the issue of a backstop solution for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland needed to be discussed.

NO BREXIT?

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said a disorderly Brexit was more likely while Donald Tusk, the chairman of EU leaders, suggested Britain should now consider reversing Brexit altogether.

Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said Britain was probably heading for a delay and a another vote on EU membership.

"I think and I fear that we are headed on a path towards delay and probably, yes, a second vote," Farage said.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney speaks to lawmakers in parliament's Treasury Committee on Wednesday.

If parliament did vote that it had no confidence in May's government, there is a 14-day grace period in which to pass an act of confidence in a new government.

If there is no vote of confidence in that new government, then a new election must be held within about 17 working days, according to the Institute of Government. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)Brasilia (AFP) - Brazilian and US officials met Venezuelan opposition leaders in Brasilia Thursday to discuss the political crisis in the oil-rich country ruled by President Nicolas Maduro, Brazil's foreign ministry said.

The ministry said in a statement the meetings were to "analyze the situation in Venezuela stemming from the illegitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's rule" and to show support for the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament, Juan Guaido.

"There was also the aim of discussing ideas for concrete action to restore democracy in Venezuela," it added.

The foreign ministry branded Maduro's regime "a mechanism of organized crime," which it said was based on "generalized corruption, drug trafficking, trafficking in people, money laundering, and terrorism."

The gathering was chaired by Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo and took place without figuring on official agendas and with no access for journalists.

Araujo followed up with a separate meeting with former members of Venezuela's supreme court, one of whom, Miguel Angel Martin, also went on to hold a private meeting with President Jair Bolsonaro.

Among the Venezuelan opposition leaders participating were Julio Borges, the former head of parliament who lives in exile in Colombia, and Antonio Ledezma, a former Caracas mayor now based in Spain.

US embassy officials were present, although the mission was unable to confirm which because of a US government shutdown affecting some services, including media relations.

The foreign ministry said representatives from the "Lima Group," a grouping of 14 countries in the Americas that views Maduro's rule as anti-democratic, were also there. So too were representatives of the Organization of American States.

- Isolating Venezuela -

The declared intention to ratchet up pressure on Caracas comes as Maduro and members of his government are already under US and EU sanctions.

Story continues

Bolsonaro has said his government will vigorously challenge Venezuela's regime.

He has also said he wants much closer ties with the United States, which has been pushing for a more forceful regional campaign against Maduro.

Thursday's meeting came a day after Bolsonaro hosted Argentine President Mauricio Macri and both leaders condemned Maduro's "dictatorship."

The Lima Group, the European Union and the United States view Maduro's presidency as illegitimate after he took up a new mandate last week, following May 2018 elections branded fraudulent by the opposition.

Maduro and his government frequently accuse the United States of wanting to foment an uprising.

"Venezuela demands respect for its democracy," Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted on Wednesday, denouncing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and "other extremist voices looking to destabilize the country and incite violence."

Maduro is widely blamed for Venezuela's economic meltdown that sees the oil-reliant country wallowing in a fourth year of recession.

Crude production is at a 30-year low, while poverty is widespread and millions have fled the country.By Eric Knecht DOHA (Reuters) - Trade between Qatar and Turkey is expected to have hit $2 billion in 2018, a Turkish official said, up 54 percent from the previous last year and underscoring Ankara's solidified role as a top ally to Qatar amid a political rift in the Gulf region. Ankara has emerged as one of Qatar's top partners since a Saudi Arabia-led bloc launched a trade and diplomatic boycott of the tiny Gulf state in 2017, sending additional troops and food to shore up Qatar's needs just after it began. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charge and says the boycott aims to infringe on its sovereignty. Speaking at a Turkish trade expo that kicked off in Doha on Wednesday, Turkish Deputy Finance Minister Osman Dincbas said that Qatar was one of the fastest growing areas of trade for Turkey in 2018, and the $2 billion figure is expected to grow. Qatar last year pledged a $15 billion package of economic projects, investments and deposits for Turkey that included an up to $3 billion currency swap to firm up the country's battered lira. Dincbas said "a portion of the $15 billion" had so far arrived but declined to specify how much or in what form. Qatar-Turkey trade volume for the first 10 months of 2018, the latest data available, indicates $1.7 billion of total trade, higher than the $1.3 billion in all of 2017, a Turkish trade official said. That trade includes goods such as Turkish food and building materials to Qatar and Qatari liquefied natural gas and aluminum to Turkey. Abu Issa Holdings, one of the largest distributors and retailers of supermarket goods in Qatar, has seen its Turkish brands mushroom to about 25 percent of its portfolio from about 10 percent before the boycott, CEO Ashraf Abu Issa said. At the expo, Abu Issa showcased Turkish honey and pasta introduced after the boycott that he said have become top sellers in Qatar, replacing Saudi and Emirati brands that once crowded shelves in Doha. Others, like Kingspan, an importer of Turkish insulated panels for warehouses and cold storage, said volume nearly doubled last year. Abu Issa said he would stick with Turkish brands that have become popular even if the boycott were lifted, despite higher shipping costs. "We will continue with Turkey for sure. They are not a replacement. This should have happened a long time ago -- we discovered some amazing products and the quality is superior to what we would get from there," he said. (Reporting by Eric Knecht; Editing by Kim Coghill)"While pundits and politicians act as if everything needs government intervention, the opposite is true." "While pundits and politicians act as if everything needs government intervention, the opposite is true."

Best-selling author, award-winning news correspondent, and news anchor John Stossel has revealing things to say about the US government shutdown. He says that the government shutdown is now longer than any in history. The media keep using the word crisis. Shutdown sows chaos, confusion and anxiety! says The Washington Post. Pain spreads widely. The New York Times headlined, its all just too much! But wait. Looking around America, Stossel and many of my American friends and kababayans see people going about their businessfamilies eating in restaurants, employees going to work, children playing in playgrounds, etc. I have to ask: Wheres the crisis? Pundits talk as if government is the most important part of America, but it isnt. Whether youre in America, the Philippines, or elsewhere, we need some government, limited government. But most of life, the best of life, goes on without government, many of the best parts in spite of government. Of course, the shutdown is a big deal to the 800,000 people who arent being paid. But they will get paid. Government workers always doafter shutdowns. Columnist Paul Krugman calls this shutdown, Trumps big libertarian experiment. But its not libertarian. Governments excessive rules are still in effect, and eventually government workers will be paid for not working. That makes this a most un-libertarian experiment. But there are lessons to be learned. During a shutdown when Barack Obama was president, government officials were so eager to make a point by inconveniencing people that they even stopped visitors from entering public parks. Trumps administration isnt doing that, so PBS found a new crisis: Trash cans spilling (P)ark services cant clean up the mess until Congress and the president reach a spending deal, reported NewsHour. But volunteers appeared to pick up some of the trash. Given a chance, private citizens often step in to do things government says only government can do. The Washington Post ran a front-page headline about farmers reeling because they arent receiving government support checks. But why do farmers even get support checks? One justification is saving family farms. But the money goes to big farms.Government doesnt need to guarantee the food supply, another justification for subsidies. Most fruit and vegetable farmers get no subsidies, yet there are no shortages of peaches, plums, green beans, etc. Subsidies are a scam created by politicians who get money from wheat, cotton, corn, and soybean agribusinesses. Those farmers should suck it up and live without subsidies, too. During shutdowns, government tells nonessential workers not to come to work. But if theyre nonessential, then why do Americans pay 400,000 of them? Why do they still pay 100,000 American soldiers in Germany, Japan, Italy, and England? Didnt they win those wars? We could take a chainsaw to so much of government. The New York Times shrieks, Shutdown Curtails FDA Food Inspections! Only if you read on do you learn that meat and poultry inspection is done by the Department of Agriculture. Theyre still working. And the FDA is restarting some inspections as well. More important, meat is usually safe not because of governmentbut because of competition. Food sellers worry about their reputations. They know theyll get bad publicity if they poison people, so they take many more safety measures than government requires. One meat producer told Stossel that they employ 2,000 more safety inspectors than the law demands. Lazy reporters cover politicians. Interviewees are usually in one placeoften Washington, D.C. Interviewing politicians is easier than covering people pursuing their own interests all over America. But those are the people who make America work. While pundits and politicians act as if everything needs government intervention, the opposite is true. Even security work is done better by the private sector. At San Franciscos airport, security lines move faster. Passengers told Stossel, The screeners are nicer! The TSA even acknowledged that those screeners are better at finding contraband. Thats because San Francisco (Kansas City, Seattle, and a dozen smaller airports) privatized the screening process. Private companies are responsible for security. Private contractors are better because they must compete. Perform badly, and they get fired. But government never fires itself. Government workers shout, We are essential! But Stossel and I say: Give me a break. Most of you are not. [email protected]There are plenty of choices in the Large Cap Growth category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is BlackRock Exchange BlackRock (STSEX). STSEX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

STSEX is part of the Large Cap Growth section, and this segment boasts an array of other possible options. Large Cap Growth mutual funds purchase stakes in numerous large U.S. companies that are expected to develop and grow at a faster rate than other large-cap stocks. Companies are usually considered to be large-cap if their market capitalization is over $10 billion.

History of Fund/Manager

BlackRock is based in New York, NY, and is the manager of STSEX. BlackRock Exchange BlackRock made its debut in May of 1986, and since then, STSEX has accumulated about $153.42 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. Lawrence G. Kemp is the fund's current manager and has held that role since January of 2013.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 6.44%, and it sits in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 8.38%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of STSEX over the past three years is 10.37% compared to the category average of 11.77%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 10.7% compared to the category average of 11.85%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

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Risk Factors

Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In the most recent bear market, STSEX lost 45.55% and outperformed its peer group by 3.22%. This might suggest that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a bear market.

Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.92, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -1.26. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Holdings

Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States.

As of the last filing date, the mutual fund has 93.54% of its assets in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $361.97 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors:

Finance Technology Health Industrial Cyclical

Turnover is 0%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers.

Expenses

Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, STSEX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.62% compared to the category average of 1.10%. From a cost perspective, STSEX is actually cheaper than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, BlackRock Exchange BlackRock ( STSEX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, BlackRock Exchange BlackRock ( STSEX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.

For additional information on the Large Cap Growth area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into STSEX too for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.



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Zacks Investment ResearchBy Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a victory for President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation to keep sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including aluminum firm Rusal <0486.HK>. Senators voted 57-42 to end debate on the measure, as 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans broke from party leaders to join Democrats in favor of the resolution, amid questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That result fell short of the 60 votes necessary to advance to a final passage vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 seat majority. A similar measure will be brought up for a vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives, where Democrats control a majority of seats. But its long-term fate was uncertain. To keep the administration from lifting the sanctions, the measure must pass both the House and Senate and muster the two-thirds majority needed in both chambers to override an expected Trump veto. Many members of Congress have been questioning the U.S. Treasury Department's decision in December to ease sanctions imposed in April on the core businesses of Deripaska - Rusal, its parent, En+ , and power firm EuroSibEnergo - watering down the toughest penalties imposed on Russian entities since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Hours after Wednesday's vote, the Treasury extended by one week its deadline for Deripaska to divest his holdings in Rusal, En+ and EuroSibEnergo to Jan. 28. The restructurings are a key condition for lifting the sanctions on the companies. Deripaska, an influential businessman close to Putin, himself would remain subject to U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration pushed Republican lawmakers not to support the resolution introduced by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, which would have prevented the administration from lifting the sanctions. "Forty-two Republican senators chose today to stand with Vladimir Putin," Schumer said in a statement. "Im extremely disappointed that many of my Republican colleagues are too afraid of breaking with President Trump to stand up to a thug." Senate aides said Treasury officials had approached senators and staff repeatedly in recent days to argue that it was appropriate to lift the sanctions because Deripaska had agreed to cut back his controlling stakes. CONCERN OVER RIPPLE EFFECTS They said the sanctions on Deripaska would punish him, but lifting restrictions on the companies would avoid potential effects on companies in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Rusal is the world's largest aluminum producer outside China. The sanctions on the company spurred demand for Chinese metal. China's aluminum exports jumped to a record high in 2018. The Russian companies, along with some European governments, also lobbied for months for the sanctions to be eased. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney welcomed the outcome of the Senate vote, saying he hoped it would pave the way for sanctions to be lifted that affect the Irish company Aughinish Alumina, a Rusal unit. "We respect different views in U.S. on sanctions, but our focus has always been on protecting jobs and livelihoods in Ireland and EU," he said on Twitter. Democrats had been optimistic they would get 60 votes on Wednesday, after 11 Republicans made the unusual break from Trump policies and supported the resolution in procedural voting on Tuesday. Backers of the resolution of disapproval said it was too soon to ease sanctions, given Russia's continuing aggression in Ukraine, the finding by U.S. intelligence that Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to boost Trump, and Russia's support for the Syrian government in that country's civil war. The U.S. military said on Wednesday that four Americans had been killed in Syria in a bomb attack claimed by Islamic State militants. Deripaska had ties with Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager, documents have shown. Manafort is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy against the United States. The Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, dismissed the Democratic-led resolution as a political stunt. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin and Polina Devitt in Moscow; Editing by Tom Brown and Lisa Shumaker)How to Avoid Common Car-Seat Installation Mistakes

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

A toddler, still strapped into a car safety seat, survived a fall out of a moving vehicle this week on a Minnesota roadproviding a chilling reminder of the importance of proper car seat installation.

The Monday incident, reported in Mankato, Minn., has gained social media attention because it was captured on a dash cam video from a nearby vehicle. The driver of that vehicle stopped to rescue the uninjured child, according to local news reports.

Although this case appears to be a freak occurrence, motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. When installed the right way, car seats can prevent death and mitigate injuries.

Most drivers who transport children believe their car or booster seat is installed correctly, (73 percent), but nearly half (45 percent) of the installations are flawed in some way, according to the 2015 National Child Restraint Use Special Study, the latest government research available.

Consumer Reports routinely tests child seats in three areas: crash protection, ease of use, and ease of installation in various vehicles.

To help drivers properly secure their children, weve identified some common mistakes, including those noted in the study.

Use the slider over the images below to find out whether you too may be inadvertently making mistakes, and learn how to correct them.

First Steps: Car-Seat-to-Vehicle Installation

Slide right and left to see what not to do and what you should be doing when installing your car seat in your car.

Don't: Loose installation, defined as having more than 1 inch of movement either forward and back and/or side to side when force is applied at the belt path.

Do: Regardless of whether youre using LATCH anchors or the vehicle seat belt, the installation should have less than 1 inch of movement both forward and back and side to side when pulled at the belt path. If youre installing with the vehicle seat belt, be sure to consult your vehicle owners manual to learn how to properly lock the seat belt.

Don't: Incorrectly set the recline angle for rear-facing car seats.

Do: Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for setting the recline on your rear-facing seat. An overly upright seat can cause an infants head to fall forward and obstruct his or her breathing. Reclining too far can reduce the seats ability to protect the child in a crash.

Don't: Use forward-facing belt path for rear-facing orientation or rear-facing belt path for forward-facing orientation.

Do: Consult your car-seat manual and the seats labels to ensure you are using the correct belt path. Confusing the paths could mean the seat is not secure or may not respond as it should during a crash.

Don't: Fail to use a top tether for forward-facing installation.

Do: For all forward-facing installations, always attach the top tether whether the seat is installed using the lower anchors or the seat belts. The top tether significantly reduces a seats forward motion, which can reduce injury to the child, especially head injury. Car-seat-misuse research conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute also suggests that to some degree, top tether use may help mitigate the effects of other misuses, such as loose harnessing or loose installation. Top tethers not only enhance safety but are also easy to use.

Next Steps: Securing Child in Car Seat

Story continues

Slide right and left to see what not to do and what you should be doing when securing your child in a car seat.

Don't: Leave a loose harness that allows too much movement.

Do: Make harness snug enough so that you cant pinch any webbing between your fingers at your childs shoulders. A loose harness can cause your child to move outside the protection of the child seat during a crash.

Don't: Position at wrong rear-facing harness height.

Do: For rear-facing seats, the harness should be positioned at or slightly below the shoulders. Correct harness positioning optimizes the seat's ability to protect in a crash.



Don't: Position at wrong forward-facing harness height.

Do: For forward-facing seats, the harness should be adjusted to fit at or slightly above the shoulders. Correct harness positioning optimizes the seat's ability to protect in a crash.

Don't: Position chest clip too high or too low.

Do: Position chest clip at armpit level. The chest clip is intended to keep the harness in proper position prior to a crash.

Don't: Use non-approved covers and cushions.

Do: Use only covers and cushions that have been approved by the car-seat manufacturer for use with that seat. These items have been crash-tested with your seat to meet compliance standards. As a rule, do not place any additional padding between the seat and your child or between your child and the harness straps.

The study also found that the most common misuse for booster installations was placing the lap belt high on the belly or ribcage, rather than low across the hips and upper thighs. If you have a booster kid, check our car seat buying guide for more information on how to properly secure your child in the booster and how to decide whether your child is ready for the vehicle seat belt alone.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2019, Consumer Reports, Inc.An artwork called "McJesus," which was sculpted by Finnish artist Jani Leinonen and depicts a crucified Ronald McDonald, is seen on display as part of the Haifa museum's "Sacred Goods" exhibit, in Haifa, Israel, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Hundreds of Christians calling for the sculpture's removal protested at the museum last week.

A sculpture of a crucified Ronald McDonald will be removed from an art museum in Israel after the display sparked violent protests, the mayor of Haifa said.

The artwork by Finnish artist Jani Leinonen, titled "McJesus," shows Ronald McDonald on the cross and had been on loan to the Haifa Museum of Art from a museum in Helsinki.

In a tweet along with a picture of the work's borrowing agreement, mayor Einat Kalisch Rotem said the sculpture would be removed "as soon as possible."

"In an agreement with the church leaders, and since the lending agreement for the sculpture ends in the coming days, it will be removed, and returned as soon as possible," Kalisch Rotem tweeted, according to the Times of Israel's translation.

The loan had already been set to expire in January, the agreement shows.

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Hundreds of Arab Christians demonstrated at the museum last week to call for the sculpture's removal, the Times of Israel and Associated Press reported. According to the AP, police said protesters threw a firebomb at the museum and stones that wounded three police officers. Police used tear gas and stun grenades in response, per the AP.

According to the Guardian, Arab Christians only account for 2 percent of Israel's population.

Museum director Nissim Tal told the AP that the backlash surprised him given that the exhibit had been on display for months. The work's loan began in June, per the agreement Kalisch Rotem tweeted.

The museum's website says the exhibit, called "Sacred Goods," "focuses on the responses of contemporary artists to issues of religion and faith in the contemporary global reality, which is dominated by the consumer culture."

The museum described Leinonen's work and others in the exhibit as "subversive" and "provocative works that address the collaboration between religious systems and the consumer culture."

The artist told the Jerusalem Post earlier this week that he didn't intend for the sculpture to be shown in Haifa.

Story continues

The protests "came to me as an upsetting surprise, particularly because my work is in the exhibition against my wishes," Leinonen told the newspaper.

Leinonen also said that he had asked the museum to remove the work and that he supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, movement  aimed at pressuring Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev had also called for the work's removal, but the museum had resisted, citing freedom of expression.

"Without any connection, we believe in freedom of speech as a cornerstone of democracy," Kalisch Rotem tweeted, according to the Times of Israel's translation. "We regret the distress experienced by the Christian community in Haifa, and the physical injury and violence that followed. We thank the heads of the Christian churches and priests in Haifa for the dialogue and desire to bridge, the effort to reach a solution, and to prevent violence."

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'McJesus' sculpture to be removed from museum after violent protest, mayor saysLONDON (AP)  The head of the World Health Organization has ordered an internal investigation into allegations the U.N. health agency is rife with racism, sexism and corruption, after a series of anonymous emails with the explosive charges were sent to top managers last year.

Three emails addressed to WHO directors  and obtained by the Associated Press  complained about "systematic racial discrimination" against African staffers and alleged other instances of wrongdoing, including claims that some of the money intended to fight Ebola in Congo was misspent.

Last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staffers he had instructed the head of WHO's office of internal oversight to look into the charges raised by the emails. He confirmed that directive to the AP on Thursday.

A WHO statement issued after the AP story was published said the agency was "aware" of such allegations and has "zero tolerance for misconduct or discrimination of any kind." The statement said Tedros has "championed openness, transparency and diversity" since he became WHO's chief.

However, critics doubt that WHO can effectively investigate itself and have called for the probe to be made public.

The first email, which was sent last April, claimed there was "systematic racial discrimination against Africans at WHO" and that African staffers were being "abused, sworn at (and) shown contempt to" by their Geneva-based colleagues.

Two further emails addressed to WHO directors complained that senior officials were "attempting to stifle" investigations into such problems and also alleged other instances of wrongdoing, including allegedly misspent Ebola funds.

The last email, sent in December, labeled the behavior of a senior doctor helping to lead the response against Ebola as "unacceptable, unprofessional and racist," citing a November incident at a meeting where the doctor reportedly "humiliated, disgraced and belittled" a subordinate from the Middle East.

Story continues

Tedros  a former health minister of Ethiopia and WHO's first African director-general  said investigators looking into the charges "have all my support" and that he would provide more resources if necessary.

"To those that are giving us feedback, thank you," he told a meeting of WHO's country representatives in Nairobi last month. "We will do everything to correct (it) if there are problems."

But Tedros refuted claims that WHO's hiring policies are skewed, arguing that his top management team was more geographically diverse and gender-balanced than any other U.N. organization after adopting measures to be more inclusive.

"There is change already happening," he said during the December staff meeting, according to an audio recording provided to the AP.

WHO's in-house investigation into misconduct comes after other U.N. agencies have been rocked by harassment complaints.

At UNAIDS, chief Michel Sidibe agreed to step down after an independent report concluded in December that his "defective leadership" had created a toxic working environment, with staffers asserting there was rampant sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power.

The author of the anonymous WHO emails also charged there were "crooked recruitment and selection" processes that were "tantamount to fraud, corruption and abuse of authority."

In the latest anonymous message, the author singled out the supposedly flawed hiring process of a senior director in WHO's emergencies department, suggesting that might have led to mistakes being made by incompetent officials involved in efforts to stop Ebola in Congo.

Some staffers feared that funds donated to stem the spread of the deadly virus "have not been used judiciously," the email said, warning such blunders could undermine WHO's credibility.

"A plane was hired to transport three vehicles from the warehouse in Dubai at the cost of $1 million. Why would WHO ship vehicles from Dubai? We would appreciate the rationale when jeeps in DRC (Congo) can be purchased at $80,000 per vehicle," the email said, claiming that "corruption stories about logisticians and procurement in WHO's (Geneva emergencies department) are legendary."

Sarah Russell, a WHO spokeswoman, said WHO shipped 10 vehicles out of Dubai last May because there were no vehicles available for sale in Congo that met minimum safety standards at the time. She said it cost $237,801 to transport them.

David Webb, director of WHO's office of internal oversight, told staffers that Tedros had asked him "to conduct an appropriate investigation" into the issues raised in the emails. Webb said he and his team would scrutinize those accusations, in addition to the approximately 150 other claims that have been reported to his office this year.

"My team is trying their best to go to DRC (Congo), to go to where the allegations are with an effort to find the facts," he said.

The revelations about the alleged wrongdoing were likely to prompt discussions next week at WHO's executive board meeting at its Geneva headquarters. Russell said WHO regularly reports on "substantiated allegations arising from independent investigations" at its executive meetings.

Webb said the investigation would be conducted independently even though it would be done by WHO staffers.

Critics outside the organization felt that was not enough.

Paula Donovan, co-director of AIDS-Free World and its Code Blue campaign, which works to end impunity for U.N. personnel who commit sexual abuse, said Tedros was right to be concerned but "dead wrong to 'instruct' WHO staff to investigate allegations made against WHO."

As one of the defendants, Tedros "obviously cannot be involved in assessing, investigating, prosecuting or judging," Donovan said.

Oyewale Tomori, a Nigerian virologist who previously worked at WHO and now serves on several of its advisory groups, wasn't surprised by the emails' claims of racism, sexism and corruption.

"After what I've seen at WHO, I have no doubt that everything in those emails is true," he said, although he had no evidence to prove the specific claims.

Tomori said he and his African colleagues had often been subjected to "slights that turned to slurs, embarrassing humiliations and rudeness that escalated to abuse" from fellow WHO staffers.

He predicted that without an independent investigation, more complaints would continue to spill out.

"People have known about these problems for a long time," he said. "But nobody wants to talk because they're afraid."

____

Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.Washington (AFP) - Democratic US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, an outspoken Donald Trump critic and champion of women's issues including the #MeToo movement, announced Tuesday she is running for president.

Nearly 22 months before the 2020 election, the battle for the White House is already firming up, as Americans begin to assess who might be the opposition party nominee to challenge Trump.

Four Democrats -- three of them women -- have made clear steps towards a formal campaign in recent weeks. And many more including several of Gillibrand's Senate colleagues, an anti-Trump billionaire businessman and former vice president Joe Biden are waiting in the wings.

"I'm going to run for president of the United States, because as a young mom I'm going to fight for other people's kids as hard as I would fight for my own -- which is why I believe that health care should be a right and not a privilege," the senator told Stephen Colbert on his CBS television late night talk show.

Her goals will include putting gender at the fore of her campaign, combatting "institutional racism," taking on special interests and entrenched systems of power in Washington, and fighting against political "corruption and greed."

"I know that I have the compassion, the courage, and the fearless determination to get that done," she added.

The 52-year-old from upstate New York said she was forming an exploratory committee, a crucial legal step for a candidate to run for president, just days before she reportedly travels to the early voting state of Iowa.

Colbert asked her if an exploratory committee ever turns around and just says no, don't run for president. Is it a formality, he asked.

"Well, it's an important first step. But it's one I'm taking because I am going to run," Gillibrand said.

On the government shutdown, she blamed Trump and his drive for money to build a wall on the border with Mexico, saying "he shouldn't be be having a temper tantrum because he can't get what he wants."

Story continues

Trump should talk to both parties about his vision for immigration reform, she added. "Shutting down the government is hurting people. Right now he's doing it because he wants his way," she added.

- 'Reclaim our values' -

Gillibrand took to social media Tuesday to amplify her message.

"We have to rise up and reclaim our values," she tweeted.

"We need to protect our basic rights and fight for better health care, education and jobs. And I believe I'm the woman for the job," she said, adding that she is "not afraid to take on Trump."

Gillibrand was easily re-elected in November to her second full term. In 2009 she was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's US Senate seat, when the latter became secretary of state.

In the years since she has abandoned several of her centrist political positions, tilting to the left to eventually become one of the more liberal senators.

The next presidential election is still more than 650 days away, but Gillibrand is entering what will be a chockablock field vying for the right to challenge Trump.

Elizabeth Warren, a fellow female US senator and frequent target of the provocative billionaire president, has also launched an exploratory committee, as has congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who served military tours in Iraq and Kuwait.

Former San Antonio mayor and Obama-era cabinet member Julian Castro and recently retired congressman John Delaney have formally launched their presidential bids.

Some politicians with stronger name recognition are expected to enter the race soon, including former Biden, ex-congressman Beto O'Rourke and current senators Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders, who ran against Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

But Gillibrand has distinguished herself in key ways. She is one of the top Trump naysayers in the Senate, voting against the president's nominees for major posts more than almost any other senator.

She also raised her national profile by sponsoring -- and mounting a three-year campaign for -- a bill that would revamp the prosecution system for military sexual assaults and remove such cases from the military chain of command.

The bill fell short in the Senate, but Gillibrand has been relentless about highlighting sexual assault in the military, on college campuses and in the workplace.In a year when the progressive Democratic platform is coalescing around variations of Medicare-for-All, free college and the Green New Deal, presidential candidate Andrew Yang stands apart  with a bold proposal to provide a Freedom Dividend of $1,000 a month to every adult in America.

Yang  a lawyer, technologist and entrepreneur based in Manhattan  believes Donald Trump was elected because of anger over the decimation of millions of American manufacturing jobs. And the problem will only get worse, Yang warns, as the engineers of Silicon Valley race to automate-away millions and millions of other jobs with robots and artificial intelligence, including truck drivers, grocery store checkout clerks and call-center representatives. (Yangs outlook aligns with reporting by Rolling Stone on automation in trucking; read: Death of the American Trucker.)

Yang, 44, wants to cushion Americans from the pain of this technological revolution by creating a form of universal basic income, which would give Americans money in their pockets as a right of citizenship, alleviating poverty and stagnant wages, while stimulating Main Streets from coast to coast. Hed pay for it with a Value Added Tax (common in Europe) that captures 10 percent of the value of each transaction in the economy.

The idea of a universal basic income is actually a throwback. The House of Representatives passed a basic income bill during the Nixon administration. And Yang points to Alaska, where residents receive an annual dividend based on the states oil-extraction income, as a proof of concept. The petroleum dividend there, he argues, has created jobs, improved childrens health, reduced income inequality and is wildly popular  even among conservatives. Technology is the oil of the 21st century, Yang says. And what weve done in Alaska we can do for everyone in America.

The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Yang is a Columbia-educated lawyer who pivoted to the tech world, sold a GMAT test-prep company, and then launched a non-profit, Venture For America, which fosters young entrepreneurs to start businesses in struggling cities like Detroit and St. Louis.

Story continues

Yang spoke at length with Rolling Stone after we added him to our 2020 Democratic Primary Leaderboard this week. Yang, who began his longshot bid in late 2017, has already visited Iowa and New Hampshire seven times each, even hustling himself into an Iowa CNN poll. He does not speak with the sweeping rhetorical flourishes of a politician. He prefers hard numbers and statistics. But his arguments are persuasive, and he insists he has rich backers in Silicon Valley who will help him mount a credible national campaign.

The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. We have not independently checked Yangs many, many statistics.

Why are you running for president?

I spent about six years helping hundreds of entrepreneurs build businesses in Detroit, Cleveland, St Louis, Birmingham and other cities around the country. I was stunned when I saw the disparities between Detroit and San Francisco or Cleveland and Manhattan. You feel like youre traveling across dimensions and decades and not just a couple of time zones.

And then when Donald Trump became president it shocked me even further. I realized that the reason that Trump won was that we automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs in those cities and around the country. Theres a direct correlation between the automation of jobs and the movement toward Trump in each individual voting district.

My friends in Silicon Valley know that what we did to the manufacturing worker were about to do to the retail worker, to the call-center worker, the fast food worker, the truck driver  and on and on through the economy. But when I talked to politicians and policymakers about what were going to do about the fact that we are in the midst of the greatest economic and technological transformation in the history of the country  and we already have Donald Trump in the White House  the answers I got were, frankly, somewhere between disappointing and horrifying. None of our political leaders are willing to acknowledge the elephant in the room that is tearing our communities apart, in the form of technological change. Thats why I decided to run for president.

Ive reported on automation in trucking, and the jobs future there is bleak 

Truck driver is the most popular job in 29 states in this country. There are 3.5 million truckers, 94 percent are male, the average age is 49, the average education is high school, and theyre making $46,000 a year. Then add in another 5 million or so Americans who work in truck stops, hotels and diners that rely on the truck driver stopping everyday.

On the other side of the country you have my friends in Silicon Valley who tell me they are 98 percent of the way to automating away truck driving jobs. The economic incentives for them to solve that problem are staggering: $168 billion dollars per year not just in saved labor cost but in fuel efficiency and equipment utilization, because the trucks can run day and night, and [there would be] fewer accidents. About 4,000 Americans die in accidents with truck drivers every year. We have some of the smartest people in the country working on solving this problem  but when they succeed its going to be disastrous for hundreds of thousands of workers, and thousands of communities around the country.

You see Trump as an outgrowth of this kind of automation in our economy  with the suggestion that this could get much worse.

Donald Trump is not the cause. Hes the symptom of the fact that were in the third inning of the greatest economic and technological transformation in the history of the world. And we need to start attacking the disease as fast as we can. Yeah, certainly it could get much worse. If you look at the trucker: What will the next best economic alternative be when they start losing their jobs that pay $46,000 a year? Unfortunately, there arent tons of other jobs that pay that level for a middle-aged man with a high school education. And only 13 percent of our truckers are unionized. So anyone hoping that therell be some kind of grand negotiation will be disappointed. The vast majority of truckers are in small, individually owned firms of 20 or 30 drivers. And 10 percent of truckers own their own trucks. So imagine spending and owing ten of thousands of dollars on a truck that can no longer compete against a robot truck. Anyone who thinks that the truckers will just go home and say, Well, I guess that was a good run, Ill figure out the next step, doesnt understand our history or how hard people will fight to retain their livelihoods.

Or lash out at people who they perceive as scapegoats

Were the most heavily armed society in the history of the world, and theres a significant overlap between truck drivers and gun owners. About 80,000 truck drivers are ex-military. This is not that hard to predict if you just look down the road.

Ive spoken with economists who say this automation will be great for the economy and we just need to retrain the truckers and the others displaced by automation. Whats your take on that?

Weve been brainwashed into thinking that people are infinitely adaptable or retainable, when the facts clearly indicate otherwise. I dug into what happened to the 4 million manufacturing workers in [places like] Ohio and Michigan that lost their jobs. My economics textbook said that they would be retrained for new jobs and that the economy would grow and all would be well. But thats not what the facts were. Turns out that almost half of those manufacturing workers left the workforce and never worked again. And of those that left the workforce, about half file for disability.

We then saw massive surges in suicides, deaths of despair and drug overdoses in many of these communities. Its clear that the manufacturing workers were not all magically reskilled. The success rate of government-funded retraining programs for manufacturing workers is estimated to be somewhere between zero and 15 percent, according to independent studies. So what happened to the manufacturing workers is about to happen to the truckers. There are irresponsible people out there saying that we will somehow magically retrain hundreds of thousands of truckers to become software programmers or something else equally ridiculous. If you actually go to these communities, youll see that the vast majority of these people do not enroll in these retraining programs, and even if they did, they would not work most of the time.

Your big proposal is a Freedom Dividend  or a universal basic income. Can you connect the dots between displaced truckers and giving every American money each month?

We spent a lot of time talking about the truckers, but there are a lot of other massive economic shifts that are going to displace millions of Americans working as retail clerks and sales clerks. Thats the most common job in the country. And 30 percent of American malls are going to close in the next four years. The average retail worker is a 39-year-old woman with a high school degree who makes between $11 and $12 an hour. And right now 57 percent of Americans cant pay an unexpected $500 bill. If youre dealing with an economic shift this historic, then you need to bring real solutions to bear that are going to help people manage the transition. And the most efficient way to do that is a universal basic income, which, as you say, Ive rebranded a Freedom Dividend, because that tests much better with conservatives.

Is that true?

[Laughing] Yeah. Yeah. The numbers are very, very clear. Progressives, liberals and Democrats like it whatever you called it. Conservatives disliked it until it had the word freedom in it and then they liked it a great deal.

So the idea is $1,000 a month, no strings attached?

Upon adulthood. So when you turn 18, you start getting $1,000 a month.

And thats regardless of whether youre Jeff Bezos or

The opposite of Jeff Bezos, thats right.

Help me with the idea that Jeff Bezos needs an extra thousand bucks a month.

You want to universalize it so its seen as a true right of citizenship, instead of a transfer from rich to poor. But the way we need to fund it is by harnessing the gains from artificial intelligence and Big Data and autonomous vehicles. Were in a trap right now where the big beneficiaries of all these new technologies are going to be Amazon and Google and Facebook  these behemoth companies that are not paying a lot of taxes [because they use accounting tricks and international tax shelters]. We have to join every advanced country in the world and have a value-added tax, which would give the American public a slice of every Google search and Amazon transaction. In your example, Jeff Bezos is going to end up paying much, much more into the system, so we wont really care if hes getting $1,000 a month.

Most Americans dont have any experience with a value-added tax. Can you give a simple definition of what it taxes?

Its a consumption tax on goods and services that gets paid by businesses at every point in the production chain. And the reason why other countries like it so much is that it is almost impossible to game, or escape, if youre doing business in, or selling to a given population.

With the Facebook example  theyre getting advertising dollars. That doesnt sound like consumption in the regular sense. How does that work?

Their advertisers would be paying a tax on the advertising services that they were getting. The point is the public always gets a slice.

So even out there in the digital ether, the value-added tax is still at work  and its not just for tangible things like cars or electronics?

Essentially when money is changing hands, value is changing hands, and we get a slice.

And all that adds up to what?

A value-added tax at half the European level would generate about $800 billion in new revenue. And that new revenue, combined with our existing spending on welfare, plus all the economic growth from putting $1,000 a month into Americans hands, plus the cost savings and value gains, would be enough to pay for a $1,000 dividend for every adult

A lot of moving pieces in that. But the idea is that if you imposed the 10 percent tax you can end up with $1,000 a month in everyones pocket?

Thats the basic idea. But it is important to consider the second-order effects. If you have a town in Missouri with 50,000 adults and theyre all getting $1,000 a month, thats another $50 million in purchasing power that comes right into that towns local economy  into car repairs, tutoring or food for your kids, the occasional night out, home repairs. And that money ends up circulating all through that town. So its not as straightforward as just we get the value-added tax and give everyone the money. The money doesnt disappear. The money is growing the consumer economy and creating millions of new jobs because every Main Street is more robust and has more of a need to hire.

But $1,000 a month / $12,000 a year doesnt sound like a great replacement for a truck driver whos been earning $46,000.

Its not meant to be a labor replacement. The hope right now is that if youre a truck driver you can still have another number of years to drive your truck, and youll be getting $12,000 a year to be building up a savings cushion. Trucking as a distinct industry I believe needs some form of [additional] transition plan because that $168 billion that were going to save every year is enough to fund a significant portion of truckers current compensation and still have tens of billions of dollars left over.

But the Freedom Dividend actually would create millions of jobs throughout the economy and would start to broaden definitions of work to include things that we need much more of in this society. Things like caregiving and nurturing, arts and creativity, volunteering, journalism  which is dying in many, many communities. These are all things that right now we profess to value, but the monetary market is valuing them at lower and lower levels.

The Freedom Dividend frees us up to do more forms of work that more people want to do. And this in particular helps women, who right now are doing the vast majority of the unrecognized and uncompensated work in our society. My wife is at home taking care of our two young boys, one of whom is autistic. And the monetary market and GDP would both value her contributions at zero, when really thats exactly the kind of work were going to need more of.

All of this seems like a great conversation starter. Are you just putting forward the ideas, or is it actually your ambition to become president?

My ambition is to solve what I see as the biggest problem of our time. And for whatever reason, our politicians on both sides are unable to even acknowledge it, much less try to address it. So if youre asking, would I be upset if somebody else were to win the White House and do everything that Im recommending? Id be thrilled with that outcome.

Were leaving a total shambles of our country for our children. Most people think about that in terms of climate change, which is a very real issue and an existential threat. But were also leaving them an economy that is going to marginalize and minimize the labor and contributions of more and more Americans.

And it doesnt matter if you are a really hard-working, conscientious truck driver, or a lazy, careless truck driver. The self-driving truck is going to replace both. So we have to start facing facts that its no longer an economy that rewards us based upon merit. Its about to throw hundreds of thousands of us overboard with very little distinction between different people in different roles.

You brought up journalism a bit ago as another dying industry. I was intrigued by your proposal to fund a journalism fellow in every congressional district in the country.

Its virtually impossible to have a functioning democracy if people dont know whats going on. Were coming out of a lucky time where many, many communities could have local papers that were supported by local advertising and classified ads. But then we got rid of the classified ads, replaced them with Craigslist, and journalism is now dying, and millions of Americans live in news deserts. So expecting Americans to be able to make intelligent decisions about their local issues or vote accordingly in the absence of local journalism seems ridiculous and impossible. With the fellows program, were going to fund a journalist in every congressional district. If you believe in our democracy we have to believe in journalism, and you have to put your resources in it to make it work.

Youre a successful guy, but dont have a national profile. What should readers know about you?

Im the son of an immigrant. My father is a Ph.D in physics who generated 69 U.S. patents for GE and IBM. My moms an artist. My brother is a psychology professor. I was an unhappy lawyer for five months in New York City and then left and started a dot-com that flopped very quickly. I worked for a health care software company in New York for four years and then I became the head of an education company that grew to become number one in the U.S. [in GMAT test prep] and was acquired by The Washington Post in 2009. At that point, I thought that we needed to get more young people starting businesses around the country and not all heading to Wall Street and Silicon Valley. So I started Venture for America and we helped create several thousand jobs in cities like Detroit, Cleveland and St Louis. And it was during that time that I realized we were blasting away hundreds of thousands of jobs in industries around the country.

You have a number of interesting policy proposals, including free marriage counseling for all. Is there one other issue youd like to dive in on?

One of the key pillars of my campaign is that we need to start measuring economic progress and value differently. Right now were following GDP  and even the inventor of GDP says its a terrible measure of national well-being and we shouldnt use it as that. Self-driving trucks will be great for GDP but its going to be very, very bad for a great many communities. So we need to update our measurements to things that actually correspond to how were doing  things like childhood success rates, mental health and substance abuse, average income, average health and life expectancy. If we had these sorts of measurements we would have a much better grasp on how to make progress. Because as a CEO, if you have the wrong measurements then you start driving in the wrong direction. And right now were following GDP, stock market growth, and headline unemployment off a cliff. All those numbers now have very little relationship to how most Americans are doing. Headline unemployment is particularly misleading because if someone leaves the workforce they no longer count. Our labor-force participation rate is down to 63 percent, which is the same level as El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. And almost one-in-five prime working-age men has not worked for a year. And this is the 10th year of an economic expansion when times are supposed to be great. There are all these people cheerleading these stats, when these stats are incredibly misleading and need to be updated for the 21st century.

What has your reception been like in the early voting states? This a pretty high-level stuff to try to communicate simply. Do you feel like youre getting a message out?

When I go to Iowa, I ask: Have you noticed stores closing near where you live? And they say, Yes. Yes. Yes. And I ask, Why is that? And they think about it for a bit and then they say, Amazon. And I say, Thats right, and is that going to get better or worse? And then they say, Much, much worse. And Im like, Now my question for you is, what are you going to do about it? And people are like, Wow, I can do something about this? And I say, Yeah, you can if you make me president. I will bring back $1,000 a month thats getting sucked up into the cloud, right back here to Iowa or New Hampshire to create tens of thousands of jobs in your Main Street economies and give your children a reason to stay. And thats been enough to get a lot of people in Iowa and New Hampshire behind me.BEIJING (AP)  Chinese President Xi Jinping's government is sparing no expense to its international reputation in its determination to force Canada to back down over the case of a Chinese telecommunications executive it detained last month.

While Beijing formally denies any connection, the arrest of two Canadians on vague national security charges and the re-sentencing of a convicted Canadian drug smuggler to death on Monday point to a determined campaign of intimidation and retribution.

And while global perceptions of China's adherence to free trade and rule of law may take a beating, for Xi and other highly nationalistic Communist leaders, the stakes are simply too high.

"The Chinese will stop at nothing because it's a huge loss of face, for both the Chinese government and Xi Jinping in particular," said Willy Lam, an expert on Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States. The U.S. wants Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei's founder, extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about the company's business dealings in Iran.

China responded nine days later by arresting former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor. On Monday, a Chinese court sentenced Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier.

The actions fit a pattern of retaliation against nations that offend China, which sometimes extends to their citizens inside the country. Past instances have shown China willing to endure long freezes in relations and subsequent damage to its national image.

China suspended its bilateral trade deal with Norway and restricted imports of Norwegian salmon when the Nobel peace prize was awarded to political prisoner Liu Xiaobo in 2010. Britain and other countries were retaliated against over meetings with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing, and in 2014, a Canadian couple was detained in northeastern China and charged with espionage following Canada's arrest of a man accused of stealing U.S. aviation secrets for China.

Story continues

Analysts say they have little doubt Kovrig and Spavor's cases are related to Meng's, and the handing down of tougher sentences on appeal is rare enough to arouse suspicion.

"This really hurts China" and its efforts to promote its influence around the world, said David Zweig, a Canadian who directs the Center on China's Transnational Relations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"Xi Jinping has been talking so much about promoting soft power ... I certainly think that it hurts China's soft power and its argument that it supports the rule of law," Zweig said.

Retaliating against Canada, widely seen as a benign influence on the global order, also offers fewer dividends for China than confronting the U.S., which is regarded by many in the international community as at least as much of a bully as China, Zweig said.

"China doesn't win any points by pushing around Canada," he said.

However, Beijing's dismissive attitude toward Canada seems very much in line with its binary view of the world as divided into "big" or powerful nations that need to be deferred to, and "small" ones which China can afford to push around, said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

China is picking on Canada "because they can," said Tsang. "It will have lots of negative effects on China's standing in the world and international perceptions of China."

He said Beijing's handling of the case shows its refusal to recognize the concept of an independent judiciary, something unknown in China, where the ruling Communist Party controls the courts. As the daughter of the founder of Huawei  closely connected to China's powerful military and considered something of a national treasure  Meng is afforded special status, Tsang said.

While he predicts further steps by Beijing to pressure Canada, Tsang said he doubts they will have any bearing on the result.

"It will have no impact in terms of how the Canadian government deals with the Meng case," he said.

International observers also point to the strikingly different ways in which the cases are being handled by the two countries. While Meng has been afforded a lawyer and released on bail to her Vancouver mansion, Kovrig and Spavor are being held in cells with only minimal consular access. Canada has also complained that as a former diplomat, Kovrig should be accorded a degree of immunity.

The timing and circumstances of Schellenberg's resentencing are also being called into question. While his case was on appeal, the speed with which the new hearing was held, with only four days' notice, drew criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  and a subsequent sharp rebuke of him by Beijing.

Underlying China's behavior is the apparent conviction that Meng's detention was a political act that must be responded to in kind. Given the limited information about the cases allowed by government censors, Chinese have "no sense that Ms. Meng was grabbed for anything other than political reasons," Zweig said.

"And if it's completely political, then I guess in their viewpoint, kidnapping people is just tit-for-tat," he said.

On Beijing's frigid streets Tuesday, public opinion seemed to be running strongly in the government's favor.

"It shows China is standing up" to Canada, said teacher Liang Reufen, adding that she hopes the matter will not be "elevated to a political level."

Finance worker Huo Yong said politics were already inextricably tied up in the case.

"We should pressure them since they use politics to contain our economic growth," said Huo. "My attitude is, 'whoever bullies us, we should bully them back.'"

___

Christopher Bodeen has covered politics in China and Taiwan for The Associated Press for more than two decades.American Water Works Company AWK announced that its unit, New Jersey American Water, has entered into an agreement to acquire the wastewater assets of the Borough of Mount Ephraim, NJ, for nearly $1.4 million. This acquisition will add nearly 1,800 wastewater customers to its existing customer base. Most of these customers get water services from New Jersey American Water.



New Jersey American Water, through its existing distribution network, serves nearly 2.7 million people in New Jersey. The said acquisition will expand its existing customer base and allow the company to render quality services to new customers at a reasonable cost.



Post completion of the acquisition, New Jersey American Water has plans to invest nearly $4 million to improve Mount Ephraims wastewater system over the next four years. The company will invest in main replacements, upgrading two pump stations and the mapping of sewer pipe system for ensuring high-quality services for users.



New Jersey American Water is expected to complete the acquisition in the first half of 2019, following the approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. American Waters unit will keep the sewer rates unchanged for the customers of Mount Ephraim for two years post acquisition. The company has also decided to increase rates no more than 3% annually for the three years after that.



Consolidation & Investment is Essential



Since the existing water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States is aging, proper maintenance and upgradation of the system will require investment of billions of dollars, which becomes difficult for small water utilities to make arrangement for. Per a new report from Bluefield Research, more than $638 billion will be needed to be invested over the next decade to upgrade the existing water and wastewater assets of the United States.



Therefore, through the acquisition of small utilities, it becomes easier for large companies to make arrangement for funds to carry out these major overhauls. American Water is one of the most active players and continues to widen its market reach through acquisitions. We can also notice other active water utilities like Global Water Resources, Inc. GWRS and Aqua America WTR to pursue acquisitions.



Large water utilities continue to invest in upgrading as well as maintaining their existing water and wastewater infrastructure. The water utilities also undertake initiatives to upgrade the systems of the newly-acquired assets and the quality of services.



American Water aims to invest within $8-$8.6 billion from 2019 through 2023, which will help it to improve earnings by 7-10% per year in the aforesaid period from a 2017 base. Another water utility, Aqua America aims to make capital investment in excess of $1.4 billion over the 2018-2020 time period.



Price Performance

Story continues

Shares of American Water have outperformed the industry in a years time.



Zacks Rank & Another Key Pick



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here."Will the concerned officials of this administration turn a blind eye to this?"

IT IS well that Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin has clarified that the passport database is in place after all. Not run away but lost just the same, unusable in some parts and largely inaccessible, tweeted the good secretary after creating quite a stormafter stating in an earlier tweet that the former passport technology provider, French company Oberthur, had run away with the passport data base containing personal and related details of millions of passportholders. It turns out the DFA has the files after all, including a back up data base which could be activated anytime there is a real need for it. With that assurance, Secretary Locsin can now proceed to complete whathis predecessors, Secretaries Yasay and Cayetano, had been grappling with since the Duterte administration took office, namely, whats the real deal with the agencys passport provider, APOI/UGEC, that is keeping the DFA from running a smooth, reliable and secure passport issuance system. This issue has become very critical in view of the continuing problems besetting the passport issuance system from cost to data privacy to delays and waiting time to connectivity with our regional offices and overseas posts and the like. If we go by the latest reports and the assurances of DFA officials and the provider, the efficiency and effectiveness of the system is something which can be remedied in no time at all. That, of course, will be tested in the days ahead as more and more passport applicants get to enter the system. But then again we have been hearing these kinds of assurances before when the provider first got hold of the contract under questionable circumstances. Only to find out that any improvements involves additional costs, which is precisely the reason why the agreement with APOI/UGEC needs tyo be reviewed with a fine tooth comb if we are to truly be assured that the passport system will finally be running in the manner the public expected it to be. After all, we are talking here of about 70-million issued passports of various durations which means at least two-million passport renewals every year and possibly another 500,000 new issuances annually. If passports now cost more than a thousand, thats billions of pesos in revenues if not profits to the lucky provider.Indeed, a full audit of the contract and the system should be undertaken despite the ongoing resistance of APOI/UGEC and some powerful sectors, including DFA insiders who should know better but who have joined the chorus using that worn out argument that it such an effort can result in further delays and backlogs in the issuance of needed passports as if these guys have not heard of successful multi tasking before.Besides there have been a number of such audits before from the investigations conducted at the time the contract was awarded to APOI/UGEC to the subsequent ones involving delays, to the COA audits and that one conducted by then DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. In a word, there are lots of records around which can give Secetary Locsin and his crew a pretty good picture of whats this deal is all about and why the provider has not performed in accord with its commitments. In fact, Secretary Locsin will be doing the public a lot of good if he gets to find out why APOI/UGEC has become the trusted printer of a number of governments high security printing requirements such as the BIR excise tax stamps and, as reports go, part of the ballots and election paraphernalia used in the 2016 elections. Speaking of the documentary stamps, early on when the Duterte administration took over, Malacanang ordered a probe into the reported overprinting of stamps for liquor and cigarettes as provided in the expanded excise tax bill on such products. This probe came in the wake of the seemingly lethargic revenue collection from these products which stumped the new officials considering that these were supposed to have spiked with the expended bill. And, voila, the trusted printer of the BIR stamps as mwas APOIthe same printer of the passportsas both contracts were awarded towards the last year of the Aquino administration. Just like the passport contract, the BIR tax stamp contract was also shrouded in secrecy and undertaken under mysterious circumstances after APO was given the status of a preferred government printer. In other words, trusted. By whom remains in the realm of shadowy advisories by people who were, one way or the other, involved in the process by which these contracts came about. But one thing is certain. This trusted printer is involved in the printing of billions of pesos worth of income for those who managed to have these contracts perfected before the Duterte administration got into office. The question is: will the concerned officials of this administration turn a blind eye to the reported public monies which have been diverted to private pockets as contracted? Well, in the case of the BIR tax stamps, government managed to get one cigarette manufacturer, Mighty Cigarette Co., to pay up at least P36 billion for its reported tax deficiency. What about APO and its passport provider/partner? Should we allow them to simply take a pass? Huwag naman.New York (AFP) - The American man who was among the 21 people killed in an attack on a luxury hotel complex in the Kenyan capital Nairobi was a consultant who survived the 9/11 attacks, and specialized in emerging economies.

Authorities did not formally name Jason Spindler as one of the victims, but his mother Sarah and brother Jonathan confirmed his death on Facebook and to several US media outlets.

"It's with a heavy heart that I have to report that my brother, Jason Spindler, passed this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi," Jonathan wrote on Facebook, in comments visible only to his friends.

"Jason was a survivor of 9-11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell!"

The Nairobi attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali group Al-Shabaab, which has targeted Kenya since it sent its army into Somalia in October 2011 to fight the jihadist group.

Spindler was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the New York University law school. He spent time in the Peace Corps in Peru.

On September 11, 2001, Spindler was working for investment bank Salomon Smith Barney in the World Trade Center.

The main Twin Towers collapsed after being hit by two passenger jets commandeered by Al-Qaeda operatives.

Spindler's building, 7 World Trade Center, collapsed in the aftermath, but none of the nearly 3,000 fatalities that day resulted from that incident.

Kevin Yu, who attended UT-Austin with Spindler, said Spindler had helped save people stuck in the rubble on 9/11.

"That's exactly the kind of person he is," Yu told The Washington Post.

"I have no doubt that when he heard the explosions outside the hotel, he was one of those trying to jump in and help."

- Development work -

After his ordeal on 9/11, Spindler's life changed, according to Yu.

"Something struck a nerve and changed how he felt and thought about things," he told the Post.

After law school, Spindler co-founded consulting and investment firm I-Dev, and was working in Kenya on a mini-power grid project tailored for remote areas, according to the company's website.

Story continues

"Jason was based mainly in Nairobi, but traveled frequently to San Francisco and across Latin America, Africa, Europe," a spokesperson for the company told AFP by email.

His mother Sarah told NBC News that her son "was trying to make positive change in the third world in emerging markets."

"We all miss him so much. And it's so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism," she added.

Spindler's Facebook account had been converted on Wednesday into a tributes page.

He would have turned 41 on Monday, Yu said. His family was planning to hold a religious service that day instead.An American CEO who narrowly avoided the Sept. 11 terror attack was among at least 14 people killed in an attack on a hotel and shopping complex in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Jason Spindler, the director of a business development firm, was a U.S. citizen based in Kenya who died in the attack.

We all miss him so much, his mother, Sarah Spindler, told NBC News. Its so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism.

Spindler served as CEO and global managing director for I-DEV International, a company he co-founded. He graduated with a law degree from New York University School of Law and a B.S. degree from the University of Texas at Austin, according to his biography on I-DEVs website.

Sarah Spindler said her son wanted his work to make a difference. He was trying to make positive change in the third world in emerging markets.

The deadly attack in Nairobi marked Spindlers second encounter with terrorism. He formerly worked as an investment banker for Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup, whose offices were previously at 7 World Trade Center, which was damaged in the Sept. 11 terror attack. Spindlers father, Joseph Spindler, told the Houston Chronicle that his son was supposed to be in the World Trade Center that day, but was running late and saw the first tower come down as he left the subway.

Spindler later joined the Peace Corp., serving from 2005 to 2006, according to his LinkedIn page. According to his company bio, he managed and led the growth of a $7M locally-owned agribusiness in Northern Peru during his service in the U.S. Peace Corps.

Family and friends remembered Spindler as a beloved, open and positive man.

A friend, Chris Schroeder, posted a tribute to Spindler on Twitter, calling him one of those rare men who was loved by pretty much anyone.

He chose a life of hope and inclusion, Schroeder wrote. I am grateful to have known and learned from him.

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The U.S. State Department confirmed that an American citizen was killed in the attack, but did not release the victims name.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of this individual, a State Department spokesperson said in an email. Out of respect for the family of the deceased, we have no further comment.

Al-Shabab, an extremist group allied with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack at the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi. Keynan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Wednesday that the gunmen who attacked the hotel and shops within the complex were killed by security forces.A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television has been arrested by the FBI during a visit to the U.S., the broadcaster reported Wednesday, and her son said she was being held in a prison, apparently as a material witness. Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for the network's English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son, Hossein Hashemi.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) used her inaugural speech on the House floor to condemn President Trump over the ongoing partial government shutdown. The freshman congresswoman said Wednesday the shutdown was not really about Trumps demands for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border or the well-being of everyday Americans. Instead, she said, it was about the erosion of American democracy and the subversion of our most basic governmental norms.DETROIT (AP)  A Marine veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder was held for three days for possible deportation before federal authorities learned that he was a U.S. citizen born in Michigan, lawyers said Wednesday.

Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, 27, lives in the Grand Rapids area. He was released on Dec. 17 from a detention center in Calhoun County after personal records were provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

"Why did they think he was a noncitizen? Did they get him confused with someone else? Who knows," ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman said. "This is an individual who's incredibly vulnerable with a mental illness."

ICE released a statement Wednesday evening saying Ramos-Gomez told its officers he was "a foreign national illegally present in the U.S," and the agency took him into custody on Dec. 14. ICE said it released him three days later after receiving documentation suggesting he was a U.S. citizen.

Ramos-Gomez was in the Kent County jail after being accused of trespassing and damaging a fire alarm at a Grand Rapids hospital on Nov. 21. The ACLU said he pleaded guilty and was supposed to be released on Dec. 14 while awaiting a sentence.

But ICE contacted the jail and requested that Ramos-Gomez be held for pickup. Kent County Undersheriff Chuck DeWitt said ICE, like other law enforcement agencies, has access to fingerprint records.

"Once he was released from our custody, he was under the domain of ICE. Where they take him is their process," DeWitt said. "Our procedures were followed."

DeWitt said he didn't know whether Ramos-Gomez protested when immigration officers picked him up.

Ramos-Gomez was driven 70 miles (113 kilometers) to a detention center in Battle Creek. He was released after three days, after lawyer Richard Kessler contacted ICE on behalf of the man's family.

Aukerman said Ramos-Gomez' treatment was "appalling."

Story continues

Ramos-Gomez is receiving mental-health care and wasn't available for an interview Wednesday. He was a lance corporal in the Marines and received awards for service in Afghanistan. The ACLU said his PTSD had a role in the disturbance at the hospital.

Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young defended her department, saying officers don't have authority to verify why ICE wants to detain someone. Nonetheless, she called it a "very unfortunate situation" for Ramos-Gomez.

"We believe this case underscores the need for immigration policy reform," the sheriff said.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteapA couple who called 911 to report that Jayme Closs had been found says they do not want reward money and think that Closs herself is more deserving of the $50,000.

Closs  a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who had been missing for three months after a home intruder killed her parents  was found in Gordon, Wisconsin on Jan. 10 by Jeanne Nutter, a local walking her dog. Nutter took Closs to her neighbors, Peter and Kristin Kasinskas. The group would go on to contact authorities to report Closs had been found.

Although authorities are still deciding what to do with a $50,000 reward, the couple does not want it, Peter Kasinskas told The Associated Press on Tuesday. If anyone, Jayme should get it because "she got herself out," he said.

Jayme was found after authorities say she escaped the home of Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, who is accused of killing her parents, James and Denise Closs, on Oct. 15 and taking the teen against her will.

Patterson held Jayme in the Gordon residence for nearly three months after the carefully planned abduction, prosecutors allege. He's accused of concealing her when he had people over.

Patterson left the home Thursday and forced Jayme to lay under a bed while he was gone, as had been his practice throughout her captivity, court documents say. Jayme pushed away the bins stacked with weights he used to block the bed, put on a pair of his shoes and fled the home.

Of the $50,000 in reward money, $25,000 is from the FBI and $25,000 is from The Jennie-O Turkey Store, where Jayme Closs' parents worked.

The reward remains under review, Milwaukee FBI spokesman Leonard Peace said Tuesday. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says the reward is being discussed with the FBI.

As the question of the reward money began gaining media attention, numerous social media users chimed in with their opinions, many saying that Closs is deserving of the reward:

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Contributing: Haley BeMiller, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 911 callers say Jayme Closs should get $50K reward for rescuing herselfThe Telegraph

County lines gangs are using increasing levels of violence to exploit boys and girls, including removing their fingernails, frontline medical staff report. Hospital staff have told researchers that they were now treating victims of county lines violence who had suffered multiple injuries, where before they may only have been admitted with one or two. These included fingernails being pulled out, hair being ripped off their heads and multiple stab wounds, according to the report by Nottingham UnivBy Douglas Busvine FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Vodafone is teaming up with IBM to offer businesses a way to link different cloud computing systems to support the next wave of digital advances, such as machine learning, on super-fast fifth-generation telecoms networks. As part of the deal, the UK-based telecoms operator will pay $550 million to IBM under an eight-year managed-services agreement that will offer tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to networked businesses. The two companies are pitching the venture as a combination of cloud computing and connectivity that would, for example, enable super-fast communication between robots on a factory floor without the need for a big 'pipe' back to a data center. And, with an estimated 70 percent of organizations using up to 15 different cloud systems, the ability to link them should make it easier for firms to adapt and innovate without having to redesign their networks from the ground up. "Businesses are beginning to embrace digital ... as they do that they get a lot of complexity," Greg Hyttenrauch of Vodafone, one of the co-leaders of the project, told Reuters in an interview. "We predicated this venture on the ability to simplify that complexity." Vodafone has built a strong position in mobile services for business - it is the No. 1 or No. 2 provider in Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain - and is stepping up its battle against BT, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia and Telefonica in the fixed-line business market. It aims to grow business service revenue, which currently accounts for 30 percent of its total, by combining fixed-line and mobile services with new technology in areas like AI and the Internet of Things. ON THE CUSP OF 5G The venture will focus on Vodafone's British, German and Irish markets, targeting multinationals and national enterprises operating in industries such as retail, manufacturing, utilities, agriculture or transportation. It is expected to be operational in the first half of 2019. The partnership seeks to bring IBM's prowess in handling multiple cloud-based systems to bear, and reflects the priorities behind its $34 billion takeover of Red Hat, a software firm that specializes in Linux operating systems, said IBM's Michael Valocchi, the other co-lead. Analyst Dave Bartoletti at Forrester Research said the deal recognized Vodafone's need for a partner to build out its cloud computing services. At the same time, IBM is moving away from competing head on with "hyperscale" cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google that offer hosted memory, network and storage services that can grow with the needs of big, data-intensive businesses. Instead, it is aiming to be "the go-to company for enterprises who need to stitch together multiple cloud platforms", said Bartoletti. Analyst Carla Arend at IDC estimates the global cloud market at $420 billion this year, with the market for global cloud connectivity worth another $2 billion. "The combined global market opportunity is huge," she said. Ireland and Britain have already allocated 5G spectrum and Germany is about to auction frequencies for a mobile technology that will offer downloads far faster than on existing networks, as well as ultra-low 'latency' - or reaction times. Combining these characteristics with significant computing power will make it possible to deploy applications such as AI, or computerized problem solving, in the field. Telecoms operators say they expect to start offering 5G services from next year in European markets that have moved to allocate spectrum and build out networks. (Additional reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Mark Potter)Photo credit: Hyundai

From Car and Driver

UPDATE 5/2/19: In addition to the hybrid and plug-in versions announced earlier, the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Electric is getting a significant update, with a bigger battery pack that Hyundai promises will increase driving range. The new 38.3-kWh battery replaces the old 28.0-kWh unit and, on the European WLTP range cycle, offers 182 miles of range. While we don't know U.S. range estimates at this point, the new battery is sure to improve compared to the current Ioniq Electric's 124-mile EPA-rated range. More details on the U.S. version of the Ioniq are forthcoming.

The Hyundai Ioniq has only been on sale for a couple of years, but the Korean brand already is refreshing the hatchback, offered in hybrid, plug-in-hybrid, and electric versions, with a handful of new features. While we only have details on the Europe-spec models so far, most if not all of the changes should make their way to our shores later this year.

On the outside, there's a new grille with angular inserts in place of the old car's razor-blade-like pattern, which to us makes the Ioniq actually look less like a hybrid (the electric model, pictured below, keeps its blocked-off grille design). The optional LED head- and taillights are more angular in design, too, and Hyundai says they make the Ioniq stand out more at night, "enhancing not only aesthetics but also safety." Sure! New wheel designs, slightly redone bumper covers, and a few new colors round out the exterior changes.

Photo credit: Hyundai

The dashboard has also been redesigned with a more horizontal theme. The HVAC controls reside on a new gloss-black panel, with the control layout looking more simplified than the outgoing car. There is now an optional tablet-style 10.3-inch infotainment screen that juts vertically out of the dash, replacing the current 8.0-inch unit that is integrated into the dash. Hyundai has yet to release photos of the new Ioniq without the new, big screen, but the rest of the updated design should remain the same.

Story continues

Photo credit: Hyundai

The new Ioniq has a Green-Zone Drive Mode (GDM) function, which will automatically switch the hybrid's powertrain into full EV mode when it's used in certain areasfor example, European city centers that ban (or tax) gasoline-powered cars. The Ioniq also gets improved adjustable regenerative braking and one-pedal driving capability from the Kona Electric. Hyundai says that the Ioniq now has active-safety features including lane-keeping assist and automated emergency braking as standard, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the systems made standard in the United States as well.

When it does arrive later this year in the United States, we expect the 2020 Ioniq hybrid to stay close to the 2019 models $23,285 base price.

You Might Also LikeMexico CityDid the worlds most famous drug lord really pay Mexicos ex-president a $100-million bribe not to arrest him?

The claim, made by a witness Tuesday at the trial of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, stretches credibility, experts saystarting with the fact that it would take a truck to transport that much cash. Colombian drug trafficker-turned-state witness Alex Cifuentes surprised the courtroom in New Yorkand caused a firestorm of controversy in Mexicowhen he alleged that El Chapo had paid the bribe to then-president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012. But while there is no doubt that Mexico is awash in all the ingredients of the storydrug money, corrupt officials, powerful kingpinsthere are many reasons to doubt it, according to people who know the murky nexus of politics and narcotics. It would have been the biggest bribe in all of history. Ive been with DEA [the US Drug Enforcement Administration] for 31 years, Ive seen bribes of millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, but certainly not a bribe like that, said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA. Once when I was working undercover in Panama, I borrowed $1 million from the CIA to flash to these drug traffickers from Bolivia and Colombia. They were all in $100 bills, and I needed a huge suitcase to put that stuff in. So you would have needed a truck for $100 million. What did they do, drive up... and give it to the president? After Cifuentes made the accusation, Pena Nietos supporters rushed to argue that the former president (2012-2018) was the one who made sure El Chapo was rearrested after his brazen prison escape in 2015, then extradited to the United States. Partisan politics aside, there is something to that argument, Vigil said. If I had taken a bribe from Chapo Guzman, the last thing I would have done is extradite him to the United States, he told AFP. Would you have extradited Chapo Guzman if you had taken money from him? He would come here (to the US) and start immediately making allegations against you.There are several reasons to question Cifuentes story. For one thing, he is testifying as part of a plea deal, in exchange for a softer sentence. He also provided no proof and admitted he was unsure about key details, including the amount and the date. Then there is the fact that the information comes second-hand: Cifuentes said: El Chapo is the one who told him the story, in which he purportedly gave the money to a woman named Comadre Maria to give to the president-elect shortly before he took office.But El Chapo would hardly be the first drug trafficker to brag about huge bribes supposedly paid to high-ranking officials, said Vigil. Both Guzmans stories and Cifuentes have shown a certain flare for drama as they have emerged in court. On Wednesday, Cifuentes testified that El Chapo was once tortured by army soldiers who dangled him upside-down from a helicopter to find out where his drugs were. The source of the story? Guzmans own version, as told to a film producer whom he wanted to make a movie about his life. Finally, there is the fact that the bribe story emerged during questioning by Guzmans own lawyers who have sought to portray their client as a scapegoat for corrupt officials and the man they say wields the real power in the Sinaloa cartel, Ismael El Mayo Zambada. If there is any truth to the story, there should be evidence somewhere, said Raul Benitez, a professor at Mexicos largest university, UNAM. Normally, when drug traffickers give money to politicians or businessmen, they record the handover, because thats how they blackmail the person if they need to, he said. You cant hide $100 million. There would have to be a bank transfer or real-estate or jewels, and the drug traffickers would need proof for it to work.Then again, anything is possible when it comes to corruption in Mexico, said journalist Jose Reveles, who has written books on the countrys multi-billion-dollar drug-trafficking business. No drug cartel operates without official protection, he said. Its possible some government officials could have lied and said they were representing the president, or that the kingpins really do have access to the president. Everything is possible. We know this country is rife with corruption from top to bottom. He urged Mexicos new government, led by anti-establishment leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, to investigate the bribe accusation. But he is not optimistic the truth will come out, he said. This idea of things being revealed as true, false or half-true exists in other countries. Not in Mexico, he said. Here, total concealment is the rule.South Africa: Cwele to inspect Home Affairs services

This story has been published on: 2019-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

As the annual World Economic Forum meeting draws closer, Team South Africa has met to chart the path for South Africas strategy at Davos, Switzerland. The meeting, which kicks off on 22 to 26 January 2019, brings together more than 3 000 leaders from business, government, civil society, academia, arts and culture and media, as well as ... See moreSIU 2019 astronomy observations kick off Sunday with total lunar eclipse

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  The moon will turn an eerie shade of red this weekend before disappearing completely during a total lunar eclipse. The event marks the first official public astronomy 2019 observations hosted by the Department of Physics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Event set for overnight, Sunday-Monday

The total lunar eclipse viewing event is set to begin at 9:30 p.m. Sunday and will last until 1 a.m. Monday morning.

The event will take place on the north side of the Neckers Building, between Neckers and the Student Center, as well as on the Neckers astronomy observation deck. Organizers will set up telescopes for public use and visitors are welcome to bring their own telescopes, photography equipment and chairs to the ground level observation area between Neckers and the Student Center.

An awesome show in the sky

A lunar eclipse is a spectacular sight in which the moon gradually darkens as it passes into the Earth's shadow, going from full to crescent and eventually turning a dark shade of orange or maroon, said Bob Baer, specialist in the physics degree program, and coordinator of the observation events.

The color of the moon during a total lunar eclipse is similar to a sunset on Earth, Baer said, adding that several interesting celestial objects also will be visible during that evening. The best opportunity for deep-sky viewing comes when the moon is fully shaded, which darkens the sky further.

Staff on hand to help

Physics students, staff, and amateur astronomers will be on hand to answer questions and assist with telescopes. Space on the astronomy observation deck is limited and will be on a first come first served basis. Children accompanied by adults are welcome.

All phases of the event will be visible from Southern Illinois as well as all of North and South America. The Neckers building will be partially open that evening with a live stream of the lunar eclipse shown in Neckers lecture hall 240.

SIU hosts free public observations on the third Sunday of each month during the fall and spring semesters. Observations start one hour after sunset and last about 90 minutes. Participants typically observe bright sky objects such as the moon, major planets, star clusters nebula and some deep sky objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy.

Additional observation dates for the spring semester include:

6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 17

Hosted by the SIU physics department and the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois at the Neckers astronomy observation deck. Telescopes provided. Children accompanied by adults are welcome. Mars, Uranus, the moon, Great Orion Nebula and the Pleiades.

8-9:30 p.m. March 17

Hosted by the SIU physics department and the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois at the Neckers observation deck. Telescopes provided. Children accompanied by adults are welcome. Viewing opportunities include: Mars, Uranus, the Moon, Great Orion Nebula the Pleiades.

8:30-10 p.m. April 21

Hosted by the SIU physics department and the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois at the Neckers observation deck. Telescopes provided. Children accompanied by adults are welcome. Viewing opportunities include: Mars, Uranus, Great Orion Nebula and the Pleiades.

July 12  Southern Illinois Summer Star Party

Hosted by SIU physics department and the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois in partnership with the Adler Planetarium of Chicago. The event will be held at the SIU Dark Site west of campus. More information to be announced.

All observations are weather dependent and space-limited. The Neckers observation deck is not handicap accessible, however officials can arrange for telescopes to be setup at ground level for individuals not able to take stairs to the observation deck. Those with large groups or other special needs, please contact the event coordinator in advance of the event.

For up to the minute event info and online discussion, see the physics department FaceBook event info page.NAACP 2019 MLK Breakfast to feature speakers, music and more

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondales Student Center will host the Carbondale NAACP 2019 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast on Monday in the Student Center ballrooms.

Eclectic program planned

The theme for the 37th annual event is Same Kind of Different as Me. It begins with breakfast at 8 a.m. followed by the program at 9 a.m. Carolyn Cerda, WSIL TV News 3 anchor, will be the mistress of ceremonies for the morning.

Apostle Larry T. Barnett, senior pastor of the St. John Praise and Worship Center and double alumnus of SIU, will be the special guest speaker. The program also features a variety of other speakers, special music and more, including recognition of the winners of the annual King Essay Contest.

Local Boy Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and a variety of area dignitaries, officials and local citizens are involved.

Get tickets at the door

Admission to the breakfast is $5 along with a canned food donation; the food will go to the Saluki Food Pantry at the Student Center, benefiting students in times of need.

MLK Breakfast tickets are available at the door.

A tribute to its inception

The breakfast was founded in 1983 by the Black Coalition and was first held at the Eurma C. Hayes Center. The event has grown through the years with the Carbondale NAACP later taking on the leadership role. By 1989 the community celebration had moved to the SIU campus.

Following the 2019 breakfast, all participants who would like to assist with a community service project will return to the Eurma C. Hayes Center for a day of cleaning.Prime Ministers of Estonia and Latvia, Juri Ratas and Maris Kucinskis have sent congratulatory messages to Nikol Pashinyan on being appointed Prime Minister of Armenia, official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia reported.

The message of Juri Ratas particularly runs as follows:

Please, accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of being appointed Prime Minister of Armenia. I wish you success in the responsible task of ensuring the progress of the reforms in order to make Armenia a maximally democratic and prosperous country. As a country that has passed through a transitional period, Estonia highly assesses the opportunity to develop close relations with Armenia in terms of sharing the existing positive experience.

The existing good cooperation between our countries, particularly in the spheres of IT and culture, is a firm ground for deepening bilateral relations. I am confident that during your tenure we will expand bilateral interactions in other spheres and will strengthen those already existing.

I hope Armenia will continue developing relations with the EU, particularly in the sidelines of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the Eastern Partnership. With the expectation for a close cooperation I hope that soon we will have the opportunity to exchange views personally.

Prime Minister of Latvia and Maris Kucinskis notes in his message, I extend to you my warmest congratulations on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Latvia on being re-appointed Prime Minister of Armenia. Its a pleasure to see the development of cooperation between Latvia and Armenia. I am confident that our relations will continue to strengthen for the benefit of the welfare and prosperity of our peoples.The police on Thursday urged Education officials to reconsider their proposal to inspect the lockers and bags of students for narcotics after 12 underage students were arrested in a row of drug dens in Navotas. In other developments:  The Bureau of Customs seized some P148 million worth of shabu, ecstasy and dried marijuana leaves hidden in canned goods at the Port of Clark, Pampanga. The illegal drugs were discovered after the shipments, declared as clothing and canned goods, went through an X-ray examination.  The Duterte administrations controversial war against drugs and criminality is an example to the whole world, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said on Wednesday. He again praised President Rodrigo Duterte for curbing the trade in illegal drugs. In his remarks during the state banquet, Sirisena said despite challenging global and regional economic environment, Duterte managed to steer the country into prosperity and economic growth.You have led this nation on a road to prosperity, sustaining economic growth, launching and building critical infrastructure, generating employment and securing Philippines people-centric foreign policy effectively, Sirisena said. The authorities raided the drug dens at the Navotas Fish Port after a month of surveillance and said some youngsters were selling and using shabu there. The 12 minors rounded up during the raid were all students. Vito Barcelo and Nat Mariano Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office, said the fight against narcotics will not succeed if more children are involved in the drug trade. Our job will not be finished if we just keep on arresting suspects while children are recruited, Eleazar said. Involvement in drugs could start in school. If we can inspect belongings at the malls, why not in schools? It would be entirely up to school officials and parents to plan the inspection, carry it out and provide counseling to students whose belongings would yield drugs, Eleazar said. Vito Barcelo and Nat MarianoTurkish authorities deported Ans Boersma, a 31-year-old correspondent for Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, on Thursday, the paper and Turkish sources confirmed, DW reported.

"And all of a sudden, you are in an airplane going back to Netherlands," Boersma posted on Twitter, adding she had been declared "unwanted" in Turkey.

The Dutch national had been reporting for the financial paper from Istanbul since early 2017 and only received her 2019 accreditation last week. Turkish officials detained the reporter while she was visiting the local immigration office to extend her visa.

According to Erol Onderoglu, Turkey's local "Reporters Without Borders" (RSF) representative, officials told Boersma she was a threat to national security.

Boersma spent the night in the detention center and was not allowed to go back to her apartment for her belongings, according to her paper.

"At this time, all I can say is that her deportation wasn't related to her journalistic activities or her reporting from Turkey," said a Turkish official cited by the Reuters news agency said.

Het Financieele Dagblad also reported that the Dutch embassy had tried to intervene and prevent the expulsion, but without success. The paper also said it would contend the deportation alongside Boersma from the Netherlands.

However, RSF's Onderoglu told DW that a campaign for her safe return to Turkey was a "very sensitive subject."Chinese nationals topped the list of the total 257 foreign criminals arrested last year by the Bureau of Immigration who hid in the country to evade criminal prosecution in their homelands, according to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente. The number of alien fugitives apprehended was higher than the 232 wanted foreigners arrested in 2017, the BI chief said. They were arrested in various operations conducted throughout the country by operatives from the BI Fugitive Search Unit headed by BI intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo, he said. Morente said most of the fugitives were already deported and were now serving their jail sentences after trial and conviction. All of them were also placed in our blacklist of undesirable aliens to make sure that they do not return and pose threat to our public safety and security, the BI chief said. Statistics show that 98 of the captured fugitives were wanted for fraud and economic crimes; 98 for telecom fraud; 44 for cybercrimes; seven for sex offenses; five for kidnapping; one for robbery extortion; one for gun possession and drug distribution; and one for smuggling. It is evident that the focus of our campaign last year was the neutralization of organized syndicates involved in cyber crimes and cyber fraud, Raquepo said in his yearend report. A total 116 Chinese fugitives were, followed by 80 Taiwanese, 27 Koreans, 16 Thai nationals, eight Americans, and five Britons. Among the major operations conducted by BI-FSU operatives was the raid on a call center fraud establishment in Paranaque City last June 14 that led to the arrest of 16 Thais and three Taiwanese nationals.On July 18, 2018, seven Chinese nationals wanted for cyber fraud by Beijing authorities were arrested in Pasay City. The FSU also cited as major accomplishment the Nov. 28 arrest in Las Pinas City of five Chinese nationals suspected of being members of a kidnap for ransom syndicate that prey on Chinese tourists in the country. They likewise arrested several high-profile criminals including Japans top fugitive Misao Kaminsukaso a.k.a. Misao Koyama wanted for defrauding billions of yen from compatriots in Japan, American priest Fr. Kenneth Bernard Hendricks wanted in Ohio for allegedly sexually molesting young altar boys, and Taiwans No. 1 most wanted criminal Oren Shlomo Mayer, for murdering, cutting into several pieces, and dumping into the river the body of a Canadian teacher. These arrests were all conducted through the request and assistance of their respective countries through their embassy or police, said Morente. Upon informing us that an alien in the country is wanted for a crime, we immediately take steps to apprehend the fugitive to ensure that justice will be served, he added. Morente explained that they receive information on fugitives from foreign governments, as well as the interpol. I have repeatedly said this, do not use the Philippines as your hideout to escape your crimes, said Morente in a warning to foreign criminals hiding in the country. You cannot escape the long arm of the law, he added. The warning came after the apprehension of Xie Haojie, a former Chinese government official national wanted in China for corruption and involvement in large-scale economic crimes. The arrest of Xie, according to BI, is the first in the series of arrests of foreign fugitives they are targeting this year.THE Department of Information and Communications Technology launched a platform for intelligence sharing to monitor threats and defend the countrys cyber infostructure from cyberattacks on Wednesday in Mandaluyong City. The Cybersecurity Management System Project is set to be completed within the year, starting from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed last Jan. 15. This kick-off for the CMS project is a great cue for us to keep taking bold action in this gargantuan task of safeguarding our citizens in the cyber realm, Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said. Rio said the centralized monitoring platform would enhance the countrys ability to act on threats, before, during, and after cyber attacks.Engineer Allan Cabanlong, DICT assistant secretary for Cybersecurity and Enabling Technologies, said the projects first phase would cater to 10 government agencies that were identified as priorities. It would also monitor cyberthreats in the dark web in support of law enforcement authorities, defense, and drug enforcement agencies functions as needed. The agencies are the DICT, the Office of the President, the Department of Finance, the Department of Energy, Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Council, the Department of Budget and Management, the Presidential Communications Operations Office, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Department of National Defense. The platform aims to build the resilience of the country, as part of the National Cybersecurity Plan 2022, the vision of which is to reach the state of having a trusted and resilient infostructure.The explosion took place in an apartment building in the Digomi district in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, Rustavi2 TV channel reported. According to the media outlet, there are people under the rubble of the building, Sputnik reported.

As Teimuraz Kupatadze, the head of the patrol police department of the Georgian Interior Ministry, told reporters, the blast claimed lives of at least three people.

"According to preliminary information, an explosion occurred on the fourth floor. The investigation will establish the rest of the details", he said, noting that according to preliminary data, the explosion occurred due to a gas leak.

Commenting on the number of casualties, country's Health Minister David Sergeenko stated that seven people were injured as a result of the blast, including six children.

Later, a doctor, cited by the Georgian Imedi TV, stated that one of those injured, a four-year-old girl, has died.

The explosion was followed by a fire and the building being torn down. Firefighters have not yet managed to rescue people from out of the rubble. They are currently working at the site. The people were evacuated from the building. Those injured are taken to local hospitals.

The Georgian authorities have declared 17 January a day of mourning for those killed in the explosion.The United States will start the process of pulling out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) on February 2, the State Department's Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the process was expected to take six months, TASS reported.

According to her, no breakthrough was achieved at Tuesdays US-Russian consultations in Geneva.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who headed the Russian delegation to the Geneva meeting, said earlier that Moscow had offered to take measures to raise Washingtons grievances concerning the INF Treaty in return for steps in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles, target missiles and the Mk-41 launching systems but the US was not ready for a specific conversation.

No developments in Russia-US relations yet, says Kremlin aide

"The US tried to make it look like the only issue the Geneva consultations should focus on was the [Russian] 9M729 missile. We cannot accept such an approach, we are ready for dialogue based on the principles of equality and mutual respect, while there can be no ultimatums," Ryabkov said.Armenias Pashinyan sends congratulatory message to Iceland PM

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Settlement of refugees from Azerbaijan-occupied regions can be solved by certificates

Armenia acting premier meets at government with ruling party board members

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan on acting PMs behavior: Probably $5bn promised by Aliyev not fully transferred

Armenia statistical service head on First Presidents statement: I have no information about 70,000 emigrants

Quake hits Armenia

Bright Armenia Party leader: Country is going according to March 1, 2008 scenario

Japan plans to start issuing vaccination passports soon

Two new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Missing soldiers relatives meeting with Armenia acting PM

3rd candidate dropped out of presidential race in Iran

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will do our best to meet people's expectations

MOD: Armenia, Russia defense chiefs discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani border situation

Netherlands FM: All Armenian POWs must be repatriated from Azerbaijan

96 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Azerbaijan is blackmailing Armenia: Zangezur corridor in exchange for Lachin corridor?

Donald Trump speaks on Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin's meeting in Geneva

Court session on demand to declare Armenia ruling party electoral list registration invalid to be held today

Trump announces holding large rally for first time since leaving office

Armenia dissolved legislature session not convened for 3rd time

Newspaper: Artsakh President taking steps to insure self after possible change of power in Armenia

Newspaper: Armenia authorities engaged in attempts to discredit real opposition

Spain man kills his mother, eats her remains

Armenia acting PM talks about demarcation and delimitation during campaign meeting in province

Biden snaps at CNN reporter who grilled him about Geneva summit with Putin

Armenian police barge into "Armenia" bloc's headquarters, demand to not tape acting PM's meeting

Armenia Investigative Committee: Number of missing servicemen, civilians is 275

Armenia 3rd President: Servicemen's Insurance Fund told Government in April that there were 1,064 missing servicemen

Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan soldiers stole cow, newborn calf from Gegharkunik Province village pasture shepherd

Armenia 2nd President meets with ex-PM Karen Karapetyan at end of visit to Gyumri (PHOTO)

2 Azerbaijani servicemen die in car accident in Lachin

US Embassy in Yerevan calls on its citizens to be alert

What did Putin gift Biden?

Biden calls meeting with Putin 'positive'

Biden says he doesn't think Putin wants a new Cold War

Putin: There's no problem that Russia and the US can't solve together

Biden gifts Putin pair of Aviator sunglasses

China citizens get vaccinated in Armenia

Armenia opposition party leader: Citizens attack office in Kapan, police brutally beat young people in Yeghegnadzor

Putin says Russia and US have agreed to reciprocally resend ambassadors

Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan is illegally keeping Armenian POWs to receive certain mine maps in exchange

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party leader says border security is primary issue for Armenians

"I Have the Honor" bloc's candidate for Armenia PM and Serzh Sargsyan hold campaign meetings in Kotayk Province

Russia and US Presidents end talks in Geneva, Biden leaves Villa La Grange

Demonstrators demand condemnation of Azeri aggression against Armenia, Karabakh on heels of Putin-Biden meeting

"Armenia" bloc holding campaign meeting in Gyumri

Azerbaijan resumes trial against Armenian POWs, Erdogan visits Karabakhs Shushi, June 16 digest

"Armenia" bloc member: Law-enforcement bodies not taking action in response to acting PM's call for violence

Armenia deputy police chief says hammer that Pashinyan uses during campaign meetings is not a cold weapon

Putin-Biden narrow-format talks end in Geneva

One dollar falls below AMD 515 in Armenia

European Union agrees on additional sanctions against Belarus

Armenia village murder solved 6 months later

Government employees in Armenia's Vayk attending acting PM's campaign meeting during working hours

Resident of Armenia's Khoznavar village moves to Jermuk after not being able to raise cattle in grazing field

Police summon opposition Prosperous Armenia Party's MP candidate, launch criminal case

Armenia 2nd President: Government must take care of basic needs of all citizens

Bright Armenia Party leader says they are 3rd in big cities

Armenia prosecutor's office looking into acting PM statement on $1,000 reward for vote-buying videos

Armenia 2nd President: There is a need to increase funding for education

Armenia Police record 172 cases of electoral violations

Armenia Police on acting PM being accompanied by many officers during campaign: Assessment is made in each case

Artsakh MFA: Shahumyan region is integral part of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

Did Russias Putin offer proposal to end Artsakh war on October 10?

Putin-Biden meeting kicks off in Geneva

Armenia ruling party promises $1,000 for videos proving vote buying, says acting PM

Karabakh opens criminal case on Azerbaijan vandalism of Armenian cemetery of Askeran

Aliyev: Minefield maps will give us big advantage

Armenia 3rd President Sargsyans nephew is sentenced to 3.5 years in prison

Former President Kocharyan: Russia military presence in Armenia should be further modernized

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: State is obligated to take care of issues of those who lost homes in Karvachar

Armenia ombudsman: Acting PMs constant display of hammer, figurative comparisons are inadmissible

Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California

Trump to arrive in Texas at US-Mexico border

European Commission organizes online event Proposal Writing Camp for Armenia

Four new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Ex-President Kocharyan: Armenian authorities actions are sabotage or stupidity?

Kim Jong-un says North Korea faces tense food situation

124 intellectuals call for supporting "Armenia" bloc in snap parliamentary election

14 Armenian POWs trial begins in Azerbaijan

99 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Two Armenian captives still on trial in Azerbaijan

Armenia ombudsman's office hosts OSCE/ODIHR delegation

Armenia dissolved parliament sitting not convened again

White House announces exact time of Biden-Putin meeting in Geneva

Israel carries out airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza

Newspaper: How "hijacked" plane is managed to be transported to Armenia?

Newspaper: Armenia acting premier instructs provincial governors to sack school principals who support another force

Emirates airline posts $5.5bn net loss as coronavirus disrupts travel

Newspaper: Armenia is left out of important world developments

Germany issues nearly 5 million COVID-19 vaccination certificates

Few attend Armenia acting PM's election campaign rally in Kajaran town (PHOTOS)

Republican Party of Armenia: We Armenians must be concerned about Turkey appearing on Karabakh's borders

Armenia ex-Ambassador to Vatican: Nikol Pashinyan rejected Putin's offer to stop war on October 10, 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia is seeing US on brink of radical review of position on the region

Britain, Australia announce free trade deal

Armenia 1st President: The whole world considers Karabakh a part of Azerbaijan

Armenia 2nd President says he doesn't see himself as a member of the opposition

Armenia 1st President: There will be post-election developments, even clashes during elections

Switzerland President assesses Russia's role in establishment of ceasefire in Nagorno-KarabakhCommander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps derided the Israeli prime ministers warning to Iran to pull out of Syria, cautioning the Zionist regime not to play with the lions tail and reminding Israelis about Irans roaring missile with pinpoint accuracy, Tasnim news Agency reported.

In comments on Wednesday, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari decried as ridiculous and hilarious Benjamin Netanyahus threats, reaffirming Irans commitment to maintaining what it has deployed to Syria.

He also said what Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi meant by recently saying that Iran has no military forces in Syria was that Iran has no military units there.

You (Israeli officials) know very well that the Iranian military units are so mighty and impressive that if you witnessed even one of them in Syria, you would be horrified and give up the ghost, the top commander stressed.

Major General Jafari said Iran would not even care about Israels ridiculous threats, underlining that there is a reason behind Irans patience with the Zionist regimes certain desperate measures.

He reminded Israel that it will realize the reason behind Irans revolutionary patience in the not-too-distant future, adding, Just be noted that you are playing with the lions tail. Be scared of the day that Irans roaring missiles with pinpoint accuracy rain on you in revenge for the blood of the regions oppressed Muslims shed unjustifiably.A group of youths from Nalbari district of Assam have come forward to cultivate mushrooms scientifically after being encouraged by the growing demand of the commodity in the international market, especially Bhutanese market.

Due to the high protein content of the mushrooms grown in Nalbari, they have a huge demand among consumers.

Nalbari Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) trained up two youths at the Directorate of Mushroom Research in Himachal Pradesh in 2015, reports The Assam Tribune.

Among the two youths, one youth named Tapan Dutta Baruah of Kendekuchi village started mushroom cultivation commercially.

Baruah has encouraged youths of villages of Nalbari district to start mushroom cultivation.

Nalbari KVK also sent two batches of farmers for training to Himachal Pradesh again in 2017.

At present, around 200 farmers of Nalbari district are engaged in mushroom cultivation.

Some of the successful mushroom farmers include former chairperson of Nalbari Zila Parishad Bitumani Devi, Hemanta Nath of Barjhar,Upananda Das of Piplibari, Dali Rani Haloi and Bipul Haloi of Banekuchi, Dipak Deka of Bargasa,Bipul Talukdar of Banekuchi.

The farmers are not only earning profit simply from mushroom but also from the mushroom-based products.

The mushroom farmers have now demanded help from the state government to attract more youths towards mushroom cultivation.Editors note: This is part of a series of stories about Allison Levines visit to this region in Portugal.

Field blends were once common in the Old World. Families would plant more than one variety in the vineyard and did not really care about varieties or clones. Instead of considering the unique characteristics of each grape, the grapes were all treated the same way.

Red and white grapes were interplanted. All grapes were harvested at the same time and fermented together. The winemaker had no influence on the final wine blend. And, more than likely, while all the grapes were indigenous, the winemakers most likely did not know what grape varieties they had planted.

In Portugal, field blends were historically very common. But that started to change when Portugal entered the European Union in 1986. Not only did the quality of wine production increase, but the grape varieties were identified. As winemaking has evolved and modernized, many winemakers began to plant each variety separately, allowing each one to ripen at its own pace. The grapes are fermented separately and then the winemaker can blend the percentages he or she desires, controlling the final result. And, more and more, field blends are becoming rarer and rarer.Beckstoffer Vineyards has purchased the 220-acre Clear Mountain Vineyard from Treasury Wine Estates. Andy Beckstoffer will be renaming the vineyard Amber Mountain Vineyard, in recognition of the red volcanic soils of the Red Hills and as a nod to the companys nearby Red Hills vineyards, Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge.

The vineyard was planted in the 1980s by Napas Beringer Winery and has long been a hallmark for Cabernet Sauvignon production in the Red Hills. Its grape and wine quality influenced Beckstoffers decision to begin his Red Hills involvement in 1997, which subsequently began the modern era of premium vineyard plantings in Lake County.

Since then, Beckstoffer has been committed to proving that the Red Hills can produce Cabernet rivaling the best that California has to offer. After first purchasing land in the Red Hills in 1997, in 2004, Beckstoffer and a group of growers established the Red Hills AVA in 2004. In 2016 Beckstoffer Vineyards announced a new Red Hills wine quality research program , the results of which shall be announced later in 2019. In 2018, Beckstoffer Vineyards opened their Red Hills Station office.

We think that the Red Hills has the promise to be the best non-Napa Cabernet Sauvignon in California. There is only one Napa Valley, but we believe the Red Hills Cabernet Sauvignon has the promise to be the most exciting new wine in the entire global New World of Wines, Beckstoffer said.After successfully hitting its revenue, which is P63.55 billion, from its target P60 billion in 2018, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Alexander Balutan shared the secrets to leading a successful agency, despite the challenges and detractors. The character I have painstakingly built through the years in the military service along with the Academys motto of Courage, Integrity and Loyalty are the most effective and powerful management tools in leading a successful agency, emphasized Balutan. A graduate of Philippine Military Academy Matikas Class of 1983, Balutan is a battle-tested Mindanao veteran and a former marine general who earned the moniker Mandirigma in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In 2016, Balutan was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as general manager to help fight corruption in PCSO. No need for a doctorate degree or luxurious titles if one has weak leadership and poor discipline/character, he added. Over the years, PCSO was plagued with alleged corrupt activities that even the President described it as the most corrupt agency in the government. My battle-cry that time was touching lives, winning the peace. But up to now, we are touching lives. Dati sabi nila, Mandirigma pampaiksi ng buhay, ngayon, pampahaba na ng buhay dahil sa mga tinutulungan nating mga pasyente na nangangailangan ng tulong medikal mula sa PCSO, added Balutan.Balutan emphasized how valuable the PCSO products namely Lotto and digit games, Keno, Instant Sweepstakes, and Small Town Lottery are in the agencys Charity Fund. PCSO Charter, or RA 1169, particularly on revenue allocation, provides that the revenue of the PCSO shall be allocated to 55 percent for prize fund (payment of prizes), 30 percent for charity fund (various charity programs and service) and 15 percent as operating fund (maintenance and operating expenses). We generate funds for charity services of the country, health programs of national character. Thats our mandate. We do not get anything from the national coffer. We earn our funds through gaming. Ang tawag po dito ay gaming hindi gambling, explained Balutan. STL is a regular game by PCSO authorized by the national government through Section 1 of Republic Act 1169; while AACs are corporations or cooperatives duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or with the Cooperative Development Authority, respectively that applied, been duly qualified and expressly authorized by the PCSO to conduct STL in a particular area. In a data provided by Branch Operations Sector headed by assistant general manager Remeliza Gabuyo, STL has employed 314,596 employees as of December 2018. Of that, 13,720 are organic employees, 26,227 are sales supervisors, and 274,649 are sales agents.This history undergirds the way many Americans think about "Western civilization," a term that today quietly suggests our understanding of the past should be the same as it was at the end of the 19th century. Since the late 20th century, however, that premise has been challenged as scholars have begun to incorporate other stories into the tapestry of history.

We talk about the role of women, about what gender meant at different moments in the past, about the construction of race as an idea, about the diversity of Europe's peoples. The research in these areas is original and convincing.

But the older voices - the ones who fall back on the earlier, racist conception of the West - still speak loudly. In the 21st century, violent white supremacists, including Anders Breivik, Jeremy Christian and other neo-Vikings, and the racists who marched in Charlottesville, all deploy this nostalgia for a mythical "West" in their fight to dominate the future. They insist that Europe has always been white, Christian, patriarchal and pure. They want to see Europe and its colonial children "return" to that imaginary state and are willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure it happens.

King's defense of "Western civilization" does the same work, especially when placed alongside his long history of racist statements. It just does that work more politely.While some of those promises might be feasible, Guaranteed health care for all is Newsoms big beautiful wall  something that draws cheers from the faithful but would be virtually impossible to deliver. Tellingly, during a pre-inaugural event, Newsom said, Anyone who suggests that you can create universal this or universal that, even if you wanted to in six months to a year, our capacity to deliver on that is limited, so were going to create the architecture, the framework, well set the goals.

Setting a goal is easy. You just say it, send out a press release or even write it into law. Reaching the goal is something else entirely.

Newsom kissed off universal health care in a few words during his more than 2,700-word inaugural address, saying, In our home (of California), every person should have access to quality, affordable health care, while pledging, we will never waver in our pursuit of guaranteed health care for all Californians.

Its doubtful that the fervent advocates of universal health care will be placated by such a vague statement or even his initial actions to extend Medi-Cal coverage to a few more undocumented immigrants and offer health insurance subsidies to middle- class families. The advocates, led by the California Nurses Association, want nothing short of universal, single-payer coverage.The Napa Police Department says it has arrested the woman that police say is responsible for critically injuring a 62-year-old female pedestrian on Tuesday evening.

The pedestrian is still being treated at a local hospital, according to Napa police. Police say she was not in the crosswalk.

On Wednesday, Napa police asked the public to look for a vehicle with front end or windshield damage. A resident reported a suspicious vehicle in the 700 block of Marsh Court at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Napa police say. Officers arrived and found a newer Honda Civic with damage consistent with a vehicle collision, and impounded the car for forensic processing.

Detectives developed leads that let them to a home in the same area of Marsh Court. Officers arrested Alexandra Benay Varellas, 21, of Napa, the registered owner of the car, around 6:40 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of a felony charge of hit and run causing injuries, Napa police say.

She was booked into the Napa County jail around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, jail records show.The Napa County Board of Supervisors will hold a public forum to provide information about access to individuals who have been provided to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency by law enforcement departments under the Boards jurisdiction in calendar year 2018.

The forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the Board Chambers, 1195 Third St., 3rd Floor, Napa. It will be held pursuant to California Government Code Section 7283.1(d), also known as the TRUTH Act, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Brown in 2016.

A public notice was printed in the Napa Valley Register on Saturday, Jan. 12 and the date and time of the hearing was announced at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 18, 2018.

The TRUTH Act requires the local governing body of any county or city in which local law enforcement has provided ICE access to an individual during the previous year to hold a community forum to provide information to the public about ICEs access to individuals and to receive and consider public comment.

The public is invited to attend the Feb. 12 forum. Anyone who is unable to attend in-person is invited to view the forum online via live stream. The forum will be accessible on the county website: tinyurl.com/NapaBOS.

The meeting room is wheelchair accessible. Assistive listening devices and interpreters are available through the Clerk of the Board of the Napa County Board of Supervisors. Requests for disability-related modifications or accommodations, aids or services may be made to the Clerk of the Boards office no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting date by contacting 707-253-4580.The CHP subsequently released a heavily redacted version of its investigative report, but the autopsy records have not been released, pending the court cases.

A tentative ruling issued Tuesday by Judge Victoria Wood, who is presiding over the case, indicated that she was likely to rule in favor of disclosing the autopsy results.

The victims families and their attorneys have read the complete autopsy reports, but said they tried to block release of the records because they did not know what information would be redacted by county counsel, which is tasked with reviewing records requests.

The families have already suffered extreme pain as a result of the shooting and intense media interest in the event, attorneys wrote. They argued that making certain details of the autopsy reports public would unnecessarily cause families additional trauma and might compromise their upcoming lawsuits.

The only benefit to the release of records, attorneys wrote, would be in the financial interest of the Register.

Nothing disclosed will change the outcome of these events, educate the public in any material way about what happened, or shed any further light on the misconduct of either VA Yountville or the Pathway, attorneys for the Sushereba and Loeber families wrote.Limbo: I just kinda got lucky with that one. Its probably one of my songs that I put the least amount of effort into. A really big YouTube channel picked it up and posted it, and overnight it had about 24,000 listens. At first I was mad that they uploaded my song without my permission, but after a while it kinda clicked that 24,000 people listened to my song overnight and I became really grateful for it. So I was like How could I be mad at this person for sharing my music with all these people? Since then, a lot more people have looked into my stuff and I got a lot more listeners. It became more YouTube uploads and more people sharing it, and eventually it got onto an app called TikTok, which is essentially a lip-syncing app. Thats when it really blew up and I started getting millions of plays. TikTok used the song in an ad and didnt tell me. I tried contacting them and got nothing back, but once again people were listening to my music and it was like free advertisement. So I decided to be grateful for it, and that song basically became my career (laughs).For the past 12 years, the advocacy groups have been fighting to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble open pit mine and large-scale hard rock mining on adjacent public land, according to the website SaveBristolBay.org.

Californians appreciate wild salmon and much of it comes from Alaska, Herendeen said. She added everyone can play a role in protecting watersheds of the Alaska rivers. If were talking about salmon, we should be eating salmon, she said, adding that she and her family had owned Taku River Reds, a commercial salmon fishery.

Hardcastle said one of her groups goals in 2019, which is the International Year of the Salmon, is to have a meaningful seat at the table, when it comes to development projects in the watershed areas. We want to raise awareness in the Pacific Rim area, because we are all in this together, were all facing the same threat, she added.

The two spoke of the salmon runs in the Bristol Bay watershed, which is an area roughly the size of West Virginia, in southwest Alaska. This year, there were 62 million sockeye salmon that came back, Hardcastle said, You dont see returns like that, in other watersheds. It is remote and pristine.Akufo-Addo can't even shower in presidential ...Online shopping platforms like Alibaba and AliExpress have made it easier for shoppers to access goods sold by Chinese manufacturers and small businesses.

The items on offer range from iPhone chargers to womens clothing, all at very cheap prices when compared to local alternatives.

The success of Alibaba has inspired more players to join the market in recent years, with companies such as Gearbest and Wish offering South Africans tech products at low prices online.

Many of these products are shipped from China, however, which introduces a range of hurdles shoppers must overcome to get their goods into their hands.

Another less-considered issue is the potential impact these cheap imports have on local distributors and retailers, who sell the same tech items for higher prices in South Africa.

To find out if these imported products and their sellers are having an affect on the local market, we spoke to prominent ICT distributors Mustek and Pinnacle.

Small for now

Mustek told MyBroadband that international players selling directly to South Africans currently have a small impact on the market.

For an end-user, there are lots of hurdles to importing, said Mustek. In addition, cross-border reverse logistics is a timely and sometimes costly process to take on as a consumer.

The company added that there are other pitfalls to watch out for in addition to shipping.

Most branded products are sold as different models in the Chinese market, said Mustek. A good example is a smartphone, which may be locked to the Chinese language option.

Another barrier to importing tech products directly is a lack of support and service if something goes wrong.

Support is not guaranteed if you have a problem with a tech item you import, while local distributors offer a support structure and experienced assistance in their markets.

A warranty of a product and repairs are not taken into account, and when required they are non-existent  so the purchaser is caught once, but thereafter is extremely wary, said Mustek.

While local tech prices may be higher than importing an item from China, the premium acts like insurance in case something is wrong with the purchase.

Pinnacle echoed this sentiment, stating that a lack of warranty on a tech product will be problematic for users.

In terms of the impact these imports have had on the local market, Pinnacle said although it only has visibility into its retail channel the company has seen positive year-on-year growth over the past two quarters.

Trade War

Another concern for local tech users, regardless of where they buy their goods, is the trade war between the US and China  and the impact this may have on tech prices.

Mustek said that the exchange rate between the US dollar and the rand is the main factor affecting the pricing of tech in South Africa, however.

The potential trade war may make global demand decline, which could see prices softening, but this is not a primary driver of price.

Pinnacle also stated that the exchange rate dictates price, and they do not see the trade war impacting tech prices in the short-to-medium term.

Now read: DStv and Showmax password sharing is not a problemNetflix has revealed its ISP Speed Index for December 2018, with South Africa still down the rankings.

South Africas ISPs achieved an average speed of 2.63Mbps during the month, an increase over last months average.

Despite the increase in average speed, South Africas overall rank on the charts decreased  indicating that other countries saw increases in their average speeds. South Africa placed 53 out of 59, down from 52nd last month.

The only countries performing worse than South Africa on the Netflix ISP Speed Index are South American nations like Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Venezuela.

Costa Rica, Jamaica, and the Philippines all rank higher than South Africa on the index.

South Africas previous best place was 50th, which it achieved in August 2018.

Best and worst countries

The table below shows how the top 5 and bottom 10 countries on the Netflix ISP Speed Index compare.

ISPs are ranked by average bitrate, with ties broken by the best highest bitrate, followed by the best lowest bitrate.

Rank Country Fastest (Mbps) Lowest (Mbps) Average (Mbps) 1 Switzerland 4.53 3.99 4.34 2 United States 4.51 3.19 4.29 3 Romania 4.45 2.94 4.29 4 Netherlands 4.32 3.69 4.26 5 Iceland 4.28 3.84 4.21 50 Philippines 3.27 1.29 2.74 51 Costa Rica 3.15 0.72 2.74 52 Jamaica 3.55 0.95 2.68 53 South Africa 4.00 1.90 2.63 54 Bolivia 3.19 2.22 2.63 55 El Salvador 2.61 2.43 2.49 56 Dominican Republic 2.70 0.92 2.43 57 Guatemala 2.60 2.35 2.43 58 Honduras 2.42 1.40 2.20 59 Venezuela 1.57 1.16 1.21

What the averages hide

While it is discouraging to see South Africa fare so poorly on the index, it is important to note what it actually measures.

Netflix explains that its index is a measure of prime-time Netflix performance on ISPs, and not a measure of the overall performance of an ISPs network.

It calculates the average bitrate, in Mbps, of Netflix content streamed by members on a per-ISP basis.

We measure the speed via all available end-user devices. For a small number of devices, we cannot calculate the exact bit rates, and streaming via cellular networks is exempted from our measurements, said Netflix.

To illustrate: The minimum download speed required to use Netflix is 0.5Mbps, and 1.5Mbps is the recommended minimum speed. Netflix also recommends 3Mbps for streaming in SD quality, 5Mbps for HD, and 25Mbps for Ultra HD.

When Netflix shows an average bitrate of around 3Mbps for an ISP, it could therefore mean that most of the ISPs subscribers are streaming content in standard definition.

Similarly, for ISPs that have an average above 3Mbps, it could mean that a significant chunk of its subscriber base streams HD content from Netflix.

The maximum line speeds subscribers take up with the ISPs are also a factor.

Someone on a 4Mbps DSL connection will not be able to achieve a streaming bitrate much faster than 3.5Mbps, for example.

So an ISP with a lower average bitrate may have more subscribers who have signed up for cheaper, slower accounts than an ISP with an average above 4Mbps.

The Netflix index is therefore not strictly a ranking of which ISPs are faster and slower, but an average that encapsulates many factors.

Another element that likely skews the results is that some countries have far fewer ISPs on the index than others.

While South Africa has a full top 10 list, Jamaica only has 3 ISPs listed, and Costa Rica and the Philippines only have 5 ISPs on their charts.A party-list lawmaker on Thursday urged Malacanang to constitute a Cabinet-level committee that would look into all available options to quickly revive the now-idle Subic shipyard of bankrupt Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc.. Our biggest concern now is how to rescue the shipyards 10,800 Filipino workers, including the 7,000 laid off in December, said ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III. Many of them will surely end up looking for new employment overseas if we cant give them back their jobs, or if they cant find alternative gainful work here, Bertiz said. At its peak, Hanjins ship construction and repair facilities in Subic Bay, Zambales, directly employed up to 21,000 Filipinos. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza earlier told a Senate hearing that the Palace was very receptive to the idea of a possible government takeover of the Subic shipyard, reputed to be the worlds fourth largest. Another option is for the government to encourage a new private investorpreferably a Filipino conglomerateto come in, pay off Hanjins bank debts and other liabilities at a discount, and then revive the shipyards operations initially at a smaller scale, Bertiz said. An Olongapo City regional trial court has already put Hanjin under receivership after the company defaulted on its debts obligations and filed for corporate rehabilitation on Jan. 8. It was the biggest corporate bankruptcy ever in the Philippines, with $412 million (P21.5 billion) in unpaid loans owed to five banksRizal Commercial Banking Corp., Land Bank of the Philippines, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., Bank of the Philippine Islands and BDO Unibank Inc. In the Senate, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said hes not likely to support the proposal of Senator Panfilo Lacson for the Philippine government to take over the operations of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction in Subic, Zambales. I respect his opinion but I dont agree with it. Because the Davao Group of Mr. [Rodrigo] Duterte is too much nowadays. They have been taking over the industries in the country, Trillanes said. He instead suggested that government refrain from dipping its fingers on Hanjin since the company is still under rehabilitation by the banks. Lets leave it to the professionals and it seems that its a private company to begin with and once the government entered it, some companies might be favored anew, he said. At the same time, Trillanes said the issue of security should be closely watched because Chinese companies might come into the picture.At present, he said there is the active, highly active initiative of China to expand their influence and that area has many implication, the senator said. Trillanes said that Hanjin, the countrys biggest shipyard, has a submarine bay complex, which is a strategic defense location. Senator Richard J. Gordon, meanwhile, has proposed that the government enter into a partnership with local taipans and Korean investors to take over the debt-saddled Hanjin Philippines so that the country can build its own ships. He said that the Hanjin shipyard is a very important natural resource, of human, logistical and engineering resource, which the country should continue. It would also ensure that the workers livelihood is protected by using the shipyard capabilities to build our own ships for defense, the senator said Gordon said the government should come up with investment packages to entice investors so that it could continue the shipyards operations and comply with its commitments.. He said Korean investors should likewise be enticed because they have the know-how and the country will benefit from the technology transfer. However, while he wants the Philippine Navy to have its headquarters inside the shipyard, he is not amenable to having the Navy manage the shipyard operations. The senator also stressed the need for maritime academies to open up naval architecture courses once the government takes over Hanjin to enable the country to design and build its own ships. Hanjin Philippines filed last week a petition before the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City for voluntary rehabilitation under Republic Act 10142 or the law providing for the rehabilitation or liquidation of financially distressed enterprises and individuals. Hanjin Philippines officials has informed the the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority that the company has around $400 million in outstanding loans from Philippine banks on top of $900 million in debts owed to South Korea lenders.The art center will host silent movies with piano accompaniment by Marty Mincer and a concert by David Majchzak. Both musicians have played in Muscatine before.

"It's really a community event," said Ales. "To put something like this on for 25 years is pretty remarkable."

Al Brotherton, trombonist for the Mad Creek Mudcats, has been attending the event every year since its inception.

"I just look forward to the whole thing every year," he said. "I very much enjoy the music and participating."

He said he likes playing ragtime music because he likes the style.

"It's upbeat music," he said. "It's just very friendly music and it's nice to listen to. He also said he's amazed at how technically complex ragtime and jazz were in the past and how it's "devilishly difficult to play." The Mudcats have been playing ragtime and early jazz for about 15 years, with the same musicians for the last five.

"A band like that," he said, "after you've been together for awhile, it's a social event. It's friends getting together to do something they enjoy."The Republican Governors Association quickly donated $500,000 to the campaign of Rick Hill, the GOP nominee for governor. Lovells decision was appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which reinstated the Montana campaign limits pending appeal, so the limits were off for just six days.

The Hill campaign asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and allow unlimited donations pending appeal, which the high court declined to do. Eventually, the circuit court upheld the donation limits constitutionality and the law's foes appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

What this long legal battle means is that Montana must not take our campaign finance laws for granted. Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan, who has the duty of enforcing those laws, needs adequate staffing and resources to fulfill his vital watchdog role.

The flurry of court action in the 2012 General Election erased any doubt that even greater sums of cash would flood into our elections if we had no limits.Now some may argue that love, appreciation, and respect must never involve death or the pursuit of another and that, for all intents and purposes, hunting and killing are the same. This is an understandable argument, but not necessarily a conclusive one. While the outcome may be the same for the elk (though more often than not, it is not), hunting and killing are fundamentally different thingsboth in terms of the acts themselves and the scope of objectives involved.

Elk are elk and their worth does not rely on us, though it is influenced by our ability to identify and communicate that value. If we truly love and appreciate elk, its time for hunters to reclaim the ethical highroad of fair chase hunting that honors elk for what they are and demands the hunter to be the very best he or she can be.

Before us is a decision by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to extend elk shoulder seasons for the purpose of killing elk efficiently and effectively during a period of up to six months in 43 hunting districts in 2019-20. Incentivized by the prospect of an easy elk, hunters are encouraged to kill cow elk on private land in August, when calves are still nursing, and similarly, in January and February, when elk are concentrated in herds in lowlands trying to survive winter, pregnant with a new crop of calves.Skuletich could not provide much information on how the man knew the young girl, as police want to protect the victims identity, but he did say Eaton was a family acquaintance.

Eatons charging documents state he knowingly persuaded, enticed, counseled, coerced, encouraged, directed or procured the young teen to engage in sexual conduct, actual or simulated, or to view sexually explicit material to induce or persuade a child to participate in sexual activity. Documents said Eaton did this by any means of communication, including electronic or in person between Jan 9 and Jan. 15.

Eaton is booked for sexual abuse of children, a felony, and his bond is set at $250,000. If he is convicted, he could receive life imprisonment, or a term between four and 100 years, and may be fined up to $10,000.

According to Skuletich, Eaton does not have an extensive local criminal history. Police arrested him in 2010 for criminal contempt and cited him for minor offenses when he was a juvenile.

But Skuletich said this is part of a larger investigation into what Eaton did to this victim, and if he abused any other underage children. Eaton is a semi-truck driver, and police are covering all their bases, Skuletich said.Disclaimer : The views expressed in the forum are the views of the user writing the post, and not that of moneycontrol.com. You agree, by accessing this forum, that moneycontrol.com bears no liability for any posts on this forum or, any losses suffered by following any advice posted on this forum. moneycontrol.com operates this real time, open, unmoderated, private forum for users to exchange information and to discuss various investing techniques. moneycontrol.com or, its personnel do not post anything, or vet the content posted, on this forum. moneycontrol.com reserves the right to deny service to anyone. You, and not moneycontrol.com, assume the entire cost and risk of any trading you choose to undertake. You are solely responsible for making your own investment decisions. If you choose to engage in such transactions with or without seeking advice from a licensed and qualified financial advisor or entity, then such decision and any consequences flowing therefrom are your sole responsibility.U.S. Sen. Steve Daines' suggestion that he would forego his salary as a senator during this most recent government shutdown might actually mean something if not for the fact that he is one of the wealthiest members to the U.S. Senate and hardly needs his salary for anything but petty cash.

Similarly his bill to force such withholding of congressional salaries in future shutdowns would have little impact upon him or the majority of his Republican colleagues in that very few of them need the salaries  certainly not in the way that government workers now being refused paychecks by our petulant president need theirs.

Montanas senator should use some of his newly awarded committee power for something other than securing potential re-election in 2020 and suggest to the Senate leadership that it should allow a vote to re-open the government. The fact that he doesnt makes this shutdown the responsibility of him and the Republican Party.

James Wood,

Missoula

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1SB 52 seeks to:

Create a process for creating, collecting and delivering rape kits.

Require health facilities to ask for a patients consent before turning over a kit to law enforcement.

In cases where a victim does not provide consent, allow a kit to be turned over anonymously.

Set out timelines for kits to be provided to law enforcement and for testing.

Require that kits be stored by the Office of Victim Services for a minimum of one year.

Direct the Justice Department to create a confidential statewide tracking system for rape kits.

Montana has long lacked any comprehensive system of tracking rape kits in the state, leaving it up to different local agencies to follow their own protocols for processing, storing and eventually destroying them. Thus, many kits were never provided to the State Crime Lab for testing, for reasons known only to the agencies that opted not to deliver them.

Notably, in 2015, a Montana man was charged with felony sexual intercourse without consent (Montanas legal term for rape) thanks to a rape kit collected the previous year. The man was being held by police in Billings on other felony charges when his DNA was matched with evidence stored in the rape kit, lending stark evidence of the usefulness of these kits  and of the injustice created by not processing them.Government lawyers have asked the Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 54 trying Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on four counts of libel to order the lawmakers arrest and cancellation of his bail for jumping the gun on the courts permission on his travel abroad last month. In a motion dated Jan. 10, Davao City Assistant City Prosecutor Joseph B. Mamburan cited the motion of the lawyers of former Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte which claimed that Trillanes left the country on Dec. 11, 2018, a day after posting bail before the Pasay court and before the Davao court could actually rule to allow him to travel. Trillanes flew out of Philippine jurisdiction without waiting for prior leave or permission from the Davao court, the prosecutions motion argued. Having departed for abroad without [waiting for] court permission, accused is guilty of flight. He has stepped out of Philippine jurisdiction, hence beyond its reach, Dutertes counsel, lawyer Rainier Madrid said. The former Davao vice mayors camp added that the Trillanes departure for abroad without seeking the courts prior permission is a serious and material breach of his bail and temporary liberty, noting that Trillanes himself repudiated his own bail. Bail does not grant absolute freedom and liberty. It merely suspends the efficacy of the arrest warrant. It does not relieve the accused from his duties to this court, let alone, give him absolute and complete freedom. Restriction on his right to travel abroad is implied. It is a necessary consequence and impact of his bail, Madrid added. The Davao City RTC earlier turned down prosecutors request for the issuance of a hold departure order against Trillanes which he said is not a flight risk. Judge Melinda Alconcel-Dayanghirang also noted that Trillanes travels were allowed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III. While it is true that the accused has already left the country on December 11, 2018 and thus beyond the reach of this Court, however, the said travel is supported by Travel Order 2018-SR-090 (PS-OIRP) dated October 8, 2018 issued by Senate President Vicente Sotto III. The accuseds succeeding travel on January 27 to February 10, 2019 is likewise with authority of the Senate President, the magistrate said. The court explained that from its viewpoint, the trips or speaking engagements abroad cannot be equated to flight or the voluntary withdrawal by the accused in order to avoid continuance of the criminal proceedings.Meanwhile, Malacanang denied Trillanes claim that there are threats to his life, describing the senators claim as just a figment of his imagination. Trillanes had admitted that he had asked the Comelec for a gun ban exemption during the election period, saying the Philippines is no longer a safe place under President Rodrigo Duterte. Trillanes said he has received information that the President wants him killed. But presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo scoffed at Trillanes claim. Guni-guni niya lang iyon. Hes being ignored nga eh. Hindi nga siya pinapansin eh. Diba. Hes an illusionist. Im no longer surprised, Panelo said in a statement. The election gun ban started last January 13 and will end on June 12. Trillanes, a fierce critic of the President, said that the various cases lodged against him, ranging from libel to rebellion, were politically motivated. The senator was referring to Dutertes proclamation dated August 31, which o voided the amnesty granted by former President Benigno Aquino III to Trillanes for his alleged failure to file an application form and admit guilt for his crime.ST. IGNATIUS  As the government shutdown continues, its starting to weigh on Teresa Wall-McDonalds work.

Wall-McDonald heads the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Tribal Health Department, one of several services that the CSKT provide with federal support and coordination. As these funds run dry and agencies stay closed, tribal officials are proceeding with caution and facing hard choices

Were open for patients, we want them to come in, but we want to be very efficient in the utilization of resources, she said.

Thats because the funding system behind it has seized up.

The Salish and Kootenai Tribes receive tens of millions of federal dollars each year, mainly through self-governance agreements in which the tribes administer programs themselves. But in a statement last Friday, CSKT director of financial management Rick Eneas wrote that the Department of the Interior and several other agencies could not provide funding.

"We have sufficient resources available to cover those costs for now but that wont be the case if this shutdown continues for an extended period of time.Same song, new year.

Statistics released Thursday reflected record numbers of passengers in 2018 for the fifth year in a row at Missoula International Airport, which saw a one-year growth of nearly 10 percent.

Even as an extensive rebuild began, the MSO terminal handled 848,444 people boarding and arriving, in a year that saw the arrival of American Airlines change the landscape of air travel in these parts. That compares to 772,625 in 2017.

The 9.8 percent bump is believed to be among the largest in recent history for an airport that counted fewer than 400,000 people through its gates 20 years ago.

Part of the explanation is the same as last year's, when a more modest 2 percent increase was reported.

The continued growth of passengers into and out of the Missoula International Airport is a reflection of the positive economic health and growth of tourism in the Greater Missoula area, airport director Cris Jensen said in a press release, mirroring last years message.

The difference Thursday came in what he said next: With the addition of American Airlines, we have seen increased competition in our market place which has brought lower airfares for our customers.As he mulls a campaign for Miami-Dade mayor, Carlos Curbelo has landed new digs and a new gig.

Curbelo appeared on MSNBCs "Morning Joe" Thursday, during which co-host Mika Brzezinski announced that the former GOP congressman is now a political contributor for NBC News and MSNBC. The announcement followed a segment in which Curbelo said there's some "skepticism" among Republicans about Trump's border wall and called for a "grand bargain on immigration" as a way out of the historic government shutdown.

The news of Curbelo's new media job comes hours after Harvard reported that Curbelo will be among a class of Spring resident fellows who live on campus and hold an eight-week not-for-credit study group based around their life experiences. The group of six includes former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.

Curbelo was also announced Wednesday as a new member of the board of advisers to the Alliance for Market Solutions, a conservative-based organization that supports clean energy and the reduction of carbon pollution.

Curbelos commentating gig should be good exposure following his loss in Florida's 26th congressional district to Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. He told the Miami Herald shortly after the election that he's weighing whether to run for county mayor in 2020.While the overall suicide rate did not significantly differ between the groups, compared with the non-Medicaid group, the suicide rate in the Medicaid group was significantly higher among youth aged 10 to 14 years, females (regardless of age), and those who died by hanging. Credit: American Journal of Preventive Medicine

A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers finds that states with higher levels of household gun ownership also have higher overall youth suicide rates, with every 10 percentage-point increase in household gun ownership associated with a 26.9 percent increase in the youth suicide rate.

Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study is the first to examine the relationship between household gun ownership and youth suicide rates while controlling for differences in the rate of youth suicide attempts across states.

"The availability of firearms is contributing to an increase in the actual number of suicides, not just leading youth to substitute other means of suicide for guns," says BUSPH predoctoral fellow Anita Knopov, the study's lead author.

The researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on suicides by youth between the ages of 10 and 19 years old from 2005 to 2015. They also used state-level data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to control for rates of risk behaviors as well as other factors associated with suicide, such as race, family constellation, poverty, education, and urbanicity.

The researchers found the overall youth suicide rate from 2005 to 2015 ranged from a high of 15 youth suicides per 100,000 people in Alaska to a low of 3 per 100,000 people in New Jersey. In the 10 states with the highest youth suicide rates, the average household gun ownership was 52.5 percent, compared to a household gun ownership rate of 20 percent in the 10 states with the lowest youth suicide rates.

"This study demonstrates that the strongest single predictor of a state's youth suicide rate is the prevalence of household gun ownership in that state," says study co-author Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH.

Explore further Rethinking lethality in youth suicide attempts

More information: "A National Comparison of Suicide Among Medicaid and Non-Medicaid Youth," Journal information: American Journal of Preventive Medicine "A National Comparison of Suicide Among Medicaid and Non-Medicaid Youth," doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.10.008DICT wants more telco tower builders

posted January 17, 2019 at 07:15 pm by Darwin G. Amojelar January 17, 2019 at 07:15 pm

The Department of Information and Communications Technology said Thursday the governments common tower policy will support Mislatel Consortium in its rollout plan to quickly compete with the incumbent telecom companies once the new major player starts operating. The agency signed separate memoranda of understanding with Nigerias IHS Towers and Malaysias Edotco Group for the construction of cellular towers nationwide. China Energy Engineering Group is set to sign the same deal on Friday. The three will enter the same scenario that ISOC Infrastructures Inc. and Singapores ISON ECP Tower Pte. Ltd. agreed in December, where the DICT will support their company in facilitating permits, right of way, and provide other government support for infrastructure should they secure a contract with any of the telco operators.The DICT opted for a market-driven approach in accelerating the build-up of more cell sites. We will welcome more parties in this venture as it will address the countrys backlog on telecommunication towers, Rio said.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.The treatment breaks down the lining of the small intestine so it can grow back healthier Credit: Fractyl Laboratories

A same-day procedural therapy to improve glucose control for Type 2 diabetes patients will be investigated in a pilot study at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Absalon D. Gutierrez, MD, and Nirav C. Thosani, MD, are among the first physician-researchers in the country to assess the safety and effectiveness of The Revita System, designed to help improve blood sugar levels without the need for additional medications.

The RevitaSystem, a device created by Fractyl Laboratories Inc., is operated by a gastroenterologist for duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR), which is the modification of the lining in the uppermost part of the small intestine. The device consists of a console and a heated balloon catheter that is inserted transorally into the duodenum to break down its lining so it can regenerate and correct abnormal hormonal signaling and nutrient absorption.

"Recent studies on bariatric surgery have shown that prevention of nutrient contact with the duodenal mucosal surface results in a prompt and sustained insulin sensitizing effect, and DMR is designed to mimic that metabolic benefit," said Gutierrez, the Houston principal investigator and assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.

"Modifying the duodenal mucosa has the potential to alter the body's ability to respond to sugar and restore metabolic health by targeting insulin resistance, a condition in which muscle, liver, and fat cells do not use insulin well," Gutierrez said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 30 million Americans, including close to 3 million Texans, now have diabetes, a disease that causes high blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes affects 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes patients.

"Since Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, being able to treat it with a same-day procedure could be life-changing for so many of our patients," said Gutierrez. "There are many drug therapies available, yet a majority of patients in the U.S. aren't able to control their blood sugar. We've got to start considering alternative solutions, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the critical research."

Poorly controlled blood sugar can lead to a variety of complications, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, neuropathy, and glaucoma. According to the CDC, diabetes is also the leading cause of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations, kidney failure, and new cases of blindness among adults in the U.S.

The Revita DMR procedure aims to potentially prevent or even reverse disease progression for patients with diabetes and related conditions.

"Type 2 diabetes is a challenging illness to manage, in part because we're not able to treat the underlying mechanisms of the disease," said Thosani, co-investigator and associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at McGovern Medical School. "Instead of adding more drugs to the patient's regimen, this intervention has the potential to help the body regulate glucose more efficiently on its own."

The study is randomized and sham-controlled, meaning only some participants will receive the procedure. UTHealth and four other sites in the U.S. will enroll a total of 18 participants between 28 and 65 years of age. To be eligible, individuals must have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for at least three years, have a body mass index ranging from 28 to 40 kg/m2, and an HbA1C of 7.5 to 9.5 percent.

For a full list of inclusion and exclusion criteria, visit ClinicalTrials.gov. If you are interested in enrolling in the study, please contact Prithvi Patil at 713-500-6677.

Explore further People with type 2 diabetes now have personalized treatment optionsMore than two thirds of patient organisations involved in assessing treatments for NHS use received funding from the maker(s) or a competitor of that treatment, yet decision makers were aware of less than a quarter of these interests, finds a review in The BMJ today.

The researchers call for stronger policy on disclosure and greater transparency from patient organisations and manufacturers "to reassure the public that healthcare decisions are not unduly influenced by industry."

Involving patients in decisions on public funding of medicines and treatments is essential to an accurate and fair assessment of the value of new technologies.

At the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England, patient organisations are often involved in assessing new and existing medicines and treatments for use by the NHS in England and Wales, known as technology appraisal.

Yet if patients' perspectives are truly given weight by decision makers, any potential bias must also be taken into account.

So a research team, led by Dr. Kate Mandeville at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, set out to investigate the prevalence of financial interests among patient organisations contributing to technology appraisals at NICEand the extent to which decision making committees are aware of these interests.

They assessed 53 patient organisations contributing to 41 NICE technology appraisals published in 2015 and 2016, with 117 separate occasions that a patient organisation contributed to the appraisal of a technology.

Pharmaceutical industry funding was determined from manufacturers' declarations and accounts, annual reports, websites, and responses from patient organisations.

They found that 38 of 53 (72%) patient organisations held specific interests (funding from manufacturer(s) of a technology under appraisal or competitor products in the same year that the patient organisation contributed to the appraisal or the year before).

Specific interests were present on 92 of 117 (79%) occasions that organisations contributed to appraisals.

Yet the results show that NICE's committees were aware of less than a quarter (30 of 144; 21%) of specific interests. And for nearly two thirds of the specific interests unknown to committees (71 of 114; 62%), disclosure by patient organisations was not required by NICE's current policy.

The main strength of this study is a systematic and comprehensive search for relevant interests of patient organisations, but the researchers point out that it was limited by incomplete and inconsistent reporting by patient organisations and manufacturers.

Nevertheless, they say their results provide a valid assessment that financial interests are highly prevalent among patient organisations contributing to health technology assessment, and such interests need to be systematically identified to improve transparency.

As such, they call for a more robust disclosure framework and greater transparency from patient organisations and manufacturers "to sustain the patient's voice in policy and reassure the public that healthcare decisions are not unduly influenced by industry."

These findings contribute substantively to the broader picture of the influence of industry in patient organizations, and suggest that voluntary disclosure isn't working, write US researchers in a linked editorial.

Bethany Bruno and Susannah Rose at the Cleveland Clinic say for NICE (and its counterparts in other countries) to better judge and interpret recommendations made by patient organizations, "its policies must require disclosure in all circumstances."

And they call for additional legislation and organizational policies to ensure that all stakeholders can "react in a meaningful way to the information disclosed."

Explore further Commercial interests may drown out patients' voices

More information: Financial interests of patient organisations contributing to health technology assessment at England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: policy review, The BMJ DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k5300 , www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.k5300 Financial interests of patient organisations contributing to health technology assessment at England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: policy review, Editorial: Patient organizations and conflict of interest, www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l129HPV vaccination per birth year. Public subsidies for HPV vaccine started in 2010 in Japan. Nationally, around 70% of targeted girls, aged 13-16, were immunized. HPV vaccination became a national routine immunization for girls aged 12-16 in April of 2013. However, news media repeatedly reported on patients with widespread pain or movement disorders, occurring after immunization. In June of the same year, MHLW announced the suspension of its recommendation of routine HPV immunization.: Around 50-70% of girls have been immunized. : Around 0-20% of girls have been immunized. X: Around 0-10% of girls have been immunized. XX: Vaccination rate was almost 0. : Around 10-20% will be expected at the highest if the governmental recommendation is resumed in 2019. Credit: Osaka University

In Japan, an HPV vaccination program started in 2010, and the HPV vaccine became a nationally recommended routine immunization for girls aged 1216 years in April 2013. However, because cases of young girls with widespread pain and movement disorders after vaccination were reported in the media in June 2013, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced the suspension of its recommendation for routine HPV immunization.

Previous research at Osaka University showed that the HPV vaccination hiatus would increase the risk of HPV infection and future cervical cancer for girls who did not get vaccinated. HPV vaccination is vital to reduce the risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer; however, no reports on countermeasures against expected challenges after resumption of HPV vaccination have been published.

Researchers at Osaka University compiled countermeasures against predictable challenges after resumption of HPV vaccination, published in The Lancet Oncology.

Every year, about 9,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 2,000 to 3,000 women die of the cancer. A major factor for the development of cervical cancer is infection with HPV, which is mainly transmitted through sexual contact.

This research group demonstrated two possible challenges after resumption of the MHLW's recommendation for HPV vaccination:



Reducing the risk of cervical cancer that will increase by the suspension of the recommendation Promoting HPV vaccination

The group discussed countermeasures against these challenges, making the following proposals for providing information and fostering public acceptance of the vaccine.

Easy access to immunization for women who are older than the normally targeted ages of 1216 years and who were not vaccinated during the suspension of recommendation for HPV vaccination Introduction of the nine-valent vaccine, which can prevent 80-90% of cervical cancer Immunization for boys of the same ages as the targeted girls Reducing health damage due to the suspension of recommendation for HPV vaccination by encouraging medical check-ups and cervical cancer screening Promoting HPV vaccination again by using a behavioral economics approach Providing media with correct information about the HPV vaccine

Dr. Yutaka Ueda says, "Resumption of the government recommendation for HPV vaccination will be insufficient to deal with the expected challenges. It's necessary to reduce negative effects of the suspension of recommendation for HPV vaccination. We hope our proposals will reduce the development of cervical cancer in Japanese women, and, moreover, protect women's health."

Explore further How have HPV vaccines affected cervical cancer screening?

More information: Yutaka Ueda et al. Beyond resumption of the Japanese Government's recommendation of the HPV vaccine, The Lancet Oncology (2018). Journal information: Lancet Oncology Yutaka Ueda et al. Beyond resumption of the Japanese Government's recommendation of the HPV vaccine,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30573-4Credit: CC0 Public Domain

One in 10 children and about one in six adults with private insurance received antibiotics they didn't need at least once in 2016, a new Michigan Medicine study suggests.

Overall, 1 in 7 patients received unnecessary antibiotics, researchers found. Among outpatient antibiotic prescription fills by 19.2 million privately insured U.S. children and adults ages 18-64 in 2016, 23 percent were not medically justified, 36 percent were potentially appropriate, and 28 percent were not associated with any documented diagnosis.

The research, which provides the most recent and comprehensive estimates of outpatient antibiotic appropriateness to date among privately insured patients, was published in the British Medical Journal.

"Antibiotic overuse is still rampant and affects an enormous number of patients," says lead author Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

"Despite decades of quality improvement and educational initiatives, providers are still writing antibiotic prescriptions for illnesses that would get better on their own."

About 7.6 million (40 percent) of the 19.2 million enrollees filled at least one antibiotic prescription in 2016, and 2.7 million (14 percent) filled at least one inappropriate prescription.

Among the 14.6 million adult enrollees, roughly 2.2 million (15 percent) filled at least one inappropriate antibiotic prescription in 2016, compared to 490,745 (11 percent) of the 4.6 million children. Antibiotics were most commonly overprescribed for bronchitis, the common cold, and related symptoms such as coughconditions that the medicine does not improve.

Of the 3.6 million inappropriate antibiotic prescription fills, 71 percent were written in office-based settings, 6 percent in urgent care centers, and 5 percent in emergency departments.

In children, antibiotics are the leading cause of emergency room visits for adverse drug events, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. Potential side effects include allergic reactions, fungal infections and diarrhea.

Long term, Chua says, the biggest concern is that antibiotic overuse is contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, causing illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to become untreatable and dangerous. Each year in the U.S., 2 million people are affected by antibiotic-resistant infections and 23,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study found that the rate of antibiotic prescriptions is 805 per 1,000 people. National data indicate that around 270 million antibiotic prescriptions are filled every year.

"Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to public health in the world, and the large number of antibiotics that providers prescribe to patients are a major driver of resistance," Chua says.

"Providers urgently need to eliminate prescribing that isn't needed, both for the sake of their patients and society."

Chua notes several possible explanations for inappropriate prescriptions. In some cases, patients may ask for a prescription to reduce suffering, particularly if they have been inappropriately prescribed antibiotics in the past in similar situations, leading them to believe antibiotics are necessary.

In other cases, doctors may truly be unsure about the diagnosis.

"Providers are well meaning and want to care for their patients the best way they can," Chua says. "It's sometimes difficult to differentiate between a cold and a bacterial sinus infection. Diagnostic uncertainty is definitely one factor.

"However, even when providers think a patient likely has a cold, our medical culture encourages them to risk over treating rather than risk undertreating by recommending watchful waiting.""

Chua also notes that the percentage of prescriptions that are unnecessary may be much higher than what the numbers show. Three in 10 fills were not associated with any documented diagnosis. These could include cases where a doctor prescribed an antibiotic over the phone without an office visit based on descriptions matching an infection requiring antibiotics. The 36 percent of fills considered potentially appropriate were also written for conditions that only sometimes need antibiotics, like sinusitis.

"We think that 23 percent may be a lower bound of the scope of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing," Chua said.

Chua and colleagues analyzed insurance claims data using a novel classification system determining whether each of the 91,738 diagnosis codes available in the international medical coding system "always," "sometimes," or "never" justified antibiotics. No study has examined outpatient antibiotic appropriateness using a comprehensive classification scheme of diagnosis codes contained in the newest medical coding system (ICD-10, which replaced ICD-9 in the U.S. in 2015.) Prior studies have used pre-2015 data because of their reliance on ICD-9.

Chua says the classification scheme could help providers better evaluate how often they are overprescribing antibiotics, and could also help evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce antibiotic overuse.

"Our classification scheme could facilitate future efforts to comprehensively measure outpatient antibiotic appropriateness in the U.S. It could also be used in other countries that are already using ICD-10," he says.

Explore further Outpatient antibiotic overprescribing rampant

More information: Appropriateness of outpatient antibiotic prescribing among privately insured US patients: ICD-10-CM based cross sectional study, BMJ (2019). www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.k5092 Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Appropriateness of outpatient antibiotic prescribing among privately insured US patients: ICD-10-CM based cross sectional study,(2019). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k5092(HealthDay)As the United States battles an epidemic of opioid abuse, people living in rural areas have nearly two times the odds of being prescribed the painkillers when compared to their urban peers.

That's the finding from a new study that suggests more must be done to curb opioid prescribing by doctors in rural America.

The research was based on 2014-2017 data from Athenahealth, a major data management firm for doctors' offices and hospitals nationwide. The company's services help manage the medical files of more than 86 million patients nationwide.

The new study found that, overall, prescriptions for opioid medications have been declining, especially since March of 2016, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new prescribing guidelines.

But the decline hasn't been the same everywhere, according to researchers led by CDC investigator Macarena Garcia. Her team reports that patients in "the most rural counties had an 87 percent higher chance of receiving an opioid prescription compared with persons in large central metropolitan counties during the study period."

Combining all areas covered by the analysis, 7.4 percent of patients received an opioid prescription during the period between January 2014 and January 2015.

By the end of the studya period from March 2016 through March 2017that rate had fallen to 6.4 percent, Garcia's team reported.

However, a big gap remained in terms of prescribing rates for rural versus urban Americans.

By March of 2017, just 5 percent of patients living in the most urban counties had received an opioid prescription over the past year, compared to 9 percent of those in the most rural counties, the investigators found.

Two addiction experts said the findings show more must be done to reach rural areas hard-hit by the opioid scourge.

"The study provides a wake-up call regarding the prescribing habits among primary care providers, and the stark contrast in rural compared to urban settings," said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"Armed with this data, it's clear we need to develop interventions and direct resources to make changes in prescribing preferences in rural settings," he said.

Dr. Harshal Kirane directs addiction services at Staten Island University Hospital, also in New York City. He called the overall decline in opioid prescriptions "encouraging news."

But Kirane added that reductions in opioid prescription rates could have unforeseen negative consequences, especially in underserved rural areas.

"In communities with limited access to addiction treatment, decreased access to prescription opioids can contribute to a surge in demand for heroin or illicit opioids," Kirane said.

So, if the aim is to encourage rural physicians to write fewer opioid prescriptions, "resources and support must be given to expand access to addiction care," he explained.

Addiction care services that work include "overdose education, naloxone [Narcan and Evzio] distribution and medication-assisted treatment services," Kirane said.

The new report was published Jan. 18 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

More information: Robert Glatter, M.D., emergency physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Harshal Kirane, M.D., director, addiction services, Staten Island University Hospital, New York City; Jan. 18, 2019, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Robert Glatter, M.D., emergency physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Harshal Kirane, M.D., director, addiction services, Staten Island University Hospital, New York City; Jan. 18, 2019, The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about the opioid crisis. Journal information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Copyright  2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Credit: University of Melbourne

An international study finds multiple sclerosis treatments have long-term benefits, and that early treatment is important.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne-led study is the first to provide evidence that the currently available therapies can delay progression of disability in Multiple Sclerosis. It showed that early treatmentparticularly within five years of onsetdelayed the secondary progressive stage of MS, which is characterised by an ongoing increase of disability.

It showed that early treatmentparticularly within five years of onsetdelayed the secondary progressive stage of MS, which is characterised by an ongoing increase of disability.

Currently, more than 23,000 Australians are living with MS.

The conversion to the secondary progressive stage of MS is characterised by worsening of physical and mental capacity and reduced quality of life.

Therefore, the capability to delay this progression of disability represents an important outcome for people living with multiple sclerosis.

The results of the study were published in the international medical journal, JAMA.

The study was led by the Clinical Outcomes Research unit (CORe) at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne in collaboration with the University of Cambridge.

The international study used data from 1555 patients, from 68 neurological clinics across 21 countries.

One of the study leads, Associate Professor Tomas Kalincik, head of the MS Service at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and CORe at the University of Melbourne, said that the study showed how important it is to treat MS pro-actively.

"People who converted from relapsing MS to secondary progressive MS experience gradual and mostly irreversible worsening of disability.

"Most of the therapies that we use to treat MS have no effect once people have converted to secondary progressive MS. This study shows us how important it is to treat relapsing MS early and pro-actively," Associate Professor Kalincik said.

Royal Melbourne patient Gowri was diagnosed with MS when she was in her 20s. She now has monthly infusions to treat her MS.

She is pleased that doctors have the data to prove that current treatments are effective.

"It's fantasticit makes you feel very grateful that the treatment is working," she said.

"I had a great General Practitioner who referred me straight away to a neurologist. My treatment started very quickly."

"This year will be 20 years since I was diagnosed, and even though I have some symptoms and I have been in hospitalparticularly after the birth of my daughter, I'm able to work, catch up with friends and have a normal life," Gowri said.

Associate Professor Kalincik said the results are reassuring for neurologists and patients with MS.

"This study shows that the therapies they have been treated with for many years, significantly improve the quality of their lives over the long-term" he said.

Explore further Rituximab beneficial in secondary progressive MS

More information: J. William L. Brown et al, Association of Initial Disease-Modifying Therapy With Later Conversion to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, JAMA (2019). Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association J. William L. Brown et al, Association of Initial Disease-Modifying Therapy With Later Conversion to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis,(2019). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2018.20588Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Results from the largest study of hepatitis B and C and HIV infection prevalence in cancer patients show an alarmingly high rate of undiagnosed acute and chronic hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis B and C are serious but treatable viral infections that cancer patients should know they havebecause these viruses can cause life-threatening complications when certain cancer treatments are used.

Investigators from SWOG Cancer Research Network, an international cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the study, the results of which appear today in JAMA Oncology. The SWOG team found that a substantial portion of newly diagnosed cancer patients with hepatitis B or C were unaware of their viral infection. Many had no identifiable risk factors for these infections, such as injection drug use.

The findings suggest that universal screening for hepatitis B or C may be warranted in community cancer clinicsa move that would allow physicians to help patients avoid liver failure, kidney disease, or other complications from hepatitis. Universal testing would also help care teams make more informed choices about cancer treatments, including avoiding those that may cause hepatitis viruses to reactivate and spreadmaking cancer patients even sicker. There is some evidence that anti-CD20 therapies, such as the drug rituximab, as well as hematopoietic cell transplantation, both treatments for lymphomas and leukemias, can cause some infection-causing viruses to reactivate and multiply.

"As a cancer patient, or physician, I would want to know the results of a hepatitis screening test," said Scott Ramsey, MD, Ph.D., a SWOG investigator and a director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "The presence of a potentially life-threatening infection could guide care in very important ways. In medicine, more knowledge is always better."

The SWOG study, known as S1204, is notable for its large size and its diverse patient sample.

Between 2013 and 2017, 3,051 eligible patients were enrolled and received a simple blood test checking for the presence of the HIV virus, as well as the presence of the hepatitis B virus and the hepatitis C virus. Patients lived in both rural and urban areas and were treated at 18 different academic and community hospitals across the county, from Montana to Massachusetts. The median age was 60.6 years, and 60 percent of participants were female. Minority enrollment was high; Of total patients enrolled, 18 percent were Latino and 18 percent were African-American. The most common types of cancer study participants were being treated for included breast, blood, bone marrow, colorectal, and lung.

S1204 is also notable for its results. Despite varying oncology practice guidelines on viral screening for cancer patients, there is very little evidence to base those guidelines on. Ramsey and his team sought to inform the debate over universal screenings in the cancer community by understanding how prevalent HIV and hepatitis are among newly diagnosed patients.

Here's what they found:

6.5 percent of patients had past hepatitis B, 0.6 percent had chronic hepatitis B, 2.4 percent had hepatitis C, and 1.1 percent had HIVinfection rates similar to those found in the general U.S. population.

Importantly, a substantial proportion of patients with past (87.3 percent) and chronic (42.1 percent) hepatitis B infections were undiagnosed prior to the study screening, as well as a large proportion of people with hepatitis C infections (31 percent).

No evidence of large numbers of undiagnosed HIV infections, although 5.9 percent of people with HIV were newly diagnosed through the study.

Many patients had no risk factors for their viral infections27.4 percent for past hepatitis B, 21.1 percent of patients with chronic hepatitis B, 32.4 percent with hepatitis C and 20.6 percent with HIV.

"While our results don't suggest that universal HIV screening is necessary for cancer patients, they do provide new evidence to inform a discussion in the oncology community about whether we should require hepatitis screenings," Ramsey said. "Screening may be especially important now that we've entered the age of immunotherapies for cancertreatments that may affect cancer patients' immune systems and alter the course of their viral infections. While we don't know much about the impact of immunotherapies on patients with cancer and hepatitis and other viral infections, oncologists should know as much as possible about the overall health of the people they treat."

Joseph Unger, Ph.D., a SWOG biostatistician also based at Fred Hutch, said universal screening for hepatitis is an important debate for the cancer care and research community to engage in, especially given the large proportion of hepatitis cases that S1204 showed are undiagnosed.

"From a public health perspective, chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C are a significant challenge, since these infections affect millions of Americans, including many patients with cancer," Unger said. "Testing cancer patients for these diseases could catch a lot of undiagnosed cases and help modify their cancer care to improve outcomes."

Currently, Ramsey is analyzing results of a separate SWOG study that would determine whether universal hepatitis and HIV screenings of cancer patients would be cost effective. While blood tests for viral infections are fairly cheapthe ones used in S1204 cost no more than $80 to process at a lab and were largely covered by insurancemore than 1.7 million Americans were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in 2018. That's a lot of testsand a lot of money. Results of the cost effectiveness study will be released later this year.

Explore further Screening for Hepatitis C can reduce chance of liver disease

Provided by SWOGNigatu Abebe, a HIV/VL patient at the Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Centre at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. Credit: DNDi/L. Otieno, 2019

Coinfection with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been observed in at least 35 countries on four continents and requires special case management. Currently, the World Health Organization recommends AmBisome monotherapy for treatment. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have showed that a combination therapy of AmBisome and miltefosine is more effective.

HIV affects VL by increasing its incidence, altering its symptoms and severity, and worsening treatment outcomes and relapse rates. While affective antiretroviral therapies have lowered the incidence of VL in HIV, it still remains a prevalent co-infection in some places. In Northwest Ethiopia, HIV rates among VL patients range from 20 to 40%. Studies have shown that 30 mg/kg AmBisome is effective in 43-70% of HIV co-infected patients, and also carries toxicity and an increased risk of death.

In the new work, Severine Blesson, of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative in Switzerland, and colleagues began a compassionate use clinical trial regimen combining AmBiosome and miltefosine in a treatment center in Northwest Ethiopia. Efficacy was measured by measuring parasite clearance at 29 days and 58 days. Out of 536 VL patients, 81 were HIV positive and 59 were enrolled in the trial. 19 of those received the standard of care, with AmBiosome monotherapy, and 39 received the combination therapy.

After 29 days, the adjusted efficacy was 50% for AmBisome along and 67% for the combination therapy. At day 58, is was 55% for the monotherapy and 88% for the combination. Additionally, no safety concerns about the combination therapy were identified.

"The results of this randomized trial strongly support a change in the treatment recommendations for HIV-VL co-infected patients," the researchers say. But, they also caution, "these results, even if encouraging, cannot be extrapolated to other settings without reservation."

More information: Diro E, Blesson S, Edwards T, Ritmeijer K, Fikre H, et al. (2019) A randomized trial of AmBisome monotherapy and AmBisome and miltefosine combination to treat visceral leishmaniasis in HIV co-infected patients in Ethiopia. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 13(1): e0006988. Journal information: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Diro E, Blesson S, Edwards T, Ritmeijer K, Fikre H, et al. (2019) A randomized trial of AmBisome monotherapy and AmBisome and miltefosine combination to treat visceral leishmaniasis in HIV co-infected patients in Ethiopia.13(1): e0006988. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006988The results of clinical trials conducted in Ethiopia by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), in partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the University of Gondar, and Addis Ababa University, open the way for more effective and safer treatments for people with both HIV and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a group of patients who have historically suffered from poor treatment options. The results were published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Visceral leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar), with up to 90,000 cases estimated in Asia, Africa, and South America, is the second largest parasitic killer after malaria, with 20,000-30,000 deaths every year. HIV affects visceral leishmaniasis by altering its severity, worsening treatment outcomes and relapse rates, and increasing the risk of death. Co-infection remains prevalent in several parts of the world, notably in North-West Ethiopia, where 20 to 40% of visceral leishmaniasis cases occur in people living with HIV.

"The region has the highest global burden of visceral leishmaniasis in people living with HIV. Young workers in Ethiopia, who have migrated to the lowlands for seasonal work and are at risk of contracting HIV, are also exposed to sandfly bites that cause visceral leishmaniasis as they sleep in improvised shelters," said Dr. Jorge Alvar, Senior Advisor on Leishmaniasis at DNDi. "There is an urgent need for better treatment and outcomes for this seriously ill and neglected population."

Current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend the treatment of HIV/VL co-infection with liposomal amphotericin B (often better known as AmBisome, the brand name of the drug produced by Gilead), but the recommendations lack proper evaluation in most endemic areas.

Between 2011 and 2014, the international medical humanitarian organization MSF began using a compassionate use regimen, combining AmBisome with the oral drug miltefosine in Abdurafi Health Centre in North-West Ethiopia.

"The medical imperative was to reduce the alarmingly high treatment failure rates, so we tried something new," said Dr. Koert Ritmeijer, Neglected Tropical Diseases Advisor at MSF. "Based on our experience treating more than 150 patients in routine care at Abdurafi Center, the results were very encouraging, but needed confirming in controlled clinical studies."

To provide the needed scientific evidence, DNDi ran a Phase III study, starting in 2014, testing both AmBisome monotherapy (40 mg/kg) as per current WHO and international recommendations, and a combination of AmBisome infusion (30 mg/kg) and miltefosine orally for 28 days (100 mg/day) in 58 HIV/VL patients in two sites in Ethiopia.

Results demonstrated the high efficacy of the combination therapy, with 67% cure rate when treatment lasted 28 days, and increased to 88% cure rate when patients who were not cured received a second round of treatment to clear Leishmania parasite, with a full treatment lasting 58 days.

"Considering the individual and public health benefits, there is a strong case for the prompt adoption of this treatment in international and national guidelines," said Dr. Alvar. "The results also suggest a new case management strategy is needed, whereby using one or two rounds of treatment depends on whether negative parasitology has been achieved."

Explore further Combination therapy treats leishmaniasis, HIV patients

Provided by Drugs for Neglected Diseases InitiativeThis photomicrograph reveals Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria using acid-fast Ziehl-Neelsen stain; Magnified 1000 X. The acid-fast stains depend on the ability of mycobacteria to retain dye when treated with mineral acid or an acid-alcohol solution such as the Ziehl-Neelsen, or the Kinyoun stains that are carbolfuchsin methods specific for M. tuberculosis. Credit: public domain

Rapid blood tests used by the NHS are unable to rule out tuberculosis (TB) and should be replaced with a new, more accurate test, a study has found.

In the largest study to date of rapid TB tests used by the NHS, a team led by researchers at Imperial College London found that available tests are not sensitive enough to rule out a diagnosis of TB in suspected cases, and so have limited clinical use.

The research, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, also looked at a new second generation rapid blood test, developed at Imperial, and found it to be substantially more accurate than the existing tests.

According to the team, once implemented the new test could enable doctors to quickly detect or rule out TB infection and help them to distinguish patients who need further investigation and treatment from those who do not and pose no infectious risk to others.

Professor Ajit Lalvani, Chair in Infectious Diseases at the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London, who led the study, said: "Tens of thousands of patients undergo diagnostic assessment for symptoms suggestive of TB, resulting in over 5,000 cases of TB diagnosed each year. Stopping the use of the existing, inadequate tests could save the NHS a lot of money. In contrast, the new, more accurate rapid blood test, will improve and accelerate diagnostic assessment of patients with suspected TB."

TB is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs, causing cough, weight loss and fevers, and is spread through droplets from coughs and sneezes from infected patients. Diagnosing and treating the condition early is essential for the health of the patient as well as for preventing the spread of TB to others. There is therefore a need for rapid, convenient tests to rule out a TB diagnosis in suspected cases based on a blood sample.

While laboratory cultures of patient samples, such as sputum or invasive biopsies, are used to confirm the presence of the bacterium, the cultures can take several weeks. A negative result does not rule out a diagnosis of TB, as the bacteria cannot be cultured from samples in a large proportion of TB patients.

Currently available rapid tests for TB used by the NHS, known as interferon-gamma release-assays (IGRAs), can help to indicate if a patient has TB infection by detecting their immune response to TB bacteria based on a blood sample. The findings would then be confirmed with cultured patient samples in the laboratory.

In the latest prospective study, co-led with Professor Onn Min Kon of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, researchers compared existing commercially available IGRA tests against new generation tests in 845 patients with suspected TB in 10 NHS hospitals in England. Patient blood samples were analysed using both sets of tests, the results of which benchmarked against a confirmed diagnoses based on positive culture results.

Analysis of the rapid test results revealed that the second-generation test has a diagnostic sensitivity of 94% in patients with confirmed TB  meaning it gives a positive result for 94% of patients with infection  significantly and substantially higher than either of the existing commercially available IGRA tests (which range from 67.3% and 81.4%). The findings indicate the test would be much more accurate at ruling out TB infection in suspected cases of TB, so saving time and resources and enabling patients to receive treatment more rapidly.

"Our study shows definitively that existing rapid tests are not effective enough for diagnosing active TB and should not be used. This important result will change clinical practice," explained Professor Lalvani. "Existing rapid tests are not recommended for use in patients with active TB because of a lack of evidence that they are clinically useful. But because the clinical need for better diagnosis of TB is so high, they are nonetheless widely used in hospitals."

According to the researchers, the medical need for better TB diagnostics is so high that despite a lack of evidence to support their use in patients with suspected TB, existing tests are widely used in clinical practice in the UK and other developed countries. They add that stopping use of the existing tests could save the NHS over 2 million per year, with further savings likely generated by implementing the new tests  which could be available to health services within one to two years, pending regulatory approval.

Professor Lalvani, added: "This study provides definitive, generalizable evidence on the clinical utility of the new test. The next step is now to take this new test through regulatory approval so that it can be made commercially available and used in routine clinical practice."

Explore further Scientists develop rapid test for diagnosing tuberculosis in people with HIV

More information: Hilary S Whitworth et al, Clinical utility of existing and second-generation interferon- release assays for diagnostic evaluation of tuberculosis: an observational cohort study, The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2019). Journal information: Lancet Infectious Diseases Hilary S Whitworth et al, Clinical utility of existing and second-generation interferon- release assays for diagnostic evaluation of tuberculosis: an observational cohort study,(2019). dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30613-3Global Ferronickel signs China contract

posted January 17, 2019 at 07:10 pm by Jenniffer B. Austria January 17, 2019 at 07:10 pm

Nickel mining company Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. said unit Platinum Group Metals Corp. signed a purchase contract involving 1 million wet metric tons of nickel ore with Chinas Baosteel. GFHI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the contract covered low-grade nickel with high iron and medium-grade nickel with low iron at prevailing market prices. This volume is about 20 percent of PGMCs annual nickel ore shipment. PGMC has been supplying Baosteel with nickel ore since 2014. Subject to weather conditions, GFHI plans to ship 5.7 million WMT of nickel ore this year.Baosteel is a wholly-owned subsidiary of top Chinese steel manufacturer China Baowu Steel Group and is engaged in the business of mineral resource investment, trading and logistics services. PGMC operates the Cagdianao Nickel Expansion Project comprising 4,376 hectares in Sitio Kinalablaban, Cagdianao Claver, Surigao del Norte.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.The impact on anglers

In a phone interview on Monday, Hayes told the Statesman that fishing guides in towns like Riggins, where the steelhead season is an essential part of the economy, are concerned. According to Roy Akins, owner of Rapid River Outfitters and chairman for the newly formed Idaho River Community Alliance, the town has already been hurt by publicity around the uncertain season.

A lot of our negotiations stemmed from the fact that we were told that Fish and Game should have the permit in their hand by Feb. 15, Akins said. The agreement was an insurance policy to get us through the year. And it may turn out the agreement was more important than we thought.

Hayes said the March deadline was meant to leave a window for reviews and revisions on the federal permit.

Weve gobbled up basically all of what they thought was their wiggle room, he said.

If the permit is not approved by the March 15 deadline, Fish and Game could suspend the rest of the spring steelhead season.

These arent federal employees, Hayes said. These are salt-of-the-earth rural Idahoans, and theyre being affected nonetheless.

Call to actionTWIN FALLS  New laws passed in 2016 changed how urban renewal agencies operate in Idaho. And it means that Addison Avenue may have to wait for inclusion within the Twin Falls Urban Renewal Agency boundaries.

URA Executive Director Nathan Murray reported the news to the agencys board during its Monday meeting. The board had previously voted in favor of making a finding of necessity to adjust the boundaries to include a part of Addison Avenue, but a final decision would have to be approved by the City Council.

Our new legal counsel is advising us another way, Murray told the Times-News.

The URAs previous attorney, Fritz Wonderlich, recently retired. Current legal counsel says that the more recent laws require those agencies to have specific plans for areas within their boundaries.

Right now, we just have one big plan with one area, Murray said.

In the future, if the URA were to change its boundaries, it would need to meet certain eligibility requirements and create a long-range 20-year plan for the new area.

Unless were ready to pull the trigger on some stuff, well probably wait for a little bit, he said.JEROME  A single-vehicle rollover sent three people to the hospital Tuesday morning on Interstate 84 near Jerome.

Idaho State Police responded to the crash at 9:06 a.m. at milepost 168 on westbound I-84. The agency was assisted by Jerome County Sheriffs Office, Jerome County Fire Department and Jerome County EMS, ISP said in a statement late Wednesday.

Jason Dandois, 28, of Twin Falls was driving west on I-84 in a 2000 Ford Explorer. Also in the vehicle were passengers Patricia Hermann, 30, of Twin Falls and Rusty Davis, 23, of Jerome. The Ford went off the right shoulder and rolled until it came to rest on the north side of the frontage road, ISP said.

All three were taken by ambulance to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center. None of them were wearing seat belts.

As of 1:24 p.m. Thursday, Davis was in good condition at the hospital and the others were no longer a St. Lukes, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Hermann said in a message to the Times-News that she was released from the hospital and only had some bruising and cuts, but that Dandois was flown to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City and has had multiple surgeries.

ISP is investigating the crash. Family members set up an online fundraiser to help Hermann and Dandois on Facebook.

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 4 Sad 0 Angry 1TWIN FALLS  A registered sex offender in Jerome County has been found guilty of sexual battery with a minor and is still facing Twin Falls County charges of possessing sexually exploitative material involving a child.

Travis Clayton Mifflin, 29, was arrested in summer 2018 after a 16-year-old girl told law enforcement that the two had been having sex. The case is being prosecuted in two separate counties.

On Monday, Mifflin was sentenced in Jerome County to serve six to 14 years, with credit for 166 days, in the Idaho Department of Correction. According to court records, Mifflin was charged last year with two felony counts of sexual battery of a minor child 16-17 years old, sexual contact but not defined as lewd. He was found guilty of one count, but the other one was dismissed.

Now, Mifflin faces six felony counts in Twin Falls County of willfully possessing or accessing child sexually exploitative material. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 25.Once in a while, among friends, he would take a social drink and play a guitar. One friend once said he never heard Mr. Morrison crack a joke.

Morrison-Knudsen Co. started losing money after taking bad risks in the 1990s and M-K sold out to Washington Group in 1996 for a reported $380 million.

Mychel Matthews reports on rural issues for the Times-News. The Hidden History feature runs every Thursday in the Times-News and at Magicvalley.com.

If you have a question about something that may have historical significance, email Matthews at mmatthews@magicvalley.com or call her at 208-735-3233.BOISE  Human trafficking, an often-invisible crime that experts say is more common in Idaho than many people might think, will receive attention in the statehouse again this year as awareness continues to grow across the state.

Two pieces of legislation aimed at better understanding and curbing human trafficking and protecting its victims will receive hearings in the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, the committee voted Wednesday. Meanwhile, a bill resembling failed legislation from 2018 that would have made first-time solicitation of a prostitute a felony is expected to resurface in the 2019 session.

Both human trafficking- and prostitution-related charges are extremely rare in Twin Falls County, but that doesnt mean trafficking doesnt happen in south-central Idaho. Its not uncommon for Boise-based advocates and law enforcement officers to come across anecdotal evidence of trafficking in the Magic Valley, as the Times-News previously reported. But such crimes can be difficult to detect, and even harder to investigate and prosecute, police say. New legislation from the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission is aimed at making that process easier.BOISE  Its easy to look at some of the states more eccentric laws and wonder why they still exist  but changing the law is no easy task.BOISE  The drawn-out hearing to determine whether a 31-year-old man accused of stabbing nine people in Boise is fit to stand trial has finally come to a conclusion.

On Wednesday afternoon, 4th District Court Judge Nancy Baskin ordered Timmy Earl Kinner Jr. to be committed to a state facility for treatment for up to 90 days, according to online court records. But he wont be housed a state hospital, as is typically done.

The 31-year-old is going to the nine-bed Idaho Secure Mental Health Facility at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution because he is dangerously mentally ill and presents a substantial risk of physical harm to other people, according to Baskins order.

In her ruling, Baskin said Kinner was both unfit to proceed and unable to make informed decisions about his treatment. She said he is a flight risk and danger to the community, including state hospital staff.

He presents a substantial risk of physical harm to other persons as manifested by the evidence of violent behavior alleged in the indictment, as well as his prior criminal history and conduct while in custody such that there is evidence others could be placed in reasonable fear of violent behavior and serious physical Harm, Baskin wrote.BOISE  Law enforcement could soon have a new tool to help them find suspects who pose a danger to officers.

Legislation to create a Blue Alert system in Idaho will receive a formal hearing in the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, the committee voted Wednesday afternoon.

The notification system, which works in a similar way to the Amber Alert system, would send out identifying information  such as license plate numbers  for the public to help locate suspects in situations where a law enforcement officer is killed, seriously injured, threatened with death or serious injury, or missing in the line of duty.

More than 30 states currently have some kind of Blue Alert system in place.

The system would be administered by Idaho State Police, ISP deputy director Lt. Col. Sheldon Kelley said.

Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter said he sees a Blue Alert system as a remarkable tool for law enforcement.

I dont know how there could be a downside to this, Carter said. That would be another tool in a bag that would be unbelievably helpful if we had access to it.Philippine Savings Bank, the consumer banking arm of the Metrobank Group, said Thursday it successfully raised P8 billion through a stock rights offering. The bank said in a statement the offering period closed on Jan. 11, 2019. The offer to eligible shareholders of 142,856,925 common shares was priced at P56 per share. The right shares are expected to be listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange today. The P8-billion offer was taken up entirely by the banks existing shareholders, with support seen across the shareholder base, resulting in an oversubscription, PSBank said. The bank believes that this represents a vote of confidence in the bank, its vision and business strategies, it said.PSBank said the projected robust growth of the Philippines would continue to support loan expansion across the various segments of the economy. Thus, it said the capital-raising exercise would enable it to sustain its loan growth momentum, supporting the expected asset growth, primarily on consumer loans. The additional capital from the offer will strengthen its CET1 capital, further solidifying the banks capital adequacy and financial strength. First Metro Investment Corp. arranged the rights offering as sole issue manager, book runner and lead underwriter. Julito G. RadaSaturday's State Journal story "Report: FBI probed Trump link with Russia" reprinted a rumor of an anonymous leak to the New York Times wishing somebody would find something on President Donald Trump.

Guess what. For the millions of dollars that have been spent, all the ink, bytes and hours wasted, no collusion has been found between President Trump and the Russians. This manufactured quest is a wish sandwich, all bread and no meat.

A real story is at our southern border. Friday the president met with local, federal and state officials at the border and was told, again, about many illegal immigrants coming across each day. Some are from Mexico and Central America, others are from other parts of the world.

Our southern border is one of the most porous in the world, and it threatens the sovereignty of the United States. How many citizens need to be harmed by illegal immigrants before the newspaper reports the facts? What is the tipping point? This paper writes about the opioid epidemic, so help stop the flow.

It is time to forget the Trump/Russia non-event and focus on some of the real problems that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their followers refuse to face. Step one -- build the wall.

Richard Wood, Cottage GroveThe letter began somberly:

Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled mid-month paycheck.

But Adm. Karl Schultz, the 26th commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, was delivering more than just bad news. He was delivering a message. He posted the letter to his command on social media, writing:

To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our nations history that service members in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations.

He thanked Americans for their support, thanked these dedicated men and women for serving in some of the harshest of environments, and offered some encouragement: Stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride. You are not, and will not, be forgotten.

He also noted that the Coast Guard had received a generous $15 million donation from USAA to supplement support during this furlough. Thats right  our military, the greatest on the planet, is now taking donations to help pay our troops. What an utter disgrace.We dont make the argument that King should resign lightly, or based on partisan preferences. He was duly re-elected to a ninth term in November by voters who had every opportunity to recognize the Kiron Republicans caustic, racially charged ideology related to immigration. King opened the new year by seeming to recognize a need to spend more time in Iowa: He announced a town hall meeting in each of his districts 39 counties.

But then, apparently in an effort to claim credit for President Trumps border-wall plans, he gave The New York Times what should be a career-ending quote: White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive? King said to The Times. Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?

He has since tried to walk back the comments, claiming the quote was taken out of context and denouncing white nationalism and white supremacy. But to no avail: National Republicans and even staunch GOP supporters in Iowa  Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and Gov. Kim Reynolds  have expressed disgust at his original remarks.Homeowners in two neighborhoods on Madisons West Side are being asked to take action on an invasive vine to stop it from spreading to other parts of the city, the state Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday.

Porcelain berry, an invasive, woody vine species, has been found on hundreds of properties in the Spring Harbor and Crestwood neighborhoods, the DNR said. Jason Granberg, an invasive species specialist with the DNR, said the plant is limited in Wisconsin and in the earliest part of the invasive curve.

But with federal funding available, the DNR is trying to get a jump on preventing porcelain berry from spreading to other parts of the state, Granberg said.

Homeowners should either control the species themselves or allow DNR-paid contractors to kill the plant before March 1.

According to the DNR, porcelain berry can resemble native and cultivated grape vines and look like the native Virginia creeper during the winter.

In places like Virginia, Granberg said the vine, which can grow 15 feet in a season, can slowly strangle a forest.Case from 2012

Jordan J. Hemaidan, a lawyer at the Madison firm of Michael Best and Friedrich who represents a dairy operation that is the focus of one lawsuit, referred a request for comment to his client. The client, Kinnard Farms, said in a statement that it views the panel's action as "purely procedural development, and looks forward to the case moving toward an efficient and clear resolution.

One of the lawsuits challenges a DNR decision to allow Kinnard to expand in Kewaunee County, an area plagued by manure-contaminated drinking water.

The case began in 2012 as an appeal by a handful of citizens over DNRs approval of a permit for the feedlot to nearly double in size to more than 6,200 cows, a herd conservation groups estimated would generate 70 million gallons of manure annually.

Jeffrey Boldt, an administrative law judge who heard the initial challenge, said massive regulatory failure had caused the widespread drinking water contamination in that area.

Boldt ordered the DNR to add to Kinnards permit a limit on the number of animals and a requirement for groundwater monitoring so pollutants could be detected before they reached more drinking water.Only conservative blogger David Blaska said he didnt support the repeal of 2011s Act 10, which all but eliminated collective bargaining for most public sector workers. Amos Roe and Albert Bryan did not provide an answer.

Only Kaleem Caire offered explicit support for charter schools not directly controlled by the Madison School District. Madison currently has only two such schools, Isthmus Montessori Academy, and Caires One City Schools. Both are publicly funded nonprofits chartered by the University of Wisconsin Systems Office of Educational Opportunity.

Caire said he supports only those that have produced higher levels of student outcomes and attainment, and schools that are designed to meet a particular need that traditional public schools either struggle with or do not offer. Blaska offered support for consumer choice in schools and said the school district must meet and beat the competition instead of outlawing it, Soviet style.

Ali Muldrow said she was not a supporter of private charter schools, school vouchers, or any form of privatizing public education, although her two children have attended Isthmus Montessori Academy. She declined to say whether her children still attend the school.Authorities are investigating after a body was found in a Marshall field Thursday morning that could be linked to a reported suspicious vehicle in the area.

The Marshall Police Department said officers went to the office for the Evergreen Village mobile home park at 100 Evergreen Boulevard around 9:10 a.m. to assist the state Department of Correction's Probation and Parole Office with a suspicious vehicle complaint.

A little more than an hour later, police were informed that a body was found in a field behind a home in the 300 block of Fir Lane in the park, according to Marshall police.

"The incident is now an active death investigation and both incidents appear to be linked," police said in a statement.

Along with the Marshall Police Department, the state Division of Criminal Investigation, Cottage Grove Police Department, Dane County Sheriff's Office and Dane County Medical Examiner's Office are assisting.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.A man being investigated for drug dealing in Madison was arrested Wednesday at a Far East Side hotel.

Christopher Funches, 29, no permanent address, was arrested without incident at the Grand Stay Hotel, 5317 High Crossing Blvd., Madison police said.

The police SWAT team assisted the Dane County Narcotics Task Force in serving a search warrant at the hotel at about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

"The task force had been conducting an investigation into cocaine dealing," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. "The alleged peddler was staying in one of the hotel's rooms."

Investigators found cocaine, marijuana and cash among the items seized.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.This is poison, Przybylinski Finn said. And he sold this poison to Wyatt Cox, and Wyatt Cox died. And now hes got to live with that.

Coxs mother, Melissa Cox, of Rochester, Minnesota, could barely speak as she described for Peterson the devastation her family has felt since her sons death.

My dearest Wyatt, my son, she said. I have no words. My heart has a huge hole. My life will never be the same.

Coxs sister, Shelby Cox, also of Rochester, told Schoenmann that while she thinks he preyed on the weaknesses of those who are addicted, she forgives him.

Peterson said he was moved and impressed by her statement of forgiveness, but told Schoenmann he took risks with the lives of others.

In your case, you are a person with a disease, which explains who you are and what you did, Peterson said. Your disease is also your responsibility, and you have not managed your disease well at all.

Cox, 25, died on Dec. 26, 2017, at his home in Port Charlotte, Florida. Police there contacted police in Boscobel because a package Cox had received containing the nasal spray appeared to have come from a Boscobel business. The return address was a ruse, however.The case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which has not ruled. Peterson said he retains jurisdiction to enforce his orders while the appeal is pending.

In his order, Peterson wrote that arguments by the state about the dissimilarity between the newly passed law and the limits on in-person absentee voting that Peterson barred were not persuasive.

If the court accepted defendants argument, it would mean that a legislative body could evade an injunction simply by reenacting an identical law and giving it a new number, he wrote.

On the student ID issue, Peterson wrote that the states lawyers argued that the amendments approved by the Legislature had nothing to do with the provisions that Peterson barred in 2016. Again, Peterson disagreed.

Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Institute executive director, applauded the ruling in a statement.

(Assembly Speaker) Robin Vos and the Republicans have been told by the federal court in no uncertain terms that they are not above the law, Ross said. The Republican attacks on voting rights were unconstitutional when they were passed, they were unconstitutional when the judge struck them down and they are unconstitutional now.Foreign portfolio investments or hot money rebounded last year with a net inflow of $1.2 billion, a turnaround from the $195-million net outflow registered in 2017, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show. The Bangko Sentral said in a statement the positive performance in 2019 was also attributed to a large investment in a holding company registered in 2018. Data showed that while gross inflows slightly declined to $16.03 billion in 2017 from $16.07 billion in 2017, gross outflows also dropped 8.8 percent to $14.8 billion from $16.3 billion in 2017. The highest gross inflows were recorded in March at $2.5 billion while the lowest was noted in September at $743 million. On a quarterly basis, the largest inflows were noted in the first quarter at $5.1 billion, representing 32 percent of the total for the year. This may be attributed to the large investment in a holding company registered this year accompanied by investors optimism over the passage of the first phase of the governments tax reform program, the Bangko Sentral said. Portfolio investments registered in 2018 were invested mainly in Philippine Stock Exchange-listed securities (71.4 percent), peso government securities (GS - 20.2 percent), and other peso debt instruments. The United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, the Netherlands and Hong Kong were the top sources of these funds.Foreign portfolio investments are also called hot money because of the ease they are invested in and taken out of the local financial markets. Registration of inward foreign investments with the Bangko Sentral is optional under the liberalized rules on foreign exchange transactions. The issuance of a BSP registration document entitles the investor or his representative to buy foreign exchange from authorized agent banks and/or their subsidiary/affiliate foreign exchange corporations for repatriation of capital and remittance of earnings that accrue on the registered investment. Without such registration, the foreign investor can still repatriate capital and remit earnings on his investment but the foreign exchange will have to be sourced outside the banking system. The BSP expects hot money to register a net outflow of $200 million in 2019.The Wai Wai ramen noodles ($7) gets its name from the brand of instant noodles Malla uses. The soup not only had amazing flavor, its a good value. Its low-key broth isnt as flamboyant or as complex as many bowls of ramen in restaurants that specialize in it, but its got the requisite soft-boiled egg. The dish, with broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, peas and spinach, was comforting on a cold night.

I ordered the grilled Korean BBQ with tofu ($10), since I was with a vegetarian friend, and it came in big, long strips, flatter than the tofu in the curry. It also had vegetables, just fewer of them. The sauce was used sparingly and had a wonderful mild sweetness, which was a nice complement to its heat.

Malla asked what spice level we wanted, and the 2 turned out to be perfect and consistent for everything we ordered that night. On my first visit, I was with my daughter, so I asked for no heat. Malla thoughtfully brought out a little cup of hot sauce I could add to my food.

The Globe offers mango and banana lassi ($4), and the banana one was thin, frothy and refreshing. Malla uses a homemade spice mix with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in the yogurt drink.Could Epic and Apple be a match?

Cramer  the theatrical, highly popular and unabashedly opinionated former hedge fund manager  says snapping up the electronic health records company would prove Apple is serious about getting involved in health technology and show it is more than some kind of hardware company ... on the verge of becoming obsolete, as investors seem to think.

Not only would this deal be good for the company, I think its exactly what Apples stock needs to get its mojo back, said Cramer, on his Mad Money TV program.

Apple shares have fallen from more than $230 in October to the $155 range on Wednesday.

Cramer called Epic the best of breed and said putting Epics software into Apples hands could make it easier to create a universal repository for patient health care data.

Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner, 75, has insisted she does not want Epic to become a publicly traded stock company.MILWAUKEE  A Kenosha police sergeant who pleaded guilty and is serving jail time for an OWI conviction has not yet been terminated, according to the City of Kenosha Police Department.

Gregory M. Munnelly, 41, was sentenced to spend 40 days in jail  minus one day of time already served  for a 2017 crash in Oak Creek. Munnelly reported to the Milwaukee County Jail on Wednesday, Jan. 9, online records show.

On Jan. 3, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis issued a statement which said that Munnelly was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 2. Miskinis also said he was seeking termination of Munnellys employment and was preparing a request to do so for the Kenosha Police and Fire Commission, which is charged with hiring and firing of Police and Fire Department personnel.

The Commission was set to meet Tuesday; however, when the board met, Munnellys employment was not discussed.

The next Police and Fire Commission meeting is set for Feb. 19. A special meeting is also scheduled for Thursday to approve a captain promotion and the appointment of three new officers.

Kenosha Police confirmed Wednesday morning that Munnelly will remain on leave with pay until his employment is terminated.

OWI crash detailsIt is likely that substantial obstacles will be encountered as the Mission Act is implemented, including insufficient access to private physicians (especially in rural areas), continued conflict with private physicians regarding reimbursement, and an uncertain quality of care from a diverse group of private physicians not necessarily focused on unique veterans health issues.

The Mission Act does not provide federal money to pay for it. A bipartisan congressional effort has tried to address that problem by developing a separate measure to fund the new $55 billion law. However, the president has insisted on cutting spending elsewhere in the VHA system in view of the growing budget deficit.

Without passage of an alternative, tradeoffs will likely be encountered about which veterans programs receive funding. Given the new legislations substantial cost, a disturbing scenario is that the VHA could be forced to cannibalize itself to ensure access to outsourced health care services. Many in Congress and some veterans service organizations adamantly oppose giving veterans unlimited options to choose private doctors, contending that such a change would starve the VHAs excellent, vast system of government health care. There is no reliable estimate and little research that compares the cost of care inside and outside the VHAs system.We now have two towers of ego who cant give, Brooks said, referring to Trump and Pelosi. So, because Pelosi wont cave to the most disingenuous, untrustworthy politician in modern American history, she is the co-villain.

That Brooks analysis illustrates one of three themes I think the border wall debate exemplifies about how the Trump presidency perseveres, and they are connected to one another.

The first is the media conundrum of false equivalency, which contributed mightily to Trumps victory and has been rampant since.

For all of Trumps whining about fake news and his continual running to Fox News to be coddled, the mainstream media has been playing by fairness and balance standards that seem outdated, even quaint, in Trumps era of pathological lies.

Frank Bruni, another New York Times columnist, recently cited a Harvard analysis that found Trump got far more positive coverage from the nations most influential newspapers and major newscasts than did Hillary Clinton in the 2016 campaign. Brunis column had the chilling headline: Will the media be Trumps accomplice again? in 2020.The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week for the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, a measure that was written with an eye toward ensuring that federal workers who are not getting paychecks during President Trumps government shutdown would eventually be compensated.

A total of 411 House Democrats and Republicans voted yes, and rightly so. As House Oversight Committee Chair Elijah Cummings said, Regardless of what members think about the causes of this shutdown, every single one of us should agree that hardworking federal employees should not be held hostage to politics as a result.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, the town of Vermont Democrat who has compared the presidents behavior during the shutdown with that of a spoiled child, was a leading supporter of the back-pay measure. Wisconsin Democrats Gwen Moore and Ron Kind also voted yes, as did Republicans Bryan Steil, Mike Gallagher and Sean Duffy.

But U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, joined six other right-wing House Republicans in voting no.

Grothmans explanation? He doesnt want to give back pay to all federal employees, both those who work and those who dont, during this government shutdown and all future shutdowns."I don't want to over-promise on that right out of the gate because  were back in the same position we were before where the Assembly had passed something and were over here working on trying to get the votes," Fitzgerald said.

The effort is still a priority for the Senate, Fitzgerald said, but he wants to take up a bill that will earn votes from both parties.

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said Tuesday morning he hadn't read the entire proposal yet, and did not say whether he would sign it into law. Evers campaigned on protecting and expanding access to health care, including preserving protections for pre-existing conditions.

"My point is its important that whatever passes the Legislature has to be equal to or better than what exists at the federal level (under the Affordable Care Act)," Evers told reporters on Tuesday."What a fantastic chance for (Evers) on Tuesday to say, 'I accept the offer of legislative Republicans to be able to use the surplus they developed' for the tax cut that he wants," Vos said. "Seems like a win-win to me."

A statement from Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff did not indicate the governor would be taking Republicans up on the offer.

"Governor Evers campaigned on creating a fairer tax code for working Wisconsin families and that is a promise he will keep in his budget. It's great to hear that Republicans agree with another one of the governor's good ideas to support middle-class families, however, their proposal falls short of what Gov. Evers has proposed," Baldauff said in a statement.

Baldauff argued Evers' proposal is more sustainable because the individual income tax cut is funded by capping the manufacturing and agriculture tax credit, rather than relying on a budget surplus.

Nygren said Assembly Republicans are confident state revenues will continue to grow in a manner that would continue to fund the cut.

The proposal comes days after Evers met privately with Republican lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate. Members of both parties have said they are committed to finding "common ground" as they navigate a divided government.

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.Ever since she broke out in the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the movies havent quite known what to do with Noomi Rapace.

If you want to appreciate Rapaces exceptional portrayal of goth hacker heroine Lisbeth Salander in Dragon Tattoo," watch how Rooney Mara and Claire Foy played Salander in the Americanized versions. They were fine, but depicted Salander as a deliberately strange, other sort of character.

Rapace, on the other hand, played the brilliant, feral Salander as if she was completely normal. Because to herself, she was  there was nobody else she could be.

Since then, Rapace has gone to Hollywood and bounced from generic roles in blockbusters (Prometheus, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) and low-rent action films (Dead Man Down). The cheesy action sci-fi Netflix film What Happened to Monday? gave her the chance to play seven different characters, which was fun. But nothing has really captured the mix of vulnerability and ferocity that Rapace can bring to a role.

Until Close, a new action film from writer-director Vicky Jewson that premieres Friday on Netflix. Its not perfect. But it gives Rapace the kind of showcase she deserves, and its a rare action film led by women both in front of and behind the camera.Philippine officials have turned over to China a former government official wanted for alleged economic crime and corruption.

Xie Haojie was arrested on Sunday in Manila in an operation coordinated with Chinese authorities.

The 49-year-old is wanted back home on charges of corruption that amounted to USD210 million.

Officials from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration handed him over yesterday to Chinas authorities in Manila for deportation.

Li Shulei, vice chairman of Chinas National Supervisory Commission, says the case involved a huge amount of money that made Xie a very terrible social influence.

Xie was presented to the media in the Philippines but did not make any statement.A mid increasing tensions with Beijing, the Pentagon yesterday [Macau time] released a new report that lays out U.S. concerns about Chinas growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters, a senior defense intelligence official said the key concern is that as China upgrades its military equipment and technology and reforms how it trains and develops troops, it becomes more confident in its ability to wage a regional conflict. And Beijings leaders have made it clear that reasserting sovereignty over Taiwan is their top priority.

The official added, however, that although China could easily fire missiles at Taiwan, it doesnt yet have the military capability to successfully invade the self-governing island, which split from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide more detail on intelligence findings in the report, which was written by the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Its release comes just a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his Peoples Liberation Army to better prepare for combat. China has warned the U.S. against further upgrading military ties with Taiwan and has threatened to use force against the island to assert its claim of sovereignty. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has taken incremental moves to bolster ties with the island, including renewed arms sales and upgraded contacts between officials.

U.S.-China tensions have become increasingly frayed on the military and economic fronts over the past year. Trump imposed tariff increases of up to 25 percent on USD250 billion of Chinese imports over complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Xi responded by imposing penalties on $110 billion of American goods.

And last year the Pentagon disinvited China to a major, multinational Pacific exercise, citing Beijings militarization of man-made islands in the South China Sea.

The ongoing rise of China, in fact, has triggered greater U.S. military attention on the Indo-Pacific region over the last several years. And last years release of the U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasized the importance of great power competition with Russia and China. And it asserted that Chinas rapidly expanding military and Russias increasing aggression are threatening Americas military advantage around the world.

Just after taking over as the acting defense secretary, Pat Shanahan told his military service leaders on Jan. 2 that their focus should be China, China, China.

The DIA report talks broadly about the steps China is taking to modernize its military and expand its operations around the globe. The worry, said the defense intelligence official, is that China will reach the point where leaders will decide that using military force for a regional conflict such as Taiwan is more imminent.

Beijings longstanding interest to eventually compel Taiwans reunification with the mainland and deter any attempt by Taiwan to declare independence has served as the primary driver for Chinas military modernization, the report says. Beijings anticipation that foreign forces would intervene in a Taiwan scenario led the PLA to develop a range of systems to deter and deny foreign regional force projection.

Over time, the report said, the PLA is likely to grow even more technologically advanced, with equipment comparable to that of other modern militaries. That would include advanced fighter aircraft, ships, missile systems and space and cyberspace capabilities.

Cyberthreats from China have long been a major U.S. concern, stretching from massive data breaches and the theft of trade secrets to Beijings campaign to improve its ability to conduct cyberattacks. The U.S. official said China has been working very hard on developing ways to combine cyberattack capabilities with other kinetic weapons that can be used in combat.

Still, the official said Beijing will face a significant challenge as it tries to bring generational change to its military.

Until now, China has mainly done tightly controlled regional operations and some counterpiracy missions. It will be more difficult, the official said, to create a joint force capable of conducting large, complex combat operations far abroad. Lolita C. Baldor, Washington, APBritish Prime Minister Theresa May faces a no-confidence vote today [Macau time], a day after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal by a historic margin.

May is battling to save her job after staking her political reputation on a last-ditch effort to win support for the divorce agreement she negotiated with the European Union over the last two years. Though defeat was widely expected, the scale of the rout  432-202  was devastating for Mays leadership.

Immediately after the vote, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a no-confidence motion, saying it would give Parliament a chance to give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government.

Still, most analysts predict May will survive because lawmakers from her Conservative Party are unlikely to vote against her, and the Democratic Unionist Party, which supports the government, has said it will continue to back the prime minister. If the government were to lose, it would have 14 days to overturn the result or face a national election.

After the biggest defeat for any British government in well over a century, May promised to consult with senior lawmakers on future moves, but gave little indication of what she plans to do next. Parliament has given the government until Monday to come up with a new plan for leaving the EU.

The House has spoken and the government will listen, May said after the vote, which leaves her Brexit plan on life support just 10 weeks before Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29.

May faces a stark choice: Steer the country toward an abrupt break without a deal on future relations with the EU, or try to nudge it toward a softer departure. Meanwhile, lawmakers from both government and opposition parties are trying to wrest control of the Brexit process from a paralyzed government, so that lawmakers can direct planning for Britains departure from the EU.

But with no clear majority in Parliament for any single alternative, there is a growing chance that Britain may seek to postpone its departure date while politicians work on a new plan  or even hand the decision back to voters in a new referendum on EU membership.

Political analyst Anand Menon, from UK in a Changing Europe, said history is being made week after week in the Brexit saga, with government being held in contempt even as May soldiers on in Downing Street.

She seems content with bringing something back to Parliament to vote on again, Menon said. The thing about Theresa May is that nothing seems to phase her. She just keeps on going.

European leaders are now preparing for the worst. EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc is stepping up preparations for a chaotic no-deal departure by Britain after Parliaments rejection of the draft withdrawal deal left the bloc fearing more than ever that there is a risk of a cliff-edge departure.

Economists warn that an abrupt break with the EU could batter the British economy and bring chaotic scenes at borders, ports and airports. Business groups expressed alarm at the prospect of a no-deal exit.

Every business will feel no-deal is hurtling closer, said Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry. A new plan is needed immediately.

But investors have so far shrugged off the rejection of Mays deal. The pound was up 0.1 percent at USD1.2869 in early morning trading in London, and the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.1 percent at 6,888.

While the uncertainty surrounding Brexit remains elevated, many investors think the vote makes it less likely Britain will crash out of the bloc with no deal.

Bank of England Gov. Mark Carney said the market reaction would appear to reflect some expectation that the process of resolution would be extended and that the prospect of no deal may have been diminished.

Britain is looking to Parliament for direction and one would expect continued volatility, Carney told a parliamentary committee, stressing that he was giving the initial take of the markets. I wouldnt put much weight on these short-term moves. Danica Kirka, London, AP

EU leaders plead with London to get its act together

European Union leaders were pleading yesterday with the U.K. to finally get its act together on Brexit, end internal strife and come up with a realistic plan to leave the bloc  well over two years after Britain decided to leave the EU and departure just 10 weeks away.

European politicians watched the spectacle with a mix of shock and utter bafflement after Britains Parliament discarded Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal in a historic defeat for the government yesterday [Macau time].

EU officials immediately said that plans to cope with a disorderly, no-deal departure on March 29, rife with the prospect of chaos on roads, airports and administration would be sped up.

Hours after the humiliating setback for Mays government, EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that the EU was fearing more than ever that there is a risk of a cliff-edge departure.

Guy Verhofstadt, the chief Brexit official in the EU parliament, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Britain had better start seeing the impending departure as a national crisis that goes well beyond party politics.

The only lesson for them is that they need to sit around one table, opposition and majority to sort out what is in the national interest, Verhofstadt said.

What started as a fight within the Conservative Party which led to the June 2016 referendum, then spread to a hostile and bitter divide across British society and most parties in Parliament.

And despite the urgency and the massive economic stakes in winning a smooth departure with a long transition period and a raft of accompanying measures, division has only increased.

Brexit is a disgrace for the British people and for the EU. Nobody wins. We all lose, in particular the British people, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told EU legislators.

EU parliamentarians could hardly believe the chaos in one of the Western worlds greatest democratic institutions. Watching Tuesdays debate in the House of Commons, EPP legislator Esther de Lange said she could not help but thinking Boy, collectively they dont know what they want, but, boy, do they hold great speeches.

Her EPP boss, Manfred Weber, showed more exasperation than admiration.

Please, please, tell us finally what you want to achieve, Weber said.

There is a suspicion in EU circles that by running down the clock as close to March 29 as possible, Britain would seek to draw belated concessions from the 27 member states. But so far, unity among them has persevered and on Wednesday, each and all insisted that it would remain that way in the weeks to come.

Barnier said that any future deal would still have to include approving the withdrawal agreement, the 585-page document which the British parliament rejected on Tuesday.

Whatever happens, ratification of the withdrawal agreement is necessary. It is a precondition, he said.

Barnier said that a linked political declaration on future relations offered possible options for further talks.

EU Vice President Frans Timmermans had one clear piece of advice for British legislators: listen to your own musical heroes and he started quoting from the Rolling Stones: You cannot always get what you want. But if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. APThe trade volume between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan reached 226.2 billion U.S. dollars last year, a record high, a mainland spokesperson said yesterday.

This was an increase of 13.2 percent year on year, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a regular news briefing held in Beijing.

Taiwan investors investment on the mainland was also growing steadily. A total of 4,911 projects were approved over the past year, up 41.8 percent year on year, said Ma. According to Xinhua, Ma said the mainland was ready to share its development opportunities with compatriots from Taiwan first.

Official data from the Chinese government indicates that since the launch of the 31 measures of preferential policies for compatriots from Taiwan, more than 2,000 enterprises with investment from Taiwan have enjoyed preferential tax treatment in the mainland and more than 100 enterprises have secured special financial support under programs for industrial transformation and upgrading, green manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing.

While answering a question about the revised individual income tax law, Ma said people from Taiwan working on the mainland had the same rights and obligations as their Hong Kong and Macau peers.

According to Ma, more than 800 residents of Taiwan have obtained professional qualifications in the mainland and over 100 won honorary titles of various types in the mainland last year.

More than 9 million people traveled across the Strait in the past year. Ma added that the mainland had an open attitude towards and was willing to support exchanges among cities across the Taiwan Strait, as long as the participants maintained the right understanding of the nature of relations and city exchanges across the Strait. MDT/XinhuaThe Gulf War Allies have sent hundreds of planes on bombing raids into Iraq, at the start of Operation Desert Storm.

The American, British, French, Saudi and Kuwaiti aircraft took off at 2330 GMT last night.

Their bombs were aimed at military and strategic targets, including an oil refinery and Baghdad airport.

At least 400 raids took place. Latest reports say all the Allied aircraft have returned home safely, although France says four of its planes were hit.

US Defence Secretary, Dick Cheney, said the operation appeared to have gone very well.

Two hours after the raids began, President George Bush made a televised address.

He said the military objectives were clear  force Iraqi troops out of Kuwait and restore the legitimate government.

In Baghdad, Saddam Hussein remained defiant. He said the Mother of all Battles had begun. He urged the Iraqi people to stand up to evil.

First news of the bombing came from reporters in Baghdad working for the American TV network, CNN. They reported hearing air raid sirens shortly before the bombs hit.

President Bush said: Our operations are designed to best protect the lives of all the coalition forces by targeting Saddams vast military arsenal.

Initial reports from General Schwarzkopf are that our operations are proceeding according to plan.

The British Prime Minister, John Major, came out of Number Ten shortly before 0800 GMT to make a statement to reporters.

No-one wanted this conflict. No-one can be pleased about the fact this conflict has been necessary, he said.

I hope now it is clear to Iraq that the scale of the Allied operation is such that they cannot win.

I hope that Saddam Hussein will now make a very swift decision that he will do what hes been invited to do by the world community for a long time, that he should get out of Kuwait and end this matter swiftly and decisively.

He said the attacks would continue until Saddam withdrew his troops.

Allied planes have taken off this morning to launch a second round of air strikes.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Iraq had refused to comply with a UN ultimatum for its troops to withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January, so at 2330 GMT on 16 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began.

The Allies devastating and sustained aerial bombardment involved cruise missiles launched from US warships. US, British and Saudi Arabian fighter planes, bombers and helicopters were also involved.

After more than a month of intensive air attacks, the Allies launched a land offensive on 24 February. One day later, the Iraqis began retreating.

On 27 February, President George Bush declared victory. Kuwait was liberated but Saddam Hussein remained in power in Baghdad.

On 20 March 2003, President George Bush junior led a coalition of the willing on an invasion of Iraq with the aim of toppling the Bagdad regime.

Within a month, Saddam Hussein had been ousted and the Americans were claiming victory in the war.

Saddam Hussein was captured after several months in hiding in December 2003. He was tried by an Iraqi court, sentenced to death and executed on 30 December 2006.

US-led coalition forces ran the country until power was officially handed back on 28 June 2004.South Korean officials said they have stopped businessmen from bringing North Korean paintings into the country that a report said were purchased at an art studio under U.N. sanctions.

Observers say similar incidents could occur frequently as South Koreas liberal government pushes for deeper exchanges with North Korea.

The Korea Customs Service said it has nine North Korean paintings that an unidentified number of businessmen tried to bring into the country after a trip to Pyongyang, North Koreas capital, last November. It said the businessmen did not have the required South Korean government permission to bring in North Korean products.

South Koreas largest newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, reported yesterday that the paintings were purchased from Pyongyangs Mansudae art studio, which is on a U.N. sanctions blacklist.

The studio is subject to an asset freeze and travel ban because of its dispatch of artists and other workers abroad to do projects to generate revenue for the North Korean government. In its Pyongyang studio, thousands of artists produce propaganda-themed paintings, huge bronze statues, mosaics and watercolors.

South Koreas Unification Ministry, which deals with North Korean policy, said it couldnt immediately confirm the Chosun report. Spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said government agencies will determine whether there were violations of U.N. sanctions imposed over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs.

An earlier investigation of the paintings showed that none contains pro-North Korea propaganda, a customs service official said on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to speak publicly on the matter. According to the Chosun report, the paintings were of animals and each cost 300,000-500,000 won (USD270-450).

The businessmen were among about 100 people, mostly foreign- based South Korean businesspeople, who made a four-day trip to Pyongyang in mid-November. The customs service official refused to identify them.

Personnel exchanges between the two Koreas have increased sharply since North Korea abruptly began talks early last year with a vague promise of denuclearization. South Korean President Moon Jae-in wants to expand ties with North Korea, but any resumption of stalled large-scale joint Korean economic projects needs to receive an exemption from the U.N. sanctions. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, APKenyas security forces have killed the Islamic extremist gunmen whose assault on a luxury hotel and shopping complex took 14 innocent lives, the countrys president said yesterday.

All the terrorists have been eliminated, President Uhuru Kenyatta said in announcing an end to the operation to secure the complex in the capital, Nairobi.

In a televised address, he did not say how many attackers were involved. He said more than 700 people were evacuated during the security operation and urged Kenyans to go back to work without fear, saying the East African country is safe.

In the hours before Kenyatta spoke, sporadic gunfire could be heard from the scene after scores of people were rescued at daybreak during what police called a mopping-up exercise.

Surveillance video showed the attack involved at least four armed men.

Al-Shabab  the extremist group allied to al-Qaida and based in neighboring Somalia  claimed responsibility for the carnage at the DusitD2 hotel complex, which includes bars, restaurants, offices and banks and is in Nairobis well-to-do Westlands neighborhood with many foreign expatriates. Al-Shabab carried out the 2013 attack at the nearby Westgate Mall in Nairobi that killed 67 people.

The U.S. State Department confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed, but did not release the victims identity. The British high commissioner in Kenya said at least one British national had been killed, without giving details.

Authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen. At dawn, another explosion and gunfire were heard. Scores of people were rushed to safety in the early morning hours.

To God be the Glory. We have been rescued. Over 50 people in my group. No injuries, tweeted a Kenyan businesswoman, Aggie Asiimwe Konde.

Describing the ordeal, Lucy Wanjiru said she had been trying to flee when she saw a woman on the ground floor get shot. She ended up in a washroom with several other scared people. Her friend Cynthia Kibe stayed in contact with her by phone overnight.

I think I panicked when she told me that the gunshots are next to her, Kibe said. I had to keep telling her Just wait, help is on the way, they are almost there, they are almost there. And then at one point she was like, Please tell me I am getting out of here alive and then it was just like my breaking point.

Mourning families and friends gathered at a nearby mortuary.

I am a Muslim and I am Somali, I am Kenyan living here, and in that way I can assure you if al-Shabab found me today they call us what they call Mortad [apostates], that is, someone who works against them and they wouldnt differentiate me from yourself, said Mohamed Yasin Jama, a friend of two work colleagues killed in the attack.

The coordinated assault began with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank, and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby that severely wounded a number of guests, said Kenyas national police chief, Joseph Boinnet.

Kenyan hospitals appealed for blood donations even as the number of wounded remained unclear.

Associated Press video from inside the hotel showed Kenyan security officers searching the building and scared workers emerging from hiding while gunfire could be heard. Some climbed out a window by ladder. One man got up from the floor where he appeared to be trying to hide under a piece of wood paneling, then showed his ID.

Like the attack at the Westgate Mall, this one appeared aimed at wealthy Kenyans and foreigners. It came a day after a magistrate ruled that three men must stand trial in connection with the Westgate Mall siege.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it since 2011. Tuesdays violence came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.

The group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya. In the deadliest attack, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an assault on Kenyas Garissa University in 2015 that killed 147 people, mostly students.

The latest carnage demonstrated al-Shababs continued ability to carry out spectacular acts of bloodshed despite a dramatic increase in U.S. airstrikes against it under President Donald Trump. Ben Curtis, Nairobi, APYesterday, an industrial accident at a construction site in Areia Preta lead to the death of one man. The accident was reported at the construction site of a rainwater discharge interception project located across the Centro de Actividades Juvenis do Bairro do Hipodromo. The victim was a 59-year-old local man. He is believed to have fallen from the site pedal into a hole which is about 4 meters deep. The accident took place yesterday morning, at around 8 a.m.. According to firefighters, the deceased was found with head trauma. His death was confirmed at the location. The accident was handed over to the Judiciary Police for follow-up.

Nine arrested for fraud

Nine mainland residents have been arrested for usury fraud, the Judiciary Police (PJ) reported yesterday. The nine suspects are aged between 29 and 53 years old. According to PJ, the group of criminals only defrauded other usury groups. They would borrow money from the usurers and then transfer casino chips. The group admitted that they took advantage of the usurers psychological state, because usurers do not dare to report to the police as they are afraid of getting arrested. The group is said to have been operating for nearly one year, during which period their defrauding amounted to at least MOP5 million.

Local airport opens third family room

The Macau International Airport (MIA) recently opened a family room at the Departure Landside of the Passenger Terminal Building. The new facility is decorated to provide a warm atmosphere and is equipped with a wash basin, sofa, and changing and feeding facilities. According to a statement issued by the airport, MIA has been committed to provide family-friendly facilities and environment. In 2014, the first fully-equipped family room opened at Departure Airside of the Passenger Terminal Building for passengers to attend to their babies. Due to the increasing number of passengers in recent years, another family room was opened at Mezzanine Airside of the Passenger Terminal Building North Extension in early 2018 to cater for needs of an increasing number of family passengers. There are currently three family rooms in the Passenger Terminal Building of MIA: one at Departure Landside, one at Departure Airside, and one at Mezzanine airside. In the future, the South Extension will continue to add new facilities and services to create a more convenient and comfortable environment for passengers.Chinas National Administration of Cultural Heritage has submitted to UNESCO a conservation report on the heritage situation in Macau, but its contents will not be shared with the public before the summer. The report, which was submitted by the Chinese agency on the behalf of the Macau SAR, promises to protect both the historic landscape and urban setting of Macau as a city of hills and sea.

First reported by local Portuguese newspaper JTM, the conservation report was submitted to the United Nations agency on December 1, but only an abridged version is currently available to the public.

According to JTM, UNESCO explained that the full version of the report was not published on its website at the request of the Chinese government. Moreover, Macaus Cultural Affairs Bureau told the newspaper it would not be appropriate to release the report until the conclusion of the evaluation at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee, to be held in Azerbaijan this summer.

At just one page in length, the abridged version of the report mentions in broad terms the heritage goals of safeguard[ing] of important structures and their spatial composition within the World Heritage zones and the preservation of landscape characteristics that are found within the buffer zones, outside the buffer zones and extended to the entire Macau Peninsula.

Macau has been criticized in recent years for what some observers have characterized as a slackening of heritage protection standards. Several recent projects were thought to be in possible violation of the citys commitment to preserving the state of the historic center of Macau, as inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In 2017 the United Nations body weighed in on the matter, expressing concern about one project at the Fishermans Wharf and another near the Guia Hill, where the developers had been granted permission to exceed local building height restrictions.

Technical analysis and heritage impact assessments have been conducted prior to the commencement of any construction project that might potentially exert an adverse impact on the outstanding universal value of the Historic Centre of Macau, the report noted in an apparent answer to these concerns.

For the project at Macau Fishermans Wharf and the unfinished building project on the periphery of Guia Hill, tremendous efforts have been invested in the negotiation process with the respective owners of the said properties, in order to determine a solution that works best for the reduction of potential negative impacts on the area surrounding the World Heritage property.During the Lunar New Year, the Chinese restaurants Chun in MGM Cotai and Imperial Court in MGM Macau, will offer two types of traditional Big Bowl Feast set between January 30 to February 17.

Both sets include abalone, fish maw, Japanese dried scallop, sea cucumber and ten more other luscious choices, as cited in a press release issued by the gaming operator.

In addition, both restaurants will offer a range of New Years Special Set Menus, a-la-carte dishes and dim sums from February 5.

Meanwhile, throughout the Lunar New Year period, Five Foot Road is dedicated to bring authentic Sichuan festive delicacies, Chengdu Nine Dishes Banquet between January 21 and February 17.

The statement added that other restaurants at MGM COTAI and MGM MACAU will offer a variety of festive set meals, buffets and desserts during the Chinese holiday season.

Wynn palace to open Sichuan restaurant

This spring, Wynn Palace will unveil a new restaurant  Sichuan Moon  in partnership with award-winning Chef Andre Chiang, the gaming operator announced in a statement.

In his role as culinary director, Chef Andre will present Sichuanese cooking in a contemporary way.

In 2018, Chef Andre received two awards including The 15 Most Influential Chefs of the Next Decade by Elite Traveler and The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asias 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2018.

I aim to break the mold and showcase the essence of Sichuan dishes so that they will shine on the world stage, Chef Andre said. I want the world to fall in love with Sichuan cuisine through Sichuan Moon, he added.

Although originally from Taiwan, he spent his formative years in France where he began cooking at 13 years of age.

Chef Andre has opened restaurants in Singapore, Taipei and Paris which include the award-winning Restaurant ANDRE, Burnt Ends and RAW.The mainland firmly opposes a decision by Taiwan-based Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) that bans its employees from using mobile phones and computers produced by mainland-based IT firm Huawei, Xinhua state-run agency reported.

We are strongly against such an action that undermines regular economic and trade activities across the Taiwan Strait for the sake of politics, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, when asked to comment on the ITRI move at a press conference yesterday.

It not only harms interests of mainland enterprises but also consumers in Taiwan, Ma said, adding that the action was pandering to certain foreign forces, with the institute serving as a pawn, he said as quoted by Xinhua.

Earlier, Central News Agency (CNA) reported that the Institute for Information Industry (III) also announced it was banning smartphones made by Huawei Technologies from accessing its network, a day after ITRI said it was imposing a similar ban.

The III, which is a government-sponsored high-tech research group, told CNA this week that in order to improve cyber security at the organization, it is planning to completely ban devices made by Huawei by May of this year.

Institute spokesman Chen Wen-tang told CNA that the III last week carried out an equipment inventory which confirmed that neither the core host nor the backbone network used Huawei products. Equipment inventory management procedures for all products made by the Chinese brand are expected to be completed in June this year, said Chen.

As to when Huawei devices will be completely banned from all IIIs internal wireless networks, Chen expects that the relevant procedures will be completed as soon as the end of April this year. Chen estimates that the complete ban of Huawei devices from IIIs internal wireless networks will go into effect in May.

Chen yesterday told RTI

that devices made by other Chinese companies that are found to pose security risk will also be banned.

Concerning the banning of other Chinese-made devices, Chen said, I would like to emphasize that there are some Chinese-made products that pose risks, but of course there must be some definitions. We will comply with projects put forward by the Cabinet or government departments before we can take concrete actions.

In response to questions as to whether this would include Chinese brands such as OPPO or Xiaomi, he said, perhaps products from other Chinese companies will be also be within the scope of consideration. MDT/AgenciesThe Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) announced yesterday that Air Macaus 25-year concession agreement, set to expire in November 2020, will not be renewed.

In a statement issued yesterday, AACM confirmed a report published earlier this week by Portuguese language newspaper Hoje Macau, saying that the local government already informed Air Macau in October last year that their exclusive right will not be extended after 2020.

Noting there are currently 35 airlines connecting Macau to 56 destinations, AACM considers that the operation of any routes to Macau by a foreign airline is not restricted by the present concession of Air Macau. Any foreign airline who wishes to operate scheduled flights to Macau can file their flight application to AACM for approval on the condition that the airline is designated by the aeronautical authorities of the contracting party and fly the route in accordance with the provisions as laid down in the bilateral air services agreement between Macau and the contracting area, the statement reads.

AACM also mentioned that it hired an international consultancy firm to study the future development of the air transport market for Macau in 2017. However, the authority did not disclose what plan will be implemented, noting that the Basic Law required that the local government must communicate with the Central Government when devising the plan. Hence, the direction for the future development is yet to be formalized, according to AACM.A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee shot down a handful of marijuana bills Wednesday evening, including a pot decriminalization proposal supported by Gov. Ralph Northam.

A House Courts of Justice subcommittee led by law-and-order Republicans voted 6-2 to kill two bills that would have legalized marijuana in Virginia.

Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, the sponsor of one of the legalization bills, argued that many Virginians have come to believe that the most dangerous thing about cannabis is getting caught with it. Legalizing and regulating pot, he said, would mean fewer people burdened with criminal records or jail time for minor drug charges and would generate more tax revenue for the state.

But even legalization supporters recognized that the proposal had no chance of passing in a state that took years to authorize a relatively narrow medical cannabis program that will allow only five dispensaries selling non-psychoactive cannabidiol oils, commonly known as CBD.

Del. Steve Heretick, D-Portsmouth, who also sponsored a legalization bill, said he was only asking for a mature regulatory discussion on a matter of personal freedom.

It was clear that the discussion may be a few years away.PULLMAN  Class still was in session at Pullman High School on Wednesday, as Grayson Hunt and Co. helped guide the Greyhound boys to their ninth consecutive victory. It was a big one.The latest Windows 10 preview build brings improvements to font management and the Start Menu. But the thing Im most excited about is that Microsoft is separating Search from Cortana.

Starting with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18317 , users will see two separate items in the Windows taskbar: a search box and a Cortana icon. Clicking the search box will let you use the Windows search tool to find content on your device or on the web, while clicking Cortana will open Microsofts digital assistant service.

Microsoft says uncoupling the two features will allow the company to bring updates and improvements to each independently of the other. But its also good news for folks that want to use search, but not Cortana (or vice versa).

Up until now Microsoft has let you choose between showing a search bar or Cortana icon on the taskbar, but they both opened Cortana. Theres also third option that lets you hide the icon/bar altogether, since you can still invoke search/Cortana just by opening the Start Menu and typing.

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Odds are that itll be at least a few months before Google is ready to officially reveal the next major Android Update. But the folks at xda-developers appear to have gotten their hands on an early test build of Android Q.

After installing it on a Google Pixel 3 XL smartphone, they discovered a few of the new features that may be coming later this year although there are no guarantees. Google does have a habit of testing features that dont make it into the final release.

The biggest change for most users will likely be the system-wide dark mode, which has been in development for years. It shows up as a anew option in Display Settings and you can choose to have it enabled all the time or just at certain times of the day.

Some folks may find dark backgrounds and light text easier to view at night. Some may think it just looks better all the time. And if you have an OLED display, you might actually save some power by using dark mode, since it takes more energy to display white than black on such displays.

Dark mode seems to apply to most Google apps, but there also seems to be a feature that will force third party apps to use a dark theme even if they dont natively have one.

Xda-developers also found code relating to an experimental desktop mode on secondary displays, suggesting Android Q could have some sort of Samsung DeX-like desktop feature that lets you use a phone like a desktop by plugging in a monitor. But it doesnt seem to do anything yet.

Other changes in Android Q include updated Permissions settings that give you even more control over which apps can access which features and when (like only when the app is open, for example), new accessibility and developer options, and a Quick Settings tile that lets you disable (or enable) all of your devices sensors at once.

Update: Heres a 12 minute video showing the new features in action:

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No city experiences a government shutdown like Washington, DC.

In addition to the economic effect, a suspension of government operations affects Washington on a cultural and recreational level. It influences almost everyone, from trash collectors to young parents and even those hoping to get married.

The United States Congress and President Donald Trump have not been able to reach agreement on a spending plan. On December 22, about one-fourth of federal agencies had no money left and were forced to close.

Trump wants to Congress to approve $5 billion to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. He says this would help strengthen national security. Democratic Party leaders oppose his spending request and the idea of a border wall.

The local District of Columbia (DC) government has continued operations without a federal budget in place as Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser had promised.

The economic situation is not good. Some studies estimate that the federal government directly employs more than 364,000 people in and around Washington, DC. This includes northern Virginia and southern Maryland. The district alone contains more than 102,000 jobs in government agencies that have no money to finance operations.

Deputy City Administrator Kevin Donahue compared the shutdown to the main factory closing in a small industrial town. He noted that the closure has affected service industries like restaurants, food trucks and taxis.

What keeps us up at night is not the work we know we have to do in weeks one and two, Donahue said. It is the unpredictable effects of weeks four and five and onward, he said, with the possibility for mass restaurant closures or federal workers missing payments on housing or car loans.

Public health concerns

Most immediately, the shutdown created a public health problem. The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) oversees many parts of DC, from the world famous National Mall to green spaces like Dupont Circle and even neighborhood parks.

Washington waste collection crews now empty waste containers at the citys more than 120 separate NPS sites -- three times a day in the case of the containers at the National Mall. That service costs at least $54,000 a week.

Donahue said there is an unofficial agreement dating back to earlier shutdowns that the local government will be repaid when the federal government reopens.

The park service recently announced it would use other money to restart its own trash collection at some of the Washington sites.

For years, Washington has had a tortured relationship with the federal government, which can change or block any local law. Now, city officials seemingly have the chance to note the irony of the shutdown. They often claim they are treated by Congress as if they are unable to govern the city; now they are taking over and covering for the central government.

When the federal government shuts down, we step up, Bowser said during a January 4 press conference.

Effect on parents and children

The shutdown also affects the 700,000 people who call Washington, DC home. The Smithsonian Institutions many museums, including the National Zoo, closed their doors about a week into the shutdown. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has severely cut back its hours of operation.

On a recent rainy weekend, parents and children gathered outside the Bloombars cultural center in Washingtons Columbia Heights neighborhood. They formed a line, stretching halfway up the street, for the usual Saturday morning childrens drumming class. The crowd was three times larger than the normal size.

The reason: parents searching for something to occupy their children in a city where more than 10 free museums and the zoo have been closed.

It happens every time, laughed BloomBars founder John Chambers, who recalls a similar increase during the 2013 shutdown, which lasted 16 days.

The district is filled with shutdown specials -- offering federal employees everything from food and drinks to live theater and medical marijuana at low or no cost to them.

Another effect of the shutdown is the closure of the DC office that registers marriages.

Bowser told The Associated Press that even she was surprised to learn that people could not get marriage licenses because Congress pays for the local court system.

Bowser quickly reached out to allies on the Council of the District of Columbia to pass emergency legislation called the Let Our Vows Endure (LOVE) act. The measure gives her administration the right to approve marriage licenses.

At a recent event to sign the act into law, Bowser said, Just so my team knows, were probably going to want to keep that power.

Nobody laughed and she did not seem to be joking.

Im George Grow. And I'm Anna Mateo.

Ashraf Khalil wrote this story for the Associated Press. George Grow adapted his report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

shutdown  n. a closure of a factory or system

irony  n. a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected

museum  n. a building where objects of artistic, historical or scientific interest are kept

zoo  n. an establishment with a collection of wild animals

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.Thursday, January 17, 2019

Why are we seeing so many Guatemalans seeking asylum in United States?

Rachel E. Brown offers a short explanation:

"[An United Nations-backed group [t]he [International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala] was invited into Guatemala in 2007 to eliminate clandestine illegal armed groups  criminal networks that have infiltrated its government. These shadowy webs of corruption, the subject of my 2017 book on Guatemala, include smuggling rings with ties to the military and presidents and drug traffickers who bribe or threaten judges.

As a result, criminals operate with impunity in Guatemala. Around 90 percent of all crimes go unpunished  which is actually an improvement over the countrys 2007 impunity rate of 98 percent."

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2019/01/guatemala-in-crisis.htmlU.S. Senator Tim Scott Critical of GOP on Racism and Rep. Steve King

Stating what has become even more of an issue for the GOP during the presidency of Donald Trump, Sen. Tim Scott, wrote, We are often still struggling when it comes to civility and fairness. This was driven home once again Thursday as Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) wondered aloud: White nationalist, White supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive?

In a blistering op-ed in The Washington Post, the U.S. Senates only African American Republican, took the Republican Party to task on the issue of racism. Sen. Scott has been openly reluctant to support Donald Trump.He notably skipped the Republican National Convention in 2016.

On January 10, Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa wondered out loud when the term White supremacists became a negative during an interview with The New York Times.

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White nationalist, White supremacist, Western civilization  how did that language become offensive? King said during the interview.In a familiar pattern, Rep. King sought to clarify his comments a day later. But the U.S. Representative has a long history of comments that can easily be defined as racist.

I want to make one thing abundantly clear; I reject those labels and the evil ideology that they define. Further, I condemn anyone that supports this evil and bigoted ideology which saw in its ultimate expression the systematic murder of 6 million innocent Jewish lives, Rep. King said on January 11.

In July 2013, King said of Mexican immigrants that, For every one whos a valedictorian, theres another 100 out there who weigh 130 poundsand theyve got calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.

Rep. King displayed the Confederate flag on his office desk in 2016 removing it later after a Confederate flag-waver shot two law enforcement officers in Iowa. In March 2017, he wrote culture and demographics are our destiny. We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies and, you need to teach your children your values and with the inter-marriage, Id like to see an America that is just so homogenous that we look a lot the same.

Rep. Kings words are familiar to that of the rhetoric of David Duke and Richard Spencer and other prominent white supremacists.Though he was been criticized by Speaker Paul Ryan for his past comments, many Republicans have remained silent during Rep. Kings racial controversies.

Sen. Scott has become tired of that practice.

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Sen. Scott cataloged recent racist incidents in the U.S. saying, Three months ago, a white supremacist killed two black people in a parking lot in Kentucky. We are only 18 months from Charlottesville, where white nationalists killed a White woman with a car and severely beat multiple Black people. Almost four years ago, a White supremacist murdered nine African Americans in a church in Charleston, S.C. In 1998, White supremacists dragged James Byrd Jr., behind a pickup truck through Jasper, Tex., decapitating him in the process.

I will admit I am unsure who is offended by the term Western civilization on its own, but anyone who needs white nationalist or white supremacist defined, described and defended does lack some pretty common knowledge, Sen. Scott continued.

When people with opinions similar to Kings open their mouths, they damage not only the Republican Party and the conservative brand but also our nation as a whole, Sen. Scott continued.

The backdrop of Rep. Kings latest racially-motivated comments is President Trumps insistence on building a wall at the border of Mexico. Trump ran on a platform that defined Mexican immigrants as violent and dangerous.Noteably, after white supremacists marched with torches in Charlottesville, Va., President Trump was not only slow in denouncing their message but declared that  both sides  were violent.

Silence is no longer acceptable, Sen. Scott concluded.Shanola Hampton Executive Produces New TV ONE Comedy Film

TV ONE kicked off 2019 with a brand new original comedy. Threes Complicated shares the hilarious adventure of a mother who is trapped in a love triangle after a night of partying. The one night fling turns complicated when the mother finds out her college-aged daughter knows the man.

Known for her role in the drama-filled show Shameless, Shanola Hampton executive produced and starred in the film. Hampton spoke to the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper about how she became the executive producer.

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL NEWSPAPER: Before we begin, how has your new year started?

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SHANOLA HAMPTON: The new year has been great! I try to set intentions throughout the year as opposed to resolutions. One of those intentions was to be an executive producer and work with people that Ive never worked with before. Thats what I did with Threes Complicated so I cant complain. Im having a great year so far!

LAS: Speaking of intentions, what was your intention to executively produce this movie?

HAMPTON: I wanted to go out and do different things. I wanted to be my own boss rather than waiting for other people to hire me.

LAS: Thats great youre doing that. There is a huge lack of Black women producers out there.

HAMPTON: I agree. Theres definitely the ratio that we are not in the high percentile. Im glad that actresses like Regina King and Kerry Washington give back. Thats what Im trying to do as well. It all starts with our roots, which is acting. You have to take the initiative and really come out of your comfort zone and believe you can do it.

LAS: How has being a mother changed your perspective on your career?

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HAMPTON: Before I had a child, I was responsible for the material I chose. But since Im a mother of a daughter, I pay even more attention. I want to be responsible with my language and speak that energy into projects. Its all about balance too. My career is important to me but my child is my number one priority.

LAS: You have millions of followers on social media. Does that impact how you maneuver in the industry?

HAMPTON: Its about the audience. You want them to follow you on different projects as well. Social media helps aid that.

LAS: What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what youre doing?

HAMPTON: Well what I always say is that anything you do, you need to be clear about your passion and intention. You never want to go to work miserable especially if your passion is something else. But you cant just sit on the couch and wait. Set clear intention so God or The Universe can manifest towards you. Dont be afraid of the hard work.

Threes Complicated aired on Sunday, Jan. 13 on TV ONE.On Strike For Our Students: LAUSD Teachers Send Message To Beutner With Historic March

More than 50,000 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers, parents, and United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) members marched in front of the districts headquarters on Monday, January 14 on day one of the strike, with their picket signs and bullhorns in hand in the rain, as they chanted, Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like!

We need smaller class sizes so that the teachers arent overwhelmed and the students can actually learn something. We also need to get equal pay; everybody else got their raise but they dont want to give it to teachers without tying in restrictions to it. We just need our justice, said McBride Special Education Center teacher Surayyah Muhammad.

We are doing this for our students; we need counselors, librarians, and psychologists. Right now, you have one psychologist that is at a school one day a week and thats for the whole school. Librarians are non-existent anymore and the schools dont have nurses.

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Another reoccurring issue that teachers discussed during week one of the strike was the topic of LAUSD funding charter schools.

The statement we are trying to make is that we would like for the district to stop funding money to the charter schools because the funding for the charter schools takes away from public education, said Drew Middle School teacher Patricia Egbu.

The charter schools make all of these promises to the parents and the students and they dont deliver; and if theyre not performing, they send them [the students] back to us. They [the charter schools] dont accept everybody and they dont take special ed students or the students with the bad test scores

Egbu goes on to explain how the teacher to student ratio affects the learning environment in the classroom.

Theres not enough desks, sometimes we have to sit on the floor, when the ratio gets too high no possible learning can take place and then they blame the teachers for not doing their jobs.

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UTLAs decision comes after almost two years of contract negotiations with the district. The Friday before the strike was set to take place, UTLA met with LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner to discuss a bargaining proposal that he was hoping would change their minds. However, UTLA turned Beutners proposal down.

According to UTLA, Beutners proposal would, permanently increases class sizes up to 39 in middle school, 46 in high school and would only allow increased staffing for one year, and not at all schools.

During the first two days of the strike, Beutner took to social media to express his concerns.

The strike wont create the funding we need to boost teacher salaries or hire new educators. Ninety percent of the funding for our schools comes from Sacramento, the state capital, which Los Angeles cant control, read the Twitter post.

On day one of the strike, many parents refused to take their children to school. In fact, some parents headed to the picket lines with their children to advocate for smaller class sizes, more school nurses, counselors, and librarians as well as additional demands.

As a result of just day one of strike, LAUSD lost 15 million dollars and as the strike progressed that number increased.

15 million dollars that would have been better spent to reduce class sizes, to higher more nurses, counselors, and librarians, 15 million dollars that we are not going to get back. So each day we should be asking ourselves why we cant get this solved, said Beutner in a statement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom weighed in on the matter by urging UTLA and the superintendent to reconvene until an agreement is made.

This impasse is disrupting the lives of too many kids and their families. I strongly urge all parties to go back to the negotiating table and find an immediate path forward that puts kids back into classrooms and provides parents certainty, read Newsoms Twitter post.

As of press time, the LAUSD strike was wrapping up day two with no intentions to end their march toward improving the learning conditions for their students.

This show of unity and determination sends a strong message to Beutner and the School Board that our members are determined to stay on the picket lines as long as we have to, that we are not playing games, that parents and community are behind us, that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to give our students a chance at a quality education, said UTLA regarding the first LAUSD strike in nearly 30 years.

To find out more information about the schools on strike as well as additional resources please call the family hotline at (213)443-1300. Be sure to check out the LA Sentinel next week for exclusive strike coverage on the schools being affected in the Crenshaw area!New Chair of Family Medicine at Keck is Aiming to Improve Health Outcomes Among the Underserved

Jehni Robinson, MD said she is honored to have been named the new chair of the Keck School of Medicine of USC Department of Family Medicine. Her mission is to improve outcomes among local underserved communities. She knows it is a big job, but its a big job, she told the Sentinel in a recent interview, but shes up for it. Family medicine has been her passion for a long time.

It is a great pleasure to lead the Department of Family Medicine and continue its important mission of providing quality care to patients, Robinson said.

I am excited to work with the departments exceptionally talented clinicians, staff and students to provide patient-centered, team-based health and wellness to all patients touched by Keck Medicine of USC, particularly those in the local underserved communities surrounding our health sciences campus.

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Robinson studied medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and went on to complete her internship and residency at Harbor-UCLA in the Family Medicine Residency Program, as well as a fourth-year chief residency and faculty development fellowship. During that time, she said she began to see the importance of developing a more patient-centered model of care.

The curriculum she developed during the fellowship helped other family medicine fellows better understand the model and put it into practice. This research shows that patients who have an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician have better outcomes and lower costs. Additionally, when care is managed effectively by primary care physicians, patients with chronic diseases have fewer complications, which leads to fewer, often avoidable future hospitalizations.

The Keck Schools Department of Family Medicine has a number of programs that support its mission of providing quality care to surrounding communities. Addressing homelessness in Los Angeles is one priority. With more than 52,000 people who are homeless in Los Angeles county alone, the Keck School of Medicine of USC Street Medicine program aims to provide direct care on the streets to the unsheltered and hardest-to-reach populations. All care is provided free of charge and delivered onsite, including dispensing medications and drawing blood for testing. Robinson has worked very hard with her team to get this innovative program up and seeing patients, she told the Sentinel.

Working to create a new family medicine residency program is another core component of Robinsons goals as chair. The residency will teach physicians to lead the way in personalized medicine, including traditional face-to-face visits, technology assisted home visits, on the streets, and in nursing homes. Robinson is excited for the opportunity to bring together high touch and high tech, as medical students will participate in team-based training alongside other health professional programs.

Robinsons colleagues have expressed full confidence in her abilities to bring about these practices and changes within the community.

In her year as interim chair, Dr. Robinson rose to every challenge, said Laura Mosqueda, MD, dean of the Keck School and professor of family medicine. Dr. Robinson has my trust and respect, and I look forward to working with her.

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Robinson previously served as chief medical officer at the Saban Community Clinic, formerly Los Angeles Free Clinic, as well as interim clinical director at Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County.Martin Luther King Day Generates a Day Full of Celebrations



Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for so much more than civil rightshe championed for liberty and freedom for all. On MLK day, his legacy will be celebrated throughout the nation with parades, special events and programs.

On Friday, January 18, from 7:30-9:30AM, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles will host its 48th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast celebrating exemplary community leaders whose work pays tribute to Dr. Kings lifelong commitment to equality, social justice and community service. Dr. Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., interim dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management and founder and faculty director of Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, will serve as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Human Dignity Award. Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation, will be honored with the Brotherhood Award.

On January 19-21, the Kidspace Children Museum is honoring the legacy of Dr. King. In partnership with Project Giving Kids, they will be onsite from 10AM-1PM each day with service projects for families to participate in and learn ways how to continue to volunteer to make communities stronger. At 1PM each day, there will be a dance and cultural presentation by the California Step Association focusing on the legacy of Dr. King and Black History Month. Event activities are included with museum admission. Learn more about Kidspace hours and admission at www.kidspacemuseum.org.

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On January 21, the annual 34th Annual Kingdom Day Parade, the largest parade in the nation, kicks off at Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Western and continues to Crenshaw and Vernon in Leimert Park in Los Angeles. The celebration includes marching bands, drill teams, local organizations, local officials and floats galore. This years theme is Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, Healthy Democracy.

On January 21, Santa Monica College and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition will celebrate with Derric J. Johnson, the founding director of Crossroads Schools newly created Equity and Justice Institute, who will be the keynote speaker at the birthday celebration for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the SGI-USA World Peace Ikeda Auditorium located at 525 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica, CA. This years celebration marks the events 34th anniversary and embraces the theme Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere. The multi-ethnic, interfaith program will include inspirational readings, speakers, music and dance.

The free event is one of the largest and most diverse celebrations in Southern California scheduled for 9AM. After the program, the Community Involvement Fair will offer refreshments and informational displays by a variety of community organizations held from 10:30AM to noon at the nearby Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, 101 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA.

Also, on January 21, the California African American Museum will be celebrating with a full day of events for everyone from 10AM-5PM. The days event includes art activities, music and food trucks on the patio, a listening of Kings 1968 speech in Los Angeles, panel discussions, a musical tribute and a march through Exposition Park. Please visit https://caamuseum.org for more info.Louisville is Renaming its Airport after Muhammad Ali

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Muhammad Alis Kentucky hometown will honor the late boxer by renaming its airport for him.

The Louisville Regional Airport Authoritys board voted Wednesday to change the name to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Ali would have turned 77 Thursday. He died in 2016.

Alis widow, Lonnie Ali, said in a news release from the board that she is proud of the name change. She said although Ali was a global citizen, he never forgot his hometown.

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Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer cited research showing that Alis name recognition is greater than Louisvilles and said hes organizing a group to work toward celebrating Alis Louisville ties more broadly.

The airport board said the decision came after a working group studied renaming the airport for more than a year.GLAAACC Honors Top Business Leaders

The Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC) will host the 26th Annual Economic Awards Dinner on Friday, March 8. This event recognizes individuals, small businesses and corporations who have contributed to the economic growth and development of the African American small business community. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) chief executive officer, Deborah Flint will deliver the keynote address, and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson will serve as master of ceremonies. The event will be held at the JW Marriott LA Live, 900 West Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles, at 5:00 p.m.

Keynote speaker, LAWA CEO, Deborah Flint, will discuss the creation of a customer-focused airport environment through LAXs $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP). LAMP is the largest public works project in the history of the city of Los Angeles.

Components of the project include the Automated People Mover (APM), Consolidated Rent-a-Car Center (ConRAC), Intermodal Transportation Facilities (ITFs) and comprehensive roadway improvements. Working in partnership with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the system will provide travelers with a seamless connection to public transit. The Airport Metro Connector will link the LAX/Crenshaw Line and the Green Line to the APM via Metros new 96th Street /Aviation Boulevard transit station.

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Flint has experience with successfully implementing a large capital project under similar circumstances. As aviation director for the Port of Oakland, she delivered the $480-milliion BART Airport Rail project after years of effort and challenges.

Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson will once again be the master of ceremonies for the evening. Wesson has served as the president of the Los Angeles City Council since November 2011 and has represented Council District 10 since 2005. Wesson is the first African American to hold the position of Council President in the citys history and has been re-elected three times to lead the citys legislative body. During his tenure as Council President, Wesson has presided over monumental policy initiatives making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family. His local policy initiatives include raising the minimum wage, pension reform and consolidating city elections to increase voter turnout.

Wesson chairs several committees including the Board of Referred Powers and the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2024 Summer Olympics.

He is the vice chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Comprehensive Job Creation. As chair of the rules, elections, intergovernmental relations, and neighborhoods (REIRN) committee, Wesson has facilitated the empowerment of neighborhood councils while finding new and innovative ways to engage the public and promote civic engagement.

GLAAACCs Economic Awards Dinner is widely considered the business networking event of the year for small businesses, and this year is no exception.

Our keynote speaker, Deborah Flint, is one of the top public sector executives in the country. Our master of ceremonies, Herb Wesson, is one of the top public officials in the state, and were honoring some of the top community leaders in Los Angeles. Said GLAAACC Chairman Gene Hale. This is definitely the event where information is shared and connections are made.

For more information on GLAAACCs 26th Annual Economic Awards Dinner, visit GLAAACC.org or call (323) 292-1297.Forgeries of African American Art on the Rise

For African American artists, prior to 1980, exhibition venues were few, museum opportunities rare and there wasnt concrete infrastructure for Black art.

Before that time, the primary infrastructure for African American art lay in the hands of academia, said Larry Poncho Brown, one of Marylands most prolific artists.

Brown noted that such talented individuals as Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden and others stood above the industry prior to the 1980s while the Harlem Renaissance, AfriCOBRA, and other black art movements were the last of the noted revolutions in African American art.

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Today, the recent boom in museums has revealed a devotion to African-American artists and the increasing amount of attention paid to these artists has led to a significant rise in forgeries, according to a new report.

The ART Newspaper reported that, in the past few weeks alone, there have been many fakes purporting to be the work of Alma Thomas, Beauford Delaney, Charles White, Romare Bearden and Bob Thompson.

Its a whole generation: you could go from A to Z through the list, from Charles Alston to Charles White. I am seeing fakes attributed to all of them, New York-based gallerist Rosenfeld told the newspaper.

Propelling the fakes market is the fact that many of these artists were overlooked or undervalued in their lifetimes, so scholarship and expertise in their work is limited. You simply cant go back to the source any more, and there is only a handful of people who worked first-hand with a lot of these artists while they were alive, Rosenfield said.

Forgers know they can capitalize on that.

For artist Jonathan Green, who owns the popular Jonathan Green Studios in Charleston, S.C., forgeries are of little surprise. In my 40-year career, Ive run into more fraud than you can shake a stick at, Green said. Fraud has been around since the beginning of time.

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Because African American artists are now appreciated, theres a high-value placed on their work and that keeps the fraudsters working overtime, Green said. Also, because black artists have historically been overlooked, so-called art experts are ignorant to many great originals, he said.

A lot of people are capitalizing on this and, in some cases, the fault lies with the museums and the cultural centers because theyre not sophisticated enough to know about these artists, Green said.

Additionally, as noted in The ART, some of the artists whose works are being forged, like Jacob Lawrence, have estates and foundations which should make it easier to authenticate the works.

However, foundations just arent doing this work anymore because they cant afford to, said Bridget Moore of New Yorks DC Moore gallery, which represents African-American artists including David Driskell, and Lawrence. For this reason, Moore says she has always kept detailed fake files on all of her artists.

Some of the recent forgeries include a 2011 case where Louisiana artist William Toye and his wife, Berry, pleaded guilty to charges of fraud after conspiring with a New Orleans-based dealer over the course of nearly 40 years to sell dozens of works painted by Toye and fraudulently signed as Clementine Hunter, an African-American artist who died in 1988. Hunter was self-taught and arguably one of the most significant artists to come out of Louisiana, according to the FBI special agent Randy Deaton, who led the three-year-long investigation.

It was a remarkable case because she was a folk artist, Deaton told The ART. She was well known, but there wasnt an authoritative archive on her career, which made it easier for Toye to pass off his own paintings as hers.

One of the things that gave away the forgeries was the presence of cat hairs on some canvases, the conservator and forgery specialist James Martin, who consulted on the case, told the newspaper.

Currently the director of scientific research at Sothebys, Martin is the founder of Orion Analytical, which was acquired by the auction house in 2016.

Cat hairs, the same discrepancies in under-drawing and signatures, and dirt wiped on to [the works] to impart a false appearance of age linked the fakes I examined to a common source, he said.

Ultimately though, it was the sheer number of forged works attributed to Hunter by the Toyes that gave Martin a substantial sample size, enabling him to find the forgeries. Generally speaking, problems with forgeries become easier to spot when seen in large numbers, he said.

Concerns about the authenticity of several works by Charles White were raised when the Art Institute of Chicago was organizing the artists first major survey show, according The ART.

The exhibition, seen in Chicago last summer, is currently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is due to travel to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art next month.

According to FBI special agent Timothy Carpenter, who manages the agencys art crimes division, its not the first time this issue has come up, but he adds that the fake works that are surfacing are likely to be small or not of very high value, which may make dealers disinclined to formally report them.Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. : A Life of Service Cut Short

He will live forever in history as the icon of Americas Civil Rights Movement, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and drum major for justice. January 21 marks the (?) annual day of celebration, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. here in the U.S. And, while schools will be closed, and some may get a three day weekend, while others may take advantage of sales, it is important to remember why we celebrate.

Had he not been cut down at the young age of 39, King Jr. January 15 would have marked his 90th birthday. Perhaps he would have been proud to see some of the changes that have been made since his fighting-for-justice days. Perhaps he would have also disappointed at Americas setbacks since those days.

While there have been real strides toward equal employment and education, inequality and injustice still remain at the forefront of Black politics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Blacks are still unemployed at nearly twice the rate as whites, and Blacks are more than twice as likely to live in poverty. And, disparities in education continue to show up in test scores, dropout rates and enrollment in higher education.

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King saw the importance of addressing these disparities at an early age.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929, the second of three children, in Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up in the south presented plenty of opportunities for the young King to notice that America was troubled. As a young boy, he felt resentment against Whites due to the racial humiliation that he, his family, and his neighbors often had to endure in his segregated hometown and all over the south.

King attended Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, where he became known for his oratorical skills and was part of the schools debate team. During his junior year, he won first prize in an oratorical contest sponsored by the Negro Elks Club in Dublin, Georgia. On the ride home to Atlanta by bus, he and his teacher were ordered by the driver to stand so that white passengers could sit down.

King attributed the incident as one of the angriest times in his young life. He was exceptional, skipping both the 9th and 12th grades of high school . He attended Morehouse College in Georgia and decided to join the Baptist ministry at age 18. At age 19, he enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a B.Div. degree in 1951.

King Jr .received his Ph.D. degree on June 5, 1955 from Boston University. That year, Blacks in the south had begun to become tired and restless over Jim Crow, a set of laws that systematically kept them oppressed. In March, Claudette Colvina fifteen-year-old Black school girl in Montgomery, Alabamarefused to give up her bus seat to a white man in violation of Jim Crow. At the time, King was on the committee from the Birmingham African-American community that looked into the case. In December, a similar incident occurred when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus.

The two incidents led to the Montgomery bus boycott, which lasted for 385 days. The situation brought violence to the souths Black communities but ultimately ended racial segregation on all Montgomery public buses and propelling King into the national spotlight.

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As cofounder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference King and his group staged a myriad of non violent protests during which there were often dramatic stand-offs with segregationist authorities, who sometimes turned violent.

He had hoped television coverage of the violence against a non violent, unarmed people would bring national attention to the situation, an initiate change. The movement garnered success, however backlashes came in the form of more militant groups urging African Americans to fight back against their oppressors, even if they had to use violence.

In April 1963, the SCLC began a campaign against racial segregation and economic injustice in Birmingham, Alabama. During the protests, the Birmingham Police Department, led by Eugene Bull Connor, used high-pressure water jets and police dogs against protesters, including children. Footage of the police response was broadcast on national television news and dominated the nations attention, shocking many White Americans and consolidating Black Americans behind the movement

King was arrested and jailed early in the campaign, from his cell penning the famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed, he wrote.

In August that same year, King joined other Civil Rights leaders in organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march originally was conceived as an event to dramatize the desperate condition of blacks in the southern U.S. and an opportunity to place organizers concerns and grievances squarely before the seat of power in the nations capital. Organizers intended to denounce the federal government for its failure to safeguard the civil rights and physical safety of civil rights workers and Blacks. But pressure from the government served to dissipate some of the passion behind the march. Some civil rights activists felt it presented an inaccurate, sanitized pageant of racial harmony; Malcolm X called it the Farce on Washington, and the Nation of Islam forbade its members from attending the march.

Nonetheless, the march enjoyed major success and was the venue for perhaps one Kings most famous speeches of all, I Have a Dream, a 17 minute presentation about the urgency of equality and justice for Americas oppressed.

King maintained his stance on non violent protests throughout his career, often spearheading events that brought violence against him and his followers. On what is now known as a Bloody Sunday in December 1964, King and the SCLC joined forces with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Selma, Alabama, where the SNCC had been working on voter registration for several months. A local judge issued an injunction that barred any gathering of three or more people affiliated with the SNCC, SCLC, DCVL, or any of 41 named civil rights leaders. This injunction temporarily halted civil rights activity until King defied it by speaking at Brown Chapel on January 2, 1965. During the 1965 march to Montgomery, Alabama, violence by state police and others against the peaceful marchers resulted in much publicity, which made Alabamas racism visible nationwide.

On March 29, 1968, King went to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of the Black sanitary public works employees, who were represented by AFSCME Local 1733. The workers had been on strike since March 12 for higher wages and better treatment.

King was booked in Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel (owned by Walter Bailey) in Memphis.

On April 4, 1968, as he stood on the motels second-floor balcony, an assasin bullet entered through his right cheek, smashing his jaw, then traveled down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder. After emergency chest surgery, King died at St. Josephs Hospital at 7:05 p.m. According to biographer Taylor Branch, Kings autopsy revealed that though only 39 years old, he had the heart of a 60 year old, which Branch attributed to the stress of 13 years in the civil rights movement.

He left in his wake wife, Coretta Scott King and four children, Yolanda, Martin Luther King III, Dexter and Bernice.Divine Johnson is Miss Pasadena Teen USA

As Miss Pasadena Teen and student body president of Pasadena High School, Divine Johnson will give the opening remarks at Pasadena Mayor Terry Torneks State of the City Address today, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Pasadena High School.

Johnson has been a part of politics most of her life. She has been class president since she was in 6th grade and is currently the student body president at Pasadena High School. Now, in her senior year, Johnson takes on a new title as Miss Pasadena Teen USA.

I had never been into pageants, but in Pasadena its a big social thing where, during senior year, a lot of girls go out to be Rose Queen in the Rose Parade, said Johnson. Its out of 1,000 girls and I did not end up making it on the Rose Court, but I did have two judges come up to me and say how close I was.

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Even though she didnt make Rose Court, the six-week competition gave Johnson the opportunity to cultivate her platform, which she will now use in the Miss California Teen USA competition from Jan. 24 to 27. Johnsons platform focuses on public school education.

In Pasadena, there are tons of private schools and parents who can afford to send their kids to them. The public schools, on the other hand, are closing down due to under-enrollment. Johnson has attended private and public schools, but she noticed that most of her passion and accomplishments have been from her time at public school. She wants parents to know that Pasadena has great public schools and to increase enrollment. Along with public education, Johnson will advocate for gender equality in all industries, but particularly in politics.

Im really more into politics, but what Ive learned is that this is an amazing platform and people listen, said Johnson. The theme of this years Miss California Teen USA is Girl Boss which I absolutely love. To me being a girl boss is being politically active in your community. I want girls to know that they can be leaders within their communities not just within their homes.

Johnson has worked with Mayor Tornek on education initiatives as a member of the Pasadena City Youth Council. Last year, they youth council was able to get an anti-bullying bill signed and start a mentorship program to bridge the gap between under and upperclassmen. Johnson is also a member of Pasadena Assemblymember Chris Holdens 2019 Young Legislators Cohort. Along with 10 other students, she will work with Holden for six months, learning the legislative process ending with a trip to the state capitol, Sacramento. This will be especially exciting for Johnson as Holden attended Pasadena High School as well and is a strong advocate for public schools. Johnson is also an original founding member of Cal Techs Girls Who Code Club and captain of her high school varsity volleyball team.

I dont want the pageantry. For me, its about community service, speaking your voice, and being community-minded, said Johnson.

Johnson will speak at Pasadena Mayor Terry Torneks State of the City Address, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. and will compete in the 2019 Miss California Teen USA pageant from Jan. 24 to 27.County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs Reaches Settlement with Business that Failed to Pay Correct Minimum Wage

The County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs Wage Enforcement Program has reached a monetary settlement with a business in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County that the Department alleges was not paying 12 employees the correct minimum wage.

Wage Enforcement investigators from the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs determined that Charlie Brown Farms, a business located in unincorporated Littlerock, a community in northern Los Angeles County, had not paid 12 of its employees the correct minimum wage required for work performed in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. The business owners reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and are working in coordination with investigators to pay all back wages due and penalties owed to the 12 employees. The settlement totals $23,705.54.

All employees in Los Angeles County deserve to be compensated fairly for their hard work, said Joseph M. Nicchitta, Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. Business owners must understand and pay their workers the correct minimum wage. If theyre unsure about their obligations to their employees, they should contact our Wage Enforcement team.

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The Department of Consumer and Business Affairs enforces the minimum wage in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. The current minimum wage in unincorporated Los Angeles County is $13.25 an hour for businesses with 26 or more employees and $12.00 an hour for businesses with 25 or fewer employees. Since July 2016, the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs has helped more than 1,250 employees recover more than $186,000 in unpaid wages.

If you work in unincorporated Los Angeles County and believe you are not being paid the correct minimum wage, contact the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at (800) 593-8222 or visit dcba.lacounty.gov/minimum-wage. The Department also encourages business owners to contact them for more information on compliance or to receive printed materials and required postings free of charge.

Since 1976, the County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) has served consumers, businesses, and communities through education, advocacy, and complaint resolution. We work every day to educate consumers and small business owners about their rights and responsibilities, mediate disputes, investigate consumer fraud complaints, and enforce Los Angeles Countys minimum wage ordinance. For more information, visit dcba.lacounty.gov.CBC to Trump: Stop Using Federal Workers as Political Pawns

During a press call last week, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said that among other consequences, African Americans will be disproportionately affected by what is now known as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The group makes up about 18 percent of the Federal worker population and Friday, January 10, was the first day that Federal workers could not receive theyre paychecks. They are urging President Donald Trump to end the shutdown now.

Today is especially painful for so many workers because it should be pay day, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee on January 10, during the call.

But without these paychecks, many federal workers are hanging on by a thread. I know that there are hundreds of thousands families out there who are grappling with the anxiety of not being able to pay their bills as this shutdown drags on.

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The shutdown began December 22, 2018 when Trump wanted to include allowance for $5.7 million to fund a border wall between Mexico and the United States in a government funding bill. But Democrats refused to support the bill if it included funding for the wall over questions on its effectiveness and the amount required, causing it to fail to achieve a majority vote to pass it through to Congress. Trump said he would shut the government down until he gets approval for the border wall and has since threatened to continue with the shutdown or declare a national emergency to push forward with the wall without Congress approval.

To do that, said CBC members, would then cut into funding already earmarked for rebuild efforts of other real national disasters.

We have ongoing declared disasters in California, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as we speak, said Chairman of Homeland Security Benny Thompson during the call.

Were still working through things like Hurricane Sandy, etc. on the East Coast

Meanwhile, the shutdown has impacted about 800,000 Federal workers. According to news reports, approximately 420,000 workers have been required to work without pay, including those within federal law enforcement and national security positions such as the FBI, Border Patrol, Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents, while the remainder were furloughed. The extended shutdown has prompted workers to call in sick, find other paid work, or to protest against the shutdown. Other consequences have included sharp reductions in SNAP payments and delays towards completing tax refunds worth around $140 billion.

There are hundreds of thousands families out there who are grappling with the anxiety of not being able to pay their bills as this shutdown drags on, Lee said.

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President Trump is holding this government hostage and holding people hostage in order to get his wasteful, useless wall. This is a disgrace and its the American people who are paying the price.

People are selling their cars, picking up second jobs and applying for food stamps just to keep afloat. Given the decades of workplace discrimination, Many African Americans have turned to the public sector of employment for good jobs. Now, many of them are not receiving a paycheck today.

We know that 63 percent of black families do not have enough in their savings to cover a $400 emergency expense. For families living paycheck to paycheck, this shutdown is clearly an emergency. There are no savings to fall back on. And, there are African Americans, through economic disparity, who need federal government services that are now in jeopardy, this includes SNAP benefits, WIC and affordable housing initiatives.

Without the certainty of these benefits in March, poor families, who struggle to put food on the table could fall further into poverty

Other consequences include threats to homeland security and some CBC members think the shutdown is a distraction from real issues, like whether the President has committed treason.

This shutdown and the whole issue of the wall is a fake crisis, said Rep Karen Bass, CBC chair.

 At the end of the day, even if he had all the money, it would still take eminent domain to build his wall. That process will take years. This is further evidence that this is a fake crisis and, in my opinion, just an attempt to change our attention away from the numerous impending investigations

Our message to Trump is simple, said Lee.

Stop using Federal workers as political pawns and hostages. Open the government.California Democratic Party African American Caucus Names New Communications Chair

Darren Parker, Chair of the African American Caucus of the California Democratic Party, today announced Jasmyne Cannick as the caucus new communications chair.

The African American Caucus is extremely pleased and very fortunate to have someone with Cannicks experience and background in the field of communications and media join our team, said Darren Parker, Chair of the African American Caucus of the California Democratic Party.

Jasmyne is someone who understands new media and how to communicate in this new era of how people obtain their news. Her impeccable credentials will be a great addition to the Caucus in assisting us with getting out message out to and about Black Democrats in California and were happy to have her on board.

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I am extremely honored to have been chosen by the Darren Parker and leadership of the African American Caucus, said Cannick. I look forward to working with the Caucus to ensure that the positions, interests and welfare of the Black community in California continue to be advocated for and advanced in the California Democratic Party.

As a strategist, Cannick has worked at all levels of government including in the California State Assembly and House of Representatives. Locally shes worked for several city and county governments in the areas of public affairs and communications.

Today, as a public affairs and communications strategist, she continues to work on numerous local, state and federal candidate and ballot measure campaigns in California and has also expanded her practice to include working with some of Californias top criminal defense and civil rights attorneys.

Nationally, Cannick is known for her ability to speak truth to power as a journalist and television and radio commentator focusing on political, race and social issues causing her to be selected as one of ESSENCE Magazines 25 Women Shaping the World, one of the Most Influential African-Americans in Los Angeles Under 40 and one of Los Angeles Most Fascinating Angelenos by the L.A. Weekly.

A forward thinker with the ability to tackle hard to address issues from an unapologetically Black point of view, Jasmyne continues to successfully bring a logical mindset, including innovative theories to the art and practice of storytelling in the 21st century. Cannick is known for her efforts to shape public opinion and encourage civic engagement for positive social change while advocating for underrepresented and marginalized communities.

Cannick is a proud co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, the nations largest and oldest Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. She is a past co-chair of the National Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus.

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Featured in Emmy magazine as an up and coming producer, shes produced several films and television projects, among them the documentary 41st and Central: The Untold Story of the Los Angeles Black Panthers and Noahs Arc, the first African-American LGBT television series (Logo TV).

The mission of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus is to promote and encourage the full participation of all registered African-American Democrats in the Democratic State Central Committee of the California Democratic Party, to support Party policies that reflect the interest and welfare of the AfricanAmerican community, to act as the vehicle for implementation of these policies in the African-American community, and to give the Party guidance and/or advice regarding the concerns of the African-American community.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cdpaac.com.Black Women for Wellness Holds Vote Center Placement Community Meeting in South L.A.

Recently (January 14), Black Women for Wellness conducted a community meeting to discuss the new Vote Centers that will be implemented in L.A. County in 2020. The primary goal of the meeting was to get suggestions and comments from members of the community as to where the Vote Centers should be placed.

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The Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder/County Clerk partnered with multiple community organizations to hold grassroots meetings across L.A. County to educate and prepare the public about the transition from polling places to vote centers. The meeting included a brief discussion from Laura Herrera, program assistant for Voting Solutions for All People, a powerpoint presentation facilitated by Black Women for Wellness as well as an Open House, a chance for attendees to submit their suggestions and comments on the vote centers.

These meetings are a great start to what is going to be a big change for so many voters, said Gloria Coulanges, Communications and Marketing Manager at Black Women for Wellness and meeting facilitator. The Voter Center Placement Project allows for members of the community to offer suggestions as to where Vote Centers should be placed whether that be near home, work, place of worship, etc. We want people to think outside of the box as to where these centers should be placedas long as they meet the requirements stated in the Voters Choice Act.

In 2016, California passed the Voters Choice Act which will modernize elections in the state by allowing counties to conduct elections under a new model which provides greater flexibility and convenience for voters, according to the California Secretary of State website. Some of the requirements for the Vote Centers are ADA Accessibility, proximity to geographically isolated populations, low income communities, minority communities and public transportation.

The new voting model will allow Vote Centers to be open for up to ten days before an election and allows L.A. County residents to vote at any Vote Center within the county. Same-day voter registration will be available at all Vote Centers and Vote by Mail Drop Box locations will be available for 29 days prior to election day.

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Vote centers are a critical component of the new modernized voting experience coming to L.A. County, said Brenda Duran, Communications Manager for the Registrars office. This new experience will ensure voters of many languages and with various disabilities are able to exercise their democratic right in the most convenient and accessible manner.

For more information on the Vote Center Placement Project please visit http://vsap.lavote.net

To suggest a vote center visit http://www.placeworkscivic.com/project/lacovcppAttorneys Prepare Uphill Battle to Win Freedom for Bill Cosby Next Step in Appeals Begins Jan. 18

Bill Cosbys lawyers have a date with the Pennsylvania Superior Court on Friday, Jan. 18.

While nothing earth-shattering is expected, the briefing counts among the initial steps that the attorneys must take if the imprisoned entertainer is to win his appeal. However, getting a criminal conviction overturned in the United States is one of the most daunting challenges in the American Justice System.

Cosby, 81, was convicted in April 2018 of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.

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In September, he was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison which led many defense attorneys and others to blast both the conviction  which contained no physical and very little circumstantial evidence  and the sentence  at 81, Cosby had previously never run afoul of the law and hes blind  as unjust.

Still, Cosby faces an uphill battle in his bid for freedom, according to several experts who told NNPA Newswire this week that as many as 90 percent of the myriad of appeals heard are normally rejected.

The problem with criminal appeals is that a criminal appeal does not exist to ensure that a just, fair, honest, or equitable verdict exists, said Attorney Benjamin F. Schwartz of the Dover, DE., firm of Schwartz and Schwartz.

If someone tells you thats the purpose of an appeal, they are lying to you. Its not like the appellate judges are looking at the trial transcripts and trying to figure out if the accused person got a fair trial or if his lawyer screwed up the case, Schwartz said.

In filing their appeal last month, Cosbys attorneys cited more than 10 trial errors by Montgomery County, Pa., Judge Steven T. ONeill.

And, if ONeill did indeed err, the lawyers had better cite something that could be deemed so egregious that it moves the appellate court toward reversal.

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Trial judges make mistakes all the time, Schwartz said.

The appeal exists to make sure that the trial judge didnt make a bad mistake, the type that would have ruined the accused ability to get a fair trial.

To win a direct appeal after a criminal conviction, lawyers must prove that without the error by the trial judge, the case would have resulted in an acquittal, Schwartz said.

Falen O. Cox, a partner of the Georgia-based firm Cox, Rodman & Middleton, LLC, has practiced appeals before the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia for more than eight years.

Cox, an African American female attorney, said more than 90 percent of criminal convictions in the Peach State are affirmed.

The culprit is the principal/theory of harmless error, Cox said.

Generally an appeal focuses on mistakes that were made by the prosecutor, the judge, defense attorney and the jury.

For example, perhaps the prosecutor said something in a closing argument that the rules do not allow  a mistake, the defense attorney does not object  also a mistake, defense counsel does, however, object when the prosecution calls a witness who testifies about something that another witness already testified about, the judge overrules that objection but it should have been sustained because the testimony was cumulative and bolstering because hearing a co-sign makes the jury more likely to believe what the first witness said, which is also mistake, Cox said.

When the appellate lawyers reviews the file, he or she raises all of those mistakes as error on appeal and includes it in the brief  things that happened that should not have happened  mistakes other people made during the course of defendants trial.

Appellate counsel argues that because of these errors the conviction should be overturned. On appeal, the appellate court may acknowledge, and agree that all of the mistakes mentioned above were made. However, the appellate court can acknowledge this and still deny the defendants appeal by citing harmless error, she said.

Further making it tough to win an appeal is that the standards and rules governing appeals are heavily stacked against the defendant, said Nora V. Demleitner, a Roy L. Steinheimer Jr. Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University in Virginia.

Only rarely does the defendant appeal from a guilty plea and when they do so, the appeal tends to focus on the type or length of the sentence imposed, Demleitner said.

Part of Cosbys appeal does attack the length of sentencing where the Pennsylvania Code typically recommends anywhere from probation to one-to-three years in prison.

The reasons for an appeal upon a trial conviction tend to be limited. After all, our appeals courts  in contrast to those in civil law countries, like Germany or France  dont do a second review of the facts in a case, Demleitner said.

In a jury system, where the decision-makers dont provide any reasoning for their decision, that would be virtually impossible to do. Appeals therefore are limited to legal issues and here the burdens to overrule a decision by the trial court is a heavy one, she said, noting that one of the burdens include abuse of discretion.

So, it is frequently the standard that applies on appeal that bedevils a criminal defendant. It sets up an insurmountable hurdle. In effect, an appellate court may come out differently if it decided the question on its own, but it doesnt disagree enough to be able to overturn the trial courts decision on appeal, Demleitner said.

Although at trial the burden is on the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt, once convicted, if arguing the facts were insufficient at trial, the burden is now on the defendant to establish on appeal that the trial judge or jurys finding was clearly erroneous or substantial evidence, said Matt C. Pinsker, an adjunct professor of Homeland Security and Criminal Justice at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

However, Pinsker said, if it is a question of a matter of which judges have discretion, such as an evidentiary matter, the appeals courts are legally required to give discretion to the trial judge, especially considering the appellate judges were not there in person to personally observe and hear the case.

If it is a legal question like how the trial judge interpreted the law, it is then reviewed as de novo, meaning without any deference or consideration to how the trial judge ruled. Pinsker said.

Another issue is that many times, not only must the defense meet the legal standard on appeal, but many times they must also show that the error of the trial court was prejudicial, and that the case would have been decided differently had the lower court ruled properly, he said.

There are often cases where on appeal the appellate judges agree with the defense that the trial court made a mistake but opine that would not have changed the outcome.

Paul Wallin, a senior partner at Wallin & Klarichwith 40 years of appellate work under his belt, said Court of Appeals Justices are seasoned lawyers before they become judges and most have been trial judges for years before becoming appeal justices.

When they reach a decision to reverse or affirm an accused criminal conviction, they do so based upon the law that they are bound to uphold and without consideration for the feelings of anyone, including hurting the feelings of the trial judge or any other person, Wallin said.

However, this does not mean that Court of Appeals Justices do not get it right all the time. This is why we have the [State] Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, he said.

Wallin continued:

In some cases, the Court of Appeals decision will be to uphold the conviction and then the State Supreme or U.S. Supreme Court will reverse the conviction and provide the defendant the chance at a new trial.

We have been handling appellate matters for more than 35 years, and we have seen first-hand that you should never stop fighting for your freedom.Attorney statement on behalf of the mother of Gemmel Moore

The following statement is attorney Nana Gyamfi on behalf of Ms. LaTisha Nixon, mother of Gemmel Moore who died in Ed Bucks apartment on July 27, 2017:

On behalf of LaTisha Nixon, the family of Gemmel Moore and myself, I want to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Timothy Dean found dead in Ed Bucks apartment.

We are heartbroken. We are sickened. We are outraged.

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This was an avoidable tragedy. We are clear that this Black mans death is the direct result of the failure of law enforcement and District Attorney Jackie Lacey to charge and prosecute Ed Buck for the murder of Gemmel Moore and the crimes he committed against all of his victims.

Ms. Nixon and I warned sheriffs department homicide detectives in every one of our meetings with them that Ed Buck would kill again if they did not stop him. Instead of heeding our warnings and following the leads we presented to them, they spent our meeting time alternatively trying to convince us that there was not evidence to charge Ed Buck with a crime or that even if there was enough evidence, the charges would not worth pursuing. Deputies continually and consistently ignored every witness, every screenshot, every receipt produced from the extraordinary reporting by Jasmyne Cannick. They claimed they needed witnesses. Our office did the work to get prosecutorial immunity for witnesses  even though pundits proclaimed wed never get it  and brought those witnesses to speak with detectives only to have them marginalized and dismissed.

After our last meeting, in which detectives spent half of it discussing the murder of Natalie Wood, it was clear to Ms. Nixon and I that detectives were still not serious about the investigation of Gemmels death, and we left with a sinking feeling that the investigation was headed nowhere. Our worst suspicions were realized when District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced that no charges against Ed Buck would be filed regarding the death of Gemmel.

We know that Ed Buck should have been charged with multiple felony counts for his actions against Gemmel, including felony murder. The distribution and administration of illegal drugs is a felony that might reasonably foreseeably result in death. Every time Ed Buck injected Gemmel with drugs, it was like he was holding a loaded gun to Gemmels head and playing Russian Roulette. The insistence by law enforcement and the District Attorney that there was insufficient evidence to charge Ed Buck would be laughable if it was not so disgusting and dripping with anti-Blackness.

We know that Ed Buck has escaped any level of discomfort as a result of Gemmels death because of white privilege. If a young white man was found dead in a wealthy Black mans apartment with syringes and drugs all around, that Black man would have been handcuffed and taken directly to jail. Ed Buck was not handcuffed. Ed Buck was not taken to the police station to answer questions or be forced to call his attorney for assistance. Ed Buck was not charged. Ed Buck has suffered no repercussions even though law enforcement was informed by our team that Ed Buck was continuing his predatory Tuskegee-like torture of vulnerable Black gay men. And now, another Black man died in Ed Bucks apartment and he has still not been handcuffed, taken to a police station, or charged. Im not sure how many Black men are required to die at the hands of Ed Buck before the system of alleged law and order do their jobs.

Frankly, I am convinced that there are more dead Black bodies that are attributable to Ed Bucks predations, but one  Gemmel Moores  should have been enough.

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The family of Gemmel Moore demands that the sheriffs department arrest and charge Ed Buck, and that the District Attorney prosecute Ed Buck, for two counts of felony murder and all additional counts related to his abuse and torture of Gemmel and other vulnerable Black men who have come forward. The complicity must end , and end today.27th Annual Pan-African Film and Arts Festival To Screen Aretha Franklins Amazing Grace Concert

Americas Largest Black Film Festival To Exhibit Over 170 Black Films and 100 Fine Artists From February 7 Through February 18 at the Cinemark Rave 15 Theatres and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles. Festival Reflects on 27-Year Journey of Storytelling With AmPAFFify Campaign.

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival announced that it will celebrate its 27th Annual Opening Night with a screening of Aretha Franklins cherished Amazing Grace concert documentary at the Directors Guild of America. The festival, which presents an impressive slate of over 170 new Black films from the US and around the world and exhibits more than 100 fine artists and unique craftspeople, starts on Thursday, February 7 through Monday, February 18 at the Cinemark Rave 15 Theatres (3650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd) and the adjacent Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, California. Aretha Franklins spine-tingling and uplifting Amazing Grace, produced by Alan Elliott, was originally directed by Sydney Pollack in 1972 at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California. The film, a rare gem in the crown of the late musical genius, has not been seen before now due to technical and rights issues.

Its such a blessing to open the festival this year with Amazing Grace, expressed PAFF Co-Founder and Actor Danny Glover. Aretha Franklin is a rare treasure. To be graced with this film is an honor and a testament to the perseverance and long-standing prominence of the festivals impact.

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Over the past 26 years, The Pan African Film & Arts Festival has sought to increase cultural awareness and bridge diverse communities from the African diaspora by providing a creative safe space for the development and expression of the Black narrative through film, poetry, art, and music. This year, PAFF will amPAFFify amplify and ignite the Pan-African experience through next-generation storytelling.

27 years ago, we made a political, cultural, social and intellectual decision to get involved in film festivals as it became clear that a platform to showcase Black films was needed, shared Ayuko Babu, Executive Director and Co-Founder of PAFF. Its been a privilege to be a platform for many filmmakers and talent to share their unique stories through the lens of their own experiences, visions and creative artistry. The on-going challenge is whos story gets told on the small screen and big screen? The Pan African Film Festival is a way of showing distributors the stories that matter to people of color.

PAFFs legacy is evidenced by the success of storytellers and talent whove contributed works to the festival such as Will Packer, Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, Ryan Coogler, Berry Jenkins, Taraji P. Henson, Ava Duvernay, and countless others. The programs platform exists proudly as a conduit for the careers of thousands of talented actors, directors, producers, and executives; many of which have gone on to win the industrys top honors including the Golden Globes, Emmys and Oscars. As an official Oscar-qualifying festival, many of PAFFs short and live-action films will be up for consideration for an Academy Award.

To further amPAFFify PAFFs proud history, the organization recently launched an #IAMPAFF Meme Generator, designed to allow festival supporters to share their own stories on social media. Festival supporters can join in the fun by creating a meme to tell their story at paff.org/iampaff.

This years program features a robust schedule including the Filmmakers Brunch, ARTFest, PAFF Institute Panels, StudentFest, LOL Comedy Series, Childrens Fest, SpokenWord Fest, Seniors Connection and much more. Individual screening tickets and all festival passes can be purchased at paff.org/tickets. Group sales discounts are also available. For more information, visit the PAFF website at paff.org or call 310-337-4737.UPDATE: Rep. Elijah Cummings Statement on Efforts to End the Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C.  Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to end the Trump shutdown and fund government agencies for the eighth time:

On the 26th day of the Trump shutdown, I again voted to end the shutdown and fund government agencies. This shutdown has gone on for far too long. The American people deserve to have their government back at work for them, and federal employees deserve their pay. Our government must be better than this.

Every day the shutdown continues, the pain felt by the over 800,000 affected federal workers only increases as anxieties about how to pay rent, cover medical expenses, and provide for their families deepen. The more than 23,000 Maryland-based federal employees who are furloughed or working without pay have already missed one paycheck, and are now forced to contemplate the possibility of going an entire month  or even longer  without pay. I am glad to have voted to pass legislation to provide federal employees with back pay once the shutdown ends, but that does little to alleviate the pain of our nations public servants who went from living paycheck to paycheck, to paycheck to no check.

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I am proud to have voted for each of the eight measures Democrats in the House of Representatives brought to the floor to end the shutdown and provide funding to government agencies. I urge Leader McConnell to bring these measures up for a vote in the Senate, and for President Trump to work with Congress to allow the government to get back to work in service to the American people.

Since the 116th Congress was sworn in, Congressman Cummings has voted to open the government and fund key agencies eight times:

Jan. 16  Congressman Cummings voted to end the shutdown and fund the government through Feb. 8.

Jan. 15  Congressman Cummings voted to end the shutdown and fund the government through Feb. 1.

Jan. 11  Congressman Cummings voted to fund the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Interior.

Jan. 10  Congressman Cummings voted to fund the Departments of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other agencies.

Jan. 10  Congressman Cummings voted to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

Jan. 9  Congressman Cummings voted to fund the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service.

Jan. 3  Congressman Cummings voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security through February 8.

Jan. 3  Congressman Cummings voted to pass a package of six appropriations bills that had all previously passed the Senate with bipartisan support.This editorial appears in the January 18, 2019 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

EDITORIAL

FBI Targeting of Trump Comes Under Growing Attack

[Print version of this editorial]

Marion S. Trikosko J. Edgar Hoover

Jan. 14There is a building furor from all sides of the political spectrum about the FBI targeting of Donald Trump as a Manchurian candidate traitor following the firing of James Comey. Some people absolutely get the fact that it is the British who are behind this targeting. Its our job to escalate the furor. As of this writing, Part I of my Three-Part Series on The British and the Coup Against the President has 3700 social media shares.

John Dowd, the storied Washington, D.C. criminal attorney who represented the President in the initial rounds of the Mueller probe, put the matter succinctly in an interview with Fox News:

Little did I know that it appears that they were all in it together. I mean Rosenstein, Comey, Mueller, McCabe, the whole crowd, and they were out to get this president no matter what. I dont think they sincerely believed anything about Russia . . . This is our worst nightmare, that someone with that kind of power would then decide to go after the President. I mean, its a coup. Thats what it is, an attempted coup by Comey and his crowd. And the evidence is all over there. I take the New York Times article as an admission of their bad behavior.

Dowd otherwise commented that the United States must appear now to the world as a banana republic rather than a nation of laws.

Dan Bogino, the very popular Fox News commentator, picked out articles from May 2018 for his Twitter and Web audience, highlighting the British role in the aforesaid coup, and honing in on Richard Dearlove specifically. May of 2018 was when the initial revelations appeared concerning Stefan Halper and Richard Dearlove, further exposed now in LaRouche PACs three-part expose.

In a piece also published on foxnews.com, Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova, state:

A stench has been emanating from the J. Edgar Hoover Building (FBI headquarters) for over two years. It landed Saturday on the front page of the New York Times in an article citing former law enforcement officials claiming they had to deal with explosive implications that President Donald Trump was knowingly or unwittingly working for Russia. Thus, the story goes, there was a basis to begin the Russia collusion investigation. . . .

In fact, The Gray Lady was covering the derrieres of the Obama Administration officials involved in the cabal to frame Trump, who now fear an imminent Special Counsel finding that during the 2016 campaign there was no collusion between Trump and the Russians. The article is intended to convey the following message: Even though there was no evidence to support the allegations, those making the decision to investigate Trump did so in good faith.

DiGenova, the former U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., and Toensing, a former head of the Justice Department Criminal Divisions Fraud Unit, go on to completely lambast the bad and very dirty cops at the top of the FBI, noting,

The New York Times story was created to obfuscate the real criminal conspiracy: violation of Title 18 of U.S. Code Section 242, which prohibits any person under color of law (i.e., Obama Administration personnel) to deprive another of rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution. Such legal protection includes being free from a criminal investigation based on false charges . . .

Perhaps the bizarre January 20, 2017 email Susan Rice wrote to herself purporting to document a January 5, 2017 meeting with President Obama, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, FBI Director Comey and Vice President Joe Biden, gives a clue as to some of those conspirators. The meeting discussed the Steele dossier and Russian collusion, but curiously Rice stressed that the former president said every aspect should be handled by the book. Yet, Strzok had told his FBI colleague and paramour Lisa Page not to worry about Trump being elected because Well stop it.

Obamas statement to Rice is what prosecutors call a false exculpatory statement, something which happens all the time in white collar prosecutions of lawyers where very guilty people consciously create a paper trail exonerating themselves from guilt.

Finally, Glenn Greenwald really nails it in a January 14 article for the Intercept.

Greenwald takes the lapdog media to task for insisting that the targeting of the President for a security investigation is unprecedented, thereby erasing from American history the numerous previous chapters concerning an out-of-control FBI. In particular, Greenwald cites the unending J. Edgar Hoover investigation of FDRs Vice President, Henry Wallacelater a post-War third-party presidential candidatefor his peacemaking efforts and direct defiance of the British Empire. Greenwald cites the following passage from a September 1946 Wallace speech which, apparently, especially inflamed Hoover:

Make no mistake about itthe British imperialist policy in the Near East alone, combined with Russian retaliation, would lead the United States straight to war unless we have a clearly defined and realistic policy of our own.

Neither of these two great powers wants war now, but the danger is that whatever their intentions may be, their current policies may eventually lead to war. To prevent war and insure our survival in a stable world, it is essential that we look abroad through our own American eyes and not through the eyes of either the British Foreign Office or a pro-British or anti-Russian press . . .

We must not let our Russian policy be guided or influenced by those inside or outside the United States who want war with Russia. . . .This transcript appears in the January 18, 2019 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

The British Come Out of the Shadows

[Print version of this transcript]

The following is an edited transcript of Barbara Boyds prepared remarks for delivery on the Jan. 10 LaRouche PAC Fireside Chat.

Im going to tell you a true crime story, which is made possible by two converging events: the House of Lords recent Report U.K. Foreign Policy In a Shifting World Order, delivered in November 2018, and the exposure of the Integrity Initiative, a British military information warfare outfit which, fortunately for us, had lots of its internal papers posted recently on the Internet. Think of the Lords as the purveyors of the actual policies of Empire, although they write in sanitized diplospeak. Think of the Integrity Initiative as the enforcers of this view, creating propaganda in order to excite martial instincts against their targets for war, especially war with Russia.

Sir Richard Dearlove

Looking at the overlaps in personnel between the Integrity Initiative and the British circles around Sir Richard Dearlove, the former MI6 chief, who was actually running Christopher Steeles operation against Donald Trump, also allows us to look at the story told about the British and the 2016 campaign in a different light and recast it. Thats because the main fact about this story is that the British ran the operation, not some dark group at the Department of Justice or the Obama White House, or the crazy partisans of Hillary Clintons campaign. Yes, they too participated whole-heartedly, but that is not the story. The story is that the American public got royally jerked around by its age-old enemy. Thats the story.

The Congress and the partisans of Fox News are covering this up, and limiting your view because they themselves are compromised by the very same operation. Who owns Fox, my friends? Its the Murdochs with all their Tory policies, against which we have warred for many years. The Lords Report claims that the U.S. Congress is mainly made up of raving Anglophiles who have been revved up to a near froth about Russia and China, and that they are expending large amounts of energy trying to put Donald Trump in the same suicidal box. There is nothing evident in Congressional behavior to put what the Lords say about them in doubt.

So, lets get to it.

The House of Lords Report

First, the Lords Report. The Lords are looking at how the British adjust to Brexit. Dont get me wrong. They are still incredibly freaked out that the event even occurred, and a big part of their Report is devoted to the idea that they can prevent any such exercise of democracy from ever happening again. That is one big part of their Reporthow to control the Internet and peoples access to information. The second part of the report targets four nationsthe United States, Russia, China, and Indiaas being the most important for the future of the British Empire. These are, of course the same four nations cited by Lyndon LaRouche as holding the potential for ending the British Empire once and for all and launching a true, new human Renaissance in the world.

CC/stell Right:Samuel P. Huntington

According to the Lords, the economic collapse in 2008, the bailout, and the EUs austerity regimes had nothing to do with the popular dissatisfaction expressed in the Brexit vote. That just caused economic anxiety among commoners. Instead, they say, the continuing populist insurgency is caused by peoples access to information, boosted by instant connectivity on an unprecedented scale and speed. Governments are responding to short-term demands of their citizens, who have been empowered by their access to information and opinion. This is the imperial line first promulgated by Samuel Huntington, author of the genocidal tract, The Clash of Civilizations? (Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993), and inventor of the term Davos man to celebrate globalization.

In his 1975 Crisis of Democracy report for the Trilateral Commission, Huntington proclaimed that democracies only work when large swaths of the population are apathetic, citing the empowerment of African-Americans by the civil rights movement as a clear and present danger to political stability.

Now, this over-broad access to information, they say, has led many in the base, or population, to believe in conspiracy theories rather than anything governments say. This meme is widespread now in the trans-Atlantic elites and has been a frequent line used by Barack Obama.

Conspiracy theorists, according to the Integrity Initiative, include those who say the Governments explanation of 9/11 does not cut it, that the U.S. intervention in Syria and Libya openly supported terrorists, that the Ukraine coup, run by the British and the U.S. State Department, had a major neo-Nazi component, that Russia is not genetically predisposed to evil (both Sir Richard Dearlove and James Clapper have claimed Russians have evil in their genes), and other truths about very real Anglo-American genocides and foreign conspiracies. These offensive truths, the conspiracy theories, are readily available on the Internet, in Cyberspacethe realm which the Lords now seek to dominate and control.

Rolling Back the Global Mass Strike

The 2016 U.S. election and the Brexit vote represented wholesale political activation by the very people that the elites disdain, Trumps forgotten men and women, using, ironically, the technology invented for social control purposes by Facebook and Twitter as major organizing tools. These were actual exercises of democracy. The Lords and the antics of their Integrity Initiative make it clear that they intend now to kill this activation. Censorship and counter propaganda or cognitive infiltration, as Barack Obamas friend Cass Sunstein dubbed the required action, are now being massively deployed in the United States, Britain, and throughout Europe.

Actual experimental studies, conducted over many years, of the impact of propaganda, have demonstrated that it works when populations have no alternatives to look at, and are reacting constantly to the media bombardment of the 24-hour news cycle. It fails almost immediately when people are introduced to an alternativesuch as the publicity surrounding the rapid economic development that China is now producing throughout the world, or being presented with the sudden and shocking realization that China is now exploring the far side of the Moon, specifically with the idea of using the Moons helium-3 as fuel for fusion power. The wonderful thing about human nature is that the imagination and desire for new frontiers and adventures, if provoked, can and will destroy years of tedious work in planning and implementing any fixed social control system, and that, as if in an instant.

With respect to the Four Powers, the Lords are quite explicit. They say openly that the U.S.-British Special Relationship, which exists in defense and intelligence relations and across many NGOs and civic organizations, and is particularly alive and well in the U.S. Congress, can handle and subvert Donald Trump for one term but not two. Sir Richard Dearlove, whose Henry Jackson Society played a major role in this Report, says in his private conversations not to worry about Trump. He says he will be a one-term President. Pretty shockingly open about it.

With respect to the Russians, the trick is to keep them a failing power, to make NATO a monster propaganda and military operation, and hopefully, as a result, there will be a change of regime in Russia. This is telegraphed even in the diplospeak of the Lords Report, but becomes quite evident when you see the boots on the ground in the form of the Integrity Initiative.

With respect to China, the British are participating in the Belt and Road and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and are confident that they can manipulate and subvert these initiatives to their own geopolitical ends. With respect to India, the Lords intend to increase their security relationships, and they make reference to the historic tensions between China and India, with the obvious intent to exploit them. I dont mean to say that the British arent into a full military mode about China. The Lords, however, plan to use the United States and such British supported institutions as the Hudson Institute, and IISS fellow Mike Pillsbury to constantly inflame the U.S. population to that end.

So, thats the imperative from the Lords Report: Destroy the potential of the Four Powers: Make people docile and crazy through propaganda and outright censorship.

The Integrity Initiative

Now lets talk about the Integrity Initiative, the boots on the ground for implementing all of this, not only in Britain but also right here in the United States. On November 23, 2018, a group calling itself Anonymous began posting actual documents from the Integrity Initiative, identifying it as a rapid-response, black-propaganda, information-warfare operation targeting Russia, China, Western Europe, and the United States. Since that initial posting, there have been three other document dumps concerning the Initiative, the last on January 4.

The Integrity Initiative is run under the Institute for Statecraft, a British NGO which receives 95 percent of its funding from the British government, NATO, and the U.S. State Department. It is housed in London, right next to the International Institute for Strategic Relations, the British think tank that largely dictates imperial foreign policies. The building once housed the Knights Templar and was the London home of William Astor. Since Anonymous starting posting, the Institute has been visited by all sorts of interested reporters, who have been brusquely escorted off the premises. The official address of the Institute for Statecraft is actually a dilapidated and abandoned building in Scotland. It recently got a significant cash boost from Facebook, and it is going after tax exempt status, if you can believe it, in the United States.

Its current plan is to expand into and target major U.S. citiesnot on the coastssince the coasts, they say, are already taken care of. The plan is to concentrate in the presidential battleground states for the 2020 elections. Remember, as Dearlove and the Lords insist, Donald Trump cannot get a second term. The first document released by Anonymous brags that the Integrity Initiative managed to derail the nomination of Pedro Banos to head Spains Homeland Security Department, based on a two-hour smear campaign claiming he was too soft on Moscow.

The Initiative has what it calls clusterscontact groups of journalists, military and foreign office personnel, academics, and lobbyists, within almost every European country, the United States, and Canada, and is now looking to expand to the Middle East. These people get alerts, often through the medium of Initiative contacts in British embassies, to take action when the British Foreign Office perceives a need. The U.S. and British clusters are dominated by individuals from the Atlantic Council, the rabidly anti-Russian and anti-Chinese Jamestown Foundation, the Center for European Policy Analysis, and similar National Endowment for Democracy spinoffs.

Remember, the Atlantic Council premises in Washington were where the Lords convened for their U.S. visit. It is the flagship British think tank in the United States. It houses the Digital Research Lab, which is home to Dimitri Alperovitz, the guy who also leads CrowdStrike, the company that manufactured the fake story about Russian hacking of the DNC and John Podesta. It is also home to Ben Nimmo, who works both for the Integrity Initiative and the Atlantic Council, and who has written many of the provably fake claims about Russian President Vladimir Putins purported monster cyber capabilities. The Digital Research Lab was also recently hired by Facebook to police and censor its users.

Top left: CC 2.0; bottom: DoD Top left: Sir Andrew Wood; bottom: Evelyn Farkas

The Initiatives U.S. cluster has Evelyn Farkas, who formerly had the Russia and Eurasia desk at the Defense Department under Obama. She famously mouthed off, on an episode of Morning Joe, about the Obama Administrations unmasking and leaks of classified information to Congress in order to derail the Trump presidency. The UK cluster includes Anne Applebaum of the Washington Post, Ed Lucas of the Center for European Policy Analysis, Bill Browder and Vadim Kleiner from Browders operations, and, not surprisingly, Sir Andrew Wood, of Orbis Business Intelligence, the firm founded by Christopher Steele. All of these people have been up to their necks in the operations against Trump.

The War Party

At the center of the Institutes very military operations is the use of propaganda directed at both the government and the general population, at the same time. Institute personnel lobby governments on behalf of war party policies against Russia and China, for example, in their disguise as private parties, while the Institute itself is being paid, as a think tank, by the very same government. At the same time, the Institutes media contacts echo the entirely concocted government debate to the general population. This circular churning of the media sphere is what Obamas former security advisor, Ben Rhodes, called creating a public opinion echo chamber. Rhodes cut his national security chops by helping with the production of the fraud known as the 9/11 Commission Report.

This methodology, fully implemented in the British propaganda and regime change operation against Putinwhich began with the Alexander Litvinenko poisoning in 2006 and dramatically escalated in 2014has created an astounding and deranged war fever against Putin in Britain and throughout Europe.

White House/Pete Souza NATO Christopher N. Donnelly, Director of the Institute for Statecraft.

The Integrity Institute is led by Christopher Donnelly, a very well-placed British military intelligence officer with an impressive career in NATO, the Ministry of Defence, and in military destabilization operations. Donnelly is obsessed with and paranoid about Russia. He laments that Britain and NATO are not equipped for war with Russia and proposes to change that by hyping the Russia threat both to governments and populations. Like an ever-more-deranged Doctor Strangelove, Donnellys prescriptions for responding to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, included mining Sevastopol harbor, attacking Russian satellites, and destruction of Russian fighter jetsall such actions being, of course, acts of war.

Donnelly argues that the British government needs a long term vision that will inspire people to fight a war, something which most sane people, of course, given the existence of nuclear weapons, are more than a little hesitant about. Institute papers in October of 2016 feature a discussion between Donnelly and Sir Gen. Richard Barrons, in which we find Donnelly wishing for some shocking, horrendous event to wake people up to the Russian threat.

The purloined documents posted by Anonymous show that Initiative personnel have targeted British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in a huge smear campaign, as well as the Scottish Nationalist Party and other domestic opponents of the powers-that-be in Britain. They also show that Simon Bracey-Lane, a young Institute fellow, infiltrated the Bernie Sanders campaign in Iowa in 2016, gathering information which, in all probability, was reported back to the Clinton campaign. The Institute also claimed that Green Party candidate Jill Stein was a Russian pawn, a claim echoed by Hillary Clinton.

Building for War in the U.S.

In the United States, according to Max Blumenthals terrific reporting, the Institute aims to create a new generation of information warriors. It has hired John Rendon, known as the man who sold the Iraq War, to train its perception management specialists. Rendon handled the publicity for Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress, along with other Washington PR firms. BuzzFeed, which infamously published the Christopher Steele dirty dossier on Donald Trump, is listed as a friendly media source. An itinerary for Chris Donnellys visit to the United States noted that Sebastian Gorka, Steve Bannons buddy who served with him at the White House, was scheduled for a breakfast meeting with Donnelly. Gorkas wife, Katherine, who works for Homeland Security, is listed as an Institute contact. Gorka openly supports Vitezi Rend, a Hungarian of fascist pedigree.

Donnelly was shepherded around Washington by Anne Bader, a former Vice-President of the Atlantic Council, whose own intelligence pedigree is completely British. He visited the Center for Naval Analysis, a key contributor to the Lords Report, and the John McCain Institutes Executive Director Kurt Volker, a rabid neo-con who serves as U.S. Special Representative to Ukraine. He also spent a lot of time at the State Departments Global Engagement Center, where Todd Leventhal double dips as an employee while also serving the Institute.

At its first event in Seattle, Washington, U.S. Institute spokesman Simon Bracey-Lane, the same guy who infiltrated the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2016, read remarks from Chris Donnelly, noting that:

the West was no longer in a peace time, rules-based environment. . . . The conclusion is that we have to look for people who suit a wartime environment rather than peacetime.

Gage Skidmore Sebastian Gorka

Blumenthal reports that active recruitment in the United States of such warriors is targeted on the alt-right formations in the circles of Bannon and Gorka, and young Trump supporters more generally, who entertain a positive view of Putin and Russia, as well as the general public.

How to Detect a Putin Sympathizer

The Institute recently opened major operations targeting Germany, seeking to smear and defame existing German networks who are urging peace with Russia, while attempting to build the same war fever they have created in Washington and London. According to Sputniks Kit Klarenberg, the Institutes lead agent for Germany is Harold Elletson, who was exposed by the Observer as an MI6 agent in 1996. Klarenberg writes:

One can spot a cultivated Russlandversteher, [Russia sympathizer] Elletson suggests, when they make statements in accordance with one the Kremlins 21 alleged key messages.

These include: Germany and Russia had a special relationship and should return to it; Russia has legitimate interests and the West should respect them; the West deceived Russia over NATO expansion; Wikileaks and Snowden show the West has not been open in its dealings with Germany; the Georgian crisis was the result of Georgian aggression; Russia has a legitimate claim to Crimea; the Ukrainian revolution was actually a coup detat; sanctions against Russia are counter-productive and will damage the German economy; the Syrian crisis cannot be solved without Russian support, which has been instrumental in stopping the spread of ISIS [Daesh].

In essence, any German who is remotely critical of NATO, the West, or prevailing Western global political narratives, or indeed government policy anywhere in the world negatively impacting Russia in any wayor who simply doesnt view Russia as invariably villainousis a stooge of Putin.

The Institutes now-public documents include a proposal by the French company Lexfo, seeking funding for an offensive online influence campaign and includes a proposal for counter-activism, through negative PR, legal actions, ethical hack back, etc. It states that it can launch hundreds of news pieces a day and offers to edit Wikipedia articles.

Manipulating the Electorate

The French companys proposal is of a piece with the recent scandal enveloping the cyber-warriors at New Knowledge, a U.S. corporation run by former Obama staffers, who were caught openly meddling in Alabama candidate Roy Moores campaign for the U.S. Senate. New Knowledge had been endorsed as certifiable experts on Russian disinformation activities in the 2016 U.S. elections by none other than the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. Just when Mark Warner and his brother-in-crime Richard Burr were hotly trotting out their nonsense about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S elections recently, the New York Times published internal New Knowledge documents about actual election interference, not by Russia, but by New Knowledge!

Sen. Burrs Instagram Page Sens. Mark Warner (left) and Richard Burr.

Among the things these guys did in Alabama was to manufacture a link between Roy Moores campaign and the Kremlin by claiming thousands of Roy Moores twitter followers were Russian bots. The Internal Report cited by the Times contained the admission, We orchestrated an elaborate false flag operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet. New Knowledge also performed lots of other dirty tricks to swing the election against Moore.

One of the New Knowledge experts is Jonathan Morgan, once a special advisor to the Obama White House and State Department and currently a contractor for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Post-election, he ran his mouth off incessantly about how the Russians had engineered Hillary Clintons defeat. He told television viewers in Austin, Texas, that,

feelings of discontent were telltale signs of being duped by Russian disinformation. . . . If it makes you feel too angry or really provokes that type of almost tribal response, then it may be designed to manipulate you. . . . People should be concerned about things that encourage them to change their behavior.

The tranche of documents released by Anonymous on January 4 included a contract with Harod Associates to monitor social media and media response internationally to the Sergei Skripal poisoning and the British government response. The Institute labeled this and related activity, Operation Iris.

A previous Anonymous release of Institute documents included the name of Christopher Steeles business associate and Sergei Skripals MI6 handler, Pablo Miller, on Christopher Donnellys general contact list. On this list are the political handler of Porton Down, the UKs chemical weapon facility, Pablo Miller, the BBC, and representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Foreign Office, and the U.S. Embassy.

The Institutes media campaign about the Skripal poisoning was designed to create popular demand for even harsher actions against Russia by the British government, while planting articles all over the world blaming Putin for the Skripal poisoning. Journalists paid by the Institute published multiple articles in the British press supporting the Putin did it, and it should be War line promulgated by Operation Iris. The Initiative characterized the official British response as weak.

Now, the blogger Moon of Alabama points out that Ben Nimmo appears to be double-billing the Institute and the Atlantic Councils Digital Research Lab for his various raves about the Russian threat. Nimmo is the author of the stunningly preposterous claim that Putin has weaponized jokes. He also authored a 2017 Guardian piece, with reporter Carole Cadwalladr, claiming that Russia influenced the Brexit decision through Facebook ads. Both appear to have been paid by the Initiative for their nonsense, even after Facebook revealed that Russia-linked accounts had spent a total of 97 cents on Brexit ads.

These absurd claims, of course, parallel those of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee about how a few thousand dollars in Russian Facebook adsmost of which occurred after the election, had little to say about Trump or Clinton, and a full quarter of which were seen by no oneswung the American election for Trump.

Back in 2013, another Institute expert, Mark Galeotti, invented a whole Russian military doctrine of hybrid cyber warfare out of thin air, attributing it to a paper written that year by Russian General Valery Gerasimov. After years as an article of faith, requiring expenditures of untold millions of defense dollars to defend against it, Galeotti himself finally retracted his invention in March 2018, following an earlier shredding of his claims by the U.S. Armys Military Review journal.

The Larger Hybrid Warfare Apparatus

The now-exposed Integrity Initiative is only a small part of the massive British-spawned hybrid warfare apparatus targeting Russia, China, and dissident voices in target populations. This apparat received a new lease on life following the Ukraine coup in 2014 and the initial popular rumblings in Britain itself about Brexit. As Hillary Clinton herself observed, the British and the U.S. utterly failed to sell their coup in Ukraine as a triumph of democracy. Clinton attributed this to superior Russian social media and disinformation regimes. Reality would say, however, that the employment of Neo-Nazis as the coups mercenaries by the British and their American friends, led by Sen. John McCain and Victoria Nuland, had a major impact on the applause meter.

It is not incidental that one Christopher Steele served as a prominent adviser to Nuland and the Obama Administration concerning this coup, delivering over one hundred missives to the State Department relating to its operations.

CC/Myrtle26 Samantha Power and her husband Cass Sunstein.

In 2008, faced with managing the financial collapse and the revolt of the American population, the Obama Administration proposed to attack conspiracy theories, namely anything interrupting its preferred depiction to the American population of reality. Samantha Powers husband, Cass Sunstein, memorialized these discussions in January 2008 Harvard and University of Chicago law school publications. He largely focused on debunking what he called fake conspiracy theories about 9/11. Citing the arch British agent, and godfather of George Soros, Sir Karl Popper, Sunstein advocated direct government intervention in Internet chat rooms in the form of cognitive infiltration, suggesting that the resulting cognitive dissonance would render any political danger from conspiracy theories politically impotent. Sunstein proposed that private individuals fed with government information systematically intervene in Internet conspiracy forums.

The recent fake narratives produced by Q Anon and the targeting of Trump supporters just before the midterms, in the form of Pokemon video game-type clues about the coup, such as the fake claim that Robert Mueller is really on Trumps side, are a vivid example of such cognitive infiltration.

British Warfare of the Mind

I will now report on how the present propaganda kingdom came about, beginning in 2009 when Obama and the British engaged NATO to set up a mechanism to control opinion in the trans-Atlantic communitythe NATO Centre for Strategic Communications, which kicked into high gear after the Ukraine coup. The Integrity Initiative came into existence in 2015 as a result. This escalated even further, of course, when Trump got elected, and the British and their American toadies went crazy.

Now, with funding spigots turned on for this in the billions of dollars on both sides of the Atlantic, it is possible to name 60 organizations dedicated to information psyops against the population of the United States. Thats just the public side. Reporter Max Blumenthal compares it to Operation Mockingbird, the collaboration of intelligence agencies, compromised politicians, and the national news media which employed over 400 American journalists in the service of the CIA during the Cold War, and hes right about that.

The Steele Dossier and the Integrity Institute involve the same British intelligence networks revolving around Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6. Dr. Victor Madeira, one of the key staffers at the Integrity Institute used to work directly for Dearlove and Sir Christopher Andrew at the Cambridge Intelligence Forum.

Sir Andrew Wood, the former UK Ambassador to Russia, Dearlove friend, and advisor to Christopher Steeles Orbis Business Intelligence Company, is listed as a Specialist Team Member of the Integrity Initiative. Drew Foxall of the Henry Jackson Society, where Dearlove is the leading light, is listed as inner core of the Initiative.

Both the Integrity Initiative and Christopher Steele traffic in intelligence lies targeted at Russia, and employ media echo chambers to legitimate these lies through media retainers and witting government accomplices. Among the specializations which have been listed, at one point or another, as special skills of Steeles Orbis Business Intelligence are creating public opinion groundswells, and delivering targeted political campaigns. Richard Dearlove is an old hand at such operations. While leading MI6, Dearlove infamously vouched for the doctored dossier which said that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, collaborating with then CIA Director George Tenet on one of the 20th centurys most deadly intelligence lies.

Steeles History

Christopher Steele has the same, albeit less developed, pedigree. He was the case officer in MI6 for Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian defector who worked for the Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky and who took up residence in Britain. In 2006, Litvinenko was murdered, using polonium poison. Steele immediately blamed Litvenenkos murder on Putin, although his employer, Berezovskys organized crime networks, were much more likely the killers. Litvinenkos death-bed statement blaming Putin was broadcast throughout the world after being massaged by Bell, Pottingerthe disgraced British public relations firm famous for such contracts as its $540 million effort for the CIA, making fake al-Qaeda propaganda films for the war in Iraq.

The British government didnt bite on Steeles claims originally, and instead indicted a sole Russian for the crime, not the Russian state. In the wake of the Ukraine coup, the Litvinenko case was revived, for propaganda purposes. The new British review lasted two years, ending in January 2016, and charged that Russia and Putin were probably responsible for the murder. The report used the word probably 35 times with respect to its major findings. Litvinenkos father blames organized crime associates of Berezovsky for the murder. Berezovsky himself was suicided in 2013.

Left: CC/Richter Frank-Jurgen; right: CSPAN Left: Alexander Downer; right:Stefan A. Halper

Dearlove mentored Steele in Orbis operations and specifically worked with him on the Trump dossier operation, vouching for and hyping Steeles claims throughout the Five Eyes intelligence community. Dearlove is also associated with the British intelligence firm Hakluyt & Company. Stefan Halper, the MI6/CIA asset deployed to entrap Trump campaign volunteers George Papadopoulos and Carter Page in London, is an advisor to Hakluyt and a long-time professional colleague of Steele. Alexander Downer, the Australian Ambassadorthe guy who tried to entrap George Papadopoulosalso was on Hakluyts Board. Luke Harding, who wrote the book Collusion to salvage Steeles reputation and recently got caught completely fabricating a story in the Guardian about Julian Assange and Paul Manafort, works for both Hakluyt and Orbis. Similarly, Pablo Miller, the MI6 handler of Sergei Skripal, has worked with Steele since their days at MI6 and also worked with Hakluyt.

Finally, the mysterious Maltese professor, Joseph Mifsud, whose job was to flip Papadopoulos by giving him a job in London and then, through him, offer the Trump Campaign access to Putins inner circle, runs in the very same intelligence networks. Claire Smith, the member of the UK Joint Intelligence Committee famously photographed with and working with Mifsud, reportedly worked with Chris Steele in Afghanistan.

The Actual Get Trump Operation

With all that in mind, how should we be looking at the extraordinary operation the British ran to defeat the U.S. political candidate Donald Trump? And that is what it was.

The first point to be made is that all of the chronologies of this operation that you have been presented with are off, by months.

According to the way you have frequently heard it reported, the FBI opened an investigation in July 2016, at the same time that Christopher Steele began working with Fusion GPS. Fusion GPS was working with the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton, after it was hired in April by the Democratic National Committee. Fusion had previously worked for the Republicans against Trump. The dirty and corrupt Justice Department got a FISA warrant against Carter Page by lying to the FISA court in October. All the time, two FBI agents, one an attorney the other the case agent on the Trump Russia organization, who were engaged in a hot extramarital affair, were communicating over their cell phones that they hated Trump and were collaborating on an insurance policy to prevent his election. After the election, the Steele dossier was made public by some weird operation involving BuzzFeed, James Clapper, James Comey, and John McCain.

Isnt that kind of the basic scenario you have heard endlessly reported?

That is only a minuscule part of the actual story. Christopher Steele and Dearlove had pre-written, in many respects, what became the Trump dossier in something called Project Charlemagne, a dossier about how the Russians had manipulated the June 2016 Brexit vote. Steele was listed as a paid FBI informant as of February 2016. As of March 2016, over at CIA headquarters, John Brennan convened a task forcequestionable under U.S. lawand was receiving intelligence from the British about Trump, screening it, and then forwarding it to the FBI.

You can read my report revising the chronology based on what we can now put together. Some of it involves the hacked emails of State Department official Robert Otto, considered to be the U.S.s biggest current expert on Russia, who was communicating throughout 2016 with British intelligence and key actors in the coup, including John McCains friend David Kramer, who leaked the Steele dossier to BuzzFeed in coordination with British intelligence, James Clapper and Jim Comey.

Most of the operation against Trump, as former House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman Devin Nunes has emphasized, came out of the State Department, and was particularly overseen by John Winer and Victoria Nuland. The State Department is the center of British operations in the United States. In October 2016, one month before the election, Christopher Steele held a full-scale briefing at State, handing out stuff to select journalists and others present. You can read the revised chronology in Part III: A British Intelligence Fraud Creates the Coup Against Donald Trump, which is the conclusion of my three-part report.

The public face of this operation, the cutout and sacrificial lamb, was Fusion GPS, with the actual controllers of the operation sitting in London. Bruce Ohr, the now demoted third man in the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division hierarchy, is married to Nellie Ohr, who worked for Fusion. Both Ohrs had a longstanding relationship with Christopher Steele and Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson, based on investigations of Russian organized crime dating back decades. Neil King, Jr., also works for Fusion. Hes married to Shailagh Murray, Barack Obamas senior policy adviser at the White House, having previously worked for years for Vice-President Biden.

Otherwise, most of Fusions staff is composed of former reporters for major national newspapers, who know how to feed tips and hot stories to their former friends or those they hire to put bylines on the propaganda ordered up by their clients. A major client for Fusions products has always been law enforcement. Fusion is a major drop point for feeding and amplifying out stories planted by the intelligence community to its network of journalists. Fusion has had a professional relationship with at least Christopher Steeles Orbis Business Intelligence in Britain since 2010, if not with other entities associated with Sir Richard Dearlove.

Outright Lies

What I really want to emphasize here is just how preposterous the Steele Report actually is. The dossier itself is flat-out, totally and utterly falsea stinking hideous fraud. Christopher Steele, in all his subsequent testimony, describes it as unverified raw intelligence and refuses to vouch for its accuracy. Even its most fervent champions, such as Michael Isikoff, who met personally with Steele in September 2016, now doubt the document, which provided the central legends of Russiagate.

Left: Wikipedia; right: World Economic Forum/swiss-image.ch/Photo Michele Limina Left: Tom Steyer; right: George Soros

After the election, Tom Steyer, George Soros, and other Silicon Valley billionaires provided some $70 million dollars in an attempt to put meat on Steeles work product. A big part of this exercise, I think, is to create enough atmospherics and smoke to prevent the public from concluding that those who believe this crap are stark raving mad and belong in mental institutions rather than having any say in our government. That is also a large part of the function assigned to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

To believe that the dossier is true requires you to assume that Christopher Steele had some 32 sources inside the Russian government. What they allegedly told him is specific enough in time and content to identify them. You have to further assume that the British government, therefore, was willing to roll up this entire network, since the intention was for the dossiers wild claims to be published as widely as possible.

By all accounts, Britain and the United States, together, do not have 32 highly placed sources inside the Russian government, nor would they ever make them public in this way or with this very sloppy tradecraft. The dossier uses aspects of readily available public information, such as the sale of 19 percent of the energy company Rosneft (the alleged bribe offered to Carter Page for the United States to lift sanctions) to concoct a fictional narrative of high crimes and misdemeanors.

The January 2 issue of the Federalist magazine carries a significant article by Lee Smith, who contends, with documentary evidence, that much of the dossier is simply drawn from public source postings, some of which are Ukrainian and some Russian, with embellishments by Steele to change actual events into nefarious crimes. In other words, there are no real Russian sources. Others have made similar comments about the dossiers most salacious and incendiary allegation, that Trump cavorted with prostitutes in Moscow who urinated on the bed in which the Obamas had slept. This seems to be simply a rejiggered revival of 2009 British propaganda stories about Silvio Berlusconi spending the night with a prostitute in a hotel room in Rome defiling Putins bed. No one ever said that the British are original.

So, the story is long and a little complicated, but a real story nonetheless. Im open for questions.Posted Thursday, January 17, 2019 2:12 pm

On Feb. 11, 1965, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to MSU to deliver a speech on education. It sounds routine, but there was no such thing as a routine speech by Martin Luther King.

The enriching root of education and its potent fruit, voter registration, were life and death matters in the segregated South. King was determined to recruit help. Although his responsibilities were multiplying by the day, he wedged MSU into a grueling schedule of meetings, speeches and sermons.

When I picked him up at the airport, he wasnt feeling too well, MSU Professor Robert Green recalled. He was tired and had a sore throat. It was the only time I ever saw him ill.

Over 50 years later, Kings sore throat was news to former Lansing Mayor David Hollister, then a teacher at Eastern High School.

Spellbound by Kings oratory that day, Hollister and dozens of others volunteered to teach underserved students in the South and register people to vote. They ended up facing down KKK thugs in Mississippi that summer.

That day changed my life, Hollister said.

Giant Steps

The speech at MSU was the last of at least three visits King made to the Lansing area. In 1954 and 1957, King came to Lansing at the request of his uncle, the Rev. Joel King, pastor of Lansings Union Baptist Church. The 1957 speech drew thousands of people to the Lansing Center.

By 1965, King was a national force with his finger on the hour hand of history, but he still sweated the details. He came to MSU to kick off the first all student-run educational outreach program in the country  the Student Education Program, or STEP. He made the fund-raising pitch to 4,500 students, faculty and community members at the MSU Auditorium.

Green, a professor emeritus at MSU, where he was the dean of urban development, and keynote speaker at MSUs King commemoration at the Erickson Kiva Monday, remembers the day vividly.

Green drove King from the Lansing airport to his office at MSU, on the second floor of Erickson Hall, and made him hot tea with lemon.

Green had a lot of questions, but King didnt talk about himself.

He was always turning it on you, Green said. He wanted to know about me, about my job, about MSU, how were they treating me. He asked about my kids.

To his amazement, Green noticed King quicken his step, lose the cough and grow more animated on the walk from Erickson to the auditorium.

He became invigorated, alive, and gave a great speech, Green said. He didnt have time to get sick.

King didnt confine his remarks at MSU to the STEP program. Never one to shy from big themes, he urged the assembled students and faculty to adopt a world brotherhood perspective, denounced the notion of superior and inferior races and called for worldwide action to end segregation.

King called for new civil rights legislation and name checked MSU President John A. Hannah, who was appointed chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in 1957 by President Dwight Eisenhower.

In the wake of assaults and harassment, King urged action on the Civil Rights Commissions recommendation that federal staffers handle voter registration in the South.

Green couldnt have refused Kings call even if he had wanted to. He got the OK from Hannah to take a leave to work for King from 1965 to 1967 as educational outreach director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Working for King wasnt a cubicle job. In tense times, Green helped King organize the 1966 March against Fear in Mississippi.

His time with King was an eye-opener. He was so adamant about not being afraid to die, Green said.

In Greens book, At the Crossroads of Fear and Freedom, he recalled driving in the South with King, his confidant Andrew Young and three other associates. When they stopped at a red light, a white gas station attendant recognized King in the front seat.

The man walked up to the car, pulled out a gun and held it to Kings head.

I love you, King replied calmly. The would-be assailant walked away. It took years for Green to wrap his head around Kings surreal serenity.

Listen to his old sermons, Green said. There are a lot of them on line. King always talked about death. It was his way of purging himself of fear.

When traveling, Green and Kings other associates begged him to sit in the back of the car, flanked by aides, but King resisted.

He said, You guys cant protect me. John Kennedy had the Army, the Air Force and the Secret Service, and they got him. I dont have all that. When theyre ready for me theyre going to get me, and Im prepared to die. King teased his friends and associates about their solicitude.

He would say, You guys are so worried about me getting shot. One day, someone will shoot at me and miss and hit one of you, Green recalled. And he started giving a mock eulogy for his good friends.

Im signing up

On the day King came to MSU, an unknown MSU student changed David Hollisters life by handing him a flier.

The former Lansing mayor, then a teacher at Eastern High School in Lansing, made his way to the MSU campus to hear King.

I was mesmerized, Hollister said. I could tell he was speaking extemporaneously.

Hollister was so moved by the speech that he rushed to get near the rear exit to meet King when it was over.

I shook his hand, looked in his eye and said, Im signing up, Hollister said. I didnt realize what that would mean, but it was a brief encounter, less than a minute.

Hollister spent the summers of 1966 and 1968 teaching math, history and government at underserved schools in Mississippi, for no pay.

Oh my God, it was life-changing, Hollister said. You can read all you want to about segregation, but we were harassed by the Klan and supporters trying to terrify both the volunteers and the students. That experience fundamentally impacted everything I did in 50 years of public service.

Burning message

Martin Luther King Jr. was a young Ph.D. student in theology at Boston University when his uncle first invited him to speak at Lansings Union Baptist Church on Jan. 3, 1954.

Joel King, the younger brother of Martin Luther King Sr., was pastor of Union Baptist  now Union Missionary Baptist Church  in southwest Lansing for eight years in the 1950s. The old church building, at the corner of Logan (now Martin Luther King Jr.

Boulevard) and St. Joseph streets, is no longer standing. Joel King also ran, unsuccessfully, for the Lansing City Council.

Starting with this comparatively lowkey appearance, Kings three Lansing visits would climb sharply in urgency and scale.

Nothing so eventful on that day  other than the climax of a rally for beautifying the interior of the church, Joel King wrote in his invitation to Martin Luther and Coretta King.

The 1954 visit was put off until the first Sunday in March, when Joel King made a more urgent request in a second letter. I am asking that you would accept the engagement, as it would mean much to you and me, he wrote. Remember that this is a cross section of Negro and White. Usually the message is from one half hour to one hour long.

Would like for you to bring them a burning message, centering around some of our present-day problems.

King spoke March 7 at the morning service. That day, King was also scheduled to address the Lansing branch of the NAACP. The church has no record of the text of Kings speech, but church member LaVerne Wilson is compiling a history of Kings ties to Union Baptist, Joel King and Lansing.

I found it amazing that King has all these ties to Lansing, and yet its hardly known or talked about, Wilson said. The Martin Luther King luncheon is in its 34th year, but I dont know how many people realize theres more history of Martin Luther King in Lansing.

By 1957, Kings stature in the moral, spiritual and political life of the nation had grown considerably. In May of that year, King would deliver his first national address, Give Us The Ballot, at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in Washington, D.C.

This time, Joel King had a bigger forum in mind for his nephew. I feel its time for you to come to us, he wrote Martin and Coretta King from Lansing. People of all races are continually asking about your coming. I would like to make this one of the finest programs that they have had at this huge new Civic Center Auditorium.

Atomic cannon

On Feb. 17, 1957, King spoke to over 3,000 people at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium of the 2-year-old Lansing Civic Center, urging a vigorous but peaceful fight against segregation. His national profile was in the ascendant. The next day, his face would appear on the cover of Time Magazine. Three days earlier, King became head of the Southern Leaders Conference, later the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Donations at the Lansing speech went to the victims of racially motivated bombings of homes and churches that had recently wracked the South, including the bombing of the home of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Alabama, the previous December.

King gave the Lansing audience a vivid description of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott that made national news two months earlier.

They decided it was more honorable to walk in pride than ride in humiliation, he told the group. They substituted tired feet for tired souls.

Headlines from Hungary were dominating the news at the time. The previous November, Soviet troops crushed a student-led revolution in Hungary, killing thousands and sending hundreds of thousands into exile.

King knew that Americans were riveted by events in the Eastern bloc and watched with horror as the tanks rolled into Budapest. He admonished the crowd to remember the plight of their own African-American brothers and sisters at home.

If the United States is to be a first-class nation, it can no longer have second-class citizens, King declared. It is a puzzle to us why the government of this nation cries out against Communist oppression and not against oppression of people here at home.

Michigan Gov. G. Mennen Williams, a strong advocate for civil rights and racial equality, attended the speech with his wife. King said Americans would make a great move if they elected Williams president.

When King was finished, Joel King invited Williams to speak. The bow-tied governor pleaded that his oratory, compared to Kings, would come off like a pop gun compared to an atomic cannon.

Evergreen words

Every year, when the King holiday comes around, people find the question irresistible: What would King be saying today?

The question is tragically easy to answer.

Chances are, anything King said 50, 60, or 70 years ago is doubly or triply relevant now. Consider this snippet from an editorial King wrote in the Morehouse College student newspaper  in 1947.

At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose, King wrote. Education must enable one to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.

Robert Green heard King say such things first hand.

Theres a lot of unreal stuff being said today, Green said. King would have been in the forefront now of challenging the many untruths that are being spread around the country, especially about poor people, about immigrants.

King also hammered at the need for early childhood education.

Thats a big deal today, Green said, but he talked about it 50 years ago  making sure kids can read and process information.

While in Lansing, King talked to Green about lynchings and beatings of black men who were organizing voter registration in the South. In 1965, King was preparing to lobby President Lyndon Johnson to sign voting rights legislation.

Green said King would have been very upset with recent attempts to erode voting rights in several states, and would have denounced 11th-hour legislation in Wisconsin and Michigan aimed at restricting the powers of incoming Democratic officeholders.

If he were alive today, he would call together black, white, Hispanic, Native American leaders, like he did for the poor peoples march, and say, This is wrong, Green said.

In Greens view, recent protests by student and professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick would also have gotten King's attention.

Dr. King admired Muhammad Ali because he spoke out on human rights issues and denounced the Vietnam War, Green said. He admired Ali because he was fearless inside and outside the ring. He would have been 1000 percent behind Colin Kaepernick. He would have respected him, met with him, encouraged him and supported him.

The list goes on and on. Its so hard to keep up with Marin Luther King, even today, that it would almost be dispiriting, were not King so good at lifting them back up.

I constantly think about him, Green said. I feel that hes there. He used to quote William Cullen Bryant a lot: Truth crushed to Earth will rise again.The Jan. 14 op-ed by former LNP Editorial Board community member Stuart Wesbury (Democrats must work with Trump on border security) misses a very important point. We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship. Decisions are made not by the president alone, but by elected representatives sent by citizens to Washington. Placing blame on one party or the other is unfounded in this instance. The Republicans and the Democrats had reached a compromise that President Donald Trump had initially agreed to support, but then he changed his mind.

The government shutdown is the dire result of the inability of one person to understand (or accept) how one branch of government must interact with the others. There are limited examples when the president can dictate how the government will operate. Its clear that building a wall on our southern border is not one of them.

Letters and columns published on the LNP Opinion pages have echoed the hopes of people throughout the county that our government would drop extreme partisanship and work together for the good of all. This includes working for and with citizens and noncitizens, men and women, adults and children.

Played out before our eyes, and to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of people across our nation, is egotism of the first order in the way the person who was elected to lead our country prefers to hold it hostage so that he can get what he wants.

This is no longer a matter of Democrat versus Republican  it is democracy versus dictatorship.

Evelyn Albert

EphrataTHE ISSUE

Local school officials told LNPs Alex Geli that the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney Generals communications about Safe2Say Something  a new school threat reporting system  were insufficient. The system, which went live Monday, allows educators, students, parents and community members to submit anonymous tips about potential threats. Safe2Say includes an app available on Apple and Android devices, a website (safe2sayPA.org) and a 24-hour hotline (1-844-SAF2SAY, or 1-844-723-2729). Tips are to be reviewed by the state attorney generals office and forwarded to schools and, if necessary, local police to help prevent school violence. All public and private schools in the commonwealth must participate in the system.

In our experience, Penn Manor School District Superintendent Mike Leichliter is a level-headed guy whos not prone to gratuitous criticism.

If he says the implementation of Safe2Say has not been clear and seamless, were inclined to believe him.

Leichliter told Geli he attended a regional training session in December with hundreds of other educators at the Lancaster County Convention Center in downtown Lancaster. It was Leichliters impression that the training team was overwhelmed by the number of attendees; the session began late; and the Safe2Say app and website werent ready, so a demo site was used.

Not ideal.

Leichliter said those who attended the training session were left wondering what procedures they were supposed to follow, how they should train students and faculty, and how they should promote the program.

Other Lancaster County school officials expressed concern with what they saw as a lack of direction from the state attorney generals office.

State Sen. Scott Martin, of Martic Township, co-sponsored the legislation that included Safe2Say and other school safety measures. He told Geli he also heard concerns about the programs implementation and questions about who was responsible for training whom.

In a letter sent Friday to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Martin and state House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler expressed disappointment over reports that so many entities are still not on the same page and/or not yet trained.

An organization called Sandy Hook Promise provided the training.

That is an admirable nonprofit  it was founded by some of the family members of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.

Its website said it has trained more than 3.5 million students and adults across the U.S. on the warning signs of school violence and suicide. But it also said its partnership with Pennsylvania would be the first in which it would provide its expertise to all of a states school districts.

Educators attend training sessions all of the time. They know what a well-run session looks like. They recognize the problems with one thats oversubscribed.

Brian Barnhart, executive director of Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, said his organization hasnt been utilized by the attorney generals office  which is a shame, because training educators is part of what an intermediate unit does.

Barnhart said he offered to host the regional training at IU13s New Holland Avenue headquarters  for free  but Sandy Hook Promise opted instead for the convention center.

Its been frustrating, but were committed to make it work and to help, he said.

That, of course, should be everyones mantra, because nothing is more important than making our schools safer.

Some school officials already were concerned that Safe2Say might slow down local response to tips  adding an extra level of bureaucracy between the schools and local law enforcement.

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said last year hed been assured that the state attorney generals office will pass along tips immediately.

This must happen. And the state attorney generals office needs to improve communications with the educators its relying on to make Safe2Say an essential tool in the effort to prevent school violence.

Joe Grace, spokesman for Attorney General Shapiro, told Geli that school superintendents received written information about the program, and that the attorney general's office will have a lot more to say about this really important initiative in the coming days and weeks to come.

Lets hope that its days, rather than weeks, because Safe2Say is going to be effective only if people know about it, and know how to use it.

We dont have the luxury here of relying on trial and error  because error can have terrible consequences.

Governors 2nd term

We congratulate Gov. Tom Wolf on his second inauguration Tuesday. We thank the governor for his support of Lancaster city and county, and hope that it continues.

We look forward to seeing what he and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman can accomplish together for the good of our great state. (Fetterman is, in so many ways, the polar opposite of the slick actor and politician Mike Stack, his controversy-plagued predecessor).

We can work together here in Harrisburg, Wolf said at his inauguration. We can get things done.

That is our hope, especially when it comes to the state budget. We hope that last years bipartisan cooperation, which led to a drama-free budget process, wasnt an election-year fluke. Wed just once again caution our elected officials in Harrisburg against using gambling to raise revenue.

In terms of compromise, I think the highest priority, as well as opportunity, would be toward workforce development and education, Cutler, a Peach Bottom Republican, told LNPs Sam Janesch.

As House majority leader, Cutler will be positioned to advance legislation. He said Wolfs stated goals on education funding and his increased focus on career and technical education align with the Republican majoritys ideas  which is good news, particularly for the students of the commonwealth.

Which means it is good news for the commonwealths own future.Every morning at Watsonville Community Hospital in Northern California, the labor and delivery team divvies up its patients  low-risk ones go to the midwives and high-risk ones to the physicians. Then, throughout the day, the doctors and midwives work together to ensure the births go smoothly.

We kind of divide and conquer, said Dr. Julia Burke, chair of the hospitals obstetrics and gynecology department.

The hospital began allowing certified nurse midwives to deliver babies in 2017, part of an effort to decrease cesarean sections and make mothers happier.

It wasnt an easy transition, Burke said. Some doctors, for example, had been practicing for 30 years and never worked with nurse midwives, who are registered nurses with a graduate degree. Pharmacy, medical billing and other departments also were hesitant about the change, unsure of what it would take to integrate nurse midwives, she said. It took a lot of convincing, she said.

Throughout the country, hospitals and medical practices are battling old stereotypes and sometimes their own providers and staff to bring on certified nurse midwives. To do so, they have to overcome a lack of knowledge about the safety and benefits of midwifery care and the laws and policies that restrict the use of nurse midwives.

Certified nurse midwives are trained to provide womens health care, including family planning services and maternity care. As for childbirth, they typically handle normal births and leave more complicated cases to physicians. There are more than 11,200 certified nurse midwives around the nation, including about 1,200 in California.

Women cared for by certified nurse midwives have fewer C-sections, research shows, which can improve birth outcomes and produce significant cost savings for hospitals. A 2017 study, for instance, also found fewer epidurals and less use of anesthesia among low-risk women with care led by certified nurse midwives, compared with care led by physicians.

Despite the data supporting the use of nurse midwives, they attend fewer than 9 percent of births in the United States. Thats far lower than in some European countries, where more than two-thirds of births are attended by midwives, said Laura Attanasio, assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Lack of awareness among patients and other providers is a key reason, Attanasio said. When people hear the term midwives, people think you are really talking about home births, she said. In fact, she said, most midwife-attended births take place in hospitals.

Attanasio said that to significantly increase the number of births attended by midwives, physicians and hospitals must be willing to bring them on board, and more nurse midwifery training programs must be created. Our maternity care workforce reflects the way its been for the last 100 years, she said.

Administrative hurdles pose another challenge in some regions. Six states, including California, require nurse midwives to practice under the supervision of a physician, said Kim Dau, associate professor at University of California-San Francisco. Yet doctors may be reluctant to assume those supervisory duties because theyre worried about malpractice liability or a bigger workload.

Attempts to change the law in California have so far failed because of infighting between the states medical association and hospital association.

To help overcome the obstacles, the Pacific Business Group on Health, a California nonprofit health organization representing employers, is trying to expand the number of hospitals and physician practices that use midwives. They have created guidelines for how to integrate them, and are laying out a business case to convince doctors and hospitals.

They argue, for instance, that midwives can help reduce OB-GYN burnout and reduce malpractice cases associated with unnecessary C-sections.

Bringing midwives into hospitals and physician practices also can help increase their clientele, said Brynn Rubinstein, associate director of the organizations maternity care program. Women are really hungry for lower intervention in birth, she said. Midwives are a great option for them.

More women would use midwives if given the option, according to a recent survey by the California Health Care Foundation. Seventeen percent of women surveyed said they would definitely want to be cared for by a midwife in a future birth, and 37 percent said they would consider it. (Kaiser Health News produces California Healthline, an editorially independent publication of the California Health Care Foundation.)

But women cant always find them, or they may harbor misconceptions about the safety of midwife-led care, interviews conducted by the Pacific Business Group on Health reveal.

Lauren Lockwood, a midwife in Walnut Creek, said some of the doctors she works with at John Muir Medical Center also had misconceptions about midwives: Most OB-GYN physicians dont know what education I have gone through, what my experience is and what I am qualified to do.

Lockwood said some physicians also may feel a little threatened by competition from midwives, but others see the value.

Some hospitals, including Highland Hospital in Oakland, have used midwives for at least 20 years, said Katie McKee, interim nurse manager of the midwifery program. There, the OB-GYN doctors work collaboratively with the midwives, who handle most of the prenatal care, triage and about 70 percent of deliveries, McKee said.

McKee said there is always at least one physician and one midwife at the hospital, and they communicate constantly. We are always working as a team, McKee said.

At Watsonville Community Hospital, about 15 miles south of Santa Cruz, administrators knew they had to do something to bring down their C-section rate for low-risk births, which was higher than the state average. In 2016, Burke, the OB-GYN, helped start a hospitalist program there so physicians would always be on-site. That allowed women to be in labor longer without doctors intervening with medication to induce labor.

Then Burke, who also directs OB-GYN services at the clinic network Salud Para La Gente, worked to bring in the nurse midwives from the clinic. Theyre now at the hospital every weekday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Its too early to tell if the nurse midwives have helped reduce the C-section rate, which is now 24.9 percent, but Burke said she expects it to decline.

Now Burke and lead midwife Sarah Levitan want to expand the program so midwives are always at the hospital. To truly see the value of midwifery, we need to be there 24/7, Levitan said.

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.A Reading woman was charged after giving birth in the bathroom of a Warwick Township group home where she worked and then leaving the baby partially submerged in the toilet for 10 to 15 minutes, the Lancaster County District Attorney said.

Emmanuella Osei, 23, faces a felony count of endangering the welfare of a child for neglecting the newborn baby after it was born. The district attorney said the charge is a second-degree felony because of the victims age.

The incident happened Monday night at a group home in the 800 block of Parkside Lane, just outside Lititz, authorities said.

Northern Lancaster Country Regional Police responded to the home around 10:30 p.m. after a report of an unknown person down. Responding officers found Osei on the toilet, and then discovered the baby in the water underneath her, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

After the baby was born as she sat on the toilet, Osei told police she was afraid to touch it and didnt know how to help it, according to the criminal complaint.

Officers revived the baby boy, which wasnt breathing and was blue and cold when they discovered him, the criminal complaint said.

Osei and the newborn were both transported Monday night to a hospital, where Osei was arrested early Wednesday afternoon. She was arraigned by District Judge Edward Tobin and committed to Lancaster County Prison after being denied bail.

The baby was in stable but critical condition Wednesday, the district attorney said.

During their investigation, police said they learned Osei had come to the United States from Ghana in May 2018 and had been hiding her pregnancy because she didnt want to disappoint her family and friends, according to the criminal complaint.

Osei told police she only discovered she was pregnant after a Jan. 4 visit to Reading Hospital, where she went against a doctors orders and left the hospital after they tried to admit her.

However, police said Oseis records indicate she was told about the pregnancy after going to a clinic in Ghana just before she came to the United States, the criminal complaint said.

Osei had not told her work supervisor about the pregnancy but called her Monday night to report that she was feeling pains, according to the criminal complaint. The supervisor then called 9-1-1.

We still have a lot to investigate. This case is far from over, District Attorney Craig Stedman said. We will follow the facts and the law and, if warranted, file additional charges at the appropriate time.A Lancaster County Prison inmate who walked away from a community service detail in September was arrested Saturday, according to police.

Matthew Crossley, 36, first gave a Manheim Township police officer a fake name and then said he was wanted for escape during a traffic stop on Route 283 west around 5 p.m., according to charging documents.

The officer, in an unmarked car, stopped Crossley's vehicle in the area of Manheim Pike. The officer was driving next to his Ford Ranger when he noticed the passenger seemed fidgety. A registration check showed it had been transferred to a different car, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Crossley, of Harrisburg, told police his name was "Stephen Brown" at first. He then provided his license and said he was wanted for escape, according to the affidavit.

Crossley was charged with giving a false identification to police and possession of drug paraphernalia. An arraignment is scheduled with District Judge David Miller on Jan. 22. He is again listed as an inmate at the prison.

Crossley had been at Lancaster County Prison since Aug. 30, according to court documents. In February he was convicted of theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and sentenced to a minimum of 11 months and 29 days in prison, according to court documents.

The day he escaped, Sept. 18, he had been assigned to the detail in the 500 block of Third Street, Lancaster, police said. Crossley was charged with escape.Canvas, paper, linen, wood. Artists find many surfaces on which to create.

But toilet paper?

For local artist Stacy Treier, its the perfect choice.

The delicacy of the paper is a metaphor for the fragility of life. Creating beauty on such a tentative medium is in and of itself a symbol of hope.

And for Treier and her family, hope is as much a daily necessity as toilet paper.

An exhibit of Treiers unusual drawings will open with a reception Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Framery, Etc., 1912 Fruitville Pike.

Treier didnt always use such an unusual canvas.

After graduating from Millersville University with a bachelors in fine arts in printmaking, she moved to Philadelphia, where she worked for about a decade as an artist in varying capacities, such as teaching and printing fabrics.

When she found out that she and husband, Joe Ellis, were expecting twins, she decided to stop working, and the couple later moved back to their hometown of Lancaster.

In 2017, Ellis landed his dream job and before he was scheduled to start, the couple planned a road trip to New Mexico to visit friends.

But he was never able to take that job because during the trip Ellis got sick.

He was diagnosed with leukemia and was hospitalized for 10 days before becoming strong enough to get back East. He went directly to Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

After receiving six months of intensive chemotherapy, Ellis got a stem cell transplant in February 2018.

Although his health seemed to improve, the leukemia would return, as Treier says, with a vengeance.

In August he began a very new, and very expensive, treatment.

The succeeding months were a blur for Treier who was taking care of both her husband and young twin sons.

There were days and weeks, to be honest months, that I couldnt even leave the house because Joe was so sick, she says. It was one thing after another.

She also spent hours on the train and in hospital rooms.

The time was an odd combination of extreme stress coupled with boredom.

She needed an outlet.

I was looking for something to work on, Treier says. I had sketchbooks so I tried drawing.

It didnt satisfy.

I tried cutting paper. Same result.

The proverbial light bulb went off in  of all places  the bathroom.

I dont know, she says. I just looked at the toilet paper and I noticed the pattern on it. So I took a piece off and I started to trace the pattern on it.

That started her exploration of applying color and pattern to toilet paper.

After working on it, she realized that the pattern and color was softer on the second ply, creating a totally different painting. Sometimes she uses the toilet paper itself as the art, other times she puts regular paper underneath and creates the design through the toilet paper. Its basically ink pulled through a surface, she says, reminiscent of her printmaking days.

Toilet paper as a medium intrigued her.

I started taking it from different places if there was a different pattern on it, she says.

She began posting her work on social media and soon friends and family, and people she didnt even know, began sending her toilet paper from places around the world.

About that time, Treier was contacted by her friend Sherry Bowman, the new owner of The Framery, Etc.

Sherry approached me and said can I book you for a show in January? Then I just started working like crazy.

The exhibition features 21 framed works that will be offered for sale. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the familys GoFundMe page, which they set up in August after Ellis relapse and other major setbacks.

Neither Ellis nor Treier, his sole caregiver, are able to work.

Through it all, Treier has continued to return to the comfort of her art.

At the end of every day, she takes her little notebook (in which she fastens her squares of toilet paper) to bed, along with a box of markers.

With Joe often reading beside her, the artist chooses a colorful palate with which to create an abstract work that she sees as little vignettes of my life.

Although the family has been through dark times, Treier mostly stays away from dark colors when she works.

I often, but not always, use what one would consider a cheerful palette, she says. Sometimes I am surprised by my color choices but I like to think that they show my resilience and optimism.

And hope.Central Pennsylvanias media landscape could change a lot as part of a proposed megadeal that has raised widespread concern about further weakening the industry.

MNG Enterprises, which does business as Digital First Media, offered Monday to buy Gannett Co. for $1.36 billion.

Both companies have a record of buying media companies and slashing costs, but Digital First has a reputation for being especially ruthless, according to the Associated Press, and released a letter saying it could handle Gannetts portfolio more profitably via tight cost controls and consolidation of operations such as printing and administration.

Digital First already owns Daily Local News in West Chester and the Southern Chester County weeklies. It used to own the Chambersburg Public Opinion, Hanover Evening Sun, Lebanon Daily News and York Daily Record, which Gannett acquired in 2015 and currently owns.

Also in the mix is The York Dispatch, which is owned by the York Dispatch Publishing Co., with Dave Martens as company president, and is in a joint operating agreement with York Daily Record.

The Associated Press quoted Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University in Boston, as saying the deal would be very bad news for anybody who works for a Gannett paper or reads a Gannett paper.

The past decade has been punishing for many papers as much advertising and attention migrated to social media.

Circulation is down significantly, and there are only half as many newspaper journalists today as there were in 2004. Nearly 1,800 daily and weekly newspapers have closed during that time.

LNP, which is celebrating its 225th anniversary this year, is increasingly a rarity as a family-owned news operation. According to figures from the Alliance for Audited Media, its now the second-largest newspaper in Pennsylvania that has a daily paid print edition.

LNP publisher Robert M. Krasne said in an email that Digital First Media and Gannett have severely damaged the legacies of strong community journalism in Chester, York and Lebanon counties.

The companies, he wrote, "are more interested in maximizing shareholder value than on serving the communities in which they operate."

In Lancaster County, he said, the Steinman family "has recognized the importance to our communities of a strong locally owned newspaper and has committed to the independence of LNP/LancasterOnline."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent.

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Representatives for United Teachers Los Angeles, whose 30,000 members have been on strike since Monday, will resume contract talks with L.A. Unified School District leaders on Thursday -- the first time in almost a week the two sides have met in-person.

Mayor Eric Garcetti's office confirmed the resumption of negotiations between LAUSD and UTLA in a statement late Wednesday. The mayor's staff will facilitate the talks, the statement said.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond also met with the mayor and United Teachers Los Angeles officials on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Garcetti's office said. A statement from Thurmond's office said that the state's top education official also met with leaders for LAUSD.

Thurmond, who was elected in November, has also offered to assist in negotiations if needed.

WHAT TO EXPECT

For now, the two sides have simply agreed to talk. At a press conference late Wednesday, UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl said the resumption of talks does not mean a framework for a deal is now in place.

"It's still pretty initial," Caputo-Pearl said. "We're going to go in hopefully."

But the union leader sounded a positive note, telling members to be prepared for this new round of talks to last through the weekend.

"There have been really rough times in this negotiation, and there are serious trust issues," Caputo-Pearl said, without a hint of the anger he showed in an earlier press conference, during which he tore into LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner.

"With the help of the mediation of the mayor's office," Caputo-Pearl continued, "and the assistance from Tony Thurmond -- if needed, that's been offered -- we're going to approach that optimistically."

L.A. Unified School Board vice president Nick Melvoin praised the "voices of passionate parents, teachers, and other civic leaders [that] have helped facilitate continued talks."

You have all helped awaken the consciousness of our city and nation to confront the unconscionable fact that California ranks near the bottom of states in per pupil funding and that our state, and federal government, have under-funded our schools for too long.  Nick Melvoin (@nickmelvoin) January 17, 2019

HOW THE MAYOR GOT INVOLVED

In August, Garcetti offered to act as a mediator in the protracted, toxic dispute. In recent days, the mayor's office has been quietly talking to both sides, attempting to act as an intermediary between the two camps, who fundamentally distrust each other.

Even late Wednesday, when sources began telling KPCC/LAist that more talks might be imminent, the development seemed tentative. After UTLA's announcement that it would return to the bargaining table, a full hour passed before the mayor's office confirmed the development; many LAUSD officials remain tight-lipped.

Now that he's officially involved in the negotiations, Garcetti is stepping out onto a tightrope, placing his credibility on the line at a pivotal moment in his political career. (Widespread rumors suggest Garcetti is considering a run for president.)

FILE - L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during an event in Echo Park on Mar. 9, 2018. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)

THE OPTIMIST IN THE ROOM

At a press conference Monday, the mayor said he felt the two sides could come to a resolution "soon."

"I truly do believe not a lot separates us materially," Garcetti said. "We have some policy issues to confront on things like [charter schools], on things like how LAUSD is going to be reorganized under the new superintendent and what role will teachers play in that reorganization. But ... they're not talking very far away from each other."

The mayor's sunny assessment is at odds with UTLA's and LAUSD's public statements around the central issue of class size reduction, which cuts to the heart of almost every pressure point in the talks. The two sides have starkly contrasting ideas about how much money the district has to spend and how much control district administrators ought to have.

Garcetti also said LAUSD officials may have to commit more funds than what they're currently proposing; doing so, he said, would require "maybe not a leap of faith, but at least a hop of faith" that programs LAUSD enacts now will be funded later -- somehow.

In a statement earlier Wednesday, Melvoin said he had spoken with the mayor with hopes of winning his support for some kind of tax package to benefit LAUSD.

Last July, school board members toyed with the idea of putting a parcel tax on the ballot to raise revenue for the district -- but backed away when polling numbers suggested the measure might not pass. The support of a popular mayor might help.

Thursday's talks are scheduled to begin at noon at L.A. City Hall.Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent.

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Southern California's wet, rainy week is getting more intense Thursday, thanks to an atmospheric river that's made its way into the region.

Up to 4 inches of rain could fall in the foothills and mountains, while 1 to 3 inches is forecast for the coasts and valleys, according to the National Weather Service.

Storm systems like the one we're seeing (and hearing) today begin far out at sea and gather abundant moisture as they travel towards land, often driven by high winds. Atmospheric rivers can hold more than 10 times the amount of water found in the Mississippi River. All that rain can be a boon for the region, but also carries threats.

Heavy rain from an atmospheric river last January pounded Santa Barbara County, leading to the deadly Montecito mudslides. And Thursday's storm is sparking similar concerns.

DEBRIS FLOW IN HOLLYWOOD HILLS

A "precautionary local evacuation" was underway in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood as of 10:30 a.m. after a reported mud and debris flow from a home that was under construction, according to L.A. city firefighters.

No injuries have been reported, but LAFD officials said homes above and below the site in the 1800 block of Stanley Avenue, as well as some on Nichols Canyon Road north of Courtney Avenue, are being cleared. Department of Building and Safety officials are on the scene.

I climbed up the hill to the house where a call came through about the land movement. Theyre currently draining the pool and trying to get people out of harms way. @KPCC @LAist pic.twitter.com/gCXW9ZcKQL  Emily Elena Dugdale (she/her) (@eedugdale) January 17, 2019

Authorities have "minimal concern" that the home being built would slide down the hillside, given how securely it's been anchored in the bedrock, according to LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey.

HILLSIDE COLLAPSE IN ECHO PARK

A car was totaled and a house was red tagged after the collapse of a hillside in Echo Park.

Another hillside collapse, this time in Echo Park. This car has been totaled and the house red-tagged. We're live at 5 @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/gXdIb3TuBA  Jory Rand (@ABC7Jory) January 18, 2019

A mudslide causes damage to a home and vehicle in Echo Park and buries a vehicle. Fortunately no injuries. Gas line burst and wall taken out. pic.twitter.com/qZ7Iuaqehe  Michelle Tuzee (@abc7michelle) January 18, 2019

FLOODING

Flash Flood Warnings and watches issued earlier in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties were canceled just before 9:45 a.m., according to NWS forecasters.

"Some areas may remain dangerous from earlier rains," forecasters said. "If you evacuated, wait for instructions from emergency officials before returning."

A flood warning does remain in effect for the Ventura River at Foster Park. The river rose 10 feet in three hours with "high flows in the river and minor flooding expected near the Ventura Beach RV Park" near the 101 Freeway, according to officials.

Ventura police said they were relocating campers at the RV park to the Ventura State Beach parking lot. Police also said W. Main Street was closed at Peking Street "until further notice." Images and video shared by NWS showed the a section of the park flooded, with a few vehicles half submerged.

Video of flood waters from the #Ventura River in the RV park near Main St. No injuries, but a few wet vehicles. #CAwx #Flood pic.twitter.com/UGYFcRCKs1  NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 17, 2019

Flood waters inundated the #Ventura Beach RV park off Main St and the 101 highway this morning. The Ventura River remains just above flood stage at 10am, but has peaked and is starting to drop. #CAwx #flood pic.twitter.com/iizm41rIUh  NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 17, 2019

Twelve people were evacuated after becoming stranded in the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley.

ROAD CLOSURES AND ROCKSLIDES

Elsewhere, the rain (and bad driving in that rain) caused traffic havoc, with some roads closed due to crashes or rockslides. That includes Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which has been shut down between Pacific Coast Highway and GrandView Drive after rocks, mud and debris fell onto the roadway.

Good Morning, #LASD Reminder Please SLOW DOWN, there have been numerous traffic collisions, spin outs, over turned cars, and stalled cars on residential roads & freeways. Safely call work and tell them you are running late. #LARain pic.twitter.com/W7ATXWdk7V  LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 17, 2019

In Malibu, a woman hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains was critically injured after being "pummeled" by a falling boulder above Rambla Pacifico Street, according to officials from the Lost Hills Sheriff Station. The 57-year-old hiker was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Female hiker, 57, is in critical condition after being pummeled by a large boulder that tumbled down to Rambla Pacifico Street this morning. Please avoid canyon areas that are prone to loose boulders, flash floods & debris flow. #Malibu #LARain pic.twitter.com/9lEXgG1TY8  LASD Lost Hills Stn. (@LHSLASD) January 17, 2019

Beware of rock fall on canyon roads during #LARain!

This massive boulder shut down Stunt Rd. in Calabasas this morning between Mulholland Hwy. and Schueren Rd.

Report road hazards to

(800) 675-HELP (4357). pic.twitter.com/CqG8vJSGh0  LA Co Public Works (@LACoPublicWorks) January 17, 2019

ROAD CLOSURE: Malibu Canyon Road between Piuma Road and Civic Center Way, Malibu is closed due to rocks slides. A driver was struck by a falling boulder and was transported to a local hospital where she complained of pain. Unknown eta of when canyon will re open. pic.twitter.com/vyXFQ5PliH  LASD Lost Hills Stn. (@LHSLASD) January 17, 2019

EVACUATIONS

The evacuation orders for the Woolsey Fire burn area have been lifted.

Still, fire officials warned residents to be cautious when returning to the area, as there are still patches of road partially covered by rock and mud, running streams of water and the danger of falling rocks and further debris and mud flows. Avoid any flooded areas and road crossings.

In Riverside County, new mandatory evacuations were ordered for some residents in the Holy Fire burn area. The full list can be found here. An evacuation center has been set up at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore, 28755 El Toro Road.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for the following areas in Ventura County:

Ventura RV Beach Resort

The South Coast area to Malibu

Matilija

Wheeler Springs

North fork (extending along Oso Road)

HOW MUCH RAIN ARE WE GETTING?

NWS officials said this week's storms have dumped nearly a foot of rain in the region.

As of this morning, the greater L.A. area has now received about 56 percent of the rain we typically see in a rain year, which ends in September. That puts us comfortably ahead of our usual pace.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

For updates throughout Thursday, including lists of road closures, evacuation orders, and flood warnings, check the following sites:



This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Science reporter Jacob Margolis and data reporter Aaron Mendelson contributed to this story.

UPDATES:

5:39 p.m.: This article was updated with information about a hillside collapse in Echo Park and a river evacuation in the Jurupa Valley.

4:17 p.m.: This article was updated to indicate that evacuation orders were lifted for the Woolsey Fire burn area.

1:27 p.m.: This article was updated with information from L.A. County sheriff's officials.

11:38 a.m.: This article was updated with information from NWS.

10:48 a.m.: This article was updated with information about a mudslide from LAFD.

10:34 a.m.: This article was updated with new information from NWS.

9:28 a.m.: This article was updated with data from our newsroom's rainfall tracker.

9:05 a.m.: This article was updated with information from Caltrans.

8:48 a.m.: This article was updated with information from the National Weather Service and Ventura police.

This article was originally published at 7:10 a.m.LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent.

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Rosa Guzman has worked as a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport for four-and-a-half years but last Friday was the first time she came home without a paycheck.

Like most of the approximately 50,000 TSA officers in the United States -- nearly 2,000 of whom work at LAX -- she has continued to show up at her job, as the law mandates, despite the federal government shutdown.

At more than three weeks, it is now the longest such shutdown in U.S. history.

"We're trying to hang in there," Guzman says. "We're trying to be supportive of each other. We're appreciative of the passengers that thank us. It means a lot when someone tells us 'Thank you for coming to work.' It's pretty emotional."

Along with other TSA agents and representatives from the American Federation of Government Employees, Guzman, the executive secretary for the union's Local 1260, will be at LAX for a press conference today to show support for beleaguered government staffers.

Guzman received her last paycheck in December, and that means she has had to make cuts financially.

"We're also dealing with struggles at home, not being able to pay our bills. We have to cut back on the fun stuff. We have kids. We have families, so it's been difficult," she says.

There have been reports, at various airports, that TSA screeners have been calling in sick en masse, reportedly so they can work other jobs, like driving for Lyft or Uber.

TSA employees, who are currently working without pay, screen passengers during the partial shutdown of the U.S. government, at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, on January 14, 2019. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Where Guzman works in LAX's Terminal 2, a Delta Airlines hub that also services Aeromexico and Southwest's international flights, she says she hasn't seen staff shortages.

"I do hear around, you know, from other employees that other terminals might be lacking help but I haven't seen it for myself," she says.

Ryan Mims, a representative for AFGE, believes the federal government shutdown is putting travelers at risk.

"When you take employees who already work in a high-stress environment and you make their job additionally even more stressful, I think that, obviously, will make everybody less safe," Mims says. "And then if you have people who have to resign or have to quit in order to go find a job where they can take care of their family, then you're losing experience and all the training that went into making them good transportation security officers, and that does ultimately affect security."

How long can TSA agents continue working without paychecks? It depends on the individual. Some people have savings while others live paycheck to paycheck. Some people have a partner who can support them; others don't.

"We can't go on with this for much longer," Guzman says. "It's just going to come to a point where okay, I need to look for another job because I need money."

Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on January 9, 2019 in New York City. It has been reported that hundreds of TSA screeners and agents have called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

SCENES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT LAX

TSA agents and supporters are gathered at #LAX today for a union press conference demanding pay for workers. @KPCC @LAist pic.twitter.com/HGFMYs3GhI  Emily Elena Dugdale (she/her) (@eedugdale) January 16, 2019

TSA union local president Bobby Orozco is the first speaker. This shutdown is no longer simply a difference between 1.2 and 5 billion dollars, he said. It is now about the 45,000 transportation and security officers and their families. @KPCC @LAist #GovernmentShutdown pic.twitter.com/YWfHpsKjg0  Emily Elena Dugdale (she/her) (@eedugdale) January 16, 2019

City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson: The last thing we need is for Donald Trump to create new homeless people, because they cant make rent and theyre not getting paid. This is not a game and Los Angeles is not going to play with you. #governmentshutdown @KPCC @LAist pic.twitter.com/JgRVOxvVZ5  Emily Elena Dugdale (she/her) (@eedugdale) January 16, 2019LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent.

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An outside investigator substantiated four allegations of sexual harassment against former state Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, according to documents released Wednesday by the California Assembly.

The allegations were made by two separate Assembly employees in October and November 2017, before Ridley-Thomas resigned on Dec. 31 of that year, citing health issues. He represented the 54th Assembly District, which includes Century City, Culver City, Westwood, Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, and West Los Angeles.

The investigation by an independent attorney -- Vida Thomas with the firm Stoel Rives LLP -- followed allegations of sexual misconduct that emerged in the wake of the #MeToo movement, roiling the Legislature.

Details of the investigation were provided to LAist by the Assembly Committee on Rules, along with a letter dated Dec. 19, 2018 from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to Ridley-Thomas, in which he warned the assemblyman against retaliating against the complainants.

One allegation describes a dinner to which Ridley-Thomas had invited an employee. "[H]e wanted to meet me for dinner...He said he had always been obsessed with me, didn't I know that?...It made me very uncomfortable."

The heavily-redacted document includes allegations about the end of the dinner. "He tried to put his tongue in my mouth. I could feel his erect penis on my leg. I told him I wasn't interested."

The complaint alleges Ridley-Thomas called the employee's cell phone "several times" following the incident, and that he also texted the employee.

Investigators substantiated the allegation that Ridley-Thomas made the unwanted sexual advance in August 2016 and that he attempted afterward to contact the employee.

A separate Assembly staffer alleged that in early 2016, Ridley-Thomas shook and held her hand and winked at her "in a manner that made her uncomfortable." Those allegations were also substantiated.

The investigation regarded a complaint as substantiated if "it is more likely than not that this conduct occurred." The Legislature began releasing some details of substantiated cases of sexual harassment last year.

Two allegations against Ridley-Thomas are completely redacted in the documents, suggesting that they may not have been substantiated by the investigator.

Ridley-Thomas strongly denied the claims made by his accusers, according to a statement released Wednesday afternoon by his attorney, Nancy Sheehan. The statement challenged the investigation's conclusions:

"It defied any definition of due process and objectivity, did not comply with the Assembly's own policies, and the outcome is tainted by the knowledge that the process was used for retaliatory purposes."





Ridley-Thomas is the son of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, among the most influential politicians in Southern California. Following the younger Ridley-Thomas' resignation from the Assembly, he took a position as a professor of social work and public policy at the University of Southern California, while also enrolling as a student. The unusual hire followed a six-figure donation from a campaign fund controlled by his father.

The university brought the matter of the donation to the attention of the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles.

USC fired the younger Ridley-Thomas, and he subsequently filed a complaint with the Department of Education that his personal information had been inappropriately disclosed to the Los Angeles Times. The university denied the allegations, according to the Daily Trojan.

Because the former assemblyman resigned his seat, there are no actions the Legislature can take against him, according to Kevin Liao, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Rendon.

New personnel policies regarding legislative employee complaints will go into effect next month, Liao said.

Mary Plummer contributed to this report.LAist only exists with reader support. If you're in a position to give, your donation powers our reporters and keeps us independent.

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UPDATED -- Jan. 16

Teachers union members in the Los Angeles Unified School District walked off the job Monday in their first strike since 1989 -- a work stoppage that has disrupted the lives of roughly 480,000 public school students and their parents.

After three days on rainy picket lines -- and five days after last sitting down to talk -- UTLA negotiators said late Wednesday that they were ready to go back to the table.

"We believe the district will bargain tomorrow," United Teachers Los Angeles Preside Alex Caputo-Pearl said, adding that negotiations are likely to proceed through the weekend.

Shortly after Caputo-Pearl spoke came official word that talks were back on for noon at L.A. City Hall, with Mayor Eric Garcetti's office facilitating.

Top UTLA and LAUSD officials had last met on Friday, Jan. 11, to try to hammer out a last-minute deal. Initially, both Caputo-Pearl and district superintendent Austin Beutner said they'd meet through last weekend if those talks fell short. That didn't happen.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Contract talks first stalled back in July after about a year and a half of negotiations. Then in September, an overwhelming majority of UTLA's rank-and-file approved a strike during a union-wide vote. Almost every day since, the already tattered relationship between UTLA leaders -- who represent more than 30,000 teachers, librarians, nurses, social workers and counselors -- and LAUSD leadership has frayed a little more.

The union has since accused LAUSD of failing to respond substantively to what it believes are crucial bargaining demands. For its part, the district believes UTLA leaders have had their sights set on a strike from the beginning.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW? DO I STILL SEND MY KID TO SCHOOL?

Schools will remain open -- for the same hours, serving the same school meals, offering the same morning and after-school programs.

According to this district FAQ, students will even receive instruction during a strike from "qualified L.A. Unified staff," including more than 2,000 administrators pulled from central office jobs. Another 400 non-union substitutes, at least, will be on-hand.

But while the FAQ reiterates that students "are expected to attend school every day" -- even in the event of a strike -- district leaders also fear attendance will plummet if teachers walk off the job.

In the first days of the strike, attendance was far lower than normal.

ATTENDANCE UPDATE: @LASchools reports at least 132,000 students showed up to school on Day Three of #UTLAStrike. (The number tends to rise overnight as more reports come in.) pic.twitter.com/c5OunzKTzg  Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) January 17, 2019

Among the reasons fewer students showed up: some LAUSD parents kept their children home as a show of solidarity with the striking union, saying they wouldn't want to send their children to school across UTLA picket lines. Others may be keeping their children home because of uncertainty about who will be supervising the students.

Also: while K-12 services will continue in some form, many early childhood education programs will be interrupted.

LAUSD's Early Education Centers and state-run pre-K programs will not be open for the duration of the strike. However, children enrolled in the Preschool Collaborative Program, however -- which serves students with special needs -- may attend classes from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

L.A. Unified School District teachers and allies of the district's teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, protest outside the library at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex in Koreatown, on Thurs., Sept. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WHY ARE UTLA AND LAUSD AT A STALEMATE?

LAUSD leaders believe the district is fast running out of money. UTLA leaders believe that's baloney.

If there's one thing preventing the two sides from reaching a deal right now, it is this disagreement. Both sides are dug in over several expensive contract items: salaries, class sizes, special education caseloads and staffing levels for counselors, deans and nurses.

The district contends accepting the union's proposals -- and this is not an exaggeration -- would bankrupt LAUSD. "Simple math," the district's top negotiator wrote in a July 26 letter, "shows that [the district's] reserves would be exhausted this school year should L.A. Unified accept your 'final offer.'"

But UTLA contends exactly the opposite: that the district could afford its demands but is exaggerating its current level of fiscal calamity to get the union to accept a cheaper deal.

To be sure, there are contract items that are controversial for reasons other than cost. But even if the two sides resolved those non-costly items, UTLA and LAUSD are still potentially almost $3 billion apart.

WHAT ARE THE TEACHERS ASKING FOR THAT COSTS SO MUCH?

Both sides are bargaining on a contract that would begin retroactively in June 2017 and last through June 2020. Here's what the teachers want:

Higher salaries: UTLA wants a 6.5 percent, across-the-board salary increase -- a pay bump that the district estimated would cost more than $189 million per year. LAUSD officials, who initially contended that might be too high a price to pay, have been slowly increasing their salary offer throughout the talks. LAUSD has been offering a 6 percent increase and recently dropped demands to make the salary hike contingent on the district's finances and on teachers completing extra training. But the district still wants new hires should have to put in one or two more years of service to the district in order to become eligible for retirement benefits -- it's known as the "Rule of 87," and UTLA leaders don't want to agree to that.

UTLA wants a 6.5 percent, across-the-board salary increase -- a pay bump that the district estimated would cost more than $189 million per year. LAUSD officials, who initially contended that might be too high a price to pay, have been slowly increasing their salary offer throughout the talks. LAUSD has been offering a 6 percent increase and recently dropped demands to make the salary hike contingent on the district's finances and on teachers completing extra training. But the district still wants new hires should have to put in one or two more years of service to the district in order to become eligible for retirement benefits -- it's known as the "Rule of 87," and UTLA leaders don't want to agree to that. Smaller class sizes: Among other changes, the teachers want to remove a provision in the contract that currently lets the district skirt rules on how big classes are allowed to be. The district has been open to this idea, but only if the new contract can include a replacement provision -- which union officials happen to believe would make it even easier to raise class sizes. But the union doesn't only want to prevent class sizes from growing; UTLA also wants to make overall class sizes smaller. In the end, both proposals would require LAUSD to increase the number of teachers per student. LAUSD recently proposed spending $130 million on targeted reductions in class sizes in certain grades and schools. UTLA thinks the district can afford to do far more. LAUSD already employs more than 2,000 credentialed teachers in non-teaching roles -- so their move into the classroom would be cost-neutral, the union argues.

Among other changes, the teachers want to remove a provision in the contract that currently lets the district skirt rules on how big classes are allowed to be. The district has been open to this idea, but only if the new contract can include a replacement provision -- which union officials happen to believe would make it even to raise class sizes. But the union doesn't only want to prevent class sizes from growing; UTLA also wants to make overall class sizes smaller. In the end, both proposals would require LAUSD to increase the number of teachers per student. LAUSD recently proposed spending $130 million on targeted reductions in class sizes in certain grades and schools. UTLA thinks the district can afford to do far more. LAUSD already employs more than 2,000 credentialed teachers in non-teaching roles -- so their move into the classroom would be cost-neutral, the union argues. More nurses and librarians: UTLA proposes to hire a full-time nurse for every LAUSD school and a full-time librarian for every middle and high school. School district officials partially addressed this demand as part of its $130 million class size package, which also guaranteed "library services" and a doubling of available nursing services in LAUSD middle schools. County officials recently offered to forward up to $10 million in mental health funding to the school district -- enough, district officials say, to provide full-day nursing services at every elementary school. Union leaders don't believe the district's latest offer will ensure nursing services on enough campuses.

UTLA proposes to hire a full-time nurse for every LAUSD school and a full-time librarian for every middle and high school. School district officials partially addressed this demand as part of its $130 million class size package, which also guaranteed "library services" and a doubling of available nursing services in LAUSD middle schools. County officials recently offered to forward up to $10 million in mental health funding to the school district -- enough, district officials say, to provide full-day nursing services at every elementary school. Union leaders don't believe the district's latest offer will ensure nursing services on enough campuses. More counselors, social workers and deans: The union wants the district to hire a raft of new counselors for secondary schools and to provide one restorative justice advisor, dean or social worker for every 500 students in a school.

The union wants the district to hire a raft of new counselors for secondary schools and to provide one restorative justice advisor, dean or social worker for every 500 students in a school. Smaller special education caseloads: Where the district proposes to create a task force to study special education caseloads, the union proposes to reduce the number of students assigned to one special education teacher.

For all the attention salaries get, the district estimates the union's demands to reduce class sizes and increase staffing levels are far more expensive: between $500 and $600 million per year.

The union disagrees, asserting that all of its proposals to lower class sizes and hire more nurses, librarians and counselors could cost as little as $35 million.

According to one district estimate, all of the union's demands would add nearly $1 billion a year to the district's budget.

For perspective, LAUSD's total annual budget is just over $8 billion.

A member of United Teachers Los Angeles holds up a copy of the L.A. Unified School District's latest contract offer on Mon., Jan. 7, 2019. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)

BUT UTLA SAYS THE DISTRICT HAS $1.9 BILLION IN RESERVE. IS THAT TRUE?

Technically speaking, that's true. But the union's statement also leaves the misleading impression that LAUSD is perched atop a $1.9 billion pile of cash and refusing to spend it.

In reality, the district already has plans to spend almost all of this money.

LAUSD is spending roughly half-a-billion dollars more each year than it's taking in. So district officials say they need to burn through most of this $1.9 billion over the next three years in order to break even. For example, this year, the district set aside roughly $1 billion to cover future expenses -- including anticipated salary increases.

On this point, it's worth noting: some of this $1.9 billion the district set aside is earmarked for "future salary increases" -- essentially, for raises for the teachers and the other unions with which LAUSD negotiated contracts this year. In other words, the district appears to be trying to inject at least a portion of that $1.9 billion directly into negotiations.

In an August letter to UTLA leaders, Beutner essentially dangled a deal for teachers at a 6 percent salary increase -- which Beutner argues is roughly equivalent to what other unions received.

At the end of September, L.A. Unified's board voted to formally offer this "6 percent" increase to UTLA. By the end of October, district officials removed several of the strings attached to its offer -- including dropping its demand to make half of the raise contingent on LAUSD's deficit projections.

LAUSD OFFICIALS SAY THE DISTRICT IS CURRENTLY RUNNING A DEFICIT. IS THAT TRUE?

Again, LAUSD is spending more than it's taking in, officials say.

LAUSD's budget is balanced this school year. It's balanced next year. But there is a question mark over whether the district can end the third year, 2020-21, in the black.

The district plans to ensure a balanced budget if it nips and tucks about $260 million out of its budget over the next three years -- to say nothing of setting aside some of that $1.9 billion.

Without those steps, LAUSD projects its budget would sink into the red over the next three years, weighed down by flat state funding and rising costs for pensions. Making matters worse: enrollment in LAUSD is declining -- and enrollment basically determines the district's funding.

But the union points out the district's budget forecasts have been off -- drastically off -- before.

For example, if the forecasts in the district's July 2016 budget held true, the district would -- best case -- end this year more than $400 million in the hole. (It won't.)

LAUSD budget officials say these projections haven't come true because the district usually is able to make cuts to prevent the most drastic scenarios before they play out. State lawmakers have also come through in recent years with one-time cash the district has used to help patch holes in its budget.

Still, the repeating cycle of warnings that haven't come true fuels UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl's belief that, as he said in a recent interview, "there's money there to make movement on these items. We need it for the kids."

SO WHAT DO THE TEACHERS WANT THAT WON'T COST AS MUCH?

Even if money were no object, the contract talks still might be hung up on other issues.

UTLA recently dropped six of its demands that wouldn't have cost as much, but would've significantly changed district regulations on magnet schools, the use of standardized tests and how much power Local School Leadership Councils should have.

Other less-costly items on the table are still sticking points:

Evaluation: LAUSD uses a three-tiered evaluation scale for its teachers, and most rank as either "effective" or "meeting expectations." The district wants to add a fourth tier to recognize "highly-effective" teachers. Teachers unions have objected to this for years, seeing it as a gateway to "merit pay" -- that is, linking teacher pay with their evaluation rating.

LAUSD uses a three-tiered evaluation scale for its teachers, and most rank as either "effective" or "meeting expectations." The district wants to add a fourth tier to recognize "highly-effective" teachers. Teachers unions have objected to this for years, seeing it as a gateway to "merit pay" -- that is, linking teacher pay with their evaluation rating. Charter school regulation: UTLA wants to create several new regulations that would govern charter schools in the district. Charter schools receive public funds and are regulated by LAUSD, but they operate outside of the district's control and compete with district-run schools for student enrollment and funding. Of particular issue to UTLA are charter school "co-locations" -- when charter schools operate on LAUSD-run campuses, as allowed under state law. UTLA's demands call for giving union members on those campuses more authority to ensure "co-locations don't diminish the learning and working conditions at schools."

UTLA wants to create several new regulations that would govern charter schools in the district. Charter schools receive public funds and are regulated by LAUSD, but they operate outside of the district's control and compete with district-run schools for student enrollment and funding. Of particular issue to UTLA are charter school "co-locations" -- when charter schools operate on LAUSD-run campuses, as allowed under state law. UTLA's demands call for giving union members on those campuses more authority to ensure "co-locations don't diminish the learning and working conditions at schools." Early education: UTLA wants to change how early education workers are paid and "give them an equitable workday, with lunch break." In March, UTLA officials said the district had refused this demand -- and recently said the district hasn't addressed this issue in recent talks.

PLEASE TELL ME THIS WILL ALL END SOON.

I wouldn't get your hopes up. Negotiations began in Jan. 2017. At first, there was very little movement in the ensuing year and a half at the bargaining table. But now, events are accelerating, not slowing down:

Officers and volunteers in the United Teachers Los Angeles union, which represents more than 30,000 L.A. Unified School District employees, help open envelopes during a count of strike authorization ballots at the union's headquarters on Fri., Aug. 31, 2018. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC) (Kyle Stokes/KPCC)

Aug. 24: UTLA filed an "unfair labor practice" complaint with the state's Public Employment Relations Commission. They objected to LAUSD's unusually fast reply to a request by some news outfit called KPCC/LAist to see UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl's discipline file. It wasn't the request they found galling so much as the timeline for the district's response: UTLA says it has been waiting for, in some cases, up to four months for the district to hand over documents and information relevant to their contract talks.

UTLA filed an "unfair labor practice" complaint with the state's Public Employment Relations Commission. They objected to LAUSD's unusually fast reply to a request by some news outfit called KPCC/LAist to see UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl's discipline file. It wasn't the request they found galling so much as the timeline for the district's response: UTLA says it has been waiting for, in some cases, up to four months for the district to hand over documents and information relevant to their contract talks. Aug. 28: LAUSD countered with an unfair labor practice charge of its own. The district said UTLA had not seriously engaged during almost a year-and-a-half of talks on a new contract -- and even comes close to saying the teachers union has been hoping talks end with a strike from the beginning. The district said UTLA "calculated to time a strike for a period where it can inflict maximum punishment on children and parents so that UTLA may extract financial concessions from the district." LAUSD complains about UTLA's decision to hold a strike vote before the state's mediation process could even begin.

LAUSD countered with an unfair labor practice charge of its own. The district said UTLA had not seriously engaged during almost a year-and-a-half of talks on a new contract -- and even comes close to saying the teachers union has been hoping talks end with a strike from the beginning. The district said UTLA "calculated to time a strike for a period where it can inflict maximum punishment on children and parents so that UTLA may extract financial concessions from the district." LAUSD complains about UTLA's decision to hold a strike vote before the state's mediation process could even begin. Aug. 31: UTLA announces the results of its strike vote and -- to almost no one's suprise -- the results are overwhelming. Of the roughly 81 percent of UTLA members casting ballots, 98 percent favored authorizing union leadership to call a strike.

UTLA announces the results of its strike vote and -- to almost no one's suprise -- the results are overwhelming. Of the roughly 81 percent of UTLA members casting ballots, 98 percent favored authorizing union leadership to call a strike. Sept. 6: In a speech to district principals, Beutner said he did not believe state mediation alone would break the impasse: "I'm open-minded, but I'm not optimistic because we've been at this 18 months and UTLA hasn't changed their list of demands ... It's hard for me to understand how we can go to mediation and say, 'We want you to accept our offer that would bankrupt us.' I don't know how the district can respond constructively to that other than 'no.'" Beutner went on to say he believed contract talks would not likely be solved before the two sides reach the next step of the dispute resolution process: hearing the recommendations of a fact-finder.

In a speech to district principals, Beutner said he did not believe state mediation alone would break the impasse: "I'm open-minded, but I'm not optimistic because we've been at this 18 months and UTLA hasn't changed their list of demands ... It's hard for me to understand how we can go to mediation and say, 'We want you to accept our offer that would bankrupt us.' I don't know how the district can respond constructively to that other than 'no.'" Beutner went on to say he believed contract talks would not likely be solved before the two sides reach the next step of the dispute resolution process: hearing the recommendations of a fact-finder. Sept. 25: L.A. Unified School Board members voted in closed session to boost the district's salary offer to UTLA. Their new offer: a 6 percent raise, split into a 3 percent raise retroactive to July 2017 and another 3 percent raise for the current school year. The current year's raise would be contingent upon teachers performing "extra work and/or training," and if the district's finances are not on solid footing in spring of 2019, the raise would go away next school year. (The district had previously offered 2 percent ongoing and a one-time 2 percent bonus.) The district also promised a limited package of class size reductions. In a statement, UTLA leaders called the offer "insulting".

L.A. Unified School Board members voted in closed session to boost the district's salary offer to UTLA. Their new offer: a 6 percent raise, split into a 3 percent raise retroactive to July 2017 and another 3 percent raise for the current school year. The current year's raise would be contingent upon teachers performing "extra work and/or training," and if the district's finances are not on solid footing in spring of 2019, the raise would go away next school year. (The district had previously offered 2 percent ongoing and a one-time 2 percent bonus.) The district also promised a limited package of class size reductions. In a statement, UTLA leaders called the offer "insulting". Sept. 27: Mediation began.

Mediation began. Oct. 4: UTLA leaders released portions of Beutner's official schedule, criticizing the superintendent for holding meetings with prominent charter school supporters including philanthropist Eli Broad. District representatives noted the meetings UTLA highlighted represented a small fraction of Beutner's full calendar.

UTLA leaders released portions of Beutner's official schedule, criticizing the superintendent for holding meetings with prominent charter school supporters including philanthropist Eli Broad. District representatives noted the meetings UTLA highlighted represented a small fraction of Beutner's full calendar. Oct. 12: State mediators released LAUSD and UTLA to fact-finding, the final stage of the state's "impasse resolution procedures." At the end of the weeks-long process, a state-appointed fact-finder will issue non-binding recommendations for resolving the contract dispute. The two sides can use these recommendations as a blueprint for a deal -- or they can simply ignore it.

State mediators released LAUSD and UTLA to fact-finding, the final stage of the state's "impasse resolution procedures." At the end of the weeks-long process, a state-appointed fact-finder will issue non-binding recommendations for resolving the contract dispute. The two sides can use these recommendations as a blueprint for a deal -- or they can simply ignore it. Oct. 30: LAUSD officials made a new offer. They again offered a 6 percent raise -- 3 percent retroactive, 3 percent ongoing -- but drop their request to make part of the raise contingent on the district's finances. LAUSD negotiators also propose to remove a contract provision that allows the district to raise class sizes almost at will -- but in its place proposes a new set of conditions under which class sizes could be raised. UTLA leaders said the new conditions are worse than the old provision, telling members "Beutner is trying to buy us off with a raise."

L.A. Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner addresses reporters following union negotiations with United Teachers Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)

Dec. 3: The fact-finder heard arguments from representatives of both LAUSD and UTLA. After the fact-finding presentations, the two sides "agreed to participate in a mediation session, but a settlement was not reached," according to a statement from the union.

The fact-finder heard arguments from representatives of both LAUSD and UTLA. After the fact-finding presentations, the two sides "agreed to participate in a mediation session, but a settlement was not reached," according to a statement from the union. Dec. 15: UTLA convened thousands of supporters for a march through downtown L.A., starting at Grand Park near City Hall. The union ended its march at the Broad Museum -- named for philanthropist Eli Broad, who's also a supporter of charter schools and other so-called "education reforms." UTLA's Facebook invite for the event said: "We'll either be celebrating a great bargaining victory if the district meets our demands between now and then, or sending LAUSD and Beutner an irrefutably powerful message that a strike is going to happen if they don't."

UTLA convened thousands of supporters for a march through downtown L.A., starting at Grand Park near City Hall. The union ended its march at the Broad Museum -- named for philanthropist Eli Broad, who's also a supporter of charter schools and other so-called "education reforms." UTLA's Facebook invite for the event said: "We'll either be celebrating a great bargaining victory if the district meets our demands between now and then, or sending LAUSD and Beutner an irrefutably powerful message that a strike is going to happen if they don't." Dec. 17: Neutral fact-finder David A. Weinberg issued his recommendations for settling the dispute. He pushed UTLA to settle at the district's salary offer: a 6 percent raise. The fact-finder also concluded, despite the financial pressures facing the district, that LAUSD could afford to spend a little more money to lower class sizes and that the two should return to negotiations to hash out the details. But he also urged the two sides to punt on almost all other outstanding contract items, citing them as too complicated, too ambitious or too costly.

Neutral fact-finder David A. Weinberg issued his recommendations for settling the dispute. He pushed UTLA to settle at the district's salary offer: a 6 percent raise. The fact-finder also concluded, despite the financial pressures facing the district, that LAUSD could afford to spend a little more money to lower class sizes and that the two should return to negotiations to hash out the details. But he also urged the two sides to punt on almost all other outstanding contract items, citing them as too complicated, too ambitious or too costly. Dec. 18: LAUSD released the fact-finder's report to the public at a morning press conference. There, Superintendent Austin Beutner touched off a new dispute over whether the two sides had reached a deal on salary. Beutner, an LAUSD press release, and several visual aids at his press conference all claimed the union had "agreed" to the district's proposed 6 percent increase. By that evening, the union had issued a statement asserting that Beutner's claim was misleading. The union has not agreed to a 6 percent raise as a matter of contract negotiations; the union's appointee to the fact-finding panel had merely concurred with the fact-finder's recommendation of accepting the district's salary offer. Behind the scenes, LAUSD negotiators email UTLA leaders suggesting that the two sides resume bargaining.

LAUSD released the fact-finder's report to the public at a morning press conference. There, Superintendent Austin Beutner touched off a new dispute over whether the two sides had reached a deal on salary. Beutner, an LAUSD press release, and several visual aids at his press conference all claimed the union had "agreed" to the district's proposed 6 percent increase. By that evening, the union had issued a statement asserting that Beutner's claim was misleading. The union has not agreed to a 6 percent raise as a matter of contract negotiations; the union's appointee to the fact-finding panel had merely concurred with the fact-finder's recommendation of accepting the district's salary offer. Behind the scenes, LAUSD negotiators email UTLA leaders suggesting that the two sides resume bargaining. Dec. 19: UTLA leaders announced that they would strike on Jan. 10 if they hadn't reached a deal with the district. UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl said that, in the union's estimation, the district had failed to make serious counter-offers to the union's demands on several issues, including on standardized testing and early childhood education. Caputo-Pearl said UTLA had no plans to return to the bargaining table until the district came forward with an offer that responded to those demands. "The district knows where we are," he said. "We're right down the street from each other." Meanwhile, behind the scenes, union leaders emailed the district saying they felt the fact-finder's recommendations "don't ... serve as a basis for resolving the bargaining dispute between UTLA and LAUSD."

UTLA leaders announced that they would strike on Jan. 10 if they hadn't reached a deal with the district. UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl said that, in the union's estimation, the district had failed to make serious counter-offers to the union's demands on several issues, including on standardized testing and early childhood education. Caputo-Pearl said UTLA had no plans to return to the bargaining table until the district came forward with an offer that responded to those demands. "The district knows where we are," he said. "We're right down the street from each other." Meanwhile, behind the scenes, union leaders emailed the district saying they felt the fact-finder's recommendations "don't ... serve as a basis for resolving the bargaining dispute between UTLA and LAUSD." Dec. 18-Jan. 2: Without in-person talks underway, union officials and district leaders engage in a dizzying and confusing email back-and-forth. Copies of the emails were ultimately released by the district. The chain began with the head of LAUSD's bargaining team, Rob Samples, e-mailing the union to say the district was essentially folding many of the recommendations in the fact-finder's report as part of its negotiating position. Would that be enough, he asked, to bring the union back to the table? At first, union leaders responded by questioning whether this really constituted the new "offer" -- the documents the district sent over were confusing and lacking detail, UTLA said. "Yes," Samples replied on Jan. 2, "this was an offer." UTLA executive director Jeff Good responds by asking the district to "provide a legitimate bargaining proposal that comprehensively addresses the UTLA package of demands." If LAUSD can do this, Good says the union is available to resume talks on Monday, Jan. 7.

United Teachers Los Angeles president Alex Caputo-Pearl (center) and members of the teachers union's bargaining team announce at a news conference on Fri., Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)

Jan. 3: UTLA issues a statement announcing they had rejected LAUSD's "so-called offer," but floated the possibility of meeting Monday, Jan. 7. LAUSD jumped at the opening, issuing a statement: "We welcome UTLA's willingness to return to contract negotiations."

UTLA issues a statement announcing they had rejected LAUSD's "so-called offer," but floated the possibility of meeting Monday, Jan. 7. LAUSD jumped at the opening, issuing a statement: "We welcome UTLA's willingness to return to contract negotiations." Jan. 3: LAUSD attorneys asked a federal judge to block UTLA members who serve students with disabilities from striking. The district's special education services have been under court monitoring ever since a 1996 settlement in the Chanda Smith case. LAUSD argued a teacher strike could throw the district out of compliance with that settlement. UTLA called the move "the legal equivalent of a Hail Mary pass," accusing the district of "using our most vulnerable students as pawns."

LAUSD attorneys asked a federal judge to block UTLA members who serve students with disabilities from striking. The district's special education services have been under court monitoring ever since a 1996 settlement in the Chanda Smith case. LAUSD argued a teacher strike could throw the district out of compliance with that settlement. UTLA called the move "the legal equivalent of a Hail Mary pass," accusing the district of "using our most vulnerable students as pawns." Jan. 4: Behind the scenes, LAUSD negotiator Rob Samples emails in reply to UTLA to confirm a Monday, Jan. 7, meeting would work.

Behind the scenes, LAUSD negotiator Rob Samples emails in reply to UTLA to confirm a Monday, Jan. 7, meeting would work. Jan. 4: U.S. District Judge Ronald Lew rejected LAUSD's move to block special ed teachers from striking. The judge's ruling turned down LAUSD's request on technical grounds, but left open the door for the district to file a new lawsuit that might block special education teachers from striking.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Lew rejected LAUSD's move to block special ed teachers from striking. The judge's ruling turned down LAUSD's request on technical grounds, but left open the door for the district to file a new lawsuit that might block special education teachers from striking. Jan. 6: UTLA releases a statement acknowledging that their members may not be able to begin their strike on Thurs., Jan. 10, as they had initially planned. Union officials said there was a legal disagreement about when and whether UTLA had filed the right paperwork giving formal notice of their intent to strike. Though the union promised to "proactively" go to court in the coming week to ensure its members could still strike on Jan. 10, the union acknowledged the snafu could delay a strike by "a few days" -- to Jan. 14.

UTLA releases a statement acknowledging that their members may not be able to begin their strike on Thurs., Jan. 10, as they had initially planned. Union officials said there was a legal disagreement about when and whether UTLA had filed the right paperwork giving formal notice of their intent to strike. Though the union promised to "proactively" go to court in the coming week to ensure its members could still strike on Jan. 10, the union acknowledged the snafu could delay a strike by "a few days" -- to Jan. 14. Jan. 7: Negotiators for the two sides meet for the first face-to-face talks since at least Dec. 3. Both UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl and LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner -- who had previously left much of the face-to-face negotiation to their bargaining teams -- personally joined the talks.

Negotiators for the two sides meet for the first face-to-face talks since at least Dec. 3. Both UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl and LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner -- who had previously left much of the face-to-face negotiation to their bargaining teams -- personally joined the talks. Jan. 8: In court, a lawyer for UTLA tells a judge that if there's no clarity by Thursday Jan. 10 about the legality of a strike, he's concerned union members might stage "wildcat strikes" -- in other words, unauthorized strike activity. But before the judge can even get to the matter at hand, the case gets hung up on a procedural matter that throws the strike date into question.

In court, a lawyer for UTLA tells a judge that if there's no clarity by Thursday Jan. 10 about the legality of a strike, he's concerned union members might stage "wildcat strikes" -- in other words, unauthorized strike activity. But before the judge can even get to the matter at hand, the case gets hung up on a procedural matter that throws the strike date into question. Jan. 9: UTLA announces it will postpone the strike until Monday, Jan. 14, at the earliest over uncertainty about how a judge would rule on the legality of its strike date. LAUSD announces plans to argue for an even further delay in the strike date. The L.A. County Office of Education appoints a "fiscal expert" to monitor the district's budget.

UTLA announces it will postpone the strike until Monday, Jan. 14, at the earliest over uncertainty about how a judge would rule on the legality of its strike date. LAUSD announces plans to argue for in the strike date. The L.A. County Office of Education appoints a "fiscal expert" to monitor the district's budget. Jan. 10: A judge rules that a the strike can go forward on Monday, Jan. 14. Also, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a state budget proposal that, if approved, would include an increase in funding for K-12 education -- which means millions more dollars LAUSD could use to meet UTLA's costliest demands. LAUSD officials took the opening: "It is our intention," Superintendent Austin Beutner announced, "to propose a revised offer to UTLA tomorrow" (Fri., Jan. 11), based on the "good news."

A judge rules that a the strike can go forward on Monday, Jan. 14. Also, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a state budget proposal that, if approved, would include an increase in funding for K-12 education -- which means millions more dollars LAUSD could use to meet UTLA's costliest demands. LAUSD officials took the opening: "It is our intention," Superintendent Austin Beutner announced, "to propose a revised offer to UTLA tomorrow" (Fri., Jan. 11), based on the "good news." Jan. 11: UTLA leaders reject LAUSD's latest offer, saying they have no plans to return to talks over the weekend, setting the stage for a strike.

UTLA leaders reject LAUSD's latest offer, saying they have no plans to return to talks over the weekend, setting the stage for a strike. Jan. 13: In an interview, Beutner said the two sides did not negotiate over the weekend. A strike is now a certainty.

In an interview, Beutner said the two sides did not negotiate over the weekend. A strike is now a certainty. Jan. 14: The first teachers strike in Los Angeles in 30 years is set to begin.

The first teachers strike in Los Angeles in 30 years is set to begin. Jan. 16: Pro-teacher marchers rally at the private home of LAUSD school board resident Monica Garcia. UTLA negotiators say they are ready to sit back down to resume contract talks. Talks are confirmed back on for Thursday at City Hall.

Pro-teacher marchers rally at the private home of LAUSD school board resident Monica Garcia. UTLA negotiators say they are ready to sit back down to resume contract talks. Talks are confirmed back on for Thursday at City Hall. Jan. 17: Talks between UTLA and LAUSD begin. Principals union leader Juan Flecha sends letter to LAUSD officials suggesting they shut down schools for remainder of the strike. LAUSD Superintendent responds that schools will stay open.

UPDATES & CORRECTIONS

Correction, Aug. 30: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said LAUSD was spending "half-a-million" dollars more each year than it was taking in. The district is currently spending roughly $500 million more each year than it's taking in. KPCC/LAist regrets the error.

Update & Clarification, Sept. 4: The post was updated with results of the union's strike authorization vote. Additionally, a reference to enhancing the power of "local school site councils" was updated to clarify that UTLA wishes to give more power to "Local School Leadership Councils."

UPDATES

Sept. 26: This post was updated to reflect additional events from the last month, including L.A. Unified's revised salary offer of Sept. 25.

Oct. 12: This post was updated to reflect additional events from the last month, including the release of Beutner's calendar on Oct. 4.

Oct. 15: This post was updated to note the end of state mediation and the beginning of fact-finding.

Oct. 17: This post was updated to include the district's FAQ for parents on the district's contingency plan in the event of a strike.

Nov. 30: This post was updated to reflect additional events, including the district's Oct. 30 offer and plans to meet with the fact-finder on Dec. 3.

Dec. 14: This post was updated to reflect additional events, including the end of fact-finding and the planned march through downtown Los Angeles.

Dec. 15: This post was updated with additional information about the next steps in the process.

Dec. 26: This post was updated throughout to reflect the release of the fact-finder's report and UTLA's announcement of its strike date.

Jan. 7: This post was updated throughout to reflect the new uncertainty about the strike date and Jan. 7 negotiations.

Jan. 8: This post was updated to reflect court-filing hiccups by UTLA and ongoing uncertainty about the strike date.

Jan. 9: This post was updated with news that UTLA postponed the strike to Jan. 14 at the earliest.

Jan. 11: This post was updated to reflect the Jan. 7 offers from both LAUSD and UTLA as well as recent developments with the state budget.

Jan. 13: This post was updated to reflect the Jan. 11 offer from LAUSD and other more recent events. Other portions of this post that are now outdated were removed.

Jan. 16: This post was updated to reflect the current status of the strike and news that talks were scheduled to resume the next day.

Jan. 17: This post was updated to reflect the current status of the strike and news that the principals union asked LAUSD to consider shutting schools for the remainder of the strike.

News happens every day. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you and the community you live in. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) are made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism isn't cheap, but with your support we can keep delivering it. Donate now.If the president wants to tilt toward Russia (not that Trump really has, except in his words), he can. If he wants to butter up Chinas dictatorial president during high-stakes trade negotiations, he can. If he wants to announce a precipitous withdrawal from Syria and make it slightly less precipitous in a fog of confusion, he can.

And the FBI should have nothing to say about it.

The Times story is another sign that we have forgotten the role of our respective branches of government.

It is Congress that exists to check and investigate the president, not the FBI. Congress can inveigh against his foreign policy and constrain his options. It can build a case for not re-electing him and perhaps impeach him. These are all actions to be undertaken out in the open by politically accountable players, so the public can make informed judgments about them.

Perhaps the Times report is exaggerated, or the FBI has serious evidence of a criminally corrupt quid pro quo between Trump and Moscow that theres no public indication of yet.

Otherwise, the Times story is a damning account of an offense against our political order, and not by Donald Trump.

Syndicated columnist Rich Lowry can be reached at comments.lowry@nationalreview.com.

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{{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever."For the HHS OIG to claim it was not known that as a result of DHS actively (enforcing) this policy in the same manner for more than a decade children were placed in HHS custody casts doubt on the HHS OIG's credibility on this topic," she said.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which had sued the administration to halt the "zero-tolerance" policy, threatened of more litigation in the future. "This policy was a cruel disaster from the start. This report reaffirms that the government never had a clear picture of how many children it ripped from their parents. We will be back in court over this latest revelation," said Lee Gelernt, lead attorney and deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project.

Last year, the Trump administration erected a temporary tent facility in Tornillo, Texas, to hold children who had arrived unaccompanied at the southwest border or been detained as a result of the administration's "zero-tolerance" policy.

The facility came under scrutiny last November when the HHS Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson warned of "significant vulnerabilities," including not properly vetting staff and a "dangerously low number of clinicians."We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips.U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, called the measure a piecemeal approach to placating a growing number of farmers affected by the shutdown. Agriculture production is a large part of Wisconsins economy that is directly and negatively affected when the FSA isnt fully functioning, Kind said. People are getting hurt, back home.

The FSA offices arent up and functioning at a crucial time of the year when [farmers] have to make planting decisions, get operating loans, buy their seed and fuel and fertilizer for the upcoming season, Kind said in an interview. I know [FSA employees] are going to go in and theyre going to do the best job they can under an incredible amount of stress because of the time limits that theyre operating, and theyre not even getting paid. This is so unfair to them.

Brad Kremer, owner of Hillcrest Family Farms in Pittsville, Wis., filed paperwork to receive his payment for the 2018 fall crop from the MFP just before the start of the government shutdown in late December, but because the shutdown began before his paperwork was processed, hes still waiting to receive his check. Most farmers in Wisconsin have not received their second payment due to the states late harvest, as the program requires farmers to certify their crop post-harvest in order to get paid, Kremer said.Cliff LeCleir plans health clinic in West Salem

Cliff LeCleirs next venture will be a health clinic in West Salem, rooted in the fact that a son faced a health crisis but didnt have insurance.

Treatment at a local hospital would have cost thousands, he said.

I found a place in Rice Lake that would do it for $600, he said.

So many people are falling through the cracks in health care, a situation that spawned the idea to found Sensible Health Care, which will be in a Central States Warehouse building in West Salem that a church has been using but is being converted to a clinic, he said.

The renovations will include accommodating services such as an MRI. LeCleir has lined up two cardiologists and a radiologist, and the clinic will include a neighborhood family clinic, he said.

It will provide something this community needs desperately, he said of the clinic, which he said will be open to anyone who needs to use it.

I hope to open by the end of March, and we will have as many health specialties as we can, he said.A speed dating event for senior citizens was a big hit at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in November  so big that the organizer is creating a corresponding lesson plan for colleges across the country.

Dawn Norris, a professor in UW-Ls sociology department, is drafting the lesson plan with help from New York City-based filmmaker Steven Loring, whose documentary, The Age of Love, served as Norris inspiration.

Norris said she was blown away by the interest and media attention still swirling around that first event.

The need for this kind of event is rather overwhelming, she said. People really want a place where they can meet others in their age range for companionship. This was something I already knew, but I think I underestimated how important it is for people.

The Nov. 28 event drew two dozen sharply dressed seniors to UW-Ls Student Union, where they sipped coffee and shot the breeze as Elvis and Sinatra poured through the speakers.

It wasnt just Norris pulling the strings. Students in her generations and aging class did most of the legwork, planning, promoting and running the event.THS students volunteered to draw the portraits, Winchel said. Originally they needed five volunteers as they were given five photos to create portraits from, but they later received seven more photographs through of a connection with THS social studies teacher Amy White.

Student and volunteer for the project Samara Steinmetz told Winchel that White taught about Myanmar and the Rohingya crisis this past semester in her world geography class. Steinmetz mentioned the project to White, who is involved with the Compassion Project component of the Remembering Jesse Charity. After White was approached, the charity funded seven more photos to become portraits.

Steinmetz was excited to work on the project.

When I was taking world geography, I was like, this is so sad, all these people are getting kicked out of Myanmar for just who they are, and I dont think thats fair, she said.  I always think that with stuff like this if theres ever anything I can do to help them Ill do it, so when this project came up Im like, I think thats kind of my sign to get on that.

Student Autumn Sparks volunteered for the project because she has a love for children.- Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena shared his admiration about President Rodrigo Dutertes anti-narcotics campaign

- Pres. Sirisiena said that it is an example to the whole world

- He also shared that the drug war is personal to him

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Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said that he admires the flagship project of President Rodrigo Duterte, the war on drug campaign. KAMI learned that the anti-drug campaign is also personal to Pres. Sirisena.

Excellency, the war against crime and drug carried out by you is an example to the whole world, and personally to me. Drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard, Pres. Sirisena shared during the banquet in Malacanang on Wednesday as reported by ABS-CBN News.

In a report by CNN Philippines, Pres. Duterte said that he is hopeful that Philippines could be partners with Sri Lanka in terms of addressing the trafficking illegal drug.

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On the other hand, it was reported by The Guardian that there were 5,000 killed due to the drug war as of July 2016 to November 2018.

As previously reported by KAMI, according to the result of Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, around 80% are satisfied with the anti-narcotics campaign by the Duterte administration.

Pres. Sirisena is currently in a historic five-day state visit in the Philippines. He will visit the Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong, and the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos.

POPULAR: Read more news about President Rodrigo Duterte!

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This video will measure the willingness of some Filipinos to help. Are they really basing their will to lend hand based on how people look? Find out in this experiment video! Check out our videos  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.phState Rep. Jim Ott and state Sen. Alberta Darling have been waging an uphill battle over the years in an effort to persuade Wisconsin to get tougher on drunken driving, up to and including first offenses. The Republican legislators seem to have found an ally in Tony Evers, the new Democratic governor.

Evers said during his campaign that hes open to criminalizing first offenses, the Associated Press reported Sunday. He reiterated that statement days before his inauguration.

We have to find ways to make that first offense more meaningful to the offenders so they dont offend again or dont offend the first time, Evers said. Whether thats making it a felony or not, Im not sure.

We dont think it should be a felony, but wed like to see a drunken driving first offense become a misdemeanor. Right now its not much different than a speeding ticket in Wisconsin, in that its a civil offense. Ours is the only state that punishes drunken driving so lightly.

The state ranks 20th in population but has ranked among the top 15 states for drunken-driving arrests every year from 2005 through 2017, according to the latest statistics compiled by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. From 2005 through 2009, the state ranked in the top 10 for operating-while-intoxicated arrests.RACINE A vigil marking the one-year anniversary of the death of Donte Shannon  who was killed last year in an officer-involved shooting  is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

More than 100 people had marked themselves as Going on the Facebook event page as of Thursday morning, with another 175 marked as "Interested."

Attendants will walk from the intersection of 12th Street and Grand Avenue to 14th Street and Park Avenue, near where Shannon was killed. The vigil will last from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Racine Police shot and killed Shannon on Jan. 17, 2018, after he allegedly fled on foot from a traffic stop and pointed a gun at officers. Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson did not file charges against the officers after a Wisconsin Department of Justice investigation found they acted appropriately.

Shannons death sparked protests, with around 200 people marching from the scene of the shooting to the police station on Center Street and then to City Hall in the days following the incident.

Racine County 1st District Supervisor Nick Demske announced Wednesday night on Facebook that he will attend the vigil and read a poem he wrote for Shannon.

"Donte's parents lost a son, Donte's family lost a loved one, and Racine lost a member of our community at 26 years old," Demske wrote. "Regardless of the other details, a loss of a life too soon is always a tragedy, no matter who anyone thinks is to blame for it. A tragedy that affects the whole community."

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Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Trustee Anna Marie Clausen told residents the board took considerable time researching and evaluating the projects potential outcomes.

It takes a long process for these projects to come through to development, Clausen said. No, we do not have our minds made up and I think I speak for, if not all the trustees, the majority: Theres a process, and it takes considerable time and research for us to come to a decision.

Clausen said this project will fill a need in the village.

The original developer had planned for apartments, she said. Currently, there are no quality rental options, and we need these housing options.

Feest admitted there is a need for more housing in the village as more people come to the area to work for Foxconn or at other jobs.

This is a really good project, Feest said. Were not used to something like this in this village.

However, Feest said his main issue is road capacity, specifically whether the immediate area roads can handle that many people driving there without causing significant traffic delays.A witness reported that the victim was crossing the street in the crosswalk when a white sedan struck her. Someone in the car was yelling for the driver to stop but it continued driving away. Surveillance video showed the victim sliding across the hood and going airborne over the windshield before falling to the street. The driver's vehicle allegedly smelled of marijuana.Law enforcement personnel found several pieces of debris around the scene of the crash. A partial number on one of the pieces allowed officers to identify Taylor as the owner of the vehicle.

When interviewing Taylor, one detective reported seeing replacement parts for a headlight, consistent with the damage found on Taylors truck. Another detective said that part of the truck, a side marker, had already been replaced.

Detectives observed that on the Dodge Ram there was a circular impact damage to the windshield the approximate size of a human head.

Taylor reportedly told one detective that someone named Diane was driving the truck, and told another detective that he was the one driving, according to a criminal complaint.

According to police, Taylor admitted that he had been driving on Highway 32 that night when all of a sudden he thought he may have hit something because his vehicle pulled to the right, but that he was not sure if he hit anything.

Information from Taylors phone, according to detectives, confirmed that he was driving at the time and location where Cagle was struck.

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Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.RAYMOND  Four out of five people inside a speeding car were allegedly found carrying drugs Sunday.

According to the criminal complaint:

After pulling over a vehicle that was driving 95-100 mph on Interstate 94, a Racine County Sheriffs deputy said he immediately smelled marijuana and alcohol coming from the vehicle.

None of the five occupants had seat belts on, four of them allegedly had drugs including marijuana and cocaine on their persons, and a half-empty 1.75-liter bottle of Bacardi Gold rum was found inside the car.

The driver, 36-year-old Dennis Dashiell of Rock Island, Ill., reportedly failed all three field sobriety tests administered at the Racine County Sheriffs Office.

After a breath test showed Dashiells blood-alcohol content was 0.172 percent, he was arrested. He allegedly swore at law enforcement personnel and yelled, I am fully not cooperative! and I am not afraid of being tased, the complaint states.

After a warrant was issued, it reportedly took five deputies to hold Dashiell still enough for his blood to be taken.KENOSHA COUNTY  Four Racine residents charged with first-degree homicide after a reported home invasion that left one man dead and three people shot in the Town of Wheatland pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.

Augustine Jesus Sanchez, 20, of the 2800 block of Hayes Avenue, Anthony Lee Harris II, 23, of the 3900 block of Green Street and Demarco Hudson, 17, of the 1000 block of Davis Place all entered not guilty pleas to felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, armed robbery, armed burglary with a dangerous weapon, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Markeith Wilson, 20, of the 2500 block of Pinehurst Avenue, also pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, armed robbery and armed burglary with a dangerous weapon.

All four men remained in custody on $1 million cash bonds, online records show. A judicial pretrial is scheduled for March 27 at the Kenosha County Courthouse, 912 56th St., Kenosha.

Robbery gone wrong

According to the criminal complaints, Harris told law enforcement that on Nov. 14 the four suspects went to 23-year-old Joseph Rileys Wheatland home to rob him of marijuana and money, but Riley refused to open the door.BARRON  Authorities are deciding what to do with a $50,000 reward for information about 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who was found alive nearly three months after authorities say she was abducted from her home and her parents were killed by an intruder.

Milwaukee FBI spokesman Leonard Peace said Tuesday that the reward remains under review. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says the reward is being discussed with the FBI and will be determined later.

The FBI offered a $25,000 reward on Oct. 24 for information about Jayme's whereabouts. The Jennie-O Turkey Store, where James and Denise Closs worked, later doubled the amount to $50,000.

Jayme was discovered Thursday by a woman walking her dog near the small northwestern Wisconsin town of Gordon, 60 miles (100 kilometers) away from her hometown of Barron. The woman, Jeanne Nutter, took Jayme to the home of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas, who called 911.

Peter Kasinskas told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the couple does not want the reward. He says if anyone gets it, Jayme should because "She got herself out."

No information on Nutter's views on the reward was available.The City Council rejected the guidelines. Based on their comments, some aldermen seemed to believe that voting in favor of the plan was approving the removal of streetlights, which was not the case.

Regardless, Yehlen, in consultation with Police Chief Art Howell, used the plan to determine which areas were adequately lit and which streetlights could be removed.

Illuminating factors

Yehlen has also researched and presented to the committee guidelines, from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and Federal Highway Administration, which are focused on traffic and pedestrian safety. Yehlen has said before that the city would need to contract with a lighting expert to implement those guidelines, because the city does have that expertise in house.

The standards are technical to implement, but some of the ideas are ones that aldermen are concerned about, such as how pavement reflectivity affects illumination.

Alderman John Tate II said that in his 3rd District, Linden Avenue, which was recently paved with blacktop, could use more lighting.Cash reserve must be rebuilt

At the start of 2016, Nebraskas "rainy day fund" exceeded $700 million. To begin the 2019 session, the fund stands at only $300 million.

A new report from a legislative committee calls on the Legislature to build up the cash reserve over the next four years so that it could cover two months of general fund spending. Based on the current fiscal 2018-19 revenue forecast, an average monthly revenue would be $400 million, so two months would be $800 million.

Past experience shows the danger in allowing the cash reserve to fall too low. That was the painful lesson in 2001: An economic slowdown hit, and lawmakers discovered that the meager amount available in the rainy day fund  $45 million  was far short of what was needed to close a $220 million budget gap.

Nebraska lawmakers have a lot on their plate this session. As they work to meet the challenges, they mustn't forget to start replenishing the cash reserve.

- Omaha World-Herald

Water vital for crops, tourismThe House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted for a resolution of disapproval aimed at Rep. Steve King of Iowa. All of his fellow Republicans supported the action  he even voted for it himself, to show his remorse  and earlier this week, the party's leaders stripped King of his committee assignments. Several GOP members are telling him to resign.

The immediate cause of the rebukes is comments he made to the New York Times in which he seemed to suggest that "white supremacy" should not be considered offensive. In a statement a week following the original Times report, King denied that he meant this. But just a few months ago, he disputed remarks that were quoted accurately when they, too, were criticized for racism.

That earlier controversy didn't come out of a clear blue sky, either.

In the New York Times, Trip Gabriel reports that while Republicans are now denouncing King, who has been in the House since 2003, he has "disparaged nonwhite groups for years." Gabriel supplies a list of what the Times headline calls King's "Racist Remarks and Divisive Actions." But many items on that list, especially in the earlier years, don't involve any disparaging of nonwhite groups.And we've seen that Trump will throw anyone under the bus to get his way. He hires and fires with all the wisdom of, well, a reality-TV host. He pits countries and allies against one another with the impulsiveness of a binge shopper watching QVC at midnight.

Meanwhile, facts rarely furrow the president's brow. Fact: The number of illegal immigrants from Mexico has decreased over the past decade by 1.5 million, says the Pew Research Center. Fact: The number of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. via Canada, nearly half of them Mexican, has increased by 142 percent since 2017, according to CBS News. For about $300, Mexican citizens can fly to Toronto or Montreal without need of a visa and then relatively easily sashay into the U.S.

Would Trump shut down the government for a northern wall?

Of course not. This is because "Build the Wall" and "Mexico will pay for it" were campaign slogans created by a guy who never expected to become president. Now that he faces possible rejection, the wall has become a metaphor for his identity, his very being-ness.

To fail would be to suffer narcissistic injury, which, given Trump's immaturity and predilection to punch back, could lead to a real national crisis. As he said, he'd be proud to shut down the government -- and keep it shut down for months or years if need be.

Kathleen Parker writes for the Washington Post.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0But that news barely sank in before The Washington Post two days later reported that Trump had gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The measures included his taking possession of his translator's notes.

Meanwhile, the longest-running government shutdown in history was closing some offices and holding up thousands of paychecks in an impasse between the president and congressional Democrats over funding of a wall on the Mexican border.

It is worth remembering that Trump had agreed to a bipartisan funding plan but then reneged after he was ridiculed by Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and some other conservative commentators for breaking his campaign promise of a wall. Sensing his base was crumbling, Trump demanded a wall or nothing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, burned once already, refused to send anything to the Senate floor without Trump's promise to sign it, if it passed.

Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer and his fellow Democrat, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, held tight to their "no wall" position in a modified version of Napoleon Bonaparte's advice: Don't interrupt your political rival while he is destroying his own approval ratings.41 hazardous water reservoirs are to be restored the countrywide. Out of which 10 facilities were put into service in 2017-2019, 2 completed in 2020. 8 more facilities will be put into operation in 2021, the rest will be completed until 2025.DUNCAN  Authorities say one person has died in a collision between a semitrailer and a pickup just east of Duncan.

Columbus Fire Chief Dan Miller says the man was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday. The collision occurred a little after 5 p.m. on U.S. 30.

The victim was identified as Charles Matthies, 58, of Green Valley, Arizona. Authorities said the pickup Matthies was driving crossed the center line into the path of the oncoming semi.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0BELLEVUE  Authorities have released the name of a man fatally shot in an Omaha suburb.

Bellevue police have been investigating the shooting of 23-year-old Brian Faeller-Crom as a homicide. He was found wounded at the Pheasant Ridge Apartments on Tuesday night. Police say he was pronounced dead later at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.Sen. Ben Sasse on Wednesday won Senate approval of a resolution that in effect rejected objections raised by two Democratic senators about U.S. District Court nominee Brian Buescher's affiliation with the Knights of Columbus and its possible impact on his judicial decisions.

The resolution was approved without objection, essentially dismissing concerns expressed in questions submitted to Buescher following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing considering his nomination to a seat on the court in Nebraska.

Sasse said the resolution "reaffirms our oath of office to a Constitution that rejects religious bigotry" and honors a Constitution that "explicitly rejects religious tests for federal office."

Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii had raised questions about Buescher's membership in an organization that they said has taken strong positions regarding abortion and same-sex marriage.

In written questions sent to Buescher, an Omaha attorney, Hirono said "the Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions" on issues that might come before the court.

In response, Buescher said that his activities with the organization essentially consisted of charitable work and community events at his Catholic parish.Inside, on the heavy, cream paper, his family had written short messages to the young mailman on horseback.

One from the older brother, who had roused Larry out of bed for the ride: In later years you will consider yourself lucky to have the privilege to be on that statewide celebration.

And from his mom: Well, I wonder in how many years youll be telling your kids (I suppose theyll be all girls) about riding in the Pony Express.

And last from his dad: Larry, When you get to be along about 60 or 70 and you run across this old letter, that I hope youll save, you can look back and remember the good times you had when you were young, like that Sunday, June 19, 1949 ...

Larry did keep the letter in a box of mementos, sharing the story with his daughters. (Larrys mom with her four boys always wanted a daughter, Pat explains. She and Larry had a trio of girls, no boys.)

On Tuesday, Larry says hed only taken the letter out of the box twice over the years.

And then the mailman rang the doorbell.

And he rang it again the next day.

The tall, handsome mailman wasnt in uniform and he wasnt stuck Sunday.* Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart plans to introduce the College Savings Matching Grant Program that would provide families living between 200 and 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines a dollar-for-dollar match to their 529 account.

Children from families living below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines would receive a 2-to-1 match for every dollar contributed to their 529 college savings account.

Wishart said the plans have bipartisan backing in the Legislature.

Murante said Wishart's bill also applies to adults who open a 529 account for the purpose of earning a college degree in order to address the state's shortage of highly trained workers.

"What Senator Wishart's bill proposes to do is increase awareness and to increase the ability of folks of any age to get re-educated in the trades and to do the jobs that need to be filled in the state of Nebraska," he said.

* Sen. Andrew La Grone of Gretna will propose a bill extending the income tax deduction for contributing parents to "anyone who contributes to a 529 account."

La Grone's bill would also remove the $10,000 cap on contributions to the state-run college savings program.A retired Lincoln Police officer will be the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Freedom Breakfast on Friday, launching a week of events marking the legacy of the civil rights leader.

Genelle Moore, the first African-American woman to serve on the Lincoln Police force, will speak at the breakfast at the Embassy Suites. Doors open at 7 a.m. Tickets are $30.

Monday, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally and March will begin at 9 a.m. at the Nebraska Union, followed by a procession through the streets of downtown Lincoln to the Capitol for a 10:30 a.m. program.

Organizers say this years theme will reflect on King and others "who marched and stood up and spoke out to ensure equality, justice, fairness, kindness, and that the inevitable rights stated in the constitution are allotted to each and every person."

Later Monday, the annual MLK community worship service is planned for 7 p.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 3301 N. 56th St.

Also next week, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will mark MLK Day with a series of events.Morfeld said he looked forward to finding a time for Peterson to meet with him and the people he described.

"I will clear my schedule," he said.

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On the talk show, Peterson said the issue is far more complicated than the notion that 33 states have legalized medical marijuana and 11 states have legalized the recreational form of the drug, so it can't be stopped.

"I'm thinking, as public policymakers we have to be far more responsible than that type of simplistic analysis," he said.

A hearing for a bill (LB110) introduced by Wishart of Lincoln to legalize medical cannabis is scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 25 in front of the Judiciary Committee.

Peterson said he agreed with Voorhees that legalization of medical cannabis was one step closer to getting what people really want  legalization of recreational marijuana.

"The marijuana industry, I call them the impairment industry because the whole purpose of the product is to impair," he said. "It's an industry that tries to maximize impairment.  There's big money to be made here."

Peterson asked what's driving these senators to push the bills and the initiative petitions.The Nebraska inspector general for Corrections could take on oversight of the state's regional centers with a bill introduced Wednesday by Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz.

Inspector General Doug Koebernick, on behalf of the Legislature, now does investigation and performance review of the Department of Correctional Services, to provide increased accountability and oversight.

Bolz's bill (LB313) would add the regional centers to his workload.

The Lincoln Regional Center is a 250-bed state psychiatric hospital operated by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. It serves people who need specialized psychiatric services and who require highly structured treatment settings, including sex offenders.

Bolz said she was contacted in recent months with concerns about staffing levels and internal policies at the Lincoln Regional Center. Also, judges have recently ordered juveniles to be placed at the regional center to stabilize and treat them.

And so, oversight of the services and facilities, especially for vulnerable people, is important, Bolz said.MATTOON -- Bill's Radiator Shop owner Eric Rodewald has made many early morning trips to the Mattoon Rural King stores over the years to purchase supplies. During one of these routine trips on Wednesday, he inadvertently became the first customer at this store's newly opened location in the Cross County Mall.

After stopping for a celebratory photo taken by Rural King's staff, Rodewald headed onto the sales floor to get the bolts he needed for his shop. Rodewald said later that he likes the layout of the new Mattoon Rural King and that it is located on the east side of town, closer to his business and in the mall.

"I think it will bring a lot more people to the mall and will hopefully bring more stores out here," Rodewald said.

The Mattoon Rural King farm and home store officially opened for business at 7 a.m. Wednesday in the former Sears space, which mall property owner Rural King Realty has extensively renovated. Throughout the day, a steady stream of customers checked out at cash registers near the store's exterior front entrance and its interior mall concourse entrance.

Store Manager Melissa Cowger said she saw a lot of regular Mattoon Rural King customers, including many contractors, shopping at the new location on its first day open.

"There are also a lot of new faces I have not seen before, so that means we are reaching different customers too," Cowger said.

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The Mattoon Rural King store was previously located at 4216 Dewitt Ave. on the northwest edge of town. Rural King plans to continue using the DeWitt facility as its company headquarters and distribution center. The company decided to move its Mattoon store to the Cross County Mall on the east side of town after purchasing this property in fall 2017.

"The things we look forward to most are being able to reach to rest of the Mattoon community and being able to help revitalize the mall," Cowger said of the new location. "That is exciting for me because I grew up in Mattoon."

The store's new location is slightly smaller than the old one, so Cowger said it took some creativity to make the space work and ensure that the store can continue carrying all of its products.

Cowger said the new location does offer more front cash registers and wider register lanes than the old location. She said this store's front entrance also offers a drive through with a 60-foot steel awning, under which customers can load merchandise or shuttle passengers while sheltered from bad weather.

Snack and other pantry items, as well as clothing, are located adjacent to the front entrance cash registers. Pet supplies are located next to the interior mall entrance cash register. Jim and Kimberly Pinkston bought supplies for their two dogs there Wednesday morning, including a new coat that 4-month old Boston terrier Sophie wore out the door.

Kimberly Pinkston said this was Sophie's first visit to a Rural King store, but their 8-year-old Staffordshire terrier Miah had been to the store's former location many times. Pinkston said she appreciates that Rural King is continuing to let them and other dog owners shop with their canines at the new location.

Terry and Claudia Hurst of Lerna checked out at the interior mall entrance Wednesday morning during their first visit to the new store location. The Hursts, who are regular Rural King shoppers, said they like the layout of the new store and its location on the east side of town.

"We like it. It's closer to us," Claudia Hurst said.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

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Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.CHARLESTON -- Someone with a "fresh-eyed perspective" will help the Charleston school district explore improvements to its special education program.

During its meeting Wednesday, the Charleston school board approved the hiring of a consultant who will observe special education classes for about two weeks.

The consultant, Elizabeth deGruy, will then provide insight, review strengths and make recommendations for possible improvements, district Assistant Superintendent Kristen Holly told the board.

The $5,000 fee for services from deGruy, the special education director of the Champaign school district, will come from a federal grant.

Holly described the benefit as having the program reviewed from a different or "fresh-eyed perspective."

She said she expects the review to look at such matters as how well special education students transition from grade to grade and school to school, which is important for consistency in education.

Board President Jason Coe admitted having some concerns about the cost of the move but supported it and said he felt it should be worthwhile.

"She could save that $5,000 on something we don't catch," he said.

Holly said she and district special education Coordinator Robert Lynn began talking about using a consultant during the last school year.

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She said that evolved out of work by the district's Results Driven Accountability team, which is charged with developing an improvement plan.

The review will likely lead to an "open discussion" about the special education program between deGruy and district staff, but that information will be shared with the board, Holly also said.

Superintendent Todd Vilardo said the approach will be similar to those the district's already used, such as having staff visit other schools to review other programs.

"It's time to have someone come in and tell us what they think," he said.

Wednesday's vote was to approve deGruy's work for no more than eight days, starting Thursday and ending by Jan. 30.

Also during the meeting, the board approved the district's attendance calendar for the 2019-20 school year, which will also be used as a model for attendance for the following two years.

The calendar includes no attendance on the day after Easter rather than Columbus Day. There will be other non-attendance teacher institute days around the time of Columbus Day.

Holly said which of those to have as a non-attendance day was the biggest difference in the proposed calendars a district committee developed. A staff vote favored the day off on the Monday after Easter, she said.

Aug. 14 will be the first day of student attendance with the last day on May 20 if no snow days are used. The start and ending days were the same for each of the proposed calendars.

The board's vote also authorized setting the next two years' calendars to mirror the one for 2019-20.

The board also voted on the services of the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education that the district will use next year. Vilardo said those will be the same EIASE programs the district now uses.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0In December 2020, UNESCO added 15 of Japans traditional skills related to the conservation of wooden architecture, to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Here we explore the essence of two of those techniques  the art of making entsuke gold leaf from Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture, and making lacquer from Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture. (Photo credit: Hongwanji Kanazawa Betsuin)However, despite the fact that no one was killed, these were life-threatening attacks against the US and the US reserves the right to respond militarily to those attacks.

Indeed, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at the time that the US would hold the Iranian Regime accountable for any attack that injures US personnel or damages US government facilities.

She said: America will respond swiftly and decisively in defence of American lives.

Therefore, it is more than reasonable that Bolton requested military options from the Pentagon, even if it reportedly shocked some within the Defense and State Departments.

Of course, the US didnt end up striking Iran, so why is there so much uproar about Bolton simply examining all the options? Thats his job, after all.

Helen Raleigh, an immigration policy fellow at the Centennial Institute in Colorado, wrote: I am also shocked. I am shocked that Iran has been a US strategic enemy and has done so much harm to Americans and US assets, yet the Pentagon doesnt have military options against Iran ready to go. Why hasnt the United States done anything to teach Tehran not to mess with the United States?

Raleigh is right. While Iran has not formally declared war on the US, likely aware that the USs military would crush them in an instant, it has used various proxies to attack the US over the past 40 years; from the 1979 seizure of the Tehran Embassy, to the 1983 suicide bombings in Lebanon, to the support of Iraq militias who killed hundreds of US service personnel from 2003 to 2011.

The US has plenty of evidence to hold Iran responsible, yet it has not, so Iran continues to harm Americans, emboldened by the lack of response.

It is heartening that the US has embraced a new policy towards Iran and that many officials within the Trump administration have advocated for increased sanctions and less diplomatic relations with the terrorist Regime, but they should be ready to attack militarily as well.

Raleigh wrote: In order to keep America safe, the United States should never rule out military options against Iran, and should let Iran know that the United States is always ready and willing to take such actions.But it doesnt have to be this way. There is a new, better leader for Iran who is already fighting to bring freedom and democracy to the nation. Her name is Maryam Rajavi.

Maryam Rajavi is the leader of the Iranian Resistance and she has been fighting fundamentalism in Iran since the mullahs first stole power during the 1979 revolution.

Maryam Rajavi said: The Iranian regime is the founding state for most of the atrocities and evil which fundamentalist groups have perpetrated and are perpetrating by using the mullahs rule as a role model The Velayat-e faqih regime [is] the godfather of terrorism, the enemy of Middle East nations and the primary threat to global peace and security Indeed, the Iranian regime serves as the founder, the patron and the guide for fundamentalism in the world today.

Maryam Rajavi advises us that fundamentalism is not some sort of Middle East v. The West or Sunni v. Shiite or Islam v. Judaism and Christianity war. Instead, the war is between freedom and subjugation. Thats why Maryam Rajavi would eliminate fundamentalism in Iran as soon as she takes power. It is the only way to truly bring freedom to Iran and peace to the Middle East.

Maryam Rajavi said: Bringing down this regime, which acts as the godfather of ISIS, is an urgent imperative, not only for the Iranian people but for the Middle East region and the world at large.

When does Maryam Rajavi take power?

Maryam Rajavi is already the president of the Iranian Resistance and is the president-elect of Iran for the six-month transitional period. Maryam Rajavi will assume power as soon as the mullahs are overthrown by the people, which might be any day now, and rule for a six-month period where she will establish a constitution and set up free and fair elections for a national assembly.

Following the elections, having transferred the power in Iran to the Iranian people, Maryam Rajavi will step down and allowed the next president to take control.

What will the constitution look like?

Maryam Rajavis constitution will be based on her ten-point plan for a free Iran, focusing on democracy, equality, and rule of law, which is based on her interpretation on Islam as modern and democratic. Lets look at it now:

1. Political legitimacy is derived solely from free and fair elections

2. Respect for all individual freedoms

3. Ban on the death penalty

4. Separation of religion and state

5. Complete gender equality in all areas

6. Justice system based on rule of law

7. Commitment to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights

8. Equal opportunities for all in employment

9. Peaceful coexistence with other states

10. A non-nuclear IranWhile Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, referred to the summit as a form of psychological warfare, which would be a losing battle for the US, and asked for the Regime to provide a decisive response to Poland, something beyond a simple complaint.

This is to be expected because Iran is still reeling from the recent European sanctions levied against it for terrorist activity on the Green Continent and the significant delay in Europe actually creating the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to maintain trade with Iran despite US sanctions. Poland hosting this summit is further evidence that Europe may be turning against Iran.

News site Asr-e Iran, which is close to President Hassan Rouhanis faction, actually admitted that Iran is strategically weak and faces incredible problems on this front.

It wrote: Iranian officials only considered it from the angle of bilateral relationships between the [Iranian] regime and Poland and also the hostile relationships between Washington and Tehran. They didnt try to turn it into a European-Islamic Republic issue; especially when the EU has passed new sanctions against the [Iranian] regimes intelligence community.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stepped up their criticism of the conference, but still refrained from escalating it into an EU-Islamic Republic confrontation, knowing that they would not win that war.

Spokesperson Bahram Qassemi said: In response to hosting the hypocrites [the Iranian regimes official term for the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)] by Poland. There is no doubt that the Islamic Republic of Irans response to this act will be very serious and without any appeasement and considerations.

He continued: Poland must be held responsible for the consequences of this hosting and accept the responsibility for the outcome of participating and hosting a summit against an independent country, unless the Polish government eventually makes a wise move and changes the direction of this summit to something different than what is mentioned in its invitations.

The level of threat shown here is very unusual for diplomatic talks, but what is notable is how much the Regime clearly fears the MEK. They are correlating a summit aimed at ensuring containing the Iranian regimes malign behaviour in the Middle East with hosting the MEK, showing clearly where the Regimes red line is.

The Regime is not scared of the summit, they are scared of the threat that the MEK poses to their rule. The mullahs are more than ready for sanctions or war, but they know that they will not be able to withstand the MEK, which is popular inside and outside of Iran. They cannot tolerate the idea that the MEK, with its tolerant interpretation of Islam and respect for human rights, will someday soon be ruling Iran.

The world should recognise this and throw their support behind the MEK in order to overthrow the Regime, which is the true wish of the Iranian people, and bring about a Free Iran.Pahlavis rule began during the Second World War, with his father, Reza Shah, being forced to abdicate power to his son by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran.

After the war, in 1953, the shah fled to Italy before UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the US Eisenhower administration interfered with the democratically elected government led by Mohammad Mossadegh.

The shah was later reinstated to power, but under the shahs rule there were concerns over elitism, forced Westernization and modernization, disregard for the societys religious traditions, the repression of social movements and political parties, particularly the Peoples Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI). In fact, the Islamist party of Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, thrived because of the shahs crackdown on other political entities, resulting in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist, and president of the International American Council, writes, To the surprise of many, Khomeinis fundamentalist organization ultimately hijacked the revolution. After the shah fled the country, many Iranians did not conceive that Khomeinis party would be committing the atrocities that they are committing now  such as pursuing hegemonic ambitions and destructive behavior in the region and implementing militaristic and expansionist policies  or that they would have such an unrelenting hunger for power. Instead, the country thought it was on a smooth path toward democracy, with no expectation of returning to the shahs era.

Khomeini won the support of liberals, leftists, and modern Islamists, who believed that the clerics would would not be interested in the business of running the government, and so would hand over power after the revolution. The clerics had portrayed themselves as spiritual and peaceful, but Dr. Rafizadeh continues, the ruling clerics rose to the top and, as soon as they had a stranglehold on the country, they shifted gears to become one of the most ruthless regimes in Irans history.

Jimmy Carter, US President at that time, viewed Khomeini as a good, religious man. The Carter administration even paved the way for Khomeini to return to Iran, according to recently declassified documents.

Other internationally famous scholars, such as French philosopher, historian, and social theorist Michel Foucault, thought highly of the revolution. His articles can be seen in the European newspapers that were written just before and after the revolution.

Khomeini kept his fundamentalist and revolutionary principles, such as imposing or exporting his interpretation of Shiite thought, to himself. But soon, the true nature of the revolution showed itself, when thousands of people were executed for voicing their opinion. In the summer of 1988, according to human rights groups, some 30,000 political prisoners were hanged for suspected loyalties to anti-theocratic resistance groups, mainly the PMOI. This abomination was largely ignored by media outlets.

The shahs departure marked the end of Irans monarchy. However, now the peoples dissatisfaction with current theocracy is on display with protests, strikes, and demonstrations seen almost daily in Iran. Most Iranians seek a genuinely representative and democratic system of governance, and have raised their voices, calling for regime change.Thousands of protesters were arrested last January for participating in MEK-organised protests against the Regime in over 140 Iranian cities and towns, often chanting slogans like death to the dictator, which was virtually unheard of in Iran before then. Roughly 50 protesters were slain in the streets by Irans repressive forces, while at least 14 more were tortured to death in prison.

This is far from the first time the MEK has marked their fallen protesters, indeed resistance units have been placing posters in public places across Iran identifying the martyrs by name and reiterating the anti-regime slogans throughout 2018. The protests have also continued, with smaller but more frequent demonstrations.

In March, on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the MEKs parent coalition, said that the Iranian people would lead a year full of uprisings in order to bring down the Regime and give power to the people.

Given the resistance units ongoing efforts, it seems that Rajavi was incredibly aware of the MEKs plans to preserve the mainstream message of regime change.

The uprising that began in late December 2017, marked a dramatic turning point and the Regime was unable to contain it. This even led to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publically recognising the role of the MEK in the protests, something that clearly continuing the Regimes previous claims that the MEK is a fringe group with little domestic support.

The MEK has been involved in numerous protests throughout 2018, from student demonstrations to labour strikes, but all share the common goal of Regime change. The people may appear to be focused on individual matters, like losing their jobs or unsafe drinking water, but they recognise that the Regime is to blame for all of it.

They are the ones squandering the Iranian peoples money on foreign wars and terrorism, but this will remain the case as long as the Iranian Regime is in power.

That is why the international community must step up to help the Iranian people by placing economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation on the Regime. This will help the Iranian people overthrow the Regime, but limiting the amount of help available to the mullahs from the outside world.Paris [France], Jan 17 (ANI): French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Wednesday opined that it was time for new leadership at Renault, saying that its jailed chairman Carlos Ghosn should be replaced as soon as possible. "We want a meeting of the Renault executive board in the next few days. We're asking for new long-term leadership," Le Maire was quoted by CNN saying. The French government own 15 per cent of Renault. It previously supported the French automobile manufacturer's decision to allow Ghosn to continue serving his post while awaiting a trial. On January 11, the 64-year-old Renault boss was indicted for the second time since he was arrested on November 19 last year on charges of financial misconduct. Ghosn has been charged by Japanese prosecutors for temporarily transferring personal investment losses to Nissan and understating his income between 2010 and 2018, CNN reported. Last December, Ghosn was re-arrested after new allegations surfaced on aggravated breach of trust, where the 64-year-old Brazilian-French businessman made Nissan shoulder $16.6 million in personal investment losses. Ghosn is chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the automotive collaboration of France's Groupe Renault, Japan's Nissan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors. He is also the Chairman and CEO of Renault. Ghosn was fired as the chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors following his arrest. (ANI)



Australian Open 2019: Key results of Day four

17 Jan 2019: Australian Open 2019: Key results of Day four

Day four of the Australian Open 2019 saw some mouth-watering clashes unfold.

There were some tight second round battles in both the men's and women's singles matches.

The biggest result of the day came in the form of Milos Raonic beating Stan Wawrinka.

Kei Nishikori had a close shave.

There were victories for Naomi Osaka and Venus Williams.

Here are the updates.

Wawrinka: Wawrinka goes down after a supreme fight

33-year-old Wawrinka, who was unseeded for the first time since 2006, fell to Canadian Raonic after four sets.

Raonic won the battle in an intense 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 encounter to light up the proceedings.

Wawrinka served 28 aces to Raonic's 39 during a four hours and one minute battle.

"I was fortunate to stay alive in the fourth set," said Raonic.

Nishikori: Nishikori survives a scare to advance

Kei Nishikori survived a scare to overcome Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.

The Japanese sealed the tie 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6.

The eighth seed next faces Joao Sousa for a place in the round of 16.

"It was a tough match which could have gone both ways. He almost had it for sure," said Nishikori.

Osaka: Dominant Osaka beats Zidansek 6-2, 6-4

Women's singles fourth seed Naomi Osaka thrashed Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 6-4, to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

The US Open 2018 winner will come up against Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan in the next round.

"I thought I served alright, this was my first time playing her and I'm just happy to win to be honest," Osaka said.

Women's singles: Svitolina, Pliskova and Venus register victories

Meanwhile, sixth seed Elina Svitolina surged ahead after a convincing 6-4, 6-1 win against Viktoria Kuzmova.

Seventh seed Karolina Pliskova fought her way back in style.

She came back strong to beat Madison Brengle 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 at the Melbourne Arena.

She will face Italian Camila Giorgi in the next round.

Veteran Venus Williams won her tie against Alize Cornet 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

Fact: World number one Simona Halep survivesYou still have time to visit the Illinois State Museums exhibition celebrating Illinois 200th anniversary of statehood. Bicentennial and Beyond! The Illinois Legacy Collection includes works of art and also pieces that are of anthropological, archaeological, botanical, geological and zoological interest. The items were chosen for the unique stories they tell about Illinois. Recognizing that the story of Illinois goes well beyond the last 200 years, artifacts will range from 400-million-year-old fossils to contemporary art. Visitors will see a helmet worn by a World War I soldier, a trunk brought by German immigrants in 1852, a core segment from Route 66, a piece of contemporary art created of cowhide, an Olney albino gray tree squirrel mount and a portrait miniature done by an itinerant Illinois artist, among many other items. The exhibition runs through Feb. 3. Admission is $5 for adults age 19-64 and is free for children, seniors, veterans and museum society members.





Bicentennial and Beyond! The Illinois Legacy Collection

Through Feb. 3

9am-4:30pm Mon-Sat

12-4:30pm Sun

502 S. Spring St.

$5 adults 19-64

782-7386



The Pillsbury Mills neighborhood is next on the list for health care professionals who are attempting to affect positive change in Springfield, block by block.



The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 6.8 percent of Illinois residents were uninsured in 2017, less than the national average of 8.7 percent. Despite this, there are still areas where large disparities exist.

In 2015, Memorial Medical Center and HSHS St. Johns Hospital partnered together to form what is now called the Access to Health Collaborative, each contributing $250,000 to improve the quality of life for those living in Sangamon County. The collaboration is administered by SIU Center for Family Medicine and began as a three-year pilot program which initially targeted the Enos Park neighborhood.Based on the collaborations results, the program will continue in Enos Park but also expand into the Pillsbury Mills neighborhood, another low-income area just east of Enos Park that faces its own set of challenges.A Springfield resident who lives in the 62711 ZIP Code has an 11-year life expectancy advantage over someone in a lower-income area of town, according to data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The life expectancy disparity between people who live a few miles from each other has to do with what is known as the social determinants of health. Numerous studies have shown that where people live and work has a tremendous impact on health, not just a persons genetic makeup or physical condition.Tracey Smith, SIU Center for Family Medicine director of population health and community outreach and director of the health care collaborative, said some people may be uninsured because of literacy issues, but even those who can read well enough to complete insurance paperwork may not understand how to select a doctor who can meet their needs.Community health workers who have been hired with the funding provided by Memorial and St. Johns assist residents in the targeted communities by helping them navigate the complexities of the health care system or by providing transportation to and from doctors appointments, among other services.Enos has been a catalyst for change in other systems, whether it be for our hospital system or community systems, Smith said.The outreach to Pillsbury Mills residents is in the early stages, but Smith said a community worker is already operating as a liaison in the neighborhood.Efforts to improve the quality of life in Pillsbury Mills will take a different form than the approach taken in Enos Park because of a lack of community anchors to serve as a starting point.There is not a foundational group the Pillsbury Mills neighborhood connects with, informal or formal, Smith said. There isnt a school or a center in the community. Homeownership is less, so that can lead to fewer individuals interested in changes in the community. Theres a lack of any kind of business or even few churches, no service organizations. Its mostly rental homes. Theres no permanency.Smith said the differences between existing neighborhood anchors found in Pillsbury and Enos is an example of why finding a resolution is always community-specific.Some of the interventions may seem different, but they arent, because it has to do with the philosophy of trust, Smith said.Interventions needed to assist residents can only occur once trust has been established,Smith said. Trust, along with open dialogue, is the key to assessing what obstacles residents face. Success in Enos Park went far beyond assisting residents with insurance sign-ups. Community-based programs initiated during the pilot programs first year helped over 450 Enos Park residents enjoy free activities like a bike club and summer enrichment programs for youth.The difference between the communities isnt necessarily a bad thing, Smith said, because each obstacle presented allows residents the opportunity to take ownership of the project, instilling a sense of pride in their community.I want them to be able to stand up and say, Look at our park we developed, or Look at our street, Smith said. This is ours.I missed JB Pritzkers impromptu speech to a gathering of Republicans last week by a few minutes. But the fact that Pritzker even stopped by the event, hosted by Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, was notable.



As one top Republican said after Pritzkers speech, just imagine Gov. Bruce Rauner showing up to speak about bipartisanship and then heap praise on House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton at a Democratic reception. If you cant imagine such a thing, well, that was the Republicans whole point. It never would have happened.



The Republicans have every right to be demoralized in Illinois. They hold no statewide office, their party lost two suburban congressional seats and they are now firmly in the super-minority in both the House and Senate. And yet, in conversations with both Republican legislative leaders last week, it seemed pretty clear to me they were both pleased and optimistic about finally having a governor they believe they can work with.

We all know the history. Gov. Rauner is an extremely difficult person to deal with even for those who agree with most of his political agenda. He assumes hes right and he assumes you feel the same way, or else. He demands complete loyalty, but offers little in return. His word cannot ever be trusted. He seems incapable of making small talk beyond a few minutes and no one has ever accused him of having a warm personality.The same lack of interpersonal skills held back Rauners immediate predecessor, Pat Quinn. Gov. Quinn wouldnt have been cracking jokes last week about how his microphone wasnt working at a Republican inaugural reception. He just wasnt that sort of guy. And he most definitely didnt have the natural ability to put a legislator at ease and do a deal.Pritzker has yet to be tested, so well see if he can be trusted to keep his word and offer as much respect to others as he expects for himself once he delves into the difficult process of governing a state with huge problems.But its pretty obvious to anyone whos spent time with him that Pritzker most definitely has a warm personality, and that trait is charming the heck out of Springfield right now. And while he was a hit at last weeks Republican reception, that was nothing compared to how crowds reacted to him at the Democratic parties.Building personal relationships is an integral part of governing, and the dude has that down pat so far. Rauner would do things like call you on your birthday, but his words were always stilted and seemingly scripted. He had legislators over to the mansion during his first spring session, but, again, the conversations just werent natural, and many departed with the impression that he was, um, less than genuine.Quinn spent most session nights deliberately holed up in the governors mansion with his staff. Both men just didnt appear to be comfortable in their own skin.I have no idea if finally having a governor with a real personality will make a huge difference when it comes to solving this states extremely serious problems. Eventually, of course, Pritzker is going to have to do things that people are not going to love and well just have to wait and see how that all turns out.Pritzker has an opportunity here that has been afforded few of his predecessors. But this also means that expectations are sky high. And the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment if and/or when they arent met.Photo BY Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS Gov. J.B. Pritzker at Monday's inauguration ceremony.

Heres an idea for an amendment to the state constitution: Require that governors and other statewide officeholders be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol, outside, in January, where everyone can see and hear them.



I suggest this after having spent three hours on Monday listening to John Philip Sousa marches and speeches from a six-pack of Democrats who gathered at the Bank of Springfield Center to take oaths of office and spike the ball in front of a crowd that included politicians, campaign workers and sundry political operatives who helped get them into the end zone. Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who announced that shes running for Chicago mayor even before she put her hand on the Bible in Springfield, said the silliest thing when she took the stage after Secretary of State Jesse White was sworn in.

Its always, certainly, tough to follow the greatest politician to serve the state of Illinois, the only one who can ever be called the greatest, and that would be Jesse White, Mendoza gushed.Take that, Abraham Lincoln, Adlai Stevenson and Paul Simon, none of whom, unlike White, issued a single drivers license.Id never before attended an inauguration in Illinois. I asked brethren in the press corps: Is it always like this? Yep, I was told, and both parties do it. Perhaps the most amazing thing was the number of reporters who came to cover an event devoid of news. There were dozens upon dozens. Some marveled at the stage: Look! Its shaped like the state of Illinois. I stole a few glances at laptop screens. A fair number of scribes, understandably and myself included, surfed Twitter or checked email while pols delivered speeches recalling what one hears on the campaign trail and during Oscar ceremonies.Kwame Raoul, the new attorney general, repeated a line from his campaign commercials: This is my lifes work, and Im just getting started. White reminisced about Nov. 6. Thanks to you, I received the largest number of votes in a midterm election in the history of the state of Illinois, he said.Like the other five constitutional officers, Gov. J.B. Pritzker behaved as if he were still running, promising everything except an end to brown M&Ms, and if hed gone on longer, he likely would have gotten to that, too. He said that hell be a good governor who will change Illinois for the better.In 2019, we must begin a new century with new maturity and enough foolishness to believe we can make a difference, Pritzker said. That starts with leadership that abandons single-minded, arrogant notions. No  everything is not broken.The fellow who showed the most class was outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner, who sat in the front row of the riser onstage, where everyone could see him, not unlike a celebrity who gets roasted at a banquet, but in this case, the ribbing wasnt good natured. That he came, surely knowing what was coming, suggests that Rauner has some decency, even though he appeared to be asleep at one point and didnt applaud when Democrats spewed promises and congratulated themselves. Afterward, he exited stage right, skipping a chance to chat with reporters. He looked like a man who had swallowed a frog that was coming back up on him.Being that time of year, there have been a bunch of inaugurations throughout the land this month as newly crowned governors take oaths of office. We could learn a lot from states like Alabama, Michigan and Colorado, where governors take oaths of office on capitol steps and you dont need a ticket to watch. Sure, some succumb to Illinois-itis and rehash campaign speeches, as if they cant bear to let go of stuff they, or their minions, worked on for so long. But others behave like adults who have been put in charge of important things and understand that elections are over.In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who took over from a Republican, delivered a speech on New Years Day that was half as long as the one Pritzker dished and twice as relevant. We might live in divisive times, but Michigans problems are not partisan problems, Whitmer said. I will be a governor for everyone. She revisited her campaign once, repeating a slogan that helped get her elected: Fix the damn roads.To be sure, stuff that Pritzker promised on Monday, and on the campaign trail, is worthwhile: a balanced budget, broadband internet access in every corner of the state, legal marijuana, strong schools, a $15 per hour minimum wage, a tax code overhaul, repairs to roads, bridges and railway systems, money and other help for new businesses. But there is a time and a place, and talk and promises are cheap.Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.For anyone with a food allergy, certain foods can bring consequences that range from uncomfortable to life-threatening. Such allergies are nothing to take lightly.

There are times, though, where people believe they are allergic to a certain food when really they are not.

A team of researchers from Northwestern University, the University of Southern California, and Stanford University analyzed survey results from more than 40,000 adults in the U.S. The survey asked people what food allergies they had, their symptoms, and what testing and medical attention they had received. The team then classified their allergies as convincing or nonconvincing.

While 19 percent of the respondents reported having a food allergy, only about half  10.8 percent  had symptoms that were considered by the researchers to be convincing. The report, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), suggested that some respondents were mistaking certain symptoms as those associated with an allergy.

On the other hand, the scientists also found that less than half (47.5 percent) of the people with convincing symptoms had actually been diagnosed by a doctor, and therefore may not be getting the treatment they need. In addition, there could be another group of people that have undiagnosed allergies.

Money could be a factor in proper diagnosis. The study uncovered that people who had an annual income of less than $25,000 were significantly less likely to have a physician-diagnosed food allergy.

The danger of misdiagnosis is real. Just over half of the people (51.5 percent) with convincing food allergy symptoms experienced at least one severe allergic reaction needing medical attention.

The five most common culprits of convincing food allergies in this survey were shellfish, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and fin fish.

There is value in confirming a food allergy, so that certain foods, like dairy, arent being avoided for no good reason  and that other foods arent being eaten with risky consequences.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2019

January 14, 2019Im taking a beatin on my retirement funds. Im sure Im not the only one.

Those feelings expressed by a 70-something retiree in a recent Midwestern focus group reflect a growing concern among average Americans about their ability to retire  and retire comfortably  in the aftermath of one of the worst Decembers in stock market history.

Much of the focus over the past few weeks has been on the government shutdown and the crisis at the southern border. That focus isnt likely to change until a compromise is reached and the government reopens.

Finding a solution to our outdated and ineffective immigration system is important to both our national security and the nations economic future. But over the past month, millions of people have undergone a real scare about their economic future  their retirement. Both parties are going to have to address the issues affecting peoples ability to retire, given the roller-coaster ride that Wall Street has become and the increasing cost-of-living pressures in an era of living paycheck to paycheck.

A Wall Street Journal analysis last year found that more than 40 percent of households headed by people aged 55 through 70 lack sufficient resources to maintain their living standard in retirement.

Thats a frightening statistic for a country watching around 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, plagued with high debt levels and fewer younger workers to cover Social Security costs. A combination of societal and economic factors has created this increasingly serious situation.

A 2014 Pew Research Center analysis found that 52 percent of people in their 60s were financially responsible for either a parent or an adult child. Thats 17.4 million seniors, with 1.2 million of them supporting both. For many, paying that family tab means dipping into their retirement funds.

Add to that those hit with unexpected health care costs, education debt and, of course, the 2008 economic collapse and now the 2018 stock market losses, and it shouldnt surprise policymakers that retirement is becoming a more immediate issue.

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Retirement pressures have been an under-the-radar concern for some time. Washington has known a retirement crunch was coming, but solutions to help relieve those pressures have been sidelined to deal with urgent, time sensitive challenges  both foreign and domestic  from job creation and wage growth to health care costs.

But the extreme volatility of the markets and its impact on retirees and those about to retire is changing the calculus, and the calendar, for those responsible for crafting retirement solutions. For many people, Decembers precipitous stock market drop was nothing less than an unnerving and unwelcome return to the emotional turmoil that so many Americans experienced in the fall of 2008 and early 2009.

Clearly, people are still struggling to make ends meet, but the recent loss of retirement savings tied up in the markets is the newest element in the cost-of-living debate, one thats beginning to affect peoples view of the economy.

Over the past month, our Winning the Issues survey found that attitudes about the economy are still positive but have softened. In the December survey, 45 percent said the economy was headed in the right direction while 35 percent said it was off on the wrong track  still a good result. But the trend line is concerning. When asked the same question in the postelection survey, people were more positive, coming in at 51 percent (right direction) to 32 percent (wrong track). But at the end of November, it had slipped to 48 percent (right direction) to 34 percent (wrong track), and now to 45 percent to 35 percent.

The impact of this past Decembers record-setting volatility and losses in the markets shouldnt be underestimated. CNN Business called it the worst December since 1931.

In a recent RealClearPolitics opinion piece, the Heritage Foundations Stephen Moore and Alfredo Ortiz, head of the Job Creators Network, warned that Americans have lost well over $4 trillion in wealth.

How much of that $4 trillion loss dampened the retirement hopes and dreams of millions of Americans? Thats a number we dont have, but its probably safe to assume that for those in retirement or nearing retirement, this was a major financial setback.

It may not be a Washington crisis yet, but the issue of peoples underfunded retirements should be. Its impact is coming faster than we think.

David Winston is the president of The Winston Group.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0JERSEYVILLE  Six years old. 17 pounds. Protruding ribs and hip bones. Dressed in Halloween-themed pajamas meant for a 24-month-old.

Thats how Jerseyville Deputy Police Chief Scott Woelfel described the body of Liam Roberts when officers found him lying in a hospital bed at the Jersey County Hospital in November 2017. Woelfel spoke Wednesday to a courtroom packed with about 50 people eager to learn how Judge Eric Pistorius would sentence Liams father and stepmother, who pleaded guilty to starving the boy to death.

Michael and Georgena Roberts faced 20 to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty of murder last year.

Prosecuting Attorney Ben Goetten left the sentencing up to the judge, saying the people put their trust in the court to decide the sentence for the heinous acts and unquestionable suffering of the victim. The couples attorneys asked for the minimum sentence.

Pistorius sentenced Michael Roberts, 43, to 25 years in prison. Georgena Roberts, also 43, was sentenced to 20 years.

Though Pistorius called the death of Liam beyond comprehension, the sentences are at the low end of the range. He said the law required him to consider mitigating factors, including the couples mostly clear criminal records, Georgena Roberts own childhood trauma and their guilty pleas that spared their other children the trauma of a trial.

Many in the courtroom seemed to disagree with the sentences, shaking their heads after Pistorius announced his decision. Kim Roberts, the biological mother of Michael Roberts children, including Liam, had entered court praying for 60-year sentences.

They deserve to lose their freedom and have a life sentence of sadness and sorrow, she told Pistorius before the sentencing.

She told a reporter that she hadnt seen Liam since he was 4. She said she had visitation rights, but Michael Roberts had not let her see him.

For the rest of my life, I will feel the guilt that I wasnt here when he needed me most, she said in court. He died terrified and alone. ... I am heartbroken and will always remain heartbroken for the rest of my life.

The hour-long hearing was the first time she, the Robertses and other family members spoke publicly about Liams death, and the first time investigators have talked extensively about the case.

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Woelfel said the Robertses told him they began withholding food to punish their two youngest children if they urinated or defecated on the floor.

Woelfel said school officials warned the couple about how Liam had a food obsession that wasnt normal. Teachers said the child would go underneath the tables at school to eat scraps from the floor. They told the couple to see a doctor about his weight loss. A doctors referral for treatment in St. Louis was never followed up, Woelfel said.

Then, sometime between one and two years before Liams death, the couple began homeschooling Liam and his 7-year-old brother, who was also starved and was admitted to an ICU on the same day his father brought his brothers body to the hospital, Woelfel said.

The last actual meal Liam had was about one year prior to his death, when Michael and Georgena got married, Woelfel said. We talked to neighbors, friends, coworkers, family members, and they all said they were never allowed to see the children. Some of the neighbors said they didnt even know (the youngest children) existed.

The Robertses told police they ate steak the night before Liam died. Three of their children ate chicken patties. Liam and his older brother went hungry.

Woelfel said the adults blamed each other. He said Michael Roberts told him he tried to sometimes sneak snacks to his starving children, only to be met with wrath from his wife if she found out. Georgena Roberts told police she felt overwhelmed, trapped and dominated by her husband.

Michael Roberts attorney, Jessica Koester, described a man who lost himself and his children paid the price. He wept as she spoke.

He was out of the house to work 80 hours a week and was frankly lazy, he didnt want to put up a fight with his wife, Koester said, arguing for a sentence of 20 years for her client. His other three children love and miss their dad. Theyve been to hell and back.

Michael Roberts read a statement to the judge. His words were hard to hear at times above the sobs of his wife.

Theres not a day that goes by that I dont think of my failures, he said. Liam was my little buddy, constantly by my side. ... I failed to provide him the most basic needs, I put myself above my kids and I was a coward. My son Liam is dead because I failed him, and my childrens lives are forever changed because of me.

Georgena Roberts followed with a statement of her own.

We were a family in major crisis and we spiraled out of control, she said. There are two families that are completely heartbroken and my heart is shattered. Im sorry for my actions and my inactions.

Three other children of Michael Roberts lived in the home at the time of Liams death, and his wife had two children from a previous relationship. Authorities said they were in state care but declined to give details.

Christine Byers  314-340-8087 @christinedbyers on Twitter cbyers@post-dispatch.com

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 11SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to sign a bill Thursday that would give the state more oversight over Illinois gun dealers, after Democrats kept the paperwork off former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's desk in order to avoid a veto during his administration's final days.

The proposal would require firearm stores to get state licenses, a move that supporters contend could reduce gun violence because federal regulators are stretched too thin to adequately handle all the shops operating in Illinois.

Pritzker is set to sign it into law at a Chicago elementary school Thursday morning. Lawmakers approved it last year in the wake of the killing of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer and the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

"This is a common-sense piece of legislation, so when I introduced it a decade and a half ago, I thought we would be celebrating this day much sooner," Democratic state Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park, the proposal's sponsor, said. "But important causes are worth fighting for, and I am proud to stand with the countless advocates and supporters who have stuck with us for all these years."

A Pritzker spokeswoman declined to comment.

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Rauner vetoed a similar proposal in the spring, calling it "duplicative" because the federal government already licenses firearms retailers. He said adding another layer of oversight would be costly for businesses and "do little to improve public safety."

Lawmakers approved a new version while Rauner was governor, but Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago held on to the paperwork to keep it off the Republican's desk. On Wednesday, Democrats sent it to Pritzker, and he's scheduled to sign it Thursday.

In his inaugural speech on Monday, Pritzker hinted that a gun control push would be coming from his administration.

"We allow schools, and movie theaters, hospitals, neighborhoods to become battlefields -- legally accessible by the weapons of war," he said. "Our abdication of responsibility must end."

Under the proposal, it would be illegal for retailers to sell guns without being certified by the state. To qualify, stores first must be licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Then, they would have to submit a copy of that license to the Illinois State Police, along with an affidavit declaring it remains valid. Shop owners would have to install surveillance equipment, maintain an electronic inventory, establish anti-theft measures and require employees to undergo annual training.

A certification would cost retailers a maximum of $1,500, and the regulations would apply to small businesses as well as big-box retailers. Sellers without a retail location would be charged $300 for certification.

Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson has said "that bill is designed to run small firearms dealers out of business."

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3DECATUR  Another winter storm system is expected to bring more snow to Central Illinois this weekend, even as digging out from the last round continues.

Eight inches of snow fell Saturday, and there was more Sunday. State police said they were busy with multiple crashes and slide-offs, and road crews from the city of Decatur and Macon County worked through the weekend to clear roads locally.

A few readers wrote to the Herald & Review to raise questions about the condition of Interstate 72 during the storm, saying they experienced different road conditions in Macon County than neighboring Champaign and Sangamon counties.

We asked county and state road officials to help explain why this could be, and here's what we learned.

The state, not the county, plows the interstates

It's understandable that some drivers would assume that county officials are responsible for plowing interstate roads if the conditions differ when crossing county lines, but the Illinois Department of Transportation is responsible for the interstates and, generally speaking, all state roads, such as U.S. and state highways (U.S. 51 and Illinois 121 being examples).

Counties, cities and townships are each responsible for paving roads under their respective jurisdictions. But there are exceptions: Governmental agencies can make agreements with others for the sake of efficiency  as an example, a city can agree to pave a portion of a state road if it runs through the middle of town.

State plow routes are split up into districts

Jessie Decker, a spokeswoman for IDOT, said the agency's tracking system on road conditions reported consistent conditions between the three counties during the storm, but the reason road conditions may have varied in Sangamon and Champaign counties versus Macon may be because they are part of three different IDOT districts.

"Since plows are on routes, all roads won't be the exact same condition at the same time, based on when a motorist travels the road," Decker said.

IDOT makes its tracking of road conditions available to the public at gettringaroundillinois.com

For planning and administrative purposes, IDOT splits the state into five regions, all of which contain two districts, with the exception of Region 1 and District 1, which comprise of Chicago and the collar counties.

Sangamon County is in Region 4, along with Macon County, but they are split up into different districts. Champaign County is in Region 3, which includes Danville, Bloomington and Peoria.

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Macon County is in District 7. "Therefore, District 7 only plows and maintains the section of (Interstate 72) in Macon County," Decker said. "District 6 maintains the portion of I-72 to the west and District 5 maintains the portion to the east. So, you have three districts with separate snow plow routes."

IDOT hires Central Illinois plowers on seasonal basis

Called the "Snowbird Program," IDOT hires plowers in Central Illinois on both a monthly and hourly basis. In Cook County, IDOT hires only on a monthly basis, according to the agency's website. Those jobs are posted on state job portals in August.

In District 7, which includes Macon County, IDOT uses 155 trucks on 93 snow routes, according to Decker.

Plowing depends on wind and other factors

Especially in rural areas, snow drifts can pose a challenge for plowing fleets, according to Bruce Bird, Macon County engineer.

"The rural roads were a mess until the wind stopped blowing Sunday night," Bird said. "We basically spent all of the Sunday treading water, trying to keep things clear."

Macon County budgets each year for overtime hours in the highway department for snow plowing, Bird said. Since the county's budget begins Dec. 1, his department has never run out of overtime hours for workers from snow plowing.

"In the 20 years I've been here, we had only one year that we came kind of close to overtime hours," Bird said.

What's next?

The National Weather Service at Lincoln said Wednesday that snow is expected to start Friday night and continue into Saturday. A high of 16 degrees is expected Sunday. Today, rain is forecast before noon, with patchy fog before 4 p.m.

Decatur's winter wonderland: Readers share their snow photos!

Contact Tom Lisi at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @tommylisi

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Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The pantry is used to send home easy-to-fix snacks with children in need on weekends and during school breaks to make sure they have food to eat when school breakfast and lunch are not available. The recent winter break depleted the supplies, said Paula Busboom, a teaching assistant at the school.DECATUR  A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. Thursday Central Illinois is pelted by another round of freezing drizzle and snow.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln said a wintry mix of snow, freezing rain and freezing drizzle will move out of the region this morning.

Meteorologists are warning drivers to be cautious throughout the day, as the mix of snow and rain will cause some streets to be slick.

"Road conditions will become slippery in some areas, especially on secondary roads and on bridges and overpasses," the weather service website stated. "The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute, primarily in areas along and north of I-72."

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Total snow accumulations will be around 1 inch, with a narrow band of 2 to 3 inches along the Mason-to- DeWitt County line, the weather service said.

Several schools throughout Central Illinois were closing or were delayed because of the weather.

The Illinois State Police reported troopers are assisting at numerous crashes throughout the region. Police said to be cautious as conditions are changing rapidly throughout the area.

Another Central Illinois winter storm system is expected Friday night through Saturday with snow and gusty winds.

This story will be updated.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0DECATUR  Hoping to spur a discussion and address violence in the community, the Rev. Courtney Carson and Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe will co-host Manning Up: Restoring Hope for Our Future.

Guest speakers include Mark Vargas, Washington Examiner contributor; Julius Bailey, a professor of philosophy and author of Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams and Aliyah Houston, a student at Dennis School and statewide award-winning orator. Music will be provided by Tebe Zalango. The event will be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, in the Decatur Civic Center. It is free, and the entire community is encouraged to attend.

Moore Wolfe said recent violence in Decatur, including a shooting at Long John Silver's on Jan. 4 that killed one man, injured another and led to three arrests, prompted community leaders to take action.

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"There's no magic way to end (violence), but we want to see what we can do to get people talking, she said. The big deal is just to get people to come.

Carson, a Decatur school board member, is director of essential skills and community relations at Richland Community College, which has several skilled trade programs which he will provide information on at the event. He'll also introduce a new community mentor program.

People who attend who are qualified in the areas of welding and metal fabrication will be able to connect with employers in those fields, Carson said, and possibly leave with a job, and those interested in those fields but not yet trained can sign up for the training and get paid while they learn. Several community pastors and education leaders will also be at the event, and parents who want their children to have a mentor will be able to get one there.

"We've done so much good work as a community, but I believe we've kind of dropped the ball somewhere," Carson said. "There's a huge disconnect between leadership and the people and we must bridge that gap."

With the celebration of the birthday anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 21, Carson said, people need to be reminded to not just admire King's legacy, but put his words into action, much as churches should remember to honor Jesus every day, and not just on Sunday.

"These great men of God are willing to do the work, and they have been doing the work," Carson said of the clergy who will be at the event. "It's a sad deal when there's more integration in the nightclub on Saturday night than there is in church on Sunday."

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Terrorism is a tactic Americans have long deemed abhorrent. We have gone to war against those threatening the welfare and lives of innocents to advance political power unable to be achieved legitimately.

President Trump and his GOP enablers are the latest terrorist threat to American democracy. By shutting down Homeland Security, Coast Guard, TSA and other government services essential to our security, the President and Senate are holding the safety and welfare of millions of innocents hostage.

Why? Because after two years of Republican control of the White House, House of Representatives and Senate, the President has no coherent or reality-based policy to advance. There has been no legitimate path to fulfill his fantasy of a big, beautiful wall with his name on it.

We desperately need to address many aspects of immigration and develop an agreement on what a coherent, comprehensive immigration policy is for America and our values. Border security goes far beyond immigration. Our ports, airports and many other vulnerable pathways need serious attention.In mortality tables and statistics kept by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), you see a huge trending line up of people dying since the 1990s, and this lawsuit seeks recovery of costs associated with that, Stearns said. The claims that we bring against the manufacturers are false marketing of opioids; they said they were safe and non-addictive, and that has proven to be completely false.

The 203-page lawsuit also claims the companies failed to perform long-term studies about opioids' effects, and that their only desire was to keep corporate profits high.

Stearns added that the CDC estimates the costs from the opioid epidemic to health care, social services, and criminal justice systems total $55.7 billion annually, and that includes city and counties.

With three members absent, the other City Council members agreed to support hiring Stearns law firm. The matter will be placed on the consent agenda for the Jan. 28 meeting for final approval.Adler, whos beginning the third year of a second six-year term on the commission, refused a request for comment on the case Wednesday.

He was quoted in the plea agreement, saying, I admit that I approved placement of road millings owned by Granite County, by county employees, onto my families (sic) driveway.

Adler is required to pay the county $1,450 in restitution  $640 for the cost of wages for workers used in the project, $560 for the use of county equipment, and $250 for a second estimate obtained by the state for prosecution of the case.

Thats the same amount he reimbursed the county in September 2017 when the allegations first came to light, and the plea agreement said that reimbursement was sufficient.

Restitution is designed to make the victim whole, Varns said. In other words to replace what was taken from the victim, not necessarily the value of what was gained by a defendant. The restitution amount in this case was determined to be the value of the millings used (negligible), the labor cost of using county employees and wear and tear on county equipment. The $1,450 already paid by Adler adequately covered this amount.The alternative is to do nothing and to allow things to continue as they have been, Dudik told the House State Administration Committee on Thursday. I think that the citizens we represent, nobody has ever told me they want more untruthfulness in the city, state and community campaigns. I think all of your constituents probably feel the same way.

James Brown, a Helena attorney who has represented American Tradition Partnership in cases challenging Montana's campaign finance laws, spoke in opposition to the bill Thursday. He said the bill, if passed, would be challenged like previous laws.

I would advise you that campaign finance laws are the exception to the First Amendment, the First Amendment is not the exception to campaign finance laws, and thats how this bill reads, said Brown. He told the committee he worked in litigation of the 2012 case of Lair v. Murry, in which part of the language Dudiks bill seeks to replace was ruled unconstitutionally vague in U.S. District Court.

What youre requiring is people who want to engage in the political process, which is one of the most fundamental protections that we afford our citizens in this country, Brown said, youre requiring them to engage in certain speech before they can participate in the campaign process.The bill passed during the special session also aimed to alleviate the problem of combined quota areas. Towns like Bozeman and Belgrade share the same area and licenses that could float from the smaller Belgrade to the larger Bozeman often did because they were worth more in the bigger city. That created concern at smaller towns in those areas could be left without any licenses.

Because the bill during the special session was hastily crafted  the session only lasted two days  the legislation didn't clarify how to break apart some of the quota areas. Buttrey's bill would fix that.

Other areas with quota issues are Helena and East Helena; Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell; and Pinesdale and Hamilton.

The administrator of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division spoke in support of the bill, saying it is needed to clear up confusion from the 2017 legislation. The Montana Tavern Association also supports the bill.

John Iverson, with the association, said the state for a long time had given away through a lottery process something that was very valuable. In August 2017, there were three liquor licenses listed for sale in Missoula for $750,000, showing how valuable a commodity they can be.

Iverson also said some businesses would game the lotto system by creating dozens of limited license companies and entering multiple times.

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Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy."We enjoyed it so much, we pretty much go back every two to three years," Ferst said.

He and his wife took pictures, thousands of them, as they drove around Europe, the Middle East and Africa in a leased Peugeot. Ferst still has a Peugeot fob on his keychain, a reminder of Europe.

In the late 1980s, Ferst got an idea from teaching the history of philosophy. "It's about setting philosophy in culture," Ferst said. "So why was Descartes so skeptical? Why did Plato write the Republic like he did?" His interest in the culture of the place and his own knowledge of philosophy brought him to one of the key problems of philosophy and life: how to deal with what comes after death.

"I began to see boxes, stone boxes of polished marble," Ferst said. "These were the final resting place, and then it came to me in the 1990s." Ferst had a grand idea -- he would make a collection of all the sarcophagi from Roman times, or at least from the second century to the middle of the fifth century, the end of the Roman Empire.

First, he had to figure out just how many sarcophagi were actually around. He initially found estimates of up to 20,000, but he figured that was impossible. After some research, he discovered a statistical anomaly in the earliest reports on the sarcophagi and revised the number to around 2,000, a more doable project.We begin at a lighthouse where the keeper of the light, Tom, finds a lovely princess washed up on his beach. (I love it when that happens.) He nurses her back to health, and she repays him with a baby boy named Arthur.

Alas, she must return to her kingdom in Atlantis where shes heir to the throne.

Arthur is no ordinary baby boy, of course. Hes a super baby. Its best not to tease this tyke or steal his rattle.

He can communicate with sea creatures, and wicked warriors will learn hes a tough one to kill. Hes as comfortable under the water as above: Hes a fish, hes a psychic, hes Aquaman!

Alas, the plot thickens: Aquamans mom has another child back home, Orm. (Who names a kid that?)

When Orm and Aquaman discover each other, a game of musical chairs commences with only one seat at the throne available when the melody stops.

No DC comic story is ever quite that simple, and this script actually tosses in an environmental subplot, in which the citizens of the ocean, prepare to attack the earthlings in revenge over the polluting of their waters. You threw a McDonalds wrapper in my lagoon! Prepare to meet your maker!Grand Old Partisan salutes Ossian Hart, born near Jacksonville this day of 1821. He was a sergeant during the second Seminole war and won a state house term. The talented attorney practiced law at Key West and then Tampa. Despite growing up on a plantation, he firmly opposed slavery. This prototype for Atticus Finch successfully defended a black man, who would be tragically lynched after being released.

Hart stayed loyal during the Civil War: "I foresaw at the beginning of the rebellion that the ordinance of secession was the death knell of slavery, and that with four millions of freedmen the subject of equal rights could not be kept out of sight. I knew that they would have the right to the ballot for all and I told our people so."

Union restored, Hart worked for the Freedman's Bureau, registering African-Americans to vote. He was first to chair the Florida GOP. In 1868, a Republican Governor named him to the state supreme court.

Nominated for governor by an African-American delegate, Hart accepted, acknowledging "the great Republican Party" to be "the most liberal, wisely patriotic, and safely progressive party that we have ever had." Voters elected him along with a GOP-majority legislature. Together they passed An Act to Protect all Citizens of the State of Florida in their Civil Rights. Thanks to his diligence:

"Florida has cause to rejoice greatly that we now have numerous free public school open to all the children of the State alike. To a large majority of the people who never saw such a thing before reconstruction, this great blessed fact is ever new and delightful."

His administration earned its reputation for not tolerating corruption. Hart's splendid life was cut short by pneumonia fourteen months into his governorship.

Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/15rQPqaGxTk

Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.

Each day, his grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heritage. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far.

He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

Buy the book at Amazon

See www.youtube.com/q?v=IzxKCiXc5Qc for a brief video of a Texas Republican praising Back to Basics for the Republican Party.

"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read"Dear GMAT club) The best site ever for GMAT prepThanks a lot for all your resources!Could you please rate my essay! I have 1 month left to prepare so I would like to make sure that I'm done with AWA sectionThank you in advance!The following appeared in a memorandum from the business department of the Apogee Company:"When the Apogee Company had all its operations in one location, it was more profitable than it is today. Therefore, the Apogee Company should close down its field offices and conduct all its operations from a single location. Such centralization would improve profitability by cutting costs and helping the company maintain better supervision of all employees."Discuss how well reasoned ... etc.My essay:The argument that the Apogee Company should shut down its field offices and centralize its business operations in order to improve profitability is extremely flawed because it omits some important factors, other than location, that impact on profitability. The sole reason that the Company used to gain more profit before, when it was located at one place than today, when decentralized does not constitute a logical argument in favor of centralization.Firstly, the argument falsely assumes that the profit of the Apogee Company decreased over time solely because it made a decision to reallocate some of its offices apart from the central office. It fails to consider some other important factors that might lead to the decrease in profit, for example, demand, market conditions or the price for the product might have changed. Probably in the past market conditions were more favorable for the Apogee Company to succeed, for example, the demand was high, very few or even no competitors were on the market. The situation might have changed and the abundance of newly appeared competitors, producing the same type of product made the price of it and, hence, profit to decline.Secondly, the author erroneously consider that centralization will undoubtly lead to cutting costs, increased profitability and better control over the workers. The opposite might be the case, however. When decentralizing their branches, companies usually seek to lower the labor cost or become closer to the resources they use, or the customers they serve, thus cutting transportation and labor costs, consequently decreasing the price of the product and ultimately leading to increased profit. Therefore, the claim that centralization will certainly increase the profit of the Apogee Company is unsubstantiated.The argument could be more sound if the author states that for Apogee Company location of its business is the most important factor in determining its profitability and the other external market conditions did not change significantly over the time when it was decentralized. It could also be strengthen by stating that Apogee Company does not seek to use any advantages of decentralization, like reduced transportation or labor costs.In conclusion, the argument is extremely flawed and comes across as unconvincing and weak since it omitted some factors that must be addressed to conclude that Apogee Company need to centralize its business again to gain more profit. If the author would have considered other factors influencing profitability or the positive sides of decentralization, the argument would be much more convincing.Hope to receive positive feedback!)zinyembat1 wrote:

Hello, I would greatly appreciate a review of my profile. I will be applying in round one of fall 2019.



- 25 year old African Male from Zambia

- 2.98 GPA in Finance from a public university in Ohio (Low GPA was due to my over involvement in extracurricular). I returned to Zambia because I'm a strong believer in the Zambian dream.

- 730 GMAT (44V : 46Q)

- Work experience includes:

1 year at a boutique, well known investment bank in Ohio where I was an analyst.

2 years at a big 4 accounting firm (EY/Deloitte/PWC) in Corporate Finance and M&A in Zambia where I've received 2 promotions. I manage a group of 3 people. This is my current job*

Founded a data analytics company in 2017 (the first in Zambia), helping multiple companies (foreign and domestic, including publicly listed) drive sales using advanced analytics/programming. I taught myself how to write SQL, Python, C++ and R. I manage a group of 6 people. This is also my current job*

- Extracurricular involvement: Built a school for orphans between 3 and 6 years old. Last year, with the help of my cousin, managed to help send 72 children to school.

Fun Fact, In high school, I represented my country in 3 sports: Rugby, Swimming and Waterpolo.

- I only know of 1 person to have applied to a top business school, U Chicago, and he was accepted.

- Goal: To transition into PE within Africa

- Target schools: HBS, UPenn, Stanford, Booth

Minutes to Admission Weekly newsletter, were, in a 5-min video, we share admissions insights that help you stand out. To sign up for the FREE newsletter, register Join ournewsletter, were, in a 5-min video, we share admissions insights that help you stand out. To sign up for the FREE newsletter, register here . Or copy and paste the URL in your browser: https://www.siaadmissions.com/minutes-to-admission





Susan Berishaj

Sia Admissions

info@siaadmissions.com

+1 (646) 690 - 9996

website:



Contact us for a complimentary profile evaluation Susan BerishajSia Admissionsinfo@siaadmissions.com+1 (646) 690 - 9996website: http://www.SiaAdmissions.com Contact us for a Signature Read MoreCALGARY, Alberta, and ADELAIDE, South Australia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eguana Technologies (TSX.V:EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) and Class A Energy Solutions are pleased to announce that they have partnered to deliver the Evolve Home Energy Storage System across Australia from Class As home base in South Australia, and look forward to bringing Eguanas other products to the Australian market in the future.



Derek and the team at Class A Energy have been great to work with as we establish our operations in South Australia, said Brent Harris, CTO of Eguana. While the immediate interest is in offering the Evolve system under the Home Battery Scheme, we are looking forward to working with Class A to build out a complete range of solutions for their residential and commercial customers across Australia.

The Eguana Evolve system provides us with a fully-integrated, LG Chem battery-based, AC-coupled solution for our residential customers, said Derek Kennewell, Operations Manager at Class A Energy Solutions. This is the ideal product for the Home Battery Scheme, the flexibility and performance of Eguanas solutions will also enable us to use their full product line to meet various network requirements and to execute solar+storage projects countrywide.

Class A Energy Solutions is now a registered and certified System Provider for the Eguana Evolve under the Home Battery Scheme.

Evolve  Home Energy Storage Systems

Evolve is a fully integrated residential energy storage system that includes the companys proprietary power electronics system, LG Chem low-voltage battery modules, and a comprehensive user interface and control solution that supports VPP integration. The system is rated at 5KW AC output with a modular battery design based on a 6.5 kWh battery, which is scalable from 13 to 39kWh in storage capacity. The wall-mounted package is suitable for indoor and outdoor installations and is backed by a 10-year standard warranty.

The Evolve supports grid-connected solar self-consumption, time of use, and backup power with solar charging. It is now available across Australia and is approved with the Clean Energy Council.

Interested parties may contact:

Eguana Technologies

Georgia Mayson

Customer Solutions Specialist, Australia

Georgia.Mayson@EguanaTech.com

0473 522 532

Class A Energy Solutions

Derek Kennewell

Operations Manager

derek@classaenergysolutions.com.au

1800 99 79 79



About Class A Energy Solutions

Founded in 2009, Class A Energy Solutions is Australian owned with a head office in Adelaide and agents in all other Australian states. We have installed solar panels in almost 12,000 homes, businesses and government facilities throughout Australia. To learn more, visit http://www.classaenergysolutions.com.au/

About Eguana Technologies Inc.

Based in Calgary, Alberta Canada, Eguana Technologies (EGT: TSX.V) (OTCQB: EGTYF) designs and manufactures high performance residential and commercial energy storage systems. Eguana has two decades of experience delivering grid edge power electronics for fuel cell, photovoltaic and battery applications, and delivers proven, durable, high quality solutions from its high capacity manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America.

With thousands of its proprietary energy storage inverters deployed in the European and North American markets, Eguana is one of the leading suppliers of power controls for solar self-consumption, grid services and demand charge applications at the grid edge.

To learn more, visit www.EguanaTech.com or follow us on Twitter @EguanaTech

Company Inquiries Justin Holland CEO, Eguana Technologies Inc. +1.416.728.7635 Justin.Holland@EguanaTech.com

Forward Looking Information

The reader is advised that some of the information herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning assigned by National Instruments 51-102 and other relevant securities legislation. In particular, we include: statements pertaining to the value of our power controls to the energy storage market and statements concerning the use of proceeds and the Company's ability to obtain necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and involves a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or future events or developments, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date hereof. Readers are also directed to the Risk Factors section of the Companys most recent audited Financial Statements which may be found on its website or at sedar.com. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained herein to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CSE:GOR, Frankfurt:GOJ, Pink Sheets:GORAF



Goldrea Resources Corp. (Goldrea or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has established a wholly-owned subsidiary named Global Lab Analytics, Inc. (GLA), incorporated and based in California, to begin the development and establishment of a cannabis testing lab in the city of Irving.

GLA plans its initial services to include the testing of cannabis products for the presence of microbials, solvents, heavy metals, concentrates, potency, pesticides, mycotoxins, terpenes, as well as performing toxicology and potency verification. Once established, GLAs services will be expanded to numerous additional applications. Less than thirty percent of mandated testing is presently available in the state of California, and currently there are no CLIA/CAP certified labs serving the cannabis industry.

GLA has tentatively entered into a lease of a 6,520 square foot facility in Irvine, California and has obtained zoning approval to conduct its business activities at the site. In addition, the leadership team has reached the following significant milestones:

Architectural drawings for the laboratory have been designed and approved.

Contractors for the construction of the laboratory have been secured pending permit approval, and negotiations have advanced with lab equipment suppliers.

An application for state licensing of the laboratory is in process, and submission of the application is anticipated for June 2019.

Standards of Practice have been written, and regulatory applications are underway. Regulatory review by the City of Irvine is expected to be completed in sixty days.

While regulatory applications are in process, GLA will be working on its ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. Research and development contracts can be completed before construction commences and licencing is granted. This will produce a nominal revenue stream as well as validate Company processes and quality assurance practices. GLA has also developed a potential customer base and is actively fostering relationships with contacts throughout the sector. Potential clients and users of GLAs services will continue to be engaged before the labs expected completion in July 2019.

The development and operation of the GLA laboratory facilities, as described herein, will constitute a Change of Business (COB), and will therefore require both CSE and shareholder approval. While certain steps have been taken associated with this COB, construction or financing of the lab will not commence prior to the receipt of these approvals. Upon the assurance that financing is likely to take place, the shareholders will be called upon to vote to move the project and trigger the COB. Once shareholder approval is received, the Company will then commence financing and initiate construction. The COB will additionally require the mining properties currently held by Goldrea to being removed from the Companys assets. The disposition of these properties is planned to take place by way of a spin out company, once the COB has commenced.

President and CEO Jim Elbert states, We are pleased with the progress being made on the lab facility in Irving as this new direction for Goldrea takes shape. We expect significant changes in the Companys future as these integral milestones continue to be met. Shareholder support has been deeply appreciated as we explore new opportunities while nurturing and developing our existing assets.

For more information, please contact:

James Elbert, President and CEO

Telephone: (604) 559-7230

Email: jelbert@goldrea.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements, which are statements about the future based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate or true. Such forward-looking information can include, without limitation, statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and as such are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, such as the construction and completion of the laboratory facilities, or the approval and licensing of the Companys laboratory. There is no assurance that commercial sales of any kind will actually materialize for the Company, nor is there any assurance the Company will have sufficient funds to complete its plans. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Companys plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) insufficient funds and inability to complete financings; (iii) inability to obtain the necessary governmental or regulatory approvals to conduct the Companys activities; and (iv) inability to develop and market the Companys future products and services, or failure by the Company to meet its targets and plans; and (v) litigation, competition and other general business risks. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.Are you currently searching for a career with an organization that has a long-standing history in the community where you live, work, and play? If you are looking for a meaningful and fulfilling career, then Bona Vista can help you find a position to meet your needs.

Bona Vista started out the month hanging out at The Corner Decor during First Friday, talking to folks about available opportunities. We also spent time at Bind Cafe downtown meeting and greeting with potential job seekers.

If you missed us at either of those events, no worries! We still have more ways for you to connect with us this month and throughout the year!

For example, coming up on Jan. 15 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., we will host a Career Call Out at the Jill S. Dunn Center, 1800 S. Plate St., in Kokomo. This will give job-seekers a chance to talk to someone in person, one-on-one to ask questions about the different opportunities, benefits, etc. It is also a time where someone is available to help fill out the online application via laptop for those who may not be as tech savvy or who may not feel comfortable doing it on their own.

You may not have read this article or received your newspaper in time to visit us at the Career Call Out on Jan. 15, but (again) dont worry! Our staff recruiter, Brittany Reed, has several other opportunities coming up this month and into the year whether that be out in the community or via social media!

Speaking of social media, on Jan. 23 from noon to 2 p.m. Brittany will host an online Virtual Job Fair on Facebook. Be sure to Like Bona Vista Programs Recruiting Facebook page so you get all of the up-to-date information on current job postings. But, whats so neat about the Virtual Job Fairs is that you dont have to get out and go anywhere. We never know what the weather is going to be like in January, so as long as youre on Facebook you dont have to get out in it! Check out our different career opportunities from the comfort of your home and know that during those times Brittany also will be on Facebook to answer any questions you may have.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

Then, on Jan. 31 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. we will host our first-ever Career Call Out at Blondies Cookies in the Markland Mall. What is not to love about this? Stop by, get a sweet treat and also say hi to Brittany who will be there again with a laptop to help you apply for a new career and all of the information you could possibly want regarding our open positions.

Those are our outings for the rest of the month, but as a preview into February she once again will be at Mo Joes Coffee downtown Kokomo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as you swing in for your lunchtime pick-me-up! If you havent tried out this fairly new hang out, this would be a great time to do it. They have been a wonderful supporter of Bona Vista since theyve opened up, and we hope that youll support them in return.

I think Ive mentioned many reasons in the past why working for Bona Vista is so great (in my humble opinion). In case you missed it, though, let me give you just a few of the reasons. First, those we serve. Whether you work with our adults or our children, you will leave each day knowing that you made a difference in their life. I could end my list of reasons with that one, but Ill go on.

Bona Vista offers medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401k, paid time off, and holiday pay to those that qualify. We offer paid trainings to help you develop in your position. We are a diverse organization with nearly 500 employees in Howard and Miami counties. We have 14 core programs and serve around 2,000 children and adults, with and without disabilities daily. We fulfill a need for many families in this community, and we want you to join our team and share the mission of building the foundation of success for children and adults, regardless of abilities, through encouragement, independence, and inclusion in reaching their maximum potential.

If you think working for Bona Vista sounds like something you may want to do in 2019 or you know someone who is looking for a career change, please check out any of the above-mentioned days/times. If those dont work for your schedule, thats OK! Our staff recruiter is available to help you any time! Shoot Brittany an email at breed@bonavista.org or call her at 765-457-8273 whenever is convenient for you, and she will get back to you in a timely manner.

We cant wait to see you when we are out in the community or to have you join our team!WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kane Biotech Inc. (TSX-V:KNE, OTCQB:KNBIF), (the Corporation or Kane Biotech), announced today the kick-off of their new human health strategy. Efforts will be focused on development of a wound care hydrogel containing Kanes patented enzyme DispersinB. Marc Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Kane Biotech, stated, I believe DispersinB could be a technology platform with a variety of applications in various fields. With DispersinB hydrogel, our aim is to not replace existing wound care treatments, but to greatly improve their activity and efficacy through the removal of bacteria biofilm. This first product, due to its unique impact on biofilms, has the potential to be the missing link in wound care.



This strategy is further fortified by the Corporations renewal of its exclusive worldwide license agreement with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, now part of Rutgers University, for all human, animal and industrial applications of the DispersinB enzyme. The discovery of DispersinB was made by Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Biology at UMDNJ, who was able to show that the novel enzyme is responsible for the dispersal of bacterial biofilms. Kane Biotech is delighted to be able to count on Dr. Kaplans continued support in the development of the DispersinB technology platform.

Kane has taken a number of measures to accelerate the development and commercialization of the DispersinB technology including, the creation of a Scientific Advisory Board (S.A.B.) and the appointment of Dr. Gordon Guay as Chief Scientific Officer. Following a full technology review by their S.A.B., Kane Biotech identified DispersinB as the companys key area of focus moving forward in human health. DispersinB is a unique enzyme that is capable of greatly enhancing the efficacy of available wound care treatments by dissolving bacterial biofilm, which could significantly improve patient outcome and timelines, added Dr. Gordon Guay, Chief Scientific Officer of Kane Biotech. Kane has also retained the services of the international regulatory consultant Amarex Clinical Research, a CRO with extensive experience in FDA submissions. With their help, Kane Biotech plans to conduct additional clinical studies and seek regulatory approval moving forward in 2019.

Furthermore, Kane Biotech recently submitted a proposal under the Military Infectious Diseases Research Program (MIDRP) with Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) open concepts request for project information. MTECs mission is to assist the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) by providing cutting-edge technologies and supporting effective life cycle management to transition medical solutions to industry that protect, treat, and optimize Warfighters health and performance across the full spectrum of military operations. MTEC has already given first stage approval to this project. Our team worked very hard to put the proposal together and we are excited that it was well received, we are looking forward to further interactions with the U.S. Department of Defense, stated Marc Edwards Chief Executive Officer of Kane Biotech.

Wound care is currently the most expensive area of care with multiple complex solutions. Chronic wounds present a significant financial burden to the U.S. healthcare system. A 2018 study of Medicare data estimated the cost to treat these wounds at between $28 billion and $32 billion. The treatment of chronic wounds is a major challenge for health care providers, with a high failure rate leading to amputation, sepsis and deathi. One of the major reasons for this failure is the formation of bacterial biofilms, which are present in 60% of chronic woundsii,iii. Biofilm formation can make bacteria up to 1000 times more resistant to antibiotics, antimicrobial agents, disinfectants and the host immune systemiv. Ultimately, anti-biofilm therapies have the potential to significantly increase the ability of healthcare providers to effectively treat wound infections.

About Kane Biotech

Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of technologies and products that prevent and remove microbial biofilms.

The Corporation has a portfolio of biotechnologies, intellectual property (75 patents and patents pending, trade secrets and trademarks) and products developed by the Corporations own biofilm research expertise and acquired from leading research institutions. StrixNB, DispersinB, Aledex, bluestem, AloSera, coactiv+ and Kane are trademarks of Kane Biotech Inc. The Corporation is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "KNE" and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol KNBIF.

For more information, please visit www.kanebiotech.com or contact: Marc Edwards Chief Executive Officer Kane Biotech Inc. +1 (514) 910-6991 medwards@kanebiotech.com Grant Humphrey Vice President, Sales and Business Development Kane Biotech Inc. +1 (204) 914-5089 ghumphrey@kanebiotech.com

Neither 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.



Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain statements regarding Kane Biotech Inc. that constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities law. These statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the Companys: (a) financial condition, including lack of significant revenues to date and reliance on equity and other financing; (b) business, including its early stage of development, government regulation, market acceptance for its products, rapid technological change and dependence on key personnel; (c) intellectual property including the ability of the Company to protect its intellectual property and dependence on its strategic partners; and (d) capital structure, including its lack of dividends on its common shares, volatility of the market price of its common shares and public company costs. Further information about these and other risks and uncertainties can be found in the disclosure documents filed by the Company with applicable securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive.

These risks and uncertainties should be considered carefully undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot provide assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

______________________________

i Weledji EP, Fokam P. Treatment of the diabetic foot - to amputate or not?BMC Surg. 2014;14:83. Published 2014 Oct 24. doi:10.1186/1471-2482-14-83

ii James G.A., Swogger E., Wolcott R., Pulcini E., Secor P., Sestrich J., Costerton J.W., Stewart P.S. Biofilms in chronic wounds. Wound Rep. Regen. 2008;16:3744. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-475X.2007.00321.

iii Omar A, Wright JB, Schultz G, Burrell R, Nadworny P. Microbial Biofilms and Chronic Wounds. Microorganisms. 2017;5(1):9. Published 2017 Mar 7. doi:10.3390/microorganisms5010009

iv Singh S, Singh SK, Chowdhury I, Singh R. Understanding the Mechanism of Bacterial Biofilms Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents. The Open Microbiology Journal. 2017;11:53-62.TOKYO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NHK WORLD-JAPAN, Japans global 24-hour, English-language television channel is now available on Roku TV the most popular streaming TV platform in the United States. NHK WORLD-JAPAN presents an extensive range of international news and Asian lifestyle programming and is the information source on Japan and Asia.



In December 2018 Roku was named Editors Choice and number one TV streaming platform in the U.S. by CNET.com. Additionally, Roku now reports active accounts to exceed 24 million viewers.

American viewers are already connecting to NHK WORLD-JAPAN through streaming services such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast, said Mr. Masaru Shiromoto, president and CEO of Japan International Broadcasting, responsible for the worldwide distribution of NHK WORLD-JAPAN. And now, by bringing our original and diverse programming to Roku, we have the opportunity to reach even more viewers, making our wide variety of programs more accessible to new audiences.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN features original television programming from NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), the countrys only public broadcaster, and delivers a unique and diverse blend of programming featuring hourly live international news from Tokyo and news bureaus around the globe, along with programs on Japanese lifestyle, culture, food, travel, technology, science and history.

Here is a small sample of NHK WORLD-JAPAN programs that can be seen now on ROKU:

NHK NEWSLINE

NHK NEWSLINE delivers the latest from Japan, Asia, and the rest of the world. A wide network of correspondents covers breaking news and developing stories, offering a perspective from this corner of the globe. And their team of trusted anchors ties it all together to give viewers a picture of what's happening now, and what's ahead.

GRAND SUMO HIGHLIGHTS

Sumo is one of the most traditional Japanese sports, boasting a history of more than 1,500 years. NHK WORLD-JAPAN offers a sumo highlights show every other month beginning January 13. The first, middle (Jan. 20) and last day (Jan. 27) of the tournament will be broadcast live. NHK WORLD-JAPAN is the only channel on which viewers can watch SUMO live!

DINING WITH THE CHEF

Viewers will learn the basics of Japanese cuisine demonstrated by professionals. Chef Saito provides easy guidance for making authentic dishes, while Chef Rika gives helpful advice on quick and stylish cuisine.

CYCLE AROUND JAPAN

This program offers a personal journey around Japan and provides useful information to enjoy the adventure on a bike. Viewers will see a side of Japan that they won't find in guidebooks.

ANIME SUPERNOVA

This is an innovative series presenting the short works of some of today's most imaginative Japanese animators. Each episode features a brief introduction of the animator's production methods and influences.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN can be located on Roku by name search or among other international channels in the News & Weather category.

About NHK WORLD-JAPAN: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japans sole public broadcaster, operating the nations largest domestic and international television network. In Japan, NHK broadcasts four TV channels and three radio stations. NHK also transmits two international television channels, NHK WORLD-JAPAN (English, HD, 24/7) and NHK WORLD PREMIUM (Japanese, HD, 24/7), as well as international radio services in eighteen languages. NHK WORLD-JAPAN reaches over 300 million households in 160 countries and regions via local satellite and cable TV providers. Online live streaming and VOD (video-on-demand) services through the free mobile app and the website, give viewers access to NHK WORLD-JAPAN anywhere and anytime. You can also connect through Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Presenting an extensive range of Asia-centered programming, NHK WORLD-JAPAN is your window to Japan, Asia, and the rest of the world. For more details, visit nhk.jp/world .

About Japan International Broadcasting, Inc.: Japan International Broadcasting Inc. (JIB), a subsidiary of NHK, is responsible for the worldwide distribution of the HD English language news/lifestyle channel NHK WORLD-JAPAN, as well as the HD Japanese language channel NHK WORLD PREMIUM. Currently, the two channels are broadcast around the world on three international plus domestic satellites in their respective markets and reach households, hotels and others via DTH, cable, IPTV, and terrestrial broadcast.

Contact:

Boyle Public Affairs for NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Jim Boyle

571-213-3979

jim@boylepublicaffairs.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ee49bbc-4eb2-4848-a57a-5db550714c17CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hemostemix Inc. (Hemostemix or the Company) (TSX VENTURE: HEM; OTCQB: HMTXF) is pleased to provide the following corporate update on accomplishments and milestones that it has achieved in 2018. The past twelve months has seen a transformation in the Company, with a significant amount of progress made on multiple fronts, including patient and site enrollment for the current Phase II clinical trial for critical limb ischemia, manufacturing optimization, research and development, and enhancing its management and scientific team. All of the Companys efforts in 2018 have furthered the core goal of achieving commercialization of its technology and furtherance of its research and development into new indications for additional clinical trials.

Technology Differentiators - Overview

The key differentiating factor for Hemostemix is that its technology process is based on a simple blood draw from the arm to collect peripheral blood, of which stem cell and progenitor cells are isolated, differentiated and expanded to create a personalized therapy. In contrast, other technologies utilize bone marrow collection which is an invasive and painful procedure, adipose (or fat) tissue which requires liposuction by an experienced physician, or birth tissues which require long-term cryopreservation followed by thawing of the cells which can damage the cell population. In addition, its platform is one that can support numerous indications  such as critical limb ischemia, peripheral arterial disease and heart disease including angina pectoris, using the same product ACP-01. This allows the Company to advance additional indications into phase two trials using the same technology, without having to complete safety or phase one trials.

Hemostemixs platform technology is based on an autologous (patients own) synergetic cell population (SCP). SCPs are basically a cell population within the blood consisting of adult stem cells and other supporting cell types. This cell population has the potential to generate various types of cellular products, depending on the culture conditions in which the cells are grown, including angiogenic cell precursors (ACPs) which induces blood vessel formation. The Companys lead product, ACP-01, is for use in treatment of indications with diseased or damaged tissue that require some level of revascularization for patient recovery, including indications driven by peripheral arterial disease (PAD) such as critical limb ischemia, as well as heart diseases such as angina pectoris. Diabetes, which is one of the leading causes of PAD, is becoming a worldwide epidemic resulting in significant and increasing healthcare and economic costs. In addition, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide. Regenerative and stem cell based therapies are at the forefront of modern medicine, garnering significant interest from patients and medical specialists. The Companys strategy is to focus on these target markets and orphan diseases that have high unmet treatment needs, where its therapies can offer impactful results for patients with few treatment alternatives.

Phase II Clinical Trial for CLI - 25% Patient Enrollment Achieved

The Company currently has a total of 11 clinical trial sites open for patient enrollment and there are nine clinical trial sites in the various stages of the review and start-up process, which the Company anticipates that several of these will be fully greenlighted shortly. Patient enrollment continues to ramp up with recent trial site additions, resulting in a total of 24 patients treated to-date out of the estimated total of 95 required patients to complete the trial. 2018 saw the Company double its number of treated patients reaching 25% enrollment. With the recent on-boarding of new US trial sites, the Company anticipates reaching 50% patient enrollment or 42 patients by spring 2019 and reporting of interim data results would be subject to all of these patients meeting the minimum follow-up protocols.

The Company specifically targets strategic clinical sites throughout the United States and Canada that are known for their ability to accelerate patient enrollment and complete clinical trials. The Company has been successful in attracting principal investigators at these sites that are all top of their field heart and/or vascular surgeons or other specialists. The Company continues to see positive interest in its trial and the need for new treatments for CLI that could offer an alternative to life altering amputations which is currently one of the limited treatment options available for some people suffering from CLI.

Future Clinical Trials and Additional Indications

As previously announced, the Company has been working on a pre-IND submission for the FDA for a Phase II or potentially a Phase III clinical trial for angina pectoris and intends to file this submission with the FDA in Q1 2019. The Company has collected substantial data on ACP-01 over the years, and believes the safety and efficacy profiles will facilitate submissions to the FDA and Health Canada for additional indications. Future indications that the Company intends to explore include Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension (IPH) which is another orphan disease, and mens health issues related to diabetes such as erectile dysfunction.

Commercialization Strategy

As noted above, the Company is currently focusing on commercialization of a treatment therapy for CLI with ACP-01 within its current clinical trial and is also preparing a submission for the use of ACP-01 in a heart trial, such as angina pectoris. Another product initiative will be the development of NCP-01, our neural cellular precursor (NCP) product.

As announced in February 2018, Hemostemix entered into a licensing agreement with its contract manufacturing partner Aspire Health Science, LLC (Aspire), which gave Aspire exclusive rights to use and sell ACP-01 in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, and the State of Florida for use in approved open trials and compassionate care cases. Aspire has been working with the Bahamas Ministry of Health and Dr. Conville Brown in Nassau, Bahamas, to start an open trial for congestive heart failure (CHF) involving 20 patients and an open trial for 20 patients for CLI. Pursuant to its licensing agreement, all of the data collected by Aspire pursuant to these proposed trials would belong to Hemostemix.

The Company continues to pursue sources of funding, including potential grants and partnering or other licensing transactions.

Research and Development Yields Results

2018 saw several research breakthroughs that enhanced its manufacturing and product offerings and supported the Companys commercialization efforts. The Company performed testing on over 40 research batches during 2018. This resulted in the further expansion of the ACP-01 technology process to also support an allogeneic process which involves the use of donor or third-party blood that can be processed and then used to treat a patient. Patients who are too ill or suffer comorbidities (having multiple diseases) may provide a poor blood sample for autologous processing, ultimately leaving these patients without stem cell treatment options. Being able to use healthy donor blood would allow for the potential ability to treat all patients, including those who are very ill, for whom an autologous treatment is not optimal.

In addition, internal research also proved that product manufacturing time can be reduced by 40% to 3 days from 5 days. Upon approval by regulatory authorities for use, the shortened manufacturing process should not only reduce future costs for all of ACP-01 applications, but also result in an approximate 67% increase in the amount of product treatments that can be manufactured under its existing manufacturing contract. The Company intends to apply for regulatory approval in order to utilize this optimized process in its current Phase II clinical trial for CLI. Looking to the future, the Company intends to build on its manufacturing achievements to-date and conduct further R&D work to partially, if not fully, automate the manufacturing process which it feels is a significant factor for global commercialization.

The Company also recently initiated an R&D program for generation of NCP-01 (Neural Cellular Precursors) from peripheral blood. The Companys R&D will focus on showing that NCP-01 is a product candidate that has the potential to treat such indications as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal cord injuries, Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers disease through building new neuronal lineage cells in a patient. The Company believes, these are important markets with significant unmet medical treatment needs.

Increasing US and Global Exposure

In order to increase the Companys exposure in the United States and worldwide, the Company has focused on several key strategies. Firstly, in October 2018, the Company was approved for up-listing its common shares for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market, a US trading platform that is operated by the OTC Markets Group in New York. The Company also secured DTC and CNS eligibility by The Depository Trust Company (DTC) for electronic settlement and transfer of its common shares in the United States. A US listing will provide exposure to a broader audience, which complements the Companys focus on adding key clinical trial sites throughout the United States.

Hemostemix has also recently attended key investment conferences and summits, including the 7th Global Family Office Investment Summit sponsored by the Ritossa Family Office held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Mid Small Cap Forum sponsored by Lond Capital held in San Francisco, California as well as the 2019 JP Morgan Healthcare Conference held in San Francisco, California. All of these events included a focus on biotech investments with numerous institutions and other impact investors in attendance. The Company plans to attend the upcoming World Stem Cell Summit in Miami and the BIO CEO & Investor Conference in New York City which is one of the largest investor conferences focused on established and emerging publicly traded and select private biotech companies. The Company continues to focus on attracting new retail and institutional investors to its shareholder base.

Intellectual Property

The Company recognizes protecting and expanding its intellectual property portfolio is of key importance. The Company has a broad and growing patent portfolio which covers 5 patent families with over 50 patents issued and pending in several important jurisdictions, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and China. Earlier this year, the EU Patent and Trademark Office granted patent number EP1833962 Regulating Stem Cells, which is part of a family of patents the Company has in its extensive patent portfolio. This patent has previously been granted in Canada and the United States and covers a method for generating therapeutic precursor cell products, including the Companys lead product ACP-01. Having this patent awarded in the EU is significant as it provides validation in multiple countries and provides the platform to be able to expand clinical trials, commercialization and partnering efforts throughout Europe.

Medical and Scientific Team Additions

Building on the executive management changes in 2017 and 2018, the Company also added key scientific and medical personnel in 2018 including the addition of Dr. Alan Jacobs, M.S.EE, M.D, Ph.D., as chief medical consultant and Ms. Catherine St. George, CCRP, as clinical trial manager.

Dr. Jacobs brings over 20 years of experience developing, manufacturing and launching commercial products and FDA approved therapeutics while Ms. St. George has over 20 years of clinical research experience in phase II and III drug and device trials and has played a key management role for numerous multi-site clinical trials across the United States and Canada spanning multiple therapeutic disciplines.

2018 also saw the formal launch of the Companys Scientific Advisory Board, whose members are all leaders in their fields of expertise, which span biochemistry, molecular biology, genomics and medicine. Members of the SAB are: Dr. Alan B. Lumsden, M.D., who is the Walter W. Fondren III Chair, Medical Director of the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital; Dr. Norman C. W. Wong, B.Sc (Hon), M.Sc, M.D., FRCP(C), Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Resverlogix Corp. (TSX:RVX), and Dr. Kumar Hari, PhD, whose expertise spans chromosome biology, functional genomics, and bioinformatics.

"As a team, we have reached several significant milestones in the past twelve months which has created real value for the Company and shareholders commented Kyle Makofka, President and CEO of Hemostemix. We remain focused on our mission of advancing our technology, executing on our business objectives and moving forward to commercialization. In 2018 our focus was on laying a solid foundation for growth, which we successfully accomplished on several fronts, including the current clinical trial, research and development initiatives, enhancing our executive and management team and manufacturing optimization. Obtaining FDA approval for the CLI trial in 2018 led to ten US trial sites being fully on-boarded with patient treatment doubling as a result. 2019 will be an exciting year for the Company as we focus on several transformative events including reaching the CLI trial interim data point which will validate our technology, making submissions to the US FDA for additional indications including angina pectoris and continuing to develop new impactful therapies for the future through our technology platform. We would like thank our investors for their continued support of the Company as we continue to build on our achievements and transform the Company, making the Company one to watch in 2019.

ABOUT HEMOSTEMIX INC.

Hemostemix is a publicly traded clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops and commercializes innovative blood-derived cell therapies for medical conditions not adequately addressed by current treatments. It is one of the first clinical-stage biotech companies to test a stem-cell therapy in an international, multicenter, Phase II clinical trial for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), a severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD) caused by reduced blood flow to the legs. The Phase II trial targets a participants diseased tissue with proprietary cells grown from his or her blood that can support the formation of new blood vessels. The Companys intellectual property portfolio includes over 50 patents issued or pending throughout the world. Hemostemix has a manufacturing contract with Aspire Health Science, LLP (Aspire), for the production of ACP-01 and for research and development purposes at Aspires Orlando, Florida, facility. Building towards commercialization, Hemostemix has also licensed the use, sale and import of ACP-01 for certain indications to Aspire in certain jurisdictions. The Company is continuing research and development of its lead product, ACP-01 with other applications, including cardiovascular, neurological and vascular indications.

For more information, please visit www.hemostemix.com or email office@hemostemix.com .

Contact:

Kyle Makofka, President and CEO

Suite 2150, 300  5th Avenue S.W.

Calgary, Alberta T2P 3C4

Phone: (403) 506-3373

E-Mail: kmakofka@hemostemix.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential, and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could, or should occur. Although Hemostemix believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of Hemostemix management on the date such statements were made. By their nature forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the Companys stage of development, future clinical trials and results, long-term capital requirements and future ability to fund operations, future developments in the Companys markets and the markets in which it expects to compete, risks associated with its strategic alliances and the impact of entering new markets on the Companys operations. Each factor should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Hemostemix 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.KYOTO, Japan, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thyas Co. Ltd. (Thyas) signed a licensing agreement with iPS Academia Japan, Inc. (iPS-AJ), a technology licensing organization of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell related-patents from Kyoto University. Under the agreement, Thyas obtains exclusive rights on patents related to production and use of iPS cell-derived T cells, and non-exclusive rights on the patents related to iPS cell generation, for development and commercialization of autologous immunotherapy of cancers and infectious diseases. Thyas will pay ongoing licensing fees to iPS-AJ. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.



The method to generate highly antigen specific iPSC-derived killer T cells is established by Dr. Shin Kaneko, an associate professor and a leading scientist of immunotherapy using iPSC-derived killer T cells, in Center for iPS cell Research and Application, Kyoto University. The iPSC technology allows Thyas to stably supply a large quantity of tumor-specific or virus-specific T cells that have high proliferative capacity and potent killing activity. As of today, no other method produces highly antigen specific iPSC-derived killer T cells.

Novel immunotherapies have demonstrated significant benefits to cancer patients, however, the use of those is limited due to severe adverse events and therapy resistance. Thyas iPS-derived T cell products are expected to be safe and highly effective to many patients with cancers and infectious diseases. Therefore, the approach has a great clinical advantage.

About Thyas

Thyas is a start-up biotechnology company from Center for iPS cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Japan, and supported by Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co. Ltd., a wholly owned investment firm of the university. The company is developing autologous immunotherapy with iPSC-derived killer T cells to cure patients suffering deadly diseases. Its key technologies are established by Dr. Shin Kaneko, Center for iPS cell Research and Application, Kyoto University.

About iPS-AJ

iPS-AJ is an approved TLO (technology licensing organization) (since 2016) which was established in 2008 to widely promote the use of iPS cell-related patents based on the research results by Prof. Shinya Yamanaka and his colleagues and iPS-AJ grants licenses regarding iPS cell-related patents with the aim of benefiting the health and welfare of human beings. http://ips-cell.net/e/THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovative Properties Inc. d/b/a Nabis Holdings (CSE:NAB; OTC: INNPF) (Nabis or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to invest in strategically located properties that have municipal approvals for provisioning centres in Michigan, USA, specifically the City of Detroit, Bangor City, Battle Creek, Constantine and Muskegon (Properties). The existing Municipal approvals with respect to the properties will expedite the State licensing process for dispensary locations under the new recreational cannabis regime in Michigan. These provisioning centres are strategically located near dense population centres and the Company believes these provisioning centres have the potential to generate upwards of USD $11 million revenue in 2019 and USD $43 million revenue in 2020 once State approval has been received and presuming steady market prices for cannabis within the State. Nabis is currently evaluating 10 to 15 additional municipally approved locations in Michigan which will substantially increase the Companys overall presence in the US cannabis space.



According to Arcview Market Research, the US cannabis market is expected to grow exponentially and be at over USD $23 billion by 2022. Michigan is one of the more recent States to have cannabis legalized for recreational purposes, which will come into effect in 2020 representing a significant opportunity for Nabis. The Company believes Michigan has substantial growth ahead and will continue to look for strategic investments in the State in both already established cannabis cultivators and dispensaries, along with properties that would benefit greatly from a State License.



Michigan represents one of the largest medical cannabis markets by registered medical patients in U.S., having originally passed the Michigan Marijuana Act in 2008. With Nabis continued commitment to invest in research, innovation and unique products to market, the Company is excited to contribute in one of the biggest medical market in the U.S.. Nabis is also continuing to evaluate investment opportunities across the U.S. in Limited License States across the cannabis ecosystem in high quality cash flowing assets and have a large pipeline of opportunities which it expects to deliver on in 2019.

The LOI is subject to definitive documentation and the transaction expected to close in March 2019.

About Nabis



Nabis Holdings is a Canadian investment issuer that invests in high quality cash flowing assets across multiple industries, including real property, securities, cryptocurrency, and all aspects of the U.S. and international cannabis sector. Led by two of the co-founders of MPX Bioceutical (CSE:MPX), one of the largest takeovers in the U.S. Cannabis space to date, the company has proven track record in emerging markets to create significant shareholder value. The Company is focused on investing across the entire vertically integrated aspects of the space with a focus on revenue generation, EBITDA and growth.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Shay Shnet

Shay Shnet

CEO and Director

For inquiries, please contact 604-687-7130 or email info@nabisholdings.com.

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The risks are without limitations: that the acquisitions will be completed by the Company or completed upon the terms disclosed; the price for cannabis and related products will remain consistent and the consumer demand remains strong; availability of financing to the Company to develop the retail locations; retention of key employees and management; changes in State and/or municipal regulations of retail operations and changes in government regulations generally. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ, materially from the Companys expectations are disclosed in the Companys documents filed from time to time with the Canadian Securities Exchange, the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Alberta Securities Commission.WINNEMUCCA, Nev., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. (NYSE American: PZG) (Paramount, or the Company) announced today that it has filed its application for the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with the Planning Department of Malheur County for its proposed Grassy Mountain Gold Mine in eastern Oregon.



The CUP is the permit providing County approval for Paramounts proposed land use for private (patented) land. The entire Grassy Mountain deposit and portions of the associated infrastructure for the proposed underground mine are located on Paramounts 100% owned patented mining claims (see map below).

Paramount CEO, Glen Van Treek, commented: We are thrilled with the progress of our permitting efforts to date and the co-operation we are getting from County, State and Federal regulators. The submission of the Conditional Use Permit is a major milestone for the project as we advance our high-grade Grassy Mountain gold mine towards production.

The Conditional Use Permit has been submitted to the Countys Planning Department and will be reviewed at an upcoming monthly planning meeting. The planning department has 30 days to accept the permit application as complete. Given that criteria, we expect that the permit review process to accept the proposed land use will be heard at a public planning commission meeting held in March. The process includes an internal review of the proposed use for the land, a potential site visit and a public meeting. Paramount expects to receive the approval within the first half of 2019.

Given the excellent support from community leaders and local organizations, as evidenced in multiple public community meetings and discussions during the DOGAMI process of compiling the data for the permit application, we are looking forward to a positive outcome from the County, added Mr. Van Treek.

To stay informed of future press releases, subscribe to our E-Alerts Program and to learn more about our projects visit the projects section of our website .

About Paramount Gold Nevada Corp.

Paramount Gold Nevada is a U.S. based precious metals exploration and development company. Paramounts strategy is to create shareholder value through exploring and developing its mineral properties and to realize this value for its shareholders in three ways: by selling its assets to established producers; entering into joint ventures with producers for construction and operation; or constructing and operating mines for its own account.

Paramount owns 100% of the Grassy Mountain Gold Project which consists of approximately 11,000 acres located on private and BLM land in Malheur County, Oregon. The Grassy Mountain Gold Project contains a gold-silver deposit (100% located on private land) for which results of a positive PFS have been released and key permitting milestones accomplished (see press release dated May 24, 2018). Additionally, Paramount owns a 100% interest in the Sleeper Gold Project located in Northern Nevada. The Sleeper Gold Project, which includes the former producing Sleeper mine, totals 2,322 unpatented mining claims (approximately 60 square miles or 15,500 hectares).

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

This release and related documents may include "forward-looking statements" and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) pursuant to applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Paramounts future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable securities laws. Words such as "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although these words may not be present in all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included in this news release include, without limitation, statements with respect to: production estimates and assumptions, including production rate and grade per tonne; revenue, cash flow and cost estimates and assumptions; statements with respect to future events or future performance; anticipated exploration, development, permitting and other activities on the Grassy Mountain project; the economics of the Grassy Mountain project, including the potential for improving project economics and finding more ore to extend mine life; and mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the conclusions made in the PFS; the quantity and grade of resources included in resource estimates; the accuracy and achievability of projections included in the PFS; Paramounts ability to carry on exploration and development activities, including construction; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; the price of silver, gold and other metals; prices for key mining supplies, including labor costs and consumables, remaining consistent with current expectations; work meeting expectations and being consistent with estimates and plant, equipment and processes operating as anticipated. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: uncertainties involving interpretation of drilling results; environmental matters; the ability to obtain required permitting; equipment breakdown or disruptions; additional financing requirements; the completion of a definitive feasibility study for the Grassy Mountain project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs and between estimated and actual production; and the other factors described in Paramounts disclosures as filed with the SEC and the Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta Securities Commissions.

Except as required by applicable law, Paramount disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document.

Paramount Gold Nevada Corp.

Glen Van Treek, President, CEO and Director

Christos Theodossiou, Director of Corporate Communications

866-481-2233

Twitter: @ParamountNV

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/29d6cd8e-3bb7-4cf4-81b0-31e1aab7792dTORONTO, Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation's (TSX:TNX) (NYSE MKT:TRX) (the "Companys) Board of Directors is pleased to announced that the Company has completed the sale of 3,924,386 common shares raising $885,734 in the aggregate previously announced in its press release of January 12, 2019.

The proceeds from the sale of common shares will be used in furtherance of the Companys Three-Phase Drill Program at the Buckreef Project.

Respectfully Submitted,

"James E. Sinclair"

James E. Sinclair

Executive Chairman

For further information, please contact Michael Martin, Investor Relations, m.martin@tanzaninaroyalty.com , 860-248-0999, or visit the Company website at www.tanzanianroyalty.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Certain of the statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified using words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information herein include, but are not limited to the Positive Feasibility Study on Buckreef.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information and even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the following: gold price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; mining operational and development risk; litigation risks; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign investment; currency fluctuations; speculative nature of gold exploration; global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements; and defective title to mineral claims or property, as well as those factors discussed in the sections entitled "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018.

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward-looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Company's business contained in the Company's reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S.

Cautionary Note Regarding Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources

The terms "Mineral Reserve", "Proven Mineral Reserve" and "Probable Mineral Reserve" used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on August 20, 2000 as may be amended from time to time by the CIM. These definitions differ from the definitions in the United States Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC") Guide 7. In the United States, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made.

The terms "Mineral Resource", "Measured Mineral Resource", "Indicated Mineral Resource", "Inferred Mineral Resource" used in this release are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with National Instruction 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the CIM Standards. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

For a detailed discussion of Buckreef resource and reserve estimates and related matters, see the Company's reports, including the Form 20-F Annual Report dated November 29, 2018, and technical reports filed under the Company's name at our website at: www.TanzanianRoyalty.com .

Cautionary Note to US Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources

Note to U.S. Investors. While the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource," "indicated mineral resource", and "inferred mineral resource" are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, they are not defined terms under standards in the United States and normally are not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. As such, information contained in this report concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources under Canadian standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S companies in SEC filings. With respect to "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource," there is a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and a great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "indicated mineral resource" or "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves.

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward-looking statements and information continually as conditions change, and you are referred to the full discussion of the Company's business contained in the Company's reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S.

CONNECTICUT OFFICE:

PO Box 577

Sherman, CT

U.S.A. 06784

Fax: (860) 799-0350

investors@TanzanianRoyalty.com

TORONTO OFFICE:

82 Richmond Street East

Suite 208

Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1

Toll Free (844) 364-1830

www.TanzanianRoyaltyExploration.comSEATTLE, Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces publication of an article discussing strategic investments made last year in Europe, by International Cannabis Corp. (CSE: WRLD.U) (OTC: KNHBF), that now present an enormous strategic opportunity for the company. Europes population is over 740 million - twice the size of the US and Canada combined  and is currently suffering from cannabis supply shortages.



Like most of Europe, Scandinavian policies on cannabis have been traditionally strict, but in Denmark there has been a significant change in recent years. This change could translate into big business for companies such as ICC with the foresight to establish an early presence.

In November 2017, the Danish Parliament announced plans to begin a four year trial of medical cannabis on January 1, 2018, and the government committed $3.2m to the trial. Then, on January 1, 2018, Denmark legalized medical cannabis following a unanimous vote by parliament, and at the same time, offered a tender for cultivating medical cannabis to international and domestic companies.

One year later, Denmark is poised to become one of Europes top producers of medical cannabis, and ICC is well positioned to capitalize.

The market has already seen a number of strategic partnerships between Canadian and Danish companies, and a number of domestic producers have already partnered with foreign companies to enter the market. Denmark has developed a program for reimbursement for cannabis therapeutics through its national health care program whereby patients can be reimbursed for their medicinal cannabis in the same manner as any other prescription.

Twelve national cannabis cultivation and extraction licenses were made available, and International Cannabis, through it wholly-owned subsidiary, Danvian Cannabis, controls a medical cannabis production and manufacturing license in the Kingdom of Denmark. Its Danish assets are on par with industry peers such as Canopy Growth and Aurora.

Immediate Developments

ICC has increased its Danish land holdings and now controls a 100-acre property located in a jurisdiction with a highly-skilled agricultural and manufacturing workforce in immediate proximity to Germany, allowing for direct imports of CBD products and medical cannabis. Its Danish operations are strategically located along a national highway, permitting direct access to the Danish capital of Copenhagen.

Danavian boasts industry relationships that will enable future development potential throughout Scandinavia. Continued development of Danavians Danish cannabis portfolio will help serve both local and export market demand. Initial development work, as well as the adaptation of infrastructure for the property, is scheduled to commence this month.

Danavian has engaged an Israeli cannabis organic cultivation and management company, Sababa Sciences Inc. to provide end-to-end management including the implementation of advanced Israeli agricultural technologies for high-quality medical cannabis treatments. Danavian and Sababa Sciences have designed a 55,000 square foot, fully automated greenhouse facility that will meet IMC-GAP, ISO:9001 and European GMP standards, and the cannabis and cannabis derivatives produced will be sold through Denmarks retail pharmacy network.

International Cannabis has engaged leading greenhouse engineering and manufacturing firm Azrom to assist facility engineering planning initiatives. Azrom is a leader in the global agricultural market, specializing in the design, engineering and manufacturing of customized greenhouses. Under Sababas guidance, Azrom will provide end-to-end planning and consulting services throughout the build out of International Cannabis Danish medical cannabis cultivation facility.

The initial stage will include a 49,600 square foot cultivation unit, an administrative area, as well as a production and processing structure. Delivery of the greenhouse structure and the required growing systems is estimated for the end of Q1 2019. Upon delivery, the company has budgeted 90 days for implementation and installation of the greenhouse and growing systems. ICC expects to successfully receive its final building permits by February 1st, and concurrent with the permitting process, has initiated land development and infrastructure work, expected to be completed by February 1.

International Cannabis has also finalized the design of its European GMP compliant manufacturing facility, which will be constructed and operated by Relief Aps, a subsidiary of Sababa. The company is currently assessing bids for construction, and is evaluating leveraging modular structures to accelerate time to market. Construction will begin during the second quarter of 2019, and ICC hopes to obtain GMP validation prior to the end of 2019.

Genetic/Strain Catalogue Expanding

International Cannabis recently bolstered its existing genetic and strain catalogue through the purchase of 10 seed varieties, and has successfully established a genetics room in accordance with industry best practices. The genetics room is monitored and operated by Sababas agronomy team, and with Sababa s assistance, ICC has completed initial sprouts for testing and research.

This means that ICC now has access to 130 lab-tested craft cannabis strains, and these unique craft strains will enable the company to differentiate its brand in an increasingly homogenized market. ICC will continue to augment its catalogue of top-ranked strains from around the world.

While the Danish developments are certainly exciting, theyre only one chapter in the evolving ICC story. The company, through its subsidiaries, also has agreements in place for European-based pharmaceutical distribution, wholesale importation, and research and development, as well as licenses to cultivate, produce, distribute, store and export cannabis, cannabis derivatives and industrial hemp in Colombia, Poland, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho.

With an established presence on five continents, 110 clients representing roughly 3500 pharmacies in 16 countries, five licenses for cultivation on three continents and access to over 850 acres of premium hemp crops, estimated to produce up to 6800 tons of biomass for CBD extraction, International Cannabis lives up to its name, and is well positioned to establish the first global cannabis supply chain.

Please follow the link to read the full article: https://www.cannabisfn.com/with-danish-advancements-icc-gears-up-for-key-role-in-european-supply-chain/

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206-369-7050

flane@cannabisfn.comGUANTANAMO, Cuba, Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Like China and Iran before it, the Cuban government officially recognized Alcoholics Anonymous with an invitation to participate in the Third International Meeting Against Drug Addiction, held in Guantanamo Cuba from November 7-9, 2018.



Doctors, addiction specialists, social workers, nurses, and medical students from Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Columbia  as well as from provinces throughout Cuba  participated in the three day conference themed, Lifestyles vs. Toxic Habits.



We were invited by the Cuban Health Ministry to present, said Dr. Peter Luongo, Executive Direction of the Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions (IRETA), and one of the nonalcoholic trustees of A.A.s General Service Board. I think all of us recognized that this was historic.



A.A. meetings have been held for years in Cuba, but without official recognition as a civil organization by the Cuban government. Without such recognition, A.A. was unable to have an office, or even a telephone line, despite the fact that the country has an estimated 1,700 members and 100 active A.A. groups.



Scott H., A.A.s Trustee-at-Large for Canada  who in a previous trip to Cuba, saw the hunger for A.A.  believes that the conference is definitely a step in the right direction, maybe even a tipping point for A.A. in Cuba. He and Dr. Luongo both credit Dr. Anselma Betancourt Pulsan, alcoholism specialist and Chair of the conference organizing committee, as being instrumental in securing the invitation for A.A.



A highlight of the conference was Dr. Luongos talk, Healthcare Professionals and A.A., in which he outlined the ways that A.A. and the medical profession can work together to help address the problem of alcoholism. He pointed out that, despite his years of training on addiction, he never really learned anything about alcoholism, until he met sober alcoholics who were in A.A. and working in the treatment field. I learned from them how important it is to incorporate Alcoholics Anonymous into the way we treat alcoholics.



For more information on this or other notable events, contact A.A.s Public Information Desk at the General Service Office at publicinfo@aa.org or (212) 870-3119.



Vancouver, BC, Jan. 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSX.V: LKY) (OTCPK: LKMNF) (FRA: LKY) (Lucky or the "Company") is pleased to announce further results of an on-going geological mapping survey conducted on its Fortuna Project (the Project) located approximately 60 km south-east of the Town of Cuenca, Ecuador.



48 assay results have been received from the November field survey. Assays of less than 50 ppm up to 0.075% Cu (750 ppm), less than 50 ppm up to 0.03% Mo (300 ppm) and 0.01 g/t Au up to 1.21 g/t Au have been reported. Anomalous gold values from 0 of up to 130 ppb have been also reported in the breccias within the Porphyry.

Surface prospecting undertaken in early December has located what management believe is a mineralized Porphyry system that displays an ovoid shape being 1.3 km long with an estimated width of 1 km; approximately 90% of the Porphyry signature has been mapped to date. This structure is trending north-west and lies on the junction of two regional NNE and NW structures.

During this most recent campaign, B veinlets varying between 1mm to 3mm have been widely observed in the Porphyry as well as major stockworks. The widespread presence of B veins, including some cross-cutting D veins, stockworks and numerous Mo showings indicate that we are on top of the Porphyry system and getting closer to the core of mineralization. It should be noted that no A veins have been encountered yet. Luckys exploration team believes that this current mapping program has identified a large-scale Porphyry system that will be subjected to detailed and ongoing field follow-up in the coming weeks. 50 mineralized samples from the above referenced B veins have been sent for assaying; results are pending.

QUALITY CONTROL

Rock samples on the Project were assayed by ALS in Lima with preparation performed in Quito. Samples were pulverized with 85% being under 75 microns and assayed by XRF and ICP techniques for multi-elements (four acid digestion) and major oxides. Gold was assayed using a 30g fire assay with AA finish.

Exploration program design and interpretation of results is performed by a Qualified person (QP) employing a Quality Assurance/Quality Control program consistent with industry best practices including the use of standards at every 20 samples.

NEXT STEPS

Starting early 2019, finalization of the current mapping program will be undertaken along with an airborne geophysical survey. Improvement of the existing dirt road and trails to an all-weather 14 km gravel road will be undertaken upon social approval. Aggressive grid-style sampling will continue on Fortuna 3 as well as regional prospecting on the 40 km major regional NNE structure. Other major regional NNE trending structures observed on the property will also be mapped and sampled.

This may be followed by a drilling program later in 2019. Fortuna 3 is one of 12 contiguous concessions which make up the Fortuna Property. Virtually no exploration has been done on these highly prospective concessions. Considerable potential exists for finding significant porphyry and epithermal Cu-Au mineralization throughout the Fortuna concessions.

Lucky Minerals is very pleased by the results of this ongoing reconnaissance exploration program and we will continue to characterize in more details the identified porphyry system. We are excited to aggressively explore and prospect other targets on Fortuna 3 as well as on the 11 remaining concessions, says CEO John Mears.

About Lucky

An exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits.

The Fortuna Project

Lucky Minerals holds a 100% interest in Fortuna, a 550 km2 property in the heart of a proven and highly mineralized mineral district in Ecuador but which has seen only limited exploration and has never been drilled.

Evidence of significant hydrothermal alteration, stockwork, breccias, geochemical anomalies and placer mining supports potential for Cu/Au porphyry systems and epithermal Au deposits similar to numerous multi-million-ounce Au and bulk tonnage Cu deposits ~40km away.

This press release has been prepared by Alain Moreau, P.Geo., VP-Exploration at Lucky Minerals Inc., a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 instrument. For further information, please consult Luckys website or contact: Tel: 866 924-6484, info@luckyminerals.com www.luckyminerals.com .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

John Mears

Chief Executive Officer

Further information regarding the Company can be found on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com .

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Luckys periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Lucky from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. We seek safe harbor.By Ruth Anderah

A commuter taxi driver has been handed three-week jail term for insulting passengers.

Swaleh Lukyamuzi has been convicted and sentenced by City Hall Grade One Magistrate Patrick Talisuna on his own plea of guilt.

Lukyamuzi was charged with offense of engaging in disorderly behavior, by insulting and attempting to assault passengers.

Prosecution from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) states that on January 15th 2019 at Burton Street in Kampala, Lukyamuzi did engage in disorderly behavior by causing obstruction, pulling and abusing passengers thus causing public peace disorder.William Bill Kasik

December 22, 1925 - January 8, 2019

MASON CITY - William Bill Kasik, 93, of Clear Lake, died on Tuesday, January 8, 2019, at Country Meadow Place in Mason City. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm Friday, January 18, 2019, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N Pennsylvania Ave. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service time on Friday. Interment will be held in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials can be made out to the family of William Bill Kasik. Online Condolences may be sent to the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com

William 'Bill' Kasik was born December 22, 1925, in Mason City, IA the son of William and Bessie (Hrachova) Kasik. Bill attended Mason City Schools and joined the Merchant Marines during his senior year of high school. When WWII broke out, Bill enlisted in the U.S Navy. He was a proud WWII veteran.

In his youth, Bill worked at Sam Raizes Department Store. After the war, he worked at Sears Roebuck & Co. Bill married Marvyl Gettman in 1950 and to this union, four children were born. In 1957, Bill was approached by Max Sawyer regarding a new business venture, Curries Mfg. Bill loved his work and held several positions while at Curries including Vice President. Bill worked at Curries from 1957 until his retirement in 1990.MASON CITY | A Mason City man was arrested for leaving a 4-year-old child unattended on the same night he allegedly crashed into a vehicle while drunk in September.

Christopher Joel Sepulveda-Karry, 24, was charged with misdemeanor child endangerment and operating while under the influence - first offense.

Officials say about 3:23 a.m. Sept. 11, 2018, Sepulveda-Karry was driving a 2007 red Chevrolet Cobalt eastbound, crossed into the westbound lane and hit an unoccupied vehicle on the 500 block of First Street Northeast.

His car hit a legally-parked panel truck on the north edge of the road, police said in a press release from September. Both vehicles were severely damaged from the impact.

The Mason City Fire Department used mechanical extrication devices to remove Sepulveda-Karry from the car and pry the two vehicles apart.

Sepulveda-Karry was transported to the hospital with injuries.

Test results indicated that he had a 0.239 BAC, Mason City Police said in court documents.LINCOLN, Neb.  Richard Gathercole, alleged to be the "AK-47 bandit who robbed a Nebraska bank in 2014, was set to enter a plea Tuesday but instead asked for a different court-appointed attorney and more time to prepare for trial.

The "AK-47 Bandit" is also believed to have entered the Iowa Heartland Credit Union on South Monroe Avenue in Mason City on July 28, 2015, armed with an AK-47 rifle with a high-capacity magazine.

Employees at the credit union were ordered into a vault, and an "improvised explosive device" was left behind.

The robber allegedly brought in a device with smokeless powder, metal pieces and a fuse, which he told bank tellers was a pressure bomb, according to court documents. The robber fled in a black Toyota Camry.

The device was deemed safe and there were no injuries.

FBI Special Agent Andrew R. Ubbelohde alleged in an affidavit that Gathercole stole $126,000 from the Mason City credit union.

Contact Courtney at 641-421-0534 or on Twitter @CourtneyFiorini.

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Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Investigators apparently believe a landfill south of Colorado Springs could contain evidence or the body of a missing Woodland Park mother who authorities say was killed by her fiance, according to ABC News.

A spokeswoman for Midway Landfill in Fountain said investigators contacted the operator about a possible search related to the disappearance and presumed murder of Kelsey Berreth.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation contacted Waste Management of Colorado regarding a potential search at Midway Landfill and we are cooperating fully, Waste Management spokeswoman Anne Spitza told ABC News on Wednesday.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation communications director Susan Medina on Thursday declined to comment on the warrant or confirm whether it was related to the Berreth case. Lee Richards, spokeswoman for the 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office, also declined to comment.

Berreth, 29, was last seen in public Thanksgiving Day shopping at the Woodland Park Safeway with her 15-month-old daughter. Although her body has not been found, authorities believe she was killed at her Woodland Park townhome.

The man she planned to marry and the father of her child, Patrick Frazee, 32, of Florissant, has been charged with first-degree murder and solicitation to commit murder in Berreths death.

The preliminary hearing for Frazee is scheduled for Feb. 19.

Twitter: @lizmforster Phone: 636-0193Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday issued an executive order aimed at putting more electric and zero-emission vehicles on the states roads.

Citing his pledge to fight climate change by moving the state toward all-renewable electric power by 2040, Polis said the order will make it easier for residents to adopt electric vehicles while saving consumers money and providing widespread public health benefits.

The time to act is now, Polis said after arriving at a press conference in Denvers Lower Downtown neighborhood in an electric car and plugging it into a charging station.

Im proud to say that in the absence of national leadership, states like Colorado, along with local governments and private and public companies, are leading the way on climate.

The sweeping order signed by Polis  the first in the Democrats 10-day-old administration  directs state public health officials to send proposed zero-emission vehicle standards to the states Air Quality Control Commission. The rule, modeled on one adopted by California and nine other states, would require automakers to sell more qualifying vehicles each year.

The move to make Colorado a zero-emission vehicle or ZEV state is expected to encourage automakers to make more electric vehicle models available in Colorado, where dealers currently only carry around half the models available in states like California.

There are electric vehicles sold in other parts of the country that arent sold in Colorado, Polis said. Its about increasing availability for consumers, having better prices for consumers, helping consumers tap into the savings from lower fuel costs. Its really making sure we make electric vehicles, zero-emission vehicles more drivable and more affordable all over our state.

In addition, the order creates a working group involving state agencies to support electric vehicles and directs the Colorado Department of Transportation to come up with a program promoting the vehicles.

It also steers the remaining proceeds from the states $70 million emissions-fraud settlement with Volkswagen toward electrification of transportation, including helping pay for public transit vehicles, school buses and trucks.

Tim Jackson, president and CEO of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, threw a flag on the proposal.

Noting that three-quarters of Colorados passenger vehicles are pickups and sport utility vehicles, he said in a statement that Colorados challenging driving conditions arent as suited to electric vehicles as other states.

There is a reason you dont see electric vehicles pulling horse trailers or hauling six kids to their events, Jackson said.

He added: Colorados consumers are also free to choose to purchase electric vehicles that are readily available on the market. Colorados consumers do not need the government telling them what vehicles they should buy. Lets keep car-buying decisions in the hands of our citizens, not unelected California bureaucrats.

Leading Senate Republicans blasted the executive order and suggested Polis, who has a background as a tech entrepreneur, let the free market do its job.

This action does not encourage our automotive industry to innovate, it forces them to do so, and the result will undeniably be increased costs for Coloradans and lackluster, rushed products, said Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Cooke, R-Greeley, and Senate Minority Whip Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction, in a statement.

While the governor is correct in showing growth in the purchase of electric vehicles, what he forgets is that those in the lower and middle class of Colorado are undeniably sticking with gas-powered automobiles due to their overwhelmingly lower costs and reliability, they said. As the market brings down the costs of new technologies, demand will follow. Until that time, overreaching mandates will only impair the markets ability to effectively respond.

But one of their Republican colleagues, state Sen. Kevin Priola of Henderson, disagrees  and stood alongside Polis when the governor unveiled his orders.

I look at it as a conservative, dollars-and-cents, good for the public, good for the consumer issue, Priola told Colorado Politics. Theres really no reason to stick with internal combustion vehicles.

Priola said it was an easy decision to purchase an electric vehicle when he replaced a car last year.

I did the math, and it was a no-brainer, he said, adding that hes paying about 2 cents per mile in fuel costs now, compared with 14 or 15 cents per mile before he went electric.

Priola said critics who claim that what Polis is doing amounts to market interference are off base.

When internal combustion engine cars became ubiquitous 80 or 100 years ago, he said, there was a lot of (public) investment in infrastructure. Horses didnt need asphalt. Its a natural progression.

Priola is a lead sponsor of bipartisan legislation to put set rules so utilities can build charging stations around the state, encouraging electric vehicle drivers to conquer what he called the last remaining obstacle  range anxiety.

Itll encourage tourism, so people can drive their EV anywhere in the state, spend money in the mountains, spend money in the plains, spend money in the metro area. he said. If you do the math, consumers benefit, not just from the environmental benefits but dollars and cents.

The state already does plenty to encourage electric and other low-emission vehicles  from a $5,000 tax credit to a program that builds fast-charging stations along highways  but Polis said it isnt enough if the state wants to have nearly 1 million electric vehicles in operation by 2030, a goal set by Polis predecessor, former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, a year ago.

In order to achieve the goals set by the state, achieve our climate targets, and reap the billions of dollars in economic benefits, we will need to accelerate transportation electrification, Polis said in the order.

Itll be a steep climb from the estimated 12,000 electric vehicles that were registered in the state in late 2017, but Polis noted that Colorado has already seen annual growth rates topping 50 percent.

As we continue to move towards a cleaner electric grid, the public-health and environmental benefits of widespread transportation electrification will only increase, Polis said in a statement.

Colorado is a national leader in electric vehicle sales, with the vehicles making up 1.57 percent of total light vehicle sales in 2017  nearly double the 0.82 percent national average for the year, according to market data compiled by the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers.

In August 2018, the share in Colorado rose to 2.46 percent, putting the states percentage of electric vehicles sold for the month behind only California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and the District of Columbia.

According to a 2017 study cited in the executive order, a large-scale transition to electric vehicles by 2050 will yield $43 billion in net savings to Colorado consumers, including $4.1 billion in electric bill savings for all customers and $29.1 billion in savings by the vehicles owners. The reduced greenhouse gas emissions are projected to save an additional $9.7 billion in health costs, the study found.

This is a really big deal, said Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado. Its exciting for consumers. What the governor is saying to the auto industry is, Bring all your different models of electric vehicles to Colorado so that we can have more choices. Thats really good for consumers and really good for clean air.

She called the executive order a good first step for Polis as he makes good on his pledge to make Colorado a leader in combating climate change.

He knows, Colorado is on the front line on this  wildfires, extreme weather, air quality impacts  and weve really benefited from the renewable energy economy, so we can keep growing that. Its good for the economy, good for our air and good for climate change, she said.Two would-be drug smugglers got their Jeep Cherokee stuck on top of the 14-foot fence between Mexico and California and had to leave the car hanging in mid-air. Photo courtesy CBS News.Last month I issued a snarky dirge for 3.2 beer, as the eternal hangover loomed for the low-def suds that  once upon a time, in the murk of oSupport Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

She noted something else.

With the ag economy the way it is, with the uncertainty, the high property taxes that farmers are already paying, it seems like theyve been burdened from every angle, she said. I think this is a way to provide property tax relief for our farmers.

Walz also introduced LB251 the Child Hunger and Workforce bill which would replace reduced price lunches with free lunches for qualifying students.

Currently, children who come from low-income families can qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch through the Child Nutrition Act and the National School Lunch Program.

This bill would pay the remaining cost of the school lunch with state funds for families that qualify for reduced lunch through state funds.

A student who qualifies for reduced-price breakfasts or reduced-price lunches may be very vulnerable to the consequences of an unpaid balance in his or her school meal account. They may be subject to shame, inequitable treatment or refusal of service.

Walz also said a study was done across the state regarding alternative lunches if a child is behind on a bill. That can vary from a peanut butter sandwich to a salad bar to nothing at all, she told the Tribune.Nickerson resident Randy Ruppert, whose group Nebraska Communities United has long opposed the Costco project, argued that Nebraska already has a serious problem with nitrogen and phosphorus in our groundwater and in our lakes and our streams that could be made worse by the increased poultry production brought on by Costcos contract growers.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Our waters cannot absorb more of this type of pollution, he said. Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry should require growers to put in cover crops and put buffer strips around waterways to help prevent runoff of nutrients produced at the site that may be used as fertilizer, he argued.

Officials from Lincoln Premium Poultry noted that they require all of their growers to get a permit from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, despite not being mandated to do so by law. That means that all growers must develop nutrient management plans that make them subject to state testing and monitoring.

There is also a financial incentive to reducing runoff because the nutrients in the litter act as a valuable fertilizer that the Camenzinds were planning to use on their own farmland, said Andy Scholting of Nutrient Advisers, who developed the Camenzinds nutrient management plan.Failing to break a legislative filibuster two years ago, Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings is reviving a call for Nebraska to join a convention of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

His resolution (LR7) would see Nebraska join 12 states that have already called for a convention, identical to a resolution brought by then-Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete in 2017.

"Years of abuse and overreach by the judiciary, legislative and executive branch of the federal government have obliterated the enumerated powers established by our founders," Halloran said at a news conference Wednesday, and "made a mockery of our 10th Amendment" that states any powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states and the people.

Halloran's proposal would limit the convention to proposing amendments "that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress."

A corresponding bill Halloran plans to introduce would impose guidelines for Nebraska's delegates to a proposed convention. Last year, similar proposals fell two votes short of gaining first-round approval in the full Legislature.New York ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world for foreign tourists in 2018 (AFP Photo/Johannes EISELE)

New York (AFP) - A record-breaking 65.2 million tourists visited New York in 2018, its tourist board said Wednesday, with British people particularly keen to visit the Big Apple from overseas.

According to new figures from NYC & Company, around 51.6 million Americans and 13.5 million foreign tourists visited the city last year -- compared to 13.1 overseas visitors in 2017.

Britons topped the list of overseas visitors, with 1.24 million, followed by China (1.1 million), Canada (1 million), Brazil (920,000) and France (807,000).

New York ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world for foreign tourists, according to Mastercard's annual Global Destination Cities list published in September, based on a projected 13.1 million visitors.

Bangkok topped that list, ahead of London, Paris, Dubai and Singapore.

The US's financial capital, where tourism employs over 390,000 people, hopes to break records again in 2019 with a predicted 67 million visitors.

One event expected to draw people in is June's Gay Pride, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, emblematic in the fight for LGBT rights.huawei us-china trade war

A widening federal probe of Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. could spark renewed tensions between Washington and Beijing at a critical juncture in their negotiations to end the trade war. According to The Wall Street Journal, federal prosecutors are already in hot pursuit of a criminal investigation into the company for allegedly stealing U.S. trade secrets.

Huawei in Federal Crosshairs

Federal prosecutors are following up on civil lawsuits against Huawei by launching a wider investigation into the company and its trade practices, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Sources familiar with the matter say the investigation is at an advanced stage and could lead to an indictment shortly.

A civil lawsuit filed against Huawei by T-Mobile was one of the primary catalysts for the investigation. In a case brought forward in 2014, Huawei was charged with misappropriating robotic technology from one of T-Mobiles labs in Washington state. However, the Chinese company told the Journal that the matter was resolved in an undisclosed settlement in 2017. Huawei also maintains it was an isolated incident that involved two employees who acted inappropriately.

Impact on Trade Talks

donald trump xi jinping trade war dow jones

Although the controversy surrounding Huawei is nothing new, the alleged criminal investigation could widen the chasm between American and Chinese trade delegates at a time when both sides appear to be making important progress on a bilateral trade deal. Beijing has already shown it is deadly serious about the Huawei dispute after it applied the death penalty to a Canadian citizen accused of drug smuggling. In a hurried retrial, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was sentenced to death this week after originally receiving a 15-year prison sentence in 2016.

China is being accused of upping the ante in an ongoing dispute with Canada after a high-ranking Huawei executive was arrested in Vancouver last month, where she faces extradition to the United States. Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer, faces fraud charges in the United States over allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on Iran through a corporate subsidiary.

Story continues

Many within the Trump administration have attempted to expose Chinas intellectual property theft of U.S. businesses, and have called on the president to apply harsher duties on Chinese imports. U.S. lawmakers have also banded together to ban chip sales to Huawei, ZTE, and other mainland companies to over sanctions violations.

The potential fallout from the Huawei investigation could prompt Beijing to retaliate in unpredictable ways, which could erode confidence in the ongoing trade negotiations. As CCN recently reported, a U.S. trade delegation met with Chinese officials last week for longer than expected, highlighting the seriousness of the matter. Both sides agreed on several key issues, including the purchase of U.S. farm and energy commodities and increased access to Chinas domestic market. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two superpowers since President Trump and Chinas Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day trade war truce in December.

Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock.



The post Why the Huawei Scandal Will Reignite the US-China Trade War appeared first on CCN.

With Europe using up more natural gas than it produces, the continent has long been eyed by liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters. According to Forbes, demand for natural gas in the continent touched the highest mark in 2017 since 2010. Demand is going to rise further as natural gas contribution to Europes energy needs is expected to increase from the current 24% to 30% in the coming years, said the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Meanwhile, Europe has been excessively relying on Russias gas supplies. However, the continent has been trying to reduce dependence on the politically-unstable Moscow and has decided to import more LNG from the United States in the coming years. Washington is keen to bump up its LNG supplies to Europe and has been accordingly building a number of LNG export terminals, especially in the Gulf Coast area.

US LNG Export to Europe Very High Last October

Washington dispatched 24% of its exported LNG volumes to Europe last October, per CNBC. The source added that the volume of LNG exported was 0.6 billion cubic meters and America has never before exported such high monthly volumes. Against this, just 10% of the LNG exported volumes of America had gone to Europe in 2017.

Exports of LNG from Washington to the continent are estimated to double by 2022, per the European Commission, a politically independent executive unit of European Union.

However, U.S. gas supplies to Europe will only increase if the price is competitive, added the European Union. In recent years, the Henry Hub natural gas spot price had come down following new discoveries and plentiful supply in the domestic market. The price of natural gas is below $4 per Million Btu now as compared to more than $6 mostly from 2005 through 2008.

Russias Clear Dominance in Europe

Per recent data from the European Commission, the continent continues to have the strongest reliance on Russian gas. In fact, owing to proximity with Europe, Russia accounted for more than 75% of the natural gas imported volumes of each of the 11 member states of the European Union  Estonia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Finland, Romania, and Slovenia.

Story continues

Through the extensive pipeline network of leading energy company Gazprom, Russia transports a bulk of its natural gas to Europe. Transportation expenses have come down due to the favorable geographic position of the country and the continent. Established midstream assets and several pipeline networks  under construction  have also lent Russia an advantageous position.

Can US Gain Lead in Europes Gas Market?

For U.S. to outmanoeuvre Russia and get a foothold in Europe, it could exploit the strained ties between Europe and Russia, apart from the quite obvious option of ramping up supplies. The relationship started deteriorating since early 2014 following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine by Russia. Moscow also assisted the insurgence of pro-Russian in east Ukraine.

Overall, the rising export of U.S. LNG to the European market is expected to brighten prospects for domestic players like Cheniere Energy, Inc. LNG, Sempra Energy SRE, Kinder Morgan, Inc. KMI and NextDecade Corporation NEXT. These Zacks #3 Ranked companies are contemplating the construction of export facilities or expansion of terminals. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

However, the growing acceptance of U.S. LNG doesnt necessarily mean that Washington poses a threat to Moscow, believes RBC Capital Markets. The established midstream infrastructures and proximity to Europe have made Russia a dominant natural gas supplier to the continent, added the investment bank. Hence, it will take time for Washington to overtake Moscow and establish its presence as a prominent supplier of the commodity to Europe.

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Zacks Investment ResearchFILE PHOTO: A logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is seen at its headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan August 31, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

By Yimou Lee and Jess Macy Yu

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) cut full-year investment and forecast its sharpest quarterly revenue fall in a decade, joining a string of tech companies warning of a slowdown in global smartphone demand.

The downbeat forecast by TSMC, a proxy for global tech demand as its clients include Apple Inc, Qualcomm and Huawei Technologies, bodes ill for its peers and suppliers such as Intel Corp, Nvidia and ASML which are set to report results in coming weeks.

Shares of European chipmakers tumbled on Thursday after TSMC's revenue guidance, with Siltronic falling 6 percent and STMicroelectronics down 3 percent.

Investors are already fretting about a global tech slowdown after warnings from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Apple, which earlier this month cut its quarterly sales forecast due to poor iPhone demand in China.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said a sudden drop in sales of high-end smartphones has caused an inventory build-up, and weak demand will continue to weigh on it until new smartphone launches in the second half.

"The inventory in the supply chain is quite a lot", which may lead to a drop in the first half of 2019 for the smartphone business, Chairman Mark Liu said at a post-earnings conference.

It forecast first-quarter revenue of $7.3 billion to $7.4 billion. The nearly 14 percent drop would be the steepest decline since the March 2009 quarter, according to Refinitiv data, when revenue tumbled 54 percent in Taiwan dollar terms.

For the whole of 2019, TSMC expects revenue growth to more than halve to 1-3 percent from last year's 6.5 percent. It announced plans to slash investment.

"Due to the macro economic outlook in 2019, we are tightening this year's capital spending by several hundred million dollars to a level of between $10-$11 billion," Chief Financial Officer Lora Ho said.

Market research firm Canalys estimates that smartphone shipments fell 12 percent last year in China, the world's biggest smartphone market, and expects shipments there to shrink another 3 percent this year to below 400 million for the first time since 2014.

Story continues

TSMC posted a meagre 0.7 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit to T$99.98 billion ($3.24 billion), roughly in line with analysts' estimates, according to I/B/E/S estimates from Refinitiv.

Revenue rose 2 percent to $9.40 billion in the December quarter, also in line with the analysts' estimates.

Shares of TSMC, which has a market value of about $185 billion and trails just Samsung and Intel by that measure among chip- and chip-equipment makers, closed up 1.4 percent in Taipei prior to the earnings announcement.

($1 = 30.8020 Taiwan dollars)

(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Jess Macy Yu; Additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee; Writing by Sayantani Ghosh; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's lawyer, said he's never denied that Trump's campaign colluded with Russia.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign," he said Wednesday on CNN.

"I said the president of the United States  there is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you could commit here: Conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC," he added.

Rudy Giuliani , the lawyer of President Donald Trump , said he's never categorically stated that Trump's campaign did not collude with Russia  a dramatic shift away from the president's repeated claim of "no collusion."

Giuliani delivered that comment Wednesday on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time." He also said that Trump didn't collude with Russia himself and that the president didn't commit a crime.

Cuomo Prime Time on Twitter: "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign... I have not. I said the President of the United States," Pres. Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani tells Chris Cuomo.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign. I have no idea," he said. "I said the president of the United States  there is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you could commit here: Conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC."

Giuliani was referring to the hacking into the Democratic National Committee's servers, which was allegedly conducted by Russian operatives. The incident, and others, has been investigated by Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller for possible Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Giuliani's comments on Wednesday seeking to distance Trump from the rest of his campaign officials differed from the president's stance. Trump has repeatedly said  on Twitter and in public  that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Story continues

Trump on Twitter: Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!

Trump on Twitter: "Democrats can't find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey's testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion." @FoxNews That's because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,...

But it's not the first time that Giuliani has moved away from Trump's denial of any collusion. Last year, the lawyer said in an interview on "Fox & Friends" that "collusion is not a crime."

Mueller has charged 12 Russian intelligence officers related to the DNC hack. The special counsel has also accused former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort of lying about sharing polling data with an alleged Russian spy during the 2016 election.

When CNN's Chris Cuomo asked whether Manafort sharing polling data is considered collusion, Giuliani replied that "polling data is given to everybody" before attempting to discount the accuracy of such statistics. The lawyer later added that Trump didn't know about the alleged distribution of the polling data until it was covered in the news.





More From CNBC

Wendell Minnick

Security, Taiwan

Despite Chinas growing reputation as a cyberbully, European attendees were annoyed by suggestions that Europe, especially Germany, was soft on Chinese cyber espionage/sabotage posed by telecommunications companies, such as Huawei and ZTE.

Taiwan Hacker Love Fest Tests Assumptions of European Softness on China

TAIPEI  The 2018 HITCON Pacific Conference was packed with cyber hacker specialists from around the world, making Taipei one of the most influential cyber security players. Taiwan is a leading computer and information technology developer and manufacturer with armies of hackers and cybersecurity specialists.

HITCON stands for Hackers in Taiwan and this year was the fourteenth conference (Dec. 13-14), making it one of the oldest hacker security conferences in existence.

Attending the annual event were European, Japanese, Korean, Russian and American hackers and cyber specialists, but no representatives from the Borg Collective were allowed.

Despite Chinas growing reputation as a cyberbully, European attendees were annoyed by suggestions that Europe, especially Germany, was soft on Chinese cyber espionage/sabotage posed by telecommunications companies, such as Huawei and ZTE.

One European attendee said that it was unjustified to call cybersecurity and intelligence professionals from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, or even Europe, in general, soft on the China threat.

He agreed that Huawei's presence in Europe is a result of complex processes, partly due to lack of knowledge about links to Chinese security and intelligence apparatus. However, France, under French president Emmanuel Macron, is among the strongest proponents of pushback against China.

Germany is no fool either, the government blocked the purchase of a stake in 50Hertz, a high-voltage energy network operator, by the State Grid Corporation of China and just introduced tightened screening processes for foreign investment and acquisitions of German companies.

Story continues

On December 17, the Czech governments National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NCISA) issued an alert not to use technical or program tools produced by Huawei and ZTE.

Further, the NCISA warning stated:

The legal and political environment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in which the companies primarily operate and whose laws are required to comply with, requires private companies to cooperate in meeting the interests of the PRC, including participation in intelligence activities, etc.

Additionally, the alert said that Huawei and ZTE do not refrain from such cooperation with the state; in this environment, efforts to protect customers interests at the expense of the interests of the PRC are significantly reduced. According to available information, there is an organizational and personal link between these companies and the state.

Many European attendees of HITCON simply chose to point at the success of influence operations beyond the European continent as evidence they were working harder than most to stop insidious behavior from Beijing.

Whatever Chinese influence is in Europe, we still do not have outright MSS [Ministry of State Security] agents as elected representatives, like New Zealand, he said. I get that mocking Europe never gets old, but hey, give us some credit.

The New Zealand reference is to unproven allegations that MP Jian Yang was a spy for China. Yang did not reveal his previous military career in Chinas intelligence language academy and membership in the Communist Party of China. Officially, Yang was never accused of being an MSS agent, but failed to disclose his spooky past in immigration papers when applying for New Zealand citizenship in 2004 and later running for public office in 2011.

Overall, the HITCON event did display an amazing variety of speakers and attendees.

Some of the speakers went only by their call signs: bbbig, cdor1, gasgas, h2spice, noo, and push0epb. Others were far more transparent, such as Philippe Lin, Trend Micros senior threat researcher, who spoke on reversing packets and firmware analysis of industrial radio remote controllers.

The one speaker that grabbed the imagination of the attendees, hands down, was that of Cycarrier founder, Jeremy Chiu, who is working on a system that can discover abnormalities in system logs in the surveillance phase before data is stolen.

Chiu is known as the Birdman from his hacker days and considered a legend not only in the Taiwan hacker community but internationally. Since hanging up his black hat, Chiu became an expert on malware and served as a contract law enforcement instructor to intelligence agencies in Taiwan. In 2011, Chiu founded Xecure, then sold it to Verint Systems, an Israeli-U.S. company.

Of note was Koichiro Sparky Komiyama, deputy director of the Global Coordination Division at the JPCERT Coordination Center. Komiyama spoke on incidence responder issues of Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center (CERT/CC). These type of CERT/CC organizations are now the industry standard for government cybersecurity and virtually every country has one of these entities.

On the corporate level, a CERT/CC type of entity would be equivalent to a Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT). Ken Lee, Synologys senior security analyst, who also spoke at the conference, is the manager of the companys PSIRT. Lee is well-known for initiating the Synology Security Bug Bounty Program and was a critical responder to major incidents, such as Heartbleed, SambaCry, and KRACKS.

Wendell Minnick is a Taipei-based journalist who has spent two decades covering military and security issues in Asia, including one book on intelligence and over 1,500 articles. From 2006-2016, Minnick served as the Asia Bureau Chief for Defense News, a Washington-based defense weekly newspaper. He has edited over ten books on Chinese military equipment.

Image: Reuters.

Read full articleFILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is seen at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

By Alex Lawler

LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC cut oil output sharply in December before a new accord to limit supply took effect, it said on Thursday, suggesting that producers have made a strong start to averting a glut in 2019 as a slowing economy curbs demand.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report that its oil output fell by 751,000 barrels per day (bpd) in December to 31.58 million bpd, the biggest month-on-month drop in almost two years.

Worried by a drop in oil prices and rising supplies, OPEC and allies including Russia agreed in December to return to production cuts in 2019. They pledged to lower output by 1.2 million bpd, of which OPEC's share is 800,000 bpd.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo told Reuters that producers were seeking to avoid a build-up in the industrialized world's oil inventories above the five-year average.

They were above that mark in November, figures in OPEC's report showed.

"We are not yet out of the winter woods," he said. "The oil industry cannot afford to relapse into another downturn," he said in reference to a 2014-2016 oil market slump.

The supply reduction in December means that if OPEC fully implements the new Jan. 1 cut, it will avoid a surplus that could weaken prices. Oil (LCOc1) slid from $86 a barrel in October to less than $50 in December on concerns over excess supply.

OPEC expects 2019 global oil demand growth to slow to 1.29 million bpd from 1.5 million in 2018, though it was more upbeat about the economic backdrop than last month and cited better sentiment in the oil market, where crude is back above $60.

"While the economic risk remains skewed to the downside, the likelihood of a moderation in monetary tightening is expected to slow the decelerating economic growth trend in 2019," OPEC said in the report.

Barkindo added that he remains optimistic that "healthy demand" would hold this year.

The supply cut was a policy U-turn after the producer alliance known as OPEC+ agreed in June 2018 to boost supply amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower prices and cover an expected shortfall in Iranian exports.

Story continues

OPEC changed course after the slide in prices starting in October. A previous OPEC+ supply curb starting in January 2017 - when OPEC production fell by 890,000 bpd according to OPEC figures - got rid of the 2014-2016 glut.

The group confirmed on its website that it plans to meet over April 17-18 in Vienna to review the supply cut agreement. OPEC sources said another meeting could follow in June.

SAUDI CURBS

The biggest drop in OPEC supply last month came from Saudi Arabia and amounted to 468,000 bpd, the report showed.

Saudi supply in November had hit a record above 11 million bpd after President Trump demanded more oil be pumped.

The kingdom told OPEC that it lowered supply to 10.64 million bpd in December and has said it plans to go even further in January by delivering a larger cut than required under the OPEC+ deal.

The second-largest was an involuntary cut by Libya, where unrest led to the shutdown of the country's biggest oilfield.

Iran registered the third-largest decline in output, also involuntary, as U.S. sanctions that started in November discouraged companies from buying its oil.

Iran, Libya and Venezuela are exempt from the 2019 supply pact and are expected by some analysts to post further falls, giving a tailwind to the voluntary effort by the others.

OPEC said in the report that 2019 demand for its crude would decline to 30.83 million bpd, a drop of 910,000 bpd from 2018, as rivals pump more and the slowing economy curbs demand.

Delivering the 800,000 bpd cut from December's level should mean the group would be pumping slightly less than the expected demand for its crude this year and so avoid a surplus. Last month's report had pointed to a surplus.

The figures for OPEC production and demand for its crude were lowered by about 600,000 bpd to reflect Qatar's exit from the group, which now has 14 members.

(Editing by Edmund Blair, David Evans and David Goodman)1. Yes. Its important to address the problem before it gets worse. A bond is needed.

2. Yes. Its fine, as long as the bond isnt too large. The city doesnt need more debt.

3. No. A bond issue would just put the problem back on the taxpayers. Not acceptable.

4. No. Certificates of obligation, targeting the worst roads, would be a better choice.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say without knowing the details of what a bond would entail.

Vote

View ResultsWeeks of high political drama were sparked in Sri Lanka with the dismissal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in October (AFP Photo/ISHARA S. KODIKARA)

Sri Lanka has appealed to the International Monetary Fund to revive a $1.5-billion bailout suspended during the island nation's political crisis late last year, the finance ministry said Wednesday.

In October, President Maithripala Sirisena sparked weeks of high political drama, even featuring brawls in parliament, by sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and dissolving the legislature.

Courts and the parliament subsequently held that the president's actions were unconstitutional and restored the status quo after more than seven weeks of upheaval that alarmed the international community.

The crisis prompted three international credit rating agencies to downgrade Sri Lanka and the IMF to suspend its bailout programme -- that began in 2016 -- just as it was about to disburse another instalment.

Sri Lanka's finance ministry said in a statement the request to revive the bailout was made during talks between Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and IMF chief Christine Lagarde in Washington on Tuesday.

A Sri Lankan delegation made the request "with a view to stabilising the economy" after the country's political "disruptions", it said.

Meanwhile, the IMF said it would send a team to Colombo next month to discuss resuming assistance.

"We discussed the challenging economic environment and the policy priorities for the country," it said in a statement quoting Lagarde.

"The IMF remains ready to support the Sri Lankan authorities in these endeavours and an IMF team is scheduled to visit Colombo in mid-February to resume program discussions."

Wickremesinghe told parliament last week that his shock dismissal on October 26 was a "coup" and a "death blow" to the economy. Sri Lanka will have to repay a record $5.9 billion this calendar year, he added.

The Washington-based fund has been urging Colombo -- which is emerging from a balance of payments crisis -- to conserve its foreign exchange reserves and ensure economic reforms.

Story continues

Last year, the IMF warned that Sri Lanka was vulnerable to shocks from at home and abroad and stressed that restructuring the island's loss-making national airline and reforming its energy sector were vital.

One of the biggest drags on the country's balance sheet is national carrier Sri Lankan, which has accumulated losses and debts of over $2 billion and is a huge burden on taxpayers.

The government has failed to privatise the airline, but the president last week appointed another committee to restructure the loss-making carrier.

Sri Lanka hopes to raise $1 billion from the international debt market, another $500 million from China and Japan and a further $400 million from India.(Adds Signet statement)

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Sterling Jewelers Inc, whose brands include Kay Jewelers and Jared, agreed to pay $11 million in fines to settle charges by U.S. and New York regulators that it signed up consumers for store credit cards and credit insurance without permission.

The settlement announced on Wednesday calls for Sterling, a unit of Signet Jewelers Ltd, to pay $10 million to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and $1 million to the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Sterling did not admit or deny wrongdoing.

James said Sterling pressured employees to enroll customers in store-branded credit cards by setting quotas, and tying performance reviews and pay to whether the quotas were met.

She said the Akron, Ohio-based company also tricked consumers into providing personal information to enroll in what they thought were "rewards" or discount programs, only to use the information to submit credit card applications.

Even when consumers wanted credit cards, Sterling misled some into thinking they were getting "no interest" financing, when in fact there were monthly financing fees, James added.

"This settlement holds the company accountable for its misconduct and ensures that no more consumers are deceived," James said.

Sterling has about 130 stores in New York, James added.

Signet disclosed the investigations in December 2017. It will recognize an $11 million pre-tax charge for the settlement in the quarter ending Feb. 2, 2019.

In a statement, Signet said it disagreed with the allegations, but cooperated fully with the probes and "looks forward to continuing to provide our customers with access to suitable credit options."

The company said it is the largest specialty jewelry retailer in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, with roughly 3,600 stores including the Zales brand.

Signet shares rose 45 cents to $34.27 in morning trading. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Editing by Susan Thomas and Phil Berlowitz)RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is expected to announce a slight rise in its crude oil and gas reserves on Wednesday after being independently audited, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Saudi Arabia's reserves of easily recoverable oil have long been the world's largest.

For almost 30 years - despite rising production, large swings in oil prices and improved technology - Riyadh has annually reported the same number for reserves at around 261 billion barrels, according to a statistical review by BP.

An independent external audit of Saudi Aramco's oil reserves - an essential part of the preparatory work for its planned initial public offering - found the state oil giant to have higher oil and gas reserves than it previously reported, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in April.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih is due to hold a news conference in Riyadh on Wednesday to make the announcement at around 11.30 local time (0830 GMT).

He is also expected to provide further updates on the country's energy strategy.

(Reporting by Rania El Gamal, editing by Louise Heavens)FILE PHOTO: Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar al-Baker poses in front of an Airbus A350-1000 at the Eurasia Airshow in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkey April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

By Aditi Shah

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways will not buy a stake in Jet Airways as a substantial portion of the debt-laden Indian carrier is held by Etihad Airways, whose owner Abu Dhabi is an "enemy" of Qatar, its CEO Akbar al-Baker said on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi is part of the United Arab Emirates that cut ties with Qatar in 2017 over accusations of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges. The UAE, together with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain have banned Qatar Airways since June of that year as part of the dispute.

"We would definitely look at it (Jet Airways) if a 24 percent stake was not held by Etihad," al-Baker told Reuters on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Mumbai. "How can I take a stake in an airline which is owned by our adversary?"

Etihad plans to hike its stake in Jet to help the Indian carrier with its financial woes, a person close to the Abu Dhabi carrier told Reuters late on Monday.

Al-Baker said Qatar Airways would be "delighted" to take a stake in IndiGo, the largest airline in India - home to the world's fastest growing aviation market.

The Qatari airline has previously expressed an interest in investing in IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation.

"But not in an airline where substantial ownership is by the enemy of my country," he said, referring to Jet.

Qatar Airways posted a 252 million riyal ($67.18 million) loss for the financial year ended March 31, 2018, as it lost access to 18 destinations due to the political dispute.

As part of a broader effort to diversify its portfolio outside its home market, the Qatari carrier purchased a 10 percent stake in Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd in 2017 and 5 percent in China Southern Airlines Co Ltd this month.

Qatar Airways also remains interested in starting a fully owned airline in India, al-Baker said on Tuesday, but that is not allowed under India's current foreign investment rules.

Story continues

Given China and India "are the biggest growing markets, it is obvious as an airline we want to invest strategically in those regions because we ourselves are a very rapidly growing airline", he said.

Al-Baker has threatened publicly to pull Qatar Airways out of the oneworld airline alliance despite holding minority stakes in members Cathay Pacific, British Airways and LATAM Airlines Group SA.

China Southern in November said it would exit the rival SkyTeam alliance, in a move that opened the potential for it to join oneworld.

"Joining oneworld is entirely their business decision and we always will respect as a stakeholder the decision made by the majority shareholder," al-Baker said of China Southern.

($1 = 3.7511 riyals)

(Reporting by Aditi Shah, writing by Jamie Freed; Editing by Himani Sarkar)Jan 17 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Microsoft on Thursday pledged $500 million for affordable housing in Seattle area, making it the most ambitious effort yet by a tech company to fund construction for local teachers, firefighters and other middle- and low-income residents. https://nyti.ms/2HhWmk9

- John Bogle, who founded the Vanguard Group of Investment Companies in 1974 and built it into a giant mutual fund company, with $4.9 trillion in assets under management today, died on Wednesday at the age of 89. https://nyti.ms/2FG5gFt

- U.S. Federal prosecutors in Seattle are investigating Huawei, the Chinese technology giant, on allegations of intellectual property theft. https://nyti.ms/2Mgjuhv

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)By Jonathan Barrett and Tom Westbrook

PORT MORESBY (Reuters) - From her red-roofed home near Papua New Guinea's capital of Port Moresby, Isabelle Dikana Iveiri overlooks a giant plant used by Exxon Mobil Corp to liquefy billions of dollars' worth of natural gas before it is shipped to Asian buyers.

Dikana Iveiri can also see swaths of muddy shoreline, where mangroves have been felled for firewood by locals who don't have electricity, gas, or money to buy either.

The $19 billion Exxon-led PNG LNG project was supposed to be a game-changer for PNG, a vast South Pacific archipelago beset by poverty despite its wealth of natural resources.

But much of the promised riches, through taxes to the government, royalties to landowners and development levies to communities, have arrived well below Exxon's own commissioned forecasts, if at all, according to landowners, the World Bank and the PNG government.

"My family has been here a long time," said Dikana Iveiri, one of several landowners interviewed by Reuters near the PNG LNG plant. "Our royalties are not going well; they are using our land but not paying us properly," she said referring to both Exxon, which pays the royalties and the government, which distributes them.

Since gas exports began more than four years ago, Dikana Iveiri said she had received just one royalty payment in 2017. She was expecting about 10,000 kina ($2,885) based on information given to her by the government and community leaders. She said she received 600 kina.

Exxon, community leaders and the government did not comment on Dikana Iveiri's specific situation but in a statement to Reuters, Exxon said distribution of royalties and benefits to the LNG plant site landowners started in 2017. Cash payments to individual landowners would depend on how many landowners were in a precinct and were just one of the benefits communities received, Exxon said.

The project employs nearly 2,600 workers, 82 percent of whom are Papua New Guinean and Exxon said it has invested $360 million to build infrastructure and pay for training and social programs.

Story continues

"We could not be more pleased to see how the benefits are flowing to the communities at the LNG plant site, to see how investments are being made in important infrastructure such as schools and health that demonstrates the process is a good one and it works," ExxonMobil PNG Managing Director Andrew Barry told a mining and energy conference in Sydney in December.

Barry said Exxon was hoping royalties would begin flowing in the pipeline and upstream areas "in the not too distant future".

The government admits it has made mistakes.

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, who was part of the government but not the leader in 2009, said many of the disputes around PNG LNG stemmed from the way the government and Exxon proceeded with the project without first resolving landowner claims.

"It should have been done before, it wasn't only for Exxon and the partners but even the government at the time did not do the proper clan vetting, proper identification of the land owners - they allowed this project to go on without that," O'Neill told Reuters.

Treasury, the treasurer, and the Prime Minister's spokesman declined to provide responses to Reuters' questions about the project.

(GRAPHIC: ExxonMobil's LNG facilitie - https://tmsnrt.rs/2QhGSAz)

GAS-POWERED MONEY SPINNER

PNG LNG was completed ahead of schedule and exported 8.3 million metric tonnes in 2017, compared to its anticipated design capacity of 6.9 million tonnes, according to the project's website.

Exxon does not disclose the project's revenue or profits but research house Morningstar estimates it has generated $18.8 billion in revenue for Exxon and its partners since production started in 2014.

The project's break-even price of around $7.40 per million British Thermal Units (mBTU) compares favorably to an average over $10/mBTU for eight recent gas projects in the region, according to analysis by consultancy Wood Mackenzie and Credit Suisse.

"The plant capacity has performed phenomenally," Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic told Reuters. "On cost, it's much lower than peers ... it's got an ample resource base and it's got a well-disciplined operator in the form of Exxon."

The project's contribution to Papua New Guinea's economy and government finances is less clear.

PNG's Treasury does not report project income figures, but government budget papers show tax revenue flowing from PNG LNG has been well below expectations.

In its 2012 budget, the PNG government estimated it would receive $22 billion in revenue over the project's life to 2040.

In November, the government slashed its revenue forecast in half to $11 billion over the life of the project.

It identified 11 tax concessions, which along with a drop in gas prices, amounted to hundreds of millions in kina in annual revenue forgone.

A 2017 World Bank analysis found the project partners had negotiated favorable methods of calculating royalties to the government that allowed them to take various deductions.

Combined with tax concessions, the project created "a complex web of exemptions and allowances that effectively mean that little revenue is received by government and landowners," the World Bank said.

Exxon did not respond to questions regarding the World Bank findings and the World Bank declined to provide further comment.

Exxon's partners, which include Australian-listed Oil Search Ltd and Santos Ltd, and a subsidiary of Japan's JXTG Holdings Inc, referred Reuters' questions to Exxon.

Exxon said in a statement to Reuters the project has generated 5 billion kina in revenue for the government and landowners via taxes, royalty and benefit payments. The figure includes revenue to the PNG state-owned stakeholders.

"SOME MISTAKES"

A second LNG project, Papua LNG, led by France's Total with Exxon and Oil Search as minority partners, is scheduled to finalize an agreement with the PNG government in early 2019.

Papua LNG, a new gasfield using the same but expanded processing plant, could commence production as soon as 2024, according to Total. Analysts estimate it will cost around $13 billion.

"The experience of the first project developed by Exxon and Oil Search, there was some criticism, some mistakes," Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne told Reuters in an interview in Port Moresby, referring to relations with landowners.

"Some lessons (are) being taken out  around the management of landowners and trying to engage at an early stage with them."

Total has agreed to an undisclosed annual minimum payment to the government and to reserve some gas for local industry, he said.

Exxon did not respond to requests for comment on Pouyanne's statements.

In its statement, Exxon acknowledged that "distribution of royalties and benefits in some project areas were delayed since the start of production due to court action by a small number of landowners which prevented the relevant government departments from completing their administrative processes."

Exxon said it was committed to assisting the government ensure landowners receive royalty and equity dividends as soon as practicable.

Disputes have broken out within communities near PNG LNG facilities as landowners fight to have their claims recognized.

Some clashes have been fatal, said Highlands clan leader Johnson Tape, one of 16 clan leaders with a claim over the Komo Air Field, used by the Exxon project.

"Our clans fought each other, but now there is peace; we are one team fighting Exxon," said Tape.

Christopher Havieta, the governor of Gulf Province, where gas fields for the new project are located, said locals wanted to avoid the experiences of Exxon's PNG LNG.

"It was a foundation project and so a lot of exemptions were made and the end result is we have a lot of social problems that have risen up."

(Reporting by Jonathan Barrett and Tom Westbrook in PORT MORESBY; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)(Bloomberg) -- Palantir Technologies Inc., the data analytics startup co-founded by Peter Thiel, generated almost $1 billion in revenue last year, an executive said in a French television interview.

The disclosure is unusual for the secretive, privately held company, as it prepares for a possible initial public offering. Fabrice Bregier, the president of Palantirs France business, provided the revenue figure during a Wednesday interview with French business media station BFM. A spokeswoman for Palantir declined to comment.

Roughly half of last years revenue came from government agencies, such as the U.S. Defense Department, and the other half from corporate customers, including Airbus SE, Merck KGaA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, said people familiar with the matter. Palantir had previously forecast sales of $750 million to $800 million for 2018, but a new product called Foundry performed better than expected, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

Founded in 2004, Palantir long operated as a sort of tech consulting firm. It dispatched software engineers and other workers to clients offices to build custom programs that could mine disparate data sets and teach customers how to interpret the information. Foundry, Palantirs newest service, automates much of that work, enabling the company to sell ready-to-use software at higher profit margins. The strategy seemed to be paying off in Europe, where it turned a profit on that unit in 2017, the most recent data available.

Selling to companies has been the main area of growth for Palantir. In that business, Palantir competes with the likes of International Business Machines Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Tableau Software Inc. Palantirs longtime relationships with law enforcement and government agencies, including U.S. immigration, have drawn criticism.

Palantir is hoping to keep momentum going by recruiting an army of salespeople, a departure from a strategy the company had used for most of the past 15 years. Palantir is one of the worlds most valuable technology startups, but the price has remained flat at $20 billion since 2015. Even Palantirs own shareholders have said the stock is worth much less. Thats a problem for a company that bankers hope to pitch for an IPO as soon as this year, with a value of as much as $41 billion.

Story continues

To contact the reporter on this story: Lizette Chapman in San Francisco at lchapman19@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.This post was written by Thomas Carter, founder of DealBox, a blockchain business accelerator and crowdfunding platform for startups.



Ive been raising capital for 30 years and know firsthand that the process is not an easy one.



Entrepreneurs spend precious time and energy jetting between meetings with potential investors while simultaneously building their business. They squander meaningful bandwidth that could be better utilized developing their company instead of juggling all the complexities of raising capital. Even when the pieces are in place, funding terms can be downright predatory.



I believe tokenization is a better way to raise money for your venture, and as the founder of a venture fund that uses tokenization to capitalize startups, Ive seen firsthand the advantages it can provide entrepreneurs and investors.

Its a method that actually increases liquidity for investors  which means more efficient access to capital for entrepreneurs  and adds to a companys value without massively diluting founder shares.

Heres how it works: Blockchain is the distributed public ledger technology behind popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. But blockchain has applications beyond the fly-by-night initial coin offerings (ICOs) you see in the crypto world  you know, the ones that have been overhyped, pumped, dumped, and shut down by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Entrepreneurs can use blockchain technology to securitize the value created by their companies with a security token offering.



Tokenization, unlike ICOs and cryptocurrencies, has been vetted by the SEC and is slated to become a major part of the entrepreneurial economy.

With tokenization, a company creates its own digital securities, backed by the companys other assets, and then allows investors to buy these digital securities to fund their raise. Because the tokens reflect the companys total asset value, their price moves relative to the companys success and is rooted in fundamental valuation metrics as opposed to pure speculation and use case, as is the situation with cryptocurrency and utility tokens today. That means investors have a claim on a real portion of the companys assets, just as if they owned traditional securities created by the company.



The big difference is that digital securities are far more liquid than current private company securities like phantom stock, convertible notes, or other equity instruments, as the development of security token exchanges progresses. Some of the largest liquidity pools on the planet are deploying meaningful resources to create these exchanges of the future. Theyre also far more friendly to founders than traditional funding options. Instead of hustling for funds, founders get to focus on their companies.

Story continues

While emerging technologies like this are exciting, they are often met with apprehension on the front end of the adoption curve. Most notably, the director general of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Finance recently announced that Beijing will not allow for financing through this method. It is important to realize China has a restrict first, adopt later stance on new business and technology, so it remains to be seen how greater China begins to adopt the security token economy. As of now, if youre domiciled in Beijing, this funding method may not be appropriate.



That being said, legitimate success cases can be found right here in the United States. Currently, Overstock.com has issued a successful and regulatory compliant security token through its tZERO token. The result is a whopping $134 million in funds raised. As of the third quarter of 2018, tZERO was valued at just over $1.5 billion.



Ive invested my own money using this process and believe that tokenization is a win-win for both investors and founders. Here are the reasons why:

Tokenization increases the enterprise value of companies.

Tokens created by a company have real value and reflect the value of other real assets owned by the company as dictated by the token architecture. The tokens can be traded on exchanges, and rise and fall with a companys prospects just like traditional securities.



Because tokens have value on their own, they increase the size of the overall asset base and are factored into a firms enterprise value. Its an outcome that makes investors, founders, and markets happy, which is why tokenization is used by healthy, established companies like Overstock.com to create even more value for shareholders.

Better liquidity for investors translates into more capital for companies.

Traditional investing is not for the faint of heart. If you put your money into a real estate investment trust or a venture, you may not see returns for five to seven years (or more).



Tokenization, however, offers far better liquidity. Multiple exchanges exist on which to trade company tokens, and the blockchain-based ecosystem grows bigger by the day. Thanks to the technologys adoption, plenty of investors and cryptocurrency enthusiasts are on the other end of these transactions.



That means ready buyers and sellers for tokens, which translates to more liquidity for investors.



This also means more capital for founders because more investors are attracted to investments that dont require locking up capital for half a decade or more.

It sets founders up for success from day one.

Entrepreneurs are great at creating winning products and services, but often theyre not adept at treating their business like a product that needs to be well constructed, which is essential when raising capital.



Tokenization helps here, too. During the tokenization process, entrepreneurs must pay close attention to how their company is structured and how theyre capitalized. On the deals we help architect, tokenization necessitates that companies be structured (or restructured) in sensible ways.



This has a number of positive effects for both founders and investors.



By utilizing revenue share or royalty models for their digital securities, founders are adequately capitalized, so they reap the proper rewards from a sale or exit. This places the company in a far more attractive position for potential buyers from day one because its professionally and intelligently structured. Capital partners are also structured properly for exits.



It turns out when you remove the inefficiencies of the traditional fundraising process, entrepreneurs have the time, energy, and resources to structure and grow their companies the right way. Tokenization mandates a smart structure from the get-go, whether it be for an established business or a newly minted startup.

Capital can be raised without dilution.

Tokenization creates digital assets that are sold to fund the company. These assets create an additional layer of enterprise value, on top of the companys existing assets and capital stack. This allows founders to fund their ventures without diluting their ownership of the assets that back tokens. Founders can also raise funds without dilution by utilizing a digital revenue share or royalty structure attached to the digital asset itself. This is revolutionary because the business can issue these constructs using a liquid instrument as opposed to the existing, predominantly illiquid, model.



Investors benefit as well. Token value should grow in lockstep with company value, as they should be valued according to the discount model of their distributions and financials, which should provide investors more predictable returns. Because tokens can be traded and exchanged, investors can realize returns far sooner, unlocking far more liquidity and potential gains than they otherwise would through traditional equity. Its similar to a preferred share of stock in the sense that it has a principal value and a distribution component; however, it doesnt necessarily require owners to give up equity.



Bottom line: Tokenization offers real benefits for both founders and investors by creating healthier companies and healthier returns. Its a process that makes dollars  and sense  for all participants.(Adds details from Missile Defense Review, quotes)

By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - A North Korean envoy was headed for Washington on Thursday for expected talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a possible encounter with President Donald Trump to lay the groundwork for a second U.S.-North Korea summit, according to a person familiar with the matter.

News of the impending visit came even as Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy that singled out North Korea as an ongoing and "extraordinary threat," seven months after he declared after his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the threat the country posed had been eliminated.

Kim Yong Chol, Pyongyang's lead negotiator in denuclearization talks with the United States, was due to meet Pompeo on Friday, a person familiar with the plan said, the first major sign of potential movement in a diplomatic effort that has appeared stalled for months.

The North Korean visit could yield an announcement of plans for another summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who held a first meeting in June in Singapore, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

There has been no indication, however, of any narrowing of differences over U.S. demands that North Korea abandon a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States or over Pyongyang's demand for a lifting of punishing sanctions.

Kim Yong Chol, a hardline former spy chief, boarded a flight in Beijing for Washington on Thursday and was expected to arrive in the U.S. capital in the early evening, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said earlier.

Pompeo had planned to meet his North Korean counterpart to discuss a second summit last November, but the meeting was postponed at the last moment.

Diplomatic contact was resumed after Kim Jong Un delivered a New Year speech in which he said he was willing to meet Trump "at any time," South Korea's ambassador to the United States, Cho Yoon-je, told reporters last week.

Story continues

Kim Yong Chol was last in Washington in June, when he delivered a letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump that opened the way for the June 12 Singapore summit.

That meeting yielded a pledge from the latter to work towards denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and Trump declared the next day that there was "no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."

However, there has been little obvious progress since, and to underline this was Trump's own Missile Defense Review unveiled on Thursday that singled out North Korea as an ongoing and "extraordinary threat."

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan noted that North Korean missiles remained a "significant concern" in introducing the report, while at the same event, Trump himself only mentioned North Korea in passing, saying negotiations he had conducted should have been done years ago.

Despite a lack of progress, Trump has been keen to hold a second summit with Kim Jong Un and could meet again with his envoy this week. While such an encounter was being discussed, it has not yet been confirmed, the person familiar with the matter said.

We have no meetings to announce at this time," a State Department spokeswoman said when asked about the expected North Korean visit.

"CONCRETE STEPS"

On Wednesday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal had not made headway.

"While the president is promising dialogue with Chairman Kim, we still await concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle the nuclear weapons that threaten our people and our allies in the region," Pence said in an address to U.S. ambassadors and other senior American diplomats at the State Department.

Trump said on Jan. 2 that he had received a "great" letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and would probably meet him again in the not-too-distant future, but there was no rush.

He defended stuttering U.S. negotiations with Kim, saying that Pyongyang had stopped missile and bomb testing and if it had not been for his administration "you'd be having a nice big fat war in Asia."

CNN quoted a source familiar with the U.S.-North Korea talks as saying that Kim Yong Chol would be carrying a new letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump.

Communist-ruled Vietnam, which has good relations with both the United States and North Korea, has been widely touted as the most likely venue for a second meeting.

Hanoi is preparing to receive the North Korean leader for a state visit, two sources told Reuters, while officials and diplomats said Vietnam is keen to host a Trump-Kim summit.

The Washington Post quoted people familiar with recent diplomatic activity as saying that if announced soon, a second summit would probably take place in March or April, with Danang, Vietnam, the most likely venue. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, David Brunnstrom and Phil Stewart in Washington and Joyce Lee in Seoul; Editing by Nick Macfie, Phil Berlowitz and James Dalgleish)Washing up

Political will vital to implicate Nepalis amassing wealth in offshore accountsHeading into 2019, there was no shortage of market observers calling for a rebound in emerging markets stocks. After tumbling in 2018, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index is obliging bulls to start 2019 with a gain 2.23 percent as of Tuesday, Jan. 8th.

Accompanying the bullish emerging markets calls heading into 2019 was chatter that Asian markets would lead the group higher, but another region is strutting its stuff to start 2019.

What Happened

As of Tuesday, Jan. 8th, the S&P Latin America 40 Index was up 8.60 percent to start 2019, outpacing the MSCI Emerging Markets Index by a margin of nearly 4-to-1. Resurgent Latin American equities are boosting the fortunes of the Direxion Daily Latin America Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: LBJ).

LBJ looks to deliver triple the daily returns of the S&P Latin America 40 Index. That index features exposure to five Latin American markets: Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Peru.

As has been widely reported, Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, is leading the region's equity market rebound to start 2019.

The appointment of Chicago-trained economist as Brazils Finance Minister Paulo Guedes has been largely welcomed by markets, said Morningstar in a recent note. Pensions is one key area of reform he has already identified, with pension costs currently represent 55% of primary government spending. Tax cuts and simplifying the tax system is another area of focus.

Why It's Important

LBJ's underlying index allocates 55.21 percent of its weight to Brazilian stocks, more than double the benchmark's weight to Mexico. Entering Wednesday, LBJ was sporting a month-to-date gain of 26.36 percent, making it Direxion's fifth-best leveraged bullish ETF this month.

Underscoring the strength in Latin American equities to start 2019 is the fact that among Direxion's top 10 leveraged bullish ETFs this month, in addition to LBJ, are the Direxion Daily MSCI Brazil Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: BRZU) and the Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: MEXX). BRZU is one of the four Direxion leveraged long ETFs topping LBJ to this point in January.

Story continues

What's Next

Data suggest traders have recently been fond of LBJ. For the five days ended Tuesday, Jan. 8th, LBJ's volume was more than 170 percent above the trailing 20-day average, according to issuer data.

Related Links

This Dividend ETF Could Rise Again

Livening Up The Utilities Trade

See more from Benzinga

 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.(Bloomberg) -- Two electric scooter startups, fresh off raising hundreds of millions of dollars last year, are now raising hundreds of millions more, according to multiple people familiar with the details. But the latest hard-fought deal terms for Lime and Bird Rides Inc. both peg the companies worth at far less than the lofty valuations the startups once sought.

New funding rounds for Lime and Bird value the California-based companies at about $2 billion, said the people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the details are private. Thats down from the roughly $3 billion-or-higher valuations the companies were said to be chasing as recently as a few months ago.

Founded in 2017, Lime and Bird became two of the youngest startups ever to reach unicorn status, after interest in electric vehicles exploded last year. But as the new valuations attest, winter has finally come for scooter companies.

In recent months, as the weather has turned colder, wet and rainy conditions have deterred riders, forcing companies to reshuffle scooters to warmer climates. Cities have been limiting the number of scooters allowed on their streets. And competitors have flooded many markets -- prompting investors to begin to question the companies ambitious financial targets.

Startups in the industry will also now increasingly find themselves up against Uber Technologies Inc., which is exploring introducing an electric moped pilot later this year, according to people familiar with the plans. The ride-hailing giant would follow startups like Scoot Networks, Scoobi LLC and Spains Sharing Muving, which already offer the vehicles in some cities. The advantages to the moped format over the scooter is that its faster and more useful for longer distances, but it also usually requires a license, and may feel riskier for some than the lighter-weight scooter.

Uber and Lyft Inc. both plan to go public this year, and are eager to show investors that theyre positioned to cash in on new transit trends. In addition to offering scooters of its own, through its brand Jump, Uber is also producing nearly 1,000 electric bikes a day in China, people familiar with the plans have said. Lyft has also launched scooters in nine cities, including Washington and Los Angeles.

Story continues

With so many companies vying for the same customers, many believe that consolidation in the scooter industry is inevitable. Though no deal has come together, both Lime and Bird have discussed a potential acquisition by Uber. And SoftBank Group Corp., Ubers largest investor, is said to have talked with most of the major scooter companies about an investment. None has been announced.

Despite the industry chill, though, money is still pouring into scooter startups. Lime is raising at least $300 million from investors at a valuation of about $2 billion, according to three people. The valuation doubled from June. Total investment in the round could expand up to $400 million, the people said.

Existing Lime investors Andreessen Horowitz and Alphabet Inc.s GV are participating in the companys funding round, one person said. Bain Capital Ventures, a new investor in Lime, is also joining the round. Asked about the deal, a spokesman for Lime declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Bird is bringing in $300 million, said a person familiar with the matter. The company is raising the money at a roughly $2 billion valuation, unchanged from last year. Fidelity Investments participated in the first half of the latest financing, the person said. Now, Bird is in the process of completing the second half of the round. Axios, Recode and the Wall Street Journal previously reported details of the deals.

The new funding rounds show that investors remain optimistic about scooters. Many likely still buy into the premise that small electric vehicles could transform urban transit. And theres another upside for Bird and Lime: Spring is just a few months away.

(Corrects the headquarters location of Bird in the second paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Newcomer in San Francisco at enewcomer@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Anne VanderMey

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.TOKYO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso on Thursday urged the Group of 20 major economies to renew their commitment to sustaining the international order based on cooperation and openness that has come under threat from protectionism.

Speaking at a G20 meeting of deputy finance ministers and deputy central bank governors to kick off the process of financial leaders' meetings under Japan's chair, Aso warned that protectionism and unfair trade practices would undermine economic stability.

The global recovery seen in the past several years is losing steam, with clear downside risks and heightened financial vulnerabilities at a time when support for the international order based on cooperation and openness is strained, Aso said.

"Dissatisfaction with economic inequality is growing. There is a serious risk that we will revert to a closed and fragmented world," Aso said in opening remarks at the G20 gathering of deputy financial leaders.

"Protectionism and unfair trade practices lead to instability and perverse economic outcomes. We must renew our commitment to international cooperation and openness."

Rejection of protectionism, competitive devaluation, and economic blockades has become the backbone of the G20, he added.

Japan wants to focus on issues ranging from global trade imbalances to the impact of ageing populations on the agenda when it chairs this year's G20 financial leaders meetings.

Global imbalances had once been a key topic at G20 meetings with a focus on each country's current account balance, or the overall flow of money including, but not confined to, trade.

This approach runs counter to President Donald Trump's focus on narrowing the U.S. trade deficit using import tariffs and bilateral deals. His "America First" policies and the U.S.-China trade war have overshadowed debates at recent G20 meetings.

Japan will host a G20 financial chiefs' meeting in Fukuoka in western Japan on June 8-9, followed by a leaders' summit in Osaka on June 28-29. (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)ROME (Reuters) - Lawmakers from Italy's ruling 5-Star Movement on Tuesday said the European Central Bank's supervision of domestic lenders, which are being asked to set aside more money to cover impaired loans, will harm the country.

"The rules of oversight should guarantee stability, not cause the whole system to explode," 5-Star members of the lower house finance committee said in a statement. They added that the ECB's latest move will cause "grave damage to Italy".

Earlier on Tuesday, a source told Reuters the ECB would give the banks it supervises a target date to fully provision for all of their bad debt, existing and new. The move surprised some investors and particularly spooked Italian lenders because many hoped the ECB would be more flexible.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Crispian Balmer)(Bloomberg) -- PT Bukalapak.com, an Indonesian e-commerce marketplace, is preparing to complete a new round of fundraising that includes $50 million from Mirae Asset-Naver Growth Fund, according to people familiar with the matter.

The investment may be announced as soon as this week, said the people, asking not to be identified because the details arent yet public. They declined to comment on the total size of the financing or the startups new valuation. Chief Executive Officer Achmad Zaky said a year ago that Bukalapak had become a unicorn, breaching a valuation of $1 billion. The company declined comment for this story.

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, is turning into a hotly contested market for e-commerce. Bukalapak is the second most-visited online site after PT Tokopedia, according to iPrice Group. Bukalapaks investors include Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte, Chinas Ant Financial and Indonesias Emtek, while Tokopedia is backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and SoftBank Group Corp.

SoftBank Vision Fund, Alibaba Lead $1.1 Billion Tokopedia Round

Bukalapak, which means open stall, was founded in Jakarta in 2010. It has become something of a bazaar for shoppers seeking bargains and used items in quantities not often found on other platforms.

To contact the reporter on this story: Yoolim Lee in Singapore at yoolim@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net, Peter Elstrom, Edwin Chan

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.Sherpa leaves for Australia to pack her bags

Nepali Ambassador to Australia Lucky Sherpa left for Australia on Monday after the Nepali government told her to pack up and return to Kathmandu. Sherpa, who had been accused by her driver Wongchhu Sherpa of taking money from Nepalis to smuggle them into Australia, is under pressure to resign.(Bloomberg) -- The curtain could soon fall on the last in a trilogy of European Union antitrust fines for Alphabet Inc.s Google.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is set to announce a penalty targeting the AdSense advertising service in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the probe who spoke on condition of anonymity. Regulators were probing whether Googles advertising contracts unfairly restricted rivals. The timing is tentative and could still be pushed back, the people said.

The penalty will mark the culmination -- for now -- of more than eight years of active antitrust investigation into the U.S. tech giant. The company has already racked up 6.7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) in fines and faces a potential threat of more if it doesnt obey EU orders to change its behavior.

The EU said in 2016 that Google hindered competition for online ads with its AdSense for Search product which places advertising on websites, including retailers, telecommunications operators and newspapers. While its European market share is more than 80 percent, AdSense contributed less than 20 percent of Googles total ad revenue in 2015, a percentage which has declined steadily since 2010.

The commission in July fined Google a record 4.3 billion euros in the Android case, demanding that the company change the way it puts search and web-browser apps onto Android mobile devices. A year earlier, Google received a then-record 2.4 billion-euro penalty after regulators accused it of skewing results to thwart smaller shopping search services.

The fine is likely to be lower than in the previous cases, because Google has collaborated with the commission and has already introduced changes in AdSense, according to Aitor Ortiz, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence in London.

A fine isnt likely to cause long-term harm to the company as AdSense has been replaced by other products, he said. If you look at the annual reports, AdSense is less and less relevant.

Story continues

Google and the commission in Brussels declined to comment on the timing of the fine decision.

Vestager in November said the AdSense probe was reaching the end but wouldnt be finalized before the new year. Officials allege that the company prevented customers from accepting rival search ads from 2006 and maintained restrictions on how competitors ads were displayed when it altered contracts in 2009.

The Danish EU commissioner has rejected claims shes singling out U.S. tech giants for special treatment, despite a series of high-profile decisions targeting American companies, including Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

(Updates with timeline after fifth paragraph.)

To contact the reporters on this story: Aoife White in Brussels at awhite62@bloomberg.net;Stephanie Bodoni in Luxembourg at sbodoni@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net, Peter Chapman, Giles Turner

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.First National Bank will operate as a new Glacier Bank division headquartered in Utah

KALISPELL, Mont., Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. ( Glacier ) (GBCI) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire FNB Bancorp ( FNB ), the bank holding company for The First National Bank of Layton ( First National Bank ), a community bank based in Layton, Utah. The acquisition marks Glaciers 21st acquisition since 2000 and its tenth transaction in the past six years. FNB provides banking services to individuals and businesses throughout Utah with six banking offices located in Layton, Bountiful, Clearfield, and Draper. As of September 30, 2018, FNB had total assets of $326 million, gross loans of $243 million and total deposits of $278 million.



The boards of Glacier and FNB unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions of closing. The definitive agreement provides that upon closing of the transaction, each share of FNB common stock is expected to be exchanged for 0.6474 shares of Glacier common stock (2,046,411 Glacier shares in the aggregate). Based on the closing price of $41.55 for Glacier shares on January 15, 2019, the transaction would result in an aggregate value of $85.0 million. Upon closing of the transaction, which is anticipated to take place in the second quarter of 2019, the branches of First National Bank, along with Glacier Banks four existing branches operating in Utah, will operate as a new Glacier Bank division headquartered in Utah. The new division, with over $500 million in assets, will rank #7 in total Utah deposit market share among community banks (excluding money center banks and Industrial Loan Companies).

"We are excited for this opportunity to partner with FNB and expand Glaciers presence in Utah, said Randy Chesler, Glacier's President and Chief Executive Officer, The addition of FNB, along with its long history, strong talent pool, and experienced community banking team helps further establish Glacier in Utah and set the stage for future growth. Chesler also noted that the transaction will be immediately accretive to Glacier's earnings per share, excluding one-time transaction-related expenses and accretive to tangible book value per share.

Story continues

John Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of FNB, commented, Were proud that Glacier Bancorp recognizes our legacy and leadership and that they want us to join them while continuing to focus on our local customers and communities as we always have. The growth here in Utah is unprecedented and exciting. By combining forces with Glacier, we will be able to expand our reach further in Utah plus we will have access to the resources and services of a much larger organization, allowing us to serve our customers and communities well into the future.

Glacier management will review additional information regarding the transaction in a conference call beginning at 9 a.m. Mountain Time on Thursday, January 17, 2019. The call may be accessed by dialing (877) 561-2748, and the conference ID is 3054907.

Glacier was advised in the transaction by Piper Jaffray & Co. as financial advisor and Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP as legal counsel. FNB was advised by Sandler ONeill + Partners, L.P. as financial advisor and Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as legal counsel.

About Glacier Bancorp, Inc.

Glacier Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company for Glacier Bank, Kalispell, and its bank divisions: First Security Bank of Missoula; Valley Bank of Helena; Western Security Bank, Billings; First Bank of Montana, Lewistown; and First Security Bank, Bozeman, all operating in Montana; as well as Mountain West Bank, Coeur dAlene, operating in Idaho, Utah and Washington; First Bank, Powell, operating in Wyoming and Utah; Citizens Community Bank, Pocatello, operating in Idaho; Bank of the San Juans, Durango, and Collegiate Peaks Bank, Buena Vista, both operating in Colorado; First State Bank, Wheatland, operating in Wyoming; North Cascades Bank, Chelan, operating in Washington; and The Foothills Bank, Yuma, operating in Arizona.

Visit Glaciers website at http://www.glacierbancorp.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes or may imply forward-looking statements pertaining to managements expectations regarding future events and developments such as the benefits of the business combination transaction involving Glacier and FNB, continued success of Glaciers style of banking and the strength of the local economies in which Glacier operates. Future events are difficult to predict, and the expectations described above are necessarily subject to risk and uncertainty that may cause actual results to differ materially and adversely. In addition to discussions about risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in Glaciers public filings, factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the following possibilities: (1) local, national and international economic conditions are less favorable than expected or have a more direct and pronounced effect on Glacier than expected and adversely affect Glaciers ability to continue its internal growth at historical rates and maintain the quality of its earning assets; (2) the merger transaction will not close when expected or at all because required regulatory, shareholder or other approvals or conditions to closing are not received or satisfied on a timely basis or at all; (3) projected business increases following strategic expansion or opening or acquiring new banks and/or branches are lower than expected; (4) costs or difficulties related to the integration of acquisitions are greater than expected; or (5) legislation or regulatory requirements or changes adversely affect the businesses in which Glacier is engaged.

Contact: Randall M. Chesler

(406) 751-4722



Ronald J. Copher

(406) 751-7706A logo of General Motors is pictured at its plant in Silao, in Guanajuato state, Mexico, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors code named its November announcement to cut nearly 15,000 jobs in North America and restructure itself "Turbo," suggesting a leaner approach for the largest U.S. automaker would "accelerate its transformation."

Wall Street investors cheered the ambition to get smaller and boost profits. But in Washington, the move remains a public relations crisis that threatens to derail a methodical effort by Chief Executive Mary Barra to keep GM in good graces with the White House and other politicians.

President Donald Trump called Barra's decision "nasty" and said GM had "better" find a product to build at a plant in Ohio, a pivotal state for Trump's 2020 re-election effort. Representative Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from southeast Michigan and former GM employee, said at the time that GM had become "the most thoroughly disliked company in Washington."

At the Detroit auto show this week where GM is faces off with politicians from the states most impacted by its job cuts, Dingell told Reuters that "GM is going to work hard to improve relationships."

Despite the angst in Washington, Barra and her deputies are showing no signs of shifting gears.

"Were not here to make everybody angry, GM President Mark Reuss told Reuters this week at the auto show. He said GMs restructuring is driven by many factors - including the need to offset tariff costs and finance new electric vehicles and battery technology. That requires GM to stop "investing money in things that dont make money."

It is a message Barra herself hit hard on Friday during a presentation to investors in New York, where she promised stronger profits and outlined plans for its Cadillac brand to challenge Tesla Inc.

"We have demonstrated time and again that we are willing to make tough and strategic decisions to not only meet our commitments but to secure the company's future," Barra said.

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Barra's charm offensive had proven successful for most of President Donald Trump's first two years in office. Atop Barra's list of accomplishments: shielding GM's profitable Mexican truck production and its $5 billion investment in its Mexican operations announced in 2014 to double capacity in Mexico from punitive trade measures from the Trump administration.

But the new conflict with Washington comes at a critical time for GM, which wants to sell many more electric vehicles and has been lobbying Congress to expand the $7,500 tax credits. It still needs help from regulators to get self-driving cars without steering wheels on U.S. roads.

And GM stands to benefit from the Trump administration's plan to weaken fuel efficiency standards

We've done this to help you, and I think his disappointment is it seems like they kind of turned their back on him," White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters in November, referring to Trump's reaction.

Kyle Martin, research analyst with Westwood Management in Dallas, which owns GM shares, said GM needs the cash to develop to electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technology.

"That money has to come from somewhere," he said.

WORKING WASHINGTON

Trump's election win brought a dire warning from GM executives in a presentation in late 2017 and early 2018 to the company's board: an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement could cost the automaker billions of dollars in tariffs on GM's Mexican vehicles. They concluded that the costs would still be less than the billions of dollars and years it would take to shift production to the United States, people briefed on the matter said.

GM argued that while it was building autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles in the United States, it needed to keep generating profits on Mexican-built trucks to fund those operations, people briefed on the talks said.

So Barra made engaging with the White House after Trump's election a key focus, three people briefed on the matter said.

She went to dinner at the house of Trump's daughter Ivanka, and spoke on several occasions with Trump himself. Barra hired a former senior Trump aide who handled trade policy issues, Everett Eissenstat, to run GM's DC office in August.

And she has had numerous talks with U.S. officials, including conversations with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, about the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada - including a key call in August to address concerns from GM that the new trade deal could have disadvantaged its Mexican operations.

Barra is now counting on those relationships to help her steer through 2019, and mend fences in Washington.

She invited Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to Michigan to attend a board meeting in June 2017 and take a ride in an self-driving car in Michigan, according to previously unreported government records reviewed by Reuters. Barra also had a previously unreported lunch in April 2017 with Chao at the White House with other officials.

She spent two days last month on Capitol Hill meeting with angry lawmakers and explaining the cuts. In a brief interview with Reuters in December, Barra said she understands "that there's a lot of emotion and concerns" but emphasized that the actions were about safeguarding the company's future.

She has her work cut out for her.

Representative Andy Levin, a Michigan Democrat who took office this month, noted the Detroit-Hamtramck plant - one of the facilities losing production - is on a site that GM won approval in the early 1980s to dislocate more than 4,200 people as the state tore down about 1,500 homes and 140 businesses.

"We as a society made a huge sacrifice for GM so they could have a new plant. And 30 years later they are just going to throw it away?" Levin said. "We're not going to stop and just say, 'Oh this is a cost of doing business.'"

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Ben Klayman and Joe White; editing by Chris Sanders and Edward Tobin)Sri Lanka State Minister Eran Wickramaratne speaks during an interview in London Sri Lanka State Minister Eran Wickramaratne speaks during an interview in London, Britain, October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Wilson

By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is considering an offer from Bank of China for a loan of $300 million, which could be raised to $1 billion, to help it meet repayments in coming months, junior finance minister Eran Wickramaratne told Reuters on Tuesday.

He also confirmed that Sri Lanka had started negotiations to increase the amount of a swap deal with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to $1 billion, up from a previously negotiated $400 million.

A series of credit rating downgrades amid a political crisis have made it harder for Sri Lanka to borrow as it faces record high repayments of $5.9 billion this year, $2.6 billion of which fall due in the first three months.

"It's extremely difficult to tap the international market due to tight conditions and rating downgrades," said Wickramaratne, who is the state minister of finance.

"A government subcommittee will assess and negotiate on the tenure, size, and the price of this loan (with Bank of China). The cost of political crisis is high."

Investor confidence took a hit when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in October and replaced him with pro-China former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and dissolved parliament.

Sri Lanka's top court then ruled the dissolution of parliament illegal and Wickremesinghe was restored to power in December - but the seven-week-long crisis hurt the rupee and drove sovereign bond yields higher, straining state finances.

As of the end of 2018, nearly a quarter of Sri Lanka's total foreign debt was owed to China, which has lent some $8 billion while building ports and highways and planning other major investments in the island state as part of its drive to build a 21st century 'Silk Road' across nations and shipping lanes.

Calls to the Bank of China in Colombo went unanswered.

A source with knowledge of the Bank of China offer told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that Sri Lanka's cabinet had already asked Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to negotiate the loan, which has been offered at 6-month LIBOR plus 260 basis points. It has to be repaid within three years, the source said.

The 6-month LIBOR was at 2.865 percent on Tuesday.

(Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Gareth Jones)Ride partners perplexed on ride-sharing companies crackdown

On Saturday evening, Hari Khadka, 19, was riding his Honda Dio scooter along the Bhrikutimandap-Durbarmarg road stretch. He was returning from Sarkarki Dhara, where he had dropped off a Tootle customer, and was heading towards Hotel Annapurna in Durbarmarg to pick up his brother.By Tom Hals

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan 15 (Reuters) - A Delaware judge said on Tuesday Papa John's International Inc must turn over internal documents to the company's founder who has been seeking to reassert control over the pizza delivery chain after he resigned as chairman in July.

John Schnatter, who owns about 30 percent of the company, has been seeking the documents to try to show the company was mismanaged and to determine if he was improperly pushed out.

The founder of the third-largest pizza delivery chain resigned in July following a Forbes story that he had used a racial slur on a media training conference call.

Schnatter said the comment was mischaracterized and since then he has battled the company in court.

On Tuesday, Chancellor Andre Bouchard of Delaware's Court of Chancery ordered the company's directors to turn over documents and communications, including text messages on personal devices, related to Schnatter's firing. The order covered some messages between directors and their lawyers.

Both sides said in statements they were pleased with the ruling. The company noted the judge narrowed the scope of the document requests, while Schnatter called it a vindication of his right to the information.

The ruling comes as Papa John's is working to identify potential buyers for the company, which has drawn the interest of private equity investors.

Bouchard rejected the company's argument that Schnatter did not deserve the documents because it claimed he was seeking them for his personal gain, not for the benefit of shareholders.

The judge said Schnatter's testimony during a one-day trial led credence to his concern that he was forced out before the board investigated the Forbes story. The judge also noted he had a right to investigate why the company would quickly abandon him as the long-standing face of the company, which raised questions about management and oversight.

Schnatter also sued the board in August for breaching its fiduciary duties and causing what he said was "irreparable harm" to the company.

In November, the company reported a smaller-than-expected decline in quarterly comparable sales in North America, helped by new advertising aimed at moving past its split with Schnatter. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Tom Brown)(Bloomberg) -- Cisco Systems Inc. Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins cautioned U.S. officials against increasing tariffs on Chinese goods, saying it would come at the expense of American innovation.

U.S. companies will end up absorbing the costs of higher tariffs, spending less on the research and development that can lead to technological breakthroughs, Robbins said during a meeting with government officials in D.C. earlier this month. He told Bloomberg News that he was representing the view of several big U.S. technology companies in addition to his own: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Dell Technologies Inc. and Juniper Networks Inc.

"If we go to the next wave in tariffs, tech companies in the U.S. will have to absorb that and cut back in R&D when what they want us to do is lead in innovation, Robbins said in an interview at Bloombergs New York office Wednesday.

Cisco, like many U.S. hardware companies, uses contract manufacturers in Asia -- mainly China - to make its products. That makes it susceptible to U.S. tariffs when bringing those goods into its home market, increasing costs.

Robbins said Cisco has been able to absorb tariffs at current levels by making its supply chain as efficient as possible and passing some costs onto customers. But unless trade talks with China produce a deal by March 1, the White House is set to increase tariffs to 25 percent from 10 percent on $200 billion of Chinese goods. That would potentially put funds for research and development in jeopardy, Robbins said.

Cisco allocated more than $4 billion in 2017 to R&D in the U.S. for networking products, according to a joint filing by Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell and Juniper last September. The companies asked U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to spare their products from additional tariffs. Juniper put almost 20 percent of its global revenue toward research and development, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise invested $1.5 billion, the firms wrote.

Story continues

In addition to having less to invest back into their businesses under higher tariffs, companies are also less likely to collaborate with others on research, according to Bloomberg Economics Chief Economist Tom Orlik. Even if firms do have money available to spend, they may hold off on research and development due to the heightened uncertainty, he added.

"The flip side of that, of course, and the argument which the U.S. government makes is that its Chinas intellectual property theft which is the real disincentive to R&D investment," Orlik said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Krista Gmelich in New York at kgmelich1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz, Robin Ajello

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.Jan 17 (Reuters) - China U-Ton Holdings Ltd:

* ON JAN 10, SHIJIAZHUANG ARBITRATION COMMISSION HANDED DOWN FIRST BATCH OF DECISION ON ARBITRATION AGAINST CHINA MOBILE HEBEI

* IN FIRST ROUND ARBITRATION REWARD, CHINA MOBILE HEBEI ORDERED TO PAY ABOUT RMB19.5 MILLION OF SERVICE FEES TO HEBEI CHANGTONG Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:Brazil's tourist potential has long fallen short, and easing visa requirements for visitors could give it a boost (AFP Photo/Ed Jones)

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazil is considering dropping visas for visitors from the US, Australia, Canada and Japan to boost its tourism industry, media reported Thursday.

Tourism Minister Alvaro Antonio told reporters the measure could be adopted soon, with the aim of tripling annual revenues from foreign tourists to $18 billion, the newspaper O Globo reported.

Currently Brazil applies reciprocal visa measures against countries.

That means visitors from the European Union and countries such as New Zealand can enter visa-free for short leisure or business trips.

But those from the US, Australia, Canada and Japan have to pay equivalent visa fees that those countries apply to Brazilians. In the case of Americans, for instance, the cheapest visitor visa is $44, while a visa valid over 10 years is $160.

But Antonio said that policy limited tourism from wealthy countries.

"These countries have low immigration risk, are good for tourists, good in spending and don't have consular problems. Our aim is to grow tourism and thereby create jobs and income for Brazil," he said.

Antonio said the plan was being weighed by his experts and the foreign ministry.

He also said he was in favor of making it easier for Chinese visitors.

Brazil, a vast country of lush nature, sprawling cities and an ethnically diverse population of 210 million, clearly has untapped tourist potential. At the moment it attracts some six million foreign visitors a year -- on par with Sweden or the Dominican Republic.

Its new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has made closer relations with the United States a priority, declaring himself a "friend" of America and an admirer of US President Donald Trump.

Bolsonaro has also pledged to tackle chronic crime in his country, which is one of the main concerns for tourists looking to visit Brazil.Non-government doctors decry eight-point deal

Just two days after the Health Ministry reached an eight-point agreement with government doctors to end their week-long protest, non-government doctors are now raising reservations over some points of the deal and are warning the government against implementing the deal.The market expects Alaska Air Group (ALK) to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended December 2018. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 24. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

This airline is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.73 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -12.1%.

Revenues are expected to be $2.06 billion, up 4.9% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions Trend

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 5.93% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings Whisper

Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is subject to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Story continues

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Alaska Air?

For Alaska Air, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +2.23%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2.

So, this combination indicates that Alaska Air will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?

While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Alaska Air would post earnings of $1.80 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.91, delivering a surprise of +6.11%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times.

Bottom Line

An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

Alaska Air appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.A 75-year-old passenger boarded a Ryanair flight to the wrong airport 1,864 miles away from his destination. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

A 75-year-old passenger found himself more than 1,000 miles away from his intended destination after he boarded the wrong flight.

Pawl Lawrenuik was attempting to return to his home in Gdansk, Poland after he visited family in the United Kingdom for the holidays. Lawrenuik boarded a Ryanair flight at Leeds Bradford Airport in England on Jan. 6, but instead of traveling miles home to Poland, Lawrenuik ended up on a plane headed to Malta.

His daughter, Lucyna Lawreniuk, told Bradford Telegraph & Argus, I double checked the ticket, printed it and it said Gdansk. There was a call to me, at work and I saw it was from Malta. I thought, Oh s**t, theres something wrong.'

She had dropped her father off at the airport with plenty of time, and he was allowed to board the incorrect flight.

The man didnt realize he was in the wrong destination until he attempted to get a taxi home. A driver at the Malta International Airport told him, I am sorry sir, but I dont speak Polish.

I cried, I was scared  he was in a different country a different place, his daughter said.

Thankfully, a tourist who spoke Polish was at the Malta airport and stepped up to help the man. Kamilla Nikolas, 35, overheard Lawrenuik trying to figure out why he couldnt get a taxi home when she heard staff say they didnt speak Polish, according to the Bradford Telegraph & Argus.

I went to find out what had happened and said I speak Polish. He looked very nervous, confused, and I asked what happened. It was hard to communicate with him because he was so confused, Nikolas said.

Lawreniuk was shocked to realize he was in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, but thankfully Nikolas was there to assist. She helped him book a flight from Malta to Gdansk later in the day. Lawreniuk was fortunate to be able to get home so quickly, as there are only two flights a week on that route.

The 75-year-old landed in his home country 14 hours after he left England.

Swissport, a handling agency for Ryanair at LBA, released in a statement: We are aware that a passenger was able to board an incorrect flight at Leeds Bradford Airport on Sunday 6 January.

Story continues

The passenger had undergone all airport security screening before boarding the flight and had a valid passport which had been checked.

We are investigating how this occurred and we are re-briefing all staff on procedure. We would like to apologize to Mr. Lawreniuk for the inconvenience caused.

Lucyna Lawreniuk told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus that her father doesnt want to visit her next year after the ordeal.

He doesnt want to fly anymore. Today I spoke with him about everything and hes had bad dreams  Im worried about him, but hopefully everything will be ok, she said. If someone didnt come forward, Im not sure what would have happened.

Nikolas said she was just glad she was was in the right place at the right time.

It must have been horrible  I just hope it will be an eye-opener, she told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus. Imagine if hed had a heart attack? It could have been a lot worse.



Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.



Using a novel patient-specific stem cell-based therapy, researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) prevented blindness in animal models of geographic atrophy, the advanced "dry" form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of vision loss among people age 65 and older. The protocols established by the animal study, published January 16 in Science Translational Medicine (STM), set the stage for a first-in-human clinical trial testing the therapy in people with geographic atrophy, for which there is currently no treatment.

"If the clinical trial moves forward, it would be the first ever to test a stem cell-based therapy derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for treating a disease," said Kapil Bharti, Ph.D., a Stadtman Investigator and head of the NEI Unit on Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research. Bharti was the lead investigator for the animal-model study published in STM. The NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The therapy involves taking a patient's blood cells and, in a lab, converting them into iPS cells, which can become any type of cell in the body. The iPS cells are programmed to become retinal pigment epithelial cells, the type of cell that dies early in the geographic atrophy stage of macular degeneration. RPE cells nurture photoreceptors, the light-sensing cells in the retina. In geographic atrophy, once RPE cells die, photoreceptors eventually also die, resulting in blindness. The therapy is an attempt to shore up the health of remaining photoreceptors by replacing dying RPE with iPSC-derived RPE.

Before they are transplanted, the iPSC-derived RPE are grown in tiny sheets one cell thick, replicating their natural structure within the eye. This monolayer of iPSC-derived RPE is grown on a biodegradable scaffold designed to promote the integration of the cells within the retina. A specially designed surgical tool was built for the task of inserting the patch of cells between the RPE and the photoreceptors.

In the STM paper, Bharti describes testing the approach in rat and pig models. Ten weeks after the human iPSC-derived RPE patches were implanted in the animals' retinas, imaging studies confirmed that the lab-made cells had integrated within the animal retina.

The investigators report the transplanted cells functioned properly. Immunostaining confirmed that the iPSC-derived RPE expressed the gene RPE65, suggesting the lab-made cells had reached a crucial stage of maturity necessary to maintain photoreceptor health. RPE65 is necessary for the regeneration of visual pigment within the photoreceptors and is an essential component for vision.

Further tests showed that the transplanted RPE cells were pruning photoreceptors via phagocytosis, another RPE function that helps keep photoreceptors healthy. In addition, electrical responses recorded from photoreceptors rescued by RPE patches were normal; whereas photoreceptors treated with a control empty scaffold had died.

The animal studies inform the processes for conducting a first-in-human clinical trial testing the treatment. Key to that workflow are good manufacturing practice (GMP) protocols, which were established to ensure that the iPSC-derived RPE were a safe and efficacious, clinical-grade product. GMP protocols are also crucial for making the therapy reproducible, a requirement for scaling up production and Food and Drug Administration approval.

"Adhering to the protocols helps ensure that the transplanted cells function reliably, and that unintended consequences are minimized," Bharti said.

A key concern with any stem cell therapy is its oncogenic potential: the ability for cells to multiply uncontrollably and form tumors. The researchers genetically analyzed the iPSC-derived RPE cells and found no genetic mutations linked to tumor growth.

"The protocol also minimizes the chance of rejection by developing the iPSC-RPE with an individual's autologous (own) blood cells," Bharti said.

The planning of a Phase I clinical trial testing the safety of the iPSC-based therapy for geographic atrophy is underway and will be initiated after U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

###

The preclinical study was funded by the NEI Intramural Research Program and by an NIH Common Fund Therapeutic Challenge Award.

Reference:

Sharma R, Khristov V, Rising A, Jha BS, Dejene R, Hotaling N, Li Y, Stoddard J, Stankewicz C, Wan Q, Zhang C, Campos MM, Miyagishima KJ, McGaughey D, Vilasmil R, Mattapallil M, Stanzel B, Qian H, Wong W, Chase L, Charles S, McGill T, Miller S, Maminishikis A, Amaral J, Bharti K, "Patient-specific clinical-grade iPS cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium patch rescues retinal degeneration in rodent and pig eyes." January 16, 2019 Science Translational Medicine.

NEI leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit https:/ / www. nei. nih. gov .Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife.Madhesi woman drives auto rickshaw for livelihood in Janakpur

There were days when Madhesi women in Janakpur were mostly confined to their homes, limiting themselves to doing household chores like cooking, doing the dishes and washing clothes. This was what a routine day was like for themthe cycle repeating itself day in and day out.AI technology increasingly being used in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge - Research and development activities in AI (artificial intelligence) technology have gained initial achievements in Vietnam, according to Vu Duy Thuc, the co-founder of VietAI, an artificial intelligence organization representing the community.









Kenneth Tran from Microsoft Research









VietAI is a not-for-profit project founded by Vu Duy Thuc and Luong Minh Thang, two AI PhDs who graduated from Stanford University in the US. The organization was set up with an aim to bring experts and researchers to help train Vietnamese IT engineers who want to develop AI.



Thuc praised the AI applications developed in Vietnam. AI is being used in apps such as face-identification technology cameras, smartphone chatbots, self-propelling vehicles, and nano robots.





VietAI is a not-for-profit project founded by Vu Duy Thuc and Luong Minh Thang, two AI PhDs who graduated from Stanford University in the US. The organization was set up with an aim to bring experts and researchers to help train Vietnamese IT engineers who want to develop AI.

Some engineers are developing apps in healthcare, such as big data and AI to make diagnoses and anticipate drug reactions. Some others focus on fintech, such as credit scoring, or finding the credit index of borrowers, and a recommendation system, similar to product advertisements.



Many AI research & development (R&D) projects in different business fields were discussed at the recent VietAI Summit 2018, which gathered more than 200 experts, researchers and representatives from technology firms.



Kenneth Tran, an engineer from Microsoft Research, described a project using AI in agriculture. An algorithm heals to operate indoors farms automatically and effectively, he said.



The AI system developed by Tran was used to cultivate cucumbers in a glasshouse. It regulated the equipment in the farm and made cultivation decisions based on water and light indexes.



The experiment brought yield and profit far exceeding the results of a human-run farm.



The engineer said that in the future the technology will also be used in other fields such as energy and transport.



Another AI application introduced at the event was developed by a new university graduate Chuong Huynh. Chuongs project diagnosed illnesses based on X-rays of lungs.



In addition, Do Truong and Minh Thang from Vietnam AI Systeam brought to the AI Summit four demo models that use AI technology to switch voice into text documents with high accuracy. It promised a future of interacting between humans and machines in Vietnamese language. The technology can be used for smarthomes.



Many other ideas were raised by experienced engineers such as Kenneth Tran, startups such as Don Truong and Minh Thang, and by IT students who learn AI through courses.



Vietnamese experts believe that Vietnam has favorable conditions, including the qualified labor force, to become an AI hub of the world.





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Mai LanLocked up abroad

A mechanism needs to be created to protect the legal aid rights of migrant workersLocals protest against construction of dry port in Chobhar (In photos)

Locals on Thursday organised a protest against the government plan to establish a dry port in Chobhar of Kirtipur Municipality, Kathmandu.Washington: Over 60 per cent of millennials in the US disapprove of Donald Trump's performance and only 37 per cent view the president favourably, according to a survey.

The poll conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the US found that Trump, his Twitter activities and Twitter in general are not popular with millennials.

The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted prior to the government shutdown, the researchers said.

Of those polled, 54 per cent identified themselves as Democrats, 32 per cent as Republicans, 12 per cent as independents and two per cent were unsure, they said.

Sixty-two per cent of all millennials -- Americans aged 18 to 37-- surveyed said they disapprove of Trump's job performance and only 37 per cent said they view the president favourably.

Among millennials who identified as Republicans, more than 80 per cent said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

A majority of millennials do not approve of Trump's behaviour on Twitter, researchers said.

Sixty-eight per cent said the president tweets too much, 26 per cent said he tweets about the right amount and six per cent said he doesn't tweet enough.

Even among Republicans, 40 per cent said they feel the president tweets too much.

"Millennials largely dislike Trump because they so strongly identify with the Democratic party and independent millennials are prone to agree with Democrats on a lot of policy issues," said John Cluverius, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

"Republican millennials like Trump and like the job he's doing as president, but two-fifths of them want the president to tweet less. It goes to show that even among his staunchest supporters, there's concern about the president's personal approach to the office," said Cluverius, who oversaw the poll and analysed the results.

Twitter itself gets a low approval rating from millennials, with only 37 per cent saying they view the social media platform favourably. Facebook gets the same low mark, too, with a 37 per cent favourability rating, researchers said.

"I was surprised to see such low favourables for Facebook and Twitter, given that this generation makes up a huge part of the user bases of both platforms.

"Younger millennials may be switching to platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, but I think this finding reinforces the idea that while lots of people use these services, they don't make people happy," said Cluverius.

The poll also asked millennials for their views on the issues of gun control and immigration.

When it comes to immigration, millennials expressed far less liberal attitudes than on other issues, according to Cluverius.

Thirty-five per cent of those polled said the US should let in more people from other countries, 34 per cent said the country should let in fewer people from other countries.

The poll also asked millennials for their feelings on potential 2020 presidential candidates: Trump, Joe Biden, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Fifty-four per cent polled said they will support whoever the Democratic nominee is, compared to 27 per cent who said they will vote for Trump, 10 per cent who are undecided and nine per cent who said they will vote for another candidate.

Biden and Sanders are the most well-liked by millennials, with 54 per cent who have a favourable impression of Sanders and 51 per cent who have a favourable view of Biden.Pramod Mishra is a biweekly columnist for The Kathmandu Post. He is the department chair of English Studies at Lewis University in the United States.New Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) authorities said on Thursday that Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was discharged from the hospital earlier in the day, where he was admitted in the Pulmonary Medicine Department.

Prasad, 64, had arrived at the hospital around 8 pm on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah at the hospital later on Thursday. Shah, 54, was admitted on Wednesday after contracting swine flu, hospital authorities told IANS.New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who left for the US for medical treatment, has been diagnosed with a rare kind of cancer and may not be able to present this year's interim Budget on February 1, sources said.

Jaitley had left for the US on Sunday for what was believed to be a medical check-up relating to his kidney ailment. However, sources said he was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, a rare type of cancer, and decided to go for treatment in New York.

There was no word on when he was likely to return, but some sources said he was expected back on January 19, but others said it could be later.

Jaitley, 66, had undergone a renal transplant surgery on May 14 last year. Officials have been tight-lipped about the trip which has come at a time when the Finance Ministry is busy with the preparations of the vote-on-account budget to be presented in the Lok Sabha on February 1 - his sixth and the last by the BJP-led NDA government in its current term.

By convention, an interim budget normally does not contain fresh proposals, especially relating to taxation measures. But the coming vote-on-account budget may spring some surprises like increase in the exemption threshold for income tax assessees and some measures to address agrarian unrest.

I'm upset to hear Arun Jaitley Ji is not well. We fight him on a daily basis for his ideas. However, I and the Congress party send him our love and best wishes for a speedy recovery. We are with you and your family 100% during this difficult period Mr Jaitley.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 16, 2019

Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS last year in early April following which he underwent dialysis. He had a renal transplant surgery on May 14, 2018. In his absence, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal was given the additional charge of Finance Ministry on May 14.

Jaitley stopped attending office at the beginning of April and was back in North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on August 23.

Earlier, in September 2014, he underwent a bariatrics surgery on account of severe diabetics.New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Kerala Police to provide round-the-clock security to two women who had entered the Sabarimala temple.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices L N Rao and Dinesh Maheshwari, said it was only going into the aspect of security of the two women and would not like to entertain any other prayer made in the petition.

The bench also refused to tag the matter along with the pending petitions in the Sabarimala case.

It was hearing the petitions of 42-year-old Bindu, a college lecturer and CPI(ML) activist from Kozhikode district's Koyilandy, and Kanakadurga, 44, a civil supplies department employee from Angadipuram in Malappuram, who had entered the Sabarimala shrine on January 2.

"We deem it appropriate to entertain this writ petition by directing the Kerala Police to provide adequate security to petitioner number 1 (Bindu) and petitioner 2 (Kanakdurga). Beyond that we don't want to go into any of the issues mentioned in the petition," the bench said.

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appearing for the Kerala government, said it was already providing adequate security to these women and other devotees who have entered the Sabarimala temple. He said till now 51 woman devotees have entered the shrine.

Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara appearing for some petitioners, who have filed a review plea challenging the decision of the top court to allow women of all ages to enter the temple, said that none of the woman devotees has entered the Sabarimala shrine.

The bench, however, refused to go into all these issues and said that if the Kerala government was already providing security to the female devotees without the court's order then there is no harm if the government continues providing adequate security even after the court's order.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appear for the women petitioners, said the court should direct tagging of the petitions with the pending matters on the Sabarimala temple issue. To this, the bench said the prayer for tagging is rejected.

Earlier this month, the two women had entered the temple with police protection, more than three months after the apex court's historic judgment lifting the ban on the entry of girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age into the shrine of Lord Ayyappa, its "eternally celibate" deity.



Following the entry of the women into the shrine, the chief priest had decided to close the sanctum sanctorum of the temple to perform the 'purification' ceremony. The Sabarimala Karma Samiti also called for a hartal on January 3, during which widespread violence was reported.

The plea had sought round-the-clock security to both the women due to threat to their life for entering into the hilltop shrine as one of the women was assaulted by her mother in-law.

The plea had sought directions declaring all authorities not to conduct the rite of purification or to shut the temple on account of any woman of the age of 10-50 having entered the temple.

It had said that the purification ritual is representative of a cleansing ceremony, signifying the petitioners were impure, which is violative of their dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petition also sought directions declaring that any form of prevention of women aged between 10 and 50 years from visiting the hilltop shrine is contrary to the September 28, 2018 judgment of the apex court.

On September 28, 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in a 4:1 verdict paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple, saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

The top court has said it may not start hearing pleas seeking a review of the Sabarimala verdict from January 22 as one of the judges was on medical leave.

Earlier, the apex court had decided to hear in open court the review petitions against the verdict. Besides Justice Indu Malhotra and the CJI, justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud are part of the five-judge constitution bench.

Justice Malhotra had delivered the dissenting judgment in the case.

There are around 48 petitions seeking review of the judgment and they were filed following violent protests in favour and against the verdict.

Read more: Latest Kerala news

Bhopal: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the party-led government in Kerala over the Sabarimala row and claimed his statements amounted to 'contempt of court'.

Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Kollam Tuesday, Modi had said the conduct of Kerala's CPI(M)-led LDF government on the Sabarimala issue would go down in the history as one of the 'most shameful behaviours by any party and government'.

Modi had also said the Congress and Communists were talking about gender justice in the Sabarimala issue but their actions were 'just opposite'.

Yechury condemned Modi for his remarks.

"He charged the elected government in Kerala with not paying attention to public sentiments. The issue was that the Supreme Court has ordered that women (of all ages) be given equal rights as far as entry in Sabarimala temple is concerned," he told reporters here.

"No elected government has any other option but to implement an SC order. Now the prime minister of the country is saying why the Supreme Court's order was implemented," he said.

Yechury said the prime minister had taken oath of the Constitution, which said the apex court's orders have to be implemented, especially by the elected governments.

"We believe the PM's speech amounted to contempt of court. Now the Supreme Court has to take cognisance about this, but this doesn't look possible," he said.

'Demolition man'

The veteran Communist termed Modi as a 'demolition man', saying he has 'demolished institutions and economy of the country'.

Yechury alleged the RSS and the BJP were violating law in Kerala and had turned Sabarimala into 'Ayodhya of South India' by polarising people on religious grounds.

The CPI(M) leader ruled out any national-level pre-poll alliance with the Congress and favoured state-specific tie-ups to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He said 'an anti-BJP, secular and democratic alliance' is possible after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Those against Modi ji are facing legal action," Yechury said when asked about the charge-sheet filed against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 JNU sedition case.Rajakumari (Idukki): The police have recorded the arrest of Israbel, 30, and his wife, Kapila, 23, natives of Cheriyar, in connection with the murder of a plantation owner and his worker.

The police were scouting Wayanad and the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border to apprehend main accused Kulaparachal Panjiparambil Bobin.

The couple had been in police custody after cardamom estate owner Jacob Varghese, 40, and worker Muthaiah, 50, were found dead on Sunday.

The police said Bobin stayed at Kapila's Santhanpara residence after committing the crime.

The couple had reportedly admitted to the police that the crime was committed by Bobin.

The police recovered the 143 kg of cardamom which Bobin had taken away from the estate, from a trader in Moolathura.

The trader told the police that he had paid Rs 1.70 lakh to Bobin.

Two blood-stained gunnysacks which Bobin had abandoned in the Cheriyar river had been recovered.

The police said one of the two guns found at the estate residence was licensed in the name of Jacob Varghese's father, K K Varghese. One did not have a licence. Both the firearms will be sent for forensic examination even though these were not the 'murder weapons.'

The police were also collecting details of those who sought treatment at hospitals on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.

District police chief, Idukki, K B Venugopal; and deputy superintendent of police, Munnar, S. Suneesh Babu, were heading the investigation.Kozhikode: Nuns, who protested against rape-accused bishop Franco Mulakkal seeking his arrest, are being victimised and the transfer of four of them is an attempt to harass them, Sister Anupama, a Missionaries of Jesus nun who led the agitation, told Onmanorama on Thursday.

Three nuns holding key posts in Punjab were being purposefully brought to Kuravilangad Convent (in Kerala's Kottayam district) to torture us, she alleged.

Four of the five nuns (rape victim not included), who had staged a protest in front of the high court in Ernakulam, have been transferred recently from Kuravilangad Convent to four different locations by the Missionaries of Jesus.

Sr Anupama, Sr Alphy, Sr Josephine, Sr Ancita, Sr Neena were the protesters who had sought justice for the victim nun. Sr Anupama has been transferred to Amritsar in Punjab, Sr Ancita to Pariyaram in Kannur, Sr Alphy to Bihar and Sr Josephine to Jharkhand. Sr Neena and the victim nun were not shifted from Kuravilangad.

This transfer is an attempt to weaken the case and silence the victim further. Already, three senior sisters, who are holding other important charges in Punjab, were brought here purposefully to torture us as directed by bishop Franco, Sr Anupama said.

The five nuns had led a protest in Kochi last year seeking justice for the victim nun.

One of the three senior sisters brought from Punjab is the present Mother Superior of Kuravilangad convent. She is also holding the same post in a Punjab convent and principal of a school there. Another Mother Superior in Beas convent has also been shifted here. A Novice Mistress (a senior position in convent hierarchy) in Jalandhar has also been brought to Kuravilangad.

The new Mother Superior of Kuravilangad convent was brought in October and the other two reached in December, Sr Anupama said.

Bishop Franco was arrested on September 21, 2018, on charges of rape, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and illegal confinement.

However, the four transferred sisters made it clear that they will not leave Kuruvilangad convent under any circumstances.

Why should we leave? We have been living for this Church all these years. If they wanted us to go, they should have ensured the security for our sister (the victim). They could not support her, and why should we go to those who are trying to destroy us? We are neither safe here nor at the place they want us to go. We want to stay back here till our case is over, Sr Anupama said.

There is no support from the Church for the protesting nuns and the victim, she said, adding the transfer amounts to emotional torture and ostracism.

Sister Anupama (R) has been the driving force behind the campaign against the bishop.

Staying together is the only relief for all of us. Others don't even talk to us, we are not given any duty here. We are being treated like some terrorist groups. Till this issue surfaced, we had been active everywhere and suddenly we are like caged, Sr Anupama added.

Recently, the nuns started a small poultry farm. Sr Anupama said even the autorickshaw driver, who brought the newly-hatched chicks to the convent, was also threatened. She has not named the person who threatened the driver. A helper the sisters employed to till the farm also faced threats.

After the new Mother Superior took charge at Kuravilangad, she ensured that the nuns did not have any interaction with the outside world.

When the previous Mother Superior was transferred, we did not even come to know about her leaving, she said.

Sr Anupama said they were even denied money to go to hospital and treatment.

On several occasions, they were turned away saying that there is no fund.

Three police officers, including a woman officer, are giving 24-hour protection to the nuns here.

Sr Anupama had reached Kuravilangad convent from Gurdaspur in Punjab, to offer support to the victim last year.

History of the case

Bishop Franco was arrested on September 21, 2018, on charges of rape, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and illegal confinement, three months after the complaint by the victim and protests by her fellow nuns in Ernakulam.

In the complaint filed on June 28, 2018, he was accused of raping her 13 times from 2014 to 2016 at Kuravilangad.

Franco, who got bail on October 15, received a rousing welcome from his followers in Jalandhar when he reached there.

(Missionaries of Jesus or Kuravilangad Convent is yet to respond to the charges levelled by Sr Anupama. Onmanorama will update this interview whenever the convent issues a rebuttal to these allegations.)

Read more: Latest Kerala news

Thiruvananthapuram: The police expect to collect key leads about the human trafficking from Munambam from the surveillance camera footage obtained from the house of the main accused in Thiruvananthapuram. About 20 people, including women and children, were seen visiting the house of Sreekanthan at Venganoor on January 7.

Sreekanthans neighbours have told the police that he had frequent visitors. The house is fitted with two CCTV cameras. The police have seized the hard disk with the footage. The evidence will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. The police have also tipped the police in Australia, the suspected destination of the trafficked persons.

Sreekanthans house and surroundings are being examined by Kunnathunadu sub inspector Dileesh. The police also examined Sreekanthans relatives houses in the area.

Sreekanthan bought the two-storied house at Venganoor for Rs 30 lakh three years ago. He had bought LED TVs for every room in the house, including two latest sets. He also owned a large collection of apparels. The police received a huge bill that Sreekanthan had paid a textile shop in the city.

The team also seized a passport belonging to Selvam, an associate of Sreekanthan, along with bank documents and cheques.

The house is fitted with two CCTV cameras and LED TV in every room.

Sreekanthan had told his neighbours that he was into apparel business. He lived with a nine-year-old girl and an aged woman, who he claimed was his mother-in-law. He told his neighbours that his wife worked in Bengaluru. The Tamil-speaking family hardly mingled with the neighbours.

Sreekanthan used to come home late, often in an Innova car. He had frequent visitors. He once told a shopkeeper that his visitors were relatives from Tamil Nadu.

The police have learned that a big vehicle was waiting near the house on January 7. About 20 people were transported away from the house in the vehicle. The neighbours were told that the group was off to Ernakulam.

The police are also looking into the details of the financial transactions by Sreekanthan and Anil Kumar, his relative who is in police custody now.Kannur: A Anwar, an Azhikode native, who reportedly left the country to join terror organisation Islamic State, has been killed in Afghanistan, reports say.

Anwar, a Popular Front of India (PFI) activist, had travelled to Iran from the Karipur airport on November 19 with his heavily pregnant wife Nafsila and three daughters aged 7, 4, and 2. He was employed as a driver in Dubai and had come to Kerala in October. He had told his kin back home that he was taking the family on a tour to Mysore.

Nafsilas father filed a police complaint on December after there was no news from the couple. The police said they had examined a voice message from Nufsila on social networking site Telegram. Subsequently, a police team sifted through other social media accounts and concluded that Anwar could have been killed. However, there is no official conformation yet.

The police said hostile conditions could have prevented the familys movement to Syria from Iran. They moved to Afghanistan where Anwar could have been killed.

Nafsila is the sibling of Fousia whose husband TV Shameer of Pappiniserry was killed during a similar bid to join the ISIS earlier. The police had then confirmed the death of Shameers children Salman and Safwan too.

The National Investigation Agency has been probing cases of disappearance of Keralite youths over a period of time and suspected to have joined the IS.

Read more: Latest Kerala news

New Delhi: The nondescript Ambedkar colony is among the hundreds of less-privileged colonies in Delhi. A narrow street cuts across the clutter of houses which sit on either side. The street takes one, at best, from one distressing burrow to another. For those living here, the aspiration to get out of the circle of lowly life is only instinctive.

The agents come calling on them with the lure of a superior life in a faraway paradise called Australia. The journey is wrought with perils, one that may take days on a boat across the open ocean. But people are ready to take the risk, some without even realising that it is illegal.

Those who are still in the colony are apprehensive of their kin who have already left after paying the agents amounts ranging from Rs 3 to 5 lakh. There are at least a hundred more who intend to toe the line.

Inside Ambedkar Colony is the Madrasi Colony where south Indians live. People live in three blocks. Apart from the pitiable life and low wages, there is absolutely no safety. A policeman was stabbed in December. Before that, two people were killed. Assaults on women, especially youngsters, are common.

No one admits that those who have left are headed to Australia. Most of them leave in the guise of going to their hometowns. Sources say there are some who have sold off their small holdings to raise funds to pay off agents; those who migrate with families shell out the most  Rs 5 lakh.

Most of those who have left are natives of Andhara Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu but, of late, some of the natives too have opted to go. The actual number of those who have left could not be ascertained.

Residents at the colony were cold to a Kerala Police team which landed up for inquiries over Munambam human trafficking. Sources said the team could seek the help of their Delhi counterparts. Officers said the residents were generally reluctant to share any information.

The police also tried to visit the houses of a few people who they had recced but the doors were found locked.

Read more: Latest Kerala newsKochi: The police team investigating the illegal human trafficking of people, including Sri Lankans to foreign countries, has found that the operatives had purchased and stocked diesel to fuel their arduous and hazardous boat journey across the ocean.

Sources said they procured diesel in 50-litre plastic cans. An excise team had seized eight cans of diesel from an outboard engine-fitted country boat and some from an autorickshaw thinking it to be illicit spirit. The collector had ordered a detailed inquiry but the police reported back that there was noting unusual.

The private autorickshaw has been in the custody of the Mattancherry police since November. The owner was yet to turn up to claim the vehicle and 400 litres of diesel, the police said. The police team were also looking for a gang which escaped on a powered boat from the Marakkavu embarkation point.

Cops battle a sea of confusion

The police team is in the midst of confusion. Maritime navigation experts had told the police that a boat ferrying a batch of people which left Munambam on Wednesday could have closed in or even reached Malaysia by Thursday. As per their assessment, even large boats which moved at moderate speeds could reach Malaysia in four days.

Sources said the traffickers could have changed the colour and name of the vessel Dayamatha which was used to take the batch. Also, Malaysia had a considerable Sri Lankan Tamil population and many volunteer groups who could proactively secure those landing up.

The police had sealed the resorts and hotels in Cherai where the batch had stayed. Tourism stake-holders said the demand was high and bookings full in the tourist destination for January and the police action would affect business.

The police had information that diesel collection had happened this month too. Usually, fuel is collected this way for larger boats which are moored off the shore. In West Kochi, Vypeen, and Munambam, there were boat fuel stations along the backwaters. The police have stepped up alert after the trafficking incident and the diesel collection

Read more: Latest Kerala news

Government sets stage to hold Investment Summit in March

The government has decided to hold Investment Summit in the last week of March in a bid to attract foreign investment in the country.Thiruvananthapuram: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) will hold decisive leadership meetings on Thursday, apparently indicating the setting in of the pre-election phase.

The LDF meet will decide on the proposed Kerala Yatra. The Congress, the main UDF constituent, had already announced Kerala Paryadanam under the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president.

For the LDF, this is the first major leadership meet after the inclusion of new allies, namely, the Indian National League, Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (B), and Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD). The LDF had asked all new allies to sent two representatives each to the meet. The LDF meet is expected to discuss major political campaigns after the recent Womens Wall initiative. The meet will also discuss roping in the Navodhana Moolya Samrakshana Samithi, which 'propagates progressive thought and action.'

CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran had clarified the partys stance on the Alappad sand-mining issue on Wednesday too. The party expects a solution at the meeting convened by the chief minister.

UDF agenda

The UDF meet is expected to focus on collective campaigning and cooperation. Apart form the KPCCs Kerala Paryadanam, the Kerala Congress (M) had announced a Kerala Yatra by Jose K. Mani, MP. The meet will also discuss the course of action on Sabarimala. Reports said certain parties had evinced interest in joining the UDF. But the Kerala Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League had opposed the entry of PC Georges Janapaksham party. So, the decision of the Congress will be critical on this count.

Read more: Latest Kerala news

Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF meeting held here on Thursday has not taken a conclusive decision on Janapaksham leader P C George's entry. What is significant is, the Congress party has not publicly spurned George's offer of cooperation.

Officially, it is now said that George had not sought an entry into the UDF. George had sought cooperation with the Congress. So there was no need for the issue to be taken up at the UDF. George's offer will be discussed within the Congress, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said after the meeting.

However, inside sources said that there was near unanimity in the meeting that George should not be allowed entry into the Front. The Muslim League and Kerala Congress (Mani) representatives were the most vocal. But even a Congress leader asked how it would be possible to share a platform with George. He told the meeting that it was George who was behind all the lies spread in the name of the solar controversy, a UDF leader who attended the meeting said. It was Chennithala who told the meeting that the George issue be left to the Congress. Oommen Chandy was silent when the issue came up.

George told Onmanorama that he had not made any request to the UDF. The letter I had sent was to the Congress, and in it I said that our stand was that Rahul Gandhi should emerge as the next prime minister of the country. To achieve this, I wrote in my letter that Janapaksham was willing to cooperate with the Congress, George said. I just don't understand why the issue was taken up at the UDF meet, he added. He said he had sent his letter to Ramesh Chennithala, Oommen Chandy, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran and UDF convenor Benny Behanan. I had also talked to all of them, he said.

George also said that he would no more associate with the BJP in the Assembly. During the last Assembly session he had announced that he would work in tandem with the BJP's lone MLA, O Rajagopal. Then, he had also hinted that the arrangement could be extended outside the Assembly, too. But that was based soley on the Sabarimala issue. At that point, the Congress was not fully supportive of the demands of the faithful. Now they are, George said, explaining his sudden shift in allegiance.

The UDF meeting also saw the usual seat sharing drama. The Kerala Congress (M) laid claim to three seats, and not to be left behind KC (Jacob) said they were entitled to at least one seat. The meeting decided that the Congress will hold bilateral talks with every UDF constituent before seat sharing begins in earnest.Nearly a century ago, much before Kanakadurga and Bindhu walked into the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala temple, a woman had sneaked her way into the hill shrine and she continues to make her presence felt. Her Sanskrit verses alone can lull Lord Ayyappa to sleep.

In keeping with Sabarimala's tradition of keeping women out, Konnoth Janakiamma, too, was not allowed space in the shrine's history. The credit for the lullaby 'Harivarasanam Vishwamohanam' was given to men.

Three men and a lullaby

For many years it was believed that the shlokas originated from the pen of Kambakkudi Kulathur Iyer. In the early fifties it was said that the verses were penned by the great Sanskrit scholar Eashwaran Namboodiri, who was also the Sabarimala melshanthi when the temple reopened after a mystery fire had burnt it down in 1950. There are records to show that 'Harivarasanam' became a popular Ayyappa bhajan after the fire.

Then, in the seventies, there were people who believed that the bhajan was penned by the legendary lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma. This was after the bhajan was magically reinvented by Devarajan and K J Yesudas for the 1975 film Swami Ayyappan. If Devarajan had given the music, the logic was that Vayalar had to be the lyricist. Vayalar himself had quashed this rumour.

Grammar mistakes

There are no historical records to prove whether Eashwaran Namboodiri had claimed 'Harivarasanam' as his or had disowned it. Nonetheless, Sanskrit scholars feel that had Namboodiri known that he was held up as the creator of 'Harivarasanam' he would have quickly distanced himself from the bhajan. Lack of grammatical rigour is the reason.

Namboodiri was a great Sanskrit scholar who has famed Sanskrit keerthanas like 'Poojapushpamanjari' to his credit. It is not the sheen of knowledge or poetic brilliance that lights up 'Harivarasanam'. It is pure bhakthi that throbs in these lines, said historian Suresh Madhav in an article he wrote for Bhashaposhini in 2013.

Grave errors, which would embarrass a scholar of Namboodiri's stature, have been identified in the bhajan's rhythm and meter. The second line of the first shloka (Haridadhiswaram Aaradhyapadhukam), for instance, has a meter that is completely at odds with the rest. This is unacceptable in Sanskrit. Many say that the words used in the third line of the seventh shloka (Kalabhakesarim Vajivahanam) are inappropriate. The line lends itself to rhythmic glory but falters grammatically, Madhav said.

Konnoth Janakiamma's father Ananthakrishna Iyer

Mr Iyer, the anonymous

As for the third man, Kambakkudi Kulathur Iyer, there are documents that hint that he was not the man behind the bhajan. The bhajan was first published in 1963 in a keerthana collection titled 'Harivarasanam Vishwamohanam'. On the cover it said Compiled by Kambakkudi Kulathur Iyer. The man who compiled the collection gradually, by mistake or design, transformed into the writer of 'Harivarasanam'. Nothing else about Iyer  his native place, profession or other works, if at all he had created anything  is known.

The most telling evidence that connects Janakiamma to 'Harivarasanam' is the bhajan written in her own hand. The dog-eared handwritten page torn from Janakiamma's notebook was published in Bhashaposhini along with Suresh Madhav's article. He had found the handwritten verse in Janakiamma's house.

Letter of disquiet

Suresh Madhav had also found an unpublished letter K S Purushothaman Pillai, the son of Janakiamma, had written to Malayala Manorama. The letter was written on December 16, 2002, in response to an article that appeared in the paper a couple of days ago.

The article had said that 'Harivarasanam' was Kulathur Iyer's creation, and that it was 42 years old. Purushothaman wrote that the bhajan was written by his mother over 80 years ago, in the Malayalam year of 1098 (1923), when she was 30 and pregnant with her sixth child. (The child, incidentally, was christened Ayyappan.) Purushothaman said he had the handwritten copy of the bhajan with him, and was willing to hand over the proof to the paper. The letter, for reasons known only to Purushothaman, was not posted. He died in 2006.

The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala

A lullaby's odyssey

Konnoth Janakiamma has strong connections to Sabarimala. She was the daughter of Ananthakrishna Iyer, considered the last oracle of Sabarimala. Her knowledge of Sanskrit came from her father. Her grandson P Mohan Kumar said that after finishing the 'Harivarasanam' keerthana, she gave it to her father Ananthakrishna Iyer who in turn took it to Sabarimala and surrendered it as an offering to Lord Ayyappa.

She sang the bhajan for the first time at the Anandeshwaram Siva Temple near her house in Purakattu (Alappuzha). One of the bhajana groups that frequent the temple took down the verses from her. It was they who carried the song from temple to temple and then eventually to Sabarimala, Kumar said.

The bhajan was magically reinvented by Devarajan and K J Yesudas for the 1975 film Swami Ayyappan.

Janakiamma, however, was not lucky enough to hear the most popular version of her creation, the one that Ayyappa hears before he falls asleep. She died in 1972, three years before Devarajan and Yesudas created magic with her words.

On January 2, 2019, Kanakadurga, 44, and Bindhu, 42, had entered the hill shrine, three months after the Supreme Court allowed women of all age groups to enter the temple. Following their entry, the head priest decided to close the sanctum sanctorum in order to perform the purification ceremony. Kerala witnessed several violent clashes after right wing organisations called a hartal in the state to protest against the entry of women in the shrine.The Uttar Pradesh government has a peculiar problem affecting employee morale. The state veterinary department officials and staff are demanding extra renumeration for the risk they are facing while rounding up stray cattle across the most populous state.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given an ultimatum that all the stray cows, let loose in the cities and towns of the state by aggrieved cattle owners, should be rounded up and put into temporary cow shelters. Since the state administration has taken the ultimatum as an emergency measure, staff from municipalities, corporations, health and veterinary departments have been drafted by the district magistrates. More than a hundred employees have suffered injuries like cuts and even fractures while handling the animals which are not easy to corral. While more than 50,000 stray cattle have been rounded up in the state, it is estimated the number of cows on the streets and in the villages is more than five lakhs.

The cows are released by desperate farmers who cannot afford to feed and shelter them, as the animals are ageing and are not yielding milk. Only healthy, productive cows are kept by farmers. The issue of stray cattle arose as the entire market for the sale of unwanted cows has collapsed in the state. Farmers first released the cows out of their homes and farms, but found the animals were destroying crops in the neighbourhood. This led to farmers demanding that the government honour a promise of Adityanath that the state government will take care of cows and will not allow even a single one of them end up in the slaughterhouse. But the problem became a gigantic one when farmers started taking herds of unwanted cows into schools and hospitals, which have large compounds where the unwanted bovines could be locked up. At two district headquarters there were attempts to take cows into the district magistrate's office.

Adityanath has said the state has enough money and land to construct more than 5,000 cow shelters at record speed, so that not a single stray cow is left behind. But officials in the state secretariat at Lucknow are aghast at the costs involved. Currently, a drive to redress the stray cow menace is focussed on Prayaagraj, where the Ardh Kumbh Mela will be on till early March, and prime minister's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, where the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held.

But the cow menace is not confined to Uttar Pradesh. The Congress government of Rajasthan is faced with the problem of stray cows across the sprawling state. As the pace of construction of cow shelters has been slow during the previous BJP government, now chief minister Ashok Gehlot has promised prizes for private efforts in building and maintaining cow shelters. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who thinks neighbouring Haryana is a good political grazing ground, has criticised the BJP counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar of failure to maintain enough cow shelters, and now has embarked on an inspection of cow shelters in Lok Sabha constituencies which are considered favourable to the Aam Aadmi Party. Khattar has said farmers of Haryana will retaliate for any meddling by Delhi's urban politicians and the state BJP is planning a cow rally against Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, economists are warning that farmers, who are not able to sell cows in the market, would find it difficult to find enough finance for buying young calves for rearing, and that there may be an adverse impact on agrarian livelihoods. Already farmers organisations in Uttar Pradesh are demanding that every farmer should be paid a compensation for surrendering aged cows.

The union ministries of agriculture and environment have however washed their hands off saying cow protection is a state subject and it is for the state governments to come up with their own solutions. But the cow could be an electoral issue, if its maintenance pinches the pocket of farmers.

Read more from National Scrutiny

Veteran actress Neetu Kapoor on Thursday poked fun at her husband and actor Rishi Kapoor online by posting a picture of their 'lunch date' in the US. The moment was cherished by the netizens as a display of affection between the Bollywood sweethearts.

The actress shared a selfie on Instagram with Rishi in the background engrossed in his phone. She captioned it as, Lunch Date. This is what happens after 38 years of marriage husband on the phone and I'm clicking selfies.

Neetu and Rishi Kapoor left for the US in September 2018 after the veteran actor announced that he is taking a short break for medical reasons. However, it seems they have further extended their stay in the US.

The couple recently celebrated New Year in New York with their son Ranbir Kapoor, his girlfriend Alia Bhatt, and daughter Riddhima and her family.Kozhikode: Local police and a school joined hands to build a house for a poor family at Thalakulam. The head of the family - Sunil Kumar - had died last year, leaving behind his wife and three children and a house which was still under construction.

Elathoor SI T V Dhananjaya Das was entrusted to investigate Sunil's death. He saw up close the plight of the bereaved family as he arrived at the half-built house as part of the probe. He was hurt by the state of the family and he really wanted to help his family in finishing the house construction.

Meanwhile, the students and authorities of the CMM Higher Secondary School also realised the condition of the poor family as they arrived for Sunil's funeral.

A joint drive to help the family took off fortuitously after the same school officials reached Elathoor police station as part of the preparations for an anti-narcotics awareness session at the CMM School. As school head P Muhammed Shafeen and his team talked to police officers, they recalled the case of late Sunil Kumar and his family. Both parties wanted to somehow to finish his house. To make it a reality both joined hands along with the school students.

The construction of the house began a month and a half ago. With the help from NSS, they went all around the place asking for donation to build a house for the bereaved family.

Panchyath member P P Subhashini, school teacher Harish Kumar, PTA president N K Abdul Sathaar and principal S B Fathima Hanna Hagar were involved in the donation drive. However, SI Dhananjaya Das played the crucial role in kickstarting and completing the campaign fast.

The pending construction of the house was completed within 45 days after necessary funds were mobilised.

Read more Kozhikode NewsKochi: Taj Hotels, which heralded Keralas growth in tourism in the 1980s, is set to make more investments in the state after a gap.

A new Taj hotel will be coming up in Wayanad this year and existing ones will be upgraded.

The parent firm Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) will also be bringing the Ginger brand to Kochi, and SeleQtion elsewhere.

The hotel coming up in Padinjarethara, near the picturesque Banasura Sagar reservoir, will be Tajs ninth hotel in Kerala.

Planned on a 15-acre plot, it will have 63 rooms for guests.

The hotel will be easily accessible from Karippur, Kannur and Mangalore airports.

Taj currently has hotels in Bekal, Kozhikode, Kochi, Kumarakom, Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram and Kovalam.

The company has plans to set up more hotels in Alappuzha and Munnar, said Prabhath Varma, executive vice president of IHCL's south India operations.

The Ginger brand is currently limited to Techno Park, Thiruvananthapuram.

The IHCL is upgrading this brands image from budget hotel to semi-luxury hotel and adding banquet halls and restaurants to them.

The new Ginger hotel is coming up in Taj Gateway's property on Marine Drive. Taj Malabar and Taj Kumarakom have already received a facelift.

Taj Gateway is next.

Lone tourist numbers rising

(MICE) tourism numbers are declining in Kerala. The number of tourists travelling alone as well as domestic tourists are rising.

More flights from Bangalore, Goa, Vishakhapattanam and Hyderabad have helped the business. Air connectivity is key to tourism sector in Kerala.John Bogle, whose familys struggles during the Great Depression led him to pioneer low-cost investing and to found Vanguard Group, now the worlds biggest mutual fund firm, died on Wednesday at the age of 89, Vanguard said, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Bogle had been in frail health for years, surviving at least six heart attacks and receiving a heart transplant in 1996. The cause of death was cancer, according to Bogles assistant Michael Nolan.

Despite ill health, Bogle was a vital presence through his later years as he pressed for reforms in corporate governance and fund administration.

He often mixed sharp rhetoric with a wry sense of humor and established a reputation as a curmudgeon in his industry, at times at odds with Vanguard executives who eventually stripped him of much of his power within the organization.

Still Bogle, known widely as Jack, kept deep professional friendships and maintained a loyal following through his books and public speaking appearances. Some termed themselves Bogleheads in his honor and spread online his messages of thrift and investments in low-fee funds.

Jack did more for American investors as a whole than any individual Ive known, billionaire Warren Buffett said in a statement.

At the 2017 annual meeting of his company Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), which Bogle attended, Buffett estimated that by making low-cost index funds so popular for investors, Bogle put tens and tens and tens of billions of dollars into their pockets.

Bogles life in many ways was the opposite of his great fund industry rival, Edward Ned Johnson III, who inherited control of Fidelity Investments in Boston from his father and employed star active managers like Peter Lynch.

Vanguard, in contrast, promoted low-cost index funds, products that Fidelity and the rest of the industry came to emulate.

He made himself a centurion to the individual investor, said Charles Ellis, an industry consultant and a former Vanguard funds director. He had one great message, about lowering fees, and he kept hammering away at it.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Delivery of the Patriot surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to the Turkish Armed Forces is linked with a number of issues, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, Trend reports citing the Turkish media.

Cavusoglu pointed out that one of such issues is the date of delivery of the American SAMs, with the other being the possibility of their purchase on a loan.

He pointed out that Turkey also intends to organize production of the American Patriot SAMs, as agreed with Russia, which also intends to supply the Turkish Air Force with its S-400 SAMs.

Earlier, the US administration made a decision to sell the Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Turkey for a total of $3.5 billion.

The United States is actively taking steps to prevent the purchase of Russian S-400 SAMs by Turkey. Washington has warned Ankara, in particular, that in case of acquisition of these systems from Moscow, the US may refuse to sell its fifth-generation F-35 multi-role combat aircraft to Turkey.

The initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey regarding the S-400 came in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on Sept. 12, 2017.

The Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar stated that the deployment of S-400 is set to begin in October 2019.

As stated by Sergei Chemezov, head of the Russian State Corporation Rostec in December 2017, S-400 costs around $2.5 billion for Ankara.

Turkey is the first NATO member to acquire SAMs of such type from Russia.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan  Jan. 17

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratified the agreement on mutual cancellation of the visa regime with Moldova, Trend reports with reference to Turkey's Resmi Gazete.

The newspaper report mentions that the agreement on mutual cancellation of visas was signed on the 17th of October 2018 during President Erdogans visit to Moldova.

According to the report, the mutual cancellation of visas entered into force starting from 17th of January 2019.Gagan Thapa urges government to address demands of Dr KC

Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa has urged the government to address the demands of Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging an indefinite hunger strike in Ilam, without any condition.Russia has resources and is ready to extend the TurkStream gas pipeline to Europe across Bulgaria and Serbia, if governments of European Union (EU) member countries along the route persuade Brussels to give them the green light, Russian President Vladimir Putin said here on Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Putin arrived in Belgrade Thursday for an official visit to Serbia.

At a joint press conference with his counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, Putin said that Russia, which has enough resources and means, is ready to invest around 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in the extension of the recently-constructed pipeline that already connects Russia and Turkey across the Black Sea, in order to enable another gas transport route to Europe.

For his part, Russia is already conducting preparation for such work as there are high interests among European consumers, but repeated that EU states, such as Bulgaria and Hungary, should seek guarantees from Brussels.

And whether the gas infrastructure will pass through Serbia also depends on other countries along the route, most of which are EU members, Putin added.

"It comes down to the ability of these countries to defend their national interests in a dialogue with European structures," Putin stressed.

The TurkStream natural gas pipeline is expected to carry a total of 31.5 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas per year to Turkey and Europe, bypassing Ukraine. Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom is planning to start the construction of the overland section of TurkStream in 2019.

Putin said that besides the Nord Stream and the TurkStream, there is a possibility that the old gas transit route across Ukraine will continue to exist in order to meet the rising demand of European countries for gas, which last year imported 200 billion cubic meters from Russia.

Vucic said that Serbia has high expectations from the TurkStream, and is resilient to all pressures coming from the EU or elsewhere because "Serbia needs to get the gas for its companies".

He reminded that the country so far obtained the Russian gas across Hungary and Ukraine, but would now prefer to get it from the TurkStream, across Bulgaria.The death toll from a car bomb blast outside a police academy in Colombia on Thursday climbed to nine, officials said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

More than 40 cadets were reported injured as the impact of the explosion blasted walls, the mayor of Bogota, Enrique Penalosa, said.

The incident targeted the General Santander Police Academy in southern Bogota.

Colombian President Ivan Duque said the perpetrator of the attack had been identified, adding "this demented terrorist act will not go unpunished."

Officials identified the man as Jose Aldemar Rojas, saying he drove into the academy aboard a 1993 grey Nissan Patrol car that was loaded with 80 kilos of high explosive pentolite.

"The vehicle entered at full speed ... and crashed in front of the main auditorium," the Caracol news network reported online.

"Colombia is saddened but will not bow down to violence," said Duque, who canceled a security council meeting he was to attend in Quibdo, Choco, in order to return to Bogota.

Colombia's FARC, a leftist guerrilla group-turned-political party, also condemned the car bombing, saying it was intended to undermine a negotiated solution to the country's armed conflicts.

FARC spokesman Pastor Alape Lascarro said via Twitter that "the attack on the General Santander school is a provocation against a political solution to the conflict. It seeks to put an end to the possibility of an agreement with the ELN (National Liberation Army), delegitimize social movements and benefit the hawkish sectors."

Duque's government took over from ex-president Juan Manuel Santos, who oversaw the disarmament of the FARC and had begun peace talks with the ELN.Mercedes-Benz Korea said Thursday it will launch an all-electric vehicle and four hybrid models to its lineup this year to gain a bigger market share in Asia's fourth-largest economy, Trend reoprts citing Yonhap.

In 2019, the German carmaker plans to introduce a new purely electric EQC crossover called and four kinds of plug-in gasoline hybrid models in Korea this year, the company said in a statement.

"We will do our utmost to provide the best products and services in the upcoming era of future mobility. We want to innovate further our product portfolio (with emission-free next-generation models)," Mercedes-Benz Korea President and Chief Executive Dimitris Psillakis said in a press conference.

Asked about Mercedes-Benz Korea's sales target for this year, Psillakis said the company will continue investing in after-sales services and employee training programs.

But he expressed caution that there may be unexpected headwinds for the company this year if the Korean economy slows down.

The new EQC is the first all-electric model under the EQ brand, one of four brands, together with Mercedes-Benz, AMG and Maybach, under the German auto giant. It can travel up to 450 kilometers on a single charge and is capable of sprinting from zero to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, the statement said.

The company also plans to introduce nine new models and six facelifts to cement its leading position in the Korean passenger car market. It didn't elaborate on the four hybrid models.

For the whole of 2018, Mercedes-Benz topped other imported carmakers by selling 70,798 vehicles in the country, helped by the popularity of its E-Class sedan and SUV models. The total was up 2.8 percent from 68,861 units a year earlier, the statement said.

Korea is the fifth-biggest market for the German carmaker after China, the United States, Germany and Britain in terms of sales.

Last year, imported carmakers sold 260,705 vehicles in Korea, an increase of 12 percent from 233,068 a year earlier. Six out of 10 imported cars were from Germany, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.Australia is home to some of the world's creepiest creatures (drop bears, anyone?), but it's also home to some of the cutest, Trend reports citing CNN.

Maria Island, just off the eastern coast of Tasmania, is inhabited by a large number of wombats, the adorable marsupials known for their resemblance to teddy bears -- and their mysterious cube-shaped poo.

And because of their outrageous cuteness factor, combined with the fact that they have generally docile personalities, wombats have become the must-have selfie accessory for visitors to Maria Island.

Now, anyone who goes to Maria Island -- which has no permanent human residents aside from park rangers -- will be greeted with signs encouraging them to pledge to be a respectful traveler.

The Maria Island Pledge reads: "I take this pledge to respect and protect the furred and feathered residents of Maria. I will remember you are wild and pledge to keep you this way.

I promise I will respectfully enjoy the wonders of your beautiful island home, from the wharf, to the Painted Cliffs, to the Rocky bluffs, haunted bays and mystery of Maria's ruins.

Wombats, when you trundle past me I pledge I will not chase you with my selfie stick, or get too close to your babies. I will not surround you, or try and pick you up. I will make sure I don't leave rubbish or food from my morning tea. I pledge to let you stay wild.

I vow to explore with a sense of responsibility, adventure and kindness. I will leave your wild island as I found it, and take home memories filled with beauty and my soul filled up with wonder."

"As a state, we do a lot of education through our national parks, but there are parts of Tasmania where the animals are not as approachable," John Fitzgerald, the CEO of Tasmania Tourism, tells CNN Travel. "We're asking people to respect the fact that they're wild animals and respect them for what they are."

However, Fitzgerald notes that the pledge -- which no one has to sign -- is more about getting people into a respectful mindset.

"There was no particular incident that occurred; it's just seeing an increased activity and people wanting to have photos of animals and get up close to them. We're in the age of the selfie, and people want to take selfies in different locations and with people and animals."

And these kinds of pledges aren't reserved for Australia. In New Zealand, the "tiaki promise" began in 2018 as a way to encourage all visitors to the country to be respectful of the environment.

Maria Island is a national park, meaning there are strict regulations to protect its natural beauty.

In addition to wombats, the island is home to the ruins of one of Australia's first penal colonies. To get there, take a ferry from Triabunna, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of Tasmania's capital of Hobart.

If you just can't stomach the idea of going all the way to Australia and not hugging a wombat, there is a way to do it without running afoul of local customs.

The Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in the charmingly named town of Mole Creek, Tasmania, does offer travelers the opportunity to pick up and hold rescue wombats that have been raised to be comfortable with people.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to Chad Saturday night, the first visit by an Israeli leader to the country, to mark the renewal of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu will meet with President Idriss Deby, who came to Israel in a historic visit last November.

This is another diplomatic breakthrough, Netanyahu said at the time. This is a historic and important visit that comes against the background of efforts that we have led. I welcome the president of Chad on his arrival to Israel.

Since becoming the first Israeli prime minister in July 2016 to visit Africa in some three decades, Netanyahu has place improved ties with Africa high on the country's diplomatic agenda.

This trip will mark Netanyahu's fourth visit to Africa.

Chad  which has found itself on the front lines in the battle against Islamic extremists  severed ties with Israel in 1972 after coming under intense pressure from its Arab neighbors, Libya and Sudan. Chad is a member of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Contacts with Chad about re-establishing diplomatic ties have been taking place intermittently since then Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold went to the country and met Deby shortly after Netanyahu's visit to Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda in 2016.A record number of tourists visited France in 2018 despite the damage inflicted on the sector by the ongoing "yellow vest" protests, which forced visitors to stay away during the Christmas holidays, the French Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

For the full year of 2018, the ministry, which is also responsible for the tourism portfolio, expects France to maintain its position as the world's top tourism destination.

Last year, almost 90 million tourists visited France. The figure in 2017 was 89 million.

"If the news by the end of the year had caused cancelations of travel projects in France, the first indicators do not show a strong stall compared to the annual average," the ministry said in a statement.

"European markets, which account for nearly 80 percent of international visitors, experienced very moderate declines. ... The main cancellations are reported in the long-haul markets, particularly in Asia, which have been sensitive to the images of urban violence and Strasbourg bombing," it explained.

Projecting the tourism sector's performance in 2019, the ministry noted that the tour operators were upbeat unless the protests continue.

Since November 2018, people angry over higher fuel taxes and protesting against "unfair" economic reforms have regularly been blocking roads, occupying highway tollbooths and staging rolling nationwide protests.

The last few Saturdays have been marked by violent demonstrations, with burning vehicles and barricades, pillaging and clashes with police in cities across France, mainly in the capital.

Paris, the country's top tourist destination, has been in lockdown on recent weekends with shops and restaurants forced to stay closed in fear of rioting.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has a special gift lined up for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a source in Vucics administration told the Blic newspaper, Trend reports referring to TASS.

During Putins visit to Belgrade on Thursday, the Serbian leader will present Putin with a Sarplaninac (or Yugoslavian Shepherd) puppy, the paper writes.

"The puppy has an impressive pedigree of seven generations. This is our oldest native breed of dogs, and it is well known that President Putin loves this breed of canine," the source told the paper. This will be the first time that Vucic presents the Russian leader with a dog.

The Sarplaninac or Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog is a canine breed, which hails from the Balkan Peninsula that is used to protect flocks of sheep in the mountains and as a guard dog. According to legend, Alexander the Greats warriors had imported the ancestors of these dogs, the Tibetan mastiffs, during his eastern military campaigns.

Putin earlier received puppies as a gift from Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Japan and Kyrgyzstan.Mutual ties between China and Russia serve as a model for relations for all states. This is what Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying, said during Thursdays briefing, commenting on the statements made by Russian Foreign Ministry chief, Sergey Lavrov, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"Sino-Russian ties serve as a model for relations between countries in the international community. We have no limits to cultivating our friendship and expanding cooperation," the diplomat said.

"We appreciate the positive remarks made by Sergey Lavrov regarding Chinese-Russian relations. Under the strategic leadership of [Chinas] Secretary General Xi Jinping and President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin our bilateral relationship significantly progressed in all spheres in 2018," the spokesperson stressed.

She added that 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Chinese-Russian relations. "The past 70 years have shown that our relationship has reached a high level of development. This meets the hopes of our people and the aspirations of our governments, and serves the common regional and global interests. This [Moscow-Beijing relationship] is a strategic force that upholds peace and stability in the world. We would like to find new opportunities for joint work on the 70th anniversary of establishing our diplomatic ties," the diplomat noted.

"Sino-Russian relations are resistant to changes in the international landscape and will not change under the pressure of any external forces. We will continue to maintain close strategic collaboration, global peace and stability," Hua Chunying concluded.

Speaking at a press conference on the results of 2018, Lavrov praised the prospects for cooperation between Russia and China. He highlighted the states close political partnership, including the coordination of approaches in international affairs, joint efforts within the framework of BRICS and the SCO as well as in the Eurasian economic space and along Chinas "One Belt, One Road" initiative.A Chinese state-owned company marked on Wednesday the completion of an ambitious land reclamation near Sri Lankas capital Colombo, part of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative that has alarmed India and the West, Trend reports referring to South China Morning Post.

Colombo Port City is an important project of the Belt and Road Initiative in Sri Lanka, which is one of the key countries along the maritime silk route, Chinas ambassador Cheng Xueyuan said at a ceremony.

No matter how the international situation changes, China always facilitates great importance to Sino-Sri Lanka relations and actively implements the consensus of the leaders of the two countries.

The US$1.4 billion Colombo Port City was agreed between China and Sri Lankas former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, one of several projects to raise fears that the strategically important location was falling into Beijings orbit.

On another, the US$1.4 billion Hambantota deep-sea port also built by the Chinese, China in December 2017 was given a 99-year lease after Colombo said it was unable to keep up with servicing loans made by Beijing to pay for it.

The nearby Hambantota airport also funded by China and built in Rajapaskes constituency in the middle of two wildlife sanctuaries has turned into a white elephant, with no scheduled flights.

Two-thirds of the new 269-hectare reclamation project which is envisaged as the site of a new financial district and has worried environmentalists, goes to China on a 99-year lease.

Patali Champika, the minister in charge of the project, said however that the reclaimed area would not be a threat to Sri Lankas sovereignty or undermine the security of regional power India.

The port of Colombo is a key hub for Indian import-export cargo and the new real estate is situated at the entrance.

China has also emerged a key political and financial backer of Sri Lanka, dislodging Japan which used to be the biggest funder of infrastructure such as ports in the island nation.

Finance ministry officials said the Bank of China had offered Colombo a US$1 billion loan to shore up its foreign reserves amid an exodus of foreign capital from Sri Lankas bond and equity markets.

The Chinese funding becomes crucial at a time when three international credit rating agencies downgraded Sri Lanka after a political crisis in late 2018.Death toll of the violent clashes in south of the Libyan capital Tripoli between government-allied forces and an armed group increased to 10 and 41 others were injured, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

"The death toll of the clashes that broke out on Wednesday morning south of the capital Tripoli increased to 10 deaths and 41 were wounded, including women and children, according to statistics of the Health Ministry's Central Operating Chamber," the ministry said in a statement.

The Chamber has been receiving reports over the past 24 hours from hospitals about deaths and injuries, the statement said.

Southern Tripoli has been witnessing violent clashes between government forces and an armed group called the Seventh Brigade since Wednesday morning.

Residents said heavy gunfire and explosions could be heard in the area, as many civilians already fled the conflict area.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) warned the warring factions against breach of the cease-fire agreement concluded in September 2018, saying the escalation undermines the stability in the capital and endangers the lives of civilians and their properties.

The Seventh Brigade on Tuesday warned the UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj against "military escalation" in southern Tripoli.

In August 2018, violent clashes broke out in southern Tripoli between government forces and the Seventh Brigade militia, killing 117 and injuring more than 500 others, mostly civilians.

The clashes ended with the warring parties signing a UN-sponsored cease-fire agreement, after which the government approved new security arrangements in Tripoli that focus on replacing armed groups with regular police and security forces.

Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the country has been suffering escalating violence and chaos, as well as political division.Five Nepali men held captive in Libya, families seek help for their safe release

Family members of five Nepali youths, who have been held captive in Misrata district of Libya, have urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate their rescue and repatriation.The Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF said on Wednesday it was poised to significantly increase its number of investment deals with Saudi Arabia, Trend reports referring to Al Arabiya.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the fund, met Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and other Saudi officials in Riyadh to discuss projects in oil refining, petrochemicals, gas chemicals and oilfield services, among other fields, RDIF said in a statement.

Al Falih said that Saudi Aramco was serious about buying a stake in the project, but that they had not yet agreed to a price and terms.

The fund said last month it was considering investing in Novateks Arctic LNG project with Saudi Aramco.

In a related development, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak plans to meet with Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week, Interfax news agency cited the Russian minister as saying on Thursday.

The WEFs annual gathering of political and business leaders is due to take place from January 23 to 26 in the Swiss ski resort.

In November, Saudi Aramcos Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser said that the companys relationship with Russia will grow as the two sides proceed with cooperation projects.

Our ongoing strategic engagements and discussions with partners in Russia are taking our relationship to new heights, he said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Saudi Aramco Research Center for upstream technologies in Moscow.The German ambassador to Jordan said on Wednesday that her country has launched a new program to support the UNICEF Makani centers in Jordan over the next three years, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

In UNICEF Makani centers, vulnerable children, both refugees and Jordanians, have access to multiple services including child protection.

The program, financed by the German government via the German Development Bank, will reach 28,000 vulnerable children in 32 Makani centers in refugee camps and host communities across Jordan, said Birgitta Siefker-Eberle.

According to the ambassador, more than 80,000 school-aged Syrian refugee children do not have access to formal education.

"The future of these children depends on their access to education. It is absolutely necessary for us to provide them with the opportunities to learn and thrive," she noted.

Christian Schaub, director of the German Development Bank office in Jordan, said the new program will provide 13.5 million euros (15.4 million U.S. dollars) in the next three years to support the full physical, mental, social and emotional development of the children, youths and their parents in Jordan.

In 2018, the UNICEF Makani program reached about 208,000 vulnerable individuals, including more than 163,000 children, through a network of 150 Makani centers.

As a crucial partner of UNICEF Jordan, Germany has provided 156.5 million euros since 2013 to support essential services for children and their families in the country.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.17

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Armenian authorities should fully respect due process rights for all detainees and ensure independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2019, Trend reports.

The report reads that the new government in Armenia revived an investigation into the March 2008 deadly clashes between protesters and security forces, and authorities brought charges against then-president Robert Kocharyan and two commanders.

They also brought charges against a policeman accused of seriously ill-treating four defendants in a court basement. However, in September, the authorities suspended the investigation into another similar episode in July 2016, said the report.



As the authorities deal with past grievances, they should fully respect due process rights for all detainees and ensure independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said.



Other human rights concerns in Armenia, according to the report, include domestic violence; violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people; lack of access to quality education for children with disabilities; and institutionalization of people with psychosocial disabilities (mental health conditions) and intellectual disabilities.



The authorities also need to address widespread harassment, discrimination, and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Political parties and some politicians tried to exploit widespread homophobia and made hateful and derogatory comments during the pre-election period, said Human Rights Watch.



The report reads that while Armenia continued to transform some residential institutions for children into community centers and to support family-based care, these programs did not include children with disabilities on an equal basis with other children.

Existing legislation allows the government to deprive people with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities of their legal capacity, and there are no supported decision-making systems that would enable people with disabilities to instead get the help they need to live in the community. As a result, some people with disabilities remain in institutions indefinitely.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

A closer look at the alignment of forces in Syria reveals quite an interesting picture.

First, despite that the PYD/YPG are the bearers of the Marxist ideology, this terrorist group is actively supported by the US.

Secondly, the Syrian government periodically negotiates with the PYD/YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which dont hide their intention to obtain at least autonomy in the north of the country.

Third, despite that the creation of a new state in the north of Syria isnt in the interests of Iran, Russia and also Damascus, for some reason namely Turkey, a member of NATO alliance and a US ally, is fighting the PYD/YPG.

This is while more than a month has passed since the time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara will launch a new antiterrorist operation in the north of Syria against the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group - PYD/YPG.

US President Donald Trump has recently stated on his Twitter page: "Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone...."

Commenting on Trumps recent statements, President Erdogan also noted that the latest statement by US President Donald Trump had greatly upset Turkey. Erdogan also noted that he had discussed this topic with Trump, and Washington proposed to Ankara to create a safety zone in the north of Syria. At a time, Ankara turned to the US with a similar proposal.

Erdogan said that Turkey will create a safety zone in the north of Syria.

The creation of the safety zone is primarily an initiative of Turkey, and it was previously rejected. Turkey proposed to create a safety zone in the north of Syria for the first time in 2013.

The safety zone in the north of Syria includes a territory 32 kilometers deep and 460 kilometers long along the Syrian border with Turkey. In the case of the creation of this zone, it will be divided into two parts, the first part will start from the Iraqi-Syrian border and will be extended to the Syrian city of Qamishli, because the Syrian government forces control this city.

The second part of the safety zone will start from Qamishli and will be extended to Jarabulus city, which was liberated from the terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) as part of the Operation Euphrates Shield conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in 2016.

Manbij city, where Turkey had previously intended to conduct new anti-terrorist operations, isnt a part of the safety zone.

It isnt yet known when the safety zone will be created in the north of Syria, but many questions arise regarding this plan. First, what will be the position of the Syrian government and Russia regarding this plan? It is expected that this issue will be put on the agenda during Erdogans visit to Moscow, scheduled for January 23 this year.

Another important question is whether the PYD/YPG and SDF troops will leave the safety zone, since Ankara is in favor of the terrorists leaving the territories where such a zone will be created.

The third and very important issue will be the status of Manbij, as is well known, the US warned Turkey not to launch an anti-terrorist operation.

If everything goes well, although the probability of this is very small, the creation of a safety zone in the north of Syria may be considered a partial guarantee of Turkeys security.

---

Rufiz Hafizoglu, deputy editor-in-chief of Trend, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizogluIranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi while condoling the Kenyan government and nation condemned the deadly terrorist attack in the African country's capital which killed at least 21 people, Trend reports citing IRNA.

A major terrorist explosion rocked a hotel and office complex in Nairobi on Tuesday. After the explosion, clashes began between the terrorists and government forces.

At least 21 people were killed at the attack.

The Iranian spokesman also sympathized with the families of the victims.

Assailants identified as Shabab militants attacked a Nairobi luxury hotel and office complex on Tuesday, spreading death and panic as the police in Kenyas capital evacuated civilians and sealed off the area.

The inspector general of the police, Joseph Boinett, said Tuesdays assault began at the I&M bank with an explosion that targeted three vehicles and 'a suicide explosion in the foyer of Dusit hotel where a number of guests suffered severe injuries'.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

The project of transferring water from the Caspian Sea to Irans Semnan province is being explored, chief of Irans Department of Environment Isa Kalantari said, Trend reports via IRNA.

He said that this project will be decided upon completion of the technical studies.

He added that all environmental issues will be taken into consideration while implementing this project.

It seems like the war for water supply is going on between Iranian cities, he said. The wildlife of Iran depends on water.

There has been no major improvement in waste management, he noted. The government has allocated $1.3 billion for waste management to the northern provinces of Iran. However, the Iranian MPs directed this money to other areas.

There is no fish in rivers adjacent to the Caspian Sea due to waste water, he said. Three provinces in northern Iran experience crisis in waste water management. The situation in Gilan province is even worse. Producing electricity from waste should be abandoned, because such kind of electricity is several times more expensive than other energy sources. In general, serious steps must be taken to protect the environment in the northern provinces of Iran.

For the first time, the plan of transferring water from the Caspian Sea to Semnan province has been submitted for discussion in the Iranian parliament at the time of the 11th Iranian government (2013-2017). However, MPs from Irans Mazandaran province and environmental authorities objected this plan and it was removed from the agenda.

Discussions on this issue started again during the Iranian presidents visit to Semnan province in early December 2018.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

If Iraq agrees, an agreement for abolishing visa regime between Iran and Iraq for business people may be signed during the Iranian president's visit to Baghdad, Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a meeting in the country's consulate in Iraq's Karbala city, Trend reports via IRNA.

Zarif noted that five years ago Iran offered Iraq to bilaterally and fully cancel the visa regime but Iraq hasn't yet responded positively.

Lately, there have been calls to cancel visa regime between the two countries at least for business people, Zarif said.

If Iraq gives the necessary consent, the agreement may be signed in March during the visit of the Iranian president to Baghdad, he said adding that Iran is ready to cancel the visa regime but it's impossible to do unilaterally.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

The special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the EU-Iran relations is about to start operation, a spokesperson of the EU said, Trend reports via IRNA.

The EU is committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and respects international agreements, the spokesperson said.

Europe expects Iran to play a constructive role in this direction and to continue to fulfill all its obligations, the EU official said.

The JCPOA is based on certain objectives and has prevented Iran from getting nuclear weapons, the spokesperson said, adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed Iran's commitment to the JCPOA in 13 reports.

The official noted that there are no alternative peace programs to the JCPOA.

The spokesperson further added that France, Germany, the UK, which are in the JCPOA, support financial exchanges with Iran and especially the creation of an SPV.

The SPV is currently at the final stage of development, the official added.

The JCPOA was signed on July 14, 2015, between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the UK, the US plus Germany). The US left the JCPOA on May 8, 2018.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Jan. 17

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A signing ceremony for a number of documents between governmental institutions of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was held in Ashgabat, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary (TDH) state news agency.

Representatives of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, Ministry of Education, the State Service Academy under the President of Turkmenistan and UNFPA were present during the ceremony.

At the current stage, Turkmenistan and UNFPA are jointly implementing the fourth country program action plan on partnership for the period of 2016-2020. Working plans for the projects Improvement of quality of integrated services in the field of reproductive health, Disaggregated data for sustainable national development, Improvement of access to knowledge about reproductive health by youth, and Use of population data for development of national strategies and plans of sustainable development were signed with UNFPA.

An agreement on co-financing between the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry and UNFPA on the improvement of the service of mens reproductive health was also signed.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 17

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has ordered to finalize the draft national program for the development of the economic, financial and banking systems for 2019-2025, Trend reports referring to Watan newspaper.

Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Gochmyrat Myradov reported on this project at the working meeting. The president stressed that the continuation of privatization of state property, the creation of favorable conditions for private business should be envisaged in the prepared program.

Turkmenistan gradually passed to the market economy, which was reflected in the Constitution. A number of measures were carried out, namely, the denomination of the national currency.

The country passed to the international accounting standards in 2014. In early 2015, the Central Bank of Turkmenistan set the official exchange rate of the national currency at 3.50 manat per $1, which is still preserved.Family of fifth missing Bomjan follower files report

Family of another nun from Sarlahi, who had been reportedly missing from Ram Bahadur Bomjans ashram for the past nine years, has requested police to find her whereabouts.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 17

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has received Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Kunio Mikuriya, Trend reports with reference to the local Altyn Asyr TV channel.

The parties exchanged views on enhancing the partnership.

Our country is interested in studying the experience of the WCO to improve the implementation of control at borders, the Turkmen president said.

The need to protect customs borders in the fight against drug trafficking and cross-border crime was noted.

Turkmenistan, with its modern infrastructure facilities, is becoming an important part of the global trade, transport and logistics systems. In this regard, it was considered expedient to hold joint seminars, exchange experience on customs programs, the development and implementation of automated customs systems, the Turkmenistan State News Agency reported.

At the meeting, the sides noted the importance of the previously adopted agreement on the establishment of the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey international transport corridor (Lapis Lazuli).In 2018, fuel grew in price by 10.7 percent in Kyrgyzstan. The head of the Trade Department of the National Statistical Committee, Venera Mambetalieva, told journalists, Trend reports referring to 24.kg.

According to her, diesel fuel has risen in price by 18.5 percent, gasoline  by 9.5 percent. At the same time, gasoline prices grew steadily during the year. Reduction of gasoline cost was recorded only in August, and diesel fuel  in December 2018.

For 11 months of 2018, fuel and lubricants were imported from Kazakhstan for $ 29 million, from Russia  for $ 241 million. The share of petroleum products from Russia is 37.9 percent, from Kazakhstan  8.4 percent. Compared to 2017, the supply of petroleum products from Russia decreased by 8 percent, from Kazakhstan  by 30 percent, Venera Mambetalieva stressed.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The number of foreign citizens visiting Azerbaijan in December 2018 increased by about one percent compared to the same period of 2017, reaching 2.8 million people last year, Trend reports Jan. 17 with reference to the State Agency on Tourism.

In general, the number of citizens visiting Azerbaijan during 2018 increased by six percent, or by 153,000 people.

The flow of tourists from Russia, Georgia and the countries of the Middle East accounted for one third of the total number of those who visited Azerbaijan in 2018. The share of Georgia, as well as the countries of the Middle East and Asia, from where the greatest number of tourists arrive in Azerbaijan, increased by one, two and two percent, respectively. Russia and Turkey lost approximately one percent of their market share, while Iran lost five percent.

In terms of growth in the number of tourists, the countries of the Middle East and Asia are in the lead with a 35 percent and a 55 percent growth, respectively.

Among the countries of the Middle East, the greatest growth is observed in the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia (tourist flow increased by 120 percent or 41,000 people), Israel (161 percent growth or 40,000 people) and Kuwait (81 percent growth or 30,000 people), while among Asian countries, the greatest growth is observed in the number of tourists from Pakistan (135 percent growth or by 73,000 people) and India (175 percent growth or by 39,000 people).Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Taleh Mursagulov  Trend:

Putting the SOCAR Carbamide Plant into operation is an important step towards increasing Azerbaijans high-tech export, expert in economic issues, doctor of economics Elshad Mammadov told Trend on Jan. 17.

The SOCAR Carbamide Plant is part of the Azerbaijani governments strategy to increase investment flows to high-tech sectors of the economy, in particular, the matter rests in investments in the country's oil refining sector, the expert said. Most of Azerbaijans natural resources are exported as raw materials. The country's leadership sets the task of increasing the share of high-tech sectors in the export structure."

These are the areas in which Azerbaijan is investing from the point of view of the development of the oil refining sector, Mammadov added.

"This is one of the priority directions because in this segment of our economy there are many raw materials and while investing in processing, this allows having products with higher value added, he said. Putting SOCAR Carbamide Plant into operation is important to provide the domestic market with products and of course, to increase the export potential of the country."

The products related to oil refining are still quite popular although a steady trend is gradually emerging in the global economy associated with the formation of a new technological structure that will be connected with resource efficiency and a decrease in energy intensity, Mammadov said.

"The demand for oil and oil products will decrease in the future, but at the same time, from the point of view of oil refining, in a certain sense, the era of oil will be longer than the use and export of oil only as crude oil, he said. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in oil refining."

In turn, former head of the Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR Sabit Baghirov said that after the commissioning of SOCAR carbamide plant, a very good prospect opens up for Azerbaijan to increase the inflow of foreign currency into the country.

This plant will play a positive role in ensuring the proper level of current account surplus, he said.

"I think there are many business structures that were interested in the products of the plant and tried to establish some relations," Baghirov added.

SOCAR carbamide plant, built on the territory of the Sumgait chemical industrial park, was commissioned on January 16.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the event.

SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and director of the plant Khayal Jafarov informed the president about the conducted work.

The beginning of production at the SOCAR carbamide plant will eliminate the need for import of nitrogen fertilizers, thereby the country's foreign currency spending will decrease. By using 435 million cubic meters of natural gas as a raw material, the plant is capable of producing 650,000-660,000 tons of carbamide.

Moreover, 70 percent of the production is envisaged for export, which will enable the country to receive additional income worth up to $160 million annually. The commissioning of this plant will play an important role in the development of agriculture in Azerbaijan.

Urea fertilizers have the highest nitrogen content, therefore, they are considered the highest quality nitrogen fertilizer. This type of fertilizer, which quickly dissolves in water, is obtained as a result of the synthesis of ammonia and carbon dioxide. The demand for carbamide is associated with its low cost, economical transportation, convenient use, which contributes to high yields in agriculture. This product is also widely used in the production of other chemicals and pharmaceutics.

Presently, SOCAR carbamide plant is the biggest project in the country, implemented in the non-oil sector. Its total cost is about 800 million euros. At the initial stage, the project was financed through the funds allocated from the state budget. During the construction of the plant, a number of international banks allocated funds in the amount of 500 million euros through the state guarantees.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulovBaku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Among the main drivers of oil prices in 2019 several of them will be bullish and some of them bearish, Francis Perrin, Senior Fellow at the OCP Policy Center (Rabat) and Senior Research Fellow at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS, Paris) told Trend.

The first ones include a growing world oil demand (+1.4 million barrels per day to 100.6 million b/d in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency), output reductions by OPEC and several non-OPEC countries (-1.2 million b/d, of which 800,000 b/d by OPEC countries and 400,000 b/d by non-OPEC countries), US sanctions against Iran and the political, economic and social crisis in Venezuela, said the expert.

He pointed out that the US sanctions already led to a strong fall in Iranian oil production and exports in 2018.

"Between spring 2018 and November Iran's crude exports fell from about 2.5 million b/d to less than 1.3 million b/d and the Trump Administration wants to reduce them to zero. Even if this goal is too ambitious the US will go on applying strong pressures on buyers of Iranian oil in order for them to stop importing crude from Tehran," said Perrin.

The expert believes that bearish trends include a rising US crude oil production, which reached 11.5 million b/d in November. "This output was 9.4 million b/d in 2017 and about 10.9 million b/d in 2018 and it could reach 12.1 million b/d in 2019. The US, which is already the largest liquids producer, will become at the beginning of 2019 the largest crude oil producer before Russia and Saudi Arabia thanks to its unconventional crudes."

Other bearish factors, according to Perrin are the uncertainties about world economic growth, which will obviously impact oil demand, and international trade tensions, especially between the US and China. "Traders on the oil market are closely watching all the signals emanating from the negotiations between these two great powers. Trade tensions have a direct negative impact on world economic growth and an indirect negative impact on world oil demand."

The most important bearish factor is the rise of US unconventional oil production, the expert believes.

"The most important bullish factors are output reductions by OPEC/non-OPEC countries, sanctions against Iran and the fall in Venezuela's oil production."

He recalled that world oil prices fell between 2013 and 2016 (four consecutive years) and rose in 2017 and 2018 (annual averages).

"Brent average price was about $44 per barrel in 2016, $54/b in 2017 and $71/b in 2018 despite a strong fall over October-December 2018. Brent closed at $60.64/b (March contracts) on 15 January 2019, not a bad start after a dramatic fall between the beginning of October and December 2018."

2019 could be a fairly good year for producers despite some bearish trends if they strictly implement the output reductions decided in December 2018, according to Perrin.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

Suspension of production at offshore oil and gas fields due to the strong wind in Azerbaijan wont have a big impact on the average annual indicators, Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR told Trend.

The company said that in the next two days, as soon as the storm stops and the weather condition normalizes the oil workers will return to the platforms.

The work was suspended not at all platforms, SOCAR noted.

SOCAR evacuated a total of almost 2,500 oil workers from offshore platforms.

The company maximized security measures due to the sharp deterioration of the weather.

Azerbaijans Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources warned of particularly dangerous hydrometeorological conditions Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 in the country.

The National Hydrometeorology Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said that on the night of Jan. 16-17, the weather in Azerbaijan changed dramatically.

Thus, on Jan. 17-18, the speed of the north-west wind increased to 20-25 meters per second, sometimes to 30-35 meters per second, while the wind speed in the open sea increased to 38-40 meters per second. The height of the waves in the sea is expected at 3-5 meters, and then at 6-8 meters or more.

The average daily oil production in Azerbaijan amounted to 790,000 barrels in December 2018, while the average daily production for the whole year amounted to 792,600 barrels.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaSBaku, Azerbaijan, Jan.17

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Turkey will receive two third of the products of SOCAR carbamide plant, which was put into operation on January 16 in the territory of Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park, according to the plants director Khayal Jafarov.

SOCAR carbamide plant is the only large enterprise in the region and two third of its products will be exported to Turkey. Moreover, we plan to start exports to Ukraine and Georgia. The plants products will also be put up on the international exchange, where the operation will be carried out by SOCAR Trading, Jafarov told Reuters.

Regarding the return of the loan received for the construction of the plant, the director noted that this would begin 1.5 years after the start-up of the enterprise, and the plant will begin to bring profit eight years later.

On January 16, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of SOCAR carbamide plant constructed in the territory of Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park.

SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev and director of the plant Khayal Jafarov informed the head of state of the work done.

The foundation of the plant was laid by the President of Azerbaijan in December 2011.

Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd. won an international open tender to provide engineering, procurement, construction and pre-commissioning services for the plant.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic plan to discuss cooperation regarding intelligent infrastructure and smart cities, energy and water technologies, Marta Novakova, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, told Trend.

There are many interesting business events in the pipeline. I would like to stress especially ministerial conference, 10 Years of Eastern Partnership: Economic Convergence and Business Opportunities that will take place in Prague on April 16-17, she noted.

Further, she underlined that the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic will be held in Prague and discussions on determination of the date are underway.

I believe that on the basis of the regular communication of both parties through this platform, we will be able to successfully support the implementation of specific projects that we have been able to discuss with our Azerbaijani partners, she stressed.

Azerbaijani-Czech commission on economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation plays an important role in the deepening of mutual relations. The commissions main function is the coordination and development of mutual economic relations.

The last 4th meeting of the intergovernmental commission between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic took place on January 18, 2017 in Baku.

According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, trade turnover with the Czech Republic in January-December 2018 amounted to $1.04 billion.

As compared to the indicator for the same period of the last year, the trade turnover between the countries increased by 36,5 percent, while the exports of Azerbaijani products increased by almost two times.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaSBaku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Trend:

French company Gruau, which is the European leader in the reworking of commercial vehicles to the needs of customers, plans to enter the market of Uzbekistan, Trend reports via Podrobno.uz.

An Uzbek delegation and Sylvain Sene, vice president for international business development at Gruau recently held talks on the matter. Issues of establishing production of the modification of vehicles on the territory of Uzbekistan were discussed during the meeting.

Today in Europe, for example, about half of new vans are being reworked to meet the needs of customers. As such, for example, regular vans can be reworked into mobile coffee vendors, cars for escorting airplanes, mobile ambulances, refrigerators on wheels, specialized cars for the transportation of disabled people, mobile workshops and much more.

Gruau was founded in 1889 and is the leader in Europe for modifying vehicles weighing no more than 3.5 tons. Gruau has 18 branches, 1,500 employees, and 20 production lines for modifying vehicles. The main examples of modifications include ambulances, dump trucks, vehicles with wheelchair access, minibuses, law enforcement vehicles, and minivans with temperature adjustment.

Vice President of Gruau, noting the strategically important location of Uzbekistan between Russia, India, China and Europe, said that his company views Uzbekistan as a promising location for the creation of a vehicle tooling plant.

According to a study by Gruau, Uzbekistan has all the necessary conditions for the implementation of a project on the "transformation" of vehicles. In the future, the company plans to expand cooperation with other local vehicle manufacturers, as well as enter the Central Asian market.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to organize a visit by the leadership of the French company to Uzbekistan in the near future, in particular to the Jizzakh Region, for a detailed acquaintance with the conditions and preferences created in the Jizzakh Free Economic Zone for the possible establishment of a vehicle modification line.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

Iran Veterinary Organization (IVO) has permitted imports of live animals after adopting necessary health standards, Chairman of IVO Alireza Rafipour said, Trend reports via IRNA.

Annual demand for meat is 100,000-150,000 tons in Iran, he said, adding that domestic meat production doesn't meet the demand and therefore it's necessary to import as well.

Iran's Bushehr province intends to import small cattle from Australia, New Zealand and Brazil, he said, adding that these animals should be first delivered to quarantine centers established by IVO.

Importing live cattle is a new project in Iran, Rafipour said, adding that implementing this project will benefit both the economy and trade in Bushehr province.

He also added that 100,000 heads of livestock will be imported via the country's Chabahar port in Sistan and Baluchestan province and 30,000 heads of livestock will be imported through western provinces of the country.

The deputy minister noted that soon 5,000 heads of small cattle will be imported from Romania to Iran's Alborz province.Entrepreneurs gather for conclave in Capital

The second edition of Connect [IN]-International Entreprene-urship Conclave is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, in Kathmandu, with an objective to connect startups, entrepreneurs and investors from Nepal and India.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend:

The body of Elchin Khalilov, an Azerbaijani citizen, who was killed in the US city of Charlotte (North Carolina), will be brought back to Azerbaijan in the shortest possible time, Trend reports, referring to the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the US on Jan. 17.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department of North Carolina has opened a criminal case and investigation is currently underway.

The criminal case is led by the investigators of this department: "Close relatives were informed of the incident. Presently, the embassy is organizing the delivery of Elchins body to Azerbaijan. The paperwork is expected to be completed today and the body will be delivered from Charlotte to New York and from there to Baku."

The embassy also noted that additional information on the investigation progress will be reported later.

Elchin Khalilov (born 17.06.1989) was killed on Jan. 14 around 11:00 local time as a result of an armed attack by unidentified persons on the store for phone sales and repair, where he worked and was the owner.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

Trend:

Rebecca Harms (MEP from Germany, European Green Party), one of the co-authors of the urgency resolution on Mehman Huseynovs case, adopted by the European Parliament Jan. 17, is a person under the influence of George Soros and acknowledges it openly.

It is no coincidence that she has numerous photos with Soros on social networks.

The abovementioned resolution is an unsuccessful result of the insidious scenario planned against Azerbaijan by using the factor of Mehman Huseynov and intentionally stirring up the issue.

On January 17, Rebecca Harms, an MEP and the co-chair of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, who was first to give speech at the discussions on the urgency resolution, stated that she was trying to establish contacts with her Azerbaijani counterparts regarding the issue.

This is while neither the Azerbaijani Parliament, nor the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and Azerbaijans Embassy in Brussels received any appeal regarding the hearings held in the European Parliament.

During the discussions, none of the MEPs, who were talking about human rights in Azerbaijan in their speech, remembered about 1 million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs, whose fundamental rights were violated. This shows the hypocrisy of those MEPs.

European Commissioner for Trade Anna Cecilia Malmstrom, who delivered speech at the discussions, said the EU closely follows the issue and the Azerbaijani government was cooperating on the issue. She noted that EU diplomats visited Mehman Huseynov, he stopped the hunger strike and there is no threat for his health.

The protection of the rights of gays, lesbians and other sexual minorities or LGBT community in Azerbaijan holds one of the key places in the resolution.

An important point is that Mehman Huseynovs brother, Emin Huseynov, sent an email to the MEPs just before voting. In his email he expressed great regret regarding the statements by Anna Cecilia Malmstrom that Mehman Huseynov wasnt on a hunger strike. Emin Huseynov said in the letter that he was "shocked".

It is interesting if Emin Huseynov was shocked because he didnt expect a high-level EU official to tell the truth or he was deeply disappointed that Mehman Huseynov didnt obey the agreement reached?!

The fact that Emin Huseynov hastily wrote an email to the MEPs before the vote, trying to make everyone believe in the show created by orders while meeting MEPs in Strasbourg, once again shows that this person isnt interested in the fate of his brother, Mehman Huseynov, he has his personal interests and cares only about the benefits that he will get from this game by playing the music ordered by his patrons.

Another noteworthy point is the fact that the first news about the resolution adopted by the European Parliament appeared in the Armenian press. Apparently, they were waiting for the adoption of the resolution.

Undoubtedly, it is no secret who was pouring water over the mill of the European Parliament. The European Parliament resolution has no force and from time to time we witnessed some forces use such tools against Azerbaijan. However, it is also true that those who use such tools try to implement their insidious plans at the expense of the fate of persons like Mehman Huseynov.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

Trend:

Lithuania is ready to develop closer economic relations with Azerbaijan, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said during a meeting with the newly appointed Azerbaijani ambassador Tamerlan Garayev, Trend reports referring to the website of the Lithuanian head of state on Jan. 17.

During the meeting, the Ambassador Tamerlan Garayev presented his credentials to the President of Lithuania.

The president and the newly appointed ambassador discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation, student exchange, as well as prospects for the development of closer ties between Azerbaijan and the European Union. The Lithuanian head of state noted that Azerbaijan is an important partner of the old continent across many fields of action.

The EU and Azerbaijan are in the process of negotiating a new agreement, which will further expand their bilateral dialogue.

Dalia Grybauskaite underlined that Lithuania is ready to build up economic contacts with Azerbaijan, especially in information technologies, tourism, food industry, transport, logistics, and other areas.

Garayev graduated law at Azerbaijan State University. From 1990 to 1992, he was member of the Azerbaijan parliament. Starting with 1993, he served as ambassador in China and India. Before his appointment to Vilnius, he was ambassador in Indonesia. He speaks Azerbaijani, English, Russian, and Turkish.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

Trend:

Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Mohammad Bagheri was on an official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of Azerbaijani Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

A meeting of the delegations of both countries was held at the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Jan. 16.

First, the guests visited the Alley of Martyrs, where they laid wreaths and flowers at the graves of the heroes, who sacrificed their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Then the official welcome ceremony was held at the Defense Ministry. The national anthems of the two countries were performed. According to the protocol, Bagheri made remarks in the "Book of Honor".

First, the parties held a one-on-one meeting, after which an extended meeting was held.

While greeting the guests, Hasanov once again expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Iranian Armed Forces aircraft.

Hasanov emphasized the merits of the national leader of the Azerbaijanis Heydar Aliyev and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in establishing and strengthening mutual trust in these relations.

While speaking about the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov brought to the attention of the guest that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to be a serious threat to stability in the region.

The minister also expressed gratitude to the Iranian side for its efforts aimed at resolving the conflict within Azerbaijans territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Stressing that the religious, historical, cultural ties between the two countries are based on good friendly traditions, Bagheri said that there is also a wide potential for cooperation between the two countries in the military sphere as in many other areas.

He added that Iran supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity and the fair position in the conflict settlement and will fully support Azerbaijan.

The views on the prospects for the development of cooperation in the military, military-technical, military-medical and military-educational fields, countering terrorism, regional security, organizing mutual visits of expert groups, as well as other issues of mutual interest were exchanged during the meeting.

A protocol was signed following the meeting.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has always considered the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a number one problem and pays attention to this issue, Azerbaijani MP Elman Mammadov told Trend on Jan. 17.

Mammadov was commenting on the President's speech at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of social and economic development in 2018 and the upcoming tasks.

The MP stressed that Armenia is in a serious crisis as a result of the policy being pursued by Azerbaijan to isolate it.

"Serious demographic problems also arose in Armenia, which suffered a collapse from both economic and political points of view, residents leave that country," the MP added.

Mammadov said that Azerbaijan prefers peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"International organizations, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries recommend and even insist on resolving this issue peacefully, he said. However, we see that this issue has not been resolved peacefully for almost 30 years. Today, Azerbaijan is strong, we have a strong army and we will liberate our lands from occupation. In his speech, the Azerbaijani president once again drew attention to these issues."

Mammadov stressed that the president also pays attention to the issues related to internally displaced people.

"The president always focuses on the improvement of living conditions of internally displaced people, he said. Today, Azerbaijan continues to pay attention and care about the internally displaced people."

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 29 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Jan. 17, Trend reports.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 17

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

The creation of the Free Economic Zones (FEZ) can help to attract foreign investors, create new jobs, increase the labor force capacity, increase the economy not only of the country, but also of the region, President of the World Free & Special Economic Zones Federation (FEMOZA), Juan Torrents, told Trend.

He emphasized that FEZ gives economic benefits to operators and social benefits to the country.

Touching upon the points that may cause inefficiencies in the work of FEZ, he named the creation of FEZ without a previous pre-feasibility study, creation of a Zone without the market evaluation of the country and region, operation of a Zone with a national budget (a Zone has to be self-financed) etc.

Answering the question about what it takes to setup a FEZ, Torrents said that the first step is to create a legislative framework.

"It is also highly recommended to create a National Free Zones Authority, in order to control them. It is easier and offers flexibility," the FEMOZA president noted.

He went on to say that in order for the FEZ to be successful, it is needed to create favorable infrastructure, a modern management model.

"The Free Zone operator has to be a facilitator of services to the tenants, be flexible in the application of law and customs procedures, to implement always the latest technologies as blockchain," he said.

Torrents also said that Azerbaijan is in the route of FEMOZAs Digital Silk Road Parks. FEMOZAs Digital Silk Road Parks envisages a network of Free Economic Zones in Asia and Europe on the millennia-old route of the original Silk Road.

Further, he emphasized that in the last decades, Free & Special Economic Zones are the most important destinations for foreign investment projects, because they offer all critical points, such as strategic location, infrastructure, facilities, incentives, labor force, services, security and comfort to develop activities and production process.

The FEMOZA president underlined that the most critical requirement of a successful Free & Special Economic Zones is the location.

"Location means easy communication with ports, airports, other countries," he said.

Moreover, he assessed positively the location of the FEZ in the village of Alat in the Garadagh district of Baku.

"I visited Baku with a Mission of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 2007. The Mission was sent to analyze the implementation of the first FEZ in the country," he said.

The FEZ is being created in the village of Alat on the basis of the presidential decree signed in March 2016. The territory of the new Baku International Sea Trade Port is also included in this zone.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaSReacting to two imprisoned women who held a three-day hunger strike, Tehran's prosecutor-general has said that inmates "convicted of security charges" have access to the "best" medical facilities.

Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and physicist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi were on hunger strike this wee to protest being denied visits to medical specialists outside Tehran's infamous prison, Evin.

Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi dismissed comments by Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' intelligence authorities of trying to coerce his wife into becoming a spy in exchange for her release.

She was told it would be safer for her and safer for her family afterward if she agreed to do this, Richard Ratcliffe said. She was told to think about it and that they would return. She has been terrified ever since.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mohammadi, the deputy chairwoman of Iran's Defenders of Human Rights Center (IDHRC), were on hunger strike from Monday, January 14-17.

Mohammadi and Zaghari-Ratcliffe have argued, "In a written assessment, Evin's officially recognized physician has notified that we urgently need to be medically treated at a facility outside the prison, but, for an unknown reason, the authorities have ignored the doctor's order."

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt reacted to the news of the hunger strike by summoning Tehran's ambassador in London, demanding proper medical help for the dual national.

"Today I summoned the Iranian Ambassador to demand Nazanin has immediate access to the healthcare she requires. Her ongoing detention is TOTALLY unacceptable and her treatment at the hands of Iranian authorities is a fundamental breach of human rights," Hunt asserted in a tweet on January 14.

UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn also wrote on Twitter, "As Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe starts her second day of a hunger strike, she is in our thoughts and we reiterate our call on the Iranian authorities to @FreeNazanin.

Previously, London Mayor Sadiq Khan had also thrown his weight behind calls for Zaghari-Ratcliffe to be released ahead of her 40th birthday on December 26.

Iranian Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad rejected the pleas to free her.

The foreign secretary summoned Baeidinejad over the case for the first time January 14 to complain about a lack of medical treatment for Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

The ambassador said little to Hunt at the time but later denounced the United Kingdom for "meddling in Iran's internal affairs.

"I told Mr. Hunt that Zaghari is an Iranian citizen, as opposed to a dual national, and has access to health care," Baeidinejad was cited as saying by the state-run monopolized Radio&TV.

Dolatabadi also said on January 16, "The convicts being held in Iranian prisons for security offenses are provided with the best conditions regarding using phone calls, meetings with family, and medical care."

Addressing reporters, he cautioned Western governments to refrain from interfering in the judicial affairs of Iran, saying, "Nazanin Zaghari and several other security convicts are kept in prison for very serious offenses," the state-run Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 at Imam Khomeini international airport in Tehran, when she was leaving the country after a visit with her family. She was charged with ambiguous claims of spying and plotting against Iran and sentenced to five years in prison.

Hunt had previously accused Iran of keeping the British-Iranian dual national in prison as a tool for diplomatic leverage, calling it monstrous.

Taking dual nationals hostage is costly, Hunt said, warning, "Costs will be paid."The Baltic States and Poland are in favor of imposing new sanctions in connection with the events in the Kerch Strait, Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser has said.

Commenting at the request of Interfax (interfax.ru) on the results of a visit of foreign ministers of the Baltic States to Poland to Donbas, eastern Ukraine, this week, Mikser said: "Estonia's position is that the countermeasures, sanctions against Russia in connection with the situation in the east of the country, the illegal annexation of Crimea should remain in force until the damage is compensated, until Russia returns to the principles of international law."

"Of course, the position of Estonia is that if a situation has arisen, the solution of which requires the justified introduction of additional countermeasures, they should be imposed. This has already been done, for example, after illegal elections in eastern Ukraine. Those sanctions have been revised and extended. If the need exists, one should be able to carefully weigh and, if necessary, introduce [additional sanctions]," he said.

In particular, he said, additional sanctions were discussed at a meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. "The EU supports Ukraine, and we believe that we should confirm support with concrete steps. One of such steps could be the introduction of an additional sanctions regime, the so-called 'Azov package of sanctions' against Russia in response to what has been happening in the Sea of Azov," he said.Plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Federation in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Boris Gryzlov has refused to hold a joint meeting of the TCG and humanitarian subgroup initiated by the Ukrainian side on the release of Ukrainian hostages and the transfer of Russians convicted in Ukraine in exchange for political prisoners in the Kremlin, Iryna Gerashchenko, the First Deputy Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada and Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) has said.

"Twice this month we've appealed to the OSCE moderators with the demand to hold a joint meeting of the TCG and the humanitarian subgroup on one issue: the release of hostages, the transfer of Russians in exchange for political prisoners of the Kremlin. Today Gryzlov has refused this initiative," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday afternoon.Country will strive on the path to rapid development: PM Oli

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the development works will gain rapid momentum from now onwards as the government remained occupied with formulating necessary laws and other necessary preparations in the past year.If Prime Minister Pashinyan does not meet with them, they will visit the prime minister on Sunday - demonstrators (video)

Auto importers organized a protest action in front of the government building. They still demand a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Despite all this, they had a meeting with the Prime Minister's assistant Nairi Sargsyan. After the meeting, the demonstrators noted that they did not agree with the proposed version. "They say us to pay 1.5% of taxes, it cannot be. It is a problem again. It will create problems, " said the protester and added that it is not a good that you can take and keep. You do not know how much you spend on that car, how much your income will be so that you can pay 1.5 % tax. Auto importers announced that if Prime Minister Pashinyan does not meet with them, they will visit the prime minister on Sunday.22 ventilators to Armenia

PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Armenia

With Ucom's level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Tiktok, Spotify and Coursera

PACE rapporteur welcomes Azerbaijans release of Armenian captives and Armenias handing over of mine-maps to Azerbaijan

Armenia/Azerbaijan: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the latest developments

Pashinyan to publicly apology to Khachatryans

During EURO 2020 Ucom subscribers to take part in the uMeter voting and draw

USA to continue to press for the return of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees: Philip Reeker

Post-war Prospects for Nagorno-Karabakh: Crisis Groups new report

Ucom-1 team was recognised the winner of the 2021 futsal tournament of the Galaxy Group of Companies: The award ceremony took place

COVID 19: 11 deaths

Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia regarding the criminal prosecution against the Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan

The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia

UCOM introduced new level up packages of voice service

President Michel has discussions with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Acting Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia

COVID19:108 new cases

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Ucom launches "Hello, summer" offer and presents "U!hoo" kids magazine

182 hearing aids and 2 buses by benefactor Mikayel Vardanyan for students of Special Educational Complex

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

What our Homeland, Armenia and Artsakh will be like depends on us. President Armen Sarkissians message on the Republic Day

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Aharon Sahakyan is appointed governor of Kotayk Marz of Armenia

3503 tests were done yesterday

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia

Covid 19: 323 recoveries and 11 deaths

Efforts by prosecutors and law enforcement to address hate crime in Armenia: ODIHR seminar

We urge Turkey to respect these calls: Head of the Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union

Prisoners of war in the aftermath of the most recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

COVID 19: 7 deaths.22 ventilators to Armenia

PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Armenia

With Ucom's level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Tiktok, Spotify and Coursera

PACE rapporteur welcomes Azerbaijans release of Armenian captives and Armenias handing over of mine-maps to Azerbaijan

Google Ad

Armenia/Azerbaijan: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the latest developments

Pashinyan to publicly apology to Khachatryans

During EURO 2020 Ucom subscribers to take part in the uMeter voting and draw

USA to continue to press for the return of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees: Philip Reeker

Post-war Prospects for Nagorno-Karabakh: Crisis Groups new report

Ucom-1 team was recognised the winner of the 2021 futsal tournament of the Galaxy Group of Companies: The award ceremony took place

COVID 19: 11 deaths

Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia regarding the criminal prosecution against the Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan

The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia

UCOM introduced new level up packages of voice service

President Michel has discussions with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Acting Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia

COVID19:108 new cases

Google Ad

Ucom launches "Hello, summer" offer and presents "U!hoo" kids magazine

182 hearing aids and 2 buses by benefactor Mikayel Vardanyan for students of Special Educational Complex

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

What our Homeland, Armenia and Artsakh will be like depends on us. President Armen Sarkissians message on the Republic Day

Ucom Digital lab students keep on getting high-quality technical education

Aharon Sahakyan is appointed governor of Kotayk Marz of Armenia

3503 tests were done yesterday

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia

Covid 19: 323 recoveries and 11 deaths

Efforts by prosecutors and law enforcement to address hate crime in Armenia: ODIHR seminar

We urge Turkey to respect these calls: Head of the Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union

Prisoners of war in the aftermath of the most recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

COVID 19: 7 deaths.LIVE. National Assembly session (video)

The National Assembly continues its work by discussing the issue of the election of the NA Standing Committees. The session started with the nomination of Naira Zohrabyan as the leader of the Standing Committee on Human Rights. The candidacies of six chairpersons will still be submitted for discussion, icluding nomination of Vladimir Vardanyan for the post of the Chairman of the Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Andranik Kocharyan for the post of the Chairman of the Defense, Internal Affairs and National Assembly, Varazdat Karapetyan for the post of Chairman of Agriculture and Environment Committee and Babken Tunyan for the post of Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee Mikael Melkumyan's candidacy for the Regional and Eurasian Integration Commission nominated by the "Prousperious Armenia" party (PAP) faction and Mane Tandilyan candidacy for the Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee nominated by the "Bright Armenia" party will be discussed.Actualiza tu navegador

Este navegador ya no es compatible. Para visitar EL PAIS con la mejor experiencia, actualizalo a la ultima version o descarga uno de los siguientes navegadores soportados:New technology and scientific innovations make our world more connected and more competitive, and it isnt just scientists and the experts in Silicon Valley who are noticing these changes. As a United States senator from Nevada and the CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, we have seen firsthand how technology is changing the fabric of our everyday lives and increasing the competitiveness of American businesses in towns and cities across the U.S.

We need to ensure we can keep our competitive edge and secure the United States position as a leader in the 21st century economy. And in that regard, we have a secret weapon  American girls. Girl Scouts of the USA knows that girls are capable of anything they set their minds to. For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts has fostered the incredible potential of girls to accomplish amazing feats in technology and innovation, from earning the first badges in electrical circuitry in the early 20th century, to the efforts of todays Girl Scouts to build prosthetic limbs, design software, and excel in FIRST Robotics competitions.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border would be immoral. Instead, she favors something she calls a technological wall. Another top House Democrat, Rep. James Clyburn, calls it a smart wall.

Instead of building an actual physical barrier of steel, concrete or some other material, Pelosi, Clyburn and other Democrats advocate employing an array of high-tech devices  drones, infrared sensors, surveillance cameras and more  to keep track of activity at the border without physical impediments to discourage illegal crossings.

We cannot protect the border with concrete, Clyburn said recently. We can protect the border using the technology that is available to us to wall off intrusions.

The problem is, a smart wall would not actually wall off intrusions. Indeed, the main feature of a smart wall  in past debates it was often referred to as a virtual fence  is that it will not stop anyone from crossing the border into the United States. It can detect illegal crossers and alert authorities to their presence. But it does nothing to keep them from entering the country.Congress presses government to address KCs demands

The opposition Nepali Congress has drawn the governments attention to the demands of Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging his sixteenth hunger strike in Ilam, at the earliest.WELLINGTON, Utah (AP)  A speeding tractor-trailer skidded off a snow-slicked road Wednesday and crashed into a restaurant in a small Utah town, flattening the establishment and injuring 3 people, authorities said.

The truck was traveling too fast for conditions at about 6:30 a.m. when it went off a state highway that runs through the town of Wellington and struck the Los Jilbertos restaurant, which was open, the Utah Highway Patrol said in a statement.

State troopers rescued the restaurant owners wife, who was trapped in in the wreckage and suffered what were described as minor injuries. Also taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries were the restaurant owner and the truck driver, said Highway Patrol Sgt. Nicholas Street.

No customers were inside the restaurant when the truck hit it.

Images of the wreck showed the restaurants snow-covered roof torn off and leaning on top of the collapsed restaurant, the semi-trailers cab lodged into a corner of the building and the trailer jack-knifed. The restaurant is just off the highway, State Route 6.

The crash knocked out electrical and gas service to part of Wellington, a community of about 1,600 residents about two hours southeast of Salt Lake City. The power outage closed the towns elementary school.

No arrests have been made.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5Benedict responded that the scientists are limited by the physical data and observations but that the model would be improved as more detail becomes available, adding that they would take advantage of any available drill reports. This years report on USGS and DRI progress showed that the model is becoming more exact.

Other questions scrutinized the effect of dewatering mines on the aquifer. Mines  which must remove water from open pits and underground operations  are substantial users of water, but much is returned to the system through reinjection, Benedict explained. Mine dewatering is part of the modeling effort, and any permits for future dewatering must pass permitting requirements.

Dan Lotspeich, who manages Lotspeich Family Farm in Deeth, asked how the model would be used to affect how the Nevada Division of Water Resources makes decisions.

Model results will be used to inform water management proposals in the future. One proposed solution was conjunctive management  an annual financial assessment paid by owners of groundwater wells to compensate owners of surface water rights if their allotment falls short. The University of Nevada, Reno, is working with the affected farmers and ranchers to put a value on water, Benedict said.Seniority is key in the Senate, she said. That doesnt mean Im not going to fight like hell and build those relationship and get things done. I just might do it a little differently than he did.

Much has been made of the states rural-urban divide, but Cortez Masto stressed that the states two urban centers and sparsely populated interior have much in common.

I think we can all figure this out if we can get into a room and talk about it, she said.

She cited immigration as an example. A rancher she had met with during a stop in Adaven last year stressed the importance of solving immigration and creating some pathway to citizenship. During the Elko stop, the senator held a private meeting with DACA recipients from the area.

Doing her own fieldwork, the senator said, can have a big impact on how she views or understands an issue  and in turn, how she might advocate for it in Washington. When asked about the Southern Nevada Water Authoritys proposed long-term plan to pump groundwater 250 miles from Eastern Nevada to Las Vegas, the senator cited a trip she once took with Dean Baker, the late White Pine County-rancher who became a fierce advocate against the project.Jan. 16

Holly J. Carder, 44, of Elko was arrested at 988 College Ave. on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $3,913.26



James A. Carder, 57, of Elko was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $3,913.26



Kyle M. Emge, 28, of Granby, Colorado was arrest on Interstate 80 for fugitive felon from another state. No bail



Dion M. Larue, 39, of Elko was arrested at 643 Elm St. on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $1,085



Shannon A. Masterson, 42, of Elko was arrested at 6324 Sixth St. for battery. Bail: $2,500



Evette Montoya, 19, of Elko was arrested at 1400 Mountain City Highway on a warrant for three counts of failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $6,130



Sandra K. Smith, 50, of Elko was arrested at the Econolodge on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime. Bail: $50,000

The charges above do not imply guilt. Under the law, everyone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0Elko District Court Department I  Judge Nancy Porter

Nov. 30

Joshua Hirst, 34, pleaded guilty to attempted uttering of a forged instrument and was given a suspended sentence of one year in jail and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

-

Kira Lee Negrete, 36, pleaded guilty in two separate matters to one count each of conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance and for each count was given a suspended sentence of one year in jail and was placed on probation for three years.



Kalvin Andrew Pedersen, 20, pleaded guilty in two separate matters to one count each of open or gross lewdness and was given a suspended sentence of one year in jail for each count to be served consecutively, was placed on probation for three years, and was ordered to register as a sex offender and to serve 30 days in jail on each count consecutively.

Open Enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year will open Feb. 1 and close March 15. During the week of March 18-22 the school will hold a lottery to place students in classrooms and on the waiting list. Applications can be filled out at the school located at 1031 Railroad St. Suite 107. All applications submitted during open enrollment remain eligible for lottery the entire school year of that application period.

Siblings of current EIAA students are given preference before the lottery system is used. Every child without a current sibling, who has submitted a completed enrollment packet, will have an equal opportunity to be drawn for the spot. In the event that there is a vacancy any student who applies will be enrolled upon completion of the application process.

To learn more about the school, stop by or call 738-3422.

Nevada Humanities to host grant meetings

LAS VEGAS  Nevada Humanities will hold a series of free informational grant meetings in Henderson, Las Vegas, Reno and Elko in January and February 2019. These meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about applying for project grant funding from Nevada Humanities.Building on the continued success of its energy business in Qatar, Siemens has signed an extension of a long-term service agreement with Qatar Power Company (QPOWER) to maintain and support the power generation requirements of Ras Laffan B combined-cycle power plant for an additional 15 years.

With this agreement Siemens will provide maintenance, parts and repair services for three SGT5-4000F gas turbines, two SST5-6000 steam turbines, and their associated generators. In addition, the agreement includes the supply of a broad spectrum of the company's digital services and cybersecurity solutions, designed to boost efficiency and reliability of the power plant's operation.



"The agreement with Siemens reinforces Qatar's strategic and ambitious development plans in the energy sector, as set out by Qatar Vision 2030, and the leadership of Mr. Fahad Bin Hamad Al-Mohanadi, Chairman of the Board of QPOWER, and the company's board members," said Mr. Fawaz Abdul-Aziz Al Baker, Executive Managing Director of QPOWER. "We applaud the role Siemens plays in upgrading the energy sector, especially with its strong track record in Qatar. We are confident that Siemens' advanced digitalization solutions will continue to enhance the performance and efficiency of our power plant and reduce maintenance costs in the future," he added.



The 1,025-megawatt (MW), Ras Laffan B power plant was built in 2006 to meet increasing demand for power and water, as the second independent water and power plant (IWPP) in the country. Located at Ras Laffan Industrial City, approximately 80 kilometers north of Doha, the plant produces around 60 million imperial gallons of desalinated water per day.



"In Qatar, where the country has embarked on ambitious programs to strengthen the energy sector and support investment in new energy production and transportation infrastructure, Siemens' advanced generating technology and power plant services capabilities can help support these long-term goals of generating reliable, affordable and sustainable power to homes and industries," said Adrian Wood, CEO of Siemens in Qatar. "Together with our forward-thinking local partners, we are leading the digital evolution of the power sector in Qatar - with projects that set new standards in efficiency and innovation."



Under the agreement, Siemens will also deploy its flexible long-term maintenance concept, which helps increase plant performance and optimize maintenance costs through data analytics. The concept includes Siemens' advanced remote monitoring and diagnostics, part of the company's Omnivise Digital Services portfolio.



With the help of Siemens' cybersecurity solutions, the power plant operators will be able to analyze potential risks, monitor for threats in real time and implement defenses to ensure continuity of operations.

This press release and a press picture are available at www.siemens.com/press/PR2019010124PSEN

For further information on Siemens Power Generation Services,, please see http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/en/services/



Contact for journalists

Amy Pempel

Phone: +1 (407) 408-1932; E-mail: amy.pempel@siemens.comUS Deputy Secretary of Energy, Dan Brouillette, welcomed the growing energy cooperation between Israel and Egypt, and announced the US continued support for Israel's efforts to develop the rich natural gas resources of the eastern Mediterranean. Both Ministers agreed that this additional supply can play an important role in diversifying Europe's energy mix. Israel's Minister of Energy Dr. Yuval Steinitz invited the Department of Energy to participate in the next forum of the East Mediterranean countries to be held again in Cairo in the coming months.

Minister Steinitz thanked the US Department of Energy (DOE) for tightening Iran's energy sanctions, which are proving to be very effective and exert pressure on the Iranian government.

Lastly, US Deputy Secretary Brouillette raised concerns over foreign investment in Israel, and hopes to continue a dialogue on best practices.

News Media Contact: (202) 586-4940On July 21, 1919, just weeks after the U.S. Congress approved the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote, a new company was formed in eastern Kentucky. That company - Kentucky and West Virginia Power - grew to become Kentucky Power.

For nearly 100 years, Kentucky Power's mission has been to provide residents and businesses in eastern Kentucky with safe, reliable and affordable electricity. In celebration of Kentucky Power's centennial this year, that mission continues with a focus on customers and giving back in the communities where employees live and work. The 100 Acts of Appreciation Campaign kicked off January 2 and runs throughout 2019.

"For our 100th anniversary, we want to emphasize our appreciation for our customers, while sharing Kentucky Power's commitment to being a good corporate citizen," said Brett Mattison, Kentucky Power's president and chief operating officer. "The 100 Acts of Appreciation is one way we can express our gratitude to our valued customers and the communities we have served for 100 years and will continue to serve."

Already, during the first two weeks of 2019, employees have participated in four Acts of Appreciation. One of the first acts came in the form of a warm coat for those in need. Employees in Ashland, Hazard and Pikeville employees collected more than 150 mostly new coats and delivered them to local churches and shelters. Employees also provided food to help stock the Blessing Box at the Pikeville Police Department.

In addition, Kentucky Power is continuing to support businesses through the Kentucky Power Economic Development Growth Grants (K-PEGG). The eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI) has received $125,000 to fund the development of an apprenticeship program. Last year, eKAMI opened it HAAS training center in Paintsville with a goal to retrain the region's exceptionally skilled workforce for new careers in the Advanced Manufacturing.

"Our partnership with eKAMI is a good example of how working together to better our communities can benefit us all," Mattison said. "We welcome the opportunity to partner with local, state and regional leaders to bring investment and jobs to eastern Kentucky."

Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides service to about 168,000 customers in all or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties, including Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Rowan. Kentucky Power is an operating company in the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States.Civil Society members take initiatives to bring Dr KC to Kathmandu

Members of Civil Society have started taking initiatives to bring Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging his 16th hunger strike in Ilam, to Kathmandu after his health deteriorated further.This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.Rada allows arms imports without intermediaries

According to the new legislation, entities ordering products under the state defense order shall be allowed to carry out foreign economic activities.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterNaftogaz starts recovering US$2.6 bln in debt from Russia's Gazprom  Naftogaz CEO

Kobolyev is optimistic about the timeframe of recovering $2.6 billion from Russia's gas giant.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterEU develops plan for infrastructure in Ukraine, other Eastern Partnership countries

Some projects are planned to be implemented by 2020.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterIraqi Yazidi activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad comforts Tran Thi Ngai (R), a Vietnamese woman who was raped by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War, at an event in London, January 16, 2019. Photo supplied by Justice for Lai Dai Han/via Reuters

Over 40 years since the war, Vietnamese women who are sexually abused by South Korean soldiers have yet to receive formal acknowledgement.

Vietnamese villager Tran Thi Ngai was alone in her home when a South Korean soldier forced his way in and raped the then-24-year-old midwife during the Vietnam War.

"I tried to resist but he took my hand, grabbed me inside the room and closed the door and raped me again and again," said Tran.

"He raped when in full uniform and a gun on his body. I was so terrified of him," she said through a translator.

Now nearly in her 80s, the softly-spoken Tran said she has yet to receive any formal acknowledgement of what happened to her in Phu Yen Province in central Vietnam when two South Korean soldiers sexually abused her for years.

The rape of women in past and present conflicts has increasingly come into the spotlight with high-profile women like Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney working to attain justice for rape victims.

Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, one of about 7,000 women held as sex slaves by Islamic State militants, won last years Nobel Peace Prize along with Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Speaking at a London event on Wednesday held to highlight the plight of Vietnamese women like Tran, Murad said more needed to be done to bring perpertrators of sexual violence to justice.

"As these criminals enjoy more rights, freedom and life than the victims themselves, how can we restore dignity to the victims if everyone turns a blind eye to the prosecution of perpetrators and allow them to enjoy impunity?" Murad said through a translator.

"I call upon the international community to hold its responsibilities to protect women from sexual violence in conflict zones," she added.

Recognition

Between 1964 and 1973, about 320,000 South Korean soldiers were deployed to fight alongside U.S. troops in Vietnam, according to campaign group Justice for Lai Dai Han.

Lai Dai Han is a derogatory term used to describe Vietnamese children with South Korean fathers.

Thousands of girls and women were raped by South Korean troops, said the campaign group which hosted the event late Wednesday in Britains parliament to call for greater awareness and recognition of the historic abuses.

Not only was Tran imprisoned, left homeless and accused of "sleeping with the enemy," she had three children born of rape.

In recent years, South Koreans have in similar fashion demanded an apology from Japan for its historical use of "comfort women" - a wartime euphemism for the women, many from Korea, who were forced into prostitution and sexually abused at Japanese military brothels before and during World War Two.

Japan says the claims have been settled by past agreements and apologies, and that the continued controversy threatens relations between the two countries.

There has been no such settlement between South Korea and Vietnam.

Former British foreign secretary Jack Straw, the ambassador for Justice for Lai Dai Han, said there is now more awareness of the treatment of women during war, especially because of the #MeToo movement which has highlighted sexual abuse worldwide.

"All of us understand how difficult it is for a government of any state to acknowledge and deal with historic wrongs that are skeletons in the closet. But the attitude in the world has changed dramatically in the last 10 years," Straw said.

"We dont know where the campaign will go or whether it will be successful. We do know for sure that if we dont do anything, nothing will happen," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.They remember clearly the horrors of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese war, but the pain of the past will not dictate their future.

Journalist Hoang Phuong

Ho Tuan sat in a coffee shop next to the Bang River in the northern province of Cao Bang, a few days before the Lunar New Year.

He was to meet with a group of Chinese tourists visiting Vietnam through a local tour agency.

But these were not ordinary Chinese tourists. They were also veterans who fought in Vietnam during the Sino-Vietnamese border war. It was they and their fellows who spilled over the border and sought to wipe clean the town of Cao Bang itself back in 1979.

Tuan remembers those days very well.

Forty years ago, he was part of a military regiment tasked with holding off another Chinese division from invading the province for 12 days straight.

Among the tourists he met that day were old faces. Tuan knew, since he was the one who aimed his cannons at them many years ago.

"You invaded our country; you forced us to retaliate," was Tuans ice breaker. The Chinese group responded with silence.

But then the conversation picked up. They started to talk about their lives, their jobs and their families.

The war and battles were not mentioned much after Tuans opening salvo.

Before the Chinese group returned home, they dropped by a local cemetery to pay respect to over 400 Vietnamese martyrs who lost their lives in the war. They simply asked for some group photos, gave Tuan a cigarette packet, and then went back.

The moment Tuan shook their hands good-bye, he no longer saw them as enemies.

"They are no longer soldiers. They are just normal people now, like you and me," he said.

Another Cao Bang resident, Quyen, remembered how the children in her neighborhood jumped and cheered in joy when Chinese trucks carried supplies from the north to the south to support Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. Through the eyes of a child back then, Quyen saw them as good Samaritans who provided rice, medicine and ammunition to help her country take one step closer to independence and freedom.

But, just a few years later, Quyen also saw her village burned to the ground by the same people she thought of as saviors. People found out that a Chinese man, who was once adopted by the villagers, was the one who led Chinese troops into the village in the first place. The very next day, Quyen decided to join the army.

After the war ended, the Chinese snitch returned to China. But his two daughters stayed in the Vietnamese village, got married and had kids. The villagers bore no ill will towards the two women.

Quyen refused to disclose the identities of the women when asked, because she wanted them to have "a peaceful life." For her, they were just another two fellow villagers. They bear no responsibility to the sins their father committed, she said.

Niem, who lives in Na Sac Village, still has fond memories of the people on the other side. Forty years ago, when the road connecting Na Sac with the border was still an old, dusty trail, Niem often went to the other side to buy groceries and attend weddings of friends and acquaintances. The Chinese were like brothers and sisters to him, he recalled.

But everything changed when the war happened. Upon seeing numerous signs in the markets near the border calling for Vietnamese to be beaten, Niem felt betrayed.

Niem, too, followed his fellow villagers and placed traps and planted bamboo around the area to deter the eventual invasion. The friendly neighborhood, once welcoming to the people from the other side, had now become a defensive fortress.

However, it wasnt until Niem saw his father die from a piece of shrapnel in his chest when Chinese troops attacked the village on February 17, 1979 that he really saw people from the other side as sworn enemies. He saw firsthand how his village, home to about 40 families, lush with corn fields, was reduced to dust and rubble, and experienced the pain the destruction inflicted.

Today, Niem lives in an earthen house that oversees a border checkpoint and its fences. The roads connecting the two sides have now become some of the most traffic-heavy ones in the area, with trucks routinely moving in and out to deliver supplies from and to both countries. Niem, now an old man, sits on his front porch every day, watching the continuous trail of vehicles as drops of sunlight fill up his home and his mind. Maybe now, he is finally at peace.

Women carry rice up to the hills in Cao Bang Province to support Vietnamese soldiers during the border war in 1979. Photo by Tran Manh Thuong

Tuan, Quyen and Niems stories are not their own. Along the northern borders, millions suffered loss, pain, sorrow and anger caused by the war of 1979.

But they never lost their compassion, forgiveness, empathy and humanity.

They may not know how "China is an important economic partner for Vietnam," but they know that everyone is only trying to improve their livelihood and find happiness.

They may not know about the politics behind the war itself, but they knew enough to differentiate between the warmongers and the people who had to pick up their guns due to circumstances.

They know not to look at what makes us different from each other, but at what makes us all the same.

These people are living testaments to the horrors of war and the lessons they taught.

Its miraculous how in Cao Bang, where the forests were once burned to ashes and the land was stained with the blood of the fallen, people still remember the painful past, but do not let it control their future.

Ultimately, their humanity in the face of so much suffering does not just heal their wounds, it redeems all of us.

*Hoang Phuong is a journalist based in Hanoi. The opinions expressed are her own.A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer the USS McCampbell. Photo handed out via Reuters

The U.S. and Britain have conducted their first joint naval drills in the disputed South China Sea since China built island bases there.

The two navies announced the news on Wednesday, as Washington seeks help from allies to keep pressure on Beijing.

A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer the USS McCampbell, which is based in Japan, and a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Argyll, which is on a tour of Asia, conducted communication drills and other exercises from Friday to Wednesday "to address common security priorities", the U.S. Navy said in a press release.

"Theres no record in recent history of operations together, specifically in the South China Sea," a U.S. Navy spokesman said.

No such joint drills have been conducted there since at least 2010, he added.

The exercise comes after another British warship, the 22,000 ton HMS Albion, sailed close to the Paracel island chain claimed by China in the South China Sea in August.

It was the first time Britain had directly challenged Chinas growing control of the strategic waterway and came after the United States said it would like to see more international participation in such action. Beijing accused London of engaging in "provocation."

The McCampbell this month passed within 12 nautical miles of the same island chain in a freedom of navigation operation, which the U.S. Navy said was to "challenge excessive maritime claims."

Chinas claims in the South China Sea, through which some $3 trillion of shipborne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Vietnam calls the waters the East Sea.

Neither the United States of Britain has territorial claims in the area.

Pictures of Chinas island bases released last year appear to show truck-mounted surface-to-air missiles or anti-ship cruise missiles. Chinas air force has also landed bombers on disputed islands as part of a training exercises in the region.Buddha Air prepares international trial with Kolkata flight

Private carrier Buddha Air announced on Wednesday, three weekly flights on the Kathmandu-Kolkata route from April 15, as part of its early preparation to enter long-haul international markets by August 2020.Chinese national Cherry He Ting rattles off in fluent Thai as she presents her masters thesis ahead of graduating from a Bangkok university, where she has studied.

The 28-year-old history student is among thousands of Chinese who join Thai universities every year, according to Thai government data, which shows their annual enrolment numbers have doubled since 2012.

Hit by years of declining enrolment of Thai students, the institutions are scrambling to meet this recent surge in demand as Chinese students look for alternatives to Western schools.

Chada Triamvithaya, an academic at King Mongkuts Institute of Technology Ladkrabang who has been researching Chinese migration patterns in Thailand, said universities currently make twice the amount in tuition fees from Chinese students as they do from locals.

"Apart from private universities, state universities, even one for Buddhist monks, are now creating courses aimed at attracting Chinese students. It is all about the money," she said, adding that the lure of rising Chinese demand in Thai education has already attracted Chinese investment into the sector.

Thai universities offer more affordable overseas study for Chinese students, compared with more popular destinations like Australia, the United States and Britain, Diane Hu, assistant professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University told Reuters.

Many of these Chinese students come from the largely rural, southern provinces, hoping to escape a highly competitive but poor education system back home and land well-paying jobs in Southeast Asias second biggest economy.

"Further interest in southern provinces can be attributed to heightened trade ties between the two countries and Belt and Road-driven initiatives," Hu said.

Chinas Belt and Road program promotes expanding land and sea links between Asia, Africa and Europe, with billions of dollars pledged for infrastructure development.

Chinese students say Thailand offers better prospects because of lower tuition fees and friendlier visa rules than in the West.

She said she arrived by boat on the Mekong River from her hometown of Jinghong in southern China. She first studied tourism management at a university in Bangkok before doing a master degree in history at another university.

As many as 8,455 Chinese students enrolled in Thai universities in 2017, twice that in 2012. The total is as high as 30,000 across the country, according to research by the Asia Research Center for Migration at Chualongkorn University.

'Soft power'

Thai universities rank well below those in neighbors like Singapore and Malaysia, according to the Times Higher Education World University Ranking, Both those countries have schools among Asias top 50 whereas Thailands top institution, Mahidol University, has slipped nearly 30 places in recent years to rank near 100 out of 400 schools across Asia.

Chinese demand has risen in spite of this, and both private and state universities now hope that rising foreign enrolment will help bring in more revenue and improve the quality of education.

Studying for an undergraduate business degree costs up to 120,000 baht ($3,700) a year in Thailand, while tuition fees for a similar course can range from $8,000 in Singapore to over $60,000 a year at some U.S. universities.

Chinese students are also facing greater scrutiny in countries like the United States, where the Trump administration is considering new background checks and other restrictions over growing espionage concerns.

"If I work here I will have more opportunities than where I came from," said Cherry, who first arrived in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand almost eight years ago as an exchange student.

"Chinese students are part of the soft power assertion of China into Thailand," said Chada at King Mongkuts Institute of Technology, adding the rising number of students has been followed by a rise in Chinese teachers, translators, and academics getting more jobs in the Thai education sector.

Woraphong Dechasasawat, the vice president of one of the countrys largest Chinese-language business schools, says the institution aims to find students from among the roughly three million Chinese who would struggle to find university placement back home each year.

"There will always be demand when you talk about China, it is about how ready are we in adapting to it," he said.

Part of Dhurakij Pundit, one of the countrys largest private universities, the school started with 23 Chinese students in 2010 and now hosts about 3,700.

Some Chinese investors have even invested in private universities like Bangkoks Krirk university, with plans to introduce more courses aimed at the Chinese market, according to media.

Many researchers believe this trend will continue as China looks to expand its influence across Southeast Asia and beyond.

"The Belt and Road initiative has led to more Chinese students going to study along its corridors in the past year through government scholarships," Aksornsri Phanishsarn, an economist at Thammasat University told Reuters.

"But Thailand has seen its own surge as well due to large trade and tourism between the two countries," said Aksornsri.With the pig as the zodiac animal of the coming Tet, piggybank potters are having an easier time.

Pottery mills in Tan Vinh Hiep Commune, Tan Uyen Town, Binh Duong Province, do not have much time to rest these days. They have to supply thousands of colorful terracotta piggybanks to the market.

It is almost noon, but Nguyen Thi Hanh, 49, does not take a lunch break but is pouring clay into the pig's shape molds in an area of 1,000 square meters.

"For years, this commune has had the tradition of making piggy banks. This year is easier than the previous ones because we don't have to buy chicken and dog molds according to the lunar year," said the owner of the pottery workshop.

In the past, people used to take the clay in the local area to make pottery but now they import it from Ben Cat District, Binh Duong Province.

"The quality of clay here is excellent, tenacious and smooth, which is very suitable for making ceramic pigs. When there is a lot of sunlight, it only takes one hour for the clay to dry in the mold to create raw products" said Hanh.

Dong Minh Tan shoveled clay into the beating machine. The clay will be mixed with water, added with glue and beaten until smooth before it can be used. His workshop uses up 2 cubic meters of clay per day.

"Even with the holiday coming, my family mill could only produce 2,000 ceramic pigs per day because we only have that many molds. However, thanks to the dry season, the mill is working with full capacity, compensating for the rainy months," said Tan.

After being dried, the pigs will be put into the oven for 10 hours. "This job requires some hard work. You need to be able to spend all day in the sun and stand next to the hot oven. In compensation, the income is quite stable, every year after deducting the cost of production, I make the profit of about VND300 million ($12.94)," said Tan.

The raw products will be transported to workshops in Thuan An Town, Binh Duong, for decoration.

At the workshop of Tam in Lai Thieu Ward, about 2,000 products are imported every day. Before painting, the workers will use sandpaper to polish the pigs.

Yen Trinh swept the yellow paint over each pig. The commonly used paints are solid paints because of their good adhesion and short time to dry. A worker can paint about 500 - 700 piggy banks per day.

"During the Lunar New Year Tet holiday, workers will also work in the evening so as to make enough products to serve the market," Trinh said.

"This year, golden pigs are the main products. The backs of pigs are often decorated with patterns and letters symbolizing a bright and lucky year," Tam said.

The task of drawing the pigs' eyes is often assigned to experienced workers. "The eyes decide the appeal of the pigs. We have to draw so that the pigs have cheerful and cute faces, creating a feeling of abundance in the new year," Minh said.

The pigs have a wholesale price ranging from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese dong depending on the shape. According to the workshop owners at Lai Thieu Ward, pigs in large sizes, with the word of talent and fortune written on the back, sold at the wholesale price of VND250,000 ($10.78), are the most highly demanded products.

Besides golden pigs, the workshops also painted in many eye-catching colors and patterns.

At this time, wholesale merchants are rushing back and forth between workshops in Lai Thieu Ward to get the piggy banks. Besides the main market in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces, these products are also exported to Laos and Cambodia.Drivers argue with staff at Cai Lay toll station in Tien Giang Province on December 2, 2017. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen

Closed for more than a year following protests, the Cai Lay toll station will reopen with lower fees.

The fee for cars under 12 seats and trucks under two tons will be reduced from VND35,000 ($1.51) to VND15,000, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam under the Ministry of Transport has decided.

Toll fees for other auto types will also reduce by the same ratio, it has said.

Meanwhile, residents within a radius of 10km around the toll gate will be exempted from toll fees, up from the previous 4km radius, Nguyen Van Huyen, head of the directorate, said Tuesday.

But, he added, the time frame for collecting toll fees at the Cai Lay booth on National Highway 1 in the southern province of Tien Giang will be increased to 13 years from the initial period of seven years.

The transport ministry will sit down with Tien Giang authorities to discuss specific moves for the new toll fee plan. The meeting is expected to take place after Tet, the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls in the first week of February. The station is expected to be reopened on February 14.

The Cai Lay toll booth first opened on August 1, 2017 for investors to recover money spent on VND1 trillion (over $43 million) project to relay 26.5km of the highway and build a new bypass stretching 12km around a local town.

However, angry drivers protested the stations location, saying it should have been along the new bypass instead.

They argued that with the current location, anyone using the highway but not the bypass would also have to pay toll fees.

In protest, they used VND200 ($0.01) and VND500 notes, the smallest denominations in the country, to pay the toll fee, forcing staff to spend a lot of time counting their payments.

With all the lanes blocked as the money was counted, traffic was usually blocked for hours. At times, the toll station had to close several times per day to allow all the vehicles through before things returned to chaos again.

The station was then closed for three months.

It reopened in late November, 2017, only to see drivers promptly use stacks of small change to resume their protests.

Locals were not happy with the toll station either, saying they had to pay the fee only to travel around in their neighborhood.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in December 2017 instructed Tien Giang to suspend the Cai Lay toll station. He called an emergency meeting where it was decided that no toll would be collected at the station until the government took a final decision.

Vietnam to reopen controversial tollgate on southern highway Drivers erupt into cheers after gov't puts brakes on controversial toll station

Phuc concluded that even though using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model for the Cai Lay station was justified and in line with government policy, public opinion and reactions must not be taken for granted.

He ordered the transport ministry to come up with a solution.

There are toll stations every 62 km along the highway, according to a report released at a meeting of the legislative National Assembly last year. The standard distance set by the government is 70 km.The Aulac Fortune is on fire after the explosion off Hong Kong on January 8, 2019. Photo by AFP

The bodies of two Vietnamese men missing after an oil tanker explosion off Hong Kong earlier this month were found Thursday.

One body was found near Lantau Island and the other near Lamma Island, where the explosion happened, Tran Thanh Huan, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and Macau, said Thursday.

With the discovery of the two bodies, the number of casualties in the accident has gone up to three. There were 25 Vietnamese crew on board the tanker when the explosion happened, and 22 were rescued.

The three dead have been identified as Pham The Dung, Tran Hoang Phong and Nguyen Van Cong.

Huan said the Consulate General's office would help the three victims' families complete procedures to fly to Hong Kong and prepare for their funerals.

The 22 surviving Vietnamese crew would be sent back home once authorities finish investigating the incident.

"Were trying to get the crew return to their country before the Lunar New Year Festival and reunite with their families," Huan said.

On January 8, the Aulac Fortune, the oil tanker registered under the HCMC-based Au Lac Company, exploded while it was being refueled off Hong Kong on January 8. Investigators believed the explosion originated in the cargo section of the tanker, which contained flammable gases.Vietnam will pilot a mobile payment program using mobile credits. Photo by Shutterstock/Vietnam Stock Images

Vietnam will trial a mobile payment program to increase its cashless payment rate.

At least one telecommunication company would pilot the payment system, which can only be used to buy low-priced goods, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a conference Wednesday.

"Vietnam needs to quickly implement [cashless payment] to prevent corruption and improve public convenience."

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said the telecom infrastructure is not only for communicating but also for a digital economy, industry 4.0 and Internet of Things.

His ministry is trialling a mobile money program for users to transfer money and buy goods using a mobile payment account.

This would boost the economy since people can carry out e-transactions from anywhere, he said.

The PMs announcement came after Vietnams biggest telecom companies, Viettel, VNPT and MobiFone, sought last September to enter electronic payments.

Only 40 percent of Vietnams population had a bank account in 2017, but almost 100 percent are connected to mobile networks.

The country has the lowest percentage of cashless transactions in the region -- 4.9 percent the World Bank said last July.

The government has been encouraging cashless payment. A resolution it issued earlier this month recommended that cashless transactions should be made possible for all urban household bill payments by the end of this year, prioritizing mobile payments and payment via card readers.Vietnamese company to gift cars to top workers for Tet

An Phan Plastic Company rewards its employees with 45 cars and 20 electric scooters. Photo by Reuters

A company in the northern Hai Duong Province plans to gift 45 cars and 20 electric scooters to its best employees for Tet.

The An Phat Plastic Company has also given an employee a VND900-million ($38,849) bonus, according to the provincial labor department.

The lowest bonus in Hai Duong for the Lunar New Year (Tet), which falls on February 5 this year, is VND50,000 ($2.16), same as last year, the department said.

Most cities and provinces have announced higher bonuses this year compared to last year. The highest in Ho Chi Minh City is VND1.17 billion ($50,493) paid to a bank worker.

Bonuses reached up to VND600 million ($25,896) per worker in the central Quang Nam Province and VND400 million ($17,264) in Hanoi.

Businesses paid an employee a Tet bonus of VND6.31 million ($272) on average this year, up 11.4 percent from last year, according to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Partially state-owned companies and private firms reward its employees higher than average, at VND6.8 million ($293) and VND6.4 ($276) million respectively.

Foreign-invested businesses give its employees over VND6.2 million ($267), while wholly state-owned companies reward each staff VND5.8 million ($250), both are lower than average.Agifish reported losses in 2018 as both exports and domestic sales fell. Photo by Reuters/Kham

Agifish, a major seafood company, reported a second straight year of losses in 2018 as both exports and domestic sales fell.

The recently released 2018 audited financial report of one of Vietnam's 10 largest seafood export companies puts its loss at VND178 billion ($7.66 million).

The An Giang Fisheries Import Export Joint Stock Company, to give its formal name, had lost VND190 billion ($8.2 million) a year earlier.

The company said the loss came as sales downed 43 percent to VND1.29 trillion ($55.27 million) in 2018, due to lower fish exports and domestic sales as well as lower revenues from by-products.

The poor performance last year caused auditors to raise doubts about the company's ability to remain a going concern, but the management rejected this, saying it would increase domestic and export sales, adjust prices and reduce costs to return to the black in 2019.

Agifish has total assets of VND1.23 trillion ($52.92 million) and debts of VND800 billion ($34.42 million).

The Vietnamese seafood industry faced some challenges last year such as being subject to a "yellow card" warning by the European Commission for failing to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. There were also technical barriers and anti-dumping duties in several markets.

Seafood export value rose 5.8 percent year-on-year in 2018 to reach $8.8 billion, according to the Vietnam Customs.



Too much winning? The coal industry is back? Nope: "Coal mines are closing faster than ever... A bleak outline tonight on the coal industry. A brand new report from CNN suggests more more coal plants have closed during the first two years of the Trump administration than the first four years of the Obama administration. It's not because of regulations but because of competition with cleaner, cheaper forms of energy. Another 20 plants are expected to close this year."





Tangent/reminder: In 2016 Trump slaughtered Clinton-- 68.7% to 26.5%; he beat her in every single county. And in the primaries, Bernie also beat her badly-- 51.4% to 35.8%. He also beat her in every single county-- the urban counties, the suburban counties, the rural counties. No news there and not much to learn other than that theDemocratic Party should not let party apparatchiks pick slick, establishment corporate hacks to run for president. But that's not the point either. Even in the coal-mining counties where Trump did so well against Clinton, Bernie on primary day Bernie didn't just beat Hillary. In many counties he also outdrew Trump! People saw his authentic populist message of hope as more appealing than the dark, negative fascist picture Trump drew for them. Here's a cross section of West Virginia counties, where people were eager to hear a message that would lift their families lives. They heard it most convincingly not from Clinton and not even from Trump, but from Bernie. Monongalia, for example, whose county seat is Morgantown, is the third biggest county in the state. Bernie killed Trump there. Mingo is smack up against Kentucky in the southwest corner of the state-- "the bloodiest county in America," where Obama only got 8% of the primary vote in 2008. This is coal country, as are Logan and McDowell, both right next door. And all 3 gave far more votes to Bernie on primary day than to Senor Trumpanzee. They wanted change but most of them wanted good change, not bad change.

 Boone: Bernie- 2,410; Trumpanzee- 1,388

 Braxton: Bernie- 1,321; Trumpanzee- 861

 Calhoun: Bernie- 803; Trumpanzee- 480

 Clay: Bernie- 754; Trumpanzee- 568

 Fayette: Bernie- 3,585; Trumpanzee- 2,683

 Gilmer: Bernie- 643; Trumpanzee- 433

 Lincoln: Bernie- 1,510; Trumpanzee- 1,193

 Logan: Bernie- 3,201; Trumpanzee- 1,665

 Marion: Bernie- 5,324; Trumpanzee- 4,035

 McDowell: Bernie- 1,473; Trumpanzee- 760

 Mingo: Bernie-2,425; Trumpanzee- 1,161

 Monongalia: Bernie- 8,096; Trumpanzee- 5,971

 Randolph: Bernie- 2,492; Trumpanzee- 2,206

 Wayne: Bernie- 2,898; Trumpanzee- 2,662

 Webster: Bernie- 837; Trumpanzee- 423

 Wetzel: Bernie- 1,744; Trumpanzee- 1,096

Since the Trump/McConnell government shutdown, Trump's approval rating has ticked downward, as you can see in the brand new Gallup Poll chart. It doesn't matter that over the last month 2% more Democrats disapprove of him and it barely matters that in that period 1% more Republican voters disapprove of him. What does matter, though, is that his approve rating among independent voters has gone from 39% in mid-December to 31% now-- a drop of 8%. That's how elections are lost.

Trump's approval rating is back down to 37%

Politico Yesterday reported that Trump thinks he's going to turn his and his party's government shutdown "into a political issue in next year's presidential election, labeling 'Radical Democrats' as a 'party of open borders and crime.' How will he use this clip in his ad campaign?

The Senate voted 100% against shutting down the government-- every Republican joining every Democrat to avoid Trump's shut down. They sent the bill to the House-- then controlled by Ryan and McCarthy-- and Ryan and McCarthy refused to allow it to come to a vote. OK, new year comes and Pelosi takes over the House, puts the Senate's bill up for a vote and it passes. So Trump tells McConnell not to have a Senate revote and... we now have the longest government shut-down in history and a petulant game-playing president laughing as the economy starts circling the drain. "But even as the government remained mired in the longest shutdown in the nation's history, the president signaled that he will look to make political hay out of Democrats' unwillingness to meet his demands for $5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border."

Trump's signal that he will make the shutdown a 2020 issue came as the field of Democratic challengers has only begun to form. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced Tuesday that she would run for president, joining Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, West Virginia state lawmaker Richard Ojeda and Reps. John Delaney (D-MD) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) in the Democratic field.



None of the announced Democratic candidates have supported Trump's demands for a wall. Many have instead argued that that a border wall would be an inefficient use of funds that could be better spent on other priorities at the border like erecting fencing, hiring more immigration judges and Border Patrol agents and investing in monitoring technology.

It is expected that next week best-selling author and former Bernie surrogate, Marianne Williamson, is going to announce her candidacy. I asked her how she feels about the wall, about Trump's immigration agenda, about how to end this shutdown crisis and about how she'll debate these issues with Trump if she's the Democratic nominee in 2020.

Unlike other candidates, Williamson is running a campaign based on her hope that every one of us-- all Americans regardless of partisanship-- have to do what we can to shore up our democracy now. She's been telling audiences that too many of us being disengaged from politics was the problem, not the answer. She's telling audiences larger than most of the presidential hopefuls are getting that "this [Trumpism] couldnt have happened if more of us HAD been more engaged. We need to see that each of us being part of the solution-- on every level from local to federal-- is the only force large enough to create a unified field of democratic intent. When that field is stronger, the opponents of democracy dont have such an easy time getting in." Yesterday she told me that "Neither his immigration policies nor the wall nor the shut down are anything but symptoms of the same disease. Of course we need to fight the symptoms, but until we address their underlying cause they will continue to morph into new iterations. Trumpism is an opportunistic infection that couldnt have gotten hold of us if we hadnt had such a weakened immune system. Boosting our immune system-- the intellectual, political and moral awakening of every citizen-- is the only force powerful enough to flush out the larger attack on our democracy that so much of his presidency represents."Rolling Stone's politics guy, Matt Taibbi welcomed the new version of the Weekly Standard (RIP), The Bulwark by noting that "Neoconservatives, the architects of the War on Terror, are the political version of Jason in Friday the 13th: You can never bank on them being completely dead. They just hide under a log until the next funder appears."

Neocons began as liberal intellectuals. The likes of Bill Kristols father, Irving (who famously said a neoconservative was a liberal whod been mugged by reality), drifted from the Democratic Party in the Seventies because it had become insufficiently hawkish after the Vietnam debacle.





They abhorred realpolitik and containment, hated Richard Nixon for going to China and preferred using force to spread American values, even if it meant removing an existing government. Reagans evil empire gibberish and semi-legal muscle-flexing in places like Nicaragua made neocons tingly and finalized their defection to the red party.





The neocon-Republican marriage wasnt exactly smooth. After all, it required sanctimonious, left-leaning intellectuals to get into political bed with the Jerry Falwells of the world and embrace all sorts of positions they plainly felt were absurd. But they believed pretending to support religiosity or other popular passions was fine for ruling elites. This was supposedly a version of Platos noble lie concept, as Irving Kristol wrote in Commentary half a century ago:

If religion is an illusion that the majority of men cannot live withoutlet men believe in the lies of religion and let then a handful of sages, who know the truth and can live with it, keep it among themselves, Kristol wrote, adding: Men are then divided into the wise and the foolish, the philosophers and the common men.

Using this strategy, this self-appointed handful of sages rode the mule of Republican politics all the way to the White House. By the early 2000s they achieved such status that David Frum, the speechwriter who coined George W. Bushs Axis of Evil, felt confident in publicly calling for the excommunication of libertarians, isolationists, nationalists and all sorts of other breeds from the Church of the GOP.





Antiwar conservatives had turned their backs on the country, Frum wrote. Now we turn our backs on them.





Having alienated big chunks of the Republican coalition, the group then sank the mainstream GOP politically with the idiotic prosecution of the Iraq war.





Because they started this Middle East disaster on a lie and even bragged about doing so-- Were an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality-- they undermined faith in a smorgasbord of American institutions, from the news media to the presidency to the intelligence community to their own party.





This was a huge reason for the rise of Trump, who ran against elites and capitalized on voters loss of trust in institutions like the press. Conveniently, neocons had already begun tacking back to the Democrats by then.





...[L]ongtime Democratic Party advisers are once again triangulating against their partys own progressive wing, which was the core strategy of the original Third Way Democrats in the early Nineties. Party leaders now want to kick out populist, antiwar liberals in the same way Frum once wanted to excommunicate antiwar conservatives.





This overlaps nicely with neocons efforts to stake out the same turf between Trump and Sanders.





This is becoming a little like watching two people pretending not to be attracted to one another even though everyone knows they make each other horny. Id say the Bulwark neocons and their Democratic allies need to get a room, except they already have MSNBC (as noted by recently resigned reporter William Arkin, who complained the network had become a forum for a single war party).





As Glenn Greenwald noted in the Intercept last year, the most extreme and discredited neocons began uniting with Democrats long before the ascension of Donald Trump.





These two groups came together over a common enemy: the insufficiently bloodthirsty Barack Obama. In July 2014, in The Next Act of the Neocons, New York Times writer Jacob Heilbrun predicted the future union:

Even as they castigate Mr. Obama, the neocons may be preparing a more brazen feat: aligning themselves with Hillary Rodham Clinton and her nascent presidential campaign, in a bid to return to the drivers seat of American foreign policy.

Democracy Journal ran a similar piece in 2015, in which Robert Kagan talked about a union with Democrats, hoping to replace the term neoconservative with the less-infamous-sounding liberal interventionist.





The union achieved formal expression in 2016 with groups like the Alliance for Securing Democracy, which is backed by neocons like Kristol and Jamie Fly as well as former Joe Biden and Clinton campaign security adviser Jake Sullivan. These are the same people advising Facebook about which sites to zap (last week, Revolutionary Left Radio was the latest alt media voice to get the axe).





Both groups praised Trumps early missile strikes on Syria (Kristol, echoing his dad, said Trump had been mugged by reality; Kagan said the strikes should just be an opening salvo). Both were horrified by Trumps recent tweet about withdrawing from the Middle East.





The neocons are trying to create with Democrats a true political movement of shared goals and common adversaries. Apart from liberal interventionism, theyre emphasizing stridently anti-populist leanings, making little distinction between Trump and mouth-breathers like Rep. Steve King on the one hand, and Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the other.





Onetime neoconservative icon Max Boot even went so far as to compare Ocasio-Cortez to Sarah Palin, bemoaning the fact that she has more Twitter followers than Nancy Pelosi-- more evidence of democracys imperfections!





Both groups get starry-eyed around generals and spooks and mourned the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis like music-lovers after the death of Prince (I am shaken, said Nancy Pelosi). There were even shared fantasies about a presidential run by the Nosferatoid ex-Defense Secretary, whose greatest achievements to date had been grimacing with military severity while standing next to Trump, and clamoring for an increased role in the bombing of Yemen.





If youre not concerned about undead neocons making a comeback while Trump is in office, thats understandable. Many people will take allies against Trump from wherever they can.





Just dont be surprised if liberal interventionists are sitting in the White House once Trump leaves the scene. These are determined revolutionaries whove been scheming for years to throw a saddle on the Democratic Party after decades in bed with Republicans. Sadly, they have willing partners over there.But I dont want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you cant help that," said the Cat: "were all mad here. Im mad. Youre mad."

"How do you know Im mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldnt have come here.

 Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland





With freedom comes responsibility.

 Eleanor Roosevelt



Seven dead, 33 injured in Parbat bus accident

At least seven persons died in a passenger bus accident at Kushma Municipality in Parbat district on Thursday morning.There is, of course, a sound reason behind allowing the president emergency powers: In a crisis, swift action might be required, and so the executive needs the ability to act until the crisis passes. In theory, the legislative branch eventually gets around to weighing in on the matter  but it hasn't really worked out that way.

Presidents have been declaring emergencies and acting on them for more than a century: Abraham Lincoln famously suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War, a move he thought was on shaky constitutional ground but which he argued was necessary at the time. Nearly 100 years later, Franklin Delano Roosevelt invoked emergency powers to authorize the internment of U.S. citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry during World War II. (Those of us who believe that the federal judiciary always will serve as an effective check on the powers of the executive would be well served to remember that the Supreme Court upheld this internment in a 1944 ruling.)The death of a twice-convicted murderer who declared that he wanted to die and became frustrated when his lethal injection was postponed by legal challenges has been confirmed as a suicide, authorities said Monday.





Scott Raymond Dozier, 48, died Jan. 4, said the office of the Clark County coroner in Las Vegas that performed the autopsy.





Prison officials had reported that Dozier was found unresponsive in his solo cell on death-row at Ely State Prison.





White Pine County Sheriff Scott Henriod had said there was no indication of foul play.





Dozier said repeatedly he would rather be executed than live his life in prison.





Critics said he sought state-assisted suicide.





RELATED | Nevada death row inmate Scott Dozier dies by apparent suicide





His lawyers and state attorneys revealed in federal court filings in November that Dozier tried several times in October to arrange ways to kill himself, including apparent cuts on his neck and arms and an attempt to have poison sent to him through prison mail.





The filings came in a case in which Dozier complained that he didn't like being held under suicide watch or close-security administrative segregation.





Prison officials said he was not on suicide watch since before the court filings in November.





Dozier suspended appeals of his 2007 death sentence stemming from his conviction in the 2002 robbery-killing of 22-year-old Jeremiah Miller in Las Vegas.





He also was convicted in Phoenix of 2nd-degree murder for killing 26-year-old Jasen Green in 2002.





His execution would have been the 1st in Nevada since 2006.





It was called off in November 2017 and July 2018 during legal challenges  1st to a 3-drug combination that had never been used in the U.S. and then by drug companies suing to block their products from being used in an execution.









RELATED | Nevada: After Years of Delays and No Execution Date in Sight, a Death Row Inmate Takes His Life Nevada wanted to use the sedative midazolam, the powerful opioid fentanyl and a muscle-paralyzing agent called cisatracurium for Dozier's execution. Fentanyl is a drug blamed for illegal-use, drug overdose deaths nationwide.





Federal public defenders who represented Dozier said the combination could have rendered Dozier immobile but aware he was suffocating to death. They called it less humane than putting down a pet.





The fight propelled Nevada to the top of a national debate about the death penalty and showed extraordinary efforts some states take to try to obtain drugs from pharmaceutical companies that insist they don't want their products used for executions.





15 the 30 other states in the U.S. with capital punishment have backed Nevada in a drug company case still pending before the state Supreme Court.





The states argue that harassment from advocacy groups and threats of boycotts against pharmaceutical makers are keeping prison officials from enforcing the will of voters in states with the death penalty.





Nevada now has 79 people on death row but none immediately in line for an execution, state prisons spokeswoman Brooke Santina said.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Associated Press, January 15, 2019Iran Human Rights (IHR); January 17, 2018: A prisoner was hanged for murder charges in Northern Iranian province of Mazandaran on Wednesday.





According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), on the morning of January 16, 2019, a 29 years old prisoner was hanged for murder charges.





He had reportedly murdered a person during a robbery in Moziraj District of Babol city, northern Iran, on September 21, 2012.





His execution was scheduled two weeks ago. However, he got another two weeks in order try to win the consent of the plaintiffs, head of Babol judiciary courthouse, Fazlollah Vakili Rad, said.





According to the Iranian Islamic Penal Code (IPC) murder is punishable by qisas which means retribution in kind or retaliation.





In this way, the State effectively puts the responsibility of the death sentence for murder on the shoulders of the victims family.





In qisas cases, the plaintiff has the possibility to forgive or demand diya ( blood money).





In many cases, the victim's family are encouraged to put the rope is around the prisoner's neck and even carry out the actual execution by pulling off the chair the prisoner is standing on.





IRNA has not mentioned the exact place of the execution. However, it seems the execution was carried out at Babol Prison.





According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 240 of the 517 execution sentences in 2017 were implemented due to murder charges.





There is a lack of a classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in issuing a death sentence for any kind of murder regardless of intensity and intent.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar WildeA man was hanged by Iran Thursday, January 10, in the southwestern city of Kazeroon, the state-run ISNA news agency reported.





The 31-year old man who had not been identified by the state media was hanged after being found guilty of charges related to sodomy.





He was sentenced to death by Branch 4 of a provincial Penal Court after being charged with lavat  sexual intercourse between two men.





Branch 42 of the Supreme Court upheld the sentence later.





ISNA said the man was also convicted of kidnapping.





Iran is the worlds leading executioner per capita, with many hangings carried out in public.





At least 285 executions including 11 in public were carried out in the period spanning December 2017 to December 2018.





The real numbers were likely to be much higher as use of capital punishment in Iran is often shrouded in secrecy.





The UN General Assembly in December 2018 approved a resolution criticizing Irans human rights record.





The resolution had condemned the systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the regime and the alarmingly high number of executions, as well as torture and cruel treatment in prisons.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar WildeTamil Nadu: Cyclone Gaja case study: Relief fund not enough to rebuild even a wall

by A Mahendran

January 17,2019 | Source: down to Earth

When the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government have been boasting about their efforts to provide relief to cyclone Gaja victims, a visit to one such village revealed the true picture. The author visited Peravurani village in Tanjavur district, where he found that although people have received compensation, but its neither enough, nor does it cover all their losses. He talked to 1,525 families, 80 per cent of whom lived in kachha houses, 15 per cent in semi-kachha houses and only 5 per cent resided in pucca houses. The state allotted Rs 10,000 to rebuild kachha houses, Rs 4,500 for semi-kachha houses, and Rs 3,000 for partially damaged, old pucca houses. The villagers said the funds are inadequate considering the current prices of raw materials required in constructing houses.



For example, huts are made up of mud, coconut farm leaves, and wood reapers. The construction cost also includes labour and transport charges for three days. All of this adds up to nearly Rs 40,000 for a small hut with a single room (size 10x10), but the government has allotted Rs 10,000 for each kachha house. Lakshmi, a 54-year-old who is unable to get raw material to rebuild her kaccha house, said, I need coconut leaves to construct my home, but a lot of coconut trees were damaged in the cyclone. So, the demand and the cost are high. We dont have enough money to afford them. We need adequate relief funds.



Most of the earning members of these families are agricultural labourers and workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). While 80 per cent of the beneficiaries in this village have received relief funds, 20 per cent of them have not, owing to incorrect bank account details. The allotted relief funds are insufficient for the beneficiaries to construct even a single wall of a kachha house. This is making them go to financiers and money lenders and this is adding to their farm loan burden. Manikandan, 43, a farmer, who lost his semi-kaccha house in the natural calamity, said, Prices of raw materials have doubled after the cyclone. We need relief fund as per market prices.



This is when the state has not even looked at loss of livestock and crops with most of the villagers being farmers with no other source of income. The farmers lost a lot of coconut and mango trees to the cyclone that are long-term crops and yield enough profits every year. While farmers want Rs 1,500 per coconut tree and Rs 700 per mango and banana tree, the government still has to conduct a crop damage survey.



Even for livestock, they are expecting monetary relief. They want Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per goat (depends on its weight), Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000 per cow (depends on the milk it gave) and Rs 400 per hen (depends on the eggs it laid). We cannot predict natural calamities, and evidently, neither can the government machinery. It is a loss for the government and the farmers. So, the state should ensure permanent shelters for all that can withstand these disasters, said Ramaiah, a 50-year-old farmer in the village.Sri Lanka: Upgrade in Seafood Watch recommendation for Sri Lankan crab a milestone for fishery improvement project

by Cliff White

January 17,2019 | Source: Seafood Source

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch's released new precommendations for several species on Monday, 14 January, and an upgrade in the rating of two Sri Lankan crab fisheries are cause for celebration for the National Fisheries Institutes Crab Council, local producer Taprobane Seafoods, and the fishery improvement projects that have worked to improve the sustainability of the regional crab fishing sector.



The blue swimming crab fisheries in the Gulf of Mannar and in Palk Bay both were moved from a red Avoid ranking to a yellow Good Alternative rating, five years after parallel fishery improvement projects (FIPs) were created to push the fisheries to implement more sustainable practices. Now, the two FIPs have become the first out of the 14 in Asia to advance a blue swimming crab fishery from red to yellow under Seafood Watch's paradigm, even as many of the other FIPs have been operational for longer periods of time.



It really is a huge achievement, Steve Creech, the founder of the sustainable Ffsheries consultancy Pelagikos Ltd. and the coordinator of both FIPs, told SeafoodSource. When we started out back in 2013, there wasn't a single scientific paper or report published on blue swimming crab in Sri Lanka, never mind about the fisheries. Now there's a considerable body of research and reports. It has been long journey, but we have finally gotten there and done something that no one else has done for a small-scale blue swimming crab fishery in South and Southeast Asia.



The data collection has been an enormous effort, Creech said, but has resulted in 10 individual studies and four annual stock assessment reports. The body of data and information gathered by the members of the FIP about the fisheries over the last five years means that the fisheries are no longer 'data deficient.' The new data and information about the fisheries was critical to generating the improved scores for the fisheries for stock status, non-target species, management, and environmental impact, Creech said. Data generated through the FIP has demonstrated that crab stocks are generally healthy (i.e. at or above a level equivalent to the maximum sustainably yield) in both fisheries. Furthermore, the status of the stocks has remained at or above a level equivalent to a sustainably managed fishery in each of the past four years.



The FIPs are backed by National Fisheries Institutes Crab Council, Taprobane Seafood Group through the Seafood Exporters' Association of Sri Lanka, and the United Nations International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the Asia Foundation, and Santa Monica Seafood through FishWise. The FIP represents a USD 450,000 (EUR 392,000) direct investment over the past five years, plus about half that amount in in-kind investments, according to Creech.



The National Fisheries Institutes Crab Council congratulates the Seafood Exporters Association of Sri Lanka (SEASL) on its latest fishery improvement project milestone; earning the Monterey Bay Aquariums Good Alternative rating, NFI Crab Council Executive Director Ed Rhodes said in a press release. The NFI Crab Council has been proud to support SEASLs Blue Swimming Crab sustainability work since 2013. The dedicated FIP managers on the ground in Sri Lanka and our committed companies have worked tirelessly to improve the ecological status of the stock, advance its management and improve the economic equity of the fishery. The history of crab FIP work, ongoing, in Sri Lanka, and this latest achievement illustrate the power of successful precompetitive collaborations and deserve our sincere applause.



While not a formal certification, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program offers influential recommendations for consumers and businesses based off the degrees of consideration a given seafood source puts into ocean health. Its new recommendations for amberjack, carp, crab, smelt, and trout and updated recommendations for crab and lobster fisheries were released at the same time the Global Seafood Market Conference is taking place in San Diego, California, U.S.A.



Jennifer Kemmerly, director of global fisheries and aquaculture at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, congratulated those involved with the FIPs on the progress. Engagement with the Sri Lankan government has been critical to advancing fishery improvements in the region, Kemmerly said. Their efforts have culminated in a more sustainable fishery and now a new relationship with SeaChange Ignite. This relationship, and the resulting market connections, can help incentivize fisheries improvements in other regions.



Creech said local support has been key to making real improvements in the fisheries. Sri Lankas Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are have introduced a new code of conduct and other fishing regulations, as well as a new export schedule. And the fishermen of the 70 or so fishing communities along the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, off the northern and northwestern coast of Sri Lanka, despite being spread across two provinces encompassing four religions and two languages, are strongly committed to sustainably managing the blue swimming crab resources in both the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay fisheries, Creech said.



Creech said the Good Alternative rating is not an end-point for the FIPs, but rather just a waypoint to reaching even higher levels of sustainability. In November 2018, the two fisheries were submitted for pre-assessment against the Marine Stewardship Councils fishery standard, and the FIPs are both targeting the green, Best Choice rating from Seafood Watch. In order to achieve that, more work is needed to better understand the impact of the fisheries on endangered or threatened non-target species, and more time is necessary to know for sure if the newly implemented management measures will be effective.



To drive this process on, we want [a] green [rating], Creech said. We're confident that the NFI Crab Council will continue to meet the cost of funding the FIP over the next and of bringing in more direct funding from the seafood industry in Sri Lanka. Taprobane Seafood Group has already commitment to set up an accruement from the sales of its soon-to-be-launched own label, Taprobane Crab Meat. We're confident we can get other crab exporting companies to also commit to financing further improvements to the fisheries, that will take the fisheries from Good Alternative to Best Choice within three years.



Taprobane Seafoods CEO Tim O'Reilly said the new Seafood Watch rating will have a significant impact on his business. "It means we will be able to access new markets, which will enable our fisherman too get better prices. It will also stabilize our supply chain, which will enable our workers to earn more income," he told SeafoodSource. Taprobane is working to implement an acrument scheme to ensure that any premium paid for the company's crab products will return to the communties involved in the fisheries, O'Reilly said.Going to restaurants, bars and concerts is normal for a young woman her age. However, if you prefer not to subsidize the vacations because you feel they are excessive, discuss your feelings with her before deciding what to do.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have lived like nomads for the last few years. We have bought, sold and moved many times for all sorts of silly reasons. Our 5-year-old daughter finally started school, yet we don't feel at home here. We now realize buying and selling may not be for us, so we are renting, but we still aren't happy.

We moved here to be close to my oldest and dearest friend, whose kids are now grown, and to my sister, who hardly talks to us or sees us. My husband's sister and her husband's family love us and treat us well. They have suggested we should move by them. They have kids our daughter's age. The only issue is possibly not finding a good home or school. Private school could be an option.

Would another move be bad? Should we make a final move before our daughter gets vested in school and friends? It would put us within walking distance to several families we spend a lot of time with and who love us very much. We are afraid of judgment from everyone. Please help us sort it out. -- HOPEFUL NOMADS IN ILLINOISHow Nepals ultra-rich are using foreign direct investment to turn their black money into white

A Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal report paints a damning picture of how illegal money is coming into country from tax havens in the form of foreign direct investment.Want to have a fun night and raise money for a fun and unique cause?

The First United Methodist Church in Park Hills will be hosting a trivia night on Friday. It is being held to raise money for local students who will be taking an intercontinental trip in the coming years.

Ryan Hassell, music director at the church, has organized a trip to Italy and Greece in 2020 for local students from West County, and one student from North County.

It will be an educational, historical tour, Hassell said. Its through EF Tours, and they specialize in student tours and have been doing so for 50 years.

Last year, Hassell took several students to various countries in Europe, and he said everyone had a great time. He hopes he can emulate that success again in the coming year.

The trivia night is open to anyone who is interested, and participants can bring their own team or join an existing one. Teams will be limited to 8-10 people. Tickets are $10 a person.

Additionally, Hassell said that enrollment for the trip is still open. And it isnt just for students; adults can sign up, too.

The trivia will start at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at the First United Methodist Church in Park Hills, located at 401 Taylor Ave. If you have any questions or need more information about the trivia night or the trip enrollment, contact Ryan Hassell at 573-218-8410.

Rachel Gann is a reporter for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or at rgann@dailyjournalonline.com.

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Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy."The driveway will make the church look more open and accommodating," said church board secretary, Patricia Briseno. "Right now we only have parking in the back of the building for about 10 cars and everyone else has to park along the street and walk into the church. The new drive will also be handy for weddings and funerals held at the church.

The project will remove two sections of the iron gates in the front of the church to allow the driver to pass through. The gate sections will be removed and about eight inches of top soil will be taken away then gravel will be laid for the project.

Wood states that he hopes to have the iron sections removed, the dirt hauled away and the gravel down by around the middle of February. This will allow the gravel to settle during the remainder of winter so that asphalt can be laid in the late spring.

Briseno was asked by some why they bother with such a project, and her response was, we hold dear to the motto of the UCC, which is God is still speaking and we feel that as long as God is still speaking, we should be speaking too. We want people to know that we are still here and dont plan on going anywhere.

Matt McFarland is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3616, or at mmcfarland@dailyjournalonline.com.

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Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy."I may stay through the end of April if a neighboring nation wants me to come while in Nairobi, Kenya, she said. but I believe I'll be ready for a trip home by the end of April. While traveling the globe just seems to be in my DNA, I still need help to raise the cost of my airfare home."

According to Richee, her family traveled frequently when she was a child, in fact, she attended 13 schools by the time she was a high school senior. Later, she attended both Rhema Bible Training College and Mineral Area College. She has also studied several foreign languages.

While she has no problem sharing the gospel in a forthright manner, the evangelist/missionary admits that prior to becoming a Christian, she was very timid and shy."

"I believe Jesus got right to the point, don't you?" asked Richee, who celebrated her 30th year of international ministry in 2018.

Richee has been interviewed on TV and radio numerous times, including TBN and the 700 Club. She had her own radio broadcast in St. Louis "in the early days" on KXEN 1010 and has written several publications. Prior to moving to Farmington, she had a weekly newspaper column called Faith Food and a monthly publication, Look What God is Doing! in Carlinville, Illinois.A Belarusian modelwho claimed last year that she had evidence of Russian involvement in helping elect Donald Trump presidenthas been deported from Thailand, police said.Anastasia Vashukevichalong with seven co-defendants pleaded guilty this week in a case related to holding a sex training seminar in ThailandThey were arrested almost a year ago in the seaside resort town of Pattaya, which is especially popular with Russian tourists.Thailand's immigration police chief Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn said most of the group left on flights shortly after noon, those going to Russia on one flight and those headed to Belarus on another.Vashukevich and at least one of the other deportees hold passports from Belarus.While in custody, Vashukevich claimed to have recordings of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaskatalking about interference in the 2016 US election, but never released them.Deripaska is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and also had a working relationship with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager who was investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller and convicted last year of tax and bank fraud.Vashukevich  also known on social media as Nastya Rybka and her co-defendants were convicted of soliciting and conspiracy and given suspended 18-month prison terms.The group had said that they were conducting a class on sexual relationships.Surachate said Russian self-styled sex guru Alexander Kirillov, Vashukevich's mentor in the sex training business, would take a Thursday night flight because no more seats were available earlier.In the early stages of their detention, the sex training group sent a note to the US Embassy via an intermediary seeking help and political asylum.Vashukevich indicated she would turn over the recordings she claimed to have if the US could help secure her release, but later withdrew the offer, suggesting that she and Deripaska had reached an agreement.A public scandal erupted in early February last year when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny published an investigation drawing on Vashukevich's social media posts suggesting corrupt links between Deripaska and a top Kremlin official, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei PrikhodkoThe investigative report featured video from Deripaska's yacht in 2016, when Vashukevich, who has also worked as an escort, was aboard.On Wednesday in Washington, the US Senate narrowly upheld a Treasury Department decision to lift sanctions from three companies connected to Deripaska.The Treasury Department says the Russian companies have committed to separating from Deripaska, who will remain blacklisted as part of an array of measures announced in early April that targeted tycoons close to the Kremlin.Deripaska was one of 24 Russian officials and tycoons faced with sanctions imposed by the United States last year as Washington stepped up its condemnation of Russia's actions in recent years, including its 2014 annexation of Crimea, support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, hacking attacks and meddling in Western elections.The metals tycoon controls a business empire with assets in aluminium, energy and construction and is worth $5.3 billion, according to Forbesmagazine.Manchester City have opened talks over a 7million deal for 18-year-old Ante Palaversa, the highly rated Hajduk Split midfielder.The Croatia Under-19 captain has been on City's radar for some time as a potential long-term replacement for 33-year-old Fernandinho.The Premier Leagueclub are expected to confirm the signing in the next few days.Palaversa is set to remain with Hajduk until the summer and could potentially stay at his current club for one more season after that to continue his development.Meanwhile, City winger Rabbi Matondo, who has rejected a new contract, is wanted by Borussia Monchengladbach.The 18-year-old also has interest from Everton, Southampton and Red Bull Leipzig.So as we focus the brunt of our attention on the government shutdown, lets not forget that the true national emergency is the guy who precipitated it. Over the weekend, even Fox News host Jeanine Pirro felt compelled to address it. With Trump on the phone, she posed this question: Are you now, or have you ever, worked for the Russians?

I think its the most insulting thing Ive ever been asked. I think its the most insulting article Ive ever had written. And if you read the article, youd see that they found absolutely nothing. (Fact check: The Times article reaches no such conclusion.) But the headline of that article, its called The failing New York Times for a reason, theyve gotten me wrong for three years. Theyve actually gotten me wrong for many years before that. And I can tell you this, if you ask the folks in Russia, Ive been tougher on Russia than anybody else, any other  probably any other president, period, but certainly the last three or four presidents, modern day presidents. Nobodys been as tough as I have from any standpoint including the fact that weve done oil like weve never done it, were setting records in exporting oil and many other things.Before we get to the question of whether the president of the United States is a Russian asset, lets consider another question: When was the last time a popular and contentious conspiracy theory turned out to be true? Not a little true, but, like, really true?

It does happen. Whittaker Chambers was right about Alger Hiss being a Soviet spy. The government really did put poison in legal alcohol during Prohibition.

But even when conspiracy theorists earn the right to say We told you so, the actual reality often falls short of the mark. The motives of the conspirators arent as sinister as claimed, or the plot is better explained by incompetence than malevolence, or the scope of the conspiracy itself isnt nearly as vast as suspected.

This has always been my problem with the most extreme versions of the Russian collusion theories. The British former journalist and politician Louise Mensch offers an extreme version. Among her claims: Vladimir Putin had my late friend Andrew Breitbart murdered so that former Donald Trump consigliere Steve Bannon could take over Breitbarts eponymous website; Russian intelligence planted Hillary Clintons emails on former Rep. Anthony Weiners laptop; pretty much the whole of the GOP leadership is in cahoots with the Kremlin.The U.S. Attorneys Office is feeling the pinch of the federal government shutdown, according to David Freed, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Freed said the shutdown has forced much of the part of his office that deals with civil cases to be furloughed. The cases being handled by that department, which includes civil suits coming from inmates in federal prisons, have been put on hold, he said.

The civil division makes up about 40 percent of the U.S. Attorneys Office, which is in Harrisburg, Freed said.

Criminal cases, however, continue moving forward and the staff that handle those cases is working without pay.

Staff at the office received paychecks at the end of December but have not been paid since, Freed said.

I can just tell from being around the office, people are really starting to feel the pinch, Freed said.

Its not just the missed paycheck that is causing concern. Freed said his staff understood they would get paid back once the shutdown is over, but how long they will go without pay looms large.Sentinel reporter Joseph Cress offers a daily digital glimpse back in Cumberland County history with help from our Newspapers.com archives:

50 Years Ago

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The Sentinel reported that Carlisle Borough Council voted 4-3 on Jan. 16 to adopt an ordinance enacting an $8 work privilege tax on all people employed in the borough. The measure was passed over the objection of several local business leaders and James Line, the tax collector. Line wanted the council to delay action because of difficulties involved in the collection. In other local news:

 Carlisle Senior High School had scheduled a College Information Night for Monday, Jan. 20. Representatives from five Pennsylvania colleges and universities would be present to brief high school students on their offerings for post-secondary education. Scheduled to appear were Harrisburg Area Community College, Juniata College, Shippensburg State College, Bucknell University and Pennsylvania State University.

 Carlisle Area School Board authorized a group of teachers to study the feasibility of providing elementary-aged students an outdoor education program that included day or overnight camping opportunities.

Email Joseph Cress at jcress@cumberlink.com.

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Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The first-ever Womens Rally on the Square, a sister event to the national Womens March this weekend, will take place in Carlisle Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Square.

A group of us drove down to the one in Gettysburg last year and it was on the way back from that, that we decided we should hold one in Carlisle, said Kate Elkins of American Association of University Women Carlisle, one of the rallys lead organizers.

Just because some more female politicians made it into Congress that doesnt mean that our work is over. These issues still have a lot of work to be done, Elkins said.

The founding Womens March was held Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, whose history of sexist comments was seen as a major impetus for the rallies.

The main protest march was held in Washington, D.C., with participation estimates as high as 1 million marchers.

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Total participation at satellite rallies round the globe was estimated as high as 5 million participants, with additional rallies added for the second event on Jan. 20, 2018.Share this: Twitter

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We were all journalists, so we went to work. We wrote about what happened to us that day, Ashraf Abdelaziz, editor-in-chief of the privately owned al-Jarida daily told me over the phone this week, while recounting how he and his colleagues reported on their own arrest while still in detention.

While surrounded by police officers wielding weapons and shouting at them to remain glued to the floor of the police station they had been taken to, the journalists wrote about how they were arrested for protesting about widespread censorship outside Sudans National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) headquarters. They were detained for six hours at the remote station north of Khartoum, until members of the Sudanese Journalists Union negotiated their release.

Upon release, Abdelaziz said, he raced to the print house, only to be turned down again for the seventeenth time by a NISS censor. Actually, it was 16, Abdelziz immediately corrected himself, to stress the distinction. 16 times the NISS officer ordered al-Jarida issues to be banned from printing, and once more the issue was banned from distribution after it was printed.

The practice, which Abdelaziz calls prior censorship, started amid widespread protests over President Omar al-Bashirs refusal to step down before the 2020 presidential elections. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested and dozens were killed in clashes, according to reports. Authorities said that at least 19 people, including two security personnel, were killed in clashes. The rights group Amnesty International puts the death toll from protests at more than 40, according to news reports.

On December 20, the NISS ordered print houses not to publish dailies covering the protests, without prior approval. The situation has since continued to deteriorate for the press, with several journalists being arrested, including two with whom I spoke earlier this week: columnist Shamael Elnoor and prominent journalist Faisal Mohamed Saleh, who both spoke out about the protests and were arrested on January 17.

Newspapers are being forced to toe the government line, some steering away from covering the protest all together and others publishing blank spaces in the places assigned for protest coverage and opinion columns that support it, the local journalists with whom I spoke said.

Abdelazizs outlet, Al-Jarida, is one of few dailies that has insisted on covering the protests in full every day, even if it meant the outlet could only circulate its edition as a PDF online.

Almost every day, a security officer who has no journalism experience or training acts as my editor-in-chief, al-Tayyar columnist Elnoor told me on January 16, before her arrest. On December 21, the privately owned al-Tayar was ordered to remove Elnoors column and several other items on the protest, before the print edition was allowed to be distributed. But a copy of the issue, including Elnoors column, was posted online.

They could silence my print voice, but I can express myself online, Elnoor added, referencing her social media accounts and the efforts of some Sudanese news websites including al-Rakoba and others that republished her censored column, which included harsh criticisms for the governments response to the protests.

After her release today, Elnoor told me, I continue to do my work because with every day I become more certain I am doing something great.

In an apparent attempt to stop censored coverage being shared online, authorities on December 21 blocked access to social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and the communication app WhatsApp, CPJ documented at the time.

Images from the protests shared online have galvanized support across the country. Activists and journalists have posted photos and videos on Facebook and Twitter, later shown by regional and international media, that show large number of protesters and police responding to the unrest with brutal force, including tear gas and live bullets.

It is a cat and mouse game every day to get online to do your work as a journalist, local freelance journalist and press freedom advocate Abdelgadir Mohammed Abdelgadir told me. Abdelgadir, who has previously written for CPJ about censorship in Sudan, lamented the slow speed of filtered internet using tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs.)

According to Abdelgadir, most of the reporters covering demonstrations use their mobiles to take photos and videos, but those materials are increasingly hard to verify and post online because users need a stable connection and a way to bypass the countrys internet providers block on social media sites.

As well as cutting access to the internet and censoring the press, authorities have arrested more than 800 protesters, including several critical journalists, according to reports.

On January 3, NISS agents detained journalist Saleh for two days because of his vocal support in media interviews of the demonstrations and for publicly protesting the governments censorship efforts and attempts to downplay the number of killed protesters.

Kamal Karrar and Ghurashi Awad from the Sudanese Communist Party-owned Almidan, who were arrested in early January, remain in custody on unspecified charges, the local press freedom group Sudanese Journalists Network reported. And as of yesterday, journalist Okail Ahmed Naim, who was arrested from his Khartoum home on January 10, remained in custody, according to Alrakooba and the Sudanese Journalists Network. NISS has also stopped distribution of his paper, the network reported.

Saleh told me that he criticized the governments denial about casualties in interviews with international broadcasters because he knew that authorities could control local print and local TV media and that the public are not able to access the internet.

Before going after demonstrators, police officers usually go after TV journalists. Those with a camera first, then those with cell phones. I was arrested before, for speaking up. It is a matter of principle for me. It is my duty to my fellow journalists to defend their press freedom, Saleh told me yesterday. Today, he was back behind bars.Redfearn is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. The main things he said his presentation would encompass were cover crop management, crop residue and grazing and grazing licenses

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Theres typically a lot of variation in the expertise," Redfearn of audience members at his talks. "Some of these guys in here have used cover crops for several years and theyve been very successful. Some of them have used them and they haven't performed quite as consistently as they might like, and then theres another group in here thats likely still on the end of the newbies that are still trying to think potentially about whether they want to start incorporating cover crops.

Curt Becker was in attendance at the event. He works as a projects manager with the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District. He said he drove an hour from Dodge to learn more about cover crops and support a fellow district's event.

A lot of the districts support each other, Becker said, adding he attended to basically, learn a little more about cover crops Its a hot topic.On Thursday, a deputy responded to a call of a suicidal individual in a residence southeast of Columbus, according to Wemhoff. While there was an argument between people in the home, the deputy determined that no individual there was any danger to themselves or anyone else.

A deputy responded to a verbal dispute southwest of Columbus involving a vehicle and owed money on Sunday, according to Wemhoff. The deputy determined that it was a civil matter, not criminal, and instructed the parties on how to proceed.

On Sunday, two parties located south of Columbus were separated by a deputy. The two were having a verbal argument and the incident involved damage done to a window estimated at $200. The deputy ended up giving a ride to one of the parties to a location in Columbus, according to Wemhoff.

Traffic related incidents

A deputy pulled over a vehicle driving along Highway 81 on Thursday. It was determined the vehicle had a juvenile who had run away from home in Colorado and been reported missing. The juvenile was turned over to the Northeast Nebraska Juvenile Detention Center in Madison, according to Wemhoff.In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!The Prime Time Awards are voted on by each of the three members of the Prime Time Podcasts. The awards look at the impact on the cigar industry. Today, we unveil our choice for 2018 Person of the Year. This award looks at the individual who for better or worse had the most significant impact on the cigar industry.

Aganorsa Leaf Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Terence Reilly is the Prime Time teams selection for 2018 Person of the Year for the cigar industry.

After a long tenure at Quesada Cigars, Reilly joined Eduardo Fernandezs Casa Fernandez Cigars at the end of 2017. The company is well-known for its Aganorsa farms in Nicaragua that grow some of the best tobacco in the world. The company has ownership in two factories in Nicaragua (Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A, Sabor Agnorsa S.A.) as well as the Casa Fernandez Miami factory located in Miami, Florida. For many years it has grown and produced its own branded cigars as well as cigars for other brand owners. With all of the great work done in Fernandezs operation, the Casa Fernandez brand sometimes got overlooked. That all changed in a big way in 2018.

One key role Reilly played was in the renaming and rebranding of the company from Casa Fernandez to Aganorsa Leaf. As Reilly noted when the change was made, Its essential cigar aficionados associate our cigars with the incredible leaf we grow. Changing our name to Aganorsa Leaf is a crucial step towards that goal. After announcing the new name, Reilly turned his attention to fine-tuning the branding of the companys cigar portfolio to bring a level of consistency while keeping the companys message in the forefront. Company renaming and rebranding is a difficult and risky proposition, but with Reillys guidance, it went as smooth as could be.

Meanwhile, Reilly took to the road visiting retailers and consumers across the U.S. Not only did he spread the word of the new branding, but he was educating everyone on the Aganorsa Leaf operation. Throughout the year, the brands of Aganorsa Leaf rapidly gained prominence in retailer humidors. When Reilly had originally joined Casa Fernandez, he referred to its brands as a sleeping giant. By the time 2018 came to a close, the Aganorsa Leaf brands were now standing out in the forefront.

In the end, while the Aganorsa Leaf was already a well-oiled machine, Reilly put a turbo-charge into it. The company was able to move to the next level seamlessly and rapidly. The Person of the Year award is about impact, and Reillys work in 2018 lived up to what this award is about.

Honorable Mentions: Robert Holt, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.

The full vote results appear here.

Previous Winners

2014 Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard and Jim Young

2015 AJ Fernandez

2016 Carlos Fuente Sr.

2017 AJ Fernandez

2018 Terence Reilly

Photo Credit: Terence ReillyIt was mid-December of 2018, I recently got engaged my girlfriend Kimberley back in November and I came across a video on my Facebook news feed entitled Is Marriage Necessary? by Couch Conversations.

The video featured 3 young married non-Christian couples discussing their journeys and opinions on the topic. As expected, the men didnt think marriage was necessary while the women did. The men gave in to the desires of their women for various reasons like fear of losing her, her being adamant about not having children until they were married and the belief that marriage would make them more blessed by God and their community.

When I first saw the topic my initial response was Yes marriage is necessary, however, the expensive wedding ceremony isnt. At the time if I could have things my way I would have been marrying my fiancee the very next month. But instead, out of a desire to have a well planned and beautiful wedding we both agreed to set the date for July 27, 2019 in order to give ourselves time to save and plan.

As much as people may have assumed my Fiancee pushed me to engage her quickly (we had only been courting for 10 months) I actually always desired marriage from my teenaged years.

I know I dont sound like a typical guy, but being a husband and father was always a big life goal for me even bigger than career goals because of my Christian roots and also because of my own broken family I felt a great need to be the redeemer of my familys name.

So yes, I believe marriage is necessary, however, I totally understand why many men think otherwise, here are a couple statements men who disagree have given.

If I love her and Im committed to her there should be no need for some big ceremony to prove that. Isnt my faithfulness and consistency good enough? Ive seen so many wonderful couples have a great relationship and then after they marry they end up getting divorced. Probably if they didnt marry they would have been fine. Marriage is just a piece of paper it shouldnt make a difference.

I will address the statements above in my next article which will be entitled Mens Marriage Misunderstandings. In this article Ill first establish the difference between a marriage and a wedding and then explain why marriage is necessary.

Marriage and the wedding

People tend to use the terms marriage and wedding interchangeably but the two are different. The wedding is what is used by our society to mark the start of a marriage.

The marriage, however, is the day to day out workings of the relationship between a man and a woman and actually begins before the wedding ceremony. In my opinion, a marriage begins at the point in time when a couple make a commitment onto life long partnership with each other and this commitment is sealed with sex (Genesis Chapter 2, Verse 24).

There is really no need for an expensive wedding ceremony and so taking into consideration how many men feel probably the title of that video I saw should really be Is a wedding necessary?

Because marriage is absolutely necessary for the building of stable families which in turn contributes to the building of a healthy society. However, the wedding holds no bearing on how effective a marriage will be because there are certain God given principles that need to be followed for a marriage to last until death separates the two.

A basic need of a woman is to feel safe and secure. In our societies where it is so common for men to leave women behind to manage the responsibility of home maintenance and child rearing, without the ceremony and ring on her finger a woman (especially one who has been left jaded by a past broken relationship) doesnt feel safe and secure in her relationship if her man puts up resistance to marrying her.

The public wedding is a strong commitment and bond being made, and without the legalization of the union both people can up and leave without any legal ramifications. The legal restraints that a wedding puts on a marriage gives both people involved more confidence that the relationship is less vulnerable to change of heart and mind resulting in the woman feeling freer to give her entire self to her husband and grant him his every wish.

Marriage is necessary for the community to know how they ought to act toward a couple, how to encourage a couple and how to hold a couple accountable.

When a couple is married it ought to send a message to all around them that this man and this woman are now off the market so dont flirt with them, dont invite them out on dates, dont be surprised if you see them hug and kiss each other, dont be disappointed or concerned if the woman gets pregnant.

Marriage also gives us men a greater sense of purpose and responsibility, when we walk in our God given authority as husbands to our wife we unlock another level of blessings and favour from the Lord (Proverbs Chapter 18, Verse 22 - and - 1 Peter Chapter 3, Verse 7).

Darren Salmon is a 27 year old young man from Kingston, Jamaica where he read for his Bachelor of Science degree in BioTechnology at the University of West Indies. He became a follower of Jesus when he was 10 and has since developed a ministry of Christian Poetry for which he has gained a godly reputation. He became a young writer with Christian Today through the recommendation of Stacy-Ann Smith an established and award winning young writer.Chinese authorities have once again targeted the Early Rain Covenant Church with a police raid on a Bible class.

The flourishing church in Chengdu was repeatedly raided in December, with 160 of its members detained including its pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong.

Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong are being held in detention. ( China Aid)

According to China Aid, more than 30 students had gathered last week at a restaurant for an 'Introduction to Christianity' class and a meal. Around 20 police officers confiscated their phones and took them to a police station, where they were interrogated.

According to China Aid's source, the Christians were kept at the police station for several hours without food or water, and it was very cold in the interrogation room.

Wang Yi and Jiang Rong are being held on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power'.

The moves against Early Rain are part of a wider Chinese clampdown on religion that has also seen around 1 million Uighur Muslims detained in 're-education camps'. According to Bitter Winter, which reports on persecution in China, authorities are enforcing 'church-free zones' around schools, forcing churches to close if they are too near schools. It cites an official order stating: 'All private Christian gathering sites around universities and colleges, as well as on-campus activity sites, are to be shut down in accordance with the law. Criticism and (re)education of participating teachers and students is to be carried out by the school authorities.'

Bitter Winter also reports on a new electronic surveillance programme, 'Sharp Eyes', which monitors churches. It quotes one rural Christian as saying: 'If they install any more surveillance cameras in the village, there will truly be nowhere left to go. During the Cultural Revolution, some Christians were able to dig underground cellars for congregations, but I fear in the future we won't even have a chance to do that.'Gov. Tony Evers plans to provide a pathway for the legalization of medical marijuana in his state budget and said he supports eventual full legalization.

Evers, speaking Tuesday to the Wisconsin Technology Council, said he plans to include a first step toward medical use in his upcoming budget and wants to explore ways to legalize recreational use that favor entrepreneurs and small businesses.

At the end of the day, do I favor legalization? Yes. Evers said. So we will likely have in our budget a first step around medical marijuana.

If a bill fully legalizing recreational marijuana were presented to him, Evers said, I personally would sign that bill.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Josh Kaul told a Milwaukee TV station he is open to allowing medical marijuana and will advocate for it with the Legislature.

Evers, as hes done on the campaign trail, said Tuesday he would support an advisory referendum to determine whether Wisconsinites approve legalizing marijuana in full.

Such a referendum would not have the force of law. Wisconsin does not allow voters to enact their own laws, as other states such as California do, without the Legislature approving it first through a bill.At the Barron Area School District, Superintendent Diane Tremblay said administrators will meet Thursday to work on a plan to address the trauma students may be feeling.

"It was definitely a random act of evil," Tremblay said. "We have to not focus on the things we don't have control over  don't let it infiltrate you and make you negative. Stick to the positive: Jayme is home."

While the main focus for teachers, administrators and counselors will be to listen to students, she said, their message will be that the children continue to be safe at school and at home.

"What would the point be of telling them anything else but that?" Tremblay said. "What sense does it make to change your lifestyle because of evildoing?"

Barron Mayor Ron Fladten said the crimes and the details behind them are "unheard of in Barron."

To some degree, reassurance is something people have to work on individually, he said.

"You can't prevent the eruption of evil. You can't predict it. Unfortunately we live in the real world and we can't control everything that happens," Fladten said. "It is the scariest thing possible, but I think people need to go on with their lives and try to look up and be positive and be optimistic."One of Wisconsins legacy retailers said Wednesday morning that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will close 38 more stores.

Green Bay area-based Shopko, with 360 stores in 26 states, including a large presence in Wisconsin, said it is restructuring as a result of excess debt and ongoing competitive pressures.

None of the Shopko locations in the Chippewa Valley  the stores in Chippewa Falls or Eau Claire, and the Hometown location in Stanley  were on the list of closures.

The company has obtained $480 million in debtor-in-possession financing to help fund and protect its operations through the Chapter 11 process. The funds will be used to pay suppliers, vendors and other business partners. The bankruptcy was filed Wednesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Nebraska.Chippewa Valley area Assembly Republicans announced a new tax proposal which they say would be directed solely at middle class taxpayers in Wisconsin.

Rep. Rob Summerfield (R-Bloomer), Rep. Jesse James (R-Altoona), Rep. Romaine Quinn (R-Rice Lake) and Rep. Warren Petryk (R-Eleva) gathered Thursday at the Altoona Family Restaurant to hold a press conference announcing the proposal.

There were five similar conferences statewide and another at the capital.

The measure would cut taxes by 10 percent for families that make less than $150,000 per year and individuals that make less than $100,000 per year, which they say would represent $340 million in tax relief.

In their announcement, the representatives touted the proposal as properly bipartisan because the same goal had been proposed by Gov. Tony Evers campaign prior to the election.

The difference, they said, was that rather than raising taxes on other areas, their proposal would not cap the Manufacturing and Agricultural Tax Credit and instead utilize some of the states $588.5 million budget surplus to cover the tax relief. Quinn said that now with a divided government, they have to concentrate on what the people of Wisconsin want in order reach their goals.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}The remains of an Alberta man who went for a walk in Arizona on Christmas Eve in 2010 and never returned have been found.

Hugh Turner, 85, left his Mesa home around noon that day. There was an exhaustive search for years, involving local police, search and rescue teams, hundreds of volunteers and even psychics, but no evidence as to where he had gone was ever found, police said.

Remains found on remote mountain

Turner's daughter Janice McCaffrey, a Calgary resident and former Olympic race-walker, said on Monday night her family was informed that her father's remains had been found on Red Mountain. McCaffrey's husband Bill is the former CEO and founder of oil giant MEG Energy.

The mountain, located north of the city just beyond city limits and the community where Turner and his wife Joyce lived in the winter, is located on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. Only band members are permitted on the land.

Mesa police said a hiker found Turner's remains on Jan. 5 and some personal effects that allowed the medical examiner to positively ID him a few days later.

"I don't think any of us had thought we were ever going to know what happened to our father. And I've kind of figured, that as sad as it is, we just won the cold case missing persons lottery and someone found him  and that in itself is a miracle," McCaffrey said. "It was just like he vanished."

His remains were found in a remote area, kilometres north of his home near Redmont and Sugarloaf in East Mesa, across a canal, and up steep terrain, McCaffrey said. The area wasn't part of the ground covered in the initial search.

Mesa police, Google Maps

She joked that her father never had a great sense of direction, and wouldn't have wanted to cause so much trouble.

"He was such a humble guy."

His missing persons report notes that he was showing early signs of dementia, and exhibiting some short-term memory loss, but McCaffrey said he was still very much in touch with what was going on and stayed active.

Story continues

When he went missing she still came back there every winter. - Janice McCaffrey, speaking about her mother Joyce Turner.

Turner's wife of 60 years, Joyce, was in the same home in Arizona where her husband went missing when she heard the news. She's 90 years old now; Turner would have been 94.

"When he went missing she still came back there every winter. She needs a lot of support, but she's a real feisty lady and she misses him so much," McCaffrey said.

"We're sad that he wasn't there to be with her, but it's certainly made us realize how invaluable our family is and how we cope under duress. And I'm proud to say that we held together and many, many kind people held us up and supported us."

Police thanked the volunteers who were involved in the initial search effort.

"This information although sad, will hopefully provide some closure to the family and friends. We again want to thank the many family, friends, other agencies and volunteers who helped search for Mr. Turner nearly a decade ago," Mesa police said in a release.

Turner is survived by his wife and four children.International headlines about frostbite and amputations haven't kept people away from the Yukon Arctic Ultra.

Last year's race saw frigid temperatures and one Italian athlete lost two feet and both hands to severe frostbite after wandering alone for hours.

A British man had three of his toes amputated, two months after they were irreparably injured by severe frostbite during the race.

Founder and organizer Robert Pollhammer said candidates have been calling from across Canada as well as England, Germany, the U.S. and some new nations this year like Slovenia and Romania.

This is not some joke or funny adventure. This is serious business. - Robert Pollhammer, founder of Yukon Arctic Ultra

Pollhammer said 85 people have registered so far.

The turnout isn't a record but it doesn't seem to have dipped after last year's misfortunes.

Phillippe Morin/CBC

The Yukon Arctic Ultra is a long-distance race where athletes can choose to compete by mountain bike, cross-country ski or foot.

Routes can range between 160 kilometres to a gruelling 690 kilometres.

New screening measure in place this year

Pollhammer said candidates are being screened this year.

For the first time, each caller is now interviewed by phone. During this process, Pollhammer said he discusses the risks.

"I am literally telling people they can die out there," he said. "This is not some joke or funny adventure. This is serious business when it gets that cold."

Pollhammer said the race organizers will make it as safe as possible but that "there is no 100 per cent safety."

Philippe Morin/CBC

But he said he's confident the athletes will sufficiently prepare.

One small change this year is that the Yukon Arctic Ultra will provide batteries for GPS locators. Some runners had used the wrong type of batteries in the past making tracking more difficult.

Pollhammer said it's too early to tell what conditions will be when the race kicks off on Feb. 3 on the same trail used mushers in the Yukon Quest.New photos provided to CBC News from an American who was on a boat passing a burning Halifax-bound container ship in the middle of the Atlantic show smoke wafting from the deck of the 320-metre Yantian Express .

Cameron Brunick was a sailor on a U.S. vessel near where the Yantian Express was floating when he took the photos on Tuesday.

He said he saw blackened containers and smoke from the fire aboard the ship.

Cameron Brunick

A statement from the Embassy of the Philippines in Ottawa says 17 Filipino crew members were taken off the ship, which has been burning off Canada's East Coast since Jan. 3.

The statement says the seafarers from the Yantian Express arrived in Halifax on Monday. Philippine honorary vice-consul Elizabeth Eustaquio-Domondon says the crew left Tuesday afternoon and are now safely back in the Phillipines.

The embassy says members of the local Filipino community met the seafarers and provided them with food and other necessities.

Embassy of the Philippines/Twitter

The entire 22-member crew of the Yantian Express boarded a rescue tug after the ship caught fire about 1,900 kilometres southwest of Halifax.

A spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard says two more firefighting tugs, the Atlantic Enterprise out of New York and the Union Sovereign out of Rotterdam, N.Y., have been dispatched to help put out the fire.

On Monday, Chief Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Canup said the ship remained about 1,700 kilometres southeast of Halifax.

Two tugs have been on the scene for days, and the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd says the fire involving multiple containers is "widely contained and under control."In response to rising tensions between Canada and China, Ottawa Tourism is pausing its marketing of the national capital region to Chinese tour operators and tourists.

Ottawa Tourism suspended its marketing campaign to China in December because there were concerns about how promotional messages about Ottawa would be perceived in the current political climate.

"When there is political instability or social instability, in some way shape or form, that could have a significant effect on whether marketing will be perceived in a positive way," said Catherine Callary, the agency's vice-president of destination development.

Beijing and Ottawa have been at odds since early December, when Canadian police arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Days later, China detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering state security: former diplomat Michael Kovrig and business consultant Michael Spavor.

Monday's death sentence imposed by a Chinese court on Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg for allegedly smuggling 222 kilograms of methamphetamines has become the latest strain on ties.

Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press

Marketing to resume at the end of the month

Chinese tourism is a lucrative and growing business for the Ottawa region, with 41,000 visitors coming from China in 2017  up six per cent from the year before.

Last August, Ottawa Tourism representatives packed their bags for a three-city promotional blitz of China in a bid to entice more travellers to spend time in Canada's capital.

Callary said a recent industry survey showed diplomatic tensions don't make much of an impact on the average Chinese tourist's desire to visit Canada.

Ottawa Tourism is planning on restarting its marketing campaign by the end of the month.

"There were no indications of any significant decreases in travel from China to Canada or to Ottawa," said Callary, adding the campaign will be gradually phased in.

"So it makes sense to resume travel marketing in those in those areas."The family of a Halifax man who was kidnapped in northern Burkina Faso on Tuesday says they are hopeful Canadian authorities will bring him home safely.

Kirk Woodman works for Progress Minerals Inc., a mining company based in White Rock, B.C.

CEO Adam Spencer confirmed to CBC News that Woodman is based in Halifax but declined to comment further.

Woodman's family said in a statement that they will not be speaking publicly and asked for privacy.

"We have faith and trust in Canadian authorities to bring our husband and father home safe. We are hopeful for a fast resolution to the situation."

Woodman has worked in the mining industry for more than 30 years, and joined Progress Minerals 18 months ago. A news release from the company announcing his new role cited his experience in West Africa as an asset to its operations in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

LinkedIn

Burkina Faso's security minister, Clement Sawadogo, said Wednesday that Woodman was abducted by a dozen gunmen on a mining site owned by Progress Minerals near the border with Niger.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canadian officials are aware of the report and are reaching out to his family.

Woodman is the second Canadian to go missing in Burkina Faso in recent weeks, Sawadogo said.

"We have alerted our entire security presence to find these people," he said.

Quebec resident named Edith Blais, 34, and her Italian travel companion, Luca Tacchetto, 30, were last heard from in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso on Dec. 15.

The office of International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told Radio-Canada that despite not having any confirmation, they were approaching Blais's case as they would a kidnapping. Her office declined further comment.

Attacks by Islamist militants have surged in the country in recent months and Burkina Faso has declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces since Dec. 31.

Security has deteriorated as jihadists with links to al-Qaeda and ISIS, including many based in neighbouring Mali, seek to increase their influence across the poorly policed scrublands of the Sahel region just south of the Sahara Desert in West Africa.Tenants of 37 newly constructed apartments in the east end of Gatineau, Que., are facing eviction after the municipality deemed their basement units illegal.

The suites are located in the basements of semi-detached homes bult since 2016 in the Domaine du Lac development in the Templeton sector of Gatineau, along rues Marcelle-Ferron, Idola-Caint-Jean and Alice-Parizeau.

The homebuilders included the basement apartments at the request of buyers such as Joey Mazerolle, who wanted to add an income property to his planned home. Mazerolle lives in the basement unit and rents out the main home above.

"From the start, we told the builder we wanted them to build us a duplex, but they immediately told us the city wouldn't accept that here," Mazerolle told Radio-Canada in French.

Radio-Canada

According to Mazerolle, the builder instead finished the basement suite, complete with a full kitchen and separate entrance, but maintained stairs connecting it to the main home.

Mazerolle said his builder, Construction Unik, told him the stairs would convince the municipality to classify the suites as connected apartments rather than separate abodes, but the city didn't see it that way.

In letters to residents, the City of Gatineau notified them it doesn't distinguish between secondary suites and duplexes.

And since the area isn't zoned for duplexes, the apartments are illegal and may have to be dismantled.

Paid $30K extra

Several homebuyers told Radio-Canada they paid their homebuilders premiums of up to $30,000 for the fully finished basement units.

Construction Unik declined Radio-Canada's request for an interview, but did confirm it built as many as seven basement units in Domaine du Lac The company claims the munipality said the units would be allowed, even though though don't meet the letter of Gatineau's zoning law.

In a written response to Radio-Canada, the city claims the builder's plans called for unfinished basements.

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Radio-Canada

Zoning change unlikely

Reached for comment Wednesday, Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneud-Jobin said there's no ambiguity.

"I'll try to play it safe with the words I use, but somebody didn't tell the truth," said Pedneud-Jobin. "The rules were very, very clear from the city point of view."

Radio-Canada has learned that one of the new homeowners in Domaine du Lac is pushing to get city council to amend the zoning bylaw in the area to allow for duplexes.

Council is expected to discuss the motion in February, but Pednaud-Jobin signalled it's unlikey to passs.

Radio-Canada

"The final result is that some changes will have to be made, and we're not going to change the zoning," he said. "That neighbourhood cannot have as many residents, it's not built that way. People will have to adapt their houses to respect the rules."

The councillor for the area, Pierre Lanthier, told Radio-Canada he also opposes any change current zoning restrictions.

Possible evictions

Homeowners who've been living in Domaine du Lac since before the new semis were built were buoyed by the mayor's comments.

"We have too many people living in the neighbourhood. It makes the water pressure really low and the streets are too narrow [from parking] for emerngency vehicles," said Alyssa Boun, a resident since 2014.

Radio-Canada

Tanya Houle, a tenant in one of the basement apartments, said she's nervous about what might come next.

"With a one-month-old baby, and winter here, moving would of course be complicated," Houle said.

Both Pedneaud-Jobin and Lanthier said any evictions, if necessary, won't be rushed.

"We're looking at what kind of help we can give them," Pedneaud-Jobin said.Earlier this month I published a piece on Medium about our changing picture of modern human origins in Africa: Three big insights into our African origins. There really have been amazing changes during the last few years, and those commentsdirected at geneticistsraise many questions about the way forward.

Last year, after the announcement of redating of hominin material from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, I had a reader question that is very relevant to this topic:

Is the recent redating of "anatomically modern humans" and the reclassification of North African Archaics (like Jebel Irhoud) in part a response to the finding of the introgressed A00 haplogroup?

This is a great question. Its hard to say exactly what goes into the background of peoples thinking. The data that tell us something about early modern humans has just changed enormously in the last five years.

The A00 haplogroup was described by Fernando Mendez and colleagues back in 2013 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.02.002). It is a Y chromosome branch that seems to diverge from the rest of the modern human Y chromosome tree between 240,000 and 580,000 years ago. Its found today in some Mbo men from present-day Cameroon, and some African-American men.

Thats very early compared to the rest of the Y chromosome tree. It is not very early compared to the autosomal genome, which shows that African populations started to become genetically differentiated around 300,000 years ago or so.

Theres a suspicion that this haplogroup may have entered recent human populations by interbreeding with a more ancient, diverged branch of archaic humans. Its possible. The story of African archaic humans today is intricate, because we have just enough data to raise questions and not enough data to answer those questions.

For example, the Iwo Eleru skull fragment, from Nigeria, is a specimen that we now recognize is less than 16,000 years old, but is archaic-looking in some details of its anatomy (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024024). Maybe this is a late-surviving pre-modern human population in West Africa that contributed to todays people in some degree.

There is evidence for ghost population contributions to West African people, and central African hunter-gatherers. All of this evidence comes from statistical examination of genomes of living people, and different research groups have come to different conclusions  some point to multiple admixtures, from very ancient, diverged groups that may have been as different as todays people from Neanderthals, but all within Africa.

Others point to a possible pre-modern population, an outgroup to all of todays modern people but maybe only 400,000 or 500,000 years diverged, that contributed a much bigger fraction of West African genetic ancestry today. I think theres a good chance that the Jebel Irhoud hominins belonged to such a pre-modern ghost population. The anatomy of these crania is not what I think the common ancestor of all of todays African populations probably looked like. But thats a guess.

Its going to be a while before these studies start to converge on a single picture, because theyve been using different samples and different methodologies.

Honestly, I think the Y chromosome haplotypes are not coming into peoples thinking. The reason for this is that most people now recognize that the uniparental lineages, the mtDNA and Y chromosome, are not very helpful once you get back into the initial stages of diversification of todays African populations.

The A00 haplogroup does not seem to mark that early diversification, because it isnt present in Khoesan as far as we know. And if our mtDNA mutational timeline is correct, the autosomal differentiation of Africans started long before the mtDNA Eve lived.

Personally, I think these uniparental systems are probably reflecting natural selection on various haplogroups, and the introgression dynamics are driven by their fitness in different environments and genetic backgrounds.By Luis Jaime Acosta and Nelson Bocanegra BOGOTA (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded at a police academy in Colombia's capital Bogota on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding over 50 in an attack that prompted fears of a return to the country's violent past. Authorities said the car broke through checkpoints into the grounds of the General Santander School and exploded, shattering windows of apartments nearby. It was the deadliest attack in Bogota since the government struck a 2016 peace deal with the Marxist FARC rebel group. President Ivan Duque called the explosion a "crazy terrorist act" against unarmed cadets and said he had ordered police and the military to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. "Colombians have never yielded to terrorism, we have always defeated it. This will not be an exception," he told a news conference at the school in the south of the city. Investigators had identified the car's driver as Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez, who was among the dead, said Colombian Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez. He said the vehicle, a gray Nissan Patrol SUV, was carrying 80 kilograms (176 lb) of the high explosive pentolite, which has been used in the past by Colombian guerrillas. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Humberto Martinez said investigators were searching for its "intellectual authors." The Defense Ministry said in a statement that 10 people were killed and 54 wounded. Nine of the deceased were cadets at the academy, police said. A police helicopter hovered over the area and family members gathered, many crying as they sought information. Images on social media showed the remains of a vehicle in flames in the parking area, and emergency responders at the scene. Car bombs were frequent in Colombia during decades of civil war between the state and various leftist rebel groups, as well as in violence involving the Medellin drug cartel led by dead drug lord Pablo Escobar. The worst of the war, which killed some 260,000 and left millions displaced, ended when the government reached a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016. The last major attack was in January 2018 when the biggest rebel group that remains active, the National Liberation Army (ELN), detonated a bomb in the northern port city of Barranquilla, killing five police officers and injuring dozens. The ELN, made up of some 2,000 fighters and considered a terrorist organization by the United States, has been in talks with the government since February 2017 to end the conflict. Duque, who took office in August, has conditioned peace talks on the ELN suspending hostilities and releasing all hostages. On Wednesday, the ELN said in a statement it had kidnapped three crewmen of a civil helicopter it "neutralized" last week. In response, Colombia's High Peace Commissioner, Miguel Ceballos, said the ELN "was moving further and further away from the possibility of dialogue." There was no indication the ELN was behind the attack in Bogota or that the kidnapping was linked. As violence has receded in recent years, Colombia has taken off as a tourist destination, with more than three million foreign visitors in 2017, up from one million in 2006. (Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by Alistair Bell and Rosalba O'Brien)Two Canadian men detained in China face up to four hours of questioning each day and have no access to a lawyer, according to Canada's top diplomat in Beijing.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were both detained in China late last year. The men, who were arrested not long after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the U.S., stand accused of national security offences.

"It's not a fixed number, but on the order of four hours a day," Ambassador John McCallum said Wednesday of the interrogations. "This could go on for up to six months under the Chinese system. It's what they call an extra-judicial system so those are the conditions under which they are detained."

McCallum provided the update on the conditions of Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Spavor, a businessman, after taking part in a special panel at a Liberal cabinet retreat in Sherbrooke, Que.

McCallum said he has visited both men and spoken with their families, and has also visited Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian man who was recently sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling.

The ambassador said he is scheduled to speak with Schellenberg's father Thursday.

On Friday, he will appear before the Commons foreign affairs committee to give members a briefing in a closed-door meeting. The Conservatives and NDP had pushed for some of the meeting to be public, but the Liberals amended the motion so it would be held entirely in camera.

McCallum said the government is taking steps on "many fronts" to garner support from world leaders and foreign ministers, but that's "just the beginning." He said business leaders and the media must also act to increase pressure on Beijing.

"I think we have to engage the senior Chinese leadership and persuade them that what they're doing is not good for China's image in the world, it's not good for the image of corporate China in the world, and I think we have to always work with our U.S. allies," he said.

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Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press

McCallum said the detainees only have consular access once per month.

Asked if it's time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make direct contact with Chinese President Xi Jinping, McCallum said: "I think the time will come when it's most appropriate."

It's not clear when McCallum paid a visit to Schellenberg, who is now on death row after being convicted of smuggling 222 kilograms of methamphetamines. Schellenberg had appealed his 15-year prison sentence, but a court deemed that punishment too light at a retrial and ordered the death penalty.

As tensions between the countries increase, Canada issued an updated travel advisory for China, warning its citizens about the risk of arbitrary enforcement of laws in the country.

Associated Press/International Crisis Group/Canadian Press

China issued its own travel warning just hours later, citing the "arbitrary detention" of a Chinese national in Canada at the request of a "third-party country."

Appeal for clemency

Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government had reached out to China's ambassador to Canada requesting clemency.

"Canada's position when it comes to the death penalty is consistent and of very long-standing," she said.

"As Canadians know, we do not have the death penalty in Canada. We believe it is inhumane and inappropriate, and wherever the death penalty is considered with regard to a Canadian we speak out against it."

She also reiterated her condemnation of the "the arbitrary detentions of Canadians," saying they "represent a way of behaving which is a threat to all countries."

On Thursday China rejected that assertion.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said people from China could be at risk in this country following Canada's detention of a Chinese telecom executive for "no reason."

"What threat has China posed to Canada?" Chunying said when asked by journalists about the duelling allegations. "I think your foreign minister may be in a hurry, and can't help speaking without thinking."

The latest escalation in diplomatic tensions is just one of the issues on the table for cabinet ministers at the three-day retreat that continues through Friday.

Canada's ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughton, said leaders in the U.S. have been supportive of Canada's position so far.

"I hope they continue to back Canada in this particular dispute," MacNaughton said.By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Alberta's OPEC-style decision to force production cuts is benefiting oil companies with higher prices, but it is also pushing capital elsewhere and threatens to undermine booming crude-by-rail shipments. After Alberta cut 325,000 barrels per day (bpd) starting this month, the discount on Canadian heavy oil compared to benchmark U.S. crude oil shrank to less than $7 per barrel from more than $40 in October, providing relief for producers. But drilling activity has dropped sharply in the last year, hurting service providers, and the shrinking discount reduces incentive for shippers to move crude by rail, which is costlier than pipelines. Some producers have already decided to spend more in other provinces. "As soon as we heard this curtailment was taking place, we shifted our capital to Saskatchewan from Alberta," said Grant Fagerheim, chief executive of light-oil producer Whitecap Resources Inc . Whitecap intends to spend about 80 percent of its C$450 million ($340 million) capex in Saskatchewan, up from its usual spending there of around 60 percent, Fagerheim said. Canada is the world's fourth-largest crude producer, but larger producers like the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia do not face Canada's obstacles in getting oil to market. Full pipelines and aggressive opposition to expanding the industry meant that even as Canada's production hit record levels last year, benefits of that boom were elusive. Alberta, which produces most of Canada's oil, last month ordered curtailments to drain bloated storage tanks and boost prices. Government intervention has provided a lifeline to producers that were selling barrels at a loss late last year and avoided an economic catastrophe for Canada. Bonterra Energy Corp produces less than 9,000 bpd, making it exempt from requirements to curb output, but it still benefits from higher prices, Chief Executive George Fink said. DRILLERS HIT Cenovus Energy Inc , which announced plans last year to increase shipments by rail, is seeing a "very positive impact" on cash flow due to small price discounts, senior vice president of downstream Keith Chiasson told Reuters. But with growth capital leaving Alberta and transportation problems unresolved, producers are feeling their way along in the early days of reckoning with almost unprecedented challenges. Across Canada, 184 rigs were working as of Jan. 11, down 92 rigs from a year earlier, according to Baker Hughes data. Companies that provide contract services for producers, such as drilling, are looking to the United States and Mexico, said Gary Mar, chief executive of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada. Government-ordered production cuts worsened an already grim situation for service companies, Mar said. Asked about the curtailment program's unintended consequences, an Alberta government spokesman noted that its strategy was focused on getting top dollar for its oil. "There's too much at stake and we shouldn't be selling our products on the cheap," said Mike McKinnon, spokesman for Alberta's energy minister. But prices have improved so dramatically that shipping by rail - the backup plan for moving crude until new pipelines are built - makes less economic sense. The cost of shipping crude by rail to U.S. buyers is estimated around $15 to $20 per barrel, well above the current differential. Cenovus would not comment on whether the company is losing money on near-term rail shipments, but said they are scheduled to ramp up in the second quarter once new cars arrive. Devon Energy Corp was planning to move 20 percent of its Canadian heavy oil this year by rail, but the narrow differentials now make that an unlikely target, said Rob Dutton, Devon's senior vice president of Canadian operations. Devon currently moves less than 10 percent by train. "It's more difficult now" to reach that level, Dutton said in an interview. "Forty-five days ago, I would have said, 'absolutely, for sure.'" ($1 = 1.3240 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Denny Thomas and Tom Brown)French prime minister Edouard Philippe said his government has activated plans for handling the effects of a no-deal Brexit. Photo: Jacques Demarthon/Getty Images

France launched its contingency plans on Thursday to deal with a potential no-deal Brexit, prime minister Edouard Philippe said during a press conference.

The plan includes 50m (44m, $57m) of investments to help ports and airports cope with new tariffs and trading terms in the event that the UK leaves the European Union on 29 March without an agreed deal and transition period.

Whats certain is that the scenario of a no-deal Brexit is less and less unlikely. Thats why I have decided to trigger the plan for a no-deal Brexit, said Philippe.

The plans are ready. Each port, each airport had been tasked with defining the nature of the work needed to adapt their measures to these new challenges, he said.

French minister Nathalie Loiseau warned in September that flights and Eurostar trains from the UK would be turned away from the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

France provides a market for about 6% of all British exports in goods and services, while nearly 7% of UK imports come from the country. Total trade between the two sides is in excess of 70bn each year.

But these close trade ties risk being ruptured when the UK leaves the EU without an agreed divorce deal. The move could push the UK into trading on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, which would involve a range of new border checks and tariffs. Trade between the UK and France is currently frictionless because the countries are part of the EU customs union and single market.

The French government will also unveil plans in February to help fishermen and the fishing sector, said Philippe.

We want to defend the interests of French fishermen, defend the interests of fishing areas, and companies that take part in this significant economic sector, he said.





Prime minister Theresa Mays two-year attempt to forge an amicable divorce with the EU was crushed by parliament on Tuesday in the biggest defeat for a British leader in modern history.

May is expected to come back to parliament on Monday with a Plan B option and has been speaking with opposition parties about potential paths forward.By Michael Nienaber

BERLIN (Reuters) - As a golden era for its exporters fades, Germany is scrambling to secure its interests in Beijing, but China's transformation from customer to competitor is forcing Europe's largest economy to make changes at home.

China has been crucial to Germany's recent expansion, sucking in German cars and industrial goods to create the infrastructure that has allowed it to grow into the world's second-largest economy.

But the great export boom, turbocharged by the euro replacing the stronger deutschmark, is fading as China moves up the value chain and innovates faster than many German firms, which are also caught in the crossfire of U.S. President Donald Trump's 'America First' trade policies.

Foreign trade acted as a drag as imports grew faster than exports in 2018 and the German economy posted its weakest growth in five years, official figures showed on Tuesday.

While German exports to China still grew by nearly 10 percent year-on-year from January to November, Chinese demand for 'Made in Germany' goods is waning.

"The business outlook for German companies in China is getting clouded," said Volker Treier of Germany's DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce. In November alone, German exports to China grew only by 1.4 percent, Treier said.

A general cooling of the Chinese economy and the uncertainty caused by the U.S. tariff dispute are hurting Sino-German trade.

With German industry pressing for a more robust approach to China, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz heads to Beijing this week to seek better access for his country's businesses, especially banks and insurance companies.

German policymakers and business executives say China's state-driven economic model leaves them at a disadvantage.

With its "Made in China 2025" plan, Beijing is pushing domestic development of technologies such as electric cars. Abroad, it is buying know-how through acquisitions of firms such as German robotics maker Kuka <KU2G.DE>.

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Berlin stresses its "close and advantageous trade relations" with China, whose rise has demoted Germany from third biggest economy in the world to fourth.

"At the same time, we are increasingly looking to better protect and strengthen sensitive German and European business sectors from state-run strategic overseas acquisitions," an Economy Ministry spokeswoman said.

In an unusual move, Germany's influential BDI industry association last week called for tougher European Union policies towards China and urged companies to rely less on the Chinese market.

TOUGH TALKS Chancellor Angela Merkel prefers to resolve differences with China through dialogue, rather than adopting Trump's approach of threatening trade tariffs.

In this spirit, Scholz will seek to persuade Vice Premier Liu He that Beijing should be more open to foreign firms.

In November, Beijing let Germany's Allianz Group <ALVG.DE> establish China's first foreign insurance holding company.

Scholz is expected to use the talks to tell China that it is in its own interests to further open up its economy and create mutually fair conditions for trade and competition, and to ease tensions with the United States.

The question is whether Beijing shares this view. China's mix of state aid for domestic companies and restrictions on foreign firms has helped Chinese manufacturers to dominate the local market for electric vehicles, giving them a springboard for large-scale exports.

The challenge is illustrated by Volkswagen's plan to invest billions of dollars in electric vehicles over the next few years, part of a $300 billion surge by global automakers with nearly half of the money targeted at China. Herbert Diess, chief executive of VW, which has decades-old joint ventures with two of China's largest automakers, has said: "The future of Volkswagen will be decided in the Chinese market." During his visit in Beijing from Thursday to Friday, Scholz will push for Germany to become a centre for Chinese and renminbi-denominated financial products in Europe.

Germany hopes to benefit from Britain's decision to leave the EU as banks shift some operations from London to Frankfurt.

GERMAN HOMEWORK At home, Germany is responding to China's emergence as a competitor with moves to protect its knowledge economy and stimulate the domestic demand it needs to promote growth as exports wane.

Pivoting to domestic-driven growth is a major shift for Germany, whose post-war 'economic miracle' was largely export-driven.

Last month, the government agreed tougher rules for screening and even blocking purchases of stakes in German firms by non-Europeans to fend off unwanted takeovers by Chinese investors in strategic areas.

Germany also wants to use some of its export-generated budget surplus to fund domestic stimulus and rebalance the economy. Child benefit is due to rise this year, and legislators from Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) have discussed new tax cuts.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeded Merkel as CDU leader late last year, and Economy Minister Peter Altmaier say tax cuts should be used as a stimulus to pre-empt a possible downturn.

"The fiscal measures currently implemented and discussed by the government will surely give the economy a push this year," said Stefan Kipar, head of economic research at BayernLB. "So there is some rebalancing taking place, with domestic demand sucking in more imports, but the fiscal measures so far agreed by the cabinet are probably not enough to give the euro zone economy as a whole a really big push."

Thomas Gitzel from VP Bank agreed. "Now is high time for the government to start a broad infrastructure spending programme," he said.

(Additonal reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Paul Carrel and Giles Elgood)May survived a non-confidence vote Wednesday afternoon.

The resounding defeat of British Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit plan puts Canada in a tight race against the clock to solidify bilateral trade ties with its longtime ally ahead of the March 29 separation deadline.

Mays divorce deal was rejected by the widest margin in her countrys modern political history, 432 votes to 202. The stark result highlights deep divisions over the terms by which Britain will separate from the European Union, while upping the odds that it will do so without an agreement in place.

May survived a non-confidence vote Wednesday afternoon. She is expected to update lawmakers on a new Brexit strategy on Monday.

Meanwhile, Canadian officials have been quietly drafting a two-party trade pact to preserve terms met under the newly-minted Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), says Armand de Mestral, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and a professor emeritus of international law at McGill University. The clock is ticking, he warns, and striking a deal that mimics CETA may not be easy.

Time is short. Even if they agree on everything and theyve got a full-scale agreement on goods and services, CETA is a 500-page plus document. Its a very complicated text, he told Yahoo Finance Canada. If there is no withdrawal agreement, and the U.K. is going to crash out, that makes it much harder for the Canadian side to put things in place.

His hope is for a 19-month phase-in period to allow the U.K. to clarify its relationships with countries like Canada, rather a situation where the two nations to cobble together something resembling CETA on the fly.

Canada is the U.K.s 17th-largest trading partner. The U.K. receives 40 per cent of Canadas exports to Europe, and draws more Canadian foreign direct investment than any country other than the United States.



Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the BBC in April that he wants a seamless transition from CETA to a standalone deal that will flip over the day after Brexit.

Story continues

Pedro Antunes, the chief economist at The Conference Board of Canada, expects a Canada-U.K. trade deal could come together fairly quickly in order to ensure continued mobility of goods and services. Such a bilateral pact, he said, would be far less complex than the CETA agreement currently binding all of the European Unions member states.

CETA is thicker than the bible. Obviously there are nuances that probably wont be needed for an agreement between Canada and the U.K., Antunes told Yahoo Finance Canada. There may even be opportunities there that were not covered by CETA that we can do in a different agreement.

Given the U.K. is the destination for only about three per cent of Canadas exports, hes more concerned about the global impact of a hard Brexit harming the Canadian economy than a disruption of free trade between the two countries.

The bigger concerns for Canada is how this might spread more broadly across the globe. We are already looking at 2019 being a year where global growth is going to ease, Antunes said. Lets not forget, the European Union is an economy of 500 million people, and wealthy consumers.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.What a relief rally! Many U.S. and Canadian banking giants soared on Wednesday after Bank of America pole-vaulted over the earnings expectation of analysts, essentially shattering the overly pessimistic view of the big banks that many investors on the Street have shared over the last few months. Indeed, many of the big banks were severely oversold, and in spite of the negative pressure placed on the entire sector, the fact remained that the powerful banking behemoths were continuing to roll in the dough.

Investors grew incredibly fearful over the implications of an inverted yield curve, which was bad news for the banks. Too much emphasis was being placed on net interest margins (NIMs), so most investors let the broader macro bear thesis prevent them bagging a bargain with any one of the severely battered bank names.

Warren Buffett wasnt one of these investors. As bank stocks dropped to their lowest valuations in recent memory, the man backed up the truck. And although many questioned the Oracle of Omahas recent moves, its clear that the man was on to something. He spotted a discrepancy between a stocks market value and its intrinsic value, as investors got caught up in the macro bear story.

Today, all Canadian banks are still trading at valuations that are well below historical average levels. Just under a month ago, Laurentian Bank (TSX:LB) was trading at its cheapest multiple ever with a dividend yield that swelled past the 7% mark and quickly well back to the 6%.

Now, this regional bank was an outlier, as shares were severely beaten-up, and thats what allowed the stock to soar 20% in just three weeks. Essentially, Laurentian was an upside correction that was waiting to happen, which is why Ive pounded the table on the stock twice over the past month.

Although the easy money is likely gone with Laurentian, I believe Canadas Big Six banks are lagging with regards to the rebound, and in time theyll all eventually enjoy an upside correction of their own thanks to earnings reports thatll propel the entire sector higher.

Story continues

At these depressed levels, each one of the Canadian banks is a buy, but if I had to choose one, itd have to be Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSX:TD)(NYSE:TD), Canadas most American bank, because its operating at a level high level and its technological efforts are going to reap massive fruit a lot sooner than many analysts on the Street think.

I shed light on TD Banks under-the-radar release of its AI-powered chatbot on its iOS app last week, and although digital assistants are nothing new for smartphone users, as its already pre-installed into every phone, I believe TD Bank is planning on turning Clari into a replacement for front-of-line workers at its branches.

TD Bank is future-proofing itself while keeping top-line growth strong, all while maintaining a lid on significant risks. Simply put, TD Bank is the best of its breed, and its severely underappreciated and well equipped to head past $80 by year end.

Pick up shares now and get ready for a more significant relief rally and another fat dividend hike.

Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.

More reading

Fool contributor Joey Frenette owns shares of TORONTO-DOMINION BANK.Watch Snob at Salon De La Haute Horlogerie 2019

Watch Snob Dishes on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly at SIHH 2019

The worst thing about watch trade shows is that they force brands to come out with new products on a cycle that is more suited to the fashion industry than to the thoughtful development of new timepieces  everything must be new! Amazing! Disruptive! And the poor brands hardly know whether they should celebrate their history or discard it wholesale in a flustered and generally unconvincing attempt to seem more au courant.

Amazingly enough, however, this years Salon International Haute Horlogerie (or, as the Snob likes to think of it, Johann Rupert and Friends) in Geneva has a surprising number of releases that seem reasonable: not attempts to make a watch seem like something it is not, but rather, updates to existing design vocabularies that actually seem, dare I say it, thoughtful.

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RELATED: Last Week Watch Snob Went All In on Audemars Piguets Obscure Offerings

The Bad First

However, before the good, let us discuss the (supposedly) bad and the (allegedly) ugly. Now look here, chaps, I bear no special love to Audemars Piguet as it presently exists. Oh yes, I know as we all do that their watches cannot be faulted on quality and that they are a technical powerhouse, but for the sake of truth in advertising, one cannot help but feel that they should just change the name of the company to The Acme Royal Oak & Offshore Co. and be done with it. However, the drubbing they have received for the Code 11.59 collection was unwarranted, and if we are quick to parody the excesses and foibles of the watch industry, then we are honor bound to note the monumental, self-satisfied, bloated complacency, overt sadism, and all around criminal stupidity of the online watch community.

Yes, I agree, the watches look problematic in photographs, and certainly AP is culpable to some degree in generating outsized expectations. But the sheer volume of shrill denunciations of the new watches online, which would do a Stalinist show trial proud, show the watch enthusiast community at its absolute worst. The loudest denunciations come, of course, from those who are the most ignorant of watches and watchmaking who, moreover, have not seen the pieces. This is not to say that anyone is obliged to like something that they do not, but to be so absolutist about something one has not actually experienced helps no one. It is not a surprise to see such a display of collective asinine braying, but the many people at AP who put heart and soul into these watches  some of which, by the way, look technically remarkable  deserve better. Shame, shame, shame.

SIHH 2019

Now the Good

And the biggest surprise for the Snob this year? A brand that (speaking of taking pleasure in hating) I have increasingly found irrelevant to anyone interested in real watchmaking in recent years: IWC. IWC has a new boss (former CEO Georges Kern having decamped to Breitling) and his presence, if the new Spitfire collection is anything to go by, has had a bracing and salutary effect. The Spitfire watches are certainly not all home runs and there have been some regrettable decisions here and there in their designs, but overall I astonished myself by, er, actually wanting an IWC pilots chronograph for the first time in  heavens, it must be 10 years. At least. Worth a look, especially if you are convinced IWC has irretrievably lost its way.

One other pleasant surprise: Panerai. Yes, yes, the Snob actually found some of the Panerai watches rather convincing. The company has taken the wise step of making all of their watches, which have more than 300 meters worth of water resistance, into a separate family: submersible. This is certainly not a revolutionary move, by any means, but it does something very important for their customers, which is to clarify that there is a specific technical family, and that the other lines  probably and most especially, Luminor Due  should be approached with a different set of expectations.

Getty Images

And my own, personal favorite wristwatch of the Salon? This year, there was something really marvelous from Vacheron Constantin: their Twin Beat perpetual calendar. If you missed the news around its launch, it is worth visiting some of the online coverage. (There are a couple of stories by writers who actually show signs of knowing their stuff, if you poke around a bit.) Essentially, this is a watch with two balances: one vibrates at a higher frequency than the other. If you know you will not wear the watch for a time, you may use a button set into the case flank to switch to the lower frequency balance.

This consumes less energy, and in standby mode, the watch has a staggering 65-day power reserve. The idea is to spare the owner the often odious task of painstakingly resetting the perpetual calendar. It is a fresh idea, well executed, and yet very much part of the centuries-old story of the perpetual calendar  something other brands would do well to examine closely. I have not been a champion of some of Vacherons creations over the last few years, but if we are so eager to apportion undeserved blame (as the so-called watch community has done with AP), we ought also to apportion deserved praise.

Getty Images

As is usually the case at the SIHH, which consists exclusively of luxury brands (with the arguable exception of Baume & Mercier, who always seems a bit confused to be there), there is little for people wanting a nice watch at a reasonable price. However, there are a plethora of nice watches at unreasonable prices, but for something that appeals not to the ultrarich, but rather, the merely very well off, we must wait for Baselworld in April. What sort of show that will be, in the absence of the participation of the Swatch Group, is anyones guess, but there ought to be a few things that offer good value for a reasonable price. After all, one brand that we know will be there is Grand Seiko.

Send the Watch Snob your questions at [email protected] or ask a question on Instagram with the #watchsnob hashtag.

You Might Also Dig:Opinion / National

The mayhem which occurred in Harare and Bulawayo is the result of a clueless government which cannot incline an ear to the grievances of the people who have been on the brunt of suffering and are forced to face brutal response from a ruthless security force. The army should confine itself to boarders.What is happening in Zimbabwe right now is human cruelty, barbaric, ungodly and unethical. The whole government and its armed forces are cruel criminals who deserve to be arrested and tried before a court. . May the Almighty God intervene and save us from this ruthless government which has caused a lot of people suffering.It's a shame the second republic is proving to be worse than all ever imagined.Imagine during the last three days business people lost valuable money as they could not access the internet. People resorted to dictating a document to their respective clients in Zimbabwe via the phone. In this era of technology sure such kind of behaviour exhibited by the state is gross human rights abuse. There was no email service.Even the tourism sector was heavily affected and that means tourists had to think twice or alternatively choose another country to visit. Is Zimbabwe really open for business?The root cause of all these problem are stemming from the issue of legitimacy where an election was stolen.Zanu PF is now using the state machinery to silence the opposition and make them suffer in anguish. It has been reported that about 9 people where shot dead and a number of people injured. We don't know the atrocities committed during the time when there was Internet blackout and people could not communicate.We call for the muscle of South Africa and Sadc to quickly call Zanu PF & MDC -Alliance to a negotiating table with a view of forming a transitional government which will lead to a free and fair election with necessary reforms in place. I doubt very much whether they will take care or solve the political impasse currently prevailing. This is the same regional board which endorsed Mnangagwa's leadership.The torture, harassing , beatings and arbitraly arresting members of the opposition will not solve and fix the ailing economy. In a country where people are wallowing in poverty the President charters a very expensive plane to Russia. The youths are unemployed , no industries are functioning at full throttle and there are no signs that the economy will bounce back any time soon. The revival of our economy does not need Zanu PF alone. It has been proved that the revolutionary party is clueless and cannot go it alone. Our economy is a mess.It is also embarrassing that the court papers have also confirmed that youth leaders from Zanu PF were allegedly behind acts of violence and arson, including the burning of a Zupco bus in Harare on Monday during these countrywide protests against fuel price increases. It also confirms that what is happening in the country is not affecting one side of a political party but everybody.Neither the closure of Internet nor killing will ever solve this challenge. It is actually gross abuse of democracy and surprisingly the President posted his message on his Facebook account when the whole country has been blackened out. How would he expect people to read his thoughts when the majority could not access Internet. The junta government has failed and no amount of intimidation will silence the people when the time is ripe. Mnangagwa came from a disputed election and from that time he has been facing a barrage of challenges in running the country.The Mnangagwa's government has taken it too far and is no differrent to the former Robert Mugabe's government.The Zimbabwean crisis needs a quick response and Sadc must not keep quiet and fold their hands. No need for silent diplomacy. We condemn the security forces heavy handedness on protesting unarmed civilians. We stand with the people of Zimbabwe in demanding their democratic rights of expressing their needs.The door to door visits by the police and the army where they were beating up people and shoving them cannot be tolerated. It has been reported that a number of people got injured and quickly need medical attention. The question remains- Will President Emmerson Mnangagwa be forced again to set up a Commission of Enquiry?The behaviour of the Zimbabwe's government to accuse the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance for the outbreak of violence in the country is out of order. Everybody has been affected by the poor performance of the economy and later alone the hiking of fuel price which has been announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa before he left for Russia.It is the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union which called for a complete shutdown of businesses and work citing low wages, poor transport service and high cost of living.ContactsFacebook - Leonard KoniTwitter - @LeokoniWhatsApp - +27616323132Email - konileonard606@gmail.comOpinion / Columnist

This week, Zimbabwe's opposition MDC-Alliance, civil society organisations and NGOs fronted a so-called shutdown that was underlined by anarchy, looting and lawlessness. The orgy of violence saw the destruction of property, looting of shops, attacking of security agencies, storming and burning police stations and shops, threatening of citizens going to work, and extortion of motorists who were asked to pay between $2 and $5 as a passage fee.All this terrorist behaviour, a rough equivalent to acts carried out by the notorious movements such as ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Shabab, were planned and coordinated by MDC-A and civil societies, in particular, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. These demonic acts of sabotage were pre-planned and done in the guise of a peaceful demonstration ostensibly against economic hardships.There is no argument that Zimbabwe's economy is severely depressed. Anyone in his rightful mind will agree that there is need for radical economic reforms. Such radical economic reforms cannot yield results in a short period.Therefore, there is need for Government to put austerity measures which must be supported by every right-minded Zimbabwean for the austerity measures to yield positive results. The austerity measures that were put in place by Government are meant to brighten our future while in the short term they make us face hardships necessary for future prosperity.Sadly, MDC-A and Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition who have been on the forefront in calling for the US to maintain its heinous sanctions on Zimbabwe are the ones behind the so called crisis in Zimbabwe. If the truth can be told, MDC-A and Crisis in Zimbabwe coalition together with most NGO and civil societies are the foot soldiers of the "Western regime change agenda".The acronym MDC-A can easily be translated to mean "Major Destruction of the Country Associates".There is no democratic/ democracy that exist in their name and practice. These so-called democratic institutions and civil rights organisations duly registered in Zimbabwe are only good for causing chaos and anarchy.Imagine how demonic and devilish it is for institutions with sound names like them meeting to strategise to create anarchy and cacophony then later blame it on the Government. The same institution and individuals called for sanctions after the historic land reform. These sanctions badly affected the economy, resulting in company closures and economic meltdown.Once the economy was depressed, it meant the disposable income was severely reduced further resulting in citizens suffering. Fellow Zimbabweans, I humbly ask you to read the book by "John Perkins" title "Economic Hitman".This book is now available in audio on You Tube. It is my humble feeling that if most literate Zimbabweans can either read or listen to the book audio they will be enlightened. My humble view is that the enlightenment gotten from this book will help unshackle the myth most literate Zimbabweans have about the USA and its lack of sincerity in supporting African economies.After reading this book, well written by an American who is an economic Hitman himself, I had a better understanding of America's evil behaviour on African counties. The author, John Perkins, articulates in this book how USA's global economic strategic sabotage is crafted for Africa and South America's economies for the economic growth of North America. Surprisingly, we have the MDC-A civil societies, NGO and some pseudo human rights groups in Zimbabwe getting funding from regime change institutions of America such as George Soros, NED etc.These donor communities in America are experts in sweetening opposition parties for regime change in a country that USA interests are not easily exercised. Zimbabwe falls in the pathway of such countries including Libya in the era of Gaddafi. Fellow Zimbabweans, apart from funding political opposition parties, NGOs and civil societies, USA also funds institutions like SAPES which are run by local academics such as Ibbo Mandaza and Professors Kahari and Rudo Gaidzwana. Fellow citizens may I again refer you to read a book by Dambisa Moyo, a Zambian author titled "Dead Aid".In this book Dambiso explores how nations are made poor and poorer through donor funds. True to her findings, in 2008, NGOs and Civil Societies were funded by donor agencies to the fund of $2.8bn and Zimbabwe has no tangible investment to show on what this money was used for.It is my humble view that the books namely "Economic Hitman and Dead Aid" are able to unshackle the legion of literate Zimbabweans from being colonized beyond redemption by Western Countries through their rhetoric of economic support. The economic situation in Zimbabwe now needs every citizen to pull together for the common good of our nation. No amount of current destruction, looting, threatening of fellow citizens, attacking of security agencies will develop the economy. Never! Imagine the destruction of SMEs and vegetable vendors in Mbare and Magaba in Harare.One wonders how it is connected to fuel price hikes announced by the Government. This is pure hooliganism and terrorism such as those being committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria. Sadly, these acts of arson are only happening in high-density suburbs.They are taking place in areas where the poor live and making them more poorer. One hears human rights organisations such as ZDAHR strongly condemning the use of live ammunition while giving lukewarm condemnation of violence which is destroying property, looting and threatening or violating of other citizens rights.These pseudo human rights organisations do not condemn the callous murder and injuring of police and general citizens. Surprisingly, some officials of ZHRC, instead of circulating condemnation messages on social media they had the audacity of circulating messages which tells the general suffering, dehumanized and disenfranchised citizens that ZADHR is a partner of ZHRC. One therefore wonders whether ZHRC represents human rights of everyone or a section of Zimbabwe population as ZADHR seem to show with their well circulated social media bulletins.Honesty, if Zimbabwe has, through Act of Parliament, established HRC that seems to be numb about what is currently happening and why it is not happening in low-density suburbs, then parliamentarians have every reason to de-register it or to appoint new commissioners capable of weighing how rights are observed and practiced.The current anarchy perpetrated by MDC-A, NGO, civil societies and human rights organisations only took place in Mabvuku, Tafara then jumped to Msasa and occurred in Epworth. It then jumped Hatfield and Waterfalls to start in Chitungwiza, from where it enjoined to Glen Norah, Glen View down to Dzivaresekwa. In Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo it again only happened in high-density townships where the poor and SMEs live.People in these areas carried out a dog-eat-dog fight making themselves much more poorer. MDC-A, NGOs, civil societies and human rights organisations were busy laughing at the protesters actions which targeted business that make then survive. If this is not a sign of implicit it is then a sign of idiocy on the part of protesters. Ironically, these demonstrations destroyed most of MDC-A supporters' survivability.One therefore wonders why these people continued to see good in the MDC-A which does not care about their livelihood. It is hoped that the two books mentioned in this article plus this article will make people see the coming of evil from MDC-A and its partners. I conclude by asking the people in high-density townships to critically take stock of their wanton actions and see whether it empowers them or not-----Dr Panganai Kahuni is a political socio-economic commentator with a military research background and a diplomat in the southern region. He writes on his own accord.News / National

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwe National Army and Zimbabwe Republic Police deployed heavily to contain anti-government protests, conducting door-to door-raids and brutally assaulting civilians in their homes, rights lawyers have said.Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) condemned the illegal wanton brutal attacks by the uniformed forces, saying that they would not hesitate to file court cases against those involved."Of concern is the involvement of soldiers in these illegal acts who are actively participating in the torture, cruel and inhumane treatment of residents, thereby violating section 53 of the Constitution," the rights lawyers said in a statement."At about 11pm, on January 14, 2019, police and army officers randomly carried out door-to-door raids around Mabvuku high density suburb."During the raids, uniformed members of the police and the army forced their way into homes by breaking doors and windows."Having gained access, they proceeded to randomly assault some occupants and, in some instances, forced residents out of their homes."Yesterday, some Gweru residents also reported that soldiers were conducting raids randomly beating residents after Choppies in Mkoba 6 was reportedly burnt down and looted by protestors.The soldiers were alleged to be randomly targeting homes attacking innocent civilians."At least more than 15 people have reached out to confirm these attacks and there have been similar reports in Chitungwiza."on January 15, 2018, ZLHR continued to receive further reports that this illegal operation was still going on."People were also severely assaulted while being forced to remove barricades which protesters had used to block the roads.Some people who were assaulted and shot by the police and soldiers were en route home from work, while others were conducting their daily business during the shutdown.Both women and men were allegedly fleeing their homes, unable to get medical attention as soldiers were preventing all movement by civilians.Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said scores had sustained gunshot wounds while some deaths were recorded in Bulawayo, Marondera and Kadoma where victims sustained gunshot wounds."It is clear that the police are failing to fulfil their obligation of investigating first before arresting any suspects as provided in the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act."Further, section 50(1)(a) of the Constitution states that anyone who is placed under arrest must be advised of the reason(s) of arrest and all suspects must be subjected to human treatment as provided in section 50(1)(c) of the Constitution," the rights lawyers said.Other reports also showed that the army was using helicopters to drop tear gas canisters in residential areas where there were massive protests.News / National

by Staff reporter

Whenever the bulls fight it is always the grass that suffers.The aforementioned adage is true as witnessed by the recent destruction of ordinary people's properties, including retail shops which were looted throughout the country.Most of the looted shops are domiciled in the high density shops and owned by black Zimbabweans who are struggling to make ends meet.From the looting and destruction, most of the small businesses will never rise to operate again and this reminds many of those businesses that shut down in 2008. Most of those small businesses have never recovered at all.While it is every Zimbabwean's right to demonstrate, the destruction of property and looting from the poor should not be entertained at all.We hope that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) will investigate and apprehend most of the looters who were captured on CCTV.Instead of demonstrating or protesting in peace, there has been a tendency by other spoilers to engage in violence and destruction of ordinary people's properties.While the ZRP and the army have managed to restrict people to their respective suburbs, this has not at all helped local communities as most of the recent violence was concentrated in the neighbourhood that was responded by the brutality of the army.Now that the three days called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) for the demonstrations have lapsed, we hope normalcy will return to the country. We also hope that the ZRP will do a thorough job to investigate the disturbances and looting, but we advise them against targeting members of the MDC and civil society.In press conferences held by government and the ruling Zanu-PF, both institutions seem to be pointing fingers at the MDC Alliance and civil society organisations like Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition as the instigators of the mayhem that followed.We hope this will not be a witch-hunt that will lead to the arbitrary arrest of opposition party activists and outspoken members of civil society.It is our hope that the recent protests will not trigger more conflict and hatred among Zimbabweans who are already divided politically.We would like to advise President Emmerson Mnangagwa to immediately cut short his foreign trip so that he can come back home and attend to the crisis we have otherwise Zimbabweans will think he is insensitive to their plight.The president should be reminded that his fuel hike announcement is the one that triggered the recent uprisings; hence he should come back and solve it.News / National

by Staff reporter

President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he is very pleased with the outcome of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the outcomes were way beyond his expectations.In an interview with Russia TV, the President said President Putin showed deep understanding of Zimbabwe's situation and the visit was used to deepen and strengthen relations through cooperation in various spheres.Mnangagwa highlighted that areas of the country's immediate needs include fertilisers and fuel and that the two sides have agreed to establish Zimbabwe as a hub of fertiliser supply in the country and in the SADC region.An agreement to this effect was signed between Zimbabwe and Ural Company was signed at the Kremlin this Tuesday.The President went on to praise the Russian Federation for the role it has played and continues to play in Zimbabwe's education sector.He also responded to questions on his views about power saying he has been deployed by the people to lead and he spends 95 percent of his time to serve those who have elected him.President Mnangagwa also outlined his economic vision and his efforts towards ending isolation of the country from the family of nations.News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

ZANU PF members have been fingered as the ring leaders behind the violent protests and looting that happened in some parts of Harare fueling speculations that the protests were hijacked by criminal elements from the recently dismissed Border Gezi graduates who were working as Youth Officers.Court papers obtained from the magistrates court in Harare revealed that Benson Bhobho who is Zanu PF Whitecliff ward chairperson and his executives members were hauled before the courts after allegedly leading protests which saw the torching of a Zupco bus and looting in Kuwadzana. They later proceeded to a PUMA garage operated by Former Minister Webster Shamu where they broke the windows of the shop and looted groceries before setting ablaze a Mitsubishi pick up truck.Commenting on the matter MDC Deputy Treasurer General Charlton Hwende said ZANU PF Youths were also given military clothing to pose as soldiers so that they could terrorize citizens."Yesterday hundreds of ZANU PF youths clad in Military Uniforms conducted a door to door exercise in most of the townships beating up any male above 14 years. A lot of people were injured and require urgent medical attention.Why did Zanu-PF activists burn the Zupco bus?" Hwende said.Hwende further revealed that a resident of his constituency was shot during the protests."Tafadzwa Katara From Kuwadzana 3 was shot and died 2 days ago in Kuwadzana. Now we are waiting for the family to announce the funeral and burial arrangements."Banker Nigel Chanakira lamented the blanket blackout of Internet in the country saying Zimbabwe cannot be open for business."That an entire nation can be turned off the internet like we are naughty little kids is incredulous. Zimbabwe can't be open for business at this rate." Chanakira said. "My condolences to families and friends of 6 lives reportedly lost and 200 odd wounded due to the current fuel protests."News / National

by Africa News

Zimbabweans have reacted with anger and frustration to last week's announcement of a fuel price hike by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.In a televised address last Saturday, Mnangagwa said prices of petrol and diesel would more than double to tackle a shortfall caused by increased demand and "rampant" illegal trading.Petrol prices have been raised from $1.24 a litre to $3.31 (2.89 euros) and diesel from $1.36 a litre to $3.11.The president's announcement came after fuel shortages which began in October last year worsened in recent weeks with motorists sometimes spending nights in fuel pump queues that stretch for kilometres.Reactions to fuel hikeCitizens, activists and opposition political parties blasted the government for being insensitive to the plight of the common man.The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called for a three-day stayaway and shutdown strike that has paralysed banks, schools, businesses and the stock market in the capital Harare and the second city of Bulawayo.The country's labour minister, Sekai Nzenza announced on Monday that public workers will be given a cost of living allowance of between 5 percent and 23 percent of their monthly salary from January to March.The president himself, flew out of the country on Sunday for a five-nation tour of Eastern Europe that will end at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.We talked to Kudzanai Sharara, a financial journalist in Harare, to share his assessment of why the government's intervention seems to have backfired.What should be done to resolve the ongoing fuel crisis, considering that the price hike has backfired?I think what we need now is some kind of a social contract, where government, labor and employers sit down and deliberate on issues. For example, if they have done this with a few of them and say that look guys this is what we want to do as government, what do you think? And then business as well as labor will probably point out and find tune the laws'.Is a new currency as announced by the finance minister last week, feasible and necessary?'Mostly it is not about the currency that is used. We can take the strongest currency in the world. We can take the Japanese yen, which is seen by many as a safe havenyou can take the US dollar, but it will still collapse as long as we do not have the proper fundamentals on the ground. We have a huge budget deficit, which the minister is working on through this austerity measures. We have got a huge trade deficit which also needs to be looked at. So we have got so many challenges that we have and fundamentals that we really need to sort out first before we introduce our own currency.''News / National

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) is enmeshed in talks with workers representatives to locate lasting solutions to challenges faced by employees, who claim they are now struggling to make ends meet due to the recent rise in prices of fuel and basic commodities.The negotiations come at a time the Zimbabwe Revenue and Allied Workers' Trade Union (Zimratu) wrote a letter to Zimra Commissioner General, Ms Faith Mazani, on January 13, 2019, indicating they were "incapacitated" to go to work due to high transport costs.Zimratu president Dominic Manyangadze, said workers were demanding a review of their working conditions to enable them to continue reporting for work. In emailed responses, Zimra's head (of) corporate communications, Francis Chimanda, said the national revenue collector's head honchos were locked in meetings with employee representatives to find a way forward."Management is currently engaging its workers representatives to find ways to mitigate the challenges of the current economic situation to staff," said Mr Chimanda.He dismissed reports that were widely circulated on some social media platforms on Monday that workers, especially at border posts, were refusing to clear travellers demanding a pay rise.Said Mr Chimanda: " . . . Zimra remains open for business as a provider of essential public services."Analysts say Zimratu, wrote its letter to Zimra Commissioner General Ms Mazani on January 13, 2019 so that the members' "incapacitation" to report for work, would coincide with the MDC Alliance and NGO-sponsored "national shut-down" which started on Monday and ended yesterday.The violent "national shut-down", left a trail of destruction of property such as buildings, roads, tollgates, vehicles, and a looting spree of supermarkets, small businesses and vendors' wares, by armed bandits, who could not stomach the fact that people had largely ignored their ruinous call.Said Zimratu in its letter to management: "We the Zimbabwe Revenue and Allied Workers' Trade Union (Zimratu); having collated experiences and submissions from our membership across the country, noting the concerns and grievances raised in those submissions and the recommendations thereof; concerned about the rapid deterioration of conditions of work of our members across the country and the effects thereof, inter-alia . . . most of our members are unable to report for duty with effect from January 14, 2019 due to incapacitation."Mr Manyangadze said Zimra was providing a flat transport fee of $3 per day when commuters were charging as much as $10, while recent price increases have eroded "our members' salaries".He further cited the charging of prices of some commodities in foreign currency such as medicines, as one of the reasons for employees' inability to religiously report for work.Government says it is aware of the challenges faced by citizens and manufacturers, and is working round the clock to resolve them. On its part, Government is working on a package for its employees so that they are cushioned from the high costs of goods and transport.President Mnangagwa, who is currently on a five-nation tour of Eurasia and Switzerland, wants civil servants be awarded a "cushioning allowance" that would be distributed equitably on a "sliding scale with the lowest grade receiving 22,7 percent and the highest getting 5 percent".The intervention is outside of the salary increase negotiations that have already started.News / National

by Staff reporter

Government yesterday ordered its workers to return to work and expects all its departments to be fully functional today.Civil servants and Zimbabweans at large have been failing to report for work since Monday owing to violent protests instigated by the MDC Alliance and its allies, which saw four people being killed, property worth thousands of dollars destroyed and roads barricaded by the hooligans.They also beat up people intending to go to work, forcing them to join their illegal protests. In a statement, Public Service Commission Chairman Dr Vincent Hungwe said the civil service was expected to be fully functional today."Government wishes to appreciate the commitment shown by civil servants who have continued to report for duty despite the obstacles they encountered during the past few days," he said."The Government is gratified by the improvement in attendance by civil servants at their work stations." Schools and other public service departments were urged to commence work punctually."All Government work places, including schools, are required to be fully functional tomorrow 17 January 2019 (today), with all personnel reporting for duty by the prescribed times," said Dr Hungwe.Government said it was providing buses after private transport operators withdrew services."Public Service Commission buses, which transported personnel to work this morning (yesterday) and will ply their normal routes at the end of the workday, will ferry civil servants to and from work at the designated pick-up and drop-off points at the usual times," said Dr Hungwe.News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC Alliance organising secretary Amos Chibaya has been arrested for allegedly holding a meeting with some civic organisations at his house where they planned the violence that rocked Gweru on Tuesday.After the meeting, Mr Chibaya, who is the Member of Parliament for Mkoba, is alleged to have held another meeting with his party's youths whom he instructed to embark on the violence.Apart from Chibaya, Chiwundura Member of Parliament Livingstone Chiminya and over 100 other people were also arrssted over the violence that led to the looting of shops and bars. Chibaya was being held at Gweru Central Police Station while Chiminya was at Mkoba 1 Police Station and both are expected in court today.After an uneventful Monday which saw cities and towns in the Midlands province remaining calm with people going about their business Tuesday turned into a nightmare for residents, commuter omnibuses and shop operators as criminals barricaded roads and burnt tyres.The criminals embarked on a looting spree which resulted in shop owners losing goods worth thousands of dollars. Some were still counting their losses and the quantum of losses was expected to increase. The skirmishes saw at least one commuter omnibus being burnt in Mkoba 16 before the members of the uniformed forces moved in to restore law and order.The police then raided homes of suspected perpetrators, leading to the arrest of Chibaya, Chiminya and the 100 people on allegations of inciting MDC-Alliance youths to engage in violent activities.Chibaya handed himself to the police in the company of his lawyer Mr Reginald Chidawanyika after learning that the police were looking for him. In an interview at Gweru Central Police Station he said he was facing charges of inciting violence.Mr Chidawanyika said his client stood accused of holding a meeting with civil organisation leaders at his house in Mkoba 13, before inciting MDC Alliance youths to prevent members of the public from going to work from Monday to Wednesday."It is alleged that my client on January 12 held a meeting with other civic organisation leaders in Gweru to plot a civil strike titled "shutdown" of all economic activities within Gweru Urban and incited 15 MDC Alliance youths to go onto the streets of Gweru to prevent the general public from going to work," he said."Chibaya allegedly addressed the youths and made the following utterances, 'As youths you must make sure the shutdown is successful, no public transport must be allowed to operate, if anyone is seen operating any shop during January14-16, close the shop totally, block all the roads leading to town."As a result of his utterances - it is alleged that youth gangs blocked Hamutyinei, Bristol roads in Mkoba which lead to the city centre, Matobo Road in Mtapa leading to town, using logs, stones and burning tyres, disrupting free movement of vehicular transport and the general public."Furthermore, another gang went to Choppies supermarket in Mkoba 6 and looted groceries worth $10 000, Flame Lilly Bar Mkoba 1 where they looted merchandise worth $1 363 and Samanyanga shop at Mkoba 10 and looted various groceries valued at $2 500."Meanwhile, Evan Mawarire was yesterday arrested for inciting public violence and organising disturbances that rocked the country, causing loss of life and destruction of property.Mawarire recently posted videos on the Internet together with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions calling for mass action.Mawarire's lawyer Ms Beatrice Mtetwa confirmed her client's arrest. "He was picked up in the morning on allegations that he incited people to commit acts of violence," she said."He is at the Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police Station and they have not yet decided which cells to place him in."Mawarire is expected to be in court today."He is appearing in court tomorrow (today) and I am one of the lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights working on his case," said Mtetwa.News / National

by Staff reporter

The ruling Zanu-PF party says it will not be stampeded into dialogue with the opposition MDC-Alliance which it accuses of instigating violence in major cities like Harare and Bulawayo on Monday, working in collusion with its civic society allies.The violence resulted in the death of four people, one a police officer, destruction of infrastructure and property worth thousands of dollars.Zanu-PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi told the party's parliamentary caucus in Harare yesterday that the ruling party would not be hurried into talking to the opposition through acts of violence."It is very unfortunate if what they are looking for is dialogue at the same time they are causing mayhem in the country and destroying property," he said. Togarepi said it was wrong to seek dialogue through violence."I think there are many avenues they can use to create dialogue with Government, with Zanu PF or with any other political establishment in the country. But if you have to maim people, barricade roads and destroy property, it then defeats your democratic right to demonstrate. When you destroy people's homes and property you are worsening the plight of the people. The question is are you doing it for the people or for your own selfish interests?" said Togarepi."People lost properties, cars were burnt and lives were lost. Is that a way to persuade dialogue? In my view it was wrong. It is clear that these are acts of terrorism. That is clear terrorism and it is not supposed to exist in our country because we are a peace-loving nation. We call upon the security agents to deal with these people," he said.Togarepi said social media was awash with statements by MDC-Alliance functionaries like its deputy treasurer general Mr Charlton Hwende threatening to unseat President Mnangagwa's Government."There are messages on twitter from the likes of Hwende who said they are going to remove President Mnangagwa's Government in January. So is what we are seeing a manifestation of that?" he added.The Zanu-PF chief whip said yesterday's meeting was also meant to brief parliamentarians on the situation in the country."Our caucus was mainly to talk to the MPs and ensure that they appreciate the current economic environment and the issues around fuel prices, the issues around price (of basic commodities) increases and the demonstrations that were there so that they go and explain to our people and to encourage them to remain peaceful and organised for the party to remain strong," he said."As you know, the MPs are closer to the people so it is important that they know issues around the price increases and what is involved in the fuel rebate system that was announced by Government at the weekend and what they can do to mitigate the challenges people are facing in their various constituencies," said Togarepi.He said Government had come up with measures to cushion businesses and ordinary people from the effects of fuel increases."There are measures by Government to cushion everybody, there are measures to cushion businesses, and there are measures to cushion Government employees, all that was explained to the MPs," Togarepi said.The fuel rebate will ensure that business in the productive sectors do not increase prices to the end user while civil servants have been awarded an allowance of between 22,7 percent and five percent on a sliding scale to lessen the impact of price distortions in the economy.Interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani all but admits what everyone assumes: that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in the 2016 presidential election.

Rudolph Giuliani: "I never stated there was no collusion between the campaign or people in the campaign." CNN: "Yes you have." Rudolph Giuliani: "I have not. I said there is not a single bit of evidence that the POTUS committed the only crime you could commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC."

Trump has, of course, relentlessly denied any collusion whatsoever.

The weird thing about the goalposts being moved is that it really does mean there's no goal. The thing you thought was a real problem for Trumpbeing forced to admit what he has always denied about his campaign's links to the Russian governmentwill turn out to be just another news cycle.You've gotta read, by Douglas Burns, this excellent roundup of a dozen or so of the worst things congressman Steve King (R-IA) has said, dating back decades.

Notable that these long, long predate the latest "why does racism have such a negative stigma" remarks that got him in trouble, and ultimately led to his removal from various powerful committees in Congress this week.

"I'm a western Iowa newspaper owner who has chronicled @SteveKingIA and his troubling remarks for 2 decades," tweeted Burns. "His latest comments, the ones generating national controversy, wouldn't even make my Top 10 list of most distressing Steve King comments.

Wow. Some of these I hadn't seen before.

Did you know, or do you remember, that in 2005, King came out as a fan of red-baiting asshole Sen. Joseph McCarthy, calling him a "hero for America?"

King still defends the statement. Christ, what an asshole.

Excerpt from Burns' roundup of awful Steve King quotes, which is truly a top 10 list for the ages:

3. King likens illegal immigrants to animals In July of 2006 King went to the House floor to display the model of a wall the Kiron Republican said he personally designed for the U.S. border with Mexico and likened illegal border crossers to the farm animals. "We need to do a few other things on top of that wall, and one of them being to put a little bit of wire on top here to provide a disincentive for people to climb over the top or put a ladder there." King said in displaying his design. "We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current that would not kill somebody, but it would be a discouragement for them to be fooling around with it. We do that with livestock all the time." 5. Terrorists will be 'dancing in the streets'

In an interview in Spencer, before the 2008 presidential election, King said, "I'll just say this, that when you think about the optics of a Barack Obama potentially getting elected president of the United States  and I mean, what does this look like to the rest of the world? What does it look like to the world of Islam? And I will tell you that, if he is elected president, then the  the radical Islamists, the  the al-Qaida and the radical Islamists and their supporters will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11." 6. King compares homosexuals to unicorns and leprechauns

In a Dec. 12, 2003, news release about Sioux City Judge Jeffrey Neary's decision to grant two lesbians a divorce King said the following: "Unless I am mistaken it was in Vermont, not Iowa, that Howard 'The Coward' Dean slyly signed midnight legislation making same sex unions legal. Unicorns, leprechauns, gay marriages in Iowa  these are all things you will never find because they just don't exist. But perhaps Judge Neary would grant divorces to unicorns and leprechauns, too.'" 7. King earns endorsement  for President of the United States  from right-wing hate-peddler Ann Coulter.

A columnist for Human Events Online, a national conservative publication, says celebrity right-winger Ann Coulter in the fall of 2006 recommended that the Republican Party consider King as its presidential nominee in 2008. "Coulter supports a fence on our southern border and recommended the Republican Party consider Rep. Steve King from Iowa for the presidency in 2008," Michael J. McCormack wrote after hearing Coulter speak at a Christian Coalition of Georgia event.

Read the rest.

Rep. Tim Ryan told reporters that his censure of Steve King will be referred to the ethics committee and he will not object  meaning it wont get a vote. Ryan said he was disappointed and feels that King "dodged a bullet" with the disapproval resolution. per @KilloughCNN  Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 16, 2019

As @MEPFuller notes, the timing of this coddling up to a racist, just after the censure of Steve King for being a racist, is batshit. https://t.co/39P332t7Cx  emptywheel (@emptywheel) January 16, 2019

NEWS: Dem leaders are trying to stamp out a rank-and-file push to censure Steve King, worried about facing retaliation from Republicans and putting their own members in a tough spot. The latest w/ @sarahnferris: https://t.co/We0mlgTDdP  Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) January 16, 2019

Here's GOP reps @DrPhilRoe and @RepAndyHarrisMD meeting with Holocaust denier and white supremacist #ChuckJohnson today. So much for that "denouncing white supremacy" bullshit from Republicans. #votethegopintoextinctionhttps://t.co/Q6pBhGX5KN  Dennis Perkins (@DennisPerkins5) January 16, 2019

That is definitely Chuck Johnson. And that means a day after allegedly condemning white supremacy & Steve King on the House floor, some Republicans are walking into the House with. a Holocaust-denying white supremacist. Fucking amazing. https://t.co/JIG3sHkIBS  Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) January 16, 2019

[via]41 California privacy lawyers, professionals, and professors are urging the California legislature to make major changes to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which the legislature hastily passed in 2018. The letter highlights six significant problems with the CCPA, including:

The CCPA affects many businesses who never had a chance to explain the laws problems to the legislature;

The CCPA imposes excessive costs on small businesses;

The CCPA requires businesses to waste money complying with multiple privacy laws;

The CCPA degrades consumer privacy in several ways;

The CCPAs definitions are riddled with problems; and

The CCPA reaches beyond Californias borders.

The text of the letter is below. A PDF copy of the letter is also available.

Im amazed by how many California privacy experts have very serious concerns about Californias new privacy law, said Prof. Eric Goldman, co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law, who spearheaded the letter. Many of those experts, including some signatories to the letter, will personally make a lot of money due to the CCPAs substantial legal compliance costs and multitudinous ambiguities. Nevertheless, despite their financial self-interest, they would rather see the legislature improve the law.

To discuss the letter or the CCPA with Prof. Goldman, you can reach him at egoldman@gmail.com. For more background on the California Consumer Privacy Act, see https://ssrn.com/abstract=3211013.

___

Media coverage of the letter:

MediaPost Digital News Daily

IAPP Daily Dashboard

Techdirt

___

[The letter text:]

January 17, 2019

The Honorable Toni Atkins

Senate President Pro Tempore

State Capitol, Room 205

The Honorable Patricia Bates

Senate Minority Leader

State Capitol, Room 305

The Honorable Anthony Rendon

Assembly Speaker

State Capitol, Room 219

The Honorable Marie Waldron

Assembly Republican Leader

State Capitol, Room 3104

Dear Senators and Assemblymembers:

We are California-licensed or -based privacy lawyers, professionals, and law professors. We write to express our concerns about the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and its urgent need for major changes. This letter highlights six areas warranting extra consideration as the California legislature endeavors to improve the law. This is not a comprehensive or detailed list of all desirable changes to the CCPA, but we would be happy to work with you or your staff to develop such a list or provide more specifics about our concerns.

1) Application to Stakeholders Who Did Not Provide Input. Most US privacy laws are sectoral-based, i.e., they are optimized for the needs of specific industries. In contrast, the CCPA applies across all industries, with only limited exceptions. Because of the CCPAs rushed approval process, the California legislature did not hear from thousands of different industries affected by the CCPA. The CCPA will likely need many changes to properly accommodate this wide range of industries. As the legislature works to improve the CCPA, it would be beneficial to conduct the kind of broad-based fact gathering from multiple constituencies that the legislature normally does when evaluating a major law.

2) Compliance Costs for Small Businesses. The CCPA unsuccessfully tried to exclude small businesses from its requirements. The definition of business likely reaches many small businesses, including low-margin retail businesses that store 137 unique credit cards a day and tiny ad-supported websites/blogs that get only 137 unique visitors per day. These businesses cannot afford the CCPAs substantial compliance costs, so they may either ignore the law or exit the market. To avoid these undesirable results, the CCPA should increase its compliance thresholds or scale compliance obligations to business size (or similar proxies).

3) Inconsistencies with the GDPR. Many California businesses recently spent a lot of money on GDPR compliance. Substantial differences between the GDPR and CCPA will impose a new and expensive round of compliance work on those businesses. Worse, those extra expenses probably will not incrementally enhance California consumers privacy. The legislature could help by harmonizing the CCPA and the GDPR to eliminate the need for two different compliance programs; or by providing a CCPA safe harbor for GDPR-compliant businesses.

4) The CCPA Counterproductively Undermines Consumer Privacy. Several provisions of the CCPA potentially undermine consumer privacy. For example, the law still seems to mistakenly require businesses to publicly disclose consumers private data (1798.110(c)(5)).

More generally, to enable the required access, erasure, and portability of personal information, businesses may need to make all of their data identifiable, even data they would prefer to store in non-identifiable ways.

Furthermore, several well-publicized incidents have demonstrated how the GDPRs access and data portability mechanisms expose consumers to additional risks of disclosure to malicious hackers or third parties. The CCPAs data access and portability provisions create similar risks. To avoid this unwanted result, businessesat substantial expensetry to confirm requestors identities, which counterproductively may require the businesses to collect more personal information from consumers. As a result, the CCPAs data access, erasure, and portability provisions should be calibrated to ensure they enhance, rather than reduce, consumer privacy.

5) Overbroad Definitions. The definitions are the CCPAs foundation, and their clarity will dictate the laws success or failure. Numerous statutory definitions are overbroad, imprecise, or simply unhelpful. Without amendment, they will cause substantial confusion and compliance hardships. We have already mentioned the miscalibrated definition of business. Other examples include:

The definition of consumer problematically extends to company employees and business-to-business contacts.

The definition of personal information has numerous problems. Most importantly, it applies to data that no consumer would ever consider identifiable. Also, some specific examples of personal information, such as thermal and olfactory information, are nonsensical, as is the current scope and treatment of publicly available information.

The repeated references to householdsa concept not in the GDPRunhelpfully expands the definition of one persons personal information to reach data about other people. It also means that a business data practices towards one person can affect other people in unexpected and potentially unwanted ways.

The definition of sale does not clarify when data transfers or sharing are done for valuable consideration, a question of critical importance to many California businesses.

The definitions of service provider and third party are unclear, and they diverge from the GDPRs definitions of data controllers and data processors. Furthermore, the two definitions leave open some key gaps, such as the treatment of non-profit vendors.

6) Extraterritorial Reach. The CCPA purports to reach activity outside of California. Two examples:

* the law claims to regulate businesses with no nexus with California other than being affiliates of California-based businesses.

* the thresholds for a regulated business apparently count non-California-based activities. For example, the $25M threshold equally applies to businesses that receive all revenues from California residents and businesses that receive only $1 of revenue from California residents. If so, a business without any ties to California must comply with the CCPA (at substantial expense) the moment it accepts a single dollar from a California resident.

The CCPAs purported application to activity outside of California raises substantial Constitutional concerns and potentially exposes the state to expensive and distracting litigation. More importantly, it causes tremendous uncertainty and possibly wasted expenditures for businesses without real ties to California. The legislature should clarify the CCPAs applicability to activities outside California.

* * *

Everyone has acknowledged that the CCPA remains a work-in-progress, but there may be some misapprehensions about the scope and scale of the required changes still remaining. In our view, the CCPA needs many substantial changes before it becomes a law that truly benefits California. We appreciate your work on these important matters.

Regards,

Professor Eric Goldman

Co-Director, High Tech Law Institute

Co-Supervisor, Privacy Law Certificate

Santa Clara University School of Law

500 El Camino Real

Santa Clara, CA 95053

408-554-4369

egoldman@gmail.com

on behalf of himself and the signatories listed on the subsequent page. All signatories are signing as individuals and not on behalf of their employers; any listed affiliations are for identification purposes only.

Signatories:

Heather A. Antoine

Mania Aslan, CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM

Mila Balke

Deepali Brahmbhatt, One LLP and CIPP/US

Rafae Bhatti, CIPP/US, CIPM

Alan Chapell, Chapell & Associates and CIPP/US

Allison Cohen, Loeb & Loeb and CIPP/US

Brendan Comstock, CIPP/US

Tanya Forsheit, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz and CIPP/US, CIPT

Also: Adjunct Professor, Loyola Law School

Alan L. Friel, BakerHostetler and CIPP/US, CIPM

Also: Adjunct Professor, Loyola Law School

Elizabeth Fu, CIPP/US

Cathy Gellis

Daniel Goldberg, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz and CIPP/US

Mike Godwin

Porscha Guasch, CIPP/US

Ganka Hadjipetrova, CIPP/US, CIPM

Michael Hellbusch, Rutan & Tucker and CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM

Deborah Shinbein Howitt, Lewis Bess Williams & Weese and CIPP/US

Lily Lei Kang, CIPP/US

Bennet Kelley, Internet Law Center

Irene Koulouris, CIPP/US

Amy Lawrence, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz and CIPP/US

Letitia Lee, CIPP/US

Christine Lyon, Morrison & Foerster

Olivia Manning, CIPP/US, CIPM

Jess Miers, CIPP/US

Chiara Portner, Hopkins & Carley, CIPP/US

Hannah Poteat, CIPP/US

Kristie D. Prinz

Kristen Psaty, CIPP/US

Michael G. Rhodes, Cooley LLP

Andra Robinson

Michael Scapin, CIPP/US

Andrew Serwin, Morrison & Foerster and CIPP/C, CIPP/E, CIPP/G, CIPP/US, CIPM

Berin Szoka

Brent Tuttle, CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPT

Pamela C. Vavra, Pamela C. Vavra Law Offices

Sophia Vogt, CIPP/US

Charlie Vuong, CIPP/US

Randy Wilson, CIPP/US, CIPP/EU, CIPM

__

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* Recent Developments Regarding the California Consumer Privacy Act

* The California Consumer Privacy Act Should Be Condemned, Not Celebrated

* A First (But Very Incomplete) Crack at Inventorying the California Consumer Privacy Acts Problems

* Ten Reasons Why Californias New Data Protection Law is Unworkable, Burdensome, and Possibly Unconstitutional (Guest Blog Post)

* A Privacy Bomb Is About to Be Dropped on the California Economy and the Global Internet

* An Introduction to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)Democratic Socialists have presented Denmark as the elusive nation where socialism has been successful, and thus a model for the policies they would implement in the United States. Bernie Sanders regularly invoked Denmark during the 2016 presidential campaign, and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez reassured 60 Minutes viewers that her version of democratic socialism would veer more toward Denmark than Venezuela. Just weeks ago a free-market think tank in Denmark, the Center for Political Studies (CEPOS), issued a 20-page report telling Americans that 1) Denmark is not a socialist nation; and 2) statist policies have still caused significant economic harm.

Denmark is not socialist

The 20-page report notes that, by some measures, Denmark and the Nordic socialist countries have more economic freedom than the United States:

The Fraser Institutes Economic Freedom of the World index ranks Denmark 16th (out of 162 countries). According to the Heritage Foundations Index of Economic Freedom, Denmark (ranked 12th out of 180 countries) ranks higher than the US (18th). Denmark generally ranks high on regulation, protection of private property, fighting corruption, flexibility of the labor market and trade, but ranks low on taxes and public spending, which are very high in Denmark compared to other countries.

The high level of economic freedom is an explanation for the relatively high level of income in Denmark, in spite of the high level of taxes and the big welfare state, the report states.

The reports authors  Mads Lundby Hansen, Carl-Christian Heiberg, and Thomas Due Bostrup  show Denmark following the familiar pattern of its fellow Nordic countries: It became a wealthy country before introducing an ever-expanding welfare state in the postwar era. But after reaching an economic breaking point in the 1970s, successive governments introduced a mixture of reforms  including reduced benefits, partial privatization of pensions, and lower regulation  that have restored its economic fortunes.

But if Sanders and AOC overstate the extent of Denmarks economic interventionism, CEPOS adds, then the White House understates the economic pain.

Squeezing the poor and middle class

The White Houses Council of Economic Advisors explored The Opportunity Costs of Socialism last October. Reading the report, one could easily get the impression that taxes in Denmark are only slightly higher than in the US, CEPOS authors state.

In fact, taxes are much higher in Denmark  especially on the poor and middle class. The government confiscates more than half of virtually all incomes. Low-income Danes pay an effective marginal tax rate of 56 percent; the middle class pay 57 percent.

Extremely poor Danes have more money than poor Americans  but the difference cannot be financed exclusive by the rich. The average American has 27 per cent higher income than the average Dane, CEPOS reports, reflecting both lower GDP per capita and higher taxes in Denmark.

The biggest difference is Denmarks high consumption taxes. Its VAT imposes a 25 percent tax on the sale of every item  and additional taxes apply on coffee, beer, and chocolate.

The section on the tax imposed on vehicle owners makes fascinating reading. How many Americans know that in Denmark you pay 1,200 USD yearly in car-ownership tax for a pickup truck? (Jim Gilmore, now the president of the American Opportunity Foundation, got elected governor of Virginia by campaigning against the states car tax, which was roughly half that amount.)

These taxes disproportionately hurt the poor, who struggle to pay for their needs as it is. High consumption taxes mean that you can buy fewer goods for one extra working hour. Therefore, consumption taxes distort the labor decision  that is, they discourage work, investment, and progress.

Americans would be worse off by adopting the Danish model

The White House report concludes that adopting the Nordic welfare state at its height in the 1970s would have reduced U.S. GDP by 19 percent. CEPOS states, This seems plausible although we think the income decline in the US would be more than 19 per cent.

Denmarks history is inextricably caught up with trade, commerce, and faith. The name Copenhagen means merchants harbor, and its history owes much to Bishop Absalon, who died in 1201. The report  which is well worth reading in its entirety  notes how the country moved toward fiscal ruin as it moved away from economic freedom and reliance on intermediary institutions.

The message from Denmark is clear: Adopting even a soft version of democratic socialism, as proposed by Bernie Sanders and AOC, would make Americans poorer and inhibit their flourishing.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

(Photo credit: Jim G. This photo has been cropped for size. CC BY 2.0.)This resource is no longer available

This resource is no longer available. Return to previous page.I can still remember all the vivid pictures of people from Eastern Europe trying to get across the Berlin Wall, and see them lying in agony dying from gunshots and everyone afraid to help. I can also hear the Republican President Ronald Reagan tell the Soviets to tear down that wall. Never did I ever think in the greatest country on Earth that we would be building one!

Border security is important and includes border agents, immigration judges, paid TSA workers at airports, access roads for agents to patrol the border, lights along the border, drones and checking for people who overstay their visas.

The drug crisis is fed way more by prescription drugs and mail deliveries than illegals. In addition, the Canadian border has had three times the terrorists apprehended than the southern border.

When my ancestors came from Europe they were welcomed even though the United States had just fought a world war against them. Thank goodness, because it could easily be myself and my family seeking asylum and being locked in cages at the border like the president is doing today.A service animal is defined by federal law as a dog that has been "individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability." Emotional support animals are not considered service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, and the the North Dakota legislation only addresses service animals.

The bill was backed by Service Dogs for America based in Jud, N.D., which has placed more than 280 service dogs across the country since its founding in 1989. As of December, 22 states had "true bans" on fraudulently representing a pet as a service animal, according to testimony provided by the group's executive director, Jenny Brodkorb.

Proponents faced questions about how the legislation would be enforced since businesses aren't allowed to require proof of a service animal's credentials or ask about a person's disability. Brodkorb said the legislation would be enforceable and cited an example in which she filed a police report in Florida against someone living there who used the group's logo to create a fake document verifying a dog's "registration."

No one opposed the bill during the hour-long hearing and the committee didn't immediately vote on it.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0As of the end of 2016, 20 states and the District of Columbia banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Johnson disputed any arguments that LGBT discrimination isn't a problem in North Dakota because she has "firsthand knowledge" of someone being fired over their homosexuality.

"That sort of injustice spurs me to action," she said. "When a state fails to act to protect the rights of a minority group that's being oppressed, I believe that is state-sanctioned discrimination."

But the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition won't support Johnson's bill over the gender identity exclusion, the group's Legislative Coordinator Elizabeth Loos said. She said transgender people are "vulnerable" and have higher rates of suicide and depression.

"We believe that all people deserve those protections," Loos said. "I think Mary Johnson and the other legislators who sponsored the bill are well-intentioned, but it's not acceptable to exclude transgender people."WASHINGTON  Farm Service Agency offices across the nation will open up for three days to assist agricultural producers with existing farm loans, to ensure the agency provides tax documents to borrowers and release proceeds from the sale of loan security.

Select FSA offices will be open today, Friday and Jan. 22, during normal business hours, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on Wednesday. About 2,500 U.S. Department of Agriculture employees have been recalled to perform certain services.

Mandan, Dickinson, Williston, Linton, Mott, Selfridge, Minot and Jamestown offices are among those being reopened. A list of offices that will be open can be found at goo.gl/SfVUDT.

The list accounts for about half of FSA locations. Since not all offices will be open, producers can visit nearby, open service centers if the office with which they typically do business is not on the list. Producers can call rather than visit if their business can be handled over the phone.

Recalled staff will be able to help with existing farm loans, ensure the agency provides 1099 tax documents to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Services deadline, process payments made on or before Dec. 31, 2018, continue expiring financing statements, open mail to identify priority items and sign checks jointly payable to FSA.Drunken driving offenders with a single offense may have their records sealed if they dont have any convictions for criminal offenses in seven years under a bill introduced in the North Dakota Legislature.

Rep. Dennis Johnson, R-Devils Lake, introduced House Bill 1334 along with nine legislative co-sponsors.

If he keeps his record clean, when he gets out of college he can say he has not had a DUI on a job application, Johnson said.

The bill may be amended to reduce the time before a DUI is sealed to five years.

Wanzek said the bill appealed to his compassionate side.

Even if they made a mistake just once, it is on their record forever, he said, referring to the current law. Even if they straighten their life out, it hinders many opportunities they may have in life.

Johnson said the bill is meant for offenders who only have a DUI on their record.

That makes sense to me, said Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, a co-sponsor. If they are a habitual offender it doesnt apply to them.

Chad Kaiser, Stutsman County sheriff, said he understands the intent of the legislation.If I want to protect my assets, I can carry $1 million to protect my assets, Vedaa said. Like, for cars, my car insurance has a liability of an aggregate of $1 million. My farm and ranch has a liability of $1 million, my business has a liability of $1 million. So if little old me can be sued for $1 million, why shouldn't the political subdivisions be (liable for) more than $250,000?

Both Godfread and Quintus said Tuesday theyre pleased legislators are having a discussion on updating liability limits.

A recent update

The last time legislators updated liability limits for political subdivisions was in 2015, when a Senate bill increased the per-incident limit to $1 million. Before then, it had been $500,000.

The per-individual limit has been in place since 1977.

A Larimore state senator brought forward the bill after a train hit a school bus that failed to yield, killing the teacher driving the bus and a high school student in early January 2015 near the city.

Families and students connected to the incident were awarded a total of $500,000 in court afterward, which lawmakers said still wasnt enough to cover all of the resulting damages.Rep. LaurieBeth Hager, D-Fargo, said she supports Nelson's bill. She said "Be Legendary" isn't an identifiable brand.

"I liked the old logo, and I didn't see any reason for changing that. I didn't think it seemed out of date, to me," said Hager, adding that a logo should inspire pride.

North Dakota Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman said the process for the "refreshed" brand began about 18 months ago and grew as an effort to unify state agencies and programs.

"The idea really was built on unification," Otte Coleman said. The "Be Legendary" brand is now used by more than 25 state agencies.

Muskoda, a marketing communications consultant in Hawley, Minn., designed "Be Legendary" for just under $10,000, according to Otte Coleman, explaining that it was chosen for the company's "fresh perspective."

Otte Coleman also said she probably won't testify nor take a stance on HB1457, though she did acknowledge dissatisfaction she's seen or received on the current logo.

"Any time you do a new logo, it's kind of like approval ratings," Otte Coleman said. "You never know where you're going to come out on those."Well, Mother Nature has surprised us once again .... with variable weather, which I tend to like.

These January temperatures have ranged from wind chills near -20 and daytime highs near 40 degrees. The birds are more active on the warmer days and more subdued on the cooler days, at least in town. Ive seen several flocks of robins sticking around Bismarck and Mandan this winter, which seems to be more than normal.

Ive also seen house sparrows, common redpolls, blue jays, American crows, European starlings and the rock doves hanging around near bridges. Other recent observations have been bald eagles, hanging out near the open water of the Missouri River, where large flocks of Canada geese are loafing.

Recent travels have led me to Minnesota, particularly the Minnesota River, for work. Portions of the river had been open with flowing water in areas of narrow rapids. Wood ducks, Canada geese, northern pintails and mallards have been hanging around. With the waterfowl and open water, one only has to look around on nearby perches to look for eagles.Emergency personnel responded to an explosion at an oil field salt water disposal site southeast of Watford City on Thursday.

Karolin Jappe, McKenzie County's emergency manager, said there was one man on site at the time of the incident. The man was not injured.

The incident, which took place at a White Owl Energy Services site, was reported at 12:15 p.m.

Jappe said the cause of the explosion and fire is unknown.

"It's unusual to have (fires) at a salt water disposal in the winter," she said. "Usually it's in the summer when lightning hits it. We can have four to five per summer."

Jappe said the fire at the site will be allowed to burn out on its own. In cases where no other structures or people are in danger, she said it is usually better to let them burn.

She said putting out the fire can cause larger problems with the salt water spreading and contaminating the ground, which is extremely costly to remedy.

The incident has been reported to the North Dakota Department of Health, Jappe said.

Watford City police public information officer Sgt. Jeffrey Jensen said the McKenzie County Sheriff's Department is investigating the cause of the explosion.

Reach Jessica Holdman at 701-250-8261 or jessica.holdman@bismarcktribune.com

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The business news you need With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.CASPER, Wyo.  Wyoming tribes are cutting assistance to enrolled members due to increasing pressure caused by longest federal shutdown in history, which has frozen money for daily government operations on the Wind River Reservation and hamstrung access to programs that assist Native Americans.

The reservation is home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. Both tribes have recently told members that due to the shutdown, assistance will be scaled back or ended until further notice.

Many are feeling the shutdowns effects, from seniors needing help to pay their electric bill to students who benefit from funding available for books. On a routine basis, members will seek assistance from their tribal government. The shutdown has made it difficult to impossible to provide that help.

The Eastern Shoshone Business Council  that tribes government  sent a letter to each of Wyomings delegates in Washington on Tuesday pleading for an end to the partial government shutdown that began in late December.CASPER, Wyo.  A Casper man facing a first-degree murder charge asked a judge last month to throw out the case, citing a Wyoming law just a month old at the time of the shooting.

Jason T. John's attorney, Tim Cotton, argues that Wyoming's new "stand your ground" law, which became effective July 1, means his client should not have been charged and the case should be dismissed. The new law has not yet faced a test in court, according to Cotton's December filing.

The filing also lays out Cotton's understanding of Wesley Willow's death in August, when John shot him in a Casper trailer park. Cotton indicates that Willow attempted to assault John and he acted in self-defense by shooting Willow nine times.

District Attorney Dan Itzen told the Star-Tribune on Wednesday afternoon that he had filed a response. Because it had not yet been processed into court computers, it was not available for this story. Itzen characterized his filing in general terms, saying he did not believe John was statutorily entitled to a dismissal hearing on the grounds cited by Cotton.

Cotton declined Wednesday afternoon to comment for this story."So they are investing more, and I do believe that with this funding, we could invite new donors," Williams said.

In an email, the UM Foundation noted its scholarship budget this school year is $4.7 million, and 22 percent, or $1.1 million, will be awarded solely on financial need.

Williams said many who attend campuses of the Montana University System are first-generation college students, and they have "significant need." She also said it will be important to show the way the money will benefit students and constituents across the state.

Rep. Llew Jones, The Conrad Republican who chairs the subcommittee, has said lawmakers have an interest in ensuring students receive aid based on merit, as well. Wednesday, Commissioner Christian agreed scholarships based on merit are important.

In his comments, Christian estimated roughly $12 million through two programs currently goes to students based on academic proficiency. He voiced support for the proposal to again put dollars to helping students and families who need it most.

"Where we are really lacking  and lacking by national comparisons by really every comparator we have  is in this need-based aid," Christian said.

The education appropriations subcommittee meets Thursday about community colleges.

Please sign up here to subscribe to Under the M, the Missoulian's weekly email about the University of Montana and higher education news in Montana.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1"The whole idea that we don't have it says a lot about our community," McLane said.

Lowe, who is a member of West High's Gay-Straight Alliance, talked about her experience interacting with the school's gay community and the discrimination she sees that happens subtly and oftentimes behind the scenes.

Even though people don't hear about it, that doesn't mean it isn't happening, she said. Protecting the most vulnerable in the community needs to be a priority for the city, even for those who don't agree with the lifestyle, she said.

"We're not trying to take away your values," she said. "You're allowed to keep your values."

The students' efforts to bring more attention to the issue surprised Ken Crouch, a retired pastor who was a member of the City Council  and one of the five who backed the NDO  when it was voted down four and a half years ago.

Crouch has been speaking to council members during public comment periods at their meetings during the past year, encouraging them to take up the issue again and get something passed. Current council members Penny Ronning and Denise Joy have supported the efforts.

"It's a way to keep it alive," he said.Saturday, 1/19

Adventures in Music Day (AiM Day): 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Billings Public Library. Children, parents and grandparents are invited to play and learn about instruments of all kinds at String Street, Brass Boulevard, Percussion Plaza and Woodwind Way, with Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale members and special animal guests, in conjunction with BSOC's family concert. Free. Passports available at billingssymphony.org/family-concert.Rabbitpatch Apple Dumpling Recipe

1 and 1/2 cups of water



1 cup packed brown sugar



4 tbl spoons of butter



a dash of salt

2 cups of self rising flour



1/4 cup of sugar



1/2 cup of milk



2 tbl spoons of melted butter



1 tsp vanilla extract ( I tend to "spill" more, anytime, a recipe calls for vanilla.)



1 cup diced apples

I am not sure whether it was "Beginners' Luck" or what . . . but I made apple dumplings that are good enough to brag about. I had never even eaten apple dumplings, let alone made them, but I am not a bit sorry, that I tried. I can hardly wait for my son Brant to visit, for I know this dish will give him one more reason to come home when he can. Brant loves apples.Now the good folks in Pennsylvania, may not consider this dish, true apple dumplings, and it seems they are the experts, but this recipe was everything I hoped it would be. This is as good of a reason as I know of to cook apples.Combine ingredients, saving the apples for last. Now, drop by spoonfuls in to the sauce. I turned the heat down a bit, so the boil was slow. Cover the pot and turn the dumplings after about five minutes. Cook about five more minutes and remove from heat. When they are cool enough to eat, do so -and be extra patient so you won't burn your tongue.I used a large skillet, to get the dumplings to cook evenly. All is not lost, if the dumplings, break as you turn them. Nobody will care, once they have tasted them.I took some to Mama and Daddy, while my sweet cousin Sheila was there and a dear friend, Miss Edie. Nobody complained about anything after we ate . . .and besides, all dishes are really better, when shared with others.Sen. Louis Pate, R-Wayne, is part of a vanishing breed of politician, friends and colleagues noted. He put his life on the line as a Vietnam combat veteran, but was a quintessential Southern gentleman who fought firmly but politely in the General Assembly for principles and policies he believed in.Pate, an energetic worker on military and health care issues, is stepping down. He recently started his fifth term in the North Carolina Senate after serving four terms in the House. He was deputy president pro tempore, and served as chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, announced Pate's retirement Monday, Jan. 14, after Pate sent notice of his decision to Gov. Roy Cooper. Berger attributed Pate's decision to lingering health issues.Attempts to reach Pate for comment weren't successful. But accolades about his gentility and political prowess surfaced quickly."Senator Pate's leadership and personal touch made this body more effective, and for that every Senator should be grateful," Berger said in a news release. "I know his legacy will continue to impact this body in the years ahead. It has been a privilege to serve the people of this state with a man of such character as Louis Pate."Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, said Pate set the standard for supporting colleagues."He's always traveled across the state to visit with members and their families, and that personal attention to others helps make the Senate more collaborative," Hise said. "He's also a brilliant mind on healthcare and worked to reshape North Carolina's Medicaid policy for the better." Those Medicaid reforms ended billions of dollars of cost overruns.Just-retired Union County Sen. Tommy Tucker recalled his caucus colleague's preference for ethnic cuisine."Senator Pate was an expert on Chinese food. He'd always take some folks over to Red Dragon, and then he loved to go to Baskin-Robbins afterwards for some ice cream," Tucker said. "Maybe that's why I weighed so much when I was up there."N.C. Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes served with Pate in the N.C. House."During my years in Congress, Louis contacted me frequently on issues that were important to constituents in his Senate district. He worked tirelessly for the betterment of all citizens that he represented," Hayes said.Pate's replacement will be selected by the Republican Party executive committees in Wayne and Lenoir counties. They will forward their recommendation to Cooper, according to Berger's office. The governor has 10 days to approve the nominee - which is essentially a formality. If Cooper fails to act, the recommendation takes effect.News of Pate's health complications came to light in his 2018 re-election campaign when he sent a letter to his constituents announcing that would be his final run, and conjuring Mark Twain's retort about rumors of his death being exaggerated."We want to address some terribly mean-spirited rumors my political opponents are spreading about my health and my campaign," Pate wrote. "First, I am not dead - not even close. As many of us know, getting old isn't always easy or fun. I have recently been diagnosed with a condition that has kept me from getting out on the campaign trail as much as I usually do."Pate navigated B-52 bombers in Vietnam, and B-57 bombers, F-4 fighter-bombers, and F-111 Aardvarks during a 20-year Air Force career, retiring as a major in 1982. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.A former Mount Olive mayor and city councilman, Pate served four House terms between 1995 and 2008. He joined the Senate in 2011.According to Berger's news release, Pate "quickly developed a reputation for humility and dignity with every person with whom he interacted, from junior staff to legislative leaders. He always remembered personal details about the lives of others, often recalling that information when checking in about one's family and activities."The release said "in a period marked by increasing partisan rancor, Senator Pate stood out for his tact and the esteem in which he held his colleagues."UNC-Chapel Hill is expanding its transfer student program by adding partnerships with Guilford Technical and Central Piedmont community colleges.About 800 students transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill every year, with 44 percent transferring from community colleges. In 2006, UNC-Chapel Hill launched the Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program to allow even more community college students to transfer to and graduate from the university.Peter Hans, president of the N.C. Community College system, told Carolina Journal.Hans said the program also is a good financial option for students. Community colleges are typically less expensive than a traditional four-year university. Students participating in C-STEP are able to save money by transferring their credits from the community college to the university system.Through C-STEP, qualified high school or community college students are guaranteed admission to UNC-Chapel Hill if they pursue and earn an associate's degree from a partner community college while maintaining a 3.2 grade point average or higher. Students from families at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for the program.C-STEP students will receive transition and support services while enrolled in the program, as well as academic advising and mentoring opportunities.On Jan. 11, UNC-Chapel Hill announced it was partnering with the two new community colleges, bringing the total partnerships to 13 schools across the state.The other partner schools include Alamance Community College, Cape Fear Community College, Carteret Community College, Central Carolina Community College, Craven Community College, Durham Technical Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Robeson Community College, Sandhills Community College, Southwestern Community College, and Wake Technical Community College.UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt said in a news release.The expansion was made possible with a $1.3 million grant from the North Carolina Glaxo SmithKline Foundation.In addition to the expansion, UNC-Chapel Hill is also launching a new component to C-Step called the Pathways to STEM Success. The program aims to support students entering into the STEM workforce by providing field specific mentoring, summer internships, and lab assistantships.There are several ways to follow the Nebraska Legislature and contact me. My office is located on the first floor of the Capitol, room 1208. The phone number is 402-471-2620, and my email is mdorn@leg.ne.gov. You can sign up to receive an email newsletter, follow on Facebook and view my website at nebraskalegislature.gov by going to the Senators pages. Whenever you need to contact my office you can call and talk to my staff, Janet or Barb, who will ensure I receive the information; or send an email.

On the nebraskalegislature.gov website, you can track all legislation through the 90 day session, search for and read every bill that is introduced and see where it is in the process. By clicking on the Nebraska Educational Television (NET) logo, you can watch the Legislature and selected committee hearings live.

I have several goals for the upcoming legislative session. My top priorities are reducing property taxes and creating a funding solution for the federal judgement handed down to Gage County. With plans to introduce between six and ten bills of my own, I have also signed on as a co-sponsor to a few bills with fellow state senators to address specific issues that affect residents of the district. A complete listing of my bills can be found on the legislative website.

I really look forward to communicating with the constituents of District 30 and encourage you to email or call the office at any time - either staff, computers or answering machines are constantly on duty and replies can always be expected. Thank you for electing me to represent you in the Nebraska Legislature.

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Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Morfeld said he looked forward to finding a time for Peterson to meet with him and the people he described.

"I will clear my schedule," he said.

On the talk show, Peterson said the issue is far more complicated than the notion that 33 states have legalized medical marijuana and 11 states have legalized the recreational form of the drug, so it can't be stopped.

"I'm thinking, as public policymakers we have to be far more responsible than that type of simplistic analysis," he said.

A hearing for a bill (LB110) introduced by Wishart of Lincoln to legalize medical cannabis is scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 25 in front of the Judiciary Committee.

Peterson said he agreed with Voorhees that legalization of medical cannabis was one step closer to getting what people really want  legalization of recreational marijuana.

"The marijuana industry, I call them the impairment industry because the whole purpose of the product is to impair," he said. "It's an industry that tries to maximize impairment.  There's big money to be made here."

Peterson asked what's driving these senators to push the bills and the initiative petitions.Cakes and desserts business BBF is planning to invest in its manufacturing facilities having secured 40m funding from Wells Fargo Capital Finance (WFCF).

The new three-year financing facility will provide day-to-day working capital for the group while providing headroom to enable further capital investment in its manufacturing facilities.

It comes a year after BBF acquired Greencores ambient cakes and chilled desserts business. As a result of the acquisition, annual group revenues have risen to over 150m, with more than 2,000 people employed over the five sites.

BBF has sites in Blackburn, Bradford and Poland, which produce a range of own-label, licensed and branded cakes and desserts for retailers, including Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Lidl. It has been owned by private equity investor Endless LLP since 2015.

The facility provided by Wells Fargo gives the business extra firepower to make further investment in all of our manufacturing sites and to deliver on our strategic growth plans. Wells demonstrated great appetite throughout the process to support the business and were excited to have secured this new funding facility, said Jonathan Lill, BBF CEO.

Tom Weedall, director of loan originations at WFCF UK, added: Leveraging Wells Fargos platform, we are delighted to work with BBF. This funding facility will support their future working capital and growth requirements. Also, our tailored solution will enable BBF to continue to provide the highest level of service and award-winning products to their customers.Jose Montelongo-Morales was detained in the Coconino County Detention Facility after he did not make a court-ordered payment for being found guilty of driving under the influence in 2015.

But a new class-action lawsuit filed last week alleges that Montelongo-Morales is being unlawfully held on an ICE detainer due to his suspected status as an undocumented immigrant.

This is the second lawsuit in the past two years filed against the Coconino County Sheriffs Office for their longstanding policy on ICE detainers, where the Sheriffs Office detains a person suspected of being undocumented for 48 hours to allow the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to pick them up.

Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll said he had not yet retrieved notice of the document when asked on Tuesday afternoon. Driscoll is named in the lawsuit with jail commander Matt Figueroa.

Some groups in the county have pushed their view in courts to Flagstaff City Council that these ICE detainers are illegal. Last year, a federal judge dismissed a case filed against the Sheriffs Office policy, leaving it intact.Every year, the contest begins with the University of Arizonas Project WET Water Festival in September at Foxglenn Park, where approximately 800 local fourth-graders spend the day learning about water through various activities run by education students at NAU.

Classes spend a total of about five to six weeks on the subject, discussing water basics before the festival, then completing a post test and review while creating their contest submissions.

David Painter, Noras teacher at Sechrist Elementary, said the contest and festival fit right into the core subject curriculum studied by these fourth graders. The lessons and activities also make a difference in student actions.

I think it really does make them more conscientious about their use of water. We have some great discussions about their homes. They talk about the habits they have at home, how they might correct those, he said.

Painter said the prize money will likely be used to purchase new science lab supplies.

Johanna Payton, teacher at Pine Forest School, also noted a similar difference in her students. Although Payton previously had to turn off running faucets in the school bathrooms, she says her students are now checking each other to make sure this water is not wasted.A deliberately-paced three-hour magnum opus from Adam & Eve and Kay Brandt.

Whitney Wright plays a mouseburger fashion-photography PA who is recognized by fashion magnate Ryan Driller, whose imperious manner belies his stress. Driller tells Wright he needs an assistant, and she accepts, setting aside her plans to go to school in the fall to study fashion design. "I believe in not passing up great opportunities," Wright explains.

Perks of the new gig include in-office manicures and pedicures, and a new wardrobe. "You're a brand ambassador for the company," Driller tells her, continuing by pointing out that he had a ... special arrangement ... with his last personal assistant and he would like to do that with her, too. He says he'll email her a contract, and tells her to read every word. She doesand she signs.

Driller keeps her guessing about his next move until he finally whispers to her, "Bend over," and she assumes the position over her desk. Wright's face betrays pleasure and anticipation as he caresses her from behindand then walks away. Driller slowly ratchets up the tension on her, slapping her ass as she bends over the desk and having her answer the phone as he caresses her. That night, she rubs one out on her bed, thinking of Driller, and when Driller bends her over the desk the next day, he ups the ante by jerking off on her ass.

The next session, Driller has her strip down and recline on her desk, eyes closed, as he teases her with a feather, a crop and the occasional nipple pinch, pushing her to an orgasm. Their next office encounter involves a ball gag, a glass plug, a vibe and a demand to "Cum for me. Cum now." The climactic fuck scene follows soon after, with Driller and Wright fucking their way across every piece of furniture in the office.

When designer Romi Rain decides to quit her contract with Driller (the commitments remain even after the affair is over) she celebrates with photographer Logan Long and model Alex Legend. Having lost Rain's services, Driller decides to use Wright's designs, and asserts his dominance over Wright before taking her to Paris to confer with his buyers, ending the production on an upbeat, romantic note.

High production values, extravagant wardrobe and added performers in non-sex roles add value. Brandt plays to the theme by having Wright and Driller only work with each other, and wisely adds sex scenes involving other characters (like Rain) to compensate for the slow development of the Wright/Driller scenario.Goliath Books, the continental publisher that specializes in classic eroticism, has recently released two volumes that are likely to appeal to those with a taste for high-class female photography: Tattooed Beauties and Super Nylon Parade.

Of the two, one can't help but suspect that Tattooed Beauties is aimed more toward millennials, with top photographer Christian Saint displaying 250 images, some full body, some close up, of the amazing designs from more than 150 of the world's most creative tattoo artists, laid down on their canvases: shapely female human bodies.

It's not well-known, but over a quarter of Americans have at least one tattoo, with this number rising to a third among people under 30, and statistics prove that tattoos have now become a standard part of our western culture. One look at the women who posed for this volume, including adult stars Bonnie Rotten and Jessica Wilde and nearly 50 other womenKelly Eden, Abbey So, Riae, Maegan Machine, Fallon Ven Detta, Alesandra Nicole, Emily Shephard, Cleo Wattenstrom, Kayte Rae, Annasthesia Awful, Bambu Jessica, Dani Vi, Gabriella Saturria, Linette Otero, Hayley G, Vanessa Lake, Jennifer Lynn, Jesse Lee D, Kay Reynolds, Leila Rose, Leza Lush, Linnea Thomasia, Phay Moss, and Sarah Jensenand the under-30 crowd will be taking this volume to their local tattoo parlor and saying, "Give me this!"

The second volume hearkens back to the first half of the 20th century, in the days when silk stockings were an extravagance that few could afforduntil the US chemical company Dupont and the German IG Farben made a type of industrial silk they called Nylon or Perlon from the universally available ingredients carbon, air, and waterand the world's women went wild for the new, affordable lingerie. (In the first year alone, 54 million pairs of nylon stockings were sold in the USA.) By the 1950s, nylon stockings were a typical part of the day and evening wear for most women, and even to this day, glamour photographers often incorporate the silky garments into their photo sets.

Super Nylon Parade contains more than 600 photographs of sexy women in their undergarments, lensed by such well-known names as Dave Naz, Holly Randall, Andrew Blake and more than 20 others, some familiar and others that will be new to readers: Octavio Arizala, Steven Andres, Ethan Angus, Chas Ray Krider, Mike James, Christine Kessler, T. Sands, Philip Faith, Tim Jahns, Ellen Stagg, Mike James, David Noir, Lovely Brenda, Mark Novak, Mikhail Paramonov, Derek Ridgers, Michael White, Martin R. Class, Danny Stygion, GT6 Photography, Karl-Rainer Schmidt, and John Donegan. For those who feel a bit nostalgic for the pin-up images of yesteryear, this volume will be a must-buy.

Tattooed Beauties is available for purchase here, and Super Nylon Parade can be purchased here.WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.Perfect Fit, the Florida-based manufacturers of mens products, celebrated the release of its new Rocco Steele line at West Hollywood hotspot Mickys immediately after ANME. The companys signature series is named after the award-winning gay adult star, Rocco Steele.

What better way to launch the release of our new brand, The Rocco, than in WeHo! quipped Perfect Fits CEO, Steve Callow. Were so excited to make The Rocco brand our new line of high-quality toys geared specifically for the gay mens market.

Over 100 celebrants arrived shortly after the Cybersocket awards to attend the private party, held on the second floor of the bar. Well-known celebrity DJ/adult director Chi Chi LaRue was there in person to congratulate Callow and Steele on the success of the new line. Attendees were given The Rocco Three Way, a large, branded, stretchy ring made of the companys proprietary material, SilaSkin, which wraps around penises and balls. This is going to be one of the best products of the line, Steele promised. The feedback weve received at ANME has been incredible.

The Rocco line is being launched with The Rocco 3-Way; two sizes of cock rings; the one-hand masturbator Jack Daddy, also made of SilaSkin; and a textured cock sleeve, The Rocco Big Breeder. Rounding out the collection are The Rocco Cum Clean douching systems.

The hunky five-year veteran of the gay adult film industry began talks with Perfect Fit last year and closely developed the ten current introductory pieces line with them. We will be releasing a dozen or so new products at the major ANME shows for the next two shows. Im excited about what will be coming out!

Steele grew his popularity through fierce performances in video and on cam sites with his chiseled, tattooed, muscular body and now has over half a million followers on social media. Steele shared, What excites me the most about The Rocco line is that its not just a dildo cast from my dick. We didnt want to launch with a dildo; we just wanted to launch great products to stand on their own.

Given the celebration at Mickys, theres no doubt The Rocco will be the next, in-demand gay mens adult product line.

Above, Steve Callow, Rocco Steele and trans star Buck Angel, who also has branded products made by Perfect Fit. Photo by Rick Garcia; see more below.

Perfect Fit's Steven Callow with Danny Z. and Dominic Pacifico

Above and below, Chi Chi LaRue, Sister Roma, Wesley Woods, mr. Pam and Brandon Wilde were among the celebrity guests.The current VA clinic is located within Auburn Community Hospital, as it should be.

If any of the 1,400 veterans need an X-ray, CT scan, etc., all they need is walk down the hall and get help. Piece of cake!

However, under the latest contract awarded to STG International Inc., a private, woman-owned, minority-owned for-profit business located in Alexandria, Virginia, the new location will be at the closed Rite-Aid building on East Genesee Street.

So now, if a veteran needs additional medical services, he or she must hop into their car or find a ride to go to ACH to get additional treatment. Not a good idea.

STG is a "for-profit" corporation whose No. 1 priority is to make a profit and not a veteran's well being, so their Auburn facility WILL show a profit above everything else.

According to STG's website: "We have been awarded our most significant contracts multiple, consecutive times; extending for more than a decade."

Therefore, one must assume that STG was the lowest bidder on ALL these contracts in consecutive times in the last decade? Really?

It wouldn't have anything to do because STG is a minority-owned business, would it?I've used this space on occasion to chastise the governor for a lack of openness and accessibility with the news media from time to time, but today I want to thank him and the members of his administration for deciding to make this proposal and taking this vocal stance in support of journalists. My hope is that it has bipartisan support in the Legislature and does become law.

Journalists wouldn't be the first profession with some level of elevated protection in New York state. Similar laws exist protecting law enforcement personnel, nurses, utility workers, emergency medical technicians and process servers.

All of these jobs, by their nature, have the potential to bring a level of conflict with other people into play. We've long dealt with conflict in the news business. People can become very upset with journalists for stories they report or questions they ask. But until the recent high-profile violence or attempted violence, I never heard much discussion about stiffer penalties for crimes against news media professionals.

It makes me wonder. What's the next profession that will surface as needing extra deterrent from potential attackers? It's a troubling question to ponder, and sadly, I'm afraid we all could come up with a long list.

With that in mind, I'd encourage the governor and the Legislature to consider going beyond the much-appreciated proposal for the journalism industry. There's no reason any person should be subjected to violence or physical threats just for lawfully doing their jobs. Let's protect the working public a little better, and maybe we can all feel a little safer on the job.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyers column appears Thursdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer

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Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.AUBURN  The region's public transit system is unsure how it's going to tackle an expected multi-million-dollar deficit this year.

The Central New York Regional Transportation Authority, or Centro, operates in four counties: Cayuga, Oswego, Oneida and Onondaga, and is an employer to 672 people.

In light of the newly proposed state budget, Centro, which typically receives half of its operating costs from the state, is now facing an expected deficit of $3.5 million.

This isn't the first time Centro has been matched with financial restraints.

"Every year we are put in this position," said Centro CEO Richard Lee Wednesday at a YMCA-led community discussion in Auburn. "We're put in the position where we have to ask 'what are we getting?' and 'are we getting enough?'"

Lee said that Centro will be working with the state Legislature to combat the financial hole.

According to Christopher Tuff, a senior transportation analyst with Centro, in 2018, about 330,000 bus rides were given in Cayuga County by the public transit system. Based on records given to The Citizen by Centro, about two-thirds of those rides were given in Auburn."There's nothing I'd like to say except for I'm sorry for what I did," she said.

"You're almost like the poster child for drug addiction," Judge Thomas Leone said before issuing her sentence.

He said he read a letter she wrote to him and agreed with her that it seemed her life was going well and then within one year of getting involved with the wrong people, it seemed to fall apart. He said she lost her kids, job and home.

While the maximum sentence for the burglary charge could be 15 years, Leone sentenced Warner to 3.5 years in prison and three years of post-release supervision for the burglary charge and 3.5 years in prison and 1.5 years post-release supervision for her drug charge. Her sentences will run concurrent. An order of protection was also put in place for the victim.

Warner will also be ordered to pay restitution, but the amount will be determined at a later date. Leone thought the nearly $22,000 of restitution the victim was owed indicated by records seemed high, especially because some of the stolen items  such as fire arms  were returned.

Also in court

 A Fleming man pleaded guilty to biting a police officer, an offense that could land him in prison for up to four years.AUBURN  Cayuga Community College is working on a deal to set up a manufacturing institute in Fulton.

CCC's board of trustees granted college president Brian Durant the authority to negotiate and executive a lease with the Fulton Tool Company in order to establish an advanced manufacturing institute in Fulton pending county attorney approval of the agreements at a trustees meeting at the college's Auburn campus Thursday.

The college would lease an approximately 6,000-square-foot space from the tool company. The institute would be operated by CCC, but a consortium of manufacturers within Oswego County would act as an advisory board, the college said. The consortium is being lead by Carla Deshaw, CCC's executive dean of community education and workforce development. The group is composed of area manufacturers that are helping to design lab space and establish other aspects of the institute, CCC said.

CCC is targeting a spring opening if negotiations are successful, the college said, with the institute being available to anyone across central New York.

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CCC said it and the consortium hope to serve approximately 50 students for the first year, with courses, apprenticeships, career training, corporate training and more.Also happening

 Wells College in Aurora will also host a series of events honoring the civil rights icon. They include a screening of "Eyes on the Prize," the 1987 PBS documentary about the civil rights era, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Zabriskie Hall, Room 106. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by professor Michael E. Groth. From 1 to 3 p.m. in Morgan Hall, the Book Arts Center will offer people the opportunity to print posters with some of King's best-known quotes. People can bring those posters to a mile-long community march at 3 p.m. in front of Macmillan Hall, and marchers will be invited to sing songs from the civil rights era (lyrics will be provided). From 4 to 5 p.m., there will be a reception in the Art Exhibit Room at Macmillan Hall where Dean Cindy J. Speaker will welcome guests, and the student winner of the college's Martin Luther King Jr. media contest will give a presentation. Then, there will be a keynote speech by the Rev. Barb E. Blom: "Martin Luther King Jr.: 50 Years Later," examining how his message resonates today, when American identities are viewed in even more complex ways. Additionally, the college will host an art installation, "MLK Bearing the Cross: Reflections and Prayers" from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18 in the main dining hall at the college, 170 Main St., Aurora. For more information, visit wells.edu or call (315) 364-3313.As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history continues, U.S. Rep. John Katko participated in meetings at the White House over the past two days to discuss how to resolve the ongoing stalemate between President Donald Trump and House Democrats.

Katko, R-Camillus, and other congressional Republicans had lunch with Trump Tuesday to discuss ending the government shutdown. He returned Wednesday for another meeting with the president, this time with members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. The group included U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi, a Democrat who represents the Binghamton and Utica areas in Congress.

Katko told The Citizen that the meeting focused on what it would take to end the shutdown, which began in late December. Trump, Katko said, explained why he feels the border wall funding is needed.

Trump wants more than $5 billion to fund the construction of a wall along a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats, though, aren't willing to provide funding for the barrier.

When the shutdown began, Republicans controlled the House. Katko voted for a spending bill that included more than $5 billion for the border wall. But it didn't have enough support for passage in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority.While losing $27,099 in aid doesn't appear to be a lot for a town with a nearly $2 million budget, Wagner said it would come at a bad time since sales tax revenue is shrinking and state mandates are increasing.

"This puts more burden on the taxpayers to make up the difference," he said.

The proposed AIM cut would have less of an impact on some municipalities. The village of Fair Haven would lose $4,675, which accounts for 0.35 percent of its more than $1.3 million budget.

Fair Haven Mayor Jim Basile is less concerned with how the proposed cut would affect the village  "We would be able to survive," he said  but he wants to know how the state plans to use the money if it's not going to provide the aid to municipalities.

"Nobody wants to lose money," he said. "If we are going to lose it, I want to know if the state is redirecting that, keeping it or reducing their budget by the same amount."

The proposal will be one of many topics discussed during state budget negotiations. While Cuomo outlined his state budget plan, the state Assembly and Senate will release proposals of their own.Yemeni government and rebel representatives met in Jordan on Thursday for a second day to thrash out the details of a major prisoner exchange, a UN source said. The swap, which could involve up to 15,000 detainees from both sides, was agreed in principle as a confidence-building measure ahead of peace talks in Sweden last month. But the details were left to afterwards as UN mediators focused on brokering breakthrough truce deals for the aid lifeline port of Hodeida and the battleground third city of Taez. The talks in the Jordanian capital Amman come as international donors meet in Berlin to set up a fund to support the fledgling peace process in Yemen. Representatives of the United Nations, which brokered the swap agreement, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will supervise its implementation, are taking part in the Amman talks. During a first day of talks on Wednesday, the warring parties met separately with the mediators and submitted lists of prisoners they want to see released. On Thursday, they were expected to meet face-to-face to hammer out the details of its implementation. The new meetings come after the UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the deployment of up to 75 monitors to oversee the truce in Hodeida, which has largely held despite delays in the agreed withdrawal of combatants. - International support fund - In Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pledged 4.5 millions euros as the opening contribution to the new peace process support fund. "In Yemen, a humanitarian catastrophe threatens to unfurl if we do not manage to bring this conflict to a definitive end," Maas said. "The important thing right now is to seize this small but real opportunity and work to ensure that international support for the peace process is as constructive and resilient as possible." The truce in the largely rebel-held Red Sea port city was the centrepiece of a series of breakthrough agreements brokered by the United Nations in Sweden last month in what is widely seen as the best chance yet of ending the devastating four-year civil war. But in a sign that much work still needs to be done before formal peace negotiations can begin, UN envoy Martin Griffiths said last week that he had postponed until February a planned second round of talks between the two sides. In an interview with Deutsche Welle radio on Wednesday, Griffiths said he was guardedly optimistic. He said he had been pleasantly surprised that the truce had held in Hodeida so far despite the "currently very weak" UN monitoring. He said he was "keeping his fingers crossed" that would continue while the new observer mission is put in place. The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization. Human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high. The war has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Yemen government representatives and a Huthi rebel delegation meet in the Jordanian capital Amman on January 17, 2019 Yemeni rebels leave Hodeida port on December 29, 2018, the first day of an agreed withdrawal which has since slowed ahead of the deployment of more UN monitors Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani (L) shakes hands with rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam watched by UN chief Antonio Guterres at breakthrough talks in Sweden on December 13, 2018US authorities are in the "advanced" stages of a criminal probe that could result in an indictment of Chinese technology giant Huawei, a report said Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, said the Department of Justice is looking into allegations of theft of trade secrets from Huawei's US business partners, including a T-Mobile robotic device used to test smartphones. Huawei and the Department of Justice declined to comment on the media report. However, Huawei noted that "Huawei and T-Mobile settled their disputes in 2017 following a US jury verdict finding neither damage, unjust enrichment nor willful and malicious conduct by Huawei in T-Mobile's trade secret claim." The move would further escalate tensions between the US and China after the arrest last year in Canada of Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is the daughter of the company founder. The case of Meng, under house arrest awaiting proceedings, has inflamed US-China and Canada-China relations. Two Canadians have been detained in China since Meng's arrest and a third has been sentenced to death on drug trafficking charges -- moves observers see as attempts by Beijing to pressure Ottawa over her case. Huawei, the second-largest global smartphone maker and biggest producer of telecommunications equipment, has for years been under scrutiny in the US over purported links to the Chinese government. Huawei's reclusive founder Ren Zhengfei, in a rare media interview Tuesday, forcefully denied accusations that his firm engaged in espionage on behalf of the Chinese government. The tensions come amid a backdrop of President Donald Trump's efforts to get more manufacturing on US soil and slap hefty tariffs on Chinese goods for what he claims are unfair trade practices by Beijing. In a related move, lawmakers introduced a bill to ban the export of American parts and components to Chinese telecom companies that are in violation of US export control or sanctions laws -- with Huawei and fellow Chinese firm ZTE the likely targets. "Huawei is effectively an intelligence-gathering arm of the Chinese Communist Party whose founder and CEO was an engineer for the People's Liberation Army," said Republican Senator Tom Cotton, one of the bill's sponsors. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said in the same statement: "Huawei and ZTE are two sides of the same coin. Both companies have repeatedly violated US laws, represent a significant risk to American national security interests and need to be held accountable." Last year, Trump reached a deal with ZTE that eases tough financial penalties on the firm for helping Iran and North Korea evade American sanctions. Trump said his decision in May to spare ZTE came following an appeal by Chinese President Xi Jinping to help save Chinese jobs. Huawei, whose booth is seen during CES 2019 consumer electronics show in early January, is facing a US criminal probe over stolen trade secrets, according to the Wall Street JournalShahzad Alam has proposed marriage to several women and been rejected each time for the same reason, he says: their discovery that he is not the Pakistani shoe shop owner they thought he was, but an Afghan refugee. His romantic future could be given a boost by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has ignited a national debate with a controversial vow to grant citizenship to Afghan refugees born in Pakistan -- potentially creating more than a million new citizens. Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, home to an estimated 2.4 million registered and undocumented people who have fled Afghanistan, some as far back as the Soviet invasion of 1979. But many Pakistanis view them with suspicion, accusing them of spurring militancy and criminality, and calling for them to be sent home. Under Pakistan's constitution, anyone born in the country after 1951 has the right to citizenship. But feeling against the refugees is so strong that no leader has dared take moves to implement the policy -- Khan's promise is the first time any Pakistani premier has made such a vow. Refugees greeted his words joyfully. Twitter users joked that Khan could now win elections in Afghanistan. "May God bless Imran Khan," Alam told AFP. But the announcement has also prompted a national outcry, with columnists claiming he had opened a "Pandora's Box". Heads of Pakistan's main opposition parties quickly condemned it. As the debate continues in the country's newspapers and on social media, salesman Alam's life remains in limbo. Alam speaks with a Pakistani accent, dresses in Pakistani fashions, and has lived all his life in the northwestern city of Peshawar where he was born after his parents fled Afghanistan in 1979. Although he says women have asked him to propose marriage in the past, the relationship would always "end the moment we introduce ourselves as Afghan". - Pandora's box? - The United Nations says there are 1.4 million Afghans registered as refugees in Pakistan, and estimates that some 74 percent were born there. Many live in camps, while others have created lives for themselves in Pakistan's cities, marrying and raising children, opening shops and supporting themselves. In one Peshawar bazaar, thousands of Afghans could be seen running hundreds of shops bursting with local and Chinese goods, fresh fruits, and vegetables -- visible signs of their economic contributions. "I feel like I am in my own village, my own country," said Ashiqullah Jan, a 43-year-old refugee. But their status has always been temporary, with deadlines set for them to leave Pakistan repeatedly pushed back as the conflict in Afghanistan worsens. Many analysts predict security will continue to deteriorate in 2019 despite a renewed push for peace talks. In 2016 a wave of forced repatriations from Pakistan to Afghanistan sparked fears of a humanitarian crisis. The decision by Khan is a significant departure from such policies. "When you are born in America, you get the American passport... so why not here? How cruel it is for them," he said when announcing the measure last September. Much of the outcry prompted by his words has been centred on security fears. Pakistan has fought a long and bloody war with militancy, with the army often blaming extremists based in Afghanistan and claiming insurgents hide in refugee camps. Khan has reiterated his support for the measure, but faced with the outcry has not yet formally taken it to parliament. Analyst Rahimullah Yusufzai warned that even if the prime minister -- who has developed a reputation for U-turns since coming to power last July -- does push the policy through, implementing it will take time. "It won't be easy to give them citizenship or to develop a consensus on the issue in parliament or in the country," he said. - 'I do not want to leave' - The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has welcomed the move. "So many of the young Afghan refugees were born here and they only know Pakistan," country representative Ruvendrini Menikdiwela told AFP. Most Pakistanis who spoke to AFP in the bazaars of Peshawar, whose proximity to the Afghan border has made it a centre for refugees, remained staunchly opposed. The government should send the refugees home "as soon as possible", 42-year-old Rehman Gul told AFP. Azeem Khan, a fresh produce seller, was one of the few Pakistanis supporting the move -- but his stance sparked a heated argument among his customers. Refugee Khayesta Khan, one of the customers, told AFP there was "nothing left" in Afghanistan but "the Taliban and Daesh (Islamic State) and bombs". "I was born here... Pakistan is my country and I do not want to leave it," he said as the fiery debate subsided. The United Nations says there are 1.4 million Afghans registered as refugees in Pakistan Shahzad Alam speaks with a Pakistani accent and dresses in Pakistani fashions but feels rejected because he is an Afghan refugee Many Afghan refugees live in camps, while others have created lives for themselves in Pakistan's cities Prime Minister Imran has ignited a national debate in Pakistan with a controversial vow to grant citizenship to Afghan refugees born in the country Under Pakistan's constitution, anyone born in the country after 1951 has the right to citizenshipSudan faced calls from Western powers at the UN Security Council on Thursday to respect the rights of anti-government demonstrators and investigate violence that has left at least 24 dead. The council was meeting to discuss the situation in Sudan's troubled Darfur region but the United States, France, Britain and others raised serious concerns about the protest violence. Britain slammed as "unacceptable" the use of deadly force by Sudanese security troops against the demonstrators and called for those responsible for the deaths of protesters to be held accountable. "Security forces' use of lethal force and arbitrary detentions in response to peaceful protests is unacceptable and it should stop," said British Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen. "We are appalled at reports that security forces have used tear gas and violence within hospitals against those being treated and against doctors providing medical assistance." In Khartoum earlier, police fired tear gas to break up a demonstration that headed toward the presidential palace to demand President Omar al-Bashir's resignation. Sudan has been shaken by the protests that began on December 19, initially to vent anger over a hike in bread prices but which have since morphed into a challenge to Bashir's rule. Clashes have killed 24 people, according to an official toll. Rights groups say many more have been killed. Sudan's ambassador told the council that his government was "fully committed to giving citizens a space to peacefully express their views" but would act to "protect lives and public property against sabotage and arson and all other forms of violence perpetrated by some demonstrators." Ambassador Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed complained that the demonstrations "were not related remotely" to the topic of the council meeting. The United States urged Sudan to respect the right to freedom of association, called for the release of detained protesters and activists, and said the deaths of demonstrators should be quickly investigated. A transparent investigation should be "followed by accountability for any excessive use of force," said US political coordinator Rodney Hunter. France called for restraint from all sides to bring calm to the situation and said the government must respect the right to freedom of assembly and to freedom of expression. Russia echoed Sudan's complaint, saying the protests were a "purely national Sudanese issue" and should not be discussed at the Security Council. Sudan has been rocked by anti-government protests for nearly a month that have left at least 24 dead, but rights groups say the toll is higherSpain's deputy prime minister met Catalan separatist leaders Thursday as both sides pursue complex talks on the region's future initiated by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Despite mutual distrust and radically opposed positions on Catalonia's right to self-determination, the Socialist executive and the regional government continue to meet to try to re-build ties broken in a secession attempt in October 2017. Carmen Calvo met in Madrid with the Catalan government's vice president Pere Aragones and spokeswoman Elsa Artadi. Afterwards, a short joint statement declared they had broached the possibility "of establishing two differentiated dialogue spaces -- one between governments... and another between (Catalan) parties," adding the exact parameters are still to be determined. The meeting comes close to a month after Sanchez, who took office last June, met with regional leader Quim Torra on December 20 in Barcelona. On that occasion they agreed to maintain "an effective dialogue which will lead to a political proposal which has widespread support among Catalan society." Thursday's meeting comes as Spain's minority government wants to pass its 2019 draft budget through parliament, where it only has 84 lawmakers out of 350. As a result, it needs the support of Catalan separatist lawmakers who in return are asking for a solution to the crisis gripping the region since a banned secession referendum in 2017 prompted a short-lived declaration of independence. After that, Catalan leaders were either arrested or fled abroad. Those who were held are due to stand trial at the end of the month or early February in what could put ties between Madrid and the Catalan government to the test. Pro-independence leaders in Catalonia are also angry over the detention Wednesday of 13 activists and separatist mayors, as well as one journalist, for cutting off a high-speed rail line on the anniversary of the independence referendum on October 1, 2018. The Catalan government has announced it will "file a complaint against the police actions," saying the detentions are illegal as they were not ordered by a court. "There is little likelihood that the draft budget will go through," Artadi warned on Tuesday. Sanchez took office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence against the previous conservative government with the support of Catalan separatist parties. He has adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Catalonia than his conservative predecessor, but there is little progress over the region's desire for self-determination. Catalan vice-president , Pere Aragones, Catalan regional spokeswoman Elsa Artadi and Spanish deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo had already met for talks last month in Barcelona with Spanish minister for territorial policy Meritxell BatetSpain saw growth in its crux tourism sector slow in 2018 as sun-soaked competitors like Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia recovered, industry lobby group Exceltur said Thursday. The sector ratcheted up 142 billion euros ($162 billion) in sales, 2 percent more than in 2017, it said. But that growth was slower than in previous years. In 2017, it had increased by 4.5 percent and in 2016 by 5 percent. On Wednesday, the government had stressed 2018 had been another record year in terms of foreign visitor numbers, which reached 82.6 million. Tourism is of major importance to Spain. It represented 11.8 percent of its GDP last year, according to Exceltur data. But while visitor numbers rose, there was a drop in overnight stays in classic sun and beach destinations like the Canary Islands or southern Andalucia as competitor countries who had been blighted by attacks and political instability recovered. "Our sun and beach competitors (Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia) in 2018 recovered 12.5 million tourists which is a strong increase in competition" in a sector where many customers look for bargains, Exceltur vice-president Jose Luis Zoreda told reporters. The group said overnight stays in Spain by traditional visitors from Germany, Britain, Italy or France had dropped. But a rise in long-distance flight connections had attracted more people from the Middle East, United States, China, Japan and other nations who tend to spend more, helping make up the shortfall to an extent. Zoreda warned that 2019 is also expected to see a "slight deceleration" in the sector. He pointed to the continued recovery of competitors as well as "volatility" factors such as Britain's exit from the European Union, which is currently in limbo. "We must be well prepared if a hard Brexit happens," Zoreda said, referring to the doomsday scenario in which Britain exits the EU without a deal negotiated by both sides. But he said the big challenge was not to attract tourists in their droves but rather those who spend more. Competing destinations are clouding tourism growth in SpainThe search for a Western Australian grandfather has ended tragically, with search teams discovering what they believe to be the body of John Irvine.

The 67-year-olds family have thanked those who helped in the search, which ended in the Mundaring State Forest.

A beloved father and grandfather, the Northam man hadnt been seen since Sunday.

His family had been bracing for the worst.

Sadly, weve been able to find him and hes passed away, so I just wanted to get it out there and say thank you to everyone that helped, daughter Kaylaa Irvine said.

Missing man John Irvines body is thought to have been discovered in the Mundaring State Forest. Source: 7News

Mr Irvine left his home in Northam on Sunday morning.

At 2.30pm that afternoon, he was spotted at a roadhouse in Quairading, almost 100 kilometres away

There were no more clues until Wednesday, when a member of the public reported seeing his car on Yarra Road in the Mundaring State Forest.

Police tracked him to a trail where they found a string of items from his car, as well as his shirt.

The search ended in the Mundaring State Forest. Source: 7News

Officers dont believe there are any suspicious circumstances around his death.

Mr Irvine lived with dementia and his family said he had become lost before.

I just wanted to say thank you to everybody who came out last night and were searching all night for my Dad, Ms Irvine said.With millions of YouTube views and hits on Spotify and iTunes, a group of young nun rockers play one of their biggest gigs next week, and thousands of Catholics, including the pope himself, will lap it up. It may be rock and roll, but Twisted Sister they ain't, and sex and drugs are not an option for the Sisters of the Servants of the Plan of God. They play their brand of melodic rock in their traditional habits. "We're young sisters," says 37-year-old guitarist Sister Ivonne of the band, which includes members from Chile, Japan, Ecuador, China and Costa Rica. "This is another form of bringing our evangelical message, showing our strength -- that's to say, it's also music that we like, it shows a lot about who we are." Known as "Siervas" or Servants, the band plays catchy Christian songs that sound indistinguishable from many of their peers in mainstream rock. But the appearance is very different, rock's grunge and glad rags giving way to the nuns' tried and trusted black and white habits and veils on stage. - YouTube hit - With a half-dozen slickly produced videos on YouTube, Siervas has built an international following as it communicates its message of "love, joy, hope." Their "Trust in God" music video, which features the nuns playing on a helipad atop a Lima skyscraper, went viral on YouTube with nearly two million views. And now, the Peru-based sisters will play at the World Youth Day celebrations, a gathering of global Catholic youth in Panama presided over by Pope Francis. The message at the heart of their music? "We want to reach as many people as possible, and if the pope is included in that, we're more than satisfied," said Ivonne, who pens much of the lyrics. The 11-member band, which performs in Spanish, has previously played for crowds at Francis' visits to Mexico and Peru. - Not just music - "We're not just working in music, but we take the word of God and his consolation to the prisons, to the disabled," said Sister Daniela, the drummer from Costa Rica. Tuesdays, when they are back in Peru, they bring food to the homeless on the streets. The group will gig at a women's prison during the trip to Panama. They will also play at a children's cancer hospital and schools. "We go to the women's prisons to listen to them. All they ask is to be listened to and to know God has forgiven them," said Camila, the 22-year-old Peruvian guitarist. The band, which has so far visited 11 countries, including the United States, was formed in Lima in 2014 when the young musician nuns from different nationalities came together, said 24-year-old Sister Arisa, from Japan. "It was God's plan that we come together," said Arisa, a violinist. After months of rehearsal, they held their first concert in the auditorium of the General Command of the Army, helping raise funds for a house for the order in Angola. The band has undergone several changes to its lineup since 2014, as sisters leave to fulfill their missionary role. "Until now we have not been able to talk to the pope, we would love it if he approaches us," said Ivonne, from Chile. "I wouldn't know what to say, I think I would faint." Known as "Siervas" or Servants, a band made up of nuns plays catchy Christian songs that sound indistinguishable from many of their peers in mainstream rock Sister Ivonne (L) says playing in a band with other nuns is "another form of bringing our evangelical message, showing our strength" Sister Teresa, a drum player from Chile, plays in a band made up of nuns she says takes "the word of God and his consolation to the prisons, to the disabled" Sister Arisa, a violinist from Japan, says that "it was God's plan" that she and other nuns form a bandRussian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for stability in the Balkans during a pageantry-filled visit to Serbia, a key Moscow ally. After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Putin said he would back efforts to maintain calm in the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilising the Balkans through efforts to boost NATO membership. "Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous," Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Although Serbia and all of its neighbours aspire to join the European Union, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Russia, its historical "Orthodox big brother" whose people also share Slavic origins. The affection for Moscow is fanned by its unyielding support on the emotive issue of Kosovo, a former Serbian province that broke away in a 1998-99 guerilla war. Serbia has never accepted the split and Russia similarly rejects it, wielding its veto power at the United Nations to thwart Kosovo's dreams of joining. Vucic expressed gratitude for Russia's backing on Kosovo and presented Putin with a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed, a shepherd dog from the region, during the visit. Meanwhile, Putin awarded his counterpart with a Russian state honour. The Russian president's visit was celebrated on the streets by tens of thousands of Serbs who marched through the capital in a parade supporting the two leaders. "Welcome honoured President Putin, dear friend," read one of many billboards around the city bearing a mix of Russian and Serbian flags. The parade culminated at the massive Saint Sava church, one of Orthodox Christianity's largest houses of worship, where more than 120,000 people gathered, according to police. Serbian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Irinej welcomed Putin as church bells rang out. Inside the church, whose decoration is partly financed by Russia, the leaders lit candles and symbolically laid pieces of tile in a mosaic. "Thank you for the friendship," Putin told the crowd outside the church in Serbian at the end of his visit. - 'Serbia's salvation' - In return for Moscow's support on the Kosovo issue, Belgrade has refused to join international trade sanctions imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Graffiti saying "Kosovo is Serbia, Crimea is Russia" can sometimes be spotted on Serbian streets. Putin's stop-over comes as long-running EU-sponsored talks to normalise ties between Serbia and Kosovo have taken a dip, and appear to be going nowhere fast. Speaking during the visit, Vucic said that "Without Russia... it is clear that there will be no solution" over Kosovo. Kosovo's biggest backer is the US. Putin is "Serbia's salvation," said retired general Mitar Petkic, who had camped for hours in front of the Saint Sava church to welcome the Russian leader. "The EU is falling apart, by the time we join it won't exist anymore," the 66-year-old told AFP. But the warm embrace does not mask what Russia considers recent setbacks in the Balkans, where the West has increased its influence. Moscow was unable to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO in 2017, a goal which Macedonia is also moving towards after ratifying a name change deal to end a decades-long dispute with Greece. If Macedonia succeeds, seven countries bordering Serbia -- which does not aspire to join -- will be in the NATO sphere. Only neighbouring Bosnia will also not be a member, due to the veto of its Serb population. - 'Energy, key area' - The relationship between Serbia and Russia is "more an emotional than a rational" one, explained Serbian economic analyst Biljana Stepanovic. According to a 2017 Serbian government survey, a quarter of the population believe Russia and the EU were the country's joint top donors for development aid. In reality, 75 percent of donations came from the EU or its member states, while Russia did not make the top nine. The West also outpaces Russia in terms of direct investment and trade. Moscow does, however, have some stake in the region. Serbia imports two-thirds of its natural gas and crude oil from Russia, while Russian giant Gazprom owns the Serbian oil company NIS. "Energy is the key area of Russia-Serbia cooperation," Putin told reporters. He said Gazprom planned to increase its gas deliveries to the Balkans country by 2020. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic presented a puppy to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Serbian police officers and soldiers were part of the arrival ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin The plane of Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to land in Serbian capital Belgrade, where he expected to receive a rockstar reception Russian President Vladimir Putin decorated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with the Alexander Nevsky Order following a signing ceremony in BelgradeThao Thi Van was just two when her mother disappeared during a trip to the market, likely taken by traffickers preying on women from the Hmong hill tribes of northern Vietnam to sell as brides or into brothels in China. Now aged 13 she is still haunted by the fate of her missing mother but has found some solace at a textile cooperative for marginalised women in the region. "I have almost no friends at school because they tease me for having no mother. I envy those kids with a mum," the slight teenager told AFP in tears. "I have fun working here because I can earn some money and no-one teases me," Van said. She's been taken in by the older women she works with at the co-op, where she has earned a reputation as a skilled embroiderer. The collective makes hemp handbags and table runners, coasters and stuffed animals, and the women can earn up to $170 per month, a decent wage in impoverished Ha Giang province. Thousands of Vietnamese women are trafficked or tricked across the border every year and in this remote northern mountainous region of Vietnam, spitting distance from the Chinese border, women and girls frequently vanish from their communities. China's buy-a-bride industry is booming, fuelled by a surplus of 30 million males. Some women go willingly, others are kidnapped or find themselves forced into marriage. The lucky few who escape marriages or sexual slavery in China often face stigma on their return to Vietnam and are shunned by neighbours. Driven to offer such victims a purpose -- and an income -- Vang Thi Mai set up the Lung Tam Linen Cooperative in 2001. "Society may not like them but here they are confident," said Mai, dressed in a traditional pleated indigo hemp skirt and embroidered coat. - Sexism runs deep - The co-op quickly grew and today is a hive of activity that employs more than 130 women, not just trafficking victims but also orphans, single mothers and seniors, who weave, dye and stitch indigo blue and yam orange fabrics from dawn to dusk. With the jobs she is providing, Mai hopes to empower Hmong woman in a culture where sexism runs deep and where most women earn just a few dollars a month as farmers. That poverty is in part what drives the cross-border trade in women and boosting incomes protects potential victims -- and increases their social status. "If women, especially trafficked women, are working in a group together they make themselves stronger by gaining negotiating power, accelerating knowledge and integrating into society," said Nguyen Tien Phong, head of inclusive growth at United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam. This is just the kind of support Mai envisioned when she established the centre, today a popular spot for tourists winding through the mountain-specked province on motorbikes. But Mai has another goal too: to preserve the centuries-old custom of Hmong weaving, a tradition that has faded in many Hmong homes as modernity has crept in. Girls who once learned the time-consuming craft from their mothers and grandmothers are busy these days with school work, or Facebook, or hanging out with friends. Most women in the area have swapped their colourfully embroidered hemp jackets and indigo blue hemp skirts for Made-in-China polyester outfits. "The traditional dignity and the cultural essence of the Hmong in Vietnam has eroded, I need to restore that with old women teaching to skills to younger ones," Mai said. "Here we do things manually to preserve our traditional identity, the pearl of Vietnamese culture." A textile cooperative in northern Vietnam's Quan Ba district provides hope, income, and purpose to women of the Vietnamese Hmong hill tribes many of whose lives have been blighted by people trafficking A group of Hmong women weave, dye and stitch indigo blue and yam orange fabrics at a textile cooperative in northern Vietnam that employs marginalised women, many touched by trafficking -- a common scourge in these remote hills near the China border. The Lung Tam Linen cooperative The collective makes hemp handbags and table runners, coasters and stuffed animals, earning up to $170 per month, a good wage in Vietnam's impoverished Ha Giang province 'If women, especially trafficked women, are working in a group together they make themselves stronger by gaining negotiating power,' said Nguyen Tien Phong, at the UN Development Programme in Vietnam The centuries-old weaving custom of the Hmong hill tribes in Vietnam is in danger of fading away as modernity creeps inIts the kind of thing you expect to find hidden under a teenagers bed, not perched on a light post on the other side of the world.

So you can imagine why there was some confusion as to how a Sydney street sign ended up in Lebanon.

When one Aussie tourist shared a photo of the Parramatta Road sign in the remote village of Kfarsghab, social media users were full of praise for what they believed to be the works of an extremely committed vandal.

So someone stole the Parramatta Road sign in Sydney and placed it in a village in Lebanon, the Reddit caption read.

The commitment to this is just extraordinary, one man wrote.

The Parramatta Road sign was spotted in the mountain village of Kfarsghab. Image: Reddit/Mantello90

Stop it, this is just too good, another said.

But in what was a shattering development for some, the actual story behind the signs overseas placement was far less scandalous.

Ten years ago, a delegation from the Parramatta Council visited the mountainside village, which is 1380 metres above sea level, as part of their Agreement of Good Intentions.

This process was initiated in 1999 by Councillor Paul Garrard, who wanted to recognise Parramattas Lebanese community and their dedication to building physical and social infrastructure over the last 100 years.

The street sign was spotted in the small Lebanon village of Kfarsghab. Image: Wikipedia

As a show of good faith, the delegation gave the residents of Kfarsghab a Parramatta Road street sign to acknowledge their relationship with Australia.

The remote village is composed of two geographically separated settlements, Kfarsghab and Morh Kfarsghab, which are inhabited in summer and winter months respectively.

Twice a year in May and October, Kfarsghab sees a total exodus of the population when families move to the other village.

Stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here.A growing pushback against human rights abusers and autocrats has emerged in the last year, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, with resistance coming from a number of new sources. Smaller countries and groups like the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation are stepping up and taking on the mantle of defending human rights, as traditional players such as the United States and Britain retreat, Kenneth Roth, HRW executive director told AFP. "When we look back over the last year, what really struck us was not the bad news, but the reaction to it," Roth said as the human rights NGO published its 674-page World Report 2019. "It's really striking how powerful the defence has been of human rights, democracy and the rule of law," he said. "What we've seen is that in many parts of the world, there's very significant resistance that this autocratic rule has sparked and it's happening at a very popular level." The pushback has included protesters marching in Hungary against controversial reforms championed by the right-wing nationalist government of Viktor Orban, or voters using their ballots to oust leaders embroiled in corruption scandals such as in Malaysia. At government level, European nations like Germany, Denmark and Finland have heaped pressure on Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, by halting arms sales. - 'New allies' - But among the most surprising "new allies" in the fight against violations has been the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, said Roth. The OIC has traditionally shied away from taking any individual country to task other than Israel, noted Roth. But the group of 57 mostly Muslim majority nations last year backed an initiative critical of Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya Muslims. "It was coming to the defence of the Muslims but the fact that they are willing to do that, to target a particular country other than Israel, had never happened before. For me that's probably the most surprising new ally we found," said Roth. Likewise in Latin America, a group of nations that call themselves the Lima Group have for the first time put in a resolution at the Human Rights Council criticising Venezuela. Roth noted that countries in the region had in the past been reticent to criticise violations in neighbouring nations, as the United States had previously dominated human rights discussions in the region. "An ironic benefit of Trump pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council is that no-one had to be accused of playing into Washington's ideology," said Roth. - 'Biggest neglected problem' - The HRW director voiced hopes that the new players would engage in what he believes to be the "biggest neglected problem" around the world -- China's detention of Uighurs. Beijing is holding as many as one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in extra-judicial detention centres set up in the Xinjiang region, according to estimates cited by a UN panel. Chinese officials have described the camps as "vocational education centres" for people who appear to be drawn towards Islamist extremism and separatism. "If any other government in the world did this it would be creating outrage and headlines around the world but because it's China and it has a lot of economic might, it tends to be exempt from criticism," said Roth. The HRW director hoped that new allies like the OIC would use their influence against Beijing on the issue. "I think that pressure will make a difference because China cares about its reputation in the Muslim world. "It's devoting massive resources to buy influence and favour -- the so-called Belt and Road initiative shows that China is sensitive to global Muslim public opinion," Roth added, referring to Beijing's ambitious transcontinental infrastructure project. Underlining the resistance that is underway, Roth said: "This is not one area where one should just resign and accept things are getting bad. "Rather this is a moment where there is a struggle underway and it's important to join in because progress is being made." Germany, Denmark and Finland have heaped pressure on Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi The OAC backed an initiative critical of Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya Muslims Beijing is holding up to a million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in extra-judicial detention centresEuropean Union countries that undermine the bloc's democratic principles could lose EU funds, under a draft law backed by the European Parliament on Thursday. The bill is seen as a new tool to fight threats to the independence of the courts and corruption in countries like Poland, Hungary and Romania. MEPs adopted the rules by 397 votes to 158, with 69 abstentions, but the 28-nation bloc's member states must still approve them. "Governments interfering with courts or failing to tackle fraud and corruption will risk suspension of EU funds," according to the draft law. The parliament said the European Commission, the EU executive arm, could propose cutting funds to states where there are "generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law." Independent experts appointed by national parliaments and the European Parliament would work with the Commission to assess member countries' compliance. The European Parliament and countries as a whole would have to approve steps ranging from the suspension of EU budget payments or cuts in cash advances. The member countries would have to remedy the problems before the European Parliament and EU ministers unlock the funds, the parliament statement said. The Commission could determine whether the rule of law, a founding democratic EU principle, is under threat if a government undermines the independence of its courts. It could also act if a member state undermines implementation of the EU budget or the investigation of fraud, corruption or other breaches in EU spending. Populist governments in Poland, Hungary and Romania have all triggered EU warnings in recent years that they pose threats to the independence of their courts. Brussels has also accused Romania of rowing back on its fight against corruption. Germany, France and other EU countries pushed for using the bloc's 2021-2027 budget -- still under negotiation -- to bring wayward countries into line. EU officials admitted Brussels did not have powerful tools to stop breaches to the rule of law because countries joining the bloc were signing onto the democratic principles in the founding treaty. The Commission and the European Parliament have launched unprecedented steps against Poland and Hungary, respectively, under Article Seven of the EU treaty. But Warsaw and Budapest could each veto steps that would see them denied EU voting rights. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament, which has launched unprecedented steps against his government over fears it poses a threat to the independence of the country's courtsColombia' s government declared three days of mourning after at least 21 people died in a car bomb at a Bogota police cadet training academy, and 68 were wounded -- the worst such incident in the city in 16 years. Authorities said they identified the bomber and that he had no known links to armed guerrilla groups. The defense ministry said the "terrorist act" was carried out using a vehicle packed with 80 kilograms (around 175 pounds) of explosives. "Unfortunately, the preliminary toll is 21 people dead, including the person responsible for the incident, and 68 wounded," Colombian police said in a statement, adding 58 of those injured had been discharged from hospital. "All Colombians reject terrorism and we're united in fighting it," President Ivan Duque tweeted in the aftermath. Later in a statement to the nation, he said he had ordered reinforcements to Colombia's borders and routes in and out of cities. The bomber -- who authorities confirmed was killed in the attack -- struck at the General Francisco de Paula Santander Officer's School in the south of Bogota during a promotion ceremony for cadets. No group has claimed responsibility, but public prosecutor Nestor Humberto Martinez named suspect Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez as the "material author of this abominable crime." Martinez said Rojas Rodriguez entered the school compound at 9:30 am (1430 GMT) driving a grey 1993 Nissan Patrol truck, but gave no details about the explosion. He said the truck underwent an inspection in July in the Arauco department on the border with Venezuela -- a traditional stronghold of ELN Marxist guerrillas. - 'Brutal act of terrorism' - Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno said one of the dead was an Ecuadoran cadet, while a second suffered light injuries. "The brutal act of terrorism in Bogota took the life of a compatriot," Moreno said on Twitter. "My sincerest thoughts go to the family, friends and companions of Erika Chico." Meanwhile, Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela said that 45 Panamanian cadets were present during the attack, with two injured. Fanny Contreras, the Colombian armed forces' health inspector, told local radio that the truck "entered (the school compound) suddenly, almost hitting the police, and then there was the explosion." Carol Oviedo said her brother Jonathan, a cadet, told her on the phone he had been injured, before the connection was cut. "In two years since he joined the police, he's never had to face a situation like this," she said. Like other families, she was lingering in the vicinity of the academy hoping to hear some news. United States assistant secretary of state in charge of Latin America, Kimberly Breier condemned the attack and said: "Our condolences and sympathies go to the victims and family members of those killed." The US embassy in Bogota offered its "help in investigating this reprehensible attack." - 'Horrible, horrible' - Rosalba Jimenez, 62, was opening her confectionary store near the school when the bomb went off. "When we turned to look at the school the sky was grey with smoke. People were running, sirens... horrible, horrible, it seemed like the end of the world," Jimenez told AFP. Authorities sealed off the area to the press and increased security service patrols in the south of the city, AFP reporters said. Right-wing Duque, who assumed power in August, has peddled a tough line against Marxist rebels and drug traffickers in the largest cocaine producer in the world. Peace talks with ELN guerrillas -- who in the past have claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on police -- stalled before Duque replaced Juan Manuel Santos as president, and have not been restarted. Duque has made several demands, including the release of all hostages, as prerequisites to kick-starting the peace process, but the ELN has dismissed those as unacceptable. After the 2016 peace accord signed by Santos and FARC guerrillas, turning the former rebels into a political party, the ELN is considered the last active rebel group in a country that has suffered more than half a century of conflict. That cycle of violence has also involved paramilitaries, drug traffickers and other Marxist rebels, including FARC dissidents. A year ago, six police died and 40 were injured in an attack on a police station in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla that was claimed by the ELN. In February 2017, the ELN claimed responsibility for an attack on a police patrol in the Macarena neighborhood of Bogota that left one officer dead and several seriously wounded. In June, three people -- including a Frenchwoman -- were killed and nine others wounded in an attack on a Bogota shopping mall that authorities blamed on a fringe left-wing group called the Revolutionary People's Movement (MRP). People evacuate the area where a car bomb attack left nine people dead and more than 50 wounded in Colombian capital Bogota on January 17, 2019 Members of the Colombian security forces patrol around the site of an attack in Bogota Colombia's defense ministry said an investigation had been opened "to find those responsible for this terrorist act," referring to a car bombing that killed nine people People wait for news outside the site of an explosion at a police cadet training school in BogotaAn US father and stepmother will spend decades in prison over the starvation death of their six-year-old son, who authorities say weighed just eight kilograms when he died.

On Wednesday, Chief Circuit Judge Eric S. Pistorius sentenced Michael Roberts to 25 years in prison and Georgena Roberts to 20 years, The Alton Telegraph reported .

The 43-year-olds from Jerseyville in Illinois both pleaded guilty in November to first-degree murder in the 2017 death of Liam Roberts.

For this to have occurred is beyond comprehension, the judge said.

Chief Circuit Judge Eric S. Pistorius sentenced Michael Roberts to 25 years in prison. Photo: AP

Authorities have said the couple starved the boy as a form of punishment and that they withheld food and nourishment on a regular basis.

When he died, Liam weighed about a third of the typical weight of a six-year-old. A preliminary autopsy indicated he died of extreme malnourishment.

The two solely responsible for the death of this beautiful child will now spend the better part of their adult lives in prison, where they belong, Jersey County States Attorney Ben Goetten and Jerseyville Police Chief Brad Blackorby said in a joint statement.

Georgena Roberts made an emotional statement and her attorney asked for leniency. Photo: AP

School personnel said Liam was so obsessed with food that when he came to school he would literally eat food off the floor, Jerseyville Police Department deputy chief Maj. Scott Woelfel said.

Liams biological mother Kim Roberts spoke at the hearing, calling out the evil people who ensured her son died terrified and alone. The Telegraph report didnt explain why she did not have custody of Liam.

Georgena and Michael Roberts made emotional statements and their attorneys asked for leniency. Michael Roberts described himself as a coward and said his son paid the price.

My heart is shattered and I will be forever broken, his wife said.A cotton seedling that sprouted on the moon has been left to die as China's historic lunar lander continues a freezing night-time nap that will last as long as two earth weeks, scientists said. The Chinese space agency announced earlier this week that the seed had germinated inside a special canister aboard the Chang'e-4 probe, after the spacecraft on January 3 made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon. The mini biosphere -- which operated for over 212 hours -- was shut down as planned on Saturday, said Chongqing University, which designed the experiment. The lander also carried potato and arabidopsis seeds -- a plant of the mustard family -- as well as fruit fly eggs and yeast. Temperatures inside the ecosystem were expected to plunge below minus 52 degrees Celsius (minus 61.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and the organisms will be "in a frozen state", the university said in a statement on Tuesday. The experiment ended hours before Chang'e-4 entered "sleep mode" on Sunday as the first lunar night fell since the probe's landing. Temperatures plummet to about minus 170 degrees Celsius (minus 274 degrees Fahrenheit). A lunar night lasts for about two earth weeks, after which the probe is expected to wake up, the statement said. "Life in the canister would not survive the lunar night," Xie Gengxin, who led the design of the experiment, told the official Xinhua news agency. Once the temperatures start to rise next month, the organisms will be allowed to "slowly decompose" in the permanently sealed canister. Chang'e-4 is also equipped with instruments developed by scientists from Sweden, Germany and China to study the lunar environment, cosmic radiation and the interaction between solar wind and the moon's surface. The lander released a rover, dubbed Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit), that will perform experiments in the Von Karman Crater. China's space agency said it is planning four more lunar missions, confirming the launch of a probe by the end of the year to bring back samples from the moon. Beijing wants to establish a lunar research base one day, possibly using 3D printing technology to build facilities, the agency said Monday. A cotton seedling sprouted in a mini biosphere on the far side of the moon, but is expected to die during the long lunar night

A 16-year-old boy who tried to enter his cabin from a neighbouring balcony aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise has fallen to his death.

On January 11, teen passenger Laurent Mercer tried to get into his eighth-floor bedroom from the balcony of a neighbour on the Harmony of the Seas ship.

He lost his footing and fell onto the pier, according to the Fort Launderdale Sun-Sentinel.

The boat had been stopped at Labadee in Haiti at the time.

The Sun-Sentinel reports a statement from the Office of the Medical Examiner and Trauma Services of Broward County said the ships medical team responded to the incident on the pier and attempted CPR.

But the (boy) had sustained major head trauma and was pronounced dead, the statement said.

A Royal Caribbean Cruises spokesperson told Yahoo it was saddened by the loss of the guest in the tragic accident.

A 16-year-old boy died after trying to enter his cabin from a neighbouring balcony and falling to his death. Source: Getty via Yahoo Lifestyle

The Sun-Sentinel reports the seven-day cruise returned to Port Everglades in Florida on Sunday, where Mercers body was delivered to the county.

A spokesperson for Broward County did not return Yahoos request for comment.

A passenger on the cruise said she saw the teen hit a concrete dock.

The workers were amazingly fast acting and tried to keep him alive, but Im pretty sure he was dead on impact, Jaclyn Syroney reportedly wrote on Facebook.

[They] were also fast acting [in] removing his body and covering up the area so people wouldnt see it. Royal Caribbean handled this situation with utmost respect for the passenger and the family."Norway needs more children! I don't think I need to tell anyone how this is done," Norway's prime minister said cheekily, but she was raising a real concern. Too few babies are being born in the Nordic region. The Nordic countries were long a bastion of strong fertility rates on an Old Continent that is rapidly getting older. But they are now experiencing a decline that threatens their cherished welfare model, which is funded by taxpayers. "In the coming decades, we will encounter problems with this model," Prime Minister Erna Solberg warned Norwegians in her New Year's speech. "There will be fewer young people to bear the increasingly heavy burden of the welfare state." In Norway, Finland and Iceland, birth rates dropped to historic lows in 2017, with 1.49 to 1.71 children born per woman. Just a few years earlier, their birth rates hovered close to the 2.1 level required for their populations to remain stable. "In all of the Nordic countries, birth rates started dropping in the years after the 2008 financial crisis," University of Oslo sociologist Trude Lappegard told AFP. "The crisis is over now but it's still falling." From Copenhagen to the North Cape, from Helsinki to Reykjavik, demographics across the Nordics reveal two things: there are fewer large families, and women are waiting longer before having their first child. There's no single explanation, but financial uncertainty and a sharp rise in housing costs are seen as likely factors. In the long term, this means there will be fewer people of working age to pay taxes that fund the generous state welfare systems. These systems pay for, among other things, lengthy parental leaves, which in Sweden can last up to 480 days. - Paying for pregnancies - Experts present differing diagnoses and prescriptions to remedy the situation. In Norway, one economist concerned about the effect the slowing demographics will have on economic growth has suggested giving women 500,000 kroner (50,000 euros, $58,550) in pension savings for each child born. Another has suggested that, on the contrary, women in Norway who reach the age of 50 without having had a child should be paid one million kroner, since children also cost society a lot. Finnish municipalities have already decided to loosen their purse strings to encourage locals to get busy under the covers. The town of Miehikkala, home to 2,000 people, is offering 10,000 euros for each baby born and raised in the municipality. "The number of childless individuals is growing rapidly, and the number of women having three or more children is going down. This kind of fall is unheard of in modern times in Finland," said Anna Rotkirch, a family sociologist at the umbrella organisation Finnish Family Federation. In Denmark, Copenhagen has meanwhile turned its attention to men, who are in less of a hurry to become parents than women, with a campaign aimed at raising awareness about how sperm quality declines with age. - Immigration boost - The Nordic region already boasts a wealth of family-friendly initiatives, such as flexible working hours, a vast network of affordable daycares and generous parental leave systems. But when all that is still not enough to encourage people to have more children, immigration can be a lifeline -- or a threat, depending on the point of view. Sweden may have a falling birth rate, but it still comes in second in the EU behind France with 1.85 children born per woman in 2016. That is largely due to Sweden's decades-long history of immigration: immigrant women tend to have more children than the average Swede. With 2.6 children per woman in recent years, the town of Aneby in southern Sweden has one of the highest rates in the country, a phenomenon attributed to the fact that it opened its doors to immigrants two decades ago. "Aneby welcomed around 225 Eritreans in the early 1990s and just after that (it took in) refugees from the Balkans. 1994 was a demographic record for the town," local official Ola Gustafsson told AFP. But population growth among minorities has also fuelled fears. A former justice minister in Norway, Per-Willy Amundsen of the populist far-right, made headlines when he called for family allowances to be reduced after a third child. His stated goal was to stop Somalis who, he said, had a higher "birth production" rate than "ethnic Norwegians". Norway's prime minister has underscored a growing concern: fewer and fewer babies are being born in Northern Europe An economist in Norway has suggested that women be given 500,000 kroner (50,000 euros, $58,550) in pension savings for each child born Syrian refugees Walaa Al Hodl,(L), and Kahled Al Hodl applied for asylum in Sweden with their six-month-old girl Nour in 2013

A search is underway for a man believed to be in Melbourne accused of child sex offences in Slovenia.

Slovenian man Joze Smit, 58, also known as Joza Smit and Joseph Smit, is accused of child sex offences in his home country, Australian Federal Police said.

Mr Smit was last seen in Melbournes suburb of Essendon in October last year.

An age-progressed artists impression of Mr Smith has also been released along with an arrest warrant to have him extradited to Slovenia.

Joze Smit, also known as Joza Smit and Joseph Smit, is accused of sex crimes in Slovenia. Heres an artists rendition of what he might look like. Source: Australian Federal Police/ Getty Images (file pic)

Hes described as about 173cm tall, stocky, balding with brown eyes.

Anyone who has contact with the Smit family, knows where he is or possesses recent photographs is urged to contact police.

Members of the public should not approach him either as he is considered dangerous, police said.

If you have any information please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report anonymously via the online reporting page.

Stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here.

An Australian man has not been killed in a Kenya hotel terror attack despite earlier reports.

Kenyan media had reported an Australian man visiting his girlfriend in the African nation was one of the 21 people killed in the attack.

But a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday confirmed this was not the case.

The Australian high commission in Nairobi has confirmed that an individual reported by some media as an Australian victim of the attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex was not an Australian citizen, the spokesperson said.

The high commission continues to seek further information from local authorities to confirm whether any Australians were affected by the attack.

Terrorists attacked an upscale hotel complex in Kenyas capital on Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the neighbourhood. Source: AAP

Police Inspector General Joseph Boinnet released the nationalities of some of those killed in Tuesdays attack, including an American and a Briton.

Kenyas Standard Digital news website reported the man who was thought to be Australian was killed in the attack was 36 years old and had spoken to his Kenyan girlfriend by phone during the attack before he suddenly hung up.

The website quoted his girlfriend, a student at Kenyatta University, as saying he could still be alive if she had not persuaded him to stay at the DusitD2 hotel.

She rushed to the hotel when she heard of the attack and then received a call from her boyfriend who told her in a hushed voice they had been marooned by the terrorists.

The call lasted four minutes before he suddenly hung up. There were gunshots in the background, the website reported.

He is gone forever. He did not even bid me goodbye, the girlfriend was quoted as saying.

It is unclear what the mans actual nationality is.

Stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7s daily newsletter. Sign up here.The Australian dollar weakened against all major crosses except the Kiwi on Wednesday.

The catalyst for the weakness was unclear, although some cited renewed concern over US-Sino trade negotiations.

The British pound was quiet after the UK government survived a no-confidence motion.

Australian housing finance data will be released on Thursday.

The Australian dollar weakened against most major crosses on Wednesday, a performance in stark contrast to that seen 24 hours earlier.

Here's the scoreboard at 8am in Sydney on Thursday.

AUD/USD 0.7173 , -0.0027 , -0.38%

AUD/JPY 78.19 , -0.06 , -0.08%

AUD/CNH 4.8509 , -0.0263 , -0.54%

AUD/EUR 0.6294 , -0.0014 , -0.22%

AUD/GBP 0.5567 , -0.0032 , -0.57%

AUD/NZD 1.0575 , 0.0016 , 0.15%

AUD/CAD 0.951 , -0.0042 , -0.44%

Despite solid gains in global stocks and commodity markets, the Aussie weakened against all the majors except the Kiwi. As for the reason behind the under-performance of the antipodean currencies, Ray Attrill, Head of FX Strategy at the National Australia Bank, said there was no clear catalyst to explain the reversal.

"There are some suggestions that weakness overnight might owe something to positioning in front of important Q4 CPI numbers and the risk of weak numbers," he said.

AUD is also weaker, falling below the local session lows we saw after yesterdays weak consumer confidence reading.

New Zealand's CPI report will be released next week, with Australia's report due on January 30.

Attrill said reports of no real progress in US-Sino trade talks last week may have also undermined the Aussie and Kiwi.

"There were also some comments from US trade representative Robert Lighthizer suggesting hed seen little sign of movement from China on some of the key trade issues, which might have produced a bit of delayed reaction on AUD and NZD," he said.

The AUD/USD hit a session low of .7162 in early North American trade before inching higher towards the close.

Story continues

The US dollar may have found support from continued pessimism towards the Euro, following dovish remarks from ECB President Mario Draghi on Tuesday, along with a small improvement in US home builder sentiment as measured by the US NAB survey.

Some pointed to the release of the US Fed's Beige Book on economic conditions as another factor behind the greenback's strength, although the charts suggest it had negligible impact on markets.

"All districts noted that labour markets were tight and that firms were struggling to find workers at any skill level, so no real signs of economic slowdown here," Attrill said.

The Aussie also lost ground against Chinese yuan, finally disconnecting after largely moving in lock-step earlier in the week. The British pound also gained as the UK government survived a no-confidence motion, leading to further speculation that an extension to the Article 50 deadline or a second referendum could take place.

The Canadian dollar was also supported by further gains in crude oil prices.

Turning to the session ahead, it promises to be another quiet one on the data front with few major releases scheduled.

The main highlights will be home loan lending data from Australia, Eurozone CPI and construction output along with jobless claims and Philly Fed manufacturing survey from the United States.

For the Aussie data, loans to owner-occupiers are expected to decline by 1.5%. Markets will be looking at the total value of loans approved and average loan sizes given heightened concern about the impact tighter lending standards is having on the broader housing market.

The report will arrive at 11.30am AEDT.This item is available in full to subscribers.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.In 1969 when Carol was 16 and in Grade 11, she met and fell in love with Buri Kidu, a Papua New Guinean, at Tallebudgera Camp School on the Gold Coast.

Her parents created an environment of compassion for others and emphasised that everyone was equal. Carol developed an important social consciousness.

Born Carol Millwater on 10 October 1948, Carol spent the first 20 years of her life in Shorncliff, Queensland in a lower middle class Australian family. She has described her family as not poor, but we were not rich, they struggled to get us educated.

Entering politics in 1997, Dame Carol achieved remarkable policy victories especially focused on women, children, disabled people and minority ethnic groups in two consecutive terms as Minister for Community Development.

PORT MORESBY - Dame Carol Kidu travelled a remarkable journey from her suburban Australian home to Pari village in Port Moresby, and was to break the political glass ceiling to become Papua New Guineas first female opposition leader.

Buri was on a scholarship from the government of Papua New Guinea and attending Toowoomba Grammar School. At this time, cross-cultural and interracial relationships were not well accepted, especially between whites and blacks.

Carol has described one such moment:

As we walked the streets in Brisbane, I was aware that many people were staring. I was so proud to walk with Buri and was surprised when an elderly [white] man walked straight toward me, then spat at me with such hatred, 'You filthy woman.

Despite such reactions, Carol and Buri were married in 1969 when she was 20 years old.

She left the comfort of her home and chose to live with Buri and his people in Pari village. It was hard as she struggled mentally and physically through pain and perseverance to slowly adapt to a different culture and lifestyle.

She faced social and cultural obstacles in living in a different culture where values and principles were traditional and men and womens roles defined differently. But she was able to overcome because her parents, in-laws and husband were understanding and supportive.

Carol was a school teacher in Port Moresby for 20 years and also wrote text books while Buri became a successful lawyer, rising to be the first Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea, being knighted by the Queen in 1980. Carol became Lady Kidu, or Dame Carol, travelling with Buri and meeting important people from all over the world.

They had four children and adopted two others and raised the family according to Buris tribal traditions. But Buri died of heart attack in 1994 and Carol was widowed. Her reaction at that time was anger towards the government that had sacked Buri because of his championing of judicial independence.

Despite this, Carol did not go back to Australia but decided to live among Buris people. This humility and loyalty to the people won their support for Carol when she entered politics.

Carol Kidu entered politics because she felt the nation had been denied an outstanding person and what Buri Kidu stood for must not die; her husbands legacy must live on. Moreover, being idealistic, she believed in making a difference and standing for social justice, human rights, marginalised groups and related issues.

When she entered politics in 1997, people - especially the elite - thought she would not win because she was white. But Carol was confident because she was deeply entrenched in her husbands society and was the widow of a highly respectable man. In fact, Carol easily won as an independent candidate in her constituency, Moresby South, and became the first white woman ever to sit in the PNG parliament.

She won again in 2002 and 2007 before retiring in 2012. Buri was the person who most inspired her to politics, and she still speaks of how his death contributed towards her entering politics.

Her 15 years in parliament saw her serve as Minister for Community Development (2002-2011) under then Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and as PNGs first female opposition leader from February to July 2012, after the Supreme Court appointed Opposition Leader Peter ONeill as Prime Minister.

At a National Council of Womens reception after her appointment, she said her decision to take up the Opposition Leaders position was to restore credibility and confidence in the office. The media referred to her as the Iron Lady of PNG politics.

Significant outcomes under Dame Carols leadership included enacting new child protection legislation, community learning and lifelong learning policies, partnerships between the state and NGOs and churches in community development and combatting domestic violence and HIV/AIDS.

People referred to her as the voice of Papua New Guinean women and as an advocate for the poor and unfortunate and through her progressive reputation she built momentum for womens empowerment in PNG, made more visible by her presence in parliament. The unwavering Dame Carol found a place in the hearts and minds of young people, women, and like-minded citizens through the leadership qualities she demonstrated.

One of the central characteristics of the servant-leader, as demonstrated in the leadership style of Dame Carol, is persistence and personal resolve to maintain ones core values under trying circumstances.

Two aspects of her leadership reflect this. Firstly, she maintained a consistent personal integrity. Secondly, she kept her mind focused on her mission to emphasise the importance of womens issues and broader social issues in the country in a male dominated parliament.

She lobbied hard to gain support from parliament for 22 reserved seats for women and got the Equality and Participation Bill passed in 2011. However, it did not receive the two-thirds majority required to amend the Constitution.

Facing gender challenges, she had to tread a fine line in relation to her predominantly male colleagues whilst also mindful of the fact that she is a white woman who may be accused of misrepresenting certain sections of the Papua New Guinean community.

Because of her humility and perseverance, she was recognised for her role in politics, and made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in January 2005, the highest of many awards she has received including the US International Award for Courage and Leadership and Frances highest award, the Legion dHonneur in recognition of her tireless efforts in the fight for human rights.

Dame Carol broke the glass ceiling to be the first female opposition leader in Papua New Guinea. Hers has been a remarkable journey indeed. Retiring from politics at age 64, she described her 15 years in parliament as challenging, frustrating but rewarding. She is truly a role model to many Papua New Guineans, especially women.They have thousands of deaths from preventable disease, from common illnesses, from injury, on their consciences. When are they going to acknowledge the duty they have to manage the health system and fund health priorities properly?

The health system is in crisis  everyone knows that  but Peter ONeill and Puka Temu are just letting people die or suffer.

Recent statements by Dr James Naipao, president of the PNG Doctors Association, and professor Glen Mola from the Medical School, highlight urgent and serious issues that the government is refusing to acknowledge or do anything about.

PORT MORESBY - Prime minister Peter ONeill and health minister Sir Puka Temu should start listening to doctors and patients throughout the country and admit that the health system is in crisis.

Dr Naipao said doctors were unhappy with the way the health department bureaucrats and the health minister were painting a pretty picture of health-related issues when the reality was completely different, and bad.

Why are the higher hierarchy of the health department and the health minister, Sir Puka Temu, openly saying all is well in health service delivery when health workers on the ground are saying the opposite, Dr Naipao asked.

Dr Naipao and Dr Mola point to the widespread lack of basic drugs, disease test kits and basic medical equipment and supplies.

Dr Mola estimates that up to 5,000 babies have died or been disabled since the end of 2016 when the country ran out of syphilis test kits.

He also confirms that the country has run out of HIV test kits and paediatric HIV drugs to prevent babies from contracting HIV from their mothers.

According to Dr Mola this will not only lead to about 2,500 unnecessary infant HIV deaths per annum, but it also puts our whole population at risk and makes the management and treatment of TB harder, given the high rate of TB/HIV co-infection.

Doctors had also reported that the health minister, the secretary and senior officers in the department were running around like headless chooks, because the prime minister had sent out an instruction that there be no drug stock-outs during February when the vote of no confidence period commences.

How ridiculous is this? The prime minister is only concerned about his political survival, not the welfare of people.

According to doctors, more than 100 lines of essential drugs and supplies are currently out of stock, including antibiotics, surgical gloves, sutures, fluids, and that very soon there will be a stock-out of HIV drugs as well.

The crisis in the health system, especially the medical supplies chain, underscore the wasteful expenditure by the ONeill government on APEC, corruption in government and the breakdown of government systems and processes.

Where are all the APEC goodies promised by PM and APEC minister Tkatchenko? Where is the manna that was supposed to descend from APEC heaven?

The two-day wonder of APEC has left the country in tatters and the people of Papua New Guinea suffering.

As Professor Mola said, Unless the government starts showing some concern for the people and providing health workers with basic supplies to prevent disease, treat their patients and also prevent health workers from getting life-threatening diseases from patients, it should not be a surprise to anybody if health workers just stop work.His son James, only six years old at the time, left PNG with his mother, three sisters and one of his two brothers to find safety in Cairns.

Ifiso was something of a legend in PNG  he even went head-to-head with Mal Meninga in a Test match for the Kumuls in 1982. But he could do little to protect his family in a country with dangerously high levels of crime and violence.

AFTER Ifiso Segeyaro was held up at gunpoint during a bank robbery in Papua New Guinea in the 1990s, he realised his country could not provide his family with the life he wanted for them.

"After that incident at the bank he realised 'this country wasn't safe for my kids'," James said of his father. "He wanted a better future for us. He sacrificed a fair bit for us to make sure we were safe and grew up with an education.

"I didn't get the father-son relationship most kids do growing up. As a young kid, I barely saw my dad because he was working, so I'd only get to see him once a month. As the years continued, I rarely ever saw him."

On his way to discovering the hidden talent that would one day see him follow in his father's footsteps and represent PNG in rugby league, James found refuge in an unexpected shelter.

His family was torn when his mother remarried an Australian within a few years of her arrival in Cairns  a man Segeyaro admits he "didn't get along with".

His mother's relationship divided the family. His father stopped sending money from PNG to support them, and Segeyaro's life began to unravel.

Still only nine years old, he stopped attending school. He spent more time at the house of his friend Trent Barnard than he did at home.

As the years went on, Segeyaro's relationship with his stepfather didn't improve and the hours he spent at the Barnard household under the eyes of Dean and Susan Barnard increased.

"Someone had to do something otherwise he would've ended up in one of the suburbs roaming the streets and getting up to no good," Dean Barnard said. "We didn't want that because he was a great little kid."

By the time he was 13, Segeyaro finally parted ways with his mother and moved in with Dean and Susan, joining Trent and Taylor as the children of the family.

"I consider them my parents and I call them mum and dad," Segeyaro said. "Dean has been a father to me. He pretty much raised me, put clothes on my back and put food in my stomach. Everything I needed they did for me.

They loved me unconditionally, like I was one of their own, and that was the relationship I was lacking in my life. I owe a lot to them. They've been my biggest supporters and still have a massive influence on the decisions I make today."

On the rare occasion he would visit his birth mother as a teenager, more often than not he would be on the phone to Dean and Susan to come back for him, even before they returned home from dropping him off.

The Barnards paid for his schooling and made sure he kept playing rugby league, a sport he wasn't able to play as a child because of his mother's religious beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist.

James was always seen as the third brother in the family, not just by Dean and Susan.

"My grandma recently passed away and he was the apple of her eye as well," Dean said.

"Easter, Christmas, birthdays . . . everyone got the same; mum and dad would send cards with money and photos. They talk to him just as much as we do, and to them, he's their grandson.

"He might be a different colour but he's definitely family. I remember when he was at Souths and he introduced me to all the Tongan and Samoan boys that were there. There were quite a few comments about the difference until James explained the story."

Segeyaro moved to Sydney as a 16-year-old after scoring a contract with South Sydney.

However, that didn't last long. He was sacked in 2008 for breaching the club's disciplinary guidelines.

"Souths had their mad Monday, then my junior club, Mascot Jets, had their mad Monday the next week and I didn't go to work after them for a couple of days," Segeyaro said.

"I was a plasterer at the time, but the club found out I wasn't going to work, which is part of the 20s contract, and they terminated my contract."

Cronulla offered him a lifeline, but Dean Barnard intervened, asking Segeyaro to come home to Cairns to keep an eye on him. Segeyaro later signed a two-year deal with the North Queensland Cowboys, where he made his NRL debut.

While he was waiting for Aaron Payne to decide on his future, Segeyaro was approached by the Panthers and met with Ivan Cleary and Phil Gould for coffee to discuss a move to the foot of the mountains in Sydney.

Segeyaro has been a revelation at the Panthers, but it hasn't all been smooth sailing. He lost his close friend at the Cowboys Alex Elisala in April last year.

"People looking in, they don't realise how much pressure is on these 18-year-old kids," Segeyaro said.

"The expectations to perform week in and week out is a lot of pressure for young kids to take. Especially some backgrounds, like the Pacific Islanders, you're expected to provide for your family back home. If you're in the NRL squad, they think you're a millionaire.

"Alex was really good at putting on a brave face. I knew to an extent that he was having some troubles, I just didn't think it was to that extent. It's been a life changer. It's showed me life's too short and live every day to its fullest."YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Ministers of Estonia and Latvia, Juri Ratas and Maris Kucinskis have sent congratulatory messages to Nikol Pashinyan on being appointed Prime Minister of Armenia.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the message of Juri Ratas particularly runs as follows, Please, accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of being appointed Prime Minister of Armenia. I wish you success in the responsible task of ensuring the progress of the reforms in order to make Armenia a maximally democratic and prosperous country. As a country that has passed through a transitional period, Estonia highly assesses the opportunity to develop close relations with Armenia in terms of sharing the existing positive experience.

The existing good cooperation between our countries, particularly in the spheres of IT and culture, is a firm ground for deepening bilateral relations. I am confident that during your tenure we will expand bilateral interactions in other spheres and will strengthen those already existing.

I hope Armenia will continue developing relations with the EU, particularly in the sidelines of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the Eastern Partnership. With the expectation for a close cooperation I hope that soon we will have the opportunity to exchange views personally.

Prime Minister of Latvia and Maris Kucinskis notes in his message, I extend to you my warmest congratulations on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Latvia on being re-appointed Prime Minister of Armenia. Its a pleasure to see the development of cooperation between Latvia and Armenia. I am confident that our relations will continue to strengthen for the benefit of the welfare and prosperity of our peoples.

Edited and translated byTigran SirekanyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Eurasian Economic Union and Egypt have successfully finished the 1st round of negotiations on signing a free trade agreement. ARMENPRESS reports the 1st round of talks took place in Cairo on January 15-17.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Chairman of the Council of Eurasian Economic Commission Mher Grigoryan and EEC Member of the Board - Minister in charge of Trade Veronica Nikishina had departed to Cairo for talks.

The sides discussed the main mechanisms of the agreement, recorded the agreed points and outlined the schedule for further work. The EAU and Egypt expressed readiness for constructive dialogue.

The FTA will create new opportunities for the EAEU member states to develop and diversify trade with Egypt. In 2018 trade turnover between the union and Egypt amounted to 5.8 billion USD, a 21.2% rise against 2017.

Edited and translated byTigran SirekanyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Defense minister of Artsakh, Major-General Karen Abrahamyan on January 17 visited a number of military units operating under the central command of the Defense Army, met with the commanding staff and soldiers, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

During the meetings the defense minister attached importance to the comprehensive preparedness of each division and individual soldier, as well as the capacities to effectively implement the existing combat opportunities at any moment.

At the end of the working visit the minister gave respective instructions to the commanding staff on the ongoing and future activities.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today met with Ruler of Sharjah, Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Presidential Office told Armenpres.

The President highly valued the warm attitude of the Ruler of Sharjah towards the Armenian people, the vivid evidence of which are the programs implemented by his support and donation.

The two officials discussed the means of expanding the bilateral relations and attached specific importance to the cooperation in science, research and education sectors.

We are ready to further develop and deepen the relations between our friendly states and peoples, the Armenian President said.

Based on the discussion an agreement was reached that a group of selected businessmen will visit Armenia to get acquainted with the cooperation opportunities and discuss concrete programs.

The officials also discussed the possibility of signing an agreement on declaring Sharjah and any Armenian city as sister cities.

President Armen Sarkissian invited the Ruler of Sharjah to visit Armenia which the latter agreed with a great pleasure.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah today received Armenian President Armen Sarkissian who is in the United Arab Emirates on an official visit, wam.ae news agency reports.

During the meeting the officials discussed a number of topics of mutual interest. They also touched upon the bilateral relations and their development opportunities in all sectors.

The meeting focused on strengthening relations between both countries, and the importance of cultural exchange, as well as achieving scientific partnerships between leading educational institutions of both countries.

The Armenian President praised the great and continuous efforts of the Ruler of Sharjah in the scientific and cultural fields inside and outside the emirate.

Armen Sarkissian said Sharjah has gained a global position in the international cultural map thanks to the keenness of the Ruler of Sharjah to develop, promote, and create a cultural environment.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved the draft on ratifying the agreement on Cooperation between the governments of Armenia and Kazakhstan in the field of civil protection, prevention and elimination of emergency situations. The agreement has been signed in Almaty on September 12, 2018.

During todays cabinet session acting minister of emergency situations Felix Tsolakyan said in recent decades the Armenian-Kazakh relations have steadily developed.

The friendly ties between the two countries have also intensified. The activities in the emergency situations field have a special place in these relations. This is conditioned by the geographical position of the two countries, as well as the membership to the same military-political bloc (CSTO) and participation in the same economic cooperation organizations  the CIS, the EAEU, the acting minister said. The specialists of both sides quite successfully cooperate within the CSTO and CIS, develop joint documents and etc.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved the bill on ratifying the agreement on Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments between Armenia and the Republic of Korea, reports Armenpress.

The agreement enables to create favorable conditions for the investors of the two countries by contributing to the promotion of business initiatives in both states.

The agreement guarantees the investor of each side complete protection and security, as well as fair and equal regime in accordance with the international law.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian together with spouse Nune Sarkissian visited the Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum on the sidelines of his official visit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), his Office told Armenpress.

The Museum is operating since 2017.

The President and his wife toured the Museums 12 exhibition halls which present the history of the development of global art starting from ancient times up to now, watched the exhibits and works of art.

After touring the Museum the Armenian President told reporters that he is very impressed, its a unique Museum.

The Armenian art should definitely be presented here. The Museum executives are aware that we had a very beautiful and unique exhibition in New York, the Metropolitan Museum, dedicated to the Armenian cultural heritage and traditions, President Sarkissian said, stating that the Museum leadership wants to have any Armenian beautiful exhibit in their cultural center.

Presidents spouse Nune Sarkissian also had a perfect impression after the visit. She said that in addition to the exhibits, the Museum is also distinguished by its unique architecture and design. Here there are very few and selected exhibits. When the Museum is not overloaded, it enables to better understand the presented eras and exhibits especially during the first visit, she said.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Nune Sarkissian, President Armen Sarkissians wife, has paid a visit to the Autism Trust Foundation in Sharjah, UAE, and met with director Fahed Bin Al Shaikh, the presidents office said.

Autism Trust Foundation is engaged in large-scale autism awareness campaigns in the Emirates, as well as treatment and rehabilitation of autistic children.

During the visit Sarkissian briefed Fahed Bin Al Shaikh on the activities and programs of the Armenian Autism Center and discussed possible cooperation between the two facilities.

The Armenian presidents spouse also invited Fahed Bin Al Shaikh to visit Armenia with the purpose of launching a joint project on professional exchange of experience in working with autistic children.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Nune Sarkissian, spouse of Armenias President Armen Sarkissian, met with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the Presidents official visit to the UAE, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

Mrs. Nune Sarkissian thanked for the warm reception.

The sides talked about the cultural and educational mutual partnership between the two countries. Mrs. Sarkissian said Armenia and Armenians in general pay great attention to the preservation of the national traditions and historical-cultural heritage and introduced the history and activities of Matenadaran  the museum-institute of ancient manuscripts, informing that thousands of manuscripts, including also Arabic and Muslim ones, are kept in the institute.

Nune Sarkissian also said that she visited the Sharjah Institute for Heritage where she was introduced on the recovery works of the ancient manuscripts, adding that Armenia has great experience in this field. She invited the UAE experts to Armenia to get acquainted with the experience of the Armenian side and to cooperate with the Armenian specialists.

The UAE State Minister said she is well aware of Nune Sarkissians activities. Given the fact that Mrs. Sarkissian is an author of children books, the State Minister invited the Presidents spouse to participate in the Book Festival in Dubai as an honorary guest.

In her turn Nune Sarkissian invited the UAE State Minister to Armenia to get introduced on the Armenian culture, as well as to deepen the Armenian-UAE scientific-educational ties.



Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have released a statement following their meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Paris, France. The meetings were held both separately and jointly.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) hosted consultations between Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on 16 January in Paris. The Co-Chairs met separately and then jointly with the Ministers. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in these meetings. This was the fourth meeting of the two Ministers.

State Secretary for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne reviewed the outcomes of the talks with the participants. The Co-Chairs were received at the Elysee Palace, where they briefed top diplomatic advisers of President Emmanuel Macron.

The participants expressed to the Ministers their appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the sides to maintain an environment conducive to intensive results-oriented negotiations.

The Ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and agreed upon the necessity of taking concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace.

During the meetings, the Co-Chairs reviewed with the Ministers key principles and parameters for the current phase of the negotiation process.

The Ministers and the Co-Chairs considered next steps toward a possible summit between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in order to give a strong impulse to the dynamic of negotiations.

The Co-Chairs underlined the importance of possible mutually beneficial initiatives designed to fulfill the economic potential of the region.

The Co-Chairs plan to meet the leaders of the two countries in the near future, the OSCE said in the statement.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on January 17, as of 09:00, some roads are closed and difficult to pass in Armenia.

Sotk-Karvachar highway is closed for trucks, but is difficult to pass for passenger vehicles. The roads leading to Mirak and Charchakis villages of Aragatsotn province are also difficult to pass.

Snowfalls are reported in Sisian, Kajaran, Aparan, Aragats, Vardenis, Spitak, Stepanavan towns and Shirak province.

Drivers are urged to use winter tires while travelling to provinces.

The Georgian authorities inform that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is closed for all types of vehicles due to a danger of avalanche.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanMinistro #CarlosMoran: No vamos a ceder hasta obtener la libertad del suboficial Miranda. ? https://t.co/hKJ1I6p7GI#JusticiaParaPNPMiranda pic.twitter.com/fiEu8tAgMKGobierno del Peru condena ataque en Escuela de Cadetes de Policia en Colombia.

?https://t.co/BhJUgueX25 pic.twitter.com/MVFjzqzQqv13:26 | Cusco (Cusco region), Jan. 17.















"Thank you very much, it's been a great trip for my son and I. I've always wanted to come here, it was better than I expected. Machu Picchu was amazing, Cusco is amazing (...) the people are wonderful. You've been very nice and sweet. Thank you very much for your hospitality," the two-time Academy Award winner said in his speech.





The 75-year-old celebrity received other presents from local authorities when he left.





De Niro arrived in the area as part of his first tourist visit to the Andean nation.





Last Thursday, he dined at the exclusive Peruvian eatery Central in Lima and did not hesitate to pose for a picture with the restaurant's chef and owner Virgilio Martinez.





The following day, he visited Pedro de Osma Museum located in the capital city's traditional Barranco district.

















The two-time Academy Award winner reached Machu Picchu station in the afternoon on board The Private an exclusive train service.





Upon arrival and regardless of the rain, the artist visited one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu , joined by his son and a local guide.









On Tuesday, the renowned Hollywood actor climbed Huayna Picchu Summit and visited the Inca citadel for the second time , although this visit was much more pleasant as the bright sunny day highlighted the beauty of the ancient ruins.



Afamado actor Robert De Niro escalo esta manana el Huayna Picchu y luego recorrio la ciudadela Inca de Machu Picchu https://t.co/5klss9iHwo (Video: Percy Hurtado) pic.twitter.com/tavh754GD9  Agencia Andina (@Agencia_Andina) 15 de enero de 2019













Within this framework, Mayor Darwin Baca presented De Niro with a Chacana (Inca Cross) a symbol of Andean worldview and culture.









Likewise, De Niro was asked to sign the Golden Book, in which he wrote a message addressed to the people of Machu Picchu.





Career





De Niro is best known for his Oscar-winning roles in The Godfather II and Raging Bull, to name a few.





Other celebrated films include "Taxi Driver," "Once Upon a time in America," "The Untouchables," and "Casino."





He is well-known for his gangster roles and has played conflicting, turbulent characters as well.





(END) PHS/MAO/RMB/MVB

Hollywood icon Robert De Niro on Thursday was awarded the Medal and Key to the City of Cusco as part of his visit to the Inca Empire's capital.Cusco Province Mayor Victor Boluarte bestowed the honor during a special ceremony in the Imperial City.Published: 1/17/2019??? "This Dakar is being shorter but harder"

Interview to Alvaro Leon, co-pilot of @ChalecoDakar from a @turismociva bus



??? Este Dakar esta siendo mas corto pero mas duro"

Entrevista a Alvaro Leon, copiloto de @ChalecoDakar desde un bus de @turismociva#Dakar2019 pic.twitter.com/LBeymYqY7pNews

India reports 67,208 new coronavirus cases, 2,330 deaths

India is slowly emerging from the darkest days of the pandemic. After declining last year, cases began surging in March, surpassing 400,000 new infections per day in May. The impact was immediate  hospitals were overwhelmed with patients struggling to breathe.A City Council proposal to give New Yorkers the right to not be constantly bombarded by work emails when they are not at work is facing pushback from private sector industries, who say that the law is at odds with New York City's inherently demanding work culture.

The legislation, introduced last year by Brooklyn Council Member Rafael Espinal, is based on similar "right to disconnect" laws in France and Germany. It would require companies with more than ten workers to provide a notice of rights outlining their work policy, with explicit assurance that employees will not face retaliation for choosing not to answer emails, texts, or even Slack messages outside normal work hours. One study found that more than half of all Americans check work email during off-hours, including on sick days.

"The advent of modern technology has created an expectation among some companies that workers should be available around the clock, which can be devastating to their mental health," Espinal told Gothamist. "By prohibiting retaliation when employees choose not to respond to after-work communication, we can establish clear boundaries and give them time to recharge."

Predictably, the city's bosses do not agree. During a public hearing on Thursday, a parade of business groupsincluding REBNY, TechNYC, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the Partnership for NYCvoiced strident opposition to the proposal. They cited a number of concerns, including the fact that it would hurt businesses' bottom line, that it would not be easily enforceable, and that employees actually benefit from answering emails at odd hours of the day.

"Far too often, the council approves regulatory schemes that, while well intentioned, are approved without understanding the full feasibility or consequences," argued Zach Steinberg, the VP of Policy at the Real Estate Board of New York. He noted that the right to disconnect has not been passed elsewhere in the United States, and would likely lead to confusion among business owners. "It is unwise to use New York City as a testing ground for such a novel approach."

Listen to WNYCs Amanda Aronczyk talk to commuters at the World Trade Center transit hub about whether they check they take calls or check emails after work hours:

Under the current bill, employees would bring complaints to the Department of Consumer Affairs, which could collect civil penalties from scofflaw businesses and order relief for workers of $250 per instance of illegal nagging. While DCA emphasized that they support the spirit of the proposal, the agency revealed on Thursday that they cannot presently support the legislation.

In addition to needing to focus on other ongoing initiatives, Casey Adams, legislative affairs director at DCA, said the agency has "serious concerns about our ability to effectively enforce a law that requires the agency to closely regulate the development and implementation of policies across thousands of employers." He added that a further study examining the benefits of the legislation would be warranted, but that DCA could not commit to undertaking such a study at this time.

While not particularly promising for the bill's prospects of becoming law, the hearing did at least offer an instructive window into how some of the city's most powerful business leaders think about low-level employees. During one exchange, Kathy Wylde, chief executive of the Partnership for New York City, seemed to argue that these workers do not actually face pressure to respond to work emails, because they have the free will to ignore whatever emails they want.

"The fact is that most of those contacts are more for the convenience of the employee," argued Wylde. "Most of this communication is voluntary." (As is reporting to work, and finding a source of income, and using that income to, say, pay rent. Totally your call if you want to do that!)

"I don't think most employee-employer communication is perceived as voluntary by the employees," interjected Council Member Brad Lander.

"You don't think the employees want that reaction and that ability to communicate and be on the job?" replied Wylde. "You're talking about a behavior modification!"

They both agreed that this was a complicated philosophical question that they would return to at a later date.

Later on in the hearing, Yannan Pena, a community organizer with the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops, spoke in favor of the proposal, arguing that workers are increasingly robbed of personal time by exploitative bosses who discourage any time away from the job. "The fact that some of you think it's a voluntary thing to respond to your bossI think it's crazy."

The NYPD has reportedly been closely monitoring Black Lives Matter protestersa fact revealed by multiple Freedom of Information Law requests over the past few years. Now, a batch of nearly 700 NYPD emails, reported by the Appeal and released by M.J. Williams law firm, show just how intensive and how sweeping the surveillance program has been.

After grand juries failed to indict the police officers responsible for the deaths of Michael Brown, Jr., and Eric Garner, BLM staged regular protests throughout 2014 and 2015. In New York City, emails show that the NYPD enlisted not only undercover officers to infiltrate the organizing groups, but also "NYPD handlers" and civilian informants to help them keep tabs on participants. They routed the information they gatheredreports, photographs, social media activity, and quite possibly, text messagesback through the upper echelons of the NYPD's Organized Crime Control Bureau and Intelligence department, and ultimately, to then-Police Commissioner William Bratton.

Attorney M.J. Williams told the Appeal that she developed suspicions about NYPD activity on MLK Day in 2015, when she joined a small group of protesters in a "wildcat" march on Grand Central. Only a handful of people, eight or nine, knew about the plan, she said, and no one had discussed it loudly enough in public for others to overhear. Still, about 25 minutes into the surprise march, the group ran into NYPD officers, blocking their way.

"More cops were there than protesters, so much so that we decided to take the subway," Williams told the Appeal. After that incident, it increasingly seemed to Williams that police must be getting intel on BLM plans. She started pulling FOIL requests, which confirmed her hunch: The NYPD did have undercover officers at BLM demonstrations, many of which the NYPD filmed.

This latest release illuminates just how extensive the NYPD's BLM files are: Police have held onto photos, social media snippets, and emails profiling particular protesters, even though the events in question occurred four years ago.

In accordance with the Handschu Guidelineslaid out in a 1985 consent decree, stemming from a lawsuit challenging the lengths to which police could go in monitoring political activiststhe NYPD can undertake surveillance of political and religious organizations, if and only if police have information pointing to crimes those organizations have committed, or are about to commit.

In 2003, the guidelines expanded to allow the NYPD to monitor potential terrorist threats. As the Appeal points out, officers are free to attend public demonstrations, but they cannot hold onto "information obtained from such visits," unless that information "relates to potential unlawful or terrorist activity." Which really says a lot about how the police view BLM, a non-violent organization exercising the constitutional right to peaceful protest.

In response to a Gothamist inquiry, the NYPD issued a statement saying the department "does not interfere with Constitutionally-protected activities, and did not investigate Black Lives Matter as a political organization or movement." Furthermore:

The NYPD was focused on ensuring the safety of the public, protesters and officers at these events. The large daily demonstrations in late 2014 often involved hundreds, sometime thousands of people. The vast majority of these demonstrators cooperated with police efforts, and the NYPD helped facilitate these protests by moving along with them, when necessary stopping traffic to aid in the demonstrators safe movements. There were, however, small groups of individuals within the larger numbers, who had specific plans to go beyond lawful protest, and to deliberately disrupt the lives of New Yorkers. Investigations were solely focused on the unlawful conduct of these individual participants. In one high-profile example, two police lieutenants were assaulted on the Brooklyn Bridge. Some of the individuals involved regularly advertised their plans to shut down New York by blocking traffic on bridges, tunnels, and main avenues of New York City. These blockages not only inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, but potentially placed lives in danger by causing gridlock situations which hampered the response of police, fire and ambulances to emergencies. The monitoring of publicly available social media channels, and the use of plainclothes officers to report on movements of large crowds and any detected plans to commit illegal activity, are legally permissible and routine police work. The communications reflected in the emails describe the movements of large groups of protestors with a focus on preventing violence or the mass disruption of traffic.

In 2017, however, a lawsuit made public another round of emails in which officers discussed protesters' movements. Those included photos of text messages, suggesting that undercover officers had made their way into small activist circles. The emails also included photos identifying key organizers, which retired NYPD detective sergeant and John Jay College professor Joseph Giacalone told the Guardian helped police weaken movements: "If you take out the biggest mouth, everybody just withers away, so you concentrate on the ones you believe are your organizers," Giacalone said. "Once you identify that person, you can run computer checks on them to see if they have a warrant out or any summons failures, then you can drag them in before they go out to speak or rile up the crowd, as long as you have reasonable cause to do so."

On Monday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arlene Bluthpresiding over a lawsuit brought by the New York Civil Liberties Unionruled that the NYPD must turn over its records on police surveillance of BLM members' phones and social media accounts, and whatever technology it may have used to interfere with those communications. But given everything we already know about the way the NYPD has approached BLM, the conclusion here already seems pretty clear. As Williams told the NY Daily News, the extended surveillance "betrays an assumption of criminality by the NYPD."

Asked about the ruling on the Brian Lehrer show Thursday, NYPD Commissioner Jame O'Neill said, "I think the brunt of this decision was about technology, I think it was about cell phone jamming, was the contention. Im not going to go into what technology we have or we dont have, but we do not interfere with Constitutionally protected activities. I know from the demonstrations back in 2014, I was out there each and every day... and its not something that we do. We have to move forward, but its certainly not something that the NYPD does."

On Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo sought to join political leaders across America in laying out his audacious goals for combating climate change. Lets take the next step on the Green New Deal which tackles climate change and starts building the green economy for tomorrow, Cuomo declared during his State of the State address. Let us set the goal: 100 percent clean power by 2040. Highest in the United States of America.

Cuomos nod to the existential threat posed by rapid climate change drew plaudits from environmental advocates in the state. While Cuomo has been notoriously disinterested in a number of progressive priorities over his long tenure in Albany, he has found the light, of late, on climate issues. Hes long removed from his time as the governor who was strangely reluctant to link changing weather patterns to human-caused global warming.

Missing from his address, however, was any reference to an ambitious piece of climate legislation that has passed the Assembly several times and could make it through a Democrat-controlled State Senate this year. The Climate and Community Protection Act [CCPA], co-sponsored by state Senator Todd Kaminsky and Assemblymember Steve Englebright, would require New York to generate 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030.

By 2050, the bill would require the elimination of all greenhouse gas emissions, meaning: no fossil fuel burning cars or coal-burning power plants. Specific penalties are not yet baked into the legislation, but advocates see real teeth in such a law existing at all, especially since they would have legal recourse if Cuomo or a future executive ignored its mandates.

The CCPA provides a roadmap for New York to wean itself off fossil fuels, a radical proposition that is already drawing opposition in conservative quarters. It would direct any transitional energy project getting state funding to pay a prevailing wage, and would funnel 40 percent of whatever state investment goes towards climate mitigation efforts to go to low-income communities and communities most threatened by climate change. The legislation would create a working group for disadvantaged communities and produce a report on barriers and opportunities for community ownership of renewable energy technology, as well as specifically identify these communities for the mitigation of pollutants.

A chief regulator would be the Department of Environmental Conservation, which would be able to shoot down carbon-based energy projects.

Whatever happens at the federal level, we need equivalent state action to drive down not just our greenhouse gases but co-pollutants that are not contributing to climate change but high asthma rates and environmental problems in communities of color, said Eddie Bautista, the executive director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and a supporter of the CCPA.

The value in any legislation is that it can codify goals that, as of now, exist at the whims of Cuomo or whoever eventually takes his place. California has enshrined a commitment into law to move to 100 percent carbon-free by 2045 and recently announced it had exceeded its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

In California, they put their climate goals into law more than a decade ago and theyve been updating them ever since, said Conor Bambrick, the air and energy director at Environmental Advocates of New York. What youve seen has been substantial progress in terms of investment in renewable energy and clean energy innovations. (California is leading the country in wind and solar investment, as well as in transitioning to electric cars.)



Governor Andrew M. Cuomo delivers 2019 State of the State Address and proposed 2019-2020 Executive Budget on Tuesday (Governor's Office)

Advocates are optimistic, with a Democratic Senate and a governor looking towards making national waves, that the CCPA will have a real chance of passage in 2019. When Republicans controlled the Senate, the legislation never made it out of committee, even with 31 co-sponsors, including several Republicans.

The new chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee is Todd Kaminsky, a Long Island Democrat who is a co-sponsor of the bill. A spokesperson for Kaminsky said he was unavailable to speak about the legislation due to a personal illness.

To raise the sort of revenue to transition to a full green economy while deterring the use of fossil fuel emissions, New York would have to implement a carbon tax. The tax would dissuade polluters and produce the type of investments needed to transition to a 100 percent green economy, which would be an unprecedented undertaking.

For all his talk of a new progressive future for New York, Cuomo has drawn the line repeatedly on raising taxes, and he has a sympathetic ear in the Senates new majority leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who has also ruled out increasing taxes.

Most environmental leaders have thrown themselves behind the CCPA, but some are less committed to the legislation since, until now, it never had a hope of passage. I dont know that Im attached to any one piece of legislation yet, says Julie Tighe, the president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. The Senate has never been open to talking about [the CCPA] and I think we are probably going to see some tweaks to that. She added that I want to make sure that any legislation thats advanced is real and achievable and meaningful."

So far, the Senate has been willing to move aggressively on reforms to voting and civil rights laws without the same kind of deference to Cuomo lawmakers have shown in the past. Democrats set the timetable for the votes and proceeded on their own schedule.

But Cuomo has clearly articulated support for early voting and adding protections for the LGBTQ community into the State Constitution, unlike the CCPA. (Cuomos office did not return a request for comment.)

Cuomo failed to mention concrete legislation or transformative plans to get us from 5 percent renewables to a 100 percent renewable-powered fossil free New York, said Cata Romo, fossil free New York campaigner with 350.org, in a statement after Cuomos address. The door is wide open for Governor Cuomo to heed our calls and make New York a real climate leader.

Despite the celebratory nature of the State Senates progressive charge into the new session, the lawmakers have been dealing with low-hanging fruit. Early voting is easier than challenging the entire fossil fuel industry. Its worth noting Cuomo has applied little pressure on Tom DiNapoli, the state comptroller, to divest the states pension fund from fossil fuel companies.

How willing Democrats will be to send the CCPA to Cuomos desk will be one marker of how emboldened they really feel in this new era of lawmaking. Englebright and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie have signaled their willingness to push the legislation this session, while Kaminsky has said he wants to hold hearings on it.

The governor is the wild card at this point, Bautista said. We expect he will be looking at it more seriously.BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saxena White announced on December 17, 2018, that Brandon Grzandziel will be promoted from Attorney to a Director of the firm, effective immediately. Being a tenured attorney at Saxena White, Mr. Grzandziel will use his knowledge to lead the firm into a strategic and prosperous future.



Saxena White maintains an unwavering commitment to combating corporate fraud, said Mr. Grzandziel. Corporate executives will always come up with new and creative ways to enrich themselves at the expense of others, and Im proud to be part of a firm that continues to fight on behalf of victimized shareholders.

Mr. Grzandziel has been a member of teams securing upwards of $400 million in recoveries for shareholders, including cases such as In re Rayonier Securities Litigation, In re Bank of America and most notably, one of the largest settlements in 2018, In re Wilmington Trust Corporation Securities Litigation. Mr. Grzandziel also has extensive appellate experience and has successfully secured important new precedent for the protection of investors in cases such as FindWhat Investor Group v. FindWhat.com.

Mr. Grzandziel earned his Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University, where he graduated with Honors in 2005. In 2008, he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law while being Executive Editor of the University of Miami Business Law Review. During this time, his article, A New Argument for Fair Use Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, was published in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue. During his recent legal career, Mr. Grzandziel has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2017 and 2018. He is a member of the Florida Bar, the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

About Saxena White

Saxena White P.A., with offices located in White Plains, New York and Boca Raton, Florida, concentrates its practice on prosecuting securities fraud and complex class actions on behalf of institutions and individuals. Currently serving as lead counsel in numerous securities fraud class actions nationwide, the firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injured investors and is active in major litigation pending in federal and state courts throughout the United States.SPRINGDALE, Ark., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) will hold both its first quarter 2019 earnings call and its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Thursday, February 7. The earnings call will be at 9 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Central). The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central) at Tyson Emma, 319 E. Emma Ave., Springdale, Ark., 72762. A ticket, proof of shareholder status or team member badge is required for entry.



Q119 Earnings Call Information

Date: Thursday, Feb. 7

Time: 9 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Central)

We encourage participants to pre-register for the conference call using the following link: http://dpregister.com/10126742 .



Callers who pre-register will be given a conference passcode and unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the operator. Participants may pre-register at any time, up to and including after the call has started.

Those without internet access or who are unable to pre-register may dial in by calling:

U.S. Toll Free: 1-844-890-1795 International Toll: 1-412-717-9589

To listen to the live webcast, an archived replay or to view the accompanying slides, go to the companys investor website at http://ir.tyson.com . The webcast also can be access by using the direct link https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1891637/C3A75D7EF56B187875DC125D95F0F2ED .



US Toll Free: 1-877-344-7529 International Toll: 1-412-317-0088 Canada Toll Free: 855-669-9658 Replay Access Code: 10126742

A telephone replay will be available until March 7 at:

The earnings call will be webcast (live and replay) at http://ir.tyson.com and on the Tyson IR App.

2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders Information

Date: Thursday, Feb. 7

Time: 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central)

U.S. Toll Free: 1-855-656-0922 International Toll: 1-412-317-5219

To listen to the live webcast or an archived replay, go to the companys investor website at http://ir.tyson.com . The webcast also can be access by using the direct link https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1888453/69772A3684E4FC8B03EF7F1A06FEA7F0 .



A telephone replay will be available until March 7 at:

US Toll Free: 1-877-344-7529 International Toll: 1-412-317-0088 Canada Toll Free: 1-855-669-9658 Replay Access Code: 10126681

To download Tyson Foods free investor relations app, which offers access to SEC filings, news releases, transcripts, webcasts and presentations, please visit the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android mobile devices.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the worlds largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, Aidells, ibp and State Fair. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere its available and raise the worlds expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company had 121,000 team members at September 29, 2018. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com .

Media Contact: Gary Mickelson, 479-290-6111

Investor Contact: Jon Kathol, 479-290-4235

Category: IR

Source: Tyson FoodsToronto, Ontario, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ontario's faculty believe that, without increased public funding for Ontarios universities and colleges, the Progressive Conservative Governments announced tuition fee reduction is nothing more than an ill-conceived political gimmick designed to distract Ontarians from damaging cuts to the provinces already under-funded postsecondary education system. OCUFA has long advocated for tuition fee reductions but not in the absence of increased core funding and sound student financial aid policy.

OCUFA is concerned that the fee reduction, OSAP cuts, and changes to ancillary fees were announced without consulting any stakeholders at the provinces universities or colleges. This demonstrates a government pursuing a political agenda, not one interested in good public policy or helping students.

The announced OSAP cuts and changes to eligibility criteria mean it will be harder for many students to access postsecondary education. While faculty are reassured that the Ministers remarks signaled the governments commitment to not cutting core operating grants for postsecondary institutions, the announced changes mean that universities and colleges will struggle with less funding and students will be burdened with less financial assistance, more expensive loans, and higher debt.

These reckless changes will shrink university budgets, increase class sizes, encourage further tuition fee hikes for international students, and threaten both the accessibility and quality of postsecondary education in Ontario, said Gyllian Phillips, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. We should be accelerating investment in postsecondary education in Ontario. Instead, this government has slammed on the brakes and put the car in reverse.

The governments unnecessary and anti-democratic decision to make many ancillary fees voluntary undermines students rights on campus and increases administrative costs and red tape for universities. Many of the fees the government has identified as non-essential were introduced by students through democratic votes. Students unions in particular are democratically elected, not-for-profit organizations founded by and for students. This is an attack on the ability of students unions to represent and support their members.

Students unions provide numerous crucial services and support for students on campus, and, through their advocacy work, they play an important role holding universities and governments accountable for decisions about issues including tuition fees and student financial assistance. said Phillips. It is no coincidence that this government is cutting support for students unions at the same time they are cutting OSAP. Ironically, this appears to be another attempt to stifle political debate, dissent, and speech on campus.

Ontarios universities are vital institutions that produce amazing graduates and research. But maintaining this level of excellence will require that the government actually sit down and talk to students, faculty, staff, and administrators, instead of continuing to make uninformed decisions in secret, behind closed doors.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 29 faculty associations across Ontario. For more information, please visit www.ocufa.on.ca.NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP announces that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of those who purchased or acquired the securities of Wayfair, Inc. (Wayfair or the Company) (NYSE: W) between August 2, 2018 and October 31, 2018, both dates inclusive (the Class Period).



Investors who have incurred losses in the shares of Wayfair Inc. are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action on our website, www.whafh.com.

If you have incurred losses in the shares of Wayfair, Inc., you may, no later than March 11, 2019, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in Wayfair, Inc.

## Follow the firm and learn about newly filed cases on Twitter and Facebook. ##

According to the filed complaint, throughout the Class Period Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that Wayfair had been experiencing significantly diminished demand for its online product offerings and had significantly increased advertising spending to grow sales.

As a result of Defendants false statements and/or omissions, the price of Wayfair stock was artificially inflated to more than $149.00 per share during the Class Period. Meanwhile, with the price of Wayfair common stock artificially inflated, certain of its senior executives and directors cashed in, selling more than $87.75 million worth of their personally held shares.

Then, on November 1, 2018, Wayfair announced its third quarter 2018 financial results. The Company reported a massive $151.7 million GAAP net loss for the quarter, or $(1.69) per share, compared with a GAAP loss of $76.4 million, or $(0.88) per share, for the third quarter of 2017. In reality, advertising expenses had skyrocketed in the third quarter of 2018 to more than $202.5 million, an increase of 43%.

On this news, Wayfair stock fell $14.13 per share, or over 12%, from its previous closing price to close at $96.16 per share on November 1, 2018.

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com , or visit our website at www.whafh.com.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Kevin Cooper, Esq.

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Email: gstone@whafh.com , kcooper@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.Dramatic levels of migration to Germany have triggered a variety of muddled reactions from policymakerson a scale from the tepid to the ludicrous . Last year, one tone-deaf German policymaker caused a media stir after he proposed that African states cede territory to EU administration to create economic zones and jobs for locals. He was unseeingly aware that his proposal had a smack of neocolonialism. In stark contrast, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken a primarily humanitarian approach, accepting almost two million migrants since 2014 and championing improved conditions for refugees both globally and locally .

Though laudable for its civility and compassion, her approach has run its course, at least in terms of public tolerance . Chancellor Merkels latest plan to help tackle the roots of migration is a 1 billion investment fund in sub-Saharan Africa. While the investment plan is a step in the right direction, it runs the risk of irrelevance if the limited funds are not invested strategically. In order to jump-start meaningful economic development in Africa to reduce migration, German companies should invest in sectors with catalytic impact -- renewable energy, engineering, and vocational training  and which also plays to their natural strengths.

With expertise in engineering, construction, and renewable energy, German companies bring immense technical experience to the table. Germany, as one of the worlds leading investors in green energy , could help Africa address its persistent energy deficit, which continues to keep people poor . For example, if German companies invest in solar mini-grids across Africa, which cost a fraction of the price of a hydropower station, recipient states can expand access to clean, sustainable, and affordable energy in the near term, along with the economic potential that such energy access unlocks. Consider Nigerian company Rensource : its infrastructure-as-a-service business built an approximately 1MW solar mini-grid in Kano, Nigeria, to provide electricity to 12,000 micro enterprises. Not only does a less expensive power source help the bottom line of merchants, but it also replaces 40,000 polluting diesel generators. Companies like Rensource are the ideal partners to utilize Germanys technical expertise and manufacture of high quality electrical components and batteries for solar projects.

German technical know-how isnt restricted to renewable energy. With its world-renowned engineering knowledge, German companies can also have an outsized impact on Africas infrastructure sector. One of the greatest impediments to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa is the infrastructure gap : sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where road density has actually declined in the past 20 years, and about 40% of the population lacks access to clean drinking water. These conditions hamper overall productivity, manufacturing capacity, and export potential. Infrastructure projects often fail to get off the ground because they arent backed by strong feasibility studies that satisfy investors with comprehensive analysis of engineering requirements and risks. Luckily, Germany has some of the most advanced and experienced engineering consulting firms in the world, many of which are specialized in servicing infrastructure projects in emerging markets. German industrial manufacturing and engineering conglomerate Siemens, for example, has already lent its expertise to the development of road and rail projects across East Africa, in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Ideally, the government guarantees in Merkels program will make it worthwhile for companies like Siemens to replicate this work in more remote and previously underserved areas. The catalytic effect of such an effort would be vast as expert studies provided by an engineering giant like Siemens can unlock capital through improving the bankability of Africas infrastructure projects.

The lack of expertise in infrastructure development opens up a longer-term need for German involvement, as wellfor technology transfer and vocational training. The lack of skilled labor and engineering talent in sub-Saharan Africa has exacerbated the infrastructure gap by calling into question the viability and sustainability of large-scale projects like bridges, dams, and highways. There is a concern that these projects cannot survive without continuous, expensive, and hard-to-come-by help from the outside, leaving many of them unfunded. The shortage of a skilled labor pool largely results from the continents underdeveloped technical and vocational education training (TVET ), which is hobbled by inadequate funding, low-quality training, and a misalignment between curriculum and industry needs. This stymies the development of technical expertise on the continent, which then puts funding for crucial projects further out of reach. Germany, with its strong tradition of vocational training , could set up skilled labor training programs to help produce future waves of technical talent.

While German companies have historically been slow to invest in Africa, this push by the German government could change that. Germanys new African investment program, narrow though it may be, holds singular potential due to the competitiveness of German companies in precisely the areas where Africa could use strategic partners. Germanys expertise in green energy, infrastructure, and vocational training could truly catalyze sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa, if deployed effectively. The German government should treat this as a model for future engagement and partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa upon which it can continue to buildnot only to stem the flow of migrants, but also to demonstrate that positive, practical, economic solutions are superior to reactive, inflammatory political ones.PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Newscity Oil Regulators Suspend Well-Density Order An order that eased restrictions on natural gas well locations was suspended last week following public outcry and amid objections from a Texas-based company. Last November, the state Oil Conservation Commission approved an order that allowed Hilcorp Energy to double the density of oil and gas wells in the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico. According to the Santa Fe Reporter, the order was made without notice to local tribes or federal land managers. A request for a rehearing made by the State Land Office and the San Juan Citizens Alliance was initially denied. But new members in the Commission suspended the order last week until a rehearing can be scheduled. Oil Conservation Commission Chairman Gabriel Wade told reporters that time is needed to allow state regulators review the order and give the public time to comment. The Houston Chronicle reports Hilcorp attorney Michael Feldewert accused Wade of being underqualified for his position and alleged the suspension is politically- motivated.

State Unemployment Rises in Wake of Shutdown As the partial government shutdown initiated by President Donald Trump broke a record for longest in the nation's history, hundreds of New Mexicans employed by the federal government applied for unemployment. Last week officials with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions announced it would be waiving the work search requirement for any federal employees seeking unemployment for 180 days. Within days, officials told reporters that more than 900 federal employees affected by the shutdown and living in the state had filed for unemployment, according to KOB4. Any employee who receives unemployment benefits and also receives retroactive pay will be expected to return the benefits. Federal agencies in New Mexico that were affected by the shutdown include Homeland Security, US Department of the Interior, US Department of Health and Human Services, and the US Department of Agriculture. PNM announced it would not be disconnecting power from any federal employees who could provide a copy of their furlough letter.Dateline: Nevada

Organizers at a technology conference have been accused of sexism after revoking an industry award from the makers of a robotic sex toy and barring them from showcasing the product. According to The Guardian, adult novelty company Lora DiCarlo was contacted by representatives of the International Consumer Electronics Show, held annually in Las Vegas, and told that their first product, the Ose personal massager, had been chosen as the CES 2019 Innovation Awards honoree in the robotics and drone product category. The massager is a hands-free, female-oriented electronic sex toy that uses new micro-robotic technology to mimic human touch. According to the company, the device was developed with the robotics lab at Oregon State University and can replicate sensations associated with the human mouth, tongue and fingers. Around a month after receiving the news, however, the company was contacted by CES administrators, who said the award was being revoked and the company would not be allowed to showcase their product at the event. When company founder Lora Haddock investigated the reason behind the action, she was told that entries deemed by CTA in their sole discretion to be immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with CTAs image will be disqualified. In response, Haddock wrote a statement condemning the administrators' actions as biased by gender. She pointed out that a VR pornography company has been allowed to showcase their products at the event in past years, and a robotic sex doll made to resemble a woman was showcased last year. She argued that the Ose fit perfectly in the robotics and drone category since the device is the subject of eight pending patents and counting for robotics, biomimicry, and engineering feats.

Dateline: Russia

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church recently warned followers that using smartphones could empower the Antichrist and end the world. According to BBC News, Patriarch Kirill told viewers of Russian state television Rossiya 1 that the internet could potentially give someone an opportunity to gain global control over mankind He said that the person who will ultimately be at the head of the worldwide web would be the Antichrista figure Christians believe will appear before the world ends. He told viewers that every time you use your gadget, whether you like it or not, whether you turn on your location or not, somebody can find out exactly where you are, exactly what your interests are and exactly what you are scared of. Patriarch Kirill clarified that the church is not against technological progress and science, but the development of a system that is aimed at controlling a person's identity. Some critics have accused the religious leader of making the statement to support actions made by the Russian government to restrict citizens' internet access.

Dateline: Washington

Officials in the state of Washington have implemented a plan to discourage the theft of mileposts 69 and 420 along state highways. The Seattle Times reports the Washington Department of Transportation replaced or removed a number of mile marker signs recently in an attempt to curb theft of the expensive items. Some of the signs in questionthose designating miles 69 and 420were changed to designate miles 68.9 and 419.9, respectively. Others were removed completely. Transportation authorities say 608 signs have been replaced since 2012, due to theft, and around 200 are currently missing. They point out that mileposts are crucial to emergency responders who use them to precisely locate those harmed in automobile accidents, and removing them can pose a risk to motorists. The act can also affect taxpayers, since the signs can cost up to $1,000 to replace. According to the Washington State Patrol, stealing a mile marker sign could lead to a misdemeanor theft charge, punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine. It is believed that the signs have been stolen because the number 69 refers to a sexual act, and the number 420 has significance in marijuana culture.

Dateline: California

A surveillance camera installed at a home in Salinas, Calif., caught footage of a man licking a family's doorbell and trespassing on their lawn for hours. According to CBS13 in Sacramento, the homeowners were out of town at the time of the incident, but their children were home sleeping. The prowler reportedly did not disturb anyone in the house during the time he was there, but a security system in the home alerted its owners, who were able to review footage captured by a surveillance camera installed at the front door on their return. The footage showed a man approach the doorbell and begin to lick it aggressively from different angles for several moments. He can also be seen urinating in the front yard. According to the homeowners, the only item the man took was an extension cord which was later found in a neighbor's yard. Thanks to the footage, Salinas police were able to quickly identify the man as Roberto Daniel Arroyo. Authorities say he could face two misdemeanor chargesfor petty theft and prowling. The homeowners have allegedly disinfected their doorbell.Eric Williams Photography

Foodies know that few things are more frustrating than biting the bullet on a fine dining experience (I'm looking at you New Years/Birthday/Valentine's Day Dinners) only to regret the meal as overpriced and ultimately disappointing. Is there any way to insulate ourselves from that kind of mishap? I'm happy to say there is a solid tactic to rely onlet's call itto spare ourselves both disappointment and sticker-shock. In broad strokes, it's trying a new spot for anything but dinner before committing to it for a show-stopper special occasion. The dossier we're compiling today is on the Indigo Crow, in Corrales. It's a cozy and embracing space (I mean, what's not to love about dining in an old converted adobe home?) rife with fireplaces, fine art and fancy flatwareall the earmarks of a luscious and luxurious occasion. But will the juice be worth the financial squeeze?

I popped over to Indigo Crow first for some happy hour bites, and then a lunch to measure the delivered dishes versus the high expectations, and am glad to report that everything about my off-hour reconnaissance made a big meal (and the bill that came with it) an absolute no-brainer.

Arriving right at 3pm, we had our pick of tables andbeing so damn cold out recentlytook a two-top right next to a fireplace. Ambiance absolutely sorted! The happy hour had some wallet-friendly drink specials of all stripes, but their glass of Duckhorn Merlot ($14 and one of the best new-to-me wines I've had in a decade) was a smooth and minerally slam dunk. The vittles on offer all sounded so good that we refused to choose and just took one of each.

The duck wings ($8 for six wings) were slathered with a terrific honey sriracha glaze that balanced sweet and hot in each rich and smoky bite. It was an upgraded twist on a happy-hour favorite in portions perfect for sharing, even if you won't want to!

So too with the fish and chips ($8)two thick fillets atop a pile of what I'll call crinkle-spiral-petal fries. Whatever you call them, just don't call yourself late to happy hour becauseas generous as the portions arethe light, flaky white fish beer-battered to perfection won't last. There are even a couple hush puppies thrown in for good measure, along with a fresh-made tartar saucethough I'm a proud malt vinegar heathen.

The brisket sliders ($9), like everything else, would make a great starter if sharedbut will probably satisfy most appetites as an entree. Two flour-dusted dinner-roll sized sliders layered with juicy, shaved brisket and almost dripping with a house-made barbecue sauce alongside a few spiral-petal fries truly want for nothing morebut I'm asking for some sliced onions and maybe a quick pickle or even pepper next time.

Eric Williams Photography

Lighter appetites will love the wedge salad ($7)a quarter wedge of iceberg with gorgonzola dressing, sprinkled with bacon bits, tomatoes, gorgonzola crumbles and topped with bright pink pickled onions. The balance of cream and crunch punctuated by the sturdy blue cheese and the salt and fat of the bacon makes this simple salad a crowd-pleaser.

Finishing off the happy hour bites are the teriyaki beef skewers ($7). Two skewers with approximately 10 chunks of steak, over fresh arugula and resting in teriyaki sauce. The dish was smaller, but the steak was grilled to juicy perfection and finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a few ribbons of sushi-style pickled ginger. Based on happy hour, Indigo Crow didn't put a foot wrong  but how about lunch?

For that, I started with the Catalina (half $9, full $13): diced romaine in Louie dressing mixed with chunks of avocado, bacon, tomatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs and both gorgonzola and parmesan, all spring-formed into a cube. It's an innovative architectural presentation that alone would makes the dish a standout, but combined with the sturdy, creamy salad makes it truly a memorable plate. The guacamole slathered green chile cheddar baguette of the smoked turkey sandwich ($13) is a delightful warning shot across the bow of your average sandwich. Melted cheddar holds the bacon and green chile to the slices of moist turkey, and I took it with onion rings on the side. It's a dish light appetites might make two meals out of, which ramps up the overall value a notch.

The same is true of the chicken bacon avocado ($12), a favorite combination of mine. As a favorite, I've had many a version of this and can safely say it ranks up there with the best. The fresh romaine plus sliced avocado and tomato handles your serving of veggies, the grilled chicken breast covers your lean protein, and the bacon delivers your recommended daily crispy bacon allowance! It's served on focaccia making it a sandwich you've really gotta get your mouth around, but you won't regret it once you do.

Rarely does a spot deliver on absolutely all fronts, but based on my off-hour recon, I'd happily try a special occasion brunch with drinks, or a fancy dinner for your favorite folks without hesitation. It won't be the cheapest meal you've had, but I've always believed special occasions justify the expense. Give them a go if you think so too.Made in the Neighborhood

Chocolate Cartel Keeps it Local

High-quality dark chocolate sets the shop apart

Tina Deines

The thing about chocolate is that there are a million things about chocolate, laughs Troy Lowe, Chocolate Cartels chocolatier and general manager.

Thats why, after 18 years of making the stuff, he still loves what he does.

The reason why I still like chocolate is its so complex, he says. I learn new things every day.

Lowes passion for chocolate all started in his hometown, Taos. He was 17 and taking a French culinary class when he met master chocolatier Scott Van Rixel. Van Rixel operated a small chocolate shop in Taos, and brought Lowe on board as his apprentice.

Chocolate Cartel opened its doors in Albuquerque in 2009 when Scotts brother Tim Van Rixel moved to New Mexico. Today, Scott has moved on to other projects, leaving Lowe in charge of all things chocolate. Tim acts as CEO of the company.

These days, the business has grown to about 10 staff members. I meet some of them, who are busy packaging chocolates and working on the crafting of chocolate bars during a behind-the scenes tour with Lowe. This is where his face really lights up, as he tells me about the chocolate-making process and shows me a machine used to make gelato, another one of the business sweet endeavors.

Lowe says the shop specializes in high-quality dark chocolate, but he likes to mix in a variety of unique ingredients like New Mexico chile and lavender to some bars. He also says he uses several different types of salt to bring out the flavors of his creations.

Many of these unique ingredients are sourced from local businesses. Lowe says that while he cannot source the cacao itself locally (its from Venezuela, and cacao isnt known for growing well in the desert), the company works with many New Mexico True businesses like Rasband Dairy, Los Poblanos, Villa Myriam Coffee, The Chile Guy, Mr. Moses, K&D Pecans and Heart of the Desert Pistachios.

The companys focus on local products helps it create quality chocolate and also builds relationships with other community businesses, says Lowe. On the other hand, there are some limitations to working so strictly with local ingredients. There are a few types of nuts that Lowe will not use in his products, simply because he cannot find them locally.

In addition to Chocolate Cartels focus on local sourcing, the company also gives back to the community by donating to a variety of causes. On its website, the business states it donated thousands of dollars worth of products and support in 2018 to organizations like Heading Home, Casa Esperanza, HopeWorks and more.

Its our duty as a member of this great community and our privilege to promote positive change, says Tim of his business focus on community charity.

In addition to its shop at 315 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, you can find Chocolate Cartels chocolate confections on the shelves of businesses in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Las Cruces, Cedar Crest and other cities across the state. Here in Albuquerque, you can pick up some of their treats at a variety of locations including Whole Foods and La Montanita Co-op stores. Chocolate Cartel also recently opened the Cartel Cafe in Old Town, which serves coffee, gelato, sorbet and, of course, plenty of chocolate.Member that time period between The Matrix Revolutions and John Wick when all Keanu Reeves did was star in a series of decreasingly visible direct-to-video features (The Lake House, Ellie Parker, Street Kings, Henrys Crime, Man of Tai Chi, 47 Ronin)? Well, Replicas sure does. This doggedly nostalgic sci-fi thriller wants to take us back to the time when we all thought of Reeves as a questionably talented former A-lister who had yet to reinvent himself in a savvy series of cult filmsmuch like Nicolas Cage in his post-Ghost Rider: Spirits of Vengeance, pre-Mom and Dad/Mandy days (when junkers like Stolen, The Frozen Ground, Rage, Outcast, Dying of the Light, Pay the Ghost, Army of One and Arsenal slipped under everyones radar). Replicas also fondly recalls a period, not so long ago, when January was the theatrical dumping ground for all the cheap teenage horror flicks and janky sci-fi films Hollywood couldnt find room for any other time of year. Oh! Its also a throwback to that section of the mid-90s when everyone was in love with the new CGI technology, but no one quite had the know-how or computing power to pull off particularly realistic special effects. Basically, all of Replicas feels like a film that somebody made and released 20 years agoand is now releasing again because nobody remembers it.  Yeah, Im not sure anyone involved in Replicas understands the point of nostalgia.

To give Reeves some credit, hes undoubtedly the best part of this cheap little exercise in mad scientist cinema. He plays William Foster, a neuroscientist working for a giant biotech company. Hes developing some sort of top-secret project which maps out human neural patterns in the hopes of implanting them into synthetic brains and sticking them inside robot bodies (or some other nonsense involving neurofibrillary tangles). Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how youre looking at it), Fosters struggling project gets a sudden and unexpected trial run when his entire family (wife, played by British actress Alice Eve, and three interchangeable kids) are killed in an automobile accident.

Heartbroken and determined as only a mad scientist can be, Foster decides to go full Dr. Frankenstein, enlisting the help of a colleague (Thomas Middleditch from Silicon Valley), who just happens to be working on another top-secret project in cloning. I think you can connect the dots from here. What follows is a preposterous string of bad decisions and a ton of meaningless technobabble. Of course Foster brings his family back (minus one for questionable dramatic reasons), but he opts not to tell them what happened (conveniently deleting their memories of the crash with a couple of keystrokes). Most of the conflict comes, however, when the scientists boss finds out what theyve managed to accomplish and is determined to steal the technology for his own nefarious ends.

Written by Chad St. John (who gave us such action failures as London Has Fallen and Peppermint) and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (who delivered an episode of Chicago Fire and two episodes of Homeland), Replicas is laden with gaping plot holes, questionable logic and unintentionally hilarious dialogue. (You cant just keep bringing people back from the dead until you have this stuff worked out, warns Fosters still-living wife early onadvice that the filmmakers surely should have heeded themselves.)

Reeves actually does what he can with the material, delivering more emotions than we would have once thought him capable. There are moments when you actually believe this guy will do anything to bring his family back. (At the very least, Reeves deserves kudos for delivering his dialogue with a straight face.) Everybody else fails miserably to act their way out of the paper bag that is this films script. (Eve seems near catatonic even before her robot-clone makeover, and Middleditch mostly looks like hes searching for an exit to escape out of.)

Shot in Puerto Rico (back in 2016), but set mostly inside the main characters generic suburban garage, Replicas feels more like a Syfy Channel mockbuster parody of a sci-fi film than an actual sci-fi film. The effects grow increasingly junky, and the whole thing devolves into a poorly staged string of chases scenes involving lots of interchangeable guys in black suits with guns by about the halfway mark. Amazing. Its only January, and we already have a candidate for one of the worst films of 2019.Bravatek adds Patented Tools, through its Global Security Platform, that provide environmentally-friendly security products to Civilian and Military Agencies



AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Bravatek Solutions, Inc. (OTCPink: BVTKD, Bravatek or the Company) announces that it has executed a teaming agreement with Optimized Fuel Technologies (OPTEC) of Carlsbad, California, whereby Bravatek intends to close sales using its channels and contract vehicle for OPTECs patented and proven lines of electric vehicles (see link https://vimeo.com/304722664), environmentally-friendly LED line, and the OPTEC Fuel Maximizer Line. For more information on the OPTEC Fuel Maximizer, visit www.optecmpg.com .

Dr. Thomas A. Cellucci, Bravateks Chairman & CEO, commented: Bravatek has focused on markets with significant potential promisesuch as 5G for telecom, cybersecurity for the enterprise and individual, critical infrastructure protectionand now ruggedized, environmentally-friending products ideally suited for government and military applications. The folks at OPTEC are dedicated professionals who have spent years ensuring, through rigorous testing and evaluation, the robustness of these products for applications in government and military.

Jennifer Ferreira, OPTEC Chief Compliance Officer, commented: Bravatek is efficient and effective in reaching the kinds of customers who need our products and capabilities. We have spent several months outlining a plan to work with them and are confident we will succeed in our efforts.

Ms. Ferreira continued: We believe our electric vehicle line, green-LEDs, and Fuel Maximizer lines are the most technically-advancedyet simple to useproducts for a variety of applications, as our current customers have discovered.

About Bravatek Solutions, Inc.

Bravatek Solutions, Inc. is a high technology security solutions portfolio provider that assists corporate entities, governments and individuals protect their organizations against both physical and cyber-attacks through its offering of the most technically-advanced, cost-effective and reliable software, tools and systems.

For more information, visit www.bravatek.com

About OPTEC (Optimized Fuel Technologies)

The company specializes in the development and manufacturing of sustainable technology solutions. Currently, OPTECs intellectual properties and product line-up include the OPTEC Fuel Maximizer, third-generation LED and solar powered LED lighting, and a new generation of electric vehicles.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for our products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; our ability to successfully develop new products and services; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in our prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Media contact:

Bravatek Solutions, Inc.

info@bravatek.com

1.866.490.8590Showtimes fast-talking, hardworking financial comedy Black Monday takes viewers back to Oct. 19, 1987, when the worst stock market crash in Wall Street history wiped out economies across the globe. To this day, no one knows exactly what caused it. Created and written by David Caspe (writer-creator of such vaguely memorable series as ABCs Happy Endings and NBCs Marry Me), Black Monday imagines a fictionalized rogues gallery of Wall Street types who took on the blue-blood, old-boys club and ended up crashing the worlds financial system, a Lamborghini limousine, Don Henleys birthday party and the glass ceiling.

Don Cheadle (Boogie Nights, Captain America: Civil War) headlines the 10-episode, half-hour comedy/drama as Maurice Monroe, the flamboyant, cocaine-loving, robot-butler-having manager of the number 11 trading firm on Wall Street. Among his staff of money-hungry day traders are Regina Hall (The Best Man, Girls Trip) and Paul Scheer (Human Giant, The League). One fateful day, Mo bumps (literally) into recent business school grad Blair Pfaff (Tony Award-winner Andrew Rannells from The Book of Mormon). Blair is a grade A dork straight out of the background cast of Revenge of the Nerds. But at the urging of his ball-busting girlfriend Tiff (Caspes wife Casey Wilson from Happy Endings and Marry Me), Blair is bucking for a job in high finance. Fortunately for Blair, hes developed a magical computer algorithm that predicts stock prices. But after running afoul of crazy money man Mo, his future career seems in jeopardy.

Mo, meanwhile, is busy begging, borrowing and stealing his way to a multimillion-dollar stock deal, taking over a jeans-manufacturing concern sitting on some prime New York real estate. His various machinations put him in contact with assorted criminal types and set him against financial district bigwigs the Lehman brothers (Ken Marino from The State playing a double role). So how, exactly, does Blair fit into all this? And what does it have to do with the stock market crash? Well have to wait and see.

Superbad, Pineapple Express and This Is the End duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg direct the pilot (and executive produce the series) and infuse it with some manic energy. You can tell its set in the 80s thanks to the nonstop barrage of references: Gremlins, the Challenger disaster, Jazzercise, Downtown Julie Brown, Top Gun, Crystal Pepsi, crack cocaine, Mayor Marion Barry, Debarge and TCBY Yogurt to name a few. Some of the references are too old (Jane Fonda made Jazzercise popular in 1982), some are too premature (Crystal Pepsi didnt hit store shelves until 1992). The rapid-fire cultural references, the over-the-top energy of the actors and the raunchy humor mean that a lot of the jokes dont have time to stick the landing.

The show does have an intriguing setup, exploring (mockingly, anyway) a dark period in our nations financial history. But even the plotting tries too hard. At the end of the shows frenetic pilot, the campy time capsule of a story has morphed into a twist-filled mystery driven more by crazy coincidence than logic. Like a cocaine high, its fun in the moment, but youll probably regret it afterward.PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)Eric Williams Photography

There are people in this world who experience trauma and let it freeze them in pain and fear, forevermore. And then there are people like Christina Daly-Smith, 31, co-owner and founder of Sparrow Dance Productions in Rio Rancho, who come out of unspeakable horrors with a remarkable determination to love harder, bigger and wider, reborn in a conviction that it is only through unrelenting kindness that they can ever offset the forces of evil that spread trauma in our world.

Eight years ago, Daly-Smith was living her dream as a dancer and actress in New York City. Having grown up in Rio Rancho and trained locally with Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico as a girl, shed left home at 18 to study dance on scholarship at the prestigious Virginia School of the Arts. Later, she would study with the Kansas City Ballet school and Ballet Pacifica. After all that, she moved to New York and founded her own dance company, Sparrow Dance Productions, which put on 18 performances over two years, and got the attention of agents who invited Daly-Smith to work with the cast of the TV musical Glee.

And then, everything fell apart.

I was violently raped by someone I considered to be a friend, she explained in a recent interview with Weekly Alibi. I found out I had gotten pregnant from the rape. I decided to have the baby and moved back home to Rio Rancho to seek the support of my family. I could hardly function at all. And then, I had a miscarriage.

Then, in 2016, Daly-Smith, who had taken a job as the dance program director for Rio Rancho Middle School, a job she still holds and for which she teaches six classes a day, said she was blindsided by news of Victoria Martens, the Albuquerque 10-year-old who was drugged, raped, murdered and dismembered in her own home.

It completely paralyzed me, emotionally, said Daly-Smith. Id already been through so much, then this. I was in church, praying to God to help me find a way out of this pain, and then, clear as day, I was given this understanding: Let dance be your healing, not just for you, but for others as well.

Daly-Smith came out of church with the understanding that she had to open a dance school for healing community trauma, she said. She and her husband, James D. Smith, began searching for a space in which they could launch the school, under the same name as Daly-Smiths New York dance company.

To me, community trauma means helping the differently-abled, said Daly-Smith. And also giving foster children and other child victims of trauma, kids whove been so abused theyre afraid to speak or take up space at all, a safe space to take dance or acting, where they will be loved and accepted, where we tell them we want to know who they are, we want to hear them, all of it free of charge.

In 2017, using only their own salaries from their day jobs (James is co-owner of a company that installs interlock breathalyzers) to cover the costs, the couple took over the lease for a large dance studio space in a nondescript mini-mall in Rio Rancho, and set about realizing their dream. While the studio does have fee-based classes for children and adults, it is the free classes for the disabled and for foster children that set it apart.

On a recent Saturday morning, Daly-Smith taught one such class, combining ballet, jazz and hip-hop for more than a dozen people with special needs. Nydia Valverde watched with pride as her son David Vargas, 20, who was born with agenesis of corpus callosum, participated in the class, smiling and laughing as he leapt and twirled.

These classes have helped him physically, more than any physical therapy weve ever done, said Valverde. He has grown in his confidence. Christina and James really care for these students.

Daina Roberts, whose daughter Alison Roberts, 27, has Down syndrome and also attends the class, told a similar tale. My daughter has always liked to dance, but it gets harder as they get older and age out of the school programs. She loves coming here.

Daly-Smiths commitment to helping those with special needs is deeply personal. She has a younger sister, Ana, now 18, who was born without vocal cords and who has undergone more than 40 surgeries for that and other related issues. Once, when Daly-Smith was 14, she was called out of a dance audition with the news that Ana was being flown by air ambulance to Denver and might not survive. This, she said, was a common occurrence. It was never a regular ambulance, always Med Flight. She was very frail, and it was incredibly scary.

That day, at the audition, they asked me what I wanted to do, she said. I remember thinking, at 14, that I had to get back in there and dance, for my family, because if I didnt dance I feared I would die from grief. We cant have two deaths, I thought. And so I danced through my tears. I still cry in class sometimes, and I tell my students its okay to cry. You cry, and you keep dancing.

Daly-Smith said demand for the free classes has outstripped the couples resources; they are still using their own salaries to cover expenses at the school, including teacher pay. They are currently a couple thousand dollars behind on rent for the studio, and would like to find a volunteer to help them locate and apply for grant money.Ukrainian political prisoner Roman Sushchenko Ukrinform

Political prisoner Roman Sushchenko kept in Russia has met with his wife and daughter, as Ukrinform reported.

"My mother and I could hug our Roman Sushchenko for the first time over the past 2,5 years. In general, the date went well. My father lost weight. It was clear this period was difficult for him. He is quite fine. A local doctor regularly checks his blood pressure. We passed the words of support to my father and showed him postcards from the colleagues. He expresses gratitude and sends greetings to everyone," Yuliya Sushchenko said.

According to her, the date lasted for three days. It was held in a special room for long dates with the prisoners.

"My father said that the living conditions of his detention in the colony had improved after a series of appeals from the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow and Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova. He was transferred to a warmer cell, and he can now have hot water at least," she noted.

At the same time, Sushchenkos daughter stressed that there were issues with phone calls. He is promised to have such opportunity, yet he is not let to the phone.

Moscow City Court of Russia has sentenced Roman Sushchenko, the citizen of Ukraine to 12 years in the hard labor colony for espionage. Russias FSB believes that Sushchenko came from Paris to Moscow to visit his cousin in September 2016 to collect information on the Mariupol attack. The court session against Sushchenko took place in camera and the court announced only introductory and resume parts of the decision.

Related video:Anti-Ukrainian propagandist, who was detained by Ukraine's SBU on January 17 SBU

Ukraines Security Service detained a woman who promoted anti-Ukrainian propaganda since 2014, as the press office of SBU reported.

The perpetrator was spreading materials with anti-Ukrainian propaganda on the Internet since 2014. Besides, she called for confrontations among the Ukrainians for political preferences. She also called for violating Ukraines territorial integrity.

In August 2015, pro-Russian propagandist moved to the occupied territories, and then to Russia. At the same time, she was calling Ukrainians for changing the state border and power. Later, the woman was deported from Russia.

On December 14, the pro-Russian propagandist was declared wanted. Lviv Galytsky District court permitted her detention on the next day so that later it could decide on the restrictive measure for the culprit.

Related video:The MPs rejected two draft regulations on the abolition of the earlier adopted decision

Open source

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has unblocked the signing of the law on the extension of land sale moratorium as 112 Ukraine broadcasted.

The draft regulation #9355-p gained 81 voted for and 25 voted against.

Besides, the parliament rejected the draft regulation #9355-p1; only 65 MPs supported it and 11 MPs were against it.

At least 226 votes are needed to adopt the decision.

On January 18, 2001, the Parliament adopted law #2242-III, which established that the owners of the land shares cannot sell, present or alienate the land plots in any other ways; however, the lands can be bequeathed or sold for the state and public needs. This decision acts temporarily, until the Land Code is adopted.

The Land Code #2768-III was adopted by the Parliament on October 25, 2001. The document established that it is forbidden to sell or alienate the lands and shares for the farm needs until January 1, 2005 (the exchange, bequeathing and confiscation for the public needs were allowed). This decision is called the moratorium on the sale of land since then. The action of this ban was extended nine times (in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017).

In December 2017, the MPs extended the moratorium for the sale of the land until January 1, 2019.229 peoples deputies voted for in the second voting (first, there were 223 affirmative votes)

Open source

Ukraines Parliament adopted bill No.4128 on a possible change of subordination of a religious organization on a general meeting by two-thirds of votes of the present. 229 peoples deputies voted for in the second voting (first, there were 223 affirmative votes). 112 Ukraine broadcasted Verkhovna Radas session.

According to the law, the state admits that a religious organization has a right to report to any existing religious centers in Ukraine and abroad. Besides, a religious organization has a right to change its subordination through registration of a new edition of the statute or amendments of this statute.

General assembly of the religious organization decides whether it changes subordination. The members of the organization can summon a meeting.

No less than two-thirds of the members of the religious organization make a decision of change of subordination and amendments to the statute. This is required so that the assembly is considered plenipotentiary, the law says.

The signatures of those who supported it ascertain the decision.

The law comes into force after its official publication.

As it was reported, granting the autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine became a historic achievement. This is the key message in the statement by Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of the State. The text can be found on the Department of the State's website.The law will take effect the next day after the official publication

Ukraines President Poroshenko signed a law on countering bullying at schools and setting fines for violations. All information is gathered in the card of the law No. 8584.

According to the law, the bullying is 'an act of moral or physical violence, aggression in any shape or any other actions aiming to cause fear, anxiety, subdue a person to one's interests, which contain the signs of the deliberately violent treatment'.

The fine for this particular violation makes from 30 to 60 U.S. dollars or public works from 20 to 40 hours in total. If the bullying act was committed by a number of people or the act was committed again during one year, the fine will make from 60 to 120 dollars, or public works from 40 to 60 hours in total. If the crime is committed by minors from 14 to 16 years old, their parents or patrons are the ones to be fined for bullying.

Besides, any school principal who fails to report such cases to the police will be fined as well.

The law stipulates typical signs of bullying: the systematic nature of the crime; the presence of sides involved in the act - the bully, the bullied person, and the witnesses (if any); actions or lack of action, which resulted in emotional and/or physical damage, humiliation, fear, anxiety and/or social isolation of the affected person.

The rights and responsibilities of participants in the education process were increased in order to deter the acts of bullying. The founder of the education facility is obliged to offer the psychological assistance for all sides to the conflict, including the witnesses. The person in charge of the education facility must create a safe education environment, freed from violence and bullying; he/she develops the plan of actions to counteract bullying, considers the appeals on such cases and makes decisions on holding investigations, informing the National Police.

Both students and teachers have the right to be protected from bullying.

As it was reported, Ukraines Parliament adopted this document with 228 votes of the peoples deputies in December 2018.Brussels expects the Russian side to provide the wounded seamen with all the necessary aid, - Maja Kocijancic, the press secretary of the European External Action Service

The European Union calls on Russia to set the detained Ukrainian sailors free. This is the key message in the statement by Maja Kocijancic, the press secretary of the European External Action Service.

'We expect Russia to immediately and unconditionally release the 24 captured Ukrainian sailors, to respect their right to legal representation and unhindered access by consular authorities, and to ensure that the injured crewmen receive appropriate medical treatment', says the statement.

Kocijancic reminded that Leforovo city court of Moscow has extended the arrest period for all 24 detainees who suffered the Russian Navy attack in Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018. Besides, the statement also said that the European Union Delegation in Moscow along with 15 EU diplomatic missions 'were denied the right to observe the proceedings at the Lefortovo Moscow City Court'.

The EU also expressed expectations that Russia would provide free and non-restricted access across the Kerch Strait to and from Sea of Azov, in accordance with the international law.

On November 25, the coast guard ships of the Russian Navy attacked the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, which have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov.

21 Ukrainian sailors have been delivered to Lefortovo remand center in Moscow, three others are in the hospital of Matrosskaya Tishina prison, also in the Russian capital. On December 3, the Russian prosecutors officially accused Ukrainian sailors with the 'illegal crossing of the state border' during the attack in the Kerch Strait.

On December 26, Crimean Supreme Court left all Ukrainian sailors under arrest.

On January 15, the Ukrainian sailors refused to testify in Lefortovo court, where they face an extension of the sentence term.

On January 16, Lefortovo court has extended the arrest period for all Ukrainian sailors who suffered the attack of the Russian Navy in the Kerch Strait in November.English French

TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) today announced mutual fund net sales and net assets for December 2018.



The combined assets of Canadas mutual fund industry totalled $1.42 trillion. Assets decreased by $51.8 billion or 3.5% compared to November 2018.

The mutual fund industry recorded net sales of -$7.9 billion in December and net sales of $109 million for 2018.

Sales Highlights:

Long-term fund net sales were -$8.9 billion in December. For 2018, net sales were -$2.5 billion, which were 105.7% lower than 2017.

Balanced fund net sales were -$3.5 billion in December. For 2018, net sales were $418 million, which were 98.3% lower than 2017.

Equity fund net sales were -$2.8 billion in December. For 2018, net sales were -$224 million, which were 103.2% lower than 2017.

Bond fund net sales were -$2.9 billion in December. For 2018, net sales were -$6.8 billion, which were 167.4% lower than 2017.

Money market fund net sales were $1.1 billion in December. For 2018, net sales were $2.7 billion, which were 1513% higher than 2017.

Net Sales ($ Millions)

Asset Class December 2018 November 2018 December 2017 2018 2017 Long-term Funds Balanced* -3,512 -1,474 1,171 418 24,724 Equity -2,782 -530 86 -224 6,955 Bond -2,915 -1,242 -364 -6,810 10,103 Specialty 281 457 191 4,067 2,582 Total Long-term Funds -8,928 -2,789 1,085 -2,550 44,364 Total Money Market Funds 1,060 375 340 2,658 -188 Total Industry -7,869 -2,414 1,425 109 44,176

Net Assets ($ Billions)

Asset Class December 2018 November 2018 December 2017 Long-term Funds Balanced* 737.1 759.1 766.1 Equity 460.0 488.6 484.3 Bond 180.2 182.5 187.7 Specialty 18.3 18.4 14.7 Total Long-term Funds 1,395.6 1,448.6 1,452.8 Total Money Market Funds 27.5 26.3 24.2 Total Industry 1,423.1 1,474.9 1,477.1

* Balanced funds include funds that invest in a mix of stocks and bonds as well as funds that invest in a mix of separate stand-alone funds.

IFIC makes every effort to verify the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information; however, IFIC does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current.

About IFIC

The Investment Funds Institute of Canada is the voice of Canadas investment funds industry. IFIC brings together 150 organizations, including fund managers, distributors and industry service organizations, to foster a strong, stable investment sector where investors can realize their financial goals. By connecting Canadas savers to Canadas economy, our industry contributes significantly to Canadian economic growth and job creation. To learn more about IFIC, please visit IFIC.ca .

For more information please contact:



Lisa Hall

Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs

lhall@ific.ca

416-309-2317At the moment, there are no alternatives to cosmetics testing in Ukraine

The Healthcare Ministry of Ukraine offers to submit the draft law on the ban of animal testing of cosmetics, as ministry reported on Facebook.

According to a new technical regulation on cosmetic products, the list of the banned ingredients will be increased thrice. Thus, the producers will be able to use only safe coloring, preservatives, and ultraviolet filters.

One of the important aspects of the new regulation is to ban animal testing of cosmetics and provide the foreign and national companies with a possibility to use latest technological developments, particularly, the alternative ways of the testing of cosmetic products, the message said.

The regulation of the cosmetic products is elaborated on the basis of the EU norms. The Healthcare Ministry plans to provide the transit period for the implementation of new demands for testing of the cosmetic products to allow the Ukrainian business to develop without obstacles and keep fair competition at the market.

This decision is grounded by the fact that today, Ukraine does not have any methods of the alternative testing of the cosmetics safety. The European Union also had the transit period for the implementation of new demands for the safety of testing of the cosmetic products, the ministry explained.

As we reported, Serbia implemented the law that bans production of fur by killing animals. The law was actually approved in 2009, but the implementation was delayed until now for the businessmen to get their businesses ready for the changes.

Ukrainians are paying more and more attention to the issue of animal abuse, in particular, they are concerned about the situation in the field of breeding of hunting dogs and in hunting in general, culling of stray dogs. The parliament of Ukraine will consider the bills on the protection of animals rights.Donald Trump has been president of the United States for two years, but it remains uncertain whether he has a Ukraine policy

Open source

Donald Trump has been president of the United States for two years, but it remains uncertain whether he has a Ukraine policy. His administration does, but Trump is famously superficial in his knowledge.

Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, hardly said anything negative about Russia, and insisted on the need to cut sanctions to improve relations with Russia. Trump has had numerous phone calls with Putin that have not been reported and two scandalous private meetings with Putin from which nothing has become known.

In practice, US policy on Russia has been tough.

Trump did approve of the delivery of lethal arms to Ukraine before Christmas 2017, but mainly because President Barack Obama had opposed it. Trump got angry when this news attracted attention, seemingly afraid that it would harm his friendship with Putin. It remains to be seen whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller will be able establish why Trump is so favorably inclined to Putin.

During the last two years, the United States has imposed ever more sanctions on Russia for Crimea, the Donbas, Syria, Iran, election interference, cyber warfare, chemical warfare, and North Korea. But this drumbeat of small events seems to be below Trumps radar.

The question remains for how long the US administration can carry on with these sanctions, which the president overtly opposes. In practice, Congress drives US policy on Russia, demanding ever more sanctions, while the administration stalls slightly and Trump protests moderately.

Russia has made it abundantly clear that it is not intent to make any progress in the Minsk negotiation process in 2019, leaving open what will happen later on. Most important is that the new elections in Ukraine are a major threat to Putins authoritarian kleptocracy in Russia. If Ukraine succeeds in holding democratic elections, Putin will feel seriously threatened, as democracy is apparently possible in an orthodox and East Slavic country.

Therefore, Ukraine should expect the worst from Russia in 2019. The economic sanctions have gone so far that their political effect has probably been exhausted. The pro-Russian candidates running in Ukraines presidential election look truly hopeless, so Moscow will have to resort to other measurescorruption, cyberwar, disinformation as always, assassinations, and sheer terrorism.

Naturally, the Kremlins interference undermines the rule of law and breeds corruption in Ukraine but this is probably bearable. What would be truly serious is if Putin feels that he can carry out further military aggression in Ukraine, as the recent play in the Sea of Azov suggests, because Trump would retain sufficient power to block new sanctions against Russia.

The best Ukraine can hope for in 2019 is no further deterioration in its terrible relationship with Russia.

Read the original text at Atlantic Council.Open source

Today our officials literally cant work without the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund analysts. From the very beginning of 2019, the representatives of the IMF and the State Property Fund of Ukraine during the business meeting discussed options for solving key problems that last year blocked the process of large-scale privatization under the new law adopted on January 18, 2018. In addition, the plan of the last year revenues to the state budget from the sale of privatized enterprises (21.3 billion hryvnia) was fulfilled by only 2%. But large privatization could give the country's economy a powerful impetus with new investment money and new investment ideas.



Well, it is clear that something must be done in this case. And the sooner the better. After all, according to the results of only 6 months of 2018, mentioned in the report of the Ministry of Economic Development, the 100 largest state-owned enterprises and companies received net income in the amount of 21.5 billion hryvnia, which is 41.9% (15.5 billion hryvnia) less than the same period of 2017. These impartial and very alarming figures indicate that it is impossible to continue living without risk management, and the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Property Fund should not so much focus on market conditions as look at the national human resources. And by and large, the production and managerial mistakes of the state-owned enterprises put up for privatization are not so terrible as corruption and insolent fraud of top managers of state-owned companies.



Moreover, at the beginning of 2019 there were 3,364 state-owned enterprises in Ukraine, of which only 1,594 worked. Why? At the same time, the sum of the assets of the 100 largest state-owned enterprises amounts to 93.3% (!) of the total value of all operating state-owned enterprises in Ukraine. What to do with it? This is a huge problem that undermines the credibility of the entire Ukrainian market. And we have a lot of such negative examples. This specifically undermines the credibility of the privatization process from both external and local investors. Of course, the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Vitaly Trubarov, and the IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine, Jost Lyungman, could not help talking about this during a business meeting.



Of course, the mechanisms and methods of conducting privatization auctions and tenders, as well as the protection of investors' capital, are of great importance. Therefore, as Vitaly Trubarov wrote on Facebook: We agreed with the IMF Resident Representative Lyngman to work together to solve problems that block the process of big privatization ... A clear requirement of the IMF is to start selling companies from the list of big privatization in 2019. We would like to finally stop the flow of negative news from Ukraine. The same head of the State Property Fund Trubarov, sincerely complains that due to various lawsuits, consortiums of investment advisors selected at the competition 5 months ago cannot begin preparations for the privatization of a number of state-owned enterprises.

Honestly, I dont remember such cynicism and lack of professionalism. Since 1994, with the help of investment-financial companies and funds created by me, I led the privatization of more than 1000 state-owned enterprises, including the metallurgical plant Azovstal. And it is absolutely clear that the new law on the privatization of state-owned enterprises involving investment advisors, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on January 18 last 2018 is a bright symbol of illiterate economic policy in Ukraine. True, a year ago, Prime Minister Groysman, speaking in parliament, said that the adoption of a new law on privatization and the implementation of its provisions would not only restore the effectiveness of state enterprises, but also improve the lives of Ukrainians as a whole.



Alas, failure again. Why? Because economic policy today is conducted as if it will be no tomorrow. We need to create an attractive investment environment in Ukraine (especially during the privatization period of 2019-2020), and for now we have a rather weak protection of investment capital. There is no long-term development strategy, but people continue to wait patiently. Yes, it seems Ukrainians will soon have to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the most patient people.

Read original article at 112.uaThe special units of Eastern Regional Department of the Border Guard are involved

Ukrainian border guards reinforced the on-duty units protecting the sections of Ukraine-Russia border in Sumy, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. This is mentioned in the message released by the press office of the Ukrainian authority.

Special detachments of the Eastern Regional Department of the Border Guard will be involved in protecting these border sections.

The units are provided with all the necessary material and technical means for the autonomous actions in the winter period.

As we reported earlier, over 800 Russian citizens failed to enter Ukraine after the martial law ended on December 26, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Spokesperson of the border service Oleg Slobodyan stated that 160 Russians were refused to enter Ukraine during the New Year holidays.

When aliens and stateless persons, as well as the citizens of the Russian Federation, cross the border, the border guards constantly separate risk groups and take additional measures to prevent people to enter Ukraine as they might be involved in provocative or illegal actions on the territory of our state, they say.

As we reported, the border guards did not allow 1,650 citizens of Russia to enter Ukraine during the action of martial law in ten regions from November 26 till December 26.

Related: 800 cases of offering bribery to border guards spotted in Ukraine in 2018

Related: 27 million foreigners visited Ukraine in 2018, - Border Guard ServiceA serviceman of the Ukrainian military sustained combat wounds in the combat area in Donbas on January 17. The Joint Forces Operation HQ reported that on Facebook.

The pro-Kremlin militants attacked the outposts of the Ukrainian forces seven times, specifically in Pivdenne, Pisky and Nevelske. The enemy fired anti-tank missile launchers, automatic grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms.

Earlier, on January 16, the Russian occupant troops opened fire 11 times; ten Ukrainian servicemen sustained injuries of various types, half of those were acoustic barotraumas. The hostile forces fired the missile launchers near Troitske village and the automatic grenade launchers near Pivdenne village. They also shelled Ukrainian soldiers using grenade launchers and small arms near Chermalyk village, as well as positions near Novoselivka Druha village, using 82-mm mortar launchers.

As a result of the illicit actions of the Russian-occupation troops, five soldiers of the Joint Forces Operation sustained injuries of various degrees of severity and another five sustained battle injuries, the message said.Over the past 24 hours, on January 16 the militants used banned weapons

Open source

As of January 17, over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupants attacked the Ukrainian positions in Donbas combat zone 11 times. Ten Ukrainian soldiers got injured as a result, as Dmytro Hutsulyak, Ukraines Defence Ministry Spokesperson, said at the briefing.

The occupants performed three adjusted fires in Luhansk sector.

As around 10:30 am, militants opened fire from anti-tank missile systems at the Armed Forces positions near Troitske. A truck was damaged during these shootings, therefore, five Ukrainian servicemen sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity. Five more were traumatized (injured eardrums).

The militants were firing from grenade launchers near Pivdenne since 12:40 pm for half an hour, near Krymske  since 8:35 pm.

In Luhansk sector, Russian troops opened fire eight times.

Mostly the occupants were shooting at our positions near Avdiivka, Pisky, Marinka, Krasnohorivka and Nevelske. Occupants attacked Chermalyk from grenade launchers. Armed Forces of Ukraine recorded five explosions of enemys 82 mm shells near Novoselivka.

Today, on January 17 the occupants shot at the Ukrainian positions three times. All the attacks were performed near Pisky from 7:30 am till 8:30 am. The militant used heavy machine guns and small arms.

According to the Ukrainian intelligence, Russian command wants to launch a campaign to call population for military service in the occupants ranks. They also want to call people who have experience in combat actions. Occupation authorities might make them sign the registry documents, which limit the possibility to leave the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.2019 is an election year for Ukraine. Ukrainians will select a new president on March 31

Open source

The official start of the presidential election campaign in Ukraine was announced the last day of 2018. As of January 4, six candidates had already submitted documents to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). One of them, Volodymyr Ratush, was denied to get on the list. The first registered candidate was Ukraines Former Minister of Ecology Ihor Shevchenko.

According to the rules, the election campaign of a candidate is allowed from the day after his registration until midnight on March 29, 2019.

The elections to be held on March 31. The president in Ukraine is elected for 5 years. The same person cannot be elected to the presidency for more than two consecutive terms. Here are the key details you need to know about this issue:

Ukraine has a parliamentary-presidential form of government.

Over the years of independence, the form of government has changed several times.

Ukraines Constitution, as amended by President Kuchma, provided for a presidential-parliamentary form of government.

In 2004, a constitutional reform was carried out, providing for a transition to a parliamentary-presidential form of government. Thus, the powers of the president were significantly limited.

In 2010, the Constitutional Court reinstated the "presidential-parliamentary" Constitution.

In February 2014, after the completion of the Revolution of Dignity, the Verkhovna Rada renewed the Constitution in the 2004 edition (with the parliamentary-presidential form of government).

Ukraines President authority

Ukrainian head of state can:

- submit the Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs for approval by the Verkhovna Rada of two members of the Cabinet.

But cannot:

-independently appoint or submit to the Verkhovna Rada for approval the other candidatures (including the prime minister).

According to the Constitution

A coalition is being created in the parliament, which proposes the candidacy of the prime minister to the president. The president is obliged to return it to parliament for approval within 15 days. He cannot change the candidacy.

In addition, the president cannot dismiss any of the ministers either. This is the prerogative of the Verkhovna Rada.

Ukrainian head of state can:

Appoint the command of the army and secretary of the National Security and Defense Counsil (NSDC).

But cannot

Deal with the personnel in the Internal Troops and the National Guard. This is the prerogative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Ukrainian head of state can:

Appoint and dismiss the heads of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor Generals Office (with the consent of the Rada), and appoint the head of the State Border Service on the proposal of the Prime Minister.

Appoint and dismiss from the posts half of the composition of the National Bank Council;

Appoint and dismiss from the posts half of the National TV Company of Ukraine;

Appoint a third of the composition of the Constitutional Court;

Send to the Parliament a proposal on the appointment of CEC members.

But cannot

Form the leadership of the State Property Fund and the Anti-Monopoly Committee. This is the competence of the government and the parliament.

President of Ukraine is obliged to coordinate the majority of personnel decisions with the Verkhovna Rada.

Foreign policy

The President directs the foreign policy of the country.

Among other things, he can:

- Negotiate and conclude treaties, make decisions on the recognition of foreign states, appoint and dismiss ambassadors in other states and at international organizations, accept letters of credence and revocables of diplomatic representatives from other countries.

- Veto laws. Prematurely terminate the powers of the Verkhovna Rada. Initiate a declaration of a state of emergency in the country, present state awards, the highest military ranks, and assign diplomatic ratings. Make a pardon. Decide on the adoption of citizenship of Ukraine and the termination of citizenship of Ukraine, as well as the granting of asylum.

At the same time,

Verkhovna Rada can overcome the veto (with 300 votes). The president can terminate the powers of parliament only in three cases: if deputies cannot form a coalition within 30 days, if they cannot open a meeting within 30 days of a regular session and if they cannot form a Cabinet of Ministers for two months.

And the declaration of the state of emergency (as well as of martial law) must be supported by the parliament.

Read the original text at 112.ua.Manila: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena signed on Thursday three loan agreements totalling $455 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund projects in higher education, transport as well as a technical assistance loan in the urban sector. Sirisena signed the agreements during his first tour to the ADB headquarters while conducting a five-day state visit to the Philippines. He arrived in the country on Tuesday.

The loans include $145 million for a project to support the development of science and technology faculties in four universities, $300 million to finance construction of about 5.3 km of an elevated toll highway to link Colombo`s international port with the country`s expressway network and another $10 million technical assistance loan to finance the establishment of a facility to help improve the design and implementation of urban projects in Sri Lanka.

This year, the Manila-based bank said the ADB`s total commitment to Sri Lanka, including these three loans, will amount to $815 million. "Sri Lanka highly values the assistance provided by the ADB to various development plans of our country," Sirisena said.

ADB`s Country Partnership Strategy for Sri Lanka focuses on building high quality infrastructure in the transport, energy and urban sectors by expanding investments in areas like railways, wind and solar power generation as well as economic corridors, the report said.

Sri Lanka was a founding member of the ADB in 1966. Since a first loan to the country in 1968 to help modernize tea factories, the ADB has supported Sri Lanka`s economic transformation with assistance totalling $9.8 billion, including through concessional loans and technical assistance.

Sirisena had met President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday and they discussed issues "on areas of mutual interest, including political, economic, cultural and people-to-people engagement". Aside from visiting ADB, Sirisena will also visit the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos in Laguna province, south of Manila.SEOUL: North Korea`s top envoy involved in talks with the United States arrived in Beijing on Thursday and is thought to be en route to Washington, South Korean news agency Yonhap said on Thursday.

US and South Korean media previously quoted unidentified sources as saying US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean official Kim Yong Chol were expected to meet in the US capital on Friday to discuss a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim arrived at Beijing airport on Thursday on an Air Koryo flight from Pyongyang and was met by North Korea`s ambassador to China, Yonhap said. He is expected to board a flight to Washington in the evening, the news agency said.

Pompeo had planned to meet his North Korean counterpart to discuss a second summit last November, but the meeting was postponed. Kim Yong Chol was last in Washington in June, when he delivered a letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump that opened the way for an unprecedented meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Singapore on June 12.

CNN quoted a source familiar with US-North Korea talks as saying that Kim Yong Chol would be carrying a new letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump in Washington. Chinese and South Korean envoys on Korean peninsula affairs are meeting in Seoul on Thursday, the South`s foreign ministry said. Kong Xuanyou and Lee Do-Hoon are expected to discuss ways to achieve complete denuclearisation and peace on the peninsula, as well as an expected second summit of US and North Korean leaders.

In Singapore last year, Kim Jong Un pledged to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, but there has been little significant progress since. Contact was resumed after the North Korean leader delivered a New Year speech in which he said he was willing to meet Trump "at any time," South Korea`s ambassador to the United States, Cho Yoon-je, told reporters last week.WELLINGTON: A group of British tourists has been asked to leave New Zealand after they were reported for shoplifting, littering, threatening residents and causing chaos, an immigration official said on Thursday.

The family, who are travelling on British passports, were involved in a series of incidents in Auckland, New Zealand`s largest city, and Hamilton this week that have shocked New Zealanders.

Peter Devoy, assistant general manager for Immigration New Zealand (INZ), told Reuters five individuals from the group had been served with Deportation Liability Notices, the first stage in the deportation process.

The individuals can appeal against the deportation orders and can only be deported if they agree to waive their appeal rights or if the appeal rights expire, he said in an emailed statement.

The group, which included children and women, made headlines in New Zealand newspapers after littering at the North Shore beach in Auckland and threatening residents.

A video posted on Facebook showed that a child, asked by a woman to clean up the rubbish, responded by saying he would "knock your brains out".

Police were called later the same day by staff at a Burger King outlet in the city of Hamilton, about 130 km (80 miles) south of Auckland, who complained that the group was causing a ruckus.

They had also been spotted in a number of cafes and restaurants in Auckland`s central business district, and businesses had complained that they walked out without paying or had abused their employees.

A woman from the group was convicted on Wednesday for stealing a can of Red Bull, sunglasses and rope worth NZ$55.20 ($37.41) from a petrol station.

Immigration officers caught up with the group on Wednesday, after extensive media coverage, and handed them the deportation notices.

Devoy said the deportation notices could be issued for a number of reasons, including matters relating to character.

"INZ understands that the individuals intend to leave New Zealand next week," he said.

One member of the group, however, told reporters earlier this week they would cut short their trip and return home because they felt "unwelcome" in New Zealand.

($1 = 1.4756 New Zealand dollars)Dallas, TX, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- John Carona, chairman and CEO of Associa, the industrys largest community management company, was presented with the inaugural Deloitte Entrepreneur Summit Bootstrap Award during the recent celebration at the Omni Frisco Hotel in Dallas, Texas.



The Deloitte Entrepreneur Summit, presented by Deloitte Private, hosted exclusive attendees including successful business owners, leading investor groups, senior executives, industry specialists, and M&A professionals in a unique networking event. The event offered guests the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with investor groups, access to panel discussions, and the chance to hear special guest speaker, Rick Reilly, author, screenwriter, and member of the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.



Deloitte is proud to present John and Associa with the inaugural Deloitte Entrepreneur Summit Bootstrap Award, stated Phil Colaco, global leader of Deloitte Corporate Finance. The Bootstrap Award was created to honor those business owners whose companies truly embody the entrepreneurial mindset  built from the ground up and continually deliver outstanding results for their clients, colleagues, communities, and investors.



With more than 180 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.



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Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associaWashington: A 21-year-old man from Georgia has been arrested and charged over allegations he plotted to attack the White House by blowing a hole in it with an anti-tank rocket then storming the building with guns and grenades, United States prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Hasher Jallal Taheb, of the Atlanta suburb of Cumming, was arrested in Gwinnett County on Wednesday and appeared briefly in federal court in Atlanta in a case brought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Byung Pak, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, told reporters.

"His alleged intent was to attack the White House and other targets of opportunity in the Washington, D.C., area by using explosive devices, including an improvised explosive device, an anti-tank rocket," Pak said. All threats have been neutralized, Pak said in a statement.

It was not clear whether Taheb had a lawyer. A criminal complaint said around March 2018 a community member contacted law enforcement to say Taheb had become "radicalized." On Aug. 25, 2018, Taheb put his vehicle up for sale and an FBI informant showed interest in buying it, the complaint said.

Taheb later told the informant "he wished to conduct an attack in the United States against targets such as the White House and the Statue of Liberty," according to the complaint. Taheb told the informant "jihad was the best deed in Islam and the peak of Islam," the complaint said.

At a December 2018 meeting with an undercover FBI agent, Taheb said he wanted to do as much damage as possible and he expected to become a "martyr." Taheb told the agent to acquire weapons and explosives for the White House attack. Later that month he told the agent he also planned to attack the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument and a synagogue. He wanted to use semi-automatic weapons, an "AT-4" anti-tank weapon and hand grenades, the complaint said. It said Taheb hoped to carry out the attack on or about Jan. 17, together with the agent and the informant.

"He described his plan to use the AT-4 to blow a hole in the White House so that the group could enter," FBI Special Agent Tyler Krueger said in an affidavit. "His plan was to go in and take down as many (people) as they possibly could." He was arrested on Jan. 16 when he met another undercover agent to supposedly obtain weapons and explosives.WASHINGTON: People in the US woke up to a big surprise on Wednesday as a front-page six-column headline in The Washington Post said that US President Donald Trump has resigned.

The headline read: 'UNPRESIDENTED Trump hastily departs White House, ending crisis'. Washington Post's lead story was accompanied with a four-column image of President Trump. In the image, the US president was looking upset with his head down.

A long single-column on left side of the paper carried a headline, which read: 'Celebrations break out worldwide as trump era ends'. The newspaper was dated May 1, 2019. This edition was distributed freely on the streets of Washington DC.

The Washington Post, however, wasted no time in issuing a clarification that it has nothing to do with the edition which was completely fake.

"There are fake print editions of The Washington Post being distributed around downtown DC, and we are aware of a website attempting to mimic The Post's. They are not Post products, and we are looking into this," The Washington Post said in a tweet.

PTI reported that a woman outside the White House told its reporter: "Grab this special edition of The Washington Post. This is free. You will never get this." PTI added that the woman was was distributing the newspaper to people for free.

The lead story of the fake edition of the renowned newspaper was authored by one Lisa Chung. The story said that President Trump abandoned the White House on April 30, 2019. The fake edition also carried a report which claimed that people across the globe have welcomed Trump's resignation. "Vice-President Mike Pence took the oath of presidency in the bible of his grandmother, at his hurried swearing in," said another article in the fake edition.

Ramsey Toucberry, a US journalist working with Newsweek, later tweeted that he spoke to Lisa Fithian, one of the activists involved in planning the fake newspaper edition. He added that the activist informed him that the fake edition - which has now taken the Internet by storm - was a "collaborative project" involving many activists.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will lead the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pad yatra in West Bengal if party president Amit Shah fails to reach Malda on January 20. Shah, who was diagnosed with swine flu, is currently admitted in AIIMS Delhi. He's expected to be discharged in two days.

Shah is supposed to kickstart its election campaign in West Bengal with a series of rallies beginning with a public rally on January 20. Next day, he will address two rallies in Suri in Birbhum district and Jhargram. On January 22, he will address rallies at Krishnanagar in Nadia district and Jaynagar in South 24 Parganas district. The rallies in various parts of the state will continue till first week of February.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to attend a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground here on February 8, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dilip Ghosh said.

The announcement comes a day after the Supreme Court had put the BJP's proposed "rath yatras" on hold, but allowed the saffron party to hold public meetings.

The BJP had planned 'rath yatras' touching all Lok Sabha constituencies in the state to boost its chances in the national elections. However, it was denied permission by the state government and has since been caught in legal tangles.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court put the programme on hold saying the state government's law-and-order apprehensions over the event was not "totally unfounded" and asked the BJP to submit a fresh request and seek necessary approvals.Kolkata: The West Bengal BJP unit Thursday submitted a letter to the state government, giving details about their 'Save Democracy Rally' in the state.

BJP's state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar went to the West Bengal secretariat and submitted the letter which mentioned about holding four yatras in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party requested the state government to consider the programme with "utmost expedition" under the guidelines of the Supreme Court.

The BJP said the yatras would be "a political endeavour of connecting with the people in a peaceful manner. It will not sponsor or subscribe any communal message or insinuations".

The state BJP unit also described that the four yatras would be aiming "to connect people towards strengthening the democratic as well as secular system and practices of our nation, of which the state is a significant part".

"All kinds of law of the land and regulations will be maintained and a close coordination with the local administration will be maintained for mutual cooperation," the party's letter mentioned.

"Sensitivity of people from different caste, creed and religion will be adhered in an exemplary manner," the letter added.

The BJP also urged a meeting between the state government authorities with them in case of any required discussions.

The proposed 'Rath Yatras' of the BJP in West Bengal were put on hold by the Supreme Court Tuesday, which asked the party to seek a fresh approval from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state by submitting a revised proposal.

The apex court, however, allowed the West Bengal unit of the BJP to continue with its proposed public rallies and meetings under its 'Ganatantra Bachao Yatra'.

The court asked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state to consider the fresh, revised proposal of the saffron party, keeping in mind the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution.

The top court said the state government should respond to the revised proposal of the BJP with "utmost expedition", keeping in mind that with the commencement of the CBSE and other board examinations, the use of loudspeakers might be banned.MADURAI: At least 48 bull tamers, participating bull-taming sport 'jallikattu' held at Madurai's Palamedu in Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal festivities, were injured on Wednesday. Out of the 48, 14 are seriously injured.

To aide rescue services, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has set up a medical camp near a Jallikattu venue in Madurai.

We have a team here so that we can give first aid treatment to the injured.If there is more emergency,patients will be sent to nearby govt hospital by us, said Dr Praveen, Medical Officer, ITBP Madurai.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLA Manickam inaugrauted the Jallikattu event on Wednesday. More than 500 tamers took part in the event held in seven rounds and closely monitored by officials.

"Jallikattu event organised in Palamedu and Alanganallur are world famous. In Palamedu, all the villagers unitedly take part and organise the event. It is an example of unity. We performed puja and left the temple bulls in the venue. Thereafter, we begin the actual Jallikattu where bulls from various parts are left in the venue for taming," he explained.

Though 602 bulls were chosen to take part in the sport, 125 bulls were not allowed to participate for different reasons.

The first prize - a car - went to a bull owned by Prabhu as it could not be tamed by anyone.

Prabhakaran got the first prize for taming the maximum number of bulls while Ajay and Kathick won the second and third prize respectively.

Various organisations, including the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) had vehemently opposed the tradition, stating that it was a cruel event.

The festival was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 after complaints of extreme animal cruelty. However, Tamil Nadu enacted a law in 2017 to bypass the top court`s verdict, owing to massive protests challenging the ban of the event.Moscow: Scientists, using data from the Cassini spacecraft, have found evidence of methane rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in Titan's northern hemisphere, according to the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

"The whole Titan community has been looking forward to seeing clouds and rains on Titan's north pole, indicating the start of the northern summer, but despite what the climate models had predicted, we weren't even seeing any clouds," said Rajani Dhingra, a doctoral student at the University of Idaho in Russia. "People called it the curious case of missing clouds," Dhingra said.

The researchers identified a reflective feature near Titan's north pole on an image taken on June 7, 2016, by Cassini's near-infrared instrument, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. The reflective feature covered about 46,332 square miles and did not appear on images from previous and subsequent Cassini passes.

Analyses of the short-term reflective feature suggested it likely resulted from sunlight reflecting off a wet surface. The study attributes the reflection to a methane rainfall event, followed by a probable period of evaporation. "It's like looking at a sunlit wet sidewalk," Dhingra said.

This reflective surface represents the first observations of summer rainfall on the moon's northern hemisphere. If compared to Earth's yearly cycle of four seasons, a season on Titan lasts seven Earth years.

Cassini arrived at Titan during the southern summer and observed clouds and rainfall in the southern hemisphere, researchers said.

Climate models of Titan predicted similar weather would occur in the northern hemisphere in the years leading up to the northern summer solstice in 2017, they said. However, by 2016, the expected cloud cover in the northern hemisphere had not appeared. This observation may help scientists gain a more complete understanding of Titan's seasons.

"We want our model predictions to match our observations. This rainfall detection proves Cassini's climate follows the theoretical climate models we know of," Dhingra said. Additional analyses suggest the methane rain fell across a relatively pebble-like surface, she said.

A rougher surface generates an amorphous pattern as the liquid settles in crevasses and gullies, while liquid falling on a smooth surface would puddle in a relatively circular pattern. Dhingra is using the wet sidewalk effect to search for additional rain events on Titan as part of her research.Zee Studios' Marathi film 'Anandi Gopal' is slated to release on February 15. The story of the film is based on the life of Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi, who was the first lady doctor from India.

Joshi, who stood against all the odds to get educated and became a doctor, set an example and inspired generations to come.

In times when gender equality and feminism are raised at almost every forum and podium, a couple in the 1800s practiced and fought for these very ideas.

'Anandi Gopal' is a story about love and dreams more than a biopic, about the struggle of a husband to teach his wife and her response and determination to become the first Indian female doctor.

Directed by Sameer Sanjay Vidwans, it is produced by Zee Studios Marathi, Fresh Lime Films and Namah Pictures.Jaipur: In a bizarre incident, two persons in a village in Rajasthan received condoms in reply to their RTI applications to Gram Panchayat Chhani Bari, Hanumangarh district. The envelopes containing condoms came in response to their queries, demanding past records of development work done in the area.

RTI applicants Vikas Chaudhary and Manohar Lal, residents of Chani Badi in Bhadra tehsil of the district, had sought information related to development work done there in 2001.

#Rajasthan: Villagers Manohar Lal and Vikas Chaudhari say they received condoms in reply to their RTI application to Gram Panchayat Chhani Bari, Hanumangarh district, demanding record of development work done in the area in the last 5 years. pic.twitter.com/X6tOKOtEvB  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019

After their second appeal, the Rajasthan Information Commission had directed the gram panchayat to provide information to the applicants. They had received two separate envelopes.

Hanumangarh district administration has initiated an investigation into the matter. The inquiry was initiated after a video purportedly showing applicants finding condoms inside RTI envelopes had gone viral.

"RTI applicants have reiterated their allegations during investigation and gram sevak had submitted in written that he did not put any objectionable material in any RTI envelope and information was provided to the applicants against the application they had filed," SDM Bhadra Raj Kumar Kaswa said.

He said the Hanumangarh district collector has sought a factual report in the matter from the Zila Parishad CEO and the block development officer.

Sarpanch of Chani Badi panchayat Pushpa Bansal has lodged a complaint at Bhirani police station in the matter, stating it to be a conspiracy.

Hanumangarh Zila Parishad CEO Navneet Kumar said he has received information related to the matter and it is being investigated, adding that it could be the outcome of rivalry between two groups in the village.

(With inputs from agencies)New Delhi: The woman, who accused T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar of sexual harassment, has withdrawn her complaint from Mumbai's Oshiwara police station. The girl, who works in T-series, had on Wednesday lodged a complaint against Kumar, alleging that he sexually exploited her in the pretext of giving work.

In her withdrawal complaint, the woman mentioned that she approached the police against Bhushan 'out of frustration and depression' and that her allegations against him are 'malicious'. "I had no such intention to malign his reputation and shall not make any false statement and allegation against him in future," her statement read.

The woman also asked 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' producer Krishan Kumar to withdraw a complaint, filed against her in Amboli police station, for extortion under false allegations.

Here's a copy of her withdrawal application which was submitted at the police station on Thursday.

Bharat is the producer of Emraan Hashmi's starrer 'Why Cheat India', which is slated to release on January 18, 2019. He is also producing Salman Khan starrer 'Bharat'.

Yesterday, the woman, who works as an associate at T-Series, had claimed in her complaint that Kumar exploited her sexually on the pretext of getting her work. She claimed that she met Bhushan at the premiere of 'Bhoomi' in 2017 where the two exchanged numbers with each other.New Delhi: T-series owner Bhushan Kumar was the latest name to be dragged into the MeToo movement. However, the woman took back her complaint in less than a day.

On Wednesday, a woman, who works at T-Series, approached the Mumbai's Oshiwara police station and filed a complaint against Bhushan Kumar accusing him of sexually exploiting her on the pretext of getting her work in his company.

In a written letter, the woman claimed that she met Bhushan at the premiere of 'Bhoomi' in 2017 where the two exchanged numbers with each other. According to the woman, Bhushan offered her a three-film deal in return of sexual favours. Accusing him further, she said that Bhushan blackmailed her and even threatened to not let her survive in the city if she rejects his 'offers'.

However, as per latest updates, she has withdrawn her complaint against the T-Series head honcho and said that her allegations were false and 'out of frustration'.

A statement from T-Series spokesperson is awaited.

Bhushan Kumar's T-Series has produced 'Why Cheat India' and 'Bharat' which will be releasing this year.

Earlier in October, an unnamed woman claimed on Twitter that Kumar had called her to a bungalow for a three-film deal and threatened to destroy her career if she refused. "I was new and I was scared, very scared!! The next day i got to know that i was dropped from the film bcoz i had refused to sleep with the 'boss', said the anonymous account.

Kumar, however, denied the allegations in a statement issued to PTI, which read, "I am appalled and anguished to know that my name has been dragged in this metoo by some anonymous person(s). The allegations against me are bad on the face of it. I have enjoyed an impeccable reputation and have always maintained professionalism. The tweet has been used as a tool to defame me and malign my reputation. I have taken this allegation very seriously and lodging a complaint with the cyber cell of the Mumbai Police to track the mysterious people(s) whose twitter handles have disappeared within seconds of uploading the malicious tweet. I'll take all such actions as I will be legally advised."

As part of India's MeToo movement, a number of celebrities have been called out as sexual predators.

Last year, T-Series had dropped Subhash Kapoor as the director of its upcoming project 'Mogul' after an old molestation allegation, levelled by actor Girtika Tyagi, resurfaced. It was reported that in the wake of sexual allegations against Kapoor, Aamir Khan opted out of 'Mogul'.

Many big names from the industry, such as Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl, Kailash Kher, Sajid Khan stand accused of harassment.

Recently, '3 Idiots' filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani was accused of sexual misconduct by a woman who worked with him on his 2017 film 'Sanju'. In an article on HuffPost India, the woman, who calls herself as "an assistant", alleged that Hirani sexually abused her more than once between March and September 2018.TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the story that broke on CBC news this morning revealing rumours that Ontarios fourteen local health integration networks (LHINs) will be restructured into five the Ontario Health Coalition has raised questions about the Ford governments intentions regarding this restructuring rumour. The Coalition had heard similar rumours last week.



When Tim Hudak was PC party leader their plan was to shut down the LHINs entirely. Today the rumoured plan is to keep the LHINs but make the regions ginormous. The question is what part of the existing LHINs does Ford intend to keep, said Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition. The LHINs were established as restructuring entities pushing amalgamations and mergers. If this continues, only on the massive scale rumoured, it will be devastating to local hospital services and other local health care services.

The Ontario Health Coalition has spent the last decade advocating to protect local hospitals from centralization of their services, cuts and closures, as well as local community health services. Under the LHIN legislation LHINs are required to find restructuring opportunities, mergers, and amalgamations in perpetuity this is in the Coalitions view costly and damaging for patients local access to health care.

Under the former liberal government home care was moved into the LHINs further complicating matters. There are thousands of care coordinators, case managers, health professions, and care workers provide direct home care services from the LHINs. We strongly object to any plan to privatize all of the remaining public home care services, warned Ms. Mehra. This plan would further fragment and worsen home care, having the private companies themselves take over all of home care is akin to having the fox guard the chicken coop. It is unacceptable and we will fight it with all our strength if it comes to that.

The Health Coalition notes there has been no public consultation on these major changes and calls on the government to make policy decisions with proper public consultation and meaningful input.

For more information: Natalie Mehra (416) 230-6402New Delhi: Talented B-Town actress Taapsee Pannu has proved her acting mettle in a number of critically-acclaimed movies. Her rich filmography includes path-breaking projects like 'Pink', 'Mulk' and 'Manmarziyaan'. In all of these, she got recognition for her performance and the audience appreciated her craft.

However, the actress in an interview with Mumbai Mirror made a shocking statement about being dropped from her next 'Pati, Patni Aur Woh'. She said that she deserved to know the reason for her being dropped. She claimed that she was not informed prior before the decision was taken by the producers.

After Taapsee's allegation, the producers of 'Pati, Patni Aur Woh' have issued an official statement.

According to Bollywoodlife.com, the statement reads:

"When a script is locked, every director or producer approaches actors for the casting of the film, it is a basic protocol followed by almost all filmmakers. Similarly, for our upcoming project  Pati Patni Aur Woh, we reached out to many actors, who we thought could be our potential protagonists in the film. The versatile actress Taapsee Pannu was one of the many actresses we had approached for one of the leading ladies in the film. However, we as Producers have never made any commitment to her. We would like to clarify that our casting was purely done on the basis of who suited the characters to the tee. Tapasee is an extremely talented actress and we would love to work with her in future. We will soon make the official announcement for the final cast of Pati Patni Aur Woh."

Well, looks like the casting is yet to be finalised and soon the makers will make an official announcement about the same.

Rumours are rife that newbie Ananya Panday is being considered for the role. Kartik Aaryan plays the lead in the flick.A 35-year-old Canadian woman was allegedly molested by an employee of a city-based five-star hotel during her stay in Mumbai, a police official said Thursday.

Sumit Rao (32), a staff member of the hotel located in Juhu area, has been arrested in connection with the alleged incident that took place on January 5, he said.

The woman, a Candian national who works for an event management firm and often visits India, in her complaint alleged that while she was staying at the hotel, the man came to her room and molested her on the pretext of taking a selfie with her, the official said.

According to police, the woman brought the matter to the hotel management's notice and then lodged a complaint at the Santacruz police station here on Monday.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 354 (d) (stalking), he said.

A probe was underway into the case, he added.SRINAGAR: Three police personnel were injured after terrorists launched a grenade attack at Zero Bridge in the heart of Srinagar city on Thursday.

#JammuAndKashmir: 3 persons injured after terrorists hurled grenade on security forces at Zero Bridge in Srinagar today. Injured have been admitted to a hospital and are currently stable. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/GdcxFYcSSb  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019

The terrorists hurled grenade on security forces while they were patrolling in the area.

The trio was admitted to a hospital and are currently reported to be stable.

The incident took place a few metres away from Lal Chowk Market.

The entire area has been cordoned off.New Delhi: Soon after jailed self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to life in journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati's murder case, the latter's son hailed the judgment saying that this is the triumph of truth.

Expressing relief over the matter, he said, "Prosecution had demanded capital punishment but we are satisfied with the punishment."

A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Panchkula, earlier in the day, announced life sentence to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in connection with the 2002 murder case.

Three others - Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal - have also been awarded life imprisonment. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 to each. The special court pronounced the quantum of the sentence through video conference.

Last week, the Dera chief along with three others was convicted for murdering Chhatrapati by the Special Court in Panchkula.

The journalist was shot dead outside his house in October 2002 in Haryana's Sirsa after his newspaper published a letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by Ram Rahim. Ram Rahim was named as the main conspirator in the case.

Chhatrapati's family had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003, seeking transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was later handed over to the CBI which filed the charge sheet in July 2007.

Ram Rahim is already serving a 20-year sentence for raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers in 2002. Following the conviction of the 50-year-old self-styled godman in August 2017 in the rape case, riots broke out in Panchkula and several parts of north India.NEW DELHI: In a major relief for dance bar owners in Mumbai, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday relaxed stringent conditions set by Maharashtra government for getting licences for running dance bars in Mumbai. The apex court also upheld the time of five and half hours for dance performances.

Mumbai Dance bar matter: Supreme Court relaxes stringent conditions set by Maharashtra government for getting licences for running dance bars and upheld the time of five and half hours for dance performances. pic.twitter.com/VokxHV8Ab0  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019

The SC also gave a reprieve to dance bar owners by ruling that the dance bar can organise orchestra and the patrons can give tips to bar dancers. The SC, however, said that showering of cash and coins should not be allowed inside bars.

"Supreme Court allows orchestra, tips can be given but showering of cash and coins is not allowed inside bars," ANI reported.

The top court also ruled that the state government cannot impose total prohibition on dance bars. "There cannot be total prohibition on dance bars. No licence has been granted by Maharashtra since 2005. There may be regulations but that should not amount to total prohibition," ANI reported.

The SC also quashed the Maharashtra government's order of installing CCTV cameras in dance bars of Mumbai. "Supreme Court quashes conditions of Maharashtra government of putting CCTV cameras in dance bars of Mumbai, giving licence to people of good character as 'vague'," said the top court.

The apex court also quashed a condition laid down by Maharashtra government that segregated dancing stage from the bar area where drinks are served. The Court has also quashed a rule under which it was said that dance bars should be 1 km away from educational and religious places.

The SC, however, upheld a rule of Maharashtra government by which working women should have contract in order to prevent their exploitation. But the top court quashed a rule of monthly salary for bar dancers.PRAYAGRAJ: President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife on Thursday performed 'Ganga pujan' at Kumbh Mela 2019 in Prayagraj, officials said. They added that President Kovind and first lady Savita Kovind landed at Bamrauli airport on a special plane of the Indian Air Force around 9:30 am. Governor Ram Naik, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several cabinet ministers welcomed President Kovind at the airport.

Prayagraj: President Ram Nath Kovind offers prayer at #KumbhMela2019. CM Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik also present. pic.twitter.com/8f2PfVFz2a  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 17, 2019

After offering the prayer, President Kovind left for Arail with CM Yogi and Governor Ram Naik.

A press release issued by Press and Information Bureau said that the President is scheduled to inaugurate a two-day Gandhian Resurgence Summit at the camp of Parmarth Niketan Ashram at Arail side of Mela.

Meanwhile, ash-smeared and dreadlocked Naga sadhus are grabbing a lot of attention at Kumbh Mela this year too. The organisers said that Kumbh Mela is one of the best opportunities to see Naga sadhus, who are reclusive by nature. "It is a confluence of all Naga sadhus at the meeting point of these holy rivers," Anandnad Saraswati, a Naga sadhu from Mathura, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"They meet each other, they interact with each other and they meditate and pray here at the holy confluence. They give their message to the people and they transform people," he added. The Nagas live in makeshift monasteries called Akhara during the eight-week Kumbh.

(with agency inputs)Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to his home state Gujarat, will throw open his pet biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit besides other events in the capital and Ahmedabad on Friday, January 18.

The 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit will be inaugurated at the Mahatma Mandir. PM Modi had conceptualised the summit as Gujarat Chief Minister in 2003 to position Gujarat as an ideal investment destination.

According to the organisers, prime ministers and presidents of five countries and more than 30,000 national and international delegates, including CEOs of major companies from India and abroad, are expected to attend the 9th edition of the summit.

Indian business tycoons including Mukesh Ambani, Uday Kotak, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Gautam Adani, Adi Godrej and Pankaj Patel are likely to attend the summit.

CEOs and top executives of global companies like BASF, DP World, Suzuki, Vanguard and Maersk will also be present.

Later in the day, the PM Modi will take part in a 'round table interaction' with the heads of global sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and institutional investors. This will be followed by a dinner with the VVIP guests.

The Prime Minister will be in Hazira in Surat on Saturday to mark the setting up of the Hazira Gun Factory. From here, he will leave for Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development projects.

The Prime Minister will fly out Gujarat the same day for Mumbai where he will inaugurate the new building of National Museum of Indian Cinema.

Here's the Prime Minister's schedule for Friday:

8:35 am - Bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Malta

9:10 am - Bilateral meeting with the President of Uzbekistan

10: 00 am - Inaugural session

2:35 pm - Bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Czech Republic

3:10 pm - Bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Denmark

3:30 pm: Roundtable interaction with Sovereign Wealth Funds, Pension Funds and Institutional Investors

(With inputs from agencies)Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the health facilities and medical education have been given a boost in the last four years. More than 18,000 MBBS seats and over 13,000 post graduate seats have been increased during this period, he added.

Speaking at the inaugural event of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Ahmedabad, the Prime Minister said, "Health facilities and medical education have been given a boost in the last four years, more than 18,000 MBBS seats and more than 13,000 post-graduate seats have been increased during this period."

Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the newly-inaugurated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/kaOjtxrynM  ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019

Culled from the decades-old Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital, this is a 78-metre high state of the art super-speciality public hospital built by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and is equipped with all modern amenities, including an air ambulance.

According to an official press release, this will be a completely paperless hospital and is a part of the Ayushman Bharat initiative.

PM Modi is on a three-day visit to his home state to thrown open his pet biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit besides other events in the capital and Ahmedabad.

Earlier in the day, he inaugurated the Vibrant Gujarat Trade Show at the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition and Convention Centre, where over 25 industrial and business sectors were showcased.

On Friday, he will inaugurate the 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit at the Mahatma Mandir. PM Modi had conceptualised the summit as Gujarat Chief Minister in 2003 to position Gujarat as an ideal investment destination.

The Prime Minister will be in Hazira in Surat on Saturday to mark the setting up of the Hazira Gun Factory. From here, he will leave for Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development projects.

The Prime Minister will fly out out Gujarat the same day for Mumbai where he will inaugurate the new building of National Museum of Indian Cinema.

(With inputs from agencies)A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Panchkula on Thursday announced life sentence to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.

Three other convicts Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal, have also been awarded life imprisonment. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 to each. The special court pronounced the quantum of the sentence through video conference.

The Dera chief, along with the three others, was convicted for murdering Chhatrapati by Special Court in Panchkula last week.

Reacting to the sentencing, the son of journalist Chhatarpati said, "This is the triumph of truth, I feel relieved today. Prosecution had demanded capital punishment but we're satisfied with the punishment."

The family of the slain journalist had demanded capital punishment for the guilty. The journalist was shot dead outside his house in October 2002 in Haryana's Sirsa after his newspaper published a letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by Ram Rahim. Ram Rahim was named as the main conspirator in the case.

Chhatrapati's family had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2003, seeking transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was later handed over to the CBI which filed the charge sheet in July 2007.

Singh is already serving a 20-year sentence for raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers in 2002. Following the conviction of the 50-year-old self-styled godman in August 2017 in the rape case, riots broke out in Panchkula and several parts of north India.

Ahead of sentencing, Haryana police had beefed up the security in Panchkula and neighbouring regions.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Panchkula and Sirsa -- headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect headed by self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh -- and other parts of Haryana to maintain law and order situation, officials said.

Security was also been stepped up outside the Panchkula court complex with Haryana police putting up barricades on roads leading to the court.

The court had Wednesday accepted the Haryana government's plea seeking appearance of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head through video conference during the pronouncement of quantum of sentence in the journalist murder case.

The state government had said the movement of the Dera chief could lead to a law and order situation. The three other convicts are lodged in Ambala jail.

On January 11, Special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted Ram Rahim and three others in the 2002 journalist murder case. Ram Rahim and the three others had appeared through video conference when the court convicted them.

All the four were convicted under section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal were also convicted under the Arms Act. The minimum punishment under section 302 is life imprisonment and the maximum is death sentence.The tenure of Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who was sent on forced leave by the government, has been curtailed with immediate effect, news agency PTI reported quoting an official order issued on Thursday.

The tenures of three more officers -- Joint Director Arun Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General Manish Kumar Sinha and Superintendent of Police Jayant J Naiknavare -- have also been curtailed, it said. The tenure has been curtailed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

The development comes days after Alok Verma was shunted out of the post of CBI director and appointed Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards.

Verma had refused to take up the new post, saying he had already superannuated from the police service.

Asthana had on Wednesday moved an application in the Delhi High Court, seeking some corrections in the recent judgement pertaining him.

The Delhi High Court last week had dismissed a plea filed by Asthana, seeking quashing of an FIR against him in a bribery case. The single judge bench of the High Court had refused to grant interim protection to Asthana but Justice Najmi Waziri asked the CBI to maintain the status quo for two weeks.

Asthana, the number two in the CBI, had sought liberty to appeal against the High Court judgement before the Supreme Court, which was granted. The High Court directed the CBI to conclude investigation against Asthana within 10 weeks. The court also turned down a plea by Deputy SP Devender Kumar seeking quashing of FIR filed against them.LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm , a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against PPDAI Group Inc. (PPDAI or the Company) (NYSE: PPDF ) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



Investors who purchased the Company's shares pursuant to and/or traceable to the Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in connection with the Companys initial public offering in November, 2017, are encouraged to contact the firm before January 25, 2019.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate .

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at brian@schallfirm.com .

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. PPDAI engaged in predatory lending practices, saddling low-income borrowers with debt and interest payments they could not repay. Many of the Companys customers were using PPDAI loans to pay off other loans, raising the risk of default. PPDAI suffered from increasing delinquency rates, hurting the Companys reserves. PPDAI was also providing online loans to college students, ignoring a government ban on the practice. At the same time, the Company engaged in improper collection practices. Based on these facts, the Companys public statements at the time of its IPO were false and materially misleading. When the market learned the truth about PPDAI, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.,

Sherin Mahdavian, Esq.,

www.schallfirm.com

310-301-3335

info@schallfirm.com

SOURCE:

The Schall Law FirmMUMBAI: Easing the rules for operations of dance bars in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday struck down stringent laws imposed by the state.

A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri struck down some stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, giving a major relief to bar owners.

What Maharashtra government said:

Dance bars should not serve alcohol.

What SC ruled:

The state cannot have a situation where everyone is denied. There may be regulations but it can't amount to total prohibition.

What Maharashtra government said:

Dance bars should be one km away from religious places or schools.

What SC ruled:

It is an unreasonable condition to impose in a place like Mumbai and the government should prescribe a reasonable distance.

What Maharashtra government said:

No payment of tips, showering of coins or cash on bar dancers.

What SC ruled:

Payment of tips can be allowed but there should not be showering of coins or cash.

What Maharashtra government said:

The dance bars should remain open only from 6 pm to 11.30 pm.

What SC ruled:

The apex court upheld the Maharashtra government's rule.

What Maharashtra government said:

The owners should install CCTV cameras in their dance bars.

What SC ruled:

The condition to mandatorily install CCTV cameras in dance bars violates privacy.The CBI has registered two more cases related to alleged abuse of inmates in shelter homes in Bihar, as reported by news agency PTI on Thursday. The two cases pertain to as many shelter homes in Munger district, they said.

The agency has booked Manoj Kumar, the Director of Novelty Welfare Society which ran a short-stay home, and office-bearers of Panaah shelter home in Munger district.

It is alleged that the Director of Novelty Welfare Society and others used to lock the room of a mentally-sick woman inmate causing wrongful restraint and confinement and ill-treated other inmates.

It also sublet a portion of the shelter home for a rent of Rs 10,000 and did not provide proper ventilation or sanitation facilities for the inmates, the FIR alleged.

In the case of Panaah, it is alleged that office-bearers of the home "physically exploited" the inmates forcing them to do manual work including cooking and cleaning, the FIR stated.

It said the shelter home was being run from a building meant for an observation home and was not "livable" for young children.

The agency has been tasked by the Supreme Court to probe abuse of inmates in 17 shelter homes of the state, which were red-flagged in an inspection report by the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

The Novelty Welfare Society-run shelter home was listed in the category of 'Grave Concerns' in the TISS report. The new interim chief of the probe agency, M Nageswara Rao, handed over all the 17 cases to the Patna zone deputing Joint Director Bhanu Bhaskar to oversee the probe.

The TISS inspection report also mentions that the Superintendent of the Panaah shelter home beat an inmate which resulted in severe injury causing scar on the cheek of the boy. The allegation is now included in the CBI FIR.

The first case from the TISS report which attracted attention was sexual abuse of minor girls at a Muzzafarpur-based shelter home run by Brajesh Thakur.

The details of heart-wrenching sexual torture inflicted on minor inmates of the shelter home surfaced when the CBI took over investigation on the orders of the Supreme Court last year.

The apex court later directed the agency to probe all the 17 shelter homes mentioned in the TISS report.New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates Thursday congratulated the government for the achievements made by the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme in its first 100 days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Gates, saying the scheme stems out of the government's commitment to provide top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor.

"Congratulations to the Indian government on the first 100 days of @AyushmanNHA. It's great to see how many people have been reached by the program so far," Gates tweeted, tagging the prime minister's office.

The government had recently said that 6,85,000 beneficiaries have availed free healthcare in the first 100 days of the scheme.

In reply, Modi thanked Gates for his appreciation, saying Ayushman Bharat "stems out of our commitment to provide top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor".

The prime minister said, the first 100 days have been remarkable. "Large number of people benefited and lot more will in the coming days".

The prime minister had in September last year rolled out the scheme.

The insurance scheme aims to provide an annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

The programme will benefit about 100 million poor households and has been described by the government as the world's largest healthcare scheme.SIRSA: Ahead of sentencing against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati murder case on Thursday, Haryana police beefed up the security in Panchkula and neighbouring regions.

The head of the Sirsa-based sect along with three other persons were convicted for murdering Chhatarpati by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court in Panchkula last week. The three other persons convicted in the case are Nirmal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Krishan Lal.

Detailed timeline from journalist's murder to Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction

The 51-year-old self-styled godman had appeared for the verdict via video conferencing from Rohtak jail where he's currently lodged. He had been named as the key conspirator in the case dating back to 2002.

Singh is already serving a 20-year sentence for raping two 'sadhvis' or female followers in 2002. Following the conviction of the 50-year-old self-styled godman in August 2017 in the rape case, riots broke out in Panchkula and several parts of north India.

Chhatrapati was shot at in October 2002 after his newspaper, 'Poora Sach', published an anonymous letter narrating how the 'sadhvis' were being sexually exploited by Singh at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The journalist later succumbed to injuries and a case was registered in 2003. CBI took over the case in 2006.New Delhi: The government constituted an eight-membered GST ministerial panel that will suggest whether a uniform tax rate should be imposed on lotteries or the current differential tax rate system be continued.

Currently, a state-organised lottery attracts 12 percent GST while a state-authorised lottery attracts 28 percent tax.

The Group of Ministers under Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, shall submit its report to GST Council in next Meeting for consideration of the GST Council.

The panel will also study whether private persons authorized by the States are misusing the lower rate and getting enriched themselves at the cost of the State and suggest measures to curb it.

As per the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the GoM, the panel will examine any other issue related to enforcement including the legal frame work, so as to prevent evasion of tax on lottery and suggest appropriate tax rate to address the problem.

The GoM on issues relating to lottery shall be assisted by a Committee of officers from the Centre and the States as convened by the GoM. Secretary of the GoM on issues relating to lottery shall be Manish Sinha, Joint Secretary (TRU-II), CBIC.New Delhi: Vistara Airways on Thursday came up with an interesting offer to mark the airlines' 4th anniversary offering tickets as low as Rs 899.

To celebrate four fabulous years of redefining air travel, we are delighted to announce a special 24-hour Sale with never-seen-before fares, Vistara said in a statement.

The Sale fares are available for all three classes of travel at discounts of up to 80 percent relative to the standard last-minute fares on all routes served by the company, Vistara said.

Under the sale, fares for Economy Class start at Rs 899, Premium Economy at Rs 1,499 and Business Class at Rs 4,999, inclusive of all taxes and fees.

Bookings are open for 24-hours only, starting on January 17 for travel between February 1 and September 18 (both dates included).

A minimum of 15 days advance purchase is required for Economy Class and Premium Economy bookings, and a minimum of 30 days advance purchase is required for Business Class.

Vistara said while every sector and every class is on sale at capped sale fares, seats at these fares are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. These fares are all-inclusive, with no surprise fuel surcharges or taxes in addition to the stated fares, it added.New Delhi: Ever since 'Padmaavat' released, the grapevine was abuzz with rumours of a cold war between Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor. It was widely reported that the two actors can't see an eye to each other and their cold vibes was evident on the sets.

Reports even stated that eventually, Deepika Padukone had to step in on few occasions to ease out the differences between the two.

Almost a year after, Ranveer opened up on the rumours and said that all was well between the two and that they both had a great time shooting for the film. "We were very good together, yaar. I think we had a good time shooting for the film. Creatively fulfilling," he said.

It all started last year when Shahid remarked that he felt like an outsider on the sets of 'Padmaavat'. His statement dropped a major hint of some amount of rivalry with Ranveer during the shoot. In response, Ranveer said in an interview that he did every possible thing to make him feel at home on the sets.

And Shahid's recent comment on Karan Johar's chat show 'Koffee With Karan' added more fuel to the fire where he mentioned that he would have wished for more equality in screen time in the film. The actor also spoke about the alleged issue with Ranveer during the filming and said "It's really a big film and the stakes were very high for everybody. So everybody wanted to have their A-game on. Everybody was doing everything it takes to kind of be in the centre of the limelight. I'm sure everybody felt a bit threatened by each other at some level, it's natural."

Moreover, even during the rapid-fire session, when he asked to choose between Saif Ali Khan and Ranveer as his preferred co-star, Shahid chose Chhote Nawab's name.

However, when he was asked if he would want to work with the 'Simmba' star again, he happily stated that he is all game for it. "I would definitely want to do a film with Ranveer Singh again," he said on the show.

Well, we just hope that everything is fine between the two stars and it would be a treat for us if they do a film together again.New Delhi: The tall and talented B-Towner Deepika Padukone has an impressive body of work to boast about. Her rich filmography includes award-winning movies such as 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Padmaavat'. The A-lister is now gearing up to start working on her next venture.

And looks like she has already started the prep-work for it. How do we know? Well, the stunner of an actress took to her Instagram handle and shared a major throwback picture when she was a little girl. She captioned it: back to school...#Chhapaak

Dippy darling looks super cutesy as a school-going girl. Do not miss her tiffin box and water bottle in a bag that she is carrying. Well, 'Chhapaak' is also the title of her upcoming venture and looks like this is a major hint at her starting off the work on the film.

She will next be seen in Meghna Gulzar's next based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Deepika will not only play the titular role but also produce the movie.

The acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal was attacked way back in 2005 when she was only 15. The 32-year-old assailant was known to the family and after Laxmi rejected his advances, he attacked her.New Delhi: The talented B-Town find, Alia Bhatt has impressed one and sundry with her impeccable acting prowess in many of her movies. The actress, who has a solid fanbase on social media took to Twitter and urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to lift the ban on her mother's upcoming film.

Soni Razdan's movie 'No Fathers In Kashmir' is directed by Ashvin Kumar. The filmmaker reportedly is struggling to get a U/A certificate for the movie.

Alia wrote on Twitter: Was soo looking forward to mom's @nofathers_movie #nofathersinkashmir!! @Soni_Razdan @ashvinkumar & team worked super hard for this honest teens love story in Kashmir. Really hope the CBFC would #lifttheban. Its a film about empathy & compassion..lets give love a chance!

Was soo looking forward to mom's @nofathers_movie #nofathersinkashmir!! @Soni_Razdan @ashvinkumar & team worked super hard for this honest teens love story in Kashmir. Really hope the CBFC would #lifttheban. Its a film about empathy & compassion..lets give love a chance!  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) January 17, 2019

According to IANS, in December 2018, Ashvin had said the CBFC after an inordinate delay of nearly 90 days and of giving him no clarity on what it was finding objectionable in the film, came up with a list of cuts that he and his team objected to as "the cuts proposed were based neither on reality nor on law".

He even went to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) for relief, but they returned it to the CBFC as the latter did not give us a legally-mandated hearing.

(With IANS inputs)(Note: This column is the first of a two-part series on the relationship between the Central and state governments and courts on the one hand, and Hindu temples and their traditions on the other. The two-part series is written in the context of the ongoing controversy surrounding the entry of women into the Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala.)

Part II - Battle over Sabarimala is purely political, not about religion, gender equality or culture

Part I - Hindu Dharma and its temple traditions

In the following article I hope to put the Sabarimala issue into the proper perspective. Few people today understand Hindu Dharma. This is particularly true of those in the western world but also many Indians today, particularly those who have a western or Christian education. Hinduism is as vast and many sided as is India. No simple judgements or stereotypes can work to limit or define its diversity. Using western political, social or religious concepts to judge Hindu practices can be misleading. The Sabarimala issue is a good example of how Hindu Dharma easily gets distorted in the modern political media context, just as ancient Hindu temples cannot be understood according to modern cultural norms. We will begin with an examination of the broader issues involved.

Hindu Dharma

Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and the third largest with more than a billion followers worldwide. This is a great accomplishment, as Hindus have never engaged in any forced conversion or promoted any exclusive claim to truth. On the contrary, they have faced centuries of determined efforts to convert them and yet have best survived among the dharmic traditions of humanity that include Buddhism and Jainism.

Hindu Dharma is arguably the most profound diverse of all religions and with the most extensive literature of spiritual practices, Yoga, meditation and Self-realization. Hinduism contains every form of worship from every type of image, human and naturalistic, geometrical yantras, symbols like the Shiva linga, the sacred fire, and every sort of formless approach to the deity, ultimately as the Absolute beyond time, space and karma.

As such, Hinduism is very different from Christianity and Islam, which are defined relative to a single book or scripture, final prophet or savior, exclusive monotheistic formulation of deity, and follow a motivation to make the entire world follow their belief. This makes Hindu Dharma hard for people from Abrahamic backgrounds to appreciate, and may cause them to look down upon Hindu practices and see them in a superficial light as polytheistic or primitive, in spite of the sophistication of Hindu philosophy. It makes it difficult for atheists and Marxists to respect, as it is from another world view altogether than western political materialism.

Hindus have many gurus, avatars, formulations of deity, male or female, many books, practices, rituals and festivals - almost innumerable it seems. This reflects an abundance of spiritual experience, not a lack of coherence in understanding the Divine, which is revealed in the Hindu understanding of higher states of consciousness.

Hindu temples

Hindu worship is as abundant and variable as Hindu Dharma itself. Hindus have every sort of shrine, temple and sacred site and are not limited to formal churches or fixed places of worship. These include puja rooms in the house, family temples, village temples, regional temples and major sites for all Hindus - much like the diversity of deity forms Hindu worship. These can include massive temple complexes like those of Tamil Nadu or sites defined by nature like Ma Ganga and mountains like Mount Kailas, extending to entire sacred cities like Varanasi.

Hindu temples may honor several deity forms, with one made most important perhaps but not exclusive. Temples have different festivals or holy days, different types of worship and rituals. Each deity form has his or her own name, depiction and iconography, story or history, unique practices or special community of people or followers that it is addressed to. Devotees are encouraged to adopt a particular deity form or Ishta Devata and perform special forms of worship accordingly that may be specific to a particular temple or deity tradition. To enter the temple may require following different types of vows or practices, not performing which can bar a person from the temple.

There are temples for masculine forms of the deity like Shiva and Vishnu and temples for Goddess or feminine forms of Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Parvati and Kali. Ganesh depicted with an elephant head and Hanuman with the form of a monkey also have many temples of their own. There are temples only for men, other temples only for women, temples where certain animals are honored, and temples where special unique practices have been going on for generations. The temple is a special place to honor the deity involved, not a general place to cater to the needs, desires or opinions of the public. Temples are places to let go of our ego, not to assert our personal views or opinions.

Government and court regulation of Hindu temples

Yet strangely in modern India, Hindu temples are often owned and run by the state through state constituted temple boards. This includes the state expropriating Hindu temple revenues for government purposes that are not religious in nature or of any benefit to the Hindu community. State governments, including the communist atheistic government of Kerala, take revenue given to Hindu deities and use it for their own purposes which may not honor the temple or deity at all.

India's courts regulate not just civil law in the temple but even temple practices, which can extend to minute matters like the type or amount offering to be given, or even how loud mantras can be chanted. In other words, Hindu temples are not free of government regulation or court interference in India.

Though this Hindu temple regulation in India occurs in the name of secularism, it is not a practice followed in any other secular country in the world, such as US or UK, in which government do not interfere with religious practices. In India the majority Hindu religion is penalized financially, restricted by special laws, and not given the same freedom or respect as minority religions. Hindu temples have more freedom in the West like the United States were Hindus are a minority and in which there is no government interference in temples, churches or mosques.

This regulation of religious sites, we should clearly note, does not occur relative to churches and mosques in India, which can receive government funding and would not have their revenues expropriated by the state. In this regard the oppression of Hinduism in India has not changed fundamentally since the British Raj, with state governments continuing what can easily be seen as anti-Hindu policies.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dividend 15 Split Corp. (the Company) is pleased to announce it will undertake an offering of Preferred Shares and Class A Shares of the Company.



The offering will be co-led by National Bank Financial Inc., CIBC World Markets Inc., Scotia Capital Inc. and RBC Capital Markets, and will also include TD Securities Inc., BMO Capital Markets, Canaccord Genuity Corp., Industrial Alliance Securities Inc., Echelon Wealth Partners, GMP Securities L.P., Raymond James Ltd., Desjardins Securities Inc., Mackie Research Capital Corporation, and Manulife Securities Incorporated.

The Preferred Shares will be offered at a price of $9.90 per Preferred Share to yield 5.3% and the Class A Shares will be offered at a price of $8.75 per Class A Share to yield 13.7%.

The closing price on the TSX of each of the Preferred Shares and the Class A Shares on January 16, 2019 was $10.05 and $8.87, respectively.



Since inception of the Company, 177 consecutive dividends have been paid to both classes of shares. The aggregate dividends paid on the Preferred Shares have been $7.76 per share and the aggregate dividends paid on the Class A Shares have been $21.20 per share (including five special distributions of $0.25 per share, one special distribution of $0.50 per share and one special stock dividend of $1.75 per share), for a combined total of $28.96 per unit. All distributions to date have been made in tax advantage eligible Canadian dividends or capital gains dividends.

The net proceeds of the offering will be used by the Company to invest in an actively managed, high quality portfolio consisting of 15 dividend yielding Canadian companies as follows:

Bank of Montreal Enbridge Inc. TELUS Corporation The Bank of Nova Scotia Manulife Financial Corp. Thomson-Reuters Corporation BCE Inc. National Bank of Canada The Toronto-Dominion Bank Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Royal Bank of Canada TransAlta Corporation CI Financial Corp. Sun Life Financial Inc. TransCanada Corporation

The Companys investment objectives are:

Preferred Shares:

to provide holders of the Preferred Shares with fixed, cumulative preferential monthly cash dividends in the amount of 5.25% annually; and on or about the termination date, currently December 1, 2019 (subject to further 5 year extensions thereafter and it has been extended in the past), to pay the holders of the Preferred Shares $10.00 per Preferred Share.

Class A Shares:

to provide holders of the Class A Shares with regular monthly cash dividends currently targeted to be $0.10 per share; and on or about the termination date, currently December 1, 2019 (subject to further 5 year extensions thereafter and it has been extended in the past) to pay holders of Class A Shares at least the original issue price of those shares.

The sales period of this overnight offering will end at 9:00 a.m. EST on January 18, 2019. The offering is expected to close on or about January 25, 2019 and is subject to certain closing conditions including approval by the TSX.

A prospectus supplement to the Companys short form base shelf prospectus dated June 1, 2018 containing important detailed information about the Preferred Shares and the Class A Shares being offered will be filed with securities commissions or similar authorities in all provinces of Canada. Copies of the prospectus supplement and the short form base shelf prospectus may be obtained from your registered financial advisor using the contact information for such advisor, or from representatives of the agents listed above. There will not be any sale or any acceptance of an offer to buy the securities being offered until the prospectus supplement has been filed with the Securities Commissions or similar authorities in each of the provinces of Canada.

For further information, please contact Dividend 15 Split Corp. Investor Relations at

416-304-4443 Toll free at 1-877-4-Quadra (1-877-478-2372) or visit www.dividend15.com



Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal on Thursday, entered the women's singles quarterfinal of the Malaysia Masters following a 21-14 21-16 win over Hong Kongs Pui Yin Yip in her second round encounter.

Rising star Kidambi Srikanth further sailed into the quarters of the tournament, following a comfortable 21-14, 21-16 win against Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong, on Thursday.

Saina who is currently seeded seventh, emerged victorious in just 39 minutes, to reach the last-eight stage of the first Super 500 tournament of 2019 on Friday.

After the pre-quarterfinals today against Yip pui yin of Hongkong ...good match today was on the winning side .. 21-14 21-16 #MalaysiaMastersSuper500 #kualalumpur pic.twitter.com/c16ttJissR  Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) January 17, 2019

She will be battling it out against Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the next stage of the tournament, against whom she enjoys an 8-4 overall head-to-head record.

Okuhara is ranked world no 2 according to the current rankings, with Saina recently recording back-to-back wins against the Japanese player in the French Open and Denmark Open last year.

Victory against Okuhara may well result in a potential face-off against Carolina Marin who is placed in her half of the draw.

Parupalli Kashyap, who Saina recently tied the knot with, will be battling it out against sixth seed Anthony Sinisuka Gingting of Indonesia.

The final contest which fans in India will look forward to is between N. Siki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa and Indonesias Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani and Rizki Amelia Pradipta, with the two set to be battle it out in a second round tie of the women's doubles.Legumicultorii vor beneficia in acest an de un ajutor minim de 2.000 de euro/1.000 mp

Legumicultorii vor beneficia in acest an de un ajutor de minimis de 2.000 de euro/cultura/1.000 metri patrati, plafonul maxim alocat pentru noua schema de sprijin fiind de 150 de milioane de lei (30,785 milioane de euro), potrivit [citeste mai departe]Vestea care ii intereseaza pe romanii cu pensie minima. Anuntul de ultima ora al Guvernului

In Romania anului 2021 mai exista romani care au o pensie minima, uneori sub nivelul salariului minim pe economie. Nu mai punem la socoteala romanii de la sate care au pensii si de 500 sau 50 de lei. Planul [citeste mai departe]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 48 hours to transfer the domain.

Once you have received access to your account with the domain's current registrar you will be able to move the domain to any registrar of your choosing.

* When a domain is purchased on a payment plan, a registrar-lock is placed on the domain until all payments have been made. This registrar-lock prevents transfers.LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm , a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against Danske Bank A/S (Danske or ''the Company'') (OTC: DNKEY ) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



Investors who purchased the Company's American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) between January 9, 2014 and October 23, 2018, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before March 11, 2019.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate .

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at brian@schallfirm.com .

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Danskes branch in Estonia engaged in money laundering through at least March 2016. The company received a report on this activity from a whistleblower in 2013. The DFSA, Denmarks Financial Supervisory Authority, began investigating the money laundering allegations in 2014. Danske concealed its own investigations from the DFSA, exposing it to fines and other regulatory actions. At the same time, the Company was overstating profits by including the gains of the money laundering scheme. All the while, Danske lacked effective internal and reporting controls. Based on these facts, the Companys public statements were false and materially misleading. When the market learned the truth about Danske, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.,

Sherin Mahdavian, Esq.,

www.schallfirm.com

Office: 310-301-3335

Cell: 424-303-1964

info@schallfirm.com

SOURCE:

The Schall Law FirmPosted Thursday, January 17, 2019 4:21 am

House Bill 1064, a proposed amendment to De-Escalate Washington- Initiative 940, was unanimously voted through the House Public Safety Committee Tuesday.

After the vote, Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, who is a former law enforcement officer, led members of the committee and those in attendance in a raucous cheer.

I-940, approved by voters by a wide margin last year, added training requirements for law enforcement officers in the areas of de-escalation, mental health and first aid.

The amendment makes no major changes to I-940 but focuses on making the initiative easier for the public to understand, along with clarifying the good faith standard that is now objective, rather than the previously subjective criteria.

More than 20 agency representatives and community members testified; all were in support of HB1064.

Tim Reynon, a member of the Puyallup Tribal Council, told the committee the bill pursues justice for all  meaning the community and police officers.

The amendment allows for four areas of I-940 to be addressed or clarified. The areas are de-escalation training, the good faith standard, independent investigation of incidents would be required, and the language would be changed around rendering first aid.

Operating in good faith means an officer who is objectively similar would also have believed that deadly force was necessary. Previously, the good faith standard was subjective in that the officer had to state they intended to use deadly force in a lawful manner.

This bill is a result of a Thurston County Superior Court judge ruling that it was unconstitutional for the legislature to amend I-940 during the same legislative session. When I-940 was passed in March of 2018, it was immediately amended to fix issues with the initiative.

The original version of I-940 appeared on the ballot in November 2018 and passed with 59.60 percent of the vote.

Due to this ruling, HB 1064 must pass with a two-thirds majority to move forward, since it has been less than two years since the original passage of I-940.

House Public Safety Committee Chairman Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, sponsored an almost identical amendment that was passed previously. HB 1064 includes an emergency designation to allow the bill, if passed, to take effect immediately.

Chester Earl, cousin to Puyallup tribe member Jackie Salyers, who died in a police shooting in January 2016, helped I- 940 get on the ballot. He testified Monday saying: I agree with my fellow citizens and community officers. This should be a unanimous vote taken over across the way [to the legislature] to pass 1064, and youre going to do it for every citizen of Washington state.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 07:29:37|Editor: WX

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A person holds an anti-Brexit placard outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2019. Leading economists have warned that the British economy could suffer if the country leaves the European Union (EU) without a deal, following the overwhelming defeat of the Withdrawal Agreement in the British Parliament. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 07:10:32|Editor: WX

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HAVANA, JAN. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Thursday rejected what he called the latest "provocation" by the United States, which aims to bolster legal action against Cuban nationalization of property.

"We vehemently reject this new interventionist provocation which violates international law. The U.S. government is showing its contempt for the rest of the world," Diaz-Canel said via Twitter.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States is considering implementing a law suspended since its creation in 1996, which would allow U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies or individuals over property seized from them by the Cuban government.

The so-called Title III rule forms part of the Helms-Burton Act, which codified all U.S. sanctions against Cuba into law 23 years ago.

It has been waived by every president ever since, Democrats and Republicans alike, including Donald Trump, due to opposition from the international community.

However, Trump administration on Wednesday suspended it for a period of just 45 days rather than the customary six months, saying it wanted to take a fresh look at allowing it to go into effect.

Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday condemned Washington's recent "political maneuver," saying "Cuba strongly rejects the threat to activate the law."

Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez said "the Helms-Burton Act is illegal, inapplicable and void of any value or legal effect."

The provision within the Helms-Burton Act could potentially mire Cuba in the courts by allowing Cubans who fled the island following the 1959 Revolution and settled in the United States to claim rights to properties nationalized decades ago.

If Title III were to take effect, it would likely dash foreign investment that Cuba has been seeking to further develop its economy.

"Among the main objectives of the Helms-Burton Act has been to hamper Cuba's economic, commercial and financial relations with third countries and affect its ability to attract direct investment of foreign capital for its development," the ministry said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 07:17:34|Editor: Liangyu

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Visitors take pictures of a steam locomotive leaving Diaobingshan Station, northeast China's Liaoning Province on Jan. 17, 2019. A 5-day steam locomotive tourism event kicked off in Diaobingshan on Thursday. Tourists can visit the steam locomotive museum, take pictures of steam locomotives and watch exhibitions during the event. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 06:35:22|Editor: yan

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TIRANA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bushati and his visiting Dutch counterpart, Stef Blok, met here Thursday to further deepen the cooperation in key reforms related to European Union (EU) integration.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers focused on bilateral cooperation, the international organizations and Albania's progress on EU integration.

Their discussions also focused on the process of the Justice Reform in Albania, fight against organized crime and corruption, as well as the electoral reform.

During a joint press conference, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok highly praised Albania's progress in addressing the five key priorities on the EU integration process and the necessity to keep the pace of reform implementation.

Moreover, Blok expressed his commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Albania and the support of the Netherlands for Albania's EU integration.

Blok also had an official meeting with Albanian President Ilir Meta, who praised the deepening of cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the area of rule of law as well as the growth of Dutch investments in the country.MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today announced the multifamily lenders who transacted the most financing volume with the company in 2018. In addition, the company announced the top regional lenders of Multifamily Conventional Loans and the top lenders for its other multifamily offerings. These and other lenders enabled Freddie Mac Multifamily to lead the industry with $78 billion in total production last year, financing approximately 860,000 rental units, of which more than 90 percent of eligible units were affordable to low- and moderate-income households earning up to 120 percent of area median income.



"Freddie Mac Multifamilys mission of making rental housing more accessible and affordable would not be possible without the best network of lenders in the mortgage banking industry, said John Cannon, senior vice president of Freddie Mac Multifamily Production and Sales. Our lenders are working every day to meet the challenges of the market, and together we are achieving great things for borrowers. We congratulate all of our multifamily lenders and look forward to our continued collaboration in 2019.

Top Freddie Mac Multifamily Lenders by Volume

CBRE ($13.69B) Berkadia ($9.86B) HFF ($7.20B) Walker & Dunlop ($7.11B) KeyBank ($6.01B) Wells Fargo ($4.86B) BPC d/b/a Newmark Knight Frank ($3.66B) Capital One ($3.55B) Jones Lang LaSalle ($2.61B) Greystone ($2.61B)

Top Conventional Seller Offices by Freddie Mac Multifamily Region

Western Region: CBRE, Los Angeles office

Central Region: CBRE, Dallas office

Southeast Region: BPC d/b/a Newmark Knight Frank, Bethesda office

Northeast Region: Capital One, New York City office

Top Sellers by Freddie Mac Multifamily Product



Top Small Balance Loans Business Sellers:

CBRE Arbor Greystone Sabal

Top Targeted Affordable Housing Sellers:



Wells Fargo Jones Lang LaSalle Citibank



Top Seniors Housing Seller: KeyBank

Top Conventional Structured Transactions Seller: HFF

"In 2018 we passed milestones and set records, but equally important is that we continued to innovate and lead, allowing us to finance even more affordable rental units than we did last year, said Debby Jenkins, executive vice president and head of Freddie Mac Multifamily. Our network of lenders was with us every step of the way, helping drive the growth weve seen across our product lines. As we look to 2019, were going to continue working together so that we can meet the housing needs of more American families.

Freddie Mac Multifamily is the nation's multifamily housing finance leader. Historically, more than 90 percent of the eligible rental units we fund are affordable to families with low-to-moderate incomes earning up to 120 percent of area median income.

Freddie Mac makes home possible for millions of families and individuals by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Since our creation by Congress in 1970, we've made housing more accessible and affordable for homebuyers and renters in communities nationwide. We are building a better housing finance system for homebuyers, renters, lenders and taxpayers. Learn more at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog FreddieMac.com/blog.

1 Financing for properties that feature either some or all units with rent restrictions and/or other federal and state subsidies. 2017 amount adjusted to conform to current presentation.

MEDIA CONTACT: Mike Morosi

(703) 918-5851

Michael_Morosi@FreddieMac.comSource: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 06:25:19|Editor: yan

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MINSK, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- An official of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Thursday that the number of civilian casualties in the conflict zone in Ukraine's Donbas has substantially decreased in 2018.

In 2018, the number of civilian casualties in Donbas decreased by half compared to 2017, said Martin Sajdik, OSCE's special representative in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), following the first TCG meeting this year in Minsk. OSCE reported 478 civilian casualties in Donbas in 2017.

The TCG is a group of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE to facilitate a diplomatic solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Thousands of people lost their lives in the more than four years of military confrontation between government troops and separatist militants in eastern Ukraine, according to United Nations estimation.

Thanks to the New Year truce, the number of cease-fire violations from Dec. 29 to Jan. 15 was almost halved compared to the same previous period, the official said.

However, unfortunately, there has been a trend of increasing number of cease-fire violations in recent days, he added.

The next TCG meeting will be held in Minsk on Jan. 30.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their joint press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, on Jan. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Predrag Milosavljevic)

MOSCOW, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Serbia signed a package of agreements on bilateral cooperation during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Serbian capital of Belgrade, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"We signed a large number of agreements in various spheres of public life. Our trade is increasing from year to year, and our economic relations are getting better and better," Serbian President Alexander Vucic said at a joint press conference with Putin following their talks, according to a Kremlin transcript.

In particular, the two sides reached agreements on the construction of a gas pipeline with more gas storage facilities and on the construction of a power station aimed at realizing full gasification of Serbia.

Putin and Vucic also talked about infrastructure cooperation, especially in the field of railways, and major agreements and memorandums were signed on the current maintenance of railways.

The signed contracts on railways have amounted to 230 million euros and are expected to reach 660 million euros in the future, according to Vucic.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 06:05:12|Editor: yan

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ALGIERS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui said on Thursday his administration is prepared to organize presidential election scheduled for April.

All human and material potentials are available to hold the election after Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika summoned the independent election commission, Bedoui said in a speech before the district chiefs in the capital Algiers.

Bouteflika is expected to announce the organizing of election in a few days according to the constitution which holds that the summoning of the election commission takes place three months prior to the balloting.

The Algerian president's fourth term is expiring in April 2019 but no government figure has so far shown interest to run in the election as 81-year-old Bouteflika will most likely seek a fifth term.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 05:40:05|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday asked the Security Council to review the sanctions against Sudan given the improvement of the situation in its Darfur region.

"The Security Council should review the sanctions on Sudan in a timely manner and make adjustments in the light of the latest developments with a view of eventually lifting the sanctions," said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Doing so will send a positive signal to the countries concerned and better help the Sudanese government in maintaining peace and stability in the Darfur region, he told the Security Council, which was briefed by the Sudan sanctions committee.

The overall security situation in Darfur remains stable, and the Sudanese government is working on its reconstruction and on capacity building in governance and security, said Wu.

China believes that the Sudanese government should assume primary responsibility for maintaining the security of Darfur as the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission gradually withdraws from the region, he said.

The international community should actively help the Sudanese government to improve its own security and governance capacity and ensure that Sudanese security forces take over the security responsibilities from the peacekeeping mission as soon as possible, he said.

He also asked for international humanitarian assistance and economic support for Sudan.

China urges opposition parties and armed groups in Darfur that still resist the peace process to change their mind and participate in it and find a solution through dialogue and other political means, said Wu.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 05:04:53|Editor: yan

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by Keren Setton

JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Near the controversial Israeli barrier that separates Palestinian villages and Israeli neighborhood, there stands a newly-opened shopping mall, Atarot Mall.

Surrounded by high concrete walls, barbed wires, watch towers and cameras, the venture, which was invested by 63-year-old Israeli businessman Rami Levy and will be officially inaugurated at the end of this month, has sparked debate from the beginning.

The mall is located in the territory where the majority of the international community does not recognize as the Israeli sovereignty.

The West Bank barrier was built in the start of this century as a response of Israel to repeated suicide bombings carried out by the Palestinians that killed many Israelis.

The construction has been a highly contentious move. Palestinians have condemned the move, saying it was an occupation of their land and that it undermines the negotiations on the future border between the two sides.

Levy was attacked by both sides. The Jews condemned him for hiring the Arabs, while the Arabs called for boycotting him as he is Jewish.

Marketing the mall to the merchants is also difficult at first, according to Osnat Zagrun, CEO of Moria YLY Properties and Investments, who marketed the project.

"Some of the chains and shops were hesitant because of the separation barrier right in front of the project but gradually they realized the potential here and more and more chains agreed to join," she told Xinhua.

Aside from making money, Levy is trying to send a message by opening the mall in the hotspot.

"If I open a mall in such a spot, I can prove to the world, which thinks there are wars here all the time, that it is possible (for Palestinians and Israelis) to live together, to co-exist," Levy told Xinhua.

In Levy's company, 45 percent of the total 7,000 employees were Arab, some of whom hold managerial positions.

"99 percent of the people want peace and they care about making a living, that's what really matters to them," he said.

In the mall corridors and at the supermarket cashiers, Arabs and Jews work and shop together. Hebrew and Arabic are heard. The bi-lingual signs on the walls, which are rare to see in West Bank, remind people that the mall serves both the Palestinians and the Israelis.

While arranging cucumbers on the shelves, Mahtaseb is content with his job.

Mahtaseb is a resident of Anata, a Palestinian town largely under Israeli control but separated by the West Bank barrier.

Haviv Amram, an 81-year-old resident from Jerusalem who lives near the mall, said he plans to shop here regularly and that he is confident with the security situation here.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 04:24:42|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN-marked armored vehicle which the head of a UN mission in Yemen was riding in was struck by gunfire on Thursday but all of the occupants are safe, said a UN spokesman.

"Gen. (Patrick) Cammaert, who chairs the RCC (Redeployment Coordination Committee), and his team had left a meeting of the government of Yemen RCC representatives (and) as they were leaving, one UN-marked armored vehicle sustained one round of small arms fire," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Patrick Cammaert, head of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement, was also appointed by the United Nations as the head of the RCC which includes representatives from both Yemeni rival forces. The commission was established to support the implementation of the agreement on the city of Hodeidah and ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa as set out in the Stockholm Agreement.

"The team returned to base without further incident," Dujarric told reporters at a regular briefing. "We do not have information as to the source of the fire."

"Gen. Cammaert and all members of his secretariat team are safe," the spokesman said. "He has reiterated his appeal for calm and a strengthening of the cease-fire by all sides in the wider interest of all people in Yemen."

Dujarric refused to go into details about security provided for the retired Dutch general and his team, but said, "We don't send people to these kind of places without taking security precautions."

"Everybody is safe and we would hope that all the parties respect the cease-fire for the benefit of all Yemeni people," he added.

Pushed on the type of vehicle the general was riding in, Dujarric said, "I think all of us can kind of imagine what sort of vehicle one would want to drive in as they are driving through Hodeidah."

Hodeidah is the site of Yemen's strategic major Red Sea port and has been fought over in the four-year-old Yemen civil war.

Members of the RCC are charged with negotiating the redeployment of their forces from within the city itself and the port -- as well as from two minor ports -- so that humanitarian aid shipments can be received and safely distributed to millions of Yemenis on the edge of starvation.

Another Yemen bargaining session got under way in Jordan on Wednesday to work out details of a prisoner exchange between the Houthi rebels and the government of Yemen.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 02:54:14|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The security zone that has surfaced to the discussion table in northern Syria is splitting the international powers apart regarding the fate of the Kurdish-controlled areas, analysts say.

At a time when the Kurdish militias in northern Syria were leaning toward the Syrian government to help them stabilize the region and avert it a Turkish-led campaign against the Kurdish militia, the United States and Turkey started talking about imposing a security zone in that area.

The situation in northern and northeastern Syria was supposedly moving toward pacification and a return of the Syrian government to those areas, particularly in light of the sudden decision by the United States to withdraw from Syria, which was declared in late December.

At the time, hopes were nourished that the foreign forces, which entered Syria illegally, would leave and that itself is a positive step toward finding a political solution and stabilizing the situation in the country.

However, Turkey and the United States, which were at odds as Turkey is opposing the Kurdish militia while the United States is supporting them, have apparently reached a solution to defuse the tension between one another, which is setting up a safe zone.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said recently that Turkey will set up a 30-km deep safe zone into northeastern Syria, which is a move suggested by U.S. President Donald Trump.

He added that both sides will continue discussions about the modalities and technical aspects of the proposed zone.

The proposed measure has sparked disparity in the statements by the Kurdish-led militia.

A political leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) rejected the idea of imposing a security zone in northern Syria by Turkey, according to the Saudi-funded Alarabiya TV.

Citing Riad Dardar, the joint chief of the SDC, the report said that a security zone supervised by Turkey in northern Syria would be rejected.

"Turkey should have no hand in such area, like the extremist militants, which should not be allowed to get in or out of such a zone," he said.

He noted that the security zone should not be controlled by any of the conflicting sides.

It's worth noting that the SDC is the political wing of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, which is backed by the U.S. and controlled areas in northeastern Syria.

On Wednesday, the SDF came out with a statement, saying that they hope to reach understandings and solutions with Turkey in order for stability and security to remain in border areas near Turkey.

The SDF said in their statement that they will support and provide help for the formation of the security zone in northern and northeastern Syria in a way that could guarantee the protection for all ethnic groups in that area.

For its part, the Syrian Foreign Ministry lashed out at the remarks of Erdogan about the security zone in northern Syria.

In a recent statement, the ministry said Erdogan's remarks and actions indicated that his country "only deals (with Syria) in the language of occupation and aggression," adding that Erdogan's actions "run against the simplest principles and charter of the UN."

It stressed that the Syrian government is determined to protect its country's territorial integrity and will defend the Syrian territory against any Turkish occupation.

The Deputy Speaker of Syrian Parliament, Najdat Anzour, said Wednesday that the Kurdish militia groups should not "play smart on Damascus," meaning not to be manipulative.

He said that the Kurdish militia groups should have realized by now that they cannot trust the U.S., noting that Turkey poses a real threat to them.

In an interview with the pro-government al-Watan newspaper released Wednesday, Anzour stressed that at this particular time, the Kurdish militia groups should bet on the Syrian government only.

He warned that the Turkish, U.S.-proposed security zone is detrimental to Syria, noting that the return of the Syrian state to all of the Syrian areas is the only positive measure to take.

For his part, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was cited by al-Watan newspaper as saying that the Syrian Army should retake all areas in northern Syria.

"We are convinced that the only solution is to transfer the areas in northern and northeastern Syria to the Syrian government and the Syrian security forces," he said.

He added that the security zone should be evaluated in terms of the territorial integrity of Syria.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor group said imposing a security zone in northern Syria would be dangerous.

It said returning the Syrian refugees from Turkey to such areas would create a demographic change in the predominantly Kurdish areas in northeastern Syria.

The Observatory noted that Afrin, which is a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, has witnessed a demographic change when the Turkey-backed rebels took control over it last year.

It said 350,000 Syrian Kurds were displaced from Afrin and other Syrians from other areas inhabited it.

Maher Ihsan, a Syrian political expert, told Xinhua that the security zone is slowing down the political process after the situation was leaning toward becoming better.

"The idea of the political progress is with the departure of all foreign powers that entered Syria without the consent of Damascus, but creating a security zone will push back such a solution," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 02:49:11|Editor: yan

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A demonstrator supporting British Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn stands outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on Jan. 16, 2019. The British parliament on Tuesday rejected overwhelmingly the Brexit deal. Main opposition Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence, with a debate scheduled for Wednesday to decide whether May's government will collapse. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LISBON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) Chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said here on Thursday that the EU will immediately change the exit agreement if the UK's red lines change, Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported.

"The red lines are from the UK, they are not ours, and they closed doors" in negotiating the exit agreement, Barnier said in Portugal's parliament while defending the agreement already negotiated as "the best possible".

"If the United Kingdom fiddles with the red lines, we move immediately. If they want more, we're ready," he said, cited by Lusa.

The EU official said that all models are available but he stressed that "everyone has rights and obligations."

"We respect the British will and respect the red lines, as we respect the principle of the single market and the indivisibility of the four freedoms," he said.

At a joint press conference with Barnier on Thursday, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that Portugal is fully politically aligned with European Union institutions on the UK's departure from the EU.

"The attitude of the (European) Council and Commission has been exemplary and what we want is for the United Kingdom to be able to respond to the professional, responsible and clear way in which negotiations on the European side have been conducted by Michel Barnier," Costa said.

The British parliament rejected on Tuesday the UK's exit agreement negotiated by the government of Prime Minister Theresa May with Brussels by a 432-202 vote.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 01:08:54|Editor: Yang Yi

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Xiong Bo, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, addresses a reception marking the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam in Hanoi, Vietnam, Jan. 17, 2019. The China-Vietnam relations have maintained a sound momentum of development with complementary advantages and huge potential for enhancing cooperation, Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo said here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Wang Di)

HANOI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The China-Vietnam relations have maintained a sound momentum of development with complementary advantages and huge potential for enhancing cooperation, Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo said here on Thursday.

Xiong made the remarks at a reception marking the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam.

In 2018, the bilateral trade volume between China and Vietnam reached a record high of nearly 150 billion U.S. dollars, while Chinese investment in Vietnam surged, and China accounted for the largest number of foreign tourists to Vietnam, with roughly 5 million people, said the ambassador.

He said that under the new situation, it is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples that China and Vietnam continue to strengthen unity and friendship, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

Attending the reception, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and minister of agriculture and rural development, said that in 2018, Vietnam and China made many progresses in various fields of cooperation.

Last year amid complex changes in the world economy, Vietnam and China worked hard to overcome difficulties and maintain economic stability and rapid growth, Cuong said, adding that economic and trade cooperation continued to be one of the highlights of bilateral relations.

Cuong expressed his belief that the two sides will continue cooperating closely in 2019 and strive to promote stable and healthy development of the bilateral relations.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 00:58:52|Editor: yan

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ISLAMABAD, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday called for an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan, during a telephone conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, officials said.

Ghani made a telephone call on Thursday to the Pakistani prime minister to discuss the recent efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan assured President Ghani that Pakistan was making sincere efforts for a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan through an inclusive peace process, as part of shared responsibility," the statement said.

The prime minister's office said Ghani invited the prime minister to visit Afghanistan at his earliest convenience, adding that Khan reciprocated by inviting Ghani to visit Pakistan.

The talk took place at a time when efforts for peaceful solution to the Afghan conflict were stepped up in recent days. U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad began his three-day visit to Pakistan on Thursday to explore ways for political solution to the conflict.English French

MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At a presentation today in Montreal, the Kia Forte has been named Best Small Car in Canada for 2019 and the Kia Stinger has been named Best Large Car in Canada for 2019, winning their respective categories as part of the judging for AJAC's Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year and qualifying them both for the overall awards to be named in February.



Bringing home both mainstream car awards is a huge accomplishment for the brand and a testament to the award-winning design and quality investments that Kia has, and continues to put into its entire lineup of vehicles. For Canadians that have not yet considered a Kia, the awards are yet another reason to look at the brand with the Power to Surprise. Both vehicles will be on display at this years Canadian auto shows and are currently available in dealerships across the country.

Were grateful to all of AJACs voting journalists for recognizing the Forte and Stinger as the best cars in their categories, said Michael Kopke, Director of Marketing, Kia Canada. Kia is focused on bringing safe, high-quality vehicles that look great and fit the lives of Canadians so it is a wonderful honour to see that so that many of Canadas top automotive experts believe that our cars are hitting the target above some great competition in the market.

Winning their respective categories also means that both the Kia Forte and Kia Stinger are two of five contenders for the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year award that will be presented at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on February 14.

"It's a great achievement for a vehicle to win one of AJAC's coveted Canadian Car of the Year awards, but it's exceptional for the same automaker to make two award-winning vehicles in the same year, said Mark Richardson, President, Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. Congratulations to Kia for the well-deserved success of the Stinger and Forte."

More information on the Kia Forte, Kia Stinger and the entire Kia lineup can be found at Kia.ca.

About the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC)

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers, photographers, and corporate members whose focus is the automobile and the Canadian automotive industry. Collectively, our primary objectives are to promote, encourage, support, and facilitate professionalism in Canadian automotive journalism and to ensure factual and ethical reporting about the automobile and automotive issues to Canadian consumers. This is achieved through the work of our members and AJACs annual vehicle testing and evaluation events, the Canadian Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (CCOTY and CUVOTY), Innovation Awards, and EcoRun.

About Kia Canada Inc.

Kia Canada Inc. (KCI), established in 1999 and celebrating 20 years in Canada, is a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) based in Seoul, South Korea. Kias full line of award-winning vehicles offers world-class quality and customer satisfaction through a network of 193 dealers nationwide. The company employs 170 people in its Mississauga, Ontario headquarters, various locations across Canada and at its regional office in Montreal, Quebec. Kias brand slogan "The Power to Surprise" represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation. From compact to crossover to industry leading EVs, every Kia delivers an extraordinary combination of precision engineering, outstanding performance, innovative features, and advanced safety systems. Having sold close to one million vehicles, popular Canadian models include Soul, Forte, Sportage, Sorento and Stinger. To learn more about the Kia advantage, visit kia.ca or Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and Instagram .

For more information about Kia Canada and our products, please visit our Media Centre at KiaMedia.ca or contact:

Mark James

Corporate Communications Manager

Kia Canada Inc.

T: 905-755-6251

E: mjames@kia.ca

Frederic Tremblay (Quebec Inquiries)

Directeur relations publiques et communications  Region de lest

Kia Canada Inc.

T: 514-955-0505 x 2209

E: ftremblay@kia.ca

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e24f937f-e628-49a4-9bd8-4c68b9bb4a20Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-18 00:03:38|Editor: yan

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OTTAWA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Canadian man kidnapped in Burkina Faso Tuesday night has been killed, said Canada's CTV on Thursday.

Kirk Woodman, a geologist working for the Vancouver-based Progress Mineral Mining Company, was abducted by gunmen at a mining site owned by the Vancouver-based Progress Minerals near the border with Niger, in an area the Burkina Faso government said is under growing threat from armed jihadists.

Woodman was shot and his body was found Wednesday night, 100 km from the site where he was kidnapped.

"This is a terrible, terrible crime and Canada is absolutely committed to working with the authorities in Burkina Faso to bring those responsible to justice," Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday.

Woodman was the second Canadian to be missing in Burkina Faso in recent weeks.

Canadian woman Edith Blais, 34, and her Italian travel companion Luca Tacchetto were last heard from in the southwestern city of Bobo-Dioulasso in December 2018.

Canada has previously issued strong warnings for its citizens to avoid traveling to large parts of Burkina Faso as the African country declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces on Dec. 31, 2018 after attacks by militants reportedly have surged in the country in recent months.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:58:37|Editor: yan

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TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- To help deal with the plastic waste, three major Japanese chemical companies said on Thursday that they will offer about 10 billion yen (92 million U.S. dollars) to a newly established international fund.

The "Alliance to End Plastic Waste" constitutes about 30 companies worldwide. It aims to invest 1.5 billion dollars in efforts to better manage and recycle plastic waste over the next five years, local media reported.

The three Japanese contributors, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp., Sumitomo Chemical Co. and Mitsui Chemicals Inc., also joined the new organization as founding members.

The global organization will look into the so-called plastics value chain, including chemical and plastic manufacturers, consumer goods companies, retailers and waste management companies, according to Kyodo News.

It also plans to raise awareness of the issue worldwide in cooperation with national governments.

Japan is responsible for the largest amount of plastic waste per capita followed by the United States, Kyodo News said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:53:36|Editor: yan

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ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A shooting targeted convoy of the United Nations cease-fire monitoring team in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Thursday, causing no casualties, a government official told Xinhua.

The government official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that gunfire targeted the motorcade of retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, head of the Joint Coordination Committee to monitor the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, in Hodeidah province.

"Vehicles of the UN carrying General Patrick received a barrage of gunshots just minutes after inspecting a partially destroyed area in Hodeidah," the local official said.

The shooting occurred also after a short meeting between Cammaert and government representatives in Hodeidah, he said.

An official Twitter account for United Nations spokesperson reported that "Patrick Cammaert and team are safe in Hodeidah following reported shooting incident. More information to come later."

Earlier in the day, the Saudi-backed government said that the Houthis had started to boycott meetings of the UN-backed Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), which was set up to oversee the cease-fire, including a phased withdrawal of Houthi forces and introduction of a new security presence in Hodeidah.

It said that the Houthi leadership has made claims that Cammaert was overstepping his mandate, including by conducting meetings in Yemeni government-controlled areas. "Such allegations are totally absurd and do harm to peace efforts."

The Yemeni government looks forward to constructively engaging with the new United Nations Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), which was established to particularly bolster the cease-fire being steadily breached by the Houthis, the government's statement added.

A fragile cease-fire deal in the lifeline Hodeidah port city was hardly reached between the Yemeni rival parties in the UN-brokered peace negotiations in Stockholm, Sweden, last month.

The United Nations special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths told the Security Council last week that his team will continue to cement the truce in Hodeidah and will move forward to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthi rebels forced him into exile and seized much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa.

The four-year-long war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, displaced three million others and pushed the country to the brink of famine.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:53:34|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kiev's intention to prevent Russian observers from monitoring Ukraine's presidential elections proves that it is trying to hide something from the public, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry in a statement accused the Ukrainian authorities of making "anti democratic, anti people decisions," which is indicated by the intention of Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin to prevent the accreditation of Russian representatives to the election observation mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"It seems that the authorities have something to hide," the ministry said.

Last week, Klimkin said he had sent a letter to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) asking to reject applications from Russia's monitoring mission.

The ODIHR dismissed the request, saying that it was another discriminatory measure with clear political motivation, which is unacceptable.

On Dec. 31, Ukraine has officially kicked off the campaign for presidential election slated for March 31 this year.

Ukraine's Central Election Commission (CEC) reportedly closed its polling stations in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-ton, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg on the same day.

Klimkin later explained that it could be "dangerous" for Ukrainians to vote in the country's presidential election in Russia.

Kiev has repeatedly accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and being involved in the conflict in the Donbas region, which Moscow has refuted as unacceptable and baseless.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stressed the need to attract international observers to monitor the election campaign, saying it would be an additional guarantee of the transparent electoral process.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:43:28|Editor: yan

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JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Four South Africans went missing during their vacation in Mozambique with one confirmed dead, said Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya.

Mabaya told Xinhua on Thursday that the four travelled to Mozambique on January 12 and went missing two days later while swimming.

"One body has been recovered in the Portuguese Island waters. We are trying to rescue and find everyone still missing.

He said Dirco Minister Lindiwe Sisulu was briefed about ongoing rescue operations regarding the four.

"The department is communicating with the rescue and operations team and the high commissioner, as rescue is still underway," he said.

"Dirco through the South Africa's high commission in Maputo is working with local authorities to provide assistance to families who have arrived in Mozambique to help with the search of their loved ones."Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:33:20|Editor: yan

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NEW DELHI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- India on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a hotel in Kenya on Tuesday which left 21 people dead.

"India strongly condemns the horrific terrorist attack in Dusit D2 Hotel and offices complex in Nairobi on Jan. 15 which caused loss of innocent lives. We stand in solidarity with Kenya at this juncture," said a statement issued by India's External Affairs Ministry.

"We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Kenya and wish early recovery to the injured," it added.

At least five militants reportedly stormed the Dusit D2 hotel and started indiscriminate firing on Tuesday.

Kenyan police said the 21 victims included 16 Kenyans, one British, one American and three unidentified persons of African descent.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:28:17|Editor: yan

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BUCHAREST, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stressed on Thursday that the government is ready to offer solutions to Romanians living in the UK regardless of the Brexit scenario.

"We hope that the UK will come up with concrete solutions regarding the next steps as soon as possible, so that its withdrawal from the European Union (EU) will affect as little as possible the citizens and the business environment," the prime minister said at a government meeting.

"We respect the vote cast on Tuesday evening in the House of Commons," she said, underling that "we believe that the withdrawal agreement provides a solid legal foundation that limits the negative consequences generated by Brexit".

According to her, the Romanian authorities have always been focusing on protecting the rights of the citizens who work and study in the UK. "Ever since the beginning of the negotiation process, we created an inter-ministerial mechanism especially for Brexit, which closely follows the way the provisions of the agreement are implemented, so that the Romanian citizens residing in the UK will not be affected."

Dancila stressed that the Bucharest authorities are prepared to offer solutions to Romanians in the UK, regardless of the scenario that will be adopted in the end for UK's withdrawal from the Union.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu told a meeting in the ministry that "there will be all the willingness to do everything we possibly can, so that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom to be an orderly withdrawal, based on some legal documents, rather than the other variant that is simply an exit from the EU without any regulation."

The Ministry for Romanians Abroad also expressed its support for the Romanian community in the UK, assuring that the authorities will try to minimize as much as possible the negative effects on their lives, in the next interval.

The British Parliament on Tuesday rejected the Brexit deal in a 432-202 vote, further complicating the country's historic exit from the EU.

Romania holds the Presidency of the EU Council during the first semester of the current year and will preside over the Brexit process. Britain's departure from the EU, slated for March 29, will be the most complicated challenge during its mandate.

The Brexit process is also a sensitive issue for Romania, as nearly 500,000 Romanian citizens reside in the UK, making them the second most common non-UK nationality.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 23:03:10|Editor: yan

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DUBAI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Thursday met with visiting Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and his accompanying delegation.

The two sides highlighted the importance of advancing relations between their countries in fields including trade exchange and joint investment.

During his visit to the UAE, the Armenian president took part in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week held in the capital city.

He expressed his hope that his meeting with the UAE leadership and officials will prove fruitful especially in tourism, cultural and trade investment sectors.

During the meeting, the Armenian president also invited the vice president to his country.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:53:07|Editor: Yang Yi

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Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng (R), also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 17, 2019. Scholz is here to attend the second China-Germany High Level Financial Dialogue. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng here on Thursday met with German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, expected the two sides to make good use of the bilateral high-level financial dialogue mechanism, implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, and promote new achievements through cooperation in various fields.

Han also called on the two sides to jointly safeguard multilateralism and rule-based international order, and to become models and leaders for promoting mutual benefit, win-win cooperation and common development in the global arena.

Scholz said Germany is willing to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with China, implement the results reached by the consultations between the German and Chinese governments, jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system and promote the stability and prosperity of the world economy.

Scholz is here to co-chair the second China-Germany High Level Financial Dialogue with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Friday.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:38:00|Editor: yan

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JAKARTA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- In a bid to further attract Chinese tourists, Indonesia's Bali provincial government to initiate Bali-China Festival themed closeness of Balinese and Chinese cultures, Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati said on Thursday.

"The festival would be the first ever held here. We want to further glue relations between Bali and China through cultural approach," Tjokorda said on the sidelines of a coordination meeting in Bali capital of Denpasar to discuss the event to be held in Lake Batur.

Head of Bali Tourism Board (BTB) Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana said the festival would be part of tourism attractions of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali.

Bagus said Bali has many folklore legends that highlight close relations between Bali and China in the past.

"Should we be able to stage those legends, such as a romance story between Bali king and Chinese princess, it may further attract Chinese tourists to visit Bali," Bagus said.

He added that location of the festival is highly favorable to facilitate the inaugural festival, saying that the Jati Shrine built in the lake has long been known as manifestation of Bali and China cultural acculturation.

Bali has seen a decreasing visit of Chinese tourists in the last few months of 2018. According to the Bali provincial statistics office, Chinese tourist arrivals in Bali stood at 73,822 in November last year, down from 118,130 in October.New York, NY, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- GoIP Global Inc. (otcpink: GOIG) announced today that as the company pursues specific opportunities in the Cannabis, Hemp and CBD space, it has begun to assemble a board of leading industry experts to advise and expedite these initiatives. Mr. Robert Hoban Esq., a leading industry expert, will be heading the Advisory Board.



Mr. Ike Sutton, CEO of GoCannaGlobal, stated, Having gotten to know Robert, and being appreciative of his expertise and experience in the world of Cannabis and Hemp, Im extremely excited to have him lead our advisory team, as well help us on our international licensing initiatives. I will be announcing several additional board members shortly.

As previously, announced, the Company is changing its name to GoCannaGlobal Corporation and is creating a new web site www.gocannaglobal.com. Regarding the audits, the process is underway and will be completed as soon as possible.

About Robert Hoban

Robert Hoban is the President and CEO of Hoban Law Group. Since 2009, HLG has been the nation's premier full service 'cannabusiness' law firm, with offices in 13 states in the U.S. HLG also operates HLG Global, which is a global cannabis consulting and legal firm, with a presence in 10 international locations. Mr. Hoban has been honored with a variety of professional accolades, and is recognized nationally as an AV Preeminent (Martindale.com) rated attorney and seasoned full-service commercial practitioner. Beginning in 2008, Bob successfully assisted in opening several of Denver's first marijuana dispensaries. In 2010, he won the landmark Cannamart case, which led the Colorado's groundbreaking commercial cannabis regulatory system in 2011. He is largely responsible for the creation and growth of the CBD industry due to the legal strategies, litigation matters, and policy efforts that he has developed for HLG clients. Mr. Hoban is known as a cannabis industry dealmaker. Because of its focus on business matters, HLG has represented the cannabis industry's titans for nearly a decade and it sits at the center of the world's largest cannabis industry network. Mr. Hoban is a leading cannabis industry expert, who has transcended the practice of law and is regularly involved in U.S.-based and international cannabis industry M&A transactions. Bob also worked as a cannabis policy professor at the University of Denver, where he taught cannabis policy courses in Colorado and across the globe, and has crafted regulations/laws for dozens of countries across the U.S., Asia, the E.U., and Latin America.

About GoCannaGlobal

GoCannaGlobal will engage in acquiring Hemp and Cannabis cultivation & export licenses, offering top tier management and developing partnerships for supply chain sales, and worldwide logistics pipelines. For more information, see www.gocannaglobal.com





Safe Harbor Statement

Information in this news release may contain statements about future expectations, plans, prospects or performance of GoIP Global, Inc. that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor Provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words or phrases "can be," "expects," "may affect," "believed," "estimate," "project," and similar words and phrases are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. GoIP Global, Inc. cautions you that any forward-looking information provided by or on behalf of GoIP Global, Inc. is not a guarantee of future performance. None of the information in this press release constitutes or is intended as an offer to sell securities or investment advice of any kind. GoIP Global, Inc.'s actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, some of which are beyond GoIP Global, Inc.'s control. In addition to those discussed in GoIP Global, Inc.'s press releases, public filings, and statements by GoIP Global, Inc.'s management, including, but not limited to, GoIP Global, Inc.'s estimate of the sufficiency of its existing capital resources, GoIP Global, Inc.'s ability to raise additional capital to fund future operations, GoIP Global, Inc.'s ability to repay its existing indebtedness, the uncertainties involved in estimating market opportunities and, in identifying contracts which match GoIP Global, Inc.'s capability to be awarded contracts. All such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date on which such statements were made. GoIP Global, Inc. does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.



Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:37:59|Editor: yan

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SOFIA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The development of digital skills would be crucial to the economic future of Bulgaria, the country's Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev said here on Thursday.

In the future, the world would experience large-scale digital transformations, much larger than those that have occurred so far, Valchev said at a hearing in the National Assembly.

This meant that most of the professions would require in-depth digital skills -- not just user skills, but skills of digital creators and abilities to interact with machines, Valchev said.

"Whether Bulgaria will successfully go through the process of large-scale digital transformation that is ahead, whether it will be a developed country, whether it will have a high added value, depends on whether the country will develop enough skills in the field of digital creativity," the minister said.

In this sense, there was no hesitation that his country should invest in increasing the number of software professionals and expanding training in in-depth digital skills, he said.

Of course, these digital skills should be related to the specific skills of the particular professions, Valchev said, adding that in agriculture for example, a mechanic needed to have digital skills, but he also had to know his machine.

He said that there was a great shortage of IT specialists even today. The good news was that due to the high salaries, this sector managed to keep young people in the country, Valchev said.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up his eight-day visit to the Middle East earlier this week, a trip the U.S. experts see full of rhetoric that can hardly regain regional confidence in Washington.

The tour through Monday brought Pompeo to Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, skipping Kuwait due to his personal reasons.

During the tour, Pompeo emphasized the U.S. confrontation with Iran, tried to reaffirm U.S. presence in the region despite planned American troop withdrawal from Syria, and endeavored to unite Arabic countries plagued by internal conflicts.

"It's hard to see any concrete forward movement on any of the issues that he was promoting," David Pollock, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Xinhua.

The credit Pompeo could be given was that he at least reestablished "a kind of closer U.S. connection with all of those different countries," the expert noted.

For Darrell West, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, the top U.S. diplomat just "took an American First line in the Middle East."

As Pompeo made it clear that Iran will continue to be the preoccupation of President Donald Trump's administration, there was little sign showing that the regional countries were ready to side with Washington.

"The Middle East has so many cross-currents," said West.

"There are conflicting interests and local agenda that are hard to corral into a single narrative. The President has not yet been successful at getting all the relevant countries to unite against Iran," the scholar commented.

Experts also doubted how effective Pompeo's trip was in comforting the allies after the U.S. decision to pull troops out of Syria.

It is still hard to say if Pompeo "achieved any of his goals related to assuring his hosts about American reliability post-Syrian withdrawal," said Wayne White, former deputy director of the Middle East intelligence office of the State Department.

"They listened, asked a few questions, but probably remained unconvinced that the erratic Trump White House could be considered reliable, especially at times when it was beleaguered domestically," White added.

Dalia Dassa Kaye, director of Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation, agreed with White.

"Given continued confusion about the direction of U.S. policy and gaps between rhetoric and actions, it is still unclear that he (Pompeo) succeeded in restoring confidence in U.S. leadership," Kaye said.

Meanwhile, the troops' exit has been interpreted as signaling a U.S. "lack of interest" in the region.

It has become increasingly clear that Washington has been shifting its focus away from the Middle East, said Pollock, adding that the tendency also reflected the U.S. public and Congressional opinion.

"There's zero energy dependence for the United States itself on the Middle East, that's actually a reality now. And there's a rise of concern of rival powers outside the Middle East," noted Pollock.

"The Trump White House's tendency toward precipitate, unanticipated moves in the Middle East such as the Syrian withdrawal complicates efforts to predict how regional developments in the region will evolve through 2020," White said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:27:56|Editor: xuxin

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KHARTOUM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Council of Ministers Thursday issued a decision to increase the salaries of the workers in the public sector after the Finance Ministry completed the technical procedures.

"The decision has been handed to the Civil Service Bureau to issue a detailed notice within two days for the salaries increase," Khairi Al-Nur, secretary of labor relations of Sudan's Workers Trade Union Federation, was quoted as saying by official SUNA news agency.

The Sudan's Workers Trade Union Federation earlier signed an agreement for increasing the salaries by a range from 500 Sudanese pounds (10.5 U.S. dollars) to 2,500 Sudanese pounds.

On Jan. 3, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir promised to improve the livelihood of the Sudanese people through implementing increase of salaries as of January, in addition to provision of houses for the workers and improvement of pensioners' conditions.

Since Dec. 19 last year, various areas in Sudan, including Khartoum, have been witnessing protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.

According to government statistics, at least 24 people have been killed during the popular protests.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:22:55|Editor: Yang Yi

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Huang Kunming (C), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, speaks at a national teleconference on combating illegal publications and online pornography in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 17, 2019.(Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday called for more efforts to create a healthy ideological and cultural environment for celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a national teleconference on combating illegal publications and online pornography.

More responsibility and courage to fight were needed to push the work of combating illegal publications and online pornography to a new level, Huang said.

He stressed that the work should target online obscene and illicit content.

Huang also asked for further improvement of a comprehensive governance system.

Several institutions and individuals were commended for their performance in the area during the teleconference.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:17:54|Editor: xuxin

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KAMPALA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military has signed an agreement with state owned Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) to construct a car assembly plant in the eastern part of the country.

KMC in a tweet on Thursday said the business arm of the military, National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), signed the memorandum of understanding that will see the military construct Kiira Vehicle Plant start-up facilities at the Jinja Industrial and Business Park.

The agreement was signed by KMC's chief executive Paul Isaac Musasizi and NEC's Maj. Gen. James Mugira.

The military already assembles infantry fighting vehicles in Jinja.

The agreement comes days after the road testing of the Kiira EV, the company's latest hybrid sedan vehicle.

Uganda last year resolved to start the commercial production of motor vehicles after the process had stalled for years.

Cabinet in April 2018 directed the ministry of finance to set aside over 5.6 million U.S. dollars this financial year to kick start the construction of an assembly plant.

The idea of Uganda manufacturing cars started in 2011 when students at the country's Makerere University built the Kiira EV (electronic vehicle) and Africa's first solar-powered bus in 2016.

According to the Ugandan government, the car assembly project would stimulate investment in the production of among others car components, creating over 2,000 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:12:49|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- India's National Green Tribunal (NGT) Thursday slammed German auto maker Volkswagen for not depositing 14.07 million U.S. dollars penalty and directed it to pay the fine within 24 hours, officials said.

The German company was imposed with the penalty for causing "serious environmental damage."

"A bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel today while coming down heavily on Volkswagen for its non-compliance of Nov. 16, 2018 order asked it to give an undertaking that it will submit the amount by 5:00 p.m. local time tomorrow (Friday)," an official said.

"The court has asked the German automobile giant to submit an affidavit of compliance after depositing the fine."

On Nov. 16 last year, the environmental court said the use of "cheat device" by Volkswagen in its diesel cars in India leads to inference of environmental damage and had asked the German auto maker to deposit an interim amount of 14.07 million U.S. dollars with the Central Pollution Control Board.

The NGT said in case Volkswagen fails to deposit the amount, its directors would be sent to jail.

The company has said it would comply with the court's orders.

"The Volkswagen Group reiterates that all cars from the group are compliant with the emission norms in India. The order of the honourable NGT is already under challenge before the honorable Supreme Court. However, the Volkswagen Group India will comply with the order of honourable NGT and deposit the money, as directed," a spokesperson of Volkswagen Group India was quoted by local media as saying.

Meanwhile, NGT has deferred the matter for hearing after it was informed that the case is pending with India's Supreme Court.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:07:48|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian parliament on Thursday ratified a legislation that gives employment and education rights to the estimated 906,000 refugees living in Ethiopia.

The legislation allows refugees to apply and receive educational opportunities and gives refugees the right to travel and work across Ethiopia. However, refugees are prohibited from being employed in Ethiopia's intelligence, defense and diplomatic sectors.

The approved refugee rights legislation is part of Ethiopia's commitment towards the implementation of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).

Launched in 2017, the CRRF aims to transform the socio-economic condition of refugees in Ethiopia through the provision of education, training and employment opportunities.

The framework, among other things, aims to enhance refugee self-reliance and inclusion, provide refugees with better possibilities for solutions to their plight, and ease pressure on host countries.

According to the UNHCR, Ethiopia is host to refugees from around 26 countries, including Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and Sudan, according to figures from the Ethiopian government.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 22:02:46|Editor: xuxin

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LAGOS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a hotel and office complex in Nairobi.

In a condolence message issued in Abuja, Nigeria's capital on Wednesday, the Nigerian leader commiserated with the government and people of Kenya, describing the attack as wicked, cruel and dastardly by evil people.

Buhari assured Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta that the thoughts of the people of Nigeria are with Kenyans at this moment of their national grief.

Buhari called on well-meaning members of the international community to rally round Kenyans to overcome the scourge of terrorism "because any terrorist attack on one country is an attack on all countries."

The number of people killed when terrorists struck an upscale hotel and business complex in Nairobi on Tuesday has risen to 21, the police said on Wednesday night.

The Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group has been targeting Kenya-Somalia border areas and killing innocent citizens since Kenyan soldiers entered Somalia in 2011 to secure the two countries' shared border.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:57:45|Editor: xuxin

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MANILA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' registered foreign portfolio investments for 2018 amounted to 16.03 billion U.S. dollars, slightly lower by 38 million U.S. dollars or 0.2 percent than the 16.07 billion U.S. dollars recorded in 2017, the country's central bank said on Thursday.

On a monthly basis, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the highest gross inflows were recorded in March which hit 2.5 billion U.S. dollars while the lowest was noted in September when it only reached 743 million U.S. dollars.

On a quarterly basis, the BSP said the largest inflows were noted in the first quarter at 5.1 billion U.S. dollars, representing 32.0 percent of the total for the year.

The BSP said outflows for the year amounting to 14.8 billion U.S. dollars reflected an 8.8 percent decline compared to 16.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2017. About 96.8 percent of total outflows represented capital repatriation with the remaining 3.2 percent pertaining to earnings, the BSP said.

The BSP said transactions for 2018 yielded net inflows of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars compared to the 195 million U.S. dollars net outflows for the same period last year.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:32:42|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday underscored the importance of the ongoing cooperation with Russia on several levels, according to state-run news agency SANA.

Assad was cited during his meeting in capital Damascus with a delegation from the United Russia, which is a ruling political party in Russia.

According to the report, Assad discussed with the Russian delegation ways to develop the Syrian-Russian relations and continue cooperation on the economic and political levels as well as counter terrorism.

The president noted that the Syrian-Russian relations should become even stronger in light of the pressure from some Western powers.

For its side, the Russian delegation highlighted the joint work between Russia and Syria to face the schemes of some Western countries "that aim to destabilize some countries," according to SANA.TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Women across Ontario are joining the global march for equality on Saturday January 19, demanding change from the Ontario government. Women march to bring awareness to the changes needed to build a safer, more inclusive Ontario. Women are sending a clear message to policymakers that We will not go back. There are more than 18 marches scheduled across the province.



Women demand equality. That means pay equity, publicly funded child care, decent work, an end to racism and hate, and an end to domestic and sexual violence. This government wants to roll back womens rights, but we are not going back, said Ontario Federation of Labour Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates. We are marching to show the Power of Many. Women are coming together to say yes to equal rights at work, at home, and in law, and yes to working together to win them.

This past summer, the government shut down the expert panel on ending violence against women. Last month, the government passed Bill 57, cancelling the slated January 1 start of the Pay Transparency Act, 2018. It recently introduced Bill 66, which if passed, will remove a number of laws and regulations that support womens equality, including changes to child care regulations and work laws.

Women know that when we come together and push for change, we can win, said Coates. Women are 50 per cent of the voters in this province. Its time for the government to meet our demands.

Women and men and gender nonconforming people, Indigenous and immigrants, of diverse faiths, abilities and ages  are all deserving of equality, justice, freedom, and inclusion, said Coates. We will continue to amplify these principals using education, mobilization, dialogue, engagement and collective action today, on International Womens Day, and beyond.

The OFL encourages everyone to download the petition demanding the government reverse course, withdraw Bill 66 and restore all programs and laws that support womens equality. It can be downloaded here in English or en francais . To sign the online petition, click here .

The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter .

To arrange interviews or for further information, please contact:

Meagan Perry

Director of Communications,

Ontario Federation of Labour

mperry@ofl.ca l 416-894-3456

cope343Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:32:41|Editor: ZX

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by Xinhua writers Zhu Sheng, Li Meng

BERLIN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Austrian automaker Magna Steyr and Chinese electronic vehicle maker Beijing Electric Vehicles (BJEV) on Tuesday celebrated the opening of a new development center.

The development center will serve as a joint platform for developing and building premium electric vehicles (EVs) for Chinese consumers.

HIGH-QUALITY COOPERATION

The joint platform is located in east China's Jiangsu Province, which includes two newly-established joint ventures aimed at developing high-end smart EVs for the Chinese market.

The project dates back to April 8, 2018, when a strategic cooperation agreement was signed between Xu Heyi, chairman of China's BAIC Group, and Guenther Apfalter, president of Magna Europe & Magna Steyr.

"The first objective is that we are going to develop new premium EVs for the Chinese market, and this center will shoulder that responsibility," Karl Friedrich Stracke, president of Fahrzeugtechnik & Engineering of Magna Steyr, told Xinhua at the opening celebration Tuesday.

"China has a good opportunity to lead the global EV market in the future, and therefore it's very important to develop new EVs for the Chinese market," he said, adding that Magna Steyr will be the first automotive contract manufacturer in China.

According to the agreement, the new ventures will take over an existing BAIC manufacturing plant in Jiangsu Province, and the new EVs are expected to roll off the assembly line in 2020, with an annual capacity of 180,000 vehicles.

Earlier this month, the European Commission announced its approval of the establishment of the two joint ventures under the European Union Merger Regulation.

"The approval of the European Commission shows that this is high-quality cooperation between strong alliances, which should be given full affirmation and recognition," Lian Qingfeng, spokesman of the BJEV, told Xinhua recently.

"Thus, we are firmly confident about our cooperation in the next step," he added.

LONG-HELD DREAM

"Investment in the Chinese market is a key part of our geographic strategy and the cooperation with BJEV not only has strategic significance, but also provides a valuable opportunity for both companies," Don Walker, CEO of Magna International, said at the signing ceremony in June 2017.

China surpassed the United States in 2015 to become the largest EV market and has maintained a fast growth rate in the past years. In 2018, over 1.2 million new EVs were sold in the Chinese market, including 984,000 pure EVs with a year-on-year increase of 50.8 percent.

There are currently no comparable domestic brand EVs to compete with Tesla in China's high-end vehicle market, but an increasing number of local challengers are springing up, aiming to provide diverse choices for Chinese consumers in the future.

Xu believed the establishment of the joint ventures will benefit both Magna and BAIC and further strengthen their business growth in China.

"Based on an open and sharing platform, together we will be devoted to the research and development of new-generation EVs to lift the innovation and manufacturing of the EV industry to a new level," Xu said.

As the first listed new EV maker, BJEV sold 15,8000 pure electric vehicles in 2018, with a year-on-year increase of 53.11 percent, and has been the sales champion in the domestic market since 2013.

"These joint venture operations mark a historic milestone for Magna. For the first time, we will be providing our customers with cars engineered and built outside Austria," Walker said at the signing ceremony in June 2017.

Magna, which has a history of more than 100 years in vehicle production, is able to manufacture vehicles with conventional, hybrid and electric power trains, said Walker, adding that Magna is excited to bring the technologies to a market like China, which boasts abundant opportunities.

Magna International has hired more than 22,700 employees at 47 plants and 12 engineering centers in China.

SUSTAINABLE COLLABORATION

Magna started its business in China in the 1990s. For the past decades, China's development in the automotive industry has been faster than that of any other region in the world. China's total sales volume of cars reached 28 million in 2018.

"Our cooperation is based on respective advantages, to form a strong alliance, and finally to fulfill everyone's strengths," Lian told Xinhua at the headquarters of BJEV, adding that by providing each other with one's individual needs, "sustainable cooperation will be achieved."

China has been promoting the development of new energy vehicles in recent years to help cut pollution. The number of new energy vehicles in the country is predicted to reach 5 million by 2020, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

The cooperation between the two companies not only supports the BJEV production line, but also provides a new momentum for the entire Chinese new energy vehicle industry.

"Our Chinese partner is the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in China. Together we want to lift the quality of the products to a higher level," Stracke said.

(Xinhua correspondents Zhai Wei, Tian Dongdong, Ren Liying in Brussels, Zhang Qi in Dublin and Xia Ke in Beijing also contributed to the report.)Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:17:34|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- 2018 was a fruitful year for Zhao Ruqi, general manager of Dongsu Group, a multi-faceted conglomerate based in Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province.

Over the past year, about 8,000 wholesale sellers who closed their shops in Beijing moved to Cangzhou, where Dongsu Group's garment wholesale arm, Mingzhu Commerce and Trade Center, is located. On Aug. 22, more than 1,000 winter coat sellers opened their new businesses there, some 200 km away from Beijing.

"We are now striving to develop ourselves into a national trading center for cotton-padded clothes and down jackets," Zhao said.

WIN-WIN STRATEGY

Five years ago, China initiated a strategy to integrate the development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei to create a model with a better economic structure, cleaner environment, and improved public services. A prominent task is to move the non-capital functions out of Beijing to treat "urban ills" in the Chinese national capital, such as traffic jams and pollution.

According to a guideline released in April 2015, the key functions of politics, culture, international communication, and technical innovation will be prioritized, while other sectors will be moved out of Beijing.

The relocation of general merchandise and clothes markets in downtown Beijing is one of the measures.

Zhao said more than 10,000 shops from markets like Dahongmen and Beijing Zoo garment markets had moved to Cangzhou, with 2,000 clothes manufacturing plants relocated there, bringing about tens of thousands of jobs.

Tian Xiuhua, chairman of a telecommunication sales company which shifted part of its business from Beijing to Tianjin and Hebei, said the labor cost had significantly dropped thanks to the relocation and the sales market would also improve.

"Many young employees are tired of the rising living costs in Beijing, so the relocation has benefited them a lot," he said.

Other measures to clear space in Beijing include the closing of manufacturing businesses, relocation of hospitals and schools and shifting administrative departments of the Beijing Municipal Government to Tongzhou District in the city's eastern suburbs.

At the ongoing municipal legislative session, Beijing Mayor Chen Jining said 204 markets and logistics centers were relocated or upgraded last year, plus the closing of 656 manufacturing companies in the city.

In 2019, more than 300 manufacturing firms and 66 markets and logistics centers, usually high-polluting or low-end industries, will be phased out or moved to nearby regions, said Chen in the government report.

Resources from Beijing and Tianjin, including talents, have injected impetus to the less developed areas. The city of Xinji, Hebei Province, for instance, has established cooperation with 15 academicians, to provide technical and research support in industries such as leather, machine manufacturing, petrochemical engineering, energy saving, biotechnology and electronic information.

"An academician not only represents the highest scientific and research levels in his or her field but also has a powerful team that can help with research and development of companies here," said Di Yi, the Party chief of Xinji and a deputy to the Hebei Provincial People's Congress.

According to him, the city's economy grew 7 percent in 2018, 0.4 percentage points higher than the provincial level, to 48 billion yuan (about 7.16 billion U.S. dollars).

TRANSPORT INTERCONNECTIVITY

Many high-speed railway lines have run through Beijing and the neighboring area, making relocation of the industrial projects practical. People from Beijing will arrive in cities like Tianjin, Langfang and Cangzhou in less than one hour.

The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, where many events of the 2022 Winter Olympics will take place, will be in operation this year, while the expressway between Beijing's Yanqing District and Zhangjiakou's Chongli, two major venues for the Winter Olympics events, will also begin service, Hebei governor Xu Qin said in the provincial government report.

By 2018, more than 40 inter-province bus lines, totaling 2,800 km in length, had been in operation between Beijing and 17 neighboring districts or cities in Hebei, carrying 400,000 passengers every day.

According to Tianjin's annual government work report, construction work on a high-speed railway connecting Tianjin and Beijing's new airport in Daxing District will start in 2019.

Tianjin will also contribute to the construction and development of Xiongan New Area, with a series of measures taken, including expediting construction of transportation infrastructure connecting Tianjin and Xiongan and creating convenient access to the sea for Xiongan via Tianjin.

Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei also work together to tackle air and water pollution.

In the meantime, central authorities issued a special guideline in late November 2018 to establish a more effective mechanism for integrated regional development.

The guideline stressed that the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, which has the removal of non-capital functions out of Beijing as a grab, should focus on the readjustment of regional economic structure and space layout to redistribute the resources of densely populated megacities in pursuit of a model to tackle the "urban ills."

General manager Zhao is confident about Cangzhou's wholesale market development in the future. About 20 km away from the Mingzhu Commerce and Trading Center, Dongsu Group is building a new town for international garment trading, he said.

Covering an area of more than 1 million square meters, the projected town will consist of a complete industrial chain for garment-making, including designing, processing and marketing functions.

"I am optimistic about the prospects of the project," said Zhao. According to him, Dongsu Group has signed contracts with 5,000 companies for entering the town upon its completion.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:12:31|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan's labor ministry on Thursday launched a probe into the release of faulty jobs and wage data spanning a period of a decade or more that resulted in more than 20 million people not receiving their full benefits.

Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry convened a meeting comprised of lawyers and statisticians to look into whether top bureaucrats at the ministry knowingly and systematically covered up the improper method for collecting the data, which serves as a recognized barometer of the nation's employment situation.

Government sources said Thursday that some top bureaucrats and other ministry-linked officials will be reprimanded over the matter, which has seen key data collected from only a third of the 1,400 companies required to be surveyed in Tokyo since 2004.

The ministry is supposed to survey all businesses with employees totaling at least 500 people to compile its official Monthly Labor Survey.

Sources revealed Thursday that a systematic practice of referring to a manual mandating a diluted method of gathering data available inside the ministry, may have led to the years of faulty data being collected and released.

Kyoda News reported that the manual, updated every few years and given to those in charge of the survey, included nebulous phrases such as "accuracy of the data can be ensured without surveying all businesses."

The deletion of such phrases since 2015 has led to suspicions that those in charge had tried to conceal their wrongdoings.

Labor Minister Takumi Nemoto told a press conference that the vague phrasing had indeed been removed form the manual and that government statistics that are supposed to be accurate at all times, as they serve as the basis for policy making, had been undermined.

At the inaugural meeting of lawyers and statistics experts convened to probe the issue, Nemoto described the situation as an "extremely grave issue that undermines the credibility of government statistics" and undermines the public's trust in official statistics.

The improper method used for data collection has led to the government being forced to revise the state budget for fiscal 2019.

The government also has to address the fact that unemployment insurance and workers' compensation in some fields applicable to 20.15 million people and to the tune of 53.75 billion yen (493 million U.S. dollars) has gone unpaid.

Vice Labor Minister Toshihiko Suzuki and others involved in the wrongdoing will be reprimanded as early as Friday, sources close to the matter said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:07:29|Editor: ZX

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TIANJIN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The prototype of China's new-generation exascale supercomputer Tianhe-3 has been tested for over 30 organizations in China, and it is expected to provide computing services to users in China and overseas, the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin said.

The prototype was operated to meet simultaneous demands from 30 organizations including the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, said Meng Xiangfei, head of the center's applied research and development department.

It has provided computing services for over 50 apps in fields of large aircraft, spacecraft, new generation reactors, electromagnetic simulation and pharmaceuticals, he said.

The sample machine passed tests in July last year and is ready for application. It is a first-phase result in the research of exascale supercomputer capable of a quintillion calculations per second.

The new supercomputer Tianhe-3 will be 200 times faster and have 100 times more storage capacity than the Tianhe-1 supercomputer, China's first petaflop supercomputer launched in 2010.

Zhang Ting, an engineer with the center, said the supercomputer prototype will provide high-quality computing and technical service to clients in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and big data. It is expected to help boost computing capabilities for technological institutions.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:07:29|Editor: xuxin

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OSLO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 200,000 Norwegians actively practice carpooling and researchers point out that the carpooling market in Norway is growing bigger, newspaper Aftenposten reported Thursday.

"In the last two to three years carpooling has been taken seriously also by politicians here in Norway," said Vibeke Nenseth, researcher of the Institute of Transport Economics.

Even though increasingly more Norwegians carpool, one in three still do not know what this practice means, Nenseth added.

According to her, a recently launched project by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB), which offers 250 electric cars for short term rental via car sharing service, will contribute to increased awareness of the benefits of car sharing.

Nenseth and her colleagues from the institute expressed faith in future practice of car sharing in Norway, as Norwegians have early practiced use of smart phones and application-based services.

"At the same time Norwegian car fee level for private cars is so high that it will be easier to get people to use car sharing schemes instead of the private ones," Nenseth added.

The researchers further suggested additional benefits for the companies offering car sharing services, such as tax reliefs with purchase of an electric car, free parking and car charging.

Sunniva Holmas Eidsvoll, representative of the Social Left party in Oslo's city council, greeted the proposition, calling it "an interesting idea that should be considered".

The city council approved the bill for 600 fixed parking places for car sharing vehicles that should be established up until 2020.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 21:02:26|Editor: Yamei

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A demonstrator supporting British Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn stands outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on Jan. 16, 2019. The British parliament on Tuesday rejected overwhelmingly the Brexit deal. Main opposition Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence, with a debate scheduled for Wednesday to decide whether May's government will collapse. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LONDON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Leading economists have warned that the British economy could suffer if the country leaves the European Union (EU) without a deal, following the overwhelming defeat of the Withdrawal Agreement in the British Parliament.

After surviving a no-confidence vote by a small margin on Wednesday in the wake of the rejection of the Brexit deal, British Prime Minister Theresa May will have to present an alternative Brexit plan to Parliament next Monday for another vote.

If the alternative plan fails to win the support of MPs, the so-called no-deal Brexit will become closer to occurring. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 as set in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty agreed by EU nations.

"If the UK crashes out with a 'no deal,' without transition arrangements, I think the shock would be severe," Amit Kara, head of UK macroeconomic research at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), an independent think tank, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Kara warned the impact on trade in goods and services and even on movement of people and transport would be instant and negative as a result of unwinding a decades-long relationship between Britain and the EU.

"No one knows really just how much disruption there will be at the ports and in supply chains. It is very hard to call what is going to happen," Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY ITEM Club, an economic forecasting group, told Xinhua.

Both the EU and Britain value highly their bilateral trade. In 2017, 44 percent of British exports were to the EU, while imports from the bloc accounted for 53 percent of all British imports, figures published by the British Parliament showed.

Kara said a sudden no-deal Brexit would bite into the British economy across the board, not just in trade data but also in jobs. "The effect would not just be on the manufacturing sector or just the services sector, it is much broader than that."

"It is things like recognizing professional qualifications. For example, there is mutual recognition but overnight you may not be able to practise as a lawyer -- or what happens to an engineer working in the UK on a short-term contract from France? I think that would be very disruptive," Kara said.

Economists say there would be immediate effects on the sterling and British government bonds, and would cause equity market volatility.

Kara predicted divergence on the stock markets, with the major British firms represented in the FTSE 100 doing well, seeing share prices rising as much of their business is global and measured in U.S. dollars, benefiting from a falling sterling.

However, the next tier of firms on the FTSE 250, with a more domestic focus, will very likely see their stocks fall, or at least perform less well than the FTSE 100, he said.

With the Brexit deal now rejected, the possibilities for the final outcome of Brexit are open, whether it is a delayed Brexit, no-deal Brexit or even no Brexit.

For Archer, he believed the MPs want some kind of agreement before quitting the trading bloc to avoid a no-deal Brexit, otherwise the economy will certainly suffer, even risk recession.

"Our best bet is that somehow they will manage to eke out some form of deal," Archer said. (One pound = 1.29 U.S. dollars)File photo shows StarTimes employees install the satellite television device at the Likii village in the central Kenyan county of Laikipia, July 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Jin Zheng)

KAMPALA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Parliament speaker Rebecca Kadaga has hailed China for implementing a digital television project for rural areas to be connected to satellite television.

Kadaga said the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages project has extended coverage to many parts of the country, where only 30 percent of villages can access television.

She was speaking at a handover event of the access-to-digital-television project at Starlight Primary School in Kananage in the eastern district of Kamuli on Monday.

She urged the community to embrace the programs in order to access news and information.

"I want to thank the Chinese government. Through such programs, our people will be able to be informed on time and also realize the many opportunities outside their communities," Kadaga said, according to a statement from her office on late Tuesday.

Andy Wang, Chief Executive Officer for StarTimes, said the project would provide over 1,000 jobs to youths who will work as technicians in over 500 villages where the project has been implemented.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:52:25|Editor: xuxin

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MALE, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives immigration department said on Thursday that over 60,000 illegal migrant workers were estimated to be living in the island country and it sought public assistance to nab them.

Maldives Immigration Chief Mohamed Ahmed Hussain said in a media briefing that a total of 144,607 expats had been brought into the country under a work visa in recent years, out of which 63,000 are now estimated to be undocumented.

According to Ahmed, hundreds of expat quotas had been issued to cafes and guesthouses while over 3,500 had been issued for projects.

He said the immigration department would now look to solve the expat issue by implementing a number of measures, including bringing legislation on deportation and illegal entry.

According to official statistics by the immigration department, 3,211 foreigners had been deported for visa violations last year while 531 had been sent back due to health issues.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:52:24|Editor: xuxin

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HARARE, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said Wednesday that Zimbabwe is in a good position to adopt a new currency and South Africa would support its northern neighbor's efforts towards economic revival.

"I think the idea of using a new currency in Zimbabwe is a good one," Mboweni was quoted as saying by African News Agency as he addressed journalists ahead of his trip to Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF).

Mboweni said the use of the U.S. dollar was untenable given that Zimbabwe was under sanctions, whose removal he said was central to the country's economic recovery.

He revealed that South African National Treasury director-general and the Reserve Bank governor, had met with their Zimbabwean counterparts in December and had a conversation about the status of the Zimbabwean economy, the finance and banking systems, the attempts to reignite the economic health of Zimbabwe.

The two sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to working together to assist Zimbabwe, Mboweni said.

Zimbabwean finance and economic development minister Mthuli Ncube said last week that the country will have its own currency within the next 12 months, as government is frantically working on raising enough foreign currency to anchor it.

Addressing delegates at a "Road to Davos" townhall meeting in Harare, Ncube said adopting the U.S. dollar or the South African rand would not solve the country's macroeconomic problems.

"On the issue of raising enough foreign currency to introduce the new currency, we are on our way already, give us months, not years," he said.

Asked to give a timeline on when currency reforms would be implemented, Ncube said it would be done "in less than 12 months."Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:42:21|Editor: xuxin

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ROME, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least eleven people were arrested in a major anti-mafia operation carried out in Italy and Germany on Thursday, Italian police said.

Those arrested were alleged members of a mafia clan based in the southeast city of Gela, Sicily, but running its businesses all across the country and in Germany, according to investigators.

All of the suspects were charged with criminal association and drug trafficking, police said in a statement.

The operation was carried out in four Italian areas -- including Sicily and the Lazio region surrounding Rome -- as well as in the cities of Cologne and Mannheim in West Germany.

Italian police said it moved in cooperation with Germany's criminal police and special police forces in order to target at least four of the suspects there.

According to prosecutors in Caltanissetta coordinating the operation, these four alleged mobsters were in charge of the illegal drug trade the clan run in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Thursday's operation represented the last chapter of a longer criminal investigation run by Caltanissetta prosecutors against the same Sicilian mafia family, which had led to the arrest of 37 people and the seizure of some 18 million euros (20.5 million U.S. dollars) in assets in October 2017.TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX.V-VIT) (Victoria or the Company) is pleased to report the assay results from 2018 Nugget and Bluto drillholes on the Dublin Gulch Property, Yukon.



"The 2018 exploration program at Dublin Gulch resulted in a new discovery, the Raven Target at Nugget. This discovery further validated the efforts to build out infrastructure along the growing Potato Hills Trend, stated John McConnell, President & CEO. A drill rig remains on site at Raven which will be a main focus of 2019 exploration.

Nugget

A summary table of highlighted Raven Target diamond drillholes NG18-007C and NG18-008C intercepts is presented below:

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length* (m) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) NG18-007C 67.7 88.3 20.6 1.49 11.56 Including 80.6 88.3 7.7 3.36 30.60 NG18-008C 52.8 60.9 8.1 0.48 1.06 *True widths are unknown at this time.



Holes NG18-007C and NG18-008C were drilled proximal to the Raven discovery hole NG18-006C (See Company News Release of December 3, 2018) in order to gain geometry on gold mineralization.



A geochemical soils program conducted by Victoria over Nugget has defined an approximately 1 kilometer2 coincident Arsenic+Gold+Bismuth-in-soils anomaly that is centered on the Raven Target. Together, the three diamond drillholes collared at Raven last season tested approximately 225 linear meters of this large 1,800 meter long by 900 meter wide soil anomaly that remains open to the south and east. 2,448 soils samples were collected over the Nugget in 2018 on nominal 100 meter spaced lines on 50 meter centres: Au-in-soils results ranged from trace to 5.18 g/t Au and averaged 37 ppb Au; As-in-soils results ranged from trace to 4,838 ppm As and averaged 18 ppm As.

In total, 13 trenches totaling over 1,363 meters were constructed, mapped and sampled in Nugget with over 500 meters of these surface trenches focused on the Raven Target. An area of over 200 meters2 was tested during the 2018 Raven surface trench program and returned scorodite, bismuth and siderite related sulphide vein exposures over the length of the trenches.

An important part of the 2018 Nugget exploration program was the establishment of infrastructure. Not only is vehicular access now readily available, a 25-person exploration camp and associated facilities are now in place at Nugget and will greatly facilitate all next step exploration on the Eastern portion of Dublin Gulch Claim Block, including Nugget.

During the course of the 2018 exploration program, several select grab samples* were collected by Company geologists at Nugget. The results from these selected surface samples emphasize the high-grade gold/silver mineralization evident within Nugget. Highlights from these samples include:

Sample # 2057006: 15.10 g/t Au and 20.20 g/t Ag

and 20.20 g/t Ag Sample # 2057007: 17.20 g/t Au and 16.80 g/t Ag

and 16.80 g/t Ag Sample # 2057037: 22.70 g/t Au and 27.30 g/t Ag

and 27.30 g/t Ag Sample # 2057034: >100 g/t Ag (awaiting overlimit assays)

(awaiting overlimit assays) Sample # 2057036: >100 g/t Ag (awaiting overlimit assays)

*Select grab samples were collected by Victoria geologists over widths of less than 30cm and were sampled to test massive sulphide vein hosted mineralization identified during geological mapping. These select samples are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the Property.

In 2018, Nugget was assessed on a three-level basis, with initial surface and drillholes targeting the northwest contact of the intrusive contact where a large coincident Arsenic+Gold+Bismuth-in-soils anomaly (akin to the Olive-Shamrock Deposit geochemical signature) was identified in 2018 soil geochemical surveys. Here two diamond drillholes and surface trenches were collared and completed. Secondly, the central portion of the Nugget Intrusive Stock was tested for Eagle-Style sheeted vein related gold mineralization with three diamond drillholes and trenches. No significant gold values were encountered in the first five Nugget drillholes within these targets. Lastly, a strong coincident Arsenic+Gold+Bismuth-in-soils anomaly on the extreme southeast contact of the intrusive, the Raven Target, was tested with three diamond drillholes and first-pass surface trenches.

Detailed review and analyses of the Nugget drill results is ongoing by Victorias geological team, with overlimit assays, metallic screen testing of coarse core rejects samples and petrographic analysis of core and vein samples currently underway. Results from 6,600 meters of 2D Induced Polarization lines, 192 line-kilometers of ground-based magnetometer and 172 line-kilometers of VLF surveys plus downhole geophysical investigations at Nugget with final deliverables expected shortly.

Bluto

Bluto represents a ~5 kilometer2 coincident Arsenic+Gold+Bismuth-in-soils anomaly that was greatly expanded with the 2018 soils geochemical sampling survey.

Bluto was tested in 2018 by 10 diamond drillholes for 1,930 meters and 16 trenches totaling 2,004 meters. 1,730 soils samples were collected over Bluto from this exercise on nominal 100 meter spaced lines on 50 meter centres. When added with previous soil samples collected at Bluto a total of 2,550 samples returns Gold-in-soils results from trace to 1.11 g/t Au and average 12 ppb Au and Arsenic-in-soils results from trace to 3,902.00 ppm As and average 94.44 ppm As.

Diamond drilling to date has targeted the intrusive-metasedimentary contacts and a distinct base metals (Lead+Zinc+Silver-in-soils) geochemical anomaly in the central portion of the broad anomalous zone. As with last years drilling efforts, anomalous gold mineralization was identified in almost every hole at Bluto.

Bluto Highlighted Drill Results Table:

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length* (m) Gold (g/t) DG18-981C 16.4 17.8 1.4 0.40 and 53.9 55.0 1.1 0.43 and 114.4 119.5 5.1 0.64 Including 118.0 118.8 0.8 3.31 DG18-982C 42.6 43.4 0.7 0.52 and 50.7 51.9 1.2 0.47 DG18-983C 58.6 60.2 1.7 0.48 DG18-984C 15.2 16.8 1.5 3.60 and 150.7 155.9 5.2 0.38 DG18-986C 41.9 43.9 2.0 0.43 DG18-987C 6.1 9.1 3.0 0.58 and 45.7 50.6 4.9 0.55 and 74.3 80.9 6.7 0.51 Including 74.3 76.9 2.6 1.48 and 117.0 126.5 9.5 0.3 DG18-988C 43.3 48.8 5.5 0.47 and 91.0 92.4 1.4 0.40 DG18-989C 50.8 56.7 5.9 0.43 and 79.8 83.2 3.4 0.52 and 102.0 105.1 3.1 0.42 and 109.0 113.5 4.5 0.48 *True widths are unknown at this time. Drill holes DG18-985C, DG18-990C and DG18-991C returned no significant intercepts.

A full set of plan maps and drill hole sections to accompany this news release will be made available on the Company website. www.vitgoldcorp.com



About the Dublin Gulch Property

Victoria Gold's 100%-owned Dublin Gulch gold property is situated in the central Yukon Territory, Canada, approximately 375 kilometers north of the capital city of Whitehorse, and approximately 85 kilometers from the town of Mayo. The Property is accessible by road year-round, and is located within Yukon Energy's electrical grid.

The Property covers an area of approximately 555 square kilometers, and is the site of the Company's Eagle Gold Deposit. The Eagle Gold Mine is under construction and is expected to be Yukon's next operating gold mine. The Eagle and Olive deposits include Proven and Probable Reserves of 2.7 million ounces of gold from 123 million tonnes of ore with a grade of 0.67 grams of gold per tonne, as outlined in a National Instrument 43-101 feasibility study entitled Report for the Eagle Gold Project and dated October 26, 2016. The NI 43-101 Mineral Resource for the Eagle and Olive deposits has been estimated, as at December 5, 2018, to host 208 million tonnes averaging 0.66 grams of gold per tonne, containing 4.4 million ounces of gold in the "Measured and Indicated" category, inclusive of Proven and Probable Reserves, and a further 20 million tonnes averaging 0.64 grams of gold per tonne, containing 0.4 million ounces of gold in the "Inferred" category.

Analytical Method

All exploration drill core from the 2018 program was logged, photographed, split for shipment at Victoria Golds Bluto Exploration Camp. Once split, half samples were placed back in the core boxes with the other half of split samples sealed in poly bags with one part of a three-part sample tag inserted within. Victorias Bluto Exploration Camp where they were subsequently delivered to the Whitehorse, Yukon, sample preparation facility of Bureau Veritas Minerals. There, samples were crushed with prepared samples sent to Bureau Veritas Minerals, Vancouver, B.C. laboratory facilities.

Bureau Veritas Minerals of Vancouver, B.C. subsequently pulverized all samples and utilized the aqua regia digestion ICP-MS 36-element AQ200 analytical package with FA450 50-gram Fire Assay with AAS finish for gold on all samples. A comprehensive system of standards, blanks and field duplicates was implemented for the 2018 Dublin Gulch drilling programs and were monitored as chemical assay data became available.

All 2018 soils samples were sent to the Bureau Veritas preparation facility in Whitehorse samples were sorted and shipped to Bureau Veritas Vancouver analysis facility where soils were dried, prepped and assayed utilizing a the AQ201 - 35 element ICP/MS Finish analytical package.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul D. Gray, P.Geo., as the Qualified Person. For additional information relating to the Property, refer to the technical report entitled NI 43-101 Feasibility Study Technical Report for the Eagle Gold Project, Yukon Territory, Canada, with an effective date of September 12, 2016, which is available on the Companys profile at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this discussion, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, anticipated metal production, internal rate of return, estimated ore grades, commencement of production estimates and projected exploration and capital expenditures (including costs and other estimates upon which such projections are based) and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include metal prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information Contact:

John McConnell

President & CEO

Victoria Gold Corp

Tel: 416-866-8800

Fax: 416-866-8801Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:42:20|Editor: xuxin

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NAIROBI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will hasten implementation of its agenda for economic growth and social transformation despite tremors triggered by a terrorist attack at an upmarket business complex in Nairobi, officials said on Thursday.

Joe Mucheru, cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology, said that Tuesday's terrorist attack at the 14 Riverside Drive that houses luxurious hotel chain DusitD2 and offices for multinational companies, has not disrupted ongoing programs to revive the economy and promote national unity.

"The country has picked up pieces after the terrorist attack and there is overwhelming support locally and abroad towards our agenda for growth," Mucheru remarked at a press briefing held in Nairobi.

Kenya was in the global spotlight this week when Somalia-based militants al-Shabab attacked the Dusit business complex, killing 21 people including a police officer.

The terrorist attack at the premier business complex bore resemblance to the one carried out by al-Shabab at Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall in September 2013 where 67 people lost their lives.

Mucheru said Kenya has learnt from previous terrorist attacks to upgrade its response strategy and minimize damage to livelihoods.

"Our security forces moved swiftly to neutralize the assailants and managed to evacuate 700 civilians to safety. The civilians came out strongly to send positive messages that reinforced the narrative of our huge potential," said Mucheru.

He lauded foreign governments for refraining from issuing travel advisories in the wake of the latest terror attack, adding that Kenya remained a favorite tourist destination in spite of the security challenges.

Fatuma Hirsi, principal secretary of the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunication, said that Kenya has addressed gaps in the national counter-terrorism strategy to ensure future attacks are contained swiftly and cause minimal disruption to economic activities.

"We are aware that terrorism is a global problem not restricted to Kenya and other African countries hence our resolve to ensure the evil does not overshadow positive developments in the country," said Hirsi.

She noted that investors' confidence remained high in the wake of the latest terrorist attack thanks to swift response from security apparatus.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:17:11|Editor: xuxin

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PHNOM PENH, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will take part in the 22nd ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) to be held in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 21, a foreign ministry's statement said on Thursday.

"During the AEMM, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and their EU's counterparts will discuss various areas of cooperation of common interest with a view to achieving a shared value of regional integration for peace, stability and prosperity," the statement said.

Prak Sokhonn, who is also a deputy prime minister, is scheduled to have a separate bilateral meeting with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom during his stay in Brussels, the statement said.

The EU became ASEAN's Dialogue Partner in 1977 and the engagement of both regions since then has reached a significant height expanding over a range of cooperation areas including political, economic and trade, social and connectivity cooperation, the statement added.

Decades of partnership have seen a number of agreements signed that form a strong and solid basis for future direction of the two regions, according to the statement.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:17:10|Editor: xuxin

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JUBA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan in the next five years would be cleared of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind by more than two decades of war, a United Nations mines agency official said on Wednesday evening.

Speaking at a ceremony for disposal of a large aircraft bomb that was found some 1.8 km west of the country's Juba International Airport, Richard Boulter, programme manager of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) for South Sudan, said South Sudan could become mine-free in the next five years if current clearance efforts continue unabated.

Boulter said though landmines still poses a major threat to millions of people across South Sudan, the rate of mine causalities has reduced significantly in recent years.

According to Boulter, 50 people were killed or injured by landmines or UXO last year, a significant drop from the 5000 cases reported the previous year.

"The situation of landmines and unexploded ordinance in South Sudan is much more positive than many people realize," Buotlter said.

According to UNMAS, decades of conflict in South Sudan have plagued nearly 90 million square meters of land with explosive hazards.

The agency said existence of explosive hazards prevents the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder socioeconomic development in the world's youngest nation.

"Although fighting continues, work for us isn't been generated at the rate at which we are clearing it. So the situation is very positive," Boulter said.

"Basically by next summer, 90 percent of all Payams (lower administrative units) in South Sudan should be free of known minefields, known cluster strikes and known battle fields," he added.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:17:10|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn's lawyers on Thursday filed an appeal with a Tokyo court after it rejected their client's request for bail to be granted earlier this week.

Following his arrest on Nov. 19 on allegations he under-reported his remuneration during the five years through March 2015 to regulators, in violation of Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, Ghosn has been detained for almost two months.

The likelihood is that the automotive heavyweight will remain in detention until the investigations are concluded and he is called to court for sentencing -- a process his lawyer has said could be a lengthy one.

Ghosn, widely recognized as the brains and brawn behind Nissan's rapid turnaround since 1999, has rigorously maintained he has in no way violated financial regulatory laws on reporting his earnings, and has insisted that Nissan incurred no losses from his private investment dealings that have led to allegations of breach of trust.

The 64-year-old detainee appeared in public at a hearing for the first time on Jan. 8 and was granted permission to voice his opinions in court for the first time since his arrest on the allegations he vastly under-reported his remuneration and other charges.

Ghosn and his defense counsel believed that his detention has been unjustified as he has, according to them, not inflicted any losses on Nissan.

The once-revered chief, credited with Nissan's meteoric turnaround, has resolutely underscored his complete innocence along with him pushing the perception of his contribution to Nissan's revival, stating the results of the endeavors by himself and his colleagues were self-evident.

Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese citizenship and has been kept at the Tokyo Detention House, told the court at the time that he had "been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations."

However, the presiding judge at his hearing said Ghosn's ongoing detention was in part due to concerns he might try to destroy key evidence and he was also a flight risk as investigations are still ongoing.

Motonari Otsuru, Ghosn's chief lawyer, has said that Ghosn could theoretically be detained for a minimum of another six months, citing the complexities of the case.

Bail is unlikely to be granted as Ghosn has unequivocally denied all allegations against him, Otsuru also said.

The case, which has rocked both the global automotive as well as the business world in general, has brought into focus Japan's judiciary system and critics have pointed out that suspects can effectively be detained by prosecutors indefinitely, as fresh indictments are made, in pursuit of a confession, without necessarily being granted access to lawyers or allowed visits from family members.

Otsuru said his client, who has asked to be allowed to return to France until he is required to appear in a Japanese court, will likely be detained here until the start of his trial.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 20:17:08|Editor: ZX

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NANCHANG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Six organizations from China, Russia and Mongolia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the conservation of the Siberian crane Thursday in east China's Jiangxi Province.

Also known as the Siberian white crane, or the snow crane, the species is rated as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

The six organizations -- the School of Nature Conservation of Beijing Forestry University, a Siberian cranes protection center in the city of Nanchang, two institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a Mongolian bird conservation center and a nature reserve administration in Dornod Province -- signed the MOU of Siberian Crane Research and Conservation in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi.

Guo Yumin, a professor with the Beijing Forestry University, said that all parties decided to join hands to protect the Siberian crane after multiple discussions. The participants will work together to collect and share scientific data such as breeding areas, population size and different habitats.

According to the MOU, the Russian side will focus on the investigation of the breeding areas of Siberian crane, while the Chinese side is mainly responsible for the investigation of the bird's winter area, and the Mongolian side will carry out research on Siberian cranes in the summer area.

Nikolai Ivanovich Germogenov, director of the Institute of Biology of the Problem of Cryolithozone of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the MOU was a sign of great progress, helping make the cooperation between the three countries more flexible.

The world population of Siberian crane is estimated at about 3,600.

There are three migration routes for Siberian crane - the eastern, western and central route. The eastern populations migrate during winter to China via Russia and Mongolia. But the western and central populations have declined drastically over the past 20 years due to hunting along their migration routes and habitat degradation. EnditemSource: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:47:00|Editor: ZX

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NANCHANG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. tech giant Microsoft on Thursday launched an incubator centering on artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province.

The company said the "Microsoft Cloud & Mobile Technology Incubation Program -- Nanchang City AI+VR Innovation Center" will serve start-ups and existing manufacturing companies, empowering them with new technologies.

The incubator, by lending training and other support to tech companies, is expected to boost the VR industry in Jiangxi, which has launched an industrial base for VR technologies, the first of its kind in China.

The government of Honggutan New District, where the incubator is located, said the incubator is expected to lure dozens of AI, VR and other tech companies into the district.

VR, which uses helmets and glasses to simulate a virtual 3D environment that resembles reality, can be widely applied in education and training, medicine, gaming, tourism and online shopping.

China's VR market expanded 164 percent year on year to reach 16 billion yuan (2.37 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, data showed. The market is likely to exceed 90 billion yuan by 2020, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:41:59|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost defense and military cooperation between the two neighbors, Press TV reported on Thursday.

The MoU was inked in the Azeri capital Baku, following a meeting between Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri and Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov on Wednesday.

During their meeting, both sides explored ways to bolster bilateral defense ties, Baqeri told reporters following the signing ceremony.

For his part, Hasanov welcomed Baqeri's visit to Baku, saying that the two sides discussed "highly important" issues.

The Azeri minister expressed confidence that the visit would further enhance "bilateral military cooperation to the highest level."

The first meeting of Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Defense Commission was held in Baku in October 2017 with the participation of a high-ranking delegation from Iran's Defense Ministry.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:36:58|Editor: xuxin

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WELLINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will promote free trade agreements with Britain and the European Union and the government's wellbeing agenda to global leaders during her European trip next week.

The primary purpose of the visit to London, Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum will be held, and Brussels is to progress a free trade agreement with Europe and to promote New Zealand business interests, Ardern said in a statement on Thursday.

In Britain, Ardern is scheduled to meet with her counterpart Theresa May and reconfirm the understanding that New Zealand will be left no worse off, including in respect of its trade interests, following Brexit, the statement said.

"My visit to the UK is an opportunity to underline New Zealand's position as a natural and long-standing partner for the country as it redefines its global role post-Brexit," Ardern said.

In Brussels, the prime minister will have meetings with presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, as well as NATO secretary general, to discuss climate change, social policy, trade and the commitment to the rules-based system, according to the statement.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the prime minister will be promoting the government's approach to inclusive growth through the Wellbeing Agenda, and the delivery of the world's first wellbeing budget in May this year, it said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:26:54|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met his South Sudan's counterpart Salva Kiir here on Thursday for means of boosting the bilateral ties, the president's office said in a statement.

"The two leaders will hold talks for enhancing the bilateral ties in different fields and will discuss a number of issues of common concern," Bassam Radi, spokesperson of the presidency, said in a statement.

The meeting stressed Egypt's keenness to foster peace in South Sudan, the statement added.

President Kiir arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for a two-day visit.

The South Sudanese president was planned to hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart on mutual ties, regional issues and his country's peace agreement with rebel factions to end almost five years of civil war, state-run Ahram website reported.

The two leaders will also address a range of issues in the Nile Basin countries as well as negotiations over Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam, which Egypt fears could diminish its supply of Nile water but is supported by Sudan, the report added.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:21:53|Editor: ZX

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by Lyu Tianran, Frank Kanyesigye and James Gashumba

KIGALI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The beginning of the year 2019 has seen exchanges between the Rwandan government and China's Alibaba Group, as the two sides discussed agro-products exports in Rwanda and a dozen Rwandan officials visited Alibaba's headquarters in China.

These came after Alibaba co-founder and chairman Jack Ma's first visit to Africa in 2017 and later visits in 2018, which received a huge attention from African countries and African people. So what is the significance of his footsteps in Africa?

STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIP

Jack Ma and Alibaba's presence in Africa can boost the friendship between China and Rwanda, said Yin Qingri, chairman of the Rwanda Chinese Association.

As an eminent Chinese enterprise that can contribute to Africa's development, Alibaba's entering in Africa can also promote the image of Chinese people and Chinese enterprises in Africa, he said.

Footsteps of Jack Ma and Alibaba in Rwanda will "definitely" further strengthen the relations between the peoples of China and Rwanda, said Ismael Buchanan, Dean of the School of Economics and Governance at the University of Rwanda.

China has helped many countries in Africa to develop proper infrastructure among other things, most especially roads, railways, schools, ports, recreational facilities and office buildings, whose presence in Africa will help African countries achieve fast social and economic transformation, said Buchanan.

Their entering into the Rwandan market will also help enhance the country's visibility in the international stage as they have global influence, hence promoting Rwanda and China relationship, said Herman Musahara, an associate professor at the University of Rwanda.

Through Alibaba's platform, Rwandan products will get a huge market in China and many Chinese will come to visit Rwanda, which would further strengthen the relations between the two countries, said Musahara.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES

During Jack Ma's second visit in Rwanda last October, Alibaba and the government of Rwanda launched Alibaba's Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), which makes Rwanda the first African country that launches this platform. The two sides also signed MOUs in the areas of e-commerce, tourism, e-payment and capacity building, under the framework of eWTP.

A deal promoting e-commerce in Rwanda will facilitate its trade with neighboring countries and other countries on other continents, which is a great opportunity for the landlocked country, said Michel Minega Sebera, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Trade and Industry of Rwanda.

Jack Ma plays a big role in China and international sphere, if he is coming to do business in Rwanda, it can show others that Rwanda is a safe country where you can invest and make profits, said Sebera.

Through the cooperation with Alibaba, the private sector in Rwanda can sell products directly to a much larger Chinese market, and the young generation can benefit from Alibaba's technology, the official said.

Jack Ma's visits to Rwanda is a big step forward for investment and business development in the country, said Habineza. He is a big potential investor, he added.

In Buchanan's eyes, the cooperation between Alibaba and Rwanda will promote Rwandan products and tourism across the globe, which are very important towards giving visibility to domestic products from Rwanda and African countries to the outside world.

The eWTP platform will create more jobs to young Rwandans and also bring them more experiences and huge skills transfer, he said, adding that it will also provide capacity building by empowering the growth of the digital economy in Rwanda and Africa, he said.

Small and Medium enterprises in Rwanda and Africa at large can also benefit from the eWTP, said Musahara.

During his visits in Africa, Jack Ma also announced initiatives such as projects to support African entrepreneurs, African young people and efforts of conservation in Africa.

INSPIRATION TO YOUTH

Rwanda's Kigali Convention Center was crowded with participants from 90 countries when Jack Ma addressed the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in July 2017, where he received warm applause.

He has charisma to explain his journey and has practical lessons to offer, which is key to drive entrepreneurship spirit in Rwanda and Africa in general, Musahara said.

He can be a role model of young and old, startups and even countries, said the professor.

Jack Ma is an inspiration to young people who have a passion for becoming successful entrepreneurs and billionaires as the unemployment rate is high in Africa, especially among the youth, said Buchanan, adding that African people and hosting countries want to listen from him and learn from him.

The scholar expected the Alibaba to focus more on supporting young entrepreneurs in Africa to be job creators, as he has the potential to transform the lives of young Africans by providing them with entrepreneur skills.English French

Martha Bejar, an American expert in software technology, is appointed as an independent director of Neopost

Paris, 17 January 2019

Neopost, a global leader in digital communications, shipping and mail solutions, announced today the appointment of Martha Bejar, an expert in software technology, as an independent member of the Board of Directors, effective 11 January 2019.

Ms Bejar was co-opted to replace Ms Catherine Pourre who resigned from her position as Director in 2018.

Martha Bejar's mandate will extend through the remaining term of her predecessor, i.e. until the Annual General Meeting that will rule on the financial statements of the financial year ending 31 January 2019.

Denis Thiery, Chairman of Neopost, commented: "I am very pleased to welcome Martha as new independent director. Her proven expertise in the world of software and her deep knowledge of the American market will make an outstanding contribution to the works of the Board of Directors, notably in overseeing the Group's strategy".

Following the appointment of Martha Bejar, Neopost's Board of Directors consists of ten members who are predominantly independent, a lead director and four women:

Denis Thiery , Chairman;

, Chairman; Vincent Mercier, lead and independent director, chairman of the remuneration and appointments committee;

lead and independent director, chairman of the remuneration and appointments committee; Martha Bejar , independent director;

, independent director; Helene Boulet-Supau , independent director;

, independent director; Eric Courteille , independent director, chairman of the audit committee;

, independent director, chairman of the audit committee; Geoffrey Godet , Neopost Chief Executive Officer;

, Neopost Chief Executive Officer; Virginie Fauvel , independent director;

, independent director; William Hoover Jr. , independent director;

, independent director; Richard Troksa , independent director, chairman of the strategic and corporate responsibility committee;

, independent director, chairman of the strategic and corporate responsibility committee; Nathalie Wright, independent director.

Martha Helena Bejar (57, American)

Martha Bejar started her career at AT&T as a telecommunications engineer, and she then joined Nortel Networks where she held various positions reporting to the CEO. She then joined Microsoft Corp. where she was Corporate Vice President for the communications sector. She was later appointed CEO of Wipro Infocrossing Cloud Computing services. She was then appointed CEO and Director of Flow Mobile, a broad band wireless access solution provider, until she sold the operations to three local service providers in North Dakota. She was later appointed CEO of Unium Inc., a software company specialized in solving complex wireless networking problems, until March 2018 when she sold the company to Nokia Corp.

Martha is the recipient of numerous industry awards including 2017 Inspiring Women of Washington State, top fifty Hispanic women in the United States by Hispanic Inc. Business Magazine. Martha received an Advanced Management Program degree from Harvard University Business School. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami and also holds an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.



ABOUT NEOPOST

NEOPOST is a global leader in digital communications, logistics and mail solutions. Its mission is to help companies improve the way they manage interactions with their clients and partners. Neopost provides the most advanced solutions for physical mail processing (mailing and folder-inserter systems), digital communications management (Customer Communications Management and Data Quality applications), and supply chain and e-commerce process optimization (from point of sale to delivery, including associated tracking services).

With a direct presence in 29 countries and more than 5,800 employees, Neopost reported annual sales of 1.1 billion in 2017. Its products and services are sold in more than 90 countries. Neopost is listed in compartment A of Euronext Paris and belongs to the SBF 120 index.

For more information, please contact:

Gaele Le Men, Neopost DDB Financial Financial and Corporate Communications Director Isabelle Laurent / Fabrice Baron +33 (0)1 45 36 31 39 +33 (0)1 53 32 61 51 /+33 (0)1 53 32 61 27 g.le-men@neopost.com /

financial-communication@neopost.com isabelle.laurent@ddbfinancial.fr / fabrice.baron@ddbfinancial.fr

Or visit our website: www.neopost-group.com

Follow us on: Linkedin @Neopost - Twitter @NeopostGroup - Instagram @neopostgroup

AttachmentSource: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:21:53|Editor: xuxin

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CHARIKAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The district police chief of Shinwari district in eastern Parwan province was killed and two others were injured in clash with the Taliban fighters on Thursday, provincial government spokesman Wahida Shahkar said.

"Taliban rebels abducted a judge from Shinwari district on Wednesday and police launched operations today to rescue the kidnapped judge. But unfortunately in clash with the rebels, district police chief Noor Agha was killed and two more police sustained injuries," Shahkar told Xinhua.

The rescue operations and fighting with the Taliban militants are continuing, the official said, adding efforts and operations are underway to bring to justice all those involved in criminal activities.

Taliban militants are yet to make comments.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 19:06:48|Editor: ZX

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COLOMBO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Over 260,000 Chinese tourists travelled in Sri Lanka in 2018, and the government hopes to attract a higher number this year, Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry said here on Thursday.

According to official statistics, 18,283 Chinese tourists visited the island country in December alone, with the entire year recording 265,965 Chinese arrivals.

"This year we want to attract a higher number of tourists especially from China and India. We hope to launch mega publicity campaigns in some key cities in these two countries," Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said.

According to a statement released from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) last week, Sri Lanka received 2.3 million tourists last year, with December recording the highest number of arrivals with over 250,000 tourists.

China, India, Britain and Germany continued to be the leading markets in 2018 while a significant growth was also seen from Australia.

The Sri Lankan government has set a target to attract 3 million tourists with an earning of 4 billion U.S. dollars this year.Zambian President Edgar Lungu inaugurates the Jiangxi Multi-Facility Economic Zone in Chibombo district, Zambia, Nov. 21, 2018. A consortium of Chinese firms will construct a Multi-Facility Economic Zone in central Zambia's Chibombo district, with President Edgar Lungu saying the project will go a long way in helping the country in its endeavor to ensure value addition to local products. It will cover 600 hectares of land, with an initial investment of 300 million U.S. dollars in the first phase which will create more than 5,000 jobs. (Xinhua)

CHINGOLA, Zambia, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- There is vast potential in Zambia's manufacturing sector for further cooperation with China, an industry group said on Tuesday.

Chinese enterprises could establish manufacturing plants in Zambia to help enhance economic growth in the southern African nation, said Fred Musonda, president of the Chingola Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In an interview with Xinhua, Musonda said as China celebrates 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China and 55 years of cooperation with Zambia this year, exploring the vast potential of Zambia's manufacturing sector should anchor the relationship.

Acknowledging that China has been a strategic partner for Zambia in the development of various economic sectors, the official said that exploring the manufacturing industry will go along in value addition to the southern African nation's raw materials, a move which will steer economic growth and job creation.

Zambia has abundant natural resources that require value addition, which could be achieved through the establishment of manufacturing plants, he said.

According to him, Zambian enterprises have learned from participating in business fairs in China, such as the Canton Fair held last year, he said, urging local enterprises to emulate the work culture of Chinese businesses in order to achieve the much needed development.

The official said Zambian enterprises should take advantage of various trade fairs held in China each year in order to learn from China's economic culture.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 18:31:37|Editor: xuxin

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ISLAMABAD, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for talks to explore ways for political solution to the Afghan conflict, officials said.

A Pakistani foreign ministry official told Xinhua that Khalilzad will open talks with Pakistani officials later in the day after he had discussions with senior Afghan leaders, including President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, over the past few days in Afghan capital city Kabul.

Officials said the U.S. envoy will meet Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and is expected to call on the military leaders during his three-day visit in Pakistan.

The United States has been seeking Pakistan's cooperation to encourage the Taliban to start talk with the Afghan government, officials said.

Khalilzad cancelled his meeting with the Taliban that was scheduled to be held in Qatar on Jan. 9-10, days after the Taliban refused to meet representatives of the Afghan government in the United Arab Emirates.

Before his arrival in Pakistan, the U.S. envoy visited India, the United Arab Emirates and China.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 18:31:37|Editor: xuxin

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MAPUTO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique's main opposition party Renamo elected senior member Ossufo Momade as its new leader on Thursday, according to delegates attending the vote.

Momade, 58, was elected during the 6th congress of the Renamo party, which started on Tuesday in Gorongosa mountain range of Sofala province.

Until the election, Momade has been the interim coordinator of the former rebel movement Renamo, who replaced the late Afonso Dhlakama since May 2018.

Momade has been a senior member of the party since 1978. He was in charge of the civil war guerrillas in the north of the country, and was promoted to lieutenant general after the cease-fire and elected regional delegate from the north of the country.

Momade was Renamo's general secretary until 2013, then head of the party's defense and security department, a position he had held until he won the leadership of the Renamo party.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 18:16:35|Editor: xuxin

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URUMQI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to build 210,700 houses for underprivileged people in 2019, authorities said Thursday at the ongoing session of the People's Congress of the region.

Xinjiang began rural house construction last year and has since renovated more than 470,000 houses in shanty towns, and constructed more than 280,000 subsidized houses for impoverished people in rural areas, including 68,900 new houses in the 22 most poverty-stricken counties in the south part of the region.

The region will continue constructing new houses for low and medium income residents, and promoting the healthy development of the real estate industry, said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 18:06:30|Editor: xuxin

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LUSAKA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the news items in Zambia's major media on Thursday.

-- Zambian President Edgar Lungu's has defended a trip undertaken by his wife with a huge Delegation to the United States to receive donated fire trucks.

Presidential spokesperson Amos Chanda said First Lady Esther Lungu has been invited to receive four fire trucks donated to her organization and not the government. (Zambia Daily Mail)

-- Zambian President Edgar Lungu has sent a message of condolences to his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta over the terrorist attacks that left 14 people dead.

Lungu said the terrorist attacks should be condemned and reaffirmed his efforts to end terrorism. (Times of Zambia)

-- Zambian says it expects a good crop yield this season due to the timely delivery of farming inputs to smallholder farmers.

Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo said despite some dry spells experienced in some parts of the country.((Daily Nation)

-- Zambian President Edgar Lungu is in Ethiopia to attend an extraordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) double troika summit on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC).

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji said the meeting has been called to look at the situation in the DRC. (The Mast)Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 18:01:27|Editor: xuxin

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ULAN BATOR, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Former Mongolian finance minister Sangajav Bayartsogt, who is being investigated for alleged corruption, has again been taken into custody, local media reported on Thursday.

Three district courts in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator on Wednesday jointly made the decision to put Bayartsogt into custody for a month at the prosecutor's request.

Bayartsogt was released on bail in June after he had been held in investigative custody for almost two months.

In 2009, Bayartsogt signed an agreement on behalf of the Mongolian government with Canada's Ivanhoe Mines on developing the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine, granting a 66-percent controlling stake to the company, which later changed its name to Turquoise Hill Resources and is now majority owned by Australian-British mining giant Rio Tinto.

The Independent Agency Against Corruption, Mongolia's top anti-corruption body, accused Bayartsogt of using his influence and position to provide foreign parties to the agreement an advantage in negotiations.

The Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine, located in the South Gobi Desert of Mongolia, is expected to produce an average of 430,000 tons of copper and 425,000 ounces (about 12,050 kg) of gold annually for 20 years.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 17:56:25|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are news highlights in Ethiopia's major media outlets on Thursday.

-- On behalf of the Government of Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has strongly condemned the senseless violent attacks committed on innocent civilians in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Prime Minister has expressed his condolences to the families of the bereaved, and to all Kenyans in this time of mourning, according to a statement by Office of the Prime Minister. (Fana Broadcasting Corporate/FBC)

-- The Executive Committee of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), (the ruling party), started its regular session on Wednesday, the office of the Front said. (Ethiopian News Agency/ENA)

-- The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) and Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation have signed a contract agreement that enable the latter to repair 61 road projects at a cost of 3.5 billion birr. (FBC)

-- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will make visit to Ethiopia from January 27 to 30, 2019, according to a press release issued by the Embassy of Germany in Ethiopia. (Ethiopian News Agency/ENA)Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 17:46:22|Editor: Yamei

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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening of the 2017 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

by Xinhua writer Huang Yinjiazi

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- As chilly as the Alps winter is the global economic landscape beset with growing backlash against globalization when world leaders and business elites are busy packing up for their annual gathering of the World Economic Forum (WEF) next week in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

Some of those frequenters of the forum may still remember a keynote speech delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Davos two years ago, in which he championed globalization and pledged a more open Chinese economy.

The past two years witnessed rising populism and trade protectionism, but also a determined China that honored its words and pressed ahead with further opening-up actions, climaxed by an import-themed fair, the China International Import Expo (CIIE), in the metropolitan city of Shanghai lying on the banks of the Yangtze River in November 2018.

BIG OCEAN

Martin Albrow, a British sociologist known for his works on globalization, remembered that the Chinese president had compared the world economy to an ocean to prove countries are growing interdependent and can no longer retreat into isolation.

"The image of an ocean is a very apt image," Albrow said in an interview with Xinhua on Monday, three days before the two-year anniversary of Xi's philosophical Davos speech.

When addressing issues connected with the ocean, one has to first of all understand one's own position, and then to decide what the best uses one can make of it are, he said.

To make the best use of the tide of globalization, Albrow sees a "wonderful" case in the Belt and Road Initiative brought up by China in 2013. "This (the initiative) is not dictated by economic globalization. It fits with it. It fits with the economic globalization," he said.

China's contribution is significant as it emphasizes key components of a global strategy for dealing with global issues, he said.

Globalization is neither invented nor designed by one person, but is an aggregate effect of human actions and policies, and it calls for collective leadership and the people working as a whole to meet it, he said.

"China offers us the understanding of this global situation," the sociologist added.

RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIBLE

Two years since Xi made his Davos debut, China has been playing a more responsive and responsible role in promoting economic globalization with various actions, including broadening market access, improving the investment environment and increasing imports.

The high-profile CIIE, a climax of those actions, attracted 172 countries, regions and international organizations, over 3,600 companies, and more than 400,000 Chinese and foreign buyers.

Shanghai, located at where the Yangtze River flows into the Pacific Ocean, stood out as an ideal venue for the event that is the world's first import-themed national-level expo and an innovation in the history of global trade.

"Indeed, openness, innovation and inclusiveness have become the hallmark of Shanghai," Xi said at the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the CIIE. "They are also a vivid reflection of China in the new era and its commitment to development and progress," he added.

Sadaaki Yokoo, a senior executive with Panasonic Corporation, told Xinhua in a recent interview that China's opening-up will help countries around the world strengthen economic and trade exchanges and cooperation.

It also promotes the development of an open world economy and provides more and better growth opportunities for businesses around the world, said Yokoo, whose company exhibited its products and technology under the theme "A Better Life, A Better World" at the expo.

Also in Shanghai, U.S. electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla's Gigafactory, an electric vehicle manufacturing facility, is under construction as one of the largest foreign-invested manufacturing projects in the city.

Tesla's Shanghai factory is also the first U.S. plant that benefits from China's new policy that allows foreign carmakers to set up wholly-owned subsidiaries in the country.

China, now the world's largest vehicle market, clearly has advantages in promoting EV production, said Albert Keidel, an adjunct graduate professor at the Economics Department of George Washington University.

"It's not a surprise that the world's automotive industry makers want to move their EV industries there," said Keidel. "That's quite a natural move."

OPENNESS AS SOLUTION

China not only tethers its fortunes to world trade, but has been making efforts, at various bilateral and multilateral occasions, to persuade other players to follow suit for the benefit of all.

"I was looking at the vast ocean when I boarded the ship, and it struck me that we are all indeed fellow passengers in the same boat," said Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit held in November on a cruise ship by the coast of Papua New Guinea.

China has become a propeller of free trade, Li Bo, visiting fellow at the International Center for Chinese Studies at Aichi University, Japan, told Xinhua, adding that this is exactly how the world views China today.

In November in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, Xi urged G20 member countries to stay committed to openness and cooperation and uphold the multilateral trading system.

"China upholds free trade and globalization, which injects certainty into the world to give people confidence that the great powers ... are embracing globalization and free trade," Li said.

It was also in line with the approach with which Xi addresses the differences between his country and the United States in the field of trade and economy, Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The exchanges in trade and economy between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, have been very close and interdependent, Xi told his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, at a working dinner after the conclusion of the G20 summit.

The differences between the two countries can only be resolved through consultations and cooperation, Zheng said, adding that these were the approaches upheld by Xi to resolve other problems derived from globalization.

(Xinhua reporters Jin Jing, Zhang Dailei and Larry Neild in London, Wang Lili in Singapore, Qian Zheng and Ye Shan in Tokyo, Ma Qian in New York and Zhou Rui, Yao Yujie in Shanghai also contributed to the story.)

(Video reporters: Sun Qing, Pan Xu, Chen Jie; video editors: Luo Hui, Zhu Jianhui)VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ICC International Cannabis Corp. (CSE: WRLD.U) (FWB: 8K51) (OTC: WLDCF) ("ICC" or International Cannabis or the Company) is pleased to announce that effective January 17, 2019, the Company will trade under the OTC symbol, WLDCF.



International Cannabis is also listed on the Borse Frankfurt under the symbol 8K51 and on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol WRLD.U. The company's tri-listing contributes to a genuine global presence and affords investors preeminent access to trading liquidity.

ICC International Cannabis, through its subsidiaries, has operating assets and is developing a world-class platform for cultivation, extraction, formulation and distribution across the globe in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Colombia, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Lesotho.

ON BEHALF OF THE ICC INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS CORP. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eugene Beukman

Eugene Beukman

CEO, Director

+1 (604) 687-2038

info@intlcannabiscorp.com

Learn more about ICC by visiting our website at: https://intlcannabiscorp.com/

Stay up to date with everything happening at ICC by following or liking us on:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ICCWRLD/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ICC_WRLD

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/icc-wrld/

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: political changes in Canada and internationally, future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis in Canada and internationally, the Companys ability to secure distribution channels in international jurisdictions, competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 17:36:21|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Chad on Jan. 20, his office said Thursday, where he is expected to announce the resumption of diplomatic ties with the African country.

Netanyahu will depart for a "historic visit" to Chad on Sunday and will meet Chadian President Idriss Deby, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

The visit follows a trip by Deby, who arrived in Jerusalem for a two-day official visit last November. The two leaders held meetings in which they discussed the fight against terrorism and bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, solar energy, and water.

Netanyahu had said he would fly to Chad, where he and Deby "will announce the resumption of diplomatic relations."

Chad, a Muslim-majority country in central Africa, and Israel severed their diplomatic relations in 1972.

Most Muslim or Arab countries do not have formal ties with Israel.

Netanyahu praised the warming ties with Chad as an example of how Israel can form relations in Africa and the Middle East regardless of the continuing conflict with the Palestinians.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 17:31:20|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen people died after a bus overturned in western Ethiopia on Wednesday, also leaving scores of others with serious injuries, police said on Thursday.

Turumsa Solomon, East Wollega Zone traffic police division chief, expressed concern that the death toll could further rise, state-run news agency ENA reported on Thursday.

Some 33 passengers who were on board the damaged vehicle are now receiving medical treatment in nearby health stations, said Solomon.

Ten of the passengers are reported to have sustained serious injuries.

Technical problem was said to be the major cause behind the deadly accident, which was also exacerbated by the thorny geographical landscape of the accident area, according to police.

The deadly accident on Thursday came on the backdrop of another deadly car accident on Sunday that left 17 people dead.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 16:31:05|Editor: xuxin

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SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating stayed high this week on his drive to boost the economy, a weekly poll showed Thursday.

According to the Realmeter poll, support for Moon stood at 49.4 percent this week. It was slightly down from 49.6 percent in the previous week, but the figure continued to surpass the negative assessment of Moon's state affairs management at 45.5 percent.

The worsened air pollution, caused by ultrafine dust, pulled down Moon's support scores, but it was offset by his drive to bolster the economy by meeting in the presidential complex with businessmen from major conglomerates and companies.

The defense ministry deleted its reference to the DPRK as an "enemy" in the biennial defense white paper for 2018, causing a divided response from the liberal and conservative voters.

Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party rose 0.6 percentage points over the week to 40.7 percent this week, keeping an upward trend for the third consecutive week.

It was followed by the main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party with 24.8 percent, up 0.9 percentage points from a week earlier.

The minor progressive Justice Party won 6.9 percent of support, while the minor conservative Bareun Future Party garnered 5.9 percent in approval rating. The center-left Party for Democracy and Peace gained 3.1 percent of scores.

The results were based on a survey of 1,505 voters conducted from Monday to Wednesday. It had 2.5 percentage points in the margin of error with a 95 percent confidence level.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 16:16:01|Editor: xuxin

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PHNOM PENH, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission has imposed tariffs on rice imported from Cambodia and Myanmar in a bid to curb a surge in rice imports from the two Southeast Asian countries.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the European Union (EU) said a significant increase of imports of Indica rice from Cambodia and Myanmar into EU caused economic damage to the EU producers.

"The European Commission has therefore decided today to re-introduce import duties that will be steadily reduced over a period of three years," the statement said.

According to the commission's decision, from Friday, the EU will reinstate the normal customs duty on this product of 175 euros (199 U.S. dollars) per ton in the first year, progressively reducing it to 150 euros (171 U.S. dollars) per ton in the second year, and 125 euros (142 U.S. dollars) per ton in the third year.

During the investigation launched in March 2018, the commission found that imports of Indica rice from both countries combined have increased by 89 percent in the past five rice-growing seasons, the statement said.

At the same time, the investigation found that the prices of the imported rice were substantially lower than those on the EU market and had actually decreased over the same period, the statement said.

"This surge in low-price imports has caused serious difficulties for EU rice producers to the extent that their market share in the EU dropped substantially from 61 percent to 29 percent," the statement added.

Cambodia and Myanmar are beneficiaries of the EU's Everything But Arms (EBA) trade scheme, which unilaterally grants duty-and quota-free access to the world's least developed countries, according to the statement.

Cambodia exported a total amount of 626,225 tons of milled rice in 2018, with 42.9 percent of it going to the European markets, government figures showed.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 16:00:59|Editor: ZX

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MANILA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese naval escort fleet, composed of three vessels, arrived in Manila on Thursday for a five-day friendly visit to the Philippines, according to the Chinese Navy.

The visiting ships, including missile frigates "Wuhu" and "Handan," and supply ship "Dongpinghu" docked Thursday morning at the Manila Port, making the last port call after completing their escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.

This is the second visit by Chinese navy ships to the country since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016. The first visit took place in April 2017 in Davao city, the home city of Duterte in the southern Philippines.

"I believe the visit will enhance military to military exchanges and mutual trust, deepen friendship and strengthen cooperation between our two navies," Rear Admiral Xu Haihua, commander of the 30th Escort Task Group of the Chinese Navy, said upon arrival.

Commodore Wilfredo Burgunio, deputy commander of the Philippine Fleet, told Xinhua that he believes the visit will promote the relations between the navies. "We welcome this (visit). And we hope to have more engagements like this," he said.

"The arrival of our Chinese Navy counterparts underscores the continuing efforts to further strengthen the relationship between our governments and navies. This will further enhance and sustain the promotion of peace, stability, and maritime cooperation through naval diplomacy," he added.

The Chinese Navy will engage in a number of activities during their visit to the Philippines. They will pay courtesy calls to the Philippines' senior navy officers, hold a shipboard reception, organize a tour aboard the ships, and take part in friendly games with their Philippine Navy counterparts.

A send-off ceremony will cap off the port visit on Jan. 21.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:50:55|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A body had been spotted deep inside a mine, where miners were trapped in the northeastern Meghalaya state, Indian navy personnel working in a rescue operation said Thursday.

The body was spotted after over a month's gruelling rescue efforts.

"One body (was) detected by the Indian navy divers using underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at a depth of approximately 160 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine," a spokesperson of the Indian navy said. "The body has been pulled up to the mouth of rat-hole mine and shall be extracted out of the mine under the supervision of doctors."

Officials said the body was yet to be identified.

On Dec. 13 last year, at least 15 miners were trapped inside the mine at Ksan near Lytein River under Saipung police station in East Jaintia Hills, about 140 km east of Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya.

Although the rescue efforts to save the trapped men began immediately, however, low-capacity pumps used by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel turned out ineffective in extracting water from the collapsed flooded coal mine.

Later, Indian authorities pressed in trained men and hi-tech machinery to trace the trapped miners. So far rescuers have been unable to reach the group of miners in "rat-hole" coal mine.

Activists said "rat-hole" coal mining is widespread in the state though they are illegal.

Experts said locals illegally extract coal using dangerous "rat-hole" mines, which means digging into the side of hills and then burrowing horizontal narrow tunnels to reach a coal deposit.

Meghalaya is one of the mineral rich states in India and has nearly 640 million tonnes of coal reserves.

Activists said illegal coal mining is going on in the state despite a ban from India's environmental court -- the National Green Tribunal (NGT) -- on unscientific mining in the area.

In 2012, at least 15 miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine in South Garo Hills district of the state. Their bodies were never recovered, reports said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:50:54|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Three foreign scientists from Singapore, Norway and Japan respectively were awarded medals of honor by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing Thursday, for their contribution to facilitating international cooperation in science and technology.

CAS President Bai Chunli conferred the Academy's Award for International Scientific Cooperation on Singaporean physics expert Shih Choon Fong, Norwegian biologist Nils Christian Stenseth and Japanese meteorologist Toshio Koike.

Shih is a renowned educator, a fracture mechanics expert and a former president of the National University of Singapore. He uses his international influence to encourage collaboration that enables outstanding students from the University of CAS to study in the world's leading universities such as MIT and Oxford.

He has vigorously championed a CAS-led Liquid Sunshine International Coalition to offer green energy solutions.

Stenseth is a biologist from the University of Oslo. He has cooperated with CAS for more than 20 years. His work has enabled CAS to reach the frontier in the field of biological disaster prevention and control, and enhanced the institute's monitoring of biological disasters.

"Through this collaboration we have also contributed profoundly, I am convinced, to an increased friendship between China and Norway, as well as Europe and North America," Stenseth said.

Toshio Koike, professor of the University of Tokyo, is a world-famous hydro meteorologist. He and CAS worked on a number of Sino-Japanese joint observation projects on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, providing CAS with funding, technology and equipment, as well as valuable long-term observation data.

Koike has also made outstanding contributions to the training of researchers and the development of the CAS Qinghai-Tibet Plateau program.

Launched in 2007, the CAS award has been given to 34 foreign scientists. Many of the winners also received China's national award for international cooperation in science and technology.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:50:53|Editor: xuxin

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 militants were confirmed dead after government forces targeted Taliban hideouts in Hisarak district of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday, said a statement of provincial administration released Thursday.

The operations, according to the statement, were conducted in parts of Hisarak district late Wednesday night, killing 10 insurgents and injuring a few others.

The operations did not injure any civilians and security personnel, the statement said.

Taliban militants have not commented yet.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:40:50|Editor: xuxin

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Marine policemen work on the fishing boat in the southwest waters of South Korea, Jan. 17, 2019. A fishing boat caught fire in the southwest waters of South Korea on Thursday morning, leaving one person dead, one missing and one wounded. (Xinhua)

SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- One Vietnamese sailor was found dead and one Chinese sailor went missing after a South Korean fishing boat caught fire in waters off the southwestern coast, Yonhap news agency reported Thursday citing the coast guard.

The 85-ton vessel caught fire at around 8:26 a.m. local time (2326 GMT Wednesday) in waters off Goheung, South Jeolla province.

The 23-year-old Vietnamese sailor was found dead from inside the toilet in the stern, while the 29-year-old Chinese remained unaccounted for.

The Chinese sailor was believed to have jumped off the fishing boast after the fire broke out. The coast guard was conducting a search operation, mobilizing five patrol ships and eight private rescue vessels.

Another Vietnamese sailor suffered burns and was sent to a hospital. The others were rescued by ships sailing near the scene.

The blaze was extinguished by the coast guard one hour later. The authorities were investigating the exact cause of the incident.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:40:49|Editor: xuxin

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SUVA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Fiji has 815 doctors to cater for more than 880,000 people, a Fijian government minister said on Thursday.

Fiji's Minister for Health and Medical Services Ifereimi Waqainabete said that this number was better than a decade ago.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), Waqainabete said Fiji's population hasn't grown very much and so the patient doctor ratio was not bad.

"We've increased by four times the number of doctors within the last 20 years, with majority of these increases happening over the last five years. Within the last four to five years, we've gone from 400 doctors to 815 doctors. So you can see that the government has made very significant contributions towards increasing the critical mass of doctors and really decrease that shortage that we had before,"he said.

Waqainabete said the Fijian government was grateful for Fiji National University's Nursing Practitioner program that assisted when there was a shortage of doctors a few years ago in the island nation.

He also highlighted that apart from doctors, there are also more medical officials now compared to before.

Waqainabete said that while Fiji continued to absorb more doctors from tertiary institutions, they're working on enhancing the quality of doctors in the country.Potsdam, NY, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clarkson University students living in smart housing who attend conservation workshops use 20% less water and electricity than their peers. Those are the results of a new study at the school.

The field study set out to determine if so-called smart environments make for smarter, more informed consumers. The research has been ongoing since 2013 and recently published its first results in the journal Environment and Behavior.

Some students living in Woodstock Village, a newer, more efficient apartment-style housing option on campus, were exposed to two tools used by those conducting the study to see how much impact they would have on students use of electricity and water.

Associate Psychology Professor Lisa Legault, the lead author on the paper, explained some students participated in a motivational workshop on conserving water and electricity and were also given feedback in the form of a tablet affixed to the living room wall in their apartment to show them their usage.

Half the students in the study attended the motivational workshop and the other half did not. Similarly, half the students received electricity and water feedback and the other half did not. The feedback displays showed them exactly how much water and electricity they were using up to the minute, Legault said.

Since the studys inception, researchers have monitored the behavior of 353 students, and have found some interesting results.

What we found was that for hot water, people who went to the motivational workshops and set water goals with their fellow roommates, they used 21 percent less water than those who did not get the workshop, Legault said. For electricity, there was an effect of the feedback screens. People who had screens displaying how much electricity they were using, used less electricity by 20 percent. That was qualified by motivation. That feedback effect was highest when they were also going to the motivational workshop.

Legault said it was encouraging to see that the workshop and feedback were effective in motivating students to conserve resources. She also said she was slightly surprised that although the combination of the workshop and feedback were most effective in conserving electricity, only the motivational workshop was impactful with water conservation.

Electricity and water conservation seem to have been achieved through different mechanisms, Legault said. Maybe the messages we should be using to get people to save water are different than the messages we should be using to get people to save electricity.

For more on the study in Environment and Behavior, Titled Impact of a Motivational Intervention and Interactive Feedback on Electricity and Water Consumption: A Smart Housing Field Experiment visit https://bit.ly/2Hm9c0q.

Clarkson University educates the leaders of the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as an owner, CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university with signature areas of academic excellence and research directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through more than 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences, and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations, and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and innovation with enterprise.

AttachmentSource: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:25:47|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) gained an annualized return of 22.11 percent between 2005 and 2018 by investing in the Chinese A-share market, according to a Cinda Securities report.

Normally, QFII take a value investing strategy, according to analysts. QFII do not always swim with the tide in selecting shares and tend to be patient shareholders that bide their time before making a profit by selling off.

Stable stocks or shares with high dividend yield ratios are favored by the QFII.

QFII have flocked to the A-share market to buy shares of white-spirits maker Kweichow Moutai Group, Wuliangye Group, Sichuan Swellfun Co. Ltd., Gree Electric Appliances and Hengrui Pharma.

For example, Oppenheimer Funds might have earned billions of yuan by buying and selling Kweichow Moutai shares worth about 1 billion yuan (148 million U.S. dollars) in 2014 and 2018, according to an analysis by the Shanghai Securities News.

Introduced in 2003, the QFII program is the earliest and most important arrangement for the opening up of China's capital market. The scheme allows overseas institutional investors to move money into the country's capital account to encourage controlled flows.

As a new step to open up the capital market, China's forex regulator announced Monday that the total quota of the QFII program had doubled to 300 billion dollars.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:15:43|Editor: ZX

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Yu Hong has arrived in the sultanate as both countries look to strengthen bilateral ties.

Yu replaces Yang Jian who served as the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei from January 2015 until last year.

Upon arriving at the Brunei International Airport on Tuesday, Yu told Xinhua that "As a friendly neighbour, the Chinese government and its people are sincerely happy to see the development and prosperity of Brunei."

Yu went on citing the long friendship and history shared between the two nations which span nearly two thousand years and date back to China's Western Han Dynasty.

"The Tomb of the King of Boni in Nanjing and Jalan Ong Sum Ping in Bandar Seri Begawan witnessed our traditional friendship. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, bilateral relations are developing very fast and smoothly, characterized by mutual respect and mutual support," she said.

"Led by the leaders of the two countries and with the joint efforts of the two countries, China-Brunei relations have entered a new stage and is now faced with historical opportunity for further development," said the ambassador.

"I look forward to working with the Bruneian side to consolidate and enrich China-Brunei strategic cooperative partnership, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity," she said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:10:43|Editor: ZX

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XI'AN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have taken two years to excavate a buried town dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279) in Fuping County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The excavation helped show that the Yiting Town was a trade hub during the Kaiyuan reign (713-741) of Emperor Li Longji in the Tang Dynasty. It is so far the country's only well-preserved county seat of the Tang Dynasty.

It was the second excavation after the first phase ended in 2012. Archaeologists with the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology have cleared an area of 1,400 square meters in total.

Wang Xiaomeng, a researcher of the academy, said that the excavated stratums could date to four different periods from the Tang Dynasty to modern times.

Dense ash pits were found in Tang Dynasty layer, together with a large amount of sintering soil pieces, which suggest the town had built a thriving handicraft production for pottery, tiles and bone tools.

In the Song Dynasty layer, archaeologists found famous Yaozhou porcelain objects and pottery, indicating the booming business and prosperity of the ancient trade hub that lasted 600 years.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 15:00:41|Editor: xuxin

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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has offered to mediate between striking teachers and the Los Angeles Unified School District in renewed contract talks, local media reported Thursday.

More than 32,000 Los Angeles teachers and staff took to the streets on Monday to demand smaller class sizes, more support staff at schools and better pay, after weeks of negotiations between the United Teachers Los Angeles union and the school district went nowhere.

It was the first strike by Los Angeles teachers in 30 years.

Union officials said Wednesday that the mayor, who has voiced support for the teachers' cause, had met with representatives from both sides in an effort to help close a deal.

"We cannot continue on without the nurses, counselors and librarians our students need," the union tweeted. But school district superintendent Austin Beutner said meeting the teachers' demands would put too much strain on the district's budget.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 14:30:37|Editor: mmm

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by Xinhua writer Ye Zaiqi

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States and China should work for a collaborative world in the technology field, said a U.S. expert.

Jack Wadsworth, honorary chairman of the board and chairman emeritus of the Asia Society Northern California Center, said he is optimistic about China's long-term development, including its technology and innovation, as well as China's role in world affairs.

"China will become much more important. I wouldn't say powerful or dominant. I would say important," said Wadsworth on the sidelines of a symposium about China's manufacturing, which was held Tuesday in San Francisco.

The forum brought policy experts, technologists and business leaders together to discuss the core effects that China's manufacturing policy will have on Silicon Valley and the global technology market at large.

The participants discussed topics on artificial intelligence, protection of intellectual property rights, China's role in technology manufacturing, as well as the global impacts of the Chinese technological path of development.

"China deserves to be more important on the world stage just because of what they've accomplished, the size of their population, the quality of their education, character of their people that all put the country on a different platform," Wadsworth said.

He said that China's technological development is by no means a threat to the U.S. manufacturing.

"I'm cynical of those people who are sort of fanning the flames of competition and controversy," he said, echoing the opinion that China's development and growth are not about dominance, but about competition.

Wadsworth said he sees no worries about allegations that China's technological development will threaten the U.S. dominance in high technology.

It's hard for China to catch up with the United States technologically, and such fears were fueled by some journalists and politicians, he explained.

"It's this noise at the margin that is particularly the responsibility of politicians ... this is the divisive world of politics, it's not a cooperative, collaborative world. But business people have no problem in collaboration," said Wadsworth, who is also advisory director of Morgan Stanley, an American multinational investment bank based in New York.

He cited a survey by the Committee of 100, a non-profit organization of Chinese Americans in business, government, academia and the arts that aims to encourage constructive relations between the peoples of the United States and China.

The survey conducted by the Committee of 100 every year shows that "the highest level of appreciation and respect for China is the men in the street in America," he said.

The forum on China's development future is a dialogue that is really a two-way conversation, Wadsworth said, voicing hope that the Asia Society will be dedicated to building bridges to finding pathways to making the U.S.-China relationship a productive one.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 14:10:32|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space technology firm SpaceX on Wednesday said it will build and test the prototype of its Mars spaceship in South Texas instead of the Port of Los Angeles, dealing another blow to the local economy days after the company's announcement of massive layoffs.

SpaceX will no longer build its Mars spaceship and rocket booster system at the Port of Los Angeles. Instead, work to build and test the prototype will be done in South Texas to "streamline operations," the Southern California-based company said in a statement.

Last year, SpaceX was permitted to build a giant new facility on a leased port land, which was expected to create hundreds of jobs in the region. But in a Jan. 7 letter provided to The Times, SpaceX Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen said the company would terminate the Terminal Island lease agreement.

The move came just days after SpaceX announced that it would lay off about 10 percent of its more than 6,000 employees.

"To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based Internet, SpaceX must become a leaner company," said the statement of the company.

"This means we must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team... This action is taken only due to the extraordinarily difficult challenges ahead and would not otherwise be necessary," the company was quoted by media as saying.

According to reports, SpaceX is providing a minimum of eight weeks' pay and other benefits to the fired workers. A company representative said SpaceX remains financially strong and can continue to "manufacture and launch at a reliable cadence in the years ahead."

SpaceX was launched in 2002 by Elon Musk for space exploration. This year the company plans to test hop Starship, a prototype designed for human travel to Mars.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 13:55:27|Editor: mmm

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BUCHAREST, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior man died of flu Wednesday, bringing the flu season's death toll to 10 in Romania, according to the health ministry.

The last death was an 82-year-old from the western city of Arad, whose immunity system had been weakened by other diseases and who had not been vaccinated.

From Dec. 31 to Jan. 6, 53,000 cases of acute respiratory tract infections (RTI) were recorded in Romania, up 9.1 percent year-on-year, according to statistics published by the National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases on Jan. 10.

Experts attributed the rise in RTI cases to dramatic changes in temperature, advising people to eat more vitamin-rich food and wash their hands regularly.

Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea has noted that none of those who died of flu in Romania were vaccinated. "Every death is worrying us," she said.

The only measure that can prevent flu is vaccination, Catalin Apostolescu, spokesman of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Matei Bals in Bucharest, was quoted as saying by local media.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 12:55:16|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up his eight-day visit to the Middle East earlier this week, a trip the U.S. experts see full of rhetoric that can hardly regain regional confidence in Washington.

The tour through Monday brought Pompeo to Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, skipping Kuwait due to his personal reasons.

During the tour, Pompeo emphasized the U.S. confrontation with Iran, tried to reaffirm U.S. presence in the region despite planned American troop withdrawal from Syria, and endeavored to unite Arabic countries plagued by internal conflicts.

"It's hard to see any concrete forward movement on any of the issues that he was promoting," David Pollock, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Xinhua.

The credit Pompeo could be given was that he at least reestablished "a kind of closer U.S. connection with all of those different countries," the expert noted.

For Darrell West, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, the top U.S. diplomat just "took an American First line in the Middle East."

As Pompeo made it clear that Iran will continue to be the preoccupation of President Donald Trump's administration, there was little sign showing that the regional countries were ready to side with Washington.

"The Middle East has so many cross-currents," said West.

"There are conflicting interests and local agenda that are hard to corral into a single narrative. The President has not yet been successful at getting all the relevant countries to unite against Iran," the scholar commented.

Experts also doubted how effective Pompeo's trip was in comforting the allies after the U.S. decision to pull troops out of Syria.

It is still hard to say if Pompeo "achieved any of his goals related to assuring his hosts about American reliability post-Syrian withdrawal," said Wayne White, former deputy director of the Middle East intelligence office of the State Department.

"They listened, asked a few questions, but probably remained unconvinced that the erratic Trump White House could be considered reliable, especially at times when it was beleaguered domestically," White added.

Dalia Dassa Kaye, director of Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation, agreed with White.

"Given continued confusion about the direction of U.S. policy and gaps between rhetoric and actions, it is still unclear that he (Pompeo) succeeded in restoring confidence in U.S. leadership," Kaye said.

Meanwhile, the troops' exit has been interpreted as signaling a U.S. "lack of interest" in the region.

It has become increasingly clear that Washington has been shifting its focus away from the Middle East, said Pollock, adding that the tendency also reflected the U.S. public and Congressional opinion.

"There's zero energy dependence for the United States itself on the Middle East, that's actually a reality now. And there's a rise of concern of rival powers outside the Middle East," noted Pollock.

"The Trump White House's tendency toward precipitate, unanticipated moves in the Middle East such as the Syrian withdrawal complicates efforts to predict how regional developments in the region will evolve through 2020," White said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 12:00:07|Editor: Liangyu

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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will undertake a working visit to Britain, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

In a statement, the ministry said Mahathir was scheduled to deliver a speech at Oxford University on Jan. 18 and meet the secretary general of the Commonwealth on the same day.

"Among the issues to be discussed during their meeting are intra-Commonwealth trade and investment, good governance and preventing and countering extremism.

"The Prime Minister's visit aims to continue the long standing good relations that have been established between Malaysia and the UK. The visit is also expected to strengthen the bond of friendship and cooperation between the two countries," the statement added.

This will be the second working visit to the country by Mahathir since taking office in May last year.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 11:25:00|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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MEXICO CITY, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Mexico plans to regulate the entry of hundreds of undocumented migrants expected at its southern border, an official source said on Wednesday.

Authorities are planning a procedure to register the entry of women and children as one group, and adult males as another, said Tonatiuh Guillen, the head of Mexico's National Immigration Institute (INM), in a radio interview.

The idea is to ensure migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border enter in a safe and orderly way, he said.

They will also be given humanitarian aid and orientation about the possibility of finding work in south Mexico and other options to pursuing asylum in the United States, said Guillen.

"Those who are ... interested and willing to get closer to Mexico from an employment perspective, can do so almost immediately," he said.

The latest caravan of migrants set out from northern Honduras Monday night, and currently numbers about 1,000, according to media reports.

Officials expect the caravan to arrive at the Suchiate border crossing bridge linking Mexico's southern state of Chiapas and Guatemala.

Guillen acknowledged the migrants were motivated by a desire to build a better life, but said they were misinformed and under the impression that the United States would offer them a safe haven, which is not the case.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up security at the border and made it harder to apply for asylum. A dispute over congressional funds for Trump's border wall has led to the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history.

"These caravans are organized structures ... there are people behind them, some very obvious, others less clear, but there's no doubt that they are structured events. The matter there is to see what interests are behind these mobilizations," said Guillen.NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire - TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN), a Canadian-based provider of services to help cannabis farmers and manufacturers establish and increase their brand awareness, announces it has engaged the corporate communications expertise of NetworkNewsWire ("NNW").



TransCanna helps its clients in the cannabis industry get recognized by end consumers, who in turn purchase their products. The company offers, or will be offering, its services throughout most aspect of the ecosystem, from branding, design, transportation and distribution to marketing and sales.

NetworkNewsWire is a multifaceted financial news and publishing company that helps public and private organizations find their voice and build market visibility. As part of the Client-Partner relationship with TransCanna, NNW will leverage its distribution network of over 5,000 key syndication outlets, various newsletters, social media channels, blogs, and other outreach tools to generate greater brand awareness for the company.

"TransCanna recently raised $2.2 million in its January IPO, a stout catalyst for its growth and expansion in the lucrative cannabis industry, especially when you review the companys cap structure. Post IPO theres approximately 17 million shares outstanding, fully diluted approximately 25 million shares. On top of that, only approximately 4.4 million shares are currently in the float, states Sherri Franklin, Director of Client Solutions for NNW. We are pleased to partner with TransCanna and provide for it a communications campaign that keeps the investment community up-to-date on the company's operations.

About TransCanna Holdings Inc.

TransCanna Holdings is a Canadian-based company providing branding, transportation and distribution services through its wholly owned California subsidiaries, to a range of industries including the cannabis marketplace.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at

www.transcanna.com

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is a financial news and content distribution company that provides (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible, (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets, (3) enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact, (4) social media distribution via the Investor Brand Network (IBN) to nearly 2 million followers, (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions, and (6) a total news coverage solution with NNW Prime . As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in todays market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge.

For more information, please visit: https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com .

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer .

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

Corporate Communications Contact:Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 11:19:57|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday expressed growing concern about the continued deterioration of the security situation in central Mali, and asked the government and armed groups to implement a 2015 peace agreement.

The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the continued attacks, including terrorist attacks, against civilians, representatives from local, regional and state institutions, as well as national, international and UN security forces, said the Security Council in a press statement.

They also condemned the recent surge in intercommunal violence which has led to the loss of numerous innocent lives. They urged Malian authorities to ensure that those responsible for crimes involving violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law are held accountable and brought to justice without undue delay.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in clashes and terrorist attacks since last month in Mali's central and northern regions.

The council members underlined that stabilization of the situation in central Mali requires a fully integrated plan encompassing simultaneous pursuit of progress on security, governance, development, reconciliation, as well as protection and promotion of human rights.

The council members expressed "a significant sense of impatience" with parties over the persistent delays in the full implementation of key provisions of the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. They urged the Malian government and relevant armed groups to take immediate and concrete action to effectively implement the remaining key provisions of the agreement.

The Malian government in 2015 signed the agreement with pro-government militias and some rebel groups in a bid to end hostilities and launch development programs in its troubled north, as well as to restore peace and stability to the country.

Conflict in northern Mali started in 2012, and the security situation remained volatile with an increased number of incidents in 2018 despite the signing of the agreement.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 10:24:47|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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YAOUNDE, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-six passengers have been released one day after they were abducted by gunmen on Tuesday along the Buea-Kumba highway in Cameroon's southwest, one of the two war-torn English-speaking regions, according to local authorities.

"They (kidnappers) took us somewhere and collected money, phones and other belongings from us and released us after. They asked us to trek to our various destinations." said Divine Asong, one of the kidnapped passengers.

"We trekked for a long distance. It was a sad experience," he added.

After the release, locals held an emergency meeting with senior government officials in Kumba, one of the commercial towns in Cameroon Anglophone, to discuss ways of curbing the rampant kidnappings in the troubled region.

"We asked that government should put in place urgent measures to restore peace in the area. Among other things, we asked that detained separatist leaders should be released and the region demilitarize to appease the people," a local who attended the meeting told Xinhua.

The abduction came about two months after a group of 79 school children were kidnapped in Bamenda, the most populous city of Cameroon's Northwest, another English-speaking region.

The local government has blamed armed separatists for the abductions, yet the separatists claimed that the government staged the kidnappings to tarnish their image internationally.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 10:14:41|Editor: Liangyu

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Yang Jiechi (3rd R), Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, and a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (1st R) in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)

CAIRO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative Yang Jiechi and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi agreed on Wednesday to promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

China and Egypt have made tremendous progress in developing their comprehensive strategic partnership over the years under the leadership of the two countries' presidents, Yang said.

Yang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said his visit to Egypt aims to implement the important consensuses reached by the two countries' presidents.

He expressed the hope that the two sides will maintain the good momentum in high-level exchanges, continue to enhance political mutual trust, and support each other on issues related to their core interests and of mutual concern.

Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the two sides should take advantage of such important platforms as the China-Egypt production capacity cooperation mechanism, to promote pragmatic cooperation in all fields for the benefit of the two peoples, he added.

Yang highlighted the new initiatives Xi proposed at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit and the 8th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

China is willing to enhance cooperation with Egypt, a major country in the Arab world and Africa that will soon assume the presidency of the African Union, to jointly implement the outcomes of those meetings and elevate the China-Africa and China-Arab cooperation to a higher level, Yang said.

For his part, Sisi hailed the deep traditional friendship between Egypt and China, and voiced his willingness to continue implementing the consensuses he and Xi reached.

Egypt will push forward the Belt and Road construction with China, deepen coordination on multilateral affairs, and continue to enhance bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Sisi said.

Egypt will take advantage of the presidency of the African Union to promote China-Africa and China-Arab cooperation so as to achieve more win-win results, he added.

Yang also met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Egyptian President's National Security Adviser Faiza Abul-Naga, and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 10:09:41|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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CANBERRA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reassured voters that his government is prepared for a range of Brexit options.

Speaking after Britain's House of Commons on Tuesday night voted against British Prime Minister Theresa May's deal to leave the European Union (EU), Morrison on Thursday attempted to calm his own constituents amid the chaos.

"We have been working assiduously now for several years since the Brexit vote to ensure that we are addressing our market access - our market access now, in terms of the EU, which still includes the UK, but also envisage how we engage in a post-Brexit world," he told reporters on Thursday.

"The circumstances of that are unclear. Australians should feel reassured that a safe and steady pair of hands has been managing what is a very uncertain and unstable set of arrangements.

"The direct economic impact on Australia, I know from my days as Treasurer, is limited. But it does highlight the impacts of global uncertainty in the economy."

May's defeat on Tuesday has left Brexit at a point of uncertainty, with the British prime minister either facing tough negotiations with the EU on a new deal or headed for a no-deal Brexit, a scenario experts think would have devastating consequences for Britain.

However, conservative members of Morrison's governing Liberal-National Party coalition (LNP) have backed calls for a no-deal Brexit.

"In the seeming chaos, there are obvious and very tangible opportunities for Australia to re-engage with fresh eyes with the United Kingdom," Senator Dean Smith said, arguing that a no-deal exit from the EU would see Britain rush to forge new economic deals.

"The need for the UK to reassert itself economically will be a powerful motivator to cementing durable trade links."Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 09:54:35|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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MEXICO CITY, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday called for guaranteeing the "protection and human rights" of Central American migrants.

According to Honduran media, the latest caravan of migrants seeking asylum in the United States is making its way north towards Mexico's southern border, after setting out from the northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on Monday and Tuesday.

The caravan comprised about 1,000 people traveling in two groups. Like the previous caravans that made the journey in the fall of 2018, this one was organized via social networks.

Mexican authorities have been preparing for several weeks to head off the kind of violent incidents that occurred in October, when hundreds of undocumented migrants rushed Mexico's southern border, wading through river water to avoid checkpoints.

Mexico's Interior Ministry said earlier this week only migrants who comply with procedures will be allowed in.

Still, hundreds of migrants from last year's caravans remain in shelters in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, waiting to apply for asylum in the United States.The dredger "Wan Qing Sha" works at the construction site of the Colombo Port City project in Colombo Port City, Colombo, Sri Lanka in this Dec. 16, 2017 file photo. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)

COLOMBO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A China-funded port city being constructed in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo has completed the reclamation of land from the sea and will soon be ready for the second phase, China's CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. said on Wednesday.

The mega 1.4-billion-U.S. dollar Colombo Port City project is co-developed by the Sri Lankan government and China's CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd under the Belt and Road Initiative.

In a ceremony held at the Colombo Port City, officials said the project had marked a milestone with the completion of land reclamation and the last of the four state-of-the-art dredgers used for the sand mining operation had left the project site.

In total, 269 hectares of land from the ocean had been reclaimed.

Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka said the Colombo Port City was a technological marvel and one of the most spectacular development projects Sri Lanka had ever seen.

"Sri Lanka is going to be the center of change in the next few years and the Port City is going to be one of the most vital projects in getting us there. The city is going to make Sri Lanka become the center of South Asia," the minister said.

He added the Colombo Port City was part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which was pushing Sri Lanka's economic outlook in an entire new direction.

Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan said at the event that the Colombo Port City was an important project of the Belt and Road Initiative in Sri Lanka and it would benefit the Sri Lankan people and society.

"Today, 269 hectares of land has been completely formed, ahead of schedule. This symbolizes that the friendship between China and Sri Lanka runs a long history and is worth more than the value of the investment," the ambassador said.

He further said that to date, the Colombo Port City had created more than 4,000 jobs for the local people, benefiting thousands of Sri Lankan families. At the same time, the Fisherman Livelihood Improvement Program implemented by the project company had benefited tens of thousands of fishermen and their families.

Based on advanced concept, rigorous and scientific construction technology and corporate culture focusing on team building, this project will have a huge contribution to Sri Lanka's social and economic development and improvement of people's living standards, the ambassador added.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 09:04:22|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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SYDNEY, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Tesla boss, Elon Musk has quoted 1 billion dollars to build a commuter tunnel under Australia's Blue Mountains, which divide Sydney from the countrys vast western interior.

The renowned tech innovator was responding via Twitter to a query by New South Wales (NSW) member of parliament Jeremy Buckingham, who described Sydney as choking with traffic and asked how much it would cost to build a 50-km underground tunnel.

"About 15 million dollars per kilometre for a two way high speed transit," Musk responded.

"So probably around 750 million dollars plus maybe 50 million dollars per station."

Musk did not specify if he was referring to US dollars.

Musk's Boring Company is currently testing similar tunnel systems to ease congestion in Los Angeles, with a prototype stretch being completed late last year.

Rather than being open to conventional traffic flow, the Boring Company tunnels utilise specialised carriages which can transport people or vehicles at high speeds.

Buckingham said that the transport loop would be the envy of the world, and greatly benefit regional cities.

"You could live out in the beautiful western region of NSW, enjoy the lifestyle, clean air and national parks while commuting into jobs centres of Penrith and western Sydney," he said.

"The infrastructure plan takes the pressure off traffic congestion and resources in Sydney, while providing a lifeline for our regions."Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 09:04:19|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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BRASILIA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil and Argentina on Wednesday agreed to work together to modernize the South American trade bloc Mercosur (Southern Common Market) to make it more "streamlined" and "relevant."

The agreement was reached when visiting Argentine President Mauricio Macri met with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia.

In a joint statement following their private meeting, both said they agreed "to review the common external tariff, improve access to markets and make progress on easing trade and regulatory convergence" within the framework of the Mercosur bloc.

Macri's government currently holds the rotating presidency of the bloc founded in the early 1990s by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

"We agree on the importance of enhancing the bloc along with the other partners - Paraguay and Uruguay - and proposing a new work agenda," Bolsonaro said after the meeting, according to news agency Agencia Brasil.

"The goal is to build a streamlined Mercosur, which continues to make sense and be relevant," he said, while calling for reducing trade barriers and red tape.

Bolsonaro and Macri also pledged to promote prompt responses to "matters of trade and investment, regulatory convergence, easing of trade, easing the flow of tourists, consular cooperation, (and) technological and industrial cooperation in the areas of defense, nuclear, space and satellites."Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 07:30:15|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Invited guests look at light projection during a preview of the Light to Night Festival in Singapore on Jan. 16, 2019. The Light to Night Festival will be held from Jan. 18 to Feb. 24 in Singapore. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:38:32|Editor: yan

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CHICAGO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange closed higher on Wednesday amid Brexit turmoil in Britain.

The most active gold contract for February delivery was up 5.40 dollars, or 0.42 percent, to settle at 1,293.80 dollars per ounce.

After Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal was rejected overwhelmingly in the British Parliament on Tuesday night, investors tried to seek safe haven asset such as gold.

Although May narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, political uncertainty and a possible sudden no-deal Brexit continued to support gold prices.

British businesses have urged May's government to take an immediate action to introduce a "Plan B" to avoid a chaotic Brexit.

Meanwhile, the prolonged partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government supported the yellow metal. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi reportedly sent President Donald Trump a letter, asking him to postpone the State of the Union speech, or deliver it in writing, because of the shutdown.

As for other precious metals, silver for March delivery went up 1.8 cents, or 0.12 percent, to close at 15.638 dollars per ounce. Platinum for April delivery was up 7.8 dollars, or 0.97 percent, to settle at 807.90 dollars per ounce.Lake City, Colo., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- "In my three-day sojourn through the thundering carnival of CES, a few products and services cut through the clutter to offer real problem solving," says Green Builder Media Editor-in-Chief Matt Power. "Some save energy. Others help seniors stay in their homes longer. Still others prevent damage to homes or optimize entire apartment buildings so they can 'talk' to utilities. Some simply encourage more cooking at home. All warrant a second look."



Here are Power's picks:



1. LG Easy Clean Water-Based Self-Cleaning Oven

This pick may sound pretty mundane, but it was my favorite innovation at the show. Its an Easy Clean water-based oven cleaning system from LG that uses low heat and steam to automatically de-funk your oven. It works because of a special baked on enamel used as the oven coating. I zeroed in on this technology because it has measurable impacts on pollution and energy use. Oven cleaners are extremely toxic, and a special risk to kids if stored improperly. At 16 cents/kilowatt for electricity, a three-hour electric self-cleaning cycle for an electric oven costs about 1.10 in energy for each cycle. The Easy Clean system runs at lower heat, for only 20 minutes, so power usage is about one-tenth as high.



2. Ambi Climate AI Air Conditioner Control

This neat gadget, now in its 2nd iteration, makes air conditioners more efficient, by weighing several comfort factors, rather than temperature alone and finding the optimal balance for human comfort. The inventors claim it saves up to 30 percent on energy usage. It's designed to "learn" from user behavior, something along the lines of the Nest thermostat. This model works with hundreds of newer air conditioners, but they have to have an LCD remote control to be compatible. From Ambi Climate Labs.



3. Domalys Aladin Smart Lamp

More than it appears (and maybe that's the point), this smart lamp offers a good, simple example of passive assisted living technology. Along with sensor for automatic night lighting, it also detects falls. The device connects to wifi, and can respond to motion sensor alerts in different ways, including notifying a care facility or family member if there's unusual activity in a room. For example, there might be a lack of motion over an extended period. This device joins many other technologies that offer passive observation of activities in the home, a key to unobtrusive monitoring of elder housing.



4. Protecto Water Valve Protector

More than a simple, insulated cover for a water meter, Protecto contains smart sensors and a wifi connection. It's intended primarily to keep the meter from freezing--but also to provide early warning about any leaks via SMS to your smartphone. The maker says it should protect the meter from freezing down to abou -22C, or about -11F. One size fits most meters. Available from Protectonnect.



5. Zomekit Apartment-to-Microgrid Converter

This device makes an apartment building smart without replacing thermostats and other devices.The building can then be operated as a microgrid, in conjunction with local utility. According to the maker: "To install, you place the gateway in a central location in the building. This saves substantially, because most similar technology requires a gateway in every apartment. The device works by balancing power usage with comfort and efficiency, controlling smart thermostats, plugs for air conditioners, water heater power switches and appliances. It monitors outdoor temperatures and energy usage for each apartment and spots opportunities for conservation. The ZOME gateway also can be easily expanded to include control for smart appliances, EV chargers, rooftop solar, and electric batteries."



6. Bosch PAI Projected Kitchen Workspace

You may have seen an article by Lloyd Alter at Treehugger, lambasting the concept of putting a touchscreen in the kitchen above a gas range, where it will inevitably get covered in grease and create fire risks for kids. Bosch came to CES with a better idea. Its called the PAI, and its an overhead projector that tracks your hand movements, so you can use it as an emulated touchscreen on virtually any surface, including a birthday cake. Another cool AI feature: throw various foods down under its lens, and it will tell you what recipes contain those leftovers. I've included this "gadget," because I think it offers a way to reduce food waste, and also introduce smartphone-addicted young people to cooking at home. Perhaps if they handle food, rather than simply purchasing it, they might develop a closer connection with the place food comes from.

* As a footnote, a company called Puppy has another version of this technology, but was accused of lacking the killer app just a couple of months ago. Apparently, Bosch already had that killer app in the works.



7. Archibald Soil Sensor

I don't know if this thing actually works. But if it does, it's a welcome new player in the sensor field. Developed in France, Archibald is akin to the probes sent into space to detect microbes and more in soils. It measures the soil properties in an area, than applies a back-end database to the data, to give you a list of plant species that would thrive in these particular soils. This approach to understanding soils is not unlike the classic book, "Weeds and Why They Grow," by Jay L. McCaman. In that book, the author provides extensive charts of "weeds," along with tables showing what soil constituents each weed prefers. The idea is that if you have a lawn full of Queen Anne's Lace, you probably have a calcium deficiency, and need to add lime. I can imagine testing a piece of blighted urban soils with Archibald, and getting a quick fix on which plant might help bring its soils back to life.



8. The Align Project

After scouring the show for useful gadgets, I couldn't resist including our own exhibition from this year's show, to the list. The Align Project, which hosted almost 200 international media on day one of the show, introduced net-zero living in a compact, compelling package designed for a crowd that loves novelty and technology. The 360 sq. ft., stackable house is powered with solar PV, and includes advanced water filtration, wildfire-ready siding, motorized, retractable furniture, and super efficient heating and cooling. Want one on your lot? It's ready to roll, priced at under $150,000 with everything included. Just provide a slab or shallow frost foundation and have one dropped on your lot, ready to move in within hours.



This post may be be reprinted/reposted with credit: Article courtesy Green Builder Media Interested in more content like this? Sign up for Green Builder Media's Vantage enewsletter or digital magazine at Green Builder Media.

AttachmentsNew study finds evidence of changing seasons, rain on Titan's north pole

WASHINGTON -- An image from the international Cassini spacecraft provides evidence of rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons. The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in the moon's northern hemisphere.

"The whole Titan community has been looking forward to seeing clouds and rains on Titan's north pole, indicating the start of the northern summer, but despite what the climate models had predicted, we weren't even seeing any clouds," said Rajani Dhingra, a doctoral student in physics at the University of Idaho in Moscow, and lead author of the new study accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. "People called it the curious case of missing clouds."

Dhingra and her colleagues identified a reflective feature near Titan's north pole on an image taken June 7, 2016, by Cassini's near-infrared instrument, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. The reflective feature covered approximately 46,332 square miles, roughly half the size of the Great Lakes, and did not appear on images from previous and subsequent Cassini passes.

Analyses of the short-term reflective feature suggested it likely resulted from sunlight reflecting off a wet surface. The study attributes the reflection to a methane rainfall event, followed by a probable period of evaporation.

"It's like looking at a sunlit wet sidewalk," Dhingra said.

This reflective surface represents the first observations of summer rainfall on the moon's northern hemisphere. If compared to Earth's yearly cycle of four seasons, a season on Titan lasts seven Earth years. Cassini arrived at Titan during the southern summer and observed clouds and rainfall in the southern hemisphere. Climate models of Titan predicted similar weather would occur in the northern hemisphere in the years leading up to the northern summer solstice in 2017. But, by 2016, the expected cloud cover in the northern hemisphere had not appeared. This observation may help scientists gain a more complete understanding of Titan's seasons.

"We want our model predictions to match our observations. This rainfall detection proves Cassini's climate follows the theoretical climate models we know of," Dhingra said. "Summer is happening. It was delayed, but it's happening. We will have to figure out what caused the delay, though."

Additional analyses suggest the methane rain fell across a relatively pebble-like surface, Dhingra said. A rougher surface generates an amorphous pattern as the liquid settles in crevasses and gullies, while liquid falling on a smooth surface would puddle in a relatively circular pattern.

Dhingra is using the wet sidewalk effect to search for additional rain events on Titan as part of her research.

###

This press release and accompanying images can be found at: https:/ / news. agu. org/ press-release/ new-study-finds-evidence-of-changing-seasons-rain-on-titans-north-pole/

AGU Press Contact:

Lauren Lipuma

+1 (202) 777-7396

llipuma@agu.org

University of Idaho Press Contact:

Leigh Cooper

+1 (208) 885-1048

leighc@uidaho.edu

Contact information for the researchers:

Rajani Dhingra

University of Idaho

+1 (401) 225-3329

dhin8109@vandals.uidaho.edu

The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing 60,000 members in 137 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.

The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho's land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d'Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to nearly 12,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky Conference. Learn more at http://www. uidaho. edu .

Notes for Journalists

This paper is freely available for 30 days. Journalists and public information officers (PIOs) can download a PDF copy of the article by clicking on this link: https:/ / agupubs. onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ pdf/ 10. 1029/ 2018GL080943

Journalists and PIOs may also request a copy of the final paper and multimedia by emailing Lauren Lipuma at llipuma@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number.

Neither the paper nor this press release is under embargo.

Paper Title:

"Observational evidence for summer rainfall at Titan's north pole"

Authors:

Rajani D. Dhingra: Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA;

Jason W. Barnes: Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA;

Robert H. Brown: Dept. of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, AZ, USA;

Bonnie J. Buratti and Christophe Sotin: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, CA, USA;

Philip D. Nicholson: Cornell University, Astronomy Dept., NY, USA;

Kevin H. Baines: Space Science & Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA;

Roger N. Clark: U.S.G.S., Denver, CO, USA;

Jason M. Soderblom: Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT, MA, USA;

Ralf Jaumann: Deutsches Zentrum fr Luft- und Raumfahrt, Germany;

Sebastien Rodriguez: Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP);

Stephane Le Mouelic: Laboratoire de Planetologie et Geodynamique, Universite de Nantes, France;

Elizabeth P. Turtle: John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, MD, USA;

Jason E. Perry: University of Arizona, AZ, USA;

Valeria Cottini: John Hopkins University, MD, USA;

Don E. Jennings: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD, USA.

This story has been published on: 2019-01-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:28:28|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said on Wednesday that the upcoming general strike declared by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) will have a negative impact on the country's economy.

"The government is disappointed by the general strike of the public sector because it will have a negative impact on Tunisian economy," Chahed said in a brief speech broadcast by national television Wataniya 1.

The UGTT "declared a general strike after refusing any government proposals," he added.

Meanwhile, Sami Tahri, deputy general secretary of the UGTT, told a press briefing in Tunis that a meeting between Chahed and the UGTT General Secretary Noureddine Taboubi on Wednesday "lasted only three minutes."

"The two men did not discuss either the progress of the negotiations or any postponement of the general strike," Tahri said.

As a result, more than 1 million employees in the public sector in Tunisia will not go to work from Wednesday midnight under the instruction of the UGTT.

A general strike in Tunisia's public sector had been simmering since Nov. 24, 2018, as the UGTT and the government was trying to seek a common ground over salary increases in the sector.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:23:26|Editor: xuxin

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Delegates take part in talks for the exchange of prisoners in Yemen civil war in Amman, capital of Jordan, on Jan. 17, 2019. Talks have begun in the Jordanian capital of Amman for the exchange of prisoners in Yemen civil war, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Talks have begun in the Jordanian capital of Amman for the exchange of prisoners in Yemen civil war, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, said on Wednesday.

UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross will take part in the meeting, which is already under way, the spokesman told a regular briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

"The two parties exchanged a list of prisoners and they are now discussing steps to implement it," he said.

The spokesman described the session as more of a "technical" meeting on logistics, a follow-up to the implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement reached in Stockholm, Sweden, last month.

Griffiths thanked the government of Jordan via Twitter for its approval to host the meeting as well as for its continued support for efforts to bring peace to Yemen, Dujarric said.

Separate UN-backed talks on humanitarian access to famine-threatened districts continue in Hodeidah, Yemen's major Red Sea port city.

The Stockholm Agreement, as the outcome of the talks in Sweden has become known, produced the format for talks being held in Hodeidah between representatives of the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels.

The meetings are on moving belligerents out of the city of Hodeidah, its port and two other ports in order to give humanitarian workers safe access to trapped civilian victims of the fighting in and around the districts.

The spokesman said that the chair of the mechanism known as the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), retired Dutch Gen. Patrick Cammaert, "has continued to shuttle between the RCC representatives, the government of Yemen and the Houthis, this week."

"The aim is to strengthen the cease-fire and to find common ground on the plan for the redeployment of forces in the three ports and the city of Hodeidah," Dujarric said.

During the partial cease-fire in Yemen, there have been breaches, making representatives to the talks fear for their safety.

"There has been a challenge for Gen. Cammaert himself and others for freedom of movement and it is imperative that all the parties ensure the safety and freedom of movement of the team," the spokesman said.

"Independent of the redeployment plan the parties have now confirmed in writing to the chair their commitment to facilitate access to humanitarian agencies to the Red Sea mills," Dujarric said.

The mills hold about 51,000 metric tons of food commodities which can feed more than 3.5 million people for months, he said.

"In the coming days the chair and his team will propose a plan for the parties and the humanitarian partners on how to access the area and retrieve the commodities before they outlive their shelf life and become unfit for human consumption," the spokesman said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:18:23|Editor: yan

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LISBON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government strongly condemned on Wednesday the terrorist attack at an upmarket business complex in Kenyan capital Nairobi, which has left 14 civilians dead.

In a statement, the Portuguese government expressed its full solidarity with Kenya and conveyed their most sincere condolences to the bereaved families and wished the rapid recovery of those wounded in the attack on Tuesday.

Kenya is a central partner in the fight against terrorism that has been particularly devastating in a region of the East Africa, which had suffered similar and cowardly attacks in 2013 and 2015, also claimed by Al-Shabaab.

Portugal will continue to support, within the international community and European Union, for the Kenyan authorities in this framework, contributing to peace and stability in the region, the statement said.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:13:22|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (L) meets with Pierre Moscovici, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, in Athens, Greece, on Jan. 16, 2019. Greece is now returning to normality, Pierre Moscovici said here on Wednesday after his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Greece is now returning to normality, visiting European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici said here Wednesday after his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Moscovici gave a vote of confidence to the Greek economy and the efforts of the Greek people during the years of crisis, but stressed that there is still a lot to be done.

"Greece is capable of developing, creating new jobs and taking social measures for the Greek people who have suffered so much during the crisis. We hope to make with you, the Greek government and the Greek people, a full success story, because the Greeks deserve it obviously," Moscovici said in remarks broadcast by Greek national broadcaster ERT.

Concerning the Prespes agreement, which resolved the long-standing Macedonia naming dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Moscovici called it a "historic achievement" of great strategic importance for both countries.

The commissioner is visiting Athens after an invitation from the French-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the background of the critical vote of confidence to the Greek government in parliament on Wednesday evening.

Next week, the commissioner will also arrive in Athens, for the second report of the enhanced post-memorandum evaluation, after the country's exit from the bailout programs.

"I am very confident that the next days the Greek parliament will secure the stability of the country because we are in a very significant time. We are in the path of growth," Tsipras said, expressing his optimism about the future.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:13:20|Editor: Yang Yi

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British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for the House of Commons in London, capital of Britain, Jan. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LONDON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May won a vital confidence vote in the House of Commons Wednesday, averting a snap general election that could have ushered in a Labour government.

After seeing off a challenge that would have triggered a battle for control of Downing Street, May announced she would be having immediate talks with leaders of opposition parties to thrash out a new Brexit deal.

Seconds after Speaker John Bercow announced the result -- 325 in favor of the government and 306 against -- May said she intended to start those talks "this evening".

May said she would continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise to the people of Britain to deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum and leave the European Union.

Urging other party leaders to approach the talks with a constructive spirit, May said: "We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House (of Commons)."

Main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on May to rule out "once and for all" a no-deal prospects before any positive discussions took place with party leaders.

Media outlets in London quoted Downing Street confirming May will not take no-deal off the table ahead of talks with Corbyn, creating a potential deadlock in Brexit negotiations.

May's spokesperson said leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Welsh party, Plaid Cymru, were invited to meet the prime minister later Wednesday evening.

Corbyn and his Labour party came under criticism for refusing to take part in talks with May until their demand was met.

A spokesman for Corbyn said: "There can't be meaningful talks about how to find a deal that reflects the majority in Parliament and that can command a majority in Parliament while the threat of no deal, which would be disastrous for the country is still on the table. That must come off the table."

London mayor Sadiq Khan called Wednesday night on May's government to withdraw article 50, the mechanism that triggers Britain's EU departure on March 29.

He said: "If we cannot have a general election the British public must have the final say, with the option to stay in the EU."

In another day of nail-biting drama in the House of Commons, the 10 MPs from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland came to the rescue to save May's Conservative government.

The DUP has a pact to shore up May's minority government in a supply and confidence agreement.

Had the DUP back the no confidence measure put forward by Corbyn and the other political parties at Westminster, May could have lost by just one vote.

In Wednesday night's six-hour debate, politicians on the Conservative benches, who 24 hours earlier were divided on May's Brexit deal, rallied to ensure May's government survived.

Corbyn had urged MPs to back a no confidence move, saying May's zombie administration had lost the right to govern.

Professor Richard Toye, head of history at the University of Exeter said Wednesday: "It is incredibly difficult for an opposition to force a general election. The outcome of the confidence vote will be to sustain Theresa May in office but not in power. We are in the rearranging-the-deckchairs-on-the-deck-of-the-Titanic phase."

May is now on course to continue seeking parliamentary backing for a Brexit deal to enable Britain to leave the EU later this year.

May will return to the House of Commons on Monday to make a statement to MPs about Brexit and to present MPs with an alternative Brexit plan in the hope it has more success than the deal rejected Tuesday by a massive margin of MPs.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:13:19|Editor: yan

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro met with visiting Argentinian President Mauricio Macri on Wednesday in the capital Brasilia to discuss bilateral relations and regional affairs.

The two leaders met privately, and Bolsonaro later said via Twitter the meeting offered a great opportunity to improve relations between the neighboring countries. He added he wants to build a better business environment.

They talked about modernizing the South American trade bloc Mercosur (Southern Common Market) and making it more efficient. They also discussed cooperation in combating organized crime.

"We are confident of the modernization of Mercosur, both in its internal improvement and the expansion of its relations with the world," Bolsonaro said.

"I am confident that today we started to write a new chapter in Brazil-Argentina ties," he added.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 05:08:17|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- With the partial shutdown of the federal government entering its 26th day, Americans' view on whether to expand the U.S.-Mexico border wall has been more sharply divided along partisan lines, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday.

Seventy-nine percent Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the shutdown is a "very serious problem", while only 35 percent Republicans and Republican leaners say the same, the poll showed.

"Republican support for the wall is at record high, while Democratic support has reached a new low," the Pew said in a report.

Overall opinion on the wall is little changed from last year. The new poll found a majority of Americans (58 percent) continue to oppose substantially expanding the border wall, while 40 percent favor the proposal.

Only 29 percent of Americans think it would be "unacceptable" to reopen the government without substantially expanding physical barriers on the southern border with Mexico. Meanwhile, 58 percent of Americans still oppose the border wall altogether.

However, 88 percent of opponents of expanding the border wall say it would not be acceptable to pass a bill that includes Trump's request for wall funding, if that is the only way to end the shutdown. Among the smaller group of wall supporters, 72 percent say a bill to end the shutdown would be unacceptable if it does not include Trump's funding request.

The survey, conducted Jan. 9-14 among 1,505 adults, found that none of Washington's political leaders receives positive approval ratings for their handling of the government shutdown. Just 43 percent approve the way Democratic congressional leaders are handling the government shutdown, while 36 percent each approve how Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders are handling the shutdown.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 04:53:13|Editor: yan

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KHARTOUM, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Arab ambassadors in Khartoum on Wednesday voiced their countries' strong support to Sudan which has been witnessing popular protests recently.

Faisal Hassan Ibrahim, Sudan's presidential assistant and deputy chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), on Wednesday met with the ambassadors from Arab countries of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Jordan, Yemen and Oman, in presence of State Minister at Sudan's Foreign Ministry Osama Faisal.

Ibrahim provided the ambassadors with a detailed explanation about the situation in Sudan and the government's efforts to overcome them.

Saudi Ambassador to Sudan Ali bin Hassan reiterated that Saudi always stands alongside Sudan's government and people.

He also voiced Saudi Arabia's support for Sudan to restore stability and security.

The Saudi envoy said the Sudanese presidential assistant provided the ambassadors with full explanation about the economic crisis facing Sudan and the effective measures adopted by the Sudanese government to overcome it.

He said the ambassadors of the Arab group voiced their countries' support to Sudan for preserving its security and stability.

"The crisis in Sudan is a crisis which all countries go through and emerge from it," he noted.

He thanked Sudan's government for the briefing, calling it a beginning of communication between the government officials and the ambassadors to get the information from the real sources.

Egyptian Ambassador to Sudan Hossam Eisssa reaffirmed Egypt's support for maintaining stability in Sudan, which he said is inseparable from the security and stability of the Arab countries.

He hailed the briefing for its "transparency," adding that Egypt is pressing ahead with its policies to enhance its ties with Khartoum at all levels.

"Soon we will declare the beginning of strategic projects between the two countries so that everybody would know that the priorities of the two governments stand on joint development and upgrading the livelihood of our citizens," said Eissa.

Similarly, Syrian Ambassador to Sudan Habeeb Abbas expressed Damascus' support to the Sudanese people and government at time of difficulty.

He said that there are a lot of misleading information from some media outlets and social media about what is happening in Sudan, and such information has been exploited politically.

Abbas voiced confidence that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the Sudanese leadership are capable of overcoming the crisis.

"What we see in Sudan is normal. The people are exercising their lives and activities normally," he said, adding that he hoped that all the economic problems in Sudan would be solved soon.

Oman's Ambassador Suleiman bin Saud described the briefing by the Sudanese presidential assistant as "important," while expressing his hope that stability and development would prevail in Sudan.

Since Dec. 19, various areas in Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, have been witnessing popular protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 04:48:11|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A hydrologist expert with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday urged Africa to pursue rainwater harvesting in order to mitigate climate change.

"One way for Africa to mitigate climate change is through rainwater harvesting which can be used to recharge groundwater which is a reliable source of water," Jayakumar Ramasamy, regional hydrologist at UNESCO's Regional Office for Eastern Africa, told reporters, noting that rainfall patterns in Africa are changing due to climate change.

He said that UNESCO had already conducted a detailed mapping of all groundwater potential in Africa.

He revealed that groundwater will be the ultimate source for water in most parts of Africa and especially in the arid and semi-arid areas as surface water is reducing.

Ramasamy also decried the unsustainable exploitation of groundwater in Africa due to uncontrolled drilling of boreholes.

"As a result, the level of groundwater is reducing and this can lead to serious negative effects," he said.

Simon Chelugui, cabinet secretary of Kenya's Ministry of Water and Sanitation, said that in Africa 75 percent of the population use groundwater as the main source of drinking water, livestock rearing and urban water supply.

"It is a critical source of water supply for rural communities living far from surface water sources, and communities in arid and semi-arid lands," Chelugui said.

He observed that groundwater sustains ecosystems and also the base flow of rivers.

The government official noted that the African continent has a long history of groundwater use and some aquifers have had a transformational effect on the lives of communities. An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock.

He revealed that groundwater flow is not limited by national boundaries as 72 trans-boundary aquifers have been discovered in Africa.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 04:48:11|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefs the General Assembly on the 2019 outlook, at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 16, 2019. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the United Nations needs to speed up efforts in fighting climate change, achieving toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and harnessing the benefits of new technologies. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the United Nations needs to speed up efforts in fighting climate change, achieving toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and harnessing the benefits of new technologies.

Briefing the UN General Assembly on the 2019 outlook, the secretary-general said that "standing still means falling further behind," and that on these three "key 21st-century challenges," the United Nations should dramatically accelerate efforts.

On climate change, Guterres reaffirmed his stance that the world needs to transform its economies to keep temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with the pre-industrial level.

To that end, the UN chief said he will convene a climate summit on Sept. 23, 2019 to mobilize action by political leaders, the business community and civil society, appealing to world leaders to bring solutions and commitments "that will at last match the scale of the challenge."

Turning to the SDGs set in the UN 2030 Agenda, Guterres warned that "despite considerable efforts from governments and many others, the transformative changes ... are not yet being made."

He called for sharper focus on "what works in reducing poverty and inequality, and in delivering strong and inclusive economies," and urged increased financing for related solutions.

On this front, he said, the UN General Assembly will have its first head of state and government meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development since the 2030 Agenda was adopted in 2015, which will follow the climate summit.

Guterres further announced that the two summits will be complemented by meetings on three other key challenges: Financing for Development, Universal Health Coverage and the risks faced by Small Island Developing States.

With regard to new technologies, the secretary-general said the world needs to step up efforts to enhance its capacity to reckon with their profound impacts.

"The Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to open new possibilities for health care, education, humanitarian assistance and much else," he said, while cautioning against disruption of labor markets, the weaponization of artificial intelligence and the activities on the dark web.

This year, the UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, which was set up in July, will report on proposals for reducing digital inequality, building digital capacity and ensuring that new technologies work as "a force for good," according to Guterres.

"I am convinced that we can move forward with confidence for the green economy and the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," he said.

In Wednesday's briefing, Guterres also highlighted the world's major gains in 2018, which included the ceasefire in Hodeidah of Yemen, the peace deal in South Sudan, the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, progress in resolving Greece and Macedonia' name dispute and two global compacts respectively on migration and refugees.New York, NY, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2019 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability and Transparency (FAT*), to be held in Atlanta, Georgia from January 29-31, is a unique international and interdisciplinary peer-reviewed gathering that publishes and presents work examining the fairness, accountability and transparency of algorithmic systems. ACM FAT* will host the presentation of research work from a wide variety of disciplines, including computer science, statistics, the social sciences and law. To accommodate the rapidly growing interest in FAT*, portions of the 2019 conference will be recorded and livestreamed. The livestream of the general session will be available on January 30 and 31 from 8:45 AM - 5:15 PM EST at https://livestream.com/accounts/20617949/events/8521409/player. Check Technical Program for program details.



FAT* grew out of the successful Workshop on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in Machine Learning (FAT/ML), as well as workshops on recommender systems (FAT/REC), natural language processing (Ethics in NLP), and data and algorithmic transparency (DAT), among others. Last year, more than 450 academic researchers, policymakers and practitioners attended the conference. 2019 will mark the first year that FAT* is an ACM conference.

Algorithmic and algorithm-assisted decision making can affect our lives in significant ways, and this trend will only continue in the coming years, explains ACM FAT* Program Co-Chair Alexandra Chouldechova, Carnegie Mellon University. However, the FAT* conference goes beyond questions of the fairness and transparency of algorithms to encompass the full panoply of interactions between humans and intelligent machines , and how we can ensure that bedrock societal values are inherent in technological progress.

In keeping with the mission of FAT, this years program reflects a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder effort to address the challenges of AI ethics within a societal context, added Program Co-Chair Fernando Diaz of Microsoft Research Montreal. Participants include experts in various disciplines such as computing, ethics, philosophy, economics, psychology, law and politics. FAT* has really struck a chord, and this year we expect more than 500 participants and we hope many more will partake of the conference through the livestreaming opportunities.

This years program, selected by a scientific committee of 122 top researchers across many disciplines, includes 41 peer-reviewed papers (from 162 submissions) and 13 tutorials from leading experts in various fields (including scientists, lawyers and policymakers). Accepted work is wide in scope, including novel technical approaches to identifying and mitigating social concerns involving computing systems, qualitative and quantitative empirical studies of on-the-ground challenges, critical analysis of current trends from law, ethics, history and philosophy, and interdisciplinary papers translating and building bridges for better understanding and collaboration.

In addition to providing a forum for publishing and discussing research results, the FAT* conference also seeks to develop a diverse and inclusive global community around its topics and make the material and community as broadly accessible as feasible. To that end, the conference has provided over 80 scholarships to students and researchers, subsidizes attendance by students and nonprofit representatives, and will be livestreaming all main program content for those who are not able to attend in person. This year also sees the introduction of a Doctoral Consortium to support and promote the next generation of scholars working to make algorithmic systems fair, accountable, and transparent.

ACM FAT* 2019 HIGHLIGHTS

Keynote Addresses

Deirdre Mulligan

Deirdre K. Mulligan is an Associate Professor in the School of Information at UC Berkeley, a faculty Director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, and a co-organizer of the Algorithmic Fairness and Opacity Working Group, among her other roles. Her research explores legal and technical means of protecting values such as privacy, freedom of expression, and fairness in emerging technical systems. Her book, Privacy on the Ground: Driving Corporate Behavior in the United States and Europe, co-authored with Berkeley Law Professor Kenneth Bamberger, is a study of privacy practices in large corporations in five countries. Mulligan and Bamberger received the 2016 International Association of Privacy Professionals Leadership Award for their research contributions to the field of privacy protection.

Jon Kleinberg

Jon Kleinberg is a Professor in the Departments of Computer Science and Information Science at Cornell University. His research focuses on the interaction of algorithms and networks, and the roles they play in large-scale social information systems. His books include Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning about a Highly Connected World, co-authored with David Easley, and Algorithm Design, co-authored with Eva Tardos. Kleinbergs work has been supported by an NSF Career Award, an ONR Young Investigator Award, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, a Packard Foundation Fellowship, a Simons Investigator Award, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and numerous public and private grants. Kleinberg received the 2008 ACM Prize in Computing.

Accepted Papers Include

The Disparate Effects of Strategic Manipulation

Lily Hu, Harvard University; Nicole Immorlica, Jennifer Wortman Vaughan, Microsoft Research

When consequential decisions are informed by algorithmic input, individuals may feel compelled to alter their behavior in order to gain a system's approval. Models of agent responsiveness, termed "strategic manipulation," analyze the interaction between a learner and agents in a world where all agents are equally able to manipulate their features in an attempt to trick" a published classifier. In cases of real world classification, however, an agent's ability to adapt to an algorithm is not simply a function of her personal interest in receiving a positive classification, but is bound up in a complex web of social factors that affect her ability to pursue certain action responses. In this paper, the authors adapt models of strategic manipulation to capture dynamics that may arise in a setting of social inequality wherein candidate groups face different costs to manipulation. The authors find that whenever one group's costs are higher than the other's, the learner's equilibrium strategy exhibits an inequality-reinforcing phenomenon wherein the learner erroneously admits some members of the advantaged group, while erroneously excluding some members of the disadvantaged group.

Whos the Guinea Pig? Investigating Online A/B/n Tests in-the Wild

Shan Jiang, John Martin, Christo Wilson, Northeastern University

A/B/n testing has been adopted by many technology companies as a data-driven approach to product design and optimization. These tests are often run on their websites without explicit consent from users. In this paper, we investigate such online A/B/n tests by using Optimizely as a lens. First, the authors provide measurement results of 575 websites that use Optimizely drawn from the Alexa Top-1M, and analyze the distributions of their audiences and experiments. Then, they use three case studies to discuss potential ethical pitfalls of such experiments, including involvement of political content, price discrimination, and advertising campaigns. The authors conclude with a suggestion for greater awareness of ethical concerns inherent in human experimentation and a call for increased transparency among A/B/n test operators.

On Microtargeting Socially Divisive Ads: A Case Study of Russia-Linked Ad Campaigns on Facebook

Filipe Ribeiro, Federal University of Ouro Preto; Koustuv Saha, Georgia Institute of Technology; Mahmoudreza Babaei, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems; Lucas Henrique, Zeester; Johnnatan Messias, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems; Oana Goga, Laboratoire d'Informatique de Grenoble, Fabricio Benevenuto, Federal University of Minas Gerais; Krishna P. Gummadi, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems; and Elissa M. Redmiles, University of Maryland

Targeted advertising is meant to improve the efficiency of matching advertisers to their customers. However, targeted advertising can also be abused by malicious advertisers to efficiently reach people susceptible to false stories, stoke grievances, and incite social conflict. The authors examine a specific case of malicious advertising, exploring the extent to which political ads from the Russian Intelligence Research Agency (IRA) run prior to 2016 US elections exploited Facebook's targeted advertising infrastructure to efficiently target ads on divisive or polarizing topics (e.g., immigration, race-based policing) at vulnerable sub-populations. Among their other findings, the authors show how the enormous amount of personal data Facebook aggregates about users and makes available to advertisers enables such malicious targeting.

Robot Eyes Wide Shut: Understanding Dishonest Anthropomorphism

Brenda Leong, Future of Privacy Forum; Evan Selinger, Rochester Institute of Technology

Brenda Leong and Evan Selinger critically examine the trend of designing technologies, especially robots and artificial intelligences, that increasingly look, sound, and behave like human beings, the most well-known of which is Apples Siri. Part of the essay involves explaining why this trend is occurringnoting what benefits it can bring and, more fundamentally, how it capitalizes on deeply rooted, evolutionary tendencies in human perception and cognition. But the majority of the essay involves clarifying the risks involvedrisks that include significant privacy and security concerns, as well dangers related to emotional manipulation, misplaced expectations, and even harms related to perpetuating unfair gender stereotypes. To help technologists, policymakers, and the general public make better decisions when this type of design practice is involved, the authors offer a new taxonomy that pinpoints the central problems that can arise when people treat machines as more human-like than they really are. By implication, this conceptual framework also suggests ways to avoid these complications and pitfalls.

Clear Sanctions, Vague Rewards: How Chinas Social Credit System Currently Defines 'Good' and 'Bad' Behavior"

Severin Engelmann, Technical University of Munich; Mo Chen, Simon Fraser University; Jens Grossklags, The Pennsylvania State University; Felix Fischer, Queen Mary University of London; Ching-yu Kao, Technical University of Munich

Chinas Social Credit System (or shehui xinyong tixi) is expected to become the first digitally-implemented nationwide scoring system with the purpose to rate the behavior of citizens, companies, and other entities. Thereby, in the SCS, good behavior can result in material rewards and reputational gain while bad behavior can lead to exclusion from material resources and reputational loss. Crucially, for the implementation of the SCS, society must be able to distinguish between behaviors that result in reward and those that lead to sanction. In this paper, the authors conduct the first transparency analysis of two central administrative information platforms of the SCS to understand how the SCS currently defines "good" and "bad" behavior.



For a complete list of research papers and posters which will be presented at the FAT* Conference, visit https://fatconference.org/2019/acceptedpapers.html.

The proceedings of the conference will be published in the ACM Digital Library.

Tutorial Livestream Links (Partial List)

Room: Georgia Hall 2-3

Tuesday, Jan 29th at 1:00 PM - 6:30PM EST

Livestream Link: https://livestream.com/accounts/20617949/events/8521403/player

Time: 1-2:30 PM: Translation Tutorial: A History of Quantitative Fairness in Testing

Time: 3-3:45 PM: A New Era of Hate

Time: 3:45-4:30 PM: Parole Denied: One Mans Fight Against a COMPAS Risk Assessment

Time: 5-6:30 PM: Challenges of Incorporating Algorithmic Fairness into Industry Practice

Room: Georgia 4-5

Tuesday, Jan 29th at 1:00 PM - 6:30PM EST

Livestream Link: https://livestream.com/accounts/20617949/events/8521405/player

Time: 1-2:30 PM: Building Community Governance of Risk Assessment

Time: 3-3:45 PM: Towards a Theory of Race for Fairness in Machine Learning

Time: 3:45-4:30 PM: Engineering for Fairness: How a Firm Conceptual Distinction between Unfairness and Bias Makes It Easier to Address Un/Fairness

Time: 5-6:30 PM: Reasoning about (Subtle) Biases in Data to Improve the Reliability of Decision Support Tools





About ACMSource: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 04:48:10|Editor: yan

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BEIRUT, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The deputy leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Wednesday that Israel is behind a lot of crises in the region, National News Agency (NNA) reported.

"This region will continue to suffer from successive and cumulative crises as long as Israel exists and acts in such an aggressive manner under American supervision," said Naim Qassem.

"We must always warn that Israel is a big danger and Arab and Islamic countries should come together and find ways to cooperate to face the danger," he added.

Qassem made the remarks during his meeting with journalists from Al Manar TV, a Lebanese television station affiliated with the Shiite political party.

The Hezbollah senior leader also criticized Israel's successive violations of Lebanon's sovereignty.

Israeli warplanes have kept violating Lebanon's airspace in the past few months, prompting President Michel Aoun to call on the United States to pressure Israel to stop such moves.

Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, fought a month-long war in southern Lebanon in 2006 which ended in a cease-fire.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 04:33:05|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday urged member states to step up their support to fund "the most ambitious program of work ever drawn" by her office including the right to development.

Bachelet presented an appeal for 321.5 million U.S. dollars and stressed that sustainable peace, security, and development would only be achieved in an "era of great turbulence" if member countries invest in human rights.

Speaking to delegates in Geneva, she described her office as "a vital tool for greater prevention, and better protection around the world."

"Human rights work is prevention work. It prevents grievances, conflicts, inequalities, and suffering and discrimination of all kinds," said Bachelet.

By assisting all member states in "upholding civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as the right to development", the office brings solutions to the many challenges the world faces, including climate change, infectious disease, artificial intelligence and the future of industries, urbanism, and the rights of peasants and people in rural areas.

The United Nations said Wednesday it would hold the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group from Jan. 21 to Feb. 1.

During the period, the next group of 14 countries are scheduled to have their human rights records examined under this mechanism, namely New Zealand, Afghanistan, Chile, Vietnam, Uruguay, Yemen, Vanuatu, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Comoros, Slovakia, Eritrea, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic and Cambodia.

High-level delegations representing the 14 countries are scheduled to come before the Working Group, which comprises the entire membership of the 47-member Human Rights Council, and other countries wishing to take part.

They countries are expected to show efforts made in fulfilling human rights obligations and commitments, particularly since the last UPR review.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-17 03:22:43|Editor: xuxin

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (not in the picture) in Ankara, Turkey, on Jan. 16, 2019. The bomb attack in Syria's northern city of Manbij killed 20 people, including five U.S. soldiers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the incident is trying to influence U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull out from Syria, Erdogan said in a joint press conference with the visiting Croatian president. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

ANKARA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The bomb attack in Syria's northern city of Manbij killed 20 people, including five U.S. soldiers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the incident is trying to influence U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull out from Syria, Erdogan said in a joint press conference with the visiting Croatian president.

"But I believe Trump will not take a step back against a terror attack because I have seen his determination on this point," the Turkish president noted.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in a written statement.

It is the first deadly attack on U.S. troops in Syria since Trump announced his plan to withdraw all troops from the country last December.File Photo: Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, president-elect of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, speaks to journalists during a press encounter at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 5, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The current world needs multilateralism more than ever before in face of many serious challenges, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"We need more multilateralism, perhaps more than ever before," Espinosa said, highlighting the need for multilateralism that features "cooperation, collective action and global leadership" and allows the international community to have "the capacity to respond and address global challenges through collective action."

The world needs multilateralism that "connects the real-time of conflict with real-time of our response capacity," she said.

"There is no other way that we have to address issues of climate change, disarmament, terrorism and international organized crime, that need cooperation among nations," she added.





ROAD TO PROSPERITY

Espinosa said the world needs stronger cooperation and "a good quality multilateralism -- multilateralism that delivers."

She stressed the importance of dialogue in solving global conflicts.

"Dialogue is the most powerful tool that we have to solve and address global conflicts," she said. "There is no other way that is supported by the Charter of the United Nations."

Espinosa, Ecuador's former foreign minister, was elected last June to become the fourth woman to hold the UNGA presidency.

"Dialogue is the only avenue to build a truly peaceful and prosperous world," she said.





THUMBS-UP TO CHINA

Espinosa cheered China's contributions to the United Nations in support of multilateralism. "China is a very important partner ... it has shown a strong commitment to multilateralism," she said.

She applauded China's contributions to the fight against climate change, saying "China has done a tremendous effort and has a very strong commitment on mitigation and on its contribution to combat climate change."

China has committed to "changing its energy matrix, and to investing in renewable energy in terms of sustainable consumption patterns," she said.

Espinosa said that China, which has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in recent decades, is "a very important and reliable partner" of the United Nations in UN development goals such as poverty reduction.

"This is really a big success," she said, referring to China's achievement in poverty reduction. "This is also a guiding force and a leading force to meet the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals."





BUSIER 2019

Espinosa said the UN has concluded 2018 with big strides such as the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees and the agreement on the implementation guidelines, or a common rulebook, of the landmark Paris Agreement.

The UNGA president said this year she is going to carry on with a campaign to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics. She is also planning to organize a high-level event on the climate and future generations in March.

She will be joining UN Women in the international campaign to eradicate violence against women. In addition, the UNGA chief will be also joining efforts at the 2019 Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security, and hosting three days of dialogue on international migration.

The priorities of her efforts will be in line with the mandates she has received from member states.

"The year is going to be extremely busy," she said.The guided-missile destroyer USS Barry launches a Tomahawk cruise missile from the ship's bow in the Mediterranean Sea in this U.S. Navy handout photo taken March 29, 2011. (Reuters Photo)

MOSCOW, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia is willing to work to save the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty despite the U.S. attempt to bury it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

"I hope those European countries that are interested in this, maybe more than anyone else, will also make efforts not to stand by the U.S. position," Lavrov said at his annual press conference.

On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson held consultations in Geneva on the fate of the 1987 INF Treaty signed between the United States and the then Soviet Union.

Moscow and Washington have been accusing each other of violating the historic arms control deal amid increased tensions.

After Tuesday's meeting, Thompson blamed Russia in a statement for continuing to be in "material breach" of the treaty by declining to destroy the 9M729 missile system. She said Russia had not come prepared to explain its plans to return to full and verifiable compliance with the pact.

Lavrov said at the press conference that the U.S. representatives arrived at the consultations with a prepared program, making it clear that the way to an agreement is already predetermined by Washington.

Thus, the U.S. participants ignored the constructive proposals by the Russian side, which provided expert information that the 9M729 does not violate the parameters set by the INF Treaty, Lavrov said.

Nonetheless, Moscow will keep trying to influence Washington "so that it takes a more responsible position in relation to all members of the international community, first of all the Europeans," he told reporters.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-16 23:41:36|Editor: yan

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HANOI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony of the 38th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) was held on Wednesday in Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province, with delegates slated for discussing measures to make ASEAN a quality tourism destination in the world by 2025.

Some 2,000 delegates to the forum, including representatives national tourism organizations of ASEAN state members, and the World Tourism Organization are to put forth and adopt measures to realize a target set in the 2016-2025 ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan.

The target is that by 2025, ASEAN will be a quality tourism destination offering a unique, diverse ASEAN experience, and will be committed to responsible, sustainable, inclusive and balanced tourism development, so as to contribute significantly to the socioeconomic well-being of ASEAN people.

Themed "ASEAN -- The Power of One," the forum is in line with ASEAN cooperation towards a "One Vision, One Identity, One Community" bloc.

According to the delegates, ASEAN countries will mantain initiatives such as the marketing of ASEAN as a single destination, implementation of the ASEAN tourism standards, and implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 38th ATF which will conclude on Friday, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the annual forum, held alternately in ASEAN countries, plays an increasingly important part in regional tourism cooperation in particular and regional economic, cultural, social and political cooperation in general.Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-16 19:29:57|Editor: xuxin

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ULAN BATOR, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Mongolian government Wednesday announced five days paid leave for parents to take care of their sick children during the flu season.

According to the government's press office, employed parents or carers can take a five-day statutory paid leave to take care of children under the age of five suffering from "influenza and other respiratory diseases during the flu season."

The government called on all employers of public and private organizations and companies to follow the policy which should be executed from Wednesday to mid-March.

Due to air pollution, cases of influenza, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases have been increasing in the Asian country, especially in its capital Ulan Bator.

Children's wards in hospitals in the capital city are now over capacity and have had to resort to overflow beds, according to the Health Ministry.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Tallahassee Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a man who damaged items at a business.

The suspect kicked items and caused damage at Florida Power and Light, 134 W. Jefferson St., TPD said in a Facebook post.

The TPD's Burglary Crimes Unit is investigating the man for trespassing and criminal mischief that occurred on Jan. 12, 2019.

If you have any information, call Investigator Ray at 850-891-4580WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) -Tallahassee Community College teamed up with Career Source Capital Region to host the first annual discovery fair on Wednesday in Wakulla County.

The free event was meant to connect job seekers with in-demand training and employment opportunities.

People were learning about training in fields from IT to construction to healthcare all which Career Source helps pay for.

"It's just letting people know that funding, money, time shouldn't be a deterrent for taking that next step in their career. And then for those individuals just starting out, we have a representative here talking about getting your GED so you can start that next phase in your training," said Wakulla Center Manager, Desiree Gorman.

The hope is that Wakulla County can bring more of these fairs to residents to help them find new training and job opportunities.

The next one will be held February 21.AVON, Conn., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The most common sales and training broker services offered include local assistance closing a case, online commission statements and forms, continuing education, and online product and voluntary sales training, found Eastbridges Broker and Client Services for Voluntary Carriers Spotlight Report. In addition, the top enrollment broker services offered were enrollment communications for employers, test data feeds, custom enrollment materials, and product set-up on outside enrollment platforms. Prescreened enrollers/enrollment companies, an online or laptop enrollment system, carrier-provided enrollers, and personal, prepopulated enrollment forms were offered by over half of the carriers surveyed.



The services provided by over half of carriers on behalf of brokers to their clients were online benefits or HRIS systems, core benefits enrollment and communication, and full benefits administration. Less than half of carriers offered important client services like consolidated billing, benefits statements, Section 125 documents, payroll administration services, FSA or HSA/HRA administration, highlighting opportunity for carriers to partner with third-party vendors already offering these capabilities.

A few carriers provide additional services like onsite support to educate (but not enroll) employees about provided benefits, as well as support for enrollment and benefit administration partners who capture enrollment, in-person broker schools, benchmarking data for sales targeting, Family Medical Leave and ADA Administration, a college tuition benefit and travel assistance.

The Broker and Client Services for Voluntary Carriers report reviews the various broker services offered by voluntary carriers, both directly to brokers as well as those offered to brokers employer clients. With this information, carriers can assess the broker and client services they are currently offering and compare them to those of other carriers in the voluntary/worksite market.

The report is currently available for purchase for $2,000. For additional information or to purchase the report, e-mail info@eastbridge.com or call (860) 676-9633.

Eastbridge Consulting Group, Inc. is a marketing advisory firm serving insurance and financial services organizations in the United States and Canada.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Ginger Bates (803) 782-0560TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tallahassee city leaders outlined their vision for the future on Wednesday at the annual City Commission Retreat.

The city has described it as "healthy," "growing" and "thriving," but commissioners admit there's a lot of work to do to make sure everyone who lives and works here is benefiting from that.

As of July 2018, the city has had 34 straight months of job growth. However, commissioners noted a "workforce shortage" in the community.

Commissioner Curtis Richardson said jobs need to be filled in construction, utility work, plumbing and roofing.

The commission agreed to launch a jobs program working with the county and school district to strengthen training talent here.

"Those that are doing the job now, they're aging, and they're nearing retirement, but we don't have a trained pool of workers to replace them," said Richardson. "The situation has been exacerbated now by the damage that has been caused by Hurricane Michael, and lots of our workers have headed west to Panama City and Mexico Beach to take jobs in that area."

Mayor John Dailey said he'd like the program to get going by the summer.

It would give people hands-on training using public works equipment that the city already owns.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Second Harvest food bank is conducting mobile food pantries to assist local federal employees who are not receiving paychecks during the government shutdown.

The first mobile pantry will serve unpaid local Transportation Security Administration employees at the Tallahassee International Airport on Thursday from 11 a.m.  1:00 p.m. in the airport employee parking lot.

The Second Harvest van will be located near the southeast corner of the employee parking lot.

"Second Harvest is proud to offer assistance to TSA employees during this difficult time," said Rick Minor, CEO of Second Harvest. "By providing them and their families with healthy food, we hope they might be able to stretch their dollar further for rent and other expenses."

Minor added that Second Harvest will continue TSA food distributions as needed, and that the food bank also is coordinating with AFSCME, the public sector employees union, to assist other furloughed federal employees throughout the Big Bend.

For example, future mobile pantries are being planned for the Federal Corrections Institute in Tallahassee.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - One legally blind veteran from Georgia made it his mission to get special braille, American flag markers, in VA clinics across the country to honor all blind veterans.

And now, Sergeant Ernest "Boots" Thomas clinic in Tallahassee is home to one, thanks to Walt Peters.

The bronze flag reads the Pledge of Allegiance in braille aimed to show appreciation to blind vets in the community.

Peters and the Florida Regional Group Blind Veterans Association have donated 14 markers to VA facilities.

"The braille flag is nothing but pure love and pleasure. But, for me, every time I give one out, it just does my old heart good. It's about the only thing I can say about it is that I'll always do it until the day I die I guess," said Veteran Walt Peters.

Peters and his team already plan to donate a braille American flag marker to the White House on March 28.

The goal is to get one in every VA hospital in the country.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The community gathered together on Wednesday to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We're just days away from the national holiday "Martin Luther King Jr. Day."

Tallahassee residents filled the Leon County Court House to pay tribute to all the accomplishments Dr. King made.

The celebration consisted of a musical tribute, speeches, award presentations, and a time to reflect.

The President of the MLK foundation expresses why its important to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Martin Luther King had a dream and that dream was to make all persons equal and we're trying to keep that dream alive. He gave his life fighting for this dream. We're here to do what we can to make sure that dream doesn't go to sleep on us," said Stephen Beasley.

To continue the celebration, The Bethel AME Church is hosting the "MLK 49th City wide Celebration" this Sunday at 4 p.m.JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A 51-year-old man is facing multiple charges for sexually abusing an 11-year-old child in his care.

Anthony Rex Edge, 51, of Sneads, was taken into custody at an Orange County hotel on Wednesday, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

Edge's arrest follows a report that JCSO received on Dec. 21, 2018, that Eddge had abused an 11-year old-child approximately a year earlier while while acting as a caregiver of the child.

Investigators say that Edge exposed himself to the child, photographed the child in sexual positions, showed the child pornographic videos, and paid the child for sexual favors.

Although Edge lives in Sneads, Florida, he works in Orange County.

After an arrest warrant was signed for Edge, the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force was contacted in Orange County, Florida, to assist in his arrest.

Edge's charges include lewd and lascivious battery, two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation, lewd and lascivious conduct, and lewd and lascivious exhibition.

Edge is being held in the Orange County jail, until he is transported to Jackson County.WINTER PARK, Fla. (WPTV) - Florida's new Governor tackled the controversial issue of medical marijuana on Thursday.

At a news conference in Winter Park, he said his office is filing a stay of decision in an appeal by the state, which wants to make it illegal to smoke medical marijuana.

"I want people to have their suffering relieved," said Gov. DeSantis. "This law isn't up to snuff."

Last May, a judge ruled that approved patients can smoke medical marijuana. The state then appealed that decision.

On Thursday, Gov. DeSantis said he's filing a stay of decision until mid-March, to give state lawmakers more time to reform or rewrite Florida's law on medical marijuana.

He said if the Legislature doesn't reach a decision by then, his office will dismiss the state's appeal.

Gov. DeSantis has been very busy since taking office on Jan. 7 and laying out his plan for our state's future.

Earlier this week, he took issue with Airbnb for refusing to list Jewish homes in the West Bank. He also said he supports at least $2 million in funding for security at Jewish day schools.

On Monday, he appointed appellate court judge Robert Luck to Florida's Supreme Court, filling the second of three vacancies on the high court.

Last Friday, Gov. DeSantis suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel over his agency's handling of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland last February.

He also called for governing board members of the South Florida Water Management District to resign during a stop in Stuart last week.

WINTER PARK, Fla. (WPTV) - Florida's new Governor is scheduled to make a major policy announcement on Thursday afternoon, according to his office.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will be in Winter Park at 1:30 p.m.

His spokesperson isn't saying what the announcement will concern, but the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that Gov DeSantis is expected to address medical marijuana.

Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant said active duty service members are now working without pay in the waters off the Florida coast and beyond.

This comes two weeks after the Coast Guard gave a one-time emergency payment to service members on Dec. 31.

Senator Rick Scott spoke out about it on Wednesday saying he supports the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, which ensures military men and women are paid while they are defending and protecting our nation.

41,000 U.S. Coast Guardsmen have learned they will not receive their regularly scheduled paychecks on Jan. 15. This is according to a letter written by admiral Karl Schultz, the coast guard commandant.

He tweeted Tuesday saying - "this marks the first time in our nation's history that service members in a U.S. armed force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations".

Admiral Shultz goes on to say he recognizes the anxiety coast guard members and their families are feeling.

He had one silver lining to offer, the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance has received a $15 million donation from USAA to support these men and women.

Admiral Shultz says the *American Red Cross will help distribute these funds to our military and civilian workforce.

He closes the letter saying stay the course and serve with pride.

The Department of Homeland Security, which the Coast Guard is a part of, is not funded during the government shutdown.

Other military branches fall under the Defense Department which already has funding approved.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - CareerSource Capital Region will be providing temporary employment to Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael thanks to a grant.

CareerSource Capital Region was awarded $200,000 to assist disaster relief victims with employment opportunities and government and non-profit organizations with projects that have a focus on providing food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian help.

Individuals who qualify for disaster relief employment are those who are temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of Hurricane Michael, dislocated workers including the self-employed who have lost work due to the hurricane, and individuals who have been unemployed long-term.

Temporary positions available through the grant involve working at approved governmental or non-profit agencies. These temporary positions may include administrative, clerical, janitorial and building maintenance.

Individuals who have lost their job as a result of Hurricane Michael should create a profile in Employ Florida: www.employflorida.com [email.prnewswire.com] and upload a copy of their resume.

For more information on how to meet with a CareerSource Capital Region representative, email Katrina.johnson@careersourcecapitalregion.com or call (850) 414-6085.BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (WTXL) - Wednesday afternoon, this year's Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Class visited with officers and investigators from Bainbridge Public Safety in an effort to learn more about local policing efforts.

During the two-hour course, students saw how a drug dog can sniff out marijuana from a sealed bag.

Some chose to volunteer and role play as law enforcement officers making traffic stops and responding to other types of emergency calls.

While there was a lot of laughter during the scenarios, the mood changed quickly when the students learned that each scenario was based on a real situation that these law enforcement officers have encountered.

The hope is that the students will see what law enforcement officers deal with on a day-to-day basis.

"Certainly a better understanding of what officers go through everyday in their line of work, but also that they're human. The guy pulling them over isn't just some big scary guy. They have families. They have personalities, and that they're here to help," said President, Adrienne Harrison.

During the course of the year, the Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Class meets with several different community leaders throughout the area, all in an effort to learn how to better be a leader themselves.TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Almas Jiwani, President of Emeritus UN Women National Committee Canada & CEO of Almas Jiwani Foundation addressed the Ryerson Universitys Women in Information Technology Management's (WITM) Emerging Leaders Project on the 15th of January 2019. During her address, Ms Jiwani spoke about how the technology has played a key role in the last 2 decades and will continue to do so in the years to come.



We have come a long way with technology and it has changed our world. It has not only changed the way we work, live and conduct business but has also helped create a bridge that connects us to millions across the globe. The age of Social Media has made it possible for todays leaders to create a bigger impact and has empowered them with the ability to reach out to people in different and remote parts of the world and be an inspiration to them to learn, dream bigger and achieve more, said Almas Jiwani.

The Emerging Leaders Project is essentially a career fair designed to connect students studying Business Technology Management (BTM) to industry professionals across varying fields. The hiring period is at its apex during the winter season and the Project can further support students to acquire internship positions and co-op placements.

On behalf of the Women in Information Technology Management (WITM) at Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Management, we are delighted to invite Ms. Almas Jiwani as our keynote speaker for the Emerging Leaders Project (ELP) 2019. It is our honour to have the internationally acclaimed and influential speaker share her experiences and insights from her career dedicated to global female empowerment. She is an exemplary inspiration for the leaders of tomorrow attending ELP! said Saba Cheema, President of WITM 18/19.

Today there is almost no limit to the potential of a leader and it is imperative that the leaders understand their roles and responsibilities and work towards empowering the generations to come with ideas, thoughts and actions that will shape the future of our generations. We need more and more leaders and we should ensure that we create an ecosystem to nurture the emerging leaders and eliminate the gender disparity. Women leaders are making massive contributions to economies, whether in government, businesses, as entrepreneurs or employees. A part of the strategy to create a conducive ecosystem for emerging leaders would be to close the gender gap to create more sustainable and inclusive economies and societies. And one of the major challenges in doing so is to identify the emerging leaders and entrusting them with responsibilities and investing in their development, add Almas Jiwani.

About Almas Jiwani Foundation

The vision of The Almas Jiwani Foundation is to empower women, girls and marginalized communities through focused projects that directly address disparities in equality, education, entrepreneurship and energy rights. The Foundation aims to bridge inequalities through the fostering of relationships among the various actors and stakeholders in global issues, and provide a platform for discourse and action.

ABOUT THE TED ROGERS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Ted Rogers School of Business Management at Ryerson University has been granting undergraduate management degrees since 1971. It is now the largest of the six schools comprising the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, and the largest single school in the university. Each School within TRSM has its own unique identity and curriculum that blends theory and practice, producing graduates who are ready to take on the challenges of today's workforce.

Contact information

Almas Jiwani Foundation

Danish Shaikh

Communications and International Development

info@almasjiwanifoundation.org

www.almasjiwanifoundation.orgMIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Tallahassee Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host its 34th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast on Friday.

Two NAACP members - Carita Evans, first vice president, and Bill Eichhoeffer, an NAACP Executive Committee member at large - stopped by Second Cup on Thursday to share details of the event with WTXL ABC 27 Sunrise Anchor Christine Souders.

The breakfast will be Friday at 7 a.m. at the Leon County Civic Center.

This event, co-sponsored with Leon County Schools, will honor more than 100 students from local schools who demonstrate the ideals and principles of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The speaker for this year's breakfast will be former state legislator, attorney and the 15th president of the Florida State University, John E. Thrasher.

Tickets are $25 each or $300 for a table of eight.

Doors for this event will open at 6:30 a.m.

On Saturday, January 19, the Tallahassee community will come together in

conjunction with the Florida Department of Transportation to rename and dedicate state roads 371 and 373 as the C.K. Steele Memorial Highway.

The event will take place at 11 a.m.. at the corner of West Orange Avenue and Capital Circle Southwest. All member of the Tallahassee community are invited to attend.

On Monday, January 21, the Tallahassee Branch of the NAACP will host its annual

Reverend C.K. Steele Sr. Commemorative Service and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Commemorative Rally.

These events get underway at 9:30 a.m. at the C.K. Steele Bus Terminal with

Rep. Loranne Ausley (D-Tallahassee) as the keynote speaker. She promises to bring a

message of hope.

At 10:15 am, the participants will proceed to march to the Capitol for the MLK Commemorative Rally, which starts at 10:30 a.m.

All of the events are open to the general public. For more information, please contact the NAACP at (850) 284-9880 or visit the NAACP's website at www.naacptallahassee.org.Wrexhams AM defends vote against Autism Bill  Plaid AM calls it cynical voting

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 17th, 2019

Wrexhams Assembly Member has spoken about her decision to vote against an Autism (Wales) Bill  saying she believes the proposed legislation would not be the most appropriate way to achieve the desired outcomes.

Lesley Griffiths was amongst 28 Assembly Members  including Labour, Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams and one independent AM  to opposed the Autism (Wales) Bill in the Senedd last night. The Bill was defeated by 28 votes to 24.

The proposed Autism (Wales) Bill had been put forward for consideration by Conservative Leader Paul Davies AM.

The purpose of the Bill  developed alongside the National Autistic Society  was to provide autistic people in Wales with a statutory right to receive timely services that can meet their needs and work to improve understanding of the condition.





The proposed bill would also seek to:

 Introduce a strategy for meeting the needs of children and adults in Wales with autistic spectrum disorder conditions

 Ensure a clear pathway to diagnosis of autism in local areas

 Ensure that local authorities and health boards understand and take necessary action so that children and adults with autism get the timely support they need

 Collect appropriate data so that local areas can plan accordingly

 Regularly review the strategy and guidance to ensure progress

Following last nights vote there has been criticism over the 28 AMs who voted against the Bill  including Ms Griffiths.

This afternoon Wrexham.com contacted Ms Griffiths to find out why she voted against the Bill last night and if the Welsh Government had any future plans for legislation to further support those living with autism in Wales.

Ms Griffiths said: Several constituents have contacted my office both in favour of the Autism Bill and against it so I fully recognise people are passionate about this issue.

Improving services for people living with autism is required, however, after carefully considering and analysing the information, I believe the proposed legislation would not be the most appropriate way to achieve the desired outcomes.

Work undertaken by the Welsh Government, which is backed by a number of clinicians and professional bodies, suggests the Bill would place a greater focus on diagnosis that would divert precious resources away from services.

It is worth highlighting a great deal of work is already taking place to improve the care and support available to people with autism and their families. An updated Autism Spectrum Disorder Strategy was initiated last year covering many aspects set out in the Bill.

She added: The Welsh Government has also increased investment; 13m has been allocated to rollout out a new Integrated Autism Service nationwide, which has already launched in North Wales and 2m a year has been outlined to improve children and young peoples neurodevelopment assessment and diagnostic services.

Ambitions to improve services are, of course, commendable but it is questionable whether the legislation in its current form can add to existing measures. The new policies must be given the chance to settle but it is vital they are continually monitored.

If the reforms to autism services do not have the desired effect, it will be right to consider implementing appropriate legislation in future.

However Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymrus North Wales AM, said that people with autism and their families have been let down by the Labour party in Wales and their cynical voting against the Autism Bill.

Plaid Cymru supported this bill, which was part of our manifesto commitment in 2016, said Mr Gruffydd.

Had we be in power, this would now be law and its a disgrace that Labour saw fit to vote down this important piece of legislation.

People with autism and their families have been let down by the Labour party in Wales and their cynical voting against the Autism Bill. The Liberal Democrat member and the Independent AM were both elected on manifestos to introduce legislation on autism and their rejection of the Bill is equally disappointing.

The distressing evidence we received from people with autism and their families of the challenges they face to get some kind of diagnosis, of identifying support where support is needed, where it exists at all, of getting access to their support shows how desperately legislation is needed.

Theres a shocking lack of consistency nationally and, where services are good, they are too often dependent on skilled and caring individuals in certain professions.

Families are profoundly disappointed that the Welsh Government and the Labour party have not listened to and acted on their concerns. This is not the end of the matter as far as Plaid Cymru is concerned and we will be scrutinising the government rigorously to ensure that their promises are kept.

A Plaid Cymru government would introduce legislation that protects and promotes the rights of autistic people in Wales, their families and carers.

In a statement the National Autistic Society, said: Were disappointed that a proposed new law for autistic people in Wales has failed to secure enough support from Assembly Members at a crucial vote in the National Assembly for Wales, losing out 28 votes to 24.

Throughout this process, it has become clear to many, something that our members and supporters have been saying for years  the support available for autistic people in Wales is not good enough.

Whilst the Autism Bill will not now proceed further, we will continue campaigning to protect and promote the rights of autistic people across Wales and fight for the improvements in services that are so clearly needed.Were absolutely thrilled to be able to bring this to Wrexham  Ty Pawb to host Grayson Perry exhibition

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 17th, 2019

A lavish and colourful exhibition from one of the UKs most contemporary artists will arrive in Wrexham next month.

Ty Pawb will host Grayson Perrys Julie Copes Grand Tour: The Story of a Life by Grayson Perry between February 23rd and April 22nd.

Julie Cope is a fictional character created by Grayson Perry  an Essex everywoman whose story he has told through two large scale tapestries and an extended ballad presented in the exhibition.

The tapestries illustrate the key events in the heroines journey from her birth during the Canvey Island floods of 1953 to her untimely death in a tragic accident on a Colchester street. Rich in cultural and architectural details, the tapestries contain a social history of Essex and modern Britain that everyone can relate to.





The tapestries are shown alongside a graphic installation, and specially commissioned audio recording of The Ballad of Julie Cope, a 3000 word narrative written and read by Perry himself that illuminates Julies hopes and fears as she journeys through life.

These artworks represent, in Perrys words, the trials, tribulations, celebrations and mistakes of an average life.

It is a Crafts Council touring exhibition, first presented at the Saatchi Gallery in London in February 2017

Grayson Perry is known for his ceramic art, in which traditional decorative forms reveal more complex narratives and irreverent political statements.

In 2003 he became the winner of the most publicised art award in the UK, the Turner Prize. More recently he has reached an even wider audience through a series of television programmes including the Channel 4 documentaries, Divided Britain, Rites of Passage and Who Are You.

He has also appeared as a guest on numerous television programmes, from Have I Got News For You to Question Time.

Ty Pawbs creative director, Jo Marsh, said: Were absolutely thrilled to be able to bring this exhibition to Wrexham. Its colourful and playful and it incorporates themes and topics around history and society which are relevant to all of us and will hopefully inspire some very interesting discussions.

Its a very accessible exhibition that will appeal to audiences of all ages, particularly families and anyone who might be new to visiting galleries. Well be organising various activities around the exhibition and our staff will be on hand to help everyone get the most enjoyment from the works.

Lead Member for People  Communities, Partnerships Public Protection and Community Safety, Cllr Hugh Jones, said: This is another huge step forward in helping to put Ty Pawb and Wrexham on the map as an established destination for arts and culture.

Despite not even being open a year yet, weve already had glowing reviews in national newspapers, received nominations for international awards, acted as a host for a live national BBC radio debate and hosted numerous successful exhibitions, festivals, and community events.

It is fantastic that people in Wrexham are now able to access a national touring art exhibition of this calibre on their doorstep and we can be immensely proud that we now have a venue which can host world famous art of this kind alongside works from Wrexhams own flourishing art scene.

Julie Copes Grand Tour: The Story of a Life by Grayson Perry will be on display at Ty Pawb from 23 February-22 April.

A Young Visitors Guide, learning hand out with activities for families and an interactive app to explore the tapestries will be available as part of the exhibition.Students take over award-winning Wrexham restaurant ahead of collaboration between star chefs

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 17th, 2019

A team of students have cooked up a storm after taking over the kitchen at one an award winning Wrexham restaurant.

Learners from Coleg Cambrias Catering and Hospitality courses prepared, cooked and served food for diners at Machine House restaurant in Rossett.

The popular venue  named Best Restaurant in Wales at the AA Hospitality Awards last year  works closely with the college and invited the youngsters to test out their own recipes on customers, as well as staff and chef owner, Kevin Lynn.

The event came after Cambria launched a new food academy with top chef Bryn Williams, giving students the opportunity to work and train in his celebrated restaurants, where they will gain invaluable experience alongside the best cooks and kitchen staff in the country.





In a twist, Kevin and his staff will be joining Bryn in the kitchen at his award-winning Porth Eirias restaurant in Colwyn Bay on January 31st for a takeover of their own, with each producing three dishes as part of a six-course tasting menu.

Collaboration between the culinary heavyweights and Cambria means the future of the regions catering and hospitality industry is in safe hands, though Kevin says there is huge demand for more skilled workers.

It was a pleasure to welcome the students to Machine House and a big deal for me to step away from the kitchen in my own restaurant and leave it in their hands, said Kevin, from Warrington.

Thats not something Ive done before, and Ive never sat down and been cooked for here either, so it was a first for all of us.

They did really well, the menu and the food were terrific, and they were great at welcoming guests and the front-of-house side of things. The ideas they came up with were amazing and we hope to have them back again one day.

Four students were responsible for front-of-house and the restaurant while five took to the kitchen with two chef lecturers, producing a five-course tasting menu for more than 20 guests.

Kevin says the vision of Bryn Williams  who also owns leading London restaurants Somerset House and Odettes  is one he supports and vowed to do all he can to encourage the next generation of food and drink stars.

I think the academy launched by Bryn and the college is a fantastic initiative and desperately needed, not just in Wales but the UK, said the 47 year-old.

Ive personally found him something of an inspiration and believe my attitude to food is quite similar. His style is in producing simple yet attractive, delicious food with local ingredients that are big on flavour and thats what we strive for as well.

To be able to share the kitchen with him later this month will be a huge honour, and its also a great platform for Cambrias students to be able to learn from him and his team  what an opportunity.

He added: I just hope the students soak it all up and work hard, because one day they could be in this position.

Machine House is my first restaurant so to have received such tremendous accolades within three years of opening is terrific, but its also testament to the effort and dedication we put in.

Thats why we are keen to support Bryn and the college and bring forward the next generation, its such an exciting industry and one more young people should look into.

Andy Woods, Deputy Director of Hospitality and Catering at Coleg Cambria, echoed those words and believes the backing of such talented chefs gives them the perfect recipe for success.

Being given the opportunity to take over Machine House for the night was an incredible experience for our students and gave them a taste of what its like to serve food at a first-class restaurant, he said.

With a lot of interest already in the Bryn Williams Academy we are in a strong position to attract enthusiastic young trainees into the industry, something which is much needed.

We are all passionate about Welsh produce and providing pathways into employment for the students, enriching them through work placements and ultimately addressing the demand for young, quality chefs, a problem which has really hit the hospitality arena.

For more on Coleg Cambria, visit the website. Visit www.machinehouse.co.uk and www.portheirias.com for more on Machine House and Porth Eirias restaurants.Police appeal for help in tracing a Merseyside man who is known to visit North Wales

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 17th, 2019

Merseyside Police are appealing for help in tracing the whereabouts of 20 year-old Connor Jones.

Connor, who has been living in the Vauxhall area, was last seen on Wednesday 9th January in the Vauxhall, Everton Brow area.

He is described as being white, of slim build with short brown hair. He has a scar on his right knuckle and a tattoo on the back of his leg.

He is known to frequent the Everton Valley area but also North Wales, Ellesmere Port and Chester areas.





Anyone who has seen Connor or knows of his whereabouts is asked to DM @MerPolCC on twitter, call 101 or contact @MissingPeople on 116 000.Cervical Screening Wales writes to women affected by out of date sample pot issue

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jan 17th, 2019

Cervical Screening Wales has written to 369 women to advise them of an issue identified by the screening programme.

The programme, run by Public Health Wales, has become aware that a small percentage of smear test samples were sent for screening in vials (sample pots) that were out of date.

Smear tests are carried out at GP practices, sexual health clinics and hospital clinics.The cervical sample is put into a vial containing preservative fluid, and returned to the Cervical Screening Wales laboratory for screening.

It has been found that, for a very small percentage of samples, vials past the manufacturers expiry date were accidentally used.





Some affected samples were screened before the issue was identified, and Cervical Screening Wales has been working to review test results and to contact affected women to offer advice.

The issue affects fewer than two per cent of women who received cervical screening in Wales between July and October 2018.

Dr Sharon Hillier, Director of Screening for Public Health Wales, said: We apologise sincerely to all women who will receive a letter from us related to this issue.

I can reassure women that there is no evidence that any harm has been caused by this issue. We have looked carefully at all of the results issued already and where possible have rescreened samples.

Anyone who has not received a letter from us has not been identified as affected by the issue, and does not need to be concerned or to contact us.

We continue to work with our health board partners to investigate how this issue arose and ensure appropriate procedures are in place.

The incident took place at a time when Cervical Screening Wales was rolling out HPV screening  testing for the virus that causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer.

Just under half of the affected women were screened for HPV and will be advised that they should arrange a repeat smear test, as their sample cannot be rescreened.

The remaining samples, those which were initially examined for abnormal cells, have been rescreened. Of the affected women, the majority will be advised that their result is unchanged and they do not need to take further action.

A very small number  fewer than three per cent of those whose samples were rescreened  will be advised that they should have a repeat smear test. Women in Wales aged between 25 and 49 are invited for a smear test every three years, and women aged 50 to 64 are invited every five years.

The test involves a small sample of cells from the cervix, at the top of the vagina, being taken with a small soft brush.At the laboratory, samples are first tested for the presence of high-risk types of the HPV virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer.

Cervical Screening Wales invited 210,800 women for screening in 2017/18.

Symptoms of cervical cancer can include unusual discharge from the vagina, bleeding between periods, and bleeding or pain during or after sex.

Women of any age who experience these symptoms should contact their GP, regardless of when they had their last cervical screening.

More information on Cervical Screening Wales is available at: cervicalscreeningwales.wales.nhs.ukNEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Former Columbia University undergraduate student Irene Politis today filed an Amended Complaint for $60 million against Columbia University and former Dean Thomas Harford. In todays complaint, Politis is no longer proceeding as Jane Doe.



In the original Complaint, filed in August 2018, Politis alleged that Dean of Students Harford used his power and influence to coerce her into an inappropriate sexual and romantic relationship in the summer of 2018 and that Columbia University violated Title IX by failing to protect her from Dean Harfords sexual misconduct. This occurred soon after Politis had suffered a traumatic experience and was referred to Dean Harford for assistance. Dean Harford gave Politis money from his personal funds and then subjected her to unwanted, abusive and inappropriate sexual activity, told her stories about his violent past to intimidate her, and used her need for scholarship funds as bait to keep her bound to him.

Based on new information, the Amended Complaint alleges Columbia knew that Dean Harford had a history of sexually harassing and stalking women at Columbia. Nevertheless, the suit alleges, the University permitted Dean Harford to remain in a position where he had great authority over the lives and well-being of students. The Amended Complaint also describes how Columbia carried out a campaign of retaliation against Politis after she filed her original Complaint.

The Amended Complaint provides additional detail about Dean Harfords coercive sexual relationship with Politis. After Politis told Dean Harford about her discomfort with the relationship, Dean Harford admitted his wrongdoing, texting her I know I failed you, and I know that means Ive failed personally as the dean of students.

The Amended Complaint further alleges that when Politis brought Dean Harfords inappropriate behavior to the attention of other Columbia administrators and the public, Columbia retaliated against her and effectively forced her out of the University. After Ms. Politis filed an internal complaint and this lawsuit in August 2018, Columbia restricted her access to University personnel and resources. The University also threatened Politis with eviction from her University housing after she took medical leave due to Dean Harfords harassment. Ultimately, the suit alleges, Columbia compelled Ms. Politis to forfeit her housing.

Ms. Politiss original Complaint contained facts that were the tip of the iceberg, said David Sanford, lead counsel in this matter. We knew that Dean Harford had engaged in coercive sexual behavior with her, and that Columbia failed to protect her from this misconduct. Since the filing of the original complaint, we have learned that Columbia was aware of Dean Harfords prior acts of sexual harassment and stalking, tolerated it, and thereby empowered Dean Harford to victimize Ms. Politis.

The suit is brought under the New York City Human Rights Law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and New York common law. The filing requests compensatory and punitive damages for Politis, as well as all attorneys fees, a pre-and post-judgment interest, and other relief the Court may find just and proper.

Politis is represented by Sanford Heisler Sharps Chairman David Sanford, Vice-Chairman Jeremy Heisler, and New York associate Meredith Firetog.

About Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York; Washington, D.C; San Francisco; Nashville; San Diego; and Baltimore. Our attorneys have graduated from the nations top law schools, clerked for judges throughout the United States, and amassed extensive experience litigating and trying cases that have earned over one billion dollars for our clients.

The Firm specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs with claims of employment discrimination, sexual violence, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, consumer fraud, and whistleblowing, among other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, the Firm also represents individuals and has achieved extraordinary success in the representation of executives and attorneys in employment disputes.

For more information go to www.sanfordheisler.com or call (202) 499-5200 or email dsanford@sanfordheisler.com. For the latest news, visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @sanfordheisler.

For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201-493-1027, jamie@newspros.comRetired Judge Responds to Bevin's Criticism

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - When the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously struck down a pension law he had signed last year, Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin called it an "unprecedented power grab by activist judges."Thursday, the judge who wrote the ruling fired back.In an Op-Ed sent to various news outlets, recently retired Justice Daniel Venters said he is a conservative Republican who voted for Bevin and has generally agreed with his platform. He even said he liked the pension bill that Bevin signed into law last year. But he said it was clear lawmakers violated the state Constitution when they used a legislative maneuver to pass the bill in just one day instead of three separate days in each chamber.Venters said Bevin was wrong on the law and wrong in his "denunciation of the Supreme Court," adding: "I will not let his rant go unchallenged.""There is more at stake here than the fate of a pension reform bill. Our freedom and constitutional order are guaranteed by the foundation of checks and balances," Venters wrote. "If the Governor's fake news succeeds in undermining your faith in the Courts by bullying judges into submission, who will next stand guard when Constitutional law affecting you and your family is ignored?"Bevin has been sued multiple times by Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear, and he often criticized the judges who rule against him. He has been particularly critical of Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, calling him an "incompetent hack" and criticizing him for liking a political protest event on Facebook. Shepherd has said he only liked the page on the social media website to get more information about it so he could avoid it.Venters said if left unchallenged, Bevin's "false attacks on Kentucky's judges will undermine the public's confidence and trust in the Courts," adding that Bevin has expressed a desire to appoint judges "rather than suffer their selection by you, the voters of Kentucky.""It is certainly not the Courts that are engaged in an 'unprecedented power grab,'" Venters wrote.It is the second time in recent weeks a Kentucky judge has criticized Bevin. Last month, Supreme Court Justice Bill Cunningham  who is retiring in February  told the Courier Journal that Bevin's words "go by you like the idle wind, and I don't think people pay a lot of attention to what he says."Bevin is on an economic development trip to India. But his chief of staff, Blake Brickman, said he respects Venters but disagrees with his comments."Our judicial system, a supposedly unbiased and apolitical branch of government, is taking the unprecedented step of wading into politics," Brickman said. "How can the public expect our judges to rule in accordance with the law if they are openly expressing their opinions about our elected officials?"Kentucky has one of the worst-funded public pension systems in the country. State officials are at least $39 billion short of the money required to pay benefits over the next three decades. Bevin has made fixing the pension system a priority of his administration. After Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 2017, the legislature has put billions of dollars into retirement systems for teachers and state employees to keep them afloat.But Bevin and other legislative leaders have warned the state can't afford to keep doing that, arguing lawmakers must make structural changes to the pension systems. Senate bill 151, which Bevin signed into law last spring, would have moved new teacher hires into a hybrid pension system. It would also restrict how teachers use sick days to calculate their retirement benefits and change how the state pays off its pension debt.Lawmakers struggled to get enough votes to pass the bill, given the widespread opposition from teachers and other public workers in an election year. The legislature eventually passed the bill in one day by substituting it for an unrelated bill about local sewer systems. Lawmakers have been using that maneuver for decades to pass legislation when facing a tight deadline. But the Supreme Court unanimously ruled it was unconstitutional.Republican lawmakers have also criticized the court's ruling, but Venters did not address those in his Op-Ed. Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said he disagrees with Bevin that the ruling was an "unprecedented power grab," but he said Bevin has a right to criticize the courts."The court needs to kind of grow up on that," Stivers said. "Do I agree with the governor? No, but hey, you're in the limelight. Get ready for the questions."Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft from Former Employer

By West Kentucky Star Staff

SMITHLAND - A woman who served as a secretary at the Livingston County Attorney's Office has pleaded guilty to charges that she stole thousands of dollars from her former employer.Court records show 49-year-old Christi Whitman pleaded guilty Wednesday in Livingston County Circuit Court to one count of theft by unlawful taking over $10,000. The charge stems from allegations that Whitman stole more than $20,000 from the county's restitution fund.As part of the deal, Whitman would be sentenced to five years in prison, and be eligible for shock probation after serving between 30 and 180 days of her sentence.Whitman worked in the County Attorney's office under former County Attorney Billy Riley, and continued working there after Riley retired and Raymond McGee was named to the position in October 2017. She was arrested last August after McGee spotted some discrepancies and contacted the Attorney General's office.Substitute Teacher Faces Criminal Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CRITTENDEN COUNTY - A substitute teacher at Crittenden County Elementary School was dismissed Monday morning, after school officials learned that he had made inappropriate statements to students in his 4th grade class the previous Friday.

School officials said criminal charges have been filed by the district for terroristic threatening in response to the situation that occurred.



The substitute teacher, a non-resident of Crittenden County, was promptly escorted out of the building Monday morning after meeting with school officials. He is not permitted to be on or near any Crittenden County school campus or school-related function.

Superintendent Vince Clark and School Resource Officer John Shofner met with students in the involved 4th grade class earlier this week, commending them on their response to see something, say something, a message officials have driven home with all students in the district.

The health and safety of our students and staff continues to be our number one priority, said Clark. We take each situation seriously and will continue to make timely and informed decisions to secure their well-being.

School officials did not release the teacher's name.Dorm Where Mold Found at WKU to Reopen This Fall

By The Associated Press

BOWLING GREEN - A Western Kentucky University dormitory where mold was discovered last year will remain closed until fall while additional work is performed.

The university said in a news release that Minton Hall won't reopen with other residence halls Friday for the spring semester. The release said staff identified additional work needed during an inspection this week.

The school said the additional work includes replacement of porous tiles and possible replacement of windows to help in the future.

Western Vice President for Enrollment and Student Experience Brian Kuster said officials believe the additional work should be performed before students return.

The residence hall closed Nov. 12 when common mold was discovered. Remediation included replacement of room ceiling tiles, addition of venting tiles, new air filters, and repair and balancing of air-handling equipment.Bardwell Man Jailed on Drug Charges After Pursuit

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CARLISLE COUNTY - A pursuit in Carlisle County on Wednesday landed a Bardwell man behind bars on multiple charges.

The Carlisle County Sheriff's Office says at approximately 3:30 pm the Carlisle County E-911 center received a complaint about a car at the intersection of State Route 121 and State Route 307. It was reported that the driver of the vehicle appeared to be passed out.

A deputy responded to the area, however, the vehicle was no longer at the location. Approximately 20 minutes later, the E-911 center received another call regarding a vehicle matching the same description. This time the vehicle was at State Route 80 East and US 51, and again it was reported that the driver was passed out and other vehicles were having to drive around the stopped vehicle in the roadway.

A deputy responded to the area and found the vehicle in a parking lot of Lukes Truck Stop. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but it sped away from the parking lot and began to travel North on US 51.

The vehicle then turned onto State Route 80 going east, and then pulled into a car wash parking lot. Once in the parking lot, police say the driver was observed dumping out what is believed to be synthetic drugs.

The vehicle was boxed in by deputies in the parking lot and the driver, 47-year-old Kenneth Williams, was removed and arrested without further incident. A search of the vehicle reportedly yielded approximately 13 grams of suspected synthetic drugs, along with several partially smoked synthetic cigarettes.

Williams was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, fleeing or evading police, tampering with physical evidence, possession of synthetic drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was lodged at the Ballard County Jail.The company refers to the announcement today by the Norwegian FSA regarding a review of certain aspects of the financial reporting of Norwegian Finans Holding ASA.



The review mainly concerned the company's calculation of individual and group

write-downs of loans and note information on credit risk in the annual accounts for 2017.

The bank has followed a loan evaluation policy that has been tailored for the characteristics of our loan portfolio.

The regulating authorities have over time provided Norwegian banks with guidance, which have been complied with.

The bank believes the excess loan loss provisions taken in 2017 do not materially deviate from the requirements of IAS 39, nor the guidance provided by the Norwegian FSA in their letter dated 21 December 2015. The loss provisions recognised are in accordance with the bank's evaluation of prudent loss provisions.

The matters raised by the Norwegian FSA have no impact on how the quality of the loan portfolios were assessed.

Furthermore, the report has no impact on submitted financial reporting for 2018.

For any questions please call:

CFO Pal Svenkerud; phone: +47 93403904Bank Wants Funeral Home Sold to Settle Debt

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BENTON, KY - A western Kentucky bank has filed a motion asking for a settlement against the owners of a Benton funeral home that owes the bank money.According to court documents, Heritage Bank's attorney filed the motion December 26 in Marshall Circuit Court. The motion says Timothy A. King, his ex-wife Becky Watson, and Filbeck-Cann and King Funeral home owe the bank $281,726.02 and are in default from a loan modification agreement in 2017.The motion asks for a summary judgement against the owners, and that the funeral home property be sold to pay off the debt and any interest that has accrued.Watson is still operating the funeral home after she and King plead guilty last April to charges of insurance fraud, forgery and theft. Both of their licenses were suspended by the Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, but Watson's suspension was probated so she could continue to run the business. King was sentenced to jail time while Watson received home incarceration, and both were told to pay restitution to all of their victims.Watson and King were married at the time the crimes took place, but have since divorced.The charges stemmed from complaints by customers who said they paid the funeral home to buy insurance policies that were never actually purchased.Heritage Bank has eleven branches in western Kentucky, including two in Marshall County.On the Net:Volunteer Groups Discuss Disaster Relief Tonight

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - An organizational meeting is tonight for a new effort to streamline relief work from area businesses and non-profit organizations during disasters.Disaster Program Specialist Ari Denson of the American Red Cross told West Kentucky Star that the meeting at 6 pm at MSU's Paducah campus is for a local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, or VOAD.Denson said it's to help coordinate efforts of non-profits, for profits, and churches and direct what they do during a disaster."After a disaster happens here in McCracken County, you might have a lot of different non-profits doing a lot of different activities. Through a VOAD they can communicate what they're doing exactly, and you can avoid duplication of services or you can find out where people are in need, and you can help communicate that to different members," Denson said.In the event of a disaster, the VOAD can coordinate where volunteers or supplies are needed so those who can help know what to do next, or where to pitch in and help. Although they would operate independently, the VOAD would coordinate with emergency management and other county officials so help is provided where it's needed without getting in the way.Denson said churches or groups that provide shelter, cook meals, do construction or repairs, or have a food pantry can be part of the VOAD so that together, any disaster victims have a wider range of resources available.He said, "We want to take in all different sorts of non-profits, so we're reaching out to organizations like Paducah Cooperative Ministry that don't necessarily do something that you imagine as disaster response, but all of the clients that they serve currently become survivors after a disaster."Any organization that wants to be involved should sent a representative to the meeting on Thursday to get more details. The MSU Paducah campus is at 4430 Sunset Avenue. Pizza and drinks will be available at the meeting.Denson said the meeting will review what a VOAD is and does. Those participating will learn specifics on what the McCracken County VOAD can do, and a quick questionnaire will help determine what services are available within the group. Leaders hope to establish an Executive Committee and start planning what will be done when responding to disasters.More information is also available at the VOAD Facebook page (see link below) or by calling Ari Denson at 270-570-5197.Paducah Man Dies Following Ambulance Collision

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Paducah man has died as a result of injuries sustained in a collision with an ambulance on Saturday evening.Paducah Police report that 38-year-old Kyle Young passed away Tuesday at 1:35 pm at Baptist Health Paducah.The crash occurred Saturday at Jackson and South 28th Streets in Paducah.A Mayfield Fire Department ambulance, driven by Adam Miller, was eastbound on Jackson Street, with lights and siren activated. Since the ambulance had the red light, Miller said he also used the air horn to clear the intersection.At the same time, 76-year-old John Young was on South 28th Street. He told police that he had a green light, and did not see or hear the ambulance when he entered the intersection. The resulting crash sent 71-year-old Geneva Young, 40-year-old Kenneth Caldwell, and 38-year-old Kyle Young to Baptist Health for treatment of injuries. Geneva Young was later flown to a Nashville hospital for further treatment.No injuries were reported to occupants of the ambulance.On the Net:WEST HARTFORD  Conards Gavin Sherry and Chloe Scrimgeour took home individual titles at the CCC Division A championships while the Simsbury girls team completed its revenge tour and the Hall boys battled to a team title Wednesday.If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now!

SubmitEnglish Danish





Nrresundby, 17 January 2019

Announcement no. 02/2019

Number of pages: 1

We hereby announce that an election has been held today among the employees of RTX A/S in accordance with the laws and regulations applicable to the employees election of Board members.

The result of the election is as below-mentioned:

- reelection of Program Manager B.Sc.E.E. Kurt Heick Rasmussen

- reelection of Senior Project Manager M.Sc.E.E. Flemming Vendbjerg Andersen

- new election of Team Lead M.Sc.E.E. Kevin Harrits

Kurt Heick Rasmussen and Flemming Vendbjerg Andersen have both been members of the Board of Directors of RTX A/S since January 2015, and they have been employed in RTX A/S since 2000 and 1999 respectively.

Kevin Harrits is a newly elected member of the Board, and he has been employed in RTX A/S since 2010.

The elected employee representatives join the Board after the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 24 January 2019, and present employee representative Rune Strm Jensen leaves the Board, as he was not nominated for election.

Yours sincerely

RTX A/S

PETER THOSTRUP PETER RPKE

Chairman CEO

Enquiries and further information:

CEO Peter Rpke, tel +45 96 32 23 00

RTXs homepage: www.rtx.dk

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.WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the international advocacy organization for the cell and gene therapy and broader regenerative medicine sector, today released the initial slate of presenting companies at the inaugural 2019 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mediterranean. This years event will be held April 23-25 in Barcelona, Spain.

The event, modeled after ARMs highly successful Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa, is expected to attract more than 250 attendees, including senior executives from leading cell therapy, gene therapy, and tissue engineering companies worldwide, large pharma and biotech representatives, institutional investors, academic research institutions, patient foundations, disease philanthropies, and members of the life science media community.



The Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mediterranean will feature presentations by 50+ leading public and private companies, highlighting technical and clinical achievements over the past 12 months in the areas of cell therapy, gene therapy, gene editing, tissue engineering, and broader regenerative medicine technologies.



The initial slate of 2019 presenting companies includes: Adaptimmune; Adverum Biotechnologies; Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies; Aspect Biosystems; Audentes Therapeutics; Avectas; Axovant; Biostage; BioTime; bluebird bio; BlueRock Therapeutics; B-MoGen Biotechnologies; Bone Therapeutics; Caribou Biosciences; Cellerant Therapeutics; Chimeric Therapeutics; Cryoport; Cynata Therapeutics; DiscGenics; Cellular Dynamics International; Genethon; Healios; Invitrx Therapeutics; Iovance Biotherapeutics; Kiadis Pharma; LogicBio; Longeveron; Lonza Pharma & Biotech; MaxCyte; MeiraGTx; MolMed; NAVAN Technologies; Orchard Therapeutics; Organovo; Oxford BioMedica; PDC*line Pharma; PolarityTE; Precision BioSciences; Promethera Biosciences; REGENXBIO; ReNeuron; Rexgenero; Sangamo Therapeutics; Seraxis; Sigilon Therapeutics; Terumo BCT; Tmunity Therapeutics; uniQure; Vivet Therapeutics; and Zelluna Immunotherapy.



Additional event details will be updated regularly on the conference website  www.meetingonthemed.com.



Registration is complimentary for investors and credentialed members of the media. To learn more and to register, please visit www.meetingonthemed.com. For members of the media interested in attending, please contact Lyndsey Scull at lscull@alliancerm.org.



For interested organizations looking to increase exposure to this fields top decision-makers via sponsorship, please contact Laura Parsons at lparsons@alliancerm.org for additional information.



About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine



The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is an international multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine worldwide. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM in 2009, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, D.C. to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today, ARM has more than 300 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit http://www.alliancerm.org.



Secretary of State Fox in Gibraltar on Brexit Visit

The Secretary of State for International Trade Rt Hon Liam Fox MP was in Gibraltar today. The visit centred around preparations for the United Kingdom and Gibraltars departure from the European Union and the trading opportunities that will follow.

Dr Fox met the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia and the Attorney General Michael Llamas during a working lunch hosted by HE The Governor at The Convent.

He later discussed trade and inward investment opportunities in a separate meeting with the Minister for Economic Development Joe Bossano and also met with the Chamber of Commerce.

The programme for the visit was organised and prepared by the United Kingdom Government.

Commenting on the presence of Dr Fox in Gibraltar, the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said:

Liam Fox is a great friend and supporter of Gibraltar. He knows and understands our issues very well back from the time when he served as Defence Secretary. We have kept in touch over many years. His visit to Gibraltar is another example of the enduring bonds between us and the United Kingdom as we prepare to leave the European Union. It reflects the strong connections that we have with the Conservative party and indeed across the political spectrum in Westminster. Gibraltar can be truly proud that thanks to the intense lobbying efforts of its Government, our position is understood across all the political parties and across the Brexit divide with both Remainers and Brexiteers among our staunchest supporters.CONGRATULATIONS TO ABHS CLASS OF 2021: With a class of 447 graduates, Anchor Bay High had three graduation ceremonies, with two on June 5 and one on June 12. The top 10 in the class are Meghan Elizabeth Kunkle, Giana Marie Maniaci, Alaina Kiehl, Jonathan Taylor, Emily Appleton, Lauren ZidzikLithuanian English

Notice is hereby given that on the initiative and by the resolution of the Board of AB Klaipedos Nafta, legal entity code 110648893, with the registered office at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda (hereinafter - the Company), an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be held on 8 February 2019 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Companys office at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda, in the administrative office of the Company (in the hall of the meeting on the 2nd floor).

Agenda of the meeting:

Regarding the remuneration of the members of the Supervisory Board.

The shareholders will be registered from 12:00 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. The persons intending to participate in the meeting shall have a personal ID document (an authorized representative shall have an authorization approved under the established procedure. The natural persons authorization shall be notarized. An authorization issued in a foreign state shall be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalized under the procedure prescribed by the laws).

A shareholder or his proxy shall have the right to vote in writing in advance by filling in a general ballot paper. At the request of the shareholder, the Company shall send a general ballot paper to the shareholder by registered mail free of charge at least 10 days before the meeting. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document attesting the voting right shall be submitted to the Company no later than until the meeting, sending by registered mail or providing them at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice.

The shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes may propose additions to the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders by submitting with every proposed additional item of the agenda a draft resolution of the general meeting of shareholders or, when no resolution is required, an explanation. Proposals on addition to the agenda shall be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and a.kasparas@kn.lt . The agenda shall be supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. If the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders is supplemented, the Company shall notify on the additions no later than 10 days before the meeting in the same ways as in the case of convocation of the meeting.

The shareholders, who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes, at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting, may propose new draft resolutions on items which are or will be included in the agenda of the meeting. The proposals may be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and a.kasparas@kn.lt .

The shareholders shall have the right to submit to the Company in advance questions relating to the items on the agenda of the meeting. The shareholders may submit their written questions to the Company on business days or send by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice no later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company will reply to the questions by e-mail or in writing before the meeting, except the questions which are related to the Companys commercial (industrial) secret, confidential information or which have been submitted later than 3 business days before the meeting.

The Company does not provide the possibility of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications.

The shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communications means another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the meeting on behalf of the shareholder. No notarization of such authorization is required. The shareholder must confirm the proxy issued through electronic communications means by an electronic signature developed by a secure signature-creation device and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the proxy issued through electronic communications means to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and a.kasparas@kn.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 1:00 p.m. The proxy and the notice must be issued in writing. The proxy and the notice to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent by e-mail. By submitting the notice to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download software free of charge to verify the shareholders electronic signature.

The record date of the meeting shall be 1 February 2019 (only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders or their authorized persons, or persons with whom an agreement on assignment of the voting right has been executed, may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders).

The shareholders of the Company may familiarise with the draft resolution of the meeting and the form of the general ballot paper under the procedure prescribed by the laws in the registered office of the Company at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda (tel.: 8 46 391636), or on the Companys website at http://www.kn.lt/ . The following information and documents shall be provided on the abovementioned internet website of the Company:

- The notification on convocation of the meeting;

- Total number of the Companys shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the meeting.

Enclosed:

1. Draft decisions of the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders;

2. General voting ballot paper of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

Jonas Lenksas, Chief Financial Officer, +370 694 80594.

AttachmentsIF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of print and digital media, please consider contributing to this most important cause. Thank you.ANDREW DOUGHERTY is News Editor for The Vidette. Contact him at vidette_addough@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @addough

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of print and digital media, please consider contributing to this most important cause. Thank you.ANDREA RICKER is a News Reporter for The Vidette. She can be contacted at arricke@ilstu.edu Follower her on Twitter at @ricker_andrea

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of print and digital media, please consider contributing to this most important cause. Thank you.SYDNEY HALL is a News Reporter for The Vidette. She can be contacted at sahall6@ilstu.edu Follow her on Twitter at @sydneyhall22

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of print and digital media, please consider contributing to this most important cause. Thank you."I represent only the president, not the campaign," he told The Associated Press in an interview. "And I can only speak of what I know, and that is that I have no knowledge that anyone on the campaign illegally colluded with Russia. But I can only speak definitively about the president, as he is my client."Wyoming Business Tips for Jan. 21-27

A weekly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Rob Condie, southwest regional director, Wyoming SBDC Network

When it comes to small-business goals for 2019, bookkeeping may not be at the top of that list for most business owners, especially the tedious task of reconciling. But if youre the type of business owner who hasnt reconciled your accounts in ages, then not only will you be dealing with a very frustrated CPA this tax season, youre putting your business at risk. The good news is that its never too late to change.

Committing to reconciling your accounts on a regular basis will help in the long run because it can help your business prepare for new expenses; afford bonuses or raises for your workers; or give you clean numbers to give a bank for a loan to help grow your business. All it takes is committing to a plan and taking small steps in that direction.

The first thing I tell clients, if they havent already, is to invest in good accounting software. Some clients swear by spreadsheet programs like Excel, but those programs lack audit trails and dont track income streams. I suggest programs like QuickBooks, which handles your accounting data effectively and securely.

Once the software is in place, its a good habit to start reconciling at the beginning and end of every month. Not sticking to a reconciling schedule can lead to bigger issues down the road, especially for some business owners who put it off month after month. Imagine how hard it is to remember a purchase you made three months ago. Now, imagine going back three years. If you reconcile as you go, it keeps you on top of what is going on in your business and can help you spot potential problems like high expenses, low revenues and accounting errors.

Another good bookkeeping habit is learning your accounting software and using it to the best of its ability. As a QuickBooks trainer, I can show clients how to use QuickBooks invoice function, along with other functions like how to receive payments against invoices; how to track expenses; and how to record all deposits. Knowing how to properly use your accounting software makes it easier to see your current numbers and gives your CPA accurate numbers when it comes to filing your taxes.

There will be times throughout the year where youll get busy and not stick to your reconciling schedule. Dont look at these as failures. Instead, see them as natural steps in the learning process.

You dont have to go it alone either. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost, confidential assistance with bookkeeping and accounting software to help your business get on the path to financial health.

Creating new bookkeeping habits doesnt happen overnight but, with patience and determination, youll be on track to achieving your business goals by this time next year.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.(Jan. 17, 2019) -- Roadrunners from diverse backgrounds will commemorate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs life and legacy this month through a series of campus and community engagement activities. A Baptist minister, King was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, encouraging nonviolent activism to inspire and effect peace and racial equality.

All UTSA students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families are invited and encouraged to walk together at the citys 32nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. March, the largest in the nation. The 2.75-mile march is scheduled at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 21 and begins at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, 3501 Martin Luther King Dr. UTSA will offer free shuttle rides to those who register. Buses will leave Main Campus at 8:15 a.m. from Brackenridge Ave. Lot 1 in front of the Convocation Center and at 8:45 a.m. from the Durango Lot at the Downtown Campus.

>> See the MLK, Jr. March route details.

UTSA President Taylor Eighmy will be marching with UTSA students, faculty and staff, as will Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy and Myron Anderson, UTSAs inaugural Vice President for Inclusive Excellence.

Brittnye Dione Screws, a UTSA graduate student majoring in higher education administration, reflected on why marching on behalf of the UTSA community is so important to her.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. worked tirelessly to ensure the world realized that "all (wo)men are created equal" and demanded they be treated as such, Screws said. It was his influence that caused racial discrimination and unfair labor laws to be made illegal in America. We as UTSA Roadrunners, should never forget that his dedication and sacrifice led to the opening of minority serving institutions such as Hispanic Serving Institutions like UTSA.

UTSAs consistently large participation in the march is an extension of the institutional focus on developing world-engaged civic leaders and a reflection of the universitys commitment to multicultural inclusion. Freshman sociology major Josh Peck sees that future as he heads into the march.

Remembering and celebrating the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is important because it gives us time to reflect on the struggle both for equality under the law and the right to vote, Peck said. Without the courage, heart and community that Dr. King inspired, we wouldn't be where we are today. By celebrating him, we don't only honor his legacy, we inspire a new generation to continue his fight for justice.

UTSA's MLK Jr. March Planning Committee was chaired by Karla Broadus, UTSA senior lecturer and director of the UTSA African American Studies program, and included faculty and staff from African American Studies, Student Affairs, the President's Office, the Office of Information Technology, the Music Department, Community Engagement and Inclusion, the Institute for P-20 Initiatives and the Honors College.

With UTSA being home of a diverse student body, it is important to gather to remember the work of Dr. King Jr., because without him I wouldnt be able to learn amongst several of my peers, said Jordann Thomas, a UTSA junior majoring in public health.

UTSA t-shirts are available for marchers at the Main and Downtown Campus shuttle bus locations and all participants are asked to proudly wear UTSA orange for the march.

For the third year in a row, John Nix, associate professor in the UTSA Department of Music, is promoting the vocal community outreach project called America Sings Together. On Monday at 11 a.m., people across San Antonio and the nation will pause at the same time to sing portions of Amazing Grace and We Shall Overcome as a sign of unity to honor Dr. Kings legacy.

Its about getting people of all races and religions to stop and sing together in honor of one of our countrys greatest leaders, said Nix. Many of the concerns raised by the civil rights movement are still serious problems. As a country, we need to keep working to make Dr. Martin Luther Kings Dream a reality for all Americans.

Last year, Nix says people in 27 cities participated in this singing movement and he hopes even more do so this year.

The UTSA African American Studies Program is also presenting the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture Series on Wednesday, January 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Union Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02). The UTSA and San Antonio community are invited to hear Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough, who was honored as 2014 Historically black colleges and universities President of the Year. Kimbrough is known as the "hip hop President," encouraging free speech on college campuses. Additionally, UTSA MLK, Jr. 2017 Scholarship Winner Genesis Cogle will address the audience during the lecture. The UTSA Women's Choir will provide a musical tribute for the program, which is free and open to the public.Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon's editorial staff.French English

Seasoned professional brings more than 20 years of leadership and experience in business aviation sales

New sales team to champion Learjet aircraft sales in the U.S., focusing on iconic brand

Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 are the best performing, best equipped aircraft in their class, offering the best value

MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Business Aircraft today announced the appointment of Peter Bromby as Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Learjet Aircraft. Bromby will assume overall responsibility for sales with a dedicated U.S.-based sales team and apply his vast experience and insight to driving sales of this impressive Bombardier brand. He will retain his current responsibilities as Vice President, Worldwide Pre-owned Aircraft Sales.

A seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience in aviation sales, Peter has held a number of key roles in his career. Peter joined Bombardier in 2015 as Director, Sales, Learjet Aircraft. One year later, he was promoted to the role of Regional Vice President, Sales, Pre-owned Aircraft, helping to transform Bombardiers pre-owned Learjet, Challenger and Global business worldwide. Under his new role, he has a clear mandate to increase Learjet brand awareness and sales, particularly in the North American market.

Peter is an accomplished industry veteran with a proven track record. Given his impressive vision, leadership and experience, he will bring a strong sales focus on the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75  key pillars of the Bombardier Business Aircrafts industry-leading portfolio, said Peter Likoray, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Bombardier Business Aircraft. Learjet aircraft are the best performing and best equipped aircraft in their class and offer the best value. They also bring distinct comfort advantages that have become synonymous with Learjet and Bombardier these past decades.

Bombardiers Learjet program is one of business aviations greatest success stories, with more than 2,200 Learjet aircraft flying around the world, from the Learjet 23 to the Learjet 75.

About Learjet aircraft

Learjet aircraft are renowned worldwide for their sleek ramp appeal and are favoured by pilots for their handling characteristics and high performance. They have transported corporate leaders for decades, helping build their businesses.

Learjet 70 aircraft: The Learjet 70 aircraft is the most trusted light-midsized business aircraft platform among Fortune 50 and 500 companies. The aircraft offers a smooth ride, top reliability and performance, and its cabin is designed for the utmost comfort  easily accommodating six passengers and two crew members.

Learjet 75 aircraft: As part of the well-established Learjet family, the class-defining Learjet 75 aircraft continues to set the standard by bringing large-jet features to a light-jet platform. The Learjet 75 aircraft is the only business jet in its class to feature an eight-seat double-club configuration and a flat floor throughout the cabin, offering a smooth ride and the ultimate in comfort.

About Bombardier

With more than 69,500 employees across four business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of US$16.2 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier .

Notes to Editors Follow @Bombardierjets on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Business Aircraft.

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Bombardier, Learjet, Learjet 23, Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.The new Student Union has been underway for some time, now  in fact, the project began nearly nine years ago, and it was preceded by a rich and fascinating history that few are privileged to know.

The completion of this project, the largest in the universitys history, may not seem so impressive without that perspective, so here is a rundown of all thats happened to make this possible.

1890

The first recreational meeting space for UT students was established in 1890, nearly a hundred years after the university was initially founded, when a YMCA was constructed on campus under the leadership of President Charles Dabney. For 53 years, this building, located on The Hill, would serve as the space students needed to gather with friends or pursue

recreational interests, and it also housed the first College Bookstore before it burned down in 1943.

1954

On Sept. 9, 1954, the university opened the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial Center, named after the deceased wife of alumnus John Scruggs Brown, who had donated $1.3 million to the university. Though Carolyn Brown herself never attended UT, the building named in her honor would see thousands of students come and go as it remained the universitys central meeting

place for 58 years.

At various times, it featured a bowling alley and billiards room, a basement darkroom for developing film and a music lounge, a craft center and even a candy shop for students facing intense sugar cravings. The Center was expanded and remodeled in 1967, but it turned out not to be enough, in the eyes of administrators, to meet the needs of UTs ever-growing student body.

2012

In March 2012, the university began to make progress on a plan that had been in the works for some time: the construction of a new Student Union. Parts of the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial Center, Andy Holt Avenue and two of the three pedestrian bridges connecting the Center with The Hill and Stokely Management Center closed. By December, demolition began of the former Counseling Center, Aconda Court, Temple Court and the building at 812 Volunteer

Boulevard in order to make space for the new Student Union and to construct of a new Pedestrian Walkway  the one that now links the Student Union to The Hill.

2014

In August 2014, construction of Pedestrian Walkway was completed. Work on Blueberry Falls, a landscaping project between the Student Union and the Claxton Education Building, also began.

2015

Phase I of Student Union construction was completed in June 2015, and students were allowed access to VolBooks, new dining facilities and the Center for Career Development. In July, Phase II began, and it would be only four years before the new Student Union was finally completed.

2019

Phase II culminated in a celebration on January 8, 2019, of the completion of the new Student Union. A glass torch sculpture was unveiled, symbolizing UTs dedication to tradition even as it continues to move forward, and the building features a ballroom, a recreation area, two new dining facilities and much more  all of which is covered in the pages comprising this Student Union.Register for a FREE account to keep reading!

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Already registered? Click the log in link belowWelcome Guest! You are here: Home  Education & Career

Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) Main exam date extended

It is also decided that the examinations should be conducted in time and in an organised manner in future

Jaipur: The Rajasthan cabinet on Thursday decided to ask the state public service commission to extend the date of the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) Main examination.

In a meeting held at the chief minister's residence, it was also decided that the examinations should be conducted in time and in an organised manner in future. All hurdles should be removed in a systematic manner to ensure aspirants are not affected, a government statement said.

The decision came in wake of the agitation by the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) aspirants, demanding the government to extend the exam, according to PTI.

State cabinet minister Parsadi Lal Meena told reporters that many issues, including key legislations like farm-loan waiver and removing educational norms in local body and panchayat elections, were discussed in the meeting.

Party leaders said the cabinet also discussed issues related to water, electricity and schemes for the unemployed youths. However, the issue of 10-per cent reservation for "economically weaker" section in the general category was not discussed in this meeting, they said.

Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) is a state civil service of state Rajasthan along with Rajasthan Accounts Service, Rajasthan Police Service and other services.The officers are included in the state cadre of civil service officers.

RAS officers undergo two years training at HCM Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration.Cadre controlling authority for this service is Department of Personnel, Government of Rajasthan.The head of this service is Chief Secretary.

For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App .

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.Welcome Guest! You are here: Home  World

Anti-Islam protest in Netherlands, Here's how Muslims responded

Jamal Houri, press secretary for the mosque, told Anadolu Agency that PEGIDA tried to be deliberately provocative

[Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident (PEGIDA) is an anti-Islam, far-right political movement founded in Dresden, Germany, in October 2014. (Photo: Anadolu Agency)]

Utrecht (The Netherlands): Far-right Islamophobic group PEGIDA staged an anti-Islam demonstration in front of a mosque in the Netherlands late Wednesday. But, to their shock and dismay, they failed to provoke local Muslims who chose to ignore their rants.

The demonstration was held outside the Abi Bakr Issidik Mosque, frequented by members of the Moroccan community in Utrecht, the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands.

During the demonstration, members of PEGIDA made speeches and showed a movie insulting Islam. Tight security measures were taken around the mosque, including the installation of high barricades, and extra police were dispatched to the area.

After the PEGIDA demonstration, some local residents behind the barricades clashed for a short time with security forces. Two people were detained.

Jamal Houri, press secretary for the mosque, told Anadolu Agency that PEGIDA tried to be deliberately provocative.

"Even though the area they chose for the demonstration was provocative, the mosque administration and community decided not to follow their provocation and ignored them completely," he said, adding that "this is the best response we can give them because paying attention to them works in their favor."

Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident (PEGIDA) is an anti-Islam, far-right political movement founded in Dresden, Germany, in October 2014. The group believes that Europe is being increasingly Islamicized and defines itself in opposition to Islamic extremism.

For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App .

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.Air Arabia Egypt has launched a direct flight from Sohag to Saudi Arabias capital city, Riyadh.



Roundtrip flights will operate twice a week between Sohag International Airport and King Khalid International Airport. Flights depart Sohag on Fridays at 02:15 hours and on Sundays at 11:00 hours and lands in Riyadh at 05:20 hours and at 14:05 hours local time, respectively.



Adel Al Ali, group chief executive officer, Air Arabia, said: Egypt and Saudi Arabia remain key markets of growth and we are glad to connect more cities between both countries through the launch of this direct service connecting Sohag and Riyadh. We look forward to welcoming customers who will now benefit from this direct service while offering convenient and affordable services to travellers from both cities."



Air Arabia currently operates flights to more than 155 routes across the globe from four hubs located in the Middle East and North Africa. - TradeArabia News ServiceDublin, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market By Automation Level, By Component, By Vehicle Type, By Country, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2016-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Europe semi & fully autonomous vehicle market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 21% by 2030



Anticipated growth of the market is led by growing government support for developing driverless vehicles to ensure safe driving. Moreover, over the last few years, automobile manufacturers have been constantly focusing on enhancing the safety features in the vehicles, which is further anticipated to positively influence Europe semi & fully autonomous vehicle market.



Additionally, growing interests of technology giants such as Google, Intel, etc., is encouraging companies worldwide to focus on the concept of autonomous vehicles. Furthermore, increasing research & development in self-driving concept is anticipated to fuel growth in the market in the coming years.



Why You Should Buy This Report?

To gain an in-depth understanding of Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle in Europe

To identify the on-going trends and anticipated growth in the next five years

To help industry consultants, Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle distributors and other stakeholders align their market-centric strategies

To obtain research-based business decisions and add weight to presentations and marketing material

To gain competitive knowledge of leading market players

To avail of 10% customization in the report without any extra charges and get the research data or trends added in the report as per the buyer's specific needs

Some of the major players operating in Europe semi & fully autonomous vehicle market are



BMW AG

General Motors Co.

Toyota Motor Corporation

Ford Motor Company

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

Volkswagen AG

Tesla Motors Inc.

Volvo Car Corporation

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) NV

Hyundai Motor Company

Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. Europe Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market Outlook

4.1. Market Size & Forecast

4.1.1. By Value

4.2. Market Share & Forecast

4.2.1. By Automation Level (Level 0, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 & Level 4/5)

4.2.2. By Component (Embedded Systems, Cameras, Radars, Lidars & Others)

4.2.3. By Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles)

4.2.4. By Country

4.3. Market Attractiveness Index (By Component)

4.4. Market Attractiveness Index (By Vehicle Type)

4.5. Market Attractiveness Index (By Region)

4.6. Europe Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market Country Analysis

4.6.1. Germany Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market Outlook

4.6.2. United Kingdom Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market Outlook

4.6.3. France Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market Outlook

4.6.4. Netherlands Semi & Fully Autonomous Vehicle Market Outlook



5. Market Dynamics

5.1. Drivers

5.2. Challenges



6. Market Trends & Developments



7. Competitive Landscape

7.1. BMW AG

7.2. General Motors Co.

7.3. Toyota Motor Corporation

7.4. Ford Motor Company

7.5. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

7.6. Volkswagen AG

7.7. Tesla Motors Inc.

7.8. Volvo Car Corporation

7.9. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) NV

7.10. Hyundai Motor Company



8. Strategic Recommendations



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rmvbrp/europe_semi_and?w=12

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover has announced the start of the new Jaguar Experience season at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, which runs in tandem with the BIC Open Track, Night Open Track and Track Experience days.



The new season of the Jaguar Experience is currently ongoing and will continue on selected days up until May 10. The experience is delivered through unique and tailored drives in Jaguars most popular and powerful models, the Jaguar F-TYPE Convertible V6 and F-Type Coupe V6.



Being the first Jaguar Experience to run alongside the Land Rover Experience in the Middle East, the event enables Jaguar enthusiasts from all over the region to enjoy a fast-paced and exhilarating adventure at the cost of BD60 ($158.3).



To begin the experience, visitors are welcomed into the Jaguar Lounge and introduced to the team of lead instructors. While enjoying the snacks and beverages provided at the lounge, visitors have the chance to learn about the heritage of the Jaguar brand and how rich their motorsport history has directly influenced the vehicle they are going to drive, the Jaguar F-Type.



After receiving a briefing on-track safety and vehicle dynamics, the participants are taken out onto the track for hot-laps driven by the instructors, wherein the instructor would provide tips on car placement, visual cues, braking points, the racing line and much more. This is followed by an adrenaline pumping drive around the circuit with the participant behind the wheel and the instructor on the passenger seat providing real-time feedback. The final part of the experience sees the instructor take the driving seat once again taking the participant on a truly memorable hot-lap around the challenging circuit, showing the F-Types full capability, power and agility. Upon completion of the entire experience, guests will be taken back to the lounge where they will be presented with a Certificate of Completion from Jaguar Experience Bahrain.



Stephen Lay, the general manager of Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover, said: We are looking forward to having all our customers enjoy the incredible Jaguar Experience at the Bahrain International Circuit. At the centre, guests will be able to drive the award-winning Jaguar F-Type around the world famous Bahrain Grand Prix Track as well as the Inner Track under the guidance of professionally certified instructors. Launched last summer, Jaguar Experience Bahrain has been receiving rave reviews and we look forward to maintaining that standard by providing wholesome experiences to all our guests throughout this season. - TradeArabia News ServiceUS-based NuScale Power said it has signed an agreement with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) to explore unique capabilities and benefits of its small module reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant in the Arab country.



The agreement continues to showcase the immense international interest in NuScales innovative nuclear technology, said a statement from NuScale Power, which is majority-owned by global engineering and construction giant Fluor Corporation.



JAEC is the government entity leading the development and implementation of nuclear strategy and managing the nuclear program in the kingdom.



Through this MoU, NuScale and JAEC will collaborate on conducting a joint feasibility evaluation of NuScales SMR, which will inform Jordanina body's decision on moving forward with the project as part of its planned deployment of nuclear power plants.



NuScale Power Chairman and CEO John Hopkins said: "As Jordan considers its energy future, Im confident that the unmatched resiliency and safety features of NuScales SMR technology make us the ideal partner on the Kingdoms nuclear power goals."



NuScales technology is the worlds first and only SMR to undergo design certification review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is scheduled to complete its review of NuScales design in September 2020.



We look forward to using the agreement to showcase our SMRs unique capabilities, cost benefits, and flexibility, all which demonstrate what a game-changer this technology will be for Jordan, he noted.



JAEC Chairman Dr Khaled Toukan said NuScale was at the forefront of US SMR Technology.



NuScale Power is developing a new modular light water reactor nuclear power plant to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, and other process heat applications.



This groundbreaking SMR design features a fully factory-fabricated NuScale Power Module capable of generating 60MW of electricity using a safer, smaller, and scalable version of pressurized water reactor technology.



NuScales scalable design  a power plant can house up to 12 individual power modules  offers the benefits of carbon-free energy and reduces the financial commitments associated with gigawatt-sized nuclear facilities.



"We look forward to this collaboration to assess the viability and potential for deployment of NuScale SMR Technology in Jordan," noted Dr Toukan.



Current projects for JAEC include the uranium mining in Jordan and the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) development and implementation (including SMRs), he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceArabian Cement Company, a leading cement producer in Egypt, has signed an agreement with SolarizEgypt for the setting up of a solar photovoltaic (PV) energy plant within its premises in Suez Governorate.



SolarizEgypt is a certified company that has been financing, designing, installing and commissioning PV solar power plants across Egypt since 2013.



The company offers solutions to the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors; providing consumers with a better, cheaper and cleaner alternative to conventional electrical energy.



The project, to be implemented on a Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) model, is being financed by QNB AlAhli under the EBRD-Green Economy Program.



As per the deal, SolarizEgypt will be responsible for the construction and operation of the unit for the period of 25 years, stated Sergio Alcantarilla, the chief executive of ACC after signing the agreement with Yaseen Abdel Ghaffar, the founder and managing director of SolarizEgypt.



With investments worth E100 million ($5.56 million), the solar energy unit is expected to generate over 14 GW hours year; producing up to 4 per cent of the total power supply of ACCs plant for 25 years.



The unit is expected to start operating by the second quarter of 2019; saving significant amounts of the plants electricity expenses incrementally every year. Moreover, the solar energy until will be constructed over an area of 96,000 sqm.



As we continue to lead the cement sector in Egypt, we endeavour to constantly spearhead the industry with bold, efficient and reliable advancements, remarked Alcantarilla.



"At ACC, we have a stellar track record of firsts in the market. Three years ago, ACC was the first Egyptian cement company to be ISO 50001 certified for its energy management techniques. Moreover, last year, we won the 2017 Award of Excellence in Energy Management from the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)," he stated.



"We are also the first to apply the Hotdisc technology in Egypt, the Middle East and Africa, using the largest system of its kind globally. Today, Im proud to be announcing yet another innovative first that will not be a last in ACCs portfolio of sector leading firsts. I would also like to express my honor to be working with SolarizEgypt, and looking forward to the fruitful results of such a revolutionary project," he added.



Ghaffar said SolarizEgypt was delighted at the financial closure of the first solar power purchasing agreement in the cement industry.



"This project is enabled by a unique business model, where SolarizEgypt acts as an Independent Power Producer and sells electricity directly to ACC, with EGP denominated competitive pricing to the current governmental tariffs. The project will be financed by QNB AlAhli under EBRD- Green Economy Financing Facility; marking SolarizEgypts second FC in 2018 and providing further validation to the companys sustainable strategy for offering maximum savings to clients through a zero-investment model," he explained.



"SolarizEgypt is leading the commercial and industrial solar market with more than 30MWs of signed projects and is committed to continue its efforts to drive the broad adoption of solar energy in the Egyptian market," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceAl-Bahar, the authorised Caterpillar dealer in the GCC (excluding Saudi Arabia), has announced the opening of its newest branch office in the Sohar region of Oman through its sister concern Oasis Trading and Equipment Company.



The new 10,000-sq-m branch located at University Street next to the Sohar University, will offer the complete range of Al-Bahars services, including dedicated service centres and exclusive parts inventory.



The new workshop can handle 12 machines at the same time, with the support of a team of specialised technicians. Omani businesses, looking for dependable support for their Cat equipment along with exhaustive stock of new parts, can now be assured to find it at Oasis Sohar.



With this opening, Oasis Trading and Equipment Company now has four outlets across the sultanate in key locations such as Muscat, Sohar, Salalah and Nizwa, said a statement from Al Bahar.



The grand opening ceremony was held in the presence of Engineer Salim Al Maqbali, the deputy manager, Royal Court/Sohar Development Office and Engineer Khalid Al Alwai, the assets manager, Sohar Port & Free Zone.



On the new branch opening, Bashar Al Barghouthi, said: "Oman being a very crucial market for us, we at Oasis Trading are very pleased to have expanded our network here. For over 60 years, we have been providing machine and power solutions to the Middle Eastern region, and with each branch, we intend to reaffirm our commitment to assuring customer value."



"Our customer-centric thinking behind this expansion comes from the aspiration to provide our best-in-class products and services to our valued customers, at their convenience," he noted.



The opening of the Sohar branch is a part of Oasis Vision to meet growing customer business needs and provide support for their new projects and operations. Additionally, we foresee a boost in the quarry market in Sohar with the development of the port area, resulting in need of more local support and machinery, added Al Barghouthi.



Al-Bahar's Sohar branch supervisor Qais Alkurdi said: "We see the opening of this new branch in Sohar, Oman, as an excellent opportunity to extend our local presence, contributing continuously to the various industries we serve."



Other guest of honour at the event included dignitaries like the Mayor of Sohar Municipality, director of Sohar Commercial Commerce and CEO of Sohar Port Authority.



In addition to the well-known names from the industry, the ribbon-cutting ceremony saw the participation of over 85 customer representatives and many from the local and Al Bahar head offices, said the company in its statement.



The event gave all attendees an excellent platform to witness and experience the wide range of Cat Machines, Generators and Parts on display, with Exclusive Promotional Offer.



For a glimpse of Oasis Trading and Equipment Company's service capabilities, the guests were taken on a tour of the new workshop and parts warehouse. Many capitalised on the opportunity to discuss and find solutions to their business concerns and challenges, it added.-TradeArabia News ServiceKuwaiti's Ministry of Housing and Public Works has announced that a total of 6,000 new residential units will be ready for delivery to the deserving citizens by April this year.



The announcement comes following a meeting between Minister of Housing and Public Works Jenan Bushehri and the Chinese contractor which is involved in the implementation of the second contract containing 18,519 housing units, reported Arab Times.



During the meeting, the Chinese contractor updated Bushehri and senior officials of the Housing Authority on the ongoing project work and its timeline, stated the report.



The housing units, to be in the range of 5,000 to 6,000, will be handed over to the beneficiaries in three stages, it added.



After a long and cold winter, spring is finally here, and many people are eager to get outside to exercise. Whether youre looking to incorporate a brisk walk during your lunch break or prefer to start your day with a long-distance run, Allegheny Health Network primary care sports medicine physician Jared Ramsey, DO, shares advice on how to safely re-boot your spring workout routine.English French

MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WSP Global Inc. (TSX: WSP) ("WSP" or the "Corporation") will announce its 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan on January 30, 2019. A conference call will be held on the same day at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss the 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan.



To participate in the conference call, dial 1-647-427-2309 or 1-866-521-4907 (toll-free). A presentation of the 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan will be available on the same day at www.wsp.com in the Investor section, under Presentations & Events.

The conference call and slideshow presentation will also be broadcasted live and archived in the Investor section of the WSP website (www.wsp.com).

ABOUT WSP

As one of the world's leading professional services firms, WSP provides technical expertise and strategic advice to clients in the Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Environment, Industry, Resources (including Mining and Oil & Gas) and Energy sectors, as well as offering project and program delivery and advisory services. Our experts include engineers, advisors, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. With approximately 48,000 talented people globally, we are uniquely positioned to deliver successful and sustainable projects, wherever our clients need us. www.wsp.com

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Isabelle Adjahi

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications

WSP Global Inc.

Tel: (438) 843-7548

isabelle.adjahi@wsp.comMBABANE  Cut the budget by 10 per cent. This directive has been communicated to all ministries by government in light of the financial challenges which have rendered the State cash strapped.



Reliable sources confided that some government departments, especially within key ministries such as Health, Agriculture and Education, were in the dark as to how the instruction would see the light of day given the fact that they still had to deliver essential services to the expected standards with a reduced budget.

How does government expect us to deliver on our mandate to provide services at the best of our ability without adequate resources?

argued a senior officer who further disclosed that they were currently collating their budget projections to be presented to the budget committee under the Ministry of Finance.



Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg, who is expected to deliver his maiden budget speech after the official opening of Parliament by His Majesty King Mswati III later next month, confirmed that they expected ministries to reduce their expenditure projections to cater for the financial shortfalls currently being experienced by government.



Projects



There has been a call for ministries to cut their budgets by 10 per cent with a view to ensure that all projects that have been budgeted for are financed at ease, explained Rijkenberg.



Independent calculations by this publication on the basis of the 2017/18 national budget presented by Former Finance Minister Martin Dlamini, whose total was E21.6 billion, unearthed that a reduction by up to 10 per cent would amount to approximately E2.16 billion. This effectively means incoming Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenbergs maiden budget could be around E19.4 billion.



When asked to explain whether they were cognisant of the challenges faced by either ministries or government departments which provide essential services in reducing their budgets given some of the key projects they need to undertake during the 2019/20 financial year, Rijkenberg responded: We are aware that some departments may encounter difficulties in reducing their budgets but we will consider whether a reasonable effort has been made to cut down on costs.



Downsized



One of the key ministries which could be affected by the budget cut is that of Education and Training, whose budget was downsized in 2018. In 2017, the ministry had been allocated E3.5 billion which was reduced to E3.3 billion the following year. Should the 10 per cent budget cut see light of day this year, the ministry could be apportioned with a budget of E2.97 billion.



Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Training Dr Sibongile Mtshali also confirmed knowledge of the call to reduce their budget by up to 10 per cent but wondered how this would be possible given the tasks and challenges they currently face which require additional funding. She said should their budget be cut even further, they were likely not to be able to open more schools as expected and hire additional teachers to meet the shortfall of about 1 000 vacant teaching posts,.



We are yet to appear before the budget committee where we will be advised on where to cut our budget but it will be really hard when taking into consideration the programmes and projects which need to be implemented, said Mtshali.



Ministry of Agriculture PS Bongani Masuku also shared similar sentiments. He acknowledged that cutting their budget would definitely be a challenge when taking into account the fact that they needed to ensure food security and also make the agriculture sector to thrive.



We are yet to negotiate the budget cut, obviously with a strong consideration of the financially challenging times faced by government, Masuku disclosed.

It should be noted that an additional decrease of the Ministry of Agricultures budget allocation by 10 per cent from the E1.4 billion in 2018 to E1.26 billion in 2019 could be much against dictates of the 2003 Maputo Declaration of Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). CAADP is based on two overarching principles: the pursuit of six per cent average annual growth in the agricultural sector at national level; and, allocation of 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture.



CAADP is the most ambitious and comprehensive agricultural reform effort ever undertaken in Africa as an initiative of the African Union (AU) and New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) which represents a fundamental shift towards development that is fully owned and led by African governments. It reflects African governments recognition of agriculture as central for the alleviation of poverty and hunger.



An independent economist, who preferred anonymity, advised that cutting the budget by 10 per cent could ensure that government had sufficient funds available to be apportioned to the budgeted projects. A realistic budget always helps to ensure that there are enough funds to cater for what has been budgeted for, the economist advised.



Revenue



However, he stressed that it would be vital to ensure that key revenue generating projects did not get affected because this could lead to a further slowdown of the economy whose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could well be over one per cent this year, according to the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE).

Business Eswatini President Andrew le Roux lauded government for deciding to slash the budget.



He said for the kingdom to achieve sustainable growth it would be important to ensure that expenditure patterns were monitored and restricted.

This move will create more room to generate more revenue for the country in order to improve the countrys economy, le Roux pointed out. In 2018/19 revenue was expected to increase by two per cent to E16.7 billion excluding grants.

The increase, as stated in the budget, was attributed to policies expected to be implemented which included collection of licence fees from mobile companies and an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) to 15 per cent, which was eventually implemented.MBABANE  Enkonka community in Lavumisa is still reeling from shock following an attack by a group of young men imbibing in a traditional brew known as tinyosi who have been terrorising the area.



Tinyosi is a traditional brew which is made from a concoction of honeycomb and pawpaw, which are then brewed and mixed with other ingredients.

In simplest terms, honeycomb is a structure of wax made by bees to store honey and eggs.



Close to 15 community members have suffered the vicious attack from these young men, while one survived a fatal stabbing.

This has resulted in the Qomintaba Royal Kraal calling all local shebeens to a meeting on Saturday to stop them from operating.



The areas Indvuna Elias Ndzinisa confirmed that they had been troubled by the young men in the area who drank the substance then attacked innocent members of the community.



Summoning



Ndzinisa said as a result they summoned all the community members including the shebeen owners to a meeting to be held at the royal kraal.

The intention is to close down all the shebeens in the area but it will depend on whether we have mercy and allow them to brew other traditional brews and not tinyosi, he said.



Ndzinisa said the tinyosi traditional brew made the people who drank it violent and stated that as a community, they were very much against that.

He said they heard disturbing news about young people aged between 15-30, who were abusing the alcoholic beverage. Ndzinisa said cases have also been reported to the police, while others were arrested for committing violent crimes.



Our women, children and men are in danger. Walking in the streets is no longer safe and they fear that they might come across the dangerous young people who imbibe in this drink, whos alcohol content is unknown, he said.

Simon Shiba, who was stabbed by his own child aged 18 after drinking the brew, said he was still shocked by incident.



Stabbed



Shiba said after he was stabbed, he was rescued by a neighbour who rushed him to the Matsanjeni Clinic with his intestines protruding from his stomach. He said following the stabbing his son made fun of what he had done.

According to Shiba, it all started at the shebeen where two of his sons aged 15 and 18 were drinking the concoction and started fighting each other.



I was then called by the shebeen owners who told me to come and stop them as they would have killed each other, Shiba related.

Shiba said while still trying to think of what to do, a group of boys came leading the two siblings to his homestead.BIG BEND  Hundreds of workers are set to lose jobs at Ubombo Sugar Limited, due to a restructuring process.

This will result in some positions becoming redundant and other operations being outsourced.



The giant sugar manufacturing company, which employs around 2 600 workers (inclusive of seasonal employees), has announced that it was undergoing a restructuring exercise in order to ensure financial sustainability.



In a letter sent to stakeholders, dated January 9, 2019, Human Resources Manager Bongani Ndwandwe, stated that declining sugar prices and increasing costs of production had necessitated the restructuring exercise.



Threatened



This has threatened the financial viability of the company and in response, management initiated several costs elimination initiatives which, unfortunately, have not been able to counter the effects of the high costs in the business successfully, reads the letter in part.



In addition, he wrote: To ensure financial sustainability, the company is reviewing its operating model and as a result, some activities and, jobs will be restructured, outsourced or made redundant.



Furthermore, Ndwandwe revealed to stakeholders through the letter, that the affected departments include: agriculture (cane cutting and haulage), factory, finance and administration, human resources and risk and civils department.



The precise number of workers who will be affected by the restructuring exercise is still not clear but, some unions officials estimated that slightly above 1 000 employees would lose jobs.



In the letter, Ndwandwe mentioned that a total of 615 seasonal employees in the agriculture division, whose contracts are set to expire at the end of this month, would not be re-employed when the harvesting season resumes in April.



Harvesting



Some 30 permanent jobs related to cane harvesting and crop production will be made redundant, further reads the letter. He did not mention in the letter the total numbers of workers who would be affected in the other departments mentioned above.



Instead, he stated through the letter, that the other affected departments were still reviewing their operations and structures, adding that they were expected to be done by tomorrow (January 18).



Last Friday evening, the workers union convened a mass meeting whereby the issue of the companys restructuring exercise was top of the agenda.

Union officials revealed to workers the departments that would be affected by the process, said a worker who attended the meeting.



They (union officials) said they were still going to meet with management to discuss the matter. Some workers raised concern about the short notice. They felt that management should have announced earlier the plans for the restructuring exercise, said a worker in the agriculture division.

Meanwhile, the workers union confirmed receiving a notice of redundancies from management.



We are preparing ourselves for meaningful engagements, and do hope all statutes and agreements will be adhered to as we engage in this very sensitive matter, reads a statement from the Swaziland Agricultural Plantation and Allied Workers Union (SAPWU).

Management of the company also confirmed that it had implemented a restructuring exercise.



The decisions and changes that we continue to take are aimed at achieving low cost based (production), given projected price volatility in the export markets we serve, said Ndwandwe in the statement.

He wouldnt state the total number of workers to be affected.EZULWINI  We have a serious judicial crisis in the Kingdom of Eswatini. As if demonstrating how disappointed he was that key guests from the government sector were a no-show, Vice-President of the Law Society of Swaziland made the above statement as he closed the inaugural Rule of Law and Human Rights Lecture at the Happy Valley Hotel yesterday.



Before strongly criticising the state of the judiciary in the country, Howe poked fun at the absent guests who included the Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Pholile Shakantu by acknowledging their presence.



Opportunity



May I take this opportunity to thank the PM, AG, DPP and the others for gracing our event especially after they requested that it be postponed to today so that they could attend, he said, something which threw the guests in stitches of laughter.



According to the programme of the day, Shakantu was supposed to introduce the PM as part of the official opening and the latter was expected to address the gathering.



On the other hand, the AG, DPP and CJ formed part of the special guest list.

It could not be ascertained if they had actually confirmed attendance.

Worth noting was that none of the attendants attested to having been sent to represent the four.



After mocking them, Howe went on to detail some of the challenges that were faced by his organisation and the overall judicial system of the country.

We have a serious judicial crisis in this country. If you think you will just wake up to go and work on a case without fear or favour then you do not live in the Kingdom of Eswatini, he said.



His statement was more of a response to questions that were posed by some of the participants who demanded to know why the society was letting down the citizens of this country.

Howe stated that the organisation was fully committed to ensuring human rights for all citizens but that there were many bread and butter problems in the country.



He recounted that five years ago, the then Prime Minister, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini gave assurance that he would ensure that the Human Rights Bill would be one of his priorities in Parliament but never did anything about it.

He had just been sworn in and was declaring his assets when he said it was going to be the first Bill he would work on. Fast forward to now, I have not seen it yet the Constitution provides its enactment, said Howe.



With the lecture focused on human rights, Howe went on and expressed his disappointment at the manner in which the Human Rights and Public Administration Commission was not given the resources to conduct its work.



The organisation is not funded which is why it cannot fully deal with litigation for the countrys citizens, he said.

As part of the lecture, it was explained to the attendants that lawyers were expected to be a symbol of change and development instead of focusing on making money.



Delivering a keynote address, Justice of the High Court of the Republic of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Jody Kollapen highlighted that there were two institutions that were critical to ensure that the rule of law was upheld. These are the role of the judiciary and the integrity of the judges. Judges do not act in isolation and have an enormous responsibility to act with good integrity, he said.



He said it had become a norm that access to justice was now determined by how much resources citizens had.

Unless you have the resources, access to justice becomes a commodity. For the poor, any hope of getting access becomes elusive, he said.

After the lecture, the plenary session took place where the attendants were given the chance to pose questions, make suggestions and or raise concerns.



Concerns



One of the concerns raised was that most citizens of the country were affected by the fact that there was a dual system which led to a situation where they were told that their cases could only be dealt with in traditional structures.



Raising the concern was Attorney Sibusiso Nhlabatsi who wondered if the dual system was still applicable in the 21st Century.

Indigenous expert Joy Ndwandwe also got a chance to share her views where she raised a concern that something needed to be done to ensure that people in the rural areas had access to justice.



Also making his voice heard was political analyst Musa Hlophe who posed a question to law enforcers by asking if the citizens were asking for too much whenever they sought justice.





MBABANE  Murder suspect Themba Masimula has described his house arrest as an excessively harsh condition.



Masimula, who allegedly killed his wife Funekile, now wants the High Court to vary this condition of bail.

In an urgent application he has filed at the High Court, he prayed for an order that the condition of house arrest be varied and substituted with a system of reporting to the police periodically that will balance his attending court and ultimate freedom.



The suspended teacher, who is also a pastor, was granted bail on March 29, 2017 by Judge Sipho Nkosi, who placed him under house arrest where he has remained for nearly two years. He lives with his uncle and his wife at Ndzingeni in the Hhohho Region. He was initially ordered to stay at his mothers house in Nhlangano until he threatened to kill her. His uncle offered to house him and Judge Nkosi ordered that the suspect be moved from Nhlangano to his uncles home in Ndzingeni where he has been staying ever since.



Masimulas uncle and his wife later informed Judge Nkosi that they wanted Masimula out of their home but the judge insisted that they stay with him because they had offered to house him when his mother complained about his behaviour.



The suspect has stated in his application before court that since he has been under house arrest for almost two years now, this has had an adverse effect on his health in that he cannot see his doctor as and when he requires to. The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court.



Crown



The Crown is opposed to the application and it is yet to file its responding papers.

He submitted that when he was arrested, he was due for an appointment with his doctor on November 25, 2016. Masimula said he was experiencing pain on his bones and knee. He alleged that he still feels the pain and he is worried that if it is left untreated, it might have a permanent effect on him.



The suspect further informed the court that his leg was in a plaster of paris when he was arrested and now he has developed a condition known as pityrosporum folliculitis, which has caused his hair follicles to become itchy and developed pimples.



He further submitted that the house he resides in is wet and moist most of the time and he fears catching pneumonia since he has allegedly developed chest pains and he cannot breathe normally.PIGGS PEAK  Some workers of Lomati Mine will soon start getting a share in the profits of the establishment now that it has started producing gold.



The Communications Officer at the mine, Maqhawe Nxumalo, said the management of the mine was in the process of setting up a structure that would see deserving full-time employees enjoying a share in the profits.



He said there would be a performance based system to determine those who would get the shares and how much.

At the moment, Lomati Mine has over 80 employees, and it runs three shifts over a 24-hour period.



Reward



The plan is to create a working environment where we all have a stake, and where we apply ourselves knowing that we are building something that will benefit us beyond the usual pay cheque at the end of the month. Management wants to reward the workers for all their hard work and loyalty with this offer, Nxumalo said.



He said as the company had invested a lot in training its workers, the profit sharing incentive was also meant to ensure that the company retained its staff.

In other companies worldwide, employees and Board members are sometimes offered company shares as compensation and as a bonus.

 This cannot be done here currently because of the way in which the legislation is structured. The investor is discussing with the other shareholders to help move forward on this, Nxumalo said.



Meanwhile, emaswati will be pleased to know that the gold deposits at Lomati Mine will be extracted over a period of 50 years.

The mine is located at the foot of Lufafa Mountain, along the Mlumati River.



This means that for the next 50 years, the mine will be consistently contributing to the growth of the economy of the country.

Nxumalo said surveys done on the area had found huge extractable deposits, and it was the intention of the company to mine them for the benefit of all, including the community around them and the country as a whole.



We have been in operation for about a few years now but we are already contributing to the economy in the number of direct and indirect jobs that have been created.

Apart from the people hired here, we also support numerous other local entities from which we source the materials we use in our mining process, Nxumalo said.



He said they use 450 tonnes of cement per month and through that, they were creating jobs in the cement industry.

Nxumalo said they spend close to E1 million every month on the cement.



At our peak, we will be using 3 000 tonnes of cement per month. Imagine how much of an impact that will make in that industry? That is just one industry, and there are others we support by sourcing other materials which go into the process, he said.



Nxumalo also said the fact that gold was an international commodity meant that their successful mining operation presented a positive image of the country internationally.

Currently, the gold is sold to Dubai.MBABANE  The fight over procurement of furniture by government for schools around the country is far from over.



ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited is opposing the application filed by government where it (government) is challenging the decision of the Independent Review Committee of the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency, which ruled that the tender should be awarded to the company.



Government is reported to have withdrawn its intention to award the tender to ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited after it was discovered that it allegedly submitted a fraudulent Labour Compliance Certificate during the tendering process.



The committee further set aside the awarding of the tender to another company, Marithas Investment (PTY) Limited.

Through its attorney from LR Mamba and Associates, the company has since filed a notice of intention to oppose the application.

Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Training, Dr Sibongile Mtshali submitted that the High Court had the inherent jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter.



The Eswatini Government has an obligation to provide school furniture timeosuly to schools without prejudicing learners at school, argued the PS.

Giving a background of the matter, Mtshali stated that earlier this year, the Ministry of Education sought to procure furniture needed in schools around the country. She said due to the urgency thereof the ministry sought permission from the Government Tender Board to use the Limited Tender process of acquiring the furniture.



prepare



This meant that the tender would not be advertised in the media, but the ministry had to prepare the tender documents as well as invitations to suppliers they had worked with before, said the PS.

She pointed out that ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited was one of the seven suppliers approached.



The PS said, in the invitation to tender, the list of documents that were to be submitted by the tenderers were explicitly stated. According to Mtshali, the documents which were required include inter alia, the Labour Compliance Certificate and Tax Clearance Certificate.



She explained that, on the day of the opening of the tender which was June 29, 2018, only five envelopes were submitted in the tender box, but the ministry only needed four suppliers. The PS highlighted that ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited was one of the suppliers considered and an intention to award was prepared.



approved



Mtshali mentioned that such intention had to be approved by the approved authority (Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency).

She said it was then that ESPPRA advised the ministry to go and verify two key documents; the Tax Clearance Certificate and the Labour Compliance Certificate for authenticity.



It was during the verification process where the commissioner of labour acknowledged that the Labour Compliance Certificate submitted by ERG Swaziland was not authentic. This was done on August 7, 2018, submitted the PS.

She narrated that, the SPPRA was again informed about the findings of the verification process.



Mtshali said it was then that the intention of award to ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited was withdrawn by the Ministry of Education and Training, on the ground that they had submitted a document which was not authentic.



unbeknown



However, due to reasons unbeknown to the ministry, ESPPRA had already issued published the Notice of Intention to award the four tenderers, ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited included, said Mtshali.



She alleged that, an individual identified as Masuku, for the ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited, was made aware that there were challenges regarding the Labour Compliance Certificate they had submitted on June 29, 2018.



The PS averred that Masuku was told that the ministry had been informed by the labour commissioner that the Labour Compliance Certificate was not authentic.



She told the court that there were subsequent letters from the Labour Commissioner insinuating that ERG Swaziland (Proprietary) Limited had since complied with the labour laws hence he had issued the company with a new Labour Compliances Certificate.RENSSELAER, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing genetically engineered rodent model solutions, announces the completion of a recent mission to the International Space Station.



This project represents a collaboration between the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bioserve Space Technologies with support from the Leidos Corporation, and Taconic. Taconic has participated in several spaceflight missions with NASA since 1985. Most recently, as part of the science and research investigation payloads supported by the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services missions, Taconic prepared mice to live aboard the International Space Station for extended periods.

Previous spaceflight studies demonstrated that mice undergo rapid loss of muscle and bone mass, resembling accelerated aging. Therefore, mice exposed to microgravity via spaceflight are a valuable model to understand and develop new therapies for aging-related immune, bone, and muscle disease processes. The Rodent Research 8 (RR-8) mission, also referred to as Rodent Research Reference mission 1 (RRR-1), studies the microgravity effects on groups of young and old BALB/cAnTac mice flown on the same mission. Information gathered from this project will prove invaluable as control data for past and future missions.

Participation in the Rodent Research missions is both exciting and inspiring, as the research advances our understanding of how microgravity conditions impact mammalian biology. Over a year of planning and effort goes into preparing animal cohorts to ensure all animals are within the mission specs at the time of launch, so seeing the project through to completion is very rewarding, shared Dr. Gretchen Kusek, associate director of scientific services with Taconic.

Taconic has been a valued partner for many rodent research missions to the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory and on the shuttle before that, said Dr. Michael Roberts, deputy chief scientist for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. We believe that the knowledge gained from this unique and exciting rodent research reference mission will have the ability to bring insight to improve patient care here on Earth.

In September 2018, ISS National Lab issued a request for proposal (RFP) for investigators to access the information generated from this study. Those selected will receive funding to carry out additional research.

To learn more about how Taconics animal model solutions can progress your research, please call 1-888-TACONIC ( 888-822-6642 ) in the US, +45 70 23 04 05 in Europe, or email info@taconic.com .

About Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

Taconic Biosciences is a fully-licensed, global leader in genetically engineered rodent models and services. Founded in 1952, Taconic provides the best animal solutions so that customers can acquire, custom generate, breed, precondition, test, and distribute valuable research models worldwide. Specialists in genetically engineered mouse and rat models, precision research mouse models, and integrated model design and breeding services, Taconic operates three service laboratories and six breeding facilities in the U.S. and Europe, maintains distributor relationships in Asia and has global shipping capabilities to provide animal models almost anywhere in the world.Note: Special one-year subscription at a reduced price for first-time subscribers or for subscriptions that have been expired for at least one year  those living in Jackson County and the Cherokee Indian Reservation (28719) addresses qualify. Offer good through Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.

We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover; we do not accept AMEX.PHOENIX, AZ, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- For The Earth Corporation (the Company) (OTC: FTEG) is pleased to announce that FTEG has signed an agreement with Naxum to build the Clean Lifes Direct Selling website.



FTEG's CEO Nelson Grist said, After a long process we have decided to go with Naxum Online Systems to build the Clean Life Direct selling website. Naxum is by far the leader in the Direct Selling website development and complete site management. Working with Naxum will allow FTEG to make an immediate entry into the Direct Selling space. FTEG has been developing a cleaning line with Advanced Coating Technology (ACT), a Natural Skin Care line and various CBD supplement products. These innovated product lines should make Clean Life and FTEG a major player in the Direct Selling space. It is important to notice that the marketing of the products sold on this site is contingent on financing. The domain will be WWW.TRYCLEANLIFE.COM

Direct Sellings Continued Growth

More than 18 million people were involved in direct selling within the U.S. in 2017, with estimated retail sales reaching $34.9 billion. This outpaced both the growth rate for traditional retail sales and the Gross Domestic Product in the U.S.

About: For The Earth Corporation

For The Earth Corporations primary focus is in three areas: Household and Institutional Cleaning, Pet, and the Health Care Industry. The Companys mission is to create Green and biodegradable, healthy living products, that provide effective and sustainable solutions for people, pets, and the planet.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See For The Earths filings with OTC Markets, which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements,

Safe Harbor Statement

This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Legal Disclaimer

The Company has filed to make an offering under Regulation A. The offering, if qualified by the SEC, will be made only by means of an offering circular. A preliminary offering statement on Form 1-A relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become qualified.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

No money or other consideration is being solicited at this time with respect to such an offering, and if sent in response to these materials for such an offering, it will not be accepted. No securities may be sold, and no offer to buy securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received for an offering under Regulation A+ until an offering statement is qualified by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and any such offer may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time before notice of its acceptance given after the qualification date. An indication of interest made by a prospective investor in a Regulation A+ offering is non-binding and involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.THE SHORTHORN

Is seeking work study student assistants for our reception desk for summer and fall.Prompt, cheerful, students with professional attitudes are encouraged to apply to answer office phones and greet guests from behind a plexiglass COVID barrier.Preference is given to students available to work some mornings. This in-office job offers flexible hours and plenty of time to study.Apply through Handshake for job #4723423 or call 817-272-3188 for more information.Posted Thursday, January 17, 2019 6:34 am

Rick Bannans front page January 16 Reflector article, Governor says light rail needed for I-5 bridge replacement, reminds us that some battles need to be fought again and again.

By all means, lay down and roll over for light rail if: you want to begin paying taxes into Oregons decades-grown MAX tax debt black hole the instant Washington connects to their light rail; you want Oregons druggies, thieves, sex offenders, gangs, homeless, social justice protesters and social change instigators, street-blockers, fire-starters and window-breakers who will only need to spend chump change to ride across the river to your community and prey on your neighborhoods, homes, cars, and families; you think it would be sophisticated and cosmopolitan to become an appendage of the Peoples Republic of Multomah County and its California-style, socialist, society-degrading policies; you want to pay for planners and bureaucrats to sit in their offices and cubicles in Vancouver, designing more taxes and enjoying all government perks and holidays while cooking up more layers of regulations and needed expenditures; you want to spend the wages, raises and tax savings youve gained in this growing economy to start permanently financing over-budget, over-schedule, faulty designs and re-does on construction and never-ending repairs and upgrades while vehicle traffic on freeways and arterials grows into ever more congestion and gridlock; you want to depend on light rail that only fails and shuts down and strands people during extreme hot or cold weather; you want to struggle for the privilege of paid parking and car break-ins in mass transit lots so you can ride the shiny Choo Choo to Blazer games, concerts and Pioneer Square events.

Its easier to be obedient sheep than to rise up and take a stand against elected officials, unelected bureaucrats, and transportation experts from out of town who will not have to live with the burdens they drop on your shoulders.

Or you could insist on a few new, well-designed, well-placed bridges with no money-gobbling light rail boondoggles.

Then you could travel, commute and shop on roads and freeways that do not routinely come to stand-stills.

Tough decision, huh?

Youre being squeezed, folks. Manipulated by people who will never lose their appetite for lifting and emptying your wallet.

The multi-bridge solution has been staring us in the face for years.

All we have to do is stand up, once again, to the government grifters who think we are gullible rubes, and this time insist on responsible bridge building that doesnt try to kick us out of our cars and permanently despoil our communities.Posted Thursday, January 17, 2019 6:32 am

Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for a $2.1 billion loan guarantee to build the Chinese-backed methanol refinery in Kalama. This high-risk guarantee is inappropriate. The Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program is meant for projects which avoid, reduce or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases or employ new or significantly improved technologies.

Neither is true for NWIW.

To decrease greenhouse gases we must decrease drilling, transport, and the burning of fossil fuels. The methanol refinery would pollute as much as 1.2 million cars and require about one-third of all gas used in Washington. A Chinese official of the parent company in China states that methanol would be used as a fuel additive which increases the greenhouse gas effect of the fuel. The refinery would encourage fracking and induce new pipeline expansions; pipelines leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Some NWIW technologies are untried but are not an improvement. For example, Ultra Low Emissions is mostly taking grid electricity instead of production on site. According to Sightline Institute, Running the plant would lap up 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 100,000 homes, from the regions overtaxed electricity grid. That would likely raise energy costs and cause the community to use dirtier sources.

The refinery is high risk. We have no control over the Chinese owners or alternate world methanol sources. Prices and profitability vary widely.

NWIW isnt planning to pay its share. According to a fiscal analysis prepared for the Washington legislature, NWIW will avoid $100 million in state taxes and $43 million in local tax breaks, would pay no fuel taxes on the over a billion gallons of methanol shipped to China and no property tax. Port tenants pay no state or corporate tax. Theyd pay no personal income taxes or personal gain or inventory taxes.

The Port of Kalama asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a $15 million low-interest loan to fund construction of an industrial well on the shores of the Columbia. $11.5 million has been included in the Washington state budget for the dock and road. According to Sightline, NWIW gave the private investment firm Stonepeak the exclusive option to fund construction of the methanol refinery in exchange for part ownership. Much of the money Stonepeak would use to build NWIWs methanol refinery comes from Washington public employees retirement investments.

It is too easy for NWIW to walk away. $2.1 billion is a lot of money. U.S. taxpayers should not guarantee this risky Chinese-backed polluter.Posted Thursday, January 17, 2019 6:06 am

Battle Ground resident Shawna Ziegler will never forget the phone call that changed her life forever.

In Nov. 2012, her 51-year-old mother, Debi Cook, had been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. Ziegler was eight months pregnant and couldnt fly to their home in Missouri. She was devastated.

Six weeks after giving birth to a son named Daniel, Ziegler brought him to Missouri so that her mother could meet her grandson.

The trip that should have been an amazing experience meeting her grandson for the first time turned into a trip of doctor appointments and chemotherapy treatments, Ziegler said. I remember the joy in my mothers eyes holding my son for the first time. We sat and cried for hours. I had to pry him out of her hands when it was time for bed.

Doctors told Ziegler her mother had less than two years to live. She was outraged when an oncologist said that cancer research in the midwest was two years behind where it was on the west coast. By February 2014, they had run out of treatment options is Missouri, so Zieglers parents moved to Washington to be closer with family.

There wasnt enough trials and treatments for my mom when she came out here, Ziegler said. The effects of the chemo and radiology were just too much for her to handle and her body just started shutting down.

Zieglers mother fought on for a year longer than expected, but she died Aug. 26, 2015. In the aftermath, Ziegler contacted the American Lung Association and shared her mothers story. As other members reached out to her, she realized she wasnt alone in this struggle.

Death isnt an easy thing. Its probably one of the hardest things to overcome. That monumental moment for me, after losing my mom, is when I had that understanding, Ziegler said. I didnt really get to think about things when my mom was sick. It was constant appointments. And when my mom passed away, I realized, shes not the only person in this world with cancer. Theres so much more advocating to do for so many other people.

Ziegler became an American Lung Association representative for Washington state. In March 2018, she joined representatives from all 50 states in Washington DC. Together, they advocated for affordable health care and received $38.1 billion from Congress toward cancer research.

It was a really great opportunity to be a part of something that was bigger than me and my story, Ziegler said. Losing my mom just kind of gave me that courage to stand up and fight and be a voice for people that dont have a voice. Be the person to somebody that feels like theyre the only ones battling it or theyre going through it alone. To reach out and say youre not.

In May, Ziegler was the keynote speaker at the American Lung Force walk in Seattle. In August, Ziegler and her brother Khalvin Cook completed the 199-mile Hood to Coast Relay with 10 of their friends. Their team raised $10,000 for cancer research.

I almost quit, Ziegler recalled. Two summers ago, I got meningitis and I almost lost my own life.

She was in the hospital for eight days, needed surgery and still has nerve damage in one of her legs.

I almost gave up. And then I was like, No way! Im doing this. We raised money and this was for an even bigger cause than just lung cancer.

If Ziegler needed inspiration, all she had to do was look down at her arm and see the tattoo that reads, She walks with me. It reminds Ziegler that her mother is with her every step of the way.

I just looked down and remembered that shes there and took that courage and strength and kept going, Ziegler said.

Ziegler lives in Battle Ground with her husband Scott and 6-year-old son Daniel. Losing her mother when she was 33, Ziegler is doing all she can to be an inspiration to her son and others.

It crushes me to know that hes never going to know her, Ziegler said. I want him to know what happened to her and how it happened to her. I want him to be a voice. I want him to do something amazing and I want him to always have compassion for people.DALLAS, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Priority Aviation (name change pending) (USOTC: PJET) (PJET) and North American Cannabis Holdings, Inc. (dba/USMJ) (USOTC: USMJ) (USMJ) today announced accelerating a planned dividend of PJET stock to USMJ shareholders. USMJ recently spun-off its AmeriCanna Cafe cannabis themed restaurant business to PJET in a transaction that included a stock dividend of PJET stock to the shareholders of USMJ. PJET is in the process of updating its public disclosures in order to be current with all required filings necessary for the stock dividend distribution to be executed. To accelerate the filing update and subsequent stock dividend distribution of PJET stock to USMJ shareholders, Steven Rash the CEO of USMJ has stepped up to personally lead the filing update and stock dividend project. In conjunction with Mr. Rashes initiative, he will be transitioning into the role of PJET interim CEO. The current primary initiative at PJET is to launch the AmeriCanna Cafe in Colorado this spring in a partnership with West Coast Venture Group (OTCQB: WCVC) (WCVC) the owner and operator of the $3 million Colorado based Illegal Burger chain. PJET confirms the AmeriCanna Cafe rollout is on track.



USMJ announced last week the first ever 2019 Miss USMJ Calendar now available for sale online at www.missusmj.com and www.etsy.com. The Miss USMJ 2019 Calendar is not your typical pinup calendar. The calendar pictures have been artistically set to appeal to those in all stretches of the cannabis community. The Miss USMJ models were selected from open casting calls in Colorado and California targeting the cannabis community. The Photographs were captured on location in Denver and Los Angeles by a cannabis community artist and Parsons School of Design graduate, living and working in New York City. Miss USMJ models will be participating in the AmeriCanna Cafe rollout with WCVC.

Learn more at www.growusmj.com

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor:

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Steven Rash

CEO North American Cannabis Holdings, Inc.

info@aciconglomerated.com

+1-800-861-1350

Click here and then look to the right side for the sign up to the morning newsletter for The News Herald, and you can get the top headlines deFor the past 13 years passengers all over the world have become familiar with the North Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, but a new name is on the horizon.I don't get this 10-year challenge, time is not something I acknowledge.

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Sunshine early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 57F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.HOUSTON, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Indoor Harvest Corp (OTCQB: INQD), is a precision agriculture technology company, focused on producing bio-pharma grade Cannabis for the wholesale and research Cannabis markets, as well as development of next generation personalized medicines. The Company is pleased to provide its shareholders guidance for 2019.



Special Meeting of Shareholders

The Company is hosting a virtual special meeting of shareholders on January 31, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (Central Time). Common stockholders and Series A convertible preferred stockholders who were record holders on December 7, 2018 will be able to attend the special meeting, vote, and submit questions during the meeting via live webcast by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/INQD . To enter the Special Meeting, you must have your 16-digit control number that was mailed to shareholders of record on December 21, 2018. If you were a shareholder of record on December 7, 2018 and have not received a proxy statement from the Company, please email proxyvote@indoorharvest.com .

The purpose of the meeting is to amend and restate the Companys certificate of formation in order to increase the amount of shares of capital stock authorized to be issued, to grant the Board of Directors (the Board) blank check preferred stock authority allowing the Board to fix the terms and issue new series of preferred stock without the approval of the holders of the Companys common stock, to explicitly permit stockholders of different classes of the Companys capital stock to vote as a single class with regard to changes to the certificate of formation, and to decrease the vote required for the approval of fundamental actions and fundamental business transactions.

The Board believes it is in the best interests of our shareholders to increase the number of authorized shares of capital stock and to allow the Board to issue preferred stock and to fix its terms without further approval of the holders of Common Stock in order to give us greater flexibility in considering and planning for future potential strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and business combinations, as well as other general corporate transactions, as further discussed below.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of Indoor Harvest and to express my appreciation for your commitment to the Company. The Cannabis industry experienced some significant events over the last 18 months and we believe that things are just getting started. I and the rest of the management team are working hard to position the Company for success as the industry develops, grows, and becomes more mainstream. It is an important proxy vote and we encourage you to support it by voting YES.

Without the support of at least 2/3s of the shareholders, we will not be able to issue additional shares for the Company to raise vitally needed capital to continue operations and to move forward with managements plans. It is important for you to vote YES.

The proxy will allow the Company to increase our Authorized Shares of Common Stock from 50m to 200m which in turn will provide us with currency to complete strategic acquisitions and form strategic partnerships as well as raise additional capital, stated Daniel Weadock, Chief Executive Officer of Indoor Harvest Corp.

Moving Corporate Headquarters to Boston, Massachusetts

Management is currently moving the base of operations and focus to the Boston area to take advantage of what it believes to be an attractive environment for Cannabis companies since Massachusetts has now legalized both medicinal and recreational Cannabis. The state is also offering a Cannabis research license, which provides a unique opportunity to do research & development on the medicinal side of the Cannabis industry.

Management is working to deploy our integrated aeroponic technology platform, on our own and with partners in the Boston area, to demonstrate and showcase our belief in the technologys ability to significantly reduce operating costs while increasing yield and quality. Deployment of our integrated aeroponic technology platform will also allow us to continue research and development of the technology with the goal of moving towards commercialization.

We have been working the Boston market for the last year developing relationships on the ground with what we believe to be strategically aligned and vertically integrated potential partners. Two of these relationships include: Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) who are working on the creation of a global virtual center of excellence for the Cannabis industry, and Integrated Genetics & Biopharma Research LLC, which is expected to provide boutique commercial grade genetics and tissue culture services to cultivators and researchers in Massachusetts.

Joint Venture between Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) and Integrated Genetics & BioPharma Research (IGBR)

The Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) towards a proposed joint venture by and among C3RN and IGBR. Under the MOU, the Company will work with C3RN and IGBR to develop a business plan to acquire a license to conduct research on medical Cannabis. The joint venture group will conduct research on the use of Controlled Environment cultivation technology to influence how Cannabis plants express different chemical profiles to further development of next gen bio pharmaceutical grade products.

C3RN runs a network of academics, Cannabis industry participants, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders interested in advancing collaborative and community-driven science approaches in Cannabis research in Massachusetts. C3RN also leads, in collaboration with UMass Dartmouth, a Cannabis consumer and patient citizen science research study, and partners with local Cannabis businesses to improve evidence-based patient care in Massachusetts. In October 2018, C3RN was selected as qualified training vendor for the Cannabis Control Commissions (CCC) social equity program, pending further contract negotiations with the CCC. C3RN intends to leverage these strengths in this joint venture, with a focus on social equity and advancing rigorous Cannabis research.

It is very exciting for C3RN to start on the process of obtaining a research license to study Cannabis in Massachusetts as our company spent significant time advocating for the inclusion of research as an adult-use license category here in Massachusetts. Through this MOU with Indoor Harvest and IGBR, we are ready to take the next step towards licensure and to continue to generate scientific evidence and highlight best practices at the forefront of the industry, said Dr. Marion McNabb, CEO of C3RN.

IGBR is seeking dual licensure (Cultivation and Research) within Massachusetts under the recreational marijuana regulations 935 CMR 500.00. IGBR is an industry leader in intellectual property and best practices in propagation, cultivation, and Cannabis genetics. IGBR is also currently in possession of over 100 of the most desired strains and elite clone-only cuts on the recreational and medical Cannabis market. Mr. Dan Weadock, Indoor Harvests CEO, is also a co-founder of IGBR and acting as its CEO.

Our genetic research and development is based on both data and decades of Cannabis experience. We have established proprietary criteria and analytics in selecting cultivars that drive the market and provide cultivators with a distinct genetic advantage, stated Douglas Klier, Founder and Chief Science Officer at IGBR.

The proposed joint venture will work to identify and publish best practices for cultivation of Cannabis through rigorous research and development. Additionally, the joint venture group aims to provide data and develop partner-specific research studies and objectives with academic and other research institutions.

As part of the ongoing change management efforts and repositioning of Indoor Harvest, we have executed this MOU to help imagine a collaborative research and development effort between three strategically interrelated organizations. We believe this effort will provide the opportunity to create transformative intellectual property that can be leveraged for the collective gain of both the joint venture and its constituent entities, stated Dan Weadock, CEO of Indoor Harvest and Co-Founder and CEO of IGBR.

The Company intends to secure consensus among impacted stakeholders and work towards definitive agreements between the MOU parties and to secure funding during the second quarter of 2019, pending the approval of shareholders in passing the needed increase in the Companys authorized capitalization at the special meeting.

Texas Compassionate Use Program Pending Applicant

The Companys wholly owned subsidiary, Alamo CBD, is currently a pending applicant to produce Cannabis in Texas under the Compassionate Use Program. As of December 17, 2018, only 576 patients were registered with the Compassionate Use Registry out of an estimated pool of 150,000 eligible patients. The Company and many advocates believe the states approval of just three producers has led to low participation in the program.

State Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, has filed a measure to expand the list of medical conditions that qualify for medical Cannabis under the Compassionate Use Act, to include illnesses such as Crohns disease, terminal cancer, autism, and PTSD. The measure would also remove the 0.5 percent cap on the amount of THC that medical Cannabis products sold under the Compassionate Use Act are legally allowed to contain.

Connor Oakley, Executive Director of the Medical Cannabis Association of Texas (MCAT), believes that enough pro-medical Cannabis candidates won seats in the Texas Legislature to finally enact major medical Cannabis legislation. We feel that we finally have the votes to get some of our bills passed, Oakley said. We have support from both sides of the aisle this time.

Currently there are a total of 13 Cannabis related bills being filed for the 2019 Texas legislative session. Additionally, the Texas Republican Party approved medical Cannabis and industrial hemp reforms in the summer of 2018. Due to the mounting support for Cannabis in the state, the Company believes the Compassionate Use Act will be expanded during the 2019 legislative session and that pending applicants such as Alamo CBD will be allowed to proceed forward. There is no guarantee of expansion, however, or that any of the filed measures will pass.

Summary Guidance for 2019

Management believes that working with these organizations and others like them in Massachusetts positions us well to move our agenda forward and provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate our technology and how it can be used to significantly decrease operating costs while increasing yield, potency and quality.

While pursuing strategic partnerships and building our demonstration showcase, management is also working to clean-up the Companys balance sheet and to position us for a potential merger or strategic investment involving other vertically aligned Cannabis industry companies. Management is actively pursuing a number of these opportunities. The goal of this effort is to find a strategic partner that will bring revenue and cash flow to the Company as well as provide the opportunity to put our technology in the field.

Management believes that its efforts in Massachusetts and further developing strategic partnerships will allow the Company to successfully continue operations and create real shareholder value. We encourage you to vote YES on the proxy and give management the tools it needs to grow and expand our business while enhancing shareholder value.

About Indoor Harvest Corp

Indoor Harvest Corp (OTCQB: INQD), is a precision agriculture technology company focused on delivering pharmaceutical grade Cannabis for researchers, and the development of next generation personalized medicines. The Company is a pending applicant to produce Cannabis under the Texas Compassionate Use Program and is seeking additional licenses in the State of Massachusetts.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of Indoor Harvest and its subsidiary companies, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as estimates, believes, anticipates, intends, expects and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on Indoor Harvests current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Indoor Harvest. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Indoor Harvest will be those anticipated by Indoor Harvest. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the Company) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Indoor Harvest undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

Contact Information

Indoor Harvest Corp

Dan Weadock, Chief Executive Officer

dweadock@indoorharvest.com



Dublin, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Electric Three-Wheeler Market By Vehicle Type (Passenger Carrier & Load Carrier), By Battery Capacity (<101Ah & >101Ah), By Battery Type (Lithium Ion & Lead Acid), By Region (APAC & Africa), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2013-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Global electric three-wheeler market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 19% by 2023 on account of rising air pollution levels across the globe and inclination of users towards cleaner automobiles.



Moreover, increasing support from various governments and their initiatives to evolve the automobile industry into a more cleaner industry is further anticipated to positively influence the global electric three-wheeler market during the forecast period.



Additionally, growing affordability of electric three-wheelers is further anticipated to fuel their demand in the coming years.



Why You Should Buy This Report?

To gain an in-depth understanding of electric three-wheeler market globally

To identify the on-going trends and anticipated growth in the next five years

To help industry consultants, electric three-wheeler distributor, distributors and other stakeholders align their market-centric strategies

To obtain research-based business decisions and add weight to presentations and marketing material

To gain competitive knowledge of leading market players

To avail of 10% customization in the report without any extra charges and get the research data or trends added in the report as per the buyer's specific needs

Some of the major players operating in the global electric three-wheeler market include



ChongQing Zongshen Tricycle Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

NINGBO DOWEDO INTERNATIONAL TRADE CO., LTD

Xianghe Qiangsheng Electric Tricycle Factory

Hero Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd.

Terra Motors India Corp.

Clean Motion

Lohia Auto Industries

Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions Ltd.

Saera Electric Auto Pvt. Ltd

All these companies are well assisted by their key development teams and are supported by their strong network across the globe.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. Voice of Customer

4.1. Factors Influencing Purchase Decision

4.2. Influencer of Purchase

4.3. Aided Brand Recall

4.4. Unaided Brand Recall

4.5. Brand Switching

4.6. Brand Switching Attributes

4.7. Brand Satisfaction Level



5. Global Electric Three-Wheeler Market Outlook

5.1. Market Size & Forecast

5.1.1. By Value & Volume

5.2. Market Share & Forecast

5.2.1. By Vehicle Type (Passenger Carrier, Load Carrier)

5.2.2. By Battery Capacity (< 101AH, >101AH)

5.2.3. By Battery Type (Lithium Ion, Lead Acid)

5.2.4. By Company

5.2.5. By Region

5.3. By Market Attractiveness Index (By Vehicle Type)



6. Asia-Pacific Electric Three-Wheeler Market Outlook

6.1. Market Size & Forecast

6.1.1. By Value & Volume

6.2. Market Share & Forecast

6.2.1. By Vehicle Type

6.2.2. By Battery Capacity

6.2.3. By Battery Type

6.2.4. By Country

6.3. By Market Attractiveness Index (By Vehicle Type)

6.4. APAC Country Analysis

6.4.1. China Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.2. Thailand Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.3. India Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.4. Bangladesh Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.5. Indonesia Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.6. Philippines Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.7. Nepal Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.8. Pakistan Electric Three-Wheeler Market

6.4.9. Sri Lanka Electric Three-Wheeler Market



7. Africa Electric Three-Wheeler Market Outlook

7.1. Market Size & Forecast

7.1.1. By Value & Volume

7.2. Market Share & Forecast

7.2.1. By Vehicle Type

7.2.2. By Battery Capacity

7.2.3. By Battery Type

7.2.4. By Country

7.3. By Market Attractiveness Index (By Vehicle Type)

7.4. Africa Country Analysis

7.4.1. Egypt Electric Three-Wheeler Market

7.4.2. Morocco Electric Three-Wheeler Market

7.4.3. Ethiopia Electric Three-Wheeler Market

7.4.4. Tanzania Electric Three-Wheeler Market

7.4.5. Nigeria Electric Three-Wheeler Market

7.4.6. Algeria Electric Three-Wheeler Market



8. South America Electric Three-Wheeler Market Outlook

8.1. Market Size & Forecast

8.1.1. By Value & Volume

8.2. Market Share & Forecast

8.2.1. By Vehicle Type

8.2.2. By Battery Capacity

8.2.3. By Battery Type

8.2.4. By Country

8.3. By Market Attractiveness Index (By Vehicle Type)

8.4. South America Country Analysis

8.4.1. Peru Electric Three-Wheeler Market

8.4.2. Colombia Electric Three-Wheeler Market

8.4.3. Chile Electric Three-Wheeler Market



9. Market Dynamics

9.1. Drivers

9.2. Challenges



10. Market Trends & Developments



11. Competitive Landscape



12. Strategic Recommendations



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3ntfhz/global_electric?w=12

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe?

SurveyMartin Luther King Jr. addresses a crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech during the march on Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963.Want to share some news? Have a hot news tip? Let us know what's going on!

Submit NewsWelcome Week to welcome back students, old and newLuxembourgs Reigning Sisters: Grand Duchesses Marie-Adelaide and Charlotte (Grand Ladies Site)

A hundred years ago this week, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was in turmoil. Its ruler, Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide, had abdicated under intense pressure, making way for her sister, the new Grand Duchess Charlotte, to become the nations new ruler and to try to preserve the monarchy. Today, weve got a look at jewels worn by both women  a rare example of a pair of sisters who both served as heads of state of their country.

Marie-Adelaide wears pearls in a portrait taken near the beginning of her tenure as Luxembourgs reigning Grand Duchess (Grand Ladies Site)

Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide came to the throne in 1912 at the age of only seventeen, when her father, Grand Duke William IV, died. Because she was not yet eighteen, her mother, Grand Duchess Maria Ana, served as regent for a few months after her ascension to the throne. (Maria Ana was not new to the role of regent. William had died following a long illness, and she had been serving as his regent since 1908.) The moment Marie-Adelaide turned eighteen, however, she began reigning herself, becoming the youngest monarch in Europe. Even before she reached the age of majority, one American newspaper remarked that Grand Duchess Marie is extremely conscious of her dignity. She keeps a considerable distance between herself and her sisters and has already a marked and very imperious will.

Simple pearls and flowers adorn Marie-Adelaide in this portrait, also taken during her reign (Grand Ladies Site)

Marie-Adelaide reigned through the First World War, when Luxembourg was under military occupation by the Germans. After the war had ended, her intense involvement in political and religious matters, as well as her perceived pro-German tendencies, caused a crisis. Her actions eventually compelled the nations parliament to request her abdication. Under intense pressure, she complied on January 14, 1919  making her younger sister, Charlotte, the new reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Marie-Adelaide wears a fashionable choker in this court portrait, taken in 1916 (Grand Ladies Site)

After her abdication, Marie-Adelaide left the country, joining an Italian convent. But her ill health made her poorly suited for life as a nun, and she eventually left the convent for a new home in Bavaria. (One of her younger sisters, Princess Antonia of Luxembourg, married Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria in 1921.) Marie-Adelaide died of influenza at Rupprecht and Antonias home, Schloss Hohenburg, in 1924. She was only 29.

The new Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg is pictured in the early months of her reign (Grand Ladies Site)

In January 1919, Charlotte became Luxembourgs reigning Grand Duchess, but she had to navigate a challenging road to maintain her position. In September 1919, a referendum was held that placed the fate of the monarchy in peril. Voters had a series of choices on their ballots: they could retain Charlotte as Grand Duchess, choose another member of her family to rule, choose a different family altogether to install as the ruling dynasty, or to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. (They also voted on whether to create an economic alliance with either Belgium or France.) More than three-quarters of those who cast ballots chose to keep Charlotte as their head of state, including a large percentage of female voters, whom Charlotte had granted suffrage not long before the referendum was held.

Charlotte wears a golden bandeau-style tiara with an elaborate diamond necklace for an early portrait (Grand Ladies Site)

In remarks to the press immediately after the vote, Charlotte said, I am sure the people voted for me because it was the surest way to preserve the independence of the country. When pressed on why she allowed the vote to take place, voluntarily placing her role and her familys position in jeopardy, she simply stated, I was willing to do it because it seemed to be the right thing to do.

Charlotte wears the Empire Tiara, a diamond necklace, and a second necklace as a corsage ornament in an official portrait from her wedding to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, November 1919

A few weeks after the referendum, Charlotte announced that she was engaged to be married. Her prospective groom was her first cousin, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. (Their mothers were sisters; both were daughters of the deposed King Miguel I of Portugal.) The press reported that some in Luxembourg were initially displeased with the match, as Prince Felix (who was a younger brother of Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary) had served in the Austrian military during World War I. One paper noted that when Charlotte declared that it was a love match and that she would wed no other, the people subsequently acquiesced to the alliance. Charlotte and Felix were married at Luxembourgs Cathedral of Notre Dame on November 6, 1919.

Charlotte wears a floral bandeau and a diamond riviere in this portrait, ca. early 1920s

A year after Charlotte and Felixs royal wedding, newspapers began speculating that a visit from the stork was imminent at the palace. Their first child, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean, was born in January 1921. Five more children followed: Princess Elisabeth (born in December 1922), Princess Marie Adelaide (born in May 1924), Princess Marie Gabriele (born in August 1925), Prince Charles (born in August 1927), and Princess Alix (born in August 1929). Three of Charlottes children  Jean, Marie Gabriele, and Alix  are still alive today.

Charlotte wears the Chaumet Emerald Tiara, supplemented by either additional jewels or fabric, across her forehead in this portrait, ca. 1921 (Wartenberg Trust/Wikimedia Commons)

As Charlottes family grew, so did her popularity with the people of Luxembourg. As she celebrated her birthday in 1930, a little over a decade into her reign, the press reported that there wasnt the slightest unpleasant murmur from her citizens, and that she was the most popular grand duchess Luxembourg has had as yet. Though her people had voted in 1919 for an economic alliance with France, Charlotte was also close with the ruling family of Belgium. In 1927, she served as godmother to Princess Josephine-Charlotte, daughter of the future King Leopold III and Queen Astrid. Little did she know that decades later, Josephine-Charlotte would marry Charlottes own son, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Luxembourg at first attempted to retain its neutrality, but with the Germans advancing, Charlotte and her government ultimately decided to formally join the Allied cause. The grand ducal family fled the country in 1940, hopscotching across Europe before landing in London. There, Charlotte made numerous appearances on BBC radio, becoming an important symbol of hope for the resistance in Luxembourg. The grand ducal family also spent part of the war in the United States and in Canada. In England, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean graduated from Sandhurst and was commissioned as an officer in the Irish Guards. He served in several major actions during the war; he was part of the Normandy landings on D-Day and, on September 10, 1944, he participated in the liberation of Luxembourg. Grand Duchess Charlotte made her return to Luxembourg in April 1945, and although some newspapers reported scenes of wild enthusiasm greeted her, others also noted that celebrations were somewhat muted out of respect for the recent death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Charlotte wears the Chaumet Emerald Tiara with diamonds for a theater outing during a state visit from Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, June 1951 (Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons)

With the war over, Charlotte turned her attention to diplomacy. She hosted numerous foreign leaders in Luxembourg, including Eleanor Roosevelt (who had hosted her at the White House during the war), Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and President Coty of France. In 1953, the country was overjoyed to witness the royal wedding of Charlottes son, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean, and her goddaughter, Princess Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium. All four of Charlottes daughters also married during the 1950s, while her second son, Prince Charles, married an American, Joan Dillon (daughter of Clarence Douglas Dillon, who served as the American Ambassador to France and the US Treasury Secretary), in 1967.

Charlotte wears Grand Duchess Hildas Floral Tiara for a state dinner at the White House hosted by President Kennedy, April 1963 (Arnie Sachs/Consolidated News Photos/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)

In the spring of 1963, Charlotte and Jean embarked on a diplomatic visit to the United States, a trip that garnered significant international press. They were the guests of honor at a state dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Kennedy, and then traveled on to spend time in Chicago. One Washington correspondent described Charlotte as sweetness and warmth combined with elegance  the essence of gentility without a trace of hauteur.

Following Vice President Johnsons quick visit to Luxembourg in November 1963  only days before the Kennedy assassination made him president  another columnist, Margaret Anderson, described the secrets to Charlottes success as a head of state: The Grand Duchess Charlotte is articulate and highly intelligent, and probably the best informed of all of Europes distaff rulers. But she wastes no time on chitchat, and therefore, she never permits a conversation to veer anywhere near a discussion of what her subjects or her foreign admirers have to say about her. Nevertheless, Anderson argued, Charlotte is regarded by political scientists as approaching closest to the ideal national symbol. Charlotte, she explains, is a legend primarily because she shuns the limelight and detests ostentation in all its garish hues, operating instead with quiet simplicity.

Charlotte wears the Empire Tiara to sign her abdication act as Jean and Josephine-Charlotte (wearing the Belgian Scroll Tiara) look on, November 1964 (AFP/Getty Images)

A year later, Charlotte decided that her 45-year tenure as the reigning head of state in Luxembourg had come to an end. While the abdication of 1919 had been one of upheaval and uncertainty, Charlottes transition was engineered much more smoothly. Her plans to abdicate were announced in the press in September. She noted, It seems to us the length of our reign and common sense authorize our retirement. She officially signed the abdication act on November 12, 1964, making her elder son Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, who had long prepared for his new role. Press reports lauded the way that Charlotte had combined pomp and simplicity and kept aloof from her subjects and their internal political squabbles. She smiled, presided gracefully and graciously at public events and built up her tiny nations prestige in the eyes of the world.LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Green Cures & Botanical Distribution, Inc. (OTC:GRCU) a Colorado Corporation (The Company) is pleased to announce the expansion of its CBD lifestyle brand Hollywood Hemp. The Company is launching their premium Hollywood Hemp Water brand into the CBD infused beverage segment with Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC:ALKM).



Alkame uses an advanced water treatment technology to create a premium oxygenated alkaline water, with natural antioxidants, that taste great and offers more benefits than regular water. Hollywood Hemp Water will be produced using Alkames patented technology and formula, in conjunction with GRCUs water-soluble CBD ingredient. This newly formulated CBD water provides more effective delivery mechanism for better hydration and optimal PH balance boosting your metabolism and providing more energy and better health.



With the launch of Hollywood Hemp Water the Company is positioning itself to be a leader in the CBD infused beverage market. The Company will be adding a variety of flavors and celebrity endorsements to gain market share in the coming weeks. As the Company launches its beverage line, we will be enhancing our product line with a number of additional products under the Hollywood Hemp name.

About Green Cures & Botanical Distribution, Inc. (OTC PINK: GRCU)

Green Cures & Botanical Distribution Inc., is revenue-generating company that wholesales and retails hemp-infused nutritional, botanical, sports, and body care products. The company is currently Web-based and focuses on online retailing. Green Cures & Botanical Distribution Inc., operates a diverse portfolio of products and services within the botanical and cannabis industry, as permitted by law. From concept to production and distribution, Green Cures & Botanical Distribution Inc., is continuously creating and introducing products that promote a healthy life style. For more information visit: http://www.grcustock.com/ .

About Alkame Holdings, Inc.

Alkame Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded health and wellness technology holding company, with a focus on patentable, innovative, and eco-friendly consumer products. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiaries market and distribute enhanced waters utilizing an exclusive patented formula and technology to create enhanced water with several unique properties. The organization is diligently building a strong foundation through the launch and acquisition of appropriate business assets, and by pursuing multiple applications to utilize its Intellectual Property by placement into several emerging business sectors, such as the growing aqua-culture industry, consumer bottled water and RTD products, household pet products, horticulture and agriculture applications, as well as many other various water treatment solutions to both new and existing business platforms.



Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "ongoing," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainty and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release should be considered in light of all filings of the Company that are contained in the Edgar Archives of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov . Unlimited website access 24/7

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With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abattis Bioceuticals Corp (the Company or Abattis) (CSE:ATT) (OTC:ATTBF) is pleased to announce that the temporary order from the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC), issued on November 26, 2018 (the Order), has not been extended against Abattis.



Abattis is very happy with the BCSCs decision to remove the Company from the Order such that Abattis can continue to focus its efforts on revenue generation and building shareholder value stated Rob Abenante, President and CEO of Abattis. The Order caused very negative sentiment towards Abattis, and with the Order lifted we are hoping to see that sentiment and confidence towards the Company be restored. Abattis will continue to cooperate with the BCSC and Canadian Securities Exchange as much as necessary to ensure the highest level of governance and transparency as it strives towards building a first class portfolio of assets in the cannabis industry added Mr. Abenante.

About Abattis Bioceuticals Corp.

Abattis is positioned to be a leader in the cannabis industry as a fully integrated medicinal cannabis company. The Companys flagship cultivation asset is located on beautiful British Columbias Gabriola Island. Starting with 26,000 square feet and expandable across 8 acres, our Gabriola Green Farms Inc. (Gabriola) facility plans to grow medical-grade marijuana as well as select craft strains of infamous B.C. Bud. In addition, Abattis has been aggressively building its portfolio of complimentary assets which includes the acquisition of 140 genetic strains and the acquisition of NutriVida, a fertilizer company which offers a robust portfolio of fertilizers and nutrients, custom formulated for the emerging cannabis market.

Abattis has also continued to organically grow its products and services divisions as it strives to become one of the industrys most dynamic vertically integrated cannabis companies. This ranges from its Abattis-branded vaporizer line, now sold nationally in Shefield and Sons, to the recent launch of its first proprietary cannabinoid therapeutic, COMFORT, formulated to treat chronic pain and inflammation. Abattis also continues to service the cultivation industry through its preferred service agreements with Northern Vine Canada Inc., a licensed laboratory which was recently sold to Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc., and Dicentra Inc., one of Canadas largest regulatory advisory firms.

To further its reach into the cannabis space, Abattis has made several strategic investments to ensure it has a piece of key evolving areas as the industry matures. One such investment is into cutting-edge research performed in partnership with the University of British Columbia and Mitacs, to research and develop nanoemulsified cannabinoid-rich hemp oil, as well as continuing to develop cannabinoid-infused products such as cannabinoid-rich beer and infused sunscreen. Abattis has also made key investments into XLABS Therapeutics (ONT) Inc., building one of Canadas largest cannabinoid manufacturing labs as well as into certain blockchain service and cryptocurrency platforms solely focused on cannabis product and service transactions.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

ABATTIS BIOCEUTICALS CORP,

Rob Abenante

Robert Abenante, President & CEO

For more information, please visit the Companys website at: www.abattis.com

For inquiries please contact (808) 650-3007 or at investors@abattis.com. Abattis investor relations are managed by Canada One Communications Inc.

About Canada One Communications Inc.

Canada One Communications Inc. (Canada One) is a full-service Investor Relations and Marketing company that focuses on both private and public sectors within the Canadian markets. Canada One offers timely responses to all investor inquiries over several mediums and effective, thorough market awareness programs that are specifically designed to maximize exposure and bring value to shareholders. Canada Ones dedicated and experienced team strives to promote client information to the public and educate potential investors on the various developments of its clients. From basic phone-call and email investor correspondence, to full-scale comprehensive marketing packages which includes industry analysis, website development, corporate videos and other marketing programs, Canada One provides a full suite of services that are fully compliant with Canadian securities regulations. Canada One is driven by an uncompromising dedication to provide publicly listed and private companies with across-the-board investor relations and marketing solutions, directly translating these services into organic growth and increased market value of its valued clients.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words including but not exclusive to anticipate, promising, continue, estimate, expect, may, will, project, intends, should, believe and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, statements regarding: (i) the restoration of market confidence in the Company following the BCSC not extending the Order against Abattis; (ii) the Company becoming a fully-integrated medicinal marijuana company; and (iii) that the Company will be able to generate increased shareholder value. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties including: that the Order issued by the BCSC will have an ongoing negative material effect on the Company; that the Company will not be well capitalized; that the Company or the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary, Gabriola Green Farms, will not receive the necessary regulatory approvals for its current or future products and operations; that the Company will not see revenue growth at all or as anticipated; changes in regulatory requirements; and other factors beyond the Companys control. Additional risk factors are included in the Company's filings available under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com . The forward-looking statements are made as at the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, where because of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.



A puppy for Grandma? It may seem like a good idea to get Grandma a puppy, but is it? There are situations in which a senior having a dog can be a blessing for...

A Dane in Denmark As you begin to feel comfortable at the thought of taking a trip abroad, you might consider an uncommon destination. If you wish to visit a place where people are...Just like in the U.S., a small but active group of right-wing agitators in Tijuana has worked strategically to displace and target Central Americans seeking asylum and refuge. For example, when the second mass exodus of Central Americans began camping out in Playas de Tijuana a few weeks ago, a mob of people began attacking them. Paloma Zuniga, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen, has been spearheading this xenophobic movement. "I'm probably the most Mexican Trump supporter you will ever meet," declared Zuniga . Zuniga has more than 62,000 followers on Facebook , some of whom reside in Tijuana. Zuniga is a clear example of what hate looks like on the other side of the border -- hate that Trump has helped galvanize.

Tijuana has long been a diverse city of people moving through Mexico, Central America, and the United States. But Tijuana, like the U.S. with its MAGA fans, is not without its Mexican nationalists, who are helping to stoke racist and xenophobic sentiments. And people living with HIV and traveling to enter the U.S. from the southern border have to deal with both the local xenophobia and trying to access care without having their status disclosed, which can bring further stress, stigma, and violence.

Donald J. Trump is determined to build his wall. As of today, we are in the U.S.'s longest government shutdown, over Congress's refusal to appropriate funds for this wall. On January 8, over 40 million people watched our president address the nation with one thing on his mind: anti-immigration rhetoric. Trump's notorious 2016 presidential campaign, with its slogan "Make America Great Again (MAGA)," sparked controversy and galvanized racist public opinion in America. People have salivated over his "bad hombres" choice of words and praised his unapologetic references toward migrants -- calling them rapists and criminals who come from " shithole countries ." This notion of fear and animosity toward Central Americans is also present in Tijuana, a diverse municipality in Mexico just on the California border that hosts refugees from all walks of life -- not just people from Central American countries, but also people from Haiti, Ghana, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

I have been in Tijuana for the past few weeks prepping LGBT refugees for their credible fear interview, which grants them the opportunity to present their case in front of an immigration judge. I have been working closely with the National Lawyers Guild, along with nonprofits stationed in Tijuana. My time in Tijuana has been an experience, to say the least. All of my taxi drivers would make comments about the people in the caravan -- calling them dirty, ungrateful, and a nuisance. One driver even warned me not to disclose my Salvadoran heritage after our small talk, telling me that type of conversation can "get me into trouble."

"Mexican officials from the group called Beta are prohibiting refugees from entering the shelter Barretal and making xenophobic comments such as, 'Leave already. You do not belong in Mexico,'" said Luis Fernando Hernandez, a Honduran migrant in Tijuana. At the same time, government officials are now evacuating migrants and displacing them from their refugee camps. Fortunately, there are some "Tijuaneros" who are actively supporting Central American migrants seeking refuge. Some are even committed to providing HIV prevention and care services to migrants who may be HIV positive when they arrive, or who may become vulnerable to contracting HIV due to the conditions of their migration.

Antonio Granillo is the director of Albergue Las Memorias, a shelter in Tijuana that advocates for substance users, people living with HIV/AIDS, and people in transitional living circumstances. He has been the director for over 20 years. This shelter was named after an organization in Los Angeles, The Wall Las Memorias Project, in appreciation for the work they do together. The shelter in Tijuana collaborates with city officials to empower marginalized communities through a holistic approach that incorporates housing and vocational training programs and assists clients with obtaining and managing their HIV medication.

"We opened the shelter 20 years ago and serve people with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and pretty much anyone who walks into our doors," said Granillo.

Granillo is a community advocate in Tijuana. He overcame substance use and homelessness and began empowering himself by participating in focus groups with organizations such as CIRAD, which assists people with addiction to substances by giving them tools to gain professional vocational skills and emotional support during their time in recovery. CIRAD allowed Granillo to gain work experience that would help him advocate for people living with HIV and transgender women doing sex work in the community. He took that experience to Albergue Las Memorias, and, despite some of the stigma and discrimination against migrants from outside Mexico now in Tijuana, people living with HIV, and LGBT people, Granillo sees himself as a champion for all.

"We have always offered shelter and services to people from all walks of life," says Granillo. "At the moment, we are serving two Honduran men who are HIV positive. We are ready to continue serving people who are HIV positive and in need of our services."

From what I have gathered by talking with the folks in the caravan, many LGBT people from Honduras are escaping violence and persecution from their government, which has been in turmoil since a 2009 coup against an elected president who was from a leftist party. Some people believe the Obama Administration and the State Department under the leadership of Hillary Clinton intentionally ignored the coup in order to support a leader they felt more appropriate to U.S. interests. Some of these Honduran men I spoke to are looking for resources that can help them with their HIV care. One young man in particular has not been able to achieve an undetectable viral load, and he hopes to make it to the U.S., where he can get access to care and advocate for his health.

Tijuana has a "micro-hyperepidemic" of HIV/AIDS that primarily includes sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, and people who use and/or inject drugs. Many of the people most vulnerable to HIV are deportees who reside in Tijuana fighting homelessness and displacement. These people often live in squalid conditions that put their health in further danger. Granillo shared that a tuberculosis outbreak is happening in Tijuana, and no one is talking about it.

"We have lost about 900 people to tuberculosis," he said. "These folks are also HIV positive, and it becomes a problem in itself. We see this topic as a social issue."

Giuliani Alvarenga is a UC Berkeley alumnus who double majored in English and gender & women's studies. He is a Sidley Austin Pre-Law Scholar and wrapping up his two-year clerkship with Munger, Tolles, & Olson before he begins law school.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trevali Mining Corporate (Trevali or the Company) (TSX:TV; BVL: TV; OTCQX: TREVF; Frankfurt: 4TI) wishes to announce that as part of the Companys ongoing transformation, vision and strategy to be a premier global base metals mining company, Dr. Mark Cruise plans to step down as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Mr. Mike Hoffman plans to step down as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Company. Both Dr. Cruise and Mr. Hoffman will continue in their current roles until their successors are appointed in order to ensure a smooth transition to a new leadership team for the long-term benefit of Trevali and its stakeholders.

Dr. Mark Cruise, Trevalis President and Chief Executive Officer stated: The Board and I have agreed that it would be an appropriate time for me to step down as an executive of the Company. Over the past decade Trevali has transformed from a successful explorer to a multi-operational, zinc focused, global base metal mining company. 2018 was a busy year as we built the new management and operating teams and the Company is well positioned for my successor to take the Company to the next stage of its evolution. Given my intimate knowledge of the assets I look forward to continuing to support the team going forward.

Mr. Mike Hoffman, Chair of the Board of Directors said: On behalf of the Board of Directors of Trevali, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mark for his vision and commitment as President and Chief Executive Officer. He has worked tirelessly to build Trevali into the operationally diversified and well capitalized zinc focused producer it is today and leaves in place an excellent team and a bright future. We are pleased that Mark will remain with the Company in order to ensure a successful transition as we continue our evolution from a successful exploration company into a major producer.

The Board of Directors has commenced searches for a new President and Chief Executive Officer and a new Chair of the Board. During the interim period, the Board of Directors has formed a Transition Oversight Committee to oversee the search process and ensure an efficient transition, and to provide additional oversight and support to the President and Chief Executive Officer and his team, as well as the Chair, throughout the leadership transition.

ABOUT TREVALI MINING CORPORATION

Trevali is a zinc-focused, base metals company with four mines: the 90% owned Perkoa mine in Burkina Faso, the 90% owned Rosh Pinah mine in Namibia, the wholly-owned Caribou mine in the Bathurst Mining Camp of northern New Brunswick in Canada, and the wholly-owned Santander mine in Peru.

The shares of Trevali are listed on the TSX (symbol TV), the OTCQX (symbol TREVF), the Lima Stock Exchange (symbol TV), and the Frankfurt Exchange (symbol 4TI). For further details on Trevali, readers are referred to the Companys website (www.trevali.com) and to Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

TREVALI MINING CORPORATION

Mike Hoffman (signed)

Mike Hoffman, Chair of the Board of Directors

Contact Information:

Steve Stakiw, Vice President - Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Email: sstakiw@trevali.com

Phone: (604) 488-1661 / Direct: (604) 638-5623

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the United States Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, or in releases made by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, all as may be amended from time. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Companys plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results. Such forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, statements as to the resignation of the President and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors, the identification and appointment of a new President and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors, and the role and activities of the Transition Oversight Committee of the Board during the transition process.

These statements reflect the Companys current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. If any assumptions are untrue, it could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including commodity prices, anticipated costs and ability to achieve goals.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the Companys actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability to attract suitable executive and board leadership, the ability to grow the assets and operations of the Company, as well as other risks as more fully described in the Companys annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2017, which is available on the Companys website ( www.trevali.com ) and filed under our profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty or reliance on forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

Source: Trevali Mining CorporationNoel Jett, Class of 2015, graduated from A&M at 16 before earning her Ph.D. from UNT at 19 years old.While it is fun to have a dog in college it is also a time-consuming responsibility to bare.PHOENIX, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Uptick Newswire Stock Day Podcast welcomed American Premium Water (OTC: HIPH), a diversified luxury consumer products company focused on businesses in the health and beauty and biotech sectors. American Premium CEO Ryan Fishoff talked with Stock Days Everett Jolly.



Jolly started off the interview by saying he sees that infused beverages will be one of the hot items of 2019, Fishoff agrees.

I do think that is going to be the big topic in 2019, especially with the recent passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which essentially legalizes Hemp and CBD products. It opens up a lot of different markets, it opens up a huge appetite and demand in the marketplace for infused beverages and I think we are the right time to be able to meet that demand with our LALPINA CBD product, says Fishoff.

He went on to say they are excited about the demand and energy in the industry. Jolly then mentioned American Premium Water Corporation has entered into a financing agreement with an institutional investor at a $0.40 valuation.

Really, what that represents is that there is a significant confidence in the institutional investor that we are working with, Fishoff explained. They believe that our company is on the right track, that we are executing our business plan, and what weve outlined for 2019 and beyond is well within our goals and able to execute on. We are really excited about what the future holds for us.

Jolly then mentioned that everyone is getting in on this market share and asked for Fishoffs take on 2019. He did mention that the competition is increasing.

But what were seeing is a lot of the alcoholic beverage companies are going towards the cannabis market, simply because thats where its fully legal. In the US, when you get on a federal level versus a state by state level, I think thats one of the things that we have the advantage of because we are not a large, established company, we dont have those restrictions or worries.

Fishoff went on to say the company has an infused THC formulation that they are working on and will roll it out in California this year. They will see what the regulatory issues are and then try and export to other states and internationally.

Its still a wide-open space, in my opinion, explains Fishoff. I welcome the inclusion of more beverage companies and beer companies.

He went on to say with bigger companies and retailers comes bigger interest in the market for CBD products. Jolly then asked about a candidate takeover, if that thrilled Fishoff or scared him.

I think its a double-edged sword, he said. There is part of me that wants to see this thing through and build a business successfully and get to the finish line. But in terms of partnering with a larger more established partner, they can help you get there faster.

Fishoff went on to say in 2019 they are focused on monetizing their technology and adding more technology. Not just in the beverage and CBD space but also in other sectors. He mentioned that in November the company entered in an agreement with Canyon Create Corp., maker of patented topical and cosmetic technologies including varicose vein cosmetic masker Vanexxe, and CBD-infused acne skin cream Prickly Pear.

To hear the rest of the interview with Ryan Fishoff, listen to the entire Stock Day Podcast here. https://upticknewswire.com/featured-interview-ceo-ryan-fishoff-of-american-premium-water-corporation-otcpink-hiph-3/

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of Stock Day, and Uptick Newswire encourages listeners to visit the companys message board at https://investorshangout.com/

About American Premium Water Corp.

American Premium Water (OTC: HIPH) is a diversified luxury consumer products company focused on businesses in the health and beauty and biotech sectors. The company is focused on harnessing the powers of hydrogen and Nano technologies paired with cannabidiol (CBD) to treat health disorders and enhance quality of life. This business model aims to market emerging fashion brands by leveraging classic retail partners and incorporating disruptive blockchain technologies to expand the retail footprint. The companys portfolio includes the LALPINA Hydro and LALPINA Hydro CBD brands (www.LalpinaInc.com), Gents, Worthy, and blockchain platform FashionCoinX (www.FashionCoinX.com).

Safe Harbor Notice

Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). American Premium Water Corporation cautions that statements made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made. These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions made by management. Actual results could differ materially from current projections or implied results. American Premium Water Corporation undertakes no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this news release. Additional details of the Company's business can be found in its public disclosures as a reporting issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") EDGAR database.



Contact Information:

Media Contact

Email: info@americanpremiumwater.com

+1(888) 983-0054

About Uptick Newswire and the Stock Day Podcast

Founded in 2013, Uptick Newswire is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Uptick provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. Uptick is the sole producer of its Stock Day Podcast, which is the number one radio show of its kind in America. The Uptick Network Stock Day Podcast is an extension of Uptick Newswire, which recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona.The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy StatementClear Cut Pictures has appointed Harriet Colson to the newly-created position of Account Manager.

Colson returns to Clear Cut having previously worked at the company as a Junior Post Producer in 2012 where she worked across projects including Bear Grylls Breaking Point, Dont Get Done Get Dom and Time Scanners.

She went on to The Farm as a Post Producer overseeing series such as Britains Got Talent and The X Factor, as well as The Invictus Games and James Cordens Late Late Show. From there she had a spell as an Account Executive at Molinare, working across their factual and comedy slates, before making her decision to return to Clear Cut.

Harriet said: Im thrilled to be returning to Clear Cut, working with a fabulous team and at a time where they are working on incredibly exciting projects.

Rowan Bray, MD said: Harriet is fantastically placed both to deliver and develop our services for our expanding client base. Her experience and can-do attitude will further strengthen our team and we look forward to embarking on new projects with her help.MIAMI, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Progressive Care Inc. (OTCQB:RXMD), through its PharmCo subsidiaries, is a South Florida health services organization and technology company, releases the following letter to Shareholders from the Company's Chief Executive Officer, S. Parikh Mars:



Dear Progressive Care Shareholders,



2018 and the years before it set the stage for evolution. Through careful planning, thoughtful solutions, and nimble mobility during tumultuous times, we have built a company capable of enduring. We achieved more last year than we have in any other year, but there is precious little time to appreciate all that we have accomplished. 2019 is the year to execute on big objectives in order to make our mark on an industry that looks to consolidate and eliminate those that fall behind. We aim to lead and believe that the industry will begin to look to us for answers.



Today, anticipation of our future is building. We look at the opportunities in front of us with steadfast intent and a knowledge that the choices we make this year will forever change the face of this organization. We cannot be intimidated by the uncertainty around us, but rather move forward with confidence in our path. We will only be successful by moving together with singular purpose. We will tell our story to all who will listen and show them the virtue of our mission and the prosperous results of our goals.



We understand that our shareholders have been a profound source of support for us. You have believed in the mission and rallied around our story as we began telling it to the world. We do not take for granted your loyalty and know that we must work to make you proud every day. We hope that you are as proud of 2018 as we are and look to 2019 with deepest sense of optimism.



Significant Achievements



We begun 2018 with our listing on OTCQB dramatically changing the status and visibility of the Company. The change in listing tier provided more comfort to the market and our shareholders that the information being presented can be relied upon. Our level of transparency reassured the investing public that our Company was different from the rest and taking steps to ensure that the market had the most up to date information we had to offer. We combatted naked short sellers and worked hard to protect our shareholders from bad actors and those that would disseminate false or misleading information about the Company. These efforts stabilized the market and improved its integrity.



After reaching record revenues in 2017 of $20 million the Company moved forward on an agenda that would make us more resilient in the face of industry changes and push past our competitors in terms of service, expertise, and technology. We sought to lead through our actions and capitalize on years of hard work in the face of adversity. We also sought to grow, not just through organic same store sales but through acquisition.



Early in 2018, we planted the seeds of growth by filling record numbers of prescriptions and issuing an LOI for our first acquisition. Execution on these fronts was crucial as our expansion into Palm Beach was accelerating and our same store sales would set the tone for the rest of the year. Quickly, we saw new clinics and doctors offices turn to PharmCo for pharmacy support as the necessity of patient adherence became abundantly apparent on performance scores. Our reputation for excellence on this front preceded us and we understood our prescription growth in 2018 would outpace 2017.



The second quarter brought extreme challenges and overwhelming joys. In April 2018, it became clear to us that insurance companies were drastically reducing reimbursement rates and benefits to patients. These aggressive cost cutting measures implemented by PBMs across the board greatly reduced revenue per prescription across all segments but compounding especially. While we devoted significant efforts to advocacy for our patients and expounded the detriment these measures were causing, the formulary changes and reimbursement rates remained. In addition, the implementation of higher DIR fees and other charges changed the way we evaluated our profitability and which sectors to focus our attention.



However, we were accustomed to dramatic industry shifts. We adapted and remained undeterred in our drive to succeed. We installed a new automation system to improve our adherence offerings as well as keep pace with the technological developments of our peers. We rolled out our web-based prescription portal to improve engagement with our customers. We engaged CMW Media to increase the visibility of our story and guide on our leadership path. Finally, we secured our first acquisition making PharmCo a 2-store brand in South Florida.



The acquisition of our second store is particularly special for us because of the work it took to get to that point. Finding a good location and a synergistic operation was difficult and valuations seemed to be beyond our reach. Securing the business, we did at the price we did was fortuitous. It allowed us to avoid months of regulatory hurdles, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional up-front costs that would have been necessary had we decided to start a new operation. It came with upgraded equipment and a team eager for growth and change. We rebranded the company under PharmCo and began to integrate it into our organization and culture.



We also, for the first time ever, met all of Humanas quality measures. These measures are exceptionally difficult to meet and only the top 20% of pharmacies in the nation reach the goals set. Not only did we meet the goals, we far exceeded them, making PharmCo one of the top performing pharmacies in the country.



Over the summer we launched new initiatives and expanded on our core competencies. We sought to combat the opioid crisis through increasing awareness of available non-opioid treatments and the need for better education and training for pain management. We understand that there are obstacles to reducing opioid dependence as systemic structures prevent cogent solutions. Yet, as healthcare providers, we cannot sit idly by and watch our communities suffer without our intervention. We must act and we have worked to lend our voice to a growing chorus yearning for change and results.



We began our DischargeRx program designed to reduce to post-discharge non-adherence and preventable readmissions. Our program was piloted as Westchester Hospital for independent home-based patients and proved useful. Our ability to deliver prescriptions directly to the patient on the same day of discharge greatly increased the likelihood of post-discharge medication adherence. Eliminating impediments to care at home has proved to be our most valuable asset in reducing healthcare costs.



Toward the end of 2018, we began to receive media attention for the work that we have been doing to lead the industry down a new, more engaged path. Our message of personalized medicine was reaching new ears and industry publications were taking notice of our expertise in the field. We published numerous articles, conducted interviews, and spoke at conferences to push our vision of the future of pharmacy in front influential eyes.



We launched our Tele-pharmacy platform. This platform allows for live, secured, video-conferencing between patient and pharmacy is the future of digital facilitation of healthcare engagement. Upon this platform, we will be able to create a full-suite of digital healthcare solutions that will begin the technology revolution of our industry. It is an example of our leadership in the space.



Lastly, our proudest achievement, is the closing on PharmCos first property. The building of over 11,000 square feet will be the flagship facility, allowing for growth long limited by space. The building will house general pharmacy operations, long term care solutions, tele-pharmacy support, medication therapy management center, and corporate offices. Its location just off I-95 not only provides for speedy delivery but also means that passers-by will see our company from the highway.



2018 provided the foundation of our future. We believe our achievements last year will be remembered as the turning point for Progressive Care.



2018 Key Highlights

Completion of 2017 Audited Financial Statements

Secured first acquisition: PharmCo 1002 (Palm Beach County)

Paid off all CVP notes

Introduced Bitcoin and cryptocurrency functionality

Launched Newly Designed Websites

Launched New Prescription Platform

Launched DischargeRx Program

Launched Tele-PharmCo

Launched 340B Backoffice Support

Launched Program to Opioid Abuse

LegitScript Certification

Pilot Program: Westchester Hospital

Over 300,000 prescriptions filled an increase of 35%

Over 30,000 prescriptions filled in a single month

Approx. $21 million in net revenues

5-star rating

Top 20% Pharmacy in the nation

Highest Humana Scores in Company history

4 active 340B contracts

Increased 340B revenue by over 150%

Processed over $6 million in claims on behalf of 340B entities

Reached over 70 employees

Licensed in the following states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota

New PR Partner: CMW Media

New Investment Bank: The Benchmark Company

FlyPharma Speaking Engagement

Florida Tele-health Summit Speaking Engagement

Contributed Articles published in prestigious industry trade magazines: Pharmacy Times, Pharmacy Business, World Pharma Today, Drug Topics, Authority

Purchase PharmCos first building: 400 Ansin Blvd

Outlook



The Company has never been more optimistic than it is beginning this year. 2019 will undoubtedly bring hardships, but this Company has proven resilient and unfazed by headwinds no matter its cause. 2019 will be a year of tremendous transformation as we leap into our technological objectives. We intend to develop our own proprietary software for a number of applications that will greatly improve the way the healthcare industry interacts amongst itself and its patients. The platforms developed in 2018 will provide the base for further advancement, that will make the Company steps ahead of our competitors and create additional revenue opportunities.



We plan to begin development of our own line of CBD products to increase awareness of its therapeutic capabilities. We intend to provide patients with a brand of products that is easy to use, easy to understand, and meets the highest standards the industry has to offer. Putting our reputation behind the products we create will help patients feel comforted in the knowledge that a healthcare company stands behind the product they use for their well-being.



We expect to close on another acquisition. Growth through acquisition will improve our profitability, scale, geographical reach, and negotiating power with other organizations and insurance carriers. Upon execution of the acquisition currently underway, we hope to double the size we are today.



As always, we intend to continue to develop our core products and services, providing best in class solutions for medication therapy management, health consultations, compounding, long term care, post-discharge care, risk management, 340B, and adherence. Through further growth in these areas, we will increase same store prescriptions filled and revenues.



The following are our strategic goals for 2018:

Achieve 40,000 prescriptions filled in a single month

Increase annual same store sales to $24 million

Close on second acquisition leading to consolidated revenue of over $35 million

Secure additional 340B contracts and long-term care facility relationships

Achieve accreditation for non-sterile compounding

Achieve full enterprise profitability and earnings growth

Install Tele-PharmCo enabled kiosks and equipment in senior living communities and large-scale clinics

Develop exclusive line of CBD products

Conduct PharmCo evidence-based case studies

Release PharmCos first televised advertisement

Become SEC registered and fully reporting

Closing Remarks



We start 2019 gazing out into an ocean of opportunity. Standing on the deck of a ship built to withstand headwinds and uncertainty, we set a course forward with fortitude in our spine. We who work here every day, buzz and hum with electric invigoration as we anticipate the exciting days ahead for a company with so much promise and purpose.



In 2018, we dug in, fought hard, built a trust in each other to take leaps together. The healthcare landscape changed and we persevered, undeterred by circumstances beyond our control. We grew, we evolved, we stepped forward to lead the industry and today, while we appreciate the difficult road behind us, we look to future.



As shareholders, we place our well-being and futures in the hands of this organization. We continue to believe in its mission and know, through faith and foundation, that the future is bright, and our achievement will rest on the solidarity of our team. It is humbling, the trust bestowed upon us who spend long days and nights here and we are immensely grateful for that trust. 2018 was a year of pride, strength, execution but 2019 will make the company of 2018 unrecognizable in the distance.



Thank you all for coming with us on this journey.



Best regards,



S. Parikh Mars,

Chief Executive Officer

Progressive Care, Inc.

About Progressive Care

Progressive Care Inc. (OTCQB: RXMD), through its PharmCo subsidiaries, is a South Florida health services organization and provider of prescription pharmaceuticals, compounded medications, provider of tele-pharmacy services, the sale of anti-retroviral medications, medication therapy management (MTM), the supply of prescription medications to long-term care facilities, and health practice risk management.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Companys expectations about its future operating results, performance and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the intended terms of the offering, closing of the offering and use of any proceeds from the offering. When used herein, the words anticipate, believe, estimate, upcoming, plan, target, intend and expect and similar expressions, as they relate to Progressive Care Inc., its subsidiaries, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

Contact

Armen Karapetyan

Senior Advisor Business Development

armen@progressivecareus.comFelderman is a member of Iowans for a Reliable Energy Future. He served as the U.S. deputy director and principal advisor to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command director of plans, policy and strategy directorate. He also served as a brigadier general with the U.S. Army and Iowa National Guard. His email address is RobertFelderman@gmail.com.* Username

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blissco Cannabis Corp. (CSE: BLIS)(OTCQB: HSTRF) (FRA: GQ4B), (Blissco) or the (Company) is a Canadian wellness cannabis brand based in British Columbia and licensed producer, processor, and distributor of premium dried cannabis and cannabis oil. Today, the company is pleased to announce that it has been approved by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) as a cannabis supplier. The approval allows Blissco to begin supplying Saskatchewan retailers with cannabis products and includes, but is not limited to, supplying premium cannabis products to the Saskatchewan Independent Cannabis Retailers Network (SICRN) members.

We are excited to receive approval from SLGA and delighted to become a supplier of premium cannabis products for SICRNs member stores. Each Canadian province has a unique cannabis distribution model. Allowing producers to ship directly to retail stores in Saskatchewan creates efficiencies in the supply chain and thus, lowers costs for both retailers and producers, said Damian Kettlewell, Blissco CEO.

SICRN is developing stronger relations with Health Canada licensed producers so we can order directly from them and have their product shipped directly to our stores, lowering our costs. We are excited to work with Blissco to enable our growing member base the opportunity to purchase premium dried cannabis and pre-rolled products and eventually cannabis oil products as well, said SICRN Vice-President Jim Southam.

SICRN (Saskatchewan Independent Cannabis Retailers Network)

SICRN is a non-profit industry association founded in 2018 that represents 33% of the private retail cannabis stores in Saskatchewan.Thank you for Reading!

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The efforts been renewed to bond for a new school. . Let me state the problem Everybody, including me, wants a new school, nobody wants to ...CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iManage , the company dedicated to transforming how professionals work, today announced that DMH Stallard  an award-winning law firm with five offices across the UK  has chosen iManage Work 10 to provide its professionals with industry-leading document and email management.



DMH Stallard had previously relied on an all-in-one practice management system to manage documents and emails but wanted improved functionality. The firm was drawn to iManage Work 10 for its smart and personalized search which quickly cuts through clutter and locates relevant information in less time using machine learning and data analytics. A simple, yet powerful search interface with filtering enables easy navigation of large result sets, creation of complex queries for future use and personalized results based on individual working patterns.

iManage Work 10 makes it very easy to save our emails and documents and find relevant information quickly, said Peter Blackwell, Head of IT, DMH Stallard. Work 10 automatically suggests save locations for documents and emails, helping ensure important files are filed in the right place. And the simple interface means lawyers can just type what theyre looking for into the search box and pull up documents instantly.

iManage Work 10 also brings a new level of mobility to the firms professionals, giving them secure, remote access to their files through a single user experience that is the same on a desktop, the web or a mobile device. Data security for our law firm is extremely important and we want our professionals to access critical documents and emails through a secure and governed environment, regardless of their work location. Work 10 enables us to achieve this goal.

iManage partner Phoenix Business Solutions is assisting DMH Stallard with its deployment of iManage Work 10. Phoenix was chosen for its personal consulting approach and project experience with iManage.

DMH Stallards selection of iManage Work 10 shows their commitment to innovation and to working in the most effective and efficient manner for their clients, said Geoff Hornsby, General Manager, EMEA, iManage. Theyre not standing still and relying on old technologies and processes  with Work 10, DMH Stallard gains access to the document and email management system that more than one million professionals worldwide rely upon every day to do their best work.

Follow iManage via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imanageinc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iManageinc/

Blog: https://imanage.com/blog/

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/imanage

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/imanage

About iManage

iManage transforms how professionals in legal, accounting and financial services get work done by combining artificial intelligence, security and risk mitigation with market leading document and email management. iManage automates routine cognitive tasks, provides powerful insights and streamlines how professionals work, while maintaining the highest level of security and governance over critical client and corporate data. Over one million professionals at over 3,000 organizations in over 65 countries  including more than 2,000 law firms and 500 corporate legal departments  rely on iManage to deliver great client work  securely.What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 712-243-2624 or email circ@ant-news.com.Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.The better course would be to revoke Article 50 altogether, which the U.K. can do unilaterally. To be sure, this would be a grave step, and one that May has promised not to take - because it would in effect overturn the choice that British voters made in 2016. It would be a declaration that the Brexit project has failed - but, after this week's vote, to admit this would simply be to recognize reality. Britain has been unable to design an exit and its government is paralyzed.New York, Jan. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Top business mogul Raquel Vendome has built a real estate empire that is quickly becoming a great force in New York. The real estate empire known as Vendome Property Management, Inc. is a family business that is currently managed by Raquel and her father, Antonio Vendome. A focused and determined businessman, Antonio built the empire for years before taking on his daughter to help with the executive duties. If the company's recent success is anything to go by, it is evident that the duo is a force to reckon with in the real estate industry.





Raquel Vendome wasn't always interested in real estate, and working for the family empire was not her life goal. She studied at Locust Valley High School and later graduated from Lynn University in Boca Raton. She majored in Early Childhood Education in college as her passion had always been in serving children. She pursued this passion and started working for children after her graduation.





Raquel knew that working for her father's real estate empire would come up sometime in the future. She was torn between her love for kids and the desire to work alongside Antonio who was devoting time and energy on the family business. After much convincing, Raquel Vendome eventually caved to the desire to carry the family legacy. She dropped her career in school and started working under her father in 2010.





Raquel's Success in Real Estate





Success in real estate has not come easy for Raquel. Having no previous background in the industry, she has had to learn from scratch. She has had to master everything about the business, from acquiring properties to forging business relationships with clients. She is excelling at it, and since joining the company in 2010, Vendome Group has risen to be one of the most renowned real estate empires in New York.





Raquel attributes her success in real estate to her father who has been her mentor. She has watched him work tirelessly to build the company to an empire that is receiving great endorsements in the industry. Raquel's desire to expand her father's creation and continue the family legacy has been her driving force. She upholds honesty, diligence, and integrity, the same values that propelled Antonio Vendome to success.





Vendome Property Management, Inc. Under Raquel and Antonio Vendome Leadership





Vendome Property Management, Inc is a real estate company that manages properties in downtown Manhattan and Queens. Antonio Vendome who is a premier architect and designer has steered this company to grow from a small real estate firm to an empire. The company has undertaken great projects, including the "Urban Glass House" which is a 16-story condominium development.





The Vendomes are currently involved in developing a 26-story condominium dubbed "Habitable Structure." The Habitable Structure is a modern-day sky rise that will be constructed along 62nd St. and York Ave. It is a joint project between the Vendomes and Philip Johnson, and it gets its inspiration from Picasso and Braque. Upon completion, the Habitable Structure will be a grandiose skyline for New York City.





With the assistance and mentorship of Antonio, Raquel Vendome has quickly risen to be a real estate force in New York. The Habitable Structure may be the greatest project that her company has undertaken, and its success will propel her and her real estate empire to even greater success and fame."At that point, the Kent County Sheriff's Department should have immediately released Mr. Ramos-Gomez," the ACLU said. "Instead, the Sheriff's Department worked with ICE agents to enable his transfer to an immigration detention center in Calhoun County to start the deportation process..... It is unclear how that was possible or why the jail believed it should hand Mr. Ramos-Gomez over to ICE, rather than release him as required by the court order."Plastic straws comprise only about 4 percent of plastic waste. But they have proven a vexing problem, according to the Delray Beach sustainability office: Because straws are very small and lightweight, they cannot be recycled, are easily blown out of garbage cans and trucks into the streets and storm water systems, and they pose a risk to sea animals."In over 18 months since Emelia was taken from us, we have not seen her," the family wrote in the letter. "That is not from lack of trying. We have tried, but Lewis Bennett's family lives in the United Kingdom and he has not instructed his family to allow us to visit her. We have had very limited Facetime access to her, less than even one handful of times and before she was taken from us, she was the light of our lives."Since the massacre, much has been revealed about failings of the school system and the police to adequately react and respond to threats posed by Cruz. But far less is known about the role Broward Countys largest mental health services provider played because of state and federal privacy rules governing individuals mental health care.We are also grateful that so many Florida legislators from around the state made it a priority to join in hearing the governors messages of real importance to Jewish Floridians and beyond. In our Federations role as convener of this diverse Jewish community, we were thrilled to welcome so many of our areas rabbis and other leaders. As always, our remarkable Jewish community came together on behalf of the well-being and security of residents and our people. We look forward to collaborating on new and continuing initiatives with our new state leadership.In 1947, 22-year-old Arens moved to pre-state Israel and join the Irgun underground movement led by Jabotinsky disciple Menachem Begin. After Israel gained independence, Arens became a founding member of the Herut Party led by Begin, which had grown out of the Irgun and the Jabotinsky movement. Wanting to contribute to Israel in a meaningful way, Arens returned to the United States in 1951, preparing himself with training as an MIT- and Caltech-educated aeronautical engineer, earning a Ph.D. Back in Israel in 1957, Arens became a professor of aeronautics at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa until 1962. A visionary in potential Israeli air power, he became deputy director general at Israel Aircraft Industries in 1962, heading major development projects, including the Kfir fighter jet.Hopefully well be able to catch some really bad guys, John Walsh, 73, shared on Twitter. I am asking the public to trust me. You dont have to tell me who you are. You only have to tweet me. You either have to go to my Facebook page, you can go on our website, call on our hotline. We have Spanish-speaking operators. Just tell me where that creep is. We turn the tips over to the cops and well go get them and save lives.The potential conflict of interest posed by Trump's dual roles in Washington was underscored in a separate development Wednesday, when the General Services Administration's internal watchdog issued a scathing report of the agency's decision-making that allowed the president to keep his lease for the hotel, which is in a federally owned building. It said the agency should have assessed whether the lease violates the Constitution's emoluments clauses, which bar presidents from taking payments from foreign governments and U.S. states. But it "improperly ignored" those concerns, the report said.Lake Charles, LA (70615)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 93F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of DBV Technologies S.A. (DBV Technologies or the Company) (NYSE: DBVT). Investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.



The investigation concerns whether DBV Technologies and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated the federal securities laws.

[Click here to join a class action]

On October 22, 2018, the Company announced the submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Viaskin Peanut for the treatment of peanut allergy in children four to 11 years of age. When the Company announced the submission of the BLA Dr. Pierre-Henri Benhamou, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of DBV Technologies, stated that This submission represents a significant step forward for those families living with peanut allergy. We are thankful for the patients, investigators and DBV employees' efforts in making this milestone possibleWe have been developing Viaskin Peanut for over 10 years, with over 1,000 patients studied in our clinical trials, and we are excited about the possibility of helping patients suffering from peanut allergy.

On December 19, 2018, DBV Technologies revealed that its BLA for Viaskin Peanut had been voluntarily withdrawn following discussions with the FDA. The Company stated, although the agency did not reference any medical or clinical questions with the submission of Viaskin Peanut, the FDA did communicate that the level of detail with regards to data on manufacturing and quality controls was insufficient in the BLA. On this news, shares of DBV Technologies fell $8.39 or nearly 60% to close at $5.76 on December 20, 2018.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com



Rev. Ronald L. Bobo greeted congregants of West Side Missionary Baptist Church at the celebration of his 25th anniversary as senior pastor in June 2011. He preached his last sermon as senior pastor on Sunday, January 13.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by Macarthur Minerals Limited (TSX-V: MMS), please note that in the second paragraph "a price of one dollar (C$0.10) per share" should have read "a price of ten cents (C$0.10) per share". The corrected release follows:

Macarthur Minerals Limited (TSX-V: MMS) (the Company or Macarthur) is pleased to announce that it has engaged Investor Cubed Inc. (Investor Cubed) to provide investor relations and shareholder communications services effective January 8, 2019.



In connection with the engagement, Investor Cubed has been awarded a consulting contract paying $2,500 per month for a term of twelve months. In addition, Investor Cubed has been granted options to purchase 1,000,000 shares of Macarthur at a price of ten cents (C$0.10) per share. The options will vest quarterly over a period of one year and will be governed by the provisions of Macarthurs share compensation plan.

Mr. Cameron McCall, Executive Chairman of Macarthur Minerals commented: Macarthur has consolidated the Companys position in 2018 and has undertaken a successful exploration program for its gold, hard rock lithium and lithium brines holdings. Further, with the opportunity to access a route to market for the Companys iron ore portfolio for the first time in its history 2019 will be an exciting year for Macarthur and its shareholders. In saying this, in 2019 the Company will make a renewed effort in communicating with its investors and shareholders and the appointment of Investor Cubed who has been tasked with this responsibility.

ABOUT INVESTOR CUBED

Investor Cubed provides specialized services to small cap & mid cap private & public companies. As a trusted partner to our clients, our objective is to help take them to the next level of development in the capital markets. Through accomplishing this, we help create value for their shareholders. For more information go www.investor3.ca

Investor Cubeds success can be traced to our core values: Integrity + Insight + Intelligence Implementation.

ABOUT MACARTHUR MINERALS LIMITED (TSX-V: MMS)

Macarthur Minerals Limited is an exploration company that is focused on identifying high grade gold, nickel, cobalt and lithium. Macarthur Minerals has significant gold, lithium, nickel, cobalt and iron ore exploration interests in Australia. Macarthur Minerals has three iron ore projects in Western Australia; the Ularring hematite project, the Moonshine magnetite project and the Treppo Grande iron ore project. In addition, Macarthur Minerals has significant lithium brine interests in the Railroad Valley, Nevada, USA.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

MACARTHUR MINERALS LIMITED

 Cameron McCall 

Cameron McCall, Executive Chairman

Company Contact

Joe Phillips, CEO and Director

Email: jphillips@macarthurminerals.com

Telephone: +61 448899247

Website: www.macarthurminerals.com

For further information please contact:

Investor Cubed Inc.:

Telephone: (647) 258-3311, (888) 258-3323

Fax: (416) 363-7977

E-mail: info@investor3.ca

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the current expectations, assumptions or beliefs of the Company based upon information currently available to the Company. With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this press release, assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the timely receipt of required approvals, the reliability of information, including historical mineral resource or mineral reserve estimates, prepared and/or published by third parties that are referenced in this press release or was otherwise relied upon by the Company in preparing this press release. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct as actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include fluctuations in exchange rates and certain commodity prices, uncertainties related to mineral title in the project, unforeseen technology changes that results in a reduction in iron ore demand or substitution by other metals or materials, the discovery of new large low cost deposits of iron ore, uncertainty in successfully returning the project into full operation, and the general level of global economic activity. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Such statements relate to future events and expectations and, as such, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and except as may otherwise be required pursuant to applicable laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.Visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday called the Philippines President Rodrigo Dutertes controversial crackdown on illegal drugs an example to the whole world.

Courtesy: inquirer.net

Sirisena, who is currently in the Philippines for a five-day state visit, also said that his country intends to follow President Dutertes footsteps in fighting illegal drugs.The war against crime and drugs carried out by you is an example to the whole world and personal to me, Sirisena said in his speech during a state banquet in Malacanang.Drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard, he added.This was not the first time Sirisena expressed admiration for Dutertes drug war.In July 2018, the Sri Lankan leader said his government would start hanging drug criminals and promised to replicate the success of the Philippines anti-drug war.Since taking power in 2016, President Duterte has made a crackdown on the illegal drugs the focal point of his administration, continuing the brutal campaign against the banned substance that he used in Davao City when he was its mayor.Local and international human rights groups have expressed their opposition to his drug war, citing alleged violations of human rights, which the government vehemently denied.The International Criminal Court (ICC) is carrying out a preliminary investigation into Dutertes drug war for allegedly involvingcrimes against humanity.Sri Lanka is under fire for naming Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva as the Chief of Staff of the Army. Various interested parties stepped up attacks on Sri Lanka in the wake of the Gajaba veteran, the wartime General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the 58 Division, receiving the due recognition.

SOOKA LEADS ATTACK

Calling the Gajaba Regiment veteran a war criminal, Sooka referred to the celebrated 58 Division (Task Force I) as a notorious fighting formation on the basis of the controversial UNSG Panel of Experts report on Accountability in Sri Lanka (March 31, 2011) and the report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL report / released on Sept. 16, 2015).

RESPONSIBILITY OF MR GOVT.

Collective failure of political party system

The writer is the News Editor of the Island, a Colombo based daily newspaper where this piece first appeared.

President Maithripala Sirisena elevated the officer on January 10, 2019.Early last year, Sri Lanka earned the wrath of Yasmin Sooka, a member of three-member UN panel that blamed Sri Lanka for the deaths of over 40,000 civilians, for naming Silva as the Adjutant General.Sooka, in her capacity as the Executive Director of South Africa-based International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), flayed the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government over Silvas appointment.Maj. Gen Silva had been the GoC, 53 Division at the time he received the 2018 appointment.In a Johannesburg datelined statement, Sooka, who had been a member of UNSG Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka, alleged that the appointment, made immediately after the conclusion of the 34th session of UNHRC, is an outrage and shows the Government is not serious about accountability or security sector reform.Sooka led the attack on the new Army Chief of Staff, with other foreign-funded agents, too, throwing their weight behind the latest project. The UK headquartered Global Tamil Forum (GTF), while condemning the appointment, urged the international community to take appropriate action in respect of the Sri Lankan government.Under Silvas command, the 58 Division achieved what no other fighting formation did during the entire Eelam war, though it would never have been the case if other formations and support services failed. At the end of the war, the political and military leadership found it difficult to share the glory.Even a decade after the end of the conflict, Sri Lanka is mired in controversy over the conduct of her armed forces.The Island last year dealt with the circumstances under which Gajaba veteran and Maj. Gen. Silvas colleague, Chagie Gallage retired. "Gajaba was engraved in golden letters on the annals of the history of the Sri Lanka Army, if not in the history of Sri Lanka  and Im certain it will never be reversed by any."So, Im happy to be retired being a tiny particle of that proud chapter of the history, though designated as a War Criminal."Gallage is the first officer to make such a declaration, regardless of the consequences. Even after Gallage highlighted the plight of those who held command appointments, the government did nothing, absolutely nothing at least to examine the crisis.Now, its Maj. Gen. Silvas turn to face stepped up attacks. With the next Geneva sessions, scheduled for March, 2019, the Army Chief of Staff can expect a major propaganda offensive, directed at Sri Lanka, at his expense.Maithripala Sirisenas tenure as the President should be examined against the backdrop of Sri Lankas failure in Geneva.SLFP spokesman Mahinda Samarasinghe, on January 09, 2019, faulted the then Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera for co-sponsoring the hotly disputed Geneva Resolution 30/1 titled Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka much to the disappointment of President Maithripala Sirisena.Although, Samarasinghe conveniently refrained from naming UNPer Samaraweera, the reference as regards Geneva Resolution was clearly directed at the former Foreign Minister.Samarasinghe dealt with the issue at a media briefing at SLFP headquarters, especially called to explain President Sirisenas four years (January 09, 2015 to January 09, 2019) Office. The National List MP Samarasinghe discussed the contentious accountability issue at the onset of the briefing, his first since he lost the Ports and Shipping portfolios on Dec 20, 2018 in the wake of the UPFA quitting the UNP-led government.Recollecting his role as wartime President Mahinda Rajapaksas human rights envoy, Samarasinghe declared that President Sirisena strongly opposed the Geneva Resolution 30/1 meant to set up a hybrid war crimes mechanism, comprising foreign and local judges. Samarasinghe called the accountability issue the biggest major challenge faced by President Sirisena.A decade after the successful conclusion of the war, on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon, the accountability issues remained a formidable challenge with a section of the international community pushing Sri Lanka to adopt a new Constitution or introduce far reaching constitutional reforms meant to abolish Sri Lankas unitary status.The Geneva Resolution, adopted on Oct 01, 2015, on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes allegations, is the basis for the division of the country on ethnic lines.Although President Sirisena, on several occasions, vowed not to allow foreign judges in an accountability mechanism, the UNP-led United National Front (UNF) government did absolutely nothing to counter the despicable Geneva project, though Sri Lanka received credible evidence to disprove accusations.The war-winning Rajapaksa administration, too, should accept the responsibility for the current situation as it neglected its responsibility. The top leadership owed an explanation as to why it refrained from building Sri Lankas Geneva defence on the basis of a declaration made by US Defence Adviser in Colombo Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith. in early June, 2011. The statement couldnt have been made at a better a time for Sri Lanka, at that time struggling to cope up with UN accusations: (A) Sri Lanka ordered UN/INGOs to vacate Kilinochchi in September, 2008 to conduct a war without witnesses (B) Vanni population denied medicine, food and other basic needs (C) Coordinated mortar/artillery/MBRL (multi-barrel rocket launchers) attacks on civilian population causing deaths of over 40,000 civilians. The UKs Channel 4 News alleged that then Secretary Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and then Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka executed the operation (D) Rape of combatants/civilians. Subsequently, the military was accused of abusing/raping men. (E) The use of cluster bombsSamarasinghe, in spite of being Rajapaksas human rights envoy. never exploited the US statement made at the inaugural Defence Seminar 2011. In fact, the previous administration was determined not to explore ways and means of using the US statement. Having reported the controversial US statement exclusively, the writer, on several occasions. personally made representations to several officials, including the then Chief of Defence Staff General Jagath Jayasuriya and the then Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem regarding the urgent need to take remedial measures.In response to a question regarding the alleged move by some LTTE cadres to surrender during the last few days of the war, the US official denied that possibility, thereby effectively contradicting those propagating the story that security forces massacred surrendering persons. The US official was responding to a query posed by retired Indian Maj. General Ashok Metha. (Metha served in Sri Lanka during the deployment of the Indian Army in the late 80s in accordance with the Indo-Lanka accord). The Island exclusive on the US officials reaction was ignored by the GoSL. It would be pertinent to mention the Indians question was posed to the wartime General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the celebrated 58 Division, Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva.This is what Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith had to say.: "Hello, may I say something to a couple of questions raised. Ive been the defence attache here, at the US Embassy, since June 2008. Regarding the various versions of events that came out in the final hours and days of the conflict, from what I was privileged to hear and to see, the offers to surrender, that I am aware of, seemed to come from the mouthpieces of the LTTE  Nadesan, KP  people who werent and never had really demonstrated any control over the leadership or the combat power of the LTTE."So their offers were a bit suspect, anyway, and they tended to vary in content, hour by hour, day by day. I think we need to examine the credibility of those offers before we leap to conclusions that such offers were in fact real."And I think the same is true for the version of events. Its not so uncommon, in combat operations, in the fog of war, as we all get our reports second, third and fourth hand from various commanders at various levels that the stories dont seem to all quite match up."But I can say that the version presented here so far in this is what I heard as I was here during that time. And I think I better leave it at that before I get into trouble."The GoSL refrained from at least referring to the US statement. The GoSL, for some strange reason, ignored the INCREDIBLE statement made over two years after the LTTEs defeat. As the senior Colombo-based US military official, he would have certainly had access to all relevant information and wouldnt have responded that way if he was not sure of the actual situation.The US State Department asserted that the US military officer hadnt been at the Defence Seminar on an official capacity. The GoSL remained silent. The State Department NEVER contradicted the statement. Instead it disputed the military officials right to make that statement.Maj. Gen. Silvas plight should be discussed, taking into consideration both negligence on Sri Lankas part as well as external factors. Let me reproduce verbatim what Zeid-Hussein stated in his June 28, 2016, address in Geneva, to pressure Sri Lanka into adopting a new Constitution:= "Significant momentum has been achieved in the process of constitutional reform. On 10 March 2016, Parliament adopted a resolution establishing a constitutional assembly to draft and approve a new constitution or amendments by the end of 2016, which would then be put to a referendum in 2017. The drafting process has benefited from an inclusive public consultation process overseen by a Public Representations Committee that received submissions and held district level consultations in the first quarter of 2016.= From a human rights perspective, the constitutional reform process presents an important opportunity to rectify structural deficiencies that contributed to human rights violations and abuses in the past and reinforce guarantees of non-recurrence. These could include a more comprehensive Bill of Rights, stronger institutional checks and balances, enhanced constitutional review, improved guarantees for the independence of the judiciary, effective individual complaints mechanisms and greater direct enforceability of international human rights treaty. Also, as demonstrated by other countries experience, is the strengthening of civilian oversight over the military in the form of multiple oversight and accountability mechanisms over defence policy, discipline and promotion, budgeting and procurement. The new Constitution will also be important in facilitating the establishment of the transitional justice mechanisms envisaged by the Government, for instance the criminalization of international crimes in national law or allowing for the involvement of international judicial personnel. At the same time, the High Commissioner hopes that the political process of adopting constitutional changes will not involve tradeoffs and compromises on core issues of accountability, transitional justice and human rights."Sri Lanka created history by becoming the first country co-sponsoring a resolution against itself in spite of it being severely inimical to its interests. The entire process leading to the 2015 October Resolution was based on unproved allegations whereas US statement that cleared the country of such accusations were ignored. The Resolution paved the way for a new Constitution, in addition to the implementation of four specific measures meant to address accountability issues, namely (1) a judicial mechanism with a Special Counsel to investigate allegations of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international human rights law (2) A Commission for truth, justice, reconciliation and non-recurrence (3) An Office for Missing Persons (OMP) and finally (4) An Office for Reparations.Those seeking to haul Sri Lanka before hybrid accountability mechanism exploited Sri Lankas failure to pursue their objective. The writer firmly believes the issue at hand is not foreign judges in an accountability mechanism but Sri Lankas deliberate failure, since the end of war to-date, to present all relevant facts before Geneva. Western powers and the civil society shouldnt be blamed for the failure on the part of the corrupt political parties to defend the country.The SLFP spokesman conveniently ignored the fact that in March 2017, Sri Lanka asked for and obtained two years more to fully implement the October 2015 Geneva Resolution. The SLFP cannot absolve itself of the responsibility for taking it up with the UNP, thereby allowing the Geneva process to continue.The SLFP also turned a blind eye to the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTFRM) in January 2017 calling for full participation of foreign judges, and other personnel, including defence lawyers, prosecutors and investigators, in transitional justice mechanism to address accountability issues.Having repeatedly assured the country that the change of government, in January, 2015, had ended the likelihood of foreign participation in proposed war crimes inquiry, the government struggled to cope up with a report released by CTFRM, headed by attorney-at-law, Mrs Manouri Muttetuwegama.The eleven-member committee stressed that foreign participation was required as those who had suffered during the conflict had no faith in local judiciary, which lacked expertise to undertake such a task. They endorsed Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Raad Al Hussein declaration made in Colombo, in February, 2016, that the judiciary here was incapable of undertaking the process. The Jordanian questioned the integrity of the local judiciary.The CTFRM comprised Muttetuwegama, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Gamini Viyangoda, Prof. Sitralega Maunaguru, Dr Farzana Haniffa, Mirak Raheem, Prof. Gameela Samarasinghe, Visaka Dharmadasa, Shantha Abhimanasingham, PC, K.W. Janaranjana and Prof. Daya Somasundaram.Sri Lanka also ignored invaluable representations made by Lord Naseby in Oct, 2017, in the House of Commons on behalf of Sri Lanka on the basis of wartime British High Commission dispatches (January-May 2009). Sri Lanka turned a Nelsonian-eye to the highly respected Britons assertion that the number of dead couldnt have exceeded 8,000 and one fourth of them were LTTE cadres. Foreign Ministry initially dismissed Lord Nasebys move. The British High Commission in Colombo, too, adopted a similar stand.Former Ministers, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Sarath Fonseka and Mahinda Samarasinghe in response to queries raised by this writer, at separate press conferences, admitted that cabinet never discussed how Lord Nasebys revelation could be used to our advantage. While The Island took up the issue with Jayasekera at a post-cabinet media briefing in Nov. 2017 several weeks after Lord Naseby revelation, Fonseka and Samarasinghe were confronted at the Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development and SLFP Office, T.B. Jayah Mawatha, respectively.The war-winning Army Chief admitted that there hadnt been any Cabinet discussion on how Sri Lanka should respond to Geneva allegations of war crimes against the country. (SF: Cabinet never discussed how to counter war crimes allegations with strap-line...responds to PMs 2030 leadership change move, The Island, Sept 8, 2018).Mahinda Samarasinghe acknowledged that Sri Lankas decision to co-sponsor the Geneva Resolution 30/1 in Oct 2015 hadnt been discussed by the Cabinet of Ministers nor the Lord Nasebys revelation (Cabinet never discussed 2009, 2015 Geneva Resolutions  MS, The Island, Aug 18, 2018).Jayasekera said that a statement made by Lord Naseby in the House of Lords would be used by the government appropriately at the right time, though the Cabinet was yet to discuss it. Jayasekera asserted that there were far more important issues than Geneva while accusing the writer of raising an unnecessary issue (War crimes: Cabinet spokesman provoked by query on govt. response to Naseby move, The Island, Nov 16, 2018)One-time Attorney General and Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, PC, in spite of promising parliament in late Nov 2017 to use the Naseby disclosure at the appropriate time and the venue, never kept the promise. This assurance, given in response to a query raised by the Joint Opposition, is yet to be fulfilled.Had Sri Lanka properly used Lord Nasebys disclosure obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) following an intervention made by the UK Information Commissioners Office in terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 along with US Defence advisors declaration made in June 2011, the Geneva lie could have been countered.It would be important to know Lord Naseby made his request in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on Nov 06, 2014 though the required information was denied on the basis of false claim public disclosure would undermine their relations with Sri Lanka whereas the actual situation was other way around.Can anyone dare to name a country that deliberately denied its armed forces an opportunity to clear their name?by Our Diplomatic Affairs Editor

A peculiar characteristic of the administration of the

Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry is protecting and rewarding the thieves and

culprits. It has become a standard administrative policy of this very important

institute. As a result of this practice, many have been able to evade from

being prosecuted and facing disciplinary actions. We have been able to disclose

the shocking details of a recent case involved in a lady Foreign Service

officer, who has been appointed as the Consul General of Sri Lanka in

Frankfurt.

She belongs to the bach of Foreign Service Officers

recruited in 1998. This officer, whose name is Madurika, was first accused of

helping an LTTE member to get a forged Sri Lanka driving license while she was

working at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Italy. When this misdeed was revealed, she

was recalled to Sri Lanka, and the CID launch an investigation into this

incident. However, as her father was a former Police officer, she was able to

slip from the law. At the official level, no investigation was conducted on

this incident.

She is known as a trouble maker. She was found using foul

language on a veteran journalist of the Observer Newspaper and immigration

officer of the British High Commission in Colombo. Later, while she was working

in Frankfurt, she was accused of physically assaulting a lady officer at the

Consulate, and there had been a police investigation. She suddenly left

Frankfurt with the support of her lover at the Foreign Ministry to avoid any

possible arrest. It is learnt that the Frankfurt Police has considered this

incident a severe violation of human rights. The case is still pending.

When she was working at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Vienna,

she involved in two serious crimes. One is beating and deprivation of basic

needs of her domestic helper. She had physically and verbally abused her

domestic helper, and no food was given to the helpless women. She has requested

her domestic helper to pay Rs 100000 to arrange her ticket back home. However,

the return ticket was provided by the Foreign Ministry. Mother of the domestic

helper had made a complaint at the Foreign Ministry against Madurika; no action

was taken. However, this matter was highlighted in the European media.

She was married to a German national. With the support of her German husband, Madurika had rented an apartment from a relation of her German husband, when she was working at the Sri Lanka Embassy in Austria. The government of Sri Lanka paid her house rent. She had overpriced the rental and pocketed out Euro 500 each month. Although this crime was exposed, the then Secretary of the Foreign Ministry has just asked her to repay the money she illegally took, and no departmental action was taken against her. According to the government regulations it is wrong to request her to pay back without proper investigation. Paying the illegally taken money back to the government is clear evidence her acceptance of the crime.

At the Ministry, she was often blamed for neglecting her work. Therefore, she has been transferred from one division to another at the Foreign Ministry. No senior officer is ready to work with her. She was also accused of misusing official vehicles. On one occasion, she has kept the official car on the weekend at a swimming pool from the morning to evening. She attempted to assault the driver for entering the details of her swimming pool visit in the log book. If she misused the official vehicle, the Ministry should have asked her to pay for fuel and driver. The Ministry just turned the blind eye on her misconducts.

Now she is heading towards Germany to assume duties as the Consul General. In many ways, this appointment seems to be irregular. She is going to work at a place where she has a police complaint. If the prosecutor decides to take up the case again, it would be a great embarrassment for the government of Sri Lanka. As a Consul General, she has no immunity for criminal matters. Second, details of her misbehaviour are known to the Sri Lanka community in Germany and the authorities. It would affect conducting of her official activities, and obviously, she would not be considered as a decent individual. Third, as her husband is a German national, there would be a question of her impartiality when discharging her duties. We have certain doubts about her loyalty to Sri Lanka.

As highlighted in the opening remarks of this article, it

appears to be very easy for any culprit of the Foreign Ministry to stay away

from legal and disciplinary actions against them. On the other hand, this

displays the sheer negligence and lack of proper administrative mechanism at

the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry to detect such culprits and take appropriate

action.The newly appointed Deputy Minister of Ports and Shipping, Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed Maharoof, MP, assumed duties yesterday, Monday, 14 January 2019. He assumed duties following religious observances.

The

event was held under the patronage of the Minister of Ports & Shipping and

Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka, MP, at the Ministry.

While

welcoming the Deputy Minister, Minister Ratnayaka asserts, Deputy Minister

Abdullah Mohamed Maharoof assumed duties in the Ministry today and I were

joined Parliament as the Members of the Parliament in 2000. I am happy that we

are going to work in the same ministry. Im confident that I will always have

his supports to elevate the development of the ports.

Addressing

the gathering the Deputy Minister says, Im proud of my constituency,

Trincomalee District, where one of the most important natural ports in the

world is located. I will ensure the developments of the Port of Trincomalee. I

will do my best to improve this port to the global standards.by Rajan Philips



On Friday, the current parliament and the government showed themselves to be utterly unworthy beneficiaries of the Supreme Courts ruling against the unconstitutional dissolution of parliament by an overreaching President. Only 28 UNF government MPs showed up when the House met as a Constitutional Assembly after an interval of over one year, to hear their Prime Minister present the proposals for a new constitution prepared by a panel experts. All total there were 56 MPs, with the UPFA (17), the TNA (9) and the JVP (2) making up the other 28 MPs who cared to show up. 19 more government MPs trundled in as the proceedings went on. That is a total of 75 MPs, just one third of the total 225 MPs, for a project that requires a two-thirds majority support for passage in parliament. That is before a referendum. The poor attendance is indicative of the pathetic lack of enthusiasm among the government MPs to Prime Ministers prime project, and the even more pathetic failure of the government leaders to whip their MPs to show up.



Despite the depleted attendance, there was a lively exchange of claims and counterclaims among the leaders, the reinstated PM, the new and the old Leaders of the Opposition, and the JVP leader. The inscrutable Mr. Wickremesinghe was on a face-saving display of statesmanlike equanimity  leaving it up to the collective wisdom of the Constitutional Assembly (the absconding two-thirds, notwithstanding) to debate and decide on the experts proposal. The ever improvising Mahinda Rajapaksa simply asserted that this parliament has no authority to make a constitution. For him, there is no authority in the country until elections held and he emerges as the victor.



The TNA leader, R. Sampanthan, was his usual self, eloquent and articulate, but his special pleadings for a new constitution deserved a fuller house than what his government friends had managed to corral. The JVPs Anura Kumara Dissanayake took swipes at both the government and official opposition, justifiably blaming the government and the Prime Minister for the inordinate delay in the constitutional reform process. Those who are familiar with the makings of the 1972 and the 1978 constitutions will recall that both of them moved steadily from start to finish under the direct supervision of two exceptionally strong personalities, Colvin R de Silva and JR Jayewardene. There is no comparison between now and then.



The JVP leader even more justifiably took to task Mahinda Rajapaksa for the pack of lies about the constitution that the former President is unbecomingly and irresponsibly propagating in the south. Mahinda Rajapaksa has made more political statements in the few weeks after his unwarranted and short lived ended in December, than he has ever made in the many years of his political career. There are two recurrent themes in these statements. One is the now broken-record refrain that Sri Lankans are being deprived of their democratic right to vote despite all his valiant attempts to stage an election to suit his purposes. The other is the overtly communal messaging, in fact massaging, about the constitution that he got scolded for in parliament by the JVP leader.



The democracy refrain has no audience of consequence even though there is still some outlying misconception even among some jolly old fellows who should know their old and current history that even a constitutional timetable for elections is undemocratic and that a President elected directly in a national election should have the power to dissolve a legislature comprising MPs elected from scattered electoral pockets or from party lists. Suffice it to say, until the 19th Amendment Sri Lanka was the only country where the President had the arbitrary and the absolute power to dissolve any elected body. Not anymore.



The second refrain, the communal massaging, is more insidious and is intended to stampede the southern electorate. The two are interconnected which exposes Rajapaksas duplicity about democracy and his knavery about communal massaging. The question is whether Ranil Wickremesinghe is up to successfully calling Rajapaksas bluff, or if he is going to sleepwalk into the constitutional trap that Rajapaksa has already set for him. To his credit, Wickremesinghe began the constitutional reform process on a very high note and raising even higher expectations when he delivered the 2015 Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Lecture. I called it "the next frontier in constitutional voyage" in these columns. Three years later, disappointment has given way to expectations and there is no one else except the Prime Minister to blame for the current state of the constitutional file.



The media mafia



Tuesday, January 8 was the tenth anniversary of the brutal killing of Lasantha Wickrematunga. There was a flood of commemorative articles including a very moving and at the same very accurate piece by Keith Noyahr, breaking his journalistic silence for the first time after his own horrific experience of abduction and assault eight months before Mr. Wickrematungas murder. Mr. Noyahrs contribution and scores of others isolated and exposed the less than a handful of deplorable attempts to take crass political mileage out of the painful individual and familial tragedy and still resolved murderous assault on the countrys media freedom. Officially, the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunga remains unresolved. Unofficially, no one believes the formal denials of involvement as everyone knows that there is no need for denial if there is no actual involvement.



Two days later on Thursday, a curious protest took place in front of media outlets that apparently supported that constitutional coup that President Sirisena quite unpresidentially foisted on this country. These outlets took vehement exceptions to the protests and cried foul that their freedom of media expression was under threat. Nothing of kind!  although the counter-protestations by the subject media outlets found an unsurprising ally in the same political parties and individuals who participated in the constitutional coup, the same forces that had gone after not only journalists but also others whose attitude was not compatible with the authority of those in power before January 2015. What was surprising was to see Mahinda Rajapaksa calling the protests against the media outlets an attack against media freedom.



The irony of Rajapaksa defending the freedom of the media during the anniversary week of Lasantha Wickrematunga would not have been lost even among his media supporters. It was not lost on the Reporters without Borders (RSF) organization that had ranked Rajapaksa when he was Sri Lankas President as one of the "worlds biggest press freedom predators." When Mahinda Rajapaksa was unconstitutionally sworn in as Prime Minister on October 26, the RWB saw the risk of Sri Lanka falling back to the old ways. True to form, the Rajapaksa supporters stormed the state media institutions, the Rupavahini and the Lake House, and took control of them soon after the swearing in.



The physical seizure of the state media institutions forty four years after the Lake House papers were nationalized through a legislative order is indicative of how far the country has slid back in the balance of power between state institutions and private repositories of thuggish power. In 1974, it was the state that nationalized the countrys biggest media company through a highly controversial but orderly legislative process. In 2018, private political thugs and their journalists took over the state media institutions with threats of violence.



After the 1974 nationalization, the state virtually monopolized the media ownership, and became both the primary owner and regulator of media. The winds of privatization after 1977 have completely transformed the ownership patterns across the different media. While the state has significant footprints in each of the media - television, radio and print, it is not the largest in any of them. And the wily Rajapaksas found a profitable alternative to deal with a hostile news organization. Rather than courting controversy by nationalizing the news organization, facilitate the purchase of it through a politically friendly wealthy family.



According to the Media Ownership Monitor operated by Reporters without Borders, there are over 100 print (dailies and weeklies) media outlets, 20 TV stations and 50 radio stations. But in each of them, over 75% of the market (audience or readership) capture is in the hands of about four organizations. With the exception of the state, every one of the media organizations with significant market capture is in family ownership.



Such a level of concentration of ownership and market capture in the countrys news media, is hardly conducive to what might be called democratic dissemination of news and opinion, although in the print media there is an established tradition of journalism that is rooted in independent news reporting and opinion forming. It is in the print media that journalists have mostly come under attack for reporting politically unfavourable news stories.



The three organizations which were the target of pro-democracy protestors on Thursday, namely, Capital Maharajah Organization (Sirasa), Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Hiru), and Power House (Derena), are the top three operators in TV and radio accounting for 60% of the audience share in each of the two media.



The consumers of their outputs have a right to express their opinions even in the form of protests so long as they are peaceful and orderly. The general public, who were not swayed by the private TV and radio but were galvanized by the more democratically disseminated social media. After October 26, democracy in Sri Lanka could not have received a better outcome.by S.Chandrasekharan

On 6th January, Prime Minister K.P. Oli addressed the winter

session of the Parliament for the first time. His intention was to impress the

Parliamentarians and his own Party Seniors of his achievements during his

first-year rule. He said that the

country was moving towards a higher trajectory, corruption was under control,

law and order had improved etc. etc. When the opposition members wanted to

question him on various issues, he refused to take questions and walked

away. The opposition members surrounded

him and did not let him go for a while.

Significantly, Oli failed to make any reference on some of

the longstanding issues as well as other controversial current ones. He did not make any reference to the ongoing

and biggest corruption scandal in Nepals history involving over 4 Billion

Rupees, regarding the purchase of two Air Buses. He made no mention about the Constitutional

Amendments he had promised from the beginning to the Madhesi Groups. He has not

yet decentralized the powers to the Provinces and the federal system continues

only on paper. Still missing are the

laws, infrastructure, fiscal regulations, staff, names of States, Capitals and

many more. There is no progress in transitional

justice and victims continue to go from

pillar to post to get justice. In the

tragic case of Nirmala the culprits are yet to be identified.

Instead Oli painted a rosy picture of the countrys

economy when the trade deficit has ballooned in the first four months of the

current fiscal year. There has been

decline in foreign investments also.

This is not the first time that Oli has misrepresented the

facts. Towards the end of last year

Olis Office gave the contract to build an Action Room with facilities for

video conferencing among others to the Chinese Mega firm Hua Wei technologies

for a huge sum without having any competitive bidding. When asked about it, PM Oli insisted that

that it was done through competitive bidding!

Having the Chinese build a sensitive action room attached to the PMs

Office is a matter of serious national security issue. It may be recalled that Nepal declined the

Indian offer of upgrading the immigration services at the Thirubhuvan Airport

and even the US offer of providing a software to keep track of the tourists at

the immigration has been put on hold!

In the case of both the major Madhesi Groups, Oli persuaded

them to support the Government as that would give him a two third majority for

making constitutional amendments. They were promised that it would be done

soon.

One Group- the RJP- N had been threatening to withdraw

support to the Government for the last six months and still has not done,

though no move has been made to change the Constitution. It has since become the laughing stock of the

people. The other group led by Upendra

Yadav who was clever enough to get the post of Deputy Prime Minister in return

of on oral assurance from Oli that the amendments would be gone through, now finds himself isolated. In desperation his group has presented a

fifteen-point demand that includes revising provincial boundaries, enforcing

past agreements, forming of a Constitutional Commission etc. but Oli does not

appear to have any intention to meet the demands of his Deputy Upendra Yadav!

While Oli bravely declared in the Parliament that corruption

is under control, he is now facing the biggest corruption scandal in the

history of Nepal. It relates to the

purchase of two wide-bodied second-hand Air Bus Aircrafts from an allegedly

fictitious company by name Hifly and in the process over 435 crores have been

siphoned off. The Parliamentary Public

Accounts Committee headed by KC Rajan of Nepali Congress has submitted a report

to the House. A sitting Minister, two

former Ministers, a sitting Secretary and two former Secretaries and many more

have been specifically named in the report.

The Current Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari has been indicted for

clearing the last payment to the sellers without checking the details.

Massive

irregularities have been noticed and even the parameters for the aircrafts were

unilaterally changed to suit the seller ( one is reminded of Augusta in

India). Oli had no choice but to form a

High-Level Commission consisting of a former Chief Justice, one former Deputy

Attorney General and an Auditor to probe into the irregularities mentioned and

come up with their findings within 45 days!

Many in the Government, the party and the opposition have

begun to openly criticize Oli for his style of functioning.

He is not serious when he has to and becomes acerbic and

sarcastic when serious questions are asked by the opposition or the Press.

Oli had to face strong criticism from his own erstwhile

colleagues of the UML over his style of working in taking unilateral decisions

on matters of Governance. In the

Standing Committee meeting of the party (NCP) held 28th December most of the

members particularly the faction led by Madhav Nepal were severely critical of

Olis style of functioning and decisions taken by him without consulting senior

leaders of the Party. Dahal who is

anxiously waiting in the wings to replace Oli, made a sarcastic comment that is

the Government that is leading the Party and not the other way. Dahal acted like a wise moderator, in keeping

the tempers down though inwardly he must have been happy. It is said that Dahal is winning over some of

the senior leaders of the UML like Jhalanath Khanal, BamDev Gautham etc. to

undermine Oli in due course and replace him.

Oli is still the best bet for Nepal and for the region. He is still popular with the masses and

unlike other leaders has not amassed any wealth. If he had distanced himself

from India, it is only the latter that has to take the blame for bringing in

unnecessary misery in encouraging an economic

blockade that affected the common Nepali.

If Oli is not doing well, the opposition Nepali Congress led

by Deuba is not doing better

either. The party had a Mahasamithi

meeting in mid-December for almost ten days and it was expected that Deuba will

apologize to the other cadres and the masses for the poor showing of the party

in all three tiers of elections held last year.

This was not to be. At least the

two top leaders who lead the two top factions Deuba and Paudel should have

offered step down and give a chance to the younger leaders who are more

competent and have the energy to win over the public. This was not to be. The younger lot were disappointed and all

they could do is to get the two top leaders to patch up their differences and

carry on. It was business as usual for

the Party.

The Indian establishment who seem to be close both to Deuba

and Dahal should be aware that both cannot deliver the goods for the people of

Nepal.GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steelcase Inc. (NYSE: SCS) announced today that it has agreed to sell $450.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.125% senior notes due January 18, 2029 in an underwritten public offering in which J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated are acting as joint book-running managers. The company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to fund the redemption of its 6.375% Senior Notes due 2021, of which $250 million in the aggregate principal amount is outstanding, and related fees and expenses. The company intends to use the remaining net proceeds for general corporate purposes. The offering is expected to close on January 18, 2019, subject to market conditions and other factors.



This offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). A preliminary prospectus supplement, together with an accompanying prospectus, relating to the offering has been filed with the SEC and is available on the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the prospectus supplement, when available, and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may also be obtained by contacting the joint book-running managers:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

Attn: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, 3rd floor

(212) 834-4533

or

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

NC1-004-03-43

200 North College Street, 3rd floor,

Charlotte, NC 28255-0001

Attention: Prospectus Department

Email: dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com

(800) 294-1322

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor will there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption of the companys 6.375% Senior Notes due 2021.

Forward-looking Statements

From time to time, in written and oral statements, the company discusses its expectations regarding future events and its plans and objectives for future operations. These forward-looking statements discuss whether or not the company will consummate the offering, the anticipated use of the proceeds of the offering, goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to us, based on current beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the company. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, may, possible, potential, predict, project, or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Although we believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based upon a number of assumptions concerning future conditions, any or all of which may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary from the companys expectations because of factors such as, but not limited to, competitive and general economic conditions domestically and internationally; acts of terrorism, war, governmental action, natural disasters and other Force Majeure events; changes in the legal and regulatory environment; changes in raw materials and commodity costs; currency fluctuations; changes in customer demand; and the other risks and contingencies detailed in the companys most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the proposed offering filed with the SEC and its other filings with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Steelcase Inc.

For over 105 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped create great experiences for the worlds leading organizations, across industries. We demonstrate this through our family of brands - including Steelcase, Coalesse, Designtex, PolyVision, Turnstone, Smith System, Orangebox and AMQ. Together, they offer a comprehensive portfolio of architecture, furniture and technology products and services designed to unlock human promise and support social, economic and environmental sustainability. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including over 800 Steelcase dealer locations. Steelcase is a global, industry-leading and publicly traded company with fiscal 2018 revenue of $3.1 billion.

CONTACT: Investor Contact: Michael OMeara Investor Relations (616) 292-9274

Media Contact: Katie Woodruff Corporate Communications (616) 915-8505.



by Eric S. Margolis

Reports coming in about Chinas new gulag for Muslims

seem too awful to believe. But the

United Nations and responsible media have revealed that hundreds of thousands

of Uighur Muslims from western China  and perhaps as many as one million -

have been shut away in a growing chain of prison camps designed to impose

ruthless state control over them and crush their culture and religion.

Who are these oddly-named people, Chinas Uighurs? Their homeland lies on Chinas far western

region next to independent Kazakhstan and Pakistan. The region, as Ive seen, is arid, hilly and

very remote. The Uighurs are a Turkic

people of ancient Muslim culture who have nothing in common with China except

proximity. Their once independent nation

used to be called the East Turkestan Republic before it was invaded and gobbled

up in 1949 by Red China and, before that, by the Russian Empire.

A year later, Communist China began invading independent

Tibet. Chinas aim there was to crush

Tibetan national resistance to Chinese rule and wipe out as much as possible of

Tibets ancient feudal and religious culture.

I infiltrated into Tibet in the 1980s in time to see violent Tibetan

demonstrations and riots against the Chinese occupiers. Four decades later, draconian Chinese rule is

well on the way to crushing the life out of Tibets ancient Buddhist culture.

The same process is happening now in Eastern

Turkestan. This strategic piece of real

estate is part of the ethnic Turkish Central Asia that includes Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan,

Kyrgyzia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Mongolia and Afghanistan are sometimes included. In the late 19th century, there arose the

Pan-Turkic movement in Turkey that sought to unite Central Asia under the

guidance of Istanbul. But in the end, the

Russian Empire and China occupied Central Asia until the collapse of the Soviet

Union. Today, China is the last

remaining colonial master.

The Uighurs, a forgotten people, have been protesting and

resisting Chinese rule since the late 1940s.

Beijing has always seen Islam as a challenge to its absolute rule. Uighur resistance has been limited and

ineffectual. But Beijing had a big scare

when the US CIA set up camps in Afghanistan in the late 1970s to train Uighurs

into an anti-Chinese guerilla force for use in a potential future US-China

war. When the US invaded Afghanistan in

2001, the former CIA training camps for Uighurs were brazenly called Islamic

terrorist training camps and blamed on Osama bin Ladens al-Qaida.

China has set about uprooting Muslim culture and

identity. Religious devotions, beards

and traditional Islamic dress, the Uighur language itself, and historic customs

are banned. Communist party members are

billeted in the home of Uighurs to keep a wary eye on them. Schools are run by Chinese officials; Uighur

movements are restricted; mosques are shuttered.

Over the past year, China has reportedly been building

what are officially called re-education centers in the region. The UN reports that up to one million Muslims

have been locked away in these modern gulags, surrounded by barbed wire and

watch towers. Chinas prison complex,

known as laogai, covers the nation, but the Muslim gulag appears particularly

brutal and intimidating. Of course, a

million Muslims in Chinas prisons pales in comparison to the two million,

mostly blacks, in US state and federal prisons (though none are charged with

religious crimes).

Chinas strategy in Tibet and Eastern Turkestan has been

what I call ethnic inundation. Han

Chinese are brought in from afar to settle Muslim and Buddhist lands,

relentlessly swamping the local population who become a policed minority. Interestingly, Israel has been following the

same policy on the West Bank and Golan.

Gaza has been turned into a giant, open-air prison for

Palestinians. Chinas Turkestan gulag

may surpass Gaza in the number of prisoners it holds. Unsurprisingly, China rarely criticizes

Israel for its repression of Palestinians.

The Muslim world has done next to nothing to protest the

fate of the Uighurs. Only Turkey, one of

the few Muslim nations with self-respect, is strongly rebuking China and giving

refuge to Uighur refugees. Those

self-proclaimed defenders of the faith, Saudi Arabia, have been mute to the

oppression in Turkestan  as mute as they have been to the savage mistreatment

of Myanmars Rohingya Muslims, 800,000 of whom are now living in awful

condition in Bangladesh.

As with the sordid murder of Saudi writer Khashoggi by

Saudi agents, few dare rebuke the rich perpetrator of the crime. No one wants to be on Chinas black list.

Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2019by Slavoj Zizek

Ethical and political correctness have reached extreme

levels recently. This suits the powerful perfectly right now, but may come back

to bite them soon.

In a recent commentary, writer Laura Kipnis addressed the

ethico-political implications of film critic David Edelsteins recent travails.

Apropos the death of legendary Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, Edelstein

made a tasteless joke on his private Facebook page: even grief is better

with butter.

The statement was accompanied by a still of Maria

Schneider and Marlon Brandos infamous anal rape scene from Last Tango in

Paris. Edelstein quickly deleted it (before the public outcry broke out, not as

a reaction to it!) but actress Martha Plimpton had immediately tweeted it to

her followers, demanding fire him. Immediately.

Of course, this happened the next day: NPRs Fresh Air

announced that they were cutting ties with Edelstein because the post had been

offensive and unacceptable. Especially given Schneiders traumatic

experiences during filming, which left her battling depression and drug

addiction.

So what are the implications (or, rather, the unstated

rules) of this incident? First, theres nothing inadvertent about inadvertent

offence, it cannot be excused as a momentary mistake since its now treated as

revelatory of the true character of the offender.

This is why one such episode is a permanent mark against

you, however apologetic you might be. One flub and youre out. An unthinking

social media post will outweigh a 16-year track record. The only thing that

might help is a long permanent process of self-critical self-examination:

Failure to keep re-proving it implicates you in crimes against women.

Thus, you have to prove it again and again since, as a

man, you arent trusted: men are not to be believed, they will say anything.

And this leads to Kipniss bitter conclusion: maybe its time to stop hiding

behind the speak truth to power mantra, when women have power aplenty  we

can wreck a guys career with a tweet!

Different Levels

Naturally, one has to introduce some further

specifications here: WHICH women have the power to wreck WHICH guys careers?

But the fact remains that we are witnessing a tremendous exercise of power

unchecked by what would have been otherwise considered reasonable (a fair

trial, the right to reasonable doubt...), and if someone just points this out,

they are immediately accused of protecting old white men.

Plus the barrier that separates public from private space

disappears here: recently, several Icelandic MPs faced calls to resign after

they were recorded using crude language to describe female colleagues and a

disabled activist. They did this in a bar, and an anonymous eavesdropper sent

the recording to Icelandic media.

The only parallel that comes to mind here is with the

brutal swiftness of revolutionary purges  and, effectively, many MeToo

sympathizers evoke this parallel and claim that such excesses are

understandable in the first moments of radical change.

However, it is precisely this parallel that we should

reject. Such excessive purges are not indications that the revolutionary zeal

went too far  on the contrary, they clearly indicate that the revolution was

redirected and lost its radical edge.

In short, one should struggle to refocus MeToo onto the

daily suffering of millions of ordinary working women and housewives. This

emphatically can be done  for example, in South Korea, MeToo exploded in tens

of thousands of ordinary women demonstrating against their sexual exploitation.

Only through the link between sexual exploitation and

economic exploitation can we mobilize the majority: men should not be portrayed

only as potential rapists, they should be made aware that their violent

domination over women is mediated by their experience of economic impotence.

So, the truly radical MeToo is not about women against

men but also about the prospect of their solidarity.

Migrant motives

And exactly the same holds for our other big

ethico-political problem: how to deal with the flow of refugees?

The solution is not to just open the borders to all who

want to come in, and to ground this openness in our generalized guilt (our

colonization is our greatest crime which we will have to repay forever). Such

a stance provides a clinically perfect example of the superego paradox

confirmed by how the fundamentalist immigrants react to left-liberal guilt

feeling.

Here, the more European Left liberals admit

responsibility for the situation which creates refugees, and the more they

demand we should abolish all walls and open our gates to immigrants, the more

they are despised by fundamentalist migrants.

There is no gratitude in it  the more we give, the more

we are reproached that we did not give enough. And it is significant that the

countries most attacked are not those with an open anti-immigrant stance

(Hungary, Poland etc.) but precisely those which are the most generous.

Sweden is reproached that it doesnt really want to

integrate immigrants, and every detail is seized upon as a proof of its

hypocrisy (You see, they still serve pork at meals in the schools! They still

allow their girls to dress provocatively! They still dont want to integrate

elements of sharia in their legal system!), while every demand for symmetry

(but where are new Christian churches in Muslim countries with a Christian

minority?) is flatly rejected as European cultural imperialism.

Crusades are mentioned all the time, while the Muslim

occupation of large parts of Europe is treated as normal. The underlying

premise is that a kind of radical sin (of colonization) is inscribed into the

very existence of Europe, a sin incomparable with others, so that our debt to

others cannot ever be repaid.

However, beneath this premise it is easy to discern its

opposite, scorn  they loath us for our guilt and responsibility and they

perceive it as a sign of our weakness, of our lack of self-respect and trust in

ourselves.

The ultimate irony is that some Europeans then perceive

such an aggressive stance as the Muslim vitality and contrast it to Europes

exhaustion  again turning this into the argument that we need the influx of

foreign blood to regain our vitality.

In other words, we in Europe will only regain the respect

of others by learning to impose limits, to fully help others not from a

position of guilt and weakness but from a position of strength.

Hopeful Gamble

What do we mean by this strength? Precisely such a

strength was displayed by Angela Merkel when she extended the invitation to

refugees to come to Germany. Her invitation exuded trust that Germany can do it

and that its strong enough to retain its identity in accepting migrants.

By this thinking, although anti-immigrant patriots like

to pose as strong defenders of their nation, it is their position which betrays

panic and weakness  how little trust they must have in German society when

they perceive a couple of hundred newcomers as a threat to German identity?

Crazy as it may sound, Merkel acted as a strong German patriot while

anti-immigrants are miserable weaklings.

If we remain at the level of self-reproach and guilt, we

serve perfectly the interests of those in power who foment the conflict between

immigrants and the local working class (which feels threatened by them) and

retain their superior moral stance.

Indeed, the moment one begins to think in this direction,

the Politically Correct Left instantly cries Fascism (see the ferocious attacks

on Irish writer Angela Nagle for her outstanding essay The

Left Case against Open Borders.)

To put it in old Maoist terms, the contradiction

between advocates of open borders and populist anti-immigrants is a false

secondary contradiction whose ultimate function is to obfuscate the need to

change the entire economic system itself. Which, in its present form,

encourages migration by creating vast regional inequalities and an endless

search for growth.

Slavoj Zizek is a cultural philosopher. Hes a senior researcher at the Institute for Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana and Global Distinguished Professor of German at New York University.Swath of Destruction New Brazilian President Takes Aim at the Amazon

Jair Bolsonaro, the new Brazilian president, wants to open up protected indigenous territories in the Amazon rain forest to mining, cattle ranching and farming. The decision could be a fateful one for the global climate.Photo Gallery A Rain Forest in Danger

Jair Bolsonaro, the new Brazilian president, wants to open up protected indigenous territories in the Amazon to mining, cattle ranching and farming. The decision could be a fateful one for the global climate.Optimization

Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should?

Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools.BENSALEM, Pa., Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the January 28, 2019 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors that purchased Ternium S.A. (Ternium or the Company) (NYSE: TX ) securities between May 1, 2014 and November 27, 2018, inclusive (the Class Period). Ternium investors have until January 28, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion.



Investors suffering losses on their Ternium investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com .

On November 27, 2018, Bloomberg published an article alleging that Terniums Chairman, Paolo Rocca, was indicted for his role in a graft scheme. Specifically the article alleges that, the judge charged Rocca after the Argentine billionaire testified that one of his companys executives paid an undisclosed amount of cash to government officials in monthly installments from 2009 to 2012. On this news, Terniums share price fell $1.42 per share or nearly 5% to close at $28.02 per share on November 27, 2018, thereby injuring investors.

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Defendant Rocca, Ternium's Chairman, knew that one of his company's executives paid cash to government officials from 2009 to 2012 to expedite compensation payments for the sale of Ternium's Sidor unit; (2) this conduct would lead Rocca to be charged in a graft scheme and subject Ternium, its affiliates, and/or its executives to heightened governmental scrutiny; and (3) as a result, Ternium's public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.

If you purchased shares of Ternium during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than January 28, 2019 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com , or visit our website at http://www.howardsmithlaw.com .

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.Afghanistan protestors march for peace



Kandahar, Afghanistan, Jan 17 (AFP) Jan 17, 2019



Several hundred protesters marched in three cities in southern and eastern Afghanistan to call for a ceasefire and an end to the 17-year war Thursday, the latest action of a movement launched in May 2018.

In Kandahar, the southern cradle of the Taliban, and in the eastern cities of Khost and Jalalabad, they marched holding placards saying: "No War", "We want ceasefire" and "We want Peace".

The peace marches began in May 2018 when a handful of civilians travelled 700 kilometres (430 miles) from Lashkar Gah, in the southern province of Helmand, to end their journey in June in the capital Kabul, joined along the way by hundreds of other marchers.

Since then, many others have been organised, including a wheelchair peace march by amputees between the western city of Herat and Kabul in August.

"Afghans want an absolute ceasefire as soon as possible. The government had agreed a one-year ceasefire and the Taliban must accept their demand," Bismillah Watandost, a member of the People for Peace Movement, told AFP.

"We call on the Taliban to come to the peace talks with the Afghan government and have mercy on the Afghan people. Our men, women, children and widows want peace. We are tired of war," said Haji Farhad, a protestor in Jalalabad.

Diplomatic efforts are being stepped up to try to end the long-running conflict.

The US envoy in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is currently in Pakistan for talks after a regional tour that took him to China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.

Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Kabul, said in the Afghan capital Wednesday he hopes for fresh talks with the Taliban "very soon", after meetings with them in late 2018 in Doha and Abu Dhabi.

The United States is not alone in its diplomatic overtures to the Taliban. Russia and Iran have also held meetings with the militants in recent months and China has also invited them for discussions.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan are participating in the US peace efforts.Japan's Hitachi freezes British nuclear project



London, Jan 17 (AFP) Jan 17, 2019



Hitachi on Thursday froze construction of a nuclear power station in Wales due to financing difficulties, dealing a major blow to Britain's energy strategy and leaving the Japanese firm with a huge bill.

Shelving the project at the Wylfa Newydd plant on Anglesey island off the Welsh coast will cost Hitachi 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion), it said in a statement.

Britain has put nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy, in stark contrast to Europe's biggest economy Germany which is phasing it out in the wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

In addition to Hitachi's announcement, its Japanese peer Toshiba last year pulled the plug on a nuclear power plant in northwest England.

Franco-Chinese project Hinkley Point C -- Britain's first new nuclear power station in a generation -- is currently being built.

Hitachi launched the three-trillion-yen Wylfa Newydd project after acquiring British-based Horizon Nuclear Power in 2012.

The UK government had agreed to take a one-third equity stake in the project, alongside investment from Hitachi, Japanese government agencies and other strategic partners.

But fund-raising efforts fell short.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned," Hitachi said.

"As a result, Hitachi has decided to suspend the project at this time... as it is now clear that further time is needed to develop a financial structure" for it.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said nuclear still had "an important role to play as part of a diverse energy mix" in Britain.



- 'Unstable environment' -



The unwelcome news for the UK comes as Prime Minister Theresa May reels from a parliamentary defeat over her Brexit deal but Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara told reporters that Britain's looming EU departure had had "no bearing" on the decision.

Nevertheless, one analyst said Brexit would make it harder to attract long-term investment such as in nuclear plants.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the announcement, John Drzik, president of global risk and digital at US professional services giant Marsh, said "cross-border investors in infrastructure are looking for stability in the legal, regulatory and political climate".

He added: "If you have more confidence in that, you're more willing to invest. You have less confidence in that, you're going to pull back. It's going to be harder to attract foreign investors into an environment which is considered unstable."

Hitachi's decision also dents Japan Inc's attempts to expand its nuclear businesses overseas after Fukushima effectively halted demand for new reactors in Japan.

A massive tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 overwhelmed reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

It caused reactor meltdowns, releasing radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

The crisis spurred Japan to strengthen its safety regulations under a new Nuclear Regulation Authority watchdog.

The accident also prompted nuclear power companies overseas to review their projects, a move that increased safety costs.

Toshiba has also been on the ropes after being forced to sell off its troubled US nuclear energy firm Westinghouse, which racked up billions of dollars in losses before being placed under bankruptcy protection.

The setbacks have dealt a blow to Japanese Premier Shinzo ShAbe's efforts to help Japan export infrastructure.

British anti-nuclear campaigners have long denounced London's steadfast commitment to nuclear, urging it to focus instead on renewable sources like wind and solar.

"A clever move now would be for the government to accept that the nuclear bet didn't pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy," said Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.

burs-ric-rfj/bcp/bmm

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIESVenezuela opposition strategy depends on military support



Caracas, Jan 17 (AFP) Jan 17, 2019



Winning over the military is paramount if Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament is to succeed in forcing President Nicolas Maduro from power, experts say.

The National Assembly has stepped up the pressure this month in its power struggle with Maduro and his regime, calling for a mass people's protest next week, reaching out for international support and offering "amnesty" to those in the military that disavow Maduro.

Led by the its 35-year-old president, Juan Guaido, the legislature is embarking on an ambitious bid to wrestle back the power it was stripped of in 2017 by a Supreme Court filled with Maduro loyalists.

Success, though, depends on support from one entity more than any other.

"The key is the armed forces, which is guided by a leadership that fears losing its political and economic influence, and a change of government" that would remove its protection against prosecution "for corruption and human rights violations," Diego Moya-Ocampos, an analyst at London based consultants IHS Markit, told AFP.

Parliament has declared Maduro a "usurper" while Guaido claims the Venezuelan constitution allows him to assume power and set up a transitional government ahead of elections.

But with the Supreme Court annulling every decision the legislature makes, and the military high command declaring "loyalty" to Maduro when he was sworn in for a second six-year term on January 10, the National Assembly is lacking in domestic might.

"The opposition is relaunching its strategy, but it needs a lot more than a constitutional base to achieve change," added Moya-Ocampos.

"It needs a more determined support from the international community and for the protests to make the armed forces and apparatus of repression cave in."

The scale of the opposition's public support will be seen on January 23 -- the day in 1958 that the military dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez fell -- when it has called for a mass protest against Maduro.

The government has responded by calling for a counter demonstration in support of the president.

It will be the first such mass street action since 125 people were killed in protests between April and August 2017.



- 'No imminent rupture' -



Influential international entities such as the United States, European Union and Organization of American States (OAS) have made encouraging noises.

OAS general secretary Luis Almagro called Guaido Venezuela's "acting president" while the US and Brazil offered him encouragement, while describing Maduro as "illegitimate."

But despite the socialist leader's increasing international isolation, "an internal rupture is not imminent," the Eurasia Group consultancy said.

The National Assembly retains hope, though, and has been trying to woo domestic support from the "middle and low-ranking" military and government officials.

Guaido saw signs of progress on Sunday when he was briefly detained by intelligence service agents, only for the government to deny any knowledge of the operation, accusing the opposition of staging the incident and claiming to have fired the police involved.

"Who is commanding the regime now? If they're already admitting that they don't control the state's security agencies, there's a serious problem," said Guaido.

The National Assembly has been reaching out to foreign countries to help starve Maduro's regime of any funding in a bid to crank up the pressure.

On Tuesday, parliament wrote to 46 countries, including Maduro allies Russia, China and Turkey, asking them to prohibit the handling of funds, accounts and assets belonging to the Venezuelan state.



- Continued US support -



The US has said it will consider toughening its sanctions against top Venezuelan regime figures, as well as the state oil company PDVSA.

So far, Washington has banned its citizens and businesses from negotiating new debt for the country and the state energy supplier, and has imposed individual sanctions on Maduro, his wife and many top officials.

Guaido's brief detention -- which lasted less than an hour -- has raised his profile, with US Vice President Mike Pence speaking with him by telephone on Tuesday, and promising "continued support" from Washington.

But the challenge remains huge, not least because the opposition is disunited, with many leaders either jailed or exiled, or even lacking credibility in the eyes of their own supporters.

"International recognition" of Venezuela's parliament and "support for Guaido could make the opposition a more relevant actor in a political transition," Eurasia Group said.

"But it remains deeply divided with little ability to deliver political change."

For analyst Luis Viucente, "it's easy" for the opposition to talk about demanding Maduro leave, but the "true challenge" is to unite behind "a real strategy, a plan of action and a united leadership."

And that's something that has so far been lacking from the opposition.

mis/axm/yow/bc/wd

Twitter

EURASIA GROUPE

MARKITJapan's Hitachi freezes British nuclear project



Tokyo, Jan 17 (AFP) Jan 17, 2019



Hitachi said Thursday it would freeze construction of its stalled nuclear power station in Wales due to financing problems, a blow to Britain's nuclear strategy and a costly decision for the Japanese firm.

Shelving the project at the Wylfa Newydd plant on Anglesey, a small island off the Welsh coast, will cost the Japanese firm 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion), it said.

Hitachi launched the three trillion yen project after acquiring Britain-based Horizon Nuclear Power in 2012.

The British government had reportedly agreed to finance two thirds of the construction cost, with Hitachi as well as Japanese and British investors scheduled to cover the balance.

But Hitachi's fund-raising efforts have been deadlocked at home while its request for additional investment from the British government has been shelved with London consumed by Brexit.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned," Hitachi said.

The Japanese firm added: "As a result, Hitachi has decided to suspend the project at this time... as it is now clear that further time is needed to develop a financial structure" for the project.

It said it had made the decision based on its economic reasoning as a private company.

But in an apparent bid to reassure London of its commitment to the country, Hitachi also said it would "continue to discuss a nuclear power programme with the UK Government" which it hoped would "further contribute to UK energy policy."

Asked about the deal in parliament Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May said London wanted new nuclear plants to contribute to the country's energy mix.

But she stressed: "We must also ensure that the cost of any energy that is provided by nuclear is at a reasonable level for the consumer."



- 'Unstable environment' -



The unwelcome news comes as May is still reeling from a historic defeat over her Brexit deal but Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara told reporters that Britain's EU exit had had "no bearing" on the decision.

Nevertheless, one analyst said Brexit would make it harder to attract long-term investments such as in nuclear plants.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the announcement, John Drzik, president of global risk and digital at US professional services giant Marsh, said that "cross-border investors in infrastructure are looking for stability in the legal, regulatory and political climate."

"If you have more confidence in that, you're more willing to invest. You have less confidence in that, you're going to pull back. It's going to be harder to attract foreign investors into an environment which is considered unstable," Drzik told AFP.

The halting of the project also deals a blow to Japan Inc's attempts to expand its nuclear power businesses overseas after the Fukushima disaster of March 2011 effectively halted demand for new reactors in Japan.

A massive tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 overwhelmed reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

It caused reactor meltdowns, releasing radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

The crisis spurred Japan to strengthen its safety regulations under a new Nuclear Regulation Authority watchdog.

The accident also prompted nuclear power companies overseas to review their projects, a move that increased safety costs.

Toshiba has also been on the ropes after being forced to sell off its troubled US nuclear energy firm Westinghouse, which racked up billions of dollars in losses before being placed under bankruptcy protection.

A Japanese-led consortium including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is also reportedly scrapping a project in Turkey.

The setbacks have dealt a blow to Abe's efforts to help Japan Inc export its infrastructure -- a key pillar of his business diplomacy.

For its part, the British government has placed nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy, in stark contrast to Europe's biggest economy Germany, which vowed to phase it out in the wake of Fukushima.

British anti-nuclear campaigners and environmentalists have long denounced the government's steadfast commitment to nuclear power, urging it to focus instead on renewable sources like wind and solar to meet Britain's future energy needs.

"A clever move now would be for the government to accept that the nuclear bet didn't pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy," said Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.

burs-ric/mtp

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIESTrump to visit Pentagon to unveil missile defense review



Washington, Jan 17 (AFP) Jan 17, 2019



US President Donald Trump is due to visit the Pentagon on Thursday to unveil a comprehensive review of America's anti-missile systems, officials said.

Trump in 2017 ordered an analysis of US missile defense technologies and how they should be adapted to keep up with changing threats.

In an executive summary of the review provided to Pentagon reporters, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) highlighted areas of concern.

Top among these is the push by China and Russia to develop hypersonic missiles.

These weapons fly at many times the speed of sound and can change direction, instead of following a ballistic arc, making them much harder to intercept.

The Pentagon is looking at ways to enhance its ability to track hypersonic missiles, primarily by using existing sensors that are deployed in space.

The MDA also said it would conduct a study to assess the feasibility of creating a space-based interceptor system, in which an orbiting craft of some sort would be equipped with missiles that could destroy an incoming warhead while it was in space.

Another focus for the MDA will be developing ways to knock out a ballistic missile immediately after it has launched.

Currently, anti-missile technologies focus on intercepting warheads while they are flying through space.

By attacking the missiles while they are in their "boost phase" soon after launch, the MDA could add a layer of defense for America and its allies.

One way of doing this would be by adding a new type of missile to F-35 stealth fighters patrolling near a suspected launch site, such as in a hypothetical conflict with North Korea, the MDA said.

The MDA is also looking at ways of boosting its "directed energy" -- or laser -- capabilities to take out ballistic missiles.

The review was due to be released last year, but its publication saw repeated delays.TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. (CSE: SNA) (OTCQB: SNAVF) ("Star" or the "Company") announces that Star and Finances Gestion & Developpement SAS (FGD), the French Holding company managing Artal Technologies (http://www.artal.fr) and Magellium ( http://www.magellium.com/ ) , today signed an arms length agreement which provides for the acquisition by Star of a majority position in SOLUTIONS ISONEO INC. (ISONEO), currently a wholly-owned FGD subsidiary located in Montreal. No finders fees were paid. STAR will undertake full operational management of the company, to be renamed STAR-ISONEO Inc.



ISONEO is a specialised software subsidiary of FGD, developing complex solutions in engineering, simulation and development for Canadian customers. ISONEO was already working closely with Star in the development of Stars MEDEVAC (STAR-ISAMM and STAR- LSAMM) applications of the patented STAR-A.D.S.  technology, and on Stars current R&D program with Bombardier.

Artal Technologies specializes in onboard real-time systems, data simulation and processing and model-based engineering. Magellium specializes in earth observation, GIS and geo intelligence and has expert knowledge of image processing and related services.

Going forward, STAR-ISONEO Inc. will benefit from the combined strengths of both Artal, Magellium and Star, exploring and undertaking new R&D projects related to the business of the two groups. It will develop new applications directed towards both Canadian and North American OEMs. In addition, STAR-ISONEO will market the Artal-Magellium capabilities, in engineering and in sensors and image processing, towards the Canadian market.

Mr. Jean-Louis Larmor, VP-Corporate Development and proposed President of STAR-ISONEO said:

The possibilities offered by this operation strengthen the capabilities of both companies and widen our audience, starting with Quebec and Canada but also with France, where Artal will allow us to have a footprint for promoting our solutions

The financial terms of the acquisition are not considered material by the Company.

About Star Navigation:

Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. owns the exclusive worldwide license to its proprietary, patented In-flight Safety Monitoring System, STAR-ISMS, the heart of the STAR-A.D.S.  System. Its real-time capability of tracking performance trends and predicting incident-occurrence enhances aviation safety and improves fleet management while reducing costs for the operator.

Stars MMI Division designs and manufactures high performance, mission critical, flight deck flat panel displays for defence and commercial aviation industries worldwide.

Certain statements contained in this News Release constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "will" and similar expressions, as they relate to Star or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect Star's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause Star's actual performance or achievements to vary from those described herein. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Star does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

This Press Release is available On the Company's CEO Verified Discussion Forum , A Moderated Social Media Platform That Enables Civilized Discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders. https://agoracom.com/ir/StarNavigationSystems/forums/discussion

Please visit www.star-navigation.com or

Viraf Kapadia, CEO, (416) 252-2889 Ext. 230

viraf.kapadia@star-navigation.comUS in criminal probe of China's Huawei: report



Washington, Jan 16 (AFP) Jan 16, 2019



US authorities are in the "advanced" stages of a criminal probe that could result in an indictment of Chinese technology giant Huawei, a report said Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, said the Justice Department is looking into allegations of theft of trade secrets from Huawei's US business partners, including a T-Mobile robotic device used to test smartphones.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the report and Huawei did not respond to a request for comment.

The move would further escalate tensions between the US and China after the arrest last year in Canada of Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is the daughter of the company founder.

The case of Meng, under house arrest awaiting proceedings, has inflamed US-China and Canada-China relations.

Ottawa has said 13 Canadians have since been detained by Beijing, including one sentenced to death on drug trafficking charges.

Huawei, the second-largest global smartphone maker and biggest producer of telecommunications equipment, has for years been under scrutiny in the US over purported links to the Chinese government.

Huawei's reclusive founder Ren Zhengfei, in a rare media interview Tuesday, forcefully denied accusations that his firm engaged in espionage on behalf of the Chinese government.

The tensions come amid a backdrop of President Donald Trump's efforts to get more manufacturing on US soil and slap hefty tariffs on Chinese goods for what he claims are unfair trade practices by Beijing.

In a related move, lawmakers introduced a bill to ban the export of American parts and components to Chinese telecom companies that are in violation of US export control or sanctions laws -- with Huawei and fellow Chinese firm ZTE the likely targets.

"Huawei is effectively an intelligence-gathering arm of the Chinese Communist Party whose founder and CEO was an engineer for the People's Liberation Army," said Republican Senator Tom Cotton, one of the bill's sponsors.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said in the same statement: "Huawei and ZTE are two sides of the same coin. Both companies have repeatedly violated US laws, represent a significant risk to American national security interests and need to be held accountable."

Last year, Trump reached a deal with ZTE that eases tough financial penalties on the firm for helping Iran and North Korea evade American sanctions.

Trump said his decision in May to spare ZTE came following an appeal by Chinese President Xi Jinping to help save Chinese jobs.Keith Hiller is the chief of police for the Owatonna Police Department. He can be reached at 507-444-3800, via email at Keith.Hiller@ci.owatonna.mn.us or at the Law Enforcement Center, 204 E. Pearl St. in Owatonna.Jeffrey Jackson is the managing editor of the Owatonna People's Press. He can be reached at 507-444-2371 or via email at jjackson@owatonna.comYou are the owner of this article.System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff5987538)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbfa80e6778)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff5987538)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbfa80e6778)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff59ed5f8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbfa80e6778)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbfa80e6778)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4b3b4d0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbfa80e7400)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbfa80e7400)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff5506790)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff5be0518)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff5506790)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff5be0518)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff4f30fe8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff5be0518)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff5be0518)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4f6f738)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff5b50d00)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff5b50d00)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff5011c30)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4f2c218)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff5011c30)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4f2c218)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff501bd30)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4f2c218)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4f2c218)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff4b37c58)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff4b39cd8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff4b39cd8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0Prior to Wednesday's attack, only two US service members had been killed in action in Syria since the start of the campaign in 2014.

: Two United States service members were among those killed in a fiery explosion at a market in the northern Syria town of Manjib, the US military officials said.

Two US service members -- one Department of Defense civilian and one contractor supporting the DoD were killed -- and three service members injured while conducting a local engagement in Manjib, the US Central Command said.

Initial reports indicate an explosion caused the casualties, and the incident is under investigation, it said.

In accordance with DoD's policy, the names of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete, CENTCOM said.

"US service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria today. We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time," according to a tweet from the spokesperson for the Operation Inherent Resolve.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, at least 15 people, including a US serviceman, were killed in the rare attack in Manbij. It said the cause of the explosion was a suicide bomb outside a restaurant.

"The President (Donald Trump) has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

The explosion took place in a market wedged along a crowded street thick with cars. Video that Hawar identifies as from the scene shows people gathered on a crowded sidewalk when the fiery blast occurs.

The attack comes less than a month after Trump announced that US troops would withdraw from Syria.Besides Modi, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are other members of the panel.

New Delhi : The high-powered Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on January 24 to appoint the new Central Bureau of Investigation director succeeding Alok Verma whose ouster has triggered a major political row.

Kharge had demanded that the panel meeting be convened at the earliest to appoint a new director of CBI as the agency cannot be run by an interim director, whose appointment he termed as illegal.

Indian Police Services officer M Nageswara Rao was named as the interim director of the CBI following Verma's removal.

The sources said the government had proposed the meeting on January 21 earlier while Kharge wanted the meeting on January 24 or 25.

After mutual consultations, the sources said, the government has finalised January 24 as the date for the meeting to select the new CBI Director, after Kharge is reported to have given his go-ahead for the date.

The post of CBI chief is lying vacant ever since Alok Verma was removed as CBI Director and appointed as Director General Fire Service in the meeting on January 10, in which Kharge gave his dissenting note.

Verma was removed within 48 hours of the Supreme Court reinstating him on the post.

Kharge had opposed the removal of Verma and instead demanded that he be compensated as the government removed him from the post for 77 days and thus be given an extension.

The Congress has been attacking the prime minister for not appointing a regular CBI Director. Kharge had also written to the prime minister demanding early holding of the meeting of the high powered committee to appoint a regular CBI Director.The Congress and JD-S continued to present a picture of confidence about the brewing crisis blowing over, with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy saying things were under control and there was no reason for worry.

: The power play between the ruling Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka continued on Wednesday, as the two sides escalated their war of words and went into an overdrive to keep their flock together.

As the ruling partners unleashed a scathing attack on the BJP for allegedly trying to topple the government, the saffron party MLAs continued to be ensconced at a resort in Gurugram, fearing poaching attempts.

According to Congress sources, a few ministers from the party have even offered to step down in the larger interest and to keep the coalition intact. The party leadership is also looking into the option, they added.

It was not known how long the 104 BJP MLAs, who went to New Delhi to attend the party's national council meeting but extended their stay, would remain cooped up in the resort.

Meanwhile, sources said BJP's Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa is likely to hold a meeting with the party MLAs who are camping at the resort and discuss the prevailing situation in the state.

They said the BJP legislators will stay put in Gurugram till the party top leaders give the green signal to return to Karnataka.

Around 20 Youth Congress workers led by party's Haryana Pradesh Congress General Secretary Pradeep Singh raised slogans against the NDA government outside the resort.

The protesters alleged that the BJP was disrespecting the Constitution and murdering democracy in the country.

Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said in Bengaluru that it was not necessary for him to carry out any operation (poaching) and that he had sufficient numbers with him.

"Everything is under control..don't worry," Kumaraswamy said, trying to present a picture of being relaxed.

Kumaraswamy, whose government received a jolt on Tuesday when two Independent MLAs withdrew support to it, was asked if the ruling alliance would also launch a counter-strike on the BJP to lure its lawmakers.

The chief minister wanted BJP state president Yeddyurappa to explain if his party MLAs have been shifted to Gurugram to celebrate Sankranthi or for any other reason.

Kumaraswamy said his party MLAs were not being shifted to any resort, as being speculated in the media.

"So I request media not to fool itself and the people of the state."

On five Congress MLAs, who are in Mumbai allegedly under BJP's control, Kumaraswamy said, "I have been saying for the past three days that they are in touch with me, I'm in the know of all the developments."

"They may not be reachable to others, but they are reachable to me," he said in response to a question whether the five MLAs were accessible.

In New Delhi, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka is stable and strong and accused the BJP of trying to destabilise it.

At a press meet, he said there was no crisis for the government in Karnataka.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal asserted that none of his party legislators were going to quit.

"Not even one MLA is going to quit Congress. I have contacted my MLAs, and therefore, I am telling you this very confidently. In fact, by Thursday evening, you will have a clear picture about Karnataka," he told PTI.

"It would be a big slap on the face of BJP as it is going to fail in its endeavour to bring the government down.

Their shameless motive to destabilise the government is going to be a big failure. It will be a national shame for them," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Minister B Z Zameer Ahmad Khan, considered a trouble shooter for the Congress, said Kumaraswamy-led government faced no threat and Yeddyurappa was daydreaming about becoming chief minister once again.

Claiming that seven to eight BJP MLAs were in touch with them, he said "Let them (BJP) leave MLAs, seven to eight of them are ready to come to us..that's the reason they are holding up MLAs."

Meanwhile, state Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao told PTI: "The entire confusion has been created by the BJP. Was that really required? They did it brazenly throwing morality and ethics to the wind.It's shameful and disgusting."

Seeking to allay fears over the stability of the Congress-JDS dispensation, Rao said, "All our MLAs are intact and nobody is going anywhere. They are all with us together.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and CLP leader Siddaramaiah met Venugopal and held discussions.

The Congress has convened a meeting of its MLAs in Bengaluru on January 18 to take stock of the ongoing political developments.

A political turmoil has enveloped Karnataka since Monday triggered by horse trading charges over an alleged bid by the BJP to destabilise the coalition government.

Countering the allegations, the state BJP blamed the unnatural alliance between the Congress and JD(S) for the turmoil and said the ruling coalition was hiding its inability to keep its house in order by unnecessarily finding fault with the saffron party.

State BJP general secretary C T Ravi said the Congress and JD-S that entered into an unholy alliance, promising good administration, have betrayed the people of the state.

"Legislators of both the parties have now realised that this government cannot achieve anything," he said.Model-turned-actress Elena Fernandes, who has worked with actor Emraan Hashmi in the forthcoming film, says he is talented and helped her learn a lot.

In an e-mail interview with IANS, Elena, who had in the past worked on a magazine shoot with Emraan, said: "It was a joy to reconnect with Emraan. He is such a talented actor and a sweet person. He is truly passionate about delivering a character correctly and I learnt a lot from that."

She said from making sure her mannerisms are correct for the character, to how she carried herself, he helped her all the way, making her performance "more believable" to the audience.

In the film, Elena essays Emraan's family member.

Why Cheat India is Elena's second film in Bollywood. She made her debut in Indian cinema with a cameo in the 2016 film Kapoor and Sons.

While talking about her journey in Bollywood so far, the Goan-South American model-actress said that she has "been fortunate enough to be part of such incredible industry".

"But it has been a lot of hard work that has led to this point. The industry has been super supportive and lovely. I've been fortunate not only in working with Bollywood's finest (talent), but also incredible production houses and teams.

"What more could I ask for? Everyone here is so warm and welcoming," she added.

Asked what made her step into the world of acting, Elena said her transition from modelling to acting was a natural process.

"Modelling, I feel, is silent acting. You have to emote a character through the clothes, hair and make-up styles. Several editorials led to print campaigns, which led to TV commercials and TV roles which naturally led to films. So, it was a very gradual process."

Apart from Why Cheat India, Elena is currently preparing for two other films alongside some British projects.

Text: IANS

Images: Elena on InstagramUnion Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has approved a notification pertaining to Clause (VII-B) of Subsection (2) of Section 56 of the Income Tax Act to give relief to 'Angel investors' in the Start-Ups, according to highly placed sources.

New Delhi: Start-Ups in India are set to get relief from the 'Angel Tax,' with the exemption limit being raised to Rs 50 lakh from Rs 25 lakh for returns on the income a year before an investment.

'Angel Tax,' a UPA era law, is a tax imposed on the difference between the premium value of shares and fair market value of shares.

The ambiguity lies in the valuation of these premium shares, wherein, the tax man sees angel investor valuations higher than fair market values and hence issues show cause notices to these start-ups.

The Central government's decision came after a number of representations were made to Commerce and Industry Minister Prabhu by the Start-Ups for relief from the often ambiguous 'Angel Tax' demands, sources said, adding that the step is expected to give a boost to the growing sector of Start-Ups.

According to the new decision, the earlier procedure of applying to the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification for approval under Clause (VII-B) of Section 56(2) of Act has been done away with.

Now application procedure has been simplified by making application to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) portal in Form 2 online.

The earlier requirement of Start-Ups to submit a report from the merchant banker, which deals in commercial loans and investment, specifying the fair market value of shares has been removed, sources said, adding that this was found to be very cumbersome by the Start-Ups.

"Angel investors need not share their income certificates with Start-Ups now and they can directly upload to the system," sources said.

According to the new notification, a Start-Up, which is recognised by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), shall be eligible to apply for approval of exemption if the following conditions are fulfilled:

A) The aggregate amount of paid-up share capital and share premium of the Start-Up after the proposed issue of a share, if any, does not exceed Rs 10 crore.

B) The investor/proposed investor shall have--1) Returned income of Rs 50 lakh or more for the financial year preceding the year of investment/proposed investment, and 2) Net worth exceeding Rs 2 crore or the amount of investment made/ proposed to be made in the Start-Up, whichever is higher, as on the last date of the financial year preceding the year of investment/proposed investment.

The application of the recognised Start-Up shall be transmitted by the DIPP to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which has been given the final mandate to grant approval or rejection to the Start-Up within a period of 45 days for the purposes of angel tax exemption.

New Delhi: Dismissing allegations of wrongdoing and mismanagement in allocating microwave spectrum in 2015, Union Communications Minister Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that the DoT (Department of Telecom) had allocated the spectrum to Reliance Jio and Sistema on an administrative basis after the Supreme Courts order of 2012.

"The Supreme Court order of 2012 was on access spectrum and not on backhaul spectrum and not only one service provider, but whoever was genuine, we allotted microwave access spectrum administratively both before and after the order," Sinha told reporters here.

"Before the Supreme Court order two TSPs (telecom service providers) were allotted and after the order Reliance Jio and Sistema were allotted," he added.

The minister's defence came after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in a report submitted to the Parliament on January 8 had said that the allocation of a set of spectrum in 2015 was done on a first-cum-first-served (FCFS) basis, in contradiction to the recommendations of a committee, even as 101 applications for microwave (MW) spectrum were pending with the government.

The report had said: "It was also found that allotment of MWA to Access Service providers was withheld by DoT since June 2010 and allotment against only one application was made in December 2015. There were 101 applications pending till November 2016 for allotment of MWA."

The CAG had also observed that spectrum mismanagement by the DoT had led to a loss of Rs 560 crore to the government exchequer.

Following the submission of the report, the Congress last week demanded a probe into the matter.

Further, Sinha on Wednesday said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) also had recommended for process of allotment and as per that the DoT had notified its policy in 2015, out of all the applications.

The valid applications were given an option that if the government takes another decision in the future then on a retrospective basis the companies would have to give the payment, and only two firms applied after that who were allocated the spectrum administratively, he added.

"So I want to say with utmost responsibility that this allegation is baseless and has no evidence," he stressed.

The minister said that backhaul spectrum has not been auctioned so far and there is also no proposal or consideration for the same.

Defending the decision on deferred spectrum liability Sinha said that extending the period of making payments to 16 years, up from 10 years would bring an additional Rs 74,446 crore to the exchequer."The Commission imposed a penalty of Rs 32,724 calculated at the rate of 10 per cent of the average relevant income of CDAB for the relevant period," the Ministry of Corporate Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

New Delhi: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 32,724 on the Chemists and Druggists Association of Baroda (CDAB) for indulging in restrictive trade practices.

The CCI has found the CDAB to be acting in contravention of the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 and has accordingly directed it to "cease and desist" from indulging in the anti-competitive practice, under Section 27 of the Act.

A complaint, filed with the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) in 2009, alleged that the CDAB, through its practices, was limiting and controlling the supply of drugs and medicines in the market.

CDAB restricted the supply by mandating "No Objection Certificate" prior to appointment of stockists and payment of "Product Information Service" charges prior to introduction of new products in the market by pharmaceutical companies.

Besides, there were allegations that CDAB was fixing trade margins for wholesalers and retailers, the Ministry said. MRTPC transferred the case to the CCI, it added.

The Commission after forming a prima facie opinion directed the Office of Director General to conduct investigation into the matter. Investigation carried out by the DG established contravention on the part of CDAB, it said.

In 2012, the Commission imposed a monetary penalty, in addition to cease and desist directions. Pursuant to an appeal filed by CDAB, the erstwhile Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) set aside the Commission's order in 2016 on a procedural issue and remanded the matter back to the Commission for fresh adjudication.Had enough of COVID and staying in? Looking for a way to earn a little extra income and highlight your homemade products and wares in a fun anI have to tell you, sometimes the highlight of my day is one of the videos from the internet about cats and dogs.Record throughput in the final six months of 2018 has helped the New Zealand Refining Company recoup some of the losses from its extended shutdown earlier in the year.

The companys refinery at Marsden Point processed 22.56 million barrels of oil in the second half of last year, 4 percent more than a year earlier and an all-time record for the period.

That left total throughput for the year at 40.44 million barrels, 3 percent less than the year before. Volumes in May and June were roughly halved during the sites biggest shutdown in 15 years.

The firm's shares were recently unchanged at $2.39. They have fallen about 9 percent in the past year.

The plant at Marsden Point is the countrys only oil refinery and produces about 70 percent of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel used in New Zealand. It is 43 percent-owned by Z Energy, BP and Mobil, and charges those customers processing fees based on refining margins in Singapore.

Those fees fell to $258.7 million for 2018, $70 million less than the year before, reflecting lower regional margins for most of the year and the loss of production from the longer-than-expected shutdown.

Average margins fell to US$6.31 a barrel from US$8.02 the year before, when the company reported a full-year profit of $78.5 million. That was on $411.7 million of operating revenue, including almost $82 million from the plants distribution activities, natural gas recovery and leases.

In August the company reported a $2.8 million first-half loss and said the shutdown would reduce full-year profit by about $43.2 million.

The firm, which trades as Refining NZ, has a raft of upgrade projects underway since completing the installation of the $365 million continuous catalytic regeneration unit in late 2015. It continues to invest to ensure it remains competitive against larger, more modern refineries its customers can also buy product from.

With no major shutdowns planned in 2019, the company has previously signaled it could process a record 44 million barrels this year. The current record was 42.67 million barrels in 2016.

One of the projects the refinery is preparing is dredging to deepen and straighten the shipping channel at the mouth of Whangarei harbour. That will reduce refining costs and risk by enabling crude deliveries on fewer, but larger, tankers.

Last month the Environment Court agreed minor changes to the consents for the work after the company challenged turbidity standards and limits on when in the year the work could take place.

The company said no date has been set for the work, which requires at least 12 months of monitoring to establish turbidity baselines beforehand.

(BusinessDesk)

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Kathmandu Holdings has hired US clothing executive Amy Beck to run its North American business.

Beck, most-recently brand manager at Seattle-based Waypoint Outdoor, will take up the role on April 1.

Kathmandu shares rose a cent to $2.41. They have gained almost 4 percent the past year.

Christchurch-based Kathmandu has more than 160 stores in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Last April it paid US$60 million for Montana-based Oboz Footwear to diversify its product range and expand its geographic spread.

Chief executive Xavier Simonet said Becks appointment is a key one for the company. While Oboz founder and chief executive John Connelly is stepping back from his role, he will continue contributing to the development of Oboz and Kathmandu as a brand ambassador, Simonet said.

(BusinessDesk)

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Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

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Press Release

January 17, 2019 Sen. Bam seeks additional P1,000 social pension for senior citizens A senator wants to increase the social pension of senior citizens as gratitude to their valued contribution to the development of the country and to provide them with additional income to help them deal with the prevailing high prices of goods. In his Senate Bill No. 2142, Sen. Bam Aquino seeks to mandate the government to give a social pension of P1,000 to all senior citizens who do not have social pension or to those receiving a pension not exceeding P3,000. "Kailangang-kailangan ng ating senior citizens ang dagdag na pensiyon para makatugon sa kanilang araw-araw na pangangailangan at makatulong sa gastusin ng kanilang pamilya. Mahalaga ito lalo na't mataas ang presyo ng bilihin," said Sen. Bam. "Napakalaki ng kontribusyon ng ating senior citizen sa pagpapaunlad ng bansa. Panahon na para bigyan natin sila ng karampatang kalinga at pag-aala bilang pagkilala sa kanilang sakripisyo para sa bansa," said Sen. Bam. According to Sen. Bam, a study conducted by the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE) indicated that social pension contributed on average almost a third of household income. However, Sen. Bam said that the same study showed that only 32 percent of eight million senior citizens in the country receive social pension of P500 a month, while 38 percent do not receive any pension at all. When it comes to the 1.5 million Social Security System (SSS) pensioners, less than half receives not more than P3,400 per month. "With no or inadequate pension for many Filipino senior citizens, they are forced to rely on the modest incomes of their families who are also struggling to make a living," said Sen. Bam. "Giving them social pension will greatly help to address their daily needs, and provide some relief to their households," the senator added. Aside from additional social pension for senior citizens, Sen.Bam is also working for the creation of a National Commission for Senior Citizens (NCSC) through his Senate Bill No. 674. The bill seeks to amend Section 11 of Republic Act 7432 or the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010, abolishing the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board and replacing it with NCSC. The council will be spearheaded by a chairperson and commissioners from a list submitted by senior citizens organizations and associations.If you ask Eastside neighbors where the boundaries of their neighborhood, they might not be able to tell you exactly.But according to Pat Taylor, Director of the Kalamazoo Eastside Neighborhood Association, even if you live in neighboring Burke Acres or Eastwood and feel like an Eastsider, the Eastside Network Coalition (ENet), a group of residents, nonprofit and church leaders, business owners and government representatives, would be happy to have your participation.First of all, the Eastside neighborhood shares parks, both Sherwood and Rockwood, with its sister neighborhoods and living on the Eastside isnt all about boundaries. Some of its just about living East of the city and also sharing roots and a vibe.A city official once said to me, the Eastside boundaries are whatever the residents deem them to be, says Pat Taylor, KENA Director, laughing. And were very flexible about that, too.Founded in 2011, ENet works together to host events and engage with residents to make the Eastside a great place to live and work and play, according to the ENet mission. Over the years, ENet has evolved from an organization run by Habitat for Humanity into a grassroots group that encourages neighbors to be both part of the planning and the implementing of projects undertaken to improve the quality of life for Eastside residents.A recent project included the renovation of Rockwell Park, which ENet is hoping to use for the planning of neighborhood gatherings this spring. If the park is used frequently, the Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation Department hopes to host summer camps there in 2019, says Taylor.Participating organizations include Open Roads, the Kalamazoo Nature Center, the Kalamazoo Public Library, the Kalamazoo County Land Bank, the city, St. Marys Catholic Church, and many others.Speaking on behalf of all the organizations in ENet, we want the feedback and we want to know we are helping residents achieve the vision they have for the Eastside, but we cant do it without their input, and their help, if possible, says Taylor, who encourages residents to attend a meeting and take an active part in their neighborhood.ENet meets on the third Thursday of each month at St. Marys Catholic Church from 12:30 to 2 p.m., residents welcome. In addition, ENet is inviting residents and seeking input at its annual resident meeting, which will take place at 6 p.m., Jan. 31at KENA, 1301 East Main.For more information, please see the KENA website here.This feature is courtesy of Driven , the story of how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.

PlanetM advances mobility business development in Michigan, the state where the American automobile was born, but why is Michigan such a great place for mobility innovation?

Michigan is home to more AV testing sites than anywhere in the world. It's a very unique environment.



That was Amanda Roraff, operations manager with PlanetM. She's my guest today on Driven's Mobility Moments Podcast and we're talking about grant funding available for piloting new mobility innovation and for testing at three of those mobility-centric advanced testing facilities she just mentioned.



Stay tuned and learn more about these grants and about a special December 11th event that you can take part in. I'm your host, Claire Charlton.



Amanda, welcome to Driven's Mobility Moments Podcast. I'm looking forward to talking with you about PlanetM and some of the initiatives that are happening with PlanetM this year.



Thanks for having me Claire. I'm really excited to be here and talking about PlanetM and our initiatives.



Can we first talk about what PlanetM is?



Absolutely. PlanetM was a marketing tool essentially for the state of Michigan about two and a half years ago and it really was launched to showcase all of the mobility assets in the state of Michigan. There are a lot that people that didn't realize that the future of mobility was already happening here, and there were some assumptions about who was leading the effort, and we wanted to make sure it was really clear that it was happening here in the state of Michigan. So it quickly evolved into a business development tool for the state, which is what we are today.



We're also still doing quite a bit of advertising and marketing to various markets globally, but today what we do is our business development team really focuses on three things.



We focus first on asset coordination, and really what that means is we make sure that there's platforms, various different platforms, for the various stakeholders in the state of Michigan to be able to communicate and collaborate with one another.



The second thing that we focus on is company connections, and we do that in a variety of ways. Most importantly we hold match meetings throughout the year at various events. The next one that's coming up will be during the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, it's called AutoMobili-D. It's a really, really cool initiative. We launched it last year and held over 350 one-on-one meetings with various stakeholders including startups, corporates, investors, universities, and many more.



Another way that we focus on company connections is holding mobility meetups every other month at WeWork Merchants Row, which is downtown Detroit. Which is also home to the PlanetM Landing Zone, which is where our office is located, but it's also a place where we sublease the space back out to global mobility companies. So, as of today, we have about 35 member companies including corporates and startups.



Wow.



Yeah, it's really exciting. Very vibrant place.



And then the third thing that we focus on is technology activation, and that's I think where we want to spend a little more time today talking about. But what that really means is that we are focused on trying to find different ways and being creative is particular through public private partnerships to help deploy these mobility technologies in Michigan.



Okay. So we are talking specifically about PlanetM Startup Grants, is that correct?



Yes, that is correct.



So this is something that's brand new. Let's talk about these. Why did PlanetM establish these startup grants?



Great question. So we started these startup grants because as we were speaking to global mobility startups, which PlanetM has in many ways become an attraction tool for global mobility companies around the world, and what we were finding is that they knew that they wanted to be able to access the infrastructure here within the state as well as companies, as I mentioned previously. So this was really a way for us to help them deploy their technology and test their technology in Michigan to incentivize them to do so and also break down the barrier of cost.



Okay and so there are two categories for these PlanetM Startup Grants. The PlanetM Testing Grant and the PlanetM Pilot Grant. Can you differentiate between those two? Tell us what those are about.



Absolutely. As of today, we have $1.3 million dollars. The grant runs from October 1st, 2018 through September 30th of 2019, and the reason we split it up that way is because from a testing perspective, Michigan is home to more AV testing sites than anywhere in the world. It's a very unique environment.



So we had partnered initially with three different sites. One's called American Center for Mobility based in Ypsilanti, it's the former Willow Run where the B2 bomber was built. It's a 500-acre test site for various different types of technologies and mobility, the future of mobility technologies. Then there's also Mcity which is located at the University of Michigan's campus and that's about a 50-acre test site. Then we also partnered up in Flint with the Kettering GM Center, which is about a 30-acre site up there as well.



So it's a great way and what we found in talking to these global mobility companies is that one of the barriers really was cost to testing. It can be quite pricey compared to what a large corporation might be comfortable being able to invest in. So this was really a great way for us to help offset that cost. So we will fund up to 75 percent of the cost to test at one of those three sites today.





And the second leg to the grant is around pilot deployment and that's about a million dollars of the expense. As you can imagine, it takes quite a bit of investment to be able to deploy technology, particularly when you're still in a phase where you're past R&D and, but you really need to deploy it. So you have to work with new partners that are new to the technology as well. There's a lot that goes into it to deploy the technology. So with that, our goal is to deploy at least 10 pilot grants in the 12 months of this particular grant.



Okay. So can you tell me about what sort of company would be a good candidate to apply for especially that second type of grant, or actually either one?



Yes, of course. There's many, many different types of mobility companies that could apply for this grant and we intentionally made it broad so that it wasn't prescriptive so that various companies who are coming to the table, maybe with something that we haven't thought of before, or hadn't explored, or a company we hadn't worked with in the past, we wanted them to bring new ideas and innovations to the state of Michigan. So there's really not a limit.



We define mobility as connected, automated, shared and electrified. So really it's a very broad definition for mobility and that's very intentional on our part. So the companies that have already applied so far, as a matter of fact, just this week we're announcing our first three grant recipients. I'm really excited to announce that today as well.



The first one will be HAAS Alert located in the city of Grand Rapids. The second one will be a company called Humanising Autonomy in the city of Ann Arbor, and the last one will be a company called RoadBotics and that will be deployed in the city of Detroit. So there'll be more information coming soon on that, but we're really excited about our first three grant recipients.



Wow, that's really exciting.



Yes, yes. We're really excited. The one in Grand Rapids is going to be with HAAS Alert. It'll be a first of its kind deployment and it is a connected alert system between police, fire and EMS that will alert oncoming drivers that there is an emergency situation and to slow down. But what's even more interesting, really cool stuff, is they're going to be partnering with a local hearing impaired group to work on an alert system for the hearing impaired who are shared use drivers, such as Uber or Lyft drivers.



Oh, that's great.



Yeah. We're really excited to be able to fund some of these interesting technologies.



So can we talk about another company that is currently testing its innovation on Michigan roadways? I think I'm talking about Derq.



Yeah, yeah.



And was Derq a PlanetM grant recipient in any way?



They were. So Derq was actually, and when I say this week we are announcing our first, I actually misspoke. Our first grant recipient was Derq. They're a Dubai- and Detroit-based company that went through Techstars Mobility Accelerator two years ago, a really interesting technology. They're deployed in downtown Detroit at one intersection, it's actually the most dangerous intersection in the city of Detroit. It's right where the tunnel to Canada opens up there in front of the RenCen. So it's a very busy intersection and their technology can actually help detect and prevent car accidents before they happen, and particularly focused on pedestrian avoidance as well.





So that was in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation and we deployed that technology last spring as we were developing the grant. So they were in part our guinea pig to help us build out the grant and understand how it might work and what the benefit to the startup would be, and to the partner as well.





One of the requirements as a grant applicant is to come to the table with a partner in place. So that partner might be an entity such as MDOT, the Michigan Department of Transportation. It could be a municipality like Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Detroit, like our three other grant recipients as well. It could be a large employer who potentially is trying to solve a parking problem for their employees.

So the partners can be very broad and again, we will fund up to 75 percent of the cost to deploy. That doesn't necessarily mean that we will cover up to 75 percent of the cost of what the proposal suggests that the cost will be. So sometimes it will require that the startup and their partners need to come to the table with more than maybe what they initially thought of, but it's a great way for them to help identify partners and deploy their technology in Michigan.



So they need to come with a partner organization plus 25 percent.



A minimum of 25 percent. Yes.



Okay. Good to note. All righty. Can we talk about the special event coming up really soon to promote applications for these grants?



Absolutely. So we're really excited to announce that we are hosting a PlanetM Startup Grant informational session and webinar on Tuesday, December, 11th at 12 noon eastern time. That will take place from 12:00 until 2:00.



For those that are arriving in person lunch will be served from 12:00 to 1230 and then we'll kick off the webinar at 12:30 and it'll last about 90 minutes. We've got a great lineup of panelists. I will be going into great detail as far as much more detail even here on the podcast about even some of the do's and don'ts on the application. So really helping people to define, who are potential applicants, define what makes up a really strong application.



Since we've gone through one round now we've really helped even fine tune and understand better what our needs are and what we need to understand. So it's an opportunity for our team to be able to share more about what a good application looks like and what a winning application looks like, of course.



Then we're also going to have representatives from Mcity, American Center for Mobility, and Kettering that are going to talk about their test sites and talk about what the benefits are of testing at those locations as well. So I think it's a great way for the startups to really better understand some of the testing ecosystem that exists here in the state as well.



Then we're going to have MDOT and Derq on the panel as well to talk about their experience as being the first grant recipient. So we're really excited they can talk through some of the things that they've learned as well in the process and help us and help future grant recipients better understand what might go into a deployment.



So this is really a great opportunity because I can imagine just because you come up with a great innovation doesn't necessarily mean that you already have the grant writing skills to get funding to test that innovation. So this is, it sounds like just a really great informational session for these organizations.



Absolutely and if anybody's considering applying for the pilot or testing grant, I highly recommend that they participate. Even if they can't come in person, just jump on the call for 90 minutes. I think you're going to learn a lot. You'll be able to still ask questions remotely as well, but I also think it's a great opportunity for people to attend in person in that you're going to have all of the right people in the room to be able to talk to before and after the event as well, and to be able to answer those tough questions. Sometimes it's a question that maybe you don't feel like it's something that you want to put in front of a large audience. So we're going to be there to answer those types of questions afterward as well.



Okay and did we say where the in-person event was?



The event on December 11th will be held at the NextEnergy Center in Midtown Detroit and to register for the event, anyone can go to nextenergy.org/events. It's the featured event on their website and it's really quick and easy. It's a free event, free registration, and just we just ask if you're going to be attending remotely or in person so that we can order lunch appropriately.



Right. Oh, well, of course. That's important.



Yeah, it's going to be a good lunch. We encourage you to attend in person.



Awesome. Is there anything else that you want people to know about PlanetM, about the grants that we talked about, or the event?



A couple more things just about the PlanetM Startup Grants, for anyone to learn more information I highly also recommend that you go to planetm.com/grants and click the learn more button. At that point you'll be prompted to set up an account. The account doesn't necessarily mean anything other than you'll be able to access all of the information that you need to be able to begin to frame your application.

The application itself is there, so you can open that up and see what the questions are. The terms and conditions are there. There's also a downloadable sheet on Mcity, American Center for Mobility, and Kettering, so you can learn more about those test sites as well.



Then this last thing I want to mention as well is the deadline. So we are deploying the testing grant on a monthly basis. So we will evaluate applications the first of every month for the testing grant. For the pilot grant, it's running differently on a different timeframe. We're deploying that grant in three rounds, so we're just in the middle of round one now. So that deadline application was October 1st. The next deadline is February 1st and then the last deadline will be June 1st.



So I just want everyone to understand that they do definitely have some time, so I think it's a great opportunity to attend this event in December, on December 11th, and then be able to build out your application over the month of January to get it in by the February 1st deadline.



Great. Important information. Thank you so much Amanda. It's been really interesting talking with you and I'm really excited to learn more as these grants are awarded and as we learn more about the organizations that are testing and piloting innovations using our Michigan roadways as well as our testing facilities. It's really exciting.



Yes, we're really excited about it as well. It's really a wonderful thing for the state to be able to offer to global mobility companies. So thank you so much for having me here today, Claire.



Thanks Amanda. Have a wonderful day.



You too. Thank you.



Thanks.



Join us at Driven to find the links to register for the December 11th PlanetM Startup Grant informational session and webinar and have all of your Michigan mobility news come right to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter. Driven is at Detroitdriven.us. Thanks for listening. I'm Claire Charlton. See you again soon.



Visit Driven and learn how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.

It is the first batch of orders that DSIC has received in 2019. The 85,000 dwt post-panamax bulk carrier is bigger and more economic efficiency compared to kamsarmax bulk carrier, meeting the most updated requirements of NOx and SOx emission regulations. The order will greatly improve DSICs competitiveness on building such type of ship.

After delivery, the ships will be charted to bulk cargo transportation operator, SDTR Marine, incorporated in Singapore, is a joint venture between Chinas state-owned Shandong Shipping Corporation and Singapores Transcenden Global. The company previously built 10 kamsarmax bulkers at Chinas Jinling Shipyard.

With over 100 years of history, DSIC is an arm of China Shipbuilding Industry Co. (CSIC). The company covers five sectors of shipbuilding, offshore equipment building, ship repair/ship scraping, heavy industrial project and military project.Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/17/2019 -- Snow tyres, also known as winter tyres, are tyres primarily designed to be used in cold weather conditions. These tyres vary in design when compared to normal tyres. The tread design of these tyres possesses bigger gaps in comparison to standard tyres, which help them to gain friction and provide resistance against slippage while operating in an icy area. They are also available in metal studded design, where tyres are studded with metal pins preventing the vehicle to skid and avoid accidents on snow-covered areas. However, tyres studded with metals can cause road damage, allowing water to enter between the tyre and road. This can lead to hydroplaning- a phenomenon causing loss of traction, which prevents the vehicle from responding to the control units.



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Metal studded tyres are common in the U.S. and Canada, which help them grip on to packed snow and ice, however, they are banned in other areas because of the damage they cause to the road surface. One of the significant developments in snow tyres is the design of retractable studs. This allows the pins studded in the tyres to rescind with a press of a button.



Snow Tyre Market: Market Dynamics



Stringent government regulations on the use of snow/ winter tyres in snow and icy areas are expected to drive the global snow tyre market. Further, the market is also driven by drivers operating in snow areas looking for effective solutions to reduce slipping and enhanced traction.



Bans on the use of snow tyres primarily to prevent damage caused to the road is expected to hamper the growth of the market. Since the use of snow tyres is dependent on weather conditions, deployment of such tyres adds further to the cost of the vehicle. However, significant efforts are being made by tyre manufacturers to mitigate the effects. For instance, development of retractable studs.



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Snow Tyre Market: Market Segmentation



The global snow tyre market can be segmented on the basis of product type, vehicle type, sales channel and region.



Based on product type, the global snow tyre market can be segmented into non-studded design and metal-studded tyres.



Based on vehicle type, the global snow tyre market can be segmented into passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles.



Based on sales channel, the global snow tyre market can be segmented into OEM and Aftermarket. Aftermarket is expected to hold significant market share in terms of value and volume, primarily due to weather-centric demand for the product.



Snow Tyre Market: Regional Outlook



In North America, the U.S. is expected to create significant revenue opportunities in the global snow tyre market. This is primarily due to the permissible use of snow tyres in the winter season. However, the use of snow tyres is banned in several parts of Canada and is permitted to use in another regions only during winter season. For instance, in British Columbia, the snow tyres are permitted to be used in mountainous areas; in such areas, motorists are advised to use snow tyres or carry tyre chains. Also, certain states in Canada have prohibited the use of snow tyres in a period not falling between 1 October and 30 April. Regulations are also issued to limit the number of studs on tyres, based on vehicle size and weight.



In Europe, regulations on the use of snow tyres vary greatly from country to country. For instance, it is mandatory for vehicle owners in Austria and Germany to use snow tyres during winter months (usually Nov to mid-April) or during times of snow or slush presence over the road surface.



Snow Tyre Market: Market Participants



Some of the examples of participants identified across the value chain of the global https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/automotive-and-transportation/13385/snow-tyre-global-industry-analysis-market-research-reports">snow tyre market are NITTO TIRE U.S.A. INC., Yokohama Tire Inc., GT Radial, The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company, Nokian Tyres plc. and Michelin Inc. among others. Reduction in hydroplaning and enhanced traction while operating in snow and icy regions are identified as the prime focus areas of major companies to develop new products.



The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application, and industry.



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Market Dynamics

Market Size

Supply & Demand

Current Trends/Issues/Challenges

Competition & Companies involved

Technology

Value Chain

Regional analysis includes:



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Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)

Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain)

Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)

Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)

Japan

Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries, S. Africa, Northern Africa)

The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.



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Changing market dynamics in the industry

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Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value

Recent industry trends and developments

Competitive landscape

Strategies of key players and products offered

Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth

A neutral perspective on market performance

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E: sales@marketresearchreports.bizHarrisburg, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/17/2019 -- The Probe Card Market report is a collection of pragmatic information, quantitative and qualitative estimation by industry experts, the contribution from industry connoisseurs and industry accomplices across the value chain. Furthermore, the report also provides the qualitative results of diverse market factors on its geographies and segments.



In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key players and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.



Order a Copy of This Report (USD $800) at:



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The prominent players in the global Probe Card market are:



FormFactor, Japan Electronic Materials and Micronics Japan and Other.



The report provides a regional analysis of the Probe Card market, including the following regions: the US, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe.



Probe Card Global Market Report from Market Insights Reports covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market.The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market.The market size section gives the market revenues, covering both the historic growth of the market and forecasting the future. Drivers and restraints look at the external factors influencing the growth of the market.Market segmentations break down the key sub sectors which make up the market.



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Competitive landscape gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in the last five years are identified.The trends and strategies section highlights the likely future developments in the market and suggests approaches.



Following are major Table of Content of Probe Card Industry:



- Probe Card Market Sales Overview.

- Probe Card Market Sales Competition by Manufacturers.

- Probe Card Market Sales Analysis by Region.

- Probe Card Market Sales Analysis by Type.

- Probe Card Market Analysis by Application.

- Probe Card Market -Manufacturers Analysis.



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sales@marketinsightsreports.com | irfan@marketinsightsreports.comNew York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/17/2019 -- Based on the Precipitated Barium Sulphate industrial chain, this report mainly elaborate the definition, types, applications and major players of Precipitated Barium Sulphate market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2018-2026), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise Products, industry development trends (2018-2026), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market.



Request Sample copy of this report@ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/28310



Scope of the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market

The specialist consulting approach adopted to study the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market by size, share. and growth form an important part of this market intelligence report. Expertise research specialist not only weight upon the company profiles of the major vendors but also significant aspects such as import and export status, supply chain management, demand and supply and distribution channel. Vital statistics on product positioning, consumption volume, a dramatic shift in consumer preferences, spending power and other are explained through resources including charts, graphs, and infographics.



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A quick look at the Precipitated Barium Sulphate industry trends and opportunities

The study is a professional probe into the revenue generated and capacity estimates for the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market for the forecast period 2018 - 2026 empower the business owners to maintain a competitive edge over their rivals. The research further examines and provides data on the market by type, application and geography interspersed with illustrations and other graphical representations. The market analysis not only determines the attractiveness of the industry but also the evolving challenges and opportunities and their association with the weaknesses and strengths of prominent market leaders. Other factors taken into consideration when studying the industry include profitability, manufacturing capability, distribution channels and industry cost structure and major success factors.



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Major Players in Precipitated Barium Sulphate market are:



- Fuhua Chem

- Onmillion Nano Material

- Onmillion Nano Material

- Solvay

- Jiaxin Chem

- Redstar

- NaFine

- Barium & Chemicals

- Xinji Chemical

- Nippon Chemical Industry

- Huntsman

- Sakai Chem

- Cimbar

- Suns Chemical & Mineral



Most important types of Precipitated Barium Sulphate products covered in this report are:



- Ordinary Precipitated Barium Sulphate

- Modified Barium Sulphate

- Nanometer Precipitated Barium Sulphate

- Others.



Most widely used downstream fields of Precipitated Barium Sulphate market covered in this report are:



- Coating Industry

- Rubber Industry

- Plastic Industry

- Others



Precipitated Barium Sulphate Market segment by Region/Country including:



- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain etc.)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia etc.)

- South America Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile etc.)

- Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.)



Knowing the trends influencing the Precipitated Barium Sulphate industry performance

Next, on the basis of different segments that manufacturers specialize in, the study scans and evaluates the price of different products, sales, value, customer preference and spending capacity for the forecast period, 2018 - 2026. Profiles of the top performers from across the world are also included in the study with the aim to bring to light the winning strategies that has helped them occupy a strong foothold in the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market. All of these information and more are explained through resources such as charts, tables and info graphics.



Understanding the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market size

The study segments the complete Precipitated Barium Sulphate market on the basis of different application, end-use, end-user, and production capability. From a business standpoint, the industry has been thoroughly examined across various countries located in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and others. The size of the industry for the forecast period 2018 - 2026 is evaluated on the basis of current sales figures and past financial report can be used to forecast the future sales.



Get Access to Full summary of this report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/precipitated-barium-sulphate-market



Key elements from table of content:



8 Competitive Landscape

8.1 Competitive Profile

8.2 Fuhua Chem

8.2.1 Company Profiles

8.2.2 Precipitated Barium Sulphate Product Introduction

8.3 Onmillion Nano Material

8.3.1 Company Profiles

8.4 Onmillion Nano Material

8.4.1 Company Profiles

8.5 Solvay

8.5.1 Company Profiles

8.6 Jiaxin Chem

8.6.1 Company Profiles

8.7 Redstar

8.7.1 Company Profiles 8.8 NaFine

8.8.1 Company Profiles

8.9 Barium & Chemicals

8.9.1 Company Profiles

Continue...



The research provides answers to the following key questions:



- What will be the size and the growth rate of the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market for the forecast period 2018 - 2026?

- What are key drivers believed to shape the future of the market during the estimated period?

- What are the prominent industries players dominating the Precipitated Barium Sulphate market during the forecast period?

- What are the major trends influencing the development of the industry?

- What are the key challenges likely to hinder the progress of the market?

- What are major opportunities and threats encountered by the business owners operating in the business vertical?



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News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-newsNew York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/17/2019 -- Based on the Dictamnine industrial chain, this report mainly elaborate the definition, types, applications and major players of Dictamnine market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2018-2026), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise Products, industry development trends (2018-2026), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Dictamnine market.



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A quick look at the Dictamnine industry trends and opportunities

The latest market evaluation report on the Dictamnine market explores how the Dictamnine market will continue to expand for the forecast period 2018 - 2026. The study further serves as a unique research for stakeholders, product owners, and field marketing executives looking for actionable data and unique resource on market size, share, and growth. The market intelligence report gives business evangelists an authority to review the major trends, opportunities, and challenges expected to shape the future of the industry during the estimated period. Importantly, the study not only helps spot the major vendors but also their winning strategies. The real-time data accumulated through qualitative and quantitative research technique further help business owners determine where they stand in comparison to their region, country, and product category.



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Major Players in Dictamnine market are:



- Chengdu Alfa

- Quality Phytochemicals

- Chengdu Herbpurify

- Shanghai Longbang

- Sichuan Weikeqi



Dictamnine Market segment by Region/Country including:



- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain etc.)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia etc.)

- South America Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile etc.)

- Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.)



Knowing the trends influencing the Dictamnine industry performance

The researcher assessing the Dictamnine market dive deep to unearth intangible facts related to the key restraints, opportunities, and threats expected to shape the progress of the industry during the forecast period, 2018 - 2026. Significant evaluation of other factors such as demand and supply status, import and export, distribution channel, consumption volume, and production capability play a vital role in offering business owners, stakeholders and field marketing personnel a competitive edge over others operating in the same space. All important data are presented in self-explanatory charts, tables and graphic images that can be incorporated into any business presentation.



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Exploring growth rate over a period

Next, the market assessment report also takes into account the top performers and the new entrants when weighing upon the competitive landscape of the Dictamnine market for the forecast period, 2018 - 2025. Relevant and hard to find facts pertaining to the import and export status, supply chain management, product price, profit and gross margin are clearly explained through resources such as charts, tables, and graphic images. A comprehensive coverage of various segments and the breakdown of their sale figures according to the regions form an important part of the scope of this study.



Get Access to Full summary of this report@ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/dictamnine-market



The research provides answers to the following key questions:



- What is the estimated size of the Dictamnine market for the forecast period, 2018 - 2026? What will be the growth rate of the industry during the estimated period?

- What are the prominent driving forces likely to impact the progress of the industry across different regions?

- Who are the major market players occupying a strong foothold in the Dictamnine market? What are the winning strategies adopted by them to stay ahead in the competition?

- What are the potential opportunities for the Dictamnine market for the forecast period, 2018- 2026?

- What are the key trends expected to shape the development of the industry over the coming years?

- What are the key restraints and challenges likely to hinder the growth of the Dictamnine market worldwide?



There are 13 Chapters to thoroughly display the Dictamnine market. This report included the analysis of market overview, market characteristics, industry chain, competition landscape, historical and future data by types, applications and regions.



Chapter 1: Dictamnine Market Overview, Product Overview, Market Segmentation, Market Overview of Regions, Market Dynamics, Limitations, Opportunities and Industry News and Policies.

Chapter 2: Dictamnine Industry Chain Analysis, Upstream Raw Material Suppliers, Major Players, Production Process Analysis, Cost Analysis, Market Channels and Major Downstream Buyers.

Chapter 3: Value Analysis, Production, Growth Rate and Price Analysis by Type of Dictamnine

Chapter 4: Downstream Characteristics, Consumption and Market Share by Application of Dictamnine

Continue...



Key elements from table of content:



8 Competitive Landscape

8.1 Competitive Profile

8.2 Chengdu Alfa

8.2.1 Company Profiles

8.2.2 Dictamnine Product Introduction

8.3 Quality Phytochemicals

8.3.1 Company Profiles

8.4 Chengdu Herbpurify

8.4.1 Company Profiles

8.5 Shanghai Longbang

8.5.1 Company Profiles

8.6 Sichuan Weikeqi

8.6.1 Company Profiles

8.6.2 Dictamnine Product Introduction

Continue...



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News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-newsRight-hander Carlos Torres has agreed to terms of a minor league deal with the Padres, a source told the Union-Tribune. Torres was expected to receive a non-roster invitation to spring training.

The rest of the Padres non-roster invitees have yet to be announced.

Torres, 36, spent most of 2018 at the Nationals Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y., posting a 3.55 ERA in 50 2/3 innings (9.1 K/9). He appeared in 10 games in the majors last year (6.52 ERA) and has a 4.04 ERA in 500 2/3 innings spread across parts of nine major league seasons, most of it in the bullpen.

Torres started three games in the minors last year but last started a big league game in 2014 with the Mets. He has also pitched in the majors for Brewers, Rockies and White Sox, who drafted him in the 15th round in 2004 out of Kansas State.

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Notable

The Padres announced the hiring of John Philbin as head strength and conditioning coach and Michael Salazar and Kevin Pillifant as assistant athletic trainers. Head athletic trainer Mark Rogow, Don Tricker (director of player health and performance), Scott Hacker (physical therapist), Atsushi Nakasone (massage therapist) and Scott Cline (assistant strength and conditioning coach) will all return in their same roles.

Padres Videos  On Now Padres pitcher Chris Paddack on start vs. Mariners and possibility of making rotation On Now Meet the Padres: Ian Kinsler 5:18 On Now Catching up with Padres OF Franmil Reyes 5:18 On Now Meet The Padres: Greg Garcia 5:11 On Now Catching up with Padres reliever Craig Stammen 5:33 On Now Meet the Padres: Logan Allen 6:23 On Now Meet The Padres: Manny Machado 9:08 On Now Meet The Padres: Chris Paddack 5:08 On Now Three things that stood out from Machado's first day with the Padres 1:53 On Now Padres manager Andy Green on Machado joining his roster

jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSandersRamona Food & Clothes Closet is among organizations offering help to workers affected by the federal government shutdown.

The Ramona nonprofit offers food assistance to federal employees living in the communities it covers who are not receiving paychecks.

Simply bring in your paycheck/stub showing zero income and showing your address and we will give you a box of food customized for your family, the nonprofit said in its announcement.

Communities included in Ramona Food & Clothes Closets area are Ramona, Santa Ysabel, Julian, Ranchita, Borrego Springs and Warner Springs.

The nonprofits Pantry and Emergency Services are open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 to 4 p.m. More information is at 760-789-4458.

Also offering help to workers affected by the shutdown:

California Coast Credit Union offers relief programs to credit union members dealing with the shutdown, including 90-day personal loans with zero percent APR for members with a last net payroll ofup to $5,000 and 90-day loan payment deferrals for existing loans. Federal employees who switch to CCCU are also eligible for the programs.

The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center and the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture announced that federal employees can receive free general admission passes to the SDCJCs Arts and Ideas programs and performances by JCompany. The promotion will run through the end of the shutdown.

The San Diego County Apartment Association advised its member landlords to be lenient on tenants who are federal employees, suggesting they waive late payment fees, accept partial rent payments and set up rent payment plans.



The San Diego Humane Society, working with the CFC, will offer two bags of free pet food to federal workers at each of its three campuses throughout the week.

At least 800,000 federal employees across the country are furloughed or working without pay. According to the CFC, employees of the departments of the Treasury, Homeland Security and Agriculture are suffering the most from the effects of the shutdown in the programs Southern California zone.

Girls and young women interested in participating in this years Miss Poway Scholarship Program are encouraged to attend the first for three orientation meetings at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 20 in the Bill Bond Room at Poway Community Park.

Additional orientations are planned for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27 and in the same location. Each will last about an hour. The park is at 13094 Civic Center Drive. Interested contestants need to attend just one session but are welcome to attend others.

First held in 1962, the event is open to anyone between 11 and 23 years old living in the 92064, 92127, 92128 and 92129 ZIP codes, according to director Sharon Gruber. The contestants must not be married or mothers. The programs theme is Building strong, confidence and civic-minded young women.

The program is sponsored by the Poway Kiwanis Club. Scholarships are given to each program winner.

New this year is the Miss Preteen category, open to girls between 11 and 12 years old. A queen and two princesses will be selected during the March 30 program, to be held at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

Other categories are Miss Poway, Miss Teen Poway and Miss Junior Teen Poway. Princesses will be crowned in each of those categories as well.

Contestants will take part in a nine-week preparation course. Topics covered include interview skills, resume writing, public speaking, self-defense, clothing and makeup for all occasions and tips on building confidence and poise, Gruber said.

During their reigns the title holders and princesses will spend between 150 and 200 hours doing community service and making personal appearances throughout the county.

The goal of the program is to find young ladies who will act as youth ambassadors to the city of Poway, Gruber said. (Each winner) is confident, poised, and comfortable in social and civic situations and has a willingness to serve the citizens of Poway. The Miss Poway Court will meet the mayor, all the members of the city council and most importantly, the residents of the city of Poway at the many local events. They will shake hands, pose for many pictures and bend down and place their crown on many young girls heads.

More for information, email misspoway@gmail.com.

Email: editor@pomeradonews.com

UPDATES:

7:30 a.m. Jan. 19  Corrected to say the two weekend orientation sessions will be held on Sundays, not Saturdays.Mt. Carmel High School was placed on lockdown Thursday morning after a male student armed with a screwdriver threatened to harm himself and other students inside the schools theater.

The student began chasing students about 7:30 a.m., but was stopped by school staff members, San Diego Police Lt. Brent Williams said. Officers arrived and took the student into custody, he said.

One staff member sustained minor hand injuries while stopping the student, Williams said. No students were injured.

The theater was evacuated and the campus was placed on lockdown, Williams said.

The male juvenile is being held for a psychological evaluation. Authorities are investigating the case and will determine what criminal charges the boy could face.

The Poway Unified School District sent an email to parents around 8:05 a.m. notifying them of the lockdown and asking them not to come to campus.

At 8:20 a.m. school officials sent a second email to parents,notifying them that the student was in custody, no one was injured and officers were clearing the scene.

School officials informed parents around 9:15 a.m. that the lockdown had been lifted, but the school remained on secure campus, meaning students were required to remain inside their classrooms until police gave the all clear.

Shortly before 10 a.m., school officials announced that the secure campus status was lifted and the school day would continue as normal.

Email: editor@pomeradonews.com

UPDATES:

11:40 a.m.  Story was updated with addition information.Dont blame Trump for the partial shutdown

Re Make America Late Again (Jan. 16): Doesnt Congress share responsibility for the shutdown? Arent they equally to blame for failing to pass a budget?

Both branches of government have an equal role in funding the government, so its grossly unfair to place all the blame on the president. Shame on Steve Breen and the U-T.

Peter K. Nunez

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Point Loma

Even Trump blames Trump for shutdown

Trump said in December 2018: So, I will take the mantle, I will be the one to shut it down. Im not going to blame you for it.

In the 2013 shutdown, he said of Barack Obama: Well, if you say who gets fired it always has to be the top. I mean, problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top and the presidents the leader. And hes got to get everybody in a room and hes got to lead.

Anthony Kopec

San Marcos

Lets make this the last government shutdown

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Re There should be a law against shutdowns (Jan. 15): I agree with the letter writer that there should be a law against shutdowns. How about a law that says no politician shall be paid during a shutdown? This law would not affect the man in the White House, but it would be a start.

Atanasio Rodriguez

San Diego

Is this the way government is supposed to be run?

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I will admit I know nothing about U.S. Senate protocol. But, isnt there ANY way the Republicans who are more loyal to country than party leader, can over rule Mitch McConnell and help bring the bills to open the government to the floor for a vote?

Is there no provision for majorities in both the Senate and the House to overrule their leadership when they are being denied the right to represent their constituents via a vote?

This and the ability of one senator being allowed to put a hold on a bill or an appointment is mind boggling to me.

Nona Switala

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Oceanside

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.Reporters word choice can be a sign of bias

Re Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen to testify (Jan. 10): The not-so-subtle dig by The New York Times toward President Trump is demonstrated in Fridays U-T politics section.

In the article about ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, the writers called Cohen " a consigliere to Trump. The writers chose a term that is defined as an adviser for a crime boss, " a reference made popular by the shows like The Godfather and The Sopranos. Whatever you think of the president, he is definitely not an Italian crime boss.

Rick Roessler

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Encinitas

Seems like the authors picked just the right word

Choosing the word consigliere does depict a mafia crime boss lawyer, but the crime family denotation of Trump is a match no one can deny. Perfect choice of word we all understand.

Christine Nelson

Clairemont

Description of Trump not entirely wrong

Re Reporters word choice can be a sign of bias (Jan. 12): The letter writer objected to the use of the word consigliere to describe Michael Cohen because of the words association with the Mafia.

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He writes, Whatever you think of the president, he is not an Italian crime boss. True. Trump is not Italian.

John Kroll

South Park

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.Mayor Kevin Faulconer surprised pedestrian safety advocates Tuesday when he announced plans to improve hundreds of dangerous intersections throughout the city in the next few years.

Seniors, students and pedestrians should be able to use a crosswalk without having to dodge oncoming traffic, Faulconer told a crowd gathered for the State of the City speech at the Balboa Theatre downtown.

So this year, well begin work on nearly 300 more safe intersection projects throughout the city, he added.

Officials said the city would start installing pedestrian countdown timers and high-visibility crosswalks at crash-prone intersections in the summer of 2020.

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The first 50 intersections are expected to be completed before Faulconer leaves office, with the remaining upgrades slated to finish by 2022, according to city officials.

Our goal is to make every neighborhood safer for pedestrians and others who choose to get around without a car, said the Mayors spokesman Greg Block. No one should fear walking across the street.

To pay for the improvements, the city has already secured two Caltrans grants, including $1.2 million to add pedestrian countdown clocks or high visibility crosswalks, or both, at 66 intersections, as well as about $250,000 for pedestrian countdown clocks at another 215 intersections.

The locations of the intersections have yet to be released by the city.

Faulconers announcement followed the bloodiest year for pedestrians since San Diego started tracking such statistics in 2016 as part of its Vision Zero campaign. The nationwide movement aims to end traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2025.

Last year, 34 pedestrians were killed by cars in the city of San Diego, double the number from 2017, according to data from the San Diego Police Department. The number of people severely injured by cars while walking also increased to 93 in 2018, up from 75 the previous year.

Police department statistics have found that pedestrians and drivers are each at fault for such accidents about half the time.

The grim statistics didnt come as too much of a surprise for Leah Shahum, founder and executive director of the advocacy group Vision Zero Network.

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They talked a lot, but acted quite slowly, so Im not at all surprised not to see improvement yet, she said. Its going to take a few years to really make a change.

However, Shahum said the addition of pedestrian countdown clocks and high-visibility crosswalks can make a real difference for safety going forward.

One of the most important elements of a strong Vision Zero program is a focus on the high injury locations, she said. I would hope that San Diego is stepping up its approach to being data driven.

The Mayor also said in his speech that the city was just days away from completing upgrades at 15 of San Diegos most deadly intersections, dubbed as the Fatal 15.

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The San Diego-based nonprofit Circulate San Diego had called out the locations in early 2017 as part of its ongoing efforts to improve traffic safety around the region.

Following the State of the City speech, Colin Parent, executive director of Circulate San Diego praised the Mayor for ramping up efforts to address dangerous intersections.

Its great, he said. It was like pulling teeth to get the city to fix the 15 most dangerous intersections, so this is a major improvement. The mayor should be given due credit.

A number of major cities have made progress on Vision Zero campaigns, in large part by lowering speed limits or redesigning streets to encourage slower driving.

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New York saw traffic-related deaths fall in 2018 to the lowest number in more than a century.

At the same time, Los Angeles has struggled to rein in deadly accidents. Recently, the city identified more than 80 streets and intersections to target for safety upgrades in 2019.

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Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.comA Mt. Carmel High School student wielding a screwdriver threatened to harm himself and other students, whom he chased during class in a campus theater Thursday morning, police said.

No students were injured but a member of the school staff injured a hand while trying to stop the boy, authorities said.

San Diego police said they were notified shortly after 7:30 a.m. that a male student at the Rancho Penasquitos campus was threatening people with the screwdriver.

The incident happened during a first-period class in the schools theater. Roughly 30 students are enrolled in the class.

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Police Lt. Brent Williams said the boy made suicidal threats and threatened other students.

As the boy chased his classmates, members of the staff were able to stop him, Williams said in a statement.

Students cleared out of the theater, where staffers kept the boy, and the school was put on lockdown.

Police arrived and arrested the juvenile, who is being held for a psychological evaluation, Williams said. He added that the case remains under investigation to determine what charges, including making criminal threats and brandishing a weapon, the boy might face.

Shortly after 8 a.m., the Poway Unified School District sent an email to parents of students at the school, telling them the campus was on lockdown and urging them not to come to the school.

Students called police to campus and notified administrators after an incident during class. No one was injured, and the student has been isolated to the theater, as police talk to the student, the email said.

At 8:20 a.m., a second email was sent to parents, informing them that the student was in custody and officers were clearing the scene.

Shortly after 9 a.m., the school told parents that the lockdown had been lifted, but the school was on what the principal called secure campus as police continued to investigate.

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Secure campus, according to the principal, means that the students must remain inside their classrooms, but that they are able to move about.

Just before 10 a.m., the secure-campus status was lifted, and students were able to head to their classes. The school day was expected to continue, and administrators encouraged students to remain at school.

However, for parents wishing to pick up their children, parking lot gates were opened, and parents were to be taken to the attendance office in small groups.

The principal asked that parents not call the school, because staffers were continuing to address the morning situation.

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Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.comTwo men have been charged for providing the lethal doses of fentanyl to a 41-year-old San Diego woman who overdosed in October, according to federal prosecutors in San Diego.

Travis Ray Ballou, 40, and Tony Davis, 63, face charges of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. If convicted they each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The pair join a third man, Christopher James Starcuzzi, charged Jan. 8 with the same crime, stemming from the death of a San Diego man who overdosed on July 18.

In the first case, a court complaint says that the woman, identified as J.C.G., overdosed at a residence in National City on Oct. 24 after using heroin laced with fentanyl. After checking the text messages on her phone, Drug Enforcement Administration investigators suspected that Ballou was the supplier of the drugs.

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He was arrested the next day, and told agents that he had supplied the woman with heroin on the day she died as well as the two previous days.

The woman overdosed on Oct. 23 and was rushed to the hospital, where she given the naloxone  known by the brand name Narcan  a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, court records say. She survived and checked herself out of the hospital.

She contacted Ballou again on Oct. 24, told him she had overdosed and also ordered more drugs, according to court documents. That evening, she fatally overdosed on the drugs she had purchased.

Investigators then checked Ballous phone and determined through text messages who his supplier was. One text message sent Oct. 24 referenced the woman, with Ballou telling Davis that the woman had overdosed and gone to the hospital just the day before.

So your stuff def has fetnal (sic) in it, he wrote.

In the earlier case, prosecutors said Starcuzzi supplied the fatal dose of drugs that killed a man identified only as E.P. in court records. He was found dead in July on the floor of an apartment he shared with a woman on Riviera Drive in San Diego.

The woman told police that E.P. had smoked some marijuana the night before and had also taken a tablet of what he apparently believed oxycodone. After learning that the county Medical Examiner had determined E.P.s death was from a fentanyl overdose, the woman gave investigators the rest of the pills that had been purchased.

Tests revealed they were laced with fentanyl.

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Agents arrested Starcuzzi on Dec. 27, and in a subsequent interview he admitted he provided the fatal drugs to the man. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in the federal jail downtown.

New U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said in a statement that the office will continue to pursue overdose deaths as homicides as the opioid epidemic continues.

According to the Medical Examiners Office, the number of fentanyl-related deaths rose sharply from 33 in 2016 to 84 in 2017. The total for 2018 is expected to be larger still.

As the opioid epidemic continues to rage across the nation, we are committed to doing everything we can to save lives, Brewer said. That includes investigating overdose deaths as homicides and pursuing charges against dealers of the poison that is killing people every single day in this country.

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Twitter: @gregmoran

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greg.moran@sduniontribune.comIn what Colombian President Ivan Duque termed a terrorist attack, an explosion at a police academy in Bogota, the capital, left at least 10 people dead and 54 wounded Thursday.

The explosion at the Francisco de Paula Santander Police Academy was caused by a car bomb that detonated near the entrance, according to the Defense Ministry. Wounded cadets were taken to hospitals, and officials issued an appeal for blood donations.

Suspicions as to who carried out the attack immediately centered on the leftist rebel groups National Liberation Army, known by its Spanish initials, ELN; and Popular Liberation Army, or EPL. Both have been classified as terrorist groups by the U.S. government, but neither group had taken responsibility by midday.

Colombias largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, signed a peace deal in 2016, with 14,000 fighters and militia members demobilizing after half a century of conflict, and has has transformed into a political party. But the ELN and EPL remain at war with the government. Talks between the government and the ELN, the stronger of the two groups, have stalled over preconditions set by Duque.

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Duque and Defense Minister Guillermo Botero arrived at the scene of the bombing by helicopter, where they were joined by several military and police officials to inspect the damage.

Addressing reporters at the academy, Duque slammed what he called a cowardly attack that targeted unarmed students and youths.

This terrorist act will not remain unpunished, he said. We have always defeated terrorism. They will not make us give way. We will unite against violence and support the armed forces to capture and punish those responsible for this barbarity.

The bomb consisted of 180 pounds of pentolite explosive in a light truck, said attorney general Nestor Humberto Martinez, who appeared at the briefing with Duque.

After stopping and identifying himself at one of the academys entrances, the driver drove through the checkpoint and continued for 300 yards inside the grounds before setting off the explosives, Martinez said. The force of the explosion broke windows in buildings several blocks away.

The truck had recently received a state-mandated inspection in the eastern city of Arauca, on the border with Venezuela, Martinez said.

Television images showed the vehicles charred remnants.

We will get to the bottom of the facts, Duque said in a statement issued earlier from the northwestern city of Quibdo, where he had been scheduled to host a meeting of national and local leaders, before he rushed back to Bogota.

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Bogota Mayor Enrique Penalosa said the bomb did not appear to be part of a coordinated series of attacks.

All Colombians can be sure that we will not be intimidated by this terrorist act, Penalosa said. All should unite against terrorism.

Names of the dead were not immediately released. But Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno said on social media that Ecuadorean citizen Erika Chico was killed.

Pastor Alape, a FARC spokesman and former leader during the years of conflict, said the bombing appeared to be an effort by unnamed people to subvert a peace deal with the ELN and delegitimize social movements.

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Kraul is a special correspondent.It seems likely that thousands more migrant children were split from their families than the Trump administration has acknowledged, in part because officials were stepping up family separations long before the border policy that prompted international outrage last spring, a government watchdog said Thursday.

Its unclear just how many family separations occurred at the U.S.-Mexico border. Health and Human Services, the agency tasked with caring for migrant children, did not adequately track them until after a judge ruled that children must be reunited with their families, according to the report by the agencys inspector general.

Ann Maxwell, assistant inspector general for evaluations, said the number of children removed from their parents was certainly larger than the 2,737 listed by the government in court documents. Those documents chronicled separations that took place as parents were criminally prosecuted for illegally entering the country under President Donald Trumps zero tolerance policy.

Its certainly more, Maxwell said. But precisely how much more is unknown.

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Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who sued on behalf of a mother separated from her son, said the separation policy was a cruel disaster from the start. This report reaffirms that the government never had a clear picture of how many children it ripped from their parents.

Most of the tens of thousands of children who come into government custody cross the border alone. But the report found that in late 2016, 0.3 percent of children turned over to Health and Human Services had crossed with a parent and were separated. By the summer of 2017, that percentage had spiked to 3.6 percent, officials said. The watchdog did not have exact numbers, but the total number of migrant children who passed through the agencys care during the 2017 budget year was 40,810. The separated children had already been released to sponsors, who are generally parents or other close relatives.

The inspector general did not say why the children had been separated before the zero-tolerance policy. Immigration officials are allowed to take a child from a parent in certain cases  serious criminal charges against a parent, concerns over the health and welfare of a child or medical concerns. That policy has long been in place.

Katie Waldman, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security, said the report reinforced what officials have long said. For more than a decade it was and continues to be standard for apprehended minors to be separated when the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, the childs safety is at risk or theres a record of a serious criminal activity by the adult, she said.

In some cases, however, Homeland Security officials said a parent had a criminal history but did not offer details on the crimes, the watchdog reported.

The Administration for Children and Families, the division under Health and Human Services that manages the care of unaccompanied minors, said it generally agreed with the findings and noted the report did not find that the agency lost track of children under its care. It also noted new policies were in place to help track newly separated children. And the court never instructed officials to determine the number of children separated before the June 26 ruling.

Last spring, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said anyone caught crossing the border illegally would be criminally prosecuted. Families were brought into custody by U.S. Border patrol officials, then their parents taken to criminal court. If the parents were gone longer than 72 hours  the length of time Border Patrol is allowed to hold children  the children were transferred to the custody of Health and Human Services.

The practice prompted a massive outcry, with church groups and lawmakers calling the separations inhumane. Trump ordered an end to the separations on June 20. At the time, a federal judge who was already hearing the case of a mother separated from her son ruled that children must be reunited with their parents.

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Despite considerable effort by Health and Human Services to locate all the children placed in its care, the report said officials were still finding new cases as long as five months after the judges order requiring reunifications.

There is even less visibility for separated children who fall outside the court case, investigators concluded.

They said its not clear the system put in place to track separated children is good enough. And the lack of detail from immigration authorities continues to be an issue.

The border remains a crucible for the Trump administration, with a partial government shutdown that has dragged on nearly a month over the presidents demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall that congressional Democrats are unwilling to provide.

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The inspector generals office was also looking into other aspects of the separations, including the health and mental well-being of the children who had been separated. It expects to have other reports on the topic.VALLEY FORGE  John C. Bogle, who simplified investing for the masses by launching the first index mutual fund and founding Vanguard Group, died Wednesday, the company said. He was 89.

Bogle did not invent the index fund, but he expanded access to no-frills, low-cost investing in 1976 when Vanguard introduced the first index fund for individual investors, rather than institutional clients.

The emergence of funds that passively tracked market indexes, like the Standard & Poors 500, enabled investors to avoid the higher fees charged by professional fund managers who frequently fail to beat the market. More often than not, the higher operating expenses that fund managers pass on to their shareholders cancel out any edge they may achieve through expert stock-picking.

Bogle and Vanguard shook up the industry further in 1977. The company ended its reliance on outside brokers and instead began directly marketing its funds to investors without charging upfront fees known as sales loads.

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Bogle served as Vanguards chairman and CEO from its 1974 founding until 1996.

He stepped down as senior chairman in 2000, but remained a critic of the fund industry and Wall Street, writing books, delivering speeches and running the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center.

The advent of index funds accelerated a long-term decline in fund fees and fostered greater competition in the industry. Investors paid 40 percent less in fees for each dollar invested in stock mutual funds during 2017 than they did at the start of the millennium, for example. But Bogle continued to maintain that many funds were overcharging investors, and once called the industry the poster-boy for one of the most baneful chapters in the modern history of capitalism.

Bogle also believed that the corporate structure of most fund companies poses an inherent conflict of interest, because a public fund company could put the interests of investors in its stock ahead of those owning shares of its mutual funds. Vanguard has a unique corporate structure in which its mutual funds and fund shareholders are the corporations owners. Profits are plowed back into the companys operations, and used to reduce fees.

Vanguard, based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, manages $5 trillion globally. It helped usher in a new era of investing, and index funds have increasingly become the default choice for investors. In 2017, investors plugged $691.6 billion into index funds while pulling $7 billion out of actively managed funds, according to Morningstar.

Vanguard offers both index and managed funds, but remains best-known for its index offerings. Vanguards original index fund, now known as the Vanguard 500 Index, is no longer the companys biggest, but remains among the companys lowest-cost funds.

Bogle spent the first part of his career at Wellington Management Co., a mutual fund company, then based in Philadelphia. He rose through the ranks and, in his mid-30s, was tapped to run Wellington.

He engineered a merger with a boutique firm that was making huge sums, but was ousted after the stock market tanked in the early 1970s, wiping out millions in Wellingtons assets. He said he learned an important lesson in how little money managers really know about predicting the market.

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Bogle suffered several heart attacks and underwent a heart transplant in 1996, the year he stepped down as CEO. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 for Vanguard directors in 1999 and left as senior chairman the next year.

Vanguard did not provide a cause of death. Philly.com is reporting he died of cancer, citing Bogles family.

John Clifton Bogle was born in May 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey, to a well-off family; his grandfather founded a brick company and was co-founder of the American Can Co. in which his father worked.

Bogle attended Manasquan High School in Manasquan, N.J, for a time, then got a scholarship to the prestigious all-boys Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. It was at Blair that Bogle discovered his knack for math. He graduated from Blair in 1947 and was voted most likely to succeed.

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Bogle graduated from Princeton with a degree in economics in 1951. His thesis was on the mutual fund industry, which was then still in its infancy.

Bogle is survived by his wife, Eve, six children, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.Authorities lifted a lockdown Wednesday at College of the Canyons in Valencia after they determined that a report of a woman with a rifle was actually a woman with some tree branches.

Better safe, than sorry, the Santa Clarita Valley station of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said on Twitter.

The incident began about 4:35 p.m., when someone reported seeing a woman getting a rifle out of a tree and walking on campus, the Sheriffs Department said. About 2,000 students and 200 staffers were on lockdown for about two hours while deputies searched the area.

Deputies did not find anything suspicious during their search of campus buildings and determined that a woman took tree branches from a tree. The campus was deemed safe and the lockdown was lifted about 6:40 p.m.

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Re: COC incident- we received a report initially that an individual saw a woman getting a rifle out of tree and went on campus. Through investigation, it was determined that a woman took tree branches from a tree. Better safe, than sorry. Have a good night SCV. pic.twitter.com/LiA5XKBU2J  SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) January 17, 2019

The community college had advised people to shelter in place.

Stay off campus if you are not already here, the school tweeted.

ADVISORY: College of the Canyons, Valencia campus is currently on lockdown. Deputies are conducting safety checks of buildings. pic.twitter.com/aq6NlHJ1HW  SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) January 17, 2019

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchekThe Trump administration probably separated thousands more children from their families at the border than the roughly 2,700 the government has previously acknowledged, a federal watchdog said Thursday.

The report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General drew the anger of a number of Democrats in Congress, several of whom pledged further investigation into the separations. Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, called once again on Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign after the report was released.

Its inconceivable that our government chose to secretly separate thousands of children from their parents, was unable or unwilling to reunite these families for months due to incompetent leadership and poor planning, and still doesnt know how many children were separated, Durbin said.

Department of Homeland Security officials disputed the inspector generals estimate.

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We are saying of course separations occurred  but not at the rate of thousands they are claiming, DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in an email.

The administrations practice of separating children from their families at the border  part of its zero-tolerance approach to immigration  led to a fierce backlash last year amid reports that children, some younger than 5 years old, were being taken from their parents and placed in government custody.

President Trump eventually signed an executive order ending the separation policy. A San Diego federal court judge also ordered an end to the policy and that families be reunified, a process that proved chaotic as it became clear that officials lacked systems to easily identify and track separated children.

In its efforts to comply with the federal court order, the administration had previously identified 2,737 children separated from their parents.

But Thursdays report says that number did not include thousands more who may have been separated from their families starting in 2017 and released from government custody prior to the courts June 2018 order.

The exact number of separated children is still unknown, according to the inspector generals office.

Homeland Security oversaw the separations while the Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for caring for the children once they were in government custody.

Waldman, the DHS spokeswoman, said children have long been separated from their families in cases in which it is necessary to protect the child.

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For more than a decade it was and continues to be standard for apprehended minors to be separated when the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, the childs safety is at risk or serious criminal activity by the adult, she said.

Lynn Johnson, assistant secretary at Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, said in a written response to the report that the agencys Office of Refugee Resettlement did herculean work to identify separated children and reunify them with their families in response to the court order. She said there was no evidence that the agency had lost track of children in its care.

Johnson also said the department has not tried to determine the exact number of children separated by the Department of Homeland Security prior to the courts order, citing limited resources.

Undertaking such a count would take away from ORRs primary focus on caring for the children currently in ORR care and promptly discharging them to appropriate sponsors, she wrote.

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Even if the agency were to invest in such a count, that would not enable it to provide any form of relief to discharged children, she added.

The estimated thousands of additional cases were not included in earlier counts because the court order focused on identifying those who were still in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the time it was issued, the report said.

Health and Human Services officials were unable to give the inspector generals office detailed information about how children were released prior to the courts order  whether it was to family, other sponsors or foster care, for example, according to the report.

Most sponsors, however, are parents, legal guardians or other close family members, Health and Human Services officials have said.

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Lee Gelernt, the ACLU attorney who led the successful court challenge that resulted in family reunification, said he would ask the federal judge in that case to order the government to explain the numbers in the inspector generals report.

We want to know whats happened to the children so we can make an independent assessment, Gelernt said.

Although many of the children were probably released to sponsors, the parent may or may not have signed off on that, he said.

Even if the parent did sign off, it may have been because the parent thought that was the only way to get their child out of a government facility, Gelernt added. If these parents were coerced or misled into allowing their children to be given to other people and now want their children back they must be given their children back.

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Typically, the vast majority of children in Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters have been unaccompanied minors  those who crossed the border without family.

But officials at the agency began to see a significant spike in the number of children separated from their families in the summer of 2017, as the Trump administration began implementing zero tolerance policies that prioritized the prosecution of immigration offenses, according to the report.

Workers caring for the separated children saw that the new population turning up in government shelters often included very young children. At times, the spike in young children  who had to be placed in specially licensed facilities  resulted in a shortfall in beds for children in the agencys care, the report says.

After the report came out, several Democrats in Congress pledged to investigate and conduct oversight regarding family separations.

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Im going to keep working with our new House majority to hold the president accountable for this human tragedy, said Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey), chair-designate of the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee.

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com

Twitter: @palomaesquivelSan Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson left Naval Air Station North Island Wednesday as part of a multi-ship permanent home port swap announced by the Navy in August.

Three other Navy warships, including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, will be relocating to San Diego this year, Navy officials have said.

The carrier swaps announced last summer said San Diego-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson would be relocating to Bremerton, Washington, for maintenance and the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, coming off a mid-life refueling and overhaul in Virginia, would be relocating to San Diego.

The Lincoln will arrive in San Diego this fall.

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Two guided-missile destroyers, the USS Stethem and USS Shoup, will also be relocating to San Diego, with the Stethem coming from Yokosuka, Japan, and the Shoup from Everett, Washington.

The Stethem is due in San Diego before summer, and the Shoup at a date in the second quarter of the 2019 fiscal year that has yet to be determined.

Home port changes are fairly common for the Navys fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, as the maintenance and refueling needs of these vessels can only be met at certain ports. When ships change home ports, most of their crews also relocate.

Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter.Some 42,000 active-duty U.S. Coast Guard members  including 700 in San Diego  and 8,700 civilian employees may get some financial relief from the partial government shutdown after the Coast Guard, along with USAA, announced a $15 million donation to Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, a nonprofit that offers zero-interest loans to service members in need.

The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, which remains unfunded during the shutdown, now in its fourth week. The rest of the military is under the Department of Defense, which remains funded.

Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled mid-month paycheck, Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, wrote in a blog post Tuesday. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our nations history that service members in a U.S. armed force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations.

Thanks to a $15 million donation from insurance and banking behemoth USAA, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance will begin disbursing interest-free loans to active-duty and civilian workers of the Coast Guard, he said.

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I recognize the anxiety and uncertainty this situation places on you and your family, and we are working closely with service organizations on your behalf, Schultz said.

USAA is a group of companies in San Antonio providing insurance, banking, retirement products and investment advice to about 13 million current and former members of the military.

The loans of up to $750 for single members and civilian workers and $1,000 for those with dependents are designed to cover two weeks of shortfalls, USAA said.

Retired Rear Adm. Cari Thomas, CEO of CGMA, said the organization had been prepared to take out a loan against its reserve funds when USAA stepped forward with an unsolicited donation.

We are very, very grateful, she said, adding that it will take a community effort to see Coast Guard members through the shutdown. Like any Coast Guard mission, it requires a team of people to get it done.

It marks the first missed paycheck for the Coast Guard since the government shutdown began Dec. 21. Homeland Security was able to find a one-time funding solution at the end of December to avoid a lapse in pay.

However, another payday is coming at the end of January which will affect not just current Coast Guard members and employees but also about 50,000 retirees, who also will miss a pension check.

Thomas said CGMA is working on a similar stop-gap solution but nothing is nailed down yet.

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Theres currently no way to pay the retirees, Thomas said. (But) its too early to speculate.

There are a few ways people could help, she said.

People can go on our website, www.cgmahq.org, and do secure online donations, she said. Coast Guard members and employees also can apply for loans on the CGMA website.

Many financial institutions, such as Mission Federal Credit Union, Navy Federal and SDCCU are offering low or no-interest loans, as well as loan payment deferrals, for members affected by the shutdown.

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Locally, Lincoln Military Housing, which offers market-rate rentals to service members, said it was suspending rent withdrawals from Coast Guard members.

On Wednesday, the San Diego Food Bank distributed more than 7 tons of food and 6,000 diapers to active-duty Coast Guard personnel at a site near National City.

The bank said it is offering assistance to all furloughed federal workers. Its website is sandiegofoodbank.org.

Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter.A powerful snowstorm is pounding Sierra resorts, and Southern California mountains are coping with rain and wind, on a second day of wild weather up and down the state.

At Mammoth Mountain resort, almost 3 feet of snow was reported, and the ski/board resort website was reporting wind, lightning and thunder and noting that lift operation could be affected.

The National Weather Service issued an avalanche warning for the Sierras eastern peaks between Virginia Lakes on the north to Bishop Creek on the south. It said the avalanche danger was high.

National parks are feeling winters wrath too. The weather service issued a blizzard warning for areas above 6,500 feet at Lassen and a winter storm warning for areas above 7,000 feet in Yosemite and Kings Canyon national parks.

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Mountain High resort in the San Gabriel Mountains closed Thursday because of wind and what it called inclement weather. The forecast called for rain at the Wrightwood resort.

Big Bear and Snow Summit were open Thursday, although rain was in the forecast with highs in the 40s. For the Martin Luther King long weekend, the resorts were predicting highs in the 50s Saturday and Sunday and in the 40s on Monday.

Road conditions may change quickly, and travelers are urged to check for road closures and snowplowed areas on the CalTrans QuickMap. Travelers also can call for road conditions at (800) 427-7623.

If you are heading north on or through the western or eastern Sierra, Caltrans offers these tips to consider before you hit the road.

 Make sure you have chains of the proper size and know how to put them on your tires.

Be prepared for winter driving conditions. Bridges and ramps may be more slippery than the road.

Keep your gas tank as full as possible.

Carry blankets, water, food, a shovel, gloves, a flashlight, and sand or kitty litter for traction in case your vehicle gets stuck.

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Slow down in snowy conditions, particularly in areas where chains are required.

Dont pass snow-removal equipment on the right-hand side.

Remove excess snow and ice from your vehicles roof before driving.

Be mindful of stopped drivers adding or removing chains on the side of the road.

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You can find more Winter Driving Tips on Caltrans website.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravelFormer Bracero chefs Javier Plascencia and Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins  two of the regions biggest names in contemporary Mexican cooking  are having a reunion, and youre invited.

On Jan. 23, the duo will cook an eight-course meal at El Jardin, the regional Mexican restaurant that Zepeda-Wilkins opened last year at Liberty Station. El Jardin topped multiple critics lists as the best new restaurant of 2018. The Union-Tribune named Zepeda-Wilkins Chef of the Year for 2018.

Fans of Bracero  the high-profile but short-lived modern Mexican restaurant in Little Italy  will remember that Plascencia was executive chef, with Zepeda-Wilkins his trusted chef de cuisine. Bracero closed in June 2017 after two years in business.

Getting to cook with Javier in our kitchen is both a great honor and a huge pressure, Zepeda-Wilkins said. He knows how to push me out of my comfort zone  and I think that is the brilliant gift mentors can give their mentees.

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Chef Javier Plascencia. (Courtesy photo)

The reunion dinner  called Memorias con Javier Plascencia  was initially to be six courses between the two star chefs. But they expanded the menu to eight when they invited two current El Jardin  and former Bracero  sous chefs to create the final two courses.

The menu includes: Callo de Lobina con Erizo, striped sea bass served ceviche-style, dressed with yuzu in a scallop shell and topped with uni, cucumbers and red onions; and Lechon en Caja China, suckling pig served with broccoli rabe al ajillo, or garlic butter sauce.

Sous chef Leo Gutierrez will prepare Bocol de Lengua, a masa cake with braised beef tongue and pickled mustard, while Paola Gonzalez is creating a Sabor a Limon course featuring various lime flavors and textures.

The price of the dinner is $80. Add a pairing of either Baja wines or cocktails specifically crafted by Zepeda-Wilkins and bar consultant Christian Siglin for an additional $45.

Memorias con Javier Plascencia

When: Jan. 23 (seatings at 6 and 8 p.m.)

Where: El Jardin, 2885 Perry Road, Liberty Station.

Tickets: $80; $45 for wine of cocktail pairing: bit.ly/2AEZdxs

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Phone: (619) 795-2322

Online: eljardinrestaurantbar.com

Chef Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune)

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michele.parente@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @sdeditgirlShutdown and Out

The partial government shutdown may seem irrelevant if youre not a federal employee  or, say, working for Rancho Bernardos Second Chance Beer Co.

We just have to sit and wait while politicians have  well, its almost like a temper tantrum between them, said Virginia Morrison, CEO and co-founder of Second Chance.

Among the agencies shuttered is the Treasury Departments Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The TTB must approve beer labels before beers can be sold across state lines. While Second Chance had already secured approval for its core beers, thats not true of its newer brews.

Its the limited offerings that have the high demand, Morrison said.

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The shutdown has delayed Second Chances plans to sell beer in Arizona, as well as its pursuit of opportunities in New York, Florida and Texas.

We have some cool styles and collaborations planned for this year, Morrison said. But if we cant do it in those markets, that is basically a stalemate for us.

At least Second Chance, which opened in 2015, is already up and running.

Breweries in the startup phase need a federal permit and those are now on hold, said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, a trade group for U.S. craft breweries. Thats difficult, especially if youve started paying rent and taking delivery of supplies.

Like other small businesses, many new breweries rely on federal loans. Those, too, are in limbo.

Were hearing from brewers across the country, but its not a ton yet, Watson said. But if this lasts a few more months...

Tales from Brooklyn

Heres a side-benefit to Brooklyn Brewerys decision to enter the San Diego market: more tales from Steve Hindy.

With Tom Potter, Hindy founded Brooklyn in 1988 after years as a foreign correspondent. Reporting from the Middle East in the 80s, Hindy witnessed Egyptian President Anwar Sadats assassination and was once abducted by Lebanese militiamen.

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You can ask him about his adventures Jan. 28 when hes in town to promote Brooklyns beers. Hes scheduled to attend launch parties at Normal Heights Blind Lady Ale House, 5 to 8 p.m., then at Hamiltons Tavern in South Park from 8:30 on.

Hes also willing to discuss his beer trade travails.

I cant tell you the number of nights I spent in the Budweiser bars of Brooklyn, trying to get people to try Brooklyn Lager, he said. It was too dark, had an unusual flavor. Youd try explain and people would look at you like you had three heads.

Kings of Beer

Odin, the titanic figure of Norse mythology, was the deity of death, wisdom, poetry, battle, healing, you name it. His was a broad portfolio.

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Odin (9.3 percent alcohol by volume), the imperial stout from Tijuanas Cerveceria Ramuri, is similarly multifaceted. A visual delight, it pours with a frothy khaki head over an inky black body. Potent alcohol levels deliver a silky texture instead of a throat-searing booze burn. Bold mocha and vanilla flavors make this a great dessert beer or nightcap.

I bought my Odin at a Calimax in Tijuana, and have been unable to find it north of the border. Its worth pursuing, and thats not just my opinion. At the 2018 World Beer Cup, Odin was the bronze medalist in the coffee stout or porter category.

Random Questions from My Editor

Q. I like beer but Im not crazy about hops. Any suggestions?

A. Numerous styles have little, if any, hop character. Brown ales like Newcastle Brown or Three Beagles Brown, from Oceansides Bagby Beer, lean toward a fresh-baked bread sweetness. Berliner Weisses  try The Bruerys Hottenroth or Stone White Geist  are tart. Imperial stouts such as Ramuris Odin and AleSmiths Bourbon Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout smack of coffee, dark chocolate and vanilla.

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Many Belgian beers accentuate spices and yeasts. Start with Duvel, a strong (8.5 percent alcohol by volume) but easy-drinking Belgian golden ale.

Finally, look for a beers IBUs, or International Bittering Units. Most beers fall between Budweiser Light (10 IBUs) and Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder (100 IBUs).

Pale to the Sixth

Springboard Pale Ale, the official beer of last weekends Springboard West Music Festival, was the combined effort of six  count em, six  brewing teams.

The collaborators: O.B. Brewery, Amplified Ale Works, Belching Beaver, Kilowatt, Mike Hess and Pizza Port Ocean Beach. All that brewing firepower delivered an ale with a solid malt base, bright tropical hops and little residual bitterness.

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Did you miss Springboard at Springboard? The beer is on tap at OB Brewery, 5041 Newport Ave.

Words to Drink By, Revised

Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.  while often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, theres no evidence he wrote these words. He did write about the transformation of grapes into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy!

Whatever your tipple, raise a toast to Franklins 313th birthday today.

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Beer Videos

Twitter: @peterroweut

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peter.rowe@sduniontribune.comChula Vistas budding marijuana marketplace began to show tangible signs of life this week.

After nearly two years of studies, workshops, debate, ordinances, and a public vote, San Diegos second-largest city began accepting applications from entrepreneurs hoping to open cannabis businesses in Chula Vista.

The city began accepting applications Monday and, on Tuesday, the City Council finally settled on a tax rate of 7 percent of gross receipts for all cannabis businesses, except for cultivation, which will be subject to a canopy tax of $15 per square foot.

Chula Vistas 7 percent tax rate is higher than the state average of 6 percent and lower than San Diegos rate of 8 percent.

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That 7 percent tax rate is higher than the state average of 6 percent and lower than San Diegos 8 percent. San Diego had a 5 percent tax rate for the first two years and just recently moved to increase it to 8 percent.

Chula Vistas regulations permit the entire supply chain  from cultivation to testing to distribution and retail  to exist within the city.

The City Council imposed a limit on the number of dispensaries, delivery operators and cultivators that can open in Chula Vista. For deliveries, that limit is no more than three in each of the citys four council districts. For cultivation, the limit is 10 citywide.

There are no limits for testing, distribution and manufacturing.

Cannabis businesses are also subject to existing zoning laws, such as not opening a commercial or industrial-use building in a residential zone. Additionally, Chula Vista is explicitly prohibiting anyone involved with an illegal dispensary from applying for a permit.

During Tuesdays City Council meeting, several applicants lobbied the council to lower the proposed canopy tax rate on cultivation facilities. Originally, the staff recommended $25 per square foot, which would have been among the highest in the state.

Applicants argued that high tax rate could drive potential business outside of Chula Vista. Some counties in Northern California, including Humboldt, have a canopy tax of $3 per square foot.

Ken Sobel, a lawyer with experience in medical marijuana who wants to open a dispensary in Chula Vista, told the council the same thing he tells new customers, Start low and go slow.

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Cynara Velazquez, vice president of the San Diego-based Association of Cannabis Professionals, told the council that the $25 per square foot rate was making potential applicants reconsider opening a business in Chula Vista.

The council agreed and lowered the rate from $25 to $15 per square foot. They also vowed to conduct an annual review of the tax rates so that they can respond to market conditions.

From the beginning, the main goal of having a legal marijuana market was to disrupt the illegal market that sprung up in Chula Vista within the last couple of years. In 2018, the police department shut down dozens of illegal dispensaries only to see them reopen under different names in different locations.

With that goal in mind, Councilman Steve Padilla said taxes should encourage people to open legal stores in Chula Vista. Having high taxes could have the opposite effect.

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You want to incentivize the good guys while generating enough revenue to enforce the bad guys, he said.

Chula Vista estimates its cannabis industry will generate about $6 million in tax revenues a year. That would be about 3 percent of the citys general fund, but still more than the $4 million they receive from hotel taxes, according to the latest budget figures.

Councilman John McCann, a businessman who was a staunch opponent of having a cannabis industry in Chula Vista, agreed the proposed taxes were too high and could stifle entrepreneurship.

Having something where you say, were going to start with the highest amount of tax, may not necessarily be the smartest idea for startups, he said.

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Chula Vista has two different application periods  one for the so-called limited businesses such as storefront retail, delivery, and cultivation, and another for the unlimited businesses such as manufacturing, distribution and testing.

The limited business application period ends Jan. 18. The unlimited application period ends Jan. 25.

Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or TwitterA grand opening party was held on Tuesday evening for Wildwood Crossing in Vista, a new American fusion restaurant that replaced the similarly named Wildwood restaurant, which closed last fall after less than a year in business.

Since taking over the 260-seat restaurant and music club on Oct. 1, the new owners have changed the name, changed the chef, changed the menu and changed the interior decor. But co-owner Mike Sarain said its been a challenge getting former diners to give the venue a second chance.

So on Tuesday, they tossed a community bash, with free samples from the new menu, live music and a cooking demonstration by new executive chef Jeff Piccirillo. Sarain said winning back diners has been a slow process but word of mouth has been growing.

It has been a challenge. But the last few months, many locals have walked up to shake my hand and said thank you, this is so wonderful. we love the vibe and we love the energy. It reminds us of the old La Paloma again,  Sarain said.

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A newly decorated dining room at Wildwood Crossing restaurant in Vista. (Pam Kragen / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Wildwood Crossing took over the 39-year-old, rancho-style restaurant space on Civic Center Drive in Vista that was long occupied by La Paloma Mexican restaurant, which closed in 2016.

In November 2017, Martin Anding reopened the space as Wildwood, offering a Louisiana jazz-and-blues club atmosphere and creole-inspired menu. He converted a shuttered office space next door into a 60-seat live music club, which was a success. But the food operation struggled from the beginning, with revolving chefs, moderately high menu prices and a style of cuisine that failed to connect with diners.

Last summer, the new owners began negotiating for the space and, after a brief closure and name change in September, Wildwood Crossing was born.

The trio of new owners has deep roots in the region that stretch back to the 1980s when they all worked for various North County restaurants.

Mike Sarain grew up in Carlsbad and began working for Frolanders restaurant when he turned 18. Its chef at the time was Jeff Piccirillo, who taught Sarain how to cook. In 1983, Sarain went on to become a chef at the now-shuttered Chart House restaurant in Oceanside. Thats where he met waiter Dan Roper and they became lifelong best friends.

Over the years, the three friends went in different career directions but always dreamed of reuniting one day to open their own restaurant.

Sarain moved his family to Australia, where hes been teaching filmmaking for the past 12 years. Roper became a television producer, most recently for Channel 4 San Diego. And Piccirillo moved on to Harrahs Southern California Resort in Valley Center, where he served as specialty chef for 13 years.

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Last July, the trio heard about the opportunity to take over the Wildwood space and decided to take the leap. Joining them as their music club talent buyer is Sarains brother, Anthony, an audio engineer and local musician, who books local music acts on the patio or in the club room Tuesdays through Saturdays.

The restaurant offers a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily with $3 wine and drink specials, $3 off any draft beer and discounted appetizers. A la carte brunch service is offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

The restaurants decor has been returned to the Southwest look of the old La Paloma with paintings by local artists.

Piccirillos new menu offers seasonal, made-from-scratch soups, salads, flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, a half-dozen burgers, steaks and other plated entrees. All of the burger meat is ground in-house, turkey and beef are roasted in-house and the tuna in the tuna salad is fresh-caught albacore. Most menu items are priced from $8 to $12.

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Top-selling dishes are the duck confit salad and the slow-roasted prime rib, but Sarain hesitates to name a specialty. He prefers that customers decide what they like and he and his partners will do their best to deliver it.

I dont like when restaurants make a determination about doing things just one way, whether the customers like it or not, he said. I believe in listening to the customer and were making a point to go and talK to people every day. Its a work in progress.

Wildwood Crossing

Hours: 11 am. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays.

Where: 116 Civic Center Drive, Vista

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Phone: (760) 758-1513

Online: wildwoodcrossing.net

Diners enjoy lunch in the main dining room at Wildwood Crossing restaurant in Vista on Tuesday. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune)

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pam.kragen@sduniontribune.comCarol DeLaurentis still speaks directly and from the heart. Her smile makes a few rare appearances.

Her straight, silver hair still flows well past her shoulders and her blue eyes are now better able to focus thanks to a pair of stylish new glasses that sit on the bridge of her nose.

Some things have remained the same, but much has changed for the 65-year-old since January of last year, when she was filling out forms at the social service agency Crisis House in El Cajon.

DeLaurentis, a native San Diegan and 1971 graduate of Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, became homeless in October 2017. She and a roommate were displaced when the landlord decided to take back the Lakeside property the two had been renting for five years.

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After living on the streets near Crisis House in 2017 and 2018, DeLaurentis now resides in a fully furnished studio apartment in Lemon Grove. She recently adopted two kittens, Jasmine and Jaspurr, who have full run of the place.

She works full time where she lives as a maintenance supervisor for the Hitzke Development Corporations Citronica One and Citronica Two. The side-by-side apartment complexes are near the San Diego Trolley off state Route 94 in Lemon Grove.

Among the items inside her apartment  with its carpeted staircase leading to a cozy loft  are an antique armoire, a new sewing machine and a laptop computer.

Theres also a fully stocked refrigerator and working stove, which means she gets to heat up her favorite frozen miniature apple pies and pile them as high as she wants with Cool Whip.

Gone are the days of rustling through piles of used clothes and battling with others for donated food from the pantry at Crisis House.

I love it here, DeLaurentis said. I love it, love it, love it. I love the people here, just everything. Especially after being homeless, this is an appreciation most people dont know. Im living now. I was just alive back then. You have to experience being alive or existing compared to living to know what its like.

DeLaurentis was among more than 200 persons documented as being homeless in El Cajon during the annual Regional Task Force on the Homeless Point-in-Time homeless count in 2018.

Some of DeLaurentiss life story, including several months when she was living on the streets of El Cajon, was shared in The San Diego Union-Tribune just days after the count.

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A local housing developer read the story and was incensed that DeLaurentis was ticketed by public safety officials for illegal lodging  sleeping outdoors. Ginger Hitzke initially intended only to pay off the ticket, a $70 misdemeanor.

If you have the ability to do something and you can, you just have to do it, Hitzke said.

HItzke arranged for the two to meet in El Cajon to deal with the fine. The two quickly bonded and became friends during their first meeting.

Hitzke initially took DeLaurentis into her familys home in Temecula. DeLaurentis helped clean and take care of several animals at the house in exchange for room and board.

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In March, DeLaurentis put in an application for a senior apartment at Citronica Two, was accepted and moved in last April. She first worked part time as a janitor at the site.

When the head maintenance worker at Citronica One and Citronica Two left for another job, DeLaurentis applied to fill that position. She now works full time answering maintenance needs with another employee. She has a company cell phone that keeps her always at the ready.

Shes a great employee, shes very positive, with an amazing attitude, very easygoing, Hitzke said. The residents all really like her and she takes care of the property really well.

DeLaurentis said she has good relationships with the residents at the apartments but doesnt socialize much, preferring the company of her cats.

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She said she is in touch with one of her brothers, but is still estranged from her 87-year-old mother. She says she has made peace with her 45-year-old daughter, who lives out of state.

Weve started getting close again, DeLaurentis said. She started reaching out and texting.

A great joy for DeLaurentis is having her 9-year-old goddaughter, Carley, who lives in Chula Vista, over for sleepovers. The two have recently been collaborating on a pillow with a cloth lizard drawn by Carley and sewed on by DeLaurentis.

DeLaurentis is still working to save money for a car so she can get out more  she said its her goal for this year  but she said she prefers staying close to home.

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She said she thinks about some of the people she got to know during the time she lived on the streets in El Cajon, but has not visited since early last year.

I was going back there to see them, but then when I moved here, I kind of shied away from doing that, DeLaurentis said. They would want to come over. Even though I really loved them, they would just be too much. I wouldnt want to have to tell them no because they just wouldnt fit in with the lifestyle here. That was then and this is now.

DeLaurentis said she is grateful for Hitzkes help and has never forgotten the assistance she received from Crisis House. She says she misses the employees at the agency, particularly those who tried, but were unable to find a place for her to live.

Never one day goes by that I dont reflect and not appreciate what Ive got now, she said.

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Hitzke said that knowing DeLaurentis and getting to understand first-hand the plight of homeless individuals has been eye-opening.

For better or for worse, Hitzke said. It has been interesting to further confirm that it can be really hard to get out of homelessness if you dont fit within a very small, tiny, very specific box of someone who has a really specific set of criteria  being severely mentally ill, if you have children or if youre a veteran.

Those are all totally necessary, but for someone like Carol who was homeless for economic purposes, the drop down is just so severe, and getting back up to where you were before is so hard. I cant imagine how someone does it.

Hitzke said DeLaurentiss job is physically demanding, and that she is the only female maintenance employee her company has. She said that some of the companys other employees definitely underestimated  her abilities.

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They treated her like, I dont know if Carol can do those things, Hitzke said, laughing. They all have a great deal of respect for Carol. Shes a physically strong woman and thats what it takes. Its a tough job.

DeLaurentis said her legs and feet are in perfect condition and that she will keep working until I cant walk anymore.

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karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.comSan Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who had been pushing behind the scenes for a public vote this year on a measure to finance the long-stalled convention center expansion, will now wait until 2020 when there will be an already scheduled March primary and November general election.

No decision has been made yet on the timing for next year, Faulconers office said Thursday. Instead, the mayor will be taking his cues from the coalition of business and labor leaders who are behind a citizens initiative to raise billions of dollars from a hotel tax increase to not only fund the bayfront expansion but also pay for homeless services and road repairs.

The mayor thought it was more important to take the time and expand the coalition of supporters than pushing forward with a special election, said Faulconers chief of staff, Aimee Faucett.

Faulconer, in his Tuesday state of the city speech, had sidestepped the question of whether he was still pursuing a special election. Instead, he simply said that he was excited that the initiative is finally, without question, headed to a public vote. His silence on the timing led many to believe a 2019 election was off the table.

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Faucett acknowledged there had been some resistance to a special election this year, which in part influenced Faulconers decision. While Faucett would not say so, it had become apparent to many observers in recent weeks that the mayor would be facing an uphill battle securing majority support from the City Council, which has three new members who just took office last month.

Questions also have been raised about whether the initiative can even be considered for placement on anything but a general election ballot. Backers of a voter-approved charter amendment governing San Diego city elections say that the measure bars the council from calling a special election specifically for a citizens initiative.

The mayor is looking to hear from the citizens coalition as to what their desire and preference is for (the timing in) 2020, Faucett said. But he does feel the sooner the better. We really do need the money for dealing with the homeless and the streets and expanding the convention center.

The coalition, which also includes homeless advocates, launched a signature-gathering effort early last year with the expectation of qualifying the hotel tax measure for last Novembers ballot. The measure, though, fell short of the valid number of signatures needed to qualify based on a random count. By the time a full verification of the petitions was completed, it was too late to make it onto the ballot last year.

Backers of the measure, which calls for raising the citys hotel tax to as high as 15.75 percent for hotels closest to the downtown convention center, still face a high bar for winning voter approval. Normally a ballot measure seeking a tax increase for a special purpose requires a two-thirds majority. However, a California Supreme Court decision in 2017 suggested that only a simple majority is needed for a citizens initiative, although the ruling remains open to legal interpretation.

Under the initiative, the greatest share of revenue generated by the proposed tax hike  nearly $3.5 billion over 42 years  would go for the convention center project, including continued upkeep and marketing. More than $1.8 billion would be set aside for addressing homelessness, and $551 million is targeted for road repairs.

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Business

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisbergDowntowns planning agency fast-tracked approval Wednesday of a $36.9 million low-income apartment building with 78 units and seven parking spaces.

The seven-story Front & Beech development, named for intersecting streets at the site in Cortez, takes advantage of bonuses allotted for subsidized housing to limit parking. Plans call for 76 studios with an average size of 321 square feet.

Almost all of the apartments in the development  except two for managers  are for low-income renters and formerly homeless veterans.

Developer Affirmed Housing Group, based in San Diego, said it plans to set aside 57 of the units for veterans who recently experienced homelessness as permanent supportive housing. The rest of the apartments will be restricted to people who make around 50 percent of the area median income, which is around $31,000 a year for an individual.

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Despite some community opposition, the design committee of Civic San Diego, downtowns planning agency, unanimously approved to send the project on to the full Civic board in two weeks where it could get a final OK.

Permanent supportive housing is something we need, said committee chair Theodore Shaw.

A group of residents from the nearby Palermo condos argued the project unfairly pushes a substantial number of low-income renters into the same area. They said there were already several single-room occupancy hotels in the neighborhood, and the new development would be overkill.

We believe that a 97 percent extremely low-income development on this particular site disproportionately concentrates extremely low income people, said Palermo resident Leslie Bahr, reading from a prepared statement, because it is on a block that already contains a high percentage of transitional homes.

The Palermo condos opened in 2004 and regularly sell for more than $500,000. After the meeting, the resident group said it will be seeking more support in the area to oppose the project in two weeks. The group also opposed the limit parking requirements, architecture and the time they were given to respond.

Singling an increasingly muted attitude toward parking, committee members Jennifer Ayala and Theodore Shaw said they would approve of the project even if it had no parking.

Beech Street is already set to lose parking with a two-way cycle track to be completed in March. The Front & Beech development bets on its residents using bikes over cars. Plans call for plenty of bike storage and a bike maintenance station.

Cristina Martinez, assistant project manager at Affirmed Housing, told the committee that it plans to have a security desk at the entrance 365 days a year and will work to ensure there is not loitering outside.

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Civic San Diego estimates the project will create roughly 81 construction jobs and two permanent jobs. The earliest the project would break ground is December 2020, said Affirmed Housing.

In other business, the committee moved on a more than $200 million East Village development to be voted on by the full board, also in two weeks.

Block F Makers Quarter, from Maryland-based Foulger-Pratt Companies, calls for 405 apartments, 48,475 square feet of office space and 19,665 square feet for retail. Rather than put subsidized housing on site, as many recent projects before the committee had done, the company will pay more than $3.4 million in fees that can be used to build affordable housing somewhere else downtown.

The Design Committee is limited to voting on the design of the building, meaning it couldnt do much about the decision to not put low-income units in the building. It could become an issue when the full board reviews it.

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Its disturbing to me we arent getting the on-site inclusionary housing, said director Stephen Russell. In fact, we are building housing for cars at a very expensive rate and not building housing for people thats affordable. But, thats not actually before us today.

The use of bicycles at Front & Beech will be highly encouraged (Civic San Diego)

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Business

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

ALSO

San Diegos new single-family homes are pricey, modern and in short supply

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Tijuana condo craze continues in to 2018

Last years housing market broke recordsAn Associate Minister, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, has called for tougher penalties for anyone charged and found guilty of first-degree murder. His comments follow the sentencing of Simanua Manuele of Falefa and Toamua  who pleaded guilty to two charges of murder  and was given a life imprisonment sentence by the Supreme Court. Leala said in many cases, murder convicts are placed on parole after ten years. This is not fair considering the seriousness of the offending. What do you think? Yumi Epati Talaave and Misiona Simo asked in todays Street Talk and this is what people said:





Fetunai Simanu, 51, Vaivase-Uta

The incident that happened at Leulumoega was a shocking one as two lives were taken at the same time. In cases like this, the offender does not deserve parole. The person should stay in prison for the rest of his life. He has to face the result and consequences of his actions. Let them feel the pain.

John Sasagi, 28, Apia

I agree that the punishment does not fit the crime, especially where two lives were taken. They cannot bring back the lives that have been lost. It is not easy for the families of the victims. Who knows, if they come out of jail one day and the family of the victims find them, they mind kill them? Who knows? So I think they are safer in prison. For life.

Laina Danny, 45, Vaitele-Fou

I think the case at Leulumoega is a very serious case. It wasnt just one person but two people were killed. This is very sad. So let him serve prison for the rest of his life because he deserves it. I agree with Leala that people who are jailed for such offenses should be kept in there for life. Let it be a life for a life.

Saoalii Peter, 60, Satapuala

The percentage of murder cases is increasing in our country. One reason for this is because the penalties are not tough enough. People involved in such crimes do not deserve parole. The Associate Minister is absolutely right. Such people took the lives of those who are dear to their families and friends. They should be in jail for as long as they live.

Amio Telea, 37, Satitoa

I agree with the Associate Minister. People who commit such crimes should not be given a chance to be free any more. I mean two lives were taken by that particular person. If he is able to get parole, who knows? He might do it again. That is so common nowadays and we all know that. Not all people change after being in prison for so long.

Lui Leuta, 53, Siusega

I support the Associate Minister a hundred percent. If the penalties are not tough enough to deter this kind of behaviour, people will continue killing other people knowing that they will only serve a few years in jail. In the case where this man killed two people, he should be jailed for life. You have to pay for what youve done.







A family wedding in Samoa gave first time visitor, Daniel Pac, and his family a great reason to visit Samoa.

Mr. Pac from Sydney Australia arrived last weekend with his wife, Rebecca, and son, Dylan, for the wedding and the family vacation.

Staying at Taumeasina Island Resort, Mr. Pac tells Dear Tourist they have loved their time in Samoa.

The first thing they immediately noticed was the friendly nature of Samoans and how welcoming they are.

Samoa is very good and we love it, he said.

Mr. Pac spoke to Dear Tourist at the beginning of the week and said they were looking forward to checking out some historical sites in Samoa.

At the top of their agenda though is a visit to Piula Cave pools and other nearby tourist sites.

Of what he had seen so far, he said he loved the market he had visited to buy local fruits.

He added that the food, especially fresh tuna, has been his favourite.

We are also looking forward to trying out different restaurants.

Mr. Pac said the wedding was a great reason to visit but the added bonus was the chance to get in the Samoan experience.

In the meantime, as a first time visitor, Mr. Pac said he is sold on Samoa and is looking forward to the next trip.

Would I come back? I would definitely come back because its lovely to be here, he said. I dont know when but I would definitely want to come back to Samoa.The Sa Sia family from Malie yesterday welcomed 17 newly bestowed matai title holders which included two women.

The two women who received the Galumalemana title were Ruth Brunt and Anne Rasmussen, while 15 males were given the Auimatagi title.

According to the familys high chief, Sia Auimatagi Aloiafi Sia Faamausili, the bestowal ceremony began with the familys annual service.

Every year on the 17th of January the Sa Sia family hosts an annual service and this year we commemorated the 110th anniversary since our family has conducted the church service.

This particular service is dedicated for a successful year upon our family, also for Gods blessings upon our family and during this, the pastor blessed 17 newly bestowed title holders.

At the end of the day, its about the service and responsibility that we have in caring for our family, so that peace and harmony is maintained, Sia said.

Sia said a ban is still in place in their village on females holding a matai title.

But there are a lot of females that hold matai titles in Malie. But it is absolutely forbidden for a female matai title holder to sit within the village council meetings.

The main reason behind the bestowal of matai titles for females within families is due to so many who have been blessed with knowledge especially women but because within the government ministries matai titles are used in terms of the form of address  this is why we have given this honour to our beloved sisters, he said.

One of the representatives of the two females with titles, Galumalemana Anne Rasmussen, expressed her joy at the occasion.

I am truly honoured to have been given the opportunity by my family and I am also grateful.Young people can become good leaders in their community without entering politics, says university lecturer Tahere Talaina Si'isi'ialafia.

Speaking during the Samoa National Youth Council annual general meeting at the Development Bank of Samoa building recently, the National University of Samoa (NUS) sociology lecturer said former US President Barrack Obama believes that societies can embrace moral leadership if the youth are decent.

Obamas belief is that the societies can purchase good moralities in terms of leadership if the youth is decent. Hes not referring to young people to become political leaders but hes setting a good example in being good leaders in their communities, she said.

Ms. Si'isi'ialafia is one of six Pacific Islanders who were recently selected as the first cohort of Obama Leaders by the Obama Foundation for the Asia-Pacific Leaders programme this year. She met the former U.S. President during a workshop that the Foundation hosted in Hawaii, which comprised of 21 leaders from 16 countries and territories across the Asia Pacific.

Speaking on the benefits of the leadership programme, she said its objective is to empower the youth and developing a leadership character.

Ive been to a number of leadership trainings but this Obama training was really different from them because the Obamas leadership training did not emphasize the technical skills like how to write a proposal or how to look for funding, the training was pertaining to defining your purpose, she said.

As someone who is always on the lookout for opportunities, the university lecturer urged the younger generation to embrace opportunities including those online.

I always just look out for opportunities online and I just apply and this opportunity for Obamas project was through our network with the Pacific Youth Council and it was an opportunity to share with our other constituency, she said.

Ms. Si'isi'ialafia is the representative of the S.N.Y.C for the Pacific Youth Council and is also chairperson.The United Uso dance crew will not throw in the towel in their strive to be Samoas top dance group.

The dancers, who came second to A.O.K. from Vaiala in the recent 2018 Samoa Best Dancing Competition final, are raising funds to pay for their airfares to New Zealand to compete in the 2019 Hip Hop International South Pacific Islands competition in Auckland.

The dance crews manager, Savea Emosi Tamalii, told Samoa Observer in an interview that they want to be part of the competition in New Zealand as they want to bring it to the country.

We want to be a part of the competition in New Zealand because we hope we are able to bring the competition here in Samoa.

We want Samoa to host the competition one day so it will avoid us from going all the way to New Zealand just to earn a free ticket for the biggest competition in America, he said.

The dance group has sent letters to a number of organisations, added Savea, to seek their support for their fundraising which is on top of dancing in local clubs to raise funds.

We have already sent out letters to a couple of organisation as part of our fundraising, and also we are still looking at performing in our local clubs for more funds that can support and help us get into the competition in New Zealand.

According to Savea, the dance crew have confidence in their performances and hope the community will come forward to support them in their fundraising drive.Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi has cautioned leaders and representatives of the Government in villages not to be easily fooled by people making claims that Samoas land has been taken by China.

He also warned against being misled by people who claim that they are legal experts and know-it all when it comes to matters of customary lands. Prime Minister Tuilaepa did not name anyone in particular and he wasnt immediately available to elaborate.

But he did not mince his words.

Dont be easily fooled by people who claim to be lawyers, Tuilaepa said.

They go around and call meetings with the village mayors and mislead some of you. They claim the Chinese have taken your lands. So let me ask you, have you lost your lands to any Chinese?

Tuilaepa made the comments at the Tooa Salamasina Hall yesterday during a meeting with Village Mayors where policies and guidelines on the development of villages were launched.

The meeting was well attended by more than 400 leaders from villagers across the country. Women representatives were also present.

Tuilaepa used the opportunity to remind the Village Mayors about their roles, noting that they are to guard against people whose agenda is to mislead their villagers.

You are a representative of the Government and you are appointed to serve, said Tuilaepa.

About claims that customary lands are under threat, Tuilaepa said it was foolish to compare Samoa to New Zealand and Australia.

In New Zealand, the land belongs to Maoris yet they are not running their government. Its the same in Australia where the Aborigines are not in charge of their government.

Samoa is different. Samoans are in charge of our country, our chiefs are leading the way, we understand our ways and values.

Tuilaepa added that each and every Samoan was gifted with a conscience and common sense. Many Samoan chiefs are also highly educated.

This conscience and common sense gives us the ability to judge between what is right and wrong, he said.

The Prime Minister said because some village mayors are not alert, they are being misled.

And so what happens next, some of you lead those people who damage Government signs and government properties, he said. I am shocked.

Tuilaepa said this happens after village chiefs receive lafo (monetary gifts) and they are quick to forget all the good work that the Government has done.

The Prime Minister said his frustration is towards the Village Mayors who should investigate the agenda of these people who are calling meetings in the villages and misleading the public on the issue of customary lands.

Be mindful, he said. Satan is smart and has his ways to get you to do his dirty work and in the end, you are the one that will be humiliated.

And so my advice, do not appoint idiots as Village Mayors to represent the Government in village affairs.

The Prime Minister did not name anyone or any group. He also did not identify which village mayors he was talking about.

But the Samoa Solidarity International Group, led by lawyer, Unasa Iuni Sapolu, has been actively conducting sessions in different villages on the issue of customary lands.

The S.S.I.G. has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the Samoa Government over the Land Titles Registration Act (L.T.R.A.) 2008.The S.S.I.G. are questioning the legality and the constitutionality of the Act.The man charged with attempted murder in connection to an incident where a woman was allegedly shot in the face has been identified as Peter Tulaga Eliesa, of Vailoa.

This was confirmed by the Deputy Registrar of the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration, Ve'atauia Faatasi Puleiata, who said he is scheduled to appear in the Supreme Court on 4th February 2019 for criminal mention.

Peter will be in Court next month on the 4th and he is facing attempted murder, said Veatauia.

Police Commissioner, Fuiavailiili Egon Keil, told the Samoa Observer yesterday that the woman has been admitted at the Motootua Hospital and she remains in the intensive care unit.

It happened a couple of nights ago and it is a domestic violence incident involving two individuals, male and female, he said.

The female is alive and is suffering gunshot wound on the mouth, the suspect has been charged with attempted murder.

There is a firearm involved and there are several witnesses.

The Commissioner added that the investigation is ongoing.

We do have the suspect in custody and the firearm involved is also in our custody.

Eliesa, 37, is one of Samoas largest commercial taro farmers.The Commissioner of Police, Fuiavailiili Egon Keil, has welcomed the Police Recruit class of 2019.

He extended the welcome on Monday, during a service held at the Samoa Police Service Headquarters in Apia.

The ceremony was attended by parents of the new officers and members of the Samoa Police Senior Management.

Of the 38 recruits, there are 15 females and 23 males.

They will undergo the Basic Recruits Course for the next 17 weeks.

Commissioner Fuiava challenged the officers to be agents of change and to serve the people of Samoa diligently and professionally.

Consider yourselves as the new generation of police officers who will take this organization forward from now and into the future, Commissioner Fuiava said.

Absorb and grasp what you will be taught and set your goals from day one to achieve excellent results to the best. Do the right thing.The operations of the U.S Embassy in Samoa will not be affected by the U.S. Federal Government shutdown, which is now into its 25th day.

The shutdown  which began December 22 last year after Democrats refused to support the funding of a new wall between the U.S. and Mexico  is now the longest federal closure in American history.

The U.S. Embassy in Samoa took to social media recently to advise that due to the lapse in appropriations, their Facebook page will not be updated regularly.

At this time, scheduled passport and visas services in the United States and at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas will continue during the lapse in appropriations, as the situation permits.

We will not update this account until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security information, the Embassy stated.

Members of the public have been asked to visit the U.S. State Department website if they need more information.

The deadlock between the Democrats and the Trump Administration continues, though there are reports President Donald Trump is considering an emergency declaration and will call on Congress to fund the wall from existing sources of federal revenue.Facing developed countries and asserting the needs of small island developing states at the 24th Conference of the Parties (C.O.P.24) in Poland last month was an emotional experience for government delegates.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environments assistant chief executive (global environment facility) Anne Rasmussen, and chief executive officer Ulu Bismark Crawley attended the C.O.P.24 for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December.

They, along with delegates from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister and Cabinet and Women, Community and Social Development represented not only Samoa, but member states of the Alliance of Small Island States  in negotiations with other countries.

A month on from the end of C.O.P.24, Ms Rasmussen and Ulu said while it was a long and emotional experience, they are encouraged by the international commitment to address climate change.

I personally felt the strong collective interest in addressing climate change, Ulu said.

We knew there could be issues but each country does know it is important. To what extent varies, and the big economies do have a big alliance.

C.O.P.24, held three years after the ratification of the Paris Agreement, was intended to result in a rulebook for the agreement  in terms of how countries would implement it and be held accountable to each other.

The end result was the Katowice Climate Package, which included among many others, guidelines on mitigation and reporting of mitigation efforts, adaptation communication, climate finances, technology, and procedures for transparency on action and support.

One result in the package is that countries will follow common time frames on their reporting of mitigation efforts of common but differentiated responsibilities.

Ulu said this was a step, which showed how seriously every country  no matter what size  is taking the matter of cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions to slow the earths rise to 1.5 degrees of warming.

We have to all do our part, but for our part we are focused on adaptation.

What has been realised is the importance of cutting back emissions. If this isnt done, we cannot overcome the threat of 1.5 degrees, said Ulu.

The pair reported that the method of negotiation with AOSIS worked particularly well. Member states took responsibility for different thematic areas of negotiation on behalf of the other island states, and they met each day to report back to each other.

Parties negotiated as blocs, Ulu explained,

It gives more weight when [we are] grouped together.

We have a process that reflects our capacity to report on our obligations, because of our size, our economy, our capacity.

Ulu said the outcomes of C.O.P.24 are positive and will set Samoa and others up to continue working against the onslaught of climate change impacts. For Samoa, the focus is on adapting to those impacts.

As a small country contributing less than 0.0006 per cent of global emissions (in 2004), Samoas National Determined Contributions are nonetheless ambitious. Reaching the goal of 100 per cent renewable energy, powering the islands in six years, will greatly reduce emissions.

On the ground, Samoa will continue to invest in and implement the Community Integrated Management Plans, as well as review them to incorporate outcomes from C.O.P.24.

The continuation of the Kyoto Protocols Adaptation Fund to the Paris Agreement is positive, and provides a level of financing security that Samoa will benefit from, Ulu added.

With donor support, the Government can review those C.I.M. plans in consultation with the communities and conduct detailed assessments.

Ulu said he ensures works project documents are translated into Samoan where possible, to include as many people as possible. With over 80 per cent of the land being owned by the community, this is essential, even if some of the technical language may be difficult.

The basis of interventions is often about revegetation, replanting, and its about engaging the community as much as possible, he said.

Samoan leaders endorsed this project, because the C.I.M. plans cover a broad range of areas, like works projects for roads, water.

Translation of these technical decisions and high level plans, including the Conventions is very crucial when consulting communities, he added.Snakes are an important part of Samoas biodiversity and play an important role in the animal food chain.

That is the view of Paul Anderson, inform project manager with the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

The Samoa Observer did an interview with him yesterday to get an update on the carcass of a small Pacific Boa constrictor  which was discovered by a tracker at the Le Pupu-Pue National Park in Siumu in September last year  and was passed on to the SPREP by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) for identification and verification.

Mr. Anderson said there have been previous cases of the discovery of reptile remains on Upolu, but the numbers have dropped over the years.

He said there were snakes on both Upolu and Savaii before human settlement, but fear for the reptiles and a generalisation that all species were poisonous led to their killing.

There were always snakes here in Samoa way before settlement, 3000 years ago. I think that the rational fear of snakes is the reason people have been killing them ever since and not for any good reason, he added.

The number of the different snake species such as Pacific Boa (Candoia bibroni) gradually declined, which Mr. Anderson said began to pose problems for the islands animal food chain, as the reptile fed on rats and ensured the rodent population did not threaten local species such as birds.

The Pacific Boa is not invasive. But it is an important part of Samoas biodiversity and they do kill invasive like rats. Rats are the reason local birds like the Manumea that are approaching extinction, he added.

A Pacific Boa can easily be identified by its narrow head  not triangular shaped like venomous snakes  and brown, red and a mix of brown and black pigmentation.

Mr. Anderson said if anyone is ever confronted by a snake, he urged them to alert authorities or capture it and put it in a container for identification.

Its great to have more snakes around, he added.A court-appointed auditors informed the Supreme Court that posh flats which were part of Amrapali Group were booked on sums as low as Re 1, Rs 5 and Rs 11 per sq.ft in the name of over 500 people.

The forensic auditors issued notices to 655 people on whose names "benami" flats were booked but no one was found in 122 such locations, the auditors told the top court while submitting an interim report.



Two audit forensic auditors -- Pawan Kumar Agarwal and Ravi Bhatia -- told a bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit that it was found that 23 firms which were part of Amrapali consortium were floated in the name of office staff. These firms were fronts to divert home buyers' money.



The auditors said that Chief Financial Officer Chander Wadhwa had transferred Rs 4.75 crore to "unidentified persons" on October 23, 2018.





On October 26, 2018, Wadhwa answered all questions of the bench and apologised for his early memory loss. On October 26, 2018, the top court had directed Wadhwa to extend full co-operation and directed Amrapali Group of companies to furnish details of all the bank accounts of its 46 companies.



The court warned Wadhwa of contempt proceedings for his action and said that he is putting spoke in the wheels of justice.



"You very well knew that questions will be asked by the court and hence you transferred the money. We want the entire tranche of money back in seven days' time," the bench said.



The auditor also told the bench that Amrapali Group had challenged the Income Tax order related to deleting of the paragraph which mentioned of Rs 200 bogus bills and vouchers for purchasing raw materials.



The court asked to present the orders of the Income Tax Department.



The agreement between JP Morgan Real Estate fund and Amrapali Group were in violation of the provisions of law, the auditors told the court.



The court warned that it may direct Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to probe the matter.



However, JP Morgan counsel told the court that it would explain everything about the agreement.



The court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 24 and sought legal suggestions on the issue.



The court was hearing various petitions filed by home buyers seeking possession of over 40,000 flats booked in the projects of Amrapali Group.Amid a dustup over his comments about possible collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia, the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani sought to clarify his remarks in a statement on Thursday.

Giuliani stressed that there was "no collusion" between Trump and Russia, repeating a claim frequently made by the president.

"I represent only President Trump not the Trump campaign. There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form," Giuliani said.

He added, "Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign."

Meanwhile, Giuliani claimed there was collusion between Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign and Russia that has been ignored.

The statement from Giuliani comes after the former New York City mayor seemed to suggest in an interview on CNN on Wednesday that there may have been collusion between members of Trump's campaign and Russia.

"I never said there was no collusion between the campaign. Or between people in the campaign," Giuliani told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

"I said the President of the United States," he added. "There is not a single bit of evidence the President of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspiring with the Russians to hack the DNC."

Trump was uncharacteristically quiet after Giuliani's comments, as the president has repeatedly taken to Twitter to deny any indications of collusion between himself or his campaign and Russia.

Special counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate Russian meddling in the election and alleged collusion with the Trump campaign, with the president continually referring to the probe as a "witch hunt."

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political NewsA summary of some of the widely followed stories on cryptocurrency and blockchain during the past 24 hours.

Blockchain use to secure IoT data, services, devices doubles last year: Study

The adoption of blockchain to secure Internet of Things or IoT data, devices, and services has doubled in a year, according to a study conducted by digital security company Gemalto. In its report titled The State of IoT Security, Gemalto noted that blockchain is emerging as a potential technology and an IoT security tool. The use of blockchain has doubled to 19% from 9 percnet in the last 12 months.

Bankrupt bitcoin miner Giga Watt forced to cease day-to-day operations

Bitcoin mining firm Giga Watt Inc., which has voluntarily filed for bankruptcy, announced that both access and power to its facilities have been closed to the company, and the day-to-day operations have stopped. In a note to its clients, the company said that its operations had continued until now after filing with the Bankruptcy Court in November 2018, seeking debt relief and reorganization.

WWF Australia Launches Blockchain-powered Tool to Track Food Supply Chain

Australia's World Wildlife Fund (WWF) launched a blockchain-powered tool called OpenSC to track food supply chain. The tool has been jointly developed by WWF-Australia and BCG Digital Ventures, a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) unit, OpenSC tracks a product from its point of origin, such as the moment a fish is caught at sea. Data is added on to it as it moves along the supply chain, which the end consumers can verify.

Binance launches EUR/GBP Fiat-Crypto Exchange

Popular digital currency exchange Binance launched a platform where euro and pound can be converted into cryptocurrency. The EUR/GBP fiat-to-crypto trading exchange, named Binance Jersey (Binance.je), was opened in the British Crown dependency of Jersey. Online trading in BTC/GBP, ETH/GBP, BTC/EUR and ETH/EUR trading pairs are now open.

News Industry consortium to develop blockchain-powered news publishing platform

A news industry consortium is looking to develop an advanced open-source publishing and revenue-generating platform for digital news startups. The platform to be called Newspack by WordPress.com will be developed on WordPress.com's cloud-based platform. The platform is expected to many smaller news startups that struggle with the complexities of technology selection, development, maintenance, hosting, and security, which in turn can be an obstacle to effective revenue generation.

Current Prices

As of this writing, Bitcoin is down 0.84 percent or $30.43 at $3590 on Coinbase. Ethereum is declining 2.21 percent or $2.71 to trade at $119.90.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.comDover (DOV) Wednesday said it has agreed to acquire the Belanger Inc. , a full-line car wash equipment manufacturer. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Following the close of the transaction, Belanger will become part of the OPW business unit, a fluid handling solutions, in Dover's Fluids segment. Belanger is headquartered in Northville, Michigan and employs more than 150 people in the U.S. Belanger generated approximately $55 million in sales in 2018.

The addition of Belanger strengthens OPW's position as one of the largest car wash equipment and systems suppliers with strong brands in both conveyor tunnel and in-bay automatic segments, as well as large vehicle wash solutions.

Dover expects the acquisition to be accretive to margins and adjusted EPS in the first year and to achieve double-digit return on capital in three years.

"With the increasing popularity of commercial car washes, the vehicle wash solutions market is an attractive space where we intend to grow OPW," said Richard J. Tobin, Dover's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to welcoming the talented team from Belanger. When combined with our PDQ business, one of our OPW brands, we will be able to offer customers a full breadth of products in this attractive market."

The transaction is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in early 2019.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsBritish Prime Minister Theresa May's government has survived a vote of no confidence in parliament on Wednesday.

The U.K.'s lower house of parliament, the House of Commons, voted in favor of the government and defeated the motion raised by the leader of the main opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, by 325 votes to 306.

"I am pleased that this House has expressed its confidence in the government tonight," May said in Parliament moments after the result was announced. "I do not take this responsibility lightly and my government will continue its work to increase its prosperity, guarantee our security and to strengthen our union."

She added, "And yes, we will also continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise we made to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum and leave the European Union."

May said her government would continue to work to deliver on Brexit and said it was their duty to find a way forward that was approved by the House. She said she would make a statement about the next steps for Brexit on Monday.

"I believe this duty is shared by every member of this House and we have a responsibility to identify a way forward that can secure the backing of the House," May said.

The no-confidence vote comes a day after May's Brexit deal was voted down 432-202.

Corbyn said, "The government must remove clearly, once-and-for-all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the E.U. and the chaos that would come as a result of that."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsRicky Eddie Martinez of Chimayo allegedly escaped from custody Christmas Day during a trip to Espanola Hospital. He was last seen running toward Espanola Elementary wearing gray clothing and holding a Detention Center employee cellphone.Support local journalism

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution.MSU Alumnus and songwriter Chase McGill received two Grammy Award nominations for the Best Country Song award for "Someone Stops Loving You" sung by Little Big Town and "Break Up In The End" sung by Cole Swindell.Starkville, MS (39762)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 88F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.Two Chinese citizens get prison terms in Russia for cultural property smuggling

 RIA Novosti, Iliya Pitalev

17:13 17/01/2019

MOSCOW, January 17 (RAPSI)  Two Chinese citizens have been sentenced to 2 years in Russian prison each for trafficking in cultural property worth 2 million rubles ($30,000), the Investigative Committees press service reports Thursday.

According to investigators, in May 2018, two suspects attempted to illegally carry by air paintings from St. Petersburg to Beijing. They did not receive authorities permit for the transportation and did not enter the cultural goods for customs clearing, the statement reads.

The foreigners have pleaded guilty. The paintings have been forfeited to the state.



Deripaska seeks $15,000 in damages from Russias Communist leader

15:11 17/01/2019

MOSCOW, January 17 (RAPSI)  Businessman Oleg Deripaska has filed a lawsuit seeking one million rubles ($15,000) in compensation for moral harm from the leader of Russia's Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov, RAPSI has learnt in the press service of Moscows Tverskoy District Court.

The court has already registered the tycoons claim.

According to media reports, Deripaska demands compensation for disparaging remarks about the businessmans activity allegedly issued by Zyuganov during the State Duma plenary session on January 9.



Prosecutors claim to forfeit assets of Moscow Region district ex-head reaches court

 RAPSI

14:44 17/01/2019

MOSCOW, January 17 (RAPSI)  Prosecutors have filed a lawsuit with the Moscow Regional Court seeking to forfeit property allegedly purchased by ex-head of the Moscow Regions Serpukhov District Alexander Shestun charged with abuse of office for illegal income, according to a statement released on the website of Russias Prosecutor Generals Office.

Shestuns assets are preliminary estimated at 10 billion rubles ($150 million), and this property status does not correspond to his income, Kurennoy said. Shestun is the owner of 676 real estate items in the Moscow Regions Serpukhov district, 2 recreation facilities and 22 cars, prosecutors state.

The former official has registered his property in the name of his relatives or trustees to evade declaration and suppression of his actual material position. Some property items have been sold, and the funds received have been converted to his own use or the use of his cronies, the statement reads.

According to case papers, between 2008 and 2014, the Serpukhov District administration headed by Shestun illegally transferred four land plots in a local village to the company Center. Damage caused by these actions was estimated at 62 million rubles (about $925,000), investigators claim. Shestun was put in detention.

The former official pleads not guilty. He could face up 10 years in prison if convicted.Extremism case over social media reposts closed in Crimea

 RIA Novosti

13:58 17/01/2019

MOSCOW, January 17 (RAPSI)  The Investigative Committees Main Investigation Directorate for Crimea has closed an extremism case against a local woman Elina Mamedova over reposts she had made on VKontakte social network, attorney Alexey Ladin has told RAPSI.

Investigators have granted a petition filed by the womans defense, the lawyer has said.

According to Ladin, the case against Mamedova was opened over reposts made in 2014 and 2015. Investigators claimed that the publication incited racial hatred and enmity.

On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill mitigating punishment for extremism and incitement of hatred and enmity into law.

Under the document, criminal punishment would be imposed for extremist acts in public, on the Internet or media committed repeatedly within a year. They would be punished with prison terms ranging from 2 to 5 years.

The first extremist violation is to be punishable in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offences by fines of up to 500,000 rubles ($7,500) for companies; and fines of up to 20,000 rubles, community service for up to 100 hours or detention for up to 15 days for individuals.



Rantoul, IL (61866)

Today

Sunshine and a few clouds. High 89F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer in 2018 on a tour of the Hunters Point Library construction site. Plans for completion by this summer remain intact after nearly four months.New bills passed in Albany, which Gov. Cuomo is expected to sign, will have major effects on how folks in New York State can vote.Kevin Shields speaks to his Community Board 7 colleagues about his campaign to get a block in Whitestone co-named for his first cousin once removed, John McHugh, a World War II hero who fought on D-Day and in other important battles including that of the Bulge.Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, first appointed by Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1991, will retire at the end of the year.Xing Hui Ren, 46, paid $7,500 last May to have the water pipes connected to his Fresh Meadows home repaired. But theres another leak, and he said hell have to pay again.Two Queens men were arrested Thursday on charges related to the distribution of heroin like this.|

Welcome Guest! You Are Here:

There is no political violence anywhere in Bengal, it is all BJP's gimmick: Mamata Banerjee. BJP's gimmick: Mamata Banerjee.

Rupee slumps 76 paise to close at 74.08 (provisional) against US dollar.

Sensex drops 178.65 pts to end at 52,323.33; Nifty declines 76.15 pts to 15,691.40.US Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas): I understand from whats been testified to the Forest Service and the BLM [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. We know theres been significant solar flare activity, and so  is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moons orbit, or the Earths orbit around the sun? Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate.

Jennifer Eberlein, associate deputy chief for the National Forest System, responded that she would have to follow up with you on that one, after a brief pause.

Gohmert: Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service can make that change, Id like to know.Sterling Heights, MI (48312)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 87F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Thunder possible. Low 67F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..             ,             ,  ..     .    .    ,     ,        ,        ...Back to the market

MANISTIQUE  Its that time of year when produce begins to trickle in and residents have a chance to connect and support local farmers. The Manistique Farmers Market  now...

City council votes to move forward with establishing a Social District

MANISTIQUE  A Social District in downtown Manistique may soon become a reality after Manistique City Council voted Monday to approve a resolution of support in proceeding with the application...Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune.

You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month.Old City has been many things in its history: a colonial-era neighborhood, a warehouse district, a manufacturing center, a cheap place for artist studios, a nightlife district. In its latest incarnation, it has become a residential neighborhood again. Since 2010, its population has swelled by 14 percent  to over 5,000 residents  making it the second-fastest growing neighborhood in Philadelphia after Northern Liberties.

Judging by the number of buildings under construction, many more people are coming.

Because of its eclectic past, Old City has never been a homogeneous place architecturally, in the manner of Society Hill. The buildings range from toylike colonial homes to muscular 20th-century factories. Their only constant is their adaptability.

Even though Old City is a designated historic district  protected, in theory, by the Historical Commission  its multilayered collection of buildings could easily be overwhelmed as more developers move in, turning it into a more generic place. But two new arrivals, The National and 218 Arch, offer some lessons for the future. Although theyre both budget-minded buildings, they actively incorporate elements of Old Citys heritage into their designs. Their architecture is the better for it, and so is the neighborhood.

The past is most visible at The National on Second Street, designed by Barton Partners for Buccini/Pollin, a Wilmington developer that is making its first foray into Philadelphia. The massive apartment building sprawls across a full acre, weaving its way from the old restaurant wholesalers on Arch Street to Elfreths Alley, one of Americas oldest, continuously occupied residential streets. The project takes its name from the former National Products store, which occupied the site until 1996. It also took National Products facade, a mid-century commercial masterpiece that was installed in 1958 and listed on the citys historic register in 2002.

Actually, thats not the original 1958 facade you see; its an exact replica. The high orange wall that sweeps down Second Street was painstakingly re-created using tiles produced by the same company that made the originals, Boston Valley Terra Cotta of Buffalo, N.Y. National Products stainless-steel signage was refurbished and reinstalled. The exuberantly curved script evokes Eisenhower-era cool. So does the jaunty pleated canopy over the entrance, now framed in a fresh band of orange mosaic tiles.

By itself, the original showroom was nothing special. The sprawling National Products building was cobbled together from a group of 19th-century warehouses by the companys founder, Harry Caplen. It was only after he decided to unify the hodgepodge with a jazzy terra-cotta billboard that National Products became one of Philadelphias great modernist landmarks.

Its doubtful that Buccini/Pollin would have bothered to re-create the mid-century facade if the restoration wasnt mandated by the Historical Commission. The tiles were already beyond salvage when they acquired the property in 2016. Three earlier developers had tried and failed to find an economical way to build an apartment house on the complex site.

To their credit, Buccini/Pollin never complained about the preservation requirement. Working with J&M Preservation Studio, they used laser technology to record the exact dimensions and shape of the original tiles, so they could be replicated. Fortunately, Boston Valley still had the formula for the orange glaze. The results at ground level are so good, they may be better than the original. As a bonus, the company also set aside the corner of Elfreths Alley for a new park designed by Land Collective, as part of a public effort overseen by the non-profit Community Design Collaborative.

Its a different story once you reach the second floor. The six-story, 198-unit apartment house is an unrelenting block of a building, dressed up in silver-and-orange metal panels, in the increasingly common fast-casual style. One consequence of such a big floor plate is that many apartments have bedrooms with no windows.

The saving grace is the way Bartons design plays off the 1958 facade. The architects used angled orange panels to outline the windows and give the facade depth. Their effort works reasonably well along Second Street but falls apart on Arch Street, where the huge maw of the garage entrance overwhelms the ground floor. That stretch of Arch Street happens to include some of the best buildings in Old City, notably the cast-iron Smythe Stores. But Bartons facade is oblivious to its surroundings.

Buccini/Pollin would have been better off following the lead of 218 Arch, a few doors to the west. Designed by Varenhorst Architects to mimic an old factory that had been built in stages, the brick-faced apartment building looks as if it had always been part of Old City.

Like the National, 218 Arch has a long and tortured construction history. At one point, a developer wanted to erect a 28-story tower on the site. The proposal so alarmed Christ Church  whose steeple dominates the Old City skyline  and the now defunct Old City Civic Association that they sued to stop the project. After several other groups joined in, a settlement was reached to reduce the height to 10 stories (107 feet). The project passed through several developers before landing with PMC, the company responsible for One Waterside on the Delaware.

The apartment house starts low on Arch, at five stories, then gets taller as it moves back from the street. Varenhorst used a different color brick for each setback  red, yellow and black  to help camouflage its size. It really does look like a factory that expanded incrementally over time. Modern casement-style windows add to the industrial feel and reference other Old City buildings. There are no fancy architecture moves, but 218 Arch is as satisfying as good bowl of pasta.

These two projects are just the beginning of massive change in Old City. At least two high-rise towers have been proposed, along with several townhouse developments. The National and 218 Arch have established an important precedent. Theyve shown that new buildings can earn their place in the neighborhood by paying attention to the past.Its a phrase that countless start-ups use when they feel as if they have gained enough traction: Were the Uber of (fill in an industry here).

There are companies like Instacart and AmazonFresh, considered disruptors of the grocery industry. Theres Roadie, the delivery service that connects people who have stuff to send with drivers already heading that way. Even household chores, such as furniture assembly or dog-walking, have been made easier, as a result of companies like TaskRabbit and Wag!

While each start-up has had varying degrees of success, all believe they are viable because they are so-called disruptors of entrenched, slow-to-change industries. By using technology to connect consumers directly with services, these start-ups believe they can make customers' lives more efficient and easier.

Still, some industries have been insulated from change. One reason? The more crucial the industry is, some experts say, the more time a disruptor needs to build consumers' confidence.

Take, for example, health care  a complex, deeply personal, and high-stakes industry. In a 2017 interview, Arun Sundararajan, a New York University business professor and expert on the sharing economy, said that whats holding health care back at this point is that platforms havent built up sufficient trust.

The real estate industry is, in some ways, similar. Buying a home is the largest purchase many people make and something that is generally too complex to be handled without help. As a result, though the industry has experienced a few disruptor success stories  the real estate databases Zillow and Trulia are less than 15 years old, for example  it also has been littered with start-up failures. Consumers looking to buy or sell a home have consistently had to return to the status quo: hiring a real estate agent to help them.

The decades-long domination of the real estate agent has caught the attention of federal regulators. A few years ago, the U.S. Department of Justices Antitrust Division published on its website a page titled Competition and Real Estate," noting the necessity of more competitors in the industry. In one post, the Justice Department wrote that the real estate brokerage industry has been slower to change," leaving consumers to pay higher commissions and fees than they would under a more competitive system.

Recently, start-ups have emerged again  believing they could force the real estate industry to change. And as these companies forge ahead, its likely they could ruffle a few feathers along the way.

There is perhaps no better example in Philadelphia than Houwzer, cofounded by Mike Maher, who previously launched the Philadelphia co-working company Benjamins Desk. His latest start-up, founded in 2015, has branded itself as a full-service, modern," and pressure-free way to buy and sell homes, as a result of its low-cost model.

Houwzer, with offices near Rittenhouse Square, aims to attract customers to its brand by offering rates lower than the traditional market. Rather than paying the typical commission-based fee associated with selling a home, sellers who work with Houwzer instead pay a flat $2,500.

With the median price of a house in Philadelphia hovering around $153,000, homeowners who list their properties with a traditional broker would normally pay close to $4,600 to a sellers agent, according to the customary 3 percent fee. (An additional 3 percent commission is typically paid to the buyers agent.) Houwzer believes it can entice customers by saving them several thousand dollars.

After a home listed by Houwzer sells, the company then offers a $2,500 rebate back to the consumer, which can be used on the purchase of a home found through a Houwzer agent. Houwzers business model is based on making money on the 3 percent commission that buyers' brokers typically receive.

You can use it if you buy a home simultaneously, or a year from now, 30 years or now ... or you can gift it to a family member," Maher said in an interview at company headquarters this month. He added that the rebate can be used in the Philadelphia metro area and the Washington area, which Houwzer expanded into last year.

In 2018, Maher said, the start-up sold 297 listings in the Philadelphia metro area and helped local buyers purchase 238 homes. With an average price point of $375,000, Maher said Houwzers work last year represents nearly $200 million in sales volume.

At a recent Tuesday morning meeting, Maher, 36, rallied several dozen employees on the eighth floor of the companys modern office, bedecked with brick walls, high ceilings, and chalkboards covered with phrases such as do what you love" and love what you do. There, he briefed employees on the latest initiative: acquiring the mortgage broker Nations Home Loans, in order to create a one-stop-shop for Houwzer customers, he said.

Its a small piece of the bigger strategy that Maher has for Houwzer: building a national brand. Houwzer hopes to raise another large round of funding in the next couple of years (the company has already raised $6.7 million) to help create the biggest consumer-facing start-up company in Philadelphia history.

Because of the infrequency of buying a home, Maher said, Houwzer is a little less like Uber, which you dial on your app every day.

But nonetheless, its the single-most important transaction that someone makes in their lifetime, Maher said. I think we are solving one of the biggest problems that exists in America.

Building that national brand, however, has required ditching some real estate norms  something that Maher says is important for its culture. The typical age of his roughly 70 employees is a year or two under 30," he said, with many agents joining as their first time job. Each agent is salaried, earning flat fees on top of that on a per-deal basis.

Hiring industry newcomers  and not paying them only a commission  is important culturally, Maher believes.

We found it easier to train people from the ground up, he said. What we have learned is hiring agents with a ton of experience, they bring a lot of bad habits into the business, and its too hard to rewire or reprogram what theyve learned or lived for the last 10-plus years.

Because of Houwzers salary structure, he said, agents do not have to worry about the typical commission splits that occur between brokers and agents. Additionally, Maher said, agents can leave the going out and building business to Houwzer, allowing them to instead focus on deals.

Lower-cost real estate brokerages such as Houwzer have been launched before  with varying degrees of success. Most famously, Foxtons, the low-service, discount real estate brokerage that once offered commissions as low as 2 percent in the early 2000s, ultimately had to file for bankruptcy  leaving thousands of sellers in limbo  after a class-action lawsuit, an investigation into its mortgage brokerage by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, and bad customer service reviews mounted.

Still, theres been a resurgence of similar models. The real estate company Redfin offers full service for 1 percent to 1.5 percent commission for customers who list with a company agent. And the Dallas real estate start-up Door offers a similar model to Houwzer with a flat fee of $5,000.

It was not unusual in the past for large, traditional real estate companies to criticize companies such as Foxtons. In 2003, for example, Coldwell Banker ran radio ads that proclaimed: Trying to save money could cost you thousands of dollars.  Two percent doesnt get your home maximum exposure.

Today, Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, said in a statement that he is glad to see the dynamism in the industry with different businesses being tried out.

Chris Somers, the newly elected president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors, said that one model isnt better than the other.

But he added that discount broker agents typically dont have as many years of experience in terms of pricing a property, negotiating an agreement of sale, and knowing all the ins and outs."

Is that discount that theyre getting maybe hurting them? Somers said. If customers worked with a traditional agent, maybe their property gets sold faster. They might have gotten more money.

Its a point that Maher said hes heard before.

The traditional brokerage model will say weve seen Houwzers come and go and they dont last, Maher said. Thats fine. Ive heard that, too."Philip Menaged loves Philadelphia.

We cant just be a city of blah, he said. Im kinda like one of those Eagles fans, but for design.

When the developer and his business partner bought a rowhouse in Point Breeze in 2017, Menaged brought his design skills to bear. We started ripping things apart, he said.

The three-bedroom home was being auctioned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority when Menaged bought it. In addition to fully renovating the home, he said, he designed the interior around a chevron pattern.

Ive never done anything like it, Menaged said.

The chevron appears in a wooden wall on the first floor and is recalled throughout the rest of the home, in shelving, doors and tiling.

I cant even tell you what it took to build that chevron wall, he said. My carpenter basically wanted to Middle Ages-style torture me to death.

He said he applies his eye for design to all his rehab projects to set himself apart from other construction in the city. Everything just looks the same, he said.

His design inspiration comes from HGTV powerhouse Joanna Gaines.

Shes been a tremendous influence in my life, he said.

The 1,488-square-foot home boasts a finished lower level with custom utility door and laundry hookups. The master suite includes dual closets and custom storage spaces.

Menaged said he expects the burgeoning Point Breeze neighborhood and the 1600 block of South Taylor Street to draw buyers to the home. That street is awesome, he said. It doesnt have houses on the other side.

The property is listed with Regina Ravasco at Remax for $308,888.Rudy Giuliani claimed Wednesday night that he "never said there was no collusion" between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

In a remarkable, and at times contentious, interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, the president's lawyer appeared to contradict his own past statements about collusion as well as what Trump and his supporters have repeatedly asserted. On Twitter, Trump has used the phrase "no collusion" dozens of times, and a number of those instances were direct denials that his campaign was involved with the Russian government.

Giulianis shocking declarations  several of which Cuomo called out as being false  quickly sent the internet into a tailspin as many wondered what could have prompted the former New York mayor to suddenly change course.

The heated exchange, one of many that occurred during the roughly 20-minute long interview, began shortly after Giuliani raged about the amount of "false reporting" on the Russia investigation.

"Mr. Mayor, false reporting is saying that nobody in the campaign had any contacts with Russia," Cuomo responded. "False reporting is saying that there has been no suggestion of any kind of collusion between the campaign and any Russians."

Giuliani jumped to correct Cuomo.

"You just misstated my position," Giuliani said. "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign."

Cuomo's face contorted into an expression of disbelief. "Yes, you have," he shot back.

As recently as July, Giuliani was asked by Fox News contributor Guy Benson, "Regardless of whether collusion would be a crime, is it still the position of you and your client that there was no collusion with the Russians whatsoever on behalf of the Trump campaign?"

"Correct," Giuliani responded at the time.

But on Wednesday, Giuliani appeared to amend his previous comments on the subject.

"I said the president of the United States," he protested, arguing that he had only ever said Trump himself was not connected to any Russian meddling in the 2016 election. "There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment early Thursday.

Giuliani and Cuomo then proceeded to tangle over the president's past statements that "nobody" associated with his campaign colluded.

"He didn't say nobody, he said he didn't," Giuliani said of Trump, which Cuomo immediately noted was not true.

In December 2017, Trump adamantly told reporters outside the White House that there was "absolutely no collusion, that has been proven."

On Twitter, the president has been even more passionate when defending himself and his campaign, repeatedly using words such as "hoax" and "witch hunt" to describe the accusations and special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe.

Just last month, the president tweeted, "'Democrats can't find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey's testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion.'"

During the interview, Giuliani also falsely stated that the news that Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort had shared polling data with a man believed to have ties to Russian intelligence came from "leaks," which he claimed had been done "probably unethically." The information was inadvertently made public by Manafort's lawyers in a poorly redacted court filing, The Washington Post reported.

Social media instantly exploded with reactions to the interview. Did Giuliani just admit Trump's campaign had colluded? Were his comments foreshadowing a major development to come in the Mueller probe? Was this yet another attempt by the Trump administration to tone down its collusion denials?

By early Thursday morning, Giuliani's name was trending on Twitter and had been mentioned in more than 50,000 tweets.

Some accused the lawyer of once again engaging in "goal-post moving," described by The Post's Aaron Blake as "constantly watering down previous denials and raising the standard for what would constitute actual wrongdoing." (Giuliani has repeatedly argued that "collusion is not a crime.")

Others, however, saw the interview as another opportunity to poke fun at Giuliani.

On his show, which aired immediately after Cuomo's, Don Lemon summed up the exchange for his viewers.

Man, Rudy Giuliani out-Giulianied himself tonight, Lemon said.New Jerseys minimum wage will be raised yearly until it reaches $15 an hour in 2024 under an agreement announced Thursday by Gov. Phil Murphy and the Democratic leaders of the state Legislature.

The current minimum of $8.85 would go up to $10 on July 1, then would be increased to $11 on Jan. 1, 2020, and would go up $1 an hour every Jan. 1 until 2024.

Wages for seasonal workers and employees of businesses with five or fewer workers would go up more slowly, reaching $15 an hour by Jan. 1, 2026.

Farm workers would be at $12.50 an hour by Jan. 1, 2024, but state officials could then decide to hike it to $15.

Murphy campaigned on a promise of raising the minimum wage to $15, but it failed to become a reality in his first year in office despite Democratic control of both the executive and legislative branches.

In a joint announcement with Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Murphy said the agreement is a historic step on behalf of more than one million New Jersey workers.

Sweeney (D., Gloucester) said the plan will put New Jersey in the forefront of the national movement to build a high-wage economy.

California, New York, and Massachusetts have already taken steps to phase in a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

Sweeney cautioned that as the increases take effect, New Jersey state leaders will need to be sensitive to the impact it will have on working people who are below the safety net and could be at risk of losing benefits as their wages increase.

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association reiterated its opposition to the $15 minimum and called the effort another hit to small businesses. Some businesses, it warned, will struggle, stagnate, or simply fail because of the mandated increase.

An increase that is too drastic and rapid will result in a reduction in hours and benefits, increased costs of goods and services, and an acceleration to automation, the association predicted.

New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank in Trenton, cheered the agreement.

Raising New Jerseys minimum wage to $15 an hour is one of the most consequential, pro-worker policies enacted in state history, said Brandon McKoy, director of government and public affairs for the organization.

"We applaud the inclusion of teen workers, who were at risk of being carved out of this legislation, as their work is just as valuable to the economy and their families as anyone else's," McKoy said.

For the states agricultural and tipped workers, there remains more work to be done. Employees in these sectors face unique challenges that this legislation leaves unaddressed. The dignity of all workers must be recognized.

In Pennsylvania, the minimum wage of $7.25  the same as the federal minimum  has been stagnant for over a decade.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, proposed raising the minimum wage in each of his first four years in office and is expected to do so again in his budget address next month.

But the effort, largely supported by Democratic lawmakers, has stagnated in the Capitol. Republicans control both legislative chambers, and its leaders have for years balked at an increase, with many saying they would prefer the federal government deal with the question of whether a hike is necessary.

Proposals that have been floated over the years by lawmakers have sought to boost the minimum wage up to either $12 to as high as $15.

According to a study by the Keystone Research Center, a liberal-leaning think tank in Harrisburg, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would lead to an increase in the incomes of 253,698 Philadelphia residents.

In December, Mayor Jim Kenney signed into law a $15 minimum wage for city workers and contractors.

Staff writer Angela Couloumbis contributed to this article.WASHINGTON - In a rebuke to the Trump administration, 136 Republicans joined House Democrats Thursday to oppose a Treasury Department plan to lift Russian sanctions against companies controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The overwhelming 362-53 vote will not prevent the Trump administration from easing sanctions on three companies connected to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, as Senate Republicans narrowly blocked a similar measure on Wednesday.

But the House vote does mean that a majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill oppose President Donald Trump's efforts to soften punitive measures on a Russian oligarch - a rejection with potential implications for the administration's continued stance on Russia, and for the GOP lawmakers who backed the plan to ease the sanctions.

Treasury last month said it intended to lift sanctions the U.S. imposed last year against Deripaska's companies, including a major aluminum producer, while keeping sanctions intact against Deripaska himself. The company sanctions initially caused havoc with global aluminum prices, prompting European allies to complain.

Treasury said it was prepared to lift the company sanctions because Deripaska agreed to reduce his ownership of the companies below 50 percent. His reduced stake would protect the companies "from the controlling influence of a Kremlin insider," Treasury said.

Under a rules change Congress passed in 2017, lawmakers have a 30-day window to block any relaxation of Russia-related sanctions after the Treasury Department announces plans to do so. That window closes Friday.

Critics and supporters of the sanctions decision have been scrambling to win votes, particularly in the last week. Leading House Democrats insisted that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin brief them on the Treasury Department's plans, which he did last Thursday in a classified setting.

House Democrats emerged from the briefing complaining that it was insufficient, while Mnuchin has since been trying to shore up support among Republicans to keep Treasury's plans intact.

Former senator David Vitter, R-La., has also been lobbying on behalf of one of the Deripaska-controlled companies, En+ Group, and was seen last week in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's, R-Ky., office waiting for a meeting, just days before the measure objecting to the sanctions lifting came to the floor.

The measure fell just a few votes shy of the 60 needed to advance the resolution to a final vote in the Senate, even after attracting the support of eleven Republican senators including Marco Rubio of Florida, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

"With the threat that Russia poses to the United States, to our friends and allies, to democracy around the world, Congress cannot just look the other way when the Administration rushes a decision like this. There are too many open questions about whether Deripaska will still control the companies that these sanctions address," Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said on the House floor Thursday.

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Video: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressed disappointment after a Jan. 10 classified briefing on the lifting of sanctions against Russia.(The Washington Post)NEW YORK (AP)  On each side of the abortion debate, legislators and activists emboldened by recent political developments plan to push aggressively in many states this year for bills high on their wish lists: either seeking to impose near-total bans on abortion or guaranteeing women's access to the procedure.

For abortion opponents, many of whom will rally Friday at the annual March for Life in Washington, there's a surge of optimism that sweeping abortion bans might have a chance of prevailing in the reconfigured U.S. Supreme Court that includes Donald Trump's appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Legislators in at least five states  Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Florida and South Carolina  are expected to consider bills that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, possibly just six weeks into a pregnancy.

Conversely, results of the midterm elections buoyed supporters of abortion rights in several states, including New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Mexico. Abortion-rights groups there are now hopeful that lawmakers will pass bills aimed at protecting access to abortion even if the Supreme Court eventually reversed or weakened the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion. Tuesday will mark the 46th anniversary of that ruling.

"With big electoral victories in state legislatures and governorships, many states are now primed to provide the last line of defense for a woman's ability to control her body, life and future," said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health.

Here are some of the notable bills likely to be considered:

___

PROTECTING ABORTION ACCESS

NEW YORK: For years, Republicans who controlled the New York Senate blocked efforts to codify abortion rights in state law as a bulwark against any undermining of Roe v. Wade. However, Democrats, who have long controlled the legislature's lower chamber, took control of the Senate in the midterms, and are expected to swiftly enact the long-sought protections. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, easily re-elected to a third term, says the legislation is among his top priorities.

In a recent speech, Cuomo said Trump's Supreme Court nominees "don't even pretend to be objective jurists. They've already announced their intention to impose their morality on the nation and roll back Roe v. Wade."

RHODE ISLAND: Although abortion is readily available in Rhode Island, the state has never removed some decades-old laws that sought to restrict abortion rights. A bill to scrap those old laws, and reinforce the right to abortion in case Roe is reversed, has been reintroduced in the 2019 session after failing the past two years. A co-sponsor, Sen. Gayle Goldin, says chances are better this year because the midterms increased the number of abortion-rights supporters in the legislature.

MARYLAND: Democratic House Speaker Michael Busch says lawmakers will take up a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights in Maryland, in case protections are overturned or weakened by the Supreme Court or federal government. Maryland passed legislation in 1991 to protect such rights, but supporters of the proposed amendment say it would be a stronger guard against any future legislative efforts to restrict abortion. If the measure wins legislative approval in the Democrat-controlled legislature, it would go before voters in a future election.

MASSACHUSETTS: Last year, the state repealed a 19th century law that banned abortions but had not been enforced. Lawmakers took a next step earlier this month, introducing a bill that would ensure the right to an abortion and for physicians to perform them. The Legislature is controlled by Democrats, and the governor is a Republican who supports abortion rights.

MAINE: A new Democratic governor who supports abortion rights, Janet Mills, has succeeded anti-abortion Republican Paul LePage. Mills would likely sign a recently introduced bill that would require Maine to fund some abortions that are not covered under Medicaid. Democrats control both chambers of the legislature.

NEW MEXICO: Democratic legislators  who control both chambers  are backing a bill that would remove New Mexico's criminal ban on abortion. A 1969 statute made it a felony for an abortion provider to terminate a pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, birth defects and serious threats to a women's health  though the law has been unenforceable since the Roe decision.

Newly inaugurated Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham  who succeeded Republican Susana Martinez  favors overturning the dormant abortion ban.

___

RESTRICTING ABORTION ACCESS

OHIO: During eight years in office, GOP Gov. John Kasich signed more than 20 anti-abortion bills, but twice vetoed the most draconian measure to reach his desk  the so-called "heartbeat bill" that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. But Kasich has now been succeeded by fellow Republican Mike DeWine, who suggests he will sign a heartbeat bill. And the proposal has finally won the endorsement of Ohio Right to Life, which previously considered it too contentious but now believes it has a chance of prevailing in court.

"With the additions of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, we believe this is the most pro-life court we have seen in generations," said Ohio Right to Life board chairman Marshal Pitchford. "Now is the time to pursue this approach."

KENTUCKY, MISSOURI, SOUTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA: Lawmakers in these states, where Republicans control the legislature and governor's office, also have drafted heartbeat bills for consideration this year.

The South Carolina and Florida measures would require testing for a detectable fetal heartbeat prior to an abortion; anyone performing an abortion after a heartbeat was detected would be guilty of a felony. A similar measure has been filed in Missouri; its potential punishments include fines and suspension or withdrawal of medical licenses.

Kentucky already is entangled in three abortion-related court cases, but Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer said he would be pleased if the heartbeat bill triggered additional litigation.

"I would be proud if it's Kentucky that takes it all the way up to the Supreme Court and we challenge Roe v. Wade," Thayer told reporters. "That would be absolutely the pinnacle of my career in the legislature."

ARKANSAS: Like Kentucky, some of Arkansas' previously approved anti-abortion laws remain caught up in legal fights. But two new measures were filed ahead of the 2019 session: One would toughen requirements for reporting abortion-related complications to state health officials; the other would prohibit doctors from performing an abortion if they know the woman seeks it solely because the fetus is diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Indiana, Louisiana and Ohio previously enacted bans on Down syndrome abortions which have been blocked in federal court. Indiana is asking the Supreme Court to review its case. North Dakota enacted a similar ban in 2013 that has not been challenged; the state's sole abortion clinic says the issue hasn't arisen under its policy of not performing abortions after 16 weeks into a pregnancy.

OKLAHOMA: A Republican state senator, Joseph Silk, has filed a bill that would include abortion in the state's definition of felony homicide, potentially punishable by life in prison. Its chances of advancing are uncertain, but Oklahoma lawmakers did approve a bill two years ago that would have outlawed abortion and imposed prison sentences of up to three years on anyone performing the procedure.

That bill was vetoed by then-Gov. Mary Fallin. She has been succeeded by fellow Republican Kevin Stitt, who declined comment on Silk's bill after it was filed.

___

Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.City officials say Philadelphia's public library system has a green light to hire dozens of new employees by year's end and extend service hours at a dozen branches, but advocates maintain that the system needs a more dedicated and robust funding stream to help it grow and thrive.

The library system will fill 62 vacant positions, officials said, enabling it to open 35 of the 54 neighborhood branches six days a week.

The move follows the library's September announcement that only 23 of the 54 branches would open on Saturdays this school year due to a lack of funding.

After learning of the closures, Kenney called on the Free Library of Philadelphia's administration to re-evaluate its "staffing and management decisions," Deana Gamble, a spokesperson for the mayor, said. The Managing Director's Office and Mayor's Office also worked with Free Library leadership to reallocate staff and identify unfilled vacancies, allowing more branches to offer six-day service, she said.

A recent examination of Free Library branch operating hours showed that neighborhood branches in communities with high poverty rates often closed earlier and more often than those in areas with low poverty rates. Libraries in the most vulnerable communities often serve as hubs, offering patrons such services as access to computers with internet to do resumes and complete homework and online job applications; air-conditioning to cool off in the summer; and simply a safe place to go.

The Free Library had 708 budgeted full-time positions in the mayor's 2019 budget. At the end of fiscal year 2018, it had 649 full-time staff, 102 part-time staff and 185 seasonal staff.

According to the city, the library will fill vacant budgeted positions with six new librarians, 13 full-time assistants, 24 seasonal assistants, seven new municipal guards, and 12 facility guards. The new hires will be made with funding already available from the Free Library's budget.

Gamble said Kenney wanted the system to "significantly expand Saturday hours by the end of 2018; offer Saturday hours at all branches by next fiscal year; and develop sustainable solutions that will enable Saturday service to continue at all branches in the future."

In a news release, Siobhan Reardon, president and director of the Free Library, said the system is "thrilled to be able to open 12 more of our neighborhood libraries for a sixth day."

At the time of the Free Library's September announcement, administrators blamed inadequate funding for a slew of understaffed branches and frequent, unanticipated closures.

But after reviewing the library's budget and staffing levels, the Managing Director's Office discovered the unfilled vacancies and also found that while some branches experienced closures due to staffing, those instances were dwarfed by closures related to maintenance and facility problems.

Building emergencies accounted for 396, or more than half, of the libraries' unanticipated closures in fiscal year 2018, while 357 closures were due to staff shortages, according to the city.

Still, library advocates contend that without full funding, the Free Library will continue to struggle. The system's current budget is nearly $49 million, and is supported annually through city and state funding and private donations.

Advocates say the city's budget allocation to libraries hasn't recovered since it was slashed by about $8 million in 2008 due to the Great Recession.

Nearly two months ago, library Friends groups kicked off a citywide #FundOurLibraries campaign.

In gatherings across the city since, dozens have joined the campaign for full funding.

Some community members are "asking and expecting our elected officials to put their energy into fixing the problem," said Yvette Hill Robinson, who is on the citywide organizing committee for the campaign and a member of the Overbrook Park friends' group.

"We aren't unaware that resources are limited," she said. "However, it is always a matter of priorities. Who are we prioritizing in this city if we are not fully investing in our libraries?"

Libraries that will extend to six-day service are Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek; Frankford; Fumo Family; Greater Olney; Haverford; Kensington; Lawncrest; Nicetown-Tioga; Oak Lane; Paschalville; Richmond; and Thomas F. Donatucci Sr.

Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city's push towards economic justice. See all of our reporting at https://brokeinphilly.org.Two temporary court orders stopping employers from denying women birth control coverage is both a reason to celebrate and a reminder that the struggle for a womans right to control her own reproductive life is far from over.

This week, federal judges in California and Pennsylvania stopped the Trump administration from launching its latest attack on reproductive rights. The administration was set to implement a final rule allowing companies and nonprofits to deny workers birth control coverage based on vague moral grounds. Previously, the 2010 Affordable Care Act had a narrow exception for religious groups but set up a system so third-party insurers would cover birth control.

Trump, however, took a 2014 Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case to its most cruel and illegal extreme. That decision allowed closely-held companies, like family businesses, to deny coverage of some forms of birth control to women based on the company owners religious beliefs. But it only applied to closely-held companies. Trump wanted to allow any company, including publicly-traded companies, deny the coverage and kill the requirement that a third-party insurer cover birth control.

The shortsighted rule is meant to frustrate women from using birth control. But it ignores the fact that without contraception, there would be thousands of unwanted pregnancies, many of which would end in abortions, the very procedure these religious advocates say they want to prevent.

Women need contraception for their health because contraception is medicine, pure and simple, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Congress hasnt changed that law and the president cant simply ignore it with an illegal rule.

Shapiro and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal won the temporary restraining order from Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia on Monday, the day the Trump rule was to go into effect. On Sunday, a federal judge in California issued a similar ruling affecting 13 states. Beetlestones ruling affects the entire country.

The rulings are temporary and will have to withstand future court battles. But for the moment, about 127,000 women who could have lost their coverage if the rule had gone into effect can take a breath.

This isnt the only victory women have won in recent months. They took record numbers of seats in Congress and state legislatures this fall. But even with those historic gains, less than a quarter of Congress is female and less than a third of the nations state lawmakers are women  even though more than half the population is female.

Consider: the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive nearly 60 years ago, in 1960. It took 12 more years for the Supreme Court to declare birth control legal for everyone, not just married women. How is it possible that 47 years later, women still need to fight for reasonable and affordable access to critical part of their health care?

On Saturday, women are expected to gather for the third year in a row in womens marches throughout the country. In Philadelphia, they will gather at 10 a.m. along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a demonstration. Show up to celebrate the victories and prepare for the next battles.Earlier this week, shaving-supply company Gillette released a controversial ad reminding guys of their toxic masculinity," a phrase that has popped up to describe the supposed hazards of typically male behavior.

The ad begins by showing men engaging in Neanderthal-like activities including cat-calling, bullying, mansplaining, and using sexual innuendo when talking to women. Then, in a cloyingly obvious nod to #MeToo, the ad suggests that men can get closer to [their] best by being empathetic to womens needs and intervening when their pals engage in harassing behavior.

The short film, as the razor giant calls it, quickly went viral. As of this writing more than 16 million people had viewed it on YouTube. While some have praised Gillette for challenging behavioral norms, others are threatening to boycott the company for stereotyping all men as misogynists and bullies.

The message I see in this ad is that men need to stop being men and that mens default position is bestial. I think thats outrageous.

I am not surprised that ad executives have fallen prey to the men are bad narrative, which is the extreme and ridiculous response to the equally extreme and ridiculous women are victims narrative that has become conventional wisdom in the wake of the sexual abuse accusations against Harvey Weinstein. Madison Avenue has about as much of a social conscience as Wall Street.

Unfortunately, the executives at Gillette arent the only ones who think that men are a problem.

This month, the American Psychological Association (APA) released its first-ever guidelines designed to help psychologists work with men and boys to address the so-called epidemic of toxic masculinity. According to the APAs research, "traditional masculinity  marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance, and aggression  is, on the whole, harmful.

I believe this hostility toward men is dangerous, but I also know that its nothing new. As the second and third wave feminists gained momentum over the last 50 or so years, they bolstered a narrative that has become accepted wisdom: Men, the patriarchy, and masculinity in general have been the source of womens suffering. Women are taught to blame men for everything bad that has ever happened to them. The #MeToo movement is just the next generation of this.

The new guidelines put a negative spin on characteristics that have traditionally belonged to the male of the species. For example, they treat men and boys reluctance to talk and share their feelings (unlike women and girls who use language to bond) as something harmful, because it implies that men cant express their emotions. Thats much too general a statement to make.

As someone who loves men very much and who grew up around the John Wayne-Gary Cooper-Jimmy Cagney archetypes, this frightens me. When I taught at the Haverford School almost 30 years ago, I worked with boys who were filled with energy, aggression, ambition, joy, and courage. While it was necessary to channel those qualities in the right direction, it would never have occurred to me to teach those kids that their natural inclinations were toxic.

It seems to me that the APA is trying to use psychology to encourage men and boys to go against their inherent nature, to feminize them, to socialize them into communicating more like females. I also taught at Villa Maria, a girls' school, and believe me when I tell you that not every thought needs to be expressed. Stoicism has an up side.

In my opinion, these guidelines are designed to change men so that women who are threatened can feel safe from the supposed toxic masculinity  a.k.a. male human nature.

The people who support the APAs new guidelines and praise Gillettes message are pretending to care about the welfare of boys and men, but I dont believe thats true. I believe they are mistakenly trying to protect women from a patriarchy that they deem to be harmful.

Masculinity is not toxic. Its normal, its human, and its good. We need to remember that, despite what Madison Avenue or #MeToo wants us to believe.WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has written President Trump to suggest that he postpone his State of the Union address, citing her security concerns over the ability of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to protect government officials during the shutdown.

With all due respect, that is fake news.

Pelosi isnt worried about security. She invited the president to deliver the State of the Union on Jan. 3, 13 days after the partial government shutdown began. She did not ask the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service before writing the president whether they had concerns about their ability to provide security. Indeed, Politico reports that a planning meeting with the Secret Service was scheduled for the day after Pelosi sent her letter, and subsequently canceled. If Pelosi had bothered to ask, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen would have told her exactly what she said Wednesday on Twitter: The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union.

Pelosi is using her faux security concerns as a pretext to do something unprecedented and outrageous: deny a president of the United States the opportunity to come to Congress and deliver his State of the Union address. Never in the history of our Republic has the House speaker invited, and then disinvited, a sitting president from addressing a joint session of Congress. Yet all those who constantly decry Trump for shattering of presidential norms seem to be perfectly fine when Pelosi is doing the norm shattering  and lying about why she is doing it.

To the contrary, some have praised this as a power move on Pelosis part. No, its not. Pelosi understands full well the power of a State of the Union address. Trumps first two addresses of a joint session drew 48 million and 46 million television viewers, respectively (plus millions more online). She knows that, if anything, the drama of Trump addressing Congress in the midst of the shutdown would likely increase interest. Trump has now twice demonstrated that he can use the venue effectively. So, Pelosi wants to stop him from speaking from the rostrum of the House of Representatives directly to tens of millions of Americans and calling her out for her refusal to compromise.

If she follows through on this threat, it could backfire. Right now, Democrats are brimming with confidence because polls show that a majority of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown. But according to a recent Hill-Harris poll, 70 percent of Americans want both sides to compromise, including 61 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats. Right now, Trump is the only one talking compromise, while Democrats are demanding unilateral surrender. A few weeks ago, Trump sent Vice President Pence to Capitol Hill with an offer that cut his wall request from $5.7 billion to $2.5 billion. Pelosi said she would be willing to give him one dollar. She probably thought it was funny. But to millions of voters, it came across as cocky and insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers affected by the shutdown.

Then, to add insult to injury, Democratic lawmakers took a junket to Puerto Rico on the very day that federal workers stop receiving their paychecks. They had time to sun themselves on the beach at an exclusive resort with more than 100 lobbyists and executives and hang out with the cast of Hamilton, but they could not be bothered to accept Trumps invitation to meet with him at the White House on Tuesday to find a way out of the crisis.

And now Pelosi is threatening to cancel the State of the Union address  a move that will be seen by many Americans as petty and vindictive. If Democrats continue with this cavalier attitude and refusal to negotiate, eventually public opinion will turn against them.

Trump should tell Pelosi that, while he appreciates her concerns, the Secret Service has assured him that they can handle security and that he plans to deliver his address in person, as scheduled. Let her withdraw the invitation. If she does, it will be a turning point in our nations history  a moment when the last vestiges of comity in Washington were destroyed. It may also be the moment when Americans finally realized that Pelosi cares more about hurting Trump than she does about finding a compromise solution and doing what is best for the country.

Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for The Post on foreign and domestic policy. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. @marcthiessenIn honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we asked black activists and advocates around the city: How does Dr. Kings legacy inspire your work today?

King the anti-gun-violence advocate

As an anti-gun-violence advocate, I think often of this quote from Dr. King: By our readiness to allow arms to be purchased at will and fired at whim, by allowing our movie and television screens to teach our children that the hero is one who masters the art of shooting and the technique of killing, by allowing all these developments, we have created an atmosphere in which violence and hatred have become popular pastimes.

It is tragic and ironic that Dr. King  who spoke so eloquently against Americas glorification of guns  was struck down by a firearm, as were Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, and other great civil rights leaders.

In Philadelphia, 80 percent of gun victims are young African American men  its the leading cause of death in their age group. Well never know how many potential civil rights leaders were lost in the prime of their lives. We hemorrhage human potential with each bullet fired.

My work is motivated not just by Dr. Kings conviction that none of us should have to worry about dying by a gun but by his example of loving fearlessly  so that we never find ourselves on either side of a gun.  Scott Charles, anti-gun-violence advocate and trauma outreach coordinator, Temple University Hospital

King the radical

When I was growing up, my dad would play a record of Martin Luther King Jr.s most famous speeches to mark the holiday. As an adult I continue my dads tradition, playing Dr. Kings speeches throughout the week of the holiday. I find so much inspiration in the radical King, the King who fearlessly named the three evils of American society: capitalism, militarism, and racism. The King who was seen as such a threat to the state and the status quo that he was assassinated.

In my day-to-day organizing work with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, I draw strength from Kings exhortation to be tireless and persistent in his speech The Other America. I use a quote from the speech as my regular email signature so that I read it several times a day every day.

In my heart, I am an abolitionist who would like to see a world where we abolish prisons and create new systems that heal and restore our community. Taking on the prison industrial complex is such a gargantuan task. In 2018, 2.3 million people were jailed in local, state, and federal prisons including the growing numbers held in immigrant detention. But I know there is work I can do by working to end cash bail in Philadelphia.  Candace McKinley, core organizer at Philadelphia Community Bail Fund

King the futurist

Martin Luther King is most often remembered as a visionary Civil Rights leader, but rarely recognized as a futurist. As a housing attorney and sci-fi writer who merges those two worlds, I admire how he used the language and imagery of dreams and prophecies, apocalypses and utopias to show futurist visions to oppressed black communities.

One of his most powerful, yet underquoted criticisms of America in the 1960s was about the race to place man on the moon, one of the ultimate milestones of progress of Western society and a symbol of humankinds arrival into the future. In a 1966 speech he said: There is a striking absurdity in committing billions to reach the moon where no people live  while the densely populated slums are allocated minuscule appropriations.

MLK could not see progress where black people had not yet achieved racial justice and social equity. More than 50 years later, we still cannot claim true progress in these areas. His uncompromising refusal to concede a future where black communities are still marginalized, oppressed, and disproportionately denied equitable access to safe, healthy, and happy lives is a view that inspires my work.  Rasheedah Phillips, managing attorney, Landlord-Tenant Housing Unit, Community Legal Services, and cocreator, The Afrofuturist Affair and Black Quantum Futurism

King the liberator

I am part of an incredible network of people who are committed to advancing equity, collaboration, and creative solutions to make this city, and world, better for everyone. Through this work I have come to understand that health is influenced by many things  none of which operate in isolation from each other. King understood then, just as it is now, that the struggles people faced were tied to the triple evils of poverty, racism and militarism. And, because he dreamed with such a disruptive and revolutionary spirit, at the time of his death, most Americans did not have a favorable opinion of him.

King said: There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right. Given Kings legacy, I would dare not compare my efforts to his. But at the root of it, I believe we share a deep love for people, a vision for a better world, and a desire to disrupt harmful systems so everyone is truly able to live their best lives. I simply want to use my position, whatever that may be, to benefit people and their liberation.  Dwayne Wharton, director of external affairs for the Food Trust and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health leader

King the labor advocate

Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech tends to be admired across race and class lines. What King knew then  and what is still relevant now  is that America has only been great for those not marginalized by centuries of oppression.

In my work with the Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, I feel inspired by a speech King gave in Memphis on Feb. 12, 1968. In his address in support of striking sanitation workers, King said: You are demanding that this city respects the dignity of labor. To me, this highlights a powerful counternarrative to the oft-remembered kumbaya King, who said, I have a dream. In Memphis, he delivered a searing critique about economic oppression.

How might Kings demand that all labor has dignity extend to our communities that engage in sex work? What would that mean for our city in terms of decriminalization and seeing the humanity in an often overlooked form of labor?

This MLK Day, I dream of a Philadelphia and a nation that doesnt perform unity but that actually takes a bold stand for ALL labor.  Abdul-Aliy A. Muhammad, cofounder and core organizer of the Black and Brown Workers Cooperative

King the servant leader

Martin Luther King Jr. is by far one of the major inspirations for my activism and service, as he was the embodiment of a servant leader, working to put the needs of all others above his own.

Kings commitment to economic justice is something that has had lasting impact on me. He recognized the need to shift the movement from racial justice to human rights, and advocate for jobs, unemployment insurance, a fair minimum wage, and education for poor adults was revolutionary for his time.

As an advocate in the city of Philadelphia, I understand the need to have economic justice as part of my work, as the citys poverty rate is 26 percent, and nearly half of the citys 400,000 poor residents are living in deep poverty.

When looking at cycles of violence in Philadelphia, a common factor is always economic opportunity. The communities I often advocate for are negatively positioned by society at birth based on their income and/or zip code. I often reflect on Dr. Kings quote from his Nobel Peace Prize address: There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it. I am reminded daily that there is still work to be done.  Lauren Footman, community activist and organizer

King the policy crusader

Dr. Kings last book published before his death, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, was a real game changer for me. I read it at 25 and was stunned to experience a MLK foreign to every conception of him I had encountered since grade school  a man who was more of an agitator than a pure pacifist.

Every year around his holiday, I ground myself in passages of that book and Dr. Kings final speech in Tennessee. They are ready reminders that he was not assassinated for marches and voting rights; he was murdered for linking the plights of poor people across the country, highlighting the choke holds that marginalized black, brown, and migrant workers and their families. MLK challenged the economic violence supported through policy and cultural practices: the exclusion of black Americans from ownership or protection of assets (think redlining, barring services to certain neighborhoods), failing schools, over-policing, mass incarceration, underemployment, and infrastructural decay that still plagues too many neighborhoods. The maps published over the last few years that highlight life expectancy discrepancies based on zip codes overlay closely with maps of redlining. The question we must raise, in honor of MLK, is whether this pattern is coincidental or planned.

We must undo the mechanisms that create harmful social infrastructure  while still making the time for joy. It is the resilience of the neighborhoods and families impacted by these issues that allows us the opportunity to right whats wrong, honor whats working, and design new paths. That is worth celebrating.  Michael OBryan, director of Youth and Young Adult Programs and Innovation Fellow, Drexels Lindy Institute for Urban InnovationKathmandu, January 17

North Korea has sent an invitation to Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa to visit Pyongyang at an appropriate time.

New Ambassador of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea to Nepal, Jo Yong Man, held a meeting with Thapa at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday and extended the invitation.

During the meeting, Thapa expressed his happiness over recently launched conversations between North and South Koreas and wished for their success.

He also congratulated the new ambassador on his appointment and wished that the bilateral relations between the two countries would achieve a new height during his tenure.

The envoy was also of the view that the ties should significantly progress as it has already been 45 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relations.

Various matters related to mutual interests and bilateral cooperation were also discussed during the meeting.Joseph Zeccola, a part-time playwright and full-time educator whose passion in the classroom earned him Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year honors just last year, said he heard something recently from an out-of-state union activist that really stuck with him, that the thing about teachers that makes us different is that were always adjusting to the status quo.

Zeccola said hes seen his fellow teachers  even himself  calmly accept that status quo over the last decade as tighter and tighter budgets started strangling classroom education in Americas second-largest city, even as the rest of L.A.'s vibrant economy was booming. That meant passive acceptance of skyrocketing class sizes that often jammed more than 40 kids into a room, or forcing schools to make painful spending decisions whether to make nurses, librarians, or mental health aides only part-time  or to ditch those vital services completely.

At the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies where Zeccola now teaches English and drama after working for years in economically distressed South Central L.A., the school found the cash to pay a librarian two days a week  two days more than many other nearby public schools.

As an English teacher, theres nothing more important for success in life than literacy, he told me by phone Wednesday night, adding: They also cut out the custodians. At my old school in South Central you could have eaten off the floors  now they mop it twice a month.

When the calendar flipped over to 2019, Zeccola decided that enough was finally enough  and so did 33,000 other unionized school teachers in the City of Angels. Mondays walk-out by the United Teachers Los Angeles  the citys first teachers' strike in 30 years  is wrapping up its first week with no end in sight, and with a fervor that feels less like a bargaining dispute and more like a rain-soaked revolution.

For local readers who recall the bitter picket lines that frequently closed public schools in Philadelphia  and in other large U.S. cities  during the 1970s and 80s, this is not your mothers teachers strike. Yes, wages are on the table, but with labor and management only half a percentage point apart, teacher salaries or benefits arent really the heart and soul of this showdown.

It might sound cliched, but L.A.'s teachers truly seem to striking less for themselves and more for the kids  much like the red wave of educator walkouts that during 2018 shocked red states like West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona where Republican lawmakers had been starving public schools for years. In Southern California, teachers arent only armed with specific grievances such as growing class sizes and shrinking school services, but are also more broadly worried about the rising clout and enrollment numbers of charter schools and the privatization of public education  concern that spiked when the Los Angeles school board hired an investment banker with no education background, Austin Beutner, as superintendent last May.

It seems like this is the privatizers' last stand, said Zeccola. Observers say Beutner was hired to navigate an expected even-greater cash crunch thats looming for L.A. schools  which, like classrooms all across California, are constrained from raising revenue by a law that voters approved in the taxpayer revolt of the 1970s  while teachers are looking to liberal Democratic lawmakers and a new governor, Gavin Newsom, as a kind of deus ex machina to come down from the heavens and solve the long-term money crisis.

Pedro Noguera, education professor at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) whos been closely following the labor showdown, told me that one of the questions raised by the teacher strike is why does California, a very blue state, spend like a red state when it comes to education?

Indeed, thats part of what makes the L.A. education standoff such a compelling story. It flips the switch on 2018s plot-line of GOP hostility toward public schools in largely rural states. Every institution thats sponsored the policies creating this crisis  the city of Los Angeles and the district school board, as well as Californias legislature and its governors mansion  have been in the unimpeded sway of Democrats for years.

The problem  at least for the teachers' union and other critics  is that for all of the Golden States much-ballyhooed progressivism, the reality is that neo-liberal hedge-fund Democrats have been largely handed control of public schools. That seems especially true in big-city districts where hedge-fund billionaires and other decision-makers wouldnt dare send their kids to the public schools that working-class and poorer parents of color have little choice but to enroll their children.

The state of California is, independently, the worlds fifth-largest economy (bigger, now, than the UK) yet in education spending its in the bottom 20th percentile of American states. The vacuum in both money and political leadership has been filled by powerful oligarchs like the Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad, a close ally of new superintendent Beutner who in 2015 proposed converting half of the citys schools into charter schools.

This is why a war on Wall Street-fried public education is getting close attention in other big cities that have also taken the hedge-fund-flavored pro-charter anti-union pseudo-liberal approach to education, such as Chicago, New York ... and Philadelphia. Especially Philadelphia. After all, School Superintendent William Hite was educated at the Broad  as in Eli Broad, its founder  Superintendent Training Academy in the early 2000s before coming here, and the erosion of public education at the hands of charter schools has been arguably worse here than out in L.A.

I said to my members, Whats happening to Los Angeles teachers is what will happen here; dont think that it wont,' the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers union chief Jerry Jordan told my Inquirer colleague Kristen A. Graham a few days ago, noting that negotiations leading up to a August 2020 contract expiration will start soon and that a prohibition on strikes that existed when the Philadelphia district was under state control is no longer in effect. Thats just one sign that the aftershocks from a political earthquake in California may be felt from coast-to-coast, and for years to come.

And thats not all, in many ways. the L.A. teacher strike feels more like the cutting edge of a wider social revolution. For one thing, as noted in a recent Atlantic analysis of the standoff, both the students and the teachers who remain in the citys public schools after the charter-school stampede are heavily Hispanic, and many see the roots of this movement not so much in the contract battles of yesterday but the so-called brown power uprisings of the 1960s and early 1970s  a fight for social justice.

Also, timing is everything. And the thousands of red-shirted teachers and students flooding the uncharacteristically rain-soaked streets of Los Angeles this past week are showing what protest can do at the exact same moment when things are unraveling everywhere else, when 800,000 federal workers have been working without pay for a month, when many more who depend on Washington for income or vital services are also about to be slammed by the government shutdown, and when our deer-in-the-headlights Establishment seems flummoxed by a growing case for impeachment of a dangerous president.

Noguera told me hed visited a picket line at one L.A. school on Wednesday morning and what he heard was that teachers had reached a tipping point where the poor conditions inside the public schools were no longer acceptable  that if they didnt take action now then were pretending that were offering kids an education  and that in some way were complicit.

If the teachers of Los Angeles can win back in the streets what they so passively watched slip away over the last decade, its possible  likely, really  that other citizens will start to speak out and act up more aggressively as well, in a year when increasingly Americas center is not holding.I first met Jack Bogle, who founded the Vanguard mutual funds, when I introduced him in October 2000 as the keynote speaker at the Baltimore Suns personal financial conference. His talk was riveting  full of wisdom about the risks and rewards of Wall Street, the principles that guided Vanguard and a sobering, prescient note of caution for investors who had been mesmerized by the meteoric rise of dotcom stocks.

Within a month of Jacks talk, the stock market was plummeting and a bear market was underway. Jacks address established him  at least, in my mind  as a stock market seer. But most importantly, it marked the beginning of an 18-year friendship that spanned the rest of his life. Jack died on Wednesday at the age of 89.

About 18 months after first meeting Jack, I gave the commencement speech at the University of Maryland. I told the saga of the two Jacks  Jack Bogle, who had issued his blunt warning about the dotcom bubble, and Jack Marimow, my Dad, an inveterate investor and a risk taker, who had purchased a dotcom stock at $12 a share, watched it soar to $232 and sold at $32 as it went into a long-term tailspin. I sent the talk to Jack Bogle, and he responded with an enthusiastic letter and sent me one of his books.

When I returned to Philadelphia in 2006, Jack invited me to breakfast. That meal began an almost uninterrupted 12-year string of breakfasts where Jack regaled me with tales of his life in business, his family (six great children, a posse of grandchildren, and his charming wife, Eve), and the vicissitudes of his career at Vanguard, the $5 trillion group of mutual funds he created. At Vanguard, he was a hero to the crew, the Vanguard employees who worked in the trenches, but he was not always a welcome presence to the executives who followed him and refused to waive Vanguards mandatory retirement rules for their founder.

Those long conversations with Jack provided insight into his values: He was dedicated and loyal to the institutions and the people who had helped him throughout his life  first, as a scholarship student at Blair Academy and, later, on scholarship at Princeton University, where he supplemented the financial aid he received with campus jobs and full-time work every summer.

At Blair, where he created the Bogle Brothers Scholarships, more than 150 students have benefited from his largesse, and he did the same for a generation of students at Princeton. Although he never told me, I know that Jack set aside one half of his annual income for philanthropy.

Beyond his generosity, Jack radiated integrity. At Vanguard, he espoused an ineradicable commitment to Vanguards clients and the crew. Writing in his book, The Man in the Arena, Jack said, Over the years, I have come to love and respect the term human beings to describe both our clients and our crew members. He lamented the fact that he never encountered the words human beings in any books hed read on corporate strategy, and he once challenged a classroom of Harvard Business School students to prove him wrong.

Jack also loved the affection of grateful investors, especially the Bogleheads, who gather yearly to discuss the benefits of investing in Vanguard index funds, which Bogle pioneered. One morning at breakfast  where Jack gave his typical request that hed like his scrapple burnt to a crisp"  another diner told Jack that he recognized his voice from listening to his interviews and speeches over the years. He thanked Jack profusely for how Vanguard had buttressed his family finances.

I could never quite figure out why Jack and I became friends, but friends we were. His last email to me  sent on New Years Day  ended with the words peace and love to all. As I think about Jack today, what I know for certain is that Philadelphia and the world have lost a giant  a financial visionary whose bedrock integrity, competitive grit, compassion, and contributions to millions of investors  will endure.

Bill Marimow, who received two Pulitzer Prizes as a reporter at the Inquirer, was the editor of the Inquirer for eight years. He is now the vice president of corporate strategy for the Inquirers parent company.So, you may have heard theres a winter storm headed our way. Dont worry, theres nothing special in the forecast for today. But once night falls the region can expect some snow and we have details on the wintry mix taking over the weekend. If you do get stuck inside thanks to the weather (or just enjoy a cozy day indoors) you may want some books to keep you company. But if youre borrowing ebooks from the Free Library, youll want to read my colleague Bob Fernandezs report on what digital content does to library budgets. Lets just say, if it were a book, itd be in the horror section.

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

 Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Library card holders love ebooks. So much, in fact, that last year 28 percent of the Free Library of Philadelphias total circulation of more than 5 million books came from digital content. After all, its like Netflix for libraries, right?

Well, yes and no. Ebooks are convenient for readers, but theyre a huge drain on library budgets and publishers are looking to squeeze even more out of your local book haven.

What ebooks are Philadelphians reading anyway? The top 100 downloads of 2018 are full of familiar titles.

Its that time of year, folks. The Philadelphia region can expect some snowfall tonight with accumulations ranging from less than inch in South Jersey to an inch in Philadelphia and 2 inches north and west of the city.

The snow might affect your Friday morning commute, too. As for Saturday, the area should see a mix of precipitation: a few inches of snow in the afternoon that turns to rain overnight.

A snow-and-rain mix is likely on Sunday as well as temperatures plunge into the teens, surely one of the worst phrases in the English language. Look for weather updates on Philly.com all weekend.

The continuing partial government shutdown means that the food stamps that would normally be disbursed in February were distributed Wednesday instead. It also means that Philly air traffic controllers are appealing to travelers as they work without pay.

Meanwhile, a bill introduced this week in New Jersey wants to give federal workers affected by the shutdown more time to pay their property taxes.

For workers in need of a distraction from all this, Phillys museums are offering federal employees discounted admission and at least one restaurant is offering discounts, too.

What you need to know today

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Gotta find it somewhere, right @krisfromphilly?

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats Interesting

Opinions

If every building in this city can turn green when the Eagles have a game (go Birds!), I dont think its a stretch to take the bridge in our area thats named after a queer American and paint it (or light it) the colors of the Philly Pride flag.  StreetsDept.coms Conrad Benner on why Philly should paint the Walt Whitman Bridge rainbow for LGBTQ Philadelphians.

Say what you want about Camel Prom Mom, who just pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, but she brought a lot of joy to her North Philly neighborhood, writes columnist Jenice Armstrong.

Last week, the drag-racing off-duty Philly cop who mowed down Danny Dimitri in 2017 apologized to Dimitris family, but the apology was two years too late, writes columnist Ronnie Polaneczky.

What were reading

A Daily Dose of | Competition

Move over, Rocky. The Philadelphia Museum of Art has added some important new art to its stoop.Plans for a 31-story residential tower on the grounds of Center Citys Sheraton Society Hill Hotel on Dock Street are moving forward, despite neighborhood opposition to the proposal.

The neighborhood groups are challenging last summers zoning approval for the roughly 270-dwelling-unit addition to the existing building. A hearing to appeal the approval before the Zoning Board of Adjustment this week was continued with no decision, a city spokesman said.

The condo-owners' association of the nearby Society Hill Towers, which is among the groups against the new tower plan, wrote in a newsletter that the projects opponents aim to maintain the quality of neighborhoods and see them grow in a rational way.

Developer LCOR, with offices in New York, Berwyn and Bethesda, Md., acquired development rights to the property from the hotels owner, Wilmington, Del.-based Buccini/Pollin, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

LCOR is scheduled to present its plans Thursday evening to the Society Hill Civic Association for non-binding feedback as part of the citys building-approval process.

The plans would also have to be presented to the Philadelphia Civic Design Review board for suggestions. But since both of those bodies play only an advisory role, Buccini/Pollin would be permitted to complete its project if the neighborhood opponents' zoning challenge is unsuccessful.

The tower would be at the southern part of the 2.5-acre property, which is currently open space with some landscaping.When Jeff Brown announced this month that he would close his ShopRite store in West Philadelphia, he blamed the citys tax on soda and other sweetened beverages.

Mayor Jim Kenneys administration hit back, defending the tax  likely to be a major issue in the upcoming mayoral and City Council elections  and saying Brown was using it as a scapegoat.

So who is right?

Industry experts say that while the beverage tax would not have been the only factor that led to Browns drop in sales and his decision to shut the store, it was likely a significant contributor.

To blame the sugar [and sweetened beverages] tax alone might be inappropriate, but to say its not related might also be inappropriate, said Richard George, a professor emeritus of food marketing at St. Josephs University.

The property the store occupies was sold in August, though Brown and his new landlord both say that did not factor into the closing. Other factors that could have affected sales: The Haverford Avenue ShopRite is smaller than others in the city, and less updated; food stamp sales have declined in recent years; and an Aldi store opened less than two miles away about three years ago could have cut into the customer base.

Brown, CEO of Brown Superstores Inc., said those issues only had minor effects on his bottom line and could not account for all of a 23 percent drop in sales since the beverage tax went into effect. He called the tax the big, 800-pound gorilla" that made the store unprofitable.

The Kenney administration has been critical of Brown, citing a study that found declining sales in Philadelphia supermarkets since 2014  two years before the soda tax was passed  and claiming that other supermarkets have opened in the city since the 1.5-cents-per-ounce levy went into effect.

Clearly, a good number of retailers have confidence in their ability to operate a profitable grocery in Philadelphia, Mike Dunn, a spokesperson for Kenney, said in an email this month.

A new landlord

The ShopRite property sold in August for $5.15 million. Ravinder Chawla of Sant Properties, one of the new owners, said he would have liked Brown to keep the ShopRite open.

He had the lease, so it was his option, Chawla said. We knew he was struggling there, so we were prepared that he might be closing.

Both Brown and Chawla said the rent would not have increased under the new owners because Brown had an existing lease and exercised his option to leave it.

Chawla said the ShopRite will likely be redeveloped into a property with multiple stores. He said hes had interest from potential tenants such as dollar stores, gyms, and coin laundries.

Jim Engler, Kenneys chief of staff, said the city has been in touch with the new owners to help them identify prospective tenants that would fit the site and the communitys needs.

Well be working closely with them to help identify tenants, and well be as supportive as we can," Engler said.

Another closing in Lower Merion

Days after Brown announced that he would close the West Philadelphia ShopRite, Acme announced that its Gladwyne store would shut down in February.

The two stores have similarities; both are smaller and more outdated than other supermarkets in the area. But they also have differences; the Acme did not have to deal with the citys beverage tax, but is in a more affluent neighborhood and has had to compete with more upscale stores such as Whole Foods.

Robert Gorland, vice president of Matthew P. Casey & Associates and a consultant in supermarket site selection and feasibility, said he saw just one key similarity between the two closing announcements.

I think people make decisions at the end of every year, he said. Those decisions are made all the time."

Brown acknowledged that the Haverford Avenue ShopRite is smaller than many other stores he owns, but said larger stores cost more to operate. He said he had looked into making upgrades to the West Philadelphia store, such as adding beer and wine sales, but did not find it feasible because there was no space to expand.

Beer and wine adds about 1.5 percent to your sales  in a good store maybe 2 percent, he said. The Haverford store is down 23 percent. So adding the beer and wine did not seem like a savior.

Gorland said it is also harder to turn a profit in an urban supermarket than in a suburban one, because operational costs are higher in cities.

Declining food stamp sales

Sales through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which Brown said he tracks closely because he owns stores in low-income neighborhoods, have declined in the last several years.

I dont consider that a factor in this, Brown said, or not a significant factor.

Brown said he believes that SNAP spending at supermarkets has decreased because more people received benefits during and after the recession.

Of course not every penny of sales loss is going to be attributable to the tax, Gorland said. Of course thats not the case. It was probably the majority of the sales loss, but not all of it.

Aldi and increased competition

An Aldi store opened on City Avenue less than two miles away from the Shoprite in December 2015  one year before the beverage tax went into effect.

We always refer to Aldi as kind of a silent killer, George said of the no-frills grocery chain.

Gorland said the opening of an Aldi near a traditional supermarket can typically have up to a 4 percent effect on sales.

While any nearby store, whether its an Aldi or a bodega, can have a slight impact on sales, Brown said, he does not consider those fluctuations to be significant compared with the beverage tax.

Brown "was able to take on a lot of risk and work with a very narrow profit margin there, and weather a lot of things to operate stores in low-income neighborhoods, said Wendell Young IV, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, the union that represents workers in Browns stores.

I do believe that the soda [tax] was the straw that broke the camels back," Young said. Was it the only thing weighing on the business? No.On an early August morning in Chester, Selina Reese faced a task no guardian ever asks for  a task for which she was not prepared.

How was she going to tell Layla, her great-niece, who calls her Momma, that her father had been shot to death the night before? How could she, someone who never experienced loss in such a violent manner, break the news to a 7-year-old?

As time went on, I thought about how it would help if she was around kids that could maybe talk to her about the experiences that they have had, Reese, 36, said at her hometowns J. Lewis Crozer Library. Or even, for me, just tips and pointers for things I could look out for that I maybe I wasnt paying attention to.

Now, Reese is better equipped to handle the questions that Layla is starting to ask, questions she knows will only become more frequent as the child gets older.

Together, the two were part of the first group of 11 Chester residents to go through a new type of trauma therapy funded by public grant money, including an award from the Foundation for Delaware County. The 12-week program, which held its last session Jan. 10, was the first of its kind in the countys only city  it brought together people touched by gun violence to heal, collectively, with the aid of licensed, experienced psychologists.

The program is a collaboration between the Chester Community Coalition, a grassroots, faith-based group in the city, and clinicians from the Child Guidance Resource Center in nearby Havertown. And after its first, successful round, its organizers are recruiting more families.

"The big-picture goal is to reduce gun violence in Chester, a massive goal, said Alexia Clarke, the programs director. But thats the idea: planting the seeds, starting with one family at a time.

Staff from the center led the participants through group conversations about how to handle negative emotions and thoughts. They learned how to direct those feelings, preventing them from festering and perpetuating more violence in the community.

Fran Stier, the board secretary for the community coalition, said the idea was born of memorials her group organized for homicide victims, and the groups desire to bring aid to the city that was more concrete and less symbolic.

We were talking to people in the community, meeting with them after tragedies, Stier said. It really knocks the whole family on their back; its a terrible blow. Any death is a terrible blow, but violent death is especially traumatic.

Chester has played host to a variety of peer-led and faith-based counseling programs, groups where survivors of gun violence come together and grieve. But, as Clarke described it, the community coalitions effort takes those efforts a step further.

The difference is that these people are trained in how to manage emotional pain and healing," she said. Its not, Were all sharing our pain. Theyre the ones to help you think about it, and challenge you in a way that a peer might not think to.

The coalition received two grants from Catholic Health Initiatives, enough to bring Clarke on board. She helped design it using the larger of the grants, an award of $400,000 spread over three years. A third, $47,500 grant this summer from the Foundation of Delaware County finalized the partnership with the Child Guidance Resource Center.

That collaboration, Clarke said, was integral. As she and her colleagues sought input from Chester residents about what programming was needed, they heard a common refrain.

For the adults, a lot of focus was on the people needing to be experienced," Clarke said. They had negative experiences with student therapists before, working on their masters. People whod get afraid of them when they got upset or would be a little too shocked about what they were telling them.

Clarke spent months recruiting city residents through the coalitions network of community contacts. She attended church services, neighborhood events, and school open houses. At one of those, she met Reese, there with her daughter.

The most helpful thing is having people recognize that there are others out there who are going through this. Allowing them to share their experiences and learn from each other in terms of How is this impacting me and how am I dealing with it?'" Brad Richardson, outpatient division director at Child Guidance Resource Centers

It had been a few weeks since Laylas father, Kassim Brown, had been gunned down on James Street, the 12th of 18 homicides in Chester last year. Layla had grown restless.

The girl has been in Reeses life since she was 2 weeks old. Her mother had her as a teen, and Reese stepped in to help after her sister, Laylas grandmother, died of natural causes. Brown, 25, was a constant presence in Laylas life, a good father who supported her, according to Reese.

Layla was always a little distant, but there was a change, with her wanting to talk more, being a little more clingy, Reese said. And every now and then, still asking where her father is."

In September, the program began. A group of parents and their children spent their Thursday nights inside Shiloh Baptist Church, a sanctuary in the middle of the city. There, they would decompress from the days stress over communal meals of pizza or pasta, and then separate into different age groups, where the true work began.

The most helpful thing is having people recognize that there are others out there who are going through this, said Brad Richardson, the outpatient division director at the Child Guidance Resource Center. Allowing them to share their experiences and learn from each other in terms of, How is this impacting me and how am I dealing with it?'"

Those lessons focused on a wide array of topics, Richardson said, from breathing and relaxation techniques to art therapy that helped younger participants express themselves.

Reese appreciated that. Browns death was her first personal brush with gun violence. Growing up in Chester, she saw friends experience the loss, but it had not hit her directly. She had no frame of reference for how to deal with the complex emotions Layla was feeling, emotions a 7-year-old couldnt possibly articulate.

We all learned from each other, Reese said. When you do go through this situation, you feel like youre the only one going through it. But this opened my eyes, because even in a city so small, there are so many other people going through this.Questioning the fairness of keeping them on the books, the New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed 787,764 old, low-level Municipal Court cases, following through on a proposal last year to do so.

The cases include parking tickets and driving offenses, such as running stop signs, and predate Jan. 1, 2003. Higher-level offenses, including drunken driving and disorderly persons offenses, remain on the books.

Of the dismissed cases, 335,619 involved parking tickets, 348,631 were for moving violations, and the remainderfor less common offenses, including fish and game violations. Most cases were from 1986 to 2003; the oldest was from 1976.

Municipal prosecutors had argued that forgiving old violations creates an amnesty program that can encourage people to ignore their cases until they go away. But the states highest court saw it otherwise.

Those old, outstanding complaints and open warrants in minor matters raise questions of fairness, the appropriate use of limited public resources by law enforcement and the courts, the ability of the state to prosecute cases successfully in light of how long matters have been pending and the availability of witness, and administrative efficiency, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in his order.

That was the exact language he used in July when he signaled his intent to dismiss all the old cases in a single move, ordering a three-judge panel to hold hearings on the proposal. It held three hearings before recommending that the cases be forgiven and that the court set up an ongoing annual review process of cases that are more than 15 years old.

 READ MORE: N.J. Supreme Court wants to forgive your old parking and driving tickets  hundreds of thousands of them

Rabners decision Thursday included ordering a court committee to consider broadening the scope of the forgiveness program to include cases that are more than 10 years old, and a wider variety of violations. The committee will also be tasked with developing a system for regular review and dismissal of older minor cases.

Its the latest move in an ongoing effort by the state Supreme Court to change the states Municipal Court system.

In March 2017, Rabner formed a committee to evaluate Municipal Court practices and recommend reforms. The committees recommendations included limiting the collection of court fees and the numbers of drivers license suspensions.

The committee was deeply concerned about what can be a never-ending imposition of mandatory financial obligations that have little to do with the fair administration of justice, Assignment Judge Julio Mendez, the chair of the committee, said when the report was released.

They can be financially overwhelming, can disproportionately impact the poor, and often become the starting point for an ongoing cycle of court involvement for individuals with limited resources.

Social justice and civil liberties advocates say court costs  and the suspension of drivers licenses for failing to pay them  impose a disproportionate punishment on poor people and compare it to debtors prison.

READ MORE: Pa., N.J. suspend tens of thousands of drivers licenses a year for not paying court costs. Is that constitutional?

Municipal prosecutors contended that dismissing the cases undermines the justice system. Last year, the New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutors Association voted to oppose the dismissal of old cases.

Court officials set up a website to let defendants determine if their case had been dismissed.BEIRUT  Four Americans were killed in a suicide attack in Syria on Wednesday, the largest loss of life in the Pentagon's war against Islamic State militants there and a sign of the potent threat that remains as the Trump administration begins to withdraw.

Officials said a bomber detonated an explosive vest as a group of Americans, including two service members, a Pentagon civilian, and a U.S. contractor slain in the attack, met with local military officials at a restaurant in the northern city of Manbij.

Three additional U.S. service members were wounded, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The incident occurs as the Pentagon begins its drawdown from Syria in keeping with President Donald Trump's announcement last month that the Islamic State had been defeated and troops would be coming home.

The president's surprise Dec. 19 announcement upended plans, backed by military leaders and Trump's top national security advisers, for an ongoing mission in Syria and drew widespread criticism, including from Republican allies who warned a premature departure could allow militants to return. Nearly a month after Trump's initial pronouncement, conflicting statements from senior officials, including the president himself, have fueled ongoing confusion about what precisely the administration's plan entails.

The Islamic State, in a message posted by its unofficial news agency, Amaq, asserted responsibility for the Manbij blast but provided no evidence to back up that claim.

Surveillance camera video showed the explosion erupting on a busy sidewalk, sending a child running from the flames with hands clasped over his ears. Bodies and blood trails could be seen spread across the ground in photographs taken during the immediate aftermath.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 19 people were wounded or killed.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders praised the "brave American heroes" who died in the attack. "Our service members and their families have all sacrificed so much for our country," she said in a statement.

The White House said Trump had been "fully briefed" on the incident, the most deadly since U.S. troops arrived in Syria in 2015. Previously, two American service members had been killed in action there.

Speaking at the State Department several hours after initial casualty reports appeared, Vice President Mike Pence did not mention the incident but hailed Trump's leadership in combating the militants in Syria.

"We are bringing our troops home," Pence said in an address to more than 180 U.S. ambassadors and chiefs of missions abroad gathered for a conference in Washington. "The caliphate has crumbled, and ISIS has been defeated."

In a statement issued by his office later in the day, Pence offered sympathy to the families of the Americans who were killed, condemned the attack and said the United States would "never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever."

The dissonance between the vice president's initial statement and the bloodshed on the ground in Syria reflects conflicting internal assessments about where the campaign against the Islamic State stands.

Trump, announcing last month that the force of more than 2,000 U.S. service members would be leaving Syria, heralded categorical victory over the Islamic State more than four years after U.S. forces launched an international coalition to dislodge militants from their self-declared "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq.

The president's declaration generated consternation from foreign partners, including France and Britain, and accusations of abandonment from a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish force that has suffered thousands of casualties. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned the next day.

Since then, Trump and other senior officials have at times used more cautious rhetoric in addressing the Islamic State, which the Pentagon has said retains significant combat power, especially in eastern Syria where it continues to hold territory.

Despite Trump's initial suggestion that troops would depart immediately, the White House subsequently has said there is no timeline for the U.S. departure. Compounding the confusion, military officials say they are proceeding with orders to withdraw within about four months.

On Friday, the military announced it had begun withdrawing equipment but not forces. It's not clear what weaponry or equipment has been removed from Manbij, which was reclaimed from militants in 2016.

Hundreds of U.S. troops have been stationed in Manbij in an attempt to prevent extremists from regaining strength and to foster stability in an area strategic to both NATO ally Turkey to the north and Syrian Kurdish forces who have been the chief U.S. partner against the Islamic State.

Turkey considers some Syrian Kurds, including U.S. partner forces, to be part of a terror group.

U.S. troops have been more visible in Manbij than they have in other areas, flying U.S. flags as part of their stabilization effort there.

Lawmakers of both parties seized on the attack as proof that Trump should rethink his Syria plans.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who has gone between lauding and excoriating the president, made an impassioned speech at the start of William Barrs confirmation hearing to serve as attorney general, imploring Trump to reconsider his position in light of the carnage.

"My concern about the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we're fighting. You make people we are trying to help wonder about us, and as they get bolder, the people we're trying to help are gonna get more uncertain. I saw this in Iraq, and I'm now seeing it in Syria," Graham said.

I know people are frustrated. But were never going to be safe here unless were willing to help people over there who will stand up against this radical ideology, he added. To those who lost their lives today in Syria, you were defending America in my view  and I hope the president will look long and hard at what were doing in Syria.

Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.), at a meeting of HillVets, a Washington veterans group, said the United States was failing to demonstrate the global leadership it had in the past.

"Today's very tragic situation is a reflection that ISIS is not gone and done with," he said. Reed said it was vital to keep military pressure on the group and warned that ISIS leaders interpreted Trump's calls for a withdrawal from Syria as "a great relief of the pressure on them."

As the Pentagon begins its withdrawal, it remains unclear whether the White House plan will include an exit for several hundred troops now stationed at the al-Tanf garrison in southeast Syria. While national security adviser John Bolton has suggested that base, seen as key to constraining Iran's influence in Syria, could remain open, military officials are planning to shut it down.

The Washington Posts Zakaria Zakaria, Karen DeYoung, Greg Jaffe, Carol Morello, John Wagner, Karoun Demirjian and William Branigin contributed to this article.MOSCOW (AP)  A Belarusian model who claimed last year that she had evidence of Russian interference in the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president was arrested immediately upon her arrival in Moscow on Thursday following deportation from Thailand.

Moscow police said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that Anastasia Vashukevich was detained in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on charges of inducement to prostitution along with three people deported alongside her.

Vashukevich, who has been in a Thai prison since February last year, was given a suspended sentenced on Tuesday and ordered to be deported after she pleaded guilty to soliciting and conspiracy along with several co-defendants in a case related to holding a sex training seminar in Thailand.

Vashukevich, also known on social media as Nastya Rybka, earlier claimed to have recordings of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska talking about interference in the 2016 U.S. election, but never released them.

Deripaska is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and also had a working relationship with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager who was investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller and convicted last year of tax and bank fraud.

Russian news agencies said that four of the seven people deported from Thailand who arrived in Moscow Thursday were detained, including Vashukevich and Alexander Kirillov, her mentor in the sex training business. They may face up to six years in prison if convicted on charges of inducement to prostitution.

In the early stages of their detention in Thailand, the sex training group sent a note to the U.S. Embassy via an intermediary seeking help and political asylum. Vashukevich indicated she would turn over the recordings she claimed to have if the U.S. could help secure her release, but she later withdrew the offer, suggesting that she and Deripaska had reached an agreement.

A public scandal erupted in early February last year when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny published an investigation drawing on Vashukevich's social media posts suggesting corrupt links between Deripaska and a top Kremlin official, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko. The investigative report featured video from Deripaska's yacht in 2016, when Vashukevich, who has also worked as an escort, was aboard.

On Wednesday in Washington, the U.S. Senate narrowly upheld a Treasury Department decision to lift sanctions from three companies connected to Deripaska.

The Treasury Department says the Russian companies have committed to separating from Deripaska, who will remain blacklisted as part of an array of measures announced in early April that targeted tycoons close to the Kremlin.

Deripaska was one of 24 Russian officials and tycoons faced with sanctions imposed by the United States as Washington stepped up its condemnation of Russia's actions in recent years, including its 2014 annexation of Crimea, support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, hacking attacks and meddling in Western elections.

The metals tycoon controls a business empire with assets in aluminum, energy and construction and is worth $5.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

___

Kaewjinda reported from Bangkok. Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Vashukevichs surname.NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television has been arrested by the FBI during a visit to the U.S., the broadcaster reported Wednesday, and her son said she was being held in a prison, apparently as a material witness.

Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for the network's English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son, Hossein Hashemi.

The FBI said in an email that it had no comment on the arrest of the woman who was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and has worked for Iran's state television network for 25 years.

Hossein Hashemi said his mother lives in Tehran and comes back to this country about once a year to see her family, usually scheduling documentary work somewhere in the U.S. as well.

"We still have no idea what's going on," said Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado who was interviewed by phone from Washington. He also said he and his siblings had been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury.

The incident comes as Iran faces increasing criticism of its own arrests of dual citizens and other people with Western ties. Those cases have previously been used as bargaining chips in negotiations with world powers.

Federal law allows judges to order witnesses to be arrested and detained if the government can prove their testimony has extraordinary value for a criminal case and that they would be a flight risk and unlikely to respond to a subpoena. The statute generally requires those witnesses to be promptly released once they are deposed.

Marzieh Hashemi, an American citizen, had not been contacted by the FBI before she was detained and would "absolutely" have been willing to cooperate with the agency, her son said.

Asked whether his mother had been involved in any criminal activity or knew anyone who might be implicated in a crime, Hashemi said, "We don't have any information along those lines."

Hashemi said his mother was arrested as she was about to board a flight from St. Louis to Denver. A spokesman for St. Louis Lambert International Airport declined to comment and referred questions to the FBI.

The constitutionality of the material witness law has "never been meaningfully tested," said Ricardo J. Bascuas, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law. "The government only relies on it when they need a reason to arrest somebody but they don't have one."

No matter the reason for Marzieh Hashemi's detention, she should have been granted a court appearance by now, Bascuas said.

She apparently was unable to call her daughter until Tuesday night. The family is trying to hire an attorney, but it has been difficult because she has not been charged with a crime, her son said.

Iran's state broadcaster held a news conference and launched a hashtag campaign for Hashemi, using the same techniques families with loved ones held in the Islamic Republic use to highlight their cases.

"We will not spare any legal action" to help her, said Paiman Jebeli, deputy chief of Iran's state IRIB broadcaster. Iran's Press TV aired footage of her anchoring news programs and discussing the war in Syria, set to dramatic music.

There were no references to any case against Hashemi in U.S. federal courts, nor in Missouri.

Hashemi describes herself online as having studied journalism at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She converted to Islam in 1982 at age 22 after meeting Iranian activist students in Denver.

She married a man she met while in journalism school. They had two sons and a daughter. Her husband is dead, said Hashemi's brother, Milton Leroy Franklin of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie.

Last week, Iran confirmed it is holding U.S. Navy veteran Michael R. White at a prison, making him the first American known to be detained under President Donald Trump's administration.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state TV that Hashemi's arrest indicates the "apartheid and racist policy" of the Trump administration.

"We hope that the innocent person will be released without any condition," Ghasemi said.

At least four other American citizens are being held in Iran, including Iranian-American Siamak Namazi and his 82-year-old father, Baquer, both serving 10-year sentences on espionage charges. Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife, Afarin Neyssari, received 27-year and 16-year prison sentences, respectively. Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang was sentenced to 10 year in prison.

Also in an Iranian prison is Nizar Zakka, a permanent U.S. resident from Lebanon who advocated for internet freedom and has done work for the U.S. government. He was sentenced to 10 years on espionage-related charges.

Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission, remains missing as well. Iran says that Levinson is not in the country and that it has no further information about him. His family holds Tehran responsible for his disappearance.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington, Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Jim Salter in St. Louis, Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.China's major grain-growing province pledges to secure food production capacity

From:ChinaDaily | 2019-01-16 17:19

HARBIN - China's Heilongjiang province will continue its efforts in securing food production capacity and enhance its green food production, according to the province's government work report.

Though Heilongjiang has yielded years of good harvests, the major grain-growing province of the country faces difficulties in sustainable development, said Qi Fuli, deputy to the Provincial People's Congress, at the annual session of the congress.

Qi said the province has attached great importance to meeting the challenges of overusing fertilizers, frequent droughts and water shortages.

For the long run, Heilongjiang should enhance protection of its core arable lands and balance urban and rural development, said Cong Li, member of the provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Heilongjiang Province saw a total grain output of 75.05 billion kg in 2018, accounting for over 10 percent of the country's total grain output, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.A Philadelphia jury on Thursday found former Temple University student Joshua Hupperterz guilty of murder in the strangling of Temple student Jenna Burleigh in his North Philadelphia apartment two years ago.

The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for about 80 minutes before convicting Hupperterz of first-degree murder and related crimes.

Hupperterz, 30, showed no reaction when the jury foreman read the verdict.

Afterward, in a hearing in which Hupperterz received the mandatory sentence of life in prison, Burleighs parents, sister, and friends gave emotional victim-impact statements.

The killing of Burleigh, 22, in an off-campus apartment gripped the region, partly because she was a passionate young woman who advocated for social justice. She wrote about making the world better on her blog, and took action to care for the homeless and march for womens rights. She had just started her first week of classes as a transfer student at Temple and was commuting from her Montgomery County home, where she lived with her parents.

And it shocked residents to learn that the man accused of killing her after they had met in a bar stuffed her naked, bloodied body into a blue plastic storage bin and took it to his mothers garage in Jenkintown, then to his grandmothers wooded lakeside property in the Poconos, hiding the bin in a small metal shed.

This was just such an outrageous, depraved crime, Common Pleas Court Judge Glenn Bronson told Hupperterz in sentencing him to life in prison without parole. Bronson added the maximum he could on the related counts: consecutive 4 to nine years in state prison on misdemeanor charges of possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of corpse, and tampering with evidence.

You just extinguished the life of a very special person who had a lot to give, the judge told him.

Hupperterz, after consulting with his lawyer, David Nenner, declined to comment before being sentenced.

But Burleighs parents, sister, and friends had a lot to say to the judge.

Her mother, Jacqueline Burleigh, who frequently clutched rosary beads during the trial, said: Jenna was a loving, caring, compassionate, sassy, passionate person who was unapologetically herself. All she wanted was peace in this world.

She was my sunshine," said her father, Ed. "She had a beautiful soul inside and out.

He spoke of a foundation set up in his daughters memory, Jennas Blessing Bags Foundation, which provides the homeless with backpacks containing toiletries, clothing, blankets, and food.

In a voice cracking with emotion, Burleighs older sister Janelle read to the judge something that Jenna had written on her blog: I want to change the world, I want to make a difference.  I want to stand up for whats right.

Evidence in the trial showed that Hupperterz met Burleigh at 1:38 a.m. Aug. 31, 2017, at Pub Webb, a bar on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near Temple. She had gone there with friends, but they had left. Then, shortly after the 2 a.m. closing time, Hupperterz and Burleigh, who had planned on staying at a friends off-campus apartment, left the bar together and walked to his place around the corner.

The two had consensual sex, but at some point it became nonconsensual, prosecutors said.

In his closing argument Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Jason Grenell detailed Burleighs last moments as she fought for her life in the kitchen of Hupperterzs first-floor rear unit at 1708 N. 16th St.

She was there, naked, lying on the ground, Grenell told the jury in a packed courtroom. The last thing this 22-year-old girl would see, ingrained in her mind, was his face, he said, pointing to Hupperterz at the defense table.

He made a choice when Burleigh began screaming for her life about 4 a.m., Grenell said. Those screams only said one thing: Josh, stop! Please, stop!

All he had to do was let go, Grenell said, but instead, Hupperterz, then a 29-year-old former Temple student, choked the life out of her.

Afterward, he tried to pin the death on his roommate, Jack Miley.

Authorities never implicated Miley in the crime. Miley, 24, testified to jurors last week that he was sleeping in his basement bedroom after a night of heavy drinking, heard no screams, and didnt even know that Burleigh  whom he never met  was in their apartment.

But Miley was the centerpiece of Hupperterzs defense.

Although Hupperterz admitted at the start of the trial to transporting Burleighs body to his grandmothers Poconos property, he said he did not kill her.

Nenner, the defense attorney, contended during the trial that Miley intervened in the violent fight between Burleigh and Hupperterz, and that Miley strangled Burleigh.

Grenell, in his closing, said the DNA evidence pointed only to Hupperterz.

Grenell pointed to Miley and said: Youre excluded, Mr. Miley, and Im sorry you had to sit through this. Miley, sitting quietly in the courtroom gallery with his family, nodded.

Burleighs bloody fingernails revealed who killed her, said Grenell, who prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Danielle Burkavage. Showing an autopsy photo of her fingers, Grenell said those nails scratched at Hupperterzs neck as he choked her.

Mr. Miley is excluded from that DNA, Grenell said. Its not Miley. Who did she scrape? Who did she claw? Who is the one holding her down?

Its him, Grenell said, again pointing to Hupperterz.For the first time in its 35-year history, Philabundance is enacting its disaster plan in Philadelphia, to quickly distribute food to federal workers facing hunger because of the partial government shutdown.

The hunger-relief agency is combining with Share Food Program, which supplies 500 food pantries in the region, as well as Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to create whats being called the Emergency Market.

It will be an outdoor food distribution site to be located under I-95 at Front and Tasker Streets in South Philadelphia, according to Stef Arck-Baynes, director of communications for Philabundance. The market will be open to federal workers who show their identification between 10 and 11 a.m. every Wednesday, beginning next week. The Philadelphia region has around 45,000 federal employees, but its not clear how many are furloughed or working for no pay.

Arck-Baynes said theres a chance the market may move to an indoor location at some point, although plans are still being formulated. The market will run until two weeks after the shutdown is ended, to cover any employees who may not immediately receive paychecks when everyone is back to paid work, she added.

While Philabundance has distributed food to sites where calamities have occurred in the past, such as in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017, it hasnt coordinated disaster food distribution in Philadelphia before, Arck-Baynes said.

Were doing this quickly, said Arck-Baynes, adding that we dont even have the food right now. Were looking for it.

Turning to the public, Philabundance is asking for donations to build a stockpile of food. The agency is using its website and social media to get out the word about its fundraiser, called Food for the Furloughed."

The agency plans to buy long-lasting produce staples such as potatoes, onions, and apples, Arck-Baynes said. It also has reached out to Share on West Hunting Park Avenue. Share has a supply of food purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture prior to the shutdown on Dec. 22.

We have grapes, split peas, and milk, said Samantha Mogil, manager of government and community affairs for Share. Ill see what else. She added that the archdiocese would augment the hastily cobbled-together Wednesday larder with canned beans and tuna.

Arck-Baynes said the mix of food will be different each week: At this point, we dont know what were going to get.

Neither does she know how many people will need to be fed.

We literally have no idea how many people will show up, she said. But she added shes confident there will be enough food for anyone who needs it.

As the partial shutdown continues, anti-hunger advocates fear people will find themselves without enough to eat. Local food pantries supplied by Philabundance and Share are reporting that federal workers are beginning to show up.

"This demonstrates just how many Americans are one missed paycheck away from hunger, said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a New York-based nonprofit that fights hunger.

He added that even people with above-poverty salaries such as federal workers can face the desperation of hunger quickly after one or two paychecks stop.

Thats illustrative of the general poverty problem in America, Berg said, explaining that so many people fall in and out of poverty on a regular basis. The number of Americans who are sometimes poor is 10 times the number of people who are perpetually poor.

The impetus for the creation of the Emergency Market began Monday, said Arck-Baynes, when a group of politicians  including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) and Mayor Jim Kenney  gathered for a news conference about the effects of the partial shutdown that was organized by newly elected U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat who represents Delaware County and other parts of the region.

Joe Shuker, president of Local 333 of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA workers, spoke at the event, referencing the panic hed been feeling as his people labored without pay. We are trying to feed the employees, he said.

Shuker asked Philabundance whether it could help. Then the wheels started turning, and the Emergency Market was conceived.

Asked about the Emergency Market, Shuker said on Thursday, Im sure our people will go.

One union member, Philadelphia International Airport security officer Maggie Sabatino, 34, guaranteed shed be there. In fact, she said, she lives around the corner from the market site.

This is definitely a blessing, said Sabatino, the married mother of an autistic 3-year-old son and a year-old daughter. Her husband, who spends much of his time caring for his son, works part-time.

What savings we had are starting to deplete, said Sabatino, who has worked without pay for nearly four weeks. Ive never been to a food pantry before, but I have children to take care of, and thats when you put pride aside and get what you need.January is the busy season for unemployment offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, mostly because of employers parting ways with seasonal workers.

But this year, the partial federal government shutdown has made the busy season even busier.

More than 3,100 federal workers have applied for benefits through Pennsylvanias Office of Unemployment Compensation since the shutdown started on Dec. 22, including nearly 800 from Jan. 10 through Wednesday, according to state officials. As of Thursday, the 27th day of the shutdown, more than 1,000 federal employees in New Jersey have filed for unemployment benefits.

The details behind each claim might be different, but its likely the surge of new applications stems from the more than 800,000 federal workers nationwide who did not get a paycheck last week, because they are either on unpaid leave or working even though Congress has not funded their agencies.

It was the first missed paycheck in what now has become the longest shutdown in the countrys history, sparked by President Donald Trumps request for more than $5 billion to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and Democrats' refusal to fund it.

In Pennsylvania, more than 450 federal employees filed unemployment claims in the last week of 2018, almost 10 times as many as the 48 who filed in the same week the previous year, according to state officials. In Philadelphia, more than 1,000 federal employees have applied for unemployment benefits during the shutdown, and 446 have filed across Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.

Federal workers' claims take longer to process than other types, because unlike other employers, federal agencies are not required to report wages to the state every quarter, said Susan Dickinson, director of Pennsylvanias Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy. So state workers have to reach out to the human resources offices of federal agencies, which may be operating with fewer staff.

To receive unemployment benefits faster, the state recommends federal workers submit pay stubs with their applications.

After the shutdown ends and federal workers receive their back pay  a step already approved by Congress  the states will require them to repay the compensation they received.

In the meantime, state officials are partnering with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to hold a resource fair for furloughed federal workers on Tuesday. At the fair, at the United Ways office on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, federal workers can get information about financial, food, and utilities assistance from state and city agencies. The event starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m.For all of the talk in the Glass prequels  Unbreakable and Split  of mass murder and torture and kidnapping and other unpleasantness, bone-deep terror (all are PG-13) was not their primary calling card.

Split, for instance, was about a guy named Kevin Wendell Crumb, played by James McAvoy who turns dissociative identity disorder into a mixtape. Crumb is a sometime serial killer called The Beast, one of his two dozen personalities  a multitude suggested by a sink-side cup full of toothbrushes.

So there were 24 people in there, each practicing good dental hygiene, making The Beast the first maniac to be endorsed by the American Dental Association.

On top of that there is always the abiding (sixth?) sense that the garish flourishes were a gambit, meant to disguise a hidden agenda. Fans know that writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is forever up to something  like his Unbreakable antihero Elijah Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), he likes to use sleight of hand, to show us one thing, while hes secretly doing another.

Have you ever seen a really good magician?

The question in Glass comes from psychiatrist Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who likes to collect and study people suffering under the delusion that they have superpowers. Shes got Elijah Glass locked up in an insane asylum and as the movie opens, shes adding to her collection, including Unbreakables David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and the occasionally beastly Kevin.

The latter two have been making front-page news in Philadelphia  Dunn for prowling the streets as a vigilante known as The Overseer (a word apparently chosen in spite of its historical connotations), Kevin is still kidnapping uniformed cheerleaders, and both are apprehended after a squaring off at the movies outset.

In custody, they are poked, prodded, and examined by Dr. Staple, who holds group therapy sessions in a pink room, where she seeks to convince the men they arent really superstrong or supersmart, just people hyper-compensating for personal trauma.

Is she right? Well of course not, and what kind of fun would that be? Shyamalan even winks at us, mentioning by name The Exorcist, in which we see that medicine and psychology are a poor match for the biblical evil that has possessed Linda Blair.

Dr. Staple represents the kind of professional-class doubter, cynic, skeptic, and nonbeliever who pops up in his films  the sort who doubts the exceptional (and is on some level envious of it).

Shes out to debunk her patients perception that their special abilities are superpowers, and rejects Elijahs belief that comic books are just the latest form of mythmaking and storytelling that humans use to explain the gifted among them  people like The Beast and The Overseer.

Since Shyamalan first unveiled this idea in Unbreakable, other superhero movies have played around with a mix of the actual with the mythical. Christopher Nolan pushed real-world themes (the war on terror, income inequality, and Hurricane Katrina) into his Dark Knight movies. Logan suggested that X-Men get old, and sick, and frail, while taking aim at anti-immigrant sentiment. Deadpool turned comic book meta-commentary into comedy.

Shyamalan got there first, and has a different agenda  his superheroes are essentially human, functioning at the outer limits of the species physical capacity. Their behavior arises from human pain.

The first of these Shyamalan figures, you could say, was Cole Seer, way back in Sixth Sense. He needed his mother to believe in his extraordinary gifts, and their concluding scene was genuinely emotional. These elements blend less smoothly in Glass  Elijah and Kevin Crumb dont merely suffer, they cause suffering. They are often self-pitying and self-aggrandizing, and their rhetoric  Kneel before me!  is indeed delusional.

And relationships matter less  Anya Taylor Joy returns up as Kevins liberated captive, a grown-up Spencer Treat Clark returns as Dunns son  but nearly everything in the movies big reveal section is plot-driven.

There is a lot of plot in those final minutes, and dont bother trying to outguess the magician. He pulls a rabbit out of a hat, just to distract you from the next rabbit.

MOVIES

Glass

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. With Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, Sarah Paulson, Anya-Taylor Joe, and Spencer Treat Clark.

Running time: 2 hours, 9 mins.

Parents guide: PG-13 (violence including some bloody images, thematic elements, and language)

Playing at: Area theaters.Richard Vague, a wealthy Philadelphia tech venture capitalist, has spent a year studying voters in six swing states to determine what the 2020 Democratic nominee for president needs to know about Americas middle class.

Along the way, Vague began considering whether he ought to be that candidate himself.

A Texas-bred marketing expert who came to Philadelphia after making millions in banking and credit cards in Delaware, and then a turn in the energy sector, Vague describes himself as despondent after Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump in 2016.

Deconstructing the defeat, Vague decided that Trump had developed and delivered a concise message for middle-class voters, as did U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who lost a hard-fought battle for the Democratic nomination. Clinton?

Im not sure I could tell you what Hillary was for in a concise way, Vague said this week in the conference room of his firm, Gabriel Investments, with a sweeping 25th floor view of City Hall. And I think that was a weakness strategically.

Adding to Vagues concern, state and national Democratic leaders didnt seem to be immediately developing a policy response to prevent a repeat.

When I saw there really wasnt an effort in that regard, thats when I thought, maybe Ill do something, he said.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell put Vague in touch with a Washington-based political consulting firm, Cornerstone Government Affairs, with ties to the early presidential primary state of Iowa. Vague and the firm developed a profile of voters he wanted to talk to: people making between $40,000 and $80,000 per year who had voted in the last two presidential elections.

Then Vague set off to meet with them, holding 22 focus groups in Iowa, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. He has four more scheduled for the first half of 2019. The groups have been split equally between Democrats and Republicans. In Iowa, he added registered independents because they outnumber both.

The questions were simple but serious. How is the job market for you? What are your prospects for advancement in the next five to 10 years? What is the state of your health insurance?

The answers were grim and shocking. In each state, no matter their political leanings, two-thirds of the people said they could not afford to miss even a single paycheck; most said they didnt expect their careers to improve; and almost all were worried about increases in premiums and deductibles for employer-provided health insurance.

I was surprised, said Vague, who found health insurance to be the primary driver of economic anxiety. But keep in mind, I was not asking them about candidates, and I was not asking them about policies. I was asking about their lives.

Along the way, Vagues thinking shifted. Rather than provide his research to a Democratic candidate for president, could he run? He grew up as a Republican and stayed with the party early in his career, but had been registered as an independent for more than a decade. Five days before the end of 2017, Vague changed his Philadelphia voter registration to Democratic.

I think I had been a Democrat in practice for quite some time, he said. But I needed to technically make it official.

Rendell said he sees a lane for a moderate Democrat who is going to tell the truth to people in a crowded 2020 primary field if former Vice President Joe Biden does not enter the race. He calls Vague a bright guy doing all the right things.

Hes got the money to build the infrastructure for a campaign team, Rendell said. Hes smart as a whip. Doesnt take himself too seriously. Self-effacing but absolutely brilliant.

Vague knew Biden as his senator while living in Delaware. Bidens entering the race would be impactful on whether Vague became a candidate, he said. No other potential Democratic candidate has that kind of sway over Vagues thinking.

Vagues deep pockets were filled by work in the credit card industry and Energy Plus, an electricity and natural gas company he co-founded and then sold in 2011 for $190 million. He has turned his marketing savvy toward the Penn Medicine board, where he serves and speaks expansively about the hospital systems research.

Vague has been active on both sides of the aisle for years, giving donations to Republicans and Democrats. At times, he has hedged his bets in the same race. In 2016, he gave money to U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican seeking a second term, and to his unsuccessful Democratic opponent, Katie McGinty.

I am sure there are folks who will have issues with that, Vague said. But I think one of the things it does is reinforce the idea that, as a candidate and as a president, I can work across the aisle and work broadly, which is what I think its going to take.

Alan Kessler, a Philadelphia lawyer active in Democratic presidential campaign fund-raising, said Vague is a pretty thoughtful guy who has developed friends on both sides who have similar ideas. The two paired up in 2013 to raise money for Toomey.

Do I think its doable? Kessler said of Vagues potential candidacy. For people who have been doing it for a long time as a profession, and know what its like to be involved in a presidential campaign, it would have to be a complete long shot. But you know what? Thats what people said about the guy in the White House now."

Vague plans to release a series of policy proposals in the spring, based on what he learned from speaking with voters.

One pitch: Lower the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 55 so older workers with more health issues can opt out of their employers' insurance plans, reducing costs as younger, healthier employees remain on the plans.

Another: Vague estimates that America has 55 million homes, plus five to 10 million small businesses with buildings, but just two million structures with solar panels. Creating a government-insured lending program could increase that to five or 10 million, creating manufacturing and installation jobs while helping the environment.

Like many would-be candidates, Vague has a book on the horizon. But this is no inspirational tale with him as the lead character in a long march to the White House.

The title is A Brief History of Economic Doom. Delivered to the publisher in December and set for release in the middle of the year  right around the time when Vague says he will decide on whether to be a candidate  the book is a data-driven examination of 43 financial crises in the worlds six largest countries over the last two centuries.

Vague predicts an economic slowdown in the U.S. coinciding with the 2020 presidential race, followed by a much more serious economic crisis in Asia, driven by new and exploding private debt.

I think it will be a factor, Vague said of the impact on the campaign, especially if Trumps claim is he knows what to do economically in a slowdown.

For now, Vagues efforts are more academic than political. He has compiled significant data. But he has almost zero social media presence, a key platform would-be candidates use to introduce themselves and to talk more broadly and directly with voters.

Vague said he has not kept track of how much his focus-group effort has cost. He would start as a self-funding candidate if he enters the race  with no preset amount of his own money to spend  but would shift to public fund-raising sooner rather than later to fund the effort and reach out to voters.

Little-known candidates have run for president fully aware the odds were stacked against them but eager to use the platform to help shift and shape the national discussion. Vague said that isnt his intention.

If I enter the race, it will be with the desire and intention to win, he said.My staff and I have spent much of our careers traveling to developing countries to provide knee replacements. After a nine year hiatus from visiting Panama, our team from 3B Orthopedic Group at Jefferson Northeast returned this fall. These trips are always emotional. And they also offer lessons about how people from different cultures cope with illness and disability.

Most notable, the Panamanian patients we saw, as well as those we have treated in other Central American countries, dont want to take narcotics. These drugs are traditionally reserved for those with cancer or other extremely painful conditions  much as they once were in this country.

Supplies of opioids are short. Some patients choose not to take these drugs so they are available to those who need them more, while others want to avoid the stigma of being in a condition to even need them.

Pain is tolerated much differently in these patients than in those we see in this country, often because the people in countries such as Panama have no other choice. Access to medical care is limited, especially in contrast to Philadelphia with urgent cares, pharmacies, doctor offices, and hospitals on almost every block.

After bilateral total knee replacements, patients in Panama take two Tylenol, perhaps two the next morning, and then prepare to walk home or ride in a car on unpaved roads for hours. Their pain and disability have been so great for so long that it is as if their thermostat for pain is set at another level.

Though we dont have anything like our urban surgical facilities, we have never had a patient treated on a mission trip suffer a post-surgical infection. While I like to believe that is due to our extremely careful approach to surgery, another factor is the lack of antibiotic dependence in these cultures. Patients natural immunities are stronger when they dont receive antibiotics for every sniffle.

A 74-year-old woman traveled more than four hours with her family to Panama City, Panama, for the chance to have a knee replacement. She had been living with her son for several years because she could no longer take care of herself, her right knee was so painful. Before surgery, she told us in Spanish that she prayed to God that she would be chosen for the surgery, she so wanted her independence back. She was full of smiles and good cheer after the surgery, happily posing for a photo. She even asked us to return in the spring to do her other knee.

Panama has made great progress in the decade since our last trip, both in surgical technique and also in social systems. Several of the surgeons we first met now have children who are themselves orthopedists, even heads of hospital departments. Interestingly, the majority of these surgeons are women. In the U.S., though more women than men enrolled in medical school last year, only 4 percent of members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) are female and only 30 percent are actively practicing five years after graduation.

International medicine is an extremely gratifying experience, though it also comes with great challenges: language barriers, infection risks, operating facilities, supply logistics and geography. None of that seems to matter when we are rewarded with the smiles and gratitude of our patients.

Robert E. Booth, Jr., M.D. is the medical director of 3B Orthopaedics at Jefferson HealthAlejandro Escovedos distinguished career goes all the back to when his band the Nuns opened for the Sex Pistols in San Francisco in 1978.

The Mexican American rocker was a cowpunk pioneer with Rank and File. He led Austin, Texas, guitar army True Believers before embarking on an acclaimed solo career in which hes artfully mixed punk and glam with narrative storytelling and collaborated with Bruce Springsteen, John Cale, David Bowie producer Tony Visconti, and members of R.E.M., among others.

But Escovedo has never made a record as timely as The Crossing, which follows immigrant boys named Diego and Salva  one Mexican, one Italian  as they confront struggle, strife, and racism while traveling up through Texas into Donald Trumps America.

Escovedo wrote The Crossing with Antonio Gramantieri, the leader of Don Antonio, the northern Italian band that backed him while touring Europe in 2017.

Don Antonio will plug in behind Escovedo at World Cafe Live on Thursday as they bring their immigrant songs to Philadelphia.

The show will be the second Crossing date in the area. Escovedo and Don Antonio played their first concert together in America in September at the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square in Chester County, which Escovedo says was a great experience.

How did The Crossing happen?

It grew out of the experience of playing with Don Antonio. We flew over to Italy less than two years ago, my wife and I. We rehearsed for a couple of hours the first night, and then we began a 35-shows-in-40-days tour.

It was a really great tour. Then two months later, we toured southern Italy and I started seeing the links between Mexican culture and Italian culture, especially in the south, where the food is spicy and the desert meets the ocean.

You were born in San Antonio and have lived your entire life in the U.S. Have you been shocked at the venom directed at immigrants and Mexicans in particular?

I was shocked that its become so singular. I know its directed at anyone, any race thats not white. But that [Trump] singled out Mexicans in his opening salvo, that there was so much hatred and the wall became such a dominant topic.

Youve said that The Crossing says more about you than any of your records, even though its not really about you. How so?

As a writer, you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in character. There have been times on albums like Gravity and 13 Years [both released in the 1990s after the suicide of his first wife, Bobbie, from whom he was separated] in which I spoke about an experience I had which was tragic and difficult to understand, and through song I was able to find my way to a better place.

But this album, because its such a huge thought process of making a concept album, and it could easily backfire on you  the minute you say the word concept album , people run in the opposite direction.

With good reason.

Absolutely. There are a lot of really kind of [terrible] concept albums . We wanted to make a record that was timely but focused on the songs. We felt it could be an album that has a story and a message, yet if you took any of those songs and played them, they would be beautiful in themselves. Then it was easy to get into character, and really find myself in those characters.

In Sonica USA, you sing ,I saw the Zeros and they looked like me, referencing your brothers Javier and Marios band from the 1970s. Who played that role for you?

Ritchie Valens, of course. The Sir Douglas Quintet. ? and the Mysterians. Maybe even Love, because they were integrated. The great thing about punk rock for us was that in the beginning, it was very inclusive . It wasnt just about playing guitar. If you had something to say and you had a way of expressing it that was interesting, the stage was yours.

And it also crossed the lines between artist and audience, which is something Ive taken to heart . Bands like Mott the Hoople and even Bowie, they were very close to the fans. Ive always loved that part of it.

Youve got great people on The Crossing. Wayne Kramer from the MC5. James Williamson from the Stooges. And you cover a song by Joe Ely, whom youve toured with a lot recently.

First of all, my love for Joe Ely is very respectful and strong. He embodies the idea of a Texas troubadour for other artists . The storyline of Silver City fit so perfectly, it was an easy call to put it on the record.

I was struck by the line "How easy it was to fall / And not be seen at all in Silver City. Thats different when you sing it than when Joe does.

In Joes version, its more like Woody Guthrie, who is traveling to Silver City and trying to make his mark and finds hes not accepted. Theres no place for him. For Diego and Salva, they find that because of the color of their skin and culture, that theyre invisible.

What makes you proud about The Crossing?

I think it really captures anything Ive ever wanted to do in music. The storytelling, the musical ambition of the record. At the core of it is this beautiful noisy punk rock, and it also ventures into this atmospheric soundtracky kind of vibe.

Did you intend it to be a counter-narrative to fearmongering directed at immigrants?

I think its really important that its not just about these two boys. Its not just about being Mexican and Italian. Its a story that we all share. Its about being human.

Were all human beings. We all suffer. We all have joy. We all have great expectations. We fall short sometimes. Some of us get up and continue, and some of us dont. Its all about dreams and desires and, you know, that beautiful part of youth where you go out and try to find it. Thats what the records really about.

Music

The Crossing Tour: Alejandro Escovedo with Don Antonio

8 p.m. Thursday, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., $25-$27, 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.comOn a recent morning at Germantown Friends School, teacher Alex Levin called on ninth grader Cole Winicov to demonstrate what hed learned in class over the last eight days.

Instead of walking to the blackboard, Cole whipped out a deck of cards.

Pick a card, he said, then showed off a midair bridge as he summoned an observer to play along with his magic trick. He shuffled some more, slapped a card on the floor  an eight of clubs  alas, not the right one. Ah, but the trick wasnt over. Cole left the card, then after some onehanded cuts and other sleight of hand, he directed his audience back to the floor. The card was turned over and  tada!  its the correct card, an eight of diamonds.

I love this so much, said Levin of his star pupil in a Games and Magic class, where the kids learned card and dice tricks from a professional magician and labored to master games such as Jotto and Scattergories.

Across the way in a Quaker meetinghouse warmed by two piping-hot ovens, French teacher Amy Celantano and her 11 students are on their fifth and favorite course of the day. Not an academic course, but dessert, a final blast of chocolate cake, strawberry pie, mousse, and meringues that says la fin to an elaborate French feast.

I love it, said senior Sanaa DeBose, who was slicing into Julia Childs Reine de Saba, a chocolate and almond cake she helped make, as her fellow diners salivated. After our tests [in December], youre like J-Term is around the corner, youre going to make it.

If its a Bon Appetit class, this must be January  the month when 400 upper schoolers at the Philadelphia private academy cast aside the fundamentals of English or math for the fun of their brief January term, or JTerm. Kids enjoy short bursts of learning around 79 unconventional topics such as literature about dogs, canoeing, abstract painting, mindfulness, and Alexander Hamilton the man and the musical.

This is an academically highachieving school where students do have a lot of expectations  what the JTerm does is provide a chance for us to put those pressures aside and engage in experiential learning, said Matthew Young, director of the Germantown Friends upper school, which has been offering its threeweek January term for five years.

The idea for a January stretch of short, intensive, offbeat classes that break up the academic year originated on college campuses, where they remain popular. But in the Philadelphia region, a number of private secondary schools  with more freedom to experiment with the calendar and curriculum than their public counterparts  have enthusiastically adopted the idea.

Proponents say the one to twoweek miniclasses give students a chance to try more handson learning or enjoy outofclassroom experiences, presented by teachers who share their passion for a special subject outside the normal bounds of academia. For some schools, offering the classes after the holiday recess is also a creative way to jumpstart the second half of a long academic year.

Some schools, like Germantown Friends, offer the courses for credit. With a three-week break, they say, teachers manage to fit in the second semester curricula with just a slight extension of the school year.

Patrick Sillup, assistant head of academics at Malvern Prep, called the January program a breath of fresh air, midyear  the little jolt you need to get energized for school again after the long December break.

But he noted the Malvern Prep program  with classes ranging from knitting to building a digital brand  also was shortened in its second year to one week after feedback from teachers, parents, and students who thought the initial two weeks was too long.

At Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, head of school T.J. Locke said the January term was a popular program for five years but this year the short classes were moved to the end of the academic year in May  in part because of other changes in the schools calendar and because we want to try some different things with warmer weather.

In addition to classes such as building guitars or an architecture session, Episcopal offers students a chance to travel abroad on a service trip  this year to the Galapagos Islands, Haiti, or South Africa. Its really allowed our teachers to bring talents we dont always know about and see, added Locke, who said the classes are highly popular and foster love of learning for learnings sake.

Last year, Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Gloucester County launched MiniMesters, a week in June after finals when students can try out something new, like culinary arts, digital photography, or watercolors.

The idea is to try out something theyve never done before, said Mary Jane Kinkade, director of marketing and admissions at the 170student high school. We encourage them to step out of their comfort zone."

Which a group did last year, big time, when members hiked the Grand Canyon. They came back exhausted but on top of the world," Kinkade said.

At Germantown Friends, theater teacher April Tvarok said developing the January class on mural arts that she offers with colleague Ada Cheung was challenging but also a fun way to shift gears midyear and a great opportunity to meet kids on the campus who dont study theater.

Tvaroks students visited various murals around Philadelphia to get ideas for the 6by6-foot mural that they then designed to hang in front of the school auditorium. Guided by a computer rendering of their concept  an homage to the artist Keith Haring with colorful silhouettes around two central figures offering a traditional Quaker handshake in front of an open door  students were painting the actual mural onto 36 individual squares.

Before going to break we have a lot of homework, said 16yearold Faruq Adger, a Germantown Friends art teachers son who said the mural class allows him to pursue his own passion for the subject. This is a good outlet to pursue something we love and slow down.

Faruq was also taking classes on botanical drawing, food blogging, and the Supple Leopard fitness technique. Classes can last for eight or 16 days and run for a quarter, half or full day, allowing for a mix of serious and more arcane topics.

In another classroom, seniors Noah Weinstein, 17, and Sarah Levin, 18, are using the January class on aquaponics to work on getting their 8by4-foot growing bed and two 400gallon tanks in shape to soon welcome 30 tilapia for the club to raise, along with vegetables, during the spring semester.

The school gives us lots of freedom, Levin said. The worst thing that can happen is we cause a flood. And its not that bad.

While the aquaponics enthusiasts wait for their faroff harvest, the Bon Appetit class was feasting on the bounty that theyd helped prepare  carrot salad, bacon and vegetable quiches, fancy cheeses, and of course the piece de resistance, the desserts.

What does that say about us that we have four desserts? asked teacher Celantano, who then came up with the answer herself. That were Americans.One of the top-ranked law firms in the United States is bolstering its Philadelphia presence in a big, big way.

In one fell swoop, the Los Angeles-based Lewis Brisbois is doubling the size of its regional office, hiring a core of eight lawyers from Segal McCambridge to staff its regional practice.

The landscape in Philadelphia is changing, said Walter Pete Swayze, one of five new partners at Lewis Brisbois. If youre not growing, youre shrinking.

And Lewis Brisbois, which has added 100 lawyers a year in each of the last five years, is in a rapid growth mode. In 2018, the firm opened new locations in Reno, Nevada, and Walnut Creek, California. In the few weeks of 2019, they have already announced new offices in Charlotte, N.C. and St. Louis, Mo. with additional outposts opening in Savannah, Ga. and Washington D.C. in the coming months. The firm now employs 1,200 attorneys nationwide.

A seasoned defense lawyer who specializes in catastrophic events, Swayze is joined by new partners Megan E. Grossman, Michael B. Pullano, and Gregory Hurchalla (all formerly of Segal McCambridge). Also added as a partner at Lewis Brisbois is former Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Goldberg, who left the Department of Justice in late December.

The Philadelphia regions many pharmaceutical and medical-device manufacturers are one focus area for the expanded law firm. Swayze will serve as cochair of Lewis Brisbois life sciences practice with the firms managing partner, John T. Salvucci, and will handle high-profile product-liability cases.

I left a fabulous law firm where for 20 years I was involved in management, but the opportunity to change and transition to a bigger firm was just something that was awfully appealing to me, Swayze said. Its a very competitive legal environment, and Lewis Brisbois gives my group a national platform.

Grossman, who earned a masters in biomedical engineering, is a defense lawyer who will work with Swayze on life science matters. Pullano, who recently served as counsel for Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan, will handle complex product-liability and professional liability cases, Swayze said.

Swayze has handled many of the regions biggest pharmaceutical cases and has a long history of courtroom sparring with Philadelphias best-known attorneys.

The plaintiffs lawyers here are some of the best in the country and you have to be ready to deal with them, Swayze said. Bob Mongeluzzi, Tom Kline, Alan Feldman, Tom Duffy, and Matt Casey are all top shelf. Ive faced off against all of them.

Goldberg has brandished a badge for the federal government for 35 years, and most recently headed the Department of Justices computer hacking and intellectual property rights program in Philadelphia.

Since 1993 Ive been a cyber prosecutor, Goldberg said. Thats the experience that was attractive to them and makes this a natural fit.

Goldberg also specialized in crisis management and disaster prevention. He served as the chief lawyer for the visit of Pope Francis and the Democratic National Convention. He works with victims dealing with cyber breaches, and helps in recovering hijacked data and restoring confidential information.

My job is to get cybercrime victims back on their feet and do whatever the law may require of them, Goldberg said. Also a key part is helping companies prepare and prevent it from happening.1929: John C. Bogle is born in Verona, N.J.

1951: Bogle graduates from Princeton University, writing his thesis on reducing fees for the emerging mutual-fund industry. After graduation, Bogle is hired by Wellington Management after he sends a copy of his thesis to Walter Morgan, founder of the Wellington Fund.

1965: Bogle become CEO of Wellington Management.

1974: Wellington fires Bogle after a disastrous merger and plunging stock prices.

1975: The Bogle-founded Vanguard Group launches with 11 funds (including the Wellington Fund) and $1.8 billion in net assets. Bogle structures Vanguard as a client-owned mutual fund company, redirecting profits to shareholders in the form of lower costs.

1976: Vanguard creates the first index mutual fund for individual investors, now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. Bogle believes a fund that passively tracked broad-based stock market indexes would match the markets average return and typically surpass the performance of actively managed funds.

1977: Vanguard eliminates loads, or sales commissions, and makes all of its funds no-load.

1986: Vanguard introduces the first bond index for individual investors.

1990: Vanguards total assets under management reach $56 billion.

1992: Vanguards Total Stock Market Index Fund becomes the largest mutual fund in the world at $343 billion.

1993: Bogle publishes his first book, Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor.

1996: Bogle retires as Vanguards chairman and CEO.

1999: Fortune names Bogle one of the investment industrys four giants of the 20th century, and receives the Woodrow Wilson Award from Princeton for distinguished achievement in the nations service. He is also named chairman of the board of the National Constitution Center.

2000: Bogle retires as Vanguards senior chairman and becomes president of the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center on Vanguards campus.

2004: Time lists Bogle as among the 100 most influential people in the world.

2006: Vanguards total assets under management surpass $1 trillion.

2018: In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Bogle warns that the concentration of ownership created by indexing firms presented a threat to the markets. Vanguards assets under management reach $5.1 trillion, with 380 funds and ETFs.China approves infrastructure projects worth $72b

From:ChinaDaily | 2019-01-16 15:22

BEIJING - China's top economic planner has approved construction of seven infrastructure projects with a total investment of 485 billion yuan ($72 billion) this year, according to Securities Daily.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) authorized plans to build infrastructure projects in transportation, water conservancy and energy, the paper reported.

The projects include several rail transit projects in the city of Wuhan, construction of a hydroelectric station at the Jinsha River and airports in the cities of Lianyungang, Hohhot and Xianyang.

The most costly of the projects would be the inter-city railroads in Jiangsu province, expected to require 231.7 billion yuan.

China has accelerated approval of infrastructure projects to stabilize investment and bolster the economy, said Pan Yuzhang, a researcher with Xiangcai Securities.

The country's fixed-asset investment rose 5.9 percent year-on-year to 60.93 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of 2018, an encouraging sign amid increasing downward pressures on the wider economy.

Fixed-asset investment includes capital spent on infrastructure, property, machinery and other physical assets.The King Day National Bell Ceremony is not going to happen at the Liberty Bell Center this year, another casualty of the federal shutdown.

Its the first time we ever missed the ceremony in 36 years, said Dr. William Tucker, chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Nonviolence Inc., which sponsors the yearly ceremony, and widower of the ceremonys founder, C. Delores Tucker, a civil rights activist who became Pennsylvanias secretary of state and joined Kings late widow, Coretta Scott King, in helping persuade President Ronald Reagan to sign legislation authorizing the memorial bell-ring.

With the National Park Service stopped, the Independence Historic Trust made an appeal to local corporations and other groups to raise nearly $40,000, in $5,000 to $10,000 increments, to pay staff to reopen Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell for tourists on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, so tourist visits and scheduled events could continue, park and corporate sources told the Inquirer.

Wawa, the Eagles, the Philadelphia Foundation, and developer Tom Scannapieco were among the corporate and nonprofit donors who responded this week.

But they werent enough by themselves, so the park will stay dark. locking out the National Bell Ceremony, which in past years has honored political and spiritual leaders, ranging from Archbishop Charles Chaput to two daughters of Malcolm X, Ilyasah Shabazz and Malaak Shabazz.

Instead, this years honoree, Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of TV One Cable Television, will ring a bell at the 201 Hotel, at 17th and Race Streets, before the associations annual luncheon at noon Monday. Hughes will be honored alongside Laborers union leader Sam Staten and Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams, said association secretary Dr. Ethel Partridge. Tax records show luncheon ticket purchases cover the cost of the luncheon plus a small summer tutoring program, College for Teens.

Park supporters are frustrated about the shutdown over the long holiday weekend, after efforts to find private sponsors to pay staff ran out of time.

If we could find four corporations to each give $10,000, it could be accomplished. If we raise more, we can remain open for additional days, according to an appeal received by area employers and charities from the historic trust last week. But not enough responded in time to get the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall back up.

In addition to the lack of funding, this weekends weather was taken into consideration, as well as the short notice to get federal workers back from furlough, said Joyce Walker, deputy director of the trust.

Her group said staffing costs for the bell and hall, the parks most popular attractions, run from $11,000 to $14,000 a day, varying with events and holiday requirements.

There may be higher-profile public servants who arent getting paid -- members of the Coast Guard struggling to keep waterways safe in freezing weather, the Internal Revenue Service delaying tax refund checks, among others -- but Philadelphia is among the cities most dependent on government-backed historic tourism to keep its restaurants and hotels busy and city tax coffers full.

Its different in that other historic center, Boston, where civic groups mobilized, in some cases, long before the National Park Service arrived in its brick and stone Colonial district, and continue to fund and oversee historic buildings and programs.

As a result, while the park service warns on its website that National Park Service facilities and services in Boston are closed, major attractions in that citys historic area remain open -- including the Paul Revere House, the USS Constitution, and the Old North Church, among others.

The National Constitution Center and the Independence Visitors Center, though located in the park on Independence Mall, have a similar private status in Philadelphia and remain open despite the federal shutdown. So does the Betsy Ross House, which is owned by the City of Philadelphia.

In Philadelphia, lines of disappointed tourists formed outside the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall on Dec. 21 after unpaid park service staff closed the attractions. Visit Philly, the promotion group funded from the citys hotel tax, donated $33,000 to keep the park attractions open on top tourist days during the busy weekend before New Years.

But such spending is not sustainable for nonprofits, obviously, said the trusts Walker. She said her group and its partners are preparing to fund-raise for the upcoming Presidents' Day weekend. Maybe with more time supporters can bring in more donors.

Tourism dips in the weeks after New Years, but last year visitors to the Liberty Bell rose from around 70,000 in January to over 100,000 in February, which includes Presidents' Day weekend, according to park service data.

A 2017 report by the National Park Service said that visitors to Independence Park spent nearly $300 million in the region, supporting more than 4,000 jobs -- and that each day the park is closed costs businesses and the citys tax coffers more than $1 million.

President Donald Trump ordered the government shut down after congressional Democrats refused to back more than $5 billion in funding for structures he has proposed to build along the Mexican border, which he says will block illegal immigrants. Democratic leaders question whether the project will provide efficient protection from illegal drugs, criminals, or terrorists.File-In this Dec. 13, 2018, file photo, teen migrants walk in line inside the Tornillo detention camp in Tornillo, Texas. Government investigators say many more migrant children may have been separated from their parents than the Trump administration has acknowledged. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)Actress Rosemond Alade Brown aka Akuapem Poloo is having the best moments of her life this 2019.



After outdooring her first car not that long ago, the fooler-in-Chief has now taken a trip to the United Arab Emirates, specifically to the Emirati of Dubai  where the world goes to have fun.



Rosemond packed all her bags before leaving the country and of course that made news, so were interested to see how her chilling is going.



And of course, she hasnt disappointed, with the actress already uploading photos from Dubai to social media.



Hello from the other side #Dubai. she captioned the shots.



Checkout Poloo chilling below.







Source: ghanacelebrities.com









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Featured VideoDr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, former Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), has blamed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for lack of commitment towards the establishment of Political Parties Fund.



Speaking at the ongoing 70th Annual New School and Conference at the University of Ghana, Dr Afari-Gyan said the nations two main political parties, whenever either of them was in opposition, supports the idea of establishing Political Parties Fund, however, whenever either of them was in Government, opposes it.



The four-day programme on the theme: Building Strong Institutions for Democratic Consolidation in Ghana, is being organised by the School of Continuing and Distance Education of the College of Education, University of Ghana, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.



Dr Afari-Gyan said like the issue of voting by Ghanaians living abroad, the quest for a standing fund to support the activities of political parties started a long time ago during the time of the first NDC Government (1993-2000); declaring that the NPP, then in opposition, was fully in favour of the establishment of such a fund.



He recounted that at that time, after elaborate discussions on the issue at Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Meetings, the EC sent a request to the government to consider establishing the fund.



He said the then Governments (NDC first government) reply was that the fund was a good idea, but the time was not ripe.



Dr Afari-Gyan noted that however, the Commission and the parties continued their deliberations on the fund, and by the time the NPP first came to power (2001 -2008), a detailed document, signed by key representatives of all the parties, had been produced.



He said the document was sent to then NPP-led Government along with a request to establish the fund; declaring that as we all know, up till today no fund to support the activities of the political parties has been established.



The situation here is an interesting one: when a party is in government, it does not want public funding: when it is in opposition, it wants it, he said.



To put it cruelly, one wonders whether it is a situation of needs and wants. Be that as it may, the situation clearly shows that our two leading political parties lack a principled stand on the issue of a public fund for political parties.



He said however, there was need for such a fund, because without public support it might be impossible to get the nations political parties to do any decent accounting of their finances.



Speaking on the topic Improving the Electoral Process for Democratic Consolidation, Dr Afari-Gyan said every Ghanaian who was knowledgeable about the electoral process could contribute to its improvement.



He said improving the electoral process involves making small changes consistent with the existing laws and making reforms by amendments or new laws where appropriate.

Source: GNA









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Featured VideoFormer President John Dramani Mahama has condemned the unlawful killing of an investigative journalist by unidentified gunmen in Accra on Wednesday.



Addressing delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Koforidua in the New Juaben South constituency on Thursday, Mr Mahama said his heart was heavy after learning that Mr Ahmed Hussein-Suale, a journalist who worked with Anas Aremeyaw Anas Tiger Eye P.I. was shot dead whilst on his way home in Accra on Wednesday.



The former President said journalists should not be killed in cold blood because of the work they do, adding that it is a blot on Ghanas reputation as a beacon of democracy in Africa."



Mr Mahama noted that similar unlawful killings in the recent past have created a state of fear and panic.



He therefore called on the state security institutions to do more to protect the citizenry.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Featured VideoNational Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku has led a team of young campaigners on the principal streets of Ayawaso West Wuogon in support of NPP candidate, Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan.



Joined by several young people, they distributed posters, hand bills and other stickers to residents in the constituency on Thursday, January 17, 2019.



The NPP National Organizer assured the constituents of a better 2019 and pledged full commitment of the Akufo-Addo government to build a solid economy and prosperous Ghana, providing jobs for the youth and putting smiles on the faces of Ghanaians in 2019.



Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan has also been touring many parts of the constituency to garner support for the NPP and her parliamentary ambition.







Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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Featured VideoA leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Dr. Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor, has shockingly disclosed that joining the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is not out of the picture considering how the NDC, which once propagated the much-touted ethos of transparency, probit and accountability, "has been monetized".



He, however, stressed that any decision to do a political acrobatic will largely depend on that party's inclination to execute ideas that are in tandem with his (Kunbuor's) beliefs on social justice for the betterment of Ghanaians.



One-time Defence Minister in the erstwhile Mahama-led NDC administration, Dr Kunbuor, who also served as the Majority Leader of Ghanas Parliament, said "if I get a political party that is prepared to implement the ideas that I stand for in terms of social justice in creating a better society it doesnt matter the name, if the NPP start implementing those things and Im convinced that they are implementing it, I will join it, before he quickly added that "but i don't want the headline, Kunbuor joins the NPP".



Dr. Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor was speaking in an exclusive interview with Yaa Konaman on UTV's "Mpu Ne Mpu" last Friday.



Bemoaning how low the NDC has sunk on its ideals and principles, Dr Kunbuor said it is now almost impossible to distinguish the opposition party from the other political parties.



Sometimes when I look back, I ask myself if this is the party [NDC] we all struggled for. It is very painful and sometimes you also say well  it is either you are getting out of date or it is also because some people will say in African politics, they say there are two things; after you have served, if you are lucky not to get a bullet in your head, when you are too old, they will tie a rope around you and drown you at the nearest pond. That is how I normally see it serving in a political position in our part of the world, he said.



He further juxtaposed what is currently happening in the opposition party to events prior to the advent of the Fourth Republic, saying he could not fathom why the NDC is now "brazenly and in a crude manner", engaging in acts that the party strongly kicked against initially.



but for NDC, what really pains me is when I see the level at which the NDC has been monetized  then what is the difference between you [NDC] and any other political party, even the fact that you overthrew a political party government? It's painful. Then you look back you don't know how many apologies do you have to render and to how many people for coming to do exactly what you said you were against, and perhaps doing it even brazenly and in a crude manner? That is what is painful about it," Dr Kunbuor added.



Watch video below:







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash









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Featured VideoNorth Korea's chemical and biological weapons are a more underestimated threat than its nuclear weapons, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

"A single gallon of anthrax, if suitably distributed, could end human life on Earth. Even so, the Trump administration has given scant attention to North Korea's pursuit of living weapons," the daily said.

Several North Korean defectors who were soldiers tested positive for smallpox antibodies, "suggesting they were either exposed to the deadly virus or vaccinated against it," it added.

Intelligence analysts Amplyfi detected a sharp increase in North Korean Internet searches for "antibiotic resistance," "microbial dark matter" and similar terms, "hinting at a growing interest in advanced gene and germ research."

South Korea's military said in its latest defense white paper on Tuesday that "North Korea produced between 2,500 to 5,000 tons of chemical and biological weapons since the 1980s, while it is capable of cultivating and producing a wide range of biological weapons including anthrax, smallpox and bubonic plague."

Details are emerging about how the embattled Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of gold collectibles firm, Menzgold Ghana, Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1, was arrested in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).



A source close to NAM1 briefed DAILY GUIDE about how authorities in Dubai arrested the Menzgold boss on December 7, 2018, upon his arrival in that country.



What Happened?



According to the source, someone introduced officials of an Emirati-owned company Horizon Royal Diamondmanaged by a Lebanese to Menzgold for the supply of gold.



NAM1, according to the source, traded normally with the Arab firm through his beleaguered Menzgold for some time.



Unfortunately, the source averred that there was delay by Menzgold in supplying gold to Horizon Royal Diamond at a point and that apparently made the Arabs unhappy.



Manager of Horizon Royal Diamond, whose name was given simply as Daniel based in Dubai, was said to have instructed a representative of his outfit, one Zacca, who is believed to be an Angolan, to travel to Ghana to possibly find out why Menzgold was delaying in supplying the gold to the Dubai-based company.



Upon his arrival in Ghana, according to the source, Zacca visited NAM1 at his office and there he met a Nigerian named Ayodele and a Ghanaian called Charles, who were believed to be the business partners of Menzgold boss.



After Zaccas meeting with NAM1, he reportedly held talks with the Nigerian and Ghanaian, who unknown to NAM1, promised to supply gold from Sierra Leone at a cheaper rate to Horizon Royal Diamond as compared to what Menzgold was offering at the time.



Loses



Zacca reportedly contacted his boss Daniel in Dubai to inform him about the new arrangement and on the blindside of NAM1, they reached an agreement with the Nigerian and Ghanaian but they failed to supply the gold from Sierra Leone as promised, leading to losses worth $51 million to Horizon Royal Diamond.



Pleadings



After suffering the misfortune, officials of the Dubai-based company reportedly went back to NAM1 to revive their business.



They accordingly apologized to him, saying let bygone be bygone.



NAM1 agreed to trade with them once again and began supplying them but they were not paying as expected, according to the source.



As a result, the source said the Dubai Company owed Menzgold about $30 million.



Joint Venture



The source indicated that after their failed attempt to get gold from Sierra Leone, officials of Horizon Royal Diamond proposed a joint venture arrangement to NAM1 for the acquisition of a gold mine called Oware in the Ashanti Region.



NAM1 subsequently agreed to commit $2 million to commence the acquisition process while Horizon Royal Diamond pledged to inject $100 million into the operations of the mine.



DAILY GUIDEs checks revealed that the move was to ensure regular supply of gold to Horizon Royal Diamond.



However, when the plans failed to materialize, NAM1 reportedly sourced gold from small-scale miners across the country.



Initial Visit



According to the source, with the start of the Menzgold crisis back home, one of the lawyers of NAM1 (name withheld) decided to visit Dubai to get the Arab company to settle its debt to Menzgold in order to pay its customers who were agitating in Ghana.



Upon arrival in Dubai last year, the lawyer could not get the company to pay, as it reportedly refused to honour its financial obligations to Menzgold.



That trip was said to have been paid for by Horizon Royal Diamond.



Legal Fee



According to DAILY GUIDEs source, Menzgolds lawyer was compelled to hire a local lawyer in Dubai to retrieve the money for his company.



But the Dubai lawyer accordingly charged Menzgold an amount of $1.8 million as legal fee.



However, Menzgolds lawyer told his Dubai counterpart that his company could not afford to pay such an amount upfront, but noted that if the lawyer succeeded in retrieving the money for Menzgold, the Ghanaian company could give him more than that.



That arrangement did not work out apparently and Menzgolds lawyer returned to Ghana before December 2018.



Meanwhile, in December 2018, Menzgolds lawyer visited Dubai again but this time, he was said to have gone there for a private visit that was not related to the issue.



NAM1s Arrest Plot



According to DAILY GUIDEs source, NAM1 contacted his lawyer to know his whereabouts and he told him that he was in Dubai.



NAM1 reportedly instructed the lawyer to wait for him in Dubai to see how best they could work to retrieve the $30 million from the Arabs.



The lawyer reportedly obliged but unknown to NAM1, according to the source, officials of Horizon Royal Diamond submitted his name to Dubai immigration officers for his arrest upon arrival in the country.



NAM1 could not meet the lawyer because he was picked up by Dubai authorities upon his arrival on December 7, 2018.



Apart from Horizon Royal Diamond, another Arab, whose name was given only as Ahmed in Dubai, owes NAM1 an amount of $3 million.



He reportedly embarked on the trip to retrieve the monies to pay the irate customers in Ghana.



The source said Horizon Royal Diamond made the report against NAM1 apparently to destroy him so they would keep the money.



DAILY GUIDE has learnt that EOCO, the anti-graft body, invited him after Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Bank of Ghana (BoG) had lodged complaints against him.



Sources told the paper that EOCO did not ask NAM1 to submit his passport.



Govt Delegation Urged



A high-powered government delegation made up of Deputy Attorney-General, Joseph D. Kpemba, representatives from the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and Ghana Police, have travelled to Dubai to meet NAM1.



The source stressed the need for the Ghanaian government to ensure the retrieval of the amount owed Menzgold to assist the company pay its angry customers.



Meanwhile, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has debunked a report by state-owned newspaper DAILY GRAPHIC that President Akufo-Addo called an emergency cabinet meeting over the arrest of NAM1.



How The Crisis Began



The woes of Menzgold began after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a letter dated September 7, 2018, directed it to suspend its gold trading operations with the public.



SEC, at the time, said the directive was based on the fact that Menzgold had been dealing in the purchase and deposit of gold collectibles from the public and issuing contracts with guaranteed returns with clients without a valid license from the Commission.



The regulatory agency averred that the move was in contravention of Section 109 of Act 929 with consequences under section 2016 (I) of the same Act.



Menzgold was, however, allowed to continue its other businesses of assaying, purchasing gold from small-scale miners and export of gold.



Customers started demanding their investments gradually at the onset of the legal battle with SEC, but the situation worsened after Menzgold initially said that it could not pay its customers because of the directive from SEC.



It later reported that it had started paying off some of its customers.



A source at the time told DAILY GUIDE that the percentage payment schedules had been grouped into 100 per cent, 50 per cent, 30 per cent, 20 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.



But the payments of the customers did not go on smoothly as planned, forcing customers to embark on a massive demonstration on January 8, 2019, in Kumasi which compelled government to intervene in the matter.



However, according to DAILY GUIDEs source, Menzgold has between 46,000 and 48,000 customers and not 1.8 million as reported earlier.



Again, the source indicated that Menzgold owes customers between $50 million and $60 million and not $200 million as being speculated.



The source insisted that Menzgold is not a Ponzi scheme as the public is being made to believe, adding that NAM1 is a businessman who set up the company to do genuine business.



NAM1, the source added, was trying to retrieve monies owed him to pay the customers before his arrest.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoMr George Bernard Shaw, Defence counsel for William Baah on Wednesday described the evidence of the fifth Prosecution witness in the trial of the alleged murderers of the late Major Maxwell Mahama as untrue.



Mr Solomon Sackey, who spoke through an interpreter, told an Accra High Court that he did not know Mr Shaw but the Counsel said this was untrue.



The Defence counsel said he was the witnesss initial lawyer together with other accused persons during proceedings of their trial at the lower court.



On how the late Major Mahama was lynched, Mr Shaw asked the witness whether he saw a large crowd at the scene attacking the victim, to which the witness said in the positive, but defence Counsel asked him how he somehow managed to get closer.



The witness said l managed to get closer to the thick crowd but in the process l was hit with a stick, so l left to pay attention to my injury.



In fact you managed to find your way into the crowd, because you wanted to teach the supposed armed robber a lesson, the Counsel suggested, but the witness said he had the initial intention to teach the robber a lesson but at the time he got there and looking at how he was being beaten, he abandoned the idea.



He said Upon getting to the scene, l realised it was pathetic, seeing the armed robber being beaten so l dropped my stick and decided to prevent them from beating him further.



Mr Shaw further asked Mr Sackey what his motivation was that made him changed his mind after forcing his way into the crowd before his hand was injured.



Mr Sackey replied that he wanted to rescue the armed robber from the residents.



The Defence counsel pointed out to the witness that it was a lie, because he had forced himself into the crowd to lynch the victim, but the fifth prosecution witness said this was untrue and that his intention subsequently was to rescue him.



The defence then asked whether anyone among the residents at the scene acknowledged his Good Samaritan gesture, of which he replied that some of them saw him.



The witness told the court that he ran away from the town because he heard soldiers were storming there to avenge the death of the late Major.



Mr Shaw then asked why he would run when he had risked his life to save the victim, but the witness said he was informed that the soldiers would beat anyone on site hence his decision to flee.



Mr Shaw insisted that he run away because he knew very well what he did at the scene but the witness said  l was not part but had to run.



At this moment, the Counsel said your answer does not make sense but the witness said he ran away because when the incident happened almost everyone in the town tried to flee so did he.



Defence counsel asked him whether he knew one Nana Kojo and was related to him, he answered in the affirmative that he knew him but there were not related.



The Defence counsel then pointed out to him that the said Nana was his brother of which the witness admitted.



Mr Shaw indicated that the witness just a minute ago said he was not related to the said Nana and that he wanted to protect him from the consequences of what he did at the scene, but Mr Sackey said he did not even see the said Nana at the scene and could not tell what he did at the scene.



Counsel also said to the witness that he was present when the deceased became motionless and that the said Nana poured petrol on his body but the witness disagreed, saying l was not there at the time.



The Defence counsel said the witness, who spent eight months in custody, was anxious to know about his fate so jumped on the opportunity given by the State to serve as a witness to gain his freedom but Mr Sackey disagreed.



In fact in your desire to please the prosecution, you implicated people, the Counsel said but again the witness disagreed.



The Court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, then adjourned the matter to Monday, January 28 for further cross examination of the witness.



Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at the Burma Camp.



The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi when on May 29, 2017 some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.



The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.



The accused are William Baah, the Assemblyman of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyarko aka Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.



Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoPolice have discovered sperms in the pelvic region of the public affairs manager of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority who was found murdered Sunday at her home in Afienya near Tema.



A police report sighted by 3news.com read in part: There was a fresh cut on the right eye brow, a suspected bullet hole at the back of her head and sperms at her private part region.



Christian Agyei, who was serving as a houseboy to the deceased, Mrs Josephine Asante, has been picked up by the Police to assist in investigations into the crime.



He is said to have admitted to burying a wristwatch belonging to the deceased, together with 340 cedis behind the window of the boys quarters where he sleeps. The items which were freshly buried were discovered by the Police investigation team.



We have taken into custody the houseboy, DSP Joseph Benefo Darkwah who is the Tema Regional Police Public Affairs Director told our correspondent Josephine Frempong Monday.



He would however not confirm or deny the discovery of sperms in the private part of the deceased, except to say the Tema Region has reached out to the homicide department at the Police headquarters to assist in investigating the case.



But Christian in his caution statement said he saw a man in black T-shirt and a jeans running out of the house.



Meanwhile, the police report, which was authored based on information from the first Police responders said foot and finger prints of the suspect has been taken.



The report said no fired bullet shell was found at the scene and no bullet exit at the front portion of her head.



It said inspection of the scene revealed the doors and windows to the bedroom were all locked.



The key to the bedroom and the remote control to the main door were found at the entrance to the house close to the boys quarters, the report stated.



The deceased was found stabbed to death on Sunday dawn at her residence at the Emef Estate in Afienya near Tema.



The 49-year-old mother was said to to be living in her house with her son and a houseboy at the time of the incident.



Public Affairs Manager of Tema Port killed in her room The deceased was in a pool of blood in her bedroom Sunday dawn. Her 12-year-old boy called for help when he woke up and found the mother motionless not responding to calls to wake up.

Source: 3news.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Former President Jerry John Rawlings has asked troubled firm, Menzgold to react to the list being circulated on social media purporting to be persons who invested with them.



The list mentioned the name of the former President who according to it, invested GHC400,000.



In a tweet, Mr Rawlings describing the list as 'silly' said I do not have a stash anywhere to waste on questionable ventures



The former President does not also believe the rest of the names on the purported list, involved themselves in 'in this mess'



Read tweet below





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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.It will take CUPIA of Korea Customs Service, which is to operate a new port clearance system, over two years to develop and implement a new single window system in Ghana.



A statement published on its website on July 5, 2018 reads: CUPIA has signed a US$40million deal with Ghana Link to export an electronic Customs clearance system to the African country. Under the deal, our electronic Customs clearance system (UNI-PASS) will be provided to the Ghana government.



The project is planned to take 25 months and will mainly focus on developing main modules of the Customs clearance system: such as Customs clearance, cargo management and risk management etc. CUPIA will be responsible for development and implementation of the e-Customs system.



Even though the company has said it will take more than two years to develop and roll-out its system in Ghana, Uni-Pass was scheduled to deploy its new system on January 1, 2019.



The question many stakeholders are asking is what system will Uni-Pass operate at the countrys ports when their own system is not ready.



Others are also asking why the Ministry of Trade would sign a new 10-year single window contract with another company when the existing National Single Window is functional and meets the needs of operators and importers.



Contract Signed



It will be recalled that On March 29, 2018, the Ministry of Trade and Industry signed a 10-year sole sourced contract with Ghana Link Network Service Limited and its overseas partner, CUPIA Koria Customs Service, to take over the Ghana National Single Window with a newly-built customised superior system.



Even though the single window takeover would cost the taxpayer more money, the Ministry of Trade went ahead to seal the deal.



Ghana Link with its overseas partners, CUPIA Korea Customs Service will provide the trade facilitation and Customs Management System at a 0.75 percent fee (FOB) per their 10-year sole sourced contract with the Ministry of Trade.



This means that Ghanaian importers will be paying about US$180million for the UNIPASS system at the end of the companys 10-year contract with Ghana, based on the current import volumes.



This figure is far higher than what the existing vendors, West Blue and GCNet, are currently receiving as a fee.



UNIPASS Deal Suspended



Meanwhile, the Economic Management Team (EMT) on December 18, 2018 directed the Ministry of Trade and Industry to suspend the single window system takeover by CUPIA of Korea Customs Service (UNIPASS) and Ghana Link Network Service Limited.



The decision was communicated to the Ministries of Trade and Finance to ensure that issues regarding the takeover of operations at the countrys ports are addressed.

Source: B&FT









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) says government will accumulate more debts if it does not put in place the appropriate gas infrastructure to accommodate the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) gas production agreement.



According to ACEP, it was reliably informed that the $100 million security package provided in the Escrow Reserve Holding Account (ERHA) had already been encumbered by the private parties.



It said the government has also defaulted in paying for gas under the take-or-pay agreement ever since gas production was commissioned.



If the escrow is not replenished in time, other guarantees will be the next target. The partners will be forced to draw down on the World Bank Guaranteed Letter of Credit of $500m financed by HSBC and Standard Charted Bank of which Ghana National Gas Corporation (GNPC) has 12 months to pay. This means GNPC shall incur more debt and failure to pay within the stipulated time will result in accumulation of debts and interests payable by the nation.



It said the $7.7 billion OCTP Project came with certain guaranteed payment securities to ensure that the Sankofa Partners were able to recoup their investments, with the first tier of such payment securities being a designated gas sales account to be drawn by the partners.



That in a situation whereby the receipts of the gas sales are inadequate, the partners will draw their payments from an Escrow Reserve Holding Account (ERHA), a buffer account which is supposed to contain 4.5 months of estimated gas revenue of $191.95 million. The GNPC could only provide $100 million into the escrow.



The monetary value of the currently deferred 111 mmscf of gas per day is approximately $28 million per month.



According to ACEP, the OCTP oilfield project and its subsequent gas production present Ghana with an opportunity to improve power generation to spur economic growth and development.



However, the delays in establishing appropriate infrastructure to benefit from the project have led to financial implications which the government has sought to address with short-term but costly measures.



If the government of Ghana would speed up infrastructure delivery to take the gas, much of the financing challenges would be addressed. In the meantime, VRA must pay for the gas it utilizes, while GNPC replenishes the escrow account to prevent partners from resorting to World Bank guarantees.

Source: Daily Guide









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Trump On Iran: A Lie That May Lead To War

01/17/19

By Paul Pillar (source: LobeLog)

On the first work day of the new year, President Trump held a cabinet meeting that was open to the press and consisted mostly of a rambling monologue by the president about border walls and assorted other topics. Toward the end of the proceedings, Trump castigated anew the "horrible Iran nuclear deal" and asserted that the agreement "in eight years, gives Iran the legal right to have nuclear weapons."

No analysis or research by fact checkers is needed to see the bald-faced nature of that lie. The text of the nuclear deal-formally, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)-explicitly says the opposite. It's right up front in paragraph iii of the preamble: "Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons." This obligation is permanent. It reaffirms Iran's prior obligation as a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty not to acquire nukes. The JCPOA strengthens this obligation by coupling it with the most intrusive international nuclear monitoring and inspection regime any state has every voluntarily imposed on itself, along with the other severe restrictions that the JCPOA placed on Iranian nuclear activities.

Trump's falsehood continues a long campaign of misrepresentation by those who have opposed the JCPOA for reasons unrelated to nuclear proliferation. These reasons have to do with denying domestic political opponents any achievements and aligning with certain regional rivals of Iran who would like to keep it ostracized. Much of the misrepresentation has been less bald-faced than Trump's lie. Much of it has used fuzzier language to create the impression that the JCPOA gave Iran something in the nuclear area rather than taking something away. By inculcating that impression in a broader audience, the opponents of the JCPOA disguise the fundamental illogic of their position. They claim that they want to prevent an Iranian bomb, and yet they work to destroy the one agreement that has effectively closed all possible paths to such a bomb.

Responses to Donald Trump's lying on a wide range of topics over the past two years have demonstrated his ability to get a substantial proportion of the American public to believe his lies. This latest lie about the JCPOA may become part of a widely shared misperception that affects American opinion about policy toward Iran, even if no administration statement repeats it formally and officially. In that respect, the dynamics of public opinion would resemble those exhibited during the sales campaign for the offensive war against Iraq in 2003. That campaign emitted so many innuendoes about Iraq and al-Qaeda that a substantial proportion of Americans came to believe that the Iraqi regime had instigated the 9/11 terrorist attack, even when the Bush administration was not specifically asserting that it had.

The danger of Trump's falsehood about the JCPOA is that the resulting misperception may form the backdrop for a sales campaign by the current administration to launch an offensive war against Iran. Other misperceptions the administration is cultivating complement Trump's lie about the JCPOA. Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, states, "we have little doubt that Iran's leadership is still strategically committed to achieving deliverable nuclear weapons." That assertion is contrary to the U.S. intelligence community's judgment but Bolton has never hesitated to ignore intelligence judgments that do not support his objectives.

The assertion also is contrary to the history of Iran's nuclear activities. The Iranian regime clearly did have an interest in nuclear weapons and did technical work to that possible end a couple of decades ago. As a pariah state, the regime kept the nuclear weapons option open for several more years. When given the opportunity, however, to get out from under nuclear-related sanctions and lose some of the pariahdom if it accepted restrictions and scrutiny that would keep it a non-nuclear weapons state, the Iranian regime took that opportunity by negotiating and signing the JCPOA. If that bargain collapses, and especially if the Iranians face the threat or reality of military attack and seek a strong deterrent against such attack, then their earlier interest in nuclear weapons may return. But if so, they would be responding directly to actions of the Trump administration, not to any "strategic commitment" of Iran itself.

Bolton recently added to the administration's upside-down portrayal, in which it describes the knocking down of barriers to an Iranian bomb as if it were a blow against such a bomb rather than a stimulus for one, by appointing an anti-JCPOA hardliner as his "Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction." It is easy to see how the pieces of misrepresentation now fit together. Iran is portrayed as "strategically committed" to acquire nuclear weapons, which after just a few years the JCPOA gives it the "legal right" to do, but which the Trump administration is ardently working to "counter." All that is needed is some triggering incident-perhaps an accidental naval encounter in the Persian Gulf or a Shia militia somewhere firing ordnance at a U.S. facility-to make this melange of nuclear misperception the core of a public case for launching a new war.

This danger was underscored the other day by a report that Bolton had asked the Pentagon to provide options for a military attack on Iran. Bolton has made clear for a long time that he would love a war with Iran. So would Trump's biggest political bankroller, Sheldon Adelson, who even would like to escalate the conflict right away to the nuclear level. Trump himself, who is no second fiddle to his backers and subordinates in exuding hostility to Iran, probably feels the need to exude even more after taking some lumps from hardline supporters about his confusing policy on Syria and his remark at that same early January cabinet meeting that the Iranians "can do what they want in Syria."

Then there are all the other reasons why in 2019 the distracting and rallying effects of a new foreign war may seem all the more attractive to Trump, including his sliding poll numbers, the scrutiny of a Democratic-majority House of Representatives, and the upcoming conclusion of the Mueller investigation amid more evidence of campaign collusion with Russia.

Trump's rampant mendacity poses many serious problems for the republic and will need to be addressed for a long time, even after Trump leaves office. But for now, priority attention should be given to the lies that are most apt to lead to something as disastrous for the United States as becoming entangled in a new Middle Eastern war.





About the author:



Paul R. Pillar is Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Studies of Georgetown University and an Associate Fellow of the Geneva Center for Security Policy. He retired in 2005 from a 28-year career in the U.S. intelligence community. His senior positions included National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia, Deputy Chief of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence. He is a Vietnam War veteran and a retired officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Dr. Pillar's degrees are from Dartmouth College, Oxford University, and Princeton University. His books include Negotiating Peace (1983), Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (2001), Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy (2011), and Why America Misunderstands the World (2016).

Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

Mostly sunny. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 72F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.The state of New York has decided to honor Korea's March 1 Independence Movement and female independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun to mark the centennial of the resistance against Japanese colonial rule in Korea.

It was tabled by assemblymen Ron Kim, a Korean American, and Edward Brown and senators Toby Ann Stavisky and John Liu in the two houses. Despite attempts by Japan to throw a spanner in the works, the proponents insisted that the movement contributed to the promotion of human rights in the world.

In a statement, the state legislature commended Yu, who studied at what is now known as Ewha Girls' High School in Seoul, for her leadership and said she refused to betray her comrades even though she was tortured and her parents were killed by Japanese police.

Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.Social media is truly a mysterious and powerful force to behold. From launching movements to influencing elections and even making an egg the most popular personality on the internet, social media has grown to become a powerful tool that when wielded responsibly can be incredibly effective. No one in Congress knows this better than New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The freshman Congresswoman had already won over the internet long before the last ballot was cast in the midterm elections and has since ridden into the House on that wave of momentum with a message that's resonating with young voters and a fearless attitude. Having already fought off countless GOP trolls, Ocasio-Cortez is no stranger to a pitch-perfect clapback but now she may face her biggest challenge yet; teaching old people how to tweet.

The House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee announced that it will hosting a workshop on "the most effective ways to engage constituents on Twitter and the importance of digital storytelling" which will be led by Ocasio-Cortez. And while some of the congresswoman's freshman peers like Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib may not need any help in that department, Connecticut Congressman Jim Haines, who is also be leading the session, explained that "the older generation of members and senators is pretty clueless on the social media platforms. It's pretty clear that a lot of members have 25-year-olds in their offices."

Haines admits that he has nowhere near the number of followers that Ocasio-Cortez has amassed but the representative does know a thing or two about writing a commuter transit-based haiku. A charming blend of dad humor with a sensibility for topical non-sequiturs, here's just a taste of Haines' unique brand of content:

The though of having to explain to Nancy Pelosi what a meme is send chills down our spines, one has to commend for Ocasio-Cortez and Haines for stepping up to the plate. Looking at the role social media played in influencing the last presidential election, it certainly couldn't hurt for the Democrats to invest a little time in bridging the generational gap.

Photo via GettyAs phone that defined a decade, it is impossible to remember the 2000s without the Motorola RAZR. Before having an iPhone became a lifestyle, the iconic flip phone was the one that reigned supreme above all of the other competition. Sleek and compact, the RAZR was the first easily available phone stylish enough to be considered an accessory. And while we may look back fondly at those simpler times, if we have learned anything from the deluge of reboots, from True Life to the boot cut jeans revival, it's that millennials love a good mid-00s comeback.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Motorola's new parent company Lenovo has announced plans to release a new foldable smartphone that will serve as an updated model of the RAZR. Exciting, if only for the reason that it will finally allow us to reclaim that satisfying *snap* shut that we have been sorely missing all these years.

Related | Bring Back Emo in 2019

Lenovo apparently plans to release the new RAZR this upcoming February, but has frustratingly declined to go into further specifics beyond that. If all of this feels maybe a little too familiar, let's not forget that Motorola has tried to revamp the RAZR before having lent the name to their Droid series of smartphones in 2011 in hopes of recovering from the relative failure of the RAZR2.

The price tag for this new RAZR? $1,500. More expensive than an iPhone XS, the hefty price probably means that they won't be exactly flying off the shelves but with reports that Lenovo has already ordered 200,000 units to be put into production maybe the new RAZR has an extra trick or two up its sleeve.

Photo via GettyIntermediate Christian School, a private K-8 school in Springfield, Virginia, near Washington, DC has a new employee: second lady Karen Pence.

It was officially announced today that Pence would teach art part-time to students there, but that news was overshadowed by the school's employment application, which requires applicants to live a life of "moral purity."

While we aren't sure what that actually means, apparently this school does. The Washington Post reports that Intermediate Christian mandates that prospective employees "affirm certain religious beliefs that seek to exclude homosexual and transgender applicants, including that marriage can only be between a man and a woman." Would-be teachers and support staff have to initial a series of standards that include self-identity as a born-again Christian.

Elsewhere, the application outlines the school's definition of "marriage" as a term with "only one meaning; the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive covenant union as delineated in Scripture," adding that God intended sexual acts to only transpire between "a man and a woman who are married to each other."

The application defines moral misconduct in deciding whether or not an applicant is a good fit. These definitions are listed as behaviors such as "heterosexual activity outside of marriage (e.g., premarital sex, cohabitation, extramarital sex), homosexual or lesbian sexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity, any other violation of the unique roles of male and female, sexual harassment, use or viewing of pornographic material or websites, and sexual abuse or improprieties toward minors as defined by Scripture and federal or state law."'

Other sections ask applicants to outline their views on creation and evolution. It also notes that sexual immorality, as outlined above, can lead to termination. Additionally, a parent agreement on the school's website notes that the school reserves the right to deny admission to or expel students should they or their parents or guardians go against the biblical lifestyles upheld at the school. That charming section is called "Essentials of the Faith."

The school's language is typical of conservative Christian institutions, so it isn't surprising that Pence would elect to teach there, considering how she and her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, have long touted  and supported, through law  a devoutly religious brand of conservative politics and ideology. However, it is also her right to teach at a school of her choice, aligning with her beliefs, no matter how harmful those beliefs might be, because America. She taught for 12 years prior to her husband's time served in Congress.

JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president for policy and political affairs at the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement to HuffPost: "The Pences never seem to miss an opportunity to show their public service only extends to some." To some, indeed.

Photo via GettyMary J. Blige's backstage rider from 2006, archived for posterity online, makes a number of super specific stipulations. She wants a brand new toilet seat in every bathroom, asks that staff please observe the "Do Not Disturb" sign on her door, and requires temperatures be set to 70 degrees at all times. She'd also like 10 waters, and they "absolutely, positively must be FIJI."

FIJI only! But of course. Back then no diva would demand a plastic bottle decorated with anything other than a pink hibiscus flower. FIJI was the chic celebrity water of choice, and it retains at least novelty luxe status today  literally meme-ing its way into the 2019 Golden Globes, a marketing exercise transparent as the liquid contained within that instantly recognizable rectangular bottle. Awards shows are fast losing relevance, and perhaps FIJI is too, but its 2000s legacy is assured: bottled water will forever more be synonymous with celebrity status. Which brand are you?

Real bottled waterheads will say that the luxury water trend can actually be traced across continents to southern France. Evian, with that old world European charm  a name that demands exaggeratedly accented pronunciation, preferably when ordering a glass of it from a waiter or some other form of help, an evocative narrative about the magical mineral-infused healing powers of alpine springs  is the classy counterpoint to FIJI's spray-tanned tropical tackiness. A 2005 Washington Post report describes how the publicist Jonathan Cheban made Evian happen by strategically placing it on tables at an Oscars (not Globes) after party; soon enough Chris Noth and Paris Hilton and Courteney Cox were taking swigs in front of the cameras. Rumors flew that Cameron Diaz refused to wash her face with anything else.

Cheban, who is now better known for his recurring role on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, was something of an accidental water marketing pioneer. As an Evian publicist his technique was to link its products directly with A-listers, not on billboards or TV commercials but simply in candid everyday life. No celebrity, when asked in an interview about their skincare routine, hasn't rhapsodized about drinking eight glasses of water per day. Cheban really was just taking the next logical step. Whether thirsty celebs were professionally photographed at awards shows or papped walking their dogs in Los Angeles, the implication was that the bottle had been picked up by choice, not sponsorship deal. Today every single influencer is doing the same damn thing. As the Post wryly notes, "It's tempting to call this advertising that money can't buy, but since Evian was paying Cheban at the time, that's not quite true."

The 2000s rise of brands like Evian and FIJI coincided with a general trend away from soda and towards sugar-free drinking alternatives among the general, non-celebrity population. The United States currently boasts the biggest consumer market for bottled water in the world, and while our bestsellers are still generic brands rather than prestige ones, a successful luxury water is worth billions of annual revenue from easily fooled middle class consumers. Given drinkable H20 is available for free from most faucets, the glitzy packaging and celebrity endorsements are perhaps necessary distractions: VOSS has a stupid cylindrical tube, Blk is charcoal-colored instead of clear. In the early 2010s, perhaps inspired by Madonna's well-documented love of Kabbalah water, many prestige brands decided to go beyond aesthetics and claim their products provided additional health benefits to what came out of the tap.

Enter a titan of the high-end water wars: Glaceau Smart Water, AKA Jennifer Aniston's favorite way to hydrate.

Smart Water, as the name implies, is not like the other girls. She's distilled from British springs  as Evian proves, European water always has more health cred  and contains added electrolytes. She's pH neutral, for extra purity. And she's owned by Coca-Cola, which has the money to sign off on big time celebrity branding deals. Aniston has been working with Smart Water for more than a decade, and her campaigns tend to include cleverly casual-seeming imagery of her holding bottles of it during an off-duty red carpet moment, or while hiking.

Coca-Cola followed up the massive success of Smart Water with a colorful futuristic flavored version, Vitamin Water. Essentially a well re-branded soft drink, it was Mischa Barton's accessory bottle of choice in the mid-2010s. Other brands, like CORE and Pepsi's LIFEWATR, have tried to cash in on the same electrolyte pseudoscience. (A little-acknowledged fact: most tap water contains electrolytes anyway).

Related | 10 Celebrities Who Ruled Instagram in 2018

Smart Water still sells in vast, mind-boggling quantities, but in 2019 its branding feels almost as dated as FIJI's. Celebrity-adjacent waters have had to change with the times, and social media stars have provided smaller non-Coca-Cola-owned competitors with the means to gain an edge. Essentia, a decades-old indie water company from Washington state favored by Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian since 2015, can thank KUWTK endorsement for recent hype around alkaline H20 which, for the record, has only dubious health benefits.

Luxury water truly is one of the most obvious cons of all time  pour a glass and you can see right through it. In the context of Flynt, where cheap bottles of water are a lifeline, its existence is downright diabolical. But if sales figures are anything to go by, many of us are more than willing to destroy the environment for the sake of status. The FIJI water girl who generated $12 million in brand impressions over a single night? So much more than just a meme.The longest government shutdown in history is currently entering into its fourth week, leaving 800,000 federal employees without a paycheck and very little hope that they will see one anytime soon. Stories of federal employees being forced to line up at food banks and start driving for Uber in order to make ends meet have become all too common as economists worry about the potential impact the prolonged shutdown will have on the country's growth.

Related | People are Sharing Their Shutdown Stories

With no indication that Trump will back down on his demands for a fully-funded border wall along with new reports that federal employees are being ordered back from furlough without the promise of pay, frustration with the whole situation has hit an all-time high and there is no one more fed up than America's true commander-in-chief, Cardi B.

Barely a couple hours after dropping an insane new video for her City Girls collab "Twerk," Cardi B took to her Instagram to express her outrage at the ongoing government shutdown. Doing a better job than most TV news commentators, Cardi B slapped some common sense back into America and broke down how this shutdown ultimately affects all of us.

Rightfully indignant but level-headed, Cardi B muses, "I feel like we need to take some action, I don't know what type of action because this not what I do, but bitch I'm scared." And before you start trying to dismiss Cardi B's political chops, the Bronx rapper has always demonstrated a vested interest in contemporary politics long before she even endorsed Cynthia Nixon for New York State Governor in the Midterms last fall:

From what we can gather, the general consensus on the internet is quickly becoming that Trump should obviously retire immediately and let Cardi B and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez replace him as President, which in all honesty, doesn't sound like that bad of an idea.

Photo via GettyAF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman Announces Retirement Under Donna Harman's leadership, AF&PA developed and implemented a public policy advocacy program that accomplished major energy, environmental, tax and trade and product policy successes at both the federal and state level. Jan. 17, 2019 - Donna Harman, the longest-serving President and CEO in the 25-year history of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), announced her retirement on Jan. 16. She has represented the interests of the forest products industry for the past 29 years and AF&PA member companies for 18 years, including the last 12 years as President and CEO. Spencer Stuart has been retained to lead a search for her successor, and her retirement will become effective later in 2019 once the search and transition are successfully completed. Under Harman's leadership, AF&PA developed and implemented a public policy advocacy program that accomplished major energy, environmental, tax and trade and product policy successes at both the federal and state level. Those accomplishments included leading efforts to: prevent premature termination of an alternative energy tax credit; achieve a revised EPA Boiler MACT rule that reduced industry capital costs from a proposed $9 billion to $1 billion; drive passage and enactment of long-advocated carbon neutrality legislation in 2017; and protect the industry's products and their employees from mandates, fees and bans and anti-biomass legislation in dozens of states. It has been an honor to help one of the nation's most important manufacturing industries navigate changing political and public policy dynamics throughout my career at AF&PA and in Washington, D.C. I am grateful for the opportunity to promote the interests of paper and wood products manufacturers and the 950,000 workers who make products that improve our daily lives, said Harman. I have been fortunate to serve with an incredible group of industry leaders and amazingly talented association staff. I am confident the association and the industry it represents, has a bright future ahead. Paper and wood products manufacturers know that continuous innovation and attention to customer needs are the path to a sustainable future. Ensuring that government policies help, rather than hinder, future success is what AF&PA is about. During a time of major economic and industry business model transformation, Harman adapted the focus of the association to ensure it continued to serve the changing needs of one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the nation. Her leadership was pivotal in shepherding the creation of two major industry initiatives: Better Practices, Better Planet 2020  the first of its kind industry-wide set of quantifiable and verifiable sustainability goals, several of which have been achieved ahead of schedule, and a $25 million paper promotion program now known as the Paper+Packaging Board. Pete Watson, President and CEO of Greif, Inc. and incoming 2019 AF&PA Board Chair, praised Harman saying, AF&PA members benefited tremendously from Donna's leadership. Her consensus building skills helped the industry to speak with one voice and find new allies and coalition partners on many issues. The solid foundation she leaves behind will help a new leader propel the industry and association forward to meet the advocacy challenges we will face in the future. Harman, a frequent speaker at conferences and events, has served in a range of cross-industry leadership roles such as Chair of the National Association of Manufacturers Council of Manufacturing Associations, President of the International Council of Forest & Paper Associations, Secretary Treasurer for the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee and a member of the BIPAC Board of Directors. Originally from Dodge City, Kansas, Harman earned a bachelor's degree in public affairs from Anderson University (Indiana) and a law degree from the American University. She joined AF&PA as Vice President, Congressional Affairs, in 2001, after having worked previously in government affairs for Champion International Corporation and The Dow Chemical Company as well as in Congress as a legislative assistant. She was named AF&PA Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs in 2006 and then as the association's President and CEO in 2007. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry's sustainability initiative  Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 . The forest products industry accounts for approximately four percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures approximately $300 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 950,000 men and women. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $55 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper . SOURCE: AF&PAJapanese carmaker Nissan is in trouble in Korea for exaggerating mileage and environmental certifications. The Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday that it filed a complaint with prosecutors against Nissan and fined it W900 million (US$1=W1,122).

According to the FTC, Nissan advertised the mileage efficiency of the Infiniti Q50 2.2-liter diesel model as 15.1 km per liter in Korea between February and November 2014. But tests conducted by Japanese headquarters showed a mileage of 14.6 km per liter.

Nissan sold 2,040 Q50s in Korea during that period to earn around W68.6 billion.

Nissan also advertised the Qashqai small SUV from November 2015 to June 2016 as meeting Euro-6 emission levels, which Korea also uses, which exempts it from W100,000 in annual environmental clean-up fees.

But an Environment Ministry test in 2016 showed Nissan tampered with the exhaust gas recirculation valve on the Qashqai to obtain the Euro-6 certification. The FTC discovered that the Qashqai's nitrogen oxide emissions were in fact a whopping 20.8 times higher than the standard for certification.

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If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge.The area, which is presented by Coca-Cola, sells some Coke products and merchandise. Also present is the Arctic Coke Cooler, which is said to crystalize the contents of a 20-ounce beverage.The date and venue of the second U.S.-North Korea summit are expected to be announced this weekend after officials from the two sides meet for fine-tuning.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's right-hand man Kim Yong-chol are likely to meet in Washington on Friday.

CNN quoted a source as saying Tuesday that Kim and Pompeo will meet on Friday.

Kim Yong-chol has booked a seat on United Airlines flight 808 from Beijing to Washington taking off at 6:25 p.m. on Thursday.

He will meet with Pompeo and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, and possibly President Donald Trump.

He is expected to bring a letter from the North Korean leader responding to Trump's suggestion to hold their second summit in the middle of February in Bangkok or Hanoi.

Biegun then flies to Sweden for talks with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. Choe is in Beijing en route to Sweden, where she is to attend a forum bringing together representatives from countries involved in abortive six-party denuclearization talks.

While the Sentinel prints this hit piece about Liberty Counsel, it often ignores the many good things we do. One of our cases last term at the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in a big win for free speech in which the court ruled that the government cannot force crisis pregnancy centers to speak a state-crafted message against their will. Even though this was a prominent First Amendment case, and we are headquartered in Central Florida, there was no mention of Liberty Counsel by the Sentinel.Although unprecedented for us, other newspapers and magazines have taken similar action for their failures in historic events. The National Geographic magazine did it in April 2018 with an article For Decades, Our Coverage Was Racist. To Rise Above Our Past, We Must Acknowledge It. The Montgomery Advertiser in Alabama last year acknowledged its newspapers shameful role in coverage of lynching, saying, We take responsibility for our proliferation of a false narrative regarding the treatment of African-Americans in those disgraceful days.Once again, Florida Legislators are pushing a bill that encourages people to bring guns on college campuses, while keeping it a crime to bring guns near politicians.Now, we dont have any bun in the oven right now, DeSantis, the father of two, continued. But I think we do need to go back to Israel to make sure we have a stock of that water on display.What we are anticipating is when they [miss] their second paycheck, which will be Jan. 25, thats when people will start getting shut-off notices for their utilities and warnings from other creditors, he said. We know  that something like 70 percent of the people [in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties] dont have $400 savings in the bank. If youre a federal employee, hopefully you have some cushion, but we also know that if youre a government contractor  maybe a custodian or a security guard at one of these federal facilities  youre not getting any money and youre not going to getting any back pay, either. Were really concerned about what will happen to them.The partial government shutdown is a double-whammy for Cara and Philip Mangone, a married couple from Philadelphia. Both are agents with the Transportation Safety Administration, both working full time at the Philadelphia airport. Neither knows when they might again start drawing their paychecks.

Part-time jobs are out of the question  they work opposite shifts timed to make sure one of them is always home with their kids, ages 2 and 5. So donations of food and diapers have been a real help as savings are being stretched thin.

"Every penny that we don't have to spend is helpful," Cara Mangone said Wednesday as she picked up donated goods being distributed at the airport by fellow members of the American Federation of Government Employees .

The shutdown has brought an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. Food, financial help, haircuts and toiletries are among the donated goods and services. TSA screeners start at about $24,000 a year, and most make between $26,000 and $35,000, less than many other government employees, although some earn more because of seniority, overtime or level of management responsibility.

On Wednesday, donations of diapers, juice, garbage bags, canned soup and boxes of Ramen noodles were being unloaded onto luggage carts at the valet drop-off curb at Orlando International Airport, to be distributed to TSA workers there the next day.

"I just wanted to support the federal workers who are furloughed because of the inaction of our government leaders," said Brian Couch, wearing a Kansas City Chiefs ball cap as he dropped off his donation.

The airport in Pittsburgh provided a free lunch to TSA workers on what should have been their payday last Friday. "Our Operation Thank You free lunch program initially was only Fridays but because we're hearing from several food vendors who want to donate, it's possible it will be increased to more days," airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said in an email.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, spokeswoman Elise Durham said some concession operators there were also donating free lunches to TSA workers and the airport was providing complimentary parking for those workers who need it.

Some travelers wanted to get in on the act, but TSA rules don't allow that.

"There are people trying to donate gift cards to us at the checkpoints," Cara Mangone said. "We can't accept it."

Businesses large and small are trying to help.

The Ruby Slipper, a New Orleans-based restaurant chain with several locations in the city and on the Gulf Coast, said on its Facebook page that it has served some 3,000 free meals since offering help to unpaid federal employees more than two weeks ago. At The Top Knot Beauty Company in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, owner Jennifer Delage has been offering free haircuts to federal employees. She said other businesses have followed suit with free or discounted services.

"That was the main goal," Delage said. "To inspire others to pay it forward."

Such sentiments are evident all over the country  and beyond.

A LIFELINE FOR THE COASTGUARD

Unlike other military services, the U.S. Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, isn't funded during the shutdown. In a letter posted on social media, the guard's commandant, Adm. Karl Schultz, said USAA, a company that provides banking and investment services to current and former military members and their families, made a $15 million donation to support those in need, to be distributed with assistance from the American Red Cross .

In another gesture, Roger Williams University invited active-duty Coast Guard members in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and their families to its Bristol , Rhode Island, campus for a free dinner Tuesday night. About 75 people showed up.

PIZZAS ACROSS THE BORDER

Canadian air traffic controllers have been taking up donations to have pizzas delivered to their American counterparts at locations around the U.S.

Pizzas have been bought for controllers at 84 U.S. facilities. "We've stopped tracking the number of pizzas," said Tania Calverley, director of communications for the Canadian Air Traffic Controllers Association. "We're certainly well over 400."

FREE RIDES

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has announced that all federal employees will be able to ride public transit for free by showing their government IDs.

"We want to ... assist those who are hurting by taking a little weight off of their shoulders during this time," Robbie Makinen, CEO and President of the authority, said in a news release about the program, which began Tuesday.

BRIDGE LOANS

Some financial institutions are offering low-interest, or even no-interest loans, to unpaid workers.

Webster Bank in Connecticut said it would offer no-interest loans to any federal workers who are working and not being paid during the shutdown. In announcing the assistance program on Tuesday, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said he hopes other banks will offer similar programs. The loans are to be repaid after the workers receive back pay.

In addition to its donation to help Coast Guard personnel, USAA has announced low-interest loan offers to active Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps and Public Health Service Corps personnel whose pay is disrupted.

___

McGill reported from New Orleans. Associated Press reporters John Raoux in Orlando, Jennifer McDermott in Bristol, Rhode Island, and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.In dramatic fashion, Trump issued a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, just before she and other lawmakers were set to depart on the previously undisclosed trip to Afghanistan and Brussels. Trump belittled the trip as a "public relations event"  even though he had just made a similar warzone stop  and said it would be best if Pelosi remained in Washington to negotiate to reopen the government.WASHINGTON  At his parents' home in suburban Clarksville, Maryland, on Monday night, Daniel Madison and his brother were itching to see "Fyre Fraud," the new Hulu documentary on the glorious failure of the 2017 music festival. So they set up a Roku player to stream it. But when he turned on the device, he could not believe what he was seeing: Infowars, the far-right conspiracy website founded by Alex Jones, which months earlier had been banned by Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Apple, was available to stream on Roku for its nearly 24 million registered users.She said its still too early to say how the local governments will attract businesses, whether its through tax breaks or other incentives. However, any incentives must be to companies that offer jobs that pay above the countys average wage, she said. According to the state, the average annual wage in Lake County is $36,595.Cheong Wa Dae hopes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can visit Seoul around March 1 Independence Movement Day. The hope is that the visit will coincide with cross-border celebrations of the movement's centenary.

President Moon Jae-in said in his New Year's address on Jan 10, that the leaders of the two Koreas will have to "sit face to face and share and discuss the results of the U.S.-North Korea summit" after Kim meets with U.S. President Donald Trump.

If that summit takes place in February as expected, Kim would then be free to visit South Korea the following month.

The leaders of the two Koreas agreed in Pyongyang last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the national holiday together. Cheong Wa Dae and ruling Minjoo Party lawmakers believe a fourth between Moon and Kim would lend luster to the occasion.

But so far everything is up in the air. A Cheong Wa Dae official said, "We don't even know what will happen at the U.S.-North Korea summit."

Another auspicious date could be April, which marks the first anniversary of the Moon-Kim summit in the border truce village of Panmunjom.The footage captured an assembly line of crates down the length of the homes walkway, each with one or two dogs or cats. Nearby, a rescuer tended to a small dog, wrapped in blankets, for whom it was too late. This guys gone, so I dont know what you want to do, the rescuer says."There is absolutely no reason that these horses should have been allowed to suffer and not be properly cared for!!" Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a statement on Facebook. "In our community there are any number of resources and citizens who would have gladly assisted with these horses."JACKSONVILLE  A Florida-based company featured on the television show "Project Runway All Stars" is kicking off a new line of leather accessories as part of an effort to help survivors of human trafficking."Orlando Sentinel Now" is a midday news show features the top news and quirky stories of the day. The show airs weekdays at noon on Facebook and OrlandoSentinel.com. You can join the conversation by commenting and taking polls.Boccio was assigned desk duty after the crash but is now on paid leave, which the office says is not a punishment but instead a break, WKMG said.Molina was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in serious condition. Days later, he told police he didnt remember anything before or during the crash, according to the affidavit. Molina was released from the Orange County Jail on bond Wednesday.Aguirre-Jarquins 14-year ordeal began June 17, 2004. He had spent the night drinking and says he walked into his next-door neighbors trailer to look for beer, something he had done in the past. He says he found the body of Cheryl Williams, 47, inside and picked her up to check if she was alive. She had been stabbed 129 times.Her comments echoed those of Malcolm Thomas, superintendent of Escambia County schools. Theres not enough teachers on the bench, and the bench we have is not deep enough to meet our needs, he told the board. Were going to have to work together to find solutions to those problems.But the program is controversial, as are the states three other private-school voucher efforts. Some critics dont like taxpayer money being sent to private schools. This spring, while the legislation for the new scholarship was hashed out, some also questioned why the bullying incident didnt have to be verified before a scholarship was awarded. Though a Senate version of the proposal required verification, that provision was not included in the final House version (HB 7055) that passed and was signed into law by then Gov. Rick Scott.Hyundai's small Kona SUV will soon become more visible in Singapore as the carmaker has formed a partnership with ride-hailing app Grab, the "Uber of Southeast Asia."

Hyundai said on Wednesday that the Kona is the first electric vehicle added to Grab's service lineup. Grab has bought 20 Konas for its first batch and plans to increase the number to 200 by the end of this year.

Juicy excerpts are trickling out. According to one, Christie describes the people around the president as a revolving door of deeply flawed individuals  amateurs, grifters, weaklings, convicted and unconvicted felons  who were hustled into jobs they were never suited for, sometimes seemingly without so much as a background check via Google or Wikipedia.The man on the $10 bill, of course, is the subject of the hottest show on Broadway; a touring company of Hamilton arrives in Orlando on Jan. 22. And the neighborhood lecturer just happens to be an expert on American history and politics of the 18th and 19th centuries.Universal also is building a new roller coaster based off the Harry Potter franchise thats set to open sometime in 2019 at Islands of Adventure. The theme park operator has kept quiet on the details of the ride and not announced which month it will open.Tenants at the property, including Red Lobster, Goodings Supermarket and Buffalo Wild Wings, will be allowed to remain rent-free at the Crossroads center until at least the end of August 2021. Previously tenants were told they had until the end of 2019 to move out, so the new deal gives them at least an extra 18 months.FPL has been pitching the program to big power users such as Broward County government, and said it will formally propose the program to regulators in March. Participating consumers could reduce their bills by sharing in the cost for additional solar energy centers and fields, the utility says.The company said it was going to conduct an orderly wind-down of all of its Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores. It will also hold an auction on Feb. 25 for the Janie and Jack brand, of which there are two locations in Central Florida. It will also auction off its online business and intellectual properties.Hotel Business News and Analytics

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NEWS BLOCKS:

Thailand Makes its Visas Cheaper in Anticipation of Chinese New Year

Thailand is definitely ready for Chinese New Year and wants to greet more guests by offering a gift to them. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has just made a new announcement regarding its visa-on-arrival fee. Citizens of 20 countries can now enter the country free of charge and celebrate the holidays. The no-fee period ends on April 30.



This decision appeared in the local news last week. The Royal Thai Government Gazette published on January 11 that it had been decided to offer free entrance to citizens of 20 countries. It is done as a way to stimulate tourism and promote travel to Thailand in the countries of choice. It is currently the high season period in Thailand, and the free visa is likely to increase the attractiveness of the country among foreign guests.



According to Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the timing of the new initiative is simply perfect because of approaching holidays. In less than a month, whole Asia will celebrate Chinese New Year. Moreover, Thailand will celebrate Songkran (the Thai New Year) in April. This is the time when not only hotels in Bangkok and at popular resorts greet numerous guests but also Chiang Mai hotels and many other popular destinations.



Chinese New Year is always a very popular holiday in the country. Moreover, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the collaboration between China and Thailand in the organization of the Lunar New Year celebrations. The Chinese Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy work together with TAT in order to create mesmerizing Lunar New Year celebrations across Thailand. This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 5.



Thailand also tries to promote its authentic holiday, Songkran. It is the best time to visit the country in order to get acquainted with its cultural heritage and witness cultural traditions and colorful festivals in Thailand. Songkran celebrations always take place in several destinations of the kingdom. So, here is the list of countries, citizens of which can enter Thailand and receive a free visa upon arrival: Andora, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China (Taiwan included), Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Normally, the visa cost is 2,000 Baht. The free visa permits its holder to stay in Thailand for no more than 15 days.

17.01.2019Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, reports , and news about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com.China issued an advisory to its citizens Tuesday, urging them to "fully assess the risks of travel" to Canada after a Chinese executive was arrested in the North American country.

China's Foreign Ministry said Canada recently "arbitrarily detained" a Chinese national, a reference to Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou.

Meng, the chief financial officer at Huawei, a global telecommunications conglomerate, was arrested on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States.

Meng was charged with conspiring to defraud banks through transactions that violated U.S. sanctions against Iran. She denies the allegations. Meng was released on bail in Vancouver and could be extradited to the U.S.British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote Wednesday in Parliament, one day after lawmakers voted overwhelmingly against her plan to divorce Britain from the European Union.

Surviving the vote enables May to refocus on getting a Brexit deal through Parliament. May has until Monday to offer a new proposal to the House of Commons, but it isn't clear what she will propose. Shortly after the 325-306 vote allowing May to remain in office, she invited party leaders for Brexit talks Wednesday night.

 More Talks?

May said before the vote that Britain would leave the EU on the March 29 target date, and that the bloc would consider extending the negotiating period only if there were a realistic exit plan. Aides to the prime minister said she would try to buy more time and return to Brussels to try to cajole EU leaders into a renegotiation.

EU leaders, however, have repeatedly rejected the possibility of renegotiations since the deal was concluded in November. But with Tuesday's defeat, which followed five days of intense debate, British officials hope Brussels now may offer enough concessions to secure parliamentary backing on a replayed vote on an amended deal.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, filed a motion of no confidence in the government immediately after the result Tuesday. Britain would have held a general election had May lost the vote. Most analysts said they expected her to survive the vote, and the minority Northern Ireland party she relies on to keep her minority government in office had said it would back the government.

Tuesday's vote was the biggest parliamentary reversal ever handed a sitting government, with lawmakers -- including more than 100 rebels from her ruling Conservative Party -- refusing to endorse the highly contentious Brexit deal.

The government's defeat plunged into greater disarray Britain's scheduled March 29 exit from the EU. Major questions remain about how and whether it will happen. EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Wednesday that after the British Parliament's rejection, the risk of reaching the deadline with no deal in place was higher than ever.

The draft deal, which took two years of ill-tempered haggling with European leaders to conclude, drew support from just 202 lawmakers, while 432 voted against it. The defeat dwarfed the 1924 record when then-Labor Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald lost a vote by 166, triggering the collapse of his government and a general election, which he lost. After the vote, May said, "The vote tells us nothing" about what the House of Commons would agree to regarding Brexit.

Do you want to manage your remote workers effectively? If yes, you are in the right place. In this article,...What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com.Curbing North Korea's illicit arms trade is difficult since the renegade country launders containers carrying weapons three or four times, a defector who was in charge of illicit arms deals told the Chosun Ilbo on Monday.

The defector revealed that a factory in Jagang Province, which is believed to produce tractors, is the center of the communist country's weapons production, including chemical warheads. The defector, who is under police protection, did not want his identity to be revealed fearing reprisal attacks against family members still in the North.

 Foreign Forwarders Transport Weapons

Five departments of the North Korean government are involved in arms exports: the military arms production wing of the Workers' Party, the Second Academy of Natural Sciences, the Surveillance Division of the People's Armed Forces, Operational Department of the Workers' Party and the Second Economic Committee. He said the Economic Committee, which is directly under the control of the powerful National Defense Commission, is the biggest.

The military arms production wing procures materials for the Yongbyon nuclear plant and North Korea's nuclear weapons program. "The General Bureau of Atomic Energy only produces yellow cake [the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment], while the arms production wing is in charge of the Yongbyon facility," the defector said. The Second Academy of Natural Sciences exports missiles and also provides after-sales service for exported products by upgrading performance and exchanging components.

"The main client is the research center of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, while experiments are conducted in unison," he said. Iran successfully test-fired a rocket on Feb. 3 which is believed to have been powered by the same engine as North Korean Rodong missiles.

But international sanctions against North Korea make it difficult to export weapons by conventional means. "This is where the Surveillance Division of the People's Armed Forces comes in," the defector said. Its "traders," who studied at Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, are fluent in English and Chinese and sign deals with "forwarders" from other countries. Through this process, North Korea sends containers across the Apnok (or Yalu) River to China one third or half filled with weapons. "The forwarder who received this cargo enters a port in a third country, where the containers are filled with freight unrelated to weapons and the paperwork is completed," he said.

These "laundered" containers are laundered again in Hong Kong, Singapore or other ports. "The containers are mixed with other cargo in those transit points. They are searched, but not thoroughly," the defector added. "Even if customs or other officials roll their sleeves up and search for weapons, how can they possibly find the arms among the mountains of other containers headed to other countries?"Claiming that politicians are defending objectionable rulers they meet with, in pursuit of achieving some alternative to war, is a tired trope that has been frequently used throughout history to discredit diplomatic engagement. As Gabbard told me in an interview shortly after returning from Syria: The reason why I decided to take this meeting on this trip was because if we profess to care about the Syrian people  if we really truly care about ending their suffering and ending this war  then we should be ready to meet with anyone if there is a chance that that meeting and that conversation could help to bring about an end to this war.William Barr wouldnt be our choice for attorney general, but hes Donald Trumps, at a moment when the President is at war with those who take seriously the mission of the Department of Justice.The emergency team is unable to enter the hole, but machines and surveillance equipment have reached the area they believe the boy could be, according to The Associated Press.At a London animal welfare charity on Wednesday, the American actress formerly known as Meghan Markle was greeted by a woman  known only as Peggy  who called the new royal a lovely lady. The demure duchess thanked the woman just as her coat opened, revealing her very pregnant belly.During his testimony, Vasquez revealed for the first time how agents initially set out to capture Ismael (El Mayo) Zambada Garcia  a blow to the defense, which has repeatedly questioned why authorities have never gone after its clients alleged partner-in-crime.I can understand the confusion, Giuliani said in a phone interview when asked why hes first now saying he cant guarantee no one on the campaign colluded. But I can assure you Im not trying to take the wind out of anything thats going to come out in the future."For far too long, rich corporations and the wealthiest one percent have influenced our elections and drowned out the voices of ordinary New Yorkers, Cuomo said. Now is the time to implement real campaign finance reform in New York.I have no idea. I said the President of the United States. There is not a single bit of evidence the President of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC.He looked at me with a serious demeanor, and then he said some words I did not like, she recalled. What he said was, from that point on, whoever betrayed him, they were going to die  whether they were family or women.A formation of Chinese naval ships consisting of four advanced warships under the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command's South China Sea Fleet set sail Wednesday for deepwater exercises with the PLA's Air Force, Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force.

The PLA forces will conduct joint exercises focusing on anti-terrorism, anti-piracy and joint search and rescue missions under real combat scenarios, the South China Sea Fleet announced in a statement released on its WeChat account on Thursday.

The four vessels participating in the drill, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Hefei, the Type 054A guided missile frigate Yuncheng, the Type 071 amphibious transport dock Changbaishan and the Type 903A supply ship Honghu, are PLA Navy's new battle vessels, the statement said.

The Navy's "deep integration and joint exercise with other military branches like the Air Force, the Rocket Force and the Strategic Support Force are the highlights of this far-sea joint drill," the statement said quoting an unnamed leader of the formation. Testing and research on these subjects will be the main focus of the exercises, said the leader.

These offshore drills are routine and in accordance with the PLA Southern Theater Command's annual plan. It conforms to related international laws and conventions and is not aimed at any specific country or target, reads the statement.

The statement did not disclose where the drills would take place or how long they will last.

Last year's far-sea drill of the South China Sea Fleet took place in February and lasted 25 days, as vessels conducted exercises in the South China Sea, East Indian Ocean and West Pacific Ocean, the PLA Daily reported.The lawsuit also said that Kenyon planned to divorce his wife if she did not die from her exposure to the toxins he was feeding her. He eventually filed in March 2018 after allegedly secretly accessing his wifes asset reserves, as well as hiding personal property from his wife and children.He bolted out of his car and immediately halted traffic while he scooped up the toddler before getting back behind the wheel of his car and attempting to flag down the other vehicle.The actions taken by the officers involved in this incident discovered during our investigation are not in accordance with the values of the Fort Worth Police Department or the standards that the citizens of Fort Worth have for their police department, the departments statement said. We hope that the administrative conclusion of this case is an assurance to the residents of Fort Worth that we are able to identify and properly address any issues that may arise during police incidents.This fire-friendly challenge seemed anything but harmless when it first took off in 2014. For truly baffling reasons, participants filmed themselves pouring flammable liquid on their skin, then lighting it on fire while recording. The injuries, as expected, came quickly. A 15-year-old boy in Kentucky suffered third-degree burns, as did a California teenager who poured nail polish remover on himself before lighting it aflame. The challenge is still kicking, too, as 12-year-old Timiyah Landers was left with second- and third-degree burns over most of her body in August after attempting the challenge."There was not anyway to gain access to the animal, short of taking a boat out and hoping we could coax it down," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post. "It was decided it was worth a shot to attempt the help the cat versus doing nothing."If you asked me a few days ago what the most amazing thing Ive ever seen in Hawaiian waters the answer probably would be pretty different, Jeffries posted. If you asked me yesterday the answer would be freediving with Deep Blue, a great white, the largest ever documented, who was last seen in 2013 in Mexico.Stolper, who is 73, is charged with attempted murder after investigators found gasoline and explosive materials in his storage unit in July. He was angry that he was going to be evicted from his home, according to authorities, and had said he was going to "burn down the building with "all the f--king Jews."The cycle of violence against the community has become too normalized, said Nadine Smith, the chief executive officer of Equality Florida. We go through the same cycle of horror, anger, grief, vigil, dehumanizing of the victim, and then the next one happens, and no one is shocked. We should be shocked. These should be rare and seen as a community-wide problem.Pierre admitted to police that he was outside the home when the officer was shot, and that Anderson fired the shots, according to the Shreveport Times. He also told investigators where to find the .40-caliber weapon, and said the three of them are cousins, according to the newspaper.The boy, identified only as being 14 years old, was discovered injured in an alley but pronounced dead later at a hospital after officers performed CPR. Cops retrieved the suspects weapon which was a replica airsoft gun. They also recovered items believed to have been taken from the burglarized car, reported TV station KPNX.China's most advanced stealth fighter jet J-20 could be developed into a bomber, electric warfare (EW) aircraft and a carrier-based variant, Chinese military experts said on Wednesday as latest reports suggested a two-seat version of the warplane is under development.

All current stealth fighter jets feature single-seat, so the potential J-20 variant might become the first two-seat stealth fighter jet in the world, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.

On a highly digitalized future battlefield, large amounts of information can easily overflow the entire control panel of an aircraft. Having a second pilot and a second panel sharing part of the work will be advantageous, the report said.

Yang Wei, the chief designer of the J-20, said in March 2018 that the aircraft will be serialized and see its combat capability constantly upgraded, People's Daily reported.

The current J-20 is a basic version, and it is by design highly customizable, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Outfitting the warplane with a second seat allows it to play multiple roles in addition to winning air superiority, Song said, noting that the two-seat version can be further developed into a tactical bomber or EW aircraft.

Having variations that other countries do not possess will greatly expand the Chinese military's capability in an asymmetric warfare, analysts said.

The US had a similar plan with its stealth fighter jet the F-22 due to its supersonic speed and potential to penetrate airspace without being detected. However, the FB-22, a tactical bomber version of the F-22, was axed in 2006 because the US Air Force wanted a strategic bomber instead of a tactical one, US media outlet the National Interest reported.

Although the FC-31, another Chinese stealth fighter jet, is widely expected to become China's next generation carrier-borne fighter jet, Song said that J-20 can also be modified to fulfill the role.

Even if the J-20 does not make additions to its role, it will definitely see enhancements to its capability, as China has a tradition of upgrading its fighter jets with advanced technologies before moving on to an entirely new aircraft.

An upgraded J-20 will have improved avionics and fire control systems, more powerful engines and more weapons payload, Song said.Police have said they believe Berreth was murdered at her home in Woodland Park, Colo. Her phone was tracked to Gooding, Idaho on Nov. 25, and her fiancee was arrested on Dec. 21 on was arrested Dec. 21 on suspicion of murder and solicitation of murder. On Dec. 31 he was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree. Police believe he tried several times to have Berreth murderedThey broke the window under the porch so they could see into that area and thats where they saw him hiding in the coal cellar," Allegheny County Police Inspector Christopher Kearns told CBS in Pittsburgh. "He was ordered to show his hands and remains there ... until the team that was in the basement could come and take him into custody."The officers accused of obstruction filled out incident reports of the killing that appeared to be at odds with a dashcam recording taken from a squad car. The judge in their case said the prosecution failed to prove the trio coordinated their accounts to protect Van Dyke. Had the officers been convicted, they could have spent up to 5-years in prison.Andrade, who was the owner of the building, was mourning a sister who died just a week prior to the blaze, neighbors said. The sister had lived on the ground floor in an apartment by herself. Andrades brother Jacinto also passed away three years ago from Parkinsons disease. Ruth had been taking care of him up until his death.Asked on his way out of court if the jury got the verdict right, an irritated Da Silva responded, No they did not. I wouldnt be fighting this hard if they did. Im living to fight another day.Persad is then recorded backing the car out of the store once again, putting it in park and then jumping out and running into the store."It's still difficult to fathom that one person would do to another what was done to me," said Dyer, who was left without eyebrows, eyelashes and eyelids by the attack. My face and body will carry scars for the rest of my life.Mr. Weinstein praised Mr. Brafman for his legal work to date and Mr. Brafman reiterated his belief that Mr. Weinstein would be exonerated of the charges that have been filed against him and Brafman personally wished Mr. Weinstein the best of luck as he defends the case and the accusations that Mr. Weinstein has vehemently denied, the statement said.The New York Dream Act will make the New York State Tuition Assistance Program available to undocumented students. To qualify, the student must have either graduated from a New York State high school after having attended for two years or, attained a New York State high school equivalency diploma. The student must enroll in a New York State college or university within five years of graduation or attainment of the equivalency diploma.- The Sanitation Department is readying 695 salt spreaders across the five boroughs, and will dispatch 1,000 plows if more than two inches of snow accumulates on roadways."With strong community support and hard work by our elected officials and intervention by the Miranda family the landlord has been moved and handshakes have been done," the owners wrote on the restaurants Facebook page at the time, along with photos they took with Miranda.The troubled schools, which include Herbert H. Lehman high school in the Bronx and Frederick Douglass Academy in Manhattan, will be required to implement turnaround plans and submit to extra oversight from the state.You are all fired up today, possibly in reaction to people who are not standing up for their convictions. You don't want to fight someone else's battle now; in fact, you don't want to fight at all. Nevertheless, you feel the weight of responsibility pushing you to defend those who can't do it themselves. Although you appear to be uber-flexible, participating with others in what might be a last stand requires plenty of courage. Author Apoorve Dubey wrote, "Let them ridicule you, laugh at you, hurt you and ignore you but never let them stop you."Sexton, who was 31 at the time of the injury, was hospitalized in June 2014 after he fell roughly 20 feet from the structure while he was out with his friends early one morning, leaving him in critical condition.Throughout his campaign and in the two years since he became President, Trump assured his base that he would convince Mexico to finance a wall on the U.S. border. Unable to deliver on that campaign promise, Trump has demanded Congress set aside $5.7 billion to begin construction on the project that could cost taxpayers up to $70 billion. The federal government has been partially shut down since Dec. 22 as the White House and House Democrats remain unable to reach an agreement.President Muhammadu Buhari has given reasons his administration cant prosecute the former Secretary to the Government of the Federat...

President Muhammadu Buhari has given reasons his administration cant prosecute the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal over allegation of fraud.





Buhari said his administration cant prosecute Lawal because there is no prove of fraud allegations against the former SGF.





Speaking during an NTA interactive session on Wednesday, Buhari challenged anyone with evidence against Lawal to come forward.





According to Buhari: I dont think that anybody that is being booted out is corrupt.

I told you why I have to be careful. If there are strong allegations, people should come out with strong evidence like names of companies looted, contracts awarded, then, we take them before the court and ICPC and we have to trust the system and allow them to complete their investigation



Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says some Christians will not vote for him even if he picks the pope as running mate. ...





running mate. Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says some Christians will not vote for him even if he picks the pope asrunning mate.





El-Rufais choice of Hadiza Balarabe, a Muslim, as his running mate in the forthcoming governorship election, had sparked a controversy.





The Christian Association of Nigeria and some prominent individuals in the state had opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket.





But speaking when he featured Channels Television on Thursday, el-Rufai said his choice of running mate was unpopular in some quarters, he was confident of winning the polls.

He said it would also help Kaduna to see beyond politics and religion.





What if I tell you that no matter who I choose as my running mate, even if I choose the Pope, 67 percent of the Christians in southern Kaduna have made up their minds that they will never vote for me, he said.





This is what the polls show. So, for me, that is not the issue. The issue is this: Kaduna state is divided, it needs to be united. The way to begin to unite it is to take religion or ethnicity off the table.





Since 1992, every deputy governor of Kaduna has been a Christian. What has it done for the state? Has it united the state? Has it assuaged the feelings of the Christian minority?





He said Bala Bantex, outgoing deputy governor who hails from southern Kaduna, had been rejected by the people from the region because he is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).





My current deputy governor is a Christian and I didnt pick him because he is Christian. I picked him because we were colleagues from university and I know him to be a brilliant, focused and just man. But, did that change anything? he asked.





In fact, what it did was to bring disrespect to him. No one respected him in southern Kaduna because he is in what they call an Islamic party.





So, there are complicated issues in Kaduna, which people sitting from a distance will not understand.



When the US under President Donald Trump expounds a new foreign policy vision it is natural to ask how this will affect its relations with Egypt.

Both countries realise that, however their government administrations may change, they have certain interests in common in the Middle East and these compel them to work together to their mutual advantage, regardless of the differences between them over the means towards this end.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his speech in Cairo, underscored a couple of points that help define Washingtons foreign policy philosophy under Trump. He said that the United States knows that we cant, and should not, fight every fight or sustain every economy.

No nation wants to be dependent on another. Our aim  our aim  is to partner with our friends and vigorously oppose our enemies, because a strong, secure, and economically vibrant Middle East is in our national interest, and its in yours as well.

He also said that the US supports Egypts efforts to destroy the Islamic State (IS) in Sinai.

As the fighting continues, we will continue to assist our partners in efforts to guard borders, prosecute terrorists, screen travellers, assist refugees and more. But assist is the key phrase. We ask every peace-loving nation of the Middle East to shoulder new responsibilities for defeating Islamist extremism wherever we find it And as we seek an even stronger partnership with Egypt, we encourage President [Abdel-Fattah Al-] Sisi to unleash the creative energy of Egypts people, unfetter the economy, and promote a free and open exchange of ideas. The progress made to date can continue.

These two points bring us to two issues that have dominated the debate over US-Egyptian relations since the 1970s  military aid and human rights. Divisions over these two issues still exist and will probably continue to exist in both Egypt and the US.

In Egypt, those supporting strong relations with the US reject any linkage between aid and human rights which, some quarters in Washington argue, are core US values that Egypt should uphold.

The opposing camp maintains that without such a linkage sufficient pressure cannot be brought to bear on the Egyptian regime to improve human rights.

In the US there has been a sharp division between those who believe it is necessary to maintain a permanent level of aid to Egypt in order to safeguard vital US interests and that, as important as the question of human rights is, efforts to address this concern should not be allowed to undermine the strategic relations between the two countries and should be pursued independently of the question of military assistance, and those who argue it is the US tax payers right to know how and where their money is being spent and whether its recipients are committed to universal values.

They add that to delink aid from human rights is detrimental to the US image among the Egyptian public.

The two sides of the debate in the US are exemplified in the articles House democrats slash aid to Egypt in Al-Monitor, 4 January, and The US is right to restore aid to Egypt in Commentary, 30 July 2018.

The former covers the campaign on the part of some Democrats in the House of Representatives to cut military aid to Egypt by $300 million in protest against alleged human rights abuses and the continued detention of US citizens in Egypt.

The second article argues in favour of sustaining the level of military aid to Egypt and searching for alternative ways to address the human rights question.

Pompeos speech at the American University in Cairo touches in significant ways on the above-mentioned views in both the US and Egypt.

It is important to stress, here, that Cairo has continuously demonstrated its belief in the importance of strong relations with the US and, simultaneously, that it fully subscribes to the view, expressed by Pompeo, that aid does not dispense with performance to meet security and economic needs.

In fact, Egypt has not let aid become a critical determinant of how it handles issues that are crucial to both Egypt and the US. In fact, for a long time now US aid has accounted for less than 10 per cent of Egypts GDP.

Theoretically, cutting it would not present such a great problem to the Egyptian budget. But aid does remain an essential ingredient to the momentum of this bilateral relationship in which context it would be useful to change the term aid to Americas contribution to the strategic partnership with Egypt.

It is impossible to overstate the role Egypt has played in combating terrorism and countering Iranian expansionism in the region, which is as essential to American and, indeed, international security, as it is to Egyptian national security.

Accordingly, decision-makers in Washington would do well to explain to US taxpayers that the aid to Egypt that their tax dollars pay for is not given free of charge.

They and their government get what they pay for, and more, from their partnership with the recipient. Decision-makers should also inform US taxpayers that, while Egypt is motivated to fight terrorism and Iranian expansion because this serves Egypts national interests, without their governments contribution to these efforts their own countrys interests and the security of its citizens could be put at risk.

Meanwhile, it is worth pointing out that the research departments of major arms manufacturers in the US save billions of dollars thanks to the findings they acquire from the real-life performance of their products on the ground in Egypts battle against terrorism. It goes without saying that this is of direct interest to the US manufacturing sector and, by extension, to the US taxpayer.

As for human rights, the politicisation of this issue by some quarters in Washington, both now and in the past, needs to be considered more closely.

Reports submitted to the White House and Congress inevitably contain erroneous information and exaggerations.

Most human rights activists and this does not apply to Egypt alone either belong to left wing currents or to the Islamist camp.

Both of these disseminate an anti-American discourse that casts the US as an imperialist power rather than a force for good in the Middle East, as Pompeo put it. More importantly, these two political currents care little about the principles of democracy and human rights in their own literature and practices.

For them, these principles are merely weapons that they use in their struggle to acquire power and to advance their narrow interests, while their behaviour within their own parties, political bodies and associations betray complete disrespect for transparency, the rule of law, democracy and the right to differ.

Indeed, just as some in the US argue that Egypt should be held to account for its alleged human rights violations, it is equally valid to hold that the agencies in the US that support NGOs in Egypt should ascertain that those responsible for the operations of these organisations here actually spend their funds on the stated purposes, that they do not pursue ulterior political motives behind the guise of rights advocacy, and that they practise what they preach, namely transparency and democracy in their internal elections and other organisational processes.

Although Pompeos speech in Cairo may have triggered outcries from Democratic and even some Republican circles in Congress, and from similarly minded civil society activists in Egypt who feel that he did not show sufficient concern for the principles of democracy and human rights, this should be regarded as an exercise of the rights of freedom of opinion and expression.

At the same time, his remarks are testimony to the fact that Egyptian-US relations can continue to grow stronger when the two sides focus on their real interests, without allowing the subject of human rights to encroach on to the political debate which, by definition, is neither objective nor impartial.

Pompeo did right not to ignore the issue. But he kept it in perspective, which is to say free from emotive hyperbole and from an unproductive linkage between human rights and the larger realm of the US-Egyptian partnership.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 January, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Interests stronger than differences

Short link:

Femi Otedola, chairman of Forte Oil Plc, has expressed interest in buying assets in the companys upstream and power generating business...

Femi Otedola, chairman of Forte Oil Plc, has expressed interest in buying assets in the companys upstream and power generating businesses.





The decision was made known in a notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), signed by Akinleye Olagbende, Forte Oils company secretary, on Tuesday.





According to the notice, the firm obtained approval from its shareholders in May to undergo restructuring through a divestment exercise that will involve the sale of three of its subsidiaries.





The three subsidiaries are Forte Upstream Services Limited, Amperion Power Distribution Company Limited and AP Oil &Gas Ghana Limited.

The notice said although a public sale tender process had already commenced, it was marked by unexpectedly low interest in the bidding process and the pricing proposal fell short of expectations due to inability of the bidders to demonstrate adequate financing capability and capacity.





The notice said Otedolas participation in buying up assets from the companys subsidiaries would provide more funding for planned expansion in its downstream business.





The Chairman of the GroupMr. Femi Otedola has expressed interest to participate in the Divestment Opportunity through his designated vehicle, the notice read.





The proposal would be subject to a rigorous review by your Companys Management, and if successful, in line with relevant extant regulatory requirements, be subsequently examined by an independent financial adviserseparate from the transaction adviser, to confirm that the transaction is (i) executed on normal commercial terms; and (ii) not prejudicial to the interests of the Company and other shareholders.





Successful completion of this process would ensure adequate funding is available for our downstream operations.





The proceeds of this restructuring exercise will enable your Company to compete more favourably and achieve its planned expansion objectives in the within the downstream subsector.





In December, Otedola revealed his intention to sell 75 percent stake from Forte Oils downstream business in order to explore and maximise business opportunities in refining and petrochemicals.





He had said the transaction would be completed in the first quarter of 2019.



The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released the final list of presidential candidates ahead of the forthcoming Feb...

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released the final list of presidential candidates ahead of the forthcoming February elections.





The list which was signed by INECs Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony was released on its official Twitter handle, with names of the political parties, their presidential candidates and running mates.





On the list are candidates and their running mates to include president Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both of the All Progressives Congress, APC.





The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi were equally included.





See full list below









































More to follow



The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr.Babatunde Fashola, on Wednesday said seven Federal Government projects, totalling N18.186...





The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr.Babatunde Fashola, on Wednesday said seven Federal Government projects, totalling N18.186bn were abandoned in Osun State by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government.





He mentioned Gbongan-Iwo road, Ilesha-Osogbo road, Construction of Illie bridge, Ile-ife-Ifewara road, and Mayfair-Lagere road among others as some of the abandoned projects with attendant socioeconomic predicament for the affected communities.





Fashola, who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Osun State, Engineer Ezekiah Kehinde on Media inspection tour of all the Federal Government projects in the state hinted that the Buhari administration became worry over the development upon assumption of office in 2015.





He explained that contractors handling those projects had complained of paucity of funds to continue with the projects as a result of failure of the previous administration to pay them.





The Federal Government considered those projects as fundamental for the socioeconomic survival of the people in those areas. Which informed the urgency in which those contractors were brought back to site and outstanding debts were cleared.





Also, four more projects were added, totalling N8.45bn, which include the construction of Ila-Ora-Ekanmeje road, and emergency intervention at Ibodi-Ilesha road among others.





It would have amount to waste of resources and insensitivity on the part of government if those projects were left there abandoned, after spending several billions to mobilise contractors to site.





I can authoritatively tell you now that the Federal Government is not owing any contractor a dime any longer, he said.The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday told proponents of the restructuring of the country to approach the court. Th...

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday told proponents of the restructuring of the country to approach the court.









The vice president was of the view that those agitating for restructuring should walk their talks by approaching the court to seek legal solution to their agitation.









Osinbajo, who spoke at the 80th birthday celebration of a former governor of Osun state, Chief Bisi Akande, on the theme, Nigeria: Achieving National Unity Through Peaceful Restructuring. faulted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar who had been promising to restructure Nigeria.









At the event were the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Governors Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Gboyega Oyetola (Osun); Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Idiat Adebule; and Senator Biyi Durojaye, among others.

Osinbajo said Atiku and the PDP once opposed restructuring when Tinubu, as the governor of Lagos State, called for it in 1999.









Osinbajo said he was part of the Lagos States history between 1999 and 2003 when Tinubu used legal means to achieve the creation of more local council development areas in the state.









He said, The government of Lagos State demonstrated that it is possible to have restructuring and devolution of power by process of litigation. As of 1999 when I first had encounter with the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, he made it clear to me that one of his objectives for us is to pursue fiscal federalism and devolution of power for our state.









We spent a lot of time and resources to look into how we could do it. We know that going through the National Assembly is just a waste of time. We then decided to use process of litigation. As a matter of fact, we went to the Supreme Court on 12 different times on what we can describe as restructuring. The Federal Government at that time opposed every move we made.









Today our dear presidential candidate of the PDP says he is an expert on restructuring, but in those years when we were fighting for restructuring, he opposed every step we took.









Fortunately for us, we were able to record successes. The achievements are gains of litigation. We can only get it through the court. As a region, if we are talking about restructuring, we should look at it from the point of view of the court.









Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who was the keynote speaker, said the recommendations of the APC committee on restructuring were the best for the country.









He said, APC Committee on true federalism submitted its report last year. The committee recommended that the federation be re-balanced with more powers and responsibilities devolved to the states. The committee also clarified that the federation is a relationship solely between the states and the Federal Government, and that each state should be allowed to operate the system of local government that best suits it.









Successful restructuring depends also on our national resolve to protect the idea of a common citizenship. The rights guaranteed under the constitution should be enjoyed by every citizen, no matter where they reside, and no matter which part of the country they hail from. A restructuring of mentality and values is a key factor in the success of restructuring of the governance and political structure, El-Rufai said.









A former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, who was a discussant at the colloquium, said the APC was not opposed to restructuring.









He explained that the problem the party had was the way the opposition parties presented restructuring.









The Secretary, APC Committee on Restructuring, Senator Olufemi Adetunmbi; and Prof. Adigun Agbaje, who were also discussants aligned with Nnamanis view on generating innovative strategies that would make restructuring a reality.









Meanwhile, Osinbajo on Wednesday said even the worst critics of President Mohammadu Buhari knew that he was not a thief.









Osinbajo, who spoke at the palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, before proceeding on door-to-door campaign of the APC, said no meaningful development would take place in the society with high level graft.









He said the forthcoming elections should be seen as important by the Yoruba nation and called on the people to support Buharis re-election because the President had good plans for the country.









The vice president, who spoke in Yoruba language said, The forthcoming elections must be seen as important by all Yoruba. It is our election. If they approach you to sell your votes, dont listen to them.









Even President Buharis worst critics know he is not a thief. They know that he is not corrupt. No nation will develop when corrupt people are in positions of authority.









Ogunwusi said Osinbajo was representing Yorubas interest at the federal level and commended him for providing exemplary leadership.









Osinbajo and his team later visited the Sabo area, before moving to the palace of Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Moses Oyediran, where he called on the residents to vote for Buhari.Ekiti State House of Assembly on Thursday removed the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Segun Adewumi, for alleged gross misconduct. Adewumi, (E...

Ekiti State House of Assembly on Thursday removed the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Segun Adewumi, for alleged gross misconduct.









Adewumi, (Ekiti West Constituency I) in the assembly was elected on June 6, 2015 as the number two man in the Assembly.









He was removed in 2018 by pro-Ayodele Fayose lawmakers for alleged disloyalty.









The PDP lawmaker was reinstated as deputy speaker last year few days before Dr. Kayode Fayemi was inaugurated as governor.









The Assembly elected Olaposi Omodara (Irepodun/Ifelodun constituency 1) as new Deputy Speaker.









Adewumi was earlier impeached in May 2018.









Back then, the Assembly accused Adewumi of committing several acts including personal conducts likely to bring the Assembly to disrepute, obvious threat to peace of members and obstruction of constitutional functions of The House.







The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has described the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari ...

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has described the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari at Wednesday nights town hall meeting as a comedy show.









In a statement sent to our correspondent on Thursday, Atikus media aide, Phrank Shuaibu, said the town hall meeting had exposed Buhari as a person unfit for office and unprepared to lead a 21st century nation.









He said, The town hall meeting neither added value nor content to public discuss.









Clearly, it exposed the fact that the incumbent is neither prepared to rule for another four years, nor does he have a reason to seek a second term.









The Presidents responses to questions border more on classic dementia than reason. It was practically a display of wretched illiteracy.









Atiku said it was obvious that the President had shown a lack of knowledge of the goings on in his administration, absence of policy direction and minimal capacity.









The statement added, It is a shame that this is the best that a supposed ruling party can produce in the 21st century: a man lacking in vision, elementary knowledge and depth. Buhari is a joke, a parody of the 21st century.









This man has shown that he is unfit to be an administrator of a WhatsApp group, let alone being President of Nigeria. He is not fit, neither should he be allowed to lead the over 200 million Nigerians in the 21st century.









Of a truth, President Buhari is a man to be pitied because it is apparent he cannot help himself.







Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arrived in Washington, DC on Thursday. The forme...





Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arrived in Washington, DC on Thursday.





The former vice-president is expected to speak at the Chamber of Commerce on Friday, from 2:30pm to 4pm.





The private roundtable, which is hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Africa Business Centre, is expected to hold at 1615 H street, NW 20062.





Recall that we reported in December 2018 that Atiku had been issued with a US visa for the first time in 13 years.

TheCable reports that the former vice-president, who has been unable to enter the US for years, arrived in the US on Thursday.





His row with the US authorities began after the FBI investigated a bribery scandal involving William Jefferson, former US congressman, in 2004.





The All Progressives Congress (APC) has repeatedly said he was running away from investigations by the US authorities.





Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC, had said Atiku could not travel everywhere, asking Nigerians to elect President Muhammadu Buhari whom he said could go everywhere.





We have a president whose integrity cannot be faulted anywhere in the world, but the PDP has a presidential candidate who can only travel to Dubai, Oshiomhole had said.





Atiku was accused of demanding a bribe of $500,000 to facilitate the award of contracts to two American telecommunication firms in Nigeria.





The FBI had searched his residence in the posh neighbourhood of Potomac, Maryland, but no money was found.





The investigators had videotaped Jefferson, who was the congressman representing Louisiana, receiving $100,000 worth of $100 bills which he claimed was meant for Atiku, but the former vice-president has consistently denied the allegation.





Former president Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have been very instrumental in the process which made the US grant Atiku the visa.





Atiku is expected to hold consultative forum with Nigerians in diaspora.Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over his treat...

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over his treatment of the corruption allegations against Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state.





While speaking during a town hall meeting on Wednesday, Buhari said he decided not to take any action about the issue because the state assembly has the mandate to deal with it.





In a statement on Thursday, Atiku accused Buhari of defending his inaction regarding the alleged bribery case.





He said he found the excuse untenable because the President has not shown this level of restraint when condemning the alleged corruption of others who happen not to be members of his party, the APC.

We find this excuse untenable because the President has not shown this level of restraint when condemning the alleged corruption of others who happen not to be members of his party, the APC, he said in the statement which Paul Ibe issued on his behalf.





On many occasions, President Buhari has pre-judicially commented on the cases of non-APC members and even acted as judge and jury by convicting them with his utterances in Nigeria and abroad.





This partiality of the President is most disturbing, as it is proof positive that he is fighting the opposition and not corruption.





He also tackled the president for defending Babachir Lawal, sacked secretary to the government of the federation





Even further damaging was the Presidents defence of another of his cronies, Babachir Lawal, whom he said cannot be charged because of a lack of evidence. We are embarrassed for the President that he could make such a public faux pas, h said.





Atiku said Lawal was caught red-handed as monies meant for Internally Displaced Persons were traced to his bank accounts after he awarded his company an inflated contract.





We are thus nonplussed by the Presidents comments requesting for evidence before he can move against Mr. Lawal, he said, adding: The question is this: does being members of the All Progressive Congress confer the Presidents cronies with immunity for their crimes?



President Muhammadu Buhari will on Saturday visit Jos in continuation of his reelection campaign. The Deputy Governor Plateau Stat...

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Saturday visit Jos in continuation of his reelection campaign.









The Deputy Governor Plateau State Sonni Tyoden told reporters in Jos on Wednesday that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress and Presidential Campaign Council Co-Chairman Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would accompany the President on the campaign trip.









Others are the National Chairman of the party Adams Oshiomhole and Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation Rotimi Amaechi.









Tyoden said, The Presidents visit to Plateau will afford him the opportunity to once again seek votes.



Renowned Egyptian Egyptologist Zahi Hawass has been chosen by the Sicilian city of Noto to be granted its first-ever award for the world's most famous archaeologist.

A large award ceremony was held earlier this week and attended by the deputy mayor of Noto as well as 1,000 attendees, including a number of intellectuals and writers, in the city's opera hall.

The prize is an important award from one of the oldest Italian cities. The city of Noto dates back to the fourth century BC. In 1993, an earthquake destroyed most historic sites in the ancient city. In 2002, Noto and its church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city's council of trustees, headed by the citys mayor, who was unable to attend the ceremony because of illness, created the award dubbed The Old City of Noto Prize.

The deputy mayor said that Hawass has contributed to highlighting the significance of the archaelogical record of the Mediterranian countries through his archaeological programmes on world television, placing his name in the hearts of the world through the dissemination of culture and world heritage.

Hawass was awarded a map of the city on a plate detailing the history of the ancient city. The attendees called on Hawass to head an Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission uncover the historic parts of the city that were lost in the 1993 quake.

During the celebration, Hawass announced that all Italians are invited to visit Egypt.

He added that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has given instructions to complete the new Grand Egyptian Museum in 2020.

Hawass also announced that Tutankhamuns Opera should be completed by the end of May, affirming that it will intoxicate the world with its dramatic and musical plot.

Culture brings people closer, and the pyramids, the Sphinx, Tutankhamun and the mummies have been able to restore love between Egyptians and Italians.

It is worth mentioning that in 866 AD, Noto was conquered by the Arabs, who elevated the city to capital of one of the three districts of the island of the Val di Noto.

In 1091 AD, Noto became the last Islamic stronghold in Sicily to fall to the Europeans, and later became a wealthy Norman city.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Japans Hitachi Ltd (6501.T) decided on Thursday to freeze a 3 trillion yen ($28 billion) nuclear power project in Britain, dealing a blow to UK plans for the replacement of aging plants.

Hitachis UK unit Horizon Nuclear Power failed to find private investors for its plan to build a plant in Anglesey, Wales, which was expected to provide about 6 percent of Britains electricity.

Weve made the decision to freeze the project from the economic standpoint as a private company, Hitachi said, adding that it had booked a write-down of 300 billion yen.

Hitachi chief executive Toshiaki Higashihara said the company could seek to withdraw completely from the project and sell the Horizon unit, depending on discussions with the British government.

Hitachi shares have risen 13 percent since Japanese media first reported the possible suspension last week.

The Japanese company had urged the UK government to boost financial support for the planned power station.

Higashihara, however, denied that turmoil over Britains impending exit from the European Union had any impact on Hitachis decision to freeze the project. People close to the matter had previously said it had limited the governments capacity to devise plans.

The withdrawal of the Japanese conglomerate could leave the nuclear newbuild industry open to Russian and Chinese state-owned companies as Western private firms struggle to compete.

Chinas General Nuclear Services, an industrial partnership between China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) and French utility EDF (EDF.PA), plans to make a number of investments in Britains nuclear power sector, most notably the Hinkley Point C project in southwest England.

Chinas CGN told Reuters it would bring forward plans to build a nuclear plant in Bradwell, eastern England, helping to plug a potential supply gap.

Other Options

British Energy Secretary Greg Clark said the government would explore different options for funding new nuclear plants, as costs for renewable energy had fallen so sharply it was difficult to justify higher subsidies.

One option is a regulated asset-based model, under which investors receive some of the funding for projects as they are developed, rather than the contract-for-difference model, which provides funding only when electricity generation has begun.

The government will give an update on this assessment during summer.

Britain wants new nuclear plants to help replace its aging fleet of nuclear and coal plants coming offline in the 2020s, but high up-front costs have deterred construction.

Another Japanese firm, Toshiba Corp (6502.T), scrapped its British NuGen project last year after its U.S. reactor unit Westinghouse went bankrupt and it failed to find a buyer.

Horizon Nuclear Power said it could resume development at Anglesey in the future. The project, which was slated for completion in the late 2020s, had approval for the nuclear reactor design but had not yet started construction.

Mycle Schneider, publisher of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, said the Hitachi decision was a consequence of changing energy economics.

The investment would not even be able to compete with unsubsidized offshore wind, the most expensive renewable energy technology, Schneider said.

Time for the UK government to come up with a plan B, Schneider added.

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Look carefully and youall see Japanas Benny Hill sandwiched in between these women.

Shimura Ken no Bakatonosama (Ken Shimuraas Idiot Feudal Lord) is a comedy skit show thatas been airing on the Fuji TV network since 1988, and the starring comedian who appears on the program is 68-year-old Ken Shimura.

In the show, Shimura plays a number of recurring characters, including a aHen na Ojisana (Weird Old Man) who literally chases women and then makes everyone fall down laughing by dancing and singing aHen na ojisan dakara hen na ojisana (aIam a weird old man so Iam a weird old mana).

He also plays a character called aBakatonoa (Idiot Feudal Lord), whoas usually just referred to as Tono (Feudal Lord), and is immediately recognisable by his full face of white makeup and comically long top knot, which stands upright directly on top of his head.

Despite its Feudal-era setting and costumes, the showas schlapstick is reminiscent of the banter and shenanigans seen on the Benny Hill UK comedy show that ran from 1969a1989. And though the world has changed a lot since the a80s, Shimuraas style of comedy hasnat, and in a recent episode aired on 9 January, this was brought to everyoneas attention after he appeared sandwiched in a aNiku Butona or aMeat Futona.

In Japan, a Niku Buton is used to refer to a female bedmate, as the womanas body is likened to a fleshy cushion, but in this clip, after complaining about the cold, Bakatono requests a Niku Buton and eight women are brought to his quarters to warm him up with a multi-body Meat Futon.

In the skit, four women in blue bikinis lay down to form the ashiki butona or futon mattress. Bakatono then lays out on top of them, while his retainer enthusiastically exclaims aOh, thatas great!a. Then, four women in pink bikinis lay down on top of him, to form the akake butona, or blanket, as Bakatono says aThatas it, thatas the way.a

Despite the harsh criticism, which has made headlines in Japan, it appears that neither Shimura nor the network that aired the episode, will be making any apologies for the skit.Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in last week as Brazils new president. Nicolas Maduro, having taken over from the deceased Hugo Chavez in 2013, will be sworn for a second six-year term as Venezuelas president on Jan 10. These inaugurations illustrate the threats facing Latin Americas democracy, international alignments and unity. Bolsonaro is a right-wing former military hothead, with a record of incendiary statements on everything from gay rights to women, Afro-Brazilians to Donald Trump.

He was elected on a wave of anti-corruption and anti-establishment sentiment in Brazil that was further fuelled by a citizenry dismayed by record-high crime (even though his own family has already been accused of corruption). He immediately proceeded to pick fights with other leaders in Latin America  rescinding invitations to Maduro and Cubas president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, to attend his inauguration  and has practically broken off diplomatic relations with Venezuela. Venezuelas foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, said Maduro never considered attending the Bolsonaro inauguration, and few guests will be joining Maduro at his own party.

The Latin American Group of Lima, the European Union, and several other countries refused to recognise the legitimacy of his re-election; only the Cubans, Bolivians, Nicaraguans and Salvadorans will figure among Latin American guests, and perhaps an envoy of the new Mexican government, which has clear sympathies for Maduro, but prefers to be discreet about it. In addition to his fraudulent election, Maduro has egregiously violated human rights, driven the Venezuelan economy into the ground and generated a humanitarian crisis that has forced nearly three million of his countrymen into exile.

With prices languishing for oil, Venezuelas only export, the country will sink even further into chaos. The political and personal characteristics of these two leaders, inaugurated just days apart, are a recipe for disaster. Bolsonaro, though democratically elected, has demonstrated authoritarian inclinations. He pledged to make it easier for the police and soldiers to open fire on armed suspects, and is in favour of restoring the death penalty. He says he will issue a decree allowing virtually anyone in Brazil to purchase a firearm, including automatic weapons.

This would essentially arm the entire population. He has also threatened to withdraw Brazil from the trade bloc Mercosur  which also includes Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay  the Paris climate agreement and the Marrakesh migration plan. Bolsonaros chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, has vowed to clean the government of all public officials with socialist and communist ideas, referring to the members of the Workers Party of former Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. Worse still, the new president erased from the government directory all agencies dealing with the LGBT people, who no longer figure among those protected by the Human Rights Ministry.

For his part, Maduro has militarized all of Venezuelas institutions  including supermarkets. He has handed out automatic weapons to his militias, and armed paramilitary groups, known as colectivos. He continues to support Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua with oil money, and has raised tensions once again with Colombia; its new president, Ivan Duque, has accused Venezuela of dispatching assassins against him. Maduro was originally elected more or less democratically. But he is now one of a growing group of authoritarian rulers in Latin America who exercise power undemocratically.

Though Maduro belongs to the hard left, and Bolsonaro to the extreme right, they share authoritarian similarities. The clash between these like-minded leaders is a conflict foretold. There are several hundred thousand Venezuelans across the border in Brazil and Colombia. Bolsonaro and Duque both detest Maduro. Both sympathize with Trump, and he sympathizes with them. A pincer movement by the two countries armies, with more or less discreet United States backing, is increasingly conceivable, particularly as the region drifts to the right. The Pacific Alliance of Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico is now governed by three right-of-center rulers.

Argentina, in the throes of its umpteenth financial crisis, may, in spite of everything, reelect the conservative Mauricio Macri. Only Uruguay, Nicaragua and Bolivia are the survivors of the leftist pink tide regimes dating from the beginning of the century through 2015. Mexicos new left-wing regime will find itself increasingly isolated in the region, having to manage its multiple conflicts with the United States on its own. None of this bodes well for Latin America. From 2003 to 2012, the region went through a long period of strong growth, largely financed by high commodity prices. Then came a slowdown after 2013 when prices fell, and corruption scandals broke out nearly everywhere.

But institutions held fast, most of the time and in most countries; democracy was threatened only by an increasing number of leaders who wished to perpetuate themselves in power through electoral means, although dubious ones. This is beginning to change. The warning signs are obvious: left-wing authoritarian regimes in Nicaragua and Venezuela; a right-wing Brazilian president with neo-fascist ideas which he has begun instituting with surprising speed; an inward-looking Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, unwilling to defend human rights and democracy in the region, and prey to authoritarian lures himself; in Bolivia, a president, Evo Morales, who plans this year to seek his fourth five-term  maintaining him in power for 20 years.

A collapse of democratic institutions and respect for human rights in Latin America is no longer unimaginable. The great absence, perhaps for better than for worse, is Washington. It will almost certainly not play a role in any of these potential or already burning crises, except maybe by clumsily encouraging Colombia and Brazil to overthrow Maduro by force. But it surely will not lead the hemisphere away from these authoritarian temptations, nor toward greater collective responsibility. Given Trumps penchant for making everything worse everywhere, this may not be a bad thing. But United States passivity implies one less counterweight in a region that needs as many as it can find.The cockpit voice recorder from an Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed in October has been recovered, officials said yesterday, a discovery that could be critical to explaining why a brand new plane fell out of the sky just after take-off. The Boeing 737 MAX vanished from radar about 13 minutes after departing Jakarta, slamming into the Java Sea moments after pilots had asked to return to the capital and killing all 189 people onboard.

The bright orange voice recorder was discovered early Monday about 10 metres from a flight data recorder that was located back in November, authorities said. Its broken into two pieces so hopefully its still useful to investigators, Haryo Satmiko, deputy head of Indonesias National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), told AFP. More human remains were also found near the voice recorder, he added, without giving details.

This will really help the investigation... and could give some more answers on the cause of the crash, said Jakarta-based aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo. The doomed airliners flight data recorder supplied information about its speed, altitude and direction before it plunged into the sea on October 29. But (the data recorder) does not show how the flight crews decisions were made or discussed in those final moments, Stephen Wright, an aviation expert at Leeds University, said.

A preliminary crash report from Indonesias transport safety agency suggested that the pilots of Flight 610 struggled to control the planes anti-stall system just before the accident. The agency also found that the Lion Air jet should have been grounded over a recurrent technical problem before its fatal journey, and it criticised the budget carriers poor safety culture.Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said that the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Bahrain is based on strong and solid foundations, thanks to the wise leadership and directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

This came during a speech delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Diplomatic Forum of the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which was held yesterday, in the presence of a number of accredited Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Bahrain to celebrate 50 years of Bahraini diplomacy.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain has been an independent Arab Muslim country since 1783, and in the early nineteenth century signed an agreement with Great Britain on cooperation in military and foreign affairs, which is considered one of the oldest diplomatic agreements between the two countries. He also added that after Bahrain had joined the United Nations in 1971 as a full member, Britain considered this agreement unnecessary. He noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain and the friendly United Kingdom celebrated two years ago the 200th anniversary of Bahrain-UK relations, which was established at that time to achieve common interests.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs described the Kingdom of Bahrains foreign policy and priorities as flexible and constantly subject to evaluation, review and realignment of priorities, while also being committed to major principles since joining the United Nations until now, namely: asserting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Bahrain, protecting its security, defending its interests, and strengthening its status and its external reputation as well as consolidating its civilizational image.The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.

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Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer.

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Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer.Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with light rain early. High 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 49F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.Washingtons peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on the last leg of his regional tour aimed at finding a negotiated end to Afghanistans 17-year war, which will allow American troops to go home, ending Washingtons longest military engagement.

The US Embassy said on Thursday that Khalilzad will meet with senior Pakistani officials, without elaborating further.

Khalilzad has accelerated efforts to end the war in Afghanistan since his appointment. On his previous visits he held talks with the Taliban in the Middle East.

He has no plans to travel to the Mideast on this tour, but there are reports he may meet the Taliban during his visit to Pakistan.

If a meeting is held, its likely Khalilzad will press for direct talks with Kabul, something the Taliban have refused.

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(Newser)  Maybe the only sane thing about a man's leap from the 11th deck of a cruise ship is that the ship was docked at the time. Nick Naydev, a 27-year-old from Vancouver, Washington, posted video to Instagram showing him leaping off Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas into the water while the ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas, reports USA Today. A longer version of video was on YouTube, at least for the time being. Naydev survived the plunge, but he joked that he "could barely walk for 3 days" because of a sore tailbone and neck, reports Fox News. The stunt got himand his friendsimmediately booted from the cruise.

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"This was stupid and reckless behavior, and he and his companions have been banned from ever sailing with us again," said Royal Caribbean in a statement. "We are exploring legal action." So why did Naydev do it? "I was still drunk from the previous night," he wrote in the comments section of the video. "When I woke up I just decided to jump." A small boat that already was in the water picked him up and brought him to shore. There's no official estimate on the height of the jump, but Naydev figures it was higher than 100 feet. (YouTube has promised to crack down on videos of dangerous stunts.)(Newser)  Even as Dhanya Sanal fulfilled her dream of ascending a 6,128-foot-high sacred mountain in India, she was "ready to turn back" at any time. In fact, the 38-year-old thought protesters might force her to do so. Until Kerala's high court put an end to the tradition in November, women were barred from climbing Agasthyakoodam by local tribespeople, who viewed the women's presence as an insult to Agastya, a Hindu sage associated with celibacy, depicted in statue at the summit. Dhanya did meet protesters of that opinion on her 13.5-mile trek with roughly 100 men beginning Monday, the first day of the 47-day climbing season, but none forced her to turn around, per the BBC. And at 11am Tuesday, she became what the Times of India describes as the first woman to scale the peak.

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Two female forest officials accompanied the group, per the BBC, but Dhanya suggests they only kept her company during an overnight stay at base camp. With a goal "to understand the forest more," per the Hindustan Times, Dhanya reached that point after six hours of trekking Monday. It took another four hours to get to the summit through thick forest and steep, rocky terrain. "I had to literally hang on to ropes like a monkey to get past the rocky terrain at least at four locations," Dhanya tells the Times of India, sharing this warning for the 100 or so other women among this year's 4,700 registered climbers: "Do not ever undertake this journey if you don't have that extra physical fitness." Three women following in her footsteps are expected to reach base camp on Thursday. (Read more India stories.)(Newser)  An expert was to survey a painting some believe to be a lost work of Michelangelo at a church outside of Brussels on Thursday, though you can now consider the visit canceled. Pastor Jan Van Raemdonckwho had told only 20 people about the possible discoveryreported the painting missing from its usual spot near the altar of Zele's Sint-Ludgerus church on Friday. "Two ladies who were putting flowers on the altar noticed the external door was open and the painting was missing" around 9am, four hours after a man was seen near the church, Van Raemdonck tells the Guardian. He suspects a targeted burglary involving several people, given that the painting weighed 220 pounds. The 16th-century work depicts a sleeping baby Jesus in Mary's lap, with Joseph and John the Baptist looking on. Nothing else was taken.

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Van Raemdonck says he planned to increase church security if the expert confirmed the painting to be of the master's hand, which would've made it one of just two Michelangelo works in Belgium, per the Telegraph. "I only told some family, friends and the church's council" of its possible $115 million value "and never in public," he says, though he notes information may have been collected from emails. Van Raemdonck reached out to several museums while researching the work, which is almost identical to a 1538 chalk drawing by Michelangelo, held in the collection of the Duke of Portland, per ArtNet News (see it here). Despite the pastor's enthusiasm, the AP talks to art experts who think it's unlikely the painting is actually one by Michelangelo. (Trace the fascinating history of this long-lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci.)(Newser)  It's the million-dollar questionor, more accurately, the $50,000 one: Since Jayme Closs ended up rescuing herself from captivity, where does the reward money go? It looks like there are four possibilities: no one, Jayme herself, the woman she approached asking for help, or the couple who then called 911. The FBI in late October ponied up $25,000 for anyone providing information leading to the 13-year-old Wisconsin girl's rescue, and the Jennie-O Turkey Store, which employed her parents, matched that amount. After being held for 88 days, Jayme last Thursday managed to escape from a cabin in Gordon and came upon Jeanne Nutter, who was walking her dog. They then went to Kristin and Peter Kasinskas' home, and the couple called 911.

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CNN reports the Kristin Kasinskas believes the money should go to Jayme, "because she got herself out." Kasinskas said no officials have spoken to her about the money, which she doesn't want. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, who publicly called Jayme "the hero in the case," says he will be conferring with the FBI about what to do with the money. No timeline has been given regarding that decision. The AP simply reports that it will be "determined later." A Milwaukee FBI rep said on Tuesday the reward was under review. (Jayme heard deputies' sirens from the trunk where she was being held.)(Newser)  Microsoft is looking to ensure a roof over employees' heads, putting up $500 million to assist with affordable housing in the Seattle area. The funds will help create homes for Microsoft's cafeteria workers and shuttle drivers, as well as other middle- and low-income residents, reports the New York Times. The Seattle Times calls it the largest pledge in the $850 billion company's 44-year history, one that "dwarfs the $100 million in annual funding for the state's Housing Trust Fund." In contrast, Seattle-based Amazon last year helped block a per-employee tax on large businesses that would've allowed for more affordable housing and homeless services. A December report from the King County Regional Affordable Housing Task Force found 156,000 more affordable housing units are needed, plus an additional 88,000 by 2040 if growth continues.

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"We believe everybody has a role to play," says Microsoft President Brad Smith. Within three years, the company plans to lend $225 million at subsidized rates to developers to maintain and build middle-income housing (aimed at households making $62,000 to $124,000 per year) in the Seattle suburbs near its base in Redmond, Wash. Another $250 million will be put into low-income housing, while $25 million will go to groups working with the homeless. Funds for additional projects are to be handed out as the loans are repaid, Smith tells the New York Times, adding a hope that other companies will follow Microsoft's lead. A $500 million pledge is "nowhere close to what's needed to solve this problem," he says. "There is almost no level of housing that isn't direly needed," adds task force head Claudia Balducci. (Addicted to tech? Seattle is a good place to get help.)(Newser)  A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television has been arrested by the FBI during a visit to the US, the broadcaster reported Wednesday. Her son says she is being held in a prison, apparently as a material witness. Marzieh Hashemi, who worked for Press TV, the network's English-language service, was detained in St. Louis, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary after visiting relatives in the New Orleans area, the AP reports. She was then taken to Washington, according to her elder son, Hossein Hashemi. The FBI said in an email that it had no comment on the arrest of the woman who was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and has worked for Iran's state television network for 25 years.

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Hossein Hashemi says his mother lives in Tehran and comes back to this country about once a year to see her family, usually scheduling documentary work somewhere in the US as well. "We still have no idea what's going on," says Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado. He says he and his siblings have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. Marzieh Hashemi, an American citizen, had not been contacted by the FBI before she was detained and would "absolutely" have been willing to cooperate with the agency, her son says. The family is trying to hire an attorney, but it has been difficult because she has not been charged with a crime, he says.

(Read more Iran stories.)(Newser)  Otters aren't the first animal to come to mind when most people think of dangerous Florida wildlifebut a run-in with an aggressive and probably rabid one left a woman temporarily unable to walk. Maitland resident Ann-Christine Langselius tells Fox News that she was walking her Goldendoodle on a bridge in a park in the Orlando suburb last week when she saw the animal "running fast" toward her. She says that in a completely unprovoked attack, the otter attacked her right leg then sank its teeth into her left legand hung on as she ran for about 25 yards. Langselius, who moved to Florida from northern Sweden 18 months ago, says she required rabies shots and has had trouble walking because of the severe bites.

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"I've never seen an animal behave like this so I kind of guessed it was ill when it went for me," Langselius tells the Orlando Sentinel. "But the scariest part was that it didnt let go. It bit me in the Achilles tendon really badly so it hung on for a long time." Authorities believe the same otter was responsible for at least two other attacks on Maitland residents. Posters were put up in the park reading "CAUTION: Aggressive Otter Reported in Area." Authorities say that a couple of days after Langselius was bitten, a police officer shot a rabid otter in a resident's backyard, though they haven't confirmed that it was the same animal responsible for the attacks. (Last year, a kayaker was injured in another Florida otter attack.)(Newser)  A dishwasher at a Miami hotel claimed in a lawsuit that her former employer violated her religious rights by scheduling her to work on Sundays. This week, a jury agreed and awarded Marie Jean Pierre $21 million in punitive damages, NBC reports. But, as WTVJ points out, shell end up with only a fraction of that, some $300,000, due to a cap on punitive damages in federal court. Pierre, who worked at the Conrad Miami for a decade, sued the hotels parent company, in 2017, saying it violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on color, religion, sex, or national origin. The 60-year-old mother of six is a member of Catholic missionary group Soldiers of Christ.

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Pierre claimed that the hotel knew from the onset of her employment that she could not work Sundays, and that her employer accommodated her until 2015, when she began to be scheduled to work on Sundays. She said she traded shifts with coworkers for several weeks until her boss said she had to come in, the Miami Herald reports. When she didnt, he fired her. Pierres lawyer tells NBC that the hotel argued in court that it didnt know that she was a missionary and why she needed Sundays off. "During Ms. Pierre's ten years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments," a spokeswoman says, adding that the hotel will appeal. In addition to the punitive damages, Pierre was reportedly awarded $36,000 for lost wages and $500,000 for emotional suffering. (Read more lawsuit stories.)Zimbabwes domestic and foreign policies will not bend to the whims of other countries desires, and will continue to be informed by the national interest as well as respect for historically friendly relations with like-minded nations, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.



In a series of interviews with Russian media houses earlier this week during his current tour of four Eurasian nations, the Head of State and Government also explained Zimbabwes Engagement and Re-Engagement Policy.



The President has already been to Russia, where he held fruitful talks with President Vladimir Putin, and yesterday he discussed economic co-operation with President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Belarus.



Thereafter, President Mnangagwa will hold talks with President Nursultan Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan) and President Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), after which he heads to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.







The engagements are designed to strengthen economic co-operation and attract investment as President Mnangagwa steers Zimbabwe towards middle-income status by 2030.





However, critics of the President have sought to belittle the engagements, insinuating that he would be better off courting Western countries  some of whom maintain economic sanctions on Zimbabwe because of Harares fast-track land reform programme.





In one interview in Russia, President Mnangagwa said, Zimbabwe is a sovereign state; we make decisions on the basis of national interests as well as the interests of those who are friendly to us.





In regard to the Russian Federation, there is a history of co-operation prior to our Independence and post-Independence, and we have stood together  So there is no cause for us to depart from that stance.





The question of deepening our relations is not prompted by the sanctions imposed on us by those who do not like us. We consolidate and deepen our relations on the basis of our interests as two sovereign states.





Those who have put sanctions on us, they best know why they have sanctions on us. As Zimbabwe we carried out our land reform which was the basis of our revolution leading to us gaining our Independence in 1980.





And we fulfilled the grievances of our people by implementing the land reform.

If history could be reversed we would do it (land reform programme) again. Land reform was critical for us to move forward and we are happy that it is now behind us. Its irrevocable.





In another interview, the President was asked about US national security advisor Mr John Boltons recently unveiled new Africa Strategy, which analysts have said is largely about trying to counter Chinas economic co-operation with the continent.





Im sure Mr Bolton pronounced the policy in the American interest, we pronounce our foreign policy in the Zimbabwean interest. We dont look at American interests to determine our policy. We determine our policy on the national interest of Zimbabwe, and that is what is going to guide us on whatever issue.





Where their interests and our interests coincide, well and good.  We will respect their national interest and we will expect them also, in return, to respect our national interest because we are all member states of the United Nations.





President Mnangagwa said he would formally invite President Putin to Harare as the two nations consolidate relations, jokingly adding: Except that we have come here and it is minus 4 degrees Celsius, so when he comes to Zimbabwe we will make sure it is above 40 degrees Celsius.





Zimbabwes leader dismissed speculative reports that Zimbabwe was on an arms shopping spree, pointing out that his number one priority was economic development.





But down the line as Zimbabwe becomes stronger in terms of its economic muscle, we should be able to buy the type of hardware which we know the Russian Federation has and which we require.





But we are not in a hurry. Our priority is now to develop our economy in terms of modernising and mechanising.





(When the time comes) we dont think we will concentrate on hardware; we will concentrate on manpower training in the area of the Army and the Air Force. We have a lot of our officers who trained here and we think they received the best training for our size of army.





And speaking to the editor-in-chief of Tass new agency, Mikhail Gusman, President Mnangagwa said he was dedicating up to 95 percent of his time to affairs of State, leaving very little time for his family.





He said he had never hoped to be President of the Republic, but rather that the ruling Zanu-PF and the legislature  guided by the party constitution and the national Constitution respectively  had deployed him to that role, and he had subsequently won an election to secure a five-year term.





I dont view it as being about power, he said, it is about the burden leadership, a duty to be discharged for ones country.





President Mnangagwa said his administrations efforts were starting to bear fruit, pointing out that exports had gone up 26 percent since he assumed the mantle, and that with strategic partnerships with friendly nations, Zimbabwe would attain the objective of becoming a middle-income economy by 2030. HeraldThe economy could have lost business amounting to $300 million over the three-day forced shut-down that started on Monday and ended yesterday, industrialists have said.







Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president Sifelani Jabangwe, said companies and individuals who lost their properties to the marauding demonstrators have been plunged into serious financial challenges since insurance firms do not compensate anything destroyed during riots.





Further, the violence that accompanied the opposition and civic society-instigated demonstrations, might have ripple effects given that they occurred at a time Zimbabwe is badly looking for investors to create more jobs and help turnaround the economy.





Capital is generally timid and flies out of seemingly unstable environments such as political skirmishes and wars.





Asked how much the economy in general, and industrialists in particular could have lost during the strike, Mr Jabangwe said; The only way we can measure the loss is through GPD.





We record about $100 million per day and given that some companies operated on skeletal staff in the last three days, the economy lost could be between $70 million and $100 million per day.

Mr Jabangwe said CZI members lost substantial business as some that had gone to work on Monday, could not deliver the goods to the market because roads were blocked.





There are also cases of perishables that went bad as the markets were closed.

The strike has significantly affected our members in terms of production and sales. We are also concerned about the loss of life that we hear, which is unfortunate. These are economically active that we lost.





We think in as much as it is their right to protest as indicated in the national constitution, the protesters should also not infringe on other peoples rights because right now, we have cases of property destroyed and what is worse is that insurance companies dont cover damages arising from riots, said Mr Jabangwe.





He said while one of the demonstrators grievances was an improvement in the economy, they need to be reminded that it would not happen overnight, and the violence of the last three days can only worsen the situation.





Solutions to the economic challenges will not be easy and we believe that the general conduct of demonstrators may cost the nation in a big way.





You see, the investors we want will not come because they will say Zimbabwe is not a safe investor destination. The economic challenges will not be solved by burning down property.

It is easy to blame Government for the economic challenges but we are also to blame as citizens due to our actions, said Mr Jabangwe.





The tourism sector is understood to have also been hugely impacted on by the violent demonstrations, which some opposition and NGO elements have been planning for a long time with some Western nationals.





Hoteliers reported massive cancellations as tourists feared they would be caught in the crossfire. Some countries such as the United States of America, issued travel warnings to their citizens, and consequently resulted in withdrawals by tourists.





Impressive tourist numbers are usually central to the good performance of the sector by year end.

Going forward, Mr Jabangwe called for dialogue at the TNF (Tripartite Negotiating Forum) level and drive the economic development agenda.





On Monday business lamented the three-day shut-down was counterproductive. They said such actions were tantamount to massive loss of production at a time Zimbabwe is making frantic efforts to rebuild the economy.





Such violence is costing companies through vandalism, pilferage, lost hours in productivity, skills flight as some professionals cannot cope with such situations, said Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) chief executive Takunda Mugaga.





As private sector, we continue to engage Government. Such strikes are causing retail sector to lose on average $5 million in sales, daily, he said adding violence was no way of resolving issues but engagement and social contract to be signed by all parties.





Retail shops and businesses in Harares Central Business District were closed for three days.

National Business Council of Zimbabwe (NBCZ) president Langton Mabhanga said calling for industrial actions and violence to resolve economic challenges was irresponsible.





He said building the economy was not a responsibility for Government alone, but all stakeholders which called for responsible actions.





What we are doing now is not going to help the economy. The more Zimbabweans do these things (violent protests) the more we miss, said Mr Mabhanga by telephone.





This will only knock down production, which is not good for the economy. After all, this is not the way to make Government accountable, they are not the only ones responsible for building the economy. Governments role is to create policy that enables businesses growth, to facilitate and support the economic environment, he said. HeraldNineteen people remain unaccounted for two days after Somali militants attacked a hotel complex in Nairobi and killed at least 21 people, the Red Cross said on Thursday, raising the possibility of a considerably higher death toll.

Al Shabaab, a Somalia-based al Qaeda affiliate fighting to impose strict Islamic law, said it carried the assault on the upscale dusitD2 compound over US President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. It

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday evening that a 20-hour siege had ended with security forces killing all the Somali militants who had stormed the hotel complex, driving hundreds of people into terrifying escapes.

The Red Cross had on Wednesday afternoon put the number of those unaccounted for at 50.

In a statement some hours later, it said the number of people still unaccounted for had dropped to 19.

Kenya, the East African hub for multinational companies and the United Nations, became a frequent target for al Shabaab after Kenya sent troops into neighboring Somalia in 2011 to try to create a buffer zone along its border.

In a two-page statement claiming responsibility for the attack, al Shabaab did not spell out why it had chosen to hit Kenya over Trumps December 2017 decision on Jerusalem.

It said the attack was a response to the witless remarks of US president, Donald Trump, and his declaration, and that it was targeting Western and Zionist interests worldwide and in support of our Muslim families in Palestine.

Asked about the claim, a White House National Security Council spokesman said in a statement: This senseless act is a stark reminder of why the United States remains resolved in our fight to defeat radical Islamist terrorism.

The bloody bodies of five attackers were broadcast across social media as Kenyatta announced the end of the siege, which echoed a 2013 al Shabaab assault that killed 67 people in the Westgate shopping center in the same district.

Sixteen Kenyans including a policeman, an American survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States, and a British development worker were among the dead in the hotel complex, Nairobi police chief Joseph Boinnet said.

Short link:

3000ad/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Before they square off over Democrats' planned inquiries into the Trump administration, House Democrats' chief investigator and President Donald Trump's top White House lawyer touched gloves for the first time Wednesday as they begin to work together on oversight requests regarding the Trump administration.



Sources tell ABC News in recent weeks under the new leadership of Pat Cipollone, the White House Counsels office has been aggressively staffing up  adding attorneys with a variety of expertise many who have worked in oversight capacities in the past. The White House team of lawyers, according to sources, will cooperate when its deemed a request from Congress is valid  however, in the cases when its not in the legal teams opinion they will fight that aggressively and would potentially invoke executive privilege or claim an active investigation.



After a brief "get-to-know you" phone call last week, House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings and White House counsel Cipollone sat down Wednesday, with the veteran lawmaker telling ABC News after the meeting that he has "a lot of respect" for the White House counsel.



"I think he's a distinguished lawyer," Cummings, who is also an attorney, said. "Certainly he's going to do his job in representing the president and I'm going to do my job in leading the committee."



White House lawyer Emmet Flood has also briefed senior White House staff on Congressional oversight ahead of the investigations, according to sources familiar with the matter. However, sources say, the briefing was a broad overview, not about strategy or tactics when it comes to requests from Congress.



Cummings has no illusions about the White House likely legal strategy and potential resistance to congressional oversight requests but said it's important for both sides to work together. He set a deadline last Friday for the White House to respond to dozens of requests for information but has not commented on next steps or the White House's compliance with those inquiries.



"We understand that we both have a job and we're going to be straightforward with each other. My relationship with lawyers and I've gone against some of the best, have always been like that," he said.



The Maryland Democrat is preparing for a marquee public hearing next month with Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, that will shine a spotlight on the president's family business and his time working for the businessman-turned-president.



Cummings has also expressed interest in following up with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross over the department's efforts to slip a citizenship question into the 2020 censure questionnaire. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the administration from asking about citizenship on the census,but the ruling is expected to be appealed. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments next month.



Also on the radar for Congress, is the presidents company  the Trump Organization.



Compared to the White House, the company cannot claim executive privilege and sources familiar with internal discussions expect the company to comply with any requests it receives from Congress within reason. The company also hired Stefan Passantino, the former White House ethics chief who is already representing the Trumps firm on a matter in front of the House Oversight Committee.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.He said: When I asked one of the police officers where exactly in this video is the incitement to violence he said 'ahh that bit is maybe a little bit silenced in the video' so theres really no basis for the charge."Commercial, political and cultural ties between Zimbabwe and Belarus have received a major boost following President Mnangagwas opening of an Honorary Consul in central Minsk this morning.



The occasion preceded a meeting between President Mnangagwa and President Lukashenko at the Presidential Palace in the Belarussian capital. Presidents Mnangagwa and Lukashenko then went into closed door talks, with both sides optimistic the engagement would result in the signing of several agreements.



Earlier, prominent businessman Mr Aleksandr Zingman, who has been pushing for stronger Zimbabwe-Belarus relations in recent years, was presented as Honorary Consul.

After cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the entrance and touring the offices, President Mnangagwa said, I am pleased we have opened our consul here in the Republic of Belarus, and we appointed Aleks the Honorary Consul of Zimbabwe.







Our people can be served here and those who would want to travel to Zimbabwe will have service here. This is indicative of the growing relationship between Zimbabwe and Belarus. Congratulations again.





Mr Zingman responded: Your Excellency, we want to assure you that we will strengthen relations between our beautiful motherland Belarus, and your beautiful country Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe and Belarus already have memoranda of understanding that cover mining, science, technology and innovation; trade and economic co-operation; procurement of agri-equipment; and fertiliser supply.





President Mnangagwa has secured a US$120 million export credit line for the supply of machinery and equipment for agriculture, dam construction and mining; and it is hoped that todays talks will build on this. Equipment from Belarus has boosted Hwange Collierys monthly output from 50 000 tonnes to 250 000; and that of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Company to 40 000 carats of diamonds.





Indications are that today the two Presidents could discuss higher, tertiary and vocational education; establishment of a Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Co-operation; extradition; and greater collaboration in agriculture, among other areas of mutual concern.

The leaders could likely announce whatever they agree as soon as pen is put to paper, after which President Lukashenko will host an official lunch in honour of the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.





Later today, President Mnangagwa will be at the Victory Square in Minsk to lay a wreath as a sign of respect for the millions of Belarussians who lost their lives in the Second World War. President Mnangagwa will also meet business leaders who are interested in doing business in and with Zimbabwe. HeraldSecretary for Justice Teresa Cheng today mourned the passing of Patrick Yu, the first Chinese person to be appointed Crown Counsel in Hong Kong.

Ms Cheng said Mr Yu was one of Hong Kong's most distinguished, reputable and well-respected advocates.

"In 1951, he became the first Chinese person to be appointed Crown Counsel in Hong Kong. Starting his own practice in 1953, he had succeeded in establishing himself as the top criminal lawyer in the territory before his retirement in 1983."

In addition to attaining an elevated and iconic status in the legal sector, he also made significant contributions to the establishment of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong, she said.

Ms Cheng added that he would be dearly missed by the legal sector and the society.

Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma also expressed sadness.

"Mr Yu was for many lawyers in Hong Kong, including judges, barristers and solicitors, an inspiration and represented the ultimate aspiration as to the qualities required in the law.

"Patrick will be much missed but his generosity of spirit and his ideals will live on."The Government has no plans to expand the Child Development Funds scope to cover all children in Hong Kong, nor to extend the funding period, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong said today.



He was responding to a lawmakers question on whether the Government would expand the fund's target beneficiaries and set up a universal savings scheme for newborns as in other countries.

Dr Law said the funds purpose and policy objectives are different from those of the overseas child savings schemes referred to by the lawmaker.

Each fund project, which lasts three years, comprises three components: Targeted Savings, Mentorship and Personal Development Plan, he added.

Dr Law pointed out despite the Targeted Savings being made up of savings, a matching fund and a financial incentive provided by the Government, they only form one of the fund's components.

The fund attaches importance to encouraging children from underprivileged families to accumulate intangible assets, such as a positive attitude, resilience and social networks to lay a foundation for their long-term development.

The Labour & Welfare Bureau had earlier commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct the Study on the Longer Term Development of Child Development Fund Project Participants.

Dr Law noted the study results indicated that the projects could effectively enhance underprivileged children and youngsters' ability in resource management and future planning, expand their personal networks and help them develop a persistent savings habit.

These benefits will enhance their academic and career development, and are fundamental to their future success and their ability to combat poverty.

The consultant team conducting the study also did not say the fund's coverage was too narrow and did not comment on the funding period.

Dr Law added that providing all children with a uniform payment or matching contribution by the Government for saving purposes irrespective of their financial background is not in line with its current strategy of creating more equal development opportunities for children from underprivileged families.Financial Secretary Paul Chan

To begin, the open-ended fund company regime came into operation last July. It marks the first time that Hong Kong has established a dedicated legal framework for fund vehicles.

No less important, it showcases the Government's commitment to making Hong Kong a multidimensional fund centre. And I am confident it will create more opportunities for our fund and related businesses.

Last month, the bill extending profits tax exemption to onshore funds, in addition to offshore funds, was introduced in the Legislative Council. Under this bill, private equity funds are among those that will enjoy profits tax exemption. A tax-exempt fund can invest in local and overseas private companies. I am hopeful that the new tax treatment will take effect very soon.

Last April, we rolled out a new listing regime for pre-revenue, or pre-profit, biotech companies and companies with a weighted voting rights structure. To date, seven have been listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong under the new regime, and many are in the pipeline.

Good news too on the IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) front. Last year, Hong Kong raised about $287 billion through IPOs, claiming the global IPO crown. Indeed, Hong Kong has ranked first globally six times in the past 10 years.

We continue to add jurisdictions with which we have mutual recognition arrangements with regard to funds. Yesterday, Luxemburg joined our existing partners of the Mainland, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom.

And then there's Hong Kong's role as one of the world's leading international financial centres. You can see that, at work brilliantly, during this International Financial Week here, which began with the impressive two-day Asian Financial Forum concluded only yesterday. Today's forum is another highlight, as is tomorrow's EMPEA Private Equity Masterclass, organised by the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association.

Numbers also underline Hong Kong's status as a financial services powerhouse. We rank third in the Global Financial Centres Index, behind only London and New York. We topped the Milken Institute's Global Opportunity Index in 2017. And for the past 24 years in a row, the Washington-based Heritage Foundation has named Hong Kong the world's freest economy.

Add it up, and you have a financial foundation as formidable and deeply rooted as anywhere in the world. And I have no doubt that economic growth and accelerating wealth creation in this part of the world, particularly the Mainland of China, will continue to support Hong Kong's asset and wealth management business.

At the end of 2017, assets under management in Hong Kong totalled some US$3.1 trillion. Non-Hong Kong investors accounted for two-thirds of this.

Private equity is critical to our asset and wealth management landscape. We are Asia's second-largest private equity centre, trailing only the Mainland.

As of mid-2018, our private equity players managed US$152 billion in Hong Kong. That is about 16% of the total capital under management in Asia.

During the first half of 2018, private equity funds raised in Hong Kong amounted to US$12 billion, about 20% of the total funds raised in Asia. Given investors interest in diversified portfolios  both in asset class and geographical exposure  Hong Kong can only continue to capture business opportunities in the Asian private equity market.

In the coming months, we will put out a proposal for industry consultation about introducing a limited partnership regime for private equity funds in Hong Kong. Thereafter, we will introduce a bill in the Legislative Council. If passed, it would be the second dedicated regime for a fund vehicle in our law books.

The Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau is working closely with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Securities & Futures Commission on this proposal. Our objective is to have a regime catering for the needs of private equity funds, while safeguarding investor protection.

The Government will continue to boost Hong Kong's unique role as gateway between international markets and investors and their counterparts on the Mainland of China. We'll do so through the Stock Connects, Bond Connect, and the Mutual Recognition of Funds arrangements. We will also further strengthen our position as the global offshore RMB business hub.

At the regional level, we will continue to take part in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development. Its sheer market size and number of high net-worth individuals, coupled with the policy objective of enabling people, goods, capital and information to flow freely within the region, will expand opportunities for our asset and wealth management sector.

Turning to the Belt & Road Initiative, Hong Kong's financial services industry is well positioned to contribute in a number of areas. Given our liquid capital flow and deep pool of financial talent, Hong Kong is the natural centre from which to raise funds for infrastructure, investment and production projects.

We are also ideally suited to provide the risk management, insurance and dispute-resolution services that big-ticket infrastructure projects need.

Green finance is also promising. And I am pleased to report that the Government will soon launch its green issuance under the Government Green Bond Programme, which has a borrowing ceiling of $100 billion.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan gave these remarks at the Asia Private Equity Forum 2019 on January 16.During a regional tour that took him to nine Arab countries in a little over a week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lobbied for support for Washingtons plans to make the region increasingly uncomfortable for Tehran.

On 7 January Pompeo arrived in Amman for the first stop of a tour that would take him to Baghdad, Cairo and the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with Muscat in Oman as his last stop on Tuesday.

The trip was coupled with two parallel visits, also designed to corner Iran: US National Security Adviser John Bolton visited Israel and Turkey, and US Under-Secretary of State David Hale visited Lebanon.

In his visits to Baghdad, Cairo, Doha and Riyadh Pompeo spoke about US plans to expel every Iranian boot on the ground from Arab countries. He said that increasingly countries understand that we must confront the Ayatollahs and that work was being done by the US and its regional allies to end Irans malign influence in the region.

In Lebanon Hale spoke of the need to put pressure on the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah, one of Irans strongest Arab allies. In Israel and Turkey Bolton discussed the need to make sure that the upcoming withdrawal of US troops from Syria, announced by US President Donald Trump late in December, would not allow for any expansion of Iranian influence.

Informed diplomatic and political sources say that Washington could face problems in lobbying for its anti-Iran plans, not least because it remains unclear what the US really wants to do about Iran.

Some US officials have hinted to regional interlocutors of the possibility of limited military action. The message was delivered in parallel to news reports suggesting that the White House had asked the Pentagon to offer possible scenarios for military action against Iran.

It also came against the backdrop of leaked information suggesting Bolton, a hawk in the Trump administration, had tried, against the advice of the Pentagon and recently resigned US secretary of defense Jim Mattis, to convince Trump to target military installations in Iran last autumn, using Iraq to stage the limited strikes.

According to one informed Cairo-based European diplomat, some in the region would have been happy to see Iran come under military attack though this was far from being the consensus among Washingtons regional allies, many of whom worried about what this would mean for Syria and Iraq, countries where the Iranian presence cannot be overlooked.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif arrived in Baghdad for a two-day visit to hold talks with Tehrans Iraqi allies.

The visit came a few days after Pompeos, and as the Iraqi parliament was debating the need for the Iraqi government to clarify that strategic cooperation between Baghdad and Washington does not include permission for the US to use Iraqi territory for an attack against Iran.

According to European diplomats, it is almost impossible to determine the Iranian reaction to any attack. Would Tehran target American or other Western targets in Iraq and elsewhere in the region? Or would it allow Hizbullah to target Israel? Nor is it clear how the US can secure an Arab alliance to help with any possible action against Iran, military or otherwise.

During his tour, Pompeo was keen to tell his Arab interlocutors that the US would like to see an end to feuding among its allies in the Middle East. This was particularly the case regarding Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt and Qatar.

Speaking in Doha at a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart, Pompeo said the time had come for the quarrel to end. Notably, Pompeos tour came simultaneously with the signing of two agreements to expand US military cooperation with Egypt and with Qatar.

But Pompeos talks with Washingtons Arab allies did not produce any promises among Arab adversaries to put aside their disagreements and move towards initiating the proposed Middle East Security Alliance (MESA) that would bring together the six GCC members, Egypt, Jordan and the US.

A meeting to upgrade talks among military representatives from the eight countries is being scheduled and should, according to one Washington source, take place in the US capital in advance of the meeting the US wants to see convened in Poland to discuss ways to contain Iran.

According to a well-informed political source, when all is said and done, if the US decides it needs its Arab allies to take part in any action it will be hard to see this wish being declined, no matter what the concerns or the disagreements Arab states might have with one another.

An Arab diplomat speaking about Pompeos visit said that during his talks in the region the US secretary of state had breathed new life into earlier Kuwaiti attempts to reduce tensions between Qatar, on the one hand, and Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on the other. Even so, no timeline had been offered for any meetings Kuwait might initiate.

Washingtons Arab allies began discussing what Pompeos visit might mean even before the US secretary of state had left the region, with talks between Jordanian King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi hastily arranged in Amman. Hale and Boltons visits were also being subject to a forensic analysis by regional powers.

Informed European diplomats say there is concern over how far the US has managed to push its allies towards accommodating possible action against Iran without first calculating the impact any escalation against Iran might have on a region that is already in turmoil, and which has brought Europe face-to-face with a massive influx of refugees.

Iran is currently topping the agenda of talks between Washington and Moscow and between several European capitals and Washington. The European diplomats say the need to act prudently to try to reduce tensions in the Middle East means trying to find political compromises rather than going for head-on confrontations, whether political, economic or military.

European capitals remain wary of tensions between Turkey and the US over the management of Washingtons planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria, concerns that were inflamed by Trumps threats on Twitter this week to drive Turkey to economic collapse should it attack Syrian Kurdish forces. They are also worried about the reliability of the political calculations of some of the younger leaders in the region who might end up rocking the boat in a way that prompts further instability.

The next few weeks, the same diplomats say, will see a flurry of consultations between European leaders and their Arab counterparts  not least French President Emmanuel Macrons trip to the region in February  in an attempt to urge caution. Macron has long been uncomfortable with Trumps policies on the Middle East, including on Iran and Syria.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 January, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Tipping the balanceChampaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High near 90F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.Copy Editor/Entertainment Editor

Frank Pieper is a copy editor and entertainment editor at The News-Gazette, and the author of Frank's Faves and Frank's Weekend Faves. His email is fpieper@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@frp308).Yemeni government and rebel representatives met in Jordan on Thursday for a second day to thrash out the details of a major prisoner exchange, a UN official said.

The swap, which could involve up to 15,000 detainees from both sides, was agreed in principle as a confidence-building measure ahead of peace talks in Sweden last month.

But the details were left for later as UN mediators focused on brokering breakthrough truce deals for the lifeline port of Hodeida and battleground third city Taez.

The talks in the Jordanian capital Amman come as international donors meet in Berlin to set up a fund to support the fledgling peace process in Yemen.

Representatives of the United Nations, which brokered the swap agreement, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will supervise its implementation, are taking part in the Amman talks.

During a first day of talks on Wednesday, the warring parties met separately with the mediators and submitted lists of prisoners they want to see released.

On Thursday, they were expected to meet face-to-face to hammer out the details of its implementation.

The new meetings come after the UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the deployment of up to 75 monitors to oversee the truce in Hodeida, which has largely held despite delays in an agreed withdrawal of combatants.

- International support fund -

In Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pledged 4.5 millions euros as the opening contribution to the new peace process support fund.

"In Yemen, a humanitarian catastrophe threatens to unfurl if we do not manage to bring this conflict to a definitive end," Maas said.

"The important thing right now is to seize this small but real opportunity and work to ensure that international support for the peace process is as constructive and resilient as possible."

The truce in the largely rebel-held Red Sea port city was the centrepiece of a series of breakthrough agreements brokered by the United Nations in Sweden last month in what is widely seen as the best chance yet of ending Yemen's devastating four-year civil war.

But in a sign that much work still needs to be done before formal peace negotiations can begin, UN envoy Martin Griffiths said last week that he had postponed until February a planned second round of talks between the two sides.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle radio on Wednesday, Griffiths said he was guardedly optimistic.

He said he had been pleasantly surprised that the truce had held in Hodeida so far despite the "currently very weak" UN monitoring.

He said he was "keeping his fingers crossed" that would continue while the new observer mission is put in place.

Alistair Burt, the British Foreign Office's minister responsible for Middle East affairs, said both sides had largely complied with the ceasefire in Hodeida.

"The relative calm there reflects the benefit of the Stockholm agreement," he told British legislators on Wednesday.

"There are sporadic incidents... but broadly (the ceasefire) has held."

The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered government in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

Human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high.

The war has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

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By Associated Press

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May was consulting opposition parties and other lawmakers on Thursday in a battle to get Brexit back on track after surviving a no-confidence vote, talks that were branded a "stunt" by the main opposition leader.

Across the Channel, European Union countries were stepping up preparations for a disorderly British exit on March 29 after the UK Parliament rejected May's Brexit withdrawal deal. EU nations were spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the possibility that Britain will leave the bloc without an agreement to smooth the way.

British lawmakers threw out May's Brexit deal on Tuesday, handing the prime minister the worst parliamentary defeat in modern British history. The drubbing was followed by a no-confidence vote demanded by the opposition.

May's minority Conservative government survived it on Wednesday night with backing from its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party. The government confirmed that May will meet a Monday deadline to publish a Brexit Plan B and that lawmakers will have a full day to debate it and, crucially, amend it on January 29.

On Thursday, May met with representatives from several of Parliament's feuding Brexit factions: Northern Ireland's compromise-rejecting Democratic Unionists, Euroskeptic "hard Brexit"-backing Conservatives, those urging Britain to hold a second EU membership referendum and supporters of a close economic relationship with the EU.

ALSO READ: UK no-confidence motion: What next for Brexit? Here are three main possibilities

May claimed to be listening, but with such a wide range of views on Britain's future, she can't please all of them. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he wouldn't meet with May until she took a no-deal Brexit "off the table."

To get a deal that can command a majority in Parliament, Theresa May has to ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future," Corbyn said during a speech to supporters in the English seaside town of Hastings. "Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that's needed." Green Party lawmaker Caroline Lucas, who met with May on Thursday morning, said the prime minister was "in a fantasy world" if she thought her Brexit deal could be transformed by Monday.By PTI

ISLAMABAD: India has no role in Afghanistan, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said on Thursday, asserting that Islamabad played a key role in arranging direct talks between the Taliban and the US to find a peaceful solution to the longstanding Afghan problem.

Speaking at the weekly briefing, Mohammad Faisal said Pakistan always maintained that the solution to the conflict in Afghanistan lies in an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. "In pursuance of that (policy), we have facilitated direct talks between the US and the Taliban," he said.

He said Pakistan was convinced that an intra-Afghan dialogue will lead to peace and stability in the war-torn country. "In our view, the intra-Afghan dialogue is crucial for success and sustainability of the peace process in Afghanistan. Pakistan will continue to support and facilitate the Afghan peace process in good faith and as part of shared responsibility," he said.

Responding to a question on India's role in the country, Faisal said, "India has no role in Afghanistan". Faisal's remarks contradict Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's earlier statement in which he acknowledged that India had stakes in Afghanistan and its cooperation was necessary for the peace process. "Some meetings have taken place (among key stakeholders) for the establishment of peace in Afghanistan. India also has stakes in Afghanistan and its cooperation will also be needed," Qureshi said last month.

ALSO READ: India lacks clarity on its ties with Pakistan: Pakistan Foreign Office

India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and has committed aid worth USD 3 billion to the war-ravaged country. Faisal said Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Qatar on an official invitation on January 21 and will meet the Amir and Prime Minister of Qatar. "Issues of mutual interest will be discussed during the visit.

The Prime Minister will discuss the import of manpower by Qatar from Pakistan," he said. Faisal said President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa will visit Pakistan from January 18 to 22, which is her first to any country in the Asia-Pacific region after her election.

During her visit, Espinosa will call on the President and the Prime Minister. The Foreign Minister will also hold a meeting with the visiting dignitary, he said. Faisal said Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Pakistan next month and the dates were being worked out. He said both sides were busy to finalise agreements to be signed during his trip.By AFP

LONDON: After rejecting Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal by a massive margin, British MPs on Wednesday evening declined an attempt to remove her government.

She won a confidence vote by a majority of 19 with the support of her Conservative MPs and Northern Irish allies -- a day after they refused to back her Brexit deal.

READ | How Europe reacted to Brexit deal defeat

Here are the three main scenarios now facing Britain while the clock ticks down to its scheduled departure from the European Union on March 29:

Try to get another deal

May promised cross-party talks to try to find an alternative deal, beginning immediately on Wednesday night.

She and her ministers will meet with groups of MPs, including hardline Conservative Brexit supporters, on Thursday with further meetings expected into the weekend.

Theresa May listens to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking after losing a vote on her Brexit deal | AP

May intends to make a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, setting out a Plan B, and has said if necessary she will return to Brussels for talks with the European Union.

But she has repeated that any deal must take Britain out of the EU, end uncontrolled EU migration and allow the country to sign independent trade deals.

The last two conditions would seem incompatible with continued membership of the EU's single market and a customs union, advocated by the opposition Labour party.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also refused to hold talks with May until she ruled out leaving the EU with no deal, something Downing Street refused, saying the only way to do this was to agree a deal.

READ | Theresa May invites party leaders for Brexit talks on Wednesday

EU leaders have said they are willing to negotiate further but have repeatedly said they do not want to reopen the Brexit deal agreed with May.

"We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House," the prime minister told MPs on Wednesday night.

No deal

Britain is legally on track to leave the EU with or without a deal on March 29, unless it delays or stops the process.

A no-deal scenario threatens to trigger a recession in Britain and markedly slow the EU's economic growth, as well as causing significant legal disruption.

The world's fifth-biggest economy could lose preferential access to its largest export market overnight, affecting every sector, leading to rising costs and disruption at British ports.

READ | UK PM Theresa May survives no-confidence vote after Brexit humiliation

The government has conducted visible displays of its ramped-up no-deal preparations over the past few weeks.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressing House of Commons | AP

There is growing speculation in London and Brussels that it could seek to delay Brexit to avoid this scenario, although May has denied this.

Second referendum

EU supporters have been calling for another vote ever since the Leave campaign won by 52 to 48 percent in the 2016 referendum, and demands have stepped up in recent months.

There is no law keeping Britain from doing it all over again, but many question whether this would be democratic.

May has warned another vote "would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics".

It also threatens to be just as divisive, with opinion polls showing the country is still split over the issue.

A majority of MPs would have to support the idea and pass a law to hold the referendum, which would likely result in Brexit being delayed while the process took place.By Associated Press

PARIS: A strong explosion and fire hit a science building undergoing repairs at the University of Lyon on Thursday, injuring three people slightly, French officials said.

The area was evacuated after the explosion on the roof of the building Thursday morning, and the regional fire service said the blaze was under control soon afterward.

Images posted on social networks showed huge plumes of black smoke and flickering flames rising above the campus in the Lyon suburb of Villeurbanne.

Now: Huge explosion and fire at one of the University of #Lyon's campuses. People are being urged to avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/L5kNBrohjZ  Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) January 17, 2019

The university said multiple explosions were heard and that they were "caused by renovation work."

The town of Villeurbanne tweeted that the blast was "accidental," without elaborating.

Both the town and university insisted there were no risks of chemical leaks.

The explosion hit days after a blast apparently caused by a gas leak hit a Paris bakery, killing four people and injuring dozens.By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday ordered the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the country's anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case'.

As many as 172 suspects were placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendations of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the apex court.

A person cannot fly abroad if his name is placed on the ECL.

The Supreme Court, in a detailed judgement, ordered the government to remove the names of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the ECL.

It, however, referred the report and material collected by the JIT in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case' to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Dawn news reported.

The JIT probe focused on "32 fake accounts" which were allegedly used to give massive financial benefits to former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and several others.

"Removing of the names will not prevent (the) NAB to probe and in case sufficient material is found connecting these individuals with cognisable offences, it will not be precluded from making an appropriate request to the federal government to place their names on (the) ECL again or take any appropriate action provided by law," according to the judgement authored by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan.

The apex court in its earlier instructions asked the government to delete names of Bilawal and Shah from the ECL but the Cabinet waited for the detailed judgment.

After the judgement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government will decide whether it should implement the court orders or file a review petition.

Justice Ahsan was part of the three-judge bench that last year took a suo-motu cognisance after it emerged that several big names were involved in money laundering through fake accounts.

Currently, a Karachi court is hearing the case against Zardari and Talpur for alleged money laundering.By AFP

BANGKOK: A Belarusian model who claimed she had evidence of Russian efforts to help Donald Trump win office was deported from Thailand on Thursday after being convicted of participating in a "sex training course".

Anastasia Vashukevich, known by her pen-name Nastya Rybka, was held with several others in a police raid last February in the sleazy seaside resort of Pattaya.

In a case that veered between salacious and bizarre, Vashukevich said she had travelled to Thailand after becoming embroiled in a political scandal with Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska -- a one-time associate of Trump's disgraced former campaign director Paul Manafort.

She then set tongues wagging by promising to reveal "missing puzzle pieces" regarding claims the Kremlin aided Trump's 2016 presidential election victory.

But the material never surfaced and critics dismissed the claims as a publicity stunt.

In the risque Pattaya seminar led by Alex Kirillov, a self-styled Russian seduction guru, some participants wore shirts that said "sex animator" -- though one person at the time described it as more of a romance and relationship course.

Vashukevich pleaded guilty alongside seven others to multiple charges, including solicitation and illegal assembly at a Pattaya court on Tuesday, which ordered the group be deported.

Kirillov, who has served as a quasi-spokesman for the mostly Russian group, told reporters as they arrived at court Tuesday that he believed they were set up.

"I think somebody ordered (our arrest)... for money," he said.

Vashukevich looked sombre as she entered the courthouse and did not respond to questions from the media.

On Thursday afternoon, Vashukevich and the majority of the convicted were put on an Aeroflot flight for Moscow, bringing to an end the Thai side of a baffling case.

Thailand's immigration chief Surachate Hakparn said the last of the group would leave the country this evening.

They are also blacklisted from returning to Thailand.

It was unclear what would happen to them on arrival in Moscow but the two Belarusians on the afternoon flight -- which would include Vashukevich -- are expected to not stay overnight and transit to Belarus.

That may be preferable for Vashukevich, who has more than 120,000 followers on Instagram and penned a book about seducing oligarchs, because she also faces legal problems in Russia.

Deripaska won an invasion of privacy lawsuit against her and Kirillov in July after a video apparently filmed by the model showed the tycoon vacationing with an influential Russian deputy prime minister at the time.

"I don't think she wants to get out in Moscow," a Russian friend in Thailand who helped with the case told AFP on Thursday.

Both Washington and Moscow publicly shrugged off Vashukevich's story, which the US State Department described as "bizarre".

Kremlin-connected Deripaska and Manafort, Trump's ex-campaign manager, did business together in the mid-2000s.

Manafort has since been convicted in the US of financial crimes related to political work he did in Ukraine before the 2016 election as well as witness tampering.Egypt's Prime minister Mostafa Madbouly designated next Thursday, 24 January, a national holiday to mark both the seventh anniversary of the 2011 revolution and Egypt's Police Day, state news agency MENA said.

This 25 January falls on a Friday, an official weekend holiday in the country.

The day will be a paid vacation for employees of both the public and private sectors.

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By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: TRS working president KT Rama Rao called on YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latters residence here on Wednesday in what could be termed as a possible realignment of political forces ahead of general elections. Both of them have decided to work together to build a national- level alternative to Congress and BJP.

TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will soon go to Andhra Pradesh to hold next round of talks with Jagan on the formation of Federal Front. Today we had preliminary meeting. KCR will soon meet me in Vijayawada. We will continue further discussions, Jagan Mohan Reddy told reporters after an hourlong meeting with KTR.

The TRS-YSRC meeting has been waiting to happen. The meeting has two objectives, one to rope in Jagan into the Federal Front which KCR has been crafting for quite some time and also to help the YSRC in the ensuing Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. It may be recalled that KCR had earlier said that he will give a return gift to AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who campaigned against TRS in the Telangana Assembly polls. The political developments unfolded on Sankranti day, when KCR telephoned Jagan and on Wednesday sent his son and TRS working president KTR to YSRC chief s residence.

KCR has been trying for a qualitative change in the countrys politics. He has been meeting leaders of various regional parties including Naveen Patnaik, Mamata Banerjee, Stalin and Ajit Jogi and others to evolve a consensus on the issue. Soon, he will also go to Andhra Pradesh to have detailed discussions with Jagan and invite him Jagan into the proposed Federal Front. TRS will work with all the like-minded parties, KT Rama Rao said after the meeting.

We have discussed the injustice done to the States, especially AP. There is a need among regional parties to unite and strengthen numerically, Jagan said adding that all the 25 MPs of AP could not bring pressure on the Centre over special category status (SCS) to the State.Andhra Pradesh has 25 MPs and Telangana has 17 MPs. Together, we form a stronger force of 42 MPs and can bring considerable pressure on the Centre for special status, the AP Opposition leader opined.

The strength of the regional parties should increase, so that they could achieve their demands, he said. KCRs proposal to create a platform for regional parties is a good thing, the YSRC chief said adding that he would discuss the proposal with his party members and proceed further.On his part, the TRS working president promised to lend support towards SCS for AP and recalled that TRS MPs K Keshava Rao and Kalvakuntla Kavitha have raised their voice in the Parliament supporting special category status to AP.Express News Service

CHENNAI/ THOOTHUKUDI: Kanimozhi, DMK Rajya Sabha MP, is to take part in village meetings of the party in Thoothukudi district for 12 days from January 18. Party sources say this may be with an aim to contest from Thoothukudi parliamentary segment in this years general elections.

In order to prepare the party cadre at the grass-root level for getting them involved in the elections and create awareness among voters on the recent political developments, the DMK is conducting village-level mass gatherings. The DMK high command has deputed front line leaders as the chief guests at the village meetings in every district.

As Kanimozhi is said to be interested in contesting the elections from Thoothukudi constituency, she along with the State secretary of partys womens wing will attend the village meetings in the district. Sources in the DMK said that Kanimozhi would camp in Thoothukudi for 12 days and tour the district to know the grievances of the people. The tour schedule has been prepared to cover nine unions and 47 villages across Thoothukudi district.

According to highly reliable sources of the party, Kanimozhi has been keen on contesting from Thoothukudi parliamentary constituency in the last two years. She has been carrying out various welfare measures in the district and is in touch with the party functionaries even at the grass-root level. Kanimozhi had adopted Venkatesapuram village, a remote village in Sathankulam taluk, and launched various facilities for the benefit of the public. Sources further said that the Rajya Sabha MP is interested in facing the direct elections instead of continuing as a member of the Upper House of the Parliament.

Kanimozhis candidature will also bring a lot of attention to the constituency as four of the six Assembly segments in Thoothukudi parliamentary seat was under the AIADMK fold, until two AIADMK legislators from Ottapidaram and Vilathikulam were disqualified. So, the party is thinking of fielding a star candidate there, a source said.

Also, fielding Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi would be tactical as the DMKs North and South units in Thoothukudi are mired in factional feuds. Kanimozhis candidature would get the warring groups to work together, say sources.

Some other party leaders, on condition of anonymity, said, Initially, she expressed her wish to contest the Lok Sabha seat either from Thanjavur or Thoothukudi among her close circles. But, her well-wishers said Thoothukudi is safer than Thanjavur, as the party functionaries are considering that Thanjavur is weak for DMK. At the same time, some other functionaries and sympathisers are said to have told her that even if she is victorious in Thoothukudi, the success will not be attributed to her influence. Hence, they have urged her to choose a seat either from northern or western Tamil Nadu. We have to wait to see her and partys final decision, they said.

Getting the credit

Some party functionaries and sympathisers are said to have told her that even if she is victorious with a huge margin in Thoothukudi, the success will not be attributed to her influence and it would be translated as a victory of her caste influence, and she would be considered as a caste-based leader in future.By Express News Service

MADURAI: The third grand event of this jallikattu season successfully began amidst whistles and cheers at Alanganallur here on Thursday.

Minister for Revenue R B Udayakumar flagged off the event in the presence of Sholavandan MLA K Manickam, Madurai South MLA S S Saravanan, District Collector S Natarajan.

Speaking at the inauguration, Minister Udayakumar announced that the best bull tamer and the best bull will be awarded a car each, as sponsored by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam respectively.

Apart from this, several prizes including gold coins, two-wheelers, bicycles, sofa sets, steel cupboards, power weeder machines among others will also be awarded for winning bulls and tamers.

Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar flagged off jallikattu @ Alanganallur. Best Bull Tamer & Best Bull are to be awarded a car each, sponsored by CM Edappadi Palaniswami & Deputy CM O Panneerselvam. 3 temple bulls unleashed from 'vadivasal' first @NewIndianXpress @VinodhArulappan pic.twitter.com/hl3HuHfeYH  Lalitha Ranjani (@Lalitha_Ranjani) January 17, 2019

Following this, District Collector administered an oath to the tamers. As per custom, three temple bulls were unleashed to mark the beginning of the event. As many as 1,400 bulls and 772 tamers have been registered to take part in the event.

Arrangements:

Nearly 1800 police personnel and 48 fire and rescue personnel have been stationed at the venue for security.

Twelve veterinary teams with 10 members each, including veterinary doctors, livestock inspector and animal husbandry assistant have been deputed by the Department of Animal Husbandry. To provide medical assistance to injured tamers, a six-member medical team deployed by Government Rajaji Hospital and four mobile medical teams, comprising ten doctors each have been deputed by the District Health Department.

For the first time, a team from Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are involved in providing security during the jallikattu at Alanganallur. #Jallikattu2019 @VinodhArulappan @NewIndianXpress  Lalitha Ranjani (@Lalitha_Ranjani) January 17, 2019

Meanwhile, two Animal Medical Mobile Ambulances (AMMA), ten 108 ambulances and four two-wheeler ambulances have also been stationed at the event.

Volunteers from the Indian Red Cross Society Madurai Chapter were also present at the venue.By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: We had been living in trauma for 33 days at a camp without food or water in a remote place, around 420 km off Kuala Lumpur. We will never endorse people to go to Malaysia for labour jobs, says a frustrated Johnson, a fisherman and a native of Anchuthengu on the outskirts of the city.

He was one among the 19 fishermen from Anchuthengu and Kollam who remained stranded for 33 days at a camp at Jauhar in Malaysia and 25 days at a High Commissioners Office at the Indian Embassy in Malaysia.

In two batches, they reached Kerala on January 5 and January 8 after the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs, along with some NGOs. Of the 19 fisherfolk, 11 were present at the Norka centre in the capital on Wednesday to express their love towards Norka and the Indian Embassy. The remaining eight persons are under treatment at various hospitals due to failing health.

All the 19 fishermen had reached Kuala Lumpur on October 24 after a travel agent - Lalu of Kadakkavoor - approached them with loading and unloading jobs in Malaysia. They were offered 90 Ringitts daily. They were asked to pay Rs 75,000, including the cost of visiting visa and flight ticket.

When they reached Nedumbassery airport, they came to know they were about to travel on a visiting visa of one-month expiry and the visa would be issued only after reaching Kuala Lumpur. However, they were directly taken to the camp without issuing a visa. Their passports were also taken away by the agents.

From day one, they had to undergo hardships. We slept in containers without food. Though the agent named Hari, a Tamil Nadu native, promised to take them to a workplace, they were trapped in the camps for many days.

Later, one day, nine persons were taken to a factory for a job and were told to work for 12 hours continuously and denied remuneration. Since then, we decided to return home. But it was not an easy affair. The place was a citadel of gangsters who are behind human trafficking. However, we managed to reach the Indian High Commissioners Office in the Indian Embassy and stayed there for 25 days, says Justin.

One of the workers says he did not get any medical treatment in Malaysia despite being ill. We were weak and could not do any hard labour for a while. We lost our body weight by 10 to 20 kg, says Brittas.

They also thanked the efforts of Norka Roots and Manu, a driver at Malaysia who helped them reach the Indian Embassy. The National Anti-Trafficking Committee had also sought the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs to bring back the people to India.

Month-long diplomatic effort

It was a month-long diplomatic effort to convince the MEA to bring back the workers to Kerala. We had to make strong efforts to rescue the people. Finally, the MEA intervened and directed the Malaysian Government to send the stranded people back home. We will take legal measures against the illegal agents in Kerala who are luring people for jobs abroad, says K Harikrishnan Namboothiri, Chief Executive Officer, Norka Roots.Prakash Samaga By

Express News Service

UDUPI : Shankar Poojari (40), from Basroor in Kundapur, who was languishing in a jail in Kuwait for the last seven months, is scheduled to get released. A court in Kuwait passed the order on Tuesday and the paperwork is underway. This information was provided to Jyothi, wife of Shankar, by one Pushparaj, a business entrepreneur in Kuwait, and has come as a big relief to the family.Shankar was arrested by the Kuwait police and was shifted to Sulaibia Public Jail. Jyothi tried to secure his release, but to no avail.

On June 14, she received a call from the jail authorities in Kuwait informing her that her husband was arrested. Reason for the arrest was not communicated to his family members by Kuwait Police immediately. On June 28, an official from the Indian Embassy informed Jyothi over the phone that legal procedures have to be followed for his release. But she is unaware about the offense.

On July 13, Shankar called his wife from Kuwait and informed her that a packet of medicines, which was given to him by one Mubarak, was the reason behind his arrest. He was supposed to deliver the packet to Thasleem Fathima (Mubaraks mother-in-law) residing in Kuwait. Jyothi approached the Udupi-based NGO Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) for help in this regard.

HRPF, which followed the case, learnt that MADAD, the official website of Ministry of External Affairs, stated, Shankar Poojari was lodged in public jail of Kuwait (as on 18-07-2018) on the charges of possession of Narcotic Substances. On August 29, Mubarak told Dr Shanbhag that he had purchased 210 Ultracet tablets from a medical shop at Udupi. He also said that he had given the packet of medicines, along with the prescription and bill, to Shankar.

Shankar, unaware of the fact that there is a strict ban on the medicine Ultracet in Kuwait, took it to Thasleem Fathima, which is what landed him in jail.Jyothi, speaking to TNIE on Wednesday, said that she is relieved now. Now, I can assure my daughter Sahana and son Srujan that their father will be returning home, she said. Soon after paper work is completed, he will be released from jail, she said.

DC Priyanka Mary Francis said that the district administration has received information about the court order. HRPF Udupi president Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag will contact Shankar for any further assistance, she said.By Express News Service

KARWAR: Seven fishermen from Uttara Kannada, who were released by the Iranian security forces after five-month detention, returned to their homes on Wednesday night.

As many as 18 from the district, who were working in Dubai as fishermen, were arrested by Iran security in two separate incidents on July 27, and August 25 last year near Kish Island in Iran, for allegedly entering their waters. They were kept under boat arrest and a few of them were sent to Iran jail.

They continued to be under arrest for more than five months. Finally, on January 8, all of them were released by the Iran security and they reached Dubai the next day. Yakoob Shamali, Ajmal Shamali, Inayat Shamali, Ilyas Ambadi, Ilyas Gharu of Kumta, Kashim Shaikh of Ankola, Khaleel Panipudu of Bhatkal have landed in Mangaluru on Wednesday evening and later reached their native by night.

According to sources, people from Uttara Kannada Muslim community, who are working in different sectors in Dubai, joined hands to help these fishermen to book their flight tickets to return to India. Seven out of 18 have come to meet their relatives and the remaining are expected to fly down here in the coming weeks.

An emotional Yakoob Shamali told TNIE, I am very happy to see my family. I cant express my joy on returning to my home after five months of boat arrest in Iran. He also said, as of now there is no work in Dubai as their boat is not yet released by Iran, therefore he decided to return home for a few months.

He said that there is no money in his account and he was assured by a Dubai sponsor, who hired him for fishing, of giving payment. He wished to spend some value time with his family members in his village near Kumta.Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: A workaholic 48-year-old doctor died of cardiac arrest minutes after reviving the heartbeat of a newborn at a Public Health Centre in Patanda village in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.

General duty doctor Bibhas Khutia collapsed at the labour room of the PHC while trying to revive the heartbeat of Sonali Kulia Maji's baby girl. He was brought dead to Panskura Superspeciality Hospital.

The doctor was trying to revive the heart of the baby, who did not cry after birth, by giving her Cardiopulmonary Resusciation (CPR) when he himself encountered a massive cardiac arrest. The nurse assisting the doctor in the delivery claimed that the doctor collapsed on the ground as the baby cried out.

"Dr Khuntia seemed alright when he entered the labour room for the normal delivery. However, when he was giving CPR, he lost balance and slowly leaned back with the baby still in his hand and blurring out cries. Group D staff Ramaprasad Roy held him and I held the baby," said nurse Paromita Bera, who was present at the labour room during the incident.

The doctor was administered oxygen at a private nursing home while being taken to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

"Dr Khuntia died of cardiac arrest while trying to save a newborn in the labour room. It is our great loss," said District Chief Medical Officer Nitai Chandra Mondal said.

The doctor was suffering from heart ailments and was advised a few months ago to undergo coronary angiography, sources revealed. However, he did not pay any heed to his medical state.

The bachelor doctor was known for his dedication to work and was instrumental in establishing a female ward and a labour room at the PHC to ensure institutional delivery in the rural areas. During his decade-long service at Patanda PHC, he would often stay back at the PHC and work 24 hours at a stretch during a shortage of manpower and was known for buying medicines and food for needy patients visiting him.

Despite getting transfer orders several times, locals stopped his transfer every time through agitation and he served in the PHC for more than a decade. Despite owning a house in Panskura town 17 km away, he stayed at the PHC quarters so that he could serve the locals better.

The West Bengal Doctors' Forum issued a statement mourning the loss of the dedicated doctor.Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI/SHILLONG: Thirty-four days since at least 15 miners got trapped inside an illegal rat-hole coalmine in Meghalaya due to flooding, Indian Navy divers detected the body of a victim by using a sophisticated camera on Wednesday.

One body detected by Indian Navy divers using underwater ROV at a depth of approx 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine, a naval spokesperson tweeted.

Government officials in the state have remained tight-lipped though despite news about the detection of the body doing the rounds since Wednesday evening. It was learnt that efforts were being made to retrieve the body at the earliest.

The Meghalaya Cabinet on Wednesday discussed the ongoing rescue operations to trace the 15 miners, who are trapped inside an illegal flooded coal mine for more than a month now.

#MeghalayaMineTragedy #Flash One body detected by Indian Navy Divers using Underwater ROV at a depth of approx 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/sP1sv6ikRn  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 17, 2019

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who also handles the mining and geology department, and Home Minister James Sangma apprised the Cabinet about the latest rescue situation at Ksan village in State's East Jaintia Hills district.

READ: Meghalaya government orders implementation of SC order banning coal transportation

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynosng on the possibility of calling off the rescue operation said, "Till this moment the experts are still on the job. Until and unless we get their views, we cannot say anything. Once that is done, then we will accordingly file an affidavit in the Supreme Court."

The Supreme Court-monitored rescue operation is aimed at taking out the trapped miners "dead or alive".

On the expenditure incurred in the rescue operation, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "We are yet to know the details. This has been handled by the district administration."

Meanwhile, the Coal India Limited has informed the district administration that the water level at the main shaft, where the 15 miners are trapped, and the abandoned shafts remained the same despite several million gallons of water being pumped out.

The Indian Navy lowered the underwater remotely operated vehicle at the main shaft, but failed to capture any of the trapped miners.

READ: No light at the end of the tunnel for trapped ones

The mine tragedy occurred on December 13 last year when the 15 miners had gone down 380-ft into the coal pit. Five others had managed to survive. One Saheb Ali, who is among the survivors, claimed 22 miners, not 20, had entered the mine that day.

Multiple agencies such as National Disaster Response Force, Coal India Limited, Kirloskar Brothers Limited, Odisha Fire Service besides the Navy have been engaged for a month in the rescue operation.

(With IANS inputs)By PTI

IMPHAL: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said that the BJP-led government in the state would not support the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill unless there was a provision for protecting the indigenous people of the northeast.

Singh also stressed that his government would want President's assent to Manipur People's (Protection) Bill, 2018 before passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The Manipur People's (Protection) Bill, passed unanimously by the Assembly last July, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meiteis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951.

The rest, categorised as "non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law.

"Unless there is a provision for protecting the indigenous people of Manipur as well as the other northeast states, the state government would not support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill," the chief minister said after inaugurating several development projects in Chandel district on Wednesday.

He had earlier sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking President's nod for Manipur Peoples' (Protection) Bill.

"The stand of the Manipur government is very clear. Before the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the President should give his assent to the Manipur People's Bill," he asserted.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha last week, provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

Protests against the Citizenship Bill have rocked the entire northeast region, with several indigenous organisations raising voice against the legislation, citing threat to their identity and culture.By PTI

NEW DELHI: Terming the critics of the Modi dispensation as 'compulsive contrarians', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday accused them of manufacturing falsehood and subverting democracy by weakening a sovereign elected government.

Jaitley, who is in the US for a medical check-up, in a Facebook post said while free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of a democracy but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not.

Attacking those who believed that "this government could do no good", the minister said nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the compulsive contrarians.

"The compulsive contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them," said the blog titled 'The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic'.

These Compulsive Contrarians picked holes in every proposal that empowered people or strengthened country, be it 10% reservation for the poor, AADHAAR, Demonetisation, GST, CBI issues, RBI & Govt. relation, Rafale fighter aircraft, or no issues in Supreme Court or Judge Loya case  Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) January 17, 2019

Citing the tirade mounted by political parties on a host of issues including 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections, the Rafale jet deal, Jaitley said the compulsive contrarians believe that every act of the Narendra Modi-led government must be opposed.

READ | Rahul Gandhi should ask who killed Sohrabuddin investigation: Arun Jaitley

He also listed out other key issues concerning Justice Loya case, the CBI issue, RBI debate, judicial activism while highlighting how the critics have launched a crusade against the government.

Without naming the Congress or other opposition parties, Jaitley said "There are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule. Some who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left obviously found the NDA government wholly unacceptable. Hence emerged a new class of compulsive contrarians, who run perpetual propaganda".

They picked holes in every proposal that empowered people or strengthened country, be it 10 per cent reservation for the poor, Aadhaar, Demonetisation, GST, CBI issues, RBI and government relation, Rafale fighter aircraft, or no issues in Supreme Court or Judge Loya case, the minister said.

ALSO READ | Don't need RBI's reserves to meet fiscal deficit: Arun Jaitley

"These actions reveal the mindset of the compulsive contrarians. Weakening a sovereign elected government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy," he wrote.

The senior BJP leader questioned, "Didn't left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement?" Referring to the controversy over untimely death of Justice Loya, Jaitley said that every fact alleged in the public space by the compulsive contrarians was "manufactured".

"The Judge died a natural death due to a cardiac stroke," he said.

READ FULL POST:

Accusing critics of concocting falsehood in the Rafale jet deal, the minister said, "This is a deal where Prime Minister Modi should be credited with saving thousands of crores of the country."

On the issue of infighting in the CBI and the subsequent transfer of its chief, Jaitley said it is the duty of the sovereign government to ensure the cleaning-up of each of the investigative agencies and the government was only concerned with their accountability and integrity.

"The contrarians chose to side with the questionable." He said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge as a petitioner in the CBI chief's case before the Supreme Court should have recused himself from sitting on the committee, which took a decision regarding the transfer of CBI chief.

Referring to the press conference by the four judges of the Supreme Court last year, Jaitley said it has done "more damage to India's judicial institutions than many would have envisaged. It brought judges into public gaze as factionalised and battling for their own turf space".

ALSO READ | Congress policies hurt Kashmir for decades, says Arun Jaitley

On the recent rift with the Reserve Bank, he said there have been many instances when the government has differed with the Reserve Bank.

"The government in recent months have strongly felt that certain sectors of the economy needed credit and liquidity support. Squeezing out both would eventually hurt this sector as also hurt growth," the finance minister noted.

Every stakeholder in the market was in agreement with the government position but the contrarians deflected the credit and liquidity issue to the issue of autonomy, he said, adding that the government after all was only addressing the autonomous RBI and asking it to resolve the issues which lay in its domain.Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued a directive that all unpainted buildings in the country built in red brick must be painted on all four sides using a unified colour scheme, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting with the country's governors where he said that Egypt's ubiquitous red brick buildings convey an "uncivilised" image.

The prime minister added that there will be periodic follow-ups on the situation, and that failure to adhere to the directive can result in legal action.

Egypt is littered with thousands of unpainted red brick buildings in both urban and rural areas.

Short link:

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday alleged National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's son Vivek started a hedge fund in Cayman Islands days after demonetisation and demanded a probe by the Reserve Bank into FDI inflows from the tax haven.

Addressing a press conference here days after a media report highlighted the same issue, Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also asked the RBI to make public details of FDI inflows from Cayman islands since demonetisation, which he claimed were to the tune of Rs 8,300 crore during 2017-18 and equalled total funds flowing into India between 2000 to 2017.

Ramesh, however, did not substantiate his allegations with any documentary evidence.

There was no immediate comment available from either Doval or his son and his company.

CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury also demanded answers from Doval and cited a media report on the issue to allege that the role of the PMO and its top security official was under a "dark shadow".

He said it was the prime minister's responsibility to ensure the NSA's accountability as he was not accountable to Parliament being an un-elected official, and asserted "silence amounts to culpability".

Ramesh alleged that a hedge fund GNY Asia was opened in Cayman Islands on November 21, 2016, 13 days after demonetisation, with Vivek Doval as one of its directors.

The former union minister also alleged that while there are three more directors of GNY, one of them is Don W Ebanks whose name appears in Panama's 'Paradise papers' also referred as 'Panama papers'.

Alleging that "there is certainly a link between demonetisation and FDI inflows from Cayman islands", he said this is a "round-tripping of money" and demanded a probe.

"This is not FDI, it is round-tripping of demonetised money and has a direct link to black money."

"There should be a probe into the FDI that came into the country from Cayman Islands after demonetisation," he demanded, saying, "GNA owes an explanation to the country".

"What is the role of GNY Asia in FDI inflows. We demand that the Reserve Bank makes public all funds from where money has come into the country from Cayman Islands," Ramesh told reporters.

He said the RBI should publish details of all those who brought in money from Cayman islands.

"There should be complete information on this made available to the public," he said, adding "the RBI should probe the identity of funds who brought in 8300 crore in one year".

"It is not natural that we raised this question. A prime minister of a neighbouring country had to resign after his name appeared in the Panama papers," he said, alleging that the name of a former chief minister's son also appears in these papers.

Ramesh also sought to know what are the relations between Vivek Doval's fund GNY Asia and Zeus Capital, another company in which his brother Shaurya Doval has business interests.

He recalled that Doval should implement what he had advocated eight years ago as part of a panel of BJP on Black money stashed abroad, in which he demanded that there should be strict crackdown on tax havens and such offshore entities.

Cayman Islands are an autonomous British Overseas territory in the western Caribbean Sea, which is considered a tax haven.

In a tweet, Yechury said, "The role of Modi's PMO and its top security official is under a dark shadow. Serious questions of probity and propriety get more weight due to NSA Doval's role in the Rs 59,000 crore Rafale scam, where he was illegally negotiating in Paris with the French."

"Doval, who has grabbed more and more power for himself under Modi, can't be above the rule of law," he said.By PTI

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court Thursday told the CBI and the Maharashtra CID not to completely rely on the revelations made in the Gauri Lankesh case and conduct an independent probe into the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Left leader Govind Pansare.

A bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and M S Karnik asked both the probe agencies to make a "sincere effort" towards tracing the absconding accused in Pansare and Dabholkar cases.

The directions came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state CID submitted its progress report before the bench.

The bench noted that the SIT had said, among other things, that it was questioning those arrested by the authorities in Karnataka in the murder case of journalist Gauri Lankesh, to help trace the absconding accused in Pansare case.

The bench noted that on the previous hearings too, both the CBI and the SIT had submitted that they were questioning the accused in Lankesh case to get information on the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare respectively.

"You are questioning the accused in another case in Karnataka but the report (SIT's progress report) doesn't reveal what the actual measures you are taking to arrest the absconding accused," the bench said.

"You cannot rely completely on the revelations made by the accused in another case. How long will this go on? You have to conduct an independent probe, gather some independent material, especially since these crimes in Maharashtra (killings of Pansare and Dabholkar) took place before the crime in Karnataka," the bench said.

The CBI, however, argued through its counsel Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, that its officers were doing their best to trace the absconding accused.

"It is not as if our officers are not doing anything. They are taking all possible steps and only very capable officers have been chosen to take part in these two operations (CBI's and the CID's)," Singh submitted.

The bench also said that it seemed as if the probe machinery in Karnataka was making much headway, but the agencies in Maharashtra had failed to do so, especially due to bureaucratic hassles and lack of coordination with each other.

"The unfortunate part is that in one state the machinery gets full assistance, while in our state, either the machinery is not working or not getting cooperation," the bench said.

ASG Singh, however, submitted that the probe authorities in Maharashtra worked "better than anyone else."

"Some arrests have been made in both the cases (Pansare and Dabholkar) and we will file a charge sheet soon in the Dabholkar case," Singh said.

The bench has now directed both the CBI and the CID to submit their respective further progress reports by February 6.

Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013 in Pune while on his morning walk.

Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries a few days later on February 20.

The CBI and the state CID are probing the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare, respectively.

The high court has been hearing a plea filed by the family members of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking a court-monitored probe in both the cases.

As per the probe agencies, some accused persons, including one Sharad Kalaskar, arrested in Lankesh case have revealed that they also had links to the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare.Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: A man has been arrested and sent to jail in Bihar for allegedly "raping" a pregnant goat apparently in a drunken bout and causing its death in the process, making the goat's poor owner poorer.

Mohammad Sirman, 28, a daily-wage labourer, was held captive and beaten up by the residents of Tarwan village under Parsa Bazar police station in Patna district before being handed over to police. The villagers claimed that the goat, which was three-month pregnant, had died because of the unnatural sex Sirman had committed with it.

The goat's owner, Mahajani Devi, who belongs to the poor Dalit community of Musahars, was shocked when she found her pregnant goat lying dead.

"She was told by village children that they had seen the accused having unnatural sex with the goat. She lodged an FIR on Tuesday and the accused was taken into custody," said Parsa Bazar police station SHO Jay Prakash.

The SHO also said Sirman, who hailed from Madhepura district, was found drunk during his arrest and confessed to having committed the unnatural sex with the goat. Sirman was booked under IPC Sections 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc., of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees) and 377 (voluntary carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal).

He was forwarded to Beur Central Jail in Patna on Wednesday.

Police are awaiting the autopsy report of the goat from a veterinary hospital at Sheikhpura in Patna, where the animal's body was sent by police.

The fact that the accused was drunk at the time indicated that alcohol was available in the area despite Bihar being under total prohibition since April 2016.

"We are also investigating where the accused had got liquor," said Prakash.

The officer denied there was any previous enmity between the accused and the complainant.

"The accused said he is married and has children, who live in Madhepura. We are ascertaining this and also gathering details about other errant activities he might have engaged in earlier," said Prakash.By ANI

DUBAI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday declared that his party would contest the coming Lok Sabha elections with "full force " in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul's comment came after SP-BSP announced a tie-up to take on the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 General elections. Congress was expected to be a part of the alliance.

Rahul Gandhi while addressing a press conference in Dubai said that "BSP and SP have made a political decision," adding that the Congress Party will contest the polls in UP with all its might."

READ: After alliance snub, Congress to meet in Lucknow to devise strategy

"The Congress party has tremendous to offer to the people of Uttar Pradesh. I have tremendous respect to the leaders of BSP and SP, they have a right to do what they want to do. The BSP and SP have made a political decision. It's on us on how to strengthen the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh and we will fight with our full capacity," Rahul told media here.

SP and the BSP will contest on 38 seats each while the other two seats will be left for other parties. Both the parties have also decided not to field any candidates from the Gandhi family stronghold - Amethi and Raebareli.By PTI

MUMBAI: Social activist Anna Hazare said Saturday that he will launch a hunger strike from January 30 next year at his village if the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal is not appointed.

In a letter to Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, Hazare accused the NDA government of making excuses to avoid appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states.

The Narendra Modi government first said that Lokpal could not be appointed as there was no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (who is to be part of the selection process) and later it said there was no eminent jurist in the selection committee, Hazare said.

He sat on a fast at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 23 this year but called it off later when the PMO gave a written assurance that his demand would be fulfilled, he said.

He then set a deadline of October 2, Hazare said.

"On October 2, my agitation was to start from my village Ralegan Siddhi, but Maharashtra chief minister and other ministers again assured me that the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayuktas was in a final stage.

I decided to give one more chance and wait till January 30," he wrote.

"It is obvious that the present government does not have the intention to appoint Lokpal and Lokayuktas," he alleged.By PTI

MUMBAI: Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar is the latest from Bollywood to come out in defence of filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, calling him the "most decent" person in the industry.

Hirani is the latest name to be called out for sexual harassment.

She detailed her allegations in an email dated November 3, 2018, to Hirani's frequent collaborator and "Sanju" co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Akhtar took to Twitter to offer his support to the embattled director, who has categorically denied the allegations.

"I had come to the film industry in 1965. After the many years, if I am asked who the most decent people are in this industry over almost, perhaps the first name that will come to my mind is RAJU HIRANI. GB Shaw has said. 'It is too dangerous to be too good,'" the screenwriter wrote.

Hirani, known for his message-driven dramas such as "Munnabhai" series, "3 Idiots" and "PK", has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him on his 2018 film "Sanju".

In an article on HuffPost India, the woman, who calls herself "an assistant", alleged that Hirani sexually abused her more than once between March and September 2018.

She detailed her allegations in an email dated November 3, 2018, to Hirani's frequent collaborator and "Sanju" co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

The filmmaker, in a statement, called the allegation false, malicious and mischievous, which has the sole intention of destroying his reputation.

While the industry has largely been silent on the latest #MeToo case, Hirani's previous collaborators Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza and Sharman Joshi have batted for the filmmaker.

Arshad, who found critical acclaim and love for his portrayal of Circuit in Hirani's "Munna Bhai" series, described the filmmaker as a "polite, nice and correct" person.

"I find it wrong to condemn somebody without proper proof or investigation. I would like to know the credibility of the accusation. Till all that is clear, I feel it is not right to accuse someone. I believe in innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. Unfortunately, we just jump to conclusions," Warsi told PTI.

Dia, who worked with Hirani on films "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" and "Sanju", said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations as the director was someone she respects a lot.

The actor said she hopes a due official enquiry is conducted in the matter.

"I am deeply distressed by this news. As someone who has known and respects Raju Sir for 15 years I can only hope that a due official enquiry is conducted. He is one of the most decent human beings I have ever worked with and I think it would be grossly unjust on my part to speak on this as I do not know the details.

"As for the #MeToo movement, it rightfully encourages women to speak up and seek due process," Dia told PTI.

Sharman, whose portrayal of Raju Rastogi in Hirani's blockbuster "3 idiots" became immensely popular, hoped the phase the director is going through currently will pass.

"Raju Sir, is a man of immense integrity, character, honour, compassion and truthfulness, all the virtues one would imagine are non existent in people today, someone I am absolutely inspired by and have learnt from and because of whom I believe I have gone onto being a better person.

"All I want to say is that this too shall pass and I can imagine how demeaning it might be to even stand up for yourself in a situation such as this," the actor told PTI.

Sharman had also offered support to the filmmaker on Twitter, using the #IStandForRajuHirani.

India's #MeToo storm has engulfed many a stalwart such as Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan and former Union minister M J Akbar.By Express News Service

In the backdrop of the suspected foodborne-illness outbreak at Technopark campus, the Health Department might persuade the authorities concerned to set up a committee for ensuring hygiene and serving quality and safe foods from the eateries inside the campus. As per sources, the said suggestion is likely to figure in the report to be submitted to the Directorate of Health Services.

The institution has around 50,000 IT professionals and most of them prefer eateries inside the campus. Thus, it is high time a committee will have to be set up for ensuring hygiene as well as serving quality and safe food, said a source with the Health Department.

At the same time, on Wednesday, a team led by District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr PP Preetha carried out an inspection at the food courts, restaurants and juice corners inside the campus.

The team is said to have noted several anomalies, including unhygienic conditions and stale food. Yes, some problems were indeed there. During our inspection we noted some eateries even didnt have a licence issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, said Preetha.

According to the DMO, the Food Safety Department could play a major role here as their frequent inspections, the collection of food samples and penalisation against unauthorised food vendors could bring in remarkable changes.

On the other hand, the Health Department which is groping in the dark for the reasons behind the outbreak of fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea among the techies had collected water samples from the bunkers inside the campus. The department has also sought a list of packaged drinking water providers supplying bottled water to various blocks and eateries inside the campus.

The other day, the DMO had stated it will seek the help of the Community Medicine Department of the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College to study the situation and help it reach a conclusion.

The Health wing of the Corporation, on Tuesday, had written to the Health and Food Safety Departments and Kerala State Pollution Control Board to conduct surprise checks if and when needed.

Bottled water

The Health Department has sought a list of packaged potable water providers supplying bottled water to various blocks and eateries inside the campusDonita Jose By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Its a prison in a prison for transgender prisoners who find themselves in the jails of the State, as there is no Standard Operating Procedure in place to deal with each case. This issue came to light recently when an accused who claimed he is a transman (born a woman but adopted the identity of man) was arrested last week in Kushaiguda police limits for theft of cars.

The police, however, were in a fix where to send him as his appearance was that of a man. There was no clarity on the genitalia of the accused, which if that of a woman could land the prisoner in serious trouble with male inmates.

At present, the prisons and police in Telangana, get the genitalia of the prisoners medically examined by an in-house medical officer to decide in which prison they must be kept, which is in violation of the 2014 NALSA judgement of the Supreme Court. The judgment had noted that self-identification' is the only way a trans person's identity must be determined and such a person doesnt require medical tests.

However, in practice here and the majority of other states, ones genitalia determines which jail the prisoner is fit to be in, irrespective of their actual identity. For example, if there is a transwoman who identifies herself as a woman and has male genitals, but would not want to be in a male prison. Since she has male genitals, that person will be put in a male jail, where she may be discriminated and even abused into homosexual acts, noted Rachana Mudraboyina, a transgender rights activist.

This is applicable to trans-men, who identify as male but have female genitalia. In this case, their male appearance may be a cause of worry for female prisoners, note experts. It is also alleged that trans-women are made to shave their long hair, remove their jewellery and other markings of femininity and forced to wear male clothes in the jails in Telangana, which psychologically can be a traumatic experience for a person who identifies himself or herself as a woman.

Though sex reassignment surgeries (SRS) are possible, and a valid option, it must be noted that SRS are highly complex and cost anywhere between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for trans-women wanting to remove male genitals.

For trans males, there are minimum two surgeries which are more complex and cost up to `4 to 5 lakh. The discrimination is present even if both transmen and transwomen undergo sex change surgeries as their genitals may never look like a cisgendered person. Though a male genital organ is something they hate, very few who do get it done. They are also discriminated in the jails, adds Chandramukhi Muvvala, a transgender rights activist.

Common crimes

Extortion, obscenity and nuisance are the common crimes the transpersons are arrested for in Telangana

10

Approximate number of transwomen (with sex reassignment surgeries done) in special womens prison in 2018. Five such persons are in prison in 2019. There are no transmen, who underwent such operations, in prisons

Plan shelved

In 2018, DG of Prisons VK Singh proposed to open a petrol bunk which was to be fully run by transgenders. However, the plan was shelvedBy PTI

HYDERABAD: The mother of Rohith Vemula, the research scholar of University of Hyderabad (UoH) who committed suicide in 2016 sparking a major political row, Thursday said the movement seeking justice for her son would not stop until the varsity Vice-Chancellor was removed.

A group of students of the varsity had been demanding Appa Rao's removal from the post of VC and his arrest in connection with the suicide of Rohith after a case was registered against him and others.

Speaking at an event organised on the varsity campus to commemorate the death anniversary of Rohith, Radhika Vemula alleged that Appa Rao has committed many "atrocities" and still continues to do so with support from the government at the Centre.

Accusing the police of not initiating any action against Appa Rao in the case, she said there was an "intentional delay."

ALSO READ: A scholar made of stardust: Why we must never forget Rohith Vemula

"The VC is harassing students who belong to SC/ST and BC. The ruling party at the Centre is always backing him with great support," she alleged.

Rohith's mother urged all non-BJP parties to come together on a common platform and defeat the saffron party in the upcoming general elections.

In her address, Fatima Nafees, the mother of missing Jawaharlal University student Najeeb Ahmed, said, "This struggle is of not two mothers but of all the deprived sections of the society.

"They used to say Modi is coming. Now we say Modi is going. We believe that we will get our thoughts back once this government is down. And we expect it in the coming election of 2019," she said.

Fatima further said Najeeb was alive and would come back.

Najeeb had gone missing from a hostel of the JNU in Delhi on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the ABVP.

Meanwhile, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi in a tweet said, "The institutional murder of Rohith three years ago should not be forgotten. Rohith was vocal, articulate and a voice for unity of the oppressed. His absence is felt by all those who defied Hindutva."Roshne Balasubramanian By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Last month, Chennaiites woke up to alarming news  a 48-year-old owner of a womens hostel in Aadambakkam was arrested, after he was found guilty of hiding cameras in multiple parts of the accommodation including bathrooms, light bulbs and behind bedroom curtains.

In the wake of the incident, the Chennai Collectorate issued a set of new guidelines for running hostels in the city, which included installation of CCTV cameras, round-the-clock security guards, a well-maintained visitors registry, appointing wardens after an assessment of their conduct by the police to ensure the safety and security of women. A month after the episode, we find out if women living in hostels feel safer, and the precautions they take to feel secure.

Twenty-seven-year-old Meghoma Mukhopadhyay, a marketing professional from Howrah relocated to Chennai in 2012 and has moved half a dozen hostels since then. Most hostels in the city are not well-maintained. They are untidy, overcrowded, dont provide good food and dont have proper standards. Even sanitation and safety are compromisedit is not easy to find a good hostel in the city, she rues.

After hearing news of hidden cameras in the city hostel, Meghoma unlike many wasnt too surprised.

Safety has always been a primary concern. I have had bad experiences in the past when I lived in a hostel that wasnt registered. Now, I live in a hostel that is registered, but I have learned to check the ratings and reviews online, enquire at nearby shops, and ask residents in the locality about a hostels reputation. After taking the room, I personally check every corner, the curtains to see if there are any cameras or hidden devices, she explains.

Its 2019 and women are constantly being reminded and encouraged to be fearless and resilient. The change is refreshing, but its hard to not look at the flip side  women are also being taught to be paranoid all the time.

Banumathi*, a 30-year-old moved from Vijayawada about 10 years ago. She says she has lived in hostels in nothing but fear. I was new to the city, and I didnt have a choice but to live in hostels that werent expensive. Little did I know that I would be entering hellholes. There would be no privacy, the owner of the hostel in which I previously stayed was very intrusive, and the warden would enter our rooms without knocking it. At no point did we feel safe, she shares.

Banumathi recently moved into a reputed hostel and says shes at peace. Hopefully, the new guidelines will be enforced and there will be transparency. But even now, I never step into a new room without checking it. I make sure someone in my family knows about the hostel, and they even do a security check. Why does having to live in a hostel be so exhausting and intimidating? she asks.

Deepa, a project lead in a tech firm, another long-time hosteller says that the burgeoning hostels/PGs in the city need safety measures set in place. It has become the need of the hour. From choosing a hostel in a secure location, ensuring that the accommodation employs a janitor and warden with good conduct, to installing camera detection applications, we have a lot to check before we step in. My advice to women in hostels/PGs always have your emergency numbers ready, it is absolutely necessary, she says.

Concurring, Meghoma tells us that she always keeps emergency numbers, police helpline number handy, so that she can reach out to them in case of any suspicious behaviour. I tell my fellow hostel mates to immediately inform one of us, or the concerned person if she feels unsafe or uncomfortable. Most of us also make it a point to share our hostel address and number with immediate friends so that can help us at times of distress. I also think it should become a strict mandate to have women caretakers in women hostels. I have consciously avoided the ones owned or under the care of men, she shares.

Esther, who has also been living in hostels for a long period says that a biometric system should be brought into force in hostels. One cant stop men from entering women hostels  most come for repair work and so on. But, when they do come, I feel that the warden has to accompany themat least to reinforce to the third party that we are protected, she asserts.The Ministry of Education is introducing open book exams, part of its plans to revamp the countrys education system.

Around 600,000 students from more than 2,000 public schools and 1,000 private schools are sitting for their final first-term exams which run from 13 January to 24 January. The open book system is being tried out for the first time on grade 10 students in Arabic, a second language, science, math and social studies.

Ministry of Education Spokeswoman Amina Khairy said students will sit for open book exams twice, in January and at the end of March. The results of the two exams will not be included in the final grades. These two exams will be considered training for students to get acquainted with the new system, Khairy said.

She said students are allowed to take their own books to the exam. Questions are indirect and students must study properly to find the answers in their book. There is nothing called the ideal answer.

Open exams are meant to teach students how to receive information and apply it in a thoughtful, deep manner, Khairy said, adding that in an open book exam, the focus is not on memorising but applying information.

Arabic teacher Mohamed Mahmoud, who teaches grades 10-12, believes open book tests are actually more difficult than traditional exams. Instead of merely memorising facts, students are required to apply concepts and explain ideas. Open book exams need just as much studying as any other exam, Mahmoud said.

According to Mahmoud, before the exams, students must read all the material they have and make notes on the margins. They must know where important ideas and concepts are in their books so they do not waste time searching for them during the exam.

The Ministry of Education has trained teachers of grades 10, 11 and 12 on the new system, Mahmoud said. The one-week training enabled us to understand the new system to give the information to students correctly, he said.

The ministry has received many complaints from students and parents that the Arabic exam questions were not included in the curriculum but Khairy denied that was the case. Questions are derived from students curriculum but are posed in a different, indirect and unusual way. This is why grades of these exams will not be calculated as part of the final grades, Khairy said.

Other subjects such as biology were not criticised because the questions were direct and students could easily answer them from the book.

Khairy said exams were being taken from the Bank of Knowledge, originally drawn up by a distinguished group of teachers, education experts and ministry officials.

Grade 10 students could not agree on the new system. Nadine Hamdi, grade 10, believes it will end cheating. However, Omnia Harhash, another student, complained that the questions of poetry were off-curriculum, noting that the choices were very similar which caused confusion. Allowing the book in the exam was useless, complained Harhash.

The new education system is part of the governments 2030 strategy. The first phase of implementation will be compulsory for KG1, KG2 and first grade, as well as grade 10 in all public and private schools. The system will be applied gradually to other grades.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 January, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Testing running open books

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By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Manjula V, whose son went missing in Oman in October, is running from pillar to post to bring him back. The mother, along with her specially-abled daughter, who hail from Vijayanagar in the city, hopes that her son will eventually return, as her efforts to find him till date have not been fruitful.

Deepak RV

Speaking to reporters, she said that her son Deepak RV had been working in Oman at a hypermarket for the past seven years. Deepak was the breadwinner in the family. He went to great lengths to ensure we were happy, she said.

THE LAST CALL

Deepak had last called his family on December 10 last year. He would travel to countries like China and Bangladesh for work. On December 10, he had called saying that he was going to a different city to purchase goods for the hypermarket. His phone has been switched off after that, she said.

When she called Deepaks office in Oman, Manjula was told that the company had filed a complaint with Interpol. However, they had no leads as to where my son is, she said.

Subsequently, she approached the Bengaluru City Police, who helped her to get in touch with Ministry of External Affairs officials.By Express News Service

Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), a 3 million metric tonne per year (mt/year) refinery set in the sylvan Brahmaputra valley in Assam was born out of the Assam Accord on August 15, 1985. It took 15-years to take shape and commence commercial operations in 2000. Refineries in the north east have stayed stagnant as they lacked pipelines to carry crude and to pump refined products to the market beyond.

On Wednesday, however, the Union Cabinet gave its much-awaited nod for a Rs 22,594-crore expansion of NRL which will see its capacity rise to 9 million mt/year to meet fuel demand of north-eastern India. The central government will provide a Rs 1,020 crore viability gap funding for the project, said Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

The total project cost will be financed by a mix of debt, equity and Viability Gap Funding (VGF). The debt of Rs 15,102 crore will be raised by NRL, apart from its internal accrual of Rs 2,307 crore. The promoters will contribute to equity. At present BPCL holds a 61.65 per cent stake in NRL, Government of Assam 12.35 per cent and Oil India Ltd 26 per cent.

Sources say that NRL has been finding it difficult to meet rising demand in eastern and north-eastern India and the expanded capacity will ease this situation.

Eastern UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh are growing very fast... they are growing in double digits. We are have a problem in supporting the demand in North East, the source said.

The crude supply issue, meanwhile, will be tackled through the proposed pipeline from Paradip to Numaligarh. On the products side, NRL is planning a product pipeline from the refinery to Siliguri to push supplies to the eastern market and has been in talks with Bangladesh to build a 135 km product pipeline from Siliguri to Parbatipur.

Trucking supplies are small. We are trying to increase supplies to 1 million mt of diesel to Bangladesh, that is built into this 9 million mt refinery plan, the source said.

Since the refinery expansion has related pipeline and logistics costs, NRL has been looking for fiscal support from the government through funding and assurances on current excise duty structure.By PTI

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Thursday slammed German auto major Volkswagen for not depositing Rs 100 crore in accordance with its November 16, 2018 order and directed it to submit the amount within 24 hours.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel took strong exception to the non-compliance of its order by the automobile giant and asked it to give an undertaking that it will submit the amount by 5 PM Friday.

"Why have you not complied with our order when there is no stay. We will not give you any further time," the bench, also comprising Justice S P Wangdi, said while asking Volkswagen to submit an affidavit of compliance after deposit.

The tribunal deferred the matter for hearing after it was informed that the Supreme Court is also seized of the issue.

On November 16 last year, the tribunal had said that the use of 'cheat device' by Volkswagen in diesel cars in India leads to inference of environmental damage and had asked the German auto major to deposit an interim amount of Rs 100 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).By Express News Service

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave the green light for the regularisation of pay scales of over 5,000 executives in four state-run hydro power companies  NHPC, NEEPCO, THDC India and SJVNL.

According to Union Minister for Coal and Railways Piyush Goyal, the move to regularise pay scales will cost the government around Rs 323 crore.

The need to regularise is due to anomalies which existed in the pay scales of executives of the four PSUs since January 1997 due to revision of pay scales of unionised category of workmen/non-executives. The pay scales of workmen and supervisors were higher than the pay scales of executives in the E-1 grade.

Anomalies existed in the pay scales of Executives of NHPC, NEEPCO, THDCIL and SJVNL w.e.f. 01.01.1997 due to revision of pay scales of unionized category of workmen/non-executives in line with the NTPC/Oil sector within the organizations, the government said in a statement.

After the approval, the pay scales adopted by the hydro unit consequent upon the order of the power ministry dated April 4, 2006 and September 1, 2006 would be regularised. About 5,254 below Board level executives in the power units enrolled before January 1, 2007 will benefit by this approval.By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Leading online retailers Flipkart and Amazon have sought an extension of deadline for implementation of the new FDI norms, issued by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion IDIPP) in December 2018.

The government had fixed February 1 as deadline for implementation of the new norms, which were issued with the intention of helping small businesses, who had been complaining about the steep discounts offered by e-commerce players.

The new regulations announced by DIPP in Press Note 2 bars online marketplaces with foreign investments from selling products of the companies where they hold stakes, and ban exclusive marketing arrangements. It also said e-commerce marketplace entity will not mandate any seller to sell any product exclusively on its platform only.

Inventory of a vendor will be deemed to be controlled by e-commerce marketplace entity if more than 25 per cent of purchases of such vendor are from a marketplace entity or its group companies, it had said.

Meanwhile, Amazon India said it is awaiting clarifications from the government on the new policy. The company, in a statement, said it has requested an extension of four months.

We remain committed to being compliant to all local laws, rules and regulations. We await clarifications from the government on the new policy changes. As we seek clarity, we have written to the government requesting an extension of four months, said an Amazon India spokesperson, adding, With over 4 lakh sellers and hundreds of thousands of transactions happening daily on the Amazon India marketplace, we need adequate time to understand the details of the policy.

According to sources, Flipkart has asked six months time from the government for implementing the regulations. It is also exploring various other options, keeping in mind the regulations that might impact its business. When contacted, Flipkart declined to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Internet and Mobile Association of India has welcomed Press Note 2 (2018) because it makes the marketplace model more robust and transparent. However, it said, few provisions in the Press Note 2 are unclear and onerous.

Flipkart India gets L1,431 cr from parent



Flipkart India, the wholesale business arm of Flipkart, has raised I1,431 crore from its Singapore-based

parent company Flipkart Private Limited. According to filingswith the Registrar of Companies (RoC) sourced by intelligence platform Paper.vc, the company has issued 4.86 lakh shares on January 7, 2019, to the Singapore entity.

4.86 lakh equity shares each at a securities premium of I29,399 per share were allotted based on the resolutions passed by the board of directors of Flipkart India Private Limited at their meeting held on January 7, 2019, the RoC documents showed. The fresh cash infusion from the Singapore entity follows a I2,190 crore funding round in December, taking the total funding to over I3,600 crore in a span of two months.For a marriage that was shut down for 12 years, many wondered how a reconciliation took place.The actor had in 2017 confirmed that he was separated from his wife after 12 years of being together.For Nollywood actor, Bolanle Ninalowo, who reconciled with his wife, Bunmi, a resident of Atlanta in the USA, life had to continue with his wife and mother of two kids.According to a source, Bolanle, who had become highly sought after in the industry, was also getting tired of being a playboy to many of the ladies he worked with.The source told Kemi Ashefon, Initially, he must have enjoyed the attention he was getting from all the ladies in and out of the industry. He was alleged to have warmed many of their beds but never committed himself to anyone for marriage.He must have reasoned that the ilk of Odunlade Adekola and Femi Adebayo Salami, who are also highly sought after are happily married and their career werent affected.His marriage to Bunmi would have lasted but the wife was said to have deserted him when he started having challenges after he didnt fare well in his music career. It was after he could not cope with life in the US as a failed music artiste that he returned to Nigeria and joined Nollywood.That was a goldmine for him and he became a star. That they are reconciled now was an intervention from family and friends who advised that he stuck to his wife and not have kids from too many women.In the interview with Genvieve magazine, Ninalowo disclosed how he took his wife to United States of America and married her on paper hoping that he will officially marry her sometime later but things didnt go according to plans.He said in 2017, I am separated from the mother of my kids. I have an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy from her and they live in Atlanta.We met here in Nigeria when I visited 12 years ago. I took her, with me, to the States and filed for her (married her on paper) with the hope to someday get married officially, but things took the wrong turn. So, for now I am married to my hustle.But things are rosy between the two now as they have been uploading photos of being together on Instagram.However, in a new post on Instagram, his wife, Bunmi wrote, #OlowooriAdufe. Thank God for grace.Reacting to the post which sparked off speculation that he has reconciled with his wife late in 2018, Ninalowo wrote, Thank you for hanging on. So sorry for everything. I only knew that if God be for me, then the end will surely justify the means. Mabinu aya mi.Bunmi also shared a throwback photo of both of them and captioned it, Throwback to when i was just 23 and he was 24 Heck we thot we knew it all and no one could tell us a damn thing. Omobolanle.International

US envoy on Afghanistan arrives in Pakistan for talks

Zalmay Khalilzad (File)

Islamabad, Jan 17 (IANS) | Publish Date: 1/17/2019 11:55:57 AM IST

US President Donald Trumps Special Envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Thursday to discuss with the senior civil and military leadership the latest efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country.

The US envoy was initially scheduled to arrive in the federal capital on Tuesday. However, the visit was rescheduled after Khalilzad was said to be engaged in meetings in Kabul, Geo News reported.

He was expected to discuss the Afghan peace process, talks with the Taliban and the US Armys withdrawal from Afghanistan.



The Express Tribune cited the US diplomatic officials in Pakistan as saying that Khalilzad was likely to push Pakistani officials to ensure the Afghan Talibans involvement in the peace process.

They said senior US State Department official Lisa Curtis will also be part of all the meetings, according to the daily.

Khalilzad, who met Taliban representatives last month in Abu Dhabi, is leading an inter-agency delegation to India, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan from January 8-21 to facilitate a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan.

His trip comes after the US President signalled that he would bring home half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan as he grows increasingly impatient over Americas longest-ever war.

Trump had also criticized India earlier, saying that it is not doing enough for peace and stability in Afghanistan.Regional

Anti-CAB protest: School students to boycott R-Day

Correspondent IMPHAL, Jan 17 | Publish Date: 1/17/2019 11:30:16 AM IST

Students of Government Higher Secondary School in Imphal on Thursday announced boycotting the Republic Day and other national occasions as protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 continued unabated in Manipur.

We have decided not to participate in the celebrations of Republic Day and Independence Day of India, said N Nobinchandra, general secretary of student union of Johnston Higher Secondary School, Imphal, one of the oldest higher secondary in Manipur.

He alleged the present government at the Centre of attempting to eliminate the smaller ethnic people of Manipur and other Northeast states by granting citizenships to the migrants who entered into the region illegally.

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 was a mechanism to eliminate the ethnic people of the region, he said.

Chief minister should also find ways to prevent passage of the Bill by the Rajya Sabha instead of shouting against the bill, he said.

Meanwhile, protests against the passage of Bill continued at different parts of the state. The protests were staged at Thangmeiband, Sagolband in Imphal West, Thoubal Keithel in Thoubal district and other parts of the state.A Cairo criminal court accepted on Thursday an appeal by the prosecution against a previous court decision to release Mona Mahmoud, also known as Um Zubaida, who was jailed for spreading false news.

The court has renewed her detention for 45 days.

Um Zubaida made headlines after a 2018 interview with the BBC where she said that her daughter had been tortured and disappeared by security services.

On Tuesday, a criminal court ordered Um Zubaida's release after nearly one year in detention on charges including "publishing and broadcasting false news that could harm the country's national interests" and joining an illegal group, in reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The charges arise from the woman's claims during an interview with the BBC that her daughter, Zubaida, had not been seen since 2017 after being apprehended by security forces, and that she was tortured in detention during her previous stint in custody.

Her account was part of a short documentary and online report by the BBC on what it said were cases of forced disappearances and torture carried out by Egyptian security forces.

Um Zubaida's daughter appeared shortly after the BBCs report and denied being tortured or abducted.

Egyptian authorities have described the BBC report as full of lies and unsubstantiated allegations, prompting the State Information Service (SIS) to urge officials to boycott the public broadcaster until an apology is published.

The BBC was briefly taken to court, facing a threat of having its bureau shut down in Cairo; however, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters ruled that it lacks jurisdiction over the matter in June 2018.

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WALLINGFORD  Jared Liu, a Democrat who ran for mayor in 2017, is seeking the partys nomination again this year.

Theres a lot weve lost, said Liu, who grew up in Wallingford. We are not growing in ways we should be and going backward in some areas.

Robin Hetrick, the Wallingford Democratic Town Committee chair, said Friday that party endorsements wont come until July.

The DTC leadership team will talk to everybody and then present all candidates to the full DTC, she said.

We have a ton of great buzz about people interested in running, Hetrick said, but its very early in the process.

Longtime Republican Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said Friday that he had no comment on Lius candidacy, but that everyones welcome to run for office. Thats our system.

Dickinson defeated Liu by a 5,882 to 4,223 tally, a margin of 1,659 votes, in 2017.

Liu, 41, works at Yale University's school of management as an associate director of admissions and previously held a similar job at Choate Rosemary Hall.

With a background in urban forestry in the Washington, D.C., area, he was a member of the town's Greening Committee in 2013 and 2014, which formed to help with the replacement and maintenance of downtown trees.

He said his basic platform hasnt changed since his run two years ago. His primary issues are economic development, education, health, safety and services.

He plans to start campaigning earlier than he did two years ago.

It takes a long time to run a local campaign, he said. Youre not a national candidate with name recognition, and everyone knows theres an election and who you are. instead it takes 10, 20, 30 minutes to door knock and get your story and vision of the town.

He said hell be refreshing conversations he started in 2017 with residents, land developers, town department heads, school board members, church leaders and other community leaders.

Liu has started fundraising, filing with the town clerk in December to get his website up.

Economic development, he said, is the key in many ways of what we can do in town.

Hed like to see more locally-owned businesses and a resurgence downtown, in addition to large employers to occupy buildings vacated by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Edible Arrangements and 3M.

He supports marketing the town better to attract, and then actively retain, business.

Were not including enough voices, he said. Too many are focused on revenue generation versus what we want in town.

LTakores@record-journal.com

203-317-2212

Twitter: @LCTakoresRegional School District 13s new international partnership will begin with a weeklong visit from a group of high school students from Ningbo, China this fall.

Coginchaug Regional High School Principal Brian Falcone was joined by high school world language teacher Kate Germond, School Superintendent Kathryn Veronesi and Board of Education members Bob Moore and Norm Hicks on a visit to Tongji High School to sign a partnership program with the school in December.

It's so important to have our kids have an understanding of the world, especially when we're from (two) small towns in Connecticut, with very little diversity, Falcone said during a presentation at a school board meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 9. We are not looking for another field trip  we're looking to immerse our students into the culture and the community of Ningbo, China and be a part of Tongji High School.

Region 13 is made up of students from Durham and Middlefield.

About 20 Tongji High School students will travel with a few teachers to spend a week at Coginchaug High School, which will plan its homecoming week to align with the visit in late September. The students will do homestays and take field trips to nearby universities, New York or Boston.

In the spring, 20 to 25 Coginchaug high school students and teachers will do the same, staying with local families and other students in Ningbo, experiencing lessons at Tongji High School and visiting local landmarks such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City.

I think it will be a life changing experience for most of the kids that go there, said board chairman Bob Moore.

The administration plans to have more than just the older high school students involved by incorporating opportunities with younger students to do a custom STEM project with Ningbo students.

Falcone said the December trip allowed them to negotiate the deal, but also to learn about the area, culture, and what Coginchaug High School students can expect. He believes the partnership has the potential to greatly impact students and adults alike.

When I found out that we were actually going to go there and work out this partnership and to achieve this contract for our students and our community, I was nervous, of the unknown, Falcone said. When we went to China and every single person we met was just so nice and wanted the best for our kids and for us throughout our experience, it really transformed my views.

Falcone said the cost for students to participate in the week-long international visit will be about $2,700 per person.

bwright@record-journal.com

203-317-2316

Twitter: @baileyfaywrightSOUTHINGTON  Local officials queried lawmakers about budget deadlines, the teachers pension fund and special education at the annual Council of Small Towns meeting Wednesday.

The panel included Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, House Majority Leader Matthew Ritter D-Hartford, House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby and Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, one of the co-chairs of the state legislatures Appropriations Committee.

Klarides recognized that the state budget is finalized well after many towns have set a budget, making the process more uncertain. She proposed finalizing the state budget on April 1.

Ritter felt her approach wasnt realistic, because the states income tax receipts are unknown until the middle of April. He suggested towns consider finalizing their budgets later in the spring.

Fasano, who represents Wallingford, said he hopes to keep municipal aid at the same level as last year.

Municipal government cannot be shortchanged, Fasano said.

Osten addressed special education costs. She said the federal government is supposed to fund 40 percent of special education costs, but the state is only receiving a 4 percent reimbursement.

Its time to talk to the federal govenrment, Osten said.

The lawmakers were also asked to discuss solutions to the teacher pension deficit.

Last year, former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tried to shift some of the costs of the program to the towns but was unsuccessful. The states annual contribution to the Teachers Retirement System is $1.3 billion, but could climb to $6.2 billion by 2032.

Ritter proposed using lottery-backed revenue bonds that could generate about $1.5 billion annually for the fund.

Fasano assured the audience of about 200 municipal officials at the Aqua Turft that he would not support any plan that hurts the towns.

(The state has) to solve it, he said.

mgodin@record-journal.com

203-317-2255

Twitter: @CconnbizStaff writer Mary Ellen Godin joins the Morning Record to summarize a legislative panel discussion during an event Wednesday hosted by the Connecticut Council of Small Towns.

Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or on Stitcher

Music: thegoodlawdz.bandcamp.com

msavino@record-journal.com

203-317-2266

Twitter: @reporter_savinoCHESHIRE  Officials outlined how the schools respond to mental health issues during a meeting at Doolittle School Wednesday night.

The presentation follows the death of a Doolittle student in December.

More than 100 people attended the meeting at Doolittle.

Anjelita Estrada, 11, attended Doolittle School. The state chief medical examiners office ruled her death in late December a suicide.

Her father, Anthony Estrada, who lives in Tuscon, Arizona, has cited bullying as a factor in her death.

Doolittle Principal Russ Hinckley told parents at the beginning of the meeting that they could contact school administrators with questions or concerns.

Questions were not taken at the meeting.

We really have to honor the seriousness of the situation; we have to honor the right to everyones privacy, Hinckley said.

Were not going to be able to address specifics tonight.

The forum was for general information and resources and not particulars on Estradas death, he added.

School officials gave presentations on a host of approaches and methods for helping children understand and cope with their emotions.

Education leaders also explained some of the training teachers and others in the school have to identify students with suicidal thoughts.

Michelle Piccerillo, Youth and Social Services director, also outlined the warning signs for depression and suicide.

Hinckley also explained the state definition of bullying and said that a 2011 law instituted reporting and other requirements for schools to follow.

After the meeting, several parents said they were pleased with the information presented.

I think it was better to address the global issue than specifics, said Angela Delisle, parent of a fifth-grader at the school.

She said some of the behavior and mental health supports the school has are wonderful and have helped her family.

School officials said that there will be a mental health awareness program for the elementary grades starting next year as well as a suicide prevention program at Cheshire High School.

Earlier this week, School Superintendent Jeff Solan said the school system is planning a similar forum for all members of the community.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com

203-317-2230

Twitter: @reporterjbuchananTree planting to be mandatory for ...For all of you out of work during this record-setting government shutdown, these Miami Valley businesses have your back. Below are deals federal employees in a pinch can take advantage of. Hang in there!

2nd Street Market

600 E 2nd St

Dayton, Ohio, 45402

(937) 830-3887

Azras is giving away a free soup or sandwich with our signature cookies to any federal employee who has been furloughed without pay! This includes those who work at IRS, TSA , anyone who has been left without pay. We know its difficult to to make ends meet for a lot of Americans affected by this, and we want to show support in a small way.

2nd Street Market

600 E 2nd St

Dayton, Ohio, 45402

(937) 602-3422

If you are a government employee / contractor / or whatever who is not receiving a paycheck during the current government shutdown, you can come to the second street market during regular business hours and receive, free of charge, ONE of the following:

One loaf of bread,

Three small pretzels,

Four bagels.

Honour system here, we are not going to ask for proof. We are trying to do a nice thing here, and hope that the spirit of our intentions is understood. Please have patience with us if this blows up. Uno Pizzeria & Grill 126 N Main Street

Dayton, OH 45402 (937) 910-8000 Unos Pizza is offering a free pizza lunch Monday- Friday for furloughed federal employees. Enjoy any individual deep dish or Chicago thin crust pizza, no purchase necessary  just present a valid federal government I.D.

The Dayton Art Institute

456 Belmonte Park North

Dayton, OH 45405

937-223-5277

The DAI will waive its suggested general admission fee for furloughed federal employees and one guest when a valid federal ID is shown at the museums Guest Services Desk. Museum general admission is always free for college students (with valid ID) and youth ages 17 and under.

We thank our local federal employees and offer them something to do while they are on furlough or working without pay, said Director and CEO Michael R. Roediger. This is a very stressful time for these workers and their families, and we hope they are able to enjoy a relaxing, tranquil break in our galleries. Federal employees and their guests are welcome to visit as often as they like through the end of January. If the shutdown continues past the end of January we will extend this offer.

A list of art museums offering free admission to furloughed federal employees may be found on the Association of Art Museum Directors website.Egypt is keen to support stability and security in South Sudan and boost mutual cooperation with the country, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir on Thursday.

Kiir arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for a two-day visit.

The two leaders held a meeting at Cairo's Ittihadiya Presidential Palace followed by extensive discussions between delegates from both countries.

El-Sisi emphasised "Egypt's complete and unlimited support for South Sudan's efforts to achieve peace and stability in the country as an extension to Egypt's national security," El-Sisi's spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The two leaders discussed the latest developments regarding the implementation of the peace agreement between government and opposition forces in South Sudan.

The two leaders also discussed a number of regional issues including in Nile Basin countries and the Horn of Africa.

President Kiir expressed his country's appreciation for the close cooperation with Egypt, praising Egypt's sincere support for a solution to the conflict in South Sudan and its humanitarian efforts there.

Kiir also spoke about the pivotal role Egypt has been playing to support stability in Africa, which have qualified the country to chair the African Union in 2019.

Egypt's relations with South Sudan are currently seeing an "unprecedented boom," El-Sisi said in a speech during a joint press conference with Kiir on Thursday, emphasising Cairo's continued support for South Sudan's peace-building, stabilisation and development efforts.

In September, President Kiir signed a peace agreement with rebel factions to end a five-year civil war that has killed an estimated 400,000 million and crippled the country's development since it gained independence in 2011.

In his speech, El-Sisi urged the international community to fulfil its commitment to backing South Sudan in its advance towards development. The Egyptian president said the two countries look forward to further strengthening their ties.

"Our discussions today reflected the determination of the two countries to move forward with bilateral relations and push them to a wider level in a way that enables us to make the best use of the economic and investment opportunities available," El-Sisi said.

The two leaders last met in September in Beijing on the sidelines of the Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation FOCAC 2018.

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Decree 602/2018, issued by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on 30 December, establishes a Supreme Council to Combat Sectarian Strife.

According to the official gazette, the council will be mandated to formulate a general strategy to prevent and contain sectarian violence, developing new mechanisms to contain such incidents and issuing periodical reports on their success.

The council will be headed by Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar, President Al-Sisis counter-terrorism advisor and a former interior minister, and include representatives from the Armed Forces, national security and intelligence agencies. It will be authorised to invite ministers and other concerned officials to attend its meetings.

Al-Sisis decree was issued just a few days ahead of Coptic Christmas celebrations and before the president opened a major mosque and the largest cathedral in the Middle East in Egypts New Administrative Capital.

The opening of the mosque and cathedral on 7 January came two days after a police officer was killed while defusing a bomb near a church in Nasr City.

Islamist jihadists have long sought to target churches at Christmas time and during other Coptic feasts. Heavy security measures were in place during this years celebrations with roadblocks and police deployed en masse around churches to prevent car bombs and other attacks.

In April 2017 terrorists attacked two churches, one in Alexandria, the second in Gharbiya governorate, killing 49 and injuring more than 140. At the time US President Donald Trump tweeted that the bloodletting of Christians in the Middle East must stop.

In November, an armed group targeted a bus carrying Christians in the governorate of Minya, killing nine and wounding others. The Interior Ministry said it was able to pursue the group and kill its members.

Al-Sisis initiative to confront sectarian violence was welcomed in religious and political circles.

Egypts Grand Mufti Shawki Allam described it as a qualitative shift towards citizenship. Coptic Orthodox Church official Kamal Zakher said it was a positive step in confronting sectarian and terrorist incidents.

The councils level of representation is a sign the authorities are willing to address the problems root causes, says Al-Ahram political analyst Nabil Abdel-Fattah.

He added that the decree establishing the council comes parallel to the presidents order in July 2017 to form a National Council to Combat Terrorism and Extremism.

Kamal Amer, head of parliaments Defence and National Security Council, says the council could be an important vehicle in fighting sectarian incidents that seek to divide Egypts Muslims and Christians.

By issuing this decree, intoned Abdel-Fattah, President Al-Sisi is acknowledging that simple security solutions are not enough to resolve sectarian problems.

We need a cultural and social revolution to change peoples mindset, particularly in Upper Egypt and rural areas.

In December two Christians were shot dead in Minya by a Muslim church security guard following a verbal squabble.

In many Upper Egypt governorates, and particularly in Minya, sectarian violence is common. Most often, it is an extension of personal disputes or clashes over places of worship, said Abdel-Fattah.

Extremist elements exploit petty disputes and turn them into bloody clashes.

Minya heads national tables in terms of incidents of sectarian strife. For decades the governorate has been a haven for terrorist movements and extremist Islamist clerics who preach hatred and perverted interpretations of Islam.

These groups exploited the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood between 2011 and 2013 to spread their venomous ideology on a grand scale among villagers and school students. The lack of public services, development projects and employment opportunities helped create fertile ground for the spread of sectarian violence.

According to Abdel-Fattah, the governments traditional approach to containing sectarian strife fuelled the situation.

When sectarian incidents take place reconciliation councils are convened to contain the situation rather than address its root causes, he says.

Abdel-Fattah hopes that the new council will develop a radical new strategy to tackle the situation.

We need to stand up to Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood clerics who preach hatred against Christians and issue discriminatory fatwas, says Abdel-Fattah.

Legal expert Fouad Abdel-Moneim Riad wrote in Al-Ahram on 12 January that President Al-Sisis decree should be followed by other measures to help contain sectarian incidents.

Religion should be removed from national ID cards, the niqab banned, control on extremist fatwas issued by Salafi clerics tightened and an anti-discrimination commission established, wrote Riad.

Riad, who chaired the committee charged with investigating sectarian incidents following the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, said the majority of attacks against Christians were triggered by the provocative preaching of extremist clerics affiliated with Salafi groups and the Muslim Brotherhood.

We saw how these clerics pushed members of their congregations to torch churches following the removal of the Brotherhood regime, said Riad.

Mushira Khattab, a former minister of population and family planning, said in an article also published on 12 January, that Article 53 of the constitution which prohibits discrimination urgently needs to be put into effect.

There is a pressing need for a national anti-discrimination commission to tackle all forms of discrimination based on religion, colour, gender and sex, promote a culture of diversity and tolerance and ensure educational curricula do not contain any discriminatory content, she said.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 January, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Containing sectarian violence

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Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk!

You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details.Today's Headlines Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today!

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The article youre about to read is from our reporters doing their important work  investigating, researching, and writing their stories.

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JOIN NOW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.A map of the data set showing oil and gas unit agreements (taken from Legal Land Descriptions [LLD] contained in the Bureau of Land Managements database and mapped using the most accurate survey data available through BLM Cadastral Survey workforce). [Image courtesy of the Utah BLM geographic information system (GIS) map server]Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has ratified the approval of a $500 million World Bank investment in Egypts education reforms, to support increasing access to quality Kindergarten education, improve the quality of learning and adopt technology.

The decision was published in Egypt's official gazette on Thursday.

The project will expand access to quality Kindergarten education for around 500,000 children, train 500,000 teachers and education officials, while providing 1.5 million students and teachers with digital learning resources, according to the World Bank's press release on the loan in April 2018.

The five-year Supporting Egypt Education Reform will help transform the education system through bold modernization initiatives. The project is aligned with Egypts "2030 Vision" sustainable development strategy, which puts a strong emphasis on the critical role of education sector reform in Egypts social transformation.

"The project aims to achieve its goals by improving access to quality Kindergarten education and the quality of early childhood education, developing a reliable student assessment and examination system, enhancing capacity of teachers, education leaders and supervisors, and using modern technology for teaching and learning, assessing students, collecting data, as well as expanding the use of digital learning resources," according to the bank.

Egypt increased allocations for education and health during 2018-2019, reaching EGP 257.7 billion compared to EGP 222 billion in the previous fiscal year.

The World Bank finances programs and projects to help Egypt reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity.

The focus of Bank support includes social safety nets, energy, transport, rural water and sanitation, irrigation, social housing, health care, job creation, and financing for micro and small enterprises.

The World Bank currently has a portfolio of 16 projects with a total commitment of $6.69 billion.

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Grand County Community and Economic Development Director Zacharia Levine presents the amended High Density Housing Overlay to the Grand County Council during its meeting on Jan. 15. [Photo by Rachel Fixsen / Moab Sun News]The White House National Security Council has told some US refiners that sanctions on Venezuelan crude exports are under consideration, S&P Global Platts reported, citing sources familiar with the issue.

The effort would likely focus on the roughly 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude that Venezuela exports to the United States, according to Joe McMonigle, an analyst with Hedgeye Risk Management.

Also on rt.com Venezuela drops US dollar, will use euro for international transactions

In October, US refiners imported an average of 505,870 bpd of Venezuelan crude, down from about 629,480 bpd in September.

McMonigle told Platts: The hawks are in charge now and they want to get tough on Venezuela. If theyre going to do something, theyre going to go for the toughest thing right away.

Two years ago, the US imposed sanctions prohibiting trading new debt and equity issued by the Venezuelan government and state oil company, PDVSA. The Department of Treasury has also introduced several rounds of restrictions against Venezuelan top government officials. Maduro was among those blacklisted and called it an honor.

Earlier this month, the Treasury Department announced a new tranche of sanctions against seven Venezuelan individuals and two dozen business entities.

Also on rt.com 'Worst aggression in 200 years': Venezuela stands up to new US sanctions

While sanctions on Venezuelan crude flows are on the table, administration officials are still reluctant to impose them since they do not want to be blamed if the sanctions worsen the humanitarian crisis, but do not weaken Maduros regime, an unnamed analyst told Platts.

With Venezuela, its you break it, you buy it and they dont want to buy it right now, he said.

Statistics from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed Venezuela produced 1.25 million bpd of crude in December, down from 1.28 million bpd in November.

Also on rt.com Venezuela suggests global oil trade in Russian ruble & Chinese yuan

EIA expects Venezuelas production to continue to fall through the forecast period  albeit at a slower overall rate of decline  while the financial situation of... state-owned PDVSA remains extremely precarious, it said.

The agency forecasts Venezuelan oil production to fall below 1 million bpd in the second half of 2019 and to about 700,000 bpd in 2020.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business sectionSpain rescues 472 migrants trying to cross Mediterranean Sea

Spain rescues 472 migrants trying to cross Mediterranean Sea

Spains maritime rescue service has saved 472 people who were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe over the past two days, AP reports. The service says that 17 people, including one woman, were rescued early Thursday from two inflatable rafts like those used at beaches and swimming pools. The spokeswoman said that 455 migrants were rescued Wednesday  124 in the Strait of Gibraltar, and 331 further east. Two of the rescued, who were suffering severe hypothermia, had to be evacuated from rescue vessels by helicopters. The UN estimates that 2,262 migrants died while crossing the Mediterranean last year, when 57,000 migrants reached Spanish shores despite unauthorized border crossings into Europe hitting a five-year low.Source : RT - Daily newsRussias sovereign wealth fund and its partners are planning to increase investments in Serbia, with $500 million likely to be added in the next two years. Current Russian investments in the country total $2 billion.

Thats according to the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, who arrived in Serbia on Thursday as part of the Russian delegation led by President Vladimir Putin.

Our (RDIF) partners are the largest sovereign funds of Asia and the Middle East, Dmitriev explained to journalists after Putins meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Also on rt.com Russia wants to include Serbia in EEU free trade zone - Putin

We are going to invest, for example, in developing of Phosagro project. They have a large base of fertilizers here and are considering the opportunity to expand it, because Serbia is a very good logistic hub for Russian fertilizers to Europe, Dmitriev said.

Moscow is also mulling the possibility of increasing gas supplies to Serbia, according to Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, who said the sides discussed extending the Turkish Stream gas pipeline to the country.

READ MORE: I consult with Putin all the time & tell him the truth even when he doesnt like it  Serbias Vucic

Russia and Serbia are also planning to sign an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in peaceful atomic energy. The Serbian side is very serious about resetting its nuclear industry, the head of Russian Rosatom Corporation, Aleksey Likhachev, said.

He added that For the first time, the agreement includes issues of cooperation in the innovation and digital sphere.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

Qatar donates 68 armored vehicles to Somalia as UAEs role is strained

Qatar donates 68 armored vehicles to Somalia as UAEs role is strained

Qatar donated 68 armored vehicles to Somalia on Thursday, Qatars Defense Ministry said. The armored vehicles, delivered in Mogadishu, will strengthen the Somali state, which is battling an Islamist insurgency, according to Qatars military. The move is also seen as a sign that Doha is pushing for influence in the country with the role of its Gulf rival, the United Arab Emirates, under strain, Reuters reports. Somalia, a Horn of Africa country located on key shipping routes, has refused to take sides in the rift between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, a UAE ally. However, relations with the UAE have become strained over the UAEs investments in the breakaway region of Somaliland. In April, Somalia disbanded a UAE program to train some of its troops.Source : RT - Daily newsThe divisive artwork of Ronald McDonald nailed to a cross, which sparked wide scale protests in Haifa, Israel, will be taken down, the citys mayor promised. Her decision was slammed by human rights campaigners.

The controversial sculpture will be removed from the Haifa Museum of Art in the coming days and returned as soon as possible, the citys mayor, Einat Kalisch-Rotem, said on Thursday. The decision was made after violent protests against the artwork erupted in the city.

Israels small Arab Christian community deemed the sculpture offensive and demanded it be taken down. Some of them tried to storm the museum, and hurled firebombs and threw stones at the building, police said.

Law enforcement used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the angry crowd. One man was arrested and three officers were injured during the scuffles. Police are searching for two people suspected of throwing firebombs.

Local Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches also requested the court to have McJesus removed. Kalisch-Rotem met with the clergy earlier this week and said that she understood the depths of the hurt that they are feeling. The decision to remove the statue was made in agreement with the church officials.

The artwork itself was loaned from the Finnish Zetterberg Gallery last year and was due to be sent home at the end of January.

The life-size statue of a crucified Ronald McDonald was meant to symbolize the cult-like worship of capitalism. According to the museums director, Nissim Tal, it was featured for months without anyone complaining. The sculpture even led to some in-fighting between state officials. Culture Minister Miri Regev threatened to deprive the museum of state money if it failed to remove the artwork. The idea was quickly rebuffed by Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber, who said that Regev doesnt have the legal means to withhold government funds due to insults of religious feelings.

Jani Leinonen, the Finnish artist behind McJesus, also demanded the statue to be removed instantly, but for a different reason. He supports the pro-Palestinian BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement and is against any of his works being exhibited in Israel.

Also on rt.com McJesus statue sparks riot at museum in Israel as protesters call for removal of offensive art

Speaking on Thursday, Mayor Kalisch-Rotem said that she regrets the distress the divisive artwork has caused to the Christian community, as well as the violence it provoked.

Nissim Tal had earlier refused to take down the statue. He said that the museum wont cave to public pressure and promised to defend freedom of speech and freedom of art.

Rotems move to get rid of the statue was slammed by a civil liberties group, the Association for Citizen Rights. The mayors decision is a capitulation to violence and a violation of artistic freedom of expression.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!Sudanese police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters marching towards the presidential palace in Khartoum on Thursday, as demonstrations demanding President Omar al-Bashir's resignation spread to other cities and towns.

Protesters chanting "Freedom, peace, justice" gathered in central Khartoum and began their march but riot police quickly confronted them with tear gas, witnesses told AFP.

Demonstrations were also held in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, in the provincial town of Gadaref and in the agricultural hub of Atbara, where the first protest broke out in December after a government decision to raise the price of bread.

The protests have since escalated into broader demonstrations against Bashir's three decades of iron-fisted rule that have triggered deadly clashes with the security forces.

Officials say at least 24 people have died, but human rights groups have given a higher toll.

Amnesty International said last week that more than 40 people had been killed and more than 1,000 arrested. Human Rights Watch said the dead included children and medical staff.

Ahead of the protests, an AFP journalist saw security personnel, many in plainclothes, stationed across the downtown area of Khartoum and along the expected route of Thursday's march.

Several army vehicles mounted with machineguns were stationed outside the palace.

Anger over bread price

Little traffic was seen at what is usually the height of the morning rush hour as people stayed off the streets.

The protest movement has been spearheaded by the Sudanese Professionals Association, a trade union representing doctors, teachers and engineers among others, that has stepped into the vacuum created by the arrest of many opposition leaders.

Despite the crackdown, the movement has grown to become the biggest threat to Bashir's rule since he took power in an Islamist-backed military coup in 1989.

The protesters accuse Bashir's government of mismanagement of key sectors of the economy and of pouring funds into a military response Sudan can ill afford to rebellions in the western region of Darfur and in areas near the border with South Sudan.

Sudan has suffered from a chronic shortage of foreign currency since the south broke away in 2011, taking with it the lion's share of oil revenues.

That has triggered soaring inflation that has seen the cost of food and medicines more than double, and frequent shortages in major cities, including Khartoum.

Angry protests flared on December 19 after the government tripled the price of bread.

A defiant Bashir has dismissed calls for his resignation but acknowledged the country faces economic problems for which a slew of reforms were being planned.

The veteran president, 75, has blamed the violence on "conspirators" working against the interests of the country, without identifying them.

Bashir has ordered the police to use "less force" against protesters, but the violence during the demonstrations has drawn international criticism.

UN 'very concerned'

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday condemned Sudan's "repressive response" to the anti-government demonstrations.

"I am very concerned about reports of excessive use of force, including live ammunition, by Sudanese state security forces during large-scale demonstrations in various parts of the country since 19 December," she said in a statement.

"A repressive response can only worsen grievances," she warned, calling on Sudan's government to protect the protesters' right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, regardless of their political affiliations.

More than 1,000 people including protesters, journalists, opposition leaders and activists have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown by security agents since the protests erupted.

"The government needs to ensure that security forces handle protests in line with the country's international human rights obligations by facilitating and protecting the right to peaceful assembly," said Bachelet.

She called on the government to ensure the immediate release of all those who had been arbitrarily detained.

"I urge the authorities to work to resolve this tense situation through dialogue, and call on all sides to refrain from the use of violence," said the UN rights chief.

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Missile Defense Agency(WASHINGTON) -- The Pentagons new Missile Defense Review highlights new space capabilities that could become the next layer of missile defense to deal with the threat of ballistic missile threats posed by North Korea and Iran.



According to a senior administration official, the review looks at the development of new space-based sensors that could detect long-range missile before they are launched and calls for the study of whether lasers could be used to counter ballistic missiles that are launched by rogue states.



President Donald Trump will visit the Pentagon on Thursday to formally unveil the Missile Defense Review.



The first review of its kind to be undertaken since 2010, the Missile Defense Review provides a road ahead for how the United States could continue to counter the ballistic-missile threat to the United States and its regional allies and partners.



But while the earlier review focused exclusively on the ballistic-missile threat, the new review broadens the scope to include cruise missile and hypersonic threats being developed by Russia and China.



This is really a comprehensive look at our missile defense capabilities and programs and posture, a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the reviews release. Both what we have today, what wed like to make improvements to and then what are the next generation programs wed like to invest in to get ahead and stay ahead of the threat.



A key point of emphasis in the review will be space-based capabilities that could help the U.S. stay ahead of the threat, according to the official



Space is key to the next step of missile defense, said the official.



The current U.S. missile defense system consists of a layered approach of interceptor missile aboard Navy ships and long-range, ground-based interceptors based in Alaska and California.



The Defense Department will looking at a space-based layer of sensors that could enhance early warning systems to track missiles before they are launched.



ABC News has learned that another space technology that might be explored is the development of a space-based interceptor that could fire rockets into space, directed at an incoming missile.



The Missile Defense Review also calls for the study of whether to use directed energy against incoming missiles, possibly through laser technology, according to the official.



The official described it as an advanced capability we think is worth looking into and whether it makes sense to be able to deploy such a technology.



ABC News has learned that one concept being explored for countering the North Korean missile threat in the future is using a new solid state powered laser on a high-altitude drone. The long-range laser would be able to destroy a North Korean missile while in the initial boost phase of its launch.



The United States has 44 ground-based missile interceptors stationed at Fort Greeley in Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California designed to intercept North Korean missiles that might be headed towards the United States. The number of ground-based interceptors is already slated to increase to 64 in 2023.



The official said the Missile Defense Review will continue studying the feasibility of creating a third such site elsewhere in the continental United States to counter a threat from Iranian long range missiles.



The review is likely to rile Russia and China about America missile defense system, the official stressed that Americas missile defense systems are purely defensive and directed at a rogue threat. The official noted that the United States continues to rely on its nuclear arsenal to deter any potential Russian or Chinese nuclear attack.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill.When youre independent, you have to try to stand out from the crowd, despite not having the same resources as the big groups. In a watchmaking year that will see the moon figure prominently in many creations  this being the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission  Louis Moinet is unveiling not one but two pieces: Moon and Mars. And their approach has nothing to do with the space race!

Louis Moinet in orbit

The first watch, Moon, refers to a work that predates the 1969 moon landing by some considerable time. In fact, Louis Moinet is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Jules Vernes Around the Moon. Its a judicious strategy. It sets itself apart from the lunar frenzy that has gripped the horological world, by targeting someone who was a contemporary of Louis Moinet himself: Jules Verne. Its clear, coherent and different.

Moon  Louis Moinet

Moon is based on the Metropolis collection. Its the most modern watch to come out of the Ateliers Louis Moinet, bypassing the traditional aesthetic codes and embracing a more contemporary architecture and an edgier design. For instance, its the only Louis Moinet creation to feature Roman numerals.

Aside from that, Moon has been designed to incorporate a number of elements that establish its lunar orientation. The most striking is a capsule at three oclock that contains a genuine moon fragment, perfectly visible to the naked eye. The capsule is located on the dial that depicts the lunar surface with the famous Gassendi, Tycho and Cassini craters, stamped out in stamped brass. Moon comes in two limited editions, 12 in rose gold and 60 in steel, all with a 43 mm case.

Mars, pleasure you cant measure

The red planet is the subject of the second series. This time, the theme is given a more historical treatment. It begins with a question that raises a smile today: did Martians build canals to irrigate their planet?

Mars  Louis Moinet

Percival Lowell, who was born in 1855 and was a contemporary of Louis Moinet, took this idea very seriously. He wasnt completely off the wall: according to the theory, since Mars is red, it must be covered in rust, and thus must once have had a great deal of water on the surface. Its an old theory, and one that still has its proponents today. Lowell was continuing the work of Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer who interpreted the dark patches on Marss surface as lakes and canals. The Mars watch is based on this fascinatingly romantic (albeit outdated) vision of astronomy.

The watch has the same base (Metropolis), the same limited numbers (12 in rose gold and 60 in steel) and the same case size (43 mm) as Moon. The capsule at 3 oclock contains a genuine fragment of Mars, and the dial this time reproduces the surface of Mars with its famous volcanoes. Collectors who know their astronomy will easily recognise in the centre Olympus Mons, Ascraeus Mons (between 1 and 2 oclock), Pavonis Mons (4-5 oclock) and Arsia Mons (5-6 oclock).

One book you can judge by its cover...

To all those who complain  often with justification  about the cumbersome and highly unoriginal presentation boxes that watches are often sold in, Louis Moinet has once again come up with an original and creative response. Moon and Mars are delivered in boxes designed to look like original leather-bound volumes from the time of Around the Moon. These are also bespoke creations, produced in a limited series. They are embossed with a faithful reproduction of a lunar or Martian crater, in the centre of which is a sealed piece of meteorite from one or the other celestial body. Deserving of a place of honour on your bookshelf!After Trump took office, Murray met with Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who, during his 2012 presidential campaign, wanted to eliminate the agency. Murray handed Perry an action plan to revive the coal industry by eliminating the Clean Power Plan, pull out of the Paris climate accord and overturn regulations on mercury and other dangerous toxins from coal plants, including 12 other items which the Trump administration and the EPA are trying to do.Davis explained to victims that she would have the victims deposit checks into the victims accounts. As soon as the checks cleared, the victims would receive a small portion of the money, while a payroll service collected the other portion. A check was deposited for several thousand dollars into victims accounts, and withdrawals occurred at banks. Bank officials later notified the victims that the deposits were fraudulent, but Davis and Eutsey withdrew money either via mobile transfers or ATM machines. Eutsey was observed on surveillance video making some of the transactions.Investigators say she shot her husband several times in a parking lot near a hospital where he worked, then shot herself twice in the torso.Authorities released the nearly 30 minutes of audio from the 911 call received after Jayme Closs, who had been missing for nearly three months, escaped her captor in Wisconsin.He said he believed a width of 30 feet was required per building, not per tenant, and will need to pursue a variance because none of the businesses that are lined-up meet the minimum requirement.Czapek starts the new year at a new location at Rue de la Corraterie 18 in the centre of Geneva, the town where Francois Czapek opened his own store on the Quai des Bergues. The new premises will henceforth serve as the companys headquarters and a space where collectors will be able to discover the brand and its watches. The move consolidates three three years of business during which Czapek & Cie. has developed three in-house movements and earned a prestigious Public Prize awarded by the Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Geneve.

The new premises opened during the week of Geneva shows in January 2019. The design and sales concept will be unlike anything experienced at the stores of the major luxury brands found on the nearby Rue du Rhone. Visitors to Czapek & Cie. will genuinely feel at home, with furniture that is more akin to that of a private house than retail store and an approach to sales that will reflect the collaborative relationship that the brand has from the outset cultivated with its customers.

In taking the important decision to open this boutique, the board members of Czapek & Cie. felt that the brand could no longer rely on a purely wholesale model to develop at the pace that it wants to. We cannot simply wait for the retail industry to discover the independents, explains CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel. Our headquarters are much more in line with our spirit located inside an open boutique, than inside a private office.

The new premises will also help Czapek & Cie with its preparations to produce watches in accordance with the exacting standards of the prestigious Poincon de Geneve (Geneva Hallmark) in the long term, the availability of a workshop in Geneva is essential to meet the geographical requirements of the Poincon. There is already room for expansion at the new location, with the first floor of the new building due to become vacant in 2020.

The emphasis in the new boutique will be on dialogue between the brand and its customers. Conference-style seating will replace the more traditional arrangement where a customer sits opposite a sales executive. It is the perfect environment to discuss new models and personalization options with collectors familiar with the brand, as well to extend a warm welcome to watch fans who are looking for something different and unique. Our aim is to open up independent high-end watchmaking to watch lovers who wish to embark on this fascinating world, explains Xavier de Roquemaurel. We are open to everyone sharing this passion and we keep our prices highly attractive given the level of quality and finishing that we offer.

Czapek & Cie.s new premises are located at Rue de la Corraterie 18 in the centre of Geneva, close to the citys banking district and the Old Town and will is open for collectors on weekday afternoons by appointment.

To commemorate this milestone in the companys history, Czapek & Cie. are presented a limited-edition model with a stainless-steel case and an aventurine dial. It has the special engravings Limited Edition at 2 oclock on the dial, 1 out of 18 at 4.30 and the boutiques address Corraterie 18, Geneve at 6 oclock. Naturally enough, only 18 models will be produced.Pierre said she notified her employer at the start of her job in 2006 that she couldnt work on Sundays due to her religious beliefs, according to the lawsuit. But in 2009, the hotel began scheduling her on Sundays. Pierre told her employer she would have to leave her job. The hotel then accommodated her request to have Sundays off until 2015.We went from two articles being insured to 55 articles being insured over the course of about a three-month period in 2013, O'Keefe said. We questioned why that had occurred, and if they owned all of this jewelry since 1965, why were they just insuring it now.The Pennsylvania Department of Health is saying there has been a slight reprieve in flu activity throughout the state over the last two weeks  even if one look around the office feels like evidence to the contrary.In a response to the report, included with its release, the General Services Administration issued a letter saying that the investigation showed there had been no political pressure on the agency - from Trump or anyone else - to let the newly elected president keep his lease. The investigation, the agency said, "found no undue influence, pressure or unwarranted involvement of any kind by anyone."Hes very collaborative, says Mendez of Shyamalan, a Philadelphia native. He pushes you to tell the story in the best way. Its a very rewarding experience working with him because his stories are so visual and hes so open to ideas. I really enjoy that hes such a visual storyteller. He not only directs the actors but also teams up with the production designers and the department heads to create these emotional scenes. And Allentown State Hospital was perfect for this. He really strives to set the story.Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei on Tuesday held an international media roundtable at the companys headquarters in Shenzhen. He said that Huawei has never spied for China.

He said neither Huawei, nor him personally have ever received any requests from any government to provide improper information. Even if so, he added, as a business entity, the firm will will certainly say no to any such request.

Here is what Mr. Ren said about the major issues:

On Security:

First point I want to make is that over the past 30 years, our products have been used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 3 billion users in total. We have maintained a solid track record in security. Huawei is an independent business organization. When it comes to cyber security and privacy protection, we are committed to siding with our customers. We will never harm any nation or any individual. Secondly, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially clarified that no law in China requires any company to install backdoors. Neither Huawei, nor I personally, have ever received any requests from any government to provide improper information. The case of Meng Wanzhou right now is in legal proceedings. So, wed rather leave it to legal proceedings. I wont provide much comment about it here. As Meng Wanzhous father, I miss her very much. And Im deeply grateful to the fairness of the Honorable Justice, William Ehrcke. Im also much grateful to Prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley and Prosecutor Kerri Swift. I also thank the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women for its humane management. Thanks to Meng Wanzhous cellmates, for treating her kindly. I also appreciate the consular protection that the Chinese government has provided in safeguarding the rights and interests of Meng Wanzhou as a Chinese citizen. I trust that the legal systems of Canada and the United States are open, just, and fair, and will reach a just conclusion.

On 5G:

In terms of 5G, we have signed 30-plus commercial contracts today, and we have already shipped 25,000 5G base stations. We have 2,570 5G patents. I believe that, as long as we develop very compelling products, there will be customers who will buy them. If your products are not good, no matter how strong you go for publicity, nobody will buy them. So what matters to Huawei more is working to streamline our internal management, improve our products, and improve our services. I think thats what we should work on to address the challenges of this changing world. There are only several companies in the world working on 5G infrastructure equipment, and not many companies are engaged in microwave technology. Huawei is the only company in the world that can integrate 5G base stations with the most advanced microwave technology. With that capability, our 5G base stations dont even need fiber connections. Instead, they can use superfast microwave to support ultra-wide bandwidth backhauls. This is a compelling solution that makes a lot of economic sense. It works best for sparsely populated rural areas. As I mentioned, right now our R&D investment averages 1520 billion US dollars per year. That puts Huawei in the top 5 position across all industries in the world in terms of R&D intensity. In total, we have been granted 87,805 patents. In the United States, we have registered 11,152 core technology patents. We are actively involved in 360+ standards bodies, where we have made more than 54,000 proposals.

On China-US trade dispute:

I would say Huawei is not that important. We are like a small sesame seed, stuck in the middle of conflict between two great powers. What role can we play? The trade conflict between China and the US has not had a major impact on our business. We are expected to continue our growth in 2019. We are the strongest in terms of telecommunications capabilities. I believe people will make their own comparison in the end between countries that choose Huawei and countries that dont work with Huawei. Of course, there is no way we can control their choice. So what matters to Huawei more is working to streamline our internal management, improve our products, and improve our services. I think thats what we should work on to address the challenges of this changing world.

Some countries have decided not to buy equipment from Huawei. Therefore, we can shift our focus to better serve countries that welcome Huawei. We can build high-quality networks in those countries to prove that we are trustworthy. Therefore, its like a peaceful race from a technical point of view, and I think thats fair.

On Business outlook for 2019

In 2019, we might face challenges and difficulties in the international market. Thats why I said earlier that our growth next year would be less than 20%.

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Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.Police officers keep vigil at the scene of a terror attack at the DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Jan. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Joy Nabukewa)

NAIROBI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya should be prepared for a prolonged warfare with the Somalia-based al-Shabab militants whose capacity to evolve despite sustained military onslaught is profound, experts said on Wednesday.

The experts who spoke in the wake of an attack at a business complex in Nairobi carried out by al-Shabab militants, said that containing threats posed by terrorists is a challenge that Kenya must be ready to confront for the long haul.

George Musamali, a Nairobi-based security analyst, said the presence of Kenyan troops inside Somalia where they have intensified onslaught against al-Shabab remains the chief motivation behind the militants' frequent attacks targeting civilians and disciplined forces in the East African nation.

"As usual, al-Shabab would always want to strike Kenya to bolster their propaganda war against the so called 'enemy' who has deployed its troops to Somalia to vanquish the terrorist network," Musamali remarked.

Kenya deployed its troops to Somalia in October 2011 to help vanquish the al-Shabab militants whose frequent attacks against civilians was a threat to tourism and national security in the East Africa's major economy.

The al-Qaida linked militant group has in the last eight years carried out a series of attacks on the Kenyan soil to protest the presence of the country's troops in its strong hold of southern Somalia.

Musamali regretted that Kenya has borne the brunt of al-Shabab attacks since it became part of the African Union troops fighting a virulent and highly versatile armed group whose overriding goal is to establish "fiefdom" in Somalia.

"We should expect al-Shabab to continue targeting our troops or civilians as they seek to establish their own version of republic inside Somalia and beyond governed by extremist ideologies," said Musamali.

Kenya was in the global spotlight after a prolonged lull when al-Shabab fighters attacked the upscale 14 Riverside Drive business complex that houses a chain hotel dusitD2 and offices for a number of multinational companies.

The attack that claimed 14 innocent lives bore eerie semblance of a similar one carried out by al-Shabab in Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall in September 2013 where more than 60 civilians died.

To prove its resilience in the face of sustained military onslaught in its strongholds of southern Somalia, al-Shabab has managed to stage a series of attacks in Kenya.

Though Kenya has upgraded its surveillance infrastructure to deter large scale attack by al-Shabab in the last three years, the militants have managed to hit soft targets like villages and schools along the border with Somalia.

Mwenda Mbijiwe, an ex-soldier and security consultant, said that Kenyan security apparatus should not underestimate the capacity of al-Shabab to reinvent itself and carry out deadly attacks despite losing territory and dozens of high ranking commanders.

"The attack at the Dusit complex in Nairobi was a testimony that al-Shabab can still conduct attacks inside the Kenyan soil despite high levels of vigilance," said Mbijiwe.

This armed group is versatile and seems determined to achieve its aim in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa region, he added.

He noted that al-Shabab has a growing army of local sympathizers and foot soldiers who have made its incursion into the Kenyan territory possible.

Werunga Simiyu, a Nairobi-based security expert, said that al-Shabab has retooled its military operations to remain relevant despite losing its top commanders and sources of funds following aggressive onslaught by foreign troops.

"The al-Shabab have suffered heavy losses in the last two to three years hence their inability to launch massive urban warfare like the one they carried out at the Westgate shopping mall in 2013," Simiyu said.

"But we should not be complacent since al-Shabab has a loose network of guerrilla fighters that can be deployed to big cities like Nairobi to conduct low scale attacks," he added.US Stock Market Indexes Reaches Fibonacci Target Zone  Where to Next?

Near December 21, 2018, our research team began a series of posts indicating the US Major Indexes should be set up for the Ultimate Bottom low that we suggested would take place after the US Elections (November 2018) and which would launch an upside price rally. Today, we are writing to announce that the first leg of this upside move appears to be nearly completed.

It is critical to mention here that as of only a day go the short-term market trend from a technical standpoint has turned up. So, getting long before this point would be trying to catch a bottom which is tough and risky to do. The good news is that we are expecting a second leg higher after we get some rotation to the downside.

Using our Adaptive Fibonacci Price Modeling system, we can see that the current prices of the ES and NQ are very near to the immediate Fibonacci Price Target Zone. You will see from the following charts that both the ES and NQ are already within this zone and/or very near to what we believe will be immediate resistance. This means we should expect a bit of price rotation near these levels before another upside leg takes place driving prices higher.

This first Daily ES chart shows the Fibonacci Target Zone clearly in Green. You can see how price has rallied up to near this level and may even rally a bit further before rotating downward a bit. Remember, price rotation in a trend is very healthy for normal markets. When price moves extensively in one direction or another is somewhat unhealthy and dangerous. When price moves up or down in rotating waves or price cycles, this is a very healthy means for the price to establish support/resistance and to wash out groups of traders that may be biased in the markets.

This Daily NQ chart shows a very similar, although more narrow, Fibonacci Target Zone. The result is virtually the same as the ES chart. Price should attempt to establish some resistance within this zone and the potential for a downside price rotation increases near this level. We are expecting a downward price move, possibly toward the BLUE Fibonacci downside target square level, before the price rally resumes to drive prices above recent highs and into the next leg higher.

If you have followed our analysis, on September 17, 2018, we predicted 4~5 months into the future what would likely happen. Our call for an Ultimate Low price reversal after the Nov 2018 elections appears to be setting up perfectly. Although we did not predict this extreme low price level in that research post, the overall expectations we had in September were nearly perfect.

If the remainder of our analysis continues to play out as accurately, we should be setting up for a very big move to the upside over the next couple of months. It will likely be paired with decent earnings data from the US, moderately strong economic data and the resulting economic improvements of a China Trade Deal and the resolution to the US Government Shutdown. The issues in Europe are set to reach a peak somewhere near March or April 2019. We expect the US markets to be trading several percents higher by that time.

Pay attention to these markets moves. 2019 is poised to be a very exciting and profitable year for skilled traders and wise investors. Visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to get our daily and weekly analysis forecast complete with long term investing swing trading, and index day trade signals.

53 years experience in researching and trading makes analyzing the complex and ever-changing financial markets a natural process. We have a simple and highly effective way to provide our customers with the most convenient, accurate, and timely market forecasts available today. Our index, stock and ETF trading alerts are readily available through our exclusive membership service via email and SMS text. Our newsletter, Technical Trading Mastery book, and 3 Hour Trading Video Course are designed for both traders and investors. Also, some of our strategies have been fully automated for the ultimate trading experience.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.



Gold Holds Steady Over 1,000  Increased Likelihood Of A Disorderly Brexit

 Gold supported near $1,300/oz ahead of important British Brexit no-confidence vote

 Gold is consolidating in range between $1,280 and $1,300/oz (over 1,000/oz and 1,100/oz)  A break of resistance at $1,300 will likely see gold rise rapidly in all currencies

 Physical demand for gold coins and bars has picked up in the UK and Ireland, aided by Brexit uncertainty

Gold in GBP (GoldCore.com)

Gold is holding steady today supported by a very tentative recovery in equities. Bullion should be supported as caution deepens ahead of a no-confidence vote on British Prime Minister Theresa Mays government and other geopolitical risks including the US government shutdown loom large in investors minds.

Physical demand for gold coins and bars has picked up in the UK and Ireland, due to Brexit and UK political uncertainty.

British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called a vote of no confidence in the UK government, to be held at 1900 GMT today, after Mays Brexit deal was defeated by lawmakers on yesterday.

A Jeremy Corbyn government would not be good for the pound and would benefit gold in sterling terms.

The date set for Britains departure from the European Union is March 29, but as the deadline approaches quickly, markets are hoping that there will be an extension.

The increased likelihood of a disorderly Brexit and the extension of a U.S. government shutdown have helped keep gold which is well supported near a more than six-month high of $1,300 per ounce.

Most stock markets globally have stabilised after strong volatility and sharp falls at the end of last year. Rightly or wrongly they are taking much comfort from the resumption of China-U.S. trade talks.

The likelihood that the Fed will slow or indeed stop its interest rate hikes is also making gold increasingly attractive to investors.

Watch Our Latest Video Updates On YouTube Here

Gold Prices (LBMA PM)

15 Jan: USD 1,289.35, GBP 1,002.99 & EUR 1,127.67 per ounce

14 Jan: USD 1,293.70, GBP 1,007.02 & EUR 1,129.27 per ounce

11 Jan: USD 1,298.80, GBP 1,012.91 & EUR 1,123.96 per ounce

10 Jan: USD 1,292.40, GBP 1,012.98 & EUR 1,121.54 per ounce

09 Jan: USD 1,281.30, GBP 1,006.41 & EUR 1,118.32 per ounce

08 Jan: USD 1,291.90, GBP 1,006.71 & EUR 1,121.62 per ounce

07 Jan: USD 1,291.50, GBP 1,013.83 & EUR 1,129.03 per ounce

Silver Prices (LBMA)

15 Jan: USD 15.60, GBP 12.13 & EUR 13.65 per ounce

14 Jan: USD 15.61, GBP 12.13 & EUR 13.61 per ounce

11 Jan: USD 15.68, GBP 12.23 & EUR 13.60 per ounce

10 Jan: USD 15.70, GBP 12.33 & EUR 13.63 per ounce

09 Jan: USD 15.62, GBP 12.27 & EUR 13.64 per ounce

08 Jan: USD 15.64, GBP 12.24 & EUR 13.64 per ounce

07 Jan: USD 15.75, GBP 12.35 & EUR 13.77 per ounce

Mark O'Byrne

Executive Director

This update can be found on the GoldCore blog here.

IRL

63

FITZWILLIAM SQUARE

DUBLIN 2 E info@goldcore.com UK

NO. 1 CORNHILL

LONDON 2

EC3V 3ND IRL +353 (0)1 632 5010

UK +44 (0)203 086 9200

US +1 (302)635 1160 W http://www.goldcore.com/uk/

WINNERS MoneyMate and Investor Magazine Financial Analysts 2006

Disclaimer: The information in this document has been obtained from sources, which we believe to be reliable. We cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. It does not constitute a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any investment. Any person acting on the information containd in this document does so at their own risk. Recommendations in this document may not be suitable for all investors. Individual circumstances should be considered before a decision to invest is taken. Investors should note the following: Past experience is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of investments may fall or rise against investors' interests. Income levels from investments may fluctuate. Changes in exchange rates may have an adverse effect on the value of, or income from, investments denominated in foreign currencies. GoldCore Limited, trading as GoldCore is a Multi-Agency Intermediary regulated by the Irish Financial Regulator.

GoldCore is committed to complying with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. This means that in the provision of our services, appropriate personal information is processed and kept securely. It also means that we will never sell your details to a third party. The information you provide will remain confidential and may be used for the provision of related services. Such information may be disclosed in confidence to agents or service providers, regulatory bodies and group companies. You have the right to ask for a copy of certain information held by us in our records in return for payment of a small fee. You also have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your information. The details you are being asked to supply may be used to provide you with information about other products and services either from GoldCore or other group companies or to provide services which any member of the group has arranged for you with a third party. If you do not wish to receive such contact, please write to the Marketing Manager GoldCore, 63 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 marking the envelope 'data protection'

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.



Mankato, MN (56001)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 89F. SSW winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.Wu Xiangping, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, unveils the top 10 science myths at the ceremony.

2018s top 10 science myths in China were unveiled on Wednesday at a ceremony held by Peoples Daily. All these myths have been debunked by doctors, professors, and scientists during the last year.

Myth 1: Human bodies are either acidic or alkaline

People adopting this view believe that most human diseases are caused by "acid constitution." This conclusion was propagated by certain health product vendors, quickly becoming "medical common-sense." Even the rumor that parents with higher alkaline levels are more likely to give birth to a son became common knowledge.

The truth is that acids and bases are well balanced in the human body in a complicated mechanism. It is impossible to change a person's body makeup by merely eating designated foods. In other words, abnormal blood pH is the result of disease, not a reason for it.

Myth 2: Foot pastes expel endotoxins from the human body

People holding this view believe that foot pastes effectively dispel body toxins and humidity. These pastes become black after being used on human feet, the color indicating the efficiency of the treatment. The pastes are said to be effective in removing skin stains, and may even relieve constipation and other diseases.

The truth is that by just adding a drop of water to the paste, it will start to darken.

Myth 3: Coffee causes cancer

An article said that acrylamide, a carcinogen found in coffee, could cause cancer.

The truth is that a small amount of acrylamide is released when food is heated at a high temperature. However, in China, more than half of acrylamide comes from stir-fried dishes rather than coffee. Additionally, a report by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in 2016 said that there was not enough evidence to prove that drinking coffee could increase the risk of cancer.

Myth 4: Keeping onions in the room could prevent flu

The story goes that many years ago, a doctor visited a number of farmers during a particularly harsh flu outbreak. Every family seemed to be suffering from the bout of influenza, apart from one. The only difference between the healthy family and their less-healthy counterparts was that the former kept an unpeeled onion in every room. They explained that onions could absorb germs, and therefore the household managed to avoid the flu completely.

The truth is that onions do contain organic sulfides, which can, to some extent, inhibit bacteria. However, as influenza is a viral infection, onions would be pretty useless in this scenario.

Myth 5: Shopping receipts cause cancer

Apparently, cups and shopping receipts contain too much bisphenol A, a cancer-causing chemical. People are suggested not to hold receipts in their hands for a long time and wash their hands after coming in to contact with one, especially if their hands are wet or greasy.

The truth is that there are only 0.0139 grams of bisphenol A in a gram of receipt paper, and the amount absorbed by people who hold onto them is even smaller. For example, the daily bisphenol A intake of a cashier who works 10 hours a day is 42 times lower than the safety cut off.

Myth 6: Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) could increase life expectancy to 150 years old

An article circulated online said that an affordable pill could increase life expectancy to 150. The article also attached a screenshot of the original English media report to make the claims more believable.

The effect of the pill has been widely exaggerated. Two scientists did indeed experiment on two mice in 2017, respectively aged six months and 22 months old. Results showed that NMN could admittedly slow down the process of aging and keep people energetic. However, the sample size of this experiment was too small, and human trials were never carried out.

Myth 7: Too much rice could cause diabetes

Research indicated that Chinese and Japanese people typically eat more than three servings of rice each day. The study suggests that those who eat more rice are 55 percent more likely to get diabetes, while Americans who consume one or two servings of rice per week only incur a 12 percent risk increase.

There are multiple reasons a person may get diabetes. People in northern China eat much less rice than those in the south, but diabetes morbidity in northern China is much higher.

Myth 8: Milk causes cancer

A rumor has circulated online that milk contains chemicals, makes humans mature faster, decreases brain power, stimulates cancer growth and shortens life.

Surveys on the relation between milk and cancer have proven that a cup of milk per day wont increase the risk of cancer.

Myth 9: Table salt is not edible

In an online article, a professor related the rise of transaminase, total bilirubin, and creatinine in his blood to potassium ferrocyanide, an anti-caking agent found in table salt. He then concluded that salt in China contains this ingredient, which is poisonous and inedible.

Potassium ferrocyanide is, in fact, a legal food additive. To activate the chemical, it needs to be cooked at around 400 degrees Celcius, at which point your dinner would have already burnt to a crisp.

Additionally, potassium ferrocyanide wont hurt an adult's health unless their daily intake surpasses 1.5 milligrams, which means consuming 150 grams of salt, while the recommended daily intake is no more than 20 grams. Therefore, regular consumption of salt should not cause any health issues.

Myth 10: Roasted garlic causes cancer

When roasted, garlic undergoes a chemical reaction in which it releases acrylic amide, which is said to cause cancer. However, the truth is that the amount of this chemical produced during the cooking process is too small to cause any risk.Industries Flexible and Resistant to Crack: Polyethylene Pipes

Market Study: Polyethylene Pipes

17.01.2019 12:03:30 - Ceresana presents study on the growing world market for PE pipes.



(live-PR.com) - Booming megacities and digitization, but also climate change and environmental concerns are changing the world. Especially IT companies are hyped in the media. However, it is less known that manufacturers of plastic pipes, for example, also benefit from the change. Whether it is the protection of newly laid communications infrastructure, reliable and hygienic waste water disposal and potable water supply - Booming megacities and digitization, but also climate change and environmental concerns are changing the world. Especially IT companies are hyped in the media. However, it is less known that manufacturers of plastic pipes, for example, also benefit from the change. Whether it is the protection of newly laid communications infrastructure, reliable and hygienic waste water disposal and potable water supply or more efficient irrigation for agriculture: PE pipes can meet the rising requirements and are increasingly in demand. Market researchers at Ceresana have already examined the global plastic pipes market several times. For the first time, the research team is now presenting a separate market study and forecast for polyethylene pipes: The global demand for PE pipes is likely to increase by 4.3% per year until 2025.



PE Pipes Gain Market Shares



Polyethylene potable water pipes are highly resistant to inorganic acids, salt solutions, and alkaline solutions. Additionally, they are temperature-resistant. In contrast to metal pipes, PE pipes are suitable for all water qualities: They are not susceptible to corrosion and do not release metal ions into drinking water. The legal requirements for potable water pipelines are often very high. Especially in developed industrial countries, PE pipes and PE multilayer pipes in the potable water segment are therefore gaining market shares from PVC pipes, for example for house connection pipes. For floor distribution, pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X) or polybutene (PB) are now often used. Risers and cellar distribution pipes are typical application areas for composite pipes made of PE-X and aluminum. In the segment cable protection, PE pipes can also often gain market shares at the expense of PVC. Particularly in the case of broadband expansion and the laying of new fiber optic cables, more PE pipes are likely to be used than PVC pipes. A distinction has to be made between various pipe types such as fiber optic protective pipes, microtubes, or cable conduits. In the segment cable protection, global demand for PE pipes is expected to increase by around 4.8% p.a. By 2025.



Increasing Numbers of PE-X Pipes, PE-RC Pipes or PE-RT Pipes



Non-conventional installation techniques in particular make use of specialty piping materials, such as PE-100-RC that is resistant to cracks or PE pipes with increased temperature resistance (PE-RT). In pressure pipes, cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X) is increasingly replacing steel and copper. PE-X is suitable for a very large temperature range (- 40C to +60C). Thus, this material is used for hot and cold water pipes, heating and cooling applications as well as thermal activation in particular. Further application areas are car manufacturing, gas and oil pipelines, as well as industrial pipelines, for example for the transport of chemicals. Distinction is made between cross-linking processes that utilize peroxides (PE-Xa), silanes (PE-Xb), and radiation (PE-Xc). Cross-linking increases temperature resistance and stability compared to standard-PE. The fact that polyethylene is flexible and can be welded as well as processed into coiled pipes is particularly important for the manufacturing of pipes For heating and cooling applications, PE-X and PE-RT as well as multilayer composite pipes are used.



Plastic Pipes Market Trends



PE pipes are increasingly replacing pipes made of steel or stoneware, and in some segments also pipes made of other plastics. However, this trend is being overshadowed by current economic developments: Political uncertainties, decreasing public expenditure, or missing private investments can have similarly drastic effects on the construction industry and the pipe market as targeted support for single construction segments. The investments in the segment irrigation or the expansion of the fiber optic network vary from country to country. Currently, the outlook for the important markets in China and Russia, for example, has brightened again. The study examines the influential factors of these complex markets for each country.



The Study in Brief:



Chapter 1 provides an overview and analysis of the global market for PE pipes  including forecasts up to 2025: Revenues generated with PE pipes and production of and demand for PE pipes are given for each region.

Chapter 2 examines the 16 major countries in more detail: Revenue, import, export, and production figures of PE pipes. In addition, the distribution of domestic demand among the important application areas is analyzed for each country.

Chapter 3 deals with the application areas of PE pipes within the individual regions and countries: data on demand development, split by the several world regions. The applications sewage, drinking water, cable protection, gas supply, agriculture, industry, and other applications are examined.

Chapter 4 provides company profiles of the largest manufacturers of plastic pipes  clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. In-depth profiles of 76 PE pipe manufacturers are given.

Further information:





About Ceresana

Ceresana is a leading international market research institute for the segments chemicals, plastics, industrial goods, and packaging. The company has been providing more than 10,000 customers from trade and industry in 60 countries with up-to-date analyses for over 15 years. The services of Ceresana for manufacturers, processors, and associations include customized single-client studies and more than 160 multi-client market studies.

Learn more about Ceresana at

or more efficient irrigation for agriculture: PE pipes can meet the rising requirements and are increasingly in demand. Market researchers at Ceresana have already examined the global plastic pipes market several times. For the first time, the research team is now presenting a separate market study and forecast for polyethylene pipes: The global demand for PE pipes is likely to increase by 4.3% per year until 2025.PE Pipes Gain Market SharesPolyethylene potable water pipes are highly resistant to inorganic acids, salt solutions, and alkaline solutions. Additionally, they are temperature-resistant. In contrast to metal pipes, PE pipes are suitable for all water qualities: They are not susceptible to corrosion and do not release metal ions into drinking water. The legal requirements for potable water pipelines are often very high. Especially in developed industrial countries, PE pipes and PE multilayer pipes in the potable water segment are therefore gaining market shares from PVC pipes, for example for house connection pipes. For floor distribution, pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X) or polybutene (PB) are now often used. Risers and cellar distribution pipes are typical application areas for composite pipes made of PE-X and aluminum. In the segment cable protection, PE pipes can also often gain market shares at the expense of PVC. Particularly in the case of broadband expansion and the laying of new fiber optic cables, more PE pipes are likely to be used than PVC pipes. A distinction has to be made between various pipe types such as fiber optic protective pipes, microtubes, or cable conduits. In the segment cable protection, global demand for PE pipes is expected to increase by around 4.8% p.a. By 2025.Increasing Numbers of PE-X Pipes, PE-RC Pipes or PE-RT PipesNon-conventional installation techniques in particular make use of specialty piping materials, such as PE-100-RC that is resistant to cracks or PE pipes with increased temperature resistance (PE-RT). In pressure pipes, cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X) is increasingly replacing steel and copper. PE-X is suitable for a very large temperature range (- 40C to +60C). Thus, this material is used for hot and cold water pipes, heating and cooling applications as well as thermal activation in particular. Further application areas are car manufacturing, gas and oil pipelines, as well as industrial pipelines, for example for the transport of chemicals. Distinction is made between cross-linking processes that utilize peroxides (PE-Xa), silanes (PE-Xb), and radiation (PE-Xc). Cross-linking increases temperature resistance and stability compared to standard-PE. The fact that polyethylene is flexible and can be welded as well as processed into coiled pipes is particularly important for the manufacturing of pipes For heating and cooling applications, PE-X and PE-RT as well as multilayer composite pipes are used.Plastic Pipes Market TrendsPE pipes are increasingly replacing pipes made of steel or stoneware, and in some segments also pipes made of other plastics. However, this trend is being overshadowed by current economic developments: Political uncertainties, decreasing public expenditure, or missing private investments can have similarly drastic effects on the construction industry and the pipe market as targeted support for single construction segments. The investments in the segment irrigation or the expansion of the fiber optic network vary from country to country. Currently, the outlook for the important markets in China and Russia, for example, has brightened again. The study examines the influential factors of these complex markets for each country.The Study in Brief:Chapter 1 provides an overview and analysis of the global market for PE pipes  including forecasts up to 2025: Revenues generated with PE pipes and production of and demand for PE pipes are given for each region.Chapter 2 examines the 16 major countries in more detail: Revenue, import, export, and production figures of PE pipes. In addition, the distribution of domestic demand among the important application areas is analyzed for each country.Chapter 3 deals with the application areas of PE pipes within the individual regions and countries: data on demand development, split by the several world regions. The applications sewage, drinking water, cable protection, gas supply, agriculture, industry, and other applications are examined.Chapter 4 provides company profiles of the largest manufacturers of plastic pipes  clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. In-depth profiles of 76 PE pipe manufacturers are given.Further information: www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/industry/polyethylene-pipes/ About CeresanaCeresana is a leading international market research institute for the segments chemicals, plastics, industrial goods, and packaging. The company has been providing more than 10,000 customers from trade and industry in 60 countries with up-to-date analyses for over 15 years. The services of Ceresana for manufacturers, processors, and associations include customized single-client studies and more than 160 multi-client market studies.Learn more about Ceresana at www.ceresana.com/en Contact information:

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Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.The Great South Coast region of Victoria, has secured a five-year agreement between Warrnambool City Council and the Commonwealth which will help employers address local skill shortages in key industries.

As part of the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)  one of the first to be signed in Australia  employers in the region experiencing skills and labour shortages will be able to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers, focusing initially on Warrnambool.

Chair of the Great South Coast Group and Southern Grampians Shire Mayor, Mary-Ann Brown, said the region was experiencing a local workforce shortage due to slow population growth, low local unemployment and an ageing population.

Mayor of Warrnambool City Council, Tony Herbert, leader of the initiative, said,

This agreement will enable Great South Coast employers in the agriculture and hospitality sectors, as well as other businesses, to fill critical employment gaps.

Employers will be able to access a broader range of overseas skilled and semi-skilled workers than is currently available through the standard skilled migration programs.

It is estimated more than 1000 jobs are available in the region, with as many as 600 vacancies reported in the food processing and dairy farming sectors alone.

Mayor Herbert said the agreement was a coup for the region and acknowledged the outstanding efforts of Warrnambool City Council.

Mayor Brown concluded that the region would look to fill jobs with Australian workers, but where they were not available the agreement would help industries fill the gaps.

The Great South Coast Regional Alliance includes Council and community leaders from across the region and councils including Corangamite, Glenelg, Moyne, Warrnambool and Southern Grampians.We have been trying for 118 years to get people to move to the regions, and for 118 years we have had glorious failure.

These are the thoughts of John Daley, the Chief Executive Officer of the Grattan Institute, as quoted in the Fairfax press in late December.

He continues with aplomb: People want to be where the jobs are, where their family is, where the services areregional populations are relatively stable, so we shouldnt be overly worried about that.

Terry Rawnsley, a principal at SGS Economics and Planning, ups the ante in the same column by arguing that Australia needs to overhaul the way we think about regional areas, especially federal politicians who cling to the idea of decentralisation.

Terry says that some regions should be treated like a palliative care situation, whereby you keep the services in place for those people who remain, like Victorias Wimmera.

This is all rather pathetic. Its showing ignorance of potentially better regional outcomes.

The fact of the matter is that our continual urbanisation  two-thirds of us live in the capital cities  is largely due to the weak regional development policy at both a national and state level.

This has resulted in unfettered urban agglomeration, and minimal appreciation of the adverse social and environmental effects.

What sort of policies are we talking about?

Well, Ive spent years tracking international best practice in north America, Europe and Japan in this field, and the evidence suggests at least seven areas where Australia falls behind:

Intercity rail services

Internet delivery

Infrastructure coordination

Regional architecture

Funding for regional

development agencies

Investment attraction

Regional marketing and branding.

Investment attraction

Investment attraction is one of the most obvious and easily addressed weaknesses.

As John Daley notes, people go to where the jobs are, and regrettably numerous non-metropolitan regions have shed jobs in large numbers.

Many of these jobs were in the protected areas of manufacturing - textiles, clothing, footwear, whitegoods, metal manufacturing  and that is now understood and accepted.

The adjustment programs dealing with the economic dislocation were mostly picking up the pieces.

However there were good examples of proactive intervention via subsidies for new investments in food processing, information technology and medical equipment as well as the shifting of Tax Office facilities and data centres. The evidence is in places like Albury-Wodonga and Ballarat.

I remember well these interventions of the 70s and 80s. They were supported by a good deal of economic and social modelling, as well as state and federal collaboration with the private sector.

The interesting thing is that collaborative efforts to attract investments into regions is mainstream activity in the USA, Canada, UK, France, Ireland, eastern Europe, Japan etc.

For some unfathomable reason, the feds have pulled back from this business.

We dipped our toe in the water about fifteen years ago by establishing Invest Australia, but that was scrapped under a Labor Government.

The current effort is now mainly left to a few folk in Austrade as well as the states.

Indeed Victoria is understood to take investment attraction seriously, and it would be marvellous to see job-creating investment in the Wimmera (e.g. Horsham, Warracknabeal, Stawell) to prove Mr. Rawnsley wrong.

A sense of regional architecture

The other key area where we languish is the lack of appreciation of the spatial hierarchy and interdependence between global cities, regional cities, towns and villages.

This is a complex issue but its puzzling that on a vast continent and society shaped by distance that we dont value the inter-dependencies of our cities and towns.

Perhaps the regional infrastructure has geographic limits?

The politics of the bush

The federal election is going to be a doozie. The goss is that Labor will win in a landslide. And the rural seats, the Nationals traditional turf, could be shredded by Labor and Independent candidates.

My hope is that the

Nationals can stand up for themselves, by eschewing the sexual shenanigans surrounding them and focussing on the real issues such as the seven identified above.

And Ill throw in a few more. They need to commission some serious research on the big issues to build their brand and prove that they deserve to be there.

Three issues that they could usefully drive are (i) a population and jobs policy for regional Australia, (ii) the true costs of urban congestion and pollution, and (iii) Waterproofing regional Australia.

The Nats have good politicians in the shape of David Littleproud, Bridget McKenzie and Darren Chester, and Michael McCormack isnt the dill that the Opposition try to paint him to be.

So lets have a real competition between the Nationals and Labor on real policies

for rural Australia!

Graftons parking nightmare

We meandered through northern New South Wales in December and there was Grafton, the lovely old town, situated on the lazy Clarence River.

Home to PM Earl Page.

You now skip around the edge of South Grafton, but in the old days we southerners would drive into the central business district for refreshments while admiring the jacaranda trees in full bloom.

This time we got caught in heavy traffic due to construction of the new bridge.

But the congestion continued into the main street, where a couple of old codgers were trying to park.

Grafton, like numerous other north and west New South Wales towns has rear to kerb parking, the logic of which has baffled me for decades.

The added trouble these days are the blindspots in SUVs which make them terribly hard to reverse.

Rod Brown is a Canberra-based consultant and lobbyist specialising in industry/regional development, investment attraction and clusters, and accessing federal grants. He also runs the Cockatoo Network.

Phone: (02) 6231 7261 or 0412 922 559

Email: apdcockatoo @ iprimus.com.au



Presidents comment  Womens representation increases

2019 is an important year for women in politics, especially local government.

December 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the first woman elected to any tier of Government when Susan Grace Benny was elected to Brighton Council in South Australia.

Local Government led the way in womens representation as it was another two years before the first woman was elected to a State Parliament when Edith Cowen was elected in Western Australia in 1921 and it was not until 1943 when the first women were elected to Federal Parliament  Enid Lyons (later Dame) to the House of Representatives and Dorothy Tangney (later Dame) to the Senate.

This important milestone will be recognised by an award for Gender Equality named after Susan Grace Benny as part of the national Local Government Awards and Celebrating 100 years is the theme of the National Australian Local Government Womens Association (ALGWA) conference at Blacktown, New South Wales (NSW), 17-19 May 2019.

It is pleasing that today we celebrate the highest percentage of women councillors in Australian history, but we are mindful we still have a long way to go.

Following elections last year in both Tasmania and South Australia, just over one-third, or 34.94 percent of Australian councillors are women  up from 32.8 percent.

Tasmania has overtaken Victoria with the highest percentage of women councillors elected at a general municipal election with 39.9 percent.

Victoria is second with 38.1 percent, followed by Western Australia with 36.21 percent and South Australia moves from last to fourth spot with 35.4 percent. Northern Territory follows next at 33 percent and Queensland has 32.5 percent. NSW is now the only state below 30 percent female representation with 29.5 percent.

The increases in Tasmania and South Australia have been large.

We would like to thank the State Associations in Tasmania and South Australia for their hard work  together with the State ALGWA branches  which has seen Tasmanias female representation increase by more than a quarter from 31 percent to 39.9 percent and South Australias by over one-fifth from 29.34 percent to 35.4 percent.Inner West Council, New South Wales, has voted to rename all five wards within the Local Government Area to include Aboriginal names.

Welcoming the move, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that it was time for the Inner West to do more to bring about reconciliation in their own back yard.

We are determined to recognise and commemorate the Inner Wests unique Aboriginal history.

Using Sydney Aboriginal language to help establish the names for our newly established five wards is an enduring and practical way to show recognition and respect.

Mayor Byrne said Council had also recently supported a pilot program teaching children at Tillman Park Early Learning Centre Aboriginal language and culture through song, storytelling and the environment.

We want Inner West kids to learn Indigenous languages as this will help them to understand their connection to the oldest continuous society on earth.

Our aim is to make this pilot a success and then roll it out to preschools across the Inner West.

The Aboriginal words were selected after researching the culture and history of the Inner West and following community consultation including with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategic Reference Group and further representatives from the local Aboriginal community.City streets were packed by tens of thousands of guests over the weekend, soaking in the sights, sounds and tastes of the 34th annual Cape Coral Arts and Music Festival.

A mass of people filled Cape Coral Parkway, which had been shut down for the event, perusing the 306 separate art exhibitions lining either side of the street. Brian Smith, a member of the Rotary Club of Cape Coral, who organizes the event, served as this years operations manager. According to Smith, 95 businesses joined the 306 art exhibits this year, not including the dozens of food vendors and local restaurants who were out on the street, offering visitors a taste of Cape Coral.

Smith estimated that around 120,000 people attended the festival over two days, which would make for the largest turnout in the history of the event, and Rotary members plan on investing the money earned back into the community.

Rotary is a charitable organization, so we give it back to the community, said Smith. Every bit of money earned goes into a foundation, and then we are able to turn that into scholarships, [money] for our parks, other projects. Every bit we raise goes back into the community.

Traveling from booth to booth, the type of art displayed varies widely. Standards like photography, sculpture, oil paintings and watercolors are joined by colorful arrangements of geodes, highly ornate mechanical water fountains and beautifully crafted custom cookware.

The artists themselves vary widely. Some are lifelong journeyman who travel the country, showing their wok. Many are locals, taking their first steps into the world of professional art.

Tyler Henatay of Storm Cloud Artworks began painting when he was young, but has recently returned to hobby after many years away. He and his wife, Jessica, moved to Southwest Florida three years ago, and Tyler has used the Cape Coral Art and Music Festival, along with many other local event such as farmers markets, as a platform for the local artists to share his unique wooden paintings.

Visitors could also get a little bit of the unexpected out on the street, like meeting Fluffy, a massive Burmese python. Fluffys handler, Bob King, was at the festival with the 3-year-old snake to promote his latest venture, Beyond the Scale Reptiles, making educational demonstrations at events like corporate functions and birthday parties

Nathan Craig, a professional metal sculptor who was spending his second year at the festival, said that he was impressed by the local turnout. After facing a downturn during the recession, Craig picked up the art of metalworking four years ago and has begun visiting local festivals as a way to supplement his income.

Its a good, large show, a lot of patrons and visitors, said Craig. Im very impressed with it.Elk Point, SD (57025)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High around 95F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.The Colombian rebel group known as the National Liberation Army delivered an unwelcome new year message, exploding two bombs on the Cano Limon-to-Covenas oil pipeline in the eastern province of Arauca.

The Jan. 9 attacks disrupted delivery of crude to the Andean countrys major export harbor and caused nasty spills. Though no deaths were reported, the bombings illustrated how the nation remains plagued by insurgent violence that stunts economic development and wreaks havoc in rural areas despite the governments peace agreement in late 2016 with the 14,000-member Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

The National Liberation Army, better known as ELN, the initials for its name in Spanish, Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, has grown in strength since the FARC demobilized, adding about 1,000 members to the 1,500 fighters it had before the peace deal, said Orlando Hernandez, a former officer with the Colombian National Police and now a security expert with the Agora Consulting risk analysis firm in Medellin. Many of the newer ELN members are former FARC fighters who declined to disarm, he said.

The violent means the ELN uses to pursue its social justice goals for poor or oppressed people have left it with slight public support. The government blames it for 5,700 kidnappings since 1996, and the group is believed to be holding about 250 people hostage. Officials also say the ELN has perpetrated 328 pipeline bombings since 2012, causing numerous oil spills and the loss of more than a million barrels of crude since the start of 2017.

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On and off peace negotiations between the government and ELN since 2015 have been inconclusive. Near-term chances of a deal seem remote with new Colombian President Ivan Duque having criticized the FARC accord forged by his predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, as too generous.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Duque is taking a hard line with the ELN, imposing a number of preconditions such as the release of kidnapped hostages, the end of criminal activities such as extortion and bombings, and the concentration of guerrillas in one remote site while peace talks are carried out. The rebels have been unwilling to meet those conditions, she said.

Here is some more information about the ELN:

What is the ELNs ideology and when was it founded?

The group was established in 1964 by brothers Manuel and Antonio Vasquez Castano and other Colombians studying in Cuba. Their objective was to import the Fidel Castro-led revolution to their home country and effect an armed takeover of the government.

The ELN espouses a violent brand of liberation theology that mixes Marxist politics with the Roman Catholic Churchs concern for the poor. One of the groups icons was early recruit Camillo Torres, a priest who was killed in a 1966 battle with the Colombian army.

The U.S. government classifies the ELN as a terrorist organization.

Where did the ELN find members and financial support?

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At the height of its power in the early 1990s, the ELN had about 9,000 members, with many recruits coming from labor unions  some were students and leftist intellectuals. Revenue came from extorting from mining and energy companies and kidnapping and seeking ransoms for oil company officials, wealthy farmers and cattlemen and others.

ELN membership declined in the 1990s after right-wing paramilitary militias were formed to fight the rebels, but it has grown since 2016 as the group turned to drug trafficking to generate revenue, Hernandez said.

How does the ELN differ from the FARC?

The FARC decided in the early 1990s to finance operations by aligning with drug traffickers, fueling nationwide expansion and dominance over rival insurgencies. By the time the FARC signed the peace deal, the group had gained control of much of Colombias cocaine supply chain. It financed farmers purchases of land and seeds for crops of coca, cocaines raw material; it secured transit routes and made deals with Mexican mafias, their main clients.

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The ELN, meanwhile, remained focused mainly on the northeastern provinces of Arauca and North Santander, where it harassed and extorted from oil companies, especially state-controlled Ecopetrol, owner of the countrys oil and gas pipeline grids. The group initially gained influence by supporting worker strikes at the giant Barrancabermeja oil refinery.

How has the FARC peace accord affected the ELN?

Since the FARC demobilized, the ELN has attempted to fill the vacuum in the drug trafficking business, becoming an active player in the southern province of Narino, a prime coca farming, processing and cocaine transit zone. But competition is intense, with criminal gangs, Mexican mafias and other rebel groups all vying for the lucrative cocaine market.

Like the FARC, the ELN uses Venezuela as a sanctuary, and its members are thought to receive medical treatment from the accommodating socialist government there.

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Who is the ELN leader?

After the Vasquez Castano brothers were killed by the army in 1973, the group was led by Spanish priest Manuel Perez Martinez, alias Poliarco, who died in 1998 from hepatitis.

Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista, alias Gabino, 68, assumed power after the death of Perez Martinez, assisted by four other block leaders in the Central Command, and he remains jefe maximo today. The Duque government recently asked the Cuban government to arrest and extradite Gabino on terrorism charges.

Why are the bomb attacks and kidnappings happening, and how many have there been?

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The ELN uses bombings, kidnappings and the threat of such attacks to pressure oil companies to make extortion payments. The ELN considers all oil drilling sites and infrastructure to be military targets. Last year, the group was responsible for 108 bomb attacks, up from 63 in 2017, Hernandez said, citing police statistics. As for kidnappings, the rebels were blamed for 25 last year, up from 20 the year before, he said.

The ELN was thought to be responsible for the killings of several community leaders in places where residents resisted their attempts to extort from or impose on local governments, Hernandez said. The rebels were also suspects in revenge killings last year of several demobilized FARC fighters.

Why have peace negotiations failed so far?

In September 2015, after reaching a tentative peace agreement with the FARC, Santos announced he was in exploratory talks with the ELN and that formal negotiations would begin in 2016 in Quito, Ecuador. But a dispute over the kidnapping of a former congressman forced a postponement until February 2017.

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The two sides in late 2017 announced a 90-day cease-fire ending in January 2018. The truce was not renewed, however, as the government accused the rebels of bad faith in attacking police and army installations. The talks were further stalled when Ecuador backed out as host after three Ecuadorean journalists were kidnapped and killed during a reporting trip to the common border. The base of negotiations then was transferred to Havana, where little progress was reported before Santos left office in August.

What are the chances negotiations will restart?

At the moment, not good.

Duque has not softened his stance on the preconditions for negotiations. The ELN recently declared a unilateral 10-day cease-fire during the holiday season but has refused to meet the presidents conditions.

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Felbab-Brown said the ELN appears to face some organizational issues that might interfere with negotiations.

In recent weeks, he said, there have been interesting developments, with the ELN sending a message through the Vatican that they wanted to negotiate. But the leadership structure is much more dispersed than the FARC, and its unclear who the negotiating partners would be and whether they can persuade the mid-level commanders to sign on.

Kraul is a special correspondent.The ticket issued to a woman after she was caught crossing the road staring at her phone. (Photo/Courtesy of the traffic policeman Gao Quantan)

Hello, you just used the zebra crossing with your eyes glued to your mobile phone. According to the Wenzhou regulations on the promotion of civilized behavior, anyone who looks at their mobile phone while crossing the road shall be fined 10 yuan.

On the morning of Jan. 14, traffic policeman Gao Quantan fined a woman who had just used a zebra crossing while fixated on her mobile phone, in Lucheng District of Wenzhou, east Chinas Zhejiang province, The Beijing News reported on Jan. 17.

The phenomenon of someone focusing on their mobile phone over another person, or indeed what is going on around them, has been dubbed "phubbing." This recent incident marks the first example of someone being issued a ticket for phubbing while crossing the road since the citywide regulations on the promotion of civilized behavior were brought into force on Jan. 1, 2019.

After the ticket was issued, a volunteer dressed up as the well-known Chinese cartoon character Slow Sheep gave the woman a Slow Sheep doll to signal that she needed to walk across the zebra crossing faster next time.

Its dangerous for people to cross the road too slowly, or without looking where they are going, said traffic policeman Gao, who explained that the purpose of issuing tickets is to raise public awareness.

The case sparked heated online discussion. Some experts believe that to prevent similar behavior, appropriate laws and regulations must be implemented, while others came to the conclusion that added laws and regulations might increase the burden on law enforcement.

According to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily in 2017, 72.2 percent of respondents admitted to looking at their mobile phones while crossing the road, revealing that this is a nationwide problem.

While issuing tickets cannot eradicate the problem, it can alert people to the consequences of their behavior and help to curb the tendency of people checking their phones at unsafe times, Zhu Lijia, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said in an interview with The Beijing News.

Zhu noted that over the past few years, there had been many avoidable injuries and deaths caused by people looking at their mobile phones rather than where they were going.

I think such policies are essential, said Zhu, explaining that relevant regulations brought into force in Wenzhou endeavor to safeguard lives.

If we rely on policies, laws, and regulations to solve all social problems, we will see adverse effects, Zhu Wei, an associate professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, explained in an interview with The Beijing News, saying such policies and regulations will add to the rising costs of lawmaking and enforcement.

Zhu Wei told The Beijing News that lawmakers in Wenzhou haven't yet offered a clear definition of phubbing, so its not easy to enforce.

However, Wang Jing, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, expects that regulations enacted by Wenzhou shall be enforced within the current framework of administrative laws and regulations.Mountain High in Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy ski resorts reopened Friday after earlier storms brought both rain and high winds.

Sierra resorts and national parks also dealt with the impact of the large storm. Mammoth had 4 feet of new snow, but at Yosemite National Park, the storm led to the closure of some roads , the parks website said. Some areas of the park are closed because of the partial government shutdown.

Yosemite is expecting milder and calmer weather Friday and Saturday, but rain is expected on Sunday as temperatures reach the upper 40s and low 50s.

In Southern California, Mountain High and Mt. Baldy cited extreme weather for the temporary closure Thursday.

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Running Springs opened at 9 a.m. Thursday but put its upper mountain lift operations on hold because of the wind, a post on its Facebook page said.

Snow Valley in Running Springs is open. Highs are expected in the 40s today and in the 50s on Saturday and Sunday.

Bear Mountains web page boasted Friday that it was 100% open with the best conditions in Southern California. Snow Summit also was open Friday with highs expected in the upper 30s on Friday.

The forecast calls for warmer temperatures with highs in the mid-40s and even into the 50s at local ski resorts.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravelFiji Airways will let you bring a friend along on your next flight to Fiji  for free. Airfares from L.A. to the nation of more than 300 islands start at $1,099 for two, but only until Saturday when the sale ends.

The Great Companion Getaway, as the two-for-one deal is called, is good for travel on selected days starting Monday through March 31. (Travelers pay tax on the second airfare.)

San Luis Obispo will give travelers $100 just for visiting 

The airline confirmed Wednesday that seats are still available at the sale price, which also is good for departures from San Francisco and Honolulu.

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Qualifying flights between L.A. and Nadi International Airport on the island of Viti Levu operate Mondays through Thursdays.

The deal isnt available online. Call (800) 227-4446 to make a reservation.

Info: Fiji Airways Great Companion Getaway

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravelThese days Seattle is a high-tech boomtown, but I grew up in the Emerald City long before Amazon, Starbucks and Microsoft made it so. All the more reason to check out whats new and unexpected when I travel here to visit family. In August I discovered two terrific new restaurants and a hotel with a killer view. The biggest surprise came when I ascended 520 feet to the top of the Space Needle. The iconic tower, which was built for the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair, was recently renovated to the tune of $100 million. The result is an experience that is downright thrilling  as long as you dont suffer from fear of heights. The tab for two: $395 per night for the hotel, $175 per day for food and $51 for Space Needle admission.

THE BED

Because the weather was clear, my husband, Paul, and I paid a premium for a west-facing room at the Thompson, a sleekly modern hotel overlooking Seattles colorful Pike Place Market. From our floor-to-ceiling window we could see the giant Ferris wheel on the waterfront and ferryboats gliding across Elliott Bay. As in-house guests, we enjoyed VIP access to the Nest, the hotels trendy indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge. And I can still smell the heavenly aroma of the ginormous fresh-baked cinnamon sticky bun we shared at Sunday brunch at Scout, the relaxed ground-floor restaurant.

THE MEAL

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Kaisen-chirashi don served at Junkichi Robata Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Seattle is a city of distinctive neighborhoods filled with fun restaurants. On Capitol Hill, where Seattles grunge music scene started, I was impressed by the range of excellent Japanese dishes at Tokyo-import Junkichi Robata Izakaya. What the kids in our party most enjoyed, however, were the talking robots on the tables. At Flintcreek Cattle Co. in Greenwood, which features industrial-chic decor and a farm-to-table menu, we savored warm plums with fresh burrata and succulent fresh sockeye salmon with balsamic-kissed cipollini onions.

THE FIND

The newly renovated rotating glass floor in the Space Needle in Seattle. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

RELATED: Space Needle gets renovated 

What a hoot! Olson Kundig, the Seattle architectural firm that designed the Thompson, oversaw the recent renovation of the two-story observation deck atop the Space Needle. Gone are the walls, security fencing and steel floors. The open-air upper deck is now wrapped in outward-tilting glass panels that offer unobstructed 360-degree views. Guests seemingly float over the city as they sit on 24 glass benches ideal for taking selfies. A dramatic circular stairway winds down to the interior lower deck, where the worlds first revolving glass floor offers heart-stopping views of the elevators whisking up and down the Space Needles central core to the ground far, far below.

THE LESSON LEARNED

We waited in line nearly two hours to pick up our rental car at Sea-Tac Airport, continually got stuck in traffic as fierce as in Los Angeles and found it difficult to snag parking places downtown. Next time I visit Seattle, I plan to rely on ride-sharing and Seattles light-rail system.

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Thompson Seattle, 110 Stewart St., Seattle; (206) 623-4600. Wheelchair-accessible.

Junkichi Robata Izakaya, 224 Broadway E., Seattle; (206) 712-7565. Wheelchair-accessible.

Flintcreek Cattle Co., 8421 Greenwood Ave. N. Seattle; (206) 457-5656. Wheelchair-accessible.

Space Needle, 400 Broad St., Seattle; (206) 905-2100. Wheelchair-accessible.Laguna Beach High School students could get a jump on college credits with a tuition-free dual-enrollment partnership the Laguna school district is considering forming with Irvine Valley College.

The Laguna Beach Unified School District board of trustees heard a brief presentation Tuesday from district administrators about the potential agreement with IVC, which would bring instructors and coursework from the nearby community college to the high school campus starting this summer. The board is expected to hear more details and vote on the proposed partnership in February.

Under the proposal, Laguna Beach High students could take courses in speech and debate, sign language, chorale performance, psychology and biotechnology that would satisfy some general education requirements at California State University and University of California schools, and the credits potentially could be transferred to out-of-state or private colleges. Students also would receive high school credit.

IVC has similar contracts with the Saddleback Valley, Irvine, Tustin and Capistrano Unified school districts. The college doesnt charge dual-enrollment students tuition, which is $46 per unit. College courses typically are three units.

At Beckman High School in Tustin, where dual enrollment, or early college, has been in place since 2007, students commit to the program as ninth-graders and graduate with associate degrees along with their high school diplomas.

In addition to the free tuition, Laguna Beach Unified proposes funding textbook costs at about $100 per book per IVC course and the $20-per-semester health fee charged to all IVC students.

Laguna Beach Unified Assistant Supt. Alysia Odipo said the college hopes for eventual enrollment of about 30 to 35 Laguna Beach High students.The renaming of William E. Fanning Elementary School has been the cause of a great divide among local residents for the last year and a half.

Those who support the name change claim William E. Fanning, a former Brea-Olinda School District superintendent, had ties to the local Ku Klux Klan chapter in the 1920s. But those who oppose the renaming believe there is insufficient evidence to support the move.

Dozens from both sides of the issue showed up for Mondays school board meeting. The board was originally expected to vote at the meeting, but that was rescheduled for Jan. 28.

Prior to the meeting, about 40 people rallied in the courtyard of the civic center in support of renaming.

Protesters held signs that read, Time to take action and We will change it. Speakers armed with megaphones made their cases at a lectern.

I cannot support a school with the name of Fanning, said Fred Calhoun, president of the Orange County arm of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. We have to get rid of that name. We will take any action we have to.

Carlota Serna has two children in the Brea school system.

I cant do nothing knowing that a school in our district bears a name of a member of the KKK, Serna said.

Mike Rodriguez, an original member of the group supporting the renaming, said the information about Fannings potentially divisive past arose from a 2011 OC Weekly article by Gustavo Arellano, who now writes for the Los Angeles Times. Arellano wrote a series of articles exposing possible members of the KKK in Orange County using a list  which some believe holds the names of former klan members  at the Anaheim Heritage Center as a reference. Fannings name is on the list.

The renaming campaign was put into motion after a series of national events led members like Rodriguez to fear rising white nationalism. In particular, the death of Heather Heyer on Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va., spurred the local movement.

The list became the primary evidence for supporters of renaming the school.

But William Fanning, the grandson of the elder Fanning, questions the validity of the list because of its unknown origins.

While Arellano acknowledged the lack of provenance in his original series, he has contended that the lists authenticity was supported because it was used by former Orange County District Attorney Alexander Nelson to push the KKK out of the county and another copy is on file at the Library of Congress.

Fannings skepticism of the list received support in a 2017 report from Linda Shay, museum curator of the Brea Historical Society, which was prepared for the school district. It took umbrage with the claim that Fanning was in the KKK.

We do not know who created the list or when it was created or what it represents, the report says.

The researchers who compiled the report found no credible or substantiated evidence to support the claim that William E. Fanning was a racist.

Rodriguez remains unswayed.

That report is very biased, and very myopic, and really is not a critical examination of William Fanning and his involvement with the KKK, Rodriguez said.

In an article written last year, Gabriel San Roman of the OC Weekly defended the veracity of the list and criticized Shays report.

William Fanning said hes been interviewing family members and going over his grandfathers documents. He said he hasnt uncovered anything that hints at racism.

The challenge here for us is we are being asked to prove a negative  to demonstrate proof that he wasnt in the KKK, Fanning said. People dont normally leave things in their life papers of what they didnt do.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilotThe Medical Board of California has launched investigations into doctors who prescribed opioids to patients who suffered fatal overdoses, in some cases months or even years later.

The effort, dubbed the Death Certificate Project, has angered physicians in California and beyond, in part because the doctors being investigated did not necessarily write the prescriptions that led to a death. That makes it the most comprehensive project of its kind in the country.

So far, the medical board has launched investigations of about 450 physicians and referred the names of 72 nurse practitioners, physician assistants and osteopathic physicians to their respective licensing boards.

To date, the regulators have formally accused at least 23 doctors of negligent prescribing, and more cases are expected. The one filed against Dr. Frank Gilman, for instance, describes a patient who received hundreds of opioid prescriptions over four years, most of them by Gilman. The San Diego internist did not respond to a request for comment.

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Critics of the project call it a witch hunt and an inquisition. Many doctors said it is causing them or their peers to refuse patients legitimate requests for prescription painkillers out of fear their practices will come under disciplinary review.

The project, first reported by MedPage Today, has struck a nerve among medical associations. Dr. Barbara McAneny, president of the American Medical Assn. and an Albuquerque, N.M., oncologist whose cancer patients sometimes need treatment for acute pain, called the project terrifying.

It will only discourage doctors from taking care of patients with pain, she said.

The influential California Health Care Foundation also has complained that the project could harm patients. (California Healthline is an editorially independent publication of the foundation.)

As the nations opioid crisis has gotten worse and worse, health officials have turned their attention to doctors who overprescribe the drugs.

Nationally, a host of policy changes and educational efforts have driven down the rate of opioid prescriptions in recent years. In California, the number of opioid prescriptions per 100 people dropped from 54.9 in 2013 to 47.9 in 2015, according to IMS Health in Danbury, Conn.

The goal of Californias program, quietly launched four years ago, is not necessarily to link a specific prescription to a specific death  although many of the cases do  but to find doctors whose prescribing patterns are so dangerous they put patients at risk of developing fatal addictions.

In some cases, a doctor was earmarked for investigation even though the cause of death included multiple drugs prescribed by many physicians, board documents indicate. In other cases, doctors were investigated when patients used prescription painkillers to commit suicide.

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Screenshots of accusations from the Medical Board of California. (Cheryl Clark for KHN)

Kimberly Kirchmeyer, executive director of the Medical Board of California, defended the project. She said the effort has found patterns of gross negligence, incompetence and excessive prescribing among doctors.

I understand their frustrations, she said of the complaining doctors, but we do have to continue our role with consumer protection.

She noted that part of the point of the project is to educate doctors and, through probation requirements, change the behavior of those who prescribe excessively.

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Thats education that could potentially save patients in the future, said Kirchmeyer, whose agency licenses some 141,000 physicians.

Some consumer groups fault the project for not being aggressive enough.

Its long overdue, said Carmen Balber, executive director of the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.

So far, the medical board has looked at opioid-related deaths only in 2012 and 2013. Investigators matched the names of the dead with the prescription drugs they had filled, which are listed in the states prescription database along with the names of the doctors who prescribed to them. Physician experts reviewed those doctors prescribing history and targeted those who appeared to prescribe drugs heavily.

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Some doctors said they received letters concerning prescriptions they wrote as long as nine years ago.

McAneny, of the AMA, noted that prescribing practices now deemed unacceptable grew out of public policies years ago that compelled doctors to treat pain more aggressively for the comfort of our patients. Also, payers have measured quality of care according to whether patients said their pain was well-controlled.

Were [already] doing a lot of education to undo the damage from those policies, she said.

Similarly, Dr. David Aizuss, an Encino ophthalmologist who now is president of the California Medical Assn., said state and federal guidelines that took effect in 2014 and 2016 impose much more stringent prescribing precautions than what was going on six or seven years ago.

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Many insurance plans and pharmacies have restricted the dosages and durations of certain painkillers, including limits on how many a physician may prescribe at one time.

The crackdown has made some doctors gun-shy, said Dr. Robert Wailes, a pain medicine specialist in Encinitas and chair of the California Medical Assn.s Board of Trustees.

What were finding is that more and more primary-care doctors are afraid to prescribe and more of those patients are showing up on our doorsteps, he said.

The CMA stops short of saying the medical board should stop the project. But it has asked the board to hire an independent reviewer to assess the criteria it is using to decide which doctors to investigate, and whether physicians in certain specialties or regions of the state are being targeted more than others.

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Dr. Ako Jacintho, a San Francisco addiction medicine specialist, was notified by the board that he was in trouble more than a year ago. A patient for whom he had prescribed methadone fatally overdosed in 2012. The letter said a complaint had been filed against him, and asked him to respond to the allegations or, if he delayed, face a citation or fine of $1,000 per day.

The letter said the patient had died of acute combined methadone and diphenhydramine intoxication. Jacintho had refilled the patients prescription for methadone the day before but said a 10-milligram pill was not a toxic dose. And he said he never prescribed diphenhydramine, the antihistamine sold as Benadryl.

The only way he would have died was if he had not taken it as directed, or had mixed it with a medication that was not prescribed, Jacintho said.

As of early January, Jacintho was still waiting to hear if he would face a formal accusation of negligent prescribing.

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Last year, the board rewrote its letters in a less accusatory tone  describing the review as routine  although it still threatens doctors with $1,000-a-day fines. In a small subset of cases, it finds problems that result in formal accusations. These can result in public reprimands, restrictions on a physicians ability to practice, or other disciplinary actions.

Despite its designation as a Death Certificate Project, the California effort has not been limited to doctors whose patients died. In an unknown number of cases, the board has sent letters to living patients asking them to authorize their doctors to relinquish their medical records. If they dont, the patients are told, the documents will be subpoenaed.

Dr. Paul Speckart, a San Diego internist, said three of his patients received board letters last year that seemed to question his quality of care when all he did was try to relieve their well-documented pain. The board has not filed any accusations against him.

You cant even begin to understand how disrupting and upsetting this is, Speckart said. Its not just a threat on your license, its a threat that youve not been a good physician.

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This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. It is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

MORE IN SCIENCEHoping to escape traffic on her way home from Los Angeles International Airport, Susan Hough found herself driving down La Cienega Boulevard through the heart of the Inglewood Oil Field. It was a jarring scene: Scores of black pump jacks nodded lazily in the scrubby hills, like a herd of mechanical giraffes.

One hundred years ago, this would have been a common sight. Rows of derricks once stood watch over Huntington and Venice beaches. The spindly towers crowded the top of Signal Hill and flanked the La Brea tar pits.

Oil put Los Angeles on the map, and by the 1930s, the city helped California produce nearly a quarter of the worlds supply.

Oil derricks dot the landscape of Signal Hill in a photo from the 1940s. (Randy Leffingwell / Los Angeles Times)

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But Hough, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, thinks there may have been another consequence of all that pumping. Her research suggests it could have caused nearly all of the moderate earthquakes that struck the Los Angeles Basin in the first half of the 20th century, which have previously been attributed to geologic forces.

If true, that could be good news for the region.

The L.A. Basin could be a generally safer place for natural earthquakes than what weve estimated, Hough said.

Hough has spent years investigating possible links between oil extraction and seismicity. She and her colleagues have analyzed historical damage reports to determine the exact locations of earthquakes that occurred before high-quality seismic monitoring began in the 1950s. Theyve also pored over detailed oil production data for the Los Angeles region to calculate how pumping would have affected local faults.

Again and again, the researchers found suspicious connections.

The earthquakes are darts, and they are falling pretty close to the bulls-eyes where the stress changed, said Hough, whose latest study on the subject was published late last year in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

The idea is controversial. Its difficult to determine the precise cause of any earthquake, especially one that occurred so long ago. And as scientists often say, correlation is not causation.

But Jenny Suckale, a geophysicist at Stanford University, said Hough and her colleagues have done good detective work.

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They really tried to pull together the various pieces, said Suckale, who was not involved in the research. It might seem like the obvious thing to do, but its not often done  not in that level of completion.

The same story over and over

Human-induced earthquakes have rocked states such as Oklahoma and Texas in recent years as oil and gas production there has soared. That got Hough wondering whether anything similar had happened during L.A.s oil boom in the first few decades of the 20th century.

There were no seismometers back then, but there were plenty of people around to feel the flurry of earthquake activity. After an event, postmasters distributed questionnaires to residents asking whether the shaking rattled their china or knocked them over. Newspapers reported where the worst damage occurred.

Decades later, this information allowed researchers to estimate the strength and location of historical earthquakes. And in 2016, Hough and her USGS colleague Morgan Page published a study proposing that oil extraction may have caused many of L.A.s early 20th century earthquakes. The events occurred close to oil fields, and they tended to coincide with changes in activity there, the researchers noted.

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A magnitude 5 quake in 1920 that toppled chimneys and brick facades in Inglewood occurred soon after the discovery of natural gas at a local oil field. Another that struck Whittier in 1929, knocking houses off their foundations, hit after production ramped up at the nearby Santa Fe Springs oil field.

By far the most significant was the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The magnitude 6.4 event killed at least 120 people; destroyed houses, churches and schools; and damaged buildings 30 miles away in downtown Los Angeles. It came about six months after Superior Oil Co. drilled into a 4,000-foot-deep deposit off Huntington Beach.

The 1933 Long Beach earthquake killed about 120 people. In a previous study, scientists suggested that the quake may have been linked to oil drilling operations near Huntington Beach. (Long Beach Public Library)

Hough said that the two events may have been linked but that its impossible to say for sure. We just have the spatial and temporal association, she said.

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Soon after the Long Beach temblor, scientists finished installing the first network of seismometers around Los Angeles. When the war effort touched off another oil boom in the late 1930s and early 40s, the devices recorded eight more moderate earthquakes.

Researchers could then use seismic data to locate the epicenters, but Hough said the results werent very reliable and often conflicted with where people reported the strongest shaking.

So she and Roger Bilham, a seismologist at the University of Colorado, consulted newspapers and shaking reports to refine the locations of these events. Some were off by as much as five miles, they found.

Once the records were corrected, the researchers noticed that all of the earthquakes fell close to active oil fields. And when Hough and Bilham factored in oil industry data, they saw that quakes tended to occur after an increase in production or the deepening of wells.

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For instance, a magnitude 4.5 event shook the port just after Christmas 1939, stopping clocks and producing a deep roaring sound that unsettled Malibu residents. It struck soon after extraction ramped up at the Wilmington oil field, one of the largest in the region.

Then, in the fall of 1941, a temblor occurred close to the Dominguez oil field, where a new well had recently hit oil two kilometers beneath the surface.

You see the same story over and over with these earthquakes, Hough said.

Oil derricks along the Huntington Beach coastline in 1940. (Los Angeles Times)

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The researchers also modeled how pumping would have changed the stresses on local faults. By 1940, it would have started to affect rocks at the depths where earthquakes occurred, they found.

Its not proof, but the calculations bolster the argument that oil extraction was capable of causing earthquakes in the L.A. Basin, said Gillian Foulger, a geophysicist at Durham University in the U.K. who was not involved in the study.

Theyve done an extremely impressive piece of work, she said.

Oil pumping leads to sinking  and shaking

If these quakes were caused by oil extraction, they happened for different reasons than the ones in Oklahoma, Hough said. There, the culprit seems to be the large amounts of oil and gas wastewater that are injected deep underground. This can increase the pore pressure on faults, making it easier for them to slip.

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Oil extraction, on the other hand, should cause pore pressure to decrease, reducing the chance of an earthquake. But it can have other consequences.

If you suck oil out of a reservoir, Bilham said, what youre effectively doing is removing the support for all the rocks above it. That can cause sinking  and shaking.

Its a phenomenon scientists have noticed at oil and gas production sites around the world, Suckale said. In the Netherlands, protests over a rash of induced earthquakes prompted the government to announce the closure of a massive natural gas field.

The same thing may have happened in Los Angeles.

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Consider the Wilmington oil field, where pumping created a miles-wide depression. It nearly swallowed the Southern California Edison electric plant on Terminal Island and buckled rail lines leading into the port. As the problem worsened, the Navy warned it would have to close its increasingly soggy shipyard if oil extraction didnt slow down. By 1958, some areas had dropped more than 25 feet.

Finally, business leaders brokered a solution.

Oil companies began injecting water underground to counteract the sinking and to boost oil production in depleted wells. Water flooding, as the practice was known, soon became standard.

The Los Angeles Basin hasnt seen nearly as much earthquake activity since the middle of last century, even though the district still produces 23 million barrels of oil a year. Hough said that may not be a coincidence.

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A pump jack pulls oil from the ground in a Wilmington neighborhood in 2016. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Water flooding could have stabilized the stress on faults, she said. Or extracting all that oil may have finally caused the faults to clamp shut because of decreased pore pressure.

Either way, Houghs studies and others suggest there arent many other sizable earthquakes in the last 100 years that dont have some circumstantial connection to oil, she said.

Hough knows her ideas are contentious. Induced earthquakes have been something of a third rail in seismology for a long time, she said.

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Her findings conflict with a 2015 study led by Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson that found no evidence for a clear link between oil extraction and earthquakes in L.A.s past. But that analysis spanned 80 years from 1935 to 2014, a period that saw big changes in drilling techniques. And Haukssons team used the original locations for historical earthquakes.

John Vidale, a USC seismologist and director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, said the different conclusions could also reflect the researchers willingness to go out on a limb.

Sue does like to make claims that are speculative, he said. And most of them have held up.

Vidale agrees that this one is plausible. Its not the only possible explanation for the cluster of 20th century seismic events, he said, but the association of the earthquakes with oil withdrawals seems reasonable and at least halfway convincing.

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If Hough and her colleagues are right, the Los Angeles Basin may be less seismically active than scientists thought.

It would downgrade the rate at which we expect big earthquakes, Vidale said.

Clearly, as the 6.7 Northridge quake in 1994 demonstrated, the Greater Los Angeles region faces very real seismic risks. And the faults that crisscross the city continue to move, which means they remain a danger no matter what caused earthquakes in the past, Hauksson said.

But one thing is certain: The early earthquakes  especially the 1933 Long Beach event  awoke Californians to the dangers beneath their feet. Even if the disaster was caused by oil drilling, it catalyzed efforts to impose stricter building codes and other seismic safety measures.

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That earthquake in particular has made everything safer moving forward, Hough said.Former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas likely made an unwanted sexual advance toward a female Capitol staffer two years ago, according to an Assembly investigation released Wednesday.

Ridley-Thomas, a Democrat from Los Angeles, resigned in December 2017 citing health issues. The Times reported in August that the lawmaker was the subject of two sexual harassment complaints at the time he stepped down.

The investigation into those complaints, which consisted of interviews with 15 people and a review of documents, culminated this month with a finding that Ridley-Thomas more likely than not made an unwanted sexual advance toward a woman in August 2016 and then attempted to contact her after the incident. The woman described the incident as Ridley-Thomas attempting to forcibly kiss her and said she could feel his erect penis against her leg, according to supplementary notes released by the Assembly.

The investigation also confirmed a complaint from a second woman, who said Ridley-Thomas in early 2016 had taken a liking to her, shook her hand and lingered too long, and winked at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

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Both allegations detailed in the complaints were found to be in violation of the Assemblys policy against sexual harassment.

Ridley-Thomas continues to strongly deny the claims, said a statement from his attorney Nancy Sheehan.

During my 30 years of employment law practice, which has included conducting workplace investigations and defending cases based on workplace investigations, I would be hard-pressed to recall a more prejudicial complaint and investigative process than this one, Sheehan said.

She said the Assembly Rules Committee first informed Ridley-Thomas of a complaint against him in November 2017 but refused to provide any information until he was interviewed eight months later. Sheehan said the Assembly gave Ridley-Thomas a relatively short time to pull together documents on his behalf, which was in no way commensurate with the full year that the complainants had to prepare their allegations before my client was interviewed, among other complaints about the way the investigation was handled, including the fact that The Times reported on its existence before it had been completed.

Ridley-Thomas, 31, was first elected to the Assembly in 2013. The son of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, an influential figure in local politics, the junior legislator steadily built his own political profile until his abrupt resignation in December 2017, citing multiple recent surgeries.

Get the latest California politics news 

The resignation came two months after the #MeToo movement upended the Capitol, with multiple legislators facing public accusations of harassment. Two Democratic Assembly members, Raul Bocanegra of Pacoima and Matt Dababneh of Woodland Hills, announced their resignations in late 2017 after being accused of misconduct. Both denied wrongdoing, and legislative investigations later substantiated claims against both men. A third lawmaker, state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), resigned in February after an investigation found it was likely he made unwanted advances to half a dozen women.

Ridley-Thomas attorney told The Times this year that the legislators resignation was solely due to health issues. Within months, Ridley-Thomas joined the faculty of USC as a professor of practice of policy and social work. He also received a scholarship to pursue a masters degree in social work.

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Ridley-Thomas was fired in August after a whistleblower raised concerns about the arrangement and a $100,000 donation that Mark Ridley-Thomas made from his campaign account to the school of social work in May. That money ended up in the account of a nonprofit group run by the younger Ridley-Thomas that was unaffiliated with the university. USC also referred the matter to the U.S. attorneys office for criminal investigation.

More recently, Ridley-Thomas has been working with the Los Angeles Unified School District in calling for an end to the teachers strike, although the district declined to say whether he was aiding in an official or paid capacity.

Ridley-Thomas was in Sacramento last week for a meeting in the state Capitol that he helped arrange between Los Angeles-area lawmakers and district Supt. Austin Beutner to answer questions regarding negotiations and the strike, which had not yet begun at that time. Sources at the meeting said Ridley-Thomas introduced himself as working on behalf of the school district.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday effectively delayed President Trumps State of the Union address, citing security concerns amid a nearly month-old partial government shutdown, while underscoring the political and policy paralysis behind it.

Pelosis decision appeared to catch the White House flat-footed  by late in the day it had not responded to her letter of that morning. The development brought into sharper relief the partisanship thats not only at the root of the current impasse over government funding but is deepening as a result of it, just weeks into Trumps power-sharing with a Democratic-controlled House.

With both Trump and Democrats responsive to their most vocal supporters, who oppose compromise, one of Washingtons most venerable traditions  the presidents annual address to a joint session of Congress, the Supreme Court and the diplomatic corps  became a casualty. Laws too: The administration has disregarded those governing shutdowns, and ordered tens of thousands of unpaid employees back to work based on largely political calculations.

In these kinds of congressional-White House dealings, there are certain parameters that people are used to, and were sort of running outside the lines here, said John Lawrence, a former chief of staff to Pelosi who experienced a number of federal shutdowns during four decades working in Congress.

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Unlike past standoffs that revolved around budget issues, the current impasse over the presidents demand for $5.7 billion to build a southern border wall has left little room for compromise, given Democrats opposition and that of many Americans.

Its not like with numbers where you can split the difference, Lawrence said. You cant build a 3-foot wall instead of a 12-foot wall. Both sides, he said, are puzzled: How do we get out of this?

The postponement or cancellation of the presidents address suspends a ritual of American political life that began with Woodrow Wilson in 1913 and became an annual tradition starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Before that, from George Washington into the early 20th century, presidents sent written reports on the state of the nation, in keeping with a constitutional requirement.

For now, at least, Pelosi has denied the television-obsessed Trump an opportunity to reach many millions of Americans and presumably blame Democrats for the impasse, though he did so recently in a prime-time TV address to no effect. That she would take such action for an event nearly two weeks away suggests no quick end to a shutdown thats closed a quarter of the government.

In her letter to Trump, Pelosi said the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security, which are responsible for security at the presidents address, have been hamstrung by furloughs.

Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th, Pelosi wrote.

The administrations initial response came in a tweet Wednesday afternoon from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who said her agency and the Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union.

Although Pelosis letter appeared to be a request, the reality  that, as speaker, she has authority over what happens in the House  was quickly hammered home in more pointed terms by her Democratic lieutenants.

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The State of the Union is off, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland said on CNN.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York was more confrontational, taunting Trump in a tweet that referred to federal prosecutors designation for the president  Individual 1  in recent indictments of his associates.

Individual 1 will not be permitted to deliver his state of the union address until government is reopened, Jeffries wrote. Welcome to life in the New Democratic Majority. Get used to it.

However valid the security concerns Pelosi cited in her letter, Republicans criticized the action. Im worried about security too, said Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, the House minority leader. But Im worried about security on the southern border.

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Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said it could set a bad precedent for Congress to prevent a president of the opposite party from addressing the legislative branch.

Trump, who has seemed to back away from his controversial talk of declaring a national emergency to get wall funding without congressional approval, continued to hold meetings at the White House, intent on presenting at least the semblance of negotiations even as hes rejected bipartisan overtures and refused to give ground.

He met Wednesday with seven moderate House Democrats, probing for fissures in their party. Yet the lawmakers made clear in a statement beforehand that a substantive negotiation about border security funding can only begin in earnest once the government is reopened  echoing a point Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer have made in meetings with Trump and in interviews.

Still, the White House called the meeting constructive.

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They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants, said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, in a statement. We look forward to more conversations like this.

The Democrats who attended largely agreed with that assessment. Generally, the party supported Pelosis move.

Half the government is shut down and were pretending like its business as usual and inviting him in for a joint session speech? said Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin, who hails from a district Trump carried in 2016.

Democrats support wasnt universal. Rep. Ro Khanna of Fremont told SiriusXM, There are certain norms in our democracy that are important to preserve.

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Clearly concerned about the shutdowns impact on many of his supporters, including farmers, Trump has summoned tens of thousands of government employees back to work  without pay.

The Department of Agriculture announced that it is recalling 2,500 employees to open almost half of the Farm Service Administration offices across the country on Thursday, Friday and next Tuesday. They will assist farmers with loan requests, reflecting a rising concern as planting season approaches.

Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was bringing back thousands of furloughed inspectors and other employees to ease backlogs at many airports. In response to concerns about tax refunds being delayed, the Internal Revenue Service will have up to 80,000 employees back on the job, an eight-fold increase from the current force.

A new poll from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center underscored why compromise is difficult: Both sides have become more unified, and dug in, in the fight over a border wall. Democrats support for a wall is at a record low, while Republicans has hit a new high.

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Among Democrats and independents who lean Democratic, more than 80% say that giving Trump the money he has requested would be unacceptable even if that were the only way to end the government shutdown, according to the survey, conducted in the last week.

Republicans are somewhat less united, yet just over 60% say it would be unacceptable not to give Trump the money he has asked for, the poll found.

The public disapproves of how both sides have handled negotiations, but disapproval of Trump is both more widespread and more intense.

The poll found that 61% of the public disapproves of how Trump has handled the situation, including more than half, 53%, who strongly disapprove, compared to 36% who approve. Asked about Democratic leaders performance, 53% of the public disapproves, including 33% who strongly disapprove, while 43% approves.

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Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told reporters that constituent calls to his offices reflect the divide. It suggests to me, he said, that people are dug in and they want their representatives to stay where they are.

Times staff writers Jennifer Haberkorn and David Lauter contributed to this report.

The latest from Washington The General Services Administration ignored concerns that President Trumps lease on a government-owned building  the one that houses his Trump International Hotel in Washington  might violate the Constitution when it allowed Trump to keep the lease after he took office, according to a new report from the agencys inspector general.

Trumps company won the lease several years before he became president. After Trump was elected, the GSA had to decide whether his company would be allowed to keep its lease.

At that time, the inspector general found, the agency should have determined whether the lease of Washingtons Old Post Office building violated the Constitutions emoluments clauses, which bar presidents from taking payments from foreign governments or individual U.S. states. But it did not, according to the report issued Wednesday.

We ... found that [the GSA] improperly ignored these Emoluments Clauses, even though the lease itself requires compliance with the laws of the United States, including the Constitution, the report said.

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The findings provide a fresh example of how Trumps unprecedented decision to maintain ownership of his business while serving in the White House has prompted concerns about potential conflicts of interest and sown confusion among federal regulators, who have struggled to enforce ethical norms related to the presidency.

For instance, the report found that although officials administering the lease  under Presidents Obama and Trump  were aware of the possibility that the Trump hotels business with foreign governments could be interpreted as an emoluments violation, the officials often concluded that the issue was someone elses responsibility and failed to conduct a comprehensive review.

In response to the report Wednesday, the GSA issued a letter saying that the investigation showed there had been no political pressure on the agency  from Trump or anyone else  to let the newly elected president keep his lease. The investigation, the agency said, found no undue influence, pressure or unwarranted involvement of any kind by anyone.

Since Trump entered office, his company has hosted events from several foreign embassies and at least one governor, Paul LePage (R-Maine). Trump has since been sued by Democratic members of Congress and the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia, who allege in separate lawsuits that these transactions put Trump in violation of the Constitution.

The Trump Organization, which did not respond to a request for comment late Wednesday, has denied that it violates the emoluments clauses. It says it tabulates most of the profits it makes from foreign governments and donates the money to the U.S. Treasury. The company last year made a donation of $151,470 and has not made a donation yet this year.

The Wednesday report does not recommend that Trumps lease be canceled or even modified. However, according to the report, GSA attorneys told the investigators that if a constitutional violation were later found, they would have to revisit the issue of a potential breach of contract by the presidents company.

That raises the possibility that if a court finds Trump in violation of the Constitution by continuing to own the hotel  as the plaintiffs in the two cases allege  his company could be found to have violated the contract.

Trump signed a lease for the building in 2013. During the presidential campaign and after he was elected president, congressional Democrats and ethics experts repeatedly questioned GSA officials  then under the Obama administration  about whether Trump would be allowed to keep the deal, particularly since the lease includes a clause barring elected officials from enjoying any benefit of the deal.

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Obama appointees running the agency took no action, and two months after Trump took office, the agencys contracting officer for the project issued a letter saying the lease was in compliance. The letter improperly ignored the emoluments clause, Wednesdays report said.

Congressional Democrats, led by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), plan on making the presidents business and his hotel lease a top target of investigations, now that they control the chamber.

Cummings, chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the report devastating.

President Trump should not have any contracts with the federal government, he said in a statement. It is an obvious conflict of interest, and it is why the lease for the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., explicitly prohibits any federal government official from being a party.

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Another member of the committee, Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) said that GSAs decision to not consider whether the presidents business interest in the Old Post Office lease might be unconstitutional has enabled the president to line his pockets.

Jonathan OConnell and David A. Fahrenthold write for the Washington Post.Lin Songtian

For peoples of the world, human rights, including the rights of the person, and the political, economic, social, and cultural rights, represent the common aspiration and pursuit for all. Accordingly, governments around the world are duty-bound to guarantee peoples rights to subsistence and development, and to secure peoples fundamental rights to food, to shelter, to work, to school and to hospital, and to ensure peoples happiness as the most achievement of human rights.

Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has always strived to pursue happiness for the people and development for the mankind, transforming China from a country of basic survival to a world development miracle. Today, the 1.3 billion Chinese people are enjoying their life of peace, freedom and happiness, free of fear of war or conflict. China, with its fastest human rights progress and best practices of human rights protection, is setting up a new model for the world cause of human rights.

The CPC and the Chinese government have always been committed to uplifting living standard of the Chinese people. After four decades of reform and opening up, Chinas per capita GDP has soared from US$227 in 1978 to nearly US$9,000 in 2017. Per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents have respectively increased by 106.1 and 100.2 fold. 750 million people have been lifted out of poverty. More importantly, by the end of 2020, poverty will be completely eliminated across the entire 1.4 billion Chinese population. This is the solemn commitment and a great undertaking by the CPC and the Chinese government to the human rights cause of mankind.

The Chinese people enjoy ample education and employment opportunities. China follows a system of nine-year compulsory education, and high school education is also accessible to all across the entire country. There are 2,913 institutions of higher education in China, enrolling 37.79 million students. With more than 11 million new jobs created each year, China has managed to contain its unemployment rate at or under 5%.

The Chinese people enjoy comprehensive social security benefits. By June 2018, the number of participants in the basic endowment insurance, employment insurance, and work-related injury insurance respectively registered 925 million, 191 million, and 230 million. Over 1.3 billion people are covered by the basic medical insurance. Average life expectancy has reached 76.7 years, and the maternal mortality ratio has dropped from 94.7 in 1989 to 19.6 in 2017 per 100,000 population.

The Chinese people enjoy a high degree of personal freedom and the freedom of speech. There are 802 million internet users, over 1.3 billion mobile phone users, and 788 million mobile internet subscribers in China. The internet penetration rate is 57.7%. Active internet bloggers register over 400 million, and on average over 30 billion posts are published every day. Within the scope of the law, anyone could express his or her views anywhere anytime. In China, anyone could travel freely and safely at any time to anywhere. Online shopping has also reached all corners of Chinese cities and rural areas.

The Chinese people enjoy full religious freedom and a most inclusive social environment. All worlds major religions, including Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Christianism are practiced in China with nearly 200 million religious believers, over 380,000 religious personnel, and 144,000 lawfully registered religious sites for worship. In Xinjiang alone, there are 24,400 Islamic mosques, more than doubling the combined numbers of the United States, Britain, Germany, and France.

Some people in the West accuse the Chinese governments vocational training programs in Xinjiang as racial segregation, religious persecution, or re-education camp. Such attempt is clearly driven by ill intention or mere bias and prejudice.

The vocational training schools established in Xinjiang offer free training opportunities for the local young people and assist them in finding jobs or starting a business. This is a major innovation by the Chinese government to tackle extremism and terrorism. Thanks to this practice and other measures, Xinjiang has remained for two consecutive years free from violent terrorist attacks, and the number of criminal and security offenses has drastically declined. Today, people in the region feel much safer than before. In 2017, Xinjiangs GDP grew by 7.6%. The region received over 100 million tourists from both home and abroad, an increase of 32.4%. What has happened proves that by abandoning the Western practice of fighting violence with violence, China has opened up a new path that focuses on prevention and addresses both the symptoms and root causes of extremism and terrorism, realizing the human rights of the widest population to the greatest extent.

Unfortunately, some countries in the West would still stubbornly cling to the zero-sum game and the Cold War mentality, and would engage in ideology-driven double-standards, viewing others through colored lens, using human rights as a political tool to punish developing countries, and willfully pointing fingers at others while completely disregard their own gross violations against human rights.

Our news networks are filled with stories and images of atrocities happened in Iraq, Libya, and Syria. These countries with thousands years of history and once with great infrastructures have been reduced to rubbles. Countless homes were destroyed and many more people were displaced, being deprived of the most basic human rights of safety and basic living. These are exactly the consequences of the Western countries interference in others domestic affairs under the disguise of human rights. Who indeed should be responsible for the human rights tragedy in the Middle East? Anyone with conscience should know the answer. When the refugees from these countries were forced to leave their home to seek living in the Western countries, many of them were turned down or became second class citizens. Who is really caring about their human rights? And who is advocating for the basic human rights for the peoples of the Middle East? And who is condemning the human rights violators there? As always, the Western governments and media only care about the human rights of the few who have committed crimes, but would selectively ignore the basic human rights of the vast majority of the people.

The Chinese people are very proud of the fact that we have never launched a war of aggression against others and have never occupied an inch of land of another country. Even in the resolution of colonial historical problems of Hong Kong and Macau, China did not resort to violence, but had innovatively proposed the concept of One Country, Two Systems to realize the peaceful sovereignty handover. Such ability of China to draw wisdom from its 5,000 years of history to innovate solutions may be too hard to fathom by the West.

We believe that development is the fundamental solution to improving human rights. Over the past decades, China has helped Africa build over 10,000 km of roads, over 6,000 km of railways, and hundreds of airports, ports, and power plants. China has trained for Africa hundreds of thousands of experts and technicians across multiple fields, so as to support African industrialization and agricultural modernization to achieve its self-sustainable development. Propagating the slogans of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law by western countries will not address the need of the African people. It begs to question, where are the infrastructures developed by the West in Africa? We sincerely hope that the West will take concrete actions to truly help Africa address the three development bottlenecks of inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional and skilled personnel, and short of financial resources.

We would also sincerely hope that the Western countries would look at themselves in the mirror before pointing fingers at others. Dont forget the strong voices of We Are the 99% from the Occupy Wall Street. And why is the Yellow Vests movement spreading across Europe? And if all of us would follow certain country in building high walls along our borders and stopping the free movement of the people, will there still be any more freedom that all of us cherish so much?

There is no best human rights practice in this world, but we can always strive to do better. We are willing to strengthen human rights dialogue and exchange with countries around the world, to complement and draw strengths from each other for common progress. Nevertheless, we would always reject with the firmest resolve the practice of selective and double standards in human rights.

The author is the Chinese ambassador to South AfricaNewly empowered Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are preparing to reopen the panels investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, seeking new interviews and financial records even as Republicans appear ready to boycott the inquiry.

Republicans who previously led the committee ended the investigation last March by concluding they had found no evidence of conspiracy between President Trumps campaign and operatives in Moscow.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said Republicans had no interest in participating in the revived inquiry, which will be led by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), the new chairman.

Now they just want to do something theyve already investigated before? McCarthy said. I dont think thats what the American public would think is the right thing to do with the majority.

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The partisan rift, a mirror image of last years bitter fight over the Russia probe, emerged before the committee holds its first meeting of the new congressional session or Republicans name their members to it.

Schiff said he had not spoken to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), the former chairman and now ranking member, since the Nov. 6 midterm election. Their once collegial relationship ruptured during the Russia investigation that Democrats are now reviving.

Schiff plans to provide special counsel Robert S. Mueller III with unredacted transcripts of the committees closed-door interviews with witnesses, which could be fodder for criminal charges.

Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, recently pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about pursuing a Moscow hotel and condominium proposal on Trumps behalf during the 2016 campaign. Cohen is scheduled to testify publicly before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 7 and he could meet again with the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors.

Democrats have beefed up resources on the intelligence committee, adding more people with investigative experience to supplement their roster of analysts.

Schiff said hes ready to request documents, sometimes with subpoenas, that Republicans did not seek when they led the committee.

There are any number of records that would have made sense, frankly, to have had before, he said.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

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Phone records for Donald Trump Jr. are a probable target since he made three calls to a blocked number around the time he met with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June 2016. Trump Jr. has said he doesnt recall whom he called and the president has denied knowing about the meeting when it occurred.

The committee also may seek records from Deutsche Bank, which has paid hundreds of millions in fines for assisting Russian money laundering. The bank was willing to loan to Trump when U.S. banks wouldnt because of his multiple bankruptcies.

We know Russia uses financial distress as a way to compromise individuals, said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), a committee member. If the president is compromised financially by the Russians, thats something that comes under our committees jurisdiction.

Jack Langer, a spokesman for committee Republicans, said Democrats are chasing conspiracy theories.

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The Democrats are obviously excited to pursue their myriad Russia conspiracy theories because, after two years of investigations by numerous Congressional committees, the FBI, the special counsel, and every media outlet in America, the lack of evidence of a nefarious collusion plot seems to upset them, he said in a statement.

Democrats described last years Republican inquiry as a whitewash. In particular, the Republican report said Russias interference in the 2016 campaign was not aimed at helping Trump beat Hillary Clinton, a conclusion that contradicted that of the nations intelligence agencies.

Democrats have four new members of the committee  Reps. Val Demings of Florida, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York and Peter Welch of Vermont  who all have a legal or law enforcement background.

To the extent we have to investigate the president, we have to, Krishnamoorthi said. But to me, the purpose is to prevent future wrongdoing.Rudolph W. Giuliani claimed Wednesday night that he never said there was no collusion between President Trumps campaign and Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

In an interview with CNNs Chris Cuomo, the presidents lawyer was accused of contradicting his own past statements about collusion as well as what Trump and his supporters have repeatedly asserted. On Twitter, Trump has used the phrase no collusion dozens of times, and a number of those instances were direct denials that his campaign was involved with the Russian government.

Russia investigation could spark battle to learn Robert Muellers findings 

Giulianis declarations  several of which Cuomo called out as false  quickly sent the Internet into a tailspin as many wondered what could have prompted the former New York mayor to suddenly change course.

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The heated exchange began shortly after Giuliani raged about the amount of false reporting on the Russia investigation.

Mr. Mayor, false reporting is saying that nobody in the campaign had any contacts with Russia, Cuomo responded. False reporting is saying that there has been no suggestion of any kind of collusion between the campaign and any Russians.

Giuliani jumped in.

You just misstated my position, Giuliani said. I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign.

Cuomos face contorted into an expression of disbelief. Yes, you have, he shot back.

As recently as July, Giuliani was asked by Fox News contributor Guy Benson, Regardless of whether collusion would be a crime, is it still the position of you and your client that there was no collusion with the Russians whatsoever on behalf of the Trump campaign?

Correct, Giuliani responded at the time.

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But on Wednesday, Giuliani appeared to amend his previous comments on the subject.

I said the president of the United States, he protested, arguing that he had only ever said Trump himself was not connected to any Russian meddling in the 2016 election. There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC.

On CNN, Giuliani and Cuomo then proceeded to tangle over the presidents past statements that nobody associated with his campaign colluded.

He didnt say nobody, he said he didnt, Giuliani said, which Cuomo immediately pointed out was not true.

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Giuliani said Thursday that his comments on CNN have been misinterpreted and that he wanted to clarify them.

I represent only President Trump, not the Trump campaign, he said in a statement. There was no collusion by President Trump in any way, shape or form. Likewise, I have no knowledge of any collusion by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In December 2017, Trump adamantly told reporters outside the White House that there was absolutely no collusion, that has been proven.

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On Twitter, the president has been even more passionate when defending himself and his campaign, repeatedly using words such as hoax and witch hunt to describe the accusations and special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs ongoing probe.

Just last month, the president tweeted, Democrats cant find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comeys testimony. No Smocking Gun . . . No Collusion.

During the interview, Giuliani also falsely stated that the news that Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort had shared polling data with a man believed to have ties to Russian intelligence came from leaks, which he claimed had been done probably unethically. The information was inadvertently made public by Manaforts lawyers in a poorly redacted court filing, as the Washington Post has reported.

Social media instantly exploded with reactions to the interview. Did Giuliani just admit Trumps campaign had colluded? Were his comments foreshadowing a major development to come in the Mueller probe? Was this yet another attempt by the Trump administration to tone down its collusion denials?

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By early Thursday morning, Giulianis name was trending on Twitter.

Some accused the lawyer of once again engaging in goal-post moving, described by the Washington Posts Aaron Blake as constantly watering down previous denials and raising the standard for what would constitute actual wrongdoing. (Giuliani has repeatedly argued that collusion is not a crime.)

Others, however, saw the interview as another opportunity to poke fun at Giuliani.

On his show, which aired right after Cuomos, Don Lemon summed up the exchange for his viewers.

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Man, Rudy Giuliani out-Giulianied himself tonight, Lemon said.To the editor: UC Berkeley law professor John Yoo argues that if President Trump were to declare a state of emergency in order to build his wall, his actions would likely withstand court challenges.

Yoo has experience in government guiding presidents, having served President George W. Bush as deputy assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel. I served President Ronald Reagan more than a decade earlier in that same capacity. But we view the question of whether Trump can legally divert funds by declaring an emergency very differently.

While working in the Reagan administration, I was asked to produce a memorandum justifying a presidential diversion of congressionally allocated funds, a proposed action in many ways similar to the one that Trump now seeks for building a border wall with Mexico. I concluded that the president had no authority to reallocate the funds.

Presidential efforts to bypass congressional negotiations in the name of national emergency are not condoned by the Constitution. And the 1976 National Emergency Act and the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act both curb unfettered presidential power.

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The thin cloth of national emergency embraced by Yoo would set a dangerous precedent.

Allan Gerson, Washington

..

To the editor: Another California law professor, former five-term congressman Tom Campbell of Chapman University, recently wrote an op-ed article that was published in several local newspapers entitled, The complex way in which Trump gets his border wall. He seems to basically concur with Yoo.

Campbell goes beyond Yoos citing of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, concluding: Obama got his prisoner trade, Clinton got his war in Yugoslavia. Trump will get his wall, and the government shutdown will end.

The final question remains: What is holding up Trump from calling a national emergency that would likely be held up by the courts?

Harvey Pearson, Los Feliz

..

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To the editor: Im not an attorney, but I am a historian of the U.S. with a doctorate from Stanford, and my knowledge of that history leads me to disagree with Yoo. Before setting forth the substance of my argument, I note that Yoo was the attorney whose briefs laid the groundwork for the use of waterboarding during the George W. Bush administration, so we know he takes an expansive view of presidential authority.

How does history enter into the discussion? First, there is the matter of the centuries-long evolution of the legislatures sole power to levy taxes, or the power of the purse.

Before American independence, the British parliament fought with various kings to establish this principle, one that is embedded in the U.S. Constitution in Article I. Over the years, this power has been absolutely fundamental in limiting the capacity of the president to behave in arbitrary ways.

Second, on those occasions when a president has gone beyond the Constitution, such as Lincolns suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War, it has been during a widely recognized and genuine national emergency, as in the existential threat to the survival of the union during that war.

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The president cannot arbitrarily declare an emergency that is recognized by few others and get away with ignoring Congress.

Glenna Matthews, Laguna Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookTo the editor: Power plays by politicians have their place and can be great theater, but this one by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is not good enough. Disinviting President Trump from delivering his State of the Union address merely distracts him rather than forces his hand.

To really inconvenience those who could end this partial government shutdown, we need creative action by federal workers still on the job. One idea: Our federally employed air traffic controllers could shut down private jet takeoffs.

That will most definitely get the attention of the elites while also providing a public service. It may even force some of Trumps pals to fly with the rest of us. That alone might motivate them to tell him to knock it off.

Steve Fine, North Hollywood

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..

To the editor: Pelosi has stooped to the lowest levels of dirty politics. It is an absolute disgrace that she seeks to deprive the citizens of this nation the constitutional right to hear the president deliver the State of the Union address.

In the event she hasnt noticed, security is an essential service of the government (compared to, say, park services) that is not shut down.

The president should deliver the address in the Senate chamber.

Stephany Yablow, North Hollywood

..

To the editor: The single greatest expense of Trumps proposed border wall is obviously labor. And, this government shutdown is clearly ridiculous.

Why dont Democrats give Trump half of his requested border wall money on the condition that the Republicans have their staunchest supporters volunteer to build the wall?

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Im neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I tend to look at issues just on their own merits. However, I would be happy to spend a week near the border, wallunteering, so our government can get back on its feet and thousands of people can go back to work.

Its time to show the world we can all get along. It just takes a little American ingenuity.

Gareth Kantz, Moorpark

..

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To the editor: The Constitution doesnt specify how the president informs Congress about his views on the state of the union.

Rather, the relevant part of Article II states that the president shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.

Richard Dickinson, Glendale

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookTo the editor: My organization agrees with the L.A. Times editorial calling for a plan to help Californias precious water supply keep up with changes brought by global warming. We also think its important to recognize the progress weve made.

Urban users have fully embraced conservation. In the Los Angeles area, on average, the amount of water once needed to supply one household now meets the needs of three.

California farmers have also made great strides, bringing modern technology to the art of farming, growing some of the most water-efficient food in the world. Thats good for all Californians because food produced locally is fresher, meets higher safety standards and is more environmentally friendly than food imported from far away.

We applaud Gov. Gavin Newsoms willingness to look at this issue with fresh eyes. Farmers stand ready to work with him and others on plans that are good for farms, cities and the environment.

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Mike Wade, Sacramento

The writer is executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition.

..

To the editor: The editorial board rightly challenges Newsom to be bold and steely in a drive to update Californias water system in an era of rising global temperatures. The key points made are valid, but one massive problem is overlooked.

The very same climatic conditions that are altering fresh water hydrology are contributing to sea level rise. The vast system of dikes and levees that protects the Central Valley from Pacific Ocean salt water may be able to hold it back when there is a 3-foot sea level rise in the year 2100. But the ocean level rise wont magically stop there. It may be 13 feet by 2200  and 30 feet by 2300.

Globally, fertile valleys and deltas are threatened by salt water intrusion due to sea level rise. Californias heartland is no exception.

Stefen Malone, West Hollywood

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookFor nearly 22 months, United Teachers Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District have been negotiating behind closed doors.

And what is there to show for their bargaining?

More than 30,000 teachers have walked out of classrooms and are striking for the first time in three decades, disrupting the education of more than half a million K-12 students and the lives of their families.

Moreover, its difficult for the public to know how the strike came about. Was UTLA being unreasonable? Was LAUSD? Does the unions decision to strike have less to do with increasing teacher pay and more to do with opposing non-union charter schools? Should LAUSDs claim of budget constraints during a strong economy be taken at face value?

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Transparency in negotiations involving public employee unions is prohibited by law in California.

These are legitimate questions that none of us can answer. Even though taxpayers will have to fund whatever agreement is ultimately reached, the public knows virtually nothing about the proceedings. They wont see any details until a final contract is approved, and they will likely never know about the offers and counteroffers along the way.

Transparency in negotiations involving public employee unions is prohibited by law in California, which means voters never know how public officials are performing one of their most important jobs.

It doesnt have to be this way.

Many states and municipalities have ordinances mandating transparency in collective bargaining. Proposals, counterproposals and independent analyses are posted publicly. and negotiations are live-streamed. This kind of openness encourages adult behavior, good faith and compromise, and it can help avoid disruptive walkouts like the one were seeing now in Los Angeles.

There was a time in California when transparency wasnt barred by statute, however, and a number of cities adopted so-called COIN laws, which stands for Civic Openness in Negotiations.

In 2012, Costa Mesa was the first to adopt such a law, and Orange County, Beverly Hills, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Pacific Palisades and Rancho Palos Verdes soon followed.

This newspaper editorialized in favor of Los Angeles adopting its own transparency law after witnessing politicians signing off on city employee pay raises and other benefits with little public vetting of the contracts or debate over the costs and long-term budget impact.

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But it wasnt to be. Seeing COIN as a growing threat to their ability to negotiate favorable contracts, government unions pressured their friends in Sacramento to shut it down.

In 2015, the California Legislature passed, and the governor signed into law, a bill by then-Sen. Tony Mendoza that barred municipalities from adopting COIN laws. Mendoza, a former teacher and member of UTLA, received more than $486,000 in campaign contributions from unions between 2014 and his resignation from the California Senate in 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations.

The law was a huge loss to California taxpayers. Scott Carpenter, who served as policy analyst for the Orange County Board of Supervisors during COINs brief tenure, said that he closely watched Costa Mesas open bargaining process and that it worked exactly the way it was intended. During the citys negotiations with the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn., he said, all bargaining offers were submitted for public review, something he credits with reducing the number of unreasonable demands and public accusations of bad faith. A timely agreement was reached without even the threat of a strike.

Our experience at the Freedom Foundation in successfully advocating for open bargaining across the nation has convinced us that good laws should mandate at least three things: rapid posting of all proposals and counterproposals during negotiations, publicly available independent fiscal analysis and a way for people to witness the proceedings, either through live streaming or open meetings.

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Opponents of bargaining transparency  especially government unions  say that opening up negotiations would hinder the ability for candid bargaining, threaten employee privacy and increase the risk of sensitive information being leaked.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

But in our opinion, government employers and government unions shouldnt be saying things in private they wouldnt say in public. Regarding privacy, bargaining takes place on behalf of a bargaining unit, not an individual worker, so private information about individuals isnt discussed during negotiations.

The bottom line is, taxpayers pay the salaries of public workers and therefore have a direct and compelling interest in the bargaining process. They deserve transparency.

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Thirteen states, including Florida and Colorado, agree, requiring significant transparency in collective bargaining. Nine additional states allow for at least some kind of public access to negotiations.

The Freedom Foundation believes openness in collective bargaining is critical to Californias future, too.

Had an open bargaining ordinance already been on the books, Los Angeles students and teachers might well be in their classrooms today  where they belong  instead of at home or on the picket line.

Bob Wickers is vice president of operations and Sam Coleman is California outreach director of the Freedom Foundation, a national organization working to promote liberty, free enterprise and limited, accountable government.A coup is unfolding in Guatemala. Last week, President Jimmy Morales sent riot troops to the countrys main airport in Guatemala City to block the entry of a human rights investigator working for a United Nations-backed anti-corruption panel.

The panel, called the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, had been investigating Morales brother and son for campaign graft. They were both scheduled to face criminal proceedings this week.

After the airport standoff, Guatemalas Constitutional Court ruled that the commission should be permitted to continue its work. Meanwhile, allies of Morales in Guatemalas Congress attempted to impeach the judges who ruled in the commissions favor.

Morales then ordered the U.N. anti-corruption commission to leave altogether. Its team has now fled the country. The criminal proceedings against Morales relatives have reportedly been suspended.

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The U.S. cant be absolved of the decades of harm it helped inflict on Guatemala, but it can choose to be on the right side of history now.

Morales, a television celebrity-turned-politician, appears to be betting that President Trump will turn a blind eye to his contempt for the rule of law. After relentless interference in Guatemalan affairs for 65 years, the United States cannot look the other way. Nor should it continue sending aid to Guatemala unless the U.N. commission is allowed to resume its work.

The Central Intelligence Agency overthrew Guatemalas first democratic government in 1954. Following that coup, Washington backed a long series of brutal military dictatorships. Together these dictatorships killed at least 200,000 civilians, mostly indigenous people. A U.N. truth commission concluded that the carnage was nothing short of genocide.

I first moved to Guatemala in 1993, right after the Serranazo coup. President Jorge Serrano had attempted to suspend Guatemalas Constitution and dissolve its Congress, allegedly in an effort to fight corruption. Within days, the Clinton administration cut off aid and threatened trade sanctions.

Serrano was ultimately ousted, and the military agreed to appoint a human rights lawyer, Ramiro de Leon Carpio, as interim president. Guatemala signed peace accords three years later, ushering in a brief period of tranquility after four decades of civil war. A U.N. peacekeeping mission helped the nascent civil society to establish nonprofits and document human rights abuses.

After a decade, in 2004, U.N. observers were preparing to leave Guatemala when local leaders asked for continued support to investigate criminal networks within the state linked to the drug trade and human rights violations. So Guatemala signed another agreement with the U.N. two years later, establishing the anti-corruption commission.

With a modest budget financed by foreign donors, the team has helped the Guatemalan attorney generals office establish basic legal procedures, such as witness protection and wiretaps.

The commission has also helped to root out the impunity concealed by Guatemalas leaders. In 2009, for instance, the panel uncovered a conspiracy to frame the sitting president, Alvaro Colom, for murder. Colom was later arrested on corruption charges. In its most stunning case, the commission compiled evidence that brought down Guatemalas last president, Otto Perez Molina, for his involvement in a customs fraud scheme.

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In the wake of Perez Molinas downfall, Morales won Guatemalas next election, campaigning with a populist slogan: Not a criminal, not a crook. But scandals soon proved otherwise, and Guatemalans have since held regular strikes and demonstrations to demand his resignation.

The U.S. continues to wield significant influence in Guatemala, with Washington providing tens of millions of dollars in aid to the country every year.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

Morales has made obvious efforts to curry favor with Trump by making Guatemala the second country to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Trump administration has been disturbingly silent since Morales expelled the international investigators last week.

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The U.S. cant be absolved of the decades of harm it helped inflict on Guatemala, but it can choose to be on the right side of history now. However Congress votes on Trumps wall, Democrats and Republicans could agree to take action to prevent a new flood of political refugees from Guatemala. As Norma Torres, congresswoman from Californias 35th District, wrote last week, putting our heads in the sand would be a serious mistake.

Congress should immediately suspend all U.S. aid to Guatemala  most especially military aid  and condition its renewal on the return of the anti-corruption team. Lawmakers should also support legislation such as HR 7314, the Guatemala Rule of Law Accountability Act, a bill introduced by Torres that would require visa and travel sanctions against Guatemalan officials who engage in corruption and undermine the rule of law.

Guatemala is a sovereign nation, and its citizens will choose the right course if the U.S. is not silently complicit with yet another coup. With strong condemnation of Morales from Washington, more Guatemalans will take to the streets to restore honesty, democracy and justice to their government.

Liza Grandia is a cultural anthropologist and professor of Native American studies at UC Davis. She is the author of Enclosed: Conservation, Cattle, and Commerce Among the Qeqchi Maya Lowlanders.

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Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or FacebookUnable to end the impasse over the partial federal government shutdown, President Trump has decided to make it pettier.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) asked Trump to postpone this months State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress unless the shutdown ended in short order. Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29, Pelosi wrote.

This move was widely characterized in the media as something approaching a body slam from the corner ropes. Ever the counter-puncher, however, Trump responded Thursday with a very public letter of his own:

(The White House)

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You could argue that Pelosis letter was a stunt that invited this kind of retort; the head of the Department of Homeland Security insists that the shutdown would not impair the ability to protect the president, vice president, Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices while they gather in the Capitol. It seems safe to assume that Pelosi is more interested in pressuring Trump to end the shutdown than she is worried about the safety of almost every official in the line of succession to the presidency.

But Pelosi didnt go so far as to withdraw Trumps invitation to speak. Trump, on the other hand, booted Pelosi off the military plane that was providing her transportation. He invited her to fly commercial, which would be a challenge for the part of the trip that was heading into a war zone.

Congressional travel is an easy target for demagoguery  lawmakers costly overseas trips strike many people as taxpayer-funded vacations to exotic locales. I cant defend the trip Pelosi is planning, but I think its a good thing in general when lawmakers do some legwork to gain a better understanding of the global issues they grapple with.

Regardless, the tit-for-tat exchange reflects how personal this fight has become. If the dispute were truly about border security, there would have been a deal weeks ago  and no shutdown. Both sides support a greater investment at the border, they just disagree over where the money should go.

No, the issue is about who will be able to claim victory. And so far, the public has been on the Democrats side, largely blaming Trump for the shutdown because of his insistence on one specific, and particularly ineffective, approach to securing the border  the big, beautiful wall.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

Hence the focus earlier this week on a trip by close to 40 Democratic lawmakers for a conference in Puerto Rico during the shutdown (a trip neither Pelosi nor the Senates top Democrat, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, made). And now the letter drawing attention to the previously unannounced weeklong trip Pelosi had scheduled to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan.

Pelosi hadnt responded as of this writing. But if she wants to continue this fight in the current direction, perhaps she can remind the president of the inappropriate government-funded trips taken by current or former secretaries of the Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, Energy and Interior, not to mention his first pick for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Of course, that would be petty.The partial government shutdown is a double-whammy for Cara and Philip Mangone, a married couple from Philadelphia. Both are agents with the Transportation Security Administration, both working full time at the Philadelphia airport. Neither knows when they might again start drawing their paychecks.

Part-time jobs are out of the question  they work opposite shifts timed to make sure one of them is always home with their kids, ages 2 and 5. So donations of food and diapers have been a real help as savings are being stretched thin.

Every penny that we dont have to spend is helpful, Cara Mangone said Wednesday as she picked up donated goods being distributed at the airport by fellow members of the American Federation of Government Employees.

The shutdown has brought an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. Food, financial help, haircuts and toiletries are among the donated goods and services. TSA screeners start at about $24,000 a year.

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Emily Hunt, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, drops off a donation of food for TSA workers at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday. (John Raoux / Associated Press)

On Wednesday, donations of diapers, juice, garbage bags, canned soup and boxes of Ramen noodles were being unloaded onto luggage carts at the valet drop-off curb at Orlando International Airport, to be distributed to TSA workers there the next day.

I just wanted to support the federal workers who are furloughed because of the inaction of our government leaders, said Brian Couch, wearing a Kansas City Chiefs ball cap as he dropped off his donation.

The airport in Pittsburgh provided a free lunch to TSA workers on what should have been their payday last Friday. Our Operation Thank You free lunch program initially was only Fridays, but because were hearing from several food vendors who want to donate, its possible it will be increased to more days, airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said in an email.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, spokeswoman Elise Durham said some concession operators there were also donating free lunches to TSA workers and the airport was providing complimentary parking for those workers who need it.

Some travelers wanted to get in on the act, but TSA rules dont allow that.

Tristan Hearn reaches for a donation on Wednesday in Solon, Ohio. Stouffers, headquartered in the city, was handing out the frozen meals to furloughed federal workers. (Tony Dejak / Associated Press)

There are people trying to donate gift cards to us at the checkpoints, Cara Mangone said. We cant accept it.

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Businesses large and small are trying to help.

The Ruby Slipper, a New Orleans-based restaurant chain with several locations in the city and on the Gulf Coast, said on its Facebook page that it has served some 3,000 free meals since offering help to unpaid federal employees more than two weeks ago. At the Top Knot Beauty Company in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, owner Jennifer Delage has been offering free haircuts to federal employees. She said other businesses have followed suit with free or discounted services.

That was the main goal, Delage said. To inspire others to pay it forward.

Such sentiments are evident all over the country  and beyond.

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A lifeline for the Coast Guard

Unlike other military services, the Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, isnt funded during the shutdown. In a letter posted on social media, the guards commandant, Adm. Karl Schultz, said USAA, a company that provides banking and investment services to current and former military members and their families, made a $15-million donation to support those in need, to be distributed with assistance from the American Red Cross.

In another gesture, Roger Williams University invited active-duty Coast Guard members in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and their families to its Bristol, R.I., campus for a free dinner Tuesday night. About 75 people showed up.

Pizzas across the border

Canadian air traffic controllers have been taking up donations to have pizzas delivered to their American counterparts at locations around the U.S.

Pizzas have been bought for controllers at 84 U.S. facilities. Weve stopped tracking the number of pizzas, said Tania Calverley, director of communications for the Canadian Air Traffic Controllers Assn. Were certainly well over 400.

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Free rides

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has announced that all federal employees will be able to ride public transit for free by showing their government IDs.

We want to ... assist those who are hurting by taking a little weight off of their shoulders during this time, Robbie Makinen, chief executive and president of the authority, said in a news release about the program, which began Tuesday.

Bridge loans

Some financial institutions are offering low-interest, or even no-interest, loans to unpaid workers.

Webster Bank in Connecticut said it would offer no-interest loans to any federal workers who are working and not being paid during the shutdown. In announcing the assistance program on Tuesday, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said he hoped other banks would offer similar programs. The loans are to be repaid after the workers receive back pay.

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In addition to its donation to help Coast Guard personnel, USAA has announced low-interest loan offers to active Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps and Public Health Service Corps personnel whose pay is disrupted.The Pentagon, citing terrorism and espionage fears, is developing a plan to scrutinize prospective recruits with foreign ties, including some U.S. citizens, after a related effort targeting thousands of green-card holders was blocked by a federal judge last year.

The new policy, still in development, will be distributed to the military services by no later than Feb. 15, according to two Defense officials and several Defense Department memos obtained by the Washington Post. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the issues sensitivity.

The new vetting would probably screen thousands of recruits per year who have what the Pentagon considers foreign nexus risks, including Americans who marry a foreign spouse and who have family members with dual citizenship, the memos said. Anyone identified for the screening would not be allowed to attend recruit training until they are cleared, a process that could take days for some but drag on much longer for others.

One draft document, labeled predecisional, has circulated in recent weeks among senior officials and others who oversee recruiting. It is attributed to Joseph Kernan, the undersecretary of Defense for intelligence, and James Stewart, who performs the duties of undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, a post President Trump has left without a permanent political appointee since Robert Wilkie left it to run the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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One primary concern associated with qualifying for these positions relates to the potential counterintelligence or terrorism risks, the memo says. ... The Department must implement expanded foreign vetting and screening protocols to identify and mitigate the foreign nexus risks.

Defense officials declined to comment on the memos, saying the new policy is undergoing legal reviews and that some changes could be made.

The documents reveal how the Pentagon is grappling with the dual challenge of thoroughly screening prospective recruits for potential security threats and finding enough men and women willing to join the military. The armed forces have long sought green-card holders as recruits, marketing such jobs as a chance to attain U.S. citizenship.

The new initiative comes as the Trump administration continues to take unprecedented steps to curb immigration to the United States. Many of its efforts have been halted by federal courts, including the presidents efforts to bar Central Americans from seeking asylum in the United States, end a deferred-action program for young, undocumented immigrants, and withhold funds from so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with certain immigration enforcement efforts.

Among those who could be targets of the foreign nexus screening are people who have foreign contacts, foreign citizenship, dual citizenship, a birthplace outside the United States if born to foreign parents, family members who are not U.S. citizens, and immediate family members who have dual citizenship, according to one of the memos.

Other factors that could require such screening include possessing a non-U.S. passport, having financial interests abroad, residing outside the United States for more than three of the previous 10 years, and living in the United States for less than the last five consecutive years unless the circumstances involved work related to the U.S. government.

A Dec. 21 memo prepared by Stephanie Miller, who oversees recruitment policy for the Pentagon, says the Defense Department recognized gaps associated with its screening of individuals with foreign ties since the receipt of specific reporting beginning of 2016, though the memo does not specify what that information covers. But the concern stretches to some American citizens, she argued.

DoD recognizes that some U.S. citizens pose a similar risk by virtue of their foreign associations, foreign travel, marriage to a foreign spouse, or dual citizenship, she wrote. It is imperative to treat the risk related to a foreign nexus in a similar fashion for any recruit or service member, regardless of citizenship.

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The Pentagon is preparing the new policy after Kernans office and the Army combined in the summer of 2018 to screen green-card holders already in the military through a new process that relies on dozens of existing intelligence databases, one Defense Department memo said. The screening detected more derogatory information about the service members in less time than traditional background checks managed by the Office of Personnel Management, the memo said.

The memo promised that the new process  called foreign nexus screening and vetting, or FNSV  can be completed in a matter of days or, depending on the analysis required for detected anomalies, in a few weeks, as compared to the months and years required under traditional background checks. The new screening process, the memo said, can process up to 1,600 cases per day.

Historically, about 70% of all recruits with green cards are processed quickly, Defense officials said in the memo. Under the new policy, the other 30% would still be withheld from recruit training until their screening is complete, but the process would in theory be faster.

The new screening process still faces a major hurdle: another court injunction.

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In November, Judge Jon Tigar in the Northern District of California ruled it was unreasonable for the Pentagon to require all green-card holders to undergo a full background check and receive a favorable determination in a security review. He issued a preliminary injunction, forcing the Pentagon to begin shipping a backlog of thousands of green-card holders to recruit training.

The Defense Department has continued to fight the case in court. Miller argued in a Dec. 14 declaration that if the court does not stay its order, the harm to the military and national security could be significant and irreparable.

Foreign nationals, including those with [green-card] status, raise unique counterintelligence and counterterrorism concerns because of the heightened susceptibility to influence by foreign governments and organizations and because of the difficulty in verifying information about them that is maintained oversees, Millers declaration said.

The injunction has not been lifted, but the Defense Department memo from Kernan and Stewart said the Pentagon is preparing to put in place its new policy within 30 days of the court approving it. It is unclear whether the court will do so.

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Dan Lamothe writes for the Washington Post.One year after Wang Fuman went viral for being Ice Boyafter a photo of him literally covered with ice on the head from walking to school last winter in southwest Chinas Yunnan went viral, life has greatly improved for the boy as well as the many other ice boys and girls like him.

Wang, the 9-year-old schoolboy from Ludian County, Zhaotong, Yunnan, touched many hearts last January after walking into his classroom covered with ice and snow from the long walk to school. Media later learned that Wang was living with his sister and his grandmother, as his father worked away from home and his mother had left the family.

As media attention increased, Wangs life began to warm up. His mother learned about the story of her son from the waves of reports. Ashamed and caring, she immediately returned to reunite with her family. And Wangs father received a new job as a construction worker in Ludian, which pays him about 200 yuan per day, which is higher than average amount of pay in the small county.

Thanks to social donations and his fathers efforts, the family has moved to a new house, which is also 10 minute-walk to school.

Wang no longer needs to brave the cold winter. Local authorities and NGOs have all offered assistance to the school for renovation and construction. Now, not only has the school been equipped with more advanced labs and a computer room, but it also provides accommodation for students.

Im grateful to all those warmhearted people whove helped us. Ill study hard and find a job in a bigger city in the future so that I can pay back their support, the young boy said.

Beyond Wang and his family, local residents in Ludian have also undergone many changes thanks to the central governments call to combat poverty. In 2018, some 15 villages under the poverty line were lifted out of poverty, bringing the poverty incidence rate down by 4.91 percentage points.The college students took turns removing yellowed shards of bone from a trench carved between the headstones in this ranching towns cemetery.

The volunteers were here to help exhume the remains of unidentified migrants buried near whats been the busiest stretch of border for illicit crossings in recent years: Texas Rio Grande Valley. The students found 15 bodies; but based on sheriffs records, they said, there were probably more crammed between the existing family plots.



For the record: This article says funding for searches for the remains of missing migrants could come from the American Red Cross. Funding is expected from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

They just buried them wherever they had space, said Kate Spradley, an anthropology professor at Texas State University who led the team of about 35 students and several professors.

Until recently, the burials were handled by a local funeral home, and gravesites were haphazard and seemingly selected randomly.

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While the number of migrant families crossing the border to claim asylum has surged in recent years, illegal crossings have dropped significantly, with fewer people trying to evade the Border Patrol on the ranchland here. Last year, the Border Patrol caught 396,579 migrants crossing illegally, down 44% from a decade ago. Facing criticism for steering migrants into more dangerous routes, the Border Patrol has also stepped up rescue efforts.

Those factors appear to have led to a decrease in migrant deaths. Last year, the Border Patrol reported 281 migrant deaths along the entire border, compared with 451 five years earlier and 385 a decade ago. As of last month, 32 migrant deaths had been reported since this fiscal year started in October.

The number of buried bodies found here has also steadily declined in recent years, falling from 129 in 2012 to 50 last year. But because the migrants were often buried in unmarked graves in or around rural South Texas cemeteries, volunteers continue to exhume bodies that were buried years ago.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive to detain a group of Central American asylum seekers near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. (John Moore / Getty Images)

Falfurrias has long been a deathtrap for migrants. About 70 miles north of the border, its home to one of a handful of Border Patrol checkpoints designed to confine migrants to the Rio Grande Valley. Smugglers drop migrants along the highway south of the checkpoint with promises to pick them up to the north. The Border Patrol and immigrant advocates have tried to help those stranded on the ranchland, adding rescue beacons, water stations and  most recently  placards with coordinates to help find those calling 911 for help. But over the years, many still became lost, injured or dehydrated and died.

Like many of Texas 254 counties, Brooks County, where Falfurrias is located, doesnt have a medical examiner. So for years a local funeral home handled the burials until the local nonprofit South Texas Human Rights Center and other advocates pressured the state to pay for the bodies to be taken to the medical examiner in Laredo for autopsy. The medical examiner submits bone samples to the University of North Texas for DNA testing, and stores bodies until theyre identified.

Of 200 bodies, 31 have been identified, half through the DNA database, half through working with international advocates for families of the missing. The migrants were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador and Nicaragua, Spradley said. The remains are ultimately returned to families for burial with help from local consulates.

Last week, volunteers scouted the cemetery for possible burial sites, comparing sheriffs records, information from groundskeepers and residents. They used ground-penetrating radar to scan for remains, roped off likely sites and dug into the earth, gingerly sifting the dirt for small bones.

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Its sending somebody home, giving their family peace of mind, said Kim Wile, 39, a senior at Texas State.

More than 60 people contacted the South Texas Human Rights Center last month searching for missing family members, mostly Mexican men, some from as far as Nicaragua, said founder Eddie Canales. Migration here picked up in the early 2000s, and many migrants missing from that era still havent been found, he said.

Those are probably the remains Spradleys team has been exhuming, she said as she walked the cemetery last week, surveying students at work in a half dozen trenches. Some of the dead migrants were buried in body bags labeled 2005. Others they found had been wrapped in crumbling plastic, with clues nearby, such as a fruit cup with an expiration date of 2001. She hopes to return to the cemetery for further searches, depending on funding from the state, the American Red Cross, American Academy of Forensic Sciences and private foundations.

Even if no one is looking for these people right now, we think there is a generation of families who will learn about DNA technology and want to find out, Spradley said.

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molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

@mollyhfPresident Trump called Thursday for dramatically broadening U.S. defenses against missile attacks, outlining a costly and scientifically unproven plan for developing lasers and space sensors to defend all of U.S. territory from ballistic missile threats.

Our strategy is grounded in one overriding objective: to detect and destroy every type of missile attack against any American target, whether before or after launch, Trump said at the Pentagon as the administration released its long-awaited missile defense strategy.

Trumps expansive vision of an impenetrable U.S missile shield  one first envisaged by President Reagan 35 years ago  goes well beyond the Pentagons technical and scientific capacity, the reality that grounded most of Reagans Star Wars initiative.

The plan also does not reflect the Trump administrations near-term goals, which remain focused on developing the capability to knock out limited missile strikes by Iran or North Korea and, at least theoretically, new short- and medium-range weapons being developed by China and Russia that could threaten Europe and Asia.

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But Trump used the speech to press his America First agenda, fitting his call for expanded missile defense in with familiar broadsides on Democrats in Congress for blocking his proposed border wall and on U.S. allies for failing to pay enough for their own defense.

When Trump attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for opposing the border wall and said Democrats had been hijacked by the fringe and radical left, the audience of uniformed military officers and Defense Department officials sat silent.

Democrats in Congress, even some who have backed the development of the current limited U.S. missile defense system, questioned Trumps vision of a vast shield over the nation.

An effective missile defense system can serve as a deterrent to conflict, protect our forward-deployed forces and the homeland, and create an opening for diplomacy, said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a member of the Armed Services Committee. But its not a magic bulletproof shield, and it comes with a considerable price tag.

Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear weapons expert at Ploughshares Fund, a Washington-based anti-nuclear-proliferation organization, called the Trump plan a grab bag of contractor proposals to build space weapons we dont need, dont work and cant afford.

The 81-page Missile Defense Review, released by the Pentagon as Trump began speaking, cites Russian and Chinese medium-range missiles as possible targets of anti-missile defenses.

Thats a departure from previous administrations, which insisted the U.S. system was aimed at so-called rogue states and at intercepting accidental launches but was too small to be of concern to major powers with intercontinental missiles and large nuclear arsenals.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the U.S. was considering measures for the first time to guard against Russian and Chinese medium-range missiles, including hypersonic weapons that travel far faster than sound and could threaten U.S. forces abroad and allies in Europe and Asia.

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China and Russia are expanding their missile arsenals  and [integrating] these more effectively into war planning, Shanahan said in remarks before Trump spoke, adding that Iran and North Koreas missiles remain a significant concern.

The Pentagon has built a growing capability to target medium-range weapons with advanced radars and interceptors from Aegis-class warships in the western Pacific and eastern Mediterranean. A U.S. medium-range interceptor site is also operational in Romania while another is under construction in Poland.

U.S. officials say those defenses are aimed at Iran and North Korea.

Russia has complained for years that the U.S. system could in theory target its missiles and have vowed to respond if the U.S. goes ahead with the two sites in Eastern Europe. That stance is likely to harden with the U.S. now explicitly vowing to develop a system capable of targeting Moscows missiles.

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Shanahan acknowledged that the expanding U.S. defenses were a major factor driving Russia and China to build faster and more survivable missiles.

Russia, in particular, has developed a new SSC-8 ground-fired cruise missile that U.S. officials say violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and could give Moscow the ability to launch a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice. The Trump administration has threatened to pull out of the INF treaty as a result.

Frustrated by our mid-course defenses, they are aggressively pursuing new technologies to circumvent todays systems, Shanahan said.

For his part, Trump failed to mention Russia or North Korea. He has frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office and is seeking a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

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North Korea tested a suspected hydrogen bomb and a long-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States after Trump took office, but after meeting with Kim at a summit last June in Singapore, Trump declared that Pyongyang no longer represented a nuclear threat to America.

Experts say, however, theyve seen no sign that Kims regime has taken any steps to give up its nuclear weapons arsenal or production. Several North Korean officials were due in Washington on Friday to discuss a second summit and, apparently, to try to revive the stalled talks.

The missile defense review calls for researching the feasibility of developing and launching sensors in space that could detect missile launches around the globe. It also calls for further research into lasers and other so-called directed-energy weapons that could, in theory, knock out ballistic missiles early in flight.

The Pentagon is supposed to deliver a report within six months on placing non-nuclear missile defense interceptors on satellites.

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The administration plans to add more interceptors to the existing missile defense sites at Ft. Greely in Alaska and at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc. The report calls for studying the option of adding a third interceptor site on the East Coast, an idea aimed at bolstering defenses against a possible limited missile attack from Iran.

Even an expanded missile shield would not be capable of stopping a major attack by Russia or China, U.S. officials said.

Both countries have large arsenals of intercontinental ballistic missiles topped with nuclear warheads that U.S. officials say could overwhelm an expanded U.S. system in a large-scale nuclear exchange.

U.S. strategy relies on deterrence and the threat that it would respond to any nuclear attack with a devastating nuclear counterattack. Expanding defenses could prompt Russia and China to invest in new weapons systems, spurring a new arms race, critics warned.

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The new strategy is likely to exacerbate Russian and Chinese concerns about the threat to their strategic nuclear deterrents, undermine strategic stability, and further complicate the prospects for additional nuclear arms reductions, the Arms Control Assn., a nonpartisan Washington policy organization, said in a statement.

david.cloud@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidcloudLATU.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Chinese tech giant Huawei stole trade secrets from U.S. companies, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The newspaper says investigators are looking into whether the company stole technology behind a robotic device that T-Mobile used to test smartphones.

The Journal report Wednesday cites several people familiar with the matter who are not identified by name.

Huawei founder denies his company helps China spy, and he praises Trump 

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They told the newspaper the investigation was prompted in part by lawsuits against Huawei. In one of those cases, a Seattle jury ruled that Huawei misappropriated the robotic technology from T-Mobiles lab in Washington state.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada last month. The U.S. is seeking to extradite her to face charges she misled banks about the companys business dealings in Iran.Harvey Weinstein and attorney Benjamin Brafman announced Thursday that the criminal defense attorney will no longer represent the beleaguered producer in his rape case and that a new team of lawyers will be announced next week.

The formal announcement that Weinstein will allow Brafman to inform Judge James Burke that he wants to withdraw as legal counsel comes after sources told The Times the pair differed on strategy for the case, in which the producer is charged with raping two women.

In a joint statement, Weinstein and Brafman said they have agreed to part ways amicably and Mr. Brafman has agreed to cooperate fully with new counsel for Mr. Weinstein so as to ensure an orderly transition.

Mr. Weinstein praised Mr. Brafman for his legal work to date and Mr. Brafman reiterated his belief that Mr. Weinstein would be exonerated of the charges that have been filed against him and Brafman personally wished Mr. Weinstein the best of luck as he defends the case and the accusations that Mr. Weinstein has vehemently denied.

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Weinstein intends to introduce his new legal team by early next week, the statement added.

The move will almost certainly delay Weinsteins trial, which is slated for May. It would likely take a new attorney considerable time to get up to speed on a highly complex case with potentially dozens of witnesses.

Since December, Weinstein has pushed for a more aggressive approach that seeks to undermine not only the two women accusing him of rape but also the dozens of women accusing him of sexually inappropriate conduct over four decades in Hollywood, according to sources familiar with the case.

For Brafman to exit the high-profile proceedings, he will need Burkes approval.

Last month, the judge rejected a motion by Brafman to dismiss charges of sexual assault against Weinstein.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimesEditors note: This story was originally published in the Los Angeles Times on Feb. 15, 1994.

Just a month after his three roommates died around him, Robert Dorsey, 25, went back to classes at Cal State Northridge on Monday.

He still has trouble sleeping, still plays the scenes endlessly in his head: his ground-level apartment crushed under two upper stories of the collapsed Northridge Meadows complex, his roommates suffocated in their beds only yards away.

The rib he cracked trying to shove himself out from under the fallen ceiling is healing. He can walk without crutches on the leg that was compressed so hard and so long he thought it would be amputated. He no longer coughs up the little white balls that formed in his throat from inhaling drywall dust while pinned in the blackness.

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Even before the Jan. 17 earthquake killed 16 of his friends and neighbors at Northridge Meadows, Dorsey had survived high-speed motorcycle crashes and a fiery car explosion. He survived the Persian Gulf War as an Army machine-gunner.

Now he is the lone survivor of Apartment 104.

Despite his roommates deaths, Dorsey was eager to get back to his computer science and math classes at CSUN, he said.

College is Dorseys top priority. In his first semester last fall, he earned a 4.0 grade point average. He hopes to transfer to UCLA or UC Berkeley in two years, and later obtain a masters degree.

And he feels no guilt, he said, over emerging alive from Apartment 104. Trapped himself, there was nothing he could have done to save his roommates, he said, and he takes comfort in that knowledge.

Certain events I go through and I accept, and then I get on with my life, said Dorsey, a slim man with reddish-blond hair, an earring and a quiet, matter-of-fact manner.

I walk by that (apartment complex) building and two minutes later Im on my way, thinking about what Ive got to get done.

Discharged last summer after six years in the Army, in which he enlisted specifically to get college money, Dorsey enrolled at Cal State Northridge in September. He moved into a dorm where he met Manuel Sandoval, 24, a fellow computer science major who soon became his best friend.

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Related: A big earthquake would topple countless buildings, but many cities ignore the danger 

By Christmas break, the pair had decided to find a cheaper place to live. After checking out dozens of buildings, they settled on the Northridge Meadows, a well-maintained complex that sported a courtyard pool, putting green and barbecue pits and advertised resort-style living.

They moved in two days before the quake, joining two other roommates who had arrived five days earlier, Jaime Reyes, a 19-year-old CSUN student, and his new girlfriend, Myrna Velazquez, an 18-year-old Valley College student.

The night before the quake, Dorsey and Sandoval cooked a chicken dinner and relaxed in front of the TV. By 1 a.m. Monday, they were asleep in their bedroom, and Reyes and Velazquez were asleep in their smaller room nearby.

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When the quake struck at 4:31 a.m., Dorsey leaped out of bed and ran toward the door frame. But the wildly heaving floor pitched him atop a three-foot-high metal filing cabinet.

Seconds later, the roof caved in, pinning him helplessly, face-down.

I was smashed into the filing cabinet like somebody stepping on a Coke can, crushed right into it, he said.

Dorsey had the air knocked out of him and could not breathe for a minute or so. Terrified that he would suffocate, he heaved himself a few inches forward, yanking his chest off the filing cabinet so he could breathe. He pushed so hard he cracked a rib.

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Just as he was feeling a bit safer, a sharp aftershock brought the ceiling down even more, further constricting his lungs. He could see only 12 inches of space between the floor and ceiling.

I was taking half breaths, he said. And every aftershock after that, I went from half breaths to quarter breaths. I realized that if they dont get me out of here soon, Ill go from quarter breaths to eighth breaths to no breaths at all.

One of his legs, jammed under debris, felt like it had lost circulation. When he touched it, he felt nothing.

1 / 21 Only rubble remains at the junction of the 5 and 14 freeways following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. (Jonathan Alcorn / For The Times) 2 / 21 The interchange of the 14 and 5 freeways, where LAPD Officer Clarence Wayne Dean died. Dean, 46, had left his Lancaster home after the quake struck. Driving south on the 14 in the dark, he rounded a bend on the transition road and plunged 30 feet from the roadway, which had collapsed in the quake. (Los Angeles Times) 3 / 21 Before dawn, repairs begin on the collapsed 5 Freeway. (Los Angeles Times) 4 / 21 Neighbors use a bucket brigade to fight a fire in the 11700 block of Balboa Boulevard in Granada Hills. (Los Angeles Times) 5 / 21 Sylmar resident Brian Demetz flees from his burning home. (Los Angeles Times) 6 / 21 Cars are dwarfed by a wall of flames that was created when a natural gas line ruptured in the earthquake. (Jonathan Alcorn / For The Los Angeles Times) 7 / 21 Michael Evans walks through a mobile home park in Santa Clarita. His residence was among those that burned. (Los Angeles Times) 8 / 21 The body of Los Angeles Police Officer Clarence Wayne Dean lies near his motorcycle, which plunged off the 14 Freeway overpass that collapsed onto the 5 Freeway during the earthquake. (Jonathan Alcorn / For the Los Angeles Times) 9 / 21 A row of cars is crushed beneath a collapsed apartment building in Canoga Park. (Los Angeles Times) 10 / 21 Rescue workers peer into the wreckage of a Studio City house that slid down a hill and collapsed in the earthquake. (Los Angeles Times) 11 / 21 Dave Dutton found chaos at his Duttons Books in North Hollywood. (Julie Markes / For the Los Angeles Times) 12 / 21 People stand in line at a Canoga Park High School shelter to pick up childrens sweat suits donated by a sporting goods manufacturer. (David Bohrer / For the Los Angeles Times) 13 / 21 A mothers face reflects her grief on learning that her 14-year-old son had been found dead in a closet in their Northridge apartment. (Los Angeles Times) 14 / 21 L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, left, Gov. Pete Wilson and President Clinton listen on the 118 Freeway as Caltrans engineer Andrew Ponzi explains the extent of the damage to L.A. freeways. (Los Angeles Times) 15 / 21 Jessica Hernandez, 7, clutches her teddy bear outside the makeshift shelter where her family and other residents of a Van Nuys apartment complex are living because they are afraid of return to their homes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 21 Cal State Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson said: The moment of returning to the campus and seeing the parking structure demolished ... was the most terrifying moment of my life. (Los Angeles Times) 17 / 21 Unable to bathe since his Canoga Park apartment was condemned, Jose Aguilar rinses off in a pool. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 21 Heavy-equipment operators remove pieces of the 118 Freeways eastbound lanes. (Los Angeles Times) 19 / 21 Both ends of this medical administration building collapsed, and the second floor pancaked. (Ricardo DeArantha / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 21 A man stares out to the street from his wall-less home at the devastated Northridge Meadows apartments. (Joel P. Lugavere / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 21 Flowers line a fence at the Northridge Meadows apartment complex a week after the quake. (Julie Markes / For the Los Angeles Times)

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See the Los Angeles Times front pages in the days following the Northridge earthquake 

Outside on Reseda Boulevard, fire trucks raced by, sirens wailing. But none stopped. He realized the quake probably had wrecked lots of apartment buildings, and figured that he might be trapped for days.

Dorsey tried to stay calm. To get excited meant his heart and lungs worked faster, and that only produced more pain. But when he thought of his roommates, he began to scream.

I just kept screaming out their names, saying, Talk to me, tell me youre alive, tell me youre in good condition, he said.

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Sandoval, dead in his bed about 15 feet away, made no sound.

Dorsey felt himself envying his three dead roommates.

Tell you the truth, I felt jealous. Because I was so sure that I was going to die that I was thinking, Gee, I wish I could have gone painless and quick like that.

Dorsey heard voices from the sidewalk, people talking and laughing just a few yards away. But when he started yelling for help, no one responded.

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They all stopped talking. It was like bystander apathy. They all stood around waiting for somebody else to come over. One woman, he said, even told him to stop your whining.

Eventually, a man came to Dorseys aid. He told Dorsey that Fire Department rescue crews were en route. Then he began chipping away at the debris with a claw hammer.

After they arrived, the fire fighters worked quickly and efficiently. But they apparently did not realize Dorseys back was actually jammed against the ceiling, which they were trying to cut through from the apartment above.

A chain saw slashed through the ceiling next to his head. Dorsey shouted to his rescuers that they were in danger of cutting him, and they began slicing only part way through the ceiling and then cracking it with sledgehammers.

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Finally, the ceiling was weakened to the point that Dorsey used his arms and back to punch through it. It was the best push-up I ever did, he said. Firefighters hauled him out through an apartment window, using a door as a makeshift stretcher.

He had been trapped in the rubble for 2 hours.

Getting the overwhelming weight of the collapsed ceiling off him, he said, was beyond relief.

It was just like being tortured your whole life, and suddenly not knowing pain, he said.

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But within minutes, his body filled with new pain  from his cracked rib, compressed leg and assorted cuts and bruises. Clad only in shorts and a tank top, he began shaking violently in the chill morning. He felt himself slipping into shock.

A doctor examined him and sent him by ambulance to Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

At the quake-damaged hospital, doctors and nurses in the parking lot were frantically seeing which patients most needed medical care. Dorsey had his chest and leg X-rayed and then, since he had no life-threatening injuries, was given crutches and asked to leave. Someone said they needed his bed.

With no money and no shoes, Dorsey took a free hospital shuttle bus to the Cal State dorms, hoping to find some shelter. But the dorms were closed. Badly dehydrated and in pain, Dorsey blacked out three times.

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Eventually, another Cal State student drove him back to the hospital, where he huddled overnight, sleepless, on a small mattress in the lobby. His mother arrived the next morning and took him to his parents home in Petaluma, north of San Francisco.

For two weeks, he could not sleep. He would jump out of bed in the middle of the night, hugging the wall and trying to hold it up, mistakenly believing another quake had hit.

When Im wide awake  I have no problem. Its business as usual, he said. But at night, you just cant fool yourself. Things start to come back. You start to rehash everything.

But Dorsey doesnt expect the flashbacks and night fears to continue for long.

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Ive had a lot of experience with bad, traumatic things. Ive come close to death several times, he said.

But I have very, very good coping skills. This is just one more thing. And I think I can deal with it.

From the Archives: An emerging Northridge earthquake death toll The Northridge earthquake that hit 25 years ago offered alarming evidence of how vulnerable many types of buildings are to collapse from major shaking.

It toppled hundreds of apartments, smashed brittle concrete structures and tore apart brick buildings.

Since then, some cities have taken significant steps to make those buildings safer by requiring costly retrofitting aimed at protecting those inside and preserving the housing supply.

But many others have ignored the seismic threat. And that has created an uneven landscape that in the coming years will leave some cities significantly better prepared to withstand a big quake than others.

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Other than hospitals, state government has generally not set any mandatory rules for earthquake retrofits, and that has left it up to city and county governments to make decisions about seismic risks.

And because the public generally doesnt keep tabs on municipal retrofit laws, many could be in the dark about which cities might be more dangerous than others in an earthquake.

And thats unlikely to change  until a big earthquake hits.

We cant afford a patchwork of California cities, some of which save lives, and others which lose lives, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who authored the nations most sweeping earthquake retrofit law, which will require 15,000 buildings to be retrofitted, and is pushing for a more uniform approach for seismic safety.

The move to retrofit vulnerable buildings was led by San Francisco and Los Angeles. But getting medium-sized and smaller cities to join the effort has been a mixed bag, with some officials expressing concerns over passing on the costs to building owners and perhaps to renters.

1 / 15 Before dawn, repair begins on the collapsed 5 Freeway. (Los Angeles Times ) 2 / 15 Gas from a ruptured supply line burns as water from a broken water main floods Balboa Boulevard in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles. The fire from the gas main destroyed two homes, right. (Lenny Ignelzi / AP) 3 / 15 A police motorcycle officer died after the collapse of a transition bridge between the 14 and 5 freeways. (Steve Dykes / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 15 A damaged house in Fillmore six months after the Northridge quake. (Joe Pugliese / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 15 Construction workers and investigators begin demolition at the remains of the Northridge Meadows apartment complex. (Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 15 Bricks and debris surround a building on Hollywood Boulevard after the Northridge earthquake. (Rene Macura / AP) 7 / 15 The 10 freeway split and collapsed over La Cienega Boulevard during the Northridge quake. (Eric Draper / AP) 8 / 15 Cal State Northridge students walk past a collapsed parking structure on campus. (Mark J. Terrill / AP) 9 / 15 The destroyed Bullocks department store at Northridge Fashion Center. (Los Angeles Times) 10 / 15 The Kaiser Permanente outpatient center in Northridge after the quake. (Alcorn, Jonathan / For the Times) 11 / 15 A portion of the Bullocks department store in the Northridge Fashion Center collapsed in the Northridge earthquake. (Reed Saxon / AP) 12 / 15 The Northridge Meadows apartment complex, in which 16 people died when the upper floors collapsed onto the so-called soft story ground floor. (Nick Ut / AP) 13 / 15 The covered body of Los Angeles Police Officer Clarence Wayne Dean lies near his motorcycle, which plunged off the 14 Freeway overpass that collapsed onto Interstate 5. (Douglas C. Pizac / AP) 14 / 15 Fillmores Cental Market was one of the many buildings and businesses hard hit by the Northridge earthquake. (AHAlan Hagman / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 15 Damaged apartments in Sherman Oaks. (Khan, Irfan / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles has a mandatory seismic retrofit law for wood-frame apartments and concrete buildings. Long Beach, the countys second-largest city, does not, and neither do the rest of L.A. Countys 10 largest cities by population: Santa Clarita, Glendale, Lancaster, Palmdale, Pomona, Torrance, Pasadena and El Monte.

San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Fremont require apartments with flimsy ground-floor construction to be strengthened. Yet other Bay Area cities in the heart of Californias booming tech region, including Palo Alto and Burlingame, have not acted.

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San Jose, Californias third-largest city, doesnt even know where its vulnerable buildings are located, but it has applied for a grant to create an inventory.

On the Westside, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills have all passed some kind of retrofit law recently, following reports about the danger from faults that run through the area. But in the South Bay, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach have not. Neither have some older cities in Orange County, including Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana.

Many Inland Empire cities havent even completed retrofits or demolitions of their old brick buildings, a hazard that had been more comprehensively resolved elsewhere by the 1990s. Ontario has changed its outlook: Officials are now creating a new inventory of all types of seismically vulnerable buildings.

GRAPHIC: Why old brick buildings can collapse 

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Some cities, such as Alhambra, take their cues from what Los Angeles County requires of buildings in unincorporated regions not ruled by a city government  such as East L.A., Florence-Firestone and Hacienda Heights. But L.A. County has not passed any recent retrofit laws for the unincorporated area, where 1 million people live.

Its possible state officials may step in. With a new governor in office, Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-North Hollywood) said he would reintroduce bills that were vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown that would have provided for a tax break off the cost of retrofit of 30% for owners and mandated local governments to create their own inventory of earthquake-vulnerable buildings. Brown said he was concerned about how much both bills would cost the government.

But the veto of the inventory law caused momentum in some cities to evaporate.

Officials have long known exactly what type of buildings are likeliest to collapse in an earthquake, yet have spent a generation or more not requiring them to be fixed. Its time that has been lost even as so much wealth has been created in just the last 25 years, said Tom Tobin, former executive director of the California Seismic Safety Commission.

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The length of time its going to take us to recover from a large earthquake  the economic damage, the social disruption, the loss of business  will set California back decades, Tobin said. And it will be a price that we will pay for decades to come.

A U.S. Geological Survey simulation of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Southern California said 50 brittle concrete buildings housing 7,500 people could completely or partially collapse, and five high-rise steel buildings  of a type known to be seismically vulnerable  holding 5,000 people could completely collapse.

BRICKS can lodge projectiles on to sidewalks and roads, and did so on Adams Boulevard in West Adams. (Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times)

SOFT-STORY apartments with flimsy poles holding up a level for parking can collapse, as it did in Canoga Park. (Rolando Otero / Los Angeles Times)

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BRITTLE CONCRETE buildings can lead to concrete exploding out of their columns when shaken. (Jonathan Alcorn / For The Times)

STEEL MOMENT FRAME buildings suffered cracks during the Northridge earthquake, including the one housing Santa Clarita City Hall. (Jonathan Alcorn / For the Times)

GRAPHIC: How apartment buildings can collapse in a quake 

Gov. Gavin Newsom, in the past, has been supportive of seismic retrofit efforts. As mayor of San Francisco, he began an effort completed by his late successor, Ed Lee, that led to a mandatory retrofit law for about 5,000 apartment buildings with a flimsy first story, typically used as a garage, carport or for a retail shop. About 200 of those soft-story buildings collapsed in the Northridge earthquake, including one building in which 16 people died.

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Its easy to see why it can be difficult for elected officials to act  the price tag comes first, and the public generally isnt upset until the disaster strikes. Some local officials, including those in the city of Orange, said they have no plans to make changes to its rules unless the state takes action.

You dont get citizens marching on City Hall or the state Capitol saying, Save us from the earthquake, said Peter May, a professor emeritus at University of Washington and an expert on policies to reduce the risks from earthquakes.

Instead, elected officials have to take experts advice and be willing to step up and take leadership on that. Its a political calculus that comes back to upfront costs, delayed benefits, and a lot of headaches along the way.

In some cities, theres a reluctance for government to step in. Im certainly not in favor of government intruding on private property rights, Highland Mayor Pro Tem Larry McCallon said. Redlands Mayor Paul Foster said mandatory retrofits represent a huge, prohibitive expense to the private owners.

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Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey said hes heard from merchants who fear retrofits could potentially put some businesses out of business and property owners would lose their income. San Bernardinos point person on earthquake safety issues has left the citys employment.

It is a delicate balance of living in Southern California. Building safety is a top concern for our city, but mandatory programs can have equally profound impacts on housing and our economy, said Mike Lyster, a spokesman for Anaheim.

GRAPHIC: Why concrete buildings can collapse 

Several city councilmen in Torrance, a community of 147,000 people, were skeptical about implementing mandatory retrofits when they were discussed last May.

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Im concerned about the prospect of these mandatory costs that were passing on  some pretty large costs here, on the order of $10,000 per unit, said Councilman Tim Goodrich. Costs arent just going to be absorbed by landlords; its going to be passed on to residents. And rent has risen astronomically in the last few years.

According to Zillow, median rents in Torrance rose from $2,500 in November 2010 to $3,100 in November 2018.

Mayor Patrick Furey, however, said failing to take action could result in not only a high death toll, but a housing catastrophe should many older apartments be destroyed. We have a housing crunch right now, and if we lose those houses, theyre lost even longer, Furey said.

Torrance and Hermosa Beach, like San Jose, applied for a grant to do a seismic inventory. Pasadena and Mountain View are discussing potential ordinances that would require retrofitting of some apartments. Meanwhile, Palmdale building officials say they dont believe they have any of the most vulnerable kinds of structures in the suburb.

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FLIMSY COLUMNS holding the carport can collapse in an earthquake. (Raoul Ranoa / Los Angeles Times)

INSTALLING steel columns, as done by Optimum Seismic in Mid-City, helps an apartment stay up in an earthquake. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles TImes)

As rents have risen, so has the value of rental properties. Between 2008 and 2018, the average value per unit for a market-rate apartment complex in Los Angeles has climbed from $174,000 to $280,000, according to Steve Basham, a managing analyst for CoStar Group.

A prudent use of all that equity would be to invest it into a seismic retrofit, said Heidi Tremayne, executive director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. Its better to invest now.

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Groups representing owners and tenants have begun to see the importance of retrofits, and the focus of many of them is how to accomplish the retrofits and finance them, rather than oppose the laws. Owners have also become increasingly aware of a California appeals court ruling placing owners liable for deaths and injury from earthquake damage.

From the Archives: The road to recovery for Robert Dorsey, whose three roommates died in the Northridge earthquake 

Various cities with rent control have taken different tacks. San Francisco allows all of the cost of a retrofit to be passed down to the tenants, spread over a 20-year period. L.A. splits the cost between owner and tenant, with monthly rent hikes at no more than $38 (the average amount passed on to tenants has actually been around $25). Santa Monica and West Hollywood have decided to bar owners from passing on retrofit costs to tenants.

But doing nothing may not help tenants. Not addressing this and figuring out how to make sure were preserving safe and affordable housing, and prevent displacement, is a losing proposition, said Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival.

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Some cities are offering some sweeteners for owners. Oaklands law allows owners to add one or two more units to an apartment building, above the current density cap. Oakland and Berkeley have also received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Governors Office of Emergency Services to help offset retrofit costs.

Experts warn that the economy of California is threatened unless more is done to keep buildings up right after a quake.

The destruction of tens of thousands of units of housing after a big earthquake will bring on a housing crisis unlike anything weve ever seen, Garcetti said. This is the rainy day. Spend it now before something bad happens.

ron.lin@latimes.com

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@ronlinA Temecula woman was among six people charged this week with operating a sprawling prostitution ring that forced women  many of them from China  to work in brothels across the globe, federal authorities announced.

The complex international prostitution enterprise relied on at least 25 websites, the encrypted messenger service WeChat, a group of dispatchers that arranged dates with customers and a series of leased apartments and motel rooms spread across the U.S., Canada and Australia, federal prosecutors wrote in indictments unsealed Wednesday following arrests by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force in Portland, Ore.

The business was run by Mark Chen, 46, of Toronto, who used a computer program to schedule and track sexual meetings, logging customer phone numbers and details from previous encounters, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said 33-year-old Yan Wang, also known as Sarah Wang, of Temecula was a dispatcher in the organization, scheduling customers encounters with the women at various brothels.

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The since-seized websites showed photos of women in bikinis and lingerie and advertised escorts in various locations, including Los Angeles, Oakland, Anaheim, Bakersfield, Palmdale and San Diego, as well as cities throughout the United States.

Chen, Wang and two others are in custody, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Wang was arrested by the FBIs Los Angeles Division and made an appearance before a federal magistrate judge in L.A. on Tuesday.

Two suspects remain at large. Weixuan Zhou, 37, who registered the websites, is believed to be in China, while the whereabouts of Chaodan Wang, who prosecutors say managed and leased residences used as brothels in Oregon, are unknown, authorities said.

In addition to the arrests, the FBI assisted five victims in Oregon. The FBI and U.S. attorneys office victim services programs worked with local nonprofit agencies to ensure the women have access to social, medical and legal services, according to the news release.

Renn Cannon, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, said in a statement that community members who suspect illegal activity should come forward to help authorities identify instances of human trafficking.

Vulnerable women looking for a new life in the U.S. instead find traffickers who cash in on their cultural isolation by profiting from the sale of sex services, he said. In many cases, these women lack the language skills and understanding of American civil rights to ask for help or assistance from law enforcement.

Authorities asked anyone with information on the investigation to contact the nearest FBI office or submit information online.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

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@jpanzarThe latest in a series of winter storms that have hammered Southern California for days sent soil sliding from beneath a house in the Hollywood Hills, forcing evacuations, and a boulder tumbling down a hillside in Malibu, leaving a hiker critically injured.

The 57-year-old woman was pummeled by the large boulder Thursday on Rambla Pacifico Street, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said.

No one was injured in the Hollywood Hills slide, but fire officials evacuated five workers from the home, which is under construction above Stanley Avenue, along with residents of about 20 surrounding homes , for several hours.

Four of those homes were yellow-tagged; authorities told those residents they could go home but must stay out of their backyards. Geologists will assess the area for potential danger, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

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In Echo Park, a fourplex was red-tagged  meaning no one can go inside  when its staircase collapsed, causing soil and debris to slam into two parked cars, he said.

By 8:30 p.m., the Fire Department was on its 1,800th incident today, Humphrey said. Every single one has some nexus to the rain. Its been a very busy day.

Bands of heavy precipitation that moved into L.A. early Thursday from an atmospheric river  a long plume of water vapor pouring over from the Pacific Ocean and swollen with subtropical moisture  also wreaked havoc on roadways, causing dozens of crashes, including an overturned car that blocked several lanes on the southbound 110 Freeway in Highland Park.

A flooded tunnel closed a portion of the northbound 101 Freeway near the East Los Angeles interchange downtown shortly after 5 a.m., and a stretch of Topanga Canyon Road was cordoned off after boulders and mud slid from the hillside onto the roadway. A massive boulder that fell into the roadway briefly closed Stunt Road in Calabasas between Mulholland Highway and Schueren Road.

Female hiker, 57, is in critical condition after being pummeled by a large boulder that tumbled down to Rambla Pacifico Street this morning. Please avoid canyon areas that are prone to loose boulders, flash floods & debris flow. #Malibu #LARain pic.twitter.com/9lEXgG1TY8  LASD Lost Hills Stn. (@LHSLASD) January 17, 2019

Flood waters inundated the #Ventura Beach RV park off Main St and the 101 highway this morning. The Ventura River remains just above flood stage at 10am, but has peaked and is starting to drop. #CAwx #flood pic.twitter.com/iizm41rIUh  NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 17, 2019

In Ventura County, about 50 people were evacuated from an RV resort near the 101 Freeway just before floodwaters from the Ventura River inundated the property. Muddy water that pooled in the resorts parking lot rose to the top of the doors of two trucks and an SUV that had been left behind.

 Firefighters respond to mudslide in Hollywood Hills.

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The National Weather Service warned that periods of heavy rain could trigger shallow mud and debris flows in areas recently devastated by wildfires.

The soil in burn areas cannot absorb a lot of moisture, so heavy rainfall can lead to fast-moving flows containing mud, debris and even trees and boulders. When rain falls over time, it can be gradually absorbed or dispersed, but when areas see rapid runoff, entire hillsides can come down without warning, sometimes with deadly results.

Riverside County officials issued mandatory evacuations for several communities near the Holy fire burn area. They were lifted and made voluntary at about 6 p.m. Thursday. Debris flows and flooding in the area closed a portion of Temescal Canyon Road shortly after 11:30 a.m.

Previous flood alerts in Ventura and Los Angeles counties expired as rainfall lessened in those areas, and residents of 300 homes in the Woolsey fire burn area were allowed to return home. Malibu schools were closed for a third consecutive day because of the rain but were scheduled to reopen Friday.

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The storm, which moved into the region Wednesday, was expected to dump from 1 to 3 inches of rain along the coast in Ventura and Los Angeles counties through Thursday evening. The foothills could see up to 5 inches of precipitation by the time the rain tapered off, forecasters said.

Much of Southern California had already received a heavy soaking. By 10 a.m., about 1.79 inches of rain had fallen on downtown Los Angeles in a 24-hour period, while Nordhoff Ridge in Ventura County had been hammered with 6.88 inches  the most in the region. A storm cell that hovered over Seal Beach late Wednesday dropped more than 3 inches and caused roads and a beach parking lot to flood. A stretch of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach also remained closed after the road flooded on Wednesday.

Heavy rain also forced the closure of Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Disneyland and Universal Studios remained open.

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The series of storms also knocked out power for thousands of people throughout the state. Pacific Gas and Electric said about 68,000 customers in Northern California remained in the dark Thursday, down from 220,000 the previous day. Southern California Edison reported about 2,000 customers without power.

Thursdays precipitation was the final punch in nearly a week of wet weather across the state, and the rains could signal movement in the right direction for Californias lackluster water supply, said retired climatologist Bill Patzert.

The big picture is that really for the last two decades, weve mostly been in a rain-deficit situation, so the result of course is that groundwater basins all over California are extremely low, he said. Coming into this winter we are rain-needy.

Meteorologists said the storm brought blizzard conditions to the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada with several feet of fresh snow and winds surpassing 50 mph. Heavy overnight snowfall upended a Citation X Cessna airplane at Truckee Tahoe Airport, leaving the nose pointed upward for several hours.

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The states rainy season  which lasts through March  consists of about 10 storms, on average, Patzert said. This series of unusual back-to-back events has put California ahead of schedule in terms of rain, which could signal positive steps to replenishing the states depleted reservoirs, he said.

It took us years to get into this water deficit, and it will take us years to get out, he said. This is several days of sweet rainfall, but its no solution. Its a good start.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

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Twitter: @HannahnfryRoxana Duenas is the face of the Los Angeles teachers strike. Her image is plastered on billboards, classroom walls and the United Teachers Los Angeles website. It graced a full-page advertisement published earlier this month in the Los Angeles Times, which sometimes shows up on the papers website.

The history and ethnic studies teacher is pictured head-on, her face framed by large glasses, her dark hair parted to one side. She looks confident, determined. She tells people to Stand with L.A. teachers.

The poster of Duenas, 34, who teaches at the Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, is one of several commissioned by UTLA and done by local artists last month. With the strike entering its fourth day, Duenas has embraced her role as one of its most visible symbols, while she joins her colleagues on the picket line.

When you see it you think, Wow, this is important work, she said of the poster. A lot of teachers work is done behind closed doors  its not a public performance. It feels nice to be seen.

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The poster was crafted by Ernesto Yerena, who also lives in Boyle Heights and was one of the artists involved in the We the people protest art campaign in January 2017 ahead of President Trumps inauguration. That campaign was led by artist Shepard Fairey, who designed Barack Obamas iconic red, white and blue Hope poster, and variations featuring Latina, Muslim and African American women.

Yerena remembered how effective Faireys portraits were and decided his UTLA poster would be a nod to We the people. He and Duenas have mutual friends and share similar values. He had spoken to her students on a couple of occasions in recent years.

Duenas spent less than an hour in Yerenas studio, posing for portrait photos, some with a raised fist. He let her choose the winning photo and submitted the final work to UTLA for approval a couple days later.

I know how damaging education can be for young brown kids if its not used to empower us, he said. Roxana is one of those teachers that teaches kids to become critical thinkers.

Roxana Duenas walks with fellow teachers in the picket line at Roosevelt High School. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Duenas has taught for 11 years, nine at Roosevelt, though this is her first year teaching at the magnet school. She grew up in the neighborhood, the daughter of a cook and a stay-at-home mom who immigrated from Mexico, and attended the rival high school, Garfield. Her sister and cousins attend the magnet school where she now teaches.

In womens studies and Chicano studies courses at UC Santa Barbara, Duenas learned for the first time that her otherwise positive high school experience had been devoid of learning about her own culture and history. She was surprised to discover, years after graduating, that her high school had participated in the 1968 walkouts by East L.A. Chicano students protesting unequal treatment.

After receiving her masters in education from UCLA, Duenas decided to go back to her community to make sure students learned that history. She and two other teachers created the ethnic studies curriculum in 2014 at Roosevelt, originally called Boyle Heights and Me, that became a required year-long class for ninth-graders.

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Roosevelt principal Ben Gertner said Duenas builds strong relationships with her students and develops a challenging and engaging curriculum such as Socratic seminars, in which the students role-play historical figures.

Its so important for the students to see themselves in their teachers, to have someone who they can relate to, who has been so successful and has high expectations of them, he said. Shes not just someone who clocks in  she really gets to know her students and pushes them.

Roxana Duenas stands before a large version of the poster that features her face at UTLA headquarters. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Yerena said he wanted to highlight a teacher of color because of the nationwide ethnic disparity between students and teachers. He recalled his own youth in the Imperial Valley, where most students were Latino and most teachers were white.

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According to the Urban Institute, nearly half of U.S. students in 2015 were not white, while less than a quarter of teachers were people of color. At LAUSD, less than 11% of students are white and 66% of teachers are people of color.

Pedro Noguera, an education professor and founder of the Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA, called it a strategic move for the teachers union to use a Latina as the face of the strike. He said the image illustrates the fact that most teachers are women and connects to broader issues of social justice. UTLA did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Its a pointed reminder of who is being served, who is on strike and whats at stake for the city, Noguera said.

After the UTLA posters were released in mid-December, Duenas started seeing her own face in the halls of her school and in colleagues classrooms. Last week in her history class, a student came up to her, held up her phone and smiled. The poster was her lock-screen image.

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The student, 16-year-old junior Kenia Ruiz, said her class had been studying the strike that day after previously learning about the history of unions and labor movements. Duenas asked her students to read news articles about the LAUSD strike and write about the issues behind it and who they are affecting.

Im so proud of what shes done already, Kenia said. We all know how passionate she is about history and how she teaches it.

Kenia has stayed home during the strike, choosing not to cross the picket line and doing the homework some teachers assigned. But she didnt always support the strike, thinking teachers were doing it just to get a raise. Then Duenas told her that teachers are also fighting for things like smaller class sizes, and more counselors and nurses.

It opened my eyes and made me realize shes right, Kenia said. Ive seen a lot of classes that have more than 40 students.

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Duenas said that despite the confusion surrounding the strike, she hopes her students understand that she and her colleagues are making a sacrifice for the collective good.

This is an opportunity to really demonstrate to our students that its not just reading about it in history books, she said. Were fighting for our rights and for their rights.

andrea.castillo@latimes.com | Twitter: @andreamcastilloA plan by UC Santa Cruz to build student housing on a beloved campus meadow sparked sharp disagreement  with no sign of compromise  at a University of California regents meeting on Wednesday.

The controversial project pits those who want to preserve the open meadow at the universitys main gateway against those who believe its the best way to address a severe shortage of housing.

Like many UC campuses, Santa Cruz is being squeezed by state demands to accept thousands of additional students despite limited public funds, a shortage of beds and community protests against growth. But the plan to build housing in the meadow has triggered particularly deep passions at Santa Cruz, where the universitys reverence for nature has long guided building decisions to work in harmony with nearby open vistas, rugged knolls, deep ravines and redwood groves.

More than 70,000 people have signed a petition urging Santa Cruz to drop the meadow housing plan. Prominent alumni have threatened to sue and to withhold donations. At the same time, many students have supported the plan and have criticized opponents for putting campus aesthetics over their needs.

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The UC Board of Regents, in an unusual move, allowed speakers from both sides to address members directly after campus officials presented their plan on the boards first of two of days meetings in San Francisco.

Paul Hall, a Santa Cruz alumnus and former regent, told regents that the open meadow made a very strong statement of the Santa Cruz campus and its environmental values. He urged the board to consider alternative sites.

But David Soares, another alumnus, said opponents were viewing the meadow with a rose-colored rear view mirror. The location, he said, is no longer a bucolic country landscape, but now bustles with traffic and nearby faculty housing.

With its proximity to Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz consistently ranks as one of the least affordable housing markets in California.

The proposed project would house about 420 students and their families on the meadow, and would include on-site child care. It is part of a $750-million plan to add 3,000 beds on campus to help ease the crunch of the last five years. UC Santa Cruz has added more than 2,200 students in that time, mostly accommodating them by converting lounges into dorms and squeezing three or four beds into rooms meant for two students.

Chancellor George Blumenthal said campus officials have hosted several public meetings and extended public comment periods. They also modified the plan  reducing the height of some buildings, for instance  to accommodate concerns.

This project is respectful of our campus history, Blumenthal told regents. It focuses on the needs of our students in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.

Regents asked campus officials to research and report back with more information about the cost of alternative projects and video footage of the proposed landscape. The UC board is scheduled to vote on the plan in March.

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In other matters, UC officials announced that the 10-campus system had set a new fund-raising record in 2017-18, bringing in more than with $2.7 billion. The haul marked the biggest annual increase in UC history.

UCLA led the way, raising $786.6 million as part of its $4.2 billion campaign to mark its centennial anniversary this year. The Westwood campus surpassed its fund-raising goal last year, 18 months ahead of schedule. UC San Francisco, which launched a six-year, $5 billion fund-raising campaign in 2014, raised $730 million.

Most of the donations were earmarked for research, campus improvements, endowed chairs and support of specific departments.

Newly elected Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond made their first appearances as ex-officio regents Wednesday. Kounalakis said public higher education would be a top priority, and that she would work to increase student access and fight tuition increases. The annual cost of the UC Berkeley MBA program she completed in 1992, she noted, has risen from $2,000 to $62,000.

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The states three public higher education systems are the crown jewel of the state and the pathway to the American Dream for millions of Californians, she said.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @TeresaWatanabeYou might not think much about the plastic straw in your mouth when you take a sip from your drink cup on your way to the cinema or at lunch, but these small pieces of plastic can have a large effect on the natural environment.

Amid the nationwide call to reduce plastic product usage to the protect environment, restaurants in Beijing and Hong Kong are now taking action by not providing plastic straws.

In Hong Kongs Cafe de Coral, a fast food restaurant chain that serves both Chinese and Western foods at a budget price, has started to encourage its customers to bring their own tableware in lieu of plastic straws. The new policy took effect on the first day of 2019 in 164 locations.

Fairwood, another popular restaurant in Hong Kong, stopped providing plastic straws in November 2018. Most customers understand why and some even praise us being environmentally friendly, said Li Yuxia, a cashier at Fairwood.

In Beijing, close to a dozen McDonalds restaurants have stopped providing plastic straws since last November. The move is popular with many people but not everyone is happy.

Customers want to drink with straws and eat noodles with eating utensils. If these things arent provided, itll cause dissatisfaction among some customers, said Yu Xuerong, executive president of the Catering Industry Association of Jiangsu province.

Huang Wei, an associate professor at the School of Energy and Environment at Southeast University, explained that straws are mainly made of polypropylene, which has outstanding resistance to chemicals, which means it takes years for plastic straws to degrade.

The move by the two Chinese cities comes amid the nations call to reduce the usage of plastic products, including plastic bags.

Plastic products were introduced into the everyday life of Chinese people amid the reform and opening-up, which brought with it economic boom. The traditional shopping baskets and bags were then gradually replaced by plastic bags, which are cheaper and more convenient for both sellers and customers.

The number of plastic bags alone skyrocketed to 3 billion in 2017, including 1 billion plastic bags used for grocery shopping, New Weekly magazine reported. The same year, China issued the nations first-ever restriction on plastic bag usage, banning sales and production of plastic bags thinner than 0.025mm and forbidding all retailers from offering free plastic bags.

As citizens grew increasingly aware of environmental protection, more and more people not only started avoiding plastic bags usage, but also did things to reduce other plastic products, especially the usage of plastic tableware.

Although the promotion of degradable tableware is still steadily advancing, the current action of restricting straws has not been carried out in most places, Yu noted.

The biggest obstacle is that there is no mass production of materials that can completely replace plastic straws, as it is hard to make something that is high quality and cheap with the same resistance qualities.The outlines of a deal that could resolve the three-day-old Los Angeles teachers strike are emerging, but sticking points and animosity could stymie a quick resolution.

Whenever it happens, an agreement is likely to depend on intervention by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other outside participants. A deal also could hinge on commitments of outside resources and statewide changes to education policy.

One possible version of a deal would include everything the district already has offered to reduce class sizes and provide schools with additional nurses, librarians and counselors  perhaps with a little more. The union would have to further narrow its wide array of demands. It already has yielded some ground  dropping its call, for instance, to give teachers a say in limiting the number of standardized tests their students take.

On salary, L.A. Unified is offering a 6% raise spread out over the first two years of a three-year deal. The union wants 6.5% all at once, retroactive to a year earlier. Those differences seem bridgeable, but other district employees already have settled for 6% raises. Officials dont want to trigger a me too clause, which applies to other employees if teachers win a larger raise.

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A pact could include expanding green space and recreational opportunities on campuses. And there could be a pilot program to create what are known as community schools  which bring together social services and other support to help the broader needs of children and families. Such campuses would have full-time nurses, mental health services, perhaps health clinics. They would offer a rich curriculum that includes, for example, music, art and dance, and activities after school and on weekends. Parents and teachers would take part in key decisions about the budget, hiring and programs.

Versions of this school model are being tried out in Austin, Texas, and Cincinnati.

FULL COVERAGE: L.A. teachers strike 

The effort could be paid for by state funding that is earmarked for students who come from low-income families, are learning English or are in the foster-care system. To tap into that money, this pilot project would need to serve large numbers of these students.

A deal that includes these elements would give teachers a win on the improvements beyond salaries that theyve been fighting for  and would also underline that solutions to the districts long-standing problems require a community-wide effort. Both the union and L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner have spoken for months in strikingly similar terms on that front.

Thorny issues

Beutner had tried to narrow talks to a more routine contract negotiation over salaries.

But from the beginning, United Teachers Los Angeles wanted a more sweeping discussion, pushing to give teachers more voice and authority. The union also has called for a significant reduction in class sizes as well as schools that are fully staffed with librarians, nurses and counselors, who belong to the union too. UTLA proposals touch on early education, bilingual education, adult school and the teaching of children with disabilities.

In an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to avoid a strike, the district engaged on more issues and the union somewhat narrowed its demands.

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A key remaining disagreement involves the districts right to increase class sizes during periods of economic hardship. The unions view is that L.A. Unified has used this provision to make class-size restrictions meaningless.

But even if this provision were eliminated, L.A. Unified could be forced to lay off teachers  and raise class sizes  if budget cuts became necessary.

The union quickly rejected the districts offers last week because the positions for new staffers that officials agreed to hire  such as full-time nurses for every elementary school  were guaranteed for only one year.

We need nurses every year, not just for one year, UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said.

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But even if these positions were designated as permanent, nothing would prevent future layoffs.

Current school board member Nick Melvoin, a Beutner supporter, and former board member David Tokofsky, who is closer to the unions, have independently suggested a middle path forward: linking long-term funding of the new positions to a campaign for a local parcel tax in 2020.

A joint project like that, with the union, could help usher in a new era of partnership, Melvoin said.

Caputo-Pearl has said so far that he would not support a deal with contingencies of any sort.

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A push from outside

Newsoms role involves both money and policy. His budget proposal would bring new resources to L.A. Unified. Based on such anticipated revenue, the district in its latest offer added $15 million worth of new positions  to slightly shrink middle-school class sizes.

The union calculates that Newsoms budget plan would bring in $140 million.

The governor already has pledged to push legislation to establish more oversight of charter schools, which can be privately operated and compete with traditional public schools for students and resources. Most charters are nonunion. Caputo-Pearl wants a moratorium on new charter schools.

For its part, the county on Tuesday approved a plan to find $10 million that could be spent to provide nurses to elementary schools every day. The district currently pays for one day a week. The bigger prize could be accessing millions in mental health funding from a past statewide tax measure. That money is largely under county control, Garcetti said.

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The city can bring to the table job-training funds  which can be deployed to campuses  and staffing to keep schools open on weekends as recreation centers and park spaces.

In recent days, Garcetti  who has no authority over the school system  has stepped in as a primary mediator.

Mutual distrust

One topic of quiet civic debate is whether it helps or hurts to bring Beutner and Caputo-Pearl face to face. Caputo-Pearl has made Beutner  a wealthy businessman with no background in education  a target of intensely personal and sometimes demonstrably false attacks. At times, the onslaught has gotten to Beutner, who can get prickly, according to people whove worked with him. On Tuesday, Beutner abruptly walked out of a news conference after losing his cool over aggressive questions from reporters.

A respected local philanthropist, Beutner has not shown a deft touch in the give and take of negotiation, announcing proposals to the media before presenting them to the union. Such actions heightened tension.

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Union leaders have never trusted Beutner because of how he came to the job. He was narrowly hired in May by a school board majority elected with substantial financial support from charter-school advocates. A key vote was cast by Ref Rodriguez, who was under criminal indictment but held off his resignation just long enough to help get Beutner in.

The distrust is mutual. Beutner believes the union was determined to strike from the moment he took the job and probably long beforehand.

Already mistrustful of Beutner, the union is particularly anxious about his confidential reorganization plan for the nations second-largest school system.

Garcetti said this strategic plan should become a vehicle for collaboration. Beutner should back up, the mayor said, and bring the union into the planning process. The union then should participate in good faith, not just to tear Beutner down, Garcetti said.

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The unions harsh rhetoric about Beutner has made this path difficult, with many teachers now demanding his departure.

Beutner said in a Wednesday interview that he sometimes feels like a marionette in a drama between the union and the state, which controls the purse strings for education.

As he spoke, his cellphone rang. It was Newsom. Beutner stepped out. When he returned from the conversation, he said there was no news that he was able to disclose.

Times staff writer Doug Smith contributed to this report.

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howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblumeThe state Assembly opened an investigation into former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas after a female Capitol staffer alleged he made an unwanted sexual advance toward her two years ago. The investigation, released Wednesday, is below:In a year swollen with new restaurants helmed by Chefs from Elsewhere, NoMad registered as one of the biggest and most auspicious entries of the great East Coast invasion of 2018. It marked the official Los Angeles debut of chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara, the team behind New Yorks celebrated Eleven Madison Park. NoMad, which opened early last year, was their first restaurant outside of New York; since then theyve seemed set on world domination  last fall, a new NoMad hotel and restaurant opened in the Park MGM in Las Vegas, and plans for another in London are in the works.

For the record: A previous version of this review said a new NoMad hotel and restaurant opened last fall on the upper level of the Park MGM in Las Vegas. The hotel is on the top four floors of the Park MGM, but the restaurant is on the ground level.

The appeal of NoMad has always had as much to do with its grandiose setting as its truffle-intensive menu. (NoMad is both the name of the restaurant and the hotel it inhabits, run by the New York-based Sydell group that also operates the Line and Freehand hotels in Los Angeles.)

NoMad L.A. took over Giannini Place, a stately 1920s-era building at the corner of 7th and Olive streets that formerly housed the California headquarters of the Bank of Italy. The 12-story building languished vacant for decades in the Financial District, its elaborately carved bronze entry doors fading under the sun and taking on a quiet air of ruin. The nadir of the building was probably a few years ago, when a local publication named it one of downtown L.A.s top eyesores.

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Nobodys calling Giannini Place an eyesore these days. Its lobby, now Nomad restaurant, features carefully preserved neoclassical elements  tall and ornate gilded ceilings, opulent marble columns that are slippery to the touch  complemented by plush, jewel-toned rugs and lounge seating. The dining room, a swank hothouse of dark purple velvet and floral furnishings, feels almost as dim and moody at 2 p.m. as it does at dinnertime.

Kanpachi ceviche is a popular dish at NoMad with chilled cubes of yellowtail, cured in fresh citrus and tossed with finely diced jalapeno. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

NoMads more novel design elements  the stuffed peacock perched in the middle of the dining room, the restrooms tucked into a massive underground bank vault  are balanced by the bland beauty of its resort-like amenities: its sun-washed rooftop bar and patio, and a coffee bar that appears as inspired by the regal cafes of Venice, Italy, as the cafes in Venice, California. Youll find a full range of breakfast options here, from baklava croissants to pig confit breakfast burritos.

Q&A: Get to know Patricia Escarcega, new restaurant critic for the L.A. Times 

Executive chef Chris Flint oversees what can be understood as the signature NoMad menu: a hodgepodge of sophisticated takes on populist hits, grounded in the American-European kitchen vernacular, alongside dishes that hew closer to regional sensibilities. Changes, big and small, are a regular feature of the NoMad kitchen, with seasonal dishes and specials rotated in and out so frequently that I dont think I saw the same menu twice over the course of two weeks.

The popular milk & honey dessert has milk ice cream, honey-oat shortbread and brittle. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

And so at NoMad L.A., you get something like the playful and distinctly Californian sea urchin tray service, which is designed to feel like caviar service and a beach-side taco party rolled into one. Creamy slivers of Santa Barbara uni, ready to be wrapped up in the fishy, coin-sized nori crepes, are served with an array of bright garnishes: tart gooseberry relish, salty bonito cream and pickled radishes. A single bite distills all the wonders of the Pacific into one fishy, funky, vinegary bite.

Plates that have been rightly inculcated into the NoMad canon include the mega-popular Kanpachi ceviche. The chilled, withered-looking slivers of yellowtail, cured in fresh citrus and tossed with finely diced jalapeno, melt right into the spicy, citrusy snap of the house marinade. Theres a terrific fava bean hummus  a silken, basil-scented mousse buoyed by the soft, buttery crunch of chopped pistachios. A bowl of fresh bucatini, supersaturated in uni-scented creme fraiche and topped with bonito crumbles, is extremely rich in every measurable way, and enormously satisfying.

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The bucatini at NoMad is supersaturated in uni-scented creme fraiche and topped with bonito crumbles. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The menu is not without potholes: A winter salad of chicories, apple, hazelnuts and Parmesan is a heavy, chewy slog. Nothing, not even slivers of fresh citrus and marinated radishes, can redeem a gooey, sullen clump of burrata. And a much-touted plate of grilled calamari, spackled thickly with fennel-heavy aioli, is dangerously reminiscent of a tartar sauce-deluged filet-o-fish sandwich.

Review: In Boyle Heights, Lebanese dishes with a Oaxacan accent 

Of course, there are the heavyweight prestige dishes, the famous $98 whole roasted chicken padded with a foie gras-laced brioche, a simple feat of culinary engineering that yields a preternaturally juicy chicken breast. On a recent visit, the dish was paired with a black truffle rice so intensely pungent and buttery, its perfume permeated everything else on the table. (Take note: The recent upholding of the foie gras ban in California is bringing the price of the whole roasted chicken down to a measly $62  what that means for the dishs popularity, and trademark succulence, is not yet known.)

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Whole-roasted chicken and stuffing with tomato rice, scallions and crispy chicken skin. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

For my money, though, the roasted chicken isnt a match for what might be the best thing on the NoMad L.A. menu: a honey-glazed half-duck whose dense, crackly skin is at least half the joy of consuming it. On the side is a drippy, marvelously rich fricassee of shredded duck served with zaatar-spiced roti and a satiny salsa verde: another improbable taco party at NoMad.

The roasted duck is a reliably good dish, and reliability is at least half of what makes the place work. Theres a pervading sense of continuity at NoMad, a feeling that some things will never change for as long as you keep coming: The cooking will be accomplished; the service will be peerless; the dishes will indeed be pricey.

The experience, on the whole, will be pleasant, if unexciting. And in some shape or form, there will be truffles.

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The NoMad Restaurant

Inside the NoMad Los Angeles, which took over Giannini Place, a stately 1920s-era building at the corner of 7th and Olive streets. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

The team behind New Yorks celebrated Eleven Madison Park breathe new life into downtown Los Angeles historic Giannini Place.

LOCATION

649 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, (213) 358-0000, (213) 358-0000, thenomadhotel.com/los-angeles/dining.

PRICES

Small plates, $9-$19; larger plates $17-$48; family-style entrees $62-$64.

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DETAILS

Credit cards accepted. Full bar. Valet parking.

RECOMMENDED DISHES

Kanpachi ceviche; bucatini; honey-glazed half duck; whole roasted chicken; milk & honey dessert.

patricia.escarcega@latimes.com

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Twitter: @piescarcegaYou have to remove the pork taste, Charles Olalia remembers his grandmother intoning about the crucial ingredients in the classic Filipino dish called sisig. She would have her whole household in Pampanga (northwest of Manila in the Philippines) scrubbing pig ears, snouts and cheek meat with water and baking soda. As a child Olalia wondered: Why would you want to take the pork taste away from, well, pork? When he began recipe development for Maam Sir, his new restaurant in the Sunset Junction area of Silver Lake, he understood her directive for the first time. Cooking those parts of the pigs head together after only a quick rinse left the final product pungent to the point of distraction.

Now he soaks cheeks, snouts and ears in a few changes of salted water over several days; braises them in court bouillon and vinegar until theyre cooked but still firm; cools them, grills them, chops them, folds in veal sweetbreads (an unorthodox addition) for contrasting texture, and then depth-charges the whole thing with plenty of onion, vinegar, chile and the extra-sour juice from calamansi citrus. It arrives sizzling on an oval platter, preferably with an egg on top thats quickly setting in the heat.

Theres too much happening for the taste buds to decipher every individual element. In its blitz of richness and acidity, they can only send up one constant signal: more, more, more.

As in Olalias adaptation of sisig, his opening of Maam Sir  a boisterous, beachy homage to the Filipino foods on which he was raised  represents a cumulative journey in memory, effort and experimentation. Olalia attended culinary school in Manila when he was 20 and shortly afterward relocated to the American West; his ambition led him to positions at Guy Savoy in Vegas and, briefly, the French Laundry in Napa. Settling in Los Angeles, he landed at Joachim Splichals Patina at Disney Hall.

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A chef prepares chicken adobo at Maam Sir (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

And then, in the spring of 2015, he, like many chefs of his generation, stepped away from haute kitchens to concentrate on food closer to his own marrow. He started Rice Bar, a tiny counter restaurant in DTLA that doles out full-throttle grain bowls built on Filipino flavors. The response proved electric.

Rice Bar came online at a moment when Filipino cuisine was being singled out nationwide as one of the emergent cuisines in America this decade. But Filipino culture is no novelty in Los Angeles, of course. The city houses the largest Filipino population outside the Philippines. Restaurants across the metro map prepare the standards that express the cuisines unique Indonesian, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish influences  dishes like crackling lumpia, vinegar-thwacked adobo, peanut-laced kare kare, lechon with shatteringly crisp skin, cornbread bibingka glossy from rice flour and coconut milk. More recently, restaurants such as Rice Bar and Lasa in Chinatown have reframed traditional Filipino cooking in modern, personalized ways.

Making cocktails behind the bar at Maam Sir (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Maam Sir keeps the conversation moving. Crowds squeeze in among the rattan-covered light fixtures swaying over the bar and a dining room wall covered in a tropical, leafy print whose color scheme calls forth the words peach and seafoam green from the depths of my 1980s childhood. Efficient, cheerful servers careen among the tables, delivering glasses of orange wine or balanced cocktails made with mezcal, green chartreuse, honey, lime and bitter melon.

With 70-plus seats, Maam Sir gives Olalia the literal space to keep delving into his relationship with the foods of his heritage; a starter of lumpia illustrates his ability to both epitomize and re-imagine them. Olalia aimed for a version of fried spring rolls liberated from grease or heaviness; he wanted luxury. So he fills wrappers with shrimp mousse and lardo, pairs them with garlic vinegar for dipping and, for pure gilding, drapes tongues of uni over top. At their hottest they scorch and cool, sting and soothe and, in their balance of flavors, unite sea and land.

The only constant among Pinoy adobo recipes is that cooks have their own variations. Olalias adobo walks a middle path of clarity and simplicity. He marinates chicken thighs in coconut or cane sugar and a dark Filipino soy sauce, or toyo, with a distinct nuttiness, and finishes the dish with roasted garlic-soy vinaigrette and a garnish of chopped tomato. A blanket of rice underneath catches all the goodness.

Maam Sirs barbecued kabocha squash with puffed rice and spiced caramel (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

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The masterful adobo should really be the centerpiece of a meal: Surround it with lechon, its skin a stained-glass window, and oxtail kare kare, in which a glorious zap of shrimp paste is cooked into the dish. Start with the Happy birthday fried chicken, an ode to the bird served at Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee, which is what Olalia craves on his special day. A simple, shaved salad with lime vinaigrette and crisp noodles nicely offsets the richer dishes; neither a lighthearted hit of fried maitake mushrooms in sweet and sour sauce nor kabocha squash with spiced caramel veer too sugary.

After four recent meals at Maam Sir (which opened in June), Im hooked on its charisma but have one caveat: Olalias presence is a linchpin. When he isnt in the restaurant, stationed at the kitchen window guiding his staff, meals have been noticeably more erratic in execution or delivery: tepid lumpia, garlic crab noodles and grilled milkfish that were overcooked, sisig missing its final vital contrast in textures. The perspective and heart in his conception of the menu is so evident; the execution just needs more consistency in his absence.

What never wavers at Maam Sir is its ebullient spirit. The restaurants name refers to a longstanding, gender-neutral greeting used in the Philippines, particularly in the hospitality trade. It conveys a gracious respect for the customer, though Olalias cooking also transmits something beyond politeness. This is a chef settling into his own address. He decides here how much porky taste the pork sisig should retain, and it turns out to be exactly the right amount.

Maam Sir

Maam Sirs dining room (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

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Building on the success at DTLAs Rice Bar, Charles Olalia serves his modern expression of Filipino cuisine in boisterous Silver Lake digs.

Location: 4330 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, (323) 741-8371, maamsirla.com

Prices: Pica pica (smaller sharing plates) $6-$19; ulam (entrees) $14-$25; vegetable dishes $6-$14; desserts $8.

Details: Credit cards accepted. Full bar. Street parking.

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Recommended dishes: Pork and sweetbreads sisig; lumpia; Happy birthday fried chicken; shaved vegetable salad; chicken adobo; beef oxtail kare kare.An ominous pop-pop-pop punctures the eerie silence at the start of The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, an efficient, mechanical five-finger exercise written and directed by Henry Dunham.

It isnt the only time well hear that noise in this story, which unfolds almost entirely inside a Michigan lumber warehouse stocked with military-grade weapons. For the most part, however, what we hear is not gunfire so much as a chorus of male voices, sounding notes of panic and alarm beneath the hard, staccato rhythms of the dialogue.

Word of what has happened soon arrives by radio. An unknown assailant has opened fire on a police funeral, gunning down several officers, detonating a few explosives and then fleeing on foot. The warehouses seven inhabitants, all members of a self-styled anti-government militia, go swiftly into damage-control mode, aware that law enforcement is about to descend on their compound in search of evidence. And rightly so, as it soon becomes clear  one of their AR-15 assault rifles has suddenly gone missing  that the killer walks among them.

It takes a scant 88 minutes for The Standoff at Sparrow Creek to unfold and far less time for a viewer to identify its primary influences. Dunham, making his feature debut, has given us a stripped-down reworking of Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantinos brutal 1992 classic about a gang of thieves trying to nail the traitor in their midst, though here neither the blood nor the testosterone gushes forth quite so floridly. Dunhams dialogue in particular, always quick with a jab and brimming with suspicion and paranoia, leans more toward the terse, rat-a-tat rhythms of early David Mamet.

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Theres also a touch of the drawing-room whodunit, which seems both disquieting and incongruous under the circumstances. We are among a group of gun experts, many of whom have backgrounds in military and law enforcement to go with their disgruntled attitudes and libertarian politics. Each of these men is an all-too-plausible perpetrator, and that realistic sense of menace  the ever-present threat of violence that seems to hide and linger in the thick, pooling shadows of Jackson Hunts cinematography  makes for an unnerving if not always persuasive fit with the busy, twisty machinations of the plot.

Every mystery needs a sleuth, and the one pressed into service here is an ex-cop named Gannon (a fine James Badge Dale), who puts his investigative skills to work at the behest of the militias unsmiling leader (Chris Mulkey). Over the course of a few swift interrogations, the suspects reveal themselves to be a motley crew: Theres a schoolteacher (Patrick Fischler), a neo-Nazi (Happy Anderson), a retired highway contractor (Gene Jones), and, least persuasively, a mute teenager (Robert Aramayo) with a disturbing notebook in his locker.

Temperamentally, theyre pretty homogeneous, more or less running the gamut from snide to surly. One rare exception is the quiet, reserved Noah (Brian Geraghty), whose hushed exchanges with Gannon supply the first in a series of too-carefully timed narrative reversals. The atmosphere turns increasingly desperate as the stakes multiply  as some radio chatter makes clear, the funeral shooting may not have been an isolated incident  and a confrontation with the authorities draws ever closer.

Dunham stacks this house of cards deftly enough, and his story can scarcely be accused of overstaying its welcome. Thats not entirely a good thing. The excellent actors are not given much room to breathe or to bring real flesh and feeling to their characters various agendas and grievances.

And although it gestures in the direction of subjects like anti-authoritarianism, right-wing extremism and various forces that have conspired to make America the mass-shooting capital of the world, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek seems less interested in commenting on said forces than exploiting them. It flirts with politics but is content to settle, in the end, for a parlor trick.

------------

The Standoff at Sparrow Creek

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 28 minutes

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Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica

justin.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @JustinCChangThe potential for a real-life Jurassic Park unfolds in Genesis 2.0, a fascinating and somewhat frightening documentary set in the fast-forward arena of synthetic biology.

Filmmaker Christian Freis expedition begins in the remote New Siberian Islands on the Arctic Ocean, where dozens of men gather each summer on the hunt for white gold  pristine mammoth tusks which in recent years have become easier to find courtesy of global warming.

Their hazardous pursuit, driven by economic hardship, is contrasted with a synthetic biology competition in Boston hosted by International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM), which draws the likes of George Church, a rock star among geneticists.

Serving as the missing link between the two seemingly disparate worlds is the 2010 Siberian Arctic discovery of the mummified carcass of a 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth, complete with intact fur and liquefied blood, with tissue samples going to South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who pioneered the cloning of pet dogs.

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As Frei, Oscar-nominated for his 2001 documentary, War Photographer, raises the all-too-conceivable specter of an elephant-mammoth hybrid one day going where ligers (lion-tigers) zorses (zebra-horses) camas (camel-llamas) and geep (goat-sheep) have already gone before it, he and co-director Maxim Arbugaev also address inherent ethical concerns.

In Genesis 2.0, the prehistoric past and the near future intersect at a most intriguing  and disturbing  juncture.

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Genesis 2.0

In English, Russian, Yakut, Korean and Chinese with English subtitles

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Playing: Starts Jan. 18, Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills

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@LATimesMoviesMidway through Glass, the latest happening in the M. Night Shyamalan Cinematic Universe, a Philadelphia psychiatrist named Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) tries to convince three extraordinary individuals that they are not, in fact, so extraordinary. Like one of those professional skeptics who turn up in horror movies to debunk the paranormal, shes determined to prove that David Dunn (Bruce Willis)  whom you may remember from Shyamalans moody 2000 drama Unbreakable  is not, in fact, a shatterproof superhero.

There are also perfectly rational explanations, she reasons, for the odd behavior of Davids old nemesis, the physically fragile, intellectually steely Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), and also of Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a serial kidnapper last seen juggling 23 distinct personalities in Shyamalans 2017 movie Split. Heroes or villains, victims or abusers, these individuals are all ordinary human beings suffering from, as Dr. Staple puts it, a delusion of grandeur.

You have to marvel at the choice of words there, which might make you wonder if Shyamalan is having a laugh at his own expense. Since the phenomenal success of The Sixth Sense 20 years ago, this onetime wunderkinds career has followed an arc as twisty and torturous as any of his stories: There have been fascinating failures (Lady in the Water), unspeakable catastrophes (The Last Airbender) and a steep fall from Hollywood grace, one that was partially reversed two years ago by Split.

That comeback hit, which revealed a narrative link to Unbreakable in its teasing final moments, suggested that the director hadnt entirely lost his cinematic mojo. It also raised expectations for this inevitable sequel, which would face the challenge of not only braiding these two stories together but also giving them room to grow in a new direction. Shyamalan has always had a knack for manipulating the past; hes a master at springing the gotcha! flashback, at showing you the clues hes hidden in plain sight. Moving forward hasnt always come as easily to him.

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And while Glass is an intermittent showcase for his undeniable filmmaking gifts  his meticulous attention to detail, his shivery command of technique  the movie winds up feeling less like a progression than a dead end. This is not (entirely) the directors fault. Its worth recalling that when Unbreakable arrived 19 years ago, mere months after the first X-Men movie, the glut of superhero-driven comic-book adaptations that would come to define Hollywood cinema in the 21st century was still in its relative infancy.

In Unbreakable, Jackson  still several years away from donning his Nick Fury eye patch  played Elijah, a brittle-boned loner who found refuge and meaning in comic-book lore. He was an early prototype of a figure who seems much more common today, in movies and in the world at large: the geek enthusiast who longs for a widely misunderstood art form to be treated with the serious respect it deserves.

Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass in Glass, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. (Universal Pictures)

One might not approve of Elijahs methods, which led him to commit random acts of mass murder, but its safe to say that his brand of cultural high-mindedness has since gone mainstream. In Glass, Shyamalan is trying to cut through those familiar, generic layers. He wants us to experience a familiar story  about seemingly ordinary individuals who turn out to be both blessed and cursed with extraordinary abilities  with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of wonderment.

If its hard not to admire the sincerity and eccentricity of the effort, it may be even harder to love the results. The early scenes of Glass charmingly resemble a bargain-basement Spider-Man, as Willis David  or the Overseer, to go by his vigilante-hero moniker  dons a hooded poncho and patrols the streets of Philadelphia, using his telepathic powers to sniff out criminal activity. With the help of his son (Spencer Treat Clark, also back from Unbreakable), David soon locates the latest hideout of serial kidnapper Kevin Wendell Crumb, who  along with his 22 other personalities  is played once again by McAvoy with accent-switching, stereotype-juggling bravura.

Locked away in Kevins lair are four high-school cheerleaders, an awkward exploitation-movie touch that Shyamalan, earnest sentimentalist that he is, simply doesnt have the nastiness to bring off. In any event, the girls are rescued too quickly to have much bearing on the story, which soon finds Kevin and David apprehended and sent to the same psychiatric hospital where Elijah has been held for the past two decades in a catatonic state.

One of the takeaways of Unbreakable, of course, was that the more incapacitated Elijah looks, the more dangerous he is. And both David and Kevin  who are placed in cells equipped with surveillance cameras and ingeniously booby-trapped to keep them from escaping  will have to reckon not only with this master manipulator and his still-scheming mind, but also with their own formidable strengths and devastating weaknesses.

By confining his three leads to a single location for the better part of two hours, Shyamalan dispenses with a lot of the busy, action-driven momentum typically favored by most superhero blowouts. For better and for worse, his movies have always been therapy sessions at heart  think of Willis child counselor in The Sixth Sense, or the overwrought family bathos of Signs  and in Glass he zooms in on his characters and allows us, like Dr. Staples, to study them at length.

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For a while, there is pleasure to be had in this scrutiny. McAvoys virtuosic Sybil act can be a bit much  his alters include a nurturing older woman named Patricia, a lisping 9-year-old boy named Hedwig and a chest-baring bringer of pain known as the Beast  but fortunately, Willis steady heroics and Jacksons subdued villainy are on hand to provide a welcome counterbalance. There are other familiar faces too, including Unbreakables Charlayne Woodard as Elijahs devoted mother and the underused Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey, the lone survivor of Kevins abduction spree in Split.

Spencer Treat Clark reprises his role as Joseph Dunn from Unbreakable, Anya Taylor-Joy, center, returns as Casey Cooke from Split, and Charlayne Woodard reprises her Unbreakable role as Mrs. Price, the mother of Samuel L. Jacksons Elijah Price. (Universal Pictures / Universal Pictures)

In Glass, Casey is stuck with the thanklessly icky task of reaching out to her former captor, of connecting with the abused, frightened child hiding behind all those protective alters. Shyamalans most obsessive theme might be the link he draws between otherworldly phenomena and human pain: A debilitating physical condition or a history of unspeakable abuse will leave their mark, but they also can imbue their sufferers with extraordinary powers.

This is a provocative, even troubling notion  whatever doesnt kill you makes you stronger taken to a ludicrous extreme. The trouble with Glass is that, despite a few wickedly playful touches, Shyamalan advances his ideas with his usual ponderous, po-faced earnestness, as well as a reliance on narrative sleight-of-hand that has seen far better days. Even his attempts to reset and decelerate the superhero-movie template feel like too little too late, and not just because the vastly more inventive Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made it look so effortless by comparison.

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Shyamalan has one or two decent shocks in store  one suspense sequence is so precisely choreographed it takes your breath away  but well before the end, it is hard to shake the feeling that hes still falling back on the usual spiritual-sentimental hokum, the same entreaty to believe for beliefs sake. Whether you see this Glass as half-empty or half-full, theres no mistaking it for the work of any other filmmaker (especially since no other filmmaker would allow Shyamalan to make another of his patented pointless cameos). Its the work of a filmmaker who, no less than the genre hes trying to reimagine, feels stuck on repeat.

------------

Glass

Rating: PG-13, for violence including some bloody images, thematic elements and language

Running time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

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Playing: In general release

justin.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @JustinCChangAn indie with one foot in the netting of social realism and another in the terrain of desolation fables, Dont Come Back From The Moon offers up a tale of mass disappearance born of economic hardship: fathers in a depressed small town leaving their wives and children like something out of a Greek tragedy or a post-apocalyptic story. Or, as one could readily imagine, out of headlines from Americas rapidly dying, labor-driven towns.

In the case of this lyrical, if uneven, adaptation of Dean Bakopouloss 2005 novel, Please Dont Come Back From the Moon, featuring James Franco and Rashida Jones in supporting roles, that means a kind of reorienting of society around those left behind, namely the teenagers who must rapidly grow up (whether responsibly or irresponsibly). A Rust Belt-set book relocated onscreen to the evocative barrenness of Southern Californias Salton Sea community, this story is, in cinematographer-turned-director Bruce Thierry Cheungs hands, told with a dramatically shaky poignance.

Our primary guide to this narrated memory piece is wiry, kind-eyed Mickey (Jeffrey Wahlberg), who is 16 the summer that his dad Roman (Franco, also a producer) abandons him and younger brother Kolya (Zackary Arthur) at a gas station one night after a driving lesson. Its never entirely clear whether the bolting males have left to find work, or even if they intend to return, but the peculiar shamelessness of the phenomenon spurs the local kids to create a euphemism for what their dads did: They call it going to the moon.

Initially, a sense of freedom and spirited adaptation grips everyone, even those whose bitterness is always just below the surface. Mickeys mother, Eva (Jones), rises from her couch-sleeping funk to sell haircuts from home, while he and his friends trade scrap metal from abandoned building sites for various goods, and party at night like, well, adults letting off steam after a days work supporting themselves and their families. A romance even develops between Mickey and independent-minded Sonya (Alyssa Elle Steinacker), who bond over shared feelings of good-riddance toward their vacated fathers.

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But, of course, its not so cut-and-dried when you still love the one who hurt you, and as Dont Come Back continues, the promise of reunion complicates matters, while the consequences of moving on  as when Eva takes a liking to a young man in town  force Mickey to face the irresoluteness of his situation.

Emotionally, though, Dont Come Back, which Cheung wrote with Bakopoulos, isnt as sticky as youd like it to be, since Cheungs method is to vibe everything with tone-poem editing, moody emo/synth music (courtesy of Johnny Jewel) and cinematographer Chananun Chotrungrojs tactile, restless visuals roaming the deserts beauty and its inhabitants restiveness. Its an atmosphere piece first and foremost, and an effective one. But the characters, particularly the teens, feel primarily like micro-vignette archetypes of scattershot resonance rather than flesh-and-blood figures forming a tapestry in a taut tale. Too often narration becomes a coloring crutch to explain what should be obvious (With all the men gone, boys became men) from a given performance or scene.

That being said, Wahlberg does an admirable job even as he struggles to capture all thats roiling inside Mickey, and Jones and Steinacker do the most with their allotted screen time  especially Steinackers swerve toward cautious empathy when her father (Robert Scott Crane) returns, ready to make amends.

If Dont Come Back From the Moon isnt entirely successful, it means well as an engaged, considerate tour of a recognizably broken landscape. Men do leave, and those around them adjust, a truism about life as reliable as that impossible ball in the night sky, seemingly so close and yet so obviously far away.

------------

Dont Come Back From The Moon

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 22 minutes

Playing: Starts Friday, Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills; also on VOD

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@LATimesMoviesCalifornias new governor, Gavin Newsom, wants it understood that hes not declaring war on Big Pharma, all appearances to the contrary notwithstanding.

Yes, he wants to give Medi-Cal more power to negotiate drug prices and, yes, he wants to make those prices significantly lower.

But Newsom was surprisingly candid when we spoke Wednesday about his healthcare agenda.

He told me he gained a whole new appreciation for the value that drug companies can bring to peoples lives while seeing his father grapple with dementia for months. William Newsom, a retired state appellate court justice, died last week at age 84.

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I dont see Pharma as the enemy, Newsom said. Im not saying anyones evil.

He paused, shifting gears back into politician mode.

I just dont like paying 50% more for drugs than the rest of the free world.

Hes been in office only two weeks, and already Newsom is making waves with sweeping proposals to tackle major healthcare issues. Pharmaceutical executives, he said, are lighting up my phone lines.

Along with drug pricing, hes announced plans to stabilize the Covered California insurance program  our version of the the Affordable Care Act exchanges  with a restored coverage mandate.

Hell also seek cooperation from the federal government for a statewide single-payer insurance system.

Newsoms ambitious policy goals have been sneered at by conservatives as the usual lefty-progressive-socialist dream of government-run healthcare.

In reality, they show whats possible when complex issues are approached maturely and reasonably, rather than ideologically.

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You cant be ideological, Newsom said. Healthcare is a fundamental right.

Thats not how President Trump and Republican lawmakers see it. Theyve been obsessed with rolling back former President Obamas signature accomplishment, regardless of the harm this inflicts on millions of Americans.

As a result, the number of uninsured is rising after significant improvement on Obamas watch. About 5 million more people will be uninsured by 2027, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That would bring the total number lacking coverage to 35 million.

In California, more than 4 million people under 65 could be uninsured by 2023, according to researchers at UC Berkeley. That would mean an increase in the states uninsured rate to nearly 13% from 10.4% in 2016.

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Republicans vandalized the Affordable Care Act, Newsom said. But we dont have to be victims. Were pushing back, and not just with a tweak.

Restoring the insurance mandate on a statewide basis  a move that would require legislative approval  would be a big step in the right direction.

Conservatives say the mandate stripped people of personal choice. What an insurance requirement actually does is spread healthcare risk throughout the population  young and old, healthy and sick  which keeps costs down for everyone. Its a fundamental principle of insurance.

The Affordable Care Act didnt live up to its name. Insurers did a lousy job of forecasting claims under the system, so their costs quickly rose and rate hikes followed.

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Trump doing away with the federal mandate only exacerbated the problem. The price of some Obamacare plans will rise by 15% this year, according to the CBO.

Were addressing the legitimate anxiety we should all have about this, Newsom said.

His goal is to stabilize Covered California rates by creating a more equitable risk pool. Mandates also are being brought back in Vermont, New Jersey and Washington, DC.

Newsom would use revenue from any fines imposed for lack of coverage to help subsidize insurance for individuals earning up to $72,840 annually and for families of four earning up to $150,600. These subsidies would be added to existing federal assistance for people at lower income levels.

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The part of Newsoms healthcare plan thats caused the most apoplexy among conservatives is allowing Medi-Cal to cover young immigrant adults in the country illegally. Why should the state be paying for the insurance of illegal immigrants?

Heres why: Because otherwise such people will wait until they become seriously ill and will go to an emergency room, where by law they cant be turned away.

This represents the most expensive treatment possible and results in sky-high healthcare costs for everyone as hospitals recoup their expenses through cost sharing with other patients.

A lot of these folks claim to be fiscally conservative, Newsom said of his critics. If they really were, they would support what were talking about.

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He added that if you support universal health coverage, which Republicans say they do, then you dont get to cut corners. Everyone means everyone, Newsom said.

His appeal to federal lawmakers to facilitate a statewide single-payer system is more ambitious. Because such a system would need to incorporate Medicare, veterans assistance and other federal programs, it couldnt be done without an act of Congress.

For that reason, its unlikely it could be pulled off with Republicans in power. But when political circumstances change, California, because of its size and diversity, would be a perfect laboratory to demonstrate for the rest of the nation that universal coverage is possible.

Single-payer proponents have long said the economies of scale involved would lower overall healthcare costs, and the elimination of premiums, copays and deductibles would more than offset the taxes that would fund such a system, resulting in lower out-of-pocket expenses for most people.

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Lets find out. California can lead the way, just as Canadas single-payer system began in one province and then gradually expanded nationwide.

We are uniquely positioned to do something big and bold, Newsom told me.

And something that hits close to home for all of us.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.Former executives of Shanghai Kuailu Investment Group stand trial for fraud in Shanghai, Jan. 16, 2019. (Photo provided by Shanghai No 1 People's Intermediate Court )

Fifteen people were sentenced to jail and three companies were fined for fraud for illegally raising 43.4 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) by Shanghai No 1 People's Intermediate Court on Wednesday.

Shanghai Kuailu Investment Group was fined 1.5 billion yuan and its two affiliated companies, East Hongqiao Microcredit and East Hongqiao Financing Guarantee, were fined 200 million yuan each.

The companies' former executives, Huang Jialiu and Wei Yanping, were sentenced to life in prison. Another 13 people, including Xu Qi and Zhou Mengmeng, were sentenced to 9 to 15 years.

The verdict said that from 2013 to 2016, Kuailu chairman Shi Jianxiang organized illegal fundraising through the affiliated companies and other financing platforms.

Shi directed East Hongqiao Microcredit to forge fake credit materials and East Hongqiao Financing Guarantee to provide false guarantee materials, and then converted them into different wealth products that were sold along with unlicensed fund products by Zhonghai Investment to the public through conferences, internet advertising, phone calls and other channels. A total of 43.4 billion yuan was involved.

The money was transferred to bank accounts controlled by Shi and Kuailu. While 28.2 billion yuan was paid to investors for principal reduction and interest, the rest of the money was used for purposes such as share acquisition and investment in film projects. Some of the money was misappropriated, the court said, as it was transferred overseas, ending with a loss of 15.2 billion yuan and nearly 40,000 victims.

The court said the three companies, as well as 15 people who were directly involved in the fraud, caused huge economic losses and seriously damaged the nation's financial order and safety. Municipal justice departments will continue recovering the money and hunting for fugitives, including Shi, who fled China to the United States in March 2016 and is currently on the wanted list issued by China's anti-corruption authority.

Around 300 people, including defendants' relatives, representatives of the victims and officials from the U.S. consulate in Shanghai, were in the courtroom to listen to the case.In the wake of lawsuits and citations over safety violations, wage theft and unfair labor practices, one of the nations largest logistics companies announced it will shut down its massive warehouse employing 800 workers at the Port of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles City Council had voted in October to reject the Board of Harbor Commissioners permit for the Wilmington facility, which is operated by California Cartage and its corporate parent in New Jersey, NFI.

The warehouse handles goods for some of the countrys major retailers, including Lowes, Amazon, TJ Maxx and Sears/Kmart.

NFIs Wednesday announcement that it would close its 85-acre facility in July marked a victory for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has sought to unionize the companys warehouse workers and truck drivers.

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This is a very sad day for Cal Cartage, our employees, our customers and the Wilmington community, NFI Chief Executive Sid Brown said in a statement. We have been fighting, with the help of our employees, for the past four months to negotiate a deal to keep this facility open long-term.

This is not the outcome we wanted. Because of the Teamsters efforts, we now have been left with no other option but to shut down the Wilmington operation.

NFI purchased Cal Cartage in October 2017. The year before, the Teamsters had lost a vote to unionize its Wilmington warehouse workers in a contentious election marred by charges of unlawful interrogation, implied threats of termination and physical aggression by the company.

Last year the union took its fight to city politicians, who urged the Board of Harbor Commissioners to include a no labor disruption provision in any deal with Cal Cartage.

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, who led the fight against the company, said in response to the announcement that Cal Cartage was repeatedly fined for not complying with labor laws and mistreating their employees.

He added that the flow of goods through the port would not slow down because the port will seek a new operator for this strategically located and highly sought-after location.

Any new operator of the Wilmington site would be required to adhere to a city ordinance mandating that it retain employees of the previous operator, Buscaino said.

NFIs Wilmington operations had been hit with seven Teamster-led strikes since 2015, each lasting one to seven days. In voting against NFIs permit, the council said any new company operating at the site should agree to include safeguards to protect against work stoppages in any future permit or lease  a provision which implies cooperation with union organizers.

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NFIs decision to leave the property rather than bring the company into compliance with all local, state, and federal laws presents a much-needed opportunity for the City and Port of Los Angeles to seek a tenant that will follow the laws to avoid the labor disruptions that have plagued the Port property, the Teamsters said in a statement. NFI should act responsibly and stop pointing fingers at the Teamsters when it is NFI that has continuously and persistently broken the law.

NFI said it would transfer the Wilmington customers operations to its other warehouses in Torrance, Compton, Carson and City of Industry, and it would pay severance to employees. Spokeswoman Alice Walton said the company expects the facilitys temporary workers would be eligible for severance but details still need to be worked out.

She disputed a Teamster estimate that as many as half of the warehouses workers are staffing agency temps, but declined to provide NFI figures.

NFI/Cal Cartage has been in the crosshairs of government agencies and worker activists for years. Since 2015, the California Labor Commissioner has issued 36 citations against the company for misclassifying its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. CalCartage was ordered to pay $7.3 million to 36 drivers for unlawful deductions and unreimbursed expenses.

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The company settled 12 cases and is appealing 24.

In January 2018, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer sued three NFI companies, Cal Cartage Express, CMI, and K&R Transportation, for allegedly violating Californias Unfair Competition Law; misclassifying port truck drivers as independent contractors, thus denying them legal wages; and evading taxes.

Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report.

margot.roosevelt@latimes.com

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Twitter: @margotrooseveltGymboree Group Inc. will shut down its Gymboree and Crazy 8 clothing chains after declaring bankruptcy for a second time and failing to find a buyer for the stores, which have been hit hard by a decline in mall traffic.

The San Francisco-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, less than a year and a half after it emerged from an earlier reorganization that cut debt and overhauled operations.

The company, which operates 945 stores under three brands, said its upscale Janie and Jack stores would remain in business as it sought to find a buyer for them. The company owes creditors about $212 million, and some 10,000 people could lose their jobs.

Gymboree will join Toys R Us Inc., Shopko Stores and Bon-Ton Stores Inc. in the ranks of retailers that collapsed as shoppers deserted malls and bought online.

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We are saddened and highly disappointed that we must move ahead with a wind-down of the Gymboree and Crazy 8 businesses, Chief Executive Shaz Kahng, appointed in November, said in a statement.

The bankruptcy filing does not include some 800 Gymboree Play & Music stores in the United States and overseas. The chain, which offers indoor play areas and classes for children, was spun off from Gymboree Group in 2016, a spokeswoman said in an email.

An auction of Gymboree Group company assets is expected by Feb. 25, and going-out-of-business sales are being planned to dispose of inventory and raise about $155 million, said Stephen Coulombe, chief restructuring officer, in court papers. The company expects the sales and store closings to continue through April.

The bankruptcy comes at a time of continuing weakness for the childrens apparel industry, with sales at childrens and infant-wear stores falling 5.8% in November and 5.9% in December, according to First Data.

Gymboree was acquired by Bain Capital for about $1.8 billion in 2010. The private equity buyout saddled the company with more than $1 billion in debt, leading Gymboree to cut costs and defer investments before filing for court protection in June 2017. It emerged with less debt and fewer stores.

But competition in the industry is robust from rivals such as Childrens Place, the Gap, discount stores, internet retailers and big-box retailers that sell clothing at cheaper prices. Margins shrank, and Gymborees net retail sales dropped 27% to $573 million during the nine months that ended Nov. 3, court documents show.

The decline in revenue and rise in merchandising costs outpaced Gymborees ability to reduce its fixed cost structure composed largely of store rent, labor costs, and corporate general and administrative expense, court documents show.

The staff includes 10,100 full- and part-time workers, with the vast majority  9,600  hourly workers, according to filings. Gymboree said the $212 million in total obligations included $79.1 million under a senior secured credit facility, $44.5 million of outstanding letters of credit and about $89 million under its senior secured term loan.

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Special Situations Investing Group, a lending-and-investment affiliate of Goldman Sachs, is serving as the stalking-horse bidder in a court-supervised sale process for Janie and Jack, which bills itself as selling classic, designer clothing in rich fabric, design and detail.

In comparison, Crazy 8 sold trendy clothing at a lower price point, while the Gymboree branded stores occupied the middle of the value chain.Apple Inc. will cut back on hiring for some divisions after selling fewer iPhones than expected and missing its revenue forecast for the holiday quarter, according to people familiar with the matter.

Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, made the disclosure to employees this month in a meeting the day after he penned a letter to investors about the companys recent struggles, particularly in China. During the meeting, Cook was asked whether the company would impose a hiring freeze in response. He said he didnt believe that was the solution. Instead, Cook said, some divisions would reduce hiring, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

The hiring pullback wont affect plans to open new offices in Austin, Texas, or to expand in the Los Angeles area, where Apple is building out its original video content team, the CEO also said.

Cook said he has yet to fully determine which divisions would cut back on hiring, but he said key groups such as Apples artificial intelligence team would continue to add new employees at a strong pace. He also emphasized that a divisions importance to Apples future isnt measured by hiring rates.

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An Apple spokesman didnt respond to a request for comment.

Apple has been on a hiring spree in the last decade, but the pace of growth has slowed in recent years. The company added about 9,000 workers in its most recent fiscal year for a total of 132,000. A year earlier, Apple added roughly 7,000 employees.

Apple shares slipped less than 1% in extended trading Wednesday.

On Jan. 2, Apple cut revenue guidance for the holiday quarter to $84 billion from between $89 billion and $93 billion. That was the first time Apple reduced its sales forecast in almost two decades. The company blamed the lower outlook on weaker iPhone sales due to economic and industry headwinds, mostly in China.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based technology giant also said iPhone upgrades were not as strong as expected in some developed markets because of fewer carriers subsidizing phone purchases, higher prices and consumers holding on to older iPhones longer due to cheaper battery replacements.

In a memo to employees after the announcement, Cook told staffers he wouldnt use external forces as an excuse. This moment gives us an opportunity to learn and to take action, he said.

While lower iPhone sales dragged down revenue, Cook noted this month that the companys services business would grow to $10.8 billion in sales during the holiday quarter. In his meeting with employees, Cook highlighted the importance of services to the companys future.

In recent months, Apple has signaled a shift in its services strategy, opening up Apple Music to Amazon devices, adding the ability to stream media directly from iPhones and iPads to TV sets and releasing an iTunes video streaming app for Samsung TVs. The company is continuing to work on new partnerships and plans to expand services such as Apple Music to more third-party platforms, according to a person familiar with the strategy.

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The missed iPhone sales and reduction in hiring come just months after the iPhone maker became the first U.S. publicly traded company to pass the $1-trillion market capitalization threshold. Since then, Apple has lost almost $300 billion in value.

Gurman writes for Bloomberg.President Xi Jinpings slogan of national optimism, The Chinese Dream, may have been appropriated for his own advantage, but it seems to be the writers of his country who have been making the most of it. Novelists like Ma Jian (especially his recent China Dream) are producing sly and savage works of international literature, exploring  and exploding  the implications of Chinas recent accelerated modernization program and its global economic ambitions under the leadership of Xi. Perhaps to Xis consternation, these writers are not censoring their presentations of the dreams dark side.

But few writers have utilised an array of literary effects to dramatize these realities more fully than has Chinas most prolific and controversial author, Yan Lianke, winner of the 2014 Franz Kafka Prize and a two-time finalist for the Man Booker International Prize. Hes also the winner of the Lu Xun Prize and the Lao She Award, and an author considered a likely recipient of the Nobel.

Yan is attuned to the implications on the human psyche of accelerated modernization and rapid globalization. He spent decades writing in the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China, while also serving in the Peoples Liberation Army, a period of time that, one imagines, served as an extended apprenticeship and an indispensable education for the writer.

In his newly translated The Day the Sun Died, winner of the prestigious Dream of the Red Chamber Award in 2016, Yan skillfully renders  both realistically and surrealistically  the nightmarish story of a small village in central China where, over the course of one night, its inhabitants suffer catastrophically from an inexplicable plague of somnambulism  or dreamwalking, as Carlos Rojas makes clear in his subtle and superb translation of Yans dark fable.

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Effortlessly blending metaphor and allegory, symbolism and satire, Yan has crafted a distinct literary work of dystopian satire, a blend of bruising bureaucratic critique with a sly postmodern pastiche of realism, absurdism and the grotesque.

There are currently two conflicting language systems in China. One belongs to the state, the other to ordinary people. Yan Lianke

One evening, on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, a day so hot that the earths bones were bending and breaking, the residents of Gaotian, a small village nestled in the Funiu Mountains in Chinas Central Plains, begin to emerge one by one from their homes at sunset, dreamwalking. At first they go about their daily chores; one man goes out to the field to harvest wheat, his eyes half-closed, as though he were falling asleep. But quickly things turn darker; the man begins muttering self-deprecations at being a cuckold and seizes a steel pipe, stalking off in his zombie-like state in search of his wifes lover, whereupon with a single blow he shatters that lovers skull.

As the evening descends into darker night, the entire village descends into chaos: a drowning occurs and a hanging  or were they suicides?  followed by more murder, looting and theft, rape and incest, a woman walks around half-naked, a couple has sex in public; there is more violence, until finally a massive, marauding band of dreamwalkers attempt to take over the town, threatening to ignite an apocalyptic murderous war:

The sounds of chasing and killing descended on the town like a thunderstorm, and the entire world seemed to have descended into a storm of people fleeing and chasing one another. The entire world was engulfed in the sound of screams and murderous beatings.  In this way, the pursuers became the pursued.

Witnessing all this horror is our narrator, 14-year-old Li Niannian, whom everyone calls Stupid Niannian, but whose innocence and naivete (not to mention his immunity to deep sleep and dreamwalking, make him the perfect person to relate the events of this single sinister night. It is Niannian and his family  his mother, father and uncle  who become the protagonists of this mythorealistic drama (to use Yans own phrase in describing his work).

Peoples memories and administered memories, peoples forgetfulness and administered forgetfulness are all determined by the state. Yan Lianke

Niannians family is in the death business. His parents run the local funeral parlor and his uncle, the crematorium, whose furnace had been used during the Great Leap Forward (ironically, the Great Leap Forward was another program pushing rapid growth, begun by Chairman Mao in 1958, that oppressed the rural Chinese and brought about the starvation of approximately 40 million people during the Great Chinese Famine). Niannians familys proximity to death puts them in direct contact with all those villagers who have lost family members and who prefer to bury their dead. Its a violation of the rule prohibiting burials, a state-sponsored law meant to increase use of the land for harvesting wheat and which is pitched to the people as propaganda that Niannians uncle plasters up in posters all over the village: In order to save land for our children and grandchildren, we are switching from burial to cremation.  The state has specified that if it discovers anyone has been secretly buried  the corpse will be disinterred and cremated. Furthermore, the government will offer to pay anyone who informs on any secret burials taking place.

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The plot thickens as rumors spread that Niannians father, Li Tianbao, may be an informer, thickening even further when we learn that Niannians uncle profits not only off of the cremations that take place after Li Tianbao informs on his neighbors, but also off the warm brown liquid that runs out of a burning body. His uncle calls it corpse oil, the sale of which is highly profitable. And once Li Tianbao discovers its value, even darker complications arise as he goes into a shady business deal with his wealthy brother-in-law. But soon Tianbao undergoes his own rapid transformation and spends much of the novel seeking redemption from his neighbors. And a bulk of the novel follows his quest to be forgiven. It is here where the cruelty, violence, chaos and confusion that he endures becomes an almost unbearable echo of the chaos that has been loosed upon Gaotian Village.

Add into all of this fearful fabulation that Yan Lianke himself is a character in the novel  not a realistic replica, more like a distorted funhouse reflection.

In his insightful Translators Note, Carlos Rojas compares The Day the Sun Died to Ulysses, both for its famous single-day narrative, but also for its famous comparison of history to a nightmare (one from which Joyces Stephen Dedalus is trying to awaken), equating history with sleep and dreams, rich, recurrent symbols at work in Yans novel. Yet Joyces Dubliners also serves as a useful comparison. Not only are the citizens of Joyces Dublin trapped in a state of paralysis, unable to act for themselves, but they are also miniature versions of larger sociopolitical systems, a relationship that Joyce scholars term gnomonic, Thus are Yans people and places similarly related to each other. In this way, Yan has brilliantly structured his novel in a series of concentric circles, moving from our narrator to his father to his uncle to his family and the village and county and town, and so forth, ultimately encompassing the entire world.

After you go to sleep at night you continue your thoughts from when you were awake, and try to carry out those thoughts in your dreams. Yan Lianke

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The novel is a tour de force of language control. Rojas has honored all of Yans vertiginous syntax, with its switchbacks and echoes, its rhythms and recursions, inducing a spell like a hypnotists watch swinging back and forth, lowering our defenses against its control. In that way, the novel enacts its own linguistic uprising against the language of the state over the language of ordinary people, becoming a combatant in the war between literature and propaganda.

In 2013, Yan wrote an editorial for the New York Times on what he called Chinas state-sponsored amnesia: Consequently, truth is buried.  Lies, meaningless words and pretentious-sounding blather become the official language used by the government, taught by our teachers and adopted by the world of art and literature.  There are currently two conflicting language systems in China. One belongs to the state, the other to ordinary people.  Peoples memories and administered memories, peoples forgetfulness and administered forgetfulness are all determined by the state, transformed by a revolutionary tactic that has been systematically implemented.

That word implemented appears again at a crucial point in The Day the Sun Died. Niannian tells us that dreamwalking is really a result of the way in which whatever you are thinking about during the day becomes engraved in your bones, so that after you go to sleep at night you continue your thoughts from when you were awake, and try to carry out those thoughts in your dreams. This is similar to what bureaucrats call to implement, but in popular discourse we simply say to carry out.

In this fable of myriad citizens sleepwalking under a repressive regime, readers will detect a critique at the complicated hybrid of communism and capitalism overtly and covertly practiced in China. Yet Yans vision  at once artful and gruesome, lyrical and lurid, empathetic and appalled  is craftier and more complicated than that.

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The magnificence of Niannians narration is that it can be read on many levels. As a realist narrator, he reports first-hand the nightmare of the surreal somnambulism outbreak. But as a mythorealist holy-fool, he describes precisely those sociopolitical urgencies under which personal conscience and public responsibility must be examined  or ignored; he confronts serious moral questions of civic uprising or ignorant acquiescence; he lives out the philosophical dilemmas that not only Chinese citizens experience, but perhaps all of us might be experiencing in our current historic moment: a growing dread that we are living through a global night whose darkness is a darkness the sun can no longer illuminate.

But the power of literature is that it can illuminate, within the dark, chaotic mob, a single life story, revealing the individual repressed under such a massive collective system. What better way to dramatize such repression than through the expression of what lies buried in our dreams?

Yan Liankes The Day the Sun Died mixes dystopian satire with pointed critique. (Grove Press)

In novel after novel, Yan has explored, critiqued and satirized Chinas dark history, and now in The Day the Sun Died he darkens the landscape even further to render the complicated chaos of Chinas present moment. Whether its America in the 19th century or China in the 21st, the lesson of national campaigns is clear: sell the people on The Dream. As Fitzgerald wrote at the end of The Great Gatsby, that quintessential novel about the dark side of the American Dream: It eluded us then, but thats no matter  tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.  And one fine morning  so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

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In The Day the Sun Died, Yans daring and disturbing take on the Chinese Dream, one fine morning becomes one terribly dark night.

::

The Day the Sun Died

Yan Lianke

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Grove Press, 342 pp., $26

Salvatore is books editor at the Brooklyn Rail and the author of the story collection To Assume a Pleasing Shape. He is an associate professor at the New School.A Lake Geneva woman has pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving crash that could send her to prison for more than 30 years.

Bethny Hilgeman, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of intoxicated use of a motor vehicle in a July 14 crash on Main Street near downtown Lake Geneva.

A family from suburban Chicago was travelling in the opposite direction when Hilgemans car slammed into their vehicle, causing injuries to five family members, including broken bones and internal injuries. An infant girl with a broken femur ended up in a body cast.

Hilgeman, who was not seriously hurt, was found to have a blood-alcohol content of .21  more than twice the threshold for drunken driving.

Charged in August, she originally pleaded not guilty, but she struck a plea deal Jan. 17 in which prosecutors agreed to drop a fourth felony count and one misdemeanor count.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, at which time Hilgeman will face potential maximum penalties of 12 years and six months in prison on each of the three guilty pleas. Court records show that she has no previous criminal record in Wisconsin.Are you scared to go to a website and search for something that may be embarrassing? Did you know that websites track your activity? And the next day, when you turn on your computer, youll get ads and pop-ups from that embarrassing website that you visited?

Well, I have some news to keep you from getting all those ads and pop-ups. When in Safari, click on File then Private Window; another window opens up where you can surf through that website without anyone tracking you.

Lets say you have three programs opened up displaying all over your screen. When you click and drag a title bar of a window to move it, the window pops to the front ahead of other windows. If you want to move a window without bringing it to the front, just hold the Command key down, then click and drag the window. Then you can slide it behind other windows.

Id like to announce to all you West Side Folks that Mauisoft Computer Repair, my computer repair company, is now repairing iPhones and iPads. No more filling up your gas tank, packing a lunch and spending three hours driving over to the other side of the island to get your iPhone repaired.

Okay all you faithful Lahaina News readers  here are some Android and iPhone tricks to play around with. Have fun.

Give hearing aids a boost: With Apples new Live Listen feature, you can turn your iPhone into a microphone that links to a number of compatible hearing aids. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > MFi Hearing Devices and select your hearing aid model. On an Android phone, Google is working with manufacturer GN Hearing to provide similar support in future versions of Android.

Lock down and erase a lost or stolen phone: If your phone goes missing, you can secure the data on it with a passcode and post a request for help on the screen to assist in the rescue effort. You can also erase the device remotely to further safeguard your personal data. Fire up your computer, visit the following web pages, and follow the directions. On an iPhone. go to icloud.com/find. On an Android phone, go to android.com/find.

Find frequently used utilities fast: Stop wasting time searching for handy controls and features. Todays phones have shortcuts for quick access to the flashlight, calculator, music controls, Do Not Disturb mode and other common applications. On an iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the phones home screen or down from the top right corner to reveal the Control Center. On an Android phone, swipe down from the top with two fingers to summon Quick Settings.

Have your phone read to you: Many phones can read the content on your screen out loud, whether thats a text message, e-mail or newspaper article. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech > Speak Screen. (Once enabled, you can click open any article, then drag two fingers down from the top of the screen to get the reading started. You can also control the speed of the reading voice. On an Android phone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Select to Speak. (A small icon of a person appears on the screen; tap it and the phone begins reading.)

Make text and icons easier to read: With these simple ways to increase the size of fonts and icons, theres no need to squint to read texts and e-mails on your phone. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Text Size. To increase the size of icons (and everything on the screen), go to Settings > Accessibility > Zoom. On an Android phone, go to Settings > Display > Advanced > Font Size. To increase the size of everything on the screen, go to Settings > Display Size > then +.

Share your exact location in a text message: Send a map of your location by text so that friends can easily find you in an unfamiliar place. On an iPhone, open a text message, tap the circle icon at the top of the screen. Select Info > Send My Current Location. On an Android phone, open Google Maps, press and hold your finger on your current location until a card listing the address pops up, then hit Share > Messages.

Control your cursor: If its hard to accurately move the tiny cursor on your phone with your chubby fingers, heres a foolproof way to do it. On an iPhone, press and hold any key on the keyboard. When the keyboard turns gray, it functions as a trackpad, letting you easily move the cursor within the text. On an Android phone, press and hold the space bar and slide your finger left or right.

The new Mojave has a new way to paste a picture in Facebook. Open up Facebook and go to a friends post. Click on the Camera icon, and a menu pops up in the Finder window. Scroll down to the bottom to Media and click on Photo. There you can choose a photo to place it in your Facebook comment section.

Send your computer-related questions to mauimist8669@yahoo.com.Help end the government shutdown

It is time for every citizen to get involved. Our current government shutdown exemplifies the dysfunction that exists in our Legislative Branch.

Practices in the House of Representatives and Senate in place now are far from what our Founding Fathers intended.

Please read, sign and pass along my petition on Change.org to stop political gridlock in Washington: www.change.org/p/mitch-mcconnell-stop-legislative-gridlock-now-d26b226f-c39f-4c91-803b-d1cff4651ab0?recruiter=77149834&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_content=fht-14121550-en-us%3Av6.

BOB GRAYBOSCH, West Maui



Schools should serve healthy meals

I dont care what kids say  the school lunch lady is not trying to kill them. The federal government is. It seems that way at least.

The agriculture secretary  who once joked that he wouldnt be as big as he is without chocolate milk  recently rolled back a 2010 law requiring schools to serve more fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and less salt.

Schools are again allowed to serve full-fat milk, hefty helpings of refined grains and plenty of salt, in addition to mystery meat and other unhealthy animal-based foods that contribute to obesity, diabetes and other illnesses that can harm our kids and our already overburdened healthcare system.

The government needs a lesson in good nutrition, and it should require schools to serve healthy  and tasty vegan meals. As the United Nations has pointed out, vegan eating is the solution to reaching climate action goals and improving our health.

If your childs school doesnt offer many vegan options, try packing vegan lunches. Vegan foods are cholesterol-free and generally low in fat and high in fiber and other nutrients. See www.PETA.org for free recipes that students will eat right up.

HEATHER MOORE, PETA Foundation



Advice for the West Maui Community Plan

You can make many plans, but the Lords purpose will prevail. (Proverbs)

Considering previous community plans failings, the West Maui Communitys vision may want to implement what Queen Keopuolani expressed so succinctly in 1823: The Life of the Land is perpetuated in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Community plan ideals are found in the Bible. Here are some practical applications of biblical principles intended to inspire future growth planning.

Water is the source of life. Until empirical data is collected after restoring stream flow and agriculture, future development should be limited to permanent affordable housing and agriculture infrastructure.

Protect and preserve watersheds; restore native forests, agriculture, loi terraces and fishponds; protect the reefs; and provide shelter for the people. Unless drastic measures are taken now, we may miss the opportunity to achieve food security and provide housing that remains affordable for future generations.

Other important issues to address are fire safety, sea-level rise, traffic, infrastructure, open spaces and community parks.

AGRICULTURE: In response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers West Maui Watershed Study, implement the option of Traditional Hawaiian Practices: Construct or restore loi terraces; use historically-proven methods and structures for sediment management. Apply for loi farmer subsidies to implement this sediment management option.

Restore the historical Alamihi inland fishpond in the flood channel where the Kahoma Stream meets the ocean at Mala Wharf. Historical preservation along with mitigating land-based pollutants from entering the ocean  work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore as much of the Kahoma flood channel to natural conditions while maintaining a safe flood control zone.

With the vast expanse of unproductive farm land, implement a master plan for agriculture. Feeding residents and the visitor industry, agriculture provides food security, sustainable employment and eco-tourism opportunities; recharges the aquifer; and protects scenic vistas.

Native forest restoration will help recharge groundwater and may have carbon credit advantages. Historically known for breadfruit groves, food-producing trees can capture moisture from the air to recharge the aquifer naturally while providing shade that lowers the temperatures.

Keep livestock away from streams and edible produce. Surround pastures with textile, bio-fuel and animal feed crops to prevent contamination of food and water for human consumption.

Rather than import 90 percent of our food, strive to provide local produce and livestock for 80 percent of our food supply and only allow 20 percent to be imported. Exported agriculture products would also help boost local economy and offset shipping expenses of incoming supplies.

Start restricting imports of food that can be grown locally. Explore funding options; see if major food suppliers would invest in Hawaiis agriculture.

Find new ways to market farm-to-table products to make it profitable. Build co-ops for food storage and distribution. Place strategically processing plants, canneries, slaughterhouses and other agriculture construction to be the most cost effective and in compliance with environmental impact standards.

To be continued

MICHELE LINCOLN, LahainaLAHAINA  Maui Arts League sponsors, volunteers and advisers are planning the largest Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational yet on Feb. 16-24.

Maui Arts League and our partners aim to give our entire community a beautiful art experience, watching award-winning landscape artists interpret and express the beauty of our island and learning about fine art. We want our talented, creative children to consider fine art as a profession, said Lois Reiswig, president of the Maui Arts League nonprofit.

I encourage art enthusiasts of all ages to check out our nationally recognized event on Facebook, Instagram and www.CelebrateArtOnMaui.org.

Sponsoring three public Maui Plein Air Paint Outs during Presidents Week are the Pioneer Inn at Lahaina Harbor, Royal Lahaina Resort and Maui No Ka ?Oi Magazine at Kaanapali Beach and Montage Kapalua Bay.

For Maui students in grades 3-12, Honu and Fridas restaurants are sponsoring a free painting workshop on Feb. 17. The next evening, Feb. 18, Pioneer Inn will host a free college-level art appreciation lecture by renowned art curator Jean Stern, associate director of The Irvine Museum Collection and California Art Institute of the University of California, Irvine.

Maui Arts League also pays tuition for two high school art students to participate in a three-day adult painting workshop taught by plein air professionals Suzie Baker or Josh Clare. Later in the spring, Maui Arts League will award cash scholarships to two Maui graduates planning to study fine arts.

During the Awards Exhibition and Art Sale on Feb. 23-24 at the Royal Lahaina Resort Ballroom, art marketing professional Kim von Tempsky will moderate an artist panel discussion, and art educator Rae Takemoto will lead a discussion about the future West Maui Fine Art Museum.

New this February are ticketed collectors parties before every art exhibition and sale, with the opportunity to break bread with artists and early entry to the sale. On Feb. 23, art lovers can Take an Artist to Breakfast at a special Royal Lahaina Resort buffet.

Reiswig said that art collectors are not art dealers, but folks of all backgrounds who enjoy having beautiful fine art in their homes. Plein air paintings are a safe way to buy art  directly from the artist you watched create it  and unlike reproductions, original paintings have intrinsic value and last a lifetime.

Art experts agree, counseling first-time collectors to buy what grabs you. At home, the same warm feeling wells up with every viewing. As Christies Realtor and Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational sponsor Mary Anne Fitch says, Nothing says good taste like fine art on the walls of your home.

Maui Plein Air artists receive a full commission on sales of their paintings, and another portion of the sale price supports Maui Arts Leagues mission to showcase, cultivate and build appreciation for visual fine arts while creating unique opportunities for people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds to embrace the experience of fine art.

For details on collectors parties, week-long event passes, tables for the Awards Gala and a full schedule of all public events, visit www.CelebrateArtOnMaui.org, or call Reiswig at 665-1491 to set up a sponsorship package or to volunteer your services.LAHAINA  Bringing reverence to the historic and cultural sites in Lahaina is one of the stated goals of the community-based Lahaina Harbor Front Improvement Project. Phase 2A of this multi-phase project will be going out to bid soon.

Maui Friends of the Library developed the landscape concept plan with input from the Lahaina community.

Lahaina Restoration Foundation embraced this plan and is managing the project with grant funds from the County of Maui Parks and Recreation Department. Russel Y. Gushi is the landscape architect.

Phase 2A encompasses the lawn area on the mauka side of the library, formerly the Kings Kalo Patch. In keeping with community goals, the area will be landscaped with Native Hawaiian plants and trees with an emphasis on kalo (taro).

Although in former times the loi kalo were irrigated by the stream that ran freely in the area of the present day Dickenson Street, the kalo in this project will be cultivated as dryland kalo.

The phase also includes planting Native Hawaiian plants and trees, and the removal of non-natives. Brick-like pavers will be installed next to the existing sidewalk along Front Street to provide a larger area for pedestrians and a welcoming entrance to the park.

A bike rack will be installed near the mauka door to the library, and a traditional Hawaiian dry stacked wall will be built next to the remnants of an ancient rock wall along Market Street.

An irrigation system will be installed to water the newly-planted lawn areas as well as three large beds of kalo. New benches will be installed along the Front Street sidewalk.

The completion of the project will provide space for free cultural education areas in the park. Working together with Lahaina Public Library, Lahaina Restoration Foundation plans to provide space for small lectures, cultural demonstrations, hands-on education about kalo and more.

School children will be invited to plant the three kalo beds and a community event will be held to celebrate the harvest. An appropriate Hawaiian name will be given to the park when the area is blessed and opened to the public.

The earlier phases of the Lahaina Harbor Front Improvement Project have been completed. These include vine-covered trellises, brick pavers and benches at Keawaiki Park next to the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor.

Banyan Tree Park received new cement paths and an enhanced entrance with an uki uki plant border.

The last and largest phase of the project will be the re-landscape of the area on the makai side of the library.

Licensed contractors interested in bidding on Phase 2A can contact Theo Morrison at Lahaina Restoration Foundation by e-mailing her at theo@lahainarestoration.org.

The opening of the bidding process will be publicly announced soon. The invitation to bid, drawings and all relevant information will be available on a jump drive.The Little Tokyo Post Office closed on Jan. 4. It was operated not by the United States Postal Service, but by a private contractor.News that carcinogens had been found in some of Muji's biscuits in Hong Kong (HK) raised food safety concerns among consumers in the Chinese mainland on Wednesday. It's necessary for regulators to warn about any carcinogen existence in foods, and to roll out food security limits is even more important, analysts said.

Glycidol and acrylamide, which could cause cancer above certain levels, has been detected in parts of biscuit products bought in HK from August to October, 2018. Further, a kind of hazelnut oat biscuit produced in Malaysia, had the highest amount of carcinogens recorded, HK Consumer Council said in a report on Tuesday, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

Muji, a Japanese brand that is popular with Chinese middle class, declined to confirm to the Global Times whether related products had been taken off the shelves in the Chinese mainland on Wednesday, after the news raised concerns among consumers on Sina Weibo, and that the particular Hazelnut oat biscuit had been found to be off the shelves in many online stores.

A consumer surnamed Zhang in Beijing told the Global Times on Wednesday that she would not buy Muji's foodstuffs until their food is proved to be safe.

"Although I liked Muji's biscuits, food safety deserves the highest attention," Zhang said.

However, analysts said consumers should not be overly worried about it.

It's not the first time these two substances have been detected in HK's food markets, but the safe limit still has not been formed.

Lui Man Yee, press officer of HK Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said on Tuesday that local regulators are still working on the limits for these substances, and as with similar cases, the regulator will take samples from the market and evaluate the risks, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

If the risk assessment results show that the food is not suitable for consumption, the merchants will be required to stop selling food, Lui said.

An industry source told the Global Times on Wednesday that no country has upper limits for acrylamide now, and only the EU has limits for glycidol since April 2018.

It's hard to evaluate risks without details of the amounts, he said on the condition of anonymity.

The opinion is echoed by Zhu Danpeng, a food industry analyst based in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province.

Food safety issues matter the most, but the rapid development of the industry has created many new regulatory gaps that need a fix, and then the need to develop new standards and policies, Zhu told the Global Times on Wednesday.

It's necessary for regulators to warn about new risks, and it's even more important to roll out limits and standards in a timely manner, Zhu added.Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top ally of President Donald Trump, expressed concerns on Wednesday that Trump's comments about withdrawing troops from Syria have emboldened terrorist groups like ISIS, and that he hopes Trump thinks "long and hard" about his next moves when it comes to withdrawing troops from the war torn country.



"My concern by the statements made by President Trump is that you have set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we are fighting," Graham said. "You make people we are trying to help wonder about us."



A bomb blast on Wednesday in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, which killed American service members, comes less than a month after Trump announced that U.S. troops would withdraw from the country.



Graham, who is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, interrupted a confirmation hearing for the nominee to be the next attorney general, William Barr, to make his sentiments known.



Trump declared in a video released on Twitter last month: "We have won against ISIS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly. We've taken back the land and now it's time for our troops to come back home."



At the time, Graham called the decision an "Obama-like mistake" and blasted the president for the hastily announced withdrawal plan, and made clear it was a move he wholeheartedly opposed.



"Anytime a president does something that people on the ground are rattled by, it usually comes back to bite us," Graham told reporters Wednesday.



"When it got to be seen were going to withdrawing all of our forces, people went back to their corners and started hedging their bets," Graham said.



Graham noted that if ISIS is behind the attack, it "shows theyre not defeated and theyve been emboldened."



Meanwhile, at least one Republican senator - Rand Paul of Kentucky - is condemning the president. Paul said he met with Trump at the White House Wednesday to discuss Afghanistan and Syria.



"I have never been prouder of President Donald Trump. In todays meeting, he stood up for a strong America and steadfastly opposed foreign wars. Putting America First means declaring victory in Afghanistan and Syria. President Trump is delivering on his promises!" Paul said in a statement released on Wednesday.



Vice President Mike Pence also issued a statement earlier in the day saying the U.S. has "crushed the ISIS caliphate" and devastated its capabilities.



"President Trump and I condemn the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen. We honor their memory and we will never forget their service and sacrifice," Pence said.



"Thanks to the courage of our Armed Forces, we have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities. As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate  not now, not ever," Pence added.



Democrats, while expressing their grief over the loss of American lives, ripped Trump for his lack of strategy in the region.



"I think this tragic occurrence on the battlefield reflects how the United States has no strategy no plan and no real path forward," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, told reporters Wednesday.



"But the danger to our troops will only increase because of the haphazard and lack of strategy that we have in Syria. This rapid withdrawal without a plan a strategy puts our troops in danger," he said.



The Senates top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, also blasted the president.



"President Trumps precipitous removal of our troops from Syria and his claim that ISIS has already been beaten we knew would not hold up. Todays tragedy shows thats just the case," Schumer told reporters.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.People board a hydrogen-electric bus in Dong-gu, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, in this October 2018 photo. Yonhap file





South Korea announced a hydrogen economy policy blueprint on Thursday that centers on promoting eco-friendly automobiles and power cells that could create 43 trillion won ($38.2 billion) worth of wealth in 2040.







The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the policy is focused on building a society that harnesses hydrogen as the main source of energy for power generation, vehicles and other daily uses. Such an ecosystem will become the new growth engine for the economy, it said.







The government has not revealed any estimates of how much will be spent on implementing its plan.







The ministry said Asia's fourth largest economy will make extensive use of hydrogen, one of the most abundant elements in nature, to replace traditional energy sources, such a coal, oil and gas.







"While coal and other fossil fuels cause pollution, like fine dust, and release green house gases into the atmosphere, hydrogen can be considered very clean," the ministry said.







The government said hydrogen can help South Korea ease its dependency on imported energy sources.







Under the vision, the cumulative number of hydrogen-powered vehicles produced by 2040 will reach 6.2 million units, including 3.3 million units for exports, making South Korea the world's top green carmaker. This is much larger than the 2,000 units produced up till 2018.







This year, the ministry said 4,000 more hydrogen cars will hit the road, up from 712 units added in 2018.







The number of charging stations for hydrogen cars will reach 310 in 2022, the ministry said, soaring from just 14 last year. The government plans to increase the number of stations to 1,200 by 2040.







Hydrogen vehicles will expand their presence in the country's public transportation systems as well. The ministry estimated there will be 80,000 hydrogen-powered taxis in 2040, along with 40,000 buses and 30,000 trucks running on the clean resource.







The ministry said new demand for hydrogen-based cars will spark growth in related industries, such as auto parts.







To promote hydrogen-powered vehicles, the ministry said it will make efforts to lower costs to make it more attractive to consumers. While the cost of hydrogen per kilogram is roughly 8,000 won in South Korea, the government plans to lower the figure to 3,000 won by 2040.





Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO Dimitris Psillakis in traditional Korean attire speaks during a New Year press conference at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Mercedes-Benz Korea (MBK) will roll out 14 new models this year, including the EQC, the brand's first fully electric vehicle (EV), and up to four plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), the Korean unit of the German carmaker said Thursday.



"To make sure Mercedes-Benz stays in the lead, we want to innovate our product portfolio," MBK CEO Dimitris Psillakis said during a press conference at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul. "With the new models, 2019 will be a year for MBK to lay the foundation for future mobility."



The EQC SUV was unveiled last September as the first full EV of Mercedes-Benz. Its motor yields 408 horsepower and allows to accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 5.1 seconds, with its battery covering 450 kilometers of maximum travel distance.



Along with the EV and four PHEVs, MBK will introduce nine new models and six facelifts this year, including the new A-Class sedan, the new GLE SUV and the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe.



As well as fulfilling the portfolio, Psillakis said MBK will continue efforts to improve customer satisfaction, through expanding its service networks and introducing multiple customer convenience programs this year.



Currently, MBK is operating 54 showrooms and 64 service centers across Korea. Psillakis said the number will grow to 60 showrooms and 70 service centers this year, as well as introducing "Mercedes-Benz Express Service," which will complete repairs in just 30 minutes, cutting the current repair time in half. For parts supply, it will complete its 35 billion won project of expanding its parts distribution center.



Also, it will launch an EV charging membership program, titled "Mercedes me Charge," which provides EQC owners access to Mercedes-Benz showrooms and public charging stations.



Through the programs and service expansion, the company pledged to create 600 additional jobs at MBK by the end of this year.



Psillakis did not put numbers to his expectation on MBK's sales volume for this year, citing economic uncertainties, but said he is optimistic because of the "continuation in product introduction."



"We want to be the first in quality, through investing and training employees," Psillakis said. "The number and the volume come second."





Mercedes-Benz Korea Vice President Martin Schulz introduces the EQC electric vehicle during a New Year press conference at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. YonhapA Hyundai Motor's NEXO hydrogen fuel cell car stops at a hydrogen fuel station in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Korea Times file



By Baek Byung-yeul



Companies are rushing to apply for the "regulatory sandbox" program, a new system that went into effect Thursday to enable firms to start new businesses without being subject to existing regulations.



The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday 19 companies applied for the sandbox program on its first day of operation. The firms include big players such as Hyundai Motor, KT and Kakao alongside regular startups.



The word sandbox refers to a sandpit in the playground where children play in a controlled and closed environment with less fear of the consequences. The regulatory sandbox is designed to exempt firms from rules and regulations so they can come up with innovative and convenient products and services.



With the sandbox program, the government will inform companies whether their new businesses are complying with regulations within 30 days. If the administration doesn't, the firms can go ahead with their market release of products or services.



Hyundai applied for the program to install hydrogen fuel stations in urban areas.



The carmaker has been making all-out efforts to take the lead in hydrogen technology. By investing $6.7 billion, the company aims to produce 500,000 fuel cell vehicles annually by 2030.



To accomplish its ambitious plan, constructing more hydrogen charging stations in the downtown area is essential. Hyundai has been requesting approval for the construction of five such stations in the capital, but it is impossible to add stations in urban areas due to regulations.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it will discuss the issue with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to see whether they can issue a permit to construct the hydrogen stations in Seoul.



Kakao, the operator of Korea's popular messaging app KakaoTalk, and telecommunications firm KT also applied for the program to request an approval for launching electricity billing services.



Kakao said the electricity billing service would decrease postage costs by 70 percent. By decreasing the use of paper bills, the electricity bills can contribute to the decline of carbon footprint and improve efficiency of mail services.

Models pose with Samsung Electronics' wind-free air conditioners in this photo provided by the firm, Thursday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Electronics has unveiled its latest air conditioners, equipped with enhanced air purification and artificial intelligence (AI) features.



The company said Thursday the wind-free air conditioners are known for their trademarked cooling system that provides a comfortable indoor climate without any direct air flow. Samsung introduced its first wind-free products in 2016.



The firm said its latest floor-standing air conditioners offer a more powerful air purification feature in response to worsening fine dust pollution.



"There were only 11 floor-standing air conditioners that have air purification feature in 2018. But 31 out of 50 models for 2019 have that feature," said Lee Jae-hwan, vice president of the firm's consumer electronics division, during a press conference at Samsung R&D Campus in southern Seoul.



The latest air conditioners equip improved air filters that can filter out fine dust as small as 0.3 micrometers in diameter.



They also offer enhanced energy efficiency as the firm uses improved components such as compressors, heat exchangers and motors.



"According to our survey, the average operating time of air conditioners in July and August was 11.2 hours per day, and about two-thirds leave air conditioners on for 24 hours during that period. So we tried to come up with new air conditioners that consume less energy," Lee said.



When the new air conditioners are on wind-free mode, consumers can save up to 90 percent of electricity, compared to other air conditioners. "Even in tropical nights during summer, consumers can use air conditioners as it costs about 4,400 won ($3.92) when using the good sleep mode," Lee said.



What makes them different from other products is they have a micro control feature so users can raise or lower the temperature by 0.5 degrees Celsius.



The new air conditioners feature Samsung's Bixby AI assistant to control the devices by voice command. Design-wise, Samsung said the new products come with a more distinctive design that can be blended with a home's interior. While the previous air conditioners have big air holes, the latest version hides them inside the panel.



In addition, Samsung introduced wall-mounted air conditioners that have wind-free and air purification features as well as Cube air purifiers.



Priced between 3.89 million won ($3,468) and 6.65 million won ($5,928), the new air conditioners will hit the market starting Jan. 24. The Cube air purifiers will be available from Feb. 1. Air purifiers that can cover 67 square meters are priced between 1.1 million won and 1.3 million won while the bigger ones that cover 114 square meters will be sold between 1.9 million won and 2.3 million won.



By Jung Min-ho







Ren Zhengfei, the founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant Huawei, called U.S. President Donald Trump "a great president" as his company struggles with spying allegations by the United States and some of its allies.





Speaking to journalists from Western media at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen, Tuesday, Ren, 74, also said he would never allow China's government to access customer information, in a bid to assuage growing global security concerns about his company.





"Trump is a great president," Ren

said. "He dares to massively cut taxes, which will benefit business. But you have to treat well the companies and countries so that they are willing to invest in the U.S. and the government will be able to collect enough tax."





The emergence of the reclusive leader, who last spoke with foreign media nearly four years ago, underlines the magnitude of the issue facing Huawei, the symbol of China's tech might.





So far, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Japan have barred Huawei from taking part in their 5G infrastructure build-outs amid concerns of its links with China's government. More countries are now considering the same move.





Ren's background  a former engineer at the People's Liberation Army and a current party member  did not help resolve the doubts.





"I love my country, I support the Communist Party," Ren said. "But I will not do anything to harm the world. I don't see a close connection between my personal political beliefs and the businesses of Huawei."





But critics say Huawei would have no choice but to comply with Chinese intelligence officials by law, if they made such a request.





Ren nevertheless promised he would always be "sided with customers."





"The values of a business entity is customer first, is customer centricity," he

. "We are a business organization, so we must follow business rules  And I think I already made myself very clear right now, we will definitely say no to such a request."





Meng Wanzhou, a senior Huawei executive and Ren's daughter, has been arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities. She is suspected of fraud related to payments that violated U.S. sanctions against Iran.





When asked about her, Ren said he misses her.





"As her father, I miss her very much  I trust that the legal systems of Canada and the United States are open, just and fair, and will reach a just conclusion," he said. "We will make our judgment after all the evidence is made public."



By Donald Kirk





U.S. President Donald Trump is facing such excruciating trouble on his own home front that you have to wonder when he's going to get enough time off to see Kim Jong-un. For that matter, you wonder if Kim will really want to see him all that much, knowing that he's besieged by enemies and may not even survive the remaining two years of his presidency, much less get elected to a second term.



Still, we have to believe President Moon Jae-in has reason to be confident that a second Trump-Kim summit is absolutely going to happen. He really sounded sure of himself when he said, at that New Year press conference last week, that "Kim's visit to China shows a second summit between the United States and North Korea is nearing." He also seemed to know pretty much what would be on the agenda.



The Trump-Kim summit in Singapore "was not specific enough," Moon said, understating the vacuity of their joint statement in which they both professed to espouse "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." That statement was so vague as to be comparable to a declaration of faith in the virtues of the Almighty and motherhood  "Almighty" a carefully chosen, non-controversial reference neither to the Christian God nor Lord Buddha nor Allah but to the supreme being of any religion.



"I am sure they will come out with a concrete agreement," was the English interpretation of his words in Korean that I heard over the simultaneous interpreting device that correspondents were given for the question-and-answer session in the Blue House.



I would have loved to have asked President Moon how he could be so sure, whether he had talked to Trump or one of his top-most people, maybe Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or the national security adviser, John Bolton, but no luck. Amid all the hands raised to ask questions, I had no chance.



If the reason for Moon's confidence in a second summit was not altogether clear, he seemed fully attuned to the skepticism in the U.S. about any understanding with Kim.



"There has been distrust and hostility between the U.S. and North Korea," said Moon, clearly aware the Americans don't take a "positive" view of any end-of-war declaration. He refused, however, to see it as a precursor to demands for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the South. "Whether to maintain the U.S. forces is to be determined by the U.S. and South Korea," he declared.



Fine, but missing from Moon's remarks was one major consideration about which no one asked. What if Trump's wings are clipped in the ruckus in Washington over his stubborn bid to get the Congress to approve more than $5 billion to build a wall for the sole purpose of excluding a flood of illegal immigrants from pouring over the southern U.S. border? Or what if the U.S. government is still virtually shut down, payrolls suspended, normal duties in limbo, while the House of Representatives, now dominated by Democrats dedicated to chase the Republican Trump out of the White Houses, refuses to authorize funding?



It's hard to imagine Trump gallivanting off to see Kim as long as this crisis goes on. Moreover, the crisis may be getting stronger even if he gets his way on funding for "The Wall." Powerful House committees are gearing to pick up whatever they can find that would show he had compromised American interests in his dealings with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.



That investigation may consume the remainder of Trump's presidency. The House could actually vote to impeach him. Then, if enough members of Trump's own party in the Republican-controlled Senate were to join the Senate's Democratic minority in finding him guilty as charged in the impeachment, he'd be gone, ousted, the first president to be kicked out so unceremoniously. (Richard Nixon resigned as the axe was about to fall. Andrew Johnson, who took office after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, avoided ouster by one vote in the Senate.).



Trump has made clear he would really like to embrace Kim again. He sent him a letter last weekend pleading for a second summit. Kim has indicated previously that he hopes to see him. Trump could still serve Kim's purposes if he decides on further cutbacks in the number of U.S. troops here, now 28,500, while going along with that end-of-war or peace declaration.



Kim should know though, that Trump, when they meet, may be more than a lame duck. He could be a wounded wild animal, screaming madly, pathetically, at the media, lying and denying, protesting too much against the slights and slurs of his enemies. A sad sight to imagine.



Donald Kirk (www.donaldkirk.com) has been covering the ups and downs of the North-South confrontation for decades.

Social consensus needed to resolve conflict over carpooling



IT giant Kakao Corp. decided Tuesday to suspend its app-based car-sharing service temporarily. The decision is apparently aimed at appeasing the fierce protests from the taxi industry, while at the same time calling for the latter to come forward for dialogue. Two taxi drivers recently committed suicide by setting themselves on fire, to protest the ride-sharing business.





The ruling Democratic Party of Korea also joined the call for the taxi industry to take part in a social dialogue body now that the pilot car-sharing program had been suspended. The taxi industry, however, remains adamant, threatening to file charges with the prosecution against Kakao Mobility, the transport arm of Korea's dominant mobile messenger operator.



The "sharing economy"  which seeks to enhance efficient consumption by sharing vehicles, offices and accommodation  has long become a global trend. Conditions are ripe as both supply and demand are high while the optimization technology to link the two sides is well in place. At stake is how to settle conflicts with traditional industries that have long provided similar services.



All parties involved have no other choice but to resolve the conflicts through a dialogue body participated in by not just the taxi industry and Kakao, but experts and consumers as well. It makes no sense if Korea gives up on introducing global economic trends by failing to address clashing interests. Taxi drivers and operators need to come forward and join negotiations to settle this problem.



During his New Year press conference, President Moon Jae-in said, "The industrial reality is changing amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but some sectors of society are sticking to old values." Moon then cited the car-sharing service as an example of this, and called for a social compromise or consensus among sectors with different ideas and interests.



The taxi industry will soon discuss whether to participate in the dialogue forum. Kakao has come halfway by suspending its pilot service, sending the ball to the taxi industry's court. We hope the four taxi associations will do likewise with forward-looking and open minds. Getting a taxi during rush hour should no longer be a nightmare for commuters.



It shouldn't come as a surprise that Pacific Gas and Electric, the state's largest investor-owned power utility, is on the brink of bankruptcy.



On Monday, the company filed a required 15-day notice that it plans to seek financial protection from as much as $30 billion in damage caused by deadly wildfires in recent years that have been linked to its power lines and transformers.



But PG&E and the state's other two large investor-owned utilities, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric have been warning for more than a year that their futures are imperiled if they have to pay claims on all of the property and lives lost in wildfires sparked by their equipment  and that was before the massive Camp fire in Northern California and Woolsey fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties this fall.



The official cause of those blazes is still pending, but both were immediately preceded by reports of malfunctioning electrical equipment nearby. If that's what is determined to have sparked those fires, PG&E and Southern California Edison, the owners of the equipment, will be on the hook for unfathomably expensive claims.



This is not the beginning of a new energy crisis, however. The lights will not go off in Northern California, most of which relies on PG&E for its power. The utility is reorganizing its debt, not liquidating itself. The power lines won't be taken down and sold to scrap yards.



And there's no state shortage of electricity or gas. In fact, if anything, the expected bankruptcy process presents an opportunity of sorts because it gives lawmakers the motive and the incentive to rethink the dominant but apparently flawed model for electric power service in the state.



Most Californians get their electricity from the three big investor-owned utility companies. (Not Angelenos, though, who have Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, a city-owned utility). Though they are private companies, the IOUs (as they are called for short) are treated like quasi-governmental agencies in some respects.



Their rates and profits are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. They can't refuse to serve customers based on fire risk. And they must pay for the losses caused when their equipment destroys property or kills people, even if there was no negligence on their part. With climate change fueling larger and deadlier fires  and ever larger damage claims  this formula has shown itself to be unsustainable.



Last year, the Legislature and governor worked out a deal to allow the utilities to pass on the cost of wildfires to customers if the utility properly maintained its equipment, or if the utility's financial health would be put into jeopardy by not doing so. Some people called the legislation a bailout for the utilities. We thought it was a reasonable, but still just a first step.



One lingering problem is that the state's major utilities have such huge service areas, the work needed to reduce the wildfire risk posed by their far-flung equipment takes an enormous amount of time and money to complete. The task is complicated by ongoing development into high-fire risk areas.



Gov. Gavin Newsom, to his credit, seems to understand that more needs to be done. Even before PG&E announced its intent to file Chapter 11, Newsom had put together a "strike team" led by his chief of staff Ann O'Leary to start figuring out how to manage what is likely to be a messy bankruptcy and 16 million angry customers.

At a news conference Monday, Newsom said that all options were on the table when it comes to the future of PG&E, including breaking up the utility or selling off its assets. We hope he means that, because it does seem that PG&E's problems extend beyond starting wildfires.



The utility was convicted on criminal charges in connection with the deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno in 2010, and last month an investigation concluded that the company falsified pipeline safety records between 2012 and 2015.



Critics of PG&E, such as the consumer advocacy group TURN  The Utility Reform Network  and state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), have advocated for radical restructuring, which may include breaking up the utility into smaller companies or selling its assets to public agencies, such as San Francisco's utilities commission that would have more public accountability.



The state has the ability to do this because the California Public Utilities Commission has veto power over the restructuring plan that will come out of bankruptcy. Depending on how it goes, a restructuring could be a boon for the state's burgeoning Community Choice Aggregation movement, which is a clunky name for a rather simple idea of communities bypassing the big utilities to buy or make their own power without the profit markup.



We don't know what the best alternative might be. But in light of the last few years and the deadly wildfires, we do know that it's high time we had a frank discussion about whether our current reliance on gigantic profit-making companies makes sense for the state's future.





The above commentary appeared in the Los Angeles Times. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.



By Park Moo-jong





Mexico City, home to 20 million people, is notorious for air pollution. In a somewhat exaggerated expression, even birds would drop dead from the sky. In 1992, the city earned the dishonor of topping the list of the world's most polluted cities.



In 1990, I visited the capital city of the Central American country for a news coverage with a kind of worry about the air pollution there. I was advised to walk slowly and bring an oxygen can with me always, even at the hotel bed, because of the lack of oxygen there.



I've heard the city still ranks in the top 10 in terms of pollution, even if its air quality has improved a little thanks to the city's aggressive legislation and heightened awareness of a problem that "kills an estimated 7 million people worldwide every year" according to the World Health Organization (WHO).



Nearly 30 years later, I am experiencing a similar situation here in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea.



Like all Korean people, I have suffered from the worst-ever choking air pollution this week in Seoul, which, I learned belatedly, places 12th regarding fine dust pollution among cities in 224 countries.



The ultrafine dust attack is a national disaster enveloping the whole country, with the Moon Jae-in government and the local autonomous bodies remaining virtually helpless, taking only expedient measures  warning alerts and advising people to wear a mask, keep kids indoors and halt outdoor activities.



One of the campaign pledges of President Moon is spotlighted anew. He promised he would reduce fine dust emissions by 30 percent during his five-year term, if elected. Over the past 20 months after he took office, the situation has become aggravated as shown by this week's worst-ever pollution.



It is no wonder that many people ask where the person who promised to make a clean Republic of Korea has gone.



Let's look into the emergency measures taken by the government: Coal- and oil-fired power plants reduced their output to 80 percent of normal operations; old diesel cars registered in Seoul before 2005 were banned; about 430 parking lots at public organizations were closed; citizens were discouraged from driving into the city; and half of government vehicles were banned from the roads.



Yet, questions still remain over the effectiveness of these "easy" emergency measures against vehicle emissions. They may be a little helpful. But related authorities should think first why there is so much car exhaust contributing to the dirty air.



The reason is quite simple: daylong bumper-to-bumper congestion across major cities causes bad fuel efficiency. The increasing idling of engines in traffic jams also helps increase gas emissions.



It's bumper-to-bumper and stop-and-go for cars on every street in Seoul where buses enjoy speed in bus-only lanes. Jongno streets and the Seoul-Busan expressway starting from the southern side of Hannam Bridge are typical cases. It is a frequent scene everywhere for the central bus lanes to be empty while other lanes have heavy traffic. There is no reason why the air should become dirty due to fumes the cars emit, crawling as slowly as a snail.



Over the past years, we have largely perceived a huge portion of fine dust to come from industrial sites in China, blaming the neighboring country for the air pollution on the peninsula. Indeed, dust storms in spring, generated in China's northwestern deserts, have been a top public nuisance.



However, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment claimed last month that the air quality in China had improved over the years through regulatory measures, while that of Korea has worsened in the same period.



Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon Monday countered Beijing's claims that China has nothing to do with fine dust over the Korean Peninsula.



Yet, we remember that the Chinese government took almost every measure to hold the 2008 Beijing Olympics in clean air by banning the operation of vehicles in the city center and moving many smokestack factories out of the city.



The Summer Games were successfully held in clean air and since then China, which had been plagued by notorious air pollution, has improved its air quality and now has only five cities in the world's top 30 worst cities for air quality.



Of course, it is necessary for Seoul to cooperate with Beijing to effectively battle dust particles through diplomatic channels. But an extraordinary and bold decision is urgent to reduce domestic vehicle emissions and to reconsider the reckless and unilateral policy to phase out nuclear power that does not produce greenhouse gas.



The almost sole solution is to restrict the operation of vehicles, while encouraging citizens to use public transit means like subways and buses, instead.



We should take a lesson from the success of the compulsory odd-even operation of vehicles according to the plate number in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.



To compensate the mandatory car operation every other day, the government has only to lower the vehicle tax rates for car owners, for instance. The government is raking in taxes these days, more than enough.



The weather office says fine dust will disappear when it turns cold. It is a sad thing only to wait for the sharp drop of the temperature to beat fine dust for fine winter days.





Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, attends a Spring Festival reception held for the widows of renowned figures in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisory body held a Spring Festival reception for the widows of renowned figures Wednesday.

Zhang Qingli, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), introduced the achievements made by the advisory body in 2018 at the event.

Zhang said the committee would always respect and care for them and that it looks forward to hearing their valuable advice on the CPPCC's work and development.

He called on them to continue caring for nation building and support development of the united front work and work of the CPPCC.

Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the gathering.

This year's Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb. 5.



The file photo shows people who took part in the independence movement against the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule. Korea Times fileLee Do-hoon, right, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou at the foreign ministry building in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun



Top negotiators on North Korea from South Korea and China met for discussions Thursday, ahead of a high-level meeting between Pyongyang and Washington to discuss the time and place for a second summit between their leaders.



Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Lee Do-hoon, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, shared the details of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping that took place in Beijing earlier this month.



The two were likely to have discussed possible multilateral talks on a peace treaty that would include China, which was brought up in the North Korean leader's New Year address, diplomatic sources in Seoul said.



On a related note, officials of a Seoul and Washington working group held a video conference the same day. They discussed ongoing inter-Korean projects and ways to get the best results while protecting the best interests of the two allies.



The officials reached a broad consensus on the need for equipment to remove landmines in an ongoing project, a foreign ministry official said. A project between the Koreas to modernize roads in the North and eventually connect them with the South is also underway.



The working group also agreed on the need to conduct a second round of inspections of roads in the North, with the necessary equipment, the official said, adding it may request the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) sanctions committee to exempt the needed equipment from sanctions.



"The officials discussed the issue of video reunions between separated family members of the South and North," he said, adding sending the equipment to the North will take time because the U.S. government shutdown is affecting the process.



South Korean officials are known to have brought up the issue of its businesspeople who ran operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) seeking to visit the complex, but the U.S. participants declined to discuss the matter, citing that the video conferences do not address new agenda items.



The working group was launched in November for closer consultations on inter-Korean affairs and the North's denuclearization. Video conference meetings are held in between to check on the follow-up on existing issues.



The North has been calling for an early resumption of operations at the GIC, which was closed in February 2016 following the North's missile and nuclear tests.



The government has a positive stance on the matter, while acknowledging it should proceed alongside the level of progress in denuclearization. It wants to allow South Korean businesspeople to visit the site to check their production facilities, as a means to protect their property rights.



Allowing the businesspeople to visit the complex is a "sensitive issue" as it could send a signal that the GIC could resume operations soon. The United States is demanding North Korea announce more concrete and detailed plans toward dismantling the latter's nuclear program before this can happen.



Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, answers questions from lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 31, regarding a recent scandal surrounding an allegation that Cheong Wa Dae engaged in illegal surveillance activity on civilians. / Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



Cheong Wa Dae plans to tighten its internal discipline, forcing officials to abide by a zero-tolerance policy toward any kinds of corruption by overhauling a special inspection team inside the presidential house, it said, Thursday.



The plan came amid an ongoing allegation that the presidential office has conducted illegal surveillance activities on civilians.



"Even after the controversy erupted, Cheong Wa Dae has chosen to deal with the incident according to law and principles despite political burden, rather than cover up the case," the civil affairs' office of the presidential house said in a statement.



On top of that, Cheong Wa Dae has since stood up to strong criticisms from opposition parties and some media outlets by actively getting the facts straight in a fair and transparent manner, the statement said.



"We will continue to make sure discipline in public offices is reinforced by clarifying the role of our inspection team," it said.



The controversy reached its peak in December when the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) unveiled documents written by Kim Tae-woo, a former special investigator from Cheong Wa Dae. The documents included detailed action plans allegedly by Cheong Wa Dae to surveil high-ranking government officials, opinion leaders and top company executives.



Kim insisted he was reassigned from the presidential office after reporting a bribery allegation involving Woo Yoon-keun, the Korean ambassador to Russia. Woo is one of President Moon Jae-in's close aides.



Cheong Wa Dae flatly denied the argument, saying the documents are far from the truth, adding the truth will be revealed once the ongoing investigation into Kim and the scandal are over.



As of Thursday, the prosecution has carried out four investigations into Kim in order to verify his accusations.



With the controversy showing little sign of abating, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Cho Kuk pledged last month to confront the scandal. From the beginning of the controversy, the presidential house has maintained a position that it has never carried out any illegal surveillance on any ranking political figures as well as civilians and questioned the documents' credibility.



Cho said the special inspection team of the Moon Jae-in administration has never taken any "compulsive measures" in any cases.



Under the revamped drive, the presidential house said it would adjust the main function of its internal inspection team with the focus on preventing a pattern of corruption, such as bribery and the leaking of confidential information.



In a New Year's press conference, President Moon Jae-in said the role of Cheong Wa Dae's special investigation team is to inspect any illegal acts of public officials and their possible abuse of authority.



"It is a social problem over whether Kim's acts are beyond his authority and position," Moon told reporters. "This is the subject of the investigation."

Dozens of store owners and artists stage a rally near Cheonggye Stream, Thursday, urging the Seoul Metropolitan Government to scrap its redevelopment plan in the Euljiro area of downtown Seoul. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



Dozens of store owners and artists staged a rally Thursday, urging the Seoul Metropolitan Government to scrap its redevelopment plan in the Euljiro area of downtown Seoul, and designate it as a special zone for manufacturers and artists.



In an effort to preserve their buildings from ongoing demolition, they established an organization to help small- and mid-sized store owners pass them on to their offspring.



"The Seoul Metropolitan Government is the primary gentrifier. Since its New Town Project was launched in 2003, a large number of old yet traditional neighborhoods have disappeared," the Cheonggye Stream Anti-Gentrification Alliance said in a statement during a press conference in front of Jung-gu Office.



Last October, the local government and the district office gave Hanho Construction the final go-ahead for the redevelopment plan.



"Due to the redevelopment plan, more than 10 percent of 400 store owners at the first demolition site have gone out of business, while others are struggling with rising monthly rent. If the project expands, there will be no places for them," the alliance said.



It added that the situation is no different for artists who have settled in older remodeled buildings in the area.



"Artists are faced with eviction due to the redevelopment. It is not a fundamental solution to offer them temporary places for their creative projects," the alliance said.



"In order to help artists as well as small business owners use one place for the long term, Seoul City should cancel the redevelopment plan and designate Euljiro as a manufacturing and cultural district."



They also claimed that public sentiment was on their side, saying 20,906 Seoul citizens signed a petition against the redevelopment plan.



After the press conference, they held a launching ceremony for the organization to campaign for a law that would allow small business owners to operate for generations, safe from redevelopment.



"In Korea, there are only six stores that have been run for at least 100 years. Although the Ministry of SMEs and Startups currently handles this issue, the results have been disappointing," said Song Chi-young, who led the preparatory work for the alliance.



Rep. Chung Dong-young, the leader of the minor Party for Democracy and Peace, Choi Seung-jae, head of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises, and other guests attended the event. Chung will serve as the alliance's adviser.



The ongoing redevelopment project is drawing complaints as it will destroy the Euljiro area that is gaining recognition as a hip place thanks to its unique ecosystem of hardware stores, garage-sized factories and eateries.



Amid growing criticism, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Wednesday, he would seek measures to preserve streets with old-fashioned hardware stores and time-honored restaurants.



However, Song did not believe the mayor.



"Seoul City had kept silent on our repeated demands, but the mayor abruptly said the city government will make preservation efforts. This was just to counter the criticism and negative opinions," he said.









By Park Si-soo







An appellate court has sentenced a Chinese man to 23 years in prison for killing his Chinese colleague and injuring another after bickering turned into a bloody fight last year.







Seoul High Court made the ruling on Thursday, retaining the lower court's prison term. Judge Kim Hyung-doo said no new evidence or claims had been raised since the first ruling.







The man in his 40s, surnamed Jang, was charged with homicide in May 2018 after stabbing his Chinese colleague to death at a restaurant in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Derogatory terms the victim spoke to the offender sparked the incident.







Another colleague, surnamed Chun, was injured while trying to stop Jang.







According to court documents, the offender killed the victim with a knife he bought from a shop during the altercation.

Surviving plaintiffs of the Jeju Uprising and Massacre gather in front of Jeju District Court, Thursday, after winning a retrial and finally clearing their names of criminal charges brought against them for "communist insurgency" activities. Yonhap



By Lee Suh-yoon



The Jeju District Court overturned military court rulings that imprisoned Jeju Islanders in a bloody ideological conflict from 1948 to 1954, Thursday, clearing the names of the 18 surviving plaintiffs and recognizing them as wronged victims of the Jeju April 3 Uprising and Massacre.



The ruling panel said the national security and anti-rebellion charges the military court applied to the plaintiffs under martial law from 1948 to 1949 were groundless.



"As the military court did not follow proper legal procedures against the plaintiffs, we hereby drop the indictment," Jae Gal-chang, the presiding judge, said in the retrial of the case.



Dropping indictment means ending the suit because the military court rulings were made illegally and are thus invalid. This, thus, clears them of the charges.



"The fact the plaintiffs do not know for what criminal charges they were tried, as well as evidence showing countless people were passed through the military court in a short time, makes it unlikely proper investigations or legal procedures took place."



The suit was filed by 18 plaintiffs who were jailed after being branded as communist insurgents  with around 2,500 others  during the ideological conflict that flared up on the southern island after Korea's independence from Japan. Many died in captivity.



Even after surviving the massacre and imprisonment, the plaintiffs were ostracized by the community or disadvantaged in their job applications for having criminal records.



The plaintiffs hailed the ruling, some shedding tears. They stood behind a placard that read: "Now we are not guilty" for a press conference in front of the court.





Actors re-enact the massacre of residents branded as communist insurgents during the Jeju Uprising and Massacre, for its 70th anniversary last year. Korea Times fileA South Korean guard post in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, is demolished by ground forces here on Nov. 15 last year. The move came as part of an inter-Korean military agreement under which both sides pulled out 10 guard posts on each side along the border area. / Joint Press Corps



By Lee Min-hyung



South Korea is considering registering a disarmed guard post as a cultural heritage site, as part of "symbolic efforts" to preserve the nation's oldest front-line military surveillance facility in accordance with an ongoing peace mood on the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.



The post was established in 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. But firearms and troops were withdrawn last year from the facility in Goseong, Gangwon Province, following the Comprehensive Military Agreement agreed to by defense chiefs of the two Koreas.



The agreement mandated Seoul and Pyongyang to each destroy 10 guard posts along the border area. They also agreed to leave intact one post on each side as a symbolic indicator of the legacy of the tension-ridden border area.



The Cultural Heritage Administration from Seoul expressed its willingness to the Army recently, the ministry said. "The administration requested the plan and officials there intend to visit the post sometime next month," a military official said.



There still remains a hurdle to make the plan actually happen, as the Army cannot make its own decision without consent from the United Nations Command (UNC) as the UNC has the authority regarding inter-Korean affairs in the border area.



The Army aims to discuss the idea with the UNC and will be reviewing the request in a positive manner.



The request has little to do with any potential security threats to the military, ministry officials added.



The defense ministry and the Army did not elaborate regarding other details over the plan.



President Moon Jae-in met with with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last September in Pyongyang, during which their defense chiefs signed the agreement on a string of inter-Korean tension-easing steps, such as the withdrawal of guard posts and the disarmament of the Joint Security Area (JSA).





By Jung Min-ho







A union of liberal teachers has called on education authorities to remove all  if not reduce the number of  native English teachers from elementary schools in Seoul.





According to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) Wednesday, its Seoul office representatives will soon meet their counterparts from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) to discuss the issue.





"There have been opinions that the quality of some native English teachers' teaching skills is low, which increases Korean teachers' workload," a KTU official

said. "They can be replaced by Korean teachers, given that what they teach is elementary level English."





In April 2018, the SMOE announced measures to improve the quality of English education in public schools. As part of the reform, the office decided to provide native English teachers to all 557 elementary schools in the city.





By the end of this year, the SMOE initially planned to provide native English teachers to 432 schools.





Following media reports of the issue, Rep. Ha Tae-keung, of the opposition Bareunmirae Party, criticized the KTU during a meeting Wednesday at the National Assembly.





"Native teachers' English education has been popular and it is helpful, especially for children from low-income families who can't afford expensive private education," Ha said.





"The KTU is making the demand only because it serves its interest  For the sake of a better English education for all children, it should not do so."

Sanjeev Khagram, dean and director general of Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, expresses his hope to gather students from all around the world through the Thunderbird Seoul Office in Myeong-dong, during an interview with The Korea Times at the office, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Shinil Education Foundation



By Jung Hae-myoung



Thunderbird School of Global Management, an international business school at Arizona State University in Phoenix, opened its office in Seoul, Thursday.



Sanjeev Khagram, the dean and director general of Thunderbird School, said he hopes to build important relationships with South Korean companies and government agencies.



The office is the school's second in Asia, following the first one in Japan. Seoul was selected for its location as it was deemed one of the 20 major cities around the world that has a large economy, strong market and growing population, Khagram said.



"We feel we uniquely provide the education today's global leaders need. But we don't just want people to come as much as Phoenix. We believe we have to get out to the world," Khagram told The Korea Times.



The office will act as a bridge for Korea and Thunderbird, providing online courses in which students can get digital degrees and helping company employees take business programs.



With the Seoul office as a base, Thunderbird School plans to reach out to other Asian countries to recruit students from Vietnam, Cambodia and maybe even North Korea in the future.



"Places we have selected are those that have huge impact on not only its own country but the region and often times globally," he said.



"For any Korean students, whether young, professional, or leaders who want to have greater access, we believe we could do anything that Thunderbird could offer."



As a critical asset to become a global leader in this century, Khagram highlighted the school's mission to promote and advance sustainable prosperity around the world.



He mentioned his personal background of Indian heritage, and his experience as a refugee that impacted him greatly in deliberating about sustainable prosperity.



His parents were some of the wealthiest people in Uganda, but lost everything when they fled from the dictatorship and landed in the United States.



"They made sure we had the opportunity to study and become successful, but also taught us to give back, because you can be successful and wealthy but things can always change overnight like what happened to us," he said.



As a global economist, Khagram explains the key to sustainable prosperity has three parts: holistic point of view, hard and soft skills and leadership characteristics.



"We believe we need many more people with a combination of skills, not only leadership skill and understanding of the global economy and technology but also language and culture," he said.



Thunderbird School, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, was selected as No. 1 Master in Management ranking by Wall Street Journal for 2019.





By Dong Sun-hwa







Nine foreign students at Chonbuk National University will enjoy a month's stay at Hanok Village in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, where traditional Korean-style houses are preserved, as part of a promotional campaign.







The first two  from Kyrgyzstan and Palestine  began their stay Tuesday, according to Jeonju city. They are set to leave on Feb. 14, when other students will replace them.







During their stay, the students will experience the traditional culture of Jeonju, a city that is famous for its historic features, and visit major tourist attractions.







They will recount their experiences on social media using English and their mother tongues to let foreigners know of the city's charm.







"I came to Jeonju as I have been interested in Korea and fond of Korean culture," the Kyrgyzstan student said. "I applied to this program to let many people learn about Jeonju's beauty."

URUMQI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A media group consisting of people from six countries praised the development and stability of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region after visiting the area.

The Silk Road Celebrity China Tour was held from Jan. 9 to 16 in Xinjiang, with 12 media representatives from Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka visiting Xinjiang locals as well as a vocational training center.

The media group said that the Chinese government's successful experience in governing Xinjiang deserves praise.

The group visited a transportation hub where China-Europe freight trains converge in Urumqi, the regional capital, and conducted live coverage of the trains.

Shiabur Rahman, an editor with Bangladesh's Daily Sun, said that the China-Europe freight trains brought Xinjiang closer to the rest of the world. As the front gate of China's opening-up westward, Xinjiang's economic development will become increasingly better.

Abdul Matin Amiri, with a weekly publication from Afghanistan, said the display of unity and joy from the locals is completely different from what some media in the West describe, adding that Xinjiang is developing well under the leadership of the Chinese government -- cities in the region are thriving and people are living prosperous lives.

The reporters also visited the once poverty-stricken residents who have relocated from the mountains and are living modern lives in newly-built houses.

Erdal Kurucay, with Turkey's ATV, said the happiness exuded from the once poor residents showed Xinjiang's rapid economic development and the success of China's targeted measures in its anti-poverty campaign.

The media group also enjoyed an ethnic minority music performance by a Xinjiang folk music orchestra.

Misket Dikmen, president of the Izmir Journalists Association of Turkey, said that Xinjiang has done a good job of protecting and promoting minority cultures.

They also visited the Id Kah Mosque, one of the most renowned mosques in Central Asia.

Shiabur Rahman, the Daily Sun editor, said that before he came to Xinjiang, he heard that the Chinese government did not allow Muslims to worship, but after his visit, he found that the government does not intervene in normal religious activities and religious freedom of the Xinjiang Muslims has been effectively protected.

The group also attended an exhibition of major cases related to violence and terrorism in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has effectively prevented the incidents of violence and terrorism and safeguarded people's lives and property in the region through taking effective measures, said Shiabur Rahman, adding that the Chinese government is a very responsible one.

After visiting a vocational education and training center in the city of Kashgar, Turkish ATV reporter Tugcenur Yilmaz said that trainees are learning laws, Mandarin and skills in the center, which plays an important role in de-extremism.

Shiabur Rahman said those people were once affected by extremism and religious fanaticism. He said that such training has made a great contribution to the non-occurrence of violence and terrorism in Xinjiang in the long term.

Bangladesh has been impacted by extremism as well, and that he would bring the experience back to his country, Shiabur Rahman said.Members of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union demand the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the affiliated Seoul Medical Center to launch a fact-finding committee over the suicide of a nurse at the hospital who allegedly suffered bullying from colleagues, during a press conference in front of the City Hall, Thursday. / YonhapSouth Korean cars transport 400,000 doses of Tamiflu and Relenza Rotadisk for about 100,000 people to North Korea near Dorasan Inter-Korea Transit Office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province in this Dec. 18, 2009. / Korea Times file



By Park Ji-won



South Korea will send flu medication to North Korea early next week aiming to speed humanitarian aid to the North with the U.S.



An official of the Ministry of Unification said Thursday that South Korean and U.S. officials have agreed via a video call to sending 200,000 doses of Tamiflu and 50,000 packages of medical test kits to North Korea for humanitarian assistance.

"The two agreed on sending Tamiflu to the North," a unification ministry official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.



"We expect that the authorities will finish discussions on delivery schedules within the week and push to send the goods by early next week."



Seoul earlier promised to send the medication by Jan. 11 via a land route over their western border. However, the delivery was abruptly postponed as the government asked for more time. Insiders say the delay was because Seoul and Washington failed to narrow differences in its delivery and monitoring the process.



The government official said (the South) will push for the handover of the goods through discussions with the North over its delivery and takeover while consulting on the effect of the drugs and its monitoring process.



Since the U.S. has eased limits on humanitarian aid to Pyongyang recently amid international sanctions against the North, Seoul has been looking for ways to give the North those supplements amid stalled denuclearization talks between the North and U.S. Pyongyang has been asking for the lifting of sanctions against the country as a prerequisite to seeking denuclearization.



"I understand many American humanitarian aid organizations operating in the DPRK are concerned the strict enforcement of international sanctions has occasionally impeded the legitimate humanitarian assistance to the Korean people," Biegun said in December during a trip to Seoul.



The U.S.' move was considered as an overture to restart talks with the North, which didn't have palpable results during the Singapore summit in June.



Seoul's efforts were backed by a Pyongyang agreement made between two leaders in September to cooperate in tackling the spread of infectious diseases.



The last time Seoul sent Tamiflu packages to North Korea through a land route was December 2009 when then President Lee Myung-bak sent aid to fight the outbreak of H1N1 flu in the North in order to try and limit the spread of the disease.



At that time, the South gave North Korea 400,000 doses of Tamiflu and Relenza Rotadisk for about 100,000 people and $858,000 worth of hand sanitizer. Seoul used more than $15.3 million from the inter-Korean cooperation fund for transportation and other additional costs related to the aid provision.



By Park Si-soo



Is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting Seoul on March 1?



Reports of this began circulating Wednesday, citing unidentified government sources. Some had plausible details: for the leaders of the two Koreas to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement Day  on the date and at the same location.



The uprising on March 1, 1919  celebrated by both Koreas  is recorded as one of the marquee grassroots independence movements during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.





The Unification Flag on the wall of the famous Okryugwan restaurant in Pyongyang. Korea Times file



North Korea's official newspaper called for efforts to turn the Korean Peninsula into a "peace zone" free of war threats on Thursday as the communist nation prepares to hold a second summit with the United States.



"Turning the Korean Peninsula into a zone for solid peace is the basic way to open the heyday of peace, prosperity and reunification," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said in a commentary.



"Only when we make the peninsula into a zone for lasting and solid peace will our people be able to enjoy a peaceful and stable life and build prosperity for future generations as well."



The paper urged South Korea to stop conducting joint military drills with outside forces and deploying foreign war-related equipment on the Korean Peninsula, reiterating an argument that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made during his New Year's Day speech.



The demand comes as the North and the U.S. are expected to hold high-level talks in Washington later this week, apparently to discuss details such as the agenda, venue and date for a second summit between leader Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.



During their first summit in June, Kim agreed to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from Washington.



Progress has been slow for months as Pyongyang wants sanctions relief in return for the steps it has taken since June, such as dismantling a major nuclear and missile test site, but Washington demands more concrete measures.



In his Jan. 1 speech, Kim demanded a complete end to joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. and that no foreign strategic assets to be brought to the Korean Peninsula. He also called for multilateral talks to convert the Korean War armistice into a peace treaty.



In their first summit in April, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim agreed to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War by the end of 2018 and to actively push for multiparty talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S. and possibly China to establish a lasting and solid peace regime on the peninsula.(Yonhap)





Standard Chartered (SC) Bank Korea has received a capital injection worth 100 billion won from its parent company based in London, the Seoul unit said Thursday.







The multinational banking group, SC Group, will invest 600 billion won in 10-year bonds issued by SC Bank Korea, offering a precondition of paying 500 billion won in semiannual dividends to the parent group.







This marks the first time for SC Bank Korea to receive "investment" from its parent company in 11 years.







The gap of 100 billion won will help the Seoul bank to increase its capital base and improve its BIS capital adequacy ratio at around 16 percent, it said.







"SC Bank Korea was able to receive investment from SC Group on a scale that meets global standards in capital adequacy and structure," said SC Bank Korea CEO Park Jong-bok in a press statement.







"We will continue to be the top global bank in Korea."







It has been speculated that SC Bank Korea may need capital amid falling profitability stemming from an increase in funds set aside for possible customer defaults on derivatives and loans.







The Seoul unit's net profit amounted to 200.9 billion won as of the third quarter of 2018, down 15.5 percent from the same period the year before.





KB Kookmin Bank union leader Park Hong-bae, left, holds a complaint with Korea Financial Industry Union head Huh Kwon at the Seoul Southern Labor Administration in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Korea Financial Industry Union

By Jhoo Dong-chan



The feud between KB Kookmin Bank workers and management is getting extreme. Representatives of the two sides continued talks to settle labor issues even after the Jan. 8 strike, but have yet to reach an agreement.



The situation is now only getting worse as the union lodged a complaint against management Wednesday for breaching collective bargaining, and the union plans for another strike in the near future.



Management already yielded to the union's demand to pay a 300 percent incentive just before the Jan. 8 strike. The union and management also managed to agree on a few core issues during the Jan. 11 negotiation, including introducing a voluntary retirement program for senior workers.



They continued the talks for further issues on Jan. 13 and 14, but failed to narrow the gap on other issues such as introduction timing for the peak wage system that involves a gradual salary reduction for senior employees and the pay-band system that caps the wages of employees who fail to attain a promotion within a designated period of time.



Union workers of KB Kookmin Bank said immediately after the Jan. 14 talks that they will also take further actions, including filing a petition with the National Human Rights Commission.



They also said they will stage another strike for three days on Jan. 30 if management does not comply with their remaining demands.



"KB Kookmin Bank will do its best to conclude its talks with workers before they go on strike for three days from Jan. 30," a KB Kookmin Bank official said.



"The impact will be enormous if they stage a three-day strike just before the Lunar New Year holiday. Labor and management are settling key issues step by step. I believe we will conclude the talks before the holidays."



According to the union, about 10,000 KB Kookmin workers across the country participated in the one-day rally on Jan. 8. It was two-thirds of the bank's total union workers.



It was also the bank's first strike in 19 years.



The bank said it stayed open for business as usual at all 10,057 branches across the country during the Jan. 8 strike but some face-to-face services could be limited due to the strike.



It designated the lender's 411 branches as emergency footholds where customers can get face-to-face services such as private and corporate loans as well as mortgages. Of the 411 branches, 271 are located in Seoul and the surrounding area.



The bank also formed a taskforce countering the current situation to monitor its branches across the country. Customers are exempt from service fees at bank windows and ATMs.



The nation's largest lender has about 31.1 million customers in Korea

By Lee Kyung-min





KakaoPay, a fintech arm of Kakao Corp., has formed strategic ties with online insurance purchase platform Inbyu, short for "insurance by you," to enter the insurance market.







Under the strategic alliance, KakaoPay will provide its well-established, tightly integrated platform for Inbyu to offer an array of overseas travel insurance packages.







Subscribers are able to choose insurance terms for possible accidents against which they want insurance coverage, instead of having no option but to accept one industry-standardized package.







Bundling all accident causes together has been long criticized as a way for overcharging subscribers by adding oftentimes unnecessary, hard-to-understand conditions to raise costs, something subscribers are unlikely to refuse.







On the platform, real-time information on insurance rates is available from five major non-life insurance firms including Samsung, Hyundai, Meritz, Hanwha and MG.







The digital platform which enables active comparison among service providers is expected to fuel competition among industry players amid a steady increase in the income derived from cyber marketing channels.







According to the General Insurance Association of Korea, the top industry player Samsung Life saw its cyber marketing-derived income in the first three quarters of 2018 account for 9.7 percent of the firm's total profit, up from 7.8 percent in 2016 and 8 percent in 2017.







Samsung Fire & Marine and Kyobo Lifeplanet signed a strategic partnership Jan. 7 with Toss, a financial services platform operated by Viva Republica, in a step towards becoming an industry player.







Market observers largely agree the joint alliance is a clear indication that the Kakao fintech arm will lead aggressive business moves in the insurance market in the months to come.







However, KakaoPay expressed caution in having the strategic partnership interpreted as such.







"KakaoPay is exploring various services that could help improve user convenience. Insurance is one among many such services under review for possible business expansion," a Kakao official said.



By Lee Kyung-min





Nam Young-woo

Competition for the top post at the Korea Federation of Savings Banks (KFSB) is fiercer than ever, with seven high-profile figures throwing their hats into the chairmanship ring.



This is the largest number of candidates seeking to head the organization that represents 79 savings banks nationwide.



With current chairman Lee Soon-woo not seeking a second term, the race for the three-year term will be among four people from the private sector and three former government officials.





Hwang Jong-sup

Lee, a former Woori Bank head, is among only two KFSB chairmen to come from the private sector, following Kwak hoo-sup.



Their predecessors were all former government officials, which drew criticism that the much-coveted post had been largely filled with "parachuted in" figures whose political inclination suited the then incumbent administration.



This year's race, however, is expected to be fairer, indicated by the record number of candidates.



Competition for the post, which has an annual salary of 500 million won ($447,000), comes amid the fast-improving performance of the savings banks.



With combined assets of 64 trillion won, they earned 2 trillion won in interest income in the first half of 2018.







Cho Sung-kwon

Total assets and interest income are estimated to have reached 70 trillion won and 4 trillion won, respectively, in the second half of last year.



The three former high-ranking government officials include former finance ministry official Han Yi-hun, who also headed the Fair Trade Commission; Park Jae-sik, who led both the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit and the Korea Securities Finance Corp.; and former Korea Research Institute for Financial Inclusion head Cho Sung-mok.



The four candidates from the private sector are Nam Young-woo, who served eight years as CEO at Korea Investment Savings Bank; Park Do-kyu, who worked at Citibank Korea before moving to Standard Chartered Bank Korea where he served as vice president until 2014; former Yes Savings Bank head Cho Sung-kwon; and former Hana Savings Bank CEO Hwang Jong-sup.





Han Yi-hunPresident Moon Jae-in offers opening remarks in a meeting with business leaders in Ulsan, 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in officialized a move to build a so-called hydrogen economy Thursday, one day after the government announced an ambitious plan to increase the number of hydrogen-powered vehicles in the country to 80,000 in less than four years.



"Our government's determination to (build) a hydrogen economy is firm," the president said during a visit with leaders from hydrogen-related businesses, including Hyundai Motor Co.



The South Korean automaker is one of the global leaders in hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). There are currently only about 2,000 hydrogen FCEVs in South Korea, but the finance ministry said on Wednesday that it will work to increase the number to 80,000 in 2022.



"Unlike carbon, which creates greenhouse gas and fine dust, hydrogen is a clean energy that produces only water as a by-product. Also, hydrogen cars have the effect of purifying fine dust when in operation," the president told the meeting in Ulsan, an industrial city located 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul that houses many hydrogen-based businesses, including a Hyundai Motor facility.



Moon unveiled plans to increase the number of hydrogen-powered vehicles in the country to 1.8 million by 2030.









The musical "Pechka" will be performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, Feb. 20. Courtesy of K-Value Creators



Musical highlights forgotten independence activist's lonely journey



By Kwak Yeon-soo



The year 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, set up by independence activists to fight Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.



Among heroic independence fighters, Ahn Jung-geun holds a reputation at home for the 1909 assassination of Ito Hirobumi, a four-time prime minister of Japan and the first resident governor of Korea. Ahn was arrested on the spot and executed in the following year.



Nonetheless, not much is known about the numerous independence fighters who were active in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk and Partizansk from the end of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom until the nation's liberation in 1945, as well as the lives of Korean residents in the Russian Far East.





Choe Jae-hyeong Courtesy of Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Museum

Choe Jae-hyeong, whose nickname is "pechka," a Russian word meaning fireplace, is an unsung hero of the Korean independence movement.



Born in the "nobi," or slave, social class in North Hamgyeong Province (now North Korean territory) in 1860, Choe moved to Ussuriysk, Russia, in 1869 in search of a better life.



There, overcoming all kinds of contempt and prejudice and accumulating tremendous wealth, he jumped into the anti-Japan movement.



Choe supported overseas independence fighters through providing financial aid and military equipment. For the sake of Korean settlers in Russia, he built 32 schools and ran a newspaper business to educate and cultivate a nationalist spirit.



During the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese administration intended to snuff out Korean language and culture, making Japanese the official language of business and education.



As a patron of Ahn, Choe played a key role in an ingenious plot to assassinate Ito at Harbin Train Station.



The interim government, of which Choe served as the finance bureau chief, was integrated in 1919 in Shanghai, China, and the existence of independence fighters in eastern Russia was forgotten.



Even after liberation, it was hard to find evidence and trace historic records of the independence movement in Russian territory due to geographical, political and diplomatic factors.



"Russian regions were at the center of the independence movement between the end of Joseon Kingdom and 1922, but they have been undervalued due to the perennial division of the Korean Peninsula over the last 70 years," Park Hwan, a professor at the University of Suwon, writes in his book "Pechka, Choe Jae-hyeong."



Choe was killed in a street battle against the Japanese army in April 1920. Back then, Japan dispatched troops to Siberia in order to incapacitate Russian revolutionary forces and Korean independence activists. At that time, about 300 Koreans were killed and 100 were arrested while Russia suffered more than 5,000 casualties.



After Choe's death, a memorial ceremony took place in front of the Eternal Fire monument in the Red Square in Ussuriysk. Russians and ethnic Koreans have continued to hold an annual ceremony to honor him.



The Korean government awarded Choe the Order of the Merit for National Foundation and National Medal in 1963 to honor his distinguished services. However, reconstruction and restoration of his home and documents are set to start this year, almost a century after his death.





Giuseppe Kim, center, art director and composer of the musical "Pechka," visited Ussuriysk, Russia, to look for historic records of Choe's independence activities in Russian territory. Courtesy of K-Value Creators



Act of remembrance for centenary



K-value creators, an organization under the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs consisting of professional and amateur actors, has worked together to make a musical titled "Pechka" in commemoration of Choe.



This project goes hand in hand with the patriots ministry's move to restore homes and commemoration halls of independent activists, including Choe, starting this year.

The musical "Pechka" retraces Choe's life in Russia before and after Japan colonized Korea in 1910.



"We decided to turn Choe's life into an original musical to shed light on the noble spirit of the military martyr/patriot who dedicated his life for the independence of Korea," art director Giuseppe Kim told The Korea Times.



"It saddens me to find out Choe, the man who sponsored Ahn's resistance against Japan, paid Ahn's lawyer's fees during trials and looked after Ahn's family, being overlooked by Koreans."



Director Kim revealed he initially wanted to highlight female independence activists, but there were not enough resources or data to trace the history of their activities.



"The majority of female activists who fought for Korea's independence were forgotten partly because Korea has long been male-dominated and many took on supporting roles. One of the few who took the initiative was Jo Maria, Ahn's mother," Kim said.



Jo Maria played a pivotal role in Korea's independence movement beyond the activities of her son. After Ahn's death, she sought asylum in Russia with her family and then in Shanghai after the establishment of the provisional government. While tracing her footprints, the story of Choe struck Kim.



"Choe, despite his nobi status and poverty-stricken beginnings, became a shaker among Korean independence activists and a major figure in the Korean-Russian community," Kim explained.



Choe was the first Korean student to attend a Russian school. After leaving his home at age 11, Choe was spotted and raised by a Russian captain. Thanks to them, he could make a voyage around the world. Ingrained with cultural and linguistic sensibilities of both societies, Choe amassed his fortune through trading military supplies before age 30 and became the only high-ranking Korean official in Russia.



Dubbed "Korea's Carnegie," Choe used his money to support ethnic Korean armed forces and form the independence organization in Sinhan-cheon (New Korea village) in 1919.



The three-decade quest to achieve independence is narrated by Olga, Choe's daughter, in the musical.



"In the musical Olga, played by veteran actress Kim Sung-nyo, narrates the story of Choe's life as he held a hidden, yet important role in supporting the Korean independence fighters living away from their homeland," Kim said.



In the musical "Pechka," audiences will get a chance to listen to adapted Pushkin Korean poems.



"For me, as the art director and composer of Pechka, it was important to create the libretto in collaboration with Alexander Pushkin's poems and Korean literary works to interweave two cultures."



"Arirang," the song that expresses the tragedy of the divided Korean Peninsula, will also be played during the show.



"Pechka is an exemplary story that goes far beyond an independence activist's story. It voices the matters of value, honor and country. This musical tells that great values that existed in the past can still be present nowadays. After all, the choices we make eventually determine who we are," Kim said.





Actress Kim Sung-nyo, a legendary figure of "changgeuk," a Korean opera style based on pansori, a traditional type of narrative folk music, plays Choe's daughter Olga in "Pechka." Courtesy of K-Value CreatorsWASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York on Tuesday confirmed that she will be running for president in 2020, joining a pool of hopefuls in the Democratic Party who seek to challenge current President Donald Trump.

U.S. media expects that the current political landscape will encourage many in the Democratic Party to join the race. So far at least five lawmakers or former officials have announced their bid, while others are giving the option a serious consideration or have taken steps to test the water.

The following is a list of figures who will be, or may possibly be, running for president.

-- Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator from New York

Gillibrand, 52, told a talk show Tuesday that she is launching a presidential exploratory committee and that she will be running.

"I'm going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom I am going to fight for other people's kids as hard as I would fight for my own," she said.

The fierce Trump critic, a New York native, was born to a political family. She practiced law before entering the House of Representatives in 2007. She was appointed to the Senate seat in 2009, after her predecessor Hillary Clinton was tapped to lead the State Department.

Gillibrand has shown strong liberal leaning and is expected to center her campaign on women's rights, including anti-sexual misconduct and equal treatment for women.

Her weaknesses include shifting political positions in the past and an uncertainty whether she can connect with heartland voters.

Her role in pushing fellow Democratic senator Al Franken, who was accused of sexual misconduct, to resign, also did not register well with many.

-- Julian Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Castro, 44, is the grandson of a Mexican immigrant who has served as the mayor of San Antonio and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration.

"I'm running for president because it's time for new leadership. Because it's time for new energy," Castro said Saturday as he launched his campaign.

Coming from a immigrant family, Castro is expected to counter current immigration policies and champion rights for minorities.

Castro has been dubbed a "rising star" in his party when in office, but after two years out of the political spotlight, he will need to renew his momentum to have any realistic shot at winning the nomination.

-- Tulsi Gabbard, member of the U.S. House of Representative from Hawaii

Gabbard, 37, announced her bid on Friday during a TV interview. "I have decided to run," she said.

Gabbard was born in American Samoa, an U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. She was raised in a multicultural and multireligious family. She converted to Hinduism in her teenage years.

At the age of 21, she entered the Hawaii House of Representatives, becoming the youngest woman to be elected to a state legislature. She was elected as a member of U.S. House of Representative in 2012.

Gabbard is a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard and has served two tours in Iraq.

If Gabbard wins her election bid, she would become the youngest person in U.S. history to serve as president, at the age of 39.

Her most notable position was that of opposing U.S. military intervention in the Middle East. she had traveled to Syria to meet its President Bashar al-Assad amid the Syrian conflict, raising eyebrows back home.

-- John Delaney, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland

Delaney, 55, is considered the first to officially begin his campaign, in mid-2017.

Delaney has had a business career before entering politics, serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

After launching his presidential bid, Delaney has poured much time and resources into Iowa, the weather vane state in general elections.

But the lack of public exposure has taken a toll on Delaney's support rate, which is on the lower end among all Democratic presidential hopefuls.

-- Richard Ojeda, former member of West Virginia Senate

Ojeda, 48, served in the U.S. Army between 1989 and 2013, when he retired as a Major. He then entered the West Virginia Senate in 2016.

Although Ojeda has voted for Trump in 2016, he has railed against the president during a major strike in his state last year in which teachers called for higher pay.

He announced his presidential bid in November.

In addition to those who have confirmed their presidential bids, a number of political heavy weights, including Joe Biden, former U.S. vice president, Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator of Vermont, Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator of California, Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator of Minnesota, Cory Booker, U.S. Senator of New Jersey, Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. House member of Texas, Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, have all signaled that they are considering running.Stay up to date on COVID-19

Get Breaking News

Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.(Photo by Yin Miao)

New York (Peoples Daily) - Despite countless headwinds, the United Nations made a real difference in 2018 and will need to achieve even more in 2019, as the planet faces a world of trouble.

That was the New Year message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, at UN headquarters in New York, as he presented his top five priorities for the year ahead: diplomacy for peace; ambitious climate action; acceleration towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); better governance over new technologies; and stronger UN values worldwide.

The truth is that the experience of last year proves that when we work together and when we assume our responsibilities, we get things done, said Mr. Guterres, as he proceeded to highlight some of the UNs most outstanding achievements of 2018.

Among the successes, he cited progress towards forging peace in Yemen, the Korean peninsula, and South Sudan; and between former enemies Ethiopia and Eritrea.

He also highlighted the successful outcome of the UN climate conference in Poland last December, which resulted in overall consensus on how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Other major international achievements of 2018 include the global compacts on migration and refugees, renewed engagement for peacekeeping operations, and major steps taken to reform the UN.

As we look ahead to 2019, I wont mince words, he said. While recognizing the progress we are making, we cannot be complacent. To meet the needs and expectations of the people we serve, we must accelerate our work.

The UN Secretary-General called for deeper efforts to show that we understand peoples anxieties, fears and concerns and to address the root causes that lead people to feel marooned in our rapidly changing world.

He concluded by saying, lets keep showing all people that we care and lets keep proving our worth through action.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.Sharon Bala, author of The Boat People, will be speaking and reading from her novel at the Scrabble fundraiser. The Boat People tells the story of refugees who made the voyage from Sri Lanka to Vancouver.Chinas top 10 scientific communication achievements of 2018 were unveiled on Wednesday afternoon at a ceremony held by Peoples Daily.

1. Chinas FAST discovered a millisecond pulsar for the first time

The world's largest radio telescope, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), is put into use on Sept 25, 2016, in a mountainous region in Pingtang County of Southwest China's Guizhou province. (Photo/Xinhua)

On Feb. 27, Chinas Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the worlds largest single-dish radio telescope, discovered a millisecond pulsar for the first time.

2. Gaofen-5 satellite launched

Gaofen-5 satellite (Photo/Chinanews.com)

On May 9, the Gaofen-5, a hyperspectral imaging satellite, was launched using a Long March 4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province.

3. Yuan Longping's team successfully planted rice in the desert

Students observe the saltwater-tolerant rice cultivated by Yuan Longping's team in Qingdao. (Xinhua/Li Mingfang)

On May 26, renowned Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping and his research team achieved initial success in planting saltwater-tolerant rice in desert areas of Dubai.

4. Tian Kun Hao dredging vessel completed first sea trial

Tian Kun Hao (Photo/Xinhua)

On June 12, Tian Kun Hao, a Chinese-built dredging vessel, the largest of its kind in Asia, completed its first sea trial, which lasted four days.

5. Tianhe-3 exascale supercomputer prototype passed acceptance tests

The prototype of Tianhe-3, a supercomputer capable of at least a billion billion calculations per second, during the 2nd World Intelligence Congress in north China's Tianjin. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

The Tianhe-3 exascale supercomputer prototype, developed by Chinas National University of Defense Technology, passed acceptance tests in late July, marking a further step towards China's successful development of the next-generation supercomputer.

6. National Science Day 2018

Students taking part in an activity on the National Science Day. (Photo/Xinhua)

This year, National Science Day was celebrated across China on Sept. 15. It was co-organized by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

7. First World Conference on Science Literacy held in Beijing

A forum held during the World Conference on Science Literacy (Photo/People's Daily Online)

The first World Conference on Science Literacy opened in Beijing on Sept. 17. With the theme Science Literacy for a Shared and Better Future, the Beijing Declaration for Promoting Public Science Literacy Across the World was issued. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the conference.

8. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened to traffic

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Photo/Xinhua)

On Oct. 24, 2018, the worlds longest cross-sea bridge, running 55 kilometers, opened to public traffic. It connects Chinas mainland province of Guangdong with the countrys two special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macao.

9. Chinas 2018 Future Science Prize winners announced

The awards ceremony for the Future Science Prize (Photo/www.rmzxb.com.cn

On Nov. 18, Chinas Future Science Prize, one of the countrys most prestigious non-governmental science awards, announced seven winners in Beijing. They were Li Jiayang, Yuan Longping, Zhang Qifa, Ma Dawei, Feng Xiaoming, Zhou Qilin and Lin Benjian.

10. Change-4 lunar probe landed on the dark side of the moon

A simulated landing process of Chang'e-4 lunar probe is seen through the monitor at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 3, 2019 (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

On Dec. 8, the Change-4 probe was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, achieving the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon.We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to formMinister of Energy Marg McCuaig-Boyd waits for the speech from the throne to start in Edmonton, Alta., on June 15, 2015. Alberta Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd says the province is leaving its oil curtailment levels at 325,000 barrels per day for now despite discounts for western Canadian crude that have narrowed to three-and-a-half-year lows. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason FransonMason & Shuttering Carpenter Jobs 2019 in Saudi Arabia

Latest Sufyan Recruiting Agency Construction Posts Saudi Arabia 2021 A well known and reputed construction company requires the services of experienced and strong personnel for the posts of Mason & Shuttering Carpenter in Saudi Arabia 2019.

How to Apply on Sufyan Recruiting Agency Job Advertisement

Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online.

Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If the employer asks you to pay money for any purpose including processing to shortlisting, do not pay at all and report us using our contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs cannot be applied online here. Error & omissions excepted.



Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support.Apple is going to have to jump on the 5G bandwagon at some point, and all signs point to a 5G iPhone launch in 2020.

Intel has already unveiled its 5G modem, which is supposed to launch in 2020 and would be a perfect partner for Apples iPhones that year. And expectations have been high that Intel would indeed be tapped to be the sole supplier for those modems for iPhones launched next year. But at least one analyst firm out there believes Apple may still tap Qualcomm to help with that.

But Apple doesnt rely on one sole supplier for major parts unless it absolutely has to, and it appears the company may be unhappy with Intels progress on its 5G modems. At least, thats based on some earlier rumors. And now Barclays has come out with another analyst note suggesting that they still believe there is a good chance Apple will have to use Qualcomm for the 5G modem in their 2020 phones.

Its an interesting prediction, because there was the report earlier this month that indicated Apple has considered a variety of different companies to help with 5G modems. That particular report, though, suggested Apple had spoken with Samsung, MediaTek, and Intel for 2019 iPhones equipped with 5G. But now Apples reportedly waiting for 2020, and this report indicates Qualcomm may be somehow included in the mix, too.

If Apple and Qualcomm are in talks for something like that, it would be an interesting revelation considering the two companies are in a very heated legal battle involving an array of patents and reported jacked up royalty fees. Indeed, Qualcomm has gone as far as to get iPhones banned in Germany, and Apple had to release a software update to change the animation for force closing apps in China.

So if Qualcomm is indeed a mark for Apple and the required 5G modems for 2020, one would imagine a decision in the legal battles has to be forthcoming.

[via MacRumorsOpinion Policies

Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue.

Feedback policy

If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com).

Column Policy

Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions.

Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for the House of Commons in London, capital of Britain, Jan. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LONDON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May won a vital confidence vote in the House of Commons Wednesday, averting a snap general election that could have ushered in a Labour government.

After seeing off a challenge that would have triggered a battle for control of Downing Street, May announced she would be having immediate talks with leaders of opposition parties to thrash out a new Brexit deal.

Seconds after Speaker John Bercow announced the result -- 325 in favor of the government and 306 against -- May said she intended to start those talks "this evening".

May said she would continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise to the people of Britain to deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum and leave the European Union.

Urging other party leaders to approach the talks with a constructive spirit, May said: "We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House (of Commons)."

Main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on May to rule out "once and for all" a no-deal prospects before any positive discussions took place with party leaders.

Media outlets in London quoted Downing Street confirming May will not take no-deal off the table ahead of talks with Corbyn, creating a potential deadlock in Brexit negotiations.

May's spokesperson said leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Welsh party, Plaid Cymru, were invited to meet the prime minister later Wednesday evening.

Corbyn and his Labour party came under criticism for refusing to take part in talks with May until their demand was met.

A spokesman for Corbyn said: "There can't be meaningful talks about how to find a deal that reflects the majority in Parliament and that can command a majority in Parliament while the threat of no deal, which would be disastrous for the country is still on the table. That must come off the table."

London mayor Sadiq Khan called Wednesday night on May's government to withdraw article 50, the mechanism that triggers Britain's EU departure on March 29.

He said: "If we cannot have a general election the British public must have the final say, with the option to stay in the EU."

In another day of nail-biting drama in the House of Commons, the 10 MPs from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland came to the rescue to save May's Conservative government.

The DUP has a pact to shore up May's minority government in a supply and confidence agreement.

Had the DUP back the no confidence measure put forward by Corbyn and the other political parties at Westminster, May could have lost by just one vote.

In Wednesday night's six-hour debate, politicians on the Conservative benches, who 24 hours earlier were divided on May's Brexit deal, rallied to ensure May's government survived.

Corbyn had urged MPs to back a no confidence move, saying May's zombie administration had lost the right to govern.

Professor Richard Toye, head of history at the University of Exeter said Wednesday: "It is incredibly difficult for an opposition to force a general election. The outcome of the confidence vote will be to sustain Theresa May in office but not in power. We are in the rearranging-the-deckchairs-on-the-deck-of-the-Titanic phase."

May is now on course to continue seeking parliamentary backing for a Brexit deal to enable Britain to leave the EU later this year.

May will return to the House of Commons on Monday to make a statement to MPs about Brexit and to present MPs with an alternative Brexit plan in the hope it has more success than the deal rejected Tuesday by a massive margin of MPs.Immediate past governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose has weighed in on President Muhammadu Buharis outing on national TV on Wednesday.

The president alongside his vice, Yemi Osinbajo participated in a Town Hall meeting, which was held live on the National Television Authority, NTA, tagged #CandidatesNG

A lot of critics have expressed dissatisfaction about Buharis performance during the interview, as many accused the vice president of babysitting the president.

According to Fayose, Buhari should be allowed to go home and rest, after what he termed an embarrassment, on NTA yesterday. The former governor said while Nigerians were still grappling with the realities of the embarrassing Wednesday outing, Buhari during his rally in Delta state today, quoted him as saying Presenting flag to the Presidential candidate of APC in Delta State.

He wrote via Twitter thus:

Presenting flag to the Presidential candidate of APC in Delta State? Is it that those promoting this man do not have shame? Embarrassing outing on NTA yesterday, another embarrassment in Delta state today, shouldnt this man be allowed to go home and rest?The town hall programme which was aired live by Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) in conjuction with Daria Media is sparkling a lot of reactions from Nigerians. The live programme which is tagged the candidate was anchored by Kadaria Ahmed saw President Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo answering questions from audience across various platforms.

The response the President gave when asked about the bribery allegation levied against Kano state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, doesnt seems to go down well with Nigerians as they took out time to fire heavy shots at him on social media.

Their reactions:

https://twitter.com/iSlimfit/status/1085638465847549952

Baba was asked why he's standing&smiling with Ganduje after videos of him taking dollar from contractors. I don't think Baba even understand the question,he didn't even mention anything close to it.

He said he has written the US to help repatriate funds#NgTheCandidates  Tosin Olugbenga (@TosinOlugbenga) January 16, 2019

President Buhari should be able to categorically condemn Ganduje. His inability to do this suggests he doesnt really hate corruption, except when the corrupt folks are people he doesnt like.  Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) January 16, 2019

Buhari said he wondered why Ganduje did not send someone to collect the money on his behalf. Chineke nna!  Nicholas Ibekwe (@nicholasibekwe) January 16, 2019

https://twitter.com/LadyReni/status/1085638187765153797Vanguard

President Muhammadu Buhari has said it would be a grave mistake to return Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates at any level back to government, adding that his government would make Ajaokuta Steel Company, ASC, work to ensure massive employment of Nigerians, especially residents of Ajaokuta.

Thisday

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday launched the National Code of Corporate Governance 2018, saying that its implementation will promote economic growth, lower cost of capital, minimise wastage and tackle corruption.

The Sun

A cross-section of traditional rulers in Abia have advised political office seekers in the country to put the interest of Nigeria above their personal ambition.

Daily Times

President Muhammadu Buhari yet declined assent on five different bills transmitted to him by the National Assembly.

Leadership

No fewer than 6,203 public primary and secondary schools teachers serving in rural areas and teaching core subjects in Ekiti State are to benefit from the N146 million allowances released by the state government.

Daily Trust

Wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki has warned that many of those seeking power at this years general elections had failed Nigeria in their respective capacity.

The Nation

VICE President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday argued that the struggle to restructure Nigeria started several years ago by people who saw the need early and who were sincere about it.

Tribune

T HE executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, has insisted that all states must adhere strictly to the provisions of the National Medium Term Basic Education Strategic Plan already approved by the Federal Government.President Muhammadu Buharis campaign train hit Warri (Delta state) today ahead of the forthcoming general election. The rally was witness by a large numbers of party faithfuls and supporters.

The highlight of the campaign was when the President mistakenly pronounced the states APC candidate for the gubernatorial election as the partys presidential candidate for the forthcoming election and this has sparked reactions from Nigerians.

What they are saying:

https://twitter.com/modebolanle/status/1085899638601908224

It took @MBuhari 3 attempts to simply refer to Mr. Ogboru as the Gubernatorial Candidate??? This man is President of a country in the year 2019? Everyone who wants Buhari re-elected does not mean well for Nigeria and is a very wicked person.  Preye (@Lugard_Tareotu) January 17, 2019

Did anybody notice that @MBuhari whilst giving Great Ogboru the APC flag in Warri today, referred to Mr. Ogboru as "Presidential Candidate", realizing that he made a mistake, he said "Senatorial Candidate", seeing another mistake, he said "Gubernatorial Candidate". 3 attempts  Preye (@Lugard_Tareotu) January 17, 2019Former vice President, Atiku Abubkar, yesterday revealed that he would privatize the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) if elected into the countrys highest political office in the forthcoming election.

Atiku who is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made this declaration on Channels Television yesterday while fielding questions from business community in Lagos at an event tagged Getting Nigerias Economy Working : A Pragmatic Approach.

His declaration has sparked reactions from Nigerians as they have been on twitter handle calling him out.

What they are saying:

https://twitter.com/iam_doctormayor/status/1085815452209684481

The only one major resources we have as a country Atiku proposed to sell the NNPC to its friends.

God forbid o!  A b u d u  (@pingjosh) January 17, 2019

#Atiku said he will reduce the size of the FG & Privatise FG assets including NNPC?

Which means he will sack a lot of FG workers just like NITEL etc.

Selling major government assets indirectly means the new owners can hold the country & economy to ransom at any time. It is well.  Aibinu (@1Vitalsplash) January 17, 2019The new decorated Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has saidbhe will draw on both his national and international policing leadership experience in discharging his duties.

In a statement by the new police boss on Thursday, he promised Nigerians that he would provide the highest possible level of professional and responsible leadership.

See full statement below

With my appointment and assumption of duty, i am determined to draw on my national and international policing leadership experience to bridge this missing link.

I assure you on this day that I will provide the highest possible level of professional and responsible leadership for you while trusting that you shall march hand-in-hand with me as dependable professional colleagues, to advance the fortunes of the Force.

I demand that you henceforth resolve to abstain from conducts that will drag the Police into disrepute and put your career in jeopardy,and join me in the common course of changing the narratives of policing in the country for good.

In giving effect to this, in the coming days, I shall unfold before you and the nation the strategic focus of my leadership.

In the interim, let me use this opportunity, ladies and gentlemen, to quickly remind you that aside our routine operations, we have within the short term, two major national assignments where our professionalism and commitment to duty will once again be subjected to national and international scrutiny.

First, is the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on 16 February, 2019 and second is the Governorship, State Assembly, and Federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections on Saturday 2nd March 2019 .

These national engagements are of immediate priority to my leadership and, hence, in the next few days, the nation shall witness concerted police deployments and other activities which will all be directed at ensuring quality election security service delivery by the Police, These national engagements are of immediate priority to my leadership and, hence, in the next few days, the nation shall witness concerted police deployments and other activities which will all be directed at ensuring quality election security service delivery by the Police, being the lead agency in election security management.

While with your support, I am confident that we have the operational capacity to ensure the success of both exercises, i am not unaware of the possible security threat that some misguided political actors and their followers may attempt to pose during the general elections.

To such elements, I must sound a note of warning that as a nation, we have had enough of electoral violence. Hence while the Nigeria Police under my watch shall work with the Independent National Electoral Commission and sister security agencies in guaranteeing a peaceful and secure space for all political parties and the citizens to freely exercise their electoral rights.

We shall not hesitate to identify, isolate and bring to deserved justice any person or group that attempts to threaten our sacred democratic order.

To the unrepentant felons that may want to put our common will to test, the message is being relayed here loud and clear that in securing the law abiding citizens during the elections.

We shall not hesitate to deploy our potent assets to deal firmly and decisively with electoral deviants. Consequently i call on political actors to assist the Police and other law enforcement agencies in sustaining the gains recorded in our democratic journey.

They should always remember that politics is a game guided by rules and it behooves them to play the Let me end this inaugural address by assuring the citizens that I am mindful of their yearnings for a policing system that will not only assure them of their safety, but treat them with civility and hold their rights sacred.

While I promise on behalf of officers of the Force that their deserved aspirations will be met henceforth, I also call on the citizens to work with the police in the interest of community safety and national security.

I am similarly not oblivious of the concerns of the Federal government on the Nigeria Police. I am mindful of the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari is desirous of bequeathing a citizens-friendly, operationally efficient and ethically-guided police system to the country.

His Excellency envisions a Police Force that will take the lead in internal security operations engage intelligence-led, technology-supported and community driven policing principles in the attainment of its mandate, and play an active role with the Armed Forces in restoring civil authority in the North East.

I assure the country that I will provide the requisite leadership for the Nigeria Police to meet these expectations and address the concerns.

Finally, on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force, I immensely thank our out-going IGP Ibrahim Idris for his professional service to our Fatherland and wish him a very fulfilling future engagement.

I can assure him that much as he is leaving the police institution, we shall not allow him leave the Police Family as we shall continue to disturb his retirement in order to draw from his rich fountain of professional knowledge.

To you, my officers and men, I call on you to continue to support me with prayers and informed pieces of advice so that this journey we are commencing together today shall lead us to the desired destination.

I thank you all and pray that may Allah (SWT) continue to protect you, the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, as we rededicate ourselves to the service of our Fatherland.The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has arrived in the United States, today according to latest report.

The former vice president is said to be in the country, where he hasnt set foot on in the last 13 years, to speak at the United States Chamber of Commerce in DC on Friday, from 2:30pm to 4pmTheCable reports.

According to the online news platform, Atiku is expected to speak at a private roundtable, which is hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Africa Business Centre, is expected to hold at 1615 H street, NW 20062.As Indiana lawmakers get ready to tackle the issue of hate/bias crimes this session, I think its only fair to address the concerns raised by critics and skeptics. I believe I can do this as I used to be one of them and to a small degree, I still am, but I think the good the law can do, outweighs my skepticism.

I recently asked on my social media page for critics to spell out their concerns and so I summarized them into several categories and will address them one by one. And just so we are all on the same page, we are looking at hate crimes as a sentence enhancer or aggravating factor, not as a separate offense.

1

Hate crimes punish thought. Of course, they do, just like most laws that carry a serious penalty for breach carry a penalty, but an individual must also act on those thoughts. In criminal law, to have a crime for many offenses, you need a mens rea (intent) and an actus rea (act). This is why with many crimes, an element is the perpetrator must knowingly and willingly be engaging in the act. So under a hate crimes statute, as being proposed in Indiana, you can think whatever you want, its when you act on those thoughts, there might be consequences to those actions.

2

Hate crimes create different classes of victims and treat some differently than others. This is somewhat misleading as we already treat victims differently depending on their status. For example, it is not uncommon for there to be enhanced penalties for those who harm children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, public safety officers, etc. Under a hate crime statute, as proposed here in Indiana, all people are treated the same if part of the motivating factor for the attack is one of the enumerated categories.

3

Murder is murder and vandalism is vandalism regardless. This is one that has me engaging in some cross-cultural education. Just like there is a difference between someone burning a bag of dog poop on my lawn versus a cross, there is a difference between someone spray painting John loves Sue on a water tower versus Niggers, leave town. And if you cant tell the difference, we need to sit down and have a long talk.

4

Hate crimes violate the state and U.S. constitutions. The U.S. Supreme Court made it clear back in 1993, in a unanimous decision (which included Justices Rehnquist, Thomas and Scalia) the court held in Wisconsin v. Mitchell that bias crime statutes punish action, not thought, and in no way cooled or limited free and constitutional speech, thought or religious practices. And on the state level critics have tried to invoke the privileges and immunities clause of the Indiana Constitution. That argument also fails. Under Article 1, Section 23, the state constitution says the General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen, or class of citizens, privileges or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens. The key phrase here is upon the same terms, in other words if a citizen is attacked because of their race or religion, it doesnt matter what their race or religion, the crime is treated the same.

5

How can you prove what someone was thinking at the time of the crime? The same way we do with every other criminal offense where the intent is an element. We have trials that involve judges, juries, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, and evidence. And the burden of proof is the same as every other criminal offense, beyond a reasonable doubt.

I could go on, but those were the main five issues that were raised. I also made it a point to the critics and skeptics that we have also civil rights statutes at both the federal and state level which fundamentally operate in the same manner as hate/bias crimes do, except they are actually separate offenses, not sentencing enhancements.

And if you still need convincing, the state of Indiana, through executive order, has a similar provision in its personnel code and for some reason, the world didnt come to an end, and theres no reason to think it would happen if it were codified into the state statute.

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is an attorney, political commentator and publisher of IndyPolitics.org. You can email comments to him at abdul@indypolitics.org.NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- New York City has welcomed a record 65.2 million tourists in 2018, marking a ninth consecutive year of growth, the city's tourism board said on Wednesday.

According to the latest statistics released by NYC & Company, 51.6 million of the 65.2 million visitors came from the United States and 13.5 million were international tourists, mostly from the United Kingdom, China, Canada, Brazil and France.

Notably, the number of tourists from China rose to 1.1 million from 1.04 million in 2017, despite a months-long trade friction between the two countries which had concerned some tourism insiders.

Fred Dixon, the chief executive of NYC & Company said in an article published on Wednesday's New York Times that business with China will "remain strong."

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the figures prove "what every New Yorker knows: this is the greatest City in the world to live in and visit," as cited by the NYC & Company.

"We embrace diversity and are welcoming to all, and the more than 65 million visitors to our city were able to experience that first hand," the mayor added.

NYC & Company also predicted that 2019 will be a "monumental" year for the Big Apple in terms of tourism with over 67 million visitors as some major new attractions, renovated airports with new terminals, and international events such as the WorldPride, which will take place in the United States for the first time.

Dixon also announced on Wednesday a new partnership with the global payments and technology company Mastercard, which would promise card holders exclusive access to certain NYC & Company programs such as NYC Restaurant Week, Broadway Week and Must-See Week which are joining forces to allure global tourists from Jan. 21 through Feb. 10.

According to an annual Global Destination Cities Index released by Mastercard in last December, New York City is the sixth most visited city in the world in 2018.Job searching is a difficult, long and ego-bruising experience. It doesnt matter if you graduated summa cum laude or if you dropped out of high school. Its especially rough on those without resources or counseling. Thankfully, the Indianapolis Public Library offers free job centers in library branches to help people improve their lot in life.

The job centers feature important online resources. Not only do many who visit the center lack regular access to the internet but also the centers have access to two important databases: Career Transitions and Reference USA. Career Transitions allows users to create resumes and store them online. Reference USA, which is updated more frequently than websites such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter, allows people to search for jobs based on locations.

We really have some high-tech hidden treasures, we really do, Shanika Heyward, branch manager of the librarys East 38th Street Branch, said.

One of Heywards favorite memories from when she worked at the job center involved a young professor who had recently lost his job.

I was able to help him search for other opportunities in that particular field.  He ended up getting hired and is now doing very well, she said.

However, you dont need to be a professor to use the job center. Teonna Taylor, a library job center assistant at the East 38th Street Branch, said the average job center visitor might be age 25 to 35 and looking for a job in a warehouse or fast food restaurant, but she sees a wide variety of people.

Ive been getting patrons who have criminal histories, Taylor said. While Im not necessarily the most trained within that area, people have been able to come and say, You know what? I might have a history, but Ive learned from this or that mistake Ive made in the past. Could you assist me?

Job center specialists like Taylor provide visitors with different kinds of one-on-one instruction. Sometimes, the instruction involves conducting mock interviews and reviewing the results. Other times, Taylor helps guide job seekers through the application processes. Most often, Taylor assists in writing and formatting resumes.

When someone does come up here and says, Hey, I worked in a warehouse, and I only did forklift, I say, No, you did much more than forklift, Taylor said. You organized pallets. You also maybe acted as a liaison between your team and then also incoming material.

Taylor appreciates how the job center evolves peoples idea of what a library is, demonstrating its more than a building with books. Melissa Utten, resource manager for Indianapolis Public Library, said libraries are a great place for programs like the job center.

Were trying to strengthen our neighborhood and businesses by creating a workforce that is ready to go out and fill the jobs that are needed, Utten said. We are trying to help connect our patrons with jobs in the community.  It goes right along with all the goals in our strategic plan and the librarys mission of meeting the information needs of our community.

Contact staff writer Ben Lashar at 317-762-7848. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminLashar.The recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s life and legacy as a federal holiday was a long time in the making.

Plans to honor King with a holiday actually began almost immediately  four days  after his assassination on April 4, 1968. Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, introduced legislation on April 8, 1968.

Although the bill didnt pass, ceremonies commemorating King on his birthday (Jan. 15, 1929) started happening in 1969 and the push for a national holiday continued. On Nov. 3, 1983 President Ronald Reagan finally signed a bill to honor King on the third Monday of January, starting in 1986.

This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 21.

If youre looking for a way to honor King, heres a list of several local events.

IPS 38th annual tribute to King

Indianapolis Public Schools will have the 38th annual tribute to the life and legacy of King 10-11 a.m. Jan. 18 at Crispus Attucks High School, 1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. The theme is Together We Rise, and the keynote speaker will be City-County Council President Vop Osili. Former TV personality Angela Cain will serve as master of ceremony and the Crispus Attucks High School Concert Choir and students from Building Blocks Academy will perform musical tributes. The program will be livestreamed through WFYI.

The Crispus Attucks Museum will be open after the program. Both the museum and program are free and open to the public.

Service opportunity

Participants interested in making fleece blankets for the Childrens Bureau, Little Red Door Cancer Agency and Early Learning Indiana can join United Way of Central Indiana at the Childrens Bureau, 1575 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. Participants will receive a complimentary lunch and may take a tour of the Childrens Bureau. To register, visit uwci.org/mlk.

IHS offers full day of activities

The Indiana Historical Society is offering free admission 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St. The day will feature performances, programs and service opportunities as well as a chance to learn about Hoosier history through the Indiana Experience exhibit. Free parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

10 a.m.-noon Join the Madam Walker Legacy Center for their MLK Day of Celebration festivities at the History Center as the Walker Theatre undergoes a renovation.

10 a.m.-4 p.m.  Join IHS in organizing care packages to benefit the HealthNet Homeless Initiative.

Write a Letter or Make Your Own Activism Poster

Write a letter or create a poster while learning about current causes to engage in and organizations that have stood up to fight throughout history.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.  Local Speech, Global Reach exhibit, newest traveling exhibit from IHS, will share details of the civil rights movement. A collaboration between IHS and the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, the exhibit explores Kings legacy and the impact of Sen. Robert F. Kennedys historic speech in Indianapolis.

12:45 p.m.  Collecting and Storytelling of the Civil Rights Movement. The celebrations move to the William H. Smith Memorial Library where visitors are invited to share their own civil rights mementos. The discussion, led by Susan L. Hall-Dotson, IHS coordinator for African-American History, will focus on the importance of preserving and sharing memories of the era.

1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.  Griot Drum Ensemble. Enjoy African-influenced drumming, dance and storytelling. Hear African folktales accompanied by traditional instruments.

2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Homelessness Talk

Providing for others

The Kennedy King Memorial Initiative (KKMI) is partnering with Indy Parks and IU Health for various events to commemorate Kings service to others.

8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 18.  KKMI will take donations at Kennedy King Park Center to fill survival kits. Donation requests include canned chicken, peanut butter, granola bars and crackers.

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 21  MLK Day of Service at Kennedy King Park Center, 601 E. 17th St. Volunteers will help assemble Street Outreach Survival Kits for residents in need. The park will show a video of Sen. Robert F. Kennedys speech in Indianapolis on the night King was killed. Abie Robinson, who witnessed the speech, will address attendees.

Day of service

Franklin College will host a day of service and other activities throughout the day on Jan. 21. Volunteers will do various tasks at different times around Franklin. To volunteer, register by emailing diversity@franklincollege.edu or calling 317-738-8119. Along with volunteer service, the public can attend these free events:

1 p.m.  Chapel Service. Rev. Douglas Gray, pastor at Second Missionary Baptist Church in Franklin, will present Wake Up and Fulfill the Dream at Richardson Chapel, 101 Branigin Blvd., as part of an ecumenical Christian worship service to honor King.

3:15 p.m.  Commemorative March. Residents can join the march to honor civil rights leaders of the past. The march will begin west of the B.F. Hamilton Library, 101 Branigin Blvd., at the Indiana Alpha Gazebo and end at Richardson Chapel.

4 p.m.  Convocation Lecture. Writer and magazine editor Cynthia Horner will present a lecture at Richardson Chapel about how King influenced the hip-hop community.

7 p.m.  Showing of The Hate U Give at Richardson Chapel. The Hate U Give is a crime drama based on a novel by the same name. It shows the fallout after a high school student witnesses a police shooting.

Activities at Connor Prairie

Conner Prairie, 13400 Allisonville Road, will have activities and events throughout the day on Jan. 21 to illustrate Kings vision of what can be accomplished through non-violent protest.

11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.  Freedom Summer: 1964. Anything Can Happen Theater interpreters will use props to lead guests in imaginative play at Lilly Theater.

11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.  Mr. Daniels Music. Mr. Daniel, a local favorite, will play songs of protest from 1960s to today at Lilly Theater.

10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Willa Brown, Aviatrix. Actors will portray Willa Brown, the first African-American woman to become a licensed pilot, at Create.Connect.

Selma showing

The Indiana State Museum IMAX Theater, 650 W. Washington St., will play movies Jan. 21 that are free with the donation of a non-perishable food item. The theater will have a special showing of Selma at 7 p.m. Movie-goers must get tickets for Selma at the MLK Center, 40 W. 40th St.

Free admission

The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St., will have free admission for all children and families 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 21. Storyteller Portia Jackson will speak about courageous children from the civil rights movement, and the Griot Drum Ensemble will play music.

Tracy Martin speaks

The Black Student Union at IUPUI will have the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St. Tracy Martin, the father of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Black teen shot and killed by George Zimmermann in 2012, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $25 for IUPUI students, $65 for staff, faculty and alumni and $75 for the general public.YEN.com.gh has, in recent times, reported the deaths of some Ghanaians, all of which have left several people heartbroken.

In what appears to be a series of unrelated events, some people lose their lives under bizarre circumstances, and this usually leaves others in a state of bewilderment.

YEN.com.gh has compiled a list of deaths that have raised concerns about security in the country as Ghanaians go about their normal duties.

READ ALSO: I am not sure Owusu Bempah is a true prophet - Nigel Gaisie

1. GWCL Manager:

A manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Joseph Miigaai Jakperuk, was shot dead by unknown assailants Gbangu in the East Mamprusi District of the Northern Region. Joseph Miigaai Jakperuk, who was the Deputy Distribution Manager of Accra East Region of GWCL was traveling to his hometown in the Bunkpurugu District when he was stopped in the night and shot by unknown gunmen.

2. GHPA Manager:

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the public affairs manager at Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHPA), Josephine Asante, was stabbed to death. The incident occurred on the night of Saturday, January 12, 2019, at Tema Community 25, after she had returned from a staff party.

The late Josephine Asante Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

3. Assemblies of God pastor:

Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado was killed while about leaving his inner office to the main auditorium to preach as service was already on-going.

Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

4. Ahmed Hussein-Suale:

A key member of Anas Aremeyaw Anas' Tiger Eye team, Ahmed Hussein-Suale, was shot dead. The deceased was reportedly shot three times; twice in the chest and another in the neck on January, 16, 2019 at Madina in Accra, while he was driving home by unidentified men on a motorbike.

Ahmed Hussein-Suale Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

5. Opare Hammond:

The managing director of the Precious Mineral Marketing Commission (PMMC), Mr. Opare Hammond, died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Friday, January 11, 2019.

Opare Hammond Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

Yenkasa: What Do You Think About Prophecies? | #Yencomgh

Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place.

Source: YenSome Ghanaian workers at the Ghana Household Utilities Manufacturing Company Limited (GHUMCO) in Takoradi have complained about poor treatment from their Chinese manager.

The workers say they their boss, Mr. Zhu, is in the habit of forcing them to apologise to his dog.

TV3 Ghana reports that most of the workers have suffered dog bites at the premises of the company.

Ghanaian workers forced to apologise to dogs in writing by Chinese bosses. Source: 3News.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: I have recorded myself making love before  Yvonne Okoro

However, these workers are rather forced to write apology letters to the dog after being bitten.

According to them, failure to write the apology letter leads to instant dismissal by the Chinese boss.

They also complained that they are paid no allowances or compensation in case of injury.

The workers lamented other poor treatment meted out to them, as well as the poor safety measures at the factory.

One of the Ghanaian employees, Joseph Essien, said he has worked as GHUMCO for 30 years but receives a meagre GHc350 as monthly salary.

Another worker, Isaac Kojo Brace, said he takes home salary is GH250 despite working for 18 years at the factory.

READ ALSO: Sandra Ankobiah reveals secret behind her new banging body

According to him, some of his colleagues take home as low as GHc200 as their monthly salaries.

Yenkasa: What Do You Think About Prophecies? | #Yencomgh

READ ALSO: Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo acquitted at ICC

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: YenOur directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.Venice, FL (34285)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then cloudy skies this afternoon. High 84F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 74F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.Landlords are off to a good start this year, with rentals in high demand across Australia, according to the latest data from realestate.com.au.

The trend was driven by Aussies who are returning to the universities and many people embracing a new year, new home attitude.

Tasmania (TAS) was renters top choice in terms of location, having held six of the top 10 spots in the most in-demand rental suburbs list for the 12 months to Jan. 1.

Australias most in-demand rental suburbs are Glenorchy, TAS; Kingston, TAS; Claremont, TAS; Tugun, Queensland (QLD); Lenah Valley, TAS; Andrews Farm, South Australia (SA); Palm Beach, QLD; South Hobart, TAS; Lindisfarne, TAS; and Mudgeeraba, QLD.

These rankings were based on the highest number of property views per listing, in ratio to the number of listings on realestate.com.au.

Bruce, Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Located at Canberras Belconnen district, Bruce mostly caters to young professionals, students and singles due to its proximity to the University of Canberra, sporting facilities (including the Australian Institute of Sport), shopping precincts, nightlife and public transport. The median weekly rents for a house and a unit are $640 and $420, respectively.

Tugun, QLD

This beachside suburb on the Gold Coast boasts easy access to beautiful stretches of ocean, as well as shopping, nightlife and dining options along the coastline. The median weekly rent for a house is $540 and $445 for a unit.

Goonellabah, New South Wales (NSW)

Goonellabah in Lismore is the right choice if looking for peaceful lifestyle options. It is also near Southern Cross University. The median weekly rent for a house is $388 and $315 for a unit.

Gillen, Northern Territory (NT)

Gillen is a central area that has easy access to museums, schools, a hospital and public transport. The median weekly rent for a house is $510 and $380 for a unit.

Andrews Farm, SA

Andrews Farm is a northern suburb of Adelaide that is known for its affordable housing options and local amenities. The median weekly rent for a house is $290 and $230 for a unit.

Glenorchy, TAS

Glenorchy is the most in-demand suburb for renters both in Tasmania and in the country. It is near the Derwent River, parks and shopping amenities. The median weekly rent for a house is $380 and $305 for a unit.

Belmont, Victoria (VIC)

Belmont is the most in-demand rental suburb in Victoria. Apart from the schools, shopping areas and parks, the suburbs convenient access to the Barwon River is a selling point. The median weekly rent for a house is $360 and $310 for a unit.

City Beach, Western Australia (WA)

City Beach is one of Perths premium coastal suburbs, which offers a great lifestyle for renters. The median weekly rent is $810.MANHATTAN  Kansas State University has awarded nearly 4,240 students with semester honors for their academic performance in the fall 2018 semester.

Students earning a grade point average for the semester of 3.75 or above on at least 12 credit hours receive semester honors along with commendations from their deans. The honors also are recorded on their permanent academic records.

The following students from Nebraska received honors from Kansas State University: Grace Jacobson of Geneva; Ashton OBrien of Grafton; Hannah Miller of Gresham; Cara Wolverton of Seward and Linden Kaliff of York.Index-Journal Careers

PART-TIME POSITION available in our packaging area.

Job responsibilities include putting inserts into the newspaper. Must have a positive attitude and be a team player. Applicants must be able to: lift up to 20-lbs; stand for long periods of time; be available to work Sunday thru Friday, late evening to early morning hours; pass drug screen.Oh, how I would love to have a meal with Oprah. She intrigues me, to say the least. We could eat some of her new frozen pizza with 1/3 cauliflower crusts, count our Weight Watcher points and top it all off with an indulgent dessert that neither of us would admit to consuming. I want to interview her, as she is always the interviewer. I want to know how a poor kid from a Mississippi farm grew up to a remarkable reporter, then a talk show host, then one of the most powerful women in America. I really dont care that she became a billionaire, to me thats irrelevant. I would ask her, rather, about the motivation inside her to keep trying new things, go out into new endeavors, have the courage it takes to keep asking questions even though you sometimes get beaten down for doing it. And of course Id ask her where she and Gayle King go shopping for eyeglasses.

Oh, how I would love to have a meal with Lady Diana. I still remember my 12-year-old self, sitting on the floor in my pajamas very early in the morning, watching her marry Prince Charles 4,400 miles away in London. I still remember my 29-year-old self, standing stunned in front of a television at work late at night, watching the coverage of her tragic death 4,600 miles away in Paris. Ive always been so interested in who she was. What would we eat at our special meal? It sounds weird, but it would be stuffed peppers. I read years ago that one of her favorite dishes was stuffed peppers  which ironically is one of mine as well. We would talk about how we rarely get to eat them because most of the people around us despise the flavor, but we love it. I would ask her why she married Charles in the first place, commend her for being such a wonderful mother to her little boys, ask her if shes proud of the men they became and if shes surprised how her life played out. Id also tell her thank you for using her position to help others around the world and staying true to herself even though she endured living in a fishbowl surrounded by prying eyes and scrutiny. And of course Id ask her what it was like to dance with John Travolta.Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit indicated Thursday that he will not rule out making a decision on whether to bring corruption charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the April 9 elections. Netanyahu has asked that no decision be taken on his three investigations until after the elections, comparing it taking the arm of a thief who was later exonerated.

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But a letter sent to the prime minister by a senior aide to the AG said that, "the work on the investigations concerning the prime minister, which began before the decision was taken to bring forward the elections, will continue as scheduled."

The letter does say, however, that Mandelblit is willing to meet with Netanyahu's lawyers to discuss the issue next week.

Netanyahu and Mandelblit

Netanyahu faces corruption charges in three cases: Case 1000, in which he and his family are suspected of receiving illicit gifts from wealthy donors; Case 2000, which concerns talks between him and Yedioth Ahronoth owner and publisher Arnon Mozes allegedly discussing favorable coverage for Netanyahu in return for the prime minister pushing legislation to weaken Yedioth's rival, Israel Hayom; and Case 4000, which concerns a suspected quid pro quo relationship between Netanyahu and former Bezeq majority shareholder Shaul Elovitch in which his Walla! news website allegedly provided Netanyahu and his family with positive coverage in return for regulatory benefits for Bezeq.

Judicial officials believe there is sufficient evidence against Netanyahu to indict him for fraud and breach of trust in a conflict of interest, and discussions are now focused on whether there is sufficient evidence for a bribery conviction as well.

The prime minister has long complained that the three investigations are the work of his political opponents, despite the fact that the attorney general he himself appointed is his former cabinet secretary.

In a video released earlier this month, Netanyahu addressed the possibility of being summoned to an indictment hearing before upcoming elections.

"For years, the media and left-wing demonstrators put brutal and inhuman pressure on the attorney general to get him to file an indictment against me at any price, even when there is nothing to prove," he said.

"These days, this pressure had reached its peak. They are trying to force the attorney general to intervene in the elections by declaring a hearing when it is clear to all that it's impossible to complete an indictment hearing before the elections," Netanyahu said.

"Having an indictment hearing is absurd if you can't complete the hearing until the elections. It is inconceivable that the public will only get to hear one side After all, cases have been closed in the past after both sides were heard. This is exactly why, knowing it cannot be completed until the elections, no indictment hearing was ever scheduled before elections. It also explains why the left is trying to do the oppositetheir agenda is clear: to oust a prime minister by throwing a field trial and hijacking the elections from you, citizens of Israel."

Critics of the prime minister have speculated that he called the early elections in a bid to stave off an indictment.

According to media reports, Mandelblit and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan are trying to complete work on the three investigations in the coming weeks and make a decision on whether to indict Netanyahu and on what charges about a month and a half before Israelis head to the polls. During a recent meeting held by Mandelblit with former attorneys general and state prosecutors, most of the attendees contended he must make the effort to conclude work on the cases before the elections, so that the public could be informed before placing their ballots.

State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan (Photo: Gil Nachshon)

Netanyahu maintains that he does not intend to resign or bow out of the election race if charges are filed against him.

"Imagine what would happen if a prime minister is ousted before the hearing is finished, and then after the hearing they decide to close the case. It's absurd. It's a terrible blow to democracy."Lebanon's army intelligence has detained a man on suspicion that he crossed into Lebanon from Israel, a military official said Thursday, two days after Israel discovered a possible breach in the tightly controlled frontier, where no one is allowed to cross. Lebanon's state news agency said the detainee is a US citizen.

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The Al-Manar TV station, which is seen as a mouthpiece for the Hezbollah terror group, said that the man was a Jewish American national and released an image it said was him.

Hezbollah said that it had "identified an anonymous figure east of the village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border, and when they asked him who he was, he threw his belongings down and fled. It is fair to assume that he was a settler (Israeli) who crossed the border."

The American arrested in Lebanon, according to a Hezbollah-linked outlet

Israel became suspicious that someone had crossed the tightly guarded border  known as the Blue Line on Tuesday night, when Israel Defense Forces troops spotted a tear in the security fence along the northern frontier.

"Israeli army troops identified a break in the fence and signs that point to the suspicion of a person crossing the border from Israel into Lebanon," the IDF said. "The incident is under investigation."

Israel reported the suspected crossing to UN forces (UNIFIL) that are stationed in the area, and then on to the Lebanese army. There have been several similar cases in recent years, most involving people suffering from mental illness.

Almost all of the 135 kilometers of the border between Israel and Lebanon, which begins Rosh Hanikra in the west and ends on the slopes of Mt. Hermon, are open to hikers and farmers right up to a perimeter fence, which then allows quick access to the border itself. Lebanon and Israel are in a state of war and each bans its citizens from visiting the other country.

Lebanese soldiers patrolling the border with Israel

The military official, who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, gave no further details saying the man is being questioned and once they have information the army will release a statement.

State-run National News Agency said the man who was detained is a US citizen adding that he was detained in the southern port-city of Tyre where he had been staying since Tuesday. It added that the man is being questioned under the supervision of judicial authorities.

The US Embassy said in a statement: "We've seen media reports of the arrest of a US citizen. We take our obligation to assist US citizens abroad seriously and stand ready to provide all appropriate consular services."

It added that due to privacy considerations, "we have no further comment."

The breach did not occur in the area where IDF troops have been searching for cross-border attack tunnels dug by Hezbollah.

IDF troops uncovering a Hezbollah tunnel dug from Lebanon into Israel (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Israel on Sunday announced the end of its six-week operation to locate and destroy the tunnels. The army said it would begin work on the construction of a defensive barrier along the border once all the tunnels - six in total - had been destroyed.Security officials say Islamic militants have kidnapped a Christian man traveling in a communal taxi in the turbulent north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

They did not identify the man, but said police pursued the kidnappers after the incident, killing one of them and wounding two others in a firefight, but could not free the hostage.

Two policemen were also wounded in the firefight, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Militants led by the Islamic State group have been fighting security forces in Sinai for years. Since 2016, they have killed more than 100 Christians in attacks targeting churches and buses carrying pilgrims to remote monasteries.

Scores of Christian families have fled Sinai following attacks by militants.Just as Israelis were strapping on their skis and donning their warmest hats, the snow that fell heavily in the center of the country began to melt and temperatures started to return to seasonal norms Thursday.

"The storm is essentially over, said meteorologist Nachum Malik. The snow will melt throughout the day. Although there is a possibility of intermittent rain tomorrow, on Saturday the weather is expected to be perfect.

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Snow blanketed the Judean Mountains south of Jerusalem on Thursday, as the storm system that began at the start of the week reached its peak intensity. Some five centimeters of snow reportedly accumulated in the Gush Etzion bloc of West Bank settlements, attracting tourists from across the country.

Snow at the Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel.



Video: Gabriel After pic.twitter.com/7aEQE6IWT8  (((Emanuel Miller))) (@emanumiller) January 16, 2019

The snow began late Wednesday, hitting Jerusalem and the elevated areas of central Israel. It also fell as far as the mountainous norththe Galilee and the Golan Heightswhere torrential rain and hail also stranded some cars and turned streets into rivers of mud. The stormy weather, however, was expected to taper off over the weekend.

Snow in Gush Etzion (Photo: Evyatar Rosenberg)

Next week the weather is expected to be much warmer. We dont see another storm systems hitting Israel next week, said Malik.





Snow in Gush Etzion (Photo: Evyatar Rosenberg)

Aryeh Weinstock, owner of a tourism company in Gush Etzion, said despite the cold, the area was teeming with tourists from other parts of the country. On Tuesday the skies were clear and we though the snow forecast was fake news. But, gradually it started to snow, and during the night it snowed for four hours straight, he said Thursday.

Snow in Gush Etzion (Photo: Gush Etzion)

Despite the near freezing temperatures, almost all school activities in the Jerusalem area, the Golan and the upper Galilee operated as usual. In Gush Etzion, all schools opened at 10am.

The Jerusalem Municipality urged the residents to be mindful of sleet in order to avoid the chance of slipping and falling, especially the parents who accompany their children to schools and kindergartens.

IDF troops amid snowfall in Hermon (Photo: AFP)

Strong rain showers accompanied by thunderstorms and hail, which began in the Golan Heights on Wednesday evening, continued through Thursday as well, adding an additional 6cm to the Sea of Galilee.

According to the Water Authority, the Sea of Galilees waterline currently stands at -213.90cm below sea level, and has risen by at least 75cm since the start of Israels winter season. In order to reach full capacity, the freshwater lake needs an additional 5.10 meters.The Arab League's Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has recently said the importance of the Palestinian cause has been somewhat reduced, sparking outcry in the Arab world.

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There are more pressing matters we (Arab countries) must contend with, since the Arab world has dramatically changed," he said in a televised interview in Egypt.

"Arab nations have recently seen the hardest of times, Aboul Gheit said in reference to war-battered countries Yemen, Libya and Syria. We must not forget the mistakes made by Arab rulers, inflicting tragedies upon the region."

Arab League's representatives (Photo: EPA)

An Egyptian political analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the secretary-generals statements are a clear attempt to prepare the ground for the normalization of relations with the Zionist entity."

The Arab street would never accept this entity, he said, stressing that citizens have turned away from their leaders on this issue and remain committed to Arab concerns as a broader nation.

Most Arabs see Israel as a foreign element and feel threatened by it. While politicians have their own agendas and interests with the Zionist entity, the wider Arab nation rejects it, he said.

Moeen al-Taher, a Jordanian political analyst, said Aboul Gheit's comments insinuated he is seeking to establish formal ties with Israel, while attempting to soften the Arab public opinion on that issue.

Qasem Qaseer, a Lebanese political analyst, said the secretary-general represents the official position of the Arab League, which is trying to deprioritize the conflict with the Zionist entity."

He said he is not trying to prioritize other issues. Nevertheless, the Zionist entity is the main issue and the reason for all other problems in the region. Recent incidents prove that no matter how complicated internal issues in Arab nations are, they are solvable. This is not the case with the Zionist enemy, which is the regions core problem," he said.

"When the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, citizens throughout the Arab world took to the streets and loudly protested against it, which shows that the ongoing conflict between the Zionist entity and the Palestinians is the most pressing issue on the agenda, he said.

Look at the countries that have signed peace accords with the enemy, including Palestine. This did not solve their problems, rather made them worse.

Backing the Arab League's secretary-general, a senior Palestinian Authority official said that Aboul Gheit made his remarks against the backdrop of political uncertainty and ongoing conflicts in the Arab world.

The US has caused grave damage in Iraq, Syria and Libya, leaving the Arab world to handle manyand not any less urgentissues than the Palestinian one, Shaath said.

But the Arab world has not forgotten the plight of Palestinian nation or the risks involved in normalizing relations with Israel, according to Shaath.

Article written by Dima Abumaria.The Jewish National Fund, know in Hebrew as Keren Kayemeth LeYisrael, said it is freezing all of its projects constructing security infrastructure in the Israeli communities along the Gaza border, amid a dispute with the Finance Ministry.

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Several months ago, the JNF announced its decision to invest NIS 100 million in security infrastructure in the Israeli communities near the Strip.

The JNF committed, inter alia, to paving escape routes for the communities near the southern Gaza Strip in light of the volatile situation there, as well as building 20 new housing units to help population growth in the area.

Gaza border communities' farmland

Preparations began in December to pave an escape route from Kibbutz Gevim in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, but work was halted last week. Infrastructure expansions in Kibbutz Sufa, Kibbutz Holit and Kibbutz Nahal Oz were also suspended.

Moreover, a project to rehabilitate farmland destroyed by the movement of IDF vehicles during recent rounds of fighting in Gaza was also halted, causing severe financial damage to the farmers in the area.

The decision to nix the projects sparked ire among regional council heads in the south.

"When relative quiet prevails, the communities must organize and prepare for possible escalation on the Gaza border. Disagreements between certain bodies are preventing our growth. This directly undermines the safety of the area's residents," said one of the regional council heads.

"Halting work on paving escape routes from Kibbutz Gevim is an endless tragedy. Halting security infrastructure works in the reality we live in is unheard of," the regional council heads wrote in a letter to JNF Chairman Danny Atar.

The head of the Merhavim Regional Council, Shai Hajaj, appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to intervene.

The Finance Ministry said in a statement, "The ministry is in a dialogue with JNF officials in order to create a professional process that will give expression to the government's priorities concerning its joint projects with the JNF. We hope understandings could be reached soon."

The JNF said that, "in an unfortunate and unclear decision, the attorney general has recently decided to prevent government ministries from continuing their joint projects with the JNF. We sincerely hope this curious decision will soon be amended."

JNF-USA, which operates independently, still invests in the area.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the country of Chad next week for an official visit, it was announced Sunday.

During the visit, the prime minister is expected to announce the renewal of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Chadian President Idriss Deby visited Israel last November.The Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) "is deliberately creating friction to justify their salaries," the Judea and Samaria District Police said in a report.

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The TIPH is a civilian observer mission in the West Bank that monitors the situation in the Palestinian city of Hebron.

"The members of the mission confront with Israel Defense Forces troops stationed at permanent checkpoints and disrupt standard inspection procedures of the Palestinian population going through the checkpoints," said the report, which was produced at the request of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan.

TIPH in West Bank (Photo: AP)

Israeli settlers have been waging an ongoing struggle against the TIPH mission.

Erdan has requested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to renew the agreement between Israel and the TIPH, which expires at the end of January.

"It is no wonder that a mission comprised of police officers from hostile countriessuch as Turkey and other pro-Palestinian countries that promote boycott of Israelcauses disturbances to the IDF and the police. The government should halt the activity of the TIPH, which only harms Israel," Erdan said.In a victory for President Donald Trump, the US Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation to keep sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including aluminum firm Rusal.

Senators voted 57-42 to end debate on the measure, as 11 of Trump's fellow Republicans broke from party leaders to join Democrats in favor of the resolution, amid questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.South Kingstown Superintendent of Schools Linda Savastano admitted this week that she was responsible for giving a political group student directory information that led to the names of South Kingstown students appearing on mailers sent to local households urging voters to support a now failed $85 million school facilities bond referendum held on May 4. In a statement released last Friday, Savastano denied any wrongdoing and said she followed department policy after received a request for the information on behalf of Friends of South Kingstown Schools. . The request was not different in kind from requests I had received previously for directory information, Savastano said in a June 11 statement. Consistent with our prior practice and informed by SK policy, I provided directory information to Stacey Bodziony, the Friends of South Kingstown Schools contact. That ended my involvement with the disclosure of student information. During Monday's Town Council Meeting, council president Abel Collins said addressed the matter and said the council's investigation will continue. This is a good start to knowing how this all unfolded, Collins said. I think this whole thing could have been over a lot sooner if people had just come forward originally with this information. That being said, were not entirely satisfied we have all the information related to how this happened. The council instructed solicitor Mike Ursillo to continue his investigation, and Collins said the council would share its subsequent findings with the community. With all that being said, do you believe Savastano should face discipline for her role in the mailer controversy? Let us know in this week's poll question below.

You voted:Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's son, went on a rampage on social media this week as he clashed with the left-wing Peace Now NGO on Twitter, accusing the activist group of anti-Semitism.

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The bitter exchange began Tuesday afternoon after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son slammed left-wing supports.

Yair Netanyahu

"Leftists worship generals and then call us fascists?!" he wrote on Twitter, referring to the growing popularity of former IDF chief Benny Gantz, who is running in the April 9 elections at the head of the Israel Resilience Party.

Peace Now's billboard in Jerusalem

Recently, the prime minister's son has been posing controversial content on social media. Last month, Facebook blocked his account for 24 hours after he criticized the company's content filtering policy in a Facebook post.

Last May, following his father's harsh verbal exchange with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Yair posted an image of Turkey's flag alongside the caption "Fuck Turkey" on his Instagram account.

He also condemned Left-wing supports on his Facebook page, calling them "Bolsheviks" who deem the right as "fascists" and "Nazis."

Yair Netanyahu's controversial caricature, October 2018

In October 2018, he posted a caricature on his Facebook page, titled "The food chain." The image depicts Hungarian-Jewish billionaire George Soros followed by a lizard-man and another figure that appears to resemble a Nazi caricatures. Further down the food chain is former prime minister Ehud Barak dangling a bill before two organizers of the weekly government corruption protests.

A few months later, the premier's son shared an image of Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber on his Facebook page. The image depicted the attorney as a character from a horror film splashed on a film poster.

Meanwhile, the prime minister's son is also busy handling a libel suit he filed against Molad: The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, a progressive Israeli think-tank, which fired back with a counter suit.





Top Russian officials ridiculed the idea that US President Donald Trump could have worked for Russia's interests, dismissing them Wednesday as "absurd" and "stupid."

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a news conference that US newspaper reports about Trump withholding details of his meetings with Russia's president and an FBI investigation of whether he was working on Moscow's behalf reflected a plunge in journalism standards.

Trump said this week that he never worked for Russia and repeated his claim that an ongoing investigation of his ties to Russia was a hoax.

Asked if Russia would consider releasing minutes from President Vladimir Putin's one-on-one talks with Trump, Lavrov said doing so would defy the basic culture of diplomacy and dismissed the possibility.

Calls for Moscow to provide the minutes are illegitimate meddling in the US president's constitutional right to conduct foreign policy, he said.

Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, similarly derided media reports of Trump's possible promotion of Russian interests.

"What kind of nonsense are you asking about?" Ushakov snapped when asked if Trump was a Russian agent. "How can one comment on such a stupid thing? It has reached such a scale that it's awkward to even talk about it."

"How can a president of the United States be an agent of another country, just think yourself," Ushakov said at a briefing.

The Kremlin's hopes for better relations with the US under Trump have been shattered by ongoing investigations into the allegations of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.Yankton, SD (57078)

Today

Partly cloudy. High 93F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.More than 40 people stood on a slushy sidewalk in Toppenish in remembrance of the Indigenous people who have been murdered or have gone missing on and around the 1.3-million-acre Yakama Reservation over decades.7 day print subscribers enjoy unlimited access to yakimaherald.com

Enter the LAST NAME and the 7 DIGIT phone number on your print subscription account to connect your print subscription to your yakimaherald.com account.Washington officials said this week that recipients of the federal food stamp program, the S

Is your local business or organization providing aid or discounts to workers affected by the ongoing shutdown? Contact reporter Mai Hoang at maihoang@yakimaherald.com or call her at 509-759-7851.

More Information

Usda loans

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reopened its Farm Service Agency offices for limited services on Thursday, Friday and Tuesday. The office will close Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. About 2,500 employees nationwide are returning to work in the offices, which can assist agricultural producers with existing farm loans. The Farm Service Agency office in Yakima is at 1606 Perry St., Suite A. Producers can call the office at 509-367-8573 starting Thursday.

Taxes

The Internal Revenue Service has called back about 46,000 employees to start work for this years tax season. The tax filing season for individuals is expected to start as scheduled on Jan. 28 and refunds will be distributed even during the shutdown. The agency will not conduct any audits or other functions in the meantime.

Banks work to keep funds coming

Several banks and credit unions with branches in the Yakima Valley have committed to providing no- or low-interest loans to federal workers affected by the shutdown. They include:

Baker Boyer Bank

Bank of America

Banner Bank

Cashmere Valley Bank

KeyBank

JPMorgan Chase

U.S. Bank

Washington Federal

Wells Fargo

Please contact the local branch of the listed banks for additional details. The list was provided Washington Bankers Association. Other local credit unions and banks may also be offering assistance.Ottawa (AFP) - The Canadian statistical agency said Thursday the US government shutdown is having impacts beyond its borders, stemming data sharing and forcing Ottawa to suspend publication of trade figures.

The United States is Canada's largest trading partner, with about 75 percent of Canadian exports sent to its southern neighbor.

Statistics Canada and the US Census Bureau (USCB) share economic data collected by the two nations' respective customs agencies to produce trade reports.

But a partial Washington shutdown started on December 22, which included the closure of the USCB, has halted US data collection and sharing.

"This has a direct impact on Statistics Canada's ability to compile, produce and publish Canadian international merchandise trade data, as Statistics Canada will not receive data on Canada's exports to the United States for the duration of the shutdown," the agency said in a statement.

The nations trade about Can$2 billion (US$1.5 billion) worth of goods each day.

Statistics Canada has suspended trade reporting from December 2018 onward, until US government workers return to work. The next release of monthly trade figures, for December, had been scheduled for February 5.

As the US shutdown moves toward a fifth week, there is no sign of a breakthrough in the impasse between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over Trump's demand for US$5.7 billion to build a border wall with Mexico, which he argues is needed to prevent illegal migration.Dubai (AFP) - A United Nations mission tasked with overseeing a truce in war-torn Yemen came under fire but was unharmed in the flashpoint city of Hodeida Thursday, the UN said.

The head of the mission, Patrick Cammaert, and his team were "safe in Hodeida following reported shooting incident", tweeted the spokesperson of the UN secretary general.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a UN official confirmed that "shots were fired" at Cammaert's convoy and that the retired Dutch general was "safe".

The shooting comes one day after the UN Security Council unanimously approved an extended mission of up to 75 unarmed monitors to shore up a fragile ceasefire between the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The ceasefire and observer mission was agreed on during talks last month in Sweden between the internationally recognised authorities and rebels.

The new monitors will be sent to Hodeida city and port as well as to the ports of Saleef and Ras Issa for an initial period of six months.

The port of Hodeida is the entry point for the bulk of Yemen's supplies of imported goods and humanitarian aid, providing a lifeline to millions on the brink of starvation.

The Huthis control most of Hodeida, while government forces are deployed on its southern and eastern outskirts.

The UN says the ceasefire, which went into force on December 18 in Hodeida, has been generally holding despite some clashes.

There have been delays in the redeployment of rebel and government forces from the city.

burs-ny/delWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who along with the president has repeatedly denied that any collusion occurred between Russia and other people in Trump's 2016 campaign, retreated from those earlier broad statements, saying he had no idea whether any aides colluded with Moscow during that time.

Trump and Giuliani have repeatedly and publicly said there was no collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. But in a television interview with CNN on Wednesday night, Giuliani said, "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people in the campaign. I have no idea," Giuliani told the cable news network.

"There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC, he said, referring to the Democratic National Committee, whose servers were hacked during the 2016 campaign and emails released publicly.

"The president did not collude with the Russians," Giuliani told CNN.

Giuliani in an interview with Reuters on Thursday reaffirmed his comments to CNN, and noted that he only represented Trump.

"I know the president wasnt involved in collusion. How would I know about anybody else? I wouldnt know," he said.

Several Democratic lawmakers called Giuliani's comments disturbing and raised further concerns about Trump's campaign conduct.

"He appears to acknowledge collusion between the campaign and the Russians," the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, told MSNBC in an interview on Thursday. "That's quite an admission by the president's own lawyer."

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded Moscow interfered in the 2016 election campaign to bolster Trump and hurt his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Federal prosecutors investigating the alleged meddling have charged more than 30 people as part of their probe, including more than two dozen Russian individuals and entities.

Story continues

Several members of Trump's campaign, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, have also either been charged or pleaded guilty as part of the probe being led by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller or in related investigations.

Trump has frequently denied, in tweets and in public remarks, that any collusion with Russia occurred, calling the U.S. Special Counsel's Office investigation a "witch hunt." Russia has also denied any interference. Mueller's team is also investigating any possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

Media reports over the weekend drew fresh scrutiny over Trump's dealings with Russia.

The New York Times reported about an FBI investigation into whether the former U.S. reality television star and real estate developer was working on behalf of Russia. A Washington Post report raised questions about Trump's handling of his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including the confiscation of his interpreter's notes.

Trump on Monday called the Post report false but did not offer any evidence to back up his claim, and said he never worked for Russia.

Congressional scrutiny this week of Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Justice, William Barr, has also renewed concern over the ongoing Russia probe. As U.S. attorney general, Barr would oversee Mueller's probe.

Barr told U.S. senators on Tuesday that he did not believe Mueller's investigation was a witch hunt and that, if confirmed to lead the department, he would allow Mueller to complete his work.

Representatives for the White House did not respond to a request for comment on Giuliani's remarks.

(Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)HSINCHU, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan held live-fire exercises along its east coast Thursday amid renewed threats from China to bring the island under its control by force if deemed necessary.

Artillery and assault helicopters fired at targets off the west coast city of Taichung, while French-made Mirage fighter jets took off amid rainy conditions from the air base at Hsinchu to the north.

The drills are Taiwan's first since Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 2 reasserted Beijing's willingness to use military force to bring self-ruling Taiwan under Chinese control.

The drills also follow a new Pentagon report laying out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

Taiwan's independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen has made national defense a priority while refusing China's demand that she recognize Taiwan as a part of China. That's led to Beijing ratcheting up economic, military and diplomatic pressure on the island of 23 million.

In a meeting with U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson in Beijing on Tuesday, China's Chief of Staff Li Zuocheng issued a warning against foreign forces coming to Taiwan's assistance. The U.S. is Taiwan's chief source of military hardware and is legally bound to respond to threats against its security.

China's military will "pay any price" to ensure China's sovereignty, Li told Richardson at their Tuesday meeting. China considers Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949, as an integral part of Chinese territory.

U.S.-China relations have become increasingly frayed on the military and economic fronts over the past year. President Donald Trump imposed tariff increases of up to 25 percent on $250 billion of Chinese imports over complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Xi responded by imposing penalties on $110 billion of American goods.

And last year the Pentagon disinvited China to a major, multinational Pacific exercise, citing Beijing's militarization of man-made islands in the South China Sea.Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, long wanted on genocide and war crimes charges, has rejected calls to step down in the face of mounting anti-regime demonstrations that have challenged his iron-fisted three-decade rule.

Demonstrators first took to the streets on December 19 to protest against a government decision to triple bread prices, as the African country grapples with an economic crisis.

On Thursday, Sudanese police fired tear gas at protesters marching towards the presidential palace, according to witnesses.

Officials say at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in unrest that first erupted in towns and villages, before spreading to the capital Khartoum.

Human Rights Watch says at least 40 people have been killed, including children and medical staff.

Over the past month, the demonstrations have also spread to key towns like Port Sudan, Madani, Gadaref and Kassala near the Eritrean border.

Although protests against his regime also took place in September 2013 and January 2018, analysts say the current demonstrations are the biggest challenge since Bashir swept to power in a coup backed by Islamists in 1989.

Indicted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court in 2009 on war crimes charges over a long-running conflict in Darfur, the president has since been re-elected twice in polls boycotted by opposition groups.

In 2010, he was also indicted by the ICC for alleged genocide.

The 75-year-old has proved a political survivor, evading not only the ICC but also a myriad of domestic challenges.

On Monday, dancing and waving a stick in his trademark style, Bashir greeted hundreds of supporters at a rally in Darfur and said that protesters will fail.

"Demonstrations will not change the government," a defiant Bashir said as supporters, some on camels, chanted "Stay, stay".

"There's only one road to power and that is through the ballot box. The Sudanese people will decide in 2020 who will govern them," said Bashir, who is planning to run again next year.

Story continues

- Career soldier -

Despite the ICC indictments, Bashir has regularly visited regional countries and also Russia.

Days before the protests erupted he visited Damascus to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, becoming the first Arab leader to do so since that country's own conflict began.

At home, Bashir last year hosted talks between neighbouring South Sudan's leaders, helping to broker a tentative peace deal after five years of intense conflict in the world's newest country.

South Sudan had gained its independence in 2011, when Bashir surprised his critics by giving his blessing to a secession that saw the south take the bulk of Sudan's oilfields, some six years after a peace deal ended two decades of north-south conflict.

The president also joined a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite rebels in Yemen, improving ties with the resource-rich Gulf nations, although the policy has been criticised by his opponents at home.

A career soldier, Bashir is well known for his populist touch, insisting on being close to crowds and addressing them in colloquial Sudanese Arabic.

Bashir, who has two wives and no children, was born in 1944 in Hosh Bannaga, north of Khartoum, to a farming family.

He entered the military at a young age, rising through the ranks and joining an elite parachute regiment.

He fought alongside the Egyptian army in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

In 1989, then a brigade commander, he led a bloodless coup against the democratically elected government.

Bashir was backed by the National Islamic Front of his then mentor, the late Hassan al-Turabi.

- Hosting bin Laden -

Under Turabi's influence he led Sudan towards a more radical brand of Islam, hosting Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and sending jihadist volunteers to fight in the country's civil war with the south Sudanese.

In 1993, Washington put Sudan on its list of "state sponsors of terrorism" and four years later slapped Khartoum with a trade embargo -- only lifted in 2017 -- over charges that included human rights abuses.

Bashir sought to end Sudan's isolation in 1999, ousting Turabi from his inner circle.

But when insurgents launched a rebellion in Darfur in 2003, his government's decision to unleash the armed forces and allied militia saw him face further international criticism.

More than 300,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict, the UN says, and more than two million displaced.

Since 2011, Bashir has also faced insurgencies in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, launched by the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North.

Although he has weathered multiple challenges in his three-decade rule, analysts question whether he will survive the latest bout of protests.

"The demonstrations have weakened his position," said Khalid Tijani, editor of economic weekly Elaff.

"President Bashir was about to get consitutional amendments to permit him to run for the presidency again in 2020, but he will now have to reconsider that," he said.Paris (AFP) - Sudanese protester Aseel Abdo said she had to leave her family home after being threatened with arrest for joining demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir that have rocked the country.

"I will continue to protest, even if it takes years to bring down this regime," said the 26-year-old, who has marched along with hundreds of people in the anti-government demonstrations in Khartoum.

Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19 when angry crowds first took to the streets after the government tripled the price of bread.

Women have joined in even as the protests turned against the government and escalated into bloody confrontations in which officials said at least 24 people have been killed.

Dressed in headscarves, they can be seen in nearly all of the footage of the protests shared on social media, which in turn has helped to convince even more women to take to the streets.

Clapping, ululating and whistling, women have been seen encouraging fellow demonstrators to press on with the rallies even when clashes have erupted between police and protesters.

Many who live in areas where the demonstrations are staged have been seen offering tea and juice to protesters as they pass by, witnesses said.

For Abdo, it was a strong desire to fight for women's rights that made her want to take part in the demonstrations.

"This regime has some of the worst laws against women," Abdo told AFP, speaking over WhatsApp for safety reasons.

"You could be arrested for wearing trousers or if your scarf is not covering your hair properly."

Abdo, who carries a first aid box to protests to help those who are injured, said she has been changing her residence every few days to avoid arrest.

- 'End to discrimination' -

Hundreds of women have been sentenced to flogging under a controversial public order law in Sudan, activists said.

The decades-old law, they add, also imposes punishments including hefty fines and jail terms, and targets mainly women, including those selling tea on the streets of Khartoum.

Story continues

A Sudanese court sparked outrage last year when it sentenced teenager Noura Hussein to death for the "murder" of her husband, who she accused of raping her after a forced marriage.

An appeals court later commuted the death sentence to a five-year jail term, after the case drew international condemnation.

Hussein's plight put the spotlight on issues facing women in Sudan such as marital rape, child marriage, forced marriage and the arbitrary application of Islamic law, along with tribal traditions that often target them.

The protests have given a new voice in the fight for women's rights, said Emad Badwai, a mother of two and a regular at the anti-government rallies.

"When I chant 'Freedom, peace and justice,' I'm hoping to see an end to discrimination against women," she said.

- Hope for change -

For Abdo there is also a deep-rooted grievance that motivates her to protest.

"Bashir's regime has committed the worst crimes against the people of Darfur," said Abdo, who hails from the western region torn by a devastating conflict.

The war in Darfur erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of economic and political marginalisation.

The United Nations said about 300,000 people were killed and another 2.5 million displaced, most of them still living in sprawling camps.

Bashir has been charged by The Hague-based International Criminal Court with genocide and war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.

Abdo said she had started a non-governmental organisation to oppose child marriage in Darfur, but authorities immediately shut it down.

"They told me that my place was in the kitchen and I should wash dishes," said Abdo.

Observers said the protests have managed to unite people from different tribes and ethnicities.

"In these protests, I have seen my fellow Sudanese transcend above the embedded racism in our society," said Babiker Mohamed, a Washington-based humanitarian aid official.

"Protesters chanting 'We are all Darfur' while marching in the streets gives us all hope that change is inevitable."

For Badawi it was indeed time for a change in Sudan.

"Even my 11-year-old son is surprised to know that President Bashir has been ruling for 30 years," she said.Khartoum (AFP) - One month after protests erupted across Sudan against rising bread prices, anti-government demonstrations have turned into daily rallies against a defiant President Omar al-Bashir who has rejected calls to resign.

Protest organisers have called for a march on the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum on Thursday, along with simultaneous demonstrations in several other cities.

Authorities say at least 24 people have died since the protests first broke out on December 19 after a government decision to triple the price of bread.

Rights group Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at 40, including children and medical staff.

The protests have escalated into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that experts say pose the biggest challenge to Bashir since he took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

"I have been demonstrating and will continue to demonstrate until this regime is overthrown," vowed Adel Ibrahim, 28, who has participated in demonstrations in Khartoum.

"We are protesting to save our future and the future of our homeland."

Protests initially broke out in the eastern town of Atbara, which has a history of anti-government sentiment, and within days spread to other provinces and then to Khartoum.

Cities like Port Sudan, Gadaref, Kassala and agricultural regions that previously backed Bashir saw protests calling for him to step down, while the western region of Darfur too witnessed rallies against the 75-year-old veteran leader.

Using social media networks to mobilise crowds, most protesters have marched chanting "Peace, freedom, justice", while some have even adopted the 2011 Arab Spring slogan -- "the people want the fall of the regime".

Crowds of demonstrators, whistling and clapping, have braved volleys of tear gas whenever they have taken to the streets, witnesses said.

"There's a momentum now and people are coming out daily," said prominent Sudanese columnist Faisal Mohamed Salih.

Story continues

"Even the authorities are astonished."

- 'We have to fight' -

Although the unrest was triggered by the cut in a vital bread subsidy, Sudan has faced a mounting economic crisis in the past year, including an acute shortage of foreign currency.

Repeated shortages of food and fuel have been reported across cities, including in Khartoum, while the cost of food and medicine has more than doubled.

Officials have blamed Washington for Sudan's economic woes.

The US imposed a trade embargo on Khartoum in 1997 that was lifted only in October 2017. It restricted Sudan from conducting international business and financial transactions.

But critics of Bashir say his government's mismanagement of key sectors and its huge spending on fighting ethnic minority rebellions in Darfur and in areas near the South Sudan border has been stoking economic trouble for years.

"If this regime continues like this, we will soon lose our country, which is why we have to fight," said Ibrahim, who has been looking for a job for years.

An umbrella group of unions of doctors, teachers and engineers calling itself the Sudanese Professionals' Association has spearheaded the campaign, calling this week the "Week of Uprising".

"Protesters don't even know the organisers by names, but they still trust them," said Salih.

- 'Protests not popular' -

Sudanese authorities led by the feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have cracked down on protesters, drawing international criticism.

More than 1,000 people, including protesters, activists, opposition leaders and journalists have been arrested so far, rights groups say.

Bashir has remained steadfast in rejecting calls for him to resign.

"Demonstrations will not change the government," he told a rally in Darfur on Monday as supporters chanted "Stay, stay".

"There's only one road to power and that is through the ballot box. The Sudanese people will decide in 2020 who will govern them," said Bashir, who is planning to run for the presidency for the third time in elections to be held next year.

Two uprisings in Sudan in 1964 and 1985 saw regimes change within days, but experts say this time protesters have a long road ahead.

"At the moment, Bashir appears to have the majority of the security services on his side," said Willow Berridge, a lecturer at Britain's Newcastle University.

Bashir's ruling National Congress Party has dismissed the demonstrations.

"There are some gatherings, but they are isolated and not big," party spokesman Ibrahim al-Siddiq told AFP.

The International Crisis Group think-tank said Bashir might well weather the unrest.

"But if he does, it will almost certainly be at the cost of further economic decline, greater popular anger, more protests and even tougher crackdowns," it said in a report.

Salih said protesters appeared to be determined.

"But the one who tires first will lose," he said.Cairo (AFP) - Despite a long-standing crackdown on dissent in Sudan, opponents of President Omar al-Bashir have found a voice online, using social media to fuel nationwide protests and share images of security forces using violence to suppress them.

The protests in Sudan began peacefully on December 19 to demonstrate against the tripling of the price of bread.

But they have evolved into deadly confrontations between demonstrators and security forces, and triggered calls for the downfall of the country's veteran ruler.

"Social media is crucial for the movement," said one 24-year-old activist, speaking with AFP in Cairo over WhatsApp. AFP has withheld his name for safety reasons.

For the past four weeks, activists have actively documented the confrontations and flooded social media with footage which they claim is "exposing" Bashir's government.

The main cities of the northeast African nation, including the capital Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman, have all been rocked by what is now widely seen as the biggest threat to Bashir in his three decades of iron-fisted rule.

The 24-year-old protester said he only finds out about demonstrations through online announcements and maintained that anger at the "horrible" videos of deadly confrontations was driving more people out onto the streets.

One video purportedly showed a security vehicle chasing protesters to run them over, while gunshots were heard in the background.

Another clip showed people rushing to try to remove the blood-covered body of a protester hit by gunfire. Both have been viewed hundreds of times online.

Authorities say at least 24 people have died in the clashes, but rights groups including Amnesty International have put the death toll at 40 and say more than 1,000 people have been arrested.

On Friday during prayers at a mosque, irate crowds appeared in a video calling on an imam to lead protests against Bashir.

None of the footage could be independently verified by AFP.

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- 'No injustice' -

Users have also shared multiple images of what appears to be security personnel beating up protesters with batons.

"We are people who don't accept injustice. And what happened to protesters, whether it was tear gas or live bullets fired at them, is clear injustice," said another social media activist based in Khartoum, who also spoke to AFP in Cairo and declined to be named fearing reprisals.

"Protests where violations occur are usually followed by larger ones," the 25-year-old added.

The demonstrations have been spearheaded by the Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA) which regularly issues online announcements of upcoming rallies, with the hashtags #Sudan_cities_uprise or #Just_Fall.

Other hashtags such as #SudanRevolts and #SudanUprising have also helped build momentum, amassing hundreds of tweets and retweets by the hour.

Thanks to social media "the uprisings in the regional cities have been noticed a lot more quickly", said Willow Berridge, a lecturer at Newcastle University in northern England.

And that "has had an impact on what is happening in Khartoum a lot more quickly because of the changing nature of technology and social media".

With the protests showing no signs of abating, the Sudanese government has sought to curtail the use of social networks, activists and analysts said.

Internet users have reported difficulties accessing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp since the early days of the protests.

It is not an unusual tactic by autocratic governments.

In the turbulent days of Egypt's 2011 uprising against long-serving ruler Hosni Mubarak, the government blocked communications and cut off nearly all internet traffic.

- 'Government scared' -

Such experiences prompted Sudanese activists to immediately look for alternatives for online access, including the use of virtual private network (VPN) services to bypass controls.

"Shutting down access to online platforms has proved a farce," said Magdi El Gizouli, a Sudan analyst with the Rift Valley Institute.

"Almost immediately, the bulk of Sudanese internet users were online through VPN," he added.

And activists saw the Sudanese government's heavy-handed move as virtually ineffective.

"It gave people an indication that the government is scared," said the 25-year-old activist.

"This only strengthened the spirit of revolt in people, as it showed that we are on the right track."

The 24-year-old also believes the restrictions on online media are "pointless" and have "little to no impact over the demonstrations".

The government has in past years already moved to curtail online and print media.

And Sudan already has ranked 174 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom index for consecutive years from 2015 to 2018.

In 2018, the country introduced a cybercrime law and amendments to the media law that rights groups see as aiming to tighten online restrictions.

According to a November report by the US-based think tank Freedom House, at least one person has been jailed "for critical commentary shared on social media" in Sudan, and authorities have arrested "numerous journalists and activists for alleged cybercrime."

But Gizouli says the government's attempts to crush online dissent have been "to no avail".

"In many ways, these measures have only reinforced public anger at the government's securitisation of the internet," he said.MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow was alarmed by U.S. talk of some kind of possible U.S. military option for Venezuela and accused Washington of leaning on the opposition there to block talks with the government. Lavrov, addressing his annual news conference, said the U.S. approach to Venezuela showed U.S. efforts to try to undermine governments around the world it didn't like were continuing. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has indicated its support for an opposition leader, ratcheting up pressure on Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro as he embarks on a disputed second term. In 2017, Trump said he didn't rule out a "military option" to put an end to what he regards as economic chaos in Venezuela, a close Russian ally, in comments that brought widespread condemnation. The U.S. has also criticized Moscow for launching military flights to Venezuela, rebukes that the Kremlin has rejected. Venezuela's opposition-run Congress this week declared Maduro a "usurper" as Washington weighed recognizing the leader of the Congress, Juan Guaido, as the country's legitimate president, two people familiar with the matter said. Pompeo on Wednesday said the United States, which has already imposed sanctions on Maduro and a number of his top allies, backed the opposition's action. "We congratulate, recognize & support the courage of #Venezuelas National Assembly to formally declare #Maduro a 'usurper' of democracy & to transfer executive responsibilities to the National Assembly," Pompeo wrote on Twitter. Over the weekend, Pompeo called Maduro's government illegitimate and said the United States would work with like-minded countries in Latin America to restore democracy in Venezuela. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Christian Lowe; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Franklin Paul)Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will embark upon the first-ever visit by an Israeli premier to Chad in the coming days as the two countries move to renew diplomatic ties, his office said Thursday.

Netanyahu's trip to the Muslim-majority central African nation on Sunday comes after Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno visited Israel in November.

The prime minister's office had not yet provided further details on the trip, though it was expected to be only a one-day visit.

Israeli media said it would be the first by a premier.

Netanyahu said during Deby's November visit that he intended to announce the resumption of diplomatic ties during an upcoming trip to Chad.

The two leaders at the time declined to comment on whether their talks have included arms deals.

Chadian security sources say the country has acquired Israeli equipment to help battle rebels in the country's north.

Chad is also one of several African states engaged in Western-backed operations against Boko Haram and Islamic State group jihadists.

Pressure from Muslim African nations, accentuated by the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, led a number of African states to sever relations with the Jewish state.

But in recent years, Israel has held out the prospect of cooperation in fields ranging from security to technology to agriculture, to improve ties on the continent.

Diplomatic relations between Israel and Chad, a country of some 15 million people, were severed in 1972.

Deby is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders.

He took over the arid, impoverished nation in 1990 and won a disputed fifth term in April 2016.Russia on Thursday detained a Belarusian model who claimed she had evidence of Russian efforts to help Donald Trump win office, witnesses told AFP.

Anastasia Vashukevich, known by her pen-name Nastya Rybka, was held for questioning at a Moscow airport on Thursday evening after she was deported from Thailand as part of a group convicted of participating in a "sex training course," other passengers on the flight told AFP.

Russian authorities detained her and several others including Alex Kirillov, a self-styled Russian seduction guru, witnesses said.

Plain-clothes officials led away four of the group including Vashukevich and Kirillov, a woman who gave her name as Kristina told AFP after emerging at Sheremetyevo airport arrivals.

Describing herself as Kirillov's wife, Kristina said she heard the group shouting and asking for an explanation of "why they were being detained" and saying they were suspected of recruiting for prostitution, a crime punishable by up to six years in jail.

A law enforcement source told TASS state news agency that four including Vashukevich and Kirillov were detained at the airport over recruiting for prostitution.

Vashukevich was held with several others in a police raid last February in the sleazy seaside resort of Pattaya.

- Between salacious and bizarre -

In a case that veered between salacious and bizarre, Vashukevich said she had travelled to Thailand after becoming embroiled in a political scandal with Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska -- a one-time associate of Trump's disgraced former campaign director Paul Manafort.

She then set tongues wagging by promising to reveal "missing puzzle pieces" regarding claims the Kremlin aided Trump's 2016 presidential election victory.

But the material never surfaced and critics dismissed the claims as a publicity stunt.

In the risque Pattaya seminar led by Kirillov, some participants wore shirts that said "sex animator" -- though one person at the time described it as more of a romance and relationship course.

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Vashukevich pleaded guilty alongside seven others to multiple charges, including solicitation and illegal assembly at a Pattaya court on Tuesday, which ordered the group be deported.

Kirillov, who has served as a quasi-spokesman for the mostly Russian group, told reporters as they arrived at court Tuesday that he believed they were set up.

"I think somebody ordered (our arrest)... for money," he said.

Vashukevich looked sombre as she entered the courthouse and did not respond to questions from the media.

- Book about seducing oligarchs -

On Thursday afternoon, Vashukevich and the majority of the convicted were put on an Aeroflot flight for Moscow, bringing to an end the Thai side of a baffling case.

Thailand's immigration chief Surachate Hakparn said the last of the group would leave the country later that evening.

They were also blacklisted from returning to Thailand.

It was unclear what would happen to them on arrival in Moscow but as a Belarusian citizen, Vashukevich was expected to transit to Belarus.

Vashukevich, who has more than 120,000 followers on Instagram and penned a book about seducing oligarchs, already faces legal problems in Russia.

Deripaska won an invasion of privacy lawsuit against her and Kirillov in July after a video apparently filmed by the model showed the tycoon vacationing with an influential Russian deputy prime minister at the time.

"I don't think she wants to get out in Moscow," a Russian friend in Thailand who helped with the case told AFP on Thursday.

Both Washington and Moscow publicly shrugged off Vashukevich's story, which the US State Department described as "bizarre".

Kremlin-connected Deripaska and Manafort, Trump's ex-campaign manager, did business together in the mid-2000s.

Manafort has since been convicted in the US of financial crimes related to political work he did in Ukraine before the 2016 election as well as witness tampering.

burs-video-am/pvhNew York (AFP) - A former mistress of Mexican crime boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman testified Thursday that the cartel leader lured her into a life as a drug trafficker, shifting hundreds of kilos of marijuana a time on planes.

"Until today I was confused because I thought it was a romantic relationship," Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez, 29, told the New York City court where Guzman faces trafficking, firearms and money laundering charges.

Sanchez, who was arrested in 2017 crossing from Mexico into San Diego and stands accused of conspiring to traffic cocaine, told the jury she met Guzman when she was 21.

He sent her to work the "Golden Triangle" along the Durango, Sinaloa and Chihuahua Mexican state borders, buying "good, beautiful and cheap" marijuana, Sanchez said.

She would then load airplanes with up to 400 kilograms (900 pounds) of the drug. Sanchez said she never received payment for her work.

She said her relationship with Guzman, 61, who is known for maintaining romantic relationships with four or five different women at a time, began in February 2011.

The kingpin's wife, Emma Coronel, was pregnant with the couple's twins.

The prosecution said Sanchez and Guzman discussed her marijuana transactions through encrypted messages and referred to each other as "Lovely" or "M" in text messages they exchanged on Blackberries that they switched out every few weeks.

Sanchez said she was afraid Guzman would hurt her.

"The mafia kills people who don't pay or who snitch, but not those who are serious," he wrote to her.

Sanchez faces 10 years to life in prison but is hoping for a reduced sentence for her cooperation with the prosecution.

Guzman, who is accused of trafficking more than 155 tons worth of drugs to the US, could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty.WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish private radio RMF FM, citing confirmation from the Prime Minister's office, said a Polish man arrested on charges of spying for China last week was an advisor to former Prime Minister Beata Szydlo. Piotr D., who worked for Orange at the time of his arrest, was hired by PM Szydlo's office as a security advisor for Pope Francis' visit to Poland in 2016, RMF FM reports. The government's press office was immediately unavailable for comment. (Reporting by Marcin Goclowski; Writing by Joanna Plucinska)Vilnius (AFP) - Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis on Thursday announced he will run for president this year, saying his election would lead to "more harmony" and less intrigue in the Baltic eurozone state.

"I will participate in the (May) election," Skvernelis said in the western town of Rusne.

The 48-year-old will almost certainly receive backing from the governing centre-left Farmers and Greens Union next week.

President Dalia Grybauskaite is not among the 10 candidates currently in the running as she has served the maximum two terms allowed under the constitution.

Skvernelis's challengers include independent economist Gitanas Nauseda and conservative ex-finance minister Ingrida Simonyte, who he described on Thursday as the "heirs" to Grybauskaite.

Surveys show that Skvernelis is more popular in rural areas but has little support in the capital Vilnius.

All candidates are expected to fall short of the 50 percent of votes needed to get elected in the first round on May 12.

If needed, the run-off will take place on May 26, coinciding with European Parliament elections.

The Lithuanian president is in charge of foreign policy under the constitution and holds a seat at EU summits.

The president also appoints ministers, judges, the military chief and the head of the central bank, but often needs the approval of the parliament or the prime minister.

Wary of neighbouring Russia, Lithuania is among only eight NATO countries that spend 2 percent of GDP on defence.

Its economy is expected to grow around three percent this year, but the high proportion of people at risk of poverty and high income inequality remain major challenges for the nation of 2.8 million people.Beirut (AFP) - An American has been arrested after illegally entering Lebanon across the border with Israel, the Lebanese army said Thursday, a rare incident between the two countries still technically at war.

"Following extensive search operations, an Intelligence Directorate (security service) patrol found American citizen Colin Emery hiding in Tyre and arrested him," a statement from the military said.

It added that Emery, who had entered Lebanon on Tuesday, would be questioned under the supervision of a judge.

A military official told AFP that Lebanese authorities were in contact with the United Nations peacekeeping mission UNIFIL over the incident.

Lebanon and Israel are separated by the so-called "blue line", a demarcation line drawn by the UN to verify Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.

Incursions across the heavily guarded frontier are rare. In 2014, an Arab Israeli said to be suffering from psychiatric issues crossed into Lebanon before being repatriated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Israeli military occasionally arrests shepherds around the disputed Shebaa Farms area.

Apart from a few incidents, the border has remained calm since a 2006 war between Israel and Lebanese militia group Hezbollah, which killed 1,200 in Lebanon and 160 in Israel.

Israel is currently building a wall along the 130 kilometre (80 mile) frontier to block Hezbollah attempts to infiltrate.

The Israeli army said in December it had blown up a cross-border tunnel dug by Hezbollah, one of four it had uncovered -- and pledged to destroy -- in the preceding weeks.Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) - Police on Thursday arrested 21 protesters in the capital of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan at a demonstration against the growing influence of China, the ex-Soviet country's neighbour.

Police said they made the arrests at the rally opposing migration from China and its growing economic clout after demonstrators attempted to block the road and committed other public order violations.

An AFP correspondent said between 200 and 300 people attended the rally.

China is a key partner for impoverished Kyrgyzstan which looks to Chinese state banks to fund infrastructure projects and Chinese companies to carry them out.

But fears of out-of-control migration have grown alongside Beijing's economic influence in the country.

Protesters called for a blanket ban on granting Kyrgyz citizenship to Chinese nationals except for members of a small ethnic Kyrgyz diaspora.

They also demanded checks into how Chinese loans were spent after a power plant upgraded with nearly $400 million borrowed from China collapsed amid freezing temperatures last year.London (AFP) - Hitachi on Thursday froze construction of a nuclear power station in Wales due to financing difficulties, dealing a major blow to Britain's energy strategy and leaving the Japanese firm with a huge bill.

Shelving the project at the Wylfa Newydd plant on Anglesey island off the Welsh coast will cost Hitachi 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion), it said in a statement.

Britain has put nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy, in stark contrast to Europe's biggest economy Germany which is phasing it out in the wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

In addition to Hitachi's announcement, its Japanese peer Toshiba last year pulled the plug on a nuclear power plant in northwest England.

Franco-Chinese project Hinkley Point C -- Britain's first new nuclear power station in a generation -- is currently being built.

Hitachi launched the three-trillion-yen Wylfa Newydd project after acquiring British-based Horizon Nuclear Power in 2012.

The UK government had agreed to take a one-third equity stake in the project, alongside investment from Hitachi, Japanese government agencies and other strategic partners.

But fund-raising efforts fell short.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of all concerned," Hitachi said.

"As a result, Hitachi has decided to suspend the project at this time... as it is now clear that further time is needed to develop a financial structure" for it.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said nuclear still had "an important role to play as part of a diverse energy mix" in Britain.

- 'Unstable environment' -

The unwelcome news for the UK comes as Prime Minister Theresa May reels from a parliamentary defeat over her Brexit deal but Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara told reporters that Britain's looming EU departure had had "no bearing" on the decision.

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Nevertheless, one analyst said Brexit would make it harder to attract long-term investment such as in nuclear plants.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the announcement, John Drzik, president of global risk and digital at US professional services giant Marsh, said "cross-border investors in infrastructure are looking for stability in the legal, regulatory and political climate".

He added: "If you have more confidence in that, you're more willing to invest. You have less confidence in that, you're going to pull back. It's going to be harder to attract foreign investors into an environment which is considered unstable."

Hitachi's decision also dents Japan Inc's attempts to expand its nuclear businesses overseas after Fukushima effectively halted demand for new reactors in Japan.

A massive tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 overwhelmed reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

It caused reactor meltdowns, releasing radiation in the most dangerous nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

The crisis spurred Japan to strengthen its safety regulations under a new Nuclear Regulation Authority watchdog.

The accident also prompted nuclear power companies overseas to review their projects, a move that increased safety costs.

Toshiba has also been on the ropes after being forced to sell off its troubled US nuclear energy firm Westinghouse, which racked up billions of dollars in losses before being placed under bankruptcy protection.

The setbacks have dealt a blow to Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe's efforts to help Japan export infrastructure.

British anti-nuclear campaigners have long denounced London's steadfast commitment to nuclear, urging it to focus instead on renewable sources like wind and solar.

"A clever move now would be for the government to accept that the nuclear bet didn't pay off, stop holding back renewables and have an urgent rethink about the future of UK energy," said Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.

burs-ric-rfj/bcp/bmmA car drives downs a snow-covered street in St. Johns on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Holly McKenzie-Sutter

Many in Ontario and Quebec have seen reports of a storm with significant snowfall on the way for the weekend, but those predictions may not be telling the whole story.

The provinces are still being closely monitored for their storm pattern, with small changes expected to cause significant shifts in snowfall across the region with over 60 cm of snow expected on the American side of the border, just south of Lake Ontario.

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According to Doug Gillham, meteorologist with The Weather Network, the best model in the world had very little snow projected in Toronto for the weekend, just a couple of centimeters, while all the other models had a high-impact storm for the whole 401 corridor with 20 to 30 cm expected.

The latest updates to the models have now put the predictions closer together but its still a tricky forecast for weather experts to nail down, with large ranges in snowfall across short distances.

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Ontario

According to Gillham, the latest update has increased the snow amounts for the 401 corridor, with a threat for impact on travel. Generally, 5 to 15 cm is expected to fall across much of the 401.

Windsor is expected to see 10 to 20 cm, 10 to 15 cm for the Oakville, Burlington area, and 15 to 30 cm is expected in Niagara. The highest impact of the storm will be seen around the west-end of Lake Ontario and Niagara, Oakville to Fort Erie.

Moving into the city of Toronto, more snow is expected to fall near Lake Ontario, with lesser amounts expected to move north towards Highway 407. The Weather Network predicts about 5 to 10 cm of snow near the lake and 10 to 15 cm for the west GTA. The Kingston area could see near 20 cm of snow, while the Ottawa region will likely only see 5 to 10 cm.

We are on the northern edge of the storm where there is a sharp boundary, Gillham said. With the northern edge (of the storm) being so close to the 401, any subtle shift north versus south for those areas has a big impact.

For Toronto, Saturday afternoon through the evening will be the height of the storm, diminishing in the overnight, but the Niagara storm will continue to go through the night.

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On Sunday, a band of lake effect snow off Lake Huron and Georgian Bay will be present, with difficult travel between London and Sarnia, and London and Windsor, with a squall coming in off Lake Huron.

Gillham said another key point for people in the region to be aware of is the blowing and drifting snow. He identifies that it will be light and fluffy, not particularly difficult to lift and move.

Not much liquid can produce a decent amount of snow and thats why you can get large ranges too, Gillham said. You dont have to get that much more liquid and youve added five more centimeters of snow.

In addition to the questions around snowfall, the weather expert says the big story across the region is the frigid temperatures.

Its going to be unusually cold with this storm and that makes road treatments not nearly as effective, Gillham said. Well also have strong and gusty northeast winds, adding a bitter windchill causing extensive blowing and drifting snow where the snow occurs.

North of Toronto, highs on Sunday will not reach -15 C and moving into cottage country, highs will be around -15 C to 20 C, dipping into the -30s with windchills.

Quebec

Gillham expects Montreal will see more snow than Toronto, but just like Ontario, a subtle shift in the storm pattern from the U.S. can significantly impact the amount of snowfall in the province.

North of the city, snow amounts are expected to be around 10 to 15 cm, quickly increasing to 15 to 25 cm southeast of the city, with 30 cm projected in the eastern townships.

The storm peaks Saturday night into Sunday with a sharp range in accumulations north of the city, up towards Mount Tremblant, versus the eastern townships, Gillham said.

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Maritimes

The biggest weather story in the country might end up being Atlantic Canada, particularly around New Brunswick.

Uncertain on (calling) it an ice storm, where that heaviest freezing rain will be, but high confidence on a high-impact storm for them, Gillham said.

As we head into Sunday, snow still develops across the Maritimes, changing to rain across the south. Nova Scotia is expected to see heavy rain while New Brunswick will see large amounts of snow. The Weather Network is forecasting 30 to 60 cm of snow, with over 60 cm expected in some areas.

Highest impacts will the Fredericton, the Miramichi area, really all of central and northern New Brunswick highly impacted, Gillham said. Were going to have to watch to see if we reach blizzard criteria in some places.

Gillham identities that one of the biggest areas of concern is freezing rain across St. John, Moncton and P.E.I, including Charlottetown.

This is an exceptionally moisture-laden system thats running into Arctic airthe models are putting out staggering amounts of freezing rain, Gillham said.

There is also a risks that people in the area could be without power for an extended period of time, as a result of the storm, with temperatures dipping below freezing on Monday.

Sundays the day thats highly impacted, Saturdays the calm before the storm for them, Gillham said. This is the day when it probably is a good call to go out and get groceries, and just plan on not travelling Sunday.

Gillham is confident that schools will be closed on Monday across New Brunswick.

In an opposing weather story, Gander, Nfld. could see record high temperatures on Monday at a high of 9 C, with the current record sitting at 8.9 C.

For Newfoundland, many areas will start off with some snow and ice but warm air really quickly takes over and most of Newfoundland is going to see a change over to rain, Gillham said.

The exception of this warm-up is the far northern areas of the province, the Northern Peninsula. This area will continue to see snow and ice, with the possibility of significant amounts of freezing rain.

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British Columbia and Prairies

The weekend starts off with above-seasonal temperatures in much of B.C. and southern Alberta on Saturday. Rain and mountain snow, especially across the B.C. coast, is expected, with snow expected in Edmonton as well.

A significant swath of snow stretches from northern B.C.southeast across most of northern Alberta, especially north of Yellowhead, Gillham said. And then that extends southeast into Saskatchewan over to Regina, not a crippling storm but there a swath of significant snow that will be running along the boundary between milder Pacific air thats trying to push east and the Arctic air that will be sitting over most of the Prairies.WBAL - Baltimore Videos

Cases may be down across the state and country, but a certain COVID-19 variant has some doctors concerned. One doctor wants people to be informed and cautious about the Delta variant, especially as we head to the summer and fall.LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon President Ali Bongo returned to medical leave in Morocco on Tuesday, a government source said, after a brief visit to Libreville where he appeared in a wheelchair on state TV following his stroke last year. Since Bongo fell ill in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 24, contradictory information on the state of his health and an extended convalescence in Morocco has fueled instability back in Gabon, where his family has ruled for over 50 years. Frustration boiled over when a small band of soldiers briefly took over state radio last week and called for him to step aside. In an apparent effort to shore up his political base after a failed coup attempt, Bongo flew back to Gabon on Monday to swear in a new government. From televised footage of the ceremony it was not clear if he could walk or move his right arm. A government source on Thursday told Reuters Bongo returned to Morocco on Tuesday evening to continue his rehabilitation, but did not give further details. The president had previously appeared in a televised New Year's address in which he slurred his speech. Ali Bongo took over the presidency upon his father Omar's death in 2009. He won re-election in 2016 by fewer than 6,000 votes amid widespread accusations of fraud, sparking deadly clashes between protesters and police during which the parliament was torched. (Corrects headline and story to reflect that Bongo returned on Tuesday not Wednesday.) (Reporting by Geraud Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Alessandra Prentice, William Maclean)Toulouse (France) (AFP) - France will remain "militarily engaged" in the Middle East through 2019 despite the announced US withdrawal from the coalition fighting Islamic State jihadists in Syria, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday.

"The retreat from Syria announced by our American friend cannot make us deviate from our strategic objective: eradicating Daesh," the president said in a speech at an army base near Toulouse, southern France, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

The French military has deployed 1,200 soldiers as part of the anti-IS efforts, via air operations, artillery, special forces in Syria and training for the Iraqi army.

"The fight is not over," Macron said, adding that in the coming months "we shall revise our global military deployment" but "we shall remain committed to participating in stabilisation" in the Middle East region.

"Any rush to withdraw would be a mistake," he added.

Macron also expressed his condolences for "our four American friends killed on Syrian soil" on Wednesday in a bombing claimed by the Islamic State group.

Trump claimed IS had been eliminated in Syria to justify the US troop pullout, but the jihadists still hold small pockets of land in the Euphrates River Valley, and thousands of fighters are thought to remain in Syria.

Analysts also say the US troop pullout will leave thousands of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria -- who the Pentagon spent years training and arming against IS -- vulnerable to attack by Turkey, which considers Kurdish groups a terrorist threat.

Macron had already criticised US President Donald Trump for saying in late December that he would soon start to withdraw the 2,000 US soldiers deployed in Syria.

A few days after Trump's announcement Macron said "I deeply regret the decision," saying that "an ally must be reliable."

Macron has persisted in trying to develop a "special relationship" with the billionaire tycoon despite widely differing political beliefs and styles, and the two had seemed to share a camaraderie in the early days of their respective presidencies.

But differences over policy -- in particular the Paris climate accords which Trump opposed -- have become increasingly hard to paper over and tensions in their relationship have become more apparent.Ouagadougou (AFP) - A Canadian has been kidnapped by armed militants from a gold mine in eastern Burkina Faso, a region battling a rise in extremist violence and lawlessness, a senior government official said.

Geologist Kirk Woodman is the vice president of Canadian company Progress Minerals, mining sources told AFP, which owns the mine in volatile Yagha province near the borders with Niger and Mali.

"The agents who were working were attacked by about ten armed men who rounded up the staff. They took the expat with them," the Burkina's security minister Clement Sawadogo said Wednesday, adding that Progress Minerals was exploring at the gold site.

The raid happened on Tuesday evening, he added.

"We have faith and trust in Canadian authorities to bring our husband and father home safe. We are hopeful for a fast resolution to the situation," Woodman's family said in a statement.

Canada currently has 250 soldiers and eight army helicopters deployed in neighbouring Mali as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

Kidnappings have increased in the impoverished Sahel state, which has been battling a rising wave of jihadist attacks over the last three years.

Earlier this month a Canadian woman taking part in a humanitarian aid program was reported missing after travelling in the West African country with an Italian friend.

Edith Blais, 34, and her friend, Lucas Tacchetto, 30, from Venice, were last seen on December 15.

The pair were supposed to travel by car to Togo for a humanitarian aid project with Zion'Gaia, which engages in reforestation projects, but they never arrived.

"Everything is being done to find" the three kidnapped expats, Clement added.

Canadian Foreign minister Chrystia Freeland said the government is in contact with Burkina authorities.

Ethnic violence left four dozen people dead in Burkina Faso at the start of the year, and a state of emergency was decreed in several provinces in the wake of recurrent jihadist attacks.

Story continues

Initially concentrated in the north of the country, attacks have spread to other regions, including in the east, bordering Togo and Benin.

Attributed to jihadist groups including Ansarul Islam and the Support Group to Islam and Muslims, the violence has claimed some 270 lives since 2015.

The Canadian foreign ministry has cautioned its nationals to avoid non-essential travel in Burkina Faso because of the "terrorist threat."Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - European Union countries that undermine the bloc's democratic principles could lose EU funds, under a draft law backed by the European Parliament on Thursday.

The bill is seen as a new tool to fight threats to the independence of the courts and corruption in countries like Poland, Hungary and Romania.

MEPs adopted the rules by 397 votes to 158, with 69 abstentions, but the 28-nation bloc's member states must still approve them.

"Governments interfering with courts or failing to tackle fraud and corruption will risk suspension of EU funds," according to the draft law.

The parliament said the European Commission, the EU executive arm, could propose cutting funds to states where there are "generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law."

Independent experts appointed by national parliaments and the European Parliament would work with the Commission to assess member countries' compliance.

The European Parliament and countries as a whole would have to approve steps ranging from the suspension of EU budget payments or cuts in cash advances.

The member countries would have to remedy the problems before the European Parliament and EU ministers unlock the funds, the parliament statement said.

The Commission could determine whether the rule of law, a founding democratic EU principle, is under threat if a government undermines the independence of its courts.

It could also act if a member state undermines implementation of the EU budget or the investigation of fraud, corruption or other breaches in EU spending.

Populist governments in Poland, Hungary and Romania have all triggered EU warnings in recent years that they pose threats to the independence of their courts.

Brussels has also accused Romania of rowing back on its fight against corruption.

Germany, France and other EU countries pushed for using the bloc's 2021-2027 budget -- still under negotiation -- to bring wayward countries into line.

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EU officials admitted Brussels did not have powerful tools to stop breaches to the rule of law because countries joining the bloc were signing onto the democratic principles in the founding treaty.

The Commission and the European Parliament have launched unprecedented steps against Poland and Hungary, respectively, under Article Seven of the EU treaty.

But Warsaw and Budapest could each veto steps that would see them denied EU voting rights.Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Thursday decried the disproportionate use of force by Zimbabwe authorities during protests in which doctors say 68 people suffered gunshot wounds.

"The escalation of violence in Zimbabwe over recent days has been aggravated by the disproportionate use of force by security personnel," European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in a statement.

"We expect the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold human rights and the rule of law, as enshrined in the constitution, and ensure due legal process for those detained," the statement added.

The EU also asked that the government "conduct a thorough investigation into the deaths and abuses over the last days."

Nationwide demonstrations erupted on Monday after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that fuel prices were being doubled in a country suffering regular shortages of fuel, food and medicine.

Mnangagwa, who succeeded ousted authoritarian president Robert Mugabe in 2017, had promised a fresh start for Zimbabwe after decades of repression and economic decline.

Brussels acknowledged that the Harare government had chosen the path of economic reforms, but said these could only be achieved through "inclusive national dialogue" that included "freedom of assembly, association and expression".

"Zimbabwe's efforts to promote investment and to deepen international partnerships can only be successful if these essential requirements are fulfilled," the EU said.

Trade unions had called the national strike on Monday and the demonstrations took place in several cities with widespread rioting and looting.

Security forces have since arrested about 600 suspects, including leading trade unionists and opposition figures, in a crackdown also decried by rights groups.

Police and soldiers have been accused of indiscriminately dragging people from their homes in Harare and beating them.Bucharest (AFP) - The majority of miners who have been on strike in Romania since 11 January have agreed to go to back to work after winning wage rises, the country's energy ministry said on Thursday.

The strike has sparked fears of power shortages after one of Romania's main electricity plants began shutting down on Thursday due to insufficient coal supplies.

But workers in seven of the ten mines where wildcat strikes had been taking place "have agreed to return to work," the ministry said after negotiations.

However, unions sounded a more cautious note about the agreement, which will see workers' net salaries -- on average 500 euros -- rise by 137 euros (585 lei) a month.

The agreement also includes an annual holiday bonus of 300 euros.

"Some of the miners are disappointed because they had asked for a raise of 220 euros a month," union official Nicu Bunoaica told AFP, emphasising that the deal still had to be scrutinised by workers at each of the ten mines.

Around 7,000 miners in total have been on strike in the CEO Oltenia combine in the south of the country.

As a result, the first of three units at one of Romania's main electricity plants was shut down overnight, operator Transelectrica said in a statement.

To make up for possible shortages, Bucharest has increased electricity imports in recent days but at prices well above those of local power producers.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had called the situation "very serious" while Energy Minister Anton Anton said the current strike had added to existing doubts about CEO Oltenia's profitability.

"If work doesn't restart today (Thursday), it would be hard for me to say what the combine's future would be," Anton said.

CEO Oltenia generates around 30 percent of Romania's electricity needs but ran up losses of around one billion lei (213 million euros) in 2018 as coal mining becomes less profitable.

Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007, has promised Brussels it will gradually close its coal mines and turn to non-polluting sources of energy.

But in recent years, Bucharest has asked to postpone the closures in order to limit lay-offs of miners.Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey deported a Dutch journalist on Thursday after Turkish officials said Ankara received a tip-off from police in the Netherlands that she had suspected links to a jihadist group in Syria.

However the Dutch prosecutor's office said that while it had provided information to the Turkish authorities, it had not requested her arrest and the journalist was not suspected of "a crime with terrorist intent".

Freelance journalist Ans Boersma, 31, was based in Istanbul and contributed articles to the Dutch financial newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad.

"I got arrested yesterday (Wednesday), got deported this morning. Flying out now," she said in a messaging group for foreign journalists in Turkey.

Fahrettin Altun, communications director at the Turkish presidency, said her expulsion was "in no way related to her journalistic activities during her stay in Turkey".

"The Turkish authorities have recently received intelligence from the Dutch police that Ms Boersma had links to a designated terrorist organisation and a request for information about her movements in and out of Turkey," he said.

Writing on Twitter, Altun said she was suspected of links to the Al-Nusra Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Syria now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

"The Netherlands told Turkey that the reporter, who was deported today, had links to Jabhat al-Nusra," he wrote, using another name for the group.

"We acted on intelligence from the Netherlands and took a precautionary measure."

- Relationship with Syrian man -

Boersma's newspaper Financieele Dagblad reported that she was in a relationship until the summer of 2015 with a Syrian man who was arrested in the Netherlands last autumn for being a member of the Al-Nusra Front.

"And Ans thinks it is possible that her deportation is linked" to that relationship, said the newspaper where she started working in February 2017.

Story continues

The Dutch prosecutor's office confirmed it had provided information to Turkish authorities concerning the journalist "in the frame of an ongoing criminal inquiry".

"The investigation concerns terrorism suspicions against other suspects," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"The suspicions against the woman do not concern a crime with terrorist intent. No request for her arrest, expulsion or extradition has been made."

Turkey, which shares a long border with war-torn Syria, has been hit by a spate of terror attacks in recent years from groups including the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Islamic State.

"Due to the seriousness of the threat, we work closely with our friends and allies, including the Netherlands, and rely on their insights to identify and neutralise threats against Turkish and European security," Altun said.

Turkey, with help from their international partners, has blacklisted tens of thousands of individuals with links to terrorist organisations as part of an ongoing effort to combat extremism, he added.

Another Turkish official, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP that the authorities would not have issued Boersma a press card if they had "national security concerns" about her.

The official said Boersma's press credentials were valid until January 31, 2019.

Human rights defenders have raised concerns over a clampdown on freedom of expression in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with dozens of journalists and civil society activists put behind bars.

Turkey is ranked 157th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

In December, a Turkish court ordered the release from jail of an Austrian student and journalist charged with being a member of a terror group.

Max Zirngast, who writes for the far-left German-language magazine Re:volt, had been formally arrested by an Ankara court in September.

burs-fo/dlSince 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community!

Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.David Axe

Security,

Get ready: The new bombers also could carry nuclear weapons.

China Is Developing Two Stealth Bombers: Report

China is developing not one but two new stealth bombers, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency claimed in a January 2019 report.

While the People's Liberation Army has not been shy about discussing the H-20 strategic bomber that the Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation is developing for the PLA Air Force, there are many fewer public references to the other stealth bomber, which apparently carries the designation JH-XX.

If the report is accurate and China completes development of the JH-XX, the Chinese air force could become the first air arm in the world to deploy a radar-evading fighter-bomber whose main mission is long-range ground-attack.

Other stealth fighter types, including the U.S. military's F-22 and F-35, the Russian air force's Su-57 and the PLAAF's J-20 and J-31 either primarily are air-to-air fighters or combine air-combat capability with the ability to strike ground targets.

Beijings goal of eventually forcing Taiwan to unify with China has driven the new bombers' development. "Beijings anticipation that foreign forces would intervene in a Taiwan scenario led the PLA to develop a range of systems to deter and deny foreign regional force projection," the DIA reported.

The Pentagon's air base at Guam, a key staging area for U.S. warplanes operating over the Western Pacific, is a major potential target of China's new bombers.

"The PLAAF is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets," the DIA continued in its report. "Stealth technology continues to play a key role in the development of these new bombers, which probably will reach initial operational capability no sooner than 2025.

"These new bombers will have additional capabilities, with full-spectrum upgrades compared with current operational bomber fleets, and will employ many fifth-generation fighter technologies in their design."

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In service, the JH-XX could complement or replace existing JH-7 fighter-bombers while the larger H-20, which could be similar in size and capability to the U.S. Air Force's own B-2 stealth bomber, flies alongside the PLAAF's new H-6K bombers.

The H-6K is a heavily-upgraded version of the Soviet Tu-16 bomber that first flew in 1952. "The H-6K variant, which China is fielding in greater numbers, integrates standoff weapons and features more efficient turbofan engines in redesigned wing roots," according to the DIA.

It's a carrier aircraft for the new CJ-20 land-attack cruise missile that's similar to America's Tomahawk missile. "This extended-range aircraft can carry six LACMs, providing the PLA a long-range, standoff, precision-strike capability that can reach Guam."

An H-6 reportedly can carry a heavy payload out to a distance of a thousand miles. A JH-7 reportedly can travel as far as 560 miles. It's unclear how far the H-20 and JH-XX might range.

But as the Chinese air force reequips with new, medium- and long-range bombers, it also has been expanding the geographical area across which the bombers operate, sending more aircraft beyond the "first island chain" that runs from Russia's Kuril Islands south to Japan and then on to The Philippines.

"In 2015 the PLA Air Force carried out four exercise training missions past the first island chain through the Bashi Channel, the northernmost passage of the Luzon Strait and through the Miyako Strait closer to Japan," the DIA explained.

"The Miyako Strait flights were 1,500 kilometers from Guam, within range of the PLAAFs CJ-20 air-launched land-attack cruise missile. Also in 2015, the PLAAF began flying the H-6K medium-range bomber, the PLAAFs first aircraft capable of conducting strikes on Guam (with air-launched LACMs like the CJ-20), past the first island chain into the Western Pacific."

The new bombers also could carry nuclear weapons. "As of 2017, the [Chinese] air force had been reassigned a nuclear mission, probably with a developmental strategic bomber," the DIA reported. "The bombers deployment would provide China with its first credible nuclear triad of delivery systems dispersed across land, sea, and aira posture considered since the Cold War to improve survivability and strategic deterrence."

It's unclear whether the JH-XX also might carry nukes. That the JH-XX is a fighter-bomber, rather than a multi-role fighter, implies that it's design emphasizes range and payload over maneuverability.

If there's one thing that might hold back the JH-XX's development, it's the new plane's engine. Problems integrating a Chinese-built engine reportedly have slowed development of the PLAAF's J-20 fighter.

"Chinas aviation industry has advanced to produce a developmental large transport aircraft, modern fourth- to fifth-generation fighters incorporating low-observable technologies, modern reconnaissance and attack UAVs and attack helicopters," the DIA explained in its report.

"However, Chinas aircraft industry remains reliant on foreign-sourced components for dependable, proven, high-performance aircraft engines."

David Axe serves as the new Defense Editor of the National Interest. He is the author of the graphic novels War Fix, War Is Boring and Machete Squad.

Image: Creative Commons.

Read full articleBy Philip Wen and David Ljunggren BEIJING/SHERBROOKE, Quebec (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it was "not worried in the slightest" by mounting international concern over the death sentence handed to a Canadian for drug smuggling. Monday's sentence for Robert Schellenberg for smuggling 222 kg (489 lbs) of methamphetamines prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of "arbitrarily" applying the death penalty. The United Nations said it opposed capital punishment apart from exceptional circumstances, and Australia's acting foreign minister Simon Birmingham said he was "deeply concerned" by the case. Trudeau has called several world leaders in recent days to share concerns about the case of Schellenberg and two Canadians that Beijing detained last month after a senior Chinese executive was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. arrest warrant. Speaking at a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Canada's "so-called allies could be counted on ten fingers" and did not represent the views of the wider international community. "I can very clearly state that we are not worried in the slightest," Hua said of the mounting outcry, adding that a majority of Chinese supported severe punishment for drug crimes. Schellenberg's sentence has further strained relations between China and Canada, already aggravated by the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL], on a U.S. extradition request. Asked about Hua's remarks, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that the 28-nation European Union had offered its backing to Ottawa. "We're very pleased to have this support from the EU which ..., like Canada, believes in the rule of law," she told reporters ahead of a three-day meeting of Trudeau's cabinet in Sherbrooke, Quebec. "Canada is clear about our principles and our position and we're also clear that it is a broad and deep relationship (with China)," she added. Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Tuesday and "expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals", the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday. Days after Meng's arrest in Vancouver, China detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering state security. One of the men, Michael Kovrig, is a diplomat on leave without pay from Canada's embassy in Beijing. Trudeau complained last week that China was not respecting Kovrig's diplomatic immunity, but gave no details. A source directly familiar with the case said Canada was unhappy because Chinese officials were questioning Kovrig about what he had done when stationed at the embassy. The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper. China has not linked any of the three Canadians' cases to Meng's arrest, but has warned of severe consequences if she was not immediately released. The Global Times, a state-run tabloid with a nationalistic bent, said China "cannot be weak at this time". "Canada does not have any special cards that can allow Chinese law to bow its head to it," the newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday, adding that Canada's protests would have no effect. Freeland said on Tuesday that Ottawa had formally applied for clemency for Schellenberg. When asked if China typically listened to this type of request, Hua said the judiciary was not subject to "interference from administrative organs". "You ask whether China is willing to listen to the Canadian side's request, but I don't know if Canada's leaders or politicians have seriously listened to China's solemn position," Hua said. Schellenberg had appealed against an original 15-year prison sentence issued in November, but the court in Liaoning province sided with prosecutors who argued at a retrial that the punishment was too light. (Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; editing by Darren Schuettler and James Dalgleish)Ouagadougou (AFP) - A Canadian geologist kidnapped at a remote gold mine in northeast Burkina Faso by suspected jihadists has been found dead, the authorities said on Thursday.

A body discovered with gunshot wounds late Wednesday is that of Kirk Woodman, "the Canadian who was kidnapped the day before yesterday," the spokesman for the security ministry, security, Jean-Paul Badoum, told AFP.

Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said the country felt "deep emotion and great sadness" over the killing.

"The Burkina government condemns this cowardly murder with its utmost energy, and assures that an investigation is under way and that every measure will be taken to find and punish those responsible," Barry said.

A security official said the body had been found in Soum province, at a location called Beiga-Salmoussi. The site was previously identified as Siega.

Woodman's co-workers formally identified the body on Thursday, Barry said. Another security source said the remains would be flown by helicopter to the capital Ouagadougou.

His colleagues said they are "heartbroken by the tragic loss," remembering Woodman as "an incredibly accomplished and highly respected geologist with a career spanning over 30 years, with 20 years spent in West Africa."

Woodman's grieving family also said in a statement that he was a "loving and hardworking husband, father, son and brother. Not a day will go by that he won't be missed."

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said her country was "appalled and deeply saddened" by the killing.

"Canada condemns those responsible for this terrible crime. We are working with the government of Burkina Faso and other international partners to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice," she said.

Canada has 250 soldiers and eight army helicopters deployed in neighbouring Mali as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

Woodman is one of two Canadians who have gone missing in Burkina Faso, a poor country in the front line of a jihadist rebellion in the Sahel.

Story continues

He was vice president of a Canadian company, Progress Minerals, which owns a gold mine at Tiabangou, located in Yagha, a volatile province near the Niger and Mali border.

He was at the mine when the site came under attack by about 10 armed men, Security Minister Clement Sawadogo said on Wednesday.

The assailants "rounded up the staff. They searched the base camp and made off with some equipment. They took the expatriate with them," he said.

The assailants were last seen heading towards the Niger border to the east but this was "probably to cover their tracks", for Beiga-Salmoussi lies to the west of the mine, a security official said.

On December 15, 34-year-old Canadian aid worker Edith Blais was reported missing with an Italian friend, Lucas Tacchetto, 30, as they were travelling between the western town of Bobo-Dioulasso and the capital Ouagadougou.

- Troubled region -

The Sahel, a vast, dusty region on the southern rim of the Sahara, is struggling with a bloody Islamist insurgency and a wave of lawlessness.

After chaos engulfed Libya in 2011, an Islamist insurgency gained ground in northern Mali, while Boko Haram rose in northern Nigeria.

Jihadist raids began in northern Burkina Faso in 2015 before spreading to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

Most of the attacks have been attributed to Ansarul Islam and the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

Smaller groups are also active, with the overall number of fighters estimated to be in the hundreds, according to security sources.

The groups are believed to be responsible for more than 270 deaths since 2015.

Ouagadougou has been hit three times, including a coordinated attack last March that targeted the French embassy and devastated the country's military headquarters.

The head of the armed forces, Major General Oumarou Sadou, was sacked on January 10 and replaced by General Moise Minoungou.

Eight foreigners have been abducted in the last four years, according to an AFP tally.

Among them is 84-year-old Australian doctor worker, Kenneth Elliott, who was kidnapped with his wife Jocelyn in April 2015 in Djibo, where the pair ran a clinic for the poor.

Jocelyn Elliott was released after a year. Her husband, whose whereabouts remain unknown, has been declared a citizen of Burkina Faso, under a decree issued last November.Brasilia (AFP) - A Brazilian supreme court judge has halted an investigation into suspicious transactions handled by an aide to a politician son of President Jair Bolsonaro, officials said Thursday.

The injunction, issued Wednesday, was confirmed by Rio de Janeiro state authorities overseeing the probe into the "atypical financial movements" in accounts in the name of Fabricio Queiroz, a police officer who serves as driver and bodyguard for Bolsonaro's eldest son Flavio Bolsonaro.

The reason for the injunction, issued under conditions of secrecy by Justice Luiz Fux, was not made public.

Jair Bolsonaro took office on January 1 after easily winning October 2018 elections by promising a stern crackdown on corruption.

A government financial monitoring agency detected suspect transactions totaling 1.2 million reais ($300,000), the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported in early December.

The movements occurred between January 2016 and January 2017 and flagged attention because they were not compatible with Quieroz's police salary.

One of the transactions was a deposit of 24,000 reais made to an account in the name of Jair Bolsonaro's wife.

Flavio Bolsonaro was a lawmaker in Rio de Janeiro's state legislature at the time. In October he won a seat in the federal senate, which starts sitting in February.

Brazilian media said the judge issued his order following a request from Flavio Bolsonaro.

Quieroz has been summoned several times to testify as to the source of the transactions but has failed to do so, asserting health problems.

The Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors' office said on Monday that it could move forward with a case against him regardless, if sufficient evidence existed.

In a television interview late December, Quieroz denied acting as a front for the Bolsonaros and said the money came from side businesses he ran, "buying cars, selling cars."

The president has tried to downplay the affair, saying that if any "mistake" was made it would be "paid." He said the payment from Quieroz's account to his wife's was partial repayment of an undeclared loan he had made to his son's driver.

Jair Bolsonaro, an avid Twitter user, made no immediate comment on the injunction or the circumstances surrounding it.By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina's President Mauricio Macri said after their first meeting on Wednesday that they agreed on opposing Venezuela's authoritarian government, with Macri calling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a "dictator." They also agreed to continue integrating their economies by "perfecting" the South American trade bloc Mercosur and pressing ahead with negotiations that are already underway, such as an almost completed free-trade accord with the European Union. Bolsonaro's commitment to Mercosur contrasted with his criticism of the customs union during his election campaign, when he said it had become a leftist political forum and not a tool to boost trade. But since he took office on Jan. 1, Mercosur's two largest members are now working in tandem on conservative agendas of free-market, business-friendly reforms and the strengthening of democracy in the region. Bolsonaro and Macri agree on joining the United States in ramping up pressure for democratic change in Venezuela, whose leftist government they consider illegitimate. "Our cooperation with Argentina on the Venezuelan question it the clearest example of a convergence of positions and shared values," Bolsonaro said after meeting with Macri. Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said the only legally constituted power in Venezuela was the opposition-run Congress, whose leader the Trump administration is considering recognizing as the country's legitimate president. Macri and Bolsonaro "agree we want to defend freedom and the recovery of democracy in Venezuela," Faurie told reporters. Argentina and Brazil also signed a new extradition treaty to increase their cooperation in fighting organized crime, drug trafficking, corruption and money laundering. In a joint statement, the presidents vowed to review Mercosur's common external tariff, improve access to markets and move forward with trade facilitation and regulatory convergence. Brazil is Argentina's largest trade partner and Argentina is the main destination for Brazilian manufactured goods. But trade often took a back seat during leftist governments in both countries during the last decade and a half. There has been a big drop in trade flows in recent years, when Argentina exported less to Brazil and Mercosur, as a whole, became less important to Brazil as a percentage of its global trade, dropping to 8.7 percent last year from 10.8 in 2011. Bolsonaro would like to see more flexible rules allowing Brazil to negotiate bilateral agreements outside the bloc. His economy minister Paulo Guedes has said Mercosur restricts Brazil too much and would not be a priority. Wednesday's presidential meeting showed Mercosur is still high on Brazil's agenda. "Brazil will be a strong ally in building an integrated region," Bolsonaro said. "We are confident Mercosur can be modernized." This could happen with two presidents who want to revamp the trade block, said Oliver Stuenkel, assistant professor of International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo. "There is an opportunity because now we have two governments that agree it has not delivered and there is a need to re-energize Mercosur or whatever takes its place," Stuenkel said. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle, Marcela Ayres and Ricardo Brito; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Susan Thomas)Sao Paulo (AFP) - The arrival of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro at the helm of Brazil, with his hard line against crime and support for lethal force by police, has sparked "preoccupation" for human rights in the country, Human Rights Watch said.

Bolsonaro is "an autocrat, a populist on the right, for whom human rights only matters in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, and who has a selective vision of human rights," HRW Americas chief Jose Miguel Vivanco told AFP.

He voiced the concerns ahead of his group's release Thursday of a report on the global state of human rights.

The HRW report noted the chronic violence in Brazil, with 64,000 murders in 2017 and with police killing more than 5,000 people, some in self-defense though "research by Human Rights Watch and other organizations shows that some are extrajudicial executions."

Bolsonaro, who took office January 1, has decreed a loosening of gun laws to allow "good" citizens to keep firearms at home. Crime monitoring groups fear the measure could aggravate deadly violence.

In the interview, Vivanco said Bolsonaro's campaign promises to crack down on crime with little regard to rights principles "creates preoccupation and interest by the international community."

The HRW Americas director was in Brazil to hold discussions with Brazilian officials, including Justice Minister Sergio Moro, and present the global report.

HRW's executive director Kenneth Roth highlighted Bolsonaro's rise in a foreword entitled "the dark side of autocratic rule."

The new leader, a 63-year-old former army captain and veteran lawmaker, won October elections easily despite a track record of disparaging women, blacks and gays, and speaking nostalgically of Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

- Guns 'increase violence' -

Vivanco said that Brazil's new approach to guns as a crime deterrent was a "sensitive subject." While due consideration had to be given to the country's sky-high crime rates, HRW did not see looser firearms laws as a solution.

Story continues

"We don't believe that access to guns by part of the general population serves to reduce this violence. On the contrary, it will increase, at least based on experience and empirical documentation," he said.

More generally, Vivanco said Latin America was backsliding in the area of human rights, with leftwing governments such as Venezuela's "politicizing human rights issues in a way to stall progress in the region."

In terms of Brazil, he said, "it is a new situation, a big worry" to see a popularly backed government come to power with rhetoric openly minimizing human rights.

The HRW report also examined freedom of expression in Brazil, and the country's prison population that ranks the third-biggest in the world.WASHINGTON (AP)  A group of 47 Democratic members of Congress urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to impose sanctions on corrupt officials in the government of Guatemala and suspend assistance to the Central American nation.

The legislators, led by Reps. Norma Torres and Jim McGovern of California, said the Trump administration has turned a blind eye while Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has sought to end a United Nations-backed anti-corruption commission working in his country.

The commission has angered Morales by investigating him, his sons and his brother

"We are deeply concerned that, absent a strong U.S. response, the current government's pattern of anti-democratic behavior will continue to escalate, and that Guatemala will descend into lawlessness," the legislators wrote in a letter to Trump.

They said the Trump administration should address the situation in Guatemala with sanctions similar to those applied to government officials in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The White House did not immediately provide a reaction when contacted by The Associated Press.

Some Republican members of Congress, such as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, have raised questions about the commission's activities.

Guatemala's highest court last week blocked Morales' decision to unilaterally end the anti-graft commission, known as the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.

Morales contends the commission violated Guatemala's sovereignty and the rights of suspects.

Although backed by the high court, the commission has withdrawn its members from Guatemala because the government refused to guarantee their security.

During its 11 years of operating in Guatemala, the commission has worked with Guatemalan prosecutors to press corruption cases that have implicated some 680 people, including top elected officials, business executives and bureaucrats. The panel said in November that it has won 310 convictions and broken up 60 criminal networks.

Story continues

The commission participated in investigations that forced former Vice President Roxana Baldetti and President Otto Perez Molina to step down from office in 2015 to face fraud and corruption charges.

___

Luis Alonso Lugo on Twitter: twitter.com/luisalonsolugoTrump postpones Pelosi's trip 'due to shutdown' after she called for State of the Union delay originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

In the increasingly personal standoff between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the president on Thursday announced he had postponed Pelosi's official trip to Belgium and Afghanistan  cutting off her access to military aircraft  in apparent retaliation for Pelosi asking Trump to delay his State of the Union Address until after the government shutdown ends.

"Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed," Trump wrote in a sharply-worded letter released Thursday afternoon, the latest move in a memorable display of Washington political theater. "We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted out Trump's letter.

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PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during the Missile Defense Review announcement at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, Jan. 17, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump added that he feels it would be better if Pelosi was in Washington negotiating with him and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.

Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative, Trump noted. I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding and security it so desperately deserves.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted the first reaction from the speaker's office, calling the trip a "weekend visit to Afghanistan," while denying that a stop in Egypt was planned. Hammill further explained that the scheduled stop in Belgium was for "pilot rest" while the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders and U.S. military leaders.

The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation and thanks to our men and women in uniform for their service and dedication, and to obtain critical national security and intelligence briefings from those on the front lines, Hammill said, adding that Trump traveled to Iraq, and New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin also led a congressional delegation to Iraq during the shutdown.

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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who had planned to join Pelosis congressional delegation to Afghanistan, says Trumps decision to derail the trip is completely inappropriate.

Were not going to allow the President of the United States to tell the Congress it cant fulfill its oversight responsibilities, it cant ensure that our troops have what they need whether our government is open or closed," Schiff told reporters after huddling with Pelosi in the speakers office.

Asked if the tit-for-tat brings negotiators any closer to a deal to end the shutdown, Schiff told ABC's Mary Bruce that the shutdown is completely unnecessary from beginning to end.

Whether this fifth-grade conduct is going to continue, it's hard to see how it's rather constructive, Schiff said. At the end of the day, whatever his motivation is, we'll do our oversight.

Schiff refused to say whether Pelosi would still make the trip and blasted the president for divulging the speakers travel plans.

I'm not going to comment on the speaker's travel plans, Schiff said. Frankly, there has been far too much said about that already. And I think the president's decision to disclose a trip that the speaker is making to a war zone is completely and utterly irresponsible in every way.



An administration official said that the Defense Department was made aware prior to the letter being sent to Pelosi Thursday and that the policy applies to all CODELs -- or congressional delegation trips -- that may have been scheduled during the shutdown.

Sanders, when asked why Trump sent the letter to Pelosi, said, We want to keep her in Washington. If she leaves she guarantees that the second round of paychecks to workers wont go out.

She said Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer always have an invitation to the White House if they want to come to negotiate.

Asked if there is any White House response to Pelosi's letter to Trump on Wednesday calling for a delay in his State of the Union Address, she said, Well keep you posted. Nothings changed on that front.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called Trump's letter a petty move," adding it is "unworthy of the President of the United States.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump ally, released a statement calling the back-and-forth "sophomoric."

One sophomoric response does not deserve another. Speaker Pelosis threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political. President Trump denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate," Graham said.

I am glad the Speaker wants to meet our troops and hear from our commanders and allies. I am very disappointed shes playing politics with the State of the Union," he continued. I wish our political leadership could find the same desire to work for common goals as those who serve our nation in uniform and other capacities.

Earlier Thursday, with the shutdown in its 27th day, Pelosi said she had not received a response to her letter, which urged Trump to delay the annual address until after government is reopened. When asked what she'd do if Trump were to insist on sticking to the Jan. 29 date, Pelosi shed cross that bridge when we come to it.

We haven't heard. Very silent more than 24 hours, Pelosi said, seemingly amused. Have you heard? We haven't heard.

(MORE: Pelosi suggests to Trump that State of the Union address be delayed until government reopens)

At the Pentagon Thursday morning, Trump continued to push for border security, including his proposed border wall, accusing Pelosi of refusing to let Democrats negotiate.

The federal government remains shut down because congressional Democrats refuse to approve border security," Trump said. "We're going to have border security.

Pelosi and Trump havent spoken to each other since Trump walked out of a Jan. 9 meeting with congressional leaders in the Situation Room, declaring it a total waste of time.

Last year, Trump delivered the State of the Union to a televised audience of 45.6 million people, leaving the impression that Pelosi is denying the president a prime platform to share his point of view as leverage against the president.

Let's get a date when government is open. Let's pay the employees, Pelosi said. He thinks it is okay not to pay people who do work. I don't. My caucus doesn't either.

Pelosi said she is confident security professionals could keep the event safe, but added her qualm is that they would not be immediately paid for their work.

This is directly related to our security, Pelosi said, recounting several votes the House has taken to end the shutdown.

(MORE: Trump meets with coalition of Democrats and Republicans as shutdown drags on)

Pelosi predicted there's bipartisan agreement to use other technology to protect the border, but stressed I'm not for a wall, when she was asked why she hasnt proposed an alternative dollar figure to counter the presidents $5.7 billion demand for a barrier.

The president says the only way to do it is with a wall. That's a debate that we have, Pelosi said. We must respect our workers protect our borders and reopen government the government immediately.

ABC News' Alexander Mallin and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.American killed in terror attack at high-end complex in Nairobi: Officials originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

An American was among the 21 people killed when gunfire and explosions erupted at a high-end hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. State Department and those who knew him.

Jason Spindler "was tragically among the fatalities," the company he founded, I-DEV International, told ABC News in an email Wednesday. The San Francisco-based strategy and investment advisory firm has an office in Kenya's capital, and Spindler served as the firm's managing director.

A State Department official, who confirmed that an American was among the dead, condemned the "senseless act of violence" at the multi-use complex in Nairobi's affluent Westlands neighborhood, which includes the upscale DusitD2 hotel, which is popular among foreigners. The American embassy there is closely monitoring the incident and the State Department has offered assistance to local authorities, the official told ABC News.

The London-based Gatsby Charitable Foundation announced that its Africa programs director, Luke Potter, was also among the dead.

"Luke had devoted the past 10 years of his career to helping some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. He had worked with us for three-and-a-half years, carrying out assignments across East Africa," the charity said in a statement Wednesday.

PHOTO: Map showing the location of an attack at a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2018. (AP)

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said initially that at least 14 people were killed by "murderous terrorists" in Tuesday's attack. But the country's National Police Service announced on Wednesday that the death toll had climbed, in addition to the five attackers who were gunned down, following the discovery of several more bodies at the scene and the death of a wounded police officer.

Sixteen Kenyan nationals, one British citizen, one American and three persons "of African descent yet to be identified" were killed in the attack. Another 28 people who were injured were taken to various hospitals in Nairobi, police said.

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"We are grieving as a country this morning, and my heart and the heart of every Kenyan goes out to the innocent men and women violated by senseless violence," Keyatta said in a televised address Wednesday morning.

Kenyan authorities, who are calling the incident a terror attack, announced Wednesday morning that all buildings within the complex have been secured and the operation to neutralize the assailants was over.

Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Interior Fred Matiang'i said "scores of Kenyans and other nationalities" have been evacuated from the buildings following Tuesday's attack. On Tuesday evening, he confirmed that the complex had been secured after several hours of fighting.

"The situation is under control, and the country is safe," Matiang'i said during a press conference Tuesday night. "Terrorism will never defeat us."

PHOTO: A glass damaged by bullets is seen at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Baz Ratner/Reuters)

Extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the assault. The al-Qaida-linked group, based in neighboring Somalia, made the claim Tuesday via its radio arm, according to The Associated Press.

Al-Shabab has been responsible for several high-profile attacks across the border in Kenya in recent years, including ones that targeted the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi in 2013 and a public university in Garissa in 2015.

The United States has intensified airstrikes on the group's positions in Somalia in the past year. U.S. airstrikes killed more than 60 militants in December alone. But experts say that, overall, it appears the efforts to degrade al-Shabab's capabilities have been unsuccessful.

"The attack on the DusitD2 hotel is most likely a response to these airstrikes, judging by the target  an upmarket hotel complex, popular with Westerners, in the heart of Nairobi rather than a Kenyan military base in Somalia," Alexander Sehmer, director of geopolitical intelligence at Falanx Assynt, told ABC News on Wednesday. "It allows al-Shabab to demonstrate their reach and of course has echoes of the Westgate Mall attack from 2013."

PHOTO: Cars are seen on fire at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Kenya's Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said Tuesday's attack began around 3 p.m. local time when a "group of armed assailants" stormed the gated complex, which houses a hotel, restaurant, bars and offices. An explosion targeted three vehicles in the parking lot and a suicide bomber detonated inside the hotel foyer, where a number of guests suffered severe injuries, according to Boinnet.

Video from the scene showed the cars ablaze and wounded people being carried away.

Marvin Gitari, a videographer who works in an office within the complex, told ABC News that he saw the attackers after hearing the first blast. They had assault rifles and were wearing bulletproof vests strapped with ammunition magazines, he said.

"They were quite armed, and they seemed strategic because they were shooting at anybody in groups of two and they were looking at guys who were peeping through the windows and shooting at them as well," Gitari told ABC News in an interview Wednesday near the scene in Nairobi's Westlands district.

Gitari said he and his colleagues immediately switched off the lights in their office, turned off all the machines and locked themselves in the studio. Terrified for their lives, they stayed there until members of the Kenya Red Cross rescued them.

"It was hell," Gitari said. "I never thought I would get out because the gunshots were becoming louder and louder by the minutes."

PHOTO: Members of security forces are seen at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Kenya's National Police Service deployed special forces to the scene to engage the attackers, who were holed up inside the luxury hotel for hours. Meanwhile, the area was cordoned off as residents were screened and evacuated, according to Boinnet.

Kenyan forces went floor by floor and building by building to secure the complex, Boinnet said.

"Specialist forces are now currently flushing them out. However, we regret to inform that there have been injuries in the attack," the police inspector general said in a press statement Tuesday night.

The number of people who have been injured is unknown at this time.

"We urge the public to remain calm and to cooperate with all security forces and to provide any information that they may deem as useful," Boinnet added.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told ABC News on Tuesday that "all mission personnel are safe and accounted for."

ABC News' Clark Bentson, Kaelyn Forde, Julia Jacobo, Zoe Magee, Luis Martinez, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Ian Pannell, Darren Reynolds and Bruno Roeber contributed to this report.Germany evacuates citizens due to avalanche risk as death toll rises originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Areas in southern Germany and Austria have been battling heavy snows in the past weeks in a phenomenon so extreme, German media have dubbed it Schneechaos, or snow chaos in English.

Now, Bavarian residents are being asked to leave their homes to avoid more possible disasters.

With increased snowfall over the past weeks, the risk of avalanches is growing by the day.

PHOTO: Firefighter helpers remove snow from a rooftop in the small Bavarian village of Kruen near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Jan. 15, 2019. (Christof Stach/AFP/Getty Images)

(MORE: Winter storm blasts Europe; 13 dead amid heavy snow, gusts)

On Wednesday, roughly 260 citizens in the village of Raiten in the region of Traunstein near the Austrian border were forced to evacuate their homes out of concern for possible impending avalanches.

In a video statement on Facebook, Traunstein District Administrator Siegfried Welch said the option to evacuate had "the highest priority."

"We dont like doing so, but we decided to vacate," he explained.

On Wednesday, the Sudelbelt ski resort in Bavaria was hit by an avalanche and forced to close until trees and other debris could be moved, causing chairlifts to come to a standstill. Fortunately, no one was injured.

PHOTO: Emergency vehicles are parked in the Raiten district, in Bavaria, Schleching, Jan. 16, 2019. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa Photo via Newscom)

In Brechtesgaden, a town in the Bavarian alps near the Austrian border, 1,500 German Armed Forces soldiers were deployed to clear roofs of snow and deliver supplies to citizens cut off from the outside world.

The heavy snows and weather-related incidents have resulted in the deaths of more than two dozen people, including a 9-year-old boy who was killed by a falling tree in the town of Aying near Munich.

The German meteorological service DWD said Wednesday that the amount of snowfall in the Alps recently was unusual, but not exceptional, according to the Associated Press.When authorities entered a luxury home near San Antonio last Thursday, they found a grisly scene.

Nichol Olsen, 37, had been shot to death alongside her daughters, Alexa, 16, and London, 10. After conducting an autopsy, the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office ruled the girls deaths as homicides and Olsens death as a suicide.

But not everyone is convinced that the hairstylist would have shot her daughters before turning the gun on herself  and even the sheriffs office has emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing.

We cant just say, Oh, well then she mustve been the one that did this to these two little girls,' Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters at a press conference, according to News4SanAntonio.com. We still have to go out and find out who it was that killed these two young ladies.

According to multiple news outlets, the crime scene was discovered by the owner of the home where the bodies were found. The man was in a relationship with Olsen, and told investigators he was not at the house on the night of the shootings, KTSA reported.

Sheriff Salazar said that the homeowner is cooperating with authorities as they investigate the case. Yeah, youre a person of interest if three people were found deceased in your home, whether you were there or not, and two of them have been listed as homicides, he told reporters, but stressed that the public shouldnt rush to judgment.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Were a long ways off from naming anybody culpable in the deaths of these girls, Salazar continued, but were also a long ways off from clearing anybody.

While authorities continue to investigate the case, those close to Olsen say that she would never have ended three lives so violently.

Theres no way she would ever do this to her daughters. And not to herself, Olsens friend Jaclyn Galbraith told News4SanAntonio.com.

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Her girls were everything to her, Galbraith continued. And I just need everyone to know that she is a woman that is so strong and so fierce and would do anything to protect her girls.

At a candlelight vigil, her family and friends reemphasized their belief in her innocence. Theres no way that Nichol could have done this to these girls, said Carlos Montez Jr., Alexas father and Olsens former husband, according to the San Antonio Express-News. She loved them too much. She had so much joy in her life and so many things going for her. There is absolutely no way that we believe she is responsible for everything that happened.

Sheriff Salazar says that the police are not going to just take the coroners report at full value. Our investigation may concur with the medical examiner, he told reporters. Or we may find something through the course of our investigation that may change that finding altogether. At this point, its just too early to tell.News Corp, the parent company of the New York Post, has tapped Sean Giancola to be its next publisher and CEO. Giancola will replace Jesse Angelo, who is exiting the paper after 20 years.

The company also named Michelle Gotthelf as the papers digital editor-in-chief.

Seans decades of experience in publishing and advertising make him the right person to assume the leadership of one of Americas greatest newspaper brands, Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp, said in a statement. And Michelles superb skills as an editor and years with the Post will allow her to take the publication to greater digital heights.

Also Read: Alec Baldwin Beat up by NY Post With 'Livid! From New York!' Front Page

Angelo, who was also the chief of digital advertising solutions for News Corp, said he was leaving after 20 years with the company because it was time to move on and let someone else write the next chapter of this storied institution.

I love the Post with my whole heart and wish my colleagues all the best, Angelo said. I will always be thankful to Rupert and the leadership of the company for the remarkable opportunities that have been afforded to me in my career.

Giancola has been the Posts chief revenue officer since 2015. Before that, he worked advertising sales for HuffPost.

Read original story Sean Giancola Named Publisher and CEO of New York Post At TheWrapA local Florida politician tells PEOPLE she standing firm over her incendiary criticism of a newly sworn-in Muslim congresswoman  writing on Facebook last week that Rep. Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan, could become a martyr and blow up Capitol Hill.

The Jan. 8 post by Hallandale Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Taub, first spotted by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, has since been deleted. She originally shared a petition for removing Tlaib from Congress and wrote, in part: A Hamas-loving anti-Semite has NO place in government! She is a danger and [I] would not put it past her to become a martyr and blow up Capitol Hill.

Lima-Taub is unapologetic, saying she was incredibly alarmed by what she calls Tlaibs radical anti-Israeli politics, a characterization the congresswoman disputes.

Since Lima-Taubs post was first reported, she has been broadly rebuked, with many highlighting the Islamophobia of equating Tlaibs faith with terrorism.

Commissioner Lima-Taubs behavior is indefensible and a black eye for Hallandale Beach, a fellow commissioner said, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Hate speech should have no place in our politics. We condemn Commissioner Lima-Taubs deeply offensive words and call on her to resign, an official with the group Muslim Advocates said in a statement Tuesday, adding, Any politician who would spout this kind of vile anti-Muslim rhetoric is clearly not fit to govern.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Lima-Taub repeatedly recast the controversy. She expressed no remorse for her behavior, instead charging that Rep. Tlaibs support of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement against Israel  referring to efforts to economically pressure the country over its treatment of Palestinians  was the real issue.

Tlaib, a progressive Democrat who calls for a $15 minimum wage and increased public school funding, is the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress.

Among other things, Lima-Taub also pointed to a recent photo Tlaib took with Abbas Hamideh, an activist with a history of anti-Israeli remarks.

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I dont know if she has the potential for the violence herself, but she supports people who clearly, clearly call for a one-state solution, Lima-Taub claims. How do you get to a one-state solution? she says. Thats by genocide.

Tlaibs spokesman, Denzel McCampbell, refuted the idea that her politics are dangerous.

The congresswoman has never advocated for violence or indicated that someone would engage in a violent act based on their religion, heritage or country of origin, he tells PEOPLE. So for the commissioner to try and justify her words on a false basis is ridiculous and speaks again to her lack of leadership and tolerance for others.

Tlaib is one of the only members of Congress to publicly support the BDS movement, according to the Miami Herald and New York Times.

As Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg explained, BDS is deeply taboo in American politics for several reasons  because, its critics argue, it is merely a hypocritical mask for anti-Semitism and because it could ultimately lead to the end of a majority Jewish population in Israel.

The Herald reports that the BDS movement was started more than a decade ago by Palestinians inside the occupied territories and calls for international allies of Israel to boycott certain Israeli institutions in order to put pressure on Israel to adhere to international standards and United Nations resolutions.

The movement, which is largely decentralized, does not take a stance on what a particular solution would look like, according to the Herald.  And while various organizations across the Middle East have voiced support for the movement, there is little evidence that links BDS supporters directly to Hamas and Hezbollah, both U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.

Lima-Taub, who was born in Israel, believes it is more dire: that supporting BDS is tantamount to supporting the extinction of Israeli Jews.

Asked if she would change anything about her original post last week, Lima-Taub tells PEOPLE she might have focused it on Tlaibs position on BDS.

Speaking with the Herald, Tlaib described the post as terrible. On Twitter, she wrote: This sort of hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric doesnt happen in a vacuum  this President embraced it and Republicans have happily gone along with it.

She added, Right wing media targeting me again rather than focusing on the Presidents reckless government shutdown. Yes, I am Muslim and Palestinian. Get over it.

Tlaib told the Herald there is a broader effort to punish businesses that call for boycotting Israel.

Its very clear that theres obviously an agenda on the right to make this more than it is, she said. I am supporting Sen. [Bernie] Sanders and the ACLU and others that also support the same position I do, which is freedom of speech is extremely important in our country and we need to value it and support it.Joaquin Al Chapo Guzman paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, at the beginning of Pena Nietos term, in a bid by Guzman to buy the protection of the then-incoming president, according to a witness who once worked closely with El Chapo.

The accusations, which implicated nearly every level of the Mexican state, came during testimony at the trial of the alleged Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, who faces a 17-count indictment for drug trafficking and associated charges that could put him away for life.

Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian drug smuggler who last week described himself as a secretary, right-hand man, and left-hand man to Guzman, told prosecutors during a series of debriefing sessions 2017 and 2018 that Guzman had handed over the mammoth bribe to Pena Nieto in 2012 in hopes of coming out of hiding, according to Guzmans defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman. Cifuentes made the bombshell accusation Tuesday afternoon at the prompting of Lichtman, who prodded Cifuentes during cross-examination to recall details about the bribery and their intended results by reading from a transcript of Cifuentess earlier conversations with prosecutors.

Mr. Guzman pays money and the president allows Mr. Guzman to keep working? Lichtman asked

I imagine so, Cifuentes replied.

The accusation came toward the end of the third day on the stand for Cifuentes, 51, who has been testifying about the years he spent in the close orbit of El Chapo, including nearly two years with Guzman hiding from Mexican authorities in the mountains of Sinaloa.

In addition to implicating Pena Nieto, Cifuentes had also accused the recently departed presidents predecessor Felipe Calderon of siding with Chapos enemies, the Beltran-Leyva organization, during a bloody war between the two cartels, and also alleged that Guzman sent suitcases stuffed with cocaine from Argentina to Mexican federal police, who in turn sold the drugs themselves, Cifuentes told jurors, with prodding from Lichtman.

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I was working with my wife, Angie San Clemente, and working with the Mexican Federal Police  with Senor Guzmans authorization, Cifuentes said.

And you claimed the police would then sell the drugs, correct? Lichtman asked. You said the police were the customers of the drug dealers?

Yes, Cifuentes said.

Cifuentes was not the only one to use this method, according to Lichtman, reading from a transcript of the proffer sessions, who added that Cifuentes had told prosecutors that the federales also imported cocaine-filled suitcases on behalf of La Barbie, the nickname for the American-born drug lord Edgar Valdez Villarreal.

Despite initially making the bribery accusations in 2017, Cifuentes had later backed off, and said in a September 2018 conversation with prosecutors that he was not so sure about how much money traded hands, but that the events had happened as described.

Pena Nieto has previously denied taking bribes, according to Vice News, pointing to the fact that it was his government who caught el Chapo  twice, first in 2014 and again in early 2016 after Guzmans 2015 spectacular prison break  and extradited him the the United States. A spokesman for Pena Nieto, who left office in December, has described the accusations as false and defamatory, according to the Associated Press.



Originally from Colombia, Cifuentes is a member of the Cifuentes-Villa family, a clan of narco-traffickers from Medellin that authorities say became one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the Sinaloa Cartel in the later years of El Chapos career.

By Tuesday afternoon, Cifuentes had spent nearly three full days days regaling jurors with tales of his life in El Chapos mountain hideouts, including details about Guzmans daily schedule, his security detail, his demand for heavy, military-grade weaponry, and a handful of hasty escapes from the army. And on Tuesday morning, he discussed various murder-for-hire and kidnapping plots, most of them unsuccessful, that Guzman had hatched from hiding.

Later that day, he walked jurors through a series of accusations of staggering corruption at nearly every level of the Mexican government, from local cops to federales to judges, all the way to heads of state on the payroll  and taking orders  from multiple drug traffickers, including the Sinaloa Cartel. The accusations against Pena Nieto drew gasps from the audience.

According to Cifuentes recollection during the proffer sessions, Pena Nieto was the one to approach Guzman, telling him that for $250 million, Pena Nieto would allow El Chapo  who had been hiding out in the mountains since he escaped a maximum-security prison in 2001  to come out of hiding and continue trafficking drugs.

Ever the negotiator, Guzman instead sent Pena Nieto $100 million in October 2012, months after Pena Nietos electoral victory that July, according Lichtmans reading of the Cifuentes proffer sessions. In November, Guzman appeared to have received word that the bribe was successful, according to Lichtmans reading of the proffer sessions.

In this one, you claim that President Pena Nieto contacted Mr. Guzman, and the message was that he didnt have to stay in hiding, and that he could continue working, Lichtman said, referring to a transcript of one of the debriefings.

Yes, that is what Joaquin told me, Cifuentes replied.

According to Cifuentes, Guzman delivered the money through an intermediary, a woman named Andrea Fernandez Velez, who worked as a secretary for Cifuentes and moonlighted running a modeling agency in Mexico City whose young women the cartel used to curry favor in debaucherous parties for Mexican officials.

In his proffer sessions, Cifuentes told authorities that Fernandez had delivered the bribes in cash, stuffed into suitcases, and placed aboard the jet of a prominent political consultant who had worked on Pena Nietos presidential campaign.



Under questioning from Lichtman Tuesday afternoon, Cifuentes said he had seen photos sent by Fernandez of the suitcases full of cash, but disputed the anecdote about her flying them to the president-elect on the consultants plane.

The corruption allegations were somewhat muddled by such equivocations by Cifuentes, and also by a verbal flub on Lichtmans part  he initially said Cifuentes had told prosecutors of a $250 bribe, a figure that was corrected by Judge Brian M. Cogan.

And the accusations rest solely on the word of Cifuentes, a confessed drug trafficker facing the possibility of life in prison.

But Guzmans defense team appears eager to press the issue. From the beginning of the trial, Lichtman has sought to downplay Guzmans role in the cartel hierarchy, and instead focus the blame on Ismael El Mayo Zambada Garcia, the man reputed to be the current head of the Sinaloa Cartel and long believed to be el Chapos closest ally and partner. In his opening statement, Lichtman accused el Mayo of using his influence with Mexican politicians to remain free, while the blame fell on the far more notorious Guzman. Zambada, Lichtman said at the time, has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes, including up to the very top  the current president of Mexico. (In early November, when the trial began, Pena Nieto was still president of Mexico. He has since been succeeded by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has also had his name come up at the trial in relation to high-flying bribery, along with former president Felipe Calderon.)

Court adjourned Tuesday afternoon with Cifuentes still on the stand, and he is set to return for more questioning on Wednesday morning.

In a scheduling discussion with Judge Cogan following the testimony Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors said they expect to rest the governments case by the end of next week, or early the following week. Then the defense team is expected to call its own witnesses. And that could include testimony from Guzman himself, according to defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo, who spoke with the New York Daily News on Tuesday.

Mr. Guzman has a right to testify in his own defense  he also has a constitutional right to remain silent, and that should not be held against him, Balarezo said, according to the Daily News. With respect to whether or not he will testify, the defense has not made a final decision, but it is possible.Permanent exhibition on the basement level at Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts. The earliest artefacts of the Egyptian art collection found their way to Hungary thanks to nineteenth-century globe-trotters, art collectors, and art dealers.

The idea to unite the ancient Egyptian artefacts preserved in several museums into one single collection emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century and was implemented in 1934, when the Egyptian collection of the Museum of Fine Arts was founded.

Apart from the Museum of Fine Arts, Egyptian artefacts can only be found in Hungary in the Deri Museum in Debrecen, in the Reformed Collections of Papa, and in the Savaria Museum/Iseum Savariense in Szombathely.

Egyptian objects began to reach Hungary in greater numbers from the early nineteenth century onwards. Their owners were mainly aristocrats and diplomats as well as travellers who visited the Nile Valley during their pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The early collectors acquired Egyptian artefacts from the European art market, received them as gifts when abroad, or purchased them as souvenirs during their trips to Egypt.

The most popular artefacts were human and animal mummies but statuettes, mainly made of bronze, and amulets frequently appeared too. Collectors in Hungary usually donated or sold their acquisitions to the National Museum.

The artefacts from the first Hungarian archaeological excavation in Egypt initially also entered the National Museum. The digs carried out in Sharuna and Gamhud in Central Egypt were initiated and financed by Fulop Back, a businessman living in Cairo.

He donated the greater part of the finds discovered during the expedition of 1907, including seven wall fragments from a Ptolemaic temple and twenty-five coffins containing mummies, in the same year to the Hungarian state.

The Museum of Fine Arts Egyptian collection was augmented in 1976 with objects from the archaeological salvage campaign in Abdallah Nirqi in Nubia, carried out in 1964 and led by Laszlo Castiglione of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Moreover, the finds that were brought to Hungary from the digs in Thebes in 1983 by Faculty of Egyptology of the Eotvos Lorand University are also preserved here.

Venue:

Museum of Fine Arts

1146 Budapest, Dozsa Gyorgy ut 41.



Source & Photo: www.mfab.huRather than analysing the repercussions of a hard Brexit on Hungary, the first comments on the rejection by Westminster of the Brexit deal between the British Government and the EU-27 try to make sense of what has happened and what might happen next.

In Nepszava, Tamas Ronay lambasts Brexiteer leaders for having manipulated a slight majority of Britons to take an irresponsible decision three years ago.

It is clear by now, he argues, that the promises they made, including extra billions to be spent on healthcare were groundless. Instead of acknowledging the facts, they now push for a hard Brexit despite the obvious but incommensurable risks involved.

The left-wing commentator also condemns Prime Minister Theresa May for leading her country into a blind alley, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, himself another Brexiteer, and therefore no counterweight to those who are leading Britain into chaos.

On HVG.hu, Mercedesz Gyukeri outlines several options after the agreement reached by the British government and Brussels was voted down in London, but believes that the most probable one is a hard Brexit.

She is convinced, nonetheless, that last-ditch efforts will be made in the meantime and therefore the March 29 deadline for the exit will probably be extended. At any rate, she remarks, an almost two-year transition period will allow the parties to agree at least on some crucial points before the actual divorce comes into force in December 2020.

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.

Click here to Share Your StoryBudapest spas attracted 4.5 million visitors in 2017, an increase of 7.3% year on year, the marketing director for spa operator Budapest Gyogyfurdoi es Hevizei (BGYH) said in Tuesdays issue of business daily Vilaggazdasag.

Visitor numbers were up in spite of an unseasonably cold and wet June, Szilvia Czinege told the paper. The Szechenyi baths alone drew 1.7 million visitors, she added.

Turnover at the Palatinus baths was up 31% and turnover at the Paskal increased more than 13%. Both baths have recently been upgraded.

Visitor numbers at the Gellert baths were up 6%, coming close to 660,000. Revenue of BGYH rose by 7.3% to 15 billion forints (EUR 46m) last year.A bullet train runs in Qionghai City, South China's Hainan province, Jan 18, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ministry to come up with policies to speed process 'as soon as possible'

China will step up efforts to accelerate free trade port construction this year, a further step to build on the success of free trade zones across the country, the Ministry of Commerce said.

Assistant Minister of Commerce Ren Hongbin said one of the ministry's priorities in 2019 is to advance the building of free trade zones and explore steps to construct free trade ports in China.

The ministry will draw on international experience and come up with policies and institutional systems for building free trade ports "as soon as possible", Ren said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Free trade ports are regarded as the world's most open form of economic zone, which has brought prosperity to places such as Singapore thanks to broad-based preferential policies on trade and investment.

It is open to all commercial vessels on equal terms. Goods may be unloaded, stored and shipped without the payment of customs duties.

According to last year's government guidelines, a free trade port system will be "basically established" in Hainan by 2025. Last April, China announced it would develop the island into a pilot free trade zone, through which Hainan will be granted more capacity to reform, and speed up the fostering of a law-based, international, and convenient business environment.

Zhao Ping, a senior researcher at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Academy, said: "It is necessary to create a high-tech talent pool to help to speed up the pace of transforming Hainan into a free port. Key focus areas would include shipping, logistics and finance, so talent in these sectors should be valued."

Sang Baichuan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said specially tailored policies are also needed in terms of market access, financial systems and taxation.

Tianjin, a coastal city in northern China, plans to apply for the establishment of a free trade port, which can further integrate the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, said the administration of China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone. In a recent emailed interview with China Daily, the administration revealed that the construction plan will be submitted to the higher authorities "in due course".

About five years ago, China set up its first FTZ in Shanghai as a way to promote trade and investment. Since then, pilot FTZs have sprung up across the country. In all, 12 have been built or planned.

Ren said in 2019, the ministry will support Shanghai to boldly innovate in facilitating investment and trade.

The ministry will further reduce the negative list for foreign investment access in the pilot FTZs, and accelerate the further opening of key areas such as medical care and education, Ren said.

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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.North Central West Virginia Airport Director Rick Rock told the members of the Benedum Airport Authority Wednesday that he is in talks with SkyWest Airlines to add an additional flight to Washington, D.C. to the airports weekly schedule.You have permission to edit this article.

Edit CloseU.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va is a member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Appropriations.Business Editor Conor Griffith can be reached by at 304-395-3168 or by email at cgriffith@statejournal.comJake Jarvis can be reached by phone at 304-935-0144, on Twitter at @JakeJarvisWV or by email at jjarvis@statejournal.com.You must be logged in to react.

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Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Even on days that seem quiet, Israel and her people are still daily targets of terror. That becomes clear in this video by Boomerang and the good people at Arutz Sheva, who inform us of the 34 attacks carried out by terrorists in the past week alone:

How many terror attacks occurred in Israel this past week?

The Boomerang Weekly Terror Report detailed the daily terrorism Israeli citizens are forced to deal with on a daily basis. In a seven day period from January 7-17, Boomerang recorded 34 total attacks, including the fatal car accident that may have been caused by stone-throwing that killed Hadas Tapuhi this past week near Bet El.

Overall, there were 28 cases of stone-throwing, 5 fire bombings, and one stabbing attempt. Boomerang says that the figures presented in the weekly videos do not include reports of violence directed against the security forces, but only against civilians.

The figures are also on the low end due to the fact that the IDF and the Israel Police rarely report every case of violence against Israeli citizensJanuary 17, 2019 | By The Fellowship | Israel in the News

The U.S. military confirmed that four American soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing in northern Syria this week. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

Despite this most recent attack, the Trump administration is defending its proposed military pullout plan from Syria. Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that the withdrawal will be orderly and effective.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel has struck hundreds of Iranian targets in Syria, including an attack last weekend on a weapons depot near the Damascus airport.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also called out Iran for its aggression and warned the Iranians to remove their forces from Syria, or Israel will continue its attacks.

A group of Muslim protestors barricaded themselves inside the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount after they saw a Jewish police office on the Temple Mount wearing a traditional religious yarmulke.

The U.S. Congress recently passed a bipartisan Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act named after Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize-winner and Holocaust survivor. The legislation is aimed to improve the American response to threats of genocide around the world.

This weeks Israel in the News Perspective features The Fellowships Founder and President Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein on Martin Luther King Jr.s legacy.Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In .

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In.The Fairfield Inn being constructed at the former Grand Union lot is expected to open in late winter. The hotel was given an all-alcohol license for a small bar off the lobby.

Williamstown Encourages Short-Term Rental Owners to Register with State

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Town officials agree that they need to take no action at the local level in response to the commonwealth's new law on short-term rentals.

But they are urging local homeowners to register their properties with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Late last year, in response to the explosion in short-term rentals because of the success of online services like Airbnb and VRBO, the Legislature passed a regulatory regime that was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker.

Among other things, it makes short-term rentals subject to the same rooms and meals tax paid by hotels and motels.

"If you're under 14 cumulative nights [per year], you don't have to pay the tax, but, as of right now, you have to go through the registration process to prove you're not over 14 nights," Town Manager Jason Hoch told the Select Board at its Monday meeting.

Board member Hugh Daley started the discussion by asking Hoch whether the town needs to be looking at passing local ordinances as is being considered in other parts of the county.

"There is a ton of uncertainty about what ultimately will be able to be regulated, who regulates, what part of the building code applies and doesn't apply," Hoch said. "Part of this [state] regime may be challenged legally.

"My preference is to let those who feel most zealous be the test cases and let the dust settle. Rushing headlong into this two weeks into it without feeling the same feeling of crisis that other communities have may not make sense. We will respond based on what we learn."

Although local hoteliers have expressed frustration about the unfairness of a previously unlevel playing field, there have been no sustained calls for town action on Airbnb rentals. The short-term rental issue has most frequently been raised in the context of a Planning Board proposal to relax the town's rules on adding accessory dwelling units on private homes.

Town government may not perceive a "crisis" with the recent gain in popularity of short-term rentals, but officials are concerned that homeowners who offer their properties for vactioners do not run afoul of the law.

"I don't think our goal is to get people to stop leasing Airbnb rooms," Daley said. "We sometimes say around here that we need 1,000 rooms in the summer and a hundred rooms in the winter. You can't build a hotel economy around that.

"This Airbnb thing has solved some of that problem for us. To the degree we can help people do it legitimately and stay out of problems with taxing authorities, that's a good thing."

Select Board member Andy Hogeland agreed.

"The big issue right now is publicity," Hogeland said. "The short-term rental operators know who they are, but they may not know this is happening.  I'd support telling them that the registration is happening."

Hoch said the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce is talking about doing a workshop for homeowners who rent their properties to explain the new regulations.

"That's the most notable thing I think everyone today in Williamstown should think about: There is a new regime," Hoch said in a meeting telecast by the town's community access television station, WilliNet. "It shouldn't be onerous to go through it.

"We rely on those rooms in the summer. It's important to our economy that we maintain those. I'd be concerned if people get frustrated and say, 'It's not worth my while.' On the other hand, it brings people under the taxation regime everybody else is under."

One of the businesses already operating well under that regime was before the Select Board on Monday for an all-alcohol hotel license. Navin Shah, the manager of the soon-to-open Fairfield Inn on Main Street, applied for the license to operate a small bar at the property.

Shah, who was traveling out of the country, was represented at the public hearing by his attorney, Stephen Pagnotta of North Adams' Donovan, O'Connor & Dodig.

Pagnotta told the board that the hotel will have a breakfast area and bar totaling a little more than 1,000 square feet. There will be seating for 55 in the breakfast area and eight seats at the bar.

"We're anticipating serving travelers who are checking in and maybe want to have a drink in the evening," Pagnotta said. "We can't prohibit someone from outside coming in, but we're not going to be advertising for that."

Pagnotta said Shah hopes to have the hotel open at the end of February, adding, "but that might be a tad optimistic."

Shah was awarded the all-alcohol innkeeper's license; the board also approved an annual wine and malt restaurant license for 413 Bistro LLC, operating as Berkshire Palate, 240A Main St., with Zachary Brassard as manager. Brassard said the plan was to offer craft beers and high-end wines at the restaurant.

In other business on Monday, the Select Board unanimously approved a glowing annual evaluation for Hoch.

Chair Anne O'Connor composed the review, which was based on written feedback she received from her four colleagues, who in turn had interviewed members of town staff and stakeholders in the community.

"The Select Board is unanimous in giving Jason Hoch high marks," O'Connor said, reading from the letter that the board approved. "Key accomplishments include the shepherding of the new police station project, the support provided by Town Hall on behalf of the Mount Greylock Regional School building project, assistance in bringing Williamstown under the umbrella of the Northern Berkshire EMS Service, and bringing new energy to the town's relationship with the Fire District.

"Without seeking the spotlight, Mr. Hoch has been a reliable, accessible and level-headed resource for our community partners and he continues to nurture strong relations with neighboring communities."

O'Connor's letter specifically noted Hoch's "adroit management of the annual town budget" and ability to focus on big-picture goals.

Hoch, in turn, reflected praise back on the experienced staff at Town Hall.

"The town is blessed with an extraordinary staff," he said. "They give me the opportunity to pursue some of those bigger picture things."

One big-picture initiative on the launch pad in town is the creation of an ad hoc Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.

Following the model of the town's 2015 Economic Development Committee , the Select Board wants to appoint a seven-member panel to consider "opportunities for enhancement and potential expansion of recreational activities" in town and present a report by early 2020.

Hoch asked the board members to send him recommendations of potential appointees with the goal of having a slate of seven community members who have agreed to serve ready to appoint at the board's Jan. 28 meeting.GRAY, Ky. (WTVA) - A Ripley, Mississippi, man is wanted in Kentucky in connection to a fatal shooting.

The man is identified as Phillip Lee Lewis III, 24. He's wanted in Kentucky for murder and robbery.



Surveillance photos from A&B Quick Stop | Photo: Kentucky State Police Surveillance photos from A&B Quick Stop | Photo: Kentucky State Police

A&B Quick Stop | Photo: Kentucky State Police A&B Quick Stop | Photo: Kentucky State Police

The shooting happened in Knox County on Jan. 16 at the A&B Quick Stop sometime near midnight.

Kentucky state police said an unknown man entered the store and pointed a handgun at the clerk.

A bystander in the store attempted to flee from the store when the man fired multiple shots at the bystander.

The bystander, Gary Medlin, 25, of Barbourville, Kentucky, was shot and killed.

Police say the shooter then left the store.

State police say Lewis is also wanted in Mississippi for a probation violation. He also has ties to Michigan.COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - A retired pilot and airman had the chance to take to the skies once again in Columbus.

The first T-38 flew into the Columbus Air Force base 59 years ago and was flown by Lt. Col. James Cole, and on Wednesday he returned to fly the T-38 simulator.

The simulator itself is a mock-up of the aircraft's cockpit with identical instrument panels and controls.

"It's a premier thing of airplanes you could ever want to do," Cole said. "I can go as high as I ever wanted to go and as fast as I ever wanted to go."

Cole was born in Columbus, and he now lives in Texas.President Donald Trump responded Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's letter suggesting they reschedule his State of the Union address by informing Pelosi that an apparent trip she had planned to "Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed" while the government shutdown continues.

It was not immediately clear what trip Trump was referring to as Pelosi had yet to publicly announce a trip to those countries, or whether Trump has the authority to prevent the California Democrat from traveling abroad on government aircraft.

The White House released Trump's letter to Pelosi, a day after the House speaker had sent the President a letter suggesting they reschedule his planned State of the Union address scheduled for later this month until the government shutdown is resolved.

"Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed," Trump wrote Pelosi on Thursday. "We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over."The courageous strike initiated by 33,000 Los Angeles teachers has won popular support and inspired educators and other workers throughout the US and the world.

A recent poll conducted by Loyola Marymount University found that nearly 80 percent of Los Angeles residents support the strike, while a local ABC News polls found nearly three-quarters of respondents said teachers are not paid enough and that class sizes are too large.

Broad sections of the population identify with the strike because teachers are not just fighting for themselves. They are fighting to defend the right to quality public education. Workers from all walks of life are inspired to see teachers fight back against the corporate and financial forces that have also attacked their own jobs and living standards.

After the initial exhilaration of the first few days on strike, teachers on the picket lines and on social media are beginning to hold discussions on what strategy is needed to take forward this historic fight.

There are two diametrically opposed paths opening up. The first is advocated by the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and the national teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA). The unions insist Los Angeles teachers must fight this battle alone. They claim that picketing and protests, along with appeals to Mayor Garcetti and Governor Newsom, will force Superintendent Austin Beutner and the district authorities to back down.

This is a prescription for a disaster, which will inevitably lead to some rotten compromise that abandons the teachers demands for substantial increases in wages and school funding and an end to the expansion of charter schools. In fact, the UTLA withdrew the demands on charters and school privatization before the strike even began.

There is an alternative path. That is for teachers to form rank-and-file strike committees, independent of the UTLA and the Democratic Party politicians, to fight for an expansion of the strike throughout California and the entire country. Teachers in Oakland, who are facing the threatened closure of one-third of their schools, are organizing sickouts this Friday, independent of the union. Teachers in Denver, Colorado and Virginia are also preparing to strike.

Rank-and-file strike committees would call on workers to convert their support into active struggle by joining the picket lines to shut down all public and charter schools across the state. They would fight to unite LA teachers with every section of workers in struggle, from the federal workers being furloughed and facing payless paydays, to the General Motors workers fighting plant closures to prepare a general strike.

The logic of the struggle of teachers is bringing them into conflict with the capitalist system and the corporate and financial oligarchs who benefit from it.

While public schools and other essential services have been starved of resources, both corporate-controlled parties have found vast sums to stuff the pockets of the super-rich and to fund endless wars, bank bailouts and corporate tax cuts. California is one of the most unequal states in the US, home to the greatest number of billionaires and the highest poverty rate.

For decades, the unions have suppressed any resistance to the explosion of social inequality, saying that workers had no choice but to bow before the demands of the corporations and big business politicians for wage and benefit cuts and the gutting of essential services like public education.

But in 2018, the working class began to fight back, starting with the wave of teacher strikes in West Virginia and other US states and ending with the Yellow Vest protests in France. This has continued into 2019 with the two-day general strike by tens of millions of Indian workers, the wave of wildcat strikes by 70,000 maquiladora workers in Matamoros, Mexico and the Los Angeles teachers strike.

This eruption of the class struggle across the globe proves that the central division in society is not race, gender or sexual preference, but economic and social class.

Los Angeles teachers are in a life-and-death battle against the Democratic Party. Under Governor Jerry Brown, the number of charter schools in California rose to the highest in the nation (1,300), with over 240 in Los Angeles alone. Superintendent Austin Beutner is not only a former investment banker, he is a Democrat and a former official in the Clinton administration. During the last decade, the campaign by billionaire privatizers like Eli Broad was given a helpful hand by President Obama and his education secretary, Arne Duncan.

The new governor, Gavin Newsom, has insisted that he will continue to be fiscally prudent like his predecessor and has offered less than a pittance in new funding for public education.

UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl tells teachers they should be encouraged by the hollow statements of support from Mayor Eric Garcetti and Democratic presidential hopefuls like Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. The UTLA president is only trying to pull the wool over teachers eyes. The fact is the Democrats, no less than Trump and the Republicans, are the tools of Wall Street and enemies of public education and teachers.

The snake oil salesmen in the UTLA claim that they are fighting against the attack on public education even as they collaborate with the very forces responsible. The UTLA is beginning bargaining under the mediation of Garcetti today, and the unions hope to announce a rotten deal and wrap up the strike by the beginning of next week.

A real fight can be carried out only if teachers take the initiative into their own hands. In every school and communityin Los Angeles, Oakland and throughout the stateteachers should hold meetings to discuss and debate a real strategy to win. Rank-and-file strike committees should be elected to formulate real demands, including a 30 percent wage increase, a 25-student cap on class sizes, a vast expansion of funding and the immediate reconversion of charter schools into public schools.

Nowhere is the subordination of the social needs of the majority of the population to the profit interests of a tiny few more clearly demonstrated than in the assault on public education.

Los Angeles teachers have taken a powerful stand. The task now is to develop the organizational forms and political perspective to develop this struggle into a powerful counter-offensive of the entire working class against social inequality and the capitalist system that produces it.A devastating suicide bomb attack on a popular restaurant in the northern Syrian city of Manbij Wednesday killed at least 20 people, including four US personnel.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Pentagon confirmed the attack and US casualties, reporting that the dead included two US soldiers, a civilian Defense Department employee and a military contractor. Three other US personnel were wounded, one of them critically.

While initial reports suggested that the US personnel were conducting a routine patrol at the time of the bombing, apparently, they had routinely stopped to eat at the same restaurant, making them vulnerable to attack.

The bombing inflicted the worst losses suffered by US forces since they began their illegal intervention in Syria four years ago. Until now, just two American soldiers had been killed in combat and two others lost their lives in non-combat incidents.

The dead and wounded included civilians as well as members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the US proxy ground force that is comprised predominantly of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

The deaths of the US troops immediately became fodder for the bitter internecine conflict within Washington and the US military and intelligence apparatus over US President Donald Trumps announcement last month of his decision to withdraw all US troopsofficially numbering 2,200, but according to some reports, 4,000from Syria.

Both the US mediawhich led the nightly news with worried accounts highlighting the supposed dangers of a US withdrawaland leading political figures from both major parties rushed to exploit the bombing to oppose any end to the US intervention in Syria.

A clueless speech delivered Wednesday by Vice President Mike Pence before an audience of State Department personnel hailing the leadership of the commander in chief in defeating ISIS, while saying not a word about the casualties in Syria, only served to stoke the anti-withdrawal furor.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who had initially voiced strong opposition to Trumps Syria withdrawal plan and then claimed to have reached an understanding with the US presidentapparently reassured that it would not impinge upon US imperialisms predatory aims in the regionresponded to the casualties in Manbij by voicing new denunciations of the pullout.

"My concern, by the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we're fighting, Graham said Wednesday. You make people we're trying to help wonder about us. And as they get bolder, the people we're trying to help are going to get more uncertain. I saw this in Iraq. And I'm now seeing it in Syria.

Similarly, Senator Robert Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated: Today's bombing, which took place in a Syrian city patrolled by U.S.-backed forces, is a stark reminder that the Trump Administration needs a clearly developed and articulated strategy to secure the gains we have made in the fight against terror that includes those on the frontlines of this ongoing fight The United States must do more to work with our allies to develop a comprehensive approach that secures our long-term interests in the region.

These long-term interests have been pursued under successive administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, for decades. They are bound up with the assertion of US hegemony over the oil-rich Middle East and the rolling back of influence in the region by Iran, Russia and China. This, not ISIS, is the principal aim of Washingtons intervention in Syria.

The troop withdrawal announcement triggered the resignation of US Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis as well as Washingtons envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk, precisely because of concerns over these strategic interests.

Over the past week, top administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton have made it clear that Washington is by no means abandoning these interests and will not cease its intervention in Syria, no matter the troop withdrawal announcement.

In his speech in Cairo a week ago, Pompeo declared that the US would continue its intervention in Syria to expel every last Iranian boot. He insisted that the troop withdrawal was merely a tactical change and that the US would pursue its militarist campaign by other means. Bolton has voiced similar aims, as news reports have revealed his request from the Pentagon for plans for military strikes against Iran.

As for the troop withdrawal, no US soldiers have been pulled out of Syria and there is no timetable for their departure, with the Pentagon insisting that it will be based on conditions on the ground. At most, some of the vast amounts of military hardware brought into Syria has been shipped out, and a few of the dozens of bases established by the US military on Syrian territory have been evacuated.

Manbij, the site of the blast that killed the American soldiers, is becoming an increasingly volatile flashpoint in the protracted conflict resulting from the regime change operation launched by Washington and its regional allies in 2011 with the aim of using CIA-funded and armed Al Qaeda-connected militias to topple the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

While this effort failed, with Syrian government forces backed by Iran and Russia retaking 60 percent of the country and the vast majority of its major population centers, Washington has continued its intervention with the deployment of thousands of US special forces troops in northeastern Syria, ostensibly to combat ISIS, and the recruitment of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia as its proxy ground force.

With Trumps announcement of the US withdrawal, Turkey has threatened to intervene to drive out the Kurdish militia from Manbij, which is on the west bank of the Euphrates, as well as the rest of the Syrian-Turkish border area to the east. Ankara regards the YPG as a branch of the Turkish Kurdish separatist movement, the PKK, which it brands as terrorist and against which it has fought a bloody counterinsurgency campaign for the last 35 years.

Turkish troops and armor have been mobilized on the border, 20 miles north of Manbij, and fighters of a Turkish Islamist militia have been deployed near the city for a possible assault.

Trump issued a statement over the weekend warning that Turkey would face economic devastation if it were to attack the Pentagons Kurdish proxies.

While the Erdogan government condemned the statement, the Turkish president followed it up with a phone conversation with Trump on Monday, which apparently centered upon Trumps off-hand suggestion that a security zone could be set up, carving out a 20-mile swath of Syrian territory along the border with Turkey. Erdogan jumped on the proposal, insisting that Turkey could set up the zone.

The Syrian government denounced Turkeys proposal as the language of occupation and aggression.

The Kurdish YPG, meanwhile, has asked the Syrian government to intervene with its forces to protect against the threat of a Turkish invasion, and has initiated talks with Moscow on a proposal to reach an accommodation with Damascus.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared on Wednesday that the territories on Syrias northern border must be placed under control of the Syrian government. We are convinced that the best and only solution is the transfer of these territories under the control of the Syrian government, and of Syrian security forces and administrative structures, Lavrov said

The Manbij bombing and the conflicting interests of the US, Turkey and Russia expose the mounting dangers that Trumps proposed troop withdrawal has only laid the basis for the explosion of a wider and far more dangerous war in the region.Ironworker Brien Daunt was killed Saturday at the construction site of a new Amazon fulfillment center near Bakersfield, California. According to local news reports, the 45-year-old father leaves behind one daughter.

The information available regarding the circumstances of Daunts death is limited. It was reported that he fell from a structure just before 3:00 in the afternoon. He was a member of Ironworkers Local 433. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened an investigation, which could take up to six months.

The state agencys press release stated that it has opened an inspection to determine the cause of the incident and correct workplace safety hazards. Amazon has not made any official statement, and the incident has not been reported outside of local news.

Kern County Fire Department battalion chief Jason Schillinger was quoted by local news station KGET as remarking that a lot of workersare bummed out right now just because one of their own got killed today and so from a Kern County Fire Department standpoint we need to make sure we stay safe and individuals around us stay safe.

According to Bakersfield Now, Amazon has been gobbling up Bakersfield real estate. The fulfillment center under construction, when completed, will be a total of 2 million square feet and is expected to employ as many as 1,500 workers.

Bakersfield, located in the flat central valley north of Los Angeles, is an impoverished city of 380,000 with a local economy dominated by agriculture, livestock, and oil fields.

In 2016, the percentage of residents with income below the poverty level was 26.7 percent, compared to 19.1 percent statewide. The disability rate among poor males was 26 percent, compared with 16.2 percent statewide; for females, 24.5 percent compared with 18.6 percent statewide. The percentage of children below the poverty level was 26.4 percent, compared with 19.6 percent statewide. The city ranks among the worst in the country for air quality, and it has been afflicted by successive waves of opioid and methamphetamine addiction and overdoses.

The Bakersfield Police Department enjoys the distinction of having the highest rate of police killings per capita of the countrys 60 largest police departments. A 2017 report by the American Civil Liberties Union found a disturbing pattern of shootings, beatings and canine attacks by police and sheriff's deputies, beyond what was called for in numerous law enforcement situations, especially when dealing with unarmed individuals.

Amazon scours the world for vulnerable communities like Bakersfield, where it believes it can maximize the exploitation of the local workforce. In return for creating jobs in an economically devastated area, Amazon frequently demands immunity from regulations, free money in the form of tax exemptions, and other giveaways from local governments.

The jobs in Amazons fulfillment centers are notorious for their low wages and tyrannical working conditions. Workers are forbidden from talking, mobile phones are prohibited, and every second of a workers time is monitored to increase productivity.

Amazon was featured last year in an annual report by the National Council for Occupational Health and Safety (COSH): The Dirty Dozen 2018: Employers Who Put Workers and Communities at Risk. At the time of that report, seven workers had been killed at Amazon warehouses in the US since 2013, including three workers in a five-week span during the high-volume holiday peak season in the fall of 2017.

In September of last year, Amazon worker Mike Gellasch, 61, died of cardiac arrest at a fulfillment center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His death was the subject of an investigation by the local WSMV News-4 station, which revealed that company radios were not working, five minutes passed before emergency responders were called, and the 911 operator was inexplicably put on hold. A Murfreesboro worker interviewed by the International Amazon Workers Voice after the incident questioned the companys refusal to allow workers to carry mobile phones.

Two more Amazon workers were killed in November when a wall collapsed in Baltimore during a storm.

More than 5,000 deaths occur annually in the workplace in the US, in addition to 95,000 workers who die every year from various forms of workplace poisoning: cancers, respiratory and circulatory diseases and other illnesses associated with toxic working environments. Millions more are injured, maimed, or disabled at the workplace.

Referring to the most recent statistics on deaths due to acute workplace trauma, the COSH report states that almost all these deaths were preventable. Thousands of workers would still be alive and with their families today if their employers had followed well-established safety protocols to reduce the risk of injury, illness and death.On Sunday, the mayor of Gdansk and well-known opposition politician Pawe Adamowicz was stabbed multiple times on the stage of Polands largest charity event. He succumbed to his wounds in a hospital on Monday. The assassination, political responsibility for which lies squarely with the ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS), has sent shockwaves throughout Poland and has deepened the political crisis in the country.

The attack occurred in plain view before a large audience and was filmed. The assailant, armed with a six-inch knife (15 centimeters), stabbed Adamowicz on stage several times, including in the heart and stomach. After the stabbing, he grabbed the microphone and turned to the crowd, claiming that he had killed Adamowicz because he had been thrown in jail by the Civic Platform party (PO), to which Adamowicz had belonged until 2015. Thats why I killed Adamowicz, the assassin shouted. He was able to walk around on stage for about half a minute after the attack.

Eye-witnesses reported that he laughed and that there were no police present. The assailant was eventually detained by security guards and was later identified as 27-year-old Stefan W. According to official reports, he had a history of mental illness and violent assaults, and was just released from prison where he had spent five-and-a-half years for armed robbery.

The political conditions and climate for this brutal assassination by a mentally disturbed individual have been created through the year-long promotion of fascist forces and sentiments, including anti-Semitism, homophobia, racism and extreme nationalism and militarism, by the ruling PiS.

Adamowicz, the mayor of Gdansk since 1998, had been one of the most prominent targets of the campaign of PiS and openly far-right forces against opposition politicians.

Like most leading bourgeois politicians in contemporary Poland, Adamowicz began his political activities in the Solidarity movement of the 1980s, and was a leader of the student strikes in Gdansk in 1988/1989. A conservative-leaning politician for most of his life, and member of the liberal PO party until 2015, Adamowicz in recent years became one of the most outspoken critics of the anti-refugee and anti-Semitic sentiments fostered by the PiS government. He participated in an LGBT parade in Gdansk in 2018 and condemned anti-Semitic attacks on a local synagogue.

Adamowicz was also a prominent supporter of the European Union (EU) investigation into PiSs reforms of the judicial system, aimed at abolishing the separation of powers. Last year, when he was reelected as mayor, he was subject to a massive government-sponsored campaign that depicted him as corrupt.

In 2017, the far-right All Polish Youth included him on a published kill list of opposition politicians. On his fake death certificate, the All-Polish Youth indicated liberalism, multiculturalism, stupidity as his cause of death. A legal investigation into the death list was dropped by the state attorney. Even after his assassination, the far-right politician Grzegorz Braun, who is close to the fascist Oboz Radikalny Narodowy (ONR), described Adamowicz as a traitor to the nation. This kind of terminology has also been used routinely by PiS politicians to denounce the pro-EU opposition.

The call death to enemies of the fatherland and traitors to the nation featured prominently at the 2017 march of some 60,000 fascists in Warsaw, the largest fascist demonstration in Europe since the end of World War II. Last November, PiS officials and the Polish president Andrzej Duda marched alongside fascist forces, including the ONR and the All-Polish Youth, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Polish independence.

The liberal Gazeta Wyborcza wrote, Lets stop pretending now. Pawe Adamowicz was the most hated local politician by right-wing government propaganda. On the right-wing forums they didnt stop the hatred, even after his death.

The charity event where the attack occurred has also long been a target of the Polish far-right and PiS media. The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOSP) collects donations for medical equipment for Polish hospitals and is perceived by the Polish right as a secular rival organization to the Catholic-funded Caritas. It was founded and headed by Jerzy Owsiak, a popular radio host and critic of the PiS government, who has been attacked as a foreign agent, corrupt, and a German puppet by the right-wing media. Just days before the murder of Adamowicz, state TV broadcast a show that depicted Owsiak as a puppet of the Civic Platform and as collecting cash marked with the Star of David. Owsiak stepped down as head of the WOSP after the murder of Adamowicz.

Under these conditions, it was only a matter of time before this type of assassination would occur.

The murder of Adamowicz has shocked masses of people in Poland. Thousands have demonstrated in Gdansk and other cities, and many are expected for the funeral, which is scheduled for this Saturday. His coffin will be on display in Gdansk starting on Thursday.

While the demonstrations were held under the banners of love and against hatred and hate speech in politics, there is an acute awareness of the political responsibility of PiS and the far-right for the assassination. One resident of Gdansk who participated in a memorial meeting told the Guardian, If you watched our main government TV, you would see that for months there were programmes about how bad he is, how he lies, how he steals. They created a mood in which weak people, sick people, respond to this kind of atmosphere.

Most leading Polish news outlets described the assassination as a watershed in political life.

The murder has drawn comparisons with the assassination of the Polish President Gabriel Narutowicz in 1922 by Eligiusz Niewiadomski, a painter and former government official who was close to the far-right National Democratic Party, a predecessor of todays ONR. He was declared mentally ill, but also was idealized as a martyr by the far-right following Narutowiczs murder.

The assassination is set to further deepen the political crisis in Poland.

The response of PiS to the murder has been a mixture of desperate attempts to deny any political character to the assassination and calls for unity, on the one hand, and open disregard of even pro-forma expressions of sympathy for the victim, on the other. Most notably, Jarosaw Kaczynski, the head of PiS, demonstratively stayed away from a minute of silence for Adamowicz in the Polish Sejm (parliament) on Wednesday.

The conservative Rzeczpospolita has warned in a commentary that Adamowiczs murder has put PiS in a very difficult situation and that emotions in this matter are not on the side of the rulers.

The murder of Adamowicz in Poland is the result of a dangerous development which poses immediate threats to the working class. The rise of the far-right, which has created the conditions for this assassination, cannot be fought within the framework of bourgeois politics and the pro-EU opposition, led by the PO.

Behind the promotion of fascist forces and racism lies a fundamental reorientation of bourgeois politics amid a historic crisis of capitalism. In Poland, this shift is taking particularly sharp forms, as the bourgeoisie is preparing for a direct military conflict with Russia and an open confrontation with the working class with the full support of US imperialism. But the promotion of the far right and its integration into the state apparatus are not unique to Poland. Similar developments are taking place in neighboring Germany and internationally. This dangerous political climate can only be changed through an independent intervention of the working class in political life in Poland and across Europe on a socialist basis.As new manufacturing plants join the growing strike in Matamoros, Mexico, over 70,000 workers are confronting threats of mass firings and plant closures by the employers and advancing their fight against social inequality.

Amid a media blackout by Mexican and international outlets, the ruling class has demonstrated a profound fear that the rebellion by Matamoros sweatshop workers who produce auto parts and other goods supplying the main auto companies in North America, Europe and Asia will inspire workers to take up the same fight in the rest of the industrial belt along the US-Mexico border and spill over across the North American continent and beyond.

Over the weekend, workers affiliated to the Union of Laborers and Industrial Workers of the Maquiladora Industry (SJOIIM) decided in mass assemblies and discussions on social media to walk out in defiance of the trade union and the Matamoros government controlled by the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO).

The state and city governments and trade-union officials have taken over the bargaining for the companies, ordering the strike to end and defending the maneuvers by the companies to infringe the contracts and continue extracting massive profits from the super-exploitation of the Maquiladora workers, who make on average $9 a day.

At least five workers confirmed to the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter that the SJOIIM officials were intimidating workers with a shadowy statement by the Secretary of Labor of the state of Tamaulipas declaring the strikes illegal. Moreover, live feeds were shared online of workers denouncing officials of SITPME (known as the Mendoza union) for threatening layoffs and violence if workers joined the strike.

In response, increasing numbers of workers from both unions and other smaller ones have joined the strike, with many demanding that the trade unions get out.

A statement voted by striking workers at the Tridonex plant on Wednesday reads, Today, we have a unique chance that we will never have again. All workers disagree with the injustice sustained by the trade union and with the dues they take from us weekly. Today we can fight for a change, all of us together. Lets have no fear and not let them intimidate us.

Earlier this year, the AMLO administration and the employer organizations agreed to implement a 100 percent increase of the minimum wage at industrial cities along the US-Mexico border largely to feed illusions in the new government and ease class tensions. The negotiators felt at the time that trade unions and threats would suffice to force cuts to bonuses and other benefits in exchange for the raise.

When the strike began on Saturday, workers were initially demanding the 100 percent raise. In order to take up the demands and prevent the protests from escaping its control, the SJOIIM agreed to request companies a 20 percent raise and a bonus of 32,000 pesos (US$1,700).

Workers had organized a general assembly on social media for Wednesday afternoon to get rid of the union leadership and discuss how to continue the struggle once the deadline for paying the bonus expired according to the labor contract.

The companies have responded with escalating intimidation, making clear that they will not even consider the workers demands. On Tuesday, the main business chamber in Mexico COPARMEX (Employers Confederation of the Mexican Republic) threatened that if the strike continues, maquiladoras will look for other options with cheaper labor.

On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, dozens of workers at the Cepillos plant in Matamoros, some of whom had worked there for more than 20 years, were summarily fired for not agreeing to sign a 6 percent wage increase.

The SJOIIM then carried out a stunt before this assembly, filing a legal strike announcement requiring workers to wait 6 to 10 days before a strike can officially begin. To a question after a reporter whether a strike would actually begin, the widely loathed union leader Juan Villafuerte responded, I dont know.

Delegations of rank-and-file workers sent for this announcement then returned to their plants to inform the other strikers about the unions decision.

The union made the rounds for a work stoppage, but we dont trust the union because Mr. Juan Villafuerte is corrupt and, in fact, well ask for his resignation because we dont want him anymore. Well either put someone else or eliminate the union forever, an Autoliv worker named Mika told the WSWS.

With similar sentiments, workers soon began to march from the picket lines in the thousands to the central plaza in Matamoros ahead of their planned afternoon assembly. For most, the walk took more than one hour, and, in some cases, workers decided to leave, some to guard the plants to prevent closures by management.

Later in the afternoon, workers at the plaza began reporting threats of mass layoffs and that trucks had arrived at some plants to take the equipment away. Nevertheless, the thousands of workers who gathered at the assembly pledged to continue fighting and expand their strike. One popular slogan of the strike is, they can fire 10 or 20 of us but they cant fire all of us. Striking workers in Matamoros are setting a powerful example for workers across the border in the United States and beyond. Many have expressed their support for the Mexican workers struggle through the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter.

Workers in the US and Mexico should come together to fight for job security and good pay, said Steve, a Fiat-Chrysler worker in Belvidere, Illinois. Those people receive slave pay and deserve better. The reason most Mexicans try to cross the border is for a better-paying job and benefits for their families.

Similarly, Matamoros workers in contact with the WSWS have all expressed support for joining their struggle with their working-class brothers and sisters across North America. Expressing disgust over the announcement of mass layoffs and concessions against workers by GM in the US and Canada, Mika, the Autoliv worker, stated: I only have one thing left to tell those workers: do not to let the company do it. Fight until the end because we all deserve a decent living.

July, a striking worker at the Easy Way plant in Matamoros, called on workers across North America to unite and fight for what is right, nothing more than having a better future for our families. Together we can defeat all of those exploiters that have enriched themselves thanks to that enslavement that we live. In our case, we work more than 10 hours each day and Saturdays for a low salary that is not enough.

Whether it is in Mexico, the US, Canada or around the world, the decades of continued abuses and austerity overseen by bankrupt nationalist politicians and their union allies have demonstrated that workers can only defend their social and democratic rights by organizing independently of the trade unions and fighting to build an international political movement of the working class to expropriate the means of production of wealth controlled by the capitalist class and establish the United Socialist States of the Americas.

On February 9, at 2 p.m. autoworkers will demonstrate at GM world headquarters in Detroit, Michigan to oppose the job cuts and concessions announced by the auto and parts companies. Workers from across the world can follow and support this demonstration on Facebook here.The United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) announced Wednesday night that it would resume talks with the school district, under the mediation of citys Democratic mayor Eric Garcetti, in an effort to end the powerful walkout by 33,000 educators in the nations second largest school district. The mayor said he hopes talks would begin Thursday.

In a press conference yesterday morning, UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl told teachers they should be encouraged by the intervention of Garcetti and Governor Gavin Newsom although it is the state Democratic Party, which has been spearheading the attack on public education and teachers. Under Newsoms predecessor, Jerry Brown, California took the lead in the number of charter schools in the nation, with Los Angeles leading in the state.

On the first day of the strike, Garcetti said the two sides were close to an agreement but only had a some policy issues to confront on things like charters, on things like how is LAUSD [Los Angeles Unified School District] going to be reorganized under the new superintendent and what role will teachers play in that reorganization. It is clear, the UTLA has fully accepted Superintendent Austin Beutners plans to break up the vast school district in order to facilitate closing more schools and expanding for-profit charters, and is only concerned with preserving the institutional and financial interests of the union apparatus, including access to union dues from miserably exploited charter school teachers.

Last week, Caputo-Pearl announced that the union was dropping six of its demands, including those related to the growth of charter schools and onerous standardized testing requirements. The UTLA president has only opposed a growth of charters, saying, We dont need the grow-as-fast-as-you-can business model thats promoted by charter school billionaires.

In 2012, the Chicago Teacher Union (CTU) shut down a nine-day strike against Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel, paving the way for the closing of 50 public schools. In return, the CTU was given the franchise to unionize hundreds of charter school teachers.

In a Wednesday press conference, Beutner, encouraged by the capitulation of the union, once again claimed there was no money to provide teachers decent wages and conditions. If they can find a nickel, well give them a nickel. If they can find a dime, well give them a dime, the former investment banker arrogantly proclaimed.

While the UTLA was maneuvering behind the backs of teachers, tens of thousands marched on picket lines and joined six regional rallies on Wednesday despite a third day of unusually cold, rainy weather in Southern California. Reporters from the World Socialist Web Site discussed the plans by teachers in Oakland to organize sickouts Friday and the need for teachers to form rank-and-file committees, independent of the UTLA, to spread the strike across California and the US.

Melissa is a parent of both a first and fourth grader in the West Los Angeles area. Both she and her children attended a regional rally there.

What inspired me to come join the picket today was how amazing our teachers are and how hard they work. I feel like now is the time to make education a priority in LA, in the state and across the country. Im really hoping that this strike can spark something nationwide. Its about time we change how we think about education and how we prioritize education, and Im hoping this will spark a movement.

When she heard about the potential for Oakland to go on strike, she said, Thats great!

I think that we should partner up with the charter school teachers and put the pressure on education as a whole. I feel like theres a lot of in-fighting between charter schools and public schools, and we really need to unite.

Naz Somech and her son Eli also attended the rally. I definitely support a statewide strike and a nationwide strike. All the teachers have to get together from all the states. This is bigger than just LA. Theres Oakland and other states that are facing the same issues.

A lot of the 2020 Democratic nominees are using this strike in LA to boost their campaigns, which is just wrong. In California, were being tricked by the Democrats, its like a mind game.

A nurse with more than 10 years experience added, In LAUSD just for diabetic students we have 1,000 encounters a day that nurses have to deal with. We dont even have 500 nurses in the district so just scheduling that volume of support for that one section of students is difficult. You frequently have nurses leaving their campuses to help students at a different school.

If students have severe allergies and need epi-pens, they have to get a doctors note to keep the medicine at school. There was a student at a campus without a nurse who started having a reaction, so I sent over a box of epi-pens ASAP but had to send them with a non-medical employee. Out of the whole box they accidentally administered the training pen that didnt have any medicine.

Luckily I was able to follow close behind and was able to fix it and call 911. But if I had been delayed, the student could have died. I had to tell the students mom that she should keep her kid out of school until she had the order to keep an epi-pen on site.

Rosalyn is a science teacher at Emerson Middle School, a district-run charter school who attended the West Los Angeles rally with a coworker. Our classes are huge, we get a nurse once a day, there arent enough counselors and some math classes are up to 50 students, she said.

A coworker explained, The charters drive out all the students with major difficulties and then they try to tell us that these separate school systems are equal. Theyre turning education into a cottage industry so that they could make a profit. Its just like the prison system.

California is run by Democrats and we have the second biggest number of prisoners. Now they want to turn a profit off our students. Liberals serve business same as Republicans, just a slightly different way.

Her coworker agreed, Red flag, blue flag, it doesnt matter, for the politicians its all about the money.

At Eagle Rock High School near downtown Los Angeles, teachers and students on the picket line experienced a groundswell of public support. Cars passing by regularly honked their horns in support of teachers during the early morning, while numerous homes had signs in windows and on front lawns supporting teachers.

Dave, a counselor at Eagle Rock since 1995, said, We have such great parent support. Its very heartening also to see many of our students on the picket line here with us. Theyre learning a lot. They keep telling me, were part of history, were part of history.

The students arent simply out here because they like us, but because theyre experiencing many of the same issues themselves. The class sizes are just too big. I know one of our science teachers has 54 kids in one classroom, 56 kids in another. The fact is we want better conditions because its best for the kids. They want to learn, and they cant do that in an overcrowded classroom.

On the idea of expanding the strike, he said, That would be awesome. Ive read so many statements of support from teachers across the country. They wish us well and wish they could be out here with us. But yes, the more cities and districts are out, the more this struggle will grow. It will be a domino effect and real change will happen.

Sofia, Priscilla and Cecilia are all seniors at Eagle Rock High School. Priscilla said, Our classrooms are definitely overcrowded. Sometimes there are so many kids that the noise in the classroom prevents us from learning.

Our teachers come to school every day with a smile on their faces. They definitely deserve a pay raise. I totally support teachers from across the state and across the country standing up for what they believe in too. Teachers and students are all dealing with the same situations. Not just Los Angeles.

The World Socialist Web Site also received a statement of support from Michael Holmes, an English teacher at Fremont High School in Oakland, California. I stand in solidarity with the teachers in LA and their refusal to accept the narrative that California, a state that hosts over a hundred billionaire-residents, cannot depart from its pro-market, pro-capitalist stance long enough to fund an equitable public education for ALL its kids, and a living wage for ALL the people who work at the schools.

The issue exposes the fact that even a state with a Democratic Party supermajority in its legislature is far from compassionate, or just, in terms of supporting its youth and working class. CA ranks as one of the states that spends the least per student. LA teachers are standing up not just for a better deal in their district, but as a symbol of the need for a statewide and nationwide strike. No more passive acceptance of morally bankrupt state and national governance.

Steven Perez has taught at Emerson Middle School in West Los Angeles for 25 years. He said, Beutner denies that hes superintendent because he supports charterization, but everyone knows thats why hes there. His plan to create 32 networks and portfolios is designed to break up the school district and lay the basis to create more charter schools.

The billionaires want the charters because they know theres billions to be made for the tech companies, for the consultants, theyre getting tons of money out of that. But its not helping the schools or the students.

We absolutely support Oakland teachers. Its not just about this state, its across the country. Weve had some fairly successful strikes across the country recently, but people have to stand up and unite. The public is mostly on the teachers side, on the side of public education, because they realize what has happened in the last 15 years.

They say this is the new normal to have one counselor for hundreds of students, a nurse one day per week, etc., but I dont accept this. That would have been unheard of a couple decades ago, and were saying now that we dont accept it.Workers at Hutchison Ports container terminals in Sydney and Brisbane are set to begin limited industrial action today, opposing demands by the global stevedoring company for sweeping wage cuts and a further erosion of working conditions in a new enterprise agreement (EA).

Indicating widespread anger, 98 percent of workers who voted in a union-organised ballot on Monday registered their support for industrial action. Workers will impose overtime and other work bans.

The Construction Forestry Mining Energy and Maritime Union (CFMMEU), which covers the sites, has not announced any strikes, even though the ballot indicated support for rolling stoppages.

Hutchison made an exceptional circumstances application to the Fair Work Commission for the notice period on the industrial action to be extended from three to five days. This would have prevented any work bans this week. The pro-business industrial tribunal, established by the previous federal Labor government with the support of the unions, rejected the application yesterday.

There are indications that the ruling class is counting on the CFMMEU to contain the port workers. Articles in the corporate press have pointed to fears that the dispute could become a focal point for broader struggles of the working class, amid stagnant or declining wages and soaring living costs.

On Monday, the Australian noted that the action at Hutchison coincided with a strike by 100 casual coal miners in Wollongong, an industrial city south of Sydney. It cited James Pearson, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who warned of the CFMMEU flexing its industrial muscle to hold up ports and shut down mines.

In reality, the CFMMEU and its constituent unions, including the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), have functioned for decades as an industrial police force of governments and big business. The MUA cleared the way for Hutchisons latest sweeping attacks by enforcing hundreds of sackings throughout the stevedoring industry.

According to the union, Hutchison is demanding that workers accept pay cuts of up to 10 percent, followed by a wage freeze. Hourly rates could be reduced for workers at all wage levels, potentially costing some workers tens of thousands of dollars a year.

The company also wants cuts to parental leave and sick leave, a 2.5 percent reduction in superannuation payments and the abolition of full-time first aid positions.

Redundancy and long service leave payments would be slashed by half for most workers, the MUA has claimed. The union has stated that, taken together, these reductions would result in workers being up to 26 percent worse off in retirement.

The companys offensive is the latest stage in a cost-cutting offensive pursued by Hutchison since it began operations in Australia in 2013. There is intense competition in the globally-integrated and highly-automated stevedoring industry. Hutchison has previously posted substantial losses, including $50 million in 2017.

As it has in previous disputes, the union is seeking to limit and isolate the conflict. It has signalled its willingness already to end the limited bans. MUA assistant national secretary Warren Smith told the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday that the union was hopeful to remove the bans if the company withdrew some claims.

The union is reprising the role it played during a 2015 dispute at Hutchison. After the company sacked 97 wharfies and maintenance staff by text messages, workers launched a seven-day stoppage in Sydney and Brisbane.

The MUA isolated the strike, preventing it from spreading to other stevedoring companies, including Asciano and DP World. It ended the stoppage and re-entered closed-door negotiations with company.

The union sought to confine opposition among workers to an impotent community protest outside the gates of Hutchisons facilities, while production continued uninterrupted. In a bid to intimidate workers, MUA officials physically threatened Socialist Equality Party supporters who warned of the unions preparations for a sell-out.

The MUA enforced an enterprise agreement that provided for 65 job cuts through voluntary redundancies, a two-hour extension of the working week aimed at slashing overtime and take-home pay, and the expanded use of casual labour. Hutchison issued a statement thanking the union for delivering greatly enhanced flexibility.

In 2015, Smith declared: We can now move forward with Hutchison in a way that can underpin getting their business back on its feet. MUA officials have similarly stated, during the current dispute, that they are anxious to ensure the financial viability of Hutchisons operations.

The unions primary concern, along with preventing any genuine struggle of workers, is to ensure its own position at the negotiating table, where it bargains away the jobs, wages and conditions of the workers it falsely claims to represent, while ensuring the privileges of the union officialdom.

Some of Hutchisons latest demands, including for the removal of first aid officers and greater flexibility in workplace changes outside enterprise bargaining, threaten to undermine the unions position.

The MUAs falling membership, which compelled it to join the merged CFMMEU last year, reflects the fact that the union has enforced the destruction of most of the workforce it claims to protect.

The Waterside Workers Federation (WWF), the MUAs predecessor, enforced the Hawke Labor governments 198791 Waterfront Industry Reform, which eliminated 4,500 jobs.

One of the first actions of the MUA, formed through the amalgamation of the Seamens Union of Australia and the WWF, was to contain the 1998 struggle by port workers against sweeping attacks by stevedoring company Patrick. After ending protracted industrial action, the union forced through a sell-out deal that led to the destruction of 1,400 port jobs and a major expansion in the use of casual labour. This established a precedent for further union-enforced attacks.

The MUA and the CFMMEU collaborate closely with Labor, one of the two main big business parties. Underscoring the fraudulent character of their claims to be waging a struggle at Hutchison, MUA officials have declared that the dispute could become a poster child for Change the Rules.

Change the Rules is a cynical union advertising campaign, aimed at channelling widespread discontent among workers behind the election of yet another federal Labor government, which would intensify the onslaught on jobs, wages and conditions.

The record demonstrates that Hutchison workers can go forward only by breaking with the union and establishing new organisations of struggle, including independent rank-and-file committees. These would be tasked with ending the isolation imposed by the unions and coordinating industrial and political action by all port and stevedoring workers, along with other sections of the working class in Australia and internationally.

Above all, what is required is a new, socialist perspective, aimed at establishing a workers government that would place the ports, shipping and other basic industries, along with the banks, under public ownership and democratic workers control.Professor Peter Boghossian of the Philosophy Department at Portland State University (PSU) is at risk of losing his job due to the publishing of the so-called grievance studies hoax last fall. The articles he wrote with non-academic colleagues James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose were made-up, satirical pieces of research that mimicked the post-modernist language of critical race, gender and sexuality studies.

Eight of their hoax articles were accepted by journals, including a radical feminist edit of part of Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf and proposals to train men like dogs after observing rape culture in Portland dog parks.

An investigation by Portland State University found Boghossian to be in violation of academic ethics and standards of the Institutional Review Board. These bureaucratic mechanisms have been brought down on the scholar after months of backlash from dominant pseudo-left forces within academia, specifically from the humanities and social sciences. Boghossian awaits to hear what disciplinary action will be taken against him, which includes the possibility of losing his job.

Early this week, members of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at PSU distributed dozens of leaflets around the campus and spoke with students about the grievance studies hoax. Even though no tenured or adjunct faculty at PSU have come on record to defend Boghossian against retaliation, there exists a sentiment of support among students and staff who are disillusioned with identity politics.

Quinn, a pre-med student at PSU, heard about the Boghossian case recently. The dog-humping article and the fat body-building one were seriously funny, but it is also very serious. The Mein Kampf one is messed up. I dont like that, I dont think anyone should like that.

Its good to know that someone is taking a risk to reveal that problem, and clearly he is taking a risk because hes getting backlash from it.

I am super passionate about science and the defense of objective truth, Quinn said of the broader relevance of the hoax studies for the defense of scientific rigor. I want to go into research. I am sure I will be guilty of bringing biases into my work, as everyone is. But I want to do my best to keep biases and politics in general out of my research, because research should be more about seeing what is really out there rather than searching for data one wants to find.

Connor, an undergraduate in accounting, explained his experiences as a former student of Professor Boghossian. Peter tries not to be political, but to get to objective truth. He believes there is a right and a wrong that exist without a religious backing  And he doesnt come at you with an agenda, to make you believe his ways. Not that he doesnt have one, but he is aware that he has one.

We need people who are willing to kick the beehive, when something isnt working how it should be. Connor continued, It would make sense that institutions dont particularly like someone who is counter-institutional. Anyone critiquing a situation shouldnt get backlash. He hasnt hurt anybody. It does say something about PSU when they are going after Peter, of all people. We need black sheep at the universities, otherwise theres just a homogenous set of ideas.

Arthur, a tech worker at a firm near the university, said he was glad the study caused major shock waves.

If a study goes along with the ideology of the publication, then it can be accepted even if it isnt a valid study that develops our understanding of reality. We need to be scholarly and scientific in our work. As of late, there have been so many studies even on both sides of the political spectrum that arent very scholarly. Anyone who stands up to talk about these issues should not be silenced.

Ally, a communications major, explained, When we call out someone on their behavior without having an in-depth discussion about the ideas, whether theyre right or wrong, it undermines the freedom of expression and speech. Its interesting how Boghossian and the other two figured out how to get these articles submitted by masking false information in the right ideology and words. Academia should be more rigorous than that.

I think academia should be rigorous and held to high standards, and when it is found to have fallen from that, it is a problem that should be addressed, said Ben, an undergraduate studying computer science. He agreed with the assessment that more students are questioning the validity of postmodernist and subjective thinking because of the seriousness of the political situation. Thats really happening, and we should be focused on understanding politics.

An undergraduate student named Bethlehem said, He is the only professor Ive had that I disagreed with, but the way that he presented his reasoning, it was, like, undeniable. So I was still able to listen with open ears.

Speaking of the intense backlash he received for the hoax studies, she said, This is what goes down in philosophy, but thats one of the whole points of philosophy--to question and to search for truth. Bethlehem agreed that affluent and privileged sections of the middle class are the strongest proponents of subjective identity politics and the strongest opponents of Boghossian.

She stated that the fact that the hoax articles were published in journals makes me feel like my degree is so invalid. She hadnt read the anonymous letter from university faculty posted in The Vanguard, a student-run paper, that stated Boghossians work jeopardizes the students reputations, as their degrees in the process may become devalued.

Yousef, an undergraduate in Sociology, said, I really like the idea of someone challenging the semi-religious beliefs that self-titled liberals hold. I like the idea of putting it to the test, putting stress to it. The retaliation made me upset. There was an issue that was highlighted and PSUs response was that it would be too difficult to fix it, so they would rather embarrass and threaten him.

These are outright fear tactics, based on false information  That journals could accept Mein Kampf as intersectional feminism devalues my education so much more than someone exposing that could. He clarified, These political theories and social theories may have started in a good direction, but they went way past the original point. You can't play that card [of being oppressed] to subjugate someone else.

Kambetty said, I love this guy [Boghossian]. Hes my favorite teacher ever. His class was amazing. He wasnt afraid to bring up controversial topics. He wasnt afraid of taking risks and bringing in diversity.

Im not going to lie. My very first time at Portland State, I had to take a pop culture class and we had to write an essay on homoerotic relationships between Spock and Captain Kirk in Star Trek and learn about porn fan fiction. I was like, What is this school? The professor was from gender studies, which I dont have any issues with gender studies but just the way that its being taught. Its not doing the topic justice.

Boghossian was someone who could critique people like Judith Butler, someone who is really praised at this university. I just appreciated seeing those different views.

Nora, a Film major at the school, A lot of people support him. Its always important to critique things and ask questions ... It doesnt surprise me [that he faces retaliation], unfortunately. Portland specifically and PSU specifically has done some questionable things in the recent past, referring to the campus police shooting of Jason Washington.

Isaac, a Public Health major, said, Professor Boghossian is a genius. He is a bit abrasive, but he knows what he is talking about, and he is speaking of necessary things not just for students to know about the world and the complexities of society and sociology. But he also helps round people out, in a diligent and intelligent way. We need professors like him in schools across the country to make sure logic and intelligent thought is not lost in the angst of popular politics. We need people like him at PSU so that we can still pursue social justice, without following bandwagons and losing our minds to flights of fancy through our emotions.

He agreed that while the academics of the Frankfurt School, postmodernism and similar subjective schools of thought try to sound radical and even socialist, they dont even know what Marxism is.

All the good things in the world that good people are trying to push for, like social equality, need the type of objective and rational thought for it to be achieved. If its not intelligent thought, or not objective thought, its only going to give the upper-hand to the evil that uses intelligent and objective thought. You need to be able to confront the world with a solid head on your shoulders.The Toledo [Ohio] Museum of Art recently presented an exhibition featuring works by one of the leading Dutch painters of the 17th centuryFrans Hals Portraits: A Family Reunion.

The Dutch Golden Age produced a host of extraordinary artistic figures, including most prominently Rembrandt van Rijn (160669), Hals (c. 15821666) and Johannes Vermeer (16321675). Other brilliant painters, of everyday life, domestic and tavern scenes, of landscapes and seascapes, of still lifes and historical events, included Jan van Goyen (15961656), Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 16021670), Judith Leyster (c. 16091660), Adriaen van Ostade (16101685), Gerrit Dou (16131675), Gerard ter Borch (16171681), Jan Steen (c. 16261679), Jacob van Ruisdael (c. 16291682), Pieter de Hooch (16291684) and Nicolaes Maes (16341693).

The Hals exhibition will next run at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels from February 1 to May 19 and later at the Fondation Custodia, an art museum in Paris focusing on works by European old masters.

The exhibition was prompted by the Toledo museums acquisition in 2011 of Halss The Van Campen Family Portrait in a Landscape (c. 162325), along with the recent conservation work done on the Brussels museums Three Children of the Van Campen Family.

Remarkably, as the Toledo museum website explains, These two works [by Hals] originally formed one composition, separated for unknown reasons likely in the late 18th century or early 19th century. The exhibition reunites the sections of the Toledo/Brussels painting along with a third fragment from a private collection. In other words, this was the first time in some 200 years that three pieces of the original painting were present in the same location.

The curators also offered a proposed reconstruction of Halss complete painting as it might have looked when it was painted nearly four centuries ago.

Additional works by Hals were featured in Toledo, including Family Group in a Landscape (c. 164548) from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid; Family Group in a Landscape (c. 164750 ) from the National Gallery in London; Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen (c. 1622) from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and Portrait of a Dutch Family (mid-1630s) from the Cincinnati Art Museum. Also on display were Portrait of a Seated Man Holding a Hat and Portrait of a Seated Woman Holding a Fan (both c. 1650, from the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio).

A good portion of the catalogue published to accompany the exhibition is devoted to explaining the facts of the Van Campen family painting and proving that the three pieces belong together (along with other still unknown ones). The case seems convincing, but that is a matter for art historians and experts to debate and determine.

The Toledo exhibition was not large, nine paintings by Hals (including the three separate fragments), but the work was all beautiful.

Frans Hals was born in 1582 or 1583 to Adriana and Franchoys Hals in Antwerp, then in the Spanish Netherlands. Starting in the 1560s, the Seventeen Provinces, including present-day Netherlands and Belgium, had risen in revolt against the rule of Philip II of Spain, the Habsburg monarch. The struggle lasted for some 80 years. The Dutch uprising was bound up with the transition from feudalism to capitalism.

Antwerp became the capital of the Dutch revolt. However, the Spanish forces counter-attacked and their troops, under the Duke of Parma, laid siege to Antwerp in July 1584. The city surrendered in August 1585 to the Spanish, who gave the Protestant population four years to settle their affairs before leaving.

Halss parents apparently fled during the siege, some 110 miles, to Haarlem in the new Dutch Republic to the north, where the artist lived for the rest of his life. Hals apprenticed as a painter starting in 1603. In 1610, he registered with the St. Lucas Guild, which, as the museum catalogue explains, enabled him to establish his own workshop.

Hals married twice. He had three children with his first wife, Anneke Harmendr, only one of whom survived early childhood. Anneke died in 1615, and two years later Hals married Lysbeth Reyniersdr, who bore 11 children (four of whom became painters).

The painters naturalistic work fell largely from favor in the 18th century, as a tendency even in Holland toward more aristocratic and classicistic academicism took shape, and was only rediscovered in the second half of the 19th.

Hals is now widely admired. Critics, historians and museumgoers alike are impressed, in the words of one commentator, by his vigorous, slashing style. The painter is always amazing in fidelity, astounding in surety and vitality of draughtsmanship. Among the Dutch [Hals is] inferior in genius only to Rembrandt, [and] his influence was almost as far-reaching. (Blake-More Godwin, Catalogue of European Paintings, The Toledo Museum of Art)

Another study argues that in Halss portraits, the quick and decisive look of each stroke suggests spontaneity, the recording of one specific instant in the life of the sitter. The complete picture has the immediacy of a sketch. The impression of a race against time is, of course, deceptive. Hals spent hours, not minutes, on his canvases, but he maintains the illusion of having done it in the wink of an eye. (A Basic History of Art, H. W. and Anthony F. Janson)

Hals came to specialize in portraiture. The Toledo exhibition had several magnificent examples. Seated Man Holding a Hat and Seated Woman Holding a Fan (the subjects names are unknown) are assumed to be a newly married couple. Hals scholar Seymour Slive describes the pictures as among Halss most sympathetic portraits of a husband and wife. She in particular makes an impression, gazing at the viewer confidently.

The painter made a name for himself with his group portraits. Writing of the famed Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Civic Guard (1616, not in the exhibition), Lawrence W. Nichols, the Toledo museums senior curator of European and American painting and sculpture before 1900, notes that, in contrast to the stiff formality typical of the genre, Halss poses, gestures, and animated countenancesmany conveying engagement with one another, and others rendered as peering out at the beholderall induce the sense of being a firsthand witness to the actual gathering. A contemporary of Halss, the historian of Haarlem, wrote in 1648 that his paintings are imbued with such force and vitality that they seem to breathe and live.

In Halss first family group portrait, the work at the center of the Toledo-Brussels-Paris exhibitions, The Van Campen Family in a Landscape, the painter continuedNichols assertsto visually communicate a sense of immediacy  Moreover, he confronted the pressing challenge incumbent on a painter of group portraits of any category: how to capture individuality as well as the collective dynamic of the group and each individuals relationship to it. Van Campen, a cloth merchant, his wife and seven children are represented in one of three fragments; a second, narrower picture shows four children; and a third includes the head and torso of a boy (apparently another Van Campen son).

Nichols writes: Halss arrangement is nothing less than the visualization of a household jubilantly being togethertheir familial cohesion is rendered palpable and is the paintings very subject.  Gijsbert Claesz [van Campen] gazes out at the viewer as if to proudly present his progeny. Only the two babies  also engage us directly; all the others are involved in or reacting to the spectacle the painter has contrived.  Halss vivacious and animated portrait, with its expressive poses, gesticulating hands, and exuberant countenances, was ground-breaking.

One of the prominent features of the Family Group from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid is the presence of a black child. The catalogue notes that black youths made their appearance as servants in Flemish and Dutch portraits from the 1630s, not coincidentally after the Dutch West India Company was established in 1621 and took control of Dutch involvement in the Atlantic trade of enslaved Africans. The individual in the present work is as much a specific personality as the rest of the family. That Hals represented him with such dignity and humanity, in conjunction with his relatively substantial wardrobe  suggests that he may have been of high birth, perhaps someone from West Africa who came to Holland for his education or part of a trade delegation.

A painting that deserves its own essay is Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen, described as an unmitigated standout in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Mariet Westermann (A Worldly ArtThe Dutch Republic 15851718) argues that there are no direct Dutch precedents for this double portrait.

Massa and Beatrix lean back against a tree or an embankment. He smiles at the viewer. Beside him to the right, as a 1910 catalogue of Halss works described it, sits a woman, bending slightly forward, with her head turned three-quarters left. She smiles rather slyly at the spectator.

Again, Hals is a pioneer in presenting human relationships in a flexible and informal manner. The famed Rijksmuseum observes that the happy, smiling pair sits comfortably close to each other. Posing a couple together in this way was highly unusual at the time.

We know something about Massa, born into a wealthy silk merchants family and sent to Moscow at 15 to assist the family trade, including the fact that Hals painted him several times. Massa also served as a witness at the baptism of one of Halss daughters. They presumably were friends.

Massa, an intriguing figure, belongs to the epoch when the bourgeoisie, in its ascendancy, played a revolutionary role. The Toledo museum catalogue describes him as a polymath of sorts. According to historian G. W. van der Meiden, Massa played a prominent part in the beginnings of diplomatic contact between Russia and the Netherlands. He was a many-sided intellect  Thanks to his eye-witness report on the Time of Troubles he is well-known in Russian historiography. (Isaac Massa and the Beginnings of Dutch-Russian Relations)

Massa authored a famed Short Narrative on the events of the Time of Troubles (15981613), a period of civil war in Russia, which ended with the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty. He also was an eye-witness to the terrible famine of 160103, which is estimated to have killed one third of the Russian population. Massa extensively describes the suffering. At one point in his Narrative, he writes that Heaven inflicted on the whole country of Muscovy scarcity and famine of which history records no similar examples.

Massa also published five maps of Russia, including an effort to render the Siberian coast. Van der Meiden writes that Massa learnt Russian and that, although he had received very little formal education, his curiosity was insatiable.

The same, of course, could be said about Hals himself.

In 1626, Hals painted a portrait of Massa leaning over the back of a chair toward the viewer in an astonishingly informal and intimate pose. The critic John Berger (Hals and Bankruptcy in About Looking ) asserted that Massas expression is another one that Hals was the first to record. It is the look of a man who does not believe in the life he witnesses, yet can see no alternative. He has considered, quite impersonally, the possibility that life may be absurd. He is by no means desperate. He is interested. But his intelligence isolates him from the current purpose of men and the supposed purpose of God. This appears generally legitimate considering what we know of Massas life and some of the terrible things he had seen. Berger, in the same essay, also claimed that no one before Hals painted portraits of greater dignity and greater sympathy.

Writing of the larger trend, art historian Arnold Hauser (in The Social History of Art, Volume II) observed that Dutch art owes its middle-class character, above all, to the fact that it ceases to be tied to the Church.  Representations of real everyday life are the most popular of all: the picture of manners, the portrait, the landscape, the still life, interiors and architectural views. Such motifs acquire an autonomous value of their own; the artist no longer needs an excuse to portray them.  It is as if this reality were being discovered, taken possession of and settled down in for the first time.

The bourgeois conditions of life did not make things easy for the Dutch painters, who were free of noble and Church patronage and thrown on the marketplace. The resulting state of artistic production, wrote Hauser, allowed the boom on the art market to degenerate into a state of fierce competition, to which the most individual and most original talents fall victim. There were artists living in cramped circumstances in earlier times, but there were none in actual want. The Dutch artists financial troubles are a concomitant of that economic freedom and anarchy in the realm of art, which now comes on the scene for the first time and still controls the art market today. Here are the beginnings, too, of the social uprooting of the artist and the uncertainty of his existence.

Hals went bankrupt in 1652. Rembrandt was effectively declared bankrupt in 1656. Vermeer left his wife in debt at the time of his early death in 1675. She wrote in a petition that during the ruinous Franco-Dutch War (167278), her husband not only was unable to sell any of his art but also, to his great detriment, was left sitting with the paintings of other masters that he was dealing in.

Every opportunity should be taken to see the work of Hals and the other Dutch painters.A US district court judge Tuesday denied requests to put an end to the compulsory unpaid labor of workers affected by the partial government shutdown. At least 420,000 federal employees have been required to work, despite the lack of funding for multiple government agencies since December 22. Another 380,000 have been furloughed. All 800,000 have missed paychecks.

Judge Richard Leon declared in his ruling that meeting the most basic demand of workersto be compensated for their laborwould be profoundly irresponsible. He continued, at best it would create chaos, at worst it could be catastrophic... I'm not going to put people's lives at risk.

Yet that is precisely what the shutdown has meant for many federal employees and contractors, as well as those who depend on services provided by furloughed workers. As the 26-day shutdown drags on, workers are being forced to skip meals, to ration medical care, to choose which necessities to pay for and which to forgo.

Arguing the case on behalf of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Molly Elkin said Tuesday, We need you, judge, to give this workforce hope that at least one branch of the American government has their back. Leon did not oblige.

Under conditions where President Donald Trump has warned that the shutdown could go on for months or years, the ruling is a sharp rebuke of constitutional norms embodied in the 13th amendment, which prohibits slavery and indentured servitude.

The court heard arguments Tuesday from three consolidated lawsuits brought by trade unions and a group of employees.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which covers parts of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several other agencies impacted by the shutdown, asked the judge for a restraining order to prevent the executive branch from obligating funds for work performed that has not been appropriated by Congress. They argued that the Anti-deficiency Act, which authorizes such spending obligations during a shutdown, violates the appropriations clause of the Constitution. In making its arguments, NTEU lawyers also requested a stay of its own proposal for three days to allow President Trump and Congress to agree on a deal.

NATCA, which formed after the decertification of PATCO in the wake of the defeated 1981 strike, argued that the forced unpaid work violated the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, depriving employees of their pay without due process. They are seeking to compel payment of air traffic controllers through Department of Treasury funds not impacted by the shutdown.

Since the shutdown began, NATCA has pushed for a narrow fix to ensure air traffic controllers are paid, regardless of what happens to other federal employees, contractors and the public.

The third argument heard Tuesday involved a group of unnamed employees suing under the 13th amendment. The recognition that compulsory work with pay indefinitely delayed is tantamount to modern slavery has become common in federal workplaces and on social media. The plaintiffs asked for an injunction to allow workers to determine for themselves whether they perform unpaid work.

Judge Leon denied all these requests for immediate action.

Nevertheless, the unions continued to promote illusions in the viability of the court system to defend workers rights. Obviously were disappointed that the judge was unwilling to enter the relief we requested, Michael Kator, an attorney for the plaintiffs said, but he expressed a willingness to consider our arguments.

The next court date is not scheduled until January 31, which would be the 40th day of the shutdown. A final decision could be months away.

A separate suit by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest of the federal unions involved in the shutdown, is seeking back pay and damages for workers required to report during the shutdown. This lawsuit, not heard Tuesday, is even more unlikely to result in immediate relief. More than 25,000 employees are still awaiting damages from a favorable ruling related to the 16-day shutdown in 2013.

For federal workers, the majority of whom live paycheck to paycheck, waiting for the resolution to these cases is untenable.

Meanwhile federal agencies are moving forward with plans to force additional workers into unpaid labor. The IRS is recalling much of its workforce, up to 46,000 employees, to process tax returns. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to require 2,200 safety inspectors to report this week. The Food and Drug Administration also recently ordered 500 back to work.

The longer the shutdown goes on, the more evidence emerges that a significant section of the ruling class favors its continuation in order to advance a far-reaching restructuring of the public sector workforce and the services provided by the federal government. On Monday President Trump shared on Twitter an op-ed from the extreme right-wing Daily Caller advocating using the shutdown to gut federal agencies. Furloughed employees should find other work, never return and not be paid, the author, who claimed to be an anonymous senior administration official, wrote.

Hardship will undoubtedly prompt many of those eligible for retirement to do so. Others who are unable or unwilling to endure the uncertainty of when the next paycheck will arrive will simply quit. Reports have already emerged that some Transportation Security Administration screeners, among the lowest-paid of all federal workers, have been begun to seek other work.

The strategy of the trade unions was articulated by NTEU president Tony Reardon in a statement prior to the Judge Leons ruling. Weve asked our elected officials to end this disaster, he said. Now we are asking a federal judge.

While limply appealing to Congress and the courts, the unions are consciously working to isolate federal workers, including the 30,000 educators currently on strike in Los Angeles, and prevent any outbreaks of coordinated labor action. The unions have deemed impermissible any rejection by workers of the reactionary Taft-Hartley law, which outlawed strikes by federal workers. They hold up the PATCO strike as a lesson in what happens to those who dare to fight back.

In reality, the PATCO strike marked a transition in class relations, in which the ruling class rejected a previous policy of class compromise and began a sharp and sustained attack on the gains of the working class. It posed concretely the need to mobilize other sections of labor in a joint counteroffensive. The AFL-CIO bureaucracy, however, rejected this and became fully complicit with the Reagan administration in sabotaging the struggle of PATCO strikers.

Twenty-eight years later, AFGE, NTEU and NATCA are hostile to any effort of workers to exert their own power, let alone link all sections of workers in a common struggle. TSA workers, air traffic controllers and others could bring the shutdown to a head by closing down air traffic and other vital economic functions.

However, such a struggle can only succeed if workers recognize the necessity to break from illusions in both political parties, the courts and the trap of the trade unions, which are integrated fully into the Democratic Party apparatus. Workers true allies are the striking Los Angeles teachers and other public and private sector workers who have endured a relentless attack on their living standards.According to an analysis of election data conducted by the Financial Times (FT), Martin Fayulu was the clear winner of the December 30 presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) declared Felix Tshisekedi the victor. The analysis has uncovered widespread irregularities and fraud in the vote tally and could potentially annul the election.

FT conducted analyses of two separate voting data collections it obtained from an anonymous source, representing 86 per cent of the total votes cast, and found that in both cases Martin Fayulu won 59.4 per cent of the total vote, a sweeping victory over that of officially declared winner Felix Tshisekedi, who took 19 per cent of the vote.

Notably, the conclusion reached by the FTs analysis of the data corresponds almost perfectly to the figures determined by the Episcopal Conference of Bishops in the Congo (CENCO), the Catholic Church group who placed more than 40,000 election observers at polling stations around the country during the election. CENCOs conclusion, utilizing results gathered from 28,733 polling stations points remarkably close to the conclusion reached by the far more extensive analysis of the official tally studied by the FT.

The extensive set of data that FT studied consists of more than 49,000 records and reveals a clear case of massive electoral fraud. The records, given to FT by an anonymous source with direct knowledge of how the voting data was obtained, contain the true results that were tallied electronically that authorities in the Kabila government sought to conceal.

With the analysis of the true voting records, FT has exposed as fraudulent the results declaring Tshisekedi the victor.

Jason Stearns, director of New York-based think tank, Congo Research Group at the Center on International Cooperation, told FT incredulously, It is extremely difficult to believe . . . that tens of thousands of lines of data could have been fabricated on short notice to produce these results without signs of tampering. This highlights the need for a full, scrupulous audit of the election tallies.

Kabila government adviser Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi denied that elections results were fraudulent, stating it would be up to the Constitutional Court to decide the validity of the election. Karubi declined to speak in any detail regarding any potential election fraud exposed by FT.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Martin Fayulu delivered their appeal to Congos Constitutional Court, asking the court to order a complete recount of the election tally, telling the nine-judge panel, We ask for a recount of the votes from all candidates, polling station by polling station.

Opposing Fayulus appeal were lawyers for Tshisekedis Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party, who requested the court deny Fayulus appeal, stating there was not enough evidence to justify a recount.

For its part, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an organization of southern and central African countries with the aim of promoting economic development across its member states, which includes the Congo, have made plans to convene an emergency meeting today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Last week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, representing the South African SADC delegation, together with President Edgar Lungu of the Zambian delegation, proposed, then withdrew, a deal for a power-sharing agreement between the Tshisekedi and Fayulu factions. In light of the Financial Times investigation, the SADC has now called for a recount.

The explosive revelation of electoral fraud committed by the Kabila regime has caused no small amount of worry for Washington and Europe, who fear a social explosion from the Congolese masses and the outbreak of violence that erupts beyond their control, in turn disrupting American and European economic interests in the country.

Anticipating social unrest, the Trump administration deployed 80 troops to nearby Gabon earlier this month to protect US interests in the Congo from political turmoil arising from the disputed election and promised the deployment of more troops if necessary.

With their typical cynicism and hypocrisy, the United Nations Security Council responded to the election dispute by stating that it welcomed the peaceful holding of the elections, and urged all sides to preserve the generally peaceful climate.

Exposing the hypocritical pretensions to peace by the UN Security Council is the fact that the election was conducted amid heavy-handed police repression, with scores of reports of vote buying, ballot box stuffing, and police intimidation and violence. Internet access across Congo was cut on the order of the Kabila government before the poll on December 30, an edict that remains in effect more than three weeks later.

Underscoring the profit interests at stake in the disputed election is the fact that the Congo possesses vast economic resources, including 60 per cent of the worlds cobalt, used in the manufacture of electronic devices, such as batteries for use in smart phones and laptop computers. The country is also home to significant deposits of diamonds and gold and is Africas largest copper producer.

The Congo is one of the most socially unequal countries on earth, ruled by a corrupt clique in Kinshasa, who have become obscenely wealthy by carving up the economic spoils of the Congo on behalf of international banks and corporations. This social crime has been carried out at the expense of the Congolese masses, who suffer impoverished conditions and generalized social misery.

For its part, Washington is seeking to offset its declining economic position by utilizing its vast military might. Primary to American aims in Africa is the neutralization of China, and to halt Beijings vast economic influence on the continent. To achieve this, the Pentagon has vastly expanded AFRICOMs reach and influence, with outposts in nearly every corner of the African continent, including the construction of a massive drone base in Agadez, Niger.The far-right Professor Jorg Baberowski has once again insulted and threatened students of Humboldt University. On Twitter and Facebook, Baberowski is inciting his right-wing extremist milieu against student representatives and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) club.

On Sunday, Baberowski published a Facebook post of a photo of a statement by the IYSSE at Humboldt. The IYSSE statement had examined Baberowskis plans to establish a new research center on dictatorships as alternative orders. Baberowskis post states: At Humboldt University, the Stalinists are allowed to do what they like and nobody stops them. Who will put a stop to these criminals? On Twitter, he added: These madmen belong in the asylum!

As someone who studies Stalinism, and who glorified Stalin and Pol Pot while a member of the Maoist KBW in his youth, Baberowski knows that tens of thousands of Trotskyists perished in the struggle against it. The fact that he insults the Trotskyist IYSSE as Stalinist only demonstrates the slanderous methods that Baberowski employs to suppress any criticism of his right-wing extremist agenda.

Even a student representative in the Academic Senate at Humboldt, who himself is not an IYSSE member, is denounced by Baberowski as brainsick and a left-wing extremist because he published excerpts from Baberowksis application for his research center that were already publicly available.

His tirades against students are not new, but they are becoming ever-more aggressive. On November 27, he posted a tweet in advance of an IYSSE meeting to introduce the recently-published book, Why are they back? [Warum sind sie wieder da?]. The book examines the rise of the far-right extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the return of fascistic tendencies in Germany.

The IYSSE are criminal, violent and vicious, Baberowski tweeted, and, their leader is a psychopath. On his Facebook page, he wrote: Not only are criminal Stalinists allowed to perform their hate speech at Humboldt University. They can even do it in the best auditoriums at the best times. The university bureau is silent and refuses to defend professors who are persecuted by these criminals.

After Baberowski made these threats, twenty members of the AfD, its youth organization Young Alternative (JA) and other right-wing groups came to the IYSSE meeting. They sought to disrupt the lecture with shouts and heckling and tried to sing the German national anthem. They refused to leave when requested to do so, and instead photographed other attendees and threatened them.

On December 13, the student parliament condemned this assault in the strongest terms. By attempting to disrupt a student event, right-wing extremists had escalated their attacks on critical and anti-racist students. More threats are coming. It is the duty and responsibility of the university administration to call Baberowski to order and protect students and clubs at Humboldt University from the provocations and attacks of right-wing extremists.NASHVILLE (WSMV) - Speeding in school zones is a growing problem all across Nashville.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, 493 tickets have been issued for speeding in a school zone just this school year alone.

Every morning at West End Middle School, police officers pull over 10 to 15 drivers in the span of just one hour for speeding in an active school zone. Concerned parents say they've witnessed children almost get hit because drivers aren't paying attention to signs and crosswalks.

There is just one crossing guard assigned to the school, but since the school is so large, there is a whole side of the school that doesn't get assistance.

After complaints from parents, MNPD has sent out officers on motorcycles to curb the issue a few times a week.

However, parents say that's not enough.

"You can see they're pulling over people left and right, which means the problem itself isn't getting fixed," said Lucas Leverett, a community activist whose child attends West End Middle School.

Leverett has witnessed multiple reckless driving incidents since school has started back.

"We do all these other things and spend all kinds of money to keep our kids safe. It doesn't take a school shooting, it doesn't take a playground accident, it takes just one distracted driver, who didn't mean to, to cause a tragic accident in an area that's under-served," Leverett said.

Police officers who patrol the area say one of the biggest problem spots in town is the school zone on Bowling Avenue just off of West End Avenue. They think drivers would slow down sooner if the school zone was expanded a little further. They also say adding an extra crossing guard and signage reminding drivers to stay off their cellphones would help. However, all of those solutions would cost the city a lot of money.

Tennessee state law says that the maximum speed limit in a school zone is 15 mph. A ticket could result in a $200 fine and a mandatory court appearance. It's also illegal to be on a cellphone in an active school zone. Drivers must use a hands-free device or Bluetooth.Como parte de un creciente grupo de escritores latinos que estan hablando, los empleados dicen que el proyecto llego con un presupuesto bajo, un salario pobre y un horario brutal.Former teacher Tad Cummins was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 20 years in prison for the cross-country trip he took with a then-15-year-old Maury County high school student.

Cummins had earlier entered a plea of guilty on two counts of transporting a minor for sex and destroying evidence for destroying both of their cell phones.

Tad Cummins court sketch - 1/16/19 Tad Cummins, center, appears for sentencing in federal court on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. (Sketch by Mike Sowers)

Tad Cummins court sketch - 1/16/19 Tad Cummins sits in court during sentencing in federal court on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. (Sketch by Mike Sowers)

Cummins admitted he took the student on the trip that began March 13, 2017, spending 39 days on the run. Along the way, they stole license plates in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Utah, Nevada and Oklahoma to avoid being caught. The two bought a kayak in an attempt to paddle from California to Mexico but the water was too rough.

Cummins and the victim went from hotel to hotel. Prosecutors said she was sexually-abused over and over again.

Disturbing new details were released during sentencing on Wednesday.

Prosecutors painted the picture of Cummins as a classic groomer. He had a bed in his classroom and gave female students back rubs. He also told students he was in the CIA, had a lot of money, and that he had guns at the school.

The victim had been abused long before the incident.

Prosecutors said Cummins knew that the victim in this case had been sexually abused as a young child and knew she was suicidal which were some of the reasons he chose her.

They also said they interviewed a possible second victim, another one of Cummins' former students who said Cummins had also touched her inappropriately.

Investigators eventually found Cummins and the girl in California five weeks after they disappeared living in a cabin on a commune. It was then Cummins admitted to having sex with the teen several times.

Cummins was originally supposed to be sentenced back in September. Since he was sentenced in federal court, Cummins will have to serve all 20 years of his sentence with no possibility of parole.

In addition, the victim's family has filed a civil suit against Cummins and Maury County School District saying the school didn't do enough to protect the victim. Stick with News4 for updates on that case.JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaskas population has declined for a second consecutive year, dropping by 1,608 people to a total of 736,239, according to a state report.

A report released Thursday by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows 7,577 residents left as Alaska gained 5,969 people from July 2017 to July 2018, the Juneau Empire reported .

Some residents left to pursue job opportunities outside the state as unemployment rates in the state have consistently topped 6 percent in the last two years. Alaska has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 6.3 percent...Nicaraguan people are people from Nicaragua, a Central American nation. The country is flanked by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and is bordered by Honduras and Costa Rica to the northwest and south respectively. Managua is the largest city as well as the country's capital. The population of Nicaragua is 6,167,237 as of the 2012 census. Their official language of the country is Spanish. Below is a brief description of the largest ethnic groups of Nicaragua.

Ethnic Groups of Nicaragua

Mestizo

The term Mestizo is a Spanish word that has traditionally been used by both the Philippines and the Latin Americans to refer to descendants of both the Native Americans and the Caucasoid. The people of the Mestizo are described as a mixture of the Native Americans and the Whites, which make up of approximately 69% of the Nicaraguan population. Majority of these people practice Christianity as their primary religion.

White

The whites are the second largest ethnic group among the people of Nicaragua after the Mestizo. They constitute 24% of the total population of the Nicaraguans. Together with the Mestizo, the whites are mainly living in the western region of Nicaragua. A majority of this ethnic group is composed of the Spanish, Germans, Portuguese, and the French.

Black

The blacks comprise 9% of the people of Nicaragua. They are sometimes referred to as the Afro-Nicaraguan, and they are mostly found in the Caribbean coast. The blacks have been classified among the Creoles who do not consider themselves as an ethnic group among the people of Nicaragua. The Creoles are said to have come up during the colonial period and are described as a mixture of Europeans and non-Europeans. Most of the Creoles are from Jamaica as the British brought them as laborers during the colonial era.

Native American

It is estimated that the Native Americans comprise only 5% of the total population of the Nicaraguans. The Native Americans are the indigenous inhabitants of the Nicaragua country. The pre-Colombian population of Nicaraguas is made up of various indigenous groups, which form the Native Americans. This group of people existed in this country long before colonization. Besides, they are found in some parts of Nicaragua such as in the Western region where they are referred to as the Pipil-Nicaraos. The Mestizo assimilated the Native Americans in the nineteenth century since the latter was the majority population.

Population of Nicaragua

The population of Nicaragua has undergone considerable changes due to the high number of immigrants. In the nineteenth century, this country received immigrants from Europe who played a significant role in the establishment of sugar plantations and banks. The population of this country has also been affected by emigration. For instance, during the Nicaraguan Revolution, thousands of the people fled the country. The Mitch Hurricane is also said to have made many Nicaraguans to flee this country and be refugees in countries such as the United States.The Republic of Ireland is a Western European nation that has one of the best-developed economies globally. The World Bank estimated that in 2018, the Irish GDP was the 42nd highest in the world at $385 billion while its per capita GDP was the 4th highest in the world at $80,641. Most economists, however, do not consider the Irish GDP to be an accurate depiction of the country's economy because the country is considered a tax haven by several international companies. To get an accurate picture of the Irish economy, the Central Bank of Ireland established the Irish Modified Gross National Income. The Irish economy is dependent on several natural resources such as arable land, minerals, and the country's beautiful scenery.

Ireland's Natural Resources

Arable Land

One of Ireland's most important natural resources is arable land, which according to the World Bank, made up roughly 15% of the country's land area. During much of the 20th century, the agricultural sector was one of Ireland's most important industries; however, the government's economic policies shifted the country's economy from being dependent on agriculture to being reliant on other sectors. In 2013, the agriculture sector contributed roughly 1.6% of the country's GDP. The Irish labor department estimated that in 2013, the agriculture sector employed 5% of the Irish workforce. Irish farmers grow a wide variety of crops such as barley and potatoes. The Irish agriculture sector faces numerous challenges with some of the most significant ones being the fluctuation in the price of global agricultural products and global warming. Despite the challenges that the Irish agricultural industry faces, it has the potential to achieve tremendous growth. The government of Ireland has encouraged farmers to improve the country's agricultural sector for the country to achieve food security.

Livestock

Livestock is also one of the most critical natural resources in Ireland. Since ancient times, Irish farmers have kept different animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Irish farmers also keep a variety of poultry such as chickens and ducks. In the modern era, livestock keeping is still one of the important industries in Ireland, particularly in the country's rural areas. The livestock is mainly kept to satisfy the local demand for livestock products such as meat, milk, and wool; however, some are sold to other nations particularly the Members of the EU. Irish livestock farmers face several challenges with the most significant one being pests and diseases that reduce the quality of the country's livestock. To combat the challenges, the Irish government has provided veterinary services for the country's livestock.

Forests

Data from the World Bank indicates that forests covered nearly 11% of Ireland's territory making it one of the country's most critical natural resources. The data also indicates that in 2004, the size of the forested area in Ireland has been increasing at a rapid rate which can be attributed to several factors mainly the efforts by the government and the private sector to encourage forest conservation. Ireland has diverse types of forests ranging from planted forests to commercial forests with some of the most well-known being the Clonbur, Brackloon, and Glendalough. Most of the forests in Ireland are situated in uplands and peatlands. Historical evidence indicated that the location of the forests in those areas was as a result of the rest of the country's land being used for agriculture. Most of the trees in the uplands and peatlands were introduced from North America such as lodgepole pine and Sitka spruce. The forests in these areas are used primarily to provide timber which is used for a variety of purposes such as construction and fencing. Another primary type of forests in Ireland is the farm forests which have been increasing during the 21st century. The increase in the size of land converted by farm forests can be attributed to the change in the agricultural policy of the EU. Most of the farmers who grow forests on their land do so to obtain timber for sale. Ireland is also home to forests referred to as native woodlands. Due to interference from human activities, the native woodlands were unable to maintain their natural state; however, the government and private individuals have worked towards the conservation of the forests.

Fish

Fish are some of the most critical natural resources in Ireland with the country having both marine and freshwater fish. For a long time fishing has been one of Ireland's most vibrant economic activities. Some of Ireland's most important marine fishing grounds are situated within the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Data from the UN indicates that in 2003, marine fishers caught roughly 293,598 tons of fish. At the time, more than 12,000 people worked in the country's marine fishing industry in a variety of jobs such as fishing or processing the fish. Marine fishers in Ireland catch a variety of fish such as horse mackerel and herring. In the country's inland water bodies, the fishermen obtain mainly salmon and trout. Ireland also has a vibrant fish farming sector with some of the most common varieties of fish being mussels and salmon.

Oil and Gas

Ireland also has significant quantities of oil and natural gas, which are some of its essential natural resources. The Irish government estimated that the country had roughly 300 million barrels of oil in one of its major oil fields, the Barryroe oil well. Initially, the field was thought to have more than 1 billion barrels of oil in reserves. Ireland has natural gas fields with the most significant ones being the Corrib gas field located in the country's northwestern section and the Kinsale Head gas field which is situated in the country's southern coast. The development of Ireland's natural gas deposits has been surrounded by controversies as the development of some of the projects would have a detrimental impact on the country's environment.

The Irish Economy

The government of Ireland has invested heavily in making the country's economy one of the top economies globally. One of the primary methods that it uses to promote its economy is through inviting international companies to invest in the country. The policies have been relatively successful in ensuring the country's economic growth.Haiti is a Caribbean nation located in the Greater Antilles archipelago. The nation shares the island of Hispaniola with a counterpart Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic. The country occupies an area of 10,714 square miles and has a population of 10.8 million inhabitants. The country is regarded as a free market economy and has a preferential trade agreement with the US which allows for tariff-free access to its exports to its larger northern neighbor. The country has a GDP of $19.93 billion (PPP) and a GDP per capita of $1,800. The services sector contributes an overwhelming 57.3% to the total GDP while agriculture and industry contribute 21.9% and 20.8% respectively. The nation mainly exports essential oils, apparel, coffee, cocoa, bitter oranges, and mangoes. The mining sector remains largely untapped.

Haiti's Natural Resources

Oil and Natural Gas

A recent finding has shown that the nation of Haiti might have some of the largest oil reserves in the world. The oil reserves are estimated that they could be larger than those of Venezuela. Nations that are found close to the Greater Antilles such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Haiti are estimated to be sitting on natural gas of about 159 billion cubic feet and oil of about 142 million barrels. It is also estimated that undiscovered reserves could hold as much as 941 million barrel of crude oil and natural gas thought to be about 1.2 trillion cubic feet. Areas thought to be rich in oil include the Central Plateau, the bay of Port-Au -Prince, Thomond, and the Cul-de-sac plain. Daniel Mathurin, a French scientist has compared Haiti's oil reserves to a swimming pool compared to those of Venezuela which he likened to a glass of water.

Twenty oil sites have been already identified for potential drilling with 5 of them being considered crucial. Scientists have supported the likely hood of massive oil reserves in Haiti since it has been found that areas where tectonic plates meet in the ocean often hold huge amounts of hydrocarbons ready for exploitation. It is thought that the earthquake that shook the nation recently could have allowed oil to seep into the fault lines. Scientists from various companies are currently studying the fault line from Port-au-Prince onwards to try and find areas with unexploited deposits that are ripe for drilling. At least 3 million barrels have been discovered in what is regarded as shallow formations just off the nation's shores. The Oil Trade Journal of 1919, however, suggests that oil was discovered in the nation of Haiti long before the current oil rush in the nation. The journal indicates that oil seepages were noticed coupled with natural gas seepages that often amazed local natives. The oil deposits are expected to boost the nation's economy and improve the living standards of the nation's population which still has to suffer through poverty.

Gold

The nation of Haiti is thought to have gold deposits worth about $20 billion. Companies such as Majescor Resources from Canada have already bought rights to prospect 173 square miles of the island for gold. Initial sample results have shown that there are areas with high gold concentrations. The nation's vulnerability to geological events such as earthquakes also means that the nation and its neighbors in the region where massive tectonic plates fault lines form deposits for gold veins which are presumably pushed up from the earth inner layers during geological events. This theory is supported by finding in Chile where massive copper deposits are found. Geologists have also observed borders covered with an oxidized blue-green copper coating which indicates that there might be deposits of precious metals such as copper held in deeper layers.

At a site in Trou du Nord, samples taken from 160 feet below the surface shows that the rocks are peppered with gold. Gold was initially mined on the island in the 1500s by the Spanish following its discovery of the rare metal on the island by Christopher Columbus. Later the Spanish moved to richer deposits in Mexico. The United Nations had also indicated that the nation had significant gold deposits in 1970, but foreign investors were wary of investing in exploration due to an unfavorable political climate and corruption in the nation. Following foreign donation, the government has been put on the global spotlight, therefore, allowing investors to invest in gold mining. Reports from two sites have revealed at least 1 million ounces of gold. So far only SOMINE Company has full concessions to exploit the resources.

Copper

The Meme copper mine was exploited in the 1960s and produced at least 2 million metric tons of 2% copper. Studies in 1987 by the Eurasian Minerals company in the areas near the Meme mine indicated that the area had 1.5 million metric tons of 2% copper. Areas in the northwest trending zone of the formation are also considered to have substantial copper deposits from three small intrusions. The Grand Bois property also returned results indicating significant 0.44% copper deposits. A 2.3 mile wide and 6.2 mile long northwest trending copper corridor was also discovered by the Canadian Majescor company. The corridor lies in areas that have the Blondin and Douvray gold and copper deposits as well as the Faille B gold prospect. Other copper deposits have also been found on the South West extension. Samples from the Dos Rada indicate deposits with 18% copper. The Ti-toro copper bearing which measures 1,148 feet wide and 1,968 feet long was also discovered by the same company. Other deposits that have been discovered include the Grosse Viene which has deposits with 5.8% copper.

Concerns About the Impending Mining Boom

Haiti has considerable deposits of limestone and marble. The nation is home to the Cervicos limestone formation which dates back to the Paleogene period. These resources, however, are not fully tapped as the nation still imports building material such as cement for domestic use. Various stakeholders have voiced their concern over the impending displacement of locals from their land to pave way for mining activities by foreign companies. Other concerns that have been raised include environmental degradation as a result of mining activities. Experts are also concerned that the nations weak mining laws will allow exploitation of resources with little benefit to the nation's population.

.The Missouri River is the longest river in North America. Its source is the Rocky Mountains from where it flows east and south for 2,341 miles before draining in the Mississippi at St. Louis, Missouri. It drains through a sparsely populated and semi-arid watershed that includes a part of the US and two Canadian provinces. Although the Missouri is a tributary of the Mississippi, it is longer above the confluence and together they form the fourth largest rivers system in the world.

Map of the Missouri River in the United States.

Contents:

Course

The headwaters of the Missouri River are formed by the confluence of the Jefferson, Gallatin, and Madison Rivers in the Rocky Mountains, southwestern Montana. Missouri is fed by 95 significant tributaries and hundreds of smaller streams with most of the large ones coming in as it draws closer to its mouth. The watershed comprises of the drainage basin stretching over 529,350 square miles from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Mississippi river valley in the east and from the southern extreme of western Canada to the border of the Arkansas River watershed.

Aerial view of the Missouri river headwaters in Montana.

Elevations within the rivers basin range from 14,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies to 400 feet to its mouth at the Mississippi River at 400 feet above sea level. Its flow ranges between 4,200 cubic feet per second to a maximum of 900,000 cubic feet per second.

Climate

River Missouris drainage basin experiences a continental climate characterized by harsh cold winters and warm wet summers. The rainfall averages 10 inches each year with the western part of the Rockies and the southeastern regions receiving highs of 40 inches. Most of the rainfall occurs during summer in the middle and lower basin while the upper part, it receives string summer thunderstorms.

During winter, the western and northern part of the basin have temperatures averaging -40 F with extremes of -60 F. In summer temperatures rise to 100 F except in the areas of Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado where they reach highs of 115 F.

History

1803 Lewis and Clark map, annotations in brown by Meriwether Lewis, tracing Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Winnipeg, onwards to the Pacific. by Nicholas King, ca.1803.

As identifies on some early French maps, the Missouri river was named Peki-tan-oui and later renamed Oumessourit (Big Muddy) because of the amounts of solid matter it carries. Its watershed is believed o have been inhabited during the Pleistocene period. Towards the end of the glacial period, the river acted as a main migration channel used by native communities of America and Eurasia. Most of the migratory groups settled in the Ohio valley and the lower Mississippi valley. Other groups including the Mound builders settled in the Missouri watershed and became ancestors to the large population oof the people of the Great Plains.

The mouth of the Missouri was discovered in 1673 by French explorers who canoed down the Mississippi River. In the early years of the 18th century, French fur traders began to navigate the river upstream leading to the first exploration of the river from its source to the mouth in 1804/05 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Plant And Animals

A bison wades in the Little Missouri River, a tributary of the Missouri River.

The Missouri River channel supports a mixture of habitats including open grasslands, river forests, prairies, and native wildflowers. Biodiversity increases as the river progresses downstream from the cool subalpine headwaters in Montana to the temperate humid climate of Missouri. In the floodplains, the newly deposited silt supports growth of cottonwoods, short-lived Kentucky bluegrass, seedling willow, and sedges. Major tree species found in the cottonwood forests include the sumac, wild grapes, dogwood, and poison ivy. The bluffs that border the floodplains are hardwood forests comprising of burr oaks, mulberry, ash, oaks, and walnut trees. The average height of these trees increases as they move further away from the riverbanks since the land adjacent to the river banks is highly vulnerable to erosion.

A flock of pelicans on the vegetation along the Missouri River in Missouri.

The Missouri River supports the second largest wildlife refugee Centre in the lower 48 states of the continent. Charles Russel National Wildlife Refuge is remote and features canyons, hills, buttes, river bottoms. These habitats are home to over different mammal species including prairie dogs, the bighorn sheep, harbor elk, antelopes, coyote, and deer. There are over 200 bird species including the migratory waterfowl, Hungarian partridge, grouse, pheasant, and eagles. Due to the large silt sediments in the Missouri, it does not support aquatic life.

Development

From the late 19th century into the 20th century, a number of dams have been constructed along the course of the Missouri transforming about 35% of the river into a chain of reservoirs. These developments were stimulated by the increased demand for rural electrification in the northwestern parts of the basin. The floods and droughts that had been plaguing the rapidly growing agricultural and urban areas in the lower parts of the river contributed to water reservation and flood control. Flood damages on the Mississippi-Missouri river system led the Congress to pass the Flood Control Act in 1944 hence opening the massive developments

Gavins Point Dam, Gavins Point Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Missouri River in Nebraska and South Dakota. Built from 1952 to 1957, it impounds Lewis and Clark Lake.

In the early years of the 20th century, the Missouri river has been engineers for water transport with 32% of the river flowing through artificially constructed channels. In 1942 The USAECE authorized maintaining the depth of the Missouri from the Port of Kansas to its mouth to six feet. Further, the river course from Kansas City to Sioux city has been expanded to 200 feet. These expansion activities have led to the reduction of the rivers length from 2540 miles in the late 19th century to 2341 miles.

Threats

Human activities along the course of the river dating to the early 19th century have led to pollution of the Missouri river hence degrading its water quality. Most of the rivers floodplain habitats has been lost to farmlands. Fertilizer runoffs has led to the increase in nitrogen levels especially in the lower parts of Iowa and Missouri. This level of pollution affects the upper part of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois Rivers. It has also contributed to the low oxygen levels in the vast Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Channeling the lower part of Missouri has made the river deeper, narrower, and less accessible to riparian flora and Fauna.Governor Gina Raimondo high-fives youngsters at Nathanael Greene Elementary School in Pawtucket, before unveiling her Universal Pre-K program with Mark Shriver, President of Save the Children Action Network, at the school Wednesday.83 Fortune 500 firms have wrong listing of Taiwan, HK, Macao

A total of 83 foreign companies among the Fortune 500 companies listed in 2017 still show Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macao as not being integral to China on their websites, a report showed on Wednesday, drawing strong criticism from industry insiders who called on the firms to "respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The study, titled "Multinational companies' positions on the one-China principle," found that out of the 385 foreign firms in the 2017 list, 66 foreign companies, including Facebook and Nike, had listed Taiwan as independent from China on their domestic websites, while 53 foreign companies and two foreign firms also listed either Hong Kong and Macao separately from China. A total of 35 companies have listed both Hong Kong and Taiwan separately from China.

The study also found that US and Japanese companies tend to list Taiwan outside China without any annotation on their websites. Four companies, including Apple Inc, Amazon, Siemens and Manulife Financial all listed Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan separately from China, said the report, which was jointly released by the Beijing-based Institute of Law under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Internet Development Research Institution at Peking University.

"It's not merely a business nor a technical issue for those foreign companies to separate Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao from China on their websites. It is a matter of principle involving the one-China principle and China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Zhi Zhenfeng, one of the main researchers of the study, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Zhi added that some foreign companies may have doubts about the one-China principle under their home country's political influence. Industry insiders said if they have such a mentality, they will fail not only in China but on the global stage because their behavior will hurt consumers who will vote with their feet.

Chinese authorities could notify those companies and demand they stop listing the information in separate categories if they run businesses in China. "But Chinese law needs to work hard on this matter, because none clarifies details of how to deal with such cases," Zhi said

The study found that automobile and financial companies in the top 500 had more recognition toward the one-China principle. It is notable that the Ford Motor Company is the only foreign firm among the top 500 to obviously identify Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao as integral to China.

The research also noted that the information about the top 500 companies was collected before May 12, 2018, and companies may have since changed their websites.

Last year, a similar case sparked anger when many international airlines referred to Taiwan the same way as China and other countries.

On April 25, 2018, the Civil Aviation Administration of China asked 44 international airlines to modify references to Taiwan on their websites and identify it as part of China, granting carriers a 30-day deadline to comply.

By July 25, 2018, all 44 carriers had changed their references to Taiwan.

"We welcome foreign companies to invest in China. But they should respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by Chinese laws, and respect Chinese people's feelings," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on a news briefing in June.Isaiah Gardenhire is accused of stabbing a 13-year-old girl to death and committing other crimes while out on bond. He is in the Isabella County jail on a litany of felony charges and was out on bond in a case in Mason County.TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) -- Winter weather has come in full force this week, and it's contributed to many crashes and slide-offs. One of the places winter driving can be most dangerous is over bridges.

As temperatures fall, bridges freeze faster than normal roads.

Robin Tanamachi is an Associate Professor in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue. Shesays the reason is due to how the surfaces cool.

"Road surfaces that are on the ground can only lose heat in one direction. And that is upward into the atmoshpere overhead," said Tanamachi.

Because there is usually no ground beneath a bridge, cold air can move more freely above and below it. As a result, the bridge will cool down much faster.

"A really good way to analogize this would be having your hand up just below the level of your mouth. If you were to blow over it, you can feel the top part of your hand cooling off but the bottom side of your hand isn't so much. If you bring your hand up to your mouth level and actually blow across both the top and bottom, you'll feel both sides of your hand top and bottom cooling off."

Bridges are usually constructed using metal or concrete. Both of these get cold very easily. When we factor this all together, icy bridges become a common occurance during winter.

So what should a driver do if they lose control during icy conditions?

Sergeant Kim Riley with Indiana State Police explains, "Follow through with wherever the car is going. Just turn into the slide and take your foot off the pedal. Maybe pump your break a little but don't push on them hard. That makes the wheels lock up and you lose complete control and that's when we have the crashes."

Drivers should also take these tips into consideration:

Make sure your tires have adequate tread and air pressure to ensure your car will have as much grip as possible. Keep your windows, mirrors and headlights clear of snow. This will allow you to see better and for others to see you. Last, follow at a safe enough distance to either stop or avoid colliding with a car that spins out ahead of you.

Riley also says drivers should always slow down when there is winter precipitation and allow extra time for commuting.TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - To Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Patrick Harrington, State Sen. Ron Alting's animal cruelty bill just makes sense.

"If you are involved in a crime with a car, your license gets suspended. If you use a handgun illegally your right to own a gun is suspended," explained Harrington. "So, when it comes to animal cruelty or abuse, why are we allowing the person who has been proven guilty to go out and get another animal to possibly abuse?"

Harrington said right now, it's up to a judge whether the convicted abuser can own a cat or dog again.

"And in discussing this with other prosecutors in the state, some judges feel like they don't have the authority to impose that," said Harrington.

Alting's bill would not only give them the authority, it would mandate judges to take away an abusers' right to own a cat or dog.

"This is a good, solid bill and I look forward to it," said Alting. "Hopefully, it's going to get assigned to my committee in public policy."

Sen. Ron Alting said there has been an extreme increase in the number of animal abuse cases in Indiana.

"Whether it be dumping gas on a dog and lighting it on fire or throwing an animal over a bridge into the lakes or rivers," explained Alting. "This is something really that is out of control that needs to be addressed for all pet lovers and supporters."

News 18 will continue to follow this bill as it moves through the statehouse.INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana voters wouldnt decide anymore who serves as the state schools superintendent under a proposal being pushed by legislative Republicans.

The House Education Committee voted 10-1 Wednesday to endorse changing the superintendent position to one appointed by the governor effective in 2021. The bill moves up the change by four years as the Republican-dominated Legislature passed a law in 2017 making it an appointed position starting in 2025 after numerous policy disagreements with former Democratic Superintendent Glenda Ritz.

Supporters say moving up the appointment date makes sense since current Republican Superintendent Jennifer McCormick announced in October that she wouldnt seek re-election in 2020, citing conflicts with the states education governance system.

Opponents of the change argue it wrongly takes a choice away from voters.TROY, N.Y. -- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is officially on the campaign trail for president.

Gillibrand laid out her case for her candidacy in Troy (near Albany), which is where her headquarters will be.

The senator says she wants to fight for people who feel they have been left behind.

"Troy is a lot like the rest of America. We work hard. We were part of the industrial revolution. We made things here, and from there we've had ups and downs  like a lot of places all across America, but we continue to work hard, start new businesses see rebirth and growth. And you've seen the amazing renaissance in Troy and other places in Upstate New York, and that's like the rest of the country. We don't give up; we never give up, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand said money has to get out of politics. She said she will not have a political action committee, and will not take corporate money.CAMDEN, N.Y. -- A Rome woman is accused of stealing nearly $5,000 from someones bank account.

Nikole Waterman has been charged with grand larceny and identity theft.

State police say Waterman used Western Union Bank transfers to fraudulently steal $4,796 from a victim's bank account in Camden.

They say she impersonated a family member of the victim.

Waterman was sent to the Oneida County jail on $2,500 bail.FRANKFORT, N.Y. -- Family and friends are paying their respects to the three boys killed in a fire on East Steele Street in Herkimer.

The services for 1-year-old Jackson, 6-year-old Richard and 7-year-old Michael are being held at the Enea and Ciaccia Funeral Home in Frankfort.Calling hours are being held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The funeral service will be held at the funeral home Friday at 1 p.m.

The Enea and Ciaccia Funeral Home says traffic on Acme Road in Frankfort will be rerouted due to the calling hours.

The eastbound lane of Acme Road will be closed so those attending the calling hours will be allowed to park along the side of the road.

A GoFundMe page was set up for the family.Because the price of milk has been marginal for the last four years, Dairy Farmers have been struggling with keeping their farms going. Dairy Farmers like Scott Sawyer have turned to beef cattle as a means to supplement their income, but Cornell Cooperative Extensions Jeff Miller tells us its not an easy choice.

"There are examples of people that have made that transition, or maybe Im going to say not transition, but kind of that addition of that diversification of dairy production, but again its not going to be the answer for everybody."

Other farmers are turning to soy beans, hay, grains, and even hemp, but Scott Sawyer of Hidden Hill Ranch isnt ready to go that route.

"Certainly we could do it, but I dont see us doing it. I can understand other people going that way, and I think its going to be very interesting to see it develop. I think it will develop actually, but Im a cow guy. I like cows." (laughs)

Cornell Cooperative Extension held a discussion with local farmers interested in what the beef industry might have to offer, but the interest was low. Youre probably not going to see a massive number of farmers making the transition from dairy to beef, but given the financial stresses of the dairy industry, farmers are likely going to look to diversify into other markets. It might sound like an easy answer, but each farm has individual challenges.

Jeff Miller says: "So theres no cookie cutter ok if youre in dairy now and youre finding it really tough to stay in because of the margins, heres your answer. Its going to be on an individual case by case method."

Hidden Hill Ranch is hoping to sell their beef products in local farmers markets, an already established group of buyers, and right on his own farm.Wall Street analysts have given Centennial Mining a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Centennial Mining wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MoreWestRock Company manufactures and sells paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through Corrugated Packaging and Consumer Packaging segments. The Corrugated Packaging segment produces containerboards, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging, and preprinted linerboards for sale to consumer and industrial products manufacturers, and corrugated box manufacturers. It also provides structural and graphic design, engineering services and custom, and automated packaging machines; offers a machinery solution that creates pouches to replace single-use plastics, including bubble mailers; distributes corrugated packaging materials and other specialty packaging products, including stretch films, void fills, carton sealing tapes, and other specialty tapes; operates recycling facilities that collect, sort, grade, and bale recovered paper; and provides lithographic laminated packaging products, as well as contract packing services. The Consumer Packaging segment manufactures and sells folding cartons that are used to package food, paper, beverages, dairy products, tobacco, confectionery, health and beauty, other household consumer, and commercial and industrial products; and express mail packages for the overnight courier industry. It also offers inserts and labels, as well as rigid packaging and other printed packaging products, such as transaction cards, brochures, product literature, marketing materials, and grower tags and plant stakes for the horticultural market; and secondary packages and paperboard packaging for over-the-counter and prescription drugs. In addition, this segment manufactures and sells solid fiber and corrugated partitions, and die-cut paperboard components principally to glass container manufacturers, producers of beer, food, wine, spirits, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and the automotive industry. WestRock Company is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Read MoreGeneral Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company worldwide. The company's Power segment offers heavy-duty and aeroderivative gas turbines for utilities, independent power producers, and industrial applications; maintenance, service, and upgrade solutions to plant assets and their operational lifecycle; steam power technology for fossil and nuclear applications, including boilers, generators, steam turbines, and air quality control systems; and advanced reactor technologies solutions comprising reactors, fuels, and support services for boiling water reactors. This segment also applies the science and systems of power conversion to provide motors, generators, automation, and control equipment; and drives for energy intensive industries, such as marine, oil and gas, mining, rail, metals, test systems, and water. Its Renewable Energy segment provides various solutions for its customers through combining onshore and offshore wind, blades, hydro, storage, solar, and grid solutions, as well as hybrid renewables and digital services offerings. The company's Aviation segment designs and produces commercial and military aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems; and provides aftermarket services. Its Healthcare segment develops, manufactures, markets, and services magnetic resonance, computed tomography, molecular imaging, x-ray and high-frequency soundwave systems, clinical monitoring and acute care systems, enterprise digital, artificial intelligence applications, consulting and command center, and complementary software and services; and researches, manufactures, and markets imaging agents. The company's Capital segment offers aviation leasing and financing, and working capital services; financial solutions and underwriting capabilities; and insurance and reinsurance for life and health risks, as well as annuity products. The company was founded in 1878 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Read MoreSemGroup Corporation provides gathering, transportation, storage, distribution, marketing, and other midstream services for producers, refiners of petroleum products, and other market participants. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Liquids, U.S. Gas, and Canada. The U.S. Liquids segment operates crude oil pipelines, truck transportation, storage, terminals, and marketing businesses; stores, blends, and transports refinery products and refinery feedstock through pipeline, barge, rail, truck, and ship; and operates a residual fuel oil storage terminal in the U.S. Gulf Coast. This segment has 18.2 million barrels of storage capacity on the Houston Ship Channel; and 7.6 million barrels of storage capacity at the Cushing Interchange. It also operates a 460-mile crude oil gathering and transportation pipeline system in Kansas and northern Oklahoma; 75-mile crude oil gathering pipeline system that transports crude oil from production facilities in the DJ Basin to the pipeline owned by White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C.; 2 parallel 527-mile pipelines that transports crude oil from Platteville, Colorado to Cushing, Oklahoma; 3 pipelines with an aggregate of 106 miles of pipe; 30-lane crude oil truck unloading facility in Platteville, Colorado; and crude oil trucking fleet of approximately 245 transport trucks and 235 trailers. The U.S. Gas segment provides natural gas gathering, processing, and marketing services. It operates 842 miles of gathering lines in Oklahoma; and a 53-mile high pressure gathering pipeline located in the STACK play. The Canada segment owns and operates natural gas processing and gathering facilities with approximately 530 miles of natural gas gathering and transportation pipelines in Alberta, Canada. SemGroup Corporation was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Read More

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.PPG Industries, Inc. manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials worldwide. The company's Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft. It also provides coatings and finishes for the protection of metals and structures, such as metal fabricators, heavy duty maintenance contractors, and manufacturers of ships, bridges, and rail cars; paints, wood stains, and purchased sundries for painting and maintenance contractors, and consumers for decoration and maintenance of residential and commercial building structures; and thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other technologies for pavement marking. The company's Industrial Coatings segment provides coatings, adhesives and sealants, and metal pretreatments, as well as services and coatings applications for appliances, agricultural and construction equipment, consumer electronics, automotive parts and accessories, building products, kitchenware, and transportation vehicles and other finished products; and on-site coatings services. It also provides coatings for metal cans, closures, plastic tubes, industrial packaging, and promotional and specialty packaging; amorphous precipitated silica for tire, battery separator, and other end-uses; TESLIN substrates for labels, e-passports, drivers' licenses, breathable membranes, and other loyalty and identification cards; and organic light emitting diode materials, displays and lighting lens materials, and optical lenses and color-change products, as well as photochromic dyes. The company was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Read MoreMADISON, Wis. -- A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher and his collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco have repurposed the gene-editing tool CRISPR to study which genes are targeted by particular antibiotics, providing clues on how to improve existing antibiotics or develop new ones.

Resistance to current antibiotics by disease-causing pathogens is a growing problem, one estimated to endanger millions of lives and cost over $2 billion each year in the U.S.

"What we need to do is to figure out new weaknesses in these bacteria," says Jason Peters, a UW-Madison professor of pharmaceutical sciences, who developed the new system.

The technique, known as Mobile-CRISPRi, allows scientists to screen for antibiotic function in a wide range of pathogenic bacteria.

Using a form of bacterial sex, the researchers transferred Mobile-CRISPRi from common laboratory strains into diverse bacteria, even including a little-studied microbe making its home on cheese rinds. This ease of transfer makes the technique a boon for scientists studying any number of bacteria that cause disease or promote health.

Peters worked with Carol Gross, Oren Rosenberg and other colleagues at UCSF and other institutions to design and test Mobile-CRISPRi. The system reduces the production of protein from targeted genes, allowing researchers to identify how antibiotics inhibit the growth of pathogens. That knowledge can help direct research to overcome resistance to existing drugs.

The researchers published their findings Jan. 7 in the journal Nature Microbiology. They took advantage of the increasingly popular molecular tool CRISPR, but in a unique way.

"Most people, when they think about CRISPR, think about gene editing," says Peters, who earned his doctorate at UW-Madison and recently joined the School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor. "But that's not what I do."

Normally, the CRISPR system gets targeted to a gene where it cuts the DNA in two. The gene can be edited while the cell repairs the damage.

But Peters and his collaborators worked with a defanged form of CRISPR known as CRISPRi. CRISPRi has been engineered to be unable to cut DNA. Instead, it just sits on the DNA, blocking other proteins from gaining access to and turning on a particular gene. The result is lower expression of the gene and a reduced amount of the protein it codes for.

The researchers showed that if they decreased the amount of protein targeted by an antibiotic, bacteria became much more sensitive to lower levels of the drug -- evidence of an association between gene and drug. Thousands of genes at a time can be screened as potential antibiotic targets this way, helping scientists learn how antibiotics work and how to improve them.

To make CRISPRi mobile, the researchers developed methods to transfer the system from common lab models like E. coli to disease-causing species, which are often harder to study. Peters' team turned to one of the natural ways bacteria link up and exchange DNA, a kind of bacterial sex called conjugation. Former UW-Madison Professor of Genetics Joshua Lederberg discovered conjugation, which earned him a Nobel Prize in 1958.

"You basically mix the bacteria together and it happens," Peters says of conjugation. "It doesn't get much easier than that."

Using conjugation, Peters' team transferred Mobile-CRISPRi to the pathogens Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Listeria, among others.

"What that means is that you can now do studies on how antibiotics work directly in these pathogens," says Peters. "That could give us a better clue about how these drugs work in the different organisms and potentially what we can do to make them better."

The real test of Mobile-CRISPRi's mobility came from cheese.

As cheese ages, it curates its own landscape of microbes. Scientists are just starting to investigate the immense diversity of bacteria and fungi on cheeses, which contribute to their complex flavors. One of those bacteria, Vibrio casei, was found on the rind of a French cheese in 2010 by Peters' collaborator Rachel Dutton of the University of California, San Diego.

Manipulating genes is simple in established laboratory bacteria such as E. coli, but there is often no way to study genes in bacteria recently isolated from the environment, such as V. casei. But Mobile-CRISPRi was easily transferred into the strain, opening up new avenues for understanding how the bacteria colonizes and helps age cheese. As a proof-of-concept, V. casei suggests that Mobile-CRISPRi should be useful for any number of previously understudied bacteria, both those that harm us and those we rely on.

Now Peters is offering up Mobile-CRISPRi to other researchers to study their germs of choice.

"So now it's going to be completely available to the community," says Peters. "Now this gives people a path forward."

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. provides private educational services under the New Oriental brand in the People's Republic of China. It operates through K-12 AST, Test Preparation and Other Courses; and Others segments. The company offers test preparation courses to students taking language and entrance exams used by educational institutions in the United States, the People's Republic of China, and the Commonwealth countries; and after-school tutoring courses for middle and high school students to enhance their exam scores, as well as for children to teach English. It also provides language training courses, including English, as well as other foreign languages, such as German, Japanese, French, Korean, Italian, and Spanish; operates a full-time private primary and secondary school in Yangzhou seeking a full curriculum with a focus on English; develops and edits educational materials for language training and test preparation; and offers online education programs that include college, K-12, and pre-school education. In addition, the company offers overseas studies consulting and overseas study tour services. As of May 31, 2020, it offered educational programs, services, and products to students through a network of 104 schools, 1,361 learning centers, and 12 bookstores. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given iShares Russell 3000 ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Russell 3000 ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Wall Street analysts have given iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Japan ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Japan ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.HollyFrontier Corporation operates as an independent petroleum refiner in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Lubricants and Specialty Products, and HEP. It primarily produces high-value light products, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and specialty lubricant products, as well as specialty and modified asphalt. The company offers its products to other refiners, convenience store chains, independent marketers, retailers, truck stop chains, wholesalers, railroads, governmental entities, and paving contractors or manufacturers, as well as for commercial airline use. It owns and operates 4 refineries with a combined crude oil processing capacity of approximately 405,000 barrels per day in El Dorado, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Artesia, New Mexico; and Woods Cross, Utah. The company also owns and operates vacuum distillation and other facilities in Lovington, New Mexico, as well as asphalt terminals in Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Its refineries serve markets in the Mid-Continent, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States. In addition, HollyFrontier Corporation produces base oils and other specialized lubricant products; and owns and operates logistic assets consisting of petroleum product and crude oil pipelines, terminals, tankage, loading rack facilities, and refinery processing units. The company was formerly known as Holly Corporation and changed its name to HollyFrontier Corporation as a result of its merger with Frontier Oil Corporation in July 2011. HollyFrontier Corporation was incorporated in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given iShares Cohen & Steers REIT ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Cohen & Steers REIT ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Ingersoll Rand Inc. provides various mission-critical air, fluid, energy, specialty vehicle and medical technologies in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through four segments: Industrial Technologies and Services; Precision and Science Technologies; Specialty Vehicle Technologies; and High Pressure Solutions segments. The company offers air and gas compression, vacuum and blower products, fluid transfer and management equipment, loading systems, power tools and lifting equipment, displacement pumps, liquid and precision syringe pumps, and compressors, as well as as well as aftermarket parts, consumables, and services. It also designs, manufactures, and markets golf, utility, and consumer low-speed vehicles, as well as integrated systems. The company's products are used in medical, laboratory, industrial manufacturing, water and wastewater, chemical processing, drilling, hydraulic fracturing, well servicing applications, precision irrigation, energy, food and beverage, agriculture, and automated liquid handling end-markets, as well as various manufacturing, industrial facilities applications, and other activities. It serves to various industries and sectors. The company sells its products through an integrated network of direct sales representatives and independent distributors under the Ingersoll Rand, Gardner Denver, Club Car, CompAir, Nash, Elmo Rietschle, Robuschi, Thomas, Milton Roy, ARO, Emco Wheaton, and Runtech Systems brands. The company was formerly known as Gardner Denver Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Ingersoll Rand Inc. in March 2020. Ingersoll Rand Inc. was founded in 1859 and is based in Davidson, North Carolina.

Read MoreSeattle Cannabis Company Capitalizes on Surging Demand (Ad)

The increase in the number of states that permit recreational and medical use of cannabis means that growers, processors and manufacturers of cannabis products often cant keep up with growing demand. One Seattle weed manufacturer is poised to sell products across state lines, easing shortages. This could drive the companys shares sky-high.

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Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.The following companies are subsidiares of Emerson Electric: A.P.M. Automation Solutions Ltd., AE Valves, AGI Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ALCO CONTROLS spol. s.r.o., APM Automation Solutions, ASC Investments Inc., ASCO (Japan) Company Limited, ASCO L.P., ASCO Numatics (India) Private Limited, ASCO Numatics Holding Inc., ASCO SAS, ASCO Valve (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ASCO/JOUCOMATIC s.r.o., ATX SAS, Advanced Protection Technologies, Aegir Norge Holding AS, Alliance Compressors LLC, American Governor, Aperture, Apple JV Holding Corp., Appleton Electric LLC, Appleton Electric S.A. de C.V., Appleton Group, Appleton Group Canada Ltd., Appleton Grp LLC, Appleton Holding Corp., Appleton Holding Sarl, Artesyn Embedded Technologies, Artesyn Hungary Elektronikai Kft., Artesyn Technologies, Asco AB, Asco Controls AG, Asco Controls B.V., Asco Joucomatic Ltd., Asco Joucomatic ZA B.V., Asco Magnesszelep Kft., Asco Numatics GmbH, Asco Numatics S.A., Asco Numatics Sirai S.R.L., Asco Numatics Sp. z o.o., Ascomatica S.A. de C.V., Ascomation (NZ) Ltd., Ascomation Pty. Ltd., Ascotech S.A. de C.V., Ascoval Industria e Commercio Ltda, Automatic Switch Company, Aventics, Aventics, Aventics AB, Aventics AG, Aventics AS, Aventics ApS, Aventics B.V., Aventics Corporation, Aventics Holding S.A.S., Aventics Holding S.a.r.l., Aventics Hungary Kft, Aventics Inc., Aventics India Private Limited, Aventics Limited, Aventics Ltd., Aventics Oy, Aventics Pneumatics Equipment (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Aventics Pneumatics Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aventics S.A.S., Aventics S.R.L., Aventics Services Germany GmbH, Aventics Singapore Pte. Ltd., Aventics Sp. z.o.o., Aventics Spain S.L., Aventics spol. s.r.o., Avtron LoadBank, Bannerscientific Limited, Beckman Industrial B.V., Beijing Rosemount Far East Instrument Co. Ltd., Bettis Canada Ltd., Bettis Holdings Limited, Bettis UK Limited, Biffi Italia S.r.l., Bioproduction Group, Branson Korea Co. Ltd., Branson Ultrasonic S.A., Branson Ultrasonics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Branson Ultrasonics B.V., Branson Ultrasonics Corporation, Branson Ultrasonics a.s., Branson Ultrasonidos S.A.E., Branson Ultrasons SAS, Branson Ultrasuoni S.R.L., Branson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Bray Lectroheat Limited, Bristol Babcock Limited, Bristol Inc., Buehler Europe Limited, Buehler UK Limited, CR Compressors LLC, CSA Consulting Engineers Ltd., California Emerson LLC, Cascade Technologies, Cascade Technologies Holdings Limited, Cascade Technologies Limited, Chemat GmbH Armaturen fur Industrie - und Nuklearanlage, Chloride Koexa S.A., Componentes Avanzados de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Computational Systems, Computational Systems Incorporated, Conception et Representation de Technologies de Controle C.R.T. Controle SAS, Control Products Inc., Controles de Temperatura S.A. de C.V., Cooligy Inc., Cooper-Atkins, Cooper-Atkins Corporation, Cooper-Atkins Pte. Ltd., Copeland Access + Inc., Copeland Compresores Hermeticos S.A. de C.V., Copeland Corporation, Copeland Corporation LLC, Copeland Limited, Copeland Redevelopment Corporation, Copeland Scroll Compresores de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Copeland de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Copesub Inc., Crosby Valve LLC, Damcos A/S, Damcos Holding A/S, Daniel Automation Company, Daniel Europe Limited, Daniel Industrial Inc., Daniel Industries, Daniel Industries Canada Inc., Daniel Industries Inc., Daniel Industries Limited, Daniel International Limited, Daniel Measurement Solutions Private Limited, Daniel Measurement and Control Inc., Daniel Measurement and Control S. de R.L. de C.V., Danmasa S.A. de C.V., Dar Ibtikar Al Iraq for General Services and General Trade LLC, Decision Management International, Dieterich Standard Inc., Digital Appliance Controls (UK) Limited, Dixell North America Inc., Dixell S.R.L., Do+Able Products, E. Business Development E.B.D.Com Ltd., E.G.P. Corporation, EECO Inc., EGS Comercializadora Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Private Ltd., EMERSON CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES s.r.o., EMR (Asia) Limited, EMR (Mauritius) Ltd., EMR Emerson Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, EMR Europe Holdings Inc., EMR Foundation Inc., EMR Holdings (France) SAS, EMR Holdings Inc., EMR Worldwide B.V., EMR Worldwide Inc., EMRSN HLDG B.V., EMRSN Process Management Morocco Sarl, ENPDOR2012A Limited, ENPESNA Inc., EPM Tulsa Holdings Corp., EPMCO Holdings Inc., ETC International Holdings Ltd., Easy Heat Europe SAS, Easy Heat Inc., El-O-Matic B.V., El-O-Matic Valve Actuators (F.E.) Pte. Ltd., Electrische Apparatenfabriek Capax B.V., Emerald Advanced Technology Limited, Emerson (Philippines) Corporation, Emerson (Taiwan) Limited, Emerson (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Arabia Inc., Emerson Argentina S.A., Emerson Asia Pacific Private Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Actuation Technologies Holdings Inc., Emerson Automation Solutions Actuation Technologies Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Sichuan) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Taiwan) Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Thailand) Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Africa (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Czech Republic s.r.o., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Denmark A/S, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control France SARL, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Germany GmbH, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Hong Kong Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Hungary Kft, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Italia S.r.l., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control LLC, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Middle East FZE, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Netherlands B.V., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Polska Sp. Z.o.o., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Sales Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Sales Holding LLC, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control UK II Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control UK Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control US LP, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Automation Solutions GmbH, Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms Private Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms do Brasil Ltda, Emerson Automation Solutions Ireland Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Isolation Valves Inc., Emerson Automation Solutions SSC UK Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions UK Limited, Emerson Beijing Instrument Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Services LLC, Emerson Climate Technologies (India) Private Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies (Shenyang) Refrigeration Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Trading Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies - Solutions (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies - Transportation Solutions ApS, Emerson Climate Technologies Arabia Limited Co., Emerson Climate Technologies Australia Pty. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies FZE, Emerson Climate Technologies GmbH, Emerson Climate Technologies Inc., Emerson Climate Technologies Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Climate Technologies Refrigeration S.A., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Europe S.R.L., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Inc., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions UK Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies S.A., Emerson Climate Technologies S.R.L., Emerson Climate Technologies Sarl, Emerson Commercial & Residential Tools LLC, Emerson Commerical & Residential Asia Limited, Emerson Comres de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson DHC B.V., Emerson Dietzenbach GmbH, Emerson Dominicana Srl, Emerson Egypt LLC, Emerson Electric (Asia) Limited, Emerson Electric (China) Holdings Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Electric (Mauritius) Ltd., Emerson Electric (South Asia) Pte. Ltd., Emerson Electric (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Electric (Tongling) Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric (U.S.) Holding Corporation, Emerson Electric (U.S.) Holding Corporation (Chile) Limitada, Emerson Electric (Zhuhai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric CR Limitada, Emerson Electric Canada Limited, Emerson Electric Company (India) Private Limited, Emerson Electric Company Lanka (Private) Limited, Emerson Electric Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, Emerson Electric II C.A., Emerson Electric International Inc., Emerson Electric Ireland Limited, Emerson Electric Korea Ltd., Emerson Electric Nederland B.V., Emerson Electric Overseas Finance Corp., Emerson Electric Poland Sp. z o.o., Emerson Electric U.K. Limited, Emerson Electric de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Electric do Brasil Ltda, Emerson Energy Systems (UK) Limited, Emerson FZE, Emerson Final Control US Holding LLC, Emerson Finance LLC, Emerson Fusite Electric (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Emerson Gabon SARL, Emerson Hazardous Electrical Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Holding Company Limited, Emerson Holding Sweden AB, Emerson InSinkErator Appliance (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Emerson Industrial Automation USA Inc., Emerson International Holding Company Limited, Emerson Japan Ltd., Emerson Junkang Enterprise (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Korea Limited, Emerson LLC, Emerson LLP, Emerson Machinery Equipment (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Emerson Mexico Finance S.A. de C.V. SOFOM ENR, Emerson Middle East Inc., Emerson Network Power DHC B.V., Emerson Paradigm Holding LLC, Emerson Process Management (India) Private Limited, Emerson Process Management (South Africa) (Proprietary) Ltd., Emerson Process Management (Tianjin) Valves Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management (Vietnam) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management A/S (Denmark), Emerson Process Management AB, Emerson Process Management AG, Emerson Process Management AS, Emerson Process Management Angola Lda, Emerson Process Management Arabia Limited, Emerson Process Management Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Process Management B.V., Emerson Process Management Chennai Private Limited, Emerson Process Management Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Distribution Limited, Emerson Process Management Europe GmbH, Emerson Process Management Flow B.V., Emerson Process Management Flow Technologies Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management GmbH & Co. OHG, Emerson Process Management Holding AG, Emerson Process Management Holding LLC, Emerson Process Management Kft., Emerson Process Management LLLP, Emerson Process Management Lda, Emerson Process Management Limited, Emerson Process Management Ltda, Emerson Process Management Magyarorszag Kft., Emerson Process Management Manufacturing (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Process Management Marine Solutions Korea Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Marine Solutions Singapore Pte. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Marine Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management NV, Emerson Process Management New Zealand Limited, Emerson Process Management Nigeria Limited, Emerson Process Management Oy, Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Inc., Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions India Private Limited, Emerson Process Management Qatar W.L.L., Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Inc., Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Tulsa LLC, Emerson Process Management Romania S.R.L., Emerson Process Management S.A., Emerson Process Management S.A. de C.V., Emerson Process Management S.L., Emerson Process Management S.R.L., Emerson Process Management SAS, Emerson Process Management Shared Services Limited, Emerson Process Management Sp. z o.o., Emerson Process Management Ticaret Limited Sirket, Emerson Process Management UAB, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Valve Automation Inc., Emerson Process Management Verwaltung GmbH, Emerson Process Management d.o.o., Emerson Process Management de Colombia SAS, Emerson Process Management del Peru S.A.C., Emerson Process Management s.r.o., Emerson Professional Tools (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Puerto Rico Inc., Emerson Retail Services Europe GmbH, Emerson S.R.L., Emerson Sales UK Limited, Emerson Saudi Arabia LLC, Emerson Scroll Machining (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Sice S.R.L., Emerson Sweden AB, Emerson TOV, Emerson Technologies GmbH & Co. OHG, Emerson Technologies Verwaltungs GmbH, Emerson Tool Company de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson Tool and Appliance Company S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson UK Trustees Limited, Emerson USD Finance Company Limited, Emerson Valves & Controls Japan Co. Ltd., Emerson Ventures Inc., Emerson Vulcan Holding LLC, Emerson Xi'an Engineering Center, Emersub 1 LLC, Emersub 10 LLC, Emersub 11 LLC, Emersub 12 LLC, Emersub 14 LLC, Emersub 15 LLC, Emersub 16 LLC, Emersub 3 LLC, Emersub 4 LLC, Emersub 5 LLC, Emersub 7 LLC, Emersub 8 LLC, Emersub 9 LLC, Emersub CII Inc., Emersub CV Inc., Emersub Italia S.R.L., Emersub LXXXIV Inc., Emersub LXXXVI Inc., Emersub Mexico Inc., Emersub Treasury Ireland Unlimited Company, Emersub XLVI Inc., Emersub XXXVI Inc., Emirates Techno Casting FZE, Emirates Techno Casting Holding Limited, Emirates Techno Casting LLC, Enardo, Endura-Greenlee Tools, Energy Solutions International (India) Private Limited, Energy Solutions International GP LLC, Energy Solutions International Ltd., Energy Solutions International SAS, Energy Solutions International Sub LLC, F-R Tecnologias de Flujo S.A. de C.V., FC QSF LLC, FMC Technologies, Fiberconn Assemblies Morocco Sarl, Fincor Holding LLC, Fire & Safety Group.Com Ltd., Fisher Controles de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fisher Controls International LLC, Fisher Jeon Gas Equipment (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Fisher Regulators (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Sanmar Limited, Fisher-Rosemount Systems Inc., Flow Control Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Flow Control Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Flow Control US Holding Corporation, Francel SAS, Fromex S.A. de C.V., Fusite B.V., Fusite Corporation, Fusite Land Company, GSEG LLC, General Equipment and Manufacturing Company Inc., Generale de Robinetterie Industrielle et de Sytemes de Surete, GeoFields, GeoFields Inc., Greenex Ltd., Greenfield (UK) Limited, Greenlee, Greenlee Communications, Greenlee Tools Inc., Gulf Valve FZE, Gustav Klauke GmbH, H.T.E. Engineering Limited, HD Electric Company, HTE Engineering Services Limited, Hindle Cockburns Limited, Hiross India Private Limited, Hiter Industria e Comercia de Controles Termo-Hidraulicos Ltda., Humboldt Hermetic Motor Corp., Hytork International Ltd., I Solutions Inc., ICC Intelligent Platforms GmbH, ISE-MagTech, Industrial Controls Canada ULC, Industrial Group Metran JSC, Instrument & Valve Services Company, Intelligent Platforms LLC, Intellution, International Gas Distribution SA, Intrinsic Safety Equipment of Texas Inc., JCF Fluid Flow India Private Limited, JSC Metran-Export, Joucomatic S.A., K Controls Limited, Keystone Germany Holdings Corp., Keystone Valve (Korea) LLC, Keystone Valve (U.K.) Limited, Klauke, Klauke (Jiangsu) Electrical Connection Technology Co Ltd., Klauke France SARL, Klauke Handelsgesellschaft mbH, Klauke Iberia S.L., Klauke Polska Sp. z.o.o., Klauke Slovakia s.r.o., Klauke UK Ltd., Knurr, Liebert, Liebert Swindon Limited, Locus Solutions LLC, Locus Traxx Worldwide, Locus Traxx Worldwide Europe BVBA, MDC Technology Limited, MDC Technology Trustees Limited, METCO Services Limited, MYNAH Technologies, Management Resources Group Inc., Mecafrance (Deutschland) GmbH, Metallurgical Services Laboratories Limited, Metaserv Limited, Metco Services Venezuela C.A., Micro Motion Inc., Mobrey Group Limited, Motores Hermeticos del Sur S.A. de C.V., NetworkPower Ecuador S.A., Nippon Fisher Co. Ltd., Novel Environmental Technologies Ltd., Novel Extinguishing Agent Technology Ltd., Numatics Incorporated, Nutsteel DHC B.V., Nutsteel Industria Metalurgica Ltda, O.M.T. Officina Meccanica Tartarini S.r.l., Open Systems International, P I Components Corp., PT Emerson Solutions Indonesia, PT. Emerson Indonesia, PT. Paradigm Geophysical Indonesia, Pactrol Controls Limited, PakSense, PakSense Inc., Paradigm, Paradigm (UK) Holding Limited, Paradigm B.V., Paradigm France S.A., Paradigm Geophysical (India) Private Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (KL) Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical (Nigeria) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (U.K.) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical B.V., Paradigm Geophysical Corp., Paradigm Geophysical Italy SRL, Paradigm Geophysical LLC, Paradigm Geophysical Limited, Paradigm Geophysical Pty Ltd, Paradigm Geophysical S.A., Paradigm Geophysical Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical Spain S.L., Paradigm Geophysical de Venezuela C.A., Paradigm Geophysical do Brasil Ltda., Paradigm Geoservices Canada Ltd., Paradigm Geotechnology (Egypt) S.A.E., Paradigm Kazakhstan LLP, Paradigm Middle East FZ-LLC, Paradigm Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Parex Industries Limited, Pentair Valves & Controls, Pentair Valves and Controls India Private Limited, Permasense, Permasense Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, Permasense Limited, ProSys, ProTeam Inc., Progea, RAC Technologies (Israel) Ltd., RIDGID Inc., RPP Europe GmbH, RPP LLC, Rey-Lam S. de R.L. de C.V., Ridge Tool (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Ridge Tool Company, Ridge Tool Europe NV, Ridge Tool GmbH, Ridge Tool GmbH & Co. OHG, Ridge Tool Manufacturing Company, Ridge Tool Pattern Company, Ridgid France SAS, Ridgid Italia S.R.L., Ridgid Online Inc., Ridgid Scandinavia A/S, Ridgid Werkzeuge AG, Rosemount China Inc., Rosemount Inc., Rosemount Measurement Limited, Rosemount Nuclear Instruments Inc., Rosemount Specialty Products LLC, Rosemount Tank Gauging India Pvt. Ltd., Rosemount Tank Gauging Middle East SPC, Rosemount Tank Gauging North America Inc., Rosemount Tank Radar AB, Rosemount Tank Radar Properties AB, Roxar, Roxar AS, Roxar Flow Measurement AS, Roxar Flow Measurement Sdn Bhd, Roxar Limited, Roxar Maximum Reservoir Performance W.L.L., Roxar Saudi Co., Roxar Services AS, Roxar Services OOO, Roxar Software Solutions AS, Roxar Technologies AS, Roxar Vietnam Company Ltd., Roxar de Venezuela C.A., Rutherfurd Acquisitions Limited, S.F.T. Group Ltd., SABO-Armaturen Service GmbH, Safety Systems UK Pte. Ltd., Sakhi-Raimondi Valve (India) Limited, Scroll Compressors LLC, Scroll Mexico LLC, Sempell GmbH, Shanghai Virgo Valves Technology Consulting Co. Ltd., Sherman + Reilly, Soluciones 0925 C.A., Spectra-Tek Holdings Limited, Spectra-Tek International Limited, Spectra-Tek UK Limited, Spectrex, Spectrex Inc., Spectronix Ltd., Spensall Engineering Limited, Steel Support Systems Limited, Stratos Lightwave, System Plast International B.V., System Plast Ltda, System Plast USA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TDM-avtomatizatsiya, TV&C GP Holding LLC, Taiwan Valve Co. Ltd., TechnipFMC, Termocontroles de Juarez S.A. de C.V., Tescom Corporation, Tescom Europe GmbH & Co. KG, Tescom Europe Management GmbH, The Automation Group Inc., The J.R. Clarkson Company LLC, Therm-O-Disc Europe B.V., Therm-O-Disc Incorporated, Thunderline Z Inc., TopWorx UK Limited, Tranmet Holdings B.V., Tranmet Holdings Limited, Verdant Environmental Technologies, Vilter Manufacturing LLC, Virgo Valves & Controls (ME) FZE, Virgo Valves and Controls Sdn Bhd, Von Arx AG, Vulsub 1 Limited, Vulsub Brasil Holding, Vulsub Brasil Ltda., Vulsub Chile SpA, Vulsub Gulf Holding Limited, Vulsub Holding III (Denmark) ApS, Vulsub Holding Ltd, Vulsub Holdings A LLC, Vulsub Holdings B LLC, Vulsub Holdings C LLC, Vulsub Holdings D LLC, Vulsub Italia S.r.l., Vulsub Middle East Holdings LLC, Vulsub Peru S.A.C., Vulsub Property Holding LLC, Vulsub Property Limited, Vulsub S.A., Vulsub South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Vulsub VZ C.A., Westinghouse Electric Pvt. Limited, Westlock Controls Limited, Westlock Equipamentos de Controle Ltda., Woodstock Land Company LLC, epro GmbH, iSolera Inc., iSolutions Private Limited, and intelliSAW.AmerisourceBergen Corporation sources and distributes pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally. Its Pharmaceutical Distribution segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, outsourced compounded sterile preparations, and related services to various healthcare providers, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and other alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. It also provides pharmacy management, staffing, and other consulting services; supply management software to retail and institutional healthcare providers; and packaging solutions to various institutional and retail healthcare providers. In addition, this segment distributes plasma and other blood products, injectable pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other specialty products; provides other services primarily to physicians who specialize in various disease states, primarily oncology, as well as to other healthcare providers, including hospitals and dialysis clinics; and offers data analytics, outcomes research, and additional services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company's Other segment provides integrated manufacturer services, such as clinical trial support, product post-approval, and commercialization support; offers specialty transportation and logistics services for the biopharmaceutical industry; and sells pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, micro feed ingredients, and various other products to customers in both the companion animal and production animal markets, as well as provides demand-creating sales force services to manufacturers. AmerisourceBergen Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania.

Read MoreTelecom Italia S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Europe, South America, and the Mediterranean Basin. The company operates through Domestic, Brazil, and Other Operations segments. It offers fixed and mobile voice and Internet, and public telephony services, as well as products managed and developed for individuals and families; and voice, data, and Internet services and products, and information and communications technology solutions for small and medium-size enterprises, small offices/home offices, the public sector, large accounts, and enterprises in the fixed and mobile telecommunications markets. The company also manages and develops a portfolio of regulated and unregulated wholesale services for fixed and mobile telecommunications operators; provision of infrastructure for housing radio transmission equipment of mobile telephone networks; and development, engineering, building, and operation of network infrastructures, information technology (IT), real estate properties, and plant engineering. In addition, it engages in customer care, operating credit support, loyalty, and retention activities; and staff functions and other support activities. Further, the company offers office products and services for IT sector. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Read More16 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Deutsche Wohnen in the last twelve months. There are currently 9 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" Deutsche Wohnen stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in DWNI, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

View analyst ratings for Deutsche Wohnen or view top-rated stocks.Wall Street analysts have given VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.3 hours ago

| June 17th | 2021 8:38 AM

Does Nike (NYSE: NKE) Have What It Takes To Get Back Running Again

For a company whose shares powered to new highs on what felt like a daily basis for much of last year, Nike (NYSE: NKE) has surprised many with its sluggish performance in the first half of 2021. Their shares are trading down more than 10% from the most recent all time high that they tagged at the end of December. In the grand scheme of things, this(Reuters) Jana Partners LLC, founded by Barry Rosenstein, is shutting down two stock-picking hedge funds following losses and will focus instead on its main strategy of investing in a handful of companies and pushing management to improve their performance. The New York-based firm, which managed $11 billion at its peak in 2015, will liquidate its Jana Partners and Jana Nirvana funds, the firm told its investors in a letter seen by Reuters.

To read this article: American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. As a bonus to opt-ing into our email newsletters, you will also get a free subscription to the Liberty Through Wealth e-newsletter. You can opt out at any time.Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. The firm specializes in early stage, acquisition, distressed investments, short-term financing to mid-market companies, corporate carve-outs, recapitalizations, convertible, senior and mezzanine financings, operational and capital structure restructuring, strategic re-direction, turnaround, and under-performing midmarket companies. The firm invest in attractive businesses through the public debt and equity markets or by providing financing. The firm invest in Business services, Industrials and Residential sectors. Through its subsidiaries, the firm invests in the property, power, and infrastructure sectors. Its property business includes owning and managing office properties, developing master planned residential communities, and offering clients bridge and mezzanine lending, alternative assets funds, and financial and advisory services. Through its subsidiaries, the firm operates hydroelectric power facilities, interconnections and transmission facilities in Northeast North America, and development of wind power in Canada. Through its subsidiaries, it invests in specialty funds including private equity and makes direct investments in real estate, energy, and resource assets. The firm launches and manages equity and fixed income mutual funds. It also manages real estate and hedge funds. The firm invests in equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It also invest in British Columbia, United States, Brazil, Australia, Chile, Uruguay, New Zealand. It prefers to invest between $2 million and $500 million in its portfolio companies. The firm also prefers to take both minority and majority stakes in its companies. It was formerly known as Brascan Corp. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is based in Toronto, Canada with additional offices in Bogota, Colombia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Calgary, Canada, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Gatineau, Canada, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, London, United Kingdom, Melbourne, Australia, Montreal, Canada, Mumbai, India, New York City, Perth, Australia, Shanghai, China, and Sydney, Australia.

Read MoreBrookdale Senior Living Inc. owns and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates through five segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), Health Care Services, and Management Services. The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily life to mid-acuity and frail elderly residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that offer various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and health needs. The Health Care Services segment provides home health, hospice, and outpatient therapy services. The Management Services segment operates communities under the management agreements. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned 350 communities, leased 301 communities, managed 72 communities on behalf of third parties, and 3 communities for which it has equity interest. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Read MoreData Firm Predicts That Retail Cannabis Will Hit $41 Billion By 2025 (Ad)

It's clear that there's a giant "Green Boom Coming." And here's how you can get it on it...

Get The Full Report HereU.S. house speaker asks Trump to delay State of the Union address over shutdown

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asked President Donald Trump to delay his State of the Union address scheduled for Jan. 29, since federal agencies designated to provide security for the event have not been funded due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government reopens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has reopened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th," said Pelosi in a letter to Trump.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security are leading federal agencies for security of the event.

There was no immediate response from the White House.

The shutdown, the longest one in U.S. modern history, stemmed from a budget standoff in which Trump requested 5.7 billion U.S. dollars for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, but congressional Democrats rejected his demand.

Since the shutdown started on Dec. 22, the White House and the congressional Democratic leadership have held several rounds of negotiations over border security and wall funding, but all have ended in failure.

The shutdown has affected a quarter of federal agencies with about 800,000 federal workers furloughed or working without pay as a result. The White House estimates that the shutdown will likely reduce quarterly U.S. GDP by 0.1 percent every two weeks that it continues.LPETTET/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Democrats have for months fired up supporters with the promise that control of the House of Representatives would finally allow them to seize copies of President Donald Trump's tax returns.



They have argued the filings could produce a road map for investigations into Trumps tangle of global businesses and provide a cure for anxiety caused by his refusal to share details about his wealth, debt, charitable giving and potential conflicts of interests.



At one point during the campaign, soon-to-be-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the San Francisco Chronicle it would be one of the first things we do and the easiest thing in the world to demand a copy of the president's tax filings from the Internal Revenue Service.



But now just a few days into the new Congress, the leader of the committee, one of a handful of lawmakers legally entitled to access the returns, is urging caution, setting the stage for an early conflict among Democrats about how aggressively to push.



House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., told ABC News Wednesday he doesnt know when he will request the documents but wants to ensure the committee takes a careful approach to the politically-sensitive issue, so as to best protect their legal position should the president seek to block their efforts in the courts.



"The other side of this is that litigation could prolong it, so were methodically doing it the way we said we would," Neal said.



Neal added that he still hopes the president will turn over the returns voluntarily.



Other Democrats on the panel want to move immediately.



Weve got to get it going as soon as possible, Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-New Jersey, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee who repeatedly tried to push Republicans to obtain Trumps highly sought after returns in the last session of Congress. I would say within the next month, I think thats fair.



The brewing clash in some ways encapsulates a pivotal challenge facing Democrats on a range of topics, including investigations into Trumps business holdings, subpoenas for Trump insiders and talk of impeachment.



Many have expressed concerns that partisan battles over these matters could overshadow their legislative agenda and feed the perception of overreach House Republicans have been quick to accuse them of on the tax returns and other issues.



The call for Trump to make public his tax returns dates back to the early days of the 2016 presidential contest, when then-candidate Trump initially signaled he would gather the volumes of documents that comprised his returns and make them available for public inspection. As the campaign progressed, he dialed back that pledge, citing ongoing IRS audits that would complicate any attempt to make them public. Ultimately, he chose to keep them private.



Trump is among the few presidents or candidates not to release his tax returns over the past 40 years. Gerald Ford didn't release his returns in 1976, but released a summary of his returns. Other candidates have released more extensive records.



By the end of the 2016 election, three-quarters of Americans wanted Trumps returns to be made public, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll.



The Ways and Means chairman is one of only three congressional committee heads entitled to request copies.



A provision that was added to the Internal Revenue Code during a bribery scandal that hit Washington in the 1920s says the Treasury secretary shall furnish the tax return of any individual upon written request from the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation.



Some Democrats have suggested they attempt a bipartisan route to the tax returns, through the bipartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. But Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who sits on that joint committee, has already signaled that he has no interest in that fight.



"I will not go along with efforts to weaponized the authority of tax-writing committees to access tax returns for political purposes," Grassley said on the Senate floor in December. "Such an action would be unprecedented."



With the Senate under Republican control, the Democrats have viewed Ways and Means as their only option to pursue the documents. And there is mounting pressure on Neal, not only from within his committee, but from Democrats in other House committees, such as the oversight, intelligence and foreign affairs panels, all of whom see potential value in reviewing the returns as providing potential fodder for their own investigations.



A roadmap to Trump finances



While there is no way to know whether the returns will yield anything helpful to those probes, tax experts tell ABC News they are very likely to provide insight into the presidents family business empire.



"There really is a lot of information on a return; it is a roadmap to a taxpayers financial world -- not just the total amount of income, but its sources and types," said tax attorney Christopher S. Rizek, an IRS veteran who now works at the Washington firm of Caplin and Drysdale.



"For most items, the return will just provide leads that will require follow-up," Rizek said.



Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, vowed on CNN in December to fight any effort by the House to see the returns.



They cant just look at them, Giuliani said. It has to be linked to some wrongdoing. We will fight it in court and I think we would win unless they had some specific allegation.



Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the New York Times in October that the department will work with our general counsel and the IRS general counsel on any requests.

Some Democrats have expressed a willingness to wait patiently as Ways and Means gears up for a possible fight with the Trump administration.



You have one shot at it and youve got to get it right, one House Democrat told ABC News. Richie [Neal] has the best shot, everybody knows that he can go for it, but we cant muck it up.



Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, defended Neal's handling of the delicate political question.



"I dont think hes timid at all. I think hes just being thoughtful," he said.



But other Democrats note that if the battle grows into a long and arduous court fight, the longer they wait to request them, the more likely they miss their opportunity to hold the president accountable before the elections.



We have the law on our side, Pascrell said. This presidents going to do it. Sooner or later.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Pioneering imager at Georgia State's CHARA Array gives sharpest view of stars, planet-forming disks

ATLANTA--A pioneering new instrument that can produce the sharpest images of young stars is now available for use by scientists worldwide.

The instrument, called MIRC-X, will give astronomers a fascinating glimpse into how our solar system may have looked when it first formed. MIRC-X is installed at Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array, which is located on Mount Wilson in California. The CHARA Array incorporates six, one-meter telescopes spread over an area of 330 meters in diameter. The MIRC-X instrument combines the light from all six telescopes at the same time, effectively creating the resolving power of a giant 330-meter telescope.

"The MIRC-X camera will show details of young planet forming regions never seen before," said Douglas Gies, Regents' Professor of Astronomy at Georgia State and director of CHARA. "We have plans to explore all kinds of stars with this new instrument."

An international team of experts, including astronomers from the University of Exeter (U.K.), the University of Michigan and Georgia State, created the MIRC-X imager to gain new insights into how planets form from the rotating, circumstellar disks of dense dust and gas that develop around young stars. While conventional telescopes can only see the outer disk region of these fledgling stars because of the sheer distance they are found from Earth, the new imager can produce images from the depths of the disk close to the star.

"The big prize in planet formation studies is to understand what happens in the very inner regions of these disks, on the scales where Earth is located in our solar system," said professor Stefan Kraus, principal investigator from the University of Exeter's Physics and Astronomy Department. "In these inner regions, the disk undergoes a dramatic transition from a dust and gas composition to a purely gaseous disk. The strong pressure gradient there might lead to a pileup of dust grains that could trigger the formation of rocky planets."

"We needed a camera with extremely low noise, but at the same time also a very high frame rate in order to freeze any image distortion introduced by the atmosphere," Kraus said. "Fortunately, there was a real breakthrough in detector technology that has resulted in a new generation of infrared cameras. We now have the world's fastest, low noise, infrared camera, and it is close to reaching the fundamental physical limit of single photon detection, making it nearly perfect for our purposes."

The CHARA Array actually reconstructs images from data, rather than capturing direct images, and the MIRC-X instrument provides much better data quality, said Fabien Baron, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State. Baron's research team switched to the MIRC-X instrument in order to study faint objects in the galaxy.

In late 2018, the international team that created the MIRC-X imager achieved "first light," the moment when the new instrument captured starlight for the first time.

"We were off to a successful start of our observing campaign and can't wait to analyze the data that we recorded," Kraus said. "The images will show us what the solar system might have looked like 4.6 billion years ago, at the time when Earth and the other planets formed."

###

The MIRC-X project received funding from the European Research Council. The CHARA Array is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Georgia State's College of Arts and Sciences.

Scientists can apply for observing time by submitting project ideas to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. For more information, visit http://chara. gsu. edu .

This story has been published on: 2019-01-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.